USA > Iowa > Marion County > History of Marion County, Iowa, and its people, Volume II > Part 7
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
Mr. Morgan is well known as a prominent and influential mem- ber of Hamilton Lodge, No. 78, I. O. O. F., in which he has filled all of the chairs. He likewise holds membership with the Knights of Pythias, and his wife is connected with the Pythian Sisters. His political indorsement is given to the republican party, but he never seeks nor desires political office. He has served, however, for a num- ber of years as school director and the cause of education finds in him a stalwart friend who believes in the employment of competent teachers and the utilization of progressive methods in the conduct of the schools. The spirit of advancement actuates him in all things and has made him therefore one of the leading farmers of the com- munity. He is, moreover, one of the pioncer settlers, having been a resident of this county for sixty-five years, in which period he has scen it emerge from the conditions of frontier life and take on all of the evidences of a modern and progressive civilization. He can re- member a time when wild game was quite plentiful and when much of the land in this county was still unclaimed and uncultivated. Comparatively few wagon roads had been laid out and only here and there was a cabin to indicate that the work of civilization had been begun. As the years passed on he bore his part in advancing the county and its best interests, and he has left an indelible impress for good upon the development of this section.
C. E. JAMES, M. D.
Dr. C. E. James has been continuously engaged in the general practice of medicine and surgery at Durham for the past twenty- seven years and is widely recognized as an able and successful repre- sentative of the profession in Marion county. His birth occurred in Warren county, Iowa, on the 5th of December, 1851, his parents being S. V. R. and Dorcas Anne ( Kenyon) James. In 1843 the former took up his abode in Warren county, this state, and both he and his wife now lie buried in Palmyra, that county. To them were born eight children, four sons and four daughters.
Having determined upon the practice of medicine as a life work, C. E. James read for three years under the direction of J. C. Merietta, of Palmyra, and then entered the Keokuk Medical College, which in- stitution conferred upon him the degree of M. D. in 1880. He opened an office at Swan, Marion county, and was there engaged in practice for seven years, on the expiration of which period he came to Dur-
DR. C. E. JAMES
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
ham, which has since remained the scene of his professional labors. He has demonstrated his skill and ability in checking the ravages of disease and has been accorded a gratifying and growing practice. With the progress of the profession he keeps in close touch through his membership in the Marion County Medical Society, the Iowa State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.
On the 10th of August, 1881, Dr. James was united in marriage to Miss Laura Miller, a daughter of Gabriel and Anna Miller. One daughter, Avis, died in infancy, and the other daughter, Helen, is at home.
Dr. James gives his political allegiance to the democracy but has no desire for the honors and emoluments of office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his professional interests, which have brought him well deserved prosperity and enviable recognition.
JACOB G. STILWELL.
An excellent farm of about two hundred acres situated in Liberty township, not far from Hamilton, is the property of Jacob G. Stil- well and pays tribute to the care and labor which he bestows upon it. He carries on general farming and stock-raising. He was born in Indiana on the 26th of February, 1836, a son of John and Delila (Campbell) Stilwell. The parents were married in Indiana and had a family of twelve children, of whom three are yet living. For some time they resided in Cincinnati, Ohio, and thence came to Iowa in 1848, settling in the spring of that year at Fort Madison. At a later period they came to Marion county and took up their abode upon the farm where their son Jacob now resides. Their remaining days were spent upon that place and when death called them they were laid to rest in the cemetery at Hamilton. The father always carried on farming and stock-raising and was the owner of one hun- dred and forty acres of land which he brought to a high state of cultivation. His methods were practical and his labors resulted in making the farm one of the valuable properties of the district. He raised the cereals best adapted to soil and climate and was also suc- cessfully engaged in raising graded stock. He died in the year 1864 and his wife, who long survived, passed away in 1900. In politics Mr. Stilwell was a democrat but never sought nor desired public office.
Vol. 1T-5
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
Jacob G. Stilwell attended one of the old-time schools, the little "temple of learning" being a log building, and the methods of in- struction were almost as primitive as was the schoolhouse. How- ever, in the school of experience he has learned many valuable les- sons and by reading and observation has constantly broadened his knowledge. His training at farm labor was not meager and when twenty-one years of age he began farming on his own account. He has always carried on general agricultural pursuits and has led a very busy life. He has never been afraid of hard work and, saving his money, he purchased land, adding to his original holdings until he now has about two hundred acres. The soil is rich and arable and the fields respond readily to the care and labor which he bestows upon them. He also engages in stock-raising and his business is bringing to him well merited prosperity.
On the 26th of February, 1859, Mr. Stilwell was joined in wed- lock to Miss Mary Jane Conklin, her parents being Samuel and Lorinda (Grantier) Conklin, pioneer settlers of Monroe county. Our subject and his wife became the parents of sixteen children, as follows: Delia Ann, who is deceased; John; Orinda, who has also passed away; Benjamin; Mary; Joseph; Calvina; George; Delila; Rosie; Pruda and Peter, both of whom are deceased; Arthur; Charley, who has passed away; Cora; and one who died unnamed.
Mr. Stilwell gives his political: allegiance to the democratic party and has been called to a number of township offices, including that of trustee. He has likewise served as a member of the school board and believes in providing good educational opportunities for the young. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he attends church in Hamilton but is not a mem- ber. His success has been builded upon the sure foundation of dili- gence and determination and he is still active in the management of his farm, although he has now passed the seventy-eighth milestone on life's journey.
HON. J. B. ELLIOTT.
Hon. J. B. Elliott, president of the Knoxville National Bank and an influential factor in political as well as financial circles, was born in Poland, Ohio, in 1852, a son of J. K. and Mary ( Brown) Elliott. The father was also a native of Poland but the mother was born in Ireland and with her parents came to the United States in her girl-
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
hood days. The Elliotts are of English descent and the father was a son of Daniel Elliott, of Connecticut, who traced his ancestry back to John Eliot, who was an apostle to the Indians and translated the Bible into their language. The marriage of J. K. Elliott and Mary Brown was celebrated in Ohio, where they continued their resi- dence until 1868, when they came to Iowa and settled on a farm in Pleasant Grove township, Marion county. The father then devoted his attention with good success to general agricultural pursuits until his life's labors were ended in death in 1890. His widow survived him for about six years, passing away in 1896.
J. B. Elliott acquired a public-school education which was con- tinued through various grades and also spent three years in Poland College at Poland, Ohio. He was a youth of sixteen when his par- ents came to this state. Later he engaged in teaching school here for several winter seasons and not only made a study of the best methods of instructing the young but was also a student of the questions and issues of the day, taking so active and prominent a part in politics that when he was but twenty-three years of age he was elected a mem- ber of the Iowa legislature. While continuing in the profession of teaching he devoted the hours which are usually termed leisure to the study of law and was admitted to the bar in 1876, after which he engaged in practice at Knoxville for a few years. During the same period he conducted a loan business and it was but a logical step from that line of business into banking. In 1884 he was offered and accepted the position of cashier in the Knoxville National Bank, with which he has since been connected, covering a period of three decades, during which he has contributed largely to the development and substantial growth of the institution, of which he was made presi- dent in 1911. Into other fields of business he has also extended his efforts with equal success. He is an active farmer and stock-raiser and his place is widely known because of the fine trotting horses raised thereon. He has also been identified with the development of the coal fields of the county and is recognized as a most forceful and resourceful business man, who forms his plans carefully and then carries them forward to successful completion.
In 1878 Mr. Elliott was united in marriage to Miss Nora E. Miller, a daughter of Admiral B. and Eliza Miller, the former an attorney, now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Elliott have become the parents of two daughters, Helene Eleanor and Genevieve. The former is the wife of R. S. Granger, who is now engaged in the lum- ber business at Harrison, Arkansas, and who is a son of Judge Granger, of the Iowa supreme court. The younger daughter is the
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
wife of Waite Phillips, who is engaged in the oil business at Bartles- ville, Oklahoma. They have a daughter, Helen Jane, three years of age.
Mr. Elliott is a valued member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In politics he has always been a stalwart republican since age conferred upon him the right of franchise and is recognized as one of the leaders of the party in his section of the state. For many years he has served as a member of the state central committee and for two terms he represented his district in the Iowa legislature, where he gave careful consideration to all the important and significant questions which came up for set- tlement. He has marked ability in bringing seemingly diverse ele- ments into a unified and harmonious whole, whether in politics or in business, and this element in his character has been one of the strong forces in winning for him his substantial and enviable success.
JAMES M. REYNOLDS.
James M. Reynolds is now living retired in Pleasantville. For many years he was actively identified with farming but in 1891 put aside the work of the fields and took up his abode in the town where he now resides, purchasing five acres of land, on which he erected a comfortable residence. Seven years later he purchased his present fine home, which is one of the most attractive of his section of the county. He still derives a substantial annual income from his two well improved farms, one of which contains four hundred and twenty-one acres and the other two hundred and forty acres of rich and productive land. Before retiring from business life he made his home in Pleasant Grove township, where he arrived on the 6th of April, 1846. He accompanied his father, who had taken a claim just south of the present site of Pleasantville and thereon built one of the pioneer cabins of the county.
James M. Reynolds is a native of Indiana, his birth having oc- curred in Benton county, that state, November 8, 1837, his parents being Lewis and Martha J. (Terwilliger) Reynolds, the former a native of Botetourt county, Virginia, and the latter of Ohio. As young people they removed to Indiana, settling there in pioneer times, and in Benton county they were married. There they began their domestic life, continuing their residence in that county until 1843, when they came to Iowa, settling first at Muscatine, where
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
they lived for a year. They then removed to a place four miles east of Eddyville, in Wapello county, settling at the town of Kirkville. Lewis Reynolds was among the first to file a claim for a farm in this locality and he and his wife spent their remaining days here. He was born May 7, 1815, and died at the age of eighty years, July 29, 1895. Throughout his entire life Lewis Reynolds carried on general agricultural pursuits and at one time was the owner of two hundred and forty acres. His father was a soldier of the War of 1812. Both Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds were members of the Methodist church and Christian principles guided their lives at all times. The latter died about the spring of 1885, when sixty-five years of age.
James M. Reynolds is the eldest in a family of five daughters and three sons, one of whom died at the age of eight years. The surviving members of the family are four daughters and one son, three of the daughters living in Marion county and the fourth in North Dakota. The only son, James M. Reynolds, was a little lad of but six years when the family came to lowa, so that he has been a witness of the development of the state from pioneer times. His educational opportunities were quite limited and he had practically nothing with which to start in business life, but he was ambitious and energetic and those qualities stood him in stead of fortune.
On the 18th of January, 1859, Mr. Reynolds was married at Pleasantville to Miss Barbara Ann Shepherd, who was born in Adams county, Illinois, January 4, 1843, a daughter of John and Polly ( Briggs) Shepherd, the former a veteran of the War of 1812 and the latter a native of North Carolina. The father died in Illi- nois in 1845 and the mother came to Marion county in 1847, settling at Pleasantville. She afterward became the wife of William F. Jordan and died when about eighty years of age. By her first mar- riage she had two daughters: Mrs. Reynolds; and Mrs. Mary J. Jones, a widow now residing in Denver, Colorado. Mr. and Mrs. Jordan were the parents of two children: Commodore, who is liv- ing in Portland, Oregon; and George W., deceased. From the age of four years Mrs. Reynolds was reared in this county and, like her husband, therefore, is numbered among the pioneer citizens. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds have been born five children: Carrie J., who died in early life; Charles, a farmer and auctioneer residing in Minnesota, who is married and has children; Albert D., more ex- tended mention of whom is made on another page of this work; Em- ma, who is the wife of L. O. Sutton and resides in Sandyville, War- ren county, Iowa; and Thomas, who operates one of his father's farms.
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In politics Mr. Reynolds is a democrat, although largely inde- pendent. He does not feel himself bound by party ties and casts his vote as his judgment dictates. He has never sought nor wished for political office but has served in school offices. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and his wife is connected with the Order of the Eastern Star. She is also a member of the Christian church and both are highly esteemed in Marion county. Mr. Reynolds has now passed the seventy-seventh milestone on life's journey and is highly respected as one of the venerable and worthy citizens of Marion county. His carefully managed business affairs, at all times characterized by integrity as well as enterprise, brought to him a creditable measure of success, relieving him in his later years of that toil which should be performed in the vigor and strength of earlier manhood.
JAMES ISAAC CHAMBERS.
James Isaac Chambers is a prosperous and representative agri- culturist of Marion county, owning and operating a valuable farm of three hundred and sixty acres in Indiana and Knoxville town- ships. He came to this county with his parents in the fall of 1856 and has resided continuously within its borders save for a period of three years spent in Nebraska.
The birth of Mr. Chambers occurred in Montgomery county, Indiana, on the 24th of January, 1851, his parents being Robert H. and Ellen T. (Dixon) Chambers, the former of Scotch and the lat- ter of English descent. Both were natives of Maryland and their marriage was celebrated in Ohio. In the fall of 1856 they came to Marion county, Iowa, settling in Indiana township, where Robert H. Chambers purchased a tract of land. Throughout his active business career he successfully devoted his attention to the pursuits of farming and carpentering and at the time of his demise he owned a quarter section of land. At the time of the Civil war he enlisted for service in the Union army as a member of Company K, Third Iowa Cavalry, remaining with that command for thirteen months or until discharged because of illness. In politics he was a repub- lican and in the office of constable he made a commendable record. His religious belief was that of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the faith of which he passed away in 1894, while his wife was called to her final rest four years later. Both lie buried in this county.
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
They celebrated their golden wedding here, and this was the only occasion when all of their children were together. They had five sons and nine daughters and nine of the family are yet living.
James I. Chambers, who was a little lad of five years when brought to this county by his parents, began his education in the state of his nativity and continued his studies in a log schoolhouse of Indiana township, Marion county. When twenty years of age he started out in life on his own account and throughout his entire business career, with the exception of three years spent in Nebraska, he has devoted his attention to general agricultural pursuits here. Success has attended his efforts and he now owns three hundred and sixty acres of rich and productive land in Marion county. He has made many substantial improvements on the property and in con- nection with the cultivation of cereals devotes considerable attention to the raising of graded stock, both branches of his business returning to him a gratifying annual income.
On the 25th of December, 1872, Mr. Chambers was united in marriage to Miss Hannah Rankin, a daughter of J. C. and Nancy Rankin. To them have been born four children, as follows: Bertha Ann, who gave her hand in marriage to A. R. Rowland; Stella, the wife of A. C. Tucker; Josephine, who is the wife of Harl Baker; and Cameron H., who wedded Miss Sarah Suska Woody.
WALTER BOARDMAN SAVAGE.
For the past twenty years Walter Boardman Savage has been ยท associated with the waterworks system of Knoxville and is its pres- ent efficient superintendent. He was born in Sheffield, Massachu- setts, March 3, 1855, a son of Walter Goodrich and Lucy Jane (Boardman) Savage, the former born in Connecticut, March 16, 1825, and the latter in Sheffield, Massachusetts, on the 26th of Feb- ruary, 1822. The mother, one of a family of four sons and two daughters, all of whom are deceased, passed away August 6, 1905, when she had attained the advanced age of eighty-three years.
Mr. and Mrs. Savage were Presbyterians, and both were very active in church work. He was a republican in his political belief. Of the children born to their union six grew to maturity and five are still living. Edwin B., who died on the 8th of March, 1880, when twenty-seven years of age, was for a number of years con- nected with the machine shop which was started in Knoxville by his
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
father. Walter Boardman, the subject of this review, is the next in order of birth. Jennie B., a twin of the last named, is the widow of C. C. Collins and resides in St. Louis. She has three daughters and one son, Ada, Nellie, Earl and Stella. Emma is the wife of George B. McClelland, formerly a well known carpenter of Knoxville. They now reside at Oakland, California, and have four children, Lizzie, Edwin, Carrie and Herbert. William Hamlin is a member of the firm of Dickerson & Savage, of Knoxville. Charles Lohren, who is engaged in the teaming business in Sedalia, Missouri, mar- ried Miss Edith Tubbs, of Nebraska, and they have become the parents of the following children : Loraine, deceased ; Nellie ; Maud ; Claud; Inez; Carl; Dottie; and John, deceased.
For many years Walter G. Savage was a machinist and copper- smith in his native state. In 1864 he purchased a machine shop at Knoxville and operated the same until January 5, 1871, when he answered the final summons. The shop was then conducted in his sons' name, being known as Savage Brothers, but as they were too young to manage it personally the mother rented it to others. About 1876 the shop burned and shortly after E. B. Savage and N. H. Bittenbender built a new shop upon the same site, just north of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad tracks on Second street. The firm name of Bittenbender & Savage was maintained from 1876 until 1882. On the 8th of March, 1880, E. B. Savage died and his brother, the subject of this review, continued the firm in connection with Mr. Bittenbender until 1882, when the latter became sole owner.
Walter B. Savage was reared at Knoxville and was a student in the public schools here, thus acquiring his education. He learned the machinist's trade in his father's shop and followed the same until 1882. In 1884 he went to Nebraska and entered government land in Sheridan county, remaining there for nine years, or until 1893, when he returned to Marion county and became an employe of the city waterworks. He has remained in that line of business since and has risen steadily from one position to another of greater responsi- bility until he is now superintendent. His early training in his father's machine shop has proved invaluable to him and the plant is kept in splendid working condition. He is also a business man of no mean ability and manages well that phase of the waterworks system, proving a thoroughly competent superintendent.
In 1878 Mr. Savage married Miss Almina May Berkey, who was born in southeastern Iowa and is a daughter of Frank and Mary E. (Johnson) Berkey, the former for many years a blacksmith in
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
the employ of the firm of Parsons & Lytle. He passed away in 1887, when about fifty-five years of age. Mrs. Savage is a sister of Mrs. John J. Rolfe, who lives on West Robinson street, this city. Mr. Rolfe is a carpenter by trade. Mrs. Berkey now makes her home with Mr. and Mrs. Savage and is seventy-four years of age. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Savage. Minnie, born in Knoxville, is the wife of Joseph Mrachek, a dairyman of Chehalis, Washington, and they have three living children, Elmina, Margaret and Katherine. Frank, who was born at Iowa City, is also a resi- dent of Chehalis, where he is foreman in a door factory. He mar- ried Miss Laura Westover, a daughter of Judge Westover, of Che- halis, and they have two children, a son, Beldon, and a daughter, Beulah Bell. Earl, who was born in Nebraska, resides in Knoxville and is engineer for the city waterworks. He married Miss Beulah Conrad, of Hastings, Nebraska, whose parents are still living in that city.
Mr. Savage is a stalwart republican and is unswerving in his allegiance to that party. He and his wife are both members of the Presbyterian church, aiding in many ways in the work of moral development. Fraternally he belongs to the Masonic lodge at Knox- ville. The efficient way in which he manages the waterworks sys- tem has gained him the respect of the community and his personal integrity and honor have won him many warm friends.
JAMES P. MARSH.
James P. Marsh came to Marion county when but ten years of age and has remained within its borders continuously since or for about a half century. He devoted his time and energies to general agricultural pursuits throughout his active business career and is still the owner of one hundred and twenty-five acres of valuable land but now lives retired at Tracy. His birth occurred in Decatur county, Indiana, on the Ist of May, 1855, his parents being Prince B. and Zerilda (Ryan) Marsh, who were likewise natives of the Hoosier state. The former passed away in 1854 and in 1858 his widow gave her hand in marriage to James B. Means, of Indiana. They came to Marion county, Iowa, in 1865, locating on a farm in Clay township on which they spent the remainder of their lives. To Mr. and Mrs. Prince B. Marsh were born three children, two of
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HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
whom survive, namely: Lewis T., who is now a resident of Kan- sas; and James P., of this review.
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