JAMES LEE. James Lee, one of the early settlers of Polk county, was loved for his genial disposition, and honored for his noble principles, which were manifest in his helpful cooperation with many movements for the moral progress of this section of the state. To the many who knew him, he was, as one of his friends expressed it "largely the ideal of the perfect man, friend and citizen." His life was a continuous example of helpful service to others and such an example could not be other than an encouragement and an inspiration. He was born in Delaware county, Ohio, May 23, 1822, a son of Hugh and Mary Ann (Kinkade) Lee, both of whom were Virginians, in which state they were married in 1821. Immediately after they removed to Delaware county, Ohio, where their six children, five sons and a daughter, were all born. Of these James Lee, who was the eldest, was the last survivor. His brothers were: William Elliott Lee, who died in Denver in 1886; Rev. S. A. Lee, who for a number of years was a presiding elder in the Methodist church in Iowa; General John C. Lee, of Toledo, Ohio; and George W. Lee, of Daviess county, Missouri.
The public schools and academy of his native county afforded James Lee his educational privileges. He did not attend college with his brothers for the reason that his father, who had an extensive leather business, wished his eldest son to engage in business with him. He, therefore, entered into active connection with tanning and saddlery interests with his father in Delaware, Ohio, and later established a potash factory in Marysville, Ohio, being connected in this enterprise with his brother William Elliott Lee.
On the 15th of May, 1845, in Delaware, Ohio, he wedded Maria Louisa Brown, a daughter of Hiram J. L. and Rosanna (Perry) Brown. After a drive to Marysville, escorted by the entire bridal party, the young couple took possession of a home that had been prepared for them in Delaware and remained residents of that city for several years before removing to the west. It was in 1851 that he traveled overland with his father to Iowa for the benefit of the father's health, proceeding after a short stay in Keokuk to Washington, Iowa, where a number of relatives had settled. Pleased with the state and its prospects, Mr. Lee sent for his wife and one child, who joined him in the spring of 1852, making the trip by way of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to Keokuk. Here Mr. Lee met them and they proceeded to Washington, where in the meantime he had established business as a merchant.
Subsequently he became the proprietor of a store in Springfield, Iowa, and afterward in Oskaloosa, forming a partnership with Henry Howard and later with S. P. Farrington, Ill-health, however, necessitated his withdrawal from commercial pursuits that he might enjoy the benefits of outdoor life, and in consequence he removed with his family to Flint, a country place a few miles from Oskaloosa, where they resided for a year or two, prior to their removal to Des Moines. While they were living at Flint, they were visited by Captain James Davis and his family of Des Moines, Mrs. Davis being a cousin of Mrs. Lee, and it was through the influence of Captain Davis that Mr. Lee was induced to come to Des Moines, and engage in business with him. The journey to the capital was made by team, in the spring of 1864, Mr. Lee driving with his family, followed by two prairie schooners containing their household furniture. They first boarded in the Otis home, a two-story frame building at the southeast corner of Third and Walnut streets, until Mr. Lee could purchase a suitable residence, when a removal was made to a frame dwelling at the northwest corner of Twelfth and Sycamore streets, (now Grand Avenue), the family residing there for many years. That district was then considered very remote from the business center, which was at that time on Third street. The Lee residence stood on the main thoroughfare leading to the west and all outgoing travel passed that way.
For years long lines of prairie schooners wended their way toward the setting sun, carrying homeseekers to the region farther on. Indians also came and went, often stopping to ask for food and supplies, and were most pleased at being given corn-meal and bacon, which they prepared after their own fashion. For some time Mr. Lee continued in merchandising in connection with Captain Davis but again the close confinement of this life proved unfavorable to his health, and he found it necessary to engage in a business that would admit of his spending much time in the open air. When the Hawkeye Insurance Company was organized he became identified with it and remained in the insurance business for the rest of his active business life, being connected with both the State and the Des Moines in turn.
After establishing their home in Iowa several children were added to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Lee. Edward, their first-born, however, died in infancy. The second child, Rosanna A., was married in 1878 to Horatio Cox Chambers, a banker of Ottumwa, Iowa, and had two children: Helen Lee Chambers, who died in 1899, at the age of nineteen years; and Charles Edward Chambers, an artist of New York city, who was married in 1907 to Fanny Hamilton Munsell, of Chicago; they have one child, Richard Chambers. Hiram Hugh Lee, the third of the family, was a resident of Denver, where he died in 1899. In 1890 he had married Susie Sloss, of North Bend, Nebraska, and they had one child, James Robert Lee. Charles Fenelon Lee of Toledo, Ohio, was married in 1883 to John Clifford Hodges, of Junction City, Kansas, and they had three children: Katharine Hodges Lee, who died in 1904; John Clifford Lee, of the United States Army, who was graduated at West Point in 1910; and Josephine Lee. Helen M. Lee, of Des Moines, the youngest of the children of Mr. and Mrs. James Lee, has been first assistant state librarian since 1898.
Death came to the husband and father on the 5th of January, 1904, when he was eighty-one years of age. Business had perhaps been the least important phase of his career; to him it was ever a means to an end; he desired to surround his family with such comforts and material things as would add to their welfare and happiness, but aside from this he had no real desire for wealth. His activities reached out along other lines in a helpful spirit that recognized the needs of the world and attempted to meet them. He neglected none of the obligations of citizenship and believed it his duty as well as his privilege to exercise his right of franchise. In early manhood he supported the Whig party until its dissolution, when he joined the ranks of the new republican party and became one of its stanch advocates, never wavering in its support. Though an enthusiastic worker for the cause of prohibition, he relied upon the republican party to champion the cause of right in all moral issues. He never sought for himself a political office, but he realized that it was the duty of every citizen to use his influence in securing good government, and this to Mr. Lee meant the passage of good laws and the placing of good men in office-men who would enforce the laws -- thus bringing about the best moral conditions possible. In this direction his influence was always exerted and for years this influence was a power to be reckoned with in the political life of Polk county. His position on the temperance question was never an equivocal one and he became an active member of the Good Templars Society in the early days of its organization. He belonged also to the Tippecanoe Club and to the Octogenarian Society. He was one of the early members of the Polk County Bible Society, taking a prominent part in all its activities. Following the trend of Scotch ancestry on his mother's side he was always identified with the Presbyterian church. From the Des Moines Daily Capital of January 6, 1904, we quote the following:
"Perhaps Father Lee, as everybody called him, was best known in religious circles. He was converted in Ohio when he was but seventeen years old. From that time to his death he was an active worker in the church. Here he found a multitude of opportunities to serve God and his fellowmen. He was elected an elder in the church when he was only thirty years old and served as an officer in the Central Presbyterian church of this city before and after its union with the Old School church. When the Central Presbyterian church was located on Fourth street Mr. Lee was acting as a member of the session. His pastor at that time was Rev. Thompson Bird. Some twenty years ago Mr. Lee moved with his family to the northwest part of the city and soon after, in cooperation with Rev. W. J. Young, he founded the Sixth Presbyterian church, which is now one of the strongest churches of the city. The first meetings were held in a tent on Twenty-second street and Cottage Grove avenue. When the formal organization of the congregation was made Mr. Lee withdrew from the Central Presbyterian church and became a member of the new society, being elected one of its first elders, an office which he held up to the time of his death. Not only in the particular church to which he belonged but in other churches Mr. Lee worked. He was known throughout Iowa as a lay evangelist. For weeks at a time he would hold meetings in nearby towns and in these meetings many were converted. Not a few faithful Christians today were brought into the kingdom through the influence of "Father Lee. A special work that was near to his heart was the establishing of Sunday schools. Wherever there was a community without religious instructions there Mr. Lee went to begin a school which he nursed until it was old enough to take care of itself. In this way he founded many churches which today are strong organizations.
"Mr. Lee was always the first one to visit the sick. Never did he hear of the illness of a neighbor or friend, or indeed of a stranger needing a friend, but that he was at the bedside frequently, giving assistance and speaking words of counsel and comfort.
"The sum of this good man's kindness and helpfulness will never be known. He proved his profession true. He was a Christian. His life was long and filled from first to last with service in the Master's name."
[Johnson Brigham, 'City of Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa' (Des Moines, IA: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1911), pp. 1422-1424]
Contributor: Ralph Wilson (49222058)
------------------------------------------------------
in same lot: James, Maria L.B., Helen M.
The public schools and academy of his native county afforded James Lee his educational privileges. He did not attend college with his brothers for the reason that his father, who had an extensive leather business, wished his eldest son to engage in business with him. He, therefore, entered into active connection with tanning and saddlery interests with his father in Delaware, Ohio, and later established a potash factory in Marysville, Ohio, being connected in this enterprise with his brother William Elliott Lee.
On the 15th of May, 1845, in Delaware, Ohio, he wedded Maria Louisa Brown, a daughter of Hiram J. L. and Rosanna (Perry) Brown. After a drive to Marysville, escorted by the entire bridal party, the young couple took possession of a home that had been prepared for them in Delaware and remained residents of that city for several years before removing to the west. It was in 1851 that he traveled overland with his father to Iowa for the benefit of the father's health, proceeding after a short stay in Keokuk to Washington, Iowa, where a number of relatives had settled. Pleased with the state and its prospects, Mr. Lee sent for his wife and one child, who joined him in the spring of 1852, making the trip by way of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to Keokuk. Here Mr. Lee met them and they proceeded to Washington, where in the meantime he had established business as a merchant.
Subsequently he became the proprietor of a store in Springfield, Iowa, and afterward in Oskaloosa, forming a partnership with Henry Howard and later with S. P. Farrington, Ill-health, however, necessitated his withdrawal from commercial pursuits that he might enjoy the benefits of outdoor life, and in consequence he removed with his family to Flint, a country place a few miles from Oskaloosa, where they resided for a year or two, prior to their removal to Des Moines. While they were living at Flint, they were visited by Captain James Davis and his family of Des Moines, Mrs. Davis being a cousin of Mrs. Lee, and it was through the influence of Captain Davis that Mr. Lee was induced to come to Des Moines, and engage in business with him. The journey to the capital was made by team, in the spring of 1864, Mr. Lee driving with his family, followed by two prairie schooners containing their household furniture. They first boarded in the Otis home, a two-story frame building at the southeast corner of Third and Walnut streets, until Mr. Lee could purchase a suitable residence, when a removal was made to a frame dwelling at the northwest corner of Twelfth and Sycamore streets, (now Grand Avenue), the family residing there for many years. That district was then considered very remote from the business center, which was at that time on Third street. The Lee residence stood on the main thoroughfare leading to the west and all outgoing travel passed that way.
For years long lines of prairie schooners wended their way toward the setting sun, carrying homeseekers to the region farther on. Indians also came and went, often stopping to ask for food and supplies, and were most pleased at being given corn-meal and bacon, which they prepared after their own fashion. For some time Mr. Lee continued in merchandising in connection with Captain Davis but again the close confinement of this life proved unfavorable to his health, and he found it necessary to engage in a business that would admit of his spending much time in the open air. When the Hawkeye Insurance Company was organized he became identified with it and remained in the insurance business for the rest of his active business life, being connected with both the State and the Des Moines in turn.
After establishing their home in Iowa several children were added to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Lee. Edward, their first-born, however, died in infancy. The second child, Rosanna A., was married in 1878 to Horatio Cox Chambers, a banker of Ottumwa, Iowa, and had two children: Helen Lee Chambers, who died in 1899, at the age of nineteen years; and Charles Edward Chambers, an artist of New York city, who was married in 1907 to Fanny Hamilton Munsell, of Chicago; they have one child, Richard Chambers. Hiram Hugh Lee, the third of the family, was a resident of Denver, where he died in 1899. In 1890 he had married Susie Sloss, of North Bend, Nebraska, and they had one child, James Robert Lee. Charles Fenelon Lee of Toledo, Ohio, was married in 1883 to John Clifford Hodges, of Junction City, Kansas, and they had three children: Katharine Hodges Lee, who died in 1904; John Clifford Lee, of the United States Army, who was graduated at West Point in 1910; and Josephine Lee. Helen M. Lee, of Des Moines, the youngest of the children of Mr. and Mrs. James Lee, has been first assistant state librarian since 1898.
Death came to the husband and father on the 5th of January, 1904, when he was eighty-one years of age. Business had perhaps been the least important phase of his career; to him it was ever a means to an end; he desired to surround his family with such comforts and material things as would add to their welfare and happiness, but aside from this he had no real desire for wealth. His activities reached out along other lines in a helpful spirit that recognized the needs of the world and attempted to meet them. He neglected none of the obligations of citizenship and believed it his duty as well as his privilege to exercise his right of franchise. In early manhood he supported the Whig party until its dissolution, when he joined the ranks of the new republican party and became one of its stanch advocates, never wavering in its support. Though an enthusiastic worker for the cause of prohibition, he relied upon the republican party to champion the cause of right in all moral issues. He never sought for himself a political office, but he realized that it was the duty of every citizen to use his influence in securing good government, and this to Mr. Lee meant the passage of good laws and the placing of good men in office-men who would enforce the laws -- thus bringing about the best moral conditions possible. In this direction his influence was always exerted and for years this influence was a power to be reckoned with in the political life of Polk county. His position on the temperance question was never an equivocal one and he became an active member of the Good Templars Society in the early days of its organization. He belonged also to the Tippecanoe Club and to the Octogenarian Society. He was one of the early members of the Polk County Bible Society, taking a prominent part in all its activities. Following the trend of Scotch ancestry on his mother's side he was always identified with the Presbyterian church. From the Des Moines Daily Capital of January 6, 1904, we quote the following:
"Perhaps Father Lee, as everybody called him, was best known in religious circles. He was converted in Ohio when he was but seventeen years old. From that time to his death he was an active worker in the church. Here he found a multitude of opportunities to serve God and his fellowmen. He was elected an elder in the church when he was only thirty years old and served as an officer in the Central Presbyterian church of this city before and after its union with the Old School church. When the Central Presbyterian church was located on Fourth street Mr. Lee was acting as a member of the session. His pastor at that time was Rev. Thompson Bird. Some twenty years ago Mr. Lee moved with his family to the northwest part of the city and soon after, in cooperation with Rev. W. J. Young, he founded the Sixth Presbyterian church, which is now one of the strongest churches of the city. The first meetings were held in a tent on Twenty-second street and Cottage Grove avenue. When the formal organization of the congregation was made Mr. Lee withdrew from the Central Presbyterian church and became a member of the new society, being elected one of its first elders, an office which he held up to the time of his death. Not only in the particular church to which he belonged but in other churches Mr. Lee worked. He was known throughout Iowa as a lay evangelist. For weeks at a time he would hold meetings in nearby towns and in these meetings many were converted. Not a few faithful Christians today were brought into the kingdom through the influence of "Father Lee. A special work that was near to his heart was the establishing of Sunday schools. Wherever there was a community without religious instructions there Mr. Lee went to begin a school which he nursed until it was old enough to take care of itself. In this way he founded many churches which today are strong organizations.
"Mr. Lee was always the first one to visit the sick. Never did he hear of the illness of a neighbor or friend, or indeed of a stranger needing a friend, but that he was at the bedside frequently, giving assistance and speaking words of counsel and comfort.
"The sum of this good man's kindness and helpfulness will never be known. He proved his profession true. He was a Christian. His life was long and filled from first to last with service in the Master's name."
[Johnson Brigham, 'City of Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa' (Des Moines, IA: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1911), pp. 1422-1424]
Contributor: Ralph Wilson (49222058)
------------------------------------------------------
in same lot: James, Maria L.B., Helen M.
JAMES LEE. James Lee, one of the early settlers of Polk county, was loved for his genial disposition, and honored for his noble principles, which were manifest in his helpful cooperation with many movements for the moral progress of this section of the state. To the many who knew him, he was, as one of his friends expressed it "largely the ideal of the perfect man, friend and citizen." His life was a continuous example of helpful service to others and such an example could not be other than an encouragement and an inspiration. He was born in Delaware county, Ohio, May 23, 1822, a son of Hugh and Mary Ann (Kinkade) Lee, both of whom were Virginians, in which state they were married in 1821. Immediately after they removed to Delaware county, Ohio, where their six children, five sons and a daughter, were all born. Of these James Lee, who was the eldest, was the last survivor. His brothers were: William Elliott Lee, who died in Denver in 1886; Rev. S. A. Lee, who for a number of years was a presiding elder in the Methodist church in Iowa; General John C. Lee, of Toledo, Ohio; and George W. Lee, of Daviess county, Missouri.
The public schools and academy of his native county afforded James Lee his educational privileges. He did not attend college with his brothers for the reason that his father, who had an extensive leather business, wished his eldest son to engage in business with him. He, therefore, entered into active connection with tanning and saddlery interests with his father in Delaware, Ohio, and later established a potash factory in Marysville, Ohio, being connected in this enterprise with his brother William Elliott Lee.
On the 15th of May, 1845, in Delaware, Ohio, he wedded Maria Louisa Brown, a daughter of Hiram J. L. and Rosanna (Perry) Brown. After a drive to Marysville, escorted by the entire bridal party, the young couple took possession of a home that had been prepared for them in Delaware and remained residents of that city for several years before removing to the west. It was in 1851 that he traveled overland with his father to Iowa for the benefit of the father's health, proceeding after a short stay in Keokuk to Washington, Iowa, where a number of relatives had settled. Pleased with the state and its prospects, Mr. Lee sent for his wife and one child, who joined him in the spring of 1852, making the trip by way of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to Keokuk. Here Mr. Lee met them and they proceeded to Washington, where in the meantime he had established business as a merchant.
Subsequently he became the proprietor of a store in Springfield, Iowa, and afterward in Oskaloosa, forming a partnership with Henry Howard and later with S. P. Farrington, Ill-health, however, necessitated his withdrawal from commercial pursuits that he might enjoy the benefits of outdoor life, and in consequence he removed with his family to Flint, a country place a few miles from Oskaloosa, where they resided for a year or two, prior to their removal to Des Moines. While they were living at Flint, they were visited by Captain James Davis and his family of Des Moines, Mrs. Davis being a cousin of Mrs. Lee, and it was through the influence of Captain Davis that Mr. Lee was induced to come to Des Moines, and engage in business with him. The journey to the capital was made by team, in the spring of 1864, Mr. Lee driving with his family, followed by two prairie schooners containing their household furniture. They first boarded in the Otis home, a two-story frame building at the southeast corner of Third and Walnut streets, until Mr. Lee could purchase a suitable residence, when a removal was made to a frame dwelling at the northwest corner of Twelfth and Sycamore streets, (now Grand Avenue), the family residing there for many years. That district was then considered very remote from the business center, which was at that time on Third street. The Lee residence stood on the main thoroughfare leading to the west and all outgoing travel passed that way.
For years long lines of prairie schooners wended their way toward the setting sun, carrying homeseekers to the region farther on. Indians also came and went, often stopping to ask for food and supplies, and were most pleased at being given corn-meal and bacon, which they prepared after their own fashion. For some time Mr. Lee continued in merchandising in connection with Captain Davis but again the close confinement of this life proved unfavorable to his health, and he found it necessary to engage in a business that would admit of his spending much time in the open air. When the Hawkeye Insurance Company was organized he became identified with it and remained in the insurance business for the rest of his active business life, being connected with both the State and the Des Moines in turn.
After establishing their home in Iowa several children were added to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Lee. Edward, their first-born, however, died in infancy. The second child, Rosanna A., was married in 1878 to Horatio Cox Chambers, a banker of Ottumwa, Iowa, and had two children: Helen Lee Chambers, who died in 1899, at the age of nineteen years; and Charles Edward Chambers, an artist of New York city, who was married in 1907 to Fanny Hamilton Munsell, of Chicago; they have one child, Richard Chambers. Hiram Hugh Lee, the third of the family, was a resident of Denver, where he died in 1899. In 1890 he had married Susie Sloss, of North Bend, Nebraska, and they had one child, James Robert Lee. Charles Fenelon Lee of Toledo, Ohio, was married in 1883 to John Clifford Hodges, of Junction City, Kansas, and they had three children: Katharine Hodges Lee, who died in 1904; John Clifford Lee, of the United States Army, who was graduated at West Point in 1910; and Josephine Lee. Helen M. Lee, of Des Moines, the youngest of the children of Mr. and Mrs. James Lee, has been first assistant state librarian since 1898.
Death came to the husband and father on the 5th of January, 1904, when he was eighty-one years of age. Business had perhaps been the least important phase of his career; to him it was ever a means to an end; he desired to surround his family with such comforts and material things as would add to their welfare and happiness, but aside from this he had no real desire for wealth. His activities reached out along other lines in a helpful spirit that recognized the needs of the world and attempted to meet them. He neglected none of the obligations of citizenship and believed it his duty as well as his privilege to exercise his right of franchise. In early manhood he supported the Whig party until its dissolution, when he joined the ranks of the new republican party and became one of its stanch advocates, never wavering in its support. Though an enthusiastic worker for the cause of prohibition, he relied upon the republican party to champion the cause of right in all moral issues. He never sought for himself a political office, but he realized that it was the duty of every citizen to use his influence in securing good government, and this to Mr. Lee meant the passage of good laws and the placing of good men in office-men who would enforce the laws -- thus bringing about the best moral conditions possible. In this direction his influence was always exerted and for years this influence was a power to be reckoned with in the political life of Polk county. His position on the temperance question was never an equivocal one and he became an active member of the Good Templars Society in the early days of its organization. He belonged also to the Tippecanoe Club and to the Octogenarian Society. He was one of the early members of the Polk County Bible Society, taking a prominent part in all its activities. Following the trend of Scotch ancestry on his mother's side he was always identified with the Presbyterian church. From the Des Moines Daily Capital of January 6, 1904, we quote the following:
"Perhaps Father Lee, as everybody called him, was best known in religious circles. He was converted in Ohio when he was but seventeen years old. From that time to his death he was an active worker in the church. Here he found a multitude of opportunities to serve God and his fellowmen. He was elected an elder in the church when he was only thirty years old and served as an officer in the Central Presbyterian church of this city before and after its union with the Old School church. When the Central Presbyterian church was located on Fourth street Mr. Lee was acting as a member of the session. His pastor at that time was Rev. Thompson Bird. Some twenty years ago Mr. Lee moved with his family to the northwest part of the city and soon after, in cooperation with Rev. W. J. Young, he founded the Sixth Presbyterian church, which is now one of the strongest churches of the city. The first meetings were held in a tent on Twenty-second street and Cottage Grove avenue. When the formal organization of the congregation was made Mr. Lee withdrew from the Central Presbyterian church and became a member of the new society, being elected one of its first elders, an office which he held up to the time of his death. Not only in the particular church to which he belonged but in other churches Mr. Lee worked. He was known throughout Iowa as a lay evangelist. For weeks at a time he would hold meetings in nearby towns and in these meetings many were converted. Not a few faithful Christians today were brought into the kingdom through the influence of "Father Lee. A special work that was near to his heart was the establishing of Sunday schools. Wherever there was a community without religious instructions there Mr. Lee went to begin a school which he nursed until it was old enough to take care of itself. In this way he founded many churches which today are strong organizations.
"Mr. Lee was always the first one to visit the sick. Never did he hear of the illness of a neighbor or friend, or indeed of a stranger needing a friend, but that he was at the bedside frequently, giving assistance and speaking words of counsel and comfort.
"The sum of this good man's kindness and helpfulness will never be known. He proved his profession true. He was a Christian. His life was long and filled from first to last with service in the Master's name."
[Johnson Brigham, 'City of Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa' (Des Moines, IA: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1911), pp. 1422-1424]
Contributor: Ralph Wilson (49222058)
------------------------------------------------------
in same lot: James, Maria L.B., Helen M.
The public schools and academy of his native county afforded James Lee his educational privileges. He did not attend college with his brothers for the reason that his father, who had an extensive leather business, wished his eldest son to engage in business with him. He, therefore, entered into active connection with tanning and saddlery interests with his father in Delaware, Ohio, and later established a potash factory in Marysville, Ohio, being connected in this enterprise with his brother William Elliott Lee.
On the 15th of May, 1845, in Delaware, Ohio, he wedded Maria Louisa Brown, a daughter of Hiram J. L. and Rosanna (Perry) Brown. After a drive to Marysville, escorted by the entire bridal party, the young couple took possession of a home that had been prepared for them in Delaware and remained residents of that city for several years before removing to the west. It was in 1851 that he traveled overland with his father to Iowa for the benefit of the father's health, proceeding after a short stay in Keokuk to Washington, Iowa, where a number of relatives had settled. Pleased with the state and its prospects, Mr. Lee sent for his wife and one child, who joined him in the spring of 1852, making the trip by way of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to Keokuk. Here Mr. Lee met them and they proceeded to Washington, where in the meantime he had established business as a merchant.
Subsequently he became the proprietor of a store in Springfield, Iowa, and afterward in Oskaloosa, forming a partnership with Henry Howard and later with S. P. Farrington, Ill-health, however, necessitated his withdrawal from commercial pursuits that he might enjoy the benefits of outdoor life, and in consequence he removed with his family to Flint, a country place a few miles from Oskaloosa, where they resided for a year or two, prior to their removal to Des Moines. While they were living at Flint, they were visited by Captain James Davis and his family of Des Moines, Mrs. Davis being a cousin of Mrs. Lee, and it was through the influence of Captain Davis that Mr. Lee was induced to come to Des Moines, and engage in business with him. The journey to the capital was made by team, in the spring of 1864, Mr. Lee driving with his family, followed by two prairie schooners containing their household furniture. They first boarded in the Otis home, a two-story frame building at the southeast corner of Third and Walnut streets, until Mr. Lee could purchase a suitable residence, when a removal was made to a frame dwelling at the northwest corner of Twelfth and Sycamore streets, (now Grand Avenue), the family residing there for many years. That district was then considered very remote from the business center, which was at that time on Third street. The Lee residence stood on the main thoroughfare leading to the west and all outgoing travel passed that way.
For years long lines of prairie schooners wended their way toward the setting sun, carrying homeseekers to the region farther on. Indians also came and went, often stopping to ask for food and supplies, and were most pleased at being given corn-meal and bacon, which they prepared after their own fashion. For some time Mr. Lee continued in merchandising in connection with Captain Davis but again the close confinement of this life proved unfavorable to his health, and he found it necessary to engage in a business that would admit of his spending much time in the open air. When the Hawkeye Insurance Company was organized he became identified with it and remained in the insurance business for the rest of his active business life, being connected with both the State and the Des Moines in turn.
After establishing their home in Iowa several children were added to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Lee. Edward, their first-born, however, died in infancy. The second child, Rosanna A., was married in 1878 to Horatio Cox Chambers, a banker of Ottumwa, Iowa, and had two children: Helen Lee Chambers, who died in 1899, at the age of nineteen years; and Charles Edward Chambers, an artist of New York city, who was married in 1907 to Fanny Hamilton Munsell, of Chicago; they have one child, Richard Chambers. Hiram Hugh Lee, the third of the family, was a resident of Denver, where he died in 1899. In 1890 he had married Susie Sloss, of North Bend, Nebraska, and they had one child, James Robert Lee. Charles Fenelon Lee of Toledo, Ohio, was married in 1883 to John Clifford Hodges, of Junction City, Kansas, and they had three children: Katharine Hodges Lee, who died in 1904; John Clifford Lee, of the United States Army, who was graduated at West Point in 1910; and Josephine Lee. Helen M. Lee, of Des Moines, the youngest of the children of Mr. and Mrs. James Lee, has been first assistant state librarian since 1898.
Death came to the husband and father on the 5th of January, 1904, when he was eighty-one years of age. Business had perhaps been the least important phase of his career; to him it was ever a means to an end; he desired to surround his family with such comforts and material things as would add to their welfare and happiness, but aside from this he had no real desire for wealth. His activities reached out along other lines in a helpful spirit that recognized the needs of the world and attempted to meet them. He neglected none of the obligations of citizenship and believed it his duty as well as his privilege to exercise his right of franchise. In early manhood he supported the Whig party until its dissolution, when he joined the ranks of the new republican party and became one of its stanch advocates, never wavering in its support. Though an enthusiastic worker for the cause of prohibition, he relied upon the republican party to champion the cause of right in all moral issues. He never sought for himself a political office, but he realized that it was the duty of every citizen to use his influence in securing good government, and this to Mr. Lee meant the passage of good laws and the placing of good men in office-men who would enforce the laws -- thus bringing about the best moral conditions possible. In this direction his influence was always exerted and for years this influence was a power to be reckoned with in the political life of Polk county. His position on the temperance question was never an equivocal one and he became an active member of the Good Templars Society in the early days of its organization. He belonged also to the Tippecanoe Club and to the Octogenarian Society. He was one of the early members of the Polk County Bible Society, taking a prominent part in all its activities. Following the trend of Scotch ancestry on his mother's side he was always identified with the Presbyterian church. From the Des Moines Daily Capital of January 6, 1904, we quote the following:
"Perhaps Father Lee, as everybody called him, was best known in religious circles. He was converted in Ohio when he was but seventeen years old. From that time to his death he was an active worker in the church. Here he found a multitude of opportunities to serve God and his fellowmen. He was elected an elder in the church when he was only thirty years old and served as an officer in the Central Presbyterian church of this city before and after its union with the Old School church. When the Central Presbyterian church was located on Fourth street Mr. Lee was acting as a member of the session. His pastor at that time was Rev. Thompson Bird. Some twenty years ago Mr. Lee moved with his family to the northwest part of the city and soon after, in cooperation with Rev. W. J. Young, he founded the Sixth Presbyterian church, which is now one of the strongest churches of the city. The first meetings were held in a tent on Twenty-second street and Cottage Grove avenue. When the formal organization of the congregation was made Mr. Lee withdrew from the Central Presbyterian church and became a member of the new society, being elected one of its first elders, an office which he held up to the time of his death. Not only in the particular church to which he belonged but in other churches Mr. Lee worked. He was known throughout Iowa as a lay evangelist. For weeks at a time he would hold meetings in nearby towns and in these meetings many were converted. Not a few faithful Christians today were brought into the kingdom through the influence of "Father Lee. A special work that was near to his heart was the establishing of Sunday schools. Wherever there was a community without religious instructions there Mr. Lee went to begin a school which he nursed until it was old enough to take care of itself. In this way he founded many churches which today are strong organizations.
"Mr. Lee was always the first one to visit the sick. Never did he hear of the illness of a neighbor or friend, or indeed of a stranger needing a friend, but that he was at the bedside frequently, giving assistance and speaking words of counsel and comfort.
"The sum of this good man's kindness and helpfulness will never be known. He proved his profession true. He was a Christian. His life was long and filled from first to last with service in the Master's name."
[Johnson Brigham, 'City of Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa' (Des Moines, IA: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1911), pp. 1422-1424]
Contributor: Ralph Wilson (49222058)
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in same lot: James, Maria L.B., Helen M.
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