USA > Iowa > Poweshiek County > History of Poweshiek County, Iowa: a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. II > Part 30
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HISTORY OF POWESHIEK COUNTY
tained gratifying results from his labors. He specializes in raising hogs for the market and is highly successful in raising cereals.
On the 4th of July, 1865. Mr. Ohmart was married to Miss Martha M. Charles, a daughter of Abraham and Ruth (Bufkin) Charles, of Jefferson county, Iowa, and to this union two children were born: Charles O., who is living at home and Bertha M., who is deceased. The mother of these children died Au- gust 23, 1878, and Mr. Ohmart was again married on the 6th of November, 1882 to Miss Mary E. Bechtel, who was born in Van Buren county November 10, 1851, a daughter of Stephen and Martha ( Mizner) Bechtel. The father was born at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1816, and the mother at Ithaca. New York, May 12, 1819. They were married in Ohio and arrived in Van Buren county, Iowa, in 1840, where they continued during the remainder of their lives. Mr. Bechtel served as a member of the Home Guards at the time of the Civil war. He gave his support to the republican party and filled the office of town- ship clerk, also serving as township trustee for ten years. He was steward and class leader of the Methodist church and an active worker in religious causes.
Francis M. Ohmart, of this review, cast his first ballot when a soldier of the Union army, voting the republican ticket, and he has discovered no reason potent enough to cause him to transfer his political allegiance to any other party. He has always discharged his duties as a citizen or in business affairs with prompt- ness and fidelity, according to his best judgment, and he is greatly respected in a section where he has been known for more than a third of a century. It is much to his credit that those who have known him the longest are his closest friends. The prosperity which he enjoys is the result of his own well directed enterprise, as he has indeed been the architect and the builder of his own fortune.
ISAAC H. SAUNDERS.
Isaac H. Saunders is the owner of an excellent farm of ninety-seven acres in Union township, and while giving his attention to agricultural pursuits he also fills the position of county supervisor. He was born at Forest Home, lowa, March 20, 1859, his parents being Aaron A. and Harriet E. (Dudley ) Saunders, both of whom were natives of Greene county, Ohio, the former born May 13, 1820, and the latter on the 16th of April, 1830. Their youthful days were passed in their native county and there their marriage was celebrated. In the spring of 1851 they came to Poweshick county and settled on section 21, Union township. where Mr. Saunders entered an eighty acre claim. With characteristic energy he began to break the sod and develop his fields, and as the years passed on he ex- tended the boundaries of his place. eventually becoming the owner of an excel- lent property of two hundred and seventy acres.
On the journey westward from Greene county, Ohio, he and his family had traveled by boat from Cincinnati down the Ohio river and up the Mississippi. The boat was wrecked at the Keokuk rapids and they lost everything that they had. They were landed on the Illinois side and had to wait for a boat to get them across. It cost more to get passage over the river to Burlington than they had
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paid for the trip from Cincinnati. The mother walked from Burlington to Kco- kuk county, as did all of the children who were old enough to do so. Their lot here in the early days was that which usually fell to the pioneers. llardships and difficulties were to be borne in reclaiming the wild land, but in time their labor was rewarded by bounteous harvests and their property became valuable, owing to the care and cultivation which they bestowed upon the place.
The death of Aaron A. Saunders occurred November 19, 1880, while his wife survived him until the 4th of February, 1899. They were both active members of the Christian church and guided their lives by its teachings. In politics hie was a republican and took a helpful interest in political affairs, yet never sought nor desired office. Unto this worthy couple were born fifteen children, six of whom died in early life, while nine are now living : Samantha. the wife of Pleas- ant Hayes, of Montezuma ; I. S., a merchant living in Searsboro: James MI., a re- tired farmer residing in Searsboro: Nancy S., the wife of J. N. Marsh, of Monte- zuma : Robert A .. of Union township; Isaac H., of this review; Harry S., of Searsboro: Richard A., a merchant of Lorimor, Union county, Iowa ; and E. F .. who is living in Union township upon the land which his father entered from the government. He has in his possession the old patent signed by Franklin Pierce.
Isaac H. Saunders, born and reared on the old homestead, early became fa- miliar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. As soon as old enough to handle the plow he began working in the fields, alternating his labors with attendance at the country schools. After his marriage he left home and began farming on his own account, cultivating rented land for a number of years, during which time he carefully saved his earnings until the sum was suf- ficient to enable him to purchase his present home place on section 21, Union township. This is a tract of ninety-seven acres of land, naturally rich and arable, and the improvements he has placed upon it make it a valuable and desirable farm. It presents a neat and thrifty appearance and gives every indication of careful and progressive management on the part of the owner.
On the 16th of February, 1882, Mr. Saunders was married to Miss Ida Ter- rell, who was born in Union township, April 19, 1861, a daughter of Dr. C. C. and Martha A. (McCoy) Terrell, who came from Clinton county, Ohio, to Powe- shiek county in 1856. Here the father practiced medicine, living at Forest Home up to the time of his death, which occurred February 28, 1897, when he was about seventy-eight years of age, his birth having occurred May 30, 1819. He was a graduate of the Cincinnati Medical College and was well equipped for the onerous duties of his profession. His wife, who was born in 1822, had passed away May 23. 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Saunders became the parents of two children but Mur- rell, the elder, died in infancy. The daughter, Neola, is the wife of L. O. Miller, of Sugar Creek township, and they have two children : Grace, who was born Sep- tember 10, 1907; and Mabel, born February 8, 1910.
In his political views Mr. Saunders has always been an earnest republican and is recognized as one of the local leaders of the party. He served as town- ship trustee in Union township for twelve consecutive years, was also school treasurer for twelve years, and in 1906 was elected to the office of county super- visor, in which position he has been continued by reelection, his third term to begin on the ist of January, 1912. His first term was for two years and his next
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for three years. His reelections have come as an endorsement of his worth and ability in office and his loyalty to the trusts reposed in him. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias of Montezuma. In every relation of life he is found reliable and straightforward and his success in business has come as the legitimate and well merited reward of his energy and industry.
FREDERICK V. BEELER.
Frederick V. Beeler, a prominent farmer of Washington township, is a native of the township in which he now lives. He was born June 27, 1858, a son of George M. and Nancy (Carpenter) Beeler. The father was born in Morgan county, Indiana, and the mother in Kentucky. George M. Beeler came to Poweshiek county in 1849 and purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Washington township, following general farming and stock-raising with such success that he eventually acquired eight hundred acres of good land. He died May 3, 1886, the beloved wife and mother having been called away Janu- ary 12, 1885. Both he and his wife were prominent in the good works of the community and were valued members of the Society of Friends. In politics he gave his support to the democratic party and served for several terms as town- ship trustee.
To Mr. and Mrs. Beeler were born nine children: Susan, now the widow of Simon Watson, of Washington township; Mary Ann, the wife of William Gar- rett, also of Washington township; Ellen C., who married John S. Beeler, of Washington township, a record of whom appears elsewhere in this work; Jane, the wife of H. E. Vanderveer, of Texas; Levi, deceased; Frederick V .; Rob- ert and Sarah Dorcas, both of whom are deceased; and Clement, who is now living at Grinnell. The grandparents on the maternal side were Levi and Susan ( Moore) Carpenter, the former of whom was born October 14, 1797, and the latter June 14, 1798.
Frederick V. Beeler, of this review, was educated in the district schools of Washington township, and as he grew up assisted his father upon the home farm. At the age of twenty-two years he rented land upon his own account and two years later purchased one hundred and sixty acres, having previously in- herited eighty acres from the family estate. He is now the owner of a farm of three hundred and eight acres, which is highly valuable on account of its fer- tility and productiveness. He and his family live in a comfortable house and he has erected substantial outbuildings and made numerous other improvements. The neat and thrifty appearance of everything about the place indicates the thoughtful care and practical ideas of its owner.
On the 28th of December, 1881, Mr. Beeler was united in marriage to Miss Isabel Jenkins, who was born in Grinnell township, October 17, 1862, a daugh- ter of Nehemiah and Angeline (Ifibbs) Jenkins. The father was born at Morgantown, Virginia, December 14, 1828, and the mother at Williamsburg, Indiana, September 4. 1837. He removed to Indiana with his parents who located near Williamsburg. In 1849, after his marriage to Angeline Hibbs, he
MR. AND MRS. FREDERICK V. BEELER
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came to Poweshiek county. Two years later, yielding to the gold excitement, he went to California, but returned to this county in 1853 and became one of the well known farmers of Grinnell township. He died March 11, 1911, but his wife is still living at Vinton, lowa. Politically he gave his support to the democratic party and served as township trustee and school director. He was a valued member of the Masonic order. There were seven children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins: Ambrose, now living in Grinnell; Eldora, who is the wife of Walter Vanderveer, of Ames, Colorado; Isabel, now Mrs. Frederick V. Beeler; Mary, deceased: Edna, the wife of Clement Beeler; McClellan, also de- ceased ; and Nellie, the wife of Harry Pitman, of Vinton, Iowa. Two chil- dren have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Beeler : Nellie D., who is the wife of Floyd Breeden, of Colfax, Iowa, and who has one child; Lyle A. ; and Mary A .. the wife of George Manor, of Carrollton, Michigan, and the mother of one child, Mildred L.
In politics Mr. Beeler adheres to the democratic party as the one which, in his opinion, can best preserve the liberties of the people. He takes the interest of a wide-awake citizen in public affairs and has served several terms as town- ship trustee. Since his boyhood he has been actively engaged in farming in Poweshick county, and few have possessed more favorable opportunities for the acquiring of practical knowledge and the best methods than he. His personal worth has gained him the good will of his fellowmen and he has an extensive circle of friends, who have the greatest confidence in his integrity and ability.
NEWTON TYSON.
Newton Tyson, who is engaged in the carpenter business at Grinnell and is also the owner of valuable farming property, is a native of Ohio. He was born in October, 1862, a son of Hagerman and Matilda ( Thompson) Tyson, the former of whom was born in Vermont and the latter in Ireland. The father was reared as a farmer and came west to Illinois where he lived for twenty-two years, later taking up his residence in Fillmore county, near Lincoln, Nebraska. He died March 22, 1909, his wife having been called away five years previously.
Newton Tyson possessed advantages of education in the common schools and assisted his father in farm work, thus becoming thoroughly acquainted with the various details of agriculture and stock-raising. After leaving Illinois he lived at Stuart, Iowa, for fifteen months and then, in 1877, having become acquainted with the advantages of Poweshiek county, located on a farm in Grinnell town- ship, which he cultivated to good advantage for twelve years. He has made his home in Grinnell since 1899, and is engaged in the carpenter business. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of well improved land in Grinnell township and also a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Nebraska, having managed his affairs so ably that he now enjoys a handsome annual income.
In February. 1887, Mr. Tyson was united in marriage to Miss Delia Fox, a daughter of Aaron Fox, who was born in Ohio and later lived in Illinois and Iowa. One child, Matilda, who died in infancy, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Ty-
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son. A niece, Aletha Grinn, of Van Meter, Iowa, is a valued member of the family.
Mr. Tyson is liberal in his political views. He is in sympathy with the prin- ciples of the republican party, but in voting is not bound by party lines, especially in local elections. Socially he is well known and is an active member of the lodge of Knights of Pythias at Grinnell. He is a strong thinker and reasoner, a fine conversationalist, and is well informed upon all topics that interest a wide- awake and progressive man.
W. L. POWELL.
W. L. Powell is today the oldest merchant of Montezuma in years of con- tinuous connection with the trade circles of the city. He has a well appointed grocery establishment and his success has come to him by reason of his close application, watchfulness of trade conditions and honorable dealing. Mr. Powell is a native of Virginia, his birth having occurred in Charlottesville, on the 23d of May, 1841. His parents were Benjamin L. and Mary ( Vandegrift ) Powell, both of whom were natives of Albemarle county. Virginia, and there spent their en- tire lives, passing away in Charlottesville. The father was a merchant tailor.
WV. L. Powell was the eldest in a family of six children, five sons and one daughter. He remained at home until after the outbreak of the Civil war, when. in 1861, in response to the call of the Confederacy, he enlisted in defense of his loved southland, joining Company F. of the Nineteenth Virginia Regiment, which was assigned to General George E. Pickett's division. He served for four years, from May, 1861, until May, 1865, and took part in many hotly contested engage- ments, where his valor and loyalty never faltered. He was wounded in the battle of Fraziers Farm and again in the seven days' fight around Richmond, a minie ball injuring his left arm and hand. He was taken prisoner at Farmville, Vir- ginia, two days before the surrender at Appomattox. He was made first ser- geant on joining the army and on the reorganization of his company was elected lieutenant. For two years after the war Mr. Powell continued in the south and in 1867 made his way to Ohio, settling at Groveport, near Columbus, where he engaged in the saddlery and harness business from 1869 until 1879. In the lat- ter year he removed to Oskaloosa, Iowa, where he conducted a grocery store un- til 1881. In that year he came to Montezuma, where he has since been engaged in the grocery business, and is now the oldest merchant in this city. He owns his store building and also his place of residence. His business block is a two-story brick structure, in part fifty by twenty-two feet, while the remainder is eighty- two by twenty-two feet. His property and his store are the visible evidence of his well directed thrift and industry, for his success is attributable entirely to his own labors.
In 1870 Mr. Powell was united in marriage to Miss Lydia L. Weaver, who was born in Franklin county, Ohio, May 26, 1845, and there resided until her marriage, a daughter of Giles Weaver. Mr. and Mrs. Powell became the parents of four children who died in infancy and four who are still living, namely : Ben
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L., who is acting as clerk in his father's store; Holmes L., of Oklahoma : Ger- trude, the wife of E. D. Rayburn, cashier of the First National Bank of Monte- zuma : and Catharine V., the wife of John W. Bryan, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. On the 6th of November, 1907. the wife and mother died and on the 24th of Feb- ruary, 1909, Mr. Powell was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Virginia Farmer. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, to the Masonic lodge and to the Eastern Star and is in thorough sympathy wth the prin- ciples and purposes of the craft, which is based upon mutual helpfulness and brotherly kindness. His fellow townsmen recognize in him a reliable merchant and a worthy citizen and his success is proof of what may be accomplished when determination and energy lead the way.
SAMUEL OSBORN.
Samuel Osborn, who has been a resident of Poweshiek county since 1873 and during the greater portion of which time he has been engaged in agricultural pur- suits, was born in Worcestershire, England, on the 9th of February, 1857, and is a son of Samuel and Elizabeth Osborn. The father was a farmer and continued to be identified with that vocation until his death, which was caused by an acci- dent in 1859. The mother, who was born in the vicinity of Birmingham on the 20th of December, 1820, resided in England until 1873 at which time, accompa- nied by her daughter and son, Samuel, she joined her elder son, Frederick, who had located upon a farm in Poweshiek county two years previously. They ar- rived in Grinnell on the 24th of May, after spending six weeks on the boat, hav- ing come by way of New Orleans, and Mrs. Osborn immediately went to live on the farm of her son, with whom she continued to reside until his marriage. She subsequently made her home with her younger son until her death, in 1901, on the eighty-first anniversary of her birth.
Samuel Osborn, who was only an infant when his father died, was reared by his mother on the old homestead, acquiring his elementary education in the com- mon schools of the village, and following which he was sent to a boarding school in Somersetshire for a time. Coming to America with his mother at the age of sixteen he located on his brother's farm, in the cultivation of which he assisted for six years. In 1880 he bought eighty acres of land upon which he removed the following year, engaging in its operation for nine years. At the expiration of that period he went to Pleasant township, where he resided for a year and then returned to the old homestead in Malcom township, where he remained for two years. He then removed to a place west of Grinnell, remaining there until 1895. when he came to Grinnell and where he lived for three years. In 1898 he again returned to the old homestead, on account of his sons, continuing to re- side there until 1911, at which time he came back to Grinnell, where he is now living.
On the 20th of June, 1879, Mr. Osborn was united in marriage to Miss Cath- erine A. Gross, the ceremony occurring in Malcom township. Mrs. Osborn is a daughter of Andrew J. and Margaret (Starrett) Gross, the father a native of
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Pennsylvania and the mother of Ohio. Mr. Gross was also a farmer. Five chil- dren have been born of this union: Maggie E., who was the eldest, and who is deceased ; Maude J., who married Clarence S. Warne, a farmer of Villisca, Montgomery county, and has three children, Ray S., Keith L. and Esther, who is a baby ; Amy, the wife of Henry Eriksen, a farmer of Grinnell township, and who has one child, Maria H .; John S., a farmer, and also is married and lives on the old homestead; and William Jackson, unmarried, who lives with his brother, John, and assists in the cultivation of the home farm.
Mr. and Mrs. Osborn are members of the Congregational church and his political allegiance is accorded to the republican party. He has filled various minor offices in the townships where he has resided and is now serving as a school director in Grinnell township. General farming and stock-raising for many years engrossed the attention of Mr. Osborn, who is now living retired, having rented his farm, which contains one hundred and sixty acres of land, to his son. He is well known throughout the county in which he has resided for thirty-eight years and where he and Mrs. Osborn have many friends.
JOHN J. MINCER.
Beginning in his boyhood John J. Mincer, of Grinnell, acquired habits of application and self-reliance. He worked for a number of years for others, but since 1900 has been managing a business of his own and has shown an aptitude which has produced gratifying financial returns. He was born in Mahaska county, Iowa, February 19, 1863, a son of Jacob and Martha ( Marsh) Mincer. The father was a native of Richmond, Virginia, and the mother of Cincinnati, Ohio. About 1845 they started west, having decided to make their home in Iowa. There was no bridge across the Mississippi river at Burlington at that time and they were obliged to cross the river by boat. After a short stop in Monroe county they took up their permanent abode in Mahaska county, where Mr. Mincer lo- cated on government land. His death occurred February 12, 1873, the beloved wife and mother having died three years earlier.
John J. Mincer was reared on the home farm and acquired his early educa- tion in the district schools of the neighborhood. In January, 1874, being then less than twelve years of age, he came to Grinnell and since that time has made his own way in the world. For several years he worked at whatsoever he could find to do, but after arriving at the age of sixteen years he entered the employ of A. W. Thayer, who was in the restaurant business, and continued with him for two years. He then transferred his allegiance to George M. Christian, of the Chapin House, then the principal hostelry of the town. After three years' expe- rience at the hotel he worked for a year in the factory of Craver & Steele. About this time H. W. Spaulding began in the buggy manufacturing business and Mr. Mincer secured employment in the shops of this concern, continuing there for ten years. He then bought a restaurant in Grinnell and for the first time entered business upon his own account, being very successful and giving employment to cleven persons. However, on February 13, 1903, he opened a pool and billiard hall
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on Fourth avenue, but on account of the difficulty in securing employes at the restaurant he closed out that branch of his business and opened up a pool hall in a building at No. 827 Main street. On July 17, 1905, he removed his business from Fourth avenue to No. 922 Main street where he has one of the most modern and best conducted halls in central Iowa. At one time he had a hall at Monte- zuma, but has sold out there, and for some time was in charge of the similar es- tablishment at Malcom. He never drinks, smokes or chews and has endeavored to maintain a pool and billiard business along strictly business lines, and in the opinion of his friends he has succeeded admirably in doing so.
On the 14th day of October, 1884, Mr. Mincer was united in marriage to Miss Flora Baird, of Grinnell. Both he and his estimable wife are members of the Episcopal church, and he is an active supporter of all movements designed to promote the prosperity of the city. Politically Mr. Mincer is in sympathy with the democratic party, but is liberal in his views, and in local affairs is not re- stricted by party lines in voting. No man has a wider acquaintance in this sec- tion of the state and by his genial and pleasing address he has made a host of friends.
OSCAR MILTON MCNEAL.
The late Oscar Milton McNeal, who was one of the well known and success- ful agriculturists of Union township, was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on the Ioth of November, 1852, a son of Thomas and Minerva (Kreitzswitzer) McNeal, na- tives of Ohio. The father, who came to Iowa in his early manhood, located on a farm in the vicinity of Oskaloosa, which he improved and cultivated until the opening of the Civil war, when, responding to his country's call for volunteers, he enlisted and went to the front where he was killed. The mother, who still survives, is living in New Sharon, Iowa. They were both members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church and the father voted the republican ticket. Five children were born to them in the following order : George W., who is a resident of Union township; Oscar Milton, our subject ; Leona, the wife of W. F. McVey, of New Sharon, Iowa; Etta E., the wife of W. W. Garner, of Des Moines, Iowa ; and . Emma, the wife of John Seal, of Wichita, Kansas.
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