USA > Iowa > Madison County > History of Madison County, Iowa, and its people, Volume II > Part 46
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In December, 1893, Mr. Moore was united in marriage with Miss Hattie Barr, a daughter of Joseph and Eliza A. (Watson) Barr, natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania respectively. The father farmed in the Buckeye state until 1875,
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R. MURRAY MOORE AND FAMILY
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
when he removed to this county. He continued to devote his time to agricultural pursuits after his removal here and was so engaged until his demise, which oc- curred in February, 1884. His widow passed away on the 16th of December, 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Moore have two children : Joseph Ross, a youth of eighteen, who is attending Earlham Academy ; and James Guy, fifteen years of age, also a student in that institution.
Mr. Moore is a republican but has no political aspirations, his private interests demanding his entire time. He is much interested in the work of the Presby- terian church, to which he belongs, and contributes to its support. In addition to the cultivation of the soil he raises and feeds quite a number of cattle annually and finds that phase of his business profitable. He has contributed not a little to the agricultural development of his community and has at the same time gained grati- fying material prosperity for himself.
JACOB M. HOCHSTETLER.
Jacob M. Hochstetler, who has achieved more than usual success as a farmer and stock-raiser, owns an excellent farm on sections 28 and 29, Penn township. His birth occurred on the 17th of February, 1840, near Farmerstown, Holmes county, Ohio, his parents being Moses and Eve ( Miller) Hochstetler. The father was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, of Swiss and German parentage, while the mother was born in Pennsylvania of German ancestry. They were married in Ohio and there located upon a farm, where both passed away. The father was progressive and active and was successful in his agricultural labors.
Jacob M. Hochstetler traces his ancestry back to one Jacob Hochstetler, who, on the Ist of September, 1736, arrived at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the good ship Ralph Harle from Rotterdam, Holland. In the history of the Hoch- stetler family compiled and published by Rev. Harvey and William Hochstetler and entitled, The Descendants of Jacob Hochstetler, the Immigrant of 1736, it is shown that there have been ninety-one thousand, seventy-nine heads of families bearing the name Hochstetler and descended from Jacob Hochstetler.
Mr. Hochstetler of this review attended the district schools of Ohio when a boy but as he was allowed to go to school only when his services were not needed upon the farm, he attended only from thirty to thirty-eight days each year. When fifteen years of age he left school and removed to northern Indiana, where he worked at the carpenter's trade. He had served as an apprentice for two years in Ohio and continued his apprenticeship for a year after taking up his abode in the Hoosier state. At the end of that time he began to work at his trade and became known as an excellent carpenter. In 1868 he removed to Iowa and located just across the road from his present farm, buying eighty acres on section 28, Penn township. He has added to his first purchase and now holds title to three hundred and twenty acres of well improved land, eighty thereof being his present homestead on section 29, Penn township, a quarter section lying on section 28. Penn township, and another eighty acre tract being situated on section 8, Jack-
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son township. All of the land is improved, under cultivation and well drained and he derives a handsome income from farming and stock-raising. For forty- seven years he has been a farmer of Penn township and has at all times taken great pride in his work, seeking to gain in efficiency as the years have passed.
In 1867 Mr. Hochstetler was married in Indiana to Miss Hilpah Pease, a daughter of Shubel M. and Mary (Everett ) Pease. Her father, who was born. in Germany, went to England when but a youth and there met his future wife, who was a native of that country. They came to the United States when young and were married in Massachusetts. Later they migrated westward and located in Licking county, Ohio, where the father followed the wheelwright's trade but subsequently the family home was established in Indiana, and the father erected the first sawmill in Elkhart county, that state. He died at Goshen, Indiana, at the beginning of the Civil war and his widow subsequently came to Iowa and made her home with our subject, passing away when seventy-nine years of age. Mrs. Hochstetler died on the 27th of February, 1914, at Crescoe, Iowa, while visiting her daughter, Mrs. Eva A. Calison. A son, Charles Henry, who was born on the 18th of May, 1872, married Miss Lillian L. May, a daughter of George May, and they have four children: Paul, who was born on the 5th of March, 1906; Eva, whose birth occurred on the 19th of November, 1908; Francis, born October 20, 1909: and Anna, whose natal day was the 23d of February, 1913. Charles H. Hochstetler for two years served as deputy county treasurer and on the 15th of January, 1909, was appointed treasurer to fill out a short term. Sub- sequently he was elected to the office, the duties of which he discharged with ability and conscientiousness. Upon the expiration of his term he returned to the homestead and assists his father with the cultivation of the land. He is a republican and for ten years was township clerk of Penn township. Fraternally he is identified with Mount Tabor Lodge, No. 293, A. F. & A. M., of Dexter, Iowa ; and Winterset Chapter, No. 43, R. A. M. The second child of our subject and his wife, Mamie E., was born on the 10th of April, 1874, and is at home. Eva A., born on the 9th of December, 1876, married M. S. Calison, a jeweler of Crescoe, Iowa, and they have a daughter, Ruth, born July 4, 1909. Everett E., whose birth occurred on the 13th of October, 1878, married Miss Ina Lyddon, and they have two children: Cecil, born on the 20th of September, 1905; and Clifford, born January 20, 1907. Everett E. Hochstetler is farming in Guthrie county, Iowa, and is meeting with gratifying success in his work. Lulu L., born on the 25th of March, 1880, married Theodore Davies and they conduct a restaurant at Crosby, North Dakota.
Mr. Hochstetler, who is a republican in political belief, was for one term township treasurer and also served acceptably as president of the township school board. His religious faith is indicated in his membership in the Methodist Epis- copal church of Penn township, to the support of which he contributes generously. He is identified with Mount Tabor Lodge, No. 293, A. F. & A. M., of Dexter, Iowa ; Damascus Chapter, No. 97, R. A. M., of Stuart, Iowa; Alhambra Com- mandery, K. T., of Stuart ; and Tabernacle Lodge of Perfection, Valley of Des Moines, Iowa Consistory. He is still actively engaged in farming, although he has passed the seventy-fifth milestone on life's journey and also gives much attention to stock-raising, feeding a large number of cattle and hogs each year. He is one of the substantial men of his township and throughout life has been a good
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citizen, measuring up to a high standard of manhood. He is widely known throughout the county and those who have been most intimately associated with him hold him in the highest esteem, which is indubitable proof of genuine worth.
A. HARVEY NELSON.
A. Harvey Nelson, a farmer and stockman residing on section 20, Jackson township, is a native of Madison county, Indiana, born August 4, 1851. His parents, William A. and Mary ( Hagey ) Nelson, were born respectively in Vir- ginia, August 17, 1827, and in Pennsylvania, May 17, 1831. The father accom- panied his parents on their removal to Indiana in 1835, the family settling in the timber, where four men made a clearing and built a cabin, which was their first home in the Hoosier state. They resided in Indiana until 1867 and the home- stead, which comprised one hundred and forty acres, yielded good crops annually. William A. Nelson was sheriff of his county for two terms and justice of the peace for many years, and also held the office of township trustee. While living in Indiana he was a member of the New Light church. In 1867 he removed to Knox county, Illinois, but two years later took up his residence in Mercer county, that state, where he purchased eighty acres of land in 1873. The first spring that he resided there he was elected road commissioner. On the 17th of January, 1876, he removed to Stuart, Adair county, Iowa, and resided upon a farm in that locality until 1883. He was an extensive raiser of Poland China hogs, which he sold on the market at a good profit, and was progressive in all that he did. He was independent and courageous in support of his convictions. He passed away on the 19th of October, 1908, having survived his wife for twenty years, her demise occurring April 26, 1888, in Adair county. To them were born eight children, of whom our subject is the second in order of birth.
A. Harvey Nelson received his formal schooling in Indiana and Illinois and through assisting his father with the farm work gained valuable knowledge of agricultural methods and practices. He has never followed any other occupation and has never been in the employ of anyone besides the members of his family. He began farming upon rented land in Illinois and on leaving that state removed to Adair county, Iowa, where he lived for three years. He then went to the vicinity of Redfield, Dallas county, where he lived for four years, and in 1881 purchased the farm in Jackson township, Madison county, which has since been his home, his period of residence here covering thirty-four years. He owns three hundred and eighty-two acres of land and his place is provided with all of the equipments of the twentieth century farm. He raises, feeds and ships hogs; buys, sells and ships cattle ; and also raises horses, finding the stock business very profitable. He is now well-to-do and derives much satisfaction from the knowl- edge that all that he has is the result of his own labor and good management.
In 1875 Mr. Nelson was married to Miss Amanda C. Jackson, a native of Warren county, Illinois, and a daughter of Harrison and Roxina ( Holcomb) Jackson, the former born in Wayne county, Indiana, September 27, 1820, and the latter in Ohio, February 8, 1821. Mr. Jackson began life a poor man and at the
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time of his marriage his home was a one-room house which was practically desti- tute of furniture. In 1849 he and his family removed to Van Buren county, Iowa, but shortly afterward went to Knox county, Illinois, where they lived for two years. They next went to Warren county, that state, where Mr. Jackson became a landowner and accumulated a competence. He was a democrat but confined his political activity to the exercise of his right of franchise. He found his greatest pleasure in his home life and devoted his entire time and energy to the improvement of his land. He was a pioneer of Warren county and did his share in the development of that section. He passed away on the 20th of May, 1899, and his wife died on the 28th of November, 1893. They were the parents of ten children, of whom Mrs. Nelson is the seventh. To Mr. and Mrs. Nelson eight children have been born: Bertha became the wife of Frank Bruce, a farmer of Wall, South Dakota, and died leaving three children, Marion, Leon and Helen ; Orville. born April 29, 1878, is a farmer and stockman, owning land in Taylor county, Iowa, and has three children, Lyle, Ivan and Horace : William Harrison, a farmer, stock-raiser and landowner of Clearfield, South Dakota, who was born November 8. 1879, is married and has two children, Gleda and Violet; Mabel is the wife of Charles Eyerly, a farmer of Crawford township, by whom she has four children, Nelson, Nellie, Clifford and Reva ; Grover Cleveland, born July 8, 1885, is a farmer of Roswell, South Dakota; Floyd Jackson, born February 7, 1889, is a farmer and landowner of Jackson township and has a daughter, Opal; Anna L. is the wife of Ray Bond, a farmer of Jackson township; and Earl, born April 2, 1894, is at home.
Mr. Nelson has been a democrat since age conferred upon him the right of franchise and is active in the counsels of that party. He is identified with the Masonic order, being a member of Evening Star Lodge, No. 43, A. F. & A. M. of Winterset. When the Patrons of Husbandry, or the Grange, was a growing organization he and his wife were quite active therein and both held office. He realized early in life that in this country success can be gained by the exercise of sound judgment and close application to work, and he determined to become a successful farmer and stockman. He attained his ambition and is today ranked among the substantial agriculturists of his county, while his honorable business methods and his upright life have gained him the sincere respect of his fellowmen.
HENRY FELKNER DEVAULT.
A fine farm on section 29, Jackson township, is the property of Henry Felk- ner Devault and yields him good crops annually in return for his care and labor. Mr. Devault was born in Kosciusko county, Indiana, on the 22d of December, 1837, a son of Charles and Rachel (Felkner) Devault, both of whom were na- tives of Ohio, the former born near Chillicothe, in Ross county, and the latter in Columbus. They are buried in the Solon cemetery near the town of Solon in Johnson county, Iowa. More detailed mention of them is made on another page of this volume.
Henry F. Devault acquired his early education in the district schools of Johnson county, Iowa. For some time he pursued his studies in a primitive log
HENRY F. DEVAULT
MRS. HENRY F. DEVAULT
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
schoolhouse heated by a fireplace and lighted by oiled paper windows, while the seats were made of puncheons. Later he attended Western College in Linn county and Cornell College at Mount Vernon, Iowa. Feeling that his country needed his services during the Civil war, he enlisted on the 11th of August, 1862, with his brother, Andrew Jackson, in Company H, Twenty-second Iowa Volun- teer Infantry. The company rendezvoused at Shueyville and joined the regiment at Iowa City, whence they were sent to Davenport. From that point they took a boat down the Mississippi to St. Louis and from there proceeded to Rolla, Missouri, and thence to Houston, that state, going later to West Plains, Iron Mountain, St. Genevieve and Vicksburg. Landing at Milliken's Bend, they be- came a part of the army under the command of General Grant, their first battle being at Port Gibson on the Ist of May, 1863. They participated in the battle of Champion's Hill, which occurred May 16th, Lawler's charge of Black River bridge, May 17th, being at that time a part of Lawler's Brigade, and in the siege of Vicksburg from May 19th to July 4th. It was during this siege that the brother, Andrew J., died of typhoid fever, and he is buried in the National ceme- tery at Vicksburg. Our subject was also in Grant's famous charge on May 22, 1863, when they tried to take Vicksburg by force and in the engagement at Jack- son, July 8, 1863. On the 19th of September, 1864, Mr. Devault participated in the first charge made on the enemy near Winchester, Virginia, where he was severely wounded, the first finger on the right hand being shot off and the second finger so injured that it has remained stiff ever since. In that engagement the Union forces were driven back but when the second charge was made about four hours later the enemy was routed. He was made sergeant of his company and proved an intrepid soldier, never losing but one day's march during his service and being incapacitated by illness that day. At the close of the war he was honorably discharged at Concord, New Hampshire, July 1, 1865, and returned to his home in Johnson county, Iowa.
Mr. Devault remained under the parental roof until 1868, which year wit- nessed his removal to Madison county, where he purchased land that he still owns. After erecting thereon a log house he returned to Johnson county, where he was married, and shortly afterward brought his bride to the home that he had pre- pared here. He has since lived upon his farm, successfully engaged in general farming and stock-raising and today owns three hundred and twenty acres of land besides giving considerable property to his children.
It was on the 10th of September, 1868, that Mr. Devault was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary Frances Nicholson, who was born in Johnson county, Decem- ber 7, 1846, and is the third in order of birth in a family of eleven children. Of the four children born to this union Jesse Lewis died in infancy. Effie May is the wife of Wellington W. Drake, a farmer of Webster township, and they have had five children : Alfred, Cecil, Deva and Loretta, all living ; and one who died in infancy. Charles Henry, who is engaged in the cultivation of his own land and also his father's farm, married Carrie B. Crow, by whom he has had seven children, Dale, Ruby, Orla, Reva, Clare, Guyle, and one who died in infancy. Gilbert Allen, who owns and operates six hundred and forty acres of land near Sterling, Colorado, married Elsie Craven and has four children, Glenn, Forrest, Clyde and Velma.
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
Mr. Devault is a stalwart supporter of the democratic party and has taken a very active part in political affairs, serving as chairman of the township cen- tral committee and as a member of the county central committee. He is a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church and assisted in the erection of the house of worship of that denomination at Middle River, in Webster township. In 1866 he joined the Masonic order at Norway, Iowa, and now belongs to Evening Star Lodge, No. 43, A. F. & A. M., at Winterset. His farm was raw prairie land when it came into his possession but it is now highly cultivated and well improved. In this way he has added materially to the development and prosperity of his locality and is regarded as one of the leading citizens of Jackson township.
ARTHUR B. MARSTON.
For a quarter of a century Arthur B. Marston has carried on general farming in Jackson township and he is not only well known but highly esteemed. He was born in Henderson county, Illinois, on the 29th of March, 1856, a son of Nathaniel and Lois ( Barton ) Marston, the former of whom was born in New Hampshire in 1810 and the latter in Massachusetts in 1815. Nathaniel Marston learned the cabinetmaker's trade, which he followed in New Hampshire until about 1830, and then removed to Ashtabula county, Ohio, where he continued to work at his trade. Eight years later he went by water to Yellow Banks, now Oquawka, Hen- derson county, Illinois, becoming one of the early settlers of that county. Pioneer conditions largely prevailed and there was an abundance of game. He was quite active in the early life of the county and was a leader in local republican circles. He held a number of township offices, discharging his duties with circumspection and ability, and was prominent in the Methodist Episcopal church in the early days. Before a house of worship was erected meetings were held in his home and he aided in building the first Methodist church in his locality. He owned two hundred and forty acres of land, on which he carried on general farming suc- cessfully, and he was also a stockholder in the Biggsville Bank. In 1890 he retired to Olena, Illinois, but two years later removed to Stronghurst, that state, where he passed away in 1895. His son Fletcher, now residing in Dexter, Dal- las county, Iowa, was a member of Company C, Eighty-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was accidentally wounded while on the march. Mrs. Marston's people went to Henderson county, Illinois, about 1837 and were well known and highly esteemed there. She passed away in 1893.
Arthur B. Marston entered the district schools of Henderson county, Illi- nois, and there acquired a knowledge of the fundamental branches of learning. After arriving at maturity he assumed charge of the farm upon which his father first settled in Illinois and continued to operate that place until 1888. In that year he removed to this county and purchased land on section 17, Jackson town- ship, which he immediately began to cultivate, having now resided there for more than twenty-five years. He raises a good grade of Poland China hogs and short- horn cattle but his time is chiefly devoted to the cultivation of his land and the raising of grain. He owns two hundred acres and is ranked among the substan- tial men of his township.
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In 1888 Mr. Marston married Miss Sarah Evans, also a native of Henderson county, Illinois. Her parents, Hamilton and Anna ( White) Evans, were born respectively in Monroe county, Ohio, on the 18th of January, 1828, and in Greene county, that state, on the 8th of October, 1833. The father passed away in 1899 but the mother is still living in Pottawattamie county, Iowa. Mr. Evans accom- panied his parents on their removal from Ohio to Henderson county, Illinois, in 1835 and resided there until 1850, when he joined a train of thirty-six wagons drawn by ox teams and made the tedious and hazardous journey across the plains and mountain passes to California. He worked in that state for a considerable time and was given a bag of gold by his employer in recognition of his honesty and integrity, but this was later stolen from him. On the westward journey one of the party was taken sick and the company camped upon the present site of Winterset for several days, but at that time there were only a few cabins and little evidence of white settlement. Mr. Evans returned by the water route and the Isthmus of Panama, where all goods were transported by the natives. He took up his residence upon a farm which his father had entered from the gov- ernment in Henderson county, Illinois, and continued to live there until his death. He owned three hundred and forty acres of land and received a handsome in- come from his farming operations. He gave considerable attention to the rais- ing of stock and fed cattle and hogs extensively. A brother of his served in the Eighty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry and was killed in battle.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans were the parents of eleven children, of whom Mrs. Mar- ston was the eighth, and by her marriage she has become the mother of six children : Lois is the wife of Irvin Streigle, a farmer of Rolla, Missouri, and they have three children, Rena, Delbert and Clifford. Ethel is the wife of Irwin Bond, a farmer of Jackson township and a representative of a prominent pioneer family of Madison county. Two children have been born to them, Enolia and Wilma. Florence married Clarence Fife. who is farming land belonging to our subject. The Fife family is among the oldest in the county and is highly esteemed. Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Fife have twin daughters, Laura and Lura. Laura, Alta and Merle complete the family.
Mr. Marston supports the candidates of the republican party but takes no other part in political affairs. He belongs to the United Presbyterian church at Pitzer and the rectitude of his conduct has won the respect of all who have had dealings with him. He is of a retiring disposition and finds his greatest pleasure in the companionship of his family and in the cultivation and improvement of his two hundred acres of fine land.
W. E. HARTSOOK.
W. E. Hartsook, an efficient and well-to-do farmer residing in Lincoln town- ship, is a native son of this county, his birth having occurred in Monroe town- ship in 1865. His father, who was a farmer, died when our subject was a small boy, and Mr. Hartsook of this review early became accustomed to hard work on a farm. When seventeen years of age he hired out as a farm hand by the month and has continued to follow agricultural pursuits, now owning one hundred and
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eighty acres of well improved and valuable land in Lincoln and Monroe town- ships, his residence being in the former township. He follows general farming, finding that more profitable than specializing in the production of one or two crops. His success is due entirely to his own industry and good management, and he is entitled to credit for what he has accomplished.
Mr. Hartsook was married in 1894 to Miss Anna Greer, a native of Canada, and they have three children, Lyle, Fern and Edna. Mr. Hartsook indorses the platform of the republican party and supports its candidates at the polls but is not otherwise active politically. He is, however, at all times ready to give his support to worthy public measures and is a valued citizen of the county.
EMANUEL WOLVERTON.
Emanuel Wolverton, a farmer of Jackson township, was born on the 10th of April, 1863, a son of George W. and Minerva ( Sulgrove ) Wolverton, the former born in Ohio on the 2d of December, 1839, and the latter in Marion county, Indiana, November 2, 1842. The father came with his stepfather, Irvin Baum, to Madison county, Iowa, in 1846, making the journey with ox teams and en- countering many difficulties on the way. Settlement was made in Douglas town- ship and the first task was to break 'the sod, as the land taken up was still in its natural condition. The nearest neighbors were a few miles away, Indians were plentiful and there was an abundance of all sorts of game. There was little to indicate the wonderful progress that the next half century was to bring about and there was much to make the life of the early pioneer one requiring much courage and determination. Added to the necessity of arduous labor was the discomfort of living in a small house and of doing without most of the conveniences of life. There was also a sense of loneliness and of isolation that was at times very depress- ing. However, the pioneers allowed nothing to dissuade them from their pur- pose of developing the land and making homes for their families and most of them lived to see their dreams fully realized. When George W. Wolverton was mar- ried he and his bride used a dry-goods box for a table and their other furniture was equally crude, the bed being made by fastening two boards to adjoining walls of the house, the boards forming two sides of the bed and the walls the other two, and by running ropes from one wall to the opposite board. There were then no schools or churches but as soon as possible these were provided for. Mr. Wolverton enlisted in a company of Home Guards but never saw active service. He devoted his entire time to farming in his later years but in early manhood also freighted goods to the west. He was a member of the Church of Christ and his influence was always on the side of right and justice, although he never sought to figure prominently in public affairs, being of a retiring dis- position. He passed away in 1889, when about fifty years of age.
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