USA > Iowa > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 25
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J. L. RANEY.
An important industrial enterprise of Fairfield is the brick and tile factory of which J. L. Raney is now the proprietor. He has been con- tinuously connected with the business since 1891 and in its control has displayed an aptitude for successful management that has resulted in the enlargement and financial growth of the undertaking. He has ever recog- nized the fact that the present and not the future holds his opportunity and thus he has made good use of the passing days, never crowding the labors of tomorrow with the work of today. His entire life has been passed within the borders of Jefferson county and therefore his history is largely familiar to his fellow townsmen who recognize that his salient qualities are those of honorable manhood and citizenship. He was born
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in Cedar township, January 17, 1858, his parents being William and Hannah Mary (Loomis) Raney, the former born in Virginia and the latter in Ohio. The father was married first in the Buckeye state and came to Iowa in 1844, after having previously visited Jefferson county in company with a companion. They had journeyed hither on horseback and returned in the same way. Mr. Raney carrying back with him a favorable impression of the country and its opportunities. When he again reached Iowa, which at that time was under territorial rule, he settled in Van Buren county, entering a tract of land in Lick Creek township. With characteristic energy he began the development and cultivation of the farm upon which he resided until the death of his first wife. Later he purchased a farm in Cedar township, Jefferson county, comprising two hundred and forty acres of land which is now in possession of his son, J. L. Raney. Before he left Van Buren county he was married a second time, Miss Mary Loomis becoming his wife. She had come to Iowa in 1839 with her parents, Nathaniel and Eliza (Peckham) Loomis, who settled in Van Buren county. Her father was a native of Connecticut and her mother of Rhode Island, and the former followed farming after the pioneer style of the times. In the Loomis family were four sons and four daughters of whom three are yet living. One son, Philander, went to California in 1849 and has since resided there. Soon after their mar- riage Mr. and Mrs. William Raney took up their abode upon the Cedar township farm which remained their home until the fall of 1891, when Mr. Raney retired from active business life and removed to Fairfield. By his first marriage he had one daughter, Mrs. Margaret Dave, now living in Ringgold county, Iowa. The children of the second marriage were: H. C., a graduate of the first class of Parsons College, who after- ward studied law and was admitted to the bar, practicing in Fairfield until his death, which occurred in 1903, his widow and children still living in this city; J. L., our subject; Samuel, living in Salt Lake City, Utah ; and Ida, the wife of David Hopkirk, of Grand Junction, Colorado. There were also four children who died in infancy.
J. L. Raney has spent his entire life in Jefferson county, living on the old homestead farm until the fall of 1891, when he came to Fairfield, since which time he has been identified with the brick and tile industry, conducting the business under the firm name of Raney Brothers. He was a partner of H. C. Raney in this undertaking until the death of his brother who was an attorney and followed his profession while J. L. Raney looked after the management of the factory. He has been in full control since 1896 and the growth of the business has been both con- tinuous and satisfactory. The factory was built by Messenger & Elliott about 1875 and in 1886 Mr. Raney and his brother purchased Mr. Elliott's
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interest and in 1896 bought out Mr. Messenger. Since that time J. L. Raney has enlarged the plant, doubling its capacity, and it is now operated throughout the entire year with a capacity of one hundred thousand four- inch tile per month. The plant is equipped with seven kilns and employ- ment is furnished to twenty-three men. The business ranks with the leading industrial enterprises of the county and its output finds a ready sale on the market. In addition to the conduct of its business Mr. Raney supervises his farm which is a valuable property in Cedar township.
In January, 1894, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Raney and Miss Mary E. McAllister, who was born in Fairfield in 1861 and is a daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth (Fox) McAllister. Mr. and Mrs. Raney now have one son, Frederick. They attend the Presbyterian church in which they hold membership and Mr. Raney gives his political support to the republican party but manifests only a citizen's interest in politics, never seeking nor desiring office. He has always preferred to give his attention to his business interests and is recognized as a man of keen discrimination and sound judgment, his executive ability and excellent management having brought to the concern with which he is connected a large degree of success. He has always studied the best methods of manufacture since entering the brick and tile business, has a plant well equipped with the latest improved machinery and places upon the market a product the quality of which insures a ready sale.
ROBERT STEPHENSON.
As each year is added to the cycle of the centuries the ranks of the Civil war veterans are fast becoming decimated, as one by one they re- spond to the final roll call. Among those who have recently passed away is numbered one, who, whether in times of peace or times of war, was ever found faithful to whatever duty lay before him and to' whom the term citizenship held as much of responsibility as of privilege. Few are more deserving of the honor and esteem of their fellowmen than was Robert Stephenson, who · for almost seven decades remained a resident of Jeffer- son county. He was born in England, September 3, 1831 ; a son of Robert and Mary Ann (Wilkins) Stephenson, also natives of England. The parents brought their family to the new world in 1834, landing at New York, whence they made their way to Cincinnati, Ohio, and on the 2d of May, 1841, arrived in Jefferson county, Iowa, the family home being located at Four Corners, Lockridge township. There they passed their remaining days on the farm upon which they first located, the father giving his entire
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ROBERT STEPHENSON
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
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time and attention to agricultural pursuits. He was a republican in politics and very prominent in the party ranks of Iowa, representing his county in the lower house of the state legislature. In his family were four sons : George, Robert, John and Thomas. The last named passed away while serving in the Civil war, as a member of Company M, Fourth Iowa Cavalry.
Robert Stephenson was a lad of three years when he left the land of his nativity and came with his parents to the United States. His education, which had been begun across the water, was completed in the schools of Jefferson county, and here he continued to reside, engaging in agricultural pursuits, until the outbreak of the Civil war, when he enlisted, on the 13th of November, 1861, in Company M, Fourth Iowa Cavalry. He remained in active service at the front until the 25th of February, 1863, when he was discharged on account of disability, due to an injury of the knee which resulted in the amputation of his left leg.
Returning home, Mr. Stephenson located on a small fruit farm at Coalport, Lockridge township, which he operated for about fourteen years, or until 1876, when he removed to Fairfield to assume the duties of county recorder of Jefferson county, to which office he had been elected in that year. Reelection proved the capability and efficiency with which he per- formed the duties that devolved upon him in that capacity, and for two terms he occupied the office. He also filled the position of justice of the peace at Lockridge for a number of years, and served as postmaster for a time. He was a stanch republican in politics, loyally supporting the prin- ciples for which the name stands, but, though a radical, he treated those of different political belief with courtesy and fairness and had warm friends in all parties. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1854, and, from that time until his death, he manifested the utmost fealty to the country of his adoption and to her laws and institutions.
Mr. Stephenson was married, at Lockridge, Iowa, on the 15th of May, 1856, to Miss Elizabeth Hopkirk, who was born in Rochester, New York, January 10, 1835; a daughter of William and Jane (Redpath) Hopkirk. Her parents were born, reared and married in Scotland and came to the United States on their wedding trip, landing at New York. They first made their home in Rochester, New York, later removed to Ohio, and in 1842 came to Jefferson county, Iowa, where their remaining days were spent. In their family were eleven children, six daughters and five sons, of whom the two eldest sons, William and Robert, enlisted from Jefferson county in the Fourth Iowa Cavalry, and both died while serving in the Civil war. Five daughters and two sons are now living. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Stephenson were born eight children, as follows: Dr. Robert Bruce Stephenson, of Libertyville, who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume; William Wallace, who passed away when four years of age; Mary Ann, Vol. II-15
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whose death occurred at three years; Anna Laura, who died at the age of five months: James Ralph, a resident of Des Moines; John Walter, of Fairfield; Flora Belle, who married Oscar Boltz, of Fairfield; and another who passed away in infancy. Mr. Stephenson held membership in George Strong Post, No. 19, G. A. R., and both he and his wife belonged to the Presbyterian church, in the faith of which he passed away on the 14th of February, 1909. For over a year he had been in frail health and for three months prior to his death it was known that he could not long survive, yet the news of his death brought a sense of personal loss to the citizens of Fairfield among whom he had lived and labored for so many years. He was one of the widely known men of Jefferson county and during his resi- dence in this city had gained many warm friends, for the salient elements of his character were such as command confidence and regard and win and hold friendship. His widow still makes her home on South Fourth street, in Fairfield, and occupies a high place in the affections of all who know her, by reason of her many excellent qualities of heart and mind.
JACOB MARING.
Jacob Maring, who has for many years been identified with the agri- cultural pursuits of Des Moines township, is now living retired upon the farm which his father acquired from the government more than a half century ago. He was born in Belmont county, Ohio, on the 16th of April, 1839, and is a son of Robert and Narcasa (Powell) Maring, natives of Ohio but of German extraction. During the early boyhood of our subject they moved to Keokuk county, later to Van Buren county and finally came to Jefferson. Des Moines township was but sparsely settled at that period and Mr. Maring entered one hundred and sixty acres of government land upon which he settled with his family. By means of diligence and thrift Mr. Maring brought his place into a high state of development, and here he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives. Mrs. Maring died in the spring of 1855, while her husband sur- vived until June, 1863.
The boyhood and youth of Jacob Maring were not unlike those of other lads of the pioneer period. He attended the district schools in the acquirement of his education at such times as his assistance was not re- quired in the work of the farm. At the breaking out of the Civil war he and his wife were living at Chillicothe, Iowa, where on the 22d of July, 1862, he enlisted as a private and went to the front in Company K,
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Eighteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He saw considerable active serv- ice, participating in a number of battles and skirmishes, among them those of Springfield, Missouri, Moscow and Poison Springs. He was mustered out at the end of three years at Little Rock, Arkansas, receiving his dis- «harge at Davenport. Upon his return home he farmed as a renter at Chillicothe for some time, afterward purchasing the interest of the other heirs in his father's farm, upon which he has now resided over thirty years. Mr. Maring retired from the active work of the fields about four years ago, and is now renting all of his land with the exception of a small tract, that he retains for a garden.
On the 8th of April, 1857, Mr. Maring was united in marriage to Miss Angeline Pinegar, a daughter of Peter and Annie (Anderson) Pinegar. The father was born and reared in North Carolina and the mother a native of Kentucky, having been born in the vicinity of Lexing- ton, of German extraction. Mr. Pinegar came to Iowa with his family in 1854, settling on some land in Des Moines township, this county. There they lived for some time but he was a resident of Wapello county, at the time of his demise, while his wife died in Clarke county, Iowa. Mrs. Maring is one of those women who had to do both a man's and woman's work while her husband was at the front during the war. She chopped wood and husked the corn planted by her husband before enlisting, and at times found it most difficult to provide herself and babies with food and clothing. She maintains that the men in the service exhibited no more courage nor suffered greater hardships than were endured often- times by their families at home. She had two brothers in the war, John A. Pinegar, a member of the Seventh Iowa Volunteer Cavalry, who is now residing near Chillicothe, this state, and her youngest brother, Peter J., who was a member of Mr. Maring's company, at the present time a resident of Osceola, Clarke county. She also had two younger sisters, Martha and Lydia, both deceased. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Maring numbers six. Annie Jane, the eldest, married Dave Alsbaugh of Fairfield, Iowa. John M., a cement worker of Ottumwa, married Emma Holten of Mapleton, Illinois, and they have five children: Joseph, Jacob, Luke, May and John. George Francis, a farmer of Des Moines township, this county, married Leona Parker and they have five children: Carl, Joseph, Wesley, Howard and Bertha. William, a huckster and poultryman of Kansas City, Kansas, married, and has three children: Margaret, Roy and Clarence. Theodore, a farmer near Ottumwa, Iowa, married Maggie Perry and they have four children: Paul, Helen, Margaret and Evans. Cordelia, wife of Charles Peterson, a farmer in the vicinity of Birming- ham, Iowa, has one son, Paul. Mr. and Mrs. Maring have lost three children : Bertha, Marcus De Lafayette and a son, who died in infancy.
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Mr. Maring is a stanch republican in his political views, but has never been an office seeker. He attends the Free Methodist church of Eldon, of which his wife is an earnest and devoted member. He is one of the enterprising men of the community, whose agricultural pursuits awarded him a fair measure of success, his farm being one of the valuable prop- erties of the township.
CALVIN SNOOK, M. D.
What every man seeks is opportunity to attain success in his chosen field of labor. The purpose of life is to afford opportunities for physical, mental and spiritual development. In these countries, such opportunities lie before every one who is willing to make use of them; they may slip away from the sluggard, and tauntingly play before the dreamer, but they surrender to the individual with high purpose. undaunted courage and indefatigable determination. Such were the qualities which Dr. Cal- vin Snook possessed, and, as a result, he gradually advanced as a practi- tioner of medicine; winning for himself a creditable position in the ranks of the medical profession, in Iowa. He was born March 15, 1848, in Jefferson county, Iowa, upon a farm north of Fairfield, his parents being John and Mary (Fowler) Snook. The father was born and reared in Pennsylvania, and was of English-Dutch descent. His ancestors were natives of England but afterward removed to Holland and came to America prior to the Revolutionary war. The family home was estab- lished in New Jersey, and several representatives of the family became soldiers of the American army in the Revolutionary war. It was in the year 1842 that John Snook came to Iowa, settling north of Fairfield among the first residents of Jefferson county. In its development in pioneer days, as well as through the period of later progress, he took active and helpful part. With this work of upbuilding, he was closely associated throughout the entire period of his residence here. His farm was a tract of undeveloped land when it came into his possession, but he labored untiringly and persistently to convert it into productive fields. Upon the lands he had won for civilization, Mr. Snook made his home until his death. He and his wife were members of the First Presbyterian church of Fairfield, and were among the first four to be taken into the church and he was an elder.
Through the period of his early manhood, Dr. Snook remained upon the old home farm, working in the fields through the summer months, and attending the public schools in the winter seasons. Later, higher
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educational privileges were accorded him and he attended the seminary of Fairfield, which was a private school conducted by a Miss Pettigrew, of Pennsylvania. Afterward, he entered the medical college at Keokuk, Iowa, having determined to make the practice of medicine his life work, and was there graduated in the class of 1869, at which time the M. D. degree was conferred upon him. He was also a graduate of the Iowa State Medical College at Iowa City, but, as he was not in good health, on the completion of his medical course, he went to Kansas for a time, living with his uncle, William Snook. Afterward, he returned to this state and entered upon the practice of medicine in connection with a partner at Moulton, Iowa. Subsequently, he removed to Perlee, Iowa, a mining town, in which he followed his profession for seven years. In 1879, he was married and removed to Fairfield, where he continued in active practice until his death, which occurred on the 4th of January, 1906. He was regarded as one of the most capable physicians of the city. Having comprehensive knowledge of the principles of medicine, he had the ability to accurately apply his knowledge to the needs of each specific case which came under his care.
On the 16th of January, 1879, Dr. Snook was united in marriage to Miss Ella A. Anderson, a daughter of Dr. Isaac N. and Hannah (Batty) Anderson. Her father was a physician who was born in Sterling, Ken- tucky, and came of English and French stock. He represented one of the old and prominent families of Virginia and Mrs. Snook was a cousin of Congressman Flood. Her mother was born in Jacksonville, Illinois, of English parentage, but was reared in Keokuk, Iowa. Her hus- band, Dr. Anderson, practiced in Keensburg, Illinois, for a long period and there departed this life, in 1863. His widow long survived him and when taken ill was living in Keokuk, Iowa, but was brought to the home of her daughter, Mrs. Snook, in Fairfield, here passing away on the 23d of November, 1905. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Snook were born four children but the eldest, Hannah D., died when but three months old. Mary Batty, who is a graduate of Parsons College of the class of 1901, is now a teacher in the high school of Keosauqua, Iowa. John Newton, the third child, died June 21, 1910. Esther Shipman, who was graduated from Parsons College with the class of 1911, is now at home with her mother. Mrs. Snook still owns and operates a stock farm of three hun- dred and ten acres, constituting a valuable property in Cedar township. On this farm is a fine mineral well and mineral springs; also an Indian mound which is of historic interest. In addition to this property, Mrs. Snook owns a pleasant home in the city of Fairfield. Dr. Snook was widely and favorably known not only in his professional relations but in other public connections as well, whereby he contributed to the growth
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and development of the city. In politics, he was a democrat and for sev- eral terms served as a member of the city council of Fairfield, exercising his prerogatives in support of many practical and progressive public meas- ures. For years, he served as a member of the school board and the cause of education ever found in him a warm friend. At one time, he was a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fellows lodges at Perlee, Iowa. He attended the Presbyterian church at Fairfield, and was a trustee of the church of that denomination at Perlee; and his wife and daughters are members of the Fairfield Presbyterian church. Dr. Snook was particularly active in his profession, and spared neither time nor pains to acquaint himself with such knowledge as would prove of actual value and worth in his practice. He was a member of the Tri-State Medical Society, the Iowa State Medical Society and the Jefferson County Medical Society. He was also local physician for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Medical Association, and served from 1892 until the time of his death. He was likewise a member of the Jefferson county board of pension examiners for years. Dr. Snook early grasped the eternal truth that industry wins, and industry became the beacon light of his life. It was this that continually promoted his knowledge of his chosen profession, and advanced his ability in practice. Those who met him, pro- fessionally and socially, recognized in him most attractive personal quali- ties and he had a circle of friends almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintance.
ALBERT E. LARSON.
Albert E. Larson, who engages in general farming and stock-raising in Lockridge township, and who is numbered among the substantial agri- culturists of this locality, was born in this township on the 28th of Febru- ary, 1874, a son of Andrew J. and Matilda (Nelson) Larson. As their names would imply, his parents are natives of Sweden, where the father was engaged as coachman for many years. He came to the United States in 1868, locating in Jefferson county where he cleared a tract of eighty acres, receiving as a reward for his work the use of the tract for seven years. During that period, he obtained seven good crops from the place. the sale of which enabled him to accumulate sufficient money with which to purchase a sixty-acre tract in Lockridge township. This he at once began to cultivate and improve, and another seven years was spent in its operation. At the end of this time, he sold out and bought one hundred acres, also in this township, to which he later added forty acres. Under
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his management, this also was brought under a high state of cultivation, and he maintained his home upon it until 1895 when he partially retired from business life, renting one hundred acres of the land to his son, while he continued to operate the other forty acres. In 1903, however, he retired altogether and removed to Salina, where he purchased and im- proved a twenty-acre tract upon which he now makes his home. His wife also survives.
During his boyhood days, Albert E. Larson worked on his father's farm and passed through the usual experiences which make up the life of the country boy, engaging in the general routine of the farm during the summer season, and attending the district school during the winter. Upon completing his education, he went to Moline, Illinois, where he was em- ployed in a lumberyard for one year. He then accepted a position at the hospital in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where he remained for two years. At the expiration of that period, he returned home and rented his father's farm, which he continued to operate for seven years. Later, he rented another tract which remained the scene of his activity for three years. Subsequently, he purchased eighty acres of land in Lockridge township, upon which he established and still maintains his home. To the cultiva- tion of this property he is now devoting all his energies. Under his super- vision it has become a finely improved tract and the fields, naturally rich and fertile, have yielded substantial harvests which annually bring Mr. Larson good financial return, and this is further supplemented by the profit that he gets from his stock-raising. He raises on an average of seventy head of hogs per year, and keeps about seven head of horses and forty head of cattle on the place.
In October, 1895, Mr. Larson was united in marriage to Miss Amanda J. Larson, a daughter of Martin and Matilda (Olson) Larson, both natives of Sweden who came to the United States in 1872, taking up their abode in Michigan. In that state, and also in Colorado, the father engaged in mining for some time and, later, removed to Jefferson county, Iowa, taking up his residence on a tract of thirty-five acres in Lockridge township, which he had purchased some years previous. Later, he added more land as his means permitted, and he continued to engage successfully in agri- cultural pursuits until his death, which occurred in May, 1908. His widow still survives at the age of sixty-six years. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Albert E. Larson were born four children, but the eldest, Clarence, passed away in 1900 at the age of four years. The surviving children are: Clifton, Fern and Virgil, aged ten, seven and one, respectively. Mr. Larson is a man of high moral character ; the rules guiding his life having their root in his membership in the Lutheran church, to which his wife also belongs. He gives loyal support to the republican party, but the honors and emoluments
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