USA > Iowa > Page County > History of Page County, Iowa : also biographical sketches of some prominent citizens of the county, Vol. II > Part 12
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for party fealty, but has, however, been chosen many times by his fellow citizens for political preferment. He has always maintained pleasant rela- tions with his old army comrades through his membership in Warren Post, No. II, G. A. R., of Clarinda. Mr. De Long has now reached the Psalmist's allotted span of three score years and ten. His career has been one of long and continuous activity, in which has been accorded due recog- nition of labor, for he has readily recognized and utilized each opportunity that has come to him and now in the evening of life he may look back upon a life of well directed labor, in which there has been no esoteric phase.
HERBERT H. SCOTT.
Ilerbert H. Scott, engaged in the general practice of law in all the courts, with a liberal clientage that is indicative of the ability which he displays in handling intricate legal problems, was born in Leesville, Crawford county, Ohio, September 18, 1851. He is a son of Richard W. and Sarah S. ( Be- bout ) Scott. The father was born in Huntington county, Pennsylvania, Feb- ruary 1, 1825, and the mother's birth occurred in Crawford county, Ohio, July 29, 1832. Richard W. Scott was but five years of age when he accom- panied his parents on their removal to Crawford county, his father living upon a farm there. In his youthful days Richard W. Scott learned the trade of harness and saddle making and in the fall of 1856 he removed to Taylor county, Iowa, where he purchased a claim of one hundred and sixty acres, two miles south of Siam. In the spring of 1857, he went to Nodaway coun- ty, Missouri, where he engaged in farming, also conducted a country store and worked at his trade. In 1860 he came to Clarinda and in that year was employed as a harnessmaker by George W. Burns, in whose service he re- mained through the fall and winter months. In the spring of 1861 he estab- lished a saddle and harness shop of his own and there conducted business continuously until his death, which occurred October 18, 1895. On the 28th of November, 1850, he married Miss Sarah S. Bebout, who survived him for about eight years and passed away April 30, 1903. In their family were two children, the younger being a daughter, Estella E., who became the wife of T. H. Bidwell, of Clarinda, and died September 15, 1882.
The son, Herbert H. Scott, whose name introduces this record, was edu- cated in the common schools of Clarinda and engaged in teaching in 1868. In 1860 he entered the law office of Hepburn & Morsman as a student, con- tinuing his reading under Mr. Hepburn after the dissolution of the firm. On his admission to the bar on the 12th of September, 1872, he was admitted to a partnership by Mr. Hepburn and practiced as the junior member of the firm of Hepburn & Scott until this association was dissolved on the Ist of January, 1875. It was not long afterward that Mr. Scott went to Council Bluffs, where he became identified with the firm of Montgomery & Scott, his partners being B. F. Montgomery and C. R. Scott. There he continued un- til the fall of 1875, when he returned to Clarinda. In January, 1876. he went
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to Red Oak, Iowa, where he formed a partnership with Smith McPherson under the style of McPherson & Scott, which existed until the fall of 1879. He then returned to Clarinda and in 1881 he entered the employ of N. B. Moore, an attorney with whom he remained until 1888. In 1892 he formed a partnership with H. E. Parslow under the firm style of Parslow & Scott and this existed until the fall of 1896, since which time Mr. Scott has been alone in the practice. A liberal clientage has been accorded him, connecting him with much of the important litigation tried in the courts of the district. He is very careful and thorough in the preparation of cases and his arguments are characterized by logical deductions, by clear reasoning and forceful pre- sentation.
On the 15th of March, 1899, Mr. Scott was united in marriage to Miss Julia M. Foster, a daughter of Charles W. and Ann Foster, of whom men- tion is made elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Scott is a member of the Ma- sonic fraternity and gives loyal support to the democracy. He was an elec- tor on the democratic ticket in 1876 but has never sought or desired office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his professional duties which have been of an important character and have brought to him substantial and gratifying success.
S. D. GILLESPIE.
The home farm of S. D. Gillespie is pleasantly situated on section 3, Tarkio township. The tract of land which he there owns is largely devoted to dairy interests and in that branch of his business he is meeting with very desirable success. A native of Carroll county, Illinois, he was born March 3, 1861, of the marriage of Thomas and Maria (Donaldson) Gillespie, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of the state of New York. The father came to the United States in the spring of 1850 as a young man and took up his abode in Carroll county, Illinois, where he was married, the lady of his choice having removed to that county with her parents in her girlhood days. They began their domestic life in Carroll county and con- tinued to reside there until the spring of 1870, when Thomas Gillespie came to Page county, Iowa, and established his home on section 4, Tarkio town- ship. There he invested in one hundred and sixty acres of land and for thirty years was a well known and prominent representative of farming interests in that part of the state. His life was one of diligence and enter- prise and he continued in active connection with agricultural pursuits here until about 1900, when he removed to Colorado Springs, Colorado. There he resided for six years, when failing health in the spring of 1906 caused him to return to Page county and he lived with his son S. D. Gillespie until his death, which occurred in the following September.
A lad of nine years at the time of his removal to Iowa, S. D. Gillespie has since remained in Page county, and he supplemented his education, begun in the public schools of Illinois, by further study in the public schools
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of lowa. During the periods of vacation he worked in the fields on the home farm and his training was of a very practical nature. acquainting him with the best time of plowing and planting and the best methods of cultivating his crops. The occupation to which he was reared proved con- genial to him and was chosen by him as a life work. In 1887 he began farming for himself, cultivating a tract of rented land for two years, at the end of which time he made investment in one hundred and sixty acres on section 3. Tarkio township. There he located and has since resided upon the place. In the past eight years he has made a specialty of dairy farm- ing, milking about twenty cows. He has been quite successful in this work and the products of his dairy find a ready sale on the market. He annually gathers substantial harvests as well and the success which has come to him in his business has given him rating with the men of affluence in Tarkio township.
In 1889 Mr. Gillespie was married to Miss Maggie E. Gillespie, of Tarkio township, and their children are two in number, Vernard and Frank. both at home. Mr. Gillespie is a republican, whose allegiance to the party is manifest in unfaltering support of its candidates at each elec- tion. He has served on the school board for a number of years and does everything in his power to promote educational interests, but other- wise has never sought nor desired office. Fraternally he is connected with Green Mountain Lodge. No. 1897, M. W. A. He and his wife are mem- bers of the Baptist church in Shenandoah and they have many friends in that city and throughout the county.
JOSEPH W. SELLARDS. M. D.
Dr. Joseph W. Sellards, successfully practicing his profession in Clar- inda since 1901. his ability being manifest in the capable treatment of vari- ous important and intricate cases, was born in Ringgold county, lowa, April 2. 1875. Ilis parents were David F. and Mary .A. (Foster ) Sellards. The father was a physician and banker and began the practice of medicine in Ringgold county after the war. In the period of hostilities. when the north and south were arrayed against each other, fighting for principles in which each firmly believed. Dr. David F. Sellards espoused the Union cause and became a captain in the Thirty-ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He saw arduous service at the front and returned much impaired in health. He then took up preparation for a life work and, determining upon the practice of medicine, he pursued a course in Rush Medical College of Chicago. from which he was graduated in due time. lle then entered upon active practice and gave to his fellowmen the benefit of his profes- sional service until his life's labors were ended in death.
Reared in his father's home, Dr. Joseph W. Sellards attended the Mount Ayr high school, from which he was graduated in 1894. In 1896 he be- gan the study of medicine, first pursuing a scientific course at Drake
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University, believing that broad general knowledge was necessary as a foundation upon which to rear the superstructure of professional learning. He next entered the medical department of Drake University and was graduated in 1901. Soon after he began the practice of medicine at Clar- inda, Iowa, where he has been in general practice continuously since. He is a member of the Iowa State Medical Society and thus keeps in touch with what the profession is doing as the work of investigation is carried forward and as experiment and experience broaden knowledge. For two terms he served as county physician and is now city health officer. He is also visiting physician of the Clarinda Hospital and enjoys a large private practice.
The 7th of January, 1904, witnessed the celebration of the marriage of Dr. Sellards and Miss Lena Plank of Clarinda, a daughter of John Plank. They have become the parents of two children: Gladys Fay and Violet. Socially the family is prominent, the hospitality of many of the best homes being freely extended them.
Dr. Sellards is interested and active in community affairs and is now serving as president of the Clarinda Military Band, has taken a deep in- terest in music and is acting as solo cornetist of the band. Fraternally he is associated with the Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while his religious faith is evidenced in his membership in the Christian church and his exemplification of its teachings in his life.
WILLIAM MONTGOMERY BLACK.
In the midst of a highly cultivated farm of one hundred and sixty acres constituting the southeastern quarter of section 144, Harlan township, there stands a beautiful residence-commodious and of modern style of archi- tecture. It is surrounded by a well kept lawn and in the rear are good barns and outbuildings. These in turn are enclosed with richly developed fields that promise golden harvests in the autumn. The property presents a well kept, neat and attractive appearance and, therefore, indicates the careful supervision of its owner, William M. Black, who is one of the pro- gressive agriculturists of the community. As he has a very wide acquaint- ance in this county his life record cannot fail to prove of interest to many of our readers. Ile first opened his eyes to the light of day in Hancock county, Illinois, March 19, 1859, his parents being James C. and Martha J. (Graham) Black, who eight years later removed to Page county where the son was reared to the occupation of farming. The public schools afforded him his educational privileges and he worked with his father on the homestead farm until nineteen years of age when he turned his atten- tion to the carpenter's trade, which he followed for five years. On the expiration of this period he was convinced that agriculture was a congenial and profitable occupation and he resumed the work of the fields, since which time he has given his energies to farming in all of its phases. He
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has made live-stock dealing a feature of his buisness and since 1889 has given much attention to the breeding of high grade stock, making a specialty of Galloway cattle and Poland China hogs. He finds a ready sale on the market for his stock and his business is proving a very profitable one.
On the 28th of September, 1882, was celebrated the marriage of Wil- liam M. Black and Miss Maggie M. McKee, a daughter of the Rev. David and Mary E. (Gregg) McKee. Mrs. Black was born in the city of Phila- delphia, November 28, 1859, and by her marriage has become the mother of three children; Pearl Anna, the wife of William Dunn, of Omaha, Ne- braska, by whom she has one child, William Ilarold ; Eda Mary, the wife of Herbert Martin, of Harlan township ; and James Guy, at home.
In 1902 Mr. Black sold the farm upon which he had resided for a num- ber of years and purchased his present property comprising the southeastern quarter of section 14, Harlan township. This is one of the well improved farms of the community lacking in no modern accessory or equipment. In 1903 Mr. Black erected a fine residence of ten rooms and this is one of the beautiful country homes in his section of the county. He has also put up all of the outbuildings except the barn. In all of his work he is practical, overcoming difficulties and obstacles by diligence and perseverance. Both he and his wife are members of the Reformed Presbyterian church of Har- lan township and are held in high esteem by all who know them.
THEOPHILUS F. WILLIS.
The legal profession finds a well known and able representative in The- ophilus F. Willis, who for twenty-nine years has practiced before the bar of Clarinda. He has lived in Iowa, however, since 1868, and in Page county since 1879, barring two absences, in which year he erected one of the first houses at Blanchard. He removed to this state from southern Illinois, having previously lived in Richview, Washington county. In 1868, however, he crossed the Mississippi and took up his abode at Villisca, after which various removals he at length came to Clarinda.
Mr. Willis is a native of White county, Illinois, his birth having occurred February 8, 1839. Ilis parents were Benjamin F. and Matilda (Shipley) Willis, and the father, devoting his life to various pursuits, provided for his family in his work as a school teacher, farmer and merchant.
In the state of his nativity Theophilus F. Willis was reared, his early life being quietly passed in the work of the schoolroom, the pleasures of the playground and such tasks as were assigned him by parental authority. He was a young man of about twenty-two years at the time of the out- break of the Civil war. In the period of political unrest which preceded the opening of hostilities he was a deep student of the condition of affairs and his patriotismn was aroused by the threatening attitude of the south. It was therefore in response to the first call for troops to serve the Union that he enlisted, joining Company C of the Eleventh Illinois Volunteer In-
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fantry as a private in May, 1861, in response to the call for men to serve for three months. He afterward reenlisted for three years, becoming a member of the Thirty-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he was assigned to duty with Company G. This regiment was known as the Normal Regiment, as it was composed of students and professors of the normal school, nearly all of whom enlisted. Mr. Willis was at that time a pupil in the normal and with his classmates and teachers joined the army and was chosen adjutant of his company. Becoming ill, however. he did not get to serve in that capacity but did not hesitate to go into the ranks and as a private served throughout the war. He participated in the battle and siege of Spanish Fort in the rear of Mobile, Alabama, and in many skirmishes and was also engaged in guarding the railroad in Louisi- ana. He continued at the front until the cessation of hostilities, and then did duty in the provost marshal's office, also in the adjutant general's office and in other clerical capacities. He was mustered out November 24, 1865, at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and honorably discharged at Spring- field, Illinois, December 7, 1865. He has always maintained the deepest interest in his old army comrades and is a member of Warren Post, No. 11, G. A. R.
When the country no longer needed his military aid, Mr. Willis returned to his Illinois home, took up the study of law and after a careful and thorough preparation was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1868 before the supreme court. It was in the same year that he came to Iowa, locating at Villisca, where he opened an office and remained for two years. There he began the practice of law and after two years removed to Red Oak, where he continued until 1879. At that date he took up his abode in Blanchard, Page county, and followed his profession there for a decade, or until liis removal to Clarinda. For twenty years he has now been engaged in gen- eral practice in this city and has made steady progress, his ability as an advocate and counselor being widely recognized, so that his clientage connects him with much important litigation tried in the courts of the district. While his allegiance to his clients' interests is proverbial, he never forgets that he owes a still higher duty to the majesty of the law. He is always respectful to the court, never abusive of his adversaries, and wins his victories, which are many, and suffers his defeats, which are few, in the open field, face to face with his enemies. He is seldom if ever at error in presenting a point or in quoting a principle and he marshals his evi- dence with military precision so that he throws its full weight upon his opponent's weakest point. He is now the oldest legal practitioner in the county, having been admitted to the bar more than four decades ago. While in Montgomery county, living at Red Oak, he acted as city attorney and while in Villisca was postmaster. He was also twice mayor of the city of Blanchard, acted as justice of the peace and was likewise township trustee. He also served on the school board and was filling that position when the present fine brick city school building was erected.
Mr. Willis was married to Miss Clara Baker, of Fulton county, Ill- inois, a daughter of Robert N. Baker, who was a farmer by occupation.
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Mrs. Willis was for years a capable and successful teacher and is now librarian of the public library. She has filled this position since the estab- lishment of the library and has always taken a deep, active and helpful interest in public affairs and educational work. She is, moreover, a physi- cian and pursued special courses in hygiene in St. Louis. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Willis was celebrated September 24. 1863, and has been blessed with three children: Mand, now the wife of J. J. Hoague, a re- tired farmer living in Blanchard; Cora, the wife of J. W. Johnson, a grain dealer residing in Edgeley, North Dakota; and B. Franklin, of Clarinda, who married Vita Luce, of Villisca, a daughter of Mr and Mrs. John Luce of Mount Ayr.
Mr. and Mrs. Willis are both widely known in Clarinda and Page county and in fact throughout southwestern Jowa. They are both people or broad intelligence, interested in the mental development of this part of the state and realizing at all times the value of any project calculated to promote the public good. Any movement which is worth while receives their endorsement and cooperation and the confidence reposed in their opinions makes their position upon any vital question one of influence and leadership.
WILLIS F. STOTLER. M. D.
With thorough technical training and with deep interest in his profes- sion from both the scientific and humanitarian standpoints, Dr. Willis F. Stotler is successfully practicing in Shenandoah as a physician and surgeon. Hle came to this city in 1904 and in the years which have since passed the public has given him a substantial recognition of its confidence in a large and growing practice.
He was born in Wayne county, Iowa, on the 10th of August, 1866, and is a son of Silas W. and Matilda ( Koons) Stotler, both of whom were natives of Ohio. The father was born in Knox county, while the mother's birth occurred in Defiance county, Ohio. It was in the latter county that they were married, and in 1866 they removed westward to lowa, spending one year in Wayne county, while in 1867 they came to Page county. The father purchased land in East River township and turned his attention to general agricultural pursuits, carefully tilling the fields as the years went by until the winter of 1880-81, when at the age of forty-nine years he was called to his final rest. His political support was given to the republican party but he did not seek nor desire office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs. His widow still survives at the age of sixty-seven years and resides in Shenandoah.
Dr. Stutler was reared on the old home farm in this county and after mastering the branches of learning taught in the public schools he con- tinned his education in the Western Normal College, under Professor Crone. In 18co he took up the study of medicine under the direction of
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Dr. F. E. Potter, of Clarinda, and in the fall of the same year entered the Louisville Medical College of Louisville, Kentucky, being graduated there- from in the class of 1893. He then located for practice in Essex, where lie enjoyed a goodly measure of success for eleven years, but, seeking a still broader field of labor, he came to Shenandoah in 1904 and has since been located here. Perhaps no physician in the county enjoys a larger practice and he has been called in many difficult cases wherein he has given substantial proof of his ability as a physician and surgeon. He has been a close and discriminating student of the science of medicine, keeping in touch with the advanced thought of the profession and adopting without delay those methods of practice which his judgment sanctions as of value in his chosen life work. He belongs to the Page county, the Iowa State, the Missouri Valley and the American Medical Associations.
On the Ioth of May, 1894, Dr. Stotler was married to Miss Mary Eliza- beth Frink, a daughter of the Hon. O. H. Frink, present mayor of Shenan- doah. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Stotler have been born three children: Mildred Ione, Willis Frederick and Donald Charles.
Dr. Stotler is a member of Tricentum Lodge, No. 300, F. & A. M .: Sheshbazzar Chapter, No. 82, R. A. M., both of Shenandoah ; and Bruce Commandery, K. T., of Red Oak, Iowa. He is also connected with Juniata Lodge, No. 295, K. P., and Shenandoah Lodge, No. 1122, B. P. O. E., while both he and his wife hold membership in the Baptist church. They are much esteemed in Shenandoah and have a circle of friends almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaintance.
GEORGE I. MILLER.
George I. Miller, attorney at law of Clarinda, where he has resided continuously since 1880, came to this city from Indiana county, Penn- sylvania. It was there that his birth occurred January 13, 1860, his par- ents being John I. and Mary C. ( Keener ) Miller, the former a farmer by occupation.
In his youthful days George I. Miller became familiar with all of the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist as he spent the period of his minority upon his father's farm and acquired his education in the public schools and at Elder's Ridge Academy at Elder's Ridge, Penn- sylvania. He was a young man of twenty years when, thinking that he might have better business opportunities in the west, he came to lowa and for twenty-nine years has now made his home in Clarinda. He taught school in both Pennsylvania and Iowa. For a time he was employed in the postoffice at Clarinda and later was connected with banking interests at Newmarket for two years. Subsequently he took a full course in law at Northwestern University of Chicago, graduating from that institution in 1801, with degree of B. L., and also securing from said college a prize of fifty dollars in gold offered for the best thesis on a legal subject by any
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member of the senior class of the university. In 1890 he passed examina- tion before the supreme court of Illinois and was then admitted to practice law in that state.
In 1891 Mr. Miller was admitted to the bar in Iowa, at which time he opened an office in Clarinda, where he has since engaged in the general practice of law. He does not fear that laborious attention to his cases which constitutes the office work and must always precede the successful presentation of a case before the courts. In argument he is sound, his deductions being logical, while his points are clearly and cogently presented. In the line of his profession he did good work as county attorney, to which position he was elected in 1906, serving for two years. He was also township clerk for six years and has been school director. In these various positions he has discharged his duties with promptness and fidelity, his course being creditable to himself and satisfactory to his constituents. In politics he is an earnest republican, stanchly advocating the party prin- ciples since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He always keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day and is therefore competent to support his position by intelligent arguments.
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