USA > Iowa > Butler County > History of Butler County, Iowa: a record of settlement., Volume 2 > Part 16
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In 1864 occurred the marriage of Mr. Allan to Miss Mary Ann Leather, who was born in Cumberland, England, March 23, 1841, and there resided until her marriage, which was celebrated in her native land, Mr. Allan having gone from Scotland to England when twenty years of age. Five children were born unto them: David, who died at the age of two years; John, living in West Point town- ship; Sarah Jane, the wife of Burt Curtis, of Jackson township; William, also living in Jackson township; and Christina, the wife
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of Frank Beryls of Minnesota. The parents hold membership in the Presbyterian church, and their lives have been guided by high and honorable principles, which have won for them the warm and endearing regard of all who know them. Mr. Allan has never deviated from a course which he believed to be right between him- self and his fellowmen, but has endeavored to do unto others as he would have them do unto him and in his business career has demonstrated the truth of the old adage that honesty is the best policy.
WILLARD FREDERICK BROWN.
Willard Frederick Brown owns and operates two large grist- mills at Shell Rock and is thus prominently connected with indus- trial activity. He is also a representative of agricultural interests as the owner of an excellent farm of two hundred and forty acres in Shell Rock township. He was born in Delaware county, New York, August 14, 1864, and eight years later was brought to Shell Rock, Iowa, by his widowed mother and his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Wright. Mr. Wright was at that time pro- prietor of a mill at this place. Mr. Brown's parents were Fred- erick and Mary (Follett) Brown, natives of Otsego county, New York. The father died when the son was eight years of age. He had been identified with the manufacture of lumber and of doors, sashes and blinds. Following the death of her husband the mother came here to reside with her sister Mrs. Anna J. Wright, who was born in Otsego county, New York. Mr. Wright built the west side mill at Shell Rock. Two years after her arrival Mrs. Brown passed away, thus leaving the subject of this review an orphan boy. He continued to reside with his aunt and uncle until the lat- ter's death on Christmas day of 1891. He began working in the mill in 1885 and has continued in the business since that time, having charge of it since the uncle's death. In 1903 he purchased the east side mill and now operates mills both on the east and west sides. They were originally flour mills but they are now operated as merchant and customs grinding mills in connection with the conduct of a grain and elevator business. He buys and sells all kinds of grain and has done important work as a factor in promot- ing business activity in this section. His enterprise and energy have made him well known, and he is highly esteemed for his busi- ness integrity.
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On the 14th of December, 1905, Mr. Brown was united in mar- riage to Miss Lillian E. Carson, a native of Wisconsin, who was, however, reared in Iowa. She is the daughter of J. H. and Celesta Carson. Her father is now deceased, but her mother is a resident of California.
Mr. Brown served on the city council for about fifteen years and exercised his official prerogatives in support of many bene- ficial and public measures. His political allegiance was formerly given to the republican party, but he is now a stanch advocate of the progressive party. His fraternal relations are with the Elks and the Knights of Pythias and in those organizations he has many friends. He is ever a genial social gentleman, always cour- teous and always thoroughly reliable, and he ranks with the valued and representative men of Butler county.
HERMAN F. WILD.
Prominent among the energetic, capable and farsighted busi- ness men of Allison is Herman F. Wild, the vice president of the State Bank and vice president of the Craig-Ray Abstract Com- pany. Correctly judging of his own capacities and powers and of those things which go to make up life's contacts and experiences, he has so directed his interests and utilized his time that the re- sults have been most gratifying, his efforts contributing to gen- eral prosperity as well as to individual success. He was born in Rhenish Bavaria, Germany, November 23, 1864, and is a son of Abram and Caroline (Miller) Wild, who were also natives of that locality and spent their entire lives there as farming people. Herman F. Wild was the youngest of their seven children. He had two brothers and a sister who came to the United States: Abram, who died in Michigan; Rudolph, of California; and Katharine, the wife of Abram Wild, of Cedar Falls, who although of the same name was not a relative.
Herman F. Wild remained under the parental roof until six- teen years of age and then bade adieu to family, friends and the fatherland and came direct to Iowa, settling at Cedar Falls, in Blackhawk county, where he joined his sister, who had been in this country for six or seven years. During the succeeding winter he attended the public schools and thus learned the English lan- guage. In the following spring he worked in a brickyard and the
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next spring went to Waterloo, where he was employed in a grocery store. He thus continued until January 1, 1886, when with a cousin he came to Allison and here embarked in merchandising, in which they continued for seventeen years under the firm style of Wild & Company. They had a well appointed store and were accorded a liberal patronage to the time when the business was sold, in November, 1902. The following year Herman F. Wild en- tered the employ of the State Bank of Allison, in which he con- tinued until the fall of 1906, when he was elected county treasurer and entered upon the duties of the office January 1, 1907. That he was most competent and faithful is indicated by the fact that he was twice reelected and served in all for six years, or for three terms, ending on the 1st of January, 1913. In the preceding No- vember he purchased the interest of G. M. Craig in the Craig- Ray Abstract Company, Incorporated, of which he is now the vice president, and for a number of years past he has also been the vice president of the State Bank of Allison. He is a man of keen insight and unflagging energy and in business circles of Allison has made for himself a creditable and enviable position. He likewise has farming interests in Minnesota in connection with his cousin, George W. Wild. He never brooks obstacles and difficulties that can be overcome by persistent, earnest and honor- able effort, and his unfaltering determination and capable manage- ment have brought him a large measure of success.
Mr. Wild has been married twice. In 1886 he wedded Miss Emma Wild, a distant relative, who died in 1904, leaving two chil- dren, Lillian H., who is living with her sister; and Carrie F., the wife of John Wilson, of Cheyenne, Wyoming. In December, 1906, Mr. Wild married Eva F. Speedy, and they have a son, Carroll H.
Mr. Wild gives his political allegiance to the republican party and has been an active worker in its ranks. On various occasions he has been called to public office and at the present writing is serv- ing as a trustee of West Point township. He is also a member of the school board of Allison and does all in his power to advance the interests of public education. He served on the city council for a number of years and in all of these connections has conscientiously furthered the public good. At the present writing he is chairman of the republican county central committee, and his opinions carry weight among party leaders. He was one of the committee of appraisers on the collection of the inheritance tax, appointed by the district judge. Fraternally he is connected with Opal Lodge, No. 417, A. F. & A. M., of Allison and is a member of the First
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Congregational church. These associations indicate much of the nature of his interests and the rules which govern his conduct and show him to be a man of high principles.
ROBERT M. SKILLEN.
One of the most attractive and well managed farms in Cold- water township is the Oakland Shade Stock Farm, a fine property of three hundred and fifty acres lying on section 7. Its owner, Robert M. Skillen, has resided upon the property since 1890 and, having followed always the most progressive and practical methods in the management of his farm, has made it a valuable property and has secured for himself a position among the progressive and representative farmers and stock-raisers of this locality.
Mr. Skillen is an early resident of Butler county, having made his home here since 1872. He was born in Genesee county, New York, December 12, 1862. When he was seven years of age he came west with his parents, settling in Buchanan county, Iowa, whence he moved to Butler county. His childhood was passed upon his father's farm in this vicinity and from an early age he assisted in its operation. After reaching maturity he rented land of his own, which he developed and improved for five years, after which, in 1890, he purchased one hundred and twenty acres in Coldwater township, a portion of the property upon which he now makes his home. At intervals he has added to his holdings and the farm now contains three hundred and fifty acres all in a high state of cultivation. Upon it he has erected a modern resi- dence, two substantial barns, two hog houses and a cement silo with a capacity of about two hundred tons, and he has set out an orchard of fine fruits and a grove of forest pines and evergreens, neglecting nothing which will add to the beauty or value of the place. For the past twenty-nine years Mr. Skillen has been a well known breeder of Duroc Jersey hogs and has held two auction sales on his farm in recent years, his animals always commanding high prices. He is interested also in raising pure-blooded registered shorthorn cattle and has now a herd of sixty head. His stock-raising inter- ests are extensive and important, and he is known as one of the most successful breeders and dealers in this part of the state. Mrs. Skillen is well known as a poultry fancier, keeping some fine Barred Plymouth Rock chickens, bronze turkeys, Pekin ducks and
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Toulouse geese and has made exhibits of these at a number of poultry shows. Mr. Skillen has also entered animals at a number of county fairs and has received a number of premiums on Duroc Jersey hogs. He was one of the promoters of the Farmers Cooper- ative Elevator of Greene and of the Greene Cooperative Creamery Association and has an enviable reputation in business circles.
In Greene, on the 18th of March, 1888, Mr. Skillen was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Hesalroad, who was born and reared in Coldwater township, a daughter of William Hesalroad, an early settler, who emigrated from Germany to this country. Mr. and Mrs. Skillen are the parents of four children: Laura Belle, the wife of Hugo Holzschuh, of Floyd county; Ida Grace; Clarence Wilbur, who is aiding in the operation of the home farm; and Clyde Robert.
Mr. Skillen is a stanch republican, believing firmly in the prin- ciples and policies of the party, but he has never sought public office, preferring to concentrate his attention upon his business affairs, in which he has already been so successful that he is today numbered among the leading representatives of stock-raising inter- ests in Butler county.
0. FRED CHASE.
O. Fred Chase, one of the able and progressive business men of Beaver township, prominently connected with important mer- cantile interests as manager for the Townsend & Merrill Lumber & Coal Company, of New Hartford, was born in Franklin county, New York, October 18, 1873. He is a son of Oscar F. and Georgess (Bennett) Chase, the former a native of Bangor, New York, born in 1837, and the latter born in New York state in 1846. The father has been for many years proprietor of a sawmill and lumberyard and still makes his home in his native state. He and his wife be- came the parents of nine children, Metta, Robert, Charles, O. Fred, Merton, Miller, Alice, Gordon and Jean.
0. Fred Chase acquired his education in the public schools of Franklin county, attending until he was seventeen years of age. He then worked for a short time in his father's sawmill, after which he bought a half interest in a clothing store, which continued in operation for three years thereafter. On the 1st of February, 1902, he moved to Iowa and worked in the sawmills, on the rail- Vol. 1-11
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road and at the carpenter's trade until 1910, when he was made manager of the Townsend & Merrill Lumber & Coal Company, of New Hartford. This position he has since held and has proved well fitted for its responsible duties, possessing sound business judgment, keen discrimination and excellent administrative abil- ity. Mr. Chase is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land in North Dakota.
Mr. Chase attends the Baptist church and is connected frater- nally with the Masonic lodge. He is a democrat in his political beliefs and while a resident of New York served for one term as assessor of Franklin county. His attention is now, however, con- centrated upon his business affairs, in which he has made steady progress, being numbered today among the leading and representa- tive citizens of New Hartford.
RICHARD C. BODE.
Among the prominent and able citizens of Austinville is num- bered Richard C. Bode, who in 1913 retired from active life after many years' close connection with mercantile interests as pro- prietor of a large general store. He was born in Stephenson county, Illinois, November 25, 1871, and is a son of Rev. Cornelius and Hilkea (Ammermann) Bode, natives of Germany, both of whom were born in 1843. The father came to America when he was seven years of age and grew to manhood in Illinois. In 1891 he moved to Iowa and has since been a resident of the state. He and his wife became the parents of seven children: John; Rich- ard C .; Henry; Mamie; William; Anna; and Lillie, who died at the age of thirteen years.
Richard C. Bode acquired his education in the public schools of Michigan and Harrison, South Dakota. When he was twenty years of age he began working as a farm laborer and after one year rented a farm in Wright county, Iowa. He afterward formed a partnership with his brother John, buying two hundred acres of fine land. They rented this property and Mr. Bode of this review came to Austinville in 1892, where he built the first mercantile store in the town, engaging in business in partnership with George Peters. At the end of one year he purchased Mr. Peters' interest and admitted his brother John into partnership. They conducted the enterprise under the name of Bode Brothers until 1905, when
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Richard C. Bode bought his brother's interest, continuing in busi- ness alone. He secured a large and representative patronage, for he carried a large and well selected stock of goods and constantly adhered to high and honorable business standards. In 1913 he disposed of his interests in the concern and since that time has lived in practical retirement, although he engages to some extent in dealing in real estate. He controls valuable property interests, owning two fine farms in Hancock county and a residence in Austinville. He is a stockholder, director and vice president of the Austinville Savings Bank and half owner of the Austinville Creamery, and his ability is recognized and respected in business circles.
At Clara City, Minnesota, May 25, 1904, Mr. Bode was united in marriage to Miss Lena Voss, a daughter of Thomas and Fannie (Greenfield) Voss, who lived in Minnesota but in 1908 came to Austinville where the father, a retired farmer, died in 1912. The mother is still living there. Mr. and Mrs. Bode are the parents of four children: Hazel, Francis M., Cornelius R. and Thomas L.
Mr. Bode is a member of the Christian Reformed church, in which he is deacon, treasurer and Sunday-school teacher. He gives his political allegiance to the republican party and was for four years postmaster of Austinville and for seven years treasurer of the school board of Washington township. He is one of the rep- resentative citizens of the community, for his interests have extended to many fields, lying always, however, along lines of progress and advancement.
AREND DREYER. :
Arend Dreyer, proprietor of an up-to-date drug store in Aplington and a native son of the city, was born December 22, 1886, his parents being Harm and Etta (Arends) Dreyer. The father was born in Germany in 1848 and after settling in Aplington engaged in the general merchandise business, in which he is still active. He and his wife became the parents of eleven children: Hattie, deceased; Albert; Henry; John; Harm; Arend, of this review; Fannie; Jennie; William; Hattie; and Claus.
Arend Dreyer attended public school in Aplington until he was fourteen years of age and then became a clerk in a drug store, holding this position from 1901 until 1907. He then went to Are-
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dale, this state, where he spent three years as proprietor of a drug store. At the end of that time he returned to Aplington and pur- chased the drug store which he still conducts. He has stock valued at forty-five hundred dollars including a fine line of drugs, stationery, paints, oils and wall paper. He has a very attractive establishment, up-to-date in every particular, and he controls an important and growing patronage.
In Aplington, March 13, 1907, Mr. Dreyer married Miss Anna Wiesley, a daughter of Louis and Rosina Wiesley, the former a minister of the gospel, who died in 1904. Mr. and Mrs. Dreyer have become the parents of four children, Etta R., Louis, Kenneth and Robert. Mr. Dreyer is a member of the Baptist church and a progressive republican in his political beliefs. He never seeks public office, preferring to concentrate his attention upon his busi- ness affairs, in which he is meeting with gratifying and well deserved success.
BENJAMIN F. KINGERY.
Benjamin F. Kingery, a representative of a well known pio- neer family of Iowa and one of the progressive and successful native sons of the state, was born in Bennezette township, May 30, 1858. His father, William Kingery, was born in Pennsylvania in 1826 and resided in that state for a number of years. As a young man he went to Indiana, locating in Carroll county, where he married Miss Mary M. Etter, a native of Ohio. After farming in Carroll county, Indiana, for a number of years Mr. Kingery moved to Iowa, settling in Bennezette township, Butler county, in 1856, among the earliest pioneers. He purchased a tract of raw land and opened up a farm, which, however, he later sold, buying another property of two hundred acres near Greene. After developing and improving this for a number of years he retired from active life, moving into Greene, where his death occurred in 1898. His wife survives him and makes her home with her son Amos. On the occasion of her eighty-first birthday, on the 29th of June, 1913, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchil- dren and a few of her oldest friends gathered at the residence of Benjamin F. Kingery and a dinner was served in the grove in cele- bration of the event.
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Benjamin F. Kingery was reared upon the home farm and from his early childhood assisted with the work of its improve- ment and development. He married when he was twenty years of age and located on an eighty acre tract, the property of his wife. Upon this he built a small house, put out a grove of forest and evergreen trees and an orchard and fenced his fields. He afterward replaced the first dwelling by a modern residence and built other barns and outbuildings, making the place one of the best equipped in the county. From time to time he added to the farm and it now comprises two hundred and eighty acres. He is also the owner of a tract of timber land. He engages in general farming and stock-raising and has met with gratifying and well deserved success. He was one of the promoters of the Greene Cooperative Creamery Company and is a stockholder in the Farm- ers Elevator Company.
Mr. Kingery has been twice married. On May 30, 1878, he wedded Miss Mary J. Hart, who was born and reared in Butler county. They became the parents of three children: Lloyd S., who died in childhood; Andrew Leroy, who passed away October 13, 1907; and William M., who was reared upon the home farm and educated in the public schools. He married, on the 27th of November, 1907, Miss Edna C. Loomer, a daughter of Frank D. Loomer, of Clarksville. Benjamin F. Kingery lost his first wife in April, 1907, and in November, 1908, he was again married, his second union being with Miss Grace Schriever, a native of Hol- land, who came to Iowa when she was a young woman.
Mr. Kingery gives his political allegiance to the republican party and is now in the twelfth consecutive year of his service as township trustee. He has also been prominently identified with school affairs and is a progressive, public-spirited and loyal citi- zen, whose record is a credit to a name that has long been an hon- ored one in this community.
CHARLES E. AVERY.
Charles E. Avery carries on general farming on section 35, Butler township, where he has an excellent tract of land of three hundred and twenty-seven and a half acres. The modern improve- ments upon the place are the work of his hands, and the trees are of his planting. He was born in Boone county, Illinois, October 29,
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1855, and is a son of Gilbert L. and Sallie A. (Sponable) Avery. The father was born in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, Feb- ruary, 1827, and the mother's birth occurred in Ohio in 1834. When eighteen years of age Gilbert L. Avery accompanied his parents to Illinois. In 1859 when our subject was four years old the family removed to McHenry county, Illinois, where the mother died when her son Charles was thirteen years old. The father afterward lived for many years in that county and now makes his home with a daughter in Los Angeles, California. He still owns about five hundred acres in two farms in McHenry county and is very active for a man of his age. He began going to California merely for the winter months, but now makes his per- manent home there. In politics he is a republican, and for two terms he served as county supervisor. His religious faith is indi- cated by his membership in the Baptist church. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Avery were five children: Elizabeth M., the wife of V. D. Glass, of Los Angeles, California; Charles E .; Sarah, who became the wife of William Miller and died leaving one child; Marion E., the wife of Frank Carpenter, of Omaha, Nebraska; and George F., of Santa Ana, California.
Charles E. Avery remained in Illinois with his father until the fall of 1880, when he came to Butler county and has since resided upon the farm which has now for a third of a century been his home. It comprises three hundred and twenty-seven and a half acres of rich land on section 35, Butler township-land that responds readily to the care and cultivation of the owner, who follows modern and progressive methods in the development of his place. He uses the latest improved machinery and annually gathers good crops. The farm is pleasantly and conveniently located two and one-half miles north of Shell Rock, and all of its equipments have been secured by Mr. Avery, its trees set out and its buildings erected by him.
In 1880 occurred the marriage of Mr. Avery to Miss Carrie May Poyer, who was born in McHenry county, Illinois, December 28, 1858, and there resided until her marriage. She is a daughter of D. W. and Lydia Poyer, the former now deceased, while the latter resides in Belvidere, Illinois, with her youngest daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Avery have a family of eight children: Guy L., who was born August 2, 1881; George, who was born April 9, 1884, and is living in Marengo, Illinois; Marian, who was born October 28, 1885, and is the wife of the Rev. W. H. Hoge, of Rochester, New York, who was a student in the Baptist Theological seminary;
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Dee, who was born February 5, 1888, and is at home; Clark, who was born July 17, 1891, and is a resident farmer of Butler town- ship; Ernest, born March 19, 1893; Earl, born January 8, 1896; and Glenn, born July 2, 1900. The Avery family is well known in this county, where Mr. and Mrs. Avery have made their home since 1880, and their many substantial traits of character have gained them the warm regard and friendship of many with whom they have been brought in contact.
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