USA > Iowa > Page County > History of Page County, Iowa : also biographical sketches of some prominent citizens of the county, Vol. II > Part 17
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G. A. MCCULLOUGH.
For a half century G. A. Mccullough has resided in Page county and throughout the entire period has not only been an interested witness of the changes which have occurred and the growth and development that has been made, but has also been a cooperant factor in much of the work of transformation.
His birth occurred in Scott county, Indiana, July 26, 1856, his par- ents being George and Sarah A. (McKee) Mccullough. The father was born in South Carolina, July 3, 1826, and the mother's birth occurred in Kentucky, in November, 1827. In his childhood George Mccullough went to Indiana with his parents, while the mother of our subject was reared in Ohio. They were married in Preble county of the latter state, October 15, 1850, and, removing to Indiana, there made their home until 1858, when they came to Page county, Iowa, arriving here on the 8th of May of that
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year. Mr. Mccullough had visited the county in the previous year and had purchased a farin near Braddyville in Amity township. When he returned the following year he made permanent location thereon, it continuing to be his home until his death, which occurred April 7, 1904. The mother still survives and makes her home with her youngest son on the farm where she located a half century ago.
George McCullough was quite extensively engaged in general farm- ing and in feeding and raising cattle and was one of the enterprising and representative business men of the community. He served as a trustee of Amity College for nearly a quarter of a century and was secretary of its board for a number of years. He also filled the position of county com- missioner for a number of years and discharged every duty that devolved upon him in an official way in a most prompt and capable manner. His early political support was given the republican party, but in the latter part of his life he supported the prohibition party. While in Indiana he assisted in the operation of the underground railroad, whereby many negroes were aided in their efforts to secure freedom in the north, and during the Civil war he served on the home guard. Ile was identified with the United Pres- byterian church throughout his entire life and was one of the first members of the congregation in Page county to which he belonged.
In his family were nine children: J. M., who is living in Amity town- ship; Margaret I., the wife of J. F. Reid, of Wyoming; G. A., of this review ; Nancy J., the wife of T. C. Shannon, of Amity township; Mat- thew Wilson, who died at the age of eighteen months; Martha E., the wife of John Farquahar, of Colfax township; James William, living in Amity township: Joseph, who is upon the home place; and Mollie, the wife of W. B. Garrett, of Amity township.
G. A. Mccullough was only about two years old when the family re- moved from Indiana to Iowa and he has since resided in Amity township. He was reared to the occupation of farming and remained upon the old homestead until his marriage. At that time he took up his abode upon a farm three miles east of College Springs, there cultivating two hundred acres of land, which he yet owns. Year by year he carefully managed and developed the property, making his home thereon until 1905, when he came to College Springs. He also owns forty acres north of College Springs, which he cultivates. He has been one of the trustees of the United Pres- byterian church for the past twelve years and is active in its work, a fact which indicates that his attention is not given wholly to business affairs nor is his nature a self-centered one. He rejoices in what is accomplished along the lines of moral development and improvement and cooperates in many measures for the public good.
On the 9th of November, 1882, Mr. Mccullough was united in mar- riage to Miss Nettie White, who was born in Ohio and died twenty-two months after their marriage, leaving a little daughter, Ethel A., who is now the wife of Murray Grove, of Pennsylvania. On the 31st of March, 1887, Mr. MeCullough was again married, his second union being with Eva Mc- Kinley, who was born December 21. 1858. She is a native of College
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Springs and a daughter of J. W. Mckinley. There were three children born of this marriage: Agnes; John, who died in infancy ; and George Wil- liam.
Mr. Mccullough is a representative of one of the oldest families of the county and as the years have gone by his cooperation in public affairs has been of material benefit to this part of the state. He is recognized as one of the representative agriculturists of the community, being a man of strong purpose, who carefully formulates his plans and carries them forward to successful completion.
CHARLES S. FOSTER.
Industry and enterprise- the salient features in the life record of Charles S. Foster-have brought him a creditable measure of success and made him locally prominent in Clarinda. He now is the owner of a feed yard which covers a quarter of a block and is doing a good business. His birth occurred in Henderson county, Illinois, near Monmouth, on the 3d of October, 1856, his parents being Mathew R. and Mary F. (Leslie) Foster. The father was a farmer, following that occupation as a life work but is now deceased. The son pursued his education in the public schools, re- maining under the parental roof through the period of his boyhood and youth. He was about nineteen years of age when in 1875 the family came to Page county and he finished his education in this state as a student of Amity College in College Springs. After putting aside his text-books, he turned his attention to farming on a place of his own. This he conducted for sometime, or until 1889, when he entered a general store with his brother-in-law, Mr. Love, conducting this business at Coin, for five years. He was also proprietor of a livery stable at Coin for a year, at the end of which time he entered the service of E. F. Rose in the lumber business, being thus engaged for two years.
In 1897 Mr. Foster's worth as a citizen led to his selection for public office. He was chosen by popular suffrage to the position of sheriff of Page county and that he discharged his duties fearlessly and faithfully is indi- cated by the fact that he was twice reelected, serving in all for three terms or six years. On his retirement from the office he was given a position by G. William Richardson, a lumber merchant. with whom he continued for four years and in 1908 he bought a feed yard which covers a quarter of a block. This he has since conducted and is now accorded a liberal patron- age.
On the 20th of February, 1879, Mr. Foster was united in marriage to Miss Olive Patton, of College Springs, lowa, a daughter of James C. Pat- ton, who was formerly identified with agricultural interests but is now living retired at College Springs. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Foster have been born four children : Glenn R., who is a student in Colorado College at Colorado Springs ; Gertrude M. ; Porter P. ; and Fern F., at home. The family circle
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yet remains unbroken by the hand of death. The parents hold membership with the Presbyterian church, in the work and activities of which they are much interested, cooperating in every movement for the growth of the church and the extension of its influence. For the past two years Mr. Foster has served as elder. His interests center in Clarinda and a life of well directed thrift and activity has made him one of the substantial citizens here. He has many sterling traits of character which have won him the warm regard and stanch friendship of many with whom he has come in contact.
AXEL HART.
With the agricultural interests of Fremont township Axel Hart is closely associated, being engaged in the cultivation and improvement of two hun- dred and ten acres of land, which he purchased in 1902 and on which he has since lived. He was born in Sweden, November 4, 1865, and is a son of John and Clara Hart, who, like many other residents of this section of Page county, claim Sweden as the land of their nativity. The favorable reports which they heard concerning America proved to them an irresist- ible attraction and in 1868 they came to the United States, settling first in Henry county, Illinois. As they learned more of the new world they felt that they might have still better opportunities in Iowa and in 1870 removed to Montgomery county, this state, where they lived for about a decade. Early in the 'Sos they removed to Fremont township, Page county, and John Hart became the owner of the farm upon which his son Axel is now living. He diligently took up the work of bringing his fields under a high state of cultivation and was quite successful in his farming operations, at one time owning five hundred and twenty acres of the rich land of Page county, for as his financial resources had improved he had added to his original hold- ings, becoming one of the extensive and prosperous landowners of the com- munity. This brought to him a handsome competence and in the spring of 1901 he retired from active life and removed to Essex, where he now resides.
The youthful days of Axel Hart were quietly passed, the public schools affording him his educational privileges, while he was trained in the work of the farm under the direction of his father. After putting aside his text- books he remained at home and assisted in the cultivation of his father's farm until the spring of 1889, when he started upon an independent business career, renting land. He was thus engaged in farming on his own ac- count for fourteen years, during which time his industry and careful ex- penditure brought him sufficient capital to enable him to purchase land. In the spring of 1902, therefore, he purchased the old Hart homestead of two hundred and ten acres, to which he removed and upon which he has since lived. Something of his business ability and his thorough understand- ing of modern agricultural methods is indicated in the neat and thrifty ap- pearance of the place. The fields are well tilled, the buildings are kept in good repair and high grades of stock are handled. He has been quite suc-
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cessful and all of the grain which he raises he feeds to his stock, now deal- ing quite extensively in cattle.
On the 27th of April, 1890, Mr. Hart was united in marriage to Miss Amanda Malmberg of Fremont township, and unto this marriage five chil- dren have been born, all yet at home: Gertrude, Alvin, Chester, Millicent and Winifred. Mr. and Mrs. Hart are consistent Christian people, holding membership in the Swedish Mission church. In matters of citizenship he is public spirited and progressive and gives loyal support to whatever he be- lieves to be right. He votes with the republican party and lias served for several years as a member of the school board, being a stalwart champion of many measures that have been beneficial in promoting the interests of public education.
WILL E. WHITTAKER.
Will E. Whittaker is numbered among the older residents of Page county in years of continuous connection therewith, for through four decades lie has resided within its borders. He has been an interested witness of the changes which have here occurred, wrought by time and man, and he has never withheld his cooperation from movements for the general good. He came to Iowa with his parents from Illinois, his birth having occurred near Rock Island, that state. He is a son of Robert and Susan ( Wilkes) Whit- taker, the former a farmer who in agricultural lines provided for the sup- port of his family, continuing in that business until his life's labors were ended in death in 1888.
Will E. Whittaker had the advantage of educational training at Amity College at College Springs after he had completed his preliminary course in the public schools. He was reared to the occupation of farming, early becoming familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil, and when his school days were over he concentrated his energies upon farm work and was thus continuously engaged until 1898. Previous to this he taught school and for four years followed the profession in Iowa and Missouri. For some time he was associated with his father in farming operations but eventually purchased land on his own account and continued to till the soil, which re- sponded in generous harvests. In March, 1898, however, he put aside the work of the fields and came to Clarinda, where he entered the real estate business with Greene & Greene and was identified with that firm one year and subsequently entered the real estate field on his own account, now con- ducting business as junior partner of the firm of Moore & Whittaker. His partner is J. L. Moore, who has been engaged in the real estate business here from 1904. They not only handle property but also conduct an ex- change and insurance business and their clientage is growing, making their's a profitable work.
Mr. Whittaker was united in marriage to Miss Ruth Brownlee, near Coin, a daughter of Archie E. Brownlee, who devoted his life to farming but died
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in 1897. Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker have had no children of den own but have reared an adopted son, Clyde Warren, who is seven .. of : ge.
Our subject and his wife are members of the Methat the copal church and he is now serving on the official board. He is also identified with the Knights of Pythias and he gives his political allegiance to the republican party. He has been elected to several local offices, the duties of which he has discharged with credit to himself and satisfaction to his con- stituents. For four years he has acted as a member of the school board and during the latter half of the time has been its president, the interests of public education being materially promoted through his efforts. During his absence from the city he was elected a member of the city council, being chosen for the office on a ticket based upon pledges to pave and improve Clarinda in other ways. He stands for progress and improvement in every line, whether for individual interest in business circles or for the public good, and his cooperation can always be counted upon to advance Clar- inda's welfare and upbuilding.
GEORGE MAXWELL.
George Maxwell, a prominent and enterprising agriculturist residing on section 10, Grant township, is now serving for the second term in the office of township trustee. His birth occurred in County Donegal, Ireland. in August, 1849, his parents being George and Martha (Shaw) Maxwell, who spent their entire lives on the Emerald Isle. Wishing to take advan- tage of the excellent opportunities which he had heard might be enjoyed in the new world, George Maxwell of this review set sail for the United States in June, 1869, and after landing in this country made his way at once to Page county, Iowa. Here he first worked as a farm hand for three years and on the expiration of that period rented a tract of land, in the operation of which he was successfully engaged for four years.
On the 5th of Devember, 1875, Mr. Maxwell was united in marriage to Miss Julia C. Porter, of Grant township. Page county. Subsequent to his marriage he farmed his wife's property of one hundred and sixty acres and since that time has accumulated extensive landed holdings, being now the owner of three quarter sections of valuable and productive farming land. His success is all the more creditable by reason of the fact that it has come entirely as the result of his own untiring and well directed labor, for when he arrived in this country his cash capital amounted to but one English sovereign. Placing his dependence upon the substantial qualities of indus- try and perseverence, he has steadily worked his way upward until he is today numbered among the prosperous and representative citizens of Page county.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell have been born six children, four of whom still survive, namely: George W., at home; Thomas W., who follows farming in Grant township; and Isabelle and Alice, who are also yet under
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the parental roof. Those deceased are Sarah C. and John, who died in infancy.
Mr. Maxwell is a republican in his political views and is now serving for the second term as township trustee, while for many years he has been a member of the school board. He has never had occasion to regret his deter- mination to seek a home in the new world, and though he started out in life empty-handed he has gradually advanced toward the goal of prosperity, enjoying the advantages offered in this country, which is unhampered by caste or class. His steady progress has resulted from the able use of his innate talents and powers and of the opportunities with which he has been surrounded, and his life record proves that success and an honorable name may be won simultaneously. He has now made his home in Page county for four decades and is well known and highly esteemed within its borders, having won the kindly regard and friendship of all with whom he has been associated.
JEROME B. ARMSTRONG.
In a review of American history, recognizing those who have con- tributed to the world's progress, it is imperative that mention be made of Jerome B. Armstrong. Perhaps no man has done so much in propagating corn and in this connection has received recognition from the department of agriculture in Washington and from many expositions. He is now the senior partner of the firm of J. B. Armstrong & Son, seedmen of Shenan- doah, and is the pioneer in this line of business not only in Iowa but also in this part of the country.
He was born in New York on the 3d of July, 1831, and is a son of David W. and Sarah M. (Tredway) Armstrong. The ancestors of the Armstrong family were of Irish birth, while the Tredways were of Scotch lineage. Both families were founded in America in the seventeenth cen- tury, settling first in Connecticut. The grandfather of our subject and three of his uncles, two on the paternal side and one on the maternal, served throughout the Revolutionary war. Two of the number held commissions, seeing official duty in connection with the struggle for independence. One of the uncles was shot in the neck at the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and the bullet, passing through his body, ranged downward and was taken out of his back. He recovered from his wound, however, and lived to a good old age.
David W. Armstrong was the seventh son in his father's family. He was liberally educated, being a graduate in medicine from the Middlebury (Vt.) College. He afterward practiced medicine to the time of his death, first locating in New York at the fork of the Ausable river, which, at that time, was a very important mining district. Later he returned to Vermont and established his office at Shoreham, where he had previously lived and where he practiced for four or five years. He turned to Westhaven, Ver- mont, where he remained until 1848, when he took the old Erie canal to Buf-
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falo and thence proceeded by way of the lakes to Detroit and over the first railroad which his son Jerome ever saw to Parma, Michigan, eighty-six miles from Detroit. This trip by rail consumed an entire day. There the father resided up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1869, when he was about fifty-seven or fifty-eight years of age. He had survived his wife, who passed away at the age of forty-five years.
Jerome B. Armstrong had one brother, A. D. Armstrong, who served through the Civil war in the Fifteenth and the Thirteenth Michigan Regi- ments. He was shot through the body at Pittsburg Landing but recovered and reenlisted in the Thirteenth in time for the battle of Corinth. Later he was with Sherman on the march to the sea and was captured and con- fined in Libby prison from the time of Johnston's capture until the close of the war. He died in Shenandoah, Iowa, when but forty-five years of age.
Jerome B. Armstrong was reared at home, acquiring his education in the public schools of the Green Mountain state. He was a youth of sixteen years when his parents removed to Michigan. Prior to this time, however, he had worked as a farm hand, thus contributing to his own support as early as his tenth year, when his remuneration was only three dollars per month. At the time of the removal to Michigan he secured a clerkship in a store at Parma, where he was employed for about five years. His father had intended that he become a physician and with that end in view Jerome B. Armstrong began his studies under his father's direction, but destiny willed otherwise and one morning, after a talk with his father, he took the train for Galesburg, Illinois, where he secured employment in a grocery store as a laborer. After a week's work, however, he was placed behind the counter in the absence of one of the clerks and immediately demonstrated his ability to sell goods. He had hired to work at a salary of thirty-five dol- lars per month but when placed behind the counter his wages were increased to sixty dollars per month and two or three weeks later he was again pro- moted to a position in the wholesale department at a salary of sixty-five dollars per month. There he remained for four or five months when Gales- burg received its city charter, and on the establishment of the police court he was asked to serve as clerk of the court, which position he filled for three and a half years. During this time he was appointed deputy United States marshal for the southern district of Illinois and in that capacity, through Captain R. N. Pollock, who was chief of police and United States marshal, he came frequently in touch with the Pinkerton Detective Agency, acting as private detective and special policeman.
In 1858 Mr. Armstrong came to Iowa as a representative of the Ell- wanger & Barry Nurseries of Rochester. New York. Three years later, on account of his health, he returned to Illinois, rented a tract of land, bought horses and farm machinery and began farming, but in July follow- ing he suffered a sunstroke, which terminated his efforts along agricultural lines. In the fall of that year he returned to Michigan to consult his father relative to his eyes, having almost entirely lost his sight. His father gave him no encouragement and he then went to Detroit and consulted a special-
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ist, who treated him with but little benefit. After spending almost all of his money he cast around for something to do and the result was that he engaged in the harness business with a man at Corunna, Michigan. Soon Mr. Armstrong acquired the entire business and became an expert harness- maker. In nine years he had not only secured an extensive stock but had saved five thousand dollars from his earnings. He then quit that line of business on account of his health and removed to Windsor, Illinois. In the fall of 1869 he started westward for Emporia, Kansas, on a visit to his brother-in-law in southwestern Iowa, but became attracted by the oppor- tunities and advantages offered in Page county. Therefore he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of school land near what is now Shenandoah and the following spring removed to his new home, erecting a dwelling and breaking the sod. When he came to Shenandoah in 1869 the first two buildings were being erected, these including the old depot which Mr. Arm- strong now owns. Returning to Illinois he engaged in the harness bus- iness for four years and then came to Iowa to make his home. Locating in Shenandoah he engaged in harnessmaking, conducting a successful shop here and also one in Coin. For thirty-four years he continued in the har- ness business, successfully conducting his trade along well defined lines of labor, his energy and ability bringing to him well merited success.
While Mr. Armstrong became locally well known in mercantile lines, he has gained world-wide reputation in connection with the propagation of corn. While in Michigan he began studying and experimenting along that line and after coming to Iowa and seeing one crop of corn matured which was the best he had ever seen up to that time, he took up the study of further improvement and has delved deeper and deeper into the work, studying and reading everything to be found upon the subject and putting forth many new, original and valuable ideas. The president of Ames Col- lege recently made a statement that the methods now taught in the college in the propagation of corn were the methods advocated and developed by Mr. Armstrong years ago, who at that time was fifteen years ahead of the times. It has been said by those who are competent to speak on the subject that there is not an acre of corn now grown in Iowa that does not have the Armstrong strain in it. From this beginning Mr. Armstrong gradually drifted to the seed business. As he became master in the work of propa- gating corn, in 1888 he began advertising his seed corn and thus started, he has since developed his present extensive business until today Shen- andoah is recognized as the greatest seed corn center in the world. This is due entirely to the energy of Mr. Armstrong and his success along this line and liis work of developing corn. Today Shenandoah ships seed corn all over the world and the name of Armstrong is known wherever corn is successfully produced. In 1898 he received a gold medal, the only one awarded to a grower of corn in Iowa, and a silver medal and all the other honors awarded at the Omaha Exposition for the best exhibit of corn. In 1905, when the National Breeders Association was formed, Secretary of Agriculture Wilson, who was then and is still president of the association, in his appointment of three official members from Iowa named C. F. Curtis.
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