1915 Index

Iowa: Its History and Its Foremost Citizens
Original Edition.  3 Vols.  Des Moines, IA: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1915-1916.

B

Unless otherwise noted, biographies submitted by Dick Barton.

Hon. George Titus Baker, of Davenport, is widely known in this state because of his activities in business and in public life as well. He has done effective work for Iowa as a member of her state board of education and through the conduct of his business affairs he has promoted the material advancement of the state. He was born in Iowa county, July 9, 1857, a son of Albert W. and Freelove M. (Kenyon) Baker, both of whom were natives of Connecticut. They were married, however, in Mobile, Alabama, where Mr. Baker was at the time engaged in general construction work. In 1853 he came to Iowa and after one year spent in Davenport removed to the farm in Iowa county whereon George T. Baker was born and remained to his tenth year. The father at that time passed away and family removed to Iowa City.

When in his eleventh year George T. Baker entered McClain's Academy and was afterward sent to Hall's School for Boys at Ellington, Connecticut, where he was prepared for college. He afterward entered the State University of Iowa, which he attended for a year, and he completed his education in Cornell University in 1879. At that time he turned his attention to railway work as a member of the Civil Engineer's Corps, filling the position of rodman to the chief engineer, and was connected with that corps from 1879 until 1889. Through the three succeeding years he was chief engineer of the construction of two bridges across the Mississippi river at Muscatine and at Clinton, Iowa, and was consulting engineer on the highway bridge at Winona, Minnesota. In 1893 he organized the Tri-City Construction Company with headquarters at Davenport and was its chief engineer and general manager for about twenty years. In that connection his work was of a most important character and made extensive demands upon his time. His constantly increasing powers and broad experience, from which he gained many valuable lessons, enabled him to cope with intricate and involved engineering problems and find for them a successful solution. He retired from that company in 1911 and both before and since he has been associated with the organization of various corporations which have had to do with the material development, upbuilding and improvement of the state. He was one of the organizers of the Clinton Street Railway Company and is still a member of its board of directors. In 1907 he was one of the organizers of the West Davenport Improvement Company, of which he is still president. He is interested in several corporations doing business in a number of states and in farm lands in several states. The corporations with which he has been identified and in which he still retains an interest have been of such a character that they have contributed largely to the advancement of the different localities in which the work has been carried on. Mr. Baker is recognized as a man of keen insight and sagacity, of sound judgment and marked enterprise, and his well formulated plans are ever carried forward to successful completion, no obstacles being allowed to bar his path if they can be overcome by determined, persistent and honorable effort. His activities have become of large scope and importance and in these connections he has bent his energies to administrative direction and executive control.

In 1879 Mr. Baker was married to Miss Clara I. Poole, of Ithaca, New York, and they have become the parents of three daughters: Ethel M., now the wife of L. H. Brandt, of New Mexico; George E., who married R. E. Risley, of Davenport; and Sue A., the wife of R. C. Williamson, of Davenport, Iowa.In his political views Mr. Baker has always been a democrat and has occupied a position of leadership in the ranks of his party in this state. He was a member of the twenty-sixth general assembly from Scott county in both the regular and special sessions and he served as mayor of Davenport from 1898 until 1900. In the latter year he was a delegate at large to the democratic national convention in Kansas City. In 1908 he was appointed on the original state board of education and was reappointed in 1912, in which connection he has done important service in upholding the high standards which have given Iowa's higher educational institutions a position f leadership in the entire country. He is president of the Davenport park commission and is guided by a spirit of advancement in regard to public affairs that has been most helpful and resultant. He looks beyond the exigencies of the moment to the opportunities and possibilities of the future and labors not only for the present but for future generations. He thinks deeply along all the lines in which he intends to put forth activity and the concentration of his purpose in the accomplishment of an object never fails to secure the desired results. His indorsement of a measure secures to it a large following, for men have come to know that what he promises he will do and that his advocacy of any plan or activity is based upon a thorough understanding of the situation and a firm belief in its value.

JOHN RUSSELL BARCROFT

The record of John Russell Barcroft constitutes a creditable chapter in the judicial history of Des Moines . It has been said of him: "He stood in the front of the bar for acuteness and strength of intellect, for keen analysis, for incorruptible honesty and individual worth." The qualities which he manifested at all times commanded for him the respect not only of the profession but of the entire public. His record deserves a place upon the pages of Iowa 's history.

Mr. Barcroft was born May 13, 1824 , at Cadiz , Ohio . His father, who served as a soldier in the War of 1812, was connected with the celebrated Lee family of Virginia . After attending the common schools John Russell Barcroft began teaching at the age of fourteen and utilized the hours which are usually termed leisure for the study of law in the office and under the direction of Hon. John A. Bingham, of Cadiz , who became one of the nation's greatest lawyers. He also attended the Ohio University at Athens in further preparation for the bar, to which he secured admission at Marietta , Ohio , on the 26th of March, 1847 . He then removed to Millersburg , Ohio , where he located for practice, following his profession there until 1864, when he went to Oskaloosa , Iowa . The next year he became a resident of Des Moines , where he spent his remaining days as an active member of the legal fraternity. He won almost immediate recognition as a strong and able lawyer and was at different times associated with Polk & Hubbell, C. H. Gatch, Josiah Given and James M. McCaughan. After the death of Mr. McCaughan, in June, 1900, Mr. Barcroft continued alone in practice until his death of the 20th of January, 1901 .

Mr. Barcroft's marriage had been celebrated almost a half century before. On the 4th of June, 1852 , he wedded Miss Susan F. Ankeny, a lady of rare attainments and a representative of one of the most prominent of Des Moines ' families. Mrs. Barcroft and four children, Mrs. George E. King, Mrs. Hattie L. McCaughan, Russell A. Barcroft, of Des Moines , and Joseph K. Barcroft, of Atlanta , Georgia , survive the husband and father.

At the time of his death Mr. Barcroft was the oldest practicing lawyer of Polk county, where he had been a notable figure for a third of a century. A contemporary biographer has said: "He was a lawyer of the old school, of courteous manners, of kindly disposition and of high intellectual attainments. He retained through all the years the respect and admiration of those who knew him. He was engaged in many important causes, was a keen debater and delighted in the argument of abstract legal propositions. To him the legal profession was an arena for usefulness and he used it to promote the rights of man and universal justice. He won the highest success that comes to those who live above the clamor of passion and the demands of Mammon. He was not a member of any church or secret order and did not largely engage in politics, except as a citizen discharging his duty towards the public. The soul of honor, alive to every obligation o citizenship, he discharged the duties of life and his profession fearlessly and with strictest integrity."

J. M. BERRY, engaged in the practice of law at Pocahontas, was born in Guthrie county, Iowa , on the 15th of June, 1875 , a son of W. E. and Nancy A. (Young) Berry .  The father, who was a brick maker by trade, removed from Noble county, Ohio , to Iowa about the year 1870 and continued in that business until his death, which occurred on the 4th of April, 1904 .  His wife had previously passed away, dying September 17, 1902 .

J. M. Berry attended the public and high schools of Guthrie Center until graduated from the latter with the class of 1894.  He afterward took up the profession of teaching, which he followed for five years and during that period was for a time a high-school teacher.  He afterward entered Drake University at Des Moines , in which he pursued his law course and was graduated with the class of 1902, the first class that was graduated from Drake after the passage of the law which required that the law course be extended to three years.  He came direct to Pocahontas and in his professional work has met with a fair measure of success, being recognized as an able lawyer who prepares his cases with thoroughness and is devoted to the interests of his clients.  He also has farming interests, being the owner of four hundred acres of rich and productive land, and he is a stockholder in the hotel at Pocahontas.

On the 14th of July, 1909 , Mr. Berry was united in marriage to Miss Gene E. Wallace, a daughter of William J. Wallace, and their children are James William and Helen Jeannette. The parents hold membership in the Methodist church and Mr. Berry is also a Royal Arch Mason.  His political allegiance is given to the republican party and for four years he filled the office of county attorney, making a creditable record in protecting the legal interests of the county. He has served as a member of the school board and the cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion.  In fact, he stands for progress and improvement along all lines which have to do with the welfare and upbuilding of the community. He is interested in good roads and in all those projects and plans which are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride.  He enjoys outdoor life and motoring and in a word is a normal man, giving a proper proportion of his time to his profession, public duties and to pleasure, thus maintaining a well balanced character.

John Breunig, who is a well known general merchant of Rhodes, was for many years a farmer of Eden township, Marshall county. He is a native of that township, born two miles south of Rhodes on the 19th of September, 1861, of the marriage of Joseph and Catharine (Blink) Breunig, both natives of Baden, Germany. The father was born on the 2d of February, 1827, and there grew to maturity and acquired his education. In 1851, when twenty-four years of age, he migrated to the United States and made his way westward to Chicago, Illinois, where he located. In 1857 he removed to De Kalb county, that state, where he remained for three years, after which he went to Eden township, Marshall county, Iowa, where he resided for many years and reared his family. In 1893 he took up his residence in Nebraska and his death occurred at Humphrey, that state, May 16, 1910, when he was eighty-three years of age. His wife, who was born on the 27th of April, 1830, possessed that consideration for others, that conscientious adherence to duty that belongs to the highest type of womanhood, and she was justly held in the highest esteem by all who knew her. T Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Breunig were born nine children: Clara, who birth occurred in April, 1854; Lena, born in February, 1857; Henry, born March 21, 1859; John and Elizabeth, twins, born September 19, 1861; Margaret, born march 15, 1863; Wilhelmina, who died in infancy; Jacob, whose birth occurred on the 6th of June, 1864; and Lucy, born February 14, 1873.John Breunig was reared in his native township and was educated in the district school nearest his home. Upon arriving at years of maturity he continued to follow agricultural pursuits, in which he had been carefully trained by his father, and was actively connected with general farming in Eden township until 1910. In September of that year he and his son-in-law, Verne Mallicoat, purchased a hardware store in Rhodes, which they continued to conduct for some time, Mr. Breunig al length disposing of his interest therein. In October, 1913, Mr. Mallicoat also sold out and embarked in the grocery business in Rhodes. Mr. Breunig in the meantime had entered the furniture and undertaking business and continued in those lines until the close of 1914, when he and his son- in-law both sold out and together with Mr. Breunig's son Lester purchased a general store, known as the Weishaar store, which they have since conducted. They carry a line of goods well adapted to the needs of their customers and as their business policy is to give full value for all money received and as they are courteous in the treatment of their patrons their trade is extensive and they derive a gratifying income from the store. Mr. Breunig accumulated a competence while engaged in farming and stock-raising but finds it impossible to rest content when not actively engaged in some useful line of endeavor.Mr. Breunig was married in Rhodes, Iowa, on the 2d of February, 1887, to Miss Anna Rohrer, who was born in Somanauk, Illinois, on the 29th of June, 1864, a daughter of Lester and Sophia (Casler) Rohrer. Her father was born in Alsace, France, on the 5th of May, 1838. Both he and his wife are living. To their union were born the following children aside from Mrs. Breunig: Arthur, whose birth occurred on the 28th of December, 1862, and who is now residing in Marshall county; Mrs. Emma La Bolle, a twin of Mrs. Breunig, who is living in Somanauk, Illinois; Mrs. Rosa Suppes, born July 24, 1866, also of Somanauk, Illinois; Mrs. Adeline Breunig, born April 21, 1868, likewise of Somanauk; Edward, whose birth occurred on the 13th of April, 1870, and who is now living at Clarion, Iowa; Charles, born April 14, 1872, who is living south of Rhodes; Mrs. Amelia Brewer, born January 21, 1874, who is living at Sandwich, Illinois; Henry, whose birth occurred on the 21st of February, 1877, and who is living near Somanauk, Illinois; Albert, born October 4, 1879, likewise of that city; and Mrs. Minnie Fish, who was born on the 31st of July, 1881, and is residing in Pennsylvania. All of the children were born, reared and educated near Somanauk. To Mr. and Mrs. Breunig were born three children: Mrs. Isabelle Mallicoat, born June 27, 1888; Mrs. Genevieve M. Signs, born January 17, 1891, who is residing in Des Moines, Iowa; and Lester Joseph, born September 20, 1892, who is associated with his father and brother-in-law in the conduct of the mercantile business. All of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Breunig were born upon the farm in Eden township and there grew to maturity. Mrs. Breunig passed away on the 5th of November, 1913, and not only was her demise deeply regretted by her family but it was also felt keenly throughout the community, as she was at all times ready to aid in the furtherance of any good cause. As a wife and mother she was tender and devoted and yet possessed a quiet strength of character that enabled her to wield a potent influence in shaping the lives of those who came in close contact with her in accordance with the highest moral principles. Mr. Breunig has three grandchildren, the children of Mr. and Mrs. Mallicoat: Delwin Sylvester, who was born February 10, 1911; Darrell De Los, born December 10, 1912; and Le Roy Lester, born December 25, 1913.

Mr. Breunig is independent in politics, believing the qualifications of the candidate to be of more importance than his political affiliations. He has filled a number of local offices to the satisfaction of his constituents. He has prospered in all of his business undertakings and is the owner of a productive and well developed farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Eden township, which is improved with a good farm house, barns and outbuildings. Since his removal to Rhodes he has erected one of the finest residences in the city and is there surrounded by the comforts of life which his own energy and good judgment have made possible. He is possessed of public spirit to a marked degree and movements for the benefit of the community always receive his hearty cooperation.

WALTER DART BURGOYNE
 
Walter Dart Burgoyne, a successful farmer and stock-raiser who is now residing on an excellent farm in Eden township, Marshall county, was born in Welton township, Clinton county, Iowa, on the 16th of April, 1859. His father, Robert A. Burgoyne, was born in Devonshire, England, on the 21st of May, 1829, and in 1853 emigrated to America, locating first at Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he remained for one and a half years.  In 1855 he and his wife removed to Davenport, Iowa, and in 1858 took up their residence in Welton township, Clinton county, where they remained until the spring of 1889, when they went to Dewitt, where he passed away on the 22d of February, 1907.  His widow, who was in her maidenhood Miss Elizabeth Crook, was also born in Devonshire, England, her natal day being the 13th of February, 1828.  She came to America in 1853 and they were married in Quebec, Canada, on the 14th of October, 1855.  She is still living and makes her home at Dewitt.  To Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Burgoyne were born seven children:  John, whose birth occurred on the 10th of December, 1857, and who died at Kingsley, Iowa, on the 10th of November, 1902; Walter D., of this review; Mrs. Emma Kindig, born September 9, 1861, who died in Welton township on the 6th of February, 1913; Herbert H., born October 12, 1863, now residing in Maywood, Illinois; Robert, born January 12, 1866, who is living in South Dakota; Elizabeth, whose birth occurred on the 22d of July, 1868, and who is now a resident of Dewitt; and Thomas E., born August 12, 1870, likewise a resident of Maywood, Illinois.  The eldest child was born in Davenport and the other six in Welton township, Clinton county.
 
Walter D. Burgoyne grew to manhood upon his father's farm in Clinton county and found the work so congenial and so profitable that upon arriving at years of maturity he continued to follow agricultural pursuits.  For twenty-five years he operated the homestead of two hundred and forty acres in Clinton county, which is still undivided, but on the 1st of March, 1914, he removed to one hundred and twenty acres of fine land in Eden township, Marshall county, which he owns. He has erected a fine modern residence upon that place and he had his family live there surrounded by all of the conveniences of twentieth century civilization.  His life has been characterized by initiative, energy and foresight and he has managed the work of the farm most efficiently.
 
Mr. Burgoyne was married in Welton township, to Miss Ida Gregoire, who was born in Dewitt township, Clinton county, on Christmas Day, 1861, a daughter of John and Ann (Head) Gregoire. Her father was born in Belleville, Canada, March 10, 1821, and her mother in Hull, England, August 18, 1838. In the autumn of 1839 Mr. Gregoire left the place of his nativity and in 1853 became a resident of Clinton county, Iowa, first settling at Camanche. There his father, mother and one sister met death in the terrible Camanche cyclone. John Gregoire and his family subsequently took up their residence in Dewitt township and in 1866 removed to Welton township.  He was a farmer and stock-raiser during his active years and was quite successful in those occupations.  His widow is still living and is residing in Dewitt.  They were the parents of nine children, namely: James, who was born the 3d of May, 1855, and is now living in Dewitt; Mrs. Mary Ellen McCarthy, born April 21, 1857, now of Moline, Illinois; Mrs. Florence A. Easton, who was born on the 19th of September, 1859, and is living in Mount Vernon, Iowa; Mrs. Burgoyne; Charles O., born February 28, 1864, who is residing near Clinton; Mrs. Lily Gregoire, who was born February 4, 1868, and lives in Perry, Oklahoma; Edith Edna, who was born February 27, 1874, and died on the 23d of September, of that year; John Andrew, born February 14, 1876, who is living on the old home farm in Welton township; and Mrs. Bertha L. Martin, who was born on the 6th of January, 1879, and is now living in Colorado.  All of the children were born and reared in Clinton county and attended the common schools, while Bertha and Lily were also students in the Dewitt public schools.  Mrs. Burgoyne is justly proud of the fact that she is a great-grandniece of Julian Dubuque, the first white settler of the state.
 
Mr. and Mrs. Burgoyne are the parents of a daughter, Grace E., who was born in Welton township, March 12, 1886, and was married on the 14th of January, 1914, to Ross R. Wendel, who was born in Welton township on the 12th of November, 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Wendel both attended the common schools of Clinton county and the latter the public schools of Dewitt as well.  She has likewise studied music and is quite talented in that line, and also possesses considerable ability as an artist and has done quite a little work that now decorates her home. She and her husband reside with her parents in their commodious home north of Rhodes.
 
Mr. Burgoyne is a republican of the progressive type and is at all times ready to defend his belief with logical argument.  He has taken a prominent part in the councils of his party in Clinton county and has served as a member of the school board and also as road supervisor, although he has never sought public office.  Fraternally he belongs to Grand Mound Lodge, No. 448, I. O. O. F., in which he has occupied all of the chairs, and also to Linden Lodge, No. 214, K. P., of Grand Mound.  He and his wife both hold membership in the Rebekah Lodge, No. 513, of Grand Mound.  In addition to the excellent farm which they own and their interest in the estate of Clinton county, they have stock in the Farmers Bank of Rhodes and are justly numbered among the substantial citizens of Marshall county.  They have made many personal friends, although they have resided there but a comparatively short time, and they have already demonstrated their value as citizens.