USA > Iowa > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 2
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HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
in the subjects studied, her friendly spirit, and the rare charms of her nature, made her one of its best beloved members. Life seems poorer when such as she are taken from us, but the benediction of her influence and her dear memory will long be in our hearts a precious heritage."
Major Jones has always given his political allegiance to the re- publican party and has been honored by his fellow townsmen in elec- tion to positions of public trust and responsibility. He was chosen a member of the board of supervisors in 1869 and acted as chairman during his term. In the autumn of 1883 he was elected a member of the Iowa house of representatives for the term of two years. He was very active in behalf of the important temperance legislation of the period, which resulted in the passage of the law totally prohibit- ing the sale of intoxicating liquors and which was the foremost topic of the times. His service in public office was always marked by great prudence and efficiency and over the record of his official career there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. There are few men whose lives are crowned with the honor and respect which is uni- versally accorded to Major Jones, but through more than a half cen- tury's connection with Hamilton county's history his has been an unblemished character. With him success in life has been reached by his sterling qualities of mind and a heart true to every manly princi- ple. He has never deviated from what his judgment would indicate to be right and honorable between his fellowmen and himself. He has never swerved from the path of duty, and now after a long and eventful career he can look back over the past with pride and enjoy the declining years of his earthly pilgrimage with the consciousness of having gained for himself by his honorable, straightforward career the confidence and respect of the entire community in which he lives.
WILLIAM O. McCONNELL.
William O. McConnell, who owns and operates the "Long View Stock & Seed Farm" is not only one of the leading agricul- turists of his community, but has for some years been actively identified with the political life of the county, and is now a mem- ber of the board of commissioners. He was born in the vicinity of Hooks Point, Hamilton county, on the 26th of August, 1856,
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HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
and is a son of Francis J. and Armilla (Cook) McConnell, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of the state of New York. At the age of eight years the father emigrated to the United States, where he was reared and educated and learned the molder's trade, which occupation he followed until he re- moved to Iowa, when he turned his attention to agricultural pur- suits. The parents were married in the state of New York and there resided until 1856, when they came to Iowa and settled on some land in the vicinity of Hooks Point. They remained there for about one year and at the expiration of that time, in 1858, Mr. McConnell bought a farm, on what is now section 30, Independ- ence township, on which was a small house constructed from native lumber. He devoted the remainder of his active years to the further improvement and cultivation of this place, which is now the property of our subject. He was one of the foremost citizens of his community and took an active and helpful interest in all public affairs, particularly of a political nature, and served with efficiency for a number of years as coroner and also as official sealer of weights and measures. Both he and the mother passed their latter years on the homestead, his death there occurring on the 14th of December, 1889, and hers on January 17, 1887. They were the parents of six children, our subject being the eldest.
Reared at home, the education of William O. McConnell was begun in the district schools and completed in the Webster City public school, which he attended for three terms. He terminated his student days at the age of eighteen years and began earning his own living. For a year thereafter he engaged in teaching. but at the end of that period he accepted a clerkship in a dry-goods store at Webster City, where he was employed for eighteen months. He subsequently obtained a position in a grain store, but two years later he likewise withdrew from this and resumed his teaching, continuing to be identified with this profession until he was married. Very soon thereafter he and his bride settled on the old homestead, which he operated for a year. He subse- quently rented another farm, located elsewhere in the county. where he continued his agricultural pursuits for three years, and then returned to the home place, which he now owns. Mr. Mc- Connell's farm comprises two hundred and twenty-three acres. one hundred and seventy-five of which is tiled and under high
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HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
cultivation. His principal crops are corn and oats, a large por- tion of which he markets, and for several years he has been rais- ing a very superior quality of both cereals for seeding purposes. All of his land is substantially fenced, one hundred and fifty acres of it hog tight, and evidences by its general appearance careful cultivation and systematic supervision. In connection with the cultivation of his fields, Mr. McConnell makes a specialty of the breeding and raising of high-grade Durham cattle, Poland-China hogs and Norman horses. He also buys and prepares cattle for the market and annually feeds all of the hay he raises. He is one of the enterprising and progressive agriculturists of the county and his farm is provided with an excellent equipment. The residence was built by his father in 1879 and as it has al- ways been kept in repair is in good condition and thoroughly comfortable, but the majority of the other buildings have been erected during the ownership of Mr. McConnell. In 1898, he built a barn with a solid rock foundation, fifty-two by sixty-four feet, and five years later he erected another, twenty-six by thirty- two feet, with cement foundation and floors. A drilled well and natural springs provide water for all purposes in both the house and barns. Mr. McConnell is interested in various local enter- prises, and owns stock in the First National Bank of Webster City, the Farmers Mutual Telephone Company and the Farm- ers Elevator Company at Kamrar. He is also a stockholder and promoter, as well as a member of the board of directors of the National Sewer Pipe Company, a recently organized industry. Of recent years he has been acting as agent for The Iowa Mutual Tornado Insurance Company of Des Moines, and The Webster County Mutual Fire Insurance Association.
On the 23d of January, 1884, Mr. McConnell was married to Miss Allie Andrus, who was born in the state of New York. May 24, 1865, and is a daughter of John P. and Sarah J. (Crawford) Andrus. The parents were born, reared and married in the Empire state, whence they removed to Iowa in the spring of 1869 and located on a farm of eighty acres east of Webster City. They resided in this county until 1898, when they removed to Fort Dodge, where Mrs. Andrus was killed in a runaway in 1908. The father subsequently went to Tama City and opened a res- taurant, which he conducted until March, 1911, when he became a resident of California, where he was married in 1912. Mrs. McConnell, who is the second in order of birth in a family of
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HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
five, has become the mother of nine children: Mabel J., who was born in 1884, the wife of Charles Nelson, a farmer of Boone town- ship, by whom she has had two children; Bessie May, who was born on May 17, 1887, and married Chadd Huddlestun, a resident of this county, by whom she has had one child; Frank J., whose birth occurred August 24, 1889, unmarried and living at home ; Grace L., who was born on the 19th of November, 1891, engaged in teaching in this county ; Harry E., who died in infancy ; Amanda P., whose natal day was October 5, 1896; Harold P., who was born on the 15th of August, 1899; Ralph W., whose birth oc- curred on September 19, 1901; and Earl A., who was born on October 5, 1907. The youngest daughter and the son, Harold, are attending school.
The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and Mr. McConnell is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a republican in politics, and served for a year as township clerk and assessor and for several terms as treas- urer of the school board, and he is now a member of the board of county commissioners. Mr. McConnell has led a life of enter- prise and well directed activity as is evidenced by the excellent appearance of his farm and his circumstances. That he fully merits the prosperity with which he has been rewarded is gen- erally conceded by his fellow townsmen, who through long years of acquaintance have found him to be a reliable business man, progressive citizen and loyal friend.
R. E. CHANNER.
There is a thriving drug store in Webster City, located at No. 627 Second street, the title of which, "The Big, Busy Drug Store," gives a complete picture of the nature of the enterprise and of the lines along which it is conducted and developed. It is a large and most mod- ern pharmacy and in its prescription department as well as in its more popular lines does a gratifying and constantly increasing busi- ness. At its head and directing its policy is R. E. Channer, who founded the enterprise in February, 1911, and whose expert know- ledge of drugs combined with his business ability have advanced the concern to its present degree of success. R. E. Channer was born in . Utica, New York, September 2, 1874. His parents, John L. and
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HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
Louisa J. (Rowe) Channer, were both natives of London, England, where the family has been established for many generations. Mr. Channer's grandfather was for many years an officer on the London police force, holding the rank of sergeant in that organization and being eventually retired on a pension. The American branch of the family was established about 1849, when John L. Channer left Eng- land and came to the United States, settling in Brooklyn, New York. The mother of our subject left London at about the same time and located in the same city. Here their marriage occurred and was im- mediately followed by their removal to Utica, where the father was engaged as a shoemaker during the remainder of his life. He died in 1909, at the age of eighty-six. His wife is still living and cele- brated her eighty-third birthday on December 18, 1912.
Mr. Channer was educated in the public schools of Utica, New York, and even as a boy was interested in the drug business. He was an employe of a local pharmacy when he was scarcely more than a child and the early experience which he thus gained directed his later ambitions and was a valuable asset to him in his life's career. His residence in Iowa began in 1900, when he took a position with the Des Moines Drug Company in Des Moines as city salesman and traveler. He remained in this capacity for two years, eventually severing his connection with the Des Moines Drug Company to take a similar po- sition in the employ of the Iowa Drug Company. His headquarters at this time were in Webster City, and he spent six years in traveling in this vicinity in the interests of his employers. He was ambitious and energetic and always attentive to the details of his business. These qualities won him rapid success and continuous advancement. He saved money and in September, 1908, was able to buy a half-inter- est in Wise Brothers Drug Store of Webster City. The firm was re- organized and the name changed to the Channer & Wise Drug Com- pany. The influence of Mr. Channer's energetic and capable business methods was soon felt in their developing trade. He gave his entire time and attention to expanding and reorganizing the business along modern and systematic lines and met with a degree of success which was the natural result of his liberal and broad-minded policy. In February, 1911; he purchased the interests of the Wise brothers in the enterprise and conducted the concern independently. His phar- macy is now known as The Big, Busy Drug Store, and fully justifies its name.
On December 18, 1900, Mr. Channer was united in marriage to Miss Emma D. Henning, a daughter of F. H. Henning, of Chicago. Vol. II-2
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HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
Mrs. Channer is of German lineage and her parents were both born in the fatherland. Her mother is still living in St. Paul, Minnesota, having survived her husband, who passed away in 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Channer are the parents of a daughter, Evelyn Dorothy, born April 22, 1902.
Fraternally Mr. Channer holds membership in Acacia Lodge, No. 176, A. F. & A. M., and belongs to Webster City Lodge, No. 302, B. P. O. E. In the latter organization he held for two years the of- fice of trustee and is now esteemed lecturing knight. He is also prominent in Webster Eagle Council, No. 343, U. C. T., and in Web- ster City Camp, No. 416, M. W. A. He is well known in social and business circles in Webster City and holds membership in the Coun- try Club and in the Webster City Commercial League, in which or- ganization he is also a director. He attends the Christian Science church and is a firm believer in the principles of that faith. His busi- ness life is so intelligently ordered and so quietly efficient and his store is so model an enterprise that Mr. Channer is regarded in Webster City as representative of its business life and a valued addition to its commercial world.
HON. FRANK J. LUND.
The life record of Frank J. Lund stands in contradistinction to the old adage that a prophet is not without honor save in his own country, for in the district in which he was born and reared Frank J. Lund has attained leadership in professional circles and has been accorded honors in political circles. Recognizing and utilizing op- portunities and advantages, his course has been marked by continuous progress and without invidious distinction he may be termed one of the foremost citizens of Hamilton county. Within the borders of this county his birth occurred February 5. 1876. His parents, Nels John and Caroline S. (Johnson ) Lund, were both natives of Sweden and in 1867 came to America, settling in Hamilton county, where they still reside, their home being at Stratford. The father attained the age of seventy-seven years on the 4th of April, 1912, and the mother passed the seventy-third milestone on life's journey on the 20th of June of the same year. For forty-five years they have been worthy and valued residents of this county and at the present writing the father is enjoying a visit to their native country.
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HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
Frank J. Lund pursued his education in the public schools of Marion township and in the Highland Park College at Des Moines, in which he spent a year and a half. He afterward lived upon the home farm at Stratford and engaged in teaching school through the winter months until 1899, while the summer seasons were devoted to the work of the fields. In September of that year he was made dep- uty county clerk of Hamilton county and served until the fall of 1900. He then accepted a clerical position with the Hon. Varick C. Crosley in the abstract business and continued with him until the spring of 1904, when he entered the office of Hon. J. L. Kamrar for the practice of law. He had previously studied in the office of Jesse W. Lee of Webster City and was admitted to the bar by the supreme court of Iowa in 1901. While pursuing his law course he had been engaged in other duties, giving only his leisure hours to his preparation for the profession. That his studies were thorough and systematic is indicated in the success which has since come to him. He remained in the office of Mr. Kamrar until elected county clerk in November, 1904. He entered upon the duties of the posi- tion on the Ist of January, 1905, and that he proved capable and faith- ful is manifest in the fact that he was reelected in 1906 and again in 1908, thus serving for three consecutive terms and retiring from the office on the Ist of January, 1911. In the previous November he was elected to the state legislature from Hamilton county and took his seat in the house when it convened in January, 1911, so that he is now representing his district in the halls of legislation. He was made chairman of the county and township organizations committee and is a member of the committees on judiciary, ways and means, railroads and transportation, printing, congressional districts, food and dairy, commerce and trade, enrolled bills and public charities. He has always been a stalwart advocate of the republican party and is thoroughly informed concerning the vital questions and issues of the day. He gives careful consideration to matters which come up for settlement before the legislature and is putting forth every effort to uphold and promote the welfare of the state. While loyal to re- publican interests, he does not believe in any blind following of party leadership and therefore has acquainted himself with all questions that relate to the interests of the commonwealth. Aside from his ac- tivity as a member of the bar and in political circles he is known as a representative of financial interests in Webster City as one of the directors and the vice president of the Security Title & Loan Com- pany.
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HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
There is also an interesting military chapter in the life history of Frank J. Lund, who in April, 1900, joined Company C of the Fifty-sixth Regiment of the Iowa National Guard and on the 28th of January, 1908, was commissioned captain of his company. As its commander he has maintained a high standard of efficiency and disci- pline and has the warm regard of those who serve under him. His fraternal connections are with Webster City Lodge, No. 302, B. P. O. E .; Elmo Lodge, No. 62, I. O. O. F .; and Webster City Camp, No. 416, M. W. A. He is also a member of the Country Club and of the Webster City Commercial League.
On the 14th of February, 1900, Mr. Lund was married to Miss Grace E. Bishop, a daughter of Joseph A. Bishop, who came to this state from McLean county, Illinois, in 1891. He still resides with his wife in Webster City and was formerly a farmer and hotel proprietor here. Mr. and Mrs. Lund have three children, as fol- lows: Herbert W., who was born on the 23d of July, 1901 ; Evelyn, whose birth occurred on the 6th of February, 1907; and Stewart Helmer Murphy, whose natal day was July 20, 1911. The parents have an attractive home near Webster City, and their circle of friends is extensive. Mr. Lund possesses those qualities which not only win popularity but also maintain it. Geniality and unfeigned cordiality are with him supplementary characteristics to strong professional ability and patriotic citizenship. His life work spells duty and yet he is not one who regards duties as a burden that must be borne or a task that must be performed, but rather as a matter of interest and the accomplishment thereof as a matter of pride and pleasure. His life record is indeed well known to his fellow citizens among whom he has always lived, and they hold him in highest regard.
H. F. ALLEN.
H. F. Allen, who is one of the estimable citizens of Blairsburg, has passed the greater part of his life in this vicinity, having called Hamilton county his home for more than forty years. He is a na- tive of the state of New York, his birth having occurred at Oxford, Chenango county, May 31, 1864. His parents, S. J. and Nancy (Davis) Allen, were likewise natives of the Empire state. During the early childhood of our subject the family removed from Chen- ango to Madison county, coming from there to Iowa. Their desti-
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HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
nation was Webster City, where they arrived on the 4th of March, 1870. Their first home in the county was on a farm a mile east of Webster City, where the father continued his agricultural pursuits for ten years. From there they went to a place a mile south of Blairsburg, where they resided for a long period. Both parents are deceased, the father having passed away in Wright county in 1893, at the age of seventy-two years, while the mother, whose death oc- curred in Liberty township, this county, in 1888, was sixty-three at the time of her demise. To them were born five children, of whom our subject is the youngest. In order of birth the others are as fol- lows: Mrs. Sarah Jane Countryman, deceased, whose husband was steward of the poor farm for eight years, having been the first to fill that office; George R., who is residing in Minnesota; Carrie, who died at the age of twenty years; and Mrs. Clara Fisher, who passed away in 1900.
The first six years in the life of H. F. Allen were passed in his native state. His boyhood and youth were not unlike those of other lads living in this section of Iowa thirty years ago. At the usual age he began his education in the schools of his home district, completing his course of study in Webster City. He was reared in very much the same manner as the sons of other farmers, his youthful energies early being directed along agricultural lines. When not in school his time was largely spent in the fields, but his tastes were purely mechanical and he found his greatest pleasure working with tools. Therefore, when old enough to decide upon a vocation he resolved to become a carpenter and subsequently began his period of appren- ticeship in this trade. He is also a capable paper hanger and painter, but he has never followed these occupations regularly, confining his energies to his own trade. A skillful artisan and trustworthy and reliable in his methods, Mr. Allen subsequently extended the scope of his activities by engaging in contracting. He has met with a fair measure of success, owns a comfortable and well furnished residence in Blairsburg and is acquiring a comfortable competence.
Mr. Allen was married in 1899 to Miss Bertha May Wilson, who was born in Missouri, her natal day being the 14th of August; 1874. Her father, Isaac Wilson was born in Maryland, April 24, 1824, while the mother's birth occurred in Canada on the 15th of August, 1834. They came to Hamilton county when Mrs. Allen, who is the youngest in a family of nine, was a month old. In order of birth the other children were as follows: Elizabeth Jane, who was born on the 6th of February, 1854, and died June 30, 1863; Jeanette La-
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HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
mont, who was born October 20, 1855. and died on the 25th of March, 1876; Mrs. Lucy Agnes Hogan-Hohlwegler, who was born on the 5th of May, 1857, and is residing in Ellendale, North Dakota : David Carlton, who was born February 14, 1859, and died July I, 1863; Joseph Lincoln, whose birth occurred on the 18th of Novem- ber, 1860, now a resident of Webster City: Mrs. Lillie Daugherty. who was born June 20, 1863, a resident of Ellendale, North Dakota: Minty May, who was born on the 20th of June, 1870, and died March 16. 1872; and George Sears, who was born on the 18th of December. 1871, and died September II, 1873. The first five were natives of Illinois and the last named of Missouri. The father, who was a farmer, was for many years identified with the agricultural inter- ests of Hamilton county. but he was living in Blairsburg at the time of his death, which occurred January 20, 1905. The mother passed away on March 12, 1900.
Mr. and Mrs. Allen are Congregationalists in religious faith, and assist in the work of the various organizations of the local church of that denomination. He belongs to the Blairsburg camp of the Mod- ern Woodmen of America and was formerly a member of the Odd Fellows lodge of Webster City. Politically he is a republican and was a member of the election board at the time of the incorporation of Blairsburg. He takes an active interest in local affairs and for three years represented his ward in the town council. Mr. and Mrs. Allen are well informed people of liberal views and practical ideas. They are well known in this vicinity, where they have passed the greater part of their lives, and have a large circle of friends.
WILLIAM HANLEN:
Among the well known and public-spirited pioneers of Williams must be mentioned William Hanlen, who was one of the incorporat- ors of the town as well as a member of its first council. and has for thirty-three years been actively identified with local business interests. He was born in Richland county, Ohio, on December 2, 1846, and is the eldest son and second child born to Samuel and Anna ( Shields) Hanlen. The father was born in Westmoreland county. Pennsylva- nia, and died in Tama county, Iowa, but the mother was a native of Richland county, Ohio, and passed away in Kansas in 1909, at the venerable age of eighty-seven years. In the early youth of our sub-
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HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
ject the father came to Iowa and purchased an improved farm of eighty acres in Linn Grove township, Cedar county. He had un- limited confidence in the agricultural possibilities of the state and sub- sequently extended his holdings until he held title to five hundred acres of land, having the largest land interests of almost any one in that section of the state. There were nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hanlen, those beside our subject being as follows: Elizabeth, the de- ceased wife of O. M. Haney: John, who is a resident of Texas; James, of South Dakota; Robert, of Oregon; Ella, who married H. Eldredge, of Kansas: Christopher, deceased; Albert, who is liv- ing in Newton, Kansas ; and Frank, who is a resident of Astoria, Ore- gon. All but the two eldest, who are natives of Richland county, Ohio, were born in Cedar county, Iowa.
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