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 68
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He was married September 5, 1883, at Logan, to Miss Hattie Cadwell, oldest daughter of Phineas and Harriett M. (Fiske) Cadwell, who came to Harrison County in 1855, and whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work. Two children have blessed this marriage union: Hattie A. and Merle, the former born May 8, 1887, and the latter April 16, 1891.
R EV. GEORGE MEAD HUGHES, present pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at Logan, came Oto Harrison County in 1889, and will form the subject of this biographical notice.
He is the son of Rev. George and Mary (Mead) Hughes, natives of New York and New Jersey. The father was born in England, and came to this country in 1837. Our subject is one of a family of five children, he being the second in num- ber, and the only son. He spent his early life in New Jersey, and took a four years course at the University of Hackettstown, graduating in 1885. He graduated from the Wesleyan University, of Middletown, Conn., in 1889, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and began preaching in September of the same year, at Logan, Iowa, in the Methodist Church.
Politically, Mr. Hughes is a stanch supporter of the Republican party, and is well posted on all the current political issues of the day.
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He was united in marriage September 3, 1889, at Catasauqua, Pa., to Margaret Alice Funk, a native of the Keystone state, and the daughter of Samuel and Emeline Funk, of Pennsylvania.
Mr. and Mrs. Hughes were the parents of a child who died in infancy.
Unlike the early ministry of the Meth- odist Church, which to-day stands in edu cational point of view, as high as any in the land, our subject though but a young man, has received a liberal education, and stands out like a rising star in the firmament of the theological world, with a promising future before him, for it is men possessing characters, such as our subject, who are to be the future heralds of the Cross.
ACOB MINTUN, who found his way from Salt Lake to Pottawattamie County, in 1852, and to Harrison County New Year's Day, 1854- thirty-seven years ago-is justly entitled to a biographical notice in this connection. His present home is on section 24, of Raglan Township. At first he bought a claim of one hundred and sixty acres, upon which had been built a log cabin, with five acres of breaking. He paid $1.25 per acre for this land, which he sold one year later.
The next two years he rented land in Taylor Township. He put in a shingle machine which he operated two years, and then went to the village of Magnolia, where he engaged in the grocery business and served as Postmaster under President James Buchanan's administration, and remained there until the spring of 1860. He then moved back to Raglan Township
where he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of wild land. He built a house 24x32 feet ; also built cribs, shedding, dug wells, and set out a small orchard, and has remained there ever since. He, like many another Harrison County farmer, had his crops injured by the grasshopper plague, who in their infancy hopped about on one side of the farmer's field and chirped "in the wheat bye and bye"-and they were there to cut the ripening grain, while the husbandman frowned and paid an exorbitant price for his next year's seed wheat. Our subject also encountered the deep snow winter of 1856-57, and en- dured his share of hardships co-incident with that season.
Mr. Mintun was born in Ohio, May 18, 1828, and is a son of Matthew and Elsie Mintun, natives of Pennsylvania, who were the parents of the following ten children :- Lemuel, Hezekiah, two who died in infancy, John, Lucinda, Hannah, Mehitable, Jacob, Maria. Only Hannah and Jacob survive.
Jacob lived in Ohio until ten years of age, when his parents moved to Lee County, Iowa. and remained eleven years. The father died in that county, after which Jacob went to Jefferson County, lived there three years, and then moved to Pottawattamie County, halted a year, and then came to this county.
Our subject was married in December, 1852, to Phebe A. Lamb, daughter of Emory W. and Mary Lamb, natives of Indiana, who were the parents of eight children-Charles W., Phebe A., Tryphena, Delora, Eliza, and Ellen. The mother of these children died in 1879, and in Novem- ber 1881, Mr. Mintun married Rachel L. Streeter, daughter of Morton and Myra Streeter, natives of Vermont, whose five children were as follows :- Rachel L.,
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Porter L., Sarah, Dennis, and one deceased.
To Mr. Mintun have been born these children-Mary E. (deceased), James F., Charles A. (deceased), Maria J., John W., Henry W. (deceased), Ida R., Vezuettie A., George E., Edward, Willey (deceased).
By Mr. Mintun's second marriage were born-Morton L. (deceased), Flora (de- ceased), Carrie, Earl and Cora.
Mr. Mintun was the second Sheriff of Harrison County, and was also Deputy Sheriff for a number of years. He belongs to Magnolia Lodge No. 126, A. F. & A. M.
OHN LAHMAN, (deceased), came to Harrison County in 1866, and opened a harness shop at Missouri Valley, having put in one year prior to this in old St. Johns. He followed harness making until 1870, when he formed a partnership with Dr. G. H. Mc- Gavren in the stock business, and con- tinued three or four years, and then pur- chased the farm which he operated in connection with the stock business.
He for whom this memoir is written, was born in Gettysburg, Pa., November 14, 1840, and the house in which he was born was shot through with a cannon ball, fired at the battle of Gettysburg, which was the greatest battle of the Civil war. Our subject's mother died when he was a small boy, but the father survived until about 1875.
Our subject was married January 21, 1869, to Miss Clara C. Harris, a daughter of Judge D. M. Harris, of the Times, at Missouri Valley. By this union, two children were born, Edwin Bruce, born in 1874, and died in 1876; Rush C., born August 5, 1884.
Politically, Mr. Lahman was a stalwart Republican. He served in the town council at Missouri Valley, and took an active part in public affairs. During the Civil war he was a member of Company C, Thirty-fourth Illinois Cavalry, enlist- ing at Dixon, and served three years. He was a member of Belden Post, G. A. R., at Missouri Valley. Was also a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Triune Chapter at Missouri Valley, and Ivanhoe Commandery at Council Bluffs.
He passed from the scenes of this life July 16, 1888, and was buried with Ma- sonic honors, in Rose Hill Cemetery. A few years prior to his death, he gave up the stock business, and spent his time in looking after his agricultural interests. He was a man very pronounced in his views, and was thrown upon his own re- sources at the age of twelve years. He was a considerate, kind-hearted, and thoughtful man, and left a large circle of friends to regret his demise.
12 ON JAMES K. McGAVREN, of Missouri Valley, was born in Hardin County, Ohio, December 19, 1846, and with the balance of the family came to Pottawattamie County, Iowa, in 1850. He is one of the five sons born to
Robert and Rebecca McGavren. His early education was received at the com- mon schools. Later he attended Tabor College, and after completing his school- ing, studied law with P. D. Mickel, of Missouri Valley, and was admitted as a member of the Harrison County bar, in the spring of 1869, and practiced law there that summer, but in the autumn of that
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year removed to Seward, Neb., and be- came one of the first settlers of the town. He homesteaded eighty acres on which he lived three and one-half years, when he disposed of his claim and removed to Mis- souri Valley. He dropped the practice of law and took up the loan and real estate business, in addition to carrying on his farm work. In 1877 he was elected Mayor of Missouri Valley and re-elected in 1878 and 1879, but resigned before his term of office expired and was appointed County Supervisor in 1879; in the fall was elected to fill the unexpired term, and in 1882 was re-elected Supervisor. In 1883 was elected County Auditor, and was re-elected in 1885. In 1889 he was elected as a member of the House, in the Twenty-third Gen- eral Assembly.
Politically, he affiliates with the Dem- ocratic party. He is a member of the Odd Fellow's lodge No. 170, at Missouri Val- ley, being one of its earliest members.
August 5, 1869, he was united in mar- riage to Elmira Henry, a native of Hardin County, Ohio. Her parents came to Har- rison County in 1860, and located in St. John's Township. Mrs. McGavren's father is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. McGav- ren were the parents of one child-Eliza- beth, born in 1873. Mrs. McGavren passed from the scenes of this life in April, 1874, was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery at old St. John's.
Our subject was married to his second wife-Cynthia Deweese, a native of In- diana, January 27, 1876. Her parents died when she was a young girl. By this marriage union seven children were born, three of whom are still living, viz: Law- rence, Lottie ; Lucile, died at seven years of age; Bruce ; Hugh, died at nine months of age; and twins, who died in infancy.
For the second time in our subject's
life he has been bereft of his companion. Cynthia (Deweese) McGavren, died Oc- tober 31, 1889, and was laid away by the side of her children in Oak Grove ceme- tery.
Not unlike other members of the Mc- Gavren family who settled in Harrison County, at an early day our subject has exhibited good business and executive ability, both as a city and county officer, and as a member of the Legisla- ture.
AVID G. HEARN, of Missouri Valley, was born in the City of Watterford, in the South of Ire- land, May 1, 1832. He is a son of Maurice and Margaret (Powers) Hearn. When eight months old, the family came to America, and located at the city of New York, where our subject received his education. His father operated a bakery. Our subject was the third child of a family of six children, namely: Stephen, Thomas, David G., Michael, Mannie and Mary.
David G. learned the tailor's trade in Boston and followed that business in Bos- ton and New York, and then came to St. Louis, Mo., where he carried on a busi- ness of his own, and just when the Civil War cloud was casting its blackened sur- face over this nation, and the thunder of cannon was heard on every hand, and President Lincoln was calling for troops, our subject left his tailor's bench, and put on the Loyal Blue, and becanie a member of the Thirty-third Missouri Infantry, be- ing a member of Company A, and remained in the service of his country, (which had became his by adoption) until December 24, 1864, and was then discharged at Jef-
49
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ferson Barracks, Mo. His regiment was one noted for its heavy fighting.
When Mr. Hearn came to Missouri Valley in 1867, only a few houses graced the spot, where now stands the thriving city. The railroad had not at that time reached this point. He at once com- menced working at his trade and followed it until 1889. In 1886, he built a two-story business house on the corner of Fifth and Erie Streets.
March 20, 1870, he was united in mar- riage at Dunlap, Iowa, to Martha Kitter- ingham, the marriage ceremonies being performed by the Rev. Mr. Granville, a Methodist Episcopal preacher. The lady of his choice was born in England. and came to America, when four years old. Her parents first located in Wisconsin, but came to Missouri Valley in 1867. Her father, Henry Kitteringliam, died at Mis- souri Valley, August 15, 1889, and was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. His wife is still a resident of Missouri Valley.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hearn have been born four children-David G., April 20, 1871, and married August 12, 1891, to Miss Fannie Richards. He is now employed as a salesman in Missouri Valley ; Mau- rice Henry, born September 11, 1873, still at home; Stephen A., May 25, 1875, at home and Mattie, December 16, 1878.
OCTOR DWIGHT SATTERLEE, physician and druggist, at Dunlap, who is also a member of the present Board of Supervisors, ranks among the pioneers of Harrison Township, locating, as he did, in 1867. He is a native of the town of Ledyard, Conn., where he was born March 24, 1837, In the late war he
was commissioned in the Sanitary Corps in the Army of Virginia, and later the Army of the Janies, as a member of the Eleventh Connecticut Regiment. He served his country about three years, be- ing mustered out in December, 1865, holding the commission of Major. He came to Dunlap in 1867, and was the first physician to practice in the place, which was platted during that year, and at the time of his coming was but a small hamlet.
Politically, he is a stanch supporter of the Republican party, believing in the principles of that great political organi- zation.
Socially, the Doctor is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and belongs to Hos- pitable Lodge No. 244, of which he was the first and present Master, the same being the first degrees of the A. F. & A. M. He also belongs to Ark Chapter No. 89, as well as to Shields Post No. 83, G. A. R., of which he is the present Com- mander; he is also a member of the Knights of Pythias.
OSEPH FOREMAN, located on section 32, of Jackson Township, has been identified with the inter- ests of Harrison County since 1876. When he first came to the county he rented land, continuing for about eight years and then bought one hundred and twenty acres of wild land. He broke it out, built a good house and barn, with ac- companing outbuildings, and fenced his place. After one year he sold this farm and bought the one he now occupies, con- sisting of one hundred and sixty-three and one-half acres. Here he built a barn
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20x32 feet, made a cistern, and put up a wind-power.
He was born in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, December 4, 1856. He is a son of Mason A. and Sarah E. Foreman, natives of West Virginia, and who had a family of eleven children-Emily, Agnes, Henry, Joseph, Margaret, Sarah E., Elizabeth, deceased ; William E .; Charles, John, and one who died in infancy.
- Our subject remained with his parents until eighteen years of age, when hemade his home with his brother-in law, M. E. Oviatt, in Jackson Township, and fol- lowed farm life, working for others and renting land.
Mr. Foreman was united in marriage March 18, 1885, to Ida M. Ross, daughter of William and Salena Ross, natives of England, who had a family of twelve chil- dren-William,deceased; Ephraim, George, Nettie, Burt J., John, Ida M., Lizzie L., Martha, deceased; infant, deceased; Frank E., and Dora.
Our subject and his wife are the parents of two children-Ray A. and Salena E.
J AMES D. McKENNEY, was born in Cass County, Mich., February 3, 1844. He is the son of Michael I. and Anna Eliza (Townsend) Mc- Kenney, and was the sixth of a family of eight children. He attended two terms of school in Michigan and completed his education in the district schools of Harri- son County. The first school he attended in this county was in the winter of 1852- 53, in a log schoolhouse on section 6, of Union Township. The school was i aught by George White. Our subject has al- ways made his home at the old homestead
and now lives on the original land taken by his father in 1851. The father died in 1858, and in the spring of 1860, the mother rented the farm to Samuel Jack and went to Michigan, and returned in the fall, but our subject remained here all summer and worked for Mr. Jack, continuing for two years, the first year for his board and clothes, but the last year he received $8 per month. It will be remembered that he was only in his sixteenth year, and in the fall of 1868 he took charge of the place and operated it, his mother keeping house for him until the autumn of 1879, when he bought the other heirs' interest in a hundred and twenty acres, which he still owns.
He was married February 6, 1879, to Alpharetta Dakan, a native of Morrow County, Ohio, born December 22, 1854, and is the youngest of a family of three children by Mr. Dakan's second marriage her parents being Ebenezer and Charity (Wagstaff) Dakan. The father was mar- ried three times and had five children by his first marriage. The father died in Union Township, August 9, 1883, and the mother died March 10, 1863.
Mr. and Mrs. McKenney are the parents of four children, all living-Herbert E., born November 14, 1879; Inman R. Sep- tember 6, 1881; Guy E. and Nellie E., (twins), October 10, 1888.
Mr. McKenney and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, hav- ing united in 1890. He is a inember of the Ancient Order of United Workmen at Logan.
Politically our subject has always voted with the Republican party, but at present is in sympathy with the Farmers' Alli- ance movement.
He has been a successful farmer, and while he has seen his share of hard times,
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he has always been surrounded with the ordinary comforts of home life, but well remembers how glad he used to be to see visitors come to their house, for it was upon such occasions that wheat bread was served. Now that these days of hardships have with him forever passed, he can better enjoy the surroundings of his own fireside.
0 RSON P. EDMONDS, a thrifty farmer residing on section 5, of Jackson Township, came to Harri- son County in the summer of 1867, and located on the place where he now lives consisting of four hundred and ninety acres. It was wild land at the time he purchased it, costing him $5 per acre. The first winter he lived in a shanty, built by some railroad men. He at once built him a house and good sized barn, also a double crib, wagon house and gran- ery, and dug a well, over which he erected a windmill. He has added to this tract of land until he now owns seven hundred acres, one hundred being under cultiva- tion, while the whole tract is protected by a good fence. It was our subject's ill- fortune to be a resident of the county during the grasshopper years, which were never know to, in any way, materially en- hance the value of a man's growing crops.
Mr. Edmonds was born in March, 1840, in Plymouth, Mich. His parents were William and Elvira Edmonds, the former a native of England and the latter of Ver- mont. They were the parents of two children-Charles, deceased, and Or- son P.
Our subject moved from Michigan to
Illinois with his parents when a small boy, his father dying on the way. He lived in Illinois until he was six years of age, and then removed. to Walworth County, Wis., and remained there until about twenty-three years old, and then strolled over the country, working by the month until he finally settled in Harrison County, comparatively a poor man.
He was married in May, 1867, to Mary A. Burns, daughter of Samuel and Cath- erine, natives of Ireland, who had six children, named as follows : Mary, Rachel, Catherine, Margaret, Ellen, Eliza.
By this marriage union our subject and his wife have been blessed by the birth of six children, born in the following order : William S., Robert B., deceased; Chris- topher C., Ella M., deceased; George D. and Katie A., deceased.
Mr, Edmonds belongs to Little Sioux Masonic Lodge, and stands high in his community.
OHN S. McGAVREN, cashier of of the First National Bank at Mis- souri Valley, was born January 11, 1861, at old St. John's, Harrison County, Iowa. He is the son of Robert- and Rebecca McGavren, one of the early families of the county-a lengthy sketch of which appears elsewhere in this work. Our subject received his early education in this county, and later on attended the schools at Missouri Valley, and in March, 1878, went to Ames where he completed the scientific course in the Iowa Agricul- tural College, completing his studies in 1881, and the following year followed rail- roading. In the fall of 1882, he entered
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the Iowa State University at Iowa City, and graduated from the Law Department in the spring of 1883. The following fall he opened a law office in Missouri Valley. with J. S. Dewell, which contin- ued until September,1890, at which time he was elected Cashier of the First Na- tional Bank at Missouri Valley.
Our subject was united in marriage at Clarence, Cedar County, Iowa, October 10, 1889, to Miss Nellie M. Bell, a native of Lyons, Iowa. By this union there has been born one son-Robert Hayward now one year old.
Mr. McGavren is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Anchor Lodge, No. 66, at Missouri Valley.
Politically he affiliates with the Demo- cratic party, and has held the office of City Clerk for three years.
Mrs. McGavren is an acceptable mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
E LISHA COBB, a farmer located on section 12, of Jackson Township, ranks among the pioneers of Harri- son County, for it is found that he came to these parts to build for himself a home in the summer of 1856. He located on wild land known as "Swamp Land," which constitutes a part of his present farm. He made his filing at this time and then bought Swamp Land script, and paid $1.25 per acre for his land. In this way he secured a quarter section of valu- able land, upon which he made no improve- ments for ten years. From Harrison County he went to Pike's Peak, during the great gold excitement, but did not remain long. He retraced his steps to Pennsyl- vania, where he was engaged in the lum-
ber business for about nine years. He then came to Iowa, again and farmed land near Preparation, Monona County, for one year. We next find our subject digging a cave-better known as a "dug- out"-in which he lived four years, while he was improving his land. He then built a story and one-half house 12x26 feet, with a barn 16x24 feet. Year by year he kept adding to his land, until he now has two hundred and twenty-five acres, thirty- three acres of which are under plow, while the balance is meadow and pasture land.
Among the experiences which our sub- ject never cares to go through again, was the grasshopper scourge, when his crops were entirely eaten up. This was the only year of his residence in Iowa, when he had a failure in a corn crop, and that year he was obliged to pay 50 cents per bushel for corn.
Our subject was born in Chautauqua . County, N. Y., in August 1833, and is a son of Rowland and Eliza Cobb, natives of Vermont, who had a family of four children, our subject being the second child. The children were-Elijah (deceas- ed), Elisha, Maria, and Harriet M.
In 1844, our subject's father moved to Nauvoo, Ill., but remained there only a short time and with the remainder of the thousands of Mormons who emigrated West, as far as where Council Bluffs is he also came, the trip taking all summer. He had five ox teams and one horse team. He bought a "squatter" out in Missouri, who lived in Atchinson County, buying the crop and all. They harvested that crop and raised one more, but as the fami- ly were sick nearly all the time with the diseases prevalent in all new countries, they sold their growing crop to the Gov- ernment, which at that time was fitting out expeditions for the Mexican War.
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They paid our subject's father 20 cents per bushel for corn which was husked and in piles in the field. The first winter they lived in Missouri, and his father went to Florence Neb., -Mormon headquaters -- to investigate the rumors they had heard concerning the practice of Polygamy, and when they found such rumors well sustain- ed, their zeal for the Mormon Church grew cold. The next winter they started Eastward, and wintered at Chillicothe, and the next spring they went to St. Louis and there took boat for Pittsburg, and went into the lumbering busines in Jeffer- son County Pa., and remained there until he came to this county.
Our subject was united in marriage in 1865. to Maria Mccullough. the daughter of Joseph and Mary McCullough. By this union one child was born-Minnie E. who is still living.
Politically, our subject isidentified with the Republican party, and has been Trus- tee of his township, also assessor of the same.
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MOS S. CHASE, (deceased), came to Harrison County in the fall of 1848 and located at the mouth of the Soldier river. He remained there one winter and then moved to the Little Sioux on what is known as the Murray farm. He took a claim and remained three years then sold out and moved to Biglers Grove where he bought an interest in a saw-mill and operated it for some time. This mill was run by horse-power. He next went to Preparation, Monona County, and in- vested all he had but finally came away and left it all. He moved to Nebraska, bought an interest in a mill which he
moved to Yankton Dak., remained five years and on account of Indian troubles, abandoned his mill which became a dead loss to him. He loaded his household goods into a wagon and came away, count- ing life dearer than property. He moved into Calhoun Township near Magnolia, and kept hotel at the last named place one year and also conducted a hotel at Little Sioux, and ran a mill until 1870, in which he lost an arm. He then bought a farm on the Soldier, in Jackson Township; he remained there until the date of his death in 1888. He was born in Bristol, Vt., in 1820, the son of Abner and Amy Chase, who had ten children, three of whom still survive. He remained in the Green Mountain State until he became of age and then went to Illinois, where he work- ed out by the month.
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