USA > Iowa > Crawford County > History of Crawford County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 35
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On the 12th of October, 1875, Judge Conner was married to Miss Allie M. Cowdrey. They have a son, Raymond, who is manager of the Review Publish- ing Company, in which Judge Conner is a heavy stockholder. He belongs to Vol. II-18
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the Methodist church and gives his aid and cooperation to all the agencies and movements which tend to uplift humanity, to broaden the vision of life and to promote material, intellectual, political, social and moral progress. While he has held to high ideals, he has labored with practical purpose. Few men of Crawford county have remained longer in public service, and the record of none has been more faultless in honor, fearless in conduct or stainless in reputation.
PARKER W. HARDING.
Parker W. Harding, who is now regarded as one of the most successful attorneys of Denison, has practiced law in Crawford county for more than twenty years, having previously followed his profession for over fourteen years in Charter Oak before his removal to the former city six years ago. His ad- vancement has been due to his energy, comprehensive knowledge of the prin- ciples of law and gentlemanly address, which has attracted a host of friends wherever he is known. He was born at Lockeport, Nova Scotia, October 27, 1863, and is the only son of Captain Simeon and Margaret (McQuhae) Har- ding, who were also natives of Nova Scotia.
In 1906 Mr. Harding brought his parents and two sisters to the United States and they located at Council Bluffs, lowa, where the father died two years later. Captain Harding was for more than forty years a master mariner, sailing out of the port of Lockeport, Nova Scotia. His remains were interred in Walnut Hill cemetery. The mother of our subject is still living in Council Bluffs with her two daughters. She is a Baptist in religious belief, as was also her husband, both of them being descendants of pioneer Baptist ministers, the Revs. Harris and Theodore Harding, whose names are enrolled on the tablets of the Acadia Baptist College.
Richard Harding, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was born in Eng- land and was also a sea captain, living to the advanced age of ninety years. He was the father of six children. The sons, Simeon, Robert and William, were all sea captains. Robert died at Lockeport, Nova Scotia, while William has retired from the sea and for many years has been an adjuster for the marine service in New York city. Anna R., the eldest daughter, is now living in Denison, Iowa; Elizabeth is the wife of B. R. Morrow of Denison; and Mary wedded Robert Firth of Lockeport, Nova Scotia, and is now deceased. Robert Mc- Quhae, the maternal grandfather of our subject, was a native of Scotland and by occupation was a farmer. He came to America and spent his last days in Jordan Falls, Nova Scotia, where he died at the age of ninety years. The maiden name of his wife was Margaret McDonald. She, too, was of Scotch birth and her death occurred in her eighty-eighth year.
There were five children in the family of Simeon and Margaret (McQuhae) Harding, namely: Parker W., of this review; Rosa W., who was educated in the United States and died at the home of her parents in Nova Scotia after reaching womanhood; Emma J., the wife of Richard Gwillam, a manufacturer
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of Gloversville, New York; Allie F., the wife of Dr. J. E. Clausson, of Beatrice, Nebraska; and Lizzie P., who is living with her mother at Council Bluffs.
Parker W. Harding was reared at Jordan Falls, Nova Scotia, and received his early education at Shelbourne Academy. Later he entered Acadia College, Wolfville, two miles from Grand Prae, near the mouth of the Gaspereaux river, and within six miles of Cape Blomidon and the Basin of Minas, both of which are prominently noted in Longfellow's immortal poem, Evangeline. He early indicated a taste for a professional career and studied law in his native country, coming to the United States in 1888 when twenty-five years of age. In 1890 he was admitted to the bar at Des Moines, Iowa, and immediately afterward began practice at Charter Oak, showing an ability which gave bright promise as to his future. In 1904 he came to Denison, where he has since followed his profession, being now the senior member of the well known firm of Harding & Kahler. He is a clear and logical speaker and as he makes thorough prepara- tion for every case in which he is interested and centers his argument upon the main point at issue he never fails to hold the attention of the jury and often carries the day in the face of the most determined opposition. It is greatly to his credit that his clientage is found among the leading merchants, farmers and capitalists of the county.
In 1890, upon his admission to the bar, Mr. Harding was united in marriage to Miss Margaret M. Kevan, a resident of Dow City, Iowa. She is a native of Illinois and a daughter of Charles and Jean (Taylor) Kevan. Her parents were born in Scotland and for a number of years made their home at Charter Oak, Iowa, but both are now deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Harding are valued members of the Methodist church, in which he is an earnest worker and is a member of its board of trustees. Fra- ternally he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Knights of Pythias. Politically he gives his support to the republican party. He and his wife occupy a beautiful residence in Denison and their home is the center of hospitality where friends and acquaintances are sure of receiving a cordial greeting. He is one of the honored citizens of Crawford county who has justly earned the success he has attained and who commands the confidence of his fellowmen by an irreproachable character and an abiding interest in the perma- nent welfare of his adopted city.
CARL GRONAU.
Carl Gronau, a successful real-estate dealer of Denison, has resided here for the past three decades and is widely recognized as one of the most valued and prosperous residents of Crawford county, owning between seven and eight thousand acres of land. His birth occurred in Mecklenburg, Strelitz, Germany, on the 12th of January, 1844, his parents being Carl and Carolina ( Kloeckner) Gronau, who were likewise natives of that country. His paternal grandfather, Carl Gronau, was a wagonmaker by trade and served in the French and Ger- man war of 1806 as a soldier of the German army, participating in the battle
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of Austerlitz. He died when about seventy-six years of age, while his wife, who bore the maiden name of Carolina Wagner, passed away in early womanhood. Their children were Carl, Wilhelm and Augusta. William Kloeckner, the ma- ternal grandfather of our subject, was a miller. He married Miss Sommer, who died in early womanhood.
Carl Gronau, the father of the gentleman whose name introduces this re- view, was a wagonmaker by trade. He came to America when seventy years of age and visited with his son Carl for one year. At the end of that time he returned to Germany and there passed away at the age of eighty-four years. At one time he served as an alderman in his city. Both he and his wife were Lutherans in religious faith, the latter living to attain the age of fifty-six years. They had eight sons, four of whom still survive, as follows: Carl, of this re- view; Frederick, living near Kiron, Crawford county; Rudolph, who is a resi- dent of Strelitz, Germany; and Emil, a blacksmith of Spokane, Washington.
Carl Gronau was reared in his native land and attended the common schools in the acquirement of an education. After putting aside his text-books he was employed in his father's wagon shop and also did farm work. In accordance with the laws of the country, he likewise served in the regular army as a private for three years. In 1869, when a young man of twenty-five years, he crossed the Atlantic to the United States, first spending one year in Jackson county, Iowa. Removing to Chicago, Illinois, he there remained for two years, on the expiration of which period he returned to Jackson county and there made his home until 1881. In that year he came to Denison and this town has remained his place of residence during the intervening three decades. He conducted a wagon and blacksmith shop for six years and then embarked in the real-estate business, which still claims his attention. At one time he owned twelve farms but has disposed of these and now has lands in North and South Dakota, and in Alberta, Canada. His property holdings embrace between seven and eight thou- sand acres of land. His business undertakings have been attended with a grati- fying measure of success. During the first year of his residence in this country he erected a home and in 1900 built his present commodious and beautiful dwell- ing, standing on the site of the old Denison home-the first erected in the city of Denison. He has built a number of the substantial residences here and has also improved a number of farms, having spent over ten thousand dollars for improvements on his Dakota farms during the past year. He has long been re- garded as a valued and leading citizen of Denison and Crawford county, having spent vast sums of money in developing property.
On the 24th of June, 1870, Mr. Gronau was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Heiden, a native of Germany, who in 1869 came to America with her parents, Fritz and Carolina (Pankow) Heiden, the family home being established in Jackson county, Iowa. There her father and mother spent the remainder of their lives, the former attaining the age of about eighty-one, while the latter was seventy-four years old when called to her final rest. They were the parents of two sons and two daughters, namely: Wilhelmina, Frederick, Mary and John. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Gronau were born four children, as follows: Lena and Wil- liam, who died of diphtheria in early life; Amanda, the wife of J. B. Sibbert, of Denison, by whom she has one son, Carl; and Louisa, living in Los Angeles,
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California, who is the wife of John D. Sievers and the mother of two sons, Paul and William Edward.
Mr. Gronau gives his political allegiance to the republican party and has served as a member of the city council for three years. He is enterprising and public-spirited to a marked degree and has always taken an active interest in those movements and measures instituted to promote the general welfare of Denison. In fact no history of the county would be complete without the rec- ord of his life and work. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons, belong- ing to Sylvan Lodge, No. 507, A. F. & A. M., while both he and his wife are members of the Eastern Star. Coming to America in early manhood, he wisely utilized the opportunities offered in a land unhampered by caste or class and worked his way steadily upward to a position of prominence and affluence.
HARRY LAMP.
Harry Lamp, who is a native son of Crawford county, his birth occurring on the 13th of January, 1884, is the second oldest child of Ferdinand and Dora (Simon) Lamp, natives of Germany, the father coming to America when a youth of sixteen years and the mother with her parents when a child of two. They were married in Crawford county and have ever since continued to reside here. They began their domestic life on a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, which the father owned and where he engaged in general farming and stock-raising for twenty-five years. In 1908, however, they sold that property and bought elsewhere, and at the present time they own five hundred and sixty acres of land, all of which is well improved and under a high state of cultiva- tion. Two hundred and forty acres are in Crawford county and the other three hundred and twenty in Minnesota, but the latter place and one of the farms in this county are rented as Mr. Lamp is only cultivating the homestead. His suc- cess in agricultural pursuits he owes to his close application and tireless energy, but in the acquiring of his realty interests he has been most ably assisted by the careful supervision and capable management which Mrs. Lamp gives to her household affairs. Ten children have been born to them, those beside Harry being : Paulina, who married Ed Georguis, a farmer of Crawford county ; Anna, the wife of Louis Goettsch, who is the cashier of the Union Savings Bank, of Davenport ; Bertha, who married Elvin Wick, a baker, of Harlan, Iowa; and Elsie, William, Minnie, Edwin, Julia and Otto, all of whom are still at home. The parents are yet in their prime, the father now being fifty-two years of age, while the mother has only passed her forty-fifth year.
Harry Lamp acquired his preliminary education in the district schools of Crawford county and then pursued a course in a commercial college, remaining a member of his father's household until he had reached his twentieth year, at which time he left home to accept a position with the Neola Elevator Company of Aspinwall, Iowa. He was identified with that concern for one year and then entered the employ of the Pride Poultry Company for a similar period. At the
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end of that time he became a yard man and after serving in this capacity for a year he was promoted to the position of general manager, which he still retains.
Mr. Lamp was united in marriage on the 19th of December, 1906, to Miss Amanda Wiese, who was born and reared in this county, being a daughter of Carl and Dora (Schutt) Wiese. Her parents were natives of Germany but were married in America and some time afterward they located on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Crawford county, which they continued to cul- tivate until the time of their retirement. They are now living in West Side, Iowa, where they own a very pleasant and comfortable residence, the income from their excellent farm, together with other resources, affording them all of the comforts and many of the luxuries which they were denied during their hard-working youth. They are the parents of eight children, Mrs. Lamp being the second child and eldest daughter. The others are: Charley, living in Clar- inda, lowa; Fred, who resides in West Side; Maggie, the wife of Herman Martin, of West Side; Albert, who lives in Denison; Frank, also of West Side; and two who are dead. Mr. and Mrs. Lamp have had three children : Wayne, who died at the age of one year; Josephine, who was born on the 8th of Oc- tober, 1909; and Lloyd, whose birth occurred on the 24th of December, 1910.
Mr. and Mrs. Lamp affiliate with the German Lutheran denomination, in the faith of which they were reared. Politically he gives his support to the candidates and measures of the democratic party, and although he does not aspire to public honors or the emoluments of office, he fulfills the requirements of good citizenship by voting at all elections.
J. F. WILLIAM JAHN.
Among the young men of Hayes township who have started under highly favorable conditions as farmers, may be named J. F. William Jahn. He pos- sessed excellent advantages of training and is now cultivating a place of two hundred and twenty acres which yields generous returns for the time and labor bestowed upon it. He is a native of Hayes township, born on section 31, July 9, 1882, a son of Paul William and Catherine (Lemster) Jahn, both of whom were born in Germany. The father came to America in boyhood with his parents and settled in Hayes township, Crawford county, Iowa. He was very successful as an agriculturist and stock-raiser and improved three farms. He and his wife are still living and make their home on section 31. There were nine children in their family: Lena, who married Henry E. Kuhl, of Iowa town- ship; J. F. William; Minnie, the wife of Gus Meggers, of Iowa township; Her- man and Henry, both residents of Hayes township; Amanda, the wife of Gus Peppers, of Hayes township; Louis, who makes his home with his brother Herman ; and Adelia and Hugo, who are living at home.
Mr. Jahn of this review attended the country schools of Hayes township, where he gained the rudiments of an education which he has greatly broadened by reading and observation. He continued with his parents until twenty-four years of age and then moved to the place which he now owns. He carries on
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general farming and also gives special attention to the feeding of Hereford cattle for the market. He has from his youth been earnest and energetic in his work and has gained deserved prosperity.
On the 13th of March, 1907, Mr. Jalin was married in Iowa township to Miss Martha Peper, who was born in Iowa township, a daughter of George and Sophia (Meggohtsen) Peper, the former of whom is deceased. Two chil- dren have come to brighten the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jahn, Hugo Paul George and Willette Catherina Fredericka.
Mr. Jahn and his wife are both members of the Lutheran church and accept its teachings as their rule of life. They take a great interest in the progress of this section of the state, both having been born in Crawford county, and they are willing assistants in all movements seeking to promote the general welfare. Mr. Jahn is not identified with any political organization. The success he has gained is the result of his well directed efforts and gives promise of still larger rewards in the years to come.
JULIUS H. A. CHRISTIANSEN.
A native of Crawford county, Julius H. A. Christiansen has made special use of his opportunities and, although he has not reached the age of thirty years, he is the owner of a valuable farm of two hundred and forty acres, which he is cultivating to excellent advantage. His birth occurred August 27, 1882, and he is a son of Anthony W. A. and Wilhelmina (Prien) Christiansen. The father was born in Germany and the mother in Brazil, South America. They were married in Crawford county, Iowa, and Mr. Christiansen began farming on his own account by renting land. After three years he purchased two hun- dred and sixty acres in Soldier township, which he sold in 1899, buying five hundred and forty-three acres in Jackson township. Later he disposed of this farm and bought one hundred and sixty acres in Crawford county and an equal amount in Ida county. On selling both of these properties he purchased four hundred and eighty acres in Nebraska, but in 1909 disposed of his Nebraska farm and went to South Dakota. He is now living upon a place of three hun- dred and twenty acres. His beloved wife, who was the mother of eleven chil- dren, died November 15, 1910. Nine of the children are now living, namely : Caroline L., who is the wife of William Meyers, of Crawford county; Marie, now Mrs. William Evers, of Green River, Wyoming; Julius H. A., of this review ; and Albert, Bernhard, Ludwig, Johann, Henry and Otto, all of whom are living with their father in South Dakota.
Julius H. A. Christiansen, the subject of this review, possessed advantages of education in the common schools and grew to manhood under the parental roof, showing even in his boyhood an aptitude for agricultural pursuits that gave bright promise as to his future. He continued at home until twenty-three years of age and then rented land on his own account for four years, after which he bought the farm which he now owns on section 33, Soldier town- ship. The neat and attractive appearance of everything about the farm indi-
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cates careful attention to details and progressive methods, and its owner is rightly regarded as one of the prosperous men in his locality.
On October 18, 1905, Mr. Christiansen was married to Miss Hulda Baak, who was born in Crawford county, September 25, 1885, a daughter of William and Caroline (Koch) Baak. Her parents were both born in Germany and came to America, living for several years in Chicago, after which they settled in Crawford county, Iowa. Mr. Baak engaged in farming until his retirement in 1910. There were five children in his family, two of whom are now living : Hulda, now Mrs. Julius H. A. Christiansen; and Emma, the wife of Magnus Hollander, of Crawford county. The mother died May 5, 1903. Mr. Baak is living at Schleswig, Iowa, and is again married. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Christiansen has been blessed by the birth of a son, William A. E., who was born July 8, 1906.
Mr. Christiansen and his wife are members of the German Lutheran church and are widely and favorably known. He has conducted his business system- atically and according to most approved methods. Each year has added to his financial resources, and it may be truly said of him that he represents the sub- stantial and progressive citizenship of Crawford county.
OTTO J. STALEY.
The name of Otto J. Staley represents industry, persistence and reliability and through these qualities he has acquired an honorable reputation in Craw- ford county and also a highly productive farm. A native of Iowa City, John- son county, Iowa, he was born August 30, 1852, and is a son of Arthur and Clara (Ray) Staley. The father was born in Bavaria, Germany, and came to the United States in 1849, spending the first three years in this country at Zanesville, Ohio. He had learned the carpenter's trade in Germany and he followed that occupation at Zanesville. Having decided to come westward, he traveled by wagon down the Muskingum and Ohio rivers and up the Missis- sippi to Muscatine, Iowa, and then across the country by ox team to Iowa City. After working at his trade for a year in the state of his adoption, he moved to a farm which he had purchased about twelve miles north of Iowa City and later built the first house in the town of Solon. He was one of the useful and en- terprising citizens of Johnson county and lived to the advanced age of ninety- three years and six months, being called away December 24, 1909. His remains were interred in the cemetery at Solon. His wife was also a native of Ger- many, but they were married in Ohio. She died at the family homestead in this state in 1887. In their family were seven children, namely: Frances, who married John Meyers, of Missouri; Clem, now living in Johnson county, Iowa ; Otto J., the subject of this review; Eugene, who makes his home in the state of Washington; Freda, of Chicago; Mary, who is living on the home place ; and Phillip, who purchased the old homestead and now lives there.
Otto J. Staley was educated in the public schools of Johnson county and continued with his parents until twenty-one years of age. In 1873 he came
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to Crawford county in a covered wagon, the journey requiring seven days, and he has ever since been identified with the agricultural interests of this county. He worked by the month, and later he and his brother rented the farm which he now owns. In 1906, having acquired the necessary capital, he began inde- pendently by purchasing eighty acres of raw land and applied himself so suc- cessfully to its cultivation that he now owns three hundred and twenty acres, which he has largely improved in value by the erection of buildings, fences, etc. He raises grains and also keeps blooded Norman and coach horses and other graded stock which he handles to excellent advantage.
In 1882 Mr. Staley was united in marriage to Miss Amelia Hofer, a native of Johnson county, Iowa, and a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth ( Meyers) Hofer. The parents were both born in Germany and were early settlers of Johnson county. There were seven children in their family, while fourteen children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Staley, namely: Agnes, now the wife of Albert Pithan, of Willow township; Charles, also of Willow township; Mark, who lives at Herrick, South Dakota; William, of Hanover township; Frank and Clara, both of whom are at home; Luke, Leo and Leonard, triplets, Asa, Edith, Paul, Verna and Florence, all of whom are at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Staley are at the head of one of the most remarkable families of Iowa, and the excellent training they have given their children is evidence of the good sense and clear judgment of the parents. Ten of the children are still at home, while four have started out on their own account in the great school of life. Mr. Staley has from his boyhood recognized the value of labor and has applied himself with an energy and ability that have produced gratifying returns. He and his wife and family are sincere adherents of the Catholic church. Politically he supports the democratic party and has served with great satisfaction to the people as trustee and clerk of Charter Oak township.
CHARLES LINDBERG.
Charles Lindberg owns an excellent farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Stockholm township, where he was engaged in general farming and stock- raising for a long period, but for the past fourteen years has lived retired. He is of Scandinavian extraction, his birth occurring in Sweden on the Ist of Jan- uary, 1835. His parents, John and Mary (Larson) Lindberg, spent their entire lives in the land of their nativity and there they are laid to rest.
Charles Lindberg remained a citizen of the old country until he had passed the thirty-fourth anniversary of his birth, having emigrated to the United States in the year 1869. The period was sufficiently long, however, for him to feel convinced that his chances of acquiring the means or giving his children the opportunities he desired were far greater in America, with its great tracts of unimproved and uncultivated land, than in his native country. Upon his ar- rival here he made his way westward to Crawford county, Iowa, where he bought forty acres of land, breaking the prairie of his new farm with a team of oxen. He possessed all the characteristics which distinguish his countrymen
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