USA > Iowa > Boone County > History of Boone County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 35
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E. PETER DALANDER.
E. Peter Dalander is a native of Madrid and comes of an old pioneer family of Boone county which settled here in 1846 on land where Madrid now stands. Mr. Dalander has worthily carried forward the family traditions and stands high in the estimation of his fellow citizens. Since 1903 he has served as post- master, discharging his duties to the greatest satisfaction of the patrons of the office.
Mr. Dalander was born July 10, 1864, and has always been a resident of Madrid. His grandmother, Anna Dalander, secured the first deed to land in Boone county and the instrument is now preserved in the archives of the Madrid Historical Society. His parents were Eric and Eva E. (Swanson) Dalander, both natives of Sweden, the former born in 1814 and the latter in 1836. The father died in Madrid, January 29, 1893. He emigrated to America in 1846 and immediately located upon a farm which is now the site of Madrid. The
E. PETER DALANDER
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mother came with her foster parents to America in 1846 and the family also located in Boone county.
In the Dalander family were the following children, all born and reared in Douglas township: John, a son of the father's first marriage, residing in Kansas; Mrs. Anna M. Nelson, of Madrid; Mrs. Clara Jacobson, deceased ; Mrs. A. M. Sundberg, of. Madrid: S. A., also of that city ; Dr. C. A. Dalander, who was born July 11, 1869, and died in Des Moines, April 12, 1906; Z. W., born January 20, 1872, residing in Madrid; Minnie M., born January 19, 1876, residing with her mother; Clara, who died in infancy; and E. Peter, of this review.
The father entered land and at first followed farming, but later engaged in the milling business in Madrid, operating the first steam mill in that part of the country. Subsequently the family returned to the farm and the subject of this review there remained with his parents until he was twenty-one years of age. He received his carlier education in the public schools, rounding out his funda- mental knowledge with a two years' academic course. After leaving the home- stead he clerked in a drug store for some time and then conducted a similar establishment of his own for ten years, being very successful along that line. In 1903 he was appointed postmaster of Madrid and he has since held that position. He makes an excellent public servant and is popular with all who have transac- tions with his office.
Mr. Dalander, in 1892, married Miss Alma L', Anderson, who was born in Douglas township, June 4, 1866. There she was 'reared and she has remained a resident of Douglas township ever since. Her father, John Anderson, came to the township in the same party in which Mr. Dalander's parents arrived. He at first worked in Des Moines in order to secure sufficient capital to purchase a farm. For his second wife he married Carolina Nelson. Both were born in Sweden and died in Madrid. The father was a very successful farmer and stood high among his fellow citizens. He was supervisor of Boone county for a num- ber of years and for twenty years served as assessor of Douglas township. By a former marriage he had five children and by the second union there were eight. All the thirteen children of Mr. Anderson were reared in Douglas town- ship.
Mrs. Dalander received, in addition to a common-school education, musical training in Kansas, continuing her studies along that line in Shenandoah, Iowa. She is a proficient artist and well acquainted with musical lore. Mr. and Mrs. Dalander have four children, three daughters and a son: Martin S., who was born May 15, 1894, and after graduating from the Madrid high school took one year's work in the Midwestern Academy of Music, being at present in attendance at the Capital City Commercial College of Des Moines ; Edna E., born in April, 1898, who is attending high school in Madrid; Helen, born in August, 1903; and Ruth, born August 27, 1908.
Mr. Dalander is an adherent of the republican party and has ever been loyal to the standards and principles of that organization. He is deeply inter- ested in the cause of education and for fifteen years has done valuable service as member of the local school board. Both he and his wife belong to the Swedish Lutheran church of Madrid, to which they give their material and moral support. Mr. Dalander is a well informed man who forms valuable opinions on all matters
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of public importance. His support is eagerly sought and he is ever ready to promote worthy enterprises of any kind. As a citizen he is of great value to Madrid and Boone county, considering no exertion on his part too great in order to promote progress. As an official he is courteous, affable, approachable and obliging.
NATHANIEL NOLAND.
Nathaniel Noland, deceased, was for a considerable period a well known farmer of Boone county. He was born in Highland county, Ohio, seventy-five years ago, a son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Staley) Noland, who reared a large family. The father was a farmer by occupation and spent his last days in Iowa, whither he removed with his family during the childhood of his son Nathaniel.
The family home was established in Dallas county and later a removal was' made to Boone county. In this state Nathaniel Noland was reared to manhood, sharing with the family in the usual experiences, hardships and privations of pioneer life. His education was obtained in one of the oldtime log schoolhouses when the methods of instruction were very primitive as compared with the ad- vanced educational standards of the present day. School was held for only about three months in a year and throughout the remainder of the time Nathaniel Noland worked upon the home farm, early becoming famiilar with all the duties and labors incident to the cultivation of the soil and the development of the crops.
As a young man Nathaniel Noland heard and answered the country's call for men, enlisting in Company D, Tenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry at Boone in 1861. He served throughout the war, participating in many battles and going with Sherman on the march to the sea. At the close of the war in 1865 he received his honorable discharge and returned to the life of a civilian.
On the 15th of March, 1866, in Peoples township, Mr. Noland was united in marriage to Miss Angeline Peoples. Her ancestor, John Peoples, was brought to the United States in childhood by his parents, the family home being estab- lished in Pennsylvania near Brownsville, where the grandfather of Mrs. Noland engaged in farming. John Peoples was quite old, being nearly eighty years of age, when he sought a new home in Coshocton county, Ohio, where he lived with his son William until the time of his death. He married Henrietta Jones, a native of Pennsylvania, in which state she died, leaving a large family. Their son, David Peoples, born in Pennsylvania, was educated in the district schools and married Lavina Peart, of New Jersey, a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Fisher) Peart. Lavina (Peart) Peoples died in September, 1886, at the age of seventy-eight years. The children of that family were: Melvina, who became the wife of Jesse Vernon and is deceased; Mary, who became the wife of Levi Colvin and has passed away: Amanda, who married William Tarr and is de- ceased ; William, who was killed at the battle of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, during the Civil war; Henrietta, who became the wife of Enos Rhodes and has passed away ; Angeline, who married Nathaniel Noland; Sarah E., the wife of John W. Kirby of Boone; Ann Eliza, the wife of Luke Becket of Spencer, Iowa; and Rachel C., who married Miles Becket and is also deceased.
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Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Noland settled on a prairie farm in Peoples township. He became the owner of a tract of eighty acres, which he brought to a high state of cultivation, carefully tilling the soil as the years passed on. He died May 9, 1886, and was laid to rest in a cemetery in Peoples township.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Noland were born six children: Hallie L., now the wife of C. A. Steelsmith; William, who died in childhood; Levi C .; Fred P., who has departed this life; Clyde, a practicing physician in Ogden, lowa; and Retta, at home. The death of the husband and father occurred May 9, 1886, and he was laid to rest in a cemetery in Peoples township. His political support was given to the republican party, but, while interested in the welfare of the community, he never desired public office. He sought the moral progress of the community as a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His many sterling traits of character endeared him to all who knew him, and his upright life left to his family a memory that is cherished and which serves as an inspiration and a benediction to those who knew him.
AXEL WESTEEN.
Among the prosperous financial institutions of Boone county is the Farmers Savings Bank of Boxholm, of which Axel Westeen is the cashier. Much of the success of this enterprise is due to his initiative and able management, and he is conceded to be one of the best informed men in the county on financial matters, particularly as regards local conditions. Mr. Westeen was born in Webster county, Iowa, in March. 1870, and is a son of Olaf and Carrie (Olson) Westeen, natives of Sweden, who came to America in 1868 and located in Webster county, where the father was engaged in farming until 1882. He then came to Boone county and bought land in Grant township which he successfully oper- ated until 1904, when he retired in the enjoyment of a competence and moved to Pilot Mound, where he now resides at the age of eighty-three years, his wife having passed away in April, 1913.
Axel Westeen was reared and educated in Webster and Boone counties and after completing his lessons worked on his father's farm and then learned the blacksmith's trade, conducting a shop and hardware store. For ten years he conducted an establishment of this kind on the farm and for fifteen years acted as postmaster. this being before the town of Boxholm had come into existence. Subsequently he entered the hardware business exclusively, conducting a store of that kind for eight years, and then went to Boone, where for two years he was employed by the Wheelock Hardware Company. In 1910 Mr. Westeen returned to Boxholm, acquiring an interest in the Farmers Bank, which was then a private concern owned by J. H. Roberts. In 1910 the bank was reorganized as the Farmers Savings Bank, the capital stock being ten thousand dollars. The present officers are: J. H. Roberts, president ; O. L. Lidvall, vice president ; and Axel Westeen, cashier. The directors include: M. J. Lundvall. J. H. Roberts, Alf. Sundberg, Axel Westeen and O. L. Lidvall. Mr. Westeen is proving himself an able financier and in the last few years has done much toward increasing the
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business of the bank. He is careful and cautious as regards investments, and yet he is always ready to extend credit when suitable security is forthcoming. His advice is frequently sought upon matters relating to financial transactions, and he is ever ready and willing to accommodate those who seek his opinion.
On June 6. 1894, Mr. Westeen married Miss Nettie Sundberg, a daughter of Olaf and Anna Sundberg, natives of Sweden, who located in Boone county in 1866, Mr. Sundberg engaging in farming and coal mining. He died in 1884, but his widow yet resides on the Sundberg home farm in Grant township. Mr. and Mrs. Westeen have five children, Florence Edith, LeRoy J., Earl, Gladys and Dorothy, who are respectively eighteen, sixteen, thirteen, eight and three years of age.
Mr. Westeen has always taken a helpful part in all movements tending toward the improvement of his town and county. He is a democrat and loyal to the principles of his party. He has served as justice of the peace and at present fills the position of town clerk of Boxholm. His religious faith is that of the Swedish Mission church, and fraternally he is connected with the local lodges of the Masonic order and the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Westeen is one of the popular business men of Boxholm and in the social and business life of that town has many warm friends.
DESKIN W. CROUCH.
For a number of years Deskin W. Crouch has been engaged in farming in Pilot Mound township, owning a valuable property of one hundred and sixty acres. He was born in Missouri, October 12, 1873, and is a son of Samuel and Catherine (Gulick) Crouch, natives of Ohio. The parents went with their respective fam- ilies to Illinois when children, and the father was reared and educated in that state, where he subsequently married. In 1867 he and his wife went to Missouri, where he bought land which he improved and operated until 1894. In that year he sold out and returned to Illinois, farming until he retired to Champaign, where he resided until his death, March 13, 1909. His widow is now living in Indiana.
Deskin W. Crouch was reared and educated in Missouri, remaining upon his father's farm until he reached his majority. His parents then removed to Illinois, where he and his father farmed together for two years, at the end of which time Mr. Crouch, of this review, followed agricultural pursuits in that state inde- pendently for one year. He then came to Boone county, where he rented land for a similar period, and subsequently acquired title to two hundred acres on section 31. Pilot Mound township. He has since, however, sold forty acres of this tract. His farm is in a good state of cultivation and its buildings are kept in excellent repair, the appearance of the property betraying the prosperity of the owner.
On September 27, 1900, Mr. Crouch married Miss Minnie M. Campbell, a daughter of James and Sarah (Cook) Campbell, who were born in Ohio. The father was a farmer by occupation and early in life went to Illinois, where he purchased land near Champaign, in the operation of which he passed the remainder of his life. He died in 1901, his wife having preceded him to the Great Beyond in 1884. Mr. and Mrs. Crouch were the parents of four children,
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of whom one died in infancy. The others are James Robert, Roy C. and Marvin M., who are twelve, eight and six years of age respectively.
Mr. Crouch is interested in commercial as well as agricultural affairs, being a stockholder and director of the Pilot Mound Savings Bank and also holding stock in the Farmers Cooperative Company of Pilot Mound. His religion is that of the Presbyterian faith, and politically he is a republican. He has served for ten years as township trustee and still occupies that office, having done valuable work in promoting the development and advancement of his immediate locality and Boone county.
GEORGE LEWIS ADIX.
George Lewis Adix, proprietor of the Alfalfadale Farm of eighty acres on section 22, Jackson township, has spent practically his entire life in that township, where he was born and reared. His father, Franz Adix, was a native of Germany and was only three years old when his father died. At the age of fourteen Franz Adix came to the United States with his brother, L. W. Adix, and for many years was one of the leading farmers of Boone county. Here he was married to Miss Hannah Bauman of Boone, a daughter of Henry Bauman, and they be- came the parents of ten children, namely: Henry, who was born November 17, 1875, and was accidentally killed in a runaway April 21, 1908; William of Novato, California, who was born June 12, 1877, and married Ethel Hoffman ; Mary, who was born November 24, 1878, and is now the wife of Allen Purdie of Boone; Francis, who was born February 25, 1880; George Lewis, of this review, who was born September 7, 1882; John, born February 24, 1884; Hannah, December 28, 1886; Elmer, February 1, 1889: Dora, October 12, 1892; and Hazel, July 3, 1894. The father, who was an earnest and consistent member of the German Lutheran church, died on his farm in Jackson township, March 8, 1908, highly esteemed by all who knew him, while the mother passed away May 13, 1903. They were laid to rest side by side in the Lynwood cemetery.
George L. Adix spent his boyhood and youth on the home farm in Jackson township and remained with his parents until his marriage. He attended the public schools, and it was the intention of his parents to send him to college and to fit him for the dental profession. At the age of nineteen, however, he gave up that idea and has since devoted his attention principally to agricultural pur- suits. At the age of twenty-one he spent one year in California, visiting relatives the greater part of the time, and then went to Minnesota, where he had charge of land belonging to his father, who gave him power of attorney to administer his property. After the death of the father he was appointed administrator of the estate, which he ably managed. It was after his marriage that he located upon his present farm, which he purchased from Frank Nygren in 1911. This place is beautifully located six and one-half miles east of Boone and three miles from Jordan. Since it came into his possession he has made improvements thereon. and it is today in a high state of cultivation. Mr. Adix is a pioneer in the raising of alfalfa in this locality and has become quite an extensive stock-raiser, making a specialty of thoroughbred Chester White hogs. He now has upon his place
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over one hundred and sixty head of hogs, which he feeds largely on alfalfa. He also has given considerable attention to the raising of Rhode Island Red poultry. He is one of the most progressive and up-to-date young farmers of Boone county and undoubtedly will meet with excellent success in his undertakings.
On the 21st of February, 1911, Mr. Adix was united in marriage to Miss Eva Myrtle Throckmorton of Jackson township, a daughter of George and Viola ( Roderick ) Throckmorton. She was born near Madrid, Boone county, and received her literary education in the public schools. She has given considerable attention to the study of music, pursuing that art at Simpson College for some time. After leaving school she taught the piano for two years. She is now organist in the Prairie Center church, and has taught a class in the Prairie Center Sunday school for ten years. However, she holds membership in the Christian church at Boone. Through her efforts and those of the class enough money was raised to buy a piano for the Sunday school. Since attaining his majority Mr. Adix has affiliated with the republican party and on that ticket was elected township clerk in 1912 for a term of two years, being now a candidate for re- election in 1914. He is a member of the Yeomen and is regarded as one of the leading citizens of the community.
JONATHAN BUECHLER.
Jonathan Buechler is living practically retired, his home being at Ridgeport, in Dodge township. where he has remained since 1858, in which year he built the house that he now occupies. He arrived in Boone county two years before and has lived at or near the village continuously since, covering almost sixty years. In the early days he engaged in merchandising for about a year and then traded his store for his farm. At one time between the years 1870 and 1875 he was the owner of about one thousand acres of land, but lost heavily through going security for friends and being forced to pay security debts. However, he has never lost the respect of his fellow townsmen, and the high regard in which he is uniformly held is a testimonial of the integrity and honor of his life. He was born in Pine Grove township, Schuylkill county, Pennsyl- vania. in 1831, a son of Henry and Abigail ( Dollinger ) Buechler. The maternal grandfather, John Dollinger, was a Revolutionary soldier, serving for seven years in that long conflict which brought independence to the American people. Henry Buechler was but three days the senior of his wife. The latter was born on shipboard and the former in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, June 10, 1791. Mr. Buechler spent his last days in Wayne county, Iowa, where he departed this life March 14. 1872, at the age of almost eighty-one years. His wife, whose natal day was June 13. 1791, passed away at the age of sixty-five years. He was a Lutheran in religious faith, while Mrs. Buechler was a believer in the Presby- terian doctrines.
In their family were ten children, of whom Jonathan Buechler was the ninth in order of birth and is the only one now living. In 1844 the family removed to Tippecanoe county. Indiana, and the father purchased a farm on Sugar creek, two miles from Americus. He was a man of considerable wealth for those days
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MR. AND MRS. JONATHAN BUECHLER
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and Jonathan Buechler had some opportunities, therefore, which were denied other lads of the period. He attended school in Germantown after beginning his education and the schools of Preble county, Ohio. Subsequently he engaged in teaching in Indiana, having charge of a subscription school, his remuneration being sixty dollars per quarter, and he boarded himself. He taught for two terms and for two years he engaged in farming in Indiana along the Wabash river, raising one hundred and ten bushels of corn to the acre. The soil was compara- tively new to cultivation and responded readily to the care and labor bestowed upon it.
In September, 1853, Mr. Buechler was united in marriage to Miss Martha Ann Miller, a daughter of Rev. David Miller, who in 1854 came to Boone county and purchased five hundred acres of land, largely covered with timber, at two and a half to three and a half dollars per acre. Mrs. Buechler departed this life August 11, 1889, when fifty-five years of age, and was survived by ten children. Those still living are: Mary, now the wife of James Martin, a lawyer of Fort Dodge, lowa ; Emma, the wife of Henry Ferguson of Boone; Eva, the wife of Clell Jennings of Dodge township; Lizzie, the wife of Frank Peterson, a farmer of Dodge township ; George, a prominent and successful farmer living near Ridge- port : and Charles, who for forty-eight terms engaged in teaching school and is now a painter and paper hanger of Boone. He is married and has two living children. After having lost his first wife Mr. Buechler wedded Mrs. Nancy Stotts, nee Vernon, on Thanksgiving day, the 26th of November, 1891. She was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, a daughter of Allen and Elizabeth ( Hague) Vernon, the latter of Quaker parentage, while the former was of English birth. Both died when Mrs. Buechler was a young child. She was married in Ohio to Chistal Stotts, and they removed to Boone county about 1856, since which time she has made her home within its borders. Mr. Stotts was a farmer and owned a good tract of land in Dodge township, where he made his home until his death in 1884. Unto him and his wife were born six children, of whom four sons and one daughter are yet living, namely: Frank, Eddie, Oscar, Mrs. Anetta Garrett and John.
It was in 1853 that Jonathan Buechler came to Iowa. He settled at Ben- nington, on the Iowa river, and there engaged in selling goods for a year or two. In 1854 he came to Boone county, where he entered government land, which he improved, making his home thereon for a few years. He afterward traded for another tract and a farm in Indiana and ultimately traded that property for a store at Ridgeport, where he carried on commercial pursuits for several years At different times he has made many deals for various properties and in placing his investments has displayed sound judgment. He has dealt quite extensively in farm, town and city property and has also given supervision to the cultivation and improvement of his land. He is by trade a fine stone and brick mason and has assisted in the erection of many business blocks and other buildings at Boone and elsewhere in the county. He has aided in the erection of eighteen different churches and also the county farm buildings. His life has been one of intense and well directed activity, and the years have brought him a success which is very gratifying.
Politically Mr. Buechler was reared in the democratic faith, but has voted the republican ticket since the Civil war. He was in hearty sympathy with the Vol. II .- 18
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Union cause and the governmental policy and three times he volunteered his services, but did not get to enlist, twice on account of the company being filled and once because of an injury which he had sustained in his foot in his youth. Socially Mr. Buechler is a Mason, belonging to Boone Lodge No. 79, A. F. & A. M., which he joined in 1867. He and his wife are members of the Free- will Baptist church at Ridgeport. He has served as notary public and as justice of the peace, and he was deputy postmaster under Allen T. Silver and others for several years at Ridgeport, but the postoffice there was discontinued July 1, 1913. He has also been deputy sheriff. Mr. Buechler recalls the Indian days and many thrilling adventures during his travels over many parts of Iowa and other states. While returning from Indiana to Iowa with a large amount of gold, he and a companion were held up near Marengo, Iowa, by four robbers. The two men were put to bed on the floor, each between two of the robbers, but at a preconcerted signal they fought their way out, mounted their horses and made their escape. They had managed to retain their arms, his companion having a revolver, while Mr. Buechler had a bowie knife. Other incidents almost as exciting featured in his life in the early days, but he has lived to see many changes, as law and order have been established and as the work of civilization and develop- ment has been carried forward, and as one of the pioneer settlers of the county he well deserves mention in this volume.
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