USA > Iowa > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 32
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GUSTAF A. BRIGHT.
Gustaf A. Bright, a native of Sweden, is one of the enterprising and successful agriculturists of Lockridge township, Jefferson county, Iowa. Born February 16, 1844, he was the son of Peter and Anna (Anderson) Bright, both natives of Sweden. His father was a carpenter by trade and remained in his own country all his life. He died in 1879. His mother died December 20, 1901, having attained the remarkable age of ninety- nine years.
Gustaf A. Bright enjoyed the advantages of the education afforded by the common schools of his native locality in Sweden. On finishing he did not follow his father's occupation but entered service as hired farm help and during the last three years of his residence in Sweden he farmed for himself. In 1876 he bade farewell to his parents and kin, departing with stout heart for fields of new endeavor in America. His destination was Jefferson county, Iowa, where he worked as a farm hand for two years. He then rented a farm and operated this for a period of twelve years. In 1890 he bought a tract of sixty-three and a half acres in Lockridge town- ship, which he set about improving, and this he has operated with excellent results continuously since that time.
In 1872, while still a hired man in Sweden, Mr. Bright was united in marriage to Miss Charlotta Johnson, a daughter of John and Eliza John- son of Sweden. Her father was a farmer and farmed for himself until his death in 1857. Her mother died in 1874.
Mrs. Bright's life came to a sudden close April 18, 1899. She was the mother of six children, namely: Anna C., the wife of John Samuelson, a farmer in Wisconsin; Hulda C., living at home; Emma E., the wife of A. G. Edmund, a farmer in Wisconsin; Amanda, the wife of Edward Lin- derson, a banker in Barnesville, Minnesota ; Carl A., who died May 1, 1899; and Esther, who died in December, 1880.
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GUSTAF A. BRIGHT AND FAMILY
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Politically Mr. Bright votes with the republican party and gives his active support to every movement of progress and reform. He worships in the Lutheran church accompanied by his daughter Hulda who is de- voted to her father and whose kind ministrations help to soften for him the edge of the loneliness that comes with waning years.
WARREN H. CONNER, M. D.
Dr. Warren H. Conner, engaged in the practice of medicine in Fair- field, for which thorough preliminary training well qualified him, and constant study and research have kept him in touch with the advanced thought and progress of the profession, was born in Chautauqua county, New York, July 30, 1855, his parents being David and Caroline (More- house) Conner, both of whom were natives of New York, the father born in Ulster county, and the mother in Chautauqua county. In the winter of 1864-5 they removed westward to Rock Island county, Illinois, and Mrs. Conner passed away in that state when about forty-eight years of age. The death of David Conner occurred in St. Joseph, Missouri, when he was seventy-nine years of age. He was born in 1814 and in early man- hood engaged in farming but after his removal westward followed the lumber business in Illinois. Subsequently he made his home with his son, Dr. Conner, until 1890, and then went to live with another son at St. Joseph, Missouri, where he died in 1893. The Conner family numbered nine children, of whom the eldest, Alexander, died in infancy. Volney, the second son, was an engineer on the New York & Erie Railroad, now a part of the Lake Shore system, and had the notable record of being made an engineer when but sixteen years of age-the youngest in the service of the company. He was killed, however, in a railroad accident in 1855. Rodney, of St. Joseph, Missouri, enlisted when twenty-one years of age for service in the Civil war and was wounded and taken prisoner on the first day of the battle of Gettysburg, but was recaptured by the Union troops on the 2d. His injuries were so serious that for one year he re- mained in the hospital at Washington, D. C. He afterward went to the. front, participating in the Virginia campaign but in the battle of the Wilder- ness he was again wounded and taken prisoner, being incarcerated at Andersonville, where he was paroled, this freedom being granted to all soldiers who were likely to live through the winter, thus saving to the Confederate army the cost of their maintenance. In 1877 he went to Nebraska, where he entered land, was married, and there resided until about 1889, when he went to St. Joseph, Missouri. Adaline, the fourth Vol. II-19
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member of the family, died when twenty-five years of age. Gilbert en- listed at the age of sixteen, serving throughout the entire period of the Civil war. He was wounded on the first day of the battle of Gettysburg but did not retire from duty, although the wound continued to trouble him throughout his after life. He became a contractor and builder at Springfield, Ohio, and met death by falling from a scaffold when engaged in the construction of a building. Florence Ayres, the next of the family, is also deceased. Alison, who had charge of all carpenter work for the St. Louis division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, was killed by falling from a scaffold two months after his brother met death in a similar manner. Dr. Conner was the eighth of the family. Herman. the youngest, died of diptheria when five years of age.
When a lad of five years Dr. W. H. Conner was taken by his parents from New York to Crawford county, Pennsylvania, where the family lived for five years and thence removed westward to Rock Island county, Illinois, where they remained until 1878. In that year they became resi- dents of Polk county, Nebraska, where they continued until 1890. In the meantime Dr. Conner went upon the Mississippi river as an engineer, having been granted a license when but twenty-one years of age. He had previously been employed on the river in different capacities from the age of thirteen years. Subsequent to the removal to Nebraska, he engaged in farming and also followed engineering and the painting trade, but think- ing to find a professional career more congenial and also hoping to find it more profitable, he took up the study of medicine in 1890 in the Iowa State University at Iowa City, from which he was graduated on the 6th of March, 1893, receiving his M. D. degree. He then located for practice at Blue Grass, Scott county, Iowa, where he remained until 1894, since which time he has been a resident and practitioner of Fairfield. While he continues in the practice of medicine with good success he also makes a study of the treatment of diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat and displays marked skill in that department of professional service. His ability as a general practitioner is also marked and he has long been num- bered among the leading and successful representatives of the medical profession in Fairfield. He has always been a student of advanced medi- cal literature and he further keeps in touch with the advanced work of the profession through his membership in the Jefferson County Medical Society, the Hahnemann Medical Association, the Illinois and the American Institute of Homeopathy.
On the 4th of June, 1877. Dr. Conner was united in marriage to Miss Mary Vanderveen, who was born in Darke county, Ohio, in 1853, and in 1861 was taken to Rock Island county, Illinois, by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Vanderveen. Dr. and Mrs. Conner now have an interesting
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family of eight children: Harry W., a veterinary surgeon of Bloomfield, Iowa; Chauncey, a musician, of Kahoka, Missouri; Jessie, the wife of J. F. McEldery, a farmer of this county ; John V., a dealer in pianos in Kahoka, Missouri; Gertrude, a teacher of vocal music; Gladys, at home; Clyde C., a piano salesman, of Alexandria, Minnesota; and Helen. Nearly all of the children are musicians and their musical talent adds to the en- joyment of a happy home. Dr. Conner holds membership with the Masonic fraternity, having taken the degrees of the York Rite and also crossed the sands of the desert with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He like- wise belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and to the Com- mercial Club. He served as pension examiner under President Cleveland's second administration and has always been a democrat in politics. While in Nebraska he filled the office of county commissioner for two terms. He belongs to the Congregational church, in which he is a trustee and is always loyal to his professions. In every relation of life he measures up to a high standard of manhood and citizenship and in his chosen life work displays an unfaltering fidelity to the most advanced professional ethics.
ESTRUS W. NORTON.
Estrus W. Norton, enjoying an extensive and gratifying patronage as the proprietor of a livery stable at Lockridge, was born in Henry county, Iowa, on the 30th of May, 1876. His parents, Ambrose and Emma (Sam- mons) Norton, were likewise natives of this state. At an early day Am- brose Norton was taken by his parents to Henry county, where he acquired his education. He was reared to the work of the farm and as soon as old enough started out as an agriculturist on his own account, purchasing, clearing and improving a tract of land in Henry county. After having devoted his attention to the operation of that place for a few years he sold the property and purchased another farm in the same county, in the culti- vation of which he was engaged for several years. Disposing of the prop- erty, he purchased a farm in Jefferson county and was busily engaged in its operation until called to his final rest on the 4th of July, 1908. His wife had passed away on the 27th of February, 1889.
Estrus W. Norton was reared and educated in his native county, pur- suing his studies in the district schools. After putting aside his text- books he spent four years working for his grandfather and subsequently found employment as a farm hand for two years. On the expiration of that period he rented his father's farm, devoting his attention to its opera- tion for three years or until he came to Jefferson county. Here, in as-
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sociation with his father. he purchased a farm of one hundred and eleven acres in Lockridge township, the further cultivation and improvement of which claimed his time and energies for eight years. He returned to Henry county and there operated a farm of two hundred acres for one year. At the end of that time he came back to his farm in Jefferson county, being busily engaged in tilling the soil for three more years. He then abandoned agricultural pursuits, leased his farm and took up his abode in Lockridge, where he purchased the livery stable and has since conducted the same. It is the only livery in town and as its proprietor Mr. Norton has built up an extensive and remunerative patronage. He still owns his farm in Lockridge township and is widely recognized as one of the substantial and representative citizens of the community.
On the 23d of March, 1897, Mr. Norton was united in marriage to Miss Lula Shuppy, a daughter of Henry and Anna (Smithline) Shuppy, both of whom were born in Jefferson county, Iowa, the former in Wal- nut township and the latter in Lockridge township. After attaining his majority Henry Shuppy began farming on his own account, purchasing a tract of land in Walnut township which he cleared and improved. He operated the place until March, 1910, when he leased the same and has since lived retired, though he still resides on one of his farms. His prop- erty holdings embrace two hundred and forty acres of land in Walnut township, this county, and one hundred and seventy-five acres in Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Norton have one child, Mina Pearl, who is now twelve years of age.
In politics Mr. Norton is a republican, while his religious faith is in- dicated by his membership in the United Brethren church, to which his wife also belongs. Fraternally he is identified with the Woodmen of the World and the Woodmen Circle. Wherever known he is respected for his unfaltering allegiance to the principles of honorable manhood as manifest in business and social relations and in public-spirited citizenship.
PERRY KING.
Perry King, filling the position of department oil inspector of Iowa, by appointment of the governor, and making his home in Fairfield, was born in Highland county, Ohio. May 26, 1844, his parents being Morris and Susannah (Landes) King. The father was born in New Jersey, December 5, 1796. He was an only son but had a number of sisters, and with the family he removed to Ohio in his childhood days, spending the remainder of his life there on a farm. He died in Highland county, May
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4, 1851, at the age of fifty-five years. In the meantime he had cleared and improved two farms but his unflagging industry and hard work so undermined his health that death came to him when he should have been but in the prime of life. In early manhood he had wedded Susannah Landes, who was born in North Carolina, April 19, 1802. She long sur- vived her husband and passed away in Highland county, April 27, 1893, when in her ninety-second year. Her mother was a Runnells, a native of North Carolina, and when thirteen years of age she accompanied her parents on their emigration to Kentucky and later removed to Ohio, where her death occurred. She survived an Indian massacre in her native state. being the only white child who escaped death at that time, managing to save herself by hiding in an old fashioned bake oven. Her daughter, Mrs. King, was one of the oldest residents of Highland county, not only in years but also in the length of her stay in that county. She became the mother of fourteen children, of whom six sons and seven daughters lived to marry and have families of their own, and the six boys never used tobacco in any form-a most creditable record. Jane, the first child of the family, died in infancy. The others were: Mary, the deceased wife of Solomon Holden ; Mrs. Rebecca Miller, a widow, living in Des Moines : William, of O'Brien county, Iowa; Henry, who was shot down while working in a field on his farm in Missouri at the outbreak of the Civil war; Huldah Reams, deceased; John, who was a teacher and surveyor in Highland county for thirty years and died in Fairfield, while on a visit : Mrs. Margaret Stevens, a widow, of Highland county, Ohio, whose hus- band was in the Civil war; Allen, who served in Company G, Thirtieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry during the Civil war and is now deceased ; Mrs. Eliza Ferris, a widow, of Highland county, Ohio, whose husband also was in the struggle between the north and the south; Mrs. Sarah Perry, of Marion, Indiana ; Robert, who served in the One Hundred and Sixty- eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry and died in Columbus, Ohio; Perry, of this review; and Mrs. Gelina Custar, of Marion, Indiana.
Perry King, who was next to the youngest in this large family of fourteen children, resided in his native county until he came to Iowa in 1880. In the meantime he had acquired his education in common and select schools and had early become familiar with the work of the farm. When fourteen years of age he began teaching and at the age of sixteen was employed as a teacher in the public schools. He followed that pro- fession for twenty years and was principal of the schools at Lynchburg, just prior to coming to Iowa. Following his arrival in Fairfield in 1880, he embarked in the grocery business in partnership with his brother Allen, under the firm style of Allen King & Brother, this connection being main- tained for eight years. Perry King was afterward in business alone until
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1898, when he sold out. He then enjoyed a rest of two years, after which he went upon the road as a traveling representative for a year for the Iowa Independent Order of Odd Fellows, making collections and securing sub- scribers for their paper. Subsequently he was with the firm of Springer & Stubbs, of California, for whom he sold imported horses and afterward he sold stock food for a local company. For three years he was agent for the Grand Union Tea Company, of New York, continuing in that position until the IIth of February, 1901, since which time he has been deputy oil inspector of Iowa under appointment of the governor.
Mr. King is well known in fraternal circles. On the 22d of June, 1872, he joined Lafayette Lodge, No. 25, I. O. O. F. at Hillsboro, Ohio, and after coming to this state was transferred to Jefferson Lodge, No. 4, at Fairfield, and when Fairfield Lodge, No. 625, I. O. O. F. was organized, he became one of its charter members. He is also connected with Rebekah Lodge, No. 386, and he belongs to George Strong Post, No. 19, G. A. R. His political support has ever been given to the republican party, which was the defender of the Union during the dark days of the Civil war and has ever been the party of reform and progress. His religious faith is evidenced in his attendance in the Congregational church.
Mr. King has been married twice. On the 15th of May, 1865, he wedded Phoebe Ann Berry, who was born in Highland county, Ohio, December 25, 1841, and died in Fairfield, Iowa, October 4, 1889. She was a daughter of John Berry, and by her marriage became the mother of five children: Emma E., the eldest, married Elmer E. Mattox and they have been missionaries in Hang-chau, China, for the past seventeen years, under the auspices of the Presbyterian church. She is a graduate of Parsons College of Fairfield and also of a Chicago college. Mary E., the second daughter, is the wife of C. H. Bundy, of Fathigarh, India. They, too, have been missionaries for the past sixteen years, being sent to a foreign field by the Presbyterian board. Mrs. Bundy is likewise a graduate of Parsons College and of a Council Bluffs college. Gelina C. is the wife of F. D. Kerrick, of Fairfield, and is a graduate of the high school of this city; Wirt B., has for a number of years been a traveling salesman for the Carr Manufacturing Company, of Kansas City and lives in Fairfield. Lee A., a graduate of the Gem City Commercial College, of Quincy, Illinois, is now chief clerk and auditor of the National City Bank, of Chicago. On the 24th of December, 1890, Mr. King was again mar- ried, his second union being with Miss Hadassah M. Black, who was born in Jefferson county, Iowa, June 22, 1845, and has always resided in this county. Her parents are Moses and Nancy (Glasgow) Black, natives of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, respectively. They came to Jefferson county in 1844, entered land in Des Moines township, and were thereafter
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honored pioneer residents of this section until death. Mr. King has be- come widely known during the thirty-one years of his residence in Fair- field and has the social qualities and sterling worth which have won for him the high regard and warm friendship of many with whom he has been brought in contact.
BENJAMIN BARNES.
Benjamin Barnes is now living retired in Fairfield, a life of well di- rected activity in following the plasterer's trade having brought him the comfortable competence that now enables him to spent the evening of his days in rest from further labor. Moreover, he deserves mention in this volume from the fact that for more than a half century he has lived in Fairfield, having come to this city in 1855. Its history is well known to him, for he has witnessed its growth and development through many decades. His birth occurred in Richland county, Ohio, about four and a half miles east of Mansfield, on the 12th of March, 1834, his parents being Thomas and Sarah J. (Case) Barnes, natives of Maryland and New Jer- sey, respectively. They were married, however, in Ohio, and in 1855 came with their son Benjamin to Fairfield, where they afterward resided. The father, who followed farming throughout his entire life, died in 1884 at the venerable age of eighty-six years, while his wife passed away when fifty-four years of age. In their family were seven children: Elizabeth and Samuel, both of whom are deceased; Benjamin; Julia and Susan, who died in this county ; Sadie, the widow of Guy Beatty, of . Fairfield, and one who died in infancy.
Benjamin Barnes was twenty-one years of age when he came to Iowa. His youth had been passed on his father's farm in Ohio, and his educa- tional opportunities were those afforded by the public schools. He early learned the plasterer's trade and has made it his life work, continuously following that business until the last three years, during which time he has lived retired. He thoroughly mastered the trade in early manhood and because of the excellence of his labor and his reliable business methods, he was accorded a liberal patronage.
In 1859 Mr. Barnes was married in Fairfield to Miss Mary E. Wil- son, who was born in Covington, Indiana, April 22, 1835, and came to Iowa with her parents in 1837. She is a daughter of Grinder and Eleanor B. (Walker) Wilson, the father born in North Carolina and the mother in Kentucky. They were farming people and spent their last days in Fairfield but on coming to Iowa, took up their abode near Mount Pleas-
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ant. Their family numbered four sons and four daughters, who lived to mature years, while one child died in infancy, these being: John Milton, Catherine, Isaac, James, Joshua, Prudence and Ellen, all now deceased ; Mary, who is the only one now living; and Francis, who died in infancy. Mrs. Barnes is today the oldest resident of Jefferson county in years of connection with this part of the state, for there is no one living here that came prior to 1837. This was two years before the county was organ- ized by the territorial legislature and she remembers well when the state was admitted to the Union. She relates many interesting incidents of the early days when the broad prairies were covered with their native grasses, when the timber was uncut and when deer and other wild game were to be had in abundance. Indians, too, were more numerous than the white settlers in this part of the state and the work of improvement and progress had scarcely been begun. Mr. Barnes, too, is one of the oldest settlers, here, having for fifty-six years lived in Fairfield. In politics he is a re- publican, supporting the party since its organization, and his religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church. He has always lived up to his profession and his life has been an honorable, upright one.
WILLIAM L. BANKHEAD.
William L. Bankhead, who for the past three years has capably dis- charged the duties devolving upon him in the capacity of postmaster at Lockridge, has long devoted his attention to general agricultural pursuits and still resides on his farm near Coal Port. His birth occurred in Penn- sylvania on the 27th of September, 1852, his parents being James and Mary (Dalton) Bankhead, the former a native of Scotland and the latter of the Keystone state. Emigrating to America, James Bankhead first lo- cated in British Columbia and subsequently removed to Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in coal mining. In 1853 he came to Jefferson county, Iowa, locating near Fairfield. He opened the first coal mine in this county in association with John Heron, with whom he remained in partnership about four years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Lock- ridge township and opened a mine at what is now called Coal Port, con- tinuing its operation until about sixty years of age. The remainder of his life was spent in honorable retirement in the home of our subject, his de- mise occurring on the 4th of May, 1898. He had been a resident of this county forty-five years and had won many warm friends within its borders. His wife was called to her final rest on the 16th of June, 1896.
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William L. Bankhead was reared to manhood in Jefferson county and largely acquired his education in the district schools of Lockridge town- ship. After putting aside his text-books he remained on the home farm and assisted in its operation until thirty years of age, when he purchased the tract of land in Lockridge township which has remained in his pos- session continuously since and in the cultivation and improvement of which he has been busily engaged. In 1908 he was appointed postmaster at Lockridge and has since filled the office in a most satisfactory and com- mendable manner. In the conduct of his agricultural interests he has also met with success and is widely recognized as one of the substantial and representative citizens of the community.
In September, 1882, Mr. Bankhead was united in marriage to Miss Lydia Graber, a daughter of Christian and Fanny (Weise) Graber, both of whom were natives of France. The father, who became one of the earliest settlers of Jefferson county, Iowa, purchased land from the govern- ment and began its improvement. To the cultivation of that property he devoted his time and energies throughout the remainder of his life, pass- ing away in 1887. The demise of his wife occurred in 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Bankhead have two children, namely: Bertha M., the wife of Lewis Boos, a merchant of Lockridge, Iowa; and Gladys F., editor of the Lock- ridge Herald.
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