USA > Iowa > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 39
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Father Gallitzin, the first priest in this country to have conferred upon him all the orders up to the sacred priesthood, was ordained by Bishop Carroll at St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, Maryland, March 18, 1795. His first appointment by Bishop Carroll was the care of the Catholics from
kongo Mogao.
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Cumberland, Maryland, to Huntingdon and the heart of the Alleghanies in Pennsylvania. In July, 1799, Father Gallitzin was appointed pastor of Loretto, Pennsylvania, and in this appointment he was followed by the families of the great-grandparents of Rev. Henry J. Hogan, the immediate subject of this sketch. Their names were Henry Cooper and Mary Green on his grandfather's side ; and Walter Elder and Priscilla Elder on his grand- mother's side. His great-grandfather Henry Cooper was born, June 10, 1759. When the colonies declared their independence from the mother country he volunteered his services in the cause of his country, but owing to his youth was rejected. He persisted in his offers however, and even- tually was accepted and served in the army until the conclusion of the American Revolution. In later years he took great delight in telling his family of his experience in the Continental army, the hardships and the privations endured, the courage and bravery of the soldiers and their grati- tude to God in the surrender of Lord Cornwallis to the American patriots on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virginia. The paternal grandparents of H. J. Hogan, were Patrick Hogan and Mary Pettigrew, the former born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and the latter in Scotland. They were married in 1839. John Hogan, their eldest son, when only twenty-one years of age, volunteered his services in the cause of his country and he was accepted and served during the entire Rebellion.
On January 8, 1866, John Hogan and Cathrine Cooper were married at St. Ann's, Long Grove, Iowa, and to them Henry J. and Charlotte B. were born. Henry J. was baptized by Monsignore M. Flavin, in the old St. Anthony's church, the first church built in Davenport and one of the first built in Iowa. His early boyhood days were spent in Scott county and Davenport, where he attended the public schools and later St. Ambrose Col- lege from which institution he graduated with the class of 1899. In Sep- tember, the same year, he attended St. Mary's University at Baltimore, where he prepared for the priesthood, concluding his course there, after which he was ordained by His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, in the cathedral, Baltimore, on the 21st of June, 1902. On the 28th of June he was appointed assistant to Bishop Davis of the Sacred Heart cathedral and here he labored earnestly for three and one half years. He was then appointed pastor of St. Mary's church at Fairfield, January 1, 1906. His zeal for his church is untiring and his labors find their tangible expression not only in the spiritual growth of the parish but in the splendid new church which has recently been erected under his supervision and through his efforts. On the 17th of May, 1908, this church was dedicated and it was made a most in- teresting occasion to the diocese.
It was a happy day for Father Hogan, who had entered upon his mis- sion in Fairfield, with "zeal, tact and eloquence" and set up a new ideal for Vol. II-23
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the people of St. Mary's in the building of the church that was up to the standard of its people. To make this ideal real, however, required more than zeal, tact and eloquence. It required genius too, that genius which the philosopher well described as "capacity for hard work." Father Hogan has demonstrated the possession of that capacity which is the crowning qualifi- cation of success in every vocation of life. His remarkable executive ability joined with his other qualifications, make him a credit to the clergy of the Davenport diocese. He undertook the arduous task of building a church under very peculiar circumstances and never ceased in his labors until this splendid equipped church was completed and on the day designated, it was dedicated almost free from debt. On this occasion Bishop Davis, The Very Reverend D. M. Gorman, president of St. Joseph's College, Dubuque, Iowa, and Very Reverend M. Bonfield, Chicago, Illinois, delivered eloquent and forceful sermons.
The church stands at the corner of Grimes and Third streets and it is a notable addition to the church architecture of Fairfield. It presents a beautiful and striking combination of the Romanesque and the old mission style of southern California. It is built of pressed brick, trimmed in Bedford stone and has a red-tile roof. It is ninety-five feet long and the width varies from forty-seven to sixty-three feet. The interior arrangement pre- sents many novel and beautiful features not usually found in small parish churches. Three altars occupy the sanctuary and these with the statues and the stations of the cross and other ornaments were the gifts of individ- ual members and friends.
The members of the parish and citizens of Fairfield cooperated heartily with Father Hogan in his efforts to build up this church under whose leadership the work was pushed vigorously until the house of worship was ready for dedication, which was made one of the most important religious occasions in the history of the church in Jefferson county.
CHARLES H. LINDER.
In the middle west there is prevalent a spirit of progress which prompts the individual to put forth his best effort and utilize his opportunities to the greatest advantage. And it frequently happens that the men who came from the east, after educational possibilities increased, have been appointed to fill business positions which not only call for energy, alert- ness and some training but also regulate and stimulate business. Among this class is Charles H. Linder, a charter director and the cashier of the Linby Savings Bank. He was born in Washington county, Virginia, Jan-
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uary 17, 1859, his parents being Abram and Elizabeth (Vance) Linder, both of whom were natives of Virginia. Mr. Linder was an agriculturist of Scotch-Irish descent and resided in Virginia until his death in 1881. At that time he had sold the old homestead on account of ill health and was making arrangements to remove to Texas, where he hoped to find a more salubrious climate. In 1882 Mrs. Linder brought her family to Polk township, Jefferson county, where she rented a farm near Abingdon, which the sons cultivated until 1890. In that year Thomas M. Linder purchased his present farm just west of Linby and the mother resided there until her death in December, 1910.
Upon starting out to earn his own livelihood in 1885 Charles H. Linder accepted a clerical position in the store of T. W. Gobble & Company at Abingdon, where he remained for five years. On the expiration of that period he went to Oklahoma and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land in Logan county, which he still owns, although he returned to Abing- don and resumed his place as clerk in the Gobble store. He held this posi- tion until going to Libertyville and opening a mercantile business in part- nership with Lee Gobble under the firm name of Gobble & Linder. After six years he removed to Fairfield, where he served as deputy county treas- urer under Harry Brown for six months and in March, 1908, he began negotiations for opening a private bank in Linby in the store of Dudgeon & Gambill. This bank was recognized as being ready for business on the 7th of August, 1908, when Mr. Linder, together with L. Dudgeon, now deceased, A. H. Eller, also deceased, L. A. Andrew, C. B. Ruggles, F. R. Gambill and T. Kenyon organized and incorporated the Linby Savings Bank of Linby, Iowa, with a capital stock of ten thousand dollars. The first officers elected were: L. A. Andrews, president; L. Dudgeon, vice president ; and Charles H. Linder, cashier. At the present time the officers are: Floyd R. Gambill, president; R. E. Mowery, vice president ; and Charles H. Linder, cashier. These officers, together with W. E. Black, G. T. Russell, C. B. Ruggles and T. Kenyon form the present directorate. This banking institution has firmly established itself in the confidence of the community, a fact which is due to the integrity of the members of the directorate and the courtesy of the employes.
Mr. Linder was married in 1890 to Miss Della Foreman, who is a daughter of Richard Foreman, a well known agriculturist residing near Batavia. Mrs. Linder's death occurred while residing at Libertyville in 1907. To them two children were born. Edgar, the eldest, is now twenty years of age and has graduated from the Fairfield high school and the Cedar Rapids Business College. In August, 1911, he accepted the posi- tion of assistant cashier in the First State Bank of Holstein, Iowa. Horace,
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the younger, attended the Fairfield high school for three years and is now a student of the Cedar Rapids Business College.
In politics Mr. Linder is a democrat and is interested in the success of his party and its measures and is thoroughly alive to the issues of the day. He is an honorable and progressive citizen and is recognized by the community at large as a forceful factor for development and improvement in the town in which he makes his home.
CASSIUS M. McCHESNEY.
Cassius M. McChesney is one of the most prominent and best known farmers of Polk township, his landed possessions being extensive. His time and energies are devoted to the cultivation of six hundred and seventy acres and his practical judgment and progressive methods are manifest in the excellent appearance of his place and in the splendid results which crown his labors. He was born upon a farm in Clayton township, Wood- ford county, Illinois, October 26. 1858, a son of Jacob and Elsie (Davison ) McChesney. The father was born in Rensselaer county. New York, in 1835 and was of Scotch and German descent, while his wife, also a native of Rensselaer county, was of Scotch-Irish lineage. Jacob McChesney was a college graduate, having pursued his course of study with the inten- tion of becoming a representative of one of the learned professions. How- ever, he changed his plans, was married and turned his attention to the carpenter's trade. His college training, however, was not lost, for it was the basis of his proficiency as a mechanic and of the artistic element which entered into the fine woodwork that he did in connection with his trade. Previous to his marriage he had engaged in clerking in a store for a time but later became connected with building operations. When twenty-two years of age hie removed from the state of New York to Illinois, settling in Clayton township. Woodford county, where his son Cassius was born. For a few years the father resided upon a farm and in connection with the cultivation of his fields continued to engage in carpentering. At length he established his home in Minonk, Illinois, where he began work as a contractor and builder. There he lived for twenty years, following his trade throughout that period, but at the end of two decades retired from active life, his former indefatigable labor having brought to him a sub- stantial return. Indolence and idleness, however, are utterly foreign to his nature and, being unable to content himself without some employment. he works just enough to keep himself active and well. His wife is still living and this worthy couple, who were married in Rensselaer county,
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New York, are still traveling life's journey happily together, their mutual love and confidence increasing as the years have passed by.
In the public schools of Minonk, Illinois, Cassius McChesney pursued his education until he reached the age of sixteen years, when his parents returned to the farm, and there he assisted his father in the further de- velopment and improvement of the fields until twenty-three years of age. when he started out in life on his own account. He began farming on rented land, thus spending his time for three years on a tract near the old homestead. During that period he carefully saved his earnings until he possessed a sum sufficient to enable him to purchase eighty acres in the same neighborhood. For six years he resided upon that property and in 1890 he came to Jefferson county, Iowa, establishing his home about three miles east of Packwood in Black Hawk township, having previously disposed of his Illinois property. His first Iowa farm he purchased of Curtis Houghton-a tract of two hundred acres for which he paid thirty dollars per acre. For nine years he lived upon that place and during that period extended its boundaries by an additional purchase of forty acres. Subsequently he sold the two hundred and forty acre tract and removed to a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, two and a half miles south, which he purchased. There he made his home until 1904, when he took up his abode at his present place of residence, buying one hundred and seventy-six acres on section 25, Polk township. He still retains the Black Hawk township property, however, and both tracts of land are rich and valuable. At different times he has added to his holdings until today in the various fine farms which he owns are found six hundred and seventy acres of as arable and productive land as can be seen in Jefferson county. His entire acreage is well devoted to cultivation or to pasturage and Mr. McChesney and his son are now cultivating three hundred and twenty acres of his land, while the remainder he rents.
On the 29th of August, 1880, occurred the marriage of Mr. McChesney and Miss Flora E. Bennington, a native of Marshall county, Illinois, and a daughter of James N. and Amanda (Hollenback) Bennington. Her father was born in Tazewell county, Illinois, in 1831, and was of Scotch descent, while his wife, a native of Ohio, was of Scotch-Irish lineage. When only a year old Mr. Bennington was taken by his parents to Mar- shall county, Illinois, where he spent his entire life, always following the occupation of farming and making his home for a quarter of a century upon the farm where his death occurred November 10, 19II. His widow still resides on the old homestead. He was one of the worthy and hon- ored pioneer residents of that district and all who knew him entertained for him high regard.
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Unto Mr. and Mrs. McChesney have been born seven children, of whom five are yet living. LeRoy Virgil, who occupies his father's farm just north of the homestead property, married Lela Peters, a daughter of John and Mollie Peters, and they now have one child, Viola Irene. Lena Ellen is the wife of Melvin Barron, a farmer of Black Hawk town- ship, and they have one son, Merle McChesney Barron. Cassius Cullom assists his father in his farming operations. Carrie Lois is a pupil in the Packwood high school and Blanche Marie is also attending school in Pack- wood. The two children who have passed away are: Ethel Irene, who died at the age of three years; and Viola, who died at the age of one year. The parents and the two oldest children are members of the Chris- tian church of Packwood and in politics Mr. McChesney is a stalwart republican. He has served as clerk of Polk township for two terms and for several terms has been a member of the district school board in Black Hawk township. He has also been secretary of the school board of dis- trict No. I since coming to Polk township and is a champion of the cause of education, doing much to advance the interests of the schools in this part of the county. In fact Mr. McChesney is known as a citizen who has deep interest in the welfare and progress of his community and whose cooperation can always be counted upon to further any movement for the general good. As a business man he stands prominent among those whose labors have constituted the basis of substantial success. Wherever known he is held in high regard not only because his business interests have brought him prosperity, but also because of the straightforward, honorable policy which he has ever followed in the conduct of business transactions. He has based his principles upon the rules which govern strict and unswerv- ing integrity and owes his success to his judicious investment, his sound judgment and his unfaltering energy.
ROBERT B. KENYON.
One of the men who have watched the advance of the installation of modern inventions and economic progress of Iowa is Robert B. Kenyon, whose birth occurred in Fairfield, on the 4th of September, 1847. His parents, whose marriage took place in Ohio, were Mr. and Mrs. James Kenyon, the former being born on the Isle of Man, February 18, 1818, of Manxman descent, and the latter born February 5, 1814. The father came to America with his parents when five years of age and located in Ohio, where he remained until after his marriage to Miss Jane Tier, a native of London, England. In 1846 they removed to Fairfield, Iowa,
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where Mr. Kenyon followed his trade as a mason until 1859, when he took up farming for a short time near Fairfield. Subsequently he came to Polk township, where he purchased land and settled on the farm which is now owned by George E. Estes. Mr. Kenyon transported from Bur- lington to Omaha the surveying crew which made the first survey for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad through Jefferson county, Iowa. The greater part of the inhabitants along the route which this railroad followed had never before seen a train and Robert Kenyon remembers that as the first train entered Fairfield the children of the town put their hands to their ears endeavoring to shut out the noise which they had been told the train would make. They were greatly disappointed, however, that the noise was so slight. Until his death on the 20th of August, 1880, the father gave his whole time and attention to the cultivation and im- provement of his property, upon which he had built a comfortable home for himself. The death of his wife occurred May 7, 1876.
Robert B. Kenyon received his education in the schools of Fairfield and Polk township and lived with his parents until sixteen years of age, when he enlisted at Abingdon for service in the Civil war, serving with Company D, Nineteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. This regiment became a part of the Department of the Gulf. Mr. Kenyon saw some rather in- teresting fighting. He took part in the siege and capture of Spanish Fort and the battles of Mobile, Goode's Plantation and Fort Gaines, in addi- tion to a number of skirmishes. He remained in service until the close of the war and after his discharge at New Orleans, August 20, 1865, he returned to his home in Polk township and engaged in farming with his father until his marriage. After that he farmed independently on the old homestead for four years, at the end of which time he removed to his present homestead, which then consisted of eighty acres but has since been enlarged to two hundred and forty acres. This property is all under a high state of cultivation and is some of the most improved farm land in the district, yielding profitably and attesting the ability of its manager.
Mr. Kenyon was married on the 12th of October, 1876, to Miss Mary Cline, a native of Ohio and a daughter of William and Rebecca Cline. They were both born in Ohio, the former June 6, 1824, and the latter July 12, 1831. They came to Jefferson county at an early day and located in Polk township on the farm upon which they lived until their deaths, February 10, 1868, and June 14, 1864, respectively. To Mr. and Mrs. Kenyon five children have been born. William E., the eldest, married Mertha Black, of Polk township, and is engaged in a clerical position in a store at Packwood. They are the parents of one child, Earl. Anna J. became the wife of William Mills, who is an agriculturist of Polk town- ship and was formerly engaged for several years in the harness making
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business in Packwood. They are the parents of three children, Marie, Fern and Mary. Nora Dollie is the wife of John Carr, an agriculturist of Polk township. Lewis Earl resides at home with his parents and is married to Effie Shy, of Keokuk county. He farms for himself, renting land from his father. Roy, who is assisting his father in the management of his property, resides at home.
Mr. Kenyon, although a republican in political principles, casts his vote for the man whom he thinks is best fitted for the office to be filled no matter what his party affiliation. He has served one term as township clerk and is at present serving his second year as township trustee. He has also been a school director for several years and has filled for eleven years the office of road supervisor. Until its discontinuation Mr. Kenyon was a member of the Grand Army post at Abingdon and Mrs. Kenyon holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church of Packwood. In 1908 he retired from active farming and gave the management of his place over to his sons, who are now engaged in carrying on general farm- ing and feeding cattle. Throughout his life he has been a hard and per- sistent worker and has well earned the comforts and leisure which he is now enjoying.
JOHN H. KYLE.
John H. Kyle, who passed away in Penn township, on the 5th of Jan- uary, 1888, was for a number of years identified with general agricultural pursuits in Jefferson county. His birth occurred in Louisville, Kentucky, on the 7th of November, 1844, his parents being John and Mary (Steel) Kyle, who were natives of Scotland and Ireland respectively. The father emigrated to the United States at an early day, locating in Louisville, Ken- tucky, where he was married and was employed in a cemetery for a num- ber of years. In 1856 he came to Jefferson county, Iowa, and purchased a tract of land in Penn township, clearing and improving the property and being busily engaged in its operation until called to his final rest in 1894. His wife passed away in August, 1876.
John H. Kyle obtained his early education in his native city and sub- sequently made his way to St. Louis, Missouri, where he entered college and took up the study of pharmacy. After completing the course he worked in a drug store as a registered pharmacist for four years. On the expiration of that period he came to Jefferson county and began assisting his father in the operation of the home farm, residing thereon throughout the remainder of his life. At the time of his father's death his widow came
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into possession of the home place of one hundred and ninety-three acres. For the past seventeen years Mrs. John H. Kyle has leased the property and has lived in a residence of her own at Pleasant Plain.
It was on the 4th of July, 1866, that Mr. Kyle was united in marriage to Miss Nettie Parshall, who was born at Brighton, Iowa, on the 10th of September, 1848, her parents being Simon and Elizabeth (Auld) Par- shall, natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania respectively. The father, a black- smith by trade, came to Jefferson county, Iowa, in an early day, making the journey overland with an ox team through a country infested by Indians. . After conducting a blacksmith shop in this county for some time, he removed to Brighton, Iowa, locating there when the little village boasted only three houses. Opening a blacksmith shop, he conducted the same until the outbreak of the gold fever, when he joined several other men in an overland journey to California, working as a miner in that state for three years. At the end of that time he returned to Brighton and again opened a blacksmith shop, conducting the same until he died of cholera in 1854. His wife long surviving him, passed away in 1896. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Kyle were born eight children, three of whom died in infancy. The others were as follows: Mary, who is the wife of Edward Jones and resides at East Pleasant Plain; Clara, the wife of B. S. Cash, of Albia, Iowa; John, a grocer of Pleasant Plain; Jessie, the wife of Bert Weitzel, a salesman for Borden's Condensed Milk Company ; and Fanny, who passed away on the 20th of October, 1887.
Mr. Kyle gave his political allegiance to the republican party and held several positions of public trust. He served as township clerk for several years and also acted as assessor and as secretary of the school board. Fra- ternally he was identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Fairfield, Iowa, while his religious faith was that of the Presbyterian church. His widow and children belong to the Methodist church. Mrs. Kyle has many friends in the community where she resides and the hos- pitality of the best homes is cordially extended her.
JULIUS CRILE.
Julius Crile, well known in agricultural and financial circles of Jef- ferson county, is today one of the most extensive landowners in this part of the state, his possessions aggregating ten hundred and sixty acres, most of which lies in Walnut and Lockridge townships, Jefferson county. It was in the former township that his birth occurred in July, 1846, his parents being John P. and Gottlieben (Kull) Crile, both of whom were
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