USA > Iowa > Howard County > History of Chickasaw and Howard counties, Iowa, Volume II > Part 23
USA > Iowa > Chickasaw County > History of Chickasaw and Howard counties, Iowa, Volume II > Part 23
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On the 25th of October, 1905, Mr. Davis was married to Miss Ella May Pettit, of Lime Springs, a daughter of Alonzo Mills and Ella Jane (Williams) Pettit. The father was born in New York state August 5, 1825, and his parents were Susan Christy and William Pettit. When Alonzo Pettit was ten years old the family moved from Mayfield, New York, to Alexander Bay, on the St. Lawrence river. When eighteen years old he went to Milwaukee and worked in a shingle yard packing shingles. He worked there for about three years, when he went to Rockton, Illinois. At that time he weighed sixty pounds. He worked in the paper mill in Rockton, and coming west with John F. Thayer's family in 1856, he located in Howard Center. He was the first postmaster there. When Lime Springs was started he left Howard Center and was the first postmaster in Lime Springs, which office he held until his death, January 17, 1888. He was married August 9, 1876, to Ella J. Williams, of Chatfield, Minnesota, and they became the parents of five children, Ella, Belle, Alonzo, Chester and Mary, of whom the four first mentioned are living. His widow survives and makes her home with Mr. and Mrs. Davis, who by their marriage have become the parents of three children: Anna May, Morgan Benjamin and John Rollins.
In politics Mr. Davis is a republican, giving stalwart allegiance to the party and its principles. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Both are
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held in high esteem, having many warm friends in Lime Springs, while the hospi- tality of the best homes is freely accorded them. No higher testimonial of capability and fidelity on the part of any business man could be given than the record of Mr. Davis, who for about twenty-three years has been a representative of the Huntting Elevator Company, controlling the interests of the company at Lime Springs, where large responsibilities devolve upon him and where he has made an excellent record of faithful service and sound business judgment.
GEORGE B. DARROW.
George B. Darrow, who follows farming on section 4, Deerfield township, Chick- asaw county, was born May 28, 1870, on the place on which he now resides-a fact indicative of long connection of the Darrow family with the interests of northern Iowa. His parents were Byron R. and Sarah A. Darrow, who removed from the state of New York to Iowa in pioneer times and established their home in Deerfield town- ship. For many years the father remained a resident of this section of the state but passed away about four years ago. His widow survives and now makes her home in Spooner, Wisconsin.
In his boyhood days George B. Darrow was a pupil in the district schools of Deerfield township and through vacation periods he became active in the work of the home farm, assisting his father in its development and improvement for a long period. Eventually he came into possession of the place, which comprises one hundred and thirty acres of arable land. Careful cultivation has kept the farm in excellent con- dition. He practices the rotation of crops, judiciously employs the use of fertilizers and does everything in his power to keep his farm up to the highest standard in a state where agricultural progressiveness has reached its zenith. In addition to tilling the soil be handles registered shorthorn cattle and registered Poland China hogs and is one of the well known and prominent stock raisers of his section of the state.
Mr. Darrow was united in marriage to Miss Minnie North, a daughter of George and Katherine North, who are natives of Germany but have long resided in Iowa, their home being now in Alta Vista. Mr. and Mrs. Darrow have a family of two children, Adelbert and Grace, both at home. In his political views Mr. Darrow is a republican and votes for the men and measures of the party but does not seek office as a reward for party fealty. His interest in community affairs is manifest in many tangible ways and enterprise and progress along agricultural lines have been con- served and fostered through his efforts.
PEDER NELSEN.
Peder Nelsen, a farmer living on section 28, Saratoga township, Howard county, was born in Norway, April 20, 1853, a son of Nels Peterson and Bertha Nelsen. The father died in Norway in 1885 and the mother remained a resident of that country to the time of her demise in 1888. In their family were the following named, Peder, Nels. John, Belle and Maggie, all of whom are married.
Peder Nelsen remained in the land of the midnight sun until he had reached the age of seventeen years, when he determined to come to the new world. Accordingly he bade adieu to friends and native country in 1880 and with his wife and two chil- dren crossed the Atlantic, making Decorah, Iowa, their destination. Mr. Nelsen worked for three years as a farm hand, or until 1883. He then removed to Howard county, settling in Saratoga township, where he again secured work on a farm, and was thus employed until 1890. He carefully saved his earnings throughout the intervening period and in that year bought one hundred and sixty acres of land situated on sec- tion 28, Saratoga township. He then took up his abode upon this place, which was at that time largely undeveloped and unimproved. He had to grub out the stumps
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from the entire quarter section but he did not hesitate to undertake this arduous labor. He has since worked diligently and persistently and as the years have passed he has prospered. In 1909 he bought another quarter section not far from his original purchase and is now the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of rich, valuable and productive land. He is now annually harvesting good crops and is reaping the merited reward of his earnest effort.
In 1874 Mr. Nelsen was married to Miss Petra Nella Johnson and they became parents of six children: Bertha, Belle, Julia, Lena, Mary and Louis, all of whom are married. The wife and mother passed away in January, 1913, her death being deeply regretted by many friends.
Mr. Nelsen and his family are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church and he gives his political endorsement to the republican party, which he has supported since becoming a naturalized American citizen. He served as school director for five years and is keenly interested in everything that has to do with the welfare and progress of the community in which he makes his home. That he has ever been a peaceable and law abiding citizen is shown in the fact that he has never been engaged in a lawsuit in his life. He pursued the even tenor of his way, treating all men justly and fairly, and his business record indicates what can be accomplished in a material way through perseverance, industry and fair dealing.
W. J. KALISHEK.
W. J. Kalishek is one of the successful business men of Protivin, where he is con- ducting a restaurant and ice cream parlor. Close application and business enterprise constitute the salient features in his growing success. He is a native of Winneshiek county, Iowa, where his birth occurred April 11, 1885, his parents being Frank and Josephine (Novotny) Kalishek, who were natives of Bohemia and came to the United States in boyhood and girlhood with their respective parents.
After mastering the branches of learning taught in the schools of Protivin, W. J. Kalishek continued his education in the Cresco Normal school. When fourteen years of age he practically took charge of the operation of the home farm and for eleven years continued to cultivate the place, winning substantial success in the conduct of his business interests. On the 23d of November, 1909, he was united in marriage to Miss Emma Lentz, of Winneshiek county, and the following spring they took up their abode in Protivin and Mr. Kalishek established the restaurant and ice cream business of which he is still the owner. He has been very successful in its conduct, receiving a liberal patronage, and is today ranked among the leading business men of the town He is actuated by a spirit of progress in all that he undertakes and has won his patronage by reason of the excellence of his products and the reliability of his busi- ness methods.
Mr. Kalishek votes with the democratic party and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day but does not seek her desire office. To him and his wife have been born a daughter, Wilma. They are members of the Catholic church and Mr. Kalishek is also identified with the Catholic Order of Foresters and with the Modern Woodmen of America. His entire life has been spent in this section of Iowa, where he has a wide acquaintance, and all with whom he has come in contact speak of him in terms of warm regard.
WILLIAM M. WILKINS.
The farm which he now owns and cultivates on section 17, Dayton township. Chichasaw county, was the birthplace of William M. Wilkins, whose natal day was June 1, 1869. He has always lived upon this farm save for a brief period which he spent at Webster, South Dakota, and he is a representative of one of the old pioneer
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families of this section of the state. His parents were William and Margaret (Sweck) Wilkins, who were married at Charles City, Iowa, where they had become acquainted some time before. Both passed away in Chickasaw county.
In his youthful days William M. Wilkins attended the district schools and when not busy with his textbooks aided his father in the work of the farm. He continued to assist in its further cultivation and improvement until he reached the age of twen- ty-four years. Removing to Webster, South Dakota, in 1893, he there engaged in the livery business for a period of six years, or until 1899, when he returned to the old homestead in Dayton township, Chickasaw county, his father having deeded to him eighty acres of land. He has since bought an additional tract of thirteen acres, so that he now has a good farm of ninety-three acres. Upon this place he has contin- uously resided for twenty years and has made it an excellent farm property of the district. He is also a director of the Chickasaw County Equity Cooperative Associa- tion of New Hampton.
While residing at Webster, South Dakota, Mr. Wilkins was married on the 14th of November, 1893, to Miss Jessie Faling, of that place, a daughter of William F. and Mae (Higgins) Faling, who are still living at Webster. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins are parents of ten living children and eight of the number are still at home. In order of birth these are: William, who married Reta Griffin; Frank; Henry; Mary, the wife of James McGrane; Jessie; Bertha; Laura; Margaret; Clara; and Earl.
Mr. Wilkins gives stanch endorsement to the republican party and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He served on the Liberty Loan committee for Dayton township during the third, fourth and fifth loan drives and he also did active work as a member of the Red Cross committee. He is the secre- tary of Blotti Local and he is widely and favorably known in Chickasaw county, where the greater part of his life has been passed and where his labors have been so directed as to win for him substantial success, while the ruling principles of his life are such as have won for him confidence and regard.
J. M. PHILLIPS.
J. M. Phillips is one of the venerable citizens of Albion township, Howard county. He has passed the eighty-seventh milestone on life's journey, for his birth occurred in the state of New York, May 11, 1832. He now makes his home on section 28, Albion township, where he owns one hundred and twenty acres of land. During his boyhood days he left the Empire state in company with his parents, William and Elizabeth (Runceman) Phillips, who removed to Michigan. They, too, were natives of the state of New York, but the opportunities of the west were so alluring that they left the Atlantic coast and made their. way to the Mississippi valley. They remained, however, for only a brief period in Michigan and then removed to Indiana. It was in the year 1855 that J. M. Phillips of this review became a resident of Howard county, Iowa, taking up his abode in Albion township, where he resided until 1861. He then put aside all personal considerations and business cares and responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting as a member of the Thirty- eighth Iowa Regiment in defense of the Union cause in the Civil war. He served at the front until the close of hostilities in 1865, when he received an honorable discharge and returned to his home in Howard county. He then resumed the occupation of farming, which he made his life work. It was three years before he entered the army that he was united in marriage to Miss Rosetta Hurley and to them were born nine children, of whom seven are yet living, as follows: Llewellyn R., Howard C., Leon, Lizzie, Bert, May and Ulysses.
In his fraternal relations Mr. Phillips is a Mason, belonging to Lime Springs Lodge, No. 214. He has ever been a loyal exemplar of the craft and is keenly interested in the promotion of the principles which constitute the basic elements of the society. In politics he has long been a republican and he was a strong supporter of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. He gave equally loyal allegiance to Garfield and to
J. M. PHILLIPS
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Roosevelt and in fact he has been a stalwart advocate of the leading statesmen which the republican party has put up as its standard bearers. He has long been regarded as a very substantial and honored citizen of Albion township and ranks with its pioneer settlers who for many years have contributed to its upbuilding and progress. His has been an active and useful life and in all matters of citizen- ship he has been as true and loyal to his country as when he wore the nation's blue uniform and followed the starry banner of the Union on the battlefields of the south.
JOE WILLIAMS.
Joe Williams, who is engaged in blacksmithing at Lime Springs and is numbered among the pioneer settlers of Howard county, was born in Wales on the 12th of June, 1850, a son of John H. and Mary (Jones) Williams, who came to the United States about 1851. They made their way to the interior of the country, settling in Cambria, Wis- consin, where they resided until 1869, when they came to Lime Springs, Iowa. After two years here spent, however, they returned to Wisconsin and became residents of Randolph, where they remained until called to their final rest.
Joe Williams was educated in the common schools of Wisconsin and preceded his parents to Howard county, where he arrived in June, 1869. His brother, John B. Williams, had already become a resident of Lime Springs and was conducting a black- smith shop, which Joe Williams entered as an apprentice. He completed his term of indenture in his brother's shop and together they carried on the business for ten or fifteen years, at the end of which time John B. Williams went to Montana and Joe Williams continued to conduct the smithy in Lime Springs. He has now been identified with the trade in this town for a half century and is one of the best known and most highly respected citizens of the community, for his record throughout this entire period has been that of an honorable and straightforward man.
In 1877 Mr. Williams was married to Miss Lydia Frisbie, of Lime Springs, a daughter of Chester Frisbie, who was one of the early settlers of Lime Springs, where he arrived in 1866. To Mr. and Mrs. Williams were born two children: David Roy, railway agent at Hall, Montana, for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company; and Beulah Fay, the wife of C. V. Summers, living at Charles City, Iowa. Mrs. Willams was born in Middletown, New York, on the 11th of March, 1852, and died in Lime Springs, April 26, 1905. She was a member of the Presbyterian church and her many good qualities of heart and mind endeared her to all who knew her. Mr. Williams is well known in Masonic circles, belonging to Howard Lodge, No. 214, A. F. & A. M .; Shiloh Chapter, No. 150, R. A. M .; and Joppa Commandery, No. 55, K. T., of Charles City. Mr. Williams and his family are members of Utopia Chapter, No. 379, O. E. S. In politics he is a republican, well informed on the questions and issues of the day, but he has never been an aspirant for polltical office, always preferring to give his undivided thought and attention to his business affairs. That he is a man of sterling worth is indicated by the high regard in which he is uniformly held in the community in which he has made his home for a half century.
RALPH E. WATTS.
Ralph E. Watts, a hardware dealer of Ionia and one of the leading business men, was born in Chickasaw county, about one mile east of Bassett, on the 17th of November, 1893, his parents being Charles D. and Catherine (Miller) Watts. The father was a native of England and the mother was born in Chickasaw county, Iowa, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. DeWitt Miller, who were among the earliest of the pioneer settlers of this section of the state. Charles D. Watts was twice married. In 1874 he wedded Miss Nettie Longley, who passed away in 1890, leaving two daughters: Eva, now the wife of
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George Hurlbut, of Charles City, Iowa; and Mamie, the wife of O. H. Potter, of Bassett, Iowa. Having lost his first wife, Charles D. Watts wedded Catherine Miller and of this marriage Ralph E. Watts is a son. The father was brought to the United States when but two years of age in company with a brother who was ten years his senior. They lived with foster parents in Elgin, Illinois, where they grew to manhood, and there during his youthful days Charles D. Watts worked for a number of years in the state institution for the insane. In 1874 he came to Chickasaw county and some time after- ward purchased a farm near Bassett. About 1903 or 1904 he took up his abode in the town of Bassett, where he conducted the hotel for a year and then removed to Ionia, where he was hotel proprietor until 1908. In that year he purchased the hardware business of Daniel Butterfield and conducted the store up to the time of his death, which occurred on the 3d of October, 1912, when he was fifty-nine years of age. His widow is still living and has become the wife of F. K. Ashley, her home being now in Charles City, Iowa.
Ralph E. Watts was educated in the public schools of Bassett and in the Ionia high school, from which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1912. He worked as a clerk in his father's store while not in school and after the father's death took charge of the business, which he conducted for his mother up to the time of her marriage to Mr. Ashley, when she turned over the business to him and he has since been sole owner. He carries a good line of shelf and heavy hardware and is enjoying a very satisfactory trade.
In 1915 Mr. Watts was united in marriage to Miss Doris Gladys Cagley, of Bradford township. Chickasaw county, by whom he has two children, Margaret E. and Doris L. In politics Mr. Watts is an earnest republican and in religious faith he and his wfe are Congregationalists. They are well known in Ionia and he is a dynamic force in the business circles of the city. Alert and energetic, he never loses sight of a legitimate opportunity for the advancement of his interests and it is to such class of men that the progress and upbuildings of a community are due.
JOHN S. SWENSON.
John S. Swenson, one of Howard county's foremost manufacturers and an inventor of more than local renown, is proprietor of the Swenson Grubber Company and secretary and treasurer of the Electra Lightning Rod Company of Cresco. He was born in Nortli Cape, Wisconsin, September 26, 1872, a son of Lorens and Anna (Johnson) Swenson, both natives of Norway, who in childhood days came to the United States with their respec- tive parents. The paternal grandparents of John S. Swenson established their home near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when that city was but little more than a trading post, while the maternal grandparents settled near Black Earth, Dane county, Wisconsin. Following their marriage, which was celebrated in the Badger state, Mr. and Mrs. Lorens Swenson began their domestic life at North Cape, Wisconsin. Early in life Mr. Swenson mani- fested marked inventive genius, being a natural-born mechanic. Among his many inven- tions may be mentioned the Swenson steam valve and the original Swenson mower. which was among the first mowers brought forth in this country. In association with Ole Storle he invented one of the first self-binders of the United States, the knot-tying de- vice of which was later sold to one of the large reaper manufactories at a substantial figure. Another product of his mechanical skill and ingenuity was the stump puller, now manufactured by the Faultless Stump Puller Company of Cresco. In 1895 Lorens Swen- son and his son, John S. Swenson, founded the Faultless Stump Puller Company, engag- ing in the manufacture of stump pullers at Cresco until 1899, when they sold the busi- ness. While the father was in Waukegan, Wisconsin, looking after the interests of his steam valve, John S. Swenson invented his present stump puller, which won the gold medal at the Lewis and Clark Exposition at Portland, Oregon, in 1905. In 1900 he and his father had founded the Swenson Grubber Company and began the manufacture of this invention, which is sold from coast to coast, while prior to the recent great war the company also did an extensive export business in South America. In 1907 John S. Swen- son acquired his father's interest in this concern and became sole owner. On account
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cf impaired eyesight the latter retired from active business in 1907 and has since resided in Longmont, Colorado.
It was in May, 1907, that John S. Swenson and Frank E. Stehlik established a plant for the manufacture of lightning rods in Cresco and began business under the name of the Electra Lightning Rod Company. Mr. Swenson had become acquainted with Mr. Stehlik by reason of the fact that the latter sold him wire rope for his stump pullers as a sales- man for the American Steel & Wire Company. On the 16th of March, 1909. the Electra Lightning Rod Company was incorporated with F. E. Stehlik, as president and J. S. Swenson, secretary and treasurer. Mr. Stehlik maintains an office for the company in the Stock Exchange building of Chicago. The company manufactures exclusively for dealers and has built up a trade which extends throughout the United States. turning out more than a million feet of copper rods annually. In the conduct of his business affairs Mr. Swenson displays sound judgment, keen sagacity and unfaltering enterprise and has long enjoyed a leading position among the representatives of the industrial in- terests in northeastern Iowa.
In 1907 Mr. Swenson was united in marriage to Miss Dora Carver, her father being Chester M. Carver, who came to Howard county, Iowa, before the railroad was built and before the town of Cresco came into existence. Mr Carver married the daughter of Elder Fall, one of the pioneer preachers of Howard county, who performed the marriage ceremony for hundreds of the county's young people and was one of the best known divines of this part of the state. Mr. and Mrs. Swenson have one daughter, Mary Ade- line.
In his political views Mr. Swenson is a stanch republican, loyally supporting the men and measures of that party at the polls. Fraternally he is identified with Cresco Lodge, No. 150, A. F. & A. M., and in his life exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the craft. Both he and his wife have an extensive circle of warm friends throughout the commu- nity and occupy a most enviable social position here.
HON. HENRY CLAY BURGESS.
A history of Howard county would be incomplete and unsatisfactory were there failure to make prominent reference to the Hon. Henry Clay Burgess, who was promi- nently identified with the commercial and political history of the state and who left the impress of his individuality for good upon its material development and upon its legislative records. Actuated at all times by an earnest desire to make his life of worth to the community in which he lived, his labors wrought for good and he en- joyed the respect and confidence of all who knew him. He was born in Fairfield, Maine, on the 20th of December, 1846, and in 1864 his parents removed westward with their family, establishing their home in Lansing, Iowa, but two years later they came to Howard county.
After reaching man's estate Henry Clay Burgess took charge of a lumberyard for Fleming Brothers, and with them continued for seventeen years, having charge of their yards at Ossian and at Hull, Iowa, and also at Mitchell, South Dakota, while finally he came to Cresco to assume the management of the lumber interests at this place. In 1885, after a six years' stay in Cresco, Mr. Burgess purchased the interests of his employers and continued active in the lumber trade of the city. He was thus long connected with that line of commercial activity and had a splendidly appointed lumberyard, carrying a large line of builders' supplies of all kinds. Moreover, he was faithful to the terms of every contract and the integrity of his business methods as well as his enterprise constituted an important feature in his growing patronage. In the latter part of his life he turned the business over to his sons, although he still remained the owner to the time of his death. His sons had been actively engaged with him in business for several years and in addition to conducting the lumberyard in Cresco, Mr. Burgess had established lumberyards in neighboring towns throughout the country, conducted by his successors.
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