Black Hawk County >> 1904 Index

History of Black Hawk County, Iowa
Ed. by Isaiah Van Metre. Chicago: Biographical Pub. Co., 1904.

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Unless otherwise noted, biographies submitted by Dick Barton.

H. G. TALLERDAY is vice-president of the Tallerday Steel Pipe & Tank Company, of Waterloo, Iowa, the largest tank manufacturing establishment in the world. The plant at Waterloo was first located here as a branch of the American Steel Tank Company, of Mishawaka, Indiana, in 1896, and the present company was organized in 1900. The following are the officers: F. G. Tallerday, president; H. G. Tallerday, vice-president; and H. t. Miller, secretary and treasurer.  C. D. Kern and F. M. Ramsey, together with the above-named officers, constitute the board of directors.  The company manufactures steel tanks and pipe, wind-mill regulators, smoke stacks, feed cookers, tank heaters and culvert pipe, besides doing an extensive jobbing business in unlimited territory. It also has a factory at Le Mars, Iowa, and a Western factory at Los Angeles, California, which is under the immediate superintendence of F. G. Tallerday, who lives in that city.  The factory in Waterloo has been enlarged from time to time, and is now one of the foremost industrial plants in the city.  The railroad facilities are of the best, a spur of the Illinois Central Railroad having been laid to the factory, and the company ships to all parts of the country and to foreign countries. It manufactures tanks with a capacity of from 30 gallons to 40,000 gallons, and makes a special tank of copper for their Mexico trade. The State of Minnesota is receiving its especial attention at the present time, although it is having a largely increased trade in Texas, New Mexico and the Black Hills region of South Dakota.  Each year it is adding to the variety, size and quantity of the output, and sold more than 8,000 tanks in various parts of the country, during the year 1903.

H. G. Tallerday devotes his special attention to the Waterloo plant, and much of its success is traceable the excellence of his management. He is a native of Belvidere, Illinois, but has lived in Waterloo for many years, and has established himself firmly in the good will and high esteem of his fellow citizens. He has a comfortable home a No. 223 Lafayette street.

Hon. James J. Tolerton, formerly judge of the 10th Judicial District, composed of the counties of Delaware, Buchanan, Black Hawk and Grundy, and one of the prominent members of the Black Hawk County Bar, has been a resident of Cedar Falls since 1866.  Judge Tolerton, whose portrait accompanies this sketch, was born June 22, 1840, near Salem, Ohio, of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and is one of a family of five children born to Hill and Lucy M. (Warner) Tolerton.

James Tolerton, our subject's grandfather, was born in County Antrim, Ireland, and came to America as a young married man about the year 1809.  In Ireland he had married Frances Douglas, who was born in Scotland.  Their eldest child, Alexander, was born before they left Ireland.  James Tolerton had followed teaching exclusively in Ireland but upon coming to America he settled on a farm and for a time also continued teaching.  He died in 1872, aged 92 years.  His wife lived to be about 80 years old.  They were good Christian people, holding membership in the Society of Friends.  Our subject's father was born in Ohio, where he followed an agricultural life during his active period.

The future judge acquired his early education in the common schools in his native locality, growing up on his father's farm, and completed his literary course at Allegheny College, at Meadville, Pennsylvania, graduating in the class of 1864.  His reading of law was done under the supervision of Thomas S. Woods, an able attorney.  After being admitted to practice, Judge Tolerton located at Cedar Falls.  He rapidly made friends and gained clients and successfully followed his profession for many years, gaining the confidence and good will of his fellow citizens which resulted in his election to the bench.  Until his health failed and retirement became a necessity, he continued to fill that honorable position.  Well versed in the law, he gave as complete satisfaction on the bench as he had at the bar and it was with regret that the practicing attorneys parted with one who had been so fair and impartial in his rulings.  His three years of service covered some of the most important cases which ever came before the District Court.

Since retiring from professional life, Judge Tolerton has supervised a fine farm of 160 acres, which adjoins the property of the Iowa State Normal School.  He and his sons-in-law all own fine residences in Cedar Falls.

Judge Tolerton was married in 1867 to Margaret Taylor, a daughter of John Taylor, a prominent citizen of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and they have two daughters:  Mary E. (Mrs. H. E. Aldrich) and Margaret Ernestine (Mrs. John Thompson), both well known residents of Cedar Falls.

In politics, Judge Tolerton is identified with the Republican party, but has paid more attention to his profession than to political life.  Fraternally he is a Mason.  He belongs also to the Black Hawk County Bar Association.