USA > Iowa > Madison County > History of Madison County, Iowa, and its people, Volume II > Part 39
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CHARLES G. SHELDON
L
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Clellan was censured for not advancing at once on the Confederate capital, although subsequent events proved the wisdom of his course. In the battle of Savage Station, in which Mr. Sheldon participated, only seven men of his com- pany of sixty-seven lived to return from the battlefield and two of those were wounded. He was ill with swamp fever and on the retreat after the battle of Chickamauga he was compelled to fall behind with the stragglers. As there was danger of his being captured he gave a man a gold dollar for the chance to ride in his covered rig used as an ambulance and thus escaped. As he was not fit for duty on the firing line he was assigned to the convalescent hospital at Anna- polis and after serving as assistant ward master was promoted head ward master of the first ward in the Camden Street Hospital at Baltimore, Maryland, where he remained until discharged. On the 24th of September, 1864, he was mustered out of the United States military service, having been with the army for three years, one month and twelve days. After the close of the war he was for some time employed by the government as carpenter on public works at Washington, D. C., receiving a wage of seventy dollars per month and rations. He was in the capital city the night that President Lincoln was assassinated and remembers viv- idly that terrible week. After working as a carpenter in the government employ for ten months he joined his brother on a small truck farm near Newtonville, New York, but two years later went to Laurel, Maryland, and for several years worked at his trade. In 1876 he came to Madison county, Iowa, and purchased eighty acres of unimproved land in Monroe township and, having erected a small dwelling, took up his residence upon that place. He subsequently added to his farm by buying adjoining land and also became the owner of two other farms in Monroe township. He still makes his home upon his original tract but does not hold title to it, however, as a number of years since it became the property of his son Harry, who passed away two years ago. His widow still makes her home upon the place and our subject resides with her and her family. While he was an active force in agricultural circles he was known as a progressive, energetic and capable farmer and won a competence which insures comfort during his remaining days.
During the war Mr. Sheldon was married to Miss Sarah M. Davidson, who was born in Laurel, Maryland, on the 22d of March, 1847, and died on the 29th of March, 1881. Subsequently he married the widow of William Compton, at one time proprietor of the Buffalo Mills. She passed away on the 4th of August, 1889. By his first marriage Mr. Sheldon had seven children, as fol- lows. Harry, who was born in New York, married Miss Lucy Bancroft, a native of England, by whom he had five children ; Lillie, the wife of H. B. Rose, of Des Moines ; Maggie, who married Elmer Berry, of Monroe township; and Elsie, Fay and Marian, all at home. Hattie, the second child born to our subject, is the wife of Rev. George Bancroft, a minister of the Evangelical Association of Lin- coln, Nebraska. Fannie married Grant Alexander, of Delta, Colorado. Rose is now Mrs. R. W. Adcock, of Walnut township, this county. Sarah became the wife of William Willis, of Nebraska, and has passed away. James A. is farming in Monroe township, this county. L. A. resides in Cherokee county, Kansas.
Mr. Sheldon has been a church member for forty years and now belongs to the Evangelical Association although for a considerable time he was identified with the Methodist church. In his early manhood he belonged to the Masonic,
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Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias lodges but is not now actively connected with them. For many years he was a republican but is now a prohibitionist, hav- ing become convinced that the abolition of the liquor traffic is the most important issue facing the country. His personal habits are most exemplary, as he has never used either liquor or tobacco. For ten years he was justice of the peace and discharged well the duties devolving upon him in that connection. He has reached the age of seventy-five years and has the consciousness that his life has been well spent and that it has been a factor of value in the development of his community along both material and moral lines. He enjoys the respect of his fellow citizens, who recognize his worth.
JOHN F. KIRBY.
John F. Kirby, who now lives retired in his handsome farm residence in Crawford township, was there successfully identified with general agricultural pursuits throughout his active business career and is still the owner of three hundred and sixty acres of valuable land. His birth occurred in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, on the 24th of June, 1853, his parents being James and Bridget (Nolan) Kirby, natives of Ireland. They emigrated to the United States in early manhood and womanhood and took up their abode in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. By occupation the father was a miner and a merchant. In 1857 James Kirby brought his family to Iowa and the following year located on a tract of forty acres on section 17, Crawford township, Madison county, which he began cul- tivating. As time passed and his financial resources increased, owing to his well directed industry and capable management, he augmented his holdings by addi- tional purchase until at his death he owned three hundred and sixty acres of val- uable land. He passed away on the 14th of March, 1887, and his demise was the occasion of deep and widespread regret. His wife, who also enjoyed an extensive and favorable acquaintance throughout the community, was called to her final rest in March, 1901. Their children were six in number, as follows: Mary, who is the widow of John Burke and resides in Des Moines ; William, de- ceased; Anna, who is the widow of Michael Costello and makes her home in Granger, Iowa; Margaret, who resides with and keeps house for her brother, John; James, of Union township; and John F., of this review. The parents were devout communicants of the Catholic church and reared all of their chil- dren in that faith.
John F. Kirby, who was about four years of age when brought to this state by his parents, acquired his early education in the public schools of Crawford township, this county, and later continued his studies in St. Joseph's College of Dubuque, Iowa, while subsequently he entered St. Mary's University of Balti- more, Maryland. Returning to Madison county, he gave his attention to agri- cultural pursuits and throughout his active business career was successfully en- gaged in general farming, cultivating three hundred and sixty acres of rich and productive land which he still owns. He now leases the property but still lives in his handsome home on the farm, which is perhaps the finest, most commodi- ous and most modern residence in Crawford township. A large new barn and
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substantial outbuildings also adorn the place, which in its neat and attractive ap- pearance bespeaks the careful supervision of a practical and progressive owner. Mr. Kirby has made many friends throughout the community and enjoys an enviable reputation as one of its prosperous and respected citizens. His fraternal relations are with the Knights of Columbus.
CHARLES H. DEVAULT, SR.
There are many highly successful and progressive agriculturists in Madison county and among them is Charles H. Devault, who has owned and operated four hundred and forty acres in Penn township for twenty-three years. He was born in Johnson county, this state, on the 10th of September, 1850, a son of Charles and Rachel ( Felkner) Devault, natives of Ohio. In 1841 the father removed to Johnson county and entered land at a dollar and a quarter per acre, upon which the family home was established. He operated his farm during the remainder of his life, dying on the 25th of May, 1883. He was survived for almost two decades by his wife, whose death occurred on the 28th of February, 1902.
Charles H. Devault was reared in Johnson county and after attending the public schools of that county and of Iowa City he became a student at Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa. He remained with his parents until he was of age and was then given one hundred acres of his father's land, which he operated for about five years. He then sold the place and bought land in Linn county, which he farmed for eleven years. On selling that place he came to Madison county and purchased one hundred and sixty acres on section 33, Penn township, which he began improving immediately. Subsequently he added more land, mak- ing his aggregate holdings four hundred and forty acres, which he has developed and cultivated for twenty-three years. The land is in a high state of cultivation, the fences are durable and the buildings are all well designed and commodious. In the cultivation of the land and the care of his crops he uses practical methods of agriculture and the latest improved machinery. He raises partly thorough- bred stock, specializing in Chester White hogs, and is a prominent stockman of his township.
On the 5th of April, 1881, occurred the marriage of Mr. Devault and Miss Minerva Jane Fuhrmeister, a daughter of Charles and Emeline (Stream) Fuhr- meister, the former born in Germany and the latter in Licking county, Ohio. When but nine years of age the father was brought by his parents to America and in 1843 they located in Johnson county, Iowa, where he grew to manhood and devoted his entire life to the operation of a farm. He passed away on the 24th of March, 1885, and his widow was called to her last rest on the Ioth of January, 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Devault have become the parents of five children : Orange J., who is farming land belonging to his father in Penn township and is serving as assessor of that township; Albert, who was married Easter Sunday, April 4, 1915, to Miss Hazel Patterson, a daughter of Charles and Martha Patterson, of Prairie City, Jasper county, Iowa, and is now living on one of his father's farms; Martha M., who died on the 28th of February, 1913; Charles Clarence, a farmer of Penn township; and Olive Ruth, at home.
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Mr. Devault is a democrat and for several years was trustee and assessor of his township. He belongs to the Odd Fellows lodge and to the Methodist church, associations which indicate the moral principles which govern his life. In addi- tion to his valuable farm he has other interests, as he is a stockholder in the Citizens State Bank of Earlham. He is one of the well-to-do and representative citizens of his township and his influence has been felt not only in agricultural circles but in political, social and civic affairs.
THOMAS READ.
By many years of well directed labor as an agriculturist Thomas Read accumu- lated a competence that enabled him to spend the evening of his life in honorable retirement at Winterset. He was born in Bedfordshire, England, on the 8th of October, 1835, a son of John and Ann (Sturman) Read, also natives of England. In 1855 the family emigrated to the United States and made their way direct to Iowa, arriving at Winterset on the 8th of July. They settled upon a farm in Lin- coln township, this county, the following year and for many years resided there but eventually removed to Winterset, where they lived retired until called to the great beyond.
Thomas Read grew to years of maturity and received his education in his native land, as he was a young man of twenty years when he accompanied his parents to the United States. Although at the outbreak of the Civil war he had not been in this country many years he had thoroughly identified himself with the interests of his adopted land and was convinced that the north was in the right. He therefore enlisted on the 11th of October, 1861, in Company I, Fourth Iowa Cavalry, and served with this command until mustered out on the 10th of August, 1865, at Atlanta, Georgia. Sixteen days later he arrived home and soon turned his attention to farming. He purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land in Scott township, only twenty of which was broken, and for a time he and his wife lived in a log house which was already upon the place. His first care was to break his land and put it under cultivation and as the years passed he added improvements to his place until it became one of the valuable farming prop- erties of his locality. He erected good buildings and divided his land into fields of convenient size and beautified the grounds around his residence. As he was not only energetic but efficient, directing his labors wisely, he accumulated a competence which enabled him to retire in December, 1910, and he took up his abode in Winterset, where he resided until his death, which occurred on the 2d of April, 1913. His widow still makes her home in that city.
In 1864, while home on a furlough, Mr. Read was united in marriage to Miss Ann Elizabeth Bardrick, who was born in Sangamon county, Illinois, January 5, 1847. Her father, Charles Bardrick, was a native of Bedfordshire, England, but emigrated to America in his young manhood and was married in Danville, Illinois, to Miss Caroline Neville, a native of Virginia. They settled on a farm in Sangamon county, Illinois, and there Mr. Bardrick passed away. His widow, who subsequently remarried, died in Linn county, Missouri. Following the
MR. AND MRS. THOMAS READ
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death of her mother Mrs. Read came to Madison county and made her home with her grandparents, George and Ann Bardrick, who had removed here from Eng- land, settling in Douglas township in 1852.
To Mr. and Mrs. Read were born the following children. Mary J. is now the wife of J. J. Lowden, a farmer of Madison county, and they have three children : Grace, the wife of J. E. Jones; Ernest Edward; and Frank L. Mrs. Anna H. Bowlsbey is a teacher of Madison county and has two children, Edith E. and Bessie B. Charles W., a Methodist Protestant minister, now resides in Arkan- sas. He married Fannie Osborn and has four children, Thomas, Florence, Mag- gie and Mabel. Asahel is represented elsewhere in this work. John Henry, de- ceased, completes the family.
Mr. Read was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church and for many years served upon the official board. His widow is also a member of that church and has aided in much of its work. The life of Thomas Read was such that his memory is held in the highest honor and there are many who feel that in his death they sustained the loss of a friend who was true and loyal.
ASAHEL READ.
Among the native sons of Madison county who have been so well pleased with conditions that they have continued to reside here is Asahel Read, who was born on a farm on sections 21 and 22, Scott township, where he now resides. He was reared under the parental roof and was given the usual educational advan- tages of the time, attending the public schools and thus mastering the funda- mental branches of learning. As soon as old and strong enough he began to help his father in the cultivation of the fields, the care of the crops and the feed- ing of the stock. The training thus received was such that upon reaching matu- rity he was an efficient agriculturist and after his marriage he rented land for two years in Scott township. He then bought one hundred and thirty-two acres of E. J. Spurgin, which he operated for two years and at the end of that time he sold it at a handsome profit. He then returned to the homestead and has since operated it. In 1909 he purchased one hundred and twenty acres thereof from his father and had previously bought a forty acre tract, and after fencing, tiling and improving the same he now owns one of the best stock farms in the locality. Mr. Read is progressive, alert and businesslike and manages his affairs so that his resources are constantly increasing.
In 1905 Mr. Read was united in marriage with Miss Mary Jane Jones, a native of this county and a daughter of Elijah Jones, who is a retired farmer residing in Winterset. This union has been blessed with four children, Nelson, Dwight, Catherine and Raymond.
Mr. Read is a republican but is entirely without political aspirations as his business affairs demand his undivided attention. In addition to the cultivation of his fields he buys and sells horses and cattle quite extensively and finds that branch of his business especially profitable. In promoting his individual suc- cess he has also contributed to the agricultural development of his county and his
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honorable business methods, energy and efficiency have gained him the respect of those who have had dealings with him, while his personality is such that he has made many warm friends.
LINNEAS A. CONWAY.
Linneas A. Conway, a farmer residing in Grand River township, was born in Marshall county, Iowa, on the 5th of August, 1867. His father, Lloyd N. Con- way, was a native of Miami county, Ohio, born on the 20th of May, 1842. In 1859 he made the journey overland to Marshall county, Iowa, where he followed agricultural pursuits until 1861, when the great need of his country caused him to enlist in Company B, Eleventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry, with which he served for three years and one month. He was in the battle of Shiloh, the siege of Vicksburg and the siege of Atlanta, and on the 22d of July, 1864, at the siege of Atlanta, his left arm was shot off and the same bullet passed through his body. After his release from the hospital he would not leave but remained and came home with the rest of the "boys." He returned to Marshall county, where he owned a large tract of land, and bought and shipped stock extensively. On the 14th of February, 1868, he came to Madison county, and in Grand River township found plenty of free range, upon which he ran his cattle. He lived first in a board shanty twelve by fourteen feet and was one of the real pioneers of the township. In 1888 he began raising full blooded Galloway cattle and gained an enviable reputation as a breeder. He had quite a large herd and ex- hibited a number of times at Creston. He continued to deal in stock extensively and his sales were features in the stock-raising circles of the county, while he shipped many head annually. He owned six hundred acres of land in the home place and also held title to land in Nebraska, Colorado and California. At the time of his death he was residing in Orange, California, enjoying in leisure the fruits of his former toil. He assessed Grand River township, this county, for eleven years and in 1886 was a member of the board of supervisors. The repub- lican party had in him a loyal supporter and his advice was often sought in local party councils. He helped to organize the Grand Army of the Republican post at Macksburg and was also a member of the Odd Fellows. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Miss Susannah Coate, was born on the 18th of July, 1841, and is still living. Their marriage occurred in 1861 and they became the parents of nine children, of whom our subject is the oldest.
Linneas A. Conway attended the common schools and the Macksburg high school, but when nineteen years of age left this county and went to California, working in and near Orange for three years. In 1889 he returned to Madison county and began farming, being so occupied until 1893. He then removed to Nebraska, where he owned land, and resided there until 1896, in which year he returned to this county where he lived for two years. In 1898, however, he went to Clarke county, which remained his home until 1905. He then came again to this county and has since resided here continuously. He owns three hundred and seventy-five acres of excellent land and raises thoroughbred Aberdeen Angus cattle. He is progressive in all that he does and as he is also enterprising and
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energetic, his labors yield him a handsome yearly income. He is also a stock- holder in the Creston, Winterset & Des Moines Railroad.
Mrs. Conway was Mrs. Mattie ( Shields) Claypool. She is a daughter of Wesley and Mary ( Williamson) Shields, both natives of Indiana, the former born in 1830 and the latter in 1833. Her father was one of the pioneers of Clarke county, Iowa, where he took up his residence in the early '50s. He owned a quarter section of land and engaged in farming and stock-raising. He was a public-spirited and progressive man and aided in building the house of worship of the Christian church, of which he was a member. He passed away in 1871 but is survived by his widow, who still resides at Hopeville, Clarke county. They were the parents of ten children, of whom Mrs. Conway is the youngest. By a former marriage she has two children, Boyd and Floyd Claypool, and Mr. Con- way by a former marriage has a daughter, Gladys, the wife of Floyd Cockerill, of Orange, California. Mr. and Mrs. Conway have become the parents of a son, Linneas A., whose birth occurred in 1910.
Mr. Conway is a standpat republican, being firmly convinced of the wisdom of the policies of the "grand old party." He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has held all of the offices of his lodge and has also filled all of the chairs in the camp. While living in Clarke county he was district deputy grand master of the order and is well known among his brethren in that organization. He is one of the substantial men of his township.
PETER McQUIE.
Peter McQuie, who is farming in Penn township, was born upon the Atlantic ocean in July, 1857, while his parents, Peter and Isabelle ( McCulloch) McQuie, were crossing from Scotland to the United States on a sailing vessel which took seven weeks and three days to make the trip. The parents were born, reared and married in the land of hills and heather, and following their emigration to the United States located in Knox county, Illinois, where the father farmed rented land for fourteen years. In 1871 the family came to Madison county, Iowa, and Mr. McQuie bought three hundred and twenty acres on section 35, Penn township, where he erected a fine residence and other buildings. Subsequently he and his sons purchased additional land, acquiring title to six hundred and eighty acres on sections 35, 27 and 14, Penn township. He continued active in agricultural pursuits until his demise, which occurred on the 10th of September, 1904, and his wife died in January of that year. Their seven children are as follows: Alexander, who is farming in Penn township; Peter; William, who is residing in Colorado; Mary, the wife of George Junkin, an agriculturist of Guthrie county ; Maggie and Jennie, who are keeping house for our subject ; and Isabelle, the wife of A. L. Moore, a farmer of Penn township.
Peter McQuie acquired a public-school education and during his boyhood and youth also gave much time to assisting with the work of the home farm. During his father's lifetime he remained associated with him in business and is now operating his share of the six hundred and eighty acres which father and sons accumulated. Since it came into his possession he has improved the home-
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stead considerably and has kept everything in good repair. He raises and feeds a carload of cattle per year, having for the past forty years raised many head. He is also successful in the cultivation of the land and gathers abundant crops annually.
Mr. McQuie is a democrat and is stanch in his support of that organization. His membership in the Masonic lodge and in the Christian church indicates his high moral character, and his worth has gained him the general respect of those who know him and there are many who are glad to call him friend.
PETER N. BARKER.
Peter N. Barker is actively engaged in farming and stock-raising in Grand River township, of which he is a native, born October 10, 1868, of the marriage of Orlando W. and Lucy (Kivett) Barker. The father was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, on the 25th of July, 1827, and the mother in Indiana on the 30th of March, 1831. Their marriage occurred in 1849. Both passed away in Grand River township, this county, the father dying on the 25th of May, 1907, and the mother on the 2d of May, 1905. Orlando W. Barker accompanied his parents to Indiana in 1830 and resided there until 1853, when he removed west- ward and settled in Grand River township, this county. His father, Samuel Barker, built the first log cabin in the township. For some time Orlando W. Barker freighted from Des Moines to Eddyville and he often drove stock a long distance to market. He took up government land and became the owner of two hundred and forty acres, from which he derived a gratifying income. He spe- cialized in the feeding of cattle and was one of the extensive stockmen of his township. He was prevented by physical disability from serving in the Civil war but there was never any question of his courage or his patriotism. He took an active part in the work of developing his locality and served as a member of the first board of supervisors which opened the first road in his township. When the Baptist church in Macksburg was built he contributed generously of his time and money to its erection and served for six years as a deacon in the church. He was known throughout the county as an honest and upright man and had many sincere friends.
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