Hortensious Lowry Isherwood (1850-1924)

                                   Dr. Hortensious L. Isherwood, ca. 1914, in the possession of John Durbin.

  If you've followed the regular postings here on the site for any length of time you may have noticed that the state of Missouri has been very well represented here over the past three years, with nearly twenty oddly named Missouri political figures receiving write-ups on their respective lives and careers.  Today marks a return to the "Show Me State" to shine a spotlight on Hortensious Lowry Isherwood, a man who in all likelihood is the oddest named person ever to be elected to serve in the Missouri House of Representatives. The following article on this outstandingly named Missouri resident has been over a year in the making, and the succeeding passages on this Jasper County, Missouri resident aim to highlight the life of a man who in his day was one of the preeminent public figures in that county, being a physician, banker, and one-term state representative. 
  I first located the name of Hortensious L. Isherwood in early 2013 while perusing an online copy of the Official Manual of the State of Missouri, 1893-94. Contained therein was a small four-line biography of Isherwood, detailing his service as his physician in both Iowa and Missouri. Immediately intrigued by the man's highly unusual name, I quickly set about tracking down more information on Isherwood, and after a few hours of searching was rewarded with several more pieces of biographical information, as well as a Joplin Globe notice for him that related the particulars of his death in a March 1924 car/train accident in Jasper County.
  Despite having located copious amounts of information on Isherwood, I was at a loss when it came to finding a picture of him. For over a year he remained a "faceless" political figure, and this lack of a portrait eventually led me to begin a furtive search for a historical society in the Jasper County area that could help me locate one. After reaching multiple dead ends (including finding that Jasper County has no "historical society" to speak of), I decided on an alternate route, and after stumbling across the City of Carl Junction website (which, coincidentally, mentions Mr. Isherwood) began work on a lengthy e-mail explaining my project and interest in Mr. Isherwood's life.
    A few days afterward I received a reply from Carl Junction city clerk Meribeth Matney, who related that she would forward my message to Carl Junction historian John Durbin. This was the beginning of a very fruitful correspondence between myself, Maribeth, and John, one which resulted in several Isherwood-related documents being copied and sent to me, including the two portraits of him that adorn the beginning and end of his profile here. I'd like to extend my thanks to both Maribeth and John for their extensive help in sending me a veritable treasure trove of documents centering on Isherwood's time in Carl Junction, and I can state that this profile would not have been possible without Maribeth Matney and John Durbin's help and input! Many, many thanks for all your help!!
   With that introduction, we begin with the birth of Hortensious Lowry Isherwood, which occurred in the town of Franklin, Linn County, Iowa on October 17, 1850, being the eldest of four children born to Thomas Green (1816-1890) and Herpalice Lowry Isherwood (1816-1904). A native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Thomas G. Isherwood spent the first three decades of his life in that state and married in 1849 to the aforementioned Herpalice Lowry, a native of Westmoreland County. The origins of our subject's intriguing name can be traced directly back to the maternal side of his family, as Herpalice Lowry's brother possessed the name......Hortensius! Hortensius Lowry (1818-1895) was for many years a prosperous farmer in Rostraver, Pennsylvania, owning a near 400-acre farm in that town. Described as a man "called to fill many of the town offices", both Hortensius Lowry and his oddly named nephew shared the same political affiliation, being lifelong Democrats.  While he may have been named in honor of his maternal uncle, Isherwood's first name is recorded by more than one source as "Hortensious" (you'll notice the spelling variation there) and it is this spelling that is engraved on his gravestone at the Carl Junction Cemetery.
    Isherwood began his education in the public schools of Linn County and would go on to take "literary and engineering courses" at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. He would later enroll at the Bryant and Stratton College in Illinois and around 1876 entered the Rush Medical College in Chicago, graduating with his medical degree in 1878. After receiving his degree Isherwood returned to Iowa and established a medical office in Clarksville, located in Butler County. He later reestablished his practice in the village of Shell and during his residency here was a charter member and treasurer of the Butler County Medical Association. In 1882 Isherwood relocated to Jasper County, Missouri, where he would reside for the remainder of his life.
   Shortly after his removal to Jasper County, Dr. Isherwood settled first in the town of Avilla, where he recommenced in the practice of medicine. His stay in Avilla was short-lived, as he would resettle in Carl Junction around 1883 and after establishing another medical practice married there on June 17, 1888, to Susie May Coons (1865-1936). The couple would later have three children: Niena Isherwood Henley (1890-1957), Hortensious Lowry Jr. (1895-1916), and Eber Dudley (1895-1950). Of these children Eber Isherwood followed in his father's footsteps, operating a drug store in Carl Junction, while Hortensius Jr. met an early death as the result of an accident sustained in a baseball game in 1916. Isherwood and his family resided on a 240-acre farm in Jasper County, where he is also mentioned as having interests in mining.
   Dr. Isherwood's medical practice in Carl Junction is recorded by the Biographical Record of Jasper County as having won "the confidence of a continually increasing list of grateful patients". In addition to his practice, Isherwood was the proprietor of a pharmacy and was engaged as a surgeon for the railway that passed through Carl Junction.  Through the years Isherwood's status as a "horse and buggy doctor" made his name known not only in Carl Junction but throughout neighboring towns in Jasper County. "Old Doc", as Isherwood was sometimes referred to, was fondly remembered in the years after his death in the February 26, 1950 edition of the Joplin Globe, which featured an article authored by V.D. Marshall, a former pharmacy assistant to Isherwood. Marshall fondly recalled Isherwood's character and status as one of Carl Junction's foremost citizens, noting that:

"He seemed unapproachable except on matters of extreme importance, and it was not until I became closely associated with him that behind his assumption of aloofness and austerity he concealed an acute sense of humor and a tolerant understanding of human frailties." 

   Marshall also relates that after many years of visiting patients via horse and buggy, Isherwood made the transition to an automobile to make his rounds. It took some time for "Old Doc" to adjust to his new mode of transportation, and after some trial and error in piloting his newly purchased "five-passenger model" Ford, "Old Doc" was said to have "furnished the loiterers along Main Street many a good-natured chuckle." This same article further denotes that Isherwood dabbled in real estate and "acquired a number of houses about town", which he then rented out to "miners, widows, and others not in the higher income brackets." The charitable doctor is recorded as having "never pressed" any of his tenants if they failed to pay rent, and exhibited similar charity when it came to his medical practice, refusing to send statements of account to patients who had failed to provide payment. As V.D. Marshall relates:

"Patients either paid what was due to him voluntarily or not at all."

   In addition to practicing medicine, Isherwood maintained an interest in Jasper County civic and political affairs, being a member of the county Democratic Committee for over a decade. He entered state politics in 1892 when he became a candidate for a seat in the Missouri State House of Representatives and was one of four candidates in that year's contest. On election day 1892, he eked out a very narrow win over his Republican opponent Albert E.L. Gardner, 3,287 votes to 3,269. With Isherwood's eighteen vote victory he became one of two Jasper county representatives in the state legislature, and during his term served on the house committees on Enrolled Bills, Mines and Mining, and Miscellaneous and Unfinished Business.

  Isherwood's term in the legislature concluded in January 1895 and after leaving state government returned to his medical duties in Carl Junction. He continued to be involved in local civic affairs, being a founder and president of the Citizen's Bank of Carl Junction in the early 1900s. A member of the Jasper County Medical Society, Isherwood was also affiliated with numerous fraternal organizations, being a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Knights of Pythias, and the local Masonic chapter. Isherwood would reenter politics in the 1900s when he was elected as the Mayor of Carl Junction, his dates of service being unknown at this time.

   Dr. Isherwood maintained an active schedule as he grew older, continuing to make medical calls throughout Carl Junction and neighboring areas. Isherwood's devotion to his practice eventually resulted in a tragic accident near Waco, Missouri on March 17, 1924. On that date, the 73-year-old Isherwood was returning from a "professional call" in his automobile when his car was struck at a railroad crossing by an oncoming Kansas City Southern passenger train. According to multiple newspaper reports following the accident, the view of the tracks was partially obscured by an embankment, and that Dr. Isherwood had been traveling alone.

   Following this accident, Isherwood's body (described as being mutilated almost beyond recognition) was transferred by the train crew to the nearby town of Asbury, then on to Joplin, and finally to Carl Junction, where funeral arrangements were completed. Isherwood was survived by his wife Susie and two children and was interred in the Isherwood family plot at the Carl Junction Cemetery. Susie, Eber, and Niena Isherwood were also interred here following their deaths.

                                                                         Hortensious L. Isherwood, 1850-1924.

A death notice for Isherwood from the Joplin Globe, March 19, 1924.

From the Carthage Evening Press, March 17, 1924.

Hillorious Kester Bender (1850-1922)

                         From Volume XII of "The Pennsylvania German", originally published in 1912.

   If you've followed this site for any length of time, the above gentleman may look familiar to you. The intriguingly named Hillorious K. Bender of Northampton County, Pennsylvania was a one-term state representative who was first profiled here back in July of 2011, and since that time he's remained one of the more elusive figures this author has had to research. 

   I'm proud to relate that the above statement has changed, thanks to Mr. Bender's great-grandson David Kester Bender, who kindly left a note on Hillorious's original article here on the site! After some e-mail correspondence, David supplied me with an extensive lineage on the history of his family, which included a detailed write-up on Hillorious and his seven children. In addition to the Bender genealogy, David also provided me with a few family photos that featured Hillorious, his wife Harriet, as well as their grandchildren. And with that introduction, I take pleasure in noting that this obscure Northampton County educator and legislator now has a "proper" biography here on the site, and this revamped profile on Mr. Bender wouldn't have come to fruition without David's kind help and interest in regards to the life of his interestingly named great-grandfather!

   A lifelong resident of the Keystone State, Hillorious Kester Bender was born on April 9, 1850, in Hamilton Township, Pennsylvania, one of nine children born to John Feyn and Sophia Kester Bender. A descendant of an established Pennsylvania German family, Bender received his unusual first and middle names in honor of one of his maternal uncles, Hillorious Kester (1828-1847), who died aged eighteen in 1847. Our subject (born three years after his uncle's passing) was bestowed this unusual name, which is a spelling variation on the name "Hilarius", a pope (and later Saint) who headed the Roman Catholic Church from 461 to 468.

   Hillorious K. Bender received his education in schools native to the Monroe County area and was later a student at the Stroudsburg Academy. Bender is also noted as having private schooling under the Rev. Kirby Davis in Stroudsburg as well as the Rev. D.E. Schoedler in Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania. After completing his primary education, Bender became a school teacher and served as such in various schools throughout his native Monroe County.

  On February 20, 1875, Hillorious Bender married Harriet Ann Flyte, a native of Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. This union eventually produced seven children, who are listed as follows in the order of their birth: Cora Elizabeth (1876-1957), Stanley Waldo (born June 1878), Norman Oscar (1880-1964), Mabel Sophia (1881-1891), Lula Gertrude (1885-1968), Mary Ellen (1887-1973) and William Raymond (1891-1944). All of the Bender children lived to adulthood, except Mabel, who is recorded in the Bender family genealogy as dying of measles at age ten. 

   While Hillorious Bender found distinction as an educator and state legislator, the Bender family genealogy notes that his children gained notoriety in several different vocations. Cora, Stanley, and Lula Gertrude Bender followed in their father's footsteps and became teachers, with all three being employed at various schools throughout the Northampton County area. Norman Oscar became engaged as a printer as a young man and held positions on the staff of the Bangor Daily News and later the Monroe Democrat. Mary Ellen Bender also became a teacher, later moving to New Jersey, and is responsible for preparing and writing the Bender family genealogy mentioned in this article. Hillorious's youngest child William Raymond served with distinction during the First World War, holding rank with the Chemical Warfare Service in the U.S. Army and after leaving the military studied and taught at the Lafayette College, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

  

Hillorious and Harriet Bender circa 1876 (courtesy of David K. Bender).

   In 1886 the Bender family moved to the village of East Bangor in Northampton County, where Hillorious had secured the post of Principal of schools. Bender served as principal for fifteen years, and in July 1899 began a six-year tenure as Superintendent of Schools for the county of Northampton. Resources give note that Bender's teaching career lasted over thirty-three years, and after leaving the position of Superintendent, Bender began employment with two educational textbook publishing companies, the J.P. Lippincott Co., based in Philadelphia, and Ginn and Company, based in New York and Boston.

  While his career as an educator and school superintendent is one of note, Hillorious K. Bender also maintained active involvement in the political affairs of East Bangor, serving as Burgess of that town and later as president of the borough council. In November 1910 he won election to the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Northampton County,   defeating his opponent Dalvin M. Leopold by a vote of  7,509 to 5, 972. A snippet featuring those election results appeared in the 1911 Smull's Legislative Handbook of Pennsylvania and is posted below.

  Taking his seat in January 1911, Bender was named to the legislative committees on Education, Public Roads, Accounts, and Legislative Apportionment. His term in the Pennsylvania legislature concluded in 1913 and he was not a candidate for reelection. After leaving the legislature, Bender continued to work as an agent for Ginn and Co., while also teaching in the "Washington, Upper Mt. Bethel, and Plainfield townships". Bender is also recorded as being a Freemason and served as a past Grand High Priest of the Royal Arch Masons Chapter #274. 

         From the Proceedings of the Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter of Pennsylvania, published in 1922.

   On March 13, 1918, Harriet Ann Flyte Bender, Hillorious's wife of forty-three years, died of an unknown illness. He later remarried to Ella Weston, a resident of Bangor, Pennsylvania, about whom little is known. Hillorious K. Bender survived his wife Harriet by four years, dying at age 72 on May 8, 1922, in East Bangor. His second wife Ella survived him by fourteen years, dying on May 27, 1936. Both Hillorious and Harriet Bender were interred at the East Bangor Cemetery.

                      Hillorious Bender and his grandchildren, Janet Lange Bender and John McRae  

                                                                                    (courtesy of David Bender).

  As stated in the introduction to Bender's profile here, it is very seldom that I'm afforded such access to the life, lineage, and history of one of the people I'm going to write about. Because of the extensive correspondence with David about the life of his interestingly named great-grandfather, Hillorious Kester Bender now has the substantial write-up that I had initially envisioned doing for him back in July 2011. Again, many thanks to David Bender for permitting me to use the above-mentioned photos, as well as educating me on the interesting lineage of his extended family.

    Hillorious Bender's pocket watch (also shown in the above portrait with his grandchildren).

             (photo courtesy of David Bender.)

Orator Henry LaCraft (1850-1940)

  This obscure South Dakota resident is Orator Henry LaCraft, listed by most historical resources by the initials "O.H." During his long life, LaCraft was regarded as one of Clark County's most influential citizens and gained his notoriety through a variety of public endeavors, including town postmaster, rancher, farmer, teacher, and state senator. Very few sources exist that mention Mr. LaCraft at great length, with the exception going to Doane Robinson's "History of South Dakota, Volume II" which was published in 1904. The majority of the facts on LaCraft were found in the aforementioned work, and within its pages are numerous biographies of other notable South Dakota residents who lived in the latter part of the 19th century.

  Orator LaCraft was originally born in Farmington, Wisconsin on August 13, 1850. His parents were natives of the Ashtabula, Ohio area and resettled in Wisconsin a few years before his birth. He attended schools local to the Washington County, Wisconsin area and after reaching adolescence moved to the town of Sheboygan. It was here that he began a decade-long career as a farmer, while also pursuing a teaching career during "the winter months." In April 1873 he married Charlotte Haviland, and the couple was married ten years before her death on July 17, 1883. They also had one son, Oscar Merton LaCraft, who died at age 20 in 1898.

  In 1883, LaCraft moved to South Dakota and eventually settled in Clark County. Within a few years of his relocation, he built up a prosperous general merchandise store, which he ran until 1891. Orator LaCraft remarried in 1885 to Clara Smith, and the couple had five children: Walter (born 1886), Delmar (died at age three in 1892), Osmer (born 1893), Lynn (born 1897) and Irma (born 1897). In addition to having a large family, he was also the owner and operator of a 320-acre ranch in Clark County for many years.

  Throughout the 1890s, LaCraft involved himself with public offices in his native county, beginning with his stint as assistant postmaster of Clark County in 1891. He later served as a member of the Clark School Board (including four years as its president) and also as a justice of the peace. LaCraft was also active in local fraternal organizations, including the Knights of Pythias, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

  In 1900, Orator H. LaCraft won election as a Republican to the South Dakota State Senate, representing his native county of Clark. He served in the Senate until 1904 and was a member of the committees on Legislative Expenses, Public Health, Public Printing, Railroads, and State Affairs during his term.  LaCraft died at age 89 on July 25, 1940, and his wife Clara predeceased him by one year. The graves of the LaCraft family are located in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Clark County and the portrait of him shown above was discovered in the 1903 South Dakota Legislative Manual, which has proven to be another great repository for both names and pictures.