USA > Iowa > Marion County > History of Marion County, Iowa, and its people, Volume II > Part 25
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position ever since. In the ten years that he has been connected with the publication he has maintained a high standard of excellence, not only on the editorial page, but in all departments of the paper, and it has the respect of the press of the state. Mr. Varenkamp is a man of wide knowledge and broad learning and is constantly increasing his store of information through varied and well chosen reading.
Mr. Varenkamp was married in 1871 to Miss Geertje Boot, of Pella, a daughter of Marinus and Hendrika ( Versteeg) Boot, early settlers of Pella. Mr. and Mrs. Varenkamp have become the parents of ten children, two of whom have passed away. John M. is a resident of Sully, Iowa; Hattie is the wife of Joe C. Lowder, a resident of Broken Bow, Nebraska; Anna married Charles Roten, a farmer residing near Sully ; Lydia is now Mrs. Earl Reno, of Grinnell, lowa; Mary is the widow of Jess Wise and lives at Pella; Emma married Harry Stratton and is a resident of Newton, this state; Nellie is now Mrs. H. O. Cowles and lives in Louisville, Kentucky; Fred resides in Citrus Grove, Texas; Blanche died when thirteen years of age; and Emma died at the age of four years.
Mr. and Mrs. Varenkamp are members of the Reformed church. He is a democrat and loyally supports the candidates of that party at the polls. He is well known in Pella and highly esteemed because of his industry, perseverance and integrity.
T. G. GILSON.
T. G. Gilson has amply demonstrated his financial ability as business manager of the Knoxville Journal, and under his manage- ment that paper is conducted along up-to-date and efficient lines. He understands the importance of eliminating waste and of keep- ing down the cost of publication as far as is consistent with a high standard of typographical work and he has also been successful in increasing the circulation and the amount of space sold for adver- tising purposes. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the 22d of November, 1848, a son of James W. and Martha M. (Shearer) Gilson, both natives of the Keystone state. The paternal grandfather, William Gilson, spent his entire life in Pennsylvania and his father, Thomas Gilson, was also a resident of that state. He fought in the Revolutionary war, saw a great deal of active service and was wounded in the battle of Trenton.
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James W. Gilson brought his family to Knoxville, the date of their arrival in this city being the 4th of April, 1862. A wagon maker by trade he opened a shop here which he conducted until his demise in 1886. His widow survived for two years, dying in 1888 in the faith of the Presbyterian church, of which she was a member. To their union were born fourteen children, five of whom grew to maturity. John C., a farmer by occupation, came to this county in 1856. Sue U. became the wife of John T. Wright, who for a num- ber of years was a locomotive engineer and who was a man of much mechanical ingenuity, the inventor of metallic packing. About 1880 he removed to Marion county and for a number of years engaged in farming. Both he and his wife are deceased, her demise occurring in April, 1914, at Tacoma, Washington. Delia married B. R. Ewalt, a merchant of Knoxville. He was for several years county auditor and proved a capable official. He is deceased and his widow lives at Cedar Falls, this state. T. G., of this review, is the next in order of birth. Robert M. resides at San Diego, California.
. T. G. Gilson attended the public schools in the acquirement of his scholastic education and also learned the painter's trade in his youth. After being telegraph operator in Ohio for a time he was for ten years engaged in the real-estate business in Knoxville. Later he was a clerk in the postoffice at Knoxville and from 1897 to 1902 held the office of postmaster of the city. At the expiration of his term of service in that capacity he purchased an interest in the Knox- ville Journal and has since been the business manager of that publi- cation, which is one of the leading papers of the city. As he is an aggressive and astute business man the finances of the paper were never in better condition than at the present time.
Mr. Gilson was married on the 25th of June, 1874, to Miss Hattie M. Porterfield, of this city, a daughter of James and Caroline Por- terfield. Her father was a farmer by occupation. To Mr. and Mrs. Gilson have been born four daughters, namely: Maude, the wife of Judge W. C. Mentzer, of Cheyenne, Wyoming; Blanche, who mar- ried O. W. Thompson, a resident of Chicago; and Gail and Mildred, both at home.
Mr. Gilson is a republican in his political allegiance and has taken an active part in the management of local affairs. For thirty consecutive years he served as secretary of the city school board and for nineteen years was city clerk. For nine years he held the position of secretary of the local fair and was largely responsible for its suc- cess during that time. His experience in the management of fairs was not confined to his connection with the local fair, as for eleven
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years he was assistant secretary and chairman of the finance com- mittee of the Iowa State Fair. He was one of the originators of the Homesteaders, a fraternal insurance company with headquarters at Des Moines, and is at present the editor of the official paper of that organization which is known as The Backlog and is a monthly of six- teen pages with a circulation of twenty-two thousand, five hundred. Fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Pythias. Mr. Gilson has not only won individual prosperity but has aided in the development of Knoxville and Marion county through his connection with the Knoxville Journal and through his work as secretary of the local fair, and his initiative and ability have found yet wider scope through his connection with the state fair and especially through his labors in behalf of the Homesteaders. In all relations of life he has proven upright and reliable, as well as capable, and he has the unqualified respect of all who have been brought in contact with him.
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ASA S. MURR.
Asa S. Murr, a successful and enterprising young agriculturist of Marion county, was born on the farm where he still resides, own- ing and operating one hundred and twenty acres of land on section 27, Washington township. His birth occurred on the 29th of Decem- ber, 1885, his parents being Bartley and Malinda (Vance) Murr, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of Missouri. They came to Iowa in 1855, locating first on a farm in Monroe county and sub- sequently removing to Marion county. Here the father continued to make his home until called to his final rest, passing away in 1905, when the community mourned the loss of one of its esteemed citizens and substantial agriculturists. The mother still survives, however, and enjoys an extensive and favorable acquaintance here. To them were born three children, one of whom is deceased.
Asa S. Murr attended the common schools in the acquirement of an education and has always remained on the farm where he was born, devoting his attention to general agricultural pursuits since putting aside his text-books. He now owns one hundred and twenty acres of rich and productive land on section 27, Washington town- ship, and in connection with the cultivation of cereals devotes con- siderable attention to stock-raising. Both branches of his business yield him a gratifying annual income, and he enjoys an enviable rep-
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utation as one of the enterprising and progressive farmers of the community.
In his political views Mr. Murr is a republican and at the pres- ent time holds the office of township assessor, ably discharging the duties devoiving upon him in that connection. His success is well merited, for he is capable in management and displays untiring energy in carrying forward his interests.
CHARLES N. COLE.
Charles N. Cole is engaged in the wholesale and retail feed, flour and grocery business in Pella and is developing a concern of large proportions. He was for many years connected with various whole- sale seed houses and has had a varied and valuable experience in that line. He was born in Pella on the 7th of June, 1850, a son of A. and Henrietta A. (DeBooy) Cole, both natives of Holland who came to Pella in 1847 with the Dutch colony which arrived in that year. Their marriage occurred at Knoxville and they subsequently located near Pella, the father purchasing government land and devoting his time to agricultural pursuits. Both he and his wife have passed away. They were members of the First Reformed church, and in his political belief he was for a time a democrat, but later became a re- publican.
Charles N. Cole entered the public schools of Pella and in due course of time was graduated therefrom, after which he attended the Central University of Iowa located here. After leaving school he went into the seed business in Pella and later entered the employ of J. C. Vaughan Company of Chicago. Upon leaving that firm he became connected with The A. B. Cleveland Company of New York city. During these years he traveled all over the south, selling seeds, and subsequently represented Ullethorne and Company of Memphis upon the road. In 1889 he came to Pella and established the flour, feed and grocery business which he is still conducting. He is both a wholesaler and retailer and the volume of his trade is constantly growing as the high quality of his goods and the reasonableness of his prices become more widely known. For the past three years he has also been president of the Pella Creamery Company and pre- vious to that was vice president thereof, becoming connected with the concern at the time of its organization in January, 1904.
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Mr. Cole was united in marriage in 1883 to Miss Henrietta Kru- ger, of Pella, whose father died when she was quite young. Her mother, aged eighty-five, is living in California. Mrs. Cole is a member of the Baptist church, and Mr. Cole is fraternally identi- fied with the Knights of Pythias, being a charter member of the lodge at this place. His vote is cast for the candidates of the repub- lican party, as he thoroughly believes in the principles and policies of that organization, and he has served as school treasurer and is greatly interested in the progress of the public schools. As a busi- ness man, as a citizen and as a private individual he conforms to high standards of morality and has the unqualified respect of his fellowmen.
WILLIAM L. ROBERTS.
The Froggatt Furniture Store is the oldest store of the kind in Knoxville and has a splendid reputation for a high quality of goods and fair dealing. William L. Roberts, now the owner of the store, is fully in harmony with the policies which have governed the busi- ness since its establishment. He was born in Knoxville on the Ist of June, 1872, a son of John A. and Susan A. (Moore) Roberts, both natives of Ohio, whence they removed to Knoxville in 1870. The father was for some time superintendent of the Knoxville schools and later was a traveling salesman, but the last years of his life were spent in retirement from the cares of active business life and in the enjoyment of a well deserved leisure. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having enlisted in an Ohio regiment. His demise occurred on the ist of April, 1912, but his widow survives. To them were born five children : John J .; Della, who married L. B. Meyers, of Okla- homa; William L., of this review; Roy M., who resides in Knox- ville; and Fannie, the wife of Ed Butterfield, also of Knoxville.
William L. Roberts was reared under the parental roof and at- tended the public schools of Knoxville in the pursuit of his educa- tion. After being graduated from the Knoxville high school he clerked in a grocery store for one year and then for seven years was employed in a similar capacity by G. W. Irvin, the proprietor of a furniture store. In 1899 Mr. Roberts severed this connection and in the same year purchased an interest in the W. L. Froggatt Furni- ture Store, being joined by W. O. Froggatt, a son of W. L. Froggatt, who retired from active connection with the business at that time.
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On the ist of January, 1913, Mr. Roberts bought out the interest of W. O. Froggatt and has since been the sole owner of the business. It is the oldest mercantile store in Knoxville and is still one of the leading establishments of its kind in the city. Its high standard of commercial integrity and the excellent stock of goods to select from have retained the trade of those who have once given it their patron- age and have also gained new customers. Mr. Roberts is thoroughly familiar with the line of goods carried and is efficient and up-to-date in his business methods and under his direction the continued pros- perity of the store is assured.
Mr. Roberts was married on the 28th of June, 1899, to Miss Mar- garet L. Taggart, a daughter of James and Jane Taggart, early set- tlers of this county. The father was a miller by trade but is now deceased, as is also his wife. To Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have been born two children, Maurine and John.
Mr. Roberts is a member of the Presbyterian church and in poli- tics supports the men and measures of the republican party. Frater- nally he is identified with the Masonic order, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Red Men. He be- longs to Oriental Lodge, No. 61, F. & A. M .; Tadmor Chapter, R. A. M .; Melita Commandery, K. T .; and Za-Ga-Zig Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He has given the greater part of his time to the direc- tion of his private business interests but has not been too absorbed in his personal affairs to cooperate with a number of movements that have resulted in good to his city and county.
JOHN RICHARDS.
During the past five years, beginning in 1909, John Richards has lived retired in Pleasantville, where he owns and occupies a fine home. He is a retired farmer of the county and a representative of one of the prominent pioneer families. His birth occurred in Coshocton county, Ohio, December 28, 1845, his parents being Mr. and Mrs. William Richards, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this volume. He was but eleven years of age when the family came to Marion county, arriving in 1856. Here he attended the public schools. The school building was of logs, its furnishings were crude and the methods of instruction were also somewhat primi- tive, but through that early training and also through later experi- ence, observation and reading Mr. Richards has added largely to
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his knowledge, becoming a practical, capable business man and one well informed on many general questions of the day. He has always followed farming and stock-raising and has met with a substantial measure of success.
Mr. Richards remained at home until seventeen years of age and then enlisted in August, 1863, as a member of Company A, Thirty- third Iowa Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war. He was with the western army in a number of important engagements but was never wounded. His brother Josiah was also a soldier, being with the boys in blue of Company I, Thirty-third lowa Volunteer Infantry. He was born July 4, 1843, and died just after the battle of Helena, Arkansas. John Richards remained at the front until after the close of the war and is familiar with all of the experiences of military life. He was mustered out on the 19th of August, 1865, after which he resumed work upon the home farm, assisting his father up to the time of his marriage.
It was in 1870 that John Richards was joined in wedlock to Miss Matilda E. De Haven, who was born in Virginia, a daughter of Joseph and Rebecca (Rowe) De Haven. Her mother reached the age of ninety-three years in September, 1914. She is still enjoying good health, is active and reads the daily papers each day without the aid of glasses and is thoroughly informed on current events. She makes her home with Mr. and Mrs. Richards. Mr. De Haven passed away in Ohio forty-five years ago. He devoted his life to farming and after his death his widow came to Marion county, where she has spent the past forty-five years. In their family were three sons and three daughters and with the exception of one son all are yet living.
During different periods of her girlhood Mrs. Richards resided with her parents in Virginia, Ohio and Iowa. By her marriage she has become the mother of eleven children, four sons and seven daugh- ters, as follows: Bert, a farmer residing one mile west of Pleasant- ville, who wedded Miss Nora Silvers, who had been reared in the home of T. R. Brown; Eva, who is the wife of Benjamin Cleveland, of Pleasant Grove township, this county; Thirza, who is the widow of Alfred Hickman and is associated with her brother George in the operation of a farm in Pleasant Grove township; Eunice, who is the wife of E. F. Radloff and resides near Marshalltown, lowa; Margery, who gave her hand in marriage to B. D. Orcutt, of Pleas- ant Grove township; Belle, who is the wife of E. E. Rue, a carpen- ter and builder of Melcher, Iowa; Daisy, who taught school for some years and is now the wife of Cecil Shawver, of Pleasant Grove township; Urias, who wedded Miss George Kerr and follows farm-
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
ing in Pleasant Grove township; Fred, a farmer residing near Pleas- antville, who married Miss Ruth Hayes; George, who owns and operates a farm in association with his sister, Mrs. Thirza Hickman ; and Nora, at home. The children have all been provided with good educational advantages and in addition to attending the public schools some have attended business college. Mr. and Mrs. Richards have nineteen grandchildren.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Richards are members of the Christian church and their children are all identified with the same denomination save one son, Bert, who is a Methodist. Mr. Richards belonged to the Grand Army post at Pleasantville until it was discontinued and he . was formerly identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. He continued to own his farm of two hundred and ten acres until January, 1914, when he sold that property. He won a sub- stantial measure of success in his agricultural activities and gained thereby the handsome competence which now enables him to live retired and yet enjoy the comforts and some of the luxuries of life.
JAMES S. BELLAMY.
James S. Bellamy for many years has been connected with the live-stock and grain business in Knoxville and since 1901 has been associated with the firm of Seth Way & Company. He is also the president of the Marion County Electric Company, which operates the electric light and power plant and telephone system and was formerly known as the Knoxville Electric Company. Mr. Bellamy was born in Switzerland county, Indiana, on the 12th of February, 1848, a son of Samuel King and Acassina (Manford) Bellamy. The former was born in Switzerland county on the 11th of June, 1824, and the latter on the 12th of July, of that year. The paternal grand- father of our subject was Rev. Samuel Bellamy, who was born near Richmond, Virginia, in 1784, and in 1808 removed west to Indiana. He subsequently came to Marion county, Iowa, and died here in 1855. He entered the Methodist ministry when but eighteen years of age and for many years was a preacher of the gospel but he entered land from the government in Indiana and gave part of his attention to agricultural pursuits. His father was Elisha Bellamy, a son of Samuel Bellamy, Sr., who was a resident of Powhatan county, Vir- ginia. Several of the family were ministers of the Methodist Epis- copal church. The ancestry has been traced back to two brothers,
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Huguenots, who came to America in colonial times and settled in different sections, one remaining in the north and the other going south.
Samuel K. Bellamy, the father of our subject, was reared in Indi- ana and was there married. In 1853, when twenty-nine years of age, he came to Marion county, Iowa, and entered land on section 1, Washington township. In 1875 he removed to Knoxville, where he engaged in the grain, lumber and live-stock business. The firm was known as S. K. Bellamy & Sons and did a large .business. He remained associated with that enterprise during his active life and passed away in 1890. He was a large landowner, holding title to over eight hundred acres of land, some of which is still in the pos- session of the family. One of the organizers of the republican party in Marion county, he was prominent in its councils and was candi- date for the state legislature at one time ; a member of the city council and of the school board for a number of years. In 1882 he took a prominent part in the campaign for prohibition. In religious belief he was a Methodist, thus following the family tradition. He was much interested in the improvement of the live stock in the county and was an organizer and the first treasurer of the Iowa Short Horn Breeders Association. He was a leader in several lines of activity and was highly esteemed throughout the county. His wife was a daughter of James Manford, a veteran of the War of 1812, who died in 1831 when his daughter Acassina was a child of seven years. She is still living and has passed the ninetieth milestone upon life's jour- ney, now making her home at Knoxville with a daughter, Mrs. Mary E. Craig. She is unusually active for one of her years and her mind retains its clarity remarkably well. She is a member of the Metho- dist church. Her family were for many years residents of Virginia and her parents were born there, although her birth occurred in Indiana, as previously stated.
James S. Bellamy was but five years of age when brought to this county and has lived here most of the time since. His educational opportunities were somewhat limited, as school was only conducted for a few months in the year in early days and as his time was largely occupied in assisting with the farm work. When twenty-two years of age he went west and for a number of years was connected with cattle ranches on the plains of western Kansas, Colorado and Texas. For three years he engaged in buying and selling stock. In 1875 he returned to Knoxville and turned his attention to the grain, lumber and live-stock business as a member of the firm of S. K. Bellamy & Sons, continuing in that line until the present time, although the firm
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is now Seth Way & Company, that style having been adopted in 1901. The company concentrates its activities upon the grain and live-stock business, the lumber interests having been sold in 1900. Mr. Bellamy is also the president of the Marion County Electric Company, which operates the electric light plant and telephone sys- tem at Knoxville and the oversight of these public utilities demands a great deal of his time and thought. He has an organizing mind and has developed these systems until they are now efficient and profitable. He has also been active in politics and was at one time candidate for state senator and was the candidate of his party for representative from this district in 1914.
Mr. Bellamy was married February 13, 1879, to Miss Mary Alice French, who was born February 9, 1859, in Knoxville, Iowa, a daughter of Dr. J. T. French, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work, as well as a detailed account of the family genealogy. To Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy have been born five children. Paul E., born November 17, 1879, is now a rancher of western South Dakota. He saw service in the Philippines during the Spanish-American war with the Fifty-first Iowa Volunteers. He is married and has four children. Herbert, manager of the light department of the Marion County Electric Company at Knoxville, is a young man of thirty- two years of age, his birth occurring on the 20th of June, 1882. Earl Delmar, born on the 25th of August, 1885, is manager of the telephone department of the Marion County Electric Company. Rebecca Imogene, whose birth occurred on the 4th of September, 1892, is attending the Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois. Mary Marguerite, born June 16, 1897, is a graduate of the Knoxville high school.
Mr. Beilamy is a member of the Masonic fraternity and has taken the Knights Templar degrees. His wife is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, of which she is past worthy matron. He also belongs to the Odd Fellows lodge and encampment and served for one year as grand master and for two years as grand patriarch of the grand lodge of Iowa. For four years he was grand repre- sentative to the sovereign grand lodge. His wife belongs to the Rebekahs and was for two terms president of the Rebekah State Assembly. He is a charter member of the local lodge of the Knights of Pythias and was its first chancellor commander. Mrs. Bellamy belongs to the Pythian Sisters and is also a member of the P. E. O. Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy are both members of the Methodist church and give of their time to the furtherance of its work. He is a repub- lican in his political belief and for thirteen years was a member of Vol II-17
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