pgs. 333-335

JOHN E. DAVIS is a native of McHenry county, Illinois, and was born April 27, 1846. He is the youngest of a family of four children born to Edmund and Clorinda (Hart) Davis, the former a native of LeRoy, N. Y., and the latter a native of Bergen, N. Y. His parents moved to Delaware county, Iowa, in 1852, and the mother still resides at Hopkinton, where they first settled, being now in her eighty-first year, having been born January 5,1809. The father resided in this county till the summer of 1871, when he took a trip south to visit relatives, and has never been heard of since, the family believing that he died by violence at some out-of-the-way place, as he was traveling overland by team. He was born in 1803, and was, therefore, in his sixty-ninth year at the time of his death, if he died as supposed, in 1871. He was a farmer by occupation, a comparatively early settler of the county, and as long as he resided here, an honored and useful citizen. The four children of Edmund and Clorinda Davis are now grown, married, and live in widely separated localities. The eldest, Jerome T., born in Troy, N. Y., October 28, 1829, came to this county when his parents did, in 1852, and resided at Hopkinton till 1885; when he moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he now lives. In 1850 he married Emaline Shelley, who died June 29,1883, leaving five children  Marion, Hartwell, Charles E. (now deceased), Emma A. and John M. He married again, taking to wife Miss Anna McNalley, of Huntsville, Ala., to which union has been born one child Maxwell Clay. The second child of Edmund and Clorinda Davis a daughter, Helen, is now the wife of James T. Williamson, of Hopkinton, this
county. The third, also a daughter, Sarah E., is the wife of Lawrence Webb, of Iowa City, this state. The youngest, John E., is the subject proper of this biographical notice.

He was born, as already stated, in McHenry county, Ill. He was just six years old when his parents moved to this county. His boyhood and youth were spent in Hopkinton. He received his education at Lenox College, that place. The first event of importance in his life was his enlistment in the Union army in 1864. He offered himself as a volunteer twice prior to that, enlisting first in Company K, Twelfth Iowa, and then in Company K,
Twenty-first Iowa, but was rejected both times on account of his youth. Determined to enter the service he finally, April 27, 1864, offered himself
as a drummer boy, and was accepted by Company C, Forty-fourth Iowa. He entered as a three months recruit and served for that length of time.
Returning home in the fall of 1864, he engaged in farming and attending school, continuing thus till the fall of 1867. He than received the appointment of deputy county recorder for Delaware county under Henry Harger, and, entering the recorder's office at Delhi, remained there till
the spring of 1871. Striking for the further West at that time, he went to O'Brien county, this state, and took up a homestead. Later he went to Cherokee county, and found employment as a clerk in a drug-store, continuing at this for about two years. In the fall of 1872 he was elected
recorder of Cherokee county, and shortly afterwards received the appointment of deputy county clerk of the same county. He held this deputyship about six years, but was three times re-elected county recorder, holding that office from January, 1873, to January, 1881. In 1872 he was elected on the republican ticket. In 1874 he was made the republican nominee and endorsed by the democrats in convention. In 1876 he was nominated first by the democrats and then endorsed by the republicans in convention, being thus the nominee of both parties for two successive elections. In 1878 he was elected on the republican ticket only. While holding this office he was engaged in the loan business, and placed for the Aetna Life Insurance Company of New York over 150,000 on Cherokee county farms and furnished nine-tenths of the abstracts of title to real estate in that county that were made during his term of office. He also served as city treasurer of Cherokee for two years, and as alderman for one year. On quitting the recorder's office he moved to Aurelia, in Cherokee county, where he engaged for about a year in the mercantile and implement business. While there he was elected mayor of the place, being the second mayor of the town, and held the office till he resigned it in contemplation of his change of residence. Selling out his interest there, he went to Sioux City and began buying and shipping stock, horses, hogs and cattle, mainly, however, cattle. He was a member of the firm of Williamson, Davis & Co., which during those years operated extensively in livestock, having headquarters at Sioux City. They bought largely all over eastern and central Iowa, and filled contracts to stock up western ranches. Mr. Davis spent most of his time at Sioux City, and was in charge of the office affairs there and conducted the sales and transfers. He made the first sale that was ever made in the Union stock yards at that place. This partnership dissolving, however, in the spring of 1885, he returned to Delaware county and located at Manchester. He at once purchased the abstract books, furniture and good will of his old employer, Henry Harger and began the abstract business. In 1887, he bought out Satterlee & Summers, who were engaged in the same line, since which time he has done almost all the abstract business of Delaware county, owning the only set of abstract books in the county. His business now is abstracts, real estate and loans. He is also deputy recorder of Delaware county.

With this outline of Mr. Davis' career before us, it will be no exaggeration to say that he has led an usually active life up to this time; and, we are glad to say, also a fairly successful one. He has especial cause to be proud of that portion of it which has been devoted to the public service. The faithfulness with which he has discharged 3 official duties is abundantly attested by the length of his continuance in office, and by his repeated indorsement by both political parties. In politics Mr. Davis is a republican, and has always affiliated actively with his party, but he has many warm friends throughout the state who differ widely from him in political faith. The warmth of this attachment has been effectually demonstrated. Mr. Davis is a man of a social disposition, and endowed with much of that broad charity which leads to high thinking and noble, unselfish acting. He is a zealous Mason, being a member of blue lodge, No. 165, at Manchester, a charter member of Burning Bush Chapter, at Cherokee, Iowa, and a charter member also of Crusade Commandery, at Cherokee. He belongs to Hyperion Lodge, No. 186, Knights of Pythias, at Manchester; is a charter member and was elected district deputy when the lodge was organized and has held the office since, and was elected representative to the grand lodge in 1888-'89 and 1890. He is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Grand Army of the Republic, in all of which he takes much interest, contributing liberally to their support and helping by his own personal exertions to further their benevolent purposes.

On November 28, 1872, Mr. Davis married, taking to share his fortunes a young lady of Delaware county, Miss Elizabeth Heacock, who was born in Chicago, Ill., January 5, 1853, and is a daughter of William O. and Eliza (McKenzie) Heacock, of Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have had born to them a family of five children - Roy B., born November 8, 1876; Eula A., born November 30, 1879; Homer E., born June 27, 1883; Effie, born April 19, 1874, and died April 20, 1874, and Aggie, born August 10, 1881, and died August 11, 1881.

In personal appearance Mr. Davis is of average height and weight, having a well-rounded physique and a good-sized head, a pleasant face, easy manners and a kindly nature.

 

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