USA > Iowa > Audubon County > History of Audubon county, Iowa; its people, industries, and institutions > Part 77
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pany. Subsequently he worked two years in Milwaukee, and was then employed by the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railway Company for two years. Since that time he has been employed by the Chicago & Northwestern. Mr. Humiston has been heavily interested for several years in farming lands in Iowa. In 1899 Mr. Humiston purchased three hun- dred and twenty acres of land, which he sold in 1913, realizing handsomely on his real estate transaction.
Jesse A. Humiston was married in September, 1888, to Emma Scott, of Cedar Rapids, the daughter of William H. Scott.
Mr. Humiston is an adherent of the Republican party, but his business interests have prevented his taking a very active part in political matters. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias. He and his wife are devoted members of the Presbyterian church, and active in the work of this de- nomination.
CHARLES R. WILSON.
Audubon county owes much to the gentleman whose name appears above for the great interest he has shown in improving the strain of horse-flesh in this section and the reader will be interested in knowing something in detail of the life of this prominent and enterprising Greeley township farmer.
Charles R. Wilson was born in Vinton county, Ohio, February 17, 1850, the son of Thomas and Sarah (Robbins) Wilson, both of whom also were natives of Ohio, the former a son of John Wilson, a Virginian, and the latter a daughter of Charles Robbins, a New Yorker, both members of Colonial families, who moved to Missouri in 1857. Thomas Wilson was one of that glorious band who freely laid down their lives for the preser- vation of the Union in the sixties, he having been killed in the battle of Chillicothe, Missouri, February 8, 1862. His brother, Creighton, was killed in the battle of Champion Hill, in August, 1864, and his brother, George, received a severe wound at the siege of Atlanta, all having been gallant soldiers of the Union.
Charles R. Wilson was one of a family of eleven children and remained at home until he was fifteen years of age. His mother having remarried, Charles R. started out "on his own" and was apprenticed to learn the har- ness and saddlers' trade, but did not complete this apprenticeship and worked at odd jobs for seven years, at the end of which time he married and rented a farm in Missouri, working there one year. In 1874 he came to this county,
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renting a farm near Exira, on which he lived for five years, at the end of which time he bought eighty acres of land in section 23, of Greeley township. At the time he began to break this virgin land he had twenty-three dollars and thirty-five cents in cash, a team of horses and a wagon, but he and his wife had stout hearts and willing hands and they presently had a comfortable home. As they prospered they added to their holdings and now own two hundred acres of as good land as lies in Greeley township, all of which is well improved and under a high state of cultivation. Mr. Wilson has given much attention to the breeding of full-blooded stock and is one of the county's heaviest breeders of Percheron horses, possessing two stallions of this breed which are as fine horses as any in the county, his "Francis Javan" having won a first and a second premium at the county fair. He also makes a specialty of pure-bred, registered Shorthorn cattle and has done much toward improving the breed of stock in this part of the state.
On September 4, 1873, Charles R. Wilson was united in marriage to Florinda Campbell, of Sullivan county, Missouri, daughter of James M. and Marguerite (Sorter) Campbell, natives of Pennsylvania and New York, respectively, the former of whom was born at Meadville and the latter at Friendship. James M. Campbell was a miller and came to Iowa in 1845, moving, in 1851, to Missouri, where he operated a mill, and during the Civil War was captain of the local company of "home guards," a man of fine deportment and of large influence in the community in which he lived.
To Charles R. and Florinda (Campbell) Wilson have been born eight children: Ora I., born on August 18, 1875, who married Nellie Albert (now deceased), of Lemon, South Dakota; Almira, May 9, 1878, married W. E. Trent, and has two children, Florinda and Forrest; Norval J., December 28, 1879, attended Highland Park College, at Des Moines, Iowa, was township assessor of Greeley township for two years and is now a homesteader in Colorado; George L., February 10, 1882, married Mae Picking and has one child, a daughter, Helen F .; Phoebe J., January 14, 1884, married Fred A. Eckert and has four children, Leonard, Robert, Carl and Fern; Carlos, September 27, 1887, married Nellie Duvall and has four children, Vernon, Ruby, Wilma and Beuna; Claus C., February 22, 1893, lives at home ; and Doleta, September 30, 1895, was graduated from Dennison College and is teaching school in Greeley township. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson also reared a granddaughter, Golda, born on September 25. 1894, who was graduated from Dennison College and also is a teacher in the schools of Greeley town- ship.
The Wilsons are supporters of the Christian ( Campbellite ) church and
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are active in all good works of their neighborhood. Mr. Wilson is a Republican and is warmly interested in the political affairs of the county, but never has been included in the office-seeking class, being content to give the best of his time and attention to his own large private interest. He and Mrs. Wilson are leaders in the social life of their neighborhood and are held in the highest esteem by a very large circle of friends and acquaintances.
CHRISTEN HANSEN.
The proud owner of a splendid farm of two hundred and twenty acres in Sharon township, Audubon county, Iowa, Christen Hansen, was born in Denmark, December 16, 1864, and is a son of Hans Christen and Anna Hansen, both native citizens of Denmark, where the former was a wagon- maker by trade, which he followed until his death. His wife, the mother of Christen Hansen, is still living in their native country. Christen is the only child born to his parents.
After being educated in the public schools of his native land, Mr. Hansen engaged in farming and worked on various farms until he arrived at the age of nineteen, when he came to America, and located in Sharon township, Audubon county. Here he worked as a farm hand for four years, and then purchased eighty acres of land, upon which he is now living, for which he paid eighteen dollars and a half an acre. From time to time he has added to his original land holdings until he is now the owner of two hundred and twenty acres, which is devoted to general farming and where he raises on an average of seventy-five acres of corn each year, and has a yield of fifty bushels to the acre. He also raises some seventy acres of small grain each year; feeds seventy head of hogs and several head of cattle for the markets annually. Mr. Hansen has invested, approximately, seventy-five hundred dollars in improvements upon his farm.
In 1888, Christen Hansen was married to Sine Ericksen, the daughter of Alexander Ericksen, and to this union have been born four children, Henry, Albert, Martin and Lawrence, all of whom are unmarried and living at home, with the exception of Henry, who married Sophia Larson, and they have one child, Wilma.
Mr. and Mrs. Hansen and family are members of the Seventh Day Adventist church, in which Mr. Hansen has served as trustee. A Repub- lican in politics, he has also served as trustee of Sharon township, and as a school director in this township.
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Christen Hansen enjoys the respect of his neighbors and the confidence of all the people of Sharon township, where he is well known and where he is popular. Here he is known as an enterprising and successful farmer, a worthy citizen of this great county and of his adopted country.
J. HENRY BAKER. .
J. Henry Baker, one of the old residents of Audubon township, and, one of the early settlers of Audubon county, where he has long been engaged in farming, was born on August 25, 1850, in Missouri, the son of Henry and Mary A. Baker, natives of Westfall, Germany. His parents were married in Germany and after coming to the United States about 1848, set- tled in the state of Missouri. About 1851, when J. Henry Baker was a years old, bought forty acres of land in section 4, Audubon township. They Illinois, and still later to Hancock county, Illinois. In 1869 they came to Audubon county, arriving here November 8, of that year. The father and the son, J. Henry, the subject of this sketch, who at that time was nineteen years old, bought forty acres of land in section 4, Audubon township. They built a house, fourteen by sixteen feet, of rough lumber and consisting of two rooms. This house was situated across the creek, northwest of Mr. Baker's present home. Here the family lived until the parents died and after their death, Mr. Baker built his present home. When he purchased the land, it was raw prairie and the nearest neighbor was three miles away. During all these years Mr. Baker has made many improvements on this farm. He is engaged in general farming and stock raising and keeps only the very best quality of live stock. He milks about six head of cows. He has added to his land and now has one hundred and twenty acres. Mr. Baker's father lived to be ninety-five years old and is well remembered by the citizens of this township for his many sterling qualities.
J. Henry Baker was married at the age of twenty-seven, March 1, 1877, in Quincy, Adams county, Illinois, to Mary K. Vanholt, who was born in Adams county, Illinois, March 1, 1860, and who, after rearing a family of three sons, passed away on January 4, 1915. During her life she was a devoted wife and a loving mother and did much in behalf of her hus- band's success. Mrs. Baker's parents were Henry and Louise ( Clark ) Van- holt, who were born in Germany, and who came to the United States in 1859. The three children born to Mr. and Mrs. J. Henry Baker are: John
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J. HENRY BAKER AND FAMILY
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W., born on January 20, 1879; Charles A., July 4, 1883, and Louis A., December 13, 1893. John W. and Louis A. live with Mr. Baker on the home place. Charles A. is farming for himself.
Mr. Baker is a Republican in politics, but has never held office, except that of road supervisor, an office which he filled for four years. The Baker family are members of the Christian church. Mr. Baker and his wife were charter members of the Audubon township church. Mrs. Baker was an earnest Christian and, during her entire life, took an active part in the work of the church.
An honorable citizen of Audubon township, J. Henry Baker has many friends in this section of Audubon county. He is a man of genial manners and affable by nature. Mr. Baker has a comfortable income from the farin and enjoys the satisfaction of knowing that his career as a farmer has been successful. He is a man of most sterling character, upright and honorable in all the relations of life.
REV. ALFRED H. DELETZKE.
Rev. Alfred H. Deletzke, pastor of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran church, of Grant township, Guthrie county, for the past five years, has had a most interesting career. It is a career which has been filled with service of a most lasting and important kind. Highly educated for the ministerial profession, Reverend Deletzke having consecrated his life to the spread of the gospel, has worked unceasingly in the Master's vineyard and of his work it may be truly said that it has not been in vain. He has ministered to many people and, without exception, has brought into their lives the example of a noble-minded, self-denying and self-sacrificing Christian gentleman.
Alfred H. Deletzke was born on February 24, 1869, in Dodge county, Wisconsin, the son of Henry and Emily (Hensel) Deletzke, natives of the province of Posen, Germany. They were farmers in their native land and came to the United States in 1867 or 1868, and were married in Dodge county, Wisconsin. At that time the father worked in the iron smelting factories of Iron Ridge. In the spring of 1871 he purchased a timber farm in Shawano county, Wisconsin, where he and his wife lived until their deaths. They were the parents of five children: Alfred H., Hulda, Clara, Theodore and Amanda.
(51)
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After living at home until he was fourteen years old, and attending the common schools until that age, Alfred H. Deletzke went to Wittenberg, Wisconsin, where he studied the classical languages. Subsequently, he set- tled in Milwaukee for three years, and in 1887 he went to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he attended Concordia College, being graduated with the class of 1889. After leaving Fort Wayne, he went to St. Louis, Missouri, where he studied for three years in Concordia Seminary, being graduated there with the class of 1892.
After completing his classical and religious education and training, Rev. Alfred H. Deletzke accepted a call as a missionary in McCook and sur- rounding counties of western Nebraska. After being stationed there almost three years, he was called to Spencer, Iowa, where he served as a mission- ary and also had a small congregation. From Spencer, Iowa, where he remained for seven and one-half years, he was called to the vicinity of Ft. Dodge, Iowa, where he was pastor of a congregation for another seven and one-half years. Rev. Deletzke then became superintendent of the orphans' asylum at Ft. Dodge and in that capacity, traveled over the entire state of Iowa in search of homes for children. After filling that office for two years, he was called to his present field, the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran church, of Grant township. Guthrie county, Iowa. This church is located on the Audubon-Guthrie county line. Reverend Deletzke accepted the call in May, 1910, and has filled the pulpit of this church since that time. He is an eloquent preacher and a pastor who is popular with his congregation.
On May 15, 1894, Alfred H. Deletzke was married, in Nebraska, to Emma Grovert, who was born on January 29, 1876, in Benton county, Iowa, and who is a daughter of Henry and Ernestine (Ferch) Grovert. They were natives of Germany, the former of Holstein and the latter of Posen, who came to the United States in 1868, and located in Davenport, Iowa. Later they moved to Benton county, Iowa, and in 1888 moved to Nebraska, where they purchased land in Hitchcock county, near Trenton. Here they still live.
Rev. Alfred H. Deletzke and wife have had seven children, namely : Alfred, born on July 19, 1895; Ada, August 24, 1897; Elsie, August II, 1899; Florence, June 20, 1902; Thelma, October 5, 1904; Norman, August 5, 1908; and Irma, October 1, 1912. The first three children were born at Spencer, Iowa, the next three at Ft. Dodge and the youngest in Audubon county.
Although Rev. Deletzke is a Republican in politics, he has never held office nor has he ever aspired to office. Nevertheless, he takes an active
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interest in public affairs and is considered a wise and efficient counsellor on public questions. He is well informed on political and social questions and has been especially helpful in developing a better community spirit in this section of the state.
JAMES F. EGAN.
In Greeley township, this county, there live two brothers, the Egans, James F. and George, a biographical sketch of the latter of whom the reader will find presented elsewhere in these pages. Few men in that part of the county are better known or more deservedly popular than these brothers and it is a pleasure for the biographer to set out here the biography of the first named, a progressive and industrious farmer of Greeley township.
James F. Egan was born on a farm just west of Iowa City, in Johnson county, Iowa, January 28, 1868, the son of Thomas and Catherine ( McTyge) Egan, natives of Ireland, the former of whom was born in County Cork and the latter in County Mayo. Thomas Egan was a mere lad when he came to America and he grew up to the life of a farmer in the state of New Jersey, where he married Catherine McTyge, and in the year 1860 came to Iowa, locating in Johnson county, where he bought land and where he remained until 1880, in which year he sold out and moved to Shelby county, and in 1883, to Audubon county, where for a year he rented land, at the end of which time he moved to Holt county, Nebraska, where he entered a claim on which he lived for six years. Selling out there in 1889, he came back to Audubon county and bought eighty acres in section 10, of Greeley town- ship, spending his last days there, his death occurring on April 7, 1906. Thomas and Catherine (McTyge) Egan were the parents of seven children, whose names are set out in the sketch of George Egan, presented elsewhere in this volume.
James F. Egan received a district-school education and remained on the parental farm until he reached his majority, after which, for two years, he "worked out" on neighboring farms, at the end of which time he rented a farm in Guthrie county, on the Audubon-Guthrie county line, on which he remained for twelve years. In the spring of 1902 he bought one hundred and twenty acres in section II, of Greeley township, this county, on which he since has made his home. He remodeled the dwelling house on this farm and has built two large barns and other outbuildings to correspond, his place being very well kept.
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On September 12, 1892, James F. Egan was united in marriage to Ce- vilia Snyder, of Exira, who was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania,. January 12, 1870, the daughter of William and Sarah (Adams) Snyder, also natives of Pennsylvania, the former of whom was born in Lehigh county and the latter in Berks county, who located in Polk county, Iowa, in 1877, and moved from there to Audubon county in 1885.
To James F. and Cevilia (Snyder) Egan have been born three children, namely: Eva, born on June 10, 1893, who married Charles Kopeska and has three children, Violet, Olive and Albert; Julia, November 8, 1898; and James F., Jr., March 18, 1904. Mr. Egan is a member of the Catholic church and Mrs. Egan is a member of the Evangelical church. He is a Democrat, was constable for two terms and has been school director for seven terms. The Egans are well known and popular in their home com- munity and are held in high esteem by a large circle of acquaintances.
FREW HAYS.
One of the best-improved and most productive farms in Greeley town- ship, this county, is that of the gentleman whose name the reader notes above, a farm which he has converted from the virgin prairie to a highly-cultivated tract on which is situated a fine home and commodious farm buildings, one of the model farms of the neighborhood in which it is located.
Frew Hays was born in Rock Island county, Illinois, December 1, 1854, the son of Frew and Mary (Robbins) Hays, natives of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, farming people and the parents of nine children, of whom Frew, Jr., was the youngest. The senior Hays died in the year in which his youngest son was born, and the latter lived with his mother until he was married. In 1876 the widowed mother came to Audubon county, where her son, Samuel, previously had located, and later moved to Guthrie county, her home being on the Audubon-Guthrie line.
Following his marriage in 1875, Frew Hays rented a farm in Rock Island county, Illinois, on which he made his home until 1879, in which year he moved to Audubon county, arriving here the latter part of January, he some years previously having bought a farm of eighty acres of railroad land on section 13, of Greeley township, paying for the same eight dollars an acre. On this farm he established his home, his first dwelling house being a build- ing eighteen by twenty-two feet, divided into three rooms, his barn being
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but a straw shed. On this farm Mr. Hays prospered from the very beginning and he presently added to his holdings by the purchase of a tract of one hundred and sixty acres adjoining. In 1899 he built a large house and in 1904 built a commodious barn, the outbuildings of the place corresponding, and now he has one of the best-improved farms in Greeley township and is accounted well-to-do. He is active and energetic and deserves all the . success which has come to him.
On December 8, 1875, at Muscatine, Iowa, Frew Hays was united in marriage with Louesa M. Reed, who was born in Mercer county, Illinois, the daughter of Leonidas V. and Elizabeth (Thur) Reed, natives, respec- tively, of North Carolina and of Germany. To this union nine children were born, eight of whom are still living: Loro M., who married Oscar Miller, of Greeley township, this county, and has three children, Olive, Winnie and Iva; Jennie L., who married John Shoesmith and has two children, Ronald and Velma May; Nina B., who married William Alt and has two children, Ruth and Raymond; Mary lives at home; Lennie, who married George Alt and has three children, Harley, Gilbert and Mainard; F. Lee, who married Nellie Noe; and Alburtis and Winnie, who live at home. Emma died at the tender age of ten years.
The Hays family are all members of the Baptist church, and are actively interested in the good work of the community and are held in the highest regard by a large circle of friends and acquaintances. Mr. Hays is a Demo- crat, but apart from exercising his right of franchise takes little interest in politics. He is a substantial farmer, a good citizen, an excellent neighbor and naturally enough has the full confidence of his community.
NATHANIEL TURNER.
Greeley township, this county, mainly is occupied by the original set- tlers therein, the men who broke the virgin soil of the fertile prairie and who now, many of them not far past middle age, are enjoying the ripe fruits of their labors, having profited well by the exercise of their pioneer- ing spirits. Among the best known of these original settlers is Nathaniel Turner, proprietor of "Greeley Center Farm," one of the best-kept places in the township.
Nathaniel Turner was born in Fulton county, Illinois, January 24, 1856, the son of John and Nancy (Miller) Turner, natives, respectively, of
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Kentucky and Indiana, farmers and the parents of eleven children, of whom Nathaniel was the third in order of birth. John Turner served the Union during the latter part of the Civil War as a private in Company G, Eleventh Illinois Cavalry, and shortly after the close of the war moved his family to this county, arriving at Exira on October 28, 1868, having driven over- land from McDonough county, Illinois. The family lived in Exira until 1870, keeping hotel there for a time, and then moved to Lewisville, where for a year or two they rented a farm and then bought what is known as the old Ingham farm, south of Exira. After a few years' residence there John Turner resumed the renting of land and thus continued his farming until the encroachments of age retired him for further strenuous activities, after which he and his wife made their home with their son, Nathaniel, and family.
Nathaniel Turner received but a limited education in his youth and upon reaching his majority married and rented a farm, on which he lived for ten or twelve years, and then bought eighty acres in section 22, of Gree- ley township, this county, on which he ever since has made his home. Upon taking this farm Mr. Turner was confronted with the task of breaking the virgin sod and his neighbors were few and far between. He and his wife started housekeeping in a house fourteen by sixteen feet, of two rooms, to which they later added another room. Straw sheds were used as shelters for his horses and cattle. In 1901 he built a barn thirty-six by sixty feet, and in 1904 erected a fine eight-room house, his home now being one of the pleasantest in that part of the county. He since has erected another barn and additional farm buildings and his place presents a very well-kept appearance, indeed. As he prospered, Mr. Turner added to his holdings by the purchase of an additional eighty-acre farm in section 21, which he also has brought to an excellent state of cultivation.
On January 4, 1877, in old Lewisville, this county, Nathaniel Turner was united in marriage to Marguerite Frances Richardson, who was born in Jones county, Iowa, December 3, 1861, the daughter of Samuel and Phoebe (Clemmer) Richardson, pioneers of that section, the former of whom was killed in battle about a year after his enlistment as a Union soldier during the Civil War, leaving a widow and four children, Mrs. Turner having been the third in order of birth. Mrs. Richardson remarried and the family, in 1870, came to Audubon county, but shortly returned to Jones county, re- turning to this county, however, in 1876. The next year, however, the mother returned to Jones county, where she spent the rest of her life.
To Nathaniel and Marguerite F. (Richardson) Turner two children were born, Roscoe, born on May 13, 1879, who married Edith Pine and
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