USA > Iowa > Boone County > History of Boone County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 2
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"I have a grandson who bears my name. I hope through him the name may be continued ; yes, in a broader sense, I hope through him the family name
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY
I bear, and which is now held by so few living representatives, may be carried into future generations where possibly it may become an honored name among the people ; so I feel for that boy great interest, and I would make for him great sacrifices, if thereby I could surround him with the influence and furnish him that training which would secure for him in future years the qualities of good citizenship, and I have often thought, and think today, that if, among all the men I know or have ever known, east or west, I was obliged to select the one man of all others whose traits of character, of mind and heart and brain, and whose every quality, good and bad, the boy must emulate and at last attain to, my choice would fall on our kind friend. Surely no higher words of praise than that can I bestow.
"A pebble tossed upon the placid surface of a lake creates a ripple that broadens, widens, extends until it is said there is a ripple on the other shore. A man's good deeds live after him, broadening, widening, extending, losing perhaps their identity, but working in harmony with other good influences- working on and on and on, and who shall say that these good influences will not continue to do their office in the world until the end of time?
"Our friend has led a clean and manly and useful life, worthy the emulation of young men; and, in more recent years, he has been able to set in motion good influences which he hopes, and we believe will work for the civilization and the improvement of mankind when he shall have passed away; and who shall say that the good influences he hath thus set in motion will not continue in some way, working on and on until the records of time shall cease?"
Many were the words of praise written of him when death called him, for all felt that a good man had passed on, leaving behind a memory that is enshrined in the hearts of all who were his associates. He was broad minded and liberal, loved his adopted country and yet never lost his interest in those who came from his native land and to many of Scandinavian birth he proved a most helpful friend. In his later years he greatly enjoyed traveling, and his success gave him opportunity to indulge his taste along that line. He had but recently returned from a trip abroad when he was stricken with the illness that terminated in death in 1910. He was an active member of the Presbyterian church, in which he served as treasurer and trustee for three decades. There was no occasion on which he seemed to fall short of the highest standards. Notwithstanding the fact that his school privileges were very limited, he was a well informed man, for he learned life's lessons in the school of experience. read broadly, thought deeply' and listened attentively. He early made it his habit to associate with those from whom he could learn. In business he was guided by the old adage that, honesty is the best policy, but there were still higher principles manifest in his character and these sprang from an understand- ing of the obligations of man toward his fellowmen and toward his Creator. One of his biographers spoke of his career as that "of one whose Christian character has made the world better ; one who enjoyed the esteem and love of all who knew him." One of his pastors wrote: "I have always honored him as a lover of our Savior and a friend of man, and have always rejoiced when word came of some new benefaction which his generosity had provided in the way of school and library endowment ; and his memory will always be one of my precious possessions. He was a great help and inspiration to me in my
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY
work-never obtrusive with counsel or critical in his judgments, but quietly helpful in every undertaking for the advancement of the work of our church." Still another wrote of him: "Loyal to his friends and to his city, he never had a thought that his large and growing competence made any chasm between him and his poorest acquaintance. He was a man to all men, honorable, con- siderate and cordial."
SAM M. STERRETT.
Among the retired citizens of Boone who well merit the rest which has come to them is Sam M. Sterrett, who for many years was actively engaged in farm- ing and is still the owner of valuable farm property in the county. He resides, however, at 1328 Harrison street in Boone and there, surrounded by many of the comforts and luxuries of life, he is spending the evening of his days in quiet and well earned rest. He arrived here in October, 1865, having driven across the country from Tippecanoe county. Indiana, where his birth occurred October 14, 1835. His parents were Robert and Margaret ( Montgomery) Ster- rett. The former was born in the north of Ireland, of Scotch parentage. His mother came to America with her youngest son and youngest daughter, both of whom are now deceased, and made her way to Indiana, her death occurring in Tippecanoe county, that state. Robert Sterrett, crossing the Atlantic to the new world, passed away in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, at a comparatively early age, dying in 1837, while his wife survived him only until 1841 or 1842. She was born in Wayne county, Indiana, and at her death left four children, while one had passed away previously.
Sam MM. Sterrett is the only one now living of the two sons and two daugh- ters who reached adult age and is the only one who ever came to Iowa. His brother Rev. Alexander Sterrett was a Presbyterian minister at Evansville, Indiana, also in Kentucky and for many years at Terre Haute, Indiana. Finally he went to Kansas, where he engaged in missionary work, organizing churches at Wyandotte and several other places. He finally passed away at Wyandotte, now Kansas City, Kansas, in 1888. He had become the owner of considerable land in that state, comprising two sections in Clay county. Elizabeth Sterrett, sister of S. M. Sterrett, was twice married and by her first marriage left a son, William Shurtz, who is now a property owner of Boone. The children of her second marriage are deceased. One of the sons, George R. Simpson, was a prominent educator of Minnesota and died at the age of thirty-five years. Jane Sterrett became the wife of Matthew Stranahan but died a few months later.
Sam M. Sterrett was educated in the public schools. Being left an orphan at an early age, he resided with an uncle and with others through the period of his boyhood and youth, but early in life started out to make his own living. At length he rented a farm, which he cultivated until 1865.
While on a visit in Boone county in 1858 Mr. Sterrett was married to Miss Mary Jane Dawkins, a native of Kentucky, who later went to Indiana and finally came to Iowa. She died in January, 1869, upon the home farm in Dodge town- ship, at the age of twenty-nine years, leaving three children: Jennie, now the
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY
wife of John Hannum. of Boone; Celestia Anna, the wife of the Rev. A. T. Carpenter, a Methodist Episcopal minister, who is now preaching near Winni- peg, in Manitoba, Canada; and Margaret, who is the wife of John Boucher. a farmer residing near Hastings, Colorado. In 1870 Mr. Sterrett was again mar- ried, his second union being with Miss Winnie Baker, who was born in Clay county, Indiana, in July, 1851, a daughter of Joel and Ollie Baker, who came from Indiana in the fall of 1851 and settled in Boone county, where they have since resided. To the second marriage of Mr. Sterrett there have been born ten children: Docia. the wife of Herman Stotts, of Minnesota; May, the wife of Arthur Stotts, residing on her father's farm in Dodge township; Robert Leroy, who died at the age of eight years; Eva, the wife of Harry Wiley, living in Boone: Mabel, the wife of Frank Anderson, a resident of Boone; Clara. the wife of Alvin Bowman, a farmer living near Boone: Jowa Belle, the wife of Arthur Doran, who follows farming near Boone; Alexander, who married Miss Nellie Nyberg and formerly engaged in railroading but is now engaged in truck farming; Lillian, who is attending Simpson College; and Irene, also a student in that school. All of these children have taught school.
Mr. Sterrett has been very successful in his business affairs, ranking for many years as a leading and prosperous agriculturist of his county. His home- stead, which he still owns, is a farm of two hundred and forty acres of rich and productive land, five miles north of the corporation limits of Boone. He was also the owner of another tract of two hundred acres, which he sold recently. It was in the winter following his arrival in October, 1865, that he purchased the home place and from that time until his retirement he was an active factor in the agricultural development of the community. Having now put aside the work of the fields, he is enjoying a well earned rest, having purchased and remodeled his present comfortable home at No. 1328 Harrison street in Boone.
Politically Mr. Sterrett was a democrat, but a change in his views led him to support the republican party and he now votes the prohibition ticket, for he has always been a stanch advocate of its doctrines and believes the liquor question to be one of the paramount issues before the people today. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church of Boone, as do the others of his family, and his life has been guided by its teachings, thus making him one of the men of the county most worthy of respect, confidence and good-will.
GEORGE W. CROOKS.
George W. Crooks was for many years actively connected with the pro- fession that has important bearing upon the stability, prosperity and welfare of every community. A mind naturally analytical and logical in its trend has given him force in the trial of litigated interests intrusted to his care, and his name figures prominently in connection with the court records. He was born in Clay county, Indiana, on the 22d of July, 1836, and is a son of Jacob and Hannah (Croy) Crooks, both of whom were of German lineage. His ancestors in the paternal line established homes in Ohio and Kentucky. Jacob Crooks served his country as a soldier in the War of 1812, and in days of peace devoted
GEORGE W. CROOKS
A ยข ILDEN
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY
his attention largely to the cultivation of the fields. In 1845 he left Indiana for Iowa, establishing his home in this state when it was still under territorial rule. He first made settlement near Fairfield, in Jefferson county, but in the spring of 1847 came to Boone county, where he entered land from the govern- ment, securing a claim a few miles south of Boone. With characteristic energy he began the development of the place, turning the first furrows and making the first improvements upon this land. There he made his home until his death, which occurred in 1853, while his wife survived until 1882.
George W. Crooks was a lad of but nine summers when the family arrived in lowa. and his youth was spent in the usual manner of lads who are reared upon the frontier. He early became familiar with the best methods of breaking the sod. cultivating the fields and caring for the crops, and to the farm work he gave his attention until 1855, when he removed to Boonesboro, since which time he has made his home either in that town or in the city of Boone, save for a period of two years, which he spent in Madrid, Iowa. In 1856 he began working in a flour and sawmill and was thus employed until he joined the army.
Mr. Crooks made preparations for having a home of his own in his marriage in 1860 to Miss Rebecca Nutt. The following year the Civil war was begun and, his patriotic spirit being thoroughly aroused, he offered his services to the government and was commissioned first lieutenant, with power to enlist a com- pany. He assisted in raising Company D. Tenth lowa Regiment, and left Boone county for the rendezvous in August, 1861, but on account of ill health he was disqualified to be regularly mustered in the United States service. His brother, W. C. Crooks, who also joined the army, was killed in the battle of Shiloh and the Grand Army post in Boone was named in his honor. It was a sore disappointment to George W. Crooks that he could not go to the front, but in every possible way he rendered aid to the Union cause at home and never wavered in his loyalty to the federal government in the slightest degree. In June, 1863, he was appointed sheriff of Boone county, and filled that position until January, 1874, when, at the end of about eleven years, he retired from the office with the confidence and good-will of all, having made an excellent record by his fidelity, loyalty and fearlessness in that position.
Mr. Crooks had previously taken up the study of law and after careful prepa- ration for the bar was admitted at the December term of the district court, in 1873, upon examination before the Hon. D. D. Chase, who was then judge of the district court. In the following January he formed a partnership with I. N. Kidder, with whom he was associated until 1882. The following year he entered into partnership relations with R. F. Jordan, with whom he practiced continuously until 1891. Through the two succeeding years he did not engage in active practice, but in 1893 formed a partnership with the Hon. J. J. Snell that was maintained for a number of years. He was the second attorney in Boone county, and continued in active practice until 1908, when he retired.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Crooks were born two sons: John S., now mayor of Boone; and W. H., who is engaged in the abstract business. The wife and mother passed away November 27, 1909, and her death was deeply regretted by many friends who esteemed her highly for her many excellent traits of heart and mind. In his political views Mr. Crooks has always been a stalwart demo-
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY
crat, and for one term he represented his district in the state legislature. Fra- ternally he is a Mason and has been most loyal to the teachings of the craft, exemplifying in his life its beneficent spirit. His religious faith is that of the Methodist church. Ere he retired from active practice a biographer wrote of him :
"He has long occupied a foremost position in the foremost rank of the legal practitioners of Boone county. His life has been one of untiring activity and has been crowned with a big degree of success, yet he is not less esteemed as a citizen than as a lawyer, and his kindly impulses and charming cordiality of manner have rendered him exceedingly popular among all classes. The favorable judgment which the world passed upon him in his early years has never been set aside nor in any degree modified. It has, on the contrary, been emphasized by his careful conduct of important litigation, his candor and fairness in the presentation of cases, his zeal and earnestness as an advocate and the generous commendation he has received from his contemporaries, who unite in bearing testimony to his superior mind and high character."
Mr. Crooks is now in the seventy-eighth year of his age, but well preserved for one of his years, and though the snow of winter is upon his head, the flow- ers of spring are in his heart. He keeps in touch with the trend of modern thought and progress and no history of Boone county would be complete with- out extended reference to him, because of his long residence here and the impor- tant part which he has played in the public life of the community.
EDGAR R. WILLIAMS.
Edgar R. Williams, one of the former owners and editors of the Ogden Reporter, published at Ogden, Boone county, was born south of this city on the 15th of June, 1873. his parents being John T. S. and Jane (Thomas) Wil- liams, the former a native of Canada and the latter of Wisconsin. They became pioneer residents of Boone county as is indicated in the sketch of John T. S. Williams on another page of this volume.
Edgar R. Williams was reared and educated in this county and is indebted to the public-school system for the opportunities which he received for intel- lectual progress. During the periods of vacation he worked in the fields and early became familiar with all the duties of farm life, continuing to assist his father in the various branches of farm work until he reached the age of twenty years. Thinking to find other pursuits more congenial than the farm work, he began learning the printer's trade in the office which he later owned. He was there employed for about eight years and mastered the business in principle and detail. He was afterward employed in various other places and in 1904 purchased the Ogden Reporter, while later he admitted Mr. Carl Lund to a partnership. They operated the plant continuously for a number of years and made the Reporter an interesting paper, with a good patronage in both the cir- culation and advertising departments. They followed the methods of modern journalism, and the success of the paper was a natural result of their close application and unfaltering energy.
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY
Mr. Williams was married in September, 1902, to Miss Elizabeth Thompson, a daughter of William and Tillie (Latimer) Thompson, residents of Greene county, lowa. Mr. and Mrs. Williams had one child, Thelma, who died in 1903 in infancy. The family residence is a comfortable home at the corner of First and Walnut streets in Ogden. Mr. Williams belongs to the Knights of Pythias lodge in Boone, and his wife is a member of the Methodist church. His politi- cal support is given to the republican party, and he made his paper one of the organs in its support, but he does not seek nor desire office, preferring to con- centrate his energies upon other interests and duties. He has become widely known through his activity in the newspaper field and enjoys the confidence and good will of the general public.
L. D. HENRY.
Great credit is due L. D. Henry for what he has achieved in life. He began his career in a comparatively humble capacity and today is one of the leading financiers of Boone county, conducting a private bank at Beaver and also being interested in a number of other enterprises of a similar nature. Moreover, Mr. Henry is ever ready to indorse and support valuable measures which make for material expansion, moral improvement and intellectual attainment. He was born in Trumbull county, Ohio. April 13, 1864, and is a son of Zimri and Emeline (Brown) Henry, the former a native of Trumbull county, Ohio, and the latter of Pennsylvania, of German descent. The father followed farming throughout life in Trumbull county, Ohio, with the exception of the last few years of his life, during which he conducted a hotel at Kinsman. He died in 1908, his widow surviving him until October, 1911.
L. D. Henry was reared and educated in Kinsman and attended the academy there. He has always been proud of the fact that he was a schoolmate of Clarence S. Darrow, the noted Chicago attorney, and he had as his teacher Mary Darrow, who was noted as an educator and connected with the Chicago schools, but is now deceased. After completing his education Mr. Henry turned his attention to railroading, becoming a brakeman for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad. In two and one-half years he was promoted to the position of conductor and remained with that system until 1889, when he made his way to Savanna, Illinois, becoming conductor for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paut Railroad, with his headquarters in that city. In 1893 he was transferred to Perry, Iowa, and for twelve years, or until 1905, ran a train out of there. Meet- ing with an accident which cost him his right leg, his company then made him live stock agent of his district, in which capacity he was charged with settling claims for the traffic department. He held that position for two years and, being an observant man, able to judge of conditions and opportunities, per- ceived that a bank in Beaver would be a most profitable investment. He, there- fore, came to that city and with E. D. Carter organized the Beaver Savings Bank. The original capital was ten thousand dollars and the institution was a success from the beginning. Its prosperous condition is largely due to the initia- tive of Mr. Henry, who has proved himself a financier of no mean ability. The
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY
bank was under state charter until April 1, 1912, when it was reorganized, Mr. Henry acquiring the interests of the other stockholders and transforming the corporation into a private bank. It is now known as the Beaver Bank and its capital and surplus exceed fifteen thousand dollars. Mr. Henry is sole owner and his daughter Mabel is assistant cashier. They have over sixty-six thousand dollars in deposits and well merit the confidence placed in them. Although Mr. Henry is progressive and ever ready to lend a helping hand in promoting the industrial enterprises and in assisting agricultural ventures, his foremost con- sideration is the safety of his depositors. He has always displayed marked energy and determination in his business affairs and has made good use of opportunities as they presented themselves and has even created them where none existed. lle has overcome difficulties by persistent, energetic and honorable effort. He is a man of unerring accuracy in judgment and of a caution in business transac- tions which, though it protects the bank from loss, does not hinder its develop- ment. In short, he knows whom and what to trust. He owns the two-story block in which the bank is located, it being erected by him in 1907.
On May 31, 1886, Mr. Henry married Miss Bertha L. Fellows, a daughter of Harvey and Reuhama ( Johnson ) Fellows, natives of the Keystone state, where they always made their home. Her mother was the first white child born in Warren county, Pennsylvania. Her father died in 1887 and her mother in June, 1905. Mr. and Mrs. Henry had three children : Mabel A., born February 21, 1888, assistant cashier of the Beaver Bank ; Carl H., who was born February 20, 1895, and died in December, 1897; and Margaret Lucille, born January 3, 1000, who is attending school in Grand Junction.
Mr. Henry has other important interests. being a stockholder and treasurer of the Farmers Cooperative Company of Beaver, and he also owns a block of shares in the Peoples National Bank at Perry. Since 1888 he has been a mem- ber of the Order of Railway Conductors and was secretary of the general board of adjustment for the Milwaukee system for ten years. He is a charter mem- ber of the American Nobles of Perry. Politically he is a republican and was a member of the city council in Perry. Since coming to Beaver this town has been incorporated and he has since served as councilman, giving the city the benefit of his business ability besides supporting a number of measures which have been of great benefit to the community. He and his family are Methodists and devont in their religious professions. While he has attained success, he is a man who is considerate of the interests of others and always ready to make sacrifices in order to promote the public welfare. He has proved himself a use- ful and valuable citizen and enjoys in full measure the respect, esteem and con- fidence of all who have come in contact with him.
J. B. McHOSE.
J. B. McHose is one of the citizens of Boone county whom she may well honor, for his life in all of its different phases has been sucl. as measures up to the highest standards of manhood and citizenship. In business he has been industrious, energetic and reliable, in public office loyal, patriotic and capable.
J. B. MCHOSE
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY
and those who have met him in social relations count his friendship as some- thing worth while. A native of Iowa, Mr. McHose was born in the city of Davenport- then a town of little importance-August 25, 1849, his parents being Samuel and Mary ( Dillin) McHose. He is descended from Scotch, German and English ancestry of pre-Revolutionary times, and from the mingled blood of the three races have come some of his strong and sturdy characteristics. His father and grandfather were brick makers. In pioneer times the parents became residents of Iowa, but the mother passed away March 22, 1863, in Geneseo, Illinois. In the family were eight children: J. B., of this review ; William E., now deceased: Isabelle, the wife of F. Smock of San Diego, Cali- fornia ; Samuel M., living in Nevada, Iowa; Mrs. Dora Neil, whose home is in Seattle, Washington; Mrs. Mary Stuart, a resident of Lewiston, Montana; Joseph, deceased; and George, deceased. Losing his first wife, the father, who has just passed away at the age of ninety-one at Grinnell, Iowa, married again, his second union being with Fannic Nye. Unto them were born three children : Arthur, of Boone; Charles, a resident of Maxwell, Iowa; and Harry, of Montana.
J. B. McHose spent the days of his boyhood and youth in his parents' home and early began work in his father's brickyard. His educational opportunities were those accorded by the public schools. At twenty years of age he left the parental roof and started out in the business world independently, becoming connected with the manufacture of brick and also, during the winters taking up the profession of teaching, for which he was well qualified through a high-school education. At length he began the study of law and graduated from the Wash- ington University of St. Louis, Missouri, with the class of 1874. He then located for practice in Story county, lowa, where he remained for four years, but at the end of that time abandoned his profession and again turned his attention to the manufacture of clay products. In 1889 he came to Boone and established the Boone Clay Works, manufacturing brick, drain tile and other clay wares, which he conducted for about twenty-two years with splendid success, enjoying a growing and gratifying business, from which he retired in 1910. He has also for twenty-eight years been the owner of a large farm in Iowa and is deeply interested in agricultural and horticultural affairs. In connection with his large clay manufacturing interests he also did business as a paving contractor, and in the city of Boone as well as other places are numerous evidences of his activity in the construction of substantial buildings and business blocks. He likewise won success as a beekceper, devoting considerable attention to the raising and care of these insects.
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