Joseph E. Hoopes

HOOPES, WALTON, BARCLAY

Posted By: Lynn McCleary (email)
Date: 9/15/2016 at 11:26:49

Muscatine Journal Sat. December 16, 1916 pg 5

Prominent Farmer of Island Dies – J. E. Hoopes Succumbs to Paralysis Following Long Illness. – Was Well Known Through City – One of Leading Truck Gardeners of State Dies – Had resided in Muscatine Count Since First Year of Life – Was Active in Church and Community Work.

Following an illness of nearly four years duration, J. E. Hoopes, one of the leading truck farmers of the state, died at his home on Muscatine Island last evening at 8:15 o’clock. In February, 1913, Mr. Hoopes attended a session of the Commercial club and as he was leaving the building slipped on the icy sidewalk and fell heavily to the ground, fracturing his collarbone and three ribs. Owing to the extent of injuries to the muscles of the right shoulder, atrophy set in the right arm which spread over the entire body as the disease progressed. As his condition grew more seriously, he traveled far and wide to secure relief but all efforts for recovery failed. For the past several weeks he had been gradually growing worse, death coming last evening.

In the death of Mr. Hoopes, Muscatine loses a man whose name was known not only in Muscatine county but throughout this section of the country, whose name has been among the leaders to bring fame to the products of Muscatine Island. But Mr. Hoopes was more than an expert truck farmer. He was always been one of the most active workers of Muscatine in the interest of church and community.

Entering religious life at the age of nine years when he was converted in the High Prairie chapel he joined that church and when he later moved to Muscatine Island was one of the organizers of the Musserville Methodist Episcopal church. At the time of his death he was the last remaining charter member of that church and had been actively engaged in all its enterprises until his illness precluded all activity. He had held a local minister’s license, and exhortor’s license and had been a class leader and chorister. When death came he held the leading administrative offices of the church. He was senior steward, president of the board of trustees and teacher of the men’s Bible class at the time of his demise.

Community Worker

In the community at large, Mr. Hoopes was no less active. He had served the city as a school director. He was a members of the board of directors of the Young Men’s Christian association and for many years had acted as president of that body. Whenever possibility offered Mr. Hoopes had labored for the improvement of the community at large. When the first horse car line was begun in the city, Mr. Hoopes was a stockholder and aided in the inauguration of the street railway system. He had also been a stockholder in the Muscatine High bridge, which opened Illinois trade with the city, the toll road leading to the bridge. In later years he had been financially interested in Muscatine’s first canning factory, the Hotel Muscatine and other public enterprises. In rural life Mr. Hoopes was a member of the Muscatine County Crop Improvement Association and the Muscatine Farmers’ Mutual Fire Insurance Association of which organization he had been vice president for several years.

In addition to his church activities, Mr. Hoopes has always been one of the most active temporance workers in the city and aided materially in making Muscatine the first “dry” city in the state.

Socially he had been a member of the A.O.U.W., K. O. T. M. and M. B. A. lodges, having been a charter member in the latter two organizations.

Born in Pennsylvania.

Joseph Erskine Hoopes was born April 4, 1852 near Altoona, Cambria county, Pennsylvania. He was the third son of Mr. and Mrs. Lindley Hoopes, both now deceased. When he was but one year of age the family migrated to the west, making the journey entirely by boat down the Ohio river to Cairo and thence up the Mississippi to Muscatine. The family landed at this point and in 1856 settled on a farm in Lake township.

Becomes Truck Grower.

Here Mr. Hoopes grew to manhood, receiving a district school education. When twenty-one years of age in the winter of 1874-75 he taught school in the country but abandoned the profession and later acquired a business education at the Commercial college at Muscatine. Determining upon gardening as his future vocation, in the latter part of 1875, he entered into partnership with his brother, William Hoopes for the purpose. During thirteen years of partnership the brothers were members of various gardening firms including Middleton & Hoopes; Middletown, Hoopes & Holcomb; Hoopes & Holcomb and W. H. Hoopes and Brother.

January 1, 1889 the brothers dissolved partnership by mutual consent and J. E. Hoopes formed a partnership with John Han & Sons under the name of Hahn Hoopes & Co., which was succeeded by the firm J. E. Hoopes & Co., which still exists. With the formation of the latter company, the business was all transferred to the home farm in the southern part of the city of Muscatine Island.

Business Extensive

In 1903 in addition to the production and sale of the truck farm products, Mr. Hoopes began the sale of garden seed from his farm to seedsmen. Practically every form of truck farm product was handled by Mr. Hoopes, the sale being conducted not only for the home market but throughout the central west.

Mr. Hoopes was united in marriage with Miss May O. Walton, third daughter of Mr. & Mrs. J. P. Walton, also pioneers of Muscatine, February 6, 1884. Four children were born to this union, three of whom survive, one daughter Alice W. having died in infancy. Mr. Hoopes is survived by his wife, one daughter Amy W., at home; two sons Lindley R., a senior in horticulture at Iowa State College at Ames, and Austin G,. at home; two sisters Mrs. Amanda Barclay of Lake township, and Mrs. Addison J. Wood of Sweetland, township and two brothers, John A. Hoopes of Lake township and Emerson G. Hoopes of this city.

Funeral Monday.

Funeral services over the remains of Mr. Hoopes are announced to be held Monday afternoon from the Musserville Methodist Episcopal church at 2 o’clock. The Rev. G. W. Barber will conduct the services. Interment will be made in the Greenwood cemetery.