USA > Iowa > Mills County > A biographical history of Fremont and Mills Counties, Iowa > Part 37
USA > Iowa > Fremont County > A biographical history of Fremont and Mills Counties, Iowa > Part 37
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The home of Mr. and Mrs. Stiles has been blessed with seven children: Alonzo, a mechanic; Edgar, who was formerly a druggist in Randolph but has sold his store: Harvey, a farmer of Nebraska; Scott and Ralph, who are operating the old homestead ; Lillie and Daisy, who are attending school. The parents holl membership in the Method- ist church, and of the Masonic fraternity Mr. Stiles is a member, acting as treasurer of the organization in Randolph. His life. faithful to every duty and true to every manly principle, commands for him the con-
fidence of all with whom he has been as- sociated. In politics he is a Democrat, and in Illinois he filled a number of offices of public trust. He has never sought office in this county, but has been chairman of the Democratic county central committee and commiteeman of his township. He is reag- nized as one of the leaders of his party and his wise counsel has proven an effective agent in promoting the growth and success of Democracy here. The career of Mr. Stiles is one of which he has every reason to be proud. Deprived of almost all the ad- vantages and privileges which boys enjoy in youth, he started upon his business career without a single dollar, and all that he has acquired has come to him through his earnest effort. His home and possessions are a monument to his perseverance, his labor and his diligence.
WILLIAM H. MATTHEWS.
Among the honored pioneer settlers of Fremont county is William H. Matthews, who has passed the psalmist's span of three- score years and ten and receives the venera- tion and respect which should ever be ac- corded those who in the evening of life can look back over a well-spent past. He was born in Ross county, Ohio. December 7. 1825. his parents being Andrew and Mary (Murray) Matthews, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, but their marriage was celebrated in Ohio. David Matthews, the grandfather, was born on the green isle of Erin, and after his marriage he emigrated from Ireland to the new world, beating in Pennsylvania at an early day. There he spent a number of years and subsequently became one of the pioneer settlers of Ohio.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
He lived among the Indians, who were then numerous in that state, and in Ross county he entered from the government a tract of wild land, which he afterward transformed into a fine farm, becoming one of the pros- perous agriculturists and prominent citizens of the community. He was a stone mason by trade and followed that pursuit in early life, but afterward gave his attention to the tilling of the soil. His labors were crowned with a high degree of success and he aided his children to gain homes for themselves. He was a member of the Covenanter church and died in that faith in Ross county. His children were John, Thomas, Andrew. David and Mrs. Peggy Devoss.
Andrew Matthews, the father of our sub- ject, was reared to manhood in Ross county, Ohio, and there spent the greater part of his life, continuing to make it the place of his abode until called to his final rest, in 1864. He, too, was a stone-mason by trade, but during the greater part of his active busi- ness career carried on farming, and his last days were spent in retirement from business at the old homestead. He first gave his po- litical support to the Whig party and on its dissolution he joined the ranks of the new Republican party. He filled several town‹ ship offices but never aspired to political pre- ferment, continuing to devote his attentioli to the quiet and honorable work of the farm. In business transactions his name was a synonym for integrity and fair dealing, and among the consistent and faithful members of the Presbyterian church near their home he and his wife were numbered. She sur- vived him some time, and passing away on the old homestead in 1875. Iler father was a native of Germany, and on emigrating to the new world located in Pennsylvania,
where he followed farming. His children were John, Ritchey, Robert, William, Mrs. Mary Matthews and Mrs. Jane Roane. The parents of these children were also Presby- terians in religious faith. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Matthews were born six children : Isa- bel, now the wife of J. Robbins; David, de- ceased ; William H., of this review ; Robert, who is living in Ohio; Mrs. Margaret ]. Prizer ; and James I., deceased, who was a school-teacher and a noted musician.
William H. Matthews was reared and married in Ross county, Ohio, the latter im- portant event in his life occurring in Septem- ber, 1844. The lady of his choice was Miss Louisa Taylor, who was born in Ross coun- ty, January 13, 1822, a daughter of David and Abigail ( McClure) Taylor, the former a native of Kentucky, while the latter was born in Pennsylvania. Her grandfather Taylor was one of the early settlers of Ken- tucky and was of Scotch descent. He be- came a well known and prominent resident of the blue grass state, where he followed farming and was widely known for his sterl- ing integrity and trustworthiness. David Taylor was a leading and influential agricult- urist of Ross county, Ohio. At length he sold his country homestead and removed to Chillicothe, Ohio, where he spent his last days in retirement from labor, his death oc- curring in 1857, while his wife died in 1852. They were loyal members of the Presbyte- rain church. Their children were : Lucinda, the wife of W. McClellan; Margaret, the wife of R. Pearson ; Mary A., the wife of T. Taylor; Jane, the wife of E. Taylor ; Eliza- beth, who remained single; Morrison, who (lied at the age of twenty-five years ; Abigail, the wife of W. Cool; Sarah, who died at the age of seventeen years; Louisa, the wife
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BIOGR. IPINIC.IL HISTORY.
of Mr. Matthews; David, a physician, who died in Illinois; W. J., who died from wounds received in the war of the Rebellion, and left a wife and five children: and John M., who also served in the Union army dur- ing the Civil war.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Matthews located upon his father's farm. and there, in connection with the develop- ment and improvement of his fields, he fol- lowed carpentering. Subsequently they lived for a few years elsewhere, but after- ward returned to the old homestead, and Mr. Matthews erected a home on a plat of ground given him by his father, there re- maining until 1864, when he traded his home for one hundred and sixty acres of land in Fremont county. This quarter-section has since been his place of residence. When he took possession seventy acres had been broken and a small cabin built, while a fence had also been constructed around the tract. It was in the fall of 1864 that Mr. and Mrs. Matthews came to lowa, and through the thirty-seven years which have since come and gone he has been a well known repre- sentative of the farming and stock-raising interests of this portion of the state. IIis place is now very valuable, for the fields have been highly cultivated and excellent modern improvements have been added. Mr. Matthews has also purchased another improved farm which he rents. Since com- ing to the county he has also worked at his trade to some extent, taking contracts for the erection of various buildings, includ- ing school-houses and residences.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Matthews has been blessed with eight children : David. who, when only eighteen years of age. en- listed in the Eighty-first lowa Regiment
and died at Chattanooga; Frank, a farmer of Walnut township; Mary .A., who became the wife of W. Vaneuren and after his death married John Porter; Abigail, who died in childhood ; Isa D. B., now the wife of L. Gammon: Sophia J., now the wife of Will- iam Strunk; William A., a farmer; and Margaret, the wife of J. J. MeMullen. In hi, political views Mr. Matthews is a stalwart Republican, unswerving in his advocacy of the principles of the party, for whose inter- ests he has labored untiringly in many ways. He has served as justice of the peace and in other township offices. During the Rebel- lion he was a strong advocate of the ad- ministration and participated in the chase after Morgan, when the latter made his fa- mous raid through Indiana and Ohio. Of the Methodist Episcopal church he is an carnest and faithful member and formerly took a very active part in church and Sun- day-school work, serving as an exhorter and class-leader. Hle and his wife have now traveled life's journey together for more than fifty-six years. They are well preserved people and now in the evening of their days can enjoy the fruits of a successful career. Through the years of their resi- dence in lowa they have won the unquali- fied regard and confidence of those with whom they have been associated, for their lives have ever been in harmony with up- right principles.
DAVID M. STORY.
David Miron Story, who is engaged in general farming near Sidney, Iowa, has from pioneer days been identified with the settle- ment, growth and development of Fremont county. He came here at an early period in
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
its history and as the years have passed has borne his part in the work of public prog- ress and improvement. He was born in New York, January 21, 1831, and his par- ents, David and Almira ( Fairbanks) Story, were also natives of tlie Empire state and were descended from old English families that were founded in New England in co- lonial days. Among the ancestors were sev- eral who participated in the war of the Rev- olution, including four men of the Fairbanks family.
David Story, the father of our subject. was reared on a farm in the Empire state and learned the hatter's trade, which he fol- lowed for a number of years in order to pro- vide for himself and family. He was for some time a resident of Genesee county, New York, where he died in 1835. He was a conservative and worthy member of the Methodist church. He had two sons, D. M., of this review, and L. D. F. Story. The latter came to Fremont county in 1856, and, braving the hardships of pioneer life, he pur- chased land and improved a farm, making his home in this locality throughout his re- maining days. He died February 26, 1884. leaving seven children. After the death of her first husband Mrs. Story became the wife of J. W. Stephens, a native of Vermont, who removed to New York, where he mar- ried Mrs. Story. With his wife and her family he soon afterward removed to Wa- bash county, Indiana, where he entered land from the government and improved a farm, which was situated near the present site of the town of Manchester. The village was not founded, however, at that time, but was subsequently platted and the town was there developed. The family remained upon the farm for many years and the mother died
there in 1850. In 1856 Mr. Stephens sold the homestead and removed to Fremont county, where he purchased a tract of wild land, spending his remaining days thereon, his death occurring in 1863. He lived an honest, upright and useful life and never aspired to public office, although he served for a number of years as justice of the peace while living in Indiana. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Stephens were born five children : Joseph, a prominent farmer and ex-treasurer of Fre- mont county ; Jacob H., a farmer and also an expert in the line of bee culture, who became a lecturer on phrenology, in which science he was well versed, died at the old homestead, leaving five children ; Margaret R., who resides in Kansas, and is the widow of C. Beauchamp, who died in 1863, while serving his country in the Union army, and left two children; Martha, the wife of F. Coffin, a minister of the Quaker church, residing in Kansas; and Lucy, the wife of E. Richards, and living in Fremont county. The parents were worthy Christian people, holding membership in the United Brethren church.
D. M. Story was only four years of age at the time of his father's death. He ac- companied his mother and stepfather on their removal to Indiana and assisted in the cultivation of the home farm until seventeen years of age, when he entered upon an ap- prenticeship to the cabinet-maker's and car- penter's trades. When his term had expired he served as a journeyman for a while, after which he turned his attention to merchandis- ing in Manchester, Indiana, where he con .. tinned in business until 1857, when he dis- posed of his stock of goods and came to Fremont county, Iowa. Soon afterward he purchased a tract of wild land in Sidney
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
township and improved a farm, upon which his family remained for twenty-two years During that time he carried on merchandis- ing in Riverton and later in Sidney, being a representative of commercial interests in this county for seventeen years. He was also extensively engaged in trading and pur- chased several tracts of unimproved land. which he improved and afterward sold.
In 1882 he disposed of the homestead farm and removed his family to Sidney, where he established a general mercantile store, conducting the same with success until 1893. when he disposed of the place and re- moved to his farm near Farragut. That property he also sold at a later date and again spent one year in Sidney, after which he took up his abode upon the farm which is now his home. He had owned the prop- erty for some time and had transformed it from a tract of wild prairie into richly cultivated fields. On taking up his abode here he remodeled and enlarged the house, which occupies an excellent building site, commanding a magnificent view of the sur- rounding country, of the well-tilled fields of his own place and of the many excellent improvements there to be seen. The home is conveniently located four miles north of Riverton and there Mr. Story carries on general farming and stock-raising. He for- merly fed cattle and hogs on an extensive scale, but has now relinquished that branch of his business in order to give his entire attention to his farm.
Mr. Story was united in marriage to Miss Amelia Hogmire, who was born in Washington county. Maryland. September 27. 1835, a daughter of Daniel and Amelia (Grosh) Hogmire, both of whom were na-
tives of Maryland and were of German de scent. In 1848 they removed to Wabash county, Indiana, and the father, who was a shoemaker by trade, there carried on ag- ricultural pursuits, devoting his life to the work of the farm until 1874, when he was called to his final rest. His wife passed away April 10, 1855. in the faith of the Lutheran church, of which she was a member. Mr. Hogmire held membership in the Christian church. They had eleven children, as fol- lows: Ann M., the wife of A. Simpson ; Frederick, who is living in Indiana: David, Samuel, Catherine, Isabel and Rebecca, all of whom died in childhood: Amelia, the wife of Mr. Story; Prudence; Philena, who clied at the age of fifteen years; and Mary, who died in childhood.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Story has been blessed with five children, namely : Thomas B., who resides in Sidney: Charles F., who died at the age of seven years : Clar. ence F., who is with his parents on the old homestead; Miron Oliver, a merchant of Riverton : and Jacob W., who is at home. In religious belief Mr. and Mrs. Story are Methodists, holding membership in the church and doing everything in their power for the advancement and adoption of its cause. At the time of the Civil war Mr. Story served as first sergeant and lieutenant in the state guard from 1861 until 1865. He has ever been a strong and influential Republican and has creditably filled many township offices. He served as township trustee, as the president of the board of health and as a member of the school board. He is enterprising and public spirited. a good neighbor and faithful friend, and is char- itable to the poor and needy.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
WILLIAM LEEKA.
The subject of this review is one whose history touches the pioneer epoch in the annals of Iowa, whose days have been a component part of that indissoluble chain which linked the early, formative period with the latter-day progress and prosperi- ty. Fifty-two years have passed since he came to the county and cast his lot with the pioneer settlers who lived on the prai- ries that were still largely in possession of the government, while the timber tracts stood in their primitive strength and the work of progress and development was scarcely begun. Mr. Leeka is to-day one of the most prominent, successful and ex- tensive land-owners and agriculturists of Green township, Fremont county, his home being on section 30.
He was born in Clinton county, Ohio, June 14, 1830, and is a representative of one of the old families of Germany. His grandfather, Christian Leeka, was a native of Germany and served as a soldier in the British army during the war of the Revo- lution, and when peace was declared he took the oath of allegiance to the United States and located in Virginia, where he married Miss Elizabeth Armantrout, who also was of German lineage. They removed to Ohio, becoming early settlers of that state. and there they made their home throughout their remaining days as residents of Clin- ton county. They lived on military land and were in comfortable circumstances. They had six children, four sons and two daughters, all of whom married and lo- cated in Clinton county. One uncle and aunt afterward removed to Indiana, where they reared families and became successful
residents of the community. The grand- father of our subject died when about sev+ enty years of age, but his widow reached the very advanced age of one hundred years. Both sleep in Clinton county, the grandfather having been buried in the Sharp cemetery. Mr. Leeka has visited his grave, thus paying a tribute to the mem- ory of his honored ancestor.
John Leeka, the father of our subject, was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, February 22, 1802, and when he had reached man's estate he wedded Miss Sarah Carter, who was born in Greene county, Tennessee, December 5, 1805, a daughter of David and Nancy ( Antrim) Carter, al- so of Tennessee. On both the paternal and maternal side they were of Irish lineage. Mr. and Mrs. Carter had eight children who reached years of maturity, namely: God- frey, a farmer of Clinton county, Ohio, who was accidentally shot in a deer hunt; Hugh, who died in Pike county, Illinois, about 1845, soon after locating there; Mrs. Leeka; and Hannah, Nancy, Mary Ann, Rachael and Elizabeth. The parents of William Leeka were married in 1827, and they had but two children. David, the one besides our subject, was born February 9, 1829, and is still living, with his brother. He was injured in a gristmill in 1875 and this has affected his inind. He has a family of six children.
In the spring of 1839 the parents re- moved from Clinton county, Ohio, to Van Buren county, Iowa, making the journey down the Ohio river and up the Mississippi and Des Moines rivers, bringing with them some household goods and one horse. The father purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land from a squatter, to whom he
WILLIAM LEEKA
THE NEW YORK PUR!IO TIFRARY
1. ! AND TILL VVY ITIONE L
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BIOGRAPHIICAL HISTORY.
paid six hundred dollars, and later, at a public sale, be purchased this quarter sec- tion for two hundred dollars. Afterward he bought one hundred and twenty acres of land of a settler, thus becoming the owner of two hundred and eighty acres, divided into two parts. He was a prosperous farm- er, being numbered among the well-to-do men of his day. The country was then new and the settlers were widely scattered. The Indians still living in the state made their way down the river in canoes. The father served as a school director, but he did not seek political honors. He and his wife were earnest Christian people and held membership in the church of the Latter Day Saints. In 1846 they sold their prop- erty in eastern Iowa, at a small profit, and removed to Holt county, Missouri, in 1847, the father having rented a farm there for a year.
In November, 1848, he came with his family to Fremont county, where he pur- chased one hundred and sixty acres of land from the government, at one dollar and a quarter per acre. The first winter was passed in an old log house south of the present homestead, and during that season the father, with the assistance of his sons, cut and hauled the hewed logs which were used in building their house in the spring. It was sixteen by eighteen feet and a story and a half in height, and when it was com- pleted the family took up their abode there- in. Subsequently the father purchased an additional tract of two hundred and forty acres, for one dollar and a quarter an acre, so that the home farm comprised four hun dred acres. The mother died June 30, 1880, when about eighty-two years of age, and the father died on the roth of January.
1892, forty-two days before his ninetieth birthday. They retained their mental and physical faculties unimpaired to the last, and they now rest in the Thurman ceme- tery.
Mr. Leeka and his brother were reared to farm life, and at the age of nineteen years he began in the milling business with his father and brother. They built a water- power mill on the farm on Plum creek, in 1849, and did the custom grinding for a large section. Many of the patrons came from a long distance on horseback or with ox teams. The mill was a burr-stone mill, and in addition, in 1857, a sawmill was erected, containing a circular saw of fifty- two inches. The two mills were operated until 1878, when the gristmill was discon- tinned, .but the sawmill was in use until 1890. The old frame residence which was so long the abode of the family is now used as a granary, and has been a silent witness of the progress of the county since 1850. The ruins of the log house were torn down in 1899.
On the 28th of August. 1873. Mr. Leeka was united in marriage to Miss Ra- chel S. Seward, of Van Buren county, lowa, a daughter of B. P. and Nancy ( Car- ter ) Seward, the mother being a sister of Mr. Leeka's mother. Six children have been born unto them, and all are yet living : Roy Bismarck, who is a graduate of the Lincoln Normal School, of Nebraska, and now owns and operates a gristmill in Thur- man: Madison, who is married and follows farming near Thurman; Clarence Oliver, al- so a graduate of the Lincoln Normal School, who now has charge of a gristmill in Okla- homa ; Lorena, a student in the Drake Uni- versity, at Des Moines; Sadie, attending
18
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
school in Thurman; and Jay D., the young- est of the family, also a student in the schools of Thurman.
Mr. Leeka is independent in his political affiliations, but was one of the original sup- porters of the Republican party in Fremont county. He was the first township clerk of Scott township and was a county commis- sioner for three consecutive years. He served as a justice of the peace for two. years. He and his wife hold membership in the reorganized church of the Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ, in which he has been an elder. In October, 1892, Mr. Leeka be- gan the erection of his fine home, which was completed in the spring of 1893, and in April he took up his abode therein, re- moving from the old frame house into his elegant residence, which is attractive in arch- itecture, neat and tasteful in adornment, both on the exterior and in the interior. It is forty-six by forty feet and the ceiling's are ten and eight and a half feet. The build- ing is two stories in height, with a dormi- tory. It is a very substantial frame and is located on a fine elevation, against a bluff which has been walled up sixteen or eighteen feet with brick. There are two large cel- lars in the bluff, and every convenience of modern times is found in the home. The building faces south and east, and is one of the finest and best farm houses in Iowa. In addition to his home farm Mr. Leeka owns extensive landed interests in Iowa, Texas and Oklahoma, having thirty-two hundred acres in this state, which is in Fremont coun- ty. He also owns fourteen hundred and fifty acres in Kansas, and three hundred and twenty acres in Oklahoma. The work of the farm is now carried on by tenants, which enables him to enjoy the fruits of his former
toil. He inherited four hundred acres of land from his father, but other than this he has acquired his possessions entirely through his own efforts. His business efforts have been commendable and irreproachable, and his example should serve as a source of inspi- ration to others. He is one of the wealthy farmers of Fremont county and stands high in the estimation of his fellow men, justly meriting the warm regard in which he is held.
M. F. COOLEY.
If those who claim that fortune has fa- vored certain individuals above others will but investigate the cause of success and fail- ure, it will be found that the former is large- ly due to the improvement of opportunity, the latter to neglect of it. Fortunate environ .. ments encompass nearly every man at some stage in his career, but the strong man and the successful man is he who realizes that the proper moment has come, that the pres- ent and not the future holds his opportunity. The man who makes use of the Now and not the To Be is the one who passes on the highway of life others who have started out ahead of him and reaches the goal of pros- perity far in advance of them. It is this quality in Mr. Cooley that has made him a leader in the business world and won him a name with industrial interests that is wide- ly known.
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