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 80

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 80

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).

Ainerica with his mother wlien he was but two years old, settling in Ohio; and when a young man he removed to Indiana and thence to Illinois. September 4, 1856, he married Mary A. Medhurst, in Floyd Township, Warren County, Illinois; she was born in Geneva, Ontario County, New York, Novem- ber 17, 1840. Mr. and Mrs. Fishell are the parents of six children: Susan C., Charles G., Dollie J., Huldah M., Jessie S. and Ralph S.

W. VINACKE, the senior member of the firm of Vinacke & Son, dealers in hardware, at Blanchard, Iowa, has been in the trade since October, 1880, when the business was established. The firin carries on a large, well selected stock of general hardware, and does an annual business of $8,000. The building occupied is 22} x 80 feet, and there is a large tin-shop and ware- room in connection. The second floor is used by the Odd Fellows, Freemasons and the United Workmen as a lodge room.

Mr. Vinacke was born in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, November 25, 1830. His father, John Vinacke, was a native of Pennsylvania, and married Margaret Coch- ran. Simon Vinacke, the father of John, was a native of Holland, but was reared and married in France. The mother of our sub- ject died when he was but five years old, and the father lived to be seventy-six years of age. In 1832 J. W. Vinacke mnoved with his parents to Columbiana County, Ohio, and was engaged at different points in various occupations until 18455×He then went to La Porte, Indiana, and worked with L. D, Webber the following spring; thien Chie went apprentice to the tinsmith business.) In the year 1852 he started in business at Winches-

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

ter, Columbiana County, same State, where he continued eighteen months, then moved to Salineville. He was married June 28, 1856 to Miss Avis N. Hale, a native of Ohio and a daughter of Thomas Hale. In the fall of 1858 he moved to Hanover, Ohio, where lie engaged in business until the spring of 1862, when he moved to Wellsville, Ohio. In 1867 he came to Iowa and settled in Council Bluffs, where he remained five years; he then obtained a position on the Northern Pacific Railroad, but after six months he returned to Council Bluffs. The following spring he went to Woodbine, Iowa, where he was in business until 1880, when he came to Blanch- ard and established the hardware business, as before stated.

During the civil war he was rejected on account of disability, but he served as Second Lieutenant in a militia company in Colum- biana County, Ohio, and as Commissary at Camp Wayne, where 6,500 rations were issued daily, at the volunteer and militia officers' camp, before the State furnished the 100- day men to the Government.

Mr. and Mrs. Vinacke are the parents of seven children: Clara, wife of W. F. Gray; Ella, wife of J. C. Seyster; Flora, wife of F. A. Burlingame; Anna, wife of Charles Duf- field; W. O., the junior member of the firm of J. W. Vinacke & Son; H. C. and John Wesley; three children have died in infancy.

Politically Mr. Vinacke stands with the Republican party, though born a Democrat and he first voted for Franklin Pierce; lie voted for John C. Fremont. Since living at Blanchard he lias held numerous local offices, in which he has given entire satisfaction. He and his wife are devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has served as class-leader and steward. He organized the present church, and is president of the board of trustees. In all church work he has

been active and earnest; he has superintended the Sabbath-school work very successfully, and has done valuable work in the cause of temperance. He may well be styled a self- made man, having had in the beginning of his business career no capital outside of his own will to succeed, and a pair of willing hands. He has worked his way through many obstacles, and has reared a family, which would adorn any community. He has accumulated a competency and stands well among the business men of the county. In the days of the oil excitement in Pennsylvania he took an active part in the organization of ! companies for the purpose of prospecting, and inade a success in the business of option sales.

ILLIAM M. HARDEE. - Among our oldest and most respectable pio- neers is William M. Hardee, who settled in Buchanan Township, Page County, March 28, 1842. He was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, in 1815. His father, John Hardee, was born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, and was of sturdy Scotch-Irish stock. He served six years and nine months in the war of the Revolution, and was in the battle of Bunker Hill, and was present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. He married Lucinda Sears, and to them were born ten children. The family removed to Ken- tucky and thence to Scioto County, Ohio, during the early part of this century. They afterward went to Rush County, Indiana, and the father died in Montgomery County, Indiana, in 1837, at the age of eighty-six years. He was a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was a strong Jackson Democrat. He was an indus-

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

trions, upright man, and had the respect of all who knew him.

William M., the subject of this sketch, went with his father when a child to Ohio, and grew to the years of inanhood in Rush County, Indiana. At the age of twenty-one years, August 11, 1836, he was married to Elizabethi Farley, who was born in Henry County, Kentucky, July 31, 1815. Nine children were born of this union: Joseph married Mary J. Stone; Theresa A. married F. O. Fouley; Oliver married Eliza Bred- walter; Rebecca married Vincent W. Pointer; Doniphan married Delia Collins; Sylvester married Hattie Whittington; Elizabeth mar- ried Andrew McFarlan; Ezra married Jennie Adams, and Jane. Mr. and Mrs. Hardee lived the first six years of their married life in Indiana. In 1841 they removed to Mis- souri, and the next year they came to their present home in Buchanan Township, where they own 330 acres. Mr. Hardee was the first settler after Henry and Wesley Farrens, who had located in the township the preced- ing spring. The young couple went to work to build them a log house and prepare the ground for a crop. Mr. Hardee broke thirty acres the first year with an ox team and a wooden mould-board plow, which he made himself, and with this plow he broke the larger part of his neighbors' land the next few years. The country was full of game, a few elk, and wolves which would frequently catch the poultry. A part of the tribe of Pottawattamie Indians often camped near the place, and would come to the house to pur- chase supplies of corn and other things. Mr. Hardee was paid $50 bounty in one year for wolf scalps by Mr. Zeke Smith, sheriff of An- drew County, Missouri, $1 being paid for each scalp. Being a famous hunter he kept his family supplied with venison.

Our worthy subject was Captain of the old

militia, and he also held the office of town- ship treasurer for many years. He and his wife are members of the Christian Church. In political opinion he is a stanch Democrat. General Hardee, the famous military tactician and author of " Hardee's Tactics," was a full cousin of William M. Hardee.

Mr. and Mrs. Hardee are now old and highly respected residents of a populous and wealthy county, which they have seen grow up out of the wild, raw prairie. They have brought up a large family, who are a credit to their parents and to the county in which they were reared.

NGELBERT FALLER, one of Amer- ica's loyal adopted citizens, was born in Baden, Germany, October 22, 1828. His father, Joseph Faller, was a farmer by occupation, owning his own land in Germany. He married Anna Dorer, and to them were born one son, Engelbert. The mother died, and Mr. Faller was twice married afterward. He was the father of four other children, all of whom remained in their native land except Richard, a resident of this township. En- gelbert was desirous of trying his fortune in a new country, and he accordingly emigrated to America in 1849; he settled in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, where he worked by the month in a saw-mill. In 1852 he was caught in the tide of western emigration, and landed in Iowa, securing employment in. a steam saw-mill in Iowa City; he was after- ward engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1855 Mr. Engelbert was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Barkley, daughter of Frank and Mary A. (Helming) Burkley. Mr. Burk- ley was born in Germany; after landing in this country in 1853, he located at Cincinnati, Ohio, and at the end of one year he removed

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

to Iowa City, Iowa. He soon settled on a farm in Johnson County. He reared a fam- ily of four children: Frank, William, Andy and Mary A. He died in Iowa City at the age of seventy-five years. Mr. and Mrs. Faller have had born to them eight children, who are living: Frank, Josephine, George, Lew S., Mary A., Engelbert, John and Bar- bara. After their marriage they settled in Johnson County, Iowa, where they resided until 1874; in that year they removed to Page County and located on their present farm, which consists of 320 acres; it is fine farming land and is well improved. They are people who have always been industrious, and have carefully saved their means until they have a comfortable home and sufficient income for future use. Mr. Faller was a soldier in the German army, and partici- pated in three battles which were fought on the river Rhine. Frank Faller married Jo- sephine Thomas, of Idaho, and to them have been born two sons; Lew S. married Ger- trude Breakbill, of Nebraska; Lew is located on his farm in Otoe County, Nebraska, and to them has been born one son. The remain- ing members of the family reside in Pierce Township, except Barbara, who received her education at Western Normal College, Shen- andoah, Iowa; and Tabor College, Iowa, and is teaching in Fremont County. She is well fitted for her calling, and has made a success of her undertaking. Each member of the Faller family is of sterling worth and highly respected in the community.

W. GREEN, deceased, was one of Doug- las Township's highly esteemed agri- culturists, coming to Page County; Iowa, in Angust, 1875. He was born in Snsquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Septeni-

ber 12, 1845, a son of Job Green, a native of Rhode Island, who was reared in Pennsyl- vania. His mother's maiden name was Do- little, and she was a native of Connecticut. The father of Job Green was John Green, of Irish descent; he was a soldier in the war of 1812. Job Green and wife reared three sons, James, John and Charles. The parents died in Pennsylvania, the father in September, 1865, aged forty-seven years, and the mother September 25, 1889; Job Green was a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and had served as class-leader and steward. In politics he was allied with the Republican party.

J. W., the subject of this notice, was reared and educated in Susquehanna County, Penn- sylvania. In August, 1864, he responded to Lincoln's call for men to assist in the defense of this country, enlisting in Company C, Two Hundred and Third Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of that terrible conflict, receiving his discharge July 5, 1865. January 1, 1866, he united in mar- riage with Miss Harriet Donson, a native of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Edward and Sally (Dickson) Donson. Her father was born in Newcastle, England, and he and his wife reared eleven children. They remained on the old home- stead until death overtook them; the father was aged eighty-three years, and the mother seventy years. They were good and true, old-fashioned Methodists, living and dying by that faith. The father was class-leader for more than thirty years.

In 1868 Mr. Green removed to Lyon County, Kansas, and remained there seven years engaged in farming and stock-raising. In 1875 he came to Page County, Iowa, and lived for one year in Valley Township. He then bought the farm in Douglas Township, which he owned till his death, and which is

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

well improved with fine buildings. The residence was erected at a cost of $1,400, and the barn is worth $1,000. A good grove and bearing orchard add both beauty and value to the place.

Mr. and Mrs. Green had two children: Flora Belle and Edward J. G. Politically Mr. Green was identified with the Republican party. He belonged to Lundy Post, No. 146, G. A. R., at Villisca, and was an acceptable member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Among the local offices he served as consta ble and as a member of the school board, discharging his duties faithfully and well. He died May 9, 1890, most highly respected by the community and deeply mourned by a large circle of friends.

E. BRYANT, one of the early, well- known settlers of Colfax Township, traces his ancestry directly to two of the strongest foreign nations, Great Britain and Germany. His father, Thomas Bryant, was a native of Cornwall, England, and liis mother, whose maiden name was Hannalı Hines, was born in Saxony, Germany. They were the parents of fourteen children, six sons and eight daughters. After emigrating to America they located in Pennsylvania where the father died in 1856, the mother in 1886, at the age of eighty-three years.

Franklin E. Bryant was born in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, September 4, 1842, and was reared to the life of a farmer. He received his education in the common schools of Wayne County. Desiring to secure a home for himself, and believing that the op- portunities were much better for young men in the West, he emigrated to Linn County, Iowa, at the age of twenty-eight years in 1871. After a few montlis he came to Page County

and settled near Blanchard; the country was comparatively new and wild, and where the villiage of Blanchard now stands, Mr. Bryant owned a stock ranch. But the prairie has since been subdned by the strong arm of the pioneer and civilization has long since taken np her abode. Mr. Bryant did not purchase liis present liome until 1884; he has erected good buildings and has planted an orchard, and has made a very comfortable and attract- ive home.

February 26, 1880, Mr. Bryant was united in marriage to Miss Emma Gillihan, a daugh- ter of Levi Gillihan, a well-known early set- tler of Colfax Township. Of this union one child has been born, Edwin C. The parents are worthy and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Coin, and are numbered with the progressive citizens of the county. Politically Mr. Bryant adheres to the principles of the Democratic party.

F. M. GIBSON has been identified with the history of Page County since 1868. He was born at Green- castle, Putnam County, Indiana, November 12, 1839, and is a son of James and Emily (Moss) Gibson, who were prominent in the early settlement of the county of Page. When our subject was fifteen years old his parents removed to Appanoose County, Iowa, and there the family resided four years; they then went to Missouri and settled in Gentry County, where they made their home four years. Young Gibson was the third of a family of ten children; lie was reared to the life of a farmer and was educated in the common schools of Indiana, Iowa, and Mis- sonri. He was united in marriage November 17, 1858, to Minerva Rosetta Smith, a native of Holt County, Missouri. She was born

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

April 8, 1843, and is a daughter of Freeman and Mary Ann (Wolfe) Smith.

In 1859 Mr. Gibson returned to Appanoose County, Iowa, but after a time he went back to Missouri, settling in Worth County, where lie remained until 1868; in that year he came to Page County and located on his present farm; it consists of eighty acres of rich land, and by his own untiring efforts he has estab- lished a most desirable home; he has planted shade and fruit trees, and has erected sub- stantial buildings. There are eleven children in the Gibson family: Marilla J., wife of John Fields; C. Marion, Emily, wife of Sam Glick, of Marshall County, Kansas; James R., Edgar S., Anna Jane, Dellas W., Lillian Alice, William Ellis, Maggie I. and Ina Ethel.

Politically Mr. Gibson affiliates with the Republican party. He and his wife are act- ive members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Blanchard. He is yet in the prime of life and has made a career in life of which his family may well be proud.

ICHOLAS SNODDERLY was born in Campbell County, Tennessee, in 1806, and is a son of John and Eliza- beth (Gibbs) Snodderly, natives of South and North Carolina respectively. In Octo- ber, 1834, he was united in the holy bonds of marriage, in Campbell County, Tennessee, to Miss Mahala Hill, a daughter of Matthew and Polly (Moore) Hill, who were born in the Carolinas. Mahala was born May 13, 1815. In 1841 Mr. Snodderly emigrated to Platte County, Missouri, and resided there until 1853; in that year he canie to Page County and settled on his present farmn. To those of us who view Page County for the first time in its present high state of cul- tivation, it is impossible to realize the priva-

tions and hardships endured by those hardy souls who took up the burden of settlement nearly half a century ago.

Mr. Snodderly built for his first residence in Page County a rude log cabin which has since been replaced by a more imposing structure. His buildings, which are neat and substantial, are surrounded by a beautiful grove of oaks and other woods, and thrift and prosperity are visible on every hand. The farm consists of 185 acres, a good por- tion of which is timber land. It is watered by the Tarkio creek.

Mr. and Mrs. Snodderly are the parents of ten children who liave lived to maturity: John, Elizabeth, Henry, William, Parlinda, wife of David Beasley; Mary, wife of J. B. Preston; Bishop, Samuel, Ellen, and Ann, wife of Ed Copeland; three children died in infancy. Politically our subject affiliates with the Democratic party. Although he is a man of eighty-five years he is active, and well preserved. He has witnessed the growth and development of Page County, and has assisted in the advance of all good move- ments. It is, indeed, an honor to have been " a first settler."

HOMAS DAVISON is from one of the oldest and best known families in Page County. His grandfather, Samuel D. Davison, was born in Kentucky, where he was married and reared a family. His first wife, by whom he had ten children, died there. The names of only nine are remembered by the grandchildren: Cyrus, Caleb, Robert, Daniel, Isaac, Wayne, Edward, Mary and John. In middle life the father removed to the State of Missouri; he married, in Ken- tucky, Mary Wilson, and by her had ten chil- dren, making him the father of twenty

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HISTORY OF P PAGE COUNTY.

children. The children of the second wife were named Gould, Sarah, Lemuel, Henry, Maria, Elizabeth, Margaret, Pleasant, Ar- mina and Matilda. Mr. Davison lived in Andrew County, Missouri, until about 1850, when he came to Page County, Iowa, and settled on a farm in Buchanan Township; there he spent the remainder of his days, dying at the age of seventy three years. He had been very successful in business and owned, at the time of his death, 300 acres of land. He was a noted huntsman in his day.

Wayne Davison, son of Samuel D. Davi- son, and father of Thomas, the subject of this notice, was born in Kentucky. He married Dorcas Combs, and they were the parents of six children: Samuel, Elizabeth, Williamn, John, Jerry, and Wayne. The father settled on a farm in Kentucky, but afterward removed to Missouri and located in Andrew Connty, where he resided until 1850. He then came to Page County, Iowa, and inade his home in Buchanan Township. His wife died in Missouri, and he married Nancy Brown, a daughter of Thomas and Sarah Brown. Twelve children were born of this union: Thomas, Henry C., James R., Zachariah, Sarah, Jane, Susan, George, Robert, Amanda, Silas and Martha. Mr. Davison was an in- dustrions, hard-working man, and at the time of his death was the owner of 320 acres of good land. He was one of the pioneers of the county. His widow still survives and is a member of the Christian Church.

Thomas Davison was born in Andrew County, Missonri, January 13, 1845. He was but five years of age when his father re- moved to Page County, Iowa, which was then a wilderness. He well remembers the journey, made with oxen and horses; they brought with them sheep and cattle and the full equipment of frontier settlers. Young Thomas grew to manhood amid the scenes

of the wild west, and was early inured to farm labor and the hardships of pioneer life. The schools were poor at best, and the school houses of the primitive style.

In 1865 Mr. Davison was married to Miss Harriet Fine (see sketch of John M. Fine) and they have had born to them four children : Frank, Ora, Elva and Nellie. After his mnar- riage Mr. Davison settled on a farm in Taylor County, Iowa, where he lived a number of years; he then removed to his present home- stead. Mr. and Mrs. Davison are inembers of the Free Methodist Church, and they with their children constitute one of the leading families in the community. They are from good, old pioneer stock, and are honorable, upright citizens.

AVID SOLLARS, who is engaged in farming and stock-raising in Washing- ton Township, Page County, next claims our attention in this record of the leading men of the county. He was born in Jack- son County, Ohio, September 3, 1847, and is a son of Hiram and Edith (Graves) Sollars. When he was five years old his parents re- moved to Stark County, Illinois, and there he grew to manhood; his youth was passed in attending the common school and in per- forming the labor that usually falls to a farmer's son. In 1872 he came with his father to Page County, Iowa, and assisted him in breaking the land which he had secured and in establishing a home. Hiram Sollars is still an honored resident of Wash- ington Township.

Two years after coming to the connty Mr. Sollars purchased forty acres of land in his own name, for which he paid $10 per acre; at the end of another two years he had ac- cumulated sufficient means to justify him in

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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.

buying another forty acres, and he now owns 139 acres, the result of industry, energy and perseverance. The improvements on the place consist of good, substantial buildings, a fine bearing orchard and a grove; the resi- dence is surrounded with shade and orna- mental trees and presents a pleasing appear- ance. Mr. Sollars devoted his time to general farming.

February 21,1878, our worthy subject was united in marriage to Miss Mary L. Gaddis, daughter of Jacob Gaddis, an old settler of Page County, and a soldier of the late civil war. Mr. and Mrs. Sollars have two children : Geneva, born July 4, 1880, and Iona, born August 20, 1884. The parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of North- boro, Iowa. Mr. Sollars is identified with the Republican party, and has represented the people of his township as trustee and as a member of the school board. His career in Page County has in every way been a credit- able one; when he arrived in the county his capital consisted of $43 in cash and one horse; lie lias steadily worked his way to a position of financial independence, and has won the confidence and respect of all with whom he lias been associated.

OHN BLOOM, one of the large land owners of Page County, has resided here since 1875. He is a native of Germany, born in Wurtemberg, March 16, 1840, and a son of George and Susan (Hummel) Bloom, also natives of the "Fatherland." When John was a lad of thirteen years his parents determined to emigrate to America. After landing on our free, hospitable shores they at once proceeded to Mercer County, Illinois, and there our worthy subject grew to man- hood. He was educated in the occupation

of farining, and attended the common schools of the county.

When the great struggle for the perpetua- tion of this nation began he enlisted in the defense of his adopted country, entering Company E, First Illinois Light Artillery. He participated in the battle of Shiloh, and was with General Sherman's army at Jack- son, Mississippi, Pontiac, Jefferson City, and Nashville, Tennessee. He made an honor- able record and was discharged at Nashville, Tennessee, February 16, 1865. He escaped being wounded but received permanent in- jury to his hearing. After the declaration of peace he returned to Mercer County, Illi- nois. In 1875 he came to Page County, Iowa, and purchased eighty acres of land in Morton Township. Later, as his means in- creased he was enabled to make an additional purchase of 160 acres, and he has brought this to an advanced state of cultivation. In 1889 he bought another farm of Peter Neis, which was one of the first tracts of land im- proved in the township; it contains 320 acres, and is well improved in every particu- lar; there is a grove which serves not only as a wind-break during the winter but adds much beauty to the appearance of the place; ample sheds and barns furnish protection to the live-stock, and all the surroundings indicate the thoroughgoing traits of the owner.

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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