USA > Iowa > Clay County > History of Clay County, Iowa, from its earliest settlement to 1909 > Part 30
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progress of the community, both through his active labors and his influence, and his religious teachings have sunk deep into the hearts of many and in time have brought forth rich fruit. In community affairs he has also been otherwise active, holding many different offices in his township, including that of town clerk, justice of the peace and school director. In politics he has ever been a stalwart repub- lican and at one time was delegate to the county convention. He belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic and to the Good Templars Lodge. the latter indicat- ing his position on the temperance question. For many years he has been corre- spondent for the press at Spencer, Sioux Rapids and Marathon. Mrs. Belknap deserves more than passing notice in this connection from the fact that she suc- cessfully engaged in teaching several terms of school after their arrival in Clay county. She had also taught in Winnebago county, Wisconsin, and proved a most capable educator, imparting clearly and readily to others the knowledge that she had acquired. She has also been of great help to her husband in the work of the ministry. She possesses keen intellectuality with a strong interest in the questions of the day which are of vital moment, and for many years she was a valued correspondent for the Sioux Rapids and Marathon papers.
During his long, busy and useful career Mr. Belknap has faithfully per- formed his duties of citizenship and met all of his obligations to mankind. He has been an eye witness to the many changes which have taken place through the growth and development of the county as it has been transformed from a wild unsettled region into a district of fertile fields and happy homes. He is esteemed and honored by all men .. His name is not only inscribed upon the list of those who went valiantly forth at the time of the nation's peril and faced the dangers of warfare but, as a worthy and upright citizen and Christian gentleman, he will be remembered throughout the coming years.
WILBURN R. RICE.
There is an old Greek saying, "Earn thy reward; the gods give naught to sloth." The truth of this has been manifest in all of the ages since the words were first uttered. It has been a realization of this truth that has prompted Mr. Rice to put forth earnest and indefatigable effort in his business affairs. He is well known as a farmer, butcher and stockman and also as an auctioneer, and these various lines of business have contributed to his substantial success. Moreover, he is now filling the position of sheriff and is proving as faithful in official service as he has been in business connections.
Mr. Rice is a native of Hardin county, Iogva, born June 3, 1858. His parents were James and Mary -(Williams) Rice, both natives of Indiana. The former was a son of Nicholas Rice, who married Delilah Samuels, and after living for some years in Indiana he came to Iowa, casting in his lot with the pioneer settlers of Hardin county. There he owned and operated a sawmill until his life's labors were ended in middle age. His wife, however, reached advanced years ere called to her final rest and reared a large family. The maternal grandfather of Wilburn R. Rice was John Williams, a native of North Carolina, who was well fitted to cope with the hardships and difficulties of the frontier, for he became an early
W. R. RICE
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settler of Indiana and removing westward with the advancing civilization, was also one of the pioneer settlers of Iowa in the vicinity of Oskaloosa. Afterward he took up his abode in Hardin county, where he made a permanent location and lived to a ripe old age.
James Rice, although born in Indiana, was reared 'in Iowa, coming to this state in 1846 in his boyhood days with his parents, who settled in Hardin county. Here amid the conditions and environments that always confront the pioneer settler he spent his youth and was trained to habits of industry, economy and perseverance by his father, whom he assisted in operating a sawmill and eventually engaged in the manufacture of lumber on his own account. In early days here he was a great hunter, becoming noted for his skill with the rifle. He caught elk calves, which he shipped to Europe and to New York, for elk were numerous at that time. There was also much smaller game to be had and Mr. Rice was able to keep the table well supplied with meat. In his later years he followed farming and the rich soil of Iowa responded generously to his efforts in this direction. In 1868 he removed to Cherokee county, where he secured a home- stead claim and with characteristic energy .broke the sod and planted the crops. In due time rich harvests were gathered and he is still cultivating that farm with good success. In the community he was prominent in local affairs and held a number of township offices. His religious faith is that of the Universalist church, while his wife, a lady of earnest Christian spirit, belongs to the Methodist church. They became the parents of eleven children, eight sons and three daughters : Wilburn R., of this review : William : Henry : Grant : Rhoda, the wife of Frank Finch, a resident of Three Rivers, California ; Knelon; Edwin : Frank ; Charles ; Elva, who has departed this life : and Opal.
Throughout the entire period of his life Wilburn R. Rice has lived in Iowa save for a brief period which he spent in the neighboring state of Nebraska. He lived in Hardin county to the age of ten years and then accompanied his parents on their removal to Cherokee county, where he was reared on the home farm, doing his share of the work in plowing, planting and harvesting. In the winter months he pursued his education in the district schools and afterward had the benefit of one term's instruction in the academy at Given, Nebraska. He then rented land and farmed in Nebraska until the fall of 1881. when he returned to Cherokee county, Iowa, where he carried on general farming until 1888. That year witnessed his arrival in Clay county and he purchased eighty acres of land on section 16, Freeman township, where he lived for nearly three years. On selling his property he removed to Dickens, where he conducted a butchering business for nearly seventeen years and at the same time dealt in live stock, but in 1907 he disposed of his interests in those connections. He owns some town property in International Falls, Minnesota, and one hundred and twenty acres of timber land in the same state. He has also done auctioneering, crying a number of sales, and becoming popular in that field of labor. In November, 1908, how- ever, he was elected sheriff of Clay county and in the winter moved to Spencer in order to enter upon the duties of the office there. Although he has been the incumbent for only a short period, his well known characteristics are proof that he will be a faithful and fearless official.
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On the 5th of December, 1880, Mr. Rice wedded Miss Amanda King, who was born in Hancock county, Indiana. Her father, Isaac King, was a native of Kentucky and having arrived at years of maturity he wedded Miss Charlotte Moore, who was born in Indiana. They became the parents of eight children, as follows: Oscar King .; Henry; Amanda, now Mrs. Rice; Ella, the wife of W. Tecumseh Gibbons ; Rollin ; Claude ; and two who died in infancy.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Rice has been blessed with two children. Lulu and Goldie. The elder is now the wife of J. J. Cairns, and they have one son, Gerald. Mr. and Mrs. Rice belong to the Congregational church, are loyal to its teachings and generous in its support. Mr. Rice holds membership in Dickens Lodge, No. 583, I. O. O. F., and also with the Fraternal Bankers Reserve of Cedar Rapids. His political endorsement has always been given to the republican party and he is an active worker in its ranks in Clay county. He has served as road supervisor, as constable and township assessor, and further well merited honors came to him in his election to his present office. He is the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of land in Burleigh county, North Dakota, and alto- gether his has been a successful and progressive career marked by the faithful performance of his daily duties.
WILLIAM B. BAILEY.
William B. Bailey, an agriculturist of note of Clay township, this county, came here in the early '6os and settled on a raw prairie land. Since that time, through hard work, he has transformed the crude and primitive ground into fer- tile fields, from which he is deriving abundant and lucrative harvests, and now in his seventy-eighth year he may rest from active labor and enjoy the fruits of his many years of toil. His birth occurred in Berlin, Washington county, Vermont, on January 22, 1831, a son of Ebenezer and Sallie (Benjamin) Bailey. His father was also a native of that place, where he was born May 10, 1796, and where he spent his life in general farming, passing away in the year 1867. In politics he was a democrat and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was well known throughout the community as a substantial citizen and did much dur- ing his life toward improving the place in which he resided. His mother, also a native of the state of Vermont, spent her entire life there and was laid to rest with her husband. They reared a family of ten children, namely: Abigail, Ozas, Alsina, Frederick and Emory, all deceased ; William B., whose name introduces this sketch; Eliza and Sommers, deceased ; Eben, an agriculturist of this town- ship ; and Joshua, a retired farmer residing in Williamstown, Vermont.
The early days of William B. Bailey were spent on his father's farm where he passed through the usual experiences common to the country lad, engaging in agricultural duties during the summer months and in the winter attending the district school. Having completed his studies in the common schools he remained at home for awhile, and was then given the advantages of two terms of study in the high school. At the age of twenty years he applied himself to farm work, which he followed for a few years, when, upon becoming confident of his own
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ability to conduct an agricultural business independently, he repaired to Iowa, in company with a brother and a nephew. He settled on section 14, the land at that time being in a crude state, obviously requiring hard work and constant applica- tion before it was put in a condition for the production of crops. But Mr. Bailey was equal to the task, and being then a young man full of vigor and inspired with ambition, he was not balked by difficulties nor retarded by discouragements, and in the course of time had this land in the finest possible shape for raising general crops. In addition to growing hay and grain crops he also paid some attention to stock-raising, but in recent years he has given up the active duties of his place, and, resigning. the management of the farm to his son, he is now living in retire- ment.
In the year 1852 Mr. Bailey was united in marriage to Miss Jane Alexander, and to them were born the following children: Lizzie, deceased ; Henry, who is an agriculturist residing near Savannah; and Emma, deceased. The mother de- parted this life in the year 1858, and later Mr. Bailey wedded Alma Wells, who departed this life in1 1908, and by whom he had five children, namely: Willy and Gertie, deceased ; Charles B., a lumber dealer of Dickens, this state; Edwin H., who resides in Spencer, this state; and Wels, at home. Mr. Bailey has always given his political support to the democratic party and during his years of activity served a number of terms as school director. His religious convictions are on the side of that denomination known as the Disciples of Christ, in which he serves in the capacity of deacon, and is also a liberal supporter. Mr. Bailey's life has been such as to give him high standing in the eyes of the community and he is generally recognized as a man whose long years of earnest labor in this township have not only contributed to his own prosperity but have also been a boon to the community at large.
EBEN BAILEY.
Eben Bailey, who for many years has been influentially associated with the farming and stock-raising. interests of Clay township. this county, and who is a veteran of the Civil war, was born in Berlin, Vermont, August 23, 1837, a son of Ebenezer and Sallie (Benjamin) Bailey, both natives of Vermont, where they spent their entire lives, the mother passing away in 1867. Eben Bailey acquired his preliminary education at the district schools of his native village and was sub- sequently given the added advantage of a course of study in a well known academy at Berry, Vermont. He remained at home with his parents until he was nine- teen years of age, when he removed to Mount Holly, Vermont, where he was engaged in business at the breaking out of the Civil war. In 1862 he enlisted in the Union army, joining Company H, Fourteenth Vermont Volunteer Infantry, and served until July 13, 1863, during his military career participating in the bat- tle of Gettysburg. After the war he returned to Mount Holly, Vermont, where he engaged in business until the year 1869. when he went to Des Moines, Iowa, remaining there until 1870, when he located in Clay township, taking. up a claim of eighty acres in section 14, in which section his brother, William B. Bailey, also
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took up a claim. The land being in a primitive state when Mr. Bailey settled upon it, he was required to make all of the necessary improvements in order to transform it into a fit state for cultivation. This he succeeded in doing and the property is provided with a comfortable home, commodious barn, outbuildings and all conveniences necessary to successfully pursue general farming and stock rais- ing. From the onset Mr. Bailey met with success in his farming venture, his fields from year to year proving fruitful, which enabled him to add to his tract from time to time until now he owns one hundred and sixty acres, constituting one of the finest farms in the township.
On October 17. 1859, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary J. Jackson, a native of Berlin, Vermont, who became the mother of the following children : Bertie R .. who was born November 17, 1860, and departed this life on February 10, three years later ; Percy, born April 23, 1866, and passed away February 7, 1873; and Vinnie B., whose birth occurred April 3. 1874, and who died when fourteen years of age. The wife and mother passed away on April 1, 1888. On June 28, 1800, Mr. Bailey wedded Miss Hattie Nichelson, who was born in Craw- ford county, Pennsylvania, December 15, 1862, and they have had the following children : Nina E., born June 26, 1891 ; Marshall H., born February 16, 1893; Lloyd E., whose birth occurred June 19, 1894; Grace E., who was born November 14, one year later; Ester E., whose birth occurred February 10, 1898; Dwight I., born November 25. 1899; Morris J., who is in his eighth year ; and Mainard W., who is three years of age. Mr. Bailey is a member of Royal Lodge, A. F. & A. M., having affiliated himself with the order at Wallingford, Vermont, in the year 1863, and is also a member of Clay Chapter No. 112. Mr. Bailey is one of the francial supports of the community whose success and prosperity are due to his own exertion and he entertains the respect of the entire community.
F. G. ALVORD.
For the vast majority the term good citizenship does not mean faithful performance of official duty, but indicates, rather, industry and reliability in busi- ness, with a spirit more or less active in the measures which are calculated to promote general prosperity and to uphold the social and political status of the community. Mr. Alvord is generously endowed with all the qualities which the term, good citizenship, indicates, and his life is busily passed in the work of the farm, his landed interests comprising one hundred and seventy acres on section 8, Riverton township. This is a neat and well-improved farm which, in its attractive appearance, gives every evidence of a life of industry and thrift on the part of its owner.
Mr. Alvord has lived in Clay county since 1884. He was born in Cortland county, New York. July 20, 1834, and was reared to manhood there upon a farm. His father, Martin Alvord, was born in 1800, on the same farm on which his son was born, and his father was Charles Alvord, who located on the same farm fol- lowing his removal from Connecticut. This farm was part and parcel of a tract of military land belonging to General Alvord, the great-grandfather of our sub-
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MRS. F. G. ALVORD
F. G. ALVORD
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ject. Charles Alvord removed to the Empire state with an ox-cart and sled, making the journey through the wilderness from Connecticut. There, in the midst of the forest, he cleared a tract of land and opened up a farm, coping with the hardships and privations of pioneer life in his efforts to transform the land into productive property. It was upon this farm that Martin Alvord was reared to manhood and was early trained to the work of the fields, while lessons of industry and integrity were impressed upon his mind. When he had reached adult age he married Louise L. Frisbie, a native of the state of New York. He became a prominent and influential citizen, reared his family on the old homestead and, after a life of usefulness and activity, passed to his final rest at the age of eighty-four years.
The boyhood surroundings of F. G. Alvord were the same in which his father's youth were passed and he, too, was trained to the work of the farm when not busy with his text books. He had good school advantages, for he acquired his literary education in the public schools and later attended Homer Academy, where he completed his course. The call of the west proved to him irresistible and leaving the Empire state he made his way to the territory of Nebraska, where he engaged in prospecting for about two years. On the expiration of that period he returned to Cortland county, New York, and was married on the 23d of December, 1860, to Miss Elizabeth M. Babcock, who was born, reared and educated in Cortland county. Following his marriage he began farming there and was busily occupied with the work of the fields until 1862, when he could no longer content himself to follow the plow while the stability of the Union was endangered by the rebellion in the south. Therefore, putting aside all business and personal considerations, he offered his services to the government and was enrolled among the boys in bhie of Company D, One Hundred and Fifty-seventh New York Volunteer Infantry. The regiment was assigned to the Army of the Potomac and he participated in numerous skirmishes. He was also on duty at Manassas Gap. Later he became ill and was sent to the hospital at Washington, D. C., where he remained four weeks, from where he was transferred to Bedloe's Island, New York harbor. He afterward had a relapse and for some time was down with fever. At length he was honorably discharged, on account of disabil- ity, and as soon as he was able was sent home. It took him from two to three years to recuperate and at the end of that time he sold his farm and removed to Homer, New York, where he engaged in buying and dealing in horses, making shipments to New York city. Later he purchased another farm, which he contin- ned to cultivate for several years, after which he sold out and removed to Clay county, Iowa.
The year 1884 witnessed the arrival of Mr. Alvord in this state and in the intervening period, covering a quarter of a century, he has made substantial progress, contributing to the general prosperity. He has advanced his individual interests through his efforts to cultivate and develop his farm. Taking up his abode on section 8, Riverton township, he has given his undivided attention to the improvement of his property. He has built a good, substantial residence, which stands on a natural building site and commands a fine view of the sur- rounding country. Barns, sheds and cribs furnish ample shelter to grain and stock. Many fruit trees have been planted and an orchard is now in good bear-
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ing condition. Ornamental trees add to the attractive appearance of the place and an air of neatness and thrift pervades the entire surroundings. In the pas- tures and feed-lots are found good grades of cattle, horses and hogs, and his stock-raising interests are an important source of revenue. He is, moreover, a stockholder in the Farmers' Elevator, at Spencer, and also in the telephone com- pany. He has carefully watched his business interests, noting the opportunities for success, and the years have brought him gratifying prosperity as the reward of his earnest, persistent labor.
Mr. and Mrs. Alvord have one son, Fred H., who is married and resides in Homer, New York, where he is occupying the position of cashier of the Homer National Bank. While a resident of that place Mr. Alvord filled several local positions of honor and trust. During his residence here he has served for seven- teen years as township trustee, and no better testimonial of faithfulness and capability could be given than the fact that he has been so long retained in the office. Politically, he is a democrat at state and national elections, but at local elections, where no issue is involved, he casts an independent ballot, considering only the capability of the candidate. His life has been one of intense and well- directed activity crowned with success. In 1893 he removed to Spencer, where he lived retired, but indolence and idleness were utterly foreign to his nature and he returned to the farm. While his success enables him to leave the active life of the fields to others, he gives careful supervision to the place. He now rents the land but carefully watches over the interests of his farm and in all things displays good business management as well as strict integrity and general personal worth. While in Homer, New York, he became a member of the Masonic fraternity, filling all of the chairs and becoming past master. He and his wife are likewise members of the Eastern Star. For almost a quarter of a century they have lived in the county and witnessed the vast transformation as it has taken on all of the evidences of a progressive civilization. Mr. Alvord is now seventy-five years of age and his life has been one in which fidelity to principle has combined with business enterprise in making him a valued and worthy citizen.
W. ERNEST BARNHART.
W. Ernest Barnhart is an attorney at law of Spencer, with a large clientage. and in his chosen profession he has made that steady advance which results only from merit in handling important litigated interests. He is still a young man, with opportunity before him to attain still greater success, and his friends do not hesitate to predict for him continued progress in the field of his chosen profession. He was born near Pen Mar, July 16, 1877, his parents being David G. and Mar- garet Virginia (Frye) Barnhart, also natives of the Keystone state. The father was a son of Henry Barnhart, who with two brothers came from Germany, his native land, to America. Henry Barnhart settled in Pennsylvania, while one of his brothers became a resident of Ohio and the other of the west. He died in Pennsylvania in middle life, while his wife passed away in Mount Morris, Illinois, at an advanced age. They were the parents of three daughters: Susan, the wife
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of Joseph Boward ; Barbara, the wife of Joseph Kale; and Peggy. David G. was their only son. In early life David G. Barnhart learned the wagon maker's trade, which he has followed many years. For some time he has been a resident of Cavetown, Maryland, and is well known as a representative of industrial interests in that city. He wedded Margaret Virginia Frye, who was also born in Penn- sylvania and was a daughter of David and Susan ( Ridenour) Frye. Her father was a native of Maryland and was a carpenter by trade. He passed away when about sixty years of age and his wife was sixty-five years of age at the time of her demise. They had a large family, numbering seven sons and one daughter. The home of Mr. and Mrs. David G. Barnhart was blessed with eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, and their record is exceptional in that all are yet living, namely: Margaret, the wife of George Claybourne, a resident of Hagers- town, Maryland; Anne, the wife of Charles Reynolds, whose home is in Cam- bridge, Iowa; Edward, a member of the United States navy on the battleship Minnesota ; George O., living in Champaign county, Illinois; W. Ernest, of this review ; Harry C., who is located at Hagerstown, Maryland; Gertrude M., the wife of Harry Burger, of Baltimore, Maryland; William R., who is a soldier of the regular army stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Lester H., of Cave- town, Maryland ; and Ura K. and Benjamin Franklin, who are also residents of Cavetown.
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