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 70
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November 27, 1866, our subject was united in marriage to Cordelia I. Patch, a native of Ohio, born June 19, 1847, and the daughter of Joel H. and Hannah (Robinson) Patch. Mrs. McCabe is the fourth child of her father's family; her mother died when she was ten days old. Her father again married a lady who died before he came to Harrison County. He emigrated to this county in 1853, and died in Morgan Township, while there on a visit, his home being in Magnolia Town- ship. He was born October 14, 1814, and died January 21, 1879.
Mr. and Mrs. McCabe are the parents of five children-Frank H., born April 17, 1870, and now works in his father's office; John A., July 24, 1871, deceased; Clark, October 22, 1872, deceased; Daisy R., August 26, 1878; Robert M., November 14, 1880.
Politically, Mr. McCabe is a stanch supporter of the Republican party, and comes nearer to being able to give a hope for the political faitli he holds, than al- most any man in his community. He is a member of Logan Lodge, No., 355, I. O. O. F., Columbian Encampment, No. 101 at Logan, and Magnolia Lodge, No.126, Ancient, Free and Accepted Masonry.
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Mrs. CcCabe has been identified with the Presbyterian Church for three years. Both our subject and his estimable wife are well known throughout Harrison County, "Mac" being the same plain, common sense every-day man, whether on the farm, in the school room, carrying the tripod, or in the sanctum of the Observer, and hence counts his friends by the one word-Legion.
W ILLIAM LASEUR, a farmer re- siding on section 17, of Allen Township, has been a resident of Harrison County since the spring of 1868. He came to Dunlap without any means, and hired out to work on a farm, and con- tinued to thus work and rent land for twelve years, when lie bought the farm upon which he now lives, which consisted of eighty acres of partly improved land, for which he paid $12.50 per acre. He has since added to this land, and now owns one hundred and twenty acres; sixty-five of which are under the plow. He also owns a ten acre timber lot. Upon this place he erected a house 14x20 feet, with a wing the same size, together with a kitchen the same size. He also built a granary 12x14 feet.
He was born in the state of New York, January 16, 1846, in Oneida County. He is a son of Amasa and Didama (Coats) LaSeur, natives of France, who had six children : Frederick, Eliza, Clara, Frank, deceased, William and Charles.
Our subject's parents died when he was but five years of age, and he was adopted by aman named Folett, of Chenango County, New York, with whom he remain-
ed until sixteen years old. His foster father gave him a fair education at the common schools, and also two terms of select school. Upon the breaking out of the Civil War, he enlisted as a member of Company I, One Hundred and Fourteenth Infantry, under Captain S. H. Wheeler, and was mustered into service at Norwich, N. Y., and was sent from there to Balti- more, where he did guard duty a month, and then joined the Gulf expedition to New Orleans, and remained in this de- partment about one year and a half, par- ticipating in the engagements at Sabine Crossroads, Pleasant Hill, the siege of Port Hudson, and other minor engage- ments, and was then sent to Washington, and engaged in the Shenandoah Valley campaign, with General Sheridan, and fought at Winchester, Cedar Creek, Fish- er's Hill. He was wounded in Cedar Creek by a gunshot in the hip, and laid in the hos- pital, Philadelphia, four months. After his recovery he went back and served until the close of the War, receiving his discharge at Elmira, N. Y., in June, 1865, and worked by the month from that time un- til he came to Harrison County.
He was married in May, 1876, to Sarah Hendrickson, daughter of James and Jane Hendrickson, who reared a family of eight children. The parents were natives of Tennessee, and their children were born in the following order : Adolphus, Lizzie, deceased, Sarah, Alfred, Frank, Corneli- us, Milton and Benjamin.
Our subject and his wife are the parents of seven children: William, deceased, Pauline, Edna, Fred, Josephine, Frank and Clara.
Our subject is a member of the Grand Army Post at Little Sioux. His army record, together with the fact that he was left an orphan when but a small child,
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has caused his life to be one of a checker- ed character, but be it said to his credit, he has always proven himself to be a man of high sense of honor, always ready to do his part and go wherever duty calls.
OHN W. DREW, M. D., a native of Iowa, came to Harrison County in 1885. He was born in Hardia County, May 4, 1862, the son of Michael and Margaret (Meaney) Drew, of Ireland. His early life was spent in Mar- shall County, attending the common schools and afterward attended the Medi- cal College at Iowa City, graduating March 4, 1885, when he began the prac- tice of medicine at Modale, where he re- mained four years, and then moved to Mondamin, where he now practices.
He was united in marriage in July, 1888, to Miss Ida I. Bartlett. By this union, one child has been born-Nora Irene, February, 1890.
Politically he is a Democrat, while in religious matters, he and the good wife are members of the Catholic Church.
ERENCE McCABE, a resident of section 14, Raglan Township, has been a resident of this county since April, 1866 -- the closing year of the Civil War. He first located on one hundred and twenty acres of partly improved land, constituting a part of his present farm. The place had a log house and eighteen acres of land under the plow. This log cabin served the family seven years, when he built a house 16x20 feet, in which they
lived nineteen years, when high water drove them out by flooding and filling in with mud and water, which was fourteen inches deep on the floor. He then built another house two stories high, 16x32 feet, with an addition. He commenced in Harrison County poor, but has kept adding to his land until he now has one hundred and eighty-three acres, one hun- dred acres of which is under the plow and the balance in pasture and timber; all enclosed with a good fence. He has built a barn 20x32 feet, and has a large set of stock scales and other valuable im- provements, including an orchard of two hundred trees. It was his ill-fortune to live in the county during the grasshopper years, and when the vast army spread their wings and took flight they darkened the very heavens at noon-day, and with their going they carried away with them a large portion of our subject's crops, which made the subsequent years quite hard for him.
Mr. McCabe was born in Ireland, No- vember 28, 1837; he is the son of Francis and Eliza McCabe, who were also natives of the Emerald Isle; who had a family of eiglit children-Terence, John C., Mary A., Francis, Eliza, Frances and Agnes.
His parents came to America when he was but two years of age, leaving him in his native land with his grandparents, with whom he lived until nine years old, at which time he came to America with friends and met his father at Boston Har- bor, with whom he lived until he was of age. His family settled on a farm in Wis- consin in 1848, and he was then twenty years old, and in the winter of 1860-61, he followed logging in the pine districts of Wisconsin. In April of that year, the thundering cannon fired on Ft. Sumter and was the signal of a great conflict, the
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sequel of which was only found at the end of a four-years' bloody rebellion. Our subject who was fired with the spirit of patriotism, only born of the love of liberty. and only carried out by self-sacrifice and hardship, enlisted as a soldier in the Union army, a month after the Stars and Barrs were unfurled to the breeze. He became a member of Company B, Third Wiscon- sin Infantry, under Capt. Scott, enlisting at Oshkosh. He was sent to Hagars- town, Md., and from there to Harper's Ferry, Va., and was at the engagement of Balls Bluff, Winchester, Cedar Mountain, Second Battle of Bull Run, South Mount- ain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancel- orsville, Gettysburg and Mine Run. He was in the service from May, 1861 to May, 1864, when he received his discharge, after which he went into the Quartermas- ter's Department with Gen. Thomas' army where he remained until the spring of 1866 and then came to Harrison County, Iowa.
He was married July 20, 1865, to Mar- tha J. Dugger, the daughter of William and Cyrena Dugger, natives of Tennessee. His wife was one of a family of eleven children, of whom the following are the names: Martha, Thomas, Sarah, Alonzo, deceased, John; Melvina and Harriet, de- ceased; Margaret, Wallace, Lafayette and Alice. Eight of these children are living.
Our subject and his wife have had their home blessed by the advent of ten chil- dren-Caroline, William, John, Terence D., deceased, Eliza, Peter, Frances, Mary, Agnes and Nellie.
Mr. McCabe is a member of the Ma- sonic order, belonging to Magnolia Lodge,. No. 126.
From the day our subject landed in Boston, at the age of nine years, his has
been a varied experience, having lived .in this, his adopted country prior to the re- bellion, and having marched through the long campaigns, beneath the burning Southern skies, tented in the field, and been in the ranks, where grape and canis- ter shot fell like hail, participating in the largest battles of that terrible strife, and then returning to farm life in Harrison County, in advance of railroads, it may be said that he has seen much of true hard- ship.
LBERT. M. JONES located on section 23, of Jackson Township, came to Harrison County in the spring of 1865, when he located on the farm he now occupies, consisting of of seven hundred. and eighty-four acres. It was all wild land and he at once began improving it. He built a house, the main part of which was 18x22 feet, and an addi- tion, 12x18 feet. He built a barn, twenty- four feet square, provided shedding and cribs; also set out an orchard and shade trees. He dug a good well and provided it with a wind-mill. His whole place is under the protection of a fence, and three hundred and fifty acres under the plow. He has disposed of some of his land, and at the present was three hundred and twenty acres. He came to the county a poor man, and paid $3 per acre for his land, but has come to be a prosperous farmer.
He was born in Hancock County, Ill., in November, 1846, and is a son of William S. and Eliza Jones. The father was a na- tive of Wales and the mother, of Ohio. They had six children, of whom our sub- ject was the fifth. Sanders W., Byron L.,
51
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Albert M., John R., deceased; Winfield S., deceased and James M., deceased. Our subject lived in Illinois until about nineteen years of age, and there received a common-school education. The first two years he lived in Iowa, he crossed the State four times with a covered wagon, camping out by the way-side. Many times he would not see a house in a day's travel.
He was united in marriage, in February, 1873, to Drusilla Polen, the daughter of William Polen. who was a native of Ohio. Her parents had five children, named as follows: Mary, Nelson, Kate, Drusilla and Elizabeth.
Our subject and his wife are the par- ents of three children-Wallace R., born March 4, 1874; Byron B., April 30, 1876 and Jetty M., March 31. 1890.
E DWIN NEWTON, an enterprising farmer of St. John's Township, has been associated with the interests of Harrison County since 1867. When he first came here, he lived where Mis- souri Valley now stands. He worked on the railroad and boarded tlie officers of the road. After two years and a half, he located on section 2, where he purchased forty acres of land, erected a house, made other improvements, and remained there about seven years, when he sold out and came to his present location, which is lot 4, section 3, of St. John's Township.
Mr. Newton is a native of the Empire State, having been born in Cattaraugus County, N. Y., September 28, 1837, of English ancestry. He can trace his fam- ily back to his great-grandfather, Reuben Newton, who came from England to Ver- mont, prior to the Revolutionary War,
he having served as a Captain during that fierce struggle for liberty, and was with the "Green Mountain" boys. His son Reuben, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Vermont and came to New York State. Hewas a manufacturer of steelyards. He married Eunice Manly, a Vermont lady, by whom four children were born : Nathaniel, who moved to Ohio ; Lyman, a resident of New York State; Jesse, the father of our subject and Dan- iel, living in Michigan.
Jesse Newton, the father of Edwin Newton, was born in Marcellus, N. Y., and was reared on his father's farm. He married Louisa Puddy, the daughter of . James and Eliza (Vann) Puddy, natives of England, who were the parents of sev- en children : Caroline, Mrs. Tracy, living in Cattaraugus County, N. Y. ; Edwin, our subject ; Truman, a resident of Buffalo, N. Y .; Augustine, of Boone, Iowa; Reub- en, now of Missouri Valley; Orrel, Mrs. Stone, of Jamestown, N. Y .; Harlin, a resident of Castleton, N. Dak.
Our subject was born on his father's farm, where he resided until he was fif- teen years of age, assisting his father on the farm, and attending the common schools of that county. In 1852 he started for Oregon, driving cattle. He left Clinton, Iowa, May 18, and got to Rogue River Valley, September 22, and went from there to California, where he ran a pack train, and remained some two years, returning by the way of the Pacific Ocean and Panama, and thence to New York. He then spent some time in Wis- consin and Michigan, and afterwards vis- ited the Southern States, during the Civil War. He was not in either army, but was at Parson Cogle's when the negroes were sent to Island No. 10. He was sent to watch them, and drew the plans of the
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Island and river posts, and sent them to Commodore Foote, and when the Island was taken, he returned to New York, and a few months later came west, and lived at Sycamore, Ill., on a farm, after which he came to Boone, Iowa, and remained three years.
Our subject was united in marriage September 19, 1861, to Miss Martha E. Parcell, of Rochester, N. Y., the daugh- ter of James and Eliza (Orchard) Parcell, who were of English descent.
Mr. and Mrs. Newton are the parents of the following children: Addie, Mrs. Greevey, now of Omaha; M. J. born No- vember 25, 1863; William A., October 10, 1866, died May 24, 1867; and Mabel, now Mrs. Dr. W. H. Sherraden, born Septem- ber 3, 1869, now living in Omaha.
Mr. and Mrs. Newton are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
HARLES W. SHERWOOD, a farmer living on section 6, of Allen Township, came to Harrison County, in the autumn of 1876-the Cen- tennial year. He came in without means and commenced working by the month on a farm, continuing this for a year and a half, then rented land until 1889, when he bought the land he now occu- pies, which consists of one hundred and sixty acres of partly improved land.
Our subject was born in Clinton County, Iowa, October 6, 1858. He is the son of John and Rosilla A. Sherwood, natives of Ohio and Connecticut, respectively. They reared a family of four children as follows . Louis M., (deceased) ; Winfield S., (de- ceased) ; Lewis J., and Charles W. Our subject remained with his parents until he
had reached his majority, when he moved to Crawford County, Iowa, this being about 1872. He bought land in Crawford County. He and his brother worked together and remained there four years, when he and the family came to Harrison County. His father and mother make their home with him. The father is seventy-two years of age, and the mother is sixty-four, and in poor health. She was in the hospital at Keokuk, Iowa, two years during the civil war, for which she now draws a pension.
Our subject is still single, and tries to make the remaining years of his good parents' lives as pleasant as possible.
EWIS J. SHERWOOD has been a resident of Harrison County since the spring of 1880, and he is now a prosperous farmer located on section 7, of Allan Township, When he first came to the county he rented land in this town- ship for two years, and then moved to Allen Creek, and rented land for eight years, and then bought the farm he now occupies, consisting of eiglity acres of partly improved land, upon which he erected a building, 12x14 feet, one story and a half high, also set out an orchard of eighty-five trees.
He was born in Delaware County, Ohio, June 27, 1853, and is the son of John and Drusilla Sherwood, natives of Ohio, who have a family of four children, our subject being the third. The family were : Lewis M., (deceased) ; Winfield, (deceased), Lewis J., and Charles W.
Our subject remained in Ohio, until he was two years old and accompanied his parents to Clinton County, Iowa, and
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remained at home until his majority, and then moved to Crawford County, Iowa, where he purchased a farm and cultivated that for five years, then moved to Monona County, remained one year, and then came to Harrison County.
Our subject was united in marriage, May 7, 1881, to Nellie Benjamin, daughter of George P., and Julia Benjamin, natives of New York and who were the parents of eight children, our subject's wife being the sixth in number-Charles, three died in infancy, Emma, Nellie, Ell, Jay.
Politically, Mr. Sherwood affiliates with the Democratic party.
W ILLIAM H. BARSBY, a farmer of section 6, Lincoln Township, came to Harrison County in the autumn of 1884, and bought two hundred and eighty acres, upon which he now lives. It was wild land at the time and cost him $10 per acre. He at once commenced improving it, by turning over the virgin sod, built a house 22x24 feet, one story and a half high, also a barn thirty-four feet square, cribs and other out-buildings, and set out an orchard of two hundred trees.
Our subject was born in Winnebago County, Ill., and is the son of Thomas and Jane Woodward Barsby, natives of England, who had a family of fourteen children, of whom he was the youngest. The following are their names : Elizabeth, Mary A. (deceased), Ebenezer, Charles, Albert, Mary A. (deceased), an infant de- ceased, Ellen, Edward, William, and two who died in infancy.
Our subject lived with his parents until he was sixteen years of age, when he went
to Dakota, and there tried to make a home for himself, but failed on account of a two years' grasshopper raid, after which he returned to Illinois and farmed two years, and then went to Janesville, Wis., where he studied telegraphy. He re- mained there six months and received his diploma. He followed that profession four months and then returned to farm life, and two years later removed to Crawford County, Iowa, where he rented land for six years, and then came to this county.
He was married July 21, 1881, to Fannie Morse, daughter of Henry Morse, a native of New York State, who had a family of twelve children, our subject's wife being the oldest. The children were: Fannie, Henry, Elizabeth, John, Frank, William, Anna (deceased), Eddie, Reuben, Freddie, Roscoe and Grace,
Mr. and Mrs. Barsby are the parents of four children-Thomas H., born August 25, 1882; Charles W., September 12, 1884; Ray R., October 9, 1886; and Walter C., November 9, 1888.
Mr. and Mrs. Barsby are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
HOMAS MANN, who has been a resident of Harrison County for twenty-one years, is now comfort- tably located at his farm home on sec- tion 29, of Lincoln Township. He came to the country in company with his parents, who bought forty acres of land, with some improvements thereon, near the village of Woodbine. The father worked this land, while Thomas, of whom we write, worked out by the month for about two years, he being sixteen years old at the time. Later on he worked
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land for himself and for others by the month, his sister keeping house for him part of the time, and he keeping "bache- lor's hall" the remainder of the time. He continued to do this until about 1880, when he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land, which forms a part of his present home place. Subsequently he added forty acres to this tract, giving him two hundred acres in all, which is under a high state of cultivation. Mr. Mann is a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and was born March 20, 1856, and remained in his native land until he was fourteen years old, when he emigrated, with his parents, to America, landing in New York Harbor and taking the cars, making Woodbine their first stop.
His parents were John and Sarah (Eadie) Mann, natives of Scotland, who reared a family of six children, as follows : Sarah, John, Thomas, James, Mary and Jesse. They all live in Harrison County, except Sarah, who is in Nebraska. He has ever been a hard worker, but will agree with nearly every foreign born per- son who comes to our shores from the Old World, that this country excels all others under the shining sun, to repay men for the toil and hardships they may be enabled to endure.
AMES C. EVANS, a farmer, now located on section 9, Lincoln Town- ship, has been a resident of Harrison County for more than a third of a century, coming as he did to these parts during the month of March, 1856. The subjoined sketch is a brief review of his life, both in and out of Harrison County.
He was born in Cecil County, Md., Feb-
ruary 20, 1827. His parents were Robert and Mary Evans, natives of the same State, who reared the following children : James C., our subject; William M., Mark A., deceased; Sarah J., deceased; and Mary E.
James C. remained in his native State, passing his youthful days at the sports and labors common to a lad of the Sunny South, having fair educational advantages. He lived on a farm until he was eighteen years old, and then learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed until coming to Iowa.
One of the important events of his life, and one ordained by an All Wise Creator, was his marriage, which occurred March 20, 1855, to Elizabeth Scott, the daughter of David and Elizabeth Scott, both natives of Maryland. They reared seven chil- dren, our subject's wife being the second child. The children's names are, Robert, Elizabeth, Jennie, Rebecca, James, Sarah, and John, all of whom are living.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans are the parents of two children-Gertrude and Mark A., both living in Lincoln Township.
The parents are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Upon coming to this county Mr. Evans followed carpentering for about six years, and then bought out the heirs to his father's estate and took the old homestead, which is situated in Boyer Township, and remained there until 1880, when he bought land in Lincoln Township, and sold all of the old homestead except thirty acres. The land he purchased in Lincoln Town- ship was partly improved. He built a house 16x24 feet, one story and a half high, also stabling and granery, and planted an orchard of one hundred trees. He com- menced life with no means save that wrapt up within his own brains and
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muscle, but is now surrounded with all that goes toward making a happy and successful life. To be the possessor of a well tilled farm, in one of the banner counties of the most progressive common- wealth in the Union, at this day and age of the world, is indeed a heritage to be highly prized.
ADISON C. STEARNS, a farmer located on section 5, of Allen Township, came to the county in in the spring of 1882, and pur- chased the farm he now occupies, which consisted of one hundred and sixty acres of partly improved land, for which he paid $12 per acre. Here he built a story and a half house 17x24 feet, with a wing 14x16 feet. He broke out about twenty acres the first year, built a fence, set out an orchard and made general improve- ments.
Our subject was born in Naples, On- tario County, N. Y., March 10, 1822, and is the son of Phineas and Mary Stearns, natives of Vermont and New Hampshire. Their twelve children were as follows: Clark, Sallie and Marinda, deceased ; Asa, Parley, Nancy and Sanger, deceased; Jef- ferson, Harrison Madison C., Lucretia, deceased; and Merritt. Five of these children still survive. Our subject lived in the Empire State until twenty years of age, receiving a common-school educa- tion. From New York he came West to Illinois, where he engaged in the co-oper- ing business, which he followed for seven years, and then went to work at the car- penter trade which he followed for four years. He owned a farm in Illinois and cultivated it part of the time himself. In
the spring of 1864 he went to Fremont County, Iowa, where he engaged in the hotel business, dealing in cattle and farm- ing at the same time. The next two years we find him engaged in the mercan- tile business, which he operated two years and then sold out, took possession of the store again and finally disposed of it and came to Harrison County.
Our subject was married in 1852, to Mary Hills, daughter of Edwin and Phi- delia Hills, natives of Connecticut and New York, who were the parents of two children, our subject's wife being the eld- est, her sister's name being Helen A. Our subject and his wife are the parents of E. Parley, deceased; one died in infancy ; Fidelia, Gertrude; and Carrie, deceased ; Henry, deceased.
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