USA > Iowa > Keokuk County > A genealogical and biographical history of Keokuk County, Iowa > Part 3
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The family consists of four children, Laura E. having died when one year of age. Willard W. is a farmer in Lancaster township; Sarahı A. Utterback resides in Sigourney; Charles D. is a farmer in Lan- caster township; and Joseph Y. is also a farmer in Lancaster town- ship. In his political views Mr. Parkhill is a stanch Republican, is a member of Robert E. Low Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and
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belongs to the Christian church. While not yet an aged man, Mr. Parkhill, after a life of such varied experiences, may well rest and enjoy the competency which he has earned.
JOEL RICHARDSON.
Joel Richardson well illustrates that type of man who, in a new country, begins his career in a log schoolhouse as pupil, then as teacher. then as a growing factor among his fellows, and in later years holds one after another of responsible offices until he becomes a recognized leader of men. Such meteoric development we are inclined to look for in fiction rather than in every day life, but in him whose record follows, it is sober truth.
He was born in McDonough county, Illinois, on the IIth day of August, 1839. His father, Anson Richardson, claims Ohio as his natal state, whence he moved to McDonough county, where he engaged in agri- cultural pursuits, going from there to the state of Iowa and locating at Steady Run in Keokuk county, finally settling in Lancaster township in the year 1862, where he still lives at the advanced age of eighty- seven years.
His mother, Lydia Weller, came with her people from Kentucky in the early days and settled in Indiana. She also lived to the ripe old age of seventy-two years, having celebrated her golden wedding in the bosom of her family and her friends, an occasion which was made a time of great rejoicing and festivity. Sixteen children were born to her, eight of whom lived to maturity.
Of these children Joel was the third and was eight years old when lie came to Keokuk county and thence went to Steady Run, where upon
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the rough slab benches of the old log schoolhouse he learned his early lessons and became so proficient that at the age of twenty-two years he was given the position of teacher and for eighteen years thereafter in the winter time continued his work of teaching, doing farming and carpentering in the summer time. His first marriage in 1860 in Steady Run was to Mary C. Brown, who died leaving three children, Schuyler; Julia, wife of Perry Weller of Sigourney, a prosperous pho- tographer ; and Viola, unmarried. By his second marriage in 1876 to Mary E. Hubbard he had five children. His wife was born in Lan- caster, Keokuk county, Iowa, and was the daughter of William H. and Samaria (Chastain) Hubbard, who were early settlers of Keokuk county. Their children were Lucia, Ralph, Carl, Ray and Frank. In 1863 he came to Lancaster township and located on the farm where lie now lives. This consists of one hundred and ninety-one acres of rich bottom land running down to Skunk river, and from the porch of his house may be had a beautiful view across his highly improved fruitful land. He does a general merchandise business together with his brother George, whose history appears in this work, and combines with this very successfully the managing of his farm.
He espouses the principles of Democracy and usually casts his vote in support of the Democratic candidates. He has risen from one po- sition to another as the years go by, having served in many township offices ; he was justice of the peace for about ten years, during which time his decisions and official acts were guided by great discretion and wisdom ; was also clerk of the courts for a considerable time; and during all the fifty-seven years of his residence in Keokuk county he has been intimately identified with the growth of its institutions, and has always been esteemed as one of the most influential and competent men of the
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county. He made use of every opportunity in life, and obstacles to him were but stepping stones to further achievements and development.
HON. JOHN MORRISON.
Among the many prominent sons of pioneers in Keokuk county, Iowa, is the postmaster at Hedrick, the honorable gentleman named above, who is a native of Scotland, where he was born January 30, 1835. Noting briefly the salient points in the family history of Mr. Morri- son, the father's name was John, and he was a native of the same country, and by occupation was a cotton spinner. He grew to maturity in the old country, married, and with his family in 1842 came to America and located in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. He engaged in the cotton spinning business for a period of two years, and then re- turned with his family to his native land. In the spring of 1848, however, he again resolved to try his fortunes in the new world, and this time tried the west, where he remained for a short time in Wis- consin. Ile, however, soon came east and located in Ohio, and for several years plied his trade in the city of Steubenville. In 1854 he came to Keokuk county, Iowa, and located on a farm in Benton town- ship, on which farm he lived until his death, in 1872, at the age of sixty-three years. His father before him was named John, and was a weaver by occupation. He also came to America with his family and settled in Ohio, in about the year 1846. His wife died soon after coming to America, and he started on a return soon afterward to the old country, but on the voyage he was taken sick and died. The mother of the immediate subject of this sketch was Katherine Mar- noch. She also was a native of Scotland, and coming to America
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with her husband died in 1873, at about the age of seventy-two. Her father was James Marnoch, who lived and died in Scotland. Mr. and Mrs. Morrison became the parents of four chiklren, James, living in Hedrick: Robert, deceased ; Mary, the deceased wife of Henry Dean ; and John, the subject of this sketch.
John Morrison was a lad of seven years when the family first came to America, and on the second trip was but fourteen. He was siven a very fair education in his youth, and began work quite early for himself in the cotton factory at Johnston, Scotland. He engaged in this business for the first ten years of his business life in different places in the east, and came with the family at the time stated above to Keokuk county. He had learned the tinner's trade in the east, and continued to work at that trade during the first part of his life in the west at Pella, Iowa. Mr. Morrison married on Christmas day of 1856, Martha Doolittle, who was a native of the Hoosier state, and whose family had removed to that state from the old Green Mountain state of Vermont. In 1857 her people settled on a farm in Benton township. After the marriage of our subject he settled on a farm in the township near his people and had just begun to get it into proper shape when the war cloud gathered over the nation. Putting aside all other considerations, for he felt that his duty was to his country, lie enlisted in the army as a private soldier and enrolled in Company K, of the Second Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in which organization he served for three years. He was in some of the most severe battles of the middle west, was at the surrender of Fort Donaldson, the battle of Shiloh, and in many minor engagements. Just subsequent to the battle of Shiloh he sickened of the typhoid fever and passed a period in the hospital. In 1864 he received his honorable discharge on ac-
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count of expiration of term of service, and returned to the bosom of luis family. He did not remain long at home, however, for he received an appointment as foreman of a government tin shop at Nashville, Tennessee, and repairing to that place he passed the last year of the war in the service of the government. Returning to Keokuk county, he followed farming until 1875, in the meantime serving as member of the twelfthi, thirteenth and fourteenth general assembly, represent- ing Keokuk county, the dates being 1868, 1870 and 1872. In the latter year he was appointed as a special envoy by President Grant io carry to the German and Austria-Hungarian empires a postal and trades mark treaty to each country. In 1874, after his return from the old country on this mission, Mr. Morrison was elected to the position of county auditor of Keokuk county, and removed to the county seat, Sigourney. Here lie remained until 1886. In 1882 he received the appointment of postmaster at Sigourney, and he served until Pres- ident Cleveland removed him for offensive partisanship in September, 1885. In 1886 he removed to Hedrick, then a new town and in partner- ship with J. T. Brooks and W. H. Young, he erected a flouring mill at that point, which he conducted for a period of some ten years, being also actively engaged in the buying of grain during that period. In 1896 he was elected to the legislature by the Republicans of his district, in which he served with great credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. In the following year he was appointed postmaster at Hedrick, a position which he still holds. It is unnecessary to say that Mr. Morrison is a staunch Republican, and an earnest supporter of the administration. He has been a Republican ever since the party was organized, and he is proud to state that his first vote was for John C. Fremont in 1856. Fraternally Mr. Morrison affiliates with the
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Masons, and is a member of J. M. Hedrick Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, of which he is past commander. Mr. and Mrs. Mor- rison are the parents of a family of seven children, Jessie, the wife of John Palmer; Mary, wife of Charles Wharton; Mina, wife of J. C. Burns ; Jenny, wife of Professor Samuel Byers, Ames, Iowa; John, Jr. ; Ruth, a graduate of Ames College; Josialı S., also a graduate of Ames, and at present engaged with the Chicago & Northwestern railroad as a civil engineer. The son mentioned above as John Morrison, Jr., was a well-educated boy, a graduate of West Point Military Academy. At the time of the breaking out of the Spanish-American war. he was assigned to duty with Troop .\, Fourth United States Cavalry, in the Philippines, where he was killed January 18, 1901, while in com- mand of Troop A. Mr. Morrison and his family have always been prominently identified with the social life of the sterling little city of Hedrick, where they are held in the highest esteem by a large circle of friends. Mr. Morrison has a wide acquaintance in the county, and his fidelity to all duties in life's relations has gained him the regard of his fellow men to a high degree.
ELI H. CARRELL.
Eli H. Carrell, a retired citizen of Sigourney, Iowa, was born in Logan county, Ohio, August 15. 1838, and is a son of George B. and Censaline (Shirley) Carrell, both of whom were natives of Virginia. The Carrell family is of Irish origin, while the Shirley family originated in England, George B. Carrell was reared in Virginia, where his father had located when he came as a lad to America. . At Charlestown Mr. Carrell married and with his wife moved to Greene county, Ohio,
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about 1836, and two years later to Logan county, Ohio, where our sub- ject was born. Mr. Carrell was a cabinet-maker and learned his trade in Charlestown. In connection with this he was also undertaker, as was the custom at that time, and he laid away the remains of fully six hundred persons in Logan county and vicinity; he following carpenter- ing also. He was much respected as a true, honest and upright man. About 1866 he moved to Iowa and located on a farm in Washington county. His death occurred at Adell, Dallas county, Iowa, and his burial was at Mount Pleasant. His eighty years had not only silvered his hair, but had made a record for him of an exemplary life. He was one of the most active supporters of the Methodist church in his neigh- borhood and was always ready to promote its usefulness to the extent of his means. Formerly he was a Whig, but embraced the principles of the Republican party at a later date, and was a great admirer of John C. Fremont. He filled many offices of trust and was a justice of the peace both in Ohio and Iowa.
The mother of our subject was born at Charlestown, Virginia, and her father, William Shirley, was a soldier in the war of 1812, holding high rank. She died in her seventy-fifth year. She bore her husband six sons and three daughters : William C., who is a merchant at Charles- town, Virginia; Samuel S., who is in the oil business at Hartford City, Indiana ; Edwin, who is in business at Adell, Iowa; Eli H., who is our subject ; Miss Annie, who resides at Adell; Margaret, who is the wife of Milton Singmaster of Mountaingrove, Missouri; George W .; Censaline L., who is Mrs. Holloway; and James, who died at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, aged forty-one years.
Eli H. Carrell, a retired citizen of Sigourney, Iowa, was born in mained until about nineteen years of age, receiving his education in the
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common schools and assisting his father. At the age of eighteen he went as a carpenter's assistant with his brother Edwin in Logan county, and the next year accompanied him to Mercer county, Ilinois, but two years later he returned to Ohio. Here he soon built up a good business in carpenter work, extending it to building and contracting, remaining so engaged until 1862. He then went back to Mercer county and re- mained there at work until his brother and family decided to move to Washington county, Iowa, when he accompanied them. For one year he was in the pump business, but again returned to Ohio and remained there until 1868, when he rejoined the family in Washington county, Iowa. In 1873 he came to Keokuk county, and opened a furniture and undertaking business, in which he continued at Richland for eight years, changing to dry-goods and groceries for two years, and then bought a farm in Lancaster township. Mr. Carrell operated the farm for three years and then located in Sigourney, engaging in the grocery, flour and feed business, in which he continued until December 12, 1901, at which time he sold out and retired from activity.
Mr. Carrell is regarded as a very substantial citizen of the county. For many years he was prominent in politics and very acceptably held many of the local offices. In national affairs he supports the Repub- lican party, but in local matters he uses his own judgment. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Masonic fraternity. 3 In June, 1874, Mr. Carrell was united in marriage with Mary A. Swearingen, who was born in Montgomery county, Indi- ana, on June 3, 1854, and is a daughter of W. A. and Elizabeth ( Hall) Swearingen, and three children were born to this union, namely; Dr. Oscar Vane, a dentist of Sigourney; Owen G., a teacher in the Deaf- Mute College, at Austin, Texas, being a deaf-mute himself and well ed- 5
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ucated; and Laura A. As one of the influential citizens of Sigourney Mr. Carrell is highly regarded, but he is also esteemed as a reliable, pub- lic-spirited, charitable and most useful resident by the large circle who have known him for so many years.
CALVIN McCAY.
Since an early epoch in the development of Keokuk county, Calvin McCay has been numbered among its citizens. To know' the early life of our subject in this county, we have but to picture the conditions common here five or six decades ago. Much of the land was wild, awaiting the awakening energy of civilization to transform it into richily cultivated fields. Schools were primitive, and the curriculum limited. The now thriving towns and cities were merely hamlets, or had not been founded, and the settlers were deprived of many of the comforts and con- veniences of the older east ; but they were people of resolute thrift and with determined purpose well fitted to the work of making homes in the wilderness. Calvin McCay bore his part in the task of breaking up and developing the wild land, and now in the evening of life is enjoying the results of his well directed labors. Washington county, Pennsyl- vania, was the place of the nativity of Mr. McCay, his birth occurring there November 26, 1830. His father, James McCay, was a native of the Keystone state, and was by occupation a farmer. His mother was Sarah Stoolfire, also a native of the Keystone state. They were the parents of twelve children, all of whom grew to maturity, and ten of whom still live: William, Calvin, Charles, Matilda, Susana, Phoebe, Catherine, Elizabeth, Mary, Samuel, Joshua, and Thomas.
Mr. McCay, on account of the large family at home, was early in
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life bound out to a Mr. David McKune and remained with him until he reached his majority, engaged in the labors of farm life. During this time Mr. McCay was treated as an own child by Mr. and Mrs. McKune. They gave him the best education that could be secured in his district. .At the age of twenty-one he started out for himself with nothing of capi- tal but good health, an earnest and determined spirit. He first worked by the month for different farmers about the neighborhood and in 1853, with his mother and two sisters, came out to Edgar county, Illinois, where they remained a short time. They later were joined by his brother, Charles, and the family settled in Shelby county, Illinois, where they lived for three years. Mr. McCay was married in Macon county, Illinois, on the 4th of July, 1858, to Cynthia J. Wells, and after mar- riage came to Keokuk county, where he located in German township, near where he now resides. Here be purchased a farm of forty acres, and has since that time been actively engaged in agricultural pursuits in this part of the county. In 1870 he bought his present farm, on whichi he lias since lived. Here he has one of the finest rural homes in the county, and has the satisfaction of knowing that he made all the im- provements himself. Mr. McCay has had a more or less eventful life, devoted to activity in different branches in his earlier history. In 1863 he made a trip across the plains, visiting Salt Lake City, and later going on to Virginia City. This trip consumed about a year and he returned by the water route.
The lady who became the wife of Mr. McCay was born near Dan- ville, Illinois, July 19, 1836. She was the daughter of Bazzell E. and Katherine (Jones) Wells, father a native of Ohio, and mother of Ken- tucky. They became the parents of eleven children, six of whom grew to maturity. This lady has borne to Mr. McCay the following family :
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Arnold, David, Alice, Gertrude, Granville, Emma, and Lindlay. the children save Alice were born in Keokuk county, and she was born in Macon county, Illinois. In political faith Mr. McCay adheres to the principles of the Democracy and has been honored frequently by being chosen to some of the minor offices of the township, having served a period as trustee. He is proud to claim that he is a self-made man in the highest acceptance of that term, and he is certainly deserving of that appellation, for he has secured his competence by his own exertions. He and his family are held in the highest repute by an extensive circle of friends in Keokuk county.
AUGUST POLKE.
August Polke, a prominent farmer and representative citizen of Van Buren township, Keokuk county, Iowa, was born in Germany, December 26, 1823, and is a son of Matthew and Flora ( Kornauski) Polke, both of whom were natives of Germany, and lived and died in their own land. They were the parents of three children, namely : August, Albert and Ferdinand, the last of whom is deceased; all were born and reared in Germany.
August came to America on 1857, accompanied by his younger brother : he was then about thirty-four years of age and for ten years thereafter worked on farms in the state of Illinois. In 1867 he came to Keokuk county, Iowa, and obtained one hundred and fifty acres of raw land. and immediately, with energy and perseverance, started upon its clearing and cultivation. This was but the beginning, for now Mr. Polke owns four hundred and twenty-four acres of fine land and is one of the most substantial men in the township. He has engaged in gen-
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cral farming and has been particularly successful in the raising of stock. hogs, sheep and cattle.
In 1853 Mr. Polke was married in Germany to Henrietta Nickel, a native of Germany, who was reared there, and a family of ten children lias been born to our subject and estimable wife, as follows: Helmont; AAdeline, deceased; Henrietta deceased: Augusta ; Albertine; Rudolph ; Hannah; Edward; Richard; Rosa Paline. Mr. Polke and family be- long to the Lutheran church in Sigourney, to the building of which he was a generous contributor. The family is one which is held in high esteem in Van Buren township and our subject is one of the leading citizens.
FRED SCHWENKE.
Fred Schwenke, who resides on one of the well improved and fertile farms in section 6, German township, Keokuk county, Iowa, is one of the leading German-American farmers of this section, who since 1851 has been a resident of the United States. The birth of Mr. Schwenke took place in Hanover, Germany, April 1, 1827, and he remained in his na- tive 1.lace until he was twenty-five years of age. Until he was fourteen years old he went to school and then began work as an apprentice to the tailor's trade; he completed the term of his apprenticeship in three years and then worked as a journeyman until he came to America in 1851. His parents died when he as about four years of age and he was reared by his father's sister. He landed in this country at the port of New Orleans and there for nine months he was employed at his trade. Times becoming dull in that locality, our subject decided to make his way to Keokuk county, Iowa, tales of the rich farm land in this section having reached him. Hence he started up the Mississippi river, reaching Bur-
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lington, and later came by team to Sigourney. While working through the succeeding three years at his trade in Lancaster, he sought out a valuable tract of land, entered it from the government and founded his home.
The first marriage of Mr. Schwenke was to Caroline Oldenburg, and one son, Henry, still survives from this union. After the death of his first wife, our subject married Anna Mary Luers, who was born in Hanover, Germany, March 28, 1840. She came to America in 1861 and to Keokuk county in the same year. A family of nine children was born to this union, as follows: David, still unmarried, who operates the farm; Herman D., who is a druggist in Sigourney ; Caroline, who mar- ried Ferdinand Buhnemann, lives in German township; Mary C., who imarried Fred L. Strohmann, lives near Delta; Fred G., who conducts a grocery business at Sigourney ; Miss Martha M. resides at home ; John follows the trade of carpenter ; Dora M., who married Charles M. Goeld- ner, lives on a farm in German township; and George H. W., who is a teacher, lives at home.
Mr. Schwenke is one of the pioneers of Keokuk county, and during his fifty years of residence has gained the esteem of all who know him. He owns one of the well improved and valuable farms of German town- ship, comprising one hundred and twenty-seven acres, and his building's and farm surroundings testify to the excellence of his methods of agri- culture, as well as his thrift and good management. In politics he is a Republican, and has served very acceptably as school director. His religious membership is with the Evangelical church and in its founding and progress lie has had much to do. His influence has always been in the direction of improvement and no worthy enterprise in the township finds him indifferent. He has been an important factor in the develop-
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ment of his part of the county and is ranked among its representative 111C11.
FREDERICK MEYER.
One of the most highly esteemed and prominent old settlers of German township, Keokuk county, Iowa, who resides upon a fine, well improved farm in section 9, is Frederick Meyer, who came here in 1854. The birth of Frederick Meyer was on January 3, 1853, in Hanover, Germany, and his father, Jolin Meyer, was born in the same place, and there married Margaret Muller. In 1854 John Meyer and family came to America and settled in Keokuk county, Iowa, where he bought eiglity acres of land which was still raw prairie; with great industry he cleared this and placed it under cultivation. This first eighty acres had been purchased of the government and he paid one and one-quarter dollars an acre for it. His second purchase cost him more, but he kept on adding until at one time he owned three hundred and twenty acres. He was a leading member of the Evangelical church and very materially assisted in the building of what is the leading house of worship for that religious body in this township. His death occurred when he was about sixty-eight years of age. His widow still survives, at the age of seventy-two years. They reared all of their seven children, six sons and one daughter. These are as follows: Frederick, the subject of this sketch; William, a resident of Nebraska; Kate, the wife of Charles McKue, of Colorado; John, a resident of Nebraska ; Louis, a general farmer on the old homestead: George, a druggist in Hancock county, Iowa ; and Henry, also a druggist there.
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