USA > Iowa > Jones County > History of Jones County, Iowa, past and present, Volume II > Part 44
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His biographer is loath to leave the subject of his sketch with the mere men- tion of material successes, that attest only the quality of his industry and illustrate the excellence of judgment. In all things, in every transaction, in every connec- tion, Mr. Green as boy, youth and man, has held close to his high ideals, has kept his manhood and strengthened his belief. The world knows him as an ex- ample of integrity, as one who has made a success in life above the material suc- cess, which has been greater than that rewarding most men for their activities. He is a most pleasant companion, a man who appreciates the best in art and lit- erature, a wide and intelligent traveler, and a progressive citizen along all lines. -
FRANK F. SHIMERDA.
Possessing the thrift and energy so characteristic of the foreign race, Frank F. Shimerda is one of the representative young farmers of Jones county, own- ing five hundred and thirty-five acres of land in Jones and Cedar counties. He was born on the home farm in Oxford township, May 22, 1873, a son of An- tone and Katherine Shimerda, both of whom were natives of Bohemia, the father emigrating to the United States when he was a youth of seventeen years. He followed farming in Oxford township for many years, or until five years prior to his death, which occurred March 18, 1908. He is still survived by his widow, who at the age of sixty-eight years makes her home in Oxford Junc- tion. Mr. and Mrs. Shimerda had a family of thirteen children, but three of the number are deceased.
Frank F. Shimerda at the usual age entered the common schools, wherein he mastered the branches of learning taught in such institutions. He gave his father the benefit of his services until he attained his majority and he and a brother then rented land, operating three hundred acres and in addition he raised and fed stock, which he shipped to the city markets. In due time the brothers divided their interests and Mr. Shimerda of this review purchased two hundred and fourteen acres on section 31, Oxford township. Three years later he bought two hundred and thirteen acres in Ida county, Iowa, which he held for a year and after disposing of that tract purchased two hundred and sixty-five acres in Cedar county, this state, and two years later he purchased fifty-six acres in Cedar county, just across the border from Jones county, so that his land
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practically lies in one body and consists of five hundred and thirty-five acres. He follows general farming but makes a specialty of raising and feeding stock, following this business on quite an extensive scale. He keeps his land in till- able condition through the rotation of crops, while he uses the latest improved machinery to facilitate his labors. He also owns a residence property in Oxford Junction.
Mr. Shimerda was married to Miss Emma C. Sokol, who was born in Jackson county, Iowa, a daughter of F. J. and Anna Sokol, whose sketch ap- pears elsewhere in this work. Their union has been blessed with one son, George F. Shimerda, who was born January 19, 1899. Mr. Shimerda affiliates with the republican party but his extensive farming and stock-raising interests give him little time for participation in public affairs. His fraternal relations connect him with Masonic lodge, No. 435. at Oxford Junction, while both he and his wife attend the Methodist Episcopal church. He possesses a character that makes him strong, forceful, determined and aggressive and in this lies the secret of his success.
WILLIAM SHAFFER.
William Shaffer, an enterprising agriculturist of Hale township, Jones county, was born in Morgan county, Ohio, on the 2d of April, 1851, a son of David and Eliza (Samons) Shaffer, both natives of Pennsylvania. In the Key- stone state the parents were reared and married and later removed to Morgan county, Ohio, where they were living at the time of the Civil war. The father enlisted in the Union army from that county and died in 1863 at Columbus, Ohio, while still serving as a soldier. Three years later, in 1866, the widowed mother took her family to southern Illinois, where they resided for three years, and then removal was made to Scott county, Iowa, the home being there main - tained for twelve or fourteen years. About eight years ago the family arrived in Jones county, where the mother passed away in 1906, having reached the eightieth milestone of life's journey. Her family consisted of eight children, namely : Cornelius, residing near Perry, Iowa; William, of this review; Charles, who died while serving in the Spanish-American war, in which he enlisted as a soldier from Nebraska; James, of Oklahoma; Fremont; Elmer, making his home in Montana; Evelyn, the wife of Thomas Allison, of Nebraska; and Isa- belle, now Mrs. John Allison, also residing in Nebraska.
Although a lad of but twelve years of age at the time of his father's demise, William Shaffer faced the necessity of assisting in the support of his mother and the other members of the family, willingly taking upon himself a large share of the work of the home farm. As the years passed and his strength in- creased he aided more largely in the work of the fields, thereby gaining ex- cellent and comprehensive training in agricultural pursuits that proved of value to him when later he entered business life on his own account. Upon attaining his majority he wisely chose as his life work the occupation to which he had been reared and he has since devoted his energies to farming, in which his
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efforts have met with gratifying success. With the passing of the years he be- came the owner of a tract of one hundred and twenty acres located on section 8, Hale township, and this farm, which he brought under a high state of culti- vation, became one of the valuable farming properties in the locality. He re- cently sold this place for ninety-five dollars per acre and expects to invest else- where in the county.
In 1877 Mr. Shaffer was united in marriage to Miss Mary Conrow, who was born in Camanche, Clinton county, Iowa, in 1857, a daughter of Liscombe Conrow, and unto this union were born the following children: Minnie, the wife of Charles Leggett, residing near Center Junction, Jones county ; Wilber, living in Clarence, Iowa; Elsie, who wedded Harry Hammond and makes her home near Clarence; and Maude, who still resides at home. Dependent upon his own resources at a very early age, starting out in his business career without any favoring advantages, Mr. Shaffer has worked his way upward by earnest, diligent labor and he now enjoys a gratifying prosperity that has come to him as the reward of his industry, perseverance and well directed efforts. He has become widely known during his residence in this community, and his excellent traits of character have gained for him the respect and regard of his fellowmen.
WALKER D. HART.
Walker D. Hart, a member of the Olin Lumber Company, of Olin, Iowa, is one of the representative men of the county, and is associated in business with Hans Jurgensen and his son, Fred Jurgensen, a sketch of whom appears else- where in this work. Mr. Hart was born in Fremont township, Cedar county, Iowa, near Mechanicsville, March 28, 1870, son of Lewis and Lucy A. (Sefton) Hart, natives of Michigan and Ontario, Canada, respectively. They were mar- ried in Illinois and later came to Cedar county, Iowa, where the mother died June 5. 1905, aged sixty-five, having been born in 1840. The father, who sur- vives her and is living at Stanwood, was born in 1837. They had six children : Thomas, who died at the age of three years; Nettie, who passed away when six months old; Ellen, who died in 1901 ; Horace, who lives in Cedar county; Walker D., of this review; Wallace, who is also a resident of Cedar county. Walker and Wallace are twins. Ellen married first Ernest C. Chase and afterward became the wife of James Elmer Moore.
Walker D. Hart resided in Cedar county until the spring of 1893, when he came to Jones county, locating on a farm of eighty acres in Rome township, south of Olin. Later he added to it until he had one hundred and twenty acres on section 35, which he improved until it is now worth one hundred and fifty dollars per acre. Here he resided until December, 1908, when he removed to Olin and entered the Olin Lumber Company, January 1, 1909. The company owns two yards and controls the lumber business of the locality. The three partners form a strong firm, each member being specially fitted for the duties assigned to him, and the volume of their trade is steadily increasing.
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In 1891 Mr. Hart married Ellen E. Coppess, who was born in December, 1869, a daughter of Harvey Coppess. She was brought to Jones county when two years old. Mr. Hart is a republican but has not taken any active part in politcis. He is a member of the Reformed church, and fraternally he is con- nected with Ancient Landmark Lodge, No. 20, A. F. & A. M., of Olin, and the consistory at Clinton, Iowa. He is an excellent farmer and solid, reliable busi- ness man whose aim is to faithfully discharge any obligation he assumes. Al- thoughi a new resident of Olin he has convinced the people here of his sincerity and has many friends, some of whom he had gained before settling within the city limits.
MARTIN MAREK.
Martin Marek, who owns considerable valuable farming property in Cass township, Jones county, has engaged in general agricultural pursuits throughout his entire business career, and his industry, perseverance and well directed efforts are meeting with most gratifying success. He was born in Bolder town- ship, Linn county, on the Jones county line, on the 24th of December, 1863, his birth occurring in a sod house on the prairie about three quarters of a mile from his present home. His parents were Martin and Anna (Machart) Marek, both natives of Bohemia. The father came to America in 1853, locating in Daven- port, Iowa, where he resided for about eight years. During this period he lost his wife, who passed away about two weeks after their arrival in that city, leav- ing one child, Mike Marek, extended mention of whom is made elsewhere in this volume. His union with Miss Machart was blessed with three sons, namely : Charles, who went west nineteen years ago and who is doubtless now deceased, as nothing has been heard from him for about sixteen years; John, a prosperous farmer of Castle Grove township; and Martin, of this review. The father passed away in 1906 and since his demise the mother has made her home with our subject.
Martin Marek, whose name initiates this review, spent the first ten years of his life on his father's farm in Bolder township, Linn county, and then the parents moved across the line into Castle Grove township, Jones county, and within the borders of this county he has since continued to make his home. He remained under the parental roof until his marriage in 1883, when he took up agricultural pursuits on his own account, having gained thorough and prac- tical training along that line during the period of his residence upon the home farm, under his father's direction. He purchased a tract of one hundred and eight acres of land in Cass township, which constitutes a part of his present farm, at a purchase price of twenty-seven dollars per acre. About 1900 he bought adjoining property so that his home farm now consists of one hundred and sixty acres. Later he invested in additional property and his entire holdings amount to two hundred and fifty-six acres in two adjoining farms, each equipped with a set of buildings and each under a high state of cultivation. In connec- tion with his general farming pursuits he engages to some extent in stock-raising
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and also milks nineteen cows, selling cream to the creamery at Anamosa. He possesses excellent business ability, is progressive and up-to-date in his methods and has made for himself a creditable place among the substantial and represen- tative farmers of the township.
Mr. Marek was united in marriage on the 8th of January, 1883, to Miss Rose Holub, a native of Iowa City, born on the 19th of March, 1864. She is a daughter of Frank and Kate (Berry) Holub, natives of Bohemia, who passed away in this country. Unto this union have been born twelve children, namely : Mary, the wife of Henry Evans of Castle Grove township; Rose, who wedded John Fosek, of Osceola county, Iowa; Anna, the wife of Thomas Fosek, a brother of John Fosek, also residing in Osceola county; Frances, Mike, Kate, John, Joseph, Frank, Helen and Lizzie, all still under the paternal roof; and Tillie, who passed away in infancy. The family are communicants of the Catho- lic church of Prairieburg and in politics Mr. Marek gives stalwart support to the republican party. He filled the office of constable for two years, but other- wise has never sought nor desired office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his own business affairs, which, carefully and wisely managed, are proving a source of a most gratifying success. He has always stood for all that is progres- sive in citizenship and which tends to promote the material welfare of the com- munity, and his labors have been a source of benefit to the community in which he has resided, at the same time bringing to him a substantial reward of earnest effort.
JACKSON BUMGARNER.
Jackson Bumgarner, whose success as a farmer is the result of the exercise of the virtues of honesty, sincerity. energy and frugality, which when combined in one nature works toward gratifying recompenses, was born in Hale town- ship, Jones county, Iowa. January 8. 1858, being a son of Joseph and Eliza (Green) Bumgarner, the former of whom was born in Virginia in 1812, and the latter in Indiana. The parents were married in Indiana and came to Iowa in 1844, as pioneers, making the trip in the covered wagon which has been so often written of in song and story. Reaching their destination, this worthy couple settled near Pleasant Hill. Hale township, and spent the remainder of their lives upon the farm they secured and developed from the wilderness. Mr. Bumgarner died on the farm in 1892. going to join his wife, who had passed away in 1866 when sixty-nine years of age. They had a family of thirteen children, as follows: Rebecca, who is the widow of John Cole and a resident of Olin; Mary, who married Robert Porter, of Pottawattamie county ; Rhoda, who died in childhood: Elizabeth, the deceased wife of Henry Robinson; Sarah, the deceased wife of Nathan Glick; Jane, who was the widow of Thomas Por- ter and is now married to a Mr. Parker, of Perry, Iowa; Belinda, who married William Porter and died in 1908: Anna, who married Henry Foulk. of Colorado; Hannah, the deceased wife of James Collins; Martha, who married Herbert Magee, of California ; Jackson, the subject of this review; Edward, who lives in Idaho ; and George, who lives in Nebraska. All were married except Rhoda.
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JOSEPH BUMGARNER
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Jackson Bumgarner remained with his parents until his marriage, when he started to farm for himself. He spent eight years in Cedar county, near the county line, but with that exception has lived in Jones county all his life. In 1901 he bought one hundred and seventy acres of his present farm, to which he has added until he now owns two hundred and forty acres on sections 36 and 25, Hale township. This farm is well improved and he is satisfied with what he has accomplished, although ambitious for the future.
On November 25, 1879, Mr. Bumgarner married Elmira Maria Reamer, who was born in Hale township, April 22, 1861, a daughter of Ralph and Clarissa Polma (Brink) Reamer. The father was born April 24, 1835, in New York, while the mother was born May 3, 1832, in Pennsylvania. Mr. Reamer came of a large family. He learned shoemaking and worked at his trade for fourteen years before coming to Iowa, and for eighteen years after his arrival here. He is now residing in Oxford Mills. Me was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife January 22, 1898. They had two children : Cicely, deceased, who married C. K. Shaw, and Mrs. Bumgarner, who is the wife of our subject.
Mr. and Mrs. Bumgarner became the parents of nine children, as follows: Arthur J., who died when five years old; Nellie Ann, who married Eugene Griffis, of Hale township; Clarissa P., who died at the age of nineteen years; Mary Annette, who is at home; Fannie, who died in infancy ; Ralph Reamer, who is at home, as are Elsie May, Abbie Caroline and Grace H.
Mr. Bumgarner is a republican. His religious faith makes him a member of the Wesleyan Methodist church, and he is liberal in his support of it. His energies have been directed toward the development of his farm, and his in- clinations are toward a quiet, home life. The Bumgarner home is often the scene of pleasant gatherings, the friends of the family enjoying the cordial hos- pitality always proffered by the kindly host and hostess.
FRANK PORTER.
Frank Porter, one of the thrifty farmers of Jackson township, who owns one of the finest farms in his part of Jones county, comes of a pioneer family and has experienced many of the hardships and privations connected with the life of the early settlers anywhere. He was born in Jackson township, May 8, 1864, a son of Matthew and Almyra (Arnold) Porter, natives of Licking county, Ohio. They were married there, and about 1850 came to Jones county and settled in Jackson township, buying the present home of their son Frank when he was six years old. This they occupied until 1893, when our subject bought it, and they retired to Anamosa. It was in that city that they both passed away, the father in 1899, when seventy-two years of age, and the mother in 1904 when seventy-seven years old. Matthew Porter had two hundred acres of land which represented his life of hard work. The children born to him and his wife were: Jane, who married C. P. Atwood of Anamosa; Andrew, who lives at Center Junction; John, who died in Cherokee county, Iowa, in 1884 when thirty-three years old; Louis, who lives in Cherokee county, Iowa; Olive, who
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married David Kramer, sheriff of McHenry county, North Dakota; Frank, who was the sixth in order of birth; and Clara, who married Delbert Meeks, of South Dakota.
Frank Porter has spent his life in Jackson township with the exception of two years, when he lived in Cherokee county, Iowa, before he was married. In 1893 he bought his father's homestead of two hundred acres, and in 1906 he bought one hundred acres adjoining. His farm is a magnificent one with fine buildings and other improvements, all of which have been placed here by Mr. Porter. The farm lies on section 15, Jackson township, with the exception of twenty acres on section 10. He feeds about three carloads of stock annually and carries on general farming. His hogs aggregate about one hundred and twenty-five head annually, and he milks fifteen cows. About eighty-five acres of his farm is devoted to corn.
Mr. Porter is a republican and is at present township trustee, now in his seventh year in that office. On April 3, 1889, he married Lottie James, who was born in Jackson township, February 23, 1869, a daughter of Walter and Mary (Sherman) James, who reside in Wyoming, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Porter have five children: Eugene, Floyd, Lula, Stella and Elda. While eminently successful in his business, Mr. Porter has held progressive views of life and keeps well posted on current events. He takes a deep interest in politics, al- though in no sense a politician, and can be depended upon to do all in his power to advance the welfare of his community.
JOHN DENNISON.
John Dennison, who enjoys the reputation of having one of the neatest farms in Jones county and who has been prominent in the affairs of Clay township for more that thirty years, was born in Ireland, November 12, 1833. His par- ents, John and Mary (Orr) Dennison, were also natives of the Emerald isle, which remained their home until their death. Ten children were born to them, six of whom are living: Martha, who is the widow of Alex Campbell and lives in Clay township; John, the subject of this sketch; Mary, who is the widow of William Neelans and lives in Clay township; George, who remained in Ireland; Sarah, who is a widow and lives in Ireland; and Margaret, who is also a widow in her native land.
John Dennison came to America in 1851, when he was about seventeen years of age. He had received some education in the land of his birth and after his arrival on the shores of this country he devoted himself solely to the work of pro- curing a livelihood and of bettering his condition. First he lived in Connecti- cut and then went to Minnesota, which he was compelled to leave on account of the cholera. Next he came to Iowa, locating in Dubuque first and then, on May 28, 1852, coming to Jones county. The following February he entered eighty acres of government land in Clay township. not taking up his residence upon it, however, until 1857. Nine years later he bought two hundred acres adjoining his first farm and, moving to that, made it his home until 1908, when
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he sold it, purchasing instead the seventy-six acres on which he is living at pres- ent. Part of this is within the corporate limits of the village of Onslow, but it is a good tract of land, which with the inborn skill of a successful agriculturist Mr. Dennison has made one of the most fertile tracts in his locality, while the orderly appearance of his fields and the excellent condition of his buildings have secured for it an enviable reputation among farms of even larger size in Clay township and beyond its borders. Mr. Dennison also owns one hundred and forty acres in Clay township, one hundred and twenty of which he rents and the other twenty is timber land.
In 1869 Mr. Dennison married Miss Mathilda Campbell, who was born in Ireland in 1848 and came to America at the age of twenty, making her home in Jackson county, Iowa. Ten children have been born to them: John, Jr., who is living in Los Angeles, California; Agnes, who is the wife of John Canada, of Clay township; Mary M., who married Harbison Orr, of the same township; Elizabeth M., who is the wife of John McAlister, of Delaware county, Iowa; Anna L., who is the wife of J. G. Boomhour, professor in a school of North Carolina; William M., who lives in Dallas county, Iowa; Jackson B., at home; and three who died in infancy.
Mr. and Mrs. Dennison are consistent members of the Presbyterian church, and he has given stanch support to the democratic party in political matters. He has filled a large place in local affairs, for during a period of twenty-five years he has served intermittently as township assessor; has been a member of the school board for twenty-one years; and for the past thirty years has acted as the justice of the peace. Successful in his calling and punctilious in the performance of his official duties, he has wielded a strong influence for good and improvement during the years he has been a resident of Jones county.
L. HODGDEN.
L. Hodgden has derived through the cultivation of the rich soil of Iowa the competence tliat now finds him in possession of an extensive acreage, while he is enabled to live retired in a nice home in Oxford Mills. He was born in Delaware county, Ohio, May 26, 1847, a son of William and Olive (Harris) Hodgden, the former also a native of the Buckeye state, while the mother's birth occurred in Pennsylvania. The father passed away in the former state, and subsequently the mother and son removed in 1863 to Iowa, making their home in Cedar county for three years. In 1866 they took up their abode in Jones county, and here the mother's death occurred, leaving L. Hodgden, the only surviving member of the family.
L. Hodgden was reared in Ohio to the age of sixteen years and in the schools of Delaware county acquired his education. When he located in Cedar county he operated rented land but when he came to Jones county in 1866 he purchased forty acres in Oxford township, to which he later added an additional forty- acre tract. Taking up his abode thereon he began the further development and improvement of the place and as time passed he extended its boundaries until
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he now owns two hundred and eighty acres in Oxford township. For the past few years he has lived retired in Oxford Mills, owning a fine residence, which is surrounded by eight acres of ground, and practically the only business care he now assumes is looking after the rental of his farm.
Mr. Hodgden was married in Iowa to Miss Catherine Rogers, who was born in Ohio, a daughter of Chauncey and Nancy Rogers. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hodg- den have been born six children : Clara, the wife of Henry Batcheller, of Jones county ; Amos, also of Jones county ; Chauncey and Vernon, who live in Oxford township; and two deceased.
Mr. Hodgden is a democrat in his political views and for many years has served as a member of the school board, taking a deep interest in a good school system. His thorough understanding of agriculture enabled him to carry on his work on a profitable basis. Coming to Iowa a young man in his teens and with limited means, he has risen to a substantial place among the prosperous citi- zens of this section of Jones county, where he has made his home for forty-three years. During this time he has formed a large acquaintance and his many friends esteem him for his worth and his many good traits of heart and mind.
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