IOWA HISTORY PROJECT |
NORTHWESTERN
IOWA
ITS HISTORY AND TRADITION
VOLUME III
1804-1926
BIO'S T
Frank M. Taggart, a retired agriculturist and a Civil war veteran who now makes his home at Cherokee, is enjoying the fruits of his former toil in well earned ease. This highly esteemed octogenarian was born in Michigan, on the 7th of October, 1844, his parents being James M. and Amanda (Marshall) Taggart. The father, whose birth occurred in Vermont in 1815, was married in Michigan and thence came to Iowa in 1882, purchasing a farm in Pitcher township, Cherokee county, which is now the property of his son Frank. On this place Mr. and Mrs. James M. Taggart spent the remainder of their lives. Their family numbered three children, two of whom survive.
Frank M. Taggart was reared in the state of his nativity and acquired his education in its schools. The Civil war found him among the stalwart defenders of the Union cause and he served as a member of Company K, Twelfth Michigan Volunteer Infantry, until mustered out in Arkansas. Following the cessation of hostilities between the north and the south he returned to Michigan and in that state worked at the trade of cabinetmaking until his removal to Iowa in 1894. He took charge of his father's farm in Pitcher township, Cherokee county, and successfully continued its operation to the time of his retirement from active life, large crops annually rewarding his well directed labors. He fell heir to the place when his father died and is still the owner thereof.
In 1865 Mr. Taggart was united in marriage to Miss Harriett V. McIntyre, a native of Ohio and a daughter of Lamuel and Abigail (Walker) McIntyre. Her parents, both of whom were also born in the Buckeye state, left Ohio to take up their abode among the pioneer settlers of Michigan, where they continued to reside until called to their final rest. Mr. and Mrs. Taggart became the parents of two daughters and a son, namely: Myrtle A., who is deceased; James N.; and Stella V., who is the wife of Fred Hilton. The wife and mother passed away in the year 1909 and was laid to rest in the Aurelia cemetery.
Mr. Taggart belongs to Custer Post, No. 25, G. A. R., at Cherokee, thus maintaining pleasant relations with his old army comrades. He well merits the proud American title of a self-made man, for his present prosperity is entirely attributable to his own efforts. His life has been an upright and honorable one in every relation, commending him to the confidence and esteem of all with whom he has been associated.
Orville Bryan Talley, whose death, in 1925, was regarded as a distinct loss to his community, was a man of exalted purpose and useful life, whose record honored and dignified his city and county. By a straightforward and commendable course he had attained a respected and influential position in the business world, earning a reputation as an enterprising, progressive man of affairs and a broadminded, charitable and upright citizen, qualities which the public was not slow to recognize and appreciate.
Mr. Talley was born on a farm near Terre Haute, Indiana, on the 24th of September, 1860, and was a son of John W. and Amanda Jane (Kyle) Talley. His father was born in 1830 and died in 1895 in Paxton, Illinois, and his mother, who was born in Ohio in 1836, died in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1917, He was the scion of old American lineage, the progenitor of the family in this country having settled near Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1675.
Orville B. Talley received his educational training in the public and high schools of Paxton, Illinois, and Paxton Academy, his family having moved in 1869 to a farm of five hundred acres near Paxton. In 1885, when about twenty-five years of age, he went to Peoria, Illinois, where he entered the banking house of C. E. & C. M. Anthony. In 1886 he was in Waterloo and Sioux City, Iowa, and in 1887 he bought a half interest in the abstract books and business of George W. Pardoe in Sioux City, at which time he formed the firm of Talley, Harvey & Company. This became one of the most important and reliable firms in that line in this county and Mr. Talley remained identified with the business up to the time of his death, a period of thirty-eight years. He served as secretary of the Paxton, Illinois, Building, Loan and Savings Association, which was organized in 1883 and is still in existence. A man of sound judgment and recognized ability, he long stood as an exemplar of the best methods and soundest principles in business practice. Aside from his business affairs, Mr. Talley's chief interest was in local history, into which he had delved with absorbing interest, bringing to light and putting into form for preservation many facts of importance and interest relative to the early history of this section of the state. In this labor of love he performed a service of immeasurable value, for his researches were made in a conscientious manner, and his articles embodying the results of his work are considered authoritative.
On June 15, 1892, at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Mr. Talley was married to Miss Helen E, Lighty, who was born in that city September 20, 1869. She is a daughter of Davis Hewitt and Susannah Margaret (Corey) Lighty, the former of whom was born in 1828 and died in March, 1917. The latter, who was born in 1834, and died February 23, 1915, was a descendant of John Corey, of Southhold, Long Island, who was known as a whale commissioner in 1644. Mrs. Talley is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Woman's Club and the Entre Nous Club. To Mr. and Mrs. Talley were born two children, namely: Eleanor Frances, born September 2, 1899, who was married June 20, 1925, to David B. Byrnes, of Cambridge City, Indiana; and Louise Margaret, born June 13, 1911.
Politically Mr. Talley was a lifelong republican and took an active interest in public affairs. He spent three winters (1896 to 1899) in Washington, D. C., as clerk to the committee on printing. He served as chairman of the republican central committee in the campaign of 1900, when among the brilliant speakers whom he brought this locality were George D. Roberts, treasurer of the United States, and Marcus Hanna. In 1903 Mr. Talley was elected treasurer of Woodbury county, serving seven years with ability and honor. He was a member of Tyrian Lodge, No. 508, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of which he was master in 1908; Columbian Commandery, No. 18, Knights Templar, of which he was eminent commander in 1916, serving as grand warder of the grand commandery of Knights Templar in 1916-17; Abu-Bekr Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is also a member of the Kawkeye Club, which was organized in 1883 and was in existence for nearly thirty-five years; the Sons of the American Revolution, the Sioux City Academy of Science and Letters, the Sioux City Country Club and the Sioux City Boat Club, of which he was a charter member in 1888. In religion he was a communicant of St. Thomas Protestant Episcopal church. Quiet and unostentatious, but kindly and gracious in manner, he made friends of all who came into contact with him, and no citizen of this community enjoyed to a more marked degree the friendship and good will of the people. As an evidence of this appreciation of his sterling qualities stand the following resolutions of regret which were adopted by the officers of the Sioux City Academy of Science and Letters:
"Resolved, that the officers of the Sioux City Academy of Science and Letters hereby express their earnest regret at the recent death of O. B. Talley, long a resident of this city and a member of this academy. Mr. Talley possessed an unusual interest in matters of pioneer history, and a rare talent in collecting the facts of such history and reducing them into interesting literature. He rendered eminent service in the collection of such data and in making it available to the public. His mind was quickened by his large interests and his wide reading, which made him a most companionable comrade. In his death Sioux City has lost a valuable citizen and student; this academy has lost a member of unusual talent, and his many friends will miss pleasant hours enlivened and brightened by his company."
Glenn C. Taylor of Spirit Lake, recognized as a forceful figure in financial circles of northwestern Iowa, is president of the Spirit Lake National Bank, which is one of the strongest moneyed institutions of this locality. He was born in Traer, this state, on the 28th of February, 1889, and is a son of Elmer E. and Ella C. (Canfield) Taylor, the former a native of TRaer and the latter of new Jersey, their marriage occurring in Traer. Giles Taylor, his paternal grandfather, was a resident of Ohio, from which state he brought his family to Iowa, late in 1862 or early in the following year. He came by wagon and was one of the very earliest settlers in that section of the state. He homesteaded a tract of land on which the tow of Traer was later built and became one of the prominent figures in the public life of that community, being the first sheriff of the county and filling many other local offices of his district. The old log cabin which he built on his arrival there is still standing.
Elmer E. Taylor was born shortly after the family's arrival at Traer and on reaching early manhood he engaged in the newspaper business. Later he founded the Traer Star, which he eventually merged with the Traer Clipper, under the name of the Traer Star-Clipper. The Clipper had been published by James Wilson and they remained in partnership a number of years. Later Mr. Wilson became prominently identified with national politics, becoming a member of congress and afterward secretary of agriculture under Presidents McKinley, Roosevelt and Taft, serving sixteen years in that office with marked ability and distinction. After he entered politics, Mr. Taylor acquired his interest in the Star-Clipper and is still engaged in its publication.
Glenn C. Taylor attended the public schools and then entered Cornell College, where he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1910. Going to Sutherlin, Oregon, he accepted the position of paymaster of the Sutherlin Land & Water Company, serving in that position about two years. On his return to Iowa he became assistant cashier of the First National Bank of Traer, remaining there about a year, when he resigned and on January 1, 1915, became cashier of the Spirit Lake National Bank, in which position he served until his election to the presidency of that institution, in January, 1921. Under his management this well known bank has enjoyed substantial growth and is now numbered among the strong and reliable banks of this section of the state.
On September 15, 1915, Mr. Taylor was united in marriage to Miss Helen Clark Kenny, of Sibley, Iowa. Her paternal grandfather, O. J. Clark, who was one of the well known attorneys of Sibley, was one of the first settlers in that section of the state, having been a member of the English colony which located there. Mr. and Mrs Taylor have three children, Glenn Clark, Dorothy Ella and Margaret Lau.
Mr. Taylor is a member of Twilight Lodge, No. 329, A. F. & A. M., of which he is a past master; Spirit Lake Chapter, No. 132, R. A. M.; Esdraelon Commandery, No. 52, K. T., at Estherville; Sioux City Consistory, No. 5, A. A. S. R.; Abu-Bekr Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S.; Twilight Chapter, O. E. S., of which he is a past worthy patron of which Mrs. Taylor is a member; Minnewaukon Lodge, I. O. O. F.; and Summit Lodge, No. 86, K. P. He also belongs to the Sigma Nu college fraternity. His activity, however, centers in his business and he has made a deep and exhaustive study of banking and is regarded as one of the leading financiers of northwestern Iowa. He is a man of fine personal qualities, of sterling integrity of character, and maintains a deep interest in everything relating in any way to the prosperity or welfare of his community. Cordial and friendly in manner, he has a wide acquaintance, with which his circle of friends is almost coextensive.
Dr. James F. Taylor, a successful obstetrician, is practicing in Sioux City and brings to his work the skill acquired by more than thirty years of professional experience. He was born October 16, 1866, in Markesan, Wisconsin, and his parents were Samuel and Sarah E. (Fitz-Maurice) Taylor, the latter a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The father was born in Yorkshire, England, and left his native land before he attained his majority, securing passage on a vessel bound for a Canadian port. He lived for a time in the city of Halifax and in 1863 came to the States, settling in Wisconsin, where he operated a farm for three years. In 1866 he came to Iowa, entered a claim in Woodbury county, cleared the land, which he cultivated for some time and then sold the property. He purchased another farm in the district and spent the remainder of his life on that place, on which he made many improvements. Death summoned him January 6, 1915, but Mrs. Taylor survives and is now a resident of Sioux City.
Dr. Taylor attended the common schools of Woodbury county and remained at home until he reached the age of twenty-one years, aiding his father in the operation of the farm. He then went to Salix, Iowa, and for two years was connected with the drug business. Becoming interested in the medical profession, he went to New York city for the purpose of studying in Bellevue Hospital and Medical College and in 1892 won his M. D. degree. He returned to Iowa and opened an office in Salix, where he followed his profession with much success for many years. Desiring a broader field of labor, he came to Sioux City on the 1st of January, 1915, and in the intervening period has built up a large practice, specializing in obstetrical cases. Dr. Taylor is an expert in his special work and acts as president of the staff of the Methodist Hospital. He is also serving on the staffs of St. Vincent's Hospital and the Maternity Hospital of Sioux City and during the World war was chief medical examiner of the west side board. He examined all transients who came to Sioux City and in a year and a half performed this service for five thousand men.
On June 22, 1898, R. Taylor was united in marriage to Miss Frances Belle Thatcher, of Crab Orchard, Nebraska, and they became the parents of two daughters. Gwendolyn, the elder, was born April 12, 1899, and became the wife of Rev. Roland F. Phillbrook, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. They have one child, James Frederick, who was born October 22, 1924. Doris A., was born November 6, 1902, is the wife of Neal F. Tuttle, of Omaha, Nebraska, and has become the mother of a daughter, Mariana Belle, whose birth occurred October 13, 1924.
Dr. Taylor is an adherent of the republican party and while a resident of Salix served for two terms as mayor, giving to the town an excellent administration, productive of much good. He is a Knight Templar Mason and is also connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. He is a member of the Woodbury County, Iowa State and Sioux Valley Medical Societies and the American Medical Association. He keeps in close touch with the progress that is constantly being made by the profession and his genuine worth has established high in public regard.
With efficiency as his watchword, Sidney L. Taylor has steadily progressed toward the goal fixed by his ambition, becoming widely and favorably known as an income tax specialist, and for five years Sioux City has numbered him among its leading residents. He was born October 29, 1887, in Bolton, Massachusetts, and is a son of William E. and Bessie M. (McMinn) Taylor, who are now living in New York city. The ancestors of the father were natives of England and the mother is Scotch and English descent.
Mr. Taylor attended the public schools of Bolton, Massachusetts, until his parents removed to Omaha, Nebraska, and in that city he completed his public school education. He began his business career in the First National Bank of Omaha and was connected with that institution for four years. He devoted much time to the study of accounting and the income tax law and in 1916 entered the employ of the United States government. He was placed in charge of income tax work in northwestern Iowa and northeastern Nebraska and in 1917 came to Sioux City as a federal representative. He remained with the government until 1920, when he resigned and established his present business in this city. He is an acknowledged expert in this line of work and his services are in great demand.
In May, 1908, Mr. Taylor was married in Omaha, Nebraska, to Miss Moyne Timblin, a daughter of Alva L. and Roberta (Bringman) Timblin, the former a well known attorney of Nebraska City, Nebraska, and the latter a member of one of its old and prominent families. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have one child, Virginia, who is sixteen years of age and a pupil in the Central high school of Sioux City.
Mr. Taylor is a trustee of the First Unitarian church of Sioux City and acts as its treasurer. He is secretary of the local Kiwanis Club and is serving the Iowa-Nebraska District of Kiwanis Clubs in the capacity. He is president of the Sioux City Humane Society. A prominent Mason, he belongs to St. John's Lodge, No. 25, A. F. and A. M.; Sioux City Consistory, No. 5, A. & A. S. R.; and Abu-Bekr Temple of the Mystic Shrine. Mr. Taylor has won success through the medium of his own efforts, placing his dependence upon the substantial qualities of industry, determination and honesty, and the respect accorded him is well deserved.
Ben H. Todd is imbued with western energy and enterprise, and merit has won him the position of postmaster of Ida Grove, of which he has been the incumbent for two years. He was born July 20, 1890, in Ida Grove, Iowa, and is a son of David and Anna (Duke) Todd, natives of Scotland. They came to the United States in 1878 and settled in Ida county, in which they still reside, having a wide acquaintance and many steadfast friends in this district.
Ben H. Todd is the youngest in a family of three children. He attended the public schools of Ida county and after completing his education obtained a position in the post office at Ida Grove. He zealously applied himself to the work and at the end of seven years his fidelity to duty led to his promotion to the office of postmaster. He maintains a high standard of service and has amply justified the confidence reposed in his ability.
In 1916 Mr. Todd married Miss Georgia Cobb, also a native of Ida county, and they have three children: Ina Louise, Georgia D. and Carroll. Mr. Todd owns an attractive home in Ida Grove, and that he is a young man of substantial worth is indicated by the high regard entertained for him by the residents of this locality, in which his life has been spent.
To Gillum S. Toliver, of Jefferson, Greene county, belongs the distinction of being the oldest member of the bar in his county, and his record of sixty-two years of continuous practice of his profession is probably not excelled in this state. During all these years, covering the most momentous events of the world's history, there has not been a time when he was not regarded as one of the leaders of the bar, while as a private citizen he has stood as the peer of any of his fellowmen.
In the paternal line of descent Mr. Toliver come from old English ancestry, though the earliest antecedent of whom any definite facts are known was Jesse Toliver, of Virginia, from which state he joined the Continental army, serving seven years in the war of the Revolution, during five years of which time he was a captain of the line. Among his children was John Toliver, who became a farmer in Ashe county, North Carolina, and who was the father of Isom Toliver, who was born in Ashe county July 29, 1814.
In young manhood the latter migrated to Owen county, Indiana, where he was married and where he devoted himself to the creation of a farm out of the wilderness which then characterized that section of the country. In the spring of 1848, with their five children, he and his wife started westward, traveling with oxen and wagon, wending their way through Illinois and Missouri and as far as Salem, Arkansas, when they decided that Richland county, Illinois, presented the best outlook for a future home, and there they located. This was their home until the fall of 1853, when again they started toward the setting sun. They spent the ensuing winter in Wapello county, Iowa, and on April 6, 1854, came to Greene county, where Mr. Toliver entered three hundred acres of government land. They were the tenth family to settle in this county and the fourth family west of the river in what is now Franklin township. Here Isom Toliver developed a valuable farm from the raw prairie and lived there until 1868, when he sold that place and bought an improved farm in Bristol township, where he made his home during the remaining years of his life, his death occurring there September 13, 1893. During the forty years in which he lived in this county he evinced the keenest interest in the welfare and development of the community, cooperating in every possible way for the advancement of the public good, and enjoyed t a marked degree the respect and confidence of his fellowmen. While living in Indiana he had been a member of the United Brethren church and he always stood for those things which were best in community life, his own life being an example of right living. He belonged to the Masonic order and exemplified its beneficent teachings in his actions. Politically he was a whig until the dissolution of that party, from which time he was a stanch republican.
On August 6, 1836, in Owen county, Indiana, Isom Toliver was married to Miss Matilda Reynolds, who was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, a daughter of James and Sally (Greene) Reynolds, the latter a relative of General Nathanael Greene, of Revolutionary war fame. Mrs. Toliver died January 14, 1893. To them were born eleven children, four of whom died in childhood, the others being as follows: John H. was born in Indiana and came to Greene county with his parents. He enlisted for service in the Thirty-ninth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry, of which he became fife major, but before going to the front he was taken sick and died in Davenport, Iowa, leaving a wife, whose maiden name was Nancy King. Gillum S. is the immediate subject of this sketch. J. M. became a prominent attorney of Lake City, Iowa, where he located in 1871. He was a second lieutenant of Company E, Thirty-ninth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and for years was district attorney for the northwestern district of this state. He was married to Mary Stanford, a daughter of James Stanford, an early settler of Greene county. J. C. served as a private for two years in Company H, Tenth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and afterward engaged in the practice of law in Ainsworth, Nebraska, where he also served as judge of the county court. He had been recorder of Greene county two terms. He married Ella McCoy, of this county. D. R., who became a member of the livery firm of Lower & Toliver, of Jefferson, was married to Margaret Mosteller, a daughter of Peter Mosteller, an early settler of Bristol township. Terry J. became the wife of A. H. McClurg, of Brush, Colorado. Isom M., who became a farmer in Molalla, Oregon, was married to Mollie Forbes, of Greene county.
Gillum S. Toliver was born in Owen county, Indiana, on the 11th of February, 1840, and was a lad of fourteen years when the family came to Greene county, Iowa. There was not at that time a schoolhouse in this county, but in the summer of 1856 he attended school for three months at Panora, Guthrie county, and in the winter of 1856-7 pursued his studies for three months when Captain A. R. Mills taught in the Brand schoolhouse in Washington township, Greene county. That winter there were ninety pupils in the school, coming from a radius of five miles up and down the river. He also attended school during the two following winters and taught school in the summer of 1859. The money which he earned teaching school in Washington township was contributed toward the building of a house on the home farm in Franklin township. In September, 1860, he walked from Greene county to Ottumwa, Iowa, to take the examination that would permit him to teach a school in Wapello county, where he had an uncle living. He was four days in making the trip, an dall the money he had was a three dollar bill. Money was so scarce in the district that at the different places where he stopped for food and lodging no one could change the bill, until at his last stop a settler changed it and charged him ten cents for the accommodation. At Ottumwas he spent five cents for cheese and crackers, making his total expenses for the journey fifteen cents. While in Wapello county he worked on Saturdays in order to pay his board. During that winter he spent nine dollars for clothes and then in the spring he walked back home, carrying with him one hundred and forty-one dollars as the proceeds of his winter's work. Ambitious for further education, he then entered Western College, but while there the boys from Greene county who had enlisted for the war rendezvoused at Iowa City and Mr. Toliver, fired with the spirit of patriotism, enlisted in Company H, Tenth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry, September 28, 1861, remaining with that command until discharged because of rheumatism in May, 1862. On his return home, he entered Iowa State University, at Iowa City, and later attended the law school of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor. While in college, he was appointed county surveyor of Greene county, to fill a vacancy, serving one year, and then was elected to the full two year term. In 1868-9 he was elected county treasurer, in which position he proved himself an able and efficient public officer.
In 1865 Mr. Toliver has been admitted to the bar and in 1870 he formed a law partnership with J. J. Russell, a relation which was continued uninterrupted until the death of Mr. Russell in 1901, this firm standing as the most prominent and successful law firm in Greene county. Since then Mr. Toliver has been alone in the practice and has sustained a reputation for keenness and sagacity that has been well merited, for he has been uniformly successful and has always been a foreman worthy of any man's steel. An eloquent and convincing speaker, thorough in his analysis, determined in his fight for any cause in which he is interested, and exceedingly safe and sound as an adviser, he has commanded the absolute confidence of the public and the highest measure of respect on the part of his professional colleagues, and easily stands in the very forefront of the distinguished lawyers of his section of the state.
On February 26, 1873, Mr. Toliver was united in marriage to Miss Belle Blake, who was born in Pennsylvania, June 24, 1856, a daughter of Charles T. and Sarah A. (Taylor) Blake, the latter of whom was a relative of General Zachary Taylor. To Mr. and Mrs. Toliver were born two children: Iris, who became the wife of F. D. Milligan, of Jefferson; and Portia, who became the wife of A. W. Goke.
Politically Mr. Toliver has been a lifelong supporter of the republican party and has maintained a keen interest in public affairs. He represented Greene, Calhoun, Pocahontas and Humboldt counties ably in the thirteenth general assembly and for thirty-six years was president of the commission for the insane of Greene county. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Kindly and courteous in manner, upright in character and clean in life, he has well merited the exalted place which he has long held.
In two distinctly different lines of activity Fred T. Tompkins has been engaged with distinctive success, his record as an educator having been one that reflected very creditably on his ability, while in the field of life insurance, in which he is now actively engaged, he has been equally successful, having ably managed the operations of his company in the district over which he has control. Fred T. Tompkins, general agent at Spirit Lake for the Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa, was born in Marseilles, Illinois, on February 6, 1878, and is a son of John F. and Sarah E. (Brooker) Tompkins, both of whom were natives of Illinois. His father was engaged in farming there until 1890, when he came to Iowa and bought a farm in Winnebago county, where he devoted himself closely to agricultural pursuits until 1919, when he sold his farm, retired from active affairs and now lives in Forest City, Iowa.
Fred T. Tompkins attended the public schools, the Thompson high school and the State Teachers' College at Cedar Falls, Iowa. He then took up educational work, teaching rural schools for four years before becoming superintendent of the consolidated schools of Terril, Dickinson county, where he remained three years, followed by a similar period as superintendent of the schools at Milford in the same county. He was then elected county superintendent of schools of Dickinson county, serving four years with success and distinction. On leaving that office he became superintendent of schools at Fonda, Iowa, but at the end of a year he quit the educational field and turned his attention to life insurance, becoming general agent for the Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa, with headquarters at Spirit Lake, where he exercises supervision over several counties. During the fourteen years that he has held this position he has made an enviable record, being numbered among the most successful insurance men of the state.
In 1901 Mr. Tompkins was married to Miss Grace L. Shepard, of Janesville, Iowa, and to their union have been born two children, namely: Dorthy E. and Charles J., both of whom are students in the Spirit Lake high school.
Mr. Tompkins is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is deeply interested in Sunday school work, having served as superintendent for twelve years, and is also a member of the board of trustees of the church. For the past eight years he has been chairman of the Spirit Lake public library board. He is very fond of outdoor recreation, his favorite diversions being hunting, fishing, golf and tennis. His effective interest in these things is evidenced by the fact that he is a charter member of the Spirit Lake Golf and Tennis Clubs. Everything relating in any way to the progress and welfare of his community receives his hearty support and he is regarded as one of the enterprising and progressive citizens of Dickinson county.
The life record of James F. Toy and the history of banking in Iowa have been pretty much one and the same thing, for he ranks among the pioneer bankers of the state and through a period of practically a half century his name has stood in the forefront among the successful and influential financiers of this section of the country. The distinction which he has attained in his particular line of business entitles him to specific recognition among the representative men of his day and generation in the state with which his entire active life has been identified.
Mr. Toy was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on the 5th of January, 1850, and is a son of Neal and Rebecca (Rusk) Toy, the latter of whom was a native of Pennsylvania and of old Quaker stock. The father was a native of Londonderry, Ireland, from which country he was brought to the United States at the age of twelve years. On attaining mature years he engaged in teh quarry business in Delaware, where he remained until 1867, when he came west, settling near Waterloo, Iowa, where he engaged in farming for about six years. In 1873 the family moved to Storm Lake, Iowa, where the parents resided until their deaths.
James F. Toy attended the public schools of Wilmington, Delaware, and completed his education at St. Mary's College., His first employment was as a clerk for Anderson & Cutts, at Waterloo, with whom he remained three years, after which he went to work for a wholesale and retail implement house, remaining on the inside two years and then going out as a traveling salesman, his territory covering the Illinois Central Railroad from Dubuque to Sioux City. In 1873 he went to Storm Lake, Iowa, where he engaged in the lumber, coal and agricultural implement business under the firm name of Green & Toy. A year later Mr. Toy purchased his partner's interest and carried the business on under his own name for three years. In 1877 began his identification with the banking interests of this state, when he became associated with Messrs. Dean and Harker in the organization of the Storm Lake State Bank, of which he was made cashier. In 1878 he severed his connection with that bank and bought the private bank of Sutfin & Hay at Storm Lake, which title was soon changed to the Banking House of James F. Toy. Under his able management this became a very successful institution. While here he published a newspaper for the purpose of advertising his bank, called the "Toy Advertizer," and which gave indication of his progressive and original bent of mind. In 1881 Mr. Toy started another bank at Alta, Iowa, followed later by others at Sioux Rapids and Fonda, these being but the first of a large system of banks, about nineteen in all, which he controls in this state. He installed a private telephone system between his Storm Lake and Alta banks before any telephone exchanges had been established in this part of the country. This line was at that time a novelty and served well as an advertisement, people coming miles to see the wonderful instrument. In 1883 he organized the Farmers Loan & Trust Company, with a capital of three hundred thousand dollars, which was transferred to Sioux City, Iowa, in 1889. It maintained quarters in the Toy building at Fourth and Jackson streets, the largest brown stone office building in Sioux City at that time, which was burned in the big fire there. In 1908-09 he built the present office and bank structure at Fourth and Nebraska streets, which now houses the Toy National Bank and the Farmers Loan & Trust Company, two of the strongest and most influential financial institutions of this city. Mr. Toy is president of the Toy National Bank, the Farmers Loan & Trust Company, the Iowa joint Stock Land Bank and the Toy National Incorporation, as well as of his many other banks.
On June 16, 1875, at Waterloo, Iowa, Mr. Toy was united in marriage to Miss Mary Brubacher, daughter of Washington Brubacher, a member of the firm for which he worked for three years, the family being numbered among the pioneers of Waterloo. Mr. and Mrs. Toy celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1925. To their union were born three children, namely: Grace H., who is the wife of J. W. Van Dyke, of Sioux City; James Fred, Jr., who now lives in Hollywood, California; and Carlton B., who is vice president of the Toy National Bank.
Politically Mr. Toy has always maintained an independent attitude, voting according to the dictates of his judgment as to men and measures. He is a member of Tyrian Lodge, No. 508, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Sioux City Consistory, No. 5, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite; and Abu-Bekr Temple of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He was president of the Sioux City Commercial Club for several years. He is now a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Sioux City Boat Club and the Sioux City Country Club, and also belongs to the Greater City organization and to the Sioux City Kiwanis Club. He likewise belongs to the Iowa Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association.
Mr. Toy has a beautiful residence at 1920 Jackson street, Sioux City, and also maintains a home at Hollywood, California. During all the years of his residence in Sioux City he has maintained a deep interest in everything pertaining to the prosperity and upbuilding of the city, state and nation and has been an active and prominent figure in civic affairs affecting the public welfare. Through normal and worthy means he long ago became a power in the particular field in which he has labored, but in business, as in every phase of his life, he has been fair and the soul of honor. His standard has been a high one, and he has maintained it faithfully, so that he has ever commanded the fullest measure of public confidence and esteem.
In the business development which has characterized Sioux City, particularly during the past twenty-five years, no line of activity has shown a more gratifying measure of substantial prosperity than the banks and trust companies of the community. Of these, the Woodbury County Savings Bank has attained a place in the front rank, being regarded as one of the strongest and most influential financial institutions in this section of the state. Thomas P. Treynor is the vice-president of this well known bank, with which he has been identified for eighteen years, largely assisting in its development and growth, having devoted his time exclusively to its interests.
Mr. Treynor was born at Council Bluffs, Iowa, on the 11th of May, 1869, and is a son of Thomas P. and Mary F. (Smith) Treynor, the former a native of England and the latter of Ohio. The maternal grandfather, Sylvester S. Smith, was one of the pioneers of western Iowa, coming from Ohio in 1853. He and his people made the journey by wagon, their objective being Oregon, but when they reached western Iowa the country looked so good to them that they went no farther, settling at Council Bluffs, then known as Kanesville. Thomas P, Treynor, Sr., came from England to the United States as a youth of sixteen years and located at Cleveland, Ohio, where he served an apprenticeship to the carriagemaker's trade. At Painesville, Ohio, he met his future wife, their marriage occurring in 1852, an din the following year he joined his father-in-law on his journey westward, and located with him at Kanesville. There he worked at his trade for a time, but eventually drifted into the newspaper business as owner and publisher of the Council Bluffs Nonpareil. He also became active in politics, in the meantime serving two or three terms as county recorder of Pottawattamie county. He also acted as postmaster of Council Bluffs from 1869 to 1877, under appointment of President Grant. Subsequently he located on a farm, where he spent his remaining yeas, his death occurring in 1891, at the age of sixty-one. His wife passed away the following year, at the age of sixty-four.
Thomas P, Treynor, Jr., lived on the home farm in Pottawattamie county until twenty-two years of age and secured his education in the public schools of Council Bluffs. He then became associated with The Council Bluffs Insurance Company, which failed about three years later. He then entered the employ of the Union Transfer Company, with which concern he remained two years. He next came to Sioux City to accept a position with the Cudahy Packing Company, with which he remained from 1898 to 1909, serving in various responsible positions, and on June 1st of the latter year he became assistant cashier of the Woodbury County Savings Bank. A few years he was made cashier and in 1923 was elected vice-president of this institution, which office he still occupies. Since he became identified with the Woodbury County Savings Bank it has shown a healthy and continuous growth, evidenced by the fact that its deposits have increased from less than a million dollars to about three and a half million.
On June 8, 1898, Mr. Treynor was married to Miss Eugenie Slyter, of Council Bluffs. Her father, Minard R. Slyter, was also one of the pioneers of Council Bluffs settling there more than fifty years ago. His wife's maiden name was Emma Smith. To Mr. and Mrs. Treynor have been born three children, namely: Richard E., who graduated from the Sioux City high school and the State University of Iowa, and is now a Frigidaire salesman in Omaha, Nebraska; Gertrude, who was graduated from the State University of Iowa in 1922, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts; and Marion, who gained her Bachelor of Arts degree at State University of Iowa in 1924.
Mr. Treynor is a member of Tyrian Lodge, No. 508, A. F. and A. M.; Sioux City Consistory, No. 5, A. A. S. R.; Abu-Bekr Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., and is a charter member of the Abu-Bekr Shrine Chanters. he belongs to the Sioux City Boat Club, the Lions Club, the Sioux City Ad Club, the Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the board of directors of the Young Men's Christian Association. He is a member and elder of the First Presbyterian church. He has been prominently active in the musical circles of this city for many years and also takes a commendable interest in everything that relates to the welfare and betterment of the city.
Trinity College began its career as an educational institution in Sioux City on September 8, 1913. It was founded by the Right Rev. P. J. Garrigan, D. D., bishop of Sioux City, and is conducted by the Fathers of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis. The aim of the institution is to provide for its students all those advantages for acquiring a thorough and liberal Catholic education. It is an old axiom that mere accumulation of knowledge cannot morally better an individual or society, and hence it is the aim to impart secular knowledge under influences that train the heart to habits of virtue and lead to the formation of true Christian character. Christian doctrine is taught in all the classes, but students not of the Catholic faith are exempt from such recitations. Every effort is used to instill a spirit of patience and perseverance in study, for success, nowadays, is won only by those whose efficiency is not counteracted by a lack of constancy or persistency.
The college grounds are varied and diversified, and cover an area of eighty acres. To the east the Floyd river lazily wends its way through groves of silver maple, elder and ash, and affords an opportunity for fishing. From the north of the college building the property slopes to a beautiful valley, wooded with oak and linden. The campus has been much improved and now affords ample opportunity and space for football, baseball and track athletics.
The college, while having in its situation all the advantages that can come from location in the country, is yet within the city limits and at a convenient distance from the business section of the city. It is erected on a prominent height between Sioux City and Leeds, and commands a broad sweep of the Floyd valley. The buildings have been erected on teh most approved plans of school architecture with a view to efficient educational work; the study halls, class rooms, dormitories and dining rooms are airy, well lighted and commodious.
Since its opening thirteen years ago the attendance at the college has steadily increased. To meet the new demands new buildings were necessary and they have been erected according to those plans that give the maximum of comfort and convenience to boarding students. There are now three buildings on the campus. (1) The college building is a three-story structure of red brick and limestone trimmings. It contains all the class rooms, study halls, physical and chemical laboratories. Administration offices and reception rooms are also in this building. The basement is given over to the boys' dining rooms and kitchens, which are supervised by the Sisters of Saint Benedict. (2) The gymnasium was completed in January, 1917. It gives to the students every opportunity for modern physical training. The swimming pool has a capacity of over thirty thousand gallons and the sanitary condition of the water is safely protected by the Scaife refiltering system. The main floor is of hard wood and is laid out in courts of the standard requirements for basketball and all indoor sports. (3) Garrigan Hall. To meet the demand for private rooms, the faculty decided to erect a dormitory. Early in the spring of 1917 ground was broken for the new structure. The work went on rapidly, and on Sunday, October 29, Garrigan Hall was dedicated by the Right Rev. Philip J. Garrigan, D. D. The new building is one hundred and seventy feet long. It has private rooms for seventy-two boys and it also has accommodations for the faculty. The large basement contains the new chapel, which has seating capacity for three hundred. Billiard rooms and reading rooms are also provided, and the entire building splendidly supplies the conveniences which were so urgently needed.
Studies embrace the collegiate, high school, scientific and commercial courses.
Energy, perseverance and thrift constitute the foundation of material prosperity, and possessing these qualities, Rexford Manor Truesdell has advanced through the medium of his own efforts, taking his place with the representative business men of Sioux City. He was born December 11, 1888, in Anthon, Iowa, an din the paternal line is of French lineage, while his maternal ancestors were natives of Germany. He is a son of David Manor and Rose Ella (Huckstep) Truesdall, the former a Canadian, while the latter was born in Jacksonville, Illinois.
Mr. Truesdell lived in his native town until he was six years of age and from 1894 until 1900 attended the public schools near Denison, Iowa. His high school education was received at West Side, Iowa, where he spent seven years, and from 1907 until 1909 he was a telegraph operator for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway at Council Bluffs, this state. In the latter year he came to Sioux City as telegrapher and his accuracy and reliability led to his promotion to the responsible position of train dispatcher, which he filled until 1922. He then entered the employ of the Register Life Insurance Company and now acts as general agent for that corporation, being one of its most successful representatives. He has made a careful study of the business and is thus able to aid patrons in securing the policy best suited to their needs. He owns an attractive home in Sioux City and has made judicious investments in Florida real estate, which has increased rapidly in value during the past year.
On October 25, 1913, Mr. Truesdell was married at Glidden, Iowa, to Miss Elizabeth Boyd, who was born November 28, 1890, in Shell City, Missouri. She is a daughter of the Rev. James Louis Boyd, a native of Missouri and a retired minister of the Methodist church. Mr. and Mrs. Truesdell have two children: Patricia, who was born January 3, 1920; and James David, born September 11, 1925. Mrs. Truesdell is connected with the Eastern Star and for two years was president of the Morningside Delphian. Mr. Truesdell votes the republican ticket ad is affiliated with Grace Methodist church. He is a Mason, belonging to the lodge at Morningside and the Scottish Rite Consistory at Sioux City, and endeavors to fulfill in his life the beneficent teachings of the order. He is also a Kiwanian and one of the popular members of the Morningside Country Club. An enterprising young business man he has proven thoroughly trustworthy in every relation of life, thus earning the respect, confidence and good will of all with whom he has been associated.