USA > Iowa > Audubon County > History of Audubon county, Iowa; its people, industries, and institutions > Part 61
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the fall of 1914 he sold out his stock of implements. John Nelson is well known in this section of the county as one of its most successful and substan- tial business men. He very thoroughly deserves his large trade and the liberal patronage of the people of Audubon county from the fact that he has been scrupulously honest in all of his dealings with the public.
John Nelson was married 1897 to Anna Marie Green, the daughter of Peter Green, and to this union six children have been born, Helene, Marga- retha, Oscar, Adolph, Fred and Marga. Margaretha died at the age of eleven years, and Marga died when young.
Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Nelson are members of the Danish Lutheran church, in which they take an active interest, and to the support of which they are liberal contributors. Mr. Nelson has long been interested in the fraternal circles of his home city. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons at Exira, and is also a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Danish Brotherhood, and in all of these fraternal organizations he has been prominent since he first became a member. In politics, Mr. Nelson is identified with the Democratic party, and has served as councilman of Exira, and also as a school director, and in both these positions he has discharged his duties to the entire satisfaction of the people of his community.
JORGEN H. JENSEN.
In a little town in Denmark there lived a lad whose ambition was not to be bounded by the village, nor even the country, where he had happened to be born. It is seldom that we find a lad of fifteen self-reliant enough to begin his career in the industrial world, but force of circumstances presses rather heavily on some lives, and the response is necessarily a giving up of personal wishes for the sake of mere physical existence. While we sympathize with the youth thus apparently handicapped by early disadvantages, we must at the same time, admire him, for he who can carve a destiny out of deprivation, must have mettle of an enduring quality, and it is of such material that good citizenship is made.
Jorgen H. Jensen was born in Grindsted Jylland, September 7, 1862. He was the son of Chris H. and Magdalena ( Haahr) Jensen, both residents of Denmark. The elder Jensen was a farmer and died in 1876, when he was forty-eight years of age. The wife came to America in 1893 with her chil-
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dren, and lived with them until her death, January 1, 1910, at the age of seventy-one. They both belonged to the Lutheran church. Six children were born in this household, being, in the order of their birth, as follow : Jens, living in Denmark; Jorgen H., the subject of this sketch; Lawrence, a farmer in Coon Rapids, lowa; Nels, a farmer of Sharon township, this county; Knud, who died while living in Denmark, and Hans, a farmer of Alton, Minnesota.
Only a meager common school education was possible to Jorgen, owing to the early death of his father, and beginning at the tender age of fifteen years, he worked out at farming until his twenty-seventh year, helping his brothers and sisters in the care of their mother. After he and his brother, Lawrence, landed in America at New York city, they continued their journey until they arrived at Marne, Iowa, being attracted to that state by the fact that they had relatives in Shelby county. After living here for about a year, Jorgen purchased eighty acres of wild prairie land in Sharon township, and became a citizen of the United States.
On June 5, 1890, Jorgen H. Jensen was married to Hermena Hermansen, a native of Denmark, and the daughter of Chris and Anna (Jensen) Herman- sen. The father, who is a carpenter, is still living, but the mother has passed away. Their children were as follow: Marion, of Denmark; Catherine, of Chicago; Hermena (Mrs. Jensen) ; Anna, also of Chicago; Herman, a Cali- fornia carpenter ; Jens, a carpenter of Audubon, and Jensena, who still lives in Denmark.
Selling out his property in Sharon township in 1901, Mr. Jensen bought two hundred and eighty acres of land in Douglas township, and lived here until 1910. Again disposing of one hundred and twenty acres, he bought four hundred acres in Leroy township, known as the Owen Davis place, and this farm became the family home. Many valuable improvements have been added. He sold one hundred acres to his son, Chris, who put up a good, substantial building on it. Mr. Jensen has been successful in raising Short- horn cattle, and a good quality of Aberdeen-Angus cattle of which he aver- ages from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five a year. Besides his cattle. Mr. Jensen sells about two hundred head of Duroc-Jersey hogs annually, and many fine Belgian horses. For his cattle and other stock it is necessary to buy feed, besides the one hundred acres of corn which he raises. Having always been fond of farm work and farm life, he has never attempted activi- ties of any other kind.
Out of his busy life, Mr. Jensen has managed to spare the time for civic duties, for he was at one time school director of Douglas township. His own
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children have all been educated in the local schools. Chris, the eldest son, attended the Danish school at Blair, Nebraska. He married Anna Hansen and now lives in Leroy township. The second child is Annie, who married Soren N. Smith, of Douglas township, and they have two children, Herman and Lucile. Other children were Ida, Ejner, Smil, Esther, Martha, Sarah and Dina. Besides these, there were two children who died while young, Nick and Nick, Jr.
Mr. Jensen has always adhered to the principles of the Republican party. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church. Although the wife has seemed to occupy an inconspicuous place in this record, she has had much to do with the success of her husband's enterprises and her children's educa- tion. In fact she has seconded their efforts to such an extent that through her devotion, their work has been lightened, and their achievements have been increased. Willing to share the trials and cares of the pioneer's life, she was content if she could but minister to the needs of her family, and when success came, she could share that, too, in a quiet, womanly way, happy in the thought that it had come through their own efforts. No family is better known or more respected in the vicinity in which they live, and the esteem in which they are held is richly merited.
MAHLON BOYD.
The life of the man we are now to consider is another illustration of the truth that our ultimate destiny, as far as this world's affairs are concerned, is determined, not so much by what we have, as by what we are. To some natures, difficulty becomes the strongest kind of incentive, and such men, instead of swimming with the tide of adversity, a process which leads to defeat, oppose untoward conditions so strongly that victory is the only pos- sible outcome. The lives of these, when they are also characterized by integ- rity, as in the present case, become an inspiration to others in the struggle for existence, for they place the emphasis upon self-reliance, and thus tend to strengthen both will-power and faith. In these days of comparatively small families, it is perhaps natural for us to wonder how a boy who was one of a brood of twelve, could overcome the limitations of his early environment to such an extent as to attain prominence by the time he had reached middle life. When Mahlon Boyd was a boy, fortunes were neither easily nor quickly made, and his father's only wealth was what he could wrest from the soil. Although it is possible here only to outline the facts of his life, these are sufficient to elicit our respect and admiration.
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Mahlon Boyd was born on December 21, 1850, in Muskingum county, Ohio, being the son of S. W. and Zylphia ( Bates) Boyd. The father's birth- place was the same county, while his wife came from Harrison county, Ohio. S. W. Boyd was born on February 1, 1829. Only a common school education was possible to him, and the only occupation open in that vicinity was farm- ing, so we find him tilling the soil of his native county until his thirty-fifth year, when he drove over to Jasper county with an ox-team, bought some uncultivated land, cleared it and made a home for himself and family, living here for many years. His wife, who was born on June 27, 1829, lived until April 20, 1905, her death following his by two years. Both died at Colfax, Iowa. As a Republican, he held public office, and both he and Mrs. Boyd were ardent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Their children were twelve in number, namely : Lewis Henry, deceased; Mahlon, the subject of this biography; John, of Jasper county, Iowa; Charity of Colfax, Iowa; Uriah H., deceased; Harvey, who is a retired farmer of Colfax; Phoebe, now Mrs. Henry Petcock, who lives near Lake Preston, South Dakota; Charley, of Jasper county; Frank, living in South Dakota; George, of Col- fax; Jess, of Newton, Iowa; and Edward, also of Colfax.
As his boys grew up, the family required their work on the farm, and this accounts for the meager education that Mahlon received. He did not, however, leave home until after his twenty-fourth year. On April 18, of the following year, he was married to Jennie Poulson, of New Athens, Ohio, daughter of James and Asenath (Spray) Poulson, the former being a native of Harrison county, Ohio, and the latter of Athens county, the same state. In 1868, Mr. and Mrs. Poulson took up life on a farm near Colfax, and lived there most of their lives. Mr. Poulson died on June 8, 1903, in Warren county, and Mrs. Poulson died on January 13, 1907, in Madison county. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Poulson were as follow: William, who was a farmer in Jasper county until 1902, when he went to Warren county, and later to Madison county, where he now lives among his relatives ; John, of Altoona, Iowa; Oscar, who died on July 29, 1914; Jennie, Mrs. Boyd; Emmett, of Hanley, Iowa; May Grace, deceased ; and a daughter who died in infancy.
Mahlon Boyd lived in Jasper county until 1881, when he moved to Audu- bon county, buying eighty acres of land in Sharon township on the ridge road in section 13. At the time of the purchase the property was all prairie land. but it soon took on a different appearance under the guiding hand of a man who understood farming and who also was fond of beauty, for he planted many trees and raised many others from seed. Mr. Boyd has always engaged in general farming, besides raising a splendid grade of draft horses, Poland China hogs and a great many fine chickens.
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Mr. and Mrs. Boyd have but one daughter, Mrs. E. F. Johnson, whose husband is county supervisor of Audubon county, and is mentioned elsewhere in this volume.
Mrs. Boyd is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Boyd has always adhered to the principles of the Republican party. Although he gives most of his time to his farming interests, he keeps up with the world events, and always can give attention to the claims of friendship. He is an embodiment of the maxim that in order to have friends, one must be one. It is because Mr. and Mrs. Boyd are friends that they have many, and they are now not only reaping the harvest of their years of toil, but are enjoy- ing the society of a large circle of friends who appreciate their worth. So cordial is their greeting and so hospitable their home, that even the stranger feels the warmth of their welcome. They are known and respected for many miles around their home, and their lives are characterized by integrity and devotion to duty.
HORACE WERT DUVALL.
Well-defined purpose and consecutive effort in the affairs of life will certainly result in success. In following the career of one who has attained success by his own efforts, there comes into view the intrinsic individuality which made such an accomplishment possible and thus grants an incentive and inspiration. At the same time, there is enkindled a feeling of respect and admiration. The qualities which have made Horace W. Duvall one of the prominent and successful farmers of Melville township, Audubon county, Iowa, have' also brought to him the esteem of his fellow, citizens. His career has been one of well-directed energy, strong determination and honor- able methods.
Horace W. Duvall was born on June 22, 1857, in Washington county, Iowa. He is the son of Jefferson and Mary (Brown) Duvall, both natives of Ohio. They were married in that state and came to Washington county, Iowa, driving overland in 1849. Jefferson Duvall was a farmer during his life in Washington county, Iowa, and there died. Jefferson and Mary Duvall had ten children, William, Reeves, Horace W., A. I., Frank, Ella and Emma, twins ; Kate, James, who died in infancy, and Edward.
Horace W. Duvall was educated in the common schools of Washington county, Iowa. After having completed his education, he took up farming in Washington county and remained there one year when he moved to Calhoun
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county, where he lived for one year. He moved to Audubon county in 1880, locating in Greeley township. Subsequently, he moved to Cameron township and then to Melville township, where he now lives. Mr. Duvall owns five hundred and eighty acres of land in Melville township and is engaged in extensive general farming. He is one of the best known men in Melville township and has been one of its most successful farmers. He is acquainted with all of the modern aspects of farming and follows only the most pro- gressive methods.
Horace W. Duvall was married on February 5 , 1878, to Eliza Waddell, the daughter of William and Louise (DeLong) Waddell. Her parents came from Ohio to Washington county, Iowa, and lived there all of their lives.
To Mr. and Mrs. Horace W. Duvall, seven children have been born, Carrie, Ralph, Frank, Ray, Charles, Mary and Lester. All are now living except Carrie. Ralph married Blanche Farnham and has one child, Edna Fay; Frank married Bertha Griffin and has one child, Harlan Sheldon; Ray married Bessie Olson and has one child, Dwight Leverne; Charles married Elsie Blunt and has one child, Ethel Irene.
Mr. Duvall is an ardent Republican. He has served as trustee of Mel- ville township, also as school director and road supervisor. He has dis- charged the duties of all of these offices in a creditable manner and has won for himself the commendation and praise of the people of this township. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Duvall and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
JORGEN HARTVIGSEN.
One reason for the splendid, well-kept appearance of the farms of this county is the fact that the majority of them have been cultivated by a thrifty, honest, hard-working people who came from Denmark. Whatever their work or occupation, it seems to be characterized by painstaking care. It is little wonder, then, that the region where they have chosen to make their homes is composed of land that is now productive and valuable, although it was once open prairie, marsh or timber land. He who causes an undeveloped resource to become both beautiful and useful is a benefactor to the human race, however obscure his life and activities may be. It is doubtful if any- one has done more towards the cultivation of at least a part of Sharon town- ship than the man whose name heads this review.
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Jorgen Hartvigsen, like so many of his neighbors, started life with little more than health, courage and the ability to do hard work, and like them, also, he is now enjoying the reward of his labors in the possession of a beautiful and attractive home, a family of beloved children, the respect of the com- munity, and a wide circle of friends. He was born in Harsen, Denmark, on January 1, 1853. His parents, who lived and died in that country, were Hartvig and Marie Jorgensen, both of whom were adherents of the Lutheran faith. The former all of his life engaged in agricultural pursuits. Of their eleven children, only four are living, and of these, the subject of this sketch is the only one who migrated to America. He came to this country in 1881, when he was in his twenty-eighth year. His education was that of the aver- age farmer boy, being what the common schools of his country had to offer, but, his wise parents supplemented this by practical training on the farm which enabled him to make his living by working by the month until he came to this country. He located first in Story county, Iowa, but later removed to Audubon county, after two and one-half years residence there he bought land in section 23 Sharon township. He has been successful enough to be able to increase his holdings until he now has two hundred and sixty acres, all improved, and a beautiful and well-equipped home. Prosperity is every- where apparent about the country place of this ambitious farmer.
The marriage of Jorgen Hartvigsen took place in Sharon township, on July 29, 1886, to Botilda Andrea Kallisen, who came to America from Den- mark in 1882. During the years that it was necessary to work hard and economize, the efforts of Mr. Hartvigsen were seconded by his good wife, and much of their present success is due to her management and thrift.
As a farmer and stock raiser, Mr. Hartvigsen has for years made a specialty of good breeds of stock, having several Belgian draft horses and from fourteen to sixteen head of milch cows, and a number of Duroc-Jersey hogs.
The nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hartvigsen are as follow : Mary married Christ Uhl, a farmer of this township; Clara married Peter Andersen, of Centerville, South Dakota; Palma married Charles Sorensen, of Oakfield township, this county: Viderick and Myrtle, who live at home; Solvejg and Hartvig (twins) ; Ediel and Viderick, the latter deceased
Mr. Hartvigsen has served his community faithfully and well as a school director, and votes the Democratic ticket. Both he and his wife are members of the Danish Lutheran church in Kimballton, Iowa. They are interested in the affairs of their town and county, and are every ready to co-operate in movements for the betterment of the state in which they live.
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AUGUST SCHRADER.
Germany has contributed much to the agricultural interests of Iowa, for from that country has come many of her sons who, in becoming successful farmers, have added much to the wealth and prestige of the country of their adoption. One cannot but admire the ambition which drove August Schrader, now a well-known retired farmer of Audubon county, when a young man still in his teens, to the United States, where he has become a prominent and much esteemed citizen.
August Schrader was born on February 20, 1850, in Pommern, Ger- many, son of August and Wilhelmina (Carl) Schrader, who grew up and married in the town which became the birthplace of their children. The father was a tailor, and after his death, in 1864, the wife and her five children came to America, this journey, which was to change the direction of their whole lives, taking place in 1869. Having three brothers in Poweshiek county, the widow took her little brood there, and for a while, worked for one of her brothers. In later years, she made her home with her oldest son, William, where she died in the year 1875. She brought her children up in the faith of the Lutheran church. Besides William and August, the subject of this biography, there were in the family Albert, now a retired farmer in Guernsey, Iowa; Herman, also a retired farmer living in the same town, and Henry, who was killed by lightning in Poweshiek county.
In keeping with the strict educational customs of Germany, Mr. Schrader, Sr., educated his children in the common schools, and August was kept in school as long as he could be spared from work to help support the family. When he reached his nineteenth year, his mother, who by this time had become a widow, accompanied him and her other children to this country, and then began the struggle with the realities of life. For five years, he worked out by the month.
On September 19, 1875, August Schrader was married to Henrietta Possehn, daughter of William and Wilhelmina (Limp) Possehn, of Posen, Germany. Coming to America the same year that Mrs. Schrader and her fatherless children came, this family located in Keokuk county, Iowa, where the father engaged in farming. He died in 1882, while his wife lived until 19II. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Schrader were as follow: Augusta, who married William Neitzel, of Wilcox, Canada ; Emma, the deceased wife of William Schrader, brother of the subject of this sketch ; Othelia, now Mrs. Edward Border of Benton county, Iowa, and Amos whose present home is east of Audubon, Iowa. Mrs. Schrader was the first-born of this family.
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After his marriage, Mr. Schrader bought ninety-two acres of farm land in Iowa county, Iowa, and lived there ten years, placing valuable improve- ments on it. He sold out in 1885 and removed his family to Poweshiek county. Purchasing eighty acres he resided there for seven years, when he again changed his residence, this time to Cameron township, Audubon county, where he became the owner of one hundred and sixty acres. Having been successful in his agricultural enterprises, in 1913, he was able to retire from active work, and move to Audubon, Iowa, for permanent residence. About six thousand dollars worth of improvements were put upon his farm, where besides engaging in general farming, he raised Duroc-Jersey and Poland China hogs, Shorthorn cattle and draft horses.
In political affiliation, Mr. Schrader is a Republican, and served for six years as school director, filling that position with credit to himself and to the office which he held. Both Mr. and Mrs. Schrader are members of the Lutheran church, and their lives are closely identified with the history of the county which has been their home for several years.
They have always been deeply interested in the welfare of their four children. Their eldest daughter, Emma, became the wife of Albert Fancher on December 29, 1897. Albert Fancher was born on February 20, 1875, in Keokuk county, Iowa, the son of Richard and Nancy (Marshall) Fancher, the former, a native of Washington county, the latter of Fulton county, Illi- nois. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Fancher lived in Keokuk county until 1882, they then moved to Audubon county, where they located in Cameron town- ship. The father of Albert Fancher died in 1912, his wife having passed away eleven years previously. All of his life he was a farmer. Albert, the son, engaged in farming in Cameron township, this county, until 1914, when he built his present home in the eastern part of Audubon. He has never aspired to public office, and has given all of his time to farming and stock raising. He has been successful in raising Clydesdale horses, Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs.
The second child born to Mr. and Mrs. Schrader is Henry, also a farmer in this county, Cameron township. He married Augusta Horning. William, who died in 1902, at the age of twenty-one, married Mabel Johnson; Harry, another son, is farming on the land in Cameron township which belongs to his father. He is married to Anna Diest. Walter, the youngest, is a farmer in Viola township, this county, and married Mary Hayden.
Coming down still another generation, we learn that Mr. and Mrs. Schrader have five grandchildren, namely: Dale and Burnice, children of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Schrader; William Schrader, who is named for his father ;
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Dorothea, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Schrader, and Ariel, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Schrader.
Success has not easily come to Mr. and Mrs. Schrader. It seldom comes that way. But having cost effort and sacrifice, they are all the more apprecia- tive, and are ready to share its pleasures and benefits with others less fortu- nate. Their home is a factor for helpfulness in the community in which it is located.
GEORGE A. FOLEY.
So accustomed are we to finding power of sustained effort in the career of every man who has risen above the common level, that the necessity for such a characteristic in this type of citizen has become a truism. It is not possible here to analyze the nature of this quality so essential to success, but two elements are at once obvious and so necessary as to be indispensable. These are perseverance and directive ability. It is not power of incessant work alone that most often 'brings success, but rather is it this virtue combined with executive faculty, and the combination is always found in the prosperous, self-made man. No less is this true of the occupation of farming than of other occupations or professions.
The above characterization is apt in a marked degree in the consideration of the life of George A. Foley, whose fame as a farmer and stock raiser is not limited to the confines of his own county, where he lives on a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres, one and one-third miles east of Audubon on the county road.
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