USA > Iowa > Page County > History of Page County, Iowa : also biographical sketches of some prominent citizens of the county, Vol. II > Part 43
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J. A. SWANSON.
J. A. Swanson is a prominent and successful representative of the financial interests of Page county, being the cashier and manager of the Farmers Savings Bank at Hepburn. His birth occurred in Henry county, Illinois, on the 29th of April, 1869, his parents being Jonas and Christina Swanson, both of whom were natives of Sweden. On emigrating to the United States in 1854 they first took up their abode in Illinois, in which state they continued to reside until 1871, when they came to Page county, Iowa. The father purchased a tract of land in Douglas township, this county, where he made his home until called to his final rest in 1905, becoming widely recognized as a most prosperous agriculturist and enterprising citizen of his community. The mother, who has now attained the age of seventy-four years, still sur- vives and lives in the village of Hepburn.
J. A. Swanson completed his education at Shenandoah, Iowa, and re- mained under the parental roof until eighteen years of age. He then took up the study of telegraphy and was busily engaged as an operator for a period of sixteen years. At the end of that time he organized the Farmers
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Savings Bank at Hepburn, Iowa, and is now serving as cashier and mana- ger of the institution. He is a man of keen discrimination, sound judgment and excellent executive ability and the success which has attended the bank is attributable in no small degree to his efforts. In addition to his banking interests he also has extensive landed holdings, owning one hundred and sixty acres on section 27, Douglas township, eighty acres on section 9, Val- ley township, and a half interest in two hundred acres on sections 16 and 20, Valley township. He also has a fine residence in Hepburn, where he makes his home, and has gained wide and favorable recognition as one of the lead- ing and substantial citizens of the county.
As a companion and helpmate on the journey of life Mr. Swanson chose Miss Belle Murphy, a native of Missouri and a daughter of Warren and Elizabeth Murphy, who are now living in St. Joseph, that state. Mrs. Swan- son was one of a family of five children born to her parents and by her marriage has become the mother of a daughter, Merle.
In his political views Mr. Swanson is an unfaltering republican but has no desire for the honors nor emoluments of office, preferring to give his undivided attention to his private business affairs. He belongs to the Odd Fellows Lodge, No. 482, at Hepburn, in which he has filled all of the chairs. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the United Presbyterian church, with which his wife is also identified. He is interested in all that pertains to the county's progress and upbuilding, and his cooperation is given to many measures calculated to promote the general welfare.
DAVID FRIEDMAN.
The growth and prosperity of a community does not depend upon its machinery of government or even upon the men who fill its public offices- although these are both factors in the general welfare-but rather upon the men who are active in business circles, in which connection David Friedman is well known, being the popular and enterprising proprietor of a clothing and men's furnishing goods store in Clarinda. He dates his residence in Page county since 1884, having come from Chicago. He is, however, a native of Austria, where he spent the first thirteen years of his life and then made the long voyage across the Atlantic to the United States. He had been a pupil in private educational institutions of Germany and he completed his education in night schools in America, remaining for a year in New York. It was in 1870 that he arrived on the shores of the new world and in the fall of 1871 he went to Pittsburg. While in the eastern metropolis he ped- dled collar buttons on Broadway but, though his start in business life was a humble one, he was ambitious and eagerly embraced every opportunity for advancement. After going to Pittsburg he became stock keeper in a whole- sale clothing house but investigations into business conditions of the country convinced him that still better opportunities were to be enjoyed in the middle west and accordingly he made his way to Chicago, where he became con-
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nected with the Morris Clothing Company, his association with that house covering ten years. Later he was with Willoughby Hill & Company for three years and from Chicago he came to Clarinda in 1884.
Here Mr. Friedman entered business as a member of the firm of P. H. Friend & Company and after three years spent in that way purchased the in- terest of Mr. Friend and has since carried on business alone as a dealer in clothing, men's furnishings and shoes. From the beginning he has prospered, his trade constantly increasing with the growth of this part of the state, his reliable business methods commending him to the confidence and sup- port of the general public. His success is indicated in the fact that he has erected a three-story pressed brick building, twenty-five by one hundred and thirty feet, which is one of the finest business blocks in the city of Clarinda. He carries a large and well selected line of goods adequate to the demands of varied tastes and his earnest desire to please his patrons, together with his reliability in all mercantile transactions, has brought him a gratifying meas- ure of prosperity.
On the 31st of January, 1883, in Mendota, Illinois, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Friedman and Miss Lena Friend, a daughter of Abraham Friend, a money broker of that place. They have become parents of three children : Rae H., now the wife of Max Kaufman, a merchant of Dubuque, Iowa ; Florence, who is a student in Tarkio College of Missouri ; and Maurice, who is attending school in Clarinda.
Mr. Friedman lias never sought or desired public office, preferring to con- centrate his energies upon his business affairs, and yet he is not remiss in the duties of citizenship nor does he hesitate to support the measures or move- ments which he deems will prove of general good. Fraternally he is both a Mason and a Knight of Pythias and has the genuine regard of many friends whom he has made in those orders.
J. A. LAWSON.
J. A. Lawson, carrying on general farming and stock-raising is one of the self-made men of Page county who through his own labors has reached a creditable financial position, being now the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of valuable and productive farming land. He was born in Val- ley township on the 5th of December, 1864, a son of John and Mary A. (Wiseman) Lawson, natives of North Carolina and Illinois respectively. The father came to Page county in the early '50s and was numbered among the pioneer settlers of this district. He entered a homestead claim upon which he built a log cabin, and here he resided for some twenty-five years. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, as follows: Isaac, residing in Kansas; Henry, making his home in Valley township; Mattie, deceased ; Caroline, also deceased ; J. A., of this review ; William, also of Valley town- ship ; and W. J., a resident of Nebraska. The parents are both deceased,
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the father passing away April 27, 1886, while the mother survived until the 10th of May, 1907.
In the common schools of his native township J. A. Lawson acquired his education which, however, was somewhat limited, as the greater part of his time was devoted to assisting his father in the work of the farm. He remained at home until thirty years of age, when he laid the foundation for a happy home life of his own in his marriage to Mrs. M. E. Stephenson, who was born in Sweden on the 26th of April, 1852. She was the daughter of Andrew W. and Ellen ( Westerblo) Johnson, also natives of Sweden. The father came to America in 1852 and first located in Henry county, Illinois. He was a carpenter by occupation and followed that trade up to the time of his death. The mother, who by her marriage became the mother of seven children, has also passed awawy. In former years, before her marriage, Mrs. Lawson taught school for some time and she was also a home missionary worker for ten years, being an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
After his marriage Mr. Lawson operated a farm as a renter for about fifteen years, and he then purchased the farm upon which he now resides. It consists of one hundred and sixty acres located on section 18, Valley town- ship, and is a finely developed property, the improvements thereon having almost entirely been placed there by Mr. Lawson. The farm is equipped with a comfortable house, good barns and outbuildings, and the air of neat- ness which pervades its premises bespeaks thrift and progressiveness on the part of the owner. Aside from general agricultural pursuits Mr. Lawson devotes some time to the raising and feeding of hogs, cattle and horses, and this branch of his business interests is proving a source of gratifying profit to him.
Politically Mr. Lawson gives stalwart support to the republican party, doing all in his power to extend its influence in the community. He is, however, no office seeker, preferring the role of a private citizen to that of public official. He is public-spirited, nevertheless, and all matters that pertain to general welfare and improvement are of interest to him. He started out in life empty-handed and has battled earnestly and energetically, and by indomitable courage and integrity, aided by his estimable wife, he has achieved a creditable place among the progressive and prosperous farmers of Valley township, well deserving the proud American title of a self-made man.
MRS. AUGUSTA HEFFNER.
Mrs. Augusta Heffner lives in Colfax township, where she owns two hundred acres of fine farm land. The fields are highly cultivated and the improvements upon the place are such as make this one of the desirable farm properties of the community. It was in this township that Mrs. Heff- ner was born February 15, 1857, her parents being Alexander and Ona
GEORGE W. HEFFNER
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(Pierce) Montgomery. Her father was born in Washington county, Ken- tucky, pursued his education in the schools there and after arriving at years of maturity was married in that county to Miss Pierce, who was also born within its borders. They began their domestic life there but several years later removed to Buchanan county, Missouri, where they made their home for about eighteen months. The year 1851 witnessed their arrival in Page county, Iowa, at which time they settled in Colfax township. There were no neighbors for miles around and deer were frequently seen while wild game was to be had in great quantities. They traveled by wagon, bringing their household goods with them, and lived in the wagon until they could build a log house. This pioneer dwelling is still standing, being one of the old landmarks of the county. The farm was all raw land when it came into their possession but Mr. Montgomery at once began to clear and cultivate it, broke the prairie and soon developed productive fields. For a long time they lived in the log cabin but afterward a frame dwelling was erected which the family occupied until their removal to Clarinda, Iowa, where the father died at the age of sixty-two years. In the meantime he had prospered in his undertakings and had become the owner of six hundred acres of valuable land. His widow survived him for fifteen years and passed away at St. Joseph, Missouri. They were the parents of the following children : Zachary, now living in Indiana; Elizabeth, the wife of E. E. Cook, a resident of Shenandoah; James, who was the first white male child born in Page county and now a resident of Shenandoah; Julia, who is the widow of John Maxwell and makes her home in Coin ; Augusta, now Mrs. Heffner; and William, deceased. There were also four other children who died in infancy.
Mrs. Heffner has spent her entire life in Colfax township, always liv- ing on a part of her father's land with the exception of one year. She at- tended the district schools and assisted in the work of the household. Farm life has enabled her to spend much of her time out of doors and thus she enjoys extraordinarily good health. She became the wife of George W. Heffner on the 28th of December, 1873, and they traveled life's journey happily together for twenty-eight years. Mr. Heffner was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, May 24, 1848, a son of Samuel and Elizabeth Heffner, who were carly settlers of that county and were of German descent. George W. Heffner attended school in his native county and also in Illinois. He afterward made his way westward and traveled over a number of different states until he finally settled in Page county, Iowa. He lived with Alex- ander Harris and for a time not only managed their business affairs but also discharged the duties of the household. It was in 1871 that Mr. Heffner arrived in Page county and in 1873 he won for his bride Miss Augusta Montgomery.
They became the parents of seven children : Wilson, the eldest, was born February 3, 1875. and now lives at Violet, Nebraska. He married Ora Hickman of Missouri, and they have five children: Carl, Ola, Georgia M., Glenn and Wallace. Ollie, born October 20, 1876, died June 24, 1889. Clara, born May 6, 1878, was married March 12, 1802, to Ernest Stun-
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baugh and they now live in Page county with their three children-Linn, Roy and Glenn. Charles M., born November 1, 1879, was married Decem- ber 26, 1905, to Frances Mann and with their two children, Shirley and Wallace, they reside in South Dakota. Fred, born November 5, 1881, married Maud Padley and lives at Hamilton, Montana. Inez, born Sep- tember 28, 1883, is the wife of Frank Crane, living near Giltner, Nebraska, and they have one child, Boyd. Lura N., born October 7. 1890, was grad- uated from the Coin high school in the class of 1909 and is at home with her mother. The death of the husband and father occurred October 15, 1901, and his grave was made in the Coin cemetery. He left his family in com- fortable financial circumstances and more than that he left to them the priceless heritage of an untarnished name.
Mrs. Heffner and her daughter still reside upon the farm which she leases on shares. She attends the Methodist church of Coin, of which her parents were charter members, the first meeting of the congregation being held in the schoolhouse on Mr. Montgomery's farm. For more than a half century Mrs. Heffner has been a witness of the changes which have oc- curred in Page county. She was reared here upon the frontier and has lived to see a remarkable transformation as the county has become thickly settled with the homes of a contented and prosperous people. Its rich prairie makes it preeminently an agricultural district and yet there are in its midst many flourishing towns so that it is lacking in none of the advantages and opportunties which town life affords.
ALFRED FALK.
Alfred Falk is the proprietor of the Boundary Grove Farm, one of the valuable properties of Nebraska township. Here he devotes his energies extensively to the raising of stock and also to the production of corn and his success indicates his sound judgment and his undaunted enterprise. He was born in Henry county, Illinois, December 4, 1862, his parents being John A. and Elizabeth Falk, both of whom were natives of Smoland, Sweden, where they were reared and married. On crossing the Atlantic to the United States they landed first in Rock Island, Illinois, in 1854 and after- ward became residents of Henry county. In 1882 they arrived in Page county, Iowa, where their last days were passed. The father's surname was originally Anderson but owing to the fact that there were so many of the name in the locality in which he located and that it was with difficulty that he obtained the mail which was intended for him he changed his name to Falk.
Unto him and his wife were born ten children: Louise, who died in 1865 : A. P., who is living in Council Bluffs ; C. M., who died in 1906, leaving two daughters; Hannah, who is the widow of Andrew Shellburg, of Moline, Illinois, and the mother of a family who are a credit to her name, one son being a prominent lawyer; August, who enlisted from Rock Island,
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Illinois, and died while in the services in the Civil war; J. F., who resides in Essex, Iowa; Lydia, who became the wife of Alfred Halburg, who con- ducted a store at Essex, but after his death she removed to Wakefield, Nebraska, where she is now living; Clara, the deceased wife of C. L. Lar- son ; Nora, the wife of Rev. G. O. Gusteson of Red Oak, Iowa ; and Alfred.
The last named spent the first twenty-four years of his life in the place of his nativity. He acquired his early education in the public schools and spent his youthful days in the usual manner of most lads of the period. When he was twenty years of age his father retired and left him to operate the farm of one hundred and sixty acres, following which time he conducted the property for four years alone. In 1886 he went to Essex, Iowa, to which place the family had preceded him, and purchased a farm southwest of the town comprising one hundred and sixty acres. This was the first property that he had ever owned. He lived upon that farm for five years and then traded it for a farm near Essex, on which he lived for four or five years, when he sold it. He then cultivated two hundred and forty acres of rented land for three years.
Prospering in his undertaking's as time passed by, in Igor MIr. Falk pur- chased his present farm of four hundred and eighty acres lying on sections 25 and 26, Nebraska township. There are excellent buildings upon it which were erected by him and the farm is today a very well improved property. There are three dwellings upon the place, one occupied by his son and an- other by his son-in-law, while the third is the family residence of Mr. Falk. He plants about two hundred and fifty acres of corn each year and usually harvests a large crop, but he feeds all hie raises on his farm for he is an extensive dealer in live stock, selling about one hundred head of cattle, four hundred head of hogs and about a carload of horses each year. His place is known as the Boundary Grove Farm and the name is a synonym for pro- gressiveness and successful accomplishments along agricultural lines in this county. Mr. Falk is also a stockholder in the Chautauqua and Fair Associa- tions and makes annual exhibits of his stock at the Fair, where he has won many premiums.
Mr. Falk has been married twice. In 1883 he wedded Helen Wil- helmina Swanson, who was born in Sweden in 1863 and came with her parents to America when six years of age. She was a daughter of C. W. and Mary ( Stroburg) Swanson, who became residents of Illinois, where the mother died but the father is now residing in Rio, that state. Mrs. Falk passed away in 1895, leaving three children : Elesef Marie, now the wife of W. E. Brown, who resides on her father's farm and by whom she has one child, Beulah ; Arthur W., who married Candace Latherop and lives on his father's farm ; and Leslie R., at home. For his second wife Mr. Falk chose Miss Eugenia Falk, whom he wedded in 1899. She was born in Page county, May 15, 1872, and is a daughter of C. A. and Cecilia C. ( Hendrickson ) Falk, who were natives of Sweden. The mother now resides in Fremont township, this county, while the father is deceased. There are no children of the second marriage but they have adopted a little daughter, Bernice, the child of Mrs. Falk's sister.
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In his political views Mr. Falk is a stalwart republican and has served as trustee of his township. He was reared in the Lutheran church but his family attend the Methodist Episcopal church of Hawleyville and he aids in its support. His life has been one of diligence and usefulness, character- ized by fidelity and activity in business affairs and by progressiveness in citi- zenship.
ARTHUR LINDBURG.
Arthur Lindburg, among Page county's native sons whose records have been entirely creditable to the state, while their work has been of worth in the general development and upbuilding of the community, was born in Douglas township, June 24, 1871. He is a son of Abraham and Hannah (Wallin) Lindburg, both of whom were natives of Sweden, where they were reared and married. Soon afterward they came to the United States, settling in Henry county, Illinois, and for four or five years the father was employed in various ways in that locality. In 1870 he came to Page county, having previously purchased eighty acres of land in Douglas township. On his arrival here he took up his abode upon the farm where he lived for five years and then sold the property and purchased a farm of three hundred and sixty acres in Fremont township. He then removed to the latter place and there carried on general agricultural pursuits until 1894, when he re- tired from active life and removed to Essex, where he has since lived. He came to this country a poor man without funds and deserves much credit for what he has accomplished as he is today one of the substantial residents of Page county. He is one of the heaviest stockholders in the Commercial Na- tional Bank and a member of its board of directors. His success has been honorably achieved, being the result of persistent, earnest effort, and his life record proves what can be accomplished by indefatigable industry. Both he and his wife are members of the Lutheran church and are held in the highest esteem by those who know them because their lives have been an exemplification of the highest principles of manhood and womanhood.
Arthur Lindburg, whose name introduces this review, spent his youth- ful days in his father's home and acquired his education in the public schools, supplemented by a commercial course in the Western Normal College at Shenandoah. At twenty-one years he engaged in the grocery and meat business in Essex. thus taking his first independent step in the business world. For ten years he conducted the enterprise with growing success and at the end of that time disposed of his store. In 1902 he was offered and accepted the position of assistant cashier in the Commercial National Bank of Essex, in January, 1904, and he assumed the duties of cashier after two years or in January, 1906. He has since acted in this capacity, watching carefully over the interests of the institution, with which he is now thoroughly familiar in principle and detail.
On the 4th of April, 1896, occurred the marriage of Mr. Lindburg and Miss Hilda Falk of Essex, and unto them have been born six children : Earl.
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Wallace, Frances, Bernard, Ernest and Joseph. The family circle yet remains unbroken and all are still under the parental roof. The parents are members of the Lutheran church and theirs is a hospitable home-a favorite resort with their many friends.
Mr. Lindburg has served as a member of the town council of Essex, being elected to the board when but twenty-six years of age. At the age of twenty-nine he was chosen chief executive of the city and his record in office was altogether a creditable one, being characterized by all that goes to make up a business like and progressive administration. It was under his administration that the present excellent system of waterworks was built. He worked for needed reforms and improvements and gave to his official duties the same care and fidelity which he has always bestowed upon his business interests. He has in his commercial and financial career sought suc- cess along the lines of close application, concentration of purpose and un- faltering diligence, and his record at all times has been such as will bear the closest inspection and scrutiny.
JOHN SHOBERG.
The agricultural interests of Page county find a worthy and successful representative in John Shoberg, who is the owner of a highly improved and valuable farm on section 21, Pierce township. He was born in Sweden on the Ist of June, 1854, a son of Andrew and Anna (Johnson) Shoberg, who made their way to Henry county, Illinois, immediately after their arrival in the United States in 1870. The father was in limited financial circumstances and his passage money was loaned to him by a brother-in-law. After taking up his abode in Henry county he worked for a couple of years at whatever employment he could obtain and subsequently rented a tract of land and en- gaged in farming. Owing to his untiring and well directed labor he pros- pered in his undertakings and in a short time had accumulated sufficient capital with which to purchase a farm of his own, coming into possession of a tract of eighty acres. In 1880 he disposed of the property and went to McPherson, Kansas, buying a quarter section of land west of that place. A year later, however, he also sold that farm and came to Essex, Page county, Iowa, where for some years he engaged in general agricultural pursuits as a renter. Subsequently he purchased a tract of land of eighty acres in Pierce township, to which he later added fifty acres and on this farm of one hundred and thirty acres he continued to reside until 1896, when he put aside the active work of the fields and took up his abode in Essex. There he lived retired until called to his final rest, passing away on the 23d of December, 1906. He had made his home within the borders of this county for a quarter of a century and was well known as one of its most prosperous, esteemed and representa- tive citizens. His widow, who still survives, is a resident of Essex. Unto this worthy couple were born two sons, John and Andrew M.
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