USA > Iowa > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 17
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In his political allegiance Mr. Smith is a consistent republican, but beyond casting his vote at each election does not take a per- sonal part in public affairs. His father's family were affiliated
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with the Quaker church in Ohio in early times, but Mr. Smith now holds membership in the Episcopal church of Webster City. His only fraternal affiliation is with the Masons, in which organi- zation he holds membership in the Acacia Lodge, No. 176, F. & A. M. He is one of the practical and intelligent business men who are the foundation and support of municipal life in America. His high intelligence and his ambitious mind directed from his boyhood into business channels have influenced his career, en- abling him to conduct his commercial enterprise of today with great efficiency.
C. C. NELSON.
C. C. Nelson has many claims to recognition as a man whose past activities have been effective for good and whose present career is useful and worthy. He was among the early settlers in Hamilton county and has witnessed the development of the sec- tion and participated in it. He served with distinction during the Civil war and at the present time is one of the prosperous, en- terprising and representative farmers of Ellsworth township. He owns eighty acres of choice land in this section and by capable management of his enterprise has gained a place in the front ranks of progressive agriculturists. He was born in La Salle county, Illinois, March 26, 1844, a son of Jonas and Sophia (Olson) Nelson, natives of Norway. His father came to America and settled in Illinois at a time when there were but two log cabins on the site where the city of Chicago now stands. He was twice married. By his first union he had two children: Mrs. Julia Christianson, deceased; and C. C., of this review. He and his second wife became the parents of four children: Mrs. Delia Melberg, of Benton county; Mrs. Josephine Henderson, of Ran- dall; Mrs. Sarah Tgernagel, who resides in Story City; and Mar- tin of Scott township. All the children in this family were born in Illinois with the exception of the last mentioned whose birth occurred in Hamilton county.
Mr. Nelson attended the public schools of his native section and grew to manhood in La Salle county. His early life was spent upon his father's farm and he was still active in its various duties at the outbreak of the Civil war. He enlisted in the One
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Hundred and Fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry and was in the First Division Fourteenth Army Corps, serving under Generals Rosecrans and Grant. He participated in the engagements at Chattanooga, Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, his regiment planting the first flag upon the battlefield at the latter place. At the time of his enlistment he was a member of a regiment of one thousand men and when he was mustered out there were but three hundred and fifty-three of this number surviving. One half of his comrades were captured by the famous John H. Morgan, at Hartford, Tennessee, but were later paroled and exchanged. Mr. Nelson received his honorable discharge at the close of the war and immediately returned to Illinois, where, however, he remained only a short time. In 1866 he came west and located in Hamilton county where he has resided since that time. He is now the owner of eighty acres of choice land in Ellsworth town- ship, constituting one of the finest farms in the district. The improvements which he has made upon his property and the new and progressive standards to which he has steadily adhered have made a model agricultural enterprise and have gained him rec- ognition as a deservedly successful farmer. He lives upon his holdings in a pleasant home, well furnished and supplied with all modern conveniences and accessories and has many friends in Hamilton county, which he has seen develop and progress dur- ing his period of residence.
Mr. Nelson was married in Ellsworth township in 1866 to Miss Bertha Tgernagel, a native of Norway. They became the parents of six children: Carl, who is residing in Jewell; Jonas, who makes his home in Ellsworth township; Henry, of Minne- apolis, Minnesota; Frank, who is residing in Portland, Oregon; John, also of Portland; and Mollie, who makes her home in Minneapolis. All the children in this family were born in Ells- worth township, with the exception of the eldest son whose birth occurred in Scott township.
Mr. Nelson gives his political allegiance to the republican party and takes an intelligent interest in local affairs. He has served with ability and efficiency as school director and has also held the position of road supervisor. He is the sole survivor of the Civil war in Ellsworth township and is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, of Webster City. He is one of the important and successful citizens of this section of the state and has based his attainments in agricultural pursuits upon ex-
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perience and efficiency. In the business activities of his life he has been successful because his methods are practical and his standards of integrity high. He is a valuable addition to the resources of the county in the progressive qualities of his public spirit and is an early settler whose career has been an effective force in local development.
FRANK ALFRED BOYSEN.
The dental profession finds a worthy representative in Dr. F. A. Boysen, whose activities in this line have been successful since he was graduated from the Iowa State University in 1892 with the degree of D. D. S. He was born in Minnesota City, Minnesota, in 1869. His parents, Charles Henry and Francisco (Norton) Boysen, came to Iowa, 'and established their residence in that state about 1881. His father was a prominent hotel keeper at Dysart, Iowa, and a represen- tative and progressive citizen of that city until his death in 1910 when he was sixty-nine years of age. He survived his wife for two years, her death having occurred in 1908 at the age of sixty-one.
Dr. Boysen is one of a family of four children. He received his early education in the public schools of Minnesota City and carried on his studies in Dubuque, Iowa. When he had completed his high- school course he entered the Iowa State University at Iowa City and was graduated in 1892 with the degree of D. D. S. His professional career began in Dubuque, Iowa, where he established an office and remained for two years, gaining practical experience in his chosen field of activity. He then spent four years practicing at Bellevue, Iowa, and in 1898 came to Webster City where he opened his present business under his own name. In 1900 he was joined by his brother, Harry Alvin Boysen, who is also a dentist with a degree from the Northwestern University of Chicago, from which institution he was graduated with the class of 1897. When Dr. Harry A. Boysen joined his brother they carried on good professional practice in part- nership, and following a policy of expansion and development soon had branch offices in six towns in Hamilton county and had also es- tablished an office in Wright county. The connection of the two broth- ers continued for three years, from 1900 until 1903, and gained for both a widespread reputation which has been a valuable aid to them in their separate careers. Since 1903 Dr. Frank Boysen has carried
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on the practice of his profession in Webster City independently and his field of activity is extending every year.
On October 24, 1895, Dr. Boysen was united in marriage to Miss Jessamine Lora Ives, a daughter of Adelbert Ives of Iowa Falls, Iowa. Mrs. Boysen is a cultured and well educated woman. She is a gradu- ate of the Iowa State Normal College and before her marriage spent some years teaching. She and her husband affiliate with the Congre- gational church of Webster City and for six years Dr. Boysen was superintendent of its Sunday school. The office of primary super- intendent is now held by Mrs. Boysen who is doing useful work in this field. They are the parents of three children: Mildred Mavis, born July 5, 1896; Norton Ives, born in October, 1899; and Lora Fanny, whose birth occurred on the 21st of July, 1901. The family resi- dence is at 830 Walnut street, Webster City.
Politically Dr. Boysen gives his allegiance to the republican party, but he takes no active interest in public affairs, preferring to give his time and attention to his professional duties. He is prominent in Elmo Lodge, No. 62, I. O. O. F., and also holds membership in Webster City Lodge, No. 72, Purity Rebekahs. His professional career is distinguished by an expert knowledge of the details of his work, technical skill and mechanical dexterity. He is well versed in the science of dental surgery and belongs to the modern and pro- gressive school of practitioners. His increasing patronage attests his success.
EMERY E. ANDERSON.
Emery E. Anderson, who has been identified with the commercial interests of Ellsworth for the past five years, owns and conducts a hardware store which is numbered among the thriving enterprises of the town. He is a native of Illinois, having been born in Kane county, that state, on the 7th of December, 1856, and is a son of Ole A. and Elizabeth (Lakin) Anderson, the father a native of Norway. The father emigrated to the United States in his early life, first locating in Kane county. He subsequently came to Iowa and engaged in farming north of Ellsworth, and there the mother passed away in 1859, and was laid to rest in a cemetery in that vicinity. Later the father married again and removed to Holly, ten miles east of Webster City, where he conducted a tavern for several years. He subsequently
EMERY E. ANDERSON
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returned to Illinois, and settled on a farm in Kane county, which had been left to him by his father, and there engaged in agricultural pur- suits until 1897, when he withdrew from active work and removed to Elburn, Illinois, where he now lives retired.
Emery E. Anderson was only a child when his parents removed to Hamilton county, where he was reared to manhood, obtaining his education in the common schools. After laying aside his text-books he turned his attention to commercial activities and for three or four years thereafter was employed in the general store of Morrison & Sibley. He then went back to Illinois, and during the succeeding ten years clerked in a general store in Elburn. Later he went to Chi- cago, where he clerked for a time, coming from there to Story county, Iowa, accepting a position in a store at Colo. He subsequently pur- chased a farm and for four years thereafter devoted his entire time and energies to its further cultivation and improvement. At the ex- piration of that period he sold his place and returned to Elburn, Illi- nois, and went into the implement and manufacturing business. After being so identified for several years he sold out and accepted a posi- tion with the Walter A. Wood Harvester Company, remaining in their employ for five years. He next went on the road as traveling salesman for the Deering Harvester Company, but he resigned this position at the end of five years and purchased a farm in Brule county, South Dakota, which he operated for four years. On May I, 1907, Mr. Anderson once more became a resident of Ellsworth, and has ever since made this his home. When he first returned he became associated in the hardware business with his cousin, but twenty-one months later he purchased his partner's interest and has ever since conducted the enterprise alone. Last year, 1911, he erected the build- ing he now occupies, which is thoroughly modern and especially adapted to the particular needs of his business. He carries a large and well assorted stock of shelf and heavy hardware, invoicing eight thousand dollars, and is enjoying an excellent patronage. He is pro- gressive and enterprising in his methods and in the conduct of his business strives to please and accommodate his patrons, believing that the best mode of advertising is through well satisfied customers.
Mr. Anderson has been twice married, his first union being with Miss Hattie Moore on the 24th of November, 1881. She was a daughter of John O. and Sarah A. (Cox) Moore, the father a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Tennessee. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson: Chime I., who is a farmer in Ore- gon; Earl G., who passed away in 1901 at the age of sixteen years: Vol. II-12
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and Welcome H., the wife of Belvin Ellis, a resident of Academy, South Dakota. The wife and mother passed away in January, 1905, after a brief illness, and on the 19th of November, 1911, Mr. Ander- son was married to Mrs. Fanny Christian, a daughter of Alonzo and Martha (Goldsbury) Garrison.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson affiliate with the Congregational church, and fraternally he belongs to the Masonic lodge of Chamberlain, South Dakota; the Independent Order of Odd Fellow's; and the Modern Woodmen of America, of Ellsworth. Politically he is a re- publican, giving his allegiance to the progressive faction of that body. Mr. Anderson is very active and enterprising and is recognized as one of the representative members of the commercial fraternity of Ellsworth. Together with A. B. Staples he owns and operates a large skating rink, thirty-six by one hundred and eight feet, which is one of the town's well patronized and popular places of amusement. He is public-spirited in matters of citizenship and takes a personal inter- est in forwarding the development of the town by giving his coopera- tion to every progressive movement.
C. A. DICK.
The name of C. A. Dick is well known in business circles of Webster City and is a synonym in that community for honorable and upright methods and for an unblemished personal integrity. Mr. Dick is now the proprietor of a prosperous notion business located at No. 603 Second street, and his rapidly advancing suc- cess is the reward of well directed energy along useful lines. He was born in Coles county, Illinois, in 1860, and has made this section of the state his home since that time. His parents were Solomon B. and Julian (Kearns) Dick. The father was a native of Kentucky, being born in that state in 1822. When he was five years old he moved with his parents to Illinois, where he married and resided for some time. In 1864 he established his residence in Hamilton County, Iowa, and was a representative and pros- perous agriculturist of that section until he retired from active life and moved to Webster City, where he is now residing in the ninetieth year of his age. His wife passed away in 1895, when she was sixty-seven years old. They were the parents of eleven children: John; Mary, who is now deceased; Jacob; Martha;
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Rebecca; Rosetta, who has also passed away; Chester; Charles A., the subject of this sketch; Horton; William; and Oscar. Solomon B. Dick is a member of the Presbyterian church of Web- ster City and has been for many years active in religious circles.
C. A. Dick was educated in the schools of Hamilton county and his early youth was spent upon the farm. In 1882 he became identified with the hardware and implement business at Stan- hope, Iowa, and was successfully engaged in commercial enter- prises until 1889, when he moved to Webster City. For six years he operated a prosperous drug business under his name and did not abandon this occupation until 1902. In that year he started his present notion concern and has developed it along modern business lines since that time.
In 1888 Mr. Dick was united in marriage to Miss Cora E. Lane, a daughter of Richard Lane, of Hamilton county, who farmed in that section from 1867 until his death in 1884. Mr. Lane was a veteran of the Civil war and a prominent figure in the councils of the Grand Army of the Republic. To Mr. and Mrs. Dick have been born three children: Myrtle M., whose birth occurred in 1890; Jay, born in 1892; and Charles Harold, born in 1902. The family reside at No. 1305 Seneca street.
In his political affiliations Mr. Dick is a democrat, but his attention is absorbed by his growing business and he gives very little active attention to public affairs. He is a member of Elmo Lodge, No. 62, I. O. O. F., and is well known in the affairs of the Christian church of Webster City. His business career, like his private life, is marked by honorable activity in all its branches and by a thoroughly broad and intelligent liberality which is the rlistinguishing quality of his character.
PETER ZEIHAN.
Peter Zeihan, who is devoting his time and attention to general agricultural pursuits and the raising of stock in Independence town- ship, is one of Hamilton county's highly promising and enterprising young farmers. He is a native of this county, his birth having here occurred on the 15th of September, 1881, and a son of John and Catherine (Young) Zeihan, natives of Germany. The parents emi- grated to the United States in their early life and were married in
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Wisconsin, where they resided until 1875. In the latter year they came to Iowa and settled in Webster City, which was their place of residence for about two years, Mr. Zeihan being employed in one of the construction crews of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. They were thrifty and enterprising and from his meager earnings managed to save enough money to purchase twenty acres of land in the vicinity of Webster City. He subsequently disposed of this and invested the proceeds in eighty acres of partly improved land in Hamilton township. The cultivation of this proved so remunera- tive under his capable management that he was later able to extend the boundaries of his farm until he held the title to three hundred and twenty acres. He passed away in 1894, at the age of fifty-five years, but was survived by the mother, who continued to live on the homestead for fifteen years and during that period increased her ยท holdings by the purchase of a quarter section of land in Hamilton township. She left the farm in 1909 and went to Eagle Grove to reside, but two years later she returned to Webster City, where she died in 1911, at the age of fifty-nine.
Peter Zeihan, who was a youth of thirteen years when his father died, was the fourth in order of birth in a family of seven. He was educated in the common schools and remained at home assisting his mother with the cultivation of the farm, until he was married at the age of twenty-nine years, when he began farming for himself. He is a man of energetic methods and practical ideas and has met with more than average success in his undertakings. His home farm contains one hundred and sixty acres located on section 15, Inde- pendence township, all of which is fenced hog tight and has been ex- tensively improved. It is all tiled and one hundred and forty acres have been brought to a high state of productivity. In addition to his homestead he owns one hundred and twenty acres in Boone township, making his holdings aggregate two hundred and eighty acres, all of which he is cultivating, his principal crops beng corn, oats and hay. In connection with general farming Mr. Zeihan also engages in stock-raising, which is netting him gratifying returns. Mr. Zeihan is residing on his farm in Boone township one mile east of Webster City.
On the 28th of September, 1910, Mr. Zeihan was married to Miss Addie Moose, a daughter of Joseph and Emma (Feuerstein) Moose, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Ohio. They were married in Illinois and continued to reside in that state until the spring of 1908, when they came to Iowa, locating in Fre-
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mont township, this county, where they still reside, the father hav- ing attained the age of fifty-three and the mother fifty-two years. Mrs. Zeihan is the fourth in order of birth in a family of five, and is a native of Illinois, her birth there occurring on May 22, 1889.
In politics Mr. Zeihan gives his support to the democratic party and is now serving as a member of the school board. His fraternal relations are confined to his membership in the Knights of Columbus, and both he and his wife are communicants of the Roman Catholic church of Webster City. He is highly respected in Independence township, where he has proven to be not only diligent and enter- prising but efficient and capable, and is meeting with well deserved success in his undertakings.
JOHN WEHRHEIM.
The record of the pioneer settlement and agricultural develop- ment of Hamilton county contains no more honored name than that of John Wehrheim, who came to this section when it was an unbroken prairie and developed and improved from a tract of raw land one of the finest farms in his township. He was born in Randolph county, Illinois, August 12, 1843, and is a son of Con- rad and Mary Wehrheim, the former a native of Germany and the latter of Illinois. The mother of our subject died in Ran- dolph county, Illinois, in 1845, and some time afterward Conrad Wehrheim was again married. To this union were born the fol- lowing children: Mrs. Phoebe Jane Madden, deceased; Mrs. Emaline Hickey, of Denver, Colorado; Mrs. Virginia Ryan, who has passed away ; Julia and Frank, both deceased; Lyman, who resides in Strawberry Point, Iowa; George, who makes his home in Clayton county, in the same state ; and Conrad, who has passed away. The elder children in this family were born in Illinois and the younger ones in Clayton county, Iowa. All were reared and educated in the latter state.
John Wehrheim remained in his native state until 1845 and then came to Clayton county, Iowa. About 1870 he first made his home in Hamilton county, settling in Clear Lake township. In the following year he came to Hamilton township, where he has resided since that time. In 1861 he enlisted in the Union army as a member of Company C, Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer
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Infantry, and was mustered in at Dubuque. After serving nine months he received his honorable discharge and returned to Clay- ton county, where he engaged in farming until his removal to Hamilton county. Here he found nothing but a broad, unbroken prairie, sparsely settled and entirely undeveloped. With no re- sources beyond his unfaltering industry, his perseverance and progressive enterprise, he set to work to make his fortune from the soil. Acre by acre he brought his land under the plow and planted it in suitable grains. His energy was rewarded by abun- dant harvests and as his financial prosperity increased buildings were erected, more land tilled and adjoining tracts added, until at one time Mr. Wehrheim owned six hundred acres of the finest land in the section. At the present time he has four hundred acres in a high state of development. That he has accomplished his early ambition is evidenced by the excellent condition of his farm. Where once was an untilled waste there are now fertile fields, fine farm buildings and everything which goes to make a model agricultural property, and the poor young man of a quarter of a century ago is one of the most successful and representative farmers of Hamilton county.
In Clayton county, Iowa, October 6, 1866, Mr. Wehrheim married Miss Mary Ann Swift, who was born in Wisconsin in 1844. She came with her parents to Clayton county in 1864 and afterward removed to Boone, Iowa, and thence to Hamilton town- ship, Hamilton county, where her family have since resided. Her father, John Swift, was born in Ireland and died in Hamilton town- ship, at the age of seventy. He married Miss Ellen Murray, also a native of the Emerald isle, who passed away in this section when she was eighty-two years of age. Both were among the earlier settlers in this section of the state. In their family were nine children: Mary A., the wife of the subject of this review; Mrs. Ellen Transue, of Sioux City, Iowa; Margaret, who makes her home with her sister, Mrs. Wehrheim; Hugh and William, who live in Jewell; James and Michael, both deceased; Edward, who resides at Estherville, Iowa; and Peter, a resident of Palo Alto county in the same state.
To Mr. and Mrs. Wehrheim have been born twelve children: Conrad, whose birth occurred in Clayton county and who is re- siding in Rose Grove township; John Francis, also born in Clayton county, who lives near Dows, Iowa; Simon, a native of Hamilton county, residing near Peterson; William, who lives at Eagle
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Grove, Iowa; George, of Alden, Iowa; Michael, who is farming near Woolstock; Sylvester, who makes his home at Jewell; Val- entine and Lawrence, twins, who are assisting their father with the work of the farm; Mrs. Mary Urell, of Minnesota ; Mrs. Jennie Hollihan, of California; and Mrs. Lucy Brown, also of California. All the children born to Mr. and Mrs. John Wehrheim have had the advantage of excellent educations. Jennie and William attended Jewell College in Jewell, Iowa. Michael and Sylvester took a complete course at the college at Waterloo and Simon completed the usual course of studies in Humboldt College. Too much cannot be said of the faithful aid which Mrs. Wehrheim has given to her husband in the development of his success. In every way possible she has supplemented his efforts, managed the affairs of the household economically and has been his greatest aid in the accumulation of the fortune which places him among the most wealthy farmers in the section. Her children have been reared by a wise and kind mother and have never been denied the advantages or the comforts and luxuries of life.
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