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 60
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The grandfather of our subject was a physician and surgeon, under Napoleon Bonaparte, and his son, (an uncle of our
subject's) is still a surgeon under the French Government. In our subject's father's family, there were thirteen chil- dren, eleven of whom still survive: F. X., residing in this county ; John B., in Ore- gon ; Mary. A., deceased; Victor, our sub- ject ; Mary, (Mrs. Huegeny) in California ; Adaline, (Mrs. Byard), living in Pierre, South Dak .; Louis, in Council Bluffs; Joseph D., in Missouri Valley; Edward, in Montezuma, Iowa; Angeline, Mrs. Robinson, of Kansas; George A., of Coun- cil Bluffs and Alexander, of Missouri Val- ley.
Our subject's father was a farmer in Oswego County, N. Y., and Victor was apprenticed to learn the cooper's trade, when but a mere lad, and worked at it un- til he came West, in 1857.
He was united in marriage March 16, 1862, in Old St. John's, to Mary E. Har- ris, the daughter of Noah and Christina (Sketon) Haris, who came from Indiana, in 1850. Our subject and his wife are the parents of thirteen children, all of whom are living-Stephen A., born January 5, 1863, at St. John's; John N., May 20, 1865; Mary Rosella, born in St. John's Township, April 1, 1867; Victor E., Aug- ust 1, 1868; Frances Christina, September 6, 1870, married Thomas M. McBride, of Pottawattamie County ; Lorette, January 11, 1873, and died June 9, 1874; Charles Edward, January 31, 1874; Andrew H., January 1, 1876; James Albert, November 11, 1878; Amelia Ann, January 14, 1880; Mary Elizabeth, March 23, 1882; Anna Janette, November 19, 1883; Leo Amb- rose, June 30, 1886; Agnes Adel, August 10, 1888 and Sylvester, June 23, 1891.
Our subject and his family belong to the Roman Catholic Church, and politic- ally, he is a Democrat.
Mr. Tamisiea has held the office of
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Township Trustee for several years, and is looked upon as one of the representative men of his township. His early education was received in the common schools of the Empire State, and after coming to this county, he began work for Drs. George and Robert McGavren, on their farm. He remained with them two years and then rented land on section 25, of St. John's Township. In 1864, he was seized with the gold mine fever, and went to Montana, remained three years, working at mining and prospecting, but not being successful, in suddenly growing rich from the golden treasures, hidden away, beneath the rock- ribbed mountain-side, he returned to Har- rison County and bought the old home- stead, having to go in debt for a part of it. He has added to his farm from time to time until he has two hundred acres and is free from debt. The land was wild when he purchased it, but it has now come to be a fine farm, one hundred and fifty acres of which is under the plow, while his whole premises give evidence of thrift and order.
S YLVESTER B. KIBLER, of the firm of Kibler Bros., proprietors of the most extensive general merch- andising house at Woodbine, and who has been closely identified with the public welfare of Harrison County for many years, is another sturdy son of the old Buckeye State, who came West to grow up with the country, as the common phrase would have it.
He was born in Portage County, Ohio, July 22. 1846, and remained in that county until 1854, when his parents became pio-
neers to Harrison County, settling at Six- Mile Grove, Cass Township. Sylvester remamed at home and worked for the gen- eral interest of the family, and then pur- clased a farm adjoining his father's land, consisting of one hundred and thirty acres, on section 21, of Cass Township. This he improved and lived upon until the spring of 1873, when he removed to Woodbine, engaging in the mercantile business, in company with his brother George.
A new era marked this worthy gentle- man's life January 23, 1868, upon which day he was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Ellisson, with whom he has shared the realities of life ever since. Their home has been blessed by the birth of four intelligent children, Irvine E., born February 28, 1871; Maggie P., Octo- ber 5, 1873; Lyda V., September 23, 1876 and L. W., July 14, 1878. Irvine E. died September 5, 1872.
Mrs. Kibler, wife of our subject, a daughter of the Prairie State, was born in Pike County, Ill., September 6, 1844, and at the age of five years, emigrated with her parents to a point near Council Bluffs, Iowa, where they remained one year, and then removed to Harrison County, set- tling in Six-Mile Grove, Cass Township, where Mrs. Kibler remained until her marriage union. She united with the Latter Day Saint Church in 1861, and is still a consistent member of the same. Her husband after an investigation, cover- ing a period of nearly a score of years, finally united with this church, together with his children, on October 8, 1886.
Politically, Mr. Kibler is a stanch sup- porter of the Republican party, always taking an active part in the upbuilding of Harrison County's institutions, including her public schools. In his business rela-
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tions there is no better type found within the county. Commencing with a small stock of goods, the firm to which he be- longs has gradually grown in popular favor until it now has assumed large pro- portions,
In 1877, their present large and sub- stantial brick business house, one of the best in the county, was erected. It is adou- ble store room, divided in departments, in which is carried a large line of fancy as well as staple goods. By their fair dealing and good judgment their trade has con- stautly increased, and is second to none in the county.
Whether one meets this gentleman in his counting-room or in his warehouse midst boxes and barrels, or at his beauti- ful home, surrounded by his interesting family, he is impressed with this plain practical business man, whose friends in Harrison County may be called Legion.
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W ILLIAM McWILLIAMS, one of the early pioneers of Harrison County and a resident of section 35 of Jackson Township, came to the county in the spring of 1856, and bought the farm he now occupies, which at the time con- sisted of one hundred and twenty acres of wild land, for which he paid $4 per acre. Eighty acres of this land was prairie and forty acres timber. Here he built a hewed log house 18x26 feet, one story and one- half high, with a shingled roof, in which the family lived fifteen years. He then built a frame house 16x32 feet, with a wing 20x32 feet. He also built a barn 30 x34 feet, a good-sized granary, a poultry house, cattle sheding, and also provided the place with good wells and has erected
two windmills. He has from time to time added to his land, until he now has six hundred and fifty acres, one hundred and twenty of which are under the plow, and the balance in pasture and meadow land, with eighty acres of timber. During his residence in the county, he has seen many of the hardships co-incident to pioneer life, including the grasshopper plague, when he lost his entire wheat crop for two years. He was also here during the deep snow winter of 1856-57, during which season his sons killed several deer without a gun, as deer could not make their way over the crusted snow, which mantled the earth to the depth of three feet. He came to the county with very little money, and skulking Indians were fre- quently his unwelcome visitors. They stole one of his horses, and were a source of great annoyance to him.
Mr. Mc Williams was born in Belmont County, Ohio, July 5, 1811, the son of John and Nancy Mc Williams, natives of Scotland, who had seven children, of whom he was the fourth, named as follows: "Jane, (deceased) ; Alexander, (deceased) ; Nancy, William, John, (de- ceased), Joseph, (deceased); Eliza. Our subject lived with his parents until he arrived at his majority, having the ad- vantage of a fair common-school educa- tion. After he was of age he taught school winters and leased land the re- mainder of the year, continuing for five years, after which he went into mercantile business and followed it for twelve years, from 1837 to 1849, when he sold out and took a trip to California, where he followed mining for one year and then bought provisions and freighted to the mountains for two years and one-half. We next find him in Ohio, where he re- mained one year and then came to Harri-
41
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son County, Iowa, March 4, 1834, marked a new era in his life, for it was upon that day he was united in marriage to Polly A. Marsh, daughter of Thomas and Mary Marsh, natives of Maryland, and who were the parents of seven children, as follows: Nancy, William, Matilda, Isaac, Patience, Martha and Polly A. All of these children are deceased but one, our subject's wife. Mr. and Mrs. Mc Williams have had born to them the following children : John W., Nancy E., Thomas, Leonidas H., William (deceased), Mary, Belle (deceased), and Kate (deceased).
Politically, Mr. Mc Williams is identi- fied with the Republican party. He served as a member of Board of Super- visors, for four years and has been Treasurer of his township for twenty- eight years, a local office record, perhaps without a parallel in Iowa.
His has been an exemplary life, and those who speak in terms of praise of the Mc Wiliams family, are found in every part of Harrison County.
OSHUA P. YARRINGTON, a mer- chant doing business at Beebeetown, came to Harrison County in the spring of 1881, and settled on a farm in section 36, of LaGrange Township. He purchased eighty acres of wild land, which he improved and remained upon until August, 1888, when he sold out and engaged at general merchandising at Beebeetown.
He was born in Crawford County, Pa., May 26, 1851, and in 1857 came to Howard County, Iowa. Remained there until 1864, and then moved to Hancock County, Iowa, where he remained with his parents
until 1872. In March 1873, he went to McPherson County, Kan., and remained until 1881, taking up a homestead in Ness County, which in 1881 he sold out and came to Harrison County.
He was married in McPherson County, Kan., October 2, 1874, to Miss Artie E. Rowe. By this marriage union three children were born-Viola C., born August 2, 1875; Ernest E., April 2, 1877, and Joshua A., March, 1879, and died August of the saine year. Artie (Rowe) Yarring- ton. died in McPherson County, Kan.
Mr. Yarrington was again married in Mercer County, Ill., June 9, 1881, to Miss Edna K. Pittard, and they are the parents of three children - Harrison H., born January 22, 1883, Claude E., June 23, 1885, and Percy L., February 3, 1891, deceased August 7, 1891.
Edna K. (Pittard) Yarrington, was born in Warren County, Ill., March 25, 1860, and when she was eighteen years of age her parents removed to Mercer County, where she remained until the date of her marriage, which took place in Warren County. Our subject's father, Alvah Yarrington, was born in New York State, about 1825, and was married in Pennsylvania to Miss Pruda Post, and they were the parents of twelve children, our subject being the third child. The mother died September 15, 1888, in Decatur County, Iowa, aged fifty-nine years. The father still lives in that county, and both he and his wife were members of the Latter Day Saints Church.
Joseph Pittard, the father of Mrs. Yarrington, was born in England, March 14, 1818. He was married in his native land to Miss Mary A. Lovridge, and they sailed for America in 1849, and the good wife died in mid-ocean. He came direct to Galesburg, Ill., remained one year, and
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in 1850, was married to Miss Mary A. Foster and moved to Warren County, Ill. This marriage union resulted in the birth of eight children, Mrs. Yarrington being the fourth child. The father was a far- mer and after his children had grown to be adults, his health having failed him, he rented his farm and moved to town, but not being satisfied, returned to his farm where he still lives.
G EORGE H. KIBLER, the senior member of the firm of Kibler Bros., general dealers, at Woodbine, through his long residence and successful busines career, will form the subject of the subjoined biographical notice. He was born in Portage County, Ohio, March 27, 1848, and was the second child of his father's family, the names of the chil- dren being, Sylvester B., born July 22, 1846; George H., March 27, 1848; Lydia, who died in infancy; and O. F., born May, 26, 1856, and now deceased.
The Kibler family came to Harrison County May 19, 1854,coming from Portage County by rail to Wellsvllle, Ohio, and from there on the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to Council Bluffs, being four weeks on the road.
Our subject was reared on a farm and received his early education in the old Hawkeye State, and started in a general store at Woodbine March 4, 1870, having been in a drug store at that point from July, 1869. As first established, the firm name of these general dealers was Davis & Kib- ler (I. J. Davis and G. H. Kibler). This firm continued one year when Mr. Davis sold his interest to W. H. McHenry, who retained his interest until April 19, 1873,
when the firm was changed to Kibler Bros., Sylvester B. Kibler being admitted to the firm at that time. When they first opened up they were in a building now oc- cupied as a wareroom on lot No. 1 and block 52, the same being built by Herman Bros., of Blair, in 1866. There was no change in the firm until August 15, 1881, when it became Kibler Bros. & Winter, which co-partnernership continued until January 1, 1884, at which time Mr. Win- ter withdrew, and the firm again took tlie name of Kibler Bros. In July, 1877, they commenced building their present busi- ness house, which is 28x100 feet in one department and 22x100 feet in the other. It is a brick structure, situated on lots 11 and 12, in block 50, and is looked upon as the best storebuilding in the county. Its cost was $12,000.
The average stock amounts to $20,000, made up of general merchandise and cloth- ing.
In a business point of view there is no better business man than our subject, whose integrity, prudence and careful man- agement, together with the assistance of his brother, has brought him through the panics and hard times co-incident with this country.
Our subject was married January 14, 1872, to Lucelia Winter, a native of Greene County, N. Y., who was the fourth child in a family of six children; her father, Matthew Winter was a tanner by trade, but followed farming in this county.
Mr. and Mrs. Kibler's home has been blessed with four children-Ora B., born October 25, 1874; Carrie E., January 12, 1876, and died March 9, 1878; Harry F., born February 25, 1883; and Millie F., August 5, 1884.
Politically Mr. Kibler believes in the principles as laid down by the Republican
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party. In religious matters he and his estimable wife are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he has been an official member for many years.
While our subject is a business man and usually absorbed in business matters, yet he finds time to attend to many outside matters, including business pertaining to schools and churches, and he has been a member of the public. school board for many years. His life is an example of what ambition and painstaking industry, may accomplish for a man of good busi- ness qualifications, guided by honor and integrity.
Besides Mr. Kibler's other business in- terests in Woodbine, he is largely inter- ested in the Woodbine Savings Bank which was incorporated May 1, 1891, with a capital of $30.000, with George H. Kib- ler, President, E. H. Bucknam, of Sioux City, Vice-President and Servis Haas, Cashier. Commenced business in Vans- coy's furniture building in which they remained until moving into their new bank building, erected in the summer of 1891 at a cost of $6,000, which is a two-story brick structure 25x50 feet.
LEXIUS SCHMITT, a represen- tative farmer of St. John's Town- ship, came to Harrison County in 1858, first locating in the village of old St. John, where he had a blacksmith shop, which he operated about four years and then bought forty acres of land where he now lives, the same being swamp land. He has made substantial improvements, and in 1865, he bought forty acres on sec- tion 16. His farm is all fenced and under a good state of cultivation.
Mr. Schmitt is a native of Germany, born September 30, 1830. His father was Alexius Schmitt, who married Gertrude Buer, and they were the parents of nine children-Arsenius, living in Leaven- worth, Kan .; Joseph A., Francis, de- ceased, Karl Joseph, in Germany; Her- man, deceased; Pius, of Germany; An- ton in Germany : and two who died in in- fancy.
Mr. Schmitt spent his early life in his native land, where he received a good common-school education. He was ap- prenticed to learn the blacksmith's trade, and at the age of twenty-three years came to America, landing in New York in May, 1853. We next find him in Dayton, Ohio, working at his trade, where he re- mained four years and then went to Rock- port, Neb., remained one year, and then came to Harrison County, Iowa. While living in Dayton, Ohio, and on September 6, 1853, he was united in marriage to Eleanora Laumeister, daughter of Mich- ael and Magdalen (Fisher) Laumeister, of Germany. By this union fourteen chil- dren were born, as follow: K. Alexius, born September 13, 1854, is now living in Nebraska; Lewis Edward, June 21, 1857, now of Montana; Christiana, Eleanor, now Mrs. H. Bruning, of St. John's Township; John Joseph, September 30, 1861, now residing in Nebraska; Franz, September 12, 1864, now of Nebraska: Frederick Otto and Fridolin, twins, April 1, 1867, now living in Nebraska and Wy- oming respectively; Angelus, February 22, 1869, now of Lyon County, Iowa; Louisa Frances, May 11, 1871, now at home; Leo Joseph Pius, March 20, 1877, now at home; Henry Theodore, Septem- ber 21, 1880.
Mrs. Schmitt died December 26, 1886, and was buried in the St. John's ceme-
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tery. Our subject affiliates with the Dem- ocratic party and the family are identified with the Roman Catholic Church at Mis- souri Valley.
OSHUA M. KENNEDY first bought land in Harrison County in the spring of 1868, and he now re- sides on the south west quarter of section 4, of Jefferson Township. He first located on section 3. His present farm comprises six hundred and seventy- seven acres, all in Jefferson township. The Boyer river runs diagonally through the part of the tract, upon which his house is situated. This farm, like most of the farms in this fertile valley is one of much value.
Mr. Kennedy was born in Philadelphia, Pa., October 31, 1835. His father was Charles Kennedy, a native of Ireland, born in Dublin in 1790, and came to America in 1826, locating in Philadelphia. In 1837, he emigrated to Ohio, and in 1854 to Iowa, locating in Crawford Coun- ty, twelve miles south of Denison. From there he moved to Harrison County in 1868, where he died February 27, 1876.
Our subject attended school in Ohio, and ca'ne West with his parents, from Ohio, being five weeks and two days on the road, arriving in Crawford November 15, 1854. The first land they entered was located in J. M.'s name, but was for his father, who paid $1.25 per acre. There our subject made his home until 1866, when he located at Dunlap, but had been following the carpenter trade for some eight years at Council Bluffs. In the fall of 1869, he removed to his present farm, building a small frame house, in which he
lived about seven years, and then erected his present large, well arranged 'farm house on section 4. He has since added to this building, until it is the largest within the township.
He was married April 27, 1867, to Lizzie Beachtel, a native of Maryland, born July 14, 1845. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy are the parents of five children : Charles E., now a farmer in Jefferson Township; Florence M., engaged at teaching ; Gertrude B., a teacher, both graduates from Woodbine Normal; Frank W., at home; and Wil- burt R., at home.
Every intelligent citizen has his politi- cal choice, and our subject believes in the principles of the Republican party. In his religious belief, Mr. Kennedy is a Methodist.
His special feature in farming is stock raising, usually keeping one hundred head of cattle and a large number of horses, and of hogs usually one hundred head. His farm is divided into plow and meadow land ; two hundred acres of which is seed- ed in tame, and one hundred and sixty in wild grass, which grew nine feet high in 1891, the whole tract being finely water- ed and drained by the Boyer river and Six Mile Creek, which makes a most excel- lent stock ranch. He also has thirty acres of good timber in Six Mile Grove.
LBERT T. McELDERRY, a pros- perous farmer residing on section 21, of La Grange Township, came to Harrison County in the spring of 1879, and settled on the farm he now occupies. He bought two hundred and eighty acres of land-a quarter section in section 21, and one hundred and twenty
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in section 22; it was partly improved, all broken and under the protection of a good fence, and had a frame house 26x28 feet. Since then he has erected two barns, one 16×20 feet, used for stallions. Our sub- ject has added to his landed estate until he now has four hundred and forty-five acres. He is an extensive breeder of English-Shire horses, and is the owner of "Fairy Prince," No. 1336. He is also a breeder of Holstein cattle; has on hand about sixty-three head of grades and pure bloods.
Mr. McElderry was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, in February, 1848, and in April, 1856, accompanied his parents to Jefferson County, Iowa, where he re- mained until January, 1860, when his father died. In October, 1862, he moved with his mother to Warren County, Iowa, where he remained with her until 1879, and then came to Harrison County. He was married in Warren County, Iowa, October 16, 1872, to Miss Gertrude Clark, by which marriage union six children were born-Esta M., Edward L., Mabel (deceased), Albert C., Lulu M. and Frank C.
The mother of these children was born near Bloomington, Ind., and came to Warren County, Ill., when she was a girl, and there remained until the date of her marriage. She passed from this life in Harrison County, Iowa, in April, 1885.
Our subject was again married in Har- rison County in February, 1889, to Miss Florence E. Pett, by whom one child, Lena F., was born. Florence E. (Pett) McElderry is a native of England, born in 1862. and when five years of age accom- panied her parents to America and re- mained with them until her marriage to Mr. McElderry.
John McElderry, father of our subject,
was born in Washington County, Pa., and when a mere youth accompanied his father to Ohio, where he remained until he grew to manhood, and then came to Jefferson County, Iowa, and died there in January, 1860.
Our subject's mother, Margaret (Han- nah) McElderry, was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, remained there until she was married, and died in Warren County, Ill., in December, 1872. She was a member of the Old School Presbyterian Church. Our subject and his wife are both mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
ILLIAM ARTHUR, one of the rep- resentative farmers of Jackson Township, residing on section 27, first came to Harrison County in the autumn of 1857. He bought a sawmill near Magnolia, and operated it six months, and then removed the same to Hoosier Township (now St. John's), where he con- tinued to operate for four years, after which he moved it to Pottawattamie County and sold it, and bought the place he now occupies, consisting of two hun- dred and twenty-six acres of land, upon which there had been made but little im- provements. He commenced housekeep- ing in a log house 18x26 feet, and lived in the same for nearly thirteen years, and then built a two-story house 30x42 feet, and also a barn 30x40 feet, provided sheds for stock, dug wells, put up a windmill and set out an orchard of one hundred and twenty-five trees .. He ornamented and made more valuable his premises by the planting out of a large number of shade trees. His present farm consists of three hundred and twenty acres, seventy
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acres under the plow, and the balance in pasture and meadow. About forty acres of his farm is timber.
It was our subject's ill fortune to live in the county during the grasshopper years, and lost four crops by grasshoppers and chinch bugs.
Our subject was born in Washington County, Pa., February 14, 1828. He is the son of William and Jane Arthur. The father was a native of Scotland, while the mother was born in Pennsylvania. They were the parents of three children- William, Isabel D. and Thomas (deceased). Our subject remained in the old Keystone State until he grew to manhood. At the age of sixteen his father died, after which he went to live with a man named Scott, and learned the tanners' trade, continu- ing in the business until he was twenty- one years old. He then went to Ashland, Ohio, where he engaged in setting up and running machinery for the Newark Ma- chine Works. He remained with them a year and one-half, and the next year worked for the Ft. Wayne Machine Com- pany, after which he drifted to Iowa.
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