CALL, AMBROSE A.

CALL, METCALF, HENDERSON

Posted By: Jean Kramer (email)
Date: 5/19/2004 at 13:41:19

Biography reproduced from page 402 of the History of Kossuth and Humboldt Counties, Iowa published in 1884:

Ambrose A. Call, the pioneer of Kossuth county, and one of the figures around which cluster much of the historic annals of the past, was born in Huron Co., Ohio, upon the 9th of June, 1833. He is the son of Asa and Mary (Metcalf) Call, and comes of good stock. His grandfather was one of the noble band of patriots that achieved our National Independence in the Revolution, and his father served in the army that preserved it during the War of 1812-15. When the subject of this sketch was but a few months old, his father died and his widowed mother removed to Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., where she had friends. Five years later, however, she returned to the west, going beyond her old home in Ohio, and locating at South Bend, Ind., where she remained many years. Ambrose left home at the age of fifteen, he having received a common school education in the meanwhile. The summer of 1850, the subject of our sketch established a news depot at Dayton, Ohio, delivering the Cincinnati dailies ahead of the mails. The fall and winter of the same year, he attended commercial college in Cincinnati, Ohio. In the spring of 1854 he turned his steps westward and brought up in Iowa; at this time he was but twenty-one years of age, and in company with his elder brother, who had just returned from the gold fields of California, he came north from Fort Des Moines, as it was then called, into what is now Kossuth county, arriving here the 9th of July, 1854. In 1861 he established the first newspaper in the county, the Algona Pioneer Press, an account of which, see elsewhere. This he continued to edit for several years. For the last twenty years, Mr. Call has been a government mail contractor, and at the present time controlls a large number of routes throughout the northwest. He was united in marriage with Nancy E. Henderson, of Oskaloosa, Iowa, in October, 1859, a lady whose ancestors have a historic record in the settlement of Kentucky. Their union has been blessed with seven living children—Florence M., Edith, Etta L., Bertha A., Chester C. and Roscoe and Myrtle, twins. In politics Mr. Call has ever affiliated with the republican party, and has taken great interest in the success of the measures advocated in the platforms of that party. Although frequently solicited, Mr. Call has persistently refused political preferment, and has never been an office seeker or holder. A prominent Mason, he carries into every day life the teachings of the craft, and deals with his fellow man as he would be dealt with. With his brother he founded the city of Algona, and was also the founder of Bancroft, the second town of importance in the county. Ask him his occupation, and his reply will be, a farmer, which is in fact, true, as he has over 1,000 acres of this rich Iowa prairie, brought under subjection to the plough. Conservative in business, Mr. Call has had the good fortune to accumulate an easy competence by shrewd investments, and as the result of his mail business. He is at present, president of the Bank of Algona, and one of Kossuth county’s most prominent representative citizens.
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Biography reproduced from page 19 of Volume II of the History of Kossuth County written by Benjamin F. Reed and published in 1913:

Ambrose A. Call, whose record is closely interwoven with the history of Kossuth county, passed away on the 22d of October, 1908, after a residence of more than a half century within its borders. He and his brother, Asa C. Call, founded the town of Algona and he was likewise the founder of Bancroft. He owned over two thousand acres of Iowa at the time of his demise and was a prominent factor in financial circles as the president of the First National Bank. His birth occurred in Huron county, Ohio, on the 9th of June, 1833, his parents being Asa and Mary (Metcalf) Call. His father participated in the War of 1812 and his grandfather was a patriot of the Revolution. Asa Call passed away when his son Ambrose was but a few months old, and the widowed mother then took up her abode among friends in Cattaraugus county, New York. Five years later, however, she returned to the west, going beyond her old home in Ohio and locating at South Bend, Indiana, where she remained for many years.

Ambrose A. Call received a common-school education in early life and left home when a youth of fifteen. In the summer of 1850 he established a news depot at Dayton, Ohio, delivering the Cincinnati dailies ahead of the mails. During the fall and winter of the same year he attended a commercial college in Cincinnati. In the spring of 1854, when a young man of twenty-one years, he made his way westward to Iowa and, in company with his elder brother, who had just returned from the gold fields of California, he came north from Fort Des Moines (as it was then called) into Kossuth county, arriving here on the 9th of July. In 1861 he established the first newspaper in the county, the Algona Pioneer Press, which he continued to edit for several years. For over forty years he was a government mail contractor, controlling a number of routes throughout the northwest. As above stated, he founded the city of Algona with his brother, Asa C. Call, and was also the founder of Bancroft, the second town of importance in Kossuth county. He devoted considerable attention to farming and at the time of his death had over two thousand acres of Iowa land. Mr. Call was conservative in business and had the good fortune to accumulate a comfortable competence by shrewd investments and as a result of his mail business. When he passed away the First National Bank lost its chief executive officer, in which capacity he had ably directed the affairs of that institution, and Kossuth county lost one of its most prominent and highly respected citizens.

In October, 1859, Mr. Call was united in marriage to Miss Nancy E. Henderson of Oskaloosa, Iowa, whose ancestors were prominent in the settlement of Kentucky. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Call were born seven children, namely: Florence M., Edith, Etta L., Bertha A., Chester C., Roscoe and Myrtle. The two last named are twins.

In politics Mr. Call was a stanch republican, at all times desiring the success of that party and the men and measures it advocated. Although frequently solicited to become a candidate, he persistently refused political preferment and was never an office seeker or holder. He was a prominent Mason and exemplified the teachings of the craft in his daily life, doing unto others as he would have others do unto him.