History of Harrison County, Iowa. Containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county. Together with portraits and biographies of all the governors of Iowa, and of the presidents of the United States, Part 108

Author: National Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, National Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1150

USA > Iowa > Harrison County > History of Harrison County, Iowa. Containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county. Together with portraits and biographies of all the governors of Iowa, and of the presidents of the United States > Part 108

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R. C. B. McCOLM, of Persia, Iowa, came to Harrison County in the autumn of 1886, engaging in the practice of medicine and drug business.

He was born in Adams County, Ohio, July 10, 1853, remained at home until

nineteen years of age, and then taught school. His parents removed to Wayne County, Iowa, when he was three years of age, where he taught school seven years, studying medicine in the mean- time. Subsequently he moved to Noda- way, Adams County, Iowa, where he ran a drug store for two years, then went to Hepburn, Page County, Iowa, where he conducted a drug store, practiced medi- cine and was Postmaster. While residing there, he attended Keokuk Medical Col- lege, also the one at St. Joseph, Mo.

He was married in Wayne County, Iowa, to Miss Eva Easley, March 11, 1877, and they are the parents of two children -Arthur, born May 26, 1881, died June 12, 1881 and Glennie V., born August 8, 1885.

F6 RED BECKER, a farmer living in section 13, of Cincinnati Township, came to Harrison County in the autumn of 1877, and worked out by the month on a farm until the spring of 1882, when he moved on the farm he now lives upon, which he bought in the fall of 1881. It consisted of eighty acres that had twenty acres of breaking on. In the spring of 1882 he built a frame house 16x24 feet, with a kitchen 12x14 feet, and broke out forty acres more of his land. In the spring of 1883 he bought eighty acres more land, upon which forty acres were broken. He now has forty acres of tame pasture land and fourteen acres of wild meadow, while the balance is under the plow. In the spring of 1882 he erected a barn 16x24 feet, and is now making prep- arations the present year to build a barn 58x60 feet. Our subject was born in Rock

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County, Wis., January 31, 1852, and re- mained with his parents until he was six- teen years of age, and then went to the big woods lumber region of Michigan and remained there until the spring of 1873. We next find him working on a farm by the month in Fayette County, Iowa, where he remained until the spring of 1875, and then went to Sedgwick County, Kan., and bought eighty acres of land and remained until the spring of 1877, when he came to Harrison County. Since that time he has sold his land in Kansas.

Our subject was united in marriage in Harrison County, Iowa, February 26, 1879, to Miss Margaret J. Richardson, and they are the parents of three children- George R., born April 8, 1880; Ora B., March 12, 1882; and Robert W., October 20, 1884.

Margaret J. (Richardson) Becker, was born in Middlesex County, Canada, July 19, 1856, and in the spring of 1857 came with her parents to Harrison County, Iowa, and remained with them until she was married. Both our subject and his wife received their education at tlie dis- trict schools. Politically, Mr. Becker is a Republican.

The father of our subject, who is George W. Becker, was born in the State of New York in 1821, and remained there until after his marriage, and then moved to Rock County, Wis. He was a ship-car- penter while in New York, but after going to Wisconsin, worked at plain carpenter- ing for about ten years prior to his death. He was also in the grain business at Foot- ville, and died there in the spring of 1865. His wife, Lucretia (Johnson) Becker, was born in New York, near Syracuse, in 1831, and remained there until her marriage. They were the parents of eight children, two daughters and six sons, our subject

being the fifth . child. There are four living at this time, two brothers in Brem- er County, Iowa; a sister, now Mrs. Charles Viney, living in Harrison County. After the death of our subject's father, the mother was again married in Rock County, to Abraham Peak, who was a farmer, and they came to FayetteCounty, Iowa, in the spring of 1874. By this mar- riage union one child was born-Sarah M., deceased.

Mr. Peak had in his employ, during haying, a young German, by the name of Schmidt, who was in the habit of getting drunk. He went to town one day and came back the next, under the influence of liquor. Mr. Peak was away from home, and he wanted Mrs. Peak to pay him off ; but she wanted him to go over and see her husband. But he would not, and went away angry, and stopped with a man in the neighborhood. Mr. Peak had a neighbor by the name of Leonard, who was a widower, and the man, Smith, with whom the German had stopped, was liv- ing on Mr. Leonard's place. They had trouble some nights after Schmidt left Mr. Peak's, and it happened that Mr. Leonard was at Mr. Peak's over night, and the man Smith told Schmidt that he would give him $500, if he would go over and kill Mr. Leonard. And, according to Schmidt's confession, they both went. Schmidt crawled in at the window, went to the bed of Mr. Leonard, and shot him through the body, but the ball glanced around a rib, so he was not killed. Mr. Peak rushed out to where Leonard was, and the man left the room. He then went and got a bundle of hay and set fire to it in the next room, calculating to burn the house. Mrs. Peak then saw him and recognized that it was Schmidt, and she tried to get out of a window and go and

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arouse the neighbors, but as she stuck her head out of a window, she was shot, the ball entering her head- just below the eye. She lived two weeks, but had her reason during this time. As soon as this had occurred, Mr. Peak went out of the house after the murderer, and was killed outside, and beat over the head with a club until his brains were knocked out. The young German was arrested next day at church, and was hung in Fayette County, after having made a full confession upon the trial, which implicated Smith, against whom no positive proof could be found, so he was not convicted. Our subject's mother died as above related September 20, 1886 -- two weeks and one day after she was shot. A half sister of our subject- Sarah M .- was away from home during the evening of this tragedy. Subsequently she went to California, and at SantaAnna married a Mr. Sharp, and about eighteen months later she died, leaving a boy baby by the name of Archie.

The father and mother of our subject were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

J' OHN W. MARTIN, a grain dealer at Modale, Iowa, was born in West Virginia March 9, 1854, the son of B. F. and Christine (Minor) Mar- tin, and came to Harrison County with his parents when quite small, the family set- tling on a farm in Taylor Township. He remained at Modale until 1876, and then went to buying grain for H. C. Cham- plain at Modale, and bought for other par- ties three years, rented a farm, which he tilled four years, at the end of which time he went to Washington Territory.

At the end of nine months he returned to Modale and engaged in the grain busi- ness on his own account. August 3, 1876, he married Miss Rosina McCrillis, the daughter of John McCrillis. By this union the following children were born- Myrtle, Elbert, Bessie, Clyde and Esta. Mr. and Mrs. Martin are both members of the Christian Church. Politically he is a Democrat.

C OLUMBUS M. PATTON, a farmer living on section 11, of Magnolia Township, has been a resident of Harrison County since June, 1857. He first settled in Harris Grove, LaGrange Township, where, in 1856, he had pur- chased two hundred and forty acres of land. The first year he came to the county he worked at the carpenter's trade at Magnolia. In 1865 he moved from LaGrange Township to Magnolia Town- ship, and bought sixty acres of improved land on section 14, which he sold in 1866, and moved to his present home, where he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of unimproved land. This land, on ac- count of defective title was taken from him, and he had to repurchase it. To the original tract he has added until at one time he had seven hundred and twenty acres.

He was born in Monroe County, Va., in March, 1828, and remained at home with his mother until 1847, and then worked at the carpenter business until 1850, when he embarked in the mercan- tile business with his brother-in-law, and continued until 1857, when he came to Harrison County.

He was married in Virginia, in 1852, to

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Miss Mary A. Dunsmore, and they are the parents of eight children-Mary A., Mareldia J., Austin N., Maggie E., Nel- son F., Anna L,, Frank W., Edward E.

ERRITT BARREY located on sec- tion 36, of Allen Township, came to Harrison County twenty-one years ago, a poor man, and went to work by the month on a farm near Mag- nolia, continuing this for two years, and then bought twenty acres of improved land in Bigler's Grove, and remained there for two years, and soon after bought the farm he now occupies.

Mr. Barrey was born in Orleans County, N. Y., and is the son of Benjamin and Louisa (Cady) Barrey, natives of the Em- pire State, who had a family of five chil- dren, four of whom still survive. Our subject remained at home until nineteen years old, and then came to this county. He was married in June, 1871, to Ellen Chatburn, daughter of Richard and Mary Chatburn, natives of England, who had ten children. Mr. and Mrs. Barry are the parents of eight children, seven of whom are living-James; William, deceased; Benjamin, Mary, Serene, Adell, Louisa and Sicily.

AMES KIRKLAND, deceased, was a farmer of St. John's Township, and counted among the pioneer band, who wended their way to Harrison County, in 1855, and pre-empted the farm, now known as the Charles Gil- more place. He improved this place,

finally sold it and moved to the village of St. John's, where he remained a year, and rented a small farm of his father. He bought the homestead now occupied by his wife, on section 35, which consisted of eighty acres.

Mr. Kirkland was born in Licking Coun- ty, Ohio, in February, 1830. His parents were Samuel and Elizabeth (Blair) Kirk- land. The father was a farmer and sub- sequently moved to Hardin County, Ohio, where he cleared up a farm, from out the big woods. Our subject was educated at the common schools of the Buckeye State, and remained in that country until he came to Pottawattamie County, Iowa, in 1854.

He was married in April 1854, to Miss Rachel Deal, of Indiana. By this mar- riage union ten children were born : Jo- seph, Sarah, Almeda, Robert, Margaret, Candace, John, Harvey, Eliza and May. Politically, Mr. Kirkland was a Democrat. He died July 1, 1882, and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, near old St. Johns.

M OSES B. McINTOSH, (deceased), was a farmer in St. John's Town- ship, who figured conspicuously in the early settlement of Harrison County, coming in as he did in 1856. His first land was a half section owned by him- self and brother, and is now the present site of Missouri Valley. When he came there, there was no settlement west of the Missouri River, and as far south as Loveland and the Cox settlement was the only one between the Valley and Harris Grove. He improved this place, and re- mained there until 1866, when he sold to the Northwestern Railroad Company, and

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moved a mile and a half to the south, where he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land, but subsequently sold that and removed to Jewell County; Kan., where he remained eight years, came back to St. John's Township and bought land north of Missouri Valley, on sections 3 and 4, where he remained until his death, which occurred in February, 1888. The deceased was born April 27, 1818. He was a son of George McIntosh, a native of Kentucky, who married Miss Elizabeth Boone, a relative of the famous "Hunter of Kentucky," Daniel Boone. Among their children, was our subject, Moses B., who spent his early life in Ken- tucky. The family removed to Putnam County Ind., at an early day. His father was a farmer and a miller, and Moses was engaged in the mill for a number of years. January 6, 1838, he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Marksbury, of Kentucky. This union resulted in the birth of twelve children.

W ILLIAM ROSS, a resident of sec- tion 21, Jackson Township, came to Harrison County in the spring of 1866. The first three years he rented land, and then had the use of forty acres, by paying the taxes on the same. He lived there fourteen years, and then bought the place he now occupies, consisting of two hundred and sixty-four acres. Here he made good improvements, and kept adding to his land, until he now has seven hun- dred acres, two hundred and fifty acres of which are under the plow.

He was born in England, in September, 1834, the son of Jonathan and Ann Ross. He came to America in 1846, when he was

eleven years of age. His parents first lo- cated in New Jersey, remaining there five years. He lived at home until he was of age, and then went into the cooper busi- ness. He was married in November, 1853, to Salena Johnson, daughter of John and Ann Johnson, natives of England. Our subject and his wife were the parents of nine children: Ephraim, George, Bert, John, Nettie, Ida, Lizzie, Frank and Dora.

E LIJAH R. PECKENPAUGH, de- ceased, was a cooper by trade, and was born in Crawford County, Ind., January 8, 1880. He was the son of Pe- ter and Millie (Abbott) Peckenpaugh. He was married in Warren County, Ill., January 1, 1840, to Caroline Roe, a native of Indiana, born June 1st, 1821, and was the fifth child of a family of nine chil- dren. From Indiana they emigrated to Harrison County, Iowa, arriving in June, 1854, and were back and forth for about two years, Mrs. Peckenpaugh being so homesick that it seemed as though she could not survive in this wild country. But in 1856 they made a permanent set- tlement, and commenced building for themselves a home. At that time wild deer and other game abounded nearly as thick as the rabbits do to-day. They first located on section 25, of Jefferson Town- ship, and there remained until removing to their present home, which was in Au- gust, 1867. All marketing for some years was of necessity done at Council Bluffs, and with a limited means, together with a large family, it was hard to make a living, and had it not been for the trade he pos- sessed which furnished him employment

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at Council Bluffs, and the assistance ren- dered him by Mrs. Peckenpaugh, who re- mained at home on the farm and managed to keep the family in the necessaries of life, they could not have remained in the county. Mr. Peckenpaugh made barrels at home, under contract for parties at Council Bluffs, a little later on.

Mr. and Mrs. Peckenpaugh have been blessed with a family of twelve children- Martin V., Lovina E., Joseph R., Rice, Anderville P., Harver V., Willis W., Wil- liam J., Stephen D., Bertha C., Millie V., and Charles F., all living but Martin V., Joseph R. and Rice.

Mr. Peckenpaugh was killed by a team running away, which threw him from a wagon. This sad event occurred Septem- ber 25, 1884.

E LI P. MENDENHALL came to Harrison County in May, 1856, and settled in Boyer Township, claim- ing one hundred and sixty acres of land. He built a log cabin and lived there until he moved to Woodbine. In March, 1879, he engaged in the real-estate business, which he now follows. He saw his share of early-day hardships, including the never-to- be-forgotten hard winter of 1856-57.

Mr. Mendenhall is a native of North Carolina, and was born in 1826. When ten years of age he accompanied his pa- rents to Miami County, Ind., where he re- mained until about 1849, when he bought a farm of his own.

He was married to Mrs. Elizabeth Hupp, whose maiden name was Rector. They were the parents of three children -Charles W., Omer H., and Mary C. Our

subject's father was Himelius Menden- hall, who was also born in North Caro- lina. He removed to Indiana in 1836, where he remained until his death.

HOMAS A. MILLER, of Wash- ington Township, first came to Har- rison County in October, 1879, and in the following spring located on section 2, where he purchased ninety acres of wild land, forty acres of which he broke the first year. He remained on this place until 1890, when he sold and removed to his present farm.

Mr. Miller was born in the old Key- stone State, Westmoreland County, Pa., November 26, 1852, and is a son of Nich- olas and Susan (Rinsel) Miller, who were of German descent. They were united in marriage in 1848, and had a family of six children, of whom our subject was the third. When he was but two years old the family removed to Moline, Ill., while the father worked at carpentering in Henry County. They were living at the town of Kewanee, where our subject com- menced his school days, which, however, were broken off by their removal to Iowa County, Iowa, where they located on a farm and remained until the time of their coming to Harrison County in 1888. Our subject learned the carpenter's trade from his father, and did contract work with him for a number of years.

Our subject was married May 10, 1877, to Elizabeth Frummer, a native of Ohio, one of a family of six children, of German extraction. Her mother died in Ohio when she was a small child, and her father

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closed his eyes to earthly scenes, in Har- rison County, Iowa, in November, 1888.

Our subject and his wife are the parents of two children, Carrie E. and Andrew N.

G H. LONGMAN, a farmer living on section 8, of La Grange Township, was born in Harrison County, in April, 1855, and remained with his father on the farm until 1883, when he bought the farm he now occupies, and has made all the improvements upon it.

Our subject was united in marriage in Harrison County, Iowa, in December, 1880, to Miss Maggie E. Johnson, and they are the parents of five children- Effie, Daisy, Annie, Benjamin and Will- iam.

Mrs. Longman was born in Polk County, Iowa, in September, 1859, and came to Harrison County with her parents when a child. She attended the college at Oska- loosa, about one year, while our subject graduated at the Keokuk Business College in 1877.

AMES PERRY COX, an enterpris- ing farmer of section 11, St. John's Township, is the son of Jacob and Sarah (Fox) Cox, and was born in Putnam County, Ind., May 3, 1845, and was the second child of a family of five; he came to Harrison County when eight years of age, with his parents, who settled in Pottawattamie County, but came to this county in the autumn of 1854, and located on section 12, of St. John's Town- ship. Our subject remained at home un-

til twenty-one years of age, when he re- turned to the Hoosier State, remained eight months, and came back to Harrison County, rented land after he had worked out two years and then moved to his pre- sent home.

He was united in marriage October 25, 1869, to Barbara Barnett, a native of Putnam County, Ind., who was born July 9, 1845. Mr. and Mrs. Cox are the parents of nine children-Dexter, George, Charles, Edgar, Thomas, Pearl, Sarah, Alex. and Bertha.

Politically, our subject is a Republican, and stands high in the community in which he lives.

D R. EDWARD J. CHAPMAN, of Missouri Valley, has been a resident of Harrison County since 1871, and has been a practicing physician ever since he came to the county. He was born in La Porte, Ind., in 1845, the son of Fred- erick and Esther (Woodard) Chapman, the former from Vermont and the latter from New York State. The father was in the carriage business and the family left the Empire State, about 1832, and moved to Grand Rapids, Mich., remained six years and moved to La Porte, Ind., where the father died in March, 1870, and the mother, in April, 1887, in Missouri Valley. Our subject received his early education in La Porte, and when sixteen years of age began a course at Oberlin College, Ohio. In 1867, he began the study of medicine at La Porte, and finished his course at Rush Medical College at Chi- cago, graduating in February, 1871. The following August he located at Missouri Valley.

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He was married May 19, 1873, at Mis- · souri Valley, to Mary Goltry, a native of Erie County, N. Y., whose parents came to Harrison County in 1869. The father died in 1876, and the mother, in 1882. Dr. and Mrs. Chapman are the parents of one daughter-Lola E., who is a graduate of the Missouri Valley High School, and has entered Wellesley College at Wellesley, Mass., where she will take a complete col- legiate course.

Dr. Chapman and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, and politi- cally, he affiliates with the Democratic party.

C HARLES W. MENDENHALL, of * Boyer Township, came to Harrison County, May 30, 1856, and settled on a farm with his father, on section 22, Boyer Township, where he remained un- til he was twenty-four years of age. About the time Woodbine started, our subject's father left the farm and pur- chased the hotel at that place, but after eighteen months returned to the farm. Our subject remained at home until Sep- tember 29, 1873, when he was united in marriage to Miss Cora A. Edgerton, at Woodbine. By this union three children were born-E. Clay, born August 11, 1875; Hattie E., March 23, 1881; Howard C., May 18, 1888.

To return to the personal sketch of our subject, it may be said that he was born in Miami County, Ind., October 7, 1849 at the village of Peru. His grandfather, Charles Rector, was a Revolutionary sol- dier. Charles W. remained in that county with his parents until they came to Iowa. They were five weeks en-route, and upon

their arrival found but few settlers in the county. Their nearest market was Coun- cil Bluffs. Mr. Mendenhall purchased the place he now lives upon, in February, 1875. It consisted of eighty acres, partly improved. To this place he has added until he now has three hundred and forty acres. He is an extensive farmer and keeps fine horses and thoroughbred cattle, including the Hambletonian and Short-horn breeds. When ten years of age he raised potatoes with which he bought a calf, and kept that with its increase, until the time he was of age, when he had about $1,000 worth of stock. He moved from his farm to Wood- bine in the spring of 1883, and was en- gaged in the real-estate business until 1885, having his father for a partner.

Mrs. Mendenhall was born in Onon- daga County, N. Y., February 18, 1857, came to Harrison County, September 7, 1870, with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Edgerton.

W ILLIS B. KEITH, one of the rep- resentative farmers of Clay Town- ship, residing on section 9, came to Harrison County in the spring of 1866, and purchased a sawmill in Clay Town- ship, which he operated for about three years, and then bought a partly improved farm on sections 16 and 21, which he cultivated for one year, and then ex- changed his place for four hundred and forty acres of land near Mondamin, in which his brother, Henry N., owned a half interest. This was an unimproved tract, which they at once commenced to im- prove, but were thwarted in their plans by

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the great floods of the Missouri River, which destroyed much . of their property. In the spring of 1871, our subject rented a farm in Morgan Township, and in the spring of 1872, he built the first livery and feed stable at Mondamin, operating the same for three years, at the end of which time he sold out and followed other busi- ness in the place for two years, and then moved to River Sioux and engaged in the grocery business, being the first to en- gage in business at that point. After one year he sold his business and took a trip to Colorado with a view of locating, but after looking at the Western world for four months, he returned to Harrison County and purchased one hundred and twenty acres, where he now lives on section 9. There was a small house upon the place with a few acres of breaking, but from year to year he has made sub- stantial improvements, and has just com- pleted a tasty farm house. One hundred acres of his place are under the plow, while the balance is in pasture land.

Mr. Keith was born in Quincy, Ill., December 30, 1845. The year following his father died, and in 1858 he was bereft of his mother. After his father's death the mother and our subject, who was but an infant, visited New York where they remained two years, and then returned to Illinois. After the death of his mother in 1858, our subject lived with an uncle in New York State for a year, and in the autumn of 1859 he went to live with another uncle in Terre Haute, Ind., where he lived until May, 1861, and then went into camp with the Thirty-first Indiana Regiment, and remained there two weeks, but was too young to be mustered into service, being a little past fourteen years of age. Being defeated in his plans of becoming a soldier, he en-

gaged in a woolen mill, where he remained until October of that year, when he suc- ceeded in enlisting in Company B, Thirty-fifth Indiana Infantry, at Indian- apolis and went. South. He saw the following service : was at Gallatin, Tenn., and was under Buel after Gen. Bragg through Kentucky. Our subject was taken prisoner at Bardstown, Ky., and was paroled there and sent to Indianapolis, where he remained eight months and was then exchanged. He then joined his regiment at Mc- Minnville, Tenn., and was at the battle of Chickamauga, which took place Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20, 1863. During those two eventful days his company lost twenty-eight men. From there his command went to Chatta- "nooga, where they were surrounded by Bragg's army, and nearly starved to death, for the period of forty days. He also participated in the battle of Lookout Mountains, November 24, 1863, and took part in the struggle at Mission Ridge, and then followed Bragg to Ringgold, Ga., where they had an engagement with him, and fell back to Shell Mound, Tenn., where on the 16th of December, 1863, our subject re-enlisted "for three years or during the war." He took a thirty days' furlough in Indiana, after which he re- turned to Cleveland, Tenn., where he remained in camp until May 1, 1864, and then started on the Atlanta campaign with Gen. William T. Sherman, and was one who participated in the following engagements: Resaca, Ga., Dalton, Kingston, Marietta, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Lovejoy Station. From the last named place they went back to Atlanta and started after Hood, on his raid North. They overtook him at Columbia, Tenn., had a hard fight and

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History of Harrison County, Iowa. Containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county. Together with portraits and biographies of all the governors of Iowa, and of the presidents of the United States, Part 108

Author: National Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.) Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Chicago, National Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1150

Author: National Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, National Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1150