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 35

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 35

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Our subject was born in Bohemia in 1855, and came from that country when but three months old, landing at Quebec, and lived with his parents until he was

sixteen years of age, and then went to work on a farm by the month. He came from Canada direct to Iowa, first stopping in Jones County, from which locality he came to Harrison County.

George Esycheek, father of our subject, had three children-John, Joseph and Anna, all of whom are living. Our sub- ject was married March 23, 1888, to Tony Ferick, daughter of Joseph and Anna Ferick, natives of Bohemia. She was the youngest of a family of five children. Her parents never came to America. The mother died when she was but four years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Esycheek have been blessed by one child-Emma, born Octo- ber 4, 1890. Mrs. Esycheek was a widow at the time she married our subject, her first husband's name being Wyrak. They had the following children, all of whom are still living-Mary, James and Anna.

Mr. and Mrs. Esycheek are members of the Roman Catholic Church. He com- menced life poor, and has always been a hard worker, but like most of the foreign- ers, who came to the New World, he has succeeded in obtaining a comfortable home.

OSIAH GIDDINGS, M. D., of Woodbine, came to Harrison County during the month of March, 1868, and settled at Magnolia, where he engaged in the drug business, which he followed one year, sold out and purchased a piece of wild land on section 17, of Mag- nolia Township. It was one hundred and sixty acres, and he improved it, living there until 1878, when he rented his farm

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and moved to Logan, and practiced medi- cine for three years, at the end of which time he moved back to his farm, and re- mained until 1887, when he sold and lo- cated in the drug business at Woodbine ; he sold in 1889, since which time he has devoted his time exclusively to the prac- tice of medicine, and has been a member of the Board of Medical Examiners for Pen- sioners, of the late war, since 1889.

He graduated from Castleton Medical College, at Castleton, Vt., in June, 1856, and during the winter of 1862-63 he took a course of lectures at Rush Medical Col- lege at Chicago.

Dr. Giddings was born in Franklin County, Vt., August 10, 1832, and re- mained in the old Green Mountain State until twenty-four years of age, with the exception of one year, spent in teaching in Saratoga County, N. Y., after which he attended college. After graduating he went to McHenry County, Ill., where he practiced his chosen profession until May, 1863, and then went into the Union army as an assistant surgeon, belonging to the . Ninety-fifth Illinois Infantry, remaining in the service until August 17, 1865, when lie was mustered out at Camp Butler, Ill. He then engaged in the drug business in Woodstock, McHenry County, Ill., which he followed for eighteen months, coming to Council Bluffs in October, 1867, where he bought an interest in a drug business, with J. C. DeHaven, and remained there until March, 1868, the time of his coming to this county.

Dr. Giddings was married in McHenry County, Ill., October 17, 1858, to Miss Sarah A. Giddings, who isnow the mother of seven children-Edgar T., born Feb- ruary 13, 1861; Hannah I., November 16, 1866; Clara J., May 4, 1869, died Sep- tember 23, 1870; Jennie A., born July 15,

1871; Helen, born February 5, 1884, died October 9, aged eight months and four days; and two died in infancy.

Mrs. Giddings was born in Frenklin County, Vt., October 15, 1842, and moved with her parents to Mc Henry County, Ill., when she was about one year old.

Politically, our subject affiliates with the Republican party and in religious mat- ters is a believer in the Christian faith.

OSEPH KESSLER, an uncle of H. C. Harshbarger, came to Harrison County in 1858, and bought a piece of land on section 28, of Boyer Township. He was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, in 1825, moved to Spencer County, Ind., in 1839, remained there ten years, and then moved to Mahaska County, Iowa, and from there to Guthrie County, where he remained until he came to this county. He was married while living in Indiana, his wife only living two years, after which he made his home with John Harshbarger, his brother-in-law. He sold his farm in Boyer Township in 1867, and went to Lincoln County, Kan., where he died in 1874. During the Civil War was a member of Company C, Twenty- ninth Iowa Infantry.

OHN W. JEFFERSON, the son of Luke and Mary A. (Farnsworth) Jefferson, a sketch of whom appears at another place in this book, was born July 17, 1853, in Boyer Township, Harrison County, Iowa, has been a resi-

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dent of this township all of his life, and remained under the paternal roof until about 1881, but had been working his own farm, which his father gave him when he was eighteen years of age, for some time previous to 1881. His farm is located on section 35, of Boyer Township, and con- sists of one hundred and sixty acres of well-improved land. In 1881 he built a frame house 16x24 feet, one story and a half high, and one year later made an ad- dition of 14x20 feet, making the whole a fair-sized and comfortable house. He also has good outbuildings and everything shows evidence of being well cared for.

March 1, 1885, he took to himself a companion in the person of Elizabeth Dennis, of Ringgold County, Iowa, by which union four children have been born ; Myrtle A., January 7, 1886; Mary E., July 19, 1887; Mabel O., January 17, 1889; and Edith B., February 17, 1891.

Mrs. Jefferson, wife of our subject, is the daughter of Ezekiel M. and Ruth Ann (Marshall) Dennis, with whom she re- mained until the date of her marriage. she being the sixtli child of a family of eleven children. Ezekiel Dennis was born in Kentucky in 1834, and in 1846 came to Indiana. In 1854 he was married to Ruth Ann Marshall, of Warren County, Ind., who was born April 20, 1836, and moved to Warren County, Iowa, in 1855, and from there to Ringgold County.

Politically, our subject believes in the principles of the Republican party.

SAAC A. DECOU, a farmer of section 5, Douglas Township, has lived in the county ever since he was twenty-one years old, coming with his parents in 1866.

He was born in Simcoe, Norfolk County, Canada, where he remained until thirteen years of age, at which time his parents emigrated to Winneshiek County, Iowa. He remained at home until the spring of 1869, when he removed to his own place on section 5, of Douglas Township, which place he had owned in 1867.

He was married in January, 1869, to Miss Anna T: White, in Boyer Township. By this union one child has been born- Arthur E. Mrs. DeCou died in Douglas Township October 10, 1873.

Mr. DeCou was again married Septem- ber 7, 1876, to Sarah E. Porter, in Dela- ware County, N. Y. By this union two children were born-Emily A. and Samuel R.

Politically our subject is a supporter of the Republican party.

S AMUEL DECOU came to Harri- son County in the autumn of 1864, bought land and returned to his former home in Winneshiek County, Iowa, where he had improved a three hundred and twenty acre farm, coming there from Canada in 1853, and the following June came to Harrison County and set- tled on section 7, of Douglas Township, where he purchased four hundred and sixty acres of land, upon which there had been built a two-story brick house 24x36 feet. There were about one hundred and thirty-five acres under cultivation, and very fortunately Mr. DeCou purchased the whole property for $3,750 and re- mained on that place until the spring of 1885 and then built a residence in Wood-

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bine and moved to town. The first two years he lived in the county he made $4,- 000, but the next years were not so profit- able, owing to the grasshopper plague, which devastated this country.

Mr. DeCou was born August 12, 1807, inaking him eighty-four years old at this writing. His birthplace was London Dis- trict, Canada. His parents were both born in the United States, but removed to Can- ada before the birth of our subject, who spent his early years in the Dominion, leaving there in 1853. The father was born in New Jersey and the mother in Maryland.

Mr. DeCou married Nancy Austin in the month of December, 1829, and as the result of this union, one son and four daughters were born-Mary Ann, born Oc- tober 17, 1830; Philip A. died in infancy ; Rebecca, born January 25, 1833; Eliza- beth A., August 19, 1835; and Susan F., September 27, 1837.

Mr. DeCou's first wife died in Canada, where he was again married, to Elizabeth Austin, and by this marriage five children have been born-Isaac A., born March 15, 1841; William H., February 10, 1844; Emily J., August 20, 1848; John S., Aug- ust 17, 1851; Albert A., February 1, 1853, died in Harrison County March 9, 1890.

Mary Ann DeCou married Rev. George Cuthbertson, a Presbyterian minister ; Rebecca, single, employs her time in teach- ing at Hamilton, Ontario. Elizabeth A. married Joseph Otis, and lives in Califor- nia. Susan F. married Marshall Fairfield, who also lives in California. The remain- der of our subject's children are married and live in Harrison County, Iowa.

Mrs. DeCou was born August 20, 1815, and was the daughter of Phillip and Mary (Slaught) Austin. The father was born in Orange County, N. C., in 1789, and

died in Canada in September, 1876. The mother was born in New Jersey, Novem- ber, 1796, and died in Ontario, Canada, in March, 1865.

Mr. and Mrs. DeCou are acceptable members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, having joined in Canada in 1854. Politically our subject votes with the Republican party, but favors a reform.

Upon coming to this county Mr. De- Cou's nearest trading point was Council Bluffs, as that was the nearest place at which farm produce could be marketed. A few of the necessities of life, could how- ever be purchased at Magnolia, which was then the county seat. In coming from Winneshiek County to Harrison County, our subject drove through, making from one county seat to another, following the main roads diagonally across the State.of Iowa, from north-east to south-west over many unbridged streams.

Being now far advanced in life, and living on borrowed time, as he is, our sub- jeot has retired from active engagement, and has divided his lands among his chil- dren.

W ILLIAM J. LOGAN, a resident of Jefferson Township, residing on section 17, has lived in the town- ship since 1873, emigrating from Rush County, Ind., and locating on land which he purchased in 1872, where he now lives.

Our subject was born in Butler County, Ohio, January 15, 1825, and when but six months old his parents removed to the Hoosier State, and his mother died when he was two years of age. In 1832 his father went to Cincinnati to engage in a

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pork packing establishment and intended to soon return, but that dread epidemic, cholera, was raging and he was never heard from afterward. William J. was eight years of age at that time, but fortu- nately found a home in a most excellent family-that of Jacob Milbourn-where he remained until about twenty-five years of age. This family was very kind to him and they had a daughter named Rachel, who was born in Monroe County, Va., to whom our subject was married December 12, 1850. Her father was born in the same county and came to Indiana in Oc- tober, 1827, where he died October 23, 1857.

Mr. and Mrs. Logan have been blessed with three children-Elizabeth Jane, born August 30, 1851, now the wife of Martin K. Hood of Harrison County; Leonidas M., born June 26, 1853, who married Lydia Wilson, daughter of Lowrey Wilson, De- cember 31, 1876, and lives on his father's farm; William H., born March 23, 1860, and lives with his father. His wife's maiden name was Alice R. Barnes, to whom he was married June 20, 1888.

Politically our subject is identified with the Republican party, and is a consistent member of the Christian Church.

Among the local offices held by Mr. Lo- gan, may be named that of Township Trustee which he has held for three terms.

M ILTON H. GREENFIELD, a res- ident of section 3, of Jefferson Township, came to Harrison County June 19, 1858, and conse- quently is numbered among Harrison

County's earliest settlers. Upon coming to the township the first year he worked for Stephen King, and in May, 1859 caught the Pike's Peak gold fever, and started for that region. He got as far as Fremont, Neb., and soon returned to this county and engaged at work making brick near the town of Jeddo, in company with A. L. Stone. Two hundred thousand brick were burned, which found ready sale at from $7.00 to $10.00 per thousand. In the summer of 1860 he purchased seventy-eight acres of land on section 13, Jefferson Township, upon which his brick kiln was located. That year, in company with Jason Z. Hunt, he burned two kilns of brick, besides working Hunt's farm.

In 1862 was working part of the same place, and some of his own which had been improved, and in August of that year left his crops in the field, hired it taken care of, and enlisted in Company C., Twenty-ninth Iowa Infantry, wearing the soldier-blue in the service of his country until April, 1863, at which time he re- ceived an honorable discharge at Mem- phis, Tenn., for disability occasioned by measles, erysipelas and chronic diar- rhea.

When he left the service he went to Dodge County, Wis., where he remained until October, 1866, and again came West. While in Wisconsin he followed farming and blacksmithing.

Mr. Greenfield was born in New York February 29, 1836. His parents were Willard and Susana (Hunt) Greenfield, and he is the eldest of a family of five children. 'In 1858 he started for himself, and came West, as above stated. He was married May 6, 1860, to Elizabeth A. Ken- nedy, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Marshall) Kennedy, who were natives of Ireland, the mother coming to this

Matthew Shall

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country in 1821, and the father coming a few years later. Mrs. Greenfield was born in Athens County, Ohio, April 13, 1840, and came with her parents to Craw- ford County, Iowa, November 15, 1854.

Mr. and Mrs. Greenfield are the parents of a family of ten children. Charles W., born in 1861, died January 26, 1864, of smallpox; Orren H., born April 17, 1863, died January 23, 1331, of smallpox, twenty minutes later than his brother; Clarence M., born December 22, 1864; Jessie W., born November 27, 1866, died April 2,1867 ; George M., born August 31, 1833, died Oc- tober 4, 1839; Grace S., born August 23, 1870; Perry E., November 10, 1872; Wil- lard S., August 21, 1875; Asa K., July 12, 1878; Ralph E., July 18, 1832.

John Greenfield, the grandfather of our subject, was born in New York, and died there at the age of ninety-seven years. He had been married five times, and left a family of fifteen children, one of whom was Susanna, the mother of our subject, who was married in 1834.

Politically, he affiliates with the Repub- lican party, and in his religious belief is a Free-will Baptist.

ATTHEW HALL, one among the earliest pioneers of Harrison County, and now a resident of Woodbine, settled on section 30, of what is now Douglas Township, and in Twelve-Mile Grove, during the month of April, 1853, where he bought a claim of one hundred and sixty acres of land, upon which was a rude log cabin. On the 24th of April he commenced to clear off some timber, and succeeded in clearing four

acres, which he farmed that year, and upon what he raised from this he sub- sisted the following winter. After two years he built a hewed log house 18x20 feet, in which the family lived for two years, then added a frame kitchen 10x20 feet, in which they lived until 1872, when he built a 16x20 frame upright, one and a half stories high. Our subject's farm now consists of two hundred acres. When he came to the country land was not yet in the market, but he "squatted" on land which in the spring of 1855 he entered, and lived upon the same until the spring of 1881, and then moved to Woodbine, where he purchased a residence, now one of the most desirable places in the town. Having spent many years at hard labor, and the health of his wife not being good, he very wisely removed to town, to take life easier. He now has three farms, all rented to good tenants. Mr. Hall has loaned some money since about 1859, for which he has never asked but ten per cent., and now only requires eight per cent., which in these days of Shylocks and "money changers," who have exacted thirty, forty, and even fifty per cent. for the use of their money, speaks very much to the honor and character of our subject.

During the hard winter of 1856-7 there were hundreds of deer in and about Twelve-Mile Grove, and it was no trouble for an ordinary dog to run them down and capture them, as these nimble-footed, small-limbed creatures in their flight, would almost invariably break through the sharp crust of the deep snows.

In the autumn of 1855 a party of six men, with a team, were driving hogs to Council Bluffs, and they came to Mr. Hall's in the evening for the purpose of remaining over night. At this time Mr. Hall was living in the cabin, which was

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14x16 feet in dimensions, and the family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Hall, their daughter, and a brother-in-law and sister of Mrs. Hall's, Joseph and Catherine Harry, and yet they found room to store away these six men, who slept in one bed on the floor. The cabin was provided with a fireplace, built of logs and lined inside with sod, and they put a large "back-log" on before going to bed, and one of the jambs caught fire, but as one of the men had his feet close to the fire it woke him up, thus preventing what might have been a disastrous occurrence.

Mr. Hall early in life made it a rule never to go in debt ; when he did not have the money the family practiced self- denial; many times Mr. Hall has gathered red-root leaves, which they used as a sub- stitute for tea, and they have browned wheat and dried carrots for coffee.

In the fall of 1857 there was a buffalo came from the south to our subject's place and broke down a gate and com- menced feeding at a stack of oats, where- upon Mr. Hall got his rifle, and being only fifty or sixty yards from him, could have killed the animal, but his good wife begged of him not to shoot, as she was afraid he would do no more than to crip- ple and enrage the buffalo, which would then make a fight, and Mr. Hall, half be- lieving it might be a tame buffalo belong- ing to some one in the vicinity, did not shoot; however, it was killed about two miles east of there by George Mefferd, who was with a party of men who gave it chase. This was the only buffalo ever seen by white men in Harrison County.

To return to the earlier years of our subject, it should be stated that he was born in Northumberland County, Eng- land, and at the town of Hexham, on the

Tyne, May 1, 1819. His parents were poor people, who made their living by hard work, and our subject remained with them until about twelve years of age, when he went to live with an uncle in Weardale, West Gate, in the county of Durham, England, at whose place he re- mained four years, on a farm. He then returned to Northumberland County and lived with a family two years, spent six months at his uncle's, and then went to Lead Mill and hauled lead ore from Silver Tongue mine to Healyfield smelt mills. He next went to East Gate, in the county of Durham, and worked at farm labor a year, and the following season worked at Walishwalls for a year, and then went to a place called Riding Barns, where he worked on a farm for three years. The following year he worked at Shotly Bridge, after which he engaged to work in the Consett Iron Works, remaining three years. Here he was horse-keeper and onsetter in a coal mine. His work was performed eighty fathoms under ground. His next work was firing a stationary engine at a blast furnace at these mines, remaining one year, then fired a locomo- tive on the Stockton and Darlington rail- road one year, after which he went to firing on the Great Western Railroad, at the town of Swindon. This road was a seven-foot gauge, and by faithfully per- forming his work he was promoted to be en- gineer, and remained with the company until January 23, 1851, when he sailed for America on the vessel "George W. Burns," and was ten weeks making the voyage to New Orleans, landing in that city March 10. After remaining there a few days he took a steamboat for Council Bluffs (at that time known as Kanesville). Soon after his arrival he bought a claim near Cresent City, on the Little Pigeon,

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On this claim stood a log cabin, and there had been some breaking done. He bought two yoke of steers and two cows, and paid $110 for the claim of eighty acres. After purchasing this claim and stock his money was exhausted, and the first dollar he re- ceived in this country was for a book he sold. He had no wagon, but bought a sled for twenty-five cents, and loaned it to a neiglibor to go to mill with, and he broke one of the runners, when our subject was again without a vehicle. So he and his neighbor, Robert Kirkwood, a Scotch- man, who also was without a wagon, took a crosscut saw and sawed eight wheels from off a walnut tree, then made a pair of trucks for each of them, and by attach- ing the two "fearfully and wonderfully made" parts, two wagons were completed, one of which was the first wagon Mr. Hall ever owned, and was perhaps as strong, as well as odd looking, as any- thing of the kind ever used in the land of Egypt. But he thought himself rich in having such a conveyance.

The oxen Mr. Hall owned were not broken in a first-class manner, and when he went to plow one would lie down, which required an application of the iron- wood whip in order to facilitate the agri- cultural pursuits. Mr. Hall remained on this claim from May, 1851, until 1853, when he sold his claim for $80, and then came to Harrison County.

Mr. Hall was united in marriage March 25, 1847, at New Castle, Northumberland County, England, to Miss Jane Bell, by whom one child, Mary J., was born March 3,1848.

Mrs. Hall died in England July 27, · 1849, and December 29, 1850, our subject was married to Elizabeth A. Boustead, who died February 12, 1883.

Mr, Hall was married to his present

wife, Ellen White, April 26, 1883. She was born in Houghton, Hampshire, Eng- land, March 13, 1837. She spent most of her life in Italy, France, Germany and London, coming to this country in 1872, and residing in Council Bluffs until the date of her marriage to Mr. Hall.

In his religious belief our subject is in full sympathy with the Latter Day Saints Church, uniting with the same in Eng- land in 1847, but has never believed in polygamy as practiced by the Utah Mor- mons.

Mrs. Hall united with this church No- vember 26, 1887. Her father, Richard White, was born in England, and died at Newberry, Berkshire County, December 17, 1871, at the advanced age of eighty- two years. Her mother, Elizabeth (Bevis) White, died in England March 11, 1867, at the age of sixty-three years.

OHN D. FROCK, a resident of sec- tion 19, Jefferson Township, came to the county in March, 1876, and moved near Reeder's Mills, where he worked for John Williams on a farm for three months, and then moved to Magnolia Township, where he rented land one year, and then bought forty acres in the same township. It was improved land, for which he paid $1,100. After two years he sold this place and moved to Harlan, Shelby County, where he con- ducted a hotel a few months, and then re- turned to Harrison County, renting land for two years, after which he purchased one hundred acres in Jefferson Township. The land was all under the plow, but con- tained no buildings. He erected a farm-

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house 24x28 feet, and set out an orchard, cultivating the land for four years. In the spring of 1886 he purchased the place he now occupies.

Mr. Frock was born in Maryland, Jan- uary 31, 1840, the son of Valentine and Maria (Harner) Frock, who had a family of eight children, of whom our subject was the third. The children were: Louisa, Sophia (deceased), Jolin D., William H., James E., Samuel (deceased), Lucinda and Theodore.

The parents were both natives of Mary- land. John D. was married December 11, 1866, to Rebecca, daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth Stocksleger, who had a family of eleven children, our subject's wife being the youngest. Her father's family were as follows: Joshua, Jacob, Maria Ann, Joseph, Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah (twins), Abraham F. and Isaac J. (twins), Samuel and Rebecca.

Mrs. Frock's parents were both natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Frock's children are as follows: Elizabeth M., born September 27, 1867; William E., January 31, 1870; Ella M., April 19, 1872; Luella P., September 12, 1881.

Mr. and Mrs. Frock are consistent mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church at Logan.

Politically, our subject is a supporter of the Republican party.

ASEN ZIBA HUNT (deceased), came to Harrison County from . Edinburg, Saratoga County, New York, during the month of May, 1850, and located a claim that season on section 13, Jefferson Township, the same consisting of eighty acres, to which he

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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 35

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