Biographical and genealogical history of Appanoose and Monroe counties, Iowa, Part 2

Author: Lewis, S. Thompson, comp; Lewis Publishing Company. pbl
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: New York, Chicago, Lewis publishing co.
Number of Pages: 638


USA > Iowa > Monroe County > Biographical and genealogical history of Appanoose and Monroe counties, Iowa > Part 2
USA > Iowa > Appanoose County > Biographical and genealogical history of Appanoose and Monroe counties, Iowa > Part 2


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40


A. J. Egbert, the tenth child, was born in Seneca county, Ohio, December 13, 1834. He remained in the county of his birth, attended the common schools and was trained to know the value of hard work. In the fall of 1856 he came to Iowa and spent one winter in Iowa City, but the following spring he came to Monroe county and bought one hundred and twenty acres of government land. He set himself to the improvement of this and has since added to his property, until he now owns one hundred and sixty acres of fine land. Almost at the first call for volunteers in the Civil war he enlisted, July 17, 1861, in Company B, Sixth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He was mustered in at Burlington and was soon ordered to the scene of action. He endured much of the rigor of war, both in the field and in the camp, and among the battles in which he took part were Pittsburg Landing, Shiloh, Kenesaw Moun- tain; in the last named place he was wounded by a musket ball and disabled for two months. He was mustered out at Louisville, Ken- tucky, and discharged at Davenport, Iowa, August 21, 1865, having served four years and four days. His army record was one of which


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he may well be proud, and few can boast of a more faithful term of service.


On May 21, 1873. Mr. Egbert was united in marriage to Mary S. Hittle, who was born in Lovilia, Monroe county. Her father, Jacob Hittle, who was a native of Ohio, and her mother. Huldah (Amber) Hittle, came to Iowa at an early day and located in Monroe county, where the mother died, but the father is still living. Twelve children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Egbert, and all are living: Jesse S., Electa S., Andrew J., Edward, Grace, Clara, Elvin, Ira, Harrison, Estella, Mary and Hulda. These children were all born in Monroe county. Mr. Egbert has ever been a stanch supporter of the principles of the Republican party. He was reared in the Methodist faith, and his wife is a member of the Methodist church of Melrose, Iowa.


HENRY MILLER.


Henry Miller, who has departed this life but is yet remembered by the citizens of Albia as a man of genuine worth, was born in Union county, Indiana, September 22, 1828. His father, Daniel Miller, was one of the substantial and prominent men of that county. He was also a minister of the German Baptist church, and did much good work for the cause of Christianity during the years of his active pastoral labors. He resided in Indiana until the latter part of the fifties, when he came with his family to Iowa, settling in Monroe county.


Ilenry Miller, however, did not remove to this state until several years later, at which time he also became a resident of Monroe county. He had been reared in Indiana, obtaining a common school education there, and on October 31, 1850, he was united in marriage to Miss


BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY.


Susannah Kingery, a native of Union county, that state, born July 18, 1828. She was the youngest of five children, and when but seven years of age was left an orphan. By her marriage she became the mother of the following named: Riley, Monroe, Willie and Anna, all deceased; Maria, Emma and Frances, who are living. Of the sur- viving members of the family Maria is the only one unmarried, and she makes her home with her mother.


At the time of the Civil war Henry Miller's sympathies were en- listed with the Union cause, and with interest he watched the progress of hostilities. In 1864, at what was probably the darkest period of our country's history, he felt that his first duty was to the government. and he offered his services to the country, remaining at the front until the close of the war, when he was mustered out. Meritorious conduct upon the field of battle had won him promotion to the rank of lieuten- ant, and he returned home with a most creditable military record. After the war he joined the Grand Army of the Republic and thus main- tained pleasant relations with his old army comrades, with whom he delighted to meet and rehearse the experiences and stories of camp life. He was also at one time a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Odd Fellows society, but demitted from both organizations prior to his death.


In early life Mr. Miller gave his time and attention to farm work. which he carried on until he had acquired a good competency. He then abandoned the plow in order to become a factor in commercial circles, investing his money in mercantile enterprises. Still later he engaged in the stock business and in the closing years of his life was a coal operator. Whatever he undertook he carried forward to suc- cessful completion, for he was a man of strong purpose and determined


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will, and, moreover, his business methods were honorable and straight- forward. He passed away February 19, 1890, respected by all who knew him, and in Albia, where he made his home for many years, there are many friends who still mourn his loss. His widow and daughter Maria are yet residents of this city and are widely and favorably known.


WARREN TAYLOR DANIELS.


Anyone who will call at the farm residence to which mail for the above named gentleman is directed, near Moulton, in Appanoose county, Iowa, may realize what is meant by the expression "up-to-date farming." It is situated in the beautiful prairie country for which Iowa has long been noted, and is part of the land which produces those enor- mous crops of corn whose figures in millions of bushels astonish the world. The visitor will notice in front of the house a metal box marked "U. S. Mail," which means that the occupants of the place enjoy free rural mail delivery, that recent luxurious device of advanced civilization. Going inside, he will soon discover that Mr. Daniels, the hospitable owner, has telephone connection with Moulton, where most of his busi- ness is transacted. He can also talk to all other important places in the county and state: in other words, he can attend to all his foreign busi- ness without going out of the house, and meantime enjoy reading the morning papers brought to his door by obliging "Uncle Sam."


Such is a model farmer out in Iowa, and Warren Taylor Daniels is one of them. He was born in Jackson county. Ohio, September 23, 1856, and is a son of William and Mary Jane Daniels, who are spoken of in detail in another part of this volume. Warren grew up in his native county, attended the schools, and, like other boys, wondered in


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his impatience if he would never become a man. At length the time came when he was free, and his first venture in the world of business was as a farmer and stock raiser. When twenty-three years old he embarked in the retail charcoal trade, but only continued this a year. and some ten years later tried an investment in the lumber business. This, too, he soon disposed of, and in 1891 emigrated to lowa and settled at Moulton, in Appanoose county. He resumed the lumber busi- ness at this place, owning a sawmill on Sheridan river, four miles from town, and prosecuted it energetically for five years after his arrival. Eventually he sold all his interests in Moulton and moved to the farm which is mentioned at the beginning of this sketch. It consists of one hundred and eighty acres of good farming land, with all the necessary improvements and conveniences, where he is engaged in raising and feeding stock, and in addition to this Mr. Daniels owns a residence and six building lots in Moulton.


On November 30, 1881, Mr. Daniels was married to Miss Eliza, daughter of James and Jane ( Money) Craig, both natives of Ireland, who came to the United States in 1846. They resided in Massachusetts for thirteen years after reaching the United States, and then removed to Gallia county, Ohio, where the mother died in 1889, but her husband is still living in the last named state. Mr. and Mrs. Daniels have four children, whose names are Lizzie Jane, Craig E., Emma M. and Ward T. The parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and Mr. Daniels is connected with the Odd Fellows, Daughters of Rebekah, Red Men and Knights of Labor. There are few more comfortable homes than that occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Daniels, and the hospitable greeting always extended makes it a pleasure to many friends to assemble around their cheerful hearthstone.


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DANIEL M. COX.


Coming from old Virginia before the war, "skirmishing" for ex- istence in various places, and finally coming to Iowa for what proved to be a permanent residence, the gentleman whose name is above given has had his full share of the ups and downs of life. As long as he had good health, Mr. Cox gave no odds to anybody, as he was industrious and could hold his own with the best of them. But he met with a severe accident a few years ago, which totally disabled him for manual labor and placed him in the invalid corps. Though thus deprived of his usual means of livelihood, Mr. Cox set his brain to work, and by use of his ingenious inventive faculties evolved a number of useful ma- chines which promise in time to yield rich results. Such a man as this is well worthy of notice and a place in any history devoted to the repre- sentative men of his section, and no apology is needed for the follow- ing outline of his life:


Daniel M. Cox is a son of Carlos and Maria L. Cox, both natives of one of the most noted of the old colonial counties of Virginia. Carlos was a farmer and struggled with a large family to make both ends meet on the none too productive soil of his native section, but finally decided to try his fortune in the west, and left the land of his nativity in October, 1850. In course of time he landed in Iowa at a little town then known as Orleans. In 1873 he removed to Kansas, where he died a year later, and his surviving widow resides with a son at Moulton. They had ten children, who are thus recorded in order of births on the pages of the family register: Elizabeth, James, Fanny, Daniel, Carlos, Maria. Henry, Lucy, Charles and Louis.


Daniel M. Cox, who is shown by the above list to be fourth in the family, was born in Northumberland county, Virginia, August 20,


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1838, and remained at home until twelve years old. In 1850 he accom- panied his parents to Alton, Illinois, and a year later to Fayette, Illinois, where they remained until the fall of 1864. when he joined his parents in their emigration to Iowa, and settled in Appanoose county. He branched out there with his usual energy and did fairly well until 1899, when his hip was so badly injured by a fall as to make him a confirmed invalid. While lying in bed Mr. Cox began to revolve in his mind a device which promised to be popular in such a rich farming state as Iowa, and this child of his brain eventually emerged in the shape of a combination hay and stock rack. He took out a patent on this inven- tion, and since then has made several improvements on the device, which it is his intention to also have patented. Still another useful machine was evolved by Mr. Cox in his weary hours of invalidism, the same being a sectional sliding gate, supported by rollers, which is pronounced quite practical by those who have examined the device.


In 1867 Mr. Cox was married to Miss Sarah A., daughter of Dr. Arnold Barker, of Monterey, Iowa, who is a lady of notable traits of character . in more ways than one. She was a school teacher in early life and in 1865 had charge of what was known as the old Meadow schoolhouse in Wells township. In the same year she came prominently into public notice by her courage in leading the Prohibition forces against an obnoxious saloon in Monterey kept by one James Cross. This dive was being run in open defiance of the law, and after patience had ceased to be a virtue, the women, led by Mrs. Cox, took matters into their own hands and wiped the place out of existence. They were arrested, but not prosecuted, as both law and order and public senti- ment were on their side. Mrs. Cox is a member of the Presbyterian church at Moulton and took an active part in the religious work until


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an attack of rheumatism made her an invalid as well as her husband. Mr. Cox is a Republican in his political predilections, but has not been a place seeker, and the only office he has held in the county is that of school director, of which he has been the incumbent for several years.


THOMAS W. HOUGH.


Along the southern bank of the Potomac river, about midway between Harper's Ferry and Washington, is situated the old county of Loudoun, which has figured conspicuously and sometimes patheti- cally in the history of Virginia. Early in the Civil war it was brought into prominence by the battle of Ball's Bluff, in which Senator Baker of Oregon met his death. Later this county was pitilessly ravaged by both sides, as the contending armies marched back and forth repeat- edly across this border land between the warring sections. Loudoun has always been noted for the substantial character of its agricultural population, and ranked for years as one of the best farming counties of the Old Dominion. Among the families long connected with "Old Loudoun" and identified with her development was that of Hough, which name was quite frequent there at that time. In the early part of the last century Isaac Hough, who was the first of twelve children, conducted a wool manufactory in connection with a mercantile busi- ness and became a man of some importance in the community, owing to the success of his enterprises. He married Mary Jane Paxton, by whom he had eleven children: Martha, deceased; Thomas W .; Mary Ann, deceased; John, Isaac, Henry, Robert, Phoebe, Mary Elizabeth, Jennie, deceased, and Edgar. deceased. The father died in 1868, but


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his wife survived him thirty years, not ending her earthly pilgrimage until 1898.


Thomas W. Hough, second eldest of their children, was born on the grandfather's old homestead in Loudoun county, Virginia, Feb- ruary 4, 1834, and remained in his native place until several years after passing his majority. He left Virginia in 1859, a year or two before the desolating waves of war broke over the devoted county of Loudoun, and made his way to what was then considered the "far west." He first located in Jasper county, Iowa, where he lived for many years and accumulated considerable means, but in 1892 he transferred his resi- dence to Appanoose county, of which he has since been a citizen. His real estate holdings at present consist of several large town properties at Moulton and two farms southeast of that city. Since he came to Iowa Mr. Hough has been an industrious, hard-working man, and what he now owns is the well earned compensation of a life of labor.


On May 29, 1856, three years before his departure from Virginia, Mr. Hough was married to Florida Schooley, by whom he had nine children: Ida Virginia, Rosa May, deceased; Mattie Ellen, Walter Elmer, Ellsworth Rosalie, Jessamine, Mary Ann, Thomas Albert and Florida S. The mother died April 13. 1875. in Jasper county, Iowa, and Mr. Hough was again married. October 18. 1877, to Fannie M., daughter of Samuel and Gertrude Lockwood, to which union have been born three children: Nellie G., Bertha, deceased, and William Henry Clyde. As the result of his industry and good management in earlier years, Mr. Hough is able to spend the evening of his life in compara- tive repose, and added to this satisfaction is the pleasant feeling that he both enjoys and deserves the good wishes of his neighbors.


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SOLOMON G. HICKMAN.


Solomon G. Hickman is one of the substantial farmers of Troy township, Monroe county, Iowa, who have helped to bring the county into prominence as an agricultural section. Grandfather Solomon was a native of Scotland. The father, also named Solomon, was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, was reared on a farm, and married Eliza- beth Cary, a daughter of a soldier of the war of 1812. They both died in Greene county of their native state, the former at the age of ninety- four, the latter aged eighty-three. Solomon, Sr., was a Democrat in politics and a Universalist in faith, while his wife was a Presbyterian. Seven children were born to them: Charles was a soldier and is now deceased; . Stephen is deceased; Anna is deceased; Solomon G .; Archibald was a soldier and lives on the old farm in Pennsylvania; Abel lives in California: William is deceased.


Solomon G. Hickman was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, near Waynesburg, November 30, 1840, was reared to manhood on the home farm, there imbibing many of the wholesome principles which were to guide him in his future. For some years he taught school in that part of Virginia which is now comprised in West Virginia, near Morgantown. This he continued till 1866, when he made his way to the west, settling in Monroe county, Iowa. After remaining here a few years and taking a partner for life's journey, he went to what is now South Dakota and took a homestead in Clay county, where he re- mained four years. Returning to Iowa, he bought forty acres of his present fine farm of one hundred and ten acres from the man who had obtained it from the government. He has since added the balance. He has a well furnished house. a good orchard, large barn and feed lots,


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surrounded with beautiful shade trees, and the whole place evidences thrift and prosperity.


On September 5, 1869, Mr. Hickman married Miss Mary C. Sea- man, a lady of much intelligence, who has proved an excellent com- panion to him; she was born, reared and educated in this county. Her father, William R. Seaman, was one of the early settlers, coming to the state in 1845 from New York. His wife was Drusilla Ross, a native of Illinois, and they had five children : Minerva, deceased; Sarah Ann, Mary C., Eliza E. and Nel- son J. The parents, who were farmers, members of the Metho- dist church and excellent people, are both deceased, the father at the age of sixty-five, the mother aged sixty. Mr. and Mrs. Hickman be- came the parents of seven children: Alice, the wife of G. G. Robinson, of Laurel, Iowa: Solomon, a medical student of the Keokuk Medical College; John, who is one of the prominent teachers of the county, the principal of the public schools of Avery; Mack, also a medical student ยท at Keokuk; Arthur, who is a mail carrier on route No. 5, rural free delivery, at Albia .; Charles S. is a student in the junior class of the Albia high school, and Philip, who is fifteen years old. John, Mack and Solomon are all graduates of the Albia high school and were successful teachers. Mr. Hickman is a Prohibitionist in poli- tics and a member of the Friends church, while the balance of the family belong to the United Brethren church. He has the reputation of being a reliable business man, is frank and genial and has many qualities which make him influential in the township.


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WILLIAM B. DARBY.


Representatives of the family of this name figured as early settlers of two states-Ohio, when it was still a frontier section of the country, and Iowa, when it was emerging from the territorial condition. Samuel Darby, the progenitor of these western pioneers, was a Phila- delphian, who married Charity Rudyard in his native city, and moved to southern Ohio when it was still little better than a wilderness. He did his share toward clearing and developing that portion of the state, became well known in his community and served with credit in the war of 1812. William Darby, son of these Philadelphia emigrants, was born in Vinton county, Ohio, May 30, 1808, received a good education for those days and afterward taught school with success for a number of years. He married Sarah, daughter of Elijah Cheneworth, a native of Virginia, descended from Irish ancestry, and continued to live in Ohio for many years after he became the head of a household. The stories then coming back of the fine opportunities offered to settlers by the young state of lowa caused the Darbys to abandon the place of their nativity and join the tide of emigration across the Mississippi. Early in the fall of 1856 they departed with ox teams on their long journey, necessarily moving by short stages and camping out on the road as they advanced. It was during the famous campaign between Buchanan and Fremont for the presidency, and the excitement was at its height when the Darbys, with their slow moving oxen, were passing through Indiana and Illinois. The boys of the family, being stalwart Democrats, did not hesitate at every suitable opportunity to do some- thing for their champion, and made the stopping places lively with cheers for Buchanan. It was the 4th of November when the wayfarers reached their destination in Appanoose county, Iowa, where they located


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on land in Union township. A log cabin was hastily erected, and they soon had a home which, though rude in its surroundings, was ample for all the needs of hardy pioneers. Of the five children born to the parents, Jerusha M. died when four years old, and Thomas J. was killed by an earthquake in California. The others are Smiley C., who resides on the old homestead; Harper D., who is farming near the town of Foster, in this state, and William B., who is the immediate sub- ject of this biography. Both father and mother lived to advanced age, the former being eighty-two and the latter eighty years old when called to render their last earthly accounts. They were in every respect a model couple, pious church members and always practicing the principles of morality, while endeavoring to instil into their children a love for all that was upright and noble.


William B. Darby, namesake and youngest surviving child of his father, was born in Vinton county, Ohio, May 25, 1852, and was still a boy when the removal to Iowa took place. He grew up on the farm, was trained to habits of sobriety and industry by his good parents, and when he left home in the twenty-second year of his age was prepared to face the world with hopefulness and confidence. He was fortunate in the selection of Margaret J. Lockmon as his wife, she being a supe- rior woman herself and a member of a family noted for intelligence, morality and integrity. Her father, the late William Lockmon, was born in Indiana, but became a settler of Iowa in 1850 and figured use- fully in the state's formative period. He assisted in the survey of the site for the present prosperous city of Bloomfield and in other ways did his part in the work of improvement and development. He was promi- nent in religious work, being a deacon and elder of the Christian church, and was in the enjoyment of general esteem and popularity


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when his death occurred in Union township, at the comparatively early age of fifty-four years. He married Provy, daughter of John Helmick, of Appanoose county, by whom he had seven children : John J., Frank M., Margaret J. ( Mrs. Darby), Gabriel S., William P., Samuel J. and Ezra. After his marriage Mr. Darby located, in 1875, on forty acres of unimproved land in Monroe county, where he built a modest house and went to work clearing, fencing and otherwise preparing his place for cultivation. At the present time he owns one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land, underlaid with coal, and supplied with all the necessary adjuncts in the shape of a good dwelling house, barn, granary, feed lots and suitable outbuildings of all kinds. Much of his land con- sists of meadows and fine bluegrass pastures, while the fencing and every appurtenance are in keeping with up-to-date farming in Iowa. His location is in Monroe township, one and one-half miles from Foster, where he carries on general farming and stock raising with the success that has made him one of the prosperous farmers of his neighborhood. May, the eldest of his seven children, died in infancy, but the other six were reared without mishap. Bertha, now the wife of George B. Spencer, of Monroe township, was a successful school teacher before her marriage. Laura, who has also been a popular teacher, is now a student at the Toledo Normal College of Iowa. William, the eldest son, is a popular clerk in the Golden Eagle clothing store at Albia, and the other children, in order of birth, are Amos, Frank and Ray. Mr. Darby affiliates with the Democratic party, has served as township trustee and was a member of the school board for several years. He is a stanch advocate of all that makes for righteousness, while his geni- ality, hospitality and frankness of disposition make him one of the popular men of the community. Mrs. Darby is a member of the Chris-


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tian church and prominent in religious work as a member of the aid society.




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