USA > Iowa > Poweshiek County > History of Poweshiek County, Iowa: a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. II > Part 70
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CHARLES E. SOWERWINE.
Charles E. Sowerwine is a wide-awake and enterprising agriculturist, own- ing and operating a tract of land of three hundred and twenty acres on section II. Warren township, constituting one of the best improved farms in the town- ship. His birth occurred on a farm three and a half miles north of Brooklyn, in Bear Creek township, Poweshiek county, on the 18th of November, 1868, his parents being John and Fannie (Searle ) Sowerwine, both of whom were of Ger- man descent. Christian Sowerwine, the paternal grandfather. served in the Continental army during the Revolutionary war.
John Sowerwine, the father of our subject, was born in Virginia and learned the trade of a blacksmith and wagon maker. In the spring of 1846 he came west, locating in Bear Creek township, Poweshiek county, Iowa, two miles northeast of Brooklyn, where his father. Christian Sowerwine, purchased two hundred acres of land. John Sowerwine resided on that farm until 1850. when he went Vol. II-35
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to California, remaining in that state for eight years. On the expiration of that period he returned to lowa and purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Bear Creek township, Poweshiek county, making his home thereon until the spring of 1888. At that time he took up his abode in Grinnell, where he worked as a blacksmith and wagon maker for three years and then removed to Brooklyn, Iowa. In 1903 he left that town and went to Newton, Iowa, where he has resided continuously since. His wife passed away in 1871, her demise oc- curring on the farm north of Brooklyn. John Sowerwine worked at his trade until 1907 but has enjoyed honorable retirement for the past four years. At the time of the Civil war, with five of his brothers, he offered his services to the Union. Four of them were accepted and enlisted but John Sowerwine proved disqualified because of a crippled arm. Nevertheless he served as a guard in the San Francisco harbor during the period of hostilities.
Charles E. Sowerwine spent the first seventeen years of his life under the parental roof, working for his father. Subsequently he was employed by the month as a farm hand for three years. In the acquirement of an education he had attended the district school and also studied for one year in the academy at Grinnell, Iowa. After attaining his majority he devoted his attention to the operation of a rented farm in Madison township for three years and also cul- tivated some land which had come into his possession as a part of his grand- father's estate. In 1892 he was married and sold his interest in the home farm. cultivating rented land in Warren township for the following three years. On the expiration of that period he bought a tract of eighty acres in Warren town- ship, carrying on his agricultural interests thereon until 1902. when he disposed of the property and purchased his present farm of two hundred and forty acres. In 1909 he extended its boundaries by an additional purchase of eighty acres, now owning a highly improved and valuable farm of three hundred and twenty acres on section II, Warren township. In addition to raising the cereals best adapted to soil and climate he feeds cattle, hogs, sheep and horses on an exten- sive scale, having a fine herd of registered Angus cattle and also a number of recorded Jersey Red hogs. He ships his stock to the Chicago market. His undertakings as an agriculturist have been attended with a gratifying measure of success and he well merits recognition among the substantial and representa- tive citizens of the community.
On the 2d of December. 1892, Mr. Sowerwine was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Grant, a daughter of Henry and Ellen ( Agerty ) Grant. The father. a farmer by occupation, was born and reared in Scotland and emigrated to America in 1849, locating at Buffalo, New York. The mother, a native of Ire- land, crossed the Atlantic to the United States in 1844. In September, 1854. Mr. and Mrs. Grant came to Iowa, locating one mile north of Victor, in Iowa county. They made the journey from Davenport to Koszta, Iowa county. on the same stage which carried J. B. Grinnell, who was at that time laying out the col- lege grounds at Grinnell. Iowa, and who tried to induce them to locate in Grin- nell instead of in Iowa county. In the year 1860 they took up their abode near Carnforth, in Warren township. Poweshiek county, while subsequently they re- moved to the old homestead on section 15, Warren township, where Mr. Grant resided until called to his final rest on the 3d of May, 1899. His widow then
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took up her abode in Victor, lowa, where she passed away on the 4th of August, 1909.
Mr. and Mrs. Sowerwine have three children, namely: John, Grace and Mary, all at home. The two last named attend district school No. 6 in Warren township. Mr. Sowerwine gives his political allegiance to the republican party and served for ten years as a member of the school boards of districts 1 and 6 in Warren township. At the present time he is a member of the board of dis- trict No. 6. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Congre- gational church at Hartwick, Iowa, to which his wife also belongs. Fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America at Victor. He has resided within the borders of Powe- shiek county from his birth to the present time and the record of his life cannot fail to be of interest to many of our readers,
NATHANIEL CATHERMAN.
Among Poweshiek county's self-made men who deserve much credit for what they have accomplished is numbered Nathaniel Catherman, a retired farmer now making his home in Brooklyn. A native of Pennsylvania, his birth occurred in Union county on the 27th of April, 1839, his parents being William and Chris- tina (Heise) Catherman. The father was descended from English ancestry and was a laborer by occupation, and also engaged to a limited extent in gar- dening, being the owner of a few acres of land. The mother was of German lineage and was a daughter of Martin Heise, who passed away when he was one hundred and seven years old. Both Mr. and Mrs. William Catherman were na- tives of the Keystone state and there spent their entire lives. In their family were ten children, five sons and five daughters.
Nathaniel Catherman, of this review, who was the fifth in order of birth, remained with his parents until seventeen years of age, and then began working in the pine woods of Clearfield county, in which connection he was engaged at the time of the Civil war. Putting aside all personal interests he enlisted in the Union army in 1865, becoming a member of the Twenty-ninth Pennsylvania Infantry, and with that command served for more than six months. He was then taken sick and was sent to Carver Hospital at Washington, D. C.
At the close of hostilities he was sent home but did not recover rapidly, and during a long period of convalescence was not able to resume his work in the lumber regions. Finally, in 1871, when again permitted to join the ranks of the laboring men, he came to Iowa and on the Ist of June of that year arrived in Brooklyn. He purchased a farm eight miles north of the town, in Madison township, upon which he at once took up his abode, and for more than thirty years thereafter gave to the cultivation of that property his undivided atten- tion. The methods which he pursued were practical and resultant and during the intervening years his land was brought under a high state of development, making it one of the valuable and well improved farms in that township.
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In 1902, feeling that the degree of prosperity which had come to him would permit of such a course, he withdrew from active work and came to Brooklyn, where he is now living in well earned retirement. He retains possession of his farm, however, which consists of a quarter section of land, and is the source of a gratifying annual income.
In the year 1866 Mr. Catherman laid the foundation for a happy home life by his marriage to Miss Sophia Smith, a native of Fairfield county, Pennsyl- vania, where she was born on the 25th of November, 1844. Her parents, George and Minerva (Graham) Smith, were lifelong residents of that state. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Catherman have been born five children, as follows: Hiram Addison, who resides in North Dakota and has five children; Emily Cordelia, the wife of Albert Lawrence, of Madison township, by whom she has one child; Mary El- mira, who married William Coolidge, of Tama county, and who is the mother of three children: Joanna, the wife of Charles McGrew, of Tama county, and the mother of three children; and Nora Blanchie, who wedded George Secoy, of Sidney, Ohio. There are twelve grandchildren in the family.
Politically Mr. Catherman is a republican, having cast his first vote for Lin- coln in 1860. Since that time he has supported that party in all presidential elec- tions. For forty years he has been a resident of Poweshiek county and during that time has gained the respect and confidence of all with whom he has had dealings. Few men start out in life under more inauspicious circumstances than did Mr. Catherman, and he therefore has every reason to be proud of the position of financial independence which he has attained. Without any educa- tional advantages whatever, for he was deprived even of the opportunity of learning to read and write, he has nevertheless utilized such opportunities as have come to him for advancement, and that his efforts were not without their reward is indicated by the degree of prosperity which is today his.
JAMES WAYNE COPELAND.
Agricultural pursuits have always engaged the attention of James Wayne Copeland, who has a fine homestead of one hundred and twenty-three and a half acres in Sugar Creek township. He was born in Henry county, Indiana, on the 19th of November. 1858, and is a son of William and Jane ( Rose) Cope- land, the father a native of North Carolina and the mother of Henry county, Indiana. When a lad Mr. Copeland migrated to Henry county, Indiana, from his native state with his father, Isam Copeland, and there pursued his education. For his vocation he chose farming which he followed in Indiana until 1864 when with his wife and family he came to lowa. He purchased a farm in Sugar Creek township, Poweshiek county, which he cultivated for about twenty years and then removed to Union township where he resided for seven years. Disposing of his interests he and his wife went to Lynnville, Jasper county, where they are now living retired. He votes with the republican party and the church affiliation of himself and wife is with the Society of Friends. Unto
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them were born three children: James Wayne; Oscar P., who is living in Des Moines, lowa ; and Ruth Emma, the wife of Alvin James, of Lynnville, Iowa.
After the completion of the common school course of Poweshiek county James Wayne Copeland attended the Lynnville Academy for a few terms. His vacations and such times as he was not engaged in school work were very largely given to assisting with the duties of the homestead. After laying aside his books he gave his entire time and attention to agricultural pursuits under the direction of his father until he was twenty-two. He then left the parental roof in order to begin working for himself. Three years thereafter he rented some land in Sugar Creek township which he cultivated for two years. In 1894 he purchased his present farm upon which he has wrought many improvements during the period of his occupancy. In connection with the tilling of his fields he also raises stock, making a specialty of Duroc Jersey hogs and graded shorthorn cattle.
On the 10th of February, 1884, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Cope- land and Miss Clara Jane McCalla, a daughter of Josiah and Mary ( Watkins) McCalla, of Union township. The parents were both natives of Ohio, the mother having been born in the vicinity of Jamestown. In the early years of their married life .they came to Poweshiek county, settling in Union township before the war. The father enlisted as a private during the Civil war and was killed in battle. The mother passed away in Union township on the 9th of May, 1888. Mr. McCalla was a republican in politics and both he and his wife held membership in the Christian church. Two children were born of their union : James, who is a resident of Sugar Creek township; and Clara Jane, now Mrs. Copeland, who was born in Union township on the 13th of November, 1861.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Copeland are identified with the Society of Friends, and he votes with the republicans. He is one of the widely known citizens of the township and by his honorable business transactions well merits the esteem and confidence reposed in him by his acquaintances.
ANDREW C. RINEFORT.
The name of Rinefort has been well known in Poweshiek county for more than forty years and Andrew C. Rinefort is one of the energetic and progressive members of the family. He was born on the homestead in Chester township, this county, November 7, 1871, a son of Christian and Lucinda ( Stromer ) Rine- fort, the former of whom was born near Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany, and the latter at Amsterdam, Holland. The father and mother both came to this country with their parents, the Rinefort family settling on a farm in Indiana near the Michigan line, while the Stromer family stopped for a while in New York city, Jater removing to Michigan City. Indiana. Christian Rinefort after reaching manhood came to Poweshiek county, Iowa, and purchased two hun- dred acres of land in Chester township, his brother, Andrew E. Rinefort. com- ing with him and buying one hundred and sixty acres in the same township. In 1869 the former brought his bride to this county and settled upon the farm, and,
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as the years passed, he became one of the most prominent men in this section. When he first arrived in Poweshiek county his sole possessions consisted of three hundred dollars and a team of horses. He became the owner, through his industry and good management, of five hundred and twenty acres of land in Poweshiek and Jasper counties.
Fraternally Mr. Rinefort was identified with the Masonic order. He was a man of warm heart and genial disposition and had a kindly greeting for every- body. His death occurred in 1882, the result of injuries sustained from being thrown from a mowing machine. The mother removed to Grinnell in 1883 and passed from earthly scenes in August, 1904. There were three children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Rinefort: Andrew C., the subject of this review ; Fred- erick L., who is an electrician and lives in Grinnell; and Louis H., who is en- gaged in the clothing business at Grinnell. All the farm lands and real estate owned by the father are now owned jointly by the three sons.
Andrew C. Rinefort was reared under the parental roof and acquired his education in the district schools and the Grinnell high school. At the age of seventeen he began as a clerk in the employ of the Adams China Company at Grinnell, and later was with the Grinnell Mercantile Company for about a year, when he resigned to pursue a course in the Elliott Business College at Burling- ton, Iowa. After completing a course at the college he returned to Grinnell and became identified with F. O. Proctor, the leading grocer of the city. About three years later, on account of the failing health of Mr. Proctor, Mr. Rine- fort was given the complete management of the business, which he conducted with most gratifying results. In 1900 he resigned and purchased a half interest in the hardware business of I. S. Bailey Jr., the title of the firm becoming Bailey & Rinefort. In connection with their hardware business they estab- lished a grocery and the two were handled conjointly. In 1905 Mr. Rinefort purchased the interest of his partner and conducted the business independently until the spring of 1908 when he sold out. On February 1, 1909, the firm of Rinefort & Wesco was organized and purchased the grocery business of Holmes & Gove. Mr. Rinefort continued with the new concern until February 1. 1911, when he sold out his interest to W. S. Roby, and since then he has not been ac- tively connected with any commercial enterprise.
On the 18th day of February, 1900, Mr. Rinefort was united in marriage to Miss Daisy McAttee. of Bloomfield, lowa, a daughter of Robert and Jennie C. (Baird) McAttee. The father was a prominent citizen of Davis county, Jowa, and served as county auditor and in other offices of responsibility. Two children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Rinefort: Foster Christian and Helen Catherine.
Mr. Rinefort and his wife are both members of the Congregational church and sincere believers in its teachings. Politically he gives his adherence to the republican party and although he has frequently been urged to do so he has never consented to become a candidate for public office. preferring to give his entire attention to his business affairs. Fraternally he is connected with Grin- nell Lodge, No. 175. K. P. He is a valued member of the Commercial Club of Grinnell and is always among the foremost in any movement tending to pro- mote the advancement of the city's welfare. A resident of the county during
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his entire life he is intimately identified with its interests and is known as one of the intelligent and wide-awake men of the community-a man of broad and comprehensive views, who lives not entirely for the present but recognizes in his life and work the claims of the future.
WILLIAM B. CRAWFORD.
The lifetime of William B. Crawford covered the Psalmist's allotted span of three score years and ten, and during that period he made wise use of his time and efforts, being numbered among Poweshiek county's substantial and respected citizens. He was born in Ohio, near Gallion, Morrow county, on the 22d of February, 1834, and his death occurred in Brooklyn, Iowa, May 24, 1905. His parents, John and Margaret ( Braden) Crawford, were also natives of Ohio. and there passed their entire lives on the old farm in Morrow county. Their family consisted of six children, of whom the subject of this review was the second in order of birth.
William B. Crawford spent the period of his boyhood and youth in Ohio and there acquired his education. He remained upon the old home farm until twenty-five years of age, and then, aroused by the spirit of adventure, went to Colorado at the time of the gold excitement at Pike's Peak, remaining in that region for about a year. He then came to Iowa, residing on a farm in Iowa county for a time, after which he made his way to Poweshiek county, where he located on a farm about two miles north of Brooklyn. Later he purchased a place seven miles north of town and there gave his attention to general farm- ing for a number of years.
He proved very successful in this line of activity and became a very exten- sive farmer, adding to his property holdings as he prospered until he was the owner of five farms of eighty acres each, or four hundred acres of finely im- proved and valuable land. Two of these farms are now in the possession of his widow, while the remaining four farms were divided among his children at the time of his demise. He continued in the cultivation of his property until about eight years ago, when the success which had come to him as the logical result of industry, close application and wise management of his affairs, enabled him to withdraw from active labor and he took up his residence in Brooklyn. He was not long permitted to enjoy the rest which he had so well merited, how- ever, for two years after his retirement he passed away, his death occurring on the 24th of May, 1905, when seventy-one years of age.
Mr. Crawford was well known in the locality in which he had so long made his home, and the high principles of manhood and citizenship which governed his life made him respected and esteemed by all who knew him. He was a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of which he was deeply, actively and helpfully interested, and fraternally held membership with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. In politics he was a republican and held sev- eral township offices. the duties of which he performed in a capable and public- spirited manner. He was entitled to wear the Grand Army button for he
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served in the Civil war for three years, enlisting from Iowa county and taking part in every engagement in which his regiment participated. He served until the close of hostilities and was lionorably discharged with a most creditable mili- tary record.
Mr. Crawford was twice married. In 1858, in Iowa county, Iowa, he wedded Mary Ann Davidson, whose death occurred on the farm north of Brooklyn. She was the mother of five children, namely: Ella Rogers, whose death occurred in Nebraska: John, residing eight miles north of Grinnell, in Poweshiek county; Mary, the wife of James Montgomery, a farmer located three miles north of Brooklyn; Wesley, whose home is nine miles north of this city; and Olive Kinsinger, who passed away in Tama county.
In 1884, after the death of his first wife, Mr. Crawford was united in mar- riage to Mrs. Gertrude (Happy) Ferguson, who was born in Columbia county, New York, on the beautiful Hudson river, June 16, 1837, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Plan) Happy, whose entire lives were passed in the Empire state. When fourteen years of age she removed with her parents to Ulster county, New York, and there was married to Alanson B. Ferguson, with whom she later came to Iowa, arriving at Davenport on the day on which President Lincoln was assassinated. In 1870 Mr. Ferguson died, and the two children of that marriage, Eugene and Adelaide, are also deceased, the former passing away at the age of six years and the latter at the age of five.
Mrs. Crawford continues her residence in Brooklyn, where she is well known, for she has gained for herself a wide circle of warm friends in this community by reason of her many excellent qualities of heart and mind.
MOSES ROBBINS.
There are few men in Iowa who have a more intimate knowledge of stock raising and feeding than Moses Robbins, who makes his home at Grinnell. His farm, known as the Lake View Stock Farm, is one of the noted places of the kind in the state and from it each year large shipments of cattle are made to the market. He has devoted his life since boyhood mainly to agriculture and stock-feeding and has attained an unusual degree of success. He comes of Revolutionary ancestry, for his great-grandfather, who was the grandfather of both his father and mother, they being second cousins, served as a colonel in the Revolutionary war.
The subject of this review was born in Mercer county, Illinois, January 16. 1858, a son of Gilmore and Lucinda ( Robbins) Robbins. The father was a na- tive of Pennsylvania and the mother of Michigan. After their marriage they located on a farm in Mercer county, Illinois, where the father lived until 1884. The mother passed away in 1862, and Mr. Robbins has never married again. He acquired three hundred and twenty acres of land in Poweshiek county. Iowa, and in 1884 took up his residence in this county, where he has since remained. He is an extensive landholder, owning land in South Dakota, Nebraska, Indian Ter- ritory and Missouri. Politically he is identified with the republican party but
MOSES ROBBINS
SEITWORK 1 FOPLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENIX ANL MILDE, FORAT ONS.
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he has never been an aspirant for public office, his business affairs being very ex- tensive and occupying his entire attention.
Moses Robbins was reared in his native state and received his early educa- tion in the district schools. It was his intention to attend college but one day his father asked him what he intended to make of himself. He replied that he ex- pected to devote his attention to farming, and the father advised in view of this fact, that he should come to Iowa and educate himself by practical application to the pursuit that he had voluntarily chosen. Accordingly at the age of nineteen, in 1877, Mr. Robbins came to Poweshiek county and for four years rented his father's farm. In the meantime he purchased three hundred and twenty acres of George Tallman in Jasper county and entered seriously upon his life work. Subsequently he bought three hundred and twenty acres on Rock Creek in this county and he operated both farms until the spring of 1911. He has rented the home farm but will continue in charge of his other place.
In March, 1908, he removed to Grinnell, where he has built a handsome resi- dence, in which he lias permanently established his home. For many years he has been one of the large cattle feeders of the county, handling as many as four hundred and fifty to five hundred head a year, and as he uses good judgment he generally receives a high price for stock which he sends to the market.
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