USA > Iowa > Pottawattamie County > History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Containing a history from the earliest settlement to the present time biographical sketches; portraits of some of the early settlers, prominent men, etc. > Part 67
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now is finely improved, and contains 280 acres, 200 of which are under cultivation. It is also well stocked with a fine lot of high- grade cattle, as well as horses. There are also ten acres of grove and orchard. He has been a member of the I. O. O. F. for forty years, and one of the charter members of Lodge No. 10, Michigan. The first year of his residence in Avoca, he built the German store of G. Diederich, the original bank building, the residence of Frank Watterman. lumberman, also the present residence of M. Sieffert, of the firm of Sieffert & Weise, lubmer merchants. Besides these he built several other smaller houses.
GEORGE E. SMITH, farmer, P. O. Avoca. was born in Andover. Merrimack Co., N. H .. April 26, 1837, son of John G. Smith, born in Rutland County, Vt., is about sixty-eight years old, and living in Portage County, Wis. : his mother is also living. Subject was edu- cated in New Hampshire; went to Portage County, Wis .. with his parents, in 1852. liv ing there until he went West, in 1857. and has always followed farming; his father also has been a farmer since leaving New Hamp- shire; previous to that, he was a blacksmith. Subjeet married, in 1859, Mrs. Clarissa Wheeling, born in Ohio, daughter of William Pierce. They have four children-two boys and two girls. Mrs. Smith had one child by her first husband. Subject came to this county in the fall of 1857, settling on Silver Creek. He stayed a year, when he went to Denver, Colo. Returning to this State in 1859 he spent the winter in Guthrie County moving into this township in August, 1860, settling on Section 22, his present place. He first bought eighty acres of land, part from Dowler and part from Pierce, paying about $2.50 per acre. He now owns 200 acres, on which he raises corn and stock. feeding from fifty to 180 head of cattle a
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year. On August 13, 1862, he enlisted in Company E, Twenty - third Iowa Infantry Volunteers, Col. Kinsman, of Council Bluffs, , omy, and belongs to the Greenback party. in command; served three years; was mus- tered out August 13, 1865, at Harrisburg, Texas; was taken prisoner at Fort Gibson, Miss., May 1, 1863; was in Libby Prison eighteen days, when he was exchanged and taken to City Point, on James River; was wounded at Fort Blakely, Ala., April 7, 1865; from this point he went into Texas to take charge of some cotton on the Colorado River. On May 8, 1882, his house burned down, causing the loss of nearly all his household goods, but he has rebuilt; the house, which is a fine one, cost $1,012.50 above the foun- dation. There is a fine orchard on the farm, and a good barn. He also has considerable property in Dakota, two of his sons being lo-
cated there. All that Mr. Smith has he has made in this county, by hard work and econ-
P. WIESE, druggist, Avoca, born in Prus- sia in 1851, emigrating to America in 1868 and settling in Davenport, this State; had no settled business until he came to Avoca, when he started in the drug business, buying out the stock of J. J. Hipsley, one of the first druggists here; came here in 1870; farmed for some time near Avoca. and went into the drug business in the fall of 1SS0; carries a stock of about $5,000, including paints, oils, etc. Subject was married, in this county, in 1874, to Miss D. Peters, who came from the old country about the same time subject did. They have three children. He has al- ways voted the Republican ticket.
LAYTON TOWNSHIP.
B. F. BIXBY, ticket and express agent for , Valparaiso, and while there he assisted in res- the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, cuing the Captain of the ship Florida who was imprisoned by the city authorities. After a period of six years in California, where he was engaged in mining, he returned in 1859. Moved to Madison County, this State, where he remained until 1864. when he enlisted in Company E, Forty-seventh Iowa Infantry. Served until the close of the war. Returned to Madison County and engaged in specula- tion. Moved, in 1868. to Dallas County, where he was employed by the Chicago. Rock Island & Pacific Railrod, and now has full charge of the depot at Walnut. Subject was married, in Winterset, Madison County. this State, in September, 1839, to Mary A. Horn- back, born in Indiana in May, 1842, daughter of Abraham and Martha Cornell. be born on Scioto River, Ohio. in 1802, she in 1804. Mr. Walnut ; born in Norridgewock, Me., June 17, 1828, son of Rufus and Betsey (Weston) Bix- by, he a farmer, born at Norridgewock in 1796, participated in the war of 1812. and is still living ; she, born in Madison, Me., in 1798, died April 17, 1882. They had fourteen chil- dren, viz., Mary, Solomon E., Llewyn, Caroline N., William W., Ann L., Elizabeth, Lyman Munson, Munson, Lyman, A. B., Sarah A., Ann L. and B. F., our subject, who received an aca- (lemic education, attending the Bloomfield and Brunswick Academies of Maine, graduating from the latter in 1851. Commenced life as a school-teacher. following the profession from the time he graduated until 1832; when the gold fever broke out, he left home for Califor- nia, going by way of Chili, making a stop at
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and Mrs. Bixby have five children, viz., Frank- lin, William R., Mintie M., Derrick Lloyd and Bessie. Subject is a member of the Presby- terian Church, a Republican, and his brother William W. is a civil engineer and surveyor ; surveyed the route of the Northern Pacific Railroad from St. Paul to Puget Sound, W. T. His brother Solomon E. is a pastor of a Con- gregational Church in Holland, Mass.
CHARLES A. BROWN, confectioner and news dealer. Walnut ; born in Lakeville, Conn., May 23, 1854, son of Albert H. and Caroline (Saunders) Brown, he a carpenter, born in Lakeville, Conn .. June 10, 1832, she born in Lakeville, Conn., June 18, 1832; has three children, viz., Charles A., Jennie E., born May, 1861. and Sadie, October, 1865. Subject at- tended the graded school at Sheffield, Ill., from 1859 to 1872. at which time he, with his par- ents. moved to this county, where he com- menced life on a farm, and married, at Walnut, December 25, 1877, Laura N. Work. born in Sheffield, Bureau Co., Ill., August 18, 1858 daughter of J. M. and Martha Work, both born at Williamstown, Vt., in 1832. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have one child-Grace E., born Novem- ber 19, 1880. Subject canvassed this State in 1879 for McCabe's " History of the World," which took him a little over a year, when he engaged in the loan and insurance business in Walnut. He is a Republican, and cast his first vote for R. B. Ilayes ; is an Odd Fellow, and a direct descendant of Lord Eli Brown, heir of Brown Castle, Wales.
M. B. DARNELL, P. O. Walnnt, was born May 19. 1827, in Champaign County, Ohio. Emigrated with his father's family, in 1839, to Haneoek County. Ill. Attended the district school until he was in his seventeenth year, when he attended a seminary for about one year in Carthage, Ill. He had formerly at- tended a very good village school, taught by Miner R. Deming, in a small town called St. Mary's. Deming received a General's commis-
sion, and commanded the anti-Mormon forces which succeeded in arresting Joseph and Hiram Smith. As a result of the intimacy which existed between Mr. Darnell and the General in consequence of having been his pupil, he procured for him without his knowl edge, a Lieutenant's commission from Gov. Thomas Ford, and was at once placed on his staff, and did duty as such officer throughout the entire campaign, and, a few hours after the troops were discharged, he was, by a mere co- incidence, present at the jail and witnessed the killing of Joe and Hiram Smith. Was also present when a deputation of Mormons came to the jail and removed the bodies to Nauvoo. He was also a participant in all the "wars" (as they were denominated) which were organ- ized for the purpose of ridding the country of the presence of the Mormons. The 27th of March, 1850, he was united in marriage to Martha Craig, a lady of Southern birth, but residing then in Jacksonville. Ill. Has had four children, the eldest of whom is a daugh- ter. One son, Murray A., who was a boy of unusual promise, just after he had obtained his education, lost his life by an unfortunate acci- dent at Sioux Falls. Dak., at the age of twen- ty-four years, which has cast a permanent shadow over the remainder of subject's life. Having been elected to the office of Justice of the Peace when only a few days over twenty- one years of age, he discharged the duties of the office for a time, and formed an idea that he would like the law ; consequently removed to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and read law with Col. A. H. Bereman, now of Breckenridge, Colo. Was admitted to the bar in 1834, before R. P. Lowe. then Judge of the First District. He at once formed a partnership with Mr. Bere- man, and remained in the practice until the second year of the war, when he enlisted in the First Iowa Cavalry. Was with the regi- ment about four weeks at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, when Mr. Bereman, who had received
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a Captain's commission in the Eighteenth United States Infantry, and was with the regi- ment at Camp Thomas at Columbus, Ohio, wrote subject that if he would get transferred into the Eighteenth United States Infantry, he had assurances from Col. Carrington that in the near future he would get subject a Lieuten- ant's commission, and consequently was trans- ferred by an order of Gen. Curtis, and, upon ar- riving at Camp Thomas, Ohio, he found that the promise made to Mr. Bereman in his behalf was but a ruse to get his regiment supplied with competent men as First or Orderly Sergeants. He accepted that position, and served for about two years. He was under command of Gen. Buell, and was discharged for disability at Louisville, Ky., directly after Bragg's raid on that city. Returning to his home in Mt. Pleasant, he found his practice gone and the profession very full, consequently he moved to Cass County, lowa, and made a farm, arriving there in May, 1864. He removed from there to Pottawattamie County in March, 1873, when he again engaged in farming, three and a half miles from Walnut, dividing his time between the farm and a limited law practice in Walnut and before country Justices in Cass, Shelby and Pottawattamie Counties. On the 4th of last March, he rented his farm, bought property in Walnut, opened an office, and is now engaged exclusively in the practice. Dur- ing his residence in the county, he delivered a number of agricultural addresses, having de- livered about half of them before the Cass County Society since its organization ; one at Avoca three years ago. He had also delivered orations on the Fourth of July at Atlantic, Avoca and Carson, and, during the campaign which has just closed, he made more speeches for the amendment than any other man in the east end of the county, closing the campaign before an immense audience at the Presbyterian Church on Sunday night before the election. It is the proudest recollection of his life that
he was early identified with the anti-slavery cause. The Republican party came into exist- ence in his boyhood. He at once espoused it, and was identified with the party from its birth. and contributed all he could in its be- half. He was editor and publisher of a paper called the Republican News from June, 1859, for the period of one and a half years. and sold out at a profit. He remained with the party until 1873, when he went off in the Greeley movement, and is out of politics to- day. Ile has one among the finest homes in this city, and is taking it as comfortable as he can. Although not living continuously in the State, it is now nearly forty-three years since his boyish feet trod the soil of Iowa, having been in Keokuk in 1839. During his residence in Mt. Pleasant, he was twice its Mayor, while they were building the Burlington & Missouri Railroad and the insane asylum. Saw the first dirt thrown on the Burlington & Missouri Railroad at Burlington in 1854, and the first stone laid in the foundations of the asylum at about the same time. He has believed ever since the war, that there was silently develop- ing in the Government an antagonism between capital and labor, and that such tendency, con- nected with the well-known degeneracy and corruption of politics, is becoming a perma- nent menace to the institutions of our country. He believes that reform is wonderfully neces- sary in order to preserve the liberties and well-being of the people.
E. R. IHINCKLEY, capitalist, Walnut. It is difficult sometimes to estimate the worth to a community of a leading or master spirit. In the personal mention of some of the citizens of Layton Township, it is our object to give credit only to those to whom credit is due. It is al- most unanimously conceded by the citizens of the northeast corner of Pottawattamie County that Mr. E. R. Hinckley has been the agitator of almost every movement which has resulted in the general welfare of the citizens of Layton
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Township. Mr. Hinckley is a native of Barn- Mr. Hinckley has for several years done an ex- tensive business in this line, and is still actively engaged in it. Having acquired a competency, he is now endeavoring to dispose of most of his real estate, and put his business in such shape as to require the least care. Almost every pub- lie institution in Walnut has received liberal donations from him, and, indeed, the town it- self owes its existence to his enterprise and good financiering. But few people are so fort- unate as MIr. Hinckley in tracing their ances- tral lineage back to English origin. If it is any honor to be able to trace one's ancestry back to the early part of the fourteenth century and find that one is a lineal descendant of a line of ancestry of which he may well be proud, then that pleasure or honor is his. The year 1327 is the earliest record of the family found in Eng- lish history. Gov. Hinckley, of the Plymouth Colony, was one of their family, and is in the line of ancestors of our subject. The family were among the early and prominent settlers of the New England States, and the name, so far as the reputation of E. R. Hinckley is concerned, has lost none of its luster, nor will it, as he is a man whose habits and principles are founded upon motives of right and justice. When the best citizens of a community have only praise to offer to the name and principles of a man, that man is usually deserving of all that may be said in his favor. This is the position held by Mr. Hinckley among the citizens of Layton and surrounding townships, and it is only due to him to say that he has earned the position by just and honorable measures. stable County, Mass. He was born on Septem- ber 10, 1823, and at the age of eleven years be- came a resident of the city of Boston, by the re- moval of his parents. There he received a good literary education, and continued a resident of that city until his twenty-sixth year, when he went to New York City, and for the following six years he was a successful operator on Wall street. Removing to Chicago, he made his home in that city until 1869 ; the following year he spent in Atlantic, Iowa, and in 1870 he located at the point where the thriving little town of Walnut now stands, the founding and building- up of which has been mainly due to his energy and enterprise, and a history of which will be found in the history of Layton Township. When Mr. Hinckley located in Layton Township he was alone on a wild prairie, and so far as neigh- bors were concerned, they were almost as scarce as Enoch Arden's, and he could feel something of the spirit of that unfortunate character of Tennyson's when he counted himself monarch of all he surveyed. Opening a land office for the sale of lands granted to the C., R. I. & P. Railroad, Mr. Hinckley entered upon a very suc- cessful business career in the West. He soon became largely interested in real estate on his own account, and also in buying and grazing stock, and there has not been a time since that he has not owned one or more herds of cattle, and both improved and wild lands. In 1875, in company with his son, he engaged in a general banking business in Walnut. This, however, was in addition to his other busi- ness. In 1880, they sold the bank to Mr. J. H. PETER KOLL, implements, Walnut, is num- bered among the early settlers of Walnut. He is a native of the northern part of Germany, and remained a resident of his native country until he was seventeen years of age. His early life was spent on a farm, though he received a good education in his native country. He settled first { in the eastern part of Iowa after arriving in the Henry, and since then have purchased large tracts of land in Northern Iowa, the most of which is located in Pocahontas County. Mr. E. R. Hinckley is spending most of his time in the development of these interests, and is at present opening five farms, and has a herd of 500 cattle. Becoming interested in the busi- ness of loaning money for Eastern capitalists, , United States. Being wholly dependent upon
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his own resources, he began work at almost any- thing that promised a reasonable compensation. He was industrious and economical, and grad- ually improved his prospect of securing a com- fortable property. In 1874, he became a resi- dent of Pottawattamie County. He settled in Walnut, and for about two years he did a bar business. He has proved himself to be a good business manager. He now owns a farm in Clinton County, Iowa, and has built two good buildings in Walnut, one of which is known as Koll's Hall, and the other is his residence. The two were built at a cost of $5,000. In 1866, he made a visit to his native country, and returned the same year. He is now largely interested in the agricultural implement business, in which he is doing an extensive business. He is a member of the order of A. O. U. W., Lodge No. 194, of Walnut. He is also a member of the order of L. of H. Lodge, No. 122, of Walnut. Politically. he has led a quiet life ; is by no means an office-seeker, preferring to attend to his business interests rather than to hold an office. Mr. Koll has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Christina Kaufmann, to whom he was married in 1867, and who died in 1877. Three children are living of this "marriage- Henry, Peter and Therese. In 1878, he mar- ried Miss Catharine Kaufmann, sister of his first wife, both ladies natives of Germany. There have been no children born of the last marriage.
WILLIAM H. LINFOR, insurance agent, Walnut, born in England April 25, 1841, son of William and Diana (Eseby) Linfor; he, a retired farmer, born in England August 25, 1801, emigrated to Ottawa, Ill., in 1849, bought a tract of 360 acres of land, lived upon it until 1880; was one of the first settlers of the south- east part of La Salle County, Ill., and, during the first five years, he labored under great dis- advantages, being twenty-five miles from mar- ket; she, born in England on June 22, 1805, died March, 1880. They had four children,
viz., John, William H., Sarah and Robert. Subject received a common school education in his native village until he was fourteen years old, afterward attending high school at Ottawa, Ill., until he was sixteen years old; commenced life farming on the homestead, and married in Illinois, February 22, 1865, Sarah J. Naugle, born in Cayuga County, N. Y., March 30, 1841, daughter of Garnet and Mary Jane Naugle. Mr. Linfor is the father of seven children, viz. Cora, William, Robert, Charles, Claud, Frede- rick and Clara. Subject is a member of the Episcopal Church, a Democrat, an Odd Fellow, a member of the 1. O. U. W., and moved to Wheeler's Grove, this county, in 1869, pur- chased 180 acres of land, continued farming it until 1874. when he sold out, moved to Walnut and engaged in the real estate and insurance business. In 1875, he was elected Justice of the Peace of Layton Township, which office he filled until 1881; in 1877, he was elected Super- visor of this county, and was the first Mayor of Walnut, holding that office for three consecu- tive terms. Subject's wife died at Walnut January 11, 1875; in September. 1877, he mar- ried Ladema A. Taylor, daughter of William and Betsy Taylor, of Tama County, Iowa.
MARK PEATT, miller, Walnut, born in Dexter, Mich., April 20, 1832. son of Thomas and Loram (Brown) Peatt, he a farmer, carpen- ter and miller, born in West Chester County, N. Y., and she, also born in New York, died in 1841. They had four children, viz., Sarah, Turzy, Eugenia and our subject, who received a common school education; commenced life as a miller, and continued as such with the excep- tion of three years, when he was in the mer- cantile business at Dexter, Mich .; married, in Manchester, Mich., December 29, 1853, Mary Ann Boyden, born in Pittsfield, Mass., October, 1832, daughter of Pomeroy and Abigail (Ayers) Boyden, both born in Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Peatt have three children, viz., Ada I., born September 7, 1853; Erastas B., born
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January 13, 1859, and Eva, November 30, 1866. Mr. Peatt has been an active member of the Methodist Church since 1838, is a Re- publican, a Freemason, a member of the 1. O. U. W., and a member of the Legion of Honor.
JOIN SCHLOTFELDT, hardware mer- chant, Walnut, born in Clinton County, Iowa, March 6, 1860, son of Jacob C. and Catharine M. Schlotfeldt; he. a farmer, born in Germany October 9, 1829, and she, also born in Germany October 9, 1829, bad four children-Henry F., born January 21. 1866; Rudolph, born No- vember 7, 1867; Louis, born March 7, 1868. and John. Subject attended a district school in Scott County, this State, for three winters, and this is all the education he ever received; commenced life by clerking in a dry goods store in Walnut; is a member of the Lutheran Church; a Republican and an Odd Fellow. Subject hired out to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail- road Company as a trackman, receiving for his labor $1 a day; out of this small amount he sent his brothers to school. In 1880, he hired as clerk with Green Bros., hardware merchants in Walnut, and, in 1882, he started a hardware store of his own in Walnut.
WILLIAM M. SMILEY, farmer, P. O. Wal- nut. born in Clearfield County. Penn., Septem- ber, 1808, son of Samuel and Elizabeth Smiley; he, born in Ireland in 1764, died in 1824; she, born in Ireland in 1768, died in 1835. They
had four children, viz., David, William M., Su- san and Elizabeth. Subject received a com- mon school education : commenced life as a farmer, and married, in Clearfield County, Penn .. April 15, 1830, Jane Glassglow, born in Hun- tingdon County, Penn., September 12, 1812, daughter of John and Jane Glassglow, both born in Blair County, Penn. Mrs. Smiley had eight children, viz., Elizabeth J., born August 4. 1834; Hannah, born May 28, 1838; David, born August 14. 1841; John, born July 6, 1843; Denisha. born June 16, 1848; Emily. born September 12, 1851; Susannah, born Feb- ruary 12, 1853. and William M., born Decem- ber 12, 1859. Subject is an active member of the Presbyterian Church. a Republican, and when twenty-two years old, he commenced farming on the old homestead, and all the property he possessed in his own right was one horse : took care of his parents until their death. when the property was sold, except the homestead, and he received $200 as his share, continuing on the homestead until 1868. when he moved to Cedar County, this State, where le purchased 160 acres of land, living there until March 4, 1875, when he moved to Wal- nut, this county, and purchased 240 acres of land, where he now resides. On October 10, 1872, his wife died, and, on October 7, 1875. he married Clara A. Guiar, born March 2, 1842.
LEWIS TOWNSHIP.
CHRISTIAN HENRY BECK, farmer, P. O. Alsace, Germany, in 1845, daughter of Jacob Council Bluffs, born in Holstein, Germany, and S. Young, both natives of Alsace, Ger- many. Mr. and Mrs. Beck are the parents of the following children. viz. : Ferdinand, Laura. Margaret, Rosa, Frederick, Gotlieb, Johanna. Christina, John and Adolph. Subject is a School Director, a member of the Lutheran Church. a Democrat ; and came to this county August 22, 1827, son of A. H. and Elziaba (Keckbuseh) Beck, both born in Holstein, Ger- many. They had ten children, five girls and five boys. Subject was educated in Germany ; commenced lile as a farmer, and married in this county in June, 1859. S. Young, born in
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in 1856 ; commenced farming and stock-rais- ing ; lives on Section 10, this township; owns 340 acres of good farming land, and came here a poor man, but by close application to busi- ness he has made himself a " solid man," and is certainly one of the best farmers in Lewis Township.
A. DIXON, farmer, P. O. Council Bluffs, was born in Ohio in 1840, and emigrated to Iowa in 1859, being employed about twelve years on Des Moines Valley Railroad. In 1871, he moved to this county, and went to farming. Bought his place in 1875, and the next year moved to it. Ile was married, July 20, 1863, in Keokuk, Iowa, to Miss Marilla Jane Wells, born in Missouri in 1843. They have had eight children, seven now living-four boys and three girls. Mr. Dixon began railroading, when about sixteen, in Ohio, and kept it up till he began farming in Pottawattamie County. His father, Jacob Dixon, was a miller by trade; he died in the army in 1862, having gone out with the cavalry from Missouri-Col. McKee. His mother is still living in Iowa. He has always been Democratic. Belongs to Bluff City, No. 71, Masonic fraternity, becoming a Mason first at Keokuk, Iowa. When coming to his place, it was wild land with no improve- ments whatever. Mr. Dixon has given fruits of various kinds a trial, and has been rewarded with success-blackberries, grapes, plums, etc., of small fruits; and, besides these, he has peaches measuring two and a half inches in diameter and well flavored ; apples four inches in diameter. Such is the success in a country where the theory has been that fruit could not be raised.
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