USA > Iowa > Boone County > History of Boone County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 27
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Mr. Lindholm has served on the school board, and the cause of education finds in him a stalwart friend. His political indorsement is given to the republican party and wide reading keeps him in touch with the advanced political thought of the day. He is a member of the Masonic lodge and of the Swedish Lutheran church, associations which indicate much of the nature of the interests which gov- ern his life and control him in his relations with his fellowmen.
JUDGE SAMUEL McBIRNIE.
Judge Samuel McBirnie, justice of the peace at Boone, has occupied his present official position for fifteen years and throughout the entire period his opinions have been characterized by a fairness and impartiality that are seldom questioned. A native of Belfast, Ireland, he was born on the 5th of April, 1834, but when five years of age was taken to Scotland by his parents, David and Sarah MeBirnie. The father was employed on the docks in connection with outgoing vessels. His position did not bring him any great income and when but eight years of age Samuel McBirnie went to work in the coal mines with his sister. He continued in active connection with that business until 1894. About 1864 he crossed the Atlantic to America and subsequently worked in the mines in Penn- sylvania, Ohio and in Boone. After coming to Iowa he finally leased coal lands, which he operated on his own account for a number of years. He then turned his attention to the insurance business and about the same time was elected justice of the peace, which office he has held for fifteen consecutive years. Never have any of his decisions been reversed, and his impartial judgments have been the secret of his long continuance in the office.
Judge McBirnie was united in marriage to Miss Marguerite Miller, a native of Scotland, who came to the new world about a year after his arrival. They were married near Dunfermline, Scotland, and to them were born eleven children, of whom only two are living. William, who is engaged in mining ; and Robert, who is a conductor on the Northwestern Railroad.
In his political views Judge McBirnie is a stalwart republican and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He served as a member of the city council from the fifth ward for four years. He was also township trustee for six years and was road supervisor for a similar period. In the discharge of his official duties he has ever been found prompt and faithful and the highest testi- monial of his ability and loyalty is found in his reelections. More than sixty years ago he joined the Masons in Scotland and he now holds membership in
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Mount Olive Lodge, No. 79, A. F. & A. M. He also joined the Latter Day Saints church in Scotland, an organization which has as its motto "Mind your own business," and to this rule Judge McBirnie has strictly adhered. A business man of Boone who has known him for more than thirty years says of him: "He is the soul of honor and the most truthful man in Boone." He has now reached the advanced age of eighty years and he receives the veneration and respect which should ever be accorded those who have come into the evening of life and whose past record is one of personal and public honor.
EDGAR FRIEDLEY.
For a number of years Edgar Friedley was successfully engaged in agricul- . tural labor but since 1908 has been located in Boone, where he raises berries and small nursery plants on a seven-acre tract, also acting as rural mail carrier.
Mr. Friedley was born in Dodge township, Boone county, May 4, 1869, and is a son of Henry and Mary D. (Coe) Friedley, the former born February 18, 1834, in Clark county, Indiana. When yet an infant he accompanied his parents to Clay county, that state, and at the age of twelve was left an orphan. When sixteen years of age he came to Boone county with W. L. Defore. He turned his attention to farm work and augmented his earnings by rail splitting. Being industrious and thrifty, he accumulated the means to purchase land and subse- quently engaged in farming independently. Later he was engaged in the nursery business and so continued until 1903, when he retired and went to Puyallup, Washington, where he made his home with his son John S. During the early days he served as a frontier guard in the Indian troubles. He gave his allegiance to the republican party, and his religious faith was that of the Methodist church. He died December 4, 1913. His wife, Mary D. Coe, whom he married on August 26, 1858, was born August 20, 1840, on a farm near Columbus, Ohio. She came to Boone county with her parents in 1856 and lived on the home farm until her marriage. She died on her husband's farm on April 11, 1898. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Friedley were the parents of five children : John S., who graduated from Ames and Valparaiso Colleges and is now living in Puyallup, Washington, being successful as a fruit farmer : Florence S., the wife of John B. Condon, a retired agriculturist of Boone county ; Clara, who died in 1893: Iva, the wife of C. T. Burke, a real-estate dealer of Tacoma; and Edgar.
The last named was reared on his father's farm in Dodge township and assisted in the labors on the homestead until May 15, 1889, when he married. He then farmed independently and successfully followed agricultural pursuits until the fall of 1908, when he sold his farm and removed to Denver, which he made his home for nine months. At the end of that period he returned to Boone, which is now his home. From 1889 until 1902 he farmed as renter, taking over in the latter year his father's farm, which he successfully cultivated until he disposed of the same in 1908. Upon his return to Boone from the western state he pur- chased a tract of seven acres adjoining the northern part of the city, and there he raises berries and small nursery plants. He is also acting as rural mail carrier. He is well known in Boone vicinity and highly respected by all who know him.
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On May 15, 1889, Edgar Friedley married Miss Irene Pollard, who was born in Boone county on November 3, 1868. Her parents, David and Felicia (Dawkins) Pollard, have both passed away. To them were born eleven children, five sons and six daughters, of whom one daughter is deceased. Nearly all the members of the family now reside in Boone. Mr. and Mrs. Friedley have three children : Minnie, born April 8, 1890, who married in 1908 S. E. Bass, a farmer of Boone county ; Henry A., born June 23, 1896, attending the high school at Boone ; and Sadiebelle, born October 10, 1903, attending Lowell school in Boone. Both Mr. and Mrs. Friedley take a laudable interest in the progress of their com- munity and are valued and much respected residents of their township and county.
JOHN K. HAWBAKER.
General agricultural interests of Beaver township find a worthy representa- tive in John K. Hawbaker, who is living on section 19. He started out in life as a farm hand and is today the owner of an attractive and valuable place of one hundred and twenty-five acres, on which are seen all modern improvements and equipments. Pennsylvania claims him as a native son, his birth having occurred in that state, April 19, 1869. His parents were David and Sarah (Kokanour) Hawbaker, who were natives of Pennsylvania and in the year 1875 removed westward to Dallas county, Iowa, where the father purchased forty acres of land. Later he sold that property and bought one hundred and twenty acres. To this he added from time to time as his financial resources increased until he was the owner of two hundred and forty acres, which he improved and upon which he made his home until his death in May, 1892. He was then but forty- four years of age. His wife, however, had passed away previously, dying in the year 1883, at the age of thirty-three years.
John K. Hawbaker was a little lad of about six years when the family arrived in Iowa, and in Dallas county he was reared and educated. While he continued to make his home under the parental roof until he could purchase a farm of his own he was employed at farm labor between the ages of fourteen and twenty years, and it was his industry, close application and determination in that con- nection that brought to him the capital that eventually enabled him to purchase property. He became the owner of eighty acres in Dallas county, developed and improved it and continued thereon for eleven years. He then sold that prop- erty and removed to Webster county, where in 1900 he purchased eighty acres. This he developed for three years and then came to Boone county, Iowa, where he purchased one hundred and twenty-five acres on section 19, Beaver township. He set about improving the property and has since given his time and energies to its further cultivation, transforming it into one of the best improved places in the county. His farm forms a most attractive feature in the landscape. It is divided into fields of convenient size by well kept fences, the buildings are always in excellent repair and the early spring planting gives promise of abundant har- vests-a promise that is realized because of the practical and progressive methods which are followed.
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On the 14th of February, 1892, Mr. Hawbaker was united in marriage to Miss Carrie B. Merical, a daughter of Henry S. and Mary (Becker) Merical, who were natives of Indiana and Illinois respectively. In early life the father came with his parents to Iowa, being but seven years of age when they settled in Dallas county. Following the outbreak of the Civil war he attempted to enlist for service in the Union army, but was rejected on account of his youth. His hope for military service being thus frustrated, he turned his attention to farni- ing in Dallas county and has since cultivated and improved his land, which is now very valuable and productive. He has reached the age of sixty-nine years, while his wife is sixty-six years of age.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hawbaker have been born four children : Lenora and Leona, twins, twenty-one years of age, the former now the wife of Melvin Blan- shan, a farmer of Greene county, Iowa, while the latter is the wife of George Hoefle, a farmer of Beaver township; Vern Ray, nineteen years of age, who is at home; and John Benjamin, three years of age.
Mr. Hawbaker is serving the second year of a first term as trustee of Beaver township, and he gives his political support to the democratic party. He belongs to the Baptist church and to the Modern Woodmen camp. He neglects none of his duties in any of these particulars and at the same time remains an active, energetic and successful business man. He now feeds a load of cattle every year, and his live-stock interests are an important feature of his business. In addition to his farm in Boone county he owns seventy acres just across the road in Greene county and is a stockholder and director in the Beaver Cooperative Company of Beaver and a stockholder in the Farmers Savings Bank of Berkley. What he undertakes he carries forward to successful completion. finding that there are no difficulties and obstacles which cannot be overcome by persistent, earnest effort.
FRED M. PAYNE.
Fred M. Payne is engaged in the livery business at Boone, a member of the firm of Payne Brothers. He was born in this county December 17, 1870, and is a son of Samuel and Elizabeth ( Hoyt) Payne, the former a native of Indiana and the latter of Ohio. They came to Boone in 1850, casting in their lot with pioneer residents of this part of the state. In 1900 the father built the finest livery barn of Boone and his sons became associated with him in the ownership and conduct of the business. He died in October, 1913, and in his death the community lost a representative and valued citizen. To him and his wife were born six children: Della, now deceased; Fred M .; Frank, a stockman living in South Dakota : Horace C., who is in partnership with his brother Fred; Grace : and Howard, who is associated in business with his brother Frank.
Fred M. Payne has spent his entire life in this county and is widely known. In the pursuit of his education he passed through consecutive grades in the. public schools until he became a high-school student. He was afterward engaged in mercantile lines with his father and eventually became a partner of his father and brother in the livery business, with which he is now connected. They have a
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splendidly equipped barn, own a number of horses of good stock and a full line of modern vehicles. Their patronage is extensive because their business methods are honorable and because they ever earnestly desire to please their patrons.
Mr. Payne was united in marriage to Miss Lytha Hauser, a native of Boone, on the 10th of May, 1895. Theirs is a hospitable home, whose good cheer is enjoyed by their many friends. Mr. Payne gives his political allegiance to the democratic party, but does not seek nor desire office, preferring always to con- centrate his energies upon his business affairs, which are capably directed. He is energetic and enterprising and as the years go by he is becoming more and more firmly established as a substantial and representative citizen of Boone.
ARTHUR T. JOHNSON.
Arthur T. Johnson, of Madrid, has been connected with the general mer- chandise and restaurant business but is now mostly engaged in looking after his extensive personal and business properties. Although quite a young man, he has already achieved remarkable success. He was born in Madrid, June 29, 1880, and has always been a resident of that city_
His parents were William and Anna { Johnson ) Johnson, natives of Sweden, the former born June 1, 1839. and the latter December 12, 1853. In August, 1852, the father came to America and made his home in New York and Pennsyl- vania for some time. From the latter state he made his way westward to Illi- nois and when the gold fever was at its height made the overland journey to California in 1859 with three other young men. Arriving in the Golden state, he at first rented land which he later bought. In 1870 he retraced his steps and located in Polk county, Iowa. In 1874 he sold out there and removed to Madrid, where he successfully engaged in general merchandising for twenty-nine years. Not only was he one of the most substantial citizens of the community but also one of the most public-spirited business men always giving his support to such measures as promised of benefit to the city. He died in Madrid, April 29, 1902. His wife came to America when about twelve years old, in 1865, her family locat- ing at Swede Point. Her parents were the first passengers to arrive in Boone by the way of the Northwestern Railway. She was married to William Johnson in Boone county, July 7. 1871, and is now residing with her son, Arthur T. The old family home, where the parents first located, is still standing near Elk Rapids. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson had nine children, of whom Arthur T. of this review is the only one now surviving.
Arthur T. Johnson received excellent educational advantages, graduating from the Madrid high school with the class of 1898 and subsequently attending the Capital City Commercial College of Des Moines. He then engaged in gen- eral merchandising in Madrid, which city has been his home continuously with the exception of three years, during which he homesteaded in South Dakota. After giving up his general store he conducted a restaurant in Madrid until January 10, 1914, when he disposed of the establishment. He is now devoting his time to his many personal and business properties. He is a thoroughly up-to- late American business man, shrewd and capable, yet always considerate of the
WILLIAM JOHNSON
MRS. WILLIAM JOHNSON
HARY
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interests of others. He is in sympathy with all movements undertaken for trade extension and the upbuilding of industries and can always be found in the front ranks of those men who have at heart the welfare of the community.
On August 12, 1913, Mr. Johnson married Miss Hattie C. Johnson, who was born in Sweden, January 30, 1882, and in that year she was brought by her par- ents, Mr. and Mrs. John Johnson, to America, the family settling in Des Moines, Iowa. She attended the graded schools of that city and subsequently the East high school. Her mother died in Des Moines, but her father is now residing in Madrid. Of their five children three are living: Mrs. Jerda Davidson, of Canada; Mrs. Arthur T. Johnson ; and Hulda, a stenographer, who is a resi- dent of Des Moines.
Politically Mr. Johnson is a republican, devoted to the interests of his party. He has never cared to enter the political arena but is a loyal and patriotic citizen and in a private way furthers many public interests. He stands high in the Masonic order, being a member of Star Lodge, No. 115, A. F. & A. M., of Madrid, the chapter and commandery of Boone and Za-Ga-Zig Temple of the Mystic Shrine of Des Moines. He also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Madrid. Mr. Johnson owns various business properties and is one of Madrid's substantial citizens. By furthering his private interests he has become a factor in the general growth of the city. He has many friends in Madrid and is esteemed and respected by all who know him and most respected by those who know him most intimately and are appreciative of his high qualities of mind and character.
M. M. SHAW, M. D.
Dr. M. M. Shaw has been located in Madrid since 1904 and is one of the successful physicians of the city. His practice is extensive and the confidence reposed in him is well merited because of his thorough knowledge and the par- ticular attention which he gives each individual case. In a minor way Dr. Shaw also acts as a surgeon. He was born in Monroe, Jasper county, Iowa, June 17, 1875, and his grandfather, Thomas Lowrey Shaw, was one of the pioneers of that county. His father, William Hamilton Shaw, was born in Pennsylvania, August 16, 1836, and came with his parents to Jasper county in 1867, the family locating near Monroe. His wife, Sarah E. McKnight, was a native of Marysville, Pennsylvania, born September 26, 1841. She is still residing in Monroe. She bore her husband five children: Mrs. Laura E. Gloyd, of Monroe ; Thomas G., of Hamburg, lowa : Lillian, an employe in the pension department at Washing- ton, D. C .; Dr. M. M., of this review ; and Arthur, a resident of Des Moines. Mrs. Gloyd was born in Pennsylvania, but the four younger members of the family are natives of Jasper county, lowa.
In 1881 Dr. Shaw moved with his parents to Calhoun county, Iowa, locating on a farm near Rockwell City. He received his common-school education in Jasper and Calhoun counties, subsequently attending high school. He completed two years' collegiate work at Tarkio College of Tarkio, Missouri, and studied medicine for four years at Drake University in Des Moines, graduating in 1904.
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Locating in Madrid, he has since been very successful, having a large town and country practice. He has remained a student and keeps well informed in regard to the latest discoveries and methods which constantly come to the fore in this country and Europe. He is most careful in diagnosis, but after mapping out the treatment applicable to each case is exacting and decisive, instilling confi- dence in those who come under his care. In fact, his personality is an important part of his success, for he combines strength with kindness.
On the 22d of February, 1910, Dr. Shaw married Miss Lois E. Stover, who was born in Cass township, Boone county, February 14, 1882, and was gradu- ated from the Madrid high school, growing to womanhood in that city. She is a daughter of Isaac and Mary M. (Messmore) Stover, of whom extended men- tion is made elsewhere in this work. Dr. and Mrs. Shaw have two children : Eldon, born March 26, 1911 ; and Margaret, born October 14, 1912.
Politically the Doctor is a republican and has always been interested in the success of his party. He has been health officer of Madrid and during his term greatly improved the efficiency of his department. Mrs. Shaw is a member of the Christian church and he belongs to the United Presbyterian organization. He is a member of Star Lodge, No. 115, A. F. & A. M., and also holds membership in the Knights of Pythias. He owns some property in Madrid, but gives prac- tically his entire attention to his professional interests. He is ever ready to hold out a helping hand to those afflicted and in the execution of his medical work is swayed by his kindly and humane nature.
W. D. JOHNSON.
The history of the development of this section of the state would be incom- plete and unsatisfactory were there failure to make reference to W. D. Johnson, for many years a prominent business man and highly respected citizen of Boone. It has been said of him that he lived a good life and was ever a friend to those in need or distress. He had reached the age of seventy-seven years when called to his final rest on the 31st of October, 1910, for his birth occurred in Tennessee, March 15, 1833. The period of his boyhood and youth was largely passed near Chandlerville, Illinois, he being about a year old when his parents established their home in that locality. In his boyhood he attended the public schools, which, however, were of rather a rudimentary character. His parents, John and Rosa (Adkins) Johnson, were both natives of Tennessee, where the father followed farming until 1833, when he took his family to Illinois. The district in which he settled was a frontier region and in his young manhood he was noted as a hunter and trapper, his adventurous and tireless spirit finding vent in pursuit of the abundant game then found in all the states bordering the Mississippi. The usual experiences of frontier life fell to him and to his family, which numbered for- teen children, seven sons and seven daughters.
WV. D. Johnson was the eldest son and third child and much of the farm work devolved upon him up to the time when he reached the age of seventeen years. He then left home to make his own way in the world. It was in 1854 that he started from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Salt Lake City to assist in driving a
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flock of sheep and was away from home on that trip until the spring of 1856. There were many hardships and difficulties to be encountered, for on the entire trip there was no one to be seen, save as they occasionally met a government wagon train or gold seeker's outfit. In 1859 Mr. Johnson again started for the west, this time with a train of wagons drawn by oxen, their destination being the mining regions of Pike's Peak. Again Mr. Johnson penetrated into the western wilderness, when, in 1860, he had charge of a train of five hundred wagons with fifteen hundred people in the party. With that caravan the long and tiresome journey to Oregon was accomplished and en route they had several encounters with the Indians. In crossing the Wind River mountains a party of Sioux In- dians attacked the train and an engagement followed which continued for twenty- four hours. A great deal of stock belonging to the wagon train was run off by the Indians, who drove the cattle to a flat-topped mountain nearby, and as there was an urgent need of recovering the property, Mr. Johnson called for volunteers to aid him in making the attempt. Only thirty-six men responded to the call and when, at length, the mountain was reached and they saw the Indians, all but one of the men deserted Mr. Johnson and fled. Of course, under the circumstances, there was nothing to do but to join in the retreat. Two other Indian attacks oc- curred before the five months' journey was completed, but at length they reached their destination with the loss of only four men.
Mr. Johnson passed the winter of 1860 in Oregon and the following spring made his way to the mining regions around Placerville, Washington, where he worked with varying success for about six years. In 1866 he again went to Illinois and not long after began buying cattle in southwestern Missouri, which he drove to the Illinois markets. The business proved profitable, and he continued therein for a number of years. In 1871 he went to Texas, where he engaged in buying and selling cattle in partnership with W. B. Warsham of Hen- rietta, Texas, making his home in Cooke county. In the years following he extended his operations through a number of counties until 1881, when he removed to Hale county and there, in partnership with J. M. Morrison, pur- chased a ranch of eighty-seven thousand acres, stocked with a herd of three thousand cattle. In 1883 they exchanged half of the land with C. C. Slaughter in return for ten thousand head of cattle, and in 1890 they sold the remainder of their land to Mr. Slaughter. Mr. Johnson then took his share of cattle and drove them to Swisher and Castro counties, where he had about five thous- and head upon the range until the year 1900. He then disposed of both his land and cattle in Texas and came to Boone county to live with his daughter- in-law, Mrs. Mary E. Johnson. In the meantime, or in 1882, he had become financially interested in the Logan & Canfield coal mining business and from that time until his death he was president of the W. D. Johnson & Company Coal Company. He was also connected with other important business enterprises of Boone, including the Boone Brick Tile & Paving Company, the Boone National Bank and the Security Savings Bank. He was a man of sound judgment and unfaltering energy, carrying forward to successful completion whatever he undertook.
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