USA > Iowa > Keokuk County > A genealogical and biographical history of Keokuk County, Iowa > Part 30
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On September 18. 1888, Mr. Jones was married to M. Sue Paxton,
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who was born in Virginia and is the daughter of George W. and Edith ( Price) Paxton. Four children have been born to this union, namely : Florence L., Frances E., Harold J., and an infant. Mr. Jones was reared as a Friend and is an earnest worker for the interests of the So- ciety and is active in the Sabbath-school. Since he was three years old lie has lived in Richland township, and since attaining years of discre- tion has cast his influence in the direction of education and morality and has furthered as far as possible all legitimate temperance movements. In politics he is a Republican and at different times has served in the town council. Mr. Jones is a good citizen and as such is universally held in esteem.
JAMES SINGLETON.
James Singleton has resided in Richland township for sixty years, a period antedating the residence of any other settler here. His memory forms a connecting link between pioneer times and the present, when all the evidences of an advanced civilization are found in the county. He can relate many interesting incidents of pioneer times, for he has experi- enced all the hardships and trials as well as the pleasures of life upon the frontier. He is now well known as an extensive buyer and shipper of stock and in his business dealings he has prospered. His home is on section 15. Richland township.
Mr. Singleton was born in Blount county, Tennessee, December 9. 1842. His father, John Singleton, was a native of Virginia and in early life removed to Tennessee, where he was united in marriage to Delilah Bond. There were no children by that marriage, but after the death of his wife he married her sister, Nancy Bond. For his third
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wife he chose Mary Jones and they became the parents of seven children who are yet living. By the second marriage there was but one child, the subject of this review. Mr. Singleton came with his father and step- mother to Keokuk county, Iowa, when he was only two years of age. They settled here among the Indians and when a little lad our subject frequently mingled in the sports of the sons of the forest. He pursued his education in a log schoolhouse such as was common at that time. It had a clapboard roof, a puncheon floor and a mud and stick chimney. The desk was formed by laying a slab upon pins which were driven into the wall. It was in that kind of an institution that Mr. Singleton completed his education. As soon as old enough to handle the plow be became an active factor in farm work. The land was wild and unimproved. Not a furrow had been turned when the family took up their abode upon this place. Their meal was ground in a coffee-mill or by a pestle and mortar. The family endured many hardships during those early days. On one occasion the father sold his only vest for twenty-five cents in order to buy salt to go into the bread. As the years advanced, however, changes came for the better and the farm, producing richly, brought to the family the means which supplied them with the various comforts of life.
Mr. Singleton remained with his father until his marriage, which occurred in 1866, Miss Abigail Jones, a representative of an old family of the county, becoming his wife. Mr. Singleton purchased a place in Yankee street, in Richland, located there and after making it his home for some time sold the property and purchased his present farm, which he has improved in many ways. About 1886 he began dealing extensively in stock, buying, shipping and feeding. He followed that pursuit continuously for thirteen years, when he retired from business.
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His wife died in 1900, and feeling the need of an occupation after this he once more began dealing in stock, which he now continues with excel- lent success. He has a valuable farm of one hundred and forty acres. which he has placed under a high state of cultivation and upon this place lie has a large number of hogs and cattle. He buys stock all over the county and is one of the leading representatives of this business in his locality. His extensive purchases and sales have brought to him a good financial return for his labor and he is now one of the well-to-do resi- (lents of Richland township. He is one of the stockholders of the First National Bank of Richland, having made judicious investments in that bank. He has lived in this township for sixty years and is one of the honored pioneers of the county. Mr. Singleton belongs to the Friend's church and in politics he is a stanch Republican. A self-made man, he deserves great credit for what he has accomplished through industry, perseverance and capable management. He lived in this county when he had to go to Burlington to mill. a distance of sixty miles, making the entire trip by team. In those early days the pioneers also used wooden mold-boards on their plows, and other farm implements were equally primitive. Mr. Singleton has kept abreast with the progress and im- provements of the times and as the years have advanced he has prospered until he is now one of the substantial residents of Keokuk county. From his boyhood days down to the present he has taken an active part in the work of improvement and upbuilding and well may he be classed among the honored pioneer settlers.
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WILLIAM A. SHAFFER.
One of Richland's successful business men is William A. Shaffer, who has a prosperous harness trade and whose grandfather and father were both in the same occupation. The grandfather was John Shaffer, a native of Pennsylvania. William Shaffer, the father, was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, in 1819, where he learned the trade of har- ness maker, and later moved to Zanesville, Ohio, about 1835. He con- tinued business there until 1864 and then went further west to Fairfield. lowa, where he engaged in his trade until his death in 1884 at the age of sixty-five years. For many years he was a member of the Methodist church. While the Whig party was in existence he devoted himself to its principles and later was an adherent of the Republican party. His wife was Ann Ruth, born in Washington, Pennsylvania, of Scotch origin, and lived to the age of eighty-three years. They were the par- ents of ten children and nine grew to maturity, five daughters and four sons.
William A. Shaffer was the sixth child and third son of the above and was born January 30, 1848, in Zanesville, Ohio. During the Civil war he enlisted in the Seventy-eighth Ohio, serving for three months, and from that time acted as agent for a recruiting office. In April, 1864. he went to the front again with the army of the Potomac and served till August 1, 1864, when he was mustered out at Zanesville. There he remained a short time, then came west and began the harness trade as an apprentice, November 28, 1864, in Fairfield, Iowa. After completing his apprenticeship he worked at his trade at different places in Illinois for twelve years. On February 17. 1879. he began work by the day in Richland, Iowa. for Dan Bryfogle, who after eighteen months sold his
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business to A. F. Bridge. For the latter Mr. Shaffer worked for eleven years and four months and then bought out the business and has con- ducted it since. He recently built a fine shop of brick, twenty-two by seventy-five feet.
Mr. Shaffer was married on July 3, 1881, to Margaret M. E. Lang of Kahoka, Missouri; no children have been born of the union. He is allied with the Democratic party, takes part in various social organiza- tions, the Masons : Grand Army of the Republic, Post No. 143, in which he has filled most of the offices. He is president of the Fraternal Aid Association and has held this office for six years. In all these orders and other affairs he takes active part, and in his business he has the most extensive harness manufactory in the county, employing several men and selling the output not only to local trade, but outside the county.
WILLIAM E. SMITH.
William E. Smith, a retired merchant of Richland, Keokuk county, lowa, is the son of Peter Smith. The latter was born in Yorkshire, England, and there was reared, following the miller's trade. In 1835 he came to America, and locating at Burlington, Iowa, he bought a claim of four hundred acres, paying the government for the same, but subse- quently had to purchase it at land sales. His death occurred in his seventy- fifth year near Burlington. He had been a follower of the old Whig party and was an ardent admirer of Henry Clay. His wife was Martha Ellison, who was also a native of England and lived to be eighty-one years of age. The year before his death the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage was celebrated. She was the mother of ten children, three daughters and seven sons, of whom all reached maturity.
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William E. Smith was the fifth child and fourth son of the above, and was born in Yorkshire, England, August 14. 1828. He was seven years old when his father emigrated to America, and on his father's farm near Burlington, Iowa, he was reared, attending school in a log cabin and later the schools in Burlington. He remained with his father tmn1til he was twenty-four years old, then in 1852, with five yoke of oxen, he started toward the gold fields of California, making his journey by way of the South Platte river. He engaged in mining for four years and had considerable success, then returned to New York city by way of Panama. He remained in Burlington for five years, when he again set out across the plains with a mule team. He was commissioned by the provost marshal of the Southern Iowa district to act as scout. This time he went by way of Salt Lake City to Idaho and served as a scout from Fort Douglas for about two and a half years. He then returned through Salt Lake City and Omaha to Burlington, where for six years he followed farming and stock raising. In 1872 he embarked in the lumber and grain business at Morning Sun, Louisa county, Iowa, in which he continued for nineteen years. In 1892 Mr. Smith opened a luinber and hardware establishment in Richland, which he sold to his son in 1901, and retired from his long and successful business career.
Mr. Smith became the husband of Illie Hunt on October 28, 1866. She was born in Des Moines county, Iowa, near Burlington, October 19, If37. Her father was Jesse Hunt, a native of Tennessee, who came t > Des Moines county in 1833 and brought his family in 1834. He took p land from the government, and this farm is now owned by his son, John B. He lived to the age of eighty-six years and died on this farm. His wife was Delinda Kirkpatrick, a native of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of four children; Jessie, the wife of Rev. C. E. 52
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Todd, of Baker City, Oregon, a minister of the Methodist church ; Harriet, wife of Samuel Reaney, of Estherville, Iowa, a land agent ; Bes- sie, wife of Dr. C. E. Birney, a physician of Estherville; and Fred W., unmarried, and owning the former business of his father in Richland. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
CHARLES J. STEEL.
Charles J. Steel, who owns a blacksmith shop and a machine shop in Richland, Keokuk county, Iowa, is a native of Sweden, from which country come so many hardworking and useful citizens of this country. He was born June 21, 1842, in Sweden and attended school until he was about fourteen years old. He left his parents when he was only nine and a half years old and was reared by the judge of the district court until eighteen years of age. He began as an apprentice to the blacksmith trade, serving thus for seven years and learning all the branches of the art, and then was blacksmith for five years on one of the large estates of the old country.
In 1869 Mr. Steel came to America and first located at Princeton, Illinois, where he worked at his trade for several months; he then re- moved to Burlington, Iowa, where he worked for a while. On July 5, 1870, he came to Richland. For six years he worked for another man, Oliver Lundin, but in 1877 he opened a shop of his own, which he has retained ever since, thus having been in Richland for thirty-two years. He has a large and flourishing trade, and he is known as one of the sound business men of the town.
His wife was Anna Turnbul, and they have one son, Herbert, who works for his father. In social life his active support is given to Cos-
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suth Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; in politics he is a Repub- lican, and for three years he served on the city council. Highly respect- cd, with a reputation for honesty and industry, his life is one deserving of the success he has won.
LOUIS D. SNAKENBERG.
The world instinctively pays deference to the man whose success has been worthily achieved, who has acquired a high reputation in his chosen calling, and whose prominence is not less the result of an irre- proachable life than of recognized natural gifts. It is a pleasing indul- gence to write the biography of a man of this character, such as Louis D. Snakenberg is known to be. He is one of the leading farmers in German township, where his farm in all its appointments indicates the progressive spirit, enterprise and good business ability of the owner, who is justly numbered among the most skillful and thorough agricul- turalists of his native township. October 9, 1851, marks the ushering of this gentleman into the world, the place being his native township. His parents were natives of Germany, the father's name being John Snaken- berg and his mother Dorethe Scharnhorst. John was born in Germany March 15, 1814, and when a young man came to America, in 1836; he settled in 1844 in Keokuk county, preempting a farm just south of where our subject now resides. This was in its primitive wild state, and the life of our subject's father was filled with the trials that come to all t'ie pioneers of that day. He "stuck to his last," however, and had the satisfaction of having carved out of the wilderness one of the finest farm properties in Keokuk county, on which he died in 1892. He was one of nature's noblemen, a man whose word was as good as his bond. and whose simple and trustful life had a splendid influence for good upon
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his community. He gave allegiance to the principles of the Democratic party and was honored during that time by his fellow citizens with some of the offices f the township. He married in the county as above stated, his wife having been the daughter of Christian and Dore- the Scharnhorst, who were also among the early settlers of the county. They became the parents of ten children, of which the subject of this review is the eldest ; their names are as follows: Louis D .; John W., (leccased : Henry; Nicholas; Mary; Katherine; Richard and Minnie, twins; George, and Emma. Mr. Louis D. Snakenberg remained with his parents until he was three years beyond his majority, assisting in the cultivation of the farm. Here he learned the habits of industry which have so distinguished him in later life, and which have seen their fruition in the success which has come to him. He received a fairly good educa- tion in the common schools in German township. At the age of twenty- tour he settled on the site which he now owns, and which at that time was virgin soil. He looks with satisfaction on the fact that the beauti- ful farm of which he is now the owner is the work of his own hands, supplemented by the bountiful providence of Dame Nature. He is known the county over as being an excellent farmer, and deals exten- sively in fine stock. His home life began in 1876, March 2nd, when he was happily married to Dorothy Seebe. This lady is the daughter of Christopher and Sarah Seebe and is a native of the township in which she now lives. Her father was a native born German, while her mother's nativity was in Ohio. They removed to the county in a very early day. Mr. and Mrs. Snakenberg are the parents of two children: Roy; Dora, now deceased. Politically Mr. Snakenberg follows in the footsteps of his lamented father, and has acted with credit to himself as trustee for the township for the past six years, and as road supervisor for a period of
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four years. He has also served a number of terms as school director ( his district. Fraternally he has allied himself to the organization known as the Woodmen of the World. He commands and receives the re- spect which is his due in his section of the county.
WILLIAM H. SMITH.
There are few men in the county more widely known than Mr. Smith, a retired farmer of Richland. As a farmer, a business man, and a Civil war veteran, he has always maintained that integrity of char- aeter and unwavering fidelity to purpose in life that command the re- spect of all who know him. He was born in Hancock county, Illinois, November 2, 1837, and is the son of Hasadiah and Lydia (Ward) Smith.
Hasadiah Smith, a man of sterling worth, was born in New Hamp- shire and at the early age of eight moved with his parents to Ashta- bula county, Ohio, where he grew to manhood. With a bent toward mechanics, a trait which he may have inherited from his practical Eng- lish ano. stry, he early obtained a knowledge of carpentry, which became very useful to him in later years. During the latter part of his resi- dence in Ohio he married Lydia Ward, who was born in Connecticut. and when rather young moved with her parents to Ohio. She died in Sigourney, Iowa, in 1851. By this marriage there were nine children, six of whom grew to maturity. William H. was the fourth child and the third son. Soon after his marriage, in the spring of 1837, Mr. Smith moved to a farm in Warren county, Illinois, where he engaged in agriculture, but soon afterward sold out. Later he moved to Wash- ington county, Iowa, and after a short residence went in 1844 to
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Sigourney, where he made his home for many years. Finding here a good opening for a carpenter he soon engaged in that work, and giving excellent satisfaction, he established for himself a good business. He also undertook the making and repairing of wagons, and in this line worked up one of the most profitable industries in the city. He achieved fair success in both lines of business. He spent his last days in Indiana. and died there in 1861.
William H. Smith was six years old when his parents left their Illinois home and came to Washington county. Iowa, and seven when they moved to Sigourney. It was in this city, where he remained until he was twenty years of age, that he mainly received his education and the training for his life work. He attended the common schools of the place and there developed habits of industry and exactness that 30 markedly characterized his later work. When twenty years of age he started out for himself in life, and in Clear Creek township took up farming. Deeply interested with the conviction that his services were required in the war, in August he enlisted in Company I, Fortieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, for three years service, and went to the front as a private. He did some hard fighting in the long siege of Vicksburg, after which he was sent west of the Mississippi. He stood the hardships well and was never sick or wounded. When his term of enlistment ex- pired he received an honorable dismissal at Davenport, Iowa. Shortly be- fore .the war. October II, 1860, he married Eunice A. Anderson, who was born in Miami county, Ohio, December 21, 1838, the third child of J. D. and Hannah (Larue) Anderson, and who at the age of eighteen moved with her parents to Iowa. Her father was a native of Berks county. Pennsylvania, and her mother of Virginia. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born four children : Edward, a farmer in the town-
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ship of Richland: Jesse W .: Ella, who married John Brolliar, and re- sides in Richland; and Bert, who was the 3rd of the family. is now cleceased.
After the war Mr. Smith resumed farming in Clear Creek township. but in 1867 removed to Richland township, and there farmed and resided up to January, 1892, when he removed to Richland and retired from active work. He has done. however, exceptionally well with his farming and now owns a large amount of stock in the Union State Bank, and also a splendid one hundred and sixty acre farm in Jefferson county. Mr. Smith's remarkable executive ability, and wise business management has commended him to the confidence of the people and he has served very efficiently for some time as justice of the peace and as trustee. In fraternal circles he is well known and highly esteemed. As a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Charlton post. No. 143. he lias served on important committees for many years, and he belongs to Richland Lodge. No. 38, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He is thoroughly well known throughout the county, where he has many warm friends. In politics he is an influential Republican.
ALFRED FAARNCO BRIDGER.
There are few men one will be privileged to meet in a life time who are favored with the indefatigable purpose and unre- mitting effort such as has been displayed and is possessed by .
the subject of this brief sketch, who in the face of seemingly insurmountable barriers has achieved a success that is creditable in every respect. Mr. Bridger is at the present time the popu- lar and obliging cashier of the Union State Bank of Richland, in
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which community he has been for years a leader in business affairs. Of just what particular state Mr. Bridger is a native, it would be diffi- cult to decide, as he was born on the Mississippi river in a steamboat, his parents being enroute for Iowa. The date was November 16, 1853. His mother died about three weeks subsequent to his birth, and she was burried at Keokuk, Iowa. The father and child proceeded to Keokuk county, and later the father settled in the town of Richland, where Alfred was reared by Mrs. Jeannette Garretson, who proved an excellent and loving foster-mother to him in liis earlier youth. He was adopted into this family up to the age of thirteen, when he was allowed to choose his own guardian. When only twelve years of age he crossed the great plains, driving a team there and back in the same year. As he came to manhood he began business as a elerk in different mercantile establish- ments and held positions in the towns of Fairfield, Ottumwa, and Mount Pleasant. During this period he accumulated a fund of experience which served him excellently in his later business ventures. The first line of business in which he was interested on his own account was that of harness and saddlery, which he established in 1882 at Richland, and which he continued with success up to the year 1890, at which date he sold out and became connected with the banking business in Richland, having been selected as cashier of what was then known as the John Stroup Bank. For four years he continued in this position, when in com- pany with other gentlemen under the firm name of Bridger, Johnson and Company, our subject organized a private banking business, which was later, 1896, merged into the Union State Bank of Richland. . \t that time Mr. Bridger was made cashier of the institution, which posi- tion he continues to hold. The president of the bank is Mr. C. O. Keiser, of Keota. The bank carries a capital stock of twenty-five thou-
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sand dollars, having a working surplus of seven thousand dollars. Mr. Bridger is also prominently identified with other business interests of the city, being president of the Richland Telephone Company, which operates the telephone system of Richland.
In 1880 Mr. Bridger was happily married to Miss Ida Stroup, a lady who was born in the county, the daughter of a prominent financier and capitalist, Mr. John Stroup, who was one of the pioneer settlers of the county. Mrs. Bridger is a lady of fine education and many accom- plishments. having finished her literary training at the noted institu- tion of learning at Battle Creek, Michigan. To the marriage were born four interesting children, two sons and two daughters: Harriett, who is now assistant cashier of the Union State Bank; Leo; Farnco and Helen, who are young people at home. In fraternal affiliation Mr. Bridger is a worthy member of the Masonic order, being a member of Richland Lodge, No. 38, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and being a member of Bethlehem Commandery at Washington, Iowa, and a Shriner with membership in Kaaba Temple at Davenport. He has been very active in Masonic work and has filled all the chairs of the blue lodge. He is also an active and efficient member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, No. 32, Cossuth Lodge. He has taken an active and intelligent interest in the political life of his community, be- ing one of the staunch supporters of the Republican principles. He has been honored by the party in different local offices of his community, having served terms in the city council, as justice of the peace and as township clerk.
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