USA > Iowa > Page County > History of Page County, Iowa : also biographical sketches of some prominent citizens of the county, Vol. II > Part 10
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In his political views Mr. Sundermann is a stalwart democrat, continu- ously supporting that party since age conferred upon him the right of fran- chise. He has served as school director of his district for the past ten years and the cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion. He and his family are members of the German Lutheran church of Nodaway township and their influence is always given on the side of right, progress, reform and improvement. They are well known residents of the community and the hospitality of their home is greatly enjoyed by their many friends.
ALVIN NELSON.
Alvin Nelson, who engages in general farming and stock-raising in Valley township, Page county, and who is numbered among the substan- tial agriculturists of this locality, is ranked among the thrifty and enter- prising citizens whom Sweden has sent to this country. A native of that country, his birth occurred in Holland county on the 29th of January, 1862. He is a son of Nels and Permilia Nelson, also natives of Sweden,
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where they both passed away. In their family were nine children, of whom five sons came to the new world, while one still lives in his native land.
Alvin Nelson pursued his education in the schools of Sweden. He emigrated to the United States in 1881 and came direct to Page county, Iowa, where he obtained employment on a farm for six years. At the ex- piration of that period he went west to the Pacific coast, living in Washing- ton and California for two years, and in the meantime was engaged in a creamery as a buttermaker. Returning to Page county, he purchased eighty acres of land, which now constitutes his home farm and upon which he has since resided. It is situated on section 6, Valley township, and is a highly improved property, most of its development being due to the industry and energy of Mr. Nelson. He has erected a fine house upon the place and provided substantial barns and outbuildings, also machinery and other conveniences necessary to carry on general farming. He has made a close study of the grains and cereals best adapted to soil and climate, understands the best methods of cultivating the land, and aside from his general agricultural pursuits gives some attention to the raising and feeding of hogs. On the whole, by a strict attention to business and by employing modern methods, his farm has become an excellent paying proposition. He has purchased another tract of eighty acres on section I, Douglas township, so that his property holdings now include one hun- dred and sixty acres.
In 1893 Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to Miss Emma Sullivan, a native of Page county, and unto this union has been born two children, namely: Leland B .. a student of the high school at Villisca, Iowa; and Vida P., still at home. The parents are members of the Presbyterian church and are people of high moral character.
Mr. Nelson gives his political support to the republican party and has served as township trustee and also as school director, the cause of edu- cation finding in him a stalwart champion. He has never found occasion to regret his determination to come to America for here, where individual effort is unhampered by caste or class, he has gained a gratifying amount of prosperity and is numbered among the prosperous and progressive farmers of his section of the county.
SETH JAMES CLARK.
Seth James Clark is the proprietor of the Walnut Valley Stock Farm of eight hundred acres, one of the valuable farm properties of Page county. He is recognized as a man of excellent business ability and keen discern- ment and his carefully directed labors and well managed interests have made him one of the leading agriculturists of this part of the state. He was born in the town of Barre, Worcester county, Massachusetts, September 27, 1840, a son of Erastus and Betsy ( Petty) Clark, both of whom were natives of Massachusetts and spent their last days in Page county. The father, who
Seth J. Clark
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was born December 6, 1800, died on the IIth of April, 1880. He was a farmer throughout his entire life and displayed in his business affairs sound judgment and unfaltering industry. Prior to the Civil war he was a stanch abolitionist and he always kept well informed on the questions and issues of the day, political and otherwise. He was a cousin of Robert G. Ingersoll, whose father was a brother of Mrs. Clark, the grandmother of our subject. Mr. Clark possesses a complete set of Ingersoll's works, for which he has great admiration. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Erastus Clark were seven children: Elizabeth, the deceased wife of Edward Cooke; Horace, who has also passed away ; Mary, who became the wife of E. C. Cooke and is now a widow living in Newmarket, Iowa : George W., also of Newmarket; Seth J .; Caroline, who died in childhood; and William, deceased.
Seth J. Clark was seven years of age when in 1847 his parents removed from Massachusetts to Chicago, Illinois. After three or four years spent in that city the father preempted one hundred and sixty acres of land in Cook county, twenty miles west of Chicago. He remained upon that place for about five years and then went to De Kalb county, Illinois, trading his Cook county property for a farm of three hundred and twenty acres in De Kalb, where he lived for five or six years. He then traded for a thousand acres in Page county, Iowa, the family taking up their abode here about 1860. Seth J. Clark was then a man grown and went over the plains through Nebraska to Denver, freighting for the government and bought the first store that was built in that city. Soon afterward, however, he traded it for stock and engaged in freighting over the plains for twelve years, prin- cipally between Denver, Nebraska City, Leavenworth, Omaha and New Mexico. Indeed he engaged in freighting throughout the entire western country and in 1867 when the railroad had reached Junction City, Kansas, Mr. Clark made the first successful winter trip to Santa Fe, while two trains behind him perished. In 1866 he freighted into Montana and at Fort Phil Kearney lost forty-eight mules by the Indians. Captain Brown, then in command of the fort, went to his rescue and ninety-six soldiers lost their lives at that time. In the spring of 1867 when he returned from New Mexico Mr. Clark made a contract with the United States government at Fort Wallace to deliver hay at the fort. He had three hundred and fifty men in his employ and did an extensive business. In 1868 he was awarded the same contract but in a year lost one hundred and twenty-five mules through the depredations of the Indians.
In 1873 Mr. Clark returned to Page county, where he has resided con- tinuously since, devoting his attention to general farming and stock rais- ing. He now has a farm of eight hundred acres all in East River town- ship. There are five sets of buildings upon it, all of which were erected by Mr. Clark and all other improvements were made by him. He is one of the extensive landowners of the county and the Walnut Valley Stock Farm is one of the most valuable properties in this part of the state. In addition he has a ranch of four hundred acres about twenty-five miles north- east of Trinidad, Colorado.
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In 1873 Mr. Clark was united in marriage to Miss Ella, Carpenter, who was born in Taylor county, lowa. His children are: Walter, now living in Colorado ; Wilber H., who is living with his brother in Colorado; Burt Seth, at home : Addie, the wife of Ed Smith, of East River township ; and Myrtle, who is with an aunt in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
In his political views Mr. Clark was a stalwart republican for many years but during the past four years has been allied with the socialist move- ment. He has never desired nor would he consent to accept office, pre- ferring to give his undivided attention to his business interests. He is, however, a deep thinker and loves debate and is ever ready to support his position by intelligent argument. His has been an eventful life, filled with many thrilling incidents and exciting events during his residence upon the plains when he was freighting through the west. In the conduct of his business affairs since his return to this county he has won notable and satis- factory success and his progress has placed him with the prominent agri- culturists and stock raisers of the county.
MAX E. WITTE, M. D.
Man's worth in the world is judged not by what he has done for him- self alone but by what he has done for his fellowmen. Upon each individual as a unit rests obligations and duties relative to his connection with human- ity at large and he is held in highest regard whose labors have had direct bearing upon the progress of the race or upon the improvement of conditions connected with certain classes. Dr. Witte is deserving of more than pass- ing notice from the fact that he is an authority upon mental diseases and that his work in this field has been a valuable contribution to medical science.
He was born January 31, 1859, near Berlin, Germany. His father, G. W. Witte, came to America with his family in 1864. settling in Galena, Illinois, and later he removed to Jackson county, Iowa. Dr. Witte was but five years of age at the time of the emigration to the United States. His early education was acquired in the country schools and later he attended a preparatory college at Galena, Illinois, conducted under the auspices of the Lutheran church. His broad literary knowledge served as a stimulus for further intellectual development. He, therefore, decided upon a profes- sional career and entered the College of Medicine, which is a department of the Iowa State University, where he was graduated with the class of 1881. He also read under the direction of Professor W. D. Middleton during his student course and, locating in Davenport, he became connected with the Iowa State Hospital at Mt. Pleasant in 1881, remaining there as assistant physician until 1898. In that year he accepted a proffered position as su- perintendent in connection with the Clarinda State Hospital and later was elected one of the lecturers in the Iowa State University, his special field being mental diseases. Throughout the years of his practice he has given
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much attention to mental and nervous disorders, and has become largely known as an authority upon that phase of professional work.
In 1891 Dr. Witte was united in marriage to Miss Nevada Randolph and they now have one son, Max Ernest, who was born in 1895 and is now attending the Clarinda high school.
Dr. Witte belongs to the Masonic fraternity, in which he has taken the Knight Templar degree. He is also a member of the Lutheran church and his influence has always been on the side of right, justice, truth and prog- ress. In professional relations he holds membership with the American Medico-Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, the Iowa State Medical Society, the Page County Medical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has been a frequent and valued contributor to medical journals upon psychological subjects. His life has largely been devoted to the treatment and study of insanity and his work has been of utmost value, not only through this state, but also through the United States, owing to his dissemination of knowledge concerning phases of mental disease. He has advanced many original and beneficial ideas relative to the treatment of this unfortunate class and largely through his efforts are the insane given many liberties, fully forty per cent being allowed to come and go almost as they please. He realized that close restriction was detrimental, proving an irritant to the mental condition and that in the feeling of liberty the mind frequently became strengthened and reached the normal condition. Since coming to Clarinda the capacity for the Hospital of the Insane here has been in- creased from seven hundred to eleven hundred inmates and many im- provements have been introduced for their care. Farms have been de- veloped and the work that is done by the patients has been a great source of benefit, keeping the mind occupied and the attention and energies di- rected. In all of his work Dr. Witte is actuated by a spirit of the broadest humanitarianism and this added to his scientific knowledge has made his labor of the utmost benefit to mankind. He has won wide recognition in his profession, his fame by no means being limited by the borders of this state.
O. F. SWANSON.
In an analyzation of the character and life work of O. F. Swanson we note many of the characteristics which mark the Swedish race-the per- severance, reliability, energy and unconquerable determination to pursue a course that has been marked out. It is these sterling qualities which have gained to Mr. Swanson success in life and made him one of the sub- stantial and valued citizens of Douglas township, where he owns forty acres of the old home place, and he also manages his father's land, which com- prises four hundred and eighty acres.
Mr. Swanson was born in Sweden, June 26, 1863, and was but one year old when he was brought to the United States by his parents, N. P. and
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Eva (Danielson) Swanson. The year 1864 witnessed their arrival in the new world and a location was first made in Henry county, Illinois, where they made their home until the spring of 1871, when a removal was made to Page county and the father then purchased land, to which he has since added until his farm now comprises four hundred and eighty acres in Douglas township, of which he is still the possessor. When he arrived in Page county he had but one hundred and fifty dollars in money but he possessed a stout heart and willing hands and as the years passed by he worked on earnestly and through the assistance of his estimable wife and the help of his sons he has acquired a handsome competence, which now supplies him with all the comforts of life. He has made many improve- ments on his farm, including a fine country residence, barns and other out- buildings for the shelter of grain and stock, while his wife and son planted a nice grove of walnut and maple trees, which furnish not only shade but also add to the attractive appearance of the place. For many years Mr. Swanson was actively engaged in carrying on the work of the farm but he is now living retired at the advanced age of eighty years, while his son manages and operates the home place. The wife and mother also sur- vives at the age of seventy-five years.
Mr. and Mrs. N. P. Swanson are the parents of the following children : Charles J., who resides in Clarinda ; Mary, the widow of Andrew P. Hull, a resident of Douglas township; August, also of Douglas township ; O. F., who, as above stated, operates the home farm; Henry, deceased ; J. A., who resides in Douglas township; Hilda and Anna, still under the par- ental roof ; and one who died in infancy. Mr. Swanson and his wife are numbered among the pioneers of Page county, having been prominent factors in the development and improvement of this section of the state and now in their declining years they are living happy and contented lives, enjoying in ease the fruits of their former toil.
O. F. Swanson, the immediate subject of this review was but one year old when he was brought by his parents to the new world, and he was a little lad of eight years at the time of their location in Douglas township, so that he has practically been reared on the farm which is still his home. His education was acquired in the common schools near his father's home. He was early trained to the work of the farm, assisting his father in plow- ing, planting and harvesting during the spring and summer months, and the knowledge he thus acquired now enables him to manage the extensive interests of the homestead property, so that his father can spend his last years in honorable retirement. Mr. Swanson is also the owner of forty acres of land which was formerly a part of the home place and he also cultivates this in addition to his father's land. He makes a specialty of raising and feeding stock and in this branch of business is meeting with substantial success. He formerly owned three hundred and twenty acres of land in Canada, which he disposed of at a profit of one hundred and thirty-five per cent. Mr. Swanson owns a nice automobile, being the first man to bring a motor car into Douglas township.
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A republican in his political views, Mr. Swanson has ever taken a lively interest in local affairs and for several years has served in the office of constable, while for some time he has been a school director and road supervisor. He is an Odd Fellow, belonging to Hepburn Lodge, No. 482. He belongs to that class of representative men who rapidly discern opportunities for improvement and who are rapidly forging to the front. Brooking no obstacles that can be overcome by honorable and determined effort, he is working his way upward and is already favorably known in business circles because of his capability and laudable ambition.
HENRY LORANZ.
The name of Loranz is indelibly inscribed upon the records of Clarinda and Page county and has been a familiar one here from early pioneer times. Anthony Loranz, father of Henry Loranz, cast in his lot with the first settlers who were reclaiming southwestern Iowa for the purpose of civilization. He was born near Baden Baden, Germany, October 29, 1810. and was educated for the Catholic priesthood, but in 1831 accompanied his parents and younger brother to America, landing at Philadelphia, Penn- sylvania, and events determined him to devote his time and energies to business pursuits rather than to the church. A year after their arrival the parents both died of cholera and to provide for his own support Anthony Loranz secured employment as a laborer and teamster in the vicinity of Philadelphia. In 1837 he went to New York and was employed on the Erie canal until 1839, when he made his way to Chicago, Illinois, and thence to Fulton county, that state, where he resided until 1858. In March, 1842, he wedded Barbara Bolender and subsequent to his marriage purchased eighty acres of timber land in Fulton county, Illinois. He there engaged in farming until March, 1858, when he sold his property and came to Page county, Iowa, the family arriving in September of the same year. Mr. Loranz established a general store in Clarinda, conducting it until after the outbreak of the Civil war, when he disposed of his stock with the intention of joining the Union army but found that he was physically unable to endure the hardships of military life and at once engaged in recruiting service, being commissioned by Governor Kirkwood.
Following the close of hostilities Anthony Loranz was joined by his son Henry in business under the firm style of A. & H. Loranz, conducting the store until 1869, when a succession of disasters caused their failure. Unwilling to take advantage of the bankruptcy laws Mr. Loranz, by his indefatigable energy, industry and determined purpose, at length paid off every creditor in full. His commercial honor and integrity ever stood as an unquestioned fact in his career. Under President Grant he received ap- pointment as postmaster of Clarinda and so continued until his death in 1881. His wife passed away January 12, 1868. The position which she held in public regard and especially in her own household is indicated in the
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words which her husband had inscribed on the plain marble slab that marks her last resting place: "She was, but words are wanting to tell what. Think what a wife should be and she was that." In April, 1869, Anthony Loranz wedded Mrs. Sarah Burtch, of Bellville, Nebraska, and at once brought her to Clarinda with her two children. He was long a devout member of the Presbyterian church and it was through his efforts and liberality that the house of worship of that denomination was built in Clarinda in 1860, while the bell used to call the worshipers together was freighted by him overland from Fulton county, Illinois. He was a mem- ber of Nodaway Lodge, No. 140, A. F. & A. M .; and Clarinda Chapter, No. 29, R. A. M. No man ever more fully enjoyed the respect and confi- dence of his fellowmen, or more justly deserved that respect.
Ilenry Loranz, one of the seven children of his father's first marriage, has resided continuously in Page county for more than half a century. He was born in Fulton county, Illinois, February 12, 1844, and was there- fore fourteen years of age at the time of the removal of the family to south- western lowa. His education was acquired in the public schools of the two states and in Eastman's Business College of Chicago. He was a youth of nineteen years when he offered his services to the government in July, 1863, joining Company A of the Eighth lowa Cavalry, with which he saw much active duty at the front. He was taken prisoner thirty-five miles southwest of Atlanta, Georgia, and suffered all the hardships of southern prison life in Andersonville, being one of thirty thousand men confined there at that time. He was afterward transferred to Charleston, where he remained a month, and subsequently was sent to Florence, South Caro- lina, where he was incarcerated five months, obtaining his release at Wil- mington, North Carolina, in March, 1865. He was then sent to .Annapolis, Maryland, where he was provided with a much needed uniform ; proceeding from that point to St. Louis, and was honorably discharged at Clinton, Iowa. ITis military record was a most creditable one and he is today numbered among the honored veterans whose ranks are fast being decimated as one by one they answer the last roll call.
After attending business college in Chicago, in 1866, Henry Loranz returned to Clarinda and was identified with his father in mercantile pur- suits until 1871. In that year he was elected treasurer of Page county and the trust reposed in his official honor and integrity is indicated by the fact that popular suffrage continued him in office for twelve years, and on the expiration of his last term he refused to become a candidate for reelec- tion. In 1884 he joined his brother Raymond in the abstract and loan business, which was the beginning of the business that still exists under the firm style of Loranz & Company. Some years later his brother retired and Henry Loranz was joined by his son, Alfred B. On the first of Jan- uary, 1906, the company was incorporated under the style of Loranz & Com- pany, with Henry Loranz as president ; A. B. Loranz, vice president ; and C. E. Blair. secretary. The company is a prominent one in this field of ac- tivity, the extent and importance of its business and the reliability of its business methods gaining for it a foremost place in business circles.
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On the 18th of February, 1869, Mr. Loranz was united in marriage to Miss Carrie A. Little, of Altoona, Illinois, who was educated in the Gran- ville and Steubenville Female Seminaries, of Ohio, and made a specialty of the study of music. She successfully engaged in teaching music for many years and for forty years was organist in the Presbyterian church. She has had, too, marked influence in social circles of the city and has ever pre- sided with gracious hospitality over her own home. Mr. and Mrs. Loranz are the parents of five children: Mabel B., who died at the age of five years ; Grace, who died in the same year-1874-when but seven months old, both being buried in the same grave; Alfred B., who is his father's associate in business ; Bertha Rose ; and Carrie.
Mr. Loranz is a prominent Mason, belonging to Nodaway Lodge, No 140, A. F. & A. M., and Clarinda Chapter, No. 29, R. A. M. He is a charter member of Warren Post, No. II, G. A. R. In politics he has ever been a stalwart republican and on the Ist of May, 1889, was appointed postmaster, which position he filled for over four years. A prominent member of the Presbyterian church, he served for twenty-three years as clerk of the session and for a long period has been one of the elders. His life in its varied activities has been an influential factor in Page county's substantial development and in its progress along intellectual, social and moral lines. Living within its borders from his boyhood days, his record has at all times been in harmony with high principles of manhood and of citizenship.
CHARLES TUNNICLIFFE.
The growth and prosperity of every town and city depends upon its commercial and industrial activities which are consequent upon the enter- prise, determination and foresight of its business men. In this connection Charles Tunnicliffe deserves more than passing notice for he was one of the promoters and is now active in the control of the industrial enterprise carried on under the name of the Clarinda Lawn Mower Company. Born in Kewanee, Illinois, on the 14th of August, 1867, he is a son of George and Rosetta (Frink) Tunnicliffe. The father was a merchant of Englishi descent, representing a family that for five hundred years was associated with the pottery interests of England. It was on the "Merrie Isle" that George Tunnicliffe was born but in his boyhood days he was brought to the United States and since 1842 has been a resident of this country. He still makes his home in Kewanee, being one of its most respected and valued citizens.
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