Trails to the Past

Iowa

Black Hawk County

Biographies

 

Progressive Men of Iowa
 1899

BRECKENRIDGE, Allender Insign, well known in the business circles of Waterloo, is the son of Josiah Carey Breckenridge, who was a shareholder, director and superintendent of the Meriden Cutlery works, of Meriden, Conn. That immense plant owed its success to the wisdom and energy of Mr. Breckenridge.  He was a man of attractive manners, genial, generous and beloved by all his employees Shortly after completing a handsome residence in Meriden his life was suddenly cut short by an affection of the heart. The maiden name of the mother, who now resides with her youngest son in Meriden, was Frances Augusta Bradley. She is a woman of scholarly attainments and great literary ability, and now, at the age of 70, frequently contributes articles to journals and magazines.

A tradition concerning the derivation of the name Breckenridge, from the Scotch bracken or common brake, which grows abundantly on the ridge where the family was first known, has been handed down from generation to generation. The name has been changed, however, by the substitution of the letter "e " for that of "a " in the first syllable.  The earliest member of the family of whom we have any knowledge is Jacobus Brackenridge, who came to this country and settled on the Ellan tract, in the forks of the Chicopee river, now Palmer, Mass.  There he reared a large family in comfort and respectability. He was a good man, abhorring deceit, and through his teachings and example his children grew up to be religious, honorable men and women.  The descendants from this family are many, embracing six generations, now scattered throughout the United States. They are proud of the family name, and the love of kin is one of their most marked characteristics. As a whole they are independent, intelligent, moral and modest. No prominent political positions have been held by them, but "They do the greatest good who live hidden lives," and to that class it appears to be their desire to belong. Someone has said, "There is scarcely a college in the United States that has not educated a Breckenridge, " a record of which they are most proud. 

A. I. Breckenridge was born at Meriden, Conn., August 12, 1845. He attended the public schools until 18 years of age, then spent two years in the Episcopal academy, at Cheshire, Conn. This was followed by a course in Trinity college, at Hartford, Conn., after which the young man started out in the world for himself, first taking a position in New York city, in the store and sample rooms of the Meriden Cutlery company; coming to Iowa in 1878 he located at Waterloo and engaged in the coal business, in partnership with George Bancroft. 

Later he formed a co-partnership with A. J. White, and opened an insurance office.  In 1877 he entered the employ of the Illinois Central as timekeeper, but his health failed and he was compelled to go south. After a time he returned to Waterloo and re-engaged in the insurance business in partnership with J. K. Sweeny. In 1894 Mr. Sweeny sold his interest to G. C.  Kennedy, since which time the firm of Breckenridge & Kennedy has enjoyed a constantly increasing business. In 1892 Mr. Breckenridge was elected secretary of the Perpetual Building and Loan association, the duties of which he has accurately and faithfully discharged, and to which he now gives his entire time. He is a member of the Columbia club, a social organization of considerable note. Himself and his two oldest sons are members of Ascalon Commandery No. 25, Knights Templar. They enjoy the peculiar distinction of having taken the Royal Arch Mason and Commandery degrees together, there being but one other instance in the history of the United States where father and two sons formed a team for chapter degrees, and, so far as known, no other where they took the Commandery degrees together.

His name is among the signers of the original articles of incorporation of Christ Church parish. He was elected secretary of the vestry soon after, which office he still holds, and is lay reader in the church and superintendent of the Sunday school.  August 23, 1871, he was married to Mary Wheelock, the adopted daughter of Walter and Sarah Wheelock, of Brooklyn, N. Y. They have seven children living, Allender Robert, Walter Wheelock, Marietta Sarah, Frances Augusta, William Carey, Frederick Keyes and Harriet Mildred, having lost one daughter, Florence Evelyn, who died in 1887.

EDDY, Willard, M. D., is a descendant of the family which came from England to this country more than 250 years ago.  Both his grandfather, Esek Eddy, and his great-grandfather, Samuel Eddy, were soldiers in the revolutionary war. His father, Erastus Eddy, was a farmer and owned 150 acres of land near Buffalo, N.  Y., upon which he lived for over sixty years, and died at the age of 87 years.  His mother continued to own this farm until November 21, 1897, when she died at the age of 83 years. Her name was Dorliska Middleditch, and she raised a family of ten children, six boys and four girls.  She was a sister of Dr. A. Middleditch, who has lived in Waterloo ever since 1856. 

Willard was born in Erie county, N. Y., July 30, 1838, and received a common school education. He then went to the academy at Springville, N. Y. and from there to Genesee seminary near Rochester, N. Y., for four years. In 1860 he went to the University of Michigan and commenced the study of medicine. In March, 1863, he graduated from the medical department of that university and was one of the five that stood highest. All his expenses at seminary and medical college were paid by himself, by his pre-emption of public land in Minnesota, then selling it in 1863 he came to Iowa and located at Monticello, Jones county, where he practiced medicine for four years. He removed to Waterloo in 1867 and has practiced there ever since that date. Dr. Eddy saved money from the commencement of his practice, and carefully invested his surplus earnings in real estate and real estate loans. He has always been very careful and conservative in business affairs, and has made an eminent success both as a physician and a financier. His income is now several thousand dollars per year above his expenses, and his estate must be worth many thousand dollars. He has never received any property by inheritance. He acquired it all by his professional labors and careful investments.

Dr. Eddy was married in June, 1864, to Miss P. Gertrude Hammond, of Waterloo, Iowa. They had one child, Walter F., who was drowned while skating, Thanksgiving day, 1886, when only 13 years of age. The sudden and tragic death of their only child was a terrible shock to both the parents, and one from which Mrs. Eddy never recovered. Her mind became partially unbalanced and she finally went to travel in Europe, hoping to regain her normal composure of mind. After waiting ten years the doctor was again married June 29,1896, to Miss Sarah E. Cadwallader, of Waverly, the daughter of Philip Cadwallader. They have a son, born April 29, 1897, a strong, healthy boy, Roger Willard Eddy.

Dr. Eddy's first vote was cast for Abraham Lincoln, and he has voted the republican ticket ever since. He has been a member of the First Congregational church of Waterloo for thirty years. For many years he has belonged to the Black Hawk County Medical society, Cedar Valley Medical society and the Iowa State Medical society.

EDGERS, Eben Barton, was born on his grandfather's farm near Brockville, Ontario, August 11, 1868, where his boyhood days were spent. He attended the schools of that place and afterwards went to the Newberry school. He took a course in the high school at Smith's Falls and finally graduated in the dental department of the University of Maryland, at Baltimore, in the class of 1892. When a boy Mr. Edgers had a hard struggle, having to earn his living and work his way through college without aid. As he began to acquire some knowledge of dentistry in the course of his studies, he utilized it during vacations by practice. In this way he earned the means to defray his college expenses when the term began again, thus managing to finish the course and acquire a thorough knowledge of the profession he was to follow. 

Soon after graduating he opened his first office at Lyndonville, in Vermont, where he had previously studied in a dental office.  He next moved to Tecumseh, Mich., and engaged in the practice of his profession.  He came to Iowa in April, 1893, and located at Waterloo. He associated himself with Dr. A. N. Ferris in the practice of dentistry, the partnership continuing until February, 1895, when Dr. Edgers opened an office for himself on the east side of the river. He is a member of the State society, the Northern Iowa Dental society, and the Black Hawk Dental society. 

Dr. Edgers has literary tastes, and is one of the active members of the Fortnightly club of Waterloo, which is the leading literary club of that city. He is past chancellor of Helmet Lodge No. 89 of the Knights of Pythias of Waterloo. He is a member of the Congregational church and in politics votes the republican ticket.  He was married June 16, 1895, to Miss Cora Belle Newton, daughter of George and Jane Newton.

FULLERTON, Kern M., D. D. S., of Cedar Falls. This bright and successful young professional man was born in Crawford county, Pa., February 9, 1865. His great-grandfather on the paternal side emigrated from the north of Ireland to the United States. The family originated in Scotland, but the exact date of the removal of the first members to Ireland is not known. In the spelling of the name the letter "e" has been substituted for that of "a," as it appeared in the second syllable of the signatures of the early Fullartons.  At the time of their residence in Ireland they were termed Protestant Catholics, that being the name given to those settlers who came from Scotland and located in the north of Ireland. Grandfather Fullerton was a very rich man, as riches went in those days, and his wealth was represented in most part by broad, fertile acres and chests of gold and silver. The maternal grandparents were natives of Germany, but a branch of the family came, at a very early period, from Greece.

The early life of this Mr. Fullerton was spent at the place of his birth near Meadville, Pa., where he attended the district school. Later he entered the high school at Cambridge. Upon leaving the home farm permanently he removed to Ohio and engaged with a railroad contractor, remaining there for several months; then he returned to Pennsylvania and was employed in the lumbering districts of Elk county. In 1887 he came to Iowa, and soon thereafter entered the dental department of the Iowa State university, from which he graduated in 1889. During his college life he was a tireless student, and the hours that were spent in a chase after pleasure by many of his associates were by him devoted to hard and persistent study.  He was foremost among those who organized the S. U. I. Dental society. This organization was composed of the students of that department, and held weekly meetings where papers on dentistry, prepared by the students, were read and discussed.  In politics Dr. Fullerton is a democrat, but is not a radical politician. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias and B. P. O. E.  In a professional way he belongs to that class to which work for the elevation of his science is a positive pleasure. He is a member of the Eastern Iowa Dental society and the Iowa State Dental society, having served as president of the first named organization. He was elected president of the Iowa State Dental society at its annual meeting held in Des Moines in May, 1897, serving one year. Being keenly alive to the importance of being up to date in his profession, Doctor Fullerton takes a deep interest in all matters that will in any way assist him to that end. His library is well stocked with dental literature, and he keeps up with the spirit of progression in his profession.

HOLMES, Richard, president of the Waterloo State bank, and a resident of Black Hawk county for thirty-six years, is a native of England. He was born near Manchester, under the sovereignty of Queen Victoria, April 20, 1842. His father, James Holmes, was a farmer in good circumstances, and a man of sterling, upright character. His mother, Ann Emerson (Holmes), was a noble woman, whose Christian qualities and tender spirit ever exerted the best of influence over her family of eight children, to whom she was always the devoted mother, instilling into their thoughts and actions, as they grew up around her, all that was good, pure and ennobling.

Richard was the eldest of the children, and from early boyhood was a great aid to his father in helping to care and provide for the family.  He thus early learned the principles of industry and economy, which applied to all his undertakings, though active manhood has enabled him to now enjoy the fruits of his labors in comfort.  The family came from England in 1854 and landed first at Montreal, after a voyage of eight weeks spent on the Atlantic ocean in a sailing vessel. Three months after arriving at Montreal, they came west and settled in Greene county, Wis. Here Richard assisted his father in erecting a log cabin, and, during the next nine years, was actively engaged in clearing the farm and making a home in the wilds of that state. 

His education consisted in what he obtained while attending the common schools during the winter months. When Richard was 21 the family decided to come farther west. In company with his father, they walked fifty miles to a railroad, and came to Waterloo, Iowa, where, believing they would have a better opportunity to judge of the quality of the land, and most desirable location for a home, they started out on foot, and, after a few days' time spent in the search, they located in Lincoln township. Richard's father returned to the family in Wisconsin to remain during the winter and prepare for the journey west in the spring, while he himself obtained employment in a stone quarry, near their new home, and remained there until spring.

He then returned to Wisconsin and assisted in moving the family to Black Hawk county, and soon afterwards bought land in Eagle township, where he farmed for a number of years. During the fall and winter of each year he operated a threshing machine, and was very successful financially. Mr. Holmes spent the winters of 1872-73-74 in England. In 1882 he moved to the town of Waterloo and there engaged in the implement business with James R. Vaughn in 1885, under the firm name of Holmes & Vaughn. This partnership continued for five years, during which time they built up an extensive trade throughout the state. In 1890 he retired from active business life, and was made president of the Waterloo Gasoline Engine company. He is also president of one of the strongest financial institutions in the state - the Waterloo State bank, which was organized in 1893.

Politically Mr. Holmes is a republican, and an advocate of sound money. He is a member of the Baptist church, and was at an early age religiously instructed, so that now one of his greatest sources of strength is his faith in a Savior, through whom is gained all happiness and strength.  Mr. Holmes was married September 21, 1876, to Miss Mary Vaughn, daughter of James Vaughn, a well-to-do farmer of Black Hawk county.

We have, in Mr. Holmes, an example of the sturdy business man and upright citizen, whose honesty of purpose, industry, economy and straightforwardness in his dealings with his fellowmen has won for him the honorable though unostentatious position he holds in life. It is such citizens as Mr. Holmes who have made Iowa what it is today.

HUKILL, Anson Theodore, the efficient superintendent of the schools at West Waterloo, is descended from an old Virginia family. His ancestors were Pioneers, both in Virginia and later in Ohio. He was born in Belmont county, Ohio, October 4, 1858, but came with his parents to Iowa county, when only 3 years old, so that in training and education be is practically a native of Iowa. His father, Joseph C. Hukill, is a retired farmer in comfortable circumstances, now living at Mt. Pleasant and enjoying the fruits of an industrious and economical life. His mother's maiden name was Mary J. Hall. 

In the country schools of Iowa county, Anson gained the rudiments of an education and at the same time a spirit of independence and self-reliance that have been of great assistance to him in the battle of life. At the age of 18 he attended the public schools of Keota, Keokuk County, for a time and prepared himself for teaching country schools, in which he taught during the winter season. In the summer he worked on the farm. He was studious, had a natural aptitude for such work, and was so successful as a teacher that he could about take his choice of the schools of his county. He early determined to make teaching his profession and made plans to fit himself for that work, saving all his money and employing all his spare time in reading and studying. In the fall of 1882 Mr. Hukill entered the Iowa City academy and spent one year there in preparation for college. He entered the State university at Iowa City in September, 1883, and graduated with honors from that institution in June, 1887, with the degree of bachelor of philosophy. Three years later he received the master's degree from the same institution. During his course at the university he paid his way acting as teacher in the academy from which he formerly graduated. He was a member of the Zetagathean Literary society and was honored by being chosen at different times to fill every office in the society. His college course was finished without financial assistance from any source.

After graduating he became superintendent of the West Branch schools, and retained that position for five years, giving the best of satisfaction in that capacity and making a great success of his work.  Removing then to Williamsburg he entered upon the duties of superintendent of schools of that place, which position he held for seven years. He now occupies the more important position of superintendent of the schools of West Waterloo.  He holds the highest professional certificate issued, a state diploma, and his work at that point has been eminently successful.  In political matters Professor Hukill has been a republican, but although many times solicited to do so, has never allowed his name to be used as a candidate for any office. He is a prominent Mason, having attained the Royal Arch degree, and a member of the I. O. O. F. He was married July 28, 1887, to Josie Van Meter, of Iowa City. They have one son, Olin V., born August 30, 1890. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

LAYLANDER, Orange Judd, of Cedar Falls, editor of the Western Teacher, and for the past ten years city superintendent of the public schools of Cedar Falls, is one of the leading educators of Iowa, and is a man who possesses rare executive ability and a wonderful capacity for work. He is a son of Andrew Laylander, a farmer of Holmes county, Ohio, who, in addition to his other duties, taught school during the winter for thirty years. His mother, whose maiden name was Amanda Wells, was also one of the first teachers in Holmes county, beginning her work there in the early 40's, before the free schools were established. 

Superintendent Laylander was born March 11, 1858, in Holmes county, Ohio.  His early education was obtained at the district school, this being supplemented by a systematic course at home under the direction of his father, covering the ordinary academic course. Speaking of this work, Mr. Laylander says: "This individual drill was worth more to me than all my subsequent training."  I had my choice between studying algebra, physics and German at night for two hours, or husking corn by lantern light in the barn.  Whatever of studious habits I gained I attribute to this discipline, aided by a district school that taught some things well I possess no college degree, not even an honorary one, and never try to conceal the fact. I believe that one's worth or worthlessness must be measured in deeds, not degrees." Notwithstanding this opinion, he has done a good deal of college work, for he took the teachers course in a normal school at Medina, Ohio, and for two years studied social science in the post-graduate department of Wooster university. He thoroughly believes that the best mental growth comes by diligent effort, and that one must never cease to be a student. 

Mr. Laylander first came to Iowa in 1876, settling in Poweshiek county, where he had purchased a farm. After working the farm one season he returned to Ohio to resume his studies in the normal school. He came back to Iowa in 1878, rented his farm and accepted a position as principal of the Malcom schools. Here he remained for three years, when he became superintendent of the Brooklyn schools, which position he held for six years. In 1887 he came to Cedar Palls, where he still remains as superintendent of the public schools.  Superintendent Laylander is widely known, not only as a teacher, but through his publications, for besides editing the Iowa Western Teacher, he has published several text-books, among them a work in orthoepy and one in geography. He also does a great deal of work as an institute conductor and lecturer and has been elected to various important offices in the State Teachers' association.

He was brought up to have faith in the principles of the republican party, but became a democrat through his belief in free trade. He is a strong anti-monopolist. He was married on July 20, 1880, to Miss Anna Milligan, of Shreve, Ohio. They have no children.

MAGEE, Rev. John Calvin., A. M., D. D., is a prominent member of the Upper Iowa conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, and has served as pastor of some of the strong churches of that body. For six years he was presiding elder, an office which he now holds, residing in Cedar Falls. He was delegate from the Upper Iowa annual conference to the quadrennial general conference, the lawmaking body of the denomination, which met in Omaha in 1892, being first in the order of election on the delegation.  Dr. Magee is the son of David F. and Abigail Rankin Magee. His father served in the union army as first lieutenant, Company D, Ninth Iowa infantry. His ancestors on both sides of the house were Scotch-Irish. His great-grandfather was a soldier for the colonies in the revolutionary war.  His grandfather was a prominent citizen of western Pennsylvania, and lived to the age of 101 years.

Dr. Magee was born in Stover's Place, Center county, Penn., October 31,1845, and was the oldest of eleven children. His parents came to Iowa in 1855, and his boyhood was spent on the farm in that pioneer time. In the debating schools of that period he developed a talent that served him well in later days.  Many times during the exciting early days of the war his boyish voice was heard in patriotic appeals in the war meetings.  Upon the father's return from the war, the boy, having reached a lawful military age, enlisted and in less than one month, after laying down the ferule of a country school teacher, was standing musket in hand on picket guard in Alabama. He served from its veteran organization in the Ninth Iowa infantry, which had at Pea Ridge won the sobriquet of the "Iowa Grey Hounds." He was with the regiment on Sherman's famous Atlanta campaign, and in pursuit of Hood, the march to the sea, through the Carolinas, and on the homeward march, and on the final grand review at Washington, D. C. He returned to the state with the regiment at "muster out." During his service he was promoted to the rank of a non commissioned officer. He joined the G. A. R. in its early history; has served several years as a post chaplain, and was the commander of J. W. McKenzie Post No. 81 in Hampton in 1898. He served as department chaplain of Iowa, G. A. R. in 1890 and 1891.

In a very short time after his return from the war he entered the collegiate institute at Hopkinton, in which he had previously been a student. Later he entered Upper Iowa university at Fayette, from which he was graduated and received the degree, master of arts. For sometime he was a student of theology at Garrett Biblical institute in Evanston, 111. In 1870 he was admitted to the ministerial ranks of the Upper Iowa conference and since that time he has served continuously in his chosen calling. In addition to his ministerial work Dr. Magee has interested himself in educational matters and has served for several years as alumni trustee of his alma mater. Occasional articles from his pen appear in the periodicals of his church, and a few years since the Methodist Episcopal book concern published as one of its general catalogue publications a book entitled "Apostolic Organism," being a discussion from the standpoint of reason, history and scripture of the principles of church government, of which book he is the author. In 1889 Lenox college, a Presbyterian institution in Hopkinton, where he had been a student, conferred upon him the honorary degree of doctor of divinity. Dr.  Magee is a type of many progressive men of Iowa, developed by its advancing civilization. He was married in June, 1870, to Miss Jennie A. Cole, of Fayette, an estimable woman of education and refinement.  Nine children have been born to them, six of whom are living, one son, Carl C., being the superintendent of city schools in Carroll, Iowa. Dr. Magee delights to call Iowa by that sweetest of names-home.

MARKLEY, Henry H., ex-postmaster of Cedar Falls, was born in Knox county, Ohio, January 7, 1841. His father, James Markley, was one of the pioneers of Ohio.  Born in Bedford, Pa., in 1802, he came with his parents to Knox county, Ohio, in 1807, and in 1866 to Cedar Falls, where he died in 1871. His father was Henry Markley. and when he came to Ohio he bought 1,000 acres of timber land and opened up a farm, where he built and operated a distillery. He died in 1832. His wife was Jane Morrison. Jas. Markley's wife was Catherine Ankeny, to whom he was married in Knox county, Ohio, in 1838. She died March 20, 1899, in Cedar Falls, at the age of 81 years.

Henry H. Markley went to school in the log schoolhouse in Ohio and afterward attended the Union Graded school in Frederick town, and one term in Antioch college. In September, 1861, he entered the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, graduating in March, 1863. He was elected and commissioned captain of Company B, Second Regiment Ohio militia, in Knox county, July 4, 1863, and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of the same regiment September 7, 1863. In October he assisted in raising a company of volunteers for an Ohio regiment, but on account of political influence he did not receive the commission which had been promised him. He then went to California, and April 28, 1864, he enlisted in Company I, Second California Veteran volunteers, of San Francisco. He served as clerk at General Mason's office in San Francisco for a month, then as clerk to the assistant commissioner of musters of the Northern district of California, with headquarters at Fort Humboldt, for three months, then as company clerk, and finally as commissary sergeant of the regiment, until he was discharged at Fort Yuma, Cal., March 31, 1866. A company had been organized and plans made at this time for laying an overland telegraph line through Siberia and Alaska, and Mr.  Markley engaged to assist in the construction of this line. Just as the party was about to start news was received of the successful construction of the Atlantic cable, which rendered the overland telegraph line useless. Mr. Markley then went to British Columbia and engaged in mining and prospecting. He settled in Walla Walla in 1868 but came to Iowa the next year, arriving in Cedar Falls December 31, 1869.

The next year he went to New York, where he was married, October 11, 1870, in Fulton, to Mary A. Schenck. In March, 1871, they moved to a farm in Butler county, near Parkersburg, where they lived until 1880, when they moved to Cedar Falls and have lived there since. In 1876 Mr. Markley built the first modern creamery and cheese factory in Butler county, and later, in partnership with Thomas Dadswell, erected and operated eight creameries in Butler, Grundy and Hardin counties.  This partnership ended in 1893. Since 1884 Mr. Markley has been interested in mining in northern Idaho, and has spent part of his time there.

In February, 1895, President Cleveland appointed Mr. Markley postmaster of Cedar Falls. His term expired March 1, 1899. This recognition was earned by his activity and prominence as a democrat, and by his high standing as a business man in the community. He has always affiliated with the democratic party and was elected mayor of Cedar Falls in 1884. He is serving his ninth year as member of the school board and fourth year as president of the board. Mr. Markley belongs to James Brownell Post No. 222, G.  A. R., of Cedar Falls, and also to the Iowa Legion of Honor. Mr. and Mrs. Markley have one son living: Fred A., born August 4, 1877. One daughter died in infancy, and another daughter, Kitty S., died May 1, 1897, aged 25 years.

MELENDY, Peter, of Cedar Falls, has been for more than a third of a century one of the most widely known of the public men of Iowa.

His father was James Melendy, who was a native of Amherst, N. H., where he was born October 15, 1791. He was a breeder of fine stock and a manufacturer of fanning mills. He was a whig in politics, but with strong anti-slavery views, and was active in working for the abolition of slavery.  He served his country as a gallant soldier in the war with Great Britain, in 1812; was long an elder in the Presbyterian church. In 1822 he married Miss Susan Smith, who was a native of Delaware, and with her parents moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, in the fall of 1818. Her father was Rev. John Smith, a Baptist clergyman. The first ancestors of the Melendy family, of which any record exists, was a Spaniard, Pedro Melendze, who was appointed governor of a colony in, Florida, in 1565. After a life's vicissitudes too lengthy for narration here, he finally found a home in Scotland, and from him the Melendys have descended. William and Mrs.  Standish Melendy fled from Scotland, in 1675, on account of religious persecution and, settling in Massachusetts, became the founders of the Melendy family in America. Thomas, the grandfather, and William, the great-grandfather of Peter Melendy, served as soldiers in the war of the revolution.  His father, James Melendy, moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1814, where he married Miss Susan Smith in 1822.

Their son Peter was born February 9, 1823, and when 5 years of age accompanied his father to the old homestead at Amherst, N.H., and went to school one year in the same schoolhouse where his father had attended when a boy. Upon his return home he attended private schools and academies until 1837, when he entered Woodward college, where he remained about three years. In 1840 he went into his father's factory and learned to manufacture fanning mills, and assisted in carrying on his father's farms, where breeding of fine stock was a business.' October 20, 1846, he married Miss Martha F. Coddington, daughter of Hon.  William Coddington, of Cincinnati, Ohio. Three years later he purchased a farm near Cincinnati, and moved onto it, and in 1855 he had so improved it that it took the prize offered for the best managed farm in the state. In 1855 he helped to organize the Iowa Fine Stock Breeding company, with a large capital. The company entered 10,000 acres of land in Butler county, Iowa, near Bear Grove. In 1856 Mr. Melendy came to Cedar Falls, Iowa, and purchased 1,080 acres of choice land in the same county, and placed upon it some of his best fine stock from his Ohio farm. In 1857 he moved onto the farm. But being remote from good schools, church and society, a year later he moved, with his family, back to Cedar Falls for a permanent home. In 1859 Mr. Melendy and W. M. McCoy took a contract to construct the roadbed for a railroad from Cedar Falls to Waverly, Iowa; they expended a large amount of money in the work, but by the failure of the company before the road was completed they lost heavily. In 1860 in company with A. D. Barnum, Mr. Melendy helped establish the first implement, grain and produce warehouse in the Cedar valley, which grew into a large business.

In 1862 Mr. Melendy was appointed by Governor Kirkwood, commissioner for the state, to select 240,000 acres of land, lately granted by congress to Iowa, for the endowment of the State Agricultural college. There were at that time nearly 6,000,000 acres of government land in the limits of Iowa, from which to select, and, after careful investigation, with excellent judgment, Mr. Melendy made the selections which have brought to the State college an ample income. In 1863 and 1864 Mr. Melendy was also, by appointment of Governor Kirkwood, made the agent of Iowa at Washington for proving up the swamp lands of the various counties. In 1864 he was chosen secretary and superintendent of the State Agricultural college. He was appointed by President Lincoln, in 1865, United States marshal for Iowa. When President Johnson abandoned the party that elected him, and sought to build up a new personal party, he removed Mr. Melendy and nearly all of the Iowa federal officials who refused to ally themselves with the Johnson party.

Mr.  Melendv was one of the projectors and early officers of the Iowa Central Railroad company. In 1871 President Grant reappointed Mr. Melendy to his old position of United States marshal, from which he had been removed by Andrew Johnson, in 1865, which position he held for four years, performing its responsible duties with fidelity and ability.  After the breaking out of the rebellion, Mr. Melendy was very active in raising troops to defend the union. In September, 1861, he was commissioned by Governor Kirkwood, to enlist volunteers for the Thirteenth Iowa Infantry. He procured nearly men enough to make two companies for that regiment. He served for some time as quarter-master for the troops stationed at Cedar Falls, from time to time, as the war progressed, and assisted in organizing the militia of Black Hawk county by direction of Adjutant-General Baker. Gov. S. J.  Kirkwood, in a letter to him under date of December 10, 1890, said this: "I take great pleasure in saying that Mr. Peter Melendy, in war times, rendered me and our state very valuable service in raising, organizing and placing in the field many of our soldiers, in whom we all took such pride, and in caring for their welfare when within his reach, in doing the work to which he was assigned."

In 1865 he was instrumental in securing the location of the Soldiers' Orphans' home at Cedar Falls, of which he was a member of the board of trustees.  He was one of ten citizens of that town to purchase forty acres of land upon which the home was located, and which is now occupied by the State Normal school. In 1864 Mr. Melendy was one of the delegates from Iowa to the national republican convention which re-nominated Abraham Lincoln for president, and was one of the committee sent to Washington to notify the president of the action of the convention. That was a mission of which Mr.  Melendy has always felt proud. He was in Washington and witnessed the second inauguration of the great president who was so soon to fill a martyr's grave. In 1867 Mr. Melendy was named among the men from whom the next governor of Iowa, was likely to be chosen, but he declined to be a candidate. He was chairman of the republican state central committee, and under his direction of the campaign, Iowa gave an overwhelming majority for General Grant for president in 1868. He was a delegate at large from Iowa to the Chicago national convention which had placed Grant and Colfax in nomination that year.

Mr. Melendy was for many years a director of the State Agricultural society, and served as vice-president, treasurer and marshal, and was for five years its president, serving a longer period than any president before or since. He was a member of the board of trustees of the Iowa Agricultural college for fourteen years, doing Invaluable service in organizing and building up that great State college. He was, in 1866, appointed to serve with the president of the board of trustees, Lieut.  Gov. B. F. Gue, to visit other industrial colleges of the country, formulate and report a plan for the organization of our college, and finally to select suit-able persons to constitute the faculty. They served three years on this important mission, and their action met the unanimous approval of the trustees, both in the plan of organization proposed, and the choice of Hon. A. S. Welch, for president, and of other members of the faculty. 

Mr. Melendy has taken a deep interest in horticulture, and was for many years a member of the State Horticultural society. He has served many years as agricultural editor of the Cedar Falls papers, and was for a long time a regular writer for the Ohio Farmer. He became associated, in 1873, with A. D. Barnum and D. C. Overman, in railroad building. They constructed the Burlington, Cedar Rapids a Northern railway from Waterloo to Cedar Falls, and also built a large elevator at Cedar Falls. In 1877 Mr. Melendy was associated with parties in building fifteen miles of railroad on a line from Chicago towards Muscatine. In 1879 he received the appointment of agent for the quartermaster's department of the United States, for the adjudication of claims arising out of the war.  His field was in Tennessee, where he served until 1886. It would take a volume to record the important work done by Mr. Melendy during his more than forty years of busy life in Iowa. Endowed with good health, unbounded energy, fine ability, and broad liberality, he has for almost half a century been one of the conspicuous public men of the state. In all his varied occupations and public positions he has won warm and abiding friends, and the sincere respect of the people who know him best.

His first wife died at Cedar Falls, August 6, 1867, at the age of 38, leaving two children, Charles B., born May 15, 1848, and Luetta Isabella, born January 19, 1852. In 1868, Mr. Melendy married Mrs. Mary A. McFarland, daughter of ex-Senator T. W. Woolson, at Mt Pleasant. She is a sister of Judge John S. Woolson, of the United States district court.

Mr. Melendy has been an active and prominent member of the Presbyterian church all of his mature life. Now in the evening of a long, busy and useful career, his old neighbors keep him in the mayor's office of the city he has served so well, in various ways, for almost half a century.

PLACE, Thomas Wheelock, holds the responsible position of master mechanic of the Iowa division of the Illinois Central railway, formerly known as the Dubuque & Sioux City railroad. He has been with this company since 1856, and in his present capacity since 1861, a testimonial to his worth which few men can improve upon.  Railways do not keep men long at the head of a department unless they are of extraordinary value, and Mr. Place is so regarded by the great corporation he serves so well.

He was born at Ackworth, Sullivan county, N. H., January 2, 1833. His father, Ebenezer Place, was a native of New Hampshire, where he was born November 14, 1800. He died there at the age of 36. The mother, whose maiden name was Polly Dickey, was born in 1803, at Ackworth, N. H., and died in 1874, while residing with this subject at Waterloo.  The life of Thomas W. Place, until he reached his 17th year, was spent on the farm, where he attended district school in the winter, and, as is customary with farmers' boys, helped with the crops in summer.

In March, 1850, he entered the employ of Park & Woolson, manufacturers of machinery for finishing woolen goods, as machinist apprentice. In 1852 he went to Boston and secured employment as machinist in the Boston locomotive works, and during the following year was engaged in firing a locomotive on the Northern railroad of New Hampshire, now a part of the Boston & Maihe system. In January, 1854, he removed to Chicago and entered the service of the Chicago & Aurora railway (now a part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy) as machinist The following April he went to the Illinois Central, where he ran a locomotive until November, 1856, at which time he resigned to accept a similar position with the Dubuque & Sioux City line, then under construction from Dubuque to Dyersville. He held the throttle on the locomotive which drew the first passenger train from Dubuque to Dyersville on the occasion or the opening of that line for business, May 11, 1857. He continued in the employ of the company as engineer until August, 1859, when he was appointed foreman of the repair shops with headquarters at Dubuque. In May, 1860, he was tendered the foremanship of engine repairs by the Chicago & Alton, which he accepted, and removed to Joliet, 111., to assume the duties of the position. In 1861 he returned to the Dubuque & Sioux City, as master mechanic, and remained in Dubuque until the shops were removed to Waterloo in 1870. That line had, in the meantime, been extended to Sioux City and merged into the Illinois Central system, of which it is still a part. At present he is master mechanic of the Dubuque and Cherokee divisions-the Iowa lines. 

In politics Mr. Place is a republican, and as such was elected a member of the city council of Waterloo almost consecutively for the years 1872 to 1880; also a member of the east Waterloo school board 1876 to 1885. He is a member of A. P. & A. M., Dubuque; Halcyon Encampment No. 1, and Harmony Lodge No. 2, I. O. O. F., having filled all the chairs in the last two lodges. 

Mr. Place was married, July 24, 1860, to Mary Josephine Myers, daughter of William and Susan Shannon Myers, one of Dubuque's oldest and most respected families. They were both natives of Missouri, who came to Dubuque county at a very early day. Mr. Myers died in Dubuque in 1884, and Mrs. Myers in Waterloo, at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Place, in 1890. The marriage of Mr. Place and Miss Myers took place when the family were living in Julien, Dubuque county.  They are the parents of four sons, now grown to manhood and holding positions of responsibility and trust. They are, Augustus Mason, James Williams, Frederick Ebenezer, and Dorrance Myers.

SNYDER, Edward Allen, of Cedar Falls, postmaster of Cedar Falls and editor of the Cedar Falls Semi-Weekly Gazette, is a landmark in the history of Iowa newspaper. The high moral tone and progressive spirit of this paper, which has been under his direction for more than a quarter of a century, speak volumes for his worth as an editor and citizen. Its beneficial impress is universally acknowledged, not only at Cedar Falls, but throughout all that section of the state. As a man of true principles in every relation of life, as a brave soldier of long and honorable record, as a citizen who could be counted upon for more than his part of every good work, as an editor of ability and pure record, as a Christian man, true to his profession, his life is a record of noble deeds and purity, of moral character truly worthy of emulation.

He was born at Cambria, Pa., September 7, 1838.  At the age of 16 he was valedictorian at New Columbus academy. He attended Wyoming seminary at Kingston. Pa.; Dickenson seminary at Williamsport, and Dixon college at Dixon. III. Ho was proficient in his studios, always standing well in his classes. During the years of his school work, he spent two years as an apprentice in the printing business, a part of the time doing the foreman's work on the Williamsport Independent He came west to Dixon, 111., in 1858; taught and attended school for two years, then returned to Pennsylvania, spending the winter of 1860-1 as principal of one of the schools at Hollidaysburg. He delivered an address while there upon " Success in Life" before a large audience, which received much commendation.

He was an enthusiastic supporter of the war, and the following July, at his old home, made an address in advocacy of that belief. He returned to his late home, Dixon, and enlisted in September, 1861: became poet adjutant of the Dement Phalanx until January, 1862, when they were ordered to Springfield, consolidated with a Freeport regiment under Col. John A. Davis the Forty-sixth Illinois volunteers, and took part in the siege of Ft. Donelson, where great exposure was endured. He was in both days' fighting at Shiloh; took part in the siege of Corinth and battle of Hatchee river; was subsequently commissioned from a private over the non-commissioned officers of the company as second lieutenant, the commission having conspicuously upon it these words: " Promoted for meritorious service at Ft. Donelson and Shiloh." He was later detailed for service as an officer of the United States signal corps, and at Vicksburg sect the first messages Generals Grant and Sherman made use of in the west, by opening communication late during the first night of the investment, for General Sherman, with Admiral Porter's fleet seven miles up the Mississippi river. He served in Mississippi and Tennessee and was mustered out at Nashville in the winter of 1864-5. He has been commander of the G. A. R. post at Cedar Falls and a delegate to the national G. A. R. encampment.

He first commenced business after the war as a surveyor at Dixon, but shortly removed to Clinton.  Iowa, where he made a profitable trade of a tract of timber land purchased by him, located in Wiscon-sin, and in the spring of 1866 erected a store building and stocked it with groceries, under the firm name of Snyder Brothers & Santee. In the early part of 1867 he moved to Cedar Falls, where he has since resided. He and his brother, C. W. Snyder, purchased the Cedar Falls Gazette in 1868. He was associate editor until 1869, since which time he has been editor. He was elected county surveyor in 1870, and held that position for four years. For the past eighteen years he has devoted his entire time to the editorial work of the paper, and it has become one of the substantial newspapers of the state.  It is now published as a semi-weekly. He has been a republican ever since the birth of the party; was in the Chicago convention at the time Lincoln was nominated; cast his first ballot for him, and has voted for every republican president since that time. In 1899 he was appointed by President McKinley to be postmaster of Cedar Falls. He has been an earnest temperance worker; conducted, in a large measure, the prohibitory amendment campaign in Black Hawk county In 1882, and made many addressee. In later years was untiring in the enforcement of the law. The freedom of Cedar Falls from the iniquitous saloon and the enviable reputation of that city as to morals is admitted as being largely due to his fearless prosecution and earnest work with law and pen.

He has been active in church and Sabbath school work for forty years; a teacher and class leader for over thirty years. In 1887 was elected as a lay delegate, with Hon.  J. P. Farley, of Dubuque, as his colleague, by the Upper Iowa conference, M. E.  church, to the general conference which sat in New York during May, 1888, and served on important committees. He is a member of several fraternal orders; a Master Mason and Knight Templar.  He was married September 25, 1867, at Cedar Falls to Miss Mary A. Cameron.  Two children have been born to them, the oldest dying at the age of 7 years. The younger is married, and a sweet grand-child gladdens the home of the parents and grandparents. They have a fine residence on the most sightly spot in that beautiful city of Cedar Falls, and there Mr. and Mrs.  Snyder faithfully ministered to the comfort of her parents, one of whom was helpless from paralysis for more than eleven years.  Since their death, the same dutiful care is being given to the venerable father, aged 90 years, of this subject, and step-mother.

TOWNSEND, Edward, of Cedar Falls, one of the trustees of the State Normal school, is among the oldest settlers in Black Hawk county, having lived there since 1859. His parents were Elijah Townsend, who began life poor, but through hard work and good management as a farmer acquired a comfortable fortune, and Rosannah Downing Townsend. Both were English Quakers. The father died in 1860, aged 72 years, and the mother in 1866, aged 72 years.

Edward Townsend was born November 28, 1831, in the town of La Grange, in Duchess county, N. Y. He was brought up on a farm and secured his early education at the district school. He afterwards attended Berkshire academy, Mass., for one year. Circumstances did not permit him to pursue his education any further.  In May 1859, he came to Iowa and settled first at Waterloo. Here he remained for two years, removing in 1861 to Cedar Falls.  For a year he was engaged in the banking business, and on August 8, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company B, of the Thirty-first Iowa infantry. He was elected second lieutenant, by his company, and was soon afterwards promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. He was in the battles of Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post and several other skirmishes, and in June, 1863, he was compelled to resign his commission on account of disabilities resulting from sickness contracted while in the service. Returning home he resumed his business in the bank and thus continued for eleven years, retiring in 1874. In 1878 he engaged in the lumber and coal business, which he still continues, also dealing in real estate loans.

Mr. Townsend has always been a republican and represented Black Hawk county in the Twenty-second and Twenty-third General Assemblies. He has also held several local and county offices, including membership in the city council, school board and the board of supervisors.  He was mayor of his city in 1870-71 and served as a member of the board of commissioners for the erection of the State Soldiers' and Sailors' monument, and has been trustee of the State Normal school since 1894.

He was married October 17, 1867, to Sarah A. Seward, who died March 20, 1872, leaving three children, two of whom are living, Katherine S., born in 1868, and Mary L., born in 1870. Mr.  Townsend's second wife was Sarah Huntington, of Oswego county, N. Y., whom he married September 26, 1878. They have one child, Edward H., born May 5, 1881.

WHITAKER, Romaine Adrian, treasurer of the Cutler Hardware company, of Waterloo, has been in active business in Iowa since 1853, now about forty-five years, and still continues, though nearly 70 years old. He is a genuine Yankee, the ancestors of both his parents having been among the earliest settlers of the New England colonies. His father's ancestors settled at Haverhill, Mass., prior to 1650. William Whitaker, his great grandfather, rendered valuable services to the colonies during the French and Indian wars, and fought in the revolution. Clemence, the son of William, and grandfather of Romaine, was one of the early settlers of Oneida county, N. Y., where he cleared up a farm in the comparative wilderness of that country in 1801.  He was married to Alice Hall, and their oldest son, Jerome, was born May 25, 1806, in South Trenton, Oneida county, N. Y.  He was married August 27, 1827, to Lydia N. Demming, who was born October 19, 1807, at Holland Patent, N. Y. Their oldest son was Romaine A., the subject of this sketch. Jerome Whitaker died at Waterloo, Iowa, December 25, 1886, and his wife at Carthage, N. Y., November 12, 1875.

R. A. Whitaker was born August 26, 1828, at Holland Patent, N. Y. He lived on a farm until he was of age, receiving his education at the district school and at Lowville academy.. He taught school a few years, and in 1853 came to Iowa, locating at Waterloo in 1856, purchasing an interest in a sawmill, which he operated for two years. He began work January 1, 1860, as a clerk in the office of the county treasurer and recorder, and in 1867 was elected to the office of treasurer of Black Hawk county, and held the position for eight years. He formed a partnership in 1876 under the firm name of Whitaker & Edgington, dealers in agricultural implements, which he continued for two years. In February, 1878, he was elected grand recorder of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and held the place for fifteen years, resigning in 1893 to become one of the Cutler Hardware company, and is still a member of this firm, serving as its treasurer.

Prior to the civil war Mr. Whitaker was democratic in politics, but for the last thirty - five years has been an ardent republican.  Besides the offices already mentioned, he was first mayor of Waterloo, holding the office five consecutive terms. He was also a member of the school board for eighteen years, serving as its president for several years. He was secretary of the Black Hawk County Agricultural society for twenty-one years. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and has served as presiding officer in the lodges at Waterloo for a number of years, and as one of the grand officers of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Iowa. He was a member of the board of custodians of the grand chapter for ten years. He is a member of the Episcopal church.

Mr. Whitaker was married September 17, 1856, at Great Bend, N. Y., to Mary E.  Clark, who was born at Evans Mills, N. Y., April 17, 1832, and died at Waterloo, August 24,1893. They had three children, one daughter and two sons, but both of the boys died in infancy. The daughter, Ardelle Genevieve, was born June 29, 1858. She was married to G. A. Goodell, October 12, 1881, and died March 24, 1893, leaving two children, who live with their father at Cedar Rapids.

Mr. Whitaker has had much to do with the growth and prosperity of Waterloo during his long residence there, and is held in the highest esteem for his liberality and public spirit, and his generous, charitable disposition. He is a walking encyclopedia of the history of Black Hawk county and Waterloo, possessing a remarkable memory, which has been assisted by keeping a diary, in which he has made daily records of passing events ever since the days of his early youth.

WHITE, Henry Barre, of Waterloo, better known in newspaper and fraternal circles as H. B. White, was born in Auburn, Ohio, where his early youth was spent.  His father's family can be traced back to the Pilgrim fathers, the present Whites being descendants of Peregrine White, whose parents were Mayflower passengers.  On the mother's side he descends from Cotton Mather, the famous New England preacher, who labored with great zeal to establish the ascendency of the church in civil affairs, and to put down witchcraft by legal sentences. He was a writer of many books-some 382, not reckoning his illustrations of the sacred scriptures-among which was Magnalia Christi Americana, a very quaint and curious book, full of learning and piety and not without prejudice.  He was a graduate of Harvard, and made D. D. and F. R. S. by the University of Glasgow. With all his faults, he was a man of excellence of character, and his great work in the interests of the poor, for mariners, slaves, criminals and Indians, was remarkable because philanthropy was far more rare in those days than at the present time.

H. B. White came to Iowa in 1856 with his parents, who settled at Garnaville, then the county seat of Clayton county. At the age of 14 he ran away to become a soldier, but was overhauled at Benton Bar-racks, not, however, until he had received a wound from the premature explosion of a new field piece, which kept him six weeks in the hospital. His business training has been a practical one since the day when he took the first job on his own account - cutting hoop poles, at the age of 11. Following a course in the public schools of McGregor, Iowa, and in the Upper Iowa university at Fayette, he clerked, worked on a farm and followed the painter's trade for some sixteen years During all those years, and in the ones that have since passed, he has devoted himself to study, and is now what may properly be termed a self-educated and self-made man. At present he holds the responsible position of grand recorder of the Ancient Order of United Workmen for the state of Iowa, and has much to do in the promotion of the insurance feature of that order. The plan of assessment in use by that organization, and which has proved such a meritorious feature, was formulated by him. He is the editor and manager of the Iowa Workman, a monthly paper devoted to the interests of the A. O. U. W. He is also prominent in the Masonic and Odd Fellows orders. In politics he is a sound money democrat. He was married in 1873 to Miss Matilda Luckenbill. They have four children, two girls and two boys. In religious belief they are Presbyterians.

WINNINGER. Joseph Urban, is one of the leading business men of the city of Waterloo, and has worked his way up to his present prominent position entirely by his own efforts, having worked at the trade of a tailor ever since he was 14 years old.

Both his father, John Winninger, and mother, Marie, were natives of Alsace.  J. U. Winninger was born May 25, 1863, near Muehlhausen, in the province of Alsace, France.  He attended the common schools until he was 14 years old, receiving the thorough discipline and instruction so characteristic of the educational system of that country. Living so near the boundary of France, the French and German languages were both taught in the schools which he attended. At 14 he left school, and was apprenticed to learn the trade of a tailor. This occupation he has followed ever since.

In the summer of 1882, when he was 19 years old he came to America, and, after spending two months in New York city, he came to Waterloo, in October. Upon his arrival in New York, he had only $6, but, with the little he earned in that city, and with the help of a friend in Waterloo who loaned him $15, he was enabled to reach his destination. He immediately secured work in Waterloo, and within two weeks he was square with the world and began to accumulate money for himself. After about four years spent in strict attention to business, he was able through thrift and economy to start in business for himself. He first located at Manchester, and, after two prosperous years there, went to San Jose, Cal., where he secured a position as cutter in a large tailoring establishment. He soon launched out for himself again, however; this time at Woodland, Cal. For six years he did a flourishing business, and in September, 1895, returned to Waterloo and opened a tailoring establishment of his own. He has increased the scope of his business from year to year until he now commands a very wide patronage.

Mr. Winninger has always been a republican in politics, having voted with that party ever since he became naturalized.  But he has never had time to take any active part in politics. He is a member of the Masonic and Knights of Pythias lodges.

Mr. Winninger was married January 5, 1891, to Louisa Ewald, at Waterloo. They have one daughter, Gladys, born in 1895, and Mr. Winninger has a daughter, Marguerite, aged 12, by a former marriage.

WRIGHT, David Sands, professor of mathematics in the State Normal school at Cedar Falls, has the honor of being the first person to conduct a recitation in that institution, and to his strong personal influence much of the growth and success of the school are attributed. He has now been connected with this school for over twenty years, and has been giving the best years of his life in furthering the cause of better and more thorough preparation for teachers, and is a firm believer in the mission of the Normal school. He was born December 7, 1847, at New Petersburg, Highland county, Ohio. His father was Joseph Wright, a prominent and able minister in the Friends church, and his mother was Lydia Cowgill. He was educated in the public schools of Highland county, Ohio, at New Vienna, Ohio, high school.  He also received private instruction under Dr. McKibben, an eminent scholar and mathematician at Hillsboro, Ohio; but on the whole, he has been largely self-educated. He received the honorary degree of A. M., from Penn college, Oskaloosa, Iowa, in 1887.

Professor Wright began teaching in the county schools of Highland county, Ohio, in 1866. He came to Iowa in 1872, locating at the town of Salem, where he was elected principal of Whittier college. In this capacity he served four years, and in 1876, when the State Normal school was opened, he was given the chair of English language and literature. In 1880 he was transferred to the chair of mathematics in the same institution, which position he still holds. The professor is widely known throughout educational circles in Iowa, in many capacities. He has conducted teachers' institutes in all parts of the state, and has been a lecturer on a great variety of subjects, the one best known being "The Coming Woman," which he has delivered many times. For the past twenty-two years he has been an active member of the State Teachers' association, and has frequently read papers before that body, and has served upon numerous important committees in the association. For three years he was a member of the executive committee, one year of which he acted as its chairman. He is now a member of the educational council of the state association.  He is an extensive contributor to educational magazines. Prominent among the articles from his pen may be mentioned the series of papers entitled "The Scroggs Family," "Frank Davis," "A. Jackson Smyth," and "The Jug Town Academy." He has also written and published a number of hand-books for teachers, which have had an extensive sale. The most important of these are "A Drill-book in English Grammar," "Teachers' Hand-book of Arithmetic," "Geometrical Exercises," and "A Geometry Note Book."

Professor Wright is a member of the Friends church, and is also a minister in the same. He was married June 24, 1880, to Miss Eliza Rawstern, of Greencastle, Jasper county, Iowa. They have four children,-a son and three daughters.

 

 

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