History of Buchanan County, Iowa, with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 89

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 89

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).

Mrs. Rebecca Mclaughlin was born in Warren county, Ohio, in 1830. At the age of twenty she married Mr. Hiram C. McLaughlin, and moved on a farm in Butler county, Ohio, where they remained till they came to lowa, which was in 1858. Bought a farm of one hun. dred and twenty acres one mile east of Littleton, where Mrs. McLaughlin still resides. They built a fine brick house and put the farm under a fine state of cultivation. Mr. Mclaughlin died May 14, 1872, leaving a family of seven children-Mary K., aged twenty-seven, married William Sankey, living at Littleton ; Otho, aged twenty- five, married Frances Keiser, live in Kansas; Katie, aged twenty-two, married Moses A. Bance, farming the home place; Charles, aged nineteen, Adelia, aged eighteen, married George Wellman and lives in Iowa; James B., aged fifteen, Henry C., twelve, single children, make their mother's house their home. They are a fine family and have a nice farm and home.

Samuel Miller was born in Preble county, Ohio, in 1833; lived with his father, Adam Miller, and attended school part of the time till he was fifteen years of age. Assisted his father at the carpenter's trade till he was twenty-one years old. At the age of twenty-two he and his father were partners in the grocery business in New Lexington, Ohio. Sold out in 1856 and engaged in the carpenter business about one year, when he came to Iowa and purchased fifty acres of land in Perry township. This was in the days that tried men's souls. The tide of inflation had just receded, emigration had stopped, banks had failed, and the circulation of money had al- most stopped. Mr. Miller engaged at farming and car- pentering, just as he could to make things go. Used to work for corn and, having no team, used to carry it two miles on his shoulder to a corn-cracker and return with his grist on his back. The railroad came through as far as Independence in 1859. Good crops that year cheered the people up, and in 1860 they had the great crop of the

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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA.

west. In 1865 he purchased one hundred and twenty acres where he now resides, and has since added to it till he now owns four hundred and forty-one as good land as lies out doors, worth at least, with the present improve- ments, twenty-five dollars an acre. In 1867 Mr. Miller built his house and barn, set out wind-breaks, fruit and shade trees, till now he has one of the most pleasant homes in Buchanan county.

In addition to his extensive farming Mr. Miller has made stock raising a very prominent branch of business, keeping as high as two hundred and twenty-five head in all. Mr. Miller was married, October, 1855, to Miss Sarah A. Wikle, of Ohio. They have four children- Alonzo P., aged twenty-three, Mattie E., aged twenty-one, William C., aged seventeen, Warren F., aged fourteen. Alonzo and Warren are at home helping their father, and William C. is attending school at Hopkins. Mattie E. is an unusually intelligent and attractive young lady. Has taught several very successful and satisfactory schools and displays considerable taste in the art of landscape painting. Mr. Miller is a gentleman in every sense of the word, and politically believes in greenbacks.

John Keane was born in Clair county, Ireland, in 1852; lived on his father's farm and worked his place untill he was twenty-one years of age, when he came to America. He stopped first in Fitch- burgh, Massachusetts. Engaged in laying water pipes in that city about two months when he went to Chicago and worked in the rolling mills two and one-half years. Then came to Iowa and worked two years for Mike Consodine, on the farm. In 1878, he married Miss Ellen Consodine of this county. They moved on the farm of one hundred acres where they still live and which they own. They are very comfortably settled and seem to be enjoying their prosperity.

John C. Melrose was born in this county in 1859. Attended school and lived upon the old home farm till the summer of 1879, when he taught the Littleton school. The following year he attended school at Hopkinton (Lenox collegiate school), taught last fall's term of the Littleton school and is at present teaching a very suc- cessful winter term at the same place. Mr. Melrose is known throughout the county as a very fine scholar and successful teacher. Is a gentleman in every sense of the word, and very successful as a disciplinarian.

Miss Jane Spragg was born in New Brunswick, in the year 1811. Was married to William Spragg, in 1829. Came to Iowa in 1857, locating in this county, bought a piece of land and have lived on the same for the last eighteen years. Mr. Spragg died July 4, 1858, leaving a family of ten children-Frederick, who died in the army in 1863, at the age of thirty-three; William, now forty- eight; Daniel S., forty-six; Elizabeth, forty-four; Mary, forty-two; George, thirty-nine; Sarah, thirty-five; Eunice, thirty-one; Christopher, twenty-eight; Abner M., twenty- six. All the children are married and doing well, some in this State and some in western homes. Mrs. Spragg is a very pleasant, smart woman, and seems much younger than her age indicates.

J. B. Mckibben was born in Greene, Michigan, in

1853. He resided with his father, William Mckibben, on his farm and attended school till he was twenty-one years old. His father was taken away by death when J. B. was about twelve years old. After his majority he run the home farm in the interests of the family, there being three sisters and two brothers. When he was twenty-five years of age he came to Perry township and farmed for E. C. Little. Since then his time has been occupied in accumulating the almighty dollar.

W. W. Grooms was born in Greene county, Pennsyl- vania, in the year 1837. At the age of six he moved with his parents to West Virginia, where he remained till he was seventeen years of age, when he came to Burling- ton, Iowa and run a saw-mill for his brother, O. P. Grooms, for six years. In the year 1859 he went to Pikes Peak and remained in the territories till 1875. In 1864 he enlisted in company A, Seventh Iowa cavalry, served his country three years, and was mustered out. In 1875 Mr. Grooms located in this county and pur- chased a farm of one hundred and five acres, where he still resides. He deals in stock considerably. He has his work done on the farm in the summer and works at the carpenters' trade himself. Mr. Grooms was married in 1869 to Miss Lizzie Chidester, of Jefferson county, Pennsylvania. They have no children. Mr. and Mrs. Grooms are very pleasant people. They have friends on every hand and a mutual interest in the neighbors. Mr. Grooms is a Republican.

C. H. Little was born in La Salle county, Illinois, in 1847. He came to Iowa with his parents in 1853, and located where Littleton now stands and from whose fam- ily it was named. Mr. Little's father died in 1856. Mr. C. H. Little made his home with his mother and family till he was twenty-one years of age, when he married Miss Elmira M. Hovey (daughter of E. S. and M. M. Hovey), of lowa. They have three children-Sarah C. ten years old; C. H., seven years old, and Mattie A., one year old. They constitute a bright and happy family. Mr. Little and his brother, E. Little, own three hundred and twenty acres of land, where Mr. C. H. Little resides. They are very extensively engaged in the stock business, usually keeping from one hundred to one hun- dred and fifty head of hogs, and from fifty to one hundred head of cattle, and from ten to twenty head of horses. Mr. Little has at present the finest lot of fat hogs that it was ever our pleasure to see. Mr. Little is a good, square Republican and a brother of the distin- guished Captain Little, a sketch of whose life will be found in the chapter of General Biography.

L. J. Labour was born March 10, 1852, in Steuben coun- ty, New York. He lived with his father, Peter Labour, on the farm till he was fifteen years of age, when he came with his father to Iowa, locating on the farm where he now resides in Perry township. Since then he has been engaged in business in Independence and Jesup about three years. Mr. Labour studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1877. He practiced in Colfax, Jasper county, lowa, two years, when his father's health failed and he had to return home to assist him with his business. Mr. Labour was married October 23, 1872, to Miss Eva A.

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Rich, of Jesup. They have one child-Hattie Beatrice "will be five years old next February twenty-third day"- Hattie's own words. Mr. Labour is justice of the peace, and from his natural ability together with his knowledge of law we should judge he may look forward to success.

John Cooper was born in England in 1831. He helped his father at the carpenter trade till he was about twenty years of age; assisted in building the Crystal Pal- ace in London, and other large buildings of that coun- try. At the age of twenty-two he came to America, locating in Elgin, Illinois. He made his father's house there his home for about two years, when he was mar- ried and moved to Minnesota, Spring Valley, remaining there two years. As some will remember, the winters of 1855 and '56 were noted for heavy falls of snow in that region. The people were almost driven to desperation on account of the hardships that followed. The snow was so deep that travel was suspended, food for people and provisions for cattle became scarce, and death stared many in the face. People thought themselves well off if they had a little bran and shorts to eat. They killed their cattle to keep them from starving to death. Mr. Cooper operated a brick kiln through the two summers very successfully. He returned to Illinois and pur- chased a small farm, and engaged in threshing three years. In the year 1861 he moved to Perry township, and purchased a farm of eighty acres, on which he still resides, but has since added eighty acres. He has al- ways been quite extensively engaged in the stock busi- ness, and has had as high as ninety-nine head of cattle at a time. At present he is engaged in the dairy business, and milks twenty-three cows. Mr. Cooper was married in 1855, April 5th. He has nine children: E. Resa, twenty-four ; Mary Ann, twenty-three ; Walter H., twenty-one; Frederick W., nineteen ; Hattie J., eigh- teen; Martha M., fourteen; Ivis A. and Ida E., twins, aged thirteen. These two young girls look so much alike that their nearest neighbors cannot tell them apart. The next is Fannie B., aged seven. These children all make their father's house their home except E. Kesa, who is married to Mr. George Lochhard, and lives in Nebraska.

We find Mr. Cooper, after many hard fights with the world's difficulties, now very comfortably situated on his own farm-showing what a man can do if he only has the stout heart to brave the difficulties that overwhelm so many.

Frank Rust was born in Switzerland in the year 1836. He came to America with his father's family at the age of eight. At the age of fourteen he went to Wisconsin. At the age of sixteen he came to Iowa with his father, who bought the farm where Mr. Frank Rust now lives, and which he owns. In the year 1863 Mr. Rust en- listed in company B, Fourth Iowa cavalry; served his country till the war closed, when he returned home, and where he has resided ever since. Mr. Rust was mar- ried in 1855 to Miss Alvina Heath, of Black Hawk county, lowa. They have ten children living : Edwin J., twenty-three, married Emma Trumbar, and is living in Kansas; Jane L., twenty-one, married Peter Trumbar,

and is living in Kansas; Martha L., twenty; Mary E. seventeen ; Anna M., fourteen ; Dora B., twelve; Frank- lin J., ten ; William H., five ; Eva C., three ; Edison Garfield, aged six months. All the unmarried children make their father's house their home, and constitute a very happy family. Mr. Rust has a good home and a fine farm of seventy-three acres. He came here when this country was one bleak, unbroken prairie, but he has stuck to his text till he now has neighbors and friends on every hand. Mr. Rust is one of Iowa's Republican sons of liberty.

J. D. McNally was born in Upper Canada, in the town of West Hoxburgh, in 1838. He lived with his father, John McNally, and attended school, and farmed until the age of twenty-one, when he came to the United States, locating in Bangor, New York, where he again engaged in farming. In the year 1862 he enlisted in company F, One Hundred and Forty-second regiment, New York infantry, and served his country nearly three years, when the war was closed and he was mustered out. He was a faithful soldier indeed; never off duty one hour, never taken prisoner nor wounded, though in six- teen hard fought engagements, where men fell all around him. He carried on farming about five years after he came home from the war, after which he came to Iowa, and made his home for one year with Mr. R. S. Woos- ter. In 1871 Mr. McNally bought the property where he now resides, in the suburbs of Jesup. Mr. McNally was married in 1866 to Miss Leruga Leonard, of Mora, New York. They have only one child, Lottie Belle, aged nine years. Mr. McNally has a fine home and family. Mr. McNally is an indispensable man in his neighborhood, is a splendid hand in sickness, and is everybody's friend. Mr. and Mrs. McNally have been members of the Methodist Church for the last twenty years. Mr. McNally is a steward of the same and treas- urer of the Sunday-school, and is also one of the city council.

E. C. Gates was born in Halifax, Windham county, Vermont, in 1852. He moved to Illinois with his fath- er's family in 1854. He remained there on a farm about seven years, when they came to Iowa, locating in Fair- bank township. In the year 1862 they returned to In- diana, but remained only one year, when they returned and located on the same farm they had left. Mr. E. C. Gates has been a man of general business, besides spend- ing considerable time at school. He taught some, and afterwards attended school at Hopkinton. He after- wards graduated at a commercial school in Indepen- dence. Since then he has been engaged principally in teaching school. He has clerked in a store and attended the post office. The last two summers he has been en- gaged in the creamery business. Mr. Gates is still en- joying single blessedness. He is a man of marked abil- ity, and is one of Buchanan's good teachers. He was appointed numerator in the last census of Fairfield town- ship.

George Parish was born in King Sutton, North Hamptonshire, England, March 13, 1820. He came to America when he was eight years of age. At the age of

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ten he went to learn the cabinet trade, and worked at it five years. In the meantime his employer moved to Michigan. He returned to New York State at the age of seventeen. In the year 1840 he returned to Michigan, and worked out two years, and earned money and bought forty acres of land. The first year he engaged with Mr. W. W. Upton, whose wife took sick, and Mr. Parish was sent on horseback in search of a girl. He soon re- turned with one on his horse behind him. The same is now his wife, and this little circumstance is often talked over by them and remembered as a happy romance. They were married in the spring of 1841, and moved on to his forty acre farm. They lived on it two years. After several changes in location, he sold a farm of one hundred and sixty-six acres in 1865, and came to Iowa on a visit. He returned and bought a mill property in his own town, Cascade, and run it about three years, when he sold out and moved to Iowa, it being the year 1868, and bought a farm of three hundred and twenty- two acres, where he still resides. Mrs. Parish's maiden name was Betsy Ann Cranson. They have two daught- ers of their own and an adopted son: Charlotte, aged thirty-eight, married to Mr. E. D. Johnson, a merchant of Littleton ; Mary, aged thirty-six, married to J. I). Coger, who also resides in Littleton; Charles H., the adopted son, is also married, and lives at Otterville. Mr. Parish has all his life kept a daily account of his business transactions. They are a happy, kind-hearted couple, and seem to be enjoying their last days, as well as their first.

George B. Hovey was born in Orleans county, Ver- mont, in 1845. Came to Iowa at the age of nine years with his father, George Hovey, now living at Indepen- dence. At the age of seventeen, Mr. G. B. Hovey commenced doing for himself. Bought a farm in Da- kota, and farmed it four years, when he sold out and re- turned to this county, on a six months visit. Went to Illinois in 1871 and engaged in the pump business. At the expiration of four years he came to Iowa, and moved on his father's farm in Perry township, where he still re- sides. Mr. Hovey was married July 3, 1872, to Miss Emma J. Ross, of Illinois. They have two children : Edmund 1 .. , aged seven years, and Mary A., aged five years. Mr. Hovey is quite extensively engaged in the stock and dairy business, and is making money. They are a pleasant, happy family, and have an interest in their neighbors and their neighbors have an interest in them.

Mrs. L. A. Bryant was born in the State of New York, in 1826, and is the daughter of George Leonard. She married Mr. D. C. Bryant in 1854, and lived in New York fourteen years after marriage, moving to Jesup in 1868, where they purchased a farm, where the family still reside. Mr. Bryant died in May, 1879, leaving a family of three children: Eli J., aged twenty-five years; single, and helps carry on the farm; Adna L., aged twenty-two years, married Mr. Arthur Hutton, editor of the Argus in Webster City, Iowa; Elmer E., single, and helping his brother on the farm. Mrs. Bryant has a nice property and is keeping the family together, acting well

the part of a daughter by caring for Mr. Bryant's mother, who is seventy-three years of age, and who makes her home with Mrs. Bryant. Her sons are exemplary young men, and have the friendship and respect of the commu- nity. They are perpetuating the good name their father bequeathed to them.

C. A. Marsh was born in the State of New Jersey, in the year 1859. He attended school most of the time until the year 1875, when he came west to look after some lands his father had previously purchased, being in all sixteen hundred and seventy acres, and situated mostly in Buchanan and Black Hawk counties. He at once commenced the improvement of a seven hundred acre farm just outside the limits of Jesup. He has built a beautiful house, set out shade and fruit trees, and adorned the place in every way calculated to make a pleasant home. He has now two large barns, and is erecting the third. Mr. Marsh is quite a lover of fine horses, having at the present time, seventy head. He ships his fine horses to New York city, and sells them in the high priced markets. He has some exceedingly fine horses, one of which cost him four thousand dollars. Mr. Marsh was married in 1878, to Miss Eva Baily. They have a fine little girl who, it is hoped, will live to enjoy with them their many advantages and their attractive home.

R. E. Martin was born in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the year 1845. At the age of ten years he moved with his parents, three brothers and three sis- ters, to Winnebago county, Illinois. Here he attended school two years, when his father died, after which he was called upon to help maintain the family. At the age of eighteen he entered the army in company A, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Illinois. He served his country two years laithfully and was never off duty one hour during the whole time. After his army life he taught school for five years. In the year 1869 he mar- ried Miss S. A. Brannan, of Winnebago county, Illinois. In the year 1870, he moved with his family to Jesup. Here he opened a barber-shop and run it very success- fully for one year. He then returned to Illinois and re- mained only a short time. After several changes in bus- iness he entered the services of Laird & Brother (mer- chants of Jesup), as clerk, a position he retained six years. At the expiration of this time, he went into the dry goods and jewelry business on his own responsibility. At the end of one year he closed out the dry goods bus- iness and bought a restaurant stock. The year following he was elected postmaster. This transaction, by the way, demonstrates the popularity of Mr. Martin, as the op- position was strong, but Mr. Martin's friends brought him through with a handsome majority. He has been postmaster ever since, to the entire satisfaction of all. His family consists of his wife, Charles W., aged eight years, Carl E., aged six years, and Nettie, aged three years. Mr. Martin, through his own exertions has se- cured a competency of this world's goods. He has, ever since his connection with Jesup, been a servant of the people by holding different offices of trust.

A. W. Farwell was born in Caledonia county, Ver-

MR. CHARLES MELROSE.

The late Mr. Charles Melrose was a native of Scotland, being born near Edinburgh in the year 1803. He made that country his home till he was twenty-five years of age. His parents died when he was small, and he was raised by a man by the name of Boston. In the year 1828 he came to America, locating in Saratoga county, New York State, where he remained several years. He was then married to Miss Isabel Bunyon, and moved to Michigan, where Mrs. Melrose died about four years afterwards, leaving one child, then two years of age, but now forty- five years of age, the wife of Barney Brown, and resides at Lester, Iowa. In the year 1840 Mr. Melrose went to Indiana, where he remained about nine years, engaging in farming principally. In the year 1871 he and Miss Hester Price were united in marriage in Wells county, Indiana. In the fall of 1849 Mr. Melrose came to Iowa, locating in Perry township, where he purchased about four hundred acres of land and made his home till his death, which was in the year 1876, March 9th. He left a family of six children by his present wife. Their fam- ily consisted of twelve children, six of whom are not living. Jane, the oldest, is the wife of Truman Briggs, and resides in Dakota. The next oldest living, Charles, is now thirty-four years of age and engaged in caring for the home place. Nancy A. is the wife of Nelson Herry, also residing in Dakota. James is twenty-nine years of age, and is foreman in a livery stable in Alma, Colorado. Thomas, twenty-six years of age, is in connection with his brother Charles, in the interest of the homestead. John, the youngest child, is twenty-two years of age. He is engaged in acquiring an education and teaching school. Mr. Melrose's emigration to this county was in such an early day that the people in different parts of the county were their neighbors, and they knew them nearly all. At the time they raised their log houses they had to go to

Quasqueton to secure help. A little incident of interest, related by Mrs. Melrose, is worthy of notice, illustrating the life of the early settler. On one occasion the Indians, who were frequent annoyances, came to their house begging. The only food in the house being offered them, which was only sifted bran, was indignantly re- fused. They left for a few minutes, when they returned blackened and making rude demonstrations. The men- folks being away from home, Mrs. Melrose and Mrs. Clark and their children being the only occupants, of course agitation spread through the house. Presently a fire was kindled to the long grass, which soon surrounded the premises. Mrs. Clark's first impulse was to pray, which suggestion Mrs. Melrose followed only for a mo- ment, when she arose stating that faith without works was dead, and hurried out to fight the fire. With the assist- ance of two gentlemen who saw the flames and came to the rescue, they succeeded in conquering the fire with- out its doing any further harm to Mr. Melrose's property. This fire spread over quite a scope of the country, doing considerable damage in neighboring localities.

Those who had the privilege of meeting Mr. Melrose in those early days can testify to his generosity and phil- anthropic. spirit. Many are the meals he gave to new- comers, and many are the days he spent in helping emi- grants locate their farms, and many are the times he has stood in other men's stead when debt and ruin were crowding them hard. These are recollections of Mr. Mel- rose that many will take pleasure in rehearsing. He was universally loved and respected; and the honor done him by his sons in having his portrait inserted in this work is certainly a just and dutiful act upon their part. Mr. Melrose was a Christian gentleman, a member of the Presbyterian church and an elder of the same.

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mont, in the year 1850. He lived on the farm with his father and attended school till he was fifteen years of age, when he moved with his parents to Iowa Falls, Har- den county, Iowa, where the family, except himself, still reside. He engaged as an apprentice in the printing of- fice of M. C. Woodruff (editor of lowa Falls Sentinel), and remained with him four years. In the year 1872. he married Miss Ella Dodge, of Iowa Falls, and moved to Sioux City, Iowa. He worked on the Sioux City Jour- nal, with Perkins Brothers, two years. From thence he went to North Platt, Nebraska, their he published a pa- per called the Western Nebraskian. At the expiration of one year, he sold out to Mr. W. H. Michael, and came to Jesup, Perry township, this county, where he still re- sides. He purchased a half interest in the office and paper called the Jesup Vindicator. At the expiration of nine months he sold out to his partner and engaged in farming. One year proved to him that farming it was hard work, and so he returned to his old occupation. In the fall of 1879. he started the paper called the Buchan- an County Vindicator, which he still manages very suc- cessfully. Mr. Farwell is a number one journalist. His paper has a wide circulation and is one of the leading papers of the county ; purely Republican and is not afraid to speak its sentiments.

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History of Buchanan County, Iowa, with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 89

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