USA > Iowa > Audubon County > History of Audubon county, Iowa; its people, industries, and institutions > Part 36
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Arthur C. Harmon is a Progressive in his political views, having cast his lot with the Roosevelt party in 1912. He and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and he is fraternally affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, being a member of the chapter and the
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commandery of that order. He also is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Pythian Sisters, and the Fraternal Union. Mr. Harmon was elected to the office of county coroner in 1906 and served continuously for eight years, his years of service in that office speaking well for the esteem in which he is held in the community. Mr. Harmon's first official duty in the coroner's office was to hold an inquest on the body of Theodore Martin, and his last official act was to hold an inquest on the body of William Martin, son of Theodore Martin. In every phase of life's activities in which he has been engaged, Mr. Harmon has been true to every trust and because of his genu- ine worth and upright character he has earned and retains the sincere regard of all who know him.
LEROY J. OLDAKER, D. D. S.
Leroy J. Oldaker, now a well-known dentist of Exira, who, in a com- paratively brief period, has built up a large and flourishing practice in Exira and surrounding country, was born on June 24, 1873, in Johnson county, Iowa, son of James W. and Adelaide (Crosby) Oldaker, and received his elementary education in the public schools of that county. After finishing the course prescribed in the common schools, he took a course in the acad- emy at Iowa City, after which he decided to take up dentistry, with which end in view he matriculated for the professional course in the Iowa State University, and was a student in this institution when the Spanish-American War broke out. He enlisted for service in Company D, Fiftieth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry, on June 23, 1898, and was mustered out of the service in November of the same year. Returning to college, he completed his course and was graduated in 1900, immediately thereafter beginning the active practice of his profession in Exira.
On July 13, 1904, Dr. Leroy J. Oldaker was married to Maude Camp- bell, daughter of Silas and Adell Campbell, and to this union was born one child, James Phillip, now deceased. Doctor and Mrs. Oldaker are members of the Congregational church.
Doctor Oldaker is a Republican and is one of the leaders of his party in this county. He has served as mayor of Exira and also as a member of the city council, and discharged the important duties of these offices to the entire satisfaction of his fellow townsmen. Doctor Oldaker is a Mason of high degree and is a member of the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Des Moines. He also is a member of the Knights of Pythias.
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FRED REYNOLDS.
Born in Johnson county, Iowa, on August 16, 1856, Fred Reynolds, one of the older residents of Audubon county, has lived in this county during the period of its greatest growth and prosperity and is widely known and highly respected. Mr. Reynolds is the son of John H. and Lucy ( Seamons) Reynolds, natives of Suffolkshire, England. The father was a laborer in the old country, who came to the United States in the spring of 1856, landing at New York city. He did not remain long in New York, but started west, proceeding as far as Iowa City, at that time the terminus of the railroad. There the father secured work on the farm of Samuel J. Kirkwood, later governor of the state of Iowa during the time of the Civil War. He worked there for several years and then, for a few years, rented land. In 1867 he purchased forty acres of land, on which the family lived until 1880, in which year they came to Audubon county, purchasing one hundred and sixty acres of land in Greeley township, where John H. Reynolds and his wife spent the rest of their lives. They were the parents of eight children, who lived to maturity, as follow: Fred, the subject of this sketch; Marguerite, wife of George Hoover, of Audubon, and Samuel W., Mrs. Mary J. Hunt, Mrs. Katie V. Bell, Mrs. Esther M. Barrack. Mrs. Lillian L. Stonebrook and Ida.
Fred Reynolds lived with his parents until he was married. Several years before his marriage he had purchased eighty acres of wild prairie land, without fences or any other kind of improvement. Shortly before his mar- riage he built on this place a small house, sixteen by twenty-four feet, con- sisting of three rooms, which served as a home until 1912, in which year he built his present commodious eight-room house. This house is entirely modern in its construction, except for the furnace, and is equipped with gas- lights, bath and waterworks.
On January 1, 1888, Fred Reynolds was married to Savilla Paige, of this county, who was born on March 6, 1862, daughter of Jerome B. and Sarah M. (Durfee) Paige, natives of Ohio, who moved from Ohio to Illi- nois, and from Illinois to Guthrie county, Iowa, where their daughter. Saville, was born. The family came to Audubon county in 1864, and here Jerome B. Paige and his wife spent their last days. They were the parents of nine children, Mrs. Mariah Bateman (deceased). George, Malachi, Mrs. Ruth Currier, Mrs. Sylvia Carley, Mrs. Levina McMullen, Mrs. Fred Rey- nolds, Mrs. Matie Herron and Mrs. Laura Judea.
To Fred and Savilla (Paige) Reynolds have been born two children. Lulu L., born on August 19, 1890, and John D., May 12, 1892, both of whom
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live at home with their parents. Lulu is a teacher in the schools of Greeley township, this county, and has been very successful in her useful calling.
One of the organizers of the Greeley Center Methodist Episcopal church and a charter member of that congregation, Fred Reynolds has been quite prominent in the affairs of the Methodist church in Greeley township. His father and mother also were charter members of this congregation. Politi- cally, Mr. Reynolds is a Republican and for nine years served as township trustee. He previously had served for four years as township clerk, and is now serving his second term in that office. For twenty years Mr. Reynolds has been township committeeman of the Republican party and has taken a very active part in local politics. Long before the days of rural delivery, when the mail was carried on horseback or on foot, Mr. Reynolds was post- master at Horace, in Greeley township, serving for seven years in that capacity.
Not only from the standpoint of long residence, but from the stand- point of the many friends he has made since coming to Audubon county, Fred Reynolds deserves to rank among the leading citizens of Greeley town- ship.
FRED C. HEPP.
The following is a sketch of a plain, honest man of affairs who, by correct methods and a strict regard for the interests of his patrons, has made his influence felt in the town of Gray, this county, having won for himself distinctive prestige in the business circles of that pleasant village. He would be the last man to pose as a subject for romance or to court fanciful encom- ium; nevertheless, his life presents much that is interesting and valuable and which may be studied with profit by the young men whose careers are yet to be made. Mr. Hepp is one of those men whose integrity and strength of character inevitably force them into an admirable notoriety which their modesty never would seek; who command the respect of their contemporaries and their posterity and leave the impress of their individuality deeply stamped on the community where their labors have been performed.
Fred C. Hepp was born on February 21, 1860, in Bureau county, Illi- nois, the son of John C. and Margaretta (Sopf) Hepp, the former of whom was born in 1828 and died in the fall of 1895, and the latter in June, 1833, and died in June, 1882, at the age of forty-nine years and nine months. John C. Hepp was a native of Germany, who immigrated to Bureau county,
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Illinois, when a young man, and was married there. In 1865 he came to Iowa, settling in Poweshiek county, where he bought a farm. In 1872 he moved to Jasper county, Iowa, where he farmed until 1881, in which year he came to Audubon county, settling in Lincoln township, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land, on which he spent the rest of his life. To John C. and Margaretta (Sopf) Hepp were born eight children, namely : Fred C., the subject of this sketch ; John E., a contractor in Audubon, Iowa; Amelia, who died in 1886; Carl, who died in Illinois: Delia, Charles and Ida, all of whom live on the home farm in Lincoln township; and Ida, who died while the family was living in Jasper county. John C. Hepp served in the German army during the rebellion of 1848 and came to America after- ward. He enlisted in the Union army in the fall of 1863, serving until the close of the Civil War. He then moved to Poweshiek county and purchased land at two dollars and fifty cents an acre.
Fred C. Hepp remained on the home farm with his parents until he had reached manhood's estate and then came to this county, opening a black- smith shop in the town of Gray in the spring of 1887. He established a hard- ware store in the same town in 1909 and has built up a large and lucrative business. From the point of years of service, he is the oldest blacksmith in Audubon county, having served at this trade for more than twenty-seven years. He began as a blacksmith on the farm when a boy, doing work for the neighbors. He has a large and complete stock of hardware and is con- sidered one of the successful men of that section of the county.
On March 23, 1883, Fred C. Hepp was married to Elizabeth Staum- baugh, and to this union three sons and four daughters have been born, as follow : Mahlon, a graduate of Iowa State University, who is now principal of the manual-training department of the Minneapolis schools; Stella, who is the wife of William Thompson, a bank cashier of Correctionville, Iowa; Florence, a student in the Chicago Musical Conservatory, who has been a teacher in the schools of Audubon county for several years; Esther, who is a teacher in the Ross schools; George, who is attending manual-training school in Minneapolis, and Zola and Virgin, who are pupils in the schools of Gray.
Fred C. Hepp is identified with the Democratic party and was post- master of Gray during Cleveland's last administration and served as mayor of Gray for two terms. Mr. and Mrs. Hepp and family attend the United Brethren church, although they are not members. Fraternally, Mr. Hepp is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Hepp is widely known and deservedly popular
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in that part of the county. He is generous in his dealings with his neighbors and friends, genial in his manner and upright and honorable in all of the relations of life.
MARTIN E. MORTENSEN.
The large Danish-American element of the population of Audubon county is active in agricultural pursuits, prominent in the professions and successful in the marts of trade. The people from the little kindgom of Denmark quickly assimilate American ideas and customs and become active and component parts of the body politic in a short time after landing on the shores of this country. The Danish people of Audubon county are noted for their progressive attitude toward all things tending to improve the condition of all the people and have become thoroughly Americanized. Not a few of them have achieved wealth and local distinction since taking up their resi- dence in this county, and the individual referred to at the head of this article has not only succeeded in firmly establishing himself on an excellent financial footing in the land of his adoption, but has received distinguished political preferment from the people of Audubon county and is now serving the public very acceptably in his second term as county treasurer.
Martin E. Mortensen was born in Schleswig, Denmark (now a German province), on February 3, 1856, son of Peter and Bodel Marie (Schmidt) Mortensen. He was educated in the schools of his native land and was reared to perform farm work. The labor on the little farm which his people cultivated was all done by hand and was of the hardest kind. When he had attained the age of twenty-four years, Martin E. Mortensen emigrated to America and came to Iowa, locating at Atlantic, in the year 1880. For two years after his arrival at Atlantic he worked at various forms of labor in the city. In 1882 he came to Audubon county and "worked out" at farm labor in Lincoln and Cameron townships, being thus engaged for some years, at the end of which time he rented a farm for one year. This venture prosper- ing, in the year 1889 he purchased from Mr. Neff a farm of eighty acres in Sharon township, at a cost of twenty-five dollars an acre. After tilling this farm for some time he sold it and invested in two hundred acres of excellent land in Hamlin township, which farm is now tilled by his son, Peter E. Mortensen. In 1912 Mr. Mortensen retired from the farm and moved to the town of Hamlin and in the following autumn was elected to the office of county treasurer on the Democratic ticket, being re-elected in 1914.
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In 1882 Martin E. Mortensen was married to Sine Marie Rattenborg, to which union have been born six children, two of whom are deceased, the surviving children being as follow: Mrs. Mary Aagaard, of this county ; Peter E., who lives on the home farm in Hamlin township; Mrs. Inger Aagaard, of this county, and Hans, formerly bookkeeper in the Bank of Gray, this county, now deputy county treasurer. Mr. Mortensen's mother came to America and resided with her children until her death, her husband having died in Denmark.
Mr. and Nirs. Mortensen are members of the Lutheran church. He is a stanch Democrat and for years has taken a prominent part in the political affairs of the county, being regarded as one of the leaders of his party, having filled various township offices in Hamlin township before his election as county treasurer. A perusal of the foregoing paragraphs, which tell the story of the rise of a poor Danish immigrant to a position of affluence and standing in the community, will convince the reader that Anierica, more than ever, is the land of opportunity. The foreign-born citizen will seize at any honest labor in order to gain a livelihood during his first years of residence and this industry accounts in great measure for his success. Mr. Mortensen's striking success may be attributed to industry. perseverance, keen financial ability and the inherent frugality which is a national attribute of the people of Denmark.
CHARLES JOHNSON.
The respect which should always be accorded to the brave sons of the North who left home and peaceful pursuits of civil life to give their services and their lives, if need be, to preserve the integrity of the American Union, is certainly due the memory of the late Charles Johnson, to a brief review of whose life the following lines are devoted. He proved his love and loyalty to the government on the long, tiresome marches, in all kinds of situations, exposed to summer's withering sun and winter's freezing cold; on the lonely picket line a target to the unseen foe; on the tented field and in the flame and smoke of battle, where the rattle of musketry mingled with the terrible concussion of the bursting shell, and the deep diapason of the cannon's roar, which made up the sublime, but awful, chorus of death. Among these valiant defenders of the Union and of Old Glory, the late Charles Johnson was one.
Charles Johnson, one of the pioneer settlers of Audubon county, Iowa,
MR. AND MRS. CHARLES JOHNSON
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was born on February 1I, 1823, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When a young man he removed from Philadelphia to Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he was reared to young manhood. Subsequently he removed to Princeton, Illinois, where he worked as a farm laborer for the same man who had employed him in Pennsylvania.
The late Charles Johnson was married on April 20, 1858, to Barbara Ball, and after their marriage they settled in Putnam county, Illinois, where they lived until the outbreak of the Civil War. After the close of the war they moved to Macon county, Illinois, and lived there for eleven years on a rented farm. In 1875 they moved to Greene county, Iowa, and in 1882 sold their fine farm in Greene county and came to Audubon county. Here Mr. Johnson purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, raw prairie land, wholly unbroken, for which he paid seven dollars an acre. Here he erected a small house, consisting of one room down and two rooms upstairs. He later added five rooms to this house, and this became in time a good house. Subsequently, he erected a fine barn on this farm, and the family lived on that place for twenty-one years, at the expiration of which time they moved to Audubon and bought a comfortable residence. Mr. Johnson also became the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of land in Guthrie county, Iowa, and was accounted a very substantial citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson .began life with nothing, and during all of their early struggles, Mrs. Johnson practically supported the family from the proceeds of her poultry and the dairy. Mrs. Johnson now cultivates three lots in Audubon, and is hale and hearty despite her seventy-seven years.
In 1862 the late Charles Johnson enlisted for service as a Union soldier in the Civil War, in Company C, One Hundred and Thirteenth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served eighteen months. He contracted lung fever during his service and was not able to perform strenuous war duty, part of the time being detailed to hospital duty. Charles Johnson was a Republican and served as constable while living in Illinois, discharging the duties of this office in a creditable manner. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were lifelong members of the Presbyterian church, and Mrs. Johnson is still an active worker in this church, in whose welfare she is deeply interested. Fra- ternally, Mr. Johnson was a member of Allison Post, Grand Army of the Republic. He was also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and filled all the chairs in that lodge. His death occurred on December 20, 1910, and he was buried on December 22, 1910, under the auspices of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Charles Johnson's widow, Mrs. Barbara (Ball) Johnson, was born on
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September 9, 1837, in Belmont county, Ohio. She is a daughter of Vachel and Frances (Everett) Ball, who were natives of Virginia and Ohio, respec- tively. Vachel Ball was a descendant of the Ball family of Virginia, which was related to George Washington. In 1849 the family went h- to La Salle, Illinois, and then by train they removed to 1 state, and settled on a farm four miles west of Princeton. D. Vachel Ball removed his family to Poweshie' corntv Tow nis death occurred at the advanced age of nir
To Charles Johnson and wife we- two suns, Charles, Jr., and Eugene M. Charles, who lives rear ~. . , Iowa, married Nora Reddy. and they have five living childrer, Nellie, Grace, Wilbur and Willie (twins) and Gerald. Eugene M. lives at Audubon, where he is engaged in the auto- mobile and garage business. He married Mary Snyder, to which union three children have been born, Glen, Iola and Charles Leon.
Mrs. Johnson is a member of the Woman's Relief Corps and also belongs to the Daughters of Rebekah, and takes an active interest in both these organizations.
LOUIS GROTELUSCHEN.
The success of men in business or in any vocation depends upon charac- ter as well as upon knowledge, it being a self-evident proposition that hon- esty is the best policy. Business demands confidence and where that is lacking business ceases. In every community some men are known for their upright lives, strong common sense and moral worth. Their neighbors and acquaintances respect them, the younger generation heeds their example ; and when they wrap the draperies of their couches about them and lie down to pleasant dreams, posterity listens with reverence to the story of their quiet and useful lives. Among such men in this county, Louis Groteluschen, merchant and president of the Farmers Savings Bank of Gray, takes high rank. Though Mr. Groteluschen has been successful in material pursuits, he is a man of modest and unassuming demeanor, a fine type of the reliable self-made American; a friend of the poor, charitable to the faults of his neighbors and active in his support of laudable public enterprises. Mr. Groteluschen is proud of Audubon county and of the great state of Iowa, and is zealously concerned in their progress and prosperity, being a man who, in every respect, merits the high esteem in which he is held by the business men and all the people of Audubon county.
Louis Groteluschen was born on April 29, 1868, in Platte county,
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Nebraska, the son of John and Anna (Loseke) Groteluschen, natives of Oldenburg, Germany, who were married there in 1866. They immigrated to America, proces 'owner once to Nebraska, driving from Omaha to Platte 1 ner becar Savin® blisi ety-three miles, their journey to Omaha having from Pittsburgh. Upon reaching Platte county ection of land and for a time lived in dug-out en prospered from the start and eventually owned sever "aska, becoming quite well-to-do. He died in
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1904, at the age o. 7( . ears. He and his wife were the parents of the following children : Louis, Ida 'eceased), Adolph, Lena, Elizabeth, Amil, Otto, Bertha and Minnie ,11 hom 've in Platte county, Nebraska save the subject of this sketch.
In 1894 Louis Groteluschen left Nebraska and came to Audubon county, locating at Gray, where he engaged in the hardware business, and has thus been engaged very successfully since that time. Mr. Groteluschen at first was associated with A. F. Greenwalt, who later became county auditor; under the firm name of Greenwalt & Groteluschen; later the firm being known as Groteluschen & Newell. Since 1910 the firm has been known as L. Grotelu- schen & Company, dealers in hardware and agricultural implements. A. F. Greenwalt. formerly associated with Mr. Groteluschen, is now cashier of the First National Bank of Coon Rapids. For ten years Mr. Groteluschen bought and shipped live stock in addition to his other business. He has a well-stocked store at Gray and owns a tract of two hundred and forty acres of land in Nebraska. Mr. Groteluschen has been connected with the Farm- ers Savings Bank three years, and was originally partner with Mr. Wiley.
On May 22, 1895, Louis Groteluschen was married to Anna Ahrens, daughter of Edwin and Anna (Loseke) Ahrens, natives of Oldenburg, Ger- many. Edwin Ahrens located in Nebraska in 1855. an early settler of the section in which he homesteaded a farm. Anna Loseke came to this country in 1859 with her parents, who bought a team of oxen when there was no longer opportunity for transportation by water and actually walked across the state of Iowa, the party including the father, the mother, three sons and Anna. Edwin Ahrens, now deceased, prospered in his pioneer farming and became a very substantial and well-to-do citizen. His widow is still living.
To Louis and Anna ( Ahrens) Groteluschen eight children have been born, Arnold (deceased), Elma, Rosa, Walter, Carl, Theodore, Herbert and Ruth, all of whom are at home and attending school.
Mr. Groteluschen is independent in his political views, supporting meas- ures of men rather than parties and party emblems. He has never been identified with any lodges.
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AUDUBON COUNTY, IOWA.
EDWARD C. RICE.
The character of a community is determined in' .lily of measure by the lives of a comparatively few of its members. If it Hamily et and intellectual status be good, if in a social way it is a pleasant pla" d to
1 `n which to reside; if its reputation as to the integrity of its citizens has extended to other locali- ties, it will be found that the standard set by the leading business men is high and their influence such as to mold the character and shape the lives of those with whom they mingle. In a general way, all this may be claimed for Audubon county, Iowa, and in placing Edward C. Rice, the cashier of the Farmers Savings Bank. of Gray, Iowa, in the front ranks of the citizens of this part of Audubon county, recognition is accorded a very worthy citi- zen. Although a quiet and unassuming man with no ambition for public position or leadership, he has contributed much to the material, civic, moral and financial development of his community. His admirable qualities of head and heart, and the straightforward, upright course of his daily life, have won for him the esteem and confidence of his business associates.
Edward C. Rice, cashier of the Farmers Savings Bank, of Gray, Iowa, was born on November 10, 1860, in Port Byron, Rock Island, Illinois, the son of Warren C. and Rachel ( Marshall) Rice, natives of New York and Ohio, respectively. Warren C. Rice came west when a young man and settled in Illinois. He emigrated to Iowa in 1884 and settled in Audubon county, where he followed the vocation of a farmer. After he retired from active farm life he moved to Audubon, where his death occurred. Warren C. and Rachel (Marshall) Rice were the parents of four children: Mrs. Emma R. Moore, of Omaha, Nebraska; Frank M., who is clerk of the courts of Audubon county : Edward C., the immediate subject of this review, and Millie, who died at the age of five years.
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