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 110
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Politically our subject occupies a neu- tral position, though naturally a Demo- crat. He belongs to the Latter Day Saints Church and is President of the Magnolia Branch. He united with the church July 26, 1874, and was ordained as Elder December 8, 1888, and chosen Dis- trict Secretary the same day; December
15, 1888, he was chosen President of the Magnolia Branch.
Magnus A. Fyrando, the father of our subject, was born in, or near, Malmo, Sweden, September 28, 1836, and re- mained in his native country until 1857, when, with a company of emigrants, he sailed for America, having Utah their ob- jective point. Upon landing in New York Harbor they came direct to Omaha, from which point they made an ox-team over- land trip to Utah, arriving in the "Prom- ised Land" in the spring of 1859, and there remained until 1866, when they re- turned to Omaha by ox-train, and re- mained there until 1869, and in 1874.came to Magnolia. He embraced the religion of the Latter Day Saints, in Sweden, when only sixteen years old, and was or- dained an Elder at the age of seventeen. He suffered persecution in Sweden, on account of his religious belief, in some in- stances amounting to whipping and im- prisonment, and even to the day of his death there were marks upon his body, which he received from these persecutions in Sweden, when he was yet a youth. He received the Gospel according to this faith, without hearing or knowing any- thing about the practice of polygamy, and knew nothing about it until he got to Salt Lake City, and always denounced the same. He made several attempts to leave there, was branded as an "apostate," and his oxen and wagons taken from him, to prevent him from escaping, from under the tyrannical rule of Brigham Young. Finally after seven years he and his fam- ily escaped, under the protection of armed friends.
In 1866, at Omaha, he was baptized in- to the Re-organized Church. In 1875 he was sent to Sweden, as a missionary, con- tinuing until 1878, and was then sent as a
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missionary to Utah, where he remained one year. At the time he came back from Utah, in 1866, he and his family were pen- niless and without clothes. He was a tailor by trade, and worked at this for some time in Omaha, Blair, and Magno- lia, also at Weeping Water, Neb.
The mother of our subject Elsie (Oleson) Fyrando, was born at Malmo, Sweden, December 8, 1826, and remained there until the date of her marriage, in 1857. She is now living at Magnolia; she and her husband were the parents of seven children, five of whom are deceased.
Josephine E., our subject's sister, was born on the Sweet Water River, Utah, August 29, 1859, while her parents were en-route for Salt Lake City. She was married December 16, 1879, to D. R. Chambers, now living in Magnolia. One son has been born to them-Magnus.
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E VAN T. MATHEWS came to Har- rison County in June, 1855, with his parents, who settled in the old town of Calhoun, when our subject was about thirteen years old. The father bought an interest in the sawmill and devoted his time and attention to that for about five years and went to farming after that, on section 24, where he lived until his wife's death, in 1878, and then lived with his son, our subject, until his death in 1879. Evan T. was born Octo- ber 4, 1842, and was the third child of a family of seven, and remained at home until 1873, when he married Laura E. Nelson, a native of Council Bluffs, born in February, 1850. After their marriage they settled in Taylor Township, on a forty-acre farm, which they improved and
lived upon until 1876, and then sold and moved to his present place. Mr. and Mrs. Mathews are the parents of two interest- ing children -- Laura M. and Willie Dean, both at home.
Politically our subject affiliates with the Republican party, and stands well in the community in which he lives, being an honest and industrious citizen of the county.
AMES KENNEDY, afarmer living on section 16,of Calhoun Township, has been a resident of the county since April, 1857. In February, 1859, he and his brother William and others started for Pike's Peak, with those who went with the expectation of finding plenty of gold, but were not very success- ful. After his return he made up his mind that Harrison County soil was the most sure gold mine he would ever find, and consequently commenced to build him a home in these parts. He now possesses a good farm of two hundred and thirty acres and is surrounded with all the comforts of life. He was born in Tipperary County, Ireland, in March, 1830. He is the son of James and Mary (Dohonay) Kennedy. Our subject remained at home and at- tended school in his native country until the autumn of 1851, and then started witlı his sister Johanna, for America, arriving at New Orleans October 17, of the same year. The following April he went to Indianapolis, Ind., and for five years was switchman for the Union Belt Railroad company. We next find him in Harrison County, Iowa.
Our subject was united in marriage while in Indianapolis to Johanna Dooly, a
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native of Ireland, who came to America with her parents in 1854. Our subject and his wife have reared a family of nine children-James J., Mary, John W., Katie C., Maggie, Johanna, Michael, Ellen and William, Our subject and his family are members of the Roman Catho- lic Church, and politically he affiliates with the Democratic party.
ETER R. SHUPE, a resident of section 17, Calhoun Township, came to Harrison County in Janu- ary, 1851, and located on section 22, of Raglan Township, where he claimed a quarter-section of land before any survey had been made, and before scarcely any- one inhabited the county. He was born in Virginia in 1830, the son of Peter and Sarah (Wright) Shupe. Peter Shupe left Virginia with a family in 1842, and went to Brown County, Ill., and remained until the spring of 1846, when he went to Nau- voo and started for the West, and got as far as Council Bluffs. This was in the time of the Mexican War and the Govern- ment demanded a Battalion and they made up about five hundred men, among whom were two brothers of our subject- Andrew Jackson and James. After the men had gone, the rest of the party went into winter quarters, on Kegg Creek, Mills County, where they found rush-beds and there they pitched their tent, and his father and mother both died the same day of ague and congestive chills. The same evening his brother came and took the children and started for Farmington, on the Des Moines River, but upon reaching Soap Creek he died, and Peter, who was
also sick, was taken back to their former camping place, while the remainder of the family went on; one of the children dying near Farmington, and within a short time every member of the family died at Farmington except Thurza, now of Woodbine. Our subject, Peter R , re- mained at the house of Franklin Steward until July 4, when they started to Holt County, Mo., for provisions, and on the way there he found a place to work out at $4 per month. He remained in that lo- cality over a year and the following sum- mer worked for the Government, hauling freight to Ft. Laramie, and was thus en- gaged until 1851, when he came to Har- rison County. He was married in Har- rison County in May, 1851, to Sintha Lockling, a native of Vermont.
Mr. and Mrs. Shupe have no children of their own, but have adopted four. Polit- ically our subject has usually voted with the Democratic party, but now votes for the best man regardless of party lines.
G EORGE J. BLACKMAN, a farmer of section 29, Magnolia Township, came to Harrison County, in the spring of 1851, with his family, (having been here the year previous alone), when he located his land and commenced to build a log house on the farm he now lives. He claimed three hundred and twenty acres. He was bornin Canada, April, 1828, and in 1833, his parents moved to Missouri, and owing to the feeling against the Mor- mons they went to Nauvoo, Ill., and in 1846, came to Council Bluffs. Here he remained with his parents until 1849, when he commenced working for himself, com- ing to Harrison County. He was united
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in marriage, in Pottawattamie County, to Miss Harriet Staley, June 11, 1850. By this marriage the following children were born-Stephen, Charles, Helena, John, Juliet, George, Hattie, Harry, Laura.
Mrs. Blackman, was born in Chautau- qua County, N. Y., July 1829, and came with her parents to Illinois, in 1847. They came from Nauvoo, to the eastern part of Iowa, in 1848 or 1849. Mr. and Mrs. Blackman are both members of the Lat- ter Day Saints Church, and all their chil- dren except Stephen and Harry.
SAPH MILTON SILSBY, a resi- · dent of Little Sioux Township, is a native of the old Green Moun- tain State, and came to Harrison County, in July 1868. He was born in Washington County, Vermont, December 1838, the son of Asaph and Olive (Stelle) Silsby, both deceased, the mother dying in 1883, and the father in 1884. Asaph Silsby was born in New Hampshire in 1800. His father Lasell Silsby was also a native of New Hampshire, born in 1775. His father was Henry Silsby born in Con- necticut about 1740, and moved to New Hampshire in 1769. He was the first set - tler in the town of Acworth; the first Selectman and Town Clerk. His father Jonathan Silsby was born in Massachu- setts about 1700, and his father, whose name was also Jonathan was one of the Puritan Fathers. The family moved from Vermont to New York, and were near neighbors of John Brown of Harpers Ferry fame. They remained there until 1868 on a farm, and then came to Harri- son County, Iowa. In 1839, our subject established himself in the agricultural
implement business at Little Sioux. It should be stated here however that during the Civil War, our subject was a member of Company H., of the Eighty-third New York Infantry, enlisting in July 1862, and was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. During that terrible conflict was in the battle of the Wilderness, Williamsburg, Cold Harbor, Gettysburg, Petersburg, and numerous minor engagements. He was shot in the leg at Gettysburg, and receiv- ed his discharge in December 1865.
Mr. Silsby was married in New York, September 1859, to Miss Abbie Clifford, by whom ten children have been born. Mr. and Mrs. Silsby belong to the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, and politically, he is a Democrat.
OHN W. WOOD, a farmer and stock- raiser, of section 2, township 79, range 43, came to Harrison County in the spring of 1865, and settled in Magnolia, where he engaged in the mer- cantile business in partnership with P. J. Rudasill and James Low, and was in that business until 1871. He was elected to the office of County Treasurer, in the fall of 1872, and served two terms, and after go- ing out of office he remained in Magnolia, until the spring of 1877, when he purchas- ed the farm he now lives upon which then consisted of two hundred and forty acres. He now has seven hundred and twenty acres.
He was born in Rappahannock County, Va., in December, 1833, in 1854 came to Missouri, and embarked in the mercantile business and remained until the time he came to Harrison County in 1865.
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Our subject was married in Atchinson County, Missouri, in September 1859, to Eliza Hopkins, and by this marriage eleven children were born-Charles, Mary, William, Frank, Kate (deceased), Anna E., Lucy, Ella, Effie, J. B., and Edward J.
Mrs. Wood was born in Clinton Coun- ty, Mo., in 1842, and remained with her parents until the date of her marriage. Mr. Wood is a member of the Masonic lodge at Logan. In his political belief is a Democratic, and in religious matters he and his wife are connected with the Baptist Church.
W ILLIAM S. CHURCH, now a res- ident of Stanton County, Neb., first came to Harrison County, Iowa, in March, 1858, locating in Clay Township, where he operated a sawmill one year, then moved to Hall County, Neb., and there worked at the carpenter- ing business for one year. He located a claim in that county, which is a part of the present site of the city of Grand Is- land. In 1864 his family were driven out by the Indians, atter building up a beau- tiful home, in which a daughter, Callie C., was born. Three hours after her birth, on account of the Indian troubles, she with her mother was loaded into a wagon and driven to Kearney, and before they were out of sight their house was on fire. On the advice of physicians they started for Omaha, and in due time ar- rived at that city, crossed the Missouri river and pushed on to Mondamin, Harri- son County. In August of 1864 Mr. Church purchased a farm in section 16, in Cincinnati Township, consisting of a
quarter section, where he resided until February, 1882, when he sold and moved to Stanton County, Neb., where he now owns an excellent farin of one hundred and sixty acres, well improved.
Our subject was born in Cortland County, N. Y., September 9, 1831. In his early life he learned the carpenter's trade, which became very valuable to him in af- ter years. He first settled West in 1852, and was at different places until 1858, when he was operating the sawmill above referred to, in Clay Township, Harrison County.
November 11, 1860 he was united in marriage to Melvina D. Burcham, by whom four children were born-Henry L., Callie C., Ida J., and Emma. Mr. Church was quite prominently identified with the political as well as the business interests of Harrison County during his residence here, hence very naturally finds a place in this volume, which is a record of the comings and goings of the pioneers.
G EORGE M. SCOTT, of Little Sioux, came to Iowa in 1854, and lived in Monona County until 1865, and has been a resident of Harrison County since 1884, farming until 1868 on the Soldier River, and then returning to Preparation, Monona County, where he had formerly lived. Mr. Scott was born in Medina County, Ohio, in October, 1835, and is a son of Samuel and Amy (Lyman) Scott, natives of Connecticut and New York, our subject being the youngest son. The parents are both deceased. The father was born in 1800, and died in 1889, while the mother died in 1853. Our sub- ject's early life was spent in Southern
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Illinois, and moved from there to St. Joseph, Mo., and in 1854, moved to Mo- nona County, Iowa, engaging in farming and stock-raising until 1882, and then en- gaged in the mercantile business, at Pre- paration, of the firm of Scott & Engle- horn. In 1884, he came to Little Sioux and conducted a general store until Feb- ruary, 1891; then formed a partnership with B. F. Croasdale, and is now trans- acting business in the general merchan- dise line.
Politically, our subject is a Prohibition Republican. He was elected as County Supervisor of Monona County, in 1874, and re-elected in 1877 and in 1880; he was also Mayor of Little Sioux at one time.
He was married in September, 1860, at Preparation, to Miss Maria C. Cobb, the daughter of Roland and Eliza (Butts) Cobb. Four children were the result of this union-Laura A., George L., de- ceased; Willard R. and Harlan A., at home.
Our subject is a member of the Latter Day Saints Church, and belongs to Fron- tier Masonic Lodge.
OLOMON J. SMITH, (deceased), came to Harrison County, in 1855, being a pioneer of the pioneers. He was born in Lockport, N. Y., June 7, 1827, and was the son of John and Nancy (Jennings) Smith, of Canada, where our subject spent his early life and received his early education. He followed farming throughout his days; went to California in 1849, followed mining when gold was first discovered there, returning to New York, and went from there to Dixon, Ill., and from there to Council Bluffs and lo-
cated on section 30, of Little Sioux Town- ship, where he owned four hundred and twenty-five acres of land, Smith's Lake is on this farm.
He was married in 1855, to Miss Julia Pratt, the daughter of John Pratt. By this union three children were born- Alice, Charles and Emma. Mr. Smith died January 18, 1887 : he was a Republi- can in politics, belonging to the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was a member of the Masonic lodge, at Little Sioux.
u RIAH HAWKINS, next to the first actual settler in Harrison County, is deserving of a biographi- cal notice in this connection, so we will invite the attention of the reader to a little hamlet in New York State, where he was born September 27, 1800. He was the son of Edward and Charity (Shipman) Hawkins, Edward was a farmer, and came from New York to Missouri, and after roughing it for a time in that State, went to Illinois, and when eighty-nine years of age, and in 1846, his son, Uriah, took him to Jackson County, Iowa, where he died September 16, of that year.
Uriah had come to Jackson County in 1835, and July 10, 1847, he landed in Har- rison County, and settled in what is now Cass Township, where he "squatted" on one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he subsequently paid the Govern- ment price of $1.25 per acre for. When he came to the county, he had a wife and five children. Jane, who married William J. Esley, who died in 1863; Edward is now on the old homestead; Emma died in October, 1863, and was buried on the farm in a private cemetery ; Mary died in An-
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gust, 1888, and is buried in the home cemetery ; Esther married Adam Conrad in Harrison County and died in February, 1874.
Uriah Hawkins was a poor man when he came to Harrison County, having two yoke of oxen, two yoke of cows, a yearling heifer, a wagon and a little household furniture, but at the time of his death, September 29, 1869, he was in fair circum- stances. He had been a member of the Latter Day Saints Church for thirty- eight years.
Edward Hawkins, the only son of pio- neer Uriah Hawkins, was born in Jackson County, Iowa in 1841, and came to Harri- son County with his parents in 1847. When twenty-seven years of age, he left home and conducted a farm of his own for seventeen years. He was married in March, 1884, to Miss Lydia Ann Thorn Thomas, a native of England, who came to America in 1883.
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ARAH J. HALL, widow of Dr. D. M. Hall, now of Washington, but
a former resident of Harrison County, is the daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Marshall Kennedy, and was born in Philadelphia, July 14, 1830. In 1854, she came West with her people and settled in Crawford County, Iowa, where May 15, 1856, she was united in marriage to David M. Hall, who was a native of Ohio, born June 26, 1818, and removed to Harrison County, February 23, 1857, set- tling near Magnolia. In the fall of the same year, he removed to Jeddo, Jeffer- son Township, remained one winter and in April, 1858, moved to Douglas Town- ship, where he remained until February, |
1862, then moved to Crawford County, lived until 1865, and returned to Jeddo and in the spring of 1866, moved to sec- tion 10, of Jefferson Township. Dr. Hall then practiced medicine at Woodbine and died at the home of his son-J. S. Hall, in Douglas Township, June 2, 1887.
Mr. and Mrs. Hall were the parents of four children-David Marshall, Lillie A., Willard S. and Arthur K.
Mrs. Hall disposed of her property in Harrison County in the fall of 1891, and removed to Vancouver, Wash. Dr. Hall was among the most successful practi- tioners, who ever followed the healing art in Harrison County, and will be remem- bered by many of the early settlers of the county.
AMUEL McGAVREN is number- ed among the pioneers of Harrison County, having settled on his pres- ent farm, on section 21, Jefferson Town- ship, February 18, 1853, and purchased a claim of one hundred and sixty acres, for which he paid $250; he entered the land as soon as it came into the market. His farm now comprises two hundred and forty acres. When he came to the county his family consisted of six children, and their nearest market place was Kanesville, now Council Bluffs.
He was born on the Conemaugh River, near Johnstown, Pa., February 20, 1812, andis the son of George and Nancy(Ewert) McGavren, who came from Ireland in 1800, and settled in York County, Pa. After two years they removed to Indiana County, Pa., and in the fall of 1829 re- moved to Columbiana County, Ohio. The father died August 27, 1853, in Auglaize
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County, Ohio, and the mother died at the village of St. Johns, Harrison County, Iowa, July 7, 1861, having been in the county since 1854.
Our subject is of a family of twelve chil- dren, nine sons and three daughters, he being the second son. When twenty years of age lie started in life for himself, his first work being the threshing of four- teen hundred bushels of grain with a flail. After which he worked as an apprentice, as wheelwright, for three years. He fol- lowed this and the cabinet business for twenty-six years in Ohio. September 15, 1852, he started with an ox-team for the West and arrived at Council Bluffs, No- vember 6, and two days later at St. Johns.
Mr. McGavren was married August 16, 1834, to Jane Hoon, who died January 15, 1851, leaving a family of six children : Nancy J., Wallace, Mary Amanda, Scott, Goorge, and Smith. He was again mar- ried August 16, 1853, to Margaret Hadden, by whom two children were born. The mother of these children died October 1, 1856, and he was again married January 27, 1857, to Sarah Morgareidge, daughter of Richard and Amy (Scott) Morgareidge. By this wife four children have been born : Amy C., born November 15, 1857, and died December 5, 1863; Laura E., born August 11, 1859; Arthur H., June 30, 1861; Addie M., May 17, 1864.
ONATHAN L. PERKINS, of Lit- tle Sioux Township, has been a resi- dent of Harrison County since 1853. He was born in Jackson County, Ohio, in 1834, the son of Erastus and Sarah (Huntly) Perkins, natives of Mas- sachusetts and New Hampshire. Jona-
than L. was the youngest of a family of eleven children, and his early life was spent in Ohio, the family coming to Jack- son County, Iowa, in 1844. He began farming for himself in 1852, in Clayton County, Iowa, and there remained until he came to Harrison County, in 1853.
He was married in 1852, to Miss Mary Alloway, daughter of William and Alice Alloway. She died in 1853, and our sub- ject remained single until 1864, when he married Miss Orphy Mead, in Little Sioux, the daughter of Thomas and Frances (Clark) Mead. By this marriage six chil- dren were born-Erastus, Cora, Justine, Ermina, Newton and Sarah still living. Mrs. Perkins died in 1887.
UGUSTUS H. GLEASON, of Little Sioux, came to Harrison County, in 1856. He is a native of Connecticut, born September 8, 1826. He is the son of Asahel and Etna (Judd) Gleason, who were also natives of Connecticut. The grandparents on the father's side were David H. and Isabel (North) Gleason. The grandfather was a brother to Eland and Peter B. Gleason, one of the first to work at the printing trade in Saybrook, and Hartford, Conn. The Gleasons are of Irish extraction. The grandmother Gleason was a niece of Lord North, of England, and was of English origin.
In our subject's father's family there were five children, he being the eldest. The children were: Augustus H., Eliza- beth, John, killed by the Indians; Mary and Julia.
Our subject's early life was spent in Connecticut, receiving his early education
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in the common and High Schools, and was a Civil Engineer for the New Haven & Northampton and the New York & New Haven Railroads, as well as Deputy County Surveyor of Hartford, Conn. He re- mained in the county of his birth, engaged in various pursuits until July, 1856, when he came to Harrison County, Iowa. In 1859 he went to Denver, Col., going with the first steam sawmill ever taken to that country, after which he engaged in gold mining, and went from there to Oregon and in 1862 engaged in mining and ranch- ing. While crossing the plains then known as the Great American Desert, he saw very hard times, being attacked by the Indians, and running low on provisions, an experience which he does not care to pass through again. While gold prospect- ing he was in Colorado, New Mexico, Old Mexico and Arizona, and remained in Ore- gon three years, and was in Idaho, Wyo- ming and British America, returning to Iowa in August, 1864, and purchased land on section 25, of Little Sioux Township, where he now owns five hundred acres all of which is under cultivation. This land has cost him from $2 to $30 per acre. He is engaged in general farming and stock- raising and is a very successful agricul- turist.
Our subject was married November 14, 1865, at Little Sioux, Iowa, to Miss Cyn- thia F. Scofield, the daughter of James and Olive (Hathaway) Scofield. The latter is still living but the former died in 1882. Her father came to Harrison County in 1857, and erected the first mill in the township, that was propelled by steam ; first putting in a sawmill and afterward adding a gristmill.
Mr. and Mrs. Gleason are the parents of six children: Gertrude O., now the wife of Mr. Pitts, of Omaha; Eva A., at
home; John A., deceased; Isabel, Dora and James. Mrs. Gleason is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he belongs to the Masonic fraternity and is a member of Lodge, No. 382, at Little Sioux.
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