USA > Iowa > Boone County > History of Boone County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 58
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JAMES M. NOLAND.
James M. Noland is one of the most substantial landowners of Boone county. holding title to seven hundred and sixty acres of choice land on sections 19. 20. 21 and 29, Cass township. Moreover, he has always participated in public affairs and has proven himself a useful citizen, serving at present as mayor of Woodward and president of the board of education.
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He was born in Highland county, Ohio. April 26, 1850, and is a son of William and Rachel (Bennett ) Noland, the former born in Pike county, Ohio, in February, 1822, and the latter in Highland county, that state, March 13, 1823. They came overland to Fowa on the 26th of October, 1850, when our subject was but a few months old. The trip was made by boat to Keokuk, Iowa, whence they proceeded to Cass township, this county, locating on section 27. There the father followed farming and stock-raising. In 1865 he enlisted from Boone county for service in the Union army with the Thirteenth Iowa Regiment and died at New- bern, North Carolina, being buried in that place. His wife passed away in Cass township, June 20, 1886. They were married in Highland county, Ohio, September 2, 1842, and became the parents of ten children, as follows: Mrs. Elizabeth Jane Dickerson, who was born July 2, 1843; Mary, born January 6, 1845, deceased ; Albert C., who was born November 16, 1846, and died at Huntsville. Alabama, while a member of Company D. Thirteenth lowa Volunteer Infantry, and is buried at that place; John W., who was born April 25, 1848, and is residing in California : James M., of this review ; George W., who was born August 4, 1852, and lives in Cass township; Mrs. Margaret Ellen Newell, who was born Janu- ary 26, 1856, and resides in Woodward ; F. S., born October 3, 1859, of Modesto, California ; Joshua Marion, born July 31, 1861, of Alberta, Canada ; and Nathan- iel, born July 28, 1864, of Alberta, Canada. The elder children were born in Highland county, Ohio, and the five younger in Cass township, this county, where all were reared. When they came here pioneer conditions yet prevailed and the family endured all the privations and hardships incident to pioneer life.
James M. Noland removed with his parents to Cass township and there attended the common schools, subsequently taking up farming and stock-raising. He has been very successful, now owing today seven hundred and sixty acres of choice land on sections 19, 20, 21 and 29, Cass township, improved with three sets of buildings. He has always followed most modern and up-to-date methods and by close application and industry has attained to prosperity. He now resides in Woodward but still supervises the operation of his farms in Cass township.
On November 9, 1883, Mr. Noland was married in Cass township, Boone county, to Miss Emma Vernon, who was born in that township, March 28, 1861. Her parents were Joseph B. and Persosia (Gregg) Vernon, the former born near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, February 23. 1828, and the latter in Virginia, June 30, 1832. They were among the earliest settlers of Boone county, having come over- land from Pennsylvania to Illinois and thence to lowa in a covered wagon. The father served in the Union army, enlisting from Boone county. He died in Cass township, October 1, 1879, and was survived by his wife until August 21. 1882, the latter also dying in Cass township. In their family were the following children : Oliver C., born June 20, 1853, now a resident of Kansas ; Mrs. Laura Mowrer, born September 25, 1854, of Perry, Iowa; Mrs. Mary L. Bernard, born February 29, 1856, who died November 29, 1901 ; Mrs. Ella P. Ramsey, born April 10, 1859, of Cass township; Mrs. Emma Noland ; Charles K., born July 30, 1864, of Cass township; Morris T., born March 8, 1868, of Fresno, California ; and Mrs. Lucy A. Allshouse, born January 5. 1871, of Perry, Iowa. Two sons died in infancy. The two eldest children were born in Pennsylvania, the third in Illinois and the younger ones in Cass township. Here Mrs. Noland attended the common schools and grew to womanhood. She and her husband
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became the parents of five children, all of whom were born in Cass township: Ralph E., born August 29, 1884, of Cass township; Mrs. Lucy A. Grant, born November 10, 1885, of Peoples township; Morris K., born August 26 1887, of Cass township; Mrs. Lillie E. Wade, born August 18, 1889, of Cass township; and Flossie May, who was born October 19, 1898, and is residing with her par- ents in Woodward, attending the high school. There are seven grandchildren Ralph has two children: Emmet, who makes his home with his father in Cass township, and Jennie May, residing with her grandparents. Wilbur, Kenneth and Doyle are children of Mrs. Grant ; and Orlee and Winifred are daughters of Morris K. Noland.
James M. Noland has always given his allegiance to the republican party and for a number of years was trustee of Cass township. At present he is serving as mayor of Woodward, giving the city a businesslike administration. He is president of the board of education, having ever taken a deep interest in that cause, and both he and his wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal church of Woodward. . Fraternally he is a member of Peaceful Lodge, No. 454, A. F. & A. M .. and Woodward Lodge, No. 460, I. O. O. F. There is much that is admira- ble in his career, which may serve as an example to the young men of today, demonstrating that high qualities of character are the fundamentals upon which is built a successful life.
SAMUEL BERT PAYNE.
A well improved farm of eighty acres on section 28, Jackson township, pays tribute to the labors of Samuel Bert Payne, who has made his home thereon for over a third of a century. He is a native of Indiana, born in Clay county, that state, July 20, 1854, and is a son of James Robert Payne, whose birth occurred in Cumberland, Maryland, in 1830. His mother, who bore the maiden name of Mary M. Devore, was born in Ohio and reared near Findlay, that state. In their family were eight children. James Robert Payne came with a colony to this locality, and he became prominently identified with its development and upbuilding, serving as supervisor of his township for a time. Our subject's grandfather, Benjamin C. Payne, was also one of this colony and for some time conducted a store in Boone, besides owning and operating a farm. Our subject is today the only one living in this county who came with the colony at that time. His paternal great-grandfather was a native of England.
It was on the 5th of November, 1854, when Samnel Bert Payne was only a few months old, that he was brought to this county by his parents, the trip being made in wagons. He here passed the days of his boyhood and youth, attending school in Des Moines township in the second schoolhouse built in Boone county. His first teacher was Jonathan Kellogg. He continued his education at intervals until he attained his majority and in the meantime ac- quired an excellent knowledge of agricultural pursuits by aiding his father in the work of the home farm. On the 12th of September, 1880, he was united in marriage to Miss Jennie B. Abraham of Boone county, who was born in Canada and is a daughter of James and Maria (Wilson) Abraham. Her father
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was a native of Ireland, and her mother was born on the ocean while the family were enroute to the new world. It was in 1866 that the Abrahams came to Boone county and settled in Colfax township.
Since 1880 Mr. Payne has made his home upon his present farm and has erected all of the buildings now found thereon. It was wild land when it came into his possession, but the improvements that he has made have been substantial and it today ranks among the best cultivated and most desirable farms of the locality. Mr. and Mrs. Payne have two children, Walter Scott and Allie W. The wife and mother is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and the family stand high in the community where they reside. In politics Mr. Payne is a republican, and he has filled several local offices in a most creditable manner.
CHARLES K. VERNON.
Charles K. Vernon owns a valuable farm of one hundred and ten acres of choice land on section 16, Cass township, having upon his property two sets of buildings. He has not only contributed toward agricultural development, but has taken an active interest in public affairs and has served in several official posi- tions. He was born on the Vernon homestead in Cass township, July 30. 1864, and there attended school and grew to manhood, early taking up farming and stock raising. He is a son of Joseph B. and Persosia ( Gregg) Vernon, the former born near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 23. 1828, and the latter in the state of Virginia, June 30, 1832. The parents were among the early settlers of Boone county, having come to the county from Illinois, whither they had made their way overland from Pennsylvania. The father was a soldier in the Union army, enlisting from Boone county. He died in Cass township, October 1, 1879, his widow surviving him until August 21, 1882, also passing away in Cass town- ship. In their family were the following children: Oliver C., of Kansas ; Mrs. Laura Mowrer, of Perry, Iowa; Mrs. Mary L. Bernard, who died November 29. 1901 ; Mrs. Ella P. Ramsey, of Cass township; Mrs. James M. Noland, of Woodward ; Charles K., our subject : Morris T., of Fresno, California. and Mrs. Lucy A. Allshouse, of Perry, Iowa.
Mr. Vernon of this review has followed agricultural pursuits for many years and now owns a property comprising one hundred and ten acres in Cass town- ship. He has always followed the latest and best methods and has installed modern machinery upon his farm. His fields are in a high state of cultivation, and he has made many improvements which have enhanced the value of his prop- erty. He is competent, industrious and energetic and such success as has come to him is well merited.
On the 21st of February, 1884, Mr. Vernon married in Cass township Miss Carrie B. Swisher, who was born in Worth township, this county, January 2, 1868, attending the common schools there. ller parents were George and Emma (McMichels) Swisher, the former born in West Virginia, May 6, 1842, and the latter near Burlington, Iowa, March 5, 1848. The father died in Cass township February 2, 1913, being survived by his widow, who resides on the home
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farm where she and her husband settled in 1880. Mrs. Swisher remembers the time when the cows were herded where the city of Boone now stands. In their family were five children: Carrie B., the wife of our subject; Mrs. Mollie Parsal, born January 5, 1870, of Dallas county, Iowa ; B. M., who was born May 14, 1871, and also resides in that county; George, Jr., who was born March 5, 1874, and resides in Cass township, and J. V., whose birth occurred October 28. 1877, and who makes his home on the Swisher homestead in Cass township. Mt and Mrs. Vernon were the parents of four children: Mrs. Belva K. James, who was born July 7, 1888, was married February 12, 1905, and is now residing in Peoples township. She has one daughter, Pauline Alice, who was born February 21, 1913. The second in the Vernon family is Mrs. Catharine M. Lemaster, born August 8, 1891, who was married February 16, 1910, and resides on the old home farm in Cass township; Lucy, born October 23. 1892, died December 12, 1892; Helen G., whose birth occurred March 28, 1897, resides with her parents. These children were born and reared in Cass township and in the acquirement of their education attended the Liberty school.
Politically Charles K. Vernon is a democrat and has always taken a laudable interest in the progress of his township and county. He has served as road super- visor and has been a member of the school board of Cass township, taking an intelligent interest in the cause of education. He and his family are members of the Liberty Methodist Episcopal church. He has many friends in Cass township and is highly esteemed and respected by all who know him and most respected by those who know him best.
OLAF A. NEWMAN.
Olaf A. Newman is recognized as one of the most successful farmers living in the vicinity of Madrid. Starting out in life empty-handed, he has worked his way upward, ever realizing that industry is a force that will conquer almost any difficulty and surmount almost any obstacle. He was born in Sweden, May 10, 1855, and came to America with his parents in 1868, the family home being established at Swede's Point, Boone county. His father, Olaf Newman, Sr., was born in Sweden in 1825, and died in Madrid, Iowa. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Carrie Marie Pearson, was also born in Sweden and makes her home in Madrid. In their family were three children: Olaf, whose name introduces this record ; Peter T., who was born in Sweden, May 5, 1858, and is now residing in Garden township; and Sarah, who was born in 1865 and died in 1868 while the family were crossing the ocean, into the depths of which her remains were lowered.
The father was a farmer and Olaf A. Newman was carefully trained in the work of the fields, remaining with his parents until he reached his majority. He then began learning the carpenter's trade, which he followed for a number of years. His attention, however, is now concentrated upon agricultural pursuits, and he is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of choice land on section 24, Garden township, which is well improved, and eighty acres on section 25, Garden
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township. He likewise has eighty acres on section 35 and an adjoining tract of twenty acres, while in Dallas county he has eighty-five acres of coal land. His investments have been judiciously made and his property holdings are valuable, returning to him a gratifying annual income. He has developed the land which he has purchased, has placed many improvements upon it and is now the owner of valuable property.
In Garden township, on the 29th of April, 1891, Mr. Newman was united in marriage to Miss Hulda Alsin, who was born in Sweden, August 7, 1863. Her parents were among the earlier settlers of Garden township. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Newman were born three children: Ivan, who was born July 3, 1892, in Garden township and passed away on the 23d of September, 1897; Mabel Victoria, who was born August 22, 1893, and died October 24, 1894; and Oliver, who was born December 1, 1896, and is now a high-school pupil in Slater and assists his father in the care of the farn.
The Newman home is a well furnished and attractive residence. There is an air of thrift, comfort and prosperity which pervades the place, and hospitality also reigns supreme there. Mr. Newman deserves much credit for what he has accomplished. He was a youth of thirteen years when he came with his parents to the new world. It was not long afterward that he started out in business on his own account and from that time to the present he has made industry the beacon light of his life, for he recognized the eternal principle that industry wins.
MARION P. RAMSEY.
Along the line of agricultural activity Marion P. Ramsey has made continuous progress since starting out in life on his own account. He makes his home in Cass township, where he has resided the greater part of the time since the spring of 1879. He is a native of Des Moines township, born on the 27th of June, 1857. His father, John Ramsey, was a native of Green township, Harrison county, Ohio, born March 13, 1832. After arriving at years of maturity he married Esther Ann Paxton, who was also born in Green township, Harrison county. her natal day being January 13, 1834.
In an early day the family removed westward to Illinois and in 1853 arrived in Boone county, Iowa, settling near Boonesboro. They were among the early residents of this section of the state and took an active part in promoting progress and development along various lines. For almost six decades the father con- tinued to make his home in Boone county, his death occurring in Worth town- ship on the 26th of February, 1911. For about five years he had survived his wife, who died in Woodward, Iowa, July 25, 1906. Both had attained an advanced age, the mother being seventy-two at the time of her demise, while the father was in his seventy-ninth year. In their family were five children, namely : George, who was born December 18, 1853, and died five days later ; Mrs. Margaret Hemm, who was born July 7, 1855, and is now a resident of Woodward, Iowa; Marion P., of this review ; S. A., who was born November 4, 1860, and is now residing in Woodward; and C. E., who was born November 22, 1864, and makes his home in Woodward. All were born and reared in Boone county, and the Vol. II-29
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family has been widely and favorably known in this section of the state for sixty-one years.
Marion P'. Ramsey speut his boyhood and youth in the usual manner of farm lads. In his youthful days he attended the public schools in order to acquire an education that would qualify him for life's practical and responsible duties. When his text-books were put aside he concentrated his energies upon farm work. taking up his abode in Cass township in the spring of 1879, and with the excep- tion of a decade spent in the Sunflower state, where he carried on general farming, he has since made his home in Cass township, where he now resides, owning and cultivating one hundred and fourteen acres of choice land on section 17. His place is well improved, and his home is modern and attractively furnished. There are good barns and outbuildings for the shelter of grain and stock, and the latest makes of farm machinery facilitate the work of the fields. In addition to raising various cereals Mr. Ramsey is also engaged in raising a good grade of Poland China hogs, and this branch of his business is bringing him substan- tial returns. His work has been crowned with a gratifying measure of success that makes him now the possessor of a comfortable competence.
In Cass township, on the Ioth of November, 1880, Mr. Ramsey was united in marriage to Miss Ella Persosia Vernon, who was born in Cass township, April 10, 1859, and was here reared to womanhood, her parents being among the pioneer settlers of the township. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey have been born three children. Harry V., who was born August 3, 1882, and attended the common schools and high school at Perry, is now interested in the drainage busi- ness at Owatonna, Minnesota. Marion Earl, born in Kansas, July 23, 1888, is residing with his parents upon the home farm. Mrs. Esther Fay Kirtley, born May 23, 1893, is a resident of Peoples township.
In his political views Mr. Ramsey has always been a democrat since he became a voter, and he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Cass township, and their lives conform to their professions. All who know them esteem them for their genuine worth, and they have a circle of friends in Boone county almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaintances.
GEORGE C. THOMAS.
George C. Thomas, deceased, was one of the most esteemed and respected residents of Woodward. He was born in Canada, June 8, 1850, and was a son of George C. and Elizabeth (Strowbridge) Thomas. His father died in Arkan- sas and his mother in Woodward, Iowa. In their family were four sons and two daughters: John, a resident of Kansas: Harvey, now residing in Des Moines; Richard; George C., of this review; . Anna. who died at the age of eighteen ; and Mrs. Elizabeth Blake, of Chicago, Illinois. All of these children were born in Canada.
George C. Thomas, Jr., moved with his parents to Dallas county, lowa, the family locating on a farm. There he grew to manhood and subsequently became one of the first business men of Woodward, conducting a restaurant with increas-
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ing success for a number of years. He was actively engaged in business until shortly before his death, which occurred in Woodward, October 29, 1905, causing sincere sorrow among his many friends.
On February 25, 1890, Mr. Thomas was married in Woodward to Miss Dora Nance, who was born in Peoples township, Boone county, September 23, 1866, and has been a continuous resident of this locality with the exception of a short time which she spent at Ames. Her parents, L. M. and Harriet M. (Horn- buckle) Nance, were among the pioneers of Boone county. Her father was born in Green county, Kentucky, May 18, 1827, and died in Woodward, Iowa, May 28, 1897. On leaving his native state he removed to Petersburg, Menard county, Illinois, and in 1855 he and his family came overland to Boone county, Iowa, arriving in what is now Peoples township in August of that year. He secured his first forty acres of raw prairie land for two hundred dollars. At that time the country was very sparsely settled and his nearest markets were at Marshalltown and Oskaloosa. The famous Indian chief, John Green, as well as members of his tribe, was a frequent visitor at the Nance home and was always welcome. In this county, March 8, 1855, Mr. Nance married Miss Har- riet M. Hornbuckle, who was born in Petersburg, Illinois, June 20, 1832, and died at Woodward, lowa, June 2, 1912, in her eightieth year. Her parents were among Boone county's pioneers, her father having settled here in 1853. He named the first postoffice in this part of the country, giving it the name of Prairie Hill, and he also operated the first sawmill on the Des Moines river at Elk Rapids. To Mr. and Mrs. Nance were born five children, all of whom received good educational advantages in the public schools of Boone. They were: Mrs. M. E. Storms, born December 24, 1855, now a resident of Woodward; Thomas F., born June 20, 1858, whose home is in Madrid; Mary Lydia, deceased, who was born December 29, 1861; Dora, now Mrs. Thomas; and Mrs. L. E. Clark, who was born January 8, 1873, and resides in Des Moines.
Mrs. Thomas was educated in the common schools of her neighborhood, particularly in the Oak Grove school of Peoples township. In April, 1914, there were gathered at the home of Mrs. Wade in Woodward a class of ten women, including Mrs. Thomas, who attended that school, and their old school teacher, A. C. Smith, now a prominent resident of Woodward, participated in the cele- bration. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas was born one son, George Wayne, whose birth occurred in Woodward, September 1, 1892. He attended the public schools there until fourteen years of age, when the family removed to Ames, where for four years he attended high school. He is at present holding a responsible position with the electric light and power plant at Woodward.
Mr. Thomas was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and his widow also adheres to that faith. He was sincere in his professions and was the teacher of a Bible class for fifteen years. Politically he was a democrat and fraternally a member of Woodward Lodge, No. 460, I. O. O. F., belonging to. the famous I. O. O. F. drill team of Woodward, which attended the Baltimore conclave of that lodge and won the championship not only of Iowa and the nation, but of the world. Mr. Thomas died October 29, 1905, at the comparatively early age of fifty-five years. He had many friends in Woodward and Boone county among the business men, among the agriculturists, among political leaders and more especially among his lodge brothers. All turned out to do honor to
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his memory on the occasion of his funeral. In a quiet and modest way he con- tributed toward development and advancement and he has left Woodward and his county the better for his having lived. His widow now resides with her son in a well furnished home in Woodward and she also owns a well appointed residence in Ames. All who know her esteem her for her high qualities of character, and she is ever ready to extend a helping hand to those who are less fortunate or who find themselves in affliction or need.
GEORGE W. MOUGIN.
George W. Mougin, one of the leading farmers of Cass township, was born in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, February 14, 1862, and on the paternal side is of French descent, his father, grandfather and great-grandfather having come to this country from France at an early day. Landing at New Orleans, they pro- ceeded up the Mississippi and finally located at Grand Prairie, Illinois, on the Mississippi river, where they began the improvement of a farm. Learning of the richness of the lead mines near Galena, Illinois, the family later removed to that part of the country and located on a farm which is still in possession of some of its members. The father of our subject, Augustus Mougin, was born in France and died in Cass township, this county, May 19, 1912, having located here on the 10th of April, 1902. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Catharine Gammon, was born in Ohio and died in Madrid, Iowa, November 26, 1908. She often related an experience of her girlhood when the treacherous waters of the Missouri river wrought terrible havoc. The family were residing upon a farm situated on the banks of the river, and the stream, swollen by floods, not only carried away the house and destroyed the crops but also literally washed away the farm. She became the mother of the following children, of whom nine are still living: Mrs. Josephine White, who died January 3, 1914: John, who died in infancy ; R. N., of Seattle, Washington ; I. N., a resident of Couer d'Alene, Idaho; Mrs. Mary L. Sherrard, of Jo Daviess county, Illinois; Albert P., of Peoria, Illinois ; George W., of this review ; James Russell, of Los Angeles, Cali- fornia; Mrs. Rosa Glenn, deceased; William Edward, who resides on the old home farm in Jo Daviess county, Illinois ; A. E., a resident of Elizabeth, Illinois ; Mrs. Sena Schubert, of Dubuque, Iowa; Charles, who died in infancy ; and Flora, who also died in infancy.
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