USA > Iowa > Boone County > History of Boone County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 59
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Like the other members of his father's family George W. Mougin was reared in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, and is indebted to the public schools for the educational privileges he enjoyed during his youth. On leaving his native state in 1880 he went to Sioux City, Iowa, where he spent two years, and then removed to Cass township, Boone county, where he has since made his home with the exception of two years spent in conducting a livery business in Madrid. He is now the owner of an excellent farm of one hundred and eighty-five acres on sections 9 and 18, Cass township, which is supplied with two sets of good buildings, and in the cultivation of his land Mr. Mougin has met with most excellent success. He is now enjoying a comfortable competence and has a pleasant home.
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At Madrid, Iowa, on the 28th of November, 1883, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Mougin and Miss Fannie D. Halsey, who was born in McLean county, Illinois, March 14, 1863, but was only two years of age when in 1865 she accom- panied her parents on their removal to Boone county, Iowa. the family locating on a farm in Cass township, where she now resides. Her father, John Halsey, died in that township, and her mother, who bore the maiden name of Mary Rutledge and was born in McLean county, Illinois, passed away at Madrid. She was a member of the famous Rutledge family of the Prairie state. To Mr. and Mrs. Halsey were born nine children. There are four children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Mougin : Gus, who was born August 30, 1884, and resides in Cass township; Mrs. Mary Catharine Graves, who was born September 15, 1886, and lives in the same township; Flora, who died in infancy ; and Otis H., who was born January 4, 1895, and assists his father in the operation of the home farm. The children were all born in Cass township and were given good educational advantages, attending the common schools, the two eldest also gradu- ating from the Madrid high school.
By his ballot Mr. Mougin supports the men and measures of the republican party, and he has taken quite a prominent and influential part in local politics, filling all of the township offices. For the past four years he has been township clerk. Fraternally he is connected with Woodward Lodge, No. 460, I. O. O. F., of Woodward, and both he and his wife belong to the Rebekahs at the same place. They stand high in the community where they reside and are quite promi- nent socially.
HENRY P. CALONKEY.
Henry P. Calonkey, a self-made and highly respected man who has worked his way upward through his own efforts and merit to his present position of material success and his enviable place in the regard of his fellow townsmen of Woodward, was born in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, January 1, 1848, his parents being C. and Julia (Bonitelle) Calonkey. The father, who was born in France in 1821, lived for a long period in Illinois and in 1869 came with his younger children to Boone county, settling in Boonesboro. The family trav- eled by rail save the subject of this review. who drove across the country. After taking up his abode in Boonesboro, Mr. Calonkey followed the carpenter's trade and also engaged in teaming for several years. In Illinois he lost his first wife. There were four children of that marriage, of whom two died in infancy, the others being : Henry P., of this review ; and Mrs. Catharine Rotden, who is now a resident of Jo Daviess county, Illinois. The father married again and by the second union there were born: Mrs. Hattie Drover, living in McAlester. Okla- homa, Mrs. Gladys Brainerd, whose home is in Florida; and Mrs. Emma White- lock, of Huntington, Indiana. All of the children were born in Illinois, and the older ones attended the public schools of that state, while the younger mem- bers of the family were educated in Boone. The father was for many years a resident of Iowa, his death occurring in June, 1913.
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Henry P. Calonkey spent the period of his minority in Illinois, being twenty- one years of age when the removal was made to Iowa, at which time he drove a team from the old home in Jo Daviess county to Boone. Three years after his arrival here, or in 1872, he married Alice Wade, who was born in Michigan, February 25, 1853, and came with her parents as they traveled across the country to Boone county. They cast in their lot with the early settlers of Cass township, and their daughter there attended the common schools. The father, Washington Wade, was born in Medina county, Ohio, April 17, 1818, lived for a time in Michigan and after coming to Iowa continued to make his home in this state until his death, which occurred in Woodward, December 4, 1904. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Lucy Bass, was born in Pennsylvania, December 24, 1825, and died in Woodward, November 6, 1906. The three eldest of the children of this union were born in Michigan, the fourth in Illinois and the younger members of the family in Boone county, and with the exception of two all are yet living. The record is as follows: J. B., whose birth occurred March 15, 1849, and who resides in Nebraska; Mrs. Josephine Miller, who was born June 1, 1851, and passed away on the 14th of June, 1874; Mrs. Alice Calonkey; Mrs. Jennie Bettis, who was born December 15, 1854, and resides in Denver, Colorado; A. B., born January 12, 1857, who resides in Woodward, Iowa; Albert, twin of A. B., who died when nine months old; Ella, who is a resident of Woodward, Iowa; Mrs. Hattie Hughes, born January 14, 1863. who makes her home in Belle Plaine, Iowa; William, who makes his home in Woodward, Iowa; Mrs. Minnie Callahan, who was born July 14, 1866, and resides in Woodward; and Albertus, whose birth occurred June 30, 1869, and who is a resident of Woodward, Iowa.
Mr. and Mrs. Calonkey have become the parents of five children and the family circle yet remains unbroken by the hand of death. The children are as follows: . A. B., born December 27, 1872, who is engaged in the creamery business at Woodward in association with his father, under the firm name of H. P. Calonkey & Son ; Mrs. Lucy Houghton, who was born September 21, 1877. and is a resident of Portersville, California; Clyde, whose birth occurred May 12, 1880, and who is a resident of Dallas county, Iowa ; Mrs. Olive Gray, born March 18, 1886, who makes her home in Chicago, Illinois; Josephine, who was born May 31, 1888. and is now teaching in the high school at Rock Rapids, Iowa. The last named was graduated from Ames College in 1910 and subse- quently taught school in California for one year, while later she followed her profession in Dallas Center for two years. All are natives of Boone county. Mr. and Mrs. Calonkey began their domestic life upon a farm but in 1893 removed to Woodward, where he has since been identified with the banking and the creamery business. His has been an active life, crowned with a sub- stantial measure of success as the direct result of his industry and diligence. He has secured a liberal patronage by methods which neither seek nor require disguise, and his labors have put him in possession of a comfortable competence. Mr. Calonkey is today president and one of the directors of the Woodward State Bank. a strong financial institution based upon modern methods of banking and conducted according to the strictest business ethics. In addition he owns eighty acres of good farm land on section 12, Peoples township, from which
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he derives a substantial annual income, and his town property includes an attractive home in Woodward which is tastefully and artistically furnished.
Mr. Calonkey belongs to Woodward Lodge, No. 460, I. O. O. F., as do both of his sons, and was a member of the famous World's Champion Degree Staff, a history of which is given elsewhere in this work. His wife belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he is a democrat, prominent in the party, and has been called to fill a number of offices. He has served as constable and as township trustee and since taking up his abode in Woodward has been a member of the city council and mayor, exercising his official prerogatives in support of many progressive movements. He has been a school director in Woodward and also before removing to the city, and the cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion. He is a recognized leader in public affairs and has done much in molding public thought and action in his community. Broadminded, liberal in spirit and action, he is ready to assume his share of any financial obligation or to support any worthy public enterprise through personal cooperation. His fellow townsmen speak of him in terms of high regard and his worth is uniformly acknowledged.
WILL M. BASS.
Will M. Bass is a farmer and stockman of Des Moines township, owning and cultivating a fine tract of land two miles north of Boone. He is also active in the public life of his locality and is now serving for the eighteenth year as clerk of his township. It was in that township that he was born on the 21st of De- cember, 1866, a son of David Bass and a grandson of Edward Bass, who came to Iowa in 1855 and secured as a homestead claim the farm now owned and occupied by the subject of this review. Edward Bass was born in North Carolina and when a young man removed westward to Indiana, where he lived until he established his home in Iowa. He traveled with ox cart to this state and, having entered his claim, began the development of the farm, which he converted into a rich and productive tract, residing thereon until his death, which occurred in 1882, when he was eighty years of age.
David Bass also resided on the old homestead, but at the time of the Civil war he felt that his duty to his country was paramount to all other interests and went to the front, serving for four years as a private in Company K, Six- teenth Iowa Vohinteer Infantry. He participated in a number of hotly contested engagements and on one occasion was wounded in the elbow. He died November II, 19II, at the age of seventy-two years. The community regarded him as a representative citizen. In politics he was a stanch democrat, and his religious faith was that of the Baptist church. In early manhood he married Susan Harter, who was born in Baden, Germany, and when six years of age was brought to America. She was reared to womanhood in Ohio and then came to Boone county, where she married. At the age of seventy-one years she now lives on the old home place in Des Moines township and she is a member of the German Reformed church. Unto Mr. and Mrs. David Bass were born eight children, of whom two died in early life, while six are yet living, namely: Will
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M .; Mrs. Albert S. Beckett, of Des Moines township, whose husband follows farming; Mrs. Charles Ross, also of the same township; Mrs. Clark Ross, living in Estherville, Iowa; Samuel, who is single and resides on the old homestead; and Mrs. Charles Sturtz, of Des Moines township.
No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for Will M. Bass in his boyhood and youth. He pursued his education in the public schools and through the summer months worked in the fields, and he has never desired to change his occupation. For the past quarter of a century he has resided at his present home, owning and cultivating one hundred and sixty acres of rich land which is now splendidly developed. He carries on general farming, raising the crops best adapted to soil and climate, and as the years have gone on his labors have been attended with a substantial measure of success.
Mr. Bass was united in marriage to Miss Anna M. Burk, a daughter of Thomas Burk, now of Tacoma, Washington, but for many years a resident of Boone county, where he engaged in farming and also served as county super- visor, filling that position for six years. He was elected to the office on the republican ticket, having always been a loyal supporter of the party. His daugh- ter, Mrs. Bass, was born in Des Moines, lowa, and by her marriage she has become the mother of one son, Paul, now eighteen years of age.
In his political views Mr. Bass is a republican. He has held a number of school offices and for the past eighteen years has been township clerk. The cause of education finds in him a warm friend and, in fact, his influence is always on the side of right and progress, truth and reform. He holds membership with the Modern Woodmen of America, and his wife is connected with the ladies' auxiliary of that organization, known as the Royal Neighbors. In religious faith Mr. Bass is a Methodist, his membership being in Bethel church of Des Moines township. He represents one of the old pioneer families of the county, a family long and honorably connected with the agricultural development of this part of the state, and the work instituted by his grandfather and continued by his father is now being carried on still farther by him.
CHARLES CLARK.
Charles Clark, who has lived retired in Beaver since 1910, was long and actively identified with agricultural pursuits in Boone county and is now spend- ing the evening of life in well earned ease. His birth occurred in Trumbull county, Ohio, on the 29th of July, 1844, his parents being Watters and Julia ( Rice) Clark, who were natives of Connecticut and Ohio respectively. The father followed farming in the Buckeye state throughout his entire business career and passed away in February, 1865. The mother was called to her final rest in March, 1883.
Charles Clark was reared and educated in the state of his nativity and re- mained under the parental roof until the time of his enlistment for service in the Civil war, joining the Union army in June, 1864, as a member of Company G, One Hundred and Seventy-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He remained with that command until the cessation of hostilities between the north and the
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south and then returned to Ohio, where he continued to make his home for six years. On the expiration of that period he came to Boone county, Iowa, and here cultivated rented land until 1875. In that year he purchased forty acres of land in Union townshp and improved the property, while subsequently he bought an improved tract of eighty acres in Amaqua township. He took up his abode on the latter place and gave his attention to its operation continu- ously and successfully until 1910, when he put aside the active work of the fields and purchased an attractive residence property on the main street in Beaver, where he has lived retired for the past four years. His undertakings as an agriculturist were attended with gratifying prosperity, and he has long been numbered among the substantial and representative citizens of the com- munity.
On the 3d of October, 1874, Mr. Clark was united in marriage to Miss Eva Kimball, a daughter of Robert and Sarah (Cooper) Kimball, who were natives of Allegany county, New York. The father, an agriculturist of the Empire state, enlisted for service in the Civil war and while at the front was stricken with typhoid fever, dying in the army in 1863. His widow, surviving him for more than four decades, passed away in this county in February, 1906. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Clark were born four children, as follows: Percy L., who follows farming in Peoples township; Harry V., who operates his father's farm in Amaqua township; Isabelle M., the wife of E. B. Doran, who is a son of Senator Doran and follows farmning in Beaver township; and Watters F., who died on the 28th of June, 1879, when but three weeks old.
In politics Mr. Clark has always been a stanch republican. He served as assessor of Union township for four years, acted as a trustee of Amaqua town- ship for a similar period and for many years promoted the interests of the cause of education as a school director. He belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic and is identified fraternally with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Ogden, while his religious faith is that of the Baptist church. The period of his residence in Boone county covers more than four decades and he has won a large circle of warm friends within its borders.
ALVA A. BURKHART.
Among the native sons of Boone county who have recognized and utilized the business opportunities here offered, never finding it necessary to seek success elsewhere, is Alva A. Burkhart, now busily engaged in the further development and improvement of an excellent farm in Peoples township. It was in the same township that his birth occurred on the Ist of January, 1872.
His father, David L. Burkhart, a native of Pennsylvania, was born in Butler county in 1833, but came to Iowa in early life, casting in his lot with the pioneer settlers of Boone county at a time when the work of progress and development seemed scarcely begun here. On first reaching this state he made his way to Iowa City, then a small town, while Fort Des Moines had not yet been founded. After a short time at Iowa City he removed to Fort Des Moines and worked at his trade of carpentering for a number of years. At length he exchanged his
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home in Des Moines for a tract of land in Peoples township, Boone county, and took up his abode thereon, making that place his home until he was called to his final rest. Following the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted in Company A, Twenty-third lowa Volunteer Infantry, in 1862. He was enrolled at Zena and was honorably discharged in 1863 on account of physical disability. In the mean- time he was with Grant at the siege of Vicksburg and was in the charge at Big Black river, in which he received special mention. For bravery on that occasion he was advanced to the captaincy of his company. In the charge his company captured many swords and flags, and a sword and flag which he took on that oc- casion are still in the possession of his family in Peoples township. He made an excellent military record, and it was with the deepest regret that he was forced to put aside his duties on account of the greatly impaired condition of his health.
David L. Burkhart was united in marriage to Miss Sarah McDonald, whose mother was a near relative of John Brown. Mrs. Burkhart was born in Michi- gan in 1834 and died in Peoples township, Boone county, Iowa, August 7, 1892. She became the mother of eleven children: Mrs. Laura Hayer, residing at Les- more, Minnesota ; Mrs. Sarah J. Rittenhouse, of Oregon City, Oregon; John P .; Thomas, deceased; Charles, who makes his home in California; William, who has passed away; Aaron E., who was born March 24, 1870, and is living in Peo- ples township; Alva A., of this review ; George Washington, who makes his home in the state of Washington ; Albert, living in Peoples township; and Otho, who is a resident of Woodward, Iowa. The parents of these children were married in Polk county but established their home in Peoples township, Boone county, and all of the children were born there.
Throughout his entire life Alva A. Burkhart has resided in the county which is now his home. His educational opportunities were those afforded by the public schools. His early training was that of the farm, and he has always carried on general agricultural pursuits and stock-raising. His work has been intelligently directed, and his energy and determination have constituted the basis of his growing success. His methods are at all times practical, and he has annually gathered good harvests as a result of the intelligent manner in which he has cul- tivated his fields and cared for his crops.
In Marcy township, February 8, 1899, Mr. Burkhart was united in marriage to Miss Beatrice Stewart, who was born in Coal Valley, this county, and spent her girlhood days here, where she has always resided. Her parents, Stephen and Margaret (Patterson) Stewart, were among the early residents of the county and were well known through the pioneer epoch and later periods in the history of this section of the state. Their children were as follows: Eleanor Webster, of Hot Springs county, Wyoming : Janet Edgar, a resident of Tacoma, Washing- ton; Jane Thompson, of Thermopolis, Wyoming; and Mrs. Burkhart. Mrs. Stewart was twice married, the children by her second union being: John Hodge and Bessie Nelson, both of Rock Springs, Wyoming.
Mr. and Mrs. Burkhart have become the parents of the following named : Austin, who was born January 31, 1900; Malilon, born June 27, 1901 ; Velma, born January 3. 1905; David and Stephen, twins, born May 17, 1909; and Clifton, whose birth occurred on the 23d of July, 1913. The older children are now in school. The family occupy a pleasant home, the house is commodious and taste- fully furnished, and the air of hospitality which there pervades makes it a favorite
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resort with the many friends of the family. The residence stands in the midst of one hundred and five acres of arable land situated on section 13, Peoples town- ship, and in addition to a comfortable home there are good barns and outbuildings, well kept fences and the latest improved machinery. The political allegiance of Mr. Burkhart is given to the republican party, and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, to the teachings of which they are ever loyal, while to the support of the church they make generous contributions.
JOHN M. HERMAN.
John M. Herman was prominently connected with a number of enterprises which helped to make Boone the important center which it is today. He was quiet and reserved in manner, weighing every proposition carefully, but after coming to a conclusion would act aggressively and with decision, pursuing the object which he had in view until he had attained the goal. Mr. Herman was born in Hengstfeldt, Wurtemberg, Germany, December 31, 1830, and there attended school and grew to manhood. Having heard of the opportunities which were waiting those who came to America, he decided upon emigration and in 1846 crossed the ocean. Making his way inland, he settled in Ohio, but the gold fever of the late '40s induced him to make the overland journey to California in 1850. Braving perils and overcoming hardships, he completed the long trip in one hundred and five days and after reaching the coast remained two and one- half years in the gold fields, acquiring the capital which enabled him to establish himself in business. He returned by way of the isthmus of Panama and for a few years remained in Ohio but then sought the middle west, locating in Madison and later founding his home in Monroe, Wisconsin, in 1858. He resided at that town for about eight years and came to Boone, lowa, August 16, 1866, the city remaining his residence until he was called to his fathers. Boone then bore the name of Montana, the village having been founded the year before his arrival. He took active part in its early development and invested in property, soon be- coming a prominent man, as he brought with him the means which so many of the other settlers lacked. He established the Boone Brewery, which sold over a wide territory, and continued this establishment until the state adopted the prohi- bition policy. He then promptly closed its doors, performing the mandate of the law to the letter, although he lost heavily in so doing. He was not a man, how- ever, who could long be idle and soon found other occupations. He acquired title to realty which he developed by improving and building, adding to his pros- perity and contributing at the same time to the growth of the city. He was vice president of the First National Bank and also had an interest in the Security Savings Bank. Moreover, he had large farming interests, deriving a gratifying addition to his income from this source.
On August 16, 1860, in Monroe, Wisconsin, Mr. Herman was married to Mrs. Anna B. Spring, who was born in Thun, Switzerland, and came to America in 1857. To them were born six children: Emma, a resident of Boone; J. Henry ; John F., who is mentioned elsewhere in this work; and Otto C., all of whom are
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engaged in the banking business; Julia, who died in infancy; and Anna, who passed away in young womanhood.
Mr. Herman died January 15, 1898, at the age of nearly sixty-eight years. In him the city of Boone lost one of its representative citizens and one who had been instrumental in securing for the city many of the conveniences and comforts of modern life. His memory still lingers with his many friends, who appre- ciated him as a trustworthy and faithful man and a public-spirited citizen. He was one of that race of German-Americans who have done so much for the progress of this country and who form such a secure and dependable part of our nation. The prosperity which came to him and the esteem in which he was held were but tribute to his ability and character.
J. HENRY HERMAN.
J. Henry Herman, cashier of the First National Bank of Boone, Iowa, has advanced by reason of individual merit and ability to his present position. He neglects no duty nor does he heedlessly pass by any opportunity for the develop- ment of the interests of the bank or city, and in the legitimate field of business he has won gratifying success. He was born in Monroe, Wisconsin, October 18. 1864, and is the son of John M. and Anna ( Spring ) Herman. The father was a native of Hengstfeldt, Wurtemberg, Germany, born on the 31st of December, 1830, and came to this country in 1847. He was among the first settlers in Boone, Iowa, arriving here August 16, 1866, and here he died January 15, 1898. The mother was a native of Thun, Switzerland, born May 21, 1838. She emigrated to America in the '50s and afterward came to Boone, Iowa, with her husband, where she lived until her death, April 23, 1914.
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