USA > Iowa > Howard County > History of Chickasaw and Howard counties, Iowa, Volume II > Part 31
USA > Iowa > Chickasaw County > History of Chickasaw and Howard counties, Iowa, Volume II > Part 31
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FRANK W. KOBLISKA, JR.
Frank W. Kobliska, Jr., actively engaged in farming on section 3, Deerfield town- ship, Chickasaw county, of which township he is a native, was born August 2, 1887, his parents being Frank and Barbara Kobliska, who are still residents of Deerfield township. The district schools near his father's home afforded him his early educa- tional opportunities and he also spent seven months as a pupil in a Catholic school at Spillville. His youthful days outside of school hours were devoted to work upon his father's farm and to that task he devoted his energies until the time of his mar- riage. On the 9th of November, 1915, he was joined in wedlock to Miss Nellie Dunn and the young couple began their domestic life upon the present home farm, com- prising ninety-two acres of land which was given to Mr. Kobliska by his father. He has since occupied this place and his efforts and energies have been concentrated upon its further development and improvement. He has brought his fields under a high state of cultivation and all the modern accessories of the model farm property of the present day are found on his land.
Mrs. Kobliska, like her husband. is a representative of one of the old families of this section of the state, her parents being Patrick and Julia Dunn, who are still
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living in Afton township, Howard county. Mr. and Mrs. Kobliska have one child, Paul Francis, now in his first year.
The parents are faithful adherents of the Catholic church of Cecelia in Afton township, Howard county, and Mr. Kobliska is identified also with the Knights of Columbus, his membership being in Council No. 1409 at Charles City. He is neglectful of none of the duties and obligations which devolve upon the progressive citizen, but business affairs claim the greater part of his time and he is now successfully de- veloping his farm and raising registered full-blooded Chester hogs. Both branches of his business are proving profitable and he deserves classification with the represen- tative farmers and stock raisers of northern Iowa.
T. K. YOUNG.
T. K. Young, vice president of the Second National Bank of New Hampton and one of the representative business men of the city, was born in New Hampton town- ship, Chickasaw county, March 14, 1878, his parents being William and Susie A. (Kenyon) Young, the former a native of Wayne county, New York, while the latter was born near Madison, Wisconsin. They were married in Chickasaw county, Iowa, the father having come to this section of the state as one of its pioneer settlers, while the mother arrived in Chickasaw county some time later, coming with her parents in young womanhood. After their marriage they settled upon a farm which Mr. Young had previously purchased and on which they continued to make their home until about 1883, when they removed to New Hampton, where Mr. Young became promi- nently identified with the farm implement and machinery business. He was active along that line for fifteen years and won a place among the substantial business men of the city. He passed away in 1908 and is still survived by his widow, who yet makes her home in New Hampton.
T. K. Young was educated in the New Hampton high school, from which he was graduated with the class of 1897. He afterward attended the Capital City Commercial College at Des Moines and when he had completed his business course he entered the hardware store of E. J. Ure of New Hampton, by whom he was employed for two years. On the expiration of that period he turned his attention to the banking busi- ness and entered the private bank of Shaffer Brothers, which in 1905 was nationalized, becoming the Second National Bank of New Hampton. Mr. Young's initial position was that of bookkeeper in the private bank and when the institution was converted into the Second National Bank he was made assistant cashier and about 1908 was elected to the vice presidency, in which important position he has since served. He has made a close study of the banking business and his work has proven highly satis- factory to the institution which he now represents.
On the 26th of June, 1906, Mr. Young was married to Miss Florence Church, of Elma, Howard county. In politics he is a republican, but the emoluments and honors of office have had no attraction for him.
A. R. JOHNSON.
A. R. Johnson, a harness maker and dealer, who is regarded as one of the leading business men of Lime Springs, comes to Iowa from Wisconsin, his birth having oc- curred in Fond du Lac of the latter state on the 12th of March, 1871. His parents, Lorin J. and Ann (Darry) Johnson, were natives of New Hampshire and of Vermont respectively and were married in the old Granite state. Soon afterward they removed to the west, settling first in Illinois, but after two or three years they took up their abode in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and in the spring of 1872 removed to Lime Springs, Howard county, Iowa, where the father engaged in the harness making business, with which he was identified to the time of his death in 1897.
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A. R. Johnson was educated in the public and high schools of Lime Springs and was graduated with the class of 1888. After completing his studies he worked for a year in the Lime Springs postoffice and the following year entered his father's harness shop and began his apprenticeship at the harness making trade. He con- tinued to work with his father until the latter's death, after which he took charge of and continued the business. He has since remained actively identified with harness making in Lime Springs and has built up a trade of gratifying and substantial pro- portions.
In 1894 Mr. Johnson was married to Miss Augusta Henderson, who passed away in 1900, leaving two children: Lorin W., who is assistant cashier of the Exchange State Bank of Lime Springs; and Pauline A., a stenographer of Minneapolis. Both are graduates of the Lime Springs high school.
In 1901 Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Anna Nagle, of Lime Springs, and to them have been born three children: Mildred, Alta and Helen. all at home, the first named being now a senior in the high school.
Mr. Johnson votes with the republican party, of which he has been a stalwart supporter since reaching adult age. He is a member of the town council and has served in that body for the past fifteen or twenty years-a fact that certainly indicates his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in him by his fellow townsmen. He has also served as secretary of the school board for the past twenty years and the cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion, most loyal to the interests of the schools. He has membership in Howard Lodge, No. 214, A. F. & A. M., of Lime Springs, and also with the Modern Woodmen of America, while his wife is connected with the Presbyterian church. Mr. Johnson well deserves classification with the pro- gressive men of Lime Springs, being keenly interested in everything that has to do with the welfare and upbuilding of the community and the advancement of its sub- stantial growth.
THOMAS J. MURPHY.
Oliver Wendell Holmes has said: "If your name is to live at all, it is so much more to have it live in people's hearts than only in their brains." It is in this way that the name of Thomas J. Murphy lives. His memory is enshrined in the hearts of all who knew him, for he was not only a successful but most progressive and honorable business man, a reliable and substantial citizen, a devoted friend and a faithful and loving husband and father. His many sterling qualities endeared him to all who knew him and in his death Chickasaw county lost one of its valued citizens.
Mr. Murphy was born in Chicago, Illinois, October 1, 1857, and when he was but three years of age was brought by his parents, Michael and Catharine Murphy, to Chickasaw county. His youthful days were spent upon a farm. The family home was established four miles west of New Hampton and when three years later the mother died the father put forth every effort not only to fill his own place in the world, but to take the mother's part in the household and surround his children with that loving care and attention which only a mother knows how to give. Some years afterwards he wedded Miss Alice Cunningham, who proved most devoted to the children that came under her direction.
At the usual age Thomas J. Murphy became a pupil in the public schools and for some years thereafter his time was divided between the duties of the school- room, the pleasures of the playground and the work of the farm. He supple- mented his early training in the Bradford Academy, from which in due course of time he was graduated. He then took up the profession of teaching, which he largely followed through the succeeding twelve years, proving himself a capable educator, imparting readily and clearly to others the knowledge that he had acquired. With the death of his father he became the owner of the old home- stead and concentrated his efforts and attention upon its management and develop-
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THOMAS J. MURPHY
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ment. He proved as able in agricultural life as he had in the educational field and by the careful management and improvement of his farm he acquired a very sub- stantial competence. In fact he became one of the well-to-do men of Chickasaw county and what he acquired through his persistent, earnest and honorable labor enabled him in the closing years of his life to live retired in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil.
On the 14th of January, 1903, Mr. Murphy was united in marriage to Miss Agnes Norton, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Norton, of Howard county, and they became the parents of five children: Alice, Marie, Mercedes, Jerald and Elenor. In 1911 Mr. Murphy removed with his family to New Hampton and erected one of the beautiful residences of the city on Walnut avenue. A con- temporary writer has said: "As a husband and father he was above reproach, and it was in the peace and contentment of this happy home circle that he found his greatest enjoyment. The home ties were dearer far to him than public applause and though a man whom the community would have enjoyed honoring, yet he shunned publicity, seeking happiness in that atmosphere of love and affection with which he surrounded his loved ones. As a successful business man he had few equals. To the management of his farm he applied those principles of sound business policy that not only won for him a comfortable competency but marked him as a man of practical affairs; a man whose judgment was respected and sought for by his fellows. In all matters, whether of business or of home, he was the soul of honor and it was this, as well as his kindly disposition, that made for him a place in public esteem held by few."
In his political views Mr. Murphy was always a democrat and his high stand- ing is indicated in the fact that for thirty-two years he was called upon to serve as clerk of Dayton township, while for thirty-five years he was its treasurer. No higher testimonial of his efficiency and fidelity could be given than the fact that he was so long retained in these offices. He held membership in the Catholic church and to its teachings was most loyal. Of him it was said: "He was a Christian both in profession and practice." His religious ideals found expression in his daily life, making him a man honest and reliable in business, trustworthy in citizenship and true to all the high relations of home and friendship. He expressed in his life the spirit of the Emersonian philosophy: "The way to win a friend is to be one." Whenever assistance was needed by anyone he was among the first to respond to the call and the attainment of wealth never in any way affected his relations toward those less fortunate. Death came to him on the 6th of June, 1913, when he was but fifty-five years of age. While it seemed that he should have been spared for many years to come, his life made him ready to meet the Great Beyond. His was a nature that shed around him much of life's sunshine and to his fellow travelers on life's journey he was continually extending a helping hand. Although the work of the world goes on, no one can fill the place of Thomas J. Murphy in the hearts of his family, his friends and close associates.
JULIUS E. DOOLITTLE.
Julius E. Doolittle, engaged in general farming on section 32. Vernon Springs township, Howard county, was born on the old homestead place adjoining his present farm, his natal day being October 4, 1858. He is a son of Moses B. and Jane (Flan- nigan) Doolittle, the former a native of Mount Holly, Vermont, while the latter was born in Ireland and came to the United States in her girlhood days with her parents. They were married in Vermont and in 1856 removed westward to Iowa, settling in Howard county, where the father of Julius E. Doolittle preempted the old home farm, securing the land from the government, and with characteristic energy beginning its development and progress. He continued to reside upon that place to the time of his death, the property never changing ownership until after his demise. At the time of his death he was the possessor of two hundred and forty acres. constituting one
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of the best farms in the township, and its neat and attractive appearance bore testi- mony to his well spent and well directed energy. He died on the 15th of July, 1913, when in his eighty-first year, having for a considerable period survived his wife, who died about 1898 at the age of sixty-five years. In early life he had given his political allegiance to the republican party but when the greenback party came into existence he became a supporter of the new organization and subsequently was nominated on its ticket as a candidate for congress. While he received the highest vote of any candidate on the ticket, he failed of election. He was one of the foremost citizens of Vernon Springs township, a man of strong convictions, who commanded at all times the respect and confidence of all who knew him.
Julius E. Doolittle was reared upon the home farm, having the usual experiences of the farm-bred boy, his time being divided between the work of the fields and the work of the schoolroom. After attending the district schools he became a high school pupil in his home township and on the 11th of December, 1879, he was united in marriage to Miss May G. Hollister, of Paris township, a daughter of George W. Hol- lister, who was among the first of the pioneer settlers of Howard county and has now passed away.
For three years following his marriage Mr. Doolittle cultivated the old home farm and then purchased his present place of one hundred acres, to which he removed and upon which he has since resided. He has carefully and persistently carried on the work of development and improvement upon this place and now has an excellent farm from which he receives a substantial income, owing to the care and labor which he bestows upon the fields.
To Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle have been born two sons: Rollo H., who is now a farmer of Wisconsin; and Ralph J., who served with the American army in France. In his political views Mr. Doolittle is a republican and is serving as a member of the board of trustees in his township. He is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America and his wife and son Ralph are members of the Congregational church, to which he contributes liberally. He is justly accounted one of the foremost citizens of his section of the state, having been a lifelong resident of Howard township, where his industry and determination have featured as factors in his growing success. He has a wide acquaintance and those who know him esteem him for his sterling worth as well as his business ability and his progressiveness in citizenship.
BARCLAY NORTON.
Barclay Norton, busily engaged in farming on section 3, Paris township, Howard county, has lived in this locality from pioneer times, continuously occupying his pres- ent farm for fifty-five years. He has therefore witnessed the entire growth and prog- ress of the county and in fact has borne a very active and helpful part in promoting its development. He was born in Ireland in December, 1830, a son of Peter and Mary (Flaherty) Norton, who spent their entire lives on the Emerald isle.
Barclay Norton acquired his education in the parochial schools and was mar- ried in Ireland in 1859 to Miss Bridget Flaherty. Two children were born to them in that country ere they emigrated to the new world in 1864. Mr. Norton brought his family to the United States and spent the following summer with an uncle, but in the fall of that year purchased forty acres of his present home farm, on which he built a log cabin. With characteristic energy he began the development of the fields and for fifty-five years has remained continuously upon this place. He has ex- tended the boundaries of his farm by the purchase of adjoining tracts of land from time to time until he is now the owner of two hundred acres of rich and productive land, from which he annually gathers splendid harvests.
To Mr. and Mrs. Norton have been born eleven children: Peter, residing at Devils Lake, North Dakota; Michael, who follows farming in Paris township, Howard county; Patrick, a resident of Denver, Colorado; Mary, deceased; Margaret, the wife of William McDonald a farmer of Howard county; Catherine, the widow of Owen
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Murray and now residing at Cresco; Elizabeth, the wife of Joseph O'Halloran, a resi- dent of Chickasaw county; Nora, who married Charles G. Walters, a farmer of Paris township; Agnes, the wife of James McBride, a farmer of Howard county; John, who operates the home farm; and one who died in infancy.
Mr. Norton never falters in his allegiance as a supporter of democratic principles and for several years has served as township trustee and as road supervisor. He has likewise been a member of the school board and has been keenly interested in every- thing that pertains to the welfare and improvement of the community in which he has so long made his home. He has now reached the very advanced age of eighty- nine years, while his wife is eighty-two years of age, and they are regarded as one of the most interesting old couples of Howard county, retaining their mental faculties unimpaired and enjoying good health. They are still as active as many people twenty years their junior. While the son operates the farm, the father always finds some- thing to do, for indolence and idleness have ever been utterly foreign to his nature and he still continues active. For a long time in the spring of 1914 he milked fourteen cows a day and did other chores around the place. The conversation of this worthy couple sparkles with good humor and good cheer and one cannot pay them a visit without coming away feeling more kindly toward all the world. They are sterling and lovable people with whom Father Time has dealt leniently and no history of Howard county would be complete without reference to them. They have long lived consistent Christian lives and are communicants of the Catholic church.
AUGUST BARTELS.
For twenty-seven years the Bartels family has been represented in Howard county and August Bartels is now an active and enterprising farmer of Howard township, living on section 17. He was less than a year old at the time of the removal of the family to Howard county, his birth having occurred in Bremer county, Iowa, on the 6th of October, 1891. He is a son of Ernest F. and Sophia (Eikoff) Bartels, the former a native of Illinois, while the latter was born in Germany but came to the United States when a girl of twelve years in company with her parents, who settled in Bremer county, Iowa. There she was reared to womanhood and became the wife of Ernest F. Bartels. They began their domestic life in Bremer county and there remained until 1892, when they removed to Howard county, the father purchasing a half section of land in Howard township. He continued active in farming until 1913, when he re- tired from business life and removed to Elma, where he now resides. He is num- bered among the respected and valued residents of his section of the state because of the sterling worth which he has displayed in business and in citizenship.
No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for August Bartels in the days of his boyhood and youth, which were devoted to the acquirement of a district school education and such duties as were assigned him by parental au- thority. In January, 1913, he was married to Miss Fena Arndt, of Alta Vista, Chick- asaw county, and in the spring following his marriage began farming for himself on his present home place of one hundred and sixty acres, which he purchased from his father at the time of his marriage. To Mr. and Mrs. Bartels have been born two interesting little daughters, Evelyn and Erna.
Before beginning farming independently August Bartels and his brother took over the operation of the home farm upon their father's retirement and were busily en- gaged in its further development for three years,. at the end of which time their part- nership was dissolved. In his chosen life work August Bartels has made steady ad- vancement and each forward step in his career has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities. His early practical training well qualified him to begin farm- ing on his own account and since becoming the owner of his present place he has brought it under a very high state of cultivation and made it one of the well im- proved properties of the district. He raises the cereals best adapted to soil and cli- matic conditions here and he also makes a specialty of the breeding of Holstein cattle
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and Chester White hogs. He is likewise a stockholder in the Howard County Co- operative Equity Association of Elma and in the Maple Leaf Creamery Company.
In his political views Mr. Bartels is a republican but has never been an office seeker. He and his wife are consistent members of the German Lutheran church and they are held in high esteem throughout their section of the county, enjoying the hospitality of the best homes of Howard township. Mr. Bartels has practically spent his entire life in Howard county and his progressive spirit has placed him in an enviable position among the well-to-do farmers.
CHARLES B. ASHLEY.
Charles B. Ashley, an honored veteran of the Civil war and a retired agriculturist now residing in Cresco, still owns the farm on section 35, Albion township, Howard county, which was his home for sixty years. His birth occurred in Livingston county, New York, on the 18th of July, 1841, his parents being Carlos C. and Helen (Mes- singer) Ashley, who were born, reared and married in Oneida county, New York. Sub- sequently they removed to Orleans county, that state, and thence made their way to Livingston county, New York, where they resided until 1851, when they joined the procession of pioneers to the western country. After spending two years in Dodge county, Wisconsin, the father brought his family to Howard county, Iowa, in 1859 and purchased the farm in Albion township which is now owned by his son, Charles B. Ashley, buying the property from a man named McCarty, who had preempted the land in 1855. On this place the parents of our subject continued to reside until called to their final rest.
Charles B. Ashley, who was a young man of eighteen years when the family home was established in Howard county, assisted his father in the development and im- provement of the home place and acquired possession thereof shortly prior to the latter's demise. In August, 1861, he responded to the country's call for troops to aid in the preservation of the Union, joining Company I of the Ninth Iowa Infantry, with which he served throughout the entire period of hostilities between the north and the south. He was captured in South Carolina, while on detached service as acting ordinance sergeant of the First Division of the Fifteenth Army Corps under Sherman, but succeeded in making his escape a few hours later. Returning to Howard county with a most creditable military record, he resumed the operation of the home farm on section 35, Albion township, and remained thereon continuously until the spring of 1919, when he put aside the active work of the fields and removed to Cresco. During his active connection with agricultural interests he developed one of the ex- cellently improved and most valuable farms of the county, replacing its crude pioneer structures with modern and up-to-date buildings. Success attended his well directed efforts as the years passed by and he is now enjoying the fruits of his former toil in richly merited rest.
In 1872 Mr. Ashley was united in marriage to Miss Emmo Gene Barber, a daughter of William and Eliza Barber. Following the father's death, which occurred in St. Lawrence county, New York, Mrs. Barber came to Iowa with her family of four sons and two daughters, locating in Howard county in 1870. Here the daughter Emmo gave her hand in marriage to Charles B. Ashley, by whom she has five children, as follows: Helen E., the wife of George Richards, of Manitoba, Canada; Sylvia B., at home; Willie R., who operates his father's farm; Erwin M., residing in Manitoba, Canada; and May L., the wife of Rev. Guy Rutherford, of Quasqueton, Iowa.
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