Biographical and historical memoirs of Story County, Iowa, Part 55

Author:
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Goodspeed
Number of Pages: 484

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Samuel Rich, farmer and stock-raiser, Ames, Iowa. This prominent and successful tiller of the soil was originally from Warren County, Ohio, born in 1834, and is the fourth in a family of seven children born to Jacob and M. Caroline (Carr) Rich, natives of North Caro- lina. The parents were reared in Ohio and resided there until 1849, when they moved to Grant County, Ind. The paternal grandfather was named Samuel Rich. Samuel Rich, the subject of this sketch, was married in Grant County, Ind., in 1854, to Miss Elizabeth Coch- ran, daughter of Jacob and Mary ( Evaston) Cochran, residents of Grant County, Ind. Mr. Rich left Indiana in the spring of 1855, lo- cated in La Fayette County, Wis., and one year later came to Iowa, locating in the town- ship within one-fourth of a mile of where he now resides in 1858. When he first came to Story County there were but three houses be- tween his place and Nevada, and there was no market for anything produced in the county. He settled on raw land in the edge of the tim- ber on Skunk River, and by economy and strict frugality has one of the finest farms in the county, 211 acres in all. Politically Mr. Rich has always advocated Democratic princi-

ples, but adhering to Prohibition more than to his old preferences, he supported the Repub- lican party in the heated campaign of 1889. He is a member of the Christian Church, and is an elder in the Christian Chapel located on the same section on which he resides. He is an enterprising and public-spirited man. His brothers and sisters are named as follows: Susanah (became the wife of Joseph Bond, of Indiana; she is now deceased), Christina (de- ceased, was the wife of Vinage Cox, of Indiana ), John H. (now a resident of Story County), Nancy (resides in Story County, and is the wife of Saunders Allen), Robert (deceased), and Margaret (now Mrs. Pickerell, who re- sides in Furnas County, Neb. )

Robert Richardson, farmer and stock-raiser, Elwell, Iowa. Story County is acknowledged by all to be one of the best agricultural por- tions of the State, and as such its citizens are men of advanced ideas and considerable prom- inence. A worthy man among this class is found in the person of Mr. Richardson, who was born in Vermont on July 31, 1827, and is the second of twelve children, only four of whom are now living: John (is engaged in farming in Custer County, Neb., and was mar- ried to Miss Eliza Dundas), Harvey, is an ag- riculturist of Cambridge, Iowa, and was mar- ried to Miss Margaret Eggleson), Levi (is a farmer and stock-raiser of Nebraska, and was married to Miss Emma Armstrong). Four of those deceased were between the ages of twenty-four and thirty-eight years. The fa- ther and mother were natives of Vermont, and both are now deceased. Robert Richardson obtained his early education in the old sub- scription schools of Ohio, and commenced life for himself at the age of twenty-two years. He was married on November 11, 1854, to Miss Mary E. Armstrong, a native of Illinois, born in 1836, and to this union were born ten

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children-five sons and five daughters: Alice (died at the age of twenty-two years, was the wife of Charles Tillotson), Ella (married Smith Payne, a merchant, and resides in El- well, Iowa), Frank B. (resides in Story Coun- ty, and is the husband of Miss Jane Gamble ), Hattie (married Ned Perry, a merchant of Indianola, Iowa, where she now resides), Will- iam (single and is a merchant of Elwell, Iowa), Edgar G. (who died at the age of twenty-one years, three months and twenty-one days, while on his way to college; he was a very bright and intelligent young man, and would have taken a finished course of education had he been spared), Charles R. (is a farmer and stock-raiser and resides on the homestead), Bessie (resides at home, and is fitting herself for a school teacher), Effie (is attending the home school), and Vevie (is the baby of the house). Mr. Richardson has always been a stalwart Republican, and his first presidential vote was cast for John P. Hale, of the old Abolition party. He has been justice of the peace of this township about six years, and has held the position of school director for a num- ber of years. He and wife are members of the Evangelical Church, and he has been act- ive in Sunday-school work for thirty-five years, a record of which Mr. Richardson may well be proud. He and wife emigrated direct from Rock Island County, Ill., to Story County in 1861, and settled on their present homestead, where they have witnessed the rapid develop- ment of the country. Mr. Richardson is the owner of 1,170 acres of well-improved land, and is the largest real estate owner in the town- ship, if not in the county. He and wife have enough of this world's goods to make them com- fortable and happy the remainder of their days, and can reflect with satisfaction that it is their own hard work and labor which have placed them in their comfortable position.

Edward G. Richardson is a stock-buyer and shipper of Zearing, Iowa, but was born in La Salle County, Ill., in 1849, the second of three children born to the marriage of George R. Richardson and Susan Anthony Hoxie, of Mas- sachusetts. The names of their other children are: Azelia (wife of Henry Hammond, of Southern Illinois), and Susan ( Mrs. William Radley, of Sandwich, Ill.). Edward's pater- nal grandfather, David Richardson, was born in Gloucester, R. I., April 26, 1780, and died October 6, 1861. His grandmother, Chloe Wilbur Richardson, was born in Adams, Mass., August 13, 1793, and died March 30, 1870. His grandfather on his mother's side, Isaac Upton Hoxie, was born in Adams, Mass., April 1797. The maternal grandmother, Hannah Anthony Hoxie, was born in Adams, Mass., June 18, 1797. George Reed Richardson was born in Adams, Mass., May 1, 1818, and his wife, Susan A. Hoxie, in the same place, March 10, 1822. Edward G. Richardson grew to manhood in Illinois, receiving a good common-school education, and in 1867 was married to Miss Sarah Burton, a native of Ohio, by whom he has had a family of seven chil- dren: Nellie ( wife of Arthur Lewis, of Zear- ing), George, Edward, Lena, Grace, Burton and Chester. Mr. Richardson came with his family to Story County, Iowa, in 1875, and was an honest tiller of the soil until 1883, when a railroad was surveyed through his farm and a town was laid out on his land. Since that time he has been engaged in buying and ship- ping stock, but has also managed a farm, which he purchased one and a half miles from town, with excellent results. He is enterpris- ing and industrious, and the fine property of which he is now the owner has been earned through his own unaided efforts. His land is a fertile and valuable tract, well adapted to the purposes of general farming. He has always

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supported the principles of the Democrat party, and is a member of the following social orders: A. F. & A. M. and the I. O. O. F. His wife is a consistent and worthy member of the Christian Church.

I. A. Ringheim has been engaged in the general mercantile business, in Nevada, Iowa, since the 3d of June, 1865, and from a small beginning has built up a large trade, his gen- eral stock being such as would compare favor- ably with that of larger establishments, in places double the size. His success is due largely to strict attention to business, study of the wants of his customers, and fair dealing. Mr. Ringheim was born in Norway, February 1, 1835, and was the fifth of seven children, five now living, born to Anders K. and Britha (Klove) Ringheim, both of whom were born in Norway, in 1800, and died there in 1841 and 1880, respectively. I. A. Ringheim was reared to a knowledge of farm life in Norway, where he was also educated. In 1856 he came to the United States, and on the 29th of October, set- tled in Winneshiek County, Iowa, where for some time he worked as a farm hand, after which he became a clerk in a general store in Decorah, where he continued for four years. After a residence of nine years in Winneshiek County, or until the spring of 1865, he came to Nevada, where he has since resided. He is the oldest dry-goods merchant now doing busi- ness in the place, and his first store stood on the site of the present one, which is an excel- lent brick structure, erected in 1877, the first one of the kind to be built in Nevada. He was married to Mrs. Lorinda T. Johnson, on the 19th of December, 1867, but her death occurred March 11, 1872, in Nevada. She was a na- tive of Norway, and at her death left the fol- lowing children to mourn her loss: Severe L. Johnson, and Ada J., Emma C., Jennie M. and Andrew L. Ringheim ; the last named died

August 20, 1872. Mr. Ringheim married his second wife, May 6, 1874, her maiden name be- ing Jennie Sime. She is a daughter of Colben and. Britha Sime, and was born in Norway, January 9, 1850. To her and Mr. Ringheim the following family of children have been born: Lydia B., Charles I., Bessie J., Edwin A., Sarah C., Noah A. and David T. Ringheim. Mr. Ringheim has always been an uncompro- mising Republican, and he and his family are members of the Lutheran Church. He is a man that has always been interested in the welfare of the county, is a patron of education, and takes much interest in educating his chil- dren.

Robert Alexander Robison, farmer and stock- raiser, Iowa Centre, Iowa. He whose name heads this brief sketch is one of Story County's oldest and most influential citizens. He is a native of the Keystone State, born in Mifflin County on the 15th of May, 1822, and is the son of John Robison, a native of the same State and county. The elder Robison grew to manhood in Mifflin County, and was there mar- ried to Miss Mary Anderson, a native also of Pennsylvania. He afterward settled on a farm in that county, and there continued until his death in 1853. His widow survived him several years. Robert A. Robison was the sixth of eight children-seven sons and one daughter. He remained under the parental roof, and as- sisted his father until eighteen years of age, when he learned the carpenter's trade, and this carried on for several years, contracting and building. He moved west in 1855, located in La Fayette, Ind., and worked at his trade for eighteen months. In the fall of 1856 he came to Iowa, located in Story County, at Iowa Cen- ter, engaged in contracting and building for about four years and then settled on his present property in 1859. He first bought eighty acres, and has added to this from time to time,

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as his means would permit, until he now owns 1,005 acres of land, over 420 of which are in the home place. His land is all well improved, and consists of four farms. He has a fine resi- dence on the home place, two large barns, etc. He has made most of his property in this State by hard labor and good management, and is one of the most wealthy men of the township. He has made his wealth off his farm, raising and feeding hogs and cattle. Mr. Robison was married in Pennsylvania in February, 1852, to Miss Nancy Greer, a native of Pennsylvania, born in Mifflin County, and the daughter of Adam and Mary Greer. Mr. and Mrs. Robison have had eight children: George G. (married and resides in Story County ), Ida (wife of A. G. Moore of this county), Emma (wife of Warren Maxwell of this county ), Rol- and (married, resides in the county), Charles (married and in this county), Fannie, Edward and Bert (nnmarried and living at home). Mr. Robison's farming operations are conducted in a manner indicative of a progressive, thorough agriculturist; his stock is of a high grade, and, as a man of industry and enterprise, he has no superior. Energetic and public-spirited, he never fails to aid any movement which tends to benefit the county or his fellow-men. He has instilled into his children his habits of in- dustry and economy; so much so that all of those that are married have fine and comforta- bly homes, and are among the leading families of the county, and are justly the pride of their parents, who feel that the care bestowed upon them has not been spent in vain. The unmar- ried boys, Edward and Bert, who are living at home, are managing the home farm of 420 acres in a skillful and energetic manner, to prove which it is only necessary to look over the place and foot up the proceeds, which, year after year, are shown by the purchase and addition of another farm to his already princely fortune.

Fannie, the only unmarried daughter, is the pet and pride of the home.

Henry Harrison Robinson, one of the lead- ing farmers of Nevada Township, was born in Chittenden County, at Westford, Vt., on the 18th of June, 1838, and received a common- school education in his native county. He as- sisted his father in tilling the soil, and re- mained under the parental roof until 1858, when he went to Boston, Mass., where he re- mained until the 16th of September, 1862. He then enlisted in Company B, Fifth Massa- chusetts Volunteers, and was discharged at the expiration of his term of service. In 1867 Mr. Robinson came to Dubuque, Iowa, re- mained there for one year and then moved to Marshalltown of that State, where he made his home until January, 1869. At that date he came to Story County, settling on his present farm, and is now the owner of 310 acres of ex- cellent land. He is actively engaged in tilling the soil, and in connection is also occupied in stock-raising. He has made his own way in life, and although he started with limited means he has been unusually successful, and is one of the substantial men of the county. In 1869 he led to the altar Miss Alice J. McEvoy, who was born in Westford, Vt., on the 9th of January, 1848, and who is the daughter of Michael and Mary McEvoy, both of whom are deceased. Mr. McEvoy was born in Ireland and came to the United States when eighteen years of age. To Mr. and Mrs. Robinson have been born seven children: George N. (born in 1870), Frank L. (born in 1871), Mary L. (born in 1875), Sarah L. (born in 1877), Har- rison M. (born in 1879), Marion G. (born in 1880), and Herbert H. (born in 1883). In his political views Mr. Robinson affiliates with the Republican party, and socially he is a mem- ber of the G. A. R., and the A. F. & A. M., Nevada Lodge No. 99. He is one of the lead-

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ing farmers of Nevada Township. He is the only one living of three children born to Z. N. and Louisa (Felton) Robinson, natives of Berry, Mass. The father was born on the 14th of March, 1799, and died at Westford, Vt., in February, 1877. The mother's birth occurred on the 28th of July, 1798, and she died at Westford, Vt., on the 10th of May, 1890. The paternal grandfather, Levi Robinson, was born in Berry, Mass., and died at Burlington, Vt., in 1820, when abont fifty years of age.

Ole O. Roe, the present superintendent of public instruction of Story County, Iowa, was born in Norway, near Bergen, on the 4th of June, 1854, his parents, O. S. and Christine ( Olson) Roe, being also natives of that coun- try, the former born in 1826, and the latter in 1830. The family emigrated to the United States in 1862, first settled in Clinton County, Iowa, but six years later removed to Story County, where they are at present making their home. Ole O. Roe is the eldest of their seven children, his first knowledge of the"three R's" was ac- quired in Clinton County, but he afterward pur- sued his studies in the public schools of Story County. In 1875-76 he was a student in the Iowa Polytechnic School at Des Moines, but the following year he entered the law depart- ment of what was then known as the Simpson Centenary College, the law department of which was located in Des Moines, while the college proper was at Indianola, Iowa. He grad- nated in law in 1878, and in the fall of that year located in Story City, where he was soon after elected principal of the city schools. He continued to make his home there until the close of the school year in 1881, at which time he was elected to his present position, to which he has been re-elected four times, and moved to Nevada. His first term of school was taught at the age of seventeen years, and this has continued to be his means of livelihood ever

since 1871, consequently he is thoroughly versed in all the details of the work, and is admirably fitted to fill his present position, which, when his term of office expires (which will be January 1, 1892), he will have held ten years. The schools have been found to be in very capable hands, for he is a man of broad intelligence and liberal views. He has always been an unswerving Republican in his political views, and socially is a member of the K. of P., Sampson Lodge No. 77, of Nevada. His wife, who was formerly Miss Sarah Olson, was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1861, and their union was consummated in 1879. They have three children, Hannah, Grace and Martin. He and wife are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

T. J. Ross was for many years one of the most influential citizens of Story County. He located at Iowa Centre in 1855, and in com- pany with his brother, M. M. Ross, opened a general store. But the depression which fol- lowed made collections impossible, and the lim- ited capital was soon largely invested in uncol- lectable notes and accounts. Many business men went the same route at that time. Teach- ing school for a time, at $28 per month, earned honest bread for the wife and children. Mr. Ross' superior intelligence and fine ability became recognized by his numerous friends, and in 1859 he was nominated by the Repub- lican Convention, as a candidate for county re- corder and treasurer. The county having then an opposition majority, the nominations were given to the best and strongest men, and not obtained by personal solicitation or intrigue. Such a nomination was an honor to be appre- ciated. By naming a strong ticket, and by hard work in its support, the canvass resulted in favor of the Republicans by majorities rang- ing from two to twelve. Mr. Ross was elected over a most popular and meritorious candidate

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by ten votes. He took possession of the office on January 1, 1860, and so satisfactory was his administration that he was twice re-elected, each time by increased majorities. It was on the night of the last day of his second term that the court-house was burned, when, unfort- unately, the funds were mostly in the national currency, and wrapped and labeled for the in- spection of the board of supervisors on the Monday following. The denominations and character of the bills could only be told by ex- pert examination of the charred parts under the bands. Examination at the treasury de- partment identified and restored to the county most of the money contained in the safe. The foresight of Mr. Ross in anticipating an ad- vance in real estate when the war closed, and opportunities of learning the views of owners through the office of county treasurer, enabled him to buy and sell to such advantage that he laid the foundation for a competency in a few years. Transactions in real estate, shipping live stock to market, conducting farms and holding the Nevada post-office for a term of four years, occupied his time until about 1885, when, seeing an opening for real estate, loans, and abstracts of titles, in Kansas, he opened an office at Great Bend, in that State. He is suc- cessfully prosecuting that business, but the fact that his family remains in Story County indicates that his affections linger with her pio- neers, of whom he was one for thirty years. Thomas Johns Ross was born in Knox County, Ohio, on September 14, 1832, and is of Scot- tish ancestry; is of the fair complexion of the Northern type, is five feet ten inches in height, and weighs 180 pounds. He is a man of sound practical judgment, and is true to his instincts as to what constitutes strong manhood. He scorns deceit, meanness and cowardice, and is liable to offend by speaking with sarcasm and irony of men and acts for which he cherishes

contempt. He was married at Martinsburg, Ohio, on October 24, 1854, to Miss Julia A., daughter of Judge McCreary, by whom there are two surviving daughters, the elder being the wife of Hon. C. D. Boardman, of Odebolt, Iowa, and the younger, a widow, making her home with her mother in Nevada. In addition to the advantages offered by the common schools of Ohio in his boyhood, Mr. Ross at- tended an academy in Martinsburg. This with his tact, brightness of intellect and fondness for reading, makes him a very entertaining conversationalist, and gives him a warm wel- come among the thoughtful and refined. He has ever been an independent leader and never a timid follower.

John C. Rygh, the subject of this sketch, is a prominent farmer and stock-raiser of Story County. In the distant land of Norway, he entered this world, July 6, 1841, near the city of Bergen. His parents were Norwegians, and the father died while our subject was only three years old, the mother marrying again. John first mastered shoemaking, working at this business at the early age of ten years. In 1870 he bade farewell to the land of his birth, seeking in the newer and broader land of America a wider scope for his talent, and set- tling in Kendall County, Ill., where he turned his attention to farming, and with such marked success, that at the end of eight years he had quite a sum of money with which to commence business. Moving to Story County, Mr. Rygh bought the 160 acres of land where he now re- sides. His house is large, and the farm in ex- cellent condition, and well cultivated, as only an enterprising, thrifty farmer knows how to cultivate the soil. In this county Mr. Rygh married Miss Belle Osmunson, a native of Nor- way, February 14, 1879, she being a daughter of Christian Osmunson and Mollie Torbjorns Datter. To this union were born three chil-

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dren, viz .: Christian J. C., Oscar J. C. and William M. C. Mr. and Mrs. Rygh are mem- bers of the Lutheran Church.

Joseph C. Sawtell, farmer and stock-raiser, Colo, Iowa. Joseph C. Sawtell, a well respected and widely acquainted resident of this township, was born in Lapeer, Lapeer County, Mich., in 1837,and is the son of Levi S. Sawtell, a native of Maine, born in 1810. The father was one of nine children: Bryant, Thomas, Warren, John, Levi S., Charles, Nancy ( who became the wife of John Jackson ), Dora (wife of Andrew El- liot, of Michigan) and Polly. Joseph C. Sawtell was the eldest of five children born to his parents: Charlotte, William, Melissa (now Mrs. G. W. Carpenter, of Lapeer, Mich, who is one of the most influential and trusted men in the county), and Bessie (now Mrs. O. Niles, of Lapeer, Mich. ). Our subject received his edu- cation in Michigan, attained his growth in that State, and at the age of twenty years, or in 1857, located in Warren County, Ill. He en- listed in Company F, Eighty-third Volunteer Infantry, from Monmouth, August 9, 1862, and served until the close of the war. After this he returned to Illinois, and was married, in 1866, to Miss Louisa McMillen, who died in 1874, leaving a family of four children: Florence, William, Charles and Joseph A. ( who is residing in Denver, Colo.). Mr. Sawtell was married, the second time, in 1876, to Mrs. Chastina A. Ben- nett. He came to Story County in 1869, located where he now resides, and in connection with agricultural pursuits is also interested in the New Albany Township Stock Association & Imp. Company. He is a member of the United Brethren Church, and is one of the much esteemed and respected citizens of the county. Socially he is connected with J. B. Steadman Post No. 238, G. A. R., at Colo, Iowa.

Col. John Scott was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, April 14, 1824, his father being a cloth-

fuller and woolen manufacturer of that place. Mr. Scott traces his ancestry back four genera- tions to old Hugh Scott, who came from the North of Ireland and settled in Pennsylvania in 1670, and the most of the male members of the family have been tillers of the soil up to the present time. They belong to the sturdy Scotch- Irish Presbyterian stock, of the old John Knox type, that feared nothing but God, worshiped Him, with their families, morning and evening, daily and duly, and trained their children to do likewise. While a boy Col. John Scott ran barefoot during the summer months, working on the farm and in the woolen mill, and at- tended the district school in the winter. At the age of sixteen years he began his career as a school-teacher, receiving as compensation $16 per month. In the spring of 1843, with a friend, he explored the settled portions of Iowa Territory, traveling on foot and carrying a leather portmanteau, with a surveyor's compass. During this trip they inspected the towns of Keosanqua, Fairfield, Washington, Iowa City, Anamosa, Cascade, Dubuque, Tipton and Bloom- ington (now Muscatine). The agency of the Sac and Fox Indians was visited, and two nights were spent in the building occupied by the in- terpreter, which may still be seen from the cars of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad when passing Agency City. Hon. Thomas S. Wilson, of Dubuque, was seen on the bench of the Territorial Court at Andrew, the county seat of Jackson County. After his return home he again began supporting himself by teaching, also studying law, and in his twenty- first year was admitted to practice, on examina- tion, before the supreme court of Ohio. In 1845, being the only attorney in the county who espoused the principles of the Abolitionist, or Liberty party, he was tendered the nomination of that party for the office of county attorney, and received the vote of the party, as well as

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Biographical and historical memoirs of Story County, Iowa, Part 55

Author: Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago : Goodspeed Number of Pages: 484

Author:
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Goodspeed
Number of Pages: 484