NORTHWESTERN

 IOWA

ITS HISTORY AND TRADITIONS

1804-1926

F

WALTER FEDDERSEN

Realizing early in his career that industry is the basis of all advancement, Walter Feddersen has closely applied himself to his chosen line of work, and although young in years, he has already become recognized as one of the leading agriculturists of the Holstein district.  He was born October 11, 1897, in Woodbine, Iowa, and his parents, Peter and Magdelena (Staffersen) Feddersen, were natives of Germany.  About 1887 they sought the opportunities of the United States and established their new home in Iowa.  They settled in Ida county in 1903 and the father followed the occupation of farming until his demise on October 20, 1915.  He is survived by the mother, who is now living in Battle Creek, Iowa.  To their union were born five children:  Alma, the wife of Fred Lill, of Woodbury county; Herman, a resident of Battle Creek; Albert, whose home is in Jackson, Minnesota; Rosa, who married Earl Fouts, of Battle Creek; and Walter.

The last named was a child of six when his parents came to Ida county, and his education was received in its public schools.  He assisted his father in operating the homestead, gaining practical knowledge of the details of farming, and found this occupation a congenial one.  Eventually he was able to purchase a quarter section in Battle township and for over six years has cultivated this tract, also operating rented land.  he is thoroughly familiar with agricultural conditions in this section and knows the best methods of coping with them.  His buildings are substantial and his land yields bountiful harvests.  He believes in diversified farming and the restoration of the soil by the rotation of crops.

On January 6, 1920, Mr. Feddersen was united in marriage to Miss Etta L. Fouts, and they have two children, Walter Allan and Arline Etta.  Mr. Feddersen owes allegiance to no party and invariably votes for the man whom he considers best qualified for the office to which he aspires.  He lends the weight of his support to all worthy public enterprises and is esteemed for the qualities which have made possible his success.

J. W. B. FLAGEOLLE

Dr. Joseph W. B. Flageolle, a veteran of the World war, has won success in the medical profession and ranks with the leading physicians of Sioux City.  He was born July 12, 1881, in Ponca, Nebraska, and is a  son of Henry and Lucina (Bellisle) Flageolle, both natives of Canada.  The mother was born in the city of Montreal and the father's birth occurred at Three Rivers.  He came to the States when about thirteen years of age and was married in Jefferson, South Dakota, about 1872.  He engaged in the manufacture of boilers at Ponca, Nebraska, for some time and built up an industry of much importance and value to the town, subsequently moving to Jefferson, South Dakota.  he had reached the ninety-third milestone of life's journey when his death occurred on December 21, 1926, and his widow is eighty years of age.

Joseph W. B. Flageolle obtained his early education in the public schools of his native town and attended St. Viator's College at Bourbonnais, Illinois.  In 1909 he received the M. D. degree from the Sioux City College of Medicine and has supplemented this knowledge by postgraduate courses in leading medical colleges of Chicago and New York city.  He followed his profession for sixteen years at Holly Springs, Iowa, with much success.  In 1925 he opened an office in Sioux City and his practice is growing rapidly, for he has always made his professional duties his first consideration.  He is thorough is diagnosis and utilizes the most approved methods and remedial agents.

Prompted by the spirit of patriotism, Dr. Flageolle offered his aid to the nation in its time of need, enlisting in the medical department of the 28th of January, 1918, and becoming a member of the One Hundred and Forty-second Field Hospital of the One Hundred and Eleventh Sanitary Train, attached to the Thirty-sixth  Division.  He sailed overseas in the following June and served in France for twelve months, five months of this period being spent on special duty with the French army at the evacuation hospital at Vertus, France.  He was assistant attending surgeon and physician at the headquarters of the First Corps, and his military experience has been of great value in his work.  Dr. Flageolle was commissioned a first lieutenant and was mustered out of the service on the 1st of June, 1919.  The family is noted for its loyalty and devotion to country, and when America joined the allies in the campaign against Germany many of the one hundred and forty-seven descendants of Henry Flageolle served in various divisions of the United States army and navy.

In 1910 Dr. Flageolle was married in Sioux City to Miss Dorothy Yeaton, and they have one child, Bernard Y., aged fourteen years.  Dr. Flageolle is identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and for recreation turns to hunting and fishing.  He belongs to the Association of Disabled Veterans, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Monahan Post of the American Legion.  He is an adherent of the democratic party and conscientiously discharges the duties of citizenship.

M. L. FLINN

Iowa has been especially honored in the characters and careers of her active men of industry and public service, men who have been born to leadership in the various vocations and who have dominated because of their superior intelligence, natural endowment and force of character.  These reflections are suggested by the career of Matthew Lawrence Flinn, who, beginning life in a modest way, forged his way to the front ranks of the successful men of his section of the state and became an influential and important factor in the development and improvement of his locality.

Mr. Flinn was born in Albany, New York, on the 15th of June, 1849, and his death occurred at his home in Sioux City on the 26th of December, 1922, in the seventy-fourth year of his age.  He had resided in Sioux City for fifty-six years and was widely known as a contractor and business man of the municipality.  He was a son of Bernard and Catherine (Mulhall) Flinn, both of whom were natives of Ireland, the father born in Mead and the mother in West Mead.  On their arrival in the United States they located at Albany, New York, where they remained until 1850, when they moved to McHenry county, Illinois.  In 1858 they went to Chicago, remaining there about ten years, on the expiration of which period they came to Sioux City, Iowa, where they continued to reside until called to the home beyond.

Matthew L. Flinn, who was the third in order of birth in a family of eleven children, was a public school pupil in Chicago to the age of sixteen years and subsequently worked in the Tremont and Briggs Hotels of the metropolis.  He accompanied his parents on their removal to Sioux City,  where he spent the remainder of his life.  here he first obtained a job as brakeman on the Sioux City & Pacific Railroad and was later with the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad.  While employed in the train service on the latter road he met with an accident in 1873, losing an arm, and on his recovery he was made operator and timekeeper in the railroad shops of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway at Sioux City, filling that position for five years, followed by two years as chief clerk.  Thereafter for a period of two years, beginning in 1880,  Mr. Flinn conducted a meat market.  Next he turned his attention to the real estate business, to which he later added the contracting business.  In 1888 he engaged more extensively in the latter field, taking large city contracts for street paving and the construction of sewers, in which he was eminently successful.  He was the first in Sioux City to use creosoted wooden blocks for street paving, as well as a pioneer in the use of concrete for street pavements here.  Paving in many of Sioux City's business streets was laid by his crews, among them being Fourth, Jackson, Nebraska, Pierce, Sixth, Water an Twenty-seventh streets.  The M. L. Flinn Company, of which he was president, became known as one of the strongest and most reliable contracting firms in this section of the country and has done a large business over a long period of years.  The following is an excerpt from a review of a career of Mr. Flinn which appeared in the Sioux City Journal at the time of his death:  "Mr. Flinn was one of the leading paving contractors of the northwest.  His paving crews operated as far east as Chicago and as far west as Aberdeen, South Dakota.  He was heavily interested in numerous business enterprises here, being a director and stockholder in the First National Bank, president of the Lindholm Furniture Company and a director in the Interstate Live Stock Fair Association."

In 1876 Mr. Flinn was united in marriage to Miss Mary Emma Wilkins, a stepdaughter of James and Sarah Gray (Wilkins) Puck, the former of whom was one of the prominent early hotel men of Sioux City, while her mother was a native of Arkansas, coming to Sioux City during the Civil war.  To Mr. and Mrs. Flinn were born the following children:  Grace Margaret, who is the wife of W. T. Foley, of Chicago; Frank Matthew, of Sioux City; Alice, who died in 1904; Edward Bernard, who is now president of the M. L. Flinn Company and who married Miss Lucile Moore.

Politically, Mr. Flinn was a stanch supporter of the democratic party and for many years was an active and prominent figure in local political affairs.  In 1881 he was elected alderman at large, served two years as assessor, three years as chairman of the county board of supervisors and four years as United States marshal during President Cleveland's first administration.  He was a communicant of the Roman Catholic church and was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Ancient Order of Hibernians.  He was a progressive man in the broadest sense of the term and lived to see and take a prominent part in the growth and progress of his community.  His was a long life of honor and trust and no higher eulogy can be passed upon him than to state the simple truth that his name was never coupled with anything disreputable and that he fully merited the reputation which he enjoyed for sterling integrity and unwavering honesty.

The following editorial appeared in the Sioux City Daily Tribune under date of December 27, 1922:  "Some years ago near the corner of Third and Pierce streets, Sioux City, a powerfully built elderly man with soft hat pulled well down  over his eyes could have been seen directing and helping in the loading up an old farm wagon with all kinds of supplies.  An empty right sleeve and a quiet, dominating air made passersby look a second time at this figure.  There was a something that appealed; a something that stopped people a moment and caused them to wonder.  A friend coming by spoke cheerily and asked about the proceedings.  M. L. Flinn, known far and wide as 'Matt' Flinn, answered almost gruffly that he was just helping load.  The friend knew without another word that he had caught Matt Flinn in one of his innumerable little acts of kindness to some old friend or former employe, and Mr. Flinn acted as if he had been found out and did not like it much.  The incident was typical of Mr. Flinn - keen and forceful, yet reticent to an unusual degree.  He loved home and family and with them he enjoyed himself most.  His sense of humor saved many a delicate situation and he liked to laugh and bring laughter to those whom he knew well.  That he accumulated a modest fortune is greatly to his credit, for he did so despite great handicaps.  he often said that it was not until he lost his arm that he had to use his brain to make a living for his family.  With a keen mind he had imagination and an uncanny knowledge of men in very walk of life.  He silently studied the bosses and men of his paving gans as he watched and listened to the men about the banking tables and in business circles.  Speaking seldom, his words invariably carried weight when he spoke.  He asked of his men and his partners only those things that he himself would do and did do.  And through the years he built a reputation for integrity and fair dealing that may well create more envy than material prosperity.  He was one of those men about whom others said, 'His word is as good as his bond.'  Early in life necessity taught him how to work and through experience and many trials he learned how to work effectively.  His life is a denial to weak-kneed youths who say there is no opportunity.  Mr. Flinn not only worked; he was a saver and builder.  When he spent money it was for the good things of life; education and opportunities for his family.  He denied himself that others might enjoy life more fully.  Many there are who mourn his going, yet it would be his wish that the tributes be unostentatious and that the grief be soon over.  He would prefer to leave happiness in his wake, not sorrow.  With his friends let us say simply and reverently:  'Goodby, Matt.  You have been a great friend and loyal.  We wish you well.  Goodby.'"

From the Sioux City Journal of December 30, 1922, we quote the following:  "Crowding theh Cathedral of the Epiphany to capacity, hundreds of persons from every walk of life gathered yesterday morning to pay their last respects to M. L. ('Matt') Flinn, prominent contractor and business man . . . . Rev. T. J. McCarty's funeral sermon follows in part:  "The church in her legislation, voices her disapproval of fulsome eulogy pronounced at the bier of the deceased.  But the simple and sincere facts of a life, spoken in a simple and sincere way before you, is not eulogy; and I judge it a matter of simple duty now, and in that sense endeavor to perform it.  There is a strange and a false idea prevalent among worldly men that religion, though suitable for the nature of women, has a weakening effect on the character of a man.  The very opposite is the fact.  The outstanding characteristic of this man was manliness, rugged and unassuming.  It was manliness born of his faith in the perfect man, Jesus Christ, our Lord.  he never feared in any company to profess his religion.  He never hesitated to give the teaching of its example.  Ina  word, he never apologized for his religion.  His practice of it was quiet and constant, a simple matter of course, a thing he would not have anyone wonder at and for which he would scorn to be praised.  The accident in early life that, to many, would be a physical handicap, was turned by him into an incentive to greater effort, an effort that brought out a native ability, and applied it successfully to the making of a useful career.  His business success was a matter of straightforward honesty, combined with an energy that was constructive and practical.  Whatever of material wealth came to him came rightfully, and was used rightly for the good of home and family, and was given freely for the higher things of faith and of charity.  Of his private charities, unheralded and unnumbered, little need be said, as he contributed by the quality of citizenship to the building of this community.  His career is a typical example of the rise of the young American of foreign parentage.  Is the term right when parents, wherever born, furnish men like this to our republic?  he had a heart interest in the struggle for liberty of another land, that of his father's.  Let me ask here and now, when we are assailed by the super patriotism of the self-styled 100 per centers, did it ever make him the less loyal to his own country, the less devoted to its interests?"

With the death of Mr. Flinn many expressions of regret were heard among business men who had known him for years.  Some of the expressions follow:

Edward Carey - "Sioux City has lost one of its greatest and best citizens in the passing of Matt Flinn.  I first met him in May, 1871, - more than fifty years ago.  I knew him as butcher, railroad brakeman, banker and paving contractor.  He was always the same congenial Matt.  He helped hundreds of unfortunate folks that the outside world never heard of.  He was good to his family and good to his fellowmen.  I mourn the loss of a true friend and Sioux City mourns the loss of an estimable citizen."

F. L. Eaton - "In the passing of Matt Flinn, Sioux City has lost another one of that band of energetic and forceful men who were the real factors in the making of this city.  A modest gentleman, a delightful companion, a stanch friend, a wise counselor, an able leader and a successful man, he will be missed by all who had the good fortune to know him.  His influence on the affairs of this community where he spent practically all his life and where he had been interested n so many lines of industry has been powerful, and he has contributed in more ways than any of us will ever know to the upbuilding of this city.  In all his wide circle of friends, no man can ever quite take the place of Matt Flinn."

Mr. Flinn's home life approached the ideal.  A loving husband and an indulgent father, he found more real happiness and joy in his own household, in the companionship of his wife and children, than anywhere else in the world.  To his most intimate associates he confessed the conviction that he owed his success in life to the inspirational helpfulness of his devoted wife.  His passing left an irreparable gap in the family circle, and his memory will ever be cherished in the hearts of those dear to him.

B. L. FORD

One of the most highly esteemed of the younger business men of Sioux City is Burton Lincoln Ford, head of the Ford Lumber Company.  He is devoting himself indefatigably to the interests of this business, which was founded and successfully operated for many years by his father, and he has shown himself a man of splendid business qualifications, winning the respect and confidence of all with whom he has dealings.

Mr. Ford was born in Sioux City on the 11th of December, 1902, and is a son of William N. and Frances E. (Lincoln) Ford.  The father was born in Chicago, Illinois, October 6, 1866, a son of Burton M. and Mary Jane (Dwight) Ford.  He was educated in the school of Des Moines, Iowa, later worked a short time for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, and then entered the employ of the J. H. Queal Lumber Company of Des Moines.  In 1887 he came to Sioux City as manager of the branch yard which the Queal company had established here, and retained that position until 1900, when he engaged in the retail lumber business on his own account, first as a member of the firm of Ford & Hollandsworth, and later under the name of the Ford Lumber Company, with which he remained identified until his death on December 15, 1921.  On September 28, 1893, he was married to Miss Frances E. Lincoln, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, daughter of David Kennedy and Lucy (Parmelee) Lincoln, and to them were born two children, Lucy and Burton Lincoln.  Mr. Ford was a member of the Masonic order and stood high in the esteem of his community.  Further reference to him is made in a personal memoir on the other pages of this work.

Burton Lincoln Ford received his elementary education in the public and high schools of Sioux City, after which he had two years in the Shattuck Military Academy, at Faribault, Minnesota.  He then entered Dartmouth College, where he had attended two years when his father's death necessitated his returning home and taking charge of the business, to which he is now devoting his attention.  Mr. Ford is a member of Tyrian Lodge, No. 508, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and Sioux City Chapter, No. 26, Royal Arch Masons, and also belongs to the Sioux City Country Club, the Sioux City Boat Club and the Lions Club.  He is a communicant of the Protestant Episcopal church.  He has shown himself a splendid citizen in every respect, giving his wholehearted support to everything concerning the best interests of the community, and his is well worthy of the respect and confidence which are accorded him.

W. N. FORD

In the field of active and successful industry, no citizen of Sioux City took precedence over the late William Newton Ford, for many years president of the Ford Lumber Company, whose death occurred at his home, 2322 Jackson street, this city, December 15, 1921, in the fifty-sixth year of his age.  A man of sound judgment and marked executive ability, he was eminently successful in his business affairs, which he vigorously carried forward until his firm became one of the most important concerns in its line in Sioux City.  He was in the fullest sense of the term a virile, progressive business man, thoroughly in harmony with the spirit of the age in which he lived, and his strong mental powers, invincible courage and determined purpose gained for him a place in the front rank of the enterprising and influential men of his community.

Mr. Ford was born in Chicago, Illinois, on the 6th of October, 1866, and was a son of Burton M. and Mary Jane (Dwight) Ford, the former of whom was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and the latter in Springfield, Massachusetts.  They were married in the latter city and shortly afterward moved to Chicago, where the father engaged in the real estate business, in which he was prominent and successful.  Aside from a few years' residence in Des Moines, Iowa, they spent the remaining years of their lives in Chicago, where they passes away.

William Newton Ford secured his educational training in the public schools of Des Moines, where the family lived during his youth, and on leaving school he went to work in the offices of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, where he remained a short time.  He had attracted the attention of J. H. Queal, of the J. H. Queal Lumber Company, of Des Moines, and was persuaded to enter his office.  Here he soon demonstrated the possession of  unusual business qualities and shortly thereafter, when Mr. Queal opened a lumber yard in Sioux City, Mr. Ford, then but twenty-one years of age, was placed in charge of the Sioux City business.  He retained that position, with great credit to himself, until 1900, when he severed his connection with the Queal company and formed the partnership of Ford & Hollandsworth, retail lumber merchants.  Three years later he bought his partner's interest and thereafter conducted the business alone.  Through close attention to details, progressive and up-to-date methods and the sound principles on which he based his operations, he realized a very gratifying measure of prosperity and was numbered among the solid and substantial business men of his city.

On September 28, 1893, Mr. Ford was united in marriage to Miss Frances E. Lincoln, of Fort Dodge, Iowa a daughter of David Kennedy and Lucy (Parmelee) Lincoln.  Her father, who was a native of New York state, was a prominent merchant of Fort Dodge, while her mother, who was born in Illinois, was the daughter of a Congregational minister, who came from New York state to Illinois in an early day.  To Mr. and Mrs. Ford were born four children, of whom two, Lucy and Burton Lincoln, survive.  Mr. Ford was a member of Tyrian Lodge, No. 508, F. & A. M.; Sioux City Consistory, A. A. S. R.; Abu-Bekr Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., and Sioux City Lodge, B. P. O. E., and also belonged to the Chamber of Commerce, the Elks Club, the Sioux City Club and the Sioux City Boat Club.  He was possessed of a splendid singing voice, which he gladly used for the pleasure of his friends, and in all his social relations he was cordial and friendly, enjoying marked popularity.  Though unassuming in manner, his life as a business man, citizen and friend was at all times an inspiration to those who came into contact with him.  No locality can afford to lose men like William N. Ford, for such lives are a practical influence for good in every community.

A. L. FRIBOURG

Arnold L. Fribourg is a lawyer of the Sioux City bar, is a native of New York city, where his birth occurred on the 22d day of August, 1863, and is a son of Mark and Louise (Solomon) Fribourg, the latter of whom was born and reared in New York city.  His grandfather, Victor Fribourg, was a native of France, whence he was brought to this country when a child of six years, his parents locating in New York city, where his father lived retired thereafter.  Mark Fribourg was a shirt manufacturer in New York and was successful in his business affairs.

Arnold L. Fribourg secured his elementary education in the public schools of New York and then attended the College of the City of New York.  Later he attended the law school of Columbia University, and was graduated in 1885, with the Bachelor of Laws degree.  For a short time he practiced in  his native city and in 1888 came to Sioux City, Iowa, where he has remained continuously since.  He first practiced alone and later entered the law firm of Swan, Lawrence & Swan.  Subsequently he allied himself with T. G. Henderson, under the firm name of Henderson & Fribourg, which relation existed for twenty-four years.  In 1915 Paul M. Hatfield joined the firm and in 1924 Mr. Fribourg's son, E. J. Fribourg, was admitted to the firm, the style of which is now Henderson, Fribourg, Hatfield & Fribourg.

Mr. Fribourg has been married twice, first, in 1893, to Miss Maud Eiseman, of Sioux City, who died in 1903, leaving four children.  Victor E., the eldest, graduated from the University of Michigan in 1917, with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy, and is now engaged in the automobile accessories business in Sioux City.  Victor E. Fribourg is a veteran of the World war, being one of the first two men called out of Sioux City in the draft of September 6, 1917.  He was assigned to Company L, Eighteenth Regiment, United States Infantry, and after a short period of training at Camp Dodge, was sent overseas.  He took part in the second battle of the Argonne, where he was one of twenty-one who survived out of two hundred and sixty-one men who composed Company A.  He then entered the Army Candidates' School at Langre, France, where he was commissioned a second lieutenant on November 1, 1918, and assigned to duty in Company K, Three Hundred and Ninth Infantry Regiment, Seventy-eighth Division.  He went to Germany with the Army of Occupation, being stationed at Coblenz until his return to this country.  Roger L., the second son, obtained the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago in 1920, and is now connected with the Aluminum Company of America, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin.  Frances B., a graduate of Smith College, at Northampton, Massachusetts, is now at home.  Ernest J., who graduated from the University of Chicago with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy in 1922, and from the law school of Iowa State University with the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1924, became a member of his father's firm immediately on leaving college.  In 1905 Mr. Fribourg was married to Miss Belle Eiseman, a sister of his first wife, and her death occurred in 1928.

Mr. Fribourg is a member of Landmark Lodge, No. 103, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Sioux City Consistory, No. 5, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite; and Abu-Bekr Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.  He has long been an active and efficient worker in Masonry and about 1915 the honorary thirty-third degree was conferred on him.  He is also a member of Isis Chapter, No. 173, Order of the Eastern Star; Sioux City Lodge, No. 112, Benevolent Protective Order of Elks; the Modern Woodmen of American and the Woodmen of the World.  he belongs to the Sioux City Kiwanis Club, the Sioux City Professional Men's Club, the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce, the Sioux City  Boat Club, the Omaha Athletic Club, the Academy of Science and Letters, the Sioux City Art Society, the City College of New York City Club, the Sioux City Welfare Bureau, and is a member of the board of trustees of the Sioux City public library.  He and his family are member of Mt. Sinai Temple.

G. W. FUNK

Industry and perseverance have been dominant qualities in the career of George W. Funk, who comes of sturdy pioneer stock, and through the force of his own powers has overcome the obstacles which have barred his path to success.  He is now numbered among the largest land holders of Cherokee county and for fifty-seven years has resided within its borders, contributing toward the development of the fertile land and fine ranches of the great empire of the west.  He was born June 13, 1842, in Pennsylvania, and his parents, John L. and Elizabeth Funk, were also natives of the Keystone state.  They migrated to Iowa in 1850 and established their home in Henry county, in which they lived for three years.  They spent a similar period in Iowa City and then moved to Hardin county, in which the father engaged in the practice of medicine for many years.  He was well versed in the science of his profession and as one of the pioneer physicians of that district he rendered valuable service to his fellowmen.  His sympathetic nature, genial manner and kind heart won him a secure place in the affections of all to whom he ministered and his demise was deeply regretted.  he had preceded his wife to the home beyond and both were buried in the Hazel Green cemetery.  To their union were born eight children, two of whom survive.

Mr. Funk was a boy of eight when the family came to Iowa, in which he was educated, and in 1861, when a young man of nineteen, enlisted in teh Fourteenth Regiment of Volunteer Infantry.  He was later transferred to the western army, becoming a member of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry, and for three years faithfully served the Union.  Although he participated in much hard fighting he never received a injury and was honorably mustered out at Sioux City, Iowa.  He returned to Hardin county, where he engaged in farming until 1868, when he took up a homestead of eighty acres in Cherokee county.  He also preempted an eighty-acre claim and his first building was a frame house, fourteen by sixteen feet in dimensions.  he closely studied soil and climatic conditions in relation to the production of crops and as agriculture progressed as a science he advanced with it.  His well directed labors were rewarded by abundant harvests and he was also a successful stock raiser, specializing in high-grade cattle.  He still owns eight hundred and forty acres of valuable farm lands in the county but since 1910 has lived retired in Cherokee, having amassed a substantial sum, and has erected two attractive homes, thus adding to the improvement and ornamentation of the town.

In 1878 Mr. Funk married Miss Alice A. Parks, who became the mother of three children, but Arthur A., an agriculturist, is the only one now living.  Mr. Funk's second union was with Miss Catherine Parks, a sister of his first wife, who is deceased.  He is an adherent of the republican party and during his term of service of the township board was instrumental in securing many needed improvements.  He has two grandchildren and relates to them many interesting accounts of his experiences in the early days when this was a wild and undeveloped region, far removed from the advantages of civilization.  he rejoices in what has been accomplished and approaches the evening of life with a contented mind and tranquil spirit, knowing that he has done his best, shirking no responsibility and faithfully performing every duty.