KINGSBURY, W. B.

KINGSBURY, BUSH, FUSSELL, WHITMORE, BERGER, BROWN, WALKER

Posted By: Gordon Felland (email)
Date: 2/2/2011 at 21:57:01

W. B. Kingsbury is the senior partner of the firm of W. B. Kingsbury & Sons, hardware merchants of Osage. He has been identified with the hardware trade continuously since 1880 and since 1885 has conducted a business of that character in the city in which he now makes his home. His record in commercial circles is an untarnished one and his efforts have been an element in the substantial progress of his city.

He was born in Fayette county, Iowa, in 1859, a son of J. B. and Hannah (Brown) Kingsbury, both of whom were natives of Vermont, the birth of the former having occurred in 1827 and that of the latter in 1830. They remained residents of New England until 1854, when they removed westward, settling in Fayette county, Iowa, where the father maintained his residence until 1885. In that year he came to Mitchell county, where he entered the hardware business, having previously been engaged in the same line in Fayette county. He took up his abode in Osage on removing to Mitchell county and continued one of its representative merchants until the time of his death, which occurred in 1909. His widow survived him for several years, passing away in February, 1915. They-were the parents of four children: Mrs. M. H. Fussell, living in Fayette county, Iowa; Mrs. F. Y. Whitmore, whose home is in California; and Mrs. N. J. Berger, living at Long Beach, California.

The other member of the family is W. B. Kingsbury of this review, who pursued his education in the schools of his native county and in the Cedar Valley Seminary of Osage. In 1880 he became the active assistant of his father in the hardware business, in which year he attained his majority. The firm style of J. B. Kingsbury & Son was then adopted and the partnership was continued for five years, after which a brother-in-law was admitted to the firm and the style was changed to J. B. Kingsbury & Company. Thus it was known until the death of the father, when the business came into possession of W. B. Kingsbury and his brother-in-law, N. J. Berger. In 1915 Mr. Kingsbury pur­chased the interest of his partner and in the spring of 1916 admitted his two sons to the business, which is now carried on under the firm style of W. B. Kingsbury & Sons. The business was established in Osage in 1885 and through the intervening period, covering a third of a century, the Kingsbury Company has been accorded a liberal patronage, making theirs one of the profitable com­mercial concerns of the city.

In 1882 Mr. Kingsbury was united in marriage to Miss Flora J. Bush, a native of Fayette county, Iowa, born in 1860, and a daughter of Professor and Mrs. Alva Bush, who were prominent residents of Osage, the father being the founder of Cedar Valley Seminary and continuing as its head until his death in 1881. The death of Mrs. Kingsbury occurred in 1900 and in 1902 Mr. Kingsbury wedded Anna M. Walker, who was born in Mitchell county, Iowa, in 1873, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Walker, who were farming people of Mitchell county. Her father was secretary of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company of Mitchell county for many years and was a prominent and influential business man of this section of the state. He died in 1913. By Mr. Kingsbury's first marriage there were born four children: Forest A., who is living in Ottawa, Kansas, filling the chair of philology and education in Ottawa University; Frank, a resi­dent of Osage and a member of the firm of W. B. Kingsbury & Sons; Joseph B., of Chicago, who enlisted with Base Hospital Unit No. 13 and expects to be called to active service at any time; and O. Dean, formerly of Washington, D. C., who is now in charge of the mechanical equipment of the Selfridge Aviation Field at Mount Clemens, Michigan. By the second marriage there has been born one son, Clark W., who is in Osage.

The family is one of social prominence in the community and they are active supporters of the Baptist church, in which Mr. Kingsbury holds membership. He is serving on its board of trustees and does everything in his power to advance its interests. Fraternally he is connected with the Masons as a mem­ber of lodge, chapter and commandery, and he is now a past commander of the Osage Commandery and a past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias lodge. Business ability and sterling worth have brought him prominently before the public and his record is one which will bear the closest investigation and scrutiny. All who know him speak of him in terms of high regard and the circle of his friends is almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintance.

Source: History of Mitchell and Worth Counties, Iowa, 1918, Vol. II, pages 363-365.