USA > Iowa > Mills County > A biographical history of Fremont and Mills Counties, Iowa > Part 75
USA > Iowa > Fremont County > A biographical history of Fremont and Mills Counties, Iowa > Part 75
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Mr. Kimberlin was married in Wooster. Ohio, in 1884. to Miss Candace .A. E. Broad- way, a native of Georgia. Her parents were Marquis De Lafayette and Martha ( Bobo) Broadway, the former a prominent
planter and slave-owner in ante-bellum days. He freed his slaves before the war com- menced. The mother was a native of Georgia and represented a distinguished southern family. By her marriage she had six children, of whom four are living, namely : Ben B., of Cobden, Illinois: Mrs. Virgia Ferrell, of Carbondale, Illinois : Mrs. Kimberlin : and Mrs. Allie James, of Col- den. Mrs. Kimberlin was educated in that place and there the father died. He was a carpenter and contractor and was identified with the buikling interests of the city. Both he and his wife held membership in the Bap- tist church. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Kimberlin have been born five children : Freddie L., born December 28, 1885: Ossil Dean, Sep- tember 13. 1887; Cecil, January 27. 1889; Durlin, January 16, 1891 : and one yet un- named, born February 5, 1898.
For many years Mr. Kimberlin was a Republican in his political affiliatiens, but is now a Populist and believes in free silver and in the other doctrines promulgated by Bryan. He is a Spiritualist in religious belief, holding membership in the society, while his wife is an independent Christian, active in the woman-suffrage and temperance movements. Mr. Kimberlin has had a somewhat varied career, but his resolute will and indomitable perseverance have enabled him to work his way upward to a place among the substantial citizens of his adopted state.
JOSEPH BENJAMIN VINER.
The subject of the present review is a popular citizen of Anderson township. Mills county, lowa, located on section 23, where he owns a fine and productive farm of three
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hundred and twenty-five acres and engages in the raising of stock, and farms upon an extensive scale. Mr. Viner was born in Somersetshire, England, February 8. 1851, and was a son of John and Eliza (Glass ) Viner, residents of the same shire where they lived and died, he in 1867 at the age of seventy-seven and she in 1894 about eighty- four years of age. They had been parents of six children, four of whom are still liv- ing .- Thursa, the wife of Frank Barber, of England ; Henry, a farmer of Platte county, Nebraska: Thomas, who, with his three children, still resides in England ; and Joseph, our subject: Henry Viner came to America in 1886, after the death of his first wife, bringing his two boys with him.
The educational advantages afforded Mr. Viner, of this sketch, were meager, indeed, and he was reared to life on a farm, living at home and working there until he came to America, in 1872. He then became a switch- man on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, at Burlington, Iowa, continuing at this employment for four years. Tiring of this life. Mr. Viner rented a farm in Des Moines county, Iowa, and lived there seven years, then came to Mills county and bought a farm, comprising one hundred and thirty- seven acres, in Deer Creek township, and here he settled with his wife, in 1881. For ten years Mr. Viner remained upon that place, finally selling it with profit, when he came to his present fine location, paying for it thirty dollars an acre. His land grows from forty to sixty bushels of corn to the acre and this he makes his principal crop, planting from eighty to one hundred and sixty acres to that cereal. With shorthorn cattle he has had great success, owning from twenty-five to eighty head, and raised many
hogs, although the hog cholera has caused him some loss. At one time he has owned as many as one hundred head of Poland China hogs, and regularly feeds two car-loads of beef cattle a year, also raises a number of horses.
Mr. Viner was married June 9, 1873, to Miss Elizabeth Pring, of Devonshire, Eng- land, whose father died while she was yet a child. Her mother again married and as an interesting coincidence, Miss Pring and mother sailed from England for America on the same day as did Mr. Viner, although their first meeting was in Burlington, Iowa. Our subject and his excellent wife are able to take great comfort in seeing their exem- plary children and grand-children growing more and more prosperous every year, while all are living near. Alice married Oscar Braden, who conducts a farm in Mills coun- ty and has two children ; William Henry re- sides in Montgomery county, Iowa; Ger- trude, the wife of John B. Lentz, is a bride and lives on the homestead farm; Joseph Roy; Edwin Arthur died when about ten years of age; and Ralph John is the re- maining member of the family.
In politics, Mr. Viner is an independent voter, the ties of party not seeming to him of as much importance as the fitness of the man. He is a pleasant, social man, a good and kind neighbor and both he and his wife are highly respected and valued in the com- munity.
CHARLES P. HALE.
Charles P. Hale, who is occupying the position of auditor of Mills county, was born in Lincolnville, Maine, on the 9th of August, 1858, his parents being William A.
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and AAnna M. ( Bartlett) Hale, both of whom are also natives of the Pine Tree state, whence they came to lowa in the year 1878, taking up their abode in Moulton. where they spent their remaining days, the father passing away at the age of sixty-one years, while the mother died at the age of fifty-eight years. He was a carpenter by trade, following that pursuit in early life. but later he engaged in conducting a hotel in Lincolnville. Maine, and while in lowa was connected with the Moulton Woolen Mills.
Charles P. Hale, whose name introduces this record, is indebted to the public schools of his native city for the early educational privileges which he enjoyed. He afterward attended the Moulton Normal School and then spent two years in Nebraska. On the expiration of that period he returned to lowa and began the study of telegraphy. also familiarizing himself with the labors connected with the conduct of a railroad sta- tion, being thus employed at Corydon, Iowa. For seventeen years he followed those pur- suits in the employ of the M. L. & N. and Wabash railroads, after which he spent three years engaged in general merchandis- ing in Norwich, Iowa. He was then called to public office. In politics he has always been a stanch Republican, and on the ticket of that party. in the fall of 1900, he was elected to the position of auditor of Mills county by a majority of four hundred and forty-two, thus becoming the successor of C. P. Kinney, who had filled the position for six years. He has proved a capable, ener- getic and diligent official, his course reflect- ing credit upon himself and proving highly satisfactory to his constituents.
In 1882 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Hale and Miss May Martin, of Glen- wood Junction, Missouri, and their union has been blessed with seven children. name- ly : Bertha M., Earl M., Clara M., Florence M., Alta G., Eugene and Inez. The parents held membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, and Mr. Hale is a representative of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. ex- emplifying in his life the beneficent and help- ful spirit of that fraternity.
JOSEPH M. MILLER.
The specific history of the west was made by the pioneers; it was emblazoned on the forest trees by the strength of sturdy arms and gleaming ax, and written on the surface of the earth by the track of the primitive plow. These were strong men and true that came to found the empire of the west-these hardy settlers who. building their rude domiciles, grappled with the giants of the forest or the tough sod of the prairie and from the primitive wilds evolved the fer- tile and productive fields which have these many years been furrowed by the plowshare. The red man in his motley garb stalked through the dim woody avenues or the al- most invisible ravines of the prairie, and the wild beasts disputed his dominion. The trackless prairie was made to yield its tribute under the effective endeavors of the pioneer, and slowly but surely were laid the stead- fast foundations upon which has been build- ed the magnificent superstructure of an opu- lent and enlightened commonwealth. To establish a home amid such surroundings and to cope with the many privations and hardships which were the inevitable con- comitants, demanded an invincible courage and fortitude, strong hearts and willing
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hands. All these were characteristics of the pioneers, whose names and deeds should be held in perpetual reverence by those who enjoy the fruits of their toil.
Among the honored pioneers of Mills county is Joseph M. Miller. He was born in Buchanan county, Missouri, in 1840, upon a farm, and is a son of Jesse Miller, whose birth occurred in Knox county, Tennessee. Having arrived at years of maturity, the latter married Miss Martha Layman, whose people were Virginians and were farmers by occupation. The marriage occurred in Indiana, and from that state the parents of our subject emigrated in a covered wagon, drawn by a team of oxen, to Illinois, whence they later made their way to Missouri and afterward to Mills county, Iowa, taking up their abode in Center township, where they arrived in 1853. At that time the country was wild and sparsely settled. There were no railroads and the public highways were in poor condition. The people lived in typical frontier style until the country became more thickly settled and the comforts of civiliza- tion were added. They purchased claims, as the land was not then opened to entry. With primitive implements they developed their farms and thus laid broad and deep the foundation for the present prosperity and progress of the county. These worthy pio- neers are certainly deserving of great credit, and to them the present generation owes a debt of gratitude. On the wild western frontier the Millers lived, the father devot- ing his energies to agricultural pursuits throughout a long period. He died in Glenwood. Iowa, in 1895, respected by all who knew him. The children of the family were: Mrs. Nancy Hummell, who died in Mills county, in 1858; George W., also de-
ceased ; Mrs. Rachel Clark, who is living in Woodbine, Iowa: Jesse N., who is married and resides at Council Bluffs, Iowa; and Joseph M.
Mr. Miller, whose name introduces this record, spent the first thirteen years of his life in the state of his nativity and then ac- companied his parents to Iowa. He at- tended school for several terms in this coun- ty, although educational privileges were rather meager, school being conducted on the subscription plan. However, he was an eager and earnest student and with limited facilities managed to acquire a good educa- tion, which has been supplemented by read- ing, study and investigation in later years.
When the trouble over the slavery ques- tion involved the country in Civil war en- rollments were made at the school-house in Silver Creek township, Mills county, and Joseph M. Miller placed his name among those who offered their services to their government. enlisting on the 13th of Au- gust, 1862, as a member of Company B. which soon became a part of the Twenty- ninth Iowa Infantry. The company was commanded by Captain M. L. Andrews, and the regiment by Colonel Thomas A. Benton, a son of the famous Missouri statesman. They rendezvoused at Council Bluffs and proceeded thence to St. Joseph, Missouri, in December, 1862. On leaving that point they made their way to St. Louis, and after a few days went to Columbus, Kentucky, and later on an expedition up the White river. At Duvall's Bluff Mr. Miller partici- pated in the first skirmish of any importance, the Union troops capturing that place. The first pitched battle in which he took part was at Helena, Arkansas, in July, 1863. and he also participated in the Yazoo Pass expedi-
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
tion, which was an effort to invest Vicks- burg from that side. He aided in the battle and capture of Little Rock, suffering all the hardships incident to that affair. Ile was with his regiment on what is known as the Camden expedition, which also was fraught with much danger and hardship. When re- turning to Little Rock the troops were at- tacked by rebels at Saline river and over one hundred and fifty of the Twenty-ninth Iowa were killed and wounded. Mr. Miller was at the capture of Mobile, from which place the Union forces went across the gulf to the mouth of the Rio Grande and thence to Brownsville, where they remained until the latter part of July, 1865. At New Or- leans they were discharged and at Daven- port, Iowa, were mustered out, for the labors of the gallant soldiers of the north had resulted in preserving the Union in its irtegrity.
Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Harriet E. Graves, a native of Ten- nessee and a representative of an old Vir- ginia family. Her paternal grandfather served in the war of 1812, and her maternal grandfather was one of the Revolutionary heroes, and was rescued by his wife from the hands of the British soldiers by whom he had been taken prisoner. She walked for sixty miles with this object in view. her way leading through the country infested by the Tories and British soldiers, and the jour- nev being thus fraught with great danger : but her desire to rescue her husband led her to forget her own peril, and with marked bravery she accomplished the task. Will- iam W. Graves, the father of Mrs. Miller, was born in 1818 and made farming his life work. Ilis wife bore the maiden name of Mahala P. Graves, but was not a relative.
Five children have been born unto Mr. and Mrs. Miller, but three of the number are now deceased, namely : Joseph L., William H. and Charles 11. The surviving chil- dren are: Miraetta W. and Ada P., who are still with their parents. The mother and daughters are members of the Methodist church at Hillsdale and are people of sterling worth, occupying an enviable position in social circles in their community.
In his political views Mr. Miller is an earnest Republican, having supported the party since casting his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. His fellow towns- men, recognizing his ability and worth, have called him to public office and for seven years he has been the assessor of Center township. For fifteen years he has been school director and secretary of the board. and the cause of education finds in him a warm friend, doing all in his power to pro- mote the efficiency of the school -. Through- out his entire business career he has carried on farming, and is now the owner of a fine country home, surrounded with beautiful evergreen and other ornamental trees, flowers and shrubs. It is an ideal place, in which comfort and hospitality reigns. Ile carries on general farming, and his well-directed labors and thorough understanding of farm- ing methods have made him one of the pros- perous citizens of the community.
WILLIAM L. TUBBS.
More than a century ago Washington said : "Agriculture is the most useful as well as the most honorable calling to which man devotes his energies :" and the truth of this is as manifest to-day as when uttered. It forms the basis of all commercial relations,
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it furnishes employment to a vast majority of mankind and is a source of the greatest wealth to nations. William L. Tubbs is actively interested in agricultural pursuits, being a leading farmer and stock-raiser of Mills county, his farm being on sections 13 and 24, Indian Creek township, near the city of Emerson.
Almost his entire life has been passed here, for by his parents he was brought to the county on the 14th of April, 1856, three days before the anniversary of his birth, which occurred on the 17th of April, 1855. Under the parental roof he was reared and in the common schools received his elemen- tary education, which was supplemented by a course in Tabor College. When he had completed his college work he entered upon his business career as an employe in the mercantile house of Messrs. Paddock, at Malvern, where he continued for two years. After his marriage he was engaged in mer- chandising on his own account in Emerson for two years, where he now resides. He has two hundred acres of land, all under a high state of cultivation and improved with all modern accessories and conveniences of a model farm. His fields are well tilled and yield to him a golden tribute in return for the care and labor which he bestows upon them. In his methods he is progressive and practical, and his work has resulted in bring- ing to him a handsome competence. All the latest improved machinery are to be seen upon his place and everything is up-to-date. He raises high grades of stock, and in this branch of his business he is also equally pros- perons. In 1900 he built the Judge Hotel at Emerson, one of the best hotel buildings in this part of Iowa. He was sheriff of
Mills county from 1896 to 1900, and re- fused the nomination for a third term.
On the 20th of September, 1876, Mr. Tubbs was united in marriage to Miss Allie N. Tomblin, of Illinois, and they became the parents of Harry S., John W. and W. L., Jr. Mrs. Tubb's father was Sheldon Tomb- lin, who died in February, 1876. Her mother was Nancy Tomblin, and her death occurred in 1857.
Mr. Tubbs belongs to the Masonic fra- ternity at Emerson and to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Council Bluffs, Iowa. He is an active and energetic business man who forms his plans readily and is determined in their execution. He carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes, and his resolute will and diligence have been important factors in his success. His entire life has been passed in Mills county, and those who have known him longest are numbered among his best friends, a fact which indicates that his char- acter is at all times worthy of respect.
DANIEL MCFARLAND PAUL.
One of the oldest, most worthy and prosperous citizens of Fremont county, lowa, was Daniel McFarland Paul, the sub- ject of this sketch, who died November 29, 1900. He was given his name in honor of Major Daniel McFarland, who was slain at the battle of Lundy's Lane, the day before his birth. Mr. Paul was born in Washing- ton county, Pennsylvania, July 26, 1814, a son of William Paul, who was born in New Jersey about 1763. The first record of a Paul in America is about. 1640, when he lo . cated in Boston, Massachusetts. The pa-
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ternal grandfather of our subject, William Paul, was a farmer, and his son William also followed that occupation, beginning with limited means, but accumulated a fine farm, comprising, six hundred acres at the time of his death. He married Hannah Slack, and they reared twelve children, our subject being the sixth in order of birth. William Paul died in Delaware county, Ohio, while visiting a son there, aged sev- enty-six, and Mrs. Paul survived but a few years longer and was buried in Wash- ington county, Pennsylvania.
Our subject had but small educational advantages, his university being made of logs, the light coming through greased pa- per used for windows, but he was a hard student and the three months during the winter when he was permitted to sit on the old slab bench and receive instruction was a time of great enjoyment. For nine months of the year the imperative duties of the farm demanded the labor of the whole household, and in those days no child over five years old was too small to do chores.
Until his marriage Mr. Paul remained at the old home, but after this ceremony he engaged in merchandising at Hart's Mills, in Indiana. in 1835. and continued in trade there for twenty years, becoming thoroughly identified with the people, was appointed postmaster, and served as justice of the peace for many years. He also conducted d flatboat on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, going as far south as New Orleans, trading with the planters, to whom he sold flour and pork in exchange for their sugar and mo- lasses.
In 1857 Mr. Paul removed to Missouri, where he again became a merchant, and also engaged in farming and stock-raising, buy- 36
ing there one hundred and sixty acres of wild prairie land. In 1860 he removed from Missouri, on account of the mutterings omin- ous of civil war, and located at Thurman, lowa, soon entering into business as a mer- chant, but found little encouragement at first. For the initial six months his receipts amounted to but two dollars and fifty cents a day, but time came when three hundred dollars a day was not unknown. This change was accomplished by a great deal of hard work, which finally told upon a man of even his strength, so that in 1873 he sold his business to two of his sons. William and Walton, who have since successfully con- ducted it.
The marriage of Mr. Paul took place January 1, 1835, to Miss Elizabeth Wal- ton, who was born in the same locality as Mr. Paul. a daughter of Jonathan and Keziah (Moore) Walton, who were farmers in Pennsylvania. They had ten children. Mrs. Paul being the only survivor, and she is lightly bearing her eighty-two years. She has been the devoted mother of eleven chil- dren, seven of whom grew to maturity: Adaline, who is the wife of James H. Cole, of this place, where she died: Francis Marion, who was a soldier under Sherman in the Civil war. and died and is buried at Macon, Georgia, leaving a daughter, who was reared by her grandparents, and is now the wife of Melvin Mann; Margaret Ann, who was the wife of Frank Reel: Martha Jane, who is the wife of James McCartney and lives in Missouri; Alice Rose, who is the widow of Joseph Rhodes, and lives in this county ; and Walton, who is the president of the Paul Bank, in Thurman. Belle died at the age of eleven years, and three died in early childhood.
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In 1855 Mr. Paul wisely established the Paul Bank in Thurman, making his son William the president and his son Walton the cashier; but William died in January, 1892 and afterward the father was president until his death. The bank is one of the solid institutions of the county and possesses the confidence of the citizens.
In politics Mr. Paul was an ardent Re- publican, strongly admiring the present ad- ministration. He rejoices that his ancestors were Whigs and Republicans and that his descendants promise to walk in the same political path. The parents of Mrs. Paul were worthy members of the Missionary Baptist denomination, in which her father was a preacher. Mrs. Paul has been in- terested in Sunday-school work all her life, for twenty-three years being a teacher, never giving up the work until compelled to do so by old age and infirmity.
Our subject and his wife had passed sixty-six years of life together and have weathered many storms, but they had reached a peaceful time of life, surrounded with comfort and the devotion of relatives and the esteem of friends. The family possesses the respect and esteem of the whole county and are among the representative people of that part of Iowa. Mrs. Paul is still living, at the age of eighty-three.
CHARLES M. PHIPPS.
Among the native sons of Iowa was numbered the gentleman whose name intro- duces this review, and he was accounted one of the valued residents of Mills county. He was born in Madison county, on the 30th of October, 1849, and was of English lineage, the family having been founded in
America by two brothers who came from England to the new world at an early epoch of our country's history, one locating in Maryland and the other in Virginia, thus founding two branches of the family. Locke Phipps, the grandfather of our subject, was a native of Maryland, and resided for some time in Georgetown, District of Columbia. Subsequently he removed to Kentucky and spent his last days in White county, Illinois. He was a carpenter by trade, following that pursuit throughout his entire life.
William McKendree Phipps, the father of our subject, was born near Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1810, and was named in honor of Bishop McKendree. He spent the first nine years of his life in Kentucky and then accompanied his parents on their removal to White county, Illinois, the family casting in their lot with the pioneer settlers of that locality. There he learned the blacksmith's trade, serving a thorough apprenticeship after the manner of the times. In 1846 he left Illinois and crossing the Mississippi entered eastern Iowa, taking up his abode in Winterset, where he lived for five years. On the 20th of October, 1852, he arrived in Center township, Mills county. The family spent their first night in this county in the log cabin home of David Lewis, the father of Judge W. S. Lewis. Mr. Phipps after- ward purchased the right to a pre-emption claim from James Mickelwait, also one of the pioneer settlers in this locality, and trans- formed the wild land into a richly developed tract, making a valuable farm upon which he spent his remaining days. His deathi oc- curred on the old Phipps homestead three miles southwest of Hillsdale in the year 1886. His early political support was given to the Whig party and he was a warm ad-
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