Full text of "History of Poweshiek County, Iowa; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement"

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HISTORY OF

POWESHIEK COUNTY

IOWA

A RECORD OF SETTLEMENT, ORGANIZATION,
PROGRESS AND ACHIEVEMENT

By PROF. L. F. PARKER

Local history is the ultimate substance of national history— Wilson

VOLUME II

ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO: u] '

THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING CO. ^^

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BIOGRAPHICAL

HON. HENRY W. SPAULDING.

Hon. Henry W. Spauldirig, one of the most prominent and leading citizens of
Poweshiek county, is at the head of the Spaulding Manufacturing Company, mak-
ers of carriages and automobiles at Grinnell and one of the largest manufacturing
firms in the west. In the fall of 1910 he was honored by election to the state
senate, now representing the twelfth district in that body.

His birth occurred in the northern part of Vermont on the 29th of June, 1846.
When still but a boy he removed with his parents to a farm in Orange county,
that state, continuing to reside thereon until nineteen years of age, when he bought
his time from his mother and started out in business life on his own account.
After working at various occupations for two years he built a shop in Chelsea,
Vermont, hired a good blacksmith and began to learn the blacksmith's trade, oc-
casionally building a buggy. In the course of a year or more, having two or
three finished buggies on hand and creditors pressing him for money which was
due them for stock, he took two buggies, hitching one behind the other, and started
out to sell them. Having made the sales, he returned and settled his most press-
ing debts. This was the origin of the trailing system, which has been followed
by the Spaulding Manufacturing Company for the past thirty-five years with
success. After carrying on business in Chelsea for about two years, H. W.
Spaulding sold out and went to work as a journeyman smith in dififerent shops.
About two years later he entered the service of Jacob Estey & Company, organ
manufacturers of Brattleboro, \'ermont, and at the end of about three months
was put in charge of their blacksmithing department. He remained with the firm
of Jacob Estey & Company for about three years and then went on the road for
the Wiley & Russell Manufacturing Company of Greenfield, Massachusetts, manu-
facturers of screw cutting machines, selling machinery for about four years and
traveling as far west as Iowa and also into Canada.

This state impressed him favorably and on the nth of April, 1876, he took
up his abode in Grinnell, here beginning business as a blacksmith and carriage
manufacturer on a small scale. The first year he turned out about fifteen new
vehicles, annually increasing the number until on the ist of January, 1883, he was
manufacturing about three hundred and fifty carriages a year. On the 17th of
June, 1882, owing to a disastrous cyclone, Mr. Spaulding sustained a heavy loss
financially and also sufifered severe physical injuries. On the ist of January,
1883, he -sold a half interest in the business to A. P. Phillips & Son, the name of
the firm becoming Spaulding, Phillips & Company. Their business gradually in-
creased until on the ist of January, 1887. they were taking care of eight hundred

6 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUXTV

jobs a year. At that time Phillips & Son withdrew and M. Snyder held their
interest for one year, the name of the concern being Spaulding & Snyder. Their
annual output was nine hundred vehicles. On the ist of January, 1888, Craver.
Steele & Austin purchased the half interest of Air. Snyder, who retired. The
firm then continued business under the style of Spaulding & Company and in 1888
manufactured two thousand vehicles. Wishing to push their Headers, Craver,
Steele & Austin withdrew from the com])any and Mr. Spaulding conducted busi-
ness independently for one year. On the ist of January, i8fjo, M. Snyder and
William Miles each bought a fourth interest in the concern, the name of which
was changed to the Spaulding Manufacturing Company. At the end of a year Mr.
Spaulding purchased Mr. Snyder's interest, then owning three-fourths of the busi-
ness. In the decade between 1890 and 1900 the output of the company was in-
creased from two thousand to four thousand vehicles annually. On the 8th of
March, 1893, the Spaulding Manufacturing Company sustained a loss by fire of
from fifty-five to sixty thousand dollars, and the insurance paid thereon was
eighteen thousand five hundred dollars. On the ist of January, 1900, F. E. and
E. H. Spaulding, sons of H. W. Spaulding, bought out William Miles and have
since remained partners of their father, holding a third interest each. In 1903 the
concern manufactured and sold six thousand and one vehicles, while at the pres-
ent time their annual output numbers ten thousand vehicles and employment is
furnished to three hundred people. Their vehicles are sold direct to the consum-
ers and find a ready sale in all the southern, western and northwestern states. For
the past two years they have also manufactured automobiles. The plant of the
company covers almost an entire block and a part of another. The house from
the beginning has sustained a reputation for undoubted integrity and reliability in
its methods that has made the name of Spaulding a synonym for commercial
honor in Grinnell.

Mr. Spaulding is now and for about fourteen years past has been a trustee
of Grinnell College, manifesting a deep and helpful interest in the institution.
He is likewise a prominent factor in financial circles as the president of the Citi-
zens National Bank of Grinnell and is a director in many other institutions. He
deserves great credit for what he has accomplished, since his prosperity is entirely
due to his own labor, his utilization of opportunity and his persistency of purpose.

Mr. Spaulding has been twice married. In October, 1872, he wedded Miss
Miriam J. Lull, by whom he had three sons, namely: Harry E., who died at the
age of twelve years ; F. E. ; and E. H. The wife and mother was called to her
final rest in 1888 and in 1903 Mr. Spaulding was again married, his second union
being with Miss Aimee M. Haight, whose birth occurred near Aurora, Kane
county, Illinois. January 4, 1870. They are the parents of two daughters. Alice C.
and Henryetta W., both of whom were born in Grinnell.

In politics Mr. Spaulding is a stanch republican and his fellow townsmen,
recognizing his worth and ability, have called him to several positions of public
trust. For one term he served as councilman and for a similar period discharged
the responsible duties devolving upon him as mayor of Grinnell. In the fall of
1910 he was elected to the state senate from the twelfth district, comprising
Keokuk and Poweshiek counties. In that body he is now ably and creditably
serving, taking an active part in the business that is transacted in council cliam-

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 7

bers of the state. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Con-
gregational church, to which his wife also belongs and of which he is a trustee.
In all of his business relations Mr. S])aulding has been thoroughly reliable and in
his treatment of employes is just and considerate. Without the aid of influence
or wealth he has risen to a position among the most prominent men of Iowa and
his native genius and acquired ability are the stepping stones on which he has
mounted.

DAVID SUTHERLAND MORRISON.

David Sutherland Morrison, one of Grinnell's foremost citizens, is at the head
of the Morrison & Ricker Manufacturing Company, his associates being P>. J.
Ricker and Frederic Morrison. His birth occurred in Ijath, New Hampshire,
on the 23d of October, 1851, his parents being Frederick W. and Anna (Suther-
land) Morrison, extended mention of whom is made on another page of this
work. He was but four years of age when brought b}- his father and mother
to Grinnell and was reared to manhood under the parental roof. Following
his graduation from the Grinnell high school he took up the study of civil
engineering in Iowa College and during his three years' attendance at that
institution spent each summer in the field with an engineering corps.

.■\u older brother, Leon, died about the end of that time and the growth of
his father's business called for his assistance in its conduct. When about ready
to enter the factory he received information to the efTect that the civil engineer
under whom he had spent his summers as transit man had been awarded the
contract for the extension of the Burlington & Missouri from Plattsmouth,
-Xebraska, to Denver, and would give him charge of a division if he would
accompany him. The offer meant one hundred and fifty dollars per month, an
attractive salary to a young man of twenty-one years, but his father told him that
the business needed him more and so the die was cast and he entered
manufacturing circles. From that time to the present his efforts have been an
important factor in the successful control of one of the principal industrial
enterprises of Iowa. Prior to 1872 all the gloves in the Grinnell factory had been
cut by hand but in that year Mr. Morrison went to Gloversville, New York, to
purchase dies for cutting and also instituted other modern methods to keep pace
with the increasing business. In 1876 Frederick W. Morrison died and our
subject succeeded him as the head of the concern. In the intervening years
various changes have been made in the style of the firm, Mr. Morrison first
having as partner Andrew Mcintosh, then E. C. Wadsworth and next E. A.
Wadsworth, the son of his previous associate. In 1903 the interest of Mr.
Wadsworth was purchased by B. J. Ricker and Frederic Morrison, a son of
David S. Morrison. However, the business was conducted under the name of
Morrison & Mcintosh until 1907. when INIr. Mcintosh withdrew and the present
firm style was adopted. In connection with his duties as the head of an
extensive and important manufacturing concern Mr. Morrison also acts as vice
president of the Grinnell Savings Bank.

8 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

He possesses untiring energy, is quick of perception, forms his plans readily
and is determined in their execution, and his close application to business and his
excellent management have brought to him the high degree of prosperity which
is today his. It is true that he became interested in a business already established
but in controlling and enlarging such an enterprise many a man of even con-
siderable resolute purpose, courage and industry would have failed, and he has
demonstrated the truth of the saying that success is not the result of genius
but the outcome of clear judgment and experience.

On the 15th of April, 1876, Mr. Morrison was united in marriage to Miss
Fannie Ricker. Her father, Edward Ricker, made his way from Kewanee,
Illinois, to Scott county, Iowa, at an early day and subsequently took up his
abode among the pioneer residents of Grinnell. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Morrison
have been born six children, the record of whom is as follows : Nellie, who
graduated from Grinnell College with the class of 1899, is now the wife of
Dr. P. E. Somers. of Grinnell. Frederic, who completed the course in Grinnell
College in 191 1, is a partner of his father in the Morrison & Ricker Manu-
facturing Company. Addie, a Grinnell College graduate of 1902, is the wife
of Charles F. Chase, of Mason City, Iowa. Frank H. is at present employed by
his father but has decided to embark in the lumber business in Idaho in the near
future. Julian and Donald are both high school students.

Mr. Morrison is a stanch supporter of the republican party, believing that its
principles are most conducive to good government. He has served on the
town council for three terms and for a similar period has been a member of
the board of education in Grinnell. He is a valued member and a trustee of
the Congregational church, to which his wife and children also belong. His
life has been well spent and in all his career he has been sincere and upright in
his purposes, honorable principles guiding him in all of his relations with his
fellowmen.

ERASTUS SNOW.

.\llhough nearly a decade has elajised since the demise of Erastus .Snow his
personality was too strongly impressed upon the community where he had resided
for so many years for him to be readily forgotten. A man of rare ability and
possessing a high sense of public duty he is remembered as an agriculturist, finan-
cier and legislator, but probably best as the citizen who was always willing to con-
tribute both his time and money to forward any movement for the general good
of the community. Of Puritan extraction, the early principles fostered in a New
England home remained with him throughout life.

His birth occurred in Winchester, New Hampshire, on the 19th of September,
1819. He was reared in the paternal home to the age of twelve years, acquiring
his education in the common schools of his native town. One evening after he had
passed his thirteenth birthday he was reading the paper by the firelight when his
eye was caught by an advertisement which read, "Wanted, a boy in a printing
office. Apply here." Being an ambitious lad, he waj most anxious to begin his
business career and so applied to his father for permission to take the position.

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HISTORY OF rOWESHIEK COUNTY 11

Ten minutes later Mr. Snow placed within his pocket a note for fifty dollars,
bearing the signature of little Erastus, remarking as he did so that he would
always have something coming to him. The mother, however, thought better of
her son than that and replied, "That note will be paid." It was to this early
confidence reposed in him by his mother that Erastus Snow attributed much of
his success in after life. At times when everything looked hopeless and he was
ready to give up or was sorely tempted to compromise with right he would remem-
ber his mother, and her belief in him gave him renewed courage and enabled him
to conquer conditions rather than to permit them to conquer him.

The note, which he had given his father, was to compensate the parent for the
latl's time and services up to the time he had attained his majority, which at that
period was deemed to be the right of every parent. At the expiration of three
years it was cancelled, in confirmation of his mother's trust, although the lad
had only received fifty dollars for his first year's service, which sum was doubled
the second and tripled the third year. Before he had attained his majority he
had lifted the mortgage from the old homestead, thus relieving from anxiety
the latter days of his parents. Mr. Snow did not follow his trade for many years,
simply using it as a stepping stone to something higher. Returning to his old home
he worked in the bank for a while but believing that the west afforded better op-
portunities for men of limited means he removed to Iowa. Upon his arrival here
he first '.ocated in Davenport, where he resided for two years, and then removed
to Poweshiek county, buying some land east of Grinnell, in the cidtivation of which
he was engaged when elected president of the First National Bank, following
which he came to town to live. He served most efficiently in various public capaci-
ties daring the long period of his. residence here, having been elected to both
branches of the legislature as well as to the board of supervisors. The latter
office he held at the time when the matter of railroad bonds was being so strongly
.gitated in the county, but probably his most notable service was in assisting the
chool district to cancel its early indebtedness. After leaving the First National
3ank, of which he was the first president, he became connected with the Grinnell
Savings Bank, subsequently assuming the management of the Granger store for
a number of years, while he was also identified with the Farmers Mutual Insur-
ance Company. During the latter years of his life he withdrew from all public
activities and returned to his farm, where he resided until December, 1893, al-
though he rented the land. He then removed to Grinnell, where he was living at
the time of his demise on the ist of March, 1902.

On the 17th of October, 1887, ^Ir. Snow was united in marriage in Boston,
Massachusetts, to Mrs. Harriett E. ( Haskell) Waterhouse, whose husband had
been killed in the first battle of Bull Run. He was a member of Company C,
First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. Mr. and Mrs. Waterhouse were living in
Minnesota when the war opened but after the death of her husband she returned
to the east, settling in Boston. She was a daughter of Thomas and Hannah (John-
son) Haskell, natives of Maine, in which state the father, who was a strong
abolitionist, engaged in agricultural pursuits until his demise in 1852. His wife
survived until 1872. Three children were born unto Mr. Snow by a former mar-
riage but the daughter passed away when she was twenty-four years of age, and
the two sons are also deceased.

12 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

His political allegiance Mr. Snow ever accorded the men and measures of the
republican party, believing its principles were best adapted to protect the inter-
ests of the general public, but he favored free silver. He early adopted for his
motto the old adage "Be sure you are right then go ahead," which became the
governing principle of his life.

JOHN E. DEMPSTER.

John E. Dempster, who owns a farm of three hundred and twenty acres
of good land in Chester township, Poweshiek county, and is now living retired,
has made his home in Iowa for fifty-two years and is well acquainted with the
resources of the state and the history of its development since the Civil War.

He is a native of Morgan county, Ohio, born January 3, 1837, and is a son
of Thomas and Phebe (Lane) Dempster, the former born on the eastern shore
of Maryland and the latter in Dutchess county. New York. The ancestors upon
both sides of the house fought in the Revolutionary war, the Crafts, who
belonged to the maternal branch, being driven from the ground where the
battle of White Plains, New York, was fought. The paternal grandfather
moved with his family in the early part of the nineteenth century to Morgan
county, and there passed the remainder of his days. Thomas Dempster came to
Iowa with his family early in the '60s and settled in Scott county, near Daven-
port, on a farm of one hundred and twenty acres. He was successful in his
business and acquired two hundred and eighty acres. He died in this state
and is buried at Vail in Crawford county.

John E. Dempster, of this review, was the second in a family of seven
sons. He attended the district schools and worked on his father's farm, com-
ing to Scott county, Iowa, March 5. 1859, his eldest brother having preceded
him to this state. He applied himself industriously to agriculture and stock-
raising and became one of the well known and popular citizens of Scott
county. He was commissioned captain of the militia September 17, 1864, and
served in that office until the close of the war. He taught school several
terms in his early manhood and also purchased an interest in a threshing
outfit, with which he was connected for several years. In June, 1868, he
bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres and as the years advanced
his prosperity increased until he became the owner of two hundred and eighty
acres of good land in Scott county. Since 1900 he has lived in Poweshiek
county, where he owns three hundred and twenty acres, which are cultivated
by his sons, as he retired from active work several years ago.

In 1868 Mr. Dempster was married to Miss Esther E. Burch, a daughter of
Ira and Catherine ( Deyo ) Burch, and to this union three children were born,
two daughters and one son : Emma E., who married E. W. Fisher, a farmer
of Chester township, and has three daughters. Esther E., Ruth M. and Dorothy
E. : Mary J., the wife of W. W. Sherman, of Ottertail county, Minnesota, and
the mother of three children. Harold W., Judith M. and Bernice ; and John J.,
now living upon his own farm, who is married and has two sons, J. Ciaylonl

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COITNTV 13

and Keith G. The mother of these children died December 24, 1873. and Mr.
Dempster was again married in 1875, his second union being with Miss Josephine
Fitzsimmons, a daughter of I'elix I'"itzsimmons, a contractor of New York
state. Three children were born of this union, two .sons and one daughter:
.•\lden II., who married Oral J. Xeely and has two children, tkrtrude J. and
Mildred L. ; Fdna A., who lives at home: and Roscoe. also living at home.

In politics Mr. Dempster gives his allegiance to the republican party and
for many years was one of the active workers for its success. He served as
secretary of the independent school district of Linn (irove from 1868 to 1899. ^
record which probably has never been surpassed in Iowa. He also filled the
office of township clerk for three terms. In 1897 '^^ ^^'^^ elected a member of
the state legislature from Scott county, filling the position with an ability that
reflected upon him the highest credit. He also served in charge of the United
States census of 1890 for Scott county. He displayed an interest and efficiency
in all his official duties which met the hearty approval of the people, his con-
stant aim being to promote the public good. Successful as a business man and
farmer he now enjoys a rest, which he richly earned, and also possesses the
confidence and esteem of all who know him.

WILLIAM F. VOGT.

Starting out for himself as a young man with the laudable ambition to win
for himself an honorable place in the world, William F. Vogt has succeeded,
perhaps, even beyond the brightest expectations of his earliest years, and today
he is living retired on a beautiful farm in Poweshiek county, while his sons
are carrying forward the work which he began. He is a native of Scott county,
Iowa, and was born June 9, 1848, a son of John C. and Catherine (Graff) \'ogt,
both of whom were born in Holstein, Germany. They were married in the old
country and came to .America in 1847, locating on a farm in Scott county,
Iowa, where Mr. Vogt established his home.

Educated in the district schools William F. \'ogt grew up under the friendly
shelter of the parental home and was early marie acquainted with the many
details of agriculture and stock-raising. Even as a boy he showed special
adaptability to agricultural pursuits, and as he grew to manhood it became
evident that he was destined to become a successful farmer. He continued at
home until after he had reached the age of manhood and then began farming
on his own account in his native county. In 1883 he came to Poweshiek
county and for twenty-two years applied himself to farming and stockraising
with most gratifying results. In 1905 he moved to Grinnell, and after living
for three years in the city returned to the country and took up his residence on
a farm which he had acquired adjoining his old homestead. Here, surrounded
by every comfort that can be desired, he is enjoying the fruits of many years
of labor. He is an extensive landowner, being the possessor of one thousand
and nine acres in Poweshiek county, and also of land in Jasper county and three
hundred and twenty acres in Minnesota. In addition to his agricultural interests

14 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

he is vice president of the Citizens Bank of Grinnell, of which he was one of
the founders. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Brick &
Tile Company of Grinnell, and is a man whose judgment in business affairs is
greatly respected wherever he is known.

On the 13th day of March, 1875, Mr. \'ogt was united in marriage to Miss
Wilhelmina Brockman, a daughter of C. H. and Anna (Sindt) Brockman,
both of whom were born in Germany. The family came to America and
located in Scott county, Iowa, where the father engaged in farming. He
passed away in i8qS, but the mother is still living on the old homestead with her
son. Ten children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. \'ogt, namely: C. J., who
married Sadie Evans, of Grinnell township and now lives on the home farm ;
Harry C, also on the home farm ; Walter E. and Otis B., both of whom are
on the home farm ; Clarence, who is now a student in the common schools ;
Grover Cleveland, who is living with his parents : William McKinley ; Anna C. ;
Julia A., who received a high school education and is now teaching at Mon-
tezuma ; and Mildred C, at home.

Mr. Vog^ and his estimable wife are sincere members of the German Luth-
eran church and active workers in its behalf. By his ballot he supports the
principles and candidates of the republican party, being allied with the progres-
sive element, which believes that the party has within itself the resources and
ability to correct the evils of government as they arise. He has always been
enterprising and public-spirited and few men have contributed more materially
to the welfare of the community. As a result he has a host of friends in
Poweshiek county who do not hesitate to declare that William F. \'ogt is a
model citizen.

JACOB SCHULTZ.

The largest and finest home in Malcom township stands as a monument to
the energy, industry and determination, successfully directed along agricultural
lines, of Jacob Schultz, one of the most prominent and substantial citizens of
this locality.

He was born in Bureau county, Illinois, on the i6th of October, 1857, a son
of John and Mary (Piel) Schultz, both natives of Prussia, Germany. The
father's birth occurred on the 19th of March, 1820, and the mother's on the 2d
of February of that year. They were married in the fatherland and came to the
United States in 1854, locating first in Bureau county, Illinois. Ten years later
they came to Poweshiek county. Iowa, and here cast in their lot with the early
settlers of this district. The father, who was a ship contractor in his native
country, took up the occupation of farming upon his arrival in the United States
and was therein engaged until the time of his demise. The old homestead upon
which he located on coming to Malcom township was all unbroken prairie land
when it came into his possession, and he and his son were the only white men
who have had any part in its cultivation and development. He was unusually
successful in his agricultural undertaking and at one time owned one thousand
acres of land in Malcom and Sheridan townships which, however, was all dis-

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HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 17

posed of to his children either before or after his demise. He was a stanch dem-
ocrat in politics and in religious faith was a member of the Lutheran church.
He donated a portion of the old homestead as a site for that church and until
the end remained one of its loyal and substantial supporters. He was the eldest
in a family of eight children, all of whom came. to the United States with the ex-
ception of a sister. They were as follows : John ; Christ, Charles, Gust and
Henry, all deceased: Fred, of Grinnell ; Ilenrietta, who married John Ahrnes,
and is now deceased ; and a sister who passed away in Germany.

In the family of John and Alary (Piel) Schultz there were six children,
namely : Charles, deceased ; Lena, who passed away in childhood ; Fredericka,
who married Lawrence Liedke, of Malcom ; Minnie, the wife of Louis Puis,
who is mentioned at length on another page of this volume ; Jacob, of this re-
view ; and F~red, of Malcom township. The parents of this family are now de-
ceased, the father passing away on the 25th of October, 1884, and the mother
on the nth of April. 1891, their remaining days being spent in the home of our
subject.

Spending the first seven years of his life in his native county, Jacob Schultz,
whose name introduces this review, accompanied his parents in 1864 on their
removal to Poweshiek county, and he has since resided on the homestead farm
here which his father purchased at the time of his arrival. His education was
acquired in the country schools and he received a thorough practical training
in the home fields, early becoming familiar with the tasks that fall to the lot of
the country lad. He continued to give his assistance to his father until the lat-
ter's death, since which time he has carried oij agricultural pursuits independ-
ently upon the portion of his father's estate whkh he inherited. This farm con-
sists of two hundred and eighty-three acres located on the northwest quarter of
section 3, Malcom township, and is one of the best equipped and most valuable
properties in this section. Here Mr. Schultz has introduced all of the con-
veniences and accessories of a model farm of the twentieth century and upon
it are to be found twelve substantial outbuildings, all topped by good shingle
roofs, and all, with the exception of one bam, were erected by him.

In 1910 he built a beautiful thirteen-room residence, thirty-two by sixty feet,
with two stories and a basement, frame and finished in hard pine. It is equipped
with every modern improvement to be found in a city home, including a lighting,
heating and water plant, and is the largest and finest home in Malcom township.
Mr. .Schultz carries eleven thousand, five hundred dollars insurance on his build-
ings, and the splendid condition of his farm speaks in no uncertain terms of the
substantial degree of success which has come to him. He engages in general
farming, but a large portion of his time and attention is devoted to his stock-
feeding interests, fattening from eighty to one hundred head of cattle per year
and raising from one to two hundred head of hogs yearly. He ships all of his
stock to the Chicago market and this brandi of his business interests yields large
financial returns. He is a stockholder in the Malcom Savings P>ank and also in
the Malcom Garage Company, and is well known to agricultural circles through-
out Poweshiek county as a stockholder in both the Grinnell and Malcom fairs, a
director of the Poweshiek County Central Agricultural Association and of the
Malcom fair.

18 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

Mr. Schultz has been married twice. In the year 1882 he wedded Miss Ame-
lia Baum, who was born in Germany in 1858, and when twenty-four years of
age came alone to this country. She passed away on the 24th of May, 1901.
Unto this union were born seven children, as follows : Emma, the wife of W. L.
Lamb, of Malcom township; Minnie, Alvena and John, all at home; George, who
passed away when five years old ; and Elmer and May, who are also still under
the parental roof. On the 12th of December, 1910, Mr. Schultz was united in
marriage to Miss Minnie Deffenbaugh. who was born in Fulton county, Illinois,
on the 25th of February, 1869.

Mr. Schultz is a member of the German Lutheran church, the site of which
was donated by his father and of which he is a helpful and interested worker
and a substantial supporter. He is a republican in ])olitics and h.-is filled vari-
ous school and road offices, while for the past seven years he has served as town-
ship trustee. Probably few men are better known in agricultural circles through-
out this district than Mr. Schultz, whose efforts to stimulate the interests of his
fellowmen toward progress and advancement along agricultural and stock-raising
lines have been far-reaching and beneficial. In his public capacity, too, he has
ever sought the good of the community, casting the weight of his influence on
the side of advancement along material, political, intellectual and moral lines,
and in every relation of life he has been found loyal and |ml»lic-spirited, his own
success never for a moment causing him to forget his chities as a citizen.

FRANCIS W. JOHNSTON.

A farm of one hundred and sixty acres situated on section 27, Scott town-
ship, claims the time and attention of Francis W. Johnston, who was born in
Rock Island county. Illinois, in September, 1858. ilis parents. Joseph and
Eliza Jane (Johnston) Johnston, were both natives of Ireland, where they
were reared and married, and soon after that event in their lives they eniigrateil
to the new world. They first located in Rock Island county. Illinois, where four
of their six children were born. In i8f)8 the father removed with his family
to Poweshiek county and here engaged in farming throughout his remaining
years. He died at a comparatively early age, passing away when only thirty-
five years old, at his home in Jackson township. The mother still survives and
now makes her home in Montezuma. Their children were : Francis W., of this
review ; John, who resides in Jackson township ; Mrs. Eliza Smith, deceased :
Mrs. Mary Moshier, who has also departed this life; Matilda, the wife of
William Rempp, of Montezuma; and Josephine, the wife of Joseph Johnston,
also of Montezuma.

Francis W. Johnston was reared to the age of ten years in Rock Island
county, Illinois, and at that age accompanied his parents on their removal to
Poweshiek county. He has made farming his life work and is today the owner
of a well improved farm consisting of one hundred and sixty acres on section
2'j, Scott township. He has made many improvements on the place since it
came into his possession and now has a valuable farm property, the fields

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 19

annually yielding rich and abundant harvests as a reward for the care and
labor which he bestows upon them.

Mr. Johnston was married March 9, 1880, to Miss Maggie Hall, who was
born in Ireland. October 31, 1858, and was but three years of age when, in
1861, her parents, John and Eliza (McKeever) Hall, emigrated to the United
States, while she was a little maiden of nine years at the time the family home
was established in Poweshiek county. Her father was born in County Tyrone,
Ireland, December 28, 1829, and was married in that country, in 1854, to
Miss McKeever. Three daughters were added to the household, Mary Jane,
Margaret (now Mrs. Johnston), and Eliza, ere the emigration of the family
to the new world. They first located in Rock Island county, Illinois, where
three other children were born, these being Susan, Samuel and Rachel. In
1867 Mr. Hall removed with his family to Poweshiek county, Iowa, settling on
a farm seven miles northeast of Montezuma, where many years were devoted to
general farming. He was reared in the faith of the Episcopal church and died
in that faith on the 29th of January, 1910, when more than eighty years of age.
I lis wife died about thirteen years ago.

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Johnston has been blessed with five daughters,
namely: Eliza, the wife of Jo.shua Johnston, of Scott township; Mary, who be-
came the wife of James Johnston but departed this life January 4, 1911 ; Ethel,
the wife of Joseph Hutchinson, a resident of Rock Island county. Illinois: and
Ella and Maggie, at home.

Mr. lohnston i.N a stanch sujiporter of the republican party but is not active
as an office seeker. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the
L'nited Presbyterian church of Scott township. He is a man whom to know is
to respect and honor, for his life is lived in harmony with his professions and
his sterling traits of character have won him a host of warm friends.

ESTHER B. M.^cGUGIN.

The value of the local newspaper in the upbuilding of the best interests of
any community is universally conceded. The press has not only recorded the
history of advancement, but has also ever been the leader in the work of progress
and improvement. In molding public opinion the power of the newspaper
cannot be estimated but, at all events, its influence is greater than that of any
other single agency. Poweshiek county has every reason to be proud of the
character of its press, for it has many enterprising and progressive journals, and
prominent among these is the Montezuma Republican, one of the oldest news-
pa|)ers of the county. Esther B. MacGugin, who was in April, 1910, appointed
managing editor of this journal, has rightly been accorded a foremost place
among the leading newspaper women of Iowa, her native state.

Her birth occurred in Washington, Washington county, on the 23d of August,
1881. and she is the eldest daughter of Robert Lyle and Minnie (Dickson)
"MacGugin. Her father came to Iowa from Washington county, Pennsylvania,
in the year 1875. and for a time was located at Davenport. Being of a me-

20 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

chanical turn of mind he accepted a position with the Chicago, Rock Island
& Pacific Railway Company. His connection with this institution has continued
for thirty-seven years, and at present he is one of the oldest men in its employ.
Her mother, who attended the public schools of Washington, and later studied
in the academy, was engaged in teaching school prior to her marriage. Rep-
resentatives of the name in Pennsylvania have long been identified with agri-
cultural pursuits, in the conduct of which they have proven uniformly suc-
cessful. Inheriting a fondness for the free, independent life of the country,
they have as a rule become well-to-do farmers, — well improved farms, large
families and a competency, with contentment, being characteristic of a large
portion of them. A goodly number, however, have sought fortune in other
channels, entering the commercial field and the various professions, in which they
have attained success and prosperity. Among the distant relatives of our sub-
ject is numbered Hon. Joseph R. Reed, who for many years served on the
supreme court bench of Iowa.

Esther B. MacGugin was reared in the town of her nativity, and at the
usual age was sent as a student to the public school. Upon completing the
course therein taught she entered Washington high school, from which she was
graduated in 1898. and later received the benefit of a year's work in Parsons
College. W^ith a strong literary inclination and a ready aptitude for writing,
she turned toward the journalistic field as a life work, and for more than twelve
years has been identified with newspaper work, her uninterrupted rise therein
in the meantime being rapid and well merited.

She began her career as a correspondent from Valley Junction for a Des
Moines paper, was later given 3 position as reporter on the staff of one of the
papers of the capital and subsequently became connected with the Washing-
ton (Iowa) Journal. She resigned the latter position, however, to enter the
University of California, where she pursued a special course in journalism.

Being thus well equipped for further advancement in her chosen vocation
she accepted a position with the Joplin (Missouri) Daily Cilobe, a large publica-
tion in the south, and succeeded Mrs. Baker, one of the best known news-
paper women in the United States, who has written for over a quarter of a
century under the nom de plume of "Becky Sharp." Miss MacGugin edited
the woman's department of this large daily for two years, and also contributed
stories to the magazine section.

She also at that time wrote some very original, logical and impressive articles
under the pen name of Esther Belle. About four years ago she became iden-
tified with the Needham syndicate of newspapers, and since her connection
therewith her career has been unusually successful. Her excellent journalistic
ability won well merited recognition when, about a year ago, she was appointed
to the office of managing editor of the Montezuma Republican, to succeed J.
R. Williams. This paper, which belongs to the syndicate, is one of the oldest
and best known journals of the locality, and is the oldest republican news-
paper in the county. At its best, or at its worst, a newspaper is the
expression of the personality of the single individual at its head, anil .
thus the present flourishing condition of the Republican is a logical indication
of the rare business acumen and excellent executive ability of its managing

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 21

editor. She is also a writer of considerable ability, and in the columns of her
paper appear many evidences of her attractive and pleasing style.

Miss MacGugin is a member of the Northern Press syndicate and of the
Burrell Newspaper syndicate of New York, and she has contributed largely
to various metropolitan papers of Iowa. One paper, the Davenport Democrat
and Leader, states of her: "Her experiences have been sufficiently varied to
enable her to be among the premiers of journalism."

V. S. WILCOX, M. D.

The medical fraternity finds a worthy representative in Dr. V. S. Wilcox,
who has made Malcom the scene of his activity throughout his connection with
the medical profession. He was born in Homer, Licking county, Ohio, on the
iith of October, 1848, a son of J. P. and Mary (Stark) Wilcox, natives of
Luzerne county, Pennsylvania. In the Keystone state the parents were reared
and married and at an early day went to Ohio. The mother passed away in
Tiskilwa, Bureau county, Illinois, and later the father came to Iowa with his
son, Dr. Wilcox. He engaged in merchandising at one time, although the
greater part of his life was devoted to farming. His death occurred at Aurora,
Nebraska. His family consisted of three children, of whom our subject is the
eldest, the others being: Louisa, the wife of Jasper Weimer, of North English,
Iowa county, Iowa ; and Ella, residing in Aurora, Nebraska.

Dr. Wilcox was but seven years of age when he came with his father to
Iowa, locating first in Washington county, and in that and lo.wa county he
spent the intervening period until twenty-two years of age. At the usual age he
became a pupil in the public schools, continuing therein until his graduation
from the high school, and for one year pursued a literary course at the Iowa
State University. He then became a student in the medical department of that
institution, from which he was graduated three years later, in 1874, when the
M. D. degree was conferred upon him. Immediately after his graduation he
came to Malcom and here he has since continued in the practice of his profes-
sion. From the first he was highly successful, impressing all with whom he
came m contact with his trustworthy character, his earnestness, zeal and scrupu-
lous regard for the ethics of his profession. He is skilful in diagnosis, sure in
prescription, thoughtful and tactful in attendance, and prompt and efficacious
in emergency. Aside from a large practice, which is distinctively representa-
tive and lucrative, he is the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and forty
acres a mile from town, which returns him a most substantial annual income.

In 1871 Dr. Wilcox was united in marriage to Miss Josephine Hamilton,
who was born in Tiffin, Johnson county, Iowa, in July, 185 1, a daughter of
Hezekiah Hamilton. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Wilcox have been born three children,
as follows: Delano, a graduate of the literary department of the Iowa State
University, also of Rush Medical College of Chicago, and who is now practicing
medicine in connection with his father; Mabel F., the wife of Oscar Bowers,

22 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

of Malcom : and Nellie G., who married Henry Wickman, now operating Ur.
Wilcox"s farm in Malcom township.

Dr. Wilcox's professional relations are with the Poweshiek County Medical
Society and the Iowa State Medical Society. Fraternally he is a Royal Arch
Mason and also belongs to Oriental Commandery, No. 22, K. T., of Newton,
while he is likewise a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
He gives his political allegiance to the republican party, and was a member
of the board of education for thirty years, during which time he served on the
building committee of the Malcom high school. For a period of thirty-seven
years Dr. Wilcox has practiced continuously in Malcom — a period character-
ized by self-sacrifice and kindly ministrations to others — and during that time
he has become the loved family physician in many households. He has ever
had the interest of the community deeply at heart and few deserve a more
prominent position among the town's most representative and valued citizens.

C. WILLIAM PEARCE.

A member of a well known family of Poweshiek county, C. William Pearce
is now living retired at Grinnell, having reached the age of seventy-two years.
He has been a resident of this county for sixty-three years and ranks among the
pioneers of a section that is now one of the most productive and prosperous parts
of the state. He was born in Bartholomew county, Indiana, November 22, 1839,
and is a son of Peter S. and Margaret (Prosser) Pearce, the father being a native
of Ohio and the mother of Pennsylvania. Peter S. Pearce, who was a carpenter
and builder by trade, removed from Ohio to Indiana in 1836 and seven years
later took up his residence in Illinois. In 1848 he came to Poweshiek county and
settled on government land in Grinnell township, where he established the fam-
ily on a farm of two hundred acres, which he developed from its wdld state
until it became a valuable property. He was a man of influence and responsi-
bility, whose name was accepted as a synonym for industry and integrity. In poli-
tics he adhered to the democratic party and was elected justice of the peace an
office which he filled with marked ability for a number of years. Fraternally he
was connected with Herman Lodge, No. 273, .A. F. & .\. M.. of Grinnell. He was
called to his reward while still residing on the old homestead in 1877, his wife
having died ten years earlier. On the maternal side the family record has been
traced back for over one hundred \-ears. our subject's grandfather Prosser hav-
ing served in the war of 1812.

C. William I'earce has been a resident of Iowa since he was nine \ears of
age. He has devoted his life to agricultural pursuits and remained on the home
farm until icpi. since which time he has been an honored resident of Grinnell.
He still nwns tw" linn(h-ed ;inil tDurteen acres of land in Grinnell township and his
residence in the cit\-. He was married in January, 1864, to Miss Matilda G.
lirown, who wa< born in Somersetshire. England. October 23, 1828, an<l was a
daiisrhter nf Jnhn anrl Maria (Grant) Brown. She came with her parents to
.\merica in 1850. the family living for several years in Wisconsin. In 1854 they

r
>

THE NEW YCKK

PUBLIC LIBRARY

A»TO(t, LENOX AND
TtLDEN FOU:.0»TI0NS.

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 25

arrived in Poweshiek county, six months after the first settlement was made at
C.rinnell. After a happy married life of more than forty years Mrs. Pearce
(lied at Grinnell in 1907. She was a woman of many admirable traits of mind
and heart and a consistent member of the Congregational church. In the family
of Mr. and Mrs. Pearce were the following children : George G., who is now mar-
ried and lives in Washington township ; Frank H., who is also married and lives
in (Jrinnell township; Nellie M., who married James R. Rutherford, a farmer
of Idaho; Seth J., who is married and lives in Grinnell township; and Mary C,
who married J. R. Nicholl and lives in Jasper county.

Mr. Pearce set a worthy example for his children and today they are useful
and honorable members of society, each performing his or her work in the pro-
motion of the general welfare. His political allegiance is given to the demo-
cratic party and while he has not sought public office he has ever been a consistent
advocate of honest government administered in accordance with practical business
principles. The excellent qualities he has manifested as a citizen, as a business
man and in private life fully entitle him to the respect in which he is universally
held.

S. W. GRAY.

In his early boyhood S. W. Gray came with his parents to Poweshiek
county and ever since that time he has been a resident of this county. He is
now a prosperous farmer of Washington township who, by his upright char-
acter, well applied industry and sound birsiness judgment, has gained the
respect of the entire community.

He is a native of Davenport, Iowa, and was born October 8, 1870, a son of
Herman C. and Almeda (Booth) Gray. The father was born in Holmes
county, Ohio, May 30, 1822, and the mother in one of the eastern states. They
were married at Valparaiso, Indiana. At the time of the Civil War Mr. Gray
served faithfully in behalf of the Union. He was discharged at Davenport,
following which he engaged in teaming for a number of years. In the spring
of 1S77 he came with his family to Poweshiek county and purchased the
farm upon which his son, S. W., now lives. He died April 10, 1902, having
previously retired from active labors. The mother is now living at Grinnell.
Mr. Gray was a man of exceptional character, who exercised a good influence
u]ion all with whom he came in contact. Politically he was an ardent supporter
of the republican party. He took an active part in politics and served as town-
ship trustee and also as school director. In religious belief he adhered to the
Methodist church and for a number of years filled very acceptably the offices
of trustee and steward in the church. There were eight children in the family
and Mr. and Mrs. Herman C. Gray, namely ; Josie, who is deceased ; Ella, the
wife of Tilman Vestal, of Lynnville, Iowa; Herbert, who lives at Grinnell:
Carrie, also deceased: Alfred and Ida, twins, the former now living in Mon-
tana and the later with her mother ; S. W., our subject : and Bert, who lives in
Salt Lake City, Utah.

26 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

S. W. Gray arrived in Poweshiek county with his parents when he was seven
years of age and received his education in the public schools of Washington
township. He assisted his father upon the home farm until attaining his ma-
jority, when he rented a farm for two years on his own account. He then pur-
chased eighty acres in Washington township, which he cultivated to good
advantage for five years and then disposed of, buying the old homestead of
two hundred acres upon which he is now well established. He is a general
farmer and stock-raiser, paying special attention to the raising of horses and
cattle, for which he has a rare aptitude.

On the 25th of June, 1893, Mr. Gray was married at Searsboro, to Miss
Clara Spillman, a daughter of J. A. and Sarah (\"estal) Spillman, of Washing-
ton township. Mrs. Gray was born in Washington township, September 15,
1870. Her parents are both natives of North Carolina. The father settled in
Poweshiek county about fifty years ago and is now living retired. The mother
died about 1900. Mr. Spillman has for many years been identified with the
Masonic order. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Gray, namely:
Grace, who is deceased ; and Farrell Ray, Robert and Addie, all of whom are
at home.

Mr. Gray has never been a seeker after political office, but casts his vote for
the republican party believing that its principles are highly important in
advancing the permanent welfare of the state and nation. Fraternally he is
connected with the Odd Fellows, his membership being in the lodge at Sears-
boro. He has many friends in the order and also among men who are not
identified with any fraternal organization. Genial in manner and pleasing
in address, he easily makes his way wherever he desires to be known, and he
enjoys the good will of all with whom he comes into contact.

FREDERICK WILLIAM MORRISON.

Although thirty-five years have passed since Frederick William Morrison
was called to his final rest, he is still remembered by many of Grinnell's older
residents as one of the most prominent and respected early settlers of the town.
As the founder of what is now the ]\Iorrison & Ricker Manufacturing Com-
pany, one of the principal industrial enterprises of Iowa, the record of his life
well merits a place in a volume of this character.

His birth occurred in Bath, New Hampshire, on the 29th of July, 181 3, and
he was a gentleman of Scotch-Irish lineage. He obtained a good education in the
common schools and after putting aside his text-books learned the tanner's
trade, working by the side of Mr. Parker, the father of Ira Parker, who later
developed the Saranac glove industry in Littleton, New Hampshire, using prac-
tically the same process in tanning leather that Mr. Morrison introduced in
Iowa. On the 4th of October, 1843. he was united in marriage to Miss Ann
Sutherland, a daughter of the Rev. David Sutherland, who was for many years
father and so called priest of the Congregational community of Bath, New
Hampshire. The wife brought to her new duties all the refinement of a Chris-

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 27

tian home and the knowledge gained by varied experience. She had attended
Mount Holyoke Seminary as a member of the first class, under Mary Lyon,
subsequently followed the profession of teaching in Littleton, New Hampshire,
and later went to Plymouth, that state, where she learned to make gloves. Mr.
and Mrs. Morrison began their domestic life in Bath, where five children were
born unto them — three sons and two daughters. Two of the number reached
mature age, Mary and David.

With the call from J. B. Grinnell for the building of a model colony in Iowa
was an advertisement for a tanner, to which Mr. Morrison responded, bringing
his family west in the fall of 1855. After reaching the terminus of the rail-
road at Rock Island, Illinois, he made his way down the Mississippi river by
boat to Muscatine, where he procured a private hack in which to make the jour-
ney of one hundred and twenty miles to his new home. A number of the resi-
dents of his native town had preceded him and here he found friends and kin-
dred, spending the winter in the home of David Sutherland, a brother of Mrs.
Morrison. In the spring of 1856 Mr. Morrison erected a small house at the
corner of Sixth avenue and State street, which corner is marked by tall cotton-
wood trees on the college campus, the house having been moved to make room
for the circular drive on the south. Not having capital sufficient to build a
tannery, Mr. Morrison begail tanning in the open and put in vats north of the
mill pond, the mill being located on the corner of Fifth avenue and State street.
Here was begun the work which led to the development of the Grinnell glove
industry. Like all tanners of his day, Mr. Morrison was both a tanner and
currier and undertook to tan and finish anything from glove leather to sole
leather. His first desire was to establish a horse collar shop and considerable
work was done in this line. Gradually, however, he turned his attention toward
glove-making. Deer were still numerous in Iowa and Grinnell soon became a
market for them. The tanning process was a sore trial in the early days, as
the oak bark was found unsuitable and shumac and smartweed proved to be of
little value. Finally a small shipment of gambier, an imported article, was re-
ceived and Mr. Morrison developed a combination process which is still used
in the tannery. No salesmen were employed for a number of years but tht
stage drivers made a good substitute as they learned the value of the Grinnell
gloves. Orders began to come in from adjoining towns and annually increased
in number. In 1859 a tannery was erected west of Grinnell and prior to the
completion of the railroad in 1863 large shipments were sent to Newton, Des
Moines and points farther west. Mr. Morrison lived to see but the beginning
of the industry, though at the time of his demise it had outgrown the kitchen
and the home and occupied half of the Deacon Whitcom harness shop on Fourth
avenue. The glove sales of 1876 amounted to nine thousand dollars. Though
he passed away when the enterprise was practically still in its infancy, he es-
tablished a reputation for integrity in all his dealings with his fellowmen that is
more to be desired than great riches.

Mr. Morrison was a modest, retiring gentleman, faithful in attendance at
church services but not an active participant. He was an interesting conversa-
tionalist and his friends found him a congenial companion whose never-failing
supply of stories showed a rare appreciation of the best kind of humor. He was

28 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

not strong physically but no man in the community was more faithful or per-
sistent in his attention to all the requirements of his business. His word was
as good as his bond and his demise, which occurred on the i6th of August,
1876, was the occasion of deep and widespread regret, for his life had been at
all times unselfish, upright and honorable.

CHARLES H. ONTHANK.

Among the worthy citizens of Poweshiek county who have passed to their
reward, leaving behind them memories of useful labors and kindly acts that
cannot be forgotten by the present generation, should be named Charles H. On-
thank. He was born in New York, June 13, i860, and departed this life Decem-
ber 21, 1908, being then in his forty-eighth year. His parents were George H.
and Isabella (Woods) Onthank, both of whom were natives of New York state.
At the time of the Civil war the father enlisted in an Illinois regiment and served
as a musician until the close of the Rebellion. He acquitted himself so creditably
that he was placed in charge of a hospital in Tennessee after the war was over and
having discharged this duty came to Iowa with his family in 1869 and for sev-
eral years worked at the blacksmith's trade at Grinnell. Later he became con-
nected with the Iowa Central Railroad at Grinnell as baggage agent and was also
employed in the postoffice at Grinnell. He died June 6, 1908, but his wife is still
living at Grinnell. Politically he gave his support to the republican party and
fraternally was a valued member of the Masonic order and the Grand Army of
the Republic. In religious faith he adhered to the Baptist church in which he
took a great interest, serving for a number of years as deacon. Two children were
born to Mr. and Mrs. Onthank: Charles H.; and Martha, the wife of George L.
Brown, of Grinnell.

Charles H. Onthank came to Grinnell with his father at the age of ten years
and received his early education in the public schools. After reaching manhood
he went to South Dakota and took up government land, but after spending three
years in that state he returned to Grinnell and worked in the freight house of the
Iowa Central Railroad Company. About 1891 he purchased fifty-five acres of
land in Grinnell township, later acquiring fifty acres additional. After cultivating
his farm for a while he sold it and purchased two hundred acres in Washington
township, which he improved, greatly adding to its value. This place he also sold
and in December, 1899, bought a farm of two hundred and thirty acres, which is
still in possession of the family. He made a specialty of raising hogs and cattle
for the market and became known as one of the prosperous and progressive men
of the community.

On the 2ist of August, 1889, Mr. Onthank was married to Miss \iola Robin-
son, who was born July 7, 1870, in McDonough county, Illinois, and is a daughter
of Robert and Mary Jane ( Holden ) Robinson. The father was born near Louis-
ville. Kentucky, October 8. 1841, and the mother near Cincinnati, Ohio, July 10,
1848. He engaged in farming in Kentucky and later in McDonough county, Illi-
nois. In the fall of 1872 he came with his family to Poweshiek county and pur-

^-^^r^

HISTORY OF I'OWESlin^.K COUNTY 31

chased a farm of eighty acres in Grinnell township. He sold his farm in 1893
and retired with his wife to Grinnell, where he passed away May 30, 1901. His
wife died August 2, 1908. They were both consistent members of the Baptist
church. In politics he was a supporter of the republican party and being an ear-
nest friend of education served very acceptably as a member of the school board
in Grinnell township. Eight children constituted the family of Mr. and Mrs.
Onthank : Florence, who was born October 29, 1891, and is now the wife of
William \'an Wvk, of Lynnville, Iowa; Lillian M., born July 20, 1893. who mar-
ried Charles P. Kimball and is now living on the old hoinestead ; Charles H. R.,
born May 26, 1895; Grace Isabelle, born April i. 1897; Alma Viola, born Febru-
ary II, 1899; Edward W., born June 26, 1901 ; Paul L., born June 17. 1903; and
George W., born October 26, 1906.

Mr. Onthank was a firm believer in the Christian religion and a sincere mem-
ber of the Baptist church, as is his widow. In politics he gave his support to the
republican party and served for two terms as school director. Fraternally he
was identified with the Odd Fellows and he had many friends in the order and
also in Poweshiek county. Mrs. Onthank continues to reside on the old homestead
and receives from her children and from all who know her the love and respect
which is due to unquestioned worth.

WILLIAM F. SCHMIDT.

William F. Schmidt, an enterprising and energetic agriculturist of Powe-
shiek county, owns a well improved tract of land, comprising one hundred and
twenty acres in Washington township, and devotes his attention to both farm-
ing and stock-raising. His birth occurred in that township on the i8th of May,
1864, his parents being Peter and Eliza (Sanders) Schmidt, who are mentioned
at greater length in another part of this work. Unto them were born ten chil-
dren, as follows: William F., of this review; Sarah, the wife of Harmon Sul-
lee, of Washington township; Samuel, who is a resident of Jasper county, Iowa;
Henry J., living in Washington township, and who is represented elsewhere
in this volume; Elizabeth, the wife of Guy Ford, who makes her home in
Canada ; Peter and Francis, both at home ; Frank, who is deceased ; Mary, the
wife of William Whalen, of Mahaska county, Iowa; and Rose, the wife of
August Gregor, of Bismarck, North Dakota.

William F. Schmidt obtained his education in the schools of his native town-
ship. Upon leaving school he assisted in the operation of the home farm for
several years. He also worked at well driving and tile laying for a time. In
1899 he purchased his present farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Wash-
ington township, draining the land and otherwise improving the property. In
addition to cultivating the crops best adapted to soil and climate he also devotes
considerable attention to the raising of stock, having met with a gratifying
measure of success in both branches of his business.

On the 28th of December, 1898, Mr. Schmidt was united in marriage to
Miss Amelia Mader, a daughter of John and Anna Marie (Bausch) Mader,

32 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

both of whom were natives of 'Baden, Germany, the former born in Septem-
ber, 1832, and the latter on the 28th of September, 1833. Their marriage was
celebrated in the fatherland. John Mader, who was a farmer by occupation,
emigrated to the United States in 1882, locating in Moline, Illinois, where he
labored in the mills and also in the plow works. His demise occurred on the
5th of December, 1892, while his wife was called to her final rest on the 29th of
December, 1898, both passing away in the faith of the Catholic church. Their
children were seven in number, namely: Anton, who is a resident of Germany;
Barbara, who is the wife of Max Hanger and also resides in Germany ; Joseph,
living in the state of Washington ; Engelbert, of Colfax. Washington ; Mrs.
Christian Kill, deceased, of Moline, Illinois ; Mrs. Schmidt, who was born in
Baden, Germany, on the 3d of November, 1865, and who accompanied her par-
ents on their emigration to the United States ; and Gustav, who is a resident of
San Francisco, California. Unto Mr. and Mrs. William F. Schmidt have been
born two children: Anna Marie, whose natal day was November 16, 1899; and
Joseph Frederick, whose birth occurred on the 19th of March, 1904.

In politics Mr. Schmidt is independent, supporting men and measures rather
than party. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Catholic
church, of which his wife is also a devoted communicant. He has resided in
Poweshiek county from his birth to the present time. That his life has ever
been upright and honorable is indicated by the fact that the associates of his
boyhood and youth are still numbered among his stanch friends and admirers.

ELBERT W. CLARK, Jr.

Elbert W. Clark, Jr., conducting a lumber yard in Grinnell, is accounted one
of the leading and progressive business men of the city, and his life record indi-
cates what may be accomplished when determination, energy and laudable ambi-
tion constitute the foundation for success. He was born here on the 28th of
February, 1880, a son of Dr. Elbert W. Clark, of whom extended mention is
made elsewhere in this volume. He was one of the best lo\'ed citizens of Grin-
nell, not alone because of his professional skill in the practice of medicine, but
also because of his ready sympathy and his kindly assistance whenever aid was
needed.

Under the parental roof Elbert W. Clark, Jr., spent his youthful days, his time
being largely given to the acquirement of an education in the public schools, and
later in Iowa College of this city, from which he was graduated with the class of
1900, winning the degree of Bachelor of Science. There was no intermediate
period between his school days and his entrance into business life, for when he
put aside his text-books he at once sought emiiloyment and secured a position in
the lumber yard of Carney Brothers, with whom he remained a year and a half.
Later, in association with E. B. Brande, he purchased a half interest in the busi-
ness that belonged to W. J. Carney, the senior member of the firm, at which time
the style of the business was changed to Carney, Rrande & Clark. This was on
the 1st of February, 1902. Lender this organization the business was conducted

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 38

for the years, during which time Mr. Clark, had charge of the yard, and in that
capacity learned all of the details of the lumber business. At the end of that
time he and j. L. Fellows purchased the interests of Mr. Carney and Mr. Brande
and the style of the firm became Clark & Fellows, February i, 1907. This part-
nership relation was maintained for two years.

Mr. Clark is today one of the best informed men concerning lumber in this
section of the state and he has displayed skill and ability as a manager. On the
1st of February, 1909, he purchased his partner's interest in the business, since
which time he has conducted his lumber yard independently. For the past three
years he has also operated a branch yard at Vancleve, Iowa, and in Grinnell is
known as the president of the Grinnell Planing Mill Company and also as a mem-
ber of the board of directors of the People's Light & Fuel Company. He pos-
sesses that keen insight into business affairs which, for want of a better term,
has been called commercial sense. His plans are carefully made and then force-
fully executed and what he undertakes he carries forward to successful com-
pletion.

On the 20th of April, 1904, Mr. Clark was united in marriage to Miss Ada
\alleau, of Grinnell, a daughter of Mrs. Angie Valleau of this city, and they now
have one son, E. W. Clark III. In politics Mr. Clark is an earnest republican, but
not an office seeker. Fraternally he is connected with Grinnell Lodge, No. 58,
I. O. O. F. and with Marshalltown Lodge, No. 312, B. P. O. E. He is a charter
member of Poweshiek Club and both he and his wife hold membership in the
Congregational church. Having spent his entire life in Grinnell, he is very widely
known and the many sterling qualities of character which he has developed has
made him a popular citizen as well as a progressive, enterprising and prosperous
business man.

SAMUEL J. SNIDER.

Samuel J. Snider, who is engaged in general farming in Union township, was
born in the township where he is now residing on the 12th of March, 1855, ^^'^
is the eldest son of the late John and Rachel (Durbin) Snider. The father was
a native of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, and the mother of Muskingimi county, that
state. John Snider, who was a lumberman, came to Poweshiek county as a young
man and engaged in farming, continuing to be identified with that vocation until
about five years prior to his death, at which time he retired. The mother has
also passed away. L'nto them were born eight children, five of whom are living,
namely: Samuel J., our subject: Morton L., who is residing in Union township;
( "icorge B. and Martha, both of whom are deceased ; Alice, who married Stephen
Rivers, also of Union township ; Elizabeth, the wife of Grant Johnson, of this
township: Cora, who married John W. Rogers, of Bates county, Missouri; and
■■"rank, deceased. The family attended the Christian church, of which the father
was for many years an elder, while his political allegiance was accorded the dem-
ocratic party and he served his township in the capacity of school director.

The boyhood and youth of Samuel J. Snider did not differ save in detail from
those of other farmer lads of that period and like circumstances. His time was

34 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

divided between the work of tlie schoolroom and the ])erformance of such tasks
as were assigned by parental authority, while for recreation he indulged in the
sports in which young people in the more sparsely settled communities usually
revel. In the acquirement of his education he attended the district schools in his
vicinity, and after laying aside his text-books he assisted his father in the work
of the farm. Later he worked by the month as a farm hand, being thus em-
ployed until he attained his majority. He subsequently jnirchased forty-two acres
of land and engaged in general farming. Having met with a fair degree of suc-
cess in his ventures he has since added to his original tract until he now owns one
hundred and two acres of land, which is under a good state of cultivation.

Ever since age conferred upon him the right of suffrage Mr. Snider has given
his political support to the candidates of the democratic party, while his religious
views are manifested through his affiliation with the Christian church, of which he
was formerly a deacon. He has always led a quiet, unobtrusive life but is
known to be a kind neighbor and loyal friend.

WILLIAM J. ELWOOD.

Of honest and resolute Irish parentage, William J. Elwood, of Sheridan town-
ship, was endowed at birth with those qualities of grit and perseverance which
generally lead to the accomplishment of worthy objects. He is a native son of
Iowa and was born in Tama county, March zj, 1873. his parents being James
and Anna (Jackson) Elwood. The father was born in Ireland and came to
•America early in the "50s, locating in Tama county, Iowa. The mother was mar-
ried to Mr. Elwood at Dunlap, Iowa.

^^'illiam J. Elwood was reared in his father's home and early engaged in rail-
road construction in Tama county. In 1896 he came to Poweshiek county and
engaged in farming, later renting land until the fall of 1910, when he purchased
two hundred acres on section 24 of Sheridan township, where he established his
home. His place is under excellent cultivation and is well watered and drained,
there being no waste land on the farm. He engages in general farming and also
fattens stock for the market. His wife is interested in the raising of full-blooded
Plymouth Rock chickens.

On the isth of February, 1898, Mr. Elwood was married to Miss Kate Mul-
ligan, a daughter of Michael and Anna (Martin) Mulligan, who came from
County Louth, Ireland, to America after their marriage in the early part of the
■50s. They located on a farm of two hundred acres in Sheridan township, Powe-
shiek county, and, in 1895, Mr, Mulligan purchased eighty acres additional in
Chester township. In 1904 he moved to Tama, where he still lives. Mrs. Mulli-
gan died about 1886 at the old homestead in Sheridan township. Air. and Mrs.
Elwood are the parents of one child, .Anna .\rlene. She was born March 31,
1902, and is now attending the Hickory Grove district school.

Mr. Elwood and his family are sincere members of the Roman Catholic church
of Tama. He gives his support politically to the democratic party and is a great
admirer of William Jennings P.ryan, considering him one of the brightest politi-

IITSTORV OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 35

cal leaders that America has ever known. As a good friend of education Mr. El-
wood has served very acceptably as member of the school board of District No.
8, Sheridan township. He is interested in all movements for the promotion of
the permanent welfare of the county and is at the present time a member of the
board of directors of the Sheridan Creamery Company. Although in actual own-
ership of his farm but comparatively a short time, he has demonstrated his ability
as an agriculturist, and his place promises to become one of the highly productive
properties of this part of the county. His success is well deserved, as it is the re-
sult of years of well directed labor.

WILLIAM ASBURY TAYLOR.

William Asbury Taylor, who owns the Searsboro Telephone Company,
was born in Yadkin county, North Carolina, on the 29th of March, 1852. He
is a son of Mathew and Mary (Michaels) Taylor, also natives of North Caro-
lina. The father, who was a farmer, came to Poweshiek county in 1855, locat-
ing in Union township, where he purchased a farm. When the call came for
men in 1862 he enlisted in Company C, Twenty-eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry
and went to the front, where he remained for three years, receiving his dis-
charge at Atlanta, Georgia, in 1865. His political support Mr. Taylor always
gave to the men and measures of the republican party, while he kept in touch
with his comrades of the field through the medium of his connection with the
G. A. R. In matters religious both hei and Mrs. Taylor manifested their views
through their affiliation with the Methodist Episcopal church. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. Taylor was born nine children, as follows : William Asbury, our subject ;
Nancy, the widow of J. A. Kline, of Washington township ; Sarah, the wife of
N. W. Pierce, of Blue Point, Washington township ; John, who is deceased ;
Dorcas ; Frank, deceased ; Finley, who is a resident of Grinnell ; and Ella, the
wife of Ira C. Heeler, also a resident of Washington township, and one who
died in infancy, being the sixth child in order of birth.

After the completion of his preliminary education, which was acquired in
the common schools, William Asbury Taylor studied for a time at Iowa Col-
lege, Grinnell, Iowa, following which he taught school for a few years. Decid-
mg at the end of that period that he preferred farming he went to Washington
township where he engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1881. For two years
thereafter he conducted a general merchandise business in Searsboro, but in
1883 he returned to farming. In 1908 he bought the Searsboro Telephone Com-
pany, with which he continues to be successfully identified. They have over
two hundred and twenty subscribers on the line and their business is constantly
increasing.

Mr. Taylor was united in marriage on the 17th of October, 1872, to Miss
Minnie Reed, a daughter of Charles and Malvina (Wood) Reed of Mahaska
county, Iowa. The father was a native of England and the mother of New
York state, where they were married. Mr. Reed emigrated to the L^nited
States in his early manhood, locating in the state of New York where he en-

36 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

gaged in contracting. In 1855 together with his wife and family he came to
Poweshiek county, continuing to follow his trade, and he also worked in the
mines in the vicinity of New Sharon, Iowa. He served for three or four years
in the Tenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, being honorably
discharged. In politics he was a republican and both he and his wife affiliated
with the Methodist Episcopal church.

Mrs. Taylor is a native of the state of New York, her birth having occurred
there on the nth of May, 1854. Ten children have been born' of the union of
Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, the order of their birth being as follows : Frankie, who
is deceased ; May, the wife of J. W. P'layle, residing in the vicinity of Monte-
zuma; Nina, the deceased wife of Frank Morrison; Charles, who lives in Pleas-
ant township; Fred, a resident of Washington township; Clara, the wife of
R. D. Ready, of Hayes county, Nebraska ; John, who is living in the same place ;
and Frank, Henry and Pearl, all of whom are at home.

In religious matters the views of the family coincide with those of the Meth-
odist Episcopal denomination, the parents being affiliated with the church at
Blue Point, and fraternally Mr. Taylor is a member of the Masonic order. He
casts his ballot for the candidates of the republican party and served for sev-
eral terms as school trustee, township clerk and assessor, while for eighteen
years he was secretary of the township school board. He is one of the public-
spirited and progressive citizens, as well as capable business men of Searsboro.
where he is widely known- and highly regarded.

WILLIAM STEELE SANDERS.

.\mong the esteemed citizens of Grinnell township is William Steele Sanders,
the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of land and a man whose sterling
traits of character have gained for him the highest respect and confidence. He
is a native son of Iowa, born at Grinnell, January 30, 1873, his parents being
George Lucius and Mary (Steele) Sanders. The father was a native of New
Ipswich. New Hampshire, and the mother of Arcade, New York. They were
married at Arcade in 1870 but had both livetl at Grinnell, having come to Iowa in
1863. ;\Ir. Sanders was for a number of years proprietor of the Sanders House
and later engaged in farming. He subsequently moved to Modesto, California.
Politically he gave his allegiance to the republican party and in religious belief w'as
affiliated with the Congregational church.

The mother of our subject was a daughter of Alonzo and Ann D. (Tracy)
Steele. Her father was born near Arcade, New York, August 15, 1816, and be-
came a student at Oberlin College, where he met Miss Ann D. Tracy, who was
also a student there, and their acquaintance led to their marriage. He engaged
in the woolen business at Arcade, New York, and in 1863 came to Poweshiek
county, Iowa, where Professor Parker had invested in land for him, buying it at
ten dollars per acre. This land became the family homestead. Mr. Steele en-
gaged in the lumber business at Grinnell and later in the sale of agricultural imple-
ments, this business developing into a large hardware store, which was con-

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 39

ducted under the name of Graver, Steele & Austin. The company continued for
twenty-five years at Grinnell and then moved to Harvey, Illinois, where they met
with reverses and the business was abandoned. Mr. Steele was an earnest mem-
ber of the Congregational church and a liberal contributor toward all Christian
enterprises. Originally he was identified with the whig party but he became a
republican and continued as a supporter of the republican party during the re-
mainder of his days. He was an active worker in politics but never sought the
honors or emoluments of office. His wife was a woman of a remarkably bright
mind, a sincere Christian and a true philanthropist. Her home was noted as a
center of hospitality and kindliness. She passed away in 1853. In the family
of Mr. and Mrs. Steele were three children : Mary, who married George Lucius
Sanders ; Louise, who is deceasetl ; and Myra, also deceased. A professorship in
mathematics at Grinnell College was established by Mr. Steele as a memorial to
his daughter Myra.

William Steele Sanders received his early education in the public schools of
Grinnell and later entered Grinnell College, from which he was graduated in 1895
with the degree of I!. S. He was attracted to agricultural pursuits and has de-
voted his attention to farming, being now the owner of one of the most desirable
farms of Grinnell township. It comprises one hundred and si.xty acres of the land
which was acquired by his grandfather nearly fifty years ago and one hundred
and sixty acres which he purchased as a result of his own well directed labors.
In connection with the cultivation of the soil he raises and feeds stock and, as he
is both scientific and practical in his methods, the results are very satisfactory.

In January. 1899, Mr. Sanders was united in marriage to Miss Delia Andrews,
a native of Ladora, Iowa, and a daughter of Daniel Andrews, who was a resident
of (irinnell for several years and is now living in California. Three children have
come to bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Sanders: Lyman A., Robert R. and Mary
Elizabeth.

Mr. Sanders politically is allied with the republican party and in religious
belief he adheres to the Congregational church. He has spent his entire life in
Poweshiek county and through his business ability and spirit of progressiveness
he has gained a host of friends. He is a representative of the younger generation
of farmers, who possess advantages of training unknown to their fathers and oc-
cupy advanced lines in all departments of the industry. By a useful and honor-
able life he has acquired a standing which is of vastly greater value than immense
wealth gained through questionable methods.

ORLANDO D. HALL.

Orlando D. Hall is well known as the owner of the Maple Lawn Farm,
located on section 3, Scott township, Poweshiek county, and his popularity
among his fellow townsmen has been proven by the fact that in IQ06. although
living in a republican stronghold, he was elected on the democratic ticket to
the office of county supervisor. He is a native of Berrien county, Michigan,

40 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

his birth having occurred May 4, 1852. His parents were George and Kath-
arine (Deardorff) Hall, the former born in Butler count)-, Ohio, in February,
1826, while the latter claims Indiana as the state of her nativity. The father
removed to Michigan from Ohio with his parents when he was a lad of ten
years but after one year the family returned to Ohio and there the grand-
father passed away. The father of our subject, however, remained in Berrien
county, Michigan, until 1865. when he removed with his family to Poweshiek
county, Iowa, and engaged in farming. He was a prosperous man and became
the owner of two hundred and forty acres of rich farming land. He died here
on the I2th of January. 1898, at the age of seventy-two years. The mother,
however, still survives and makes her home in Brooklyn. Their family num-
bered seven children, namely : Orlando D., of this review ; Curtis, a resident
of Madison county, Iowa; Eldon L., of Scott township, who is mentioned else-
where in this volume: Cass L., of Brooklyn; Charles H., who is also mentioned
in this work; Myrtle, of Brooklyn; and Guy O.. whi> makes his home in
Malcom.

O. D. Hall was reared in the state of his nativit\- tu the age of thirteen years,
at which time he accompanied his parents on their removal to Poweshiek county,
the family home being established on a farm in Bear Creek township, just
across the road from the present home of our subject. At that time much of tiie
land was unbroken prairie and the homes of the settlers were widely scattered.
He assisted his father in breaking new land anil making a home and his ex-
perience then proved of value to him when making a home for himself. He
remained with his father until 1875. when he was married to Miss Savilla
Shuler, who was born in Lycoming count)', Pennsylvania, February 2, 1856, a
daughter of George and Sarah ( W'oodley ) Shuler. The father died in the
Keystone state in 1868, after which the daughter accompanied her mother to
Poweshiek county in 1874. The mother passed away here on the 27th of
February, 1895.

Following his marriage Mr. Hall located on his farm of two hundred acres
on section 3, Scott township, which at that time was unbroken prairie. He at
Once set to work to break the land and cultivate his fields and as time passed
he gathered rich harvests as a reward for the labor which he bestowed upon it.
He also made all the improvements on the place, building a good substantial
residence and outbuildings, all of which work was done with his own hands
with the exception of some help he received in the construction of the house.
His place is now known as the Maple Lawn Farm and is one of the most
beautiful, as well as i^roductive tracts, in this section of the county. He gives
his time to general farming and stock-raising and also does some feeding. He
follows modern methods in carrying on his work and his success is well mer-
ited for it has come to him through his own well directed labors and sound
business judgment.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Hall has been blessed with eight children :
Sherman, of Scott township; Carrie, the wife of B. F. Kensinger, of Bear Creek
township ; Homer, who makes his home in Huron, South Dakota ; Glenn, who
is attending school in Davenport, Iowa; Kathryn, the wife of Glenn Crider, of
Bear Creek township ; and Fred, Clyde and Helen, all at home.

HISTORY UF POWESHIEK COUNTY 41

Mr. Hall has been a lifelong democrat and on that ticket in 1906 was
elected as county supervisor, his term of service beginning on the 1st of Jan-
uary, 1907, and he was the first democrat to hold that position in the county,
this being a republican stronghnld. He was elected for a second term, polling
all but thirteen out of the one hundred and fifty-six votes cast in Scott town-
ship. He has also filled the office of justice of the peace and has served in
other minor offices of the township. He is a popular official and ever discharges
his iluties with the same fidelity that he conducts his private business afifairs.
He is a member of the Knights of Pythias lodge, and he and his family attend
and support the . Methodist Episcopal church. Having resided in Poweshiek
county for forty-six years, Mr. Hall feels a deep interest in its welfare and is
ever found ready to do what he can to advance its interests, while at the same
time he is meeting with success in the conduct of his own business affairs.

FRED BAUSTIAN.

As the name indicates, Fred Baustian comes of German ancestry and the
traits of character which ever mark the people of that nationality are strongly
manifest in his life. He is the owner of one hundred and fifty acres of land on
section 4, Pleasant township, and here he is devoting his energies to its further
improvement and cultivation.

Mr. Baustian is a native of Poweshiek county, born in Chester township,
July 12, 1872, a son of George and Elizabeth (Schmidt) Baustian, both of
whom were born in Germany, the former in Pashinn, January 26, 1837. He
was a young man of twenty-one years when he emigrated to the new world
with his parents, the date of their arrival being June 21, 1861. They located
in Illinois and it was in Lockport, that state, that George Baustian was married,
on the 13th of October, 1861, to Miss Elizabeth Schmidt. He remained in
Illinois until the spring of 1866, when he removed with the family to Jasper
county, Iowa, where he made his home for five years. He then came to
Poweshiek county and engaged in farming, in which he continued until in May,
1901, when he suffered a stroke of paralysis. He remained in an invalid con-
dition until his sufferings were terminated by death on the i6th of November.
igo6, when he was in his seventieth year. He was reared in the faith of the
Lutheran church and was a member of that denomination in Malcom. He vvas
an industrious man and led an upright life, his genial spirit and kindly deeds
endearing him to all those with whom he came in contact. His widow, who
was born in Germany, May 9, 1835, still survives, and now makes her home with
her daughter, Mrs. Appleby, in Chester township. By her marriage she became
the mother of eight children ; John, a resident of Rock Rapids, Iowa ; George ;
Henry; Peter; Joseph; Fred; Emma, the wife of Andrew Appleby, of Chester
township ; and Sophie, deceased wife of John P.altisberger, of Poweshiek county.

Fred Baustian spent the period of his boyhood and youth under the parental
roof and was early trained to habits of industry and economy, which have
proved valuable assets^ in his later life. .\t the time of his marriage he started

42 ■ HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

out upon an independent business venture, operating rented land for five
years. He then purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Chester
township but sold this and bought his present farm of one hundred and fifty
acres in March, 1906, this farm being located on section 4, Pleasant township.
He here gives his time and attention to general farming, and his labors have
brougln him a gratifying measure of prosperity.

Mr. Baustian was married February 14, 1895, to Miss Henrietta Schultz.
who was born in Sheridan township, November 8, 1873, a daughter of Carl
Heinrich Martin and Augusta (P.lat) Schultz. Her father was born September
I, 1843, in Richtenberg, Pomerania, Prussia, and came w-ith his parents to
America in 1855, the family home being established at Princeton, Illinois.
After residing for ten years in that state, the family removed to Poweshiek
county, and here Mr. Schultz followed farming in Sheridan township for many
years but the last five years of his life were spent in Malconi. where he was
called to his final rest, when more than sixty-two years of age. His widow
still survives and makes her home in Brooklyn. Their marriage was blessed
with seven children but two of the number are deceased: Minnie and August,
who died at the age of fifteen years. Those living are: Lena, the wife of Peter
Baustian ; Henrietta, the wife of our subject ; Jacob ; Theodore F. ; and Ger-
trude. All are residents of Poweshiek county. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Baustian
have been born three children ; Alfred. Carrie and Grace.

Mr. Baustian gives his political allegiance to the republican party and his
religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Lutheran church of Mal-
com. He is a representative young farmer, who rapidly discerns opportunities
of advancement and is working his way to the front among the substantial
citizens of Poweshiek county.

SAMUEL S. ORMISTON.

An excellent farm of one hundred and twenty acres, located on section 13.
Madison township, pays sterling tribute to the care and attention bestowed upon
it by Samuel S. Ormiston, one of the progressive and jjrosperous agriculturists
of this locality.

He was born in Washington county, Ohio, on the i8th of June, 1857, a son
of John and Harriett (Disbro) Ormiston. The former was born in Scotland
about 1822 and when a little lad of but two years of age came with his parents
to America, the family home being established in Washington county, Ohio. There
he spent practically his entire lifetime, giving his attention during' the period of
his business career to the occupation of farming. His death occurred there in
February, 1894. His wife, who was a native of New York, accompanied her
parents to Ohio when but a child. Her father was drowned in the Muskingum
river, near Zanesville, Ohio. She met and married lohn Ormiston in Washing-
ton county, Ohio, and still survives him, making her home on' the old homestead
with her youngest daughter, Mrs. James' Schweikert.

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 43

Samuel S. Ormiston was reared on the home farm in Ohio, spending the pe-
riod of his boyhood and youth amid the wholesome influences of rural life, and re-
mained with his father until he was nineteen years of age, when he came west to
Iowa, locating in Brooklyn, Poweshiek county. Here he worked at farm labor
by the month for three years, after which he made his way to Jefferson township
where two years were devoted to the operation of a rented farm of one hundred
and sixty acres. The three following years were given to the cultivation of a
rented farm in Scott township, after which he took a year's trip, driving through
Kansas and Nebraska in search of a favorable location. After a thorough investi-
gation he purchased two hundred acres in Nebraska, which remained in !iis pos-
session until nineteen years ago. After his return to Iowa he rented a farm in
Warren township for two years, and then operated the Garvin Lang place in
Madison township in the capacity of renter for five yea.rs.

In 1892 he purchased his present homestead of one hundred and twenty acres
located on section 15, Madison township, whereon he has since continued to re-
side. Here he engages in general farming and also devotes much of his time to
stock-raising, being the owner of a fine recorded herd of Hereford cattle. He
also raises a good grade of hogs and for the past twenty-five years has made a
specialty of breeding Plymouth Rock chickens, every year hatching from five to
six hundred chickens. He is well known throughout the township for the ex-
cellent grade of his stock and he has so carefully managed his interests that today
he is ranked among the most substantial farmers and stock-raisers in this locality.

On the i8th of February, 1881, Mr. Ormiston was united in marriage to Miss
Mary Katharine Torrance, a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Barr) Torrance,
both natives of Ireland. The father, whose birth occurred in Garvah, London-
tlerry county, was there reared, and when a youth of seventeen years he came
alone to the United States, determining to seek a home and fortune on this side
of the Atlantic. He resided in Philadelphia for a time where he was engaged as
cabinet-maker, and later assisted in the construction of the Lehigh canal. He
then purchased a boat, which he operated as captain on the canal for a time, and
subsequently took up railroad contracting, being employed on the construction of
the L'nion Pacific road. In 1878 Mr. Torrance came to Iowa, locating on a farm
in Jefferson township, Poweshiek county, and there on one farm resided for
twenty-three years. At the expiration of that period he removed to Hartwick,
Jefferson to\\'nship, where he now makes his home. His wife, who was born
near Coleraine, Londonderry county, Ireland, is now deceased, her death occur-
ring on the i6th of February, sixteen years ago, on the farm near Hartwick.
L'nto Mr. and Mrs. Ormiston have been born four children : William Frederick,
the eldest, resides with his parents on the home farm. He formerly engaged in
school teaching and is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Mabel Torrance married Homer A. Carpenter, who is well known among the
younger farmers of Madison township, and they now have one daughter, \'era
Helen, three years of age ; Mary Harriett resides at home and teaches school in
district No. 5, Madison township ; and Susan Florence, the youngest of the fam-
ily, lives at home and attends the school taught by her sister. At one time all
three daughters attended the school in the home district of which their brother
William was teacher.

44 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

Mr. Ormiston has given his support to the men and measures of the republi-
can party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. His fellow citi-
zens have honored him by election to the various positions of public trust and he
has acted as justice of the peace for four years. He also served on the school
board for one term and has filled the office of township trustee for four years,
while in 191 1 he was reelected for another term of two years. The owner of a
well improved farming property, and progressive and practical in the conduct of
his business affairs, he is now numbered among the substantial and well-to-do
residents of Malcom township, while his life, ever upright and h.-inorable, has
gained for him the warm esteem and unf|ualified confidence of those with whom
he has been brought into contact.

CAPTAIN GEORGE PHILLIES.

Coming to Brooklyn when its population numbered but one hundred and fifty
p)eople. Captain George Phillips has watched it develop into a flourishing village
of fifteen hundred inhabitants, and during the period of his residence here he has
occupied a prominent place in the community, his activity in both business and
public interests proving a stimulating and potent force toward progress and im-
provement along various lines. ., •

Born in Onondaga county. New York, on the 13th of August, 1835, he is a
son of George and Betsy (Craig) Phillips, natives of Bristol, England, where
they were reared and married. Thinking to find better business opportunities in
the new world, the father came alone to the United States in 1833, locating in
Marcellus, Onondaga county. New York, and a year later was followed by his
wife and family, consisting then of a son and daughter. The parents spent their
remaining days upon the farm where they had first located, the father passing
away when Captain Phillips was very young. He had been a farmer through-
out his lifetime and was the first to introduce the growing of teasels into
America. After his arrival in this country the family of George Phillips. Sr.,
was increased to four children, as follows: Eliza, who was the wife of Ralph
McKinney and died in Illinois in 1907 ; Edward, a resident of Wolsey, South
Dakota; George, of this review; and A. W., a physician residing in Derby,
Connecticut, who is also a member of the senate of that state. The last named
served as a soldier in the Union army during the time of the Civil war, enlist-
ing from Onondaga county, New York, in the Twelfth New York Regiment,
and later serving as assistant surgeon of the One Hundred and Forty-ninth
New York Infantry.

Captain George Phillips spent the first twenty years of his life in Onondaga
and Cayuga counties. New York, and in 1855 sought the opjjortunities of the
growing west, making his way to Iroquois county. Illinois. After two years
there spent he went to Dubuque, Iowa, and thence to Waterloo, where he spent
the winter. When a young man of twenty years of age he had learned the car-
penter's trade, and followed that occupation in both Illinois and Iowa, assisting
in the building of one of the first railroad bridges in the latter state. He also

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HISTORY OF I'OWESilJEK COUNTY 49

hel])cd to build the first packing house at Ottumwa, Iowa, and was variously
engaged at his trade until July, 18O0. when he came to Brooklyn, Poweshiek
county, and has since been a resident of this place.

At the time of the Civil war he assisted in organizing Company H, Twenty-
eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and in August, 1862, was mustered in as lirst
lieutenant of his company. Later, on the 3d of August, 1863, he was pro-
moted to the rank of captain of the same company and as such served until the
close of the war. His regiment was one of the three Iowa regiments to take
part in the operations in the Shenandoah valley under General Sheridan, and
he also saw service in thirteen important battles as well as many minor en-
gagements. Captain Phillips partucipated in every engagement in which his
regiment took part with the exception of one, the battle at Sabine Cross Roads,
at which time he was in a hospital in New Orleans. At die close of hostilities
he was mustered out at Savannah, Georgia, and returned home with a military
record that was most honorable and creditable.

When his country no longer needed his services Captain Phillips once more
took up civil pursuits, entering business in connection with O. F. Dorrance,
under the firm style of Phillips & Dorrance, dealers in general merchandise.
He was thus engaged for eight years and then retired from business activities
to give his entire attention to the duties of public office, to which he had
been elected by his fellow townsmen. He had been most fortunate in his
business ventures, winning a success which now ranks him among the substan-
tial and well-to-do citizens of Poweshiek county. He now owns two hundred
and forty acres of rich land six miles south of Brooklyn and three-quarters of
a section in Minnesota. He is the president of Yellowstone Valley Land Com-
jiany, Inc., and in this connection was ''associated with five others in the owner-
ship of fifty thousand acres of land in Dawson County, Montana, which they
have since sold.

Captain Phillips' connection with the public life of Brooklyn extends over
many years and forms a period of continuous and substantial growth in the his-
tory of the community. On the 17th of December, 1874, he was appointed to
the position of postmaster of Brooklyn, his term of office continuing for thir-
teen years, or until the election of Grover Qeveland to the presidency. He
was then elected mayor of the city, his fellow townsmen thus conferring upon
him the highest honor in their power to bestow. For two years he occupied
the office of chief executive and during that time gave the city a business like
and progressive administration. He next served for four years as clerk of the
ilistrict court. He was a member of the city council for several years and
in that capacity had personal charge of the installation of the water system,
and for several years also served on the board of education, during which period
the new high-school building was erected. In fact few projects having for their
object the improvement and betterment of the town have failed to arouse his
deep interest or to receive his hearty indorsement and cooperation, and he is
numbered among Brooklyn's most representative and valued residents.

On the 1st of January, 1867, Captain Phillips was united in marriage to
Miss Nancy Elizabeth Carson, a daughter of Edward R. and Margaret (Camp-
bell) Carson, of Iowa City, who were very early settlers of Iowa. Her parents

50 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COrXTY

were both natives of Washington county, East Tennessee, the father burn
July II, 1809, and the mother in Leesburg, March 5, 1809. They were mar-
ried in that county, August 24, 1834. Mrs. Philhps was born near Iowa City
on the 28th of May, 1846, and had an elder sister, also born in Johnson
county, whose name was Dilla Iowa and who became the wife of Hon. A. J.
Wood. With the passing years the home of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips was blessed
by the birth of five children, as follows: Lela, a school teacher residing at
home; A. H., of Brooklyn, where he has been engaged in business for forty
years, first as a merchant in connection with his father, whom he later suc-
ceeded, and now as a real estate operator; Effie \'., of Montana, Delia 1.. of
Montana, who was formerly a teacher at Grinnell; and Prescott Bryon, who
was born on the nth of December, 1873, and died two years later, on October
28, 1875. The daughters in Montana are at jaresent holding adjoining claims
at Savage, that state. ^Irs. Phillips died August 8, 1902.

Captain Phillips has given his political allegiance to the republican party
since age conferred upon him the right of franchise, casting his first vote for
Fremont, since which time he has supported every candidate for president on
that ticket. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at the present
time, although he was reared in the faith of the Baptist churcli. of which he
was a member until two years ago. There is no church of that denomination in
Brooklyn, however, at the present time. In fraternal circles he is a Master
Mason, holding membership in Corinthian Lodge, No. 174. of Brooklyn. He is
a charter member and commander of John T. Drake Post, Xo. 321. G. A. R.,
and was a charter member and first president of Brooklyn \"eteran Union, an
organization which preceded the Grand .Army of the Republic post and erecte I
the soldiers monument at this place.

Few men who have reached a place of independence in the business world
today have started out in life with a more discouraging outlook than did he
whose name introduces this review. Left fatherless at a very early age, lie had
never had a suit of clothes that had not been made over from old garments
until he was able to earn them for himself. , When hut a lad of ten years he
was thrown upon his own resources to make his way in the world, his first
position securing him a salary of twenty dollars for si.x months. From this
humble position he steadily forged ahead and utilized every opportunity for
advancement, until he is now able to live retired from business activity, a sub-
stantial competence furnishing him with all of the comforts of life without
recourse to further labor. He has truly earned the title of self-made man
and richlv deserves the success whicli is now his to enjoy.

HARRY F. LAXPHERE.

Harrv F. Lanphere is numbered among those who have made of the Citizens
National Bank a well balanced and carefully conducted financial enterprise. He
is filling the position of cashier and is proving a popular officer with the patrons
of the bank, to whom he gives courteous and faithful attentifm. while at the same

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 51

time he is most loyal to the best interests of the iiistitutitJii and its stockholders.
Iowa claims him as a native son, his birth having occurred in Davenport, on the
1 ith of November, 1870. His parents were William H., and Esther (Canfield)
Lanphere, both of whom were natives of Cattaraugus county, New York, where
they were reared and married. The opportunities of the west attracted him, how-
ever, and in 1855 they came to Iowa, settling first in Davenport. On reaching
manhood William H. Lanphere became express messenger on the Chicago, Rock-
Island & Pacific Railroad, at which time Grinnell was the terminus of the line.
Later he became identified with mercantile interests, going upon the road as a
traveling salesman. He represented various houses in the state of Iowa and be-
came widely and favorably known to the trade. He died in 1898, at the age of
sixty-eight years, his birth having occurred in 1830. He was a member of the
Masonic lodge and a man well known throughout the state of Iowa through his
fraternal and business relations. His social qualities and genuine worth com-
mended him to the confidence and good will of all, and few men have had more
warm friends. His wife survived him for about ten years, passing away in igo8.

Harry F. Lanphere was reared under the parental roof and the public schools
afforded him his educational privileges. The family removed from Davenport to
Grinnell in 1884 and he continued his studies in Grinnell high school, thus ac-
(|uiring a fair practical education to equip him for life's responsible, duties. In
January, 1889, two months after having attained his eighteenth year, he entered
the First National Bank of Grinnell as bookkeeper and served in that cajtacity
for about three and a half years, when he was made teller. After filling that im-
portant position for eight years he resigned to enter the office of the Spaulding
Manufacturing Company, with whom he was associated for about three years,
when he resigned and engaged in the land business. In July, 1904, the First Na-
tional Bank closed its doors and soon thereafter Mr. Lanphere, recognized that a
favorable opportunity presented for the establishment of another banking enter-
prise in the city, organized the Citizens National Bank, and on the 12th of De-
cember. i'X)4. the new institution opened its doors for busine^s. In the capacity
of cashier Mr. Lanphere dictated its policy and has since beei' most active in Its
management, making it one of the strong financial enterpr ;es of Poweshiek
county. A general banking business is conducted and the books of the company
show a substantial balance. The safe, conservative policy instituted has won the
confidence of the public and its patronage js steadily increasing.

On the 26th of November, 1891, Mr. Lanphere was married to Miss Kate
Yost Grinnell, a daughter of Ezra H. Grinnell, and niece of Josiah Bushnell
Grinnell, the founder of the town which bears his name. L'Uto Mr. and Mrs.
Lanphere have been born two children, Pauline and Katharine.

Mr. Lanphere is well known in several fraternal and social organizations,
holding membership in Herman Lodge, No. 273, A. F. & A. M.. Palestine Chap-
ter, R. A. M., and Grinnell Lodge, No. 175, K. P. He also belongs to Franklin
Club, is a member of the Poweshiek Club and of the Grant Club of Des IMoines.
He is one of Grinnell's most prominent and best known men, actuated in all that
he does by a spirit of enterprise and progress and seeking the public good as well
as individual advancement in all of his business affairs. What he has accom-
plished represents the fit utilization of his innate talents and powers. He has

52 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

worked his way upward along a path that is clear and open and though difficulties
and obstacles have beset him, as they do in every business career, he has over-
come these by persistent purpose and stands today among the representative men
of Poweshiek countv.

JAMES E. XEELY

The firm anil unfalterng ]3urpose which is an indispensable element in the
attainment of success finds expression in the life record of James E. Neely, who
is engaged in dealing in coal in Grinnell. Through sheer force of perseverance
and capable management he has won success that places him with the foremost
business men of the city. He was born in Fairfield, Herkimer county, New York,
June 19, 1846, and is a son of Jerome and Elizabeth ( Nellis) Neely, who were
likewise natives of Fairfield, where they were reared and married. The father
devoted his life to general agricultural pursuits and continued to reside at the
place of his nativity until his death, which occurred September 2, 1856, when he
was forty-nine years of age. The mother continued her residence in Fairfield
mitil the fall of 1871, when she came to Grinnell to make her home with her son
James, here residing until her demise on the i8th of May, 1888.

James E. Neely spent his youth in the Empire state and the public schools
afforded him his early educational privileges, while later he had the benefit of
instruction in the Fairfield Academy. He took up teaching at-the age of si.xteen
years and followed the profession through five winter seasons, while the summer
months were devoted to farm work. When twenty-one years of age he made his
way westward to Perry, Lake county, Ohio, where he engaged in the produce
business.

With the establishment of a commercial enterprise he also undertook the es-
tablishment of a home and on the 22d of December, 1869, Mr. Neely was united
in marriage to Miss Lydia A. Wire, a daughter of Truman Wire, a sawmill man
who cut the cross ties that were used in the building of a section of the first Lake
Shore Railroad built through that part of the country. He had removed from
Yates county, New York, to Lake county, Ohio, and it was while the family was
living in the latter state that Mr. Neely was married. He began his domestic life
in Ohio, but in February, 1871, he removed westward to Grinnell, where he ar-
rived on the 28th of the month. Soon afterward he purchased a farm of one
hundred and sixty acres, three miles east of the town, and took up his abode upon
that property, continuing its cultivation and improvement until 1804. when he left
the farm and removed to Grinnell. In 1873 he began the manufacture of cheese
in connection with the cultivation of his fields, and statistics show that he was
among the first cheese manufacturers in this state. He also developed the lead-
ing enterprise of this character in Iowa and conducted his factory until igo2, when
he sold his farm and iliscontinued his factory. On his removal to Grinnell in
t8c)4 he established himself in the coal business and is today the leading coal
dealer of this citv. His business affairs are capably and jirofitably managed and
keen discernment and enterprise are elements in liis prosperity.

HISTORY OF POWESHTEK COUNTY 53

The home of Mr. and Mrs. \eely has been blessed with four children: Walter
|., who now occupies a political position in the Grinnell postofifice ; Earl M., of
the firm of J. E. Neely & Son, coal dealers; and Ada P. and Ida E., twins, who
died of diphtheria in 1893, one on the i ith and the other on the T3th of February.
The family are widely and favorably known in Poweshiek county and Mr. and
Mrs. Neely have a circle of friends almost coextensive with the circle of their
acquaintance, lie is a prominent Mason, belonging to Herman Lodge, No. 273,
A. F. & A. M., Palestine Chapter, No. loi, R. A. M.; St. .\ndrew's Commandery,
No. 22, K. T., of Newton, Iowa : and Za-Ga-Zig Temple of the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of Des Moines. He and his wife are
also members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is serving as one
of the trustees. In politics he is a progressive republican and has repeatedly
served as a delegate to the county and state conventions. He has also been a
member of the cit\" council of Grinnell at various times, in which connection he
has ever exercised his official prerogatives in support of many measures and
movements which are of marked value to the city in the promotion of its best
interests. He never gives up a cause in which he embarks and, therefore, his
aid and cooperation are eagerly sought where the best interests of the city are to
be conserved.

LYMAN A. LONGLEY.

Lyman A. Longley, deceased, was one of the honored native sons of Powe-
shiek county, whose farm of three hundred and twenty acres in Jasper county,
near Grinnell, is now the home of his widow and children. To him belonged the
distinction of having been the first male white child born in Chester township, his
birth occurring on the 6th of July, 1861. For many years he was a^ prominent
farmer and business man of this section and at his death, in 1909, the community
mourned the loss of one of its valued citizens. His father, Amos L. Longley, was
a native of Maine and died when our subject was only three years old. He owned
a farm of eighty acres of land in Chester township, north of Grinnell, and upon
that place made his home until his death. His widow, who bore the maiden name
of Cordelia Bigelow, was also a native of the Pine Tree state. After his death
she became the wife of Benoni Howard, who was born in Massachusetts, and
from that state removed to Princeton, Illinois, in 1854, the journey being made
by rail. It was his intention to locate at Princeton, but, finding land too high for
his resources, he decided to come farther west. Proceeding to Rock Island, he
walked from that city to \'inton, Iowa, in search of a location and later went to
Tama county. Not being satisfied with the outlook there, lie came to Sugar Creek
township, Poweshiek county, where timber was plentiful and conditions appeared
more favorable than in the localities where he had previously stopped. He as-
sisted in the original survey of the city of Grinnell and also in stoning up the first
well that was dug there. .After the surveyors had completed their work, how-
ever, it was found that the well was in the middle of the street and it was neces-
sarilv abandoned.

54 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

Lyman A. Longley attended the common schools during his boyhood and
youth and was reared upon his stepfather's farm, displaying in early life an
adaptability for farming and stock-raising. Subsequently he served for ten years
as mail clerk and also engaged in the meat business for three years, but his life
was principally devoted to farming and in 1882 he acquired one hundred and
sixty acres of land, including the old homestead. In 1908 he began the erection
of a handsome residence, containing all modern improvements, but did not live
to see its completion. The family estate now comprises three hundred and twenty
acres of well improved and valuable land.

On the 14th of September, 1882, Mr. Longley was united in marriage to Aliss
Alice Howard, a daughter of Benoni Howard, his stepfather, and they became the
parents of two children, Ethel Cordelia and Ralph Lyman, both of whom are
now living with their mother on the home farm, the son having charge of the
place, which under his management is producing excellent harvests.

Mr. Longley gave his support to the republican party but never aspired to
public office, preferring to devote his attention to business affairs. He was a sin-
cere believer in the autliority of the Bible and an earnest member of the Congre-
gational church. He was recognized as a man of honesty and ability — a natural
gentleman whose kindly and obliging disposition readily attracted friends wher-
ever he was known. A good farmer and a clear-headed busines.s man, his opin-
ion on business affairs was accepted as authority and by his associates he was
greatly respected for his enterprising spirit and genial nature and for his con-
sideration of others, which was apparent in all his relations with his fellowmen.

HENRY ILLIAN.

Among the veterans of the Civil war now living in Poweshiek county is num-
bered Henry Illian, whose birth occurred in the duchy of Waldeck, Prussia,
Germany, on the 19th of January, 1838. He is a son of Frederick and I^xDuise
(Willis) Illian, also natives of the fatherland, the mother there passing away
in 1846. The father again married, his second union being with Miss Caro-
line Rummell. He was a farmer by occupation and in 1S53 brought his family
to the United States, establishing his home in Davenport, where his death oc-
curred in 1858. By his first marriage there were five sons and two daughters,
of which number Henry Illian, of this review, was the third in order of birth,
while by the second marriage there were two children, a son and daughter.
With the e.xception of one daughter, who is married and resides in Germany,
all of the children came to the United States.

In 1853, when a lad of fifteen, Henry Illian left his native country and came
to the new world. After arriving in Iowa he gave his father the benefit of his
assistance upon the home farm until July 25, 1862, when, in response to the call
of the Union for more troops, he enlisted at Davenport as a member of Com-
pany G, Twentieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and served for three years. He
participated in all of the engagements of his regiment, including the siege of
Vicksburg, the battles of Forts Morgan and Blakely, and various minor skir-

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HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 57

mishes, and bears the scars of three flesh wounds received during his term of
service, one a bullet wound in the breast, another in the back and the third in
the arm. He was mustered out at Clinton, Iowa, in August, 1865, after a most
honorable and creditable military career.

Returning to Scott county, Iowa, Mr. Illian there engaged independently in
farming for a number of years, and in the spring of 1883 came to Poweshiek
county, purchasing his present home of eighty acres on section 2^, Malcolm
township. It is a well improved farm, its neat and thrifty appearance indicating
the supervision of a practical owner, and he is widely recognized as one of the
enterprising and prosperous agriculturists of the community.

In 1870 Mr. Illian was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Tissin, who was
born in Holstein, Germany, in 1847, "iicl in 1854 came with her parents to Iowa,
the family establishing tlieir home at Davenport. On the 4th of March, [894,
Mr. Illian was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, and eight chiklren
have also passed away, as follows: Henry, William. Fred and Tillie. all of
whom died in Cleona township, Scott county, inside of three weeks, their deaths
resulting from diphtheria ; Lulu, who passed away at the age of four years ;
Barnard, at the age of two and a half years ; Adam, at the age of four years ; and
Ellen, at the age of five years. One daughter, Genevieve, survives, and is now
the wife of James B. McKeag. She has a daughter. Irma Marguerite, and a son,
Kenneth Henry, and with her husband resides with her father on the old home
farm.

Mr. Illian holds membership in the Lutheran church and also belongs to John
T. Drake Post, G. A. R., at Brooklyn. He gives his support to the republican
party and although not a politician in the sense of office-seeking, is a public-
spirited citizen, deeply interested in" the substantial improvement of his home
locality. He served, however, as road supervisor two years and as school direc-
tor the same length of time. He is honorable and straightforward in his business
dealings and is highly esteemed wherever known.

JOHN W. FISHER.

The son of a soldier who lost his life in the Civil war, John W. Fisher, of
Chester township, early learned to depend upon his own resources, and thus de-
veloped those sturdy traits of character which inevitably lead to success in busi-
ness and to leadership in the community. He is a native of Tama county, Iowa,
born July 31, 1862, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Cooper) Fisher, the
former having been born in Ohio and the latter in Pennsylvania. They were mar-
ried in 1861. The father was drafted in an Iowa regiment in defence of the
Union at the time of the Civil war and died in a hospital, his body being buried
m the south. The mother was married in 1868 to W. S. Harris, at that time a
resident of Tama county, Iowa.

John W. Fisher received his early education in the common schools and also
attended Albion Seminary near Marshalltown, Iowa. He engaged in farm work
in Tama county and in March, 1892, being then thirty years of age, he came to

58 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

Chester township, Poweshiek county, subsec|uently moving ii[jon his present loca-
tion in section 29, where he owns one hundred and twenty acres, and being also
the owner of a tract of eighty acres in the same township. He has been highly
successful in raising Guernsey cattle and Chester White hogs, and as an exhib-
itor at the fairs has carried off some of the most desirable prizes. He devotes
special attention to the dairy business.

On the 1 2th of January, 1888. Mr. Fisher was married to Miss Anna ). Hen-
drixson, a daughter of Hugh and Sarah ( Waldron) Hendri.xson. The father was
a physician and practiced for a number of years at Columbus, Ohio, his birth
having occurred in Clermont county, that state. One child has blessed the union
of Mr. and Airs. Fisher. She has attended high school and is now engaged in
teaching school No. 4 at Chester.

Politically Mr. Fisher supports the principles and candidates of the republican
party. He has served with marked ability as justice of the peace and as president
of the school board. In religious belief he adheres to the Methodist church. .\
broad-minded and conscientious man, he has accumulated a competency by his
industry and thrift and has set an example which reflects high credit upon him-
self and those with whom he is associated. He is known as an earnest and ])a-
triotic citizen who appreciates the responsibilities of American citizenship an<l
manfully endeavors to discharge them.

W^ H. TAYLOR.

Perhaps no resident of Barnes City, Iowa, occupies a more prominent place
among the builders of the town than does W. H. Taylor, whose generous dona-
tion of land made possible the establishment of enterprises around which, as a
nucleus, the flourishing little village has had its growth. Born in Parke county.
Indiana, on the 3d of February, 1845, lie is a son of William and Martha (Dar-
land) Taylor, also natives of that state. There the father passed away when the
son was but a year old, and subsequently his wife and her mother, Mrs. Alsey
(Reynolds) Darland, also a widow, removed to Warren county, Illinois, where
they resided until about 1857. They then came to Poweshiek county, Iowa, where
both passed away. W. H. Taylor, of this review, was the youngest and is now
the only living member of a family of three children, the others being: Amanda,
the deceased wife of George Anderson : and John Dudley.

W. H. Taylor was a lad of twelve years when he took up his abode in Powe-
shiek county, and since the age of twenty-three years he has made his home u]5on
his present farm. Wlien twenty-one years of age he purchased eighty acres of
this farm, to which he later added as he prospered in his agricultural pursuits im-
til he became one of the most extensive landowners in his section of the county,
a fact which speaks strongly of a life of industry, perseverance and ambition on
the part of one whose start in life was in no way auspicious and whose gradual
rise in the business world came as the result of his own well directed efforts.
At one time he owned all of section 34, Jackson township, eighty acres of section
33 and eighty acres of section 27, all lying in one body, and constituting one of

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 59

the finest and most valuable estates in the township. Twenty acres of this prop-
erty is within the corporation limits of Barnes City and upon this tract Mr. Tay-
lor now makes his home. He has disposed of much of his land to his sons, al-
though the entire tract still remains in the possession of the family. It is equipped
with five good sets of buildings, occupied by two sons, a son-in-law and two ten-
ants, and is a well improved property, all of the up-to-date conveniences and ac-
cessories of a model farm having been introduced by Mr. Taylor. In 18^7 he
built a large barn, forty-eight by ninety-six feet, antl in the following year erected
his ]}resent hantlsome fourteen-room dwelling, equipped throughout with all of
the latest improvements. In former years he operated this place himself, actively
engaged in general farming and stock-raising, but during the past few vears has
rented the land. In 1892 he became identified with the commercial interests of
Barnes City as proprietor of a general mercantile business operated under the
firm style of W. H. Taylor & Sons. For about seven years this enterprise had a
continuous and successful growth under his management, becoming one of the
most important business concerns of the town, and then, in 1899, he withdrew
from active life, leaving the entire direction and management of the business to
his sons, who have since conducted it under the original name of W. H. Taylor
& Sons. He is now living retired, enjoying in well earned rest a fortime which
is at once substantial and honorable.

Mr. Taylor was married, in 1868, to Miss Martha Ann Fisher, whose death
occurred in 1872. For his second wife he chose Miss Martha Jane Lown, whom
he wedded on the 17th of April, 1876. She was born in Marion county, Ohio, on
the 13th of May, 1847, and in 1856 came to Iowa with her parents, Thomas and
jane (Hodson), both natives of England. Her father had come alone to this
county in early manhood, while the mother had been brought to Ohio by her
parents when only eight years of age. They were married in Richmond county,
Ohio, and both passed away in Iowa county, Iowa. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Taylor
were born five children, as follows : Charles W., a member of the fii-m of W. H.
Taylor & .Sons ; Martin D., also a member of that firm ; James M., a resident of
Texas, who has an interest in the firm; Elsie E., the wife of James Doan, of
Barnes City, who is likewise one of the firm ; and George F., now operating
a part of the home farm. At one time all of these children were connected with
their father in the active management of the business of W. H. Taylor & Sons.'

Mr. Taylor belongs to the Christian church, whose teachings form the guiding
influence in his life, and fraternally he is identified with the Masonic order. .\
stalwart democrat, he has never been active in politics, however, further than
casting his ballot at the polls, but he is nevertheless deeply interested in the wel-
fare oi the community, and his name is foremost upon the list of the town's
public-spirited citizens and benefactors. It was his donation of nine acres of land
to the Rock Island Railroad Company for a right of way and a site for a station
that decided the location of the town of liarnes City at this point, and thus with
its very founding his name is connected. He also gave a tract of three acres as a
site for the Barnes City Tile Factory and in this way brought to the village one of
its well known and important industries, and he also assisted largely in the erection
of all three of the church edifices here. .\n excellent example of the .self-made
man. he has every reason to be proud of the success which he has achieved and

60 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

the high place which he has won in the community, for his life has been one of
noble purposes and has found its reward in the high regard, respect and good-will
in which he is held by all who know him.

JOHN F. HATCHER.

John F. Hatcher, one of the leading citizens of Poweshiek county, is a retired
agriculturist of Brooklyn and a prominent factor in financial circles as the presi-
"dent of the Poweshiek County Savings Bank. His birth occurred in Belmont
county, Ohio, on the 2ist of April, 1842, his parents being Elijah and Jane
(Craig) Hatcher, both of whom were natives of Loudoun coimty, \'irginia, the
former born on the 15th of August, 1796, and the latter on the 15th of August,
1806. Elijah Hatcher, a farmer by occupation, was one of the earliest settlers
of Ohio, making his way to that state from Virginia on horseback. He cleared
his ground of the timber, erected a log cabin and then returned to the Old
Dominion for his bride, driving back to the Buckeye state in a wagon. There
he continued to reside until called to his final rest at the age of eighty-three
years. His wife was also eighty-three years old when she passed away.

John F. Hatcher remained on the home farm until twenty-one years of age,
obtaining his education in the district school and the seminary at Lloydsville,
Ohio. After attaining his majority he removed to Illinois, where he had a sister
living. In the meantime his father had entered three hundred and twenty acres
of land near Webster City, Iowa, and had sent money to pay the taxes but,
in spite of the fact that he received receipts, the land was sold for ta.xes. Our
subject then came to Iowa with the receipts and regained possession of the prop-
erty. He was married after returning to Illinois and in 1864 purchased and
located on the old Bates farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Malcom town-
ship, Poweshiek county, Iowa, being successfully engaged in its further culti-
vation and improvement until 1902, when he put aside the active work of the
fields and took up his abode in Brooklyn. While residing on the old homestead
in Malcom township, he purchased four farms, aggregating four hundred and
eighty acres of land, all of which he leases at the present time. The home jjlace
has been sold.

In 1904 Mr. Hatcher was elected a member of the board of directors of
the Poweshiek County Bank of Brooklyn, Iowa, serving in that capacity until
1908, when the institution was organized as the Poweshiek County Savings I'.ank.
He has been chosen president of the bank pust prior to the change and retained
his position as chief executive officer of the new organization. A man of splendid
executive ability and sound judgment, his efiforts have been a potent factor in
the continued growth and success of the institution. He is likewise the presi-
dent of the Brooklyn Heating & Lighting Company and a large stockholder
in the Brooklyn Grain & Lumber Company.

Mr. Hatcher has been married twice. On the 15th of November. 1864, he
wedded Miss Mary J. Hoge, a daughter of Isaac and Caroline (Holderman)
Hoge, who were natives of Virginia and from that state removed to Illinois.

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HISTORY OF POWRSUIKK COUNTY 63

By his first wife Mr. Hatcher had two sons. Isaac F., a retired agriculturist
of Morris. llHnois, married Miss Cora Pahner, by whom he had two children,
Carrie and Paul. Charles E. Hatcher, a retired farmer living in Marshalltown,
Iowa, married Lizzie Ballisberger. Mrs. Mary J. Hatcher passed away on the
home farm in Malcom township on the i8th of January, 1879, and on the 14th
of lune. 1883, Mr. Hatcher was again married, his second union being with
Miss Clara L. Rrown, a daughter of William H. and Martha J. (Pancoast)
Brown, who were natives of Loudoun county, Virginia, and spent their entire
h\cs in the ()ld Dominion. Mr. Brown, who followed general agricultural
[lursuits throughout his active business career, died on the 21st of January,
i8y8, while his wife was called to her final rest on the 23d of January, 1893.
In politics Mr. Hatcher is independent, supporting men and measures rather
than party. For twelve years he served as trustee and for eight years as school
treasurer of Malcom township, ever discharging his official duties in a most
prompt and capable manner. For many terms he was also a member of the
school board of district No. 5, Malcom township. Both he and his wife are
members of the Goose Creek church of Quakers of Loudoun county, \'irginia.
Mr, Hatcher has resided in Poweshiek county for almost a half century and
enjovs a very wide and favorable acquaintance within its borders, being hon-
oreil and respected by all by reason of the commendable policy he has followed
in an active business career anthjal-se-jaiying to the excellent traits of character
which he has displayed in a]l-H^''.s^''rfelai'ibflp. ;

S. D. WARD.

S. D. Ward is one of the capable agriculturists of Poweshiek county, whose
ability is most ably manifested in the general ajipearance of his fine farm of one
hundred acres in Chester township, where he engages in general farming and
stock-raising. He was born in Rock Island county, Illinois, on the 22(1 of De-
cember, 1863, his parents being Milton and Amanda ( Denison) Ward, natives of
Pennsylvania. The father, who was a carpenter by trade, located in Rock Island
in 1835, where he remained for three years, then removed to Hampton,. Illinois.
In 1884 he came to Poweshiek county, locating in Grinnell, in which city he was
living retired when his death occurred two years later.

The common schools of Hampton provided S. D. Ward with an education,
which was terminated by his graduation from the high school. He came from
Hampton to Poweshiek county, locating upon the farm of one hundred acres in
Chester township in the cultivation of which he has ever since been engaged.
There is a fine orchard upon the place, in the development of which Mr. Ward
has expended much time and money, but it is repaying his efforts. He makes a
specialty of feeding stock for the market, a venture which has proven to be
highly lucrative.

On the i8th of March, 1886, Mr. Ward was married to Miss Lettie Rickard,
a daughter of Alvin and Jane (Nichols) Rickard, her father being a pioneer

64 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

farmer of Iowa. Four children were born of this union : Ella, who died ui in-
fancy ; Samuel Howard, who married Cora Davis, and is living in Chester town-
ship ; Alvin D., a grarluate of the Grinnell high school, who is teaching in Chester
township; and Margaret, who is attending the district school. The religious views
of the family coincide with the principles of the Congregational <lenomination,
their membership being held in the church of Chester.

The policy of the republican party has ever found in Mr. Ward a stanch su])-
porter, as he considers it the party best adapted to protect the rights of the ma-
jority. He always takes an active and helpful interest in local politics and for
twelve years has been assessor of his township, this long period of service elo-
(|uently attesting his capable discharge of his responsibilities.

CHARLES C. HUNT.

Charles C. Hunt, engaged in the abstract business in Montezuma, serving
for his thirtl term as county treasurer and well known throughout the state
as a prominent representative of the Masonic fraternity, was born at Cleve-
land, Ohio, November 9, 1866, his parents being William George and Mary
(Chase) Hunt. The father was born in Kent county, England, August 7, 1803,
and there resided until about forty years of age, when he crossed the Atlantic
to Nqw York. He was a gilder, working for a long period in gold leaf. After
coming to the United States he studied medicine and engaged in its practice.
In 1870, after living for some time in Ohio, he came to Iowa, settling in Jones
county, and his death occurred in Monticello, that county, in 1886. He was
three times married and was a widower when he left his native land. He
afterward wedded Mary Chase, who was born in Pennsylvania, July 5, 1845,
and is now a resident of Walscnburg. Colorado. They were the parents of
two children, the younger being W. C. Himt, also of Walsenburg.

Charles C. Hunt, the elder son, accompanied his parents on their removal
from Cleveland, Ohio, to Monticello, Jones county. Jowa, where he resided
until 1887. Having attained his majority, he left home and made his way to
Grinnell,- where he resumed his education. In 1892 he was graduated from
Iowa College at Grinnell with the Bachelor of Arts degree and later he en-
gaged in teaching school until appointed deputy county treasurer in May, 1895.
At a later election he was chosen treasurer and is now serving for his third
term in that office, proving himself a most faithful custodian of the public
funds. He has made an unassailable record in this ])osition and the confidence
reposed in him is indicated in the fact that he has licen three times chosen for
the office. His political allegiance has been given to the republican party since
age conferred ui)on him the right of franchise and he is an earnest worker in
its ranks. For one term he served as a member of the school lioard at Monte-
zuma and in March, 191 1, was again elected to that position for a three years'
term. He has ever been an active champion of the cause of education. On the
1st of January, 191 1, he took charge of the abstract books formerly owned by

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 65

E. |. Lewis. He purchased these hooks and now has a complete set of ab-
stracts of real estate in Poweshiek county.

In 1898 occurred tlie marriage of Charles C. Hunt and Miss Catharine M.
Kuapp, who was born in Minnesota. July 4, 1871. and there resided with her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. V. W. Kna])]), of Sniithtield, Minnesota, up to the time
of her marriage. She has becnnie llic mother of four children : Lucian F., George
A.. I'^velyn K. and Catharine I..

Mr. Hunt is a very prominent Mason, having attained higli rank in tiie
order. He belongs to Lafayette Lodge, No. 52, A. F. & A. M., and both he
and his wife are members of Lafayette Chapter, No. 232, O. E. S. He is
connected with Capitular Masonry as a member of Hyssop Chapter, No. 50,
1\. A. M., with Cryptic Masonry as a member of King Solomon Council, No.
20. \\. & S. M.. and with Chivalric Masonry as a Knights Templar of De Paynes
Conimandery, No. 6. He has also attained the thirty-second degree of the
Scottish Rite in Des Moines Consistory, S. P. R. S., and belong to Kaaba
Temple, .A. .A. O. N. ^I. S. He likewise holds membership in the Independent
( )rder of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias and his religious faith is
indicated by his membership in the Presbyterian church. His quietude of de-
portment, his easy dignity, his frankness and cordiality of address with a total
absence of anything sinister or anything to conceal, foretoken a man who is
ready to meet any obligation of life with the confidence and courage that come
of conscious personal ability, a right conception of things and an habitual regard
for what is best in the exercise of human activities.

ELDON LINCOL.X HALL.

Eldon Lincoln Hall is a prosperous and progressive farmer of Poweshiek
county, his possessions comprising three hundred and twentv acres, located
in Scott and Bear Creek townships. He was born in Berrien county, Michigan,
September 2^. i860, a son of George and Katharine (Deardorfif) Hall, the
former a native of Butler county, Ohio, born in February, 1826. while the
latter was a native of Indiana. They came to F'oweshiek county in 1865 and
the father was here engaged in farming to the time of his death on the 12th
ni January, 1898. The mother survives and makes her home in Brooklvn.
.More extended mention of the family is made in connection with the sketch
of Orlando D. Hall on another page of this work.

Eldon L. Hall, the third in order of birth, was a little lad of five years at
the time the family home was established in Poweshiek county. He was reared
on the home farm, early being trained in the duties and labors that fall to the
lot of the farmer boy, and in the winter season he jnirsued his studies in the
district school near his father's home, .\fter reaching mature years he de-
cided to start out upon an independent business venture, choosing as his life
work the occupation to which he had been reared. From time to time he has
made investment in land until today he is the owner of three hundred and
t\vcmy acres in Poweshiek county, one hundred and sixtv acres of which lie

66 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

in the home farm on section 4, Scott township, while he has eighty acres on
section 3 and an eighty acre tract in Rear Creek township. This is all culti-
vable land and the two farms in Scott township are well improved and valuable
properties.

It was on the 19th of March, 1885. that Mr. Hall was united in marriage to
Miss Mary Milne, who was born in Scott county, Iowa, February 4, 1864. In
her childhood she accompanied her parents, Stewart and Mary (Chapman)
Milne, to Poweshiek county but after residing here for some time they removed
to Oregon, where they are now living.

Unto Mr. and I\Irs. Hall have been born five children : Elza Ross, of Scott
township ; John LeRoy, who makes his home in South Dakota : Lewis Arden ;
Roscoe ; and Eldon Clinton. They also took into their home Lois Marie Hall,
when she was but three days old, she being a daughter of Mr. Hall's brother
and his wife's sister. She is being reared and educated as her own.

Mr. Hall has always given his political support to the democratic party
but is not active in its ranks, taking merely a citizen's interest in public affairs.
His success has been by no means the result of fortunate circumstances. It has
come to him through energy, labor and perserverance, directed by an evenly
balanced mind and by honorable business principles. In manner he is quiet
and straightforward, and his word has become a synonym for business integrity.

R. L. MORTLAND.

It has been said that there is no better criterion of a community than its
newspapers, which are both makers and mirrors of public opinion. The jiro-
gressive journal has much to do with shaping thought and action and the
editor who closely studies the signs of the times may stand in a position of
leadership in relation to many public affairs and projects. This R. L. Mort-
land has done in editing and publishing the Montezuma Democrat. Mr. Mort-
land is now in the seventy-third year of his age but in spirit and interest seems
yet in his prime. He was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, December i,
1838, a son of Robert Alortland, descended from Protestant-Irish ancestry. In
his native state Robert Mortland was reared and throughout his life fol-
lowed the occupation of farming. He wedded Margaret Cumberland, also a
native of Butler county. Pennsylvania, and to them were born four children.

R. L. Mortland spent his youthful days under the parental roof and as
opportunity offered attended the public schools, but spent much of his time
in the work of the farm. He afterward engaged in wood chopping and in the
manufacture of charcoal at Maple Furnace, where he remained for some time.
He afterward devoted his attention to lumbering in the oil regions and to
boating on the river, continuing in the east vmtil 1864, when, believing that
better opportunities might be obtained in the middle west, he made his way
to Mercer county, Illinois. There his attention was devoted to farming and
carpentering for four years and in the spring of 1868 he came to Poweshiek
county, where he carried on farming for a year. At the end of that time he

HISTORY or POWESHIEK COl'XTY 67

established his home in Montezuma and followed various pursuits for a time,
but later became a contractor for bridges and buildings, giving his attention to
that work from 1875 until 1889, during which period he built many bridges
in Poweshiek and adjoining counties.

Then came a decided change in his life inasmuch as he put aside industrial
interests to turn his attention to journalism. He purchased a half interest in
the Democrat in 1889 and on the ist of August of the same year became sole
proprietor of the plant and paper. He conducted that paper until 1894 and in
1895 established the Poweshiek County Palladium, which he has since pul)-
lished with his son, R. A. Mortland as active editor. After a period of ten
years R. L. Mortland resumed his active connection, with county work and has
erected many wood and concrete bridges. Although he has passed the age of
seventy-two years he is yet a most active, energetic man and accomplishes
today an amount of work from which many a younger man would shrink,
thinking the burden too heavy to be borne.

In September, 1864, Mr. Mortland was united in marriage to Miss Ruth
Ann \\''ebber, who was born in Venango county, Pennsylvania, on the i6th of
June, 1841, and there resided until she came west with her husband. Unto
them were born seven cliildren who reached years of maturity, while three
died in infancy. The living are: Nettie; Mahala T. ; Robert A.; [ames A., who
is living in White Creek, New York, where he is following the profession of
civil engineering, having been educated therefor in the state university and in
the Chicago University ; Inez, who is a graduate of the Drexel Institute of
Philadelphia and for the past eight years has been librarian at the Louisiana
State University ; Mazie ; and Ruth. One of the sons, James A., was a soldier
in the Spanish-American war, serving with the Third Army Corps.

In his political views R. L. Mortland has been a lifelong democrat and has
taken an active and helpful interest in the party work. He stands at all times
for that which is progressive in citizenship and in every relation of life he has
been found reliable and trustworthy.

C. O. BOWERS.

Well known among the younger business men of Malcom is C. O. Bowers,
cashier of the Malcom Savings Bank, with which institution he has been iden-
tified for almost two decades. He was born in Delaware county, Indiana,
December 28, 1872, a son of Shem and Ruth Jane (Painter) Bowers. The
parents, who were natives of Rockingham county, Virginia, were married in
Indiana, and there the mother passed away when the subject of this review was
about six years of age. Later the father was again married and, in 1883, came
with his family to Iowa, locating on a farm six and a half miles northwest of
Brooklyn. He devoted his entire active life to farming and was connected with
agricultural pursuits until 1892, when he removed to Brooklyn and there lived
retired until his death in i\Iarch, 1893, when he was sixty-two years and seven

68 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

months old. By his first marriage there were ten children, eight of whom yet
survive, our subject being next to the youngest in order of birth.

C. O. Bowers was eleven years of age when he came with his father to
Poweshiek county, and his education, which had been begun in his native
state, was continued in the country schools here. Later he received the benefit
of a commercial course at the Iowa Business College of Des Moines, and on the
2d of January, 1893, accepted a position as bookkeeper in the private bank of
Johnson, Dorrance & Leonard. He was thus engaged until August 7, 1905,
when the bank was reorganized under the name of the Malcom Savings Bank,
at which time he became cashier of the institution. His connection with the
business extends over a period of eighteen years, his long association therewith
being proof of his ability and integrity. He is popular alike with the patrons
and officers of the bank, for he is prompt, accurate and faithful in the discharge
of his duties, while at the same time he treats all patrons with a thoughtfulness
and kindly consideration that not only wins their good will for himself, but
reflects credit upon the institution. Aside from his connection with financial
circles he is interested in Dakota and Canada lands, in which he has invested
rather extensively.

On the 14th of June, 1899, Mr. Bowers was united in marriage to Miss
.Maljel Wilcox, who was born in Malcom on the 27th of July, 1876, a daughter
uf Dr. W S. Wilcox, who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume. Unto this
union have been born four children : Donovan Hamilton, \inton Sheni, Reberta
Painter and Wilbur Oscar.

Mr. Bowers holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and also
belongs to the Knights of Pythias. He gives his political support to the repub-
lican party and, although he has never sought nor desired public office for him-
self he has ever been a public-spirited citizen, advocating every measure which
has for its object the development and general welfare of the community in
which he resides. Fortunate in possessing ability and character that inspired
confidence, the simple weight of his character and ability has brought him into
a position of trust and responsibility, and he ranks high among the well
known anrl valued young citizens of Malcom.

LUCIEN G. C. PEIRCE.

Seventy-five years ago Lucien G. C. Peirce entered upon the journey of life
and is today living retired at Grinnell in the enjoyment of a competency which he
earned through industry and good judgment. He looks back on many years of
activity, in the course of which he extended a hand of sympathy to many a way-
farer whose lot was less fortunate than his own. He comes of an illustrious line
of ancestors and was born in \'illenovia township. Chautauqua county, Xew York.
February 5, 1836. a son of .Austin and Mary .\nn (Sterling) Peirce. The father
was a native of Thetford, \'ermont. and was born in 1799. He was married to
Mary .\nn Sterling, March 17, 1826, and thev removed to \'illenovia township,
Cliaiitau(|iia county. .\ew "S'ork, three years later when that section of the state

HISTORY OF I'OWRSIHEK COUNTY 71

\va-~ still only thinly settled. I Ic engaged in the practice of medicine until 1850,
when he was attacketl by spinal disease and confined to his bed for nearly twelve
\ears. He passed away June 17, 1861. He was a firm believer in the Christian
religion and a devout member of the Presbyterian church. For many years he
took an active interest in politics and was supervisor of his town, serving also as
member of the state legislature of New York in the winter of 1841-2.

The I'eirce family was very prominent in the early days of New^ England.
The emigrant ancestor, Thomas Peirce, was born in England about 1583 and emi-
grated to this country in 1633 or 1634, settling at Charlestown, Massachusetts,
[lis wife, Elizabeth, was born in England about 1595. Thomas Peirce was
made a freeman in the colonies May 6, 1635, and was one of the twenty-
one commissioners appointed by the general court of Massachusetts to see that
saltpetre heaps were made by all the farmers of the colony. Several members of
the family served in the Revolutionary war and since that time many of them
have been prominent in public life and also in business in various states of the
L'nion. On the mother's side the subject of this review is descended from noted
ancestry of Scotland, Mary Ann Sterling having been a daughter of Lord Sterling.
The ancestry is traced back to Walter De Streverlying, who lived about 1 130 .\. D.
The name underwent various changes until it became Sterling.

Lucien G. C. Peirce was reared in his native town \'illenovia township and
educated ii< the public schools, remaining at home until seventeen years of age.
In 1853, having a desire to see the world and also to carve out a fortune for
himself, he went to Kane county, Illinois, where he worked on a farm in the
summer and clerked in a store in the winter. For several years, beginning in
1858. he was employed by Brady & Pease at .Aurora. He spent ten years in
Kane and Kendall counties, Illinois, and for two years was deputy postmaster at
Lisbon.

In the meantime .Mr. Peirce purchased one hundred and sixty acres in
Poweshiek county, Iowa, four miles southeast of Grinnell and in the fall of 1862
he visitetl this county and in the spring of 1863 brought his wife and two children
to their new home. It was for some time a lonely spot as there were no neighbors
within several miles, the eye being greeted only by the open prairie and blue sky.
He built a house fourteen by eighteen feet in size, still standing, in which the fam-
ily lived until 1880, when he erected a modern residence, having meanwhile ap-
plied himself to good advantage as a farmer and stock-raiser. In 1889 he re-
moved to Grinnell and for three years w'as interested with a partner in the cream-
ery business. Since that time he has lived retired. He is a member of the hoard
of directors of the Interurban Telephone Company, which operated between Grin-
nell and Montezuma, and for twenty-five years was secretary of the Poweshiek
( onnty Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, displaying in the discharge of his
duties an ability that made his services highly acceptable to all concerned.

In i860 Mr. Peirce was married at Batavia, Kane county, Illinois, to Miss
Esther M. Snow, who has been to him a true and loving companion. Nine chil-
dren came to bless this union, namely : Austin P., now living at Des Moines, Iowa ;
r.yn m B., of Kearney, Nebraska; Edna L.. widow of William Philpott, of Grin-
nell; M. Genevra, now engaged in teaching at Blue Island, Illinois; Lucia E.,
\\ho is also a teacher and is living at home; Gurdon D., deceased; Helen T., now

Vol. II— 4

72 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

Mrs. C. S. Williston, of Chicago ; William S., an osteopathic physician, who i^ en-
gaged in practice at Lima, Ohio ; and Tiny V., deceased.

Mr. Peirce and his wife are identified with the Universalist church, in which
he has served as clerk. He is now independent in politics but for many years
was a prominent factor in political affairs in this part of the state. Originally a
republican, he became an advocate of the greenback party and was a candidate for
the state legislature, carrying every precinct outside of Grinnell with a majority
of fourteen votes, but he was defeated by the labor element of the city. He was
prominent in the organization of the populist party and was one of the leaders
in the Patrons of Husbandry, occupying all the chairs in that body from secretary
to master. He is also an active worker in the Grange, remaining with it until the
local organization went out of existence. He has been a director of the Poweshiek
County Central Agricultural Society and served as its treasurer for three years.
He and his estimable wife have a legion of friends in Poweshiek and adjoining
counties who have been attracted by their interest in the welfare of others. .As
the shadows lengthen this venerable couple are blessed with the love of their chil-
dren and neighbors, and they have the satisfaction of feeling that in an important
degree they have performed their duty. Always progressive in business, kindly
in disposition and generous in estimate of others, Mr. Peirce has retained the high
regard of those with whom he has come in contact either in social, business or
political life, and is one of the most honored residents of this city.

ERNEST JAAIES HARRIS.

The records of the successful men of Poweshiek county are doubly interest-
ing from the fact that so many of them won their way from humble positions
and today are in the enjoyment of an abundance acquired through their own
intelligently applied industry. Ernest James Harris is among those who sur-
mounted great obstacles, and although he started as a boy of seventeen prac-
tically empty-handed, he is now the owner of a beautiful farm of which Ik- has
just reason to be proud. He is a native of Dorsetshire, England, and was born
January 6. 1871, a son of James and Elizabeth ( Slade) Harris. The parents
were both born in the same county as the son, the fatlier November 22, 1833.
and the mother December 7, 1838. They were married m England and Mr.
Harris spent his entire life in that country, being identified with farming in-
terests. The mother came to America in 1890 and is now living with her sons
in Poweshiek county. There were five children in their family : Elizabeth, who
is deceased; Thomas .\., who engages in farming in Chester township: Fred-
erick, of Brule county. South Dakota ; Ernest James, of this review ; and Edgar
J., of Chester township.

Ernest James Harris received his preliminary education m the public schools
of England. In 1887, seeking to take advantage of opportunities presented in
the new world, he came to Iowa and began working on the farm of his uncle,
George Harris, in Washington township, Poweshiek county. After a short
time he went to Grinnell and entered the employment of James Bailey, with

HISTORY OF POWESIIIRK COUNTY 73

whom he continued for two years, and then working under A. G. Williams,
of Chester township, for one year. At the end of this time he rented forty
acres of land in Chester township which he cultivated for two years, and, hav-
ing acquired sufficient ca])ital, luirchased one hundred and twenty acres in
Washington township, upon which he established his home. He makes a
specialty of raising hogs and Shorthorn cattle. He has provided the farm with
a good residence, barn and outbuildings, and also with all modern accessories
and conveniences, and its neat appearance indicates the great interest which he
takes in his work.

On the i6th of May, 1894, Mr. Harris was united in marriage to Miss
Lula Lillian I'atrick. a daughter of .\ndrew and Gertrude (Spire) Patrick,
and eight children have blessed this union, namely: lames .\., who was born
July 2J. 1895 ''"•' 'lied January 29, 1907: Winifred 1., bom .August 15, 1897;
Arthur E., born .\ugust 15, igoo : Elsie May, born September 27,, igo2: I'.essie
[>uella, born ;\lay 15, 1904: Dorothy Irene, born November 6, 1905: Alfred,
born .April 13, 1907, and died April 21, 1907; and Roy Roscoe, born April 3,
1909. .Mrs. Harris was born .Ai)ril 14, 1874, at Jasper county. Iowa. Her
mother was a native of New York and was married to Mr. Patrick in New
York state. They came to Iowa and lived for several years in Chester town-
ship, Poweshiek county, after which they established their home in fasper
county. The father died in August, 1881, and the mother passed away March
2, 1909. He was an earnest adherent of the republican party, and both he
and his wife were members of the Methodist church and also of the Grange.

Afr. Harris has been from boyhood a member of the Episcopal church,
while his wife is connected with the Alethodist church. In politics he supports
the republican party and has served to the general satisfaction of the com-
munity as a member of the school board. He is an active and helpful citizen,
intelligent and progressive in whatsoever he undertakes, and always governed
by a worthy ambition to promote to the extent of his ability the best mterests
of those with whom he is associated. I!y undaunted resolution and zeal he has
won deserved recognition as one of the substantial citizens of Poweshiek
county.

GEORGE H. McMURRAY.

Occupying a position of leadership in connection with many of the most
important interests, business enterjirises and public projects of Grinnell, George
H. McAIurray has contributed in sulistantial anrl gratif\ing measure to the
growth and prosperity of the city, and has so indelibly impressed iiimself upon
the community in the w^ork of advancement that no historv of this section of
the state would be complete without iirominent reference to him. Iowa may
well be proud to number him among her native sons.

His birth occurred in Bellevue, Jackson county, on the i8th of October,
1863, his parents being James H. and Thirza (Smith) McMurray, the former
a native of Delaware county. New York, and the latter of Galena, Illinois.
They were married in Bellevue, Iowa, the father having located there m early

74 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

manhood. The mother was a daughter of Judge Joseph Smilli. who presided
over the court of his district in Iowa. He had taken up his abode in Bellevue
early in the '50s, removing to this state from Knoxville, Tennessee. On be-
coming a resident of Bellevue James H. McMurray had turned his attention
to merchandising and some years later he removed his business to Dewitt,
lowa, and afterward to Brooklyn, Poweshiek county, in 1869. He was prom-
inently identified with the business interests of that town for eighteen years
when he went to California for the benefit of his health, spending seven
years in Los Angeles. In i8()2 he became a resident of Grinnell and purchased
a half interest in the business owned by his sons, G. H. McMurray and James
H. McMurray, since which time the enterprise has been conducted under the
name of J. H. McMurray, Jr. & Company. For the past thirty-five years or
more father and son have conducted the largest stores in their respective lines
in Poweshiek county, their combined stocks representing an aggregate invest-
ment of seventy thousand dollars. The name of McMurray is a synonym for
progressiveness in commercial lines and their activities have constituted a
standard that others have followed.

George H. McMurray was reared at home, acquiring his education in the
public schools and also in a boarding school at Clinton, Iowa, where he finished
the work of the freshman year. From the early age of twelve vears, however,
he has devoted much of his time to merchandising, assisting in his father's
store when not in school. In 1882 he embarked in merchandising on his own
account, forming a partnership with Wesley Manatt, in which connection they
established business under the firm name of McMurray & Afanatt. After
five years they sold out antl George H. McMurray and his brother J. H.
McMurray, Jr., organized the firm of McMurray Brothers and opened a store
in Grinnell. The business relation between them was maintained for five
years, at the end of which time, in 1892, the father returned from California
and George H. McMurray sold his interest to him and opened his present
clothing business, which he has successfully carried on for the past eighteen
years. He is today the leading clothier of Poweshiek county, employs five
people and conducts a very extensive business. During much of this |)eriod he
has been interested in branch stores at West Union and .\nita, Iowa, and else-
where. However, he has since disposed of these and now gives much of his time
to the operation of a valuable farm of four hundred acres which he owns in
Chester tt)wnship. On this place lie raises horses and feeds cattle and also carries
on the usual farm work in the production of grain. He leads an extremely busy
and useful life and his determined nature enables him to carry forward to suc-
cessful comj>leti(in whatever he undertakes. His cooperation is counted a valuable
asset in any business venture and it is felt that his aid will secure a prosperous
outcome. He was one of the organizers of the Citizens' National Bank and is
a member of its board of directors. He readily solves intricate and involved
financial problems and seems to see from the circumference to the very center
of things, recognizing with almost unerring judgment the possibilities for the
attainment of success in any given connection.

On the 6th of July, 1886, Mr. McMurray was inarried to Miss Margaret C.
Wright, of I'rooklyii, this county, anfl unto them have been born three children:

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 75

Harry I""., wlio is now a senior in Grinnell College; Arthur R., who is pursuing
the work of the junior year; and Donald J., who is yet a student in the public
schools. The family are prominent socially and their own home is most at-
tractive by reason of its warm-hearted and cordial hospitality. Mr. McMurray
is a member of Brooklyn Lodge, No. 174, A. ]■'. & A. M., and he gives his
political allegiance to the republican i)arty, but has never been an aspirant for
office. Many look to him as the leader in all public enterprises and follow his
example, for it is known that his judgment is sound and his loyalty to the
best interests of the community above question.

JOHN BAKER.

John Baker, a former agriculturist of Poweshiek county, who is now living
retired in Searsboro, was born in Reaver county, Pennsylvania, on the 3d of
November, 1834. His parents were Richard and Catherine (Thompson) Baker,
also natives of Beaver county, the father having been born on the 22d of Feb-
ruary, 1799, and the mother in 1807. The father who during the entire period
of his active life engaged in farming, was living retired at the time of his
death, which occurred on the 2d of December, 1882. His wife survived him for
almost two years thereafter, her demise occurring on the 9th of October, 1884.
He voted for the candidates of the democratic party, and while residing in
Pennsylvania he acted as postmaster at Baker's Bank. Sixteen children were
born of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Baker, the order of their birth being as
follows : James, who died in Andersonville prison during the Civil war ; So-
phronia, who is a resident of Detroit, Michigan ; William, who is deceased :
Sidney, the widow of William Beatty, of lieaver county, Pennsylvania ; Lorenzo
1!., who was killed at the siege of Vicksburg ; John, our subject ; Thomson,
who is living at Ansley, Custer county, Nebraska ; Sarah, the widow of Iknja-
min James, of Lawrence county, Pennsylvania ; Mary Ann, the widow of Fred
Stralia, of Beaver county, Pennsylvania ; George, who is a resident of Butler
county, Pennsylvania; Matilda, the widow of Walter Craig, of Pittsburg:
Nancy Jane, the wife of Walter Swagers, of Lawrence county, Pennsylvania ;
Catherine, the wife of Robert Mills, of Custer county, Nebraska; Wesley 1'..,
also a resident of Custer county, Nebraska ; Robert, who died in the army :
and Rachel, the widow of Mr. Wood, of Lawrence county, Pennsylvania

The first twenty-two years in the life of John Baker were spent on the
homestead where he was born and reared, his education being acquired in the
district schools of Beaver county. After laying aside his text-books he assisted
his father in the work of the homestead until April, 1856, at which time he
migrated to Iowa. Upon his arrival in this state he first located in Mahaska
county, where he worked by the month as a farm hand. In 1859 he came to
Poweshiek county, settling in Sugar Creek township where for a time he con-
tinued to do farm work. In 1888 he purchased forty acres of land, in the cul-
tivation of which he met with such success that he was later able to add another
forty acres to his tract. He still owns this property, but has for some time

76 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

been living i-etiretl in Searsboro. Mr. IJaker foUuwed general farming. He
also had a fine orchard and made a .specialty of raising stock.

On the 24th of March, 1859, .Mr. P.aker was married to Miss Julia Stanley,
a daughter of John T. and Mary (Berry) Stanley, of Sugar Creek township,
Poweshiek county. Mrs. Baker was born in Miami county, Ohio, on the nth
of June, 1835, her parents having resided there for about twenty years. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Stanley were natives of \'irginia, from which state they migrated
to Ohio, settling in Miami county in 1830. In 1851 they came to Iowa, settling
on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Sugar Creek township, Powe-
shiek county, which Mr. Stanley purchased. He later added to this another
eighty acres, continuing to make his home on the farm until his death on the
27th of March. 1888. The mother survived him until the 15th of August, 1890.
He was a supporter of the democracy and served as township trustee, while
both he and his wife held membership in the Baptist church. The family of
Mr. and Mrs. Baker numbered six children, five of whom are now surviving:
Mary C, the wife of Paul Nelson, of Rochester, Minnesota; Wesley, who is a
resident of Kendall, Missouri ; Lucy Jane, who is deceased ; George, who makes
his home in Mahaska county, Iowa; Clarissa; and Cora, the wife of Bert Sex-
ton, of Sugar Creek township.

The family always worshipped in the Christian church, of which Mrs.
Baker is a member, and fraternally Mr. Baker has been affiliated with the Ma-
sonic order for forty-three years. His political support he gives to the republican
party, and for several years served as road supervisor. Many notable changes
have taken place in Poweshiek county during the long period of Mr. Baker's
residence, in all of which he has ever taken a keen interest.

CHARLES SWECKER.

Charles Swecker is the owner of two hundred and forty acres of laml in
Jefferson township, which he has brought to a high state of cultivation and
which yields him a handsome annual income.

He is a native of this county, and was born in Jefferson township, January
25, 1873, a son of Abraham and Lydia (Niswander) Swecker, who were both
natives of ^^irginia. The father was reared as a farmer and came to Powe-
shiek county, Iowa, with his family in the spring of 1872. He engaged suc-
cessfully in agriculture and stock-raising and became the owner of three hun-
dred and twenty acres of good land, which he cultivated tor over thirty
years. He then retired to Hartwick, where he died in July, 1906. The
mother is still living and resides at Belle Plaine.

Charles Swecker, of this review, possessed good opportunities of education
in the common schools, and under his father became well acquainted with all
classes of work pertaining to agriculture and stock-raising. In 1894 he began
working on his own account on the old homestead north of Hartwick, and m
the spring of 1910 removed to his present location on section 34, where he
engages in general agriculture, also raising cattle and hogs for the market.

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 77

He cultivates the soil to good advantage and his farm yields a reliable income.
The buildings are all in excellent order and he and his family have one of the
most comfortable homes in the township.

In 1807 Mr. Swecker was married to Miss Myrtle Wilson, a daughter of
lav Wilson, and to this union one child. Rex. J., was born. The mother of
this child died May 3, 1898, and in September, 1899, Mr. Swecker was again
HKirried. his second union being with Kathrine Mcllrath, a daughter of James
Mcllrath, a well known farmer of Jefferson township. To the second mar-
riage of Mr. Swecker four children have been born, namely : Wayne James,
Charles Wilson ; Myrtle E. : and Eleanor L.

Mr. Swecker casts his ballot in support of the republican party. He has
never sought the honors or emoluments of public office, but served with general
approval as member of the school board. Religiously he is connected with the
C'ongregational church at Hartwick. He is known as an up-to-date farmer
and an intelligent and broad-minded man, one who may be depended upon to
lend a hand in forwarding every movement that aims to promote the general
welfare.

CHARLES H. HALL.

I'lrming claims the time and attention of Charles H. Hall, who owns and
operates a well improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Scott town-
ship, as well as a tract of eighty acres in Bear Creek township. He is a native
of the latter township, born July 27, 1873, a son of George and Katharine
' Deardorff) Hall, who are mentioned in connection with the sketch of O. D.
1 lall, a brother of our subject, on another page of this work. Their family
numbered nine children but only seven are now living.

Charles H. Hall was reared on the home farm in Bear Creek township and
was early trained to the work of plowing, planting and harvesting during the
spring and summer months, while in the winter season he attended the district
schools. He remained under the parental roof until he reached mature years,
when he began working out by the month as a farm hand. He was thus em-
ployed for three years, when, having saved sufficient capital, he began farming
on his own account. As his financial resources have permitted he has invested
in land and today owns one hundred and sixty acres on section 6, Scott town-
ship, where he resides, and eighty acres in Bear Creek township. Both tracts
are improved with good buildings, and his fields are in a cultivable state, from
which he annually gathers abundant harvests.

Mr. Hall was married in March, 1898. to Miss Nellie Robertson, who was
born in Scott township, December 28, 1871, a daughter of Charles and .\nnie
ffiibbs) Robertson, both of whom were natives of Scotland but were reared
anfl married in New York. The father came west with his family at an early
(lay and accumulated three hundred and twenty acres of land in Poweshiek
countv. He died here in early life, in 1886, when but forty-five years of age,
while his wife passed away in 1893 at the age of fifty-two. They !iad two
daughters and a son : Nellie, now Mrs. Hall : Thomas, a resident of Scott town-

78 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

ship; and Maggie, the wife of WiUiam Johnson, a resident of Brooklyn. Unto
Mr. and Mrs. Hall have been born four children : Lester, Grace, Ray and Lyle.
Politically Mr. Hall is a democrat. Having spent their entire lives in Powe-
shiek county, both Mr. and Mrs. Hall are well and favorably known, having a
wide circle of friends in their home localitv.

WILLIAM McCLURE.

The position which William McOure holds in the agricultural circles of
Poweshiek county is indicated by the fact that for the past five years he has
served as president of the Poweshiek County Central Agricultural Society of
Malcom. He was born in Scott county, Iowa, in 1861, a son of James and
Mary (Corrough) McClure, both natives of County Down, Ireland. They were
reared and married in their native country and later came to Iowa, locating
in Scott county. Subsequently they took up their abode in Muscatine county,
where the mother passed away in 1872, at the age of forty-six years. The
father came to Poweshiek county in February, 1879, and here engaged in gen-
eral farming for many years, making his home upon his farm two miles east
of Malcom until the time of his death, which occurred about 1891, when
he was sixty-nine years of age. He and his wife were the parents of ten chil-
dren, seven sons and three daughters, of which number three sons and two
daughters still survive.

William McClure, who was the fifth in order of birth, spent the period of
his boyhood and youth in his native county and there acquired his education.
He has been a resident of Poweshiek county since February, 1879, when he
came to this county with his father, with whom he resided on the old home-
stead farm until twelve years ago, when he purchased his present home. His
farm consists of three hundred and fifty-one acres, located on sections 23 and
14. and is a highly imi)roved property, equipped with all modern conveniences.
His fields are inclosed by neat, well kept fences, and upon the place are found
a comfortable dwelling, a large barn, sixty-four by eighty feet, and substantial
outbuildings. Everything about the place indicates that he is in touch with the
modern spirit of progress which is manifest in agricultural lines. During the
past three years he has rented his farm. He now rents his land but continues to
live on his farm and gives his attention to his stock. He is engaged in general
farming and stock-raising and so manages his interests that he is winning most
gratifying success.

In October, 1908, Mr. McClure was united in marriage to Mrs. Elizabeth
(Moses) Johnson, a daughter of Simon and Catharine Moses, her birth oc-
curring in Monona, Iowa, on the 27th of July, 1876. Unto them have been
born two children, Kathryn Elizabeth and William James. By a former mar-
riage Mrs. McClure had a son, Raymond C. Johnson, now a lad six years
of age.

Mr. McQure is well known in fraternal circles as a member of the Knight-;
of Pythias and also of the Masonic order, belonging to Lily Lodge, No. 254.

'^<>77^^.

'CA.^^.^Jl

■'<^.VOA

^IOns,

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 81

A. !•". & A. M., and to Hyssop Chapter, R. A. M., both of Mak(jm. His relig-
ious faith is that of the Presbyterian church and in jiohtics he gives stalwart sup-
port to the republican party. He is now serving as township trustee and for tlie
past three years has acted as secretary of the township school board. In what-
ever relation he has been found, whether in public, private or business life, he
has ever manifested the most loyal and public-spirited citizenship, strongly
advocating and upholding every measure which has for its object the material,
political, intellectual or moral growth of the community. As president of the
Poweshiek County Central Agricultural Association, which position he has oc-
cupied for the past five years, he has come into contact with the farming ele-
ment throughout the county and his efforts in behalf of progress and advance-
ment along agricultural and kindred lines have been potent factors in stimulat-
ing the interest and action of his fellowmen in that direction.

JOSEPH D. CARPENTER.

No resident of Poweshiek county has achieved greater success in agricul-
tural pursuits than has Joseph D. Carpenter, whose beautiful home on section
3, Pleasant township, is one of the most attractive spots in this locality. He
was born at Pownal, \'ermont, and comes of old Revolutionary stock, his
ancestors in both the paternal and maternal lines having fought in the war for
independence. He was the only son of Joseph I. and Augusta E. (Gardner)
Carpenter, who were also natives of Pownal, where the father's birth occurred
in 1 82 1 and the mother's in 1829. The latter, who passed away when her son
was but three days old, was born on the old homestead on which her father
and her son were both born. She was the daughter of Captain David Gardner,
who died in 1866 at the age of eighty-two years, and a sister of Abram Gard-
ner, lieutenant governor of \'ermont at one time and also a well known and
prominent lawyer of that state. The Gardner family was one of the first to
settle at Pownal, \'ermont, and the old homestead in which our subject was
born, still remains in the family, being now owned by his cousin. Shortly
after the death of his wife Joseph Carpenter went to Illinois, locating in
Bureau county, and in 1857 he was joined by his son, who was reared in that
county. The father engaged in the lumber business in Princeton until his son
was eleven years of age, when they removed to a farm near that city and
there he passed his remaining days. His death occurred at Princeton in Sep-
tember, 1902. By a second marriage he had become the father of four sons
and a daughter.

Joseph D. Carpenter, whose name introduces this review, spent his early
life in Princeton and Bureau county, Illinois, and in 1877 came to Poweshiek
county, where he has since maintained his residence. His home place consists
of half of section 3, Pleasant township, about two and a half miles southwest
of Malcom, and is one of the finely improved and valuable properties of this
section. In its midst stands the beautiful residence which Mr. Carpenter
erected in 1907, containing fifteen rooms, all equipped with the most modern

82 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

impruvements. In the rear are substanlial buildings and on the jilace is found
every convenience for facihtating farm labor. In addition to the cultivation
of this property Mr. Carpenter gives considerable attention to his extensive
live-stock interests, being one of the heaviest stock- feeders and shippers in the
county. He ships an average of ten carloads of stock annually and has also
shipped as high as one hundred carloads a year. Prosperity has attended him
in the conduct of his affairs, for he possesses in large measure those qualities
which are positive forces in the acquirement of financial independence, and as
success has come to him he has purchased more land, being now the owner of
three valuable farms aside from his home place. His wife also possesses con-
siderable property in her own right and, together with their children, they now
own about one thousand acres of good land in Poweshiek county.

Mr. Carpenter was married, on the loth of June, 1875, at Princeton, Illinois,
to Miss ]\Iinerva E. Judd, who was born in that city on the 27th of October,
1852. She is a daughter of Eli P. Judd. now deceased, a very wealthy man of
whom mention is made on another page in this volume. Unto rhis union have
been born nine children as follows: Sarah A., who has filled the office of
county superintendent of schools since January i, 191 1 : David Eli, of Pleasant
township ; Flora, the wife of William C. Stimson, of Scott township ; Rey-
nolds R., also of that township; Joseph L., of Pleasant township; Forest D.,
still under the parental roof; \'era, a teacher residing at home; Lodi, at home;
and Hazel, who is engaged in teaching.

Mr. Carpenter is a member of the Masonic order, holding membership in
Lily Lodge, No. 54, A. F. & A. M.. at Malcom, and in politics is a republican.
The honors and emoluments of office, however, have never possessed any at-
traction for him, for he has desired to concentrate his energies upon his per-
sonal business affairs. Substantial and enviable success has come to him as
the legitimate and logical result of his well directed eiTorts, for with him per-
severance, diligence and integrity have constituted the guiding posts of life,
bringing him to the honorable and prominent position which he now occupies
in the opinion of his fellow citizens, among whom he has so long lived and
labored.

EDWIN E. H.\RRIS, M. D.

Dr. Edwin E. Harris, physician and surgeon, who in the practice of med-
icine gives evidence of his comprehensive understanding of the principles upon
which his work is based and whose ability is further attested in the large
practice that is accorded him, was born in Fremont county, Iowa. January 2,
1867. His parents were Jared J. and Mary E. (Ewell) Harris, the former a
native of Ohio and the latter of Iowa, and they were married in Fremont
county, Iowa. The father was reared in his native state and there enlisted
for service in the Civil war, becoming a member of the Seventeenth Ohio
Infantry. He was with that command for less than a year when he was dis-
charged on account of illness, after which he came west for his health. Later

HISTORY OF I'OWF.SIIIEK COUNTY 83

lie reenlisted in the Fourth Iowa Cavalry and served until the close of the war.
Following the cessation of hostilities he was married and took ;ip his abode in
Fremont county, Iowa. In early life he had studied pharmacy and for some
years practiced his profession. .After the war he took up the study of law and
was admitted to the bar. practicing for eight or nine years in Sidney, Iowa. In
1876 he went to California, where he entered upon the work of the ministry,
preaching the gospel for about seven years in the Methodist Episcopal church.
About 1882 he returned to Fremont county and turned his attention to edu-
cational work, .-\fter teaching school for a short period he was elected county
superintendent of schools, in which position he served for three terms, or six
years. On the expiration of his third term of office he retired from active life
and five years later again went to California, where his death occurred in
1003. His wife is still living on the Pacific coast, her home being in I^)erkeley,
California.

Dr. Harris was reared under the parental roof and became a student in
Tabor College, being graduated therefrom on the completion of the English
course with the class of 1891. Prior to this time he had taken up teaching
as a profession and in 1891 and 1892 was principal of the schools of Elliott,
Iowa, but resigned his position to enter upon preparation for the practice of
medicine. He pursued his studies in both Columbia University and in the
Howard University Medical School at Washington, D. C, and in both in-
stitutions he acted also as teaclier of chemistry. He received his degree from
Howard University in 1895 and then came west, settling first in Tabor, Iowa.
P)0th he and his wife were graduates of the same school and in 1908 they went
abroad, returning the following year. While in Europe Dr. Harris pursued a
s|)ecial course of study in London and in \'ienna and in the latter city he
received his zeugnus, or diploma. On his return in 1909 he took post-graduate
work at the Johns Hopkins University of Baltimore, Maryland. Later he lo-
cated in Grinnell. He had also done special work in Rome and in Paris. He
devotes a portion of almost every summer to post-graduate study either in
Chicago or New York and is one of the best equipped physicians and surgeons
of this section of the west. His knowledge is most accurate and comprehensive
and wide experience as well as research has made him a man of pronounced
ability.

In 1894 Dr. Harris was married to Miss Louise A. Fairfield, of Washing-
ton, D. C, a daughter of the Rev. F. W. Fairfield, D. D., professor of Greek
in Tabor I'niversity, who later held the same position in Howard University
in Washington, D C, becoming acting president of the latter institution. LTnto
Dr. and Mrs. Harris have been born three children, of whom two are living:
Frederick F., who is a graduate of the Grinnell high school ; and Eleanor F,
The parents are members of the Congregational church and Dr. Harris is now
presi.lent of the choir. He belongs to Herman Lodge, No. 273, A. F. & A. M.
The duties and demands of his profession leave him little time for social
pleasures, but his friends and his patients find him a congenial, courteous gen-
tleman nf hoi^eful nature and of cordial disposition. He is a member of the
county, state and national medical societies and for years has served as sec-
retary of the county society. Words of commendation are spoken concerning

84 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

him not only by the general public but by the profession as well, for his fellow-
practitioners recognize his superior worth and ability in a calling where ad-
vancement depends entirely upon individual merit.

ERNEST EDWIN LINCOLN.

At the early age of four years Ernest I'Ldwin Lincoln arrived in America
with his parents from England. He has, perhaps, but a faint recollection of
the green fields and crowded cities of the British Isles. In Poweshiek county
he has spent about forty-five years of his life. He is now one of the honored
citizens of Washington township and the owner of one of its highl)- i)roducti\e
farms.

He was born on Isle Sheppy, fifty miles east of London, in the Thames
river, November 8, 1849, a son of Edward and Amy (Mapstead) Lincoln.
The father was born at Chillhani, a suburb of London, and the mother at
Charing Cross. They were married in the old country and came to the United
States in 1853, taking up their residence near Columbus, Ohio, where Mr. Lin-
coln rented a farm for twelve years. He then came to \\'ashington township,
Poweshiek county, Iowa, and purchased one hundred and twenty acres upon
which he established his family homestead. He died June 9, 1882, the mother
being called away on the 4th of March, 1884. They were both baptized in the
faith of the Episcopal church and the father gave his political support to the
republican party. There were nine children in their family: John F. and George,
both of whom are deceased ; Mary Ann, who married Cieorge Simmons, of
Grinnell : Edward, living in Washington, this county ; Henry W., who is now
living near Columbus, Ohio ; Jane and Charles, both of whom are deceased ;
Ernest Edwin, of this review, and Amy, also deceased.

Ernest Edwin Lincoln was educated in the public schools of Ohio and as
he grew to manhood assisted his father in the work ui)on the home farm. He
came to Poweshiek county with liis parents and inherited forty acres of the
family estate, to which he added one hundred and sixty acres by purchase.
Subse<|uently he disposed of his land and acquired his present farm of four
hundred acres. He also owned sixty acres in the west side of the township,
which he has sold his son. He erected the buildings, which are substantial and
sightly, and has made many other im[M-ovements, the place being one of the
valuable properties of the township. His business interests are well managed
and he is a man of energy and determination, the reward he received as the
result of his efforts being well merited.

On the 26th of December, 1876, Mr. Lincoln was united in marriage to Miss
Elizabeth Thompson, who was born in Mercer county, Illinois, Alay 4, 1858. a
daughter of Alexander and Mary (Robson) Thompson. The father was born
near [ielfast, Ireland, and the mother also at the same place. They were mar-
ried in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, having come to the L'nited States in
1851. After their marriage they removed to Mercer count}-, Illinois, where Mr.
Thompson purchased a farm. Subsequently he disposed of his pro]iertv and

HISTORY OF POWESITIKK COl'XTV 85

came to Iowa, ])urchasiiig one hundred and sixty acres in Jasper county, and
applied himself with such diligence that he became the owner of six hundred
and forty acres of good land. He is now retired from active labor and has
reached the age of eighty-four years. The beloved wife and mother died April
14. i(jo9. being then eighty-two years of age. Mr. Thompson is a member of
the Presbyterian church, as was also his wife, and m politics he gives his
allegiance to the democratic party. Eight children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Lincoln. namel\' : Alexander, of Washington township, who is married and
has two children . Elsie Elizabeth and Alice Mary ; Ernest, also of Washington
township, who is married and has two children , Frances Elizabeth and Roy
[•".rnest ; David, of W'ashington township, who is married and has five children ;
Emma May, Albert Ernest, Grace Susan, William David and Harry Ralph ;
Charles, of Washington township, who is married and has two children , George
Edwin and Ross Arthur; Susan Mary, who married T>. N. Whittaker, of Wash-
ington township, and has one child , Ona Elizabeth ; John E., deceased ; and
I'rancis Henry and George Edward, both of whom are at home.

In politics Mr. Lincoln is independent, preferring to cast his ballot for the
man ^-ather than in support of any party organization. He is active in local
affairs and has held most of the township offices, including those of trustee and
road supervisor. He is greatly interested in education and for twenty-five years
[)ast !ias served as a member of the school board. He has an intimate knowl-
edge of the development of Poweshiek county and through his genial character-
istics has gained many warm friends, who regard him as one of the most
capable and useful men in the township.

ROBERT A. MORTLAND.

.\mong the native sons of Montezuma Robert A. Mortland is numbered.
1 le is now well known in journalistic circles in Poweshiek county as editor of
the Palladium and is a partner of his father. R. L. Mortland, in the ownership
of the paper. He has always remained a resident of his native city and after
mastering the branches of learning taught in the graded schools he became a
high school student and was graduated in 1891. In the years 1894 and 1895
he was a student in the state university, after which he became associated with
his father in newspa])er publication, assuming the management of the Powe-
shiek County Palladium, having been in control of this paper since its estab-
lishment in 1895. ^■'i 't^ publication he keeps in touch with the most advanced
ideas of progressive journalism and gives to the public a readable journal, which
because of its large and growing circulation is also an excellent advertising
medium and has secured a good support in that connection.

On the 23d of August. 1906. Mr. Mortland was married to Miss Katharine
Harden, who was born in Montezuma, a daughter of T. J. Harden. They now
have one child, Ruth Elizabeth. In his fraternal relations Mr. Mortland is a
Knight of Pythias and an Odd Fellow. His ])olitical allegiance has always been
given to the democratic party since age conferred upon him the right of fran-

86 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

chise and he has served on the county and congressional committees and at the
present writing is filhng the office of town clerk, which position he has occupied
since 1897. or for a period of fourteen years. His long retention in this office
stands as incontrovertible proof of his ability and fidelity. The consensus of pub-
lic opinion places Robert A. Portland in a prominent position as one of the lead-
ing and influential men of his native city and as one whose labors have been
effective and far-reaching forces for the general good.

JOHN HENRY STANLEY.

John Henry Stanley, who is now living retired in Searsboro. was born in
Miami county, Ohio, on the 21st of July, 1838, and is a son of John T. and
Mary (Barber) Stanley. The parents were both natives of Virginia, the
father having been born in Halifax county on the 25th of July, 1806, and the
mother in Vermont county on the 12th of .August, 181 1. They were reared
and educated in their native state, where they were also married. Subseiiuently
they migrated to Ohio, locating on a farm which they rented in Aliami county
in 1833. They continued to reside in the Buckeye state until 1851, when they
came to Poweshiek county and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land
in Sugar Creek township. Later Mr. Stanley purchased eighty acres of school
land, which he cleared and improved, continuing to engage in general farming
until about three years prior to his demise, when he retired. He [passed away
on the 26th of March, 1888, and his wife in .\ugust, 1890. He voted with the
democratic party and served for several years as township trustee, while both
he and his wife held membership in the Baptist church. Unto Mr. and Mrs.
Stanley were born eight children: Martha J., who is deceased; Julia .\.. the
wife of John Baker, a resident of Poweshiek county; Mary E., the wife of
John English, of Sugar Creek township ; John Henry, our subject ; James T.,
who is living in Mahaska county; Granville M., who is deceased; Lawson M.,
also a resident of Mahaska county ; and William, who is deceased.

The district schools of Sugar Creek township provided John Henry Stanley
with his educational advantages. .After laying aside his text-books he gave his
entire time and attention to the work of the farm until he had attained his ma-
jority. He subsequently bought forty acres of land from his father, which he
cultivated for a time and then disposing of it he went to Kansas, locating in
Norton county. At the end of a year he returned to Sugar Creek township
where he bought eighty acres of land ; selling this, later he purchased fifty
acres elsewhere in the township. Five years thereafter he bought the old
homestead which he retained until 1898, when he traded it to B. T. X'estal
for a stock of general merchandise in Searsboro. .After conducting the store
for eighteen months he traded it for a farm in Sugar Creek township, which he
sold later, and once more bought the old homestead. He operated this for two
years and then came to Searsboro, where he erected a building and again en-
gaged in the mercantile business, being associated with his son, Robert H. in
the conduct of same. Two vears later he sold this Ijusiness to I. S. Saunders

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COL'XTV 87

and bought a livery stable, which he conducted for three years, but he is
now renting it. At the present time Mr. Stanley is practically living a retired
life in Searsboro, where he owns a very comfortable residence.

On the nth of March, i860, Mr. Stanley was united in marriage to Miss
Cornelia Reed, a daughter of William and Eliza (Reed) Reed, of Sugar
Creek township. The parents were born in North Carolina in 1814, and there
the father engaged in farming until his demise. Mrs. Stanley is also a native
of North Carolina her birth having occurred in Perquimans county on the
i6th of May, 1840. Following the death of her husband Mrs. Reed removed
with her family to Indiana, locating in the vicinity of Richmond, where she later
married Philip Reed. In 1854 the family came to Poweshiek county and settled
on an eighty acre farm in Sugar Creek township which Mr. Reed bouglit.
Here the mother passed away in March, 1865. He went to California later
and there engaged in farming until his death. He was a republican in politics
and both Mr. and Mrs. Reed affiliated with the United Brethren church. Of
the union of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley there were born seven children : Charles L.,
who is a resident of Malcom township; Mary F., who married John Stilwell. of
South Dakota: Emma E., the wife of David Miller, of New Sharon, Mahaska
county, Iowa; Ella E., who married JefTerson Gordon, of Oskaloosa ; Robert H.,
who is living in Searsboro; Minnie M., who married Clarence Main, of Sugar
Creek township; and Ellen, who died in infancy.

Fraternally Mr. Stanley is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, having been a member of Searsboro Lodge, No. 335, for thirty-three
years, during which time he has held the various chairs, while Mrs. Stanley
is a member of the Society of Friends. Mr. Stanley's political allegiance is
given to the democratic party, and he has served two years as township trustee,
while for ten years he was a member of the school board, during six of which
he was secretary, and at the present time he is serving his third term as clerk
of the township. Nearly the entire life of Air. Stanley has been spent in
Poweshiek county, where he has made many friends whose regard he still
retains.

FREDERICK ELLIOTT SPAULDING.

Frederick Elliott Spaulding, a prominent vehicle manufacturer of Grinnell,
is associated in business with H. W. and E. H. Spaulding. He is also a director
of the Ohio Valley Bending Company, the Mercer Wheel Company and the
Moline Pole and Shaft Company. His birth occurred in Grinnell, Iowa, on
the 29th of November, 1877, his parents being Henry W. and Miriam Jane
(Lull) Spaulding. He supplemented his preliminary education by a course
of study in Grinnell College, which institution conferred upon him the degree
of Bachelor of Philosophy in 1899, while the following year he won the same
degree from Princeton University of Princeton, New Jersey. On starting out
in business life he joined his father in the manufacture of vehicles and in
1900 his brother, E. H. Spaulding, also became a member of the firm.

88 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

On the 3d of October, 1900, at Sibley, Iowa, Mr. Spaulding was united in
marriage to Miss Gertrude Morse Brown, a daughter of Charles E. Brown of
that place. Unto them has been born one child, Elizabeth Jane Spaulding.

Mr. Spaulding gives his political allegiance to the republican party, while
his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Congregational church
of Grinnell. His fraternal relations are with the Masons and the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks and he also belongs to the Poweshiek Club.
His entire life has been spent in Grinnell and he has won an envable reputation
as a successful business man and respected citizen.

ALFRED W. HEACOCK.

A residence of more than forty years in Iowa has given Alfred W. Heacock
an opportunity of becoming well acquainted with the agricultural resources of
the state and also of acquiring a valuable farm which he owns in Poweshiek
county. He is a native of Henry county. Indiana, born .\ugust 8, 1844, and is
a son of Salathial and Anna ( Weeks) Heacock. The father was born in Bucks
county, Pennsylvania, and the mother near Rochester, New York. Thev were
married in Henry county, Indiana. Salathial Heacock received his education in
Bucks county and after laying his books aside worked as a cabinet-maker but
later removed to Henry county, Indiana, where he became identified with agri-
cultural interests, continuing there during the remainder of his life. His wife
died at Spiceland, Henry county. He was a member of the Society of Friends
and politically gave his support to the republican party. He never was an office
seeker but served acceptabl\- as a member of the school board. There were
five children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Heacock, namely: .Alfred W., Mary,
now the widow of Peter Rifner, of Spiceland, Henry county, Indiana: Lydia
Ann, of Easthaven, Wayne county, Indiana; John, of Spiceland; and Charles,
deceased,

Alfred W. Heacock was educated in the ]3ublic schools of Henry county and
later attended Spiceland Academy and the .Sullivan Teachers Normal School at
Sullivan, Indiana. He taught school in Hcnrv county and later in Sullivan
county, but being attracted to agricultural pursuits, gave up teaching and began
farming in Henry county. In 1870 he came to Iowa and located in Washing-
ton township, Poweshiek county, where he now lives. He began farming in this
county upon a place of fifty acres, but as his resources increased he purchased
more land until he now has two hundred and twenty-five acres. By diligence
and systematic application he has greatly increased the productive capacity of
the fields, and he has also erected buildings and improved the farm until it is one
of the pleasing features of the landscape. He receives abundant annual returns
from the lalx)r anil capital expended, all of which is the result of his wisely
apj)lied energies.

On the 8th of September, i86c), Mr. Heacock was married to Miss .Sarah E.
De Bord, who was born in Hawkins county, Tennessee, January 0. 1852. a
daughter of John and Jemima ("Heron") De Bord, Iioth of whom were native'^ of

1 THE NEW YORK

PU-BLIC LIbiURY

A8T0R, tENOX AND
XIUOEN FOUNDATIONS^

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 91

West \irginia. The father was a farmer and fruit-grower and took up his resi-
dence in Henry county, Indiana, in 1853. Later he removed to Hancock county,
Indiana, where he and his wife hved for twenty years. They died near Green-
field after having journeyed together in loving companionship for fifty-six years.
They were both earnest members of the Baptist church and he was an ordained
minister of that denomination. Politically he gave his support to the republican
party.

Eleven children came to bless the union of Mr. and .Mrs. Heacock : Bertha,
who married Edgar Williams, of Jasper county, Iowa ; Mary, the wife of Will-
iam McDowell, of Oak Grove, Poweshiek county, a record of whom appears
elsewhere in this review ; John Orla, of South Dakota, who was married February
27, 1900, to Genie Thompson, of Kellogg, Iowa ; Louie Pearl, deceased ;
Mabel, who became the wife of Enos Norman, of Grinnell township; Ella, the
wife of Henry Marshall, of Jasper county ; Lizzie, who became the wife of
John Poets, of Jasper county ; Clifford, deceased ; Arthur, at home, who married
.\lice Godfrey ; Reppie, deceased ; and Olivett, who married Nellie Thorp and
is living at home.

In political belief Mr. Heacock is a prohibitionist, as he is firmly of the opin-
ion that the saloon is the greatest evil in the country. The estimate in which he
is held by the voters of the township is shown in the fact that he filled the re-
sponsible office of justice of the peace for eight years. He has also served as a
member of the school board and is al\\-ays ready to assist in promoting the wel-
fare of this section. Religiously he adheres to the Society of Friends, and his
life has in an important measure been controlled by the simple faith of that
organization. He was an officer and overseer in the church for many years. He
ranks as one of the leaders in Poweshiek county and is a man who conscien-
tiously strives to follow in the footsteps of the Master.

(Mr. Heacock passed away April 9, 191 1, after the above biography was
written. On the opposite page is a steel portrait of Mr. Heacock, arranged for
by his widow.)

JOHN CAUDLE.

One of the enterprising young agriculturists of Poweshiek county is John
Caudle, who is engaged in general farming in Union township. He was born
in Sugar Creek township, this county, on the 4th of August, 1882, and is a
son of Jacob C. and Mary (Watson) Caudle, the father a native of North
Carolina and the mother of Sugar Creek township. Jacob C. Caudle, who was
a farmer, migrated to Iowa in his early manhood and located in Poweshiek
county. He first engaged in agricultural pursuits in Sugar Creek township,
where he rented land and later he bought a farm which he cultivated for a
time. On disposing of it he bought the place in Union township upon which
his son John now resides. The father is now living retired in New Sharon,
Iowa, but the mother passed away on the 23d of June. 1892. Three children
were born of this union: Cora, who is the wife of Alford Allen, of Sugar
Creek township : Hattie, who is deceased : and John, our subject. The fam-

92 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COL'XTY

ily worshipped with the Baptist denomination, of which church Mr. Caudle is a
member, while in poHtics he is a democrat and has served as a member of
the school board.

The education of John Caudle was acquired in the district schools in the
vicinity of his home. After he had obtained a sufficient knowledge of the
common branches to enable him to assume the heavier responsibilities of life
he laid aside his text-books and gave his undivided attention to agricultural
pursuits. He continued to remain at home with his father until he was twenty-
three years of age and then rented land, which he cultivated until 1906, when he
purchased his present farm of his father. This contains fifty acres of land.
all of which is under a good state of cultivation and well rewards the efforts of
Mr. Caudle, who is engaged in general farming.

In Union township on the ist of April, 1906, Mr. Caudle married Miss
Rosie Elmira \'ought, a daughter of Robert and Jennie (Johnson) \'ought. Her
father is a native of Pennsylvania, having been born in the vicinity of Pitts-
burg, and her mother of Iowa. Mr. Vought, who is a farmer, in his early
manhood located in Missouri but later came to Poweshiek county, Iowa, locating
in Union township, where he continues to be engaged in agricultural pursuits.
He votes the democratic ticket and Mrs. X'ought belongs to the Christian
church. Their daughter, Mrs. Caudle, is a native of Poweshiek county, having
been born in Union township on the 14th of July, 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Caudle
have two children: Mary Elnora, who was born on the ist of October, 1907;
and Fannie Christine, whose birth occurred on the i8th of August, 1909.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Caudle affiliate with the Christian church and he votes
with the democracy, feeling that their policy is best adapted to subserve the
interests of the majority. Since starting out in life for himself Mr. Caudle
has given evidence of possessing the perseverance and foresight as well as
executive ability essential for success in any vocation.

PHILIP HKISHMAX.

Some men are endowed at birth with the faculty fur business which is
further developed by practical e.xperience, and naturally become leaders in the
community. To this class belongs Philip Heishman, of Sheridan tow-nship.
He was born in Hardy county, Virginia, now West \'irginia. May 29, 1838, a
son of Philip and Rebecca (Bowers) Heishman. The parents were both
natives of Hardy county and spent their entire lives in that county. The father
died at the age of eighty-two years, the mother having lieen called away twenty
years previously. The grandparents were John and Mary Heishman, natives
of Germany, who came to America and settled in West \'irginia.

Philip Heishman spent his boyhood years on his father's farm, and con-
tinued there until he was married. He then began farming on his own account
upon rented land. In 1861 he answered the call of the south, enlisting as a
private in Company I. Eighteenth Virginia Cavalry. For four years he wore
the gray, serving on scout duty on the left flank under Stonewall Jackson, and

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 93

later under General Early. He participated in a number of prominent battles
and in skirmishes in the Shenandoah \'alley and was captured at Winchester,
January 3, 1863, and conducted as a prisoner of war to Harper's Ferry. Later
he was confined at Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio, where for two months he en-
joyed northern hospitality. Then he was confined at Fort Delaware, where he
remained a prisoner of war until June 20, 1865, when he was released and re-
turned to his home, via Baltimore, Maryland. After laying aside the;, accouter-
ments of war he took up farming and after two years removed to Delaware
county, Indiana, where he rented land for ten years. Having accumulated
sufficient ca])ital, he came to Poweshiek county, Iowa, m 1877 and purchased
one hundred and sixty acres in Sheridan township, upon which is now his
homestead. At various times he acquired more land until he is the owner of six
hundred acres in the garden spot of Iowa, four hundred acres of which are
located in section 13, eighty acres in section 11, and forty acres in section 14,
of Sheridan township, and eighty acres in section 18, Madison township. The
land is well drained and excellent buildings have been erected, the farm being
one of the largest and best in this part of the county. All of the land is under
cultivation. Mr. Heishman is an extensive raiser of corn, oats and grass. He
is also a large breeder of horses and of full-blooded Duroc Jersey hogs. He
feeds three hundred head of hogs yearly and also feeds three carloads of cattle
for the market each winter. As is readily to be seen, he farms upon an ex-
ceptionally large scale and prides himself on the fact that he has never gone
into debt for a single acre of the land he now owns.

On the 9th of June, 1859, Mr. Heishman was united in marriage in Hardy
county, \'irginia, to Miss Maggie Richman, a daughter of Daniel and Lydia
Richman, the father being a farmer of Hardy county. Eleven children were
born to this union, seven of whom are now living, namely : Alice, who became
the wife of N. P. Boyle, a farmer of Grundy county, Iowa; Andrew J., at home;
Elmer C, who is a farmer and lives in Grinnell ; William H., who engages
in farming near the old homestead ; John L., also a farmer, residing near
Grinnell ; Augustus, who is engaged in farming near Brooklyn ; and Ernest, at
home. The mother of these children died April 7, 1890, and Mr. Heishman was
married December 8, 1892, to Mrs. Catharine (Shank) Miller, a daughter of
Jacob and Mary (Mason) Shank, natives of Rockingham county, Virginia,
where Mrs. Heishman was born and reared. In 1876 she came west with her
former husband, John M. Miller, to Poweshiek county, Iowa, and Mr. Miller
died at his home in this county June 8, 1887. At the time of her marriage to
Mr. Heishman she had four daughters ; Ida, Betty, Sally and Mary. The first
three daughters married three of the sons of Mr. Heishman; Ida became Mrs.
William H. Heishman; Sally became Mrs. Ernest Heishman; and Betty mar-
ried Augustus Heishman. John L., another of the sons of Mr. Heishman, mar-
ried Miss Anna Miller. By his second marriage Mr. Heishman has three sons :
Clifford P., Lester J. and Elza F., all of whom are living at home.

Politically Mr. Heishman gives his support to the republican party and
all of his sons vote in support of the same organization. He served as town-
ship trustee for six years and for the past thirty-four years has uninterruptedly
filled the office of member of the school board in District No. 6, .Sheridan town-

94 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

ship. His son, William H. Heishman, also holds membership on the same
board. Mr. Heishman has passed the Psalmist's span of three score and ten
years, but he is still actively interested in business affairs and his advice is
eagerly sought by neighbors and friends who regard his opinion on many sub-
jects as final. By a life of industry and by his constant regard for the wel-
fare of others he has earned the place he holds as one of the highly respected
citizens of central Iowa.

GEORGE H. HAMLIN.

George H. Hamlin is cashier of the Merchants National Bank but the per-
formance of his duties in that connection do not by any means indicate the extent
of his activities nor the breadth of his usefulness as a citizen of Grinnell. One
of the native sons of this city, he was born October 23, 1855, his father being
Homer Hamlin, one of the four founders of Grinnell and well known as a promi-
nent and honored resident of Poweshiek county. His youthful days were spent
upon the home farm and his early education was supplemented by study in the
high school of Grinnell. No event of special importance occurred to vary the
routine of farm life for him in the days of his boyhood and youth.

When old enough to handle the plow, he began work in the fields and con-
tinued to assist in the cultivation of the crops until his seventeenth year, when,
feeling that he would find other pursuits more congenial and profitable, he sought
emplovment elsewhere, entering the First National Eiank of Grinnell as teller.
He filled the position for ten years and in 1883, upon the organization of the Mer-
chants National Bank, he was elected cashier and business manager of the new
institution, in which he has served continuously for more than twenty years, hav-
ing complete control of the bank's policy throughout the entire time. He is
today recognized by bankers and business men generally as one of the ablest finan-
ciers of this section of the state and under his guidance the Merchants National
Bank has met with remarkable success, being by far the largest banking institu-
tion of the county and the largest national bank between Davenport and Des
Moines on the Rock Island railroad. A general banking business is conducted
and progressive methods are instituted whenever the interests of the depositors
and patrons can be better safeguarded, or the business of the bank promoted
along substantial lines. The policy maintained has ever been such as to com-
mend the bank to the confidence and patronage of the public, and its success is
attributable in large measure to Mr. Hamlin.

On the 1 2th of January, 1881, Mr. Hamlin was united in marriage to Miss
Lizzie R. Bonsall, of Grinnell, a foster daughter of Dr. S. C. Cravath, president
of the Merchants National Bank. Both Mr. and Mrs. HamHn are members of
the Congregational church, in which he is serving as a trustee. They are also
prominent in social circles of the city and their own home is the abode of a warm-
hearted and generous hospitality.

In politics Mr. Hamlin is a republican and has served as a member of the town
council and as town treasurer. He was also for several years a member of the

GEOKGK II. HAM 1,1 \

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 97

board of education and the public schools have found in him a stalwart champion.
He was one of the principal factors in the organization of the Poweshiek County
Agricultural Society and served for years as treasurer and secretary of the so-
ciety. He is now one of the park commissioners of (jrinnell and is a member of
the Commercial Club. He is actively interested in every movement of that or-
ganization for the ui)building and benefit of the city and both individually and in
connection with otliers, he does everything in his power to promote the work of
general progress. His labors have been far-reaching and beneficial, and he is
justly accounted one of the most prominent residents of this city.

JOHN C. .MANLY.

No history of Poweshiek county would be complete without the record of
John C. Manly, whose life illustrates clearly what may be accomplished when
determination and force of character constitute the foundation for advancement.
Starting out in life without the aid of wealth or influential friends, he sought
ever to do faithfully the duty nearest his hand, and his capable service won
him gradual promotion in business when he was in the employ of others and
led to the expansion of his own interests when he. .started out independently.
He came eventually to be recognizjed'";4s' one of the most prominent and suc-
cessful grain and lumber dealers of ' tlie state,, and while developing his in-
dividual interests, contributed in siibstantial measure to the growth and pros-
perity of various sections of Iowa. .._ . -• •' ' '

Mr. Manly was born in Schenectady-, New Yoi-k, on the 15th of May, 1846,
his parents being Dominick and Margaret (Manly) Manly. The father was
a native of England and the mother of Ireland, and in early manhood and wo-
manhood they crossed the Atlantic to the new world. Dominick Manly en-
gaged in construction work in early life and for years was foreman with va-
rious concerns engaged in canal and railroad building. He died in 185 1 at a
comparatively early age and the mother afterward married again, becoming
the wife of John Manly. This is rather a strange coincidence as both her
husbands bore the name of Manly and yet there was no relation between any
of them. Mer second husband was like her first one a railroad builder. The
leath of Mrs. Manly occurred in Belvidere, Illinois, about 1895, when she
had reached the ripe old age of eighty-four years.

John C. Manly spent his youthful days in his mother's home and was
about seven years of age when he accompanied his mother and stepfather on
the removal from Buffalo, New York, to Chicago, where his stepfather was
employed by Bristol & Holton, who had been the contractors in the widening
of the Erie canal and had removed to the west to engage in railroad building,
having the contract for the construction of the Chicago, Galena & Union Rail-
road, now a part of the Northwestern system. After the building of this road
the Manly family finally located at Marengo, Illinois, where John C. Manly
attained his majority. He supplemented his early educational privileges by
study in Marengo high school and in Euphemia Hall Academy at Marengo.

98 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

As early as his eleventh or twelfth year he was employed, when not in school,
in one of the stores in Marengo and subsequently entered the telegraph office,
learning telegraphy. He followed that profession for several years in the em-
ploy of the Northwestern Railroad Company, and on the outbreak of the
Civil war went to the front with General Stephen A. Hulbert, whose home was
in Belvidere, Illinois, as telegraph operator, General Hulbert being assigned to
the Army of the Tennessee. They went to Memphis, where Mr. Manly re-
mained for about a year, at the end of which time General Forrest made a
raid and entered the city, at which time General \'each was placed in command
to succeed General Hulbert and Mr. Manly returned home. He again secured
a position as telegraph operator on the Northwestern and afterward was em-
ployed as a clerk in the freight office in Chicago where he was stationed for
seven years, within which period he won promotion to the position of head
bill clerk.

In 1 87 1 Mr. Manly left that city to come to Iowa, in the employ of the Cen-
tral Railroad Company of this state, being made agent at Oskaloosa. A year
later he was sent to Marshalltown as master of transportation of the road and
continued in that capacity for about a year, when he became general agent of
the road with offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There he remained until 1876,
when he returned to Marshalltown as general freight agent of the road, occupy-
ing that position acceptably until 1879, when he resigned to accept the position
of general agent of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, with
headquarters at Des Moines. While serving in that capacity he had much to
do with the building of the road from Albia to Des Moines and with the pur-
chasing of terminal facilities at the capital city. In 1880 he was appointed as-
sistant superintendent of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, his division being
from Ottumwa to Creston. with all of the branches of that line. He thus rep-
resented the company until 1882, when he resigned to engage in the lumber
and grain business in Lineville, Iowa, and the year following removed to Grin-
nell. He became identified with Henry B. Gififord in the operation of a line of
elevators and lumber yards throughout Iowa, under the firm name of GifTord
& Manly, and during the years that followed they laid out towns, built depots
under contract with railroads and steadily pushed forward the wheels of pro-
gress, their labors constituting not only a source of individual profit but also
an important element in the general upbuilding and jjrosperity of the state.
In all things Mr. Manly has shown himself to be a man of initiative and enter-
prising spirit. He readily recognizes and improves an opportunity and in the
conduct of the grain and lumber business he won a position among the fore-
most representatives of commercial interests in the state. About ten years ago
he and his partner disposed of their elevators and retired from active participa-
tion in business affairs, so that Mr. Manly is now enjoying a well earned and
well merited rest.

It was impossible, however, for him to cease to be a factor in the public
life of the community. While not active in business at present, he is a director
of the Merchants National Bank of Grinnell and is also well known as a lead-
ing republican of Poweshiek county. In the fall of 1898 he was elected county
Mipervi^or and served in that (.■a])acity for fnnr terms, or twelve consecutive

HISTORY Ui' ruW ESHIKK CUL'XTV 99

\ears, his reelection being incontrovertible proof of the ability he displayed and
the faith reposed in him by his constituents. He has also filled the office of town
councilman of Grinnell for seven or eight years and for an extended period has
been a member of the school board, serving both as trustee and jjresident of the
board Whatever he undertakes, whether of a public or private nature, is sure
to meet success, for his determined purpose will brook no obstacles that can
be overcome by honorable effort. When one avenue seems closed he searches
out another path that leatls him to the goal of what he seeks.

In 1876 Mr. Manly was uniteil in marriage to Miss Mary C. Carter, of Wood-
stock, Vermont, and this union has been blessed with three sons and one daugh-
ter : Carter, who is engaged in the clothing business at West Union, Iowa ;
.Mary I'"., the wife of K. W. Blow, a salesman of buggies in Grinnell; John C.,
Jr., also of this city; and Charles M., who is a law student in Drake Universitv
at Des Moines.

Fraternally Mr. Manly is connected with Grinnell Lodge, No. 358, I. O. O.
I''., and is also a member of Fidelity Encampment, No. 118, and Rebekah Lodge,
.\'o. 119, all of Grinnell. He is also connected with Grinnell Lodge, No. 175,
K. P. and is most loyal to the teachings and principles of those organizations.
He has a very wide acquaintance not only in Grinnell and Poweshiek county
but throughout the state and his worth as a man and citizen is recognized by
all who know him.

FRANK E. TERRELL.

One of Poweshiek county's native sons who has successfully directed his
activities along agricultural lines is Frank E. Terrell, a well known stockman
of Union township. His birth occurred in the township where he is now re-
siding on the 23d of September, 1864, his parents being Christopher C. and
Martha .-\.nn (McCoy) Terrell, who were both natives of Highland county,
Ohio. The father's natal day was the 30th of May, 1819, and that of the
mother the 14th of March, 1822. Christopher C. Terrell, who was a physician,
inirsued his professional studies in the Cincinnati Medical College, from which
institution he received the degree of M. D. Following his graduation he first
engaged in practice in Leesburg, Ohio, going from there to Martinsburg, where
he met the lady who subsequently became his wife. In 1856 he removed with
his family to Forest Home, Union township, Poweshiek county, Iowa, where
he engaged in the practice of his profession until he retired. Here the mother
passed away on the 23d of May, 1882, but the father survived until the 28th
of February, 1897. They were the parents of eleven children, four of whom
are living: Charles W., who is a resident of Des Moines, Iowa; Mary Esther,
who became the wife of John A. Griffith, of Montana; Ida, who married Isaac
H. Saunders, of Union township ; and Frank E., our subject. Among those
deceased were Nancy Jane, Lois, Thomas, Andrew, Victoria and Era. The
mother was a Presbyterian, while the father was a member of the Christian
church. Fraternally Dr. Terrell was identified with the Independent Order of

53G3()9

100 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

Odd Fellows and the Masonic order. He was a public-spirited man, always
took an active interest in local politics and was several times elected to minor
township offices, his support being given to the candidates of the republican
party.

After the completion of his preliminary education, in the acquirement of
which he attended the public schools, Frank E. Terrell studied at Iowa Col-
lege, Grinnell and Penn College, Oskaloosa, Iowa. Early having decided to be-
come an agriculturist after the completion of his education he worked on a
farm for a time and then rented his present homestead, which in 1897 he pur-
chased. It contains one hundred and fifty-five acres, which is well improved
and under a high state of cultivation and which is known as Woodlanil Stock
Farm. Here Mr. Terrell devotes practically his entire attention to the breed-
ing and raising of fancy shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs.

Mr. Terrell was married in Poweshiek county, this state, on the i8th of No-
vember, 1884, to Miss Irene Benson, a daughter of George and Josephine (Ben-
son) Benson, natives of Jamestown, Ohio. They came to Iowa during pioneer
days, locating in Lucas county, where the father engaged in agricultural pur-
suits for several years. From there they went to Oregon, of which state Mrs.
Terrell is a native, her birth having occurred in Salem on the i8th of January,
1865. Mr. Benson continued to follow farming in the west until his demise,
following which Mrs. Benson, who is now living in Forest Home, returned to
Iowa. The family affiliated with the Christian church, while Mr. Benson gave
his political support to the republican party. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Terrell have
been born five children: Coleman C, a resident of Charles City, Iowa, who
married Miss Adela Miller : Martha, who married Joseph Miller, of Sugar
Creek township : G. Clark, who is living at home ; Lillian, at home ; and Pauline,
who also resides at home.

Ever since granted the full rights of citizenship Mr. Terrell has given his
support to the men and measures of the republican party. He is now serving
as tov.nship trustee and always takes an active and helpful interest in all public
movements the adoption of which he feels will promote the intellectual or moral
welfare of the community.

JAY R. ORCUTT.

Jay R. Orcutt, conducting a general hardware and implement business in
Searsboro, Iowa, is meeting with success in this line of activity and at the same
time his efforts have been a factor in the commercial development of the town.
He is a native of Poweshiek county, his birth having occurred in Sheridan
township on the 9th of May, 1883, his parents being Lewis and Anna D. (Hart-
zell) Orcutt. The father was born in Rome, New York, on the 27th of May,
1836, and the mother in Rock Island, Illinois, January 20, 1849. Early in life
they came to Poweshiek county, locating in Sheridan township. The father was
a farmer by occupation and was the owner of a well developed farm, to the
cultivation of which he gave his attention until the time of his demise. He

HISTORY OF POWESIIIKK COUNTY 101

passed away in 1885. His wife still survives him and makes her home in Grin-
nell. Mr. Orcutt was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as is also
Mrs. Orcutt, and he gave his political support to the republican party. In their
family were three children, namely: Helen Mildred, who was born January 18,
1880, and passed away August 5, 1887; Lewis Percival, born October 27, 1881,
whose death occurred August 5. igoo; and Jay Reginald, of this review, P^y
a former marriage Mr. Orcutt had three children : Detta, deceased ; Charles, of
Grinnell : and Frank, of Minnesota.

In the school of Sheridan township and Grinnell, Iowa, Jay R. Orcutt re-
ceived an excellent education, passing through consecutive grades, and later
entered the college at Grinnell, from which he was graduated. With this good
general information to serve as a preparation for life's practical and responsi-
ble duties he took his first step in the business world in connection with the real-
estate and insurance business, in which he was associated with J. J. Muller for
about one year. At the expiration of that period he accepted a position as
travelling salesman for the Gale Manufacturing Company of Albion, Michigan,
and was on the road for two years, after which, on the 17th of July, 1908, he
purchased the hardware stock of Moody & Son, in Searsboro, and has since
conducted business on his own account. He has greatly increased his stock
and now deals in hardware, agricultural implements, builders' supplies, etc.,
and his trade is constantly growing in volume and importance, being one of the
prosperous enterprises of this town. He is a shrewd young business man and
his ability and untiring efforts have added much to the growth of trade in this
community.

Mr. Orcutt is a member of the Masonic lodge at Lynnville, Jasper county,
and in politics is a stalwart republican, now serving as a member of the town
council. He is progressive and public-spirited in citizenship and a strong ad-
vocate of advancement and improvement in connection with local affairs. Al-
though numbered among the younger generation of business men in Sugar
Creek township he has. however, attained an enviable position in commercial
circles, and his keen business insight, exceptional enterprise and his progressive
spirit will undoubtedly win for him continued success in the future.

HENRY I. SCHMIDT.

A representative of a well known family of Poweshiek county, Henry J.
Schmidt has most creditably upheld the name and is one of the prosperous
farmers of Washington township. He has, from his boyhood, been actuated
by a laudable ambition to excel in whatever he undertook, and there are few
farmers of his age in central Iowa who can truly claim a more practical knowl-
edge of agriculture and stock-raising.

He is a native of Washington township and was born on the old family
homestead, June 21, 1873, being a son of Peter and Eliza (Saunders) Schmidt,
the former of whom was born in Germany and the latter in Pennsylvania. The
father emigrated to America and lived for several years in Pennsylvania, after

102 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

which he took up his residence on a farm in Washington township, Poweshiek
county, Iowa. He was highly successful in his vocation, becoming one of the
leading farmers of the county, and he and his wife are now living retired. They
are both members of the Catholic church and in politics he gives his support
to the democratic party. In their family were ten children, as follows : Will-
iam, who is now living in Washington township; Sarah, who is the wife of
Herman Selle, also of Washington township ; Samuel, who lives in Jasper
county, Iowa ; Frank, who is deceased ; Henry J., of this review ; Mary, now the
wife of William Whalen, of Oskaloosa, Iowa ; Rosie, the wife of August
Greagor, of Napoleon, North Dakota ; Peter, who is living at home : Elizabeth,
the wife of Guy Ford, of Howard, North Dakota ; and Francis, who lives at
home.

Henry J. Schmidt attended the district schools of Washington township and
assisted his father upon the home farm until reaching the age of twenty-one
years. He then began business upon his own account by renting land, which
he cultivated for five years, after which he purchased one hundred and twenty
acres in Washington township as his home farm. He devotes his attention es-
pecially to raising horses and cattle and, being a good judge of animals and
thoroughly interested in his calling, he is meeting with a gratifying measure of
success. He is energetic and progressive and always keeps thoroughly informed
as to the markets and the best methods in agriculture and stock-raising. He
has for years past been a steadily growing influence in the community.

On the 13th of October, 1898, Mr. Schmidt was married to Miss Mary E.
Schmitz, a daughter of John Schmitz, of Grinnell township, a record of whom
appears elsewhere in this work. He and his wife are members of the Catholic
church, in which they were reared, and he is a liberal contributor toward its
maintenance. In political faith he adheres to the democratic party, but he does
not seek public office, as his time and energies are devoted to his farm. He is
a man of unexceptionable character and it may be said of him that he is most
honored where he is best known.

JOHN H. STONE.

Among the natives of the Keystone state who have attained marked success
as farmers in Poweshiek county is John H. Stone, the owner of a valuable farm
in Grinnell township, which he acquired through his industry and practical
knowledge of his calling. He was born in Clearfield county, Penn.sylvania,
March 5, 1858, a son of Linza and Priscilla (Turner) Stone, the former of
whom was born in England and the latter in Pennsylvania. The mother died
in i860, and six years later the father came west with his family to Tama
county, Iowa, and subsequently established his home in Madison township,
Poweshiek county. He died in Tama county in 1895.

John H. Stone changed his residence several times, living in .'^heridan town-
ship for sixteen years, after which he settled in Grinnell township where he now
lives. Fle received his education in the common schools, but being the pos-

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HISTORY OF I'OWESlllliK COLXTY 105

sessor of good faculties of observation and reflection, he has in the course of
his life acquired considerable knowledge not found in books. His well im-
proved farm of three hundred and twenty acres is under a high state of culti-
vation and produces gratifying annual returns. He makes a s[)ecialty of
raising cattle and hogs for the market and is more than ordinarily successful,
as he has mastered the business in all its details and devoted to it his best
energies.

In July, 1885, -Mr. Stone was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Shadel,
who was born in Illinois and is a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Stacey)
Shadel. Her father was born in Germany and the mother in Switzerland. They
came to this country and were married in Illinois, and later removed to Sheridan
township, Poweshiek county, Iowa, becoming closely identified with the agri-
cultural interests of the county. They are now living at Tama. Mr. and Mrs.
Stone are the parents of six children, namely: Henry E., Fred T., Nellie E.,
George A., Louis C. and Mary Vivian.

Mr. Stone has been a resident of Iowa since his childhood, and few men
in the state have a more comprehensive knowledge of its agricultural resources
and possibilities. He has demonstrated the beneficial results of systematic
application to agriculture and stock-raising and ranks among the substantial
and enterprising men of the county. Politically he adheres to no party, pre-
ferring to cast his vote independently and be governed by the conditions
prevailing at the time of the election, rather than by any party platform. Fra-
ternally he is a valued member of Sheridan Lodge, No. 303, M. W. A.

ALFRED J. EVVART.

Alfred J. Ewart, who is a progressive and enterprising farmer and stock-
dealer, owns a valuable farm of two hundred and forty acres on section 21,
Pleasant township, and is also a representative of one of the old and well known
families of this section of the state. Mr. Ewart was born in the little village of
Ewart in Pleasant township, January 25, 1867, a son of Robert and Euphemia
(Burns) Ewart, who are now deceased. The parents were both natives of
Morrow county, Ohio, and were there reared and married, coming to Poweshiek
county about the year 1862. Here the father engaged in agricultural pursuits
and became an extensive landowner, the village of Ewart being built on land
which was once in his possession. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ewart were born
six children : Sarah, the wife of M. E. Sturgeon, of Saskatchewan, Canada ;
T. E., who makes his home in Chicago; Alfred J., of this review; Mattie, the
wife of F. C. Rayburn, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work; James S.,
a resident of Ewart; and Mamie, who became the wife of Charles Smith but
is now deceased. The father departed this life in 1905, and the mother, sur-
viving for only a year, passed away in 1906. Thus the community mourned
the loss of two of its most prominent and highly esteemed residents.

.\lfred |. Ewart was reared on the home farm in Pleasant township and
was early trained to the duties that fall to the farmer boy, and the instruction

106 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

which he received in his youth ami early manhood proved a valuable asset in
after life. When he reached mature years he began business on his own ac-
count and is today the owner of two hundred and forty acres of land on section
21, Pleasant township, this property adjoining the village of Ewart on the east.
In addition to carrying on general farming, Mr. Ewart also buys and ships
stock on quite an extensive scale and this branch of his business is proving
profitable to him.

Mr. Ewart chose as a companion and helpmate on the journey of life. Miss
Anna Powell, their marriage being celebrated on the 22d of December, 1888.
She was born in Searsboro, Poweshiek county, in 1866, a daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. lames Powell. By her marriage she has become the mother of three
daughters and three sons, namely: Leta, .Alfred R., Nellie, Ruth, Kenneth and
Robert.

In politics jMr. Ewart is independent, voting for the men and measures which
he deems will prove most beneficial to the community. He is serving as as-
sessor of his township and for three terms filled the office of township trustee.
In his fraternal relations he is a Knight of Pythias. He is ever alert and pro-
gressive, and his advancement in life is the result of honorable business prin-
ciples coupled with sound judgment. He is well known in the community in
which he lives and labors, and the high re])utation which his honored father
always bore is also enjoyed by the son.

ERNEST HEYWOOD SP.\ULDING.

Ernest Hey wood Spaulding, engaged in the manufacture of \ehicles and in
the sale of automobiles, having the agency for some of the best known makers
of motor cars, was born in Grinnell, October 12, 1881, a son of Henry W.
and Merriam Jane (Lull) Spaulding. He pursued his education in the schools
of this city, supplementing his public school course by study in the Iowa Col-
lege Academy and College, during which time he gave special attention to politi-
cal science and history. In the same year in which he won his degree he became
an active factof in the business circles of Grinnell by forming a partnership
with H. W. and F. E. Spaulding in the manufacture of vehicles. The same
year he took the agency of one of the few motor cars then manufactuied, and
a little later built the first garage for motor cars in the county. In this con-
nection he has developed a good business and has had the satisfaction of in-
troducing many well manufactured cars to the trade in Poweshiek county. He
not only engages in the sale of automobiles, but also conducts a repair depart-
ment and, in fact, has a splendidly equipped garage.

On the 17th of .August, 1904. at Des Moines, Iowa, Mr. Spaulding was
united in marriage to Miss Irma Towne, who was graduated from Iowa Col-
lege in the class of 1903. They now have one daughter, Merriam Jane. In
his political views Mr. Spaulding is a republican who firmly believes in the
principles of the party, but does not seek nor desire office. He holds member-
shi]) with the Masonic lodge, the University Club of Chicago and the Poweshiek

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 107

Club f)f Cirinnell. In his native city he is regarded as a popular resident, his
geniality and unaffected cordiality winning him many friends, while the sterling
traits of his character have commended him to the confidence and good will
of the general public. In business he has made steady advancement, and the
spirit of ])rogress which he manifested in establishing the first garage in the
county has characterized him in all of his business activity and brought him
substantial success.

W. F. VOGEL.

F"ew men are better known in the commercial circles of Malcom than W. h'.
\'oge!. proprietor of an extensive hardware business here. He is numbered
among Germany's contribution to the citizenship of Iowa, his birth having oc-
curred in Dehausen, Waldeck, Germany. September 14. 1859. His parents,
Ludwig and Carolina \ ogel, were also natives of the fatherland, where the
former, a farmer by occupation, passed away when the son was but six years
old. The mother later came to the United States to visit her children and here
her death occurred in 1902. In their family were four children, namely : Wil-
helmina, who died in Wisconsin : Ludwig, whose death occurred on the old
home place in Germany ; Christina, who passed away in Scott county, Iowa ;
and \y. F., of this review.

The last named remained a resident of the fatherland until he was sixteen
years of age and then, accompanied by his sister Christina, he sought a home
and fortune in tlie new world, arriving in Davenport, Iowa, in 1874. He at-
tended school in that city for two years and then engaged in clerking in a gro-
cery store for a similar period. Upon the expiration of that time he went to
Walcott, Scott county, Iowa, where he was employed in a general store for
about five years, and on the 29th of September, 1883, arrived in Malcom. On
the 4th of October of that year he opened a general store here. He was en-
gaged in that business until 1890, when he sold out and established his present
hardware business, which has since become one of the most successful and
prominent enterprises of the town. Mr. \'ogel now owns his own building, a
two-story brick structure, twenty-two by eighty-four feet, and also a warehouse,
one story in height, twenty-two by forty feet. The entire space is occupied by
the business, which now has one of the most extensive stocks of general hard-
ware in Poweshiek county. The progressive condition of the house is due in
large measure to the excellent business policy inaugurated by its owner, which
from the first has been such as to win the confidence of the general public.
He has ever employed modern and progressive methods and his dealings in every
instance have been honorable and straightforward. ]\Ioreover he has recognized
the fact that satisfied patrons are the best advertisement and, carefully studying
the wishes of his customers, has sought to satisfactorily meet the demands of
every class of trade. His success ranks him among the substantial and pros-
perous business men nf the city. He is interested in Texas land Iving along the

108 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

gulf coast, and six years ago purchased his present attractive home on the
north side of the square.

In 1883 Mr. \'ogel was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Schwarting, who
was born in Ichtershausen, Germany, on the 3d of February. 1864, a daughter
of Bernhardt and Dorothea Scliwarting, both of whom passed away in Scott
county. Unto Mr. and Airs. Vogel were born four children: Irma C, Edna T.,
Walter B. and Stella M. Mr. Vogel was reared in the faith of the German
Evangelical Lutheran church, of which he is a member, and he also belongs to
the Royal Arch Masons and the Knights of Pythias. Although the develop-
ment of his business interests has made heavy demands upon his time and at-
tention, he has nevertheless taken an active interest in the public afTairs of the
community and his fellow citizens, recognizing his personal worth and ability,
have called him to fill various offices. He is a stanch supporter of the demo-
cratic party and on that ticket was nominated for county treasurer in 1906.
From 1893 until 1897 he served as postmaster of jMalcom, under President
Cleveland's administration, and for twenty-five consecutive years served as
township trustee. For the past five years he has been a member of the board
of education and is the present treasurer of IMalcom. He has ever discharged
his duties with marked ability and fairness, for he is a most loyal, public-spirited
citizen, and as a business man he has been conspicuous among his associates,
not only for his success but for his probity, fairness and honorable methods.

BERNARD JOSEPH CARNEY.

In the course of an active business career Bernard Joseph Carney estab-
lished many business enterprises of magnitude which he carried forward to
successful completion, and in his life record demonstrated the power of deter-
mination, perseverance, integrity antl intelligently directed effort as factors m
the attainment of notable and desirable success. While he prospered in the
management of important business affairs he also belonged to that class of citi-
zens who while promoting individual interests also advance the general pros-
perity.

Mr. Carney was born at Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland, in June, 1852,
and after spending nine years in his native land came with his parents to the
new world, the family settling in Chicago, where his father engaged in business.
The family numbered eleven children but five are yet living: W. J. and T. J.
Carney, Mrs. G. W. Kelly and Misses Nora and Mary Carney, of Chicago.

Bernard Joseph Carney attended the public schools of Chicago and after-
ward had the benefit of instruction in Bryant & Stratton Business College,
then the leading commercial school of the city. He made his initial step in the
business world as a bookkeeper, occupying that position for several years, but
the desire to engage in business on his own account and thus enjoy the direct
profit of his labors led him to leave the metropolis and come to Iowa. He ar-
rived in Grinnell in 1880 and purchased a half interest in a lumber business then
owned by Stephen Goss, who had had dealings with Mr. Carney's brother, W.

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 109

J. Carney, who was a lumber merchant of Chicago. From that point in his
career his prosperity and advancement were assured. He recognized opportunity
and employed it to the best advantage. He never seemed to make a false move
or take a backward step and he won his advancement by doing daily the duty
that lay nearest his hand. After a year and a half connection with the lumber
trade of Grinnell he and his brother, W. J. Carney, purchased the interest of
Mr. Goss in the lumber business which was then conducted under the firm
style of Carney Brothers until 1902, when the firm of Carney, Brande & Clark
was formed, his associates being E. B. Brande and E. W. Clark, Jr. This re-
lation was maintained until 1907 when Mr. Carney and Mr. Brande sold out to
Mr. Clark and J. L. Fellows. They then organized the firm of B. J. Carney &
Company and conducted a wholesale business in poles. Mr. Carney was a re-
sourceful business man, always looking beyond the exigencies of the moment
to the opportunities and possibilities of the future. He found real pleasure in
business in the solution of involved and intricate problems and in the masterful
handling of complex interests. From time to time he extended his opportunities
into other fields. He became one of the organizers of the Carney Coal Com-
pany, of Carneyville, Wyoming, and was its vice president. He also iield the
same official relations to the Saylor Coal Mines of Des Moines, was president
of the Coaldale Fuel Company of Des Moines and a director of the Scandia
Coal Company of Madrid. He was also president of the Mitchellville Tele-
phone Exchange and for many years was associated with W. F. Hammond in
the ownership of the electric light plant at Grinnell.

In 1888 Mr. Carney was united in marriage to Miss E. M. Tibbits, of Ply-
mouth, Indiana, and to them were born five children: Cyril, who was graduated
from the Iowa College of Grinnell with the class of 1910 and is now attending
Columbia College ; Kriegh, now a senior in Iowa College ; Bernard, a junior
of the same institution : and Kathleen and Aileen, who are students in the high
school. The relations of his home life were largely ideal. He was to his fam-
ily the personification of care and goodness and it was a joy to see him in his
home life. No interest of childhood was too unimportant to claim his attention
if it aroused the interest of his children and to them he was companion and
friend as well as father.

Mr. Carney was long a devoted member of the Catholic church and also
of the leading social organizations of the city. He gave generously to the vari-
ous branches of the church work and was a liberal supporter of many public
movements which he regarded as beneficial to Grinnell. The Grinnell Herald
at the time of his death wrote: "Mr. Carney was more than a business man —
more even than a very broad business man ; he was a student, both of books
and of human nature. In spite of the large business duties which called for
constant attention he found time to read and he read the best literature. Few
men in Grinnell were so well informed and on such a wide range of topics as
he. His versatility, as it showed itself even in chance conversations, was re-
markable. .A few years ago he became interested in German and attended
evening classes enough to acquire a speaking knowledge of it. Shortly after-
wards he wrote and read a paper before a lumbermen's association in Minne-
sota in German. It was with difficulty that he proceeded for the idea of an

110 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

Irishman with so ricli a brogue as Mr. Carney's reading German took the con-
vention by storm. Another of Mr. Carney's chief characteristics was his rare
sense of humor. He fairly sparkled with good nature and many a one, we im-
agine, like the writer, will always remember him pleasantly, with his eyes twink-
ling and his conversation fairly scintillating with the bright things that came
as naturally as the smile to his lips. To meet him and talk to him was a tonic
for the jaded spirit and refreshment for the mind. It was the writer's custom
to have a chat with him on every possible occasion and such a chat always left
him indebted to Mr. Carney. He was by nature one of the brightest and most
pleasant men it has ever been our good fortime to know. He was strict with him-
self in all his habits, though liberal in his views towards others. He was ab-
stemious to a degree and lived cleanly and circumspectly. He was a public-
spirited man, especially in the latter years of his life. Said a Grinnell banker
vesterday : 'There is no man to whom I would have gone sooner or from whom
I would have received help more readily than from Mr. Carney." Especially
in more recent years he has taken an interest in public movements, being loyal
to his town and its institutions. A close business associate testifies to the fact
that in the time he has known Mr. Carney he never knew him to fail to support
any movement looking towards public improvement. He was deeply interested
and well informed on the latest developments in politics, science and art, but
never held a public office excepting that of councilman. During the twenty-
eight years he lived here Mr. Carney grew in public esteem and in importance
until he was without question one , "of Grinnell's leading citizens. Whenever any
public enterprise is started, whenever the Fortnightly Club meets, whenever men
have occasion to do business with the firm of which he was a member, when-
ever there are social gatherings of his friends and whenever the Catholic church
needs sup]5ort in the coming years, B. J. Carney will be missed. But most of
all will he be missed in the beautiful home by his wife and children and other
relatives who were bound to him by every tie of affection which a kind and
clean life can form with those nearest to it."

PAUL G. NORRIS.

Paul G. Xorris. who for about nine years has been engaged in the practice
of law in ( irinnell, his course reflecting credit and honor upon a name that has
long been prominently connected with the legal profession in this city, was
here born on the 5th of January, 1878, his parents being David W. and Lizzie
S. (Gififord) Norris, the former a native of Maryland and the latter of Illinois.

The father came to Poweshiek county, Iowa, with his parents in 1863, the
family home being established upon a farm four miles north of Chester. David
Norris was then fourteen years of age. He was reared to manhood ujion the
farm, aiding in the arduous task of developing the land and of cultivating the
fields year by year. He pursued his more specifically literary education in
Towa College at Grinnell. from which he was graduated with the class of 1872.
lie then took up the profession of teaching and for some years was principal

»STOR, LENOX *N0

PAUL G. XOIiKIS

D.WII) \V. XOKUIS

THE NEW YORK

PO'BLIC LIBRARY

ASTCR, _;^
TILDEN

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 115

of the schools of Tama City, Iowa, and also of the Marshalltown schools, but,
thinking to tind more congenial aiul profitable labor in the field of law, he began
preparation for the bar in Chicagt) and was admitted to practice in Montezuma
on the 23d of April, 1878. Following his admission he was employed for a
time by C. W. H. Beyer, a mortgage banker, and later formed a partnership
with J. E. Dodge, now judge of the supreme court of Wisconsin. They opened
law offices in Grinnell under the firm style of Norris & Dodge, but were asso-
ciated in practice for only a short time when Mr. Dodge removed to Milwaukee,
after which Mr. Norris remained in the profession alone for a time. From
1885 until 1890 he was identified with A. L. Preston under the firm name of
Xorris & Preston. He continued alone until 1902. when he was joined by his
son Paul G. Norris under the firm style of Norris & Norris, a relation that
was maintained until the death of the father on the 22d of May, 1907, when
he was in the fifty-ninth year of his age. He had long been accounted one of
the prominent attorneys of Poweshiek county and his place at the bar of this
section of the state was a conspicuous and enviable one. In early life he gave
his political allegiance to the democratic party but in 1896, when the republican
party declared for sound money and the democratic party for a currency which
regarded as unstable, he affiliated with the former and indorsed its principles
until his death. He served for ten years as a member of the town council of
(irinnell and for many years was identified with the board of education here,
l)eing very active in educational work. _He- was also -a- yaljued member of the
.Masonic lodge and also of the Knighfs;''.df-' Pythia's. ;^ ' . '- •

In early manhood David Norris w'as married tO' Miss Lizzie S. Gifford, a
tlaughter of Edmund GifTord. who was graduated from the Harvard Law
School and afterward located in Elgjn, itfiricsrs".. ;'\VHere his active life was
spent. He enlisted in the Union army at the time of the Civil war and served
ft)r four years, rising to the rank of major. His declining years were passed
in (Irinnell, Iowa, where he made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Lizzie
Norris, with whom he continued until his demise. Mrs. Norris is still living
in Grinnell, where she has an extensive circle of warm friends.

F'aul G. Norris was here reared and pursued his education in Grinnell Col-
lege, being graduated with the class of 1899, at which time the Bachelor of
Philosophy degree was conferred upon him. The following year he entered
the law department of Harvard University and was graduated with the class
of 1902. He then returned home and on the 9th of October, 1902, was ad-
mitted to the bar. He became associated with his father in practice under
the firm style of Norris & Norris and after his father's death was joined by
.\lfred Burroughs under the firm style of Norris & Burroughs, Mr. Burroughs
having been associated with David Norris for over twenty years. His practice
is large and of a distinctively representative character. He is faithful to his
clients, fair to his adversaries and candid to the court. In many cases he has
e.xhibited the possession of every faculty of which a lawyer may be proud — •
skill in the presentation of his own evidence, marked ability in cross-examina-
tion, persuasiveness before the jury, strong grasp of every feature of the case,
ai)ility to secure favorable rulings from the judge, unusual familiarity with
human nature and untiring industry.

116 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

On the 20th of May, 1903. Mr. Norris was married to Miss Edna L. Hand,
of Ottumwa, Iowa, a daughter of the Rev. Leroy S. Hand, a Congregational
minister now residing in Grinnell and filHng a pulpit in X'ancleve. Unto Mr.
and Mrs. Norris have been born three children: Paul G., Edmond H. and
Elizabeth A. The Norris household is a hospitable one and the parents have
a circle of friends in Grinnell almost coextensive with the circle of their
acquaintance.

Mr. Norris votes with the republican party and has served for one term
as city attorney but prefers to concentrate his energies upon the private practice
of law. He belongs to the Commercial Club of Grinnell and is interested in
all that pertains to public progress and improvement, therefore giving his support
to many projects for the general good.

E. D. FORRHAND.

E. D. Forrhand was born on the farm where he now lives in Chester town-
ship, Poweshiek county, .^pril 16, 1872, and here he has spent his entire life ex-
cept when absent attending school. He is a son of L. D. Forrhand, who was
born at Croydon, New Hampshire, and who migrated to the west in 1869. He
settled in Poweshiek county, Iowa, and was married to Mary J. Cocking, a
native of Lincolnshire, England. Mr. Forrhand established his family upon
a farm in Chester township and prospered in his business, being an energetic
and capable manager. His wife died in August, 18S7, when E. D., the subject
of this review, was fifteen years of age, and a few years later the father re-
moved to Grinnell. where he is now living retired. Of the original family but
two children survive : E. D. : and Eva. who married Harrv Parsons, a farmer
of Charles Mi.x county, South Dakota.

E. D. Forrhand, the subject of this review, attended the common schools
and later the Iowa Business College at Des Moines, graduating from that in-
stitution in 1890. He also took a short course of two years at Grinnell College
and laid the foundation of a literary education, upon which he has built by
observation and reading. He continued from his boyhood upon the old family
homestead and has applied himself to e.xcellent advantage, being now in charge
of a farm of one hundred and ninety-four acres. It produces bountiful crops,
as the land is kept in splendid condition. He feeds stock for the market, and
by working diligently and persistently and applying progressive methods he
keeps well at the front as an agriculturist and stock-raiser.

On January 5, 1891, l\Ir. Forrhand was united in marriage, at Grinnell, to
Miss Mina M. Harris, a daughter of Robert and Ellen Harris, both of whom
were born in Ireland. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Forrhand:
Oliver Leroy, a graduate of the high school at Chester Center ; and Ruth Ellen,
who is attending the high school.

Mr. Forrhand has made a careful study of political subjects and as a result
gives his support to the republican party, although he is not bound by party
lines, often e.xercising independent proclivities in the selection of candidates.

TITSTORV OF POWKSTIIF.K COl-XTY 117

lie has served as road supervisor and school director, showing special adapta-
bility for those positions. He is a valued member of Lodge No. 291, M. VV. A.,
of lirinnell. Possessing the advantages of good educational training in his ear-
lier years he has applied scientific methods to his work, and the result is to be
perceived in the prosperous appearance of his farm and the success that at-
tends his undertakings.

JOHN BRADLEY.

A good example of the self-made man who entirely through his own ef-
forts has worked his way upward until today he is numbered among the sub-
stantial residents of Jackson township, is John ISradley. Born on the 2d of
.•\pril, 1864, in Bureau county, Illinois, he is a son of George and Ann ( Tim-
brell) Bradley, who were both born in England in the year 1831. They were
there reared and married, immediately after which they came to the United
States, locating in Illinois in 1857. Later they came to Iowa, where the father
lollowed the occupation of farming for a number of years, and both passed
away in this state, the mother in February, 1905, and the father in April, 1908.
In their family were eight children, as follows: Elizabeth, the wife of S. R.
L3ryden, of Cedar Falls, Iowa ; Mary, now deceased ; William, residing in Jack-
son township; John, of this review; Emma, who is engaged in teaching school
in Des Moines: Alice, who married I. N. Hill, of Montana; George, of Jack-
son township: and Charles, who passed away in infancy. All of this number
were born in Illinois with the exception of the two youngest, who were born in
Iowa.

John Bradley spent the first five years of his life in the state of his nativity,
and then, in 1869 came with his parents to Iowa, the family home being es-
tablished in Scott township, Poweshiek county. There he was reared to man-
hood and, owing to the limited financial circumstances of his parents he was
early forced to make his own way in the business world. He recognized, how-
ever, the value of a good education in the attainment of success in any line of
activity, and so attended Grinnell College and also took a business course in a
business college at Burlington, Iowa. He was thereafter engaged in teaching
school for four or five terms during the winter season, and for four years car-
ried on agricultural pursuits in Pleasant township. In 1894 he embarkeci in the
clothing business with James E. Anderson, under the firm style of Anderson &
Bradley, and for twelve years they conducted a most successful enterprise. At
the end of that period, in 1906, Mr. Bradley sold his interest in the concern to
Mr. Anderson and, deciding to turn his energies into the channel of agriculture,
purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Scott township. That re-
mained his home for four years, when he sold out and purchased his present
farm in the spring of 1910. This farm, consisting of one hundred and twenty
acres located on section 8, Jackson township, is a well improved property, its
good state of development being due in large measure to the earnest labor and
unfaltering industry of Mr. liradley. He is meeting with a most creditable

118 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

degree of success and is already numbered among the prosperous and progres-
sive agriculturists of this section.

It was in 1896 that Mr. Bradley was united in marriage to Lillian Aikin,
of Mahaska county, a daughter of Dr. Aikin, and by this union have been
born three children, Grace, Harry and Helen.

Mr. Bradley gives his allegiance to the republican party, and, although not
an ofifice-seeker, he is serving at present at township trustee, taking a deep and
active interest in the affairs of the community. He holds membership in the
Methodist Episcopal church of Montezuma, and for nearly twenty years has
served as steward. He was also secretary of the building committee which
erected the present handsome church edifice in that town. All matters bearing
up>on the material and moral development of the community have his considera-
tion and indorsement, and no measure which has to do with the betterment of his
community or fellowmen fails to win his aid. Since his residence in Poweshiek
county he has been accorded a high place among the respected and valued citi-
zens of this district, for he possesses those qualities which ever command re-
spect and confidence.

JUDGE J. P. LYMAN.

Judge J. P. Lyman, who since January, 1909, has occupied the bench of the
superior court of the city of Grinnell, and who for many years previous was
regarded as one of the ablest and most distinguished representatives of the bar
of central Iowa, was born in Arcade, Wyoming county. New York, on the 14th
of February, 1844, a son of Ralston W. and Harriet N. (Tracy) Lyman, both
of whom were natives of New England. Their marriage, however, occurred
in the Empire state, to which they had removed during the period of youth. On
reaching manhood Ralston W. Lyman became identified with mercantile in-
terests to which he gave his attention throughout the years of his active busi-
ness life, being at different times located in the towns of Friendship, Castile,
Arcade and Yorkshire, his death occurring in Arcade in igoo, when he had
reached an advanced age. The mother passed away there some years prior to
her husband's death.

Judge Lyman was reared at home, acquiring his education in the public
schools of Arcade and in the academy of that place. The west seemed to offer
better opportunities to young men than could be found in the older and more
conservative east, and in i860 he and his brother, Robert R. Lyman, made their
way to Poweshiek county, Iowa, where their uncle, Alonzo Steel, had acquired
some land. It was the intention of the brothers to locate upon this tract and
engage in its cultivation, but J. P. Lyman did not remain on the farm with his
brother after the summer had passed, coming to Grinnell in the fall and here
continuing his education under Professor L. F. Parker. In 1863 he entered
Iowa College, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of
Arts in the class of 1867. During his college course he taught school through
the vacations and following his graduation continued in the profession of teach-

TTTSTORY OF POWRSHIEK COl'NTV 119

ing for three years. It was his intention at that time to take up the practice of
medicine and in fact wliile engaged in teaching he gave much time to the read-
ing of medical text-books in his leisure hours. Changing his plans, however,
he entered the law department of the Iowa State University at Iowa City, in
1870, and was graduated with the class of 1871. Following his admission to
the bar he returned to Grinnell where he formed a partnership with R. M.
Haines, with whom he was associated in active practice under the style of
Haines & Lyman until the death of the senior member of the firm m 1902.
Subsequent to that time Judge Lyman continued in practice alone until after
his son's graduation from Harvard, when he became a member of the firm
under the style of Lyman & Lyman. Almost from the outset of his profes-
sional career Judge Lyman was accorded a large practice for he soon demon-
strated his ability to handle the intricate problems of the law. He carefully
prepared his cases and his presentation has always been full and comprehensive
yet not to the extent of redundancy. He marshals the facts of the case with
the precision of a military commander and his clear and cogent reasonmg has
always commanded the attention of the jury, counsel and the court. In the
fall of 1908 there came to him recognition of his ability in his election to the
superior court bench, in which position he is now ably serving, his course upon
the bench being in harmony with his record as a man and lawyer, distinguished
by the utmost loyalty and by a masterful grasp of every problem presented for
solution.

Other official honors have come to Judge Lyman through political channels.
He has always been a stalwart republican in politics and was elected upon the
party ticket to the office of county attorney, which position he filled for four
years. He also represented his district in the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth
general assemblies of the Iowa legislature. He has served almost continuously
for vears in some official capacity in Grinnell, acting as city attorney, as a
member of the town council and as mayor, while at the present time he is a
member of the school board. His fidelity to his country was further mani-
fested by his enlistment in 1864 for one hundred days' service in the Civil war
with Company B, Forty-sixth Iowa Regiment, of which company Professor
L. F. Parker was first lieutenant.

In October, 1873, Judge Lyman was married to Miss Elizabeth L. Little, of
Grinnell, whose parents came to this city in 1867 from Kewanee, Illinois. Their
only child, Henry G., is a graduate of the Harvard Law School of the class of
1906. He was first associated in practice with his father but since Judge Ly-
man's elevation to the bench he has become a partner of W. C. Raybum, prac-
ticing under the firm name of Rayburn & Lyman. He married Miss Fae La
Grange, of Storm Lake, Iowa. The death of Airs. Elizabeth Lyman occurred
in 1906 and was the occasion of deep and wide-spread regret throughout Grin-
nell and Poweshiek coimty.

judge Lyman maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades
through his membership in Gordon Granger Post, No. 64, G. A. R., of Grin-
nell. He is a member of the Congregational church and chairman of its board
of trustees. Interested in the material, intellectual, political and moral progress
of his city, he does all in his power to further its interests and upbuilding, and,

120 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COL'XTY

being a man of influence, his example is followed by many and thus he has be-
come a potent force for good in the city with which he has been identified
throughout the greater period of his residence in the west.

C. B. LINEWEAVER.

A well improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres, located on section 4,
Scott township, paid tribute to the care and labor of C. B. Lineweaver for
many years but since the spring of 191 1 he has lived retired, although he still
retains his residence on his farm. He was born in Rockingham county, \'ir-
ginia. September 24, 1846. His paternal grandfather, Jacob Lineweaver, spent
his life as a farmer in \'irginia and there reared his family, which included
David Lineweaver, who became the father of our subject. He was likewise
born in Rockingham county, \'irginia, and followed farming in the south. He
wedded Hetta Catharine Beard, whose father ran away from home at the age
of fourteen years, emigrating from Ireland to the new world. He likewise
settled in Virginia. Air. and Mrs. David Lineweaver reared a family of five
children : C. B., of this review ; Jeremiah, who still makes his home in Rock-
ingham county ; Catharine, who died at the age of thirteen years ; De Witt C.
of Poweshiek county; and Sarah, the wife of Daniel Heatwole, a resident of
Rockingham county.

C. B. Lineweaver was reared on the home farm to the age of seventeen
years, when he was drafted for service in the Confederate army. In the fall
of 1863 he became a meinber of Company C, Eleventh Virginia Cavalry, Ros-
ser's Brigade. He took part in all of the engagements of his command in the
Shenandoah valley and Virginia and served until the surrender of Lee.

Following his service at the front Mr. Lineweaver resumed work on the
home farm and at the age of twenty-two years was married and began farming
on his own account. In the spring of 1873 he came to Powesheik county, Iowa,
and during the succeeding five years lived on a farm in Bear Creek township,
since which time he has resided on his present farm of one hundred and sixty
acres on section 4, Scott township. For many years he was actively identified
with the agricultural life of the community and in connection with general
farming raised stock to some extent. However, in the spring of 191 1, he rented
his land to his son Fred and he is now living retired, although he retains his
residence on the home place.

It was in 1868 that Mr. Lineweaver wedded Miss Rebecca C. Andes, who
was born in Rockingham county, X'irginia, December 12, 1844, a daughter of
Eli and Sarah (Lowman) Andes, who spent their entire lives in the south.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lineweaver have been born nine children: Jeremiah F., a
resident of P.rooklyn : Sarah, the wife of John A. Evans, of Scott township :
Clara, the wife of John W. Wiley, also of Scott township; Boyd, of North
Dakota; Fannie, the wife of John C. Johnston, also of Scott township; Nettie,
the wife of George Lundy, of Malcom ; Andrew, a resident of North Dakota;
Pearl, still with her parents; and Fred, al.so at home and now operating the

HISTORY OF I'OWESllIKK COUNTY 121

farm. The two eldest were born in \'irginia but tlie others are all natives of
Poweshiek county.

Mr. Lineweaver is a stanch supporter of the republican party and has been
called by his fellow townsmen to fill some offices, having served as township
trustee, assessor, road supervisor and as a member of the school board. He is
a member of Fairmont Methodist Episcopal church in Scott township and is
serving as a trustee of the church. His fraternal relations connect him with
the Knights of Pythias lodge. He is a man of good priciples and upright char-
acter, and both in public and private life he has ever been found the same genial
gentleman, who in his relations with his fellowmen and in his treatment of his
neighbors has never lost sight of the golden rule.

R. J. SMITH.

R. J. Smith, a member of the Montezuma bar. engages in the general prac-
tice of law but specializes to some extent in the department of law relating to
land titles and the settlement of estates, and his broad and discriminating study
along those lines has largely made him an authority in this district for that
branch of his profession.

-Mr. Smith is a native of Johnson county, Iowa, his birth having occurred
on a farm east of Iowa City. May 24, 1873. His parents were Robert B. and
.■\nn (Smith) Smith, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of
Ohio. They came to Iowa in the years 1853 and 1854 respectively in company
with their parents, the journey of both families being made with wagons and
I IX teams. P)Oth Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Smith are now residents of Iowa City,
where he is living retired, having previously for many years engaged extensively
and successfully in farming and stock-raising. He served for four years as a
soldier in the Civil war with Company G, Second Iowa Cavalry, and is now
one of the honored veterans of the state. The family numbered three sons, of
whom R. J. Smith is the eldest. C. Horton, the second son, now a civil en-
gineer at Minneapolis, Minnesota, was graduated from the State University in
1901 and received his advanced degree in 1905. The youngest son. Dr. Oakley
Smith, is a physician of Chicago and is president of the Oakley Smith College
of Naprapathy in that city. His academic education was acquired in the State
University, his attention being especially given to scientific studies, and later he
continued his education in Prague, Bohemia.

R. J. Smith spent the first nineteen years of his life amid the usual environ-
ment and experiences of farm life and then accompanied his parents on their
removal to Eugene, Oregon, where they remained for two years, during which
period the subject of this review attended the State University of Oregon.
In 1893 he returned to Iowa City and pursued the liberal arts course in the
university of this state, winning the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy upon his
graduation in the class of 1898. He completed the law course in the State Uni-
versity in 1899 and then passed the state board examination, being admitted to
practice in the summer of that year. He chose Montezuma as the scene of his

122 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

labors and has since been a resident of this city and a well known and worthy
representative of its bar. He engages in general practice in all the courts but,
as previously stated, specializes to some extent in that branch of the law relat-
ing to land titles and the settlement of estates. He holds membership with the
County Bar Association and also with the Iowa State and American Associa-
tions of Title Men. He has been accorded a liberal clientage and his work in
the courts has been so carefully and successfully conducted that he has won
many cases favorable to his clients.

On the 1st of January, 1901, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss
Addie G. Gray, a native of Cedar county, Iowa, and a daughter of Thomas
and Ann (GiiTord) Gray. Her mother is now deceased, while her father resides
at West Liberty. His mother was reputed to be the first white woman to es-
tablish a home in Iowa outside of Dubuque. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith has
been born an only child. Mary Frances.

Mr. Smith has always given his political allegiance to the republican party
since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He has served as a mem-
ber of the town council and is always interested in progressive movements for
the public good. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church and has served
on its ofificial board, and his influence and aid are always found on the side of
right, progress, truth and advancement.

CAPTAl-X JOHX W. CARR.

There was one house in Montezuma when Captain John W. Carr came to
Poweshiek county. He was then a lad of eight years and has therefore been a
witness of the entire growth of the county seat and practically of the entire de-
velopment and progress of the county and has himself borne an important part
in its upbuilding, especially through his connection with the legal profession and
with banking interests. His name is indelibly impressed upon the pages of its
history.

His birth occurred in Logan county, Illinois, near Mount Pulaski, on the 26th
of April, 1839, his parents being William and Catharine (Moore) Carr, natives
of Virginia and Ohio respectively. The former was the son of a planter and in
early manhood became a resident of Logan county, Illinois, where he developed
and improved a farm, meeting the usual experiences and hardships of pioneer life
during the early period of his residence there. When the war cry of the savages
was heard and the Indians under the leadership of Black Hawk marched against
the white settlers he did active duty as a soldier. His wife was born near Colum-
bus, Ohio, and went to Logan county, Illinois, with her parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Nicholas Aloore, who became farming people of the locality. Later Mr. Moore
came to Poweshiek county, Iowa, in 1845, his death occurring here the following
year. His widow, who bore the maiden name of Sarah Downing, resided near
Montezuma for a number of years and was one of the well known pioneer women
of this part of the state. Her death occurred in 1875, '^er daughter, Mrs. Carr.
passed away in Illinois in 1843 and William Carr died in 1845. They were the

J. W. CAUH

\'-

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 125

parents of four children. Sarah, who was born in 1832, became the wife of
lacob Deanlorf, who died in Oklahoma about 1900. Kate, born in 1834, became
the wife of Pleasant Deardorf, the brother of her sister's husband, and passed
away in Madison county, Iowa, about 1899. Nicholas, born in 1836, was for
about eighteen months a soldier of the Tenth Iowa Infantry during the Civil war.
He was afterward sheriff of Poweshiek county, Iowa, for four years and later
special examiner of tillable land in Nebraska under President Cleveland. He
afteward became justice of the peace at Neligh, Nebraska, and died in that
state in 1898.

Captain John W. Carr was the youngest of the family and was only six years
of age when left an orphan. He lived with an uncle, William Moore, in Illinois
until 1847, when with his brother and sisters he started for Iowa to make his
home with his maternal grandmother, near Montezuma. They reached their
destination on the 23d of December, after crossing the river at Warsaw because
of the blockade at Fort Madison. Montezuma had not been platted at that time
and contained but one house. The county was largely an unsettled and unde-
veloped region, the home of Mrs. Moore being in Union township, near Forest
Home. Hers was the best house in the county and was a log structure eighteen
by twenty feet. Religious services were there held whenever a preacher would
visit the neighborhood. When but a young man Captain Carr became inured to
the arduous task of developing a new farm, driving oxen to the breaking plow,
dropping the corn into the furrow^- -iind afterward cultivating the fields until
crops were harvested. When schtj^ol'was in "session he pursued his education, be-
ing a pupil in the first log schoolhouse of the county. Tt.was a primitive structure,
having a puncheon floor and seats wi^h. windows made of greased paper. The
school boys supplied the fuel whicb.'^s-burnedin a huge fireplace. The methods
of instruction, too, were most crude and it was only at intervals that Captain Carr
could attend, as his services were needed upon the home farm. He was ambitious,
however, to make advancement along educational lines and utilized his evening
hours for study. Later he had the advantage of instruction in the preparatory
department of Grinnell College and the following year recited his lessons in the
first college building there erected. As opportunity offered he continued his
studies until after the outbreak of the Civil war save for the summer of 1857
spent in Missouri.

He was then eighteen years of age and saw for the first time the practices and
abuses of slavery, and the opinion which he formed of the system led him later
to espouse the abolitionist cause. His attendance at college was alternated by
periods of school-teaching, but after the outbreak of the Civil war he put aside
all personal considerations and responded to the country's call for aid, enlisting
on the 5th of July, 1861, at Iowa City, as a member of Company F, Tenth Iowa
Infantry. He was elected second lieutenant and with his command went south,
serving with that regiment until February, 1862, when a relapse after an attack of
measles forced him to resign and he returned to Montezuma. He then pur-
chased a drug store and began the study of medicine, thinking to become a physi-
cian. But on the 5th of July, 1862, following the call for three hundred thousand
men, he began raising the company that was attached to the Twenty-eighth Iowa
Infantry as Company C. He was commissioned its captain and served until

126 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

the close of the war. During his previous enlistment he had held the rank of
second lieutenant. The succeeding winter was passed in Arkansas and Missis-
sippi, after which the command entered upon active campaigning, taking part in
the battles of Port Gibson, Edwards Station, Champion's Hill, Black River
Bridge and the siege of Vicksburg, followed by the battle of Jackson, Missis-
sippi. Later the command returned to Vicksburg and subsequently with the
Department of the Gulf went to New Orleans in August, 1863. The year fol-
lowing Captain Carr participated in the engagements at Carrion Crow Bayou and
Chafi'elisle Bayou in Louisiana. In the spring of 1864 he took part in the Red
River expedition under Banks and in July of that year was sent to Washington
and afterward participated in the campaign in the Shenandoah valley under Sheri-
dan in the battles of Berryville, \'irginia ; and of Winchester. At the last named
he was wounded, a minie ball piercing his right leg which rendered him unfit
for service for six weeks, during which time he was at Harpers Ferry until Sep-
tember 25, when he obtained leave of absence and returned home. On his recov-
ery he rejoined his regiment, with which he remained until the close of the war.
Owing to the wounds sustained by his colonel, lieutenant colonel and major he
assumed command of the regiment and following his return at the close of the
war was brevetted major. After Sheridan's campaign the regiment went to
Savannah to return with Sherman and participated in the engagement at New-
berne, North Carolina, and subsequently went to Augusta and assisted in paroling
Johnston's army. The muster out came at Savannah, July 31, 1865, and later
the command proceeded to Davenport, where the troops were honorably dis-
charged and dispersed. That the service was arduous is indicated by the fact
that out of the one hundred men of his company originally mustered in and twenty
recruits, but forty-five came home together.

Following his return to Montezuma, Captain Carr engaged in general mer-
chandising until 1869, when he was elected clerk of the district court, which posi-
tion he filled by reelection for three terms, or six years. During that period he
studied law and was admitted to the bar in February, 1877. He has since prac-
ticed his profession in Montezuma with the exception of a year spent in Des
Moines, and for three terms, or six years, he filled the office of county attorney.
He was for a time a member of the firm of Redman & Carr, the senior partner
beconfing subsequently speaker of the Iowa house of representatives. From the
beginning of his practice Captain Carr has been accorded a large and distinctively
representative clientage and has been associated with much of the important liti-
gation tried in the courts of this district. He prepares his cases thoroughly and
his arguments are strongly logical and convincing. He is also well known in
financial circles in Poweshiek county, having been president of the Montezuma
Savings Bank since its organization in 1893. He was also at one time a director
of the First National Bank, which he aided in establishing. He was the owner
of considerable farm property in Poweshiek county together with a fine home in
Montezuma, but has recently sold his farm property.

On the loth of January, 1866, in this city Captain Carr was married to Miss
Lottie Frick, who was born in Erie, New York, April 30, 1844, and was reared
in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. While visiting her sister, Mrs. M. E. Cutts, she formed
the acquaintance of Captain Carr, who sought her hand in marriage. Their chil-

ITISTORV OF I'OWF.SIIIICK COfNTY 127

dren are : Fred, who for fifteen years .has been associated with his father in the
practice of law ; and CHfford W.. a dentist of Los Angeles, California.

In his political views Captain Carr has always been a stalwart republican and
in addition to the offices already mentioned he has served as a member of the city
council at iMontezuma and as a member of the school board. He belongs to Wis-
ner Post, Xo. 127, G. A. R., of which he has been commander, and holds mem-
bership with Lafayette Lodge No. 52, A. F. & A. M., of Montezuma, and the
Royal .\rch Chapter at Malcolm, Iowa. He is likewise a member of the Knights
of Pythias fraternity at Montezuma and of the State P)ar Association. His activi-
ties have been most varied and in every relation of life he seems to have had a
regard for the duties and obligations of citizenship and to have labored at all
times for the progress and upbuilding of the community in which he has so
long lived. Xo man in Montezuma is held in higher regard or more justly rle-
ierves the respect and honor accorded him.

ROBERT RICE.

Robert Rice, who will long be remembered as a prominent farmer and a
noble-hearted citizen of Grinnell township, was a native of Wayne county, Ken-
tucky, born May 3, 1853. He was the son of Ebenezer and Rebecca ( Parm-
ley) Rice, both of whom were born in Wayne county. The family came to
Iowa in the early '70s, and located in Jasper county west of Grinnell, wiiere the
l)arents lived until their death.

Robert Rice received his preliminary education in Kentucky and grew up
under the shelter of a kindly home. His opportunities of attendance at school
were limited, but he possessed a bright mind and was a close observer and be-
came a man of good general knowledge and thorough discrimination. He came
with his parents to Iowa and after his marriage began working on his own ac-
count on a farm east of Kellogg, Jasper county. He applied himself with such
excellent results that he acquired about five hundred acres and was known as
one of the most prosperous farmers of that part of the county. About 1897
he sold his farm, and later purchased one hundred and sixty acres adjoining the
fair grounds in Grinnell township, Poweshiek county. He also was the owner
of two hundred and forty-five acres six miles west of Grinnell. He engaged
in general farming, but made a specialty of cattle feeding, a branch which he
understood scientifically, and in this line he was remarkably successful, be-
coming one of the important cattle feeders of the county.

In 1876 Mr. Rice was unitefl in marriage to Miss Martha Armelda Parmley,
a native of Wayne county, Kentucky, and a daughter of Robert and Zerilda
(Strunk) Parmley of Parmley ville, Kentucky. Mrs. Rice came to Iowa in her
voung womanhood with an aunt. In 1877 her parents removed to Kansas and
located near Tisdale. The father died March 24, 1907, being then in his sev-
entv-ninth vear. Mr. Rice was called away .'\pril 4, 1907, at the age of fifty-
four vears, in the height of an honorable and useful career. Politically, he

1-28 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

gave his support to the democratic party, and fraternall}- he was identified with
the Odd Fellows.

His success in business was due to his great energy and thorough knowl-
edge of a vocation which he studied in all its details. He spareil no labor or
pains to become thorough and efficient and the honorable record he attained is
evidence of his high character and ability. By his many estimable ([ualities he
gained a host of friends who extended to him their sincere regard as a worthy
member of the great brotherhood of man.

BYRAM B. MARTIN.

Byram B. Martin, who for a number of years has been identified with the
insurance business in Malcom, in which connection he has been accorded a
most liberal patronage throughout this community and Poweshiek county, is
also entitled to special mention as an honored veteran of the Civil war.

He is a native of Indiana, his birth having occurred near Greencastle, Put-
nam county, on the 20th of .^iiril, 1842. His jiarents, Robert and Lucy (Routt)
Martin, were born in Virginia and Kentucky respectively, and were married
in the latter state. They became early settlers of Indiana, and there the mother
passed away in 1847. In 1852 Mr. Alartin became a resident of Boone county,
Iowa, where he entered a large tract of land, consisting of about eight hundred
acres, and upon which he made his home until the fall of 1859. when he came
to Poweshiek county, locating near Montezuma, where he spent his remaining
vears. He passed away while on a visit to Greencastle, Indiana. After the
death of his first wife he again married in Indiana, his second union bemg with
Mrs. Nancy Nosier. Her death occurred in Montezuma. By his first marriage
Mr. Martin had six sons and four daughters, of whom Byram B. Martin was
the seventh in order of birth. Unto the second marriage was born one son.

Byram B. Martin spent the first ten years of his life in the state of his
nativity and, in 1852, came with the family to Iowa. He remained with his
father, assisting him in his agricultural pursuits, until twenty years of age
when, in July, 1862, he enlisted for service in the Civil war, becoming a soldier
in Company K, Eighteenth Iowa Infantry. His term of service e.xtended over
three years, or until the close of hostilities, and, in .August, 1865, he was mus-
tered out with a creditable record for loyalty and bravery. He participated in
many of the important engagements, including the battle at Springfield, Missouri,
Poison Spring, Kansas, and the campaign against Price and the Red River cam-
paign. He took part in all of the activities of his regiment, with the exception
of a few weeks which he spent in a hospital.

.Vfter the country no longer needed his services he returned home and for
two years was engaged in farming in Poweshiek county. At the end of that
time he became a barber and for twenty-five years followed that trade in Mon-
tezuma and Malcom. He was then appointed postmaster of the latter city under
the administration of President Harrison, and capably and efficiently filled that
office for a term of four years, proving a most popular official. Upon retiring

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 129

from that position he embarked in the fire insurance business to which he has
given his entire attention for the past twelve years. He has made a careful
study of the business, familiarizing himself with all of its various phases, and
through the intervening years has so conducted his enterprise that he has built
up a most gratifying clientage throughout Malcom and Poweshiek county, which
is constantly expanding in volume and growing in importance.

On the I2th of June, 1867, Mr. Martin was united in marriage to Miss
Mary Ferneau, who was born in Ross county, Ohio, February 16, 1844. Her
parents were Levi and Elizabeth (Taylor) Ferneau, who were both natives of
Ohio, where the mother's death occurred. Later the father was again married
and in the fall of 1856 brought his family to Iowa, locating in this county on a
farm near Montezuma, where he passed his remaining days. Two sons and
four daughters were born unto his first union, while by the second marriage
there was one daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Martin have become the parents of six
children, who are as follows: Charles E., a resident of Oakland, California;
La Rue, the wife of Charles H. Blumenauer, of Steubenville, Ohio; R. L., of
Malcom; Mary A., who wedded A. L. Burford, of Brooklyn; Nellie M., who
wedded L. P. Raymond ; and Lucy E., the wife of George Graff, of Sheridan
township.

Politically Mr. Martin gives his support to the republican party and he has
served as a member of the town council and the school board, although he is
not a politician in the sense of office-seeking. He is a member of Lodge No.
369, I. O. O. F., of Malcom, and is a charter member of the Grand Army of
the Republic post at Montezuma, which was organized in 1866. He is a man of
marked public spirit and in his life exemplifies those qualities which win con-
fidence, respect and good will.

PETER SCHMIDT.

A resident of Poweshiek county since 1855, Peter Schmidt well deserves the
name of pioneer and has earned a position as one of the highly successful citi-
zens of the county by acquiring a valuable farm of five hundred acres, upon
which he now lives. He is a native of Germany, born September 16, 1826, and
is a son of William and Catherine (Baker) Schmidt. The father was a farmer
and both he and his wife passed their entire lives in the old country. He died
in 1834 and Mrs. Schmidt passed away sixteen years later.

Peter Schmidt acquired his education in the public schools of his native
land, and after he grew to manhood engaged in railroad work until he was
twenty-six years of age. Being attracted to the new world he crossed the ocean
and stopped for a time in New York city and Philadelphia, also spending one
year on a farm near Altoona, Pennsylvania. He then traveled westward as
far as St. Louis, where he secured work upon a railroad, later engaging as a
farm laborer in Illinois. On October 20, 1855, he arrived in Poweshiek county
and, having carefully saved his earnings, he purchased a small tract of land,
to which he has added as his resources permitted until he now has a i)eautiful

130 HISTORY OF TOWESHIEK COUNTY

place of five hundred acres, which is provided with every modern tacihtv. He
has engaged in general farming and has also been very successful in raising
and fattening stock for the market. In addition to his farming interests he is
a stockholder in the bank at Searsboro.

On the 7th of August, 1863, Mr. Schmidt was married to Miss Eliza Sand-
ers, who was born in Ohio, July 12, 1847, and is a daughter of Henry and Hattie
(Smith) Sanders. The parents were both natives of the Keystone state. They
moved to Ohio and in 1856 came to Poweshiek county and located near Monte-
zuma. They were both members of the Presbyterian church and politically
Mr. Sanders gave his support to the democratic party. Ten children were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt, namely: William, who is now engaged in farming in
Washington township; Sarah, the wife of Herman Sella, of Washington town-
ship ; Samuel, of Jasper county, Iowa ; Frank, who is deceased : Henry, also of
Washington township ; Mary, the wife of William Whalen, of Mahaska county ;
Rosie, who became the wife of August Dager, of North Dakota; Peter, who is
at home ; Elizabeth, now Mrs. Guy Ford, of North Dakota ; and Francis, also
at home.

In religious faith Mr. Schmidt is a Catholic. He has never sought political
honors, as his time and attention have largely been devoted to the management
of his farm and his promising family of children whom he reared to principles
of honor and usefulness. He has now reached the advanced age of eightv-five
years and upon younger men rests the responsibility of looking after the home
farm, but he still takes a lively interest in agricultural affairs and also in the
development of the community of which he has been a member for more than
a half century. He has been a living witness of the development of Poweshiek
county from the original prairie and woodland to the present state of high pro-
ductiveness, and is justly honored as one of the substantial and efficient agen-
cies by which this great transformation has been wrought.

FRED C. RAYBURN.

The citizens of Pleasant township, Poweshiek county, are glad to claim
Fred C. Rayburn as one of their native sons, for he is a most enterprising and
progressive young farmer, born here on the 30th of July. 1872, a son of John
G. and Annie (Gier) Rayburn. The parents were born in the state of Ohio
but are numbered among the pioneers of Poweshiek county, having settled here
in the early '50s. For many years the father followed farming in this section
of the state but he is now living retired in Montezuma, where he and his esti-
mable wife are enjoying the fruits of their former toil. Unto them have been
born six children, namely; Ettie, the deceased wife of Fred Ingram: Charles, a
resident of Dalhart, Te.xas ; Fred C.. whose name introduces this review ; Flora,
the wife of Clyde Blain, a resident of Jackson township: .Alfred, of Monte-
zuma , and Harland, who is a student of art in Chicago.

Fred C. Rayburn. the third in order of birth, was reared on the home farm,
early being trained to the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the farm lad.

HISTORY OF rOWESHIEK COl'XTV 131

and as his age and strength increased he more largely assumed responsibilities
and thus was (|ualified to carry on business on his own account in later life.
He remained with his parents until they removed to Montezuma and then took
up farming on his own account. He has prospered in his undertakings and is
now the owner of three hundred acres of valuable farm land, situated on section
20. Pleasant township, which is known as the old Ewart property and has been
in his possession since 1904. His place is well improved and he makes stock-
feeding the principal feature of his labors.

It was on the 20th of January, 1897, that Mr. Rayburn was married to Miss
Mattie Ewart. who was born on the farm which is still her home, February 8.
1876. Her father. Robert Ewart, who was one of the well known and prosper-
out farmers of Pleasant township, is now deceased. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ray-
burn have been born a son and daughter, Lester and Bernice.

In politics Mr. Rayburn is a republican and is now serving his second term
as township trustee. He attends and supports the Methodist Episcopal church,
but is not a member of any religious organization. He is a stockholder in the
Ewart Cooperative Creamery Company and is ever interested in any industry
or enterprise that tends to benefit the community in which he makes his home.
He and his wife are well known here, for their entire lives have been passed
in the district which is still their home and their numerous friends have for them
the highest regard and esteem.

EDGAR J. HARRIS.

Edgar J. Harris, a well known farmer of Poweshiek county, comes of an
industrious family, as is indicated by the prosperity enjoyed by four brothers,
all of whom were born in England and sought in America the opportunities
unavailable under conditions existing in the old world. Mr. Harris was born
at Dorsetshire, England, August 31, 1872, and is the son of James and Eliza-
beth (Slade) Harris, both of whom were born in Dorsetshire. Mr. Harris
spent his entire life in England as a farmer, but the mother came to America in
1890, after the death of her husband, and is now living with one of her sons
m Poweshiek county.

Edgar J. Harris was educated in England and at seventeen years of age
crossed the ocean to America with Edwin Dare, a record of whom appears
elsewhere in this work. He came to Poweshiek county and soon found em-
ployment at farm labor. Later he rented the old Williams' farm in Chester
township, which he cultivated to good advantage for eleven years and then,
in 1898, purchased one hundred and sixty acres, upon which he established
his homestead. He also acquired eighty acres on Bear creek, and is, therefore.
the owner of two hundred and forty acres of good Poweshiek county land
which yields each year a handsome revenue. He is a general farmer and stock-
feeder and the success he has achieved is the direct result of his industry,
energy and wise management.

132 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

On the nth of July, 1900, Mr. Harris was united in marriage to Miss Mary
D. Schmidt, a daughter of William Schmidt, for many years a resident of
Poweshiek county and one of its prosperous farmers. Mr. Harris is recognized
as a wide-awake, up-to-date man, and a public-spirited citizen, who has con-
tributed his share toward the progress of the community. His farm has been
excellently managed and his home is one of the handsomest residences in the
township. In politics he supports the republican party and, having been reared
in the Church of England, he has through life been faithful to its tenets.

JOHN S. BEELER.

The memory of John S. Beeler, for the past forty-five years a resident of
Poweshiek county, carries him back still further to the pioneer days of Iowa,
when a large part of this great state was yet open prairie and little was known as
to its resources.

He was born at Marion, Iowa, September 13, 1845, and was a member of a
family of sixteen children — eight sons and eight daughters — of Fred and Nancy
(Dollarhide) Beeler, the former of whom was a native of West Virginia and the
latter of Indiana. They were married in 1836 at Indianapolis, and in 1837 came
to Iowa and lived for several years at Muscatine, where the father engaged in
work in connection with the river traffic. From that place he moved to Linn
county, Iowa, and took up land at Marion, being one of the early settlers of that
section. The Indians were still wandering at large through the country when he
arrived in Linn county and he maintained with them the most friendly relations,
often trading horses with his visitors. This was a favorite diversion of the
early days. He was a man of good business ability and a large landowner, pos-
sessing one thousand acres of good Linn county land. In politics he gave his
support to the democratic party, and in religious belief affiliated with the Metho-
dist church, of which he was deacon and trustee. He took a great interest in
education and was a valued member of the school board. A man of many ster-
ling characteristics, he was greatly respected wherever he was known. He died
February 12, 1895, having then reached the age of eighty-one years. Mrs. Beeler
was called away five years later.

John S. Beeler, of this review, received his early education in the public
schools of Marion, Iowa, and also had the advantage of attendance at the high
school in the same town. He was reared under the favorable conditions of farm
life, and even as a boy displayed remarkable strength and ability in his work.
One day, in a few hours, he split eighty-five railroad ties. He followed this occu-
pation for twenty-seven days and then in December, 1866, arrived in Poweshiek
county and went to work on shares under his uncle, George M. Beeler. In 1868
his father gave him a farm in Linn county, which he soon afterward disposed of,
and settled on productive land in Poweshiek county where he has since continued.
He is now the owner of six hundred acres, and his wife owns sixty-eight acres
in this county. He also owns three hundred and forty acres in Missouri. He has
for thirty-five years been a large raiser and feeder of stock, devoting his attention

Mlt. AMI MKS JOHN S. I'.KET.KU

^^^^.„ /

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 135

especially to Hereford cattle and the breeding of Percheron horses, in which he
has attained an enviable reputation.

On the 22d of January, 1871, Mr. Heeler was united in marriage to Miss
lillen C. Heeler, a daughter of George M. and Nancy (Carpenter) Heeler, and of
this union ten children have been born, namely : Ira C, who is now living in
Washingtown township; Ora F., who lives at Hugo, Colorado; George F., of
Pleasant township; May, who became the wife of L. A. Winters, of Jacob, Iowa;
Xancy A., who married Joe H. Bradley, of Missouri; Mary, who married E. S.
Morrison, a business man of Grinnell ; John Cleveland; Louis Clark, now engaged
in farming in Sugar Creek township; Janie, who married John Reed, of Pleasant
township ; and Clara, who is now a student in the Grinnell high school.

Politically Mr. Heeler gives his allegiance to the democratic party. He has
been a candidate for member of the lower house of the state legislature at two
difi'erent elections but, his party being in the minority, he was unsuccessful and
met with defeat. In religious belief lie adheres to the faith of the Society of
JMiends and through life he has aimed to be guided by the teachings of this worthy
organization. Fortunate in possessing qualities of mind and heart which are
inseparable from honorable manhood, he won the respect of neighbors and ac-
quaintances and for many years has been a tower of strength in the community.
Me has always been loyal to every trust and has ever been ready to assist in every
movement for the upbuilding of the section. It is with pleasure that this record
is here given of one of the clear-headed aiid noble-hearted men of Poweshiek
count V. . ■.'■'-■. •.v'V, ' ■,

.•\v

WILLIAM fi. ■'AjCirEY.

William H. Alley is a well known farmer and business man who for a
number of years has engaged as sprinkling contractor at Grinnell. He is a
native of Canada, born November 24, 1854, and is a son of Jeremiah and
Kathryn (GifFord) Alley, both of whom were born in Canada. The father
removed with his family to Dane county, Wisconsin, where he engaged in farm-
ing for ten years, and then came to Iowa, locating in Tama county, where he
continued to reside until his death, which occurred in 1879. The mother is
still living and makes Jier home with her children. In the famih- were the
following children: A. M., who married Ella Robinson and is now a resident
of Huron, S. D. ; William H., of this review ; J. H., who married Elizabeth A.
Spire and lives in Grinnell : Enos G.. who married Jessie Harmon and makes
his home in Huron. S. D. : George W., also a resident of Huron, who married
Kittie Coburn ; Charles E., who married JMaud Crew and lives in Meridian.
Mississippi ; and Electa, the wife of W. W. Dale, of Grinnell township, this
county.

William H. AUex- received his early education in the common schools and
continued with his ]«rents until after attaining his majority. He removed
with them to Tama county, this state in \R(%. Ever since his boyhood he has been
actively identified with agricultural and stock-raising interests. He engaged in
farmincf for seventeen years in Sheridan township, Poweshiek county, where

136 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

he still owns a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and in 1895 removed to
Grinnell, where he established his home. During the last two years upon his
farm he devoted considerable attention to raising Poland China hogs, in which
he was very successful. He rented his place and is now living in Grinnell,
where he has rendered efficient service for thirteen years as contractor for
street sprinkling.

On March 11, 1879, Mr. Alley was united in marriage in Highland town-
ship, Tama county, to Miss Mary J. Steikle, a daughter of A. H. and Mary
Steikle. The parents were both born in Canada and removed to Tama county,
Iowa, where Mr. Steikle devoted his attention to farming. Mrs. Alley died
in 1894 and on January 2, 1896, Mr. Alley was married to Mrs. Amelia Smith,
a native of Germany, and a daughter of C. H. Speth. Air. Alley has three chil-
ilren living: Nellie, the wife of Peter J. Schmeltz, who is engaged in the manu-
facture of automobile tops at Marshalltown, Iowa ; Hazel, who is a student in
the high school and is now living at home : and George Roger. Bertha Smith,
a daughter of Mrs. Alley by her former marriage, graduated as a kindergarten
teacher at Des Moines.

Ever since McKinley's election Mr. Alley has given his support to the re-
publican party. In religious belief he is a Methodist and is now serving as
trustee of the church at Grinnell. He is a valued member of the Knights of
Pythias and the Modern Brotherhood of America and as a business man is
identified with the Commercial Club. Active, industrious and enterprising, he
is thoroughly efficient in anything he undertakes and as his life is governed
by sound principles he always aims to deal justly with his fellowmen. He is of
a genial and accommodating disposition and it is greatly to his credit that his
best friends are to be found among those with whom he has had business
relations.

JOHN BOSLEY GORSUCH.

John Bosley Gorsuch, who is numbered among the progressive and pros-
])erous agriculturists of Jackson township, is a representative of one of the
old pioneer families of Iowa. He was born in that township on the 19th of
November, 1871, and has spent almost his entire life within its borders. A son
of Daniel L. and Mary J. (Murrow) Gorsuch. of whom mention is made on
another page, he is one of seven surviving children in a family of twelve. He
acquired his education in the schools of Jackson township and also received
broad practical training under the direction of his father, for. reared amid the
busy activities of rural life, he was early taught the value of industry, energy
and perseverance. He remained on the home farm, giving his father the benefit
of his assistance, until the time of his marriage, after which he removed to
Mahaska county and there resided from 1894 until 1897.

Mr. Gorsuch then returned to Poweshiek county and spent the following
three years on a rented farm in Union township, at the end of which time he
purchased his present home of one hundred acres, located on section 17. Jack-

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 137

son township. This place is a highly improved property, containing a com-
fortable dwelling, substantial outbuildings and all the conveniences necessary,
and he is giving his time to the cultivation of grain together with stock-raising.
.A.S a farmer he has been quite successful and, taking pride in the appearance
of his farm, has added every improvement which may contribute to its neatness
and fertility. He has also made such study of the soil as to enable him to so
adapt his crops as to reap the maximum yied per acre. He has made of his
farm a good paying proposition and prosperity has attended his efiforts as the
years have gone by, so that today he stands among the substantial and progres-
sive agriculturists of Jackson township.

Mr. Gorsuch was united in marriage, on the nth of February, 1894, to
Miss Blanche Wilkinson, w^ho was born in Mahaska county, July i, 1873, a
daughter of John P. and Cynthia A. (Watkins) Wilkinson, residents of Barnes
City, Iowa. Unto Mr. and Airs. Gorsuch have been born two children, Ida F.
and Thomas Daniel.

A lifelong republican, Mr. Gorsuch is now serving his third term as town-
ship trustee, in which position he is proving a most faithful and public-spirited
official. Fraternally he holds membership in Aztec Lodge, No. 238, K. P., at
Montezuma. Having spent almost his entire life in this locality he has drawn
around him a wide circle of friends and acquaintances who entertain for him
unqualified respect and esteem, a fact which indicates that the principles which
have actuated his conduct have ever been those which govern honorable man-
hood and desirable citizenship.

JOHN A. EVANS.

The farming interests of Scott township and Poweshiek county are well
represented by John A. Evans, who cultivates a tract of four hundred acres.
He has always been identified with the interests of this section, for his birth
occurred on a farm about five miles south of Montezuma, June 29, 1857. He is
a son of Daniel John and Jane (Fields) Evans, the former born in Greene
county, Ohio, November 12, 1818, a son of George Evans, who was born in
Wales and emigrated to the United States in an early day, making a permanent
location in Ohio, where he passed away. His son, Daniel J., was reared in the
Buckeye state and was there married. In the fall of 1852 he removed to the
middle west, locating in Mahaska county, Iowa, but after a brief stay of two or
three years there he continued his journey to Poweshiek county and here en-
gaged in farming. With him and his family also came two brothers and a
sister. Mr. Evans was married twice ere coming to Poweshiek county and by
his first union he had two sons but the younger is deceased, the other being N.
G., of Thornburg, Nebraska. After the death of his first wife, he wedded Miss
lane Fields, who was likewise born in Greene county, Ohio, in May, 1820. Her
death occurred in Scott township, this county, in May, 1872, when she was
fifty-two years of age. She was the mother of nine children: Alfred A., of
O'Brien county, Iowa; Mary E., the wife of Robert R. Johnston, a resident

138 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

of South Dakota ; C. G., who makes his home in Montezuma ; John A., of this
review ; Aseneth, the wife of Samuel Meldrem, a resident of Brooklyn ; Alan-
son, deceased ; and three who died in infancy. The father was actively con-
nected with farming interests in Poweshiek county until about four years ago,
when he removed to Brooklyn, where he has since made his home.

John A. Evans was reared to farm life, assisting in the work of the fields
during the spring and summer months, while in the winter season he attended
the district schools near his father's home. When starting out upon an in-
dependent business venture he chose as his work the occupation to which he had
been reared. He began with eighty acres which he purchased but he after-
ward sold this and bought his present place, which comprises four hundred
acres, situated on sections 2, 3, 10 and 11, Scott township, all in one body. On
the place are two sets of good buildings, while the fields are under a high state
of cultivation and annually yield bounteous harvests. Mr. Evans is progres-
sive in his methods of farm work and is ever ready to adopt any measures
along agricultural lines that he believes will prove of benefit.

Mr. Evans was married October 4, 1888, to Miss Sarah E. Lineweaver,
who was born in Rockingham county, \'irginia, October 4, 1872. a daughter of
C. B. Lineweaver, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. Their mar-
riage has been blessed by two sons and a daughter : Earl L. ; Elsie May, the
wife of Henry Allen, a resident of Scott township ; and Allen Ray.

Mr. Evans is a democrat in his political views and affiliations, while his
religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Methodist church. He is
well known throughout Poweshiek county and has a reputation for fair and
honorable dealing surpassed by no man in this community. Considerate and
thoughtful, his life is that of a man who practices what he preaches to others
and he is leaving a name that will be an honor to his family.

RAY A. CLARKE.

Over thirty years ago Ray A. Clarke established his home in Grinnell township
and devoted himself to agriculture and stockraising with an enterprise and abil-
ity which enables him now to live retired in the enjoyment of the fruits of his
labor. He was born at Arcade, New York, February 28, 1850, a son of Elbert
and Louise ( Steele ) Clarke. The father was a native of Brookfield, New York,
and the mother of Arcade. Early in life Elbert Clarke gave evidence of unu.sual
talent as a public speaker and at nineteen years of age began preaching, becom-
ing a prominent minister of the Baptist church at Buffalo, New York. He de-
livered a noted sermon on the death of William Henry Harrison to a body of
distinguished men of the nation. He was of a highly intellectual and nervous
temperament and died at the age of thirty-six at Arcade in the midst of a life
of great usefulness.

In early boyhood Ray A. Clarke lost his father and in 1859 moved with his
mother to Oberlin, Ohio. He attended the common schools and was later grad-
uated from a business college and became a student at Oberlin college. In 1866

ItAV A. <'I.AKKE

-K

^'braSS

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 141

tlie family removed to New Haven, Connecticut, and continued there for two
years, during wliich time he possessed advantages of training in a military school
of that city. They ticn returned to Oberlin and in 1877 moved to Painesville,
Ohio. Mr. Clarke can relate many interesting incidents that occurred during
his boyhood in Ohio. On the 25th of May. 1863. when only thirteen years of
age, he nearly lost his life in a vain endeavor to save Martin Fitch while swim-
ming in Black river. The water was cold and his companion went down in the
middle of the river. Mr. Clarke reached him and started to help him to the shore
but the boy pulled him under and he was compelled to let go or he too would
have been drowned.

In 1879. having decided that the west ofifered better inducements for an am-
bitious young man than he had observed in northern Ohio, Mr. Clarke came to
Iowa and located upon a farm in Grinnell township, Poweshiek county. He dili-
gently improved his place and devoted his attention for many years principally to
raising cattle for the market. As he made use of good judgment, his business
grew in importance and yielded generous annual returns so that he attained a posi-
tion of comparative financial independence.

In September, 1882, Mr. Clarke was united in marriage at Grinnell to Miss
Cornelia Shepard, a daughter of Levi and Mary (St. John) Shepard, both of
whom were natives of Painesville, Ohio, and are now deceased. Mr. Shepard
was one of the large landowners of his locality. One daughter, Cornelia S., came
to bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Clarke. The beloved wife and mother passed
away in 1884 and the daughter is now keeping houje for her father. She is an
excellent scholar, having graduated from the ���lii^h' 'school and also from Grinnell
College and has proved an invaluable assistant and companion to her father.

Mr. Clarke is identified with the Congt^gatJcWaJ^ehurch and is a stanch sup-
porter of its doctrines. Politically he gives -his a'llegiance to the republican party,
although he does not hold himself strictly to party lines in voting. He is of a
modest, retiring disposition and has never sought the emoluments or honors of
public office, preferring to concentrate his attention upon his business. He has
many friends whom he has made by his genial, social qualities and by many years
of honorable business dealings. He has witnessed great changes in his adopted
county since taking up his abode here and as a reputable representative and valued
citizen he has assisted materially in its transformation.

REV. JAMES L. HILL. D. D.

It IS most fitting that Dr. James L. Hill be mentioned in the history of Powe-
shiek county for every citizen of the county is proud of his record and he num-
bers among the residents of this county many warm friends. Moreover, he
completed his literary education in Grinnell College and has since been a stal-
wart, zealous and helpful friend of the institution.

Numbered among Iowa's native sons. Dr. Hill was born at Garnavillo,
March 14, 1848, a son of the Rev. James J. Hill, who was long associated with
the work of the ministry in Iowa and gave the first dollar to found Grinnell

142 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COL-XTY

CoUege, the proof of which fact Dr. Hill has in a written or printed statement
from five of the men who w-ere his father's associates at the time. His mother,
Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Hill, was present at the meeting in Dubuque when addi-
tional plans for Grinnell College took definite form and this record is still ex-
tant : "The wives also of the ministers, anxious to share in the enterprise of
founding the college, resolved to raise one hundred dollars out of their own re-
sources and seventy dollars were subscribed by fourteen who were present."
It was at this time that Mrs. Hill, who died at the early age of twenty-eight
years, exclaimed: "Somebody must be built into these foundations," and these
ivords are inscribed upon her monument in the cemetery at Grinnell.

Reared amid the refining influences of a cultured home, where intellectual
training and moral teaching were rated at their true worth as forces m char-
acter building, Dr. Hill was provided with such opportunities and advantages
as his parents could secure for him and completed his more specifically literary
education by a course in Grinnell College, from which he was graduated with
the class of 1871. He was a tutor there in 1871-2 and a continuous resident
of Poweshiek county for twelve years. Following his connection with the col-
lege he left Grinnell and went east for professional training at Andover The-
ological Seminary There he applied himself closely to the mastery of the
branches that constituted the curriculum of the school and before his gradua-
tion was called to the pastorate of the North Congregational church in Lynn,
Massachusetts. During the ten years of his absence at school he never re-
ceived a dollar from home to assist him in meeting his tuition and other nec-
essary expenses and during the last year of his student life he earned eight
hundred dollars notwithstanding the fact that he applied himself so closely to
his studies that he won the valedictorian honors of his class.

As clergyman, lecturer and author Dr. Hill has since become known through-
out the country, his labors calling him into various sections, but throughout
the years he has never ceased to feel the deepest attachment for his alma mater
nor neglected any opportunity to promote the interests and work of Grinnell
College, of which he is still a trustee. He spent his first night in Poweshiek
county in a small building, still standing, opposite the residence of the presi-
dent of the college at Grinnell and this he and his brother Dr. Gershom H. Hill
have purchased with the intention of presenting it as a gift to the school. He
and his brother also founded the Hill prize for excellence in extemporaneous
address in Grinnell College and they have been repeatedly assured that the
competition for this prize constitutes the most popular event at commencement.
Following his father's example in giving the first dollar to a college, he made
the earliest gift to aid in the establishment of Yankton College, founded by the
Dakota Band, who in that state planted the seeds of Christian citizenship and
civilization. This dollar was found in the desk of the college president after
after his death with a statement as to where it came from. For some years
pastoral labors occupied his attention and throughout his life he has been a
teacher, not always in the school room or in the pulpit for at other times his
teaching has been done from the lecture platform. He was one of four clergy-
men who in 1 89 1 were selected to make addresses and to found societies of
Christian Endeavor in England. He established the society at old Boston, Eng-

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 143

land, and the same year was created Doctor of Divinity by his alma mater, be-
ing the first of her graduates on whom she conferred this honor. From the
beginning of the United Society of Christian Endeavor he has been one of its
trustees and he was one of four who secured control of the Golden Rule, a
religious paper, making it the recognized official organ of the Christian En-
deavor Society. In the effort now being made to raise two hundred thousand
dollars for a Christian Endeavor headquarters building in Boston Dr. Hill has
agreed to give the last fifteen thousand dollars.

In acknowledgment of this generous gift the following was presented him:
"The executive committee of the board of trustees of the United States Chris-
tian Endeavor desires to e.xpr'jss and put on record their hearty appreciation
of the generous gift of fifteen thousand dollars — the largest gift yet made —
for the new Headquarters building by one of their own number, Rev. James
L. Hill, D. D. They unite in wishing for the donor the Scriptural benediction.
'The liberal soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall be watered also
himself.' "

In recent years Dr. Hill has become widely known through his appearance
on the lecture platform and is regarded as one of the most attractive speakers
sent out by the Central Lyceum Bureau. He has made addresses in all of the
capitals of New England and in almost all of the states of the Union. In 1878
he was selected to deliver the Election Sermon before the governor and legis-
lature of Massachusetts. Some of his lectures he has delivered more than a
hundred times. His lectures, adapted to the times, treat of social life, travel
and reform, .\mong his most popular addresses are those given under the
subjects : How to be at Home at Home ; Team Work ; Cupid ; Success a Duty ;
How we Struck Each Other ; Europe and I : The Spirit of '61 ; and The
Worst Boys in Town. At all places wherever he has spoken he has found
favor with his audiences and the opinions of the press in different cities are
unanimous in their support of him as "a brilliant speaker, who clothes his ideas
in simple descriptive language that even a child may grasp and comprehend."
"There is a certain magnetism about him which attracts his listeners and carries
them with him. . . . Pleasantry and wit constituted features of his lec-
tures and the people were not only pleased with his manner of delivery but
also with his rounded periods and illustrations and best of all his noble senti-
ments." His writings perhaps cover even wider range. He is the author of
various volumes and pamphlets, including The Growth of Government, which
was published by vote of the legislature of Massachusetts ; Modern Methods of
Christian Nurture ; Boys in the Late War ; Decade of History ; Woman and
Satan ; The Problem of Spiritual Awakenings ; The 'Superlative Vacation ; Seven
Sorts of Successful Sunday Evening Services; and Historic Pilgrimages. His
leaflets and newspaper articles are very numerous and his fugitive pieces that
have been gathered fill seven hundred and fifty pages, as large as an atlas.

In 1878 Dr. Hill was united in marriage to Miss Lucy B. Dunham, the
only daughter of the chaplain of the Massachusetts senate. In his travels he
has been collecting with much painstaking care and considerable expense a
large number of curios and valuable relics which are to be the nucleus of a
museum which he intends to give to Grinnell College. This already includes

144 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

some articles that cannot be duplicated either in North or South America. I le
also possesses the most valuable collection in existence bearing on the earliest
religious history of Iowa, including the letters inviting "the immortal eleven"
to this state to establish the work of their church within the boundaries of the
commonwealth. More than one-half of the members of the Iowa Band con-
tributed to the treasures touching early Iowa history which are in Dr. Hill's
keeping.

JESSE L. FELLOWS.

The success which follows close application and ready appreciation for and
utilization of opportunities has come to Jesse L. Fellows, who is now manager
of the Grinnell Washing Machine Company and a financial, if not an active,
factor in several other business enterprises. He was born in Vinton, Benton
county, Iowa, November 28, 1878, a son of E. G. and Lottie A. (Wilder)
Fellows, both of whom were natives of Canandaigua, New York, where they
were married in 1869. They came to Iowa in 1870, settling in Vinton, and the
father, who was a photographer, conducted a gallery in that city for a number
of years. He came to Grinnell in 1889, since which time he has served in the
capacity of engineer for public schools.

Jesse L. Fellows was reared at home and pursued his education in Grinnell
Academy and Grinnell College, being graduated from the latter with the B. S.
degree in the class of 1901. His school days over, he went to North Dakota
and became local agent at Bowbells and later at Sherwood for the Stoltze
Lumber Company, with which he remained for about five years.

While residing in Sherwood Mr. Fellows was united in marriage on the
28th of June, 1905, to Miss Maude B. Young, of Clarion, Iowa, and in 1907
returned to Grinnell, where he purchased an interest in the lumber firm of
Carney, Brande & Clark. On the reorganization of the business the firm name
of Clark & Fellows was assumed and the partnership was maintained for two
years, after which Mr. Fellows sold his interest and for a year following was
engaged in no business. However, during that period he awaited a favorable
opportunity for reentrance into commercial life and became a stockholder of
the Grinnell Washington Machine Company on its organization in 1908. He
was at that time elected a director of the company but not until the fall of 1909
did he become active in the business. He was then called upon to assume the
management of the enterprise and so continued until January. 1910. when he
secured a new manager. This arrangement, however, proved unsatisfactory
and he again took up the management of the business of which he now has
charge. His sound judgment, his keen insight into conditions and possibilities
and his unfaltering energy have proved strong forces in the successful conduct
of the enterprise, which is recognized today as one of growing and substantial
importance. He also has other investments in business affairs and is regarded
as one of the prominent and leading men of the city, his labors constituting an
important element In the promotion of trade interests in Iowa.

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 145

Mr. Fellows is a member of Grinnell Lodge, No. 175, K. P., and also of
the Modern Woodmen camp. He is deeply interested in everything that per-
tains to the welfare and progress of his town and his cooperation can always
be counted upon to further measures for the public good. He has, moreover,
an interesting military chajner in his life history, for at the end of his sophomore
year in college he responded to the country's call and enlisted for service in the
Spanish-American war, becoming a member of Company G, Forty-ninth Iowa
\'olunteer Infantry. The regiment spent one year in Cuba and after the ces-
sation of hostilities he received his discharge and returned home, resuming his
college work where he had laid it down. In politics he has been a stanch
republican since age conferred upon him the right of franchise but has never
been an office seeker. He belongs to the Congregational church and his
influence is always found on the side of progress and improvement. Al-
though a young man, he has made for himself a very creditable position in
business circles and Grinnell places his name high on the list of her energetic
and progressive business men.

FRED R. BASTIAN.

In the enjoyment of a well earnetl rest at his present home in Malcom, I'Ved
R. Bastian and his estimable wife look back upon many years of active labor
and usefulness in the course of which they endeared themselves to neighbors
and friends and assisted very materially in promoting the welfare of the com-
munity. They are both natives of Prussia, Germany. Mr. Bastian was born
May 17, 1834, being the son of William and Mary (Crone) Bastian, both of
whom were born in Pomman, Germany.

Mr. Bastian, of this review, received his education in the common schools
and continued upon his father's farm until he was fourteen years of age. He
then hired out at thirty dollars per year as a farm hand and worked for wages
until 1862, when he was married to Miss Hannah Strebeng, a daughter of
Christian and Mary (Pessel) Strebeng, both of whom were natives of Prussia
and identified with the farming interests. The mother died in Germany and in
1868 Mr. Strebeng came to America where he died the same year at the home
of his son in Chicago, Illinois.

In 1868 Mr. Bastian crossed the ocean with his family to the new world
and for two years worked by the day on a farm near Wilton Center, Illinois,
then becoming a renter of land for six years in the same section. Having de-
cided to seek his fortune further west, he came to Iowa, and for thirteen years
rented a farm of one hundred and twenty acres. During these years, with
the assistance of his wife and by the practice of wise economy, he acquired
sufficient capital to buy eighty acres of land two miles east of Malcom, in
Poweshiek county. He met with such favorable results upon his farm that
two years later he purchased another tract of eighty acres in Bear township.
His fields responded to his care and labor and he became one of the sub-
stantial citizens of the county, continuing as an agriculturist and stock-raiser

146 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

until 1909, when he retired from active work, rented his farm, and he and his
wife are now hving at Malcom where they expect to spend the remainder of
their days. Two children were born to them, namely : Charles, now a farmer
of Malcom township, who married Miss Nellie Wickman, and has one daughter,
Nellie, aged fourteen j^ears ; and William, now living on a farm in Chester
township, who married Miss Lena Rohr, and who have two children : Powell,
eleven years of age, and Arnold, aged three years.

Mr. Bastian and his wife are consistent members of the German Lutheran
church of Malcom. In political faith he gives his adherence to the republican
party, but has never held public office, preferring to devote his time and energies
to his business and his family. Although seventy-seven years of age he is in
excellent health and bodily strength and is proud of the fact that he has never
experienced a single day's illness since arriving in America. Both he and his
wife are widely known in the county where they have lived so many years.
They have truly performed their part in enhancing the comfort and happiness
of those with whom they have associated.

ALVIN D. RAYL.

.A. well kept farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Washington township
which conveys the impression of comfort and prosperity is the homestead of
Alvin D. Rayl. He was born in this township April 24, 1864, a son of Hymelius
and Sarah J. (Macy) Rayl. The father was born in North Carolina. ]\Iarch
25, 1827, and the mother in Indiana. They were married in the latter state,
and later came to Poweshiek county and established a home in Sugar Creek
township. Subsequently they moved to Washington township, upon eighty
acres, and after a few years the farm was increased by the addition of sixty-
five acres. As old age approached they made their home with the subject of
this review where the father is now living, Mrs. Rayl having been called away
December 18, 1901. Mr. Rayl is a member of the Society of Friends and in
politics adheres to the republican party. In their family were eight children,
namely : William C, of Newton, Iowa ; Charles T., who is now living with
the subject of this review; Jabez H., of Union county, Iowa; Jesse M., of
Post, Kansas ; Esther A., the wife of Luther Stanley, of Jasper county ; Alvin
D. ; Estella, the wife of Harry Thompson, of Poweshiek county ; and Barclay
H., who resides in Texas.

.-Alvin D. Rayl received his education in the district schools of Washington
township and at the Lynnville high school. After completing his education he
assisted his father upon the home farm until reaching his majority, and then
rented land upon his own account in Washington township. After acquiring
sufficient capital he purchased sixty-five acres and, in 1894, bought eighty acres
of his father's land, to which he added another tract of eighty acres, disposing
of the si-xty-five acres which he originally owned. His farm which comprises
one hundred and sixty acres presents a neat and thrifty appearance and gives
evidence of a high state of cultivation and abundant annual returns. He makes

5" d

W
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HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 149

a specialty of raising hogs for the market and as he follows progressive modern
methods he is highly successful.

On the 25th of December, 1901, Mr. Rayl was married to Miss Molly J.
Revis, a daughter of J. W. and Catherine Revis, of Grinnell, Iowa. Three chil-
dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Rayl: Elsie, who was born April 4,
1903; Delbert, born June 6, 1905; and Thelma, born July 9, 1907.

Mr. Rayl has engaged in farming since his boyhood, and having early been
thoroughly instructed in farm work and management he has avoided many
mistakes of those less thoroughly trained and is now enjoying the fruits of
years of patient and carefully directed industry. In political belief he gives
his allegiance to the republican party and has served very acceptably as a mem-
ber of the school board. He is a stanch supporter of Christianity and holds
membership in the Society of Friends, an organization in which he was reared
and whose principles in an important degree have been his guide through life.
Possessing qualities which win success in business and the confidence of his
associates, he enjoys the good will of his neighbors and of all who know him.

EVAN S. EVANS, M. D.

Dr. Evan S. Evans, a successful medical practitioner of Grinnell, has built
up and is now enjoying an exterr^iv"?' -and .lucrative practice as a physician and
surgeon. His birth occurred in Hamgfepg.;.Iowa,- on the 20th of October, 1880,
his parents being William D. and Julia (Stark) Evans. The Evans family
has long been a prominent one in this, state, the grandfather of our subject,
Evan T. Evans, being one of the early Welsh Congregational ministers of Iowa
county. Both he and his wife, who bore the maiden name of Ann Davis, were
natives of Wales. They were married just before or just after their emigra-
tion to the new world, their first home being near Racine, Wisconsin, in the
Welsh colony of that section. About 1857 they came west to Iowa, locating in
Iowa county, where Evan J. Evans preached the gospel for a great many years,
becoming one of the most widely known early divines of the state. His
demise occurred in Iowa county sometime in the early '80s but his widow still
survives, making her home with a daughter in Williamsburg.

William D. Evans, the father of Dr. Evans, was born in Racine, Wisconsin,
in 1852 and was admitted to the bar after receiving his law degree from the
State University of Iowa. He was actively engaged in the practice of his pro-
fession at Hampton, Iowa, until about 1901, when he was elected judge of the
district court, thus serving until 1908. In that year he was appointed to fill
a vacancy as judge of the supreme court and on the expiration of the term
was regularly elected to the office, while in 1910 he was reelected. His wife
is the daughter of Benjamin Stark, who was a great-nephew of General John
Stark of Revolutionary fame. One of their sons, W^illiam Donald Evans, Jr.,
is a prominent attorney of Des Moines, while David W. Evans, an uncle of Dr.
Evans of this review, is a leading lawyer of Hampton, Iowa.

150 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

Evans S. Evans was reared under the parental ruof and was graduated irom
the Hampton high school with the class of 1897. He then entered Iowa College
and was graduated from that institution with the class of 1902, winning the
degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. In the fall of 1903 he took up the study of
medicine in Rush Medical College and, being given one year's credit because
of his degree, graduated from that institution in 190O. Subsequently he spent
six months as interne in the Chicago Emergency Hospital, while during the next
eighteen months he served an interneship in the Cook Couniy Hospital. Locat-
ing for practice at Brooklyn, Iowa, he there remained for a little less than a
year and then came to Grinnell, which town has since been the scene of his
professional labors. His practice has steadily grown in volume and impor-
tance as he has demonstrated his ability to cope with the intricate problems
which continually confront the physician in his efforts to restore health and
prolong life. He is a member of both the Poweshiek County Medical Society
and the Iowa State Medical Society, thus keeping in touch with the advance-
ment made by the profession.

In 1908 Dr. Evans was joined in wedlock to Miss Marabelle Baldwin, of
Whitewater, Wisconsin. He gives his political allegiance to the republican
party, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Congre-
gational church, to which his wife also belongs. Fraternally he is identified with
the Masons, belonging to Herman Lodge, No. iji. He is also a member
of the Modern Brotherhood of America and belongs to two Greek letter fra-
ternities, the Phi Beta Phi and the .\lpha Omega Alpha. He is conscientious
and faithful in the discharge of his professional duties and in his practice con-
forms closely to a high standard of professional ethics.

JOHN W. JACKSON.

John W. Jackson, wlui is engaged in stock-raising in Union township, was
born in Clinton county. Ohio, on the 15th of February, 1855. His father, Jesse
Jackson, was a native of the same place, his birth having occurred on the
24th of April, 1833. There he met and subsequently married Miss Catherine
Bryan, who was born in \'irginia on the 12th of October, 1832, iheir union
being solemnized on the 13th of .April, 1854. They began their domestic life
on a farm in Clinton county, contiiniing to reside there until 1858, in which
year they migrated to Iowa, living on a farm in Warren county for four years.
At the expiration of that period they returned to Ohio, where they resided for
eight years. In 1871 they again came to Iowa, locating on a farm which Mr.
Jackson purchased in L'nion township, Poweshiek county, and there he engaged
in general farming and stock-raising during the remainder of his active career.
He passed away on the 19th of October, 1902, but the mother is still living,
at the age of seventy-nine years, and continues to reside upon the old home-
stead. Mr. Jack.son was a member of the Society of Friends, while his political
supjjort he gave to the rejjublican party, by which body he was elected a mem-
ber of the board of school directors. Unto him and his wife were born four

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 151

children, the onler of tlieir birth being as follows; Jnhn W., our subject : I'llbridge
L.. who is living at home: Lillian, the wife of William Tindall, of Union town-
ship; and Adelia, who became the wife of Henry C. Saunders, of Jackson town-
ship.

The common schools of Clinton county, Ohio, and Union township, Pow-
eshiek county, provided John W. Jackson with his preliminary education, fol-
lowing which he attended Penn College at Oskaloosa, Iowa. After the com-
pletion of his education he remained at home and engaged in teaching school
for five or six years. He subsequently decided that he preferred to follow
agricultural pursuits and so purchased a farm in Union township, where, in
addition to the cultivation of his fields, he breeds and raises thoroughbred
shorthorn cattle and Polanrl China hogs, which has proven to be a very lucra-
tive business.

Fraternally Mr. Jackson is aiflliated with the Masonic order, holding mem-
bership in the lodge of Montezuma. His political support he has accorded the
republican party ever since granted the right of franchise on attaining his ma-
jority. He is now serving as township assessor, has filled the office of town-
ship clerk and is also acting in the capacity of secretary of the scnool board.
Mr. Jackson is one of the public-spirited and progressive citizens of Union town-
ship as well as a capable business man, whose judgment and opinion has consid-
erable influence in local matters.

WILLIS CLINTON BENSON.

Willis Clinton Benson, who is engaged in the produce business in Sears-
boro, was born in Fayette county, Ohio, on the 23d of October, 1846, and is a
son of James and Sarah (McPowell) Benson. The parents were also natives
of Fayette county, where the mother passed away in 1848. The father, who
was a cobbler, migrated to Iowa in 1850, locating in Benton county, where he
followed his trade for two years. He purchased a farm at the end of that time
and engaged in agricultural pursuits, continuing to be identified with that avoca-
tion until about twenty-five years prior to his demise, which occurred on the
15th of April, 1896. Mr. Benson was a republican in politics and fraternally
he affiliated with the Masonic order. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Benson
there were born two children of whom the daughter. Sarah M., who is now
deceased, was the younger.

.\s he was only a lad of four years when his father settled in Iowa, Willis
Clinton Benson obtained his education in the common schools of Benton county.
The experiences of his early years were very similar to those of the majority
of boys who spend their lives in the rural districts. He early became familiar
with the routine work of the homestead, his duties and responsibilities increasing
with his age and development, .-\fter leaving school he gave his entire atten-
tion to the work of the farm until he was twenty-two years of age. He subse-
quently came to Poweshiek county, locating in Sugar Creek township, but later
he removed to Clarke county. Iowa, and purchased a farm upon which he
resided for four vear'~. Disposing of his interest at the expiration of that time

152 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

he returned to Poweshiek county, settling in Sugar Creek township, where
he rented a farm. He followed agricultural pursuits until 1893, when he
removed to Searsboro and engaged in the produce business for four years. At
the end of that period he withdrew from this occupation and returned to the
country, where he engaged in general farming until 1906, when he again went
into the produce business, this time being associated with Charles Evans. At
the end of the first year he purchased his partner's interest, and has ever since
conducted the business alone. He handled all kinds of produce, in addition to
which he is also the agent for the DeLaval cream separator.

On the 7th of May, 1871, Mr. Benson was united in marriage to Miss
Emma Tish, a daughter of Samuel R. and Catherine (Shafer) Tish. Her
father was a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Ohio, in which state
they were also married. The father, who was a farmer and a cabinet-maker by
trade, came to Iowa in the early days, acquiring a farm of two hundred and
fifteen acres in Sugar Creek township. The mother passed away on the home-
stead in 1897, and the demise of the father occurred in the same place in April,
1904. He was a democrat, and Mrs. Tish was a member of the Christian
church. Mrs. Benson is also a native of the Buckeye state, her birth having oc-
curred there in 1853. To Mr. and Mrs. Benson were born the following chil-
dren: Willis, who is a resident of Clemens Grove, Iowa; Elizabeth, the wife of
Horace Ent, of Grinnell ; Sarah Ann, who is deceased ; Alta, the wife of Richard
Myeis, of Sugar Creek township; Ida, who married Herman Kluger, of Swea
City, Iowa ; Charles A., who is living in Grinnell ; and Goldie, the wife of Ros-
coe Bartlett, of Brighton, Iowa.

His political support Mr. Benson gives to the democracy. He has served
as city marshal, while for the past five or six terms he has acted as constable.
In matters religious the views of both himself and wife coincide with the
principles of the Friends church, in which they hold membership and in the
faith of which they reared their family.

JOHN EIRP.

Starting as a boy on his own account John Eirp, who is now the owner
of a valuable farm in Poweshiek county, worked his way through many ob-
stacles and attained a position of comparative independence. The efforts which
he was obliged to make strengthened the muscles and also developed his
character, so that he is today highly respected, not alone on account of his suc-
cess in business, but also because of his reputation for honest and straightfor-
ward dealing, which is an asset greatly to be valued.

He was born in Keokuk county, Iowa, in March, i860, a son of Andrew
and Sarah ( Johnson j Eirp, the former of whom was born in Columbus, Ohio,
and the latter in West Virginia. The father of our subject removed to Keokuk
county, Iowa, in 1858, and there engaged in farming for eleven years. He then
moved to Missouri, but after two years returned to this state and settled per-
manently in Poweshiek county, where he engaged in farming until his death,

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 158

which occurred in 1901. The mother is still living and makes her home in this
county.

John Eirp received limited advantages of education in the district schools
as he was obliged to begin working for wages at the age of twelve years. He
continued to work by the month until he was twenty-eight years of age and
in the course of this time became thoroughly acquainted with all the details of
farming and stock-raising. About 1888 he rented land in Jefferson township,
which he later purchased, and now owns a farm of two hundred acres. The
farm is beautifully located and is provided with modern improvements, making
it one of the desirable places of the township. He feeds cattle and raises Poland
China hogs for the market. He also buys and sells horses and is regarded as
an expert in the various lines to which he devotes his attention.

In April, 1888, Mr. Eirp was married to Miss Ella H. Meyer, a daughter of
Henry and Veronica (Buhl) Meyer. The parents were both born in Germany
and emigrated to this country. The father was a ship carpenter and became a
successful farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Eirp have six children: Ethel, who married A.
M. McCarty, a farmer of Jefferson township, and who is the mother of three
children, Harry, Howard and Jessie ; Maggie : Andrew ; Orrin ; Carrie ; and
James, all of whom are residing at home.

Politically Mr. Eirp casts his ballot in support of the democratic party, the
principles of which he endorses as essential to the permanency and prosperity
of the nation. He has through life been accustomed to work, having early
learned its value, and he and his estimable wife have reared their children so
that they may become useful and efficient members of society, willing to make
sacrifices if necessary for the promotion of the comfort and happiness of
others, and also desirous at all times of performing their part in whatsoever
station they may be found. Mr. Eirp takes just pride in his family and in his
farm, and as he is energetic and capable in whatever he undertakes he ranks
as one of the successful men of the county.

C. F. RANDALL.

A well tilled quarter section in Chester township has yielded most gratify-
ing returns for the labor expended by the owner, C. F. Randall, who during
the entire period of his active career has been engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Mr. Randall was born on the 17th of January, i860, in Jackson county, Iowa,
and is a son of John and Mary (Words) Randall, natives of England. They
were married on the i8th of November, 1857, the ceremony taking place in New-
York city. Immediately following this event they went to Jackson county,
where Mr. Randall, who was a Methodist minister, had a charge to which he
had been ministering for some time. They remained residents of Jackson
county until 1877, at which time they removed to Poweshiek county, locating
upon a farm in Sheridan township. Mr. Randall had left the ministry in 1859.
just two years after his marriage, engaging from that time on in agricultural
pursuits. In 1905 he removed to Everson, near Puget Sound, Washington,

154 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COL-XTV

where he is now hving retired. Three children were born unto Mr. and Mrs.
Randall, the son, C. F., subject of this review, being the eldest.

Being reared upon a farm C. F. Randall acquired his education in the dis-
trict schools of Jackson county, having resided there until he was seventeen
years of age. In his boyhood and youth he always gave his father such as-
sistaiice as he was able to perform in the cultivation of the homestead, and Dy
the time he had reached manhood had quite a comprehensive knowledge of
agricultural methods. The training of his early years has ever been put to
the best use and he now owns one of the good farms of Chester township, in
the cultivation of which he has been engaged since 1901. Subsequent to his
marriage in 1887 Mr. Randall and his bride removed to Nebraska where they
continued to live for nine years, then returned to Poweshiek county, where
he engages in general farming.

Mrs. Randall, who prior to her marriage on the 5th of January, 1887, was
Miss Nellie M. Wolcott, was a daughter of Edwin and Angeline A. (Barnum)
VV'olcott. The parents were natives of New York, but were living in Iowa at
the time on their marriage. They removed to Poweshiek county in 1871.
Three children were born unto Mr. and Mrs. Randall : Charles C, who is a
graduate of Grinnell .Academy, at Grinnell : and Mary A. and Raymond G.
Mrs. Randall, who was the second in order of birth of the nine children born
unto her parents, passed away on the 24th of February, 1908, at the age of
forty-two years, three months and eighteen days.

The family affiliate with the Methodist Episcopal denomination, their iden-
tification being with the church at Senora. An ardent republican Mr. Randall
gives his political support to the candidates of that party, but as he is not an
office seeker does not prominently participate in local activities of a govern-
mental nature.

GEORGE COX.

.Mihough George Cox is now practically living retired he is still financially
interested in the mercantile enterprise conducted under the style of C. N. Cox
& Company at Deep River, one of the largest concerns of its kind in this section
of Poweshiek coiintw

He was born in (iuernsey county. Ohio, March 9, 1839, a son of Ephraim
and Margaret (Christy) Cox. the father born in Ohio, in 1801, and the mother
in Pennsylvania in the same year. The paternal grandfather, Christopher Cox,
was a trader with the Indians in Ohio. The maternal grandparents were natives
of Scotland but emigrated to the new world in an early day, making a location
in Pennsylvania. Ephraim Cox was reared in the F)Uckeye state and was there
married to Miss Margaret Christy, making his home in that state until 1854,
which year witnessed his arrival in Poweshiek county. He here entered four
hundred acres of land in Deep River townshiji and at once began to develop and
iin|)rove his property, and it eventually became very valuable. In his home place
lie h;i(l line huiiilrcd and furty acres, and he .'ilso made many improvements on

(M'.oitiii-: ( <>x

MRS. (;i:oi!(iK cox

THE NEW YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR, LENOX AND
TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 159

this land. He and his wife reared a family of eight children: Nancy, who be-
came the wife of George HufTman, and who died in Indiana; Robert, who makes
his home in Deep River; Mary Jane, the widow of William Cochran, a resident
of Fort Collins, Colorado ; Samuel, who lost his life by the explosion of a boiler
in a sawmill in 1856: Christopher, a resident of Nebraska; Mrs. Sarah Ann
Farmer, who departed this life in Kansas ; Mrs. Margaret Wherry, a resident
of Guernsey, Iowa ; and George, whose name introduces this review. Both the
parents have long since passed away, the father dying in 1862, and the mother
in 1877. They were numbered among the worthy pioneers of this section of
Poweshiek county. The old home in Deep River was situated on the old stage
line between Iowa City and Grinnell and was the stopping place for travelers in
1857-61.

George Cox was reared in Ohio until he reached the age of fifteen years when,
in 1854, he accompanied his parents on their removal to Poweshiek county. He
here assisted his father in making a home on the frontier and in cultivating his
land until the time of the latter's death, when he undertook the management of
the farm for his mother, so continuing for four years. He then began farming
on his own account, purchasing two hundred and forty acres of raw prairie, on a
part of which the village of Deep River now stands. He added to his original
holdings from time to time until he became the owner of four hundred and
twentv acres, but he has sold off some of this and now has four hundred acres,
on which he erected a fine modern horac-threeyears ago.' In 1870, in connection
with his brother-in-law, E. M. Funk, We erig'Agecl in -general snerchandising at the
old town of Dresden but, in 1884. when the railroad' was built through the village
of Deep River, he moved his stock of goods to this place and has been interested
in the enterprise from that time to the present. He is, however, now living
jiractically retired, the business being managed by his son; C. N., the firm being
known under the style of C. N. Cox & Company. In the years that have passed
they have built up a splendid trade and this is one of the large and important
concerns of this part of the county. In addition to this Mr. Cox also had various
other interests for, in 1884, he also purchased an elevator at Brooklyn, which
he moved to this place, and until 1900 conducted a grain, coal and lumber busi-
ness. He also had considerable stock in the bank at Deep River. Mr. Cox, dur-
ing the years of his active connection with business affairs, amassed a consider-
able amount of money, which he has invested in Louisiana lands, owning today
fifteen hundred acres which he rents for the cultivation of rice. From this in-
vestment he derives a substantial income that enables him to spend the evening
of his days in practical retirement, and he now merely gives supervision to his
financial interests.

Mr. Cox was married in 1866 to Miss Catharine Funk, who was born in Ogle
county, Illinois, in 1848, her natal day being October 27. She came with her
parents, Michael and Adaline (Newcomer") Funk, to Deep River in July, 1854,
and has lived here from that time to the present. The parents were both natives
of Washington county, Maryland, the father born March 16, 1823, and the
mother, February 15, 1824. They were reared and married in that state and in
1847 came north, establishing their home in Ogle county, Illinois. In 1854, as
above stated, they came to Poweshiek county, and for many years the father

160 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

worked in the store with his son-in-law, Mr. Cox. In 1888 he went to Louisiana,
where he engaged in the mercantile business and was also appointed postmaster
at Roanoke. He eventually returned to Poweshiek county, however, and passed
away here November 20, 1899, when he was seventy-six years of age. The
mother, surviving him for only a few months, departed this life June 2, 1900,
at the same age. Their family numbered six children, namely : Catharine, now
Mrs. Cox ; Henry, a practicing attorney of Rogers, Arkansas ; Emanuel, an at-
torney of Rogers, Arkansas ; George, who is a Congregational minister of Fort
Worth, Texas ; Martin, who died at the age of eighteen months ; and Lee, a
merchant of Iowa, Louisiana.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Cox has been blessed with lour children : C. N.,
a merchant of Deep River ; Ervvin, who died at the age of two years : Alma,
the wife of Hon. George E. Grier, of Deep River ; and Hattie, the wife of
Walter Light, a resident of West Liberty.

Mr. Cox cast his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln m i860 and
has voted for every republican candidate for the presidency since that time. He
has been called by his fellow townsmen to fill some township offices, btit has
never aspired to public position. He is a member of the Presbyterian church,
in which he has served as a trustee for the past ten years. His fraternal rela-
tions are indicated by his membership in the Masonic order and in the Modern
Woodmen of America. He has ever been alert — quick to note and improve op-
portunities for advancement — and coming to this section at an early day he
exercised sound judgment in the investment of his capital, which has been
thereby greatly increased and now leaves him in comfortable circumstances.
He has not directed his attention to one line but has ventured into various fields,
and in all these directions his efforts have been crowned with success — the
success which may always with safety be predicted as the reward of steady,
strong and well directed energy, and the results of his life work are being left
as monuments to his activity.

N. W. CESSNA.

Possessing natural talent for mercantile life, N. W. Cessna gave up farming
fifteen years ago and settled in Grinnell, where he has ever since been identified
with the meat business. He is one of the valued men in the community and by
close application and the exercise of sound judgment he has attained a goodly
measure of financial success. He was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania.
August 13, 1857, a son of Thomas R. and Sarah A. (Koerner) Cessna, also
natives of Bedford county.

The Cessnas are of Huguenot ancestry and are direct descendants of Count
John De Cessna. In 1690, owing to persecution of the Huguenots, about
twelve hundred of the nobility of France, together with about half a million
of the Protestant faith fled to England, Holland, Switzerland and Denmark, an
official proclamation having been made by those countries (iroffering refuge to
the oppressed. Many of the refugees entered military service and among these

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 161

was Count John De Cessna, who in 1690 distinguished himself as an officer
under Duke De Schomberg at the battle of the Boyne in Ireland. He remained
in Ireland until 1718 and then crossed the ocean to America, settling in Pennsyl-
vania, where he died in 1751. One of his sons, John De Cessna, located in Bed-
ford county, Pennsylvania, and the family became very prominent. He was
a member of the provincial assembly and also of the constitutional convention
of 1775. He joined with all his heart in the patriotic cause and served
as colonel in the Revolutionary war. The Hon. John Cessna, member of the
forty-first and forty-third congresses of the United States, belonged to this
family and was a brother of Thomas R. Cessna, both of them being great-
grandsons of Colonel John De Cessna.

Thomas R. Cessna was a son of Williain and Rachel (Morgaret) Cessna.
He was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, October 27, 1827, and possessed
limited opportunities of education in the schools but became a man of strong
character and great integrity, gaining the confidence and respect of all with
whom he associated. He was married, in 1848, to Sarah A. Koerner, who
was rilso a native of Bedford county, and in 1838 with his wife and three chil-
tlren came to Scott county, Iowa, and located upon a farm which he purchased
near Davenport. He and his wife reared a family of seven children, all of
whom are now living. He was very successful in business and took an active
part in i)ublic affairs, discharging his duties as a public officer with the same
mterest that he evinced in his private business. In 1885, desiring to be near
his children who had settled at Grinnell, he disposed of his farm in Scott
county and came to this city. However, he was not yet prepared for a life of
inactivitv, and he engaged for ten years in a profitable real-estate business. He
was 7\ stanch believer in the authority and inspiration of the Bible and served
for many years as an officer of the Methodist Episcopal church. He died on
March 26, 191 1, having arrived at the venerable age of eighty-four years.

N. W. Cessna was brought to Scott county, Iowa, by his parents in 1858
and was reared to manhood on his father's farm. He possessed limited op-
portunities of education in the district schools but has since made up for this
deficiency, being a man of close observation and good general reading. He
engaged in faming until 1896 and then came to Grinnell and engaged in the
meat business, being now identified with the Grinnell Provision Company. He
is recognized as a prominent factor in the business circles of the city, being ener-
getic and progressive in his tnethods. The company with which he is connected
has attained a high standard of efficiency and theirs is known as one of the im-
portant and paying establishments of Grinnell. Mr. Cessna is also a director of
the Merchants National Bank and has served for the past twelve years as treas-
urer of the Poweshiek Mutual Insurance Company. He is an active working
member of the Merchants and Manufacturers Association of the city and may
always be counted upon to assist in forwarding every cause that seeks to promote
the permanent interests of the community.

In December, 1882, Mr. Cessna was united in marriage to Miss Nannie S.
Skiles. of Muscatine county, Iowa, and three children came to bless this union.
M. Pearl, Ruby and Maud O. M. Pearl was graduated from Iowa College at
Grinnell, in 1906, and then took a post-graduate course of one year at the

162 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. She is now a successful teacher of the
Grinnell high school. Ruby is deceased. Maud O. received her education at
Iowa College and the University of Illinois, grarluating from the latter institu-
tion in 1910. She is now a teacher in the high school of Rockwell City.

Mr. Cessna was reared a democrat but in 1896 he espoused the gold stand-
ard platform and has since given his adherence to the republican party. Fra-
ternally he is identified with Grinnell Lodge, No. 175, K. P. He and his family
are sincere members of the Methodist church and for many years he has served
as trustee of the local organization. Pioth he and his wife are well known and
are held in high regard by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.

MERRICK H. GRAHAM.

Few residents of Madison township, Poweshiek county, are held in higher
respect than he whose name introduces this review. A native of Pennsylvania,
Merrick H. Graham was born in Bradford township, Clearfield county, on the
5th of July, 1846, a son of John and Amelia (Nefif) Graham, of Irish and Ger-
man descent respectively. The father, a farmer by occupation, came to Iowa
when fifty years of age, locating on a farm in Madison township, Poweshiek
county. This remained his home until the time of his death, which occurred
in 1884. His wife survived him for five years, passing away on the old
homestead.

Reared amid the busy activities of farm life Merrick H. Graham early
learned the value of industry, energy and thrift, and under the direction of his
father acquired a thorough practical knowledge of the best methods of carrying
on agricultural pursuits. He came west with his parents on their removal to
Iowa from the Keystone state, spending two years in Scott county, and thence
came to Poweshiek county, where for forty-seven years he has made his home
upon the farm upon which he now resides.

He remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-eight years of age,
arid at that time was married, thus laying the foundation for a happy home
life of his own. After the death of his father he took possession of the old
home place and has since continued its operation, in which connection he has
been most successful. It is a well improved farm of two hundred acres, located
on section 3, Madison township, contains no waste land whatever, is well tiled,
and contains a fine dwelling and substantial barns and outbuildings.

Mr. Graham has a fine orchard of two and a half acres and is an extensive
raiser of grain. He also devotes considerable time to his stock interests, making
a specialty of shorthorn cattle, being the owner of a good herd, all of which is
nearly full-blooded stock. The excellent condition of his home place denotes
the spirit of progress, enterprise and thrift on the part of its owner, and the
gratifying results which have attended his efforts are well merited, for at all
times his methods have been practical and his dealings of the most honorable
character.

HISTORY OF I'OWIvSIllEK COL'XTV 163

On the 28th of October, 1873, in Brooklyn, Mr. Graham was united in mar-
riage to Miss Sybil Adan, a daughter of George and Anna ( Jansen) Adan, both
of whom were born in the central part of Germany, and in the same village.
Mr. Adam, who was a farmer, brought his family to America when Mrs. Graham
was a maiden of fifteen years of age, the family home being established in Free-
port, Illinois. After a residence in that city of ten years they took up their
abode upon a farm in Carroll county, Iowa, where the parents passed their
remaining days, the father passing away in 1894 and the mother in the year
following. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Graham have been born seven children, five
of whom are still living, namely : Dena, who married Port Walker, engaged
in railroading in Eagle Grove, Iowa ; Frank, who married Miss Lucy Beattle,
of llaven, Iowa, and now makes his home at Tama, Tama county, Iowa; Maude,
the wife of Rowland O. Harman, a well known young farmer of Madison
township ; Grace and Allen, both of whom are still at home. The other two
children passed away in infancy — George, at the age of three weeks and
Mamie when nine months old.

Mr. and Mrs. Graham are members of the Christian church of Aladison
township, and are people of the highest traits of character. In politics Mr.
Graham is a stanch republican, but is not an office seeker, and although he
served one term as road supervisor he has refused repeatedly, when he would
have been elected by his fellow citizens, to serve as a member of the district
school board. He is not lacking, however, in interest in public affairs, but is
public-spirited in his citizenship, giving his cooperation to all measures which he
deems for the best interests of the community. A man of good business ability,
which has won for him substantial success, and actuated in all of his dealings
by the most honorable and upright principles, he also possesses those per<;onal
characteristics which command the confidence and good will of his fellowmen
and place him among the highly respected and valued residents of Madison
township.

JOHN HENRY BLATHERWICK.

One of the well known citizens of Grinnell, a veteran of the Civil war, a
successful man of business and the head of a remarkable family of scholars
is John Henry Blatherwick whose name introduces this review. He is a native of
Portage county, Ohio, born April 16, 1840, and is a son of James and Matilda
(Caswell) Blatherwick. The father was born at Nottingham, England, and the
mother in New York state. In 1845 the family removed to Waukegan, Illi-
nois, where the father followed farming, but was subsequently engaged in the
insurance business in Chicago, where both he and his wife made their home
throughout the remainder of their lives. In their family were eleven children
and of this number three of the sons were soldiers of the Civil war. Our sub-
ject's paternal grandfather was one of the first lace-makers in Nottingham,
England, came to the United .States with his seven sons, and James, being

164 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

the eldest carried seven thousand dollars in gold in a belt strapped around his
waist.

John H. Blathervvick received his early education in the common schools
and after laying his books aside became connected with agricultural interests
in Illinois. At the time of the Civil war he enlisted in the Fifty-first Illinois
Infantry and served as a member of the band until honorably discharged and
mustered out at Corinth, Mississippi. Returning from the war, he rented a
farm in Illinois for two years and then came to Iowa and engaged in farming
for twelve years in Pdackhawk county. Subsequently he lived in Carroll
county, Iowa : Antelope county, Nebraska, and Sioux county, Iowa, finally
taking up his residence at Grinnell in 1903, where he has since continued.

In December, 1869, Mr. Blatherwick was united in marriage to Miss Nettie
McArthur, of lilackhawk county, a daughter of John McArthur, who was
born in Scotland. The following children were born unto Mr. and Mrs.
Blatherwick, namely: Wilfred E., who is now a practicing physician of Drake,
North Dakota: John Clarence, engaged in farming at Breckenridge, Minnesota;
Charles, deceased; Ada, who is the wife of Professor Wiley, of the Iowa State
University : George, who graduated from Rush Medical College of Chicago,
and is now engaged in practice at Denver, Colorado : Alexander, also a grad-
uate of Rush Medical College of Chicago and now practicing at Los Angeles,
California: Belle, a teacher at Iowa City: and Norman, who is now taking a
post-graduate course at the University of Illinois. The children have attained
a remarkable record in educational lines, all of them except .-Xda, who was
graduated in Music at Epworth Conservatory and finished study in Chicago,
being graduates of Grinnell College, and three of the sons are successfully
engaged in the practice of medicine. During a period extending over eighteen
years one or more of the children were in attendance at Grinnell College.

Politically Mr Blatherwick supports the men and measures of the republi-
can party — an organization with which he has been in hearty sympathy ever
since he cast his first ballot fifty years ago, in 1861. In religious belief he is a
Congregationalist and fraternally he holds membership in Gordon Granger Post,
No. 64, G. A. R. Mr. Blatherwick has passed the seventy-first milestone on life's
journey and looks back on many years of pleasing and useful labor. His
efforts have not been expended entirely in pursuit of selfish aims as he has
many times extended a helping hand to a weary or disheartened fellowman
and today he enjoys in an unusual degree the confidence and respect of a large
circle of the best citizens of Grinnell.

DANIEL L. GORSUCH.

Nature seems to have intended that man, in the evening of life, should rest
from further labor after an active career which has had its dawn of hope and
promise and its noontide of activity and achievement. Such has been the record
of Daniel L. Gorsuch, who is now living retired in Montezuma, after many
years of earnest toil and well directed effort. Born in Delaware county, Ohio,

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 165

on the 22d of March, 1837, he is a son of Joshua and Mary (Bosley) Gorsuch,
both natives of Maryland. The parents continued to reside in that state until
the late '30s, after which they emigrated to Ohio and thence, in 1844, to Iowa,
where the father, a farmer by occupation, located a claim in Mahaska county.
There the mother passed away on the 22d of March, 1848, and in the spring
of 1856 the father sold his farm and removed to Jackson county, Kansas, where
he spent his remaining days. In his family were eight children, as follows :
Sarah, the deceased wife of John Morrison; Thomas, also deceased; Mary
Ann, who married John Deardorff, and has also passed away ; Rebecca, the de-
ceased wife of Pleasant Deardorff; Daniel L., of this review; Dorcus, who
married Isaac Nelson, of Kansas; Matilda, the wife of a Mr. Purdy, residing
in California; and Charles, who passed away in infancy.

Daniel L. Gorsuch was a little lad of seven years when he came to Iowa
with his parents in 1844, at which time Poweshiek county was still a frontier
district, where but three or four families had located. He remained on a farm
in Mahaska county until the spring of 1856, when he accompanied his father
on his removal to Kansas and there made his home for about four years. In
the fall of i860 he arrived in Poweshiek county, locating on a farm in Jackson
township, which remained the scene of his activities throughout his connection
with agricultural pursuits. This tract, consisting of two hundred acres, is lo-
cated about a mile from the Mahaska county line and is a well improved prop-
erty, its neat appearance and high state of development being due in large meas-
ure to the efforts of Mr. Gorsuch. He was practical and systematic in the
conduct of his affairs, ever adhered to progressive methods and as the years
passed by his industry, perseverance and thrift made it possible for him to
accumulate a competency which was substantial and creditable. Indeed, he
was able to withdraw from active labor in 1908 and on the 25th of December
of that year he took up his abode in Montezuma, where he now lives retired.
He yet retains possession of his farm, however, the rental from which proves
a most gratifying source of revenue.

Mr. Gorsuch was married, on the 30th of May, i860, in Mahaska county,
Iowa, to Miss Mary Jane Murrow, who was born in Parke county, Indiana, on
the 8th of August, 1842. She removed to Mahaska county, Iowa, in the fall of
1850 in company with her parents, Benjamin and Sarah (Blue) Murrow, both
natives of Kentucky. They were married in the Blue Grass state but removed
to Indiana in early pioneer days. Both passed away in Mahaska county, Iowa.
In their family were six children, of whom Mrs. Gorsuch was the youngest.
The others were as follows : James R., now deceased ; David, who enlisted from
Montezuma for service in the Civil war, became a soldier of the Twenty-eighth
Iowa Infantry and died during his term of service; Margaret A., the deceased
wife of Thomas B. Gorsuch, a brother of our subject; Martha, who passed away
at the age of twelve years, her death occurring three days after the family
home was established in Iowa ; and Thomas A., a resident of Wayne county.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Gorsuch were born twelve children, namely : Sarah
Elizabeth, the wife of James Bangham, of Grinnell ; Dwight, who passed away
at the age of nine months ; Angeline, who married John Tilford, of New
Sharon, Iowa ; Fred, a resident of Kansas ; Edward, who passed away in Feb-

166 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

ruary, 1908, leaving a widow and five children ; George, of Boone county : John
B., who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume; Lily May, the deceased wife of
Oliver Kirby, who is survived by two sons : Rose, who passed away at the
age of twelve years ; Laura, the wife of Frank Butler, residing on Mr. Gorsuch's
farm in Jackson township ; Clay, yet at home ; and one who died in infanc}'.

Fraternally Mr. Gorsuch is connected with the Knights of Pythias, being a
prominent and well known member of that lodge, and in politics he is a repub-
lican, upholding the principles of that party since age conferred upon him the
right of franchise. He cast his first vote in 1858, while a resident of Jackson
county, Kansas, and following his arrival there in 1856 was a witness of much
political excitement in that state just prior to the Civil war. Since becoming
a citizen of Poweshiek county he has held several township offices but has
never been a politician in the usually accepted sense of the term. Starting out
in life with no especially favorable advantages, his educational opportunities
being limited to those afforded in the little log schoolhouses of that day, Mr.
Gorsuch has, nevertheless, worked his way steadily upward in the business
world until he is now able to live in honorable retirement as a result of a life
of continuous activity, in which the salient elements have been enterprise, per-
severance and integrity. He has already passed the Psalmist's allotted span of
three score years and ten and can look back upon a past which has ever been
characterized by honest endeavor and high principles.

MILES CHAFEE.

Although now in his ninetieth year Miles Chafee is acceptably filling the
office of notary public and still retains his interest in public affairs and the
progress of the world. He has been a resident of Grinnell for more than forty
years and is one of its valued citizens. Born in Erie county, New York, Octo-
ber 20, 1 82 1, he is a son of Charles and Polly (Miles) Chafee, both of whom
were natives of Vermont. They settled at Springville, New York, in 1817,
being among the pioneers of that section. Our subject's paternal grandfather.
Stephen Chafee, served in the Revolutionary war under General Washington,
who signed the papers bearing record of his honorable discharge from the
army.

Miles Chafee received his early education in the common schools and later
attended Spring\'ille .Academy near Buffalo, New York, .\fter completing his
educational training he taught school for ten years, but he was not entirely sat-
isfied with that vocation and accordingly he became a carpenter and builder
and continued in that business for many years. In 1855 he removed to Allen
Grove, Walworth county. Wisconsin, and thirteen years later, in 1868, arrived
in Grinnell. Here he engaged in the manufacture of fanning mills until 1880,
when he retired from the manufacturing business and has since rlevotefl his
attention largely to official duties.

In 1847 Mr. Chafee was married at Springville, New York, to Miss Caro-
line E. Miner, a daughter of Marvin M. and Betty (Gross) Miner. Both of

IIH. AMI MKS. Mir.KS CHAFEE

THE NEW ,,^.-,,

PUBLIC LIBRARY

TILDEN FOiJUOATIONS.

HISTORY UF I'UWESlllEK COUNTY 169

the parents were natives of New York state. The father was an elder in the
Presbyterian church. Three children came to bless the union of Mr. and
Mrs. Chafee. namely: Addie G., now the widow of John Walker; Charles M.,
who engages in farming at Billings, Montana; and Susan M., the wife of Charles
Taylor, who engages in the advertising business in Chicago.

Politically Mr. Chafee was originally a supporter of the whig party but he
has voted with the republican party ever since its organization in 1856. He has
held a number of important local offices, being elected township trustee one year
after his arrival at Grinnell. He served as county coroner for five years, as
town treasurer for many years, as justice of the peace for more than twenty-
eight years, and for thirty-two years filled the office of township clerk. At the
present time he is serving as notary public. In 1843 he joined the Presbyter-
ian church but in later years has been affiliated with the Congregational church.
Successful in his business affairs and surrounded by scores of friends, this
venerable and respected man in the evening of a useful life passes his days in
peace and comfort. The esteem in which he is universally held in the city of
his adoption is evidence of his personal worth.

DR. JAMES H. FRIEND.

The osteopathic school for treatment of physical ills of humanity has a
worthy representative in Dr. James," .y. Friend, of Grinnell, whose increasing
clientage is evidence of the esteerti'.ij(l_;^h|ch he is held in this city. He was
born in Poweshiek county on a farm about twelve miles south of Grinnell, June
20, 1859, a son of Franklin and Martha^J. ..(Stanley ) Friend. The father was a
native of Illinois and the mother of Virgiiiia." ' The grandparents on both sides of
the family came to Poweshiek county. The paternal grandfather, Elijah Friend,
arrived here in 1849 and located three miles northeast of Lynnville, adjoining the
Jasper county line, while the maternal grandfather, John T. Stanley, reached
here in 1851 and located in Sugar Creek township, five miles east of Lynnville.
Franklin Friend was married to Martha J. Stanley at Montezuma in 1853, the
ceremony being performed by Rev. James Johnson. He located on land in Wash-
ington township, which he cultivated to good advantage until 1864, when he
yielded to the gold excitement and started for the Montana gold fields. After ar-
riving at the miles he selected a location in Jefferson valley and staked out a
mining claim, which he proposed to work later. In 1865 he started homeward
but on reaching Fort Benton found that the boat in which he expected to take
passage down the river was delayed. A large amount of government supplies
was received at the fort about this time and there being no warehouse in which
to store them volunteers were called for to go into the forest and cut logs for
a house. This was dangerous service as the Indians were lurking in the vicinity
and were highly incensed at the encroachments of the white men upon their
hunting grounds. Mr. Friend and about a dozen companions volunteered to
perform the work and while engaged in this undertaking the party was ambushed
and every man was killed. Mrs. Friend was later married to Levi H. McDowell,

170 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

who came to Poweshiek county with his parents in 1848. She died January 31,
1896.

James H. Friend was reared upon the home farm and notwithstanding the
death of his father he secured good advantages of education. After attending
the district schools he became a student at Grinnell Academy and later at
Callanan College, which was under general supervision of Drake University.
In 1887, having thoroughly prepared himself, he took up teaching as a profes-
sion and for seventeen years taught in various schools of the county, becoming
recognized as one of the most capable educators in this section of the state. In
1904, however, be became interested in osteopathy and entered the American
School of Osteopathy at Kirksville, Missouri, from which he was graduated in
1906. He immediately opened offices at Grinnell but shortly afterward was in-
vited to Story City to take charge of the practice of Dr. O. F. Beckett, who was
temporarily called away. The absence of Dr. Beckett was prolonged and Dr.
Friend remained three years in Story City. In 1909 he returned to Grinnell,
where he maintains well appointed offices and has built up an extensive practice.

On the 24th of December, 1888, he was united in marriage to Miss Myra
McDonald, a native of Poweshiek county, and by this union six children have
been born, namely : Gladys, who was educated at Grinnell high school and
Iowa College and is now successfully teaching in the district schools; Arthur
McDonald, a student in the high school ; Leona and James, who are attending
the graded school ; Myra A. ; and Homer C.

Dr. Friend has seen no reason to regret giving up his profession as a teacher
to engage in the healing art. From the beginning of his practice he has evinced
a natural adaptability to the vocation and his services are steadily growing in
demand, his patients being numbered among his best friends and most en-
thusiastic advocates. He is an intelligent gentleman and as he has been a life-
long student and investigator he has a highly cultivated mind which has been
brightened by contact with the world and also by systematic study and reflec-
tion. His skill in the treatment either of acute or chronic diseases is widely
acknowledged throughout this part of the state. Politically he is independent,
preferring to vote for the man rather than for the party, and fraternally he is
identified with Herman Lodge, No. 273, A. F & A. M., of Grinnell, and Baldur
Lodge, No. 279, Knights of Pythias, of Story City.

J. HENRY HINK, Sr.

In this work are to be found some remarkable instances of success financially,
showing the difficulties that may be overcome by one who is determined to
accomplish a worthy object in life. The record of J. Henry Hink, Sr.. is one
that should encourage every aspiring young man. He arrived in America from
a foreign land almost without a dollar in his pockets, and today he is the owner
of five hundred and sixty acres of good land in Poweshiek county and one of
the highly respected members of the community. He was born in Hanover.

HISTORY OF I'OWMSlllEK COUNTY 171

Germany. August 23, 1851, and is a son of tienry and Anna (Moritz) Hink,
both of whom spent their entire lives in the old country.

I. Henry Hink, Sr., was the youngest member of a family of si.x children
and grew to fifteen years of age on his father's farm, receiving his education
in the common schools. As a boy of fifteen he crossed the ocean to America
and spent five years in Henry county, Illinois, where he prosecuted his studies
in the common schools and worked upon the farm. In 1873 he came to Chester
township. Poweshiek county, Iowa, three of his brothers having preceded him
to this county. Two years after his arrival he purchased eighty acres of land
which he improved, adding good equipment and accessories. He fenced and
tiled the fields and carried on his work along progressive lines, purchasing more
land as opportunity offered. He is today one of the most prosperous farmers
of the township and one of the most substantial citizens in this section.

On the 28th of October, 1879, Mr. Hink was married in the German Lutheran
church in Malcom township to Miss Mary L. Wanner, a daughter of August
and Frances (Stecker) Wanner, both of whom were natives of Germany, the
father being a cabinet-maker by trade. He came to America and at the out-
break of the Civil war offered his services to the Union, enrolling as a mem-
ber of Company K, Xinety-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was killed
while bravely fighting for the stars and stripes, his family later settling in
Poweshiek county. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hink:
Clara, who married Henry Luttman, a farmer of Chester township; Emma,
the wife of Fred Puis, also of Chester township; Charles, who is a graduate
of the Grinnell high school and is now manager of the Central Garage at Grin-
nell ; and Walter, who is living at home.

Politicallv :\Ir. Hink affiliates with the republican party and has servp-l
with general approval as township trustee and member of the school board.
He is identified with the German Lutheran church of Malcom. His success
may be ascribed to hard work and good judgment and he has now arrived at
a stage where he can enjoy himself at leisure, his farm yielding a handsome in-
come. His methods have always been straightforward, based on fairness and
honesty, and he possesses the confidence and respect of all who know him.

WALTER FORD HAMMOND.

The late Walter Ford Hammond, who for many years was identified with
various activities in Grinnell, was born in Plattsville, Wisconsin, on the 2d
of December, 1857. He was a son of George S. and Jane (Pemberthy) Ham-
mond, the father a native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, and the mother
of England, having emigrated from there to the United States with her par*
ents when a child of twelve years. The father passed away in Illinois and the
widow, who remarried, is now living with a daughter in Rhode Island.

Reared in the parental home Walter Ford Hammond acquired his prelimi-
nary education in the common schools of Wisconsin and Illinois. When a youth
of fifteen years he migrated to Iowa, locating in Poweshiek county. Feeling

172 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

the need of a better education during the first year of his residence he attended
Grinnell College and tauglit school. Subsequently he accepted a clerkship with
Mcintosh & Proctor, who were engaged in the clothing business. Later he
purchased the interest of Mr. Proctor, the business being continued under the
firm name of Mcintosh & Hammond, which was subsequently changed to Ham-
mond Brothers & James. In 1883 he removed to Des Aloines, where he con-
ducted a jobbing and brokerage business for seven years. At the expiration
of that period he returned to Grinnell and purchased the clothing business of
N. D. Soper, with which he continued to be identified until 1893, when he sold
out to G. H. McMurray, subsequently buying from ]\Iichael Snyder his interest
in the Grinnell Electric Light Company. Mr. Hammond retained the manage-
ment of this concern until 1902, at which time he disposed of his interest to
become one of the organizers of the Elliott Hotel Company of Des Moines,
of which he was vice president at the time of his death, the 7th of July, 1905.

In 1878 Air. Hammond was united in marriage to Miss Hattie M. ChikI, a
daughter of Jonathan and Martha (Walker) Child, a sketch of whom appears
elsewhere in this work. The following children were born unto Mr. and Mrs.
Hammond : Martha, who died at the age of five inonths ; Russell, who is twenty-
nine years of age, and lives in the west ; Walter, aged twenty-three, who grad-
uated from Iowa College in June, 191 1 ; Arthur, twenty years of age, who also
graduated in June, 191 1; Aldace W., aged eighteen, who graduated from the
Grinnell high school in June, 191 1; Mae, fifteen years of age, who is attending
the high school ; Harold, aged thirteen ; and Bruce, now seven years of age.

Mr. Hammond, who was a republican in politics, was a prominent member
of the Franklin Club of Grinnell and he and his wife and daughter affiliated
with the Congregational church. Mr. Hammond was well known in Grinnell
and Poweshiek by reason of his long residence there, and was highly esteemed
and regarded.

JOHN WILKINSON COGSWELL, AI. D.

From no professional man do we expect or exact so many of the cardinal
virtues as from the physician. If a clergyman is austere, we imagine that his
mind is absorbed with the contemplation of things beyond our ken. If our
lawyer is brusque and crabbed, it is the mark of genius ; but in the physician we
expect not only a superior mentality and comprehensive knowledge but sympathy
as wide as the universe. Dr. Cogswell in large measure meets all of these re-
quirements and is regarded by many as an ideal physician. Certainly if patron-
age is any criterion of ability he ranks high among the leading medical prac-
titioners of Grinnell, where he is now enjoying a large practice.

Dr. Cogswell was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on the 29th of October. 1883,
his parents being Charles Herbert and Mary (Wilkinson) Cogswell, who are
natives of Pennsylvania and Illinois respectively. Their marriage was cele-
brated in the year 1869. Charles H. Cogswell, who was graduated from the
Hahnemann Medical College of Chicago with the class of 1866, located for prac-

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 173

tice in Clinton, Iowa, and has since been numbered among the successful physi-
cians of this state. From 1884 until 1902 he presided as professor of obstetrics
in the College of Homeopathic Medicine at the State University of Iowa.

lohn W. Cogswell obtained his early education in the public schools of his
native city and subsequently entered the State University of Iowa, being grad-
uated from the College of Liberal Arts with the degree of Bachelor of Science
in 1904. In 1906 he completed the medical course in the College of Homeopathic
Medicine of the State University of Iowa and received the degree of M. D.
His professional knowledge was augmented by post-graduate work in the
University of Vienna during the years 1907 and 1908. Locating for practice
in Toledo, Iowa, he there remained during the years 1906 and 1907 and on
the ist of May, 1908, opened an office at Grinnell, which town has since re-
mained the scene of his professional labors. In 1908-09 he acted as an in-
structor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology in the College of Homeo-
pathic Medicine at the State University of Iowa, while in 1909-10 he had
charge of the same department as assistant professor. In professional lines
he is connected with the Central Iowa Homeopathic Medical Society, the Hahne-
mann Medical Association of Iowa, the American Institute of Homeopathy and
the Obstetrical Society of the American Institute of Homeopathy. He is in-
terested in all that promotes a knowledge of the human body — the onslaughts
made upon it by disease and the possibilities for recovery through the use
of remedial agencies. Dfr. Cogswell also has a military record, having served
as cadet at the University of Iowa for four years. He is now serving as cap-
tain of Company K, Fifty-fourth Infantry, Iowa National Guard, located at
Grinnell.

Dr. Cogswell is a member of Herman Lodge, No. 273, A. F. & A. M., and
has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, belonging to Iowa
Consistory, No. 2. In religious faith he is an Episcopalian. Though still a
young man, he has already attained a creditable position in professional circles,
while the salient characteristics of his manhood are such as have brought him
the warm regard of those with whom he has been otherwise associated.

H. T. SMITH.

H. T. Smith, a retired farmer and stockman and a veteran of the Civil war,
was born in Tunbridge, Vermont, on the 2d of May, 1845. He was a son of Sam
and Hulda (Peabody) Smith, lifelong residents of the Green mountain state,
and there the father passed away when H. T. Smith, the youngest of three sons
and four daughters, was but a year old. Reared amid the scenes and envi-
ronments of rural life, he spent the early years of his life upon the home farm,
giving his widowed mother the benefit of his assistance, until eighteen years
of age, when he ofYered his services to the Union, enlisting from Brookfield,
Vermont, in December, 1863, as a recruit in Company G, Tenth \'ermont Vol-
unteer Infantry. He served with that command until the close of the war,
taking part in many important engagements, including that at Cold Harbor,

174 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

Winchester, Cedar Creek, Fisher's Hill, and many others. For seven days
he participated in the campaign of the wilderness under General Grant, during
which time he suffered many hardships. During his term of service he was
twice wounded, first at the battle of Cedar Creek, when the end of his nose
was shot oflf, and again in front of Petersburg, when a ball struck his left leg
below the knee, which he carried for seventeen days before it was extracted.
This last wound caused his removal from the field to the hospital, where he
remained until mustered out at the close of hostilities. June 29, 1865.

Mr. Smith then returned to his \'ermont home, where he remained until
1866, when he decided to seek the opportunities of the middle west, which
district was entering upon an era of most substantial yet rapid growth. In the
spring of that year he came to Iowa, locating first in Winneshiek county, where
he engaged in general farming for eight years. He then sold his farm there
and returned to \'ermont on a visit to his old home, remaining in his native
state from December until the following July. On again coming to Iowa, in
1874, he took up his abode in Poweshiek county, purchasing a quarter of a
section of land in Pleasant township. During the eighteen years in which that
farm remained his home he carried on general agricultural pursuits and stock
raising wfth gratifying results. He made a specialty of breeding horses and
became well known through the locality for the high grade of stock to be found
upon his place. He continued in this enterprise with increasing success until.
in 1893, he left the farm and took up his residence in Malcom, where he is
now living retired, being ranked among the substantial and well-to-do citizens
of this community.

Mr. Smith was married, on the i8th of February, 1868, to Miss Cynthia M.
GifTord, who was born in Randolph, Vermont, on the 28th of May, 1846, and
there resided until her marriage. Her parents were Friend and Armida ( Smith )
Gifford, lifelong residents of that state. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been
born two sons: Walter D., of Saskatchewan, Canada; and Amos B., at home.

Mr. Smith is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is
highly esteemed in a large circle of friends in this locality. He early learned
the lesson that success must be purchased at the price of earnest, well defined
labor, and as the years went by his record was one of indefatigable effort, close
application and intelligent direction that found their just reward in the life of
ease and comfort which today is his.

WILLIAM CLELAND.

It is astonishing to witness the success of men who have emigrated to
America without capital and from a position of comparative obscurity have
worked their way upward to a place of influence and prominence. The readi-
ness with which they adapt themselves to circumstances and take advantage
of opportunities offered brings to them success and wins them a place among
the leading men of the community in which they reside. To this class belongs

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 175

William Cleland, who is today perhaps the largest landowner in Poweshiek
county, owning altogether one thousand three hundred and eighty acres.

He is a native of County Down, Ireland, born January 8, 1840, a son of
lames and Margaret (Adams) Cleland, who spent their entire lives on the Emer-
ald isle. The father was a stone-mason. His family numbered four children :
John, who at one time came to the United States but returned to his native
country, where he departed this life; William, of this review; James, who died
in Cook county, Illinois ; and Jane, who is also deceased.

William Cleland was a young man of twenty years, when, in i860, he
emigrated to the new world. He first located in Rock Island county, Illinois,
and there worked on a farm for eight years. In the meantime, however, he
carefully saved his earnings and from time to time invested his capital in land
m Iowa, having in 1864 purchased the farm on which he now makes his home.
He continued to work for others until he had accumulated a sum sufficient
to begin operations on his own account, and eventually, feeling justified in es-
tablishing a home of his own, he was married in Rock Island county, December 28,
1867, the lady of his choice being Miss Sarah McKeag. who was likewise born
in County Dow-n. Ireland, in 1842, and in 1866 came to the United States, also
settling in Rock Island county, Illinois. The parents, James and Jane McKeag,
emigrated to the new world in 1868 and settled in Rock Island county, but
both are now deceased.

Following their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Cleland came to Poweshiek county
and since 1868 have resided on their present farm on section 19, Pleasant
township. He began work in earnest and through his economy and frugality
gradually added to his land holdings until he is now the owner of thirteen hun-
dred acres, situated in Pleasant and Washington townships. He is engaged in
farming on quite an extensive scale and also gives much of his time and at-
tention to stock-raising. He is a man of good business judgment and in this
lies the secret of his success.

The marriage of Mr. and Airs. Cleland has been blessed with three daugh-
ters and two sons. Elizabeth, the eldest, is the wife of William Molison, a resi-
dent of Pleasant township, and has four children. Margaret is the wife of Geo.
W. Hays, of Malcom. James passed away in November, 1908, at the age of
thirty-four years, leaving a widow and one child. Rose is the wife of E. O.
Porter, of Grinnell, and her one child, William, the youngest, w-ho manages the
home farm, wedded Miss Emma Agnew, and they have two children.

In his political views Mr. Cleland is a stanch republican and for the past
twenty years has filled the office of justice of the peace and for si.x years was
trustee of the township. In i8go he took the census of Pleasant township and
in the various public positions he has filled has ever fully merited the confidence
of those whose interests he has served. His religious faith is indicated by his
membership in the Presbyterian church at Ewart.

When Mr. Cleland first located in Poweshiek county the district in which he
settled was all wild and unbroken prairie. He has lived to see the conditions
changed, for today the land is divided into beautiful and highly cultivated farms,
inhabited by a prosperous and contented people, and while Mr. Cleland has wit-
nessed this change he has also been an active participant in bringing about this

176 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

condition, for he has ever been a hard working man as may be known by the
broad acreage of which he is now the possessor. The accumulation of wealth,
however, has not been his sole aim and ambition in life, for he is a public-
spirited citizen who is ever ready to lend his aid and influence to any worthy
movement for the betterment of his home locality. Perhaps the highest tribute
that can be paid Mr. Cleland is that he has been successful in all of his under-
takings and that he has so discharged his duties as a citizen and as a business
man as to merit the confidence of those who know him best.

SAMUEL JAY BUCK, D. D.

Samuel Jay Buck, who has been termed "the grand old man of Iowa College."
was for forty-two and one-third years connected with the institution as instructor
and acting president, and the school in its present prosperous condition stands
largely as a monument to his ability in and devotion to the profession which he
chose as a life work. He came to Grinnell in early manhood and for forty-two
years labored for the upbuilding of the school. Ex-President Eliot of Harvard
said : "What is needed is continuous education which lasts all through life." It
was this which Professor Buck strove to give to his pupils, believing with Kant
that "The object of education is to train each individual to reach the highest per-
fection possible for him." He had acquired some previous experience as a teacher
in Ohio and Illinois before coming to Iowa. He had gone to the former state in his
early boyhood with his parents, who removed westward from Russia. Herkimer
county. New York, where Professor Buck was born on the 4th of July, 1835.
Upon a farm near the town of Mecca in Trumbull county, Ohio, his youthful
days were passed and his experiences were those which usually fall to the lot of
the farm lad. It is undoubtedly true that environment has not a little to do with
the forming of character and Professor Buck spent his youth in Ohio where the
forces of New England were arrayed against the incoming forces from the south
over the questions of gambling, intemperance and the slave trade. The discussion
of such themes could not have failed to leave an impress upon the mind and char-
acter of the boy who, moreover, spent five years as a student in Oberlin College,
Ohio, the very center from which permeated a strong influence of personal lib-
erty and public morality. He entered the preparatory department of the school
in 1853 and on the completion of the college course was graduated in 1858 and at
once turned his attention to the profession of teaching. At one time he was an
instructor in an academy at Bazetta. Ohio, and at another time principal of the
Union high school at West Liberty, Ohio.

Soon after his marriage in 1859 to Miss Jane Cory, a college classmate. Dr.
Buck entered the theological school of Oberlin, from which he graduated in 1862
with the degree of Master of Arts. He then accepted the position of principal
of Orwell Academy in Orwell. Ohio, and in 1863 was ordained to the ministry
of the Congregational church. His time was afterward given to the dual profes-
Mim of teaching and preaching, his pastoral work being done at Orwell and Mecca
until 1864.

S. J. BUCK

-EN POUNOATION*.

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 179

111 tliat vcar Iowa College at (Irinnell sought the services of Dr. Buck, and he
came to this citv to take up his work in connection with the school that was strug-
gling for existence. The greater part of its pupils who were able to carry a
Tiuisket had gone to the front in defense of the Union cause and there were hut
ninety-two students enrolled in the catalog of if~'<')V4 under the charge of four
teachers, one of whom was Professor \'on Coelln, whose recommendation of Dr.
I'lUck had led to his selection for the ])rofessorship at Grinnell. He reached Grin-
iiell on the 5th of p-ebruary. 1864, and at once took up his work as principal of
the Iowa College .Academy and second permanent instructor in Iowa College. He
hrouglit to his new duties zeal and enthusiasm as well as wide knowledge, and the
>chool soon felt the stimulus of his interest and e.xertions. In 1869 the college
trustees elected him professor of mathematics and physics, which position he tilled
until 1905. the title of the chair, however, being changed in 1893 to that of mathe-
matics and astronomy. In the earlier years of his professorship here he preached
at Chester, aiding in organizing the Congregational church there and supplying
the pulpit until January, 1866. when he resigned to accept the position of county
superintendent of schools. He was twice elected to that position and the public
school svstem of this city benefited by the stimulus given to it by his efforts and
ability.

In i8(;)8 he was elected a member of the school board of the independent dis-
trict of Grinnell and continued to serve ipMi it until 1880, being president of the
hoard the last six years, declining to serv|e :kihger., ,' ■ ■■, .v; •'

After three years in the county superiijtehclency he resigned to accept again the
pnstorate of the church at Chester. Foritwo years, he, engaged in preaching the
gos])el there and then resigned to supply the rife'w cJiurch at Gilman, which he had
aided in organizing and of which he remained pastor for seven years. For two
\L'a'-s he supplied the pulpit of the Congregational church of Toledo. Iowa, and
his labors in the ministry were not denied the full harvests nor the aftermath.

.\t the same tim£ Dr Buck was continuing his work in the college and the
beneficial results of his labors were so far and so strongly felt that in 1870, when
the trustees, feeling the need of more funds, began to look about for some one
to act as a representative of the college in the solicitation of gifts for the memo-
rial fund, -o-called because that year was the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary
of the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, they very naturally chose Dr. Buck, The
same zeal and enthusiasm which characterized him in the performance of every
duty were manifest in this connection and within a few months he had succeeded
in securing between twenty-five and thirty thousand dollars for endowment and
an additional sum of three thousand dollars for the equipment of the physics de-
partment. At the following commencement the trustees in recognition of his
succe-^sful efforts, unsolicited, gave his chair the title of "the memorial professor-
shi])." This name was retained until 1891 when Alonzo Steele, of Grinnell, pledged
twenty thou-^and dollars for the endowment of the chair and at his request the
title wa- changed to "the Myra Steele professorship of mathematics and physics"
in lionor of a deceased daughter, which name is still retained except that the word
astronomy has been substituted for physics.

In the same vear in which Iowa College chose him as professor of mathematics
and astrononn- to solicit funds, the .State Teachers Association elected him to its

Tol n— 9

180 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

presidency and he occupied the chair at the meeting of the State Teachers As-
sociation held in Council Bluffs the following year. Later he was again chosen
as the chief executive of the association but declined the honors. It has been
characteristic of the life of Dr. Buck that duty has ever been with him the first
consideration. He has refused honors and emoluments to remain with Grinnell
College. He was offered the presidency of Talladega College, in Alabama, by
the American Missionary Association in 1880 and although this would have meant
advancement in honors and salary, he declined in order to remain with Grinnell
College, where his interests had so long centered. In 1884, when George F.
Magoun, the first president of the college, resigned. Professor Buck was chosen
acting president and the work went forward without interruption, gaining in
quality and quantity so that at the close of this triennium the attendance had in-
creased over forty-three per cent and more money was raised for Grinnell College
than during any similar period in its history of nearly six decades. There is per-
haps no department of the college that has not been benefited materially and
largely by the efforts of Dr. Buck, while in various directions his labors have
been of inestimable value. In 1888 the Clark Equatorial telescope was given to
ihe college and Professor Buck, who had been teaching astronomy without in-
terruption since 1869, determined to obtain other equipment for the department.
The usual success attended him in this undertaking and soon the astronomical
department was supplied with a modern equipment for advanced instruction in
the science of astronomy. In 1903 the degree of D. D. was bestowed upon Pro-
fessor Buck by Tabor College, Iowa. After forty-two years' connection with the
school Dr. Buck tendered his resignation, announcing his determination to retire
from the active work of teaching, an announcement that was received with deep
regret on the part of all who had been connected with the school. He had en-
deared himself not only to his associate professors and teachers but also to the
students of the college. In his work as a teacher he had always regarded the per-
sonal equation and studied the individual needs of the pu]iil and had adapted his
instruction thereto. Moreover, his pupils recognized his strong sympathy and his
abiding spirit of helpfulness and therefore his work was an inspiration that
prompted them to do their best.

In addition to his regular college work Dr. Buck had made regular weather
reports from 1888 as a volunteer observer. He has also filled the office of county
surveyor for twenty-one years, in which connection he was never loath to give
his students an opportunity to aid him and thus supplement their college instruc-
tion not only by practical experience but also by the attainment of funds of which
many of them stood in need. An alumnus of Grinnell College, writing the bio-
graphy of Dr. Buck, has said: "As one recalls the story of his life and thinks of
the part which he has played in the building up, not only of the college and the
town of Grinnell, but of the state as well, it is little wonder that he hesitates to
point a moral or adorn the tale with words which cannot be more eloquent or force-
ful than a statement of the simple facts. Moreover eulogy seems inappropriate
here from the fact that Dr. Buck has never been one to court public notice or to
desire public praise. But for the alumni of Iowa College who have learned to
know this man and, knowing, to love him. the news of his resignation will in-
voluntarily call up certain thoughts and lessons which associate themselves nat-

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 181

iirally with the story of his life and which it seems well to mention briefly at this
time. H there is any one thing more than another which Dr. ljuck"s life and
efforts illustrate it is perhaps the great amount of work which a man can ac-
complish simply by living his life conscientiously from day to day and by work-
ing patiently, tirelessly, calmly — without unseemly haste or worry. That Dr. Buck's
days have been filled with hard, serious toil, none who have known of the various
interests of his life will deny. One of his own household recalls many a day in
earlier years when, wearied by the trials of a week's hard work, he would shut
himself up alone on Saturday in order not to be disturbed while preparing a dis-
course for his Chester or Oilman or Toledo congregation the following day. On
Sunday morning he would be up and off early for the long drive to his pulpit
where he would conduct one, two and often three services and then drive home
and cheerfully begin the week's round over again early Alonday morning. Yet
his life has been characterized by tranquillity and patient reserve — a mark of
culture which the much-boasted strenuousness of our present working-day world
cares little for and which shames the hasty ways of little men.

"But the characteristic which we think most prominently associates itself with
Dr. Buck in the minds of those who have been his students is his unfailing kind-
ness and gentleness. He has always tried to be just and while holding up high
ideals to others he has never been one to demand of others what he did not re-
quire of himself. Like Chaucer's good priest, 'Christ's lore and His apostles
twelve he taught, but first he followed it himselve.' Another conspicuous fea-
ture in the life of this man has been the respect and high regard which he has
always maintained for his calling. Whether preaching or teaching he has felt
that he was doing God's good work and he has done it with a befitting dignity.
Yet this dignity and self-respect could never be mistaken for bigotry or intoler-
ance towards the views or acts of others. Being by nature conservative, he has
held conservative views and was never accused of unorthodoxy, but he has been
broad-minded enough to have respect for the opinions of others. In fact one may
say he has been as a rule very reserved in expressing his own views except when
he thought the time imperatively demanded it. On one such occasion at least he
took a firm and decided stand when others questioned and hesitated, only to see
his position justified by time. He possesses a real and keen sense of humor which
has always found ready expression and this humor has been as unfailing as his
kindness and his bright, cheerful manner has been a tonic and a lesson for those
who have come in contact with him. Generosity has ever been another of his
traits — a generosity which has led him to give to college, church, town and public
interests far in excess of his means or his share, particularly in the early days of
town and college. In regard to him a prominent graduate of the college ex-
presses the common sentiment when he writes, 'He is one of the Pioneers of the
college, a true friend to all students, and a kind Providence has found him so
useful in the institution that two score years of labor have been measured out to
him. It is a rare record ; one vouchsafed to but few persons. He ought to be
proud of it and every son and daughter of Grinnell College is proud of Dr. Buck.'
He has been in a very true sense a connecting link between the old and the new
in our college life, for he has shared the privileges and helped bear the burdens
of both. Young in spirit and in faith, he is old in service and rich in experience.

182 HISTORY OF I'OWI'.Sl II [•:k COUNTY

Though by no means tlie last by whom the new has been tried he has never been
the first to throw the old aside. Thus he has been a constant reminder of old
ideals at the same time that he has been a conservative adopter of new ideas. If,
as President Eliot has said, 'It is the greatest of human rewards to be enfolded
as years advance in an atmosphere of honor, gratitude and love," Dr. Buck has
come as near realizing this supreme happiness as perhaps any one could. He has
been blessed for over half a century with a wife in sympathy with all his aspira-
tions, who 'wears the pure flower of a blameless life' and who has borne her full
share of her husband's burdens as she has been joint participant in his joys. He has
seen the college, whose success has been his ambition and care, grow from a
weakling to its present state and has been allotted a prominent part in bringing
about this development. He has won the respect and afl:"ection of all those who
have had the interests of the college in their hearts and he has been in the truest
sense "the student's friend.' "

On November 17, 1909, the golden wedding of Dr. Buck and his wife was
celebrated. At this time all their chihlrcn now living were present. Edith C.
Buck, professor in the Iowa Teachers College at Cedar Falls ; Dr. Samuel
C. Buck, a physician of Grinnell, and family; and Irving J. Buck, a business man
of St. Louis, Missouri, and family. Many friends called during the afternoon and
evening to offer their congratulations. During the evening two songs written
especially for the occasion were sung, one being composed by a college classmate,
the other by two former pupils. Letters to the number of one hundred and fifty
were received from acquaintances of note, from college classmates, from teachers
in other institutions, from former pupils and from relatives, extending hearty con-
gratulations and paying high tribute to tlie work accomplished in the world by Dr.
Buck and his wife, and to their noble and useful lives. On diis occasion, the
house was filled with flowers, the gifts of friends and neighbors.

When names were selected for the Phi Beta Kappa chapter of Oberlin College,
members of classes of years ago were chosen by vote of the surviving classmates
and Dr. Buck was one of four of his class of 1858 to receive this mark of high
attainment.

WILLIAM McDowell.

William McDowell, whose farm of two hundred and thirty-six acres in
Washington township is proof of his business sagacity and who is at the head
of one of the protuising families in the township, is a native of Ireland. He
was born in County Antrim, February 25, 1859, a son of David and Eliza (Jam-
eson) McDowell, both of whom were natives of County Antrim. The father
was a laborer and resided during his entire life on the Emerald isle. The
mother came to .\merica in i8<j4 and took u]) her home at Oak Grove, Iowa.
She nassed away October 10, 1907, having then reached the age of seventy-si.x
vears and six months. Both .she and her husband were sincere members of the
Presbyterian church. In their family were four children: Robert, who is now

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 183

living in New Zealand : William, oi this review ; David, deceased ; and Agnes,
the wile of Dan McMuUin, uf l'liiladeli)hia.

William McDowell received his early education in the natitJiial sciiools of
Ireland. Even as a boy he was taught the value and importance of labor and
hired out by the month until he had reached maturity, coming to .America when
he was twenty-three years of age. lie located in Washington to\vnshi]j. I'ow-
eshiek county, and in UJ04 purchased the farm upon which he has since lived.
It consists of two hundred and thirty-si.x acres and the general air of neat-
ness and order that prevails about the place indicates a goodly measure of
prosperity. He uses practical and jirogressive methods, which have gained for
him the success he has richly merited.

On the 23th of December, 1889, Mr. McDowell was married to Miss Mary
D. Heacock, who was born in Washington township November 4, 1871, a
daughter of .\lfred W. and Sarah E. ( De Bord) Heacock, whose sketch appears
elsewhere in this volume. Ten children have blessed the union of Mr. and
Mrs. McDowell, nine of whom are now living at home: Fred R., who was born
November 12, 1890: David John, decea.sed ; William M., born March 21. 1893:
Charles E., born March 29, 1895: Bertha E., born May 2, 1897; Leslie A., born
February 28, 1899: Arthur O., born June 22, 1902: Earle E., born April 16,
1904: Carl R., born June i, 1907: and Paul R., born July 7, 1909.

Mr. McDowell is a member of the Society of Friends, whose teachings of
brotherhood he has ever made the guiding principles of his life. In politics he
adheres to the republican ])arty. He has served as township trustee for one
term and as member of the school board for two terms, dis])hving the same
interest in his duties as a public officer that he evinces in private affairs. Mr.
and Mrs. McDowell are rearing their children to lives of usefulness and un-
selfishness, and the family has many well wishers in a community where its
members are highly popular and most favorably known.

GEORGE W. WILTSE.

The public record of George W. Wiltse is most creditable. Since 1903; he
has filled the position of postmaster at Montezuma and his administration of the
duties of office has been characterized by singleness of purpose, by promptness
and loyalty whereby he has won the high commendation of all concerned. He
has ever been classed as a progressive citizen, manifesting the same faithfulness
to his country in times of peace that he did when he defended her interests upon
the southern battlefields in times of war. He was born in Qayton county, Iowa,
February 17, 1845, his parents being Leonard and Jane (Smith) Wiltse. the
former a native of Ontario, Canada, and the latter of Pennsylvania. In 1838
the father arrived in Delaware county, Iowa, and three years later Jane Smith
took up her abode there, having accompanied her parents on their westward
removal. They were married in Delaware county and spent many years in
Clayton coimty, but after retiring from active business life the father became
a resident of Rawlins county, Kansas, where his death occurred. His widow

184 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

still resides there and was eighty-six years of age on the nth of January, 191 1.
Leonard Wiltse had devoted his entire life to agricultural pursuits save when
engaged in military duty. He served as a soldier in the Alexican war and also
aided in subduing the Indians in Iowa and Minnesota when the white race
were first making a settlement in these states.

George W. Wiltse is the eldest in a family of eight children, four sons and
four daughters, of whom one son and one daughter are now deceased. He
resided at the place of his birth on the old home farm in Clayton county until
he enlisted for active service in the Civil war, in August, 1862, when a youth
of but seventeen years. He joined Company D, Twenty-first Iowa \'olunteer
Infantry, and continued with his command for three years, or until mustered
out at the close of the war. The regiment left Dubuque for Montrose, Iowa,
thence went to St. Louis and after being in camp until January, 1863. a detach-
ment of the Twenty-first was sent to Springfield, Missouri, which was threat-
ened by the rebel forces under General Marmaduke. In February the regiment
went to Cape Girardeau and subsequently moved on to Milliken's Bend, Louisiana,
and afterward to Richmond with a view to engaging in the X'icksburg cam-
paign. Mr. Wiltse on account of illness was left at Young's Point but on con-
valescing rejoined his regiment at Richmond. In quick succession the bloody
battles of Champion's Hill and Black River Bridge were fought after which the
command assisted in building fortifications and in making the assault on Vicks-
burg. Mr. Wiltse was wounded in the charge and was sent to a hospital
but rejoined his command after ten days. On August 13, the Twenty-first Iowa
left Vicksburg and was on camp and picket duty at Bayou Boeuflf until the
order to take part in the Teche expedition. After a brief period spent at New
Orleans the command came to proceed to the coast of Texas and the regiment
landed at Matagorda Island. In January, 1864, they proceeded to Indianola,
Texas, and on the 17th of May received orders to join General Banks in his
Red River expedition, leaving New Orleans on the 14th of May. They went
into camp at Thibodeaux and remained there on provost duty until July 9
when they returned to Algiers. The next move took them to Morganza Bend
and later to Natchez, opposite \'icksburg. Subsequently a camp was built at
the mouth of the White River in Arkansas and expeditions were made up the
river as far as Duvall's Bluflf where the regiment engaged in picket duty for
some time. Early in December they started to assist in the operations against
Hood who was besieging Nashville, and on the ist of January, 1865, returned
to Memphis and embarked for New Orleans. Later orders caused them to
join in the Mobile campaign under General Canby and on the 12th of April the
city of Mobile surrendered. There the troops learned of Lee's surrender and
the collapse of the Confederacy, and in June the Twenty-first Iowa was mustered
out, returning up the Mississippi and disbanding at Clinton, Iowa.

When the war was over Mr. Wiltse again became a resident of Clayton county
where he followed farming until 1877, when he tfiok up his abode upon a tract
of land a mile south of Alontezuma. Here he carried on general agricultural
pursuits until 1883 when he entered the dray and coal business in Montezuma,
being thus prominently connected with the mercantile interests of the city for
twenty years, or until his api)ointment to the position of postmaster, in 1903.

HISTORY Ol" I'OWESHIEK COUNTY 185

This position he has since filled and during his eight years' service has made
a most creditable record in office.

In July, 1870, in Colesburg, Iowa, Mr. Wiltse was married to Miss Emily J.
Twonibly who died in Montezuma. They had five children : D. O., who died
at the age of four years ; Frank, a resident of Emmetsburg, Iowa ; Lottie, the
wife of Fred Wiegant, of Clayton county; Maude, the deceased wife of Richard
Pierce; and William, of Waterloo, Iowa. On the 12th of May, 1889, Mr. Wiltse
was again marrieil, his second union being with Miss Tillie F. Myers, of Monte-
zuma, and they have one child, Lois.

Mr. Wiltse has been a lifelong republican, unfaltering in his advocacy of the
party and its principles. He served as deputy sheriiT of Poweshiek county for
four years and in that position, as in the office of postmaster, made a creditable
record. Fraternally he is connected with the Grand Army of the Republic,
the Modern Woodmen of America and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
In every relation of life he has been as true and loyal to his country as when
he followed the old flag upon the southern battlefields and won his right to be
classed with the honored veterans of the Civil war.

ARTHUR C. NORRIS.

Arthur C. Norris, a well known and highly esteemed resident of Grinnell.
is ably discharging the duties devolving upon him in the capacity of postmaster.
His birth occurred in Pittsfield, New Hampshire, on the 27th of May, 1868, his
parents being Moses L. and Anna (Joy) Norris, who were born, reared and
married in Pittsfield. In 1870 they came west to Poweshiek county, Iowa, re-
siding on a farm a mile east of Grinnell for one year. On the expiration of
that period Mr. Norris purchased a farm of two hundred acres in Rock Creek
township, six miles southwest of Grinnell, paying ten dollars an acre for the
property. He made his home thereon until 1887 and then took up his abode
in Grinnell, where he engaged in the hardware business, being thus identified
with mercantile interests for ten years. Since 1898 he has lived in honorable
retirement, enjoying the fruits of his former toil in well earned ease. In 1903
he removed to Greeley, Colorado, where he has since made his home. He owns
a farm there but is not actively engaged in its operation. His political alle-
giance is given to the democracy, while in religious faith both he and his wife
are Baptists. While a resident of Rock Creek township Mr. Norris was a
leader in the local ranks of his party, holding the various township offices.

Arthur C. Norris, who was but two years of age when brought to Poweshiek
county by his parents, has made his home within its borders continuously since.
He was reared on the home farm and obtained his early education in the com-
mon schools, while subsequently he attended Iowa College. In early manhood
he entered his father's hardware store as an assistant and there learned the
tinner's trade, remaining in the store until his father's disposal of the same in
1898. For several years prior to that time he had been associated with the
Iowa National Guards as captain of the Grinnell company, which was known

186 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

as Company K, Second Iowa Infantry. The company volunteered for service
at the outbreak of the Spanish-American war, enlisting on the 26th of April
and being mustered in as Company K and assigned to the Fiftieth Regiment on
the 17th of May following. Mr. Xorris was sent to T:,cksonville, Florida, in
command of his company and on the 30th of November was discharged from
the service. On returning home he accepted a position as bookkeeper in the
lurdware store of G. L, Miles, being thus employed for three years. In the
spring of 1902, being advised by his physician to recuperate his strength by
spending more time out-of-doors, he took a position as rural mail carrier, hold-
ing the same for nine months. He then spent a few months in the hardware
store and on the ist of July, 1903, entered the Grinnell postoffice as substitute
clerk, while on the 15th of November following he was appointed a regular clerk.
In the latter capacity he served until a special election was called that the people
might choose a successor to W. G. Ray, the retiring postmaster. Mr. Norris
was elected by a majority of three hundred and si.xty-one votes over si.x other
candidates for the office. He has proven a capable, genial and popular official
and enjoys the friendship and confidence of the public at large.

\lr. Norris has been married twice. In 1890 he wedded Miss Nellie E.
Rafifety, of Grinnell, Iowa, by whom he had two children, Renna and Wendell.
The wife and mother died of typhoid fever at St. Louis, in 1898, while return-
ing from a visit to her husband, who had been stricken with the fever and was
lying in the hospital at Jacksonville. While there she contracted the disease
and was advised by her physician to go north at once. She began the journey but
was taken off the train at St. Louis, where her demise occurred. On the 4th
of June, 1901, Mr. Norris was again married, his second union being with Miss
Jennie V. Rafifety, a sister of his first wife.

Mr. Norris is a stanch republican in politics, while his religious faith is
mdicated by his membership in the Baptist church, to which his wife also be-
longs. Fraternally he is identified with Herman Lodge, No. 273, A. F. & A. M.;
Hardy Camp, No. 291, Modern Woodmen; and the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. He is a sterling, upright and conscientious citizen, true to a lofty ideal
of manhood in all the relations of life and eminently worthy of the high esteem
in which he is held.

BEDY BRYAN.

Bedy Bryan is now living retired in Montezuma, enjoying a rest which he
has truly earned and richly deserves. He was very successful in his business
operations, conducting fanning along extensive lines. At one time he owned si.x
hundred acres and is still the possessor of a valuable property of one hundred
and seventy-three acres, which returns to him a gratifying annual income. His
birth occurred in Greene county. Ohio, near Jamestown, February 28, 1834,
his parents being Alanson and Easter ( Mendenhall) Bryan. The Bryan family
came from Ireland. Bryan as a surname originated in Ireland in most instances
with descendants of Brian Boru, king of Ireland, from 1002 to 1014. The

.MU. AM) MItS. m:i>V KKYAN

j TH2 NEW YORK

'■'^'^IC LIBRARY

A8T0R, LENOX AND
TILDEN FOUNDATIONS, '

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 189

first form of the name was OTJrien, from which I'.ryan and many other varia-
tions are derived. I'Vom King Brian descended a hne of chiefs and princes
who. with their adherents, defendetl tlieir national independence for centuries
in Thomond, called OT^)rien's country, with tierce contests against the Anglo,
Norman and British settlers.

Sir I'Vancis Bryan was a prominent man in Ireland ahout the middle of the
sixteenth century and ])rohably became president of \Iunster. It is thought that
he was the ancestor of the following liryan line. William Smith Bryan was a
landholder in Ireland at the time of the English invasion under Cromwell ami
for championing the cause of the Irish was transported as a rebellious subject
in 1650 to the American colonies. He settled in Gloucester county. Virginia.
He had eleven sons, of whom Morgan Bryan of Norfolk county, was probably
one. It is believed that William Bryan, born in 1685. was another son. He and
his wife. Margaret, lived at Ballyroney, County Down Ireland, and one day
sent their little son John to the woods to cut a stick to make a handle for a
hook used in weaving. The boy was arrested for poaching. After much trouble
and expense the father secured his release and immediately sailed for zAmerica,
where, as he said, timber was free and there were no constables. This was in
1 7 18 and he settled first in New Jersey or Pennsylvania. Their son John wedded
Mary Morrison and to them was born a son, Andrew Morrison Bryan, April
25, 1748. He wedded Mary Akers and their son Morrison married Rhoda
Johnson and removed from X'irginbfjjto.'Hig^hland cOunty, Ohio, in 1807.

It was in that county that Ala^sfcrric'Jjiyali.^'fatlier of our subject, was Ixirn
in a log schoolhouse, February 4, 1808, and two years later the family removed
to Greene county, Ohio, wherej at t-be-^fe df twenty, Alanson Bryan married
Easter Mendenhall. He owned' a sT>ffli' interest in fifty acres of land in (Ireene
county, Ohio, afterward purchased the interests of the other heirs and added
to his holdings until he had two hundred acres. In 1849 he sold his property
for fifteen dollars per acre and came to Iowa, where he purchased two hun-
dred acres at seven and a half dollars per acre in Mahaska county. He then
came to Poweshiek county and intended to enter one hundred and sixty acres
adjoining Montezuma on the northeast, but made a misentry and secured one
hundred and sixty acres of timber land three miles southwest. Some one dis-
covering his misentry told him of it and B. O. Payne, who had a claim on it.
unknown to Mr. Bryan, called a number of the members of the claim club
together and started for Oskaloosa to make Air. Bryan give up the timber land
or tar and feather him. John Deardolif. living on Moon creek in Mahaska
county, was president of the club. He advised the party to wait, saying that
he would go down and get Mr. Bryan. When he returned a trial was held and
it was proven that Payne had more land than he could hold by the claim laws,
which allowed one hundred and sixty acres of prairie and eighty acres of
timber land to an individual. With that the case was dropped. A few years
later the land was all taken up and the "claim law* accordingly passed out of
use. Within the next two years Alanson Bryan entered land until at one time
he owned over eleven hundred acres in Poweshiek county. Three of his chil-
dren died before coming to Iowa and to the surviving eight lie gave each one
hundred and twenty acres. His children began, therefore, to settle in this

190 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

county in 1850 but the father did not live in Poweshiek county until about 1875.
His sons and daughters numbered eleven : Morrison G., John M., Rachel,
Dennis, Bedy, William A., Rhoda, Neri E.. Talitha, Andrew A. and James J.
Seven of these are now living. Of the children J. M. Bryan, Mrs. Rachel
Bryan Bone and Neri Bryan, a brother of Alanson, came to Poweshiek county
in January, 1850, and lived in the Gideon ^Villson double log house at the north-
west corner of the square in Montezuma until they could erect a log house on
the one hundred and sixty acre tract previously mentioned. There they es-
tablished the first brickyard in the county. In 1851 or 1852 J. M. Bryan mar-
ried Tacy Jane Smith and removed to the farm northeast of Montezuma, where
he still makes his home. His wife died in 1898. W. A. Bryan came to this
county in 1856, ran a breaking team with oxen and later opened the Mincer
coal mine in Mahaska county, this being the first coal mine on Buck creek.
In the following winter he married Catharine Pearson, and in the spring of 1857
they took up their abode in Union township, Poweshiek county. Two sons,
Neri E. and Andrew A., were soldiers of the Union army from 1862 until the
close of the war. Neri afterward wedded Mary E. Jobe and occupied a farm
north of Montezuma, while Andrew married Harriet Harner and settled on
his farm a mile and a half north of Montezuma. Several years ago, however,
he took up his abode in the city and eighteen years ago Neri Bryan removed to
California. Two others of the family, Dennis Bryan and Mrs. Talitha Harner,
are mentioned elsewhere in this volume. The mother of this family, Mrs. Easter
Bryan, died in 1874 in Hamilton county, Iowa, and the father, Alanson Bryan,
afterward came to Poweshiek county, where he continued to live with his chil-
dren until his death in August, 1897, when in the ninetieth year of his age.

Bedy Bryan, the fifth of the family, came to Iowa with his parents in 1849
and bore the usual hardships and privations of pioneer life in the early days.
He resided with his parents tintil his marriage, April 19, 1855, when with a
loaded ox wagon he drove to Montezuma and settled a mile and a half north-
east of the town on an eighty acre tract of prairie land on section 6, Jackson
township. He also had forty acres of timber land, this property being given
him by his father, who had entered it in 1849. Mr. Bryan resided on his eighty
acre tract for fifty years lacking two months. He then sold out and since 1905
has made his home in Montezuma. He was also at one time owner of eighty
acres in Scott township, which he sold in 1906. Throughout his life he fol-
lowed farming and was very successful in his work, becoming the owner of
over six hundred acres. He made a specialty of stock-raising and his business
interests brought to him substantial success. Although he has since disposed
of much of his land, he is still the owner of a valuable tract of one hundred
and seventy-three acres, which returns to him a gratifying annual income.

On the 19th of April, 1855, Mr. Bryan was married to Miss Margaret A.
Victor, who was born in Delaware. October 13, 1834. After living for a time
in Ohio and later in Indiana she accompanied her parents to Iowa in 1848, the
family being established near Oskaloosa, in the same neighborhood as the Bryan
home. She is a daughter of Burton and Sarah A. (Todd) Victor, who were
natives of Delaware. Her mother died in Mahaska county, Iowa, and her
father passed away in Arkansas. Mr. and Mrs. Bryan became the parents of

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COLWTY 191

five children. Sarah E., the eldest, is the wife of J. M. Chamberlain, of Wash-
ington township, and has five children : Sylvia A., Charles L., William, who
married Laura Cline and has a son, Virgil ; and Clarence and Lawrence, twins.
Mary E. died at the age of twenty years. Elliott ^L, a resident of Montezuma,
wedded Mary A. Cochran and they have one child, Lowell V. John B., who
for the past thirty years has been agent for the Grinnell & Montezuma Railroad
at Montezuma, married Nellie Porter and has two sons : Chester S., who
wedded \^ida Brown and has one child. Hazel Fay, and Harold. William A.,
the youngest of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Bedy Bryan, married Xellie Henry
and they have five children : Edna L., Howard, who died at the age of four
years ; Ellis, who died at the age of seven years ; Verna, and Raymond V.

Xo history of this county would be complete without extended mention of
the Bryan family, one of the oldest within its borders. The representatives of
the name have ever been loyal in citizenship and reliable in business and have
made excellent records in every relation of life. Bedy Bryan tells most in-
teresting stories and incidents of the early days when the family were under-
going all the hardships of a new country. They lived here during the era of wild-
cat money from 1854 until i860, which made it doubly hard, as one had to
consult Thompson's Bank-Xote Detector every time they received a paper
dollar, as the value changed nearly every day. One day it would be quoted at
its face and the next day ten or twenty cents on the dollar ; sometimes it was.
fifty cents and again it was worthless. It was not safe to keep money on hand
twenty-four hours, but the money system of the country, like all other things,
has changed and the people of Poweshiek county are now living in a splendidly
developed region, the naturally rich and fertile land responding readily to the
care and cultivation bestowed upon it, while business interests of many kinds
have here sprung up, affording excellent opportunity to the man who is will-
ing to put forth earnest, honest labor for the attainment of success.

F. S. BERNARD.

F. S. Bernard has the distinction of being the oldest business man, in point
of years of residence, in Malcom, and his record has therefore been closely
identified with the growth and development of the town from the earliest chap-
ters of its history.

A native of Ohio, he was born in Highland county, May 26, 1849, ^ son of
Richard and Eunice ( Wick) Bernard, who were born in \'irginia and Kentucky
respectively. They were reared and married in Ohio, however, and came to
Poweshiek county, settling in Montezuma in the fall of i860. In 1895 they
arrived in Malcom, where their remaining days were spent, the father passing
away in iQOi, at the age of eighty-four years, and the mother in 1899, when
eighty-two years of age. The former had devoted his entire lifetime to agri-
cultural pursuits. Their family consisted of the following children : Mary Ann,
who married Ivins Johnson and is now deceased; Louisa, who passed away in
infancy ; W. H., of Montezuma, who served in the Third Iowa and Twenty-eighth

192 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

Iowa Infantry at the time of the Civil war: Christopher C, who enlisted from
Poweshiek county as a meml^er of Company C, Twenty-eighth Iowa Volunteer
Infantry, and w-as killed at the battle of Cedar Creek ; Eliza, the widow of
Andrew Gilliland. of Hartford, Michigan; F. S., of this review; H. R., of Port-
land, Oregon; Joseph Edgar, residing in Pasadena, California; Ella, who mar-
ried D. H. Jonty, of Hartford; and Flora, the wife of Charles Swaney, oi
Montezmna.

F. S. Bernard was a lad of eleven years of age when he came to Pow-
eshiek county with his parents in i860, and through the intervening years
since that period has continued to make his home within its limits. On the
home farm, about three and a half miles southeast of Montezuma, he was
reareLl to rural life, and remained with his parents until, believing that he might
find other pursuits more congenial and profitable than farming, he went to
Ottimiwa, Iowa, where he worked at the blacksmith trade for about three years,
during which period he thoroughly mastered all branches of the business. In
March, 1875, he came to Malcom. which has since continued to remain the
scene of his business activity. Malcom at that time was but a town in embryo,
consisting of little more than a group of buildings near the depot and bearing
little resemblance to the flourishing village of today. He at once sought work
and for nine years was employed in the blacksmith shop of T. S. Cartwright.
.\t the expiration of that period he joined his brother in purchasing the busi-
ness of Mr. Cartwright. and they continued in its operation until the election
of the latter, in 1902, to the office of county recorder. Mr. Bernard then
entered into partnership relations with R. A. Wiley, under the firm style of
Bernard & Wiley, engaging in general blacksmithing and all kinds of repairing
and wood work. They also conduct an agricultural implement business, dealing
in buggies, wagons, pumps, windmills, etc.. and in this direction they have
built up an extensive trade, drawing their patronage from all parts of the
county. While connected with his brother Mr. Bernard erected the present
shops, consisting of a two-story frame building, one hundred and five by twenty-
five feet, with an ell extension of fifty feet. The enterprise, which has had a
continuous and substantial growth since its inception, has developed into one
of the important business interests of the town and its success is due, in large
measure, to the keen business ability, expert workmanship and reliable methods
of the partners.

In the year 1881 Mr. Bernard was united in marriage to Miss Priscilla
Stoaks, who was born in Donahue. Scott county, Iowa, on the i8th of August.
1862, but was reared and married in Poweshiek county. Her parents, Peter and
Nancy (Helm) Stoaks, are both deceased, the mother passing away on the
4th of July. 1891. and the father on the ist of March. igo8, while residing with
his daughter. Mrs. Bernard. The latter by her marriage to Mr. Bernard be-
came the mother of five children, namely : Blanche, the wife of Worth Porter,
of Grinnell township ; Fred, who passed away at the age of nine years ; Hazel,
who married Harley Bookneau. of Grinnell ; and Frank and James, both at
home.

Mr. Bernard is well known in Masonic circles as a Master Ma.son, belonging
to Lily Lodge. No. 254. A. F. &: .\. M.. of Malcom; llysoi) Chapter. No. 50.

HISTORY UF I'UVVliSlllEK COUNTY 193

K. A. M., also of Malcom ; aiul ( )ii<;ntal Conunaiulcry, No. 22, K. T., of New-
ton. He gives his political allegiance to the republican party and at one time
served on the city council. He is justice of the peace at present and for eigh-
teen years has served on the board of education, of which he is now president,
i le has ever been a stanch champion of the cause of education, standing as he
does for the highest and best in intellectual training, and other interests as well
have felt the stimulus of his influence, for he is public-spirited in his citizenship,
lulvucating all those measures which tend to promote the welfare of the com-
munity. He has been identified with the business interests of Malcom longer
than any other resident, his connection therewith extending over a periotl of
thirtv-six years, and in the meantime he has witnessed its development from a
small hamlet to the progressive little town of the present, his own record
tvpifying in a certain degree the progress and advancement which has been
continuously carried forward w'ithin its limits. He is widely known throughout
the cdmmunitv and the consensus of public opinion accords him a prominent
place among Malcom's representative and resjjected citizens.

JOHN S. DEVEREUX.

Ever since he arrived at an age when he was able to work in the fields John
S. Devereu.x has been connected with farming and stock-raising. He began
as a farmer on his father's place but now owns productive property in Wash-
ington township, and each year under his management the land yields excellent
harvests. He is a native of Harford county, Maryland, is a son of .\lexander
and Elizabeth ( Hayes ) Devereux, and was born Jvme 4, 1859. The parents
were both born in County Wexford, Ireland. The mother came to the United
States in 1852 and the father in the year following. They were married in the
east and arrived in Poweshiek county, Iowa, March 17, 1871, where Mr. De-
vereu.x purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he cleared and
improved. He devoted his attention especially to stock farming and attained a
goodly measure of success. He died December 20, 1900, the mother being
called away February 11, 1905. They were consistent members of the Catholic
church and politically Mr. Devereux gave his support to the democratic party.
He never sought public office but served for several years as member of the
school board in his district. There were nine children in their family: James,
who is now living in Adair county, Iowa; John S., the subject of this review:
-Mary, the wife of John Hanley, of .\dair county; .Alexander, of Washington
township: Sarah, who is deceased; Margaret, the wife of Edward Comerforcl, of
Stewart, Iowa; Ida. who is living with her brother .\lexander; William, of
Floyd county. Iowa; and .\nnie. now Mrs. Louis Higdon. of Washington
township.

John S. Devereux received his preliminary education in the schools of Mary-
land. He came to Iowa with his parents in his boyhood and remained on his
father's farm until about 1897, when he took up his residence on a farm of
two bundred acres, which he had purchased in 1890, This place he sold in 1900

194 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

and then bought three hundred and forty-nine acres, which he has developed
into one of the most attractive farms in this part of the county- He raises
various kinds of grain but speciaHzes in hvestock — a Hne of business which
he understands thoroughly and one which yields good returns.

On the 27th of April, 1897, Mr. Devereux was married to Miss Alice Com-
erford, who was born in Ohio, March 17, 1864, a daughter of Pierce and Mary
(Ford) Comerford. The father was born in County Tipperary and the mother
in County Mayo, Ireland. They emigrated to America in 1847 and for a
number of years lived near Dayton, Ohio. In 1869 they came west to Os-
kaloosa, Iowa, and m the year following removed to New Sharon, where Mr.
Comerford purchased a farm, which became the family homestead. He died
January 31, 1905, his wife having been called away April 12, 1899. They were
both born and reared in the Catholic church and in politics he gave his support
to the democratic party. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Devereux :
James E., who is deceased ; and Leo P., now living at home.

Mr. Devereux and his wife are members of the Catholic church and are
earnest and sincere believers in its teachings. In politics he is in sympathy
with the democratic party, its platform and candidates, but he is not a seeker
for political honors, his interest being mostly centered in his business. He is a
friend of education and has served for two years as member of the school
board. Ever alert and enterprising, he is governed by a worthy ambition to
make the best use of his talents and the success he has achieved indicates that
he was wise, indeed, in establishing his permanent home amidst the inviting
scenes of Washington township.

GRANT L. OSTROM.

On the paternal side the family of which Grant L. Ostrom, of Poweshiek
county, is a member has been traced to Holland, the early progenitors of the
family in America assisting in the founding of New Amsterdam, which is
now New York city. The sagacity, patience and perseverance of the Dutch
settlers of New York have been observed as characteristics of many of their
descendants and it is, perhaps, due to influences handed down from worthy an-
cestry that Mr. Ostrom owes a large measure of his success in business. He
was born in Knox county, Illinois, July 24, 1863, a son of George L. and Mar-
garet M. Ostrom, a record of whom is presented elsewhere in this work.

Grant L. Ostrom was brought by his parents to Iowa in his infancy and
grew to manhood in the parental home. He received his early education in the
common schools and after laying his books aside worked on shares on his fath-
er's farm. Later he entered the implement and lumber business at Hartwick,
but after five years moved out upon his present location on section 24, Jefferson
township, where he applied himself to farming for six years. He then returned
to Hartwick and for seven years was connected with the lumber business,
finally settling permanently on his farm. He owns a place of one hundred and
sixty acres, which is well improved and, as it is diligently cultivated, yields

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 195

handsome annual returns. The farm is provided with modern improvements
and its appearance reflects high credit upon its owner and incHcates that he
takes great interest in his vocation.

On the 25th of December, 1888, Mr. Ostrom was married to Miss Sadie C.
Whitlatch, a daughter of Jonathan Whitlatch, who was born in Pennsylvania
and settled on a farm in Poweshiek county, Iowa. He died in 1908. Mr. Os-
trom was called upon to mourn the death of his wife in 1903. Three children
were born of this union, namely : Ray L. ; Earl ; and Lisle, all of whom are liv-
ing. For his second wife Mr. Ostrom married Mrs. Ada (Doty) Smith, a
daughter of Abel and Laura (Sheets) Doty, a record of whom is given on an-
other page of this work. To this union two children have been born : Grace and
Percy. William A. Smith, a son of Mrs. Ostrom by her former marriage, is
also a member of the family.

Mr. Ostrom is a stanch advocate of the republican party and takes great
interest in its success, usually voting the entire ticket as indorsed by the con-
ventions. He served for four terms to the general satisfaction of the commu-
nity as justice of the peace, and also for many years as member of the school
board. Fraternally he is connected with Sharon Lodge, No. 287, A. F. & A. M.,
of Victor, Iowa. A successful business man and a thorough farmer he is now
reaping the rewards of his labors, and also enjoys the confidence and respect
of those who have known him from his boyhood.

CHARLES O. LORD.

Charles O. Lord, who was born at Shapleigh, York county, Maine, Febru-
ary 6, 1849, and died December 30, 1904, was one of the highly respected citi-
zens of Poweshiek county and was the owner of a well improved farm in
Washington township. He retired from active labors two years before his
.death, having through his industry and good management acquired a handsome
competence for himself and family. His parents were Oliver and Hulda
(Thurston) Lord, and both of them were natives of York county. The father
was a ship builder and also the owner of a farm. He died in Maine about
1878, the mother being called away several years later while living near Haver-
hill, Massachusetts. Mr. Lord was in political belief a democrat, and both he
and his wife were members of the Free Will Baptist church. Besides their son,
Charles O., there were two other children in the family — Maria H. and Francis
M., both of whom are deceased.

Charles O. Lord was educated in the public schools of the Pine Tree state
and after completing his education he worked in a shoe shop until 1864 when,
although he had scarcely passed his boyhood, he was accepted as a soldier in
Company F, Thirty-second Maine Volunteers, being later transferred to the
Thirty-first Maine Volunteers. He served most acceptably until the close of the
war, a period of about one year. He then engaged in peaceful pursuits and was
employed in a piano factory at Deep River, Connecticut, until 1872, when he
came to Grinnell and rented a farm. Later he went to Nebraska for two years

196 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

bin returning once more took up his residence in Grinnell. In 1S95 he pur-
chased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Washington township which
became the family homestead. He took great interest in his work and improved
his farm by the erection of buildings and fences and the setting out of shade
trees, so that, although the place was not as large as some others in the neigh-
borhood, it compared favorably in appearance and productive capacity with the
best kejJt farms in the township. Mr. Lord was a good business man and his
labors were attended with an abundant measure of prosperity.

On the 6th of February, 1879, he was united in marriage to Miss Caroline
Brownell, a daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Mary Jane (Shipman)
Brownell. She was born April 10, 1858, in Pike county, Illinois, and was
educated in Chester township, Poweshiek county, Iowa, having accompanied
her [larents to this county when she was nine years old. Two children were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Lord, namely: George Curtis, who was born October 24, 1880,
and is now living in Grinnell township; and Jesse Cornelius, born July 14, 1882,
and now living with his mother.

Mr. Lord, the subject of this review, was a member of the Methodist Epis-
copal church and an active worker in that organization, having served as super-
inten<ient of the Sunday school in Westfield for several years. Politically, he
gave his support to the republican party, and although he did not seek public
oftice he filled the ])osition of school director in Washington township very
acceptably. As an e.x-soldier of the Civil war he held membership in the
Grand Army of the Republic. He was for many years a member of the Ma-
sonic order and advanced through many degrees, becoming a Knight Templar.
He was a man of genial characteristics who made many friends, and by a life
which was devoted in a large measure to the promotion of the welfare of others
he gained the good will of the entire community. Mrs. Lord still lives upon
the family homestead, her son, Jesse, now being in charge of the farm. She
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is one of the highly respected
and honored residents of this section.

JAMES FORDYCE BAILEY.

James Fordyce Bailey was born August 22, 181 5, in Westmoreland town-
shij). Oneida county, Xew York. On the nth of June, 1845, he married Cor-
nelia Doolittle, the ceremony taking ]3lace at Hampton village ( now called West-
moreland village), Westmoreland township, ( )neida county, Xew York. The
same day his brother, John Bailey, married Emily Seymour in Kirkland, Oneida
county. New York, at the home of her sister, while his sister, Joanna Bailey,
married Dr. Ralph Abercromby Severance at the Bailey homestead. His bro-
ther-in-law. Rev. Amzi D. Barber, performed all these ceremonies.

James Fordyce Bailey was one of a family of nine children, seven sons and
two daug'hters. His parents were Eliphalet and Xancy ( Bradish ) Bailey. His
father, one of tlic early settlers of Westmoreland, was a prosperous farmer and

.lAMKS r.Air.KY

THE NEW YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARY

TILOeN f OUNOAT iONS.

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 199

took an active part in public affairs. The paternal grandparents of onr sub-
ject were James and Lucy (day) Bailey, who lived in Lebanon, Connecticut.
During the Revolutionary war the grandfather acted as a guard for a few
ilays. The grandmother lived to attain the age of ninety-two years. .Mr.
r.ailey of this review was descended from John Bailey, who came from Cliip-
|)enham, England, being shijjwrecked at Pemaquid (now Bristol), Maine, in
tlie great storm on the 15th of August, 1635. He settled first at Newbury,
.Massachusetts, ami in 1639 became one of the founders of Salisbury, Massa-
chusetts. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Nancy Bradish
and was born in Cummington, Massachusetts, her parents being Dr. James and
Irene (Townsend) Bradish. Her mother was twice married, her first hus-
l)and being Dr. Clark. They took up their abode in Floyd, Oneida county. New
York, in 1802. Dr. James Bradish was a surgeon at the siege of Boston in
tile Revolutionary war. Irene (Townsend) l'>radisli lived to attain the age of
ninety-two years She was a twin sister of Nathaniel Townsend and a daugh-
ter of David and Irene (Loomis) Townsend. The Loomis, Townsend and
Bradish families have been traced to New England pioneers of very early
dates. Deacon John Bradish, the father of Dr. James Bradish, served as
selectman in 1775 and was a member of the Revolutionary committee of cor-
respondence for Hardwick, Massachusetts, from 1774 until 1777. Robert Bradish,
the emigrant from England, was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at least as
early as August 28, 1635. .'"TT!^ T: T . . ." . ' ,

Cornelia Doolittle, who was ' b6T,n ,in; Camden; Oneida county. New York,
on the 28th of August, 1824, hail two brothers and a half sister. She was the
eldest child of Amzi Doolittle, psq.. and.,his first wife, Hannah (Cone) Doo-
little, who was the widow of *.\ndre\v Bettis. Amzi Doolittle was born in
Watertown. Connecticut, and accompanied his parents on their removal to
Plymouth, Connecticut. Subsequently he made his way to Camden, New York,
and about 1825 went to the village of Hampton in New York, where he served
as town judge until his health failed. He was a cooper by trade. The name
Doolittle means "of Dolieta," a place on the Norman coast in France. Rudolph
of Dolieta. a Norman noble who came over with William the Conqueror, is
the progenitor of all the Doolittles in England. Cornelia Doolittle was de-
scended from Hon. Abraham Dowlittell (as he spelled his name), who was
born in England in 1619 or 1620. He was a Puritan and came to America
at the age of about twenty-one to escape the tyranny of Charles I. As early
as 1640 he was in Boston, Massachusetts. He removed to New Haven, Con-
necticut, prior to 1642 and was the chief executive officer of that town in
1644, when scarcely twenty-five years old. For many years he served as
selectman and was seven times deputy to the general assembly at Hartford.
He was one of the founders of Wallingford, Connecticut, and held almost
every office of honor and trust in the town. Several times he acted as repre-
sentative to the general court at Hartford. He was made a sergeant in 1673
and at the time of King Philip's war was a member of the vigilance committee.

Cornelia Doolittle was descended from Daniel Cone, who was probably the
emigrant. The first mention of Daniel Cone in this country that has been
found is in 1657. He was one of the founders of Haddam, Connecticut. Lieu-

200 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

tenant James Cone of East Haddam, Connecticut, the great-great-grandfather
of CorneHa Doolittle, served under Sir WiUiam Pepperill in 1745. He was a
member of the legislature of the colony from 1747 until 1749. The great-
grandfather of Cornelia Doolittle was Sylvanus Cone, who participated in the
French and Indian wars and also in the Revolutionary war, being a minute-
man at Bunker Hill. Hannah (ConeJ Doolittle, the mother of Cornelia Doo-
little, was born in Westmoreland township, Oneida county. New York. Cor-
nelia Doolittle had some Scottish ancestry. She lived in the Hampton village
of Xew York from the time she was about a year old until her marriage except
that after the death of her mother, in 1834. her father resided in Plymouth,
Connecticut, for a few years. She attended the Ladies' Seminary at Utica,
Xew York, and subsequently taught public and private schools. She also sang
in the church choir.

James F. Bailey, whose name introduces this review, left Westmoreland
in 1853 and took up his abode in the vicinity of Auburn, Xew York. He and
some of his brothers were planning to move farther west where they could
obtain more land and they wished to find a place where their children would
have good educational advantages. Happening to notice Mr. Grinnell's article
in the New York Independent with reference to the new colony to be founded
in the west, they wrote to Mr. Grinnell making inquiries. James F. Bailey
came to Grinnell, Iowa, in October, 1854, and in February, 1856, went back
to Auburn, New York, for his wife and children, with whom he returned to
Grinnell in the following May. When the question arose of increasing the
price paid for the land on condition that the college should be located in Grin-
nell within a certain time, he voted for the increase and cheerfully paid the
increased price on his land. Not a few students were helped by the oppor-
tunities he gave them to work for their board and room. On first coming to
Grinnell he brought with him a horse power sawmill, setting it up near the
present site of the Colonial. While sawing the second board the mill broke.
He and his brother John then went to Muscatine and purchased a steam
engine. Bringing the boiler here was a very difficult task, as the roads were
poor and the sloughs unbridged. They now had a good saw and grist mill
combined, located on what is at present block 4 of Bailey's Addition. Coal
could not be obtained and they were obliged to haul all of the fuel for the
■ mill a distance of seven miles from their timber land in Rock Creek, Jasper
county. They sawed some of the lumber for the first schoolhouse and also
for some of the first dwellings. James F. Bailey assisted in the erection of
some of the first houses. He conducted the mill for eight or ten years and
during this period had brought his farm under cultivation, eventually becom-
ing a prosperous farmer and stock-raiser. His house was a station on the
"underground railroad" for escaped slaves and with his team he carried a
number of John Brown's party to the ne.xt station. He was one of those who
stood guard on the night of the "Sugar Creek" war. Some time later, on his
way to the coal banks, he fell in with some of the participants in that skirmish,
who declared lustily that they would yet wipe out every abolitionist. Upon
being told that he was an abolitionist and that they might wipe him out, they
concluded they were not ready. He welcomed the coming of the Rock Island

HISTORY OI" I'OWF'SIIIRK COUNTY 201

Railroad, for he knew what it was to haul wheat forty miles to Marengo and
sell it for ihirty-hve cents per bushel. He gave three hundred dollars in labor
and money to help build the Iowa Central Railroad. He was one of the stock
holders of the land company for the Benzonia (Michigan) colony and at one
time owned four hundred acres of land there. He was a member of the
Grange and a stockholder in the Grange store. His political allegiance was
given to the republican party, while in religious faith he was a Congregationalism
He was, moreover, a strong temperance man and advocated the suppression
of the liquor traffic. He won a host of friends and had a wide acquaintance
in all the surrounding country.

Tames F. liailey lived in several different houses in Grinnell. In .April,
1864, he moved to the corner of his farm west of West street and north of
Eleventh avenue, where he resided until his death. .\t the time of his demise
he owned two hundred and forty acres of land, a part of which was afterward
l^latted by his children and called Bailey's Addition. Another portion was
platted by his daughter. Mrs. Joanna (Bailey) Baggs. and called Baggs' Addi-
tion. ;\Ir. Bailey died on the ist of February, 1888, and was buried in the
southwest corner of lot 67, Hazelwood cemetery, Grinnell. His wife, Cor-
nelia (Doolittle) Bailey, died in Grinnell on the 9th of January, 1893, and
was buried beside him. They had seven children, six daughters and one son,
four of whom were born in New York and three in Grinnell. Joanna Eliza-
beth, who was graduated from Iowa College of Grinnell in 1868, married George
Thomas Baggs on the 31st of May, 1877, and is still a resident of Grinnell.
Mary Irene died at the age of two years. Ella Cornelia gave her hand in
marriage to Elmore Chapman Read on the 27th of May, 1872, and makes her
home at Parsons, Kansas. Irene Conklin, who was an artist, passed away on
the 24th of August, 1877, when twenty-three years of age. Gertrude Laurinda,
who was graduated from Iowa College in 1879, resides at Grinnell. Jennie,
who completed her course in Iowa College in 1883, also makes her home in
Grinnell. William Doolittle was graduated from Iowa College of Grinnell
in 1891 and from the law department of Yale University at New Haven. Con-
necticut, in 1893. He is now a member of the law firm of Washburn, Bailey
& Mitchell of Duluth, Minnesota, and has an immense practice. On the 12th
of June, 1901, he wedded Miss Ora Ida Gridley.

Four of the brothers of James F. Bailey lived in Grinnell for a time. John
Bailey came from Auburn, New York, to Grinnell in June, 1854, and went to
Glen Arbor, Michigan, in the fall of 1857. Rev. Charles Eliphalet Bailey came
from Weymouth, Ohio, to Grinnell in the fall of 1856. While in Weymouth he
had conceived the idea of founding a Christian colony and a Christian college
in the west. In November, 1857, he was preaching at Ontario, Illinois. In
October, 1858, Rev. Charles E. Bailey, John Bailey, Horace Burr and Mr.
Wolcott founded Benzonia. Michigan, and a college was chartered in 1862.
Horace Clark Bailey lived in Grinnell several months in the summer and fall
of 1857. He went to Glen Arbor, Michigan, in the fall of 1857, intending to
help bis brothers found a new colony, but died in Glen Arbor on the nth of
June, 1858. Lorenzo Bailey came from Auburn, New York, to Grinnell in
May, 1856, and removed to Benzonia, Michigan, in 1866.

202 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

Two cousins of James F. Bailey, brothers, lived in Grinnell a few years
anti died in this city. Edwin S. Bailey, who came to Grinnell from Antwerp,
New York, in the fall of 1855, conducted a store and passed away on the 23d
of March, 1864. Alfred Bailey came from Antwerp, New York, to Grinnell
in the fall of 1856. He conducted a hotel on the corner west of Main street
and south of Fifth avenue, which was named the Bailey House. His demise
occurred on the 26th of March, 1858.

CHARLES JACOB SANDERS.

Charles Jacob Sanders may truly be termed a self-made man. for he started
out in life empty-handed and today owns valuable farm property of one hun-
dred and sixty-three acres, located on section 6, Pleasant township. He was
born in Trumbull county, Ohio, .\pril 30, 1850, a son of Henry and Hettie
(Smith) Sanders, who were both natives of Pennsylvania but were married
in Ohio. In 1855 they journeyed westwanl, settling in Poweshiek county,
Iowa, and here they remained until 1858, when they removed to Dallas county.
Texas, and there the father died in i860 at the age of fifty years. Following
his demise, the mother and her family returned to Poweshiek county, arriving
here in the fall of iSC)!. They had a long and arduous journey, driving
through with a wagon drawn by two yoke of oxen, and our subject walked
much of the distance. In passing through the state of Missouri they came in
contact with the guerrillas, who were engaged in warfare, but eventually they
reached their destination in safety. The family located at Deep River in
Poweshiek county but after a few years, in 1865, the laother returned to her
old home in Crawfonl county. Pennsylvania, and was thei? married a second
time, her union being with lleiiry Wolf. She once more returned with her
husband to Poweshiek county and died here in 18S8, having reached the
advanced age of eighty-two years. By her marriage to ^Ir. Sanders she
had become the mother of ten children, nine of whom grew to years of
maturity and are as follows : Harrison, of Montezuma ; Frank, who se'-v?J
for three years as a member of the Tenth Iowa Infantry and is now deceased:
^^'illiam, who served three and a half years in the Civil war as a member of
the Fourth Iowa Infantry and is now residing in Deep River; Rachel; Mrs.
Mary Ann Stonebocher, decea.sed ; Mrs. Eliza Smith, of Searsboro ; Daniel M.,
who served for one hundred days in the Civil war and is now a resident of
New York; Charles J., of this review; and Mrs. Rosanna Mulhollan, deceased.
Charles J. Sanders, of this review, accompanied his parents on their various
removals and was a lad of eleven years when he returned with his mother to
Poweshiek county from Texas. He remained in this county until he had
attained his majority, when he went to Ohio and was there married in 1871.
He spent eight years in the Buckeye state, during which time he was engaged
in farming a part of the time, while the remainder of his time was given to
the oil business. In 1878 he returned once more to Poweshiek county and for
fourteen vears farmed rented land in various localities. In 1891 he bought

TTTSTORV OF I'OWESHIEK COUNTY 203

his i)resent Imme farm, consisting of one hundred and sixty-three acres on
sectit)n (). Pleasant ttjwnship. lie has made most of the improvements on
this place, which has added much to its value, being worth today two hundred
dollars per acre. He was actively engagetl in the operation of this farm until
h'ebruary, 190S, when he rented the land to his son.

As above stated, Mr. Sanders was married in Ohio in 1871, the lady of
his choice being Miss Susan \irginia Campbell, who was born in Rockbridge
county, \'irginia. May 22. 1853, and died in Poweshiek county. December
15, 1903, at the age of fifty years. Jler parents, Charles and Mary (Pieaty)
Campbell, were likewise natives of Virginia. The father died in Greene
county, ()hit), but the mother still survives and makes her home in Kansas.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Sanders was blessed with five children. William
Monroe died when seventeen months old. Lydia May died at the age of
eleven months. Rose lielle is the wife of Willis ]\Iartz, a resident of Grin-
nell township. Charles H. makes his home in Malcom township. He wedded
Miss Rachel Wright and served for a year and a half in the Spanish-American
war. James Franklin is living on the home farm. He was married, January
23, 1910, to Miss Gertie Wright, a daughter of William Wright of Montezuma
and a sister of Mrs. Charles H. Sanders.

Mr. Sanders formerlv gave his political allegiance to the republican party
but now votes independently. He has held various township offices and in
all public movements has exerted immeasurable influence in his home locality.
He is a member of the Christian church and his life is m harmony with his
professions. He encountered many difficulties and obstacles in his early career
but has overcome all these and worked his way upward to success, so that
today he stands among the well-to-do and prominent citizens of his section of
the countv.

WILLIAM JOHN COX.

A well tilled and highly cultivated farm of two hundred and twenty-four
acres in Union township pays tribute to the agricultural skill of William John
Cox, who is engaged in general farming and stock-raising. He was born in
Beaver county, Pennsylvania, on the 5th of April, 1851, and is a son of Hiram
and Nancy (Wright) Cox, both natives of the Keystone state. The father,
who was born in Westmoreland county, was a carpenter by trade. He came
to Iowa in 1865. locating in Poweshiek county. Upon his arrival here he first
boitght a farm in Jackson township, which he cultivated for a time, but later
disposed of it and purchased other land in Sugar Creek township, in the opera-
lion of which he engaged until his retirement to New Sharon, Mahaska county,
where he later passed away. The mother, also died in New Sharon. Unto
them were born six children ; Joseph L., who is a resident of Searsboro, Iowa ;
Alexander R., a resident of Montezuma, Iowa ; Sarah E., deceased : William John,
our subject; Hiram Zenas, who is living in Oskaloosa ; and Nancy Jane, the wife
of Charles Bogard, of Oskaloosa. The family attended the services of the Pres-

204 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

byterian church. In politics Mr. Cox was always an ardent democrat and
served as school director in his district.

As William John Cox was fourteen years of age when his parents settled
in Poweshiek county his education was largely acquired in the common schools
of Pennsylvania. After laying aside his text-books he assisted in the cultiva-
tion of the home farm until he had attained his majority. In 1872 he rented
the homestead from his father and for a year thereafter engaged in its cultiva-
tion. He subsequently went to Nemaha county, Kansas, where he resided for
live years going from there to Nebraska. In the latter state he filed upon a
homestead, which he cultivated for a time, and then disposed of it and returned
to Iowa, purchasing a farm in Union township, this county, upon which he has
ever since continued to reside. He now owns two hundred and twenty-four
acres of land, upon which he engages in general farming, making a specialty of
raising high grade stock, particularly thoroughbred horses. Mr. Cox has met
with success in his ventures and owns one of the highly improved and well
stocked farms of the township.

In 1875 ^^'^s celebrated the marriage of Mr. Cox and Miss Amanda M. Mc-
Farlin, a daughter of Perry and Nancy (Kemp) McFarlin, of Sugar Creek
township, and they have become the parents of two sons and three daughters,
the order of their birth being as follows : Harvey H., who is a resident of
Union township ; Rose, the wife of Charles A. White, of Sugar Creek town-
ship ; Essie, the wife of George Sheehe, of Mahaska county, Iowa; Verde M.,
the wife of Guy Hildebrant, of Union township ; and Joy L., who is at home.

Ever since attaining his majority Mr. Cox has given his political support to
the candidates of the democratic party but has never held any official position
save that of school director. .\ capable business man as well as agriculturist,
Mr. Cox has so intelligently directed his activities during the period of his resi-
dence in Union township that he is now recognized as one of the substantial
citizens of the community in which he resides.

GEORGE L. MILES.

George L. Miles, one of the leading and respected citizens of Grinnell, is
extensively engaged in the hardware business and is also prominently identi-
fied with financial interests as the president of the Grinnell Savings Bank. His
birth occurred in Steuben county, New York, on the 15th of April, 1858, his
parents being William and Nancy A. (Parker) Miles, who were born, reared
and married in that county. The year 1866 witnessed their removal westward
to Princeton, Illinois. William Miles had become familiar with the lumber
business in early life, rafting logs down the river as a boy. After locating in
Princeton he embarked in the retail lumber business and acquired and worked
extensive pine forests in Michigan. He became a very successful man, accu-
mulating much land and also becoming connected with banking interests. He
supported the republican party and, while in no sense a politician, was a recog-
nized factor in local politics, holding the various town offices. His demise oc-

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 205

curred in Princeton in 1S98, while his wife was called to her final rest two
years later.

George L. Miles was reared under the parental roof and supplemented his
preliminary education by a course of study in the Princeton high school. His
ambition as a boy was to become a farmer and when a youth of nineteen he
went to western Iowa, locating in Pottawattamie county, where his father owned
fourteen hundred acres of land and where he devoted his attention to general
agricultural pursuits for nine years. After abandoning farming pursuits he
turned his attention to the hardware business in Tipton, Iowa, being thus prom-
inently identified with the mercantile interests of the town for seven years.
During this period he became interested in the Tipton Savings Bank and was
chosen vice president of the institution. In 1894 he came to Grinnell and es-
tablished himself in business as a hardware dealer, the enterprise having since
grown to extensive and profitable proportions. Subsequently he became iden-
tified with the Grinnell Savings Bank and was made president of the institu-
tion. He is an able officer as well as enterprising merchant and in the control
of his business affairs has displayed excellent management and keen discernment.

In 1882 Mr. Miles was united in marriage to Miss Flora Priestley, her father
being Charles M. Priestley, a prominent hardware dealer of Princeton, Illinois.
L'nto our subject and his wife have been born two children, namely: Louise
Beach, of Aledo, Illinois, who is the wife of Glenn Clark, a professor in Will-
iam & Vashti College ; and Rosella May, who is employed as a bookkeeper by
her father. Both daughters graduated from Iowa College with the class of
1906.

Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Miles has sup-
ported the men and measures of the republican party, believing that its princi-
ples are most conducive to good government. He served as a member of the
town council and of the school board while a resident of Tipton but has re-
fused political preferment in Grinnell. Fraternally he is identified with the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to Grinnell Lodge, No. 358. No
lireath of suspicion has ever assailed his good name and on the contrary he
stands as a splendid type of the honorable, reliable, successful man, the public-
spirited citizen and the trustworthy friend.

EDWIN DARE.

Edwin Dare, whose farm in section 24, Chester township, gives evidence of
careful cultivation and liberal returns each year, is a native of Dorsetshire,
England, and was born April 16, 1869. He is a son of John and Sarah (Bus
sell) Dare, both natives of England. The father learned the miller's trade but
later devoted his attention to farming, continuing during his entire life in the
old country. He died in 1905, but the mother is now living with a son in Eng-
land.

Edwin Dare was the fourth in order of birth in a family of seven children.
He received a common school education and for three years lived with an uncle.

206 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COLXTV

at the end of which time, being tlien twenty years of age. he came to America,
arriving in Chester township, Poweshiek county, in 1889. He worked for eight
years as a farm laborer by the month and then rented a place of a Mr. Fore-
hand at Chester Center, upon which he continued for two years. At the end of
the time named he rented land in section 24, Chester township, which he pur-
chased in the fall of 1902 from (ieorge Rutherford. His farm comprises one
hundred and sixty acres and in many respects he has added to its appearance,
making it a very desirable property. He raises feed for cattle and hogs, which
he usually delivers to the market in excellent condition, thus commanding the
highest prices.

On the 17th of March, 1897, Mr. Dare was married at Chester Center to
Miss Minnie Warren, who was born in England, a daughter of Walter and
Frances (Green) Warren, who are identified with agricultural interests in their
native country, Mr. Warren being a farmer and dairyman. The parents are
both still living but have never visited America. Fi\e children have been born
to Mr. and Mrs. Dare: Arthur E., Mildred, George W., Ada F. and Harlan
Charles. These children have all possessed excellent advantages in the way
of educational facilities.

Mr. Dare is a member of the Congregational church at Chester Center and
in politics gives his support to the republican party. He has not held an)- pub-
lic office save that of member of the school board. He has never looked to luck
or chance for his fortune, but by steady, persistent application has won a com-
petency for himself and family from the soil. He is deeply interested in the
progress of the community and has labored earnestly for the public good, never
seeking to advance his own welfare to the injury of others.

JOHN SCHiMITZ.

One of the thrifty and energetic Cjermans who are now numbered among
Poweshiek county's successful farmers is John Schmitz, who owns two him-
dred and seventy acres of excellent land in Grinnell township. He was born
in Germany on the 27th of March, 1852, a son of Emery and Margaret (Dahm )
Schmitz, who spent their entire lives in their native land, where the father en-
gaged in teaching and farming. For many years he taught in Onhoven. in which
village he was born and where he passed away in 1857.

The common schools of his native land provided John Schmitz with his edu-
cation, and after laying aside his school books he worked out until he was nine-
teen years of age. Having decided at the expiration of that time that better
advantages must be available for energetic young men in the United States, he
took passage for America, landing in New York in April, 1871. From there he
made his way directly to Brooklyn, this county, where he worked for a year
and then came to Washington township, where he was employed by "Uncle"
Johnnv Brom for a year. Being very thrifty, he had carefully ;aved a portion
of each month's salary until he had acquired sufficient capital to enable him to
buy a farm, and then purchased sixty-five acres in Washington township, adding

•I.

HISTORY Ul'- I'OVVESlllEK COUNTY UOy

to his original tract forty acres at one time and fifteen at another, making the
aggregate of his holdings one hundred and twenty acres. In 1879 he remuved
to Grinnell township and in 1902 he bought his present farm of two hundred
and seventy acres in Grinnell township. Here he engages in general farming
and stock-raising and makes a specialty of Poland China hogs and Hereford
cattle, in which he is meeting with most gratifying success.

On February 18, 1879, Mr. Schmitz was united in marriage to Miss Caroline
Hertzel, who was born January 19, 1848, in Germany, from which country she
emigrated to the United States with friends. Five children have been born to
Mr. and Mrs. Schmitz: Mary, the wife of Henry Schmidt, of Washington town-
ship ; Emery, who married Anna Flannigan and has one child, and is living one
mile west of the home place; and Eliza, John and Francis, all of whom are at
iiome with their father. The family are communicants of the Roman Catholic
church of Grinnell.

Ever since acquiring the full rights of citizenship ^Ir. Schmitz has given his
^Kjlitical support to the democratic party, but he has always been too absorbed in
his private affairs to aspire to a public office, so does not 'actively participate
in local governmental matters. He has clearly demonstrated by his life that
success invariably awaits him who has the i)atience. perseverance and deter-
mination to conquer conditions.

HERBERT WESTON 'SOMERS. '

• ■•:• /.' ';> .: ";, :

Herbert Weston Somers. who has held the dual position of business manager
and secretary of Grinnell College since the ,ist of September, 1907, is one of the
representative and highly respected residents of <thiscity. His birth occurred in
Barnet, \'ermont, on the 31st of May, 1857, his parents being John S. and
Mary L. Somers, who were likewise natives of that state and came of Scotch
ancestry. They removed to Marshall county, Iowa, in 1864 and continued to
reside on a farm in that county until 1891, when they took up their abode in
Rapid City, South Dakota, both passing away there in January, 1898. They
were consistent and devoted members of the Congregational church.

Herbert W. Somers obtained his early education in a country school of
Marshall county, Iowa, subsequently attended Grinnell Academy and then en-
tered Grinnell College, from which institution he was graduated with the
"cyclone class" of 1882 — the year of the cyclone in Grinnell. Grinnell College
has conferred upon him the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts.
He was reared on a farm and when not in school spent all his time there until
he liad graduated from college. During his junior year in Grinnell College he
taught a country school in Marshall county throughout one winter term, at
the same time keeping up his own studies. Following his graduation he be-
came identified with educational interests as superintendent of the city schools
of Rapid City, South Dakota, serving in that capacity from 1882 until 1885.
During this period he spent two summer vacations of three months each as
traveling salesman for the Morrison Glove Manufacturing Company of Grin-

210 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

nell. In October, 1885, he began work in the First National Bank of Rapid
City. South Dakota, and in January, 1898, was elected cashier of the institution,
resigning in 1907 to accept a call from the trustees of Grinnell College to act
as their business manager and secretary. Since the 1st of September, 1907,
he has ably discharged the duties devolving upon him in this connection, his ex-
cellent executive ability and sound judgment proving potent factors in the suc-
cessful control of the institution. He was formerly a stockholder and director
in the First National Bank of Rapid City and also owned a fourth interest
in the stock of the Rapid City Electric Light Company, serving as business
manager, secretary and treasurer of the latter concern for eighteen years. He
likewise acquired considerable real estate in Rapid City but has disposed of
most of it since coming to Grinnell. He has invested in Florida lands to some
extent and now owns a fine home at No. 1018 Broad street in Grinnell. Since
January, 1910, he has been a director of the Merchants National Bank of
Grinnell.

On the 13th of June, 1888, at Jacksonville, Illinois, Mr. Somers was united
in marriage to Miss Nellie May Van Zandt, a native of that place. She is a
graduate of The Athenaeum a ladies' seminary of Jacksonville, and also pur-
sued a vocal course. Mr. and Mrs. Somers have three children, as follows :
Leslie V., who was born in 1890 and is a senior in Grinnell College; Helen M.,
born in 1891, who is a sophomore in Grinnell College; and Paul W., whose
natal year was 1895 and who is a high school student.

Mr. Somers is a stanch republican in politics and while a resident of Rapid
City served on the school board from 1885 until 1890. He was connected with
the Ancient Order of United Workmen while living there and joined the Com-
mercial Clubs in both Rapid City and Grinnell. In early life he became a mem-
ber of the Congregational church at Green Mountain, Marshall county, Iowa,
and later joined the church of that denomination in Rapid City, South Dakota,
serving as one of its trustees for several years and also acting as Sunday school
superintendent from 1884 until 1904. After coming to Grinnell he joined the
Congregational church here and has been a deacon since 1910. In manner
modest and retiring, free from self-laudation, he is best appreciated by those
who know him intimately, and his friendship is greatly prized by those who
come within the close circle of his intimate acquaintance.

JOHN W. SAWYER.

From an outlook which it has required three-quarters of a century to attain
John W. Sawyer, of Grinnell, reviews in moments of reminiscence many inter-
esting scenes and incidents of his life. A native of New England he traces his
descent to worthy ancestry, whose characteristics of grit and perseverance he
clearly inherited. He remained in the east until middle life, but has spent thirty-
seven years in Iowa and has been an interested witness of the marvelous growth
of this state as it has taken its place well toward the top of the column as one
of the most wealthy and progressive commonwealths of the Union, He was

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COL'XTY 211

born in May, 1836, in Vermont, and is a son of Calvin and Fannie f Hatch)
Sawyer. The parents were both born in Connecticut, the father in 1793 and
the mother in 1797. They removed to Vermont, where Mr. Sawyer engaged in
farming and Hved for more than fifty years on the old homestead. He died in
1883, his wife having been called away four years earlier.

John W. Sawyer acquired his early education in the district schools and after
leaving school was apprenticed to the harness-maker's trade, working for the first
three years for the meager compensation of ninety dollars and board. He con-
tinued in the harness business in Vermont until 1874 and then came with his fam-
ily to Grinnell, Iowa, where he engaged in clerking in a dry-goods store. Being
a man of good address and genial social disposition, he made many friends and
in 1878 was elected marshal and street commissioner. He resigned from his posi-
tion in the store and serveil for a number of years as a public officer. He also
became connected with the coal business and for twenty-tive years was identified
with the Grinnell Fuel Company. In 1905 he gave up business concerns and is
now happy in the serenity of a retired life in the city of his adoption.

On the 20th of November, i860, Mr. Sawyer, in Hartland, Vermont, was
united in marriage to Miss Sarah G. Short, a daughter of Benjamin Short, of
Hartland. Two children have blessed this union : Ida Louise, who lives in Chi-
cago ; and Carroll E., who is married and now lives in Oskaloosa, Iowa, being
manager of a branch of the Western Grocers' Company. Mr. Sawyer has, ever
since he reached his majority, taken the interest of a patriotic citizen in support-
ing the men and measures that seem to him most essential in promoting the gen-
eral welfare. As a public official and in private business he always aimed to be
just and true to his highest sense of right, and the respect in which he is held in
a community where he has long been a resident is the best evidence of his per-
sonal worth. He has a host of friends, who sincerely wish that he may enjoy for
many years to come abundant health and prosperity.

ALEX.\NDER H. SMITH.

One of the finely improved farms of Jackson township stands as a monument
to a life of activity and enterprise on the part of Alexander H. Smith who, start-
ing out in life without any special advantages, has attained to his present posi-
tion of prosperity through his own efforts. Born in Morgan county. Ohio, on
the 26th of July, 1847, he is a son of Solomon and Lethinda (Newman) Smith,
both natives of Ohio. Their entire lives were passed in the Buckeye state, where
the father followed the blacksmith's trade throughout his active career. Their
family consisted of five children, of whom our subject was the first in order of
birth. The others were: Harrison, residing in Des Moines; J. A., of Harlan,
Iowa ; J. B.. who passed away at Mount Pleasant, Iowa ; and Susanna, the wife
of Frank Cunningham, of Pittsburg. Kansas.

The period of his boyhood and youth were spent by Alexander H. Smith in
the home of his parents, with whom he remained until he had reached the age
of eighteen years, when, in March, 1865, he made his way to Bushnell, Illinois.

212 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

vshcre he was employed as a farm hand for two years, lie then came to Powe-
shiek county, Iowa, in 1867, and for a similar period was engaged at farm work
by the month. The money which he had been able to accumulate then made it
possible for him to rent a farm, and for a time he operated a tract of eighty acres
located in Jackson township. It was not long before he was able to purchase
a farm of his own, and he invested in his present place, consisting of three hun-
dred and twenty acres on sections 3 and 4. Jackson township. Since that time
he has given much of his time to the further development of this property, which
is now a well improved tract, equipped with good barns and outbuildings, with
neat fences and all of the modern accessories for facilitating farm labor. In
1910 he erected his present fine nine-room dwelling, supplied with all modern
conveniences including water and gas systems. Much of his attention is given
also to his stock-raising interests, for he is an extensive breeder of high grade
stock, making a specialty of shorthorn cattle and .Shire horses, also Morgan horses
and Duroc Jersey hogs. He is prominently known throughout the neighlxirhood
for the excellence of his stock, and his efforts in this direction have done mucli
toward sustaining the high standard of stock in Poweshiek county, .\side from
his home place, Mr. Smith is also interested in a half section of land in the
Panhandle of Te.xas in connection with his son.

On the 2d of April, 1874, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Eliza-
beth Searight, who was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, August 28, 1847,
and with her parents came to Iowa in 1862. She is a daughter of John F. and
Harriet Ann (Stevens) Searight. natives of Pennsylvania and Maryland re-
spectively. Both passed away in Montezuma, where the father was engaged at
the tailor trade. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born five children, namely:
Hattie L., the wife of Benjamin J. Farmer, of Pleasant township: John H.. of
Jackson township, operating his father's farm and residing upon a portion of
it; Mary, who married John W. Johnston, of Deep River; the Rev. Frederick
A., pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church at Oxford, Iowa ; and Katharine,
now in her senior year at Mount Pleasant College.

The religious faith of Mr. Smith is indicated by his membership in the
Christian church of Montezuma, while his political allegiance is given to the
republican party. He earlv learned the lesson that success must be purchased
at the price of earnest, well defined labor, and as the years have gone by per-
severance, diligence and integrity have constituted the guiding posts of life,
bringing him to the honorable position which he now occupies in the opinion
of his fellow citizens, among whom he has long lived and labored.

JOHN W. ROSE.

On the roster of county officials appears the name of John \V. Rose, who
for the fourth time has been elected to the office of county auditor. He was
born in Guernsey county, Ohio, November 8, 1855, and is a son of Thompson
antl Susanna (Lowe) Rose, who were also natives of the Buckeye state and
there resided until their removal westward to Poweshiek county, Iowa, in 1882.

HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY 213

They are now living at iJelle 1 Maine, this state, and the father has retired from
farm life, to which he devoted many years. He has served as street commis-
sioner of Belle Plaine for a number of years and is a respected and worthy
citizen of that community.

John W. Rose is the eldest of a family of two sons and eight daughters all
of whom arc- yet living, lie resided at his birthplace until he came to this
county, in iSjd. and within its borders he has since lived covering a period of
tbirty-live years, lie has worked at the carpenter's trade and has engaged in
general agricultural pursuits but put aside business interests of that character
to enter upon the duties of county auditor to which he was elected in 1904. He
discharged his duties with such ability and fidelity during his first term that
he was reelected in 1906, again was the pwpular choice in 1908, and for a third
time was chosen for the office in 1910. At each election he has been the can-
didate of the republican i)arty of which he has been a lifelong supporter. He
has done active work in the party ranks and for a number of years served as a
member of the county central committee. He has also held other public positions,
serving in most of the township offices, and was assessor of his township for
thirteen consecutive years before he was elected county auditor. He still owns
a good farm of eighty-seven acres situated in Lincoln township.

In 1876 ^Ir. Rose was united in marriage to Miss Sarah J. Henderson, who
was born in the same township, in Guernsey county. Ohio, as was her husband,
her natal year being 1848. She is a daughter of John L. Henderson and by
her marriage she has become the mother of four children: ^Minnie, the wife of
H. L. Shrader, of Lincoln township; Earl P., who is married and resides upon
his father's farm ; Clarence W., who is married and lives in Grinnell ; and Elsie,
at home.

Fraternally Mr. Rose belongs to Lafayette Lodge, Xo. 52, A. F. & A. M., of
Montezuma, also the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern
Woodmen camp. In Ohio he became a member of the United Presbyterian church
and when he came to Iowa united with a congregation of the same denomina-
tion at Guernsey. His labors in behalf of the church have been far-reaching and
effective and at all times his aid is to be counted upon when a question of truth
and right is involved.

L. P. R.AYMOND.

L. P. Raymond, who is numbered among Malcom's native sons, is a repre-
sentative of a well known family whose name was for a long period closely and
prominently identified with banking interests in this community. He was born
December 19, 1877, his parents being E. P. and Lizzie (Reedy) Raymond, natives
of \'ermont and Tama county. Iowa, respectively. The former was the only child
of P. P. Raymnnd. who was also born in X'ermont and came to Poweshiek county
when his son was but two years of age. Locating in Malcom. he established the
private bank of P. P. Raymond & Son. the first and only hank i)f Malcom. now
conducted under the name of the Malcom Savings I'.ank. F. P. Ravmnnd was

214 HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY

very active in the conduct of the business, his father giving his attention entirely
to the loan department of the institution, and continued in the management of the
business for many years, or until the incorporation of the concern as the Malcom
Savings Bank at which time P. P. "Raymond & Son disposed of their interests
therein. E. P. Raymond was also interested in agricultural pursuits in Poweshiek
county for a number of years and in 1904 went to Missouri. For the past three
years, however, he has been engaged in the real-estate business in Minneapolis,
Minnesota, in which line of activity he is meeting with gratifying success.

L. P. Raymond, whose name introduces this review, was the eldest of three
children, the other two, Edna Ruth and \'ictor Rex, still making their home with
their parents. He acquiretl his education in the common schools of this commu-
nity and for a time assisted his father in the conduct of his agricultural interests.
He made his home in Alalcom township until 1901, when he went to Te.xas and
took up his abode on a ranch which he had purchased in Dallam county. He re-
mained there for three years, after which he sold out and went to Paris, Missouri,
where he farmed for a similar period. The following year was spent with his
parents in Minneapolis, after which he returned to Poweshiek county, in 1907,
since which time he has continuously given his attention to agricultural pursuits
on a farm which he ptirchased from his father. It is a tract of one hundred anil
sixty acres located on section 23, about a half mile north of Malcom, which has
been in the Raymond family for about twenty years. It is a highly developed
property, all modern improvements having been made upon it by Mr. Raymond's
father. He engages in general farming and stock-raising and conducts his affairs
in accordance with the most practical and up-to-date methods. He possesses good
business ability, and his keen discrimination and close application to his interests
have been potent elements in the acquirement of a most enviable degree of pros-
perity.

In 1898 Mr. R