USA > Iowa > Page County > History of Page County, Iowa : also biographical sketches of some prominent citizens of the county, Vol. II > Part 15
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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY
he opened a dry-goods store, which he has since carried on under his own name.
In 1895 Mr. Rumbaugh was married to Miss Luella Custer, of Blue Springs, Nebraska, and unto them has been born a son, Harold Kent. Mr. Rumbaugh is a chapter Mason and is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church.
E. D. WINTER.
E. D. Winter is a successful farmer of Valley township, operating a tract of two hundred and forty acres belonging to his father-in-law, and he is also the owner of two hundred and forty acres located in Taylor county, Iowa, from which he derives a good rental. Mr. Winter is a native of Page county, born July 30, 1870, a son of N. C. and Amelia (Moore) Winter, the former born in Washington, Pennsylvania, in 1829, while the latter claims Highland county, Ohio, as the place of her birth. The year 1857 witnessed the arrival of N. C. Winter in Page county, Iowa. He here purchased a tract of land, on which he erected a log cabin, in which the family made their home for a time, but later this crude dwell- ing was replaced by a more commodious frame residence. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Winter was blessed with nine children, all born in Page county, and seven of the number still survive. The father died in November, 1906, at the age of seventy-seven years, but the mother still survives at the age of sixty-eight years and yet makes her home in this county.
E. D. Winter remained under the parental roof until he attained his majority, during which time he was trained to the tasks of the home farm and acquired his education in the district schools and in Shenandoah schools, where he qualified for teaching. When starting out to make his own way in the world he engaged in teaching school five years but the life of the farm proving more congenial to him, he then rented land in Valley township, and cultivated the same for a number of years. This brought him the capital that enabled him to invest in land and accordingly he pur- chased property in Taylor county, Iowa, becoming owner of two hundred and forty acres. This is a finely improved place but he now leases the land and is giving his attention to a farm of two hundred and forty acres located in Valley township, Page county, belonging to his father-in-law. In addition to general farming he also raises stock, making a specialty of the latter branch of business, in which he is meeting with success.
It was in February, 1895, that Mr. Winter was united in marriage to Miss Rose Depuey, who was born in Montgomery county, Iowa, a daughter of Chester and Minerva ( Sullivan) Depuey, who are still living and make their home in Page county. Mrs. Winter is one of a family of four children and by her marriage has become the mother of three daughters and two sons: Ray C., Charles E., Maud V., Edna B. and Ethel M.
The parents attend and support the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics Mr. Winter is a democrat and at the present time is serving as
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trustee of the township, while for four years he was township' 'erk. He is likewise a school director and is now president of the school board. He belongs to that class of representative young men who readily discern op- portunities of improvement and who are rapidly forging to the front. Ile is advancing in the business world and is well and favorably known in both Taylor and Page counties.
CHARLES ELMER KELLOGG, M. D.
When in college Dr. Charles Elmer Kellogg was one of two who secured the faculty prize for the highest general average and in the practice of his profession he has always maintained the same high standard, his technical skill and ability being manifest in the practical duties which come to him day by day.
A native of Clinton county, Iowa, he was born October 7, 1863, and is a son of Luther and Deborah ( Shearer) Kellogg, natives of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, respectively. The father was born near Mount Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1825, and when about nine years of age accompanied his parents on their removal to Kenton, Hardin county, Ohio, where he was reared to manhood. There he became engaged in the manufacture and sale of fanning mills on a small scale. In 1852 he came west to Iowa, locating in Clinton county, where he purchased land at a dollar and a quarter per acre. For some years he continued the manufacture of fanning mills after his removal to this state but eventually concentrated his entire atten- tion upon his farming interests and by additional purchases added to his place until he had acquired some four hundred acres of land. He success- fully cultivated his fields and resided upon that farm until about 1890, when he removed to Tarkio, Missouri. In 1904 he retired from active business life and took up his abode at Santa Anna, California, where he is now residing at the venerable age of eighty-four years. His wife also still sur- vives and is now seventy-three years of age.
Dr. Kellogg was reared at home, acquiring his education in the public schools and in Cornell University at Mount Vernon, lowa, while later he atttended the Dixon Normal School at Dixon, Ilinois. When twenty years of age he entered upon the profession of teaching and taught for three terms. Ile then embarked in the hardware and implement business in part- nership with his brother, John E. Kellogg, at Farmersville, lowa. This con- tinned for three years, when the business was sold and Dr. Kellogg took up the study of medicine preparatory to making its practice his life work. He read under the direction of Dr. Clifton Scott, of Dixon, Illinois, who was subsequently principal of the scientific department of the Highland Park College at Des Moines, and in the fall of 1890 Dr. Kellogg entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Chicago, now the medical department of the Illinois University. fle was graduated from that institution with honors as a member of the class of 1893 and was one of two who secured
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the faculty prize for the higliest general average. He was also honored by his classmates with the presidency of the class and thus his college days foreshadowed the success which he was to attain in his practice.
Following his graduation he went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, passed the required examination of the state board and for about a year practiced in that city. He then removed to Barron, Wisconsin, where he formed a partnership with a former classmate-Dr. Post. Ile remained at that point, however, for only five months, at the end of which time he removed to North- boro, Jowa, where he conducted a successful practice, remaining at that point for fourteen and a half years. During that time he built up a lucra- tive practice but in November, 1908, he sold out there and came to Shenan- doah, establishing himself in offices in the National Bank building. He is now building up a lucrative practice here, having already secured the pat- ronage of many of the leading families of the city and surrounding country. He is thoroughly conversant with modern methods and the results of scien- tific investigation, while reading and study have kept him in touch with the onward trend of the profession. He is a member of the Page County Medical Society, the Iowa State Medical Society and the American Medi- cal Association. He is also a member of Page Camp, No. 1049, M. W. A.
In 1898 Dr. Kellogg was married to Miss Blanche May Monk, of Shen- andoah. They have a hospitable home, which is a favorite resort with their many friends. They hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and Dr. Kellogg is serving as one of its stewards. While residing at North- boro he served for several years as superintendent and assistant superin- tendent of the Sunday school. He is conscientious and faithful in all that he does, whether his work be of a professional or public nature, and his strongly marked characteristics of enterprise, determination and reliabil- ity have won him a substantial measure of success.
JOHN PARKS.
John Parks has occupied his present home since 1901. His place is pleasantly located in Nebraska township, near Newmarket, on the bound- ary line between Taylor and Page counties and in the management of the farm he is displaying good busisness ability and keen discernment. His birth occurred in Ross county, Ohio, May 14, 1844, and he was a youth of ten years when he went to MeDonough county, Illinois, with his parents, Craighead and Lucinda (Farrell) Parks, both of whom were natives of Ross county, Ohio. Following their removal to Illinois, they spent their remaining days in MeDonough county, where the father carried on farming until his life's labors were ended in death.
John Parks was one of a family of eight children and his youthful days were passed in Ross county, Ohio, and in MeDonough county, Illinois, where he was trained to farm work, early becoming familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. At the time of the Civil
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war, however, he put aside all business and personal considerations that he might defend the Union, enlisting on the 19th of August, 1862, as a member of Company A, Eighty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel L. II. Waters. With that command he served until the close of the war, being mustered out as a corporal in the last of June, 1865. He participated in all of the engagements with his regiment, including the bat- tles of Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga, Resaca, Rocky Face Ridge, Dallas, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Jonesboro, Lovejoy Station, Atlanta, Franklin and Nashville. In fact he was in all of the engagements of the Atlanta cam- paign and saw arduous service on many hotly contested battlefields but never swerved in his allegiance to duty and was equally faithful to the old flag whether on the firing line or the lonely picket line.
At the close of the war Mr. Parks received an honorable discharge and returned to his home in Illinois. With the exception of that period in the war his entire life has been devoted to farming. He continued in Illinois until 1892, when he came to Page county, Iowa, and has since resided near Newmarket on the Taylor county line. He has occupied his present farm since 1901, having eighty acres of land on section 36, Nebraska township. He has placed all of the improvements upon his land, having good build- ings here, including a neat little home and substantial barns and sheds for the shelter of grain and stock. His farm presents a well kept appearance, indicating the careful supervision and progressive methods of the owner, who is practical in all that he undertakes and is winning a fair measure of success as the years go by.
On the 20th of September, 1871, Mr. Parks was united in marriage to Miss Mary M. Knowles, who was born in McDonough county, Illinois, August 22, 1851, and was a daughter of William and Lucinda (Robertson) Knowles. Her father was born in Maryland, while her mother was a native of Washington, D. C., her birth, however, occurring on the George- town side of the stream which divides the city. They were married in Washington and in 1839 made their way to Illinois. There Mr. Knowles followed carpentering and also owned and cultivated a farm, remaining in active business there until his death. He was the father of twelve children, six of whom reached years of maturity. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Parks was blessed with seven children: Lucinda, who died in infancy ; Mary Adelaide; Anna Gertrude, the wife of W. I. Weaver, a resident farmer of Dallas township, Taylor county, Iowa; Laura Myrtle, who died in infancy; John Gilbert, a pharmacist of Ottumwa, Iowa; Edgar, who is clerking for a wholesale drug company at Ottumwa ; and Ross, at home.
Mr. Parks still maintains pleasant relations with his old army com- rades through his membership in Newmarket Post, G. A. R., and around its camp fires he delights in recalling scenes and events which were features in his military experience during the period when he defended the stars and stripes on southern battlefields. In politics he has always been a re- publican and has held some minor offices but has never desired political preferment as he felt that his business cares made sufficient demand upon
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his time. He has been a member of the Presbyterian church throughout his entire life and his family attend the Methodist Episcopal church. They are prominent and respected in the community and have a circle of friends almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaintance.
GEORGE E. CLAYTON.
Opportunities for advancement are eagerly sought and wisely improved by George E. Clayton, not alone for his own advantage but also for the benefit of the city in which he resides. Alive to interests relative to her welfare, he had labored effectively and earnestly along lines which have been directly beneficial to Clarinda. He is now a member of the firm of Hunt & Clayton, dealers in real estate, loans and insurance.
Mr. Clayton is a western man by birth, training and preference, and the steady progress which is making rapid but substantial changes through- out this section of the country finds its exemplification in his life's labors. He was born in Osage county, Kansas, March 12, 1873, and is a son of B. F. and Mary (Riner) Clayton. The father was a merchant and for some years was identified with the development and upbuilding of various sections of the Sunflower state. The family lived for a time at Neosha Falls, Kansas, and George E. Clayton was educated at Yates Center and also at Burr Oak, attending the public schools in both places. For two years he engaged in teaching school, taking up the profession when six- teen years of age, and in 1891 he went to Taylor county, Iowa, locating at Newmarket. There hie engaged in clerking for a year in a general store, after which he entered business in connection with Mr. Hunt, under the firm style of Hunt & Clayton. They opened a general store and also en- gaged in buying and selling grain. Both branches of business were care- fully managed and capably conducted and they continued at that point until 1898, when they removed to Clarinda and here opened a general mercan- tile establishment under the old firm name. The business was later in- corporated as the Hunt & Clayton Company. Their previous experience had made them familiar with the character of public demands in the line of their trade, had given them an understanding of the market and the opportunities for judicious investment in the wholesale houses. They care- fully managed their mercantile interests here until January, 1909, when they sold out and directed their attention to the real-estate, loan and insur- ance business, to which they are concentrating their energies exclusively. This they had established three years before they disposed of their mer- cantile line and today they are ranked as one of the leading firms operating in the real-estate field in southwestern Iowa. They are conversant with the value of property, know what real estate is on the market, and are enabled to make wise investments and profitable sales for their clients. At the same time they are gaining a fair measure of success to which they are well entitled by reason of their enterprising and progressive spirit.
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On the 24th of October, 1894, the marriage of Mr. Clayton and Miss Grace Aiton, of Taylor county, lowa, was celebrated. She is a daughter of William Aiton, a farmer of this part of the state. Mr. and Mrs. Clayton are now widely known in Clarinda and have made many friends during the period of their residence here. They hold membership in the Presbyterian church, in which Mr. Clayton is serving as a trustee. He is also connected with its brotherhood movement. Fraternally he is identified with the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows and with the Knights of Pythias. In the latter organization he is a past chancellor and is now representative to the grand lodge. In Masonry he has steadily advanced until he has reached the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, and he is a charter member of the Commercial Club. This organization has for its object the develop- ment of Clarinda and the promotion of growth and progress in this part of the state, and its work has been an effective force here. Mr. Clayton is a director of the new railroad branch known as the lowa, Missouri River & Southern. In politics he is a Cleveland democrat, stanchly advocating the principles of the New York statesman who is the only man in the history of the country that was reelected chief magistrate of the nation after an interval in which he did not fill the office. Mr. Clayton has served as a member of the city council of Clarinda and in that connection exercised his official prerogative for the public good.
JOHN MENTZER.
John Mentzer is the junior partner in the firm of Mentzer Brothers, pioneers in the grocery business in Shenandoah. They established the first undertaking of this kind in the city and have continued in the same line of business to the present time while they have also extended their efforts into other fields which have brought them individual profit and in which the city has been an indirect beneficiary.
A native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, Mr. Mentzer was born on the 10th of February, 1851, and his parents, John and Nancy ( Foreman) Mentzer, were also natives of the same county, where they were reared and married. In 1854 they joined the vanguard of the immigration movement to Iowa, coming down the Ohio river and up the Mississippi to Muscatine, where they landed. From that point they traveled by stage to Linn county, reaching the town of Marion on the 6th of April, 1854. It was a pioneer region in which many evidences of frontier life were still to be seen. The father was a mason by trade and up to the time of his death was entrusted with the greater part of the building operations in Marion, including both residences and business blocks. Ilis political allegiance was given to the democracy and for several years prior to his death he was a consistent, faithful and helpful member of the Presbyterian church, though in earlier years and up to the time of coming to Iowa he and family were Lutherans.
JOHN MENTZER
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LALIONS
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HISTORY OF PAGE COUNTY
John Mentzer was only three years of age when brought by his par- ents to Iowa and was reared at home, acquiring his education in the public schools of Marion and in the Marion Seminary, which he attended for a year. In 1868, when seventeen years of age, he started in business life in connection with merchandising, securing a position in his brother's gro- cery store in Marion, where he remained for more than three years. He then came to Shenandoah, following his brother, P. H. Mentzer, who had preceded him about six weeks. The brother erected the first building in the city used for grocery purposes and had just about completed this when John Mentzer arrived. After the business was established he entered the store as a clerk and thus served for three years, at the end of which time he was admitted to a partnership. The business has since been con- ducted under the firm name of Mentzer Brothers, covering a period of thirty-six years, being the oldest mercantile establishment in Shenandoah. They have not only enjoyed a good trade in their line and conducted an es- tablishment of growing extent and importance but have at all times mani- fested a most public-spirited interest in the general welfare and have been connected with much constructive work that has promoted the upbuilding and progress of the city. Many of the town's industries have been fostered by them and they have neglected no opportunity to promote Shenandoah's advancement and upbuilding along progressive lines. For twenty years they owned and operated the Shenandoah canning factory, conducting busi- ness under the name of the Shenandoah Canning Company. They were also instrumental in the organization of the Shenandoah Creamery Company but as a stock company it soon suspended business and was then taken over by Mr. Mentzer and his brother who conducted it successfully for a number of years. Both of these industries were taken over by the Mentzer Brothers largely from philanthropic motives prompted by their desire to see the in- dustries succeed for the town's benefit. They had been very active spirits in securing the establishment of various industrial plants here and perhaps no two men have done more for Shenandoah and its substantial progress than have these two gentlemen.
On the Ist of April, 1875, John Mentzer was united in marriage to Miss Emma J. Myers of Shenandoah and unto them were born four children : Edna G., who died in infancy; Mabel F., the wife of Ralph H. Patt, of Kansas City, Missouri : Claud G., who is bookkeeper and assistant manager for the Stead Lens Company in Kansas City; and John B., who is em- ployed in his father's store.
Mr. Mentzer is a member of Tricentum Lodge, No. 300, A. F. & A. M., which he joined during the carly period of its existence. He also belongs to Shenandoah Homestead, No. 176, of the Brotherhood of American Ycomen, and for nine years has been secretary of the latter organization. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he served for one year as recorder and for one year as a member of the city council in the 'zos. Later he was elected city clerk, which position he continued to fill for twelve years, and he served for fifteen years as a member of the school board and for seven or eight years was president of the board. His labors
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for public interests have always been of a most practical nature and have, therefore, accomplished results. He has been closely identified with the Baptist church since 1872 and has been clerk of the church almost continu- ously since, while for many years he served as Sunday-school superintend- ent and next to the pastor the most dominant factor in the building of the twenty-five thousand dollar house of worship, the first modern church building erected in Shenandoah. The subjective and objective forces of life are in him well balanced, making him cognizant of his own capacities and powers, while at the same time he thoroughly understands his opportunities and his obligations. To make his native talents subserve the demands which conditions of society impose at the present time is the purpose of his life and by reason of the mature judgment which characterizes his efforts at all times he stands today as a splendid representative of the commercial and industrial interests of Shenandoah to whom business, however, is but one phase of life and does not exclude his active participation in and support of the other vital interests which go to make up human existence.
JAMES M. HAWLEY.
No record of Page county would be considered complete unless the name of James M. Hawley was found in its pages. He was the first mer- chant within its borders and in many ways contributed to its transforma- tion from the time when the earliest settlers were reclaiming its wild lands for civilization. He met their needs in various lines by establishing a store in a little log house and selling to them the commodities which were demanded by the frontier men.
Mr. Hawley was born May 10, 1804, in Danbury, Connecticut. His edu- cational opportunities were limited but in the school of experience he learned many valuable lessons which he put to good use. In early life he became a combmaker by trade and followed that pursuit for eight years. In 1832 he went to Dunkirk, New York, where he established a comb factory, having in the meantime carefully saved his earnings until he was able to start in business on his own account. Two years later he went to Detroit, Mich- igan, where he conducted the Yankee Boarding House for a while and later became proprietor of the American House, at that time the largest and best hotel in that city. In his business undertaking he prospered as the years went by and in course of time opened a store and also established a flour mill, thus extending the scope of his activities and becoming a leading factor in the business development of that growing western city.
In 1850 Mr. Hawley removed to St. Joseph, Missouri, where he was connected with mercantile lines, and the year 1853 witnessed his arrival in Page county, lowa. He first settled in Savannah Landing, which later became Hawleyville, being so named in his honor. He had established busi- ness there as a merchant, opening a stock of goods in a log house. He re- tailed the first goods sold in the county, drawing his patronage from among
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the pioneer settlers who occupied the wild district. In 1863 he came to Clar- inda and continued in mercantile lines in connection with A. Lorenz. In a short time, however, he sold out to his son, James D. Hawley, and in 1864 went to St. Joseph, Missouri, where he conducted a store for nine years. While at that place he was secretary of the company which built the first bridge across the Missouri river at that point. He ever worked for sub- stantial improvement and progress, and in each community in which he lived he left the impress of his individuality for good. After eleven years he returned to Clarinda and was elected justice of the peace. In that office his decisions were strictly fair and impartial, winning him "golden opin- ions from all sorts of people." His record in every relation of life was a creditable one, making him worthy of the high regard in which he was uniformly held.
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