USA > Iowa > Jackson County > History of Jackson County, Iowa; Volume II > Part 51
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
Jacob Andersen remained under the parental roof until he was married at the age of twenty-two years and then purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Clinton county, Iowa, where he carried on his agricultural in- terests energetically and successfully until 1897. In that year he traded the property for his present farm of two hundred acres on section 36 in Van Buren township, Jackson county and has since been continuously and actively engaged in its further cultivation and improvement. The fields return golden harvests as a reward for the care and labor he bestows upon them and he also makes a specialty of the raising and feeding of stock, this branch of his business adding materially to his income. His farm adjoins the village of Miles, where he owns a fine residence.
As a companion and helpmate on the journey of life Mr. Andersen chose Miss Dorothy Erickson, a native of Jackson county, Iowa, and a daughter of Max and Christina (Seeman) Erickson, both of whom were born in Germany. They emigrated to the United States in an early day and both still survive. Mr. and Mrs. Andersen are now the parents of three children, as follows: Juanita, the wife of Charles Bauch, of Maquoketa, Iowa; Minnie, who is a graduate of the Miles high school; and Edith, who is still pursuing her studies in that in- stitution.
In his political views Mr. Andersen has always been a stalwart republican since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He has capably served his fellow townsmen as a councilman of Miles and has also acted as a school director. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Congrega- tional church, with which his wife is also identified. Both Mr. and Mrs. Ander- sen enjoy in large measure the friendship and regard of those who know them and it is with pleasure that we present the record of their lives to our readers.
JOHN S. COTTER.
A fine farm, which is located on section 16, Iowa township, comprising one hundred and fifty acres, is the home and also the birthplace of John S. Cotter, his natal day being June 23, 1871. His parents, Stewart and Alice (Dynes) Cotter, were both natives of Canada. In 1861 they crossed the border into the United States and made a permanent location on the farm which is now owned by the son. Here the father engaged in farming and in many ways was active in the develop- ment and progress made in this section of the state, living to see a wonderful change as the years went by. He continued to reside in Jackson county until the time of his death, which occurred on the 4th of March, 1901, when he was well advanced in years. His wife is still living and now makes her home with her son, the subject of this review. Five children blessed this union, namely: Catherine, the wife of Frank McMalley, a resident of Texas; Florence, deceased ; Maggie, the wife of C. S. Ferguson, a resident of Savanna, Illinois; James, of Sabula. Iowa; and John S., of this review.
John S. Cotter was reared on the farm which is still his home, assisting his father in the work of plowing, planting and harvesting during the period of his
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youth and early manhood. He was accorded liberal educational advantages his common school education being supplemented by a college course. After putting aside his text-books he resumed work on the home farm, giving his father the benefit of his services until he had attained his majority, when he assumed the management of the farm, continuing its operation on his own account for five years prior to his fathers demise in 1901. He then purchased the interest of the other heirs in the place, which comprises one hundred and fifty acres, located on section 16, Iowa township. On the farm stands a good country residence, which is surrounded by barns and outbuildings adequate to shelter grain and stock, while the fields are highly cultivated through the progressive and modern methods of farming followed by the owner. In addition to general farming Mr. Cotter also makes a specialty of raising and breeding Duroc Jersey hogs, his sale of stock for breeding purposes amounting to a large figure annually.
Mr. Cotter was married on the 24th of March, 1898, to Miss May Day Taplin, a native of Jackson county and a daughter of Thomas Taplin, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this work. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Cotter have been born five children but only three survive, these being: C. Stewart, who was born May 19, 1899; Kenneth L., born March 8, 1901 ; and Thomas T., whose birth oc- curred on the 5th of August, 1905. The two youngest, J. Earl and F. Meryl, twins, were born February 12, 1908, and both are now deceased.
In his political views Mr. Cotter is a republican. He has served as clerk of the township, while for twelve years he has acted as secretary of the school board. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias lodge, No. 415, at Sabula, while both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Although one of the younger representatives of agricultural interests in Jackson county he has already gained a place among its substantial citizens and that he has always remained within its borders is proof of his firm faith in its agricultural resources.
ERNEST H. FRAHM.
An excellent farming property of two hundred and forty acres, situated in Van Buren and Iowa townships, pay tribute to the industry and enterprise of Ernest H. Frahm, whose whole life has been spent in this, the county of his nativity. He was born in Iowa township, not far from his present home, March 17, 1868, his parents being Thomas and Annie ( Ploen) Frahm. The former was born in Schleswig, Germany, in 1831 and came to America in 1857. In 1860 he bought one hundred and sixty acres in Iowa township, Jackson county, Iowa, a part of, which his son Ernest now owns, and thereon spent the rest of his life. He pros- pered in his undertakings, however, and as he saw opportunity he added to his landholdings until he was in possession of a large tract. He died in this county May 10, 1904. His wife was Annie Ploen before her marriage and a native of the province of Holstein, Germany. Their union was blessed with three children: John, Anna and Ernest H.
Ernest H. Frahm spent the period of his boyhood and youth upon his father's farm, through the winter months attending the district school and through the
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
summer season busily engaged in assisting in cultivating the fields. Subsequently he became a pupil in the high school at Miles where he obtained fuller prepara- tion for the responsibilities of life. At the age of twenty-four he took up the occupation of farming upon his own account, renting some land from his father, and then the following year buying a tract of one hundred acres. At the same time he also operated one hundred and forty acres which he rented. He was suc- cessful in his undertakings and at the end of three years he was able to purchase another hundred acres, to which was added the home place of forty acres, which came into his possession at the death of his father. He now has a fine property of two hundred and forty acres, whereon he engages in general farming and in stock-raising and feeding, making a specialty of the latter branch of his business. Both have brought him a large measure of prosperity, and he is entitled to be numbered among the progressive and representative agriculturists of Iowa town- ship.
On the 22d of February, 1893, Mr. Frahm wedded Miss Margaret Kroeger, a daughter of John and Anna (Awalt) Kroeger, both natives of Schleswig, Germany. Mrs. Frahm was also born in that province of the fatherland, and came to Amer- ica with her parents in 1883. She is the mother of seven children, as follows : Elsie M. E. H., Leona I., Lloyd Thomas, Mabel Anna, Florence Margaret, Lester Ernest and Bessie Marie. Mr. Frahm votes with the republican party, which he has loyally supported since age conferred upon him the right of franchise, but has not sought or aspired to public office. He is, however, a stanch friend of edu- cation and as school director is working zealously to advance the standard of the schools. Fraternally he is associated with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, being an active member of Lodge No. 572, at Miles. In this county, where his entire life has been passed, he has gained the reputation of being an honorable and upright gentleman, whose business integrity is unquestioned and whose salient characteristics are such as have gained for him the unqualified regard and esteem of an extensive circle of friends.
F. H. BUDDE.
F. H. Budde, who tills a fine tract of land of two hundred and thirty-five acres in Jackson township, has contributed in no small degree to the progress of the community, along moral, intellectual and economic lines, and the record of his life reflects creditably upon the country of his birth and that of his adoption. He was born in Germany in 1840, and was about a year old when his parents emi- grated to America. For three years they lived at Germantown, Jackson county, Illinois, and in the spring of 1844 came to Jackson county, Iowa, locating in Prairie. Spring township. There the father entered two hundred and forty acres of land, whereon he built a rude cabin of logs, with a clapboard roof, a puncheon floor and a door. He also broke the sod and engaged in cultivating his fields and met with a fair degree of success. He died in this county and his wife passed away while the family was living in Illinois. There were eight children born to them, four of whom still survive.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
F. H. Budde was about four years of age when the family home was estab- lished in Jackson county, Iowa, and all the hardships of the pioneer days had not been surmounted when he was able to bear his share in the work of the farm. He remained under the parental roof until he was fourteen years of age, when he went to Wisconsin to attend school. In 1854 he suffered an accident which de- prived him of one of his limbs. While he was leading a horse to water he became entangled in the halter and was dragged for a mile and a half, so fracturing his leg that it was impossible to save it. When his own education was completed he engaged in teaching, following that profession for about nineteen years, when he married and bought a farm of seventy-five acres, which he tilled through the sum- mer months, while the winter months were devoted to teaching. His unremitting industry and his careful expenditures soon brought him the capital that enabled him in 1878 to purchase one hundred and sixty additional acres, so that now he has a valuable property of two hundred and thirty-five acres. He makes his home upon the second farm he bought. He has added several substantial buildings to the place, besides improving it in other ways, and has brought its fields to a high state of cultivation. Systematic and thorough in everything that he undertakes he has gained a gratifying measure of prosperity from his business, and may now be numbered among the well-to-do farmers of Jackson township.
In 1864 Mr. Budde was united in marriage to Miss Josephine Haverkamp, who was born in Oldenburg, Germany, and was about six years of age when her parents came to the United States. They settled in Jackson county, Iowa, which remained their home until their demise. In their family were seven children, two of whom are still living. Mr. and Mrs. Budde have had thirteen children, as follows: Henry, who married Barbara Bormann and lived in Rapids City, South Dakota; Frank, deceased; Joe, who married Ella Welch and lives near Maquo- keta ; Antone, who married Lizzie Demperwolf and resides in Brookings county, South Dakota; Frank, who married Lizzie Schultes and lives in Lincoln county, South Dakota; William, deceased; Rose, who makes her home in Sioux City, Iowa; Mary, the wife of F. Caposions, a resident of Dell Rapids, South Dakota; Ida, the wife of Charles Rubel, of Rosebud, South Dakota; Melchoir; Cynthia, the wife of John Fuegen, a resident of Parkston, South Dakota ; Leo ; and Walter. In his political views Mr. Budde is a democrat and has taken some part in the local public affairs, having served as township assessor for fourteen years, as collector for two years, and as school director for a considerable period. He and his wife are members of the Catholic church and their influence is always found on the side of right and progress, while in his business affairs, Mr. Budde has prospered, owing to his integrity as well as to his industry.
JOHN GRAY.
John Gray, an enterprising and progressive agriculturist of Iowa township, is the owner of a rich and productive farm of one hundred and twenty acres on section 21. His birth occurred in Canada on the 17th of October, 1872, his parents being Hudson and Rebecca (Gresley) Gray, the former a native of
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
Ireland and the latter of England. In early life they were brought to America by their respective parents. Hudson Gray passed away in 1909, when seventy- eight years of age, having for more than two decades survived his wife, who was called to her final rest in 1888. Their children were eleven in number, namely : Maria, who is the wife of Frank Crawford, of Ida county, Iowa; Mary, who wedded Charles Cliff and resides in Preston, Iowa; Anna, who was the wife of Peter Mathews and died about June, 1905; David, living in Jackson county ; Alexandra, who is a resident of Canada; Isabelle, the wife of Thomas Crane, of Michigan; Hudson, who likewise makes his home in Canada; William, also a resident of that country; Martha, who gave her hand in marriage to James Meadows and lives in Canada; Robert, of Michigan; and John, of this review.
The last named received the educational advantages afforded by the common schools and remained at home until he had attained his majority. He then devoted his attention to the operation of a rented farm for eight years, on the expiration of which period he purchased a tract of one hundred and twenty acres of land on section 21, Iowa township, and has since been actively engaged in its cultivation. In addition to his farming interests he likewise makes a specialty of raising hogs and in both branches of his business has met with a gratifying meas- ure of success.
On the 17th of February, 1903, Mr. Gray was united in marriage to Miss Luella Taplin, a native of Jackson county and a daughter of Thomas and Eliza- beth Taplin, who are mentioned on another page of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Gray are now the parents of three children, as follows: Ramona E., whose birth occurred December 20, 1905 ; Glenn E., whose natal day was September 19, 1907; and Thelma E., who was born on the Ist of July, 1909.
Mr. Gray is a stanch republican in politics but does not desire office as a re- ward for his party fealty. Fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias, belonging to lodge No. 415 at Sabula, Iowa. His religious faith is indi- cated by his membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, with which his wife is also affiliated. He has gained the warm esteem of all with whom he has come in contact because of his upright and honorable life and also by reason of the straightforward methods he has ever followed in his business career.
DR. ASA B. BOWEN.
Dr. Asa B. Bowen is the oldest physician in point of years of practice in Jackson county, and through the period of his connection with the profession here he has given tangible evidence of his thorough understanding of the scien- tific principles which underlie medical practice as well as of a conscientious performance of every duty that devolves upon him in a professional relation. He was. born in Eastford, Connecticut, April 12, 1842, and is a son of Oliver and Betsy (Bosworth) Bowen, the former a native of Rhode Island and the latter of Massachusetts. The Bowens are of an old New England family, the first American ancestors being Richard Bowen and his wife, Ann, who came to this country from Wales in the year 1640 and settled at Rehoboth, Massa-
DR. A. B. BOWEN
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY'
chusetts, becoming progenitors of the family of which Dr. Bowen is a repre- sentative. Oliver Bowen in his boyhood days removed with his parents to Con- necticut when Eastford was but a small town and it was there that he was reared and continued his residence throughout his remaining days, his life being that of a farmer and country merchant. Both he and his wife were active workers in the Presbyterian church. His death occurred when he was about seventy years of age, while his widow passed away a little later.
Reared at home, Dr. Bowen acquired his education in the Eastford public schools and when he severed his home ties in 1861 he went to Mexico, Oswego county, New York, where he entered the Mexico Academy and was gradu- ated therefrom in 1864. He then took up the study of medicine under the pre- ceptorship of Drs. Bowen and Dayton.
Dr. Bowen answered the call for six hundred thousand more troops, and enlisted in the navy in 1864, being assigned to duty on the Man of War Neptune, stationed in the West Indies. By reason of his knowledge of medicine Dr. Bowen, while in the service of his country, was made hospital steward and during a portion of his term of service was acting assistant surgeon-an ex- perience which added greatly to his knowledge of medicine and surgery. He continued in the navy until the close of the war and was mustered out at the Brooklyn navy yard in June, 1865. He then returned to Mexico, New York, and completed his medical studies, graduating from the Albany Medical College in the class of 1868. He made no permanent location, however, until the fall of 1869, when he came to Maquoketa, where for forty years he has been in con- tinuous and active practice, being today one of the best known members of the medical fraternity in this section of the state. Throughout the years he has kept in touch with the onward progress of the profession, his reading and re- search and his attendance at state, national and international medical societies bringing him intimate and comprehensive knowledge of what is being done by the eminent members of the fraternity. For the past twenty-five years Dr. Bowen has been surgeon for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway. For several years he has made operative surgery a specialty having done more major surgical operations than any other surgeon in this county. He has also become con- nected with business and financial interests in Maquoketa. He was one of the organizers of the Barnes Electric Light & Power Company, of which he has been the president since its organization. He is also president of the Farmers Trust & Savings Bank, of which he was one of the organizers, and is the vice president of the First National Bank of Maquoketa, the leading financial insti- tution of Jackson county, having deposits of over a million dollars.
In 1874 Dr. Bowen was married to Miss Minnie Clark, of Maquoketa, and their married life now covers thirty-five years. Their children, a daughter and son, are Harriet Frances `and Jesse Clark Bowen. The former, a graduate of Oberlin College, has engaged in educational work. The son, now a physician and surgeon of Maquoketa, read medicine under the direction of his father and later was graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago in the class of 1906, since which time he has been associated with his father in the conduct of an extensive practice. Dr. A. B. Bowen is a member of the Jackson County Medical Society, the Iowa State Medical Society, the American
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
Medical Association and the American Railway Surgeons Association. He be- longs to Helion Lodge, No. 36, A. F. & A. M .; Bath Kol Chapter, No. 94, R. A. M .; Tancred Commandery, No. 40, K. T .; Kaaba Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S .; and the Knights of Pythias Lodge. He has also been a loyal member of the A. W. Drips Post, G. A. R., since its organization and for several years was its commander. His wife is a member of the Baptist church. In politics he is a republican and in the fall of 1908 received his party's nomination for state senator. He has been a member of the insane commission of the county for a number of years and for the past quarter of a century has been a United States pension examiner. Dr. Bowen was appointed by the state board of control, medical examiner for admission to the State Tuberculosis Sanatorium, located at Oakdale, Dr. H. E. Kirschner, superintendent.
For several years Dr. Bowen served as a member of the school board and the cause of education has always found in him a stalwart champion. His interest in public affairs has been of a beneficial character and his labors have been far- reaching and effective in support of projects for general improvement. He en- joys the esteem of his fellow townsmen both as a man and citizen and in his profession his labors have been of such a character as to fully sustain the high standard of the profession.
BAPTISTE PETESCH.
In an analyzation of the character and life work of Baptiste Petesch there are to be discerned many of the characteristics which have marked the German nation for centuries, namely perseverance, reliability, energy and an unconquerable determination to pursue to the end a course which has been marked out. It is these sterling qualities which have gained for Mr. Petesch the substantial success he has won in agricultural lines and which entitles him to be included among the prosperous citizens of Bellevue township, which has been his place of residence for a quarter of a century.
Baptiste Petesch was born in the grand duchy of Luxemburg, Germany, March 4, 1842, and is a son of Nick and Mary (Till) Petesch, who spent their whole lives in the old country. Several of their children, however, crossed the Atlantic and found homes in America. There were six in the family, namely : Frank, who died in South Dakota; Ann, the deceased wife of Pete Winkle; John, who is residing in Kansas ; Ludwig, who passed away in Germany ; Elizabeth, who is living in Kansas ; and Baptiste, the subject of this sketch.
Baptiste Petesch was reared at home, among the scenes familiar to the farmer's boy of Luxemburg, and although throughout his youth he heard stories of the large opportunities that awaited the industrious and persevering man who came to the United States, it was not until 1885, when he had reached manhood, that he decided to emigrate to this country and avail himself of the freedom and appreciation of the west. On landing upon our shores he came direct to Jackson county, Iowa, locating upon a rented farm in Tete des Morts township. The next year, however, he was able to buy a tract of two hundred acres on section 36,
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
Rellevue township, which constitutes his present home. He put up a number of buildings suitable for the care and shelter of grain and stock, brought his fields to a good state of cultivation, and since directing his energies to general farming has met with a signal and gratifying success in this line of activity. The soil is naturally rich and fertile, responding readily to the care and labor bestowed upon it, so that Mr. Petesch annually gathers and markets large harvests, which net him a handsome income. The extent of his success, however, is perhaps better indicated by the fact that three years ago he purchased one hundred acres of land and subsequently another tract of equal area, making his total landholdings four hundred acres, a visible evidence of his life of thrift and industry.
While still living in the old country Mr. Petesch wedded Miss Mary Wise, also a native of Luxemburg. Their three sons, Nicholas, August and James, were born in the grand duchy, came to this state with their parents and are now living in Kansas. Mrs. Mary Wise Petesch passed away in Bellevue township in 1888, and later Mr. Petesch married Miss Francisca Hist, who was born in Baden, Germany, March 30, 1864. She came to Bellevue from her native land in 1886 and is the only one of her family to cross the Atlantic. There have been eleven children born of this union, as follows : Ferdinand ; John; Louis ; Xavier ; Edward, who died at the age of one year ; Mary ; Ludvina ; Edward, the second of the name ; Baptiste; Elmer; and Helen. All live at home.
Mr. Petesch has not regretted having come to the United States, for here he found the opportunities he sought, through a wise utilization of them has gained a substantial success, and has made a large circle of friends, whose respect and esteem, bestowed in recognition of his honorable and upright character, is as gratifying as the financial prosperity he enjoys.
LUCIUS T. KIMBALL.
It cannot but be a source of intense gratification to those who came to Iowa in the days of its pioneer development to contrast the appearance of the coun- try at that time with the great improvement which is seen at present, and to know that their labors contributed no small share to the desired result. Lucius T. Kimball is one of those who has witnessed the great change. He came to Jackson county in 1840, before Iowa was admitted to statehood, and for a half century with energy, industry and enterprise he labored to make his place one of the most productive of the many rich farms of this section. It is but fitting, therefore, that he should enjoy the fruits of former toil in the retirement of a pleasant home in Miles and that he should be surrounded by the respect and veneration which is universally paid to those who have passed as far as he along life's highway and whose record has at all times been distinguished by upright and honorable pur- poses and earnest endeavor.
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