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 85
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- NDERSON BROS .- T. A. and J. C. Anderson, proprietors of the Livery, Feed, and Sale Stables of Blanchard, are the pioneer horse dealers in the village, having established their business in October, 1881. They keep a good selection of vehi- cles, and their horses are not surpassed in any place of the same size. They are well equip- ped to serve the public, and merit the sub- stantial patronage they have received. They also own a good livery barn at Westboro, Mis- souri, which is in charge of a brother, W. C. Anderson. The brothers are old settlers of Page County, having been residents since 1867.
T. A. Anderson was born in Shelby County, Ohio, August 14, 1852, and is a son of Josepli and Lydia A. (Spence) Anderson, natives of the " Buckeye " State. The family removed to Page County, Iowa, in 1867, and settled
near College Springs; the parents remained there until 1879 when they moved to Pawnee County, Nebraska; the mother died July 7, 1889, and the father still makes his home there. They reared a family of twelve chil- dren, of whom T. A. is the oldest. He was trained to the occupation of farming, and was also taught the management of horses in his early youth. He was married February 15, 1877, to Miss M. L. Kempton, a daughter of Joseplı and Eliza Kempton, who are now residing in Loveland, California. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson: Oliver A., Earl and Ethel Maud. Politically Mr. Anderson affiliates with the Republican party. He has been called to fill the office of Constable for seven years, and lias been Marshal of Blanchard for three years. He is a member of the United Workmen. He is especially fitted for his business, and is a great favorite with travelers.
J. C. Anderson, the junior member of the firm of Anderson Bros., is one of the ener- getic and progressive business men of Blanch- ard. He was born in Shelby County, Ohio, in July, 1855. When he was a lad of twelve years the family removed to College Springs, Iowa, where he received his education. For the past ten years he has been engaged in the live-stock trade, and has superior qualiti- cations for the business. He is genial and frank of disposition, and has a host of friends throughout the county. For years he was with John Bowers, a prominent stockman, now deceased, and at one time was liis part- ner.
OSEPH W. SIMPSON, of Essex, Iowa, next claims our attention in our record of the leading men of Page County. His ancestors came to America long before the
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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
Revolution. The grandfather, William Simp- son, was born in New Jersey, Angust 25, 1767, and at the age of twelve years was in the einploy of the Goverment, acting as teamn- ster, in the great Revolutionary struggle. When a young man he went to Pennsylvania and there married Anna Ammerman, a lady of German descent, May 8, 1797. In 1800 he was a farmer in Cayuga County, New York, whence he moved to Dearborn County, Indiana, in 1817, thence to Warren County, Indiana, in 1829, where he died, July 21, 1841. William Simpson was of Irish descent. He was the father of six boys and three girls.
Isaac H. Simpson, son of William Simp- son, and father of Joseph W. Simpson, was born in the State of New York in 1805, and moved to Indiana with his parents in 1817. He learned the cooper's trade and thoroughly understood his business. On December 7, 1826, he married Phoebe Garrison, who was born in Ohio in 1806. She died near Clar- ence, Cedar County, Iowa, January 10, 1869, having lived to see her children all grown to manhood and womanliood, and all become useful members in the Methodist Episcopal Church. To Isaac and Phoebe Simpson were born seven children: Josephi W., Clark W., Henry J., Hiram G., Nelson R., Anna and Esther. He was a strong Union man, and had two sous in the Union army, one of whom, Henry, died while serving under General Grant at Vicksburg. In 1838 he moved from Warren County, Indiana, to Jones County, Iowa, where he was one of the ear- liest settlers, He lived there ten years, and removed to Dubnque County, Iowa, where he remained seventeen years. In 1866 he sold his property and divided about $20,000 among his children. He is a man of great force of character and a very earnest Chris- tian. He and his wife united with the Meth- odist Episcopal Church together, in June.
1832. in which church he has been an excep- tionally honored and useful member. He is an inveterate enemy of both tobacco and all intoxicating liquors. He still lives (1890) and is in full possession of all his faculties.
Joseph W. Simpson, oldest son of Isaac H. Simpson, was born in Warren Connty, Indiana, October 1, 1829. He received but a limited education, his father being one of the earliest settlers of Iowa; he was a dili- gent student at home, and when he went to a select school at Dubuque he excelled in alge- bra and geometry. When twenty-one years old he taught school in Jackson County, Iowa, at which profession he was quite successful; but at the end of nine months he embarked in the lumber business, in which he continued eleven years. In 1863 he was elected member of the Legislature of Iowa, from Delaware County, representing his constituents with entire satisfaction.
In 1852 Mr. Simpson was nnited in mar- riage to Artemesia Sutherland, a danghter of Martin and Mary (White) Sutherland. Mar- tin Sutherland was born in the State of New York in 1806, and was a pioneer of Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. He died in California in 1836. His father was a member of the famous "Boston Tea Party." To Joseph W. and Artemesia Simpson have been born seven children, all of whom have grown to years of maturity: Laura C., Edward B., Alice A., Joseph W., Clarence L., Mary and Linnie. Laura C., is the wife of C. W. Stidger; Ed- ward B. married Nettie Dota; Alice A. was married to Peter R. Granger, who died in 1887, from disease contracted in the civil war; he left five children, who with their mother now find a home with Mrs. Granger's parents; Joseph W. married. Elvira Thompson, who is dead; Clarence L. inarried Ella Adell; Mary and Linnie are at home with their parents.
During the war Mr. Simpson was a strong
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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
Union man and devoted his time to the cause in varions ways. In 1866 he went to Clar- ence, Cedar Connty, Iowa, and engaged in the lumber and mercantile trade. In 1874 he. came to Page County and settled on his pres- ent farm, which was then in a wild and uncul- tivated state; it consists of 220 acres, well improved. He has planted fine orchards and an abundance of small fruits, in the cultiva- tion of which he takes great delight. He and his wife are both consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he has acted as steward and trustee. Politically he affiliates with the Republican party. He is a radical temperance man, and lias always led a correct, upright life.
P. PETERSON was born over the sea in Denmark, March 1, 1838, and is a son of Peter and Anna (Peterson) Hanson. According to an old custom, instead of taking the name of his father, Hanson, he has the name of Peterson, ineaning son of Peter. He was reared to farm life in his na- tive land and attended the common schools of that country until he was fourteen years of age. When he was twenty-two years of age he was married to Minnie Knudsen, one of his own countrywomen. Three years after his marriage he determined to inake a home in the new world. Accordingly, he and his brave yonng wife bade farewell to the scenes of their childhood, and sailed away, landing at Quebec, Canada; they proceedcd thence by way of Detroit, Michigan, and Chicago to Moline, Illinois, where Mr. Peterson worked as a day laborer at whatever presented itself. He had a strong will and was true to his pur- pose; by diligence and economy he saved enough of his earnings to invest in land, and in 1870 .he came to Page County and bought
eighty acres of raw prairie land and set about the task of placing it under cultivation. Since that time-" fortune favors the brave"-he has been able to add another eighty acres to his first purchase, and he now has one of the best farms in the township. His residence, built after a modern style of architecture, in 1884, at a cost of $2,000, is one of the most at- tractive homes in the country ; it is surrounded by fruit and evergreen trees, and possesses all the comforts of a well furnished home. The buildings erected for the care of live-stock and grain are commodions and well-planned, and all the surroundings show the thrift and good management of the owner. The or- chard and grove cover five acres, and are no small feature of a rural home.
By his first marriage Mr. Peterson had nine children, six of whom are living: Han- nah, Anna, William, Julia, Minnie and Vic- tor. The mother of this family died Novem- ber 13, 1880, and Mr. Peterson was married in July, 1881, to Miss Bertha Printz, a na- tive of Sweden.
92 EORGE E. REED, a prominent and respected member of the farming com- munity of Valley Township, has been a resident of Page County since 1868. He is a native of Canada, born near the falls of Nia- gara, October 29, 1836. His father. Joshua Reed, was a native of the State of New York, of Scotch-Irish ancestry; he married Elizabeth Alward, a native of Canada, whose par- ents were of English and German extraction. When George E. was six months old his par- ents removed to the State of New York, and settled near Canandaigua, where they lived five years and a half; they moved thence to Knox County, Ohio, and at the end of four years we find them located in Calhoun County,
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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
Michigan; there our subject grew to man- hood, passing through all the trials and diffi- culties of clearing a farm in a timbered sec- tion. His education was necessarily limited, being acquired in a primitive school-house by the woods.
When Mr. Reed was twenty-four years of age he was united in marriage to Miss Jane Kimball, a daughter of Abraham and Marilla (Hamilton) Kimball, natives of Pennsylvania and New York. In 1868 he came to Iowa, making the journey -by teams and covered wagons. The country was new and wild, and during the twenty-two years of his residence here Mr. Reed has witnessed a wonderful development, in which he has assisted to the best of his ability. He has improved one of the best farms in the neighborhood, consist- ing of 160 acres; the buildings are of modern style and substantial; the residence is sur- rounded by a grove and an orchard, and the evidences of prosperity are seen on every hand.
Mr. and Mrs. Reed have had born to them two daughters: Blanche and Maud, successful and popular teachers, and a son, Carroll, who died when ten years old. The family are lovers of law and order, and zealously support all measures tending to elevate the moral standing of the community in which they are honored and esteemed citizens.
RS. ELIZABETH A. HALL is a woman of prominence in her com- munity on account of her extraordi- nary pioneer experiences and her superior business ability. She furnishes us with another example of what a woman can ac- complish when placed in a position to call out the best and strongest traits of character. Jolin F. Hall, her husband, was the son of
James C. Hall, native of Russell County, Kentucky, and a blacksmith by trade; the mother's maiden name was Mahala Brierly, and the family consisted of five children, who grew to maturity: Wesley, John F., Martha A., Samuel, and Pleasant, who died in the army. Mr. Hall came with his son, Jolin F., to Iowa, in 1851, settling first in Jeffer- son County; at the end of four years they removed to Page County, where the father died in 1865.
John F. Hall was reared to agricultural pursuits, but he received a good education so that he engaged in teaching. In 1851 he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Goodman, one of his pupils, who was a daugh- ter of John W. and Nancy (Blankenship) Goodman. Two children were born of this union: Thomas A. and James E. After his marriage Mr. Hall removed to Jefferson County, and resided there until 1854; lie then went to Montgomery County, and at the ex- piration of two years he settled on the farm in Page County, which is now occupied by his widow and children; it consists of 120 acres of fine land; a beautiful grove adorns the place, adding value as well as comfort. Mr. Hall and his wife were members of the Christian Church. He was a kind father, a loving husband, and a zealous Christian, having the respect of the entire community. The people of his township attested their con- fidence in him by calling him to fill the office of assessor. During the war he was a strong Union man, and was a stanch Republican. For twenty years before his death he was an invalid, which affliction was a great trial to him, on account of the hardships to which it subjected his wife. He was a good manager, and with the aid of his wife and little boys lie kept out of debt, improving his farm, and laying by a little each year. He was a man of high moral principles and great integrity
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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
of character. He was called from the suffer- ing of this life February 18, 1881.
Elizabeth A. Hall was born in Russell County, Kentucky, March 20, 1833; she is a well preserved woman for her years. Through all the twenty years of her husband's illness she attended to his many needs, did her own work in the honse, carded wool and spnn it for the clothing of the family, and sold cloth besides. She sheared her own sheep because she was not able to hire hielp; she worked with her boys at the farm labor, enconraging them by her presence as much as by her actual help. Such a record deserves a place in the history of the Revolutionary women of America. The story told in Mrs. Hall's plain simple manner savors of gennine hero- ism. The children of such a mother may take a just pride in preserving the record of suclı a career.
Since her husband's death Mrs. Hall has lived on the farm, and has continued the" management of the business. She is entirely ont of debt. Her son. Thomas A., married Ellen Runkles, and three children were born to them: Llewyllen, Alice Isabel and Thomas Owen. The mother died when the youngest was two weeks old, and Mrs. Hall has taken these children to her own home and has given them a inother's loving care: James E. Hall married Nettie Eslinger, and they have had born to them seven children: Jesse E., Maggie, John Walter, Iona, Thomas, Edna and Blanch. Jesse E. was shot through the abdomen by a Swede boy, but his life was saved by the scientific skill of physicians.
P. LOVE, of the firm of Love & Wheeler, at Coin, was born in York County, Pennsylvania, July 1, 1852, and is the son of J. J. T. Love and Sarah
(Morgan) Love. His grandfather was James Love, great-grandfather James, and great-great grandfather Thomas. They were all born in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The father of the last mentioned came from the north of Ireland in 1740, settling in Chester County. The subject's grandmother's maiden name was Elizabeth Thomson, and her mother's name was Guthrie, and the Guthries came from the north of Ireland about the same time. When he was seven years old the par- ents of the subject of this sketch decided to cast their fortunes along with many others who were emigrating to the Western States. They removed to Illinois, and remained there six years, and then came to Coin, Page County, Iowa, where onr subject has since resided. He has been trained to agricultural pursuits, and obtained a fair education at College Springs.
When in his twentieth year he entered the employ of D. R. Pollock, of College Springs, as clerk in a general store, and followed this calling for eight years. In 1879 he went to Mission Creek, Nebraska, and embarked in the general merchandise business, in which be continued one year. At the expiration of this time he returned to Page County and entered into partnership with D. R. Pollock, his former employer, in the general merchan- dise business at Coin; this establishment was in existence until 1884, when Mr. Love went to Clarinda, remaining there one year, en- gaged as a clerk. After his return to Coin he formed a partnership with W. H. Wheeler, with whom he is still associated. They oc- cupy a roomy building having a depth of seventy-four feet, and carry a full line of goods; in the beginning they carried a stock of $6,000 but have since increased it to $12,000, and are doing an annnal business of $35,000.
Mr. Love owns the finest residence in Coin,
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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
and is one of the leading citizens. Politically he is identified with the Republican party, and has served the people of his town officially as a member of the council.
January 24, 1877, occurred the marriage of W. P. Love and Henrietta Foster, a daugh- ter of Matthew and Mary (Leslie) Foster, and a native of Illinois. They are the par- ents of fonr children: Grace A., Artie C., Earle T. and Ray F.
Our subject and his wife are worthy mnem- bers of the United Presbyterian Church, and no one in the community stands higher in the estimation of the people.
ENRY HAMILTON, one of the exten- sive land owners of Page County, will next claim our attention in this bio- graphical record. He was born in connty Tyrone, Ireland, sixty years ago, and is a son of George and Rachel Alice (Hughey) Hamil- ton, who are also natives of the fair " Emer- ald Isle." The mother died at the birth of Henry, so that he has ever been debarred a mother's love and care, and his father died three months afterward. When he was a lad of fifteen years the spirit of adventure urged him to try his fortunes in a new land. Ac- cordingly he embarked for America, and after landing he settled in Chester County, Pennsylvania. There he remained nine years, employed as a teamster. He learned the car- penter's trade in Philadelphia, and worked at that a portion of his time. In the spring of 1856 he removed to Peoria County, Illinois; in a little while he went to Stark County, Illinois, and engaged in farming.
Mr. Hamilton was nnited in marriage Sep- tember 24, 1857, to Miss Isabelle McDon- nell, who was born in county Donegal, Ireland, a daughter of John and Isabelle
(Taylor) McDonnell. He remained in the State of Illinois until 1870, when he came to Page County, Iowa. He first bought 160 acres of wild land and was one of the first settlers in his neighborhood. He endured many of the privations of pioneer life, and the task of placing his land under cultivation was not a light one. He was very success- ful, however, and as his means increased he added to his first purchase, and now owns 500 acres, in Page and Atchison counties, of as fine land as can be found. Just across the road he has a roomy, comfortable dwell- ing, where he enjoys with his family many of the comforts and luxnries of life. He has planted seven acres of grove, and has miles of osage orange fence dividing his farm into different fields and separating it from ad- joining lands.
Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton have had seven children born to them: William B., Henry T., George J., Martha J., wife of Miles Ronse; Joseph, Mary Alice, and Isabella, who died in infancy. The parents were both reared in the faith of the Episcopal Chu.ch. In politics Mr. Hamilton affiliates with the Democratic party. He is a man honorable in all his dealings, and has the respect of all who know him.
UST YOUNGGREN, one of the sub- stantial farmers of Fremont Township, was born in Sweden, May 3, 1842, and is a son of Neils P. Swanson, but by a Swed- ish custom he did not take his father's name, adopting that of Younggren. Mr. Swanson was a farmer and the father of six children who lived to maturity: Gust, Johan, Emil, Lettie, Malbomb and Emma, twins. He was a worthy member of the Lutheran Church. Gust Younggren, the son of Neils
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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
Swanson, was reared a farmer and received a limited education. He remained in his na- tive land until he was twenty-four years of age, and then determined to seek the fortune that might be in store for him in the New World. Accordingly he bade farewell to the scenes of his childhood and sailed away to the United States. He landed at Castle Garden, New York, and thence came to An- dover, Illinois, where he secured employment with an uncle, C. G. Gustavson; after the first year he rented his land and was very successful and happy in his new home. Be- lieving this country to be all that heart could desire, he sent to Sweden for the maiden who had promised to be his wife; her name was Einma Peterson, and she is the daughter of Peter Johnson, who died in Sweden when she was yet an infant. Four children have been born of this nnion: John Emil, Charles Gust, Andrew Luther and Ellen Amanda.
In 1871 Mr. Younggren came to Page County, Iowa, and settled on his present farm, which consists of 160 acres; it was then wild land entirely without improvements, but has been placed under good cultivation; he has added to his first purchase until he owns 400 acres of fine farm land. It has every modern improvement and convenience for the pur- pose of agriculture; a large residence, after a late style of architecture, has been erected by Mr. Younggren. It has been through in- dustry and economy alone that he has accum- ulated his property, as he had nothing when he came to this country but willing hands and a determination to make the most of the op- portunities offered to the ambitious, energetic young man. He and his wife are both mem- bers of the Swedish Lutheran Church at Ny- man, Iowa, to which Mr. Younggren was a lib- eral contributor; he was on the board of trus- tees at the time the church was erected. He has always taken an interest in the educa-
tional affairs of his adopted conntry, and has served his township as school director. He is one of a large class of Swedish-American citizens who by their industry and integrity have made a home and a reputation in this country, where many native born inen with more favorable opportunities have failed.
UGUST PATTERSON, like many of his countrymen, bade farewell to Sweden's pine-clad hills in his youth, and ein- barked for America in search of the fortune which her vast resources brought within the reach of the ambitious and energetic. He was only eighteen years of age when he located in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York, where he resided four years. He is a son of Charles Peterson, a land owner and farmer in Sweden. who married Anna Chris- tiana Peterson. Five children were born of this union: John, Sarah E., Anna M., Charles J. and August. The father lived on his farm all his life. dying at the age of eighty-one years. He and his wife were worthy members of the Lutheran Church; she lived to the great, age of ninety-three years.
August Patterson, when he left his beloved Sweden, carried with him no supplies of gold or silver, but a bountiful stock of determina- tion to succeed in his undertaking, a capital more to be desired ofttimes than the richest stores from the mine. He was engaged in various industries in New York and Penn- sylvania, until 1856, when he went to Saint Paul, Minnesota, and thence to the pineries. He afterward spent some time in Missouri, but finally settled in Henry County, Illinois, in 1860; four years later he bought eighty acres of land. There he was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary Anderson, daughter of Swan Anderson, a native of Sweden and a
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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY.
farmer by occupation; she belongs to a fam- ly of eight children, and in 1862 she bade them all good-bye, and came to America with friends.
Mr. Patterson lived in Henry County until 1871, when he removed to Iowa and settled in Fremont Township, Page County. He purchased 160 acres, and now owns 200 acres of choice farming land. He has made excel- lent improvements and has established a nice, comfortable home. All these results have been brought about through his own perse- vering energy, aided by his estimable wife. They are both members of the Lutheran Church, to which they have made mnost lib- eral contributions.
Mr. and Mrs. Patterson are the parents of three children : Emil G., Frank O. and Selma C., who are being well educated in the com- mon schools and in the college at Shenandoah.
Since his residence in this country Mr. Patterson has made a most honorable record, of which his fellow-countrymen may well be proud, and which many native born citizens would do well to imitate.
F. SNIDER, ex-County Judge .- The subject of this biographical notice was the second county judge elected in Page County. He is still living and has been able to furnish the author with the following facts concerning his eventful life. He was born in Grayson County, Kentucky, June 10, 1808. His father died when he was three years old and soon afterward his mother removed with the family to Hardin County, of the same State. There he re- inained until he was married in the month of June, 1829, to Nancy Bland, a native of Kentucky. Six children were born of this
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