Among the groceries, is that of N. A. Jergensen formerly of Clinton County, his stock was opened for sale in October. Hambleton & Wood have also put in a very neat store. Russell Son & Sharp have put in a general store which is managed by Mr. Sharp. This is a branch of the Audubon firm. John Karstens has added one more to the list by putting in a store opposite to that of Hoffmann & Schoop.
Mr. Carpenter from Afton, Iowa, has made arrangements to put in a general store. The furniture store of A. M. Robertson has added one more in that line. A. B. Cook and S. Hunter have added some implement stock while Wm. Cloughley has added a stock to the drug business. Moershell Bros. and B. F. Howard are the new dry goods firms. Gaylord & Wilson and E. Bilharz have extended the list of restaurant keepers.

The hotels have increased as rapidly as have the other business enterprises. The Knox House, located on Main Street, is operated by Chas. Knox. The Wetherly House, located on Center and Second Streets, is run in connection with the livery barn, both being managed by Mr. Wetherly. The Manning House kept by Wm. Lusk is located opposite the Knox House. The Farmers Hotel operated by J. Bruner is located near Sutherland's lumber yard.

John Wingert has added a blacksmith shop and G. W. McCarthy a barber shop. Mesdames Makepeace and Faust have added a Milliners stock and Mrs. Seth Smith has succeeded Mrs. Arp in that business. Baur & Loes are the new harness makers, and Tank & Hoffmann are the new Lumbermen. While Wolfe & Sutherland have succeeded Wolfe & Nodle. The new livery men are, Parish & Richy on Second Street west of Main, and Winters & Baker who have succeeded Laughery & Arnold. The new grain dealers are U. L. Patton whose elevator is located at the North western yards, while Mr. Stephens of Aspinwall buys grain for the Milwaukee elevator. The live stock dealers are, Hockett & Gardner and Wilson & Smith. The contractors are Chaussel &James, John Foster, and John Stillmans successor to Lee & Stillmans.

The Physicians were, R. R. Williams, T. S. Mckenna and L. P. Brigham. The law profession was represented by G. W. Makepeace, Failing & Doty, A. T. Bennett and Hughes & Salinger. Still another addition to the cities enterprises was, the caterer to vanity, Will, Chapman, photographer. The tooth extractors were J. B. Bishop and K. D. Backus. These gentlemen believed in the theory, that to relieve pain was to remove the cause thereof.

A review of the town dated, January 8, 1885, notes the following changes in the business firms; "The flour mill is owned and operated by Kuhn & Roush. Bell's grain store house is located west of Patron's elevator. Thede buys grain at the Milwaukee warehouse. The firm of Russell, Son & Sharp have been changed to Ives. Sharp & Co.; Mr. Sharp engaged in the general merchandise business in Manning, in the latter part of 1882, having complete charge of the business till J. L. Ives purchased an interest of Russell & Son in the autumn of 1884 and in the later part of which year his brother E. L. Ives became a partner.

On the west side of Main Street on block 8, is the store of Moershell Bros., who have several similar ones in the state. Next is the store of Hoffmann & Schoop. Although this firm suffered great loss by the fire of April 9, 1882, still at the present writing they stand on a sound financial basis and are prospering beyond measure. Henry Hoffmann has charge of the general merchandise; while W. H. Schoop looks after the interests of the furniture department, Benson & Co. have removed their stock here from Arcadia and are doing well,

J. L. McQuaid occupies a double store room at tile south end of AM Street; while John Karstens is well located to catch the trade, and through the efforts of George Dethlefs everything moves smoothly and tranquilly. Wood & Anderson and E. C. Perry are the exclusive dealers in groceries and queensware. The Green Bay Lumber Yard is managed by W. E. Guild, D. D. Clark purchased the lumber yard of Dierks Bros. & Co.. in October of 1883. This yard is now managed by George C. Hunt. Tank & Hoffmann who over a year ago suspended business on account of the ill health of the senior member of the firm, have re-established themselves in the lumber and coal business and occupy grounds just east of the G. A. R. hall.

The City Drug Store owned by Cloughley, of Audubon, is located on the corner of Main and Third Streets and is managed by A. L. Sanborn. Dr. A. L. Stouffer came in the spring of 1884 and purchased the drug stock of Dr. Hall.

The two banks are, the FARMERS & TRADERS BANK and the BANK OF MANNING. The boot and shoe stores are operated by C. M. Lueck and Henry Siem.

Horning & Noiseux succeeded John Albert in the blacksmith business. W. K. Lindsay is the jeweler.
The clothiers are F. M. Funk and Mallery & Jay.
G. Franke is the tailor and a first class one at that.
The livery men are, Shepherd & Emery, Fanswall & Brown and Parish.

For meat markets go to Umphrey Lawrence & Co., and W. L. Eckles, successor to Hockett & Gardner.

If it is a singing you want, go to A. D. Colman, H. B. Vauhn or T. E. Lockwood.

The hotels and boarding houses in Manning have been somewhat reduced in the past year. The Strong Hotel on the corner of Main and Third Streets is managed by H. Strong. The Weston House on the corner of Front and Main Streets is managed by Ben Breon. The Manning House on the west side of Main Street in the center of Block 3, is managed by William Lusk. A boarding house on the corner of Center and Second Streets, is managed by L. R. Fuller. The City Hotel is managed by B. E. Vaughn."

Possibly figures will assist the reader some in forming an estimate of the rapid growth of the town from its birth up to the present time. So with this object in view I will give the assessed valuation of the town, as handed to me by the County Auditor;

A more complete report of the census taken in 1895, is as follows;
Total number of inhabitants .................. 1144
Males ....................................................... 582
Persons over 18 years of age................. 653
Persons 5 to 18 years of age ................. 347
Persons under 5 years of age ................ 156
Single....................................................... 654
Married.................................................... 490
Widowed.................................................... 48
Divorced...................................................... 7

From the above table we deduct the following matrimonial results;
Persons eligible to marriage................................................................ 144
Number of females aspiring to matrimony.......................................... 162
Number of males aspiring to matrimony ...............................................38
Number of widows and widowers aspiring to matrimony ..................... 48
Number of grass widows and grass widowers aspiring to matrimony.... 7

Number of persons who are capable of supporting a family, aspiring to matrimony.................................... ????

Number of persons not capable of supporting a family, aspiring to matrimony...................................... ????

Born in Iowa ..........................................588
Born in Germany .................................. 246
Born in Canada ....................................... 15
Born in Ireland ......................................... 9
Born in England ..................................... 10
Born in Denmark ..................................... 7
Born in Norway ........................................ 3
Born in Austria ........................................ 4
Lutheran ............................................... 451
Christian ............................................... 115
Presbyterian ........................................... 96
Methodist .............................................. 135
Catholic .................................................. 73
Congregational ....................................... 14
Universalist .............................................. 5
Episcopal .................................................. 2
Baptist ...................................................... 5
Evangelical................................................ 3
United Brethern ....................................... 7
Church of England .................................... 2
No religious belief ................................. 242
Old soldiers ............................................. 24
Births ....................................................... 32
Deaths ..................................................... 13
Subject to military duty ........................... 176
Voters ..................................................... 288
Not naturalized ..........................................16
Foreign born between the ages of 6 and 17 ........... 7

John T. Jay