A Narrative History of The People of Iowa with SPECIAL TREATMENT OF THEIR CHIEF ENTERPRISES IN EDUCATION, RELIGION, VALOR, INDUSTRY, BUSINESS, ETC. by EDGAR RUBEY HARLAN, LL. B., A. M. Curator of the Historical, Memorial and Art Department of Iowa Volume IV THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Inc. Chicago and New York 1931 Part 4 Bio of the Hon. Millard Fillmore Rohrer "One month after the lodge was organized Col. J. D. Test was elected secretary, and was long one of the most active members. He was city alderman in 1856. He was a partner of Judge J. P. Cassady, forming the real estate and law firm of Cassady & Test. He was an able lawyer, and when he died, with one or two exceptions, received the largest testimonial of respect at his funeral of any of our citizens. "Cornelius Voorhis, the second white gentile settler, was a merchant and was the first mayor of Council Bluffs in 1853 and lived to a ripe old age, always prominent and always respected. "Rev. Moses F. Shinn, a Methodist minister, joined the lodge. He was a good man, but he knew he was living in a somewhat wild and new country and deemed it best to be friendly where he could not convert. He collected money from all sources to maintain the Gospel in the great western wilds, and Judge Walter I. Smith said in his address at the sixtieth anniversary that a prominent citizen told him that a prominent citizen told him that he was present at the Ocean Wave, the leading gambling house and saloon which occupied the present site of the First Methodist Church, and heard the proprietor say: 'Here comes Elder Shinn, I suppose I must give him something.' "N. T. Spoor was the first city marshal in 1853, fourth postmaster of this city and captain of a battery of artillery in the Civil war, commonly known as Dodge's Battery, to which Judge J. R. Reed belonged as first lieutenant. In 1872 to say 1880, he was general agent of the Union Pacific Railroad at the freight transfer. "Dr. J. D. Honn was a well-known physician and early druggist. "George Doughty was a pioneer furniture dealer. He was mayor in 1859 and sheriff in the early '70s. I was well acquainted with him, having served under him as deputy sheriff, during which time I rode on horseback over the entire county serving papers on jurers and court witnesses. At the time, in the year 1872, none of the few farms were enclosed with fences and on defined north and south roads in the country through the high prairie grass. Farm lands were selling at $5 to $10 per acre which now command $150 to $250 per acre. "In the year following the institution of this lodge of during the year 1854, the majority of the founders or first inhabitants of what is now known as the metropolitan City of Omaha went over from Council Bluffs, where they had resided one, two, or three or more years. Many of the citizens of Council Bluffs afterwards went to Omaha and permanently remained there. "A substantial ferry boat, the General Marion, was purchased in Alton, Illinois, by Doctor Lowe, and it reached Council Bluffs in September, 1853, but did not begin running regularly across the Missouri River from Council Bluffs until May, 1854. "In reading The Story of Omaha, written by my esteemed friend, Alfred Sorenson, who settled in Omaha the same year that I did in Council Bluffs, 1871 - I learn that in November, 1853, A. D. Jones, a member of this lodge, in company with Thomas Allen and William Allen, all of Council Bluffs, borrowed a leaky scow of Mr. Brown. One rowed, one steered and the other had all he could do to bail out the water as it came in. They landed a short distance below the place where the Union Pacific Railroad bridge now stands. There they staked out their claims, the north line of A. D. Jones' claim being marked out on the north side of the former residence of the late Herman Kountze, which was converted some years ago into Saint Catherin's Hospital. A. D. Jones maintained that this was the first claim, and that he was entitled to the honor of being called the pioneer squatter and first settler in Omaha. "The Indians, however, became uneasy over the encroachments being made by A. D. Jones and others, and they accordingly requested Mr. Hepner, the Indian agent, to order him to vacate "Park Wild," as he called his claim. Other claimants were served with the same notice and the command was obeyed. "A. D. Jones then applied for the establishment of a postoffice, a piece of strategy to enable him to hold his claim. The application was made through Col. J. D. Test, of Council Bluffs, the secretary of this lodge, which resulted in A. D. Jones being appointed first postmaster of Omaha on May 6, 1854, and he also, the same year, surveyed and laid out 320 blocks of Omaha with streets 100 feet wide, which in turn made him the first surveyor - jones Street bearing his name. "F. T. C. Johnson was a brother-in-law of Col. Lysander W. Babbitt and a member of the contracting firm of Johnson and Orr, who built the brick courthouse on the site of the present stone one. He was a member of the city council during the years 1866, 1867 and 1868, and for many years afterwards a prominent farmer. I know him well. "Milton Rogers was a prominent hardware merchant, who moved to Omaha and became the largest retail dealer in the same line in that city. He was city alderman in 1856 and from 1858 to 1861. He has been dead for many years. However, his family still continues the business under the firm name of Milton Rogers and Sons Company, Omaha. To be continued. Debbie Clough Gerischer Iowa History Project _http://iagenweb.org/history/_ (http://iagenweb.org/history/) Scott County, Iowa _http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/index.htm_ (http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/index.htm) **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! 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