USA > Iowa > Page County > History of Page County, Iowa : also biographical sketches of some prominent citizens of the county, Vol. II > Part 23
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In June, 1883, Mr. Welch was married to Miss Minnie B. Hinman, a daughter of Charles and Cornelia Hinman. Her father was a farmer by occupation, following that pursuit in support of his family. Mrs. Hinman still resides in Clarinda and has made her home in Page county for the past half century, so that her memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present. She relates many interesting incidents of the early days and has been a witness of many of the events which have left their impress upon the annals of this part of the state. Her daughter, Mrs. Welch, was a graduate of the high school of Clarinda of the class of 1881, and, a popular young lady, she became one of the greatly esteemed matrons of Clarinda. By her marriage she became the mother of eight children, of whom seven are yet living. Helen, who is a graduate of the Clarinda high school and of the Northwestern University of Illinois, where she completed her course in 1905, is now successfully engaged in teaching in the public schools of this city. Phillip, also a graduate of the high school, is now pursuing his studies in the Armour Institute at Chi- cago. Margaret is a pupil in the public schools, being a member of the class of 1910. Earl is a high school student. Ruth, Edith and Edgar are all attending the public schools. Harry died at the age of nine years, in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1903 the family were called upon to mourn the loss of the wife and mother, who passed away on the 19th of October of that year. She was very active in all the branches of work connected with the
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Methodist Episcopal church and her religious faith proved a permeating influence in her life. Before her marriage she taught in the Clarinda high school and her influence was ever on the side of culture, improvement and progress. She was born. reared. educated and died in Page county and her loss was deeply regretted by many friends as well as by her immediate family.
On the 21st of February, 1906, Mr. Welch married Mrs. Edith Gibson, a daughter of J. L. Brown, a native of Page county. She had a daughter, Edith Grace, by her first marriage. Mrs. Welch is a member of the Meth- odist church and is active in its various societies and branches of church work. Mr. Welch also holds membership in the Methodist church, of which he has been a trustee for the past two years. He has been on the official board for ten years and was steward for a number of years. His fraternal relations are with the Masons, and in his life he exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the craft. What he has accomplished in the business world represents the force of his character and the fit utilization of the innate talents and powers which are his. Centuries ago the Greek philoso- pher, Epicharinus, said: "Earn thy reward. The gods give naught to sloth." Realizing the truth of this admonition Mr. Welch has worked per- sistently and diligently to attain the position which he now occupies in busi- ness circles and which is a most creditable and honorable one.
HON. WILLIAM BUTLER.
The specific and distinctive office of biography is not to give voice to man's modest estimate of himself and his accomplishments but rather to leave the perpetual record, establishing his character by the concensus of opinion on the part of his fellowmen. Throughout Page county William Butler, through the period of his lifetime, was spoken of in terms of admira- tion and respect and since his death the people of the county have honored his memory. His life was so varied in its activity, so honored in its pur- poses, so far-reaching and beneficial in its efforts, that it became an integral part of the history of southwestern Iowa. He exerted an immeasurable influence on the city and county of his residence ; in business life as a finan- cier and promoter of extensive commercial enterprises ; in social circles by reason of a charming personality and unfeigned cordiality : in politics by reason of his public spirit and devotion to the general good as well as his comprehensive understanding of the questions affecting state and national welfare. At the same time he realized and met his obligations to his fellow- men in every particular and such was the extent of his usefulness and the honor of his purpose that his history may well serve as an example for future generations to follow.
Mr. Butler was reared upon the frontier. his birth having occurred in Wayne county, Indiana, September 13. 1827. His parents were Samuel and Mary (Davenport) Butler, in whose family of eight children he was the
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third son and sixth child. His father was born in Georgia in 1793 and accompanied his parents to Wayne county, Indiana, in 1806-eleven years before the admission of that state into the Union. The paternal grand- parents of our subject were Beal and Mary (Stubbs) Butler, the lady being the first white woman to reside on the west side of the White Water river. The Butler family was established in America by English ancestors at an early period in the colonization of the new world and representatives of the name were prominent in connection with the ministry and with other pro- fessions, both in England and in the United States.
The environment of Samuel Butler, through the period of his youth, was that of the wild western frontier and in later years his migrations still connected him with pioneer experiences. He was married in early manhood to Miss Mary Davenport, a lady of Quaker lineage whose parents were Jesse and Rebecca ( Hoover) Davenport. Mr. Davenport was a native of North Carolina and his daughter, Mrs. Butler, was born in Wayne coun- ty, Indiana. Her death occurred when her son William was a little lad of four summers. In the spring of 1843 Samuel Butler removed to Whitley county, Indiana, settling in a district whose population was largely composed of Indians. There he took up the arduous task of developing a new farm and his son William became his assistant in the difficult work which was required to convert Indiana forest land into rich and productive fields. Amid such surroundings the individual is trained to use every faculty and to utilize every opportunity. He must depend upon the work of his hands for those things which in more thickly settled regions can be obtained by purchase and as Mr. Butler advanced in years he became self-reliant and displayed a spirit of aptitude that enabled him to readily adapt himself to any situation. With a strong body and active mind as his capital, he started out alone in the business world at the age of sixteen and for three years thereafter engaged in teaming in Wayne county. During the first winter, however, he acted as weigh master in a packing house. At the age of nine- teen he joind his brother in the cultivation of a rented farm to which they devoted their energies for two years.
At the end of that time Mr Butler took an important step on life's jour- ney for on the 2d of February, 1851, was celebrated his marriage to Miss Margaret McCowen, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of William McCowen. With his bride Mr. Butler soon afterward went to Whitley county, Indiana, where he again engaged in farming rented land until the winter of 1855. He then traveled across the state of Illinois with a team of horses to Henry county, Iowa, and, standing upon the bank of the Missis- sippi river. saw the first locomotive that crossed the Father of Waters at Burlington. For a year he engaged in farming rented land near New London, Towa, and in April, 1856, arrived in Page county. It was a moment- ous day for the county for at that time southwestern Iowa gained a citizen whose influence was to become a most potent factor in the growth, develop- ment and progress of this section of the state. Much of the land was still in possession of the government and he preempted a claim covering the northeast quarter of section 30. Harlan township. Soon the track of the
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breaking plow was seen across the place and in the course of time the work of development and progress had made this a valuable farm on which he lived until the spring of 1865. At that time he purchased three hundred and five acres of land on which the state hospital for the insane was located, From the autumn of 1861 until after the close of the Civil war he was more or less actively engaged in buying and selling live stock and in 1871 he began operating in grain, building the first grain elevator in Clarinda. The firm of Butler Brothers, grain dealers, existed from 1876 until 1882 and in the years 1879-80 they shipped not only grain but also seventeen htin- dred carloads of stock. Mr. Butler's keen insight enabled him to take btisi- ness risks which a man of less discrimination could not have ventured upon. He readily recognized an opportunity, however, and sought in the legitimate lines of trade and investment the success which is the goal of all business endeavor. Ilis business affairs, too, were of a character that contributed to public progress as well as individual success, for his activity and enter- prise were direct factors in promoting business advancement in Page county.
While Mr. Butler makes steady advance in his business, not all days of his life were equally bright for at times the sun of happiness was clouded over. His first marriage, which was one of congeniality, was terminated in the death of his wife on the 8th of July, 1871. Later he was happily mar- ried on the 3rd of March, 1873, to Miss Eleanor D. McCartney, who was born in Geauga county, Ohio, July 6, 1828. Her father, Russell D. Mc- Cartney, was a native of Colchester, Connecticut, born August 12, 1792, and during his youth accompanied his parents to Martinsburg, Jefferson coun- ty, New York, where he was reared to farm life. His parents both died in one week, when he was nineteen years of age. Later he removed westward to Geauga county, Ohio. where he formed a partnership with G. H. Kent, in the manufacture of pearl ash and also carried on general farming. On the 23rd of March, 1820, he wedded Della Kent, who was born at Suffield, Connecticut, April 30, 1795, and was a daughter of G. H. and Deborah (Huntington) Kent, both natives of Connecticut, the former born at Suf- field, August 9, 1765, and the latter February 21, 1762. Mrs. Butler's grand- parents were the second family to settle in Geauga county, Ohio, and were prominent in the formative period of that district. The grandfather entered a large tract of land from the government, took an active part in the polit- ical situation and had one son who was chosen to the legislature. In the family of Russell G. McCartney were six children: Henry, Deborah, Eleanor, Salmon, Minerva and Edson. Of these Mrs. Eleanor Butler was educated at Oberlin College and taught in the public schools of Cleveland, Ohio, for a year, after which she resigned on account of her father's failing health and she and her sister Minerva accompanied him on an extended visit to the east, which included points in Canada and in New York. Mr. Mc- Cartney died July 5. 1857, and his daughter, Minerva, March 17, 1858, but the mother, Mrs. McCartney, passed away at the home of Mrs. Butler in Clarinda, June 8, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Butler had but one child, Nellie Mc- Cartney, born .August 26, 1875, in Denver, Colorado, who became the wife of J. W. Cozad, mentioned elsewhere in this volume.
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While Mr. Butler became recognized as one of the leading business men of Page county because of the extent and importance of his operations in commercial and financial circles, he did not allow his private affairs to ex- clude active participation in matters of public interest. He became one of the leaders of the republican party in Page county but while he never wavered in his political views nor in his support of principles which he deemed to be for the good of the commonwealth, he enjoyed to the fullest extent the confidence and trust of the followers of other parties because of his fair mindedness and his freedom from bitter partisanship. He often took an advanced stand which won him opposition but in course of time his fellowmen were brought to see the wisdom and value of his views. In the Fremont campaign of 1850 he wrote ballots half the day and by his good work on the afternoon of the election assisted in swelling the republican vote until the party lacked but three votes to carry the county. He was chosen the first representative of Harlan township on the first board of coun- ty supervisors when the old county judge system was abandoned and a supervisor elected from each civil township. He entered upon the duties of that position January 7, 1861, and served through 1864. In 1869 he was again elected from Nodaway township and in the same year he was chosen to represent his district in the thirteenth general assembly of Iowa. At the next campaign he was reelected and during that session of the legislature was made chairman of the appropriation committee and was also largely instru- mental in promoting the building of the present state house, at Des Moines. When the question arose whether wine and beer should be classed among the intoxicants he voted, yes, and when the prohibition amendment vote was taken in the legislature he was one of the fifty-two members who supported the bill. The greatest good to the greatest number was ever his watchword. During the special session of the legislature in 1873 when the "code of 1873" was enacted Mr. Butler did noble service. At that session he served as chair- man of the committee on police regulations and many important laws were submitted to him. Through correct voting on various sections by Mr. Butler and his colleagues who possessed cool level headed deliberation, the code of today is looked upon by the courts as among the best of the nation. He was again chosen a member of the general assembly in 1883 and reelected in 1885. In 1884 he achieved for himself in Page county the greatest victory arising over the location and erection of Iowa's third hospital for the insane. While he used every honorable means and influence to make Clarinda the choice of the legislature the course which he pursued was one which would bear the closest investigation and scrutiny and upon it could be turned the search light of public opinion without finding therein a flaw. Such was the encomium passed upon him by the press throughout the state. The securing of the location of the insane hospital at Clarinda may be called the crowning triumph in Mr. Butler's roll as a legislator, emphasizing his marked individuality as no other act could possibly have done for it should be re- membered that Atlantic, Creston, Red Oak and many other cities in south- western Iowa all had experienced and able men representing their interests in the same matter. Upon the receipt of the news of the final outcome of
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the contest the following telegram was sent to Des Moines: "Hon. Wil- liam Butler: Five hundred assembled citizens, hoarse from enthusiastic cheering, send you congratulations." Upon his return home a brilliant re- ception was tendered him and the Home Glee Club sang words of victory : "Butler thought it, fought it, won it ; When twice 'twas lost he won; He has been a faithful servant, Let us say, "Well done'."
Another public work which redounds to the honor and credit of Mr. Butler was the building of the present courthouse for which he was awarded the contract in February, 1885, his bid therefor being seventy-one thousand dollars. He gave to the work special and personal attention from the laying of the foundation stone to the completion of the dome and all citizens agreed that no more honest work was superintended in Page county. Mr. Butler was also instrumental in securing the building of railway lines through the county as well as in assisting in the enactment of state laws for railway management on behalf of the people.
In fraternal relations Mr. Butler was not unknown. In fact he was prominently identified with the various divisions of Masonry, was a charter member of both the chapter and commandery of Clarinda and attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He also held membership in the Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fellows. Death came to him May 6. 1904. No man in public life perhaps has had so few enemies. Even those opposed to him politically entertained for him the warmest personal regard and ad- miration. It is said that he never forgot a friend : the playmates of his boyhood. the associates of his early manhood, those with whom he labored in legislative circles and in business life, were alike remembered through all of the years with their added responsibilities and honors. His life record finds embodiment in the words of Pope :
"Statesman, yet friend to truth : of soul sincere, In action faithful and in honor clear : Who broke no promise. served no private end. Who gained no title and who lost no friend."
LOUIS P. STEEVE.
Douglas township has its full quota of progressive farmers who have contributed their share to the upbuilding and development of the county. Among this number is Louis P. Steeve, now living on section 22, Douglas township, where his time and energies are fully occupied with the work of general farming and stock raising. Ilis birth occurred on the 2d of Feb- ruary, 1867. in Cook county, Illinois, and he is a son of Henry and Mary (Bente) Steeve, who were born in Hanover, Germany, and came to Amer- ica at an early date. They purchased and improved the old homestead farm, which is now in the possession of Martin H. Steeve, a brother of our subject.
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mention of whom is made elsewhere in this volume. Both parents passed away upon that farm, the father in 1893 and the mother in 1895.
Reared upon the home farm, Louis P. Steeve attended the common schools in the attainment of his education and during the periods of vaca- tion assisted his father in the work of the fields. He remained at home un- til he reached manhood, when, entering business life on his own account, he came to the farm upon which he now resides, consisting of two hundred acres on section 22, Douglas township. He has greatly improved the place, erecting a fine house and substantial barns and outbuildings, and the farm today is one of the desirable properties of the township, presenting in its neat appearance the visible evidence of a life of well directed thrift and energy. He has won substantial success in his general farming pursuits and has also engaged extensively in stock raising, which is proving a very profitable branch of his business.
On the 24th of February, 1903, Mr. Steeve was united in marriage to Aliss Laseba Stuart, a native of Iowa, who was one of five children born to Charles W. and Marion (Jones) Stuart, who were born in Maryland and now make their residence in Clarinda. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Steeve has been blessed with two children, Elnora E. and Marion L.
Mr. Steeve belongs to the German Lutheran church, while his wife holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he is independent, always voting for the best man regardless of his party affiliations, and he always takes an active interest in all matters pertaining to the growth and upbuilding of the community. He is a man of a high moral character, in- dustrious and enterprising, and his honesty and uprightness have always mer- ited him the confidence and respect of his fellow citizens.
ISAAC VAN ARSDOL.
Among the honored and venerable citizens of Page county is numbered Isaac Van Arsdol, who has now reached the age of eighty-nine, his birth having occurred in Delaware county, Indiana, August 3, 1820. He is a son of Cornelius and Jane (McClellan) Van Arsdol, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Pennsylvania. The paternal grandfather, John Van Arsdol, was born in Holland and his wife was a native of Ger- many. Coming to America, he served in defense of colonial interests in the Revolutionary war, while his son, Cornelius Van Arsdol, was a soldier of the war of 1812.
Although born in the east the parents of our subject were married near Cincinnati, Ohio, and in April, 1820, removed to Indiana, spending their remaining days in Delaware county. The father was a local minister of the Christian church and a man who exerted a widely felt influence for the moral development of the community. He gave his early political allegiance to the whig party, afterward became an abolitionist and when the republican party was formed to prevent the further extension of slavery he joined its
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ranks and continued to follow its banners until his death, which occurred about 1869. His widow long survived him and died at the very advanced age of ninety-eight years. They were among the first settlers of Delaware county, Indiana, and Cornelius Van Arsdol there established one of the first blacksmith shops in the county, doing all of his own work. He likewise engaged in farming and then as occasion required he preached the gospel on Sunday. His wife had been previously married prior to the time when she became Mrs. Van Arsdol and by her first marriage had a son, Thomas Hack- ett, who died at the very advanced age of ninety years. The other mem- bers of the household were: Mary, who is the wife of William Brown and lives in Delaware county, Indiana, at the age of ninety-nine years ; John, who married Lois Paton, but both are now deceased : Ellen, who became the wife of Henry Mulkins, both now having passed away; Martha, the de- ceased wife of Christopher Ribble, who lives in Delaware county, Indiana, at the age of ninety-three years; Isaac, of this review; Cornelius, who is married and lives in Delaware county, Indiana, at the age of eighty-seven years : Mrs. Jane Wilkins, deceased : Mrs. Lucretia Hollis, deceased; and Rachel, who is the widow of John Wolverton and lives in Seymour, In- diana.
Isaac Van Arsdol was the first white child born in Delaware county, Indiana, at which time his parents were living on an Indian reservation. He was there reared amid the wild scenes and environments of pioneer life, sharing in the privations and hardships incident to settlement on the fron- tier. His education was acquired in a subscription school and he worked in his father's blacksmith shop during the winter season and on the farm in the summer months. He continued his residence in Delaware county until 1853. when he made his way to Polk county, lowa, where he spent one win- ter looking over the county for good farm property. The journey from Indiana had been made by wagon and he traveled over Iowa on a prospect- ing trip on horseback, eventually locating in Page county, on a part of the present site of Clarinda in April, 1854. The land was then all wild prairie and he purchased five hundred acres, for which he gave a yoke of cattle and eight hundred dollars in gold. Mr. Van Arsdol improved most of this property and remained upon the farm for about forty years or until 1893. when he erected the residence in which he now lives at No. 206 Garfield street in Clarinda. With the growth and development of the city his farm was included within the corporation limits and he disposed of much of it in town lots at a good figure. He disposed of all but two lots and the house, the remainder of his acres being now built upon as good residence property.
Mr. Van Arsdol was married in Delaware county, Indiana, in 1844 to Miss Margaret Ribble, who was born March 9, 1822, a daughter of George and Sarah (Surfus) Ribble, the former a native of Montgomery county, West Virginia, and the latter of Virginia. Mrs. Van Arsdol had twelve brothers and sisters and the family record is as follows: Emeline, who is the widow of Samuel Weidener and resides in Clarinda : Mrs. Van Arsdol ; Harriet, living in Indiana; Mrs. Fliza Hutchings. deceased; Mrs. Sarah Stouder, who has passed away; Mary, who is the widow of Gilbert Lyons
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and resides in Clarinda ; David, also of Clarinda; Arbelia, who is the widow of Samuel Furlow, a Methodist Episcopal clergyman and resides in Indi- anola, Iowa; Nancy, who is the widow of Ross Henchman and is living in Tacoma, Washington; Henry, a Civil war veteran, who resides in Pasa- dena, California; and three children who died in infancy.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Van Arsdol has been blessed with six chil- dren : Mary, who is the widow of Wilson Woods and is living in Clarinda with her parents; Luther, of Kansas City, Missouri, who married Cynthia Connor and has two children, Mrs. Grace Gay and West; Cassius, who is married and is a civil engineer working in Canada; George, who is married and lives in Waterloo, lowa; Sallie, the wife of Robert Burrell, of Ne- braska ; and one who died in infancy.
Mr. Van Arsdol not only followed agricultural pursuits but has built and plastered many houses in Clarinda, burning his own lime for the mortar. He burned the first lime ever used in Page county and he built and plas- tered the first Methodist Episcopal church of Clarinda. He has helped to pay for and build three churches and three parsonages in Clarinda and in many other ways has been closely associated with the substantial de- velopment and progress of the community. He had one of the first farms of the county, upon it built an octagonal barn and engaged extensively in cattle raising. In his business life he was progressive, enterprising and per- sistent and the sante qualities have been manifest in his citizenship, making his work in behalf of the public good one of far-reaching and beneficial im- portance. He has lived to witness the many great changes which have trans- formed this county from a wild and unimproved district into one of rich fertility, dotted here and there with fine homes, excellent school buildings, churches and business enterprises. As the years have passed he has re- . joiced in what has been accomplished and he continued as an active factor in the world's work until the weight of years necessitated his retirement. He is now almost a nonogenarian and his memory goes back to the time when there were few railroad lines throughout the country and when the telegraph and telephone were unknown. He has always believed in progress and improvement and has, therefore, rejoiced in what has been accomplished as the years have gone by.
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