Progressive Men of Iowa
1899

COLE, Elmer J., M. D. Woodbine has the good fortune to have a physician of character and recognized high standing, who tries to treat his patients with both honesty and skill. Being, besides, a close student, he has earned a professional reputation exceeded by very few His father, John S. Cole, was a physician before him, and came to Iowa to engage in practice away back in 1855. He was one of the first physicians in western Iowa and practiced at a time when doctors rode horseback and carried saddle bags.  There were few bridges in those days. The creeks and rivers had to be forded.  There were no regularly laid out roads to guide the doctor to the far-off home of his patient, and many were the difficulties and hardships endured by the pioneers of the profession of medicine that are unknown at the present time. He died in 1881, when the subject of this sketch was 16 years of age. The mother's maiden name was Diana Werley. She is now residing in Woodbine. The venerable Mrs. Cole is known as a great church worker and it is due to her untiring and noble work that the city of Woodbine has one of the strongest church organizations in that part of the state. Hers is the kind of piety that is coupled with benevolence, and many there are to bless her for the bestowal of kindnesses of a material and hunger satisfying character.

Elmer J. Cole was born on a farm a quarter of a mile north of Woodbine, January 24, 1865. He attended the schools of Woodbine during his childhood days, and at the age of 18 entered the Agricultural college at Ames. He remained there for three years and during that time was a member of the Greek letter society called Delta Tau Delta; also the literary society known as the Philomathian. He left the school one year before the time of graduation for the purpose of taking a medical course in Rush Medical college, Chicago.  He graduated from Rush February 19, 1889, when but 24 years of age. Soon thereafter he opened an office in Woodbine in partnership with Dr. T. M. Edwards.  That relation was continued for three years when it was dissolved by mutual consent, Dr. Cole remaining in the practice. During the eight years that have passed since that time he has built up a substantial business and the same is constantly increasing in volume. The principle to which he has adhered and to which he accredits a great share of his success is honesty in his relation with the patient.  It may be said that the golden rule has rarely been more generally applied than in the case of Dr. Cole.

Politically he is a democrat and firmly of the opinion that gold and silver should be coined free. However, he has never gone into politics to any great extent. He has held the position of county coroner and received the largest majority known to the history of the county. He served a number of years as a member of the school board and at this time is a member of the city council and a director in the First National bank of Woodbine. He became a member of the Harrison county medical society at its organization and is now filling the position of president; is local examiner for nearly all of the leading life insurance companies and is prominent in the Knights of Pythias. He was married in June, 1891, to Miss Maude Allen. They have three children: Clement, born May 10, 1893; Bernice, born January 8, 1895; and Anita, born September 5, 1897.

DEUR, Clement Henry, of Missouri Valley, has lived in Iowa the greater part of his life, and is now a leading lumber merchant and grain dealer of Harrison county.  His father, Joseph Deur, was born in France February 22, 1830. He was a descendant of an old French family, his people coming from the vicinity of the fort of Belfort, near the Swiss frontier. His father died when young Joseph was less than a year old, and his mother ten years later. At this early age he had to begin earning his living. He secured work in a screw factory in the village of Moulvilliard, and by the time he was 20 he had saved enough, through strict economy, to bring him to America. He located at Syracuse, N. Y., in 1850, with only $7 in cash, but he had plenty of courage and ambition, and soon made his way. He was married in 1855 to Janette Mohatt, a native of New York, but of French parentage. In 1860 they came to Iowa and settled on a farm in Pottawattamie county, which was their home for twenty-five years. In 1885 they retired from the farm and moved to Missouri Valley, where they still reside.  Joseph Deur served during the civil war as a private in the Thirteenth Iowa infantry.

C. H. Deur was born October 18, 1856, in Onondaga county, N. Y., but when he was 4 years old removed to Iowa with his parents, coming by way of St. Louis and Omaha on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, the home they selected in Pottawattamie county being 200 miles from a railroad. The rudiments of his education were obtained by attendance at a little log schoolhouse five months in the year. He afterwards attended the Missouri Valley high school one term. He received much practical discipline on the farm, for he was trained to hard work at an early age, often hiring out to neighbors at 50 cents a day. In the spring of 1877, shortly before he became of age, his father secured him a position with L. M. Kellogg & Company, of Missouri Valley, dealers in lumber, coal, grain and lime. He began at a salary of $15 a month and board, which, within two years, was increased to $30. On May 1, 1880, his employer, Mr. Kellogg, gave him a half interest in the firm's business, and they have been associated together ever since. Mr. Deur now has principal charge of the business, and his excellent management is rewarded by a liberal patronage.  In addition to his lumber and grain business, he is interested in several other enterprises. He is a director of the First National bank; secretary and principal stock holder of the electric light company; a shareholder in the Missouri Valley Land company. He is an extensive owner of real estate, and is interested in fruit growing, having recently set out over forty acres of apple trees on one of his several farms. He is public spirited, and always loyal to his hometown. He has belonged to the volunteer fire department of the city since 1879.

Mr. Deur was a faithful member of the democratic party until the campaign of 1896, when he left its ranks on account of the silver platform adopted, and voted for William McKinley for president He has not been an office seeker, but served four years on the city council, and was a delegate to the state convention at Des Moines in 1896. He belongs to the Roman Catholic church.

Mr. Deur was married January 21, 1885, to Miss Fannie Kellogg, a daughter of his partner. Four children have been born to them: Lorenzo Joseph, born December 22, 1886; Joanna Janette, born April 13, 1891; Mary Josephine, born December 6, 1893, and Clementine, born March 10, 1896. All are living except Joanna, who died August 17, 1893.

James S. Dewell received his early education in the common schools of Cedar county, then entered the State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts at Ames, completing the regular scientific course in November, 1881, after which he graduated from the law department of the Iowa State university. He had received no special business or professional training prior to entering college, and his first earnings were received as a farm hand. He has spent his entire life within the confines of the state, the greater part of his time since reaching man's estate, at Missouri Valley.  He located there immediately upon completing his law course, and formed a partnership with John S. McGavren, who retired in 1890 to accept the position of cashier of the First National bank. Mr.  Dewell conducted the business alone until July, 1896, at which time he took in R. S. Garrison, the firm being styled Dewell & Garrison, still existing. Mr. Dewell served for a time as county attorney, but his practice being much more remunerative than the official position, he gave up the office and devoted himself to the former.  He has always been a republican, served four years as county chairman of his county, and has been a delegate to the state conventions for the past ten years, with few exceptions. He was a candidate for district judge in 1892, but suffered defeat with the rest of his ticket by reason of fusion of the democratic with the populist party. In 1897 he was nominated for state senator from the Harrison-Monona-Crawford district, but as the fusion majority in the district was 1,600, he was not elected, though he greatly reduced the adverse majority, running about 500 votes ahead of his ticket in his own county. In 1898 he was elected to represent the Ninth congressional district on the republican state central committee. He is a member of the Masonic, Modern Woodmen and Knights of Pythias orders. He was married in October, 1893, to Miss Emma P. Joy, of Portage, Wis., who for several years had taught school at Missouri Valley and other places in Iowa.

Politically Mr. McGavren has always been a democrat. He is a prominent member of the Odd Fellows, Iowa Legion of Honor, Modern Woodmen, Woodmen of the World, and the Maccabees. He has been twice married; the first time to Elmira Henry, a native of Ohio. She died April 20, 1874, leaving one child, Elizabeth, now the wife of R. L. Linsley, of Missouri Valley. On January 27, 1876, he was married to Cynthia Deweese. She died October 31, 1889. By this marriage there were seven children, only two of whom are now living.  Lawrence died at the age of 19 years, Lucille at 7 years of age, Hugh at 9 months of age, and the twins died in infancy. Lottie and Bruce are now living.

WOOD, Irving Charles, physician of Logan, is a gentleman of high attainments in his profession, earned by a life of energetic study and close application. His stability and energy is primarily an inheritance from Welsh-Irish and English stock, which, supplemented by a natural ability of his own, has placed him in the front rank of his profession. His father, Rufus S. Wood, a retired farmer in moderate circumstances, is, on his father's side, of Irish descent, and on his mother's, of Welsh-some of her ancestors coming to Boston in 1692. Rufus S. Wood's grandfather was a graduate of Yale and served as a surgeon in the war of the revolution. Doctor Wood's ancestors on his mother's side were of English descent His mother's maiden name was Susan M. Mann.

Doctor Wood was born in Franklin, N. Y., March 9, 1857. He attended the high school until he was 13 years of age, and then entered the Delaware Literary institute, where his progress was so rapid that at the age of 14 he was able to pass the regent's examination, which admitted him to any college in the state. He graduated in civil engineering from the above named institution in 1875. Following his graduation he taught three terms of school and then began the study of medicine. He first entered the medical department of the University of the City of New York, and afterwards became a student in the Jefferson Medical college in Philadelphia, from which he received the degree of M. D., in 1880. He was secretary of the graduating class. He remained in Philadelphia one year after his graduation, adding to his store of medical knowledge and further fitting himself for his work by taking special courses in gynecology, ophthalmology and operative surgery. He was also assistant surgeon in the medical and surgical department of the Pennsylvania hospital.

In the spring of 1881 he sought a new field for practice and chose the west, coming to Woodbine, Iowa, arriving with a cash capital of $36. He spent two years at this place, and then removed in 1883 to Logan, where he still resides. He has a large practice and occupies many positions of trust. In 1884 he was chosen one of the commissioners of insanity, a place which he still holds. He is and has been since 1886, company surgeon for the Chicago & North-Western railway, and is medical examiner for over thirty life insurance companies.

Doctor Wood has applied himself closely to the practice of his profession, and has built up one of the largest practices of western Iowa. In connection with his practice he also owns one-half interest in the largest drug store in Logan. He is a firm believer in the value of real estate as a safe and remunerative investment, and owns several well improved farms, these being purchased with the proceeds received from his practice. His residence in Logan is one of the most modern and well appointed in Harrison county.

Doctor Wood is the present mayor of Logan, being elected to that office in 1897 and 1898 on the citizens' ticket, and received two-thirds of all the votes cast. He is a member of the Iowa State Medical society, Iowa Association of Railway surgeons and Pan-American congress. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America. Knights Templar and is a noble of the Mystic Shrine. In religious belief he is liberal in his views, and is not a member of any church organization. Doctor Wood was married May 12, 1886, to Miss Florence Bolter, only daughter of Senator L. R. Bolter, a sketch of whose life appears elsewhere in this work. They have no children.

The information on Trails to the Past © Copyright    may be used in personal family history research, with source citation. The pages in entirety may not be duplicated for publication in any fashion without the permission of the owner. Commercial use of any material on this site is not permitted.  Please respect the wishes of those who have contributed their time and efforts to make this free site possible.~Thank you!