CARL RABE

Carl Rabe, who has lived retired in Palo since the spring of 1909, won his success as a farmer and stock-raiser and is still the owner of four hundred and sixty-nine acres of valuable land in Fayette township. His birth occurred in Mecklenburg, Germany, on the 27th of December, 1847, his parents being Fritz and Reika (Sukuss) Rabe. They emigrated to the United States in 1867, locating in Watertown, Jefferson county, Wisconsin, where they resided until October, 1869. The latter date witnessed their arrival in Fayette township, Linn county, Iowa, and there the father made his home until called to his final rest on the 19th of September, 1904. The mother still survives at the advanced age of eighty-seven years and makes her home with our subject.

Carl Rabe was reared under the parental roof and obtained his education in the common schools of his native country. Accompanying his parents on their emigration to the new world when a young man of twenty, he became identified with railroad service in Wisconsin as an employee on the wood train, for at that time engines were fired by wood. On coming to Iowa he took up general agricultural pursuits and for fourteen years was actively engaged in the cultivation of rented land. He bought a farm of one hundred and ten acres in Fayette township in 1881 but continued to reside on the rented place until 1887. In the meantime he had purchased another tract of one hundred and sixty acres in Fayette township and thereon he took up his abode in 1887. This is a part of the present Rabe home farm, on which our subject resided until the spring of 1909, when he put aside the active work of the fields and removed to Palo, where he has since lived retired. His land holdings now embrace four hundred and sixty-nine acres of rich and productive land in Fayette township, constituting him one of the prosperous and substantial citizens of the community. He attributes his success largely to his operations as a stockman, having been extensively engaged in the raising of Poland China hogs and shorthorn cattle. The Palo Savings Bank numbers him among its stockholders.

On the 22d of February, 1876, Mr. Rabe was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Drafahl, a native of Illinois. Unto them were born five children, three of whom yet survive, namely: Fred J., a stockman of Fayette township, Linn county; Dora, the wife of W. G. Cain, a merchant of Cedar Rapids; and Minnie,
at home.

When national questions and issues are involved Mr. Rabe votes the republican ticket but at local elections casts an independent ballot, supporting the, candidate whom he believes best qualified for the office in question. Fraternally he is identified with Benton City Lodge, No. 81, A. F. & A. M. In religious faith he is a Lutheran, while his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is an automobile enthusiast and has ever kept abreast with the progress of the times. Though born across the water, he is thoroughly American in thought and feeling, and is patriotic and sincere in his love for the stars and stripes. His career is identified with the history of Linn county, where he has acquired a competence and where he is an honored and respected citizen.

Source: History of Linn County Iowa, From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. II, Chicago, The Pioneer Publishing Company, 1911, p. 109-110.

Submitted by: Terry Carlson

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FRED J. RABE

Fred J. Rabe, one of the leading stock-raisers of Fayette township, was born in that township on the 14th of August, 1878. His parents, Carl and Sarah (Drafahl) Rabe, are mentioned at greater length on another page of this volume. He was reared at home and began his education in the common schools, while subsequently he attended Tilford Academy at Vinton, Iowa. Under the direction of his father he early became familiar with the best methods of breeding and raising stock and on attaining his majority he became associated with his father in the latter’s live-stock operations. In March, 1909, Carl Rabe retired from active business and took up his abode in Palo, since which time our subject has had charge of their live-stock interests. They make a specialty of Poland China hogs, raising on an average of one hundred and twenty head annually. They also feed cattle on an extensive scale and have won a gratifying and well merited degree of prosperity in their undertakings. Mr. Rabe, of this review, is a stockholder in the Palo Savings Bank and is widely recognized as one of the enterprising and progressive citizens of his native county.

On the 28th of September, 1904, Mr. Rabe was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary A. Hepker, of Palo, Linn county. They now have one child, Agnes Lucile. At the polls Mr. Babe casts an independent ballot, considering the fitness of a candidate of more importance than his party affiliation. His fraternal relations are with Benton City Lodge, No. 81, A. F. & A. M., of Shellsburg; and the Modern Woodmen of America. Both he and his wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal church and take an active and helpful interest in its work. He has many friends in the community where his entire life has been spent, and his excellent traits of character have gained for him the respect and regard of his fellowmen.

Source: History of Linn County Iowa, From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. II, Chicago, The Pioneer Publishing Company, 1911, p. 185-186.

Submitted by: Terry Carlson

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PITNEY F. RANDALL 

Since November, 1856, this gentleman has been a worthy citizen of Cedar Rapids, and is one of the best known civil engineers in the west.  He was born in Madison county, New York, on the 31^st of August, 1832, and is a son of Asahel and Julia (Dykens) Randall, the former a native of Keene, New Hampshire, the latter of Elmira, New York.  On the paternal side he is of Scotch ancestry, but the Dykens family is of Holland origin.  The parents of our subject removed to Oneida, New York, and from a wild, unbroken tract of timber land the father developed a good farm, devoting almost his entire life to agricultural pursuits.  He died there in 1880, at the age of seventy-two years, and his wife departed this life in 1888, at about the age of seventy years.  In their family were five children, three sons and two daughters, one of whom died in early childhood.  The others were Pitney F., our subject; Alonzo, who died in Oneida, New York in 1899; Andrew, a pioneer of Randalia, Iowa, which was named in his honor; and Malissa, deceased wife of Allen R. Turner, of Oneida, New York.  The father was a well-educated man for his day; was a Whig in politics, and a Presbyterian in religious belief, his wife being a member of the same church.

Pitney F. Randall spent the first eighteen years of his life on the home farm, and his early education, acquired in the public schools of the neighborhood, was supplemented by a two-years’ course at an academy in Elmira.  He took a special course in mathematics while attending the common schools, and at the age of eighteen joined an engineering party engaged in the construction of the Syracuse & Binghamton Railroad, now the D. L. & W.  He remained with that company for three years. and then in 1855 came to Iowa, his destination being the present city of Lyons.  He came to this state with his uncle, Jefferson Randall, a railroad contractor, and going to Clinton they became connected with the Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska Railroad, now a part of the Chicago & Northwestern system, our subject having charge of the construction of the first ten miles of the road out of Clinton.

In November, 1856, he came to Cedar Rapids to take charge of the construction of the road from this place to Mt. Vernon, and in 1862 when the road was extended to Belle Plaine, Iowa, he had charge of its construction from Cedar Rapids to that place.  While engaged in that work he was injured in 1862, and was given a position in the railway mail service until he was able to rejoin the engineering party.  He had a number of offers to join the pioneer engineering corps of the Civil war.  In 1866 Mr. Randall was given charge of the survey from Cedar Rapids to St. Louis for what is now the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, and two years later was made engineer in charge of construction on the now Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad which position he held until the completion of the road in 1875.  Since then he has been in the employ of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroads, having been connected with the last named corporation for ten years.  He has had charge as engineer of location and construction of that road on many of its branches in the west, and for the last three years his work has been in Arizona on the Santa Fe & Grand Canyon Railroad, having just returned from there in 1901.  He has made railroad location and construction his life work, and has been continuously connected with that business longer than most any other man in the country.  His practical knowledge of all the details of the business, together with his reliability in all transactions, makes him one of the most popular railroad engineers in the west.  From the fall of 1891 until the spring of 1893, he also had charge of the grading of Jackson Park, Chicago, for the World’s Columbian Exposition.

Mr. Randall was married, at Binghamton, New York, in 1857, to Miss Josephine Smith, and brought his bride to the home he had prepared for her in Cedar Rapids.  Of the five children born to them two died when quite young, the others being as follows: (I) Frank, a resident of Kansas City, Missouri, was educated in railroad building with his father, and is now employed on the extension of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad.  He is married and has two children, William and Agnes.  (2) Lulu is the wife of William Richardson, living near Kenwood, and they have three children.  (3) John makes his home with his father and is connected with him in all his railroad work.  He came back from Mexico to join the army during the Spanish-American war, and enlisted in Company C, Forty-ninth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, with which he served one year in Cuba.  The mother of these children died in November, 1875, and in 1880 Mr. Randall was again married, his second union being with Mary Beech, of Cedar Rapids.  She is a native of Mineral Point, Wisconsin.

In political sentiment Mr. Randall is a Republican, but his business has ever been such as to allow him no opportunity to take an active part in public affairs.  He was a charter member of the first lodge of the Legion of Honor in this state, and has always been an earnest member of the Presbyterian church, serving as treasurer and trustee when the church was being built at Cedar Rapids.  He is to-day the oldest railroad engineer in continuous service in the United States with one exception, the other being a gentleman connected with the Union Pacific Railroad.  He is a man of exemplary habits, commendable purpose and unbending integrity, and no citizen of Cedar Rapids is more honored of highly esteemed.

Source: The Biographical Record of Linn County Iowa, Illustrated, Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1901, pages 81-3.

Submitted by: Carrie J. Robertson of Marion

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ROBERT E. REASLAND

Among the reliable, substantial and prosperous farmers of Franklin township none are more deserving of representation in this volume than Robert E. Reasland, whose home in on section 29.  He was born near Easton, Pennsylvania, October 27, 1856, and is a son of Ernest and Mary (Cobol) Reasland, both natives of Germany.  She being of a wealthy family and Mr. Reasland being por, her parents were opposed to the marriage, and accordingly the young couple came to this country in 1849 and were married in New York, knowing that in America all men were equal according to their ability and energy.  They first located in Pennsylvania, where they made their home for some years, and where Mr.[s] Reasland died in 1863.  Two years later the father brought his family to Lisbon, Iowa, and commenced work for Daniel Baker on the old Trout farm, chopping wood.  A year later he located on the bank of the Cedar river, where he built a thatched shanty, which was his home for two years.  In 1866 he bought a place near the river on section 28, Franklin township, southwest of Lisbon, and erected thereon a log cabin, where he resided until 1877, when he removed to the eighty-acre farm owned by Dr. Pease.  Subsequently he lived one year on the Peter Betzer farm of eighty arces, and then went to Nebraska, where he remained until his death, which occurred October 15, 1898, his remains being interred eight miles northeast of Ravenna, Nebraska.  In 1873 he married Mary Woods, who has resided in Lisbon, Iowa, since her husband’s death.  His children were all by the first marriage, namely: Henry, who married Mary Bushausen and resides in Sherman county, Nebraska; Robert E., our subject; August L., who married Addie McCuen and lives in Fillmore county, Nebraska; and Charles, who died at the age of thirty-four years.

Robert E. Reasland was only seven years of age when brought to this county, and here he was reared.  During his minority he gave every cent which he earned to his father.  He worked as a farm hand until 1869, and was then employed in a brick yard.  The year following his father’s removal to Nebraska he was in the employ of Samuel Horn on the Trout farm, and then again worked in a brick yard for a year.  He next rented and operated the Carpenter farm of two hundred and twenty-six acres in Franklin township for two years, and on the expiration of that time went to Nebraska, but being unsuccessful there, he sold the farm which he had purchased there, and returned to this county in the fall of 1880.

At Lisbon, April 21, 1881, Mr. Reasland was united in marriage with Miss Anna Heller, who was born in that place, November 27, 1860, and is also of German descent, though her parents, Peter and Sarah (Teel) Heller, were both natives of Pennsylvania, and were married in Northampton county, that state.  In 1845 they came west and located in Lisbon, Iowa, where Mr. Heller engaged in the tinning business and also served as justice of the peace for forty years.  He died August 4, 1887, at the age of sixty-two years, and was buried in Lisbon, but his wife is still a resident of that place.  They had eight children, namely: Mary, wife of Thomas Wooderson, of Indiana; Ida, who died at the age of nineteen years; Fred, who married Anna Hafelfinger and lives in Fillmore county, Nebraska; William, who is engaged in the marble business in Lisbon and lies with his mother; Anna, wife of our subject; Lincoln, who died at the age of thirty-two years; Almira, widow of Russell Mackey and a resident of Lisbon; and Kate, wife of Elmer Burge, a farmer of Franklin township, this county.  Mr. and Mrs. Reasland have six children: Ernest, born January 14, 1882, assists his father in the operation of the home farm; Peter, born March 29, 1883, is employed as an assistant in the management of a large farm northwest of Mt. Vernon; Ruth, born April 21, 1886, is attending school and resides with her parents; Katie May, born March 6, 1889; Robert, born February 28, 1892; and Gertrude, born October 28, 1895, are all at home.

After his marriage Mr. Reasland rented the Robinson farm for one year, and for the same length of time rented a place across the river.  At the end of that time he bought the Ben Carpenter farm of one hundred and thirty-three acres on section 29, Franklin township, and has since purchased an adjoining tract of forty-eight acres, making a good farm of one hundred and eighty-one acres.  It is one of the best improved places in the locality, having one of the largest modern barns in the township, besides cattle sheds and other outbuildings, while the residence is a modern Queen Anne structure, furnished in a most tasteful manner, and everything about the farm indicated the thrift and progressive spirit of the owner.  As a stock raiser he has also met with success and is accounted one of the most thorough and skillful agriculturists of the community.  Fraternally, Mr. Reasland is a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge, M. B. A., and politically is a stanch Democrat.  He is now serving as district school treasurer.

Source: The Biographical Record of Linn County Iowa, Illustrated, Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1901, pages 207-8.

Submitted by: Carrie J. Robertson of Marion

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William W. Reece

A worthy representative of the agricultural interests of Linn county is William W. Reece, owner of one hundred and sixty-four acres of fine land in Spring Grove township. The place he lives upon is the old Reece homestead where he was born and where he has spent the greater portion of his life. He has had charge of the farm since he was twenty-one years old and has improved it to such an extent as to make it one of the most valuable pieces of property in the district.

A son of Henry and Lucretia (Nash) Reece, William W. Reece was born July 28, 1868, just a few years after his parents settled upon the homestead in Linn county. Henry Reece was a native of Ohio, while his wife was a Pennsylvanian by birth, though she had lived for some time in Ohio. The father came to Iowa in his early manhood, being twenty-five years old when he settled in Linn county. He purchased eighty acres of land in Spring Grove township and here farmed for the greater portion of his life, but turned over the farm to his son who later secured the entire estate, when the latter became of age. Sometime later in life Henry Reece purchased thirty acres of timber land in Spring Grove township and his entire holdings then amounted to one hundred and twenty acres. This farm was nicely improved by the father, who continued to operate it for twenty-six years. Then William W. Reece took charge of the place and has continued its cultivation. The father died July 25, 1901, and the mother passed away September 13, 1908

Under the management and are of William W. Reece the farm has been greatly improved. He has built a fine new barn, forty-four by sixty-eight feet, erected a steel windmill and granary, and has brought the entire place to a high point of perfection, it having greatly increased in value as a result of his enterprise.

Mr. Reece was united in marriage to Miss Bessie E. Shaffer, a daughter of Elias and Charlotte Shaffer, of Linn county, in July 1888. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania and came to Iowa in 1876, locating in Linn county. There were born to Mr. and Mrs. Reece six children, namely: Lottie, born in 1889, who is now married and living in Linn county; Charles P., born in 1892, who is at home; Curtis H., who was born in 1894, and is living with his parents; Clyde E., who died in 1898; Dale O., born in 1902, and Carl H., born in 1906, both at home.

In his political beliefs Mr. Reece finds expression in national affairs in the republican party, though he is an independent voter when it comes to local matters. He has held the office of school director for a number of years and at the present time is school treasurer. Fraternally he is identified with Troy Lodge, No. 299, I.O.O.F., of Troy Mills, Iowa; and of Mecca Lodge, No. 523, A.F.& A.M., of Coggon, Iowa. His wife is a member of the Methodist Protestant church. The success which Mr. Reece has attained is the result of persistent effort and rigid honesty in all his affairs.

Source: History of Linn County Iowa, From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. II, Chicago, The Pioneer Publishing Company, 1911, p. 185-186.

Submitted by: Terry Carlson

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SAMUEL RESCH

Samuel Resch is a worthy representative of an old and honored pioneer family of Linn county, his father having settled here during the early development of this section of the state. He was born in Crawford county, Ohio, July 13, 1855, a son of Fred W. and Nancy (Reed) Resch. The father was born in Baden, Germany, November 9, 1830, and in 1846, when a youth of sixteen years, accompanied his parents on their emigration to the new world, the family home being established in Crawford county, Ohio. There the son formed the acquaintance of Miss Nancy Reed, who was born in that county, September 23, 1835, and is of German lineage. The young couple were married on the 16th of March, 1854, and they began their domestic life in the Buckeye state, there continuing until 1865, when the father came with his family to Linn county, settling on a farm of eighty acres on section 15, College township. He later purchased a tract of eighty acres and followed farming throughout his remaining years. The mother makes her home with her daughter Mary, now the wife of William Phillipson, in Wichita, Kansas.

Samuel Resch began his education in the public schools, which was supplemented by two terms’ study in Western College then at Western, Iowa. After completing his studies he returned to the home farm, assisting his father until he was twenty-eight years of age. He then started out to make his own way in the world, choosing as his occupation the work to which he had been reared. He has prospered as the years have gone by and is now the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of valuable and well improved land on section 15, College township, which he now rents to a neighbor, while he is practically living retired. His place is improved with substantial buildings and in his work he always followed modern methods, keeping abreast with the times as advancement is made in agricultural lines.

It was on the 8th of February, 1883, that Mr. Resch was united in marriage to Miss Louise A. Phillipson, a daughter of Thomas and Margaret Phillipson. The father was born at Lincolnshire, England, September 19, 1820. In February, 1850, he set sail for America, taking passage on the ship Olive Branch from Liverpool. He arrived in New York in March, five weeks later, and made his way from the eastern metropolis to Rochester, New York. It was in the latter place that he formed the acquaintance of Miss Margaret Howe, whom he wedded in 1857. Her parents, Jarvis and Julia Howe, were natives of County Tipperary, Ireland, whence they emigrated to the new world at an early day, establishing their home in Spencerport, Monroe county, New York. Their daughter Margaret was born April 9, 1834, and as above stated, in 1857, she gave her hand in marriage to Thomas Phillipson. On the day following their marriage they started for the middle west, traveling by rail from Rochester to Iowa City, Iowa. From the latter city they journeyed by team to Cedar Rapids, where they made arrangements for the purchase of a forty-acre tract of land, paying for the same eleven dollars and a quarter per acre. On the place Mr. Phillipson erected a log cabin, in which he and his bride took up their abode, making it their home for many years. Eventually he sold his original farm and purchased one hundred and twenty-five acres at thirty-seven dollars per acre. Mr. and Mrs. Phillipson have traveled life’s journey together for fifty-three years, sharing with each other the joys and sorrows, the prosperity and adversity which come to each individual. They are still making their home on the farm and although Mr. Phillipson has reached the advanced age of ninety years, he is still active in the work and management of his farm. He is now one of the oldest residents of Linn county and during his long residence here he has witnessed many changes as the work of development and improvement has been carried forward in this section of the state.

Mr. and Mrs. Resch have five living children, four sons and one daughter, namely: Grover C., who was born June 15, 1884, and is now first sergeant in the United States Army, located at Fort Gibbon, Alaska; Fred T., born February 21, 1887; Blanche J., whose birth occurred on the 27th of May, 1888; Marion, born February 26, 1896; and Pearl, who was born August 22, 1898. They also lost one child in infancy.

In politics Mr. Resch is a democrat. Himself well educated he ever takes a deep interest in the schools that his own children may acquire a good education and has served as school director and as road supervisor, while for three terms he has filled the office of justice of the peace. The family attend the Evangelical church and Mrs. Resch is an active worker in the Ladies Aid Society. Mr. Resch is a gentleman of culture, a fine scholar and still a student from habit. His opinions carry weight among his fellowmen, who recognize his superior ability and worth of character and he is thus classed among the men of affluence in Linn county and College township.

Source: History of Linn County Iowa, From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. II, Chicago, The Pioneer Publishing Company, 1911, p. 188-191.

Submitted by: Terry Carlson

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HENRY RISTINE, M.D.

Having spoken of some who pretended to be physicians, and who were unworthy of the name, let it not be supposed for a moment that they were all of that character. We had some excellent physicians, in a very early day. Dr. Magnus Holmes came to Marion, I believe, in 1841, and in 1842 he was joined by his brother-in-law, Dr. Henry Ristine. Both of these men were well-read physicians, and men of high moral character, and they enjoyed the greatest respect and confidence of the people among whom they practiced. Dr. Holmes died in a year or two after his arrival, which caused a wide-spread sorrow and regret all over the country. 

Dr. Ristine continued the practice of medicine in Marion for thirty-two years. During the war he served about one year as the surgeon of the 20^th Iowa volunteer infantry. He was a native of Indiana. In 1873 he came to Cedar Rapids to reside, where he continued to practice his profession with unabated zeal up to the time of his death. 

He was one of those wide-awake, progressive men, that kept abreast of the times in his profession. Several times he attended courses of lectures in the best institutions of the land, keeping himself well informed as to the newest and best remedies, and the most approved methods of treating the various diseases prevalent in our country. At the time of his decease he was by far the oldest medical practitioner in the county, and none were more highly respected than he.  His death occurred April 25, 1893. 

Mrs. Ristine, who was a noble-minded, Christian woman, a true helpmeet to her husband, and a bright ornament to society, died January 23, 1893. She was a member of the Congregational church and an active worker in every good cause. 

There were four children born to these parents. John M. Ristine, M.D., one of the busiest and most successful of the physicians of our city; Nellie M., the wife of Mr. Z. T. Mullen, of Minneapolis; Miss Mary C., and Belle M., the wife of Mr. O. C. Wyman, also of Minneapolis.

Source: Carroll, George R., Pioneer Life In and Around Cedar Rapids, Iowa From 1839 to 1849. Cedar Rapids, Times Printing and Binding House. 1895. Pages 128-129.

Submitted by: Terry Carlson

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JOHN ROGERS

This well-known retired farmer and prosperous citizen of Center Point was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, on the 19th of April, 1840, and is a son of Samuel and Eliza (Cheedell) Rogers, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively. The father was reared in the Buckeye state, and after reaching manhood he followed farming there for some years. In 1851 he came to Iowa, and the following year took up his residence on a farm in Linn county, where he died about 1853. His wife still survives him, and is now eighty-four years of age.

When a lad of eleven years John Rogers came with the family to this state, and grew to manhood in Linn county, receiving but limited educational advantages. He began life for himself by working as a farm hand by the month and was thus employed for several years. His first purchase of land consisted of a small tract of unbroken prairie, on which he built a log house, where he lived while fencing and improving his land. As time advanced and he prospered in his labors he added to his landed possessions from time to time until he now owns four hundred acres of rich and arable land, divided into two farms and supplied with two sets of buildings. He continued the operation of his land until 1900, when he removed to Center Point, where he bought a lot and built a neat residence. Here he is now living a retired life, enjoying a well-earned rest.

Mr. Rogers was married, in this county, in February, 1862, the lady of his choice being Mrs. Elizabeth Meanor, who was born and reared in Ohio. They have one son, William A., a farmer of Washington township, Linn county, who is married and has two children, Beth and Leo.

In politics Mr. Rogers is a Jeffersonian Democrat, and has never failed in his allegiance to that party since casting his first presidential vote for Stephen A. Douglas in 1860. He is a stanch friend of education and our public school system, and was an active and capable member of the school board for some years. His estimable wife is a member of the Christian church, and both are held in high regard by all who have the pleasure of their acquaintance. For his success in life he deserves great credit, as it is due entirely to his own well-directed and energetic efforts.

Source: The Biographical Record of Linn County Iowa, Illustrated, Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1901, pages 367-8.

Submitted by: Terry Carlson

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CHARLES A ROSS

Since the age of thirteen years this gentleman has been dependent upon his own resources for a livelihood, and has gradually worked his way upward until he now occupies the important position of yardmaster for the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad at Cedar Rapids, in which city he has made his home since 1870. He was born in Logan, Hocking county, Ohio, on the 18th of April, 1860, and was a lad of ten years when brought to Cedar Rapids by his parents, James and Jane (Sherlock) Ross, also natives of the Buckeye state. While a resident of Ohio the father was engaged in the manufacture and sale of tombstones, but after coming to Cedar Rapids devoted his attention to the real estate business principally, owning property in and around the city. He is now practically living a retired lie, and on account of his health spends a part of his time in California, though he still looks after his landed interests in the northern part of Iowa. He is a self-educated and self-made man, whose success in life is due entirely to his own unaided efforts. Politically he has always been a supporter of the Republican party, and has taken an active interest in public affairs. In their church relations both he and his wife are Methodists, and they are highly respected and esteemed by all who know them. Both are now sixty-nine years of age, Their family numbered four children, but two died in early childhood. Those living are Charles A., of this review; and Emma, wife of Dr. F. H. Cutler, of Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Charles A. Ross attended the public schools of Cedar Rapids, but his education was completed at the age of thirteen, when he began his railroad career as news agent, holding that position for about four years. He then learned the printer's trade and opened a job printing office of his own in Cedar Rapids, which he conducted for a year. On disposing of that he returned to railroading in the fall of 1881 as a brakeman on a freight train on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. In the spring of 1882 he left that road and found employment on the Canadian Pacific Railroad in the capacity of conductor, being one of the pioneer railroad men of that system. At the end of four years he returned to Cedar Rapids and entered the train service of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad, and was later transferred to the yards as foreman of yard work. In 1895 he was promoted to the position of yardmaster and given entire charge of the yards of that road at this place, having supervision of forty men who handle all the cars within the yard limits. He has a pleasant home at 1021 Fourteenth avenue west, and has also been interested in other real estate in the city.

On the 6th of October, 1881, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Ross and Miss Matilda Schneider, who was born in Cedar Rapids in 1864. Her father, the late Joseph Schneider, was a brewer and one of the pioneers of this city, having built and put in operation the first brewery in the city, where her mother is still living. Our subject and his wife have one son, James B., who was born in 1883, and is now in his junior year in the high school of Cedar Rapids. Mr. Ross is a supporter of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which his wife is an earnest member. He belongs to Valley City Division, No. 58, O. R. C., of which he was formerly an officer, and is a charter member of Cedar Rapids Lodge, No. 278, A. O. U. W., in which he also held office for several years. His political support is given the men whom he believes are best qualified to fill the offices regardless of party lines. He is a straightforward and reliable business man, who commands the confidence and respect of all with whom he is brought in contact either in business or social life.

Source: The Biographical Record of Linn County Iowa, Illustrated, Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1901, pages 368-9.

Submitted by: Terry Carlson

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J. D. ROWE

For over thirty years this gentleman has been a resident of Marion, where he is now successfully engaged in business as a carpenter and contractor, and also owns and operates a planing mill as the senior member of the firm of J. D. Rowe & Son, at No. 1408 North Tenth street. Throughout his career of continued and far-reaching usefulness his duties have been performed with the greatest of care, and his business interests have been so managed as to gain for him a liberal patronage, and the confidence of the public.

A native of New York, Mr. Rowe was born in Essex county November 15, 1831, and is a son of Leland and Lucy (Durant) Rowe, who also claimed the Empire state as the place of their birth.  The father owned a home in the east, where he spent his entire life.  He worked for others, and served as county superintendent of schools, being prominently identified with the educational affairs of Essex county.  He was a musician in the war of 1812, and received a land warrant for services rendered.  In religious faith both he and his wife were Baptists and were active in all church work.  He died at the age of seventy-two years, and she passed away several years later at the age of seventy.  Of their seven children our subject is fourth in order of birth, while only three are now living, these being J. D., of this review; and Eleanor, wife of G. J. Miller, and Barlow L., both residents of Vermont.

J. D. Rowe was educated in the public schools of New York, and after laying aside his text books learned the carpenter’s trade, which he has followed since the age of eighteen years.  In 1869 he came to Marion and has since been one of the leading business men of that place.  He has built many of its houses, including some of its finest residences, and also erected the Christian church, the county home and other buildings.  He not only has charge of the carpenter work, but as a contractor does everything from excavating the cellar until the building is ready for occupancy.  He and his son also own a planing mill, and engage in the manufacture of sash, doors, moldings, ledges, etc., and have built up a good business in that line.

Mr. Rowe was married, December 27, 1854, to Miss Anna Storrs, also a native of Essex county, New York, and a daughter of Samuel Storrs, and to them have been born one daughter, Ida May, who died at the age of fifteen years, and two sons, both residents of Marion.  Fred A. married Fannie Williams and has two children, Charles and Walter.  He is the junior member of the firm; and Frank E. married Edith Eggleston and has one son, Harold J.

Fraternally Mr. Rowe is a member of the Masonic order and the Iowa Workmen, and politically is identified with the Republican party, in the success of which he takes a deep interest.  His wife is a member of the Christian church, and both are held in high esteem by a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

Source: The Biographical Record of Linn County Iowa, Illustrated, Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1901, pages 195-196.

Submitted by: Carrie J. Robertson of Marion

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J. Rudis-Jicinsky, A.M., M.D., M.E.

Cedar Rapids has no more progressive or skillful physician and surgeon now engaged in practice there than the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch, and who is now serving as secretary of the Roetgen Society of the United States. He was born in Bohemia on the 16th of May, 1860, a son of Hynek and Agnes Rudis. The father was a well-educated man and an artist by profession, decorating glass for churches. He took a very active and prominent part in political affairs in his native land, and being a leader of his party in the district where he resided he was elected to the legislature of that country. In 1890 he came from Bohemia to the new world and located in Chicago, where he made his home until his death, which occurred in January, 1901, when about sixty-eight years of age. Thus passed away a very good and useful man. His widow is still a resident of that city. Unto them were born ten children, of whom six daughters died in Bohemia. The others are John Rudis, our subject; Hynek, who is a well-educated man and is now editor of the Bohemian Daily of Cleveland, Ohio; Rosa, who lives with her mother in Chicago; and Hattie, wife of A. Ruzicka.

Dr. Rudis-Jicinsky acquired his early education in the public schools of Bohemia, and later attended a gymnasium and the Academy of Prague, where he was graduated in 1879, having pursued a literary course. Before completing his education, however, he went as a newspaper correspondent to the scene of action of the Turkish and Russian war, although a lad of only sixteen years, and remained there two years. He then returned home and completed his collegiate course. For some time he was identified with newspaper work in his country, and in 1884 he came to America as correspondent for Russian, Polish, Bohemian and German papers. In August of that year he accepted the position of editor of the largest Bohemian daily in America, published at Chicago, and remained there until 1891, when he went to Milwaukee and started a Bohemian daily at that place, but the venture did not prove a success.

On his return to Chicago Dr. Rudis-Jicinsky entered Rush Medical College, where he was graduated in 1896, with the degrees of A.M. and M.D., and while there took up the study of the X ray diagnosis, to which he has since devoted considerable time and attention. After leaving college he was engaged in the practice of medicine at Crete, Nebraska, for two years, and while there was a contributor to the New York Medical Journal, the St. Louis Medical Mirror and the Journal of the American Medical Association. In 1899 he came to Cedar Rapids, and has already built up quite a large and lucrative practice here.

The Doctor was the first man in the west to demonstrate the X ray in the different medical societies of which he is a member, and is the inventor of a small portable apparatus to be used in cases of emergency. He has made the X ray diagnosis his special study since it first became known in 1895; has perfected many improvements on the same, and introduced many things to advance the interests of the same. He is considered one of the best representatives of this branch of the profession in the west, and is now serving his second year as secretary of the Roetgen Society of the United States, which position brings him in contact with two hundred members of the society in this country and Canada, all of whom have had over three years' experience in the line before being admitted to membership.

Dr. Rudis-Jicinsky was married, in Chicago, in 1885, to Miss Louisa Uher, also a native of Bohemia, and to them have been born three children, namely: Irma, Sylvia and Georgia. In politics the Doctor is a Republican, and has always adhered to its principles since coming to this country, advocating its policy in his newspaper work, and advancing its interests in every possible manner. In his religious views he is a free thinker, and in his social relations is a member and examining physician of all the Bohemian benevolent lodges in Cedar Rapids, of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Woodmen of the World. He is also a member of the International Congress for Medical Electrology and Radiology of Paris, France, the American Medical Association, the Western Surgical Gynecological Association, the Tri-State Medical Association, and the Nebraska State Medical Society. He still continues his contributions to leading medial journals in this country, and is also a correspondent for French, German and Bohemian medical journals. He takes great interest in Bohemian gymnasium work, and is a liberal donator to charitable enterprises. He is a close and thorough student, a man of deep research, and his investigations into the science of medicine and surgery, and his skillful application of the knowledge he has thereby obtained has won him a place in the foremost ranks of the medical fraternity.

Source: The Biographical Record of Linn County Iowa, Illustrated, Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1901, pages 44-45.

Submitted by: Terry Carlson

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