USA > Iowa > Page County > History of Page County, Iowa : also biographical sketches of some prominent citizens of the county, Vol. II > Part 35
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In his fraternal relations Mr. Shum is a member of Hepburn Lodge, No. 482, I. O. O. F. He has given his allegiance to the democratic party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise, and he served as con- stable and road supervisor for eleven years. Public-spirited in his citizen- ship, he takes a deep interest in all matters that tend toward the substantial and permanent growth and development of the community. His success ranks him among the prosperous and progressive citizens of Clarinda, and he is popular with a large circle of friends who entertain for him high regard and esteem.
MRS. JULETTA KIDWELL.
Mrs. Juletta Kidwell, well known in Coin, where she has many friends, is one of Iowa's native daughters, her birth having occurred in Lyon county. Her parents were Malon and Rachel (Haworth) Haworth, by whose early death Mrs. Kidwell was left an orphan when eight years of age and went to live with a relative, Madison Thompson. She was one of a family of ten children, namely : George, now deceased ; Mary, who is the widow of G. W. Davis and now resides in Coin, Iowa; James, who died of measles while serving his country as a Union soldier of the Civil war; Sylvester, a resi- dent of Canada; Ellen, the deceased wife of George Riley, who is living in Canada ; Cassius M., who died in childhood; Mrs. Kidwell ; and Matilda, who was married but is now deceased. The parents of these children be- came farming people of Illinois and afterward of Iowa, making their home in Lyon county until their daughter Juletta was about three years of age, when they returned to Illinois, where their remaining days were passed.
Mrs. Kidwell continued a resident of Illinois until a maiden of sixteen years and pursued her education in the public schools of that state. She then came to Page county with Madison Thompson, in whose home she had remained since her parents' death and here she was afforded the opportunity of attending the Snow IIill school. She remained a member of Mr. Thompson's family until her marriage, which was celebrated on the 5th of October, 1873, on which date she became the wife of James Kidwell,
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who was born in Ohio and was left an orphan at the age of six years. He came to Iowa about 1869 and before his marriage purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, upon which he took up his abode. He soon made further arrangements for having a home of his own by his marriage to Juletta Haworth and they began their domestic life upon a farm which he had purchased, Mr. Kidwell bending his energies to the further develop- ment and improvement of the place. He built a house there and began cultivating the fields but after a short time disposed of that property and bought forty acres. He afterward disposed of that tract and invested in eighty acres, which he improved, making his home thereon for twenty-five years, during which time he converted the place into one of the finest farms of the locality. He was persistent and energetic in his work, brooking no obstacles that could be overcome by earnest effort, and as the years passed he won success that made him one of the substantial farmers of his com- munity.
Mr. Kidwell was numbered among the veterans of the Civil war, having enlisted from Illinois in 1865. Soon afterward, however, he became ill and was taken to the hospital, where he remained most of the time during the war. Throughout his life he was a loyal citizen, interested in whatever pertained to the welfare of the county, state or nation. Fraternally he was connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Coin. He con- tinued to carry on farming throughout his entire life and passed away on the old homestead in Colfax township, April 4, 1903. His death was the occasion of widespread regret to many friends as well as to his immediate family for his sterling qualities endeared him to all who knew him. Mrs. Kidwell now makes her home in Coin, where she owns a good residence. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and a lady of excellent traits of heart and mind.
G. WILLIAM RICHARDSON.
Twenty-three years have come and gone since G. William Richardson took np his abode in Clarinda and became a factor in the business life of the city. He has since made steady progress for he has learned to correctly value life's contacts and its experiences and to so utilize his opportunities that the utmost possibility of accomplishment at that point in his career has been attained. He is today numbered among the leading lumber merchants of this part of the state and he figures prominently in financial circles and in connection with other business enterprises. He was born in Itasca, Illinois, and is a son of William and Susan ( Martin) Richardson, who were farming people, the father having devoted his entire life to the tilling of the soil.
G. William Richardson spent the first eighteen years of his life in school and after teaching a country school one year he entered business life as a traveling salesman, spending ten years on the road. Believing that Clar- inda offered a favorable field for success in business, he arrived in this
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city in 1886 and has since made his home here, covering a period of twenty- three years, during which time his forceful individuality has been felt as a moving factor in the business development of the city. He first purchased an interest in a lumber business, which was conducted under the firm style of Howell & Richardson for two years. On the expiration of that period he purchased the interest of his partner, William M. Howell, and has since conducted the business alone under his own name. He has large and well appointed lumberyards, dealing in lumber and builders' supplies in Clar- inda and Shambaugh, Iowa. This does not indicate the limit of his ability and resources, however, for he has extended his efforts into other fields and is now the president of the Shambaugh Savings Bank at Shambaugh. He is likewise the vice president of the Lee Electric Light Company at Clarinda and is a director of the Page County State Bank. His judgment is regarded as sound and reliable, his discrimination keen and his enterprise unfaltering, and thus he carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes. He was likewise one of the organizers of the Page County Building & Loan Association and from its inception has served on its board of directors, his sound business judgment constituting a factor in the success of that undertaking. In addition to his commercial and financial interests he is the owner of several pieces of Clarinda real estate.
Mr. Richardson was married in 1880 to Miss Mary Sayer, of Bartlett, Iowa, a daughter of Henry V. and Phoebe Sayer, the former a farmer by occupation. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Richardson have been born four children : Susanne E .; Warren S., who pursued his education at Lake Forest, Illinois, and is now connected with his father in the lumber business ; Zua Christel, who is attending the high school; and Doris Ruth, in the public school.
Mr. Richardson is a member of the Presbyterian church, generous in its support and active in its work. For the past eighteen years he has served as one of its elders and his labors have been a valuable element in its growth and the extension of its influence. He is preeminently a man of affairs and one who has wielded a wide influence. Modestly inclined, he does not seek praise for what he has accomplished but the consensus of public opinion places him in the front rank among the prominent residents of Clarinda.
JOHN B. GIBSON.
The invariable law of destiny accords to tireless energy, industry and ability a successful career and the truth of this assertion is abundantly veri- fied in the life of John B. Gibson, a retired farmer residing in Shenandoah. When he arrived in this state he faced the situation many times of being without a cent in his pocket. Today he is one of the wealthy men of the county, owning extensive tracts of valuable land in both Iowa and Missouri. He was born in Wayne county, New York, on the 27th of February, 1831, a son of Benjamin T. and Mary (Chattin) Gibson, both natives of New
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Jersey. The parents were reared and married in the latter state and subse- quently removed to New York, where they resided for about eleven years. They then returned to New Jersey and located in Gloucester county, where their remaining days were spent, the father devoting his life to the occupa- tion of farming. His death, which was occasioned by cholera, occurred in 1849, when he had reached the age of forty-nine years, while the mother passed away at the early age of forty-three years.
John B. Gibson, whose name introduces this review, passed the days of his boyhood and youth in his parents' home, acquiring his early educa- tion as a pupil of the common schools and supplementing this training by a term of study at a select school at Charlotteville, New York. In 1856 he came west, locating in Des Moines, Iowa, where he spent the following winter. In the spring of 1857 he continued his journey westward to the Missouri river, driving a team through to Omaha for a man who was making the trip with several teams. He remained in Omaha over night and then went to Nebraska City, taking up a preemption claim of a quarter section of land five and a half miles west of that city. In 1858 he drove a team for a man freighting from White Cloud to Fort Kearney, Nebraska. The trip was made across the vast prairies where still roved great herds of buffalo. In 1859 he removed to Missouri, where he secured a position in a mill on No Man's Land, an island in the Missouri river, where he applied himself to learning the miller's trade. This he followed until 1863, when, laying aside all business interests, he enlisted in Company M, Second Ne- braska Cavalry, serving for over nine months, the regiment being sent north into the Dakotas to suppress the Indians in their depredations.
After the close of his term of enlistment Mr. Gibson was honorably discharged and mustered out. He returned to Hog Fish Bend, Missouri, three and a half miles southeast of Hamburg, where he purchased an interest in a mill, being thus connected until 1866, when he sold his milling interests and directed his energies toward agricultural pursuits, locating in Atchison county, Missouri, where he invested in two hundred and forty acres of farm land, paying but eight and a third dollars per acre. Three years later he purchased another tract of two hundred and forty acres lying just across the road from his original farm, for which he paid fifteen dollars per acre. This land was very rich and productive, yielding in one year twelve thousand bushels of coin, the one crop being sufficient not only to cover the cost of the entire farm but also the fencing of the same. In 1894 he sold this property for fifty dollars per acre, thus realizing an immense profit over the purchase price.
Mr. Gibson came to Shenandoah in 1893 and bought a farm of two hun- dred and forty acres in Locust Grove township, Fremont county, Iowa, to which he removed and upon which he resided for eighteen months. In 1804 he again came to Shenandoah, remaining here for one year, when he took a trip to California, spending the winter of 1895-96 in that state. Returning to Fremont county, Jowa, he purchased another farm of three hundred and twenty aeres in Locust Grove township, which farm consti- tutes one of the finest tracts of land in that county. He resided upon this
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place for twelve years, devoting the intervening years to general agricultural pursuits, his efforts in this direction meeting with excellent results. The signal success which attended him in his farming at last made it possible for him to retire from the active duties of business life and in 1908 he returned to Shenandoah, where he is now residing, enjoying, as a reward for his former years of toil, all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. He is still in possession of his two tracts of land in Locust Grove township, Fremont county, and is also the owner of five hundred and seventy acres three miles east of Stanberry, Missouri, for which he recently refused ninety dollars per acre. His property holdings now aggregate eleven hun- dred and thirty acres of valuable land, ranking him among the extensive landowners of the county.
On June 11, 1865. Mr. Gibson laid the foundations for a happy home life by his marriage to Miss Hannalı Mahala Benedict, a native of western Pennsylvania. In 1854 her father, Albert Benedict, removed with his family from Venango county, Pennsylvania, to Missouri, locating in Atchi- son county, where he is still living. His wife died in 1878 and was buried at Grange Hall, that county. Both held membership in the Baptist church.
Mr. and Mrs. Gibson are also consistent members of the Baptist church and take an active and helpful interest in the various phases of church work. In politics Mr. Gibson is a stalwart republican although the honors and emoluments of office have had no attraction for him, preferring as he does to concentrate his energies upon his own private interests. He is in the broadest sense a self-made man, being both the architect and builder of his own fortune. Starting out on his business career empty-handed, he has, through indefatigable energy and untiring perseverance, forced his way upward until he is today classed among the men of affluence in the county. His natural powers have been used to good advantage, while he has at all times been quick to recognize and utilize opportunities that have come his way.
GEORGE F. FISHER.
George F. Fisher, who is now living retired in Clarinda, having put aside active business cares, is capably serving his fellow townsmen in several positions of public trust and responsibility. He was born in Craw- ford county, Ohio, on the 5th of August, 1846, a son of Frederick and Elizabeth (Palmer) Fisher. The father followed merchandising in the Buckeye state but on his removal to Page county, Iowa, in 1854, he entered government land and was actively and successfully identified with ag- ricultural pursuits throughout the remainder of his life. His farm occupied the site of the present state hospital and he was widely recognized as one of the most substantial and respected pioneer settlers of his community. He passed away at the age of eigthy-three years, four months and twenty- eight days, while his wife was called to her final rest when seventy-three years old.
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George F. Fisher obtained his education in the common schools of this county and on putting aside his text-books gave his attention to agricultural pursuits, having early become familiar with the work of the fields through the assistance which he rendered his father. As the years passed and his financial resources increased, owing to his capably directed and untiring labor, he gradually added to his landed holdings until at the time of his retirement he was the owner of two finely improved and valuable farms. In 1904, having accumulated a handsome competence, he disposed of this property and took up his abode in Clarinda, where he has since lived retired in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil. On the 17th of August, 1864, he had enlisted for service as a private of Company I, First Nebraska Veteran Volunteer Cavalry, continuing with that command until Sep- tember, 1866. They did duty in the west at the time of the Indian troubles, guarding railroads, ranches and mails and participating in a number of skirmishes. Mr. Fisher was with the regiment in all its movements and also did scout duty, proving a brave and loyal soldier who never faltered in the performance of any task assigned him.
On the 28th of October, 1866, Mr. Fisher was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Stone, of Pekin, Illinois. By this union there are two children, namely: Frederick A., who married Miss Bessie Livingston, of Page county, and now follows farming in Gravity, Taylor county, Iowa; and Hattie A., who is the wife of Rube Livingston and likewise makes her home in Gravity, Taylor county.
Politically Mr. Fisher is a stanch advocate of the republican party and for the past five years has acted as township trustee. He is likewise the commissioner for the poor at Clarinda and is also the incumbent in the office of township road supervisor, discharging his various official duties in a most prompt and capable manner. He stands for advancement and reform and has ever been an advocate of justice, truth and right in all his relations with his fellowmen.
ASA H. MITCHELL.
Asa H. Mitchell is engaged in general farming in Amity township, own- ing and cultivating two hundred acres of land on sections 15 and 23. He was born on the 18th of January, 1878, on a farm five miles southwest of Tarkio, Missouri, his parents being Anthony and Frances (Menefee) Mitchell. The father, a native of Germany, was but a child when brought by his parents to the new world, the family home being established near Tarkio, Missouri, on the farm which is still his place of residence. The mother of our subject, whose birth occurred in Page county, Virginia, re- moved to White Cloud, Kansas, with her parents when a child. She is now deceased, having been called to her final rest on the 5th of August, 1894. She was the daughter of Rev. John H. Menefee, a well known hardshell Baptist minister, who preached in Iowa at one time.
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Asa H. Mitchell was reared on the old homestead farm and attended the district schools until sixteen years of age. Subsequently he spent three years in Tarkio (Mo.) high school, from which institution he was gradu- ated in 1897. He then spent one year in Tarkio College. On account of failing health he was obliged to give up a contemplated collegiate course and after putting aside his text-books he devoted his attention to the work of general farming for a period of six years. He was engaged in the opera- tion of a rented tract of land for one year and then, in association with his brother, K. C. Mitchell, purchased eighty acres six miles southwest of Tar- kio. At the end of two years he sold his interest to his brother and after- ward operated a rented farm for a year. During the following three years he lived on a farm of two hundred and forty acres near Tarkio, which he owned in partnership with his brother, E. L. Mitchell. After selling out to his brother he came to Page county, Iowa, purchasing two hundred acres of land on section 15 and 23, Amity township, where he has since continued to reside. He has brought the fields under a high state of development and cultivation and everything about the place indicates the supervision of a most practical and progressive owner.
On the 15th of March, 1906, Mr. Mitchell was united in marriage to Miss Lula E. Jones, a daughter of I. N. and Sarah (Woolsey) Jones, who make their home near Hamburg, Fremont county, Iowa, the father being a well known agriculturist of that county. Mrs. Jones is a native of Cald- well county, Missouri. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have been born two children : Orville, now three years of age ; and Harold, who is one year old.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Mitchell has cast his ballot in support of the men and measures of the republican party, being convinced that its principles are most conducive to good government. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Cumberland Pres- byterian church of Tarkio, Missouri. Though still a young man, he has already attained a creditable measure of prosperity as an agriculturist, while the many sterling traits of character which he has displayed in both business and social relations have won him an extensive circle of friends.
EDWARD R. HARRISON, D. D. S.
Dr. Edward R. Harrison, a well known and successful dental practi- tioner of Clarinda, was born in Bloomington, Illinois, on the 16th of May, 1880, a son of William H. and Helen M. (Uhle) Harrison. The father is identified with the Bankers Life Insurance Company, of Des Moines, Iowa. When but two years of age our subject was brought by his parents to Shenandoah, Page county, Iowa, where he was reared and educated, completing the high school course. Having determined upon the profes- sion of dentistry as a life work, he then entered the dental department of Washington University at St. Louis, Missouri, from which institution he was graduated in 1903. Locating for practice in Clarinda, he has here
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remained to the present time, his skill and ability in the line of his chosen calling being attested by the large and remunerative patronage which is accorded him. He belongs to both the Corning District Dental Society and the Iowa State Dental Society.
On the 28th of December, 1904, Dr. Harrison wedded Miss Grace L. Hunt, a daughter of A. V. Ilunt, of Clarinda, a sketch of whom appears on another page of this work. By this union there are two children, Ruth Agnes and Albert Victor. Dr. Harrison is a consistent and devoted mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church and is also a worthy exemplar of the beneficent teachings of the Masonic fraternity, to which he belongs. Though still a young man, he has already gained enviable recognition as a most able representative of the dental profession and is also highly esteemed socially, his genial nature and deference for the opinions of others winning him the warm regard of those with whom he comes in contact.
JAMES GAMBLE.
James Gamble, a prominent and well known resident of Colfax town- ship, where he owns three hundred acres of rich farming land, has retired from the active work of the fields and now rents all of his property save a tract of twenty acres a half mile from Coin, on which he makes his home. His birth occurred in Scott county, Indiana, on the 9th of May, 1842, his parents being Alexander and Elizabeth (Carlile) Gamble. The father, who was born in County Cavan, Ireland, April 6, 1811, accompanied his parents on their emigration to the United States in 1821, the ocean voyage consuming twelve weeks. The family home was established in Carroll county, Ohio, where Alexander Gamble remained until 1842, when he took up his abode in Scott county, Indiana. There he purchased land and con- tinued to reside until called to his final rest on the 2d of November, 1891. His wife, who was born in Carroll county, Ohio, June 6, 1819, died on the 13th of May, 1890. The paternal grandparents of our subject both passed away in Carroll county, Ohio. In the family of Alexander and Elizabeth (Carlile) Gamble there were nine children, as follows : Margaret, deceased, who gave her hand in marriage to Nathan Morgan; James, of this review ; Robert, who resides on the old home place in Scott county, Indiana ; John, who is deceased; George W., a resident of Washington county, Indiana ; Sarah J., the wife of David Morgan; Mary M., the wife of Asbury Still, of Washington county, Indiana; Martha Isabelle, who is the wife of W. Lynch, of Scott county, Indiana ; and Amanda Ellen, the wife of Wilbur Christie, of Scott county, Indiana.
James Gamble obtained his education in the district schools of his native county and remained on the home farm, assisting in its cultivation, until he joined the "boys in blue" in their loyal defense of the Union. It was on the 9th of August, 1862, that he enlisted from Scott county, Indiana, be- coming a member of Company F, Sixty-sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry
JAMES GAMBLE AND FAMILY
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٠ TILJEA . ULADALICAS
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The regiment was mustered into service at Camp Noble in New Albany and a week later participated in the battle of Richmond, Kentucky, where Mr. Gamble was taken prisoner and held captive for about a week. He was then paroled and, being given a thirty days' furlough, returned home. He afterward reported for duty at Camp Noble, where he rejoined his regiment and remained for about a month. At the end of that time the regiment was sent to Indianapolis, where they were equipped and then went into winter quarters at Corinth, Mississippi. The next summer they joined Sherman's command and participated in the entire compaign under that famous general, taking part in the battle of Atlanta on the 22d of July. In that engagement General McPherson was killed and Mr. Gamble had his gun shot out of his hand. He went with Sherman on the memorable march to the sea and remained with him until the time of the Grand Review at Washington, D. C. He was honorably discharged at Indianapolis, Indiana, on the 3d of June, 1865, and arrived in Scott county on the 15th of the same month, returning home with a most creditable military record.
On again taking up the pursuits of civil life Mr. Gamble became identi- fied with mercantile interests in Scott county, conducting an establishment of that character until he left the Hoosier state to come to Iowa. He started westward on the 21st of September, 1869, and, after a slow and tedious journey by wagon, arrived in Page county on the 31st of October. Here he purchased eighty acres of raw land, on which he built a small house and started housekeeping, having at that time a wife and one child. As the years passed by he brought his fields under a high state of cultivation and improvement and, by reason of his untiring industry and excellent management, won a gratifying measure of success in his farming oper- ations, so that he was enabled to purchase more land from time to time. At one period he owned six hundred and forty acres of valuable farming property but was given more than half of this to his children and his farm now embraces three hundred acres in Colfax township. He is at present living retired in a pleasant and commodious residence within a half mile of Coin and rents all of his property save the tract of twenty acres on which he resides. He is a stockholder in the Farmers & Merchants Bank at Coin and also in the local telephone company, and is widely recognized as one of the most substantial, respected and influential residents of the county.
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