USA > Iowa > Dickinson County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 5
USA > Iowa > Emmet County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 5
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38
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attended until graduated from the high school. He afterward learned the machinists trade, which he followed until he reached the age of thirty- six years. Later he was engaged in merchandising with Frank Irwin at Marseilles, Illinois, for a year and after coming to Wallingford joined Frank Irwin in organizing the present firm of Irwin & Haring for the conduct of a general mercantile establishment. They also deal in hard- ware and meats and have built up a trade which is substantial and grati- fying.
On the 24th of November, 1898, Mr. Ilaring was united in marriage to Miss Myra Irwin, a sister of his partner, and they have one son, Irwin, who was born in 1907.
Mr. Haring is a Mason, belonging to the lodge at Lyons, Iowa, and he is also connected with the Modern Woodmen camp at Wallingford, of which he is serving as clerk. He attends the Presbyterian church. His political support is given to the republican party and he is acknowledged one of its leaders in his community. On the city ticket he was elected mayor of Wallingford and is now the present chief executive of the town, directing its interests and seeking ever to promote its welfare.
CHARLES G. HARRISON.
Charles G. Harrison, whose home is on section 14, Armstrong Grove township, Emmet county, where he is successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits, was born on the 29th of August, 1862, in Wisconsin, and is a son of James and Martha (Pierson) Harrison, who were natives of . York- shire, England, and came to America in the early '50s. Locating in Wis- consin, the father purchased land in Ironton, Sauk county, where he fol- lowed farming for many years. When the country became involved in civil war he enlisted in a Wisconsin regiment and remained in the service for three years. He then returned to his home and resumed farming, continuing to make his home in Wisconsin until his death, which occurred in 1906. His wife survived him five years, passing away in 1911.
On the old home farm in Wisconsin Charles G. Harrison grew to manhood with the usual educational advantages and he remained under the parental roof until twenty-three years of age, when he went to Wash- ington, where he remained eleven years and took up a homestead eight miles from Olympia. On his return east he settled at Luverne, Iowa, where he purchased land and engaged in its operation for five years. At the end of that time he came to Emmet county and bought one hundred and sixty acres on sections 14 and 24, Armstrong Grove township. He resides on the former section and now has a well-improved and valuable farm, pleasantly located only a half mile from the city limits of Arm- strong. He has residence property and five acres of land in that place besides his farm.
In 1892 Mr. Harrison was united in marriage to Miss Ida M. Griffin,
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and to them were born two children: James A., who died in 1896; and Clifford C., who graduated in 1917 from high school and now follows farming. Mr. Harrison is a life member of State Lodge No. 68, A. F. & A. M., at Tacoma, Washington, and also belongs to the Yeomen. He attends the Methodist church at Armstrong and politically is identified with the republican party. He is one of the successful farmers and rep- resentative citizens of his community and well remits the respect which . is accorded him.
JOHN CUNNINGHAM.
In the death of John Cunningham Emmet county lost a substantial, worthy and respected citizen, a man who had long been prominently and actively identified with its agricultural interests and who in every relation of life had conducted himself with such signal energy as to win the esteem of all with whom he came in contact. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, on the 10th of May, 1822, and on crossing the Atlantic to the United States when twenty-six years of age made his way to Tennessee. There he worked as a stone and brick mason for a number of years and afterward went to Wisconsin, where he was employed at railroad work and in lumber camps. He also worked to some extent at the stone mason's trade. Think- ing to find still better business opportunities in the new and growing western country, he made his way to Emmet county and was one of the first to settle within its borders. He came with the Mahers just after the Indians drove out the original settlers and before the Ridleys came. Mr. Cunningham purchased the south half of section 36, High Lake town- ship, a tract of raw land on which not a furrow had been turned nor an improvement made. He at once began to develop and cultivate the prop- erty and lived thereon during the rest of the hard times when existence in Emmet county meant a continuous struggle. As the years advanced, however, times and conditions changed and Mr. Cunningham's efforts resulted in converting his tract of wild prairie into rich and productive fields from which he annually gathered good harvests that brought him a substantial financial return. He remained upon that place to the time of his death, which occurred September 22, 1904. His life was one of untiring industry, thrift and perseverance and his success was due to those qualities.
Mr. Cunningham was married in Wisconsin to Miss Elizabeth Banks, a native of Dublin, Ireland, whose parents never came to the United States. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham: Michael, who has passed away ; one who died in infancy ; John, a resident of Emmet county ; Thomas and William, both deceased; Adeline, living in Water- loo, Iowa; James, who is cultivating the old home farm; and Mary, the wife of Philbert John Lee Master, who is associated with her brother James in carrying on the old homestead.
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Mr. Cunningham was a Catholic in religious faith and in politics was a democrat. He held all the township offices and his loyalty in citizen- ship stood as an unquestioned fact in his career. His was an active and useful life and indicates what may be accomplished when there is determi- nation and energy. In the face of obstacles and difficulties he worked his way upward and was thus able to leave to his family a very substantial competence as well as an honored name.
CHARLES W. CRIM
Charles W. Crim, a member of the Estherville bar, was born in Carroll county, Ohio, in May, 1850, a son of John and Salina Crim, who were farming people of the Buckeye state, whence they removed to Iowa in 1855, settling in Boone county, near Mineral Ridge, where they spent their remaining days. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church and people of genuine personal worth. They reared a family of three sons and six daughters. The Crim family comes of German an- cestry and was established on American soil prior to the Revolutionary war, settlement being made in Virginia. One branch of the family, opposed to the institution of slavery, removed to Ohio and from that state its representatives have gone to all parts of the country, especially to various states of the west.
Charles W. Crim learned life's lessons practically in the hard school of experience. He worked on a farm through the summer and in the winter months mastered such branches of learning as were taught in the district schools near his father's home. Between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four years he taught school and devoted the hours which are usually termed leisure to the study of law, utilizing every possible moment in that manner until admitted to the bar on examination. In the mean- time he had spent a few terms as a pupil in Simpson College at Indianola, Iowa, but otherwise he has been self taught. He had the usual experiences of the pioneer boy, living in a log cabin in an unsettled country with its attendant hardships, the meals of the family largely consisting of corn bread, pork and hominy. Such a life, however, is not without its pleasures and its opportunities. Necessity perhaps calls for hard labor, but at the same time it develops the best in the individual, gives him strength and power of resistance and makes him ready for anything that may come. Laudable ambition prompted Mr. Crim to prepare for the bar and since his admission he has continuously practiced his profession in the state and federal courts. At the same time he has been a reader of general literature and has kept in touch with the trend of modern thought and progress. He has also broadened the scope of his business connec- tions through investments in banks and other local enterprises, including a wholesale grocery house and a telephone company.
In September, 1890, Mr. Crim was married to Miss Sarah McCulla,
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CHARLES W. CRIM
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a daughter of Robert and Jane McCulla, of a Scotch-Irish-Canadian family of farming people. Mrs. Crim was born in Iowa and engaged in teach- ing school prior to her marriage. Their daughter, Grace, who has been a student in the Universities of Minnesota and of Iowa, is now completing a course in language, liberal arts and music. The son, Charles Harold, is a student of engineering in the State University of Illinois.
As a farm boy Mr. Crim became a member of the Grange. He has since become identified with the Masonic bodies and the Knights of Pythias. His military experience covers service with the Iowa State Militia from 1878 until 1880. From 1892 until 1898 he filled the office of prosecuting attorney but has never been an aspirant for office, pre- ferring to concentrate his efforts upon the private practice of law. In politics he has always been a republican and is a believer in prepared- ness, military and otherwise. He is also a protectionist and is rather inclined to the Hamiltonian than the Jeffersonian theory of popular gov- ernment. He has ever believed that the surest road to permanent success in life is through untiring industry, hard work and unflinching integrity and he has thus shaped his course with the result that he stands today among the most able and prominent of the lawyers of this section of the state. He is a believer in the religion of correct living as defined by the golden rule and as explained in Bryant's "Thanatopsis."
WALTER B. JONES.
Walter B. Jones, deceased, was one of the honored citiezns of Dickin- son county, who served for three years as a soldier of the Civil war and in times of peace was always found to be a loyal and patriotic citizen of his adopted country. He was born on the other side of the Atlantic, his birth occurring in Kent county, England, January 10, 1839, and his parents, Frederick and Jane Jones, never left that country, both dying in England some years ago.
Walter B. Jones was reared and educated in his native land and was nineteen years of age when, in 1858, he came to the United States and located at Northwood, Worth county, Iowa, where he spent three years. He next made his home in Mitchell county, Iowa, and while residing there he enlisted in 1862 in Company K, Twenty-seventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry, with whom he served until hostilities ceased. During his service his health became permanently impaired and he was unable to do much work after the war. He was a mason by trade and continued to follow that occupation in Mitchell, Iowa, until 1881, when he came to Dickinson county and purchased land in Milford township. He improved his farm and engaged in its cultivation for sixteen years, at the end of which time he retired from active labor and spent the remainder of his life in retire- ment at Milford. The farm which he purchased for seven dollars per acre
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has recently been sold for two hundred dollars per acre, so valuable has land become in this section of the state.
On the 7th of November, 1865, Mr. Jones was united in marriage to Miss Olive J. Carey, a daughter of William W. and Lydia Jane (Dom- burgh) Carey, who were natives of New York. Her father, who was a farmer by occupation, died in 1880, and her mother passed away in 1886. To Mr. and Mrs. Jones were born six children, namely: Elizabeth, the wife of John L. Pitcher, of Spencer, Iowa; Fred W., who served as sheriff of Dickinson county for fifteen years and was state representative four years but is now living on a farm near Spirit Lake; Guy, a resident of Fort Collins, Colorado; Nellie E., who died June 17, 1904, at the age of twenty-eight years; Earl, a resident of Spencer; and Zella, who is the wife of Jarvis J. Dennis, of Milford, and has one child, Frederick, born November 17, 1916.
After a useful and well-spent life Mr. Jones passed away February 14, 1914, having been ill only one week. He laid the foundation for the first business house in Milford and was actively identified with the upbuild- ing and development of this region. For forty-eight years he was an honored member of the Masonic fraternity and was also a prominent mem- ber of Waller Post, G. A. R. In politics he was a republican and in religious faith was an Episcopalian. Wherever known he was held in high regard and when he departed this life he left a host of friends as well as his immediate family to mourn his death.
GEORGE H. WEST.
A well improved farm property is that owned by George H. West, who has one hundred and sixty acres on section 8, Center township, Emmet County. He was born on that section May 25, 1871, a son of George and Ann (Cousins) West, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of Canada. It was in 1859 that the father crossed the Atlantic to America, making his way first to Ohio, while in 1866 he became a resident of Emmet County. The work of development and improvement had scarcely been begun in this section of the state, much of the land being still in possession of the government. He took up a homestead on section 8, Cen- ter Township, to which he afterward added by additional purchase, increasing his holdings from time to time until he had four hundred and eighty acres at the time of his death, which occurred in 1909.
George H. West of this review is one of a family of fourteen children, twelve of whom are yet living. He was reared and educated in Center township, attending the common schools through the winter months, while the summer seasons were devoted to farm work. He continued to assist his father until he reached the age of twenty-seven years and then began farming on his own account on rented land. He was thus engaged until 1911, when he purchased the farm upon which he now
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resides, comprising a quarter of section 8, Center township. His labors have been productive of splendid results in the development and improve- ment of this tract. He has erected fine buildings, has purchased the latest improved machinery to facilitate the work of the fields and has divided his farm by well-kept fences. In fact, none of the accessories of the model farm property of the twentieth century are lacking.
On the 1st of January, 1904, Mr. West was married to Miss Anna Maniece, a native of Ireland and a daughter of Frank and Eleanor (Bur- rell) Maniece, who were also natives of the Emerald isle, whence they came to the United States in 1883, at which time they settled in Wisconsin. They afterward removed to Iowa and took up their abode upon a farm in Emmet township, Emmet county. Mr. and Mrs. West have become the parents of four children, Margaret M., Elizabeth E., Kenneth E. and Florence F.
Mr. and Mrs. West hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and are loyal and consistent Christian people. Fraternally he is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America. His political support is given to the republican party and he has served as township clerk and as school director. He is always interested in matters pertaining to the general welfare and cooperates in many plans and measures for the development and upbuilding of the county. A lifelong resident here, he has witnessed its many changes through forty-five years and is today numbered among the honored early settlers.
PAUL M. WADE.
Paul M. Wade, proprietor of a general store in Terril, was born on the 26th of March, 1886, in Illinois, of which state his parents, Jacob M. and Hannah (Clump) Wade were also natives. In the spring of 1893 the family removed to Dickinson county, Iowa, and located upon a farm where the parents remained until 1911. They are now living at Superior, Iowa. All of their four children survive. Paul M. Wade was about seven years of age when he became a resident of Dickinson county, and in its common schools he has acquired the greater part of his education. For one year he attended the high school of Terril. He remained under the parental roof until twenty-one years of age and then engaged in farming on his own account for two years. In 1910 he turned his attention to mercantile pursuits and now owns a good general store in which he car- ries a well-selected stock. He has built up a good trade, his patronage coming from the village and the surrounding country. Besides his town property he also owns one hundred and sixty acres of land in North Dakota.
On the 9th of September, 1908, Mr. Wade was united in marriage to Miss Maud Pearl Clark, who was born in Dickinson county and is one of a family of six children, her parents being John C. and Martha (Gran-
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ling) Clark, who are still living in Dickinson county. Mr. and Mrs. Wade have two children, Lyle Elwin and Evelyn Maurine.
In politics Mr. Wade is a stanch republican and he is taking an active interest in public affairs, being now a member of the town council of Terril. He is a member of Terril Lodge, No. 612, A. F. & A. M., and also belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America. Both he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and he is now serving as one of its trustees. He owns a fine residence in the village and is numbered among its representative business men. Prosperity has come to him through his own unaided efforts, for he started out in life for him- self empty handed and by industry, economy and good judgment has become quite well-to-do.
RICHARD HORSWELL.
Richard Horswell, deceased, was for many years identified with the agricultural and stock raising interests of Emmet county, his home being on sections 13 and 14, Armstrong Grove township. He was born in Eng- land, March 25, 1822, and was a son of John and Mary (Upham) Hors- well, who never came to America but died in England, the former in 1835 and the latter in 1830. In the land of his birth Richard Horswell was reared and educated and at the age of thirteen years started out to make his own way in the world. When fourteen years old he began learning the milling business which he followed in England and Canada for thirty- five years. At the age of twenty-one he removed to Canada but was afterward taken ill and returned to his native land for the benefit of his health. He remained there four years, during which time he was married. At the end of that time he again went to Canada accompanied by his wife and their two children, but twelve years later we again find them in Eng- land, in order that their children might have better educational advantages. In 1867 Mr. Horswell again took his family to Canada, where his wife died the same year. From there he removed to Humboldt county, Iowa, where he remained for two years and then came to Emmet county, taking up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres on section 14, Armstrong Grove township. Subsequently he purchased another quarter section across the road on section 13. He at once began the improvement of his place and made it one of the finest farms in the county. He was a breeder of thoroughbred Durham cattle and Poland China hogs, and during his residence here met with well-deserved success in his labors. He continued to reside upon his farm up to the time of his death, but for the last ten years practically lived retired, renting his land to tenants.
In 1845 Mr. Horswell was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Wood, by whom he had seven children, John R., Mary E., Adeline, George, Charles, Albert and Victor. The last named is now deceased and the wife and mother passed away in 1867. In March, 1870, Mr. Horswell wedded
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RICHARD HORSWELL AND FAMILY
LENOX
ILD. .
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Dorcas Cronk, a daughter of David and Nancy (Clark) Cronk, natives of Canada. Her father, who was a farmer by occupation, continued to reside in Canada throughout life and passed away in 1867 at the age of sixty-five years, and her mother died in 1890 at the age of seventy-nine years. By his second marriage Mr. Horswell had the following children, Victoria, Walter, Maude, Thyrza, Frances, May, Garfield, Blanche, Blaine and Lincoln. Of these Frances is deceased.
After a useful and well-spent life Mr. Horswell passed away on the 4th of August, 1915, at the advanced age of ninety-three years, four months and ten days. His widow still makes her home on the farm. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and a Methodist in religious faith. Politically, he supported the men and measures of the republican party. During his residence in Emmet county he became widely and favorably known, and at his death left many friends as well as his immediate family to mourn his loss.
AMASA D. ROOT.
Amasa D. Root, living retired at Estherville, became a resident of that city in 1890 and for twenty-two years was prominently identified with its business interests as a dealer in lumber, coal and machinery. The unfailing enterprise and reliable business methods which he mani- fested brought to him a substantial measure of success that now enables him to rest from further labor. He was born in Delaware county, New York, in 1846, a son of Daniel and Cornelia (Grim) Root, who were also natives of the Empire state, where the father followed the occupa- tion of farming. In 1852 he removed with his family to Richford, Wis- consin, and there carried on general agricultural pursuits up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1860. In the family were five children : Elmira, the widow of T. G. Bartlett and a resident of St. Paul, Nebraska ; Anna, the widow of Henry Burgess and a resident of North Loup, Nebraska; Ora, who resided near Portage City, Wisconsin, but is now deceased ; Elizabeth, the widow of Rufus Collins and a resident of Ord, Nebraska; and Amasa D., of this review.
The last named spent his youthful days in the usual manner of farm lads, working in the fields through the summer months and attending the public schools in the winter seasons until he reached the age of fourteen years, when his father died and he took over the management of the home farm, which he continued to cultivate for three years. On the expiration of that period he went to Nebraska and was engaged in farming near St. Paul. He resided in Butler county, Iowa, for ten years and for four years was engaged in the creamery business at Greene, Iowa. In 1890, as previously stated, he came to Estherville and until 1912 was actively engaged in the lumber and coal trade and in the machinery business, in which connections he won a patronage that was extensive and gratifying.
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His business methods were such as would bear the closest investigation and serutiny and his unfaltering energy and determination brought him well-merited success. While still retaining a financial interest in the busi- ness he has retired from its active management and is now enjoying a well-earned rest, being most comfortably situated in a pleasant and attrac- tive home at No. 502 South Ninth street.
In 1870 Mr. Root was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Mont- gomery, who passed away in 1909 and was buried in the Oak Hill ceme- tery at Estherville. They became the parents of three children : Mabel, who married Grant Hardman, of Greene, Iowa, and died in 1890; Charles A., who for six years filled the position of county auditor and is now a traveling salesman ; and Frank O., who is employed in the superintendent's office of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company at Esther- ville. In 1910 Mr. Root was again married, his second union being with Lizzie Archer, a daughter of O. T. Archer, of Estherville.
Politically, Mr. Root is an earnest republican and at all times keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He has served as councilman and exercised his official prerogatives in support of various measures for the general good. He has also been vice president of the Iowa State Savings Bank. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church and his entire career has commanded for him the confidence and respect of his fellowmen, for it has been guided by high and honor- able principles.
M. J. IVERSON.
M. J. Iverson, who is successfully engaged in farming on section 8, Lincoln township, was born in Franklin county, lowa, on the 24th of July, 1871, a son of Iver and Anna (Erickson) Iverson, natives of Nor- way, where they were reared and married. Immediately following their marriage they came to the United States in 1868 and established their home in Franklin county, Iowa, the father purchasing forty acres of land on which he began farming. From time to time he has added to his hold- ings by additional purchase as his financial resources have increased until his landed possessions now embrace five hundred acres, constituting a very valuable and productive tract.
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