USA > Iowa > Audubon County > History of Audubon county, Iowa; its people, industries, and institutions > Part 34
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84
On July 15, 1882, William Northup was married to Myra Smith, of Johnson county, Iowa, who was born on October 14, 1861, the daughter of Edwin and Sabina (Bird) Smith, natives of Indiana and of England, respectively. To this union three children have been born, namely: Her- bert, who married Florence Buckner and is a farmer in Cameron township; Harold, a farmer of Cameron township, who married Kathleen Dimmick, and Ruth, who is at home. To Herbert and Florence (Buckner ) Northup three children have been born, Winifred, Frank and Richard.
William Northup is a Democrat and has been one of the leaders of his party in Audubon county for many years. Besides his service of five years as sheriff, he has served as trustee of Douglas township and on the city council of Audubon. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, in the affairs of
367
AUDUBON COUNTY, IOWA.
both of which orders he takes a warm interest. There are few, if any, men in the county who enjoy a wider personal popularity than former Sheriff Northup, who is held in the highest regard by his many friends.
HENRY SUNBERG.
In the United States there are more persons engaged in farming than in any other business or vocation. The United States census reports for 1910 show that there are about one hundred and fifteen thousand lawyers, one hundred and fifty thousand physicians and surgeons, one hundred and eighteen thousand clergymen, something over sixty thousand engineers and some six hundred thousand school teachers, but there are twelve million men living in the United States engaged in farming. It therefore appears that farming is one of the most important vocations known to mankind. Farm- ers, industrial workers and commercial and transportation workers consti- tute ninety-five per cent. of the population, and control an even greater per- centage of the wealth of the country. One of the enterprising and successful farmers of this county, now living retired, who has succeeded in his chosen vocation as a consequence of his own courage, persistency and good manage- ment, is Henry Sunberg. Mr. Sunberg believes in lending what aid he can to his neighbors and the general public, and is regarded as one of Audubon county's best citizens.
Henry Sunberg was born in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, on May 12, 1844, the son of Christ and Paulina Sunberg. With his wife and first- born son, in 1871, he crossed the Atlantic on the voyage to America, locat- ing, shortly after his arrival, in Johnson county, Iowa. Mr. Sunberg came to this country on borrowed money, and for five years after arriving here worked for one dollar a day as a farm laborer. He then rented land for ten years in Johnson county, and in 1886 came to Audubon county and pur- chased eighty acres of splendid partly-improved land in Melville township, for which he paid twenty-five dollars an acre. Mr. Sunberg paid half of the purchase price of the farm in cash and gave his note and mortgages for the balance. His affairs prospered, and five years later he purchased one hundred and sixty acres additional, wholly unimproved, for which he paid twenty dollars an acre, later buying forty acres in Leroy township, at eighty- seven and one-half dollars an acre, making in all two hundred and eighty acres. He resided in Melville township until 1906, and then moved to his
368
AUDUBON ยท COUNTY, IOWA.
forty-acre farm in Leroy township, where he lived until March, 1914, at which time he retired from the farm and moved to Audubon, where he has since resided.
On May 14, 1868, Henry Sunberg was married to Hannah Ahrand, who was born in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, on September 16, 1839, the daughter of Christ Ahrand, and to this happy union seven children have been born: Fred, a farmer; Charles, sheriff of Audubon county ; Frank, a farmer ; Mrs. Minnie Owen; John a farmer ; Henry, also a farmer, and Mrs. Anna Lefler, the wife of a farmer of this county. Henry Sunberg has thir- teen grandchildren, Fred Sunberg having four children, May, Carl, Milton and an infant; Mrs. Minnie Owen, three children, Henry, Grace and Helen; John, two children; Henry, two children, Edward and Gertrude; Mrs. Anna Lefler, two children, Gladys and Dessie.
Henry Sunberg is a Democrat, and at one time served as trustee of his township. Mr. and Mrs. Sunberg and family are all members of the Luth- eran church, and are active in the affairs of that denomination, being inter- ested in all good works throughout the community in which they reside.
EUGENE C. WILSON.
Eugene C. Wilson, a retired farmer living at Exira, Iowa, who owns a farm of two hundred and eighty-five acres in Exira township, besides four hundred acres in Minnesota. Mr. Wilson has had a varied career. He is a skillful carpenter and for many years worked at that trade. While living in California he was the proprietor of a bee ranch. He was also engaged while a resident of that state in mounting birds, and besides a choice col- lection which he sold to a college museum in Turkey, Mr. Wilson has an extensive private collection. For many years he was one of the foremost farmers of Audubon county, raising thousands of head of hogs and buying, feeding and shipping many carloads of cattle. Mr. Wilson has lived retired since 1904, in which year he moved to Exira, built a fine home at a cost of ten thousand dollars, a house which consists of ten rooms and is strictly modern in every respect, and there he has been living for the past eleven years.
Eugene C. Wilson, a retired farmer of Exira township, now living in Exira, was born on January 21, 1860, in Geneseo, Illinois, the son of Isaac N. and Ann Eliza (Joslin) Wilson, both natives of New York. When he
EUGENE C. WILSON AND SON.
369
AUDUBON COUNTY, IOWA.
was thirty years old, Isaac N. Wilson moved to Illinois and purchased a farm, on which he resided for a few years, after which he moved to Gen- eseo, in that state, where he engaged in the grain business, and was thus actively engaged for thirty-six years, at the end of which time he retired, his death occurring in Geneseo in 1911. Isaac N. Wilson was born on May 7, 1824, and was therefore eighty-seven years old at the time of his death. During all of his residence in Geneseo he was prominent in the commercial and financial affairs of the city, and for forty years was connected with the Geneseo First National Bank. He was also a member of the board of supervisors in Illinois. Isaac N. Wilson became a resident of Illinois in 1853. The following year he was married to Ann Eliza Joslin, to which union five children were born, Ida, Eugene, Frank, Edward and Emma. Ida died at the age of eighteen. Eugene is the subject of this sketch. Frank died in infancy. Edward married Elma M. Henney, and Emma married F. L. Smith.
Edward Wilson was associated with his brother, Eugene, in farming from 1886, when they came to Audubon county, until 1893, during which time they were engaged in farming two hundred and forty-seven acres of land. They were accustomed to feed four hundred head of hogs, and at least a hundred and twenty-five head of cattle annually. Eugene Wilson bought out his brother Edward in 1893 and continued the operation of the farm alone until his retirement in 1904.
Eugene C. Wilson attended school at Geneseo, Illinois, and for some time was a student in the high school at that place. He then entered the Davenport Business College, from which he was graduated, and after com- pleting the business-college course returned to his home in Illinois and there took up farming and carpentry work. After having been engaged in this for one year he went to California and there operated a bee ranch for two years. Selling out his California property, he returned to Illinois, and in 1886 came to Iowa, locating in this county. While in California Mr. Wil- son trapped birds and mounted them. One of his collections was sold in Turkey, and he brought back to Illinois about six hundred specimens of birds. After his return to Illinois and until his removal to this county, he was engaged in carpenter work. He also engaged in raising fast horses for a long time, and for thirty years was an advocate of good roads, doing much to improve the highways at his own expense. Mr. Wilson is also a musician and was a member of the band at Exira for a great many years.
Eugene C. Wilson was married in 1896 to Jennie M. Bliss, the daugh- (24)
370
AUDUBON COUNTY, IOWA.
ter of George and Jane Bliss, to which union one child, Irving N., was born. Mrs. Wilson died in 1904, and Mr. Wilson married, secondly, Belle B. Lancelot, daughter of W. J. and Phoebe (Crow) Lancelot. Two children, both daughters, have been born to this second union, Marjorie and Mar- guerite, twins, both of whom are living at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are members of the Congregational church. Mr. Wilson served as township trustee for three years having been elected on the Republican ticket.
JOHN ADAMS MUSSON.
A review of the life of the honored subject of this memoir must of necessity be brief and general in its character, for it is impossible in this instance to enter fully into the details of his life, touching many of his earlier struggles, and only a general perspective of a life which has closed on earth can be had. Mr. Musson still lives in the memories of many friends and neighbors in Audubon and was known by all as a kindly and honest man whose best thoughts and efforts were for the happiness and well-being of his family.
John Adams Musson, a native of the state of Iowa, was born on Octo- ber 5. 1868, at Earlham, Madison county, and died at his home in Audubon, Audubon county, on July 4, 1912. His father was Thomas Musson, and the two were associated together in their grain business in Audubon, the father being well remembered by many of the older citizens of the town. John A. Musson came to Audubon county when a boy of ten years old (in 1878), being brought here by his parents. He remained here until 1890, when he went to Salem, South Dakota, where he remained for five years, at the end of which time he returned to Audubon, and it was then father and son became associated in the same business.
While in Salem, South Dakota, on October 12, 1894, John A. Musson was united in marriage to Bertha M. Schneider, a daughter of Joseph and Frances (Ringer) Schneider.
Mr. Musson and his father were not long associated together, for the father soon died with heart trouble, and the son then continued the busi- ness alone for the balance of his life.
John Adams Musson was a type of perfect manhood, and, while he was fond of life and the pleasures which it afforded, he also looked well to the more serious issues, and on February 4, 1906, united with the Pres-
371
AUDUBON COUNTY, IOWA.
byterian church, of which he remained a faithful member until his life here on earth was closed. He was also a man in whom the fraternal spirit was strong, and was an enthusiastic member of the ancient order of Freema- sonry, having attained to the chapter and the commandery in that order, and was a member of the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Za-Ga-Zig Temple, at Des Moines, this state. He was also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America, and both he and Mrs. Musson were members of the Order of the Eastern Star. Beside his widow, Mr. Musson left three children, Reuben J., a graduate of Audu- bon high school and at present a student at the Iowa State College at Ames, and Dorothy and Thomas F., both attending high school in Audubon.
WILLIAM OWEN.
Agriculture has been an honored vocation from the earliest ages, and as a usual thing men of honorable and humane impulses, as well as of energy and thrift, have been patrons of husbandry. The free out-of-door life of the farm has a decided tendency to foster and develop that independence of mind and self-reliance which characterizes true manhood. No truer blessing can befall a boy than to be reared in close touch with nature in the healthful life and inspiring labor of the fields. It has always been the fruitful soil from which have sprung the moral bone and sinew of the country, and the majority of the nation's great warriors, renowned statesmen and distin- guished men of letters were born on the farm and were indebted largely to its influence for the distinction which they have attained.
William Owen, one of the well-known farmers of this county, who is now living retired, was born in Lincolnshire, England, on May 1, 1841, the son of Richard and Isabelle (Spencer) Owen, who emigrated to America about 1869, coming to Iowa and settling on a farm in Melville township, Audubon county. They remained there for one year, at the end of which time they removed to a farm on the Botna, where they remained two years, subsequently moving to a farm at Lucketts Grove, where they remained for one year. They then moved to a farm in Viola township, later purchasing land in section 26, near Williams, in Leroy township. Richard Owen and wife improved this latter farm and in 1889 sold it, after which they made a visit to England. Upon their return to this county they located at Exira, where Richard Owen died at the home of his son, William, in August, 1895,
372
AUDUBON COUNTY, IOWA.
his widow surviving for three years, her death not occurring until 1898. Richard and Isabelle (Spencer) Owen were the parents of the following children: William, the subject of this sketch; George, deceased; Thomas, who lives in Oklahoma, and Mary, the widow of William Wildey, who now lives in the West.
William Owen was educated in the English schools. He married in 1866, and in October of that year he and his wife set sail for America, land- ing in New York City, whence they went to Cleveland, where they remained until 1870, in April of which year they came to Audubon county, a few months later purchasing land in section 26, Leroy township. This farm, consisting of eighty acres, was purchased at five dollars and fifty cents an acre. William Owen erected a small house on this farm, and for a time he and his wife experienced some pretty hard times. Atlantic was the nearest market, and to Ft. Dodge there were nothing but trails. Jefferson was another market, but it required three days to make the trip and blizzards sometimes intervened. Mr. Owen prospered, however, and presently added eighty acres to his first eighty-acre farm, gradually increasing his holdings until now he owns two hundred and forty acres. Besides this, he has given to his four elder sons forty acres each, together with teams, wagons, har- ness and feed to give them a start. Mr. Owen's eldest son, Robert, owns two hundred and forty acres adjoining the old home place. The second son, William S., owns a half section in Viola township, which is worth two hun- dred dollars an acre. The third son, Richard, owns one hundred and eighty acres in Hamlin township and two hundred and eleven acres in Exira town- ship. The fourth son, George, now deceased, owned eighty acres.
On February 3, 1866, William Owen was married to Mary Ann Clifton, who was born in Lincolnshire, England, on April 18, 1844, the daughter of George and Jane (Spencer) Clifton, to which union were born the follow- ing children: Robert J. F., William S., Richard, George Edward, Charles Clark, Worthy Earl, Carrie C., Lillie, Nancy A., Ethel M., and Jane Eliza- beth and George Washington, twins, the two latter of whom are deceased. Robert J. F. Owen married Frances Story and they have two children, Lela and Floyd. William S. married Minnie Sunberg and they have three chil- dren, Henry, Grace and Helen. Richard married Myrtle Frye and they have two children, Leland and Ellawene. George Edward (now deceased) married Josephine Wilson, to which union two children were born, Lucille and Bernard. Charles Clark, who lives on the home farm, married Lula Carter and they have two children, Virgil and Donald. Worthy Earl lives on the home place with Charles. Mrs. Carrie C. Frye lives in Melville
373
AUDUBON COUNTY, IOWA.
township and has three children, Marie, Harry and Lillie. Mrs. Lillie Hig- gins lives in Hamlin. Mrs. Nancy A. Sunberg lives in Hamlin township and has two children, Leverne and Merle. Mrs. Ethel M. Smith has one child, Mary Ann.
William Owen is a Republican and has held several township offices with credit. The Owen family are all members of the Presbyterian church and are active in the work of the church and the Sunday school, all being held in high esteem throughout the section of the county in which they reside.
JORGEN F. SCHROEDER.
Jorgen F. Schroeder, who owns a splendid farm of three hundred and twenty acres in Lincoln township, this county, was born in Schleswig, Ger- many, in 1844, the son of Peter and Anna (Tames) Schroeder, natives of the same place. Peter Schroeder was a farmer and laborer and lived in his native land all his life. He and his wife were the parents of three children, Margaret and Anna, who are still living in Germany, and Jorgen F., the sub- ject of this sketch.
After leaving school, Jorgen F. Schroeder began working as a farm hand in his native land and when he was twenty-six years old joined the army, in which he served for two years. A few months after the end of the Franco-Prussian War, he came to America on the ship "Harmonia," locating in Davenport, Iowa, shortly after landing. From Davenport he moved to Muscatine county, this state, where he worked as a farm hand for three years, at the end of which time he rented one hundred and twenty acres and farmed for himself until 1878, in which year he came to Audubon county, locating in Audubon, where he worked with his teams, hauling sand which was used in the construction of the new court house. After two years' resi- dence in Audubon he removed to Gray, Iowa, where he operated a tavern for five years, at the end of which period he moved to the farm where he now lives, first purchasing eighty acres. This original holding he gradually increased until he now owns three hundred and twenty acres, which he devotes to general farming, at the same time feeding about seventy-five head of hogs annually.
In 1876 Jorgen F. Schroeder was married to Mary Schluntz, daughter of Gottlieb and Anna (Jungjohan) Schluntz. Of the eleven children born to this union, only nine are living, Peter, Cleveland, Bismark, Anna, Ricka,
374
AUDUBON COUNTY, IOWA.
Doris, Rosa, Margaret and Elsie. Of these children, Peter married Mae Stribe: Anna married Charles Ross and has five children: Ricka married Peter Ohrt: Doris married Fred Sievers: Rosa married Jack Moore, and has one child, Jack, Jr. Mrs. Schroeder was born in Holstein, Germany, her parents also having been natives of that place. She came to America when ten years old with her parents, who settled on a farm near Davenport, Iowa.
A Democrat in politics, Mr. Schroeder served as township assessor for eight years. He also has served as member of the school board and as school director, and otherwise has been prominent in the educational life of his community. The Schroeder family are all members of the German Lutheran church.
Jorgen F. Schroeder has been an industrious farmer and an enterprising and successful citizen of this great state. He is a worthy representative of the many German families of this section, who have carved out comfortable homes and become the possessors of much wealth. No word of suspicion has ever been raised regarding the high character and sterling integrity of Jorgen F. Schroeder, and he enjoys the esteem and confidence of all his neigh- bors.
FRANK M. RICE.
Frank M. Rice, clerk of the district court of Audubon county, Iowa. was born on April 26, 1854, on a farm in Rock Island county, Illinois, son of Warren C. and Rachel ( Marshall) Rice, natives of Ohio. Frank M. Rice came to Audubon county, lowa. in September, 1879, and his parents came here to make their permanent home in 1883. They settled on a farm in Greeley township, where Warren C. Rice died in 1905. his wife having departed this life in 1888, five years after coming to the new home in the West. Warren C. Rice and wife were the parents of three children, Mrs. Emma Moore of Omaha: Edward C., a resident of Gray. Iowa, and Frank M., the subject of this sketch.
In September, 1879, Frank M. Rice migrated from Illinois to Iowa. locating on a farm in Greeley township, this county. ' He invested his sav- ings in eighty acres of raw prairie land and erected a small house which served as his habitation for a time until he could make additions thereto. He resided on his well-tilled acres until January, 1895, when he moved to Audu- bon to take up his duties as deputy clerk of the district court, which office he filled for a period of two years. He then engaged in the bakery and restau-
375
AUDUBON COUNTY, IOWA.
rant business for a period of thirteen years. His next business venture was buying and selling of horses and conducting a sale barn in Audubon, in which business he has been successful.
On March 19, 1876, Frank M. Rice was married to Lucy Mulhollen of Rock Island county, Illinois, to which union two children have been born, Eva, born on March 19, 1878, died on December 6, 1903, and Blair E., August 12, 1893, who is deputy clerk of the court, and who was educated in the Audubon high school and the Iowa State Agricultural College at Ames.
F. M. Rice is a Democrat and takes a prominent and influential part in the political affairs of the county. He was elected to the office of clerk of the district court in the fall of 1912 and faithfully performed the duties of his office. Mr. Rice is a member of the Knights of Pythias lodge at Audu- bon and is one of the best known citizens of Audubon county.
JOHN W. BARTEN.
A well-known farmer of Lincoln township, this county, of German and Swiss descent, who, by reason of his great personal energy, frugal living and good management has been very successful, is John W. Barten, who owns a splendid farm of two hundred acres.
John W. Barten was born on December 1, 1871. in Jackson county, Iowa, the son of Chris and Anna (Joss) Barten, the former a native of Beckenburg, Germany, and the latter a native of Switzerland. Chris Barten left Germany when twenty-two years of age and came to America, shortly afterward locating in Davenport, Iowa, where he worked on the Rock Island railroad for five years. Subsequently he located in Jackson county, Iowa, and there purchased a small farm and engaged in general farming until 1909, when he retired and moved to Belleview, Iowa, where he is now making his home with his children. To Chris and Anna (Joss) Barten were born eight children, of whom John W. is the only one living in Audubon county.
John W. Barten received his education in Jackson county, Iowa, and after leaving school, worked as a farm hand until 1897, or until he was twenty-six years old, at which time he came to Audubon county, locating in Lincoln township on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres which he pur- chased.
There Mr. Barten kept bachelor's quarters until 1901, when he was
376
AUDUBON COUNTY, IOWA.
married to Ada Meyer, daughter of August and Mary (Wehlenberg) Meyer, both natives of Germany, who married in Beecher, Illinois, later moving to Carroll county, Iowa, where they remained for thirty-eight years, at the end of which time they came to Audubon county, settling in Lincoln township, where they now reside. To John W. and Ada (Meyer) Barten have been born three children, Richard, Walter and John, all of whom are living at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Barten attend the German Lutheran church and their children are being reared in that faith.
John W. Barten has invested more than ten thousand dollars in improve- ments on the farm which he owns in Lincoln township. He annually raises more than one hundred head of hogs and at least sixty acres of corn, as well as thirty-five acres of small grain. Mr. Barten, who classes himself as an independent voter, has served as trustee of Lincoln township for two years, and also as school director.
One of the features of Mr. Barten's farm is his large barn, which is sixty by sixty feet, and one of the most completely-equipped barns in Lincoln township. Mr. Barten believes in following the most up-to-date and approved methods in farming, and uses only the most improved devices and equipment in his farm work. Like so many farmers in this section, he devotes much attention to raising hogs and cattle in connection with the raising of corn. John W. Barten is one of the highly-esteemed citizens of Lincoln township, who is admired and respected by his neighbors and by the host of friends he has made in this section.
TONY M. RASMUSSEN.
The gentleman whose name forms the caption of this review, mayor and well-known attorney of Exira, this county, did not come to this county from his native land of Denmark until he had attained the age of seventeen years, yet he has won for himself an enviable reputation as an attorney of force and ability and a public official of keen administrative capacity. The life story of Tony M. Rasmussen, mayor of the city of Exira, is an example of what can be accomplished by an immigrant boy in this land if given an opportunity and the possession of native talents.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.