USA > Iowa > Mills County > A biographical history of Fremont and Mills Counties, Iowa > Part 38
USA > Iowa > Fremont County > A biographical history of Fremont and Mills Counties, Iowa > Part 38
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Mr. Cooley came to Fremont county in 1865, during his boyhood. He is numbered among the native sons of the Hawkeye state, his birth having occurred in Centerville, ill Appanoose county, on the 3d of December, 1851, his father, A. W. Cooley, being one of the honored pioneer settlers and promi-
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nent business men of that locality. In the year 1865 he came with his family to Fre- mont county, where he engaged in dealing in grain and stock, carrying on business with good success until his death, which occurred in 1892, when he was sixty-one years of age. He was a native of Indiana and was of English descent. His father, S. E. Cooley, however, was an Indiana farmer. and upon the old family homestead in the Hoosier state the father of our subject was reared until he had attained the age of eight een years, when he became a resident of Ap- panoose county, Iowa, his home being near Centerville. In that locality he married Abi- gail Cox, a representative of a well-known and influential family. She was to him a most excellent wife, to her children a de- voted mother, and to her neighbors a kind and loyal friend. She was loved by all for her goodness of heart, and at her death, which occurred in 1891, many mourned her loss. Unto Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Cooley were born seven children, four of whom are yet living, namely: M. F., of this review ; J. E., who is living in Belgrade, Nebraska. where he is engaged in the lumber business ; W. I., who is connected with mining in- terests in Colorado; and W. S., who is in- terested in mining and also in a Spanish ranch in California. One son, S. A., and two daughters, Sarah E. and Mira, have passed away, Sarah having been six years of age at the time of her death, while Mira attained the age of sixteen years. The fa. ther of these children was a Republican in his political faith and gave an unwavering support to the principles of the party. Hle held membership in the Methodist church, took an active part in its work and did all in his power to promote the moral interests
of the community. He enjoyed the con- fidence and respect of all with whom he was associated, and through thirty-five years the name of Cooley has been honorably connect- ed with the history of Fremont county.
Mr. Cooley, whose name introduces this review, was reared upon the old homestead farm and attended the public schools, also broadening his knowledge through practical experience, reading and observation. Ilis business training was received under the di- rection of his father in connection with the grain and stock trade. In early manhood he spent ten years in the far west in the mines and upon a ranch. He visited Mon- tana, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada and Texas and became familiar with all phases of life in that portion of the country. It was a valuable experience, teaching him to become independent and self-reliant. In that way he gained a start in life, and upon his return to Fremont county, about 1877. he engaged in farming and cattle raising. He was also connected with the drug trade for some years and was actively interested in the organization and establishment of the Hamburg Banking Company: He became one of its leading stockholders and the vice- president, and has since been connected with the institution, the success of which is due in no small degree to his efforts, for he has a wide acquaintance and all know him to be a reliable and substantial business man. The public has therefore given him its patronage, and the business of the bank has constantly increased in volume and importance until the concern has become a very paying one.
On the 5th of March, 1877, Mr. Cooley was united in marriage to Miss Vice Mann, a lady of intelligence and good family, who at that time was living in Atchison county,
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Missouri. She was born in Nemaha coun- ty, Nebraska, and was reared and educated in Missouri and Iowa. Her parents were A. C. and Sarah ( Workman) Mann, early settlers of that state, coming to Fremont county in 1845. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Cooley have been born four children : Maud S. and Grace Mary, who are at home; Milton, who died at the age of four years ; and a daugli- ter who died in infancy.
Socially Mr. Cooley is connected with a number of organizations. He is a very prominent Mason, belonging to the blue lodge and chapter of Rockport, Missouri, to the council of Maryville, Missouri, to Brule Commandery, K. T., of Red Oak, Iowa, and to Moilah Temple, of St. Joseph, Missouri. In his political affiliations he is a stalwart Democrat, earnest in his advo- cacy of party principles, and for six years he has served as a member of the city coun- cil in Hamburg. He has been a delegate to many conventions, including county, con- gressional and state, and does all in his power to promote the growth and insure the suc- cess of his party. He is a man of fine physique, five feet, ten and a half inches ili height and weighing two hundred pounds. Mentally, also, he is a strong man, of ex- cellent judgment, fair in his views and high- ly honorable in all his relations with his fel- low men. His manner is frank, genial and cordial. He enjoys out-door sports. es- pecially hunting, and as opportunity offers indulges his taste in that direction.
MRS. MARY .A. BAGLEY.
Mrs. Mary A. Bagley is the widow. of P. M. Bagley. From a very early period in the development of Fremont county the
name of Bagley has figured conspicuously on the pages of its history, especially in the work of reclaiming the wild lands for pur- poses of civilization. Mrs. Bagley has al- ways resided in the Mississippi valley.
She is a native of Hancock county, Illi- nois, born April 5. 1846. her parents being Nathan and Ruby (Abbott) Biddlecome. Her parents were residents of Ohio but were married in Illinois. Her father's par- ents were Kentucky people of German line- age, and on leaving New England took up their abode in the Buckeye state, where they followed farmning. Nathan Biddlecome was eighteen years of age when he accompanied his parents to Ohio, where he remained un . til after he had attained his majority. He also went with his parents to Missouri and later returned with them to Illinois, where he was married. Subsequently he removed to Iowa, settling in Cedar county, where he remained until 1850, when, attracted to Cali- fornia by the discovery of gold, he started across the plains with his family. They had traveled as far as Council Bluffs when smallpox broke out among them and as soon as able he returned to Cedar county, contin- uing at his old home there for three years. On the expiration of that period he started for Nebraska, but after reaching Missouri made a location in that state and did not resume his journey to Nebraska until two years had passed. However, he arrived in the latter state in 1854 and cast in his lot with the pioneers of Brownville, remain- ing there until 1857, when he removed to Pawnee county and located a land claim, upon which he made some improvements.
In 1861, however, he sold that property and came to Fremont county, where again he lived among frontier people and experi-
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enced all the hardships of pioneer life. Pur- chasing a tract of unimproved land, he began the arduous task of transforming it into cultivated fields, and his labors were at length attended with prosperity. He be- came one of the leading. influential and suc- cessful farmers of his community and re- mained upon the old homestead until after the death of his wife, when he sold the prop- erty, having since lived among his chil- dren, spending much of his time in the home of his daughter, Mrs. Bagley. He has been actively associated with the development and progress of this portion of the state and has lived to see its wild lands transformed into beautiful homes and farms, while the county has become settled with a prosperous and contented people. Land values have contin- ually increased and labor now brings a good return. Mr. Biddlecome has long been an earnest and faithful member of the Chris- tian church, and its teachings have found exemplification in his honorable career. Ilis wife died January 13, 1897. mourned by a large circle of friends. She was a daughter of Rufus Abbott, who was of sturdy New England ancestry. His people were natives of Connecticut and followed farming. The children of the Biddlecome family were: Rebecca Nathan, Ashley, Jane, Joseph and George. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Bid- dlecome were born five children : Mrs. Claris- sa Kelley: Mrs. Bagley: Minerva. the wife of Ira Ames ; Margaret, wife of F. Wheeler . and Elizabeth, the wife of J. Newell.
Mrs. Bagley, whose name introduces this record, was born in Illinois and accompanied her parents on their various removals, com- ing with the family to Fremont county in 1861. She assisted her mother in the house work and other such duties until 1864, when
she gave her hand in marriage to P. M. Bagley. He was born near Cleveland, Ohio, on Christmas day of 1835, and died on the old homestead in Fremont county, February 23. 1899. Reared in Ohio, he was descend- ed from an honored New England family. his people having been valued pioneer settlers of Cuyahoga county, Ohio. They emigrat- ed westward when the Buckeye state was an almost unbroken wilderness and Cleveland was a village composed of a few houses. The Indians were yet numerous and roamed at will over the country. The parents of Mr. Bagley were Russia and Rebecca (New- ell ) Bagley, the former a native of Ver- mont and the latter of Connecticut. Be- fore his . marriage the former removed to Ohio and the latter went to that state with her parents. His father and the family after ward became residents of Ohio and all set- tled in Cuyahoga county, where land was entered from the government and farms im- proved. All of the representatives of the family of the older generations died in Ohio. Russia Bagley served in the war of 1812. and throughout his life carried on agricult- ural pursuits. His brothers were : George. a physician, who died in the Buckeye state ; Nathaniel, deceased farmer of Putnam coun- ty, Ohio: Parley, who lived in Minnesota; and his sister was Ruth, now deceased. The parents were members of the Methodist church. The children of the Newell fam- ily were: Polly, who became Mrs. Edgel; Rebecca, who became the mother of P. M. .Bagley: Mrs. Adelia Colby: John, who died in Buchanan county, lowa: Mrs. Elmira Baker, of Fremont county; and George, a farmer and broom manufacturer.
Russia Bagley, the father-in-law of Mrs. Bagley of this review, was the second of the
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family of children to which he belonged. After his marriage he located upon a farm in Ohio, but subsequently exchanged that property for four hundred acres in Fremont county. He had not seen the land at the time of the purchase and found it was not very valuable, but it has since been drained and thereby has been made very productive. In 1859 he took up his abode upon the place, his home being a short distance west of Randolph, and with characteristic energy he began cultivating and improving the fields, meeting with a fair degree of prosperity. He afterward purchased land on Deer creek and improved a second farm, upon which he spent his remaining days, his death there oc- curring November 17, 1885, when he had attained the very advanced age of ninety- two years. He was well preserved and a few days before his demise walked to the polls and voted the Republican ticket. He served as a justice of the peace and enjoyed the esteem of all his fellow townsmen by reason of his honor and integrity. His wife survived him and passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs, Clark. December 26, 1894, at the age of eighty-seven years. They were earnest Christian people, holding mem- bership in the Methodist church. Mr. Bag- ley was twice married, his first union being with a Miss Toman, by whom he had six children : Mrs. Helen Marble : Mrs. Elemath Link, who died in Indiana; Mrs. Margaret Robe; William and Joseph, who died in Ohio; and Lucina, now of Missouri. By his second marriage Russia Bagley also had eight children : P. M., now deceased ; Mary, who became the wife of O. A. Clark and died in Fremont county; Amy, deceased, was the wife of William Ruse; A. G., a prominent farmer of Fremont county; and
Fanny, the wife of Mr. David Shultz, also an agriculturist in Mills county. Christina died in infancy, also an infant son and Elvaretta.
With his father and the family P. M. Bagley came to Fremont county in 1859, and from his father he secured some land, which he improved, thus making a start in business life on a small scale. After his marriage, in 1864, he located upon his land, and for thirty-five years he and his wife fought the battle of life together, beginning when the country was new and hard labor lay before all who wished to make homes in this section of the country. Prosperity, however, attended their efforts, and with one exception they became the largest tax-payers in the county. For many years Mr. Bagley was a rather frail man, but his wife was strong and well, and proved to him a most able assistant and companion, becoming his confidential adviser in all matters of busi- ness.
As he acquired some capital he purchased stock, believing that stock-raising would prove a profitable industry, as the broad and unclaimed prairies of Iowa offered ex- cellent pasturage. Ultimately he became one of the most extensive stock-raisers and deal- ers in this portion of the country, was recog- nized as an excellent judge of stock and seldom erred even in the slightest degree in making his purchases. His ability as a finan- cier was widely known and his executive force enabled him to carry forward to suc- cessful completion whatever he undertook. Not only did he realize a handsome profit from the products of the soil and from his stock interests but also in later years through lending money. He was conservative, es- pecially in discussing his business affairs
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with friends, relying upon his own judg- ment, which was rarely if ever at fault. He found, too, that his wife's advice and coun- sel were very valuable, and business affairs were discussed between them with mutual profit and satisfaction. When the business depression of 1895 occurred and there was little market for land, Mr. Bagley purchased extensively and thus became the possessor of some of the finest farms of the county, owning over two thousand acres at the time of his death. AAll are now extremely valu- able and the Bagley estate is extensive. Add- ing continually to his property, our subject thus became the second highest tax-payer int the county.
No children were born unto our subject and his wife, but the kindness of their hearts prompted them to give a home to Miss Mary Dilts, a little orphan girl, born May 18, 1875. She became a member of their house- hold when six years of age and has ever received from them the kindest care and consideration, and in return Mr. and Mrs. Bagley have ever had from her the love and attention of an own daughter.
In his political views Mr. Bagley was an influential Republican, and, though he never sought office, he was always well in- formed on the issues and questions of the day. He was strictly a business man, enter- prising, industrious and at all times reliable. His career was as the day, with its morn- ing of hope, its noontide of activity, its even- ing of rest, ending in the grateful quiet of night. As the result of his own labors he was enabled to enjoy the comforts and lux- uries of life and to provide amply for his wife, and when called to his final rest he passed away respected by all who had known him. Mrs. Bagley still controls the oid
homestead and the estate, and is a lady of superior business ability. Her long asso- ciation with her husband in his work well qualified her for the responsibilities which now devolve upon her. She was reared in the Christian church, with which she has always affiliated, yet her support is not with- held from other denominations. Her friends are many and the circle is constantly increas ing by reason of her many excellent quali- ties of head and heart, which gain for her the respect, confidence and good will of all with whom she is associated.
MRS. HARRIET M. KELLOGG.
The owner and proprietor of one of the farms in Benton township, Fremont county. lowa, is Mrs. Harriet M. Kellogg, the sub- ject of this sketch. She is the widow of one of the early settlers of this township. Samuel J. M. Kellogg, who was born in Newington, Hartford county, Connecticut. and died at Percival, Fremont county, lowa. January 29, 1883. in the sixty-first year of his age. Samuel J. M. Kellogg came to Towa in 1857 and settled at Gaston. now Percival, where he bought eleven hundred acres of land in Benton township, Fremont county. Until the time of his death he en - gaged in farming. although he did not till but one hundred and sixty acres himself, having suitable tenants upon different farms. Mr. Kellogg was a Republican in his po- litical belief. He was a member of the Con- gregational church and was a man who was interested in religious work.
On March 23. 1858, occurred the mar- riage of Samuel Kellogg to Miss Harriet M. Rogers, who was born in Waterford,
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Connecticut, although she was reared in New London, that state. She was the daughter of Dr. James Rogers and Elizabeth ( Lati- mer ) Rogers, names known all through New England. They reared three daughters and two sons. One of the sons died at the age of twenty-two years. The survivors are one son, two daughters and Mrs. Kellogg. Dr. Rogers died in New London, Connecticut. January 1, 1851, where he had been a suc- cessful physician for many years. He was closely identified with the improvement of New London and was respected in all that locality. His lamented death was caused by accident, when he was but sixty-three years old. He was a lineal descendant of the martyr John Rogers, while the mother of Mrs. Kellogg was one of the Latimers, a daughter of Pickett and Eunice ( Douglass) Latimer. Mr. Latimer was connected with the West India trade and was a relative of the well-known family of Saltonstall. His father was a man of wealth, and his fine brick mansion on the outskirts of New Lon- don was burned by Benedict Arnold and the British soldiers. September 6, 1781, when New London was laid in ashes. The people of New London had taken their most val- able possessions there for safe keeping. Every article was burned. The aged mother of Mrs. Kellogg died in Hartford, Connec- ticut. in 1878.
Mrs. Kellogg has two sons. Samuel L. is a farmer in Percival, where he resides upon a fine farm with wife and four children. Roger W. resides on the farm of eighty acres upon which his mother settled after her husband's death. Mrs. Kellogg was educat- ed at Mount Holyoke College, at South Had- ley, Massachusetts. Her sons have attended college, Samuel L. in Oskaloosa and Tabor,
and Roger W. in Tabor and Simpson Col- leges. The family is well represented throughout the county.
JUDGE L. W. TUBBS.
The name of Tubbs is so inseparably interwoven with the history of Mills county that this volume would be incomplete with- out the record of him whose name heads this review. For years he was one of the leading citizens and most extensive land- owners in this section of the state. Not only has he been prominent in business af- fairs, but also his influence and aid were ever freely given in support of all worthy measures and movements which were cal- culated to prove of public benefit. In his business career he energetically prosecuted his labors and his life stands in exemplifi- cation of what may be accomplished through determined purpose when guided by sound judgment.
Judge Tubbs was a native of the Empire state, his birth having occurred in Bing- hamton, New York, on the 4th of January, 1826. His father, Nathaniel Tubbs, was at one time a member of congress from the Albany district of New York. The family. is of English lineage and was founded in America previous to the Revolutionary war. The paternal grandfather of our sub- ject served as a soldier in the war for inde- pendence. Nathaniel was born at Worces, ter. New York, on the 14th of June, 1797, followed the occupation of farming through- out his life, and died in Ohio. Mary (Han- ford) Tubbs, the mother of the Judge, was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, August 15, 1800, and died at Malvern, Mills county, Iowa, on the 19th of April, 1892.
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The Judge spent the first eleven years of his life in New York and then accom- panied his parents on their removal to the Western Reserve, in Ohio. Much of his youth was spent upon a farm, where he as- sisted in the labors of field and meadow; his character developing naturally and strongly amid the untrammeled life of the country. Hlis education was acquired in the city schools of Sandusky, and at the age of thirteen he was apprenticed to learn the miller's trade. Six years later he went to Michigan, where he engaged in the mill- ing business until 1849. when, attracted by the discovery of gold in California, he made his way to the Pacific slope, acting as the captain of a company of miners who jour- neved westward in search of fortune.
The strength of his character was soon manifest. and his ability for leadership was quickly recognized in the community, where men of sterling worth by right take their place at the head of affairs. He entered political life there, and in 1851 was elected a member of the first legislature of Cali- fornia. In the summer of that year he was. employed by the governor of the state to locate a road from the headwaters of the Sacramento to the Willamette valley of Oregon, an enterprise which claimed his attention until the spring of 1852. He spent the succeeding winter in the Sand- wich islands, which, almost a half century later, were to become the property of the United States.
On his return Judge Tubbs again took up his abode in Michigan and engaged in the milling business until the spring of 1856, when he came to Iowa, locating on the present site of the town of Malvern. Ilere, too he took leadership, and in 1858
was elected by a popular vote to the office of udge of the probate court for Mille coun- ty, a position which he filled with marked ability and fidelity until the office was abol- ished. He was one of the first two men ever elected on the Republican ticket in Mills county. Throughout the years that have since passed he has had considerable intlu- ence in public affairs, yet has never been an aspirant for office, preferring to devote his time and energies to his business interests. which constantly grew in volume and im- portance. In May, 1861. imbuel with the martial spirit of the time, he organized the first cavalry company ever formed in the state and was elected its captain. The or- ganization was formed for state protection and was known as the Mills County min- ute men. A peculiar fact connected there- with is that this company has never been mustered out.
In 1860 Judge Tubbs sold his Malvern farm and located in Emerson. However, he continued his active connection with ag- ricultural interests, and under his super- vision large tracts of land were cultivated and improved. He became one of the most extensive land-owners in this section of the state. his property comprising thirty-two hundred acres in Mills county. He also had much valuable town property and twelve hundred and eighty acres of land in Texas. As his financial resources increased he made judicious investments in real es- tate and derived therefrom a handsome in, come as the land increased in value and productiveness, owing to the continued growth of the county and to the cultivation which was bestowed upon the fields. He also dealt largely in stock, and in the vari- ous branches of his business gained that
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prosperity which always rewards persever- ing effort when guided by keen business discrimination.
On the Ist of October, 1853, in Kala- mazoo, Michigan, Judge Tubbs was united in marriage to Miss Sybil J. Wheeler, who was born October 13, 1836, and is a dauglı- ter of William Wheeler. By the marriage of Judge and Mrs. Tubbs eight children were born, of whom six are now living, namely : William L., Mary D., Hattie M., Volna V., Bertha E. and Ray B. The fam- ily is one of prominence in the community, enjoying the high regard of many friends who delight in the generous hospitality of the Tubbs home. Socially the Judge was connected with the Masonic lodge of En- erson and served as its first master. He joined the craft in Michigan in 1853, and in his life exemplified its benevolent teach- ings. He was a man of true worth, hon- orable in all his life's relations, straight+ forward in business and faithful in friend- ship. He was entirely free from ostenta- tion and commanded the respect and con- fidence of. all, enjoying the warm friend- ship of a large majority of the best citizens of Mills county. His death took place February 28, 1901, at his home in Emer- son, which gave occasion to the public to renew in their memories his many excellent qualities and exemplary character.
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