USA > Iowa > Carroll County > History of Carroll County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 18
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WILLIAM C. SAUL.
It has been sixteen years since William C. Saul began the practice of law at Carroll and the test of time has demonstrated that he made no mistake when he decided to apply himself to the legal profession. He now enjoys a large clientage and an income that assures him of a compentency for him- self and family. He was born at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, December 21, 1862, and is a son of James Saul. The father was born in County Wicklow, Ire- land, and is of English descent, and his father, Thomas Saul, was an excise man of the English government. James Saul learned the shoemaker's trade in his native country but, believing that 'America possessed advantages he could scarcely hope to find on the Emerald isle, came to the United States in 1849 and lived a while in New Jersey. Early in the '50s he arrived in Cedar Rapids, where he followed his trade, accumulating sufficient capital to purchase land in Iowa county, upon which he took up his residence. In 1879 he removed to Crawford county and engaged successfully in farm- ing until 1900, when he retired with his wife at Denison. He has for many years been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he was formerly an officer. Politically he gives his support to the republican party. The maiden name of the mother of our subject was Maria Charles. She was born near Belfast, Ireland, and came to the United States with her inother about 1849. She was married in New Jersey to Mr. Saul, is a mem- ber of the Methodist church, and is now seventy-five years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Saul are the parents of six children : Thomas, who is engaged in the van and moving business at Fargo, North Dakota; Margaret, the wife of John McLean, a farmer of Liberty, Nebraska ; James C., of Denison, Iowa, engaged in ranching in Wyoming; William C., of this review; and Henry C. and Willard A., twins, who are interested with their brother in the Wy- oming ranch near Douglas.
William C. Saul attended the public schools in his boyhood and later was a student at Cornell College at Mount Vernon. He taught school sev-
FOUR GENERATIONS
This group is composed of James Saul. of Denison. an Towa pioneer: his son. W. C. Sanl. an attorney at Carroll: his grandson. W. I. Saul. the editor of The Carroll Herald, and his great-grandson Robert I. Saul. The combined age of this group is one hundred and fifty-eight years.
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eral terms and for eleven years was identified with the United States rail- way mail service. In the meantime he had taken up the study of law under Judge F. M. Powers, of Carroll, and in 1895 was admitted by examination to the bar of this state. He has since engaged in practice at Carroll and is known as one of the most prominent members of the Carroll county bar. He has been interested in much important litigation in this part of the state and is now serving as general attorney for the American Nobles, a widely known fraternal organization of Waterloo. About 1895 he opened a set of abstract books and has since conducted what is known as the Carroll County Abstract Company. He is the owner of lands in Canada and in his business as well as his professional work has met with gratifying re- turns.
On the 9th of July, 1885, Mr. Saul was married to Miss Elida J. Thomas, who was born at Eagle, Wisconsin, November 27, 1862, a daughter of Dan- iel and Elizabeth Thomas. The parents are living on a farm near Dow City, in Crawford county, Iowa. The family is of Welsh ancestry. Mr. and Mrs. Saul have five children : W. Irving, who is editor of The Carroll Herald of which our subject is the owner; Leslie T., who was engaged in the study of law but is now a cadet at West Point; Lois E., Donald S. and Dean E., all of whom are attending school. W. Irving Saul was born at Denison, January 25, 1887, and married Miss Leola Williams. They have two children, Helen and Robert.
The record of Mr. Saul cannot fail to prove an incentive to ambitious young men who are desirous of accomplishing a worthy object in life and are obliged to depend upon their own exertions while doing so. He al- lowed no obstacles to dampen his ardor or to stand in the way of his ad- vancement and by courage, self confidence and force of character has won a position among the acknowledged leaders in Carroll county. He and his wife are connected with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is an active worker, being a member of the board of trustees. Fraternally he is identified with the Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of America and other organizations whose object it is to promote good fellowship among men. In politics he gives his support to the republi- can party.
DELOS E. WALDRON.
Delos E. Waldron, the cashier of the First National Bank of Glidden, has been connected with that institution for a quarter of a century and has served in his present capacity since 1892. His birth occurred on the 17th of March, 1867, in Greene county, Iowa, on the Greenc and Carroll county line. His parents, John and Cecelia (Chambers) Waldron, are natives of Ohio and New York respectively. The paternal grandfather, Isaac Wal- dron, was a farmer by occupation and took up his abode among the earliest settlers of Greene county. Iowa. He died in Glidden when past middle Vol. II-10
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life. He was twice married and by his first wife had the following chil- dren : Joseph, John and Emeline. Unto him and his second wife were born three sons and a daughter, namely: Philo, Eli, Robert and Sarah. Hiram W. Chambers, the maternal grandfather of our subject, was a native of New York and a shipbuilder by trade. Removing westward, he settled in Illinois and about 1859 came to Iowa, locating in Greene county, where he became identified with general agricultural pursuits. His demise occurred in Glidden when he had attained the age of eighty-nine years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Harriet Elmer, was ninety-two years of age when she passed away in Glidden. Their children were four in number, namely: Losey C., Alvah, Cecelia and Ida.
John Waldron, the father of Delos E. Waldron, was an early settler of Michigan and came to Iowa in 1855, settling in Greene county on a tract of land adjoining Glidden township, Carroll county. He homesteaded and improved a farm and continued to reside thereon until 1870, when he took up his abode in Glidden and embarked in the jewelry business, successfully conducting an enterprise of that character until 1892, when he was stricken blind and was obliged to retire. In the early days he en- joyed an enviable reputation as a violinist and his services were in demand at all the dances in the neighborhood. For two terms he served as mayor of Glidden, exercising his official prerogatives in support of many meas- ures of reform and improvement. The period of his residence in this part of the state now covers fifty-six years and he has long been widely known throughout the community as one of its most substantial and respected citizens. He is now sixty-eight years of age. Both he and his estimable wife are Presbyterians in religious faith.
Delos E. Waldron, whose name introduces this review, was born on his father's farm in Greene county and has resided in Glidden since three years of age. He attended the public schools in the acquirement of an education and is a graduate of the Glidden high school. Since putting aside his text-books he has been continuously identified with the First National Bank, which he entered in the capacity of bookkeeper when the institution was known as the Glidden Bank. In 1892 it was incorporated as the First National Bank, with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars. The institution was originally established in 1877. Mr. Waldron has been connected therewith since 1886 and in 1892 was promoted from the posi- tion of assistant cashier to that of cashier, which he has held to the pres- ent time. He is a man of keen discernment and sound judgment and his executive ability and excellent management have brought to the institution with which he is connected a large degree of success.
On the 17th of September, 1895, Mr. Waldron was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary H. Moorhouse, a native of Walworth county, Wisconsin, and a daughter of Edward and Lucy (Pettit) Moorhouse. Her paternal grandfather, a native of the state of New York, was overseer of a woolen mill. Unto him and his wife were born five children : Abram, William H., Isaac, Edward and Hannah. The parents of Mrs. Waldron removed from New York to Walworth county, Wisconsin, and remained residents of
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that state until 1901. when they came to Iowa, settling in Newell. While living there Edward Moorhouse made a trip back to Walworth county and passed away at Elkhorn when fifty-seven years of age. His widow yet resides at Newell, lowa. They were the parents of three children, namely : Mary H., Lulu and Perey. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Waldron have been born two children, Marion and Erwin.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Waldron has loyally supported the men and measures of the republican party. For six or eight years he served as city clerk, proving a faithful and capable official. His wife is an Episcopalian in religious faith. In the community where his entire life has been spent Mr. Waldron is widely and favorably known, the circle of his friends being almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintances.
WILLIAM S. KNEPPER.
A well known citizen of Carroll, William S. Knepper has been iden- tified with the agricultural interests of this section of the state during a large part of his life and is recognized as one of the substantial men of the county. IIe is a native of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, born April 11, 1849, a son of Adam and Catharine (Small) Knepper, both of whom were born in the Keystone state. The father came to Iowa in 1849 and settled in Linn county, becoming the owner of three hundred and sixty acres of land. He passed away in 1861 at the age of fifty-one, his wife dying two years later at the age of forty-nine years. They were both members of the United Brethren church and were greatly esteemed on account of their many estimable traits of character. There were eight children in their family, the subject of this review being the only one now living, all of the others having died when young except one who was called away at the age of seventeen. The family of the grandfather on the paternal side consisted of three sons and two daughters, all of whom are deceased. The maternal grandfather was a farmer in Pennsylvania and had three sons and three daughters, Samuel, Daniel, Jeremiah, Eliza- beth, Susan and Catharine.
William S. Knepper does not remember when he came to Iowa, as he was only six months old at the time. He grew to manhood in Linn county and received his early education in the district schools. After the death of his parents he lived with a guardian, C. S. Hendricks, and after arriving at his majority fell heir to a farm which his father acquired and devoted his attention for three years to agriculture and stock-raising. He then engaged in the mercantile business at Solon, Johnson county, for four years, after which he came to Carroll county and bought two hundred and forty acres in Carroll (now Maple River) township, four miles west of Carroll, and lived there five years. In 1881 he moved to Carroll and in 1902 built a commodious and beautiful home. Almost ever since he came
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to the city he and his wife have kept boarders and their home is one of the most popular places of the kind in Carroll.
On the 12th day of May, 1869, Mr. Knepper was united in marriage to Miss Henrietta Nicholson, a native of Johnson county, Iowa, and a daughter of Henry and Maria (Lyon) Nicholson. Two children have blessed this union, William Walter and Catharine Leo. William Walter is a bookkeeper for Allen Brothers, wholesale grocers of Omaha, Ne- braska. He married Ura Wahl and is the father of four children, Vera, Vergil, Ida and Frank William. Catharine Leo is the wife of John McNeill and they live in Arkansas City, Kansas. The father of Mrs. Knepper was born in Indiana and the mother in Pennsylvania. They came west and lived in Johnson county, Iowa, and later took up their home in Carroll county where they continued during the remainder of their days. The mother passed away at the age of sixty-five and the father at the age of eighty-six years. They had eleven children, Elizabeth, Frances, Joshua, Sarah, Henrietta, Anna, Matilda, Benjamin, William, Allen and May.
Mr. Knepper is not directly connected with any religious denomina- tion, but his estimable wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically he has ever since casting his first ballot supported the prin- ciples and candidates of the republican party. He is a genial and intelli- gent gentleman of large experience and affairs and enjoys a wide ac- quaintance in Carroll county. Socially he and his wife are prominent in Carroll where they have made their home for thirty years.
EDWARD CLARENCE HAVENS.
It has been through unwearied application and many years of earnest endeavor that Edward Clarence Havens has attained a position as one of the flourishing merchants of Glidden. A clear insight into the business which he chose as his vocation and its possibilities has also assisted him and there are few men of his age in Carroll county whose opinion in busi- ness affairs commands more respect than that of Mr. Havens. He is a native of Glidden, born March 14, 1872, a son of James Orrin and Miriam C. (Evans) Havens, both of whom were born in New York state. The father of our subject was reared in New York and in his young manhood lived in Chicago and Waukegan, Illinois, where he was a clerk. He came to Glidden from Waukegan and engaged in the furniture business. Sub- sequently he operated a fruit farm in Glidden township, retiring to Glid- den two years before his death. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, his wife, who survives him, also being connected with that organi- zation. At the time of the Civil war he served in the Ninety-sixth Illinois regiment, becoming captain of his company. He took an active interest in politics and for about twenty years was clerk of Glidden township. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Havens: Lottie, the wife of J. WV. Hazelton, of Carroll county ; George Lester, of Pierre, South Dakota ;
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Minnie Esther, who married H. A. Towne, of Perry, lowa ; and Edward Clarence.
Mr. Havens of this review was reared on his father's farm in Glidden township and secured his early education in the district and public schools. Not being attracted to farming as an occupation he started in business life as a clerk for McNaught & Son and later served in a similar capacity in the drug store of William E. Foster for seven years and then went to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 'After one year, however, he returned to Glid- den and became connected with Halstead Brothers, grocers, and in 1906 bought out the establishment. He has since added general merchandise and by close attention to the wants of the people and a thorough knowledge of his business he has succeeded in establishing a lucrative and growing trade which yields a handsome revenue. He is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of good land in Roberts county, South Dakota.
On the 25th of October, 1905, Mr. Havens was married to Miss Mary Elizabeth Kyle, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of Charles Kyle. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Havens has been blessed by the birth of a daughter, Virginia Elizabeth. In political belief he yields his allegiance to the republican party and religiously he and his wife adhere to the Pres- byterian church. They have many friends in Glidden and enjoy the con- fidence and respect of all with whom they come in contact. Throughout his life Mr. Havens has been identified with the mercantile business and his history is an excellent illustration of what may be accomplished by an unalterable purpose and wisely directed effort.
FRANCIS WILLIAM ANDERSON.
Francis William Anderson, a representative and progressive agricul- turist of Carroll county, makes his home on section 6, Union township. His birth occurred in Benton county, Iowa, on the Ist of September, 1865, his parents being David and Phoebe (Haynes) Anderson, both of whom were natives of Ohio. His paternal grandfather, Samuel Anderson, was likewise born in the Buckeye state and came of German ancestry. By occupation he was a farmer. He wedded Miss Matilda Cutchall and they became early settlers of Benton county, Iowa, there passing away when well advanced in years. Their children were fifteen in number, namely : James, Matilda, William, Marion, David, Robert, Lewis, George, Samuel. Mary, Sarah, Caroline, Rebecca, Jane and Bitha. Joseph and Sarah ( Minor) Haynes the maternal grandparents of our subject, were also early settlers of Benton county, Iowa. Their children were as follows: Dennis, Charles, Hiram, Phoebe, Alma and Mary. Both the father and mother of Francis W. Anderson were numbered among the early settlers of Benton county, Iowa, where their marriage was celebrated in 1857. David Anderson, who was a carpenter by trade, passed away in that county in 1902, when sixty-
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six years of age. His wife died in early womanhood, her demise occur- ring in 1867.
Francis W. Anderson was reared in the home of his paternal grand- mother in Benton county, Iowa, having lost his mother when but two years of age. He attended the district and public schools in the acquirement of an education and when nine years old removed to Blairstown, where he remained until a youth of twelve. At that early age he began working by the month as a farm hand, being thus employed for a period of twelve years. General agricultural pursuits have claimed his attention throughout his entire business career and he is now the owner of a fine farm of over two hundred acres on section 6, Union township, annually gathering rich crops which find a ready sale on the market.
Mr. Anderson has been married twice. On the 4th of March, 1887, he wedded Miss Anna Sharp, a daughter of Rev. John and Amanda Sharp. She died a year later, however, and on the 19th of November, 1890, Mr. Anderson was again married, his second union being with Miss Cora Davis, a native of Union township, this county, and a daughter of Squire Arm- strong and Catharine A. (Morris) Davis, who are mentioned at greater length on another page of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson now have two children, Roy A. and Lina M.
In politics Mr. Anderson is a republican, loyally supporting the men and measures of that party. For a number of terms he served as a school director. Fraternally he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the United Brethren church, to which his wife also belongs. Mr. Anderson is a mem- ber of the building committee which is at present erecting a new house of worship. At all times his life has been active, useful and honorable and it is his genuine personal worth that has gained for him the favorable position which he occupies in the regard of those who know him.
CHARLES OSWALD.
Among that worthy class of foreign-born residents of Iowa whose in- dustry and sturdy qualities have added much to the financial worth and development of Carroll county is numbered Charles Oswald who, coming to the United States in early manhood, in the hope of finding better busi- ness advantages here than were offered in the old world, found the oppor- tunities which he sought and in their wise utilization has attained gratify- ing success. He was born in Belgium, on the 3d of November, 1860, a son of Henry and Mary (Haas) Oswald. The parents were natives of the same country and there spent their entire lives. Charles Oswald was the second in order of birth in a family of five children, the others being as follows: Jacob, who yet resides in Belgium; John B., who came to the United States with his brother Charles and now makes his home in Jones county, Iowa ; and Mary and John, also of Belgium.
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Charles Oswald remained a resident of his native land until 1884, in which year he came to the United States, determining to seek the oppor- tunities for advancement along business lines which this country offered to ambitious and enterprising young men. A poor man, he had little more than his strong physique and resolute will-characteristics of his race- but he was full of determination and at once set about earning his own living. He spent six years at Monticello, Jones county, Iowa, after which he removed to Benton county, Iowa, residing there for two years. In 1892 he arrived in Carroll county and here located upon the farm in Kniest township which still remains his home. He owns one hundred and twenty acres of rich, well cultivated land, and in the midst of his farm he has erected substantial and commodious buildings, while the general appear- ance of the place speaks in no uncertain terms of a life of industry, per- severance and thrift on the part of the owner. He has proved an alert, wide-awake and enterprising man, who keeps thoroughly in touch with modern methods of agriculture, and his well directed efforts have been well rewarded by a substantial degree of prosperity. He has also found time to cooperate in other interests and is now the vice president of the Mount Carmel Mutual Fire & Lightning Insurance Association.
Mr. Oswald was married, in 1890, to Miss Elizabeth May, who was born in Dubuque county, Iowa, and unto them have been born eight chil- dren, as follows: Mary, Henry G., Peter, Apolina, Wendling, Leo, Clara and Marcella, all yet at home. The parents hold membership in the Cath- olic church at Mount Carmel, and Mr. Oswald belongs to the Roman Catholic Protective Association of Iowa, of which he is president of the local branch of that order at Mount Carmel. In politics he has given his support to the democracy since becoming an 'American citizen, and for three terms he served as township trustee, while for six years he acted as school director. Although born across the water, he has ever been loyal and public-spirited in his support of American laws and institutions and has ever been found a stalwart advocate of progress and advancement along material, intellectual and moral lines. He is a self-made man who, depending upon his own resources entirely, has worked his way upward, proving the force of his character and the extent of his energy and busi- ness ability in the gratifying success which he has achieved.
THOMAS CAREY WOLFE.
The owner of five hundred and sixty acres of land in Carroll county. Jowa, Thomas Carey Wolfe may justly be named as one of the prosperous citizens of the county. For twelve years past he has lived in a beautiful home in Carroll in the enjoyment of the society of his family and friends, at the same time directing affairs upon his farms. He was born in County Kerry, Ireland, in 1845, a son of Maurice and Ellen (Carey) Wolfe, both of whom were natives of the Emerald isle. The father came to America
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and engaged in farming in La Salle county, Illinois. In 1860 he settled in Clinton county, Iowa, and died there April 1, 1879, at the age of seventy- nine, his wife having passed a number of years previously. They were both devout members of the Catholic church. There were twelve children in their family, eleven of whom grew to maturity, namely, James, Ellen, Maurice, John, Mary, Margaret, Thomas C., Johanna, Richard, Catharine and Bridget.
Thomas Carey Wolfe came to America with his parents and was reared to fifteen years of age in La Salle county, Illinois. He then moved with his family to Clinton county, Iowa. He received his education in the district schools and assisted his father upon the home farm until after ar- riving at maturity. At the age of twenty-four years he came to Carroll county and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Eden town- ship, near Templeton, managing his affairs so ably that as the years passed he became one of the large landholders of that section, owning seven eighty-acre tracts, which includes some of the best land in the county. He moved to Templeton in 1883 and continued there until the 4th of May, 1898, since which time he has occupied a beautiful home in Carroll.
On the 14th of February, 1874, Mr. Wolfe was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ann James, who was born on a farm eight miles from Berlin, Wisconsin, a daughter of Joseph and Cecilia (Finnerty) James. The father was born at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, and the mother in County Mayo, Ireland. The family came to America and after living for a while in Massachusetts removed to Wisconsin, where Mr. James cleared and improved a farm. Subsequently he came to Iowa and took up his residence in Poweshiek county, settling in Roselle township, Carroll county, in 1869. He died at Stuart, Iowa, in November, 1903, at the age of sixty-eight, and his widow is still living at that place. They had six children, John, Mary Ann, Celia, Joseph, Jane and David. Joseph James, the paternal grand- father, married Jane James. He died well advanced in years in Carroll county, Iowa. There were five children in their family, Eunice, Ann, Eliza- beth, Joseph and Fannie. Thomas Finnerty, the grandfather on the mater- nal side, was a farmer. He died in his early manhood. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe was brightened by the arrival of nine children: Cecelia, now deceased, who became the wife of Joseph H. Meyers and had one child, Rita Marie; Ella, who died in infancy; Ann, who now lives at home ; Joseph, a clerk in the postoffice at Carroll, who married Kate Meyers and has one child, Virgil; Maurice, a carpenter by trade, now engaged in farm- ing at Jerome, Idaho, who married Adda Meyers and has two children, Helen and Maxine; Florence and Thomas, both of whom are at home; Edmund, now engaged as a stenographer ; and John, a clerk in a dry-goods store at Omaha, Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe were reared in the Cath- olic church and are stanch upholders of the faith. Politically he gives his support to the republican party, believing that its principles are conducive to the welfare of the nation. He is a true friend of education and served many years as member of the school board, filling the offices of its treas- urer and president. 'At Templeton he was a member of the city council
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