BATHER, Miss Jessie

BATHER, KILLETT, MOODY, SIPPERLY, NORMAN, UNDERWOOD, DOGHER

Posted By: Volunteer Transcribers
Date: 1/19/2003 at 20:51:21

MISS JESSIE BATHER

Miss Jessie Bather is now proprietor of the J. R. Bather greenhouse on Camanche avenue, Clinton, and a good store on Second street, where are on sale a choice variety of cut flowers, potted plants and jardiniers. She was born in this city, and is a daughter of John R. Bather, who for many years was one of its leading business men. Her paternal grandparents were Thomas and Agnes (Killett) Bather, who came to this country from England in 1848, and settled in Albany, New York. The grandfather died at the age of fifty-five years, his wife at the age of sixty-eight. They had three children who reached years of maturity, namely: John R., Emma M. and Andrew, while the others died young.

John R. Bather, our subject’s father, was a native of Manchester, England, where he grew to manhood and wedded Miss Mary Moody, who died on the voyage when coming to this country, at the age of twenty-two years. It was in 1848 that Mr. Bather crossed the Atlantic with his parents and located in Albany, New York, where both he and his father engaged in landscape gardening. In 1859 he came to Clinton, Iowa, where he was successfully engaged in the flower and nursery business with his brother Andrew. They built up a large trade and continued in business together thirty years, but in 1889 the partnership was dissolved and the property divided, John R. taking the greenhouse, which he enlarged until he had eight thousand square feet under glass. He continued in successful business up to the time of his death, receiving orders for cut flowers from long distances. In 1871 he built a large brick house, which was his home until called to the world beyond in 1893, at the age of sixty-seven years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Jane Maria Sipperly and was a native of Troy, New York, died in 1896, at the age of fifty-four years.

This worthy couple were the parents of twelve children, namely: Frank, who assists our subject in business; Agnes, deceased wife of William Norman; Jessie, of this review; Mary, wife of N. Underwood; Fred, a resident of California; Walter, deceased; Ernest, a florist; Ruth, who is clerking in the store of her sister; Arthur, a florist; Roy, a machinist; Carrie; and Fannie, wife of F. Dogher.

On the death of her father Miss Jessie Bather succeeded to the business, and has since added to the greenhouses until she now has ten thousand square feet under glass, it being the largest greenhouse in this section of the state. She also has a fine office and sample rooms, and is prepared to furnish any kind of a made piece of the finest flowers for all occasions, such as funerals, weddings, parties, etc. She is artistic in taste, which is an essential qualification of one who is successfully engaged in her line of business, and is a woman of good business and executive ability.
Source: The 1901 Biographical Record of Clinton Co., Iowa, Illustrated published: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1901.