Carroll County IAGenWeb History Journal

     Noah Titus was the pioneer lawyer of the country, living at Carrollton in an early day. There was then not enough legal business to take the entire time of even one man, and it cannot be said that there was ever much of a "bar" at Carrollton, though several practiced law or were entitled to practice. The oldest resident attorney of Carroll is James E. Griffith, dating from its first year, 1868. Orlando H. Manning, who studied law with Messrs. Russell & Head, at Jefferson, came to Carroll in the same year, and practiced continuously until successful politics absorbed his time. He served two terms in the lower branch of the General Assembly, and in 1881 was elected Lieutenant Governor. He was very prominent in all county affairs when a resident here, and will fill an important place in the history of Carroll County when the same shall be written by future historians. In 1883 he removed to Council Bluffs, and at the present time he is a resident of Topeka, Kansas. William H. H. Tibbils was here a couple of years, and in 1873 went West. E. M. Betzer located here in 1870, and has practiced law when not employed in some one of the county offices. H. W. Macomber has been here for many years, and his son, F. L. Macomber, is also now a practicing attorney. F. M. Cole was one of the early attorneys. He retired from business in 1873, owing to sickness, and died soon after.

     George W. Paine came in 1872, from Brooklyn, New York, and has been prominent in legal and business matters since. He has been an attorney since 1849. He does a large loan business. James N. and F. M. Powers located here in 1880, and were in partnership until the former was elected county clerk. He is a graduate of the State University, class of 1879. J. W. Scott came here about ten years ago, and for the past two years has given up legal practice and devoted himself to farming. Joseph M. Drees studied law with O. H. Manning, and has now been in practice about six years. A lawyer named Cochran was for a time a member of the county bar.

     George W. Bowen located here in 1878, and is yet in practice. George E. Cloud has been here since 1882. M. W. Beach came here from Glidden in 1883. J. C. Engelman was first here in 1878. He has moved around considerably; located at Manning in 1884, and in the autumn of 1886, having been elected county attorney, removed to Carroll. Charles Lee Murray came here in 1879 from Marion, and after a stay of a year and a half, emigrated to Montana. Ed. Conlin was admitted to the bar in 1885. Thomas F. Barbee, H. S. Fisher and John Brown have been in practice several years.

     The present resident practitioners of Carroll are James E. Griffith, E. M. Betzer, George W. Paine, H. W. Macomber, F. L. Macomber, M. W. Beach, James N. Powers, F. M. Powers, Thomas F. Barbee, H. S. Fisher, John Brown, George W. Bowen, George R. Cloud, Ed. Conlin, J. C. Engelman and Joseph M. Drees.

     The first law firm at Manning was that of Doty, Hughes & Salinger, in the autumn of 1881. It continued but a few months. C. W. Doty remained at Manning for two years, and is now in Nebraska. W. H. Hughes was from Cherokee County here, remained about a twelve-month, and is now in the Territory of Dakota. B. I. Salinger is the only one of the firm who is still in the practice at Manning. George W, Makepeace came in the autumn of 1881, and was here two years. Emory S. Blazer, from Audubon County, was also among the first comers. He remained three years, and then removed to Nebraska, where he has since died. Albert T. Bennett came at the same time as the above, and is still in practice, although most of his time is given to the Bank of Manning, of which he is owner. C. M. Failing came from Anita in 1882, but returned a year later.

     S. Preston was the first attorney at Coon Rapids, and is still in practice at that point. T. C. Reid located here in 1882, from Searsborough, Poweshiek County, and is the present mayor of the town. S. J. L. Sheaffer came also in 1882, from Guthrie Center, and in the autumn of the second year thereafter changed his field of operations to Kansas. L. W. Morgan was in mercantile employment at this place before December, 1882, when he formed a partnership with T. C. Reid, under the name of Reid & Morgan. A. A. Spahr came in 1883, was a partner of Sheaffer, and in 1885 removed to Casey, Guthrie County. E. H. Hurd is the latest addition to the list of attorneys at Coon Rapids, having arrived in the autumn of 1886.

     M. W. Beach was the first attorney at Glidden. He read law while holding the office of county superintendent, and after being admitted to practice followed the legal profession here several years, when he removed to Carroll. C. I. Hinman, who was his partner at Glidden for a time, is now engaged in banking and real estate dealing at Estherville, Emmett County.

     J. C. Engelman, the present county attorney, was the first member of the legal profession at Arcadia. F. A. Charles is the present attorney of the place.

     The first settlers of Carroll County depended for medical assistance upon Dr. James Miller, who was the pioneer physician of Greene County, and lived in the country, north of the present site of Scranton. In 1865 Dr. Thomas Elwood, now of Glidden, located at Carrollton, and to him belongs the honor of being the first resident practitioner in Carroll County.

     The first physician to locate at Carroll was J. W. Hollenbeck, who remained about a year and a half. A Dr. Davidson was here about the same time, and Dr. Fajans was also one of the first. Dr. Hildebrand, from Philadelphia, was here six years, and in 1877 removed to Southern Iowa, He died at Sacramento, California, in 1885. J. M. Patty (homoeopathic) was here very early, and died at Carroll in 1884. He was from Grant, Sac County, as was H. Smith, who also died here about 1884. Dr. Rieke was an early physician. A. L. Wright came in the spring of 1874, and is the oldest practitioner now at Carroll. A. Naulteus, from Ohio, remained here about two years, and is now at Hastings, Nebraska. J. W. Gustine came in 1876, from Panora, Guthrie County, and died here in the autumn of 1885. The previous two years had been passed in Florida. G. W. Bowers came from Guthrie Center in 1878, practiced four or five years, and died at this place. Dr. Strong (homoeopathic) came in 1878; left two years later for the northern part of the State. F. J. Kriebs came in 1886, and is now in Eastern Iowa, having left Carroll in the autumn of 1886. Dr. Schafer came in 1880, and left two years later. L. Q. Spaulding (homoeopathic) came in 1883, and in the autumn of 1886 moved to Battle Creek, this State. William Lane came in 1881, from Montour, this State; remained about two years, and is now at Miller, Dakota. Dr. Fox came about the same time, was for a year or two in partnership with Dr. Gustine, then went to Pattersonville, this State, and is now in New York State. The practicing physicians of Carroll now are Drs. Wright, Emeis, Gockley and Strunk. The last three are comparatively recent arrivals.

     Dr. R. R. Williams, who lived on a farm six miles east of Manning, was the first physician to practice generally in that vicinity. He removed to town in the autumn of 1881, and is still in practice at that place. Dr. McKinney was also one of the first, having boarded with Julius Gardner before the town was laid out. He has practiced at Manning ever since, except one year at Aster, Crawford County. G. M. Barber came the same autumn (1881), from Walnut, Pottawattamie County, and started a drug store in partnership with James Turner. He is still in practice, and is now sole owner of the store. L. P. Brigham came in 1883, and practiced one year. He has since devoted himself to the insurance and loan business. Dr. Stein came in 1884, from St. Louis, and is yet here, in practice. E. V. Blatchley fixed his residence at Coon Rapids in 1877 or '78, and in the spring of 1886 removed to Buffalo Gap, Dakota. His son, E. M. Blatchley, came a year or two later, and in June, 1885, moved to Grundy County, Nebraska, J. Garst was here from 1882 to 1885, and is now at Northfield, Minnesota. T. C. McMillan was here from 1882 to 1886, and is now at Fullerton, Nebraska. C. Runyon was his partner for one year, and when he left was headed for Washington, Iowa. J. K. Root came in the autumn of 1884, and is still a resident practitioner. J. H. Martin came in August, 1886, and after two months removed to Omaha, Nebraska. Dr. Stearns came in the autumn of 1886, and Dr. E. A. Hunt a year previous. Both are still at Coon Rapids.

     Dr. H. H. Gates has been located at Glidden for eighteen years. Dr. White, a homeopath, was here in the early times of the village, and remained three years. Dr. Thomas Elwood, who located at Carrollton in 1865 and was the first resident physician of the county, fixed his home at Glidden, in 1872, and is yet here. Drs. Culver and St. John were early physicians, but did not remain long. Dr. S. C. Dunkle has been here twelve years. Dr. O. H. Hood came to this point in 1884, and in 1886 removed to Nebraska. Dr. L. R. Sales is also a resident physician of Glidden. The first physician at Arcadia was Dr. Hall, who remained two years and is now in Sac County. Dr. Fischer was at Arcadia a short time. Dr. J. B. H. Feenstra located here in 1877, and has practiced continuously since. Dr. C. A. Beitenman has been a resident nearly three years. Dr. Baird was here in 1883–'84, and is now in Kansas. Dr. L. S. Stoll has been here thirteen years, as physician and insurance agent.