In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1907) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1835, Ashland county
From History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, from the earliest historic times to 1907 (1907), Biographical history of Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States, with accompanying biographies ... history of Iowa, with ... biographies of the gove (1891)
JOSEPH R. REED, of Council fj Bluffs, is of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and ftg a descendant of those hardy Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, so prominent in the early history of Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the United States. Joseph Reed, the great-grandfather of our subject, came to Pennsylvania in an early day, settling in Chanceford, York County. He was a man of more than ordinary ability; was a Colonel in the Revolutionary war; a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature, and introduced measures for the manumission of the slaves in that State, which was adopted about 1793-'94. He was a farmer, land-owner and miller. His wife was a worthy and resolute woman, and during her husband's absence in the army she ran the mill and ground flour to feed the army. Both he and his wife were Presbyterians, and had a large family, among whom was James Reed, the grandfather of our subject. The latter removed to Washington County, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in farming. He married Elizabeth Reed, a distant relative of her husband, and they had four sons and two daughters.
One son, William Reed, the father of" our subject, was a farmer by occupation, and was married in Washington County, Pennsylvania, to Miss Roseaiina Lyle, the daughter of Robert Lyle. The latter was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. In 1820 William Reed moved to Ohio, and settled in what is now Ashland County, near the present village of McKay, where he cleared a farm, and where both he and his wife lived until death. Tiiey had three sons and three daukfliters who grew to maturity, namely: James O., a farmer in his youth, and later a teacher, and died on his farm in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana; Sarah J., who resides with her brother. Judge Reed, in Council Blntfs; Hon. James R., our subject; Elizabeth, wife of Rev. D. A. Newell, of Wooster, Ohio; William, a merchant at Londonville, Ohio; Rosanna, wife of Jesse R. Ilissem, also of Londonville.
Hon. Joseph R. Reed was born on the old homestead in Ashland County, Ohio, March 12. 1835. He was educated in the common schools, and at the Vermillion Institute at Hayesville, Ohio. He removed to Iowa in March, 1857, settling at Adel, Dallas County, where he taught school, and also studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1859, and immediately began practice at that place, continuing until the outbreak of the late war. He enlisted in July, 1861, as First Lieutenant in the Second Iowa Rattery, and served until July, 1865; in 1864 he was promoted Captain of the battery.
At the close of the war Mr. Reed returned to Adel, Iowa, where he resumed the practice of law. Ho was elected a State Senator in 1865, and served in the Eleventh and Twelfth General Assemblies, and in the summer of 1869 removed to this city, where he has since resided. September 1, 1872, he was appointed Judge of the District ('ourt, and served as such until January, 1884; from January, 1884, to March 1, 1889, he served as Judge of the Supreme Court, and in November, 1888, was elected a member of the Fifty-first Congress.
[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]
fERY E. B REN EM AN, of section 30 Macedonia Township, was born in Hancock County, Ohio, December 13,1845, the son of Kichard and Sarah (Clark) Breneman, both born in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, and reared in Columbiana County, Ohio, and of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. The parents were married in that county, and afterward removed to Hancock County, same State, and in the fall of 1854 to Iowa County, Iowa, settling tea miles south of Marengo. They were early settlers in that portion of the State. They came to Pottawattamie County, Washington Township, Iowa, in 1881, where the father died in the spring of 1883, and the mother still resides in Washington Township.
Nery E. Breneraan, our subject, cime to Iowa in 1879, and bought his land in the spring of 1875, which was wild and uncultivated. He has, since residing upon it, improved it in a good manner, and his pasture and meadow is well adapted to general farming and stock-raising. He was married March 1, 1882, to Miss Celia Kanke, who was born in Adams County, Illinois, the daughter of Christian and Anna (Weeks) Kanke, the former a native of Germany, and the latter of England. Mrs. Breneman was five years old when her parents came to Pottawattamie County. The parents now reside in Macetlonia. Mr. and Mrs. Broneman have two children: Howard, born July 31, 1885, and
Alma Frances, born August 11, 1888. Politically Mr. Breneman is a Democrat, but has never aspired for political distinction. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., Macedonia Lodge, No. 421.
tQGUST KAVEN, the pioneer settler and the man who erected the first building in Minden, now the residence of James Crow, is the real founder of this city, having erected most of the buildings, and is now one of the substantial business men of the town. He was born in Holstein, Germany, September 14, 1842, the son of Henry Kaven, who was the father of three children now living: Henry, Dora and August. The father was a farmer by occupation, and lived to the age of eighty-six years. His wife lived to the extreme old age of ninety years. Her maiden name was Dora Westfall.
August Kaven, our subject, after visiting the principal cities of Germany, Switzerland and France, came to America, in 1866. He located in New York city, where he worked at his trade of cabinet-maker about nine months. He then removed to the city of Philadelphia, where he remained four months. He next moved to Chicago, and was in that city during the great fire, after which he worked in rebuilding the city until 1873, when he came to Avoca, where he remained for a few months, working on the bank building. January 22, 1874, he came to Minden, having the contract to build the residence for Casper Foster, but on account of the deep snow he was unable to find the states making the lots. He was next engaged in building the residence now occupied by August Dolen, and then the building now occupied l)y John Bloom, which was the first business block erected in this city that time Mr. Kaven has been one of the prominent builders and contractors in Minden and the surrounding country, and has at times employed as many as fifteen men. He is now holding the ottice of Township Trustee and commissioner, and was also Justice of the Peace four years. He is now a member of the First Council of Minden. Mr. Kaven owns his residence, five lots and the store and lot now occupied by John Crow. He is a self-made man, having come to America with no knowledge of the English language and in a strange country made his own property. He came from Avoca to Minden by wagon, and brought with him food for himself and men. Henry tJrbahns, a carpenter, came about four days after Mr. Kaven, bringing his family and one man, and all of the people lived in a shanty on the lot now occupied by the Minden House. Mr. Kaven built the first school-house in tin's city in 1874, and the first church, the German Lutheran, in 1880. He also built the Minden House, the Union Hotel, and all the places on the road, on which the Minden House now stands.
Socially he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and of the L O. O. F. of Neola. Politically he has always been a Republican, but is now a believe of the great Democratic party. He was married in Frankfort, Illinois, in 1867, to Miss Margaret Klepper, and they have eight children, namely: Lena, Emma, Charles, August, William, Edith, Lucy and Minnie.
Since
As printed in Biographical history of Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States, with accompanying biographies ... history of Iowa, with ... biographies of the gove (1891). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
HON. JOSEPH PEA REED.
Joseph Rea Reed was born in Ashland county, Ohio, on the 12th of March, 1835, his parents being William and Rosanna L. (Lyle) Reed, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. He is a lineal descendant of Joseph Reed, who became a resident nf Pennsylvania in an early day, settling in Chanceford, York county. He was a member of the convention of the colony of Pennsylvania at its session in Carpenter's hall at the time of the convention which formulated the Declaration of Independence was in session in Independence hall. He subsequently served as a colonel in the Revolutionary war and was still later a member of the legislative assembly, where he introduced and secured the passage of a bill for the manumission of slaves in the Keystone state. This was adopted about 1793-4. In his private business interests he was a farmer, landowner and miller, and his wife, who was a worthy and resolute woman, during her husband's absence in the army, operated a mill and ground flour to feed the soldiers. Colonel Reed and his wife were Presbyterians in religious faith. They reared a large family, including James Reed, who removed to Washington county, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in farming. He wedded Elizabeth Reed, a distant relative, and their family of four sons and two daughters included William Reed, the father of Hon. Joseph R. Reed. William Reed married Rosanna Lyle, daughter of Robert Lyle, a soldier in the Continental army in the Revolutionary war. In 1829 he removed to what is now Ashland county, Ohio, where he secured a farm and both he and his wife remained residents of that locality until death. Their family numbered three sons and three daughters, who reached adult age: James R., a farmer in his youth and later a teacher, died on his farm in St. Landry parish, Louisiana. Sarah J. resides with her brother Joseph in Council Bluffs. Elizabeth is the wife of the Rev. D. A. Newell. William is a merchant, of Loudonville, Ohio, and Rosanna is the wife of Jesse R. Hissem, also of Loudonville.
Upon the home farm in the county of his nativity Joseph Rea Reed spent the days of his boyhood and youth, remaining at home until eighteen years of age, after which time he attended school and taught alternately, meet-
JeorfX aLl..
iiig the expense of his academic course by the money earned in teaching. After completing his studies at Hayesville Academy in Ohio he became a student in the law office of the firm of Dodge & Boyle, at Adel, Iowa, to which city he had removed when twenty-one years of age, and there he was admitted to the bar in 1859. He then practiced his profession in Adel until after the outbreak of the Civil war in 1861, when he offered his services to the government, enlisting in the Second Iowa Battery of Light Artillery, of which he was commissioned first lieutenant. He commanded the battery in all of its engagements after the ist of December, 1862, but was not mustered in as captain until the ist of October, 1864. The battery was engaged against New Madrid, Island No. 10, and in Halleck's advance on Corinth, in which were fought the two battles of Farmington. With his command he was also in the engagements at Iuka, Corinth, Jackson and the siege of Yicksburg, where the flag of the Second Iowa Battery was for many days the colors nearest to the Confederate works. Later came the battles of Tupelo, Hurricane Creek, Abbeville, Nashville and the siege and capture of Mobile.
Captain Reed was mustered out of service in June, 1865, and returned to Adel to resume the practice of his profession. His ability won recognition and led to his selection for political as well as professional honors. In 1866 he was elected to the state senate for a term of two years. In 1869 he removed to Council Bluffs, where he practiced law for a year as a member of the firm of Montgomery, Reed & James, after which the withdrawal of the senior partner left the firm of Reed & James. No dreary novitiate awaited Mr. Reed in Council Bluffs. On the contrary he won almost immediate success and in 1872 he was appointed to fill the vacancy on the bench of the third judicial district. The ability with which he discharged his duties as judge led to his election at three successive terms and his continuance upon the bench as district judge until 1884. He was then elected to the supreme bench of Iowa and his record of appeals was in harmony with his record as a man and lawyer, being distinguished by the utmost fidelity to duty as well as by a masterful grasp of every question which was presented for solution. After five years' service as a member of the supreme court, Judge Reed was elected to congress from the ninth Iowa district and further political honors awaited him on the expiration of his term in Washington, for in 1891 he was appointed chief justice of the court of private land claims by President Harrison. This court had jurisdiction of claims of lands received under grants from Spain and Mexico in the territory acquired by the United States from Mexico under the Guadalupe Hidalgo treaty of 1848 and the Gadsden purchase in 1853. Upon his retirement from that office Judge Reed resumed the private practice of law in Council Bluffs and is numbered among the most successful and distinguished members of the Iowa bar. In 1901 he was elected president of the Commercial Bank of Council Bluffs.
On the ist of November, 1865, was celebrated the marriage of Judge Reed and Miss Jeanette E. Dinsmore, of Ashland county, Ohio, who died on the 27th of July, 1887, and on the 8th of February, 1893, he was again married, his second union being with Edith M. Evans, of Malvern, Ohio. There is one daughter of this union.
Judge Reed is a member of the Masonic fraternity and is interested in the social as well as the political life of his home city. His record is another proof of the fact that the path to public honor is the road to public usefulness. His official service has been characterized by the utmost devotion to the general good and has won him high encomiums, commanding for him the respect of people of all parties. Earnest effort, close application and the exercise of his native talents have won him prestige as a lawyer and judge at a bar which has numbered many distinguished men and Council Bluffs is proud to number him among her citizens.
As printed in History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, from the earliest historic times to 1907 (1907). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops around 1907. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.