USA > Iowa > Butler County > History of Butler County, Iowa: a record of settlement., Volume 2 > Part 18
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In Rockwell, Iowa, November 8, 1888, Mr. Downing married Miss Lucy McGarry, who was born in Fayette county and edu- cated in the public schools of that locality. Her father, James McGarry, was a pioneer of Fayette county and well known in the Vol TT-12
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contracting and building business there. Mr. and Mrs. Downing became the parents of five children: John Henry, who is aiding in the operation of the homestead; James E., who died in 1900, when he was eight years of age; Mary ; Leo B .; and Joseph.
Mr. Downing gives his political allegiance to the democratic party and he served as trustee of Bennezette township for three years and was for several years secretary of the school board of that township. His wife and daughter are members of the Royal Neighbors and he is identified with the Catholic Order of For- esters. The family are members of the Roman Catholic church. The Downing home is one in which courtesy and hospitality abound and in which the stranger is always made to feel welcome and at home. Mr. Downing is the owner of a fine automobile with which he is very generous, taking his friends on long rides through the country. He is popular in Butler county on account of his many acts of kindness, his geniality and his many sterling qualities of mind and character.
JOHN A. ROLFS, M. D.
Dr. John A. Rolfs, who since 1905 has been engaged in the general practice of medicine in Aplington, was born in Scott county, this state, December 26, 1873. He is a son of Maas P. and Mary (Niemeier) Rolfs, natives of Germany, the former born in the Dittmarsch in 1830 and the latter in 1848. The father was a teamster and farmer and died in 1890, his wife surviving him until 1907. To their union were born six children: Claus C., a retired employe of the Weirhauser Dinkman Lumber Company of Daven- port, in whose service he did creditable work for twenty-five years; Professor P. H., the dean of the Latin department of the University of Florida; John A., of this review; Mary C., a gradu- ate of the Iowa Agricultural college with the degree of Bachelor of Science; William F., a physician and surgeon at Mullan, Idaho; and Fritz M., chief of the agricultural experimental station in South Carolina.
Dr. John A. Rolfs acquired his early education in the public schools of Scott county and afterward attended the Le Claire high school and the Iowa State Agricultural College, from which he was graduated November 9, 1892. He then enrolled in the Cook County Normal School and after the completion of his course engaged in
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teaching at Le Claire. He was principal of the Le Claire schools for two years and was afterward instructor in mathematics in Duncan's Business College at Davenport. Having determined to study medicine, he entered Drake University at Des Moines and was graduated from that institution in 1904 with the degree of M. D. He began the practice of his profession in Eldridge but after nine months removed to Aplington, where he has since re- sided. He engages in the general practice of medicine and has secured a large and representative patronage, for he is conscien- tious and thorough in his treatment of his cases and his skill and ability are widely recognized. Dr. Rolfs is registered as a biolo- gist in Germany and France and has paid particular attention to the study of this science. For the past eight years he has been health officer of Monroe and Washington townships and has proved unusually competent in the discharge of his responsible duties. He owns an attractive residence in Aplington and is wide- ly and favorably known both in social and professional circles.
On the 3d of September, 1902, at Davenport, Dr. Rolfs was united in marriage to Miss Mathilda Peters, a daughter of John Peters, a retired farmer living in that city. Dr. and Mrs. Rolfs have two children, Fred A. and Floyd O. Dr. Rolfs is connected fraternally with the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Wood- men of America and is a republican in his political beliefs, serv- ing at the present time as chairman of the republican central committee. In his profession he adheres always to the highest ethical standards, and he is ranked with the leading representa- tives of the medical fraternity in this section of the state.
RICHARD H. WAUGH.
Richard H. Waugh is filling the office of county supervisor and rendering creditable service to his fellow citizens in that connec- tion. He makes his home on section 30, Butler township, where he has a well developed farm, having brought his fields to a high state of cultivation in accordance with the progressive methods of the present day.
Richard H. Waugh was born in Henry county, Missouri, Sep- tember 11, 1870, his parents being John W. and Julia A. (Hamil- ton) Waugh, who were natives of Montgomery county, Indiana. The father died in Henry county, Missouri, in 1910, at the age of
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seventy years, and the mother passed away at the age of thirty- six, when her son Richard was a lad of thirteen years. Both the father and mother were reared in the Hoosier state but removed to Missouri at the close of the Civil war and their remaining days were spent there upon a farm. The father engaged in rais- ing and feeding stock and was very successful in his undertakings. As he prospered he added to his holdings until he was the owner of fourteen hundred acres. In ante-bellum days he was a stanch advocate of abolition principles, and when the republican party was formed to prevent the further extension of slavery he joined its ranks and continued one of its stalwart supporters. His re- ligious faith was that of the Methodist Episcopal church and earnest Christian belief guided him in all of the relations of life. To him and his wife were born nine children: W. B., who for many years was connected with mining interests at Joplin, Mis- souri, but is now residing in California; Mattie, the wife of Ed Darr, of Blairstown, Missouri; James H., a wealthy farmer of Henry county, Missouri; Ed R., who has large farming interests in the same county; Richard H .; Mary, the wife of Dr. L. L. Smith, of Urich, Missouri; Mrs. Jennie Crist, deceased; Walter S., who resides upon the old homestead in Missouri; and Minnie, the wife of James Adair, of Chilhowee, Missouri.
Richard H. Waugh was reared in his native county, acquiring a common-school education and working upon the home farm until twenty-three years of age. On the 2d of October, 1893, he arrived in Butler county, having driven from the old home in a covered wagon in fourteen days. He was married here on the 8th of October of that year to Adelaide Witt, who was born in Clarks- ville, March 28, 1875, and when four years of age went to North Dakota, with her parents, R. E. and Sarah C. (Burton) Witt. The father was born in Dublin, Indiana, December 15, 1840, and her mother's birth occurred at Rockville, that state, in 1842. Mr. Witt removed to Iowa in 1854, settling in Butler county, and on the 1st of January, 1860, was married here to Sarah C. Burton. After they had lived for four years in North Dakota they went to Missouri, where they remained for two years and then returned to Butler county, Iowa, where Mr. and Mrs. Witt spent their last days, his death occurring May 27, 1909, while his wife survived until July 1, 1911. He followed farming during the greater part of his life yet was a machinist and followed the trade to some extent. He was living retired in Clarksville at the time of his demise. His family numbered three children: Frank L., of Shell
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Rock; Mamie, the deceased wife of Ed R. Waugh, of Henry county, Missouri; and Mrs. Richard H. Waugh. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Waugh have been born three children: Mark, nineteen years of age; Elizabeth, thirteen; and Harvey, ten.
Mr. Waugh has resided in or near Clarksville since coming to Iowa and has always engaged in farming. He now owns one hundred and thirty acres of land on section 30, Butler township, a mile and a half south of the town. He carries on general farm- ing and stock-raising, and his place is well improved with all the modern equipments and accessories of the model farm of the twentieth century. In politics he has been a lifelong republican and for many years served as a trustee of Butler township, while at the present writing he is acceptably filling the office of county supervisor. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and both he and his wife hold membership in the Eastern Star. They attend and support the Christian church of Clarksville, and they are widely and favorably known socially, the hospitality of the best homes of their section of the county being cordially extended.
DICK VOOGD.
Dick Voogd, mayor of Aplington since 1903, postmaster since 1910 and connected with important professional interests through his control of a large and growing law practice, was born in Grundy county, this state, June 3, 1877. He is a son of Abe and Bena (Rykena) Voogd, natives of Germany, the latter born in 1849. The father came to Illinois in the early '60s and after about six years moved to Grundy county, where he followed farming un- til his death in 1882. His wife survives him and makes her home in Aplington. Four children were born to their union. Oltman, editor of the Aplington News, married Miss Clara Paul and they have four children, Abe, William, Margaret and Paul. Rich. A., manager of Voogd & Company's general store in Aplington, mar- ried Miss Bena Weiss and they have three children, Fred, Edward and Beulah. Abe, a general merchant in Aplington, married Miss Thina Hooker. Dick is the youngest member of the family.
Dick Voogd acquired his education in the public schools of Aplington, attending until he was fifteen years of age. He was afterward for three years clerk in a drug store, after which he-
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went to Highland Park College in Des Moines, where he studied pharmacy. He was graduated as a registered pharmacist in 1895 and for three years thereafter continued his connection with the drug business. At the end of that time he joined his brother Olt- man in the conduct of the Aplington News but three years later entered Iowa State University, graduating from the law depart- ment in 1903. In the same year he was admitted to practice be- fore the state and federal courts and opened his present office in Aplington. He has had a very successful professional career and controls a large and representative patronage, connecting him with a great deal of important litigation.
In Cedar Falls, on the 25th of December, 1912, Mr. Voogd was united in marriage to Miss Lila Austin, a daughter of William Austin, a pioneer settler of Butler county. Mr. Voogd belongs to the Masonic lodge, attends the Presbyterian church and gives his political allegiance to the republican party. His interests have extended to many fields lying always along lines of progress and advancement, and he is numbered today among the men of ability and worth in the community.
JAMES P. BANNON.
Among Butler county's most progressive and successful na- tive sons is numbered James P. Bannon, who owns and operates two farms in Madison township, one of one hundred and sixty acres and the other of eighty. He was born on the farm whereon he now resides July 31, 1871, his parents being James and Kath- erine (Coyle) Bannon, the former a native of County Carlow, Ireland, and the latter born in County Monaghan in 1831. The father came to America in his childhood, locating with his parents in Albany, New York, where he grew to manhood. He learned the bricklayer's trade and followed this in early life in Chicago, where his marriage occurred in 1856. Ten years later he came to Iowa, locating in Butler county. He purchased land in Madison town- ship and erected thereon a good stone house, in which his son now resides and which is one of the two stone residences in the town- ship. James Bannon worked at the bricklayer's trade and also engaged in general farming for the remainder of his life, dying upon his property in Butler county, October 4, 1911.
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James P. Bannon was reared upon his father's farm in Madi- son township and remained at home until his marriage, which occurred in 1891. He then settled upon the farm on which he still resides and since that time has steadily carried forward the work of improvement and development. He has remodeled the stone house which his father erected; has built a new barn, a granary and corn cribs, and set out also a grove of fruit and ornamental trees. In addition to the home place of one hundred and sixty acres Mr. Bannon owns also a tract of eighty acres in the vicinity. He is a stockholder in the Butler County Telephone Company and in the Farmers Cooperative Telephone Company, and is recog- nized in business circles as a man of capacity, sound judgment and keen discrimination.
On the 18th of February, 1891, Mr. Bannon was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Kirby, a native of Iowa and a daughter of William Kirby, one of the early settlers in Butler county. Mr. and Mrs. Bannon are the parents of two children, Alice Katherine and James Francis, students in the public schools.
The parents are member of the Roman Catholic church and Mr. Bannon gives his political allegiance to the democratic party. He is very prominent in public affairs and has served in various posi- tions of trust and responsibility. For eight years he was township assessor and has also been prominently connected with educational interests, besides serving as a delegate to numerous county conventions. A residence in Butler county dating from his birth to the present time has made him well and favorably known, and he is justly regarded as one of the leading agricul- turists and representative citizens of his locality.
JOHN H. BICKER.
John H. Bicker is the owner of a well improved farm of forty acres, located on section 31, Albion township, Butler county. He was born in Germany, on the 13th of February, 1856, a son of John H. and Anna K. (Kuhlman) Bicker, who were likewise natives of the fatherland, the former born in 1834, and the latter in 1839. The father was a linen weaver in his native country but he is now deceased, his death having occurred in 1905, while his wife died in 1903. They were the parents of nine children.
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John H. Bicker acquired his education in the schools of Ger- many, attending to the age of fourteen years. He was then em- ployed at farm labor until 1886, in which year he emigrated to the new world in the hope that he might better his financial condition. He first located in Illinois, there spending twelve years, or until 1898, when he came to Butler county and purchased ninety acres of land in Albion township. He cultivated this tract until 1910, when he disposed of it and purchased forty acres, his present farm, located on section 31, Albion township. He raises the vari- ous grains adapted to Iowa soil and is meeting with success in his work. Besides the horses necessary for carrying on his farm labor, he also keeps ten head of cattle and twenty head of hogs of good grade.
Mr. Bicker has been married twice. His first wife bore the maiden name of Dena Blohm and by her marriage became the mother of one daughter, Anna. The wife and mother departed this life in 1887, and on the 16th of February, 1900, in Parkers- burg, Iowa, Mr. Bicker wedded Mrs. Anna Johnson, a widow, who had a daughter, Anna, who is still at home. Mr. Bicker's daughter is now the wife of Raymond Church, who is proprietor of a garage in Parkersburg.
In politics Mr. Bicker is a republican, while in religious faith he is a Baptist. He is much interested in the church and the work in its various departments, especially the Sunday-school depart- ment, of which he is the superintendent. He is a man of many sterling characteristics, respected and esteemed by all with whom he is brought in contact, either in a business or social way.
ORLOW F. BLASIER.
During a period of residence in Butler county, covering thirty- nine years, Orlow F. Blasier has made valuable contributions to the advancement and growth of this part of Iowa, and as a resident of Greene, has since 1882, borne an active and honorable part in municipal development. His interests have been thoroughly identified with those of the city and have extended to many fields, but his most important work has been done in connection with the Shell Rock Valley Telephone Company, of which he has been president and manager since its organization.
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ORLOW F. BLASIER
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Mr. Blasier is a native of New York, born in Oneida county, November 14, 1853. He was reared there, acquiring his primary education in the country school and supplementing this by a course at Casnovia college, from which he was graduated. He afterward engaged in teaching in Oneida county for two years, but in 1874, moved west to Iowa, locating in Butler county, where he pur- chased land. He bought one hundred and fifteen acres in Cold- water township and operated this for a number of years, adding to his holdings from time to time until he finally owned one hundred and seventy acres. In 1882, he rented this property and moved into Greene, where he has since resided. In the year of his arrival here he was elected justice of the peace and was reelected for twelve consecutive years. During this time he also engaged in promoting telephone companies in Greene, Marble Rock and Rock- ford, and he became very well known in these fields. In 1897 he purchased a telephone concern in Greene and organized the Shell Rock Valley Telephone Company, of which he has since served as president and manager. The company purchased a business house on the main street of the town and has established per- manent offices on the second floor and it has direct connection with other lines for long or short distance and operates a complete ex- change, where courteous, prompt and intelligent service can always be secured. Mr. Blasier has worked earnestly and persist- ently for the success of the concern and its growth and develop- ment is due largely to his energy and enterprise.
On the 6th of April, 1906, Mr. Blasier was united in marriage to Mrs. Elizabeth Reeve, who was born and reared in Greene. She has three children by her former marriage: Alice, the wife of N. E. Kester, of Greene; Elva, a trained nurse in Cedar Rapids; and Roger, an electrician. Mr. Blasier has a daughter by a former marriage; Celia, the wife of David Cates, of Marble Rock.
Mr. Blasier is well known in the Masonic fraternity, holding membership in the blue lodge at Greene, the Rockford chapter, the Waterloo commandery, the shrine at Cedar Rapids and the con- sistory at Davenport. He is also a member of. the Modern Wood- men of America, and the Mystic Workers, and he and his wife are identified with the Eastern Star. Mrs. Blasier is also a member of the Rebekahs and has served through all the chairs of her lodge and is past grand. Mr. Blasier gives his political allegiance to the democratic party and is well known in its local ranks, having for the past four years served as a member of the town council and having always taken an active interest in public affairs. His resi-
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dence in Butler county has covered a period of almost forty years and during that time his public spirit has never been doubted nor his business or personal integrity questioned. In consequence he holds the esteem and high regard of a large circle of friends.
ALBERT WILLIAM JENNY.
For twenty-two years Albert William Jenny has resided on the farm on section 16, Jackson township which is now his home. He was early thrown upon his own resources and is a self-made man, his life record indicating the fact that it is only through the pressure of adversity and the stimulus of opposition that the best and strongest in man is brought out and developed. Ohio numbers him among her native sons, his birth having occurred in Monroe county, February 19, 1863. His parents, John and Barbara (Shaffer) Jenny, were also natives of the same county, and the former was a son of John and Elizabeth Jenny, natives of Canton Berne, Switzerland. Coming to the United States in 1830, they made their way westward by way of the Erie canal and their remaining days were spent in Monroe county, Ohio, where John Jenny, Sr., engaged in farming. He had followed school-teaching in his native country and also engaged in teaching after coming to the new world. He was, however, a weaver by trade and in the United States gave his attention to agricultural pursuits and upon his farm reared his family of twelve children. The maternal grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. George Shaffer, who came from Stuttgart, Germany. Both died in Monroe county.
The death of John Jenny, Jr., occurred when his son, Albert William, was but one year of age, and the mother now resides in Moundsville, West Virginia, with her daughter, Lena, who is the wife of William Litman. There were but two children in the family, the daughter being the younger. Albert W. Jenny was reared in his native county, where he remained until twenty years of age. The experiences of his youth were those which usually come to the farm lad who divides his time between the work of the fields and the acquirement of an education in the public schools. Leaving Ohio, he went to Green county, Wisconsin, where he remained for seven years. In 1891 he came to his pres- ent place, on section 16, Jackson township. From an early age he has earned his own living and soon learned the value of money
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and the forcefulness of industry and perseverance as factors in the attainment of success. His prosperity is attributable entire- ly to his own labors, and he is now the owner of a good farm of one hundred and twenty acres, which has been well developed by him. It was entirely destitute of improvements when he took possession, there being not even a fence, but he has erected good buildings and now has a property which forms one of the attrac- tive features of the landscape.
In 1891, in Wisconsin, Mr. Jenny was united in marriage to Miss Frances Carter, who was born in Green county, that state, in 1870, a daughter of John and Dorothy (Hickman) Carter. The two children of this marriage are Herbert Newton and Edith Enola. In politics Mr. Jenny is a democrat and for four years filled the office of trustee of his township but has never cared for nor desired political preferment. He holds membership with the Modern Woodmen of America and has many friends both within and without that order.
H. B. AKIN.
Among the early settlers and the progressive and valued resi- dents of Butler county is numbered H. B. Akin, engaged in agri- cultural pursuits upon a fine tract of land adjoining the town of Dumont. For many years he was closely and prominently con- nected with educational interests of this section of the state and he was for two terms county superintendent of schools, a position which he filled with credit and ability. He was born in Colum- biana county, Ohio, December 15, 1857, and there remained until he was six years of age, when the family removed to Greene county, Indiana. Five years later they came to Iowa, locating in Clarksville, this county, in 1868. He supplemented a primary- school education by a course in the Epworth Seminary and by one year in the State Normal School, after which he turned his atten- tion to teaching. After teaching for ten years in the country schools he taught for two years in Dumont and then served for four years as county superintendent, being located in Allison and discharging the duties of that position in a manner which re- flected credit upon his ability, energy and public spirit. After his term of service as county superintendent Mr. Akin resumed his teaching in the Dumont school and for some years thereafter
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was closely connected with educational work as president of the Dumont school board. For a number of years past he has been engaged in agricultural pursuits and is now the owner of a small farm adjoining the city of Dumont.
.On the 16th of November, 1898, Mr. Akin was united in mar- riage to Miss Anna Brown, a daughter of the Hon. H. C. Brown, of whom further mention is made elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Akin are the parents of three children, Raymond B., Homer B. and Floy B.
Mr. Akin give his political allegiance to the republican party and has always been interested and active in public affairs, holding various positions of trust and responsibility. He served for four years as township clerk and has also been president of the repub- lican township committee and a member of the county committee. On numerous occasions he was a delegate to county and congres- sional conventions and is always to be found among the leaders in the promotion of any worthy public project. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, hav- ing served through all the chairs of the local lodge, which he has also represented in the grand lodge of the state. He served three years as district deputy. He is also connected with the Rebekahs. the Yeomen and the Mystic Workers. He is one of the best known men in his part of Butler county, where he has resided since his childhood and where his many excellent qualities of mind and character have gained him the respect and esteem of all who have been in any way associated with him.
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