Biographical history of Page 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 of Page County, with personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families; and a concise history of the county, the cities, and the townships, Part 64

Author: Lewis and Dunbar, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis & Dunbar
Number of Pages: 946

USA > Iowa > Page County > Biographical history of Page 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 of Page County, with personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families; and a concise history of the county, the cities, and the townships > Part 64

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).

Mrs. McAfee's parents, William and Nan- cy (Beard) Quigg, had three children who grew to maturity: Thomas, Jolin and Mary J. The father was a farmer in county An- trim, Ireland.

AVID CALHOON is one of the promi- nent and reliable settlers who came from Ohio in 1857 and located on a tract of land in Buchanan Township, Page County, where he has since resided. His father, George Callioon, was born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and was of Scotch- Irish descent. He married Jane Kerr of Virginia, and they were the parents of seven children: John, James, Alexander, Robert, Newton, Hannah and Eliza. The father lived for at least forty years on the old Ohio homestead. His grandfather, David Calhoon, removed to Ohio at an early day and settled in Holmes County. Mr. and Mrs. Calhoon were members of the Presbyterian Church and were among the well-to-do farmers in the neighborhood of Millersburg, Ohio, where they owned 180 acres of fine farming land. Mr. Calhoon held various local offices and was held in high esteem. In 1866 he sold his farm in Ohio and removed to Iowa, where he passed the remainder of his days with his

children. He died in 1872 at the age of eighty-one years.

David Calhoon, the subject of this brief biographical notice, was born in 1824, on the old homestead in Holmes County, Ohio. He was reared a farmer and received his educa- tion in the common schools. He was mar- ried to Mary Berkey, a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Faithi) Berkey, May 31, 1849. They have had ten children born to them: Leander W., William G., Elizabeth J., George N., Sarah E., Mary E., Lewis D., Alma M., James W. and Eddie B. Mr. and Mrs. Cal- hoon resided on the homestead seven years after marriage and in 1857 emigrated to Iowa, and settled on their present farm. They are members of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Calhoon has taken an active interest in the cause of education and has held the office of school director several terms. He owns 240 acres of fine land well improved; the resi- dence stands on a knoll in the midst of a beautiful grove of burr oaks.

Elizabeth J. Calhoon married William E. Gray; Leander married Einma Baker; Mary E. is the wife of William Van Sweringen; George N. married Ida Berket; Lewis D. married Amelia Henneman; Sarah E. mar- ried William E. Anderson; and Alma M. is the wife of J. L. Berry.

Mr. Calhoon is a man who has lived an upright life and has gained the respect of all his fellow citizens. The entire family is highly esteemed by all who know them.

EORGE MCCULLOUGH is one of the most prominent farmers of Amity Township, Page County. His great- grandfather, the founder of a Scotch-Irish family, removed from Scotland to county Antrim, Ireland. He was a farmer by occupa-

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

tion and a member of the Presbyterian Church. His son, William, was also a farmer and a Presbyterian in his religious faith. He married Jennet Lackey and to them were born six children: Marmaduke, William, John, George, Jennet and Elizabeth. Jolın and William were soldiers in the Irish Rebel- lion of 1790.

George, the father of the subject of this notice, was born in county Antrim, Ireland, in 1780, June 17. He married, in Ireland, Miss Jennet Thompson, daughter of John and Margaret (Clark) Thompson, and of this union eleven children were born, of whom George, Jr., is the tenth; the oldest child was born in Ireland, and the others in Cliester County, South Carolina, whither the parents had emigrated in October, 1806. They were twice shipwrecked on the passage, but finally landed in Charleston harbor in March, 1807. Mr. Mccullough bought land in Chester County, where he remained until 1830; he then removed to Scott County, Indiana, and settled on a farm; he owned 480 acres of land, which he divided among his children. In 1858 he and his wife came to Iowa with their son George; the father lived to be eighty- eight years of age, but the mother died the year of her arrival in Iowa, in her seventy- fourth year. They were both members of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Mr. Mccullough was a devout man and an elder in that church for many years.

George Mccullough, Jr., was born in Chester County, South Carolina, July 3, 1826, and was but four years old when his parents removed to Scott County, Indiana. He received a good education in the common schools and the High School at New Phila- delphia, Indiana. After leaving school he engaged in teaching in the winter season and worked on the farm in the summer. At the age of twenty-four years he went to Preble

County, Ohio, where he was married October 15, 1850, to Miss Sarah A. McKee, a daugh- ter of John and Nancy (Wilson) McKee, who were of Scotch-Irish descent. Mr. Mc- Kee was born in Ireland and emigrated to South Carolina about the year 1800, and thence to Kentucky, where Mrs. McCullough was born, in Todd County. After Mr. Mc- Cullough's marriage he remained on his father's farm, a portion of which had been deeded to him, until 1858; in that year he re- moved to Iowa and settled on his present farın, which consists of 365 acres.

Mr. and Mrs. McCullough are the parents of eight children: John M., who married Annie White; Margaret Isabella, wife of J. F. Reid; George A., who married Nettie White; Nannie J., Martha E., wife of John Farquhar ; James W., Joseph and Mary. Nettie White McCullongh is deceased, and her husband, George A., married for his sec- ond wife Eva Mckinley. The parents are devoted members of the United Presbyterian Church, Mr. McCulloughi having united with that society at the age of twenty years; he has been an elder since 1863, a period of twenty-eight years. He has been trustee of Amity College the same length of time; he has always labored earnestly for the cause of the church and education and to elevate the moral standard of the community. He has used his ineans with a liberal hand, and has given largely of his time and thought to many benevolent institutions. He is a man of strong intellect and of genuine, sterling worth. He has represented the people of his township as Justice of the Peace for fifteen years, and for four years was a member of the Board of Supervisors; he has been notary public for many years, and has transacted a great deal of business in this line. Twice he has been a delegate to the General Assembly of his church, and several times he has rep-

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

resented his church in the Synod. Politi- cally he adheres to the principles of the Pro- hibition party. He has given his children a liberal education, and they are all members of the United Presbyterian Church. He has ever striven to live a life of integrity and honor in the service and fear of his Master, and he has been rewarded with the love and esteein of all who know him.

ENRY GRAFFT is the son of David Grafft, a native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, who removed to Virginia when a young man and there married Annie Grove, a daughter of Benjamin Grove. Nine children were born of this union, who lived to years of maturity. Mr. and Mrs. Grafft set- tled on a farın in Preble County, Ohio, where they passed the remainder of their days. They were very prosperous, owning 480 acres of fine farming land; they assisted their chil- dren to make a start in life for themselves, and taught them habits of industry and economy. Henry Grafft, our subject, was born in Preble County, Ohio, in 1834, on the old homestead. He received a limited edu- cation in the commnon schools of that day, and was trained to the occupation of a farmer. Desirons of securing a home of his own he removed to Illinois when quite a young man, and at the age of twenty-one years he was united in marriage to Elizabetlı Grove, a daughter of Abrahamn and Sarah (Greiner) Grove. This young couple settled on a farm in Woodford County, Illinois, where they lived fifteen years; they then disposed of their land, 180 acres, and moved to Livingston County, Illinois; in 1882 we find them in Hancock County, Illinois, where they bought a farmi about six miles from Keoknk, Iowa; there they resided until 1886, and then

they came to Page County, Iowa, and pur- chased their present farm; this land is well located near College Springs.

Mr. and Mrs. Grafft are the parents of seven children, three of whom died in their infancy: Charles E., Einma L., who died at the age of twenty-four years; Virginia M. and Sarah E. Charles inarried Rosolbia Crouch, of Hancock County, Illinois, and they have four children. Virginia is the wife of John McAfee. In his political opin- ions Mr. Grafft adheres to the principles of the Democratic party. He is an industrious, law-abiding citizen, and an honorable and up- right man.

The parents of Mrs. Grafft, Abraham and Sarah (Greiner) Grove, were natives of Vir- ginia, removing from that State to Indiana, and thence to Woodford County, Illinois. They were the parents of eleven children. Saralı Grove, the mother of this family, at the age of eighty-four years wrote the follow- ing short sketch of her life, which we trans- cribe verbatim: " I was born December 10, 1805, in Augusta County, Virginia, and lived in the same house and on the same farin until 1824, when I was married to Abrahamn Grove. We remained in Virginia until 1832, when we moved to Indiana, where we bought a farm and lived until 1835. Then we came to Illinois and purchased land near the present village of Eureka and in the present county of Woodford. Here we lived until Novem- ber 22, 1869, when my husband died; since which time I have lived with my children. I am the mother of eleven children, three of whom died in infancy. I have fifty grand- children, and fifty-four great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild." Mrs. Grove died July 6, 1889, and was a remarkably intelligent, vigorous woman of her age. She had two brothers who were soldiers in the war of 1812. Her father, John Greiner,

Abn Caldwell

Mrs. Martha P. Caldwell

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Loveland Fuple Lin Ty,

HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

reared a family of eight children. He was a farmer in Augusta County, Virginia, where he lived many years.

LEXANDER CALDWELL .- It is frequently the case that the sturdiest sons and daughters of America trace their ancestry back directly to the Old World, and we find many of our most distinguished citizens claiming their origin in the beauti- ful "Emerald Isle." James Caldwell, the grandfather of Alexander, bade farewell to the scenes of his youth and emigrated from Ireland to this country in 1774. He was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, and his old flint-lock musket was preserved in the family for many years, but was finally burst by an overcharge. Mr. Caldwell married Annie Summers, daughter of Joseph and Jane Suni- mers, natives of Scotland. Mr. Summers was a miller and distiller by occupation, and became a very wealthy man, owning large tracts of land in Washington County, Penn- sylvania.

After Mr. Caldwell's marriage he settled in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and took up new land, which he hired cleared, while he pursued his own avocations. The country was wild and thinly settled, bears and wolves being free to roam about in great numbers. When the National pike was built it passed the farm of Mr. Caldwell, and he thien erected a commodious brick residence, in which he lived as long as he remained in the State. He accumulated considerable wealth, and at the time of his death left a large property to his children. His wife was the only one of a family of six children who inarried, and their children inherited all the property of this family. Mr. and Mrs. Cald- well had born to them five children: two died

in infancy; the three living were Andrew, Sarah and Jane. In 1850 the father joined his son Andrew in Licking County, Ohio, and died soon after at the great age of ninety-six years and six months. He was a man of un- usual force of character and of a vigorous constitution. He was temperate in his habits and upright in all his dealings.

Joseph Suminers, the father of Mrs. Cald- well, also lived to an advanced age, and al- though a distiller, he and his sons were all very temperate in their living.

Andrew Caldwell, son of Jaines and Annie (Summers) Caldwell, was born in Washing- ton County, Pennsylvania, and was reared to the occupation of a farmer. In his early manhood he began devoting his time and at- tention to the live-stock business, buying and selling horses and cattle extensively, and meeting with flattering success. He mar- ried Rachel Martin, whose family emigrated to Pennsylvania from New Jersey. Of this union six children were born: Thomas, Alexander, Mary J., Joseph, James and Jesse. The family lived on the old Caldwell homestead. In 1842, the tide of emigration being westward, Mr. Caldwell moved to Lick- ing County, Ohio, where he purchased land, on which he lived until 1852, when he went to Delaware County, Ohio. Before his death his father bought the farm in Licking Coun- ty and presented it to his two grandsons, Thomas and Alexander. Andrew Caldwell spent the remainder of his days in Delaware County, Ohio, where lie made a comfortable fortune. He and his wife were consistent members of the Baptist Church. He was a man of most excellent traits and of superior business qualifications. He died at tlie age of eighty years; his wife lived to be eighty- six, passing away in Essex, Page County, Iowa, at the home of her son Jesse.

Alexander Caldwell, our esteemed subject,

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

was born in Washington County, Pennsyl- vania, March 18, 1834, and is a son of An- drew and Rachel (Martin) Caldwell. When he was a lad eight years of age his father re- moved to the State of Ohio, where he grew to man's estate. He was united in marriage October, 1854, to Martha J. Ginn, a daugh- ter of John and Sarah (Bidlock) Ginn, natives of the State of Delaware. The father of John Ginn was a native of Ireland, and an early settler in Ohio. The Bidlocks were Pennsylvania Germans. Mr. and Mrs. Cald- well are the parents of four children: Andrew, Sarah, deceased, Alexander M. and Alexien, twins. After his marriage Mr. Caldwell settled on a farm belonging to his father, on which he resided six years; in 1860 he re- moved to White County, Indiana, near the old Tippecanoe battle ground, where he bought 240 acres of land; he made this his home until 1871, when he came to Page County, Iowa. He bought 500 acres of wild land, which he has cultivated and converted into valuable farms; eighty acres each, or 240 acres, have been distributed among his chil- dren. He and his wife are both members of the Presbyterian Church, and he is one of the trustees of the church.

In addition to his other talents Mr. Cald- well is an inventor of no mean order. has invented two valuable farming imple- ments, a double oscillator, side-hill cultivator, and plow, and a universal cultivator; the first named implement can be used as a plow, cul- tivator, harrow, and pulverizer, and can be used to prepare the ground for any kind of a crop; it has been thoroughly tested and will soon be placed upon the general market; the cultivator is capable of thirty-four changes and is adjustable in every way, and can be used to cultivate the crop from the time of planting to harvesting inclusive. It is truly a wonderful machine. Patents on both of

these machines. Mr. Caldwell made the models for both of his inventions, which are finely executed; he is also constructing a full" sized plow. These implements will be of great benefit to farmers, and will add honor to the already admirable record of the in- ventor.

Alexien Caldwell, daughter of Alexander Caldwell, married John Hipsley, and they are the parents of four children: Louis G., Cora M., Martha D. and Effie D. They re- side upon a portion of the home farm. An- drew J. married Angeline Croft, and they have two children: Dora B. and Martha E; they also live on the liome place. Alexan- der M. married Elizabetlı Stoops, and they have two children: Thomas M. and William Guy. All of Mr. Caldwell's children are living near him on land given them from the home farm. In order to keep his children from seeking homes in distant parts he has encouraged them to remain near him by aid- ing them in securing their own homes.

OSEPH A. FUNK, manager of the J. Cole & Co. elevator at Blanchard, will form the subject of the this biographical notice. The elevator has a capacity of 10,000 bushels and does an extensive business. Mr. Funk is the pioneer grain man of Blanchard and is one of the most active and reliable business men in Page County. He was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, March 30, 1844, and is a son of Jonathan and Sophia (Specht) Funk. The parents were both of German ancestry, and German was the ex- clusive language of the family. Joseph Funk, the paternal grandfather, was a soldier in the war of 1812. Joseph A. was reared on a farm in the famous Shenandoah Valley. In 1862 he removed to McDonough County,

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

Illinois, and attended school at Prairie City. When there was a call for men to go to the defense of the Union, he left the school-room and enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Illinois Volunteer In- fantry, under Colonel John Woods. He served faithfully and well until September, 1864, when he was honorably discharged; he then returned to his old home in Vir. ginia.

Mr. Funk was united in marriage April 1, 1866, to Miss Philoma J. Kite, a native of Virginia, and a daughter of John and Delilah (Terflinger) Kite. In October, 1866, he re- turned to Prairie City, Illinois, where he was engaged in the grain business until 1879; he then came to Blanchard, where he has resided ever since. Politically he is a Republican of a well defined type. He has held numerous local offices, and was elected Mayor of his town in 1889, serving with credit to himself and the best interests of the public. Being a pioneer of the township and town he has had much to do with molding and shaping public affairs. For many years he has been a member of the school board and is its pres- ent president. He is a member of the Grand Army Post at Northboro, Iowa, and also be- longs to Emmanuel Lodge, No. 405, A. F. & A. M., at Blanchard, and to the Chapter and Commandery, at Clarinda; he is an honored member of State Line Lodge, No. 429, I. O. O. F .; of Blanchard Encampment, No. 67, and of Rising Star Lodge, No. 180, A. O. U. W. He has been a charter member of each of these lodges and has passed all the chairs; he is the present District Deputy Grand Master of the I. O. O. F. for the fourteenth district.

Mr. and Mrs. Funk are the parents of three intelligent children: Addie A., Robert W. and Earl V .; the second child, Mary, died at the age of eighteen months.

There is no more popular and genial man in the business circles of Page County than Mr. Funk. He has always taken an active interest in the welfare of his community and has done his share towards its development.

ENRY KUNKLE, one of the oldest settlers in Amity Township, is deserv- ing of a space in this record of the pio- neers of Page County. His ancestors were natives of Holland; his grandfather, Samuel Kunkle, was a farmer in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and reared a large family. His son, Michael Kunkle, the father of Henry, was born and reared in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and married Mary Bulyer; they removed to Ohio, and were the parents of seven children, who lived to maturity: Abrahamn, Samnel, Isaac, Christina, Henry, Lydia and Jolın. In 1855 Mr. Kunkle re- moved to Stephenson County, Illinois, with his family, and in 1857 he came to Page County, Iowa, and settled on the farm north of the one now occupied by his son Henry; here he lived until his death, which occurred in 1877. He and his wife were both members of the church called Brethren in Christ. They were religions and industrions people, com- manding the respect of the entire community. Grandmother Bulyer's ancestors were wealthy Hollanders, and there remains a large fortune for the heirs of that family in Holland.

Henry Kunkle, the son of Michael and Mary (Bulyer) Kunkle, was born in Knox County, Ohio, in 1844. He obtained his ed- ucation in the common schools of that day, which afforded only limited advantages. He was thirteen years of age when his father removed to Illinois, and he remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-three

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

years of age. In September, 1867, he was inarried to Miss Mahala Beery, daughter of Joseph and Annie (Friezner) Beery. Mr. Beery is a native of Fairfield County, Ohio, born of Swiss ancestry. His father's name was Christian Beery. To Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kunkle have been born five children: Sarah M., James M., Jessie L., Joseph H. and Francis E. The parents are both members of the Church of God, and Mr. Kunkle has served as an elder for several years; he has also been a deacon and is now a trustee of the church. He has been desirous of seeing the cause of education flourish, and has acted as school director. He has been very successful in his business and is the owner of 230 acres of land in an excellent state of cultivation. His reputation for honesty and integrity is untarnished and his word is as good as his bond.

Saralı Kunkle, in. 1889, married John G. Hoffman, a farmer of Page County, Iowa; and in 1890 moved to Frontier County, Ne- braska.

ANKIN BROTHERS, proprietors of the Shenandoah Pressed Brick and Tile Works. This, one of Page County's most extensive and successful industries, was established in the spring of 1889 by O. T. & F. B. Rankin, and it gives promise of being one of Shenandoah's most beneficial institu- tions. The first season was a remarkably act- įve and prosperous one. The grounds lying near the town comprise five acres, underlaid with the choicest clay for the purpose re- quired, and upon this tract the firm has ex- pended more than $5,000. There are three large kilns for burning the manufactured product and five 160-feet-long drying sheds, covering ą superficial area of 4,000 feet.

The machine used is considered the best mnade, and has a daily capacity of 16,000. A twenty-five-horse-power Rhandall engine drives the machine. The first kiln of brick was opened May 20, since when fifteen kilns have been burned, amounting to 1,000,000 bricks and 50,000 feet of drain tile. The quality of the product of these yards is the very best, being superior to that of any yards in southwestern Iowa.

The Rankin brothers are both practical bricklayers, and take contracts for placing the brick in the wall, giving the erection of buildings their personal supervision. The season of 1889 they erected the fine dwelling of Mr. Smith, of the firm of Cleveland & Smith, and the cost exceeded frame work but a trifle. They also supplied the bricks in the college annex. They employ from fif- teen to thirty men, and several teams, and have proven to be an industry that the town could ill afford to lose.

O. T. Rankin was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, August 18, 1854. F. B. Rankin was born in Kewanee, Illinois, in 1857; they are the sons of William and Eliza (Bailey) Rankin, who were born in Pittsburg, Penn- sylvania. The father was a brick mason by trade and botlı sons became expert workmen. O. T. Rankin has had eleven years' experience in the manufacture of brick, and has con- ducted yards at Kewanee, Illinois; Malvern, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, from which place he came to Shenandoah. This firm succeeds Chris Johnson, with largely in- creased facilities for manufacturing.

O. T. Rankin was married at Kewanee, Il- linois, in 1877, to Miss Anna C. Smaling, a native of Mount Joy, Pennsylvania. They have one child, Fannie May, a little girl of seven years.

F. B. Rankin was married in 1877, to Miss Josephine Godfrey, who was born and reared

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

at Toulon, Illinois. They liave liad born to them two children, Cora, eight years old, and Dessie Maude, one year old. They are mem- bers of the Baptist Church.

O. T. Rankin is a member of the I. O. O. F., the K. of P. and the A. F. & A. M. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

W. HAWLEY, dealer in agricultural implements, wagons and carriages, Blanchard, Iowa, commenced the busi- less in 1884, in company with A. F. Fossett, the partnership existing for three years. The firm was then changed to Hawley & Wetmore; at the end of the first year Mr. Wetmore died and since that time Mr. Hawley lias conducted the business alone. His store-room on Main street is 22 x 80 feet, and an adjoining room, 22 x 55 feet, is used for storing carriages and wagons. He does a good business, his an- nual sales amounting to $25,000, and he stands liigh in the farming community of which Blanchard is the center.

To inform the reader of Mr. Hawley's ear- lier life, it may be said that lie was born June 14, 1845, in Fulton County, Ohio. His parents, M. and Sarah (Whitmore) Hawley, were natives of the State of New York. When he was fifteen years of age he found employment on the railroad of the Lake Sliore Company, and followed this business until 1866, when he came to Colfax Township, Page County, Iowa. He first purchased eighty acres of land, and later 140 acres, and engaged in general farming; he followed this occupa- tion until he came to Blanchard.

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Author: Lewis and Dunbar, Chicago, pub Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis & Dunbar Number of Pages: 946

Author: Lewis and Dunbar, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis & Dunbar
Number of Pages: 946