USA > Iowa > Jackson County > History of Jackson County, Iowa; Volume II > Part 12
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A. V. BORMANN.
A. V. Bormann, a well known and highly esteemed young citizen of Preston, was born in Clinton county, Iowa, on the 4th of February, 1880. His preliminary education, obtained in Sugar Creek, was supplemented by a course of study at the Preston high school. He now conducts the Commercial Hotel of Preston and has proved himself a popular host, having thoroughly acquainted himself with the demands of the public and putting forth every effort in his power for the comfort and convenience of his patrons.
On the 15th of April, 1902, Mr. Bormann was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Sturm, a daughter of John Sturm, who was born in Germany and became an early settler of Preston, this county. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bormann have been born four children, namely: Bernice Catherine Mary, Oswald John, Gregory Gerald and Bernard Vincent.
ALBERT DURANT.
Albert Durant was born on the farm in Van Buren township where he now resides, May 9, 1858, his parents being John and Amanda (Tompkins) Durant. The father was born in the state of New York and the mother in Ohio, and both came to Jackson county with their parents in 1837. Here they made their home for the rest of their lives, the father entering his land from the government as soon as it was offered for occupation, and bringing it, un- improved as it was, to a high state of cultivation. He and his wife were the parents of eleven children, six of whom are still living. He was called to his final rest March 4, 1892, and the mother of our subject survived only until July 2, of the same year.
Albert Durant obtained his education in the public schools and upon his father's farm became thoroughly familiar with agricultural pursuits. He re- mained under the parental roof until he became of age and then rented a farm,
ALBERT DURANT AND FAMILY
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which for one year he operated upon his own account. He next removed to Phillips county, Kansas, where he resided for two years. Returning to Iowa, Mr. Durant was engaged in the bridge building business for one year and then purchased from his parents the home farm, now known as the Union Valley Stock Farm. Besides this property, which is eighty acres in extent, he owns an additional one hundred and sixty acres in Buchanan county and interests in several other agricultural properties.
Mr. Durant was united in marriage to Miss Mary Florilla Wright, on April 14, 1886. She is a daughter of A. B. and Mary (Sheets) Wright. Her father was born in Massachusetts and her mother in Ohio. They came to Jackson county in 1848 and its natural resources appealed to them so forcibly that they chose it as their home. Mr. Wright died in 1891, but his wife survives him and resides in Chicago with a daughter. Mrs. Durant is one of four children, all of whom are living. For eight years previous to her marriage she was engaged as teacher in the district schools of Jackson county. One son, Albert Lial, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Durant, August 5, 1897.
Mr. Durant gives his allegiance to the republican party, and for twelve years served as trustee. He was also for several years a member of the school board and served for some time as school director. He is a director in both the German Savings Bank and the First National Bank. As to his lodge affiliations, he is a thirty-second degree Mason, holding membership in the blue lodge, No. 324, A. F. & A. M., at Preston. He also belongs to lodge No. 252, I. O. O. F., and he and his wife attend the Congregational church. He is a public-spirited and progressive citizen, ever ready to give his support to any measure likely to prove of lasting good to the whole social body.
J. M. RYAN.
J. M. Ryan is one of the respected and representative citizens of Fairfield township, his home being on section 16. His financial condition is such that he is classed with the well-to-do farmers of this section of Iowa, for he is the owner of five hundred and four acres of as valuable land as is to be found in the eastern part of the state. His birth occurred at the family home in Mercer county, Penn- sylvania, October 12, 1857, his parents being Patrick and Mary M. (Delaney) Ryan, who were natives of Ireland. Upon their emigration to America they located in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, where they continued to reside for several years but in the spring of 1862 they sought a home in the west, making a permanent location in Jackson county. Here they cast in their lot with the early settlers and became highly respected citizens. They reared a large family, numbering eleven children, but six of the number are deceased. The five who still survive are: Mary M., the wife of Charles Garland, of Greene county, Iowa; Thomas J., who resides in Nebraska; Anna, the wife of George Barick, a resident of South Dakota; Elizabeth E., the wife of William Smith, of Seattle, Washington; and J. M., of this review. The parents died in 1900, within a month's time of each other.
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J. M. Ryan at the usual age began his education in the common schools and assisted his father in the operation of the home farm during the period of his boyhood and youth. He remained under the parental roof until he attained his majority and then went to South Dakota, where he spent six years. At the end of that time he returned to this county and resumed work on the homestead farm, remaining with his father until the latter's death. He has always been a hard worker and is now the owner of valuable farming property, comprising five hundred and four acres on section 16, Fairfield township. He makes a specialty of raising and feeding stock. He occupies a comfortable residence, which is supplied with all conveniences for the members of the household and altogether his farm is not only a valuable one but is attractive as well, owing to the practical and progressive methods of the owner.
Having arrived at years of maturity, Mr. Ryan sought a helpmate for life's journey, being married on the 20th of January, 1890, to Miss Ella Kane, who was born in Michigan, a daughter of Edward and Celia Kane, whose family numbered five children. The parents are both deceased. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Ryan was blessed with two sons and a daughter, namely: Louis E., who is at home; Cecelia M., who is a student in the high school at Lyons, Iowa ; and Morris Henry, also at home. The family were called upon to mourn the loss of the wife and mother, whose death occurred July 19, 1897, her remains being interred in Sugar Creek cemetery.
Mr. Ryan affiliates with the democratic party in politics and for one year served as township trustee but otherwise has neither held nor desired public office, for his time is fully occupied with his business interests. He is a communi- cant of the Catholic church. His life has been one of continuous activity, in which has been accorded due recognition of labor and today he is numbered among the substantial citizens of the county. His interests are thoroughly identified with those of Jackson county and at all times he is ready to lend his aid and coopera- tion to any movement calculated to benefit this section of the country or advance its wonderful development.
SAMUEL M. LITTLEFIELD, M. D.
Dr. Samuel M. Littlefield, who has been actively and successfully engaged in the practice of medicine at Andrew for a quarter of a century, was born in Jackson county, Iowa, on the 21st of August, 1860. His parents, Samuel and Jane (Carnes) Littlefield, who were natives of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania respectively, came to this county in 1837, entering a tract of land and taking up their abode among the pioneer settlers here.
Samuel M. Littlefield was reared in the county of his nativity and supple- mented his preliminary education by a course of study in Lenox college at Hopkinton, Iowa. In 1879, having determined upon the practice of medicine as a life work, he entered the Rush Medical college and was graduated from that institution in 1884. Locating for the practice of his profession at Howard, Kansas, he there remained for a year, on the expiration of which period he
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returned to this county and has since maintained his office at Andrew. That he has the confidence of the general public is indicated by the liberal patronage which is accorded him. Since his graduation he has kept in touch with the onward march of the profession and through reading and investigation has con- stantly broadened his knowledge and promoted his efficiency.
In 1890 Dr. Littlefield was united in marriage to Miss Ava Hunter by whom he has two sons, namely: Floyd H., who is now attending college at Mount Vernon; and Ora W., a high school student.
In politics Dr. Littlefield is a stanch republican and for two years acted as chairman of the republican county central committee. Fraternally he is identi- fied with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Andrew and the Masonic lodge at Maquoketa and has attained high rank in Masonry, being a member of the Mystic Shrine. Dr. Littlefield adheres to a high standard of professional ethics and enjoys in large measure the confidence and good will of his profes- sional brethren as well as of the general public.
THOMAS E. CANNELL.
Thomas E. Cannell was born in Douglas, Isle of Man, on the 20th of Sep- tember, 1826, being the third child of John and Jane Cannell. He was six months old when brought to the United States by his parents and his twin brother passed away soon after the arrival of the family in Ohio. At that time the family consisted of the father and mother, the grandfather, Patrick Cannell, and the two sons, John and Thomas. They were numbered among the early settlers in the Western Reserve, locating five miles from Cleveland when that section of the country was a wilderness. Hence Thomas became a pioneer at a very early age. He grew to be a sturdy youth and, being next to the oldest child, was of necessity obliged to share and bear the arduous work that fell to the lot of those who settled in the Ohio wilderness eighty-three years ago. Land had to be cleared, log houses built and orchards planted, as this was to be the family home- stead for about sixty years. The grandfather, who was a man of some learning and held strong religious views as a follower of John Wesley, was reverenced as both teacher and preacher for many years. His influence contributed toward creating a moral and intellectual atmosphere in the home which placed the family on a par with those who built up the famous Western Reserve.
At the age of thirteen Thomas left the farm, going to Cleveland to become self-supporting. He entered the home of a wealthy and benevolent lady, Mrs. Ruth Wetherly, who took a loving interest in the boy's reading, study and general welfare. His earning capacity was recognized at once, so that besides supporting himself he contributed the first year to the support of his father's family by purchasing the white flour for its use, which was a luxury at that time. Thus was laid the foundation for those sterling qualities which characterized all the activities of his later years. He never mentioned his early experience as a hard- ship but only as an opportunity for service. Mrs. Wetherly, with whom he lived and whom he held in high esteem, wished to adopt the lad and educate him. She
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touched his life to finer issues than any he had heretofore experienced as a + "hewer of wood and drawer of water," and she is entitled to a place in the sketch of a life of which she was a part during the most impressionable period of his career. The writer has in her possession a book, gilt edged and finely illustrated, which she gave him for a keepsake in 1841, when he was fifteen years of age. On a flyleaf is her name as his "sincere friend." The many poems it contains, as well as the "Story of Ancient Greece," bespeaks the character of the donor and the refining influence she desired to exercise. If any apology is needed for introducing this little episode in the history of T. E. Cannell it is this: It is one of the pleasantest landmarks in his life's journey and has its value, and is also a further illustration of Shakespeare's words: "How far that little candle throws its beam! So shines a good deed in a naughty world."
In his young manhood Mr. Cannell came to Maquoketa, Iowa, and, with the exception of three years spent as a gold miner in California, that place was destined to be his home until he passed from earthly scenes. After arriving in this little western town he worked at his trade-that of shoemaker-and entered into the social life of the place as he found it at that early date. Being a good singer and fond of music, he became a member of a church choir and taught singing in the country school houses. The records of Jackson lodge, I. O. O. F., which was organized about this time, show that Mr. Cannell was one of the charter members.
The gold excitement in 1853, which took possession of hundreds of men fond of adventure, led him to join a company which left Maquoketa on the 29th of March of that year, journeying overland in covered wagons. The writer has his diary, which he kept from the day he left Maquoketa until he arrived at his destination on the 27th of August. The fact that during five months of travel- tramping and camping-he recorded the experiences of each day and the pre- vailing conditions under which the journey was made, shows a firm adherence to a resolution, if not to a principle, which is truly commendable. It furnishes good reading even at the present time, as it gives the names and description of the rivers crossed, the mountains climbed, the general aspect of the country, the scarcity or abundance of feed for the horses, etc. A few extracts will be of interest.
"June 9- Traveled sixteen miles-very rough road; Black Hills-best scen- ery I ever saw; Sioux Village-one hundred and fifty wigwams.
"June 10-Traveled eighteen miles; hilly roads; the best scenery yet ; good grass and water.
"July 5-Traveled eight miles; high hill; crossed Bear river; camped two days ; caught fresh salmon trout.
"July 12-Passed through Salt Lake City ; beautiful valley thirty miles wide."
The last entry was made August 27, to wit: "Thus ended the first overland route of T. E. C. to California." The same notebook contains several stanzas of a number of old time songs, such as "Sweet Afton," "Long, Long Ago," etc., which indicates how some of the monotony of camp life was enlivened. The notebook also gives the following dates and locations to indicate their progress: "South Fork of the American river, July 30, 1854;" "Doolittle Ranch, January
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3, 1855." On leaving California he boarded a boat and sailed for New York via Panama.
In 1856 Mr. Cannell again became a resident of Maquoketa with the intention of making it his future home, and the little growing town became the center of his ambition. In 1859 he wedded Marietta Farr, a daughter of Harry and Mary A. Farr, of the same town. She was born in Moriah, New York, and was descended on the maternal side from the Mayflower passengers, John Alden and Priscilla Mullens. Proving her eligibility thereto many years afterward, she became a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendents. She also became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution through her mother's grandfather, Joseph Crane, Jr.
Thomas Cannell many times in his later years generously attributed much of his success in life to his wife's industry and thrift-perhaps a heritage from her New England ancestry. He founded the boot and shoe house now conducted by H. Reid & Company and remained in the same business and location for over twenty-eight years. He first did business in a frame structure and in 1872 erected on the same site the brick building which is still standing. It was Mr. Cannell's earnest desire to aid in every legitimate way the advancement of the town, even to sacrificing his private interests. He was a member of the city council in 1862 and 1863 and in 1864 was chosen mayor, acting as the chief executive officer of the town for five terms and finally resigning the office. He worked unremittingly for a railroad to the town and was most happy when in 1870 Maquoketa joined the city of Davenport by rail. The Jackson County Fair Association won his hearty support. A former history states that "in 1869, in association with other citizens, he purchased the land now owned by the Fair Association and was one of its largest stockholders." He labored unceasingly to establish a system of waterworks for the town. In 1873 the county treasurer, after six years of serv- ice, became a defaulter to the sum of fifty-one thousand dollars. He made an assignment of all his property to T. E. Cannell for the benefit of the county and the latter realized twenty-five per cent of the indebtedness for the county. He was generally thought to be a good man, available in every emergency. There had been for some time a desire on the part of the people in the southern portion of the county to remove the county seat from Andrew to Maquoketa, where it would seem to accommodate a larger number of people, and in 1873 the leading citizens felt the time was ripe for some well laid plans in that direction. This heroic undertaking has been described in a former history and it is not the pur- pose of the writer to rewrite it except as regards Mr. Cannell's participation therein. After serious consideration plans began to crystallize and take definite shape. Men began to line up, as it were, putting shoulder to shoulder for one supreme effort. Special elections must be held, and the most substantial argu- ment which would appeal to the voters throughout the county would be the erec- tion of a good brick building in which to house the county archives when the seat of government was transferred. Important committees would need to be chosen and therefore, as a preliminary measure, T. E. Cannell was elected mayor. The building ostensibly called the city hall was to cost eight thousand dollars but when completed and leased to the county fourteen thousand dollars had been expended. When the time arrived for the transfer of the offices Mr. Cannell
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took charge of the auditor's office. He had been a Freemason for some years and about 1878, when the Tancred commandery was organized, he became one of the charter members. In choosing commissioners for the Paris Exposition Gov- ernor Sherman honored him with an appointment. Although a strong republican in principle, he had many friends among the democrats and in 1879, when a can- didate for state senator, he ran very far ahead of his ticket in spite of the fact that the county elections usually showed a large democratic majority. For sev- eral years he had been a director in the First National bank and eventually be- came president of the institution, holding that position when he passed away on the 16th of February, 1889. Mr. Cannell possessed a generous, charitable and forgiving disposition and his optimistic spirit drew strong men into the tie of friendship and held them there. Being thus endowed it was only natural that his religious views should be those of the Universalist faith, which he espoused when a young man, and it proved a joy and comfort to him in his riper manhood. If it is true that "one is only great as one is good," then in that sense Thomas E. Cannell was a great man. -M. F. C.
ASA STRUBLE.
Asa Struble is the owner of one of the best improved farms in South Fork township, and everything about the place indicates that he is in touch with the modern spirit of progress which is manifest in agricultural lines. He was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, on the 2d of June, 1847, his parents being William and Elizabeth (Hutchins) Struble, who were born, reared and married in the Buckeye state. In 1855 they came to Jackson county, Iowa, locating on a farm of two hundred acres a mile east of Fulton, where they made their home until about 1883 or 1884. At that time William Struble sold the property and took up his abode in Maquoketa, where he conducted a nursery for some six or seven years. During the remainder of his life he lived retired in the enjoyment of well- earned ease, and when he was called to his final rest in 1901 the community mourned the loss of one of its most respected, substantial and enterprising citizens. The demise of his wife had occurred in 1895.
Asa Struble, who was a lad of eight years when he accompanied his parents to this county, was reared on the home farm and attended the common schools in the acquirement of an education. On the 27th of September, 1864, he enlisted in defense of the Union as a member of Company E, Second Iowa Cavalry, with which he served until the close of hostilities, being honorably discharged on the 17th of June, 1865. When the supremacy of the Union had been established he returned home and continued to give his father the benefit of his services in the cultivation of the home place until the time of the Black Hills gold excitement. Making his way to the gold fields, he there remained for more" than a year, on the expiration of which period he returned to Jackson county and for two years was associated with his father in the nursery business at Maquoketa. He was married when about thirty-three years of age, and following that important event in his life he took up his abode on a portion of the farm where he now
ASA STRUBLE
:
MRS. ASA STRUBLE
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resides, but which at that time was entirely destitute of improvements and liter- ally covered with stumps. Possessed of untiring energy and determination, he resolutely set himself to the task of reclaiming the land for farming purposes and as the years have gone by has gradually wrought a most wonderful transfor- mation, the once barren tract being now one of the best improved farms in South Fork township. The place originally comprised seventy-four acres, but Mr. Struble has extended its boundaries by additional purchase until it now embraces one hundred and sixty acres of rich and arable land. He has met with a gratifying measure of success in the conduct of his agricultural interests and is recognized as one of the prosperous and influential citizens of the community.
On the 4th of December, 1879, Mr. Struble was united in marriage to Miss Nancy Williams, a daughter of Henry Williams, who came to Jackson county from Pennsylvania in the '50s, locating in South Fork township. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Struble were born four children, three of whom are yet living, namely: Garfield, who follows farming in Lyman county, South Dakota; Cora E., the wife of Lon O. Smith, of Presho, South Dakota; and Floyd H., at home.
When exercising his right of franchise Mr. Struble supports the men and measures of the republican party, believing that its principles are most conducive to good government. He is a public-spirited citizen, who is widely and favorably known, and his life history cannot fail to prove of interest to his many friends, and it is therefore with pleasure that we present this record of his career to our readers.
A. F. SCHMIDT.
A. F. Schmidt, who is numbered among the enterprising, progressive and prosperous agriculturists of Van Buren township, was born in the town of Van Buren, Jackson county, Iowa, on the 10th of August, 1870. His parents, G. A. Otto and Sophia (Pagel) Schmidt, were both born in Germany. In his boyhood days he attended school at Van Buren and later continued his studies in a private institution of learning at Miles. After putting aside his text books he worked for his father for a time and then studied telegraphy, being afterward employed by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad for two years. On the expira- tion of that period he returned home but later reentered the railway service in the capacity of telegrapher, being thus employed for about a year. He then again returned to the home farm and since taking charge of the place for his father in 1899 he has devoted his attention to its further cultivation and improvement. The property comprises one hundred and sixty acres of rich and arable land which annually yields bounteous harvests and which in its neat and thrifty appearance gives proof of the care, cultivation and practical methods of Mr. Schmidt.
As a companion and helpmate on the journey of life Mr. Schmidt chose Miss Anna L. Boken, of Teeds Grove, Clinton county, Iowa. Her father, Hans Boken, was a native of Jackson county. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt have been born three children, namely: Milton George, Howard Dean and Charles Otto.
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In his political views Mr. Schmidt is a stanch republican and loyally supports the men and measures of that party. He was elected to the office of justice of the peace in Van Buren township but resigned shortly afterward. For the past eight years, however, he has done effective service for the cause of education as president of the Independent Centre school district. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons and the Modern Woodmen at Preston. Having spent his entire life in this county, he has a wide acquaintance and his salient characteristics are such as have gained for him the friendly regard and good will of all with whom he has been associated through either business or social relations.
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