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Subject: Bio of H. L. Fitch
Date: Sat, 8 Oct 2005 09:10:44 EDT

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

H. L. FITCH is an Iowa man whose career since early manhood has been
identified with grain milling. In several scores he could be pronounced a master
miller, a man who understands the fundamentals and the technique of his
business, is a capable executive, a commercial organizer and salesman, and in every
way well fitted for his responsibilities as secretary, treasurer and general
manager of the Doud Milling Company of Denison.

Mr. Fitch was born, September 16, 1879, at Colesburg in Delaware County,
Iowa. Both of his grandfathers were born in America, of Irish parentage. His
father, R. A. Fitch, was also a native of Iowa, and spent his life as a farmer
in Delaware and Story counties. He died in 1923, at the age of seventy.
His wife, Sarah McNamee, was a native of Missouri, but grew up in Iowa. She
was eighty-four when she died in 1925. Both parents were Methodists. They had
a family of seven children, those besides H. L. Fitch being: E. H. and V.
C. Fitch, both law graduates, E. H. being associated with the Iowa State Auto
Insurance Company of Des Moines, and V. C. with the Wood Bros. Company at Des
Moines, manufacturers of thrashing machines. G. L. Fitch is an auctioneer
at Lake Crystal, Minnesota, Mrs. M. C. Malvin and Mrs. L. H. Moon also live at
Lake Crystal, and Mrs. H. E. Mitchell is a resident of Seattle, Washington.

H. L. Fitch acquired his early education at Colesburg and at Zearing, and
from the time he left school his thought and energies have been fully taken up
with the milling industry. He learned it by practical work in mills, and
since 1900 has been associated with the Doud Milling Company. In that year he
became head miller of Manning, which was then the main office of the company.
In 1911 the Doud Milling Company bought the Denison mill, which had been
built in 1898, by the George Menagh Company. Mr. Fitch was transferred as
manager to Dension and since 1915 Denison has been made the headquarters of the
business.

On acquiring the Denison mill the plant was thoroughly remodeled, new and
modern machinery being installed, and in 1913 the old elevators were replaced
by a new forty thousand bushel iron clad elevator. For over thirty years Iowa
housewives have been familiar with the standard product of the Doud Milling
Company, the Fidelity and White Rose flours. The plant at Denison has a
daily capacity of 125 barrels of flour, 50,000 pounds of poultry feed, 10,000
packages of Fidelity pancake flour and it also does custom grinding and oat
hauling.

The company has been thoroughly progressive, and largely due to Mr. Fitch's
enterprise it entered into the field of cereal manufacture, in 1925 putting
on the market a new product known as the Fidelity Whole Wheat Self-Rising
Pancake Flour. This product was made from a formula originated by Mr. Fitch, who
spent years of study before perfecting the process. The flour is made from
whole wheat, milled expressly for the purpose. The process retains all the
merits of whole wheat flour, which physicians and dietetic experts have so
long recommended, including all the precious minerals and vitamins. It is this
whole wheat flour that comprises the basis of the Fidelity Self-Rising
Pancake Flour, which is a distinctive triumph in itself, the pancakes possessing
not only nutritive qualities of a high degree, but also the flavor and the
color which make them attractive when served. It was in 1925 that the company
put on the market this product, and about a year later the company made a
special drive of publicity over the radio. At their first announcement over the
air they agreed to furnish this pancake flour free to any church society
wishing to put on a pancake supper. In less than thirty minutes after the
announcement was made requests began coming in by telephone and wire and later by
mail, until, when totalled, it required half a carload of flour to fill the
orders from six different states. For several years the company has also
cooperated with the radio station at Shenandoah in a threeday jubilee, their
contribution to the event being the serving of free pancakes.

In 1926 the Doud Milling Company again remodeled the plant, installing new
machinery throughout. Because of the tremendous popularity of the pancake
flour a complete new addition to the mill was built and modern machinery
installed in 1928, devoted exclusively to the manufacture of this product.

Mr. Fitch is a Republican and served two years on the city council of
Denison. He is a Methodist and is active in the work of the Masonic Lodge and a
member of the Royal Arch Chapter. He married Laura McMurray, a native of
Marengo, Iowa County. They have two children. Herbert Wayne, born August 14,
1908, graduated from Denison High School in 1926 and is now associated with his
father in the milling business. James Lockhard, born November 9, 1915, is in
the class of 1933 at Denison High School.



Debbie Clough Gerischer
gerischer.rootsweb.com/

Iowa History Site
iagenweb.org/history/index.htm

Scott County
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