USA > Iowa > Sac County > History of Sac County, Iowa > Part 49
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After Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Down, Sr., were married in 1863, they moved onto their own farm of eighty-six acres in Woodford county, Illinois, where they lived for eight years. Previous to this residence, Mr. Down had spent three years in California working in the gold and silver mines of that state and had saved enough money to purchase forty acres of his farm at twenty dollars an acre. Later he earned enough to buy forty-six acres additional. In the fall of 1873 Mr. Down came to Sac county and bought three hundred and twenty acres at five dollars and fifty cents an acre. They sold their land in Woodford county, Illinois, and moved to Richland town- ship. Sac county, Iowa, in April. 1874. Mr. Down had to haul the lumber for his small twelve-by-sixteen home twenty miles. Mrs. Down did not like Sac county at first, so the family returned to Illinois for a time. In 1885 they moved back to Iowa, having purchased a farm one mile east of Odebolt, where they lived until 1897. They then purchased two and one-half acres near Odebolt and retired from active work. Mr. Down died February 2, 19II. He was a Republican in politics. He and his wife were loyal mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Down, Sr., were born four children, Ada, Mary, Thomas W. and Ella E. Ada is the widow of Charles Hanson, who was accidentally killed by a falling building on February 9, 1907. Mrs. Hanson has two sons. Leslie Ernest and Morris V. Mary, the second child, was the wife of Albert Hanson, of Odebolt, Iowa. They have one daughter, Mae. Ella E., the youngest child, is the wife of Edward Hanson, a farmer of Richland township.
Thomas W. Down was two years of age when his parents came to Sac county, was educated in the district schools and in the Odebolt high school and later studied six months in the Crescent City Commercial College of Des Moines, Iowa. Upon leaving the business college, he went to work on his present farm and has lived there since 1885. He purchased his first land in 1896, has been a successful farmer and has added to his land holdings from time to time until he now owns three hundred acres of good land in section 36 in this county. He also farms one hundred and twenty acres of
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his mother's land. For several years he has been a breeder of Duroc-Jersey hogs and Shorthorn cattle. He raises a large amount of live stock every year and markets annually a car load of cattle, one hundred head of hogs and a few horses.
Mr. Down was married February 19, 1896, to Emma Hanson, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nels Hanson. His wife was born in Oyster Bay, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Down are the parents of nine children: Vivian, born in December, 1896; Vernon, born in June, 1898; Lawrence, born in October, 1899; Howard, born in November, 1901; Wallace, born in Decem- ber, 1903: Dorothy, born in July. 1905: Charles, born on April 1, 1907; Florence, born in May, 1909, and Helen, born in May, 191I.
Politically, Mr. Down is allied with the Progressive party, having iden- tified himself with that new party upon its organization in the summer of 1912. He and his family are loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal church and contribute generously of their means to its support. Fraternally. he is a member of the Yeomen. He has been interested in the educational and moral aspects of his community and is now serving as treasurer of the township school board. Mr. and Mrs. Down have a beautiful home of ten rooms which they erected in 1909, where their friends always find a hospi- table welcome.
GEORGE I. CORY.
In the municipalities of the United States, where the inhabitants enjoy the greatest measure of self government, we frequently find a laxity of gov- ernment, owing to the attitude of those who are directly concerned in the administering of the laws made by and for the people, and a disregard of law and order in some cases by those whose duty it is to see that the laws are obeyed. Of late years, however, we are witnessing a higher and better type of civic government, owing to the awakening consciences of the American people and a more active and direct participation in the affairs of local gov- ernment than has heretofore prevailed.
Sac City is extremely fortunate in this respect, inasmuch as the officials, with practically no exceptions, are men of high order of intelligence and imbued with a strict desire to attend to the duties which have been entrusted to them by the people of the community. The important position of city water commissioner and city marshal is held by a man who has lived practi- cally his whole life within the environs of the town and vicinity. His long
MR. AND MRS. GEORGE I. CORY
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term of service in this capacity is justification of the high esteem in which he is held and is direct evidence of the confidence imposed in him by the city officials and his fellow citizens. George I. Cory has served the people of Sac City ably and well, and is ambitious to perform the duties of his appointive office to the best of his ability, and that is saying that his services in both capacities are satisfactory to the majority of his fellow citizens.
The citizen and official of whom this biography is written was born in Hardin county, Ohio, November 11. 1848, the son of Francis M. and Isabelle (Hitcheock) Cory, old pioneer settlers of Sac county, of whom extended and favorable mention is made elsewhere in this volume. He was six years of age in the autumn following the arrival of the Cory family to the Cory grove, near the present site of Sac City. While very young in years, he can recall many incidents of the pioneer life of the times and personally knew the settlers of the early days.
Mr. Cory loves to tell of his school days and recalls that a man named Cromer taught the school situated about eighty rods from the Cory home. George's father was wont to hitch up the ox-teani and drag a huge log through the great snow drifts on winter mornings, so as to make a pathway for the children and enable them to attend school regularly. This was abso- lutely necessary, as the children were actually without comfortable footwear, and shoes were a luxury unheard of in the homes of the early Sac county pioneers. George learned to hunt when very young and could trail his deer or wolf as well as the older heads. He swam the Coon river when but six years of age. The Cory boys are said to have possessed a veritable menagerie of wild animals which they had caught and tamed to domesticity. This menagerie consisted at one time of a pet coon, three coyotes, some young wolves, and two pairs of elk. The famous pair of elk, which the boys tamed and trained to harness, were known familiarly as "Aleek and Jem." "Aleck" was very smart and given to all kinds of tricks, which sometimes made him a nuisance in the neighborhood. When he was very small he would invade the camping places of the pioneers and wood choppers and, nosing out their dinner pails, would empty them and eat his fill.
George Cory resided at the paternal home until seventeen years of age, when, on August 4, 1865. he "ran away" from home with S. L. Watt, for the purpose of seeing the great world beyond Sac county. The boys succeeded in getting as far as Denison, thirty miles away, but soon became homesick and returned in October. After his mother's second marriage. George hired out by the day to work for neighboring farmers. In the summer of 1868 he
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rented a tract of land from Charles Dart. He succeeded in getting a good crop. and. in 1870, he purchased forty acres of land in Coon Valley town- ship. Prospering. he soon afterward added eighty acres to his holdings. He journeyed to the far West in 1872, and was absent for a period of thirteen months in company with Sam Watt, with whom he was employed on a west- ern ranch in Nevada, owned by Charles McDeed. Being provident and sav- ing, he sent his earnings home to be applied for breaking up his prairie land. On his return he traded one of his forties for a team of horses, and in the summer of 1873 was employed on the farm of J. O. Platt Trapping and hunting was his principal diversion in winter, it being a sport which appealed to him from an enjoyable as well as commercial standpoint.
Mr. Cory was united in marriage in January, 1875, with Frances Helen Whitney, who was born August 7. 1859, in Sac City, being the first white girl born in Sac City. She was the daughter of O. F. and Martha Esther Whitney. who migrated from the state of New York in 1856. Mr. Whitney was a pioneer farmer, who also carried the mail on a star route for a number of years. O. F. Whitney died in April, 1892. His wife died October 30, 1905. Mrs. Cory has one sister, Mrs. Minnie Young, who resides on the old Whitney homestead in Cedar township.
The newly-wedded couple immediately moved into a log shanty located on their farm in Coon Valley township, and borrowed two cows. They also rented part of the farm of J. S. Tiberghein, but the grasshoppers had been in the county the year before, and George made ends meet by hauling stone dur- ing the season. He became the possessor of a fine team of two-year-old colts as the result of a bet made with Tiberghein, in which George wagered that the "hoppers" would leave the Sac county region during the season. They returned to their own place the following year and lived in a log house built "five logs on one side and seven on the other." In July of 1876 they began the erection of a really good house of two stories, also built of logs. This was later supplanted by a more pretentious frame residence. However, in 1877, the grasshoppers returned and took or ate the crops. There was nothing for them to do but go hunting for the remainder of the year, and the entire family of Corys packed up and journeyed to the wilds of Pocahontas county, buying a supply of provisions at Fonda. This hunting trip netted them four hundred dollars in hard cash. George resided on his farm until 1882, when he re- noved to the new town of Early, and engaged in the retail merchandise busi- ness with his brother, Joseph II. In 1884 he 'again returned to the farm and remained two years. He then took up a permanent residence in Sac City, and
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purchased the Sac County Democrat in partnership with his brother Isaac. Isaac was the editor of the publication and George looked after the mechanical end with competent assistance. Later his brother, Hugh, purchased a fourth interest in the newspaper. His connection with the Democrat ceased in 1889, at which time he became eity marshal. For the past twenty-five years he has served the people of Sac City as eity marshal and deputy. His only vacation from his official duties during that time was for a period of five and one-half years, when he was again re-elected to fill the position. His last election to the office was in October of 1912. Mr. Cory was appointed city water com- missioner in October, 1912, and ably performs the duties of his combined official positions. He is allied politically with the Democratic party; is an active member of the Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows and Rebekahs. Mrs. Cory is also a member of the Rebekah Lodge.
Two children have been born to this estimable couple : Isabelle Amer. of Sac City, who is the mother of three children, Helea, Cory and Thelma ; the second child is Philo, who resides in Sioux City, Iowa.
AUGUST DANNENBERG.
No one can gainsay the fact that the present prosperity of Sac county . is due, in a large measure, to the enterprising Germans who have settled within its borders. Every township which has had German settlers has found them among the most enterprising and prosperous citizens of the township. The habits of thrift and industry which they have inherited through generations of ancesters in their fatherland, seem to have been so instilled into the present generation that they have no difficulty in placing themselves in the front rank of the prosperous citizens of this county.
August Dannenburg, a retired farmer of Odebolt, Iowa, was born Jannary 24. 1841, in Hanover, Germany. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Dannenberg, and spent his boyhood days in his native land. His mother died when he was six years of age. In 1870, when nineteen years old, he came to America and first located in Will county, Illinois, where he lived three years. In 1873 he came to Lake county, Indiana, where he lived two years.
Mr. Dannenberg was married in 1875 to Katharine Buehler in Lake county. Indiana, and to this union were born two children, Mrs. Sophie Mettier, of Des Moines, Iowa, and August, Jr., whose history is presented
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elsewhere in this volume. His first wife died July 15, 1878, and in March, 1879, Mr. Dannenberg was married to Mrs. Louisa (Wagoner) Rabe. She was born December 20, 1847, in Hanover, Germany, and is the daugh- ter of Henry and Marie ( Merink) Wagoner. She came to America in April of 1875, having been previously married in her own country to Henry Rabe. To this second marriage of Mr. Dannenberg have been born four children, all of whom are living: Mary, the wife of Henry Buehler, of Richland township; Rosina, the wife of H. R. Stanzel, of Odebolt; Fred, a traveling salesman of Chicago, and Edward, who is now living on his father's farm in Richland township. By her first marriage to Mr. Rabe, Mrs. Dannenberg had five children, three of whom are living: Henry, of Richland township: William F., of Cook township, and Mrs. August Reuber, of Odebolt. Mr. Rabe died in 1877.
In 1875, following his marriage in Lake county, Indiana, Mr. Dannen- berg came to Sac county, Iowa, and bought two hundred acres of land for twelve dollars an acre. He had to go in debt for part of it, and within five years he had it all paid for. With this to start with, he gradually added to his possessions until he now owns about six hundred and forty acres in Richland and Clinton townships in this county. He moved to Odebolt on January 29. 1907, where he is now living surrounded with all the modern conveniences of life. Mr. Dannenberg is a fine type of the German settlers who made Sac county their home in the early history of the county. He has been identified with the history of the county for nearly forty years and in that time has seen it reach its present prosperous condition. He has taken his full share in bringing this about and while advancing his own material interests he has never lost sight of the duty which he owed to the com- munity as a citizen of the commonwealth.
HUGH H. MEAD.
The history of a county or state, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly a chronicle of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity upon society. The world judges the character of a community by those of its representative citizens and yields its tributes of admiration and respect to those whose words and actions constitute the record of a state's prosperity and pride. Among the prominent citizens of Sac county who are well known because of the part they have taken in public affairs is Hugh 11. Mead
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Hugh H. Mead, a prosperous farmer, stock raiser and justice of peace of Boyer Valley township for the past twenty-five years, was born on June 1, 1864, in the state of Wisconsin. His parents, Elijah and Sarah (Hall) Mead, were natives of Vermont, who settled in Wisconsin while it was yet a territory. In 1866 the Mead family moved to Minnesota, and in 1875 to Sac county and settled on the farm where Hugh H. Mead is now residing. Elijah Mead lived on this farm until his later years, when he went to Early and lived with his daughter until his death, in May, 1906. To Mr. and Mrs. Elijah Mead were born five children : Mrs. Marie Prentice, of Louis- iana; Mrs. Agnes Prentice, of Early; Hugh H., whose history is related in this narrative; Guy and Abbie, who died in childhood.
Hugh H. Mead came with his parents from Minnesota to Sac county and has lived from that time on the farm which his father bought in 1875. He received his education in the district schools of Boyer Valley township and the town school of Early. He taught in rural schools and has taken an active interest in school work. He worked with his father on the home farm until his marriage. On becoming of age he bought forty-six acres join- ing his father's farm, and five years later bought fifty-four acres, paying forty dollars an acre, which was the record price at that time for farming land in Sac county. He bought his father's farm before the latter's death and has recently added more so that he now has two hundred and forty acres in this township. He has taken a prominent part in the affairs of his town- ship for the past twenty-five years, being the first to engage in raising of alfalfa. He is of a judicial temperament and since his early manhood has served as justice of the peace of his township. In fact, he has held some township office ever since he reached his majority.
Mr. Mead was married November 30, 1892, to Alice Haradon, who was born on April 23, 1865, in Bremer county, Iowa. She is the daughter of Orlin and Mary Ann ( Hart) Haradon, natives of Vermont and Michigan. respectively. Her parents came to Sac county and bought land in Boyer Valley township in 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Mead have one daughter, Mary. who is now about two years of age.
Politically, Mr. Mead has long been a Republican, and has been honored time and again by his party with positions of trust and honor. He is a prominent fine stock raiser, his principal lines being Poland-China hogs, Jersey cattle and standard bred horses, having forty horses at this time. He is a tree grower and trees from his farm may now be seen on many lawns in Sac and adjoining counties. He and his wife are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church and identify themselves with the work of their
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church in this community. Mr. Mead has always been prominent in the various movements in his community which concern the public welfare and has never shirked his duty in doing what he thought would benefit his locality. His whole career in this township speaks for itself, and gives him the right to be classed among our best AAmerican citizens.
JAMES SHELTON STATON.
The reader's attention is now directed to a brief sketch of the life of James Shelton Staton, who for the past nine years has been superintendent of the Brookmont farm, a ranch comprising twenty-two hundred acres lo- cated in Cook and Richland townships, Sac county, Iowa, of which .A. E. Cook is proprietor. In 1872 C. W. Cook, of Chicago, Illinois, came to this county, where he purchased seven thousand three hundred and sixty acres and started the ranch. However, portions of this original purchase have been sold from time to time, until the present acreage is deemed sufficient for operations by the present proprietor, son of the originator of the ranch, who has had charge of the farm for several years. The business of this ranch is considerable, and in the discharge of the duties devolving upon him as its superintendent Mr. Staton exhibits rare ability. From twenty to forty men are employed in the various departments; there are nine dwelling houses on the ranch, numerous stables and other buildings: two grain ele- vators, one having a capacity of one hundred thousand bushels and the other a capacity of forty thousand bushels, and ten head of thoroughbred Clydes- dale draft horses are kept on the ranch, as well as seventy-five head of other horses and mules. Two thousand hogs are produced and shipped annually. five hundred head of cattle and three hundred and fifty thoroughbred Here- fords are at present on the place. The year 1913 was considered an unusu- ally light year for yields, but the production for that year, nevertheless, will give an excellent idea of the immensity of the output of this farm. There were twelve hundred acres planted to corn, which averaged forty-five bushels to the acre; five hundred acres of oats were put in which averaged fifty-two bushels to the acre; one hundred acres were planted to popcorn, producing twenty-five hundred pounds to the acre, and four hundred tons of hay were harvested. Mr. Cook also owns twenty-six hundred and forty acres of land in Monona county, this state, which is also under the care of Mr. Staton.
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J. S. Staton was born on January 7, 1874, in Jackson county, this state, near Sac City, the son of James A. and Nellie Jane ( Tiberghien ) Staton, they being at this time the oldest married pioneer couple of Sac county. James A. Staton was born in Kentucky in 1827, was partly reared in In- diana and in 1859 came to Sac county and settled on the Raccoon river in Jackson township in the timber. Here he built a home and has resided in the vicinity of Sac City for the past fifty-five years. Nellie Jane ( Tiberg- hien ) Staton was born in 1832, the daughter of Elias Tiberghien, one of the earliest settlers of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Staton have been married for more than fifty-eight years and are the parents of four children, namely : W. H. Staton, who is in Polk county, where he is proprietor of a hotel; Elias Grant is located in Sac City; M. D. Staton is in South Dakota and the other child is James Shelton, the immediate subject of this sketch.
When a youth, the subject attended the school taught by P. M. Lewis, an old-time school teacher, in the meantime assisting in the farm work of the home, in which he displayed a natural aptitude. When twenty years of age he began working for himself and has since devoted all his energies to agri- cultural work. On March 1, 1897, he entered the employ of A. E. Cook as a laborer and just seven years later became the superintendent of his ranch, and in 1910 assumed the management of Mr. Cook's holdings in Mo- nona county.
In November, 1900, Mr. Staton was united in marriage with Grace Crowell. daughter of Byron Crowell, originally of New York state. To their union have been given three children, namely: Mabel Irene, aged ten years: Nellie Genevieve, aged seven years, and Willard Shelton, four years old. Mr. Staton's political affiliation is with the old-line Republican party. of which he is a stanch supporter, and his fraternal affiliation is with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being a member of that society through the local lodge at Odebolt : he is also a member of the encampment and the Daughters of Rebekah.
To write the personal record of men who have raised themselves from humble circumstances to a position of responsibility and trust is no ordi- nary pleasure. Mr. Staton has attained his present position through close application to the duties that lay before him and faithfulness to trust imposed in him. In the administration of the affairs of his business he displays abil- ity of a high order and at the same time retains the confidence and respect of all with whom he comes in contact.
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CHARLES F. BROBEIL.
To the enlisting of men of indomitable enterprise, ability and integrity in the furtherance of her commercial activities has been due in no small meas- ure the material prosperity of Sac county. Among the prominent factors identified with this work of progress is Charles F. Brobeil. of Lytton, who has long maintained a place of prominence and influence in the business com- munity and who exemplifies the highest type of loyal citizenship. A man of impregnable integrity of purpose, his life has been one of consecutive en- deavor, and he has realized a large and substantial success. His career as a merchant has been based upon the assumption that nothing save industry, perseverance, integrity and fidelity can lead to worthy success.
Charles F. Brobeil, who has the largest general store in Lytton, Sac county, Iowa. is a son of John Brobeil, a native of Germany, who came to America in 1847. settling in Erie, Pennsylvania. In 1852 he left Erie and came by water over the great lakes to Chicago, coming up the Chicago river and portaged to the Illinois river and down the Mississippi river to St. Louis, and thence up the Mississippi and Des Moines rivers to the city of Des Moines. Here he engaged himself in farming, carpentering and contracting. The city was then in its infancy, and he cut timber and hewed it out for build- ing purposes. He prospered in Des Moines, and became one of the pioneers of Polk county. The family homestead in Polk county was retained in the family until March. 1912, when it was sold. John Brobeil married Wilhel- mina Schull, who died when Charles F. Brobeil was ten years old. John Brobeil was born in 1821 and died in 1904. There were ten children born to the above couple, named as follows: Germand, who died at the age of fifteen years; John J., who lives at Ankney, lowa ; Mrs. Cornelia Miller, of Crocker, Iowa : William G., a retired farmer of Lytton, Iowa; Mrs. Louise Matter, of Orient, South Dakota; Mrs. Dora Kaltenbach, of Denver, Colorado: Mrs. Mary Jacobs, of Des Moines. Iowa: Adam Brobeil, of Coon Valley town- ship, Sac county, lowa ; another son is deceased.
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