History of Linn County Iowa Part 94

The Marion Savings Bank was incorporated February 22, 1889, by Andrew J. McKean, E. A. Vaughn, F. G. Hervey, J. S. Alexander and Jay J.

Smyth, Mr. Smyth being the president and S. N. Goodhue the cashier. It has a capital stock of $30,000.00, and deposits today of over $300,000.00. The officers at present are: B. F. Mentzer, president; J.

W. Bowman, cashier; B. F. Mentzer, W. W. Vaughn, F. A. Shumack, J. S.

Alexander, Karl W. Kendall, C. H. Kurtz and J. W. Bowman, directors.

The Farmers & Merchants State Bank, of Marion, was organized in 1894, with Samuel N. Goodhue, president; George W. Toms, vice-president, and E. J. Esgate, cashier. Two years later George W. Toms succeeded Mr.

Goodhue as president, and T. J. Davis became vice-president. In 1902 A.

M. Secrist succeeded Mr. Davis as vice-president. The present officers are George W. Toms, president; A. M. Secrist, vice-president, and E. J.

Esgate, cashier. The capital stock of the bank is $60,000.00, surplus, $5,000.00. The directors of the bank are: George W. Toms, A. M.

Secrist, W. B. Carpenter, Garry Treat, D. H. Correll, C. C. Carpenter, W. P. Secrist, W. E. Beall, A. E. Granger, W. J. Goodyear and E. J.

Esgate.

The Commercial Savings Bank, of Marion, was organized March 1, 1905, with E. R. Mason, president; F. A. H. Greulich and H. C. Oxley, vice-presidents; H. C. Millen, cashier, and E. H. Millen, a.s.sistant cashier. There has been no change in officers since organization. The bank has a capital stock of $25,000.00, and undivided profits of $3,000.00. It has deposits of over $350,000.00, and has shown a steady growth each year.

The First National Bank, of Marion, succeeded the private banking firm of Winslow, Stephens & Co., in 1862, with R. D. Stephens as its first president, and A. W. Cranden as its first cashier. Later, J. W. Bowdish became cashier until succeeded by Jay J. Smyth.

In 1881 Mr. Stephens organized the Merchants National Bank of Cedar Rapids, but continued as president of the First National Bank of Marion until his death, March, 1883, when Louisa B. Stephens, his widow, was made president. She continued as such for three years. Mr. Jay J. Smyth then became president, and S. N. Goodhue, cashier. Mr. Goodhue was succeeded by J. S. Alexander in 1892. In 1896 Mr. Alexander became president, and C. H. Kurtz, cashier, the officers so continuing until September, 1908, when C. H. Kurtz became president, and J. W. Bowman, cashier. In January, 1909, T. J. Davis was chosen president, and J. W.

Bowman continued as cashier, and these gentlemen are at this date its present officers. The capital stock has remained since the organization at $50,000.00, and the surplus at $10,000.00. This is the only First National Bank charter now in existence in Linn county. The bank was the 117th National bank chartered by the government. It has declared in cash dividends $170,051.32, and has never pa.s.sed a dividend or even temporarily closed its doors. Among some of its employees who went out into the world to win success from this bank are Ed. M. Scott, now president of the Security Savings Bank, of Cedar Rapids; W. S. Goodhue, cashier of the State Bank of Vinton; J. W. Bowdish, who became cashier of the American Trust & Savings, and later cashier of the Security Savings of Cedar Rapids; Chas. Jackson, now cashier of the First National Bank, of Manilla, Iowa; F. J. Cleveland, now county auditor.

Dr. Jno. M. Ristine, now very prominent in Cedar Rapids, was employed as a young man in this bank. The present president, T. J. Davis, was employed as bookkeeper in 1881, continuing for five years, when he became actively engaged in the lumber business in Marion and vice-president of the Farmers & Merchants State Bank until he again entered the First National as its president.

CHAPTER XLII

_Roster of County Officers_

Linn county was organized in 1838 and the first election for county officers was held August, 1839. The legislative board of the county, or what corresponds to our present board of supervisors, was composed of three members called a board of commissioners. The following persons served on the board of commissioners:

Samuel C. Stewart, Peter McRoberts, Luman M. Strong, 1839.

E. T. Lewis, B. McGonigle, S. C. Stewart, 1842.

E. T. Lewis, Oliver Day, B. McGonigle, 1843.

Oliver Day, E. T. Lewis, W. B. Davis, 1844.

W. B. Davis, Andrew Safely, 1846.

Andrew Safely, Benjamin Waterhouse, Samuel Hendrickson, 1847.

S. Hendrickson, Andrew Safely, Johnson Hill, 1850.

A. Safely, Johnson Hill, Wm. A. Thomas, 1851.

The above system continued until the first code was enacted in 1851 which abolished the board of commissioners and provided for the election of one officer to be called "county judge" who performed the duties of our present board of supervisors and in addition was probate judge and presided over what was called a "county court." The old election books now preserved in the county auditor's office show the following persons to have been elected to this office:

Norman W. Isbell, elected August, 1851.

James M. Berry, elected August, 1854.

Daniel Lothian, elected August, 1857, three terms.

Johnston Elliott, elected October, 1863, two terms.

A. B. Dumont, elected October, 1867, one term.

Isbell resigned June 12, 1854, and Joseph B. Young, prosecuting attorney, acted as county judge until the next election when James M.

Berry was elected to fill the vacancy.

The legislative duties of the county judge were vested by the Eighth General a.s.sembly in a board of supervisors consisting of one member from each township or two in those townships having over 4,000 inhabitants. The first board sat January 7, 1861. The clerk of the district court was ex-officio clerk of the board of supervisors. The Twelfth General a.s.sembly abolished the office of county judge altogether and vesting the judicial duties in the district court created the office of county auditor to a.s.sume the ones not already vested in the supervisors and clerk of the district court. The first auditor's term began the first Monday of January, 1869.

Bertram--Perry Oxley, 1861-1867 and 1870; Wm. G Darr, 1868-1869.

Brown--Wm. Carbee, 1861-1862; Hosea White, 1863-1866; T. M. Giffen, 1867-1868; J. F. Gritman, 1869-1870.

Boulder--Jos. Whitney, 1861-1862 and 1869-1870; Earhart Burke, 1863, resigned and term completed by John B. McQueen; J. B. McQueen, 1864; Neeley Parsons, 1865-1867; Wm. Wagner, 1868.

Buffalo--Jos. Story, 1861-1862; E. M. Crow, 1863-1870.

Clinton--D. M. Smith, 1861-1863; Geo. Buchanan, 1864-1866 and 1868-1869; I. T. Updike, 1867; Edwin Cadwell, 1870.

College--John W. Henderson, 1861-1862; Robert Pierce, 1863-1864; Adam Perry, 1865-1867; Jonathan Neidig, 1868; W. H. Shuey, 1869-1870.

Fairfax--Phillip Moody, 1861-1864; W. B. Reynolds, 1865-1866; Wm. Ure, 1867-1870.

Fayette--Levi W. Johnson, 1861-1863; resigned and last term completed by J. D. Hays; John E. Langley, 1864-1865; W. J. Whiting, 1866-1868; H.

B. McKean, 1869-1870.

Franklin--Wm. Hayzlett, 1861-1862 and 1868-1869; Henry Kepler, 1863-1867; C. H. Kurtz, 1870.

Jackson--Jos. Blodgett, 1861-1862; John P. Fay, 1863 and 1866-1867; Seth Bishop, 1864-1865; Wm. Henderson, 1868-1870.

Linn--William L. Miller, 1861; George Yeisley, 1862-1863; D. M.

Richardson, 1864-1865; J. W. Handley, 1866-1867; James Johnston, 1868-1869; H. C. Platner, 1870.

Maine--Samuel F. Buxton, 1861-1862; L. D. Jordan, 1863-1866; Ormus Clark, 1867-1868; E. A. Warner, 1869, seat contested in 1870 and board declared seat vacant and notified trustees of Maine township.

Marion--A. J. Twogood, 1861-1862; A. B. Dumont, 1863, resigned and term completed by A. Manson; A. Manson, 1864; R. D. Stephens, 1865-1869; R.

D. Stephens and E. A. Vaughn, 1870.

Monroe--Daniel Albaugh, 1861-1869; M. N. Kramer, 1870.

Otter Creek--James H. Mason, 1861-1862; L. F. Dance, 1863-1864; Caleb Hendryx, 1865-1866; John Lanning, 1867-1868; Henry Harris, 1869; A. F.

Yambert, 1870.

Putnam--Wiley Fitz, 1861-1862; Elmore H. p.r.i.c.kett, 1863-1864; Abner Arrowsmith, 1865, resigned and term completed by Ferdinand Kershner; Ferdinand Kershner, 1866-1867; Joseph Moorhead, 1868-1870.

Rapids--John Weare, 1861, 1864 and 1867; J. F. Charles, 1862; Charles Weare, 1863; J. M. Chambers, 1865; H. G. Angle, 1866; William Stewart and William Richmond, 1868; William Stewart and Charles Weare, 1869; Charles Weare and W. D. Watrous, 1870.

Spring Grove--J. H. Fairchild, 1861-1862 and 1864 to 1866, and 1869-1870; R. C. Shinn, 1863; J. H. Walton, 1867-1868.

Washington--Corydon Gilchrist, 1861; John Carr, 1862 and 1867-1868; Z.

Mentzer, 1863-1864; William Langsdale, 1865-1866; E. D. Hazletine, 1869-1870.

In 1870 the number of the board was reduced to three members, one being elected each year in the county at large, but at the 1874 election the county had been divided into three supervisor districts and a supervisor was elected from each district as at present. The following persons have served up to date:

FIRST DISTRICT