George Washington Valentine

GEDCOM Note

George W. Valentine From "Vol. 2 History of Davenport and Scott County" byHarry E. Downer - S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago

George W. Valentine, long and favorably known in the business circles ofDavenport, where he is conducting an extensive contracting business as a memberof the firm of Garstang & Valentine, bricklayers, was born at Buffalo, NewYork, July 8, 1834, and is a son of William and Katherine (Mee) Valentine. Thefather was a bricklayer in the east and the mother died during the residence ofthe family in that part of the country. The father came to Davenport after thearrival of his son George here and spent his last days in this city.

George W. Valentine pursued his education in the public schools of Buffalo andafterward leaned the bricklayer's trade under the direction of his father.Noting the rapid improvement and settlement of the middle west and believingthat it would offer a good field of labor for one in his line of work, he cameto Davenport alone in 1856, when a young man of but twenty-two years of age.Here he began work at his trade and has since been connected with this line ofbusiness. He aided in building the old Methodist church, was employed on theconstruction of the First National Bank, also of the Burtis Opera House, theKimball Hotel and a large number of other buildings. About thirty years ago heformed a partnership with Frank Garstang and during this period they have beenawarded contracts for the erection of many large and important buildings in thecity. They sustain an unassailable reputation because of the excellentworkmanship which is done under their supervision and because of theirunfaltering fidelity to the terms of a contract. Their patronage is nowextensive and the business has long been conducted upon a profitable basis.

On the 4th of June, 1857, Mr. Valentine was united in marriage to Miss MarySnow, a daughter of William and Louisa (Clark) Snow. She was born in Chautauquacounty, New York, and came to Scott county, Iowa, in 1856. For fifty-threeyears, therefore, Mr. and Mrs. Valentine have traveled life's journey togetherand as time passed on their marriage was blessed with five children: Leon, whomarried Anna Russell and has one daughter, Mary; Carrie, the wife of Joseph O.Bradney, of Belmont, New York; Martha, the wife of William Davis, of Livingston,Montana, by whom she has three children - Leon, Marion and Carrie; George, ofEvanston, Illinois, who married Lottie Wells and has three children - Wells W.,George S. and Mary; and Ella, who died at the age of fourteen months. Theparents began their domestic life in the same house in which they still reside.

Mr. Valentine and his wife are members of the Unitarian church. In matters ofcitizenship he has always been interested and his support has been given tothose projects and measures which he has deemed of importance and of vitalsignificance to the community. He has ever favored progress and improvement andthose qualities have been manifest in his own life. His reliability in businessand his fidelity in other relations have won for him a creditable standing inpublic regard.

Transcribed by Debbie Gerischer found at