DAVID EDWARDS, carpenter and contractor, Epworth;
born in Pennsylvania Feb. 24, 1823; came to
Dubuque Co. in 1854; since the age of 18 he has been a carpenter, and
for much of the time has carried on
house-building on quite an extensive scale; he was the contractor for
the
Epworth Seminary building, and
also for the M.E. Church building in Epworth. For the last
fifteen years he has been adding bee-keeping to
his other industries, and is now quite extensively engaged in this
business. He is a member of the M.E.
Church and of the Republican party. Mr. E. was married, in 1845,
to Miss Sarah Moore, of Pennsylvania;
they have two children- James A. and Mary J. pg.932
HON. MICHAEL EHL, Sec. 12; P.O. Sherrill's Mount; he
was born Sept. 14, 1832 in Prussia; in 1852 he came to Buffalo, N.Y.;
in 1854 to Michigan, and in the fall returned to New York; in 1855, he
went to Indiana and traveled, on account of poor health, through
Michigan and Canada, and in the fall returned to Buffalo; In
1857, he went to Detroit, and was there employed as a clerk in a store;
Jan. 6, 1858 he came to Dubuque Co,. where he has since lived; he
owns sixty acres of land. He has been Township Clerk, County Superintendent,
Justice of the Peace, Treasurer and Secretary of the School Board, and
is now a member of the Legislature, having been elected in
1879; he is also President of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company.
He married Miss Anna Blasiar, in Detroit, in 1857 she was
born in France; had seven children, six living- Caroline, Mary
L., John G., Katie, Anna P., and Gustav I.; lost one in infancy.
Catholic; Democrat. pg.948
JOSEPH ENDRES, farmer, Sec. 29; P.O. Lattnerville;
born in Bavaria, Germany, April 17, 1818; emigrated to America in 1853;
stopped two years in New York, coming to Dubuque Co., Iowa in 1855,
and has since then been a resident in Center Township; worked at the carpenter
trade for four years after coming, but has since that been engaged in farming;
his farm comprises eighty acres. In religion, he is Catholic; in
politics, a Democrat. He was married June 28, 1853 to Josephine
Sigel, also of Bavaria; they have two children-Mary Josephine (now
Mr. Lattner), of Cascade, and Oscar. pg.962
PETER ERSCHENS, farmer, stock-raiser and stock-dealer,
hotel-keeper,etc., Centralia; born in Rhine, Prussia, March 26, 1833; came
to America in 1852, living for the next three years in Wisconsin and Illinois,
coming to Dubuque Co., Iowa, in the spring of 1855; his first two
years in Dubuque were employed in brick manufacturing; since then he has
gradaully worked into the various occupations that now engross his time;
he is entitled to much credit for untiring exertion, which has placed him
in his present comfortable situation; he came to the country a poor man;
has been very industrious and economical, and has comfortable possessions
as a reward of his efforts; has 550 acres of land in Center and Vernon
Townships, besides his large and comfortable home and hotel, known as the
Ten Mile House, in Centralia, etc. Religion, Catholic; politics, Democratic;
has held township offices, and has done very much to aid the church and
social affairs of his community. On the 17th of February, 1857, he
married Miss Susan Hoven, also a native of Prussia; they have five
children living-Phillip, Katie,Lena, Peter and Teresia; three deceased-Matthew
and two who died in infancy. pg.962
FRED ERTEL, farmer, Sec. 5; P.O. Waupeton; born
Nov. 12, 1840, in Bavaria; in 1850, he came to St. Charles,
Mo., in 1852, he came to Dubuque Co,; he owns eighty acres
of land. He has been Constable, Assessor, School Director, etc.;
he is now Township Treasurer. Married Ernstina Spead in 1866;
she was born in Dubuque Co.; They have seven children- Kate,
Lena, Dora, George, Fred, Paulina and Louisa. Lutheran
Democrat. pg.948
PETER EULBERG, of the firm of Wm. Meuser & Co., brewers
and maltsters, Couler avenue, Dubuque; was born in Nassau,
Germany, Oct. 15, 1845;he came with his parents to America in 1854; they
came West and settled in Wisconsin and he grew up to manhood there; he
came to Dubuque in 1871, and in January, 1877, he became a partner with
Mr. Wm. Meuser in the brewing business. He married Miss Mary Schwind,
daughter of Jacob Schwind, of this city, May 27, 1872; they have
three children- Mary A., Laura, Bertha. pg.786
BENJAMIN B. EVANS, farmer, Sec. 35; P.O. Sageville Mount;
born Jan. 18, 1812 in Oneida Co., N.Y.; in 1834, he came to Galena and
thence to Quincy, Ill,; in 1836, he came to Jackson Co., Iowa; in 1839,
he removed to Dubuque Co., where he has since lived; he owns 110 acres
of land. Married Mary Norton in 1841; she was born in Ireland
in 1824, died Dec. 1, 1860; have five children- Anna, Mary, Patrick H.,
John and Michael; lost Daniel and Benjamin, aged respectively 13 years
and 4 years. pg.973
JOHN T. EVERETT, County Surveyor, Dubuque; is
a native of Hartford, Conn., and was born Feb. 2, 1826; he came West to
Iowa, and arrived in Dubuque Dec. 9, 1837; when 17 years of age he
engaged in surveying. During the Mexican war, he volunteered in 3d
I.V.I., Co. E, and was in the battle of Buena Vista, "Cerro Gordo", and
"Molino Del Rey;" was wounded during the war; was in the service two years,
then returned to Dubuque and engaged in surveying Congress lands; he was
Surveyor of Grant Co., Wis., six years, and has held the office of County
Surveyor of Dubuque Co. for twelve years; he is one of the oldest surveyors
in the State, and is one of the early settlers of this county. He
married Miss Martha J. Stipp, a native of Ohio, Feb. 22, 1850;
they have one daughter- Martha M., now Mrs. A.R. Brewster; they
have lost one daughter. pg.786
A. FAIRBURN, farmer, Sec. 24; P.O. Cascade; born
in Scotland Jan. 26, 1824; came to Dubuque Co. in 1860; has a farm of 185
acres, grandly adapted to stock-raising, to which branch of industry, more
particularly sheep-raising. Mr. Fairburn is giving much attention;
inclination makes this a favorite branch with him, his ancestry in Scotland
having, for a long time, been shepherds; his prudence and intelligently
directed energy have given him success in all his undertakings. Religion,
Baptist; politics, Republican. He was married, June 30, 1848, to
Miss Jennet Aitchison, also a native of Scotland; they have
five children living- George, married, lives in Fonda, Pocahontas Co.;
Agnes, now Mrs. Bell, of Monticello; Isabella, now Mrs. Parker,
of Alta, Buena Vista Co.; William A. and Jennie; two children died in infancy.
pg.911
MRS. MARGARET FANNING, whose maiden name
was Margaret McEvoy; is a native of Ireland, and was born
at Inniskillen, County Fermanagh, in 1813; she came to St. Louis, Mo.,
in 1834, when that place contained only 11,000 people; while living there
in 1841, she married Patrick Fanning; he was born in Queens Co., Ireland,
in 1814; they came to Dubuque March 29, 1852; he was a stone cutter
by trade, and had a large stone-yard, and was engaged in contracting and
building and carried on a large business until his death, which occurred
in 1865; they have five children- James H., living in Denver: George lives
in Topeka, Kan.; William lives in Dubuque; Mary, engaged in teaching school;
Margaret, now Mrs. DeLisle, living in Grand Rapids, Mich.
They have lost four children- William, Michael, John and Mary Jane; Mrs.
Fanning lives on the home place on Grand View avenue.
pg.786
F.A. FARLEY, Farley; is a native of Dubuque Co.,
Iowa, and is a son of J.P. Farley, one of the oldest and
most honored citizen of Dubuque Co.; he was born in Dubuque March 25,
1842; he grew up and attended
school there, and completed his education at Cornell College; when
18 years of age, he began railroading
under his father's supervision, and he has been engaged in railroading
for the past eighteen years. In June 1863, he was united in marriage
to Miss Emma Kimber, from the city of Philadelphia; they have three
children- Jessie May, Frank A., Edwin. pg.932-935
J.P. FARLEY, is a native of Tennessee, and was
born April 2, 1813, and in 1817 his parents removed to St. Louis,
which was then a small French town, and did not contain a single brick
house; the first steamboat landed at St. Louis during that year; when only
14 years of age, Mr. Farley came to Galena and landed there in April 1827,
and began working in the mines; after two years, he went in partnership
with his brother-in-law, and engaged in smelting; in the fall of 1832,
he came, with others over to Dubuque, but did not remain; in the spring
of 1833, he opened a stock of goods in Galena, and in the month of May,
that same year, he came to Dubuque and made a contract for building a house,
and also a store, and in the following September he opened a stock of goods
here; in 1837 he moved his family here; he continued in mercantile business
from 1833 to 1858, a period of a quarter of a century; since then, he has
been connected with railroading, and has been extensively engaged in building
railroads. Mr. Farley has always been an enterprising business man,
and actively identified with the interests and growth of the city; he is
largely interested and principal owner of the Key City Planing Mills, and
also of the Key City Steam Bakery; Mr. Farley has been three times elected
Mayor of the city of Dubuque, and held that office for three years; he
has also served in the City Council. In 1833, Mr. Farley was united
in marriage to Miss Mary P. Johnson, from the city of Baltimore;
she died in 1844, leaving four sons-Charles W., John P., George W., and
Francis A. In 1845, Mr. Farley married Miss Mary L. Johnson,
from Danville, Ky.; they have five sons- Harry G., Edwin B., Jessse K.,
Fred H. and Warren C. pg.786-787
JOHN P. FARLEY, agent of the Keokuk Northern Line Packet
Company, No. 2 Levee, Dubuque; is a son of Jesse P. Farley, one of the
earliest settlers and most honored citizens of Dubuque; he was born in
Galena, Ill., Nov. 2, 1836; his parents came here when he was only a few
months old, he grew up to manhood here and attended school here and
at Mt. Morris, Ill., and Mt. Vernon, Iowa; he has been engaged in steamboating
since 1862; he has held the position of agent of the Keokuk Northern Line
Packet Company since 1869, and is one of the oldest steamboat agents on
the river. He was united in marriage, July 18, 1861, to Miss Bertha
Markle, a native of Dubuque, and daughter of J.W. Markle, one of the
early settlers; they have two children- Glenn M. and Carl T.
pg. 787
MRS. H.R. FARR, manufacturer and dealer in all kinds
of human hair goods, ladies' furs made and repaired, Ninth street, opposite
post office; established her present business in Dubuque, December, 1878;
she has a large stock of hair and manufactures wigs, waves, curls, masquerade
wigs, and does all kinds of hair work; she does the leading and largest
business of the kind in the city, and is building up a large trade; she
buys her goods in New York, and has a large stock of all kinds of hair,
and is enabled to suit the most fastidious at reasonable prices.
pg. 787
NOAH H. FAUST, dealer in pumps and lightning rods, corner
White and Tenth streets, Dubuque; is a native of Pennsylvania, and
was born Sept. 1, 1846; his parents came to Iowa during the same
year, and in the following spring of 1847, they came to Dubuque;
he grew up to manhood here, and learned the trade of wood turner.
He engaged in his present business in 1866, and has built up a good trade.
He married Miss Minnie Miller, a native of New York City,
Oct. 25, 1869; they have four children- Charles, William, Minnie, and an
infant daughter not named. pg. 787
WILLIAM M. FAUST, of the firm of Faust & O'Connell,
dealers in groceries and provisions, cor. Clay and Ninth streets;
is a native of Centre Co., Penn., and was born May 29, 1843; his
parents came to Iowa in October, 1852; they lived in Delaware Co. two years,
then came to Dubuque Co., in 1854, and he grew up to manhood here; after
the war broke out, he enlisted in the 6th I.V.C., Co. G., under Col.
Pollock; he remained in the service over three years; after he returned,
was engaged in the lightning rod business for nine years, and engaged in
his present business in July, 1875; he was elected to the office of County
Supervisor in October, 1879. In 1868, he married Miss Mary A.
Keating, from this city; they have one daughter- Ida May, and have
lost one son-William N.
PETER FAY, insurance agent and Chief Engineer
of the Fire Department, No. 1477 White street; is a native of Germany,
and was born in the Rhine province of Coblentz in 1835; his parents came
to the United States in 1837; they came to Wisconsin in 1840; he grew up
there, and attended school in Milwaukee; in 1850, he came to Dubuque;
he learned his trade of Rouse & Dean, and worked for them until 1858;
he had charge of the machinery of the Dubuque Elevator eleven years, and
was the inspector for three years on the C.D. & M.R.R.; he is Chief
Engineer of the Fire Department, and has held the office of City Alderman.
He is a member of Pius Society. In 1859, he married Miss Mary Pfiffner,
a native of Switzerland; they have six children-Anthony, Albert, Frances,
Charles, Alois, Mary.
GEORGE FENGLER, proprietors of the Eagle Point Lime Works,
residence 377 Lake street, Dubuque; was born in Prussia, Germany, April
9, 1842; his parents emigrated to the United States in 1849, and, in 1850,
they came to Iowa, and settled in Dubuque; he grew up to manhood
here. During the war, he enlisted in the Co. A., 21st I.V.I. he was wounded
at the battle of Jackson, Miss., and in the siege of Vicksburg; he
was in nine battles; served three years, and returned to Dubuque. He established
his lime works in 1874, he runs three patent kilns, manufactures lime of
a superior quality, and ships as far West as Sioux City; makes and ships
more lime than any one in Dubuque. In August, 1861, married Miss Alice
Curtis, a native of Bellevue, Jackson Co., Iowa; they have nine children-
Melvina, Richard, Edwin, Olive, Hattie, George, Alice, Oscar and Octavio.
Mr. F. belongs to the I.O.O.F. and German Benevolent Association.
pg.787-788
MICHAEL FERRING, Sec 9, general merchandise; P.O. Tivoli;
he was born Nov. 30, 1844, in Prussia; in 1856 he came to Dubuque Co.,
where he engaged in farming until 1867, when he removed to his present
locality and opened a general store, which he still carried on; he also
owns about sixty acres of land, with his store and other buildings; he
is Treasurer of the School Board of the independent district. Married
Miss Eva Bracht Oct. 27, 1867; she was born in Prussia; they have
six children- Maggie, Nicholas, Christopher, William, Frank and John P.
Catholic. pg.953
PETER FERRING, Sheriff of Dubuque Co., Dubuque;
is a native of Prussia, and was born June 29, 1836. He emigrated to America
in 1850, and came to Galena the same year; in 1851, he came to Dubuque.
After reaching manhood, he engaged in mercantile business,
and carried that on about eleven years; then engaged in brewing business,
and is still interested in that business. He was elected Sheriff
of the county in 1875, and was re-elected in 1877, and again re-elected
in 1879. He has held town and school offices for a number of years. He
married Miss Ellen Brommenschenkle, a native of Prussia, Jan. 28,
1860; they have had seven children; only three survive-Mary,
Peter, Frankie. pg.788
DR. JOHN W. FINLEY, deceased physician and surgeon; was
a native of North Carolina, and was born in 1807; when 12 years of age,
his parents removed to Louisiana, Mo.; he grew up and attended school there,
and, then entered the Jacksonville College, at Jacksonville. After
completing his literary studies, he commenced reading medicine in Missouri,
and continued two years, and then went to Cincinnati where he continued
his medical studies under Dr. Gross for two years longer; after graduating,
he came to Iowa and located in Dubuque, and engaged in the practice of
medicine. In June, 1844, he was united in marriage to Miss Helen Coriell,
a native of Elizabeth, N.J.; she came to Dubuque with her mother in 1839.
Dr. Finley was devotedly attached to his profession, and practiced medicine
until within a few years of his death, which occurred Aug. 3, 1877. During
the war he was appointed Surgeon of the 37th I.V.I. Mrs. Finley still
resides in the city, and her large residence and grounds occupy one of
the finest locations in Dubuque. pg.788
JOHN P. FISCHBACH, proprietor Commercial Hotel,
Dyersville; born Aug. 7, 1849, in Luxemburg; in 1868, he came to
America; two years later came to Dyersville and kept the Pennsylvania Hotel;
remained in this house till 1875; he then removed to the Commercial Hotel,
which house he built and owns. He has been Alderman two term.
Married Maggie Feier Sept. 11, 1871, in Dubuque; she
was born in Luxemburg; have four children- John A., H.T., Maggie and Lillie.
pg.943
JOHN FISCHER, farmer, Sec. 4,; P.O. Rickardsville;
born Dec. 18,1802. in Bavaria, Germany; in 1834, he came to Missouri; in
1836, he came to Dubuque Co., where he has since lived; he is one of the
oldest settlers of the county; he owns 120 acres of land. He married
Miss Susan Loubster in 1830; she was born in 1806 in Bavaria, Germany;
they had six children, three living-Elizabeth, John and Lewis.
pg.962
LOUIS FISCHER, deceased; was born in Byrne,
Germany, in 1837; he grew up to manhood there,and came to America in 1856,
and came to Dubuque the same year. When the war broke out, he was a member
of the Jackson Guards. He enlisted and went with that company in the 1st
I.V.I., and was in the battle of Wilson Creek. After he returned from the
army in 1862, he married Miss Caroline Rhomberg, a native of Austria;
she came here in 1855. In 1862, he engaged in the ice business and was
senior member of the firm of Fischer, Wheeler & Co., and carried on
a large and successful business until his death, which occurred Nov. 13,
1875. He left five children- Emma C., Louis A., Julia, Frank and
Bertha. Mrs. Fischer resides at No. 1051 Clay street, and still retains
an interest in the business of the firm of Fischer, Wheeler & Co.
pg.788
CORNELIUS FITZPATRICK, farmer, Sec. 6; P.O. Farley;
born in Auglaize Co., Ohio, March 29, 1848; came to Dubuque with his parents,
Edward and Clarissa Fitzpatrick, in 1860. His father died in 1876,
aged 79; his mother lives in Farley. Mr. Fitzpatrick has constantly
pursued the vocation of farming, except three years employed in Farley
as dealer in farm machinery, grain, stock, etc. Religion, Catholic;
politics, Democrat. He was married Oct. 25, 1876, to Miss Mary
A. Turner, the daughter of James and Susan G. Turner, of Iowa Township;
they have one child living, George Alfred; a daughter, Louisa, died in
infancy. pg.921
JOHN R. FLICK, foreman of the lumber-yard of the Knapp
Stout Lumber Co., of Dubuque; is a native of Pittsburgh, Penn., and was
born Aug. 14, 1854; his parents came to Dubuque in 1855; he grew up and
attended school here and learned the trade of carpenter and joiner; in
1870, when only 16 years of age, he had charge of a gang of hands on the
C.,C.,D & M.R.R.; he was engaged in contracting and building for six
years; he has occupied his present position as forman since May, 1879.
He married Miss Julia Stoltz, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., Aug.
14, 1876;they have two sons-Albert and Edward.
pg.788
JOHN H. FLOYD, farmer, Sec. 20; P.O. Pin Oak; the
subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, was born March
4, 1800, in Nelson Co., Ky.; at the age of 14, he came to Gallatin Co.,
Ill.; he remained there till 1828, when he removed to Wisconsin; in 1833,
he came to Dubuque Co., and has since resided here; he is one of the wealthiest
and earliest settlers in the county; he owns in his immediate neighborhood
about 600 acres of land, all of which he entered; soon after coming here,
he received the appointment of Postmaster, and has held this office about
forty years; he named the post office Pin Oak, from the character of the
trees grown here; as his house is situated about twenty miles from Dubuque,
it seemed the most convenient place for travelers to stop, and he was forced
to keep a public house; this house has been known as the Western Hotel;
there is a sign fastened to a tree which reads Western Hotel, and was presented
to Mr. Floyd in 1848 by his friend, Mr. McCraney, it laid about his house
a year or two, when Samuel Peck, now of Clayton Co., proposed fastening
it to a tree, which he did, and where it has remained since; the oldest
cabin in the county was located on his land, and is even now in a good
state of preservation; this cabin he first occupied when coming here; he
lived in it one winter without doors, there being none in the house, and
no timber to make any with; he afterward bought some plank to make doors,
but used it in making a coffin for a noted horsethief and robber, named
Kentuck Anderson, who was shot by Mr. Sherrill, and whom he assisted in
burying; Mr. Floyd assisted in getting out the logs to build the Old Bell
Tavern at Dubuque; it was located near where the Julien House now stands;
it was built in 1833; there was a tree used as a post office and known
as the White Oak Post Office, situated in Jefferson Township, and near
where T. Alderson's store now stands; a large, square hole was morticed
in this tree, where all mail matter was received and delivered; J.W. Griffith
performed the duty of mail carrier, and made weekly trips; this office
was started in about 1837 or 1837. Mr. Floyd was married to Miss
Sarah
Wathen Dec. 30, 1835; she was born in Nelson Co., Ky., Jan. 28,1811;
they had five children, two living-Sarah J., now Mrs. A.C.Tucker
and Fannie E., now Mrs. L.E. Tucker.
Since the above was put in type, Mrs. A.C.Tucker has met
her death by the accidental discharge of a gun in the hands of a servant
while house-cleaning. The hammer of the lock came in contact with
the door, causing premature discharge, the contents entering the heart
of Mrs. Tucker. This sad affair happened on Friday afternoon, April
16, 1880. pg.957
SAMUEL FLOYD, farmer, Sec. 34; P.O. Sageville; born Dec.
7, 1803, in York Co., Penn.; in 1826, he came to Rochester, N.Y.; in 1838,
to Cincinnati; in 1840 to Key; in 1844, he came to Dubuque Co., he
manages his daughter's farm- Mrs. Thompson; he also owns eight acres, with
his residence; he married Mrs. Challes in 1838; she was born in
Lancaster Co., Penn.; her parents removed to Baltimore when she was a girl;
they have one son; she has two children by a former marriage- Henrietta,
now Mrs. Thompson, and John F. pg.973
CHARLES FOCKLER & BRO., manufacturers of the Key
City Carriage Tops, No. 42, 44 and 46 Main st., Dubuque; are natives of
the State of Pennsylvania; they came to Dubuque in 1860; Chas. Fockler,
the senior member of the firm invented the adjustable buggy tops in 1876,
and the following year established the business; the business increasing,
his brother and present partner became associated with him- he has studied
law, and graduated from the Law Department of the University of Michigan
in 1870, and practiced law in this city until he became interested in the
business with his brother. They were the first to manufacture the
adjustable buggy top in this country; and from the small beginning they
have rapidly extended their business, have distanced all competitors and
are the largest manufacturers of their goods in this country; they occupy
three stores of three stories each and are now crowded for want of
room. The timber used in their business is selected and bought
in Indiana, and consists of the second growth of ash; they cut it up with
their own machinery there. They have a steam room where the bows
are bent and a drying-room; shops where the ironwork is made; enameling-room,
paint-rooms and trimming-rooms; they employ about fifty to seventy-five
hands an are unable to fill their orders, being largely ordered ahead;
they ship their goods, the adjustable buggy top and the carriage extension
tops, to every State in the Union, and have a large trade on the Pacific
Coast, and their trade is constantly increasing. They have one of
the largest and most important industries in the city. Charles has
charge of the manufacturing department, and his brother, L. Fockler, has
charge of the office and finances of the firm.
pg. 788 & 791
JOSEPH FOGG, carpenter, Epworth; born in Waldo Co., Me.,
Jan. 16, 1824; farmed with his father at home until 21 years of age; since
that time his occupation has been that of a carpenter; he came to Dubuque
Co. in 1866, and has resided in Epworth since that time; besides his nicely
located residence, carpenter shop, etc., here, he has a good mill, run
by steam power, in which, while it is specially fitted up as a feed-mill,
other industries may be carried on; cheese boxes were for a time extensively
manufactured there. Mr. F. is connected with the M.E. Church and
with the Republican party; has been School Treasurer and Township Trustee,
and is universally respected as a man of sterling worth and honesty by
all who know him. He has been married twice; first in 1847,
to Miss Amelia Randall-died in 1858-a native of Freedom, Me.; second,
in 1861, to Miss Mary M. French, also of Maine, his present wife;
her sister, a teacher of superior abilities, now employed in Epworth Seminary,
and mother also resides with them; there are three children-Edward P.,
married, and, with his wife, teaching in Albia, Iowa, and two daughters-Laura
H. and Amelia Randall-both educated at one of the best institutions in
the West-Mount Union College, Ohio. pg.935
JOHN FOSSELMAN,dealer in groceries and provisions, corner
Couler avenue and Sanford st.,, Dubuque; and was born in Bavaria, Germany,
Nov. 23, 1826; he came to the United States in 1854 and came the same year
to Dubuque; he engaged in the grocery business in 1859, and has carried
on the business since then. In, 1849 he married Miss Susanna
Greibner, a native of Bavaria. They have five children-Kathrina, Sibvilla,
Frank, Charlie and Mary. pg. 791
G.R. FOSTER, with Ingraham, Kennedy & Day, manufacturers
and dealers of lumber, Dubuque; is a native of St. Lawrence Co., N.Y.,
and was born in 1822; he came to Iowa and located in Dubuque, in the fall
of 1848, and entered the store of _ D. Randall & Co.;
he has lived here thirty-two years, except three years spent in St. Louis;
he is connected with all Masonic bodies, and also a member of the Odd Fellows;
he is Secretary of the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, and has held official
position in all State Grand bodies of Masons. In 1852 , he
was united in marriage to Miss Sabra M. Gassett, a native of Massachusetts;
they have two children- LeRoy D. and Charles W.
pg. 791
JOHN W. FOSTER, farmer, Sec. 15; P.O.Epworth; born
in Maine Feb. 6, 1830; removed to Massachusetts in 1850, and from there
to Dubuque Co. in 1854; has a beautiful farm in good cultivation, consisting
of 120 acres of timber land in Iowa Township. He is a member of the
Presbyterian Church and of the Republican party; has held school and township
offices, and gains an enviable name for integrity and business capacity.
Having located here when their finances were a minus quantity, Mr. Foster
and his good wife deserve infinite credit for achieving success in the
face of difficulties. The first five years here were spent upon a
rented farm, but wisely directed industry has made for them a comfortable
home, within easy reach of superior social, educational and religious privileges.
His wife, nee Miss Eunice Houghton, of Massachusetts, to whom he
was married in 1852, has been a worthy helpmeet in all the years since;
their only child- Charles Henry- is a bright, active youth, with every
promise of a noble manhood. pg.935
H.B. FOUKE, attorney at law,of the firm of corner
Fifth and Main streets; is a native of Virginia; he came to Illinois in
1854; he studied law with Hon. J.K. Edsall, Attorney General of Illinois,
and was admitted to the bar in 1860; he came to Dubuque in 1866, and since
then he has practiced his profession here; he holds the office of District
Attorney for the Ninth Judicial District, and is one of the leading members
of the bar; he is prominently connected with the Order of United
Workmen, and has held the position of Grand Master of the State in that
Order. In 1864, Mr. Fouke was united in marriage to Miss Amelia Schuler,
of Dixon, Lee Co., Ill.; they have had two children, only one of
whom survives, a daughter-Katie S. pg. 791
JAMES N. FOYE, contractor, No. 143 Almond street, Dubuque;
is a native of New Hampshire, and was born in Rye, Rockingham Co., April
27, 1833; he grew up to manhood there;in 1852, he came West to Illinois,
and, in June, 1857, he came to Dubuque, and engaged in moving buildings.
During the war, he enlisted and served in the 48th I.V.I., and afterward
served in the 5th I.V.C.; he returned to Dubuque, and since then has engaged
in general contracting. In 1855, while living in Illinois, Mr. Foyer
was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Darker, a native
of England; they have two sons- James E. and Charles P.
pg. 791
WILLIAM H. FRANCES, M.D. Cascade; was born in County
Armagh, Ireland, on the 19th of November, 1824; at 16, he began the study
of medicine at Tanderagee; at 18, he took one course of lectured in the
medical department of Trinity College, Dublin, and, in his 21st year, spent
a term in Kings college, London. In 1847, he located in New York,
and in April 1848, was married to Miss Ann J. Manhaa, who died in
1852; by this union he had three children, all of whom are dead.
After spending a short time in Detroit and Chicago, he in 1856 settled
in Des Moines, and opened the first drug store on the east side of the
river; this did not prove a paying investment during the revulsion
of 1857. He was, for some time, connected with the Missouri Medical
College; his American diploma is from this college. In 1861, he came
to Dubuque Co.; spent one year in Dyersville, then settled in Cascade,
started a drug and general merchandise store, and continued his practice;
in 1876, he sold his business and gave up his practice in order to devote
his energies in the interest of the Chicago, Bellevue, Cascade & Western
Railroad; the initial organization of the old company was in August, 1877,
at which Dr. Frances was present; he has been a Director from the first,
and was Secretary until the transfer, in May, 1879, to the company now
construction the road; the Doctor has had an unconquerable faith in the
success of this enterprise which has truly "come through great tribulation;"
he resumed his practice after the above transfer. His second wife
is Miss Sarah V. Walters, of Baltimore, to whom he was married at
St. Louis in 1861. He has a homestead, a business block and twenty
lots in Cascade. He was raised an (SORRY THIS IS
ALL I HAVE) pg.911
FRED H. FRANKE, gardener and greenhouse, West Eagle Point
avenue; was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, Aug. 23, 1835; he came to this
country in 1851, and came to Dubuque in 1854, and has lived here twenty-six
years; he engaged in gardening and the flower business in 1873, and has
continued it since then, and is building up a good trade. He belongs to
Key City Lodge, I.O.O.F., and to Iowa Lodge, A.O.U.W., and
to the German Benevolent Society and to the I.O.O.F. Musical Society.
He married Catharine Mary Sphan, a native of Germany, in 1857; she
died in 1870; he married Annie Mary Sphan, a native of Hesse-Darmstadt,
June 13, 1871; he has five children- Katie, Barbara, Edward, Maggie and
Rosa. pg. 791
CALVIN O. FREEMAN, farmer, Sec. 31; P.O. Cascade;
son of Jeduthan Freeman and Lucy W. Roberts, was born in Broadalbin,
Montgomery Co., N.Y., Aug. 5, 1803. His grandfather was a Captain
in the Revolutionary war, and was also a surveyor and a pioneer in Monroe
Co., N.Y. and acquired his land, in payment for surveying, from the Holland
Purchase Co., under a charter from King George III; the old Captain, with
his five sons, on of whom was father of C.O., went as emigrants into that
then unexplored region, and suffered all the privations and hardships known
to pioneer life; all those five sons settled near their father in Monroe
Co.; Mr. Freeman's father subsequently removed to Buffalo, and afterward
settled in Ohio. At 17, young Calvin was apprenticed to the trade
of gunsmith, and then he went to general blacksmithing, which he has followed
more less for twenty-five years. He was married in Ohio March 26,1828,
to Miss Hannah D. Jenne, daughter of David Jenne, of Fairhaven,
Mass.; they have had ten children, six of whom are living-Silas E.,Edwin
A.,George W.,died in 1873; Calvin R., died in 1872;Lemuel P., Hannah M.,Angenette
L., Salina A., the other two died in infancy. He, with a family of
seven children, came to Whitewater Township in 1844, and bought 300 acres,
which his sons carried on, while he worked at general blacksmithing till
1854, since which time has has confined his attention to the farm; hi wife
died in February 1870. The Cascade Railroad Depot is neat his farm.
In politics, he desires to be recorded as a nation man; he is quite firm
in his views of party principles, and in his opinions of men and things
generally, and is not averse to controversy. He is not a church member,
but is a believer in the fundamental truth of Christianity.
pg.921
G.J. FREEMAN, farmer, stock-raiser and stock-dealer,
Sec. 21; P.O. Farley; born in Lorain Co., Ohio, Oct. 22, 1842; removed
with his parents to Dubuque Co., in 1853; his father, Samuel A. Freeman,
born in Vermont, died in 1866; was a soldier in the war of 1812,
and, with his intelligent New England energy, had all the qualities essential
to successful pioneer life; his mother, Harriet Freeman, born
in New Hampshire, died in 1874, was a worthy helpmate for such a man, and
the sterling qualities of the parents are inherited by the son; Mr. Freeman
has 530 acres of land in Secs.20 and 21, seventy acres of timber land in
Iowa Township- a farm grandly adapted to stock-raising, and effectively
used for that purpose by its able proprietor. Mr. F. acts with the Republican
party, but takes little time to work in the field of politics; his best
energies are devoted to the development of his business, and to the furtherance
of good enterprises in his community, of which he is one of the earliest
settlers, and his success is, beyond question, mainly the result of his
own exertions. He was married in 1866, to Miss Catharine Carroll,
daughter of Peter and Ann Carroll, who removed from Ohio to Dubuque Co.,
when she was only 10 years of age, so she too, was one of the pioneers
of this locality; they have six children- Cora G., Joseph A., Charles L.,
Anna, Harriet, and the youngest, very aptly named Winnie.
pg.935
EDSON GRANVILLE FRENCH, was born July 2, 1820, in New
Hampshire, and married Relief Walker, of Vermont, April 26, 1843;
their children are Freddie Walker, born July 19, 1847, and Jennie Elizabeth,
born Feb. 4, 1865. On attaining his majority, Mr. French lift the
hotel business because it was then considered necessary to sell liquor
with it, and has always been a strict temperance man; he engaged in teaching
school till the spring of 1844, when he went to Massachusetts and pursued
a course of study in the State Normal School; he was appointed teacher
in the public schools of Newburypport, Mass., in September, 1845, and continued
in charge till the fall of 1856, when he was compelled by ill health to
leave the profession; Mr. French came West during a vacation in 1854, and
erected the second house in the prospective town of Epworth, and removed
hither with his family in the fall of 1856, and purchased Hiram Young's
new brick residence and land near by, and has now twenty acres; he engaged
in market-gardening and farming, and in April 1858, succeeded R. Wilmott
in the brick store where he carried on the business till May, 1863; he
then commenced fruit-raising, and also grew many shade trees which now
adorn all parts of the town and the country around; in November, 1872,
Mr. French re-opened a general store, and, with his wife and son, still
continues the business; he was Secretary of the School Board of Epworth
for six years, from 1871 to 1877, and is a stanch friend of our public
schools. Mr. and Mrs. French are members of the Unitarian Church.
pg.935-936
TIMOTHY FRENCH, farmer, Epworth; born in Waldo Co. Me.,
Jan. 27, 1831; removed to Dubuque Co in 1867;has a fine farm of 100
acres just outside of Epworth, and evidently manages it in such a manner
as to secure first-class results; quite a number of the seminary students
find boarding at Mr. French's; his large, nicely arranged and well-appointed
house being admirably adapted for this purpose. Mr. F.'s denominational
preferences are for the Free-Will Baptist Church; politically, he is identified
with the Republican party. He was married in June, 1867, to Miss A.D.Mitchell,
a worthy lady, of Kennebec Co., Me. pg.936
PROF. E.A.FRENZEL, 2445 Couler avenue, Dubuque; is a
native of Germany, and was born Sept. 16, 1830; he grew up to manhood,
and received his philosophical and musical education there; he came to
the United States in 1852, and pursued a course of study in the New
York University; engaged in teaching; he came to Dubuque in 1866, and established
the high school at Guttenburg, and afterward Principal of the public schools
of East Dubuque; he resigned his position and went abroad, making an extended
visit through Europe; since his return, he has given up teaching, and has
been engaged in literary work, and is correspondence for a number of Eastern
papers. Prof. Frenzel is a proficient linguist, and speaks fluently
six or eight different languages. pg. 791-792
ALOIS FRICKE, brickmason, Thirteenth street, between
Elm and Washington streets, Dubuque; is a native of Switzerland, and was
born in 1818; he emigrated to America in 1845, and came to Galena the same
year; he came to Dubuque in 1846, and began working as stonemason, and
has worked at the trade of brick mason for thirty years, and is the oldest
person in that trade in the city; he and his partner built the Lorimier
House, St. Joseph Academy and many of the best buildings in Dubuque; he
was successfully engaged in contracting and building for many years. In
1848, he married Miss Helena Luse, from Baden; she died in
1862, leaving three children- Helena, Mary and Frank. In 1863, Mr.
Fricke married C. Schwartz, a native of Bavaria. pg.
792
EDWARD FRIES, of the firm Peter Fries & Son, general
merchandise, Sherrill's Mound; born Aug. 11, 1844, in New Jersey; when
a child, he came with his parents to Baltimore, Md.; in 1848, they removed
to Dubuque Co. where he has since lived; in 1865, he took charge of his
father's store and still manages it; he also owns a store at Sageville;
he is largely engaged in breeding Poland-China and Essex pigs, Brahma chickens,
waterfowl, ducks and turkeys, Cotswold sheep and shepherd and Newfoundland
dogs. He married Miss Kate Greenley April 1, 1879; she was
born in Jefferson Township; they have one child- Marsetus.
pg.948-949
PETER FRIES, proprietor of Fries' Hotel and general merchandise,
Sherrill's Mount; he was born Dec. 6, 1814, in Prussia; in 1841, he came
to Philadelphia, thence to Baltimore; in 1848, he came to his present locality;
he own 200 acres of land; his grounds are handsomely laid out as a resort
for pleasure-seekers, and are frequented by the fashionable residents of
Dubuque, it being but ten miles distant and the only fashionable drive
out of Dubuque; his hotel was built in 1856, costing from $5,00 to $6,000;
it is built of stone; he built his store in 1860, and has carried on merchandising
since then, He was the first Postmaster at Sherrill's Mount and held
that office for twenty-four years. Married Catharine Kunkel in 1842;
she was born in 1823 in Prussia; have five children- Edward, who now has
charge of the store; Louisa (now Mrs. Kier- her husband was a member
of the Legislature), died in 1874; Mary (now Mrs. W.H.. Creager);
Caroline (now Mrs. Hurst), and Peter. Catholics
pg.949