Iowa

Biographical Sketch of James E. Booge

James E. Booge, born in Pittsford, Vermont, established J.E. Booge & Co., pork packers, in Sioux City in 1858, officially commencing operations in 1869. The firm specializes in various pork products, serving both local and national markets, and operates with significant capital investment. In 1881, they constructed extensive brick and stone facilities, employing around 300 workers and boasting a robust production capacity. Under Booge’s management, the business remains well-equipped, with excellent transport connections to support its operations.

Biography of Reinhard E. Wobus, M.D.

Dr. Reinhard E. Wobus, born July 20, 1879, in Fort Madison, Iowa, is an accomplished surgeon specializing in surgery and obstetrics. He graduated from Washington University in 1905 and has continuously practiced in St. Louis, contributing to medical journals and serving on the faculty of Washington University Medical School. A veteran of the Medical Reserve Corps, he served during World War I in various capacities. In addition to his medical career, Dr. Wobus is active in civic organizations and is committed to lifelong learning. He resides in St. Louis with his wife and two children.

Biography of Charles Landon Martin

Charles Landon Martin, born on March 11, 1858, in Maquoketa, Iowa, began his career in the woodenware industry, eventually becoming vice president of the Crunden-Martin Manufacturing Company. After a decade at the Samuel Cupples Woodenware Company, he founded the Martin Woodenware Company in 1891. Married to Eleanor Camburn in 1886, Martin also served in World War I. A dedicated Republican and member of several clubs, he has significantly contributed to St. Louis’s industrial growth while maintaining a conservative business approach.

Biographical Sketch of H. B. Allen

H.B. Allen, born in 1835 in Clinton County, New York, moved to Illinois in 1855 and began farming. He served three years with the 95th Illinois Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, participating in the Vicksburg campaign and sustaining a war injury. After the war, he settled in Sac County, Iowa, and in 1874 moved to Wall Lake, where he founded a hardware and agricultural implements business. Appointed postmaster in 1881, he later formed a partnership with Mr. Jacobs in 1882, expanding their offerings.

Biographical Sketch of George Burgan

George Burgan, born in 1845 in Wayne County, Ohio, later moved to Muscatine, Iowa. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War, participating in key sieges like Vicksburg and Nashville. Discharged in 1865, he returned to Iowa, farming until 1874, when he transitioned to the grain industry. By 1881, he had established a successful grain business in Carroll County, managing a warehouse on First Street and shipping a notable one hundred cars of grain that year.

Biographical Sketch of W. H. Peck

W.H. Peck, born in Onondaga County, New York, in 1854, was a prominent dealer in lumber, coal, and lime. He received his education at the High School of Syracuse before relocating to Sac County, Iowa, in 1879. In the same year, he acquired the business from H.J. Simpson and established his office on Main Street, close to the depot, with assistance from F.M. Gregg. Peck’s entrepreneurial spirit played a significant role in the local economy.

Biographical Sketch of C. L. Sherwood

C.L. Sherwood, born in June 1817 in Delaware County, Ohio, moved to Clinton, Iowa in 1854 to pursue farming. In 1873, he settled in Sac County, acquiring and improving land in Clinton township, which remains in the family. Sherwood served as postmaster at Wall Lake and in Clinton township before the latter office was closed. Additionally, he became an agent for the Iowa Land Company in 1873, working alongside lumber dealer W.H. Peck, and was a staunch Republican in the area.

Biographical Sketch of N. Wright

N. Wright, born in Cedar County, Iowa in 1846, became a prominent figure in Wall Lake as the president of its only bank, established in 1882. After farming 320 acres in Sac County, he transitioned to banking, where he led a general banking operation. His establishment was supported by W.S. Bell, an experienced cashier in the banking field. Wright’s contributions significantly shaped the local financial landscape.

Biographical Sketch of J. Elliott

J. Elliott, who established the Eureka House in Wall Lake in February 1882, relocated from Ames, where he had lived for two decades. His hotel, situated at the intersection of Main and First streets, is noted for its quality furnishings and reputation as a first-class establishment.

Biographical Sketch of J. J. Jones

In January 1881, J.J. Jones and Sons, formerly of Chicago, transitioned from the livery business to grain dealing in Wall Lake, Iowa, after acquiring an elevator and business from G.W. Pitcher. Their grain elevator, boasting a capacity of ten thousand bushels, employed two workers. In their inaugural year, they shipped two hundred cars of grain, with J.J. Jones, Jr. overseeing operations from their office on 1st Street.

Biographical Sketch of E. L. Pierce

E. L. Pierce, born in Linn County, Iowa, in October 1850, was educated at Mt. Vernon College. He initially worked as a farmer until 1874, after which he moved to Cedar County to mill with Peet Bros for four years. In March 1878, he relocated to Wall Lake, where he established a hardware business, specializing in Fuller, Warren Co. stoves, and Glidden barbed wire. His entrepreneurial journey reflects a significant transition from agriculture to commerce in his community.

Biographical Sketch of C. F. Peck

C. F. Peck, born in 1845 in New London, Connecticut, relocated to Oneida, Illinois, at age thirteen, where he worked on a farm until the Civil War ended. After spending three years back in Illinois, he moved to Jefferson, Iowa, and worked as a carpenter until 1877. Peck transitioned to mercantile work and settled in Wall Lake in 1880, where he established a business offering a variety of goods, including clothing, boots, and shoes.

Biographical Sketch of Frank Chandler

Frank Chandler, born in September 1849 in Maquoketa, Iowa, began his career in the retail sector before relocating to Lyons in 1870. Initially an agent for the Northern and Diamond Joe packet lines, he later served as a bookkeeper for the Clinton Chair Company. Subsequently, he traveled for wholesale grocers S.G. McGill and H.C.C. Durand for five years before settling in Wall Lake, where he operated a business selling hats, boots, clothing, and groceries, employing two clerks.

Biographical Sketch of W. L. Ehlers

W. L. Ehlers, born in February 1866 in Oskaloosa, Iowa, began his academic journey at the State University in Iowa City at the age of six. In 1876, he took on the role of managing a poultry packing establishment for Beem, Turner & Co. After two years, he relocated to Wall Lake and began working for J.C. Fletcher, a general merchandise dealer, starting his career in this field in 1879. His early experiences laid a strong foundation for his later endeavors.

Biographical Sketch of E. M. Reynolds

E.M. Reynolds serves as the business manager for C. Hatfield, a well-established furniture and undertaking business founded in 1879. The enterprise offers a comprehensive selection of furniture and undertaker’s goods, alongside being the local agency for Whit, Wilson, and Victor sewing machines, as well as Mason Hamlin organs.

Biographical Sketch of C. E. Read

C.E. Read, born in Canada on December 20, 1826, moved to Toledo, Ohio, in 1856, where he initially worked in the drug business. After three years in Huron County, Michigan, he relocated to Sac City in 1865 to pursue contracting and building. In 1873, Read transitioned to the furniture and undertaking business, where he employed skilled craftsmen and offered a diverse selection of products.

Biographical Sketch of Thomas Alexander

Thomas Alexander, a farmer born in Coshocton County, Ohio, in 1827, relocated to Sac County, Iowa, in 1861. He acquired a 314-acre farm just north of Sac City, recognized as one of the county’s finest. His property features extensive improvements, a flourishing three-acre orchard, and fifty acres of valuable timber, showcasing his successful agricultural endeavors in his new home.

Biographical Sketch of John Kessler

John Kessler, a skilled wagon maker, settled in Sac City, Iowa, in 1872 after relocating from Kenosha, Wisconsin. He established his wagon and buggy manufacturing business in a shop located on the south side of the public square, where he also provides general repair services.

Biographical Sketch of N. B. Flack

N. B. Flack, born in New York in 1841, served in the 142nd New York Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War and was wounded at Fort Fisher. After being discharged in 1865, he engaged in milling in Missouri before returning to New York. Flack relocated to Sac County, Iowa, where he improved his land and became a book-keeper. Elected as the county recorder in 1874, he was subsequently re-elected multiple times, solidifying his role in local governance.