USA > Iowa > Cherokee County > Biographical history of Cherokoe County, Iowa : Containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States from Washington to Harrison, with accompanying biographies of each ; a condensed history of Iowa, with portraits and biographies of the governors of the state ; engravings of prominent citizens in Cherokee County, with personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families. A concise history of the county, the cities, and townships > Part 47
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY.
maiden name was Lizzie M. Amidon. The same year he was employed in M. Vander- cook's store. The latter gentleman was in poor health, and Mr. Risley assisted in the charge of the business until August, 1882, when Mr. Vandercook died, and Mr. Risley was appointed by Mrs. Vandercook to assist in settling up the business and take charge of the estate. He is still employed to manage- the business for Mrs. Vandercook. Politi- cally Mr. Risley is conservative, but is a stanch Prohibitionist. He has held a great number of local offices, in his native State as well as in Wisconsin and Iowa; he was as- sessor three years in Woodbury County, Iowa, and also served there as justice of the peace. He is a consistent member of the Congrega- tional Church of Cherokee, Iowa, in which he holds the offices of deacon and trustee. Ile is an honored member of the Masonic fraternity, having attained the title of Sir Knight in Crusade Commandery, No. 39, and holds the position of recorder. He is con- nected with Speculative Lodge, No. 307, A. F. & A. M., and Burning Bush Chapter. No. 90, R. A. M. He is an officer of the chapter also, and keeps the lodge records in an excellent manner. He is also financial manager of the Ancient Order United Work. men. He owns a good residence in Hux- ford's Addition, and other city real estate. Mr. Risley is an obliging gentleman, and a very accurate, methodical business man, who believes that "order is the first law of Heaven ! "
LEXANDER B. ROSS, one of the prominent grocers of Cherokee, Iowa, is numbered among the oldest business men of the place. He settled there in 1870, while it was a mere hamlet, and is now one
of the most thorough-going and prosperous merchants of the county, and has the respect and confidence of the entire population, with whom he has dealt in various capacities for nearly twenty years. He is a native of Nova Scotia, born October 12, 1842, and is the oldest son of a family of seven children. His father, Alexander Ross, was a Scotchman by birth, and a farmer by occupation. He mar- ried Miss Elizabeth Baillie, also a native of Scotland, and a daughter of Alexander Baillie. Alexander Ross was married to his wife in Nova Scotia, and settled on a farm, where they lived a contented life. The husband died in 1873, and the wife still remains upon the homestead. The early boyhood of Alex- ander B. was not unlike that of the average boy. He attended the common schools and assisted his father on the farm, remaining at home until he was twenty-two years old. The next five years of his life were spent about the gold mines of his native province. In 1869 he was seized with the " Western fever," and nothing seemed equal to a cure but a trial trip to investigate for himself; so he left for the West and drifted to Council Bluff's, Iowa, and thence to Sioux City. A part of the season was spent in Tama County, Iowa, and the following spring, which was in 1870, he came to Cherokee, where he was variously employed until 1873. He then embarked in the grocery business on a very limited scale, but as his business increased he added to his stock until it has assumed its present proportions. His place of business is on the same lot which he occupied sixteen years ago. At first he had a small frame building, bnt in 1880 he erected a fine brick block, two stories high, and 24 x 100 feet on the ground. He carries a very large and complete stock of staple and fancy groceries, and is finely established in business, having a most excellent trade from all parts of the
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county. Mr. Ross was married February 10, 1873, to Miss Isabella Mathison, a native of Nova Scotia, and a daughter of Thomas and Jennette Mathison. Mr. and Mrs. Ross are the parents of three children: Jennie L., Clara G. and Katie. Mr. Ross is one of the deacons of the First Presbyterian Church of Cherokee, and is an honored member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge of this city. Po- litically he is of the Republican party, be- lieving that its principles come nearer to serving the best interests of the great mass of American people than those of any other party. In his business career Mr. Ross has been quite successful; he has been diligent, and has exercised prudence and good judg- ment in his various investments. He owns, besides his mercantile property, a valuable farm in Plymouth County, Iowa, and the present year (1889) he is erecting a fine resi- dence in the addition, which will be among the best-built dwellings in Cherokee. It is indeed gratifying to see men prosper who merit success, and who have earned it through hard and honest toil.
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OIIN P. DICKEY, President of the Cherokee State Bank, and dealer in Im- ber and coal, is the subject of this bio- graphical sketch. In 1874 J. P. Dickey with Dubuque parties established themselves in the lumber and coal trade at Cherokee, and since that time he has been closely connected with every public interest of the town and county. He is a native of Livingston County, New York, born Angnst 20, 1838, and is the youngest son of John P. and Elizabeth (Weller) Dickey. His father was a merchant and farmer in Western New York, having settled there in 1818. He was born in Lon- donderry County, New Hampshire, in 1796,
the son of John Dickey, of Scotch-Irish de- scent. Elizabeth Weller, the mother of our subject, removed from Pittsfield, Massachu- setts, to Livingston County, New York, where she and her husband lived the remainder of their days. He died in 1875, and she in 1845. They were the parents of ten children, seven of whom grew to maturity. John P. is the youngest of the family. He was first sent to the common school, and later he en- tered Genesee Seminary, where he spent three terins. After leaving his studies he went to Wisconsin, where he was engaged in the sale of fanning-mills for a period of two years. Thence he went to Delaware County, Iowa, where he farmed very successfully for nine years. In the spring of 1874 he came to Cherokee County and entered into the Imber business in company with Dubnque parties. Mr. Dickey was married in 1863 to Miss Keziah Stilwell, a native of Genesee County, New York, and a daughter of Hiranı Stilwell. Mr. and Mrs. Dickey are the par- ents of three sons: James H., engaged in the lumber business at Storm Lake; Roy W., who has charge of the Cherokee yards, and John W., at Evanston College. In October, 1888, Mr. Dickey organized the Cherokee State Bank, of which he is president, E. D. Huxford being the cashier. They do a gen- eral banking business, and have one of the finest bank buildings in Northwestern Iowa. The firm of J. P. Dickey & Co. have three lumber yards-one at Cherokee, one at Storin Lake, and another at Aurelia. In his politi- cal belief Mr. Dickey is a Republican, and has frequently been called to fill local offices. He was instrumental in the erection of the large public school building, and has been a member of the School Board, in which he has taken a great interest. He has also served as a councilman for the city. He belongs to the Congregational Church, of which he is one of
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John, A Potter
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the deacons. His wife is also a member of the same denomination. Mr. Dickey is a man of excellent judgment and of noble public spirit. While he has been liberal in his con- tributions to all public enterprises, he has amassed a comfortable competence.
OIIN F. POTTER. - This substantial and reliable farmer has been identified with the interests of Cherokee County since 1869. He was born in Bridgewater, Windsor County, Vermont, February 27, 1834, and is a son of John Potter, who served in the War of 1812. He was a native of Rhode Island, and was a son of Ichabod Potter, of English and Scotch ancestry. Mr. Potter's mother was Polly Wheeler, a native of Connecticut, and a daughter of Asa Wheeler, of Scotch origin, who served in the War of the Revolution. John F. was a lad of nine years when his parents moved to Rutland County, Vermont. His mother died at the age of seventy-five years, and his father lived to the advanced age of eighty-seven years. There were nine cliil- dren in the family: Austin, Harriet, Sybil, Jefferson, Adeline, George, Mariette, John F. and Eber. Adeline is the wife of Josiah Morgan, of Pitcher Township. John F. Potter came to Clayton County, Iowa, in 1856, and remained there thirteen years, im- proving a farm. In 1868 he looked over a large part of Western Iowa, and thinking that Cherokee County possessed more natural advantages than any other in that part of the State lie decided to try what the earth and his own industry would yield him. His first purchase was 160 acres of wild land, and the success that has attended his efforts is shown by his title to 400 acres of Cherokee County's choice land, which is in an excellent state of|
cultivation. Mr. Potter's residence is a fine building of an attractive plan, situated in the midst of a beautiful lawn containing ever- green and other ornamental trees. One of the best groves in the county is to be found on the Potter farm; it contains thirty-two acres. A large and conveniently arranged barn, and other buildings for stock and grain add to the completeness of the place, and show the thrift and prosperity of the owner. Mr. Potter was married November 27, 1862, to Miss Mary A. Bailey, a daughter of E. B. and Lydia A. (Wells) Bailey, residents of the town of Cherokee, mention of whom is made on another page of this work. Mrs. Potter was born in Middlesex County, Connecticut, and was reared and educated there. Mr. Pot- ter's political opinions are expressed by the Democratic party; voting for Buchanan in 1856, he has ever since been a stanch sup- porter of Democratic principles. Although holding the confidence and respect of the community in which he lives he has never held public office, his preference being to live a private life. Mr. Potter's long residence in the county, his honorable and upright life, and his appreciation of merit in others have won for him a host of friends. At the home of Mr. and Mrs. Potter hospitality is ever dispensed in a cordial and generous way.
OHN C. DOWDING .- This enterpris- ing and progressive citizen of Diamond Township claims England as his inother conntry. He was born in Wiltshire, July 23, 1846, and is a son of James and Alice Dowd- ing. He is the third child of a family of three sons and one daughter. The eldest, Jacob E., was a resident of Diamond Town- ship, and for ten years was its assessor. His death occurred March 16, 1889, and his widow
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY.
still lives on the home farm. Joseph lives in Cherokee. The sister, Emily, is the wife of W. D. McAndrews, and lives in Ains- worth, Nebraska. The family emigrated to the United States when John C. was about ten years old, and lived for a few years in Dutchess County, New York. In 1859 they came West, and settled in Clayton County, Iowa, and there the parents have since resided. John was thirteen years of age when he came to Iowa, and from that time until he had at- tained his majority he was employed at work on his father's farm. After that he went to Mo- nona County, and secured a job in a saw-inill at $30 per month. He worked there three years serving in the capacity of engineer the last year and in the meantime secured a small farm in that connty. The climate of that section did not agree with him as he suffered with ague, so he decided to make a change in his residence, and located in Cherokee County, where he was assured he would be free from his former disease. He at once purchased eighty acres of land, and entered it as a homestead. He built a house 12 x 16 feet, and began the task of developing his land. The fall of 1870 he returned to Clayton County, and February 21, 1871, he was united in marriage to Miss Catherine McCullough. He returned to Cher- okee County, his wife soon following, and since that time for nearly twenty years they have resided on the farm. Mr. Dowding has added to the original purchase nntil he now has a tract of 160 acres of as fine land as Cherokee County affords. His farm is well improved with a commodious new house, and a good barn, all the surroundings indi- cating thrift and prosperity. He handles such stock as the farm is adapted to, and usually feeds one or two car-loads of cattle. His wife, who shared the hardships and pri- vations of his first years in Cherokee County, was called to the other life August 15, 1885,
and he was left with four little girls, and to them he has since devoted his life and atten- tion. As they are unusually bright and in- telligent children he will endeavor to give them a good education to tit them for a life of usefulness Their names are: Mary Edna, Carrie Ethel, Rosa Belle and Catherine May. Mr. Dowding was united in marriage a sec- ond time Jannary 25, 1887, to Miss Lizzie Neville, a danghter of Edward Neville. She was born in Holmes County, Ohio, March 17, 1859, and is a lady of taste and refinement, and devotes herself to the interests of the family. Mr. Dowding and wife and the two eldest daughters belong to the Mt. Olive Regular Baptist Church, and Mr. Dowding does not hesitate to practice in the midst of his family the teachings of the church. This is truly a model Christian home, and every infinence for good is thrown around the lives of these young girls. How much better could all the children of the land be trained under such infinence. Mr. Dowding has the confidence of a large number of citizens of Diamond Township, having been repeatedly asked to attend to public duties. Were the interests of the people placed in the hands of such men as John C. Dowding there would never arise any fear for the safety of our Gov- ernment or the perpetuity of Republican institutions.
S. WIGHT has been identified with the interests of Cherokee County since August, 1858. He was born in Coos County, New Hampshire, in the town of Milan, September 16, 1828, and is a son of William and Rhoda (Rowel) Wight. The father was born in Portland, Maine, in 1806, and was a son of Nathaniel Wight, who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1780. The
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY.
mother was born in New Hampshire in 1806. O. S. Wight was five years of age when his parents removed to Chemung County, New York; there the family lived until the fall of 1845 wlien they removed to Keoknk County, Iowa. There Mr. Wight was married to Miss Tillitha Orsborn, November 28, 1854; she was born in Union County, Ohio, May 17, 1828, and is a danghter of Daniel and Dorothy (Burkctt) Orsborn; the Orsborn family came to Keokuk County in 1849. In 1856 Mr. Wight removed to Crawford County, Iowa, and remained there two years, at the end of which time he came to Cherokee County, locating near the town of Cherokee; after residing there two years he moved fonr miles south of the town, and in 1865 he took a homestead on section 28, Pilot Township; this he sold in 1873, and located on his pres- ent farm, which consists of 120 acres in a good state of cultivation. Mr. Wight and wife have two children living: Rosa Belle, wife of M. S. Draper, of O'Brien Connty, and Alice Cary, wife of Samuel Shook, of Cherokee County; five children have died; Martha Ann, John Morris, Abbie Jane, Will- iam Arthur, and Charles Ernest; the last- named son died a short time ago (1889); he was a young man of fine intellectual ability, and was respected and beloved by all who knew him. Mr. Wight casts his suffrage with the Republican party; he has repre- sented his township officially for many years as clerk, trustee and justice of the peace; he was elected county clerk in 1863, serving three years; he was also a member of the Board of Connty Supervisors, discharging his duties with much credit to himself and the best interests of the public. He is a worthy and active member of the Methodist Episco- pal Church; he was licensed to preach in Crawford Connty, Iowa, May 30, 1857; for a time he had charge of the Cherokee and
Spirit Lake Circuit, preaching the first Meth- odist sermon in Cherokee County. He has been a zealous worker in the cause of his Master, and has won the confidence and es- teem of all who know him.
ILMAN BROTHERS .- The most ex- tensive firm of stock shippers and deal- ers of Cherokee County is composed of Charles W. and Jolin H. Gilman, of whom a brief biographical sketch has been attempted. They are the only sons that grew to maturity ont of a family of seven children; four died in childhood, and one sister, Lucy Ellen, wife of William Coffin, Esq., died at the age of twenty-five years, in Wisconsin, in 1870. Their parents were Eben B. and Catherine (Barker) Gilman. The father was a native of Massachusetts, and died at the age of thirty- eight years. The mother was born in Maine, and thirty years after her husband's decease was again married to Mr. F. P. Ferguson; they removed to Fond du Lac County, Wis- consin, in 1868, and she is still living there, aged sixty-eight years. The home of the Gilmans was in Lynn, Massachusetts, where the father was engaged in the mannfacture of shoes. In this old town of historical interest, amid the din of countless thousands of spin- dles and the lium of numerous manufactories, the brothers first saw the light. Charles was born April 30, 1841, and John, December 10, 1844. Growing up in their native city they became accustomed to the rush and bustle of a busy city. At the age of sixteen years Charles entered one of the shoe facto- ries, and for two years was employed as entter. Then when the news of the gold discovery fired the youth all over the land with excite- ment, and thousands started for "California's Golden Shore," he decided to seek his fortune
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there; so, at the age of eighteen years, when life's prospects are tinged with most glowing colors, he boarded an ocean steamer at New York, and in a few months stood upon the shore that proved the last resting place of many a young man as full of ambition as he himself. He went to the "diggins" in Trinity County, and for two years passed through the average miner's experience. Then the news of a gold find in Washington Territory sent him, along with hundreds of others, to that field, and he spent one season on Granite Creek, and then passed over into the Boise Basin in 1862, in company with a party of eleven other miners. He remained there for three years, at the end of which time he visited his old New England home, having met with a fair degree of success in his search for gold. He passed the winter of 1864 at home. John was anxious to accom- pany his brother on his return to the Rockies the next spring. Up to this time he had remained in the town in which he was born. At the age of sixteen years he had entered the office of The Bay State, and worked at the front for two years, when he entered a shoe factory and for several years worked at his machine, his specialty being heel work. The two brothers started ont together, and reaching the mining region of Idaho they re- mained together one summer, when Charles took a trip to the Coeur d'Alene country, where he fell in company with a Mr. David- son from Montana, who reported new finds in that region. A party of eight was at once formed, and away they went to Montana, reaching McClellan's Gulch when not more than fifty miners had begun prospecting there. He was soon after joined by John, and they remained in that section of country for two years; being among the first there they passed through all the exciting times that followed the finding of gold in Montana.
In the spring of 1868, having made and saved quite a nice little fortune, they decided to become again identified with the States, and accordingly abandoned the mines and ex- citement of a mining life. They returned to New England, but the same season migrated to Wisconsin and purchased a farm in part- nership. on which they lived for three years. Becoming restless, and pining for "old times," they sold out and started for the Pa- cific slope. Coming through Iowa, they stopped to see friends near Aurelia, and be- coming fascinated with the beauty and fertil- ity of Cherokee County, decided to remain there, and purchased the land that they now own. They have a splendid tract of 560 acres lying in the Maple Valley, four miles sontheast of Anrelia. It is well improved with pleasant homes and comfortable sur- roundings. The Gilman brothers are known far and wide as extensive stock shippers; they are constantly buying and selling, and feed on their own farm from 250 to 350 head of cattle anunally. They are men who stand high in business circles, and their integrity is never called in question. In politics they stand with the Republican party. Charles W. Gilman was married in Chicago, January, 1869, to Miss Addie P. Gilman, of Lynn. They have four children: Ellen F., Irene, Hattie and Inez. Mr. C. W. Gilman was county supervisor for one term, and his asso- ciates on the board speak of him as being the clearest headed inan in matters of business of public interest. He is also president of the Maple Valley Mutual Insurance Company. John H. Gilman was united in marriage in Wisconsin, September 13, 1871, to Miss Martha H. Hurlburt, who was born in Ver- mont, October 1, 1849. Their family con- sists of Arthur H., born December 13, 1872; Fannie E., born December 5, 1874; Harvey E., born March 17, 1879; Eva Ione, born
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March 31, 1881, and Harry L., born Novem- ber 28, 1888. The Gilman brothers com- mand the respect of all those with whom they are thrown in contact, and are among the most energetic and pushing business men of the county. Of strong social dispositions, both are members of the I. O. O. F. lodge of Aurelia, and with their amiable wives and interesting children form a little circle that is a credit to Cherokee County.
OBERT BRUCE RUTHERFORD was born near Colesville, Wyoming County, New York, May 6, 1844, and is a son of James and Hetty (Milligan) Rutherford. James Rutherford was born June 15, 1803, in County Cavan, Ireland, and came to America in 1821. His wife was born De- cember 21, 1801, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, where they were married. They had a family of thirteen children: John, the eld- est, died February 24, 1889, in South Africa, where he was employed as an expert in the diamond mines; James is a resident of Bath- urst, Australia, where he owns an extensive ranch, and is proprietor of an important stage route; Alexander is a dealer in mining stocks in California; Lucretia is the wife of A. Starbird; George is a capitalist in California; Mary married G. W. Appleton; Andrew died of the small-pox in California, at the age of thirty-five years: Catherine is the wife of Henry Taggart; shedied near Cherokee, May 5, 1875; Onias died in Japan in 1870; Phebe Ann died in San Francisco unmarried; Helen is the wife of John Berry; she died in Mis- souri; Joseph died in infancy. James Ruth- erford, Sr., died December 28, 1869, in Branch County, Michigan. Mrs. Rutherford died in Cherokee County, October, 1881. After their marriage they lived in Buffalo, New York,
for ten years; then in Colesville, where Rob- ert Bruce was born; he was fourteen years old when the family removed to Michigan, and at the age of seventeen years he left home and went to Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, where he remained until 1864. He then spent four years in Green Lake County, Wis- consin. In the summer of 1870, after taking a trip through Kansas and Missouri in com- pany with his brother-in-law, G. W. Apple- ton, Mr. Rutherford located in Diamond Township. four miles south of Aurelia. He bought 220 acres of land, and began to im- prove a farm. In the fall of 1873 he went to California. intending to engage in the live- stock business in Nevada, but decided to re- turn to Iowa, where he could secure cheaper land. On his return in 1874 he bought 280 acres of his present home and began making improvements. He soon after married and lived on the place three years, when he leased his brother's place, consisting of 1,400 acres, lying in Diamond Township; there he lived a greater part of the next ten years. In 1887 he returned to his own farm one-half mile west of Aurelia. He has since erected a cominodions, ten-room house, situated upon a gentle rise of ground, commanding a view of the village and surrounding country. His barn is roomy, and well arranged, being es- pecially adapted to the handling of horses. The dwelling and barn are supplied with an abundance of water by a windmill. These improvements have been made at an outlay of 85,000. The farm now consists of 590 acres, 280 acres lying in the home place, and the remainder in Maple Valley. Mr. Ruth- erford has been extensively engaged in breed- ing high grades of horses. Mr. Rutherford was married October 1, 1874, to Miss Mary E. Randall, who was born January 13, 1855, in Monroe County, New York. Her parents are Jefferson and Elizabeth (Billings) Ran-
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