USA > Iowa > Decatur County > History of Decatur County, Iowa, and its people, Volume II > Part 3
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HISTORY OF DECATUR COUNTY
James H. Martin was reared in Illinois and there received his education. In 1880, when a young man of twenty-five years, he removed to Decatur county, Iowa, and settled near the state line in Fayette township, buying eighty acres of land on section 26 from the United Order of Enoch. Subsequently he added forty acres adjoin- ing and remained upon that farm for ten years, making a number of improvements. In 1890 he sold that one hundred and twenty acres and purchased three hundred and twenty acres on section 22, Bloomington township, to which he later added forty acres. He remained upon that place for ten years, after which he removed to Lamoni, where he resided for one year. At the end of that time he purchased one hundred and eighty-six acres in the Evergreen Settle- ment southwest of Lamoni, where he resided for about a decade. He then returned to his farm on section 22, Bloomington township, where he has since made his home. He has improved his place well and keeps everything in excellent condition, while his well directed indus- try has made him a successful and prosperous farmer and stock- raiser. Although at one time he owned six hundred acres of land, he now has but two hundred acres, as he has divided his holdings among his children. The first eighty acres which he purchased cost twelve dollars and a half per acre, but is now easily worth one hun- dred dollars per acre. He began his independent career with a capital of less than four hundred dollars and the financial independ- ence which is now his is the merited reward of energy and good management.
Mr. Martin was married in Illinois to Miss Sarah Ann Atkin- son, a native of England, who came to America when thirteen years of age and who passed away in 1911 when about sixty years of age, leaving five children: William, thirty-two years old, who is still at home; Martha, the wife of A. L. Keen, a farmer of this county, by whom she has a daughter, Mildred; James, Jr., who owns a number of farms and is successfully engaged in business in Lamoni and who married, in Illinois, Miss Hazel Roth; Clarence, a farmer of this county, who was married in Missouri to Miss Ora Cawfelt; and Ruth, the wife of R. A. Hammer, mentioned elsewhere in this work. On the 26th of October, 1913, Mr. Martin married Mrs. Emma (Hersha) Good. By her previous marriage she has four children, of whom two reside at Lamoni: Clarence, cashier of the Farmers State Bank; Alma, a high-school graduate and a clever cartoonist; Galdys, who is attending school; and John, at home.
Mr. Martin is a republican, and although several times solicited to become a candidate for political office, has always refused. He
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HISTORY OF DECATUR COUNTY
has, however, served as a member of the board of education, as he recognizes the paramount importance of an excellent system of public schools. He became a member of the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints at Kewanee and has since, or for a period of forty years, taken great interest in the welfare and growth of that organization. He gave the local congregation an acre of ground on which the house of worship was erected, and has contributed generously to the current expenses of the church. His wife is also identified with the Latter Day Saints. In addition to his farm, he owns an excellent residence in Lamoni, where his daughter, Mrs. Hammer, now lives. He began his independent career with very little capital, but he believed that energy and sound judgment, coupled with the opportunities of the middle west, would enable him to achieve success and that faith has been amply justified, as he is one of the substantial men of his town- ship.
PRESIDENT SAMUEL A. BURGESS.
As president of Graceland College of Lamoni, Iowa, Samuel A. Burgess occupies a position of leadership in educational circles in this part of the state, and his influence has been widely felt. He was born on the 15th of September, 1877, in St. Louis, Missouri, a son of Samuel R. and Eveline Burgess, and of English descent. After completing his public-school course he entered the St. Louis Manual Training school and subsequently matriculated in Washington Uni- versity in that city, which conferred upon him the A. B. degree in 1900 and the LL. B. degree two years later. For a number of years he has been prominent in various societies affiliated with the Reor- ganized Church of Latter Day Saints and since 1898, with the excep- tion of two years, has been a member of the general executive com- mittee of the Zion's Religio-Library Society, a young people's organ- ization, and in that connection has done much to promote the moral and intellectual growth of the young men and women of the church. For one year he was general librarian of the Sunday school, while he was the first chairman of the Latter Day Saints' Library Commis- sion, of which he has been a member since its organization. He has also been president of the Sunday School Religio-Normal Alumni Association and is a member of the Church Commission on Social Service. Since 1911 he has been a member of the board of trustees of Graceland College; since April, 1914, has served as associate
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HISTORY OF DECATUR COUNTY
director of the Graceland Extension Institute; while since June, 1913, he has been president of Graceland College, a school maintained by the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints at Lamoni. Under his direction a high standard of scholarship has been maintained and the student body has grown appreciably since he became the head of the school. His relations with the members of the faculty have been most pleasant and all have worked together for the welfare of the institution, which is well known in southern Iowa.
On the 15th of June, 1915, Mr. Burgess was married to Miss Alice May Chase, a daughter of Amos M. and Eliza Chase, nee France. She was born October 15, 1892, and is a descendant of Aquila Chase, an Englishman who landed at Newbury, Massachu- setts, in 1660. Her father is therefore a cousin of Salmon P. Chase, who was secretary of the treasury under Lincoln and afterward chief justice of the United States supreme court. Her paternal grand- mother is a direct descendant of - Silsbee, an Englishman who landed at Salem, Massachusetts, in 1626. On her maternal side she is related to the France family, who came from Illinois to Fay- ette township in the early '80s, being a granddaughter of Thomas France. She was a student in the public schools of Lamoni, com- pleting her high school work at the Northwestern State Normal at Alva, Oklahoma. She took her college work in the University of Utah at Salt Lake City and in Cornell University at Ithaca, New York, and from the latter received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in June, 1914. Her father has been a traveling missionary of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for the past twenty years and the daughter was associated with him for sev- eral years as a field worker. It was as a field worker and missionary that she was in Utah at the time she attended the university there, all of her spare time outside of school hours being spent in missionary work, in the church building, various halls and at times in the streets of Salt Lake City. Despite the aggressive work against the domi- nant church of Utah, her scholarship secured her election to the Gleam, an honorary literary society. Following her graduation at Cornell she taught Latin and German in the high school at Lamoni. In that connection she was instrumental in giving the Latin Club a permanent organization with a regular constitution under student officers, the club being now known as Nital.
While living in St. Louis Mr. Burgess was a member of the Mis- souri Athletic Club and of the Civic League of that city and was for two years secretary of the St. Louis Manual Training Association and was a member of the Washington University Association. He
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HISTORY OF DECATUR COUNTY
still belongs to the Law Library Association of St. Louis and to the Bar Association of that city, the National Geographic Society of America and the American Economic Association. He also belongs to a number of philosophical organizations and has studied the ques- tion of religion and religious training from many viewpoints. He was secretary of the Eighth Quorum of Elders and has exerted a deeply felt influence in the work of the Reorganized Church of Lat- ter Day Saints. All who know him concede his ability and his per- sonal traits are such that he has also gained many warm and sincere friends.
HARRY G. ARNOLD.
Harry G. Arnold, a traveling salesman residing at Garden Grove, was born on the 6th of May, 1875, in Decatur county of the mar- riage of Guy and Elsie (Howes) Arnold. His paternal grand- father, Sylvanus Arnold, who married Miss Lucretia Baker, went to California in 1849 and sought his fortune in the gold fields. In 1852 their son Guy located in Decatur county, Iowa, where he became the owner of large tracts of land and gave his time to agricultural pursuits. Like his father, he felt the fascination of mining and the possibilities of sudden wealth and prospected in both the California and Alaska gold fields. It is said that in 1898 he was the first white man to reach the headwaters of the Pelly and Stewart rivers in Alaska. He made the trip in a boat from Fort Selkirk to Nome, a distance of about twenty-six hundred miles. His wife passed away while he was in the north. He then returned home and is now living in Garden Grove township, Decatur county. He was one of the earliest settlers and the oldest living resident of that township. For one term he represented his district in the state legislature, was for some time county supervisor and held a number of township offices, proving at all times able and conscientious in the discharge of his duties. He also served as president of the Decatur County His- torical Society and for several years was a member of the school board. Although he still retains his residence in Garden Grove township, he is at present in Texas looking after his landed interests in that state. He is one of the most substantial and most highly esteemed men in Decatur county and his friends are many. To him and his wife were born the following children: Harry G .; Helen E., the wife of Elmer J. Lovett, by whom she has three children,
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HISTORY OF DECATUR COUNTY
John J., Arnold and Pauline; Esther L., who married Howard J. Culver and has two children, Guy and Alice; Isabella; William; Pauline, a graduate nurse, who took her training in Mercy Hospital of Des Moines and who is now residing in California; and John D., who is a student in the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts at Ames.
Harry G. Arnold was educated in the public and high schools of Garden Grove, and during the period of his minority remained under the parental roof. He continued to farm until 1909, when he became a traveling salesman for the Braucher Manufacturing Company, of St. Joseph, Missouri. The firm manufactures cotton ducking, etc., and Mr. Arnold represents them as salesman in the state of Oklahoma. He also does considerable collecting for the company in the states of Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Louisiana.
In 1899 Mr. Arnold married Miss Mabel Judd, a daughter of Newton Judd, one of the highly esteemed early settlers of Decatur county. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold have four children, Judd, Elsie, Har- riet and Edgar.
Mr. Arnold gives his political allegiance to the democratic party and in 1906 was its candidate for county treasurer. In that year he was elected mayor of Garden Grove, giving the city an efficient and businesslike administration. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Masonic blue lodge, and with the Dramatic Order Knights of Khorassan. His religious faith finds expression in his membership in the Episcopal church and he is glad to cooperate with all move- ments furthering high moral endeavor.
S. P. WILEY.
S. P. Wiley, who owns five hundred and twenty acres on section 22, High Point township, was born in Jackson county, this state, on the 12th of June, 1864, a son of Isaac and Sarah (Spicer) Wiley. The father was born in Ireland, but in 1840, when about twenty- three years of age, emigrated to the United States, where he resided for some time. Following the deaths of his parents he returned to Ireland and remained there for ten years, after which he came again to America. He was married in Zanesville, Ohio, and subsequently removed to the vicinity of Dubuque, Iowa, where he lived for four- teen years, after which he came to Decatur county and purchased the
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HISTORY OF DECATUR COUNTY
old homestead from a man by the name of Beggs. His demise occurred in 1890 when he was seventy-two years of age, and his wife died in 1903 when seventy-four years old. They were the parents of ten children, only three of whom are still living, those besides our subject being Mrs. S. L. Cox, of Allerton; and Wilson, a farmer, living near Allerton.
S. P. Wiley was reared under the parental roof and attended the public schools in the acquirement of an education. He has devoted his entire active life to agricultural pursuits and now owns part of the old homestead. His holdings total five hundred and twenty acres of excellent land, and he is one of the most successful farmers and stock-raisers of High Point township.
On the 3d of March, 1898, Mr. Wiley married Miss Stella C. Cowden, by whom he had two children: Martha C., who died on the 10th of December, 1914, at the age of fifteen years; and Maurice W., who was born November 28, 1900. On the 9th of March, 1908, Mr. Wiley married Miss Susie Batt, of Worth county, Missouri, a daughter of Aaron and Catherine (Nutt) Batt. Her father was a farmer by occupation. She is one of a family of ten children and by her marriage has three children: Horace, who was born April 25, 1909; Mildred, born July 14, 1910; and Emmett, whose birth occurred August 20, 1911.
Mr. Wiley is a republican, for six years was a member of the board of supervisors and has also served as assessor and township trustee. . His official record is one that is highly creditable to him and there has never been any doubt either of his ability or of his integ- rity. He belongs to the Masonic order, holding membership in Clay Lodge No. 193, A. F. & A. M. All those who know him esteem him highly and he is recognized as a progressive and prosperous agri- culturist.
SAMUEL A. GATES.
Samuel A. Gates, an attorney and real-estate dealer of Leon, Iowa, was born in Athens county, Ohio, February 25, 1850, a son of Samuel H. and Charlotte Gates. In June, 1855, he removed with his parents to Decatur county, Iowa, locating on a farm two miles north of Leon. He had the usual advantages of school and farm work afforded by frontier life, and when eighteen years old taught his first school at Davis City, Iowa. In February, 1869, he entered
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HISTORY OF DECATUR COUNTY
the high school of Leon and was a member of the first graduating class in June, 1871. He taught school and studied law alternately until he was admitted to the bar May 1, 1875. After spending a few months looking for a good place to practice law he decided there was no place like home and returned to Leon, where in September, 1875, he opened a law office and has ever since been identified as a member of the Leon bar.
On November 1, 1877, Mr. Gates married Miss Emma J. Springer, daughter of Rev. B. O. Springer, an early Presbyterian minister of Decatur county. Mrs. Gates passed away in May, 1891, leaving her husband and two daughters, Mary A. and Grace E. In July, 1894, Mr. Gates remarried, choosing for his bride Mrs. Lenna F. Huston, daughter of Captain E. H. Alexander. They are the proud parents of two children, John A., born September 28, 1899; and Florence E., born March 28, 1903.
Politically Mr. Gates is a republican and has always been an earnest advocate for the rights of the masses. Fraternally he has been identified with the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and Home- stead Lodges, and religiously is a member of the Presbyterian church, to which his entire family belong. His life is as an open book in Decatur county and has been so lived as to merit the confidence, respect and esteem of all who know him.
JAMES KINDRED.
James Kindred, who is living retired in Pleasanton after many years devoted to agricultural pursuits, was born in Owen township, Jackson county, Indiana, in March, 1834, of the marriage of William and Rachel (Woods) Kindred. The father was a native of Ken- tucky and was by occupation a farmer and blacksmith. He removed to Indiana in an early day in the history of that state and at first concentrated his attention upon blacksmithing. Later he purchased land in Jackson county, which he operated until 1856, when he moved to Missouri. He continued to do blacksmithing in connection with his farm work until he was seventy years of age, his demise occurring in 1895, when he was eighty years old. His wife, who was a native of Indiana, has also passed away.
James Kindred received his education in the district schools of the Hoosier state, but when fourteen years of age left home and began to provide for his own support, going to Illinois, where he
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HISTORY OF DECATUR COUNTY
worked as a farm hand for eight years. At the end of that time he removed to Mercer county, Missouri, where he bought land which he improved and operated. In the meantime he had learned the black- smith's trade and erected a shop upon his farm, doing blacksmithing for thirteen years. He was actively engaged in farming for fifty- three years, but at the end of that time felt that he had accumulated sufficient of this world's goods and in May, 1910, he removed to Pleas- anton, where he is now living retired. He still owns, however, two hundred and eighty-three acres of excellent land and at one time held title to four hundred acres.
On the 16th of March, 1856, Mr. Kindred was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary E. Easton, a daughter of John J. and Nancy (Thorp) Easton, both natives of Kentucky. The father, who fol- lowed the occupation of farming, removed to Indiana in the early days of the history of that state, and after residing there for a num- ber of years went to Illinois, whence he removed to Mercer county, Missouri. He died when sixty-seven years of age and his wife is also deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Kindred have become the parents of twelve children, namely: Nancy C., the deceased wife of Phil Kin- dred; John William, who is living in Colorado; Delanie, deceased; Mary F., the wife of Jack Kindred, a resident of Harrison county, Missouri; Rebecca, who married Charles Edwards, residing in Colo- rado; Robert R., deceased; Susan E., the wife of Andrew Moore, who operates the farm belonging to our subject; Janet C., who mar- ried Emmett Hilton, of Mercer county, Missouri; Beverly, deceased; Charles C. and Albert, who have also passed away; and Bertie E., the wife of Henry Hill, of Mercer county, Missouri.
Mr. Kindred is a democrat and is a faithful worker in the ranks of the party. During the Civil war he was for twenty-two days at the front. He has made many friends in Pleasanton since removing here and is accounted one of the valuable citizens of the town, as he takes a keen interest in the general welfare.
OSCAR L. PECK.
Oscar L. Peck, who is a well known farmer of section 9, Morgan township, was born upon the family homestead in that township, January 7, 1876. His father, Hiram Peck, was born in Ohio of Dutch ancestry and during his early life taught school and also fol- lowed the carpenter's trade. After removing to Morgan township,
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HISTORY OF DECATUR COUNTY
this county, he purchased land, becoming the owner of two hundred and forty acres, which he cultivated successfully for many years. He was married in Lineville, Iowa, in 1870 to Miss Lucy Bellows, whose birth occurred on the 15th of October, 1855, in Morgan town- ship. Her parents, Smith and Emaline Bellows, were pioneer set- tlers of this county, but previous to removing here resided in Illinois. The father died upon his farm in Morgan township, but his wife survives and now makes her home in Lineville, Iowa. Hiram Peck passed away on the 15th of November, 1902, and following his demise his wife continued to reside upon the farm with the younger children until 1914, when she removed to Leon, where she is still living. They were the parents of eleven children: Oscar L .; Wilbert, deceased; Francis, who is living in Colorado; Clyde, of Oklahoma; Inez, the wife of Frank Warnock, who is living in the vicinity of Lineville, Iowa; Ruby, who married Oscar Vaughn, of Morgan township; Helen, the wife of James Grogan, of Morgan township; Guy, who is living in Storm Lake, Iowa; Mary, the wife of Stokes Moore, of Corydon, Iowa; Horace, deceased; and a daughter who died in infancy. 1193836
Oscar L. Peck attended the public schools in his boyhood and youth and thus acquired his education. He remained at home and gave his father the benefit of his labor until he was twenty-three years of age, when he began farming for himself, renting farms in Hamil- ton and Woodland townships for three years. In 1903 he purchased one hundred and fourteen acres on section 9, Morgan township, and in the intervening years has added thereto until his holdings now comprise one hundred and ninety acres of land, all of which is well improved. He does all of the work connected with the operation of the farm by himself and is meeting with gratifying success as a farmer and stock-raiser. He breeds high grade cattle and hogs, which he ships to the St. Joseph, Chicago and Kansas City markets.
Mr. Peck was married on the 19th of November, 1900, to Miss Nellie Scott, a daughter of Dr. William H. H. and Louisa (Rich- ardson) Scott. Her father was a native of Bartholomew county, Indiana, and came of Irish ancestry. He was born on the 14th of December, 1840, and remained in his native state until he was eleven years of age, when he removed with his parents to Missouri. In 1862 he enlisted in Company B, Thirty-sixth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war. For fourteen months he was confined in the Confederate prison at Tyler, Texas. He graduated from the Keokuk Medical College at Keokuk, Iowa, and in 1891, went to Cushing, Oklahoma, taking up a claim in Payne county,
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HISTORY OF DECATUR COUNTY
which he improved and operated. At the same time he continued to practice his profession, in which he gained an enviable reputation. He was also prominent in public affairs and represented Payne county in the territorial legislature of Oklahoma, proving an efficient working member of that body. He passed away at his home in Cush- ing on the 6th of November, 1908, when sixty-seven years of age. He was married in 1866 in Mercer county, Missouri, to Miss Louisa Richardson, who was born in Delaware county, Ohio, November 19, 1845, and who is of Irish descent. She survives and still makes her home in Cushing.
Mr. Peck is a republican and stanchly supports the candidates of that party at the polls. He is now serving his fifth year as trustee of Morgan township, was for three years treasurer of the school board and for five terms has been a school director. Fraternally he is con- nected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Lineville, and his wife is a member of the Rebekahs. They are numbered among the prosperous and public-spirited citizens of their township and are widely and favorably known.
DAVID DANCER.
David Dancer achieved a large measure of financial success, . becoming one of the wealthiest men in Decatur county, and he was held in high respect as an agriculturist and as a banker but it would be far from the truth to suppose that he was not equally honored as a man and as a citizen, for his dominant traits were such as invariably win esteem and goodwill.
Mr. Dancer was born in Oneida county, New York, on the 20th of February, 1827, a son of William and Phoebe (Mix) Dancer, the former born in New Jersey and the latter in New York. Of their seven children who grew to maturity our subject was the youngest. As a child he accompanied his parents on their removal to Will county, Illinois, the family home being established near the site of the city of Kankakee, and there the mother died on the 20th of August, 1839, when fifty-one years of age. The father kept the family together and cared for the children as well as looked after his property inter- ests. He passed away in Will county on the 23d of September, 1852, when seventy-five years of age.
David Dancer grew to manhood in the Prairie state and in addi- tion to receiving a common-school education was early trained to work
David Cancer
,
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HISTORY OF DECATUR COUNTY
upon the farm. In 1851 he was married and began following agricul- tural pursuits on his own account, remaining in Will county, Illinois, until 1876. He then sold out and removed to Plano, that state, where he remained for a year. In 1871 he had become associated with E. Banta and I. L. Rogers as agent for the First United Order of Enoch and in the later '70s they visited Decatur county and in their capacity as agents purchased thirty-three hundred acres of land as a preliminary step toward founding a colony of Latter Day Saints. In 1877 Mr. Dancer came with his family to Decatur county, Iowa, and located on section 5, Fayette township, where he lived until 1882. He owned and operated a farm of twelve hundred and eighty acres of excellent land and later acquired additional holdings, owning at one time two thousand acres in Decatur county, from which he derived a handsome income. In 1882 he built a fine residence in Lamoni and the family home was established there. He continued to superintend his large farming and stock-raising activities and also became identi- fied with financial interests, as he was one of the organizers of the State Savings Bank of Lamoni and was made president of that institution, in which capacity he served until his death. He was as successful a financier as he was a farmer and stock-raiser and his advice was listened to with much respect by his colleagues in the banking world. His widow is at present vice president of the State Savings Bank of Lamoni and is recognized as a woman of marked business ability and unusual knowledge concerning financial affairs. She continues to reside in the beautiful home erected by Mr. Dancer.
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