USA > Iowa > Story County > Biographical and historical memoirs of Story County, Iowa > Part 46
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George R. Hanks has been an honest tiller of the soil in Story County, Ark., for many years, and is now the owner of a fine little farm comprising eighty-five acres, it being un- der cultivation and excellently improved with good buildings, fences, etc. He was born in Winnebago County, Ill., October 15, 1842, and a complete history of his parents is given in the sketch of Mrs. Miami Netterfield. His early education was obtained in the common schools of Illinois and Iowa, and he has ever since been an enthusiastic supporter and friend of the public-school system. He commenced the
battle of life for himself with no means, but as he had been reared to a thorough knowledge of farm life, he began making that his calling, and always succeeded in obtaining a comforta- ble living. He was mustered into the service of the United States Army on October 29, 1861, becoming a member of Company B, Thirteenth Iowa Infantry Volunteers, Sixth Division, of the Seventeenth Army Corps, and was assigned to the Western Department, his regiment being under the command of Gen. U. S. Grant, and was actively engaged in the following battles, the first being the bloody combat at Shiloh. During the two days' fight here his regiment was actively engaged night and day, and the battle line was about fifteen miles long. He was also at Corinth, Iuka, the second Corinth, Tallahatchie Bridge (where the Union forces took over forty pieces of artillery and 200 wag- ons of ammunition and supplies), the battle of Grand Gulf, Port Gibson, Jackson, Champion's Hill (in which the members of the Seven- teenth Iowa distinguished themselves under the direct command of Gen. Grant), Black River Bridge, siege of Vicksburg, Black River, Knox- ville, the engagements in which Sherman par- ticipated on his march to the sea, Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Stone Mountain. At Atlanta Mr. Hanks was in the hospital for about two weeks, and was ordered, with other sick soldiers, to Nashville, Tenn., by Gen. Sherman. After recovering he was put on a train and sent to New York, and afterward rejoined his command at Savannah, Ga. He was present at the Grand Review at Washing- ton, D. C., one of the grandest spectacles ever beheld, there being about 350,000 in line, and tattered flags, full martial corps, and war-worn veterans were held up for the Nation's admira- tion and thanks. From Washington, D. C., the regiment was sent to Louisville, Ky., and after remaining there for two weeks they went to
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Davenport, Iowa, and there Mr. Hanks received honorable discharge, and being a veteran re- ceived his final discharge August 15, 1865. He went through over four years' hard service for " Uncle Sam," and although he participated in many of the bloodiest combats of the war, he never received a wound, although his gar- ments were riddled with bullets. After the trials and hardships of warfare had ceased, he was engaged in farming in Jasper County, Iowa, but afterward moved to Nevada, and still later to Des Moines, finally returning to Story County, where he has ever since resided. He has always identified himself with the Repub- lican party, and cast his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. He was married Janu- ary 1, 1866, the year following his location in Story County, to Miss Sarah Nelson, a native of Ohio, born in 1842, and to them a family of six children have been born: Ella (wife of William Breezley, a farmer of Kansas), Lydia (wife of Charles Batterson, a tiller of the soil in Story County), Jesse (who is a well-edu- cated young man, and assists his parents on the home farm), Julia (aged thirteen years), Della (aged eleven), and Oscar (aged six years). Story County was very sparsely settled at the time of Mr. Hanks' location, there being only one house between Nevada and Cambridge; and the now flourishing town of Ames comprised but six houses.
De Witt Clinton Hanks is a farmer and stock- raiser of Section 3, Union Township, Story County, Iowa, and was born in Boone County, Ill., on the 18th of September, 1847, being the sixth child in his parents' family [see sketch of Mrs. Miami Netterfield ]. De Witt C. received the advantages of the common schools of Iowa, and in his youth, besides acquiring a fair practical education, he learned the details of farm work of his father, and has since put the knowledge thus learned into practical execu-
tion, and, as a result, is one of the well-to-do agriculturists of this region, being the owner of an excellently improved farm of 160 acres. This valuable property he, with the efficient help of his worthy wife, has accumulated through many years of toil, economy and fru- gality, and his career is an excellent example for the young men of the present day to follow. He has always been a patron of schools, in fact, of all good works, and for the past ten years has been intimately connected with their progress and development in Story County, and has always urged the paying of ample wages and the securing of competent instructors. He commenced life for himself at the age of fifteen years, and here a record of his war life will be in order, for at that age he donned his suit of blue, shouldered his musket and became a servant of " Uncle Sam." He enlisted in Com- pany B, Seventeenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, was assigned to the Second Brigade, Third Division, Seventeenth Army Corps, but was afterward transferred to the Fifteenth Army Corps, and was mustered into service at Keo- kuk, Iowa, on the 10th of March, 1861, and was placed in the Western Department of the army under Gen. John A. Logan, afterward under Gen. McPherson, then Gen. Grant, and also under Gen. Sherman. His regiment and company were engaged in the following engage- ments: Shiloh, Inka, the three days' fight at Corinth, second battle of Fort Donelson, Port Gibson, Jackson, Champion's Hill, in which en- gagement his division was sent in double quick time, a distance of five miles, to the assistance of Gen. Grant's army, many of his brave com- rades falling by the wayside of exhaustion and sunstroke. In this engagement he received a terrible wound in the shoulder, by a piece of shell, and for about eight months was confined to the hospital. After spending the last days of his convalescence at home on furlough he
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returned to the field of duty, rejoining his regiment at Chattanooga, Tenn., where the troops were ordered for the campaign. The Seventeenth Regiment was ordered to Tilton, Ga., to guard army supplies, and here they were taken prisoners by the rebels, and were marched through Georgia to Alabama to a small prison, thence to the foul den-Ander- sonville-where so many brave Union boys suf- fered and died. After being kept here for about three months he was taken to Lawton, Ga., built on the same principle of Anderson- ville, but after a very short stay here, he, with his comrades, was hurried on to Savannah, Ga. Here the Confederates learned that Gen. Sher- man was on his way to the assistance of their captives, and they were taken to Thomasville, Ga., where they were doubly guarded by the rebel cavalry, so that not a man could with any possibility escape. They were next taken to the thick pine forests of the State, but, finding that Gen. Sherman had changed his plans, they were taken back to Andersonville, a distance of fifteen miles. While on this terrible march many of the Union boys were shot, on account of their inability to keep up with the others. His second incarceration in Andersonville last- ed four months, there being in all about 35,- 000 prisoners there at that time. He, with six others, made his escape from this prison while gathering wood, and by traveling by night, lying in the canebrakes during the day, and with the assistance of the negroes, they suc- ceeded in reaching Savannah, Ga., where they were taken charge of by Gen. Sherman, who sent them to Washington, D. C., thence to the convalescent camp at Alexandria. Here he re- mained until the Grand Review, held at Wash- ington, after which he went to Davenport, Iowa, and was there mustered out of service August 7, 1865. He had been veteranized at Hunts- ville, Ala., where his regiment had been de-
tached to act as guard to Gen. McPherson. On the 16th of October, 1871, he was united in marriage to Miss Comfort Lemmons, a native of Indiana, born near Indianapolis, February 17, 1853, and to them a family of four children have been born: Edward C. (aged seventeen), Clara (aged fourteen), Lubessie (aged ten) and Alice May (aged three). Mr. Hanks has always been a Republican, and Lincoln received his first presidential vote. He has always given his support to enterprises which have given promise of developing the county, and since his residence here he has seen the coun- try changed from a primitive state to one of the finest agricultural regions in the State.
Charles E. Haverly, miller, and manager of Cambridge City Flouring Mills at Cambridge, Iowa, was originally from the Empire State, his birth occurring in Albany on the 6th of January, 1841, and was the second of thirteen children-six sons and seven daughters-viz .: Infant (died unnamed), Madison (engaged in farming in Dakota, Sully County, and married Miss May Abrams), David M. (is a book- keeper in Omaha, Neb., and married Miss Hat- tie Talbott), Katherine (married . William Hench, a farmer, and resides in California), Josephine (resides in Iowa County, Iowa, and married A. M. Lyons, a boot and shoe-maker by trade), Sarah (resides in Omaha, Neb., and is the wife of J. B. McDonald, who keeps a res- taurant), Jerome (is single and is engaged in mining in New Mexico), Etta ( married and resides in Denver, Colo.), Sidney (resides in Des Moines, Iowa), Seldon (resides in Califor- nia), and Emma (who resides in Stuart, Iowa). The parents of these children were natives of New York State, and the father was a successful tiller of the soil. He died at the age of seventy years. The mother still survives and is seventy-four years of age, although still hale and hearty. She makes her home in Dakota.
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Charles E. Haverly received his education in the subscription schools of New York, and later attended the common schools of Illinois. He takes an active interest in educational mat- ters, and has served as school director for about seven years in the city schools of Ames, Iowa. He started out to work for himself at the age of twenty-one years, and although he had been reared to farm life he first served as an appren- tice to a miller. February 6, 1865, he mar- ried Miss Sarah E. Lanning, a native of Iowa, who was educated in the common schools and who took a course at Mt. Vernon College, in Linn County, Iowa. Six children are the result of this union-three sons and three daughters: Frank (is a graduate of the high school at Ames, Iowa, and is engaged in the city mills with his father), Harry (attended the I. S. A. C., and is now residing at home), Mollie (also attended college, and is now at home), John (attending the Ames graded schools), Bertha and Aggie. During the late war, or on the 31st of July, 1862, Mr. Haverly enlisted in Company B, Twenty-eighth Iowa Infantry Vol- unteers, and his regiment was assigned to the Thirteenth Army Corps, under Gen. John A. McClernand. His regiment was in about sev- enteen active engagements and many severe skirmishes, of which he has no record. He was in the battles of Port Gibson, Edwards Station, Champion's Hill, siege of Vicksburg, Jackson, Carrion Crow Bayou, Red River Expedition, Sabine Cross Roads, Cane River, Grand Prai- rie and Yellow Bayou. Theu his regiment was assigned to Gen. Sheridan's command, in the Shenandoah Valley, in 1864, after which he was in the battle of Winchester, of "Sheridan's fame." At this battle, in a charge, Mr. Hav- erly received a gunshot wound in the left wrist and hand, also a wound in the left thigli, which confined him to the hospital for about eight weeks. He came home in the fall of 1864 on
a "leave of absence," but returned to his reg- iment in March, 1865. He was honorably dis- charge at Savannah, Ga., on the 31st of July, 1865, and was mustered out of service at Dav- enport, Iowa. At the organization of the com- pany Mr. Haverly was appointed fourth ser- geant and afterward orderly sergeant, then second lieutenant, and for his bravery and val- uable services as a "wearer of the blue " was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. Mr. Haverly has always identified himself with the Republican party, and cast his first vote for Gen. U. S. Grant, the "Soldier President." He held the position of township clerk for ten years in Iowa County; was a member of the town council in the city of Ames for eight years, and also served as justice of the peace in Ames, Iowa. He is a member of the Els- worth Post No. 30, at Ames, and has been com- mander and adjutant of the post. He is also a Master Mason, belonging to Arcade Lodge No. 249, Ames, Iowa, and a member of the I. O. O. F. in Story Lodge, at Cambridge, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Haverly are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Haverly has been Sunday-school superintendent for about six years.
Hon. James Hawthorn. On this page of the history of Story County, Iowa, is found the life record of a man, briefly written, whose ca- reer has been as honorable and as untarnished by reproach as any man mentioned herein. He was born in the " Emerald Isle," May 14, 1814, a son of Thomas and Jane Hawthorn, the former of whom died in his native land in 1815, his wife dying at Hagerstown, Md., in the eighty-fourth year of her age. She came with her family, which consisted of eight children, to this country, in 1818, the voyage across the Atlantic lasting eleven weeks, and soon after landing, they settled at Hagerstown. Hon. James Hawthorn is the only surviving
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member of this family, and after residing in the East until 1834, he pushed westward as far as Ohio, and later to Brookville, Ind., where he made his home for some time, and served in the capacity of sheriff of Franklin County for four years and three months. He came to Story County, Iowa, in 1855, and for some two or three years worked at the car- penter's trade in the town of Nevada. In 1858 he embarked in the mercantile business here, and this calling successfully followed until the month of March, 1876, when he disposed of his stock of goods, and has since been retired from the active duties of life. His dealings in every transaction have been above reproach, and have been executed with conscientious honesty and fairness, and his labors were not without substantial reward. He has always kept thor- oughly apace with the times, consequently has been progressive in his views, and a great ben- efit to the community in which he has spent the most useful portion of his life. He has always been a stanch Democrat, and was elected by his many friends of that party, in 1867, to represent Story County in the Twelfth General Assembly of Iowa, and discharged the duties incumbent upon that office in a very satisfactory manner. Besides this he has filled the position of mayor of Nevada, and made one of the most capable officers the town ever had. In 1859 he was elected one of the directors of the Cedar Rapids & Missouri River Railroad Company, a position he held until the road was built through to Council Bluffs. He is the oldest Mason and Odd Fellow in Story County, having joined those orders in Brookville, Ind., in 1840, be- coming a member of Harmony Lodge No. 13, of the former organization. He was married at Oxford, Ohio, on the 12th of October, 1835, to. Miss Rachel Hoover, who died at Brookville, Ind., July 4, 1849. His second union took place on the 16th of October, 1849, to Miss
Mary Jones, but he was called upon to mourn her death also on the 15th of December, 1856. He married his last and present wife, formerly Elizabeth Davis, on the 26th of April, 1857. She was born in the State of New York, and is now over seventy-two years of age. Mr. Hawthorn has four children: Es- ther, Daniel, Isaac J. and James M.
George W. Hemstock. Among the influential and representative citizens of Grant Township, Mr. Hemstock stands pre-eminent, and a short sketch of his life will no doubt prove interest- ing. He first opened his eyes to the light of this world in Winnebago County, Ill., and was the eldest child in a family of ten children, whose names are George W., James L., John D., Hortense, Mary J., Annette, Lotta, Martha, Henry and Oscar. James L. wedded a Miss Matthews, and they now make their home in Seattle, Wash., where he is successfully occupied as a land speculator; John D. was a soldier in the late war, and died from the ef- fects of a wound received at Red River; Hor- tense is the wife of P. K. Hill, and has a family of four children (they reside in Bag- ley, Iowa); Mary J. married Harry Giles, a blacksmith by occupation, and they make their home in California; Annette was the wife of E. O. Stillman, and departed this life in her thirty-sixth year ; Lotta is now Mrs. S. D. Tooker, and resides at Saint Peter, Minn., her hus- band being among the successful business men of that city; Martha is unmarried and makes her home in California, and Henry and Oscar are both dead, the latter dying at the age of eight years. The father of these chil- dren was a native of the Isle of Man, and the mother of Lorain County, Ohio. They are both deceased and lie at rest in the cemetery at Nevada, Iowa. As a boy Mr. Hemstock received instructions in the old log cabin school-house, but later attended the common
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schools, and finished his education with a short course in the high school of Flagg Center, Ill. In 1861, at the age of twenty years, he com- menced life for himself, without means, and all his property has been accumulated since that time by his own honest toil and exertion. He was married, on February 19, 1865, to Miss Sarah A. Brunson, an intelligent lady, born in Ohio, but reared in Illinois, receiving a good education in the common schools of the latter State. Four children have blessed this union: Martha B., John A., George R. and Sarah A. On July 18, 1861, Mr. Hem- stock enlisted, at Rochelle, III., in Company A, Second Regiment Illinois Cavalry, and was assigned to the Seventeenth Army Corps, Third Division, and served until August 11, 1864, at that time being honorably discharged at Baton Rouge, La. During this time he participated in the following battles: Belmont, Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Pittsburg Land- ing, siege of Corinth, Black River, Cham- pion's Hill, Edward Station, Grand Gulf, Port Gibson and siege of Vicksburg, and was on the Red River expedition under Gen. Banks. After receiving his discharge he returned to his home, and for some time was occupied in carpenter work, but the following year (1865) he immigrated to Iowa, and purchased his present property in Story County. The coun- try was then in its virgin state, and he has seen its conversion from a low, wet, overflown, sloughy county to one of the richest farming sections in the State. During the terrible tornado of June 17, 1882, so well known as the Grinnell tornado, his home was entirely swept away, and he and wife were both severely injured. He was obliged to use crutches, being disabled for life, and she was confined to her bed for eight months. Their property was damaged to the extent of $2,500, and although they are now comfortably located in one of the
most beautiful farm residences in town, they have never fully recovered from the effects of this terrible visitation. They are both liberal con- tributors to all worthy enterprises, and uphold all religious principles. Mr. Hemstock holds membership in Nevada Lodge No. 99, A. F. & A. M., of which order he has been a prominent member for twenty-two years, and also belongs to Jason D. Ferguson Post No. 31, G. A. R. This post numbers fifty members in good standing. In politics he has ever identified himself with the Republican party, and always upholds sound Republican principles, casting his first vote for Abraham Lincoln during the first administration. He has been justice of the peace for three terms and is now serving as trustee, which position he has held for nine years.
John P. Hesson, agent for the St. Paul & Kansas City Grain Company, at McCallsburg, Iowa, and one of the wide-awake and thorough- going business men of the place, was originally from Maryland, and a son of Abraham and An- nie (Waybright) Hesson, of Maryland, who were of English descent. John P. Hesson left Maryland at the age of nineteen years, locating in Story County, and as he had been trained to the arduous duties of the farm, he continued this as his principal calling. He is now the owner of 160 acres of land on Section 4, Rich- land Township, and is also the owner of an ele- vator in town. He engaged in buying grain in 1886, and is the only man who handles live stock in the town. He is an energetic and en- terprising man of business, being thoroughly reliable and upright in his relations, and will make a success of whatever he takes in hand. He chose for his companion in life Miss Mella Harris, daughter of W. C. Harris, of Warren Township, and was married to her in 1886. Both are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Hesson resides in town, and also
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handles farm implements, being the only imple- ment-dealer of the village ..
Henry D. Holmes, farmer and stock-raiser, Collins, Iowa. Among the number of men prominently identified with the growth and prosperity of the county, there are none more deserving of notice than Henry D. Holmes. He was born in Yorkshire, England, January 12, 1832, and remained in his native country until twenty years of age. In 1852 he came to the States, located first in Maryland, and four years later moved to Illinois, where for two years he resided on a farm in Woodford County. In 1858 he returned to England, spent a year and a half there, and was there married in the fall of 1859 to Miss Mary Carken, a native of England. Mr. Holmes emigrated to the United States in 1860, located first in Wayne County, Ill., where he was engaged in farming for seven years, and then moved to Iowa. He settled on a slightly-improved farm in Story County, and he now has 100 acres of land, all well improved and well cultivated. In the management of everything connected with his farm he displays excellent taste and judgment, and a glance over his well-kept place will indicate to the beholder the quality of farmer that he is. He started with nothing, and has made all he has by hard work and perseverance. He lost his first wife in the fall of 1885. The following children were born to this union: Rose (wife of Charles McCriston), Sarah Ann (wife of A. Bates), William, David, George, John, Flora J. and Walter Fred. Mr. Holmes married here again, in the fall of 1887, Mrs. Lucinda Neal, widow of Rev. William Neal. She was born, reared and married in Ohio, and is the mother of three children by her former marriage: Josie (now a widow, of this county), Oliver (who died in Oklahoma) and Charles Neal (attend- ing school in Des Moines). Mr. Holmes is a member of the Methodist, and his wife a mem-
ber of the Christian Church. His parents, George and Mary ( Dobson) Holmes, were na- tives of England, where they passed their last days.
Peter W. Hopkins is engaged in the banking business at Colo, Iowa. He was born in County Mayo, Ireland, in 1840, and is the eldest of six children born to Richard and Ann (Hunt) Hopkins, also natives of the "Emerald Isle," the former's birth occurring in County Mayo in 1806. They were married there, and in 1847 came to seek their fortune in America, locating first in New Jersey. About a year later they settled in Tippecanoe County, Ind., where they remained until 1854, at which time they took up their abode in Story County, Iowa, and here have since made their home. They gave the following names to their children: Peter W., David, John, Michael J., James R., and Mary A. (wife of W. G. Hopkins, of Ukiah, Cal. ). They were all brought up to a farm life in Story County, Iowa, and received the advan- tages of the common schools near their home. Peter W. Hopkins started out to fight his own way in the world at the age of eighteen years, and being a young man of intelligence, enter- prise and energy he had no trouble in finding employment and retaining his situations. In 1864 he espoused Miss Elmira Hopkins, a daughter of William B. Hopkins, a native of Missouri. To them a family of four children have been born: John W., Elmira, Herbert R. and Peter F. In May, 1864, Mr. Hopkins en- listed in the Union army in Company H, Forty-fourth Iowa Infantry, and was attached to the Sixteenth Army Corps under Gen. Wash- burn, and was on duty in Tennessee the most of the time. At the close of the war he returned to Story County and was successfully engaged in farming for a period of nine years, after which he began dealing in lumber, agricultural implements and buggies. He continued in
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