USA > Iowa > Jones County > History of Jones County, Iowa, past and present, Volume II > Part 47
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In the spring of 1863 when they formed the advance of Grant's troops going south to Holly Springs. They participated in the battle of that place and at Coffeeville and proceeded on to Oxford. On Grant's retreat from Holly Springs, Mississippi, this command formed the rear guard and tore up the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad. In the spring of 1863 they went back to camp at White Station, made several raids and did protection duty for the infantry until October. 1863, when they were ordered to join Sherman at Atlanta. They proceeded as far as Clifton, Tennessee, when they were sent back and ordered to make prepara- tions for the greatest raid of the war. This was delayed until the 11th of February, 1864, when the troops started from Memphis southward, burn- ing and destroying everything. They proceeded as far as West Point when under command of General W. S. Smith they were defeated. The Second Iowa formed the rear guard on the retreat for two hundred and fifty miles to Memphis. At Germantown, Tennessee, on the retreat they were met by Governor Kirk- wood, of Iowa, who wanted the soldiers to reenlist. Mr. Davis did so and in April, 1864, was granted a thirty day furlough which he spent at home, after which he and his comrades were ordered to Benton Barracks and were reequip- ped and remounted.
Proceeding to Memphis, Tennessee, they formed the advance guard of Gen- eral A. J. Smith's expedition to the battle of Tupelo, Mississippi, after which they
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proceeded to Harrisburg and tore up the Mobile & Ohio Railroad. While thus engaged they fought the forces under General Forrest and killed his brother. The Union troops returned to Memphis and thence to White Station. The Con- federates concentrated all of their forces and proceeded to Oxford, Mississippi. General Smith was then ordered out to Oxford and Mr. Davis' regiment formed the advance. On reaching Oxford Forrest made a two nights' march, reached his destination and got away. The Union forces were ordered back to Colum- bia, Tennessee, and thence to Florence on the Tennessee river Hood was ad- vancing north and later occurred the battles of Campbellville, Linnville and Franklin, in November, 1864. Then came an order to proceed to Edgefield, where they arrived on the 2d of December, 1864. They went into camp, await- ing a change in the weather for while they were at Edgefield, mercury registered ten degrees below and there was heavy snow, causing much suffering. On the 10th of December, 1864, they crossed the Cumberland river to the Nashville side when they were ordered to take the left of Thomas' army. The battle of Nashville was begun on the 15th of December, and continued through the two succeeding days. The division to which Mr. Davis belonged was the first to break Hood's left line and later they charged the first and second forts. They followed the rebel troops and participated in the battle of Pulaski, Tennessee. Their horses had been traveling for one hundred days through the mud and were almost exhausted. A call was made for two hundred picked men to be command- ed by Colonel Horton and Mr. Davis was chosen as one of the number to go with Colonel Horton to follow Hood's army to the Tennessee river, for the pur- pose of harassing Hood's army and burning his wagons and ammunition trains. They burned one hundred wagons at Pulaski, Tennessee, and others at different places along the route. Afterward they returned to Nashville and were ordered to Athens, Alabama, thence to Eastport, Mississippi, and afterward to Gravely Springs, then back to Eastport. From that point they went to Talladega, then to Selma, at which point they were located at the close of the war and by general order was ordered to Davenport. Proceeding to the north by steamer he reached Davenport, Iowa, on the Ist of October, 1865, and was mustered out. There he was also honorably discharged and received his pay. Mr. Davis was the young- est man in Company I at the organization of the company. At the second battle of Corinth he was wounded and was sent to Keokuk, Iowa, to recuperate. Al- though he was but seventeen years of age when he joined the army he proved a brave and loyal soldier, never faltering in the performance of any military duty entrusted to his care, never was in the guard house and was never reprimanded. When eighteen years of age he was offered a commission in a colored regiment by General Beach, but preferred to remain with the boys of his regiment.
After the war Mr. Davis settled in Jones county and with the money which he had saved from his pay as a soldier he bought eighty acres of land on section 19, Greenfield township, and has since occupied it as his homestead place. It was a tract of raw prairie for which he paid nine dollars per acre. He rented it the first year while he spent the time in traveling but personally began the improvement of his place in 1867. As a companion and helpmate for the journey of life he chose Miss Anis Jones, whom he wedded in Anamosa on the 18th of September, 1868. She was born in Lawrence county, Indiana, September 2, 1850, a daughter
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of Thomas and Jane (Tatum) Jones, who were natives of North Carolina. Coming to Iowa in 1863 they settled in Greenfield township, Jones county, where the father died in 1880 at the age of sixty-one years while the mother passed away at Grand Junction, Iowa, in 1904 at the age of seventy-six.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Davis were born six children : Thomas Ulysses, the eldest, is living on the old homestead ; Harry Elmer, also residing on the old homestead, wedded Hattie E. Card and they have three children, Lawrence, Francis and Elwin. Lottie became the wife of Philip G. Mohn, who died in October, 1906, leaving the following children: Ora R., Conrad D., Minnie E., and Florence J. George Washington Davis, the fourth of the family and a resident of Linn county, Iowa, married Mina Weston and their children are: Nellie L., Claud T. and Glen. Ira L., who resides on a farm in Greenfield township, this county, married Ida B. Abel and their children are: Harold E., Anis, George W., and Laura B. Ora, the youngest of the family, is the wife of Notley Scott, of Cedar county, Iowa, and they have two children, Grace V. and Carl. The death of Mrs. Davis occurred September 4, 1898, when she was forty-eight years of age. She was a lady of many good traits of character and her loss was, therefore, deeply regretted by many friends as well as her immediate family.
Mr. Davis is well known in Jones county where he has now lived for more than a half century. He maintains pleasant relations with his old army com- rades through his membership in John A. Buck Post, No. 140, G. A. R., of Lis- bon. He is one of its charter members, has held every office in the post and is a past commander. He has been chosen three times as a delegate to the national encampments and carried the banner of Iowa for five miles on Market street in San Francisco in 1902 and the same banner in Toledo in 1908, and is now an aide on the staff of the present National Commander General Van Zant, of Min- nesota. He is a devoted and faithful member of the Reformed church of Lis- bon, of which he has been an elder for eigliteen years. He cast his first presiden- tial vote for Abraham Lincoln when eighteen years of age, being one of the soldiers who were accorded this privilege while defending the Union in the Civil war. He has since been loyal to the party, believing its principles are most conducive to good government. .
In his business affairs Mr. Davis has won success. As previously stated his first purchase of land was eighty acres and to this he has added from time to time until his holdings are extensive. In 1871 he bought forty acres on section 13. Linn township, Linn county, and afterward bought one hundred and sixty acres on section 19, Linn township, Jones county. His next purchase made him owner of eighty acres more on the same section and afterward he bought twenty acres of timber in Linn township, Linn county. He next purchased five acres on sec- tion 32, Greenfield township, Jones county, and now has in all about four hundred acres of very rich and productive land, constituting a valuable property. In his business affairs he has displayed keen discernment and marked enterprise and the success which he has won is the merited reward of his labors. When but four- teen years of age he hauled wheat to Muscatine, a distance of forty-five miles, driving a team of two horses and on reaching his destination sold the wheat for thirty-five cents a bushel, taking the pay in wild cat money. He broke the prairie with seven yoke of oxen, cutting a swath three feet in width with a single plow.
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That plow has been sent to Iowa City to be preserved as a relic. Mr. Davis has in his possession two things which he prizes as souvenirs of his army experiences. At the battle of Senatoba, Mississippi, he captured a Texas soldier and appro- priated his saber and saddle which he now possesses. He has served as school director in his district and raised the first stars and stripes over the schoolhouse in Greenfield township. He has been a delegate to the conventions of Des Moines and to several state conventions and is at all times a stanch advocate of any measure or movement which he believes to be right.
JAMES T. McNALLY.
Practicing the virtues of thrift and industry with an energy that could not but be attended with a pronounced success, James T. McNally may well be numbered among the prominent farmers of Washington township. He was born upon the old homestead whose fields he now tills, January 15, 1851, a son of Thomas and Jane (Farrell) McNally: The parents were both natives of Ireland, but came to America in 1833, shortly after their marriage. For two years they lived in Brooklyn, New York, and then removed to Maryland, which remained their home for three years. It was in 1841 that they came to Wash- ington township, Jones county, Iowa, where Mr McNally "squatted." When this section of the state was opened by the government for colonization he con- formed with the conditions required of the home seekers and secured the tract, living thereon for the rest of his life. When he came here, he had to cut the trees to make a rude shelter of logs, for the land had not known the plow or har- row and the woods had not heard the blow of an ax or hatchet. As the years passed and the soil returned abundant harvests for his labor, Mr. McNally erected a house more adequate for his needs. In 1885, when his death occurred, he was able to look back upon those early years with a sigh of satisfaction, for the present with its comforts, its large income and the knowledge that his sons were well established in their own vocations, presented a view very much changed from that of the untried country of half a century before. While Mr. McNally never aspired to public office, he enjoyed the distinction of being one of the first grand jury summoned in this county. His wife, who with so much courage had borne the hardships of the pioneering days, died one year before him, but she too was able to partake of the joys and pleasures that were added to their later years. They were the parents of eight children, namely : Robert, a farmer of Richland township, Jones county; one who died in infancy; Bernard and Frank, who have also passed away; Mary, who is the wife of James Linch, of Wright county, Iowa; Anna, who has not married; James T., the subject of this review ; and Norbertus, who is deceased.
James T. McNally completed the course of instruction prescribed by the common schools of his district and then entered the high school at Temple Hill. He was always connected with agricultural pursuits, however, for from his earliest years he did his share toward assisting in the work that was carried on around the home place. Now he owns two hundred and eighty acres of some
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of the choicest land in Washington township, and since it has been his home through the many vicissitudes of youth and manhood, he feels attached to it as are few farmers to the fields they till. Annually he feeds about two carloads of steers and from fifty to seventy-five hogs, while he also raises several colts, deriving from all his interests an income that is very gratifying.
In 1888 Mr. McNally wedded Miss Margaret Supple, who was born in Clay township, this county, November 12, 1857. Her father, John Supple, a farmer of this county, died in 1885, and her mother in 1883. One son, Francis J., has been granted to them. He was born October 8, 1889, and is now a prom- ising young man who has made good use of the educational advantages afforded him.
Mr. McNally has steadfastly given his support in political matters to the democratic party and has himself played no small part in local affairs, for he has been a most capable township trustee through several terms and as a school director has done much to advance the cause of education in his locality. His allegiance in religion is given to the Catholic church of Temple Hill. Mindful of the precepts of his father, always to be up and doing, advancing not standing still, but at the same time to achieve success wholly through his own efforts and not through the calamities of those who were less amply endowed to brave the battle of life, Mr. McNally has steadily risen to an important position among the citizens of his township. As befits a man of such wide influence, he gives his support to those measures which are calculated to promote the well being of the commonwealth and of his county.
GEORGE ALBERT NEWMAN.
A tract of four hundred and eleven acres of as fine land as can be found in Greenfield township pays tribute to the care and labor bestowed upon it by George Albert Newman. Born in this township on the 12th of February, 1866. his entire life has been passed within its borders. He is the seventh in order of birth in the family of Emanuel and Elizabeth (Spade) Newman. As a lad he attended the district schools in the acquirement of his education, and at the same time assisted his father in the work of the home farm, thus gaining a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of agricultural pursuits which proved of value to him in later years. He remained under the parental roof until he attained his majority, and then, desiring to enter upon an independent business career, he took up the occupation of farming on his own account and has since been identified with that line of activity. As the years have come and gone he has become the owner of a fine farm, consisting of four hundred and eleven acres of rich and productive land, and to its further development he is now de- voting his entire energies. The place presents the appearance of a highly im- proved and well cared for property, being the visible evidence of a life of thrift, energy and industry on the part of the owner. He is up-to-date and progressive in his business methods and has made a close study of agriculture in general,
G. A. NEWMAN AND FAMILY
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while his close application and wise management are proving the salient qualities in the creditable degree of success which is today his.
It was in December, 1892, that Mr. Newman was united in marriage to Miss Estella Chapin, a daughter of Charles W. and Eloise (Holcomb) Chapin, old residents of Greenfield township. Unto this union have been born six children, namely: Lora Maude, sixteen years of age; Esther Verne, fourteen years of age; Clancy Vance, aged thirteen years; Mary Elizabeth Eloise, aged eleven ; Hubert Lee, aged ten; and Ruth Chapin, aged eight. The family circle remains unbroken by the hand of death, the children all residing under the parental roof. Mr. and Mrs. Newman are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Martelle, their lives at all times being in harmony with its teachings.
In politics Mr. Newman gives stalwart support to the democracy, doing all in his power to further the influence of that party throughout the community. He has been a director of the school board for five years and is deeply interested in the cause of education, being desirous of the extension of its efficiency through- out the district. He is an advocate of progress, reform and improvement in all forms and all matters pertaining to the substantial growth and upbuilding of the community along material, political, educational and moral lines find in him a stanch champion. Having spent his entire life within the borders of Green- field township he has gained an extensive circle of friends which is almost co- extensive with the circle of his acquaintances, and the fact that he is best liked where best known is indicative of the fact that his life record has ever been guided by the principles that govern honorable, upright manhood.
CABLE BELKNAP.
Cable Belknap, one of the veterans of the Civil war and a man widely known and much esteemed, is a farmer residing on section II, Jackson township, where he has lived for a number of years. He was born at Bolivar, Tuscarawas county, Ohio, March 19, 1838, a son of Bissel Sydney and Barbara (Cable) Belknap, natives of Pennsylvania and Vermont, respectively, who were married in Ohio. They spent their peaceful lives upon a farm and were hard-working people. There were four children in their family, as follows: David, who died in Ohio ; Joseph, who lives at Canton, that state; Cable, who is the third in order of birth; and Elizabeth Jane, who married Philip Cline, of Vernon, Michigan.
Until he was twenty-two years of age, Cable Belknap rented a farm of his parents, and then, seeking for a broader field in which to operate, he came to Jones county, Iowa, where his father had entered land in 1854, securing a deed for it signed by President Pierce. Our subject settled on this farm May 10, 1860, and it has been his home ever since. It is located on section II, Jackson township, and consists of two hundred and eighty acres. In addition to this, Mr. Belknap owns forty acres of timber one mile east of his home, on sections IO and II. The property is well improved and he has good buildings he erected.
On October 6, 1864, Mr. Belknap enlisted in Company E, Second Iowa Volun- teer Infantry, which was assigned to the Fourth Division, Fifteenth Army Corps,
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and he served for eight months, or until the close of the war. He was with General Sherman at the capture of Savannah, where he was taken sick and forced to go into the hospital, but at the end of three weeks he rejoined his regiment at Raleigh, North Carolina, and had the pleasure of participating in the grand review at Washington. Immediately after his discharge he returned home, having done his duty as a soldier and a man. He now belongs to the Anamosa post, G. A. R. His political faith makes him a republican. For some years he has been a member of the Methodist church of Center Junction and is quite active in church work, being always willing to bear his part in extending its influence.
On April 10, 1860, Mr. Belknap was married to Elizabeth Tripp, who was born in Carlton, Ohio, March 25, 1836, where she resided until her marriage. She was well educated in the high school of her neighborhood and taught school for two years before her marriage. She is a daughter of William and Sarah (Haft) Tripp, natives of Pennsylvania, who went to Ohio after their marriage which was celebrated in their native state. From 1835, when they arrived in Ohio, until their deaths they lived near Carlton. Mr. and Mrs. Belknap are the parents of nine children, as follows: Charles S., William Tripp and Joseph E., who are at home ; John D., who lives at Anamosa ; Oscar W., who lives at Olin ; Jennie, who is at home; Etta M., who married F. E. Coder, of Washington ; James S., who lives near Anamosa on a farm ; and Cora C., who married Jasper H. Ramsey, of Anamosa.
VENCLE LASACK.
Vencle Lasack is giving his time and attention to general farming on a tract of one hundred and ten acres in Oxford township, he having acquired this pro- perty through his own labor. Ile was born on the old home farm in this town- ship in October, 1871, a son of Frank and Alberta Lasack, who, natives of Bohemia, emigrated to the United States in 1860 and located on land which the father purchased in Oxford township. They reared a family of eight children, namely: Michael and John, both residents of Oxford township; Albert, who makes his home in Oxford Junction : Adolf, also of Oxford Junction ; Vencle, of this review ; Anna, the wife of James Straka, a resident of Oxford township; Mrs. Christina Pecksh, who makes her home in Oxford Junction ; and Vete, of Oxford township. The father is now deceased but the mother still survives and makes her home in Oxford Junction.
Vencle Lasack was reared on the home farm, being trained to the work of the fields during the spring and summer months, while in the winter seasons he pursued his studies in the common schools of the neighborhood. He continued to give his father the benefit of his services until the time of his marriage, when in 1894 he wedded Miss Mary Berneck, a native of Jones county. Her father is deceased but her mother is still living and makes her home in Oxford Junction.
Following his marriage Mr. Lasack located on the farm which has since been his home. The place comprises one hundred and ten acres of cultivable land and
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nine acres of timber land, all on section 25, Oxford township. Mr. Lasack has good buildings on the place, while his farm work is carried on in a manner that brings the best results.
Three sons and two daughters grace the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lasack, Frank, Mary C., John A., Anna M. and Vencle, Jr. Mr. Lasack is a democrat in his political views and at the present time, 1909, he is serving as school director. He is ever alert to every opportunity presented and by hard work and careful expenditure has come into possession of his excellent farm property.
NORMAN P. CLARK.
Industry, energy and perseverance have characterized the efforts of Nor- man P. Clark during the years of his active business career, and his well directed efforts in agricultural lines are now meeting with creditable success. Born in Waterville, Lamoille county, Vermont, on the 5th of October, 1849, he is a son of Seth and Lucretia (Phillips) Clark, also natives of that state, the former being born in Johnson in 1809 and the latter in Chester in 1811. The parents lived together upon the farm where our subject was born for about forty-five years, or until the death of the mother, which occurred when she was almost seventy years of age. The father passed away at the age of seventy-five years. In their family were seven children, namely: Nancy A., the widow of N. H. Terrill; Mary Jane, the deceased wife of Z. Whiting; Helen G., who married J. Stevens and is also deceased ; Lucetta, the wife of L. Page, residing in Prince- ton, Illinois ; Norman P., of this review ; Alice Isabelle Stevens, deceased ; and Edwin A., of Chula, Missouri.
Spending the period of his boyhood and youth on the home farm in Ver- mont, Norman P. Clark acquired his education in the district schools and when not busy with his text-books assisted in the work of the fields, early becoming familiar with the tasks that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He remained under the parental roof until twenty-four years of age, when he entered the business world on his own account, wisely choosing as a life work the occupa- tion to which he had been reared. In 1878 he came west to Bureau county, Illinois, where he remained until the spring of 1880, when he removed to Lead- ville, Colorado. Returning to Illinois after a short stay, he remained in the latter state but one year, and then in February, 1882, came to Jones county, purchasing the farm upon which he now makes his home. It consists of two hundred acres on section 2, Cass township, and to its further development he has directed his entire energies, bringing the fields under a high state of culti- vation. When it came into his possession the farm was equipped with a small dwelling which has since been replaced by a comfortable and attractive resi- dence, substantial and commodious barns and outbuildings have been erected and on the place are found all of the modern accessories and conveniences that go to make up a well improved farm of the nineteenth century. He carries on general farming and also make a specialty of breeding Duroc Jersey hogs, both branches of his business proving sources of gratifying remuneration. Industry
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and energy have been the salient characteristics of his business career and his labors have found their just reward in a most gratifying degree of success. As he has prospered he has purchasd other property, and he now owns, aside from the homestead, sixty-five acres on section 25 and 36, Castle Grove town- ship.
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