Mr. Camp was born May 3, 1828, in Durham , Connecticut. His father was Heth Frisbee Camp, and his mother was Phoebe (Bates) Camp. The elder Camp was an auctioneer for many years, and for a long time was proprietor of the Palestine Gardens in Middletown, Connecticut. These gardens were connected with the Military Academy at that place and were kept up for the amusement and entertainment of the citizens of the city. A prosperous and respected citizen, Mr. Camp brought up a family of several children, the eldest being Ebenezer Bates Camp, who resides in the town of Grant, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, with whom resides an unmarried sister, Elizabeth M. Emily B., another sister, married Amos Johnson and resides in Mitchellville, Iowa, and her sister, Anna Juniata, unmarried, resides with her. Mrs. Johnson's husband died some years ago. The brother residing in Pennsylvania - Ebenezer Bates Camp — has retired from business, but was formerly engaged in the general merchandise and lumber trade.
Mr. Camp's father removed to Middletown from Durham in 1829, and about five years later (in 1834) removed to Washington, District of Columbia, and for two years was owner of horticultural gardens in that city. From Washington the family returned to Connecticut. Mr. Camp, Sr., went to Pennsylvania later on as the representative of a company which owned extensive timber lands. He had an interest in the company, it having been organized in Washington during his residence there. The family followed him to Pennsylvania in 1837 and the home was at Cherry Tree, or Canoe Place, now known as Grant-at the junction of Indiana, Clearfield and Cambria Counties — an interesting and historic spot. The place derived its first name from an old cherry tree which stood on the banks of the Susquehanna, near or under which some of Penn's treaties with the Indians are said to have been consummated.
The subject of this sketch received a limited schooling in early life, because of the fact that the family removed from the East before he was old enough to attend school, and settled in what was practically a wilderness when they got to Pennsylvania. Even log school-houses were scarce then in that portion of the Keystone State. His mother died when he was sixteen, and he soon afterward went alone to Connecticut, in midwinter, walking from Holidaysburg to Harrisburg, a distance of one hundred and thirty-four miles, and making the rest of the trip by rail. The object of his journey was to reach the home of his grandparents, who were residing alone in his native State, and who desired that he should make his home with them. While in Connecticut he worked on his grandfather's farm and went to school part of the time.
In 1849 his father was thrown from a horse and killed. Upon this occasion he returned to his home in Pennsylvania and soon afterward went into partnership with his brother and the gentleman who afterward became his brother-in-law, Mr. Johnson, in the lumber and mercantile business. The firm shipped enormous rafts of logs down the Susquehanna, sometimes having as many as fifty rafts afloat at one time, and bought cattle in Ohio, which they drove across the Allegheny Mountains to the eastern markets. They were compelled to drive the cattle because there were no railroads. It was part of the firm's business to furnish beef to the employés engaged in the construction of tunnels for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and the partners managed to make a good deal of money out of this trade.
Mr. Camp left Pennsylvania, his family, his business and his old associations on the tenth day of March, 1857, and came straight through to Davenport, arriving in this city on the twenty-fifth day of that month with two carloads of horses. It was his intention to follow the livery business in this city, and accordingly he opened stables on Second Street, in what is known as the Bowling property. He remained in this business, however, only two years, finding business exceedingly dull because of the fact that the country was on the eve of the financial panic of '57, and money was a scarce article.
In the spring of 1860 he went into the grocery business at the corner of Fifth and Brady Streets, having sold out his livery stock. He remained in this business for two years and then disposed of it, going into something entirely different from anything he had previously been engaged in, viz: the marble and granite business. This was in the spring of 1862. The firm was Davis, Camp & Company, composed of J. W. Davis, James H. Camp and James Whitney. They were more than ordinarily prosperous in this business, but in 1865 Mr. Camp sold out his interest to the other members of the firm. In 1869 he found it necessary to repurchase the interest in this business and the firm continued to be Davis & Camp until January 1, 1891, when Mr. Davis retired and Mr. Camp succeeded him in the business.
During all the years of his residence in Davenport Mr. Camp has maintained a reputation for honesty, enterprise and public spirit which has won for him the respect and esteem of the community and drawn about him a large circle of friends. In politics he is a Republican, but has never sought public office.
On the eighth day of February, 1859, he was married to Mary J. Woodcock, who then resided in Pennsylvania, in the little town of Grant, where Mr. Camp had resided when a boy. Mrs. Camp is still living and in the family are five children: Laura M., who teaches school in Davenport; Walter Lincoln, in the carriage business in Seattle, Washington; Mabel Hosmer, employed in the general office of the Iowa Union Telephone Company in Davenport; Anna Gertrude, residing with her parents, and Howard Frank, who is still residing at home.
BIOGRAPHIES