USA > Iowa > Jones County > History of Jones County, Iowa, past and present, Volume II > Part 48
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Mr. Clark laid the foundations of a happy home life in his marriage, on , the 20th of June, 1894, to Miss Hattie J. Worster, who was born in Wayne township, Jones county, on the 18th of August, 1863. She is a daughter of Selim and Lucy (Ripley) Worster, the former born in Swanzey, New Hamp- shire, on the 26th of May, 1822, and the latter in Winchester, New Hampshire, November 20, 1825. They came to Jones county in 1853 with four of their children, the home being established in Wayne township, where they continued to reside until their death, at which time Mr. Worster owned about three hun- dred acres of fine farming land. He passed away on the 14th of January, 1907, while his wife survived him until the 13th of September, 1909. Their family consisted of ten children, namely : George C., of Ottosen, Iowa; John M., residing in Emporia, Kansas; Waldo A., of Fort Scott, Kansas; Alden E., making his home in Albion, Iowa; Charles, also residing in Emporia, Kansas; Mrs. Miranda S. Dunn, who lives in West Bend, Iowa; William J., also of Otto- sen; Mrs. N. P. Clark; Mrs. Cora A. Walters, of Cass township; and Henry F., living in Wayne township. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Clark have been born four children, of whom Grace L., the eldest, passed away in infancy. The others are : Hattie May, Norman E. and Raymond J., all under the parental roof.
In his political allegiance Mr. Clark is a stalwart republican and has served as township trustee, justice of the peace, and has held other public offices. Frater- nally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and with the Modern Woodmen of America, and his life record has ever been in harmony with the principles of brotherhood that form the basic elements of these organ- izations. His time and attention are naturally most largely given to his business interests and he has followed the occupation to which he was reared for many years. In his business career lie has been straightforward and reliable and counts among his many friends all those who acknowledge and appreciate gen- uine personal worth.
J. A. TOMLINSON.
J. A. Tomlinson is a substantial representative of the best agricultural in- terests of Madison township and his well tilled fields on sections 1 and 2 bear out this township's reputation for the prosperity of its residents. A native of Jones county, he was born in Clay township, January 25, 1855. his parents be- ing Joseph and Mary J. (Curry) Tomlinson. The former was a native of Mary- land, while the mother was born in Ohio. In 1848 or 1849 Joseph Tomlinson came to Iowa, taking up his home in Canton, where for several years he followed his trade as a blacksmith. Later he engaged in farming upon the place now occupied by his son, but twelve years ago, after having obtained a gratifying com-
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petence for his expenditure of time and labor, he felt justified in retiring from active life. Then he took up his residence in Onslow, which is still his home.
J. A. Tomlinson was reared under the parental roof and was enrolled as a student in the local public schools, from which he derived substantial training for life. As he grew to manhood he was able to enter more and more into the work of the home farm until finally he and his father operated it in conjunction. The partnership existed until about twelve years ago, when the older man re- tired, leaving J. A. Tomlinson with the full responsibilities of the place. It is a tract embracing two hundred acres, situated on sections I and 2, Madison township, and is rightly accounted one of the finest farms in Jones county, for few places give such bountiful returns for the labor expended upon them. To be sure Mr. Tomlinson has spared no effort to make himself prominent as an agriculturist so that, perhaps, as much to his industry as to the natural richness of the soil are to be attributed the large harvests which he reaps each season.
In January, 1883, Mr. Tomlinson was united in marriage to Miss Lizzie Mon- tague, of Michigan, whose home was near Benton Harbor, and one son, L. J., has been born to them. Mr. Tomlinson has not seen fit to give his allegiance ex- clusively to one political party, but as he is interested in questions of public moment he investigates them and, after having deeply considered them from different points of view, he feels he is competent to render his judgment. Ac- cordingly his vote is usually cast for the man who is worthy of support rather than for the candidate who perhaps has little to recommend him save that he is his party's choice. This independence of judgment is but one phase of the pro- gressive spirit which has dominated the course of his life and has contributed as much as his unremitting industry to the winning of the good fortune in which all of his fellow citizens as well as himself may take a pride.
JOHN HUGHES.
The agricultural interests of Washington township find a worthy represen- tative in John Hughes, who was born in Jones county on the 4th of November, 1857, and is the eldest in a family of four sons born unto Peter and Ann Hughes, the others being Patrick, Michael and Thomas. The father, who was born in Ireland in 1827, was reared in his native land, and there acquired his education, most of which was gleaned through observation and experience. He came to America while still a young man in his teens, with the hope of here finding bet- ter opportunities for advancement in business lines than were offered across the waters. He first located in New Orleans where for about ten years he was engaged as a laborer. He then came to Jones county, Iowa, taking up his abode on a farm in Washington township, where he continued to reside until his demise, which occurred on the 27th of June, 1909. He was very successful in his agri- cultural pursuits and as the years passed was able to add to his original pur- chase, which consisted of eighty acres, until he became one of the largest land owners in his section of the county, accumulating nine hundred acres, which prop- erty is now divided among his four sons. He was a democrat in politics and a
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faithful member of the Temple Hill Catholic church. In 1856 he had married Ann Hughes, who was also a native of Ireland, coming to America in early life.
John Hughes, whose name introduces this review, spent the period of his boyhood and youth under the parental roof and is indebted to the public-school system of Jones county for the educational advantages he enjoyed. He early be- came familiar with the best methods of plowing, planting and harvesting, and upon attaining his majority wisely chose as his life work the occupation to which he had been reared. He has since devoted himself to agriculture and in this line of activity has been very successful. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of the old homestead, where he carries on general farming, practicing rotation of crops and making a thorough study of the cereals best adapted to soil and climate. The land is naturally rich and fertile and responds readily to the care and labor bestowed upon it.
Mr. Hughes was united in marriage in 1901 to Miss Julia Sorell, and their union has been blessed with one daughter, who was born on the 24th of October, 1902, and is the light and life of the household. Mrs. Hughes is a daughter of John and Mary Sorel, the former a native of France, where his birth occurred in 1813. He passed away in 1895. The mother was born in Ireland and in New Orleans gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Sorel. They remained in that city for about two years and then came direct to Jones county, Iowa, taking up their abode in Washington township, where their remaining days were spent. The old homestead is still owned and occupied by the children.
Mr. Hughes is a member of the Catholic church at Temple Hill and is deeply interested in the work thereof. Politically he has supported the democratic party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise, and he does all in his power to further its influence throughout the community although he is not an aspirant for public office as a reward for party fealty. He is public-spirited in his citizenship and his influence is ever found on the side of improvement, advancement, progress and reform. He has great reverence for the good name and upright life of his father, whose high principles and honorable manhood served as an excellent example for his family, and his own record has ever been a most creditable one, he being recognized as a worthy son of an honored father.
E. E. BROWN.
About twenty years ago E. E. Brown relinquished the heavy cares of an agri- cultural life and retired to the village of Onslow. His has been a life of many varied experiences for he was one of the young men whose ambitions were fired by the report of the finding of gold in California and who left their New England homes confident that in a few months they could make more in the west land than through a lifetime of toil upon the farm. He was born in Springfield, Ver- mont, March 30, 1828, and is a son of Enos and Hannah (Griswold) Brown. Both his paternal and maternal grandfathers had fought for the independence of the colonies in the American Revolution so that the stories of that conflict
EMERSON E. BROWN
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which people of today accept unthinkingly as a part of the history of the world, had for him a meaning closely connected with the memories of his childhood. His parents were natives of Vermont and died in that state, having reared a family of eight children, only four of whom now survive: Samuel, who lives in Ver- mont ; E. E., the subject of this sketch ; Leverett, who is residing in Dallas county, Iowa; and Helen, who is the widow of A. L. Robinson and is now living in Los Angeles, California.
Until he was twenty-one years of age E. E. Brown remained at home, work- ing with his father upon the farm, and then in the city of Springfield learned the trade of a molder, at which he worked for one year. About that time, the rumor of the discovery of gold in California reached his home and with seven other young men he embarked upon a steamship which would carry them to the new country. On the 13th of April, 1850, the vessel put out to sea and in Septem- ber arrived in the port of San Francisco, having taken one hundred and forty- two days to make the journey. They had counted on requiring only forty days and had accordingly provisioned for sixty days from Panama to San Francisco, but they were delayed by bad weather and head winds, so that their eatables had been exhausted for some time ere they reached their destination and an almost starved band of men set foot on the western shore of this continent. Imme- diately upon his arrival Mr. Brown began prospecting for gold, with such success that during the two years and eight months he remained there he accumulated twenty-five hundred dollars. With this he returned to Vermont and, after spend- ing the summer with his parents, started west to look for a home. He left Ver- mont August 28, 1853, made his way across the country to Kane county, Illinois, stopping for a short time in St. Charles, where he had some friends. Next he went to Springfield, that state, then after a few days to Alton, whence he took a boat for Dubuque, Iowa. From there he came to Jones county, locating upon a farm in Clay township. It consisted of two hundred and sixty acres and was at that time in the first stages of its development, for the only building upon it was a log house, the home of its previous owner. It was also the abode of Mr. Brown for about three years, when he built the frame house in which he lived until 1875. Then he erected the fine brick residence in which he looked forward to spending the remaining years of his life, but in 1889 he decided to give up the active pursuit of farming and to retire to Onslow, where he had put up a fine house in which he has since lived.
After the inauguration of the Civil war Mr. Brown enlisted in Company H, Second Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He served one year in the conflict, partici- pating in the battle of Bentonville, North Carolina, and several skirmishes, but he remembers most distinctly his experiences as a member of Sherman's army on its historic march to the sea.
On the 7th of November, 1853, Mr. Brown wedded Miss Gracia Allbee, who was born in Vermont and was a daughter of William and Lucretia (Johnson) Allbee, both natives of that New England state and both now deceased. Eight children have been born to this union: Forrest W., who is living in Nebraska ; Prairie E., a resident of Garnett, Kansas; Mary E., and Ada L., deceased ; Leverett E., of Jones county ; Carlton E., of Chicago, Illinois ; Gracia S., deceased ; and Jessie Helen, who lives at home.
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Mr. and Mrs. Brown are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically he affiliates with the republicans, the party which supported the nation in her hour of need and has been well known in the public affairs of this town- ship, for he served as trustee for five years, acted as assessor for nine years, and for five years was the county supervisor. In short, in looking over the record of his life, it is seen that he is a man who has ever been on the alert to distinguish himself, from the days of his youth when he sought to find a fortune in the west, during the war when he sought for an occasion to prove his patriotism and then in the arts of peace, in which he won a reputation as a successful tiller of the soil. He is a member of the Grand Army Post at Wyoming, Iowa, and for twenty years his wife has been prominently connected with the Relief Corps, having served as vice president of the organization. They have a wide circle of friends and acquaintances in Jones county.
LUCIUS J. ROSE.
An excellent farm of one hundred and sixty acres located on sections 5 and 6, Hale township, pays tribute to the care and labor of Lucius J. Rose. A native of Jones county, Iowa, he was born in Madison township on the 2d of February, 1863, a son of Lucius K. and Elizabeth E. (Reynolds) Rose. The parents were both born in New York, the father being a native of Otsego and the mother of Cortland county. They were married in the Empire state and in 1854 came west to Jones county, Iowa, the father entering land on sections 31 and 32, Madison township. There they resided until 1887, in which year removal was made to Linn county, where they made their home for eight years. At the expiration of that period they returned to Jones county, locating in Olin, where they spent their remaining days. The father, who had conducted a jewelry establishment in New York, took up agricultural pursuits on his arrival in Iowa, first entering one hundred and sixty acres and later purchasing forty acres, so that at the time of his demise he was the owner of two hundred acres of fine farm land. He passed away on the 7th of February, 1903, when seventy-six years of age, while his wife's death occurred in July, 1890, when sixty-eight years old. In their family were five children, namely: Cornelia, the wife of F. F. Burch, of Olin ; Eliza M., the wife of M. E. Keller, of Cuba, New York; Lucius J., of this review ; Electa A., who wedded Addison Barton, of Salem, Missouri; and Mary L., the wife of E. E. Myers, of Hale township.
Lucius J. Rose, whose name initiates this review, spent the period of his boy- hood and youth under the parental roof, and with the exception of eight years spent in Mount Vernon, his entire life has been passed in Jones county. He attended the district schools of this county in the acquirement of his education, and when not engaged with his text-books he assisted in the work of the home farm, giving his father the benefit of his aid until he attained his majority. He then engaged in business on his own account, wisely choosing as a life work the occupation to which he had been reared. He has since been engaged in general farming and that he is winning a creditable degree of prosperity in his under-
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taking is probably due to the fact that he has concentrated his energies upon his agricultural pursuits and has not sought to enter other channels of activity. His present farm comprises one hundred and sixty acres of land located on sec- tions 5 and 6, all of which is in excellent condition and responds readily and abundantly to the care bestowed upon it. The appearance of the place indicates that its owner is progressive and up-to-date in his methods and the success which he today enjoys indicates clearly the business ability and good management which he has displayed.
It was in 1896 that Mr. Rose was united in marriage to Miss May Freeman, who was born in Story county, Iowa, on the 9th of August, 1869, a daughter of H. C. and Ann (Patten) Freeman. Her parents were among the early pioneer settlers of Jones county who, after leaving the county for a time, returned in 187I and have since made their home in Olin. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Rose has been blessed with eight children who are as follows: Nina Blanch, Marjorie M., Ronald F., Erma, Pauline, L. J., Jr., Roscoe and Hannibal C. In his polit- ical views Mr. Rose is a republican, although he does not seek nor desire public office as a reward for party fealty, preferring to devote his entire time and atten- tion to the conduct of his business affairs. Having spent almost their entire lives in this county Mr. and Mrs. Rose are widely and favorably known here and have gained the warm regard and esteem of all with whom they have been asso- ciated.
HANS JURGENSEN.
The prosperity of any community depends largely upon the enterprise of its business men for in their hands rests the commercial importance of the place. The Olin Lumber Company is a concern which has been well developed through the prowess and foresightedness of its members, Hans and Fred Jurgensen and W. D. Hart. The senior member, Hans Jurgensen, was born in Hadstedt, Schleswig, Germany, February 20, 1863, a son of Frederick and Annie (Carstens) Jurgensen, natives of the above named place. The mother died when seventy years of age, but the father is still living and resides in Germany. During his active life he was a horse and cattle dealer and stockman. There were eight children in the family as follows: Claus, a resident of Hale township; Christ E., of St. Paul, Minnesota; Hans, of this review; Henry, of St. Paul; Dora, the wife of Cornelius Anderson, of Rome township; Lucy, the wife of Fred Peterson, of Anamosa; Max, of St. Paul; and Richard, of Germany. Hans was the first to come to the United States, and then, as he could, he sent for the others, all but Richard who has remained in Germany.
Hans Jurgensen worked in a hotel and on a farm in Germany during the summer months and went to school in the winter. In 1883 he came to this country, and in Chicago found employment with a gardener at ten dollars per month. At the end of the first month he left and went to Minnesota, where an uncle was living in the vicinity of Stillwater, and there he worked during a summer. The following summer, in 1884, he came to Jones county, Iowa, and this has since been his home. For two and one-half years he worked by the month and then
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he rented land for farming purposes. This continued for some years, he renting in Hale and Rome townships, and then he bought property in Olin and opened a saloon. After operating it for about seven years he purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty acres one and one-half miles southwest of Olin, where he now resides. On January 1, 1906, Mr. Jurgensen established his lumber business and operated it alone for a time, but later took in his son Fred and in 1908 he also admitted W. D. Hart to the firm and the three now conduct it as the Olin Lum- ber Company. In addition to his lumber interests, Mr. Jurgensen feeds stock, raises hay and grain, doing a general farming and stock-raising business.
On March 13, 1887, Mr. Jurgensen married Minnie Peters, who was born in Lubse, Mecklenburg, Germany, November 6, 1868, being brought to the United States by her father, Fred Peters, in 1883, the mother having previously died. Eight children have been born of this marriage, namely: Fred, John, Max, August, Louis, Hattie, Eddie and Minnie.
Mr. Jurgensen came to the United States without money and entirely alone. He knew little or nothing of the new language, but he possessed a firmness of purpose, a love of work and a knowledge of saving, and he is now one of the substantial men of his community and the head of one of the flourishing con- cerns of Olin. All this has been gained through hard work and strict integrity, and he deserves the respect and confidence which he commands.
SMITH JAMES.
Smith James is one of the prosperous farmers of Madison township, and, as it is popularly said in the phrase of the field, has the faculty of making two blades of grass grow where another man could with difficulty raise one. He was born in this township, November 6, 1867, and is the son of J. W. James, who has retired from the active pursuit of farming and lives in the town of Wyoming, Iowa.
Smith James was reared at home and after completing the course of study prescribed by the common schools continued his education in the Wyoming high school. His lessons over, he returned to the farm and for a number of years assisted his father in the cultivating of his fields, until, having married, he was desirous of establishing a home of his own. His father thereupon left the old homestead for another farm he owned in Madison township and rented to his son the place he now owns and occupies. In 1895 Smith James was able to purchase the land of his father, which brought his holdings up to two hundred and forty acres, for he had already bought eighty acres which adjoined the home place on the northeast corner. From the beginning he put his agricultural opera- tions on a scientific basis, sparing no pains to obtain the best results from the soil that is his. The wealth of the harvests have justified all his labor and the fertility of the soil, which rather increases than diminishes under his system of cultivation, attests the wisdom of his science.
In 1893 Mr. James was united in marriage to Miss Maggie Crew, of Lineville, Iowa. Seven. children have been born to the couple, six of whom survive: Cecil
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W., Hugh L., Edward R., Paul J., Wesley A. and Mary N. The family are members of the Free Methodist church, in which Mr. James is a trustee, and are diligent in their attendance at its services. Their lives, too, bear testimony to the practical value of its teachings. Politically Mr. James affiliates with the prohibitionists, being thoroughly in sympathy with the majority of the prin- ciples of their platform. It is by his work, however, that he is judged, and when it is remembered that he feeds as many as two carloads of cattle each year and that his fields in every way are a model for those engaged in like pursuit, tlie in- evitable inference is convincing-that though unremitting toil may accomplish many things and good management point the way to a substantial income, the greatest success comes from the union of these things and a mind which is pro- gressive, determined to profit by the experience and knowledge of others and able to utilize scientific methods.
MILTON BYERLY.
Many of the most successful farmers of Jones county are those who in younger years devoted some of their time to teaching school, thus gaining a broader outlook on life and an understanding of human nature. They have learned the value of a thorough comprehension of any line of work and when they turned their full attention to farming it was with the idea of profiting by the experience of others. One of the men who has been both school teacher and farmer is Milton Byerly, residing on section 4, Jackson township, who was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, January 30, 1844, and was brought to Jones county by his parents, Michael and Elizabeth (Jeffries) Byerly, in 1846. The family located in Jackson township and for many years assisted other pioneers in the work of improvement.
Milton Byerly received more than the average education afforded the farmer's son, for after he had attended the common school he entered Cornell College at Mt. Vernon, Iowa, and also took a commercial course in Iron City College at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. For eighteen winters he taught school in Jones county and farmed in the summer, becoming one of the best known educators of his locality. He made his home with his parents until his brother John was mar- ried and then he farmed in partnership with him. This association continued until Mr. Byerly was married, when he settled on his own farm. His present farm, located on sections 4 and 5, Jackson township, cost him fifty dollars an acre but it is now worth much more owing to the work he has put upon it as well as his many improvements. Here he carries on general farming and stock raising, and his property shows the results of his good management and knowl- edge of his business. In addition to this farm Mr. Byerly owns one hundred and sixty acres in San Luis Valley, Colorado.
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