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 80
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Politically, Mr. Stoker is identified with the Republican party.
L AFAYETTE H. NOYES, of Mor- gan Township, is a native of Ohio, and came to Harrison County in 1867. He was born in Athens County, Ohio, March 11, 1846, and is a son of Jos- eph and Matilda Noyes, natives of Maine and Ohio respectively. The parents are both deceased. There were three children in our subject's father's family, and he is the only one living. His early life was spent in Athens County, Ohio, where he attended the common schools and also the Academy. His young heart was fired with patriotism during the dark days of the Civil War. When President Lincoln was calling for more men to cope with the Rebel hoard of the Southern States (June 22, 1863), our subject enlisted in Athens County, Ohio, as a member of Company A, One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Ohio
Infantry. He was seventeen years of age at the time of his enlistment, and was as- signed to the Army of the Cumberland. Their regiment pursued the Morgan raid- ers. He was at Cumberland Gap, Tenn., and remained there during the siege. He was discharged March, 1864, at Cleveland, Ohio, when he returned home and re- mained until 1867, and in the fall of that year came to Harrison County, Iowa, and engaged himself as a common laborer for his older brother, Capt. John Noyes. In 1871 he bought forty acres of land, to which he has added from time to time un- til he now owns four hundred acres, all enclosed with a fence, and about three hundred acres under cultivation. He en- gaged is the grain business at Mondamin in 1877, and does an average business of $75,000 to $100,000 per year.
He was united in marriage September 8, 1883, in Athens County, Ohio, to Emma Wedge, the daughter of Fayette W. and Emma (Cooley) Wedge, of Ohio. As a result of this marriage union three chil- dren there have been born-Hugh W., August 11, 1885; Chester A., January 2, 1887, died October 5, 1891; Lucille, born January 18, 1889, died October 14, 1891.
Our subject's wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically, Mr. Noyes is a Republican. He belongs to Barnes Post, No. 103, G. A. R., at Mon -. damin.
HOMAS BAILEY (deceased), came to Harrison County early in the '50s and settled in Little Sioux Township. He was a native of Maine, and the son of Humphrey and Mary (Bee) Bailey. His early life was spent in Maine, where he received his education. He be-
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gan farming in that State in 1820, and continued it until he came to Iowa. He was married in 1849 to Rosalia Kowen, of Illinois. Three children blessed this un- ion, and all are still alive-Luella (Mrs. Smitlı), L. Vesta (Mrs. James Murray), Johannah (Mrs. Smith).
Our subject died December 5, 1865, and was buried at Little Sioux.
J. PORTER, one of the pioneers of 1855, settled at Jeddo, in Jeffer- son Township, where he remained until 1858. The village at that time con- sisted of George Thorpe's general store, Charles Baker's blacksmith shop, the post office, kept by Owen Thorpe, four frame houses and one school house. During his sojourn in Jeddo Mr. Porter operated Owen Thorpe's sawmill. In 1858 he pur- chased a farm in section 3, in Jefferson Township. This property was scantily improved, having but a small dwelling and thirty acres of breaking done. Here he remained until 1869, during which time he made extensive improvements and finally sold for $56.25 an acre -- which was a very neat price at that time. He im- mediately bought other property, but soon sold at an advance. He finally decided to settle on a hundred-acre tract in sec- tion 19. Boyer Township, as its location gave him school facilities as well as tim- ber and wild pasture, which at that time was thought would never be fenced. Here he enjoyed free range for several years, but at this writing there is scarcely an open acre for miles around. The exten- sive commons of 1869, on which the herd- man's cattle grazed, have yielded to the power of the plow, and waving fields of grain have come instead. With this hun-
dred acres as a nucleus, he lived, labored, and accumulated lands and worldly wealth until the year 1891, when he purchased a residence in Woodbine and has temporar- ily moved there, for the purpose of giving his younger children the advantages of the justly celebrated Normal School, leaving his farm to be carried on under the supervision of his son. His farm now consisting of eight hundred and eighty acres, all in one body, is one of the finest in the county.
Here are two hundred and sixty acres of clover and timothy, two hundred and fifty natural pasture, one hundred and twenty acres timber pasturage, and two hundred and fifty acres plow land-a farm excellent- ly well apportioned for stock raising. Nest- ling under the protection of the timber is an orchard of four hundred bearing apple trees, besides cherry and plum tress and quantities of small fruit, shrubbery and plants. Forty of the one hundred twenty acres of timber is devoted to yards and hog pasture, which, owing to its natural advantages and artificial improvements, cannot be surpassed in the State.
Great care has been exercised in the location and construction of improve- ments-barns, sheds, cribs, etc., are sub- stantially built and carefully painted.
The system of water supply in the yards, the wind-mills and wells located at different parts of the farm, add much to the value and convenience of the place. Each eighty acres of this farm has either a good well, walled with brick or stone, or a stream of running water.
Care has always been exercised+ in the proper rotation of crops, and the refuse of the yards has been systematically spread over the poorest points.
To acquaint our readers with the par- entage and early life of our subject, it
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should be stated that he was born March 22, 1838, in Canada, of Scotch and Irish parents. Here he lived until 1845, when he with his parents removed to New York City. After an eventful five years in the great metropolis, this youth enlisted in the regular army, as a fifer, and was as- signed to a company bound for the fron- tier. While in the western country the company to which he belonged was in a brigade commanded by Gen. Harney, and they were stationed in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, and at one time in Old Mexico. The company to which Mr. Porter was an attache engaged in several battles and skirmishes with the Brule Indians, and in several actions were led by that famous scout, Kit Carson.
On his return to civil life, in 1855, Mr. Porter was induced to stop in Harrison County, where he has since made his home, being absent only while serving a three years' volunteer period in the Civil War.
Mr. Porter was a member of Company E, of the Sixth Iowa Cavalry, and during his enlistment served in several important capacities. The brigade to which the Sixth Iowa belonged was under command of Gen. Sully, and served in the Missouri and Yellowstone River regions.
On the 6th of February, 1859, Mr. Porter was married to Lucy Frances, who was born in Athens County, Ohio. Feb- ruary 9, 1840, and came with her parents to Harrison County in 1856. Of this un- ion eleven children were born, nine of whom are living. Those who have at- tained their majority have all received college educations and are now success- fully engaged in business or household duties.
Politically, Mr. Porter affiliates with the Republican party. He belongs to
the Masonic and Odd Fellow's fraternities and is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Considering the age of the man of whom this sketch is written, his has been a life of interesting events; entering the regu- lar army when a boy of but twelve sum- mers, as a musician, and accompanying United States Army Regulars into the wildest portions of the West, encountering warlike tribes of Indians ; visiting a score or more of localities which since have reared large cities, both in the South, West and Northwest; plying the waters of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers a decade or more before Yankton was platted, or Omaha and Sioux City were known to the world, he has gained much knowledge of the western frontier.
Unlike most of the youth who serve in the regular army, he has had a successful business career, and now, when he is less than sixty years of age, we find him in the enjoyment of a handsome property, all ac- cumulated by his own tact and energy.
AMES D. ROGERS is a farmer liv- ing on section 2, of LaGrange Township, and is counted among the pioneers of Harrison County, coming as he died in April, 1854, at which time he settled on the farm he now occupies. At first he entered a quar- ter section at $1.25 per acre. His first house was built of logs and covered with clapboards; it was 16x18 feet and had a sod chimney. The floor was made of lumber from Chatburn & Mahoney's mill, from which place he also got his first grist of cornmeal. It was in this log cabin that our subject lived in good old pioneer style until 1861, when he erected a frame house
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in which he still lives, having made sev- eral additions and improvements since. The first year he was here he only broke four acres. There were only about forty acres of prairie land on his place. His present farm comprises two hundred and forty acres, about seventy-five of which are under the plow. In 1865 our subject set out an orchard of eight acres, to which he has since added four acres, making one of the finest orchards in Harrison County. He has a fine variety of apples. The early apples consist of Early Harvest, Red June, Sweet June, Early Joe, Red Astrakan, Duchess and William's Favorite. The winter varieties are White Winter Pear- main, Golden Russet, Winesap, Geneton, Jonathan, Sheriff, Northern-spy, Willow twig, Tolman-sweet and others.
As a matter of curiosity our subject took a couple of perfect Willow-twig apples and laid them away to see how long they would keep, and it was found that they had not commenced to rot in July of the second year after they had been picked from the tree.
In 1874 our subject erected a barn 24x60 feet with fourteen-foot posts. The entire premises of this man show him to be a hard worker, as well as an intelligent agricultur- ist and horticulturist. When he first came to this county his nearest trading post was Council Bluffs. He drove an ox-team, and it was four years after he came to the county before he even had this. He used to exchange work with a brother and get him to plow up what little he had to cul- tivate, and would then do the rest with his hoe. He did not possess a horse until 1868, when he traded his oxen for a team. In these good, old early days it was no un- common thing to see whole families go to church drawn by ox-teams. The first church services held after Mr. Rogers
came to LaGrange Township were held at the log house of Mr. Peterson, near James McKinney's farm.
Mr. Rogers was born in Greenbrier County, W. Va., November 10, 1822. He remained there with his parents until the spring of 1811, when he went to Calaway County, Mo., and remained until the spring of 1845. He then returned to his father's home and worked with him that season. He had bought some wild land in the woods which he went to clearing up, and remained there until 1848; he then sold out and removed to Cabell County, W.Va , where he remained until the spring of 1854, and then came to Harrison County, Iowa.
Our subject was united in marriage in his native county, September 4, 1845, to Miss Susan Gilkeson, and they are the par- ents of seven children : Samuel G., born April 26, 1847; Elizabeth J., May 29, 1849; Esteline. November 22, 1850; Rebecca C., October 22, 1852; Mattie A., October 11, 1854; John C., February 14, 1856; Charles H., November 7, 1857. John C. died Jan- uary 9, 1857; Charles H ., September 7, 1886. He was thrown from a load of hay and only lived about and hour and a half.
Susan (Gilkinson) Rogers was born in Greenbrier County, W. Va., December 3, 1820. John Rogers, the father of our sub- ject, was born in the same place April 25, 1800, and remained there until 1850 when he removed to Cabell County, the same State, and was there until the spring of 1852, then went to Harrison County, Iowa, where he entered a half-section of land in LaGrange Township and was one of the first settlers in these parts. He improved and lived upon his farm as long as he lived. He closed his eyes upon the scenes of earth, November 20, 1880.
The mother of our subject, Elizabeth
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61
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(Cox) Rogers, was born in Batlı County, W. Va., June 9, 1796, and when a girl her parents removed to Greenbrier County where she remained until 1821, at which time she was married. She died in Har- rison County, Iowa, April 20, 1869. This worthy couple were the parents of seven children, of whom our subject is the eld- est. The mother was a member of the Presbyterian Church, as are both our sub- ject and his wife.
Politically, Mr. Rogers is identified with the Republican party, and among the of- fires he has held may be mentioned that of member of the Board of Supervisors for Harrison County ; President of the School Board for six years and Township Clerk for the same length of time.
Mr. Rogers had three brothers who came to this county in 1852, John M., David and Michael. All entered land in LaGrange Township and improved the same.
Michael died in 1881 in Texas, having moved to that State in 1869; John M. died in Kansas City, Mo., in 1884, having re- moved there the year previous; David is living in Dunlap; John M. was born in Greenbrier County, W. Va., July 4, 1832, and was married in Harrison County in October, 1856, to Miss Hope Reudder. They had seven children. The widow and her family are living in Kansas City; Michael was born in the same county May 31, 1824, and was married there to Miss Sarah J. Moorehead, who bore him seven children. The widow is now living with one of her children in Nebraska.
Of our subject's children who are mar- ried it may be said that Elizabeth married Silas Broadwell, November 20, 1867, and they are living in Portland, Ore., and have two children-Ernest and Charles. Esta- line married Samuel Jack, March 4, 1875, and lives in Hiawatha, Kan. ; Martha A. | trade which he had learned in New York.
married Robert K. Eby, September 7, 1876; Catharine married W. G. Jones, December 13, 1877, and is living in Iowa County, Iowa ; Charles H. married Ada E. Frazier, July 15, 1880. His widow still lives in LaGrange Township; Samuel G., married Ida C. Eatlet, and is living in Washington, D. C., where he has a posi- tion which he has held for the past five years in the Pension Department. He was Principal of the Logan Schools for nine years, and was Principal at Missouri Val- ley three years. He commenced to teach when he was sixteen years of age.
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LEXANDER T. CRANE, a high- ly respected citizen of Little Sioux Township, is a native of New Jer- sey, and came to Harrison County in the month of June, 1857. He was born in Newark, N. J., October 5, 1829, and is a son of Isaac W. and Hannah S. (Condit) Crane, his mother being a sister of Silas Condit, who platted the village of Little Sioux On the paternal side, Nehemiah J. and Mary (Ward) Crane, were the grand- parents, while on the mother's side Jeptha and Charlotte Condit were the grandpar- ents.
Our subject is the oldest son of a family of seven children, and his early life was spent in New York City, where he re- ceivedhis education in the Public Schools, in school "No. 11," and attended Prof. Miles' preparatory school one term. In 1851, our subject saw visions of the rich gold field of California, and went to that country, by the way of the Isthmus of Panama. He tried prospecting for a time but finally went to work at the jeweler's
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When our subject was a boy he was office boy for Edgar Allen Poe, author of "The Raven," when he was editing the Broad- way Journal, which was the first illustrat- ed paper printed in New York. He re- mained in California one year, and then returned to the Empire State, where he worked at liis trade until he came to Iowa. He came to Harrison County in 1857, remained two years, and became sick and discouraged, and returned to New York. In 1861 the Erie railroad started the Pav- onia ferry from New York to Jersey City. Mr. Crane held the position of ferry master on the Pavonia ferry during the Civil War, and was one of the successful six who procured such position from about five hundred applications. In 1867 he left the ferry and returned to Iowa, and im- proved the land he had previously bought He now owns two hundred acres of which eighty acres are under the plow and all well improved. His farm house, just completed, is a well-built structure which is among the best in the community.
Mr. Crane was married at Iowa City, November 22, 1857, by George W. Mc Cleary, ex-Secretary of State, to Kate E. Williams, the daughter of Harvey D. and Matilda (Condit) Williams, who were natives of New Jersey, but residing in Pennsylvania, where Mrs. Crane was born. Our subject had been acquainted with his wife in the East, and she came as far as Iowa City to meet him, and there they were married and started through. the drifting snows in a "prairie schooner" for their new home, having to make their own trail. In the winter of 1857-58, Mr. Crane taught school at Little Sioux, in a log school house, chinked but not plaster- ed. The desks and seats were made of slabs. Forty pupils attended, and his salary was $27 per month, ten from the
county and the remainder from patrons of the school, which came in bacon, po- tatoes, etc., as there was no money in the country. It was a "cold day" for school teaching those early days!
Mr. and Mrs. Crane are the parents of seven children-Nettie, Charles, Fred and Theodore, are the nanies of the living children. Politically, our subject is a Prohibition-Republican.
ONATHAN CLARK PRATHER, an enterprising groceryman at Mis- souri Valley, has been a resident of the place since October 1, 1870. He was born in March 27, 1853, in Lucas County, Iowa, near La Grange, and is the son of J. C. and Elizabethi (Roland) Prather. The father died in October, 1852, a few months before the birth of our subject, and hence he knows but little concerning his father's ancestors. Of the Roland family it may be said that they date far back in the State of Kentucky, but members of the family moved to Indi- ana at an early day, and later came to Iowa. There were two children in the family, our subject and a sister, the wife of Sylvester Shore, a resident of Missouri Valley. Our subject's carly education was received in Lucas County, and, later on, at Missouri Valley. After leaving the High School at the last-named place he followed teaching in Harrison County for four years, and conducted a farm in St. John's Township for seven years. In the spring of 1884 moved to Missouri Valley and formed a partnership with S. H. Mor- gan. under the firm name of Morgan & Prather, which existed until 1886, and in the autumn of that year Mr. Prather pur-
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chased his partner's interest, and has since conducted it alone.
Mr. Prather's mother married for her second hushand Joseph Chambers, who was a soldier in the Civil War, and there contracted disease by exposure in prison, from which he eventually died. She is now residing in La Grange Township.
Politically, our subject was a Democrat originally, but now votes the Independent ticket. The next year after he came to Missouri Valley he was elected one of the councilmen from the first ward, and has served for five years, still holding such position. .
He was united in marriage November 23, 1876, to Miss Catherine Dougherty, who is a native of Pennsylvania, but when a mere child accompanied her parents to the West. They are now living in St. John's Township, this county. The father is James, and the mother Mary (Snyder) Dougherty, and by this union Mr. and Mrs. Prather have become the parents of four children-Mary, born July 7, 1879; Edward, June 19, 1883; Catherine, June 25, 1896, and Rosa, born October 1, 1889.
Mr. Prather belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America, and his wife is a member of the Roman Catholic Church.
Our subject has been quite successful since lie embarked in trade, and is a highly respected citizen of Missouri Valley.
ILLIAM MOORE, the subject of this sketch, was born in Lawrence County, Pa., October 1 1848. His father was David B. and his mother Eliz- abeth (Marquis) Moore, both of whom were born and reared in Pennsylvania. They
now live at New Wilmington, Pa., and are of Scotch-Irish extraction, on the pa- ternal side and on the maternal side they have been residents of this country for many generations. The father of our subject, while a young man worked at the cabinet trade and subsequently engaged in farming and stock-shipping. He carried on the latter on an extensive scale but on ac- count of declining health was compelled to retire from active life. In the parental family there were eight children who grew to maturity: Anna M., at home; Sarah, wife of H. L. Means, residing in Law- rence County, Pa .; our subject, William ; A. Patterson, of this county; Ella and Elizabeth are at home; Maggie, wife of Wilber Cummings, of Pennsylvania and Howard, a resident of Clifton Springs, N. Y.
Our subject was educated in the public schools, and attended Westminster Col- lege, for four years, and in 1876, came to Iowa. From 1879 to 1884 he lived on a farm in Monona County, at the end of which time he came to Dunlap, having been there two years prior to going to Monona County. He removed to his pres- ent farm in 1884, and operates the same in company with his brother A. P.
He was united in marriage at Cincin- nati, Ohio, May 20, 1880, to Miss Mary I. Dunlap, who was born at New Castle, Pa., December 16, 1850 She is the daughter of William R. and Emily B. (Palmiter) Dunlap, who were natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, both of whom are now deceased. The father died in Cincinnati in 1889, at the age of sixty-eight years, and the mother died in 1876, aged fifty years. Politically, our subject is a Republican, and is one of Harrison County's most worthy citizens. He has been Treasurer of the School Board, of Independent Dis-
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trict, No. 3, and is Secretary of Mill Creek Farmers' Club.
A. Patterson Moore, brother of our sub- ject, is a native of Lawrence County, Pa., born July 18, 1858, and was reared to farm life and educated in the common schools of the Keystone State, attending school one year at Edinboro. He has always de- voted himself to farm life, and came to Harrison County, Iowa, in July, 1883, and located on a farm with his brother Will- jam, on section 28, where they own a quarter-section of most excellent land, and are engaged in general farming and stock-raising.
Politically, Mr. Moore affiliates with the Republican party, believing as he does that this party works nearer the inter- est of American agriculturists, than any other political organization. He belongs to Harrison lodge, No. 284, of the Knights of Pythias,at Dunlap.
OSEPH L. NOY came to Missouri Valley in the autumn of 1883, and engaged with C. S. Hoar & Co., with whom he remained until Au- gust, 1890, and then entered into partner- ship with O. B. Walker, in the bakery and confectionery business, under the firm name of Noy & Walker.
He was born in Perry County, Pa., October 3, 1862, and is the son of Andrew and Sarah (Mickey) Noy. The mother was of German ancestry, her parents com- ing from Germany. Our subject's father was a carpenter; came to Benton County Iowa, in 1868, and died in 1871, and was buried at Vinton. The mother died in 1878, and was buried in the same place. Their family consisted of one son and
three daughetrs. Two of the daughters died, and the other is the wife of C. S. Hoar, of Missouri Valley. Our subject is the youngest child of his father's fam- ily
Mr. Noy was united in marriage June 10, 1888, to Alberta Walker, who was born in Harrison County, Iowa. Her father, W. S. Walker, was an early settler, and a full sketch of his life is found elsewhere in this work.
In political matters Mr. Noy is a Re- publican, and is a most excellent business man; consequently. is a most valuable citizen to Missouri Valley. He came from a loyal family.
UCIUS MERCHANT, an enterpris- farmer living on section 8 township 79, range 43, and in the civil town- ship of Magnolia, may well be looked upon as one of the bold, hardy pioneers who saw the then wild domain of Harrison County in the spring of 1851, and the sub- joined notice is a brief review of his life.
He was born in Franklin County, Mass., February 26, 1817, and remained at home with his parents until 1842, when he came to Hancock County, Ill., remained four years, bringing him to 1846, at which time he came to Kanesville, Pottawattamie County. Iowa, where he followed farming until 1851, and then came to Harrison County. He settled in Magnolia Town- ship, where he now lives, taking a claim of three hundred and twenty acres on sec- tion 8, where he built a log house 16 feet square; broke and fenced ten acres that year. This was about the first improve- ment that was made in Magnolia Town-
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