USA > Iowa > Page County > History of Page County, Iowa : also biographical sketches of some prominent citizens of the county, Vol. II > Part 53
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On the Ist of March. 1866, Mr. Jones was united in marriage to Miss Fan- nie Starett, of Logan county, Ohio. They had no children of their own but reared an adopted daughter. May, who is now the wife of Frank E. Wilcox, of Shenandoah.
In his political views Mr. Jones is a stanch republican, while religiously he is identified with the Christian church, of which his wife is also a mem- ber. Their sociability and their hospitality has made their home the center of a cultured society circle and they have many friends in the community where they have now long resided.
HERMAN MEYER.
Herman Meyer is one of the extensive landowners of the county and his life record proves what can be accomplished when one is willing to dare and to do. IIe has had no assistance in his business career but has worked diligently to attain success and now has valuable farm property, which places him with the men of affluence in this part of the state. He was born in Braunschweig, Germany, May 19, 1853, and was the elder of two chil- dren. His parents were Henry and Maggie ( Brinkhoff ) Meyer, who spent their entire lives as farming people in their native country. Their daughter, Annie, became the wife of Herman Heidor and also died in the fatherland.
Herman Meyer remained a resident of Germany until twenty-eight years of age and early became familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. At length he heard and heeded he call of he western world, for the reports which he received were favorable and indi - cated to him that he would have better opportunities on this side of the At- lantic than in the older and more thickly settled country of Germany. Hle was married ere he left his native land and the lady of his choice was Miss Gebke Siedenburg, who was born in Hanover, Germany. in 1855 and became his wife in 1877.
Mr. and Mrs. Meyer began their domestic life in the land of their na- tivity and two children were born unto them ere their emigration to America
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in 1881. Crossing the Atlantic, they located first in Nodaway township, Page county, Iowa, where Mr. Meyer cultivated a tract of rented land for five years. During this period he lived economically and worked diligently that he might earn sufficient money to enable him to purchase property, and in 1886 he saw the fulfillment of his hope for at that time lie becanie the owner of a farm in East River township, near Shambaugh. He at first had but fifty acres, to which he added until he was the owner of one hundred and sixty acres. He then disposed of that property and came to his present farm in 1895. That he has prospered in his undertakings is indicated in the fact that he is now the owner of five hundred and fifty acres and has let his son have one hundred and forty-three acres. There are three sets of build- ings on his farm and these stand as monuments to his indefatigable labor and enterprise. All were erected by him and the various improvements upon the land show also that his life has been one of unremitting diligence intelli- gently directed. The fields bring forth rich crops and he also raises high grades of stock, for which he finds ready sale in the market.
After the family came to the new world four other children were added to the household, so that Mr. and Mrs. Meyer are now parents of four sons and two daughters : Henry H., who is a neighbor of his father; Anna, the wife of lIenry Freudenburg, a resident farmer of Nodaway township; Herman D., who is also following farming near the old liome; John, Fred and Minnie, who are still under the parental roof.
Since becoming a naturalized American citizen, Mr. Meyer has given his political allegiance to the democracy and has served as a school and road officer. He belongs to the Lutheran church of Clarinda and its teachings constitute the guiding force in his life. His example is one well worthy of emulation for it indicates what can be accomplished by a young man of strong purpose and resourceful spirit. Mr. Meyer steadily worked liis way upward and has worthily won the success which he now enjoys.
W. E. WHISLER.
No matter in how much fastastic theorizing one may indulge as to the causation of success, it will ever be found that advancement in business depends primarily upon close application, ready adaptability and a willing- ness to work and work hard. Possessing these requisites Mr. Whisler is making rapid progress in conducting a plumbing and heating business in Shenandoah and his popularity as a business man and citizen constitutes his record one of interest to his fellow townsmen.
His birth occurred in Farragut, Fremont county, Iowa, on the 2d of October, 1876, his parents being John and Marie (Gunther) Whisler. The father was a native of Indiana, while the mother was probably born in Ap- panoose county, Iowa. Both the Whisler and Gunther families were among the pioneer residents of Appanoose county and it was in this state that the parents of our subject were married. They located on a farm which Mr.
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Whisler rented and in 1875 he started with his family on a trip to Nebraska, making the journey by wagon. En route he passed through southwestern Iowa and soon he returned to this portion of the state, settling near Far- ragut, Fremont county, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land. With characteristic energy he began to till the soil and develop the crops and as the years passed he has extended the boundaries of his farm by additional purchases until he now owns five hundred and sixty acres of valuable land unsurpassed in its richness and fertility by any tract in this part of the state. In addition to his agricultural interests he is a stockholder in the First National Bank of Farragut and is one of the most influential men of that section. He came to the west without funds and through his capably directed labors has been very successful. Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise he has given loyal support to the republican party, for he is a firm believer in its principles, yet has never sought office as a reward for party fealty. Both he and his wife are mem- bers of the Christian church and are people of the highest respectability, honored by all who know them.
W. E. Whisler was reared at home and the common schools afforded him his early educational opportunities, while later he had the advantage of instruction at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. In early manhood he was married, wedding Miss Gertrude Morgan, of Hamburg, Iowa, on the 22d of June, 1898. They established their home upon a farm near Riverton and for ten years thereafter Mr. Whisler continued to engage in general agricultural pursuits but in 1908 came to Shenandoah to ally his interests with the commercial activities of the city. Here he purchased the plumbing business of O. H. Frink and is now enjoying an extensive patron- age in the conduct of a plumbing and heating business. His personal pop- ularity has been one factor in his success, while the thoroughness of his work and his reliability in financial matters are also strong elements in his prosperity.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Whisler are members of the Christian church and are greatly esteemed in the community in which they reside. His member- ship relation also extends to Shenandoah Lodge, No. 1122, B. P. O. E .; and to Page Camp, No. 1049, M. W. A. He and his wife own and occupy a modern residence at No. 700 Seventh avenue, it being one of the attrac- tive and hospitable homes of the city.
FRANK HOOKER.
Frank Hooker, provided with liberal educational advantages in prepar- ation for life's practical and responsible duties, has since the beginning of his business career been connected with farming interests and was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Blanchard, with which he has been continuously and helpfully associated since it first opened its doors
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to the public on the Ist of June, 1893. He was chosen its first cashier and has so continued to the present time.
Mr. Hooker is a native of Portsmouth, England, born May 30, 1865. His parents were W. S. and Sarah ( Humphrey) Hooker, who came to the United States in 1869. The father was a Methodist minister and took charge of a church in Decatur county, Iowa. In connection with the church work he lived at various points in the southern half of the state, his in- fluence constituting a potent force for good in connection with his different pastorates. In the spring of 1873 he took up his abode at College Springs, having charge of the church there until 1875, when he went to Shenandoah. A year later he was transferred to the church at Villisca, subsequently hold- ing a pastorate in Des Moines and afterward in Clarinda. He then re- turned to Shenandoah as presiding elder of the district, continuing there for about four years, after which he removed to Indianola, Iowa. He likewise preached for the Methodist congregation at Creston, Iowa, and terminated his services there to become presiding elder of the Council Bluffs district, which he thus served for six years. He was afterward appointed presiding elder of the Creston district and lived at Red Oak for about six years. At the end of that time he was offered the position of financial agent for the Simpson College at Indianola and continued actively in that work for two years but at the present time is living retired at the age of seventy-five. His life has been one of great usefulness in the church and his influence of no restricted order. He long figured as one of the leading representatives of the Methodist ministry in southern Iowa and was never denied the full harvest nor the aftermath. His wife, who was born in Devonshire, England, and was long a devoted and faithful companion and helpmate to him on life's journey, passed away in 1886. They were the parents of six children : Willian F., a farmer residing in Northboro, Iowa ; Frank ; Walter, who died in childhood; Rose, the wife of John Joy, living in Atchison county, Missouri ; Conrad, whose home is in Rochester, New York; and Nellie, who died at the age of twenty years.
Frank Hooker came to the United States when four years of age, his parents at that time crossing the Atlantic to America with their family. He first attended school in Decatur county, Iowa, and continued his educa- tion in the schools of Villisca, Des Moines, College Springs and Clarinda. He was graduated from the high school at the last named place and later became a student in the Western Normal College at Shenandoah, where he pursued a commercial and mathematical course, being graduated with the class of 1882. When he had thus qualified for business life he entered the employ of the D. S. Lake Nursery Company of Shenandoah, continuing with them for about two years during vacations from school.
In the succeeding fall Mr. Hooker entered the First National Bank of Shenandoah as errand boy and by successive promotions became assistant cashier and bookkeeper. He resigned his position there on the Ist of May, 1885, to accept the cashiership of the Commercial Bank of Essex and there continued until March 1, 1887, when he returned to the First National Bank of Shenandoah as cashier. He was thus active in control of the
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banking business at that point until March 1, 1893, when he resigned to organize the First National Bank of Blanchard, with which he has since been associated. On the Ist of June, 1893, it opened its doors for business, its charter, No. 4902, being signed by James H. Eckels, comptroller of cur- rency. There are fifty stockholders and the bank was capitalized at fifty thousand dollars. At the time of the organization the officers were: Charles G. Anderson, president ; Isaac Monk, vice president ; Frank Hooker, cashier ; and S. C. Henn, assistant cashier. The board of directors also included in addition to the officers, A. W. Hawley. The officers at the present writing are : F. M. Byrkit of Red Oak, president ; John H. Walkinshaw, vice pres- ident ; Frank Hooker, cashier ; and F. Meredith, assistant cashier, and they added to the officers as members of the board of directors, F. M. Byrkit, Robert McKie, Thomas Boyle and Isaac Monk. The bank is still capital- ized for fifty thousand dollars and has a surplus of twenty-five thousand dollars. A general banking business is conducted and the institution now has large deposits and an extensive patronage.
On the 8th of June, 1886, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Hooker and Miss Sophia Linderholm, a daughter of John and Christina ( Hedberg) Linderholm of Essex. They have one child, Walter, who was born Octo- ber 19, 1887.
Mr. Hooker has been somewhat prominent and influential in community affairs and is now serving as treasurer of Blanchard. He has also been a member of the school board and of the town council, exercising his official prerogatives in these different positions in support of the best interests of the community. His political allegiance is given to the republican party, while his religious faith is indicated in his membership in the Methodist church. He has served on its board of trustees, as a teacher in the Sunday school and was superintendent of the Sunday school for twelve years. His life has been actuated by high and honorable purposes and conforms at all times to a high standard of commercial ethics. In him are manifest the character- istics of an unbending integrity, unabating energy and industry that never flags.
EDGERLY R. BAILEY.
The history of Clarinda would be incomplete and unsatisfactory were there failure to make prominent reference to Edgerly R. Bailey, whose business activity and breadth of view concerning public questions have led to his classification with the leading men of Page county. He is now acting as mayor of the city and is giving to Clarinda a businesslike administration. Moreover, lie is widely known as the president of the Independent Manu- facturing & Supply Company, extensively engaged in the manufacture of cream separators and controlling an industry of much importance to this city.
A native of Vermont, Mr. Bailey was born in Elmore, December 8, 1870, and is a son of A. Rudolph and Lucy (Smith) Bailey, the former a farmer
EDGERLY R. BAILEY
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by occupation. The son was twelve years of age at the time of the removal of the family to Baldwin, Kansas, and in the public schools of that state he continued his education, while later he became a student in Baker Uni- versity and was thus well equipped by liberal mental training for the re- sponsible duties of life. After putting aside his text-books he became a band and music master and teacher, devoting five years of his life to that art.
Mr. Bailey was then called to public service in his appointment in 1893 to the office of supervisor of the Clarinda State Hospital for the Insane, in which capacity he rendered valuable service for five years, at the end of which time he was made steward of the institution. For three years he acted in that capacity, at the expiration of which time he connected himself with the Clarinda Poultry, Egg & Creamery Company, establishing the creamery department. This he conducted as superintendent for three years, during which time he was giving much thought to conditions con- nected with the dairy interests and the development of kindred business lines. IJe then took up the general agency of a creamery separator and soon afterward decided that the same could be made in Clarinda as well as elsewhere. Becoming interested in the separator idea, he completed one and though the first product of his genius in that direction may have been some- what crude he 'built another and improved upon the machinery and since that time he has made various improvements until today after many years of suc- cessful separator building he is well known as the inventor and patentee of a number of cream separators all over the United States. Perhaps no one man has done more to improve and make perfect the centrifugal force cream separators than Mr. Bailey. He has also been successful in placing thou- sands of separators on the market and his name is, therefore, widely known among dairy farmers everywhere. He has perfected the Monarch and the Clarinda separators, both of which are manufactured in Clarinda, where the company now has an extensive and well equipped plant. They also have a house in Kansas City, Missouri, operating under the name of the Independent Manufacturing & Supply Company, of which Mr. Bailey is the president. He is likewise a director of the Lisle Manufacturing Com- pany of Clarinda. He is a man of firm purpose, of undaunted enterprise and of keen discrimination in business affairs, and these qualities have enabled him to win success along well defined lines of labor, while at the same time his work has been of material benefit and assistance to the dairy- men of the country.
Not alone in business lines have his labors been of far-reaching ben- efit for in other ways as well he has done work which has been beneficial in promoting the best interests of Clarinda. In April, 1909, he was elected mayor of the city for a term of two years and is, therefore, the present chief executive, in which connection he is exercising his official prerogatives for the best interests of the community, giving his influence to many constructive and regulative measures. He has also served as councilman from the fourth ward for the past five years. In politics he is a zealous republican, active in the party ranks, while his opinions and ideas carry weight in its councils.
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Pleasantly situated in his home life, Mr. Bailey was married to Miss Sadie G. Blair, of Greeley, Kansas, on the 21st of May, 1891. She is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel G. Blair, farming people, both now de- ceased. By her marriage she has become the mother of six children : Kath- erine M., Charles V., Ruth C., Theodore S., George L. and Elmore S. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey have an extensive circle of friends in the county and the hospitality of Clarinda's best homes is freely accorded them.
Mr. Bailey attained high rank in Masonry, having reached the thirty- second degree in the consistory. He is a past master of the lodge, a past high priest of the chapter and belongs to Des Moines Consistory and the Mystic Shrine of that city. In his life he exemplified the beneficent spirit of the craft, being in hearty sympathy with its principles of mutual helpfulness and brotherly kindness. In all of the multiplied activities of his fruitful life his energies, nieans and influence are thrown upon the side of justice, improve- ment and progress. Advancement might well be termed the watchword of his life. It is manifest in his business, his social and his public relations. He has wrought well for his day and for succeeding generations and seems to have accomplished at any point in his career the possibility for successful ac- complishment at that point.
FRANK G. MILLER.
Frank G. Miller, who at the present writing in 1909 is serving as town- ship trustee and is well known as a prosperous and progressive farmer of Tarkio township, his home being on section 17, dates his arrival in Page county from 1892. He bought a portion of his present property in 1902 and has since given undivided attention to its improvement and cultivation. He was born in Henry county, Illinois, July 20, 1869, and is a son of Swan and Charlotte (Olson) Miller, both of whom were natives of Sweden. They came to America after attaining adult age and were married in Illinois. In the spring of 1870 they removed to Saline county, Kansas, where Mrs. Miller passed away about 1879. The father still survives and is yet living in Kan- sas at the age of sixty-seven years. He is the owner of eight hundred acres of valuable land and is now most comfortably situated in a financial way.
Frank G. Miller was only a year old when the family removed to Kansas and in the common schools of the Sunflower state he mastered the branches of learning that usually constitute the curriculum. He came to Page county in 1802, when a young man of twenty-three years, and for ten years was employed at farm labor by Mrs. North. His broad. thorough and prac- tical experience during that period well qualified him to take charge of a farm of his own, when, in 1902, he bought eighty acres of his present home place on section 17, Tarkio township. Upon this farm he has since resided and in the fall of 1908 he purchased sixty acres adjoining the original tract, making his farm one hundred and forty acres in extent. Iowa land is naturally rich and arable and makes ready response to the care and labor
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bestowed upon it in generous harvests. Mr. Miller annually gathers abun- dant crops and is therefore meeting merited success in his undertakings. He is also a stockholder in the Farmers Savings Bank at Essex and is one of its directors.
On the election of O. W. Freed to the board of county supervisors, Mr. Miller was appointed to fill out the unexpired term of Mr. Freed as town- ship trustee to continue for a year and a half. On the expiration of that period he was regularly elected to the office and is now serving for the second term, capably discharging the duties which are incumbent upon him in this position. His political endorsement is given to the republican party and he is in sympathy with the main planks in its platform and with the policy advocated by the party leaders.
On the Ist of June, 1899, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Anna Kampe, by whom he has had three children, two of whom are now living, Ina Viola and Agnes Milree. The parents are members of the Luth- eran church and their many good qualities have gained them an enviable so- cial position, while their own home, which is a most hospitable one, is a favorable resort with their many friends.
JOHN W. BEHM.
Jolin W. Behm, resident manager of the Shenandoah yards of the Green Bay Lumber Company, was born in Dauphin, Pennsylvania, on the Ioth of August, 1877. His parents, William and Sally C. (Hocker ) Behm, were also natives of the Keystone state, born in Dauphin and in Cumberland counties, respectively. Soon after their marriage they removed westward to Iowa, settling in Clarinda, Page county, and in that vicinity the father was long engaged in farming, converting a tract of land into rich and productive fields, from which he annually gathered profitable harvests. He is now living retired, for his former activity and enterprise brought to him a gratifying competence. His wife passed away many years ago, her death occurring on the 16th of August, 1886.
John W. Behm was brought to Iowa in his infancy and his educa- tional opportunities were those offered in the Clarinda schools. Passing through consecutive grades as he mastered the branches of learning there- in taught, he was eventually graduated from the high school with the class of 1896. In the following summer he worked as a farm hand and in the fall of the same year secured a position as clerk in a grocery store in Clar- inda, where he was employed until June, 1898. Constrained by a spirit of patriotism, he then offered his services to the government and enlisted as a soldier in the Spanish-American war, becoming a member of Company M, Fifty-first Iowa Volunteer Infantry, on the 14th of June, 1898. He was sent with his regiment to San Francisco, California, whence he embarked for the Philippines on the 3d of November. There in those oriental islands he saw service under Generals Hale, McArthur, Wheaton and King. The
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regiment landed on the 2d day of February, 1899, in time to participate in the engagements caused by the second outbreak of the Philippinos. Mr. Behm was shot in the battle at Quinga, receiving his wound before he had had a chance to fire his gun. Because of his injuries he was confined in the hospital from the 23d of April until the 4th of June. He took part in nine engagements altogether, while his regiment participated in six other battles while he was unfit for field duty because of his wound. On the return trip they landed at San Francisco, October 22, 1899, and Mr. Behm was mustered out on the 3d of November following, having done active, faith- ful and valiant duty in defense of American interests.
Returning home on the Ist of April, 1900, Mr. Behm accepted a posi- tion with the Green Bay Lumber Company as yard man at Braddyville. There he continued until the 20th of August, when he was transferred to Shenan- doah as yard man and bookkeeper, while recognition of his ability won him promotion to the position of resident manager at Shenandoah on the Ist of January, 1903. For more than six years he has now continued in this position and his close attention to business, his energy and stalwart purpose make him a leading business man of the city and a valued representative of the company. He is most capable in the management of the affairs of the company and has succeeded in building up and holding a good trade in Shenandoah.
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