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 48

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 48

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HARRISON COUNTY.

ness he remained until 1856, during which year he sold. Believing in the future of the great and then but little developed West, he emigrated to Harrison County, Iowa, coming by boat to St. Joseph, Mo., where teams were engaged to convey the company, which was composed of a goodly number, to their new home.

Mr. Noyes and family located on the southwest quarter of section 20, of what is known as Morgan Township. He at once began turning over the rich virgin soil, and assisted by his sons, succeeded in get- ting in a crop, as it was in May when he arrived. About 1858 he placed in opera- tion the second steam sawmill in that por- tion of the county. It stood about a mile and one-half to the north and west of the present sprightly village of Mondamin. He operated this mill, which was highly prized by the early pioneers, until about the close of the Civil War period, and then sold to his sons, who operated it a few years longer, when it was sold and a part of the ma- chinery taken to Nebraska. This mill cut large quantities of lumber, which provided building material for scores of the settlers, who previous to this were compelled to either draw lumber from the mill on the Pigeon River, in Pottawattamie County, or hew timbers and puncheon in the prim- itive manner by the use of score-line and ax.

Mr. Noyes being a man full of life and manly energy, he soon accumulated a large tract of land, at one time having four thousand acres within Harrison County. Having the financial means, he was vari- ously engaged, and in consequence em- ployed many men, in fact the most of his neighbors looked to him for employment during seasons when they must have been idle had it not been for his thrift and en- terprise. By reason of this, together with

his strict integrity, he naturally won the confidence and genuine friendship of his community, the members of which never lost an opportunity of speaking compli- mentary words regarding him.

Early in the 70s, Mr. Noyes became in- terested in the Woodbine Woolen Mills (a thorn in many a man's side in Harrison County), which business proved a great loss to him. He also lost heavily by going security for friends, and thus much of his hard-earned property slipped from him.

Mr. Noyes was first married in 1833, to Hettie Stanley, by whom five children were born. They were: Jane, afterward Mrs. Ruffcorn, now deceased; Catherine, who became the wife of Mr. Chamberlain, but now deceased; John H .; LaFayette, deceased; and Washington, now residing at River Sioux, Iowa. Mrs. Noyes, the mother of these children. passed from the scenes of this life, in 1847. In 1848 Mr. Noyes married Mary Starks, daughter of Charles and Susan Starks.of Pennsylvania. By this union three sons and two daughters were born: Esther; William, deceased; Z. Taylor, now a merchant of Mondamin, Iowa; Fillmore and Maria Z.

In 1883, while driving in a thunder shower, Mr. Noyes was unfortunate in having his horse struck by lightning and killed. At the same time Mr. Noyes re- ceived a heavy charge of the electric cur- rent, the effects of which he never fully recovered from. This accident, coupled with the mental strain, brought about by reason of his financial losses, caused a de- rangement of his mind, and he was sent to the asylum at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, in hopes he might, under proper treatment, recover. He remained there about three months, was brought home, and only survived un- til February 23, 1885, when all that was mortal of John Noyes, passed from the

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HARRISON COUNTY.

shifting scenes of this life. His had been a busy, useful life. In addition to his ex- tensive mill and farm-life in Harrison County, he also operated a large steam sawmill in Texas, where he sawed hun- dreds of thousands of railroad ties. He engaged in merchandising at Mondamin in 1868. His son being associated with him, succeeded him, and is still the lead- ing merchant of the town.

To Capt. Noyes is largely due the honor of naming Mondamin, the busy trading mart of Morgan Township. Mr. Noyes was an extensive raiser of, and dealer in Indian corn. His township came to be the banner township in the county for corn, and so very appropriately, the rail- road station, from which so many thou- sands of bushels of this product was an- nually shipped; was given the Indian name for corn, which is "Mondamin."

In sketching the career of this pioneer's eventful life, possessed as it was, with so many sterling traits of noble manhood, and whose influence was felt in almost every branch of business and every politi- cal, as well as social circle, the writer is . baffled to know which particular part of his well-rounded life to emphasize the most. It is certain, however, that his early manhood ; his domestic relations ; his hardihood in becoming a pioneer in this section of Iowa, in 1856; his official duties as Drainage Commissioner as well as his connection with the Harrison County Agricultural Society have all proven the late Capt. John Noyes to have been pos- sessed of far more than the ordinary ability found among the rank and file of earth's busy workers. He was generous, kind-hearted and true in every position he was placed. His name will go down to posterity as prominent among the van- guard of Harrison County pioneers.

OHN L. COX, son of H. B. and Caroline (Reel) Cox, was born in Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Sep- tember 12, 1853, and came to Harri- son County with his parents when less than two years old, and has been a resident of the county ever since. He left the paternal roof in the spring of 1874, having atte ded the schools of this county where he received a good education, and at that time entered the Military Academy at West Point, where he remained four years, graduating June 16, 1878, after which he returned to his home, remained a short time, and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant, in the Twentieth United States Infantry, and went to Ft. Brown, Tex., and served one year, return- ing home.

September 7, 1879, he was united in marriage to Evelyn Harris, the daughter of W. T. and Margaret (Murphy) Harris. She was born in Harrison County, March 1, 1859, and was the third child of a family of four, who grew to their majority. Soon after their marriage, our subject and his wife moved to their present place, into an old house. His present farm consists of two hundred and seventy acres, ninety of which are under the plow, twenty acres in timber and the balance in pasture and meadow land. Since moving to the placc, Mr. Cox has provided the premises with a modern style farm house, the upright of which is 16x32 feet and two stories high.

Their home has been blessed by the advent of four children, born, as follows: Guy H., July 29, 1880; Gertrude, Decem- ber 7, 1882; Grace M., April 12, 1885, and Benjamin, September 19, 1890.

Of our subject's wife's people, it may be said, that they came to Harrison County at an early day and about 1866 returned to Clay County, Ind., where her mother

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HARRISON COUNTY.

died June 2, 1888, aged sixty-six years, while the father still survives, and is seventy-two years of age at this writing.

C. C

SAAC ELLISON was born in Monroe County, Va., June 2, 1807,. and was the son of Mat and Anna (Campbell) Ellison. At the age of twenty-five years Mr. Ellison started for himself. He first went to Ohio, lived there ten months, and then went to Wayne County, Ind., then to Missouri, and then retraced his steps to Pike County, Ill., and in 1850, came to Pottawattamie County, Iowa, and three years later to Harrison County.

Mr. Ellison was married in Virginia, in 1831, to Sinda Clark, and they had a fam- ily of eleven children, eight of whom are living, one of whom was Lehi, who came with his parents to this county in the fall of 1853, and located on section 17, of Cass Township. He was born in Jim- Town, Henry County, Ind., in 1837, and removed with his parents to Iowa in 1850. In September, 1864, he was married to Lydia M. Scofield, a native of Ohio, born in 1842. Mr. and Mrs. Lehi Ellison are the parents of two children, who still live, and two deceased.

Mrs. Isaac Ellison is a native of Virginia, born February 23, 1815. Her parents were Alexander and Mary Clark. Mary Clark's maiden name was Hocking. Isaac Ellison and wife have fifty-three grandchildren, and forty-one great-grandchildren, most of whom live in Harrison County.

Anotlier son of Isaac Ellison is Alma, who accompanied his parents to this county, as above related. His father en- tered eighty acres of land at a time when

when wild game was very plenty. He erected a hewed log house, in which lived the family consisting of parents and ten children. Alma was born in Pike County, Ill., in March, 1840, left there when ten years of age, with his parents for Iowa. When twenty-two years old he embarked in life for himself, by farming a tract of land he owned on section 16, of Cass Township. He was married August 24, 1862, to Sarah M. Runyan, a native of Iowa, born in 1844.

W ILLIAM D. HOWARTH, was born in Harrison County in Janu- ary, 1865, and has been a constant resident of the county ever since. He clerked for Kibler Bros., at Woodbine for about eight years and then formed a part- nership with W. J. Callender, in the gro- cery business. He was married to Miss Cora McGarver, of Shelby County, Iowa, in 1834. By this union two children were born-Bessie and Harry.

Edward Howarth, father of our subject, was one of the early settlers of Harrison County ; he came in the autumn of 1851, and settled in what is now Douglas Town- ship. His mother died when he was a small boy and he lived with his father, Daniel Howarth, until he was sixteen years of age, and then went to work by the month.

Daniel Howarth entered one hundred and sixty acres of land in Douglas Town- ship, which his son Edward purchased of his father in about 1866.

Edward was born in Athens County, Ohio, in 1837, and came to Harrison County with his father Daniel, in 1851.

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HARRISON COUNTY,

Edward married Betty C. Armstrong of Harrison County, in 1864, and they are the parents of seven children-William D., Fannie B., Cora E., Sylva V., Luet- tie O., Albert E. and Florence M.

Mrs. Edward Howarth was born in Illi- nois, in June, 1846, and came to Harrison County, with her father's family, who lo- cated in Six-Mile Grove, where she re- mained until the date of her marriage.

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G EORGE PUGSLEY, a resident of section 11, Boyer Township, was born in Athens County, Ohio, March 17, 1850. At the age of five years he came with his parents to Harrison County, Iowa, arriving in the autumn of 1855. They came overland with teams and crossed the vast country with but little settlements here and there. His father entered land in what is now Douglas Township. Our subject remained with his parents on the farm until 1877, having bought land however in this township as early as 1872. This land was on section 6, and was unimproved. At first he bought eighty-eight acres, but added to it until he had two hundred acres.

In the summer of 1876 he erected a house upon this land, into which he moved in the autumn of 1877. It was a frame house sixteen feet square and one story and a half high, to which in 1877, he added an apartment 14x28 feet and one story high.

Mr. Pugsleyremained on this farm until the spring of 1882, when he sold his farm and purchased another in Lincoln Town- ship, the same being situated on section 6, and also on section 31, in Willow Town-

ship, Monona County, the county line dividing his farm. This farm comprised nine hundred and sixty acres of land, six hundred and forty of which was in Mon- ona County and three hundred and twenty in Harrison County. He built on this farm a house one story and a half high, the upright of which was 16x28 feet, together with alean-to sixteen feet square.

The land was just as the hand of nature had left it and our subject had all the im- proving to do himself. That portion of the farm which is in Monona County is used for grazing purposes and of the por- tion in Harrison County ninety acres are under cultivation and the remainder about equally divided between meadow and pasture land. In the fall of 1882 lie built a well-arranged barn forty feet square. He aims to keep on hand at this place about three hundred head of cattle. In the spring of 1885 he moved to Moorhead, on John B. Moorhead's farm, over which he was manager until the spring of 1888, when he moved back to his own place, re- mained that summer, and the following winter visited his parents in Florida, and in the spring of 1889, returned to Harri- son County and moved to the place upon which he now lives, which he had bought in 1888. This place is situated on section 11, of Boyer Township, upon which there was built a good brick farmhouse. It was also provided with a barn 30x50 feet. This farm contains two hundred and thirty acres, about one hundred and twenty acres of which are under the plow.

Our subject was married September 20, 1877, and by this union three children were born-Charles W., born August 12, 1878; Sadie E., January 5, 1882, and one who died in infancy.

Mrs. Pugsley's maiden name was Ida Kennedy, born in Crawford County, Iowa,

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HARRISON COUNTY.

March 20, 1858. Her father was Samuel Kennedy, who died when she was one year old. The mother was Mary (How- artlı) Kennedy, who after her husband's death remained a widow several years, and then married John B. Moorhead. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Kennedy were the parents of two children, Mrs. Pugsley being the youngest and remained with her mother until the date of her marriage.

The father of our subject, George W. Pugsley, came to Harrison County in 1855, settling in Douglas Township, where he built a log cabin sixteen feet square, in which he lived for seven years and then traded his farm for another near Whites- boro, between Logan and Woodbine, the same being in Jefferson Township. The last named place was improved, had a log house upon it and consisted of eighty acres of plow land. and forty acres of tim- ber. He remained there until the spring of 1872, and then moved to Woodbine, where he traded for the hotel property, which he operated for nine years, after which he rented the hotel and bought a residence, but looked after a small farm in the valley near Woodbine. After rent- ing his hotel property two years he dis- posed of it. He remained in Woodbine until the autumn of 1882, when he re- moved to Putnam County, Fla., where he now owns a ten-acre orange grove, which he planted after going there.

Our subject was born in Athens County, Ohio, in 1816, and remained there until the time of his coming to this county. Upon his arrival here he had three horses and a wagon and less than $1 in money, and that being the memorable winter for deep snow and cold weather, the family had but little to eat but corn bread and venison.

Mr. Pugsley was married to Rachel

Francis, in Athens County, Ohio, about 1841. By this union eight children were born-the subject of our sketch, George, being the fifth child. The mother was born in Ohio about 1821, and her mother died when she was a small girl.

Politically our subject is in sympathy with the Prohibition party, and in relig- ious matters is a Christian.

P RANCIS L. DAVIS, loan and in- surance agent at Missouri Valley, came to the place in 1872, having been a resident of Harrison County two years prior to that, living at River Sioux, where he was engaged in the stock busi- ness.

Mr. Davis was born June 21, 1841, in Millport, N. Y. His parents were Elisha J. and Fannie (Shannon) Davis. The Davis family were from New Jersey, and were of old Puritanic stock. The Shan- non family were early settlers near Seneca Lake, N. Y. The father followed harness- making and lumbering, and the family moved to Harrison County, in 1869, set- tling at River Sioux. In 1870, our sub- ject came and entered into partnership with his father in the stock business, and continued until 1872. The father died in 1876, and was buried in Rose Hill ceme- tery, at Missouri Valley. His widow makes her home at River Sioux. and at Onawa, Iowa.

Our subject's early education was re- ceived at Wellsville, N. Y., at Alfred Academy. In August, 1861, Mr. Davis enlisted in Company E, Fifth New York Cavalry, and went to Staten Island, from there to Baltimore and thence to Annap- olis, where he was ruptured, and conse-

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HARRISON COUNTY.

quently returned home. While he enlisted for "three years or during the war"he was not engaged in any struggles of that great conflict on account of the accident above referred to. At Little Valley, N. Y., he served as Deputy Sheriff and Constable until he moved to Harrison County, and soon after coming here was appointed Deputy Sheriff under J. J. Peck. He was appointed Constable at Missouri Val- ley, and subsequently filled that office by election. He also served as Marshal at Missouri Valley. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. In politi- cal matters he has always been an ardent Republican.

Christine L. Ames, a native of Little Valley, N. Y., became his wife in 1868.

October 30, 1878, he married Mrs. Clara A. Pike, by whom one child was born, the same dying when seven months of age, and was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, at Missouri Valley. Mrs. Davis came from Springfield, Mass., and is President of the Woman's Relief Corps at Missouri Val- ley.

AMES ERVIN first settled in La- Grange Township in June, 1857, where he rented two years and in the spring of 1859, went to Reeder's Mills, farined one year then returned to La Grange Township, remained one year, removed to his present place in Jefferson Township, where he opened up a new farm. He built a log cabin sixteen feet square, which was provided with a cotton- wood floor. He now has a fine farm house which was erected in 1879. Upon coming to the county he had $100 and a span of horses.

Our subject was born in Monroe County,

W. Va., in March, 1831, and is the son of John and Elizabeth (Moorhead) Ervin, who came to Harrison County in the fall of 1856, and lived with his children until his death in 1862. The mother died in June, 1868. Our subject remained at home until he was nineteen years of age and then learned the cabinetmaker's trade at Rocky Point, W. Va. He followed the cabinet business five years prior to his coming to Harrison County, on his own account.

In December, 1852, he married Sarah Higginbotham, who is the third child of a family of five children. Mr. and Mrs. Ervin are the parents of a family of seven children-Eliza J., Annis, Alcesta, Etta, James, Verna and John.

B. PATTERSON, a successful mer- chant at Dunlap, will form the sub- ject of this biographical notice. He is a native of Athens County, Ohio, born December 6, 1848, the son of Joseph and Martha (Van Pelt) Patterson, who were also natives of the Buckeye State, who descended from the pioneers of New England, and were of the Quaker faith. Our subject was of a family of ten child- ren, lie being the only member of the family in Harrison County. His early life was spent on a farm, and when about ten years old, his father removed to Annsville, where he engaged in general mercantile business. Here our subject spent most of his time, until he was thirteen years of age, when his father removed from New England to Athens County, Ohio. Here our subject assistsd his father in a store, of which he was the proprietor.

At the age of sixteen, Mr, Patterson

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HARRISON COUNTY.

enlisted in Company A, Eighteenth Ohio Infantry, and served until the fall of 1865, entering the service in October, 1863. He participated in the battles of Nashville, Tenn., Franklin and several minor en- gagements. After leaving the service le remained in Ohio, at his old home, for about one year, and then came to Dunlap in September 1867. Upon arriving he had but $50 as his capital with which to commence life in the new country. The first six months he was in Harrison County; he worked at haying and har- vesting, after which he entered the em- ploy ment of R. B. Hillas in his mercantile establishment, where he was engaged for two years, when he entered the employ of Mitchell & Bryan, who were also running a general store on the same lot, occupied at present by our subject. With this firm he remained eight years, and then embarked in business for himself, as a member of the firm of Patterson, Dalley & Co., who carried a general merchandise stock. This copartnership existed for six years, when Mr. Patterson disposed of his interest. At first they carried a stock of $4,000, but at the time our subject re- tired, they carried $16,000.

After being out of business three months, Mr. Patterson formed a partner- ship with H. E. McElroy. This estab- ment was conducted for twenty months, during which time H. C. Laub, of Deni- son, had purchased the stock of the former establishment, of which our subject had been a member, and in January, 1890, H. C. Laub and our subject purchased Mc- Elroy's interest and consolidated the two firms under the firmn name of J. B. Pat- terson & Co., Mr. Patterson assuming control. They carry a general stock, and have an average of $50,000 annual sales. Their store is a model of neatness, while

the best quality of goods is found on their shelves. They keep a force of four clerks.

Politically, Mr. Patterson is a Republi- can, and has served his town by holding most of the local offices, and is at this time President of the School Board, where he has proven himself the right man in the right place. He is a member of Shield's Post No. 83, G. A. R., also of Lodge No. 284, K. of P.

He was united in marriage in Novem- ber, 1871, to Miss Maggie Ferren, daugh- ter of Peter and Margaret Ferren. Our subject's wife was born in the old Domin- ion State-Virginia-and of Irish ances- try. Mr. and Mrs. Patterson have a family of four children-Louis J., with his father in the store; Pearl H., at home; John Leo., at home; Tessa, deceased at the age of six months; Cassius, at home.

The family are members of the St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, of Dunlap.

Remarkable indeed, has been the career of this business man, who came to Harri- son County with the paltry sum of $50, but possessing the genuine spirit of indus- try, coupled with the fact that he was a citizen of the best country for a man of small means to rise in the financial scale, of which the history of the world is ac- quainted, has enabled him to take first rank among the business men of Harrison County.

C HESTER J. BRIGGS, proprietor of one of the markets at Missouri Valley, will form the subject of this biographical notice. He was born in Windom County, Vt., October 15, 1833. He is a son of Thomas and Philena

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HARRISON COUNTY.

(Stanciff) Briggs. Both parents were of English ancestry, the grandfathers on both sides coming from England. Our subject's mother died when he was but fourteen years of age, and his father sur- vived until August 17, 1891, aged eighty years. Our subject had one brother and one sister; the former is deceased and the latter lives in Halifax, Vt.

Mr. Briggs' early education was re- ceived in the Green Mountain State where he usually worked at farming; also spent three years at the butcher business, prior to coming West.

August 29, 1862, he enlisted as a wag- oner of Capt. David Ball's Company, which was "D," of the Sixteenth Vermont Mi- litia Volunteers. He served nine months and was injured and laid in the hospital two weeks.

In 1871 he moved to Lee County, Ill., where he farmed three years, and in 1874, settled in Cass County, Iowa, where he farmed seven years, after which he con- ducted a meat market for two years at Anita, the same county. From there he removed to Griswold, and in 1886, came to Missouri Valley, since which time he has operated a first-class meat and provis- ion market.

He was united in marriage January 29, 1859, at South Londonderry, Vt., to Laura L. Robinson, whose parents were very early settlers in Windom County, Vt., Her father died April 18, 1889, aged seventy-one years, while his good wife is a resident of Corning, Adams County, Iowa. Laura L. Robinson was born Oc -. tober 5, 1842.

Mr. and Mrs. Briggs are the parents of eight children-Adelbert C., born No- vember 20, 1859, at home; Fred R. April 4, 1862, married and living in Missouri Valley ; Albert T. July 28, 1865, at home;

Minnie E. April 16, 1867, died at twelve years and six months of age : she was bur- ied in Cass County ; Myrta L. born July 3, 1869, at home; Cora L. January 16, 1878, at home; Maud I., January 27, 1880, at home; Ada, February 26, 1882, at home.

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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 48

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