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HISTORY OF
BUTLER COUNTY IOWA
A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement
By IRVING H. HART
VOLUME II
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1
ILLUSTRATED
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CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1914 chr
THE NEW WORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 703111
AS OR, - - OX AND TILDIN FOUNDATIONS R 1915 1
NEW YORK
MILLARD F. EDWARDS
BIOGRAPHICAL
MILLARD FILLMORE EDWARDS.
Not only does the Hon. Millard Fillmore Edwards enjoy the distinction of occupying a foremost position in the legal frater- nity of Butler county but has also prominently participated in public affairs, wherein his efforts have been an acknowledged fac- tor in serving the public good. He has been a member of the state legislature, and in 1912 his talents again won him recog- nition, for he was elected to the position of judge of the district court of the twelfth judicial district. Upon the bench he has found new scope for his activities and knowledge and has gained wide recognition for his impartial administration of justice.
A native of Pennsylvania, Judge Edwards was born near Muncy, Lycoming county, October 22, 1858, a son of William and Catherine (Smole) Edwards, both of whom were natives of the Keystone state. The father was born August 17, 1832, and after a successful career as a farmer and stock-raiser passed away March 7, 1897. The mother, whose date of birth was August 18, 1834, survived her husband about seven years, dying on the 23d of July, 1903. In their family were five children: Mary, who passed away in infancy; Millard Fillmore; Anna L., who was born January 23, 1861, and is the wife of J. S. Cranmer, now of South Williamsport, Pennsylvania ; Lydia C., born July 20, 1863, now making her home in Montoursville, Pennsylvania; and Au- gustus E., who was born September 15, 1865, and is a resident of New York city. The Edwards family is of Welsh lineage, while the maternal ancestors of our subject came from Germany.
In the acquirement of his early education Judge Edwards attended public school and private normal school in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, and subsequently entered the Pennsyl- vania State Normal School at Millersville. In 1882 he graduated from the Central State Normal School at Lock Haven, Pennsyl- vania, his high standing in his class being evidenced in the fact that he was selected as one of the class orators for the commence- ment exercises. At intervals in the period in which he was acquir-
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
ing his education and for some time afterward he taught school in his native county, advancing steadily until he attained the posi- tion of principal of one of the graded schools. To perfect him- self in practical knowledge he pursued during that period a course in a commercial college at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He came to Iowa for the first time in 1883 and upon his arrival in this state entered the law department of the State University in order to prepare himself for the legal profession, entering upon his studies with the same energy and zeal which had won him suc- cess in teaching. He was graduated in 1884, after which he returned to Pennsylvania, where he entered the law office of B. S. Bently, of Williamsport. A year later he returned to Iowa and in July, 1885, settled in Parkersburg, where he entered into part- nership in the practice of law with the Hon. O. B. Courtright. This connection continued for little more than two years, when Mr. Edwards retired from the firm. In September, 1898, he was joined by Robert F. Camp and the law firm of Edwards & Camp was continued for ten years, or until 1908. Mr. Camp then retired from the firm, being succeeded by J. V. Gregory under the law firm style of Edwards & Gregory, which connection was maintained until 1910. Subsequent to that time Judge Edwards practiced alone and all through the years of his residence here up to the time of his elevation to the bench he was connected with much important litigation, handling some of the largest cases that have appeared before the courts. He occupies a most creditable and enviable position at the Butler county bar, due largely to the fact that he has always prepared his cases with great thoroughness and skill; that he is clear and forceful in argument, commanding at all times the attention of court or jury. He has gained many verdicts favorable to his clients, for his rea- soning is logical, his deductions are sound and he is always pre- pared to meet the most unlooked-for exigencies in any suit. He was admitted to practice before the federal and state courts in Iowa City in 1884 and until January, 1913, when he was elevated to the bench, continued in the private practice of law with remark- able success.
In 1912 he was nominated and elected to the position of judge of the twelfth judicial district of Iowa and, although he has held this office a comparatively short time, has already established a reputation for impartiality which places him high among the representatives of the judiciary of the state. He has a thorough understanding of intricate legal problems and, being deeply im-
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
bued with a sense of the majesty of the law and the important functions of an ancient and noble profession, he discharges his duties with admirable and conscientious ability. His decisions are always based upon the letter of the law and are generally accepted by both sides as final. His long and distinguished career in private practice gained him the experience that greatly assists him in upholding the dignity of his office and he is not only highly respected in Parkersburg but throughout the entire twelfth judicial district, comprising Butler, Floyd, Bremer, Cerro Gordo, Hancock, Winnebago, Worth and Mitchell counties.
At Parkersburg, on the 21st of July, 1887, Judge Edwards was married to Miss Ida Whiting, a daughter of C. L. and Kate (Peterkin) Whiting, the former a well known and prominent contractor and builder who also was engaged in agricultural pur- suits for some time. The parents now make their home in Snohomish, Washington. Judge and Mrs. Edwards have two daughters, Helen Catherine and Mildred Irene. The former is a graduate of Cornell College of Mount Vernon, Iowa, and received the Master of Arts degree from Chicago University in August, 1913. She is now connected with the high school at East Waterloo, Towa, where she teaches Latin and English.
Judge Edwards gives his allegiance to the republican party and has always taken a most prominent part in public life. He served Parkersburg for two terms as mayor and during his administrations brought about many beneficial results. Inter- ested in educational matters, he has served on the school board and was also for many years township clerk. In the greater poli- tics of the state he has also participated, having been elected to the twenty-eighth general assembly in 1899. His ability was quickly recognized and he was made chairman of the house com- mittee on telegraph, telephone and express and was a member of the committee on judiciary, railroads and commerce, and peni- tentiaries, judicial districts and police regulations. During this one term he attained such prominence that during that session he was made a member of the sifting committee toward the clos- ing days of that legislature. He was reelected to the twenty- ninth general assembly, continuing his creditable record and doing much important work in committee rooms and on the floor of the house. In his religious faith Judge Edwards is a Metho- dist, being a member of that church in Parkersburg and serving as trustee and one of the stewards of the same. Fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Pythias. He owns his own residence,
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
and his home enjoys a reputation for the most kind-hearted hos- pitality. Judge Edwards has become recognized as a power for good in his town and county and has ever done his best to pro- mote worthy public enterprises. He enjoys the utmost confi- dence and regard of his fellow citizens and his life record is an honor to the town and county which have honored him publicly and privately and which have found him capable in public positions of the greatest importance. Judge Edwards during the time of his residence in Butler county, has resided and now resides at Parkersburg.
LUCIUS FRANKLIN BRISTOL.
Lucius Franklin Bristol is a leading citizen of Shell Rock and Butler county. He conducts business as a contractor and builder and has thus been prominently identified with the work of public improvement. Formerly he was identified with mercantile inter- ests and in all business relations has made a most creditable record. His position too as a citizen is one most commendable, for he has ever manifested a spirit of patriotism and loyalty and served as a soldier in the Civil war. He was born in Kenosha county, Wisconsin, June 17, 1843, and is a son of Lester S. and Anzolette (Cleland) Bristol. The father was born in Auburn, New York, in 1801, and the mother's birth occurred in Girard, Pennsylania, July 17, 1814. In his boyhood days Lester S. Bristol worked on the construction of the state prison at Auburn, New York. He afterward learned the trade of carriage making, which he followed throughout the remainder of his days, being employed at different times in Charleston, South Carolina, Pitts- burg, Pennsylvania, and Syracuse, New York. He was married at Girard, Pennsylvania, after which he removed westward to Illinois and purchased eighty acres of land on the present site of Chicago. He resided thereon for one season and then sold the property for five hundred dollars. About 1840 he went to Kenosha county, Wisconsin, where he built a wagon shop and there worked at his trade for a long period. He died in Butler county, Iowa, in 1871, having long survived his wife, who passed away on the 4th of July, 1844. In their family were five children: Walter L. now lives in Cairo, Illinois. Edward C., who died in Seattle, Wash- ington, in 1912, was for five years and eight months a soldier. He
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
enlisted in the Seventh Iowa Cavalry, served all through the Civil war and afterward participated in the military movement against the Indians. George L., who served for three years as a member of the Twenty-second Wisconsin Cavalry, died in Bristol, Wiscon- sin, in July, 1901. Sarah Adaline was married in 1862 to A. G. Stonebraker and died in 1864. L. F. Bristol completes the family.
The last named was reared in his native county, no event of special importance occurring to vary the routine of life for him until the outbreak of the Civil war, when his patriotic spirit was aroused and he joined the Second Wisconsin Cavalry, with which he served for eleven months. He was then honorably discharged but he reenlisted in the Ninth Illinois Cavalry, with which he remained until December, 1865. He was taken prisoner while detailed to guard the paymaster on a Mississippi river boat above Memphis in 1864. He was held a prisoner for five days, after which he managed to make his escape, although twenty men fired at him and many bullets pierced his clothing and hat. There were about twenty shots in the leg which he carries today. While he was in the service he had two horses shot from under him and again and again he was in the thickest of the fight, serving most of the time as a bugler of the Ninth Illinois Cavalry. When the war was over he returned to his home with the most creditable military record, having never been known to falter in the face of danger no matter how great his peril.
Returning to Sharon, Wisconsin, Mr. Bristol was a resident there until the spring of 1871, when he came to Shell Rock and here established a retail furniture and undertaking business, which he conducted for twenty years, winning a fair measure of success. He also manufactured furniture at the same time. He then went upon the road as traveling representative for wholesale furniture dealers and was also interested in a furniture manufac- tory. For the past four years, however, he has remained in Shell . Rock, where he has engaged in contracting and building, devoting most of his time to the erection of houses, a number of which stand as monuments to his skill, ability and enterprise.
In Wisconsin, in 1867, Mr. Bristol was married to Miss Abbie L. Olmstead, who died in 1880, leaving two children: Edith, now the wife of W. E. Probert, of Cedar Falls; and Ella M., the wife of Arthur L. Dewey, of Memphis, Tennessee. Mr. Bristol's present wife was Mrs. Cynthia E. (Lewis) Sutherland, and they were married in 1893. Mrs. Bristol is a native of Jonesville, Michigan. For many years she held a position in the Chicago
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
postoffice, where she was known to be thoroughly trustworthy and competent. She has one son by her former marriage, Perley B. Sutherland, a resident of Detroit, Michigan.
Mr. Bristol has always given his political support to the repub- lican party, which was the defense of the union during the dark days of the Civil war and has always been regarded as the party of reform and progress. He is well known as a member of Shell Rock Lodge No. 270, I. O. O. F., of which he was the first secre- tary, and he is also connected with the Rebekahs. He is likewise a member of the Grand Army Post and thus maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades. He enjoys reminiscences of the days when he followed the old flag on southern battlefields, and it is well known that he is as loyal to the stars and stripes at the present time as when he wore the nation's blue uniform. He is a popular, genial man who has many friends, and Shell Rock numbers him among its valued citizens.
WILLIAM H. MOORE.
Death called William H. Moore on the 11th of February, 1913, and in his passing Clarksville and the community mourned the loss of a representative and valued citizen. He had long been identi- fied with agricultural interests and the way in which he managed his business affairs made one recognize the fact that the wealth of Iowa is in her soil and her strength lies in its intelligent de- velopment. Mr. Moore was born in Schoharie county, New York. March 14, 1840, and was a son of John and Alonsa (Turner) Moore, who spent their entire lives upon a farm in the Empire state. The paternal grandfather was a native of Holland and became the founder of the family in the new world. John Moore was married twice, his first union being with Betsy Wickes, by whom he had three children, while by the second marriage there were five chil- dren. John Madison Moore, a brother of William H. Moore, became a resident of Butler county, as did his half-sister, Mrs. Margaret Snyder.
William H. Moore engaged in teaching school in New York and Wisconsin in early manhood and also followed the same pro- fession in Butler county. Leaving the Empire state in 1861, he removed westward to Wisconsin and was there residing when in 1865 he responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting in the
Wat Memore
MIE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
STOR LENOX THUR SUDATIONS
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
Forty-sixth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, with which he served as a private for eight months, being on duty in Tennessee and northern Georgia. In 1866 he arrived in this county and purchased land in Butler township, where he devoted the remainder of his active life to general farming. He had three hundred and twenty acres in his home place and although he began farming here on a small scale he was very successful, his labors being crowned with substantial prosperity as the years went by. At length he was in possession of a handsome competence sufficient to supply him with all of the comforts of life through his remaining days and at his death he left to his family a goodly competence. He retired to Clarksville in the fall of 1908 and there remained in the enjoyment of a well earned rest until called to his final home on the 11th of February, 1913.
It was on the 17th of November, 1867, that Mr. Moore was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ann Perrin, who was born in Pennsylvania, October 20, 1847, and in the fall of 1851 came to Butler county with her parents, Jeremiah and Elizabeth (Scarber) Perrin, who were natives of England and after their marriage crossed the Atlantic to the United States, settling in Pennsylvania. Ultimately they removed to the west and both died in Butler county, Iowa, the mother in 1865 and the father on the 26th of September, 1903. He was a farmer throughout his active business life and in his later years he also became interested in banking and was ac- counted one of the prominent business men of this section of the state. Since coming to Iowa with her parents in 1851 Mrs. Moore has continuously resided in this county save the second year after her marriage, when with her husband she returned to Schoharie county, New York. About a year later, however, they again came to Iowa, where she has since lived and now for more than six decades she has been a witness of the growth and development of this section of the state. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Moore were born six children: Ellena, at home; Delmar J., who is a member of the Waterloo Auto Supply Company at Waterloo, Iowa; Lizzie, the wife of H. V. Chapin, of Red Bluff, California ; Anna Perrin, the wife of J. L. Carr, of West Plains, Missouri ; Arthur Garfield, who is operating the home farm east of Clarksville; and Alpha Retta, with her mother. All of the children were born in Butler county.
Mr. Moore was one of the valued representatives of the Grand Army of the Republic and delighted in meeting with his old army comrades. In politics he was a republican from the time that age
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
conferred upon him the right of franchise, and he held a number of offices, the duties of which he acceptably discharged. During the last nineteen years of his life he was a member of the Christian church and for many years was a member and president of the church board being also an elder of the church, and his daily record was in harmony with his professions. His religion was not merely a matter of Sunday observance but guided him in all of his rela- tions with his fellowmen and made him a citizen whom to know was to respect and honor.
FRED L. STOBER.
Fred L. Stober, well known in financial circles of Butler county, is cashier of the First State Bank of Greene. It was in the town of Greene that he was born July 11, 1877, a son of Louis J. Stober, who came with his parents from Germany to America during his childhood days. The family home was established in Freeport, Illinois, where he grew to manhood. In 1876, at Bloom- ington, Illinois, Louis J. Stober married Miss Fredericka Koehn, who was also a native of Germany and was about eighteen years of age when she became a resident of Illinois. It was in Freeport, that state, that Louis J. Stober learned the harness-maker's trade, which he followed continuously until 1876. The same year he removed westward to Iowa, settling in Greene, where he estab- lished a harness shop, engaging in active business in this city for thirty-five years thereafter. In 1912 he disposed of the shop and since that time has lived retired, enjoying a well earned and well merited rest. He and his wife became the parents of three sons : Fred L., of this review ; Dr. Alvin M., a successful medical prac- titioner in Chicago; and Dr. Ray W., a well known physician of Freeport, Illinois.
Fred L. Stober was reared at home and acquired his educa- tion in the public schools of Greene. After completing the high- school course he accepted a position in the First State Bank in January, 1895, beginning in a humble capacity, from which he rose rapidly. Soon after he became connected with the institu- tion he was made bookkeeper, and he served as such until Janu- ary, 1903, when he was elected cashier. He has since remained in this position and has established himself firmly in the public regard as one of the leading and reliable financiers of the county. He is a stockholder in the bank and is a director in the Electric
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
Light & Power Company, which he aided in promoting, and he is held in high regard by his business associates.
In Greene, on the 29th of November, 1900, Mr. Stober was united in marriage to Miss May M. Mason, who was born in Clyde, Ohio, and is a daughter of N. B. and Elizabeth (Carlton) Mason. Mr. Mason is a native of New York and Mrs. Mason a native of Ohio. He is a veteran of the Civil war and at one time was sher- iff of Sandusky county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Stober have three children, Fred Mason, Maude E., and Louis James.
Mr. Stober is a Master Mason and is identified also with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In the local organizations of both he has been active and is a past grand in the Odd Fellows lodge. His wife is connected with both the Rebekahs and the Order of the Eastern Star.
Politically Mr. Stober gives his allegiance to the republican party and he has filled several important positions of trust and responsibility. He served for a number of years as town clerk and since 1910 has been clerk of Coldwater township. He has also been secretary of the school board and secretary of the Greene Library Association. His public spirit has prompted him to activity along many lines which have been of direct benefit to his community and at the same time he is a representative business man, carefully managing his individual affairs so that he is win- ning good results for his family.
JOHN F. MOTT.
The official record of John F. Mott is creditable alike to him- self and his constituents and the confidence reposed in him by his fellow townsmen is best indicated in the fact that he is now serving for the third term as mayor of Clarksville. Abraham Lincoln has said: "You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time," and when a man has been again and again called to public office it is unmistakable proof of the fact that his fellow townsmen recognize in him the qualities of an efficient officer and one who is conscientious in the discharge of his duties. As chief executive Mr. Mott has given to his city a businesslike and progressive administration characterized by progress and needed reforms. A native of Livingston county,
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
New York, he was born August 1, 1844, of the marriage of Bethuel and Eliza (Grovesteen) Mott, who were also natives of the Em- pire state and there spent their entire lives. The father was of English descent, while the mother came of German lineage, and both come of old New York families represented in the state for several generations. He became a paper manufacturer and con- ducted the business until death ended his labors.
John F. Mott was the oldest of eleven children, three of whom are now deceased. One of the number, Alonzo Mott, now living in Clarksville, enlisted for service in the Civil war in 1863 as a mem- ber of Company J, One Hundred and Fifty-third New York Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of hostilities under General Banks. When John F. Mott was five years of age his parents removed with their family to Esperance, Schoharie county, New York. When he was a youth of fifteen he left home and went to Montgomery county, that state, to which county his parents subsequently removed, spending their last days in Amster- dam.
It was in Montgomery county, in 1863, that John F. Mott was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Leonardson, who was born in Canajoharie, New York. In November, 1865, they went to Toledo, Ohio, and in 1871 became residents of Monroe county, Missouri, whence in 1873 they came to Iowa, traveling by prairie schooner to Bremer county, where they located on a farm near the Butler county line. There Mr. Mott carried on general agricultural pursuits until 1881, when he purchased a farm on section 24, Butler county. He continued its further cultivation and development for some time but in September, 1894, removed to Clarksville, where he was engaged in the live-stock business and where he has since made his home. For a few years in early life he worked with his father in the paper mill but the greater part of his life has been devoted to agricultural pursuits. About ten . years ago he purchased two hundred and eighty acres of land in Mower county, Minnesota, but sold it in the fall of 1912. He was engaged in the live-stock business in Clarksville for twelve years, buying, selling and shipping stock, but in 1902 withdrew from that activity upon being elected to public office.
It was on that date that Mr. Mott was chosen county super- visor, in which position he served for two terms or six years, making a creditable record in that connection. He has always been a stalwart republican in politics and upon the party ticket has been elected to a number of local offices. For some years he
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