USA > Iowa > Jones County > History of Jones County, Iowa, past and present, Volume II > Part 20
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JOHN J. MERRITT.
John J. Merritt, one of the venerable citizens of Hale, Iowa, who is now living retired after a long and useful life spent in agricultural pursuits, was born December 4, 1833, near Lockport, New York, a son of John and Katharine (Culp) Merritt. His father was also born in New York state in 1806, and there he married Katharine Culp, also a native of New York, who was born in 1800. In 1837 he came to Jones county, Iowa, locating a claim northwest of Olin, in what is now known as Rome township, and is supposed to have been the first white man to reach a point that far west in 1837, although many settlers came during the following year. This was before the county or state had been organized and the district was then known as the Black Hawk Purchase, later Wisconsin Territory. Returning to New York, Mr. Merritt brought his family by boat from Pittsburg down the Ohio river to the Mississippi, and up the latter river to where Clinton, Iowa, is now located, and here the family resided for one year on account of wild condition of the country around the new claim and the num- erous Indians in the locality. This was a hard year for the little party of pioneers, whose meat consisted of deer and wild duck, while the meal for their bread was pounded corn. Milk was churned in a jug, and in all things the most primitive conditions prevailed. In 1838, the family located on the claim, which originally consisted of five hundred acres, a part of which was given to a neighbor some time later. The nearest trading points at this time were Du- buque and Davenport, each about fifty miles away, and no postoffice was located in the district until 1842. John Merritt spent his whole life in farming and here died December 1, 1886, his wife having passed away in 1855. They had a family of seven children, namely: Horatio Nelson, who lives in Washington ; Agnes, who was the wife of Mathias Houseman and who died three years ago; Joseph, who is a resident of Black Hills; John J .; William, who lives in Washington ; Dollie, who married John Lyons and who is now deceased; and Cornelius, who resides in Newport, Iowa.
John J. Merritt received a limited education in a log schoolhouse situated two miles from his home, but he has since improved his every opportunity for learn- ing, and is an excellent conversationalist and takes pleasure in relating incidents of the strenuous days of early Iowa. He followed farming throughout his
JOHN MERRITT
MR. AND MRS. JOHN. J. MERRITT
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active life, owning four hundred acres of fine land in Rome township, one-half of which, however, he has disposed of. In 1897, he retired from active work and moved to his residence in the village of Hale, where he has since lived. He still supervises the work on his farm, however, which is located on sections 2 and 3, Rome township, and is devoted to the growing of grain and the raising of high-grade stock.
On June 5, 1856, Mr. Merritt was married to Rebecca Blainey, who was born July 25, 1839, in Wheeling, West Virginia, and died May 30, 1905. Unto them were born eight children, as follows: J. B., who resides in Webster City; Miranda, who died aged thirty-two years; Mary, who is the wife of Charles Walston, of Olin; Gus, who lives in Nebraska; Augusta, who was the twin of Gus, and who died when thirteen years of age; D. Carl, who lives in Olin; Irving, who lives in Cedar Rapids ; and W. Dell, on our subject's farm in Rome township.
Mr. Merritt has been a stanch republican all his life, his first presidential vote having been cast for John C. Fremont, and he has been active in his party's success in this section, serving in numerous township offices. Fraternally he is connected with Olin Lodge, No. 200, A. F. & A. M.
W. HOWARD NORRIS.
W. Howard Norris, a representative farmer of Scotch Grove township, was born in Maryland, February 8, 1869. His parents were George R. and Eliza (White) Norris, both descendants of families who had for generations been iden- tified with the affairs of that state. It was their birthplace, as well as that of their son, and remained their home until 1822. In March of that year Mr. Norris moved his family to Jones county, Iowa, locating in Scotch Grove township, where he resided, with the exception of two years, until his death. His life was brought to a close in 1892, but Mrs. Norris is still living, making her home with her son Arthur in that township.
W. Howard Norris was reared at home and obtained his education in the district schools. After the death of his father, he and his brother Arthur con- tinued to farm the home place until 1902, when Howard Norris came to live upon the land which is now the scene of his operations. In 1901 he had purchased one hundred and four acres, with the farm buildings thereon, of the old William Mc- Intyre place, and in the winter of that year he bought an additional fifty-six acres, so that he might have a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, to which he re- moved in the spring of 1902. In 1904 he purchased an adjoining eighty acres, so that he now owns two hundred and forty acres in one body. Although this con- stitutes his landholdings at the present, in 1899 he bought the Finley Lewis farm, near Onslow, Scotch Grove township, embracing one hundred and twenty acres. He never located on that place, however, but, after renting it for several years, disposed of it in 1904 at a handsome profit. Mr. Norris has devoted himself largely to diversified farming but he has every year engaged more extensively in the stock business. A careful husbandman, industrious and ambitious to ob-
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tain the best results possible for his investment of time and labor, he has risen to an enviable position among the agriculturists here. Open, honest and upright, his life has won the respect of all who have come in contact with him.
In May, 1901, Mr. Norris wedded Miss Augusta Scheer, of Wayne township, a daughter of Christ Scheer, one of the leading farmers of that township. Of this marriage have been born three children: Alice Rosa, Edna Margaret and Lucille Esther. Mr. Norris has ever given stanch support to the republican party, as he places the utmost confidence in its platform, but has taken no part in the local public affairs. His wife is a devout member of the Lutheran church, and although he does not give allegiance to any religious body the principles by which he orders his life are those encouraged by all Christian faiths.
JOHN HENRY DIRKS.
John Henry Dirks, whose agricultural success has added to the fair name of Jones county and of Scotch Grove township in particular as one of the pros- perous sections of the state, was born in Hanover. Germany. December 18, 1850, a son of Dirk and Maria (Jacobs) Dirks. They followed their son to this coun- try in 1880 but after about four years sojourn here returned to their native land. There in 1887 the mother died and in the summer of the same year the father came again to the United States, making his home with his children. His death occurred June 15, 1898.
At home, under the wise guidance of his parents. John Henry Dirks re- ceived the practical education which supplemented the training he obtained in the public schools of his native land. In 1870. when he was about twenty years of age, he decided to come to the United States to make his fortune. After land- ing upon our shores he came to Jones county. Iowa, where he worked for four years in the employ of Peter Schwartz. At the end of that time, as the latter wished to take a trip to Germany, Mr. Dirks rented his place and began farming on his own account. For sixteen years he prosecuted his labors as a tenant in different sections of the township and then, in 1888, bought at the sheriff's sale the place which had belonged to Hugh McClain. It embraced one hundred and twenty acres, lying on section 31, Scotch Grove township. For the first two years of his possession, however, Mr. Dirks rented it to the son of Mr. McClain, not taking up his own residence upon it until 1890. Since that time it has been his home continuously. In 1891 he purchased forty acres adjoining his place, so that his present farm has a total area of one hundred and sixty acres. In 1902 he purchased another tract of land of eighty acres in Wayne township, which he operates in conjunction with that on which he lives. This large acreage may well be contrasted with the three dollars which was the extent of his possessions when Mr. Dirks entered this country. His landholdings and the success he has won from his cultivation of the soil make him now one of the substantial farmers of this county.
On the 25th of June, 1886, Mr. Dirks was united in marriage to Miss Mary Otten, of Scotch Grove township. She is a native of Hanover. Germany, and
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came to this country in 1885. Nine children have been born to the couple : Mary, Anna, Dirk, Grace, Otto, Henry, Frederick, Herman and William. They are all . at home. The family are members of the German Lutheran church, in harmony with whose teachings they order their lives, while politically Mr. Dirks has given his support to the republican party, for he feels that he has seen repeated dem- onstration of the value of its principles of government.
MARSHALL W. HERRICK.
During the two score years and more that Marshall W. Herrick has practiced his profession, that of the law, in the town of Monticello, he has so closely iden- tified himself with the best interests of the community that his fellow citizens have several times chosen him for positions in which reliance was placed upon his judgment and discrimination. He was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, November 15, 1844, his parents being John and Emeline (Higganbotham) Herrick. The former was a native of New York, where he was born in 1818, while the latter was one of the daughters of Virginia, her birth occurring in the same year as that of the man she afterward married. The father followed farming through the years of his activity and died in Monticello at the age of seventy-seven. The mother also passed away in the same town, although she lived to be eighty years of age.
Marshall W. Herrick was reared at home and was but six years of age when in 1850 his parents left their Indiana home and removed to a farm in the vicinity of Madison, Wisconsin. In 1856 they became residents of the town of Burnett in Dodge county. Wisconsin, which remained his home until after the completion of his education, when he came to Monticello. After attending the public schools he entered Wayland University at Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, taking up the read- ing of law during his last year at that institution. In 1866 he entered the law school at Albany, New York, and after graduating therefrom in 1867, was ad- mitted to practice in the court of appeals in New York. He returned then to his family in Wisconsin, being admitted to the courts of that state, and to those of the state of Iowa when, in 1868, he took up his residence in Monticello. He is also licensed to practice in the United States district and circuit courts and in the court of appeals. His energy and his efficiency in handling cases intrusted to him won for him the election as county attorney of Jones county, a position he held from September, 1895, to January 1, 1901, and the disinterested part he had ever played in the affairs of the town of Monticello secured for him the loyal support of its citizens when he was the candidate for mayor. His freedom from partiality, his broad views and well balanced intellect on the other hand, made him a valuable addition to the school board of the city and to the library board, while his success in his profession has won recognition among his fellow practi- tioners through election to the presidency of the Jones County Bar Association, a chair he has held for several years past.
On the 13th of September, 1870, at Monticello, Mr. Herrick wedded Miss Mary C. Chamberlin, a native of New York. Two children have been born to
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them : Mrs. Mabel Grace Hall, of Monticello; and Mrs. Frances Marion Bates, of Stanford, South Dakota. Politically Mr. Herrick has always affiliated with the republican party, while with his open-mindedness and independence of judgment he finds in the beliefs of the Christian Science church the religious tenets that please him and he is connected with that denomination in Monticello. Since 1869 he has been a Master Mason, being a member of Burns Lodge, No. 173, A. F. & A. M.
THOMAS McGOVERN.
One of the larger farmers of Richland township, who has taken some part in local affairs, is Thomas McGovern, who was born in Washington township, this county. He is the son of William and Jane (Heery) Mc- Govern, both natives of Ireland where the father's birth occurred in 1825 and the mother's in 1819. In 1837 they came to the United States, separately, and sixteen years later were married in New York. The following year, that of 1854, they came to Jones county, Iowa, where for a short time they rented land, later buying the farm in Richland township, on which their son Thomas now lives. Although they came after the first band of men and women had braved the hardships of pioncer life, there was yet much to be done before their property could be brought to the state of cultivation it showed after they had lived here nearly half a century, for Mr. McGovern lived until 1900 and his wife six years longer. Of the eight children born of their union, two now survive: William, a farmer of Richland township; and Thomas, the subject of this sketch.
Thomas McGovern received a fair education in the common schools of this county, and, being reared at home, he obtained a thorough and practical train- ing for the work of life. He remained with his parents until their death, as- suming the heavier cares of the cultivation of the farm when his father's ad- vancing years made active work impossible. Upon the death of the latter he bought the interests of the other heirs and has continued to make his boyhood's home the scene of his mature labors. He has added to the original tract, how- ever, as success has crowned his efforts, and now owns five hundred and seventy- seven acres of good, arable land in Richland township. In connection with general farming Mr. McGovern has made a specialty of feeding stock for the market, finding that a most profitable adjunct to his other interests. The suc- cess which he now enjoys has not been a thing of chance but the well deserved reward for years of conscientious toil, bringing with it a satisfaction that comes from the work of one's own hands and not through the misfortune of another.
In 1891 Mr. McGovern was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Dolphin. She was born in this county in 1857 and is a daughter of James and Mary (Go- gen) Dolphin, the latter a resident of Cascade, Iowa, and seventy-six years of age. Mr. Dolphin, however, has passed away. Three children were born to Mr. McGovern and his wife: Mazie, Valinda and George. Mrs. McGovern died Jan- uary 12, 1909, in the faith of the Catholic church, in which she has been reared and of which she was a devout member during her lifetime.
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Mr. McGovern is also a member of that church, while politically he is in sympathy with the principles of the democratic party. For a period of sixteen years he was clerk of his township, and later, since he has taken an increased interest in the educational opportunities here, he has been secretary of the school board.
WILLIAM ALBIN STINGLEY.
William Albin Stingley, the section foreman of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad at Center Junction, which position he has occupied continuously for twenty-six years, is one of Madison township's most representative and highly esteemed citizens. A native of Indiana, he was born in Henry county on the 30th of March, 1849, a son of Andrew and Lucinda (Ireland) Stingley. The mother was born in Ohio while the father was probably born in Pennsylvania, his parents having come of Pennsylvania Dutch stock. In the course of time, however, both the Stingley and the Ireland families removed to Henry county, Indiana, where the parents of our subject were united in marriage, and in 1849 they came west to Jones county, Iowa, locating about four miles north of Me- chanicsville, in Rome township, where the father entered one hundred and sixty acres of land. In 1853 the father was accidentally shot by a friend while deer hunting and later the mother was married to Alexander Long. He, too, met an unnatural death, having been caught in a blizzard while in Cerro Gordo county in company with another party, at which time he was frozen to death. The mother was again married, her third union being with Collins McClaflin. She was a member of the Christian church, and in the faith of that denomination she passed away on the 27th of August, 1902, at the age of seventy-four years.
William Albin Stingley spent the period of his boyhood and youth in his na- tive state and was but four years of age at the time of the death of his father. Owing to the limited means of his widowed mother it was necessary for him at a very early age to assist in the support of the family, and the educational ad- vantages which he enjoyed therefore, were very meager, for he laid aside his text-books at the age of fourteen years. He remained under the parental roof, giving his mother the benefit of his aid, until sixteen years of age, when he left home and started out to earn his own livelihood in the business world. He was engaged in agricultural pursuits as a farm hand for about nine years, at the end of which time, through hard labor and careful saving of his earnings, he had accumulated sufficient means with which to engage in farming on his own ac- count. In 1877 he was united in marriage to Miss Estella Preston, a daughter of H. C. Preston, of Madison township, Jones county, further mention of whom appears elsewhere in this volume.
After his marriage Mr. Stingley operated the farm of his father-in-law for about five years, and in 1882 withdrew from agricultural life and removed to Center Junction, where he became identified with the railroad business. With the exception of the first fifteen months he has held the position of section fore- man on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad at this place continuously
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for the ensuing twenty-six years, a fact which stands in incontrovertible evi- dence of his efficiency, promptness and faithfulness. Energetic, industrious and trustworthy at all times, he has succeeded in making himself indispensable to the company and today is one of their most trusted and valued employes at this place.
As the years have come and gone the home of Mr. and Mrs. Stingley has been blessed with nine children, eight of whom still survive, namely : Bertha, the wife of William Spohn, of Center Junction; Maud, who married J. E. Duncan and also resides in Center Junction ; William A., operator for the Chicago, Bur- lington & Quincy Railroad at Norton, Kansas; Earl H., station, agent for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul at Center Junction ; Harry, residing at home; Alma, now deceased; and Roscoe, Olive and Helen, all still under the parental roof.
Mr. and Mrs. Stingley are both members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a member of the board of trustees and is also class leader. He is likewise serving as a member of the board of trustees of the cemetery. Fra- ternally he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America, while politically he gives stalwart support to the republican party. For four years he served as town assessor and was town clerk for six years, while he is now serving efficiently as the secretary of the Center Junction high school. Although his educational advantages were very limited, nevertheless he is a well informed man, having always been a broad reader, keeping in touch with all matters of general interest and public moment. He is loyal and public-spirited in his citizenship, an unas- suming, pleasant and companionable gentleman, standing among the first for in- tegrity of purpose and general high character in the community where he has so long resided.
JAMES M. D. JOSLIN, M. D
Dr. James M. D. Joslin is one of the oldest among the native sons of Ana- mosa and Jones county and is a representative of one of the most honored pioneer families. His birth occurred June 1, 1848, in the old family home which still stands near his present place of residence. His parents were Dr. Clark and Eliza- beth (Hale) Joslin, natives of Ohio and New York, respectively. The paternal grandfather, John G. Joslin, was a soldier of the War of 1812 and aided in building forts under the direction of General William Henry Harrison. He lived to be seventy-four years of age, while his wife, Mrs. Candace (Wolcott) Joslin, reached the advanced age of eighty-eight years.
During the gold expedition to the Pacific coast John G. Joslin with two of his sons made the trip to California with ox-teams over the old Fremont trail. While en route he decided to make a little side trip, telling his sons he would meet them at Webber river. But he became lost and for three days and nights wandered over the mountains. The sons started out in search of him and just as they were about to give up the hunt they found him. He had wandered thirty miles back over the mountains and had been without water or food save a sage hen which he
DR. CLARK JOSLIN First Physician in Jones County
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had killed. He was almost exhausted when they reached him, being so weak that it was necessary for the sons to carry him on their backs a distance of thirty miles. It was just an accident that they found him. At another time he left his sons and started off up the mountain. He soon succeeded in killing a deer but after he had fired his shot was surprised to see something bob up in the grass and discovered that Indians were trying to cut him off from camp which he suc- ceeded in reaching, however, by creeping through the deep grass so that he could not be seen by the redmen. On reaching California the party located on the American river where they engaged in placer mining with good success for the year, one day washing out twenty-eight dollars in free gold. But the father be- came ill with scurvy and was obliged to return home, the trip being made by way of the Isthmus of Panama and up the Mississippi river to Davenport. Two of his sons were soldiers of the Civil war-Harrison and Daniel Joslin, both of whom died while in the service, while another uncle of our subject, Phineas Baker, also passed away while defending the interests of the Union.
The maternal grandfather, Philip Hale, was of German descent and died when about seventy years of age, while his wife, Mrs. Polly Hale, was also about the same age at the time of her demise. It will thus be seen that Dr. Joslin comes from a long-lived ancestry in both the paternal and maternal lines.
Dr. Clark Joslin, the father of our subject, was born at Bricksville, Cuya- hoga county, Ohio, about thirty miles south of Cleveland, and when a boy as- sisted in clearing two farms on the river bottoms in Ohio, these being covered with heavy chestnut timber. He afterward assisted in clearing two farms in Michigan before coming to Iowa. His father plowed around four sections of land in this state, which he thus secured as a claim, but afterward gave away some of it. Dr. Joslin, at one time, owned twenty-eight hundred acres of land in this state, of which ten hundred and fifty acres were in one tract. During the war he sold off much of the land for taxes were very high, it requiring about eighty acres to pay the taxes each year. He arrived in Fairview township, Jones county, Iowa, in 1837. He had been married in Michigan some years before and his wife died in that state while Dr. Joslin was in Iowa. They had one child, Mary L., who became the wife of C. H. Bingham, a resident of Clinton, Iowa. Their children are : Alfred, Fred, Charles, Frank and Bertha. For his second wife Dr. Joslin chose Miss Elizabeth Hale, whom he wedded in January, 1842. William Cullen Joslin, the eldest child of that marriage, wedded Mary Caffrey, who died in 1881. Their children were James C., Mamie and Edna, who died in infancy For his second wife William Cullen Joslin chose Emma Chismann, of Cedar county, Iowa, and they have one child, William. The residence of William C. Joslin was in Cass township, Jones county, and he died in 1906. Mary Ann, the second of the family, is the deceased wife of David Ellis, who resided for a time in Jackson county, Iowa, while later he lived in Bismarck, North Dakota, and afterward in Sioux City, Iowa. Their children were: Charles C., Ed. E., Emma E., and Curtis. The mother, Mrs. Mary A. Ellis, passed away about 1902. Dr. James M. D. Joslin was the next of the family. Two of the children died in infancy.
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