Carroll County IAGenWeb

HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY IOWA

A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement

VOLUME II ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1912

Transcribed by Sharon Elijah October 5, 2020

Among the men whose lives and personal efforts contributed materially toward the upbuilding of Carroll it is doubtful whether any deserve a more honorable mention in this work than David Henry Park, now deceased. He was born in Hawick, Roxburghshire, Scotland, within a few miles of Edinburgh, May 28, 1850, a son of Andrew and Sophia (Milligan) Park, both of whom were natives of Scotland. They had eleven children all of whom grew to maturity, namely: George R., who is now living at Evans, Colorado; William R., of Fairfax, Iowa; Jane, now Mrs. Charles Mallock, of Morning Sun, Iowa; Thomas, a minister of the gospel, who is located at Allegheny City, Pennsylvania; Jeannette, who married Charles Wheeler, of Newhall, Iowa; David Henry; Belle, who became the wife of Dr. Stroud, of Ontario, Canada, and is now deceased; Sophia, who married J. R. Gordon, of Pueblo, Colorado; Ella, now Mrs. James Page, of Whitewater, Colorado; Andrew, who died in March, 1910; and Margaret, who is the wife of R. Darr, of Storm Lake, Iowa. Andrew Park, the father of our subject, was for many years foreman of a large woolen mill in his native country, having about five hundred workers under his supervision. He was a great reader and thinker, a natural poet and descriptive writer, a naturalist and an inventor-machinist. His father was William Park, a shepherd in Inverness, Scotland, and his mother was Janet Main. Seven sons and six daughters where born to them. The sons followed their father’s occupation with the exception of David S. Park, for whom David H. Park was named, and who was a general merchant at Hawick, Scotland. The youngest daughter of this large family died only three years ago, at the venerable age of ninety years, a woman like Dorcas full of faith and good deeds. David H. Park’s mother, Sophia Milligan, was a woman of culture and special aptness in making herself helpful both to rich and poor. His maternal grandfather was George Milligan, was a cabinet-maker and undertaker in Hawick all his life, his son Robert succeeding to the business, which was conducted by the two for a period of nearly seventy-five years. His grandmother was Jane Patterson, a woman noted for her consecrated Christian life. He had one maternal uncle, the one mentioned above.

In 1857 Andrew Park crossed the ocean with his family and, after a thirty-seven-day trip on the sailing vessel Pomona, they landed and took up their residence in Delaware county, New York, in July of this year, later arriving in Linn county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming. He died at the home of his son, in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, having arrived at the age of eighty-three years, while his wife passed away about 1880. They were both devoted members of the United Presbyterian church.

David H. Park arrived in America with his parents at the age of seven years and grew to maturity under the kindly influences of a peaceful home. He received his education in the public school and in the Academy of Andes, Delaware, county, New York. His boyhood was spent on his father’s farm. In 1869, in March, he came with his father’s family to Iowa, where he attended business college in Cedar Rapids. He lived part of the time in Norway and part in Fairfax. Later he mastered the carpenter’s trade and was a contractor for several years. In Fairfax he had a wagon repairing and blacksmith shop. Spending only a short time in business in Norway, he came after his marriage to Carroll, where he associated with his brother Andrew, in the implement business. The brother retired a few years later and Mr. Park of this review continued the firm until about 1902 when he sold out and entered the real-estate business. He was a man of excellent judgment and his efforts were blessed with abundant financial returns.

On the 11th of May, 1882, Mr. Park was married to Miss Edith C. Vette, a daughter of Charles O. and Ursula (Wilkins) Vette. To them three children were born, Marian Edith, Helen Ursula and Fairy Belle. Marian Edith was a student at Lake Forest, Illinois, and was graduated from Urbana University at Urbana, Ohio. She married Fred H. Culbertson, of Carroll, and they have one child, Helen Adelaide. Helen Ursula, the second in order of birth in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Park, attended St. Mary’s Episcopal school at Faribault, Minnesota, and was also a student at Lake Forest, Illinois, graduating later at Urbana University. Mrs. Edith C. Park is a member of the Church of the New Jerusalem, commonly known as the Swedenborgian church. She was born near Norway, in Iowa county, Iowa. Her father was born at Bielefeld, Westphalia, Germany, and emigrated to America with an older brother at the age of fourteen, living in St. Louis, Missouri, for a number of years. He came to Iowa county, Iowa, where he met and married Miss Ursula Wilkins. She was born in Michigan and came with her parents to Benton county, Iowa, the family later moving to Marengo, Iowa, where the father died at the age of sixty-three years. The mother still survives and makes her home with her children. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Vette were nine children, as follows: Ella, who died at the age of twenty-one years; Edith C., who married David H. Park; Fairy Belle, the wife of Charles M. Power of Omaha, Nebraska; Arthur and Victor, twins, the former of whom lives at Marengo, Iowa, and the latter at Indianapolis, Indiana; Charles E., of Sioux City, Iowa; Bertha Adelaide, who married B. H. Stover, of Watertown, South Dakota; Frank J., of Omaha; and Marian, who died at the age of fifteen months. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Park was Josiah Wilkins, a farmer of New York state, and his wife was Locena (Foote) Wilkins. They had thirteen children, seven of whom grew to maturity, namely: Elizabeth, now deceased, who became the wife of William Taylor and afterward married Porter Johnson; Anson, deceased; Elzora, the widow of Ethan Pritchard, of Waterman, Illinois; Alfred, who died in California; Ursula, who married Charles O. Vette and became the mother of Mrs. Park; Jennie, the widow of Nathanial Hedrick, of Ainsworth, Nebraska; and Newton, who enlisted in the Union army and died in the service of his country.

David H. Park was one of the most popular citizens Carroll has known. He was a public-spirited man and a leader in every movement that aimed to secure the advancement of the city. He loved his wife, his children and his friends and was always kind, generous and true to others and mindful of the rights of his fellows, winning for himself a warm sport in the hearts of all with whom he came in contact. He died in 1910, as the result of a surgical operation. As the end approached he requested that the Twenty-third Psalm be repeated and then after kissing his wife and bidding his family a last farewell he gently fell asleep. The funeral was held Saturday afternoon in one of the busiest seasons of the year, yet the business houses of the city were all closed in honor of one whose departure was regarded as a loss to the entire community. He was a devoted member of the Masonic order whose beneficent teachings largely influenced his life and his name was upon the rolls of the blue lodge, chapter, commandery and shrine. The funeral services were in charge of the fraternity, short address being also delivered at the house by Rev. Dudley of the Methodist church. Mr. Park was very largely instrumental in the erection of the Masonic temple which stands in Carroll, a fitting monument to a man whose name will long be revered and whose good works continue to shed their blessings, though the one who inspired them is no more.

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