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 51

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 51

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After leaving the service our subject came to Harrison County and purchased an interest in the Woodbine Woolen Mills. In order to enter this enterprise he took what money he had saved, while playing the role of a soldier, together with what his land near Little Sioux had brought him, making about $1,000 in all. The woolen mills at that time were run under the firm name of Bartemus, Stocker & Co. Our subject not finding this business profitable, owing to the decline of woolen goods, the scarcity of sleep in this local- ity. as well as heavy Eastern competition, in April, 1866, he sold his interest to J. W. Dalley. He then went to Magnolia, which was still the county seat, and en- gaged in the furniture trade with C. S. Stowell, renting a building the first year and later erecting one of their own.

At the general election of 1866, our sub- ject was elected to the office of Clerk of the Courts, serving two terms, still re- taining his interest in the furniture busi- ness, but before the term of his office had expired, he purchased his partner's inter- est, and a short time afterward closed out the furniture business and sold the build- ing to N. B. Hardy, who turned it into a dwelling. After this Mr. Stocker went on a farm, situated on section 11, of Mag- nolia Township; it was a two hundred and forty acre tract of wild land, which he finally brought under a high state of cultivation, and on which he built a good farm house. He sold his place in the spring of 1877, and moved to Logan, which place the year previous had se- cured the county seat. During that year he made a trip to California, remaining about two months and the remainder of the time he was occupied in adjusting old business matters. His next business was that of buying corn, cattle and hogs, in

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HARRISON COUNTY.

which he was quite successful, and in which he is still engaged, in connection with the extensive grocery business which he established in 1879, first locating in what was known as the Foreman & Greenough building.

Our subject built his present brick bus- iness house in 1882, moving into the same November 1, 1882.

He of whom we write was born in Cal- donia County, Vt., June 2, 1835, and is a son of Samuel and Calista (Fullerton) Stocker, and is the second child of a fam- ily of three children, His father was a Methodist minister and had also learned the stonemason's trade; he died in Mc- Henry County, Ill., in 1880, at the age of eighty-four years. His wife, the mother of our subject, died in the autumn of 1840. Our subject thrown out thus early in life, upon his own resources, was ac- cording to the custom of that day, bound out to learn the trade of a miller, and was with his master until he was thirteen years of age, at which time life was any- thing but a continual round of pleasure for him, and possessing a spirit of inde- pendence, born with most of the sons of the old Green Mountain State, he ran away and commenced working in a woolen factory at Lowell, Mass., where he re- mained until the autumn of 1853. His father's family came to that section and bought a farm which gave him a home to fall back on until he reached his majority, at which time he came to McHenry County, Iowa, for the purpose of starting some woolen inill machinery, for a man named Deeds. He remained there that summer and in the autumn of 1856 went to Buchanan County, Iowa, and ran the old Colby farm when corn was worth a shilling a bushel and wheat thirty cents. We next find him in Harrison County,

Iowa, where he has been a successful business man ever since.

May 27 1860, marked another important era in this man's life, for it was upon that day that he was united in marriage to Susan B. Bonny, a native of Herkimer County, N. Y., born April 23, 1834. She was the daughter of Benjamin and Isa- dora (Jenks.)

Mr. and Mrs. Stocker are the parents of five children, Carrie I., born April 11, 1861; Katie B., November 1, 1862; Helen I., June 28, 1868, Lewis P., deceased, in 1870 and Benjamin T., deceased, born in 1873.

To one who is acquainted with our sub- ject, it would go without saying that he is a man of great force of character, and of decided convictions, which in the matter of politics, lead him to cast his vote with the Republican party, which as he be- lieves, is the best safe guard of American institutions.

He is a member of Fuller Post, No. 38, of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Unlike the man who has slipped noise- lessly through life, scarcely being seen, heard or felt, this man's busy life has left its impression and drawn from almost every avenue, of business and society within the radius of the communities, in which he has lived. And be it said to his to his credit, that he has ever been a good reflection of the puritanic stock, from which he descended; being not only loyal to his country, but liberal and broad- minded, in the support of all of our public institutions. As one evidence of lis pop- ularity among his fellow-citizens, and his political standing, it should be stated that he received the appointment as Postmas- ter at Logan, under President Harrison's administration, and is the present in- cumbent of such office.

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HARRISON COUNTY.

ICHAEL FITZGIBBON, a suc- cessful farmer living on section 24, of Calhoun Township, came to Harrison County in the month of March, 1837, and settled on his present place, which he bought from the heirs of William McDonald. This place consists of one hundred and sixty acres, now all well improved. He built a house in the winter of 1886-87, which is 14x26 feet, and everything about the place gives evi- dence of thrift and good management.

Mr. Fitzgibbon was born in the County of Limerick, Ireland, about 1846, and at the age of eleven years was left an orphan, his mother dying when he was ten years of age and his father a year later, after which he worked out receiving the hand- some sum of twenty-four shillings a year, and followed this until he came to Amer- ica, in 1871, never receiving higher than $40 per year. When twenty-four years of age he bid farewell to old Erin, took boat for America, landed in Castle Garden, and immediately went to Melrose, Mass., where he worked six weeks at $1.75 per day, which, to him, seemed big money. After that he came to Pottawattamie County, Iowa, by rail. His elder brother was living there at the time, and he worked in that section at $12 per month for about a year, and then went to work on the Northwestern Railroad as a sec- tion hand, continuing this for three years, receiving from $1.25 to $1.50 per day, from which he managed to lay by about $20 per month. He then worked for his brother a year, bought him a team and commenced farming for himself on rented land until he came to Harrison County. He came to America with no means, but has been prospered reasonably well in this country.

January 9, 1878, our subject was mar-

ried to Mary Sennett, a native of Iowa, born June 26, 1855. She was the daugh- ter of William and Katherine (Purcell) Sennett. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgibbon have reared a family of five children, all of whom are still living-Margaret, Edward J., William J., Katherine and Salome. The family belong to the Roman Catholic Church, and Mr. Fitzgibbons, in his polit- ical belief, is in sympathy with the Demo- cratic party.

Mr. Fitzgibbon's brothers and sisters are Thomas, Patrick, William and Rich- ard.

HEODORE P. KELLOGG found his way to Harrison County in April, 1858, settling on sections 10 and 11, of Harrison Township, where he pre-empted eighty acres of land-forty acres on section 10 and forty acres on sec- tion 11. After his pre-emption had been made he found a man had filed a land warrant on the same tract, so he waived his right, and bought the man out. He remained there four or five years, and then bought another place on section 21, near the village of Olmstead, improving the same, and remaining there for five years, when he sold his Harrison Township land and purchased his present place, consist- ing of one hundred and sixty-three acres, all of which is under a good state of culti- vation.

Mr. Kellogg was born in Hamden County, Mass., January 5, 1827, and when thirteen years of age his parents removed to Tolland County, Conn., where he re- mained until he was of age, at which time he had mastered the carpenter's trade, and went to New Jersey, working at the

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same for about three years, when he re- turned to Tolland County, built a house for his father, in the village of Rockville, and remained there for two years. He then went to Lake County, Ohio, and worked at his trade for two years, and then went to Columbus, where he worked on the State Capitol for about six months. He then went to Chicago, where he fol- lowed his trade for two years, at the end of which time he came to Harrison County. He came by railway as far as Iowa City, which was as far as any railroad was found in the United States, at that time. From that point he drove through.

He was married to Miss Pamelia Bissell, in Rockville, Conn. March 21, 1853. By this union five children have been born, George E., Theodore P., Walter E., Cla- rence W., and Grace U. Theodore died in Chicago, August 6, 1857.

Mrs. Kellogg was born in Schoharie County, N. Y., November 24, 1828, and with her parents moved to Tolland County, Conn., where she remained from the time she was a small child until the date of her marriage.

George Kellogg, eldest son of our sub- ject, married Miss Lena Marquison in Sioux City, January 1, 1888, and they still reside in that place. Walter was married to Miss May Musgrave in Harri- son County, March 3, 1886.

January 1, 1863, Mr. Kellogg, the sub- ject of tliis sketch, enlisted as a member of Company C, Twenty-ninth Iowa Reg- iment, infantry, responding to the call of President Lincoln, for "three hundred thousand men." He participated in the battles of Turner Creek, Duane Prairie, Battle of Camden, Jenkins' Ferry, Siege of Mobile, and then went to Texas, and from there was sent to New Orleans, at which point he was discharged, in August,

1865. He then returned home to his fam- ily in Harrison Township.

As Harrison County was made up largely of able bodied men, large numbers of volunteers offered their services in de- fence of the Stars and Stripes, which nec- · essarily left few men at home to provide for the "War Widows." Our subject's wife saw many of the hardships co-inci- dent with that terrible conflict, and made sacrifices which should here be recorded as a memorial to her unalloyed loyalty. Upon one occasion a man was owing Mrs. Kellogg a trifling amount, and agreed to haul her a load of wood but did not, and finally she sent her nine-year-old boy through the drifted snows, for about five miles. on foot, to get the man to haul the wood, which he finally consented to do, but the quality of the wood was not of the kind that would keep the "war widow" and her little family warm without a great amount of faith, as it was green willow!

When our subject came to Harrison Township, he had but four families for neighbors, and upon moving to Douglas Township only one family lived in his neighborhood, the settlement at Twelve Mile Grove being the only one of any im- portance. The first improvement made upon his Douglas Township farm, was the building of a frame house, 14x24 feet, witlı an addition, 14x20, tlie same stand- ing on a brick basement. On his first place he built a house by digging in the hillside, boarding it up, and then throw- ing dirt against it for protection. This rude domicile was afterward used by the people of Dunlap for their small-pox pa- tients.

Upon coming to the county, the chief trading point was Council Bluffs, and with the passing years, our subject has noticed the decline of a wilderness, which

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has been transformed into a real garden spot, and now surrounded with the com- forts of life, our subject and his estima- ble family, are reaping the reward for their early-day and war-time hardships. Politically, Mr. Kellogg casts his lot with the Republican party, believing as he does, that it best subserves the interests of the masses.

Religiously, our subject and his wife are believers in the Protestant faith, be- lieving that Christ is the door, and the "only mediator between God and man."

S AFETY M. HENDERSON, a farmer living on section 5, of Union Township, ranks among the earliest pioneers of Harrison County, coming in company with his parents, and first set- tling in Jefferson Township in 1853, at which time he was four years of age. What · schooling he obtained was at the district school, but owing to the fact that it was a new country, and he had to assist his father in developing a wild tract of land, it was indeed limited. He remained at home four days after he was of age, when he left for Nebraska Territory, with forty- five cents in money, in his pocket; a sack of corn for seed and another filled with meal for bread. He went in company with his elder brother and ran a breaking team for two seasons. Upon arriving in Nebraska he pre-empted a claim at the cost of $2 and the next year homesteaded eighty acres, and let the other go back. After four years he traded this land for the place he now lives on, which was partly improved at the time. The place now con- tains a good farmhouse, barn and out- buildings.

Mr. Henderson is a son of James W.

and Elizabeth Henderson, who were the parents of the following twelve children- Peter C., Emory J., deceased; Nathan D., Ann E., deceased; Safety M., Sarah C., Amos P., Mary E., Clara H., James F., Winfield S., and Thomas J.

The father was a native of Ohio,and the mother of Illinois.

Our subject was married February 27, 1873, to Elvira Howard, daughter of Will- iam and Sarah Howard, natives of Illinois who had four children-Mary J., Eliza- beth, Elvira and William D., all of whom are living.

Mr. and Mrs. Henderson are the parents of two children-James W., born Febru- ary 11, 1874; and Mary E., August 10, 1889.

Our subject and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Politically, Mr. Henderson votes with the Democratic party.

RS. MARY E. WOOD, widow of William W. Wood, who resides at her beautiful farm home, situated on section 27, of Union Township, will form the subject of the following bio- graphical notice.

She was born in Philadelphia, Pa., July 8, 1837, and is the daughter of Jonas and Mary Chatburn, who were the parents of seven children, our subject being the third. The following is the order of these children-Thomas, Jane, Mary, Margaret, Sarah, deceased, Celia and George.

Our subject's father is Judge Jonas Chatburn, now a resident of Harlan, Shelby County, Iowa, who came to West- ern Iowa in 1850, and when our subject was five years of age, settled on Willow

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HARRISON COUNTY.

Creek, near where Magnolia now stands, and she remained with her parents until sixteen years of age, when she married William W. Wood, who was a ministerin the Latter Day Saints Church. After their marriage they moved into the house with her husband's father, Samuel Wood, and farmed his land for four years, at the end of which time, our subject's husband bought her present place, which now con- tains two hundred and forty-three acres of valuable land, which cost $8 per acre. Here Mr. Wood spent many years of hard labor in the subduing of this wild land, having to build a log house, every stick of which he hewed, and every shingle of which he shaved; besides this farm work, he taught school winters, for the purpose of getting money with which to pay for his land, and none but those who have gone through such pioneer struggles, can fully understand the hardships endured by this man, in common with others, in Western Iowa at that date. Mr. Wood was born in Caldwell County, Mo., and came to Unionburg, Iowa, when he was eight years of age, at which time his parents emigrated to this county.

Mr. and Mrs. Wood were the parents of thirteen children, born in the following order : Wilburt, born October 8, 1865, now deceased; leona, born September 4, 1866; Friendie, January 25, 1868; Rose, April 4, 1870; Mary, born November 28, 1872. now deceased; Samuel born Febru- ary 11, 1873; Anna, born October 16, 1874, now deceased; Pearl, born March 2, 1876; Jonas, August 28, 1877; Bruce, born Jan- uary 3, 1878, now deceased ; William, born November 16, 1880; Clarence, September 7, 1882; and George, born August 31, 1886, now deceased.

Mrs. Wood in her religious convictions, is a believer in the doctrines as taught by

the Latter Day Saints Church, as was her husband.

Our subject's husband, William H. Wood, departed this life February 1, 1890, bearing the respect of all with whom he was acquainted through his long term of years in this county, where he lived and faithfully labored for the good of man- kind.

B ENJAMIN DRAPER, came to Har- rison county in the autumn of 1865, and isnow a farmer on section 1, of Union Township. His first work in the county was cutting saw logs, and railroad ties, following this business eight- een months, during which time he earned money enough to send for his family in Canada. He and his family were taken sick with the fever and ague, and they "shook" about one year, which left our subject without money, and in debt for a doctor's bill. After recovering, Mr. Drap- er split rails at two dollars per hundred to support his family for six months, after which time his parents came on from Canada, bringing with them eight hun- dred dollars in gold, and bargained for one hundred and twenty acres of school land in Union Township. This land was im- proved by our subject and his father, and constitutes a part of his present farm.

He has held the office of township treas- urer, and school treasurer, having as high as three thousand dollars in his possession at one time.

He was born in England May 1, '1839, and is a son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Clark) Draper, who reared a family of six children. Mr. Draper was married November 22, 1861, to Elizabeth A.,

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HARRISON COUNTY.

daughter of William and Margaret Corn- well.

Mr. and Mrs. Draper have the following children :- Benjamin E., born September 19, 1862; William P., September 5, 1866; Eliza J., October 17, 1863; Alfred, November 25, 1870; Arthur, August 8, 1873; Paul, July 24,

1876: and Ella, August 30, 1834.

B ENJAMIN CHAPMAN, has been a resident of Harrison County since the spring of 1865, and is now located on section 2, of Union Township, where he has come to be a prosperous farmer. He accompanied his parents, to the county, and they rented a farm of Lindley Evans, in Cass Township, from where they moved to Harris Grove. At this point he started to the district school, being seven years of age. The family re- mained there two years, and then located where our subject now lives, improving a piece of wild land, building a house 18x20 feet, and a story and a half high; a barn 14x20 feet, together with numerous out- buildings.

Benjamin remained with his parents until he was of age, and then farmed his father's land for six years thereafter, and then bought the old homestead, around which still clings many a fond memory of those early pioneer days, when hope was their chief capital! He paid $4.50 for one "forty," and $7.60 for the other, raising this amount in four years.

Our subject was married, November 22, 1885, to Thirza, a danghter of William . and Martha Spanswick, natives of Eng- land, who reared a family of seven child- ren, whose names appear in this connect- ion-Mary, William T., (deceased),

Thirza, Oliver, Valentine, Adalede, (de- ceased), and William T:

Mr. and Mrs. Chapman, are the parents of the following four children-Benjamin O., born March 2, 1887; Arthur T., born August 29, 1888, (deceased) ; Albert, born October 2, 1889; John W., Decem- ber 20, 1890.

Mr. Chapman in his political opinions, favors no special party. In religious matters he and his wife are believers in the Latter Day Saints faith.

Concerning the parents of our subject and their family, it may be said that their names were John and Harriet (Coleman) Chapman, who were the parents of the following living children,-James, Elijah, Judah, John, Nephi, William, and Benja- min.

It may be recorded here, that when they went to Utah in 1861, contrary to usual custom, they carried no fire-arms with them, or about their wagons, yet they passed through numerous bands of hostile Indians, unmolested.

OHN CHAPMAN, Sr., came to Har- rison County in the spring of 1865, and settled on the Pigeon farm. He rented that farin of Mr. Lindley Evans, and after one year removed to Harris Grove in LaGrange Township, where he purchased forty acres of land, twenty acres improved and twenty acres timber. He lived there three years, sold out, and moved back to the Pigeon, in Union township, where he purchased eighty acres of wild land, improved it, and there remained until the autumn of 1889, when he moved into Persia.

He was born in Wiltshire, England, July 14, 1818, where he remained until

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HARRISON COUNTY.

1861, and sailed for America. He was twenty-eight days on the ocean, and fin- ally found his way to Florence, Neb., halted six weeks, and then with ox teams started for Ogden, Utah, accompanied by his brother William, who came from Utah to meet him. They left Florence in July and arrived in Ogden, September 12, 1861. He remained in Utah until 1864, and then made the overland trip back to Flor- ence, Neb., arriving in July. In the spring of 1865, he came to Harrison Coun- ty.

He was married in England, May 6, 1838, to Miss Harriet Cealman, by whom eleven children were born-James, Elijah, Rebecca, Judah, John, Nephi, Harriett J., Eliza J., Heber W., Thomas, and Benjamin.

Harriett (Coleman) Chapman was born in Wiltshire, England, in August, 1815, and remained with her parents, until the date of her marriage.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Chapman united with the Latter Day Saints Church in England.

IBBIEUS D. HARRIS came to Harrison County in the spring of 1878, and settled on section 32, Douglas. He purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, which is now well im- proved.

Mr. Harris was born near Binghampton, N. Y., September 5, 1823, and moved with his parents to Cortland County, of the same State, in 1825. When he was three years of age he went to Madison County, lived there six years, then went to Syra- cuse, lived there three years, then back to Madison County, remained there five years, and then returned to Cortland

County, remaining there seven years, which brought him to the spring of 1867, at which time he came to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he engaged in the hotel bus- iness, which occupation he had followed before. After twelve years in the hotel, he rented the same and moved to Blencoe, Monona County, Iowa, where he owned a farm of two hundred acres. After he had improved this farm he disposed of it, and returned to Council Bluffs and again entered the hotel, remaining there until 1878, at which time he traded his hotel property for the farm upon which he now lives.

He was married in Cattaragus County, N. Y., October 23, 1850, to Miss Ann J. Wilber, by whom four children have been reared-Julius A., born December 3, 1852, and died when he was eleven months old. Abigal J. was born July 5, 1855; Mary I., October 27, 1857; Libbie V., October 24, 1860.

The mother of these children was born in Cortland County, N. Y., November 18, 1826. She moved with her parents when she was about thirteen years old to Cat- taragus County, remaining there until she was married.

Concerning the father of our subject, Evan Harris, it may be said, he was born in the State of New York in 1778, and died in Cortland County of that State in 1845. His wife, the mother of our subject, Sallie (Braggs) Harris, was born in Vir- ginia in 1779, and died in Cortland County, N. Y., in 1855.

This worthy couple were the parents of seven children, our subject being the fifth child.

When Mr. Harris engaged in the hotel business at Council Bluffs, he had an old building which stood across the street from where the present Ogden House

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HARRISON COUNTY.

now stands. During one year he made $3,000 out of the hotel business. Since leaving the hotel and engaging in farm pursuits, he has been very successful, and probably was the most extensive dairyman within Harrison County. Just at this time (December, 1891) he has leased the "Lusk House" at Logan.

In viewing the life of our subject, we find that success has attended him all along the passing years, especially since he came to this garden spot of the West. Whether in the role of landlord, trying to please his guests, or trying to subdue the wild prairie sod of his farm, or superin- tending his dairy farm, he is. the same affable, correct and painstaking man.

OHN W. VARNS, a farmer resid- ing on section 19, of St. John's Township,came to Harrison County in 1870, when he located eighty acres of his present farm, for which he paid $20 per acre. The place was partly improved at the time he bought it, but he has added many substantial improvements and added to his land from time to time, until at one time he owned seven hundred and twenty acres, but now has but six hun- dred, all surrounded by a good fence, and two hundred and twenty acres under the 'plow, while the balance is in pasture and meadow land.

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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 51

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