USA > Iowa > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 26
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of office have never held attraction for him. He has preferred rather to devote his entire time and attention to his personal affairs, and in the wise management of his farming interests is found the secret of his pros- perity. Since the above was written Andrew J. Larson has sold his place at Salina, and is building a home in Fairfield, Iowa.
PEARL L. FULTON.
Pearl L. Fulton is now living in Fairfield but for many years was closely associated with the farming interests of the county and is still the owner of a valuable farm, which is divided by the border line between Des Moines township and Van Buren county. He represents one of the old families of this section of the state, his birth having occurred in Des Moines township, October 1, 1864. His parents were J. W. and Sarah Elizabeth (Minear) Fulton, whose family numbered six children, of whom Pearl L. was the third in order of birth. The boy was reared by his grandparents, Alexander and Eliza Fulton. who resided one mile west of Fairfield. He spent the greater part of his time with them until his mar- riage and then took up his abode upon a farm in Des Moines township, where he lived for thirteen years. He has made his home in Fairfield for two years but is still the owner of a good farm property, comprising two hundred and twenty-four acres, of which eighty acres lie in Des Moines township, while the remainder is across the line in Van Buren county. The soil is rich and productive and responds readily to the care and labor bestowed upon it. In all of his work Mr. Fulton utilized pro- gressive methods and the latest improved machinery. He brought his fields, therefore, under a high state of cultivation and kept everything about his place in excellent condition. No buildings or fences were al- lowed to sink into a state of disrepair and an air of neatness and thrift pervaded the entire place, showing that all work was done under the careful supervision of Mr. Fulton, who ever ranked with the enterprising agriculturists of the community.
On the 29th of February, 1888, occurred the marriage of Mr. Fulton and Miss Edith V. Snook, who was born in Jefferson county, lowa, July 8, 1866, a daughter of Abe A. and Nattie (Tuller) Snook, both of whom were natives of Ohio and are now residents of Davenport. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Fulton numbers ten children. The eldest, Robert L., is a pattern maker for the Louden Company. He is also noble grand of Fairfield Lodge, No. 4, I. O. O. F., and is a representative of the fourth generation of the Fulton family to belong to that lodge, his father, grand- father and great-grandfather having all been members. He married Maude
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Lewis and they have two children, Margaret Maude and Robert Harold. Grace H., the eldest daughter of the family, is a telephone operator living at home. The others are Elizabeth, Harry, Wayne, Marian, Arthur, Mil- dred, Frederick and Florence. The eldest son, although born and reared in Jefferson county, never had a day's free schooling, the father always having had to send him out of the township and pay tuition, for the near- est free school was three and a half miles from his home so that he was sent to a nearer school in Van Buren county.
Mr. Fulton is a progressive republican, believing in the movement of the present day whereby the people are demanding a leadership that shall work for the interest of the many rather than of the few. He has long been a valued representative of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has held all of the offices in the subordinate lodge and in the encamp- ment. He has a wide acquaintance in this county, where his entire life has been passed and where his honorable business activity and progres- sive citizenship have gained him the respect and good will of all who know him. A life of unfaltering diligence and determination in the conduct of his farm at length brought him a substantial financial return, enabling him now to rest from further labors so that he is today comfortably sit- uated in a pleasant home in Fairfield.
WILLIAM J. ANKROM.
William J. Ankrom, who is engaged in operating a farm in Cedar town- ship that has been in the family for over seventy-five years, was born in Utah, April 25, 1875, and is a son of William and Nancy D. (Gilbert) Ankrom. The father was born in Tyler county, Virginia, and was of Welsh and English extraction, while the mother was born near Lorne, County Antrim, Ireland, and is of Scotch-Irish descent. William An- krom came to Iowa with his parents in 1836, first locating in Burlington, where they remained for a year. His father, John Ankrom moved on to Jefferson county and preempted a quarter section of land in Cedar town- ship that he entered when the government threw it open to settlement in 1837 or 1838. The family remained in Burlington while he erected such buildings upon the place as were necessary for their comfort and the protection of his stock, among them being the old log house, that is still standing on the homestead. Here John Ankrom passed away in 1881. He was only a boy when he located in Iowa with his parents passing practically his entire life on his father's farm. He helped to hew and prepare the logs for the first school house erected on the present site of
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what is now known as the Ankrom school, and there he completed his educa- tion. In common with other lads of the pioneer period he early assumed much of the responsibility connected with the operation of the farm, which he ultimately acquired. He added to his holdings from time to time, some of which he later sold, until the place now contains two hundred acres, · all of it being under a high state of cultivation. Mr. and Mrs. Ankrom were married in 1874, and to them were born three children : William J., our subject: M. Grace; and Eva L. The two daughters are living in Seattle, where they own a confectionary store, and the mother is now making her home with them, the father having passed away in 1910, his death occurring on the old farmstead. There are only two members of the family of John Ankrom now living in Jefferson county: Mrs. William Coop, of Cedar township : and Mrs. H. B. Keltner, who is a twin sister of Mrs. Coop, of Fairfield, Iowa. There has always been more or less con- troversy about who was the first white child born in Jefferson county, and William Ankrom always maintained that it was Cyrus Walker, now of Van Buren county, his birth occurring in March, 1837. There were three white children born that year, William Coop, whose birth occurred in June and Daniel Moore, who was born in September, being the other two.
William J. Ankrom was reared on his grandfather's farm and obtained his education in the Ankrom school, remaining at home until he had at- tained his majority. When old enough for life's work, he went to Fair- field, where he learned the molder's trade, and was for some years there- after employed in the plant of the Malleable Iron Company there. He subsequently withdrew from this occupation and returned to the farm, which he is now renting from his mother. Mr. Ankrom is meeting with good success in his agricultural pursuits, and is one of the capable farmers of the county.
Fairfield was the scene of the marriage of Mr. Ankrom and Miss Lydia L. Mullenix, on the 22d of August, 1901, and there they spent the early years of their domestic life. Mrs. Ankrom is a daughter of J. P. and Margaret (Long) Mullenix, of Fairfield, where they located in 1881. They were natives of Ohio, whence they removed to Illinois, and from there to Jefferson county, Mr. Mullenix having for many years been en- gaged in the insurance business in Fairfield. He still continues to reside there, while the mother had passed away in 1909. Mr. Mullenix is a vet- eran of the Civil war.
In his political views Mr. Ankrom is a democrat, as was also his father and grandfather. He served for two terms as justice of the peace and was elected for a third but would not qualify, preferring to give his en- tire attention to the development of his personal interests. He is a mem-
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ber of Clinton Lodge, No. 15, A. F. & A. M .; and Jefferson Lodge, No. 4, I. O. O. F., both of Fairfield, while both he and Mrs. Ankrom hold mem- bership in the Presbyterian church of Fairfield. For thirteen years Mr. Ankrom served as a member of the Iowa National Guard, and he was also a volunteer in the Spanish-American war, having enlisted in Company M, Fiftieth Iowa United States Volunteers at Fairfield, remaining in the service for seven months, mostly spent in camp at Jacksonville, Florida. He is a worthy representative of one of Jefferson county's highly esteemed pioneer families, and is held in favorable regard by his many friends in Cedar township.
LIEUTENANT S. J. CHESTER.
Lieutenant S. J. Chester, a veteran of the Civil war and at different times closely associated with the business interests of Jefferson county, is now living retired in Fairfield, enjoying a well earned rest. He was born near Warsaw, Indiana, March 16, 1840, a son of Joseph and Jane (Rob- inson) Chester. The father was born in Ohio, March 16, 1806; the mother's birth occurred in Pennsylvania, June 2, 1807, and they were married in Delaware county, Ohio, January 22, 1829. Removing westward to Iowa in 1850 they first settled in Lynn county and six years later came to Jef- ferson county, taking up their abode in Rich Woods. They remained residents of this county until several years after the Civil war and about 1870 removed to Wayne county where they lived until going to Jasper county, Missouri. The father was a farmer by occupation and also for many years a local preacher of the Methodist church. In his honorable, upright life he left a worthy example for his family and the priceless heri- tage of an untarnished name. He died in Carthage, Missouri, March 4, 1891, having for less than a year survived his wife, who passed away on the 4th of April, 1890. They were the parents of nine children of whom four died in early life, the others being: Mrs. Emeline Nevin, now de- ceased : S. J., of this review ; Thomas W., and V. L., both of whom have passed away ; and Oliver F., of Arkansas. The last two were soldiers of the Civil war, enlisting from Jefferson county in the Fourth Iowa Cav- alry. V. L. Chester served for three years while Oliver F. Chester went out as a recruit and continued with the army to the end of the war.
The family was also represented in the Civil war by Lieutenant .S. J. Chester who had come to Jefferson county with his parents and remained under the parental roof until he entered the army on the 12th of August, 1862, as a member of Company G, Thirtieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry.
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He enlisted as a private but after the organization of his company was elected second lieutenant and following the charge at Vicksburg was pro- moted to the rank of first lieutenant. He sustained a gun-shot wound through the left leg at Vicksburg during the charge on the city on the 22d of May, 1863. Because of his injuries he was granted a two months' fur- lough which he spent at home and then rejoined his regiment which was still before Vicksburg, continuing with that command until April, 1864, when he resigned, owing to disability. He had participated in a number of important engagements including the battles of Arkansas Post, Ray- mond, Jackson, Cherokee Station, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge and Ringgold. He possessed a soldierly bearing, being six feet two inches in height, straight and well formed, and his comrades admiringly spoke of his fearlessness and bravery.
Soon after being mustered out Lieutenant Chester was married, on the 22d of September, 1864, to Miss Olive E. Hendricks, a daughter of James H. Hendricks, and they took up their abode upon a farm, to the cultivation and development of which Mr. Chester devoted his energies until 1873. He then removed to Fairfield where he has since resided, here becoming identified with business interests as a grocer, conducting a store until 1879. He was then elected sheriff of Jefferson county and on the Ist of January, 1880, entered upon the duties of this position to which he was afterward reelected, serving until the Ist of January, 1884, when he declined another nomination. He later spent several months in trav- eling, visiting Salt Lake and other points in the west for the benefit of his health. In 1890 he was appointed postmaster of Fairfield and served for four years under President Harrison. Subsequently he spent several months in California with his wife and upon his return to Fairfield en- gaged in the hotel business, conducting the Leggett house for five years. He again spent several months in California and also took a trip to Cuba and since that time he has lived retired, devoting his time to those things which are a matter of interest and entertainment to him. He has some property interests, owning land in Texas.
By the marriage of Lieutenant Chester and Olive E. Hendricks there were born four children: Flora E., the wife of Charles Herring of Fair- field ; Mildred J., deceased ; Daisy E., the wife of C. W. Trowbridge, of Fairfield ; and Frank M., of Los Angeles, California. The wife and mother died July 13, 1878, and on the 4th of December, 1879, Lieutenant Chester wedded Elizabeth McKenney, a native of Fairfield and a daugh- ter of J. A. McKenney.
In politics Mr. Chester is a republican, having supported the party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He has always been more or less active in public affairs here and has served as marshal on the
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occasion of all public celebrations in this city for the past thirty years. In Masonry he has taken the degrees of the lodge, chapter, commandery and Mystic Shrine and is an exemplary representative of the craft. Loy- alty has always been one of his strong characteristics. It was manifest in his army record, in his public service and in his friendships. He is one of the widely known residents of the city and enjoys in unusual measure the warm regard and high respect of those who know him.
JAMES P. BENNETT.
Industry and thrift, combined with good judgment and the faculty of sacrificing immediate enjoyment for future returns, are the qualities which insure success. One who exemplifies this maxim is James P. Bennett, who was for many years successfully engaged in the pursuit of agricul- tural interests and now lives retired on his farm in Cedar township. Since becoming a resident of Jefferson county, in 1874, he has been inti- mately connected with the growth and development of this section of the country, being a man whose personality has always carried much weight in his community. He was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in 1829, being a son of Anthony and Nancy (Espy) Bennett. The father was born in Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna river, in 1777. Of Scotch- Irish parentage, he inherited the sterling qualities of his ancestors and in the pursuit of his calling, which combined farming, carpentering and plow making, he met with most substantial returns. The mother was born in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, and came from an old Colonial family. Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Bennett resided in the Keystone state until their death.
Reared with care under the parental roof, James P. Bennett obtained his education in the schools of his native locality and was early trained in the arts of husbandry, remaining with his parents until he became of age. He then engaged in farming on his own account but soon returned to the home place which he operated until 1874. In this year he removed with his family to Iowa, choosing as a suitable location for a home the farm on which he now lives, on sections 29 and 30 of Cedar township, trading his farm in Pennsylvania for this land. In addition he bought eighty acres, making a total of two hundred and forty acres in all. Ten years ago Mr. Bennett withdrew from active work in connection with the management of his place which has since that time been conducted by his son Almer, who continues his father's practical methods and wise administration, being successful in the various departments of general farming and also in stock-raising.
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The marriage of Mr. Bennett and Miss Lucinda Cordelia White was solemnized on the Ist of January, 1857, in Crawford county, Pennsyl- vania. Mrs. Bennett was born November 17, 1833, in Pennsylvania, and resided near Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, until her marriage. After a long and useful life devoted to the service of her family and friends she passed away on October 19, 1909, at the age of seventy-six years. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Bennett were: Fred, who died when a small boy; Alta, the wife of Marion Crum, of Daunt, California, who departed this life January 17, 1896, on a farm near Fairfield, Iowa, leaving two children, Pearl and Ray; Almer, who lives on his father's farm; Manson, who died October 5, 1895 and was married to Miss Fannie Shaw, who now resides in Hartsville, Missouri, with her son Ralph, her daughter Ellen being deceased ; and Otto, who is a fruit dealer of Clatskanie, Oregon, and who married Minnie Waldo, by whom he has two children, La Rue and Harvey. Almer, the eldest boy now living, operates the home farm, having relieved his father of this responsibility ever since the latter's re- tirement ten years ago. He was united in marriage to Ella Hecht, a daughter of John and Mary Hecht, residents of Ida county, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Almer Bennett are the parents of five children, namely: Meta at home; Hazel, the wife of Lawrence J. Droz, a farmer of Cedar town- ship; and Willian Serle and J., who are living at home.
Mr. Bennett and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church of Birmingham. In his political views he is a loyal supporter of republican policies and has been called to office on several occasions, hav- ing served as supervisor of roads in Cedar township and as school director in his home district. He has never shirked the duties of citizenship no matter how largely his own interests have claimed his attention. During the Civil war he served as enlisting and recruiting officer for the United States army. He is a man of force of character and attractive personality, a favorite among those who have known him for many years.
CLARK VAN NOSTRAND.
Clark Van Nostrand is a retired farmer living in Fairfield. A life of well directed energy and activity has brought him to the venerable age of eighty years, with the respect, good will and confidence of his fellowmen : so that today, all who know him-old and young, rich and poor, -- entertain for him warm regard and strong friendship. His birth occurred in Ashland, Ohio, January 12, 1831, his parents being John and Elizabeth (Gribben) Van Nostrand, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania :
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the father's birth occurring in Westmoreland county September 1, 1800, while the mother was born in 1802. They were married in Ohio, and, in the fall of 1850, came to Iowa; settling on a farm three miles north of Fairfield, which remained their place of residence until their life labors were over. The mother passed away about 1856, and Mr. Van Nostrand died on the 6th of April, 1859. In their family were four sons and two daughters: William, living in Leon, Iowa; Clark; Mrs. Amanda Burk- hammer, of Shenandoah, Iowa; Lewis, Perry and Jane, all deceased.
Clark Van Nostrand came to Iowa with his parents, and has since re- sided in Jefferson county. He was at that time a young man of about nine- teen years. His education had been acquired in the schools of Ohio; and he had received practical training in farm work by assisting his father in the fields. Here he continued to aid in the cultivation of the old home- stead property, until his father's death. He was then married and began farming on his own account, continuing to engage in agricultural pursuits until about five years ago, when he retired and took up his abode in Fairfield. His first farm was about two and a half miles northeast of the city, in Buchanan township. There, in connection with his brother Lewis, he purchased a quarter section of land; and there they resided in the same house for five years and together carried on their business in- terests. At the end of that time, Clark Van Nostrand purchased the in- terest of his brother and afterward added to his property, from time to time, as opportunity offered and financial resources permitted. In this way, he increased his holdings until he had four hundred and eighty acres, which he brought under .a high state of cultivation; the fields annually returning him golden harvests. For a number of years, he also carried on farming in partnership with his son Lewis, and when, at the age of seventy-five years, he decided to put aside all business cares he divided his farm among his children. He is much pleased with the result of this division of his property, for they have made good use of what has been given them, and are now comfortably situated in life.
In 1859 Mr. Van Nostrand wedded Miss Sarah Whiting, who was born in Ohio, April 9, 1832, and in her childhood came with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel B. Whiting, to Iowa. She was, thus, long closely associated with the pioneer development of this section of the state. For more than a half century, Mr. and Mrs. Van Nostrand had traveled life's journey happily together, when, on the 6th of January, 1911, they were separated by the death of the wife. Mr. Van Nostrand always felt that he owed much of his success to her assistance, capable management and encouragement. Their's was largely an ideal married relation, for their mutual love and confidence increased as the years passed by, and the great- est blow that has ever come to Mr. Van Nostrand was in the death of her
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who had so long been to him a faithful and loved companion and help- mate on life's journey. This well mated pair were the parents of six sons and a daughter. Three of the number died in infancy and one died at the age of five years, the others being: Anna, now the deceased wife of B. L. Gossich; Andrew B., of Colorado; and Lewis W., of Fairfield.
Mr. Van Nostrand has long voted with the republican party, and, while not a politician in the usually accepted sense of office seeking, he has served as a member of the board of supervisors for a term of three years ; he has, also, capably filled a number of township offices. He is a devoted and faithful member of the Christian church, and, in 1907, he built and do- nated to the church as a parsonage, an attractive, modern home. He has served as one of the elders in the church since its organization, and in every department of his work he has taken a deep and helpful interest, doing all in his power to promote the growth and extend the influence of Christianity as a moving force in the lives of the people of this district. Now, when old age has come upon him, he can look back over the past without regret ; and forward to the future, without fear. Although he has reached the age of eighty years, Mr. Van Nostrand is a remarkably well preserved man. His mind is yet clear and keen, displaying the vigor of many a man of much younger years; and he keeps in touch, through his reading, with the world's advanced thought and progress.
SOLOMON WILHERMSDORFER.
Solomon Wilhermsdorfer, who passed away February 2, 191I, was formerly a prominent merchant but since 1878 he was actively and suc- cessfully identified with general agricultural pursuits in Jefferson county. He was born in Ansbach, Bavaria, Germany, September 18, 1832, the son of Samuel and Babetta (Katz) Wilhermsdorfer. He was reared in his native country but started for America when not quite twenty years of age, reaching New York, November 6, 1852, after a voyage of sixty-two days on the sailing vessel Rhine, which was nearly wrecked on the passage. In New York he found employment as a florist and gardner, a profession which he had acquired in the royal gardens in the old country, and re- mained there until the spring of 1853, when he came to Ohio and engaged in the mercantile business. In the spring of 1854 he went to Iowa City, Iowa, and in the autumn of the same year removed to Fairfield, Jefferson county, where he opened on the north side of the public square the first clothing store in Fairfield, the business being under the firm name of Simon Krause & Company. In the spring of 1855 he, together with an
SOLOMON WILHERMSDORFER
MRS. SOLOMON WILHERMSDORFER
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elder brother, Julius Wilhermsdorfer, bought out Krause & Company and started a store under the firm name of J. & S. Wilhermsdorfer, establishing what was known as the Railroad Clothing Store. They re- mained there until the fall of 1857, when they removed their stock of goods to Brunswick county, Missouri, and one year later sold cut the business and returned to Fairfield, where Solomon Wilhermsdorfer en- tered into the nursery business just south of Fairfield, in partnership with Attorney Slagle, but one year later sold his interests and repaired to Monmouth, Illinois. There he was engaged in the dry-goods and clothing business for six years, after which he moved to Young America, Illinois, now known under the name of Kirkwood, and continued in the same line of work. Subsequently he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and traveled for a time for a nursery house. In 1878 he returned to Jefferson county, Iowa, and purchased his present farm, on section 35, Polk township, on which he lived until his death, February 2, 1910. He died suddenly on account of heart trouble. His widow continues to live on the farm, renting out a part of the land and with hired help oversees the remainder.
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