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 69
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He was married in January 1848 to Sarah Silsby, the daughter of A. and Betsy Silsby, natives of New Hampshire and Vermont, respectively ;
Our subject and his wife were the par- ents of the following living children-An- na, Asaph, May, and Milton A.
Mr. Chase served as a member of the Board of Supervisors, a number of terms and was also a Justice of the Peace and was the second prosecuting attorney of Monona County, elected in the fall 1854. Both he and his wife were members of the Latter Day Saints Church.
B ENJAMIN F. ALEXANDER, a farmer living on section 14, of Clay Township, came to Harrison Coun- ty, in the spring of 1869, and set- tled on the farm he now occupies, his mother coming with him. He bought
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eighty acres, and his mother bought forty acres; the house was built upon her land. Mr. Alexander lived with his mother until 1880. In 1874 he built a frame house upon his own land, and his farm now consists of one hundred acres.
He was born in Tipton County, Ind., February 15, 1849. His parents were John M., and Nancy J. Alexander. The former was a native of Kentucky, while the latter was born in Ohio. The father died in 1865, and his good wife, the mother of our subject, died November 25, 1887, at the age of seventy-six years, eleven months and fourteen days. The parents remained in Indiana until 1869, when they came to this county.
Mr. Alexander was united in marriage in Harrison County, Iowa, March 27, 1875, to Miss Mary J. Ritchison, the the daughter of Abraham and Sarah (Gilmore) Ritchison. Our subject and his wife are the parents of six children, Willie (deceased) ; Jack, Alice (deceased) ; Leonard, Grace and Alvey.
Mrs. Alexander was born in Clay Town- ship, Harrison County, Iowa, September 23, 1859, and remained at home with her parents until married.
NDREW J. BURCHAM, came to Harrison County in the spring of 1853, and is now a resident of Mor- gan Township. He is a native of the Old Dominion State and was born in Campbell County, Virginia, in January 1849. He is the son of George H., and Mary (Mortin) Burcham. The father was a native of Kentucky and the mother of Ohio. They reared a family of ten chil- dren-Elizabeth (deceased); John, a resi-
dent of Shelby County, Iowa; Melvino, now of Nebraska; Samuel S., of Clay Township, this county; Amanda, (de- ceased) ; Andrew J .; George W., of Mor- gan Township; Susan, now Mrs. Morga- reidge; Ruth, married and lives in Shelby County and Frank B., a resident of Mor- gan Township. The family came to Har- rison County, when our subject was but four years of age, and located in Magnolia Township, where the father bought land which he sold in 1855, and took land in Clay Township, his being the only house between the Soldier and Little Sioux rivers. All provisions that the family had, were hauled from Magnolia on a hand-sled, by the father, during the hard winter of '56-'57. Mr. Burcham opened up a farm, and they remained there until 1864, and then came to Morgan Town- ship. During the high-water period of 1857, the father took a canoe and went over the surrounding country, looking for high ground. After the water had subsided he came and entered land in the southern part of Morgan Township, on section 36, having two hundred and sixty acres.
Our subject, Andrew J., began work for himself in 1886, (the father died in 1870) working on the Missouri River, first run- ning rafts and then acting as a pilot, which work he continued until 1872, when he opened up a farm in Clay Township, which he afterwards sold and bought his present farm on section 26. He now has eighty acres of land in the township, all under cultivation. Our subject and his father used to break prairie, with eight and ten yoke of oxen.
Our subject was united in marriage March 27, 1870, to Ophelia Margareidge, the daughter of John S. and Mary (Withim) Margareidge, natives of Ohio, who came to the county in 1856, Our
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subject and his wife are the parents of four children-Mariam, born December 19, 1871; Fillmore, October 17, 1873; Clara, October 12, 1878; Dottie, born Sep- tember 5, 1885.
In his political views, our subject is identified with the Democratic party.
C HARLES C.CHAMPNEY, a farmer residing on section 15, of Jackson Township, has been a resident of Harrison County since the spring of 1867. He first located in Cincinnati Township, where he purchased one hundred and twenty-five acres of wild land, and made the necessary improvements, and subse- quently added sixty acres more to his farm. He remained on that place until 1884, when he sold and bought the two hundred fifty-acre farm he now lives upon, which was partly improved at the time. Here he has made marked improvement, providing more house room, digging a good well, and erecting a wind mill; also set out an orchard of one hundred and fifty trees.
Mr. Champney was born in Oswego County, N. Y., in August, 1838. He is the son of Lorin and Julia (Greenwood) Champney, natives of the Empire State, who had a family of five children-Charles C., Martha, Loretta, Julia, deceased, and Almon. Our subject lived with his par- ents until he had attained his majority, and then rented land for himself until he came to Harrison County in 1867.
He was married March 7, 1861 to Helen Clark, the daughter of Lewis and Harriet Clark, who were the parents of eleven children-Jane, deceased; Ann, deceased ; Lucena, William, deceased; Charles, de-
ceased; Olin, Henry, Almira, deceased ; Minerva, deceased; Louis, deceased and Helen, deceased.
For his second wife our subject mar- ried Julia Gilbert, March 1, 1871 and by this union the following children were born : Nellie, September 30, 1864; Ada, March 22, 1873, deceased; Frank L., April 15, 1876; Charles F., July 25, 1877 and Grace, February 21, 1885.
For his third wife Mr. Champney mar- ried on October 7, 1890, Emma McWill- iams, the daughter of John and Mary Mc- Williams, natives of Ohio, who had a family of ten children, our subject's wife being the fifth. The children's names were Catherine C., Jane, deceased ; Matil- da, deceased ; one died in infancy ; Emma, William, deceased; Worth, deceased; Maria, deceased; Abbie and Charles.
Our subject and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
IMON V. SHEARER, a resident of Allen Township, and whose farm is on section 11, came to Harrison County in 1879, and bought wild land to the amount of eighty acres, a part of his present farm. He rented land upon which to make his living while he was improv- ing his own; built a small house, stables and cribs of logs, rails and hay, and lived in the original house for eight years. But as time went on, and he prospered he erected a new house, which was 14x22 feet, with an addition the same size. He set out an orchard of one hundred trees, which are now fine bearing specimens, and a good index of what horticulture is worth in Harrison County. His farm is
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Logan Crawford
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now under a high state of cultivation, providing him with one of the finest homes in the county.
Our subject was born in Clay County, April 25, 1842. He is a son of Wil- liam Shearer, a native of Kentucky, who had twelve children, our subject be- ing the second in the family-James M., Simon V., John R., Charles, Clifton R., Arzelia. Six of the family are deceased.
Our subject remained with his parents until he was twenty-two years of age, and then came to Dubuque County, Iowa, where he worked by the month one winter. He then went back to Missouri, and remained two years, working on the farm. We next find him in Cass County, Iowa, where he rented land for about six years, and then came to Harrison County.
He was married February 23, 1865, to Mary A. Gilbert, daughter of Hayden and Phoebe Gilbert, natives of Kentucky, who reared a family of nine children-Stephen B. Margaret A., Ebenezer, Mary A., Nancy, Hayden B., George W., Jose- phine, deceased; and Laura.
Mr. and Mrs. Shearer are the parents of four children - Genorah M., Lena, Henry P. and Vida.
Le OGAN CRAWFORD, an early set- tler and prominent farmer of St. John's Township, will form the sub- ject of this biographical notice. He was born in Union, Conn., January 13, 1822, and can trace his ancestry back to Hugh Crawford, his great-grandfather, who with five brothers came from Belfast, Ireland, and were of Scotch descent. The great- grandfather married a lady named Camp-
bell from Ireland, and their son Samuel was born there, and followed farming for a livelihood. He was the grandfather of our subject. In this family there were five sons-Luther, John, Samuel, In- goldsby W. (the father of our subject), and Charles, all of whom are now deceased.
Ingoldsby was born in Connecticut, August 7, 1786, and was reared on his father's farm and in his day was quite a prominent man in New England, serving as a member of the Legislature, State Senator, and Collector of Customs at New London, Conn., holding the last named position eight years. He received his ap- pointment from Gen. Jackson, then Pres- ident of the United States. He was also Judge of his county for several years, and an honored member of the Masonic fra- ternity, attending the general Grand Chapters of the United States. He mar- ried Rhoda Taft, a native of Mendon, Mass. She was the daughter of Daniel Taft, and a descendant of the Taft family, to which present Consul of the United States belongs, as well as a relative of Judge Taft, of the United States Supreme Court. Our subject's parents had a fam- ily of nine children, all of whom taught school-Calista, who for her first husband married a Mr. Lyons, a cousin of the tel- egraph man-Prof. Morse-and later mar- ried Mr. Sessions. She is now deceased ; Daniel T., deceased; Caroline, Mrs. New- ell, deceased; Sarah Ann, deceased; Logan, our subject; Ossian, a resident of Wales, Mass .; Marcia, Mrs. Lamberson, now a resident of Livermore, Iowa; Har- riet, deceased; and Alonzo, a resident of California.
Our subject spent his early life on his fatlier's farm, obtaining a good business education attending an academy at Brooklyn, Conn., where he boarded with
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Mr. Mather, the father of Prof. Mather, of geological fame. He also attended Worcester County Manual Labor High School, in Massachusetts, under S. S. Green, the author of "Green's Analysis." After leaving school, our subject taught school winters and worked on the farm in the summer time. In 1847 he located in Dodge County, Wis., where he worked in a sawmill, and took up a piece of land, and when the railroad was run from Fond du Lac to Watertown, he assisted as flag- man in the survey and worked the follow- ing summer in a plow factory at Mayville, and that fall (1851) was employed by Mr. Sewell, of the railway company, to run the compass, which he did until July, when he was transferred to Illinois, to run the Northwestern from Chicago towards Janesville, and in May, 1854, came West.
He was united in marriage September 21, 1851, to Helen M. Rising, daughter of Oliver and Hannah (Haws) Rising, a de- scendant of the Goff family of New Hamp- shire. She died February 29, 1884, and was the mother of five children, three of whom still survive. The children were : Virginia, Mrs. Purcell, born July 27, 1852, and died April 7, 1889; Penina, Mrs. Pur- cell, born February 14, 1854, now a resi- dent of St. John's Township; Ira, born November 19, 1855, living in St. John's Township; Clinton, born November 19, 1857, died September 29, 1881; Esther, now at Ames, Iowa, in the Library of Iowa Agricultural College.
Mr. Crawford first located in Calhoun Township, purchased timbered land on section 32 and entered one hundred and twenty acres of wild prairie land, which he partially improved but subsequently sold. In 1857 he pre-empted swamp land in St. John's Towrship, the same being a part of his present farm, to which he has
added at various times until he now has three hundred and sixty acres, all enclosed by a substantial fence and under cul- tivation.
November 27, 1861, he enlisted in Com- pany H, Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, as a private, and was assigned to the Army of the West. He participated in the follow- ing engagements: Shiloh, Corinth and Vicksburg. At the battle of Corinth he was wounded in the head by a gun-shot. Before their time expired, the regiment re-enlisted in the Veteran Corp and joined Gen. Sherman on his famous march to the sea. At Atlanta, Ga., he was shot, left on the field in the hands of the enemy, who took him prisoner and sent him to Macon, Ga., and from there sent to An- dersonville, where it was found by the Rebels that he was an officer (hc having been promoted to Second Lieutenant), therefore they did not keep him at Ander- sonville, but returned him to Macon, where he remained until the last of Au- gust, when he was sent to Rickersville, a station four miles from Charleston, where he remained until December, when he was exchanged. His wound was a severe one in the left lung, the effects of which will go with him through life. He was ex- changed at Charleston Harbor, S. C., December 14, 1864, returned home, re- ceiving his final discharge February 19, 1865.
Politically, Mr. Crawford is a supporter of the Rupublican party; and among the local offices he has held may be mentioned, that of County Surveyor, having been ap- pointed to fill a vacancy and elected twice. He has also been Justice of the Peace in Calhoun Township.
As a historical item, it may be men- tioned, that the winter Ingoldsby W. was twenty-one years of age, he taught school
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in the center of the township (of Wood- stock, Conn.), near the residence of Deacon Morse, the grandfather of the great telegrapher, and many times accepted in- vitations to dinner with him, Mr. Morse being very much interested in all educa- tional work, and always asked, "How many scholars had you to-day?" and at the end of the term says, "I can tell you the daily attendance at your school."
OSEPH FOX, aresident of section 20, Jackson Township, came to the county in the spring of 1860, He came here a poor man and located at Little Sioux, and commenced driving a stage for the Northwestern Stage Com- pany, between Sioux City and Council Bluffs, and followed the same for six years. At that time there were but two houses between Little Sioux and Onawa, and four houses between Onawa and Ser- gent's Bluff. He then bought and oper- ated a hotel at Little Sioux for six years, and then rented a farm in Little Sioux Township, remained a short time and came to the place he now occupies, having lived upon his present place seven years. He has devoted his time to the breeding of standard-bred horses and cattle.
Our subject was born in Erie County, N. Y., in April, 1840. He is a son of Adam and Mary Fox, natives of New York and Germany, respectively. They reared a family of four children-Frank, Joseph, Antony and Ambrose. Our subject re- moved from New York when twelve years of age. He unfortunately had a mother who was not a real mother, but a step- mother, with whom he did not agree, as is quite often the case, so he bid his father
good-bye and went to Racine, Wis., and worked in that vicinity by the month until 1860, when he came to Harrison County, Iowa.
Appreciating the advantage of a good home, he sought to provide one for him- self, so in April, 1864, he was united in marriage to Sarah Clark, the daughter of William and Margaret Clark, natives of Ireland, who had a family of seven chil- dren, our subject's wife being the fourth. The children were Joseph, David, de- ceased; John; William, an infant, de- ceased, Sarah and Jennie.
By this marriage union two children have been born-Frank, born in October, 1868 and George in August, 1870.
Our subject is a member of the Odd Fellows order, belonging to Lodge, No. 387, at Little Sioux.
G EORGE H. BURCHAM, deceased, first came to Harrison County in 1853. He was a native of Kentucky, born in 1807. the son of John and Nancy Burcham. They had a family of ten chil- dren. His father settled in Kentucky at an early day, when it was principally peo- pled by the Indians, and a few pioneers of the Daniel Boone stripe. About 1811 the family moved to Ohio, where they re- mained until the death of the father. Our subject followed farming for a livelihood all his days. He went to Virginia in 1846, and came from there to Iowa, coming down the Ohio and up the Missouri Rivers to Council Bluffs. He settled in Magnolia and later lived on section 36, of Morgan Township. He was married in 1835, to Mary Martin, the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Gwinn) Martin, who
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was of Irish descent but a native of Vir- ginia. They reared a family of twelve children-Elizabeth, John, Melvina, Samson S., Mary, Amanda, Andrew J., George W., Susan, Henry, Ruth and Frank.
Mr. Burcham died August 3, 1879, and was buried in Magnolia Township. His wife is now seventy-six years of age.
S AMUEL E. HEDGES. one of the enterprising farmers of Jackson Township, residing on section 33, has made Harrison County his home since the autumn of 1881, when he bought forty acres of partly-improved land in Lit- tle Sioux Township. Here he built a one- story house 16x20 feet, set out an orchard of thirty trees and built him a good fence. This place cost our subject $22.50. per acre. After four years he sold the place and rented land for three years, and then bought the place he now occupies, which consisted of thirty-seven acres of improved land, to which he has added many good improvements, including outbuildings and an orchard.
Our subject was born in Hancock County Ohio, September 17, 1853. His parents are John and Athelinda Hedges, natives of the Buckeye State, who had a family of seven children, he being next to the oldest. The children's names were-Mary, deceased, Samuel E., our subject; Emily, deceased; Jacob, deceased; Jessie, de- ceased; Rachel; Diba, deceased; and Flora, deceased.
Our subject lived with his parents until he grew to man's estate, when he worked on a farm by the month for two years. We next find him in Nebraska, where he
bought forty acres of land, and remained there two years, sold out and moved to Harrison County.
Mr. Hedges was united in marriage September 7, 1876, to Christie King, the daughter of William and Elizabeth King, natives of Ohio, who had ten children, as follows-John, Jane,' Addis, Mary, Eli, Cyrus, Barkley, Christio, Susie and Emily.
Our subject and his wife are the parents of three children-Wilbur, Emily, de- ceased and Calvin:
Mr. and Mrs. Hedges are acceptable members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
P LEASANT B. COFFMAN (de- ceased), located on section 10, of Raglan Township,in the autumn of 1866, on forty acres of partly im- proved land, upon which there was a small log cabin, in which he lived one summer and then built the house now serving a as residence for the family. He set out an orchard of fitty trees; planted out shade trees and put round his place a good fence. He remained on the farm until his death.
Mr. Coffman was a native of Alabama, born in August, 1836, the son of Jacob and Rebecca Coffman, natives of East Tenn- essee, who had three children: John T., Marion, and Pleasant B. The family moved from Alabama to Missouri, and from there to Appanoose County, Iowa, but later went to Montana, where they re- mained one year, he working in the mines.
Our subject was united in marriage in August 1853, to Margaret Coffman, the daughter of George and Jane Coffman, who were natives of East Tennessee, and
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had a family of eight children-George B., William P., Margaret, Lucinda, Elizabeth, Blackburn, Gideon, and Eva M. Mr. and Mrs. Coffman were first cousins, and were married in Hillstown, Mo., and from there went to Appanoose County, Iowa, where our subject worked on a farm for eight years. They then emigrated to Utah, remained one winter, then went to Mon- tana, coming from there to Harrison County. The deceased, as well as liis wife, were members of the Latter Day Saints Church.
Our subject and his wife are the parents of the following children-George W., born January 16, 1859; James A., June 19, 1861; Darthula (deceased), November 15, 1863; William P., July 13, 1866; Dora J., July 5, 1869; Alice E., April 22, 1872; Reuben W. (deceased), October 17, 1878; John (deceased), October 20, 1878.
OHN C. McCABE, editor of the Logan Observer, has been a resident of Harrison County, since April 10, 1865, one year more than a quarter of a century, and has been closely identi- fied with every interest of Harrison County from that day to this, and hence very naturally, would find a place on the pages of Harrison County history. But before reviewing the career of this man's life as it has been found in Harrison County, we turn the attention of the reader to the Empire State --- New York- and to a point near the line of King County, where our subject was born May 5, 1840. His parents were Francis and Elizabeth (Connaughty) McCabe. The father was a native of the county of Cavan, Ireland, and was born about 1817,
and was married when nineteen years of age, and sailed for America, landing in New York harbor April 16, 1840, after a six weeks' voyage on the ocean. For six years they lived near Albany, and then moved to Canton, Mass., fifteen miles from Boston, where they remained until 1848, and then moved to a point near Oshkosh, Wis., locating on a farm where the father died in May 1884. The mother of our subject died February 11, 1863, aged fifty-five years. Mr. McCabe's father and mother reared a family of eight children, seven of whom still survive, our subject being the second child, the eldest, Ter- rence McCabe, lives in Raglan Township, this county.
John C., our subject, attended the common district schools in Wisconsin, until nineteen years of age, assisting his father to clear up a farm, the surface of which was covered with heavy timber and stone. This was no small task as the reader will know, when it is said that the greater part of this farm is now fenced with stone gathered from the farm.
About this time our subject attended the High School of Oshkosh. He bid farewell to his old home in the Badger State, August 30, 1861, and came to Scott County, Iowa, where he was engaged as a clerk three months for his uncle, Corne- lius McCabe, but not being pleased with that occupation, he taught school from that time until 1864. For the next eight months it is found that he traveled in different states and territories. He had decided to cross the plains, but upon arriving at Council Bluffs, concluded to abandon the trip, and retraced his steps to Harrison County, locating in Raglan Township. The first summer, that of 1865, he worked for Charles Gilmore on the farm, and in the winter commenced
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teaching school, which profession he fol- lowed until about 1880, teaching at least five months of each year, within four townships of Harrison County. In the spring of 1867 he bought a farm on sect- ions 12 and 13, of Raglan Township, consisting of one hundred and twenty acres, which he carried on, besides teach- ing school. When he purchased the place it had a log cabin 12x16 feet, in in which he lived until he sold the place to John V. Walker in the autumn of 1869. The following winter he went to the Missouri Bottoms,'having a contract witli the Sioux City & Pacific Railroad Com. pany, to furnish ties for them. We next find Mr. McCabe cultivating a farm on shares in Magnolia Township, but in the spring of 1870 he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land on section 28, of Allen Township, the same being wild land, and that season he broke consider- able prairie and erected a house, moving to the place in 1871. 'Through hard work and good management Mr. McCabe add- ed two hundred acres to the original tract, giving him a half section of rich Harrison County soil. The improvements on this place consisted of two hundred and thirty-five acres of plow land. a good story and a half farm house 18x26 feet, with a kitchen 14x24 feet, also an orchard of about three acres planted out in the spring of 1870, which is now very product- ive of valuable fruit.
At the general election in the autumn of 1887, Mr. McCabe was elected to the office of County Surveyor, having been deputy Surveyor for about twelve years prior to that date. April 24, 1888, he came to Logan and assumed control of the duties of his office, serving one term of two years. We next find our subject planted in the editorial chair of the
Observer at Logan, which newspaper plant he purchased December 19, 1889, and still continues to operate, the further particu- lars of which will be found in the village history of Logan, in connection with the other newspapers. Mr. McCabe is a practical, forcible, editorial writer. In addition to his journalistic work, he does a large amount of surveying, and is probably better posted regarding that portion of Harrison County west of the Boyer River, than any other man who has looked upon a compass and carried a chain, in the county.
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