USA > Iowa > Buchanan County > History of Buchanan County, Iowa, and its people, Volume II > Part 12
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56
Mr. and Mrs. Parker have had no children of their own but have reared two. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he also wears the little bronze button that indicates his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic. He is interested in that organization, which affords him opportunity for association with the "boys in blue" who defended the Union during the darkest days in the country's history.
MRS. MARY (COWIE) MCCARTY.
The life record of Mrs. Mary (Cowie) McCarty is one which has gained for her the esteem and admiration of all who know her, for she has accomplished much that others would have failed to do. When left a widow with four small children, she not only kept them together but came to a new country and through busi- ness ability and close application has succeeded in accumulating a comfortable competence. She was born in County Limerick, Ireland, where she was reared, and in young womanhood she crossed the Atlantic to the United States, settling first in Detroit, Michigan, where she formed the acquaintance of Michael McCarty, who sought her hand in marriage. He, too, was a native of County Limerick, Ireland, and as a young man had come to the new world, making his
124
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
way to Detroit, where he was employed to the time of his death, which occurred when he had advanced but a little way beyond the milestone that marks arrival at adult age. At the time of his death they were the owners of a little home in Detroit.
In 1869 or 1870, not long after the demise of her husband, Mrs. MeCarty with her four children, the eldest then six years of age, eame to Iowa, living with and working for a sister of her deceased husband on a farm in Byron township. She saved her money until her industry and economical expenditure had brought her a sum sufficient to enable her to purchase eighty aeres of land, and as her sons grew in years and strength they worked in the fields, more and more largely relieving their mother. Mrs. MeCarty, however, did not scorn the out-of-door work and on more than one occasion drove the team which hauled the harvester or did other work in the fields. She displayed splendid business management and ability in the control of her business affairs and added to her land from time to time until she is now the owner of two hundred aeres, constituting a very valuable property improved with splendid farm buildings. The home place is especially well improved. There is a comfortable and at- tractive residence, a large barn, the latest improved machinery and all the other accessories of modern farm life. The family have always worked to- gether, keeping but one pocket book and sharing with each other in all the adversity as well as in the prosperity which has come to them. They now have a herd of pure blooded Hereford cattle equal to any to be found in the state.
To Mr. and Mrs. McCarty were born two daughters and two sons: Mary, at home; Lizzie, the wife of Michael Greeley, a resident farmer of Byron town- ship; John, at home; and Daniel, who married Clara Lorang, a native of New York state, and resides on the old homestead. Mrs. MeCarty is now about eighty years of age but is still active, hale and hearty. She and her family are members of the Catholic church. She certainly deserves great credit for what she has accomplished, showing that she possesses excellent business ability. initiative and executive force, as well as those womanly qualities which have made her a devoted mother.
MYRON L. EDDY.
Myron L. Eddy is a representative farmer of Washington township, owning three hundred and thirty aeres of rich and valuable land, and in addition to the tilling of the soil he is engaged in buying and selling cattle. He was born in Byron township, Buchanan county, on the 18th of October, 1859, his parents being Levi H. and Maria (Smith) Eddy. The mother was born in 1841 and died in 1884, at the comparatively early age of forty-three years. The father's birth occurred in Cherry Valley, Illinois, in 1839 and he passed away in Norfolk, Nebraska, in 1902, but was buried, however, in this county. In early life he was a stage driver in Illinois and on leaving that state he made his way to Independ- ence, Iowa, arriving here when the town contained a single log house. He pur- chased land for six dollars per acre and broke not only his own land but also his neighbor's farm with the use of ox teams. It was in the early '50s that he
MR. AND MRS. MYRON L. EDDY
127
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
arrived in Iowa and following the outbreak of the Civil war, a decade later, he joined Company E of the Twenty-seventh Iowa Infantry, with which he served for four years. He was wounded in the battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, but during the greater part of the time was on active duty with his command and made a most creditable military record. When the war was over he returned to this county, where he remained until the latter part of his life, when he removed to Norfolk, Nebraska, where he conducted a hotel and was also in the land business. He owned considerable land and also bought and sold stock. At one time he was the owner of about three hundred and fifty acres in Iowa but sold nearly all of that property before his removal to Nebraska. He was an active, earnest and loyal supporter of the republican party but never sought nor desired office as a reward for party fealty. His death occurred in 1902, when he was sixty-three years of age. In the family were eight children, seven sons and one daughter, Myron L. being the eldest, and three of the number are now residents of Buchanan county.
During his youthful days Myron L. Eddy attended the district schools and when seventeen years of age he went to Colorado, spending two and a half years in Denver. During a part of that time he was employed as foreman of con- struction work on the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Returning to Iowa, he was married when twenty-one years of age and began farming on his own account, since which time he has devoted his time and attention to general agricultural pursuits save for two years which he spent in Waterloo, Iowa. He now owns three hundred and thirty acres of valuable land in Washington township, also buys and sells cattle and is an extensive feeder and shipper. His farm presents a most neat and thrifty appearance. He has about one hundred acres in corn, thirty acres in oats and the remainder in hay and pasture land. He gives his undivided attention to his farming and live-stock interests, and his capability in business is evidenced in his growing success.
On August 28, 1881, Mr. Eddy was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Henegar, who was born near Quasqueton, a daughter of Daniel Henegar, who was born in Canada in 1819 and when a young man came to the United States. He made his way first to Illinois and afterward to Iowa, spending some years as a farmer in Buchanan county. Later he removed to Kansas, settling near Winfield, where he followed farming for six years. He then returned to Iowa, where his remain- ing days were passed, his death occurring in 1885, when he was sixty-six years of age. He married Melissa Brown, who was born in Canada in 1820 and who, surviving for many years, passed away in 1913, at the notable age of ninety- three years. They were the parents of two children, of whom Mrs. Eddy is the older. To Mr. and Mrs, Eddy have been born nine children, six of whom are living, while two sons and a daughter have passed away. The family record is as follows: Arthur M., a resident of Arkansas; Nellie, the wife of Ralph Shoemaker, now upon the home farm with her father; Myrtle, the wife of Elmer Bennett, who is also assisting his father-in-law upon the old homestead farm and has two children, Leta and Dora Elaine; Delbert, who died in infancy : Lula, who died at the age of sixteen years; Guy M., who died at the age of seventeen years; Oscar, at home; Grace, the wife of Roy Castile, by whom she has a son, Raymond Arthur; and Helen, who completes the family and is new attending school.
128
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
Mr. Eddy holds membership with the Modern Woodmen of America and is well known throughout Buchanan county, where the greater part of his life has been passed. He is a self-made man, who has been both the architect and builder of his own fortunes. As the years have gone by he has gradually worked his way upward, proving the worth of industry and determination as factors in the attainment of prosperity.
MICHAEL R. CONSIDINE.
Michael R. Considine, a prominent factor in financial circles of Buchanan county, being vice president of the Jesup State Bank, is equally well known as a farmer and stockman of this section. He is a native son of the county, born on a farm in Perry township, September 8, 1867, his parents being Patrick and Ann (Crane) Considine, both of whom were natives of Ireland. In 1852 the father emigrated to Canada in company with two brothers, a sister and his parents, Patrick and Susan (Keane) Considine, natives of County Clare, Ireland. There Patrick Considine, Sr., and his three sons worked on a railroad for about five years, during which time they carefully saved their money, and in 1856 the son Patrick, father of our subject, was sent to Iowa to buy a home for the family. Looking about for a suitable location, he decided upon Perry township, Buchanan county, as a desirable place in which to invest his money. He purchased a tract of one hundred and sixty acres near Littleton, and the following year he was joined by the other members of the household. Father and sons then bent their energies toward the improvement and development of the farm. In the course of time the sons married and established homes of their own, all becoming well-to-do farmers of Perry township. Patrick Consi- dine, Sr., spent his remaining years on his farm in Perry township and there passed away. The mother of our subject, who bore the maiden name of Ann Crane, emigrated from Ireland to the United States in her girlhood, her arrival here being in the same year as that of Mr. Considine. They were married in this country and became the parents of four children. Through the death of her husband Mrs. Considine was left with the care of her family but she managed to keep them together on the farm, carefully rearing them and giving them the advantages of an education such as were enjoyed in those early days. She is still living at the age of ninety years and now makes her home with her son Michael. She is a communicant of the Catholic church. The children are : Ellen, the wife of John Keane, a farmer of Black Hawk county, Iowa; Mary, who is single and makes her home with her brother Michacl; Thomas, who died at the age of seventeen years; and Michael R., of this review.
Michael R. Considine was deprived of a father's care at the age of two years but he was carefully reared by his mother, who is now in turn cared for by him. His elder brother died when a youth of seventeen years, so that as soon as he was old enough the care of the farm devolved upon Michael. The place comprised one hundred and sixty acres, which he cultivated until 1912, when he rented the farm and with his mother and sister Mary removed to Jesup, where they occupy a beautiful and substantial home. Prior to leaving the
129
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
farm, in 1901, Mr. Considine formed a partnership with Z. A. Comfort in buying and shipping stock, and he is still dealing in live stock, disposing of several carloads of cattle and hogs in the city markets each year. His business interests are varied, however, for in addition to his stock business he is acting as vice president of the Jesup State Bank, of which he was one of the organizers and is now serving on the board of directors. He likewise owns stock in the telephone and creamery companies of the city.
It was on the 28th of October, 1895, that Mr. Considine was married to Miss Bridget Meaney, who was born on the Emerald isle but in 1891 in company with a brother emigrated to the United States. Like the other members of the family, Mr. Considine is a communicant of the Catholic church, while politically he supports the democratic party. For several years he has served as township trustee. He is an alert and enterprising business man, possessing all the requisite qualities of a sturdy Irish ancestry, and fully merits the high esteem in which he is held alike by business and social friends.
MARTIN D. OZIAS.
Martin D. Ozias, a well known, highly respected and influential citizen of Independence, is spending the evening of life in honorable retirement and justly merits the ease and comfort which he now enjoys. He was throughout a long period closely and actively identified with the agricultural interests of Buchanan county.
He was born in Preble county, Ohio, November 22, 1832, a son of Jesse and Temperance (Rice) Ozias. The father, also a native of Ohio, was descended from Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry and his parents were pioneers of the Buck- eye state. Jesse Ozias was reared in the state of his nativity and was there married. He was a farmer by occupation and in 1851 removed with his family to Buchanan county, Iowa, where he platted a town, named Chatham, which was located near Littleton in Perry township. There he built a store, which he operated for some little time, and then sold his interests here, returning to his former home in Ohio. He spent but one year there, however, when he returned to Buchanan county and he and his sons entered seventeen hundred acres of land. He purchased the warrants and permitted his sons to locate the land. This land they improved and the father was active in its cultivation throughout a long period. He passed away at his home when he had reached the age of eighty-six years and six months. In early years he was a whig but when the republican party was formed he joined its ranks. His religious belief was that of the Baptist church. His wife, who was likewise a native of Ohio, survived him for two or three years and departed this life at the age of eighty-six. Their family numbered seven children as follows: Martin D., of this review; Julia, the widow of J. F. Wolf and a resident of St. Louis, Missouri; Eli R., of Chicago, Illinois; Elizabeth, the wife of James Whait, a resident of Washing- ton; Tilman, who makes his home in Phoenix, Arizona: and two who died in infancy.
130
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
Martin D. Ozias, the eldest of the children, was reared in the state of his nativity to the age of nineteen years. He then accompanied the family on their removal to Iowa, the year of their arrival in this state being 1851. He bought four hundred acres in Fairbank township with land warrants that cost eighty- seven cents per acre. He broke the sod, developed a farm, erected a house thereon and eventually sold his land for nine and ten dollars per acre. In 1852 he purchased a half section of school land in Perry township, which he also improved and to which he added until he now owns fifteen hundred acres in Buchanan county, and he likewise owns four hundred acres in Minnesota. Ile also owns a business building in Independence which is known as the Ozias block and which is worth ten thousand dollars. Mr. Ozias sold his farm in Perry township in 1869 and invested the money in four hundred aeres in Wash- ington township, two miles from Independence. On this he erected good build- ings and made of it a valuable property. He was active in the management and operation of his extensive landed possessions until 1908, when he rented all his land and retired to Independence, where he occupies one of the beautiful resi- denees of the city.
It was on the 3d of July, 1854, that Mr. Ozias was united in marriage to Miss Clarinda J. Bright, who was born August 20, 1832, claiming Ohio as the state of her nativity. She was a daughter of David and Lucinda Bright, who were natives of Indiana but came to Buchanan county, Iowa, in 1850, where her father became a prominent pioneer farmer of Washington and Perry town- ships. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Ozias was blessed with seven children : Mary E., the wife of Simon Walker, of Perry township; John L., a prominent farmer of Perry township; Martha, the wife of Andrew Dunlap, of Independence ; Charles E., a farmer of Perry township ; Anna E., the wife of Mareus Lauritsen, a banker of Minnesota; Edward H., who operates his father's farm in Minne- sota ; and Lola, the wife of Thomas E. Scarcliff, a dealer in lumber and coal in Independence.
Mr. Ozias is a democrat where national issues are involved but at local elee- tions he votes independently. He would never consent to accept official honors but for a time in an early day he filled the office of justice of the peace. He is the oldest Odd Fellow in Independence and holds membership in Independence Lodge, No. 142. He is now in his eighty-second year but is still as active as a man many years his junior. The wealth which he today enjoys has been earned by intelligently directed labors, while his personal characteristics have estab- lished him high in the regard of his many friends and acquaintances.
A. N. TODD.
A. N. Todd, lawyer, was born in St. Clair county, Michigan, on the 19th of April, 1854. His father, Morris Todd, was born in New York in 1830 and in early life learned and followed the shipwright's trade. While in the east he wedded Clara F. Finlayson, who was born in the Empire state in 1836. Removing to Michigan, he settled in St. Clair county, where he engaged in general mer- chandising. In 1854 he came to Iowa, taking up his abode at Quasqueton. Having
A. N. TODD
133
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
acquired lands, he began farming and carried on general agricultural pursuits and stock-raising for many years. In fact, he was a well known and prominent representative of that line of activity in Buchanan county to the time of his death, which occurred in 1900. He held the office of county supervisor for one term, having been elected on the republican ticket, and was the first assessor of Liberty township. His family numbered seven children.
A. N. Todd, who was the eldest, attended the public schools of Buchanan county and was graduated from the State University in 1876 with the degree of Bachelor of Law. On attaining his majority he entered upon the practice of law at Stockton, Kansas, but did not continue active in that field, turning his attention to the real-estate business, in which he continued for four years. He then went to Hiawatha, Kansas, where he practiced law and also engaged in the real-estate business for six years. He next removed to Kansas City, Missouri, where he followed his profession for five years, and in 1896 he came to Inde- pendence, Iowa, where he is now engaged in law practice with H. C. Chappell. He is likewise president of the fair association, but he devotes the greater part of his time to his professional duties and is regarded as one of the able members of the Buchanan county bar, owing to his comprehensive knowledge of legal principles and his careful preparation of cases.
In 1876 Mr. Todd was united in marriage to Miss Julia E. Hovey, who was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1853, a daughter of James G. Hovey, who was born in Vermont in 1825, while his wife was also a native of that state, born in 1829. Mr. Hovey came to Iowa from the Green Mountain state, settling in Cedar Rapids, after which he removed to Quasqueton, Buchanan county, where he conducted a mill for three years. He next removed to Fairbanks, where he operated a gristmill and conducted a store for several years. He then went to Waverly, where he continued in the same line of business until his death. To Mr. and Mrs. Todd has been born one child, Christie A., who was born in Rooks county, Kansas, and is a graduate of the State Normal College at Cedar Falls.
Mr. Todd holds membership with the Odd Fellows. He has filled several offices, having been city attorney of Rosedale, Kansas, city attorney of Inde- pendence for eight years and mayor of the city for two years. He is thus active in the public life of the community and has done much to further progress and improvement.
OTTO TIELEBEIN.
Otto Tielebein is the owner of a well developed farm of one hundred and twenty acres on section 3, Newton township, and is also manager of the imple- ment business of Buckley Brothers at Kiene. He was born in Dubuque county, this state, March 3, 1863, a son of Frederick C. and Catherine E. (Fisher) Tielebein, both of whom were natives of Germany. In 1853 the father came to America and, making his way into the interior of the country, settled in Dubuque county, where he purchased land and carried on general farming until 1865. He then came to Buchanan county, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Newton township, and again his persistency of
134
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
purpose and careful management were soon manifest in the improved appear- anee of his place, which he cultivated throughout his remaining days. He passed away in March, 1901, and his wife died in November, 1908.
Otto Tielebein was but two years of age when his parents came to Buchanan county and he has since remained here, a witness of its growth and development and an active factor in its business affairs. He is indebted to the public-school system for the educational opportunities which he enjoyed, and he remained upon the home farm with his parents until they were called to their final rest. The father's land was then divided and Otto Tielebein purchased the interests of some of the other heirs in the property, so that he now owns one hundred and twenty acres of arable and productive land on section 3, Newton township, adjoining the town of Kiene. In fact, he gave the land for the town site and the right of way for the railroad. He is engaged in farming upon his place and his labors are attended with good results. He practices the rotation of erops and modern scientific methods of farming and annually gathers good harvests. At the same time he capably manages the implement business of Buckley Brothers at Kiene, where he was formerly engaged in the hardware business but sold out. He is also a stockholder in a general store at Kiene.
Mr. Tielebein exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the democratic party and he is identified with several fraternal organizations, including the Masons, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Modern Brotherhood of America. He has filled several local offices, serving for four years as township clerk, as a member of the election board for fifteen years and for twenty years as a member of the school board, of which he is now the secretary. He was also township trustee for three years and he has ever been loyal to the office, discharging his duties with promptness and fidelity and thus furthering the best interests of the public.
WILLIAM SHERREN.
William Sherren is the owner of a valuable farm in Byron township. The place is beautiful in the lay of the land and in the improvements which have been made upon the farm. There is a large residence standing in the midst of highly cultivated fields and the extensive barns indicate that stock-breeding and feeding must be one of the important features of the place. Mr. Sherren was born in Dubuque. Iowa, May 12. 1858, and is a son of Joseph and Jane (Lin- com) Sherren. The father, a native of England, was a gardener and when abont thirty years of age came to the United States. He first settled in Ohio, where he probably worked at his trade, and later became a resident of Dubuque, Towa, where he engaged in draying for three years. In 1864 he went to Fayette county, where he rented land for a year and then removed to Buffalo township, Buchanan county, where he again cultivated rented land for two years. Death then terminated his labors when he was but forty-four years of age.
-
The widow of Joseph Sherren, Mrs. Jane Sherren. had come to the United States in her young womanhood on the same vessel which bore her future hus- band. It was on shipboard that they became acquainted and started the friend-
135
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
ship which later terminated in their marriage. They had five children, one of whom died in infancy and another at the age of two and a half years. After the death of her first husband Mrs. Sherren became the wife of David Slater, who has also passed away, and she now lives with a daughter, Mrs. Fred Sampson, in Winthrop, Iowa.
William Sherren spent his boyhood upon the home farm and at the age of fourteen began earning his own living by working as a farm hand in the employ of neighbors, being thus busily engaged in the fields through the summer months. In the winter seasons he attended the distriet schools. That he was faithful in his work is indicated by the fact that he remained in the employ of one man through seven summers. He afterward worked for three years by the day in this county and subsequently drove a peddler's wagon for five and one-half months. At the end of that time he rented his mother's farm, which he con- tinued to cultivate for four years and during that period he carefully and sys- tematically saved his earnings. He next purchased one hundred and seventy- nine acres of land in Buffalo township but was only able to make a partial payment upon the property. He rented his place to his brother and continued to cultivate his mother's farm for three or four years longer. He then sold his land in Buffalo township and purchased his present home place of one hundred and sixty acres, which he has since improved with good buildings and on which he has earefully carried on general agricultural pursuits with the result that his efforts are manifest in large crops which find a ready sale on the market.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.