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 59
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Mary (O'Rourke) Fagan, wife of Edward Fagan, and the mother of our
subject, was born in Ireland in 1815, remained with her parents until the date of her marriage, which resulted in the birth of the following children: Sarah, William, John, Edward, Susann, Mary E., one who died in infancy ; and Peter. Of those named, Sarah and Susann are deceased.
The Fagan family are all firm believers in the Roman Catholic religion. and stand high, as good citizens and indus- trious farmers.
S OLOMON J. COX, a farmer of sec- tion 14, Allen Township, is a native of Harrison County, and was born in Calhoun Township. He lived in that township until he was fifteen years of age when his parents removed to Magnolia Township, where he remained with them until he was twenty-six years of age. He then rented land for one year and bought the place he now occupies, consisting of one hundred and twenty acres of wild land, for which he paid $10 per acre. He now has two hundred and forty acres of land, one hundred and thirty of which is under the plow, with the balance in pas- ture and meadow land. His improve- ments consist in part of a frame house 20x24 feet, one and a half stories high, two regular wells, a barn 24x40 feet, a granery 11x22 feet, an orchard of one hun- dred and fifty trees, with a grove of eight acres.
Our subject is a son of Isaac W. and Mary A. Cox, natives of Ohio, who had a family of eight children-Sarah (deceased), . Rachel, John, (deceased), James, Solo- mon J., Hannah, Abraham and Mary.
Mr. Cox was married November 14,
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1881, to Jane Chatburn, daughter of Rich- ard and Mary Chatburn, natives of Eng- land, who had a family of ten children- John, Jonas, Ellen, Margaret, Thomas, Jane, Mary E. (deceased), Elizabeth, (de- ceased), and two who died in infancy.
Mr. and Mrs. Cox are the parents of six children-Richard, born November 1, 1882; Mollie. January 5, 1884; Isaac, (de- ceased), September 9, 1885; Alice and Al- bert, (twins), born April 11, 1888; Robert, December 12, 1890. Politically, Mr. Cox is a Republican.
EV. W. J. McCORMICK, pastor of
R St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church at Dunlap, forms the sub- ject of this notice. He succeeded Father M. Lynch, in August, 1886. He was born February 13, 1860, in Boston, Mass., and when a small child, moved with his parents to Mineral Point, Wis., where his early youth was spent. After receiv- ing a common-school education at home, he took a collegiate course in St. Mary's Academy at Baltimore, Md., from which institution he graduated in 1884. He was ordained by Bishop Cosgrove, of Daven- port, Iowa. His first charge over a con- gregation was at Magnolia, Modale and Little Sioux, Harrison County, Iowa. After one year and one-half, he was made pastor of the church at Dunlap.
He is the son of John and Bridget Mc- Cormick, who were born and reared in Ireland, and in 1835, they came to America, at which time they had two chil- dren. They located in Boston, where they remained until 1860, and then re- moved to Wisconsin, where the father died in 1882. The mother still survives,
and is a resident of Mineral Point. Our subject has four brothers and two sisters,
Father McCormick is a well-educated man and has labored energetically, for the upbuilding of his church, and the general welfare of his congregation, in conse- quence of which, he is beloved by all.
M ADISON H. CHAFFEE, a farmer living on section 6, of Allen Town- ship, came to Harrison County in the spring of 1868, and first located . in Bigler's Grove, Boyer Township. He came with his parents, his father buying twenty acres of land and rented other land. He remained under the paternal roof until he was of age, when he bought forty acres of wild land in Allen Town- ship, and made substantial improvements upon the same, including a frame house 14x22 feet; also barns and cribs. He added to his farm until he had two hun- dred acres. He remained there four years, and sold out and went to Woodbine, where he engaged in buying live stock, following the same for six years. He next purchased the place he now occupies the same consisting of two hundred acres of partly improved land.
He was born in January, 1853, in Ver- mont. He is the son of Erastus and Ma- ria Chaffee, natives of Vermont and New Hampshire respectively, who reared the following nine children -- Arnold B., Ezera, Madison H., Hannah, Lura, Nettie, Car- rie, (deceased), Chester and Charles K.
Mr. Chaffee · was united in marriage, in April, 1884, to Nancy D. Vaughn, the daughter of James D, and Anna Vaughn, natives of Illinois. Our subject's wife was the fifth of a family of thirteen chil-
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dren-Lorenda, Sisney, Betsy Ann, Will- iam, Nancy, Hiram S., Joseph, Edmund, Charles, Mary A., Melvin, and Colonel, (deceased).
Our subject and his wife are the par- ents of one child-Carrie A., born August 7, 1885. Prior to Mrs. Chaffee's marriage to our subject she was the wife of Will- iam Wade, by whom she had three chil- dren, one of whom is still living-Lea- vah.
M ARTIN KIBLER, who came to Harrison County, May 19, 1854, will form the subject of this sketch. He was born in Shenandoah Coun- ty, Va., November 15, 1821, and seven years later his father moved to Portage County, Ohio, and our subject remained at home until 1845, when he married, and bought fifty acres of heavy timber land, in that county, upon which he built a frame house, and cleared up twenty acres of land, and lived on this place until he came to Harrison County. He married Margaret J. Card, August 14, 1845, and by this union four children were born, one dying in infancy.
Sylvester B., now a merchant at Wood- bine, born July 22, 1846, George H., a partner of Sylvester's, born March 27, 1848, Orrin F., May 26, 1856. He died September 24, 1887.
The wife of our subject was born July 4, 1825, at Dearfield, Portage County, Ohio, where she remained with her par- ents, until she was married.
When the Kibler's started for Iowa, they took the Pittsburg and Cleveland railroad, coming to Wellsville, on the
Ohio river, where they took a steamboat for St. Louis, and from there to Kanes- ville, (now Council Bluffs,) which only had one good house in the place, most of the houses being log huts. They arrived on a beautiful Sabbath morning, May 18, but at this time the Lord's Day was not kept sacred at that point, as the saloons were running in full blast. From this point they hired teams to bring them to Six Mile Grove to the house of Kirtland Card, the brother of Mrs. Kibler, who had been here for two years.
During the first ten years they saw many hardships, their place of of trading being Council Bluffs, which required a three days journey with ox teams. After they had been here two years, the first sermon was preached in Cass Township, that being the first one they had heard since leaving the old Buckeye state. This sermon was preached at the home of Mr. Kirtland Card, by Rev. Mr. Rice, a Congregational Minister from Council Bluffs.
Politically, Mr. Kibler votes the Repub- lican ticket, and in religious matters is a Methodist.
AMES M. SMITH, an early settler, now residing in St. John's Town- ship, has been associated with the interests of Harrison County since 1855. He first located on section 27. He took a swamp land claim of one hundred and sixty acres, together with eighty- seven acres of timber, in Pottawatamie County. He built a log cabin in 1856, and broke ten acres that season. As the years have gone by, he has added to his land, until he now owns five hundred and
40
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HARRISON COUNTY.
thirty acres, all enclosed and either under the plow or in pasture land. In the win- ter of 1855 and 1856, he lived on the farm now owned by Addison McIntosh, the family suffering much from the extreme cold weather. When he came to the county, his family consisted of his wife and one child.
Mr. Smith is a native of Tennessee, born November 11, 1827. He traces his ancestry back to James Smith, of Irish descent, who married Mary Shannon,. a native of Tennessee, by whom eight child- ren were born : Andrew, (deceased) ; Will- iam, who emigrated to Georgia; James, (deceased) ; Charles, living in Tennessee ; Reube, (deceased) ; Rebecca, Mrs. Tarpin, living in Tennessee; Mary Ann, Mrs. Bryant, living in Tennessee, and Charity, living in Tennessee.
Andrew Smith, the father of our sub- ject, lived in Tennessee; was a farmer by occupation, and married Miss Lucinda Walker, daughter of James and Sarah (White) Walker, who were from South Carolina. Andrew Smith died January 17, 1882. In 1850, our subject removed from Tennessee, to Putnam County, Ind., where lie worked on a farm, at $10 per month. He afterwards bought a piece of land there, which he cultivated for four years, and in the autumn of 1855, came to Harrison County, Iowa. He drove a team through, making the trip in twenty- one days, arriving in September, thirty- six years ago. He was the third family to move out on tlie Bottoms.
Our subject was united in marriage in Putnam County, Ind., June 8, 1851, to Miss Sarah Hatcher, the daughter of James and Rebecca (Frazier) Hatcher, natives of Tennessee. Her father's an- cestors were John and Saralı (Myers) Hatcher, and on the mother's side her
grandfather and grandmother were John and Eva (Shaddock) Frazier. Her moth- er came from Ireland. She ran away from home, and had to work out in order to obtain money to pay her passage to America.
Nine children have been born to our subject and his wife, six of whom still survive : John Robert, died in infancy in 1850; Samuel H., born October 31, 1852, now living in St. John's township ; Mary, Mrs. Coffman, October 25, 1856, now a resident of St. Johns township; William, April 21, 1859; Robert, February 6, 1861; Joseph. May 29, 1863, at home; Rebecca Clementine, August 8, 1865, died Febru- ary 21, 1889; Alexander, January 17, 1868; Luvicia J., October 2, 1874.
In 1868, our subject moved to his pres- ent residence, on section 33, his home farm containing eighty acres. Politically, Mr. Smith affiliates with the Democratic party. Mrs. Smith is a member of the Baptist church.
W ILLIAM G. HOLMAN, a farmer located on section 8, of Allen Town- ship, came to Harrison County in the spring of 1871, and located in Wash- ington Township, near Persia. He rented land one year, then went to Nebraska and worked on the railroad at grading for one year, after which he went to Shelby County, Iowa, and worked partly by the month and also leased land there. After three years he moved to Pottawattamie County, where he bought a farm and re- mained three years, at the end of which time he engaged in the ditching business in Mills County. After one season he went to work on the Rock Island Rail-
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road near Carson, but after two months lie went to Nebraska and remained a short time, returned to Carroll, Iowa, where he worked for the railroad again and followed railroading for three years at Des Moines and other points. He returned to Harri- son County in 1882. He went to buying stock at Persia, for Mr. Collins, and the following spring rented land near Persia, for three years, then leased land of the Milwaukee Town Site Company, at York- shire, and remained in that vicinity about two years. We next find him on Frank- lin's farm where he remained two years, leased land of another party for one year and then bought the place he now occu- pies, which consists of one hundred and sixty acres of partly improved land, to which he has added many substantial im- provements.
He was born July 17, 1839, in Missouri. He is the son of Joseph and Mary Hol- man. The father was a native of Ken- tucky and the mother of Maryland. They reared a family of fourteen children- William Granville, Martha J., Rebecca, (deceased), George M., (deceased), Amelia, (deceased), Amanda, Sarah, James C., John W., Henrietta, (deceased), Charles M., (deceased), McKendry J., (deceased), Mary E., (deceased) Emma, (deceased).
Our subject was united in marriage, September 24, 1869, to Alınedia Graybill, the daughter of David and Mahala Gray- bill, natives of North Carolina and Ohio, respectively. The children of her father's family-Almedia, Meredith, Mary Ann, (deceased), William D., (deceased), David M., Amanda. (deceased). The three chil- dren who still survive live in Harrison . County.
Our subject and his wi'e are the parents of eight children, born and named as fol- lows: Alvin E. and Granville E., (twins)
July 17, 1870; George E., January 13, 1872: Howard. February 28, 1873; Lorena, May 25, 1874; Mary; October 15, 1877; Amanda, December 17, 1878; and Bertha, May 6, 1879.
Our subject is a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, and in his political choice he votes with the Democratic party.
C HARLES H. LYTLE, a successful farmer of Washington Township, living on section 10, came to that location in the spring of 1866, and was one of the first settlers of the county. At first he bought one hundred and sixty acres of wild land, and broke all but twenty acres of this tract up, the first year, and built a split log house 14x20 feet in which he lived until 1868 and then built a hewed log house 16x22 feet, in which he lived a year and then ribbed it on the outside, weather-boarding and plastering it. This house is still used and is one of the warm- est in the county. To this house has been added a frame kitchen 12x22 and an- other room 12x15 feet. From time to time he has added to his farm until he is the possessor of three hundred and forty acres, eighty acres of which is on section 3, and is used for pasture land.
When our subject cameto the township there were but few settlers. There was one log school house at Walker's Grove, and in 1868 there was one built on section 15, near our subject's house. In the schoolhouses were held religious services. There was no settlement in Washington Township, of any account, except at Walkers.
Mr. Lytle was born in Summit County,
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HARRISON COUNTY.
Ohio, September 15, 1840, and in the fall of 1856 came with his parents to Shelby County, Iowa, where his father settled on a piece of wild land on which he lived one year, then left their farm and moved to Pottawattamie County, near Council Bluffs, where they rented a farm and re- mained in that vicinity until coming to Harrison County in 1866.
He married in Shelby County. Febru- ary 7, 1866 to Miss Ann Halliday, by whom nine children were born-Charles H., de- ceased, James A., deceased, Ira, deceased, William F .. deceased, Sadie P., Charles H., George H., James A., Alice R., Ira A., Jesse S., Emma P. and William.
Anna (Halliday) Lytle, wife of our sub- ject, was born in Wales, and when quite small her parents emigrated to America, settling near Davenport, Iowa, and a few years afterwards moved to Shelby County, Iowa, where our subject's wife remained until she was married. She is a member of the Latter Day Saints Church.
G EORGE B. FOUTS, artistic barber and hair-dresser, of Dunlap, has been a resident of the place since the autumn of 1888. He is a native of Hawkeye, and was born November 1, 1865, in Shelby County, Iowa. He is the son of Noel and Martha (Simpson) Fouts. He was reared to farm life, and educated in the public schools. When about twenty years of age he started for himself and followed farming for three years, after which he engaged in the barber business, which he has since followed.
He was united in marriage September 30, 1885, in Shelby County, Iowa, to Inez Miller, who is the daughter of David and
Jane (Kuykendall) Miller. Our subject's wife was born in Sarpy County, Neb., July 31, 1865. Mr. and Mrs. Fouts are the parents of two children-Vernie M. and Fred S.
Politically, Mr. Fouts is a Democrat, but casts his vote for the man he consid- ers best qualified to fill the office.
His tonsorial parlors are fitted up in the best possible style, and he keeps none but the best of assistants around him.
彩
0 RSON H. STOKER, a farmer and stockraiser of section 32, Washing- ton Township, came to Harrison County in the spring of 1863. He came in with William Spears, from Pottawattamie County. Messrs. Stoker, Spears, William A., and A. J. Graybill, had bought three hundred and twenty acres of land in a body in company. Mr. Stoker and Mr. Spears came up and broke sixty-five acres of this land in 1864. Mr. Stoker remain- ing until the autumn of 1965, and then re- turned to Pottawattamie County, re- mained until 1868, then came to Washing- ton Township, locating on the farm he now occupies, which comprises three hun- d'ed and sixty-two acres, but in all, he is the owner of six hundred and eighty-two acres within Harrison County. His first improvement was the erection of a house 16 feet square which he erected in the autumn of 1867, and in which he lived un- til 1879, when he built a frame honse 16x 36 feet, two stories in height, together with an addition 14x24 feet. In 1875 he built a barn 24x30 feet, and in 1883 another 32x34 feet together with machinery sheds. This provided him with sufficient barn room until 1889, when he erected a barn
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30x50 feet, with an annex 20x28 feet. He also has a hog-house, built in 1887, in which he has an engine and boiler cost- ing $1,000. He is engaged in breeding, making a specialty of Poland-China hogs and Short-horn cattle; and is quite an ex- tensive feeder throughout the year. He generally feeds about fifty head of cattle, and from one to two hundred head of hogs. Of the three hundred sixty-acre home farm two hundred acres are under cultivation, eighteen in timber land and the balance in pasture and meadow. Of the three hundred and twenty acres he owns in Union Township, two hundred and forty are in pasture, and the remain- der under the plow.
Our subject was united in marriage, in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, January 8, 1868, to Miss Elizabeth Omen, the daugh- ter of Perry and Hannah Omen, who were the parents of two children. Mrs. Stoker was born November 12, 1847, and when a child, removed to Pottawattamie County with her mother, with whom she lived un- til the time she was married. By this marriage ten children have been born: Jessie F., born November 8, 1868; Mar- garet H., February 8, 1869; Emily C., April 27, 1871; Nettie, May 26, 1874; Kate A., April 12, 1879; Bettie A., Decembor 6, 1881; Mary L .. March 15. 1883; Ettie L., November 2, 1835; Floyd H., November 5, 1888; and Julia, August 9, 1890. Mar- garet FT., died March 28, 1875, and Mary L., December 29, 1889.
Our subject was born in Hancock County, Ill., January 25, 1843, and came with his parents to Pottawattamie County, where he remained until 1863. His father was Eller Stoker, and was born in Ohio about 1815, and died in Pottawattamie County, in July, 1855; she was one of the pioneers of that county, coming there as
he did, in 1846, when Iowa first became a State. His wife, the mother of our sub- ject, was Margaret (Judd) Stoker, and was a native of North Carolina, born in June, 1822, and is still residing in Pottawatta- mie County, Iowa.
When Mr. Stoker came to this county in 1868, there were but four families in his neighborhood, in Washington County. Politically our subject exercises his right of franchise by voting with the Republican party. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and belongs to Agate Lodge, No. 423, at Neola, Iowa.
Mr. Stoker is in possession of amost ex- cellent stock farm, which is provided with an abundance of good water, numerous barns and outbuildings well arranged for the keeping of live stock, which he breeds and handles in a general way with much success.
J D. BROWN, present Postmaster at Missouri Valley, was born in Ux- bridge, Worcester County, Mass., October 14, 1842. He is a son of Pemberton and Paulina (Whitmore) Brown. The father was a blacksmith by trade, and also conducted a hotel; he was quite a prominent State militia man in Massachusetts, was Captain of the Ux- bridge Grenadiers for some years. There were four children by his first marriage, and the same number by his second mar- riage, our subject being the third child of the last marriage. Henry H., a Unitarian minister, is in Salem, Oregon, and Pem- berton W., is purchasing agent for the D. S. S. & A. Railroad Co., and located at Marquette, Mich., the other being de- ceased. The father died March 30, 1870,
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and is buried at Uxbridge, Mass., but died at New Boston, Conn. His wife, the mother of our subject, died at Missouri Valley, Iowa, February 24, 1874, her re- mains being taken to Uxbridge, Mass., and laid away to rest by the side of her husband.
Our subject's early education was re- ceived in Massachusetts, but later in Con- necticut. He learned the machinist's trade at Holyoke, Mass., and followed this until the war broke out. August 8, 1862, he enlisted in Company D, Eigh- teenth Connecticut Infantry, and was on detached duty, guarding railroads, etc., until the summer of 1863, when his regi- ment joined the army in the Shenandoah Valley, under General Milroy. The battle of Winchester, in the Shenandoah Valley, June 14 and 15, 1863, was the first en- gagement his company was in. He was mustered into service March 15, 1864, as Captain of the Forty-third United States (colored) Regiment, and was with thiem until October 10, 1865, but disbanded in November of that year. He took part in the battle of the Wilderness, the sieges of Petersburg and Richmond, and was after- wards stationed on the Rio Grande. He was mustered out at Brownsville, Tex. At the siege of Petersburg, when the at- tempt was made to blow up the Rebel fortifications, July 30, 1864, sixteen men from his company were missing, either taken prisoners or lost their lives, and the Captain received a wound in the breast and foot. After the close of the war he returned to Massachusetts, attended Commercial College, and worked for a time in a straw factory in Malden, Mass., and in June 1867, came West, and was first located at Dakota City, Neb., and in October of that year, came to Missouri Valley, where he entered the employ of
the Sioux City & Pacific Railroad Com- pany, and held the following positions : Superintendent's clerk, store keeper, pay- master, freight and ticket agent. In August, 1835, he took charge of the Con- solidated freight offices of the Sioux City & Pacific and Chicago & Northwestern railroads, at Missouri Valley, and for three years acted as joint agent for both roads, making twenty-one years of railroad ser- vice. At the time of entering the employ of the Sioux City & Pacific Railroad, he was made agent for the sale of town lots and lands belonging to the Blair Town Lot and Land Company, as well as for lands belonging to the Iowa Railroad Land Company ; also the Missouri Valley Land Company. Mr. Brown remained agent for the above companies until March 12, 1889, when the Missouri Valley Real Estate and Improvement Company (of which Mr. Brown is the Secretary and one of the original organizers) purchased the lots and lands in Missouri Valley and adjacent territory. December 21, 1889, our subject was appointed Postmaster at Missouri Valley, taking possession Janu- ary 25, 1890, and is the present incum- bent. He has held many local offices, including the presidency of Rose Hill Cemetery Association ; also, of the School Board, at the time the High School was erected.
He belongs to Missouri Valley Post, (Belden Post No. 59). of the G. A. R., in which he has held several offices, includ- ing Commander of Post, and, politically, is a stanch supporter of the Republican party, and always has been.
Mr. Brown was united in marriage Sep- tember 18, 1869, at Worcester, Mass., to Miss Fannie C. Noyes, whose parents are botlı deceased. They are from the old Granite State-New Hampshire.
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HARRISON COUNTY.
Mr. and Mrs, Brown are the parents of four children, two of whom died in in- fancy. Those living are, Leon W., born August 24, 1872, and Adin Noyes, born June 23, 1880.
Both, our subject and his wife, come from good old New England stock, and have been active factors in every com- munity in which they have lived. Mr. Brown's grandfather, Elihu Brown, en- tered the federal army when fifteen years old, and fought during the Revolutionary struggle, while our subject himself took the part of a brave soldier during the late war for Union.
Whether one views Mr. Brown from a business or social position, or as connected with the enterprise of his community, he is the same prudent, accurate and methodical gentleman.
ICTOR TAMISIEA, an enterprising farmer, residing on section 36, of St. John's Township, accompanied his parents to this county, a third of a century ago. They came from New York State in 1857. The father's occupation was that of a farmer, and he located on the farm now occupied by our subject.
He was born November 10, 1835, in Oswego County, N. Y., and is the son of John and Frances (Piggar) Tamisiea, of French descent, who came from France in 1827. The mother's ancestors came to the United States and located in Oswego County, N. Y., in 1827. Her father was Francis Xavier Piggar and was of the French Catholic school.
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