USA > Iowa > Jones County > History of Jones County, Iowa, past and present, Volume II > Part 32
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F. J. Sokol acquired the greater part of his education in Bohemia but also attended school for a short time after coming to this country, arriving in the new world with his parents in the spring of 1854. He has always been a broad reader and thorough student and has acquired a wide general knowledge in this way and thorough experience. He is widely recognized as a forceful man who has always conserved his energies and managed his interests to the best advantage, laboring for the welfare of the community as well as for individual interest.
In politics Mr. Sokol is a republican and in 1892 was appointed supervisor of Jones county to fill out an unexpired term, after which he was twice regularly elected to the office, serving on the board for a period of seven years. He was twice elected to the state legislature, serving in the twenty-eighth and twenty- ninth general assemblies with honor to himself and credit to his constituents. He has never been an aspirant for public office and to each office to which he has been elected his nominations have been made by acclamation. He was the first
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mayor of the village of Onslow, serving for four terms as chief executive of the town, his administration being businesslike, progressive and public-spirited. He has filled all of the minor offices of the village and township except that of justice of the peace, and refused to serve in that capacity. His fraternal relations are with Keystone Lodge, No. 206, F. & A. M., of Wyoming, in which he was raised in 1869.
It was on the 3d of January, of the same year, that Mr. Sokol was united in marriage to Miss Anna Bezdicheck, a native of Bohemia, born January 31, 1851, and a daughter of Vencil and Anna Bezdicheck, who came to the United States in 1858, settling in Jackson county, where the parents both died. Their family numbered four children and unto Mr. and Mrs. Sokol also four children have been born, namely : Blanche. the wife of W. D. Shuttleworth, of Osceola county, Iowa; Emma, who wedded Frank Shimerda, residing at Oxford Junction, Jones county, this state; John M., a practicing physician of Spencer, Iowa; and George F .. a resident of Sibley, Iowa, engaged in the lumber and cement business.
While neither Mr. nor Mrs. Sokol are affiliated with any church they are both believers in the Christian faith and Mrs. Sokol is active in both church and charitable work. Mr. Sokol has always been friendly to educational interests and has provided each of his children with advantages for college education. He stands for all that is progressive in the life of the community and for all that is essential to the welfare and upbuilding of the state. While born across the water, there is no more loyal son of America within the borders of Jones county than F. J. Sokol and the honors which have been accorded him have been worthily won and worn. His business affairs have been so capably man- aged that he seems to have attained at any one point of his career the possibili- ties for successful accomplishment at that point and he has found that success is ambition's answer.
EDWIN C. VAUGHN.
Edwin C. Vaughn, a successful farmer and stockman of Wyoming township, was born on the land which he now owns and cultivates, November 14. 1867, and is a son of Philander and Lydia L. (Baldwin) Vaughn. The former was born in New York state, while the latter was a native of Ohio, where the couple were married and whence they came to Iowa in 1856. They settled in Jones county, buying the farm where our subject now resides. They made their home upon this place for several years and then removed to Wyoming, Iowa, where the father spent the last thirteen years of his life, passing away in 1905. The mother is still living in that city at the age of seventy-four years and has the satisfaction of seeing all of her eleven children well established in life. Philander Vaughn was a very progressive man, his ideas of farming being about thirty years in advance of his time and in the cultivation of his land he met with most excellent success, transforming the wild tract into highly productive fields. The children born to Philander and Lydia L. (Baldwin) Vaughn were as follows: Rudolph, who is living in South Dakota ; Mrs. Flora I. Babcock, of Des Moines ;
EDWIN C. VAUGHN
MRS. EDWIN C. VAUGHN
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Mrs. Stella Lindsay, who lives in Wyoming; George I., of Denver, Colorado; Edna C., who is the wife of C. F. Francis, of Davenport, Iowa; Lucy J., who is the wife of Ellwood Kirkpatrick, of Clarence, Iowa; Alton P., of Clinton ; Susan M., of Mount Vernon, Iowa; Edwin C., the subject of this sketch; Fred, of Wyoming ; and Harry, who lives in Kansas.
During his boyhood Edwin C. Vaughn attended the district schools near his home, where he derived a good practical education, and by assisting his father in the work of the farm he also gained an excellent knowledge of the occupation to which he has since devoted his time and energies. He remained under the parental roof for two years after attaining his majority and then commenced farming on his own account, renting the home place and another tract owned by his father, which he successfully cultivated for nine years. At the end of that time lie was able to purchase the old homestead which consists of two hun- dred and forty acres, eighty of which are in Wyoming township and one hundred and sixty are in Oxford township. In connection with general farming he has also given considerable attention to the raising and feeding of stock, making a specialty of shorthorn cattle and road horses. Like his father he is a thoroughly up-to-date farmer and the success that has crowned his efforts is due entirely to his own good management and industry.
In 1892 Mr. Vaughn was united in marriage to Miss Mildred Walston, who was born in Jones county and was one of a family of six children. Her father has passed away but her mother is still living in Wyoming, Iowa. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn are: Dillon C. and Palmer W., who are still at home; and Carter E., deceased. Mrs. Vaughn is a member of the Presbyterian church and Mr. Vaughn is a stanch adherent of the republican party. He has never sought any office within the gift of the people, however, although he is now president of the school board. In this capacity his influence is given to the advancement of the cause of education, for he is a man who is progressive in his idea-indeed, this is one reason for his success. Although Mr. Vaughn's interests are varied he still clings to the farm as the ideal home for a family.
PATRICK J. FAGAN.
Among the many men who have kept pace with the progress of Jones county and whose extraordinary success is representative of the prosperity of the agri- cultural community of Scotch Grove township, is Patrick J. Fagan, one of Ireland's native sons. He was born in County Meath, November 13, 1846, his parents being Thomas and Mary (O'Brien) Fagan, also children of the Emerald isle. In 1847 they came to the United States, settling first in Jersey City, New Jersey, where Thomas Fagan found employment in a starch factory. There strong traits of character, industry and the capacity to control men won for him rapid promotion, until he became foreman of the concern before he had been there many years. In 1856, after nine years' sojourn in the east, he came west to Iowa, taking up his residence in Scotch Grove township, Jones county, where he purchased first eighty acres of government land. A brother-in-law, Michael
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O'Brien, had received a warrant for that tract, paying a dollar and a quarter an acre. Upon that Thomas Fagan established himself and engaged in agri- culture, winning such success from his cultivation of the fields that he was able to add extensively to his original farm until at his death he was in pos- session of five hundred and forty acres of valuable land in Jones county. He died November 13, 1898, when he was eighty-one years old, while his wife had passed away many years before, being only sixty-eight years of age when her life was brought to a close.
At home, under the wise guidance of his parents, Patrick J. Fagan received that substantial training for the practical affairs of life, which has made possible his latter-day success, while his training in the rudimentary branches of educa- tion, obtained at the public schools of his district, was supplemented by a course at the Monticello high school. From his youth he was reared to agricultural pur- suits and after reaching manhood he and his father operated the old homestead farm in conjunction. The partnership continued throughout the life of the older man, and upon his death his son acquired the place, which had been the scene of his labors for so long, for he bought the shares from the other heirs. He now owns five hundred and fifty acres in one expanse of fields, whose area, if nothing else, would entitle him to be numbered among the substantial men of his township, but there are other things besides his success that has given him an influential position in the community. The course of his life has contained nothing that was esoteric or should be hidden ; all of his acts have been guided by high principles of honor and integrity and are worthy of imitation. Part of his fortune has been obtained through the cultivation of the fields but he has made a specialty of buying and feeding cattle and hogs, finding that his opera- tions in that direction have been well requited.
On the 3d of February. 1885, Mr. Fagan was joined in wedlock to Miss Ellen Milan, of Clay township, this county. Of the seven children born to them five survive, namely : Thomas W .. Margaret and Bernard M., who are at home; Rose, who is attending the parish school at Temple Hill ; and Mary Frances, who is a pupil in the district school. The family are all members of the Catholic church, and besides being devout in their attention to their religious duties have put to practical application the teachings of the first day of the week. In poli- tical matters, Mr. Fagan has given his support unfailingly to the democratic party, under whose suffrage he has filled most efficiently the positions of road supervisor and member of the school board.
HANS H. ROHWEDDER.
Hans H. Rohwedder, who deserves special mention in this volume from the fact that he is one of the honored veterans of the Civil war, was born in Holstein, Germany, February 8, 1839, a son of Marx and Katharine (Dethmann) Rohwedder, also natives of Holstein. The father brought his family to the United States in 1852, thinking that here he might find greater opportunities for
PHILANDER L. VAUGHN
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advancement in business lines and better advantages for the members of his family than was possible in the fatherland. Upon their arrival in this country the family first located in Blue Island, Illinois, where Marx Rohwedder found employment upon the railroad. After a year spent in that place he removed to Joliet, Illinois, and was engaged in the construction of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad for about two years. In June, 1855, he came to Iowa, set- tling in Clinton county, where he established his permanent home. He purchased a piece of raw prairie land which he at once began to break and put under cul- tivation and as the years passed he prospered in his undertaking, at the time of his death his farm being one of the well improved properties of the neighborhood. He passed away in 1880, at the age of seventy-two years, while his wife's death occurred six years previous when she had reached the sixty-eighth milestone on life's journey. They were the parents of eight children, who were as follows: Jurgen, of Missouri ; Hans H., of this review ; Hobke, who changed her name to Katharine upon her arrival in the United States, and who is now the deceased wife of Peter Ingwersen; Elsbeth, the wife of Nicholas Ingwersen, of Lyons; John H., residing in Madison township; Anna, the deceased wife of Ernest Studeman ; Marx, making his home at State Center; and Margaret, who wedded John Peters of West Side.
Hans H. Rohwedder was a youth of thirteen years when he came with his parents to the United States, and his education, which had been begun in the fatherland, was completed in the district schools of Clinton county, Iowa. He also learned valuable lessons from his father concerning the best methods of plowing, planting and harvesting, and upon the home farm received thorough and practical training in agricultural pursuits. He remained under the parental roof, assisting in the operation of the homestead, until the outbreak of the Civil war. Actuated by a spirit of patriotism, in response to the country's call for aid he enlisted on the 15th of October, 1861, as a member of Company M, First Iowa Cavalry, for a term of three years. He remained with that regiment throughout the entire period and during the meantime saw much active service, engaging principally with the bushwhackers in Missouri and Arkansas. In spite of the many hardships, privations and dangers which he was obliged to endure, never did his courage waver nor his loyalty diminish, for he served throughout his term of enlistment bravely and valiantly, and was discharged on the 18th of October, 1864, at Little Rock, Arkansas, with a most creditable military record.
After his return home he remained with his parents for about two years and then went to Missouri, where he purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Chariton county, which he operated for about eight years. Later he sold that property and in 1880 came to Jones county, carrying on agri- cultural pursuits as a renter near Wyoming for a number of years. He pur- chased his present farm about fourteen years ago and has since continued to devote his time and attention to its further development. It consists of one hundred and two acres located on section 27, Hale township, which under his careful management and supervision have been brought to a high state of cul- tivation, the rich crops which the fields annually yield proving a source of grati- fying remuneration to him. It is a finely improved place, in the midst of which
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stand good, substantial buildings, and it is equipped with all of the modern acces- sories and conveniences for facilitating farm labor.
Mr. Rohwedder has been twice married, his first union being with Miss Margaret Gubel, a native of Holstein, Germany, who came to this country with her sister when a young lady. Unto their marriage were born four children, namely: Max, of Rome township; Dora, the widow of Hans Ahrendsen, of whom mention is made on another page of this volume; Lena, the wife of John Van Sprecken, residing in Rome township; and Johanna, who married Hans Ketelsen, of Woodbury county, Iowa. The wife and mother was called to her final rest in 1880, and in 1884 Mr. Rohwedder was again married, Miss Anna Neilson becoming his second wife. She also is a native of Germany, her birth occurring on the island of Fohr. Unto this second union were born five children : Louis, Margaret, John, Matilda and Henry, all of whom are still at home.
In his political allegiance Mr. Rohwedder was formerly a republican but now gives stalwart support to the democracy, and is now serving as township trustee, having filled that office for four years. He maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades through his membership in the Grand Army post at Wyoming, and frequently attends the encampments, where he enjoys meeting his old friends and recalling the incidents and experiences of war times. He is a public-spirited man and although born across the waters is as loyal to the interests of his adopted country as any of his native-born fellow citizens. Dur- ing his residence in Jones county he has gained many warm friends, who hold him in high regard because of his true worth and sterling characteristics.
GEORGE P. RUMMEL.
George P. Rummel. who at the time of his death was one of the oldest men of Jones county, was born at the foot of Little Round Top Mountain, Adams county, Pennsylvania, near Gettysburg, March 10, 1800, and passed away at Olin, Feb- ruary 9, 1891, aged ninety years, ten months and twenty-nine days. He was the eldest son of John Rummel, a soldier of the war of 1812, who died in the hos- pital at Black Rock, New York, in July, 1814, during that war. So loyal was the Rummel family that when John Rummel set forth to defend his country, his lit- tle son then but twelve years of age accompanied him intent upon enlisting also, but at Gettysburg he was rejected on account of his youth, and returning home the lad found a harder battle for him to fight than any waged against foreign foe, for all of the burdens of the family were laid on his shoulders. There is no doubt, judging his early efforts by those of his mature years but that he cheer- fully discharged these duties and took care of the helpless ones depending upon him.
On March 10, 1825. George P. Rummel and Mary Stouffer were married and they had seven children : Jacob, John M., Andrew, George W., Josiah, David E. and Nannie J., all of whom survived him except the little daughter. How- ever, now only three sons are living. George W., Josiah and David E., the others having joined him above. Mr. Rummel lost his wife in Richland county, Ohio,
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February 26, 1849. He remained in Richland for several years longer, but in 1855 he came to Jones county, Iowa, which was his home until he died. On Oc- tober 30. 1849, he married Jane Moffitt, who died at Olin, April 17. 1878, with no issue.
A stone-mason by trade, Mr. Rummel was employed by the government to build a dam across the Potomac river near Harper's Ferry, but after coming to Iowa he devoted himself to farming until his age compelled him to retire. Com- ing to Olin he had his own home until the death of his wife and then lived with his son David E. for the rest of his days. His early church connections were with the Evangelical Lutherans, but upon coming to Iowa he joined the Reformed church. Until the formation of the republican party he was a Jeffersonian dem- ocrat, but with the organization of the new political creed, he adopted it and supported it the rest of his life.
The funeral services of this really noble man were held at the Methodist church by the Rev. F. M. Schultz, of Lisbon, the Revs. Harper, Maultman and Camp assisting. The latter who were local clergymen paid fitting tribute to the memory of this man who had set so exalted an example of godly living in their midst. and the services were singularly impressive.
"Death hath no breach,
In love and sympathy, in hope and trust ;
No outward sign or sound our ears can reach,
But there is an inward spiritual speech,
That greets 1is still, though mortal tongues be dust."
JOHN K. HALE.
John K. Hale, who for many years has been actively connected with the busi- ness interests of Cass township, Jones county, in various capacities, is now the owner and operator of an excellent farm of two hundred acres located on sec- tions 15 and 16, and in his agricultural pursuits is meeting with creditable success. He was born in Guilford, Connecticut, on the 27th of August, 1858, and is a son of Samuel A. and Myrta (Kelsey) Hale, natives of Treble county, Ohio, and Killingworth, Connecticut, respectively. Although the former was a representa- tive of an eastern family, he was reared in Ohio and after attaining manhood ac- companied his parents back to his native state, making his home in Guilford for a number of years. For about twenty years he followed the sea, becoming the owner and captain of a sloop which operated along the coast. He was thus en- gaged until his return to Iowa in the fall of 1859, settlement being made in Cass township on a farm which he had purchased the previous year while on a visit to an uncle, F. W. Gillette. He passed his remaining days upon this farm, which is now in the possession of his son, William A. Hale, his death occurring on the 2d of March. 1868, when he had reached the age of forty-six years, three months and four days. He was a stalwart republican in politics and held the office of county supervisor, while he was also a faithful and consistent member of the
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Episcopal church of Anamosa. He was twice married. By his first wife, Mary (Hubbard) Hale, he had one daughter, Martha A., who became the wife of H. H. Monroe. Both are now deceased. Later he wedded Myrta Kelsey, who passed away in Cass township, Jones county, on the 4th of November, 1886, when fifty-six years of age. Unto this union were born three children: John K., of this review: W. A., residing upon the home farm; and Carrie A., the widow of Arthur Hanna, of Anamosa.
In the fall of 1859, when a little lad of one year, John K. Hale arrived in Jones county, Iowa, and has since continued to make his home within its borders. He lost his father when but ten years of age, and two years later he and his younger brother took charge of the home farm and operated it successfully for a number of years. He continued to reside upon the homestead until his marriage, at which time he began an independent business career as an agriculturist, renting a farm for one year. He then purchased fifty-seven acres and after three years added another tract of eighty acres, while two years later he purchased one hun- dred and sixty acres, so that altogether he owned two hundred and ninety-seven acres. At the end of two years, however, he sold one hundred and thirty-seven acres of his property and in 1892 disposed of the remainder, after which he re- moved to Anamosa and entered the grain business in partnership with C. L. Niles under the firm name of J. K. Hale & Company. He was identified with this line of activity for ten years, and during that time the partners invested in fifteen hundred acres of Dakota land. In 1902 Mr. Hale traded a portion of his land for hardware stock in Anamosa, and for three years he successfully conducted a hardware store in that city. At the expiration of that time he traded his business for his present farm, which consists of two hundred acres on sections 15 and 16, Cass township. He took up his abode thereon in April, 1906, and has since con- tinued to make it his place of residence. He has introduced many improvements on the farm, equipping it with all modern conveniences for facilitating labor, and under his careful management the place has become a highly developed property. He combines general farming with stock-raising interests, fattening from three to four carloads of stock annually, and in both branches of his business is meet- ing with most creditable success. Aside from his farming property he owns the home in which he lived while in Anamosa, and he also is the owner of another city residence property which he now rents. He was a stockholder in the Welch Manufacturing Company of Anamosa during his residence there and was an ac- tive and prominent figure in the business circles and public affairs of the community.
On the Ist of March, 1879. Mr. Hale was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Black, a daughter of T. K. Black, one of the early settlers of Castle Grove town- ship, Jones county. Her birth occurred in this county on the 15th of May, 1857, and she passed away May 17, 1881, leaving one daughter, Myrta S., who makes her home with her father. On the 15th of July, 1882, Mr. Hale was again mar- ried. his second union being with Miss Clara E. Stone, a native of Lovell town- ship, Jones county, her birth occurring on the 19th of July, 1857. She is a daughter of Curtis Stone, who was ranked among the pioneer settlers of that township, where his death occurred. Unto the second marriage was born one child, Jennie K. Hale, who is engaged in teaching school.
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Mr. Hale's religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Cass Con- gregational church, while his political allegiance is given to the republican party, the principles of which he has supported since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. For six years he served as township trustee of Cass township and was a member of Anamosa city council for one term. He is now serving his second term as county supervisor, and is interested in all those movements and measures which tend to promote the general welfare. Starting out in the busi- ness world very early in life, becoming identified with agricultural pursuits at an age when other lads are busily engaged with their text-books, he has worked his way steadily upward and has attained a high place among the substantial citizens of the township and well merits the proud American title of a self-made man. His entire business career has been actuated by a laudable ambition to succeed and the prosperity which he today enjoys has come to him as the logical result of his great industry and well directed efforts.
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