History of Buchanan County, Iowa, with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 103

Author: Williams bros., Cleveland, pub. [from old catalog]; Riddle, A. G. (Albert Gallatin), 1816-1902
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Cleveland, Williams brothers
Number of Pages: 574

USA > Iowa > Buchanan County > History of Buchanan County, Iowa, with illustrations and biographical sketches > Part 103

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).

William R. Woodworth was born in Fulton county, New York, in 1817. Came to Byron township in 1865, where he has since resided. Married in 1848 to Miss Helen Kested, of Montgomery county, New York. They have four children living : Joseph H., born 1849 ; Julia A., born 1850, died 1871 ; Marietta, born 1851, died when less than two years old; Eugene M., born 1855; Josephine, born 1857; William S., born 1861. Joseph and Josephine are married ; the former resides in Byron township, and the latter, who married Elmer J. Abery, resides in Illinois. Mr. Woodworth has eighty acres of good land with a good house. He and his wife are respected wherever they are known.

Thomas Farrell was born in Ireland in 1832. He has been in America twenty-eight years; in Buchanan county twenty-five years. He was in business in Win- throp for some time, and has been engaged in farming for about eighteen years. He married Mary Hagan, of Dubuque, in 1868; has four children living : Mary E., born 1871; Cornelius, died when four years old; Annie, born 1873; Robert E., 1877; Margaret, 1880. Mr. Far- rell works one hundred and sixty acres and has twenty- five acres of timber; keeps a good stock of cattle, hogs, etc., and is prosperous and happy. He is a man of in- telligence, and is highly respected as a citizen.

Alexander Risk, grain merchant at Winthrop, was born at Wigtonshire, Scotland, in 1827. He came to America in 1852, and has been in Buchanan county since 1854. He located first in Newton township, and worked at farming thirteen years. He was engaged in carpentering in New York, and has always worked some at that trade. He has been in business in Winthrop since 1867; was in partnership with W. Hildreth in the dry goods and grocery business for several years. Mr. Risk is the owner of a large grain elevator, the original cost of which was eight thousand dollars. He has also a large warehouse, which cost twenty-two hundred dollars. He handles in the grain season about four car loads daily. He has cribs for fifty thousand bushels of corn, and at the time of our visit all were full. He married Miss El- len Moore, of Quasqueton, who died about sixteen years ago. He has one daughter living: Maria, aged sixteen.

Thomas, his oldest child, died at the age of three years. He is a thorough business man.

Samuel Braden, one of the earliest settlers of Buchan- an county, was born in Ohio in 1823. He has been a farmer the most of his life, though he worked at the cooper's trade when a young man. He married Miss Mary Merrill, of Ohio, in 1848, and has five children: Nancy E., born 1849; John M., 1851; Edwin M., 1853; Richard M., 1856; Martha J., 1859. Mr. Braden came to Liberty township, this county, in 1851, and lived there about twenty-five years. He came to Winthrop, his present residence, in 1876. When he first came to the county Quasqueton was the largest place in it. Inde- pendence was not located. There were very few fami- lies in Liberty. Winthrop village was not built until some years later. Emigration was just beginning to take its course westward. He has about three hundred acres at present, though his farm has been much larger. Mr. Braden and family are members of the Congregational church. Both he and his sons are staunch adherents to the Republican party.

L. B. Rich is a native of New York. He was born in Ticonderoga county in 1820. He came west in 1836 to Michigan. He did an extensive business in the grain trade for thirty years in that State, and followed the same occupation for some years in Winthrop. He has been a resident of this county since 1866. He was married in Michigan in 1854 to Miss Cobb, and has one child liv- ing: Frank A., aged thirty-three. His daughter Stella died at the age of twenty. Mr. Rich is a man of up- rightness and integrity, and is highly esteemed as a citi- zen.

J. H. La Grange, of the firm of La Grange & Palme- tier, dealers in dry goods and groceries at Winthrop, was born at Albany, New York, in 1849. He has been en- gaged in farming until recently. He came to Fremont township in 1865, lived there until 1873, and has since been in the mercantile business at Winthrop. He formed a partnership with J. Palmetier in 1880. Mr. La Grange is a strong Republican, and a member of the Masonic order. He married Miss M. L. Goodell, of Wisconsin, in 1876. They have two children-Don G., aged two; and an infant daughter, three months old.

F. A. Collins, carpenter, of Winthrop village, was born in Onondaga county, New York, in 1841; came west in 1863; lived in Wisconsin four years, and has since been in Winthrop. He married Miss Laura Woodward in New York, in 1860, and has four children-Cora E., born in 1861; Mary L., in 1869; Lillian I., in 1873; and Edwin E., in 1875. Mr. Collins has a nice house, well furnished. He is kept busy at his trade the most of the time. He and his family are highly respected wherever known. Mr. Collins is a Republican, and a Mason.

M. M. Bucher was born in Wayne county, Ohio, in 1838. He has always been a farmer; lived in Ohio till 1862, and then came to Iowa; has been a resident of Byron township since 1863. He was married in Ohio in 1859, to Miss Belle Wilson. They have two children- C. W., aged seventeen years, and E. W., aged thirteen years. Mr. Bucher has a good house, good farm build-

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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA.

ings, and keeps quite a large stock of cattle. He is en- gaged in dairying- keeps twenty cows. He has two hun- dred acres of land, and is a most successful farmer. In politics he is an earnest Republican. Mr. Bucher is a member of the Baptist church, and a most highly re- spected citizen.

S. G. Pierce was born in Ohio in 1830. He received a good common school and seminary education. He taught school in New York, and afterwards in Ohio. He came to Buchanan county in 1854, and has since been engaged in farming. Mr. Pierce has been married three times. His first wife, whom he married in 1853, was Miss Lucina Brown, of Lake county, Ohio. She had one child, Pliny, born in 1855. Mrs. Pierce died in De- cember, 1856. He was married a second time in 1857, to Miss Hattie A. Tower, of Lake county, Ohio. Her children are: Charles H., aged twenty-two; George M., nineteen; Harry W., sixteen. His second wife died in 1872. He was married again in 1874 to Mrs. Kate Sherwood, of Buchanan county. They have one child, Nellie, aged five. Mr. Pierce has a neat and well fin- ished house, good farm buildings, etc. He is engaged quite extensively in dairying, keeps sixteen to twenty cows, and runs a creamery. Mr. Pierce was county su- perintendent of schools from 1859 to 1872, and during that time labored hard to bring the schools of this coun- ty up to that degree of excellence which they have since maintained. He has also held several local offices, and was one of the first justices of the peace after the organization of the township. He is a Republican and has been since the organization of the party.

Caspar Rowse was born in Wayne county, Pennsylva- nia, in 1815. He has been a farmer most of his life. He came to Buchanan county in 1851, and settled at Inde- pendence, his making the thirteenth family in that place. Mr. Rowse kept store about seven years in Indepen- dence. There was at first only one store besides his, and a part of the time he was the only merchant there. He has been engaged in farming in Byron about twelve years. Mr. Rowse married Miss Mary A. Eley, of Ohio, in 1837. They have had eleven children, nine of whom are now living, viz: Theodore, died, aged five; Zalmon, born in 1840, died in the army, aged twenty-three; Reu- ben, born in 1841 ; Russell L., born in 1843; Samuel E., born in 1845; Mary E., born in 1848; Mehetabel, born in 1850; Emma C., born in 1852; Ransom MI., born in 1853; Rupert J., born in 1856; Horace, born in 1859. Mr. Rowse has a good farm and good buildings. He

keeps one hundred head of cattle and horses, and is reckoned among our prosperous farmers.

Thomas Ozias was born in Ohio in 1814. Has always been a farmer. Came to Buchanan county in 1851, and has since resided in Byron township. Married Miss Martha A. Walton, of Ohio, in 1853. The names and dates of birth of their children are as follows: Mary S., 1854; Walton, 1856; Ida May, 1858; infant son, born 1860, died the same year; Emma, 1861; Charles, 1864. Mr. Ozias is one of our best farmers; has a large and beautiful house, a good barn, two hundred and fifty-nine acres of land, and keeps good stock of all kinds. There is also a fine orchard on the place. Mr. Ozias is a mem- ber of the Bethel church, and is a well known and highly esteemed citizen.

Isaac Wardell, by occupation a farmer and carpenter, was born in Virginia in 1830. Has been in Buchanan county since 1852, with the exception of four years. Married in Ohio in 1852 to Miss Louisa O'Donnell. They have five children: Horace A., aged twenty-six; Alice, aged twenty three ; Melissa, aged eighteen ; Salena, aged fourteen; Clarence, aged seven. Mr. Wardell has two hundred acres of good land, with good house and farm buildings. He is reckoned among the prosperous farmers and respected citizens of this township.

Frank Fox, druggist at Winthrop, of the firm of Fox & Johnston, was born in Walworth county, Wisconsin, in 1850. His father, H. S. Fox, is one of Buchanan's most substantial farmers and worthy citizens. Mr. Frank Fox has pursued the occupation of his father several years; worked in a lumber yard in Wisconsin; has been a clerk in a store, etc. He married in Byron township in 1873 Miss Nettie Kirkpatrick. They have one child - Arthur, born July 12, 1879. In August, 1880, Mr. Fox commenced the drug business in Winthrop in com- pany with Dr. L. M. Johnston. We predict that, ere many years elapse, he will be one of the foremost busi- ness men of the town. In politics he is Republican; in religion, a Congregationalist.

Dr. Lindsay M. Johnston, partner of Mr. Fox, was born at Fort Recovery, Ohio, in 1854. Graduated in medicine from Iowa State university. Married in 1877 to Miss Sarah L. Allen, of Manchester, Indiana. Has one child-Gracie E., an infant. Dr. Johnston is a member of the Congregational church, and is highly esteemed by all. In politics he is a thorough Repub- lican.

FREMONT.

This township was named in honor of the gallant -

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John C. Fremont, the man who was the first Republican candidate for President in the United States.

It was set apart as an independent and separate town- ship, in March, 1856, as seen by the order of the county judge, which is as follows:

STATE OF IOWA, BUCHANAN COUNTY, SS., March, 1856.

Ordered by the court that township eighty-nine, range seven, except- ing sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, together with sections 13. 24, 25, and 36, of town eighty-nine, range eight, and sections 1, 12, and 13, of town eighty-eight, range eight, and sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, IO, II, 12, 13, 14, 15, 10, 17, and 18, of town eighty- eight, range seven, be, and the same are hereby declared to constitute a separate precinct, to be called Prairie precinct, and it is ordered that an election be held in the said precinct on the first Monday in April next, at the school-house, near the residence of Zenia R. Rich, in said township, for the purpose of electing one township clerk, two consta- bles, two justices of the peace, three township trustees, one road super- visor, and one school-fund commissioner, for the county.

O. H. P. ROSZELL, County Judge.

Since the above order, changes have been made in the boundaries of the township, until now, it consists of con- gressional township eighty-nine, range seven. At the second election of the township, the name was changed to Fremont, there being no opposition whatever. When the first petition was sent to the court for an organization of the township, it was then asked by the petitioners that the township be named Fremont. This was disregard- ed, and the court called it Prairie.

SETTLEMENT.

Z. R. Rich and his brother, S. W. Rich, were the first to make a permanent launch out on the prairie sea of Fremont. They came here in July, 1853. They, how- ever, were in the county in 1852, and located their land, but did not become permanent settlers until July, 1853. At the time they settled here there was not another white man in the township. Z. R. Rich was a married man and had quite a number of children. S. W. Rich was unmarried and made his home with his brother. They immediately built a house, into which the family moved. Here they were out on the great and almost boundless prairie, with not a neighbor nor even a tree near. And yet, with all their deprivations and inconveniences, they most emphatically say that in the enjoyment of this free and easy way of living, they were more happy than at any time since. The stage road direct from Independence to Coffins Grove, Delhi, and Dubuque, passed by their lonely dwelling, and made it a general stopping place for the stages and for keeping a relay of horses. In fact it was a hotel, ready to keep any one that came along. And the number of guests was almost legion. There were many lookers for land in those early days of specu-

lation. The nearest market Mr. Rich had was Dubuque, where he went for groceries, buying in large quantities, and what else he needed to keep his unpretentious house in presentable condition. Z. R. Rich has been married three times. He is now residing in Winthrop, with his third wife, and has somewhat retired from the busy scenes of life; owning a neat cottage there, and acting as a magistrate of the place, living in his declining years in peace and quiet.

He has had fifteen children, eleven of whom are now living, and are as follows: Sarah, married to E. Gaylord, lives in Denver, Colorado; Darwin, who enlisted in our late war, in the Ninth Jowa, served three years, then re- enlisted and served until the close of the war. During the war he became disabled, which unfitted him for labor and he now subsists upon a pension; Walter F., married and lives in Nebraska. He too was a soldier in the war, serving three years; William T., is married and lives at Salt Lake-the city of the Mormons. He was the third son in the late war, serving in the gallant Twenty-seventh for three years; Henry Clay, a single man, living with his brother, in Utah; Carrie, for a long time a school teacher, but, a few years since she went to Kansas, and there married; Ellen, unmarried, and lives in Vinton; Leonard W., is married and lives at Ward's Corners; Oscar W., is a school teacher in this State; E. G. and Omer W., are minors and live at home.

S. W. Rich shared equally with his brother the vicis- situdes and deprivations of a pioneer, and becoming tired of single blessedness, he married Emily Gaylord, in 1854, and went to keeping house right away, building another house on his own land, near his brother's, living here until 1874, when he died. Mr. Rich was a Mason and the first Master of the Lodge at Winthrop. He was born at Ticonderoga, New York, February 8, 1824, and died in the county and on the farm where he first settled, on September 8, 1874. His widow and seven children survived him, whose names are as follows: Arthur D., who, in April, 1880, married Miss Ida Mills, and is now practicing law in Niobrara, Knox county, Nebraska; Mary, George W., Mark C., May, and Marcia. Mrs. Rich sold her farm about a year after her husband's death, and, in June, 1880, went to Holt county, Nebraska, where she is located on a homestead, together with her children-the youngest being six years of age.

Alru Peck settled here in April 1855, coming from New York. He entered, from the Government, the land where he settled. When he came, there were but three families here: Z. R. and S. W. Rich and James Fleming. He had ten children, eight of whom are now

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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA.

living, as follows: Christiana, married to Hiram R. Bar- rett, lives in the township; R. Peck, who is unmarried and lives on the old homestead with his mother; Wolsey, married and went to Minnesota, but in the summer of 1880 came back sick, lingering here some time and then died, he left a widow and two children : Willard, married and lives in the township; Charles is in Colorado; Alfred, married and still remains in Fremont : Elizabeth, married to Fred. Ebersole, and lived in the township until her death; Louisa, who is married to her sister's former husband; David and William are minors yet, living at home. Mr. Peck was a member of the Con- gregational church, and the first clerk in the township. He died where he had lived so long respected by his townsmen, February 25, 1862.

Andrew Payne settled here in October, 1855, coming from New York. He was a brother-in-law of Alru Peck and came here with him. He had a family of ten chil- dren, named as follows: E. N. Payne, married and lives in Fayette county ; Helen was married to Charles Tuttle, but soon after died; Hiram, married and lives in Fayette county; Frederick, married and lives in Byron township; Mary W., is married and also lives in Byron; William, is married and lives in Byron : Julia, unmarried; Elizabeth, married to Sylvanus Taylor and resides in Washington township; Sarah, is married to Sewell Butler, and lives in the State of Illinois; the youngest is Henry. Mr. Payne died in the township where the prime of his man- hood was passed, in February, 1874. His widow sold the property in Fremont and moved into Byron township, where she still lives. He was a member of the Method- ist Episcopal church.

James Fleming settled in Fremont township July, 1854, coming from Wisconsin, but a native of Massa- chusetts. He has had eleven children, only three of them now living. He still resides on the old homestead, all of his family having passed on before him, except the three children.

The first school taught in the township was in 1856, in a school-house expressly built for that purpose by Z. R. Rich, and near his own residence. Laura Peck was the teacher, who is now Mrs. Toogood, of Manchester. This lady taught school there two years in succession.

This school was wholly supported by Z. R. and S. W. Rich, for even at this time there were no settlers nearer than four miles in this township. In 1858 a school dis- trict was formed, which, for the first term of school rented this house built by Rich, and also hired S. W. Rich as the teacher. No houses were built until 1864 and 1865, after the close of the war. The first one built was in what is called the Fleming district in the southwest part. Among the early teachers are Laura Peck, Ellen Payne, and S. W. Rich.

The first cemetery started here was in the southwest part of the township, in 1855, on land donated by James Fleming and Alru Peck. There is quite a large num- ber of graves here, many tombstones that mark the rest- ing places of the brave pioneers.

The first death here was that of Omer Fleming, Feb- ruary 17, 1855. His death was quite sudden. He went

one night to a neighbor's to attend an evening party and was taken sick and died there in a few days.

The first wedding here was that of one of the earliest pioneers, S. W. Rich and Emily Gaylord, in 1854.

The first white child born here was Ella Rich, Decem- ber 29, 1853. She is now married and lives in Vinton,

The first crop raised in this township by a white man was buckwheat and sod corn, by Z. R. Rich, in 1853, the very year he first came here.

The first wheat raised was in the summer of 1854, by Z. R. and S. W. Rich.

It is a rolling prairie; the soil a dark loam, and the sub soil a dark blue clay. The land is admirably adapt- ed to agriculture, in which the people are engaged. The raising of stock and dairying also obtain considerable attention here. There is a large amount of excellent land here that is vacant, unimproved, except for herding cattle, of which there were, in the season of 1880, large numbers. There is scarcely any natural timber, except a few trees along Buffalo creek; but there are a great many beautiful groves about the farmers' dwellings, and some, who planted out groves at an early day, have suf- ficient wood for fuel from them now.

The principal productions are corn, oats, hay, butter, hogs (in large numbers) and cattle.

C. W. Schoville established a creamery here in 1878, operated by horse power. He uses but one churn, with a capacity of probably ninety pounds, and he invariably churns once a day. There is one man employed in the creamery, and one team collecting cream.

W. L. Mollory started a creamery here in 1877, and has since been doing a good and prosperous business. He has one churn with a capacity of one hundred pounds. One man is employed in the creamery, and one team gathering cream. His is also operated by horse power.

Buffalo creek is in the southwestern part of the town- ship. Along this creek the first settlers built their mod- est cabins. Prairie creek passes through the eastern part. There is a pond covering one acre near James Fleming's, of never failing water, in which are large quantities of fine fish.

The Illinois Central railroad passes through the south part of the township, going its entire length.

PERSONAL SKETCHES.

H. A. Frederick was born in Geauga county, Ohio, in 1820. When he was nine years old his father died, and the year following his mother and the rest of the family moved to Madison county, New York. Mr. Frederick lived there until 1848, running a canal-boat, railroading, and farming. He then moved to Walworth county, Wisconsin, where he resided until the spring of 1868, when he came to Fremont township, in this county, where he still resides. Mr. Frederick purchased his farm in 1867; it contains one hundred and sixty acres. There are two houses upon it. His home is in a pleasant loca- tion with fruit and shade trees around it. There is a fine young orchard of one hundred and forty trees on the farm. In the fall of 1869 Mr. Frederick suffered as

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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOW.1.

severe a loss as can befall any man. His oldest child, an accomplished lady of nineteen, died of typhoid fever. The rest of the family were ill at the same time. Thus Mr. Frederick's first year in Iowa was full of distress. He married in Wisconsin in 1849 Miss Almira Davis, who was born in Onondaga county, New York, in 1828. They have two children living and one deceased-Ellen A., died in October, 1869, aged nineteen ; Sarah L. was twenty-nine years of age May 15, 1889, married Edgar Chesley and resides in Winthrop ; Charles A. was twenty- seven September 23, 1880, married Miss Florence Brint- nall, of Byron township, and resides in Winthrop. Mr. Frederick is reckoned among our most highly respected citizens, and is a sound mnan, morally, socially, and polit- ically. . He is an earnest Republican. Mrs. Frederick is a member of the Congregational church.

Columbus Waltermire was born in Ghent, Columbia county, New York. He came to this county in the spring of 1864, and in the fall of the same year purchased and settled upon the farm where he now lives, in Fre- mont township. He has one hundred and twenty acres, finely situated. Mr. Waltermire married in Wisconsin in 1856 to Miss Ordelia Maxwell, of Columbia county, New York. She died in the spring of 1860, leaving one child, Elmer T., who was twenty-three years of age May 10, 1880. He is single and resides in Illinois. Mr.

Waltermire married in Columbia county, New York, in 1861, Miss Margaret A. Maxwell, sister of his first wife. Mrs. Waltermire was born in 1835. They have four chil- dren living and one deceased-Ada E., born September 5, 1862; William H., born November 23, 1863; Cora A., born September 9, 1865 ; Ordelia A., born June 23, 1868, died June 8, 1859; Annie C., born June 8, 1875. Mr. and Mrs. Waltermire are members of the Congrega- tional church at Winthrop. They are agreeable people, have a pleasant home, and a large circle of friends.

Charles Tulloch was born in Canada in 1834. He left Canada when four years old, in company with his father, John Tulloch, and came to lowa in 1855, and settled in Byron township, this county. Mr. Tulloch has always been a farmer, and is still doing a thriving business in that line. He purchased in 1855 the farm on which he lives, in Fremont township, and moved upon it in 1858, building a house the same year. He built his present residence in 1866, and made an addition to it in 1879. Mr. Tulloch has two hundred acres in all, one hundred and sixty being his home farm. He is one of the oldest residents of this portion of Buchanan county, and in his younger days went through all the varied experiences of a pioneer. He was married in this township in 1858 to Miss Helen M. Payne, a native of New York. She died in 1874, leaving two children: John C., who was twenty- one February 6, 1880, married Miss Alta P. Starr, and resides in Waterloo; Helen A., age seventeen, Novem- ber 25, 1880. Mr. Tulloch married his second wife, Mrs. Hattie E. Perkley, who was born in Butler county, Ohio, in 1839. Mr. and Mrs. Tulloch are among the most worthy citizens of this county. They are members of the Methodist church. Mr. Tulloch is one of the men who helped to make Buchanan county what it is to-day.

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History of Buchanan County, Iowa, with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 103

Author: Williams bros., Cleveland, pub. [from old catalog]; Riddle, A. G. (Albert Gallatin), 1816-1902 Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Cleveland, Williams brothers Number of Pages: 574

Author: Williams bros., Cleveland, pub. [from old catalog]; Riddle, A. G. (Albert Gallatin), 1816-1902
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Cleveland, Williams brothers
Number of Pages: 574