Ryan, Judge David 1840-1905

RYAN, FAVILLE, HURD, DE WEESE, WOOD

Posted By: Barbara Hug (email)
Date: 11/27/2004 at 18:51:11

Newton people were shocked this morning at the announcement of the death of Judge David Ryan, which occurred at his late residence, 1110 – 10th Street, Des Moines. The Ryans were at a ______ picnic party at Union Park yesterday afternoon and on the return the Judge complained of pain in his stomach. It was a trouble to which ____ the subject and upon arriving home the usual remedies were applied and a physician summoned but before the physician arrived he died of _____xy. He had been in his usual ____ health and as his friends often remarked he bore his age remarkably ______.

A wife, daughter Mrs. Faville and two sons J. B. and Will survive and have the sympathy of ______ of friends in their bereavement.

Judge Ryan was prominent in the ______g history in Jasper County and had a wide acquaintance throughout central Iowa. He was a man of 65 years of age, having been born March ___________. On his last birthday, he remarked that he hoped when his time _____ should come, he might go suddenly. It was as he wished.

He was a man of strong personalities, ____ friend and a bitter foe. As a young man in Newton has ________ helped financially and otherwise ______. Judge Ryan was an ideal _____ man and had quite a career ______ the rebellion.

He enlisted in the Eighth Iowa Infantry and was commissioned 1st Lieutenant Sept. 23, 1864. Captured at ______ promoted to captain July 4, ____. At Pittsburg Landing his company, which, like the whole Eighth ____ was a company of fighters, _____ commanding positions in the ______ and acquitted themselves honorably. In 1963 he was detailed from his regiment to organize a regiment in Western Tennessee from the enrolled militia. That is where he acquitted the title of colonel. C. W. Winn, of this city, was a member of one of the regiments stationed at Memphis and states that the men in Col. Ryan’s regiment held him in the highest esteem. As an evidence of this fact Judge Ryan carried a beautiful gold watch costing $500, which was given him by the boys in the regiment.

Judge Ryan was a member of the Masonic Order and a Knight Templar. He was a church man and in 1868 was one of the incorporators of St. Stephen’s parish in this city. The funeral will be held tomorrow afternoon at 4 o’clock at St. Paul’s Church in Des Moines. Rev. Doctor Cathell will conduct the services, which will be in charge of the Polk County Bar Association, of which Judge Ryan was president.

The following was furnished by Mr. W. O. McElroy who has been on quite intimate terms with Judge Ryan for a great many years.

David Ryan was born in New York. While he was yet a boy he came with his brothers and sisters came to Jasper County and settled on a farm two miles south of Prairie City. At the breaking out of the war, he and his brother Robert, late Supreme Judge of the State of Nebraska, and his brother Thomas, now an attorney practicing in Omaha, and J. W. Deweese, now his brother-in-law, who is now general solicitor of the B. & M. for the State of Nebraska, Prof. A. N. Currier of the State University, and Major H. G. Curtis, late of Atlantic, Iowa, at one time a member of congress, left Central University of Pella, and went to the army. David Ryan enlisted in the 8th Iowa, was made a Lieutenant in Company I, was captured at Shiloh, spent a long time in Libby Prison, was exchanged and was then made colonel of a Tennessee regiment. He served until the close of the war. At the close of the war he was married to Hannah Hurd, of New York. He then went to Des Moines where the present Iowa State Law School was then located, and attended law school and at the same time read and worked in the office of Wright & Withrow, the late Judge Gen. G. Wright and Thos. Withrow composing the firm. He was admitted to the bar and came to Newton and became a member of the firm of Clark & Ryan, composed of L. Clark and D. Ryan. He was afterward a member of the firm of Lindley & Ryan, Judge Lindley being his partner. The firm of Ryan Bros. was formed still later and continued in Newton until 1882. David Ryan then practiced alone until 1884 when the firm of Ryan & McElroy was formed and continued until Judge Ryan went on the district bench Jan. 1, 1887. After serving twelve years on the district bench he removed to Des Moines in 1899 and became a member of the firm of Phillips, Ryan & Ryan, Judge Ryan being the senior member and the other two members being his sons. Note: Part of the left edge of this obituary is cut off on the microfilm.~ The Newton (IA) Daily News, Tuesday, June 20, 1905, Page 1, Column 1
=========================================
Prairie City (IA) News, 1905

Judge David Ryan was born March 15, 1840 at Hebron, New York and died in Des Moines in June, 1905, in Des Moines.

He moved with his parents to Jasper County, Iowa in 1857.

He enlisted in the Eighth Iowa infantry. He later practiced law in Newton, where he remained until 1886 when he was elected Judge of the Sixth judicial district.

He is survived by his wife, two sons and one daughter, also four brothers and three sisters; Robert, Thomas, John and George, Mrs. () DeWeese, Mrs. George Wood.