USA > Iowa > Louisa County > History of Louisa County, Iowa, from its earliest settlement to 1911, Volume II > Part 44
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Mr. Lieberknecht married Miss Anna Crow on the 15th of January, 1891. She was a native of Port Louisa township, her birth having occurred in 1859. and a daughter of George H. and Eliza ( Ronald ) Crow. Her parents removed from Ohio to Illinois during pioneer days, and came from the latter state to Louisa county in 1836. They located on a farm and from then until his death. which occurred in 1876, Mr. Crow was identified with agricultural pursuits. Of the eight children in his family five are living: Harvey and Gavin, both residents of Louisa county; George, who is living in Cedar county, Iowa ; Mattie C., the wife of A. Latta, of Kansas City ; and Belle, who married E. Herd- man, of San Francisco, California. Those deceased are: Anna, who became
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Mrs. Lieberknecht and passed away on the 4th of December, 1909, being laid to rest at Colorado Springs ; and Mary and John.
Mr. and Mrs. Lieberknecht had one daughter and two sons: Ina, born in October, 1893; Scott L .. born in December, 1895: and Donald G., born in Sep- tember, 1897.
Mr. Lieberknecht is now making his home temporarily in Colorado Springs but still retains his business interests in Iowa. In matters religious both he and his family affiliate with the Congregational church, but his wife was a mem- ber of the United Presbyterian church. His relations in life, both public and private, have always been guided by the principles inculcated in him when a youth and which enabled him to lay a foundation for his career that led to pros- perity and usefulness.
THOMAS J. OCHILTREE.
One of the best known men in Morning Sun is Thomas J. Ochiltree, who for nearly fifty years has been identified with the commercial activities of that city, during eighteen of which he has been postmaster. He was born in Louisa county on the Ist of June, 1842, and is a son of Henry M. and Margaret Ochil- tree. The father, who was born on the 9th of February, 1809, was a native of Virginia, while the mother, whose natal day was the 10th of October, 1815, came from South Carolina. Henry M. Ochiltree, who was of Scotch extraction, removed to Ohio in the early '30s and continued to reside there until 1836, in which year he came to Iowa, where he entered a tract of government land. After having made the necessary improvements upon his property he returned to Ohio, where he was married on the 4th of January, 1838. Immediately afterward he and his bride started west, beginning their domestic life in this state in a log cabin with a clapboard roof and a puncheon floor. This continued to be their home for nine years, but success attended the efforts of Mr. Ochiltree who at one time owned one thousand acres of land in this county. Nine children were born to them, three of whom are still living: Thomas J .; Marshall; and Henry M., who is living in Haddam, Kansas. The father passed away on the 5th of September, 1877. but the mother survived until the 30th of October, 1887, both being laid to rest in the cemetery of Morning Sun. Mr. Ochiltree always took an active interest in political affairs and gave his support to the republican candidates. Both he and his wife were affiliated with the United Presbyterian church, of which for many years Mr. Ochiltree was an elder.
Reared on the farm on which he was born, Thomas J. Ochiltree acquired his preliminary education in the common schools of his native county, this being later supplemented by a collegiate course. He remained a member of the pa- rental household until he was of age, and on the ist of the July following he enlisted in Company M, Eighth Jowa Cavalry, and went to the front in defense of the Union. He remained in service during the entire period of the Civil
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war, during which time he participated in many notable battles but was never wounded. On the ist of January, 1866, he was mustered out and, returning to Lonisa county, he engaged in agricultural pursuits for two years. At the expiration of that period he became associated with his father and brother Marshall in the grain and lumber business in Morning Sun. This connection continued until 1873 when Mr. Ochiltree bought the interest of his father and brother and continued the business alone until 1910, at which time he with- drew from commercial activities.
The marriage of Mr. Ochiltree and Miss Elizabeth Brown, also a native of Lonisa county, was celebrated on the 27th of June, 1860. Mrs. Ochiltree is a daughter of J. C. and Mary J. Brown. Her mother has now passed away but her father is still living and continues to be a resident of Morning Sun. Five children were born unto Mr. and Mrs. Ochiltree, in order of birth as follows : Stanley ; Jennie, who became the wife of A. J. Pooley, of Chicago: William T., who is in the United States army, now stationed in the Philippines; and two who are deceased.
Mr. Ochiltree, who has always been an ardent republican, takes a prominent part in municipal affairs. He served as mayor of the town for four terms, and he has been a member of the school board for twenty-eight consecutive years, (hiring the past fifteen of which he has been president. Eighteen years ago he received the appointment of postmaster of Morning Sun, of which office he has ever since been the incumbent. Both he and his wife are affiliated with the Presbyterian church, in the work of which they always take an active and earnest interest. In addition to his pleasant residence in Morning Sun Mr. Ochiltree owns one hundred and sixty acres of farm land in Canada and is regarded as one of the substantial residents of the town. Always affable and courteous in all of the relations of life, he has a wide circle of friends who hold him in high esteem.
CHIARLES J. BOLLENBACH.
Charles J. Bollenbach, who for fifteen years was engaged in blacksmithing in Columbus Junction, was born in Lake county, Illinois, on the 24th of Sep- tember, 1871, his parents being Charles and Barbara (Wenegar ) Bollenbach, natives of Germany. The father came to America when a lad of fourteen years with his parents, who located in Cook county, Illinois. There he followed his trade. which was blacksmithing, and from there removed to Lake county, Illinois, where he engaged in business for himself. In 1900 he removed to Ar- lington, Illinois, where he and his wife continue to reside. He volunteered for service in the Union army in place of a brother who was drafted, and served one year with the Fifty-first Illinois Regiment. He had eight children, as follows: Louie, of Deland, Illinois; Charles J., our subject ; Edward, who is living in Tampico, Illinois; Erma, a resident of Arlington Heights, Illinois; Wil-
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liam, deceased; twins, one of whom died in infancy, while Almon, the other, is now deceased; and Clara, at home.
After finishing his education, which was acquired in the common schools of Illinois, Charles J. Bollenbach learned horse-shoeing. He remained with his parents until he was twenty-one years of age, following which he went to Chi- cago, where he worked at his trade for a year. At the expiration of that period he went to Erie, Illinois, where he remained a similar time, and then removed to Hooppole, Illinois, where he opened a shop, which he conducted for three years. Disposing of his business at the end of that time he came to Columbus Junction. In 1895 he bought out J. R. Davis, who was running a general black- smithing and horse-shoeing establishment. Ile lost this place by fire at the end of eight months, following which he bought a lot and built a shop, which he con- ducted for fifteen years, but in October, 1910, he closed out his business. In 1909 he purchased two lots on which is situated a nice two-story eight-room residence, which is his present home.
On the 24th of September, 1895, Mr. Bollenbach was united in marriage to Miss Anna M. Clementz, a daughter of Samuel and Mary (Vogel) Clementz, who were the parents of eight children, as follows: Anna, who became Mrs. Bollenbach ; William, a resident of Henry county, Illinois; Bertha, the wife of Edward Bollenbach of Tampico, Illinois; Martha, who married T. F. Castle, of Kansas City, Kansas; Josephine, the wife of Allan Mathis, of Henry county, Illinois; Catharine, and Fred, both of whom are at home; and John, who is deceased. The parents were both natives of Illinois, in which state the father still resides, but the mother passed away on the 26th of September, 1893. For his first wife Mr. Clementz chose Miss Louisa Grose, and to them were born two children : Frank, who is living in St. James, Missouri; and Dora, the wife of August Seyller, of Henry county, Illinois.
Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bollenbach : Laurene, who was born on the 20th of May, 1901; and Laverne, whose birth occurred on the 9th of June, 1904. The wife and mother passed away May 16, 1911, and was buried at Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Mr. Bollenbach's fraternal relations are confined to membership in the Mod- ern Woodmen of America and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while the religious affiliation of the family is with the Reformed church. He votes with the republican party and is now and has been for some time a member of the city council.
H. O. WEAVER.
H. O. Weaver, of Wapello, collector of United States internal revenue of the fourth district of lowa and prominent also as a lawyer and business man, was born on a farm in Marshall township, Louisa county, April 20, 1866. He is a son of Erastus Weaver, who was born at Providence, Rhode Island, September
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30, 1815, and in 1836 went to Wisconsin where he spent ten years. He arrived in Louisa county in 1840 and began farming on one hundred and sixty acres in Elm Grove township. On December 29, 1847, he was married to Miss Mary Elizabeth Marshall. In 1861 Mr. Weaver enlisted in the cause of the Union in Company C. Sixteenth Regiment of Iowa Volunteers, and valiantly performed his duty at the front for four long years. After the close of the war he re- ceived his honorable discharge and returned to the peaceful vocation of farm- ing in which he met with a goodly measure of success. Upon retiring from ac- tive labor he settled in Cairo, Marshall township, where he died at the age of eighty-nine years, having long been recognized as one of the most valued citi- zens of the county.
Mrs. Weaver, mother of our subject, was born near Xenia, Ohio, April 30. 1820, and came west with her father, John Marshall, and family in 1838 to the great new section that had been opened up to settlement through the Black Hawk purchase some few years previously. John Marshall settled in the town- ship which now bears his name and here his daughter Mary was reared. She bravely met the arduous struggles incident to the pioneer times, not the least of which was the taking care of a family of small children while the husband and father served his country upon southern battlefields during the Civil war, and the mother love with which she encompassed her little flock gave them a feeling of security in the years of their youth that contributed in a great measure toward making them self-reliant men and women. She delighted to recall to mind the early incidents of pioneer life and she never forgot her early neighbors and friends. She was a charter member of the Methodist Episcopal church which was organized in 1859 at Prairie Chapel, in Marshall township, and was ever fearless in her devotion to what she believed to be just and right. She died November 10, 1808, after having been an invalid for more than five years. She was laid to rest in Fulton cemetery beside her parents and many friends who had gone before, and in her passing the community lost one of the strony ties that linked the pioneer past with the progressive present. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Weaver, namely : Mary Elizabeth, the wife of Reese Sellers ; Laura and Annie, both of whom died in infancy; Emily F., the wife of Dr. W. Il. Darrow, of Columbus Junction ; Lucy, the wife of E. S. Briggs, of Louisa county ; Clara, who resides at Morning Sun and is the wife of Dr. C. B. Allen ; H. O., of this review : Henrietta, the wife of August Salmon, of Colum- bus Junction ; and Alice, who died in infancy.
HI. O. Weaver attended the district schools during the years of his boyhood and youth and assisted his father upon the home farm during the periods of vacation, thus laying the foundation for a good constitution which has been of great advantage to him in his contact with the world. At the age of eighteen he entered the Eastern lowa Normal School at Columbus Junction where he con- tinued for one year. lle then taught school for a short time in Muscatine county, after which he entered the State University at Iowa City. He spent five years at this institution, graduating from the literary department with the degree of A. B. in 1891, and from the law department with the degree of LL. B.
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in 1892. Immediately after leaving the university he began practice at Wapello and has since maintained an office here. From the beginning he showed a zeal and ability that gave brilliant promise as to his future, and time has shown that he made no mistake in the selection of a calling, as he soon reached a posi- tion as a leading lawyer of the county.
He has been an active worker in behalf of the republican party and in 1804 was elected to the state legislature and after serving for two years was again elected in 1896, also taking part in the proceedings of the extra session. For three years he filled the office of chairman of the republican state central com- mittee. As a campaign speaker he made a tour of the state in behalf of Gov- ernor Shaw and President Mckinley and gained high standing as a forceful and convincing speaker. In July, 1902, he was appointed by President Roosevelt as collector of revenue for the fourth district of lowa with headquarters at Burlington and is still holding the office, having been reappointed by President Taft. Ile is well known in business circles and is a large stockholder of the Wapello State Savings Bank of Wapello.
On the 7th of October, 1896, Mr. Weaver was married to Miss Alma Neuse, a daughter of George R. and Clara ( Slattery ) Neuse. Two children have been born of this union : Mary Frances, who died when six years of age ; and William Otis, now aged two years. Mr. Weaver has always been actuated by principles of the highest honor and has never taken undue advantage of an opponent in his legal practice or sought to advance a cause by unworthy means. Fearless in defense of his honest convictions, he has for years been an acknowledged leader in this part of the state and has won the respect even of his bitterest polit- ical adversaries. No one more willingly accepts responsibilities to which he is called or discharges them more faithfully. Ever since he reached maturity he has been identified with the best interests of the county. He and his wife are prominent in social circles and their home is a center of warm-hearted and generous hospitality. Fraternally he is a valued member of the Knights of Pythias, the Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of America.
WILLIAM CUTCOME.
The late William Cutcome, who was engaged in the mercantile business in Columbus Junction, was born in Prussia, Germany, on the 11th of December, 1841, and was brought to America when a lad of but four or five years by his parents, who first located in Pennsylvania, from which state they later removed to Muscatine, Iowa.
William Cutcome was reared and educated in the country of his adoption and for four years subsequent to his marriage engaged in farming. He withdrew from that occupation to become identified with mercantile business, which voca- tion he continued to follow. When the call came for men in 1861. he voluin- teered as a private in Company D. Thirty-fifth Iowa Volunteers, and saw much
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active service, participating in the battle of Island No. 10, and the siege of Vicksburg and Jackson. He was discharged on account of sickness at Mobile, Alabama, in 1865, at which time he weighed but ninety pounds.
On the 22d of February, 1866, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Cutcome and Miss Rosanna Dix, a daughter of Jonathan and Mary ( Williams) Dix, the father a native of Virginia and the mother of Ohio. Mr. Dix was one of the first Masons in this county and was the first to be buried with Knight Templar honors. He had four children : Paulina Jane, the wife of James Pay- ton, of Miami, Oklahoma; Rosanna, now Mrs. Cutcome; Adelia, who married Homer Darrow, of Denver, Colorado; and Nancy, the wife of James Costa, of Anthony, Kansas.
By the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Cutcome were born six children : William, who was born in November, 1807, and is now deceased; Louisa, the wife of Isaac Stone, of Wellings, Colorado; and Curtis, Mose and Albert, all of whom are deceased; and Ralph, who died September 21, 1911.
Mr. Cutcome voted the democratic ticket. He was always interested in all matters pertaining to the war and was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic through the medium of which organization he maintained relations with his old army comrades. His demise occurred on the 30th of December, 1900, shortly after he had passed the sixty-eighth anniversary of his birth. His wife is a consistent member of the Reformed church.
FRANCIS M. DUNCAN.
A representative of one of the pioneer families of Louisa county is Francis M. Duncan, who for more than fifty years was identified with the agricultural development of Union township. He was born in Monroe county, Tennessee, on the 8th of July, 1838, and is a son of John and Rachel G. (Duncan ) Duncan, natives of Tennessee, but the father was of Irish extraction his father having come from the Emerald isle. The family removed to Iowa from Tennessee in 1846, arriving in Louisa county on the 10th of May. They settled in the vicinity of Columbus Junction, where John Duncan purchased two hundred acres of land. Later he added to this another ninety acres, continuing to reside there until he passed away at the age of seventy-five years. The demise of the mother occurred in 1864, at the age of fifty-five. In their family were ten children, namely : Mary, Joseph C., James C. and Nancy, all of whom are deceased; Francis M., our sub- ject; James M., who is deceased; John Calvin, who is a resident of Columbus City ; Nelson, living in the same place; and Caroline and Madison Blair, both cleceased.
As he was only a lad of seven years when the family settled in Louisa county Francis M. Duncan has spent practically his entire life in this county, in the dis- trict schools of which he received his education. After leaving school he assisted his father on the farm until he was twenty-one years of age, when he rented the
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homestead for a year. At the expiration of that time he accepted a position as salesman of agricultural implements for a house in Galesburg, Illinois. He traveled through that state for this company for three years and then, returning to Iowa, he bought two hundred and forty acres of prairie land in Washington county. Disposing of this in 1863. after he had started improvements and had about forty acres of the land broken. he bought one hundred and sixty acres in Union township, Louisa county. He added to his holdings from time to time as he was able until he acquired three hundred and twenty-five acres of fertile land, all of which he brought to a high state of cultivation. In connection with the cultivation of his fields he made a specialty of feeding and shipping cattle until the spring of 1911. He has now rented luis land, although he continues to live on the place, having just completed a new two and a half story frame residence which he now occupies. His farm is one of the well im- proved and carefully kept places of the township, as well as one of the most valu- able properties.
On the 13th of October, 1864, Mr. Duncan was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Sands, a daughter of Nathaniel and Sarah Sands. To them were born the following children : Joseph C., who is a resident of Columbus Junction; Mel- vin, deceased; William Nelson, living in Union township; Ida L., the wife of Harry Edwards, of Union township ; Reuben Harrison, also a resident of Louisa county ; Francis M., who lives in Columbus Junction ; Earl, deceased ; and Jesse, at home.
The family were reared in the faith of the United Presbyterian church, of which the parents are members, while in matters political Mr. Duncan is a republi- can. He has always taken an active interest in all matters pertaining to the com- mon welfare and served in the various township offices. During the long period of his residence in the community he has established and maintained a reputa- tion for reliability and trustworthiness in all business transactions and is esteemed accordingly.
LINCOLN U. GIPPLE.
.A well known representative of the commercial interests in Letts is Lincoln U. Gipple, who for the past nineteen years has been conducting a drug store here. A native of Louisa county, his natal day was the 3d of March, 1866, and his parents were George W. and Mary (Brooks) Gipple, both of whom were born in the vicinity of Harrisburg. Pennsylvania, and there they were married. They began their domestic life on a farm in their native state, where they resided until 1852, when they came to Iowa. Upon their arrival in Louisa county, they rented a farm, which Mr. Gipple cultivated for several years, and then bought land in Grand View township. Later he sold this and bought a farm in Cedar township. Muscatine county, which he operated until his retire- ment in 1888, at which time he owned one hundred and twenty acres of finely Vol. II-24
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improved land. When they left the farm Mr. and Mrs. Gipple located in Letts, where they continue to reside. They are the parents of eight children: Emma, the wife of Mark Sharp, of Falls City, Nebraska : Annie, who married Lee Hud- ler, of South Dakota; Cynthia, the wife of A. H. Dollahide, of Audubon, Iowa; Charles W., who is living on the old homstead; Edward B., residing in the vicinity of Winfield, lowa; H. W., who lives in Bentonville, Arkansas; Carrie, who married J. O. Holtz, of Sweetland, Muscatine county; and Lin- coln U.
The early life of Lincoln U. Gipple was spent on the farm where he was born, while in the acquirement of his education he attended the common schools of Louisa county. He began his business career at the age of twenty-six years. at which time he became associated with a friend in the drug business. Three years later he purchased the interest of his partner and has ever since been conducting the store alone. In addition to this he is also one of the owners of the Letts button factory, which is proving to be a very successful venture, and is a stockholder and director of the Citizens Savings Bank.
Mr. Gipple was married on the 14th of June, 1894, to Miss Alice Kerr, who was born in Muscatine county, Iowa, on the 8th of October, 1871. She is the only daughter of the late David and Mary ( Williams) Kerr. Her father was a native of Ohio and her mother of Indiana, but they were married in Muscatine. Mr. Kerr was engaged in agricultural pursuits until his demise, which occurred in 1885. Since his death Mrs. Kerr, who is now fifty-three years of age, has made her home in Letts. Unto them were born three children, the elder of the two sons being Frank, a resident of Kinross, Iowa, while the second born, Walter, is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Gipple have three children : Vivian, born on the 22d of February, 1895, who is a graduate of the high school and has also had a musical education ; Orval, who was born on the 13th of March, 1898; and Weldon, whose birth occurred on the 17th of August, 1899.
The family affiliate with the United Brethren church, of which the parents are members, and fraternally Mr. Gipple is identified with the Masonic order, holding membership in Letts Lodge, No. 245. A. F. & A. M., and also with Letts Lodge, No. 671, I. O. O. F. He votes with the republican party but never participates in municipal affairs, concentrating his entire time and atten- tion upon the development of his business interests.
DAVID E. STRAWHACKER.
David E. Strawhacker, who has lived retired in Oakville for the past two years, was formerly identified with agricultural interests as a farmer and stock- raiser and now owns from six to seven hundred acres of valuable land in Louisa county and more than eleven hundred acres in North Dakota. His birth occurred in Pennsylvania on the 4th of February, 1860, his parents being Benjamin and
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Mary Ann ( Miller ) Strawhacker, who were likewise natives of the Keystone state. Leaving Pennsylvania. they took up their abode on a farm near Millers- burg, Mercer county, Illinois. Benjamin Strawhacker, who was a blacksmith by trade, worked at that occupation and also at farming until 1886, when he came to Louisa county, Jowa, where his demise occurred on the 7th of March, 1893. Ilis widow, who makes her home in this county, has attained the age of eighty- one years. Unto them were born seven children, as follows: John Ambrose, who is a resident of New Boston, Illinois; Elizabeth, the wife of J. R. Minor, of Louisa county ; William Jefferson, who makes his home in North Dakota; James P., who is deceased ; David E., of this review ; Henry E., likewise living in North Dakota; and Rose E., the wife of Victor Swafford, of Morning Sun, lowa.
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