Bios & Family Stories > Pioneers of Polk Co. > Hepburn, Addison J.

An early settler who, by his presence alone, through the effulgence of his sunny nature, added to the cheer and pleasure of Fort Des Moines, was Addison J. Hepburn, or Add., as everybody familiarly called him.

He was born in Olean, New York, April Twenty-second, 1827, of Scotch-Irish ancestry on his father’s side, and English on that of his mother. His father was a cabinet maker and furniture dealer. Add. passed his youthful days with his parents, attended the common school, and, during school vacations, served as a clerk in dry goods stores, preferring the yardstick to the jackplane and hammer in his father’s shop.

When nearing his majority, he entered a dry goods store at Ironton, Ohio, as salesman, where, for several years, he was a great favorite in the exclusive social circles of that city.

In 1853, he came to Denmark, Lee County, his parents having removed there, and after a short time returned to Ironton, where he remained until 1855, when he came by stage coach to Fort Des Moines, to visit his sister, who was the wife of the pioneer Baptist preacher, J. A. Nash. He decided to remain, and his first job was a clerkship in the store of “Uncle Jimmy” Crane, a genial, good-hearted soul, familiar with everybody, who had a store on Second Street. He took his bed and board at the Avenue House, kept by John Hays, a long, low, wooden hostelry on the northeast corner of Fourth and Court Avenue.

Add. used to relate, with a humorous chuckle, an incident which happened soon after he entered the service. It was on Saturday evening, after an unusually brisk trade through the day; “Jimmy” took the cash book, went off by himself to figure up the sales. After poring over it some time, he wheeled about, saying: “Boys, I’ve been robbed.” The clerks were surprised, and Add. not a little, for he was comparatively a new-comer. They told “Jimmy” he must be mistaken, for there had not been any suspicious persons about the premises during the day.

"Well, the cash is short eighteen dollars and fifty-five cents, and if you don't, believe it, come and see, and count it up yourselves. There it is," putting his finger on the spot.

Add. asked if he suspected him.

“No." said Jimmy. "I don’t know who to suspect, but the money is gone, and somebody has got it. You can see that yourself. Just figure it up."

Putting on his hat, and as was his custom when perplexed with business affairs, or in trouble, he went over to the grocery to quell his mental disturbance with spiritous frumenti, which, in those days, was a part of the stock in trade in a licensed grocery.

Add. ran his eye casually over the column of figures in the cash book, and discovered the “robbery.” On the margin of the page, over the dollars and cents column, had been written the date and year, and “Jimmy" had counted the year in the cash receipts. Add. laid the book aside, and when “Jimmy” turned up about noon on Monday, he explained the apparent discrepancy to him. It was some time before “Jimmy” was fully satisfied, but when he got it fairly through his head, he went to the assuager of his sorrows again to get some more of the same medicine to help celebrate his narrow escape from robbery, and did not appear at the store again until Tuesday evening. The genial, good fellow was his own worst enemy, and not long ago, his mangled form was found along the railroad track, the victim of cruel car wheels.

Subsequently, Add. formed a partnership with “Aleck" Woodward in the dry goods trade, and did a good business until the financial panic of 1857, which closed the doors of many business houses, caught “Aleck" and Add. unprepared for the squeeze. After closing up their business. Add. became head salesman with Keyes & Crawford, on Court Avenue, next east of The Register and Leader building, where he served several years. Later, he was with Knight Brothers in the same building, the headquarters of fashionable dry goods trade. In 1873, he formed a partnership with “Charley” Morris, in exclusive dry goods trade, on Fifth Street, where the Youngerman Building now is, and there some of the oldest residents of the city purchased their first, laces and table linen, for Add. was an expert caterer to feminine taste and fancy, and never more happy than when he could gratify them.

His last business venture was in 1885, under the firm name of Hemphill, Hepburn & Traversy, who opened a store in Clapp’s Block, but it proved an unprofitable undertaking, and the business was closed out.

In 1888, the re-appearance of an affection of the right leg, which originated when a youth, completely prostrated him, yet, with his usual optimistic spirit, he patiently bore his pain and suffering, looking hopefully ahead for recovery, until the surgeons informed him that to save his life he must lose his leg. With a smile of resignation, he accepted the ultimatum. But the disease had got ahead of the surgeon’s knife. In a short time, the scalpel and saw were again applied, then a third time. After months of suffering, which would have crushed many stronger men, he was able to get about on crutches, an object of the most profound commiseration to his thousands of friends, but, with his old-time cheerfulness, he did what he could for the support of his family.

So profound was public sympathy for him, and so universally was he highly esteemed, in 1892, he was nominated by the Republican County Convention for County Recorder. So popular was he with the masses of the people, the Democratic Convention made no nomination for the office against him, and he was unanimously elected at the November election, entered upon his official duties January Third, 1893, and on May Third following, wasted and worn by the ravages of the ailment which had sapped his vitality, his life went out, peacefully as slumber comes to the babe in its mother’s arms.

As an expression of public esteem of him, his good wife was, on May Sixteenth, appointed his successor, to fill the vacancy, and in November, 1894, was elected for a full term. She filled the office with credit to herself and satisfaction to the public.

Socially, Add.'s sunshiny temperament was a bennison to the whole community, for he was always cheerful, encouraging, hopefulness personified; smiled when tormented with pain; knew no guile; was honest in every fibre of his being. He was the favorite and, ideal tradesman for the young women, now wives of prominent business men, for they knew him. He took part in their perplexities in solving the problems of selections and quality. If he could not serve them, they would wait another day, was proverbial. He was as sincere as a child. There was no concealment in his nature. He was filled with generous impulses, and ever ready to aid the sick and needy, to the full extent of his means. His heart pulsated with love for all humanity. It was in the social life of the community his influence was most effective, for he exemplified not greatness, but goodness. He was a member of the Masonic order and several social clubs.

Politically, he was first a Whig, and then a Republican, but took no part in politics, as politics goes.

Religiously, he was a Baptist, and member of the First Baptist Church.

September Twenty-ninth, 1907.

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