USA > Iowa > Black Hawk County > Historical and biographical record of Black Hawk County, Iowa > Part 30
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charged at Clinton, lowa, August 6, 1864, on account of disability, and now receives a pension. Mr. Doxey has bought and sold several farms in Black Hawk County. He settled on his present farm in 1869, which is pleasantly located adjoining the village plat of Washburn, and only a few rods cast of the railway station of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad. His farm contains 160 acres of well-cultivated land, and his residence and farm buildings were erected with a view to comfort and convenience. Mr. Doxey also owns a building near the depot, which he has rented for a restaurant. Mr. Doxey, in politics, is a staunch Republican, and a prominent man in the councils of his party. Mrs. Doxey, Loren and Della are members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Doxey, although not connected with any church, gives liberally of his means to all, helping all good works. The first religious serv- ices held in this township were at his house, in 1857, and also the first school, which was organized the same year with but eight pupils. Mr. Doxey's brother, Biscoe Doxey, now lives in Waterloo, this county. He has four sisters living, all widows-Mrs. Elizabeth Haincs, of Ne- braska; Mrs. Mary Barker and Mrs. Susan D. Bush, both residents of Baltimore, Mary- land, and Sarah Jane Harlan, in Harlan City, Kansas.
AMESB. EDWARDS was born in Rappahannock County, Virginia, · MarchjII, 1839, a son of John and Sarah (Corley) Edwards. His father died October 7, 1840, and his mother September 18, 1842, thus leaving him at the age of three years an orphan. He was taken into the family of Thomas Poy ner and was reared by him, accompanying him to Black Hawk County, Iowa, in 1851. He enlisted August 8, 1862, in Company C,
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Thirty-first Iowa Infantry, and served till June 18, 1865. He was married July I, 1885, to Lena Sherman, a native of Warren County, New York, born September 3, 1853, daughter of J. P. and Keziah (Spicer) Sher- man. Mr. Edwards has served his district as school treasurer.
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EORGE H. BOEHMLER, senior member of the firm of Boehmler & Thompson, hardware mer- chants of Cedar Falls, was born in Lyons, New York, August 19, 1837, a son of George H. and Elizabeth Boehmler, the latter dying when our sub- ject was an infant. He was reared in his native State, and received a fair common- school education. He began life for him- self at the age of seventeen, entering a dry- goods store as clerk, at Lyon, where he was engaged about three years. In 1858 he came to Cedar Falls, Iowa, and for a short time clerked in a mercantile estab- lishment at this place. In 1862 he engaged in the grain business with J. T. Knapp, with whom he was associated under the firm name of G. H. Boehmler & Co. for several years. In 1870 he established a lumber yard at the B., C. R. & N. depot acting as agent for Lamb, Byng & Co. of Clinton, in which capacity he was em- ployed for ten years, doing a large and successful business. He established his present business in the spring of 1881, and shortly after admitted Josiah Thompson as partner, thus forming the present firm of Boehmler & Thompson, and by their oblig- ing manner and close attention, their trade has steadily increased, and they have now a well-established business. In politics, Mr. Boehmler is with the Republican party. He is now serving his sixth year as deputy county collector, and has also served as city councilman. He is the present effi- cient secretary of Cedar Falls Building, 29
Loan and Saving Association. He is a member of the Congregational church. Mr. Boehmler was united in marriage to Elizabeth Seligman, of Lyons, New York, in October, 1856.
OHN DOBSON, one of the pio- neers of East Waterloo Town- ship, was born on a farm in Ire- land, January 8, 1810. At the age of twenty-two years he left his native untry, and immigrated to America landing at Quebec. He remained near Lake Champlain nearly four years, when he came to Ohio, locating in Fairfield County, where he followed agricultural pursuits about fifteen years. He then spent two years in Montgomery County, Indiana, and in July, 1854, he removed with his family to Black Hawk County, Iowa, and at once settled on his present farm, which at that time was unbroken prairie. He made a tent of his wagon cover in which his family lived till he had built his log house, and commenced to improve his farm. After living in his log house nine years he built a better residence, where he still lives. His first purchase was eighty acres of prairie and twenty-three acres of timbered land, and by his untiring industry and economy he was enabled to add to his orig- inal purchase till he owned 300 acres. He has at present 183 acres of finely cultivated land, and his barns and out buildings are well arranged. He was married before leaving Ireland to Miss Ann Webster, by whom he had four children, of whom three are yet living-Thomas, William, and Eliza- beth, wife of E. P. Streeter. Mr. Dobson married for his second wife Miss Emily Good, a native of Tennessee, and to this union have been born seven children- Amos, Alice, John, Wesley, Abram, Eunice and Francis. John is at home with his parents and has the management of the
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HISTORY OF BLACK HAWK COUNTY.
farm. The two younger brothers are at school. Mr. Dobson, when he landed in America, had but one sovereign in his pocket, but owing to his good manage- ment and temperate habits he is to-day com- fortably settled in life. In politics Mr. Dob- son affiliates with the Republican party.
OHN ACKERSON TAYLOR was one of the oldest settlers of Washington Township, Black Hawk County, having located here May 1, 1853. Mr. Taylor was born June 29, 1807, in Bergen County, New Jersey, where he was reared, receiv- ing as good an education as the schools of that carly day afforded. In carly life he learned the cabinet-maker's trade, and hav- ing a natural taste for his trade, followed it successfully. He was married April 17, 1828, to Miss Abbie A. Woodroof. His father then gave him 300 acres of land, to which he added 200 acres, and hiring a man to work his farm he followed his trade in Warwick, seven miles from his home, and twenty miles from New York, the latter place being their market town. In IS20 he was First Lieutenant in the Home Guards. He was of a very energetic and enthusias- tic disposition, and was fond of adventure. A gentleman friend of his, owning a flour- mill and a small farm, and wishing to retire from active business, offered Mr. Taylor his entire property for the small sum of $5,000. He having no experience, however, in this branch of business, was persuaded not to purchase, when the property was sold to a man for $10,000 who, one year later, sold it for $90,000. In 1838 Mr. Tay- lor decided to go West on a prospecting tour, going on horseback to Indiana, rail- roads not being in existence at that time. Returning home nine weeks later he tried to inspire his wife with the same spirit of
adventure as himself but she much pre- ferred the old pleasant home near relatives and friends to a cabin in the wilderness with Indians for neighbors. Mr. Taylor being perfectly infatuated with the Western country his wife at last consented to go with him, and at the last of February, 1838, they started with one wagon well stored with furniture and household goods, and a carriage for the family, which then con- sisted of three children-James H., Hattic, and Eliza, who was then twelve months old. Although the weather was extremely cold they were comfortable and only stopped to warm once in going the entire distance of 2,000 miles. Mr. Taylor located with his family on Weesaw Creek, in Miami County, early in the spring of 1838. He settled there on 550 acres, part of which he had purchased and the remainder he had en- tered from the Government, and as no lum- ber could be obtained in that vicinity he built a saw-mill which he operated by water- power for five years. Later he built a flour mill, and two cabins for the millers' families. The neighbors' cabins were few and far between. After building his first cabin Mr. Taylor began looking for provisions for his family, and after many difficulties he found a few stores at Logansport, Indi- ana, where he purchased six hams, a barrel of flour and some other groceries, and after traveling about fifty miles he found a cow which he bought for $60. After getting his saw-mill ready for operation, having done most of the work himself, he sent for his nephew in New York to operate it. In 1847 the spirit of adventure again took pos- session of him, and he determined to go to Oregon, but his family would not consent. His eldest son, James Henry was taken very ill about this time, and died at the age of nineteen years and five months, his death ending all Mr. Taylor's enterprise for a short time. He then rented his mills and farm and went to Logansport where he
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bought a hotel, a store well stocked with groceries and dry-goods, and a freight boat which ran between Logansport and Toledo, Ohio, this boat being used to dispose of his produce profitably, and also some freight for the neighboring merchants. In the spring of 1853 he again took a relapse of the far West fever, in an epidemic form when he sold his hotel, store and boat and moved to Black Hawk County, Iowa, en- tering 560 acres of land in Washington Township, from the Government, and bought eighty acres on sections 2 and 3, and after erecting his dwelling he brought his family, part of the way by railroad, com- pleting the journey by team. The farm is located between two rivers, one and a half miles from each, the Shell Rock on the south, and the Cedar River on the northeast. In the spring of 1854 he built a steam saw-mill by the Shell Rock River, purchasing the machinery for it at Cincinnati, had it ship- ped by the Mississippi River to Dubuque, coming the rest of the way, 100 miles, by team. Dubuque was the nearest town to buy provisions, or for almost any trading ; neither flour nor lumber could be bought any nearer. In 1862 Mr. Taylor built a toll bridge over the Cedar River opposite Janesville. He sold his mill and took charge . of the bridge for twelve months when he sold it to the county for $14,000, providing that the county would keep a bridge there for all time to come. This bridge cost him $3,600. In connection with attending to the bridge Mr. Taylor also looked after his farm which was then partly under cul- tivation. He sold his farm in 1874 to his son-in-law, J. A. Godfrey, and moved to Janesville where he has since made his home, where he has fourteen acres of land. He also purchased another farm of 220 acres east of Janesville. Mr. Taylor was elected county surveyor when he first came to Iowa, and served as justice of the peace for four years after coming here.
He also held the office of justice of the peace for fifteen years in New Jersey, and seven years while living in Indiana, and was county surveyor in Indiana for eight years. He has been in poor health for the past sixteen years, and for eight years has been blind. He was bereaved by the death of his wife October 28, 1868. He was again married May 6, 1869, to Miss Sarah M. Keeler, her father being an Episcopalian minister living in Connecticut. By his first wife he had eight children, the first three born in New Jersey, and the rest in Indi- ana-James Henry, born February 26, 1830, deceased ; Hattie M., born October 20, 1833; Jane E., born August 5, 1835 ; John Aaron, born February 24, 1839; Salvestus, born May 8, 1842; Abbie A., born Novem- ber 24, 1843; Zachariah, born January 30, 1847, the same year that his cousin, Zachary Taylor, was elected President of the United States, and for whom he was named, and Mary A., born June 24, 1850, wife of Charles Holt Leech. John A. has been twice mar- ried, to Eliza Incoesal, April 10, 1861, and to Miss Maggie Woodroof, February 10, 1867. Hattie M. was married in Logans- port, May 6, 1852, and October 1, 1852, went to St. Louis, Missouri, where she was left a widow June 6, 1871. She was again married, to James A. Godfrey, of Jones- burgh, Missouri, and in 1872 moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and September 15, 1874, came to Iowa and bought the old homestead of her father, Mr. Taylor allow- ing his daughter, Mrs. Godfrey, her dowry in the purchase of the farm, he having given to each of his children on their marriage 160 acres of land. Mr. and Mrs. Godfrey have no children of their own, but have an adopted daughter, Jennie Amelia Godfrey, who was born in Sangamon, Michigan, March 8, 1864, a daughter of Dr. H. Mitchel. She is now engaged in teaching school. George Godfrey, father of James Godfrey, was born February 23, 1800, in
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HISTORY OF BLACK HAWK COUNTY.
Nottinghamshire, England, and was there married May 19, 1824, to Mary Ostic, of the same shire, and to them were born nine children. Their eldest daughter died in infancy, and one son. Their children liv- ing are-Mary A., the eldest, was born in England June 4, 1824, married Rev. G. Smith, of Jonesburgh, Missouri ; George, born November 11, 1828, living in Texas ; Edward, born in 1832, living near San Jose, California ; William O., born September 20, 1834, living in Waverly, lowa; John W., born December 9, 1836, living in Mis- souri : Henry H., born June 19, 1839, manu- facturer of farm implements at Jonesburgh, Missouri, and James A., born April 2, 1842. Father Godfrey was apprenticed to learn the blacksmith's trade in England at the age of fourteen years, and served seven years. He was working for himself at his trade in the town of Uckney, England, when Lord Byron died and was buried in that village, the burial services being held in a church there. Mr. Godfrey came with his family to America in 1830, and lived the first six years in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, moving to St. Louis in 1838, and from there to near Jonesburgh, Missouri, in 1841, where his wife died February 7, 1879, after a mar- ried life of fifty-eight years. Since his wife's death he has made his home with his son, J. A. Godfrey. He worked at his trade for fifty-eight years, and is still hale and hearty at the age of eighty-six years, and has never been sick but once during his life. His father was one of John Wesley's first con- verts in England.
ASPER KALLENBACH, son of Conrad and Margaretta Kallen- bach, was born in Germany, April 27, 1835. He was reared in his na- tive country till his eighteenth year when he immigrated to the United States, landing at New York. He first lo-
cated in Wisconsin, in which State he fol- lowed farming about nine years, and was there united in marriage to Miss Dorothy Romheld. Six of the eight children born to them are living-Mary, Annie, Lizzie, Sa- rah, Teckla and George, two of the daugh- ters, Sarah and Lizzie, being engaged in teaching school. Mr. Kallenbach left Wis- consin with his family in 1864, and has since been a resident of Cedar Falls. Mr. Kal- lenbach is now engaged in gardening, and is meeting with success in his chosen avo- cation. He and his family are members of the German Evangelical church, and are much respected throughout the township. In his political relations Mr. Kallenbach af- filiates with the Republican party. In all enterprises pertaining to the good of his county our subject takes an active inter- est, and gives his influence in promoting the same.
ILLIAM WATERFIELD was born in Morris County, New Jer- sey, May 4, 1828. In his youth · he worked on a farm, receiving his education in the private school of Joseph McCord at Hackettstown, and also attended the academy a year. When eighteen years of age he went to the city of Newark, and worked two years at the blacksmith's trade. He then returned to Morris County and worked one summer at smithing. In the fall of 1848 he and his brother bought three acres of timber land for $140, and the following winter cut the timber and sold it for $450. The next sea- son they rented a farm and with their profits from crops and timber bought a small farm near Johnsonsburg, Warren County. His father died in April, 1849, and in the spring of 1850, with his mother and brother, he moved to the farm. They remained together two years when, his brother being dissatisfied, he bought his
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
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interest and carried on the farm alone. Being in his twenty-third year and feeling the need of companionship, he was married January 29, 1851, to Mercy H. Van Syckle,
who was born in Warren County, New Jersey, August 9, 1827, her parents being natives of the same county. Her mother's maiden name was Catharine Green. In the spring of 1856 he sold his farm and moved to Iowa and bought eighty acres of land in the then sparsely settled county of Black Hawk. He lived during the summer in a little shanty, without door or window, and used a canvas-covered wagon box for a
bedroom. In the fall he built a small house,
moving into it in October. The following winter was extremely cold and the house being unfinished their sufferings were in- tense. The bedclothes were often covered with ice in the morning, the air being so
cold that the moisture from their breaths congealed. June 10, 1858, Mr. Waterfield and his wife and child left Iowa to return to New Jersey, with a horse and wagon. They went direct to Illinois and stopped at
different points in that State, where he lect- ured on phrenology. August 9 they left Illinois and reached his brother's house in Warren County, New Jersey, September 20. On their way through Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania they had
a fine opportunity of seeing the country,
meeting with new and interesting people
and objects, and thus gaining a fund of knowledge not otherwise to be learned. They remained in New Jersey until the spring of 1859 when they returned to Iowa, and the following summer Mrs. Waterfield was taken sick and died December 30, 1859, leaving one son, Henry D., who was born October 23, 1852, and died February 8, 1874. An infant daughter, Catherine, was
born September 18, 1859, and died two days before the mother. September II, 1860, Mr. Waterfield married Nancy P. Hughes, a native of North Carolina, born
March 2, 1838. Her parents were natives
of the same State and there her father died.
Her mother died in Hardin County, Iowa.
She came to Iowa in 1856. In June, 1865,
Poyner Creek reached its highest water
his wagon, sled, harness and farm imple- which was stored a quantity of grain, wood, going to the window, he saw a building, in He moved his family up stairs, when, on gradually rose until it reached the bed. bed he landed in water a foot deep, which heard running water and jumping out of about daylight, Mr. Waterfield thought he and rained hard all night. In the morning, mark. It commenced raining one evening
ments, floating down the stream. His
and carpenter work himself, moving into it corner of his land, doing most of the stone house, on high ground, on the northeast next year he commenced building a stone recovered, but the rest were lost. The wagon and some of the larger articles were
in the fall of 1867. He used it as a board-
12, 1862, and Mary E., born April 26, 1865. ing two children-George C., born July the effect of which she died April 20, leav- field received injuries April 13, 1880, from ing-house and hotel six years. Mrs. Water-
father was a native of New York and died E. Mr. Johnston died June 14, 1874. Her dren-George E., Willard C. and Telena 20, 1864, and to them were born three chil- was married to William Johnston, October the fall of 1854, locating in Waterloo. She 1842, and came to Iowa with her parents in born in Knox County, Ohio, December 10, ried Celia (Nichols) Johnston, who was December 30, 1880, Mr. Waterfield mar-
in Illinois. Her mother, whose maiden
17, 1803, and is still living, being now in name was Rhoda Hall, was born December
the eighty-third year of her age. Mr. and Mrs. Waterfield have one child-Maud M.,
born November 27, 1884. Mr. Waterfield has served his township two years as justice of the peace, one year as assessor, and
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HISTORY OF BLACK HAWK COUNTY.
three years as school director. Previous to the war he was a member of the Wes- leyan Methodist church and a strong anti- slavery man. He occasionally lectured on temperance, slavery and politics, his first political speech being made for Abraham Lincoln. He is now a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a strong adherent to the principles of the Republi- can party. Henry Waterfield, father of William Waterfield, was born in Leicester, England, December 22, 1768. In his youth he worked with his father dressing and lay- ing stone, and subsequently went to Lon- don and worked at the candle-maker's trade. He came to America in 1796, land- ing in New York, July 8. From there he went to New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he married Ann Guy, a widow. He soon after moved to Belvidere, New Jer- sey, and in 1819 to Hackettstown, Warren County, where his wife died; and in 1825 he married Mary Hasen, a native of Morris County, New Jersey, her father a native of Canada and her mother of Germany. Both died in New Jersey aged over eighty years. Henry Waterfield died April 29, 1849, aged eighty-three years, and his wife December 30, 1855, aged sixty-six years. They had three children-Jacob H., William and Catharine.
To IMRI STREETER was born Feb- ruary 7, 1801, at Granville, Wash- ington County, New York. He was married at his birthplace March 25, 1824, to Lucinda Dean, and in 1825 moved to Champlain County, New York. He removed to Whitehall, New York, in 1828, and from there to Warsaw, New York, in 1831. In 1835 he left Warsaw for Illi- nois, locating in Bachelor's Grove, where he remained till he came to Cedar Falls, Black Hawk County, Iowa, in the year
1852. Mr. Streeter went South in 1864 to get the soldiers' votes. He represented Black Hawk County in the State Legisla- turc at Des Moines for two terms, serving in 1858 and 1860. He died in 1870. Mrs. Streeter was born in Lancaster, New Hampshire, September 24, 1801, she being the eldest of nine children, six boys and three girls. She removed with her parents to Granville, New York, in 1812 where she lived till her marriage. To Mr. and Mrs. Streeter were born twelve children-Lo- vina, born March 15, 1825 ; James W., Oc- tober 26, 1826; Mary A., October 12, 1828 ; Cornelia R., January 12, 1831 ; Edward P., May 8, 1833 ; Sarah J., May 6, 1835; Lu- cinda C., May 16, 1837; Seth D., April 23, 1839; Lucy C., July 26, 1840 ; Zimri, Octo- ber 8, 1842; Julia M., June 15, 1845 ; Silas D., August 29, 1847, nine of whom are still living.
OHN WILSON was born near Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, December 25, 1823, a son of Seth and Sarah (Hussy) Wilson. He was reared in Tazewell County, Illinois, and in 1845 came to Iowa and lived six years in Monroe County, moving to Black Hawk County in 1851. He settled on a tract of wild land in Union Township, which he has improved, and which is now his pleasant home. He was married in Tazewell County in February, 1842, to Rhoda A. Finney, who was born near Cin- cinnati, Ohio, July 30, 1824, a daughter of John and Margaret (Cullum) Finney. Mrs. Wilson died April 6, 1884. Their family consisted of ten children, three of whom are deceased, and seven are living-Seth, born November 14, 1842, is living in Butler County, Iowa; John A., born September 3, 1844, is living in Washington Township; James P., born March 9, 1846, lives in La Porte; Sarah M., born March 14, 1848, is
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
the wife of Edward Shields, and has one child-Flora, born February 1I, 1868; Na- than, born March 29, 1852, died January 21, 1855 ; Rhoda J., born March 31, 1854, is the wife of Harry Crawford; Irena, born Octo- ber 31, 1855, died April 12, 1856; Maria, born August 17, 1857, is the wife of Frank Carroll, of Cedar Falls; Thomas, born May 2, 1850, and an infant who died unnamed. In politics Mr. Wilson is a Democrat. He is a member of the Christian church.
ON. H. C. HEMENWAY, of Cedar Falls, was born at Potsdam, New York, April 1, 1834, a son of Vash- ni and Eliza Hemenway. In 1850 he removed with his parents to Ste- phenson County, Illinois, and was edu- cated in the union and private schools of Freeport, that county, after which he taught school for a short time. In 1858 he began the study of law with Meacham & Bailey, attorneys of Freeport, remaining with this firm several years. After being admitted to the bar in June, 1860, he opened a law office at Independence, June, 1861, where he practiced his profession from 1861 till August, 1862. He then enlisted and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in Company C, Twenty-seventh Iowa In- fantry, being mustered into the service October 3. The regiment to which he be- belonged served as a detachment of the Sixteenth Army Corps, Army of the Ten- nessee. He participated in the battle of Little Rock, Nashville, Mobile, and the Red River expedition, serving three years, and during this time was never confined in hos- pital nor absent on furlough. He was dis- charged with the regiment in August, 1865. He then returned to Independence, Iowa, where he spent the winter recruiting his health. Early in the year 1866 he came to Cedar Falls and opened an office, and in May, 1867, formed a partnership with Hon.
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