Mr. Risley is among the more prominent of the business men of Davenport, and although he has resided here but a few years he has established himself in the community as a sagacious man of affairs. He is a native of Ohio, having been born in the City of Cincinnati, August 30, 1846. In Cincinnati he obtained a part of his education in select schools. This course was limited, however, for in 1856 his parents removed to this city. He attended the public schools here until 1862, when he enlisted in the Twentieth Iowa Infantry Regiment for a term of service in the Union Army. The regiment was first ordered into active service in Southwestern Missouri and Northwestern Arkansas, participating in its first battle at Prairie Grove, December 7, 1862. At the siege of Vicksburg, in which his regiment took an active part, it sus tained but little loss, and the troops of this regiment were among the first to enter the city after its capture. They were afterward sent to the coast of Texas with General Banks' command, where the regiment remained about nine months. On November 1, 1863, they were sent to the mouth of the Rio Grande, where they participated in the capture of the fort on Mustang island, and remained there until June, 1864. The regiment took an active part in the siege of Fort Morgan, on Mobile Point, and was afterward sent back to Arkansas on account of sickness of the soldiers, and remained there during the winter of 1864-65. It took part in the capture of Fort Blakely, and was on provost guard duty at Mobile after the capture of the fort.
The Twentieth Iowa was composed of as fine a body of soldiers as were ever gotten together, and it is a matter of record that they could outmarch any regiment in the army. On one occasion they marched for seventy-two hours, only stopping at any one time long enough to make coffee. They were called the " Iowa Greyhounds,” and were proud of the title.
Mr. Risley was mustered out of the Twenty-ninth Iowa (to which he had been previously transferred) at Clarksville, Texas, July 17, 1865. He returned home some time in 1867, and during three years next following worked on his father's farm and attended school. After that he clerked in different stores for a short time and soon went on the road as a traveling salesman, selling teas and spices and later selling boots and shoes. He was a traveling salesman for about ten years.
An illness which lasted nearly three years attacked him some time in 1877, and his business was very seriously interfered with. He has always been possessed of a vigorous constitution, although he is by no means a robust man, and he finally pulled through his serious illness, and since that time has continuously engaged in business pursuits.
After Mr. Risley gave up his position as a traveling salesman he Went to Dakota, where he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty He had made up his mind some time previously that he would seek an outdoor life and physical exercise in the hope that his health might be benefited. He remained with his family in Dakota for several years and was very successful from a business point of view, and also succeeded in regaining his health to a great extent. In 1888 he returned to the City of Davenport and entered the grocery business, in which he has ever since been engaged successfully and profitably.
Mr. Risley's parents resided at De Witt, in this State, for some years, and it was there his mother passed away a couple of years ago. Her name was Mary E. Parker previous to her marriage, and she was a native of New Jersey, as was also her husband, John S. Risley, now residing in De Witt. The Risleys are of English descent, and have no trouble whatever in tracing their ancestry back for several centuries. Richard Wreothesley was at one time prime minister of England, and from him the Risleys are of direct lineal descent. The name has been corrupted by different branches of the family in this country and England; by some it is spelled Wrisley, by some Raisley, and by others who have sought a still greater degree of brevity, Risley. It is a matter of considerable pride, naturally, to the family and bearers of this worthy name that there never has been a criminal act committed by any one of the descendants, nor has any of them betrayed a trust. The skillful and justly celebrated physician, Dr. S. D. Risley, of Philadelphia, whose remarkable practice has made his name familiar all over this country and throughout Europe, is a member of this family and a brother of John Parker Risley.
Mr. Risley was married soon after the war to Miss Frances Lynch, a native of Morristown, Guernsey County, Ohio. Their wedding day was September 6, 1868, and the marriage took place in Clinton County, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Risley have five children; they are Linnie Irene, Edith Frances, Jessie, Robert and Della.
Mr. Risley is a man of fine social qualities and is a pleasing conversationalist. His manners are easy and his address attractive. He is a member of the Blue Lodge, of which he is master; he is a king in the Chapter, senior warden in the Commandery and ceremonial master in the Mystic Shrine. He is also president of the Retail Merchants' Association and an energetic worker in behalf of its advancement.
BIOGRAPHIES