1882 Biographies
from the
History of Winneshiek and Allamakee Counties, Iowa
by W.E. Alexander; Western Publishing co.; Sioux City, Iowa; 1882

'C' surnames


All of the biographies in the Allamakee co. section of the book were transcribed by Roxanne Barth and Phyllis Peterson.
Some of the biographies, those with close ties to Allamakee co., but from the Winneshiek co. section of the book, have been transcribed by Sharyl Ferrall.



W. H. Carithers, P. O. Myron, farmer, sec. 10, owns a farm of 600 acres. He was born in Washington, W. Va., in 1824, where he remained till 1851, when he came to Iowa and purchased a part of his present farm, and the same year was married to Miss Elizabeth Smith, daughter of Reuben Smith, deceased, and located on his farm. Mr. Smith was one of the early pioneers, having come to this county in 1849, and located about one mile east from Mr. Carithers' place. He died in August 1881, leaving a large circle of friends to mourn his loss. Mr. Carithers has, by strict economy and industry, become the owner of one of the best farms in his township. They have three children, Jennie, Mary and Carrie. pg 480


T. L. Carrolls, one of the proprietors of the Village Creek woolen mills, was born in Pennsylvania in 1851, was reared in the mercantile business, and came west in 1870; engaged in his present business in 1871, his father at that time being one of the firm of Howard, Carrolls & Ratcliffe. Mr. Carrolls has the management of the mills, which manufacture fine grades of woolen, such as blankets, yarns, flannels and cashmeres, and employs fifteen operatives. Mr. C. was appointed postmaster in 1879. He married Miss Nellie E. Howard in 1873; they have three children, Door, Ray and Rex. pg 482


Henry Carter, merchant, firm of Dougherty & Carter, dealers in boots and shoes and gents' furnishing goods. The subject of this sketch emigrated from Germany, where he was born in 1849, to the U. S. in 1870. He came direct to Allamakee Co., and worked at farming until 1878, at which time in partnership with M. W. Eaton, he engaged in the boot and shoe business, which they continued until June 1881, under the firm name of Carter & Eaton. During this time the firm also owned a one-half interest in an elevator. In June 1881, Mr. Carter exchanged his interest in the elevator for his partner's interest in the boot and shoe business, associated J. F. Dougherty as partner, and has since continued as Dougherty & Carter. He was married May 5, 1881, to Miss Louisa Luedeking. pg 480


Andrew Christianson, sec. 15, P. O. Village Creek, farmer, was born in Norway, Dec. 30, 1826; received a thorough education in his native language preparing him for teaching, in which he engaged some years before coming to the U. S., in 1857. He located in Dane Co., Wisconsin, where he taught school one year, after which he came to Allamakee county, Ia.; taught school the first two years, then turned his attention to farming; located on his present farm in 1870, which contains 160 acres, valued at $3,500. He married Miss Maggie Olson in Dec. 1859; they have ten children; Betsy M., Olof C., Thea. B., Louisa J., Albert L., Tilda A., Caroline O., Wm. T., Carl A. and Ida E.; and have lost two: Adolph and Albert. Mr. C. has served his township as trustee and collector, and is a member of the Lutheran Church. pg 480


E. N. Clark, Postville, farmer, sec. 21; owns 420 acres of land, valued at $40 per acre; son of M. D. and Delilah Clark; was born in Wayne Co., N. Y., in 1838, his parents emigrating to Saginaw, Mich., in 1841, engaging in the lumbering business till in 1848, when they moved to Linn Co., Io. At the breaking out of the rebellion, in June 1861, he enlisted in Co. A, 6th Ia. Inf., serving till the close of the war. He participated in the battles at Pittsburg Landing, Black River and the siege and capture of Vicksburg; returned home in 1865, soon after moving to Delaware Co., Iowa, having secured a government contract for a mail and state route between Postville and Dyersville, which he run four years; after which he moved to this county. Mr. Clark was first married to Miss Martha Reed, in 1860, by whom he had four children: Mary D., Elmer C., Ulysses G and Minnie C. His wife died in 1869, and he was again married to Mrs. Lucy Clark, widow of J. W. Clark, and daughter of Calvin Dresser, in 1871. His wife has three children by her first marriage: Franklin, Charles and Clavin D. Mr. C. is a member of the A.O.U.W. pg 481


John T. Clark, Attorney, Postville, is a native of Madison Co., N. Y., being born in 1811; received his early education in the common schools; followed agricultural pursuits till 1843, commenced reading law under the preceptorship of Timothy Jenkins, of Oneida Co., N. Y., and subsequently with Thos. Flandreau of that same county, where he was admitted to the bar in 1851. In the fall of 1853 he emigrated to Iowa, locating in Waukon, there being but two frame dwellings, he building the third. He remained there following his profession until Dec., 1859, when he removed to Decorah and established a law office in company with his son, Orlando J. Clark. While there he was extensively interested in real estate at Fort Atkinson, owning 160 acres of land upon which most of the town was platted. In 1874 he returned to Waukon where he remained till in June 1880, he came to Postville and opened a law office. Mr. Clark was married to Miss Elizabeth Balkeslee, of N.Y., in 1833. His children are Orlando J., now a practicing attorney of Decorah, Frederick M., Charles B., Sarah E., Emma, Adelbert J., Alvin and Florence. All his sons served their country during the war of the rebellion. Mr. Clark served as one of the delegates in the Constitutional Convention of 1857 at Iowa City, also as Prosecuting Attorney for Allamakee Co. for several years. pg 481-482


H. Clauson, P. O. Dorchester, farmer, sec. 17; owns 180 acres valued at $25 per acre; was born Dec 6, 1843, in Norway, came to the U. S. with his parents in 1854, and in 1862 enlisted in Co. B. 16th U. S. I.; participated in the battles of Stone River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, and other engagements. He married Christy Mathiason, Dec. 22, 1865; they have five children, Mary, John E., Clara, Oscar and Martin, and have lost by death seven children. Mr. Clauson is a member of the Lutheran Church, and has acceptably filled various positions of public trust. pg 482-483


A.E. Colegrove, miller and farmer, Fairview Township; born in Tompkins County, New York, in 1830, reared in the milling business, and in 1860 moved to Iowa, and engaged in his present business at Bunker Hill, now called Ion. In 1862 he enlisted in Company I, 27th Iowa Volunteers; at the close of the war he returned to his present location. Unfortunately, he is nearly blind, having left the service in that condition. His home is pleasantly situated on the Yellow River, 10 miles northwest of McGregor, Iowa. pg 482


J. R. Conway, P. O. Rossville, farmer, sec. 29; born July 17, 1820 in County Roscommon, Ireland. In 1843 he was married to Miss Rose Gordon, and the same year immigrated to the United States locating in Baltimore, Md., where he remained till 1847; then removed to Cincinnati, O., and engaged on board a Lower Mississippi steamer as deck-hand; afterwards filling different stations up to second mate; which position he occupied during the terrible cholera scourge in 1849. He was then running up Red River, often going on shore between stations to bury the dead, who were mostly Negroes, sometimes eight or ten in one grave. In 1850 he moved his family to Dubuque, and came to Allamakee Co.; and located the S. E. 1/4 of Sec. 29, of his present farm. In December of the same year he moved his family on to it, and commenced improving. For the first four years thereafter he was engaged on the Upper Mississippi river, running up as far as Fort Snelling, during the summers, and spending the winters at home. Served as first mate part of the time. Mr. Conway has, by energy, industry and economy, added to his first tract of land, till he now has 500 acres well improved, and one of the best farms in the township. His children are: Dornnick, John, James, William, Owen, Mary A., Ellen and Rose. They have lost one son, Matthew M. pg 480-481


Ezekiel E. Cooley was born in Victory, Cayuga county, New York, Jan. 12, 1827. He received an academic education, and at the age of 17 commenced teaching school, which occupation he followed five years. In 1847 he emigrated to Kentucky, where he taught, and read law with Judge Trimble, and was admitted to the bar in 1849. He returned to New York, and from there emigrated to Decorah in October, 1854, where he has ever since continued the practice of his profession, with an exception of one year spent in the army. In 1857 he was elected member of the first Legislature, under the new State constitution, and served with marked ability. He was appointed postmaster at Decorah in 1861, and held the office until he resigned, in 1863. In September, 1864, President Lincoln appointed him commissary of subsistence, with the rank of Captain of cavalry. He was brevetted Major for meritorious conduct, and was honorably discharged in November, 1865. In 1868 and 1870 he was warmly supported by the Republicans of his county for the nomination to Congress, but the other counties of his district carried the majority for his competitor. Mr. Cooley was married at Dubuque, in 1856, to Miss Jane M. Rhodes, then of that city. IN the legal profession Mr. Cooley has few peers in Northern Iowa, and few have made themselves a better public and private record. He has ever had the interest of his city and county at heart, and has been identified with many of the enterprises that have proved beneficial to the community in which he has so long resided.

In the latter part of 1879 Mr. Cooley was appointed by Governor Gear to the position of District Judge of the Tenth Judicial District, consisting of Winneshiek, Howard, Chickasaw, Fayette, Clayton and Allamakee counties, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Judge Reuben Noble. In NOvember, 1880, he was elected to the same position for the regular term of two years. He has a beautiful home, an unusually fine library, and his social and domestic relations are of the pleasantest. He has two sons, the elder of whom, C.M. Cooley, is married to the daughter of Rev. H.B. Woodworth, for a number of years pastor of the Congregational Church in Decorah, and now lives in Dakota. Previous to his election as Judge, Mr. Cooley was elected to and discharged the office of Mayor of Decorah for two successive terms, with honor to himself and credit to the city. (Winneshiek co. section, pg 198-199; portrait, pg 341, note that E.E. Cooley has another lengthly bio in the book, on pgs 561-563).




H.S. Cooper, P. O. Waukon, farmer, sec. 21, was born in Franklin Co., Vermont, in 1824. His father, Martin Cooper, moved into Addison Co. in 1826, where the subject of this sketch was raised. In 1849 he immigrated to this county, purchasing from the Government 360 acres of land in this township, there then being but three or four families in the township all of whom had come in the same year. There were at that time but very few settlers in any of the adjoining townships the people having to endure many hardships and privations always incident to the settling of a new country. He was married to Miss Eliza Gilvert in 1852, by whom he had eight children, Franklin, Martin, Mary, Orpha, Winfield, Augusta, Edwin and George. He was again married to Mrs. Hannah M. Pratt, whose maiden name was Geesey. Her first husband served his country during the rebellion in Co. A, 27th Iowa inf., till the close of the war, returning home, but soon after dying in 1865. Mr. Cooper owns a farm of 440 acres, well improved and one of the best farms in the township. pg 482

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