USA > Iowa > Buchanan County > History of Buchanan County, Iowa, and its people, Volume II > Part 5
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THOMAS BARR
MRS. THOMAS BARR
PPPAG I
.
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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
Their children were: Jasper Newton; Mrs. W. A. Rogers, who was formerly a resident and landowner of Buchanan county, but now lives in Los Angeles, Cali- fornia ; and John Wesley, of Arcadia, Oklahoma.
The school system of Buchanan county had been developed in only a slight degree when Jasper N. Barr was a youth, but he pursued his studies in a log schoolhouse for a time and later enjoyed the advantages of a course in the Upper Iowa University. His training at farm labor was not meager and he early learned valuable lessons concerning the value of industry and persistency. He remained upon the home farm and in connection with its cultivation taught in the rural schools during the winter months, becoming the teacher of many a youth who has since gained prominence. He well remembers those typical pioneer schoolhouses, in one of which he began his own education. The building was erected of logs with slab seats, the desks were made of boards supported by pegs driven into the wall, while the windows were covered with greased paper. There were no blackboards or any of the conveniences found in the modern schoolroom.
Yearning to see something of the great west, Mr. Barr went to Colorado March 18, 1879, and while there taught school for thirteen consecutive months without a vacation, going to one school on Monday after closing another on Friday. While in that state he spent some time in the mining camps of Clear Creek and Leadville during the height of the excitement there, but he never participated in the wild life and revelry that characterized those places, for he never used tobacco or intoxicants. At length he returned to the parental home and engaged in farming in Washington township, being closely associated with general agricultural interests in this county for many years. He is today the owner of four hundred acres of valuable land, some of which includes the original holdings of his father, and he has the original patents which were granted by President Fillmore in 1846. His methods of farm work were practical and his labors brought excellent results. He engaged extensively in raising stock, becoming one of the leading representatives of that business in Buchanan county.
On the 12th of September, 1893, Mr. Barr was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ellen O'Loughlin, who was born in this county, September 7, 1855, a daughter of John and Margaret (Maloney) O'Loughlin, both of whom were natives of County Clare, Ireland, the former born in 1824 and the latter in 1830. They came to the United States as young people and first settled in Ohio, where Mr. O'Loughlin worked on the canals and in railroad building. In 1852 he came to Iowa and purchased land, but returned to Ohio, where he again remained for a short time. He then took up his permanent abode near Otter- ville, Buchanan county, in 1854, and thereafter was engaged in general farming, devoting practically his entire time to agricultural pursuits and stock raising in Washington township, where his landed possessions aggregated five hundred and twenty acres. His political support was given to the democratic party and his religious faith was that of the Catholic church. The five surviving mem- bers of his family of ten children are yet residents of Buchanan county. Mrs. Barr is also a member of the Catholic church.
Mr. Barr belongs to the Masonic fraternity and has been an active worker in that organization. He is also an Odd Fellow and has held all of the offices in the lodge. Throughout life he has largely maintained an independent course Vol. II-3
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in thought and action. He is a great reader and of a literary turn of mind, and has contributed many interesting articles to the papers on his travels and pioneer times. He has also displayed ability as a poet and is one of the old school of gentlemen whom it is a pleasure to meet. In politics he is not allied with any party but votes rather for men and measures. In religion he believes that each individual should have the opportunity to carry out his views in that regard. His own life has been well spent and his business career has been crowned with a measure of success that places him today among the substantial residents of the county.
C. E. ILIFF.
For an extended period C. E. Iliff has been connected with the real-estate business in Independence and at different times has also been associated with other business affairs which have featured as factors in the steady growth and improvement of Independence and Buchanan county. He was born in Fayette county, Iowa, on the 8th of April, 1870, his parents being J. N. and Rachel (George) Iliff, both of whom were natives of Green county, Wisconsin, the former born on the 27th of August, 1846, and the latter in 1850.
J. N. Iliff came to Iowa in September, 1849, and in the acquirement of his education he supplemented a public-school course by study in Western College. From pioneer times he was identified with agricultural pursuits until after the outbreak of the Civil war. In 1863 he joined the army, becoming a member of Company E, Ninth Iowa Cavalry, with which he served for two years and eight months. He campaigned in the south especially against General Sterling Price. When the war was over he took up his abode in Fayette county, this state, and there remained until 1870, when he removed to Spirit Lake. Even then the stockades were standing that had been used at the time of the Spirit Lake massacre, when the Indians put to death so many of the early settlers of that district. Mr. Iliff took up land in Dickinson county and after proving up his claim sold out and removed to Buchanan county. He also lived for a time in Jesup, where he was engaged in the lumber and grain business and in surveying. In 1880 he was appointed county surveyor and for sixteen consecu- tive years filled that office in a most capable and commendable manner. Besides being surveyor he filled the position of county sheriff from 1888 until 1892, having been elected on the republican ticket. Neither fear nor favor swerved him in the discharge of his duties and the record which he made in public office, as well as his business activity, placed him among the leading and valued citizens of his community. He has been a lifelong member of the Methodist church, active and earnest in its work. He is now living retired, making his home in Independence with his son, C. E. Iliff.
In the public schools of Jesup, C. E. Iliff largely acquired his education and when a youth of but fourteen years began working as a farm hand, being thus employed for three years. He then entered the sheriff's office, acting as deputy under his father through his term of four years. After a year's absence he returned to the sheriff's office as deputy under E. O. Craig and served in that
MRS. JASPER N. BARR
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capacity until 1896, when he was elected sheriff and was continued in the posi- tion for six years, or until 1902, making an excellent record by the prompt and faithful manner in which he discharged his duties. In 1902 he became asso- ciated with J. M. Chappell in the real-estate business, in which he has since been engaged, and from that time he has also conducted other business enterprises, having become proprietor of these as the result of trades. He is now owner of a livery barn in Independence. He has become thoroughly acquainted with property values, knows the land that is upon the market and has gained a good clientage. He is also a stockholder in the Independence Cement & Tile Company.
Mr. Iliff was united in marriage to Miss Ellen McDonald, who was born in Buchanan county, a daughter of John and Ellen (Maddigan) MeDonald, both of whom were natives of Ireland, born in 1842 and 1847 respectively. On leaving the Emerald isle John McDonald made his way direct to Dubuque, Iowa, and thence came to Buchanan county. He is now living in Independence and is the owner of good land in the county. Mr. and Mrs. Iliff have become the parents of three children : Mildred Bernice, Margaret Rachel and Edgar Everett.
Mr. and Mrs. Iliff hold membership in the Methodist church, and he is a prominent Mason, belonging to the lodge, chapter and commandery. He is also identified with the Knights of Pythias and has been chancellor commander in that organization. He may truly be called a self-made man, for he started out in life on his own account when a youth of but fourteen years and has since been dependent entirely upon his own resources for the success which he has achieved. Activity and energy have been the salient features in his career, gaining for him a place among the substantial business men of Independence.
ALBERT BUEHLER.
Albert Buehler, well known as a highly respected farmer and stock-raiser of Homer township, living on section 35, is busily engaged in the further development and improvement of his farm, which comprises two hundred acres. He is among the worthy sons of this section of the state that Germany has furnished to Iowa, his birth having occurred in the fatherland April 19, 1861. His parents, Alexander and Justine (Saal) Buehler, were also natives of Germany. The father was a farmer by occupation and always carried on that pursuit in Germany till death called him in 1873. His widow survives and yet makes her home in Germany.
Through the period of his minority Albert Buehler remained with his parents and acquired his education in the public schools. In accordance with the laws of the land he served for three years in the German army and in 1884, when twenty-three years of age, he bade adieu to friends and native country and sailed for the new world, wishing to test the reports which he had heard con- cerning the favorable opportunities offered on this side the Atlantic. He set- tled in Marion, Linn county, Iowa, where he began work as a farm hand, being thus employed for five years. He afterward rented land in Benton county, Iowa,.
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and continued to cultivate leased farms in this state, in Texas and in Minnesota for six years. It was his ambition, however, to own property and during that period he not only carefully saved his earnings but also as carefully watched his expenses in order to secure capital that would enable him to purchase land. At the end of that time he bought one hundred and sixty acres on seetion 35, Homer township, and since then he has added a forty-aere tract adjoining. Today his farm of two hundred acres is a valuable property, carefully and systematically managed. He follows modern methods of farming and the results are not only sure but desirable. The fields bring forth good crops annually and for these he finds a ready sale on the market. He also engages in stock-raising and keeps on hand high grades of stock. In addition to his other interests he owns stock in the Farmers Elevator Company of Walker.
In February, 1889, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Buehler and Miss Ellen Kleitch, a daughter of John and Kate (Nemmers) Kleiteh, natives of Germany, in which country the birth of Mrs. Buehler occurred on the 15th of April, 1858. She was brought to America by her parents when six months old and the family home was established in Jackson county, Iowa, where her father rented land for some time. He afterward removed to Linn county, where he purchased a farm and there carried on general agricultural pursuits throughout his remaining days, his death occurring in 1882. His wife survived him for nearly two decades, passing away in 1901. Mr. and Mrs. Buehler have seven children, namely : Kate, Elizabeth, Charles, Mary, Nicholas, John and Lena.
The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church and in politics Mr. Buehler is a democrat. His is one of the splendidly improved farms of the county and the home is a hospitable one. the spirit of good cheer there reigning supreme. They have gained many friends during the period of their residence in this county and Mr. Buehler is numbered among the self-made men who owe their prosperity entirely to their own labors. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the new world, for in this land, where effort is unhampered by caste or class and where the door of opportunity is open to all, he has worked his way steadily upward, possessing in generous measure those qualities of industry and persisteney which are indispensable factors in the attainment of prosperity. He has never sought to win a fortune through speculation or any underhand business method, but has been thoroughly trustworthy in his dealings and solely through close attention to farming and stock-raising has gained the creditable place that he now occupies.
HARRY C. ITAINES.
On the pages of Buchanan county's history the name of Haines figures prominently in the pioneer chapter, for when this section of the state was a frontier region the grandparents of Harry C. Haines settled here. Since that time representatives of the name have taken an active and helpful part in pro- moting the work of publie progress and improvement and today Harry C. Haines is a well known representative of agricultural interests, owning land in Homer township, his place of residence being on section 36. He was born May 28. 1881.
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in the township where he still resides, his parents being William A. and Anna A. (Buell) Haines, the former a native of Zanesville, Ohio, and the latter of Canada. William A. Haines was but four years of age when brought to this county by his parents. At that time Quasqueton was the county seat and no one dreamed that Independence would become the eenter of county government nor that upon the site would spring up a notably thriving, enterprising and progressive town. From the time of his early arrival William A. Haines has continuously resided in the county with the exception of one year and he has been a very energetie and successful farmer. Year by year he carefully tilled the soil in the produc- tion of crops which brought to him a substantial income and at length when he had acquired a handsome competency he put aside business cares and since the spring of 1913 has lived retired, making his home in Rowley.
Harry C. Haines is a western man by birth, training and preference and is imbued with the spirit which has been the dominant factor in the upbuilding of this seetion of the state. He began his education in the district schools and afterward spent two terms as a student in the Charles City (Iowa) College. Later he entered the commercial department of the Upper Iowa University at Fayette, from which he was graduated on the 13th of April. 1902. He was thus well equipped by education for life's practical and responsible duties and he has since learned many valuable lessons in the sehool of experience. With the com- pletion of his commercial eourse he returned home and began working with his father on the farm, where he remained until 1903, when he removed to a farm of one hundred and twenty acres on sections 35 and 36, Homer township, belong- ing to his father. Later he purchased forty acres of this, including the traet on which the buildings are located, and has since given his attention to the improve- ment of his farm, persistently carrying on his efforts year by year. He cultivates the fields in the production of erops best adapted to soil and elimatie conditions here and he is also engaged in stock raising, making a specialty of handling dairy shorthorn cattle and high grade Duroc Jersey hogs. He is an excellent judge of stock, so that he is seldom, if ever, at fault in his judgment coneerning the value of an animal which he purehases.
As a companion and helpmate for life's journey Mr. Haines chose Miss Clara E. Lindsay, their marriage being celebrated February 25, 1903. Her parents, Robert and Laura (Leininger) Lindsay, were natives of Canada and of Canton, Ohio, respectively. The father was a millwright by occupation and in early life crossed the border into the United States, settling in Virginia. It was in the Old Dominion that Mrs. Haines was born on the 16th of November, 1882. Her father there engaged in the millwright's trade and the flour-mill business for nine years, after which he came to Buchanan county, where he carried on general agricultural pursuits for some time. He is now engaged in banking in connection with his son-in-law, C. Gunzenhauser, at Rowley, and is numbered among the leading and enterprising business men of that place. Mr. and Mrs. Haines are the parents of five children, as follows: Mande E., a maiden of ten summers ; Elletha K., who is eight years old; and Lneille L .. Marian B. and George William, who are six, four and two years of age respectively.
Mr. Haines votes with the democratic party but does not seek nor desire public office, although he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He and his wife hold membership in the Presbyterian church, and he
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is a Mason, belonging to both the lodge and the Eastern Star chapter at Rowley. IIe has never desired to change his place of residence, for he has always felt that this county offered excellent opportunities for the agriculturist and that its advantages in all general directions were equal to those to be found anywhere. He is a young man working steadily toward success and is now well known as a representative of the farming interests of his part of the county.
FRED F. AGNEW. M. D.
Dr. Fred F. Agnew, who has been continuously engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery in Independence since 1903, was born in this county in 1874. His father, Isaac B. Agnew, was born in Hebron, Indiana, September 11, 1831, and in early life became a mail carrier, making his trips on horseback. He also drove stock from Ohio and Indiana to Philadelphia for his uncle when but a youth, and he was only eleven years of age when he began carrying the mail. He was engaged in that sort of work until 1855, when he started for Iowa, thinking to find better business opportunities and advantages in this new and rapidly developing western country. He drove an ox team from Indiana to Buchanan county, where he settled upon a farm, becoming closely identified with the agricultural development of this section. He married Sarah R. Dille, who was born near Valparaiso, Indiana, in 1838, and they became the parents of seven children, four sons and three daughters, of whom Fred F. is the sixth. Three of the family are living in Buchanan county, but the parents have both passed away. During the later years of his life Mr. Agnew was an active member of the Methodist church.
After acquiring his early education in the common schools, Dr. Agnew became a student in the Upper Iowa University at Fayette, where he remained for three years. He then became a pupil in the medical department of the Iowa State University, in which he spent two years, and later he entered the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, in which he won his professional degree. He has sinee taken post-graduate work in 1906. 1908, 1910 and 1914, and throughout his professional career he has been a close and earnest student of the science of medicine. He did not immediately begin preparation for the practice of medi- cine after completing his more specifically literary course, but when twenty- three years of age began farming, which he followed for two years. It was then that he entered medical college, and after his graduation he spent a year and a half as interne in Blockley Hospital.
On the 1st of October, 1903, Dr. Agnew arrived in Independence and entered upon the practice of medicine, becoming associated with Dr. A. G. Shellito. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and also a member of the Buchanan County Medical Society, of which he is the president, the Iowa State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. Constant reading and investigation have kept him in touch with modern thought in the field of his . chosen calling and his work has been highly beneficial to the public. He is likewise the owner of valuable farm lands in Sumner township and he operates his father's farm, which is devoted to general agricultural pursuits.
DR. FRED F. AGNEW
TUBA/ 118818.
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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
In 1906 Dr. Agnew was united in marriage to Miss Minnie MeBride, who was born in this county, a daughter of James McBride, a native of New York. They have three children : Frederick Bryant, born September 9, 1908; Kathryn Alice, born July 30, 1910; and James Ward, born September 16, 1912.
Dr. Agnew is well known in fraternal circles, holding membership in the lodge, chapter and commandery of the Masonic fraternity and also with the Knights of Pythias. In his life he exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the craft which is based upon mutual helpfulness and brotherly kindness, and his practice gives him many opportunities to follow the tenets of the order. In a calling where advancement depends entirely upon individual merit and ability, he has worked his way steadily upward and now enjoys a high and well deserved reputation.
GEORGE F. SLEMMONS.
George F. Slemmons follows farming in Liberty township and was born upon the farm upon which he now resides, his natal year being 1875. His father, Jesse Slemmons, was born in Harrison county, Ohio, in 1846, and when nine years of age was brought to Iowa by his parents, the family traveling overland to Liberty township, Buchanan county, where they arrived in 1855. This sec- tion was then one of the frontier counties of the state and all the evidences of pioneer life were here to be found. It was not an unusual thing to see Indians and, in fact, the red men were almost as numerous as the white settlers. Wild game of many kinds was to be had in abundance and there were also wild ani- mals, Mr. Slemmons being chased by a panther during his boyhood days. There were no schools or churches when the family first came and the Slemmons family bore their part in instituting the improvements which have contributed to the intellectual and moral as well as the material progress of the community. In fact, Mr. Slemmons, the grandfather, was one of the founders of the Hickory Grove Presbyterian church and his daughter taught school in a log house, which was a private home, before any public schoolhouses were built.
After Jesse Slemmons became of age he, too, was very active in all the affairs of the community, contributing largely to upbuilding and publie progress along various lines. He became the second largest taxpayer in the township, owning six hundred and thirty acres of rich and valuable land. Te fed and shipped much stock and the different branches of his business were a source of gratifying profit. The cause of education found in him a friend and he was an earnest Christian man, holding membership in the Presbyterian church. He also exercised considerable influence in politics and was one of the most promi- nent citizens of the township. He died in 1898, while his wife, who hore the maiden name of Elizabeth Work, was born in Harrison county, Ohio, in 1851, and is still living.
George F. Slemmons was the eldest in a family of seven children. He at- tended the township schools and further continued his education at Winthrop and in Lenox College at Hopkinton, Iowa. He was twenty-two years of age when his father died and returned home from school to look after the family
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affairs. At that time he was elected a member of the school board, although so young, and has held the office for about seventeen years, it being a well recog- nized fact that he is a stalwart friend of public education and believes in con- tinuous progress in the schools and the improvement of their methods. He has also held other township offices and in many ways has given evidence of his loy- alty to the best interests of the community. Like his father, he stands today as one of the leading and prominent business men of his section of the county, being extensively engaged in the feeding of cattle and sheep. He is also a di- rector and stockholder of the Winthrop State Bank and is the owner of two hundred and seventy acres of land. He devotes all of his time to his farm and his success is the merited reward of his capable management and persistent effort.
Mr. Slemmons was united in marriage to Miss Mabel L. Thompson, a daugh- ter of Walter Thompson, and they have become parents of two children: John Walter, born May 20, 1907 ; and Ruth Gertrude, born July 13, 1909. Mr. Slem- mons holds membership with the Odd Fellows and has been an active worker in his lodge. He also belongs to the Modern Woodmen camp, and he is a mem- ber of the Presbyterian church, taking deep interest in its work. He serves as one of its trustees, contributes generously to its support and does all in his power to further the work of the church. The family name has long been in- delibly impressed upon the history of this county and the work instituted by the grandfather in pioneer times and continued by the father is now being carried on by the son, the name of Slemmons ever being synonymous with business enter- prise, reliability and progressiveness in citizenship.
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