History of Cass County, Iowa; together with sketches of its towns, villages, and townships; educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of old settlers and representative citizens. History of Iowa, embracing accounts of the pre-historic races, and a brief review of its civil, political, and military history, Part 88

Author: Continental Historical Company, Springfield, Ill
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 918

USA > Iowa > Cass County > History of Cass County, Iowa; together with sketches of its towns, villages, and townships; educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of old settlers and representative citizens. History of Iowa, embracing accounts of the pre-historic races, and a brief review of its civil, political, and military history > Part 88

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John C. Bradbury was born in the town of Stow, Maine, October 8, 1844. His parents, Josiah and Mindwell Bradbury, moved to Lee county, Illinois, in 1854. Here Josiah Bradbury died. He was a member of company A, of the Seventy- fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry and served one year, when he was discharged on account of sickness, in consequence of which he died one month after his return home, in October, 1863. Ifis widow still survives and is now living in Nebraska, where she has two sons-E. C. and Wil- liam A. The subject of this sketch, in the spring of 1864, came to Iowa for the purpose of finding a home for the family, and settled one-half mile from the State's center, in Marshall county. Here the family, with the exception of one brother, joined him in the spring of 1867. This brother, Noah, was a member of company F, Thirty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infan- try, and served through the war. He now lives in Antelope county, Nebraska. John C. Bradbury and Almeda Easton were married at Dexter, Michigan, Jan-

uary 12, 1869. She is a daughter of Paul and Sarah Easton, of that place, and was born there Sep- tember 10, 1842. Mr. Bradbury formed the acquaintance of Miss Easton in Mar- shall county, where she was engaged in teaching school. He sold his property in Marshall county, in 1874, and in the spring 1875 became a resident of Cass county, purchasing then his present farm on sec- tion 9, Bear Grove township. He owns one hundred and twenty acres, which was then unbroken, but is now well improved. Mr. and Mrs. Bradbury have nine chil- dren: Bertha, born in July, 1870; Leland, born in January, 1872; Jay, born in Sep- tember, 1874; Mark, born in April, 1876 ; Bessie, born August, 1878; Charlie, born in June, 1881; and Belle, born in Novem- her, 1882. Mr. Bradbury was elected a member of the board of trustees in No- vember, 1883, and has served several terms as school director. He is a highly esteemed citizen.

C. J. Anderson is a native of Sweden, born November 14, 1846. He came to America with his sister, Charlotte, now the wife of Mr. Olson, in 1860. He came to Jefferson county, Iowa, where he lived until 1862. He then went to Henderson county, Illinois, and worked by the month at farming for seven years. He became a citizen there on the 21st of October, 1868, at the circuit court, which was then in session in Warren county, Illinois. He came to Cass county, in 1869 and bought the farm he now owns and occupies. It contains eighty acres, located on section 22, of Bear Grove township, and is finely improved.

Charles R. Switzer, son of John and

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Margaret Switzer, was born in Columbia county, Pennsylvania, March 20, 1838. His parents were among the early settlers of Black Hawk county, Iowa, settling, about the year 1849, in Waterloo, which then consisted of about twenty log cab- ins. John Switzer died in that county, November 23, 1869, and his wife, Mar- garet Switzer, in 1857. Charles R. Swit- zer enlisted, October 3, 1861, in company E, of the Twelfth Iowa Infantry. He took part in the battle of Fort Donelson, where he was wounded. The brigade to which his regiment belonged, were taken prisoners at Pittsburg Landing, while he was still unable to be on duty. That portion of the brigade not captured, con- sisting of men off duty in the hospital, and in camp, were re-organized as the "Union Brigade," and participated in the battles of Corinth, campaign against Vicksburg, battles of Jackson, Brandon, Tupelo, Nashville and Spanish Fort. Af- ter being prisoners five or six months, the regiment was exchanged, and after the battle of Corinth, and previous to the bat- tles following, Mr. Switzer rejoined his regiment and served with it nobly until the close of the war. He veteranized in 1863, and May 22, 1865 was commissioned first lieutenant,for meritorious services, He was honorably discharged January 20, 1866. He returned to Black Hawk county, and the same year attended Bryant & Strat- ton's business college, at Chicago. In 1867 and 1868, he was in the employ of a transfer company at Omaha, Nebraska. In the latter year he became identified with Cass county, purchasing then, the fine farm he now owns and occupies. It is located on section 17, of Bear Grove

township and contains one hundred and sixty acres. He was married in Stephenson county, Illinois, May 30, 1872, to Joanna Rishel, a daughter of Benjamin and Sarah Rishel, who was born in Union county, Pennsylvania, November 18, 1847. Mr. and Mrs. Switzer have three children- Fred R., born in September, 1873; Edwin, horn in May 1878, and Sarah, born in Jan- uary 1880.

John O. Stevens was born in Canaan, Litchfield county, Connecticut, May 22, 1841. His father, Sanford P. Stevens was born, lived and died on the old homestead of his father, November 11, 1883, aged ninety-two years. Mrs. Almida Stevens, his mother, died November 11, 1853. In August, of 1862, John O. Stevens, enlisted in the Nineteenth Connecticut Volunteers, but was discharged on account of phys- ical disability before the regiment reached the scene of action. The following fall he came to Iowa and lived in Davenport and vicinity until 1869. He then went to Poweshiek county, where he engaged in farming. In 1874 he visited Cass county and purchased the farm he now owns and occupies. It is located in sec- tion 16, of Bear Grove, and was then un- improved. It contains eighty acres. He returned to his native county in 1877, and was there married, February 14, to Mary Spaulding, a native of Norfolk, Connecti- cut. They have no children.

Albert T. Barnes was born in Putnam county, Ohio, January 19, 1853. His parents, Daniel and Hannah Barnes, moved, in 1860, to Warren county, Illi- nois, and in 1874, came to Cass county. The family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Barnes and six children-Jacob W., Albert

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T., Julia A., Lizzie, Rhoda D. and Ida May. They settled in Brighton town- ship, where the parents still live, engaged in farming. The subject of this sketch lived with his parents until his marriage, December 25, 1877, to Emily L. Hum- phrey, a native of Warren county, Illinois. She was born March 1, 1861. They set- tled at the time of their marriage, on a farm owned by Henry Crow, in Brighton township, where they lived two years, then rented land of Isaac Dickerson, in section 9, of Atlantic township, on which they lived three years. Mr. Barnes then purchased his present home on section 9, Bear Grove township. It contains eighty acres and is the place improved by Wil- liam Farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes have one son-Willie Leonard, born November 28, 1878.

John Dealy was born September 19, 1843 in Decatur county, Indiana. His early life was spent in that county, and one adjoining (Bartholomew). In July, 1862, he enlisted in company I, of the Sixty-seventh Indiana Infantry. He was first under fire at Mumfordsville, Ken- tucky. He took part in Sherman's attack at Chickasaw Bayou, the capture of Ar- kansas Post, and the campaign against Vicksburg, also the battles of Port Gib- son, Champion Hill, Black River Bridge and Jackson. He then went to NewOrleans and participated in Banks' Red River campaign, and the battles of Fort Gaines, Fort Morgan and Fort Blakely. IIe was honorably discharged at Galveston, Texas, in July, 1865. He returned to Bartholo- mew county, Indiana, and engaged in farming, teaching school during the win- ter seasons. He went to Grant county,

Indiana, where he had some relatives, and lived there about three years, and taught three or four terms of school. There he got acquainted with and married Matilda Jane Crawford, in 1869, daughter of John Crawford, now a resident of Lewis, Iowa. In 1871, Mr. Dealy and wife moved to Cass county, locating on an eighty acres of raw prairie, on section 31, in Bear Grove township, where he now resides. Mrs. Dealy was born September 12, 1841, in Grant county, Indiana. They are the parents of three children-Jennie L., William C., and Joseph M. Mr. Dealy is now serving his fifth term as school direc- tor.

Nathan B. Middaugh was born in Tus- carawas county, Ohio, August 11, 1825. His father, James Middaugh was a farmer. His mother died when he was young. His father's death occurred in 1863, in Allen county, Indiana, where the family had re- moved in 1853. In 1865, Nathan B. moved to Warren county, Illinois, and in the fall of 1868, to Henry county, Iowa He remained there until 1873, when he came to Cass county. He arrived here in the month of March, having previously visited the county and purchased the farm he now owns and occupies on section 3, of Bear Grove township. He was married September 10, 1846, to Sarah R. Bell, who was born in Belmont county, Ohio, in 1827. They have seven children-James F., a farmer, residing in Washington Territory; Anna, wife of William J. Farmer, of Dakota; Alice E., wife of George Glazier, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Minerva J., wife of L. E. Miller, of At- lantic township; Kenyon R., and Clifford R., in Dakota, Elmer E., at home.

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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.

David M. Sheets was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, April 13, 1842. He is a son of Daniel and Barbara Ann Sheets, who are now living in Frederick county, Maryland, engaged in farming, to which occupation, David M., was reared. The latter, in 1866, went to Carroll county, Illinois, and spent six months, then to Hardin county, Iowa, where he remained, also six months. He then went to Mon- tana and stopped there three months, en- gaged in the freighting business, driving his own team. In the summer of 1867, he came to Cass county. While in Hardin county he purchased one huu- dred and sixty acres of land in Cerro Gordo county. Hespent three months in Cass county with his uncle, Henry Meyers, and sister, Mrs. Mary J. Krise. He then returned to Pennsylvania, and was there married to Mattie R. Pitzer, February, 18, 1869. She is the daughter of Samuel and Hettie Pitzer, was born January 13, 1848, in Adams county, Pennsylvania, upon the site of the bat- tle field of Gettysburg. Her father died

in 1877, at the old homestead. Her mother now lives with a son, John E. Pitzer, at Gettysburg. Mrs. Sheets' grand-father, Emanuel Pitzer, and her father and his family, were living at their home in Gettysburg during the war. When the memorable battle at that place oc- curred. Mrs. Sheets and the other chil- dren, five in all, left home and passed to the rear of the Union army. The par- ents remained until after the second day's engagement, in their house, which stood between the contending armies. The house and barn were riddled by shot and shell before they decided to evacuate.

They lost all of their property that could be carried or driven off, and their build- ings were almost, if not quite, destroyed. In connection with the history of the fan:ily, the following is copied from the "Gettysburg Compiler" of August 19,1884. "Our citizens are all acquainted with the fact of how Mr. Jim Parr, a gallant mem- ber of the Third Georgia regiment, while hunting for a head-board for a dead com- rade, discovered a lot of specie hidden beneath the hearth of a bake oven in the town of Gettysburg, and succeeded in get- ting it home, where he bought a substi- tute with a part and used the rest to start himself in business after the war." Then followed a particular description of the discovery of the money. It then says: "He (the owner of the money) was an old farmer who distrusted banks and de- cided that the safest place to deposit his money would be under the hearth of his bake oven, as no one would think of look- ing in such a place for a treasure." The "old farmer" was Emanuel Pitzer. The family have never had the money restor- ed to their possession. Emanuel Pitzer died only a few days before the battle. In 1873, David M. Sheets came again to the west, accompanied, this time by his wife and one child, and settled in Bear Grove township where he had one hun- dred and twenty acres in sections 17, 18 and 7, land for which he had exchanged his Cerro Gordo farm. He bas since added to his farm and now owns two hundred and two acres, all finely im- proved. Mr. and Mrs. Sheets have four children-Harry, born July 20, 1870; Daniel, born September 30, 1873; Mur- ray, born September 13, 1875, and Grace,.

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born September 20, 1881. Henry Patter- son, an orphan son of Mrs. Sheets' sister, born in Pennsylvania, July 16, 1869, makes his home with Mr. and Mrs. Sheets.

James D. Corbitt, son of John and Sarah Corbitt, was born in Herkimer county, New York, February 6, 1856. The family moved in 1859, to Oneida county the same State. John Corbitt worked in a woolen factory and his son, James D. followed the same occupation until his removal to the west. Mr. Cor- bitt, Sr., came to Cass county in July, 1875, and settled on section 25, of Bear Grove. He was accompanied by his wife, James D., the subject of this sketch, and one daughter, Mary A. She was born October 30, 1863, and is now the wife of Jerry Cornell, of Benton township. James D. Corbitt and Jennie R. Hinton were married September 19, 1880. She was born December 22, 1856, and is a .daughter of Robert and Mary Hinton. Her mother died in 1865, and her father in 1884. Robert Hinton was a resident of Union township, Mr. and Mrs. Cor- bitt reside upon a farm in section 36, of Bear Grove, which he purchased in July, 1880.

John O. Hazlett was born January 11, 1829, in West Virginia. His mother, Mary Hazlett, died at his birth, and he was reared by his grandfather, William Ogy, of Somerset county, Pennsylvania, with whom he lived until he reached ma- turity. In 1861 he went to Fillmore county, Minnesota, where he lived till 1864. He enlisted in that year in company E of the Ninth Iowa Cavalry, and served one year in General Reynolds' division, in the

Arkansas department. After the war he married in 1851 in Allamakee county, this State, to Margaret M. Schroder. Ten children have blessed their union-Mary S. A., wife of Ezra D. Yoder; Rachel L., George W., John Grant, Taylor E., Dora Ellen, Minnie M., Charles R., Lewis and Melinda.

Jesse J. Tippey, son of Henderson and Vashti Tippey, was born in Grant county, Indiana, February 24, 1847. His father died in October, 1872, and his mother in May, 1863. Jesse was educated in the public schools, and afterwards attended select school, and finally, Wabash col- lege. He was married in his native county, November 13, 1872, to Elizabeth Westfall, daughter of James and Angel- ine Westfall. She was born in the same county, December 12, 1852. Mr. Tippey first visited Cass county in the fall of 1877, and again in January, 1880, at which time he purchased of A. O. Rogers his present farm, which contained eighty acres, located on section 15, Bear Grove township. Mr. and Mrs. Tippey have four children-Macauley E., born in Septem- ber, 1873; Angie Alminta, born in May, 1875; Nellie J., born in October, 1877; and Frank H., born in September, 1882. Mr. Tippey was elected township clerk in 1872.

Thomas N. Bicket, son of Samuel and Mary Bicket, was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, June 15, 1848. His parents died in that county. Thomas N. Bicket and Josephine Hite were married February 28, 1866. She was born in 1849 in the same county. He followed farming in Pennsylvania until 1876, then came to Iowa, and settled in Cedar county, where

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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.

lived a short time in Howard county, Iowa. In 1866 he removed to Jasper county, where he remained about five years. He then removed to Clay county, and remained six years, after which he returned to Jasper county, and two years later came to Cass county. After living here about two years, he bought eighty acres of land in section 24 of Bear Grove township, which is now his residence. He also owns one hundred and sixty acres of land in Clay county. Mr. Hazlett was he farmed upon rented land three years. He then removed to Cass county, and rented a farm in Atlantic township, where he lived four years on the same place, after which he purchased the farm on which he now lives, on section 11, Bear Grove township. It contains eighty acres. Mr. and Mrs. Bicket have eight children- Jennie, Mary, Tillie, Robert, William, James, Jessie and Amy.

George Keys was born in the city of Manchester, England, June 13, 1852, and is a son of John and Mary Keys. John Keys was a boot and shoe maker by trade. George Keys came to the United States in 1870, accompanied by a young sister, Sarah. Two sisters, Jane and Eliza had preceded them here. Jane is now a resi- dent of Norwalk, Connecticut; Eliza, of Mount Vernon, Ohio; and Sarah, of Cleveland, Ohio. George Keys, for eight years after coming to this country, lived at Norwalk, Connecticut, then went to Mount Vernon, Ohio, remaining till Feb- ruary, 1878. He then came to Iowa, and located in Washington township, Cass county, where he had charge of Dr. Rus- sell's farm. He then came to Bear Grove and bought a farm of sixty-five acres on

section 8, where he lived two years, then sold and purchased his present farm, which contains sixty acres, located on the northwest quarter of the same section. Mr. Keys was married at New Castle, Coshocton county, Ohio, on January 29, 1878, to Martha L. Clark, a native of that county, born April 29, 1852, and daughter of Joshna and Eleanor Clark. Her father still lives at the homestead in Coshocton county. Her mother died September 8, 1884. Mr. and Mrs. Keys have had two children-John Russell, born November 8, 1878, and died August 8, 1880; and George Lloyd, born February 10, 1884. Mr. Keys' parents came to this county in 1874. After a short residence in Connect- icut, they then went to Mount Vernon, Ohio, where his mother died, in 1880. His father died, September 16, 1884. One brother, John Keys, came from England in 1872, and now lives near Mount Ver- non, Ohio.

Henry R. Lee was born in Flemings- burg, Kentucky, September 12, 1846. His father, Rev. Charles Lee, an ordained Presbyterian minister, moved to Indiana, where he preached. He died at Hanover, Indiana, May 27, 1863. His widow, Mi- nerva R. (Home) Lee, died at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, April 23, 1871. Henry R. Lee lived with his parents until seven- teen years of age, then came to Iowa and engaged in farming in Henry county, re- maining there until 1873. In that year he came to Cass county and settled at once on his present farm. It consisted of one hundred and twenty acres of unim- proved land, which his father had owned since 1855, located in section 20, of Bear Grove township. He has since added

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eighty acres to the original tract. He was married May 22, 1878, to Mahala G. Wells, who was born in Steuben county, New York, September 12, 1850. They have three children-Charles W., born in June 1879; Maud F., born December 1881, and Baby, born August 1884.

Ezra M. Marsh is a native of Grant county, Indiana, born January 16, 1840. He is a son of Enoch and Sidnie Marsh. Enoch Marsh with two of his daughters, Margaret and Minerva, came to Cass county in the fall of 1870, and bought a farm in section 22, Bear Grove township. The following spring he was joined by his wife, who was in feeble health having suffered from a paralytic stroke. She died in this township in 1876. Enoch Marsh has since his wife's death, lived a portion of the time, with his son Ezra, and the remainder of his time at Atlantic. Ezra Marsh came to Cass county in the fall of 1871. He was accompanied by bis wife and two children. The first year they lived on the farm with his father, then settled on the farm they now occupy. It contains one hundred and sixty acres, lo- cated on sections 22 and 27. His residence is on 27. He was married June 6, 1860, in Grant county, Indiana, to Mary Louisa Evans, daughter of William M. Evans. She was born January 1, 1844. Ezra Marsh enlisted in September 1863, in Company K, Fortieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a recruit and joined the regi- ment at Columbia, Tennessee. He was in the famous battle at Franklin, Tennes- see, in December 1864, and later at Nash- . ville, and with General Thomas in pursuit of Hood's army as long as that army had an existence. They were in winter quar-

ters at Huntsville, Alabama. He was hon- orably discharged June 16, 1865. Mr. and Mrs. Marsh have five children-Alice M., Rosa Belle, Joseph R., Minnie and George Leroy.

Oscar Stormer is a son of John and Bethany (Hall) Stormer, pioneers of Des Moines county, Iowa. John Stormer is still living on the old homestead in that county. Mrs. Stormer died October 1, 1855. Oscar Stormer was born in Des Moines county, October 19, 1844. He came to Bear Grove in 1870, and bought the northeast quarter of section 23, which was unimproved prairie. He settled here two years later, and commenced improve- ments. He was married November 30, 1876, in Atlantic, to Mary Helen Wright, daughter of John E. and Helen E. Wright. John E. Wright died in Atlantic town- ship, May 24, 1882. Mrs. Wright and two daughters are now living in that town. Mrs. Stormer was born in Des Moines county, July 2, 1860. They have five children-John C. and Jennie C., (twins), Maritta May, Henry Jefferson and Myron Oscar. Mr. Stormer is serving his second term as school director. In 1882 he was elected justice of the peace. He is an enterprising and public spirited citizen.

Ober P. Viersen was born in Holland, March 6, 1839, and is a son of Peter Vier- sen. His parents emigrated to America in 1847, landed at New York, and went directly to St. Louis, where they remained a short time, then came to Iowa and lo- cated in Marion county, where they were among the early settlers. Mr. Viersen, Sr., followed farming in that county until 1878, when he moved to Des Moines,

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where be still resides. His wife died.in 1851. Ober P. Viersen and Mary Starr were married October 18, 1859, in Marion county. She was born in Colchester, Chittenden county, Vermont, August 18, 1841. Her parents, Lovell and Betsy Starr, moved to Canton, St. Lawrence county, New York, when she was very young, and in 1858, to Marion county, Iowa. Mr. Starr died July 26th, of the same year. His wife died in St. Lawrence county, in 1844. In 1864, Mr. and Mrs. Viersen moved to Nebraska, bought land and farmed two years, then sold out and came to Cass county. They bought the farm made by the pioneer settler, H. B. Roselle, consisting of one hundred and twenty acres on sections 28 and 29. Mr. Viersen has since sold forty acres and bought eighty. His farin now contains one hundred and sixty acres, all highly improved. There is an orchard on the place, planted by Mr. Roselle, with trees which he brought from the east. It is now in splendid bearing condition, and probably the oldest orchard in the county, having been planted in 1856. Mr. and Mrs. Viersen have had eight children- George, born in 1860, and died at the age of fourteen months; Mary A., born in 1862, now the wife of William P. Wilson; Lovell S., born in 1863, and was married the 8th of October, 1884, to Miss Estella Roland, in Stanton county, Nebraska, where he lives; Minnie, born in 1868, and died in infancy; Milton E., born in 1867; Edgar B., born in 1871; Anna E., born in 1874; Jennie G., born in 1877; Lillian A., born in 1880, and Ada Jane, born in 1883. Mr. Viersen has served as school director, and is one of the substantial citizens of the town.

Mrs. Viersen is a member of the Starr family, who have quite a history of their own. The first of the family came from England in 1628. He was the only son of wealthy parents, but falling in love with a Scotch girl, whom he was not per- mitted to marry, he ran away with her, and carrying off, at the same time, his father's gold-headed ivory cane, and gold snuff box. The cane had his father's initials, C. S., upon it, his name being Comfort Starr. The old gentleman, as was often the case in those good old days, cursed his son bitterly, praying that he and his descendents should suffer the pangs of poverty. There are now some five hundred of these descendents living, and among them are many who have out- lived the curse. Reunions are held at the old home in Vermont, and the old cane and snuff-box are always present. There has always been a Comfort Starr to own the cane; the youngest one now is twelve years old, and is living in Brown county, Nebraska.

Rev. W. M. Graham was born in West- moreland county, Pennsylvania, Septem- ber 20, 1834. He is a son of Andrew and Margaret Graham. The former died in Westmoreland county. The latter is now living upon the old homestead. The sub- ject of this sketch was educated in the common schools, and after an academic preparation, entered the junior class at Madison college, Ohio, and graduated from that institution, September 15, 1858. He was married on the same day, to Eliza M. Findley, a native of Antrim, Guern- sey county, Ohio, born August 7, 1833. His study preparatory to entering the

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Author: Continental Historical Company, Springfield, Ill Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Co. Number of Pages: 918

Author: Continental Historical Company, Springfield, Ill
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 918