USA > Iowa > Audubon County > History of Audubon county, Iowa; its people, industries, and institutions > Part 40
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Mr. Phelps was married on April 1, 1901, to Daisy Johnson, the daugh- ter of L. C. Johnson, an old resident of Audubon, who has operated a dray in this city for thirty years. To Mr. and Mrs. Phelps, one child, Lefevre, aged eight years, has been born.
In politics, Ren Phelps is independent. He votes for measures and men rather than for parties and party emblems.
JOHN BALLMAN.
One of the best-remembered men of the past generation of Audubon county, Iowa, is John Ballman, who at the time of his death, was living retired in Audubon on nine acres of land. Of Mr. Ballman personally, it may be said that he was a man of strong and active sympathies, his tem- perament was warm and ardent, his feelings deep and intense. These and other attractive characteristics unconsciously drew him an unusual number of devoted friends, upon whom, under all circumstances, he could rely and who, now that he has past from all earthly scenes, revere his memory. He was a close student of human nature and comprehended with little effort the motives and purposes of men. He was a lover of truth and honesty; in brief, is remembered as a manly man of pleasing but dignified presence, a student of many subjects and an influential man in the circles in which he moved. Of sound character and unflagging energy, he stood as a conspicu-
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ous example of symmetrically-developed manhood and his position as one of the community's representative citizens was conceded by all.
The late John Ballman was born on August 22, 1836, in Germany and died in October, 1900. John Ballman came to America in 1868 and located first in Chicago, Illinois, where he kept a boarding house and a restaurant. He was married in Chicago, May 18, 1868, to Elizabeth Bobet, who was born on June 23, 1844, in Germany, and who came to America in 1868.
After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Ballman, they moved to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where he worked at the carpenter's trade for three or four years. They then located in Pottawatomie county, where he taught school. Mr. Ballman then bought a farm in Shelby county and lived here for five years. At the end of this period he sold the farm and moved to Fonda, in Pocahontas county, and after one year there, came to Audubon county in 1885. Mr. Ballman lived retired in Audubon county on nine acres of land.
Mr. and Mrs. Ballman had twelve children, only five of whom are living, Mrs. Mary Plaehn, who lives in Audubon ; Mrs. Anna Coleman, who lives at Bridgeport, Nebraska: Paul, who lives in Chicago; Michael, who lives at North Branch; Mrs. Sophia MacNair, who lives in Omaha, Nebraska. The deceased children are Katie, Peter, Lena, John, and three others who died in infancy.
The late John Ballman served three years and eight months in the Danish War of 1866, then came, in 1868, to America, where he remained for one year and a half. He went back to Germany for one month when the Franco-Prussian War broke out and he returned to American to escape service.
He was well known in Audubon county, Iowa, and especially in Audu- bon and vicinity. Mrs. Ballman, who lives on the home place, is a refined woman and takes a keen interest in the welfare of Audubon county and who is admired and respected by all of her neighbors.
GEORGE W. PRESTON.
It is generally considered by those in the habit of superficial thinking, that the history of so-called great men only is worthy of preservation, and that little merit exists among the masses to call forth the praises of the historian, or the appreciation and plaudits of mankind. A greater mistake never was made. No man is great in all things. Many, by a lucky stroke, achieve lasting fame, who before that had no reputation beyond the limits of
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their immediate neighborhood. It is not a history of a lucky stroke which benefits humanity most, but the long, steady effort which made the lucky stroke possible. It is the preliminary work, the method, which serves as a guide to the success of others. One of the citizens of Audubon county, Iowa, who has achieved success by conscientious and persistent effort, is George W. Preston, the well-known merchant of Audubon.
George W. Preston was born on March 12. 1860, at Atalissa, Muscatine county, Iowa, the son of Charles N. and Mary ( Worrall) Preston, natives of New York and Iowa, respectively. Charles N. Preston, the father of George W., was an early settler in Iowa, emigrating to this state in 1854, and was a harness maker by trade. In 1870 he moved to Villisca, in Mont- gomery county, Iowa, where he operated a grocery store for some years, and died there in 1908. George W. Preston's mother died in 1865. when he was but five years of age. He was one of three children, the others being Will- ard, deceased, and William, a farmer in northern lowa. Willard and Will- iamı were twins. Charles M. Preston was a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
George W. Preston was a resident of Villisca, Montgomery county, until thirty-one years of age. He was educated in the public schools of that place and assisted his father in his business for three years. Mr. Preston came to Audubon in March, 1891, and here established a grocery. In June, 1894, he moved to his present location, where he has a large room twenty- five by eighty-five feet, and a basement. He carries a complete stock of standard groceries and has a large trade in Audubon and vicinity ; he employs three assistants in his store, which is one of the best of its kind in the county.
George W. Preston was married on September 13, 1883, to Lucinda C. Spargur, of Villisca, the daughter of Henry W. Spargur, and to this union ten children have been born: Donald J., who is assisting his father in the store : John A. and Edwin Lec, also assisting their father in the store: Mary E., the wife of D. C. Bell. of Anita, Iowa: Ruth, living at home with her parents, is a graduate of the Audubon high school: Henry, Helen and George, Jr., are students in the high school; Harold and Louwene are living at home.
Mr. Preston is a Republican, but his large business interests have pre- vented his taking a very active part in political matters. He and his family are earnest and devoted members of the Presbyterian church, in which they take an active interest, and to the support of which they are liberal contribu- tors. George W. Preston is popular in Audubon among all classes of people. He is a man of genial manner, courteous, affable and sincere in his dealings
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with men, and naturally, he is a man who is well liked. Mr. Preston is a member of the blue lodge, chapter and commandery at Audubon; also of Amity chapter, Godfrey commandery, Za-ga-zig temple, Mystic Shrine, at Des Moines.
FRANK D. THOMSEN.
The Kimballton Drug Company, of Kimballton, Iowa, of which Frank D. Thomsen and Thomas Jorgensen are the proprietors, is one of the leading mercantile institutions of this section of Audubon county. In the latter part of 1912 this store was purchased by Mr. Thomsen, Mr. Jorgensen and Chris Larsen. Ten months later, however, Mr. Larsen sold out his interest, and the store is now operated by two of the original owners. The company car- ries a large and complete stock of drugs, paints, wall paper, school books, cigars and tobacco, and has an enormous trade in this section, a trade which is due somewhat to the splendid personal attainments of Mr. Thomsen, who is a fine man to meet, clean in his morals, up-to-date in his business methods, and who for all of these reasons has made many warm friends since coming to this city. Mr. Thomsen has also just begun a term as postmaster of this town.
Frank D. Thomsen, postmaster and druggist of Kimballton, Iowa, was born, March 28, 1889, the son of Christian and Hanna Andersen, natives of Denmark, who came to America in 1882, and settled at Rockville, Nebraska, where the father took up a homestead, which he later lost. Subsequently, he purchased a farm, improved it, and operated it until his death, May II, 1904, at the age of seventy-two years. His beloved wife who survived him is now living at Rockville, Nebraska. An ardent Democrat, he was also a member of the Lutheran church. He and his wife had twelve children, nine of whom are now living, as follow: Thomas, a farmer of Rockville. Nebraska; Anders, a farmer of Loop City, Nebraska; Nels, a ranchman of Big Creek, Nebraska; Mary, who married Frank Thomsen, at Big Creek, Nebraska; Andrew, of Reno, Nevada, and foreman of the Southern Pacific railroad; Chris Jens, a farmer of Loop City, Nebraska: Elva, who married Walter Lange, of Cherry county, Nebraska; and Frank D., the youngest and the subject of this sketch.
Educated in the common schools of Nebraska, Mr. Thomsen spent three years at the Kearney, Nebraska, Normal School, and two years at Creighton College of Pharmacy at Omaha, graduating from this institution
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with the class of 1912. In that year he located at Elkhorn, Iowa, where he worked for nine months for the Larsen Drug Company. At the end of this period he came to Kimballton, and in association with Chris Larsen and Thomas Jorgensen, as heretofore noted, purchased the drug store now oper- ated under the name of the Kimballton Drug Company.
Earlier in his life Mr. Thomsen worked for one year as a clerk for the Southern Pacific Railroad at Sparks, Nevada. A Democrat in politics, he has always taken an active interest in this party's welfare, and having been appointed postmaster at Kimballton, Iowa, took that office, January 1, 1915. He is a member of the Kimballton band and plays alto, also a member of the Kimballton volunteer fire department, and formerly was assistant chief.
A man of most gracious and pleasing personality and, unless present signs are wrong, Frank D. Thomsen will in time become one of the most influential business men of Audubon county. He is already well started in life, and with the momentum in business which he already has acquired should achieve even new and greater success.
MELVIN I. MASTERSON.
This sketch concerns a man who, though not seeking for, nor aspiring to, worldly honors, has lived among his family and neighbors as a quiet, honorable, Godfearing man, doing his work conscientiously, and achieving such success in business enterprises as any man might envy. It may be that for some of the hardihood of his nature he is indebted to his father, who possessed the stalwart qualities found in pioneers; but assuming this to be true, there still remain many admirable characteristics which could have been developed, it is believed, only through 'overcoming obstacles, and keeping ever in mind the goal to be reached.
Melvin I. Masterson is a well-known farmer of Leroy township, this county, who was born on February 24, 1872, at Oil City, Pennsylvania, son of William and Mary A. (Carter) Masterson, both natives of Venango county, Pennsylvania, where they grew up and married. William was per- mitted to acquire only a limited education, and was but a young man when he became a driller in the oil fields of his native state. Like so many other young men of his time, however, the West and its promise of opportunity attracted him with irresistible force, and in 1879 he came to Iowa and located in Greeley township, this county. He bought an eighty-acre tract from
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the railroad company and went to work to build a home. He gradually added to this land, as he prospered, until he had, in all, three hundred and twenty acres of as good land as there is in the county. Besides his agricul- tural activities, William Masterson raised many cattle and hogs. As a Republican, he held several township offices, and was a Mason, belonging to the lodge at Exira. Well known and respected, he died on November 18, 19II, at the age of sixty-eight. His wife died on July 13, 1901, aged fifty- three. One of the enterprises with which William Masterson's name is still connected is the Audubon County Telephone Company, which he helped to organize. The four children born to William and. Mary A. (Carter) Mas- terson were Melvin I., the subject of this sketch; Stella L., born on October 26, 1881, now Mrs. B. S. Huston, of Guthrie county, Iowa, and the mother of three children, Helen, Hubert and Lucile; Earl, April 18, 1884, died on October 17, 1900; Vida, April 25, 1889, married C. J. McCall, of Coon Rapids, Iowa.
Melvin I. Masterson attended the schools of Audubon county, and then for one year attended the Iowa Commercial College at Highland Park, On January 13, 1897, he was united in marriage to Flora A. Shoesmith, of North Branch, Iowa, daughter of James and Sarah J. (Lawhorn) Shoe- smith, the former a native of London, England, and the latter of Kentucky. James Shoesmith came to America with his parents when only five years of age, and was reared in Illinois. Later he went to Guthrie county, Iowa, being one of the pioneers of the section in which he located, and is still living at the age of seventy-six years. His wife passed away in 1895. They were the parents of six children, namely: William, a farmer at Hartman, Colorado; Reuben, a farmer at North Branch, Iowa; Fred, a ranchman at Nampha, Idaho; Flora A., the wife of Melvin I. Masterson; Arthur, a farmer at North Branch, Iowa, and Olive E., wife of Ernest Hawley, who died in 1903. To Melvin I. and Flora A. (Shoesmith) Masterson two chil- dren have been born, Harold O., born on November I, 1897, and Wynona M., May 7, 1905.
After his marriage, Melvin I. Masterson bought eighty acres of par- tially-improved land in Greeley township, this county, lived there for five years, and then sold it and removed to Guthrie county, where he bought three hundred and sixty acres and remained for eight years. Selling this property, he then bought two hundred and forty acres in section 35, Leroy township, this county, three miles south of Audubon, on which he now lives. He also owns two hundred and forty acres near Redfield, Spink county, South Dakota.
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Mr. and Mrs. Masterson now live in a splendid modern house, erected in 1911. All of its eleven rooms are lighted with electricity, and have fur- nace heat. The farm has had over nine thousand dollars' worth of improve- ments placed upon it. The barn, built in 1909, is fifty-six by sixty feet in dimensions. The hog-house, which is twenty by forty-eight feet, is equipped with a cement floor and running water. A modern ice-house is one of the latest additions to this attractive farm. Among the possessions of which Mr. Masterson is very proud are twenty-five head of registered Hereford cattle, as well as graded stock, and Poland-China hogs. He ships three car loads of live stock annually and has made a specialty of raising Belgian horses, the average number kept on the farm being twenty head. The splen- did condition in which this expert in agriculture has kept his farm, as well as his progressive policy of administration, are evidence of the fact that the owner lives a very busy life.
Mr. Masterson is a Republican and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Audubon. Socially they are very well known and highly esteemed, and their home is one of the most hospitable in the neighborhood.
HANS P. PETERSEN.
The following paragraph contains briefly the salient facts of the life of a plain, honest man of affairs, Hans P. Petersen, the proprietor of a well-known mercantile establishment at Exira, this county, who, by correct methods and a strict regard for the interests of his patrons, has made his influence felt in that section of Audubon county, having won for himself distinctive prestige in the business circles of this community. Hans P. Peter- sen would be the last man to become the subject of fulsome eulogy. Never- theless his life presents much that is interesting from the biographer's view- point, and which may be studied with profit by the young men whose careers are yet to be achieved, Mr. Petersen himself being a comparatively young man, whose integrity and strength of character call for public notice which his modesty never would seek. Mr. Petersen commands the respect of his. contemporaries and has left his individuality deeply stamped upon the com- munity in which he lives.
Hans P. Petersen was born in Denmark on December 16, 1871, the son of K. S. and Carrie (Sorenson) Petersen, both natives of that country, the latter of whom died in 1879 and the former in 1886. K. S. Petersen was
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HANS P. PETERSEN
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a farmer in Denmark and farmed there all his life. He served throughout the Danish-Prussian War in 1864. At the time the war broke out he was living near the Danish-Prussian border. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, seven of whom are now living, Peter K., Christena, Mar- garet, Soren, Hans P., Minnie and Chris. All of these children are living in America except Christena and Minnie, who still live in Denmark.
Hans P. Petersen attended school in Denmark until he was fifteen years old, after which he worked out as a farm hand, receiving a very small amount of money for wages, just about enough to clothe himself. In 1889 he came to America and located near Minden, Nebraska, on a farm. He worked there for ten dollars a month during the first summer and the fol- lowing summer he received thirteen dollars. After working there for a year and a half, he went to Shelby county, Iowa, and took a course in the Danish Lutheran College at Elkhorn. After completing that course, he engaged in the creamery business at West Hamlin, Iowa, where he worked for sixteen months, and then removed to Marne, Iowa, where he operated a creamery for a short time, after which he returned to West Hamlin and about one year later took charge of the Elkhorn creamery. Later, returning to West Hamlin, he managed the creamery there for three years and then took charge of the Audubon township creamery, of which he was manager until 1901. In that year he moved to Exira and engaged in the implement business with H. P. Hansen, being thus engaged for a year and a half, at the end of which time he bought one-third interest in the Hansen-Lohmer Company, dealers in general merchandise, and in February, 1910, took over the entire business. Mr. Petersen handles a complete line of general mer- chandise, occupying three storerooms on the north side of Washington street, at Exira, and has built up a large and flourishing business.
On December 7, 1895, Hans P. Petersen was married to Catherine Jessen, daughter of Peter A. and Maren (Jessen) Jessen, to which union three children have been born, Henry, Carrie and Milo, all of whom are living at home. Mrs. Petersen was born in Schleswig, Germany, and her parents also are natives of that country. They came to America in 1893 and after a time located in Audubon county, where they took up farming, which they followed until 1904, in which year they retired and moved to Exira. They are the parents of nine children, Jens, Peter, Marten, Chris, Mary, Katherine, Lena, Andrew and Nis.
Mr. and Mrs. Petersen and family are members of the Danish Luth- eran church. At one time Mr. Petersen served as councilman at Exira. He (28)
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is independent in politics, having lost all faith in the promises of political parties. Mr. Petersen believes in supporting men for what they are and for what they have done, rather than voting in a blind, partisan sense. Since coming to this country, Hans P. Petersen has worthily discharged his duties as an American citizen and has become a potent factor in the civic life of Exira township.
JASPER NORTHUP.
Jasper Northup is generally recognized as one of the energetic and well-known business men of Audubon county, who, by his enterprise and progressive methods, has contributed in a material way to the commercial advancement of the locality where he lives. In the course of an honorable career he has been successful in the manifold lines to which his efforts have been directed, and enjoying, as he does, distinct prestige among the repre- sentative business men of his community, it is proper that attention be called to his achievements and due credit be accorded to his worth as an enterpris- ing citizen of this great county.
Jasper Northup, a well-known building contractor of Audubon, Iowa, was born on March 18, 1873, in Johnson county, Nebraska. He is the soul of Nathan and Harriet (Sherlock) Northup, early settlers of Audubon county. Jasper Northup resided in Nebraska with his parents until 1877, and then came with them to Iowa county, Iowa. In 1882 he came to Audubon county and settled in Douglas township, where he was reared and attended school. Since his boyhood. Mr. Northup has worked at the brick- and stonemason's trade. He learned the trade early in life and in 1899 began contracting on his own account. In 1903 Mr. Northup went west and located in Nebraska. Here he followed construction and building for six years and worked principally in McCook, where he erected several brick business blocks. Mr. Northup also did extensive work in towns not far from McCook. In 1909 he was engaged in construction work in Denver and along the Pacific coast, in Washington and in Idaho. He returned to Iowa in the fall of 1912, and resumed his trade in this state. In the spring of 1914, Mr. Northup engaged in some construction work for Audubon county and is now engaged actively in the erection of concrete bridges.
Jasper Northup was married, June 7, 1892, to Elizabeth Quinn, of Johnson county, Iowa. To this happy union four children have been born, Edna, the wife of William Liberty, of Denver, Colorado. They have one
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child, Richard Francis; Roy is at home; Elsie is the wife of Benjamin Liberty, of Denver, Colorado, and they have one child; George lives at home.
Mr. Northup is identified with the Democratic party, but although he supports the candidate for the Democratic party in national politics, he is more or less independent in local affairs. Jasper Northup is a man who is well known in Audubon county. He is a progressive, wide-awake, up-to- date business man who believes in twentieth-century methods. He is genial in his manner and is highly esteemed by a large circle of friends and acquaintances.
WILLIAM A. CLARK.
Whatever may be their circumstances or conditions in life, the widow and children of a war veteran have a noble heritage which the wealth of a king cannot buy. The man who has made the supreme sacrifice, willingness to give his life for a great cause, and the woman who has shared the sorrow and the suffering necessary to such a sacrifice, have experienced an exaltation that only those capable of heroism can know or understand. He who has fought a single battle when that battle has been in the cause of right, is indeed, worthy of a crown of laurels. What, then, shall be the tribute worthy of the man who has offered his life in sixteen battles? Great and sublime must be the courage of the man who can say, not once, but many times. "If my country needs my life, here it is." The biographer regards it as an honor to record even briefly the chief events in the life of such a man, for in doing so, not only is that life commemorated but it is held up as an inspiration to high and patriotic endeavor.
William A. Clark was born in New Jersey on January 20, 1842, the son of John and Mary (Allen) Clark, who migrated to Illinois at an early date, and later made their home in Poiveshiek county, Iowa, where William A. Clark was living when, in 1861, he enlisted in Company F, Tenth Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry, at Victor, Iowa, for service in the Union army during the Civil War, and for three years and three months this young patriot saw service in the Army of the Cumberland. Many are the interest- ing stories Mr. Clark used to relate concerning the sixteen battles in which he took part, the most tragic of which was the battle of Vicksburg, where he had a narrow escape from death.
For a while after the war, William A. Clark located in Poweshiek
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county, Iowa, and then went with his family to Kansas, where they lived three years. The journey was made in a wagon drawn by oxen, and it required three weeks to cover the distance. Part of the worldly wealth which Mr. Clark transported West were several horses and six cows. Locat- ing in Republic county, the family were carrying out plans for a permanent home there when they were overtaken by a serious drought which drove them back to the state they had previously left. After living near Avoca, Iowa, for a period of five years, and in Carroll county for three years, Mr. Clark obtained eighty acres in Leroy township, this county, and here the family home has been established for the past thirty years. After his service in the war, the veteran chose farming as his occupation, and this engaged his attention the remainder of his life, during the last eleven years of which he was an invalid.
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