USA > Iowa > Sac County > History of Sac County, Iowa > Part 74
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Mr. Paeper was married January 12, 1883. to Inez Cole, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Madison Cole, of Douglas township, and to this union have been born five children, all of whom are still at home with their parents. The oldest son, William, is a farmer of this township, and the other children are Edward H., Roy, Fred and Christopher.
Politically, Mr. Paeper is a Republican and has taken an active part in the affairs of his home township. He has been trustee for two years and was president of the school board for fifteen years. The members of the family are all stanch adherents of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which they give their zealous support. Mr. Paeper is a man who has won the con- fidenee of his neighbors because of his upright dealings and the frank man- ner in which he conduets all of his business transactions. As a publie official he served his constituents well and faithfully, and in every measure which has for its object the publie welfare he is always found lending his active support.
WILLIAM W. STOKES.
In examining the life records of self-made men, it will invariably be found that indefatigable industry has constituted the basis of their success. True, there are other elements which enter in and conserve to the advance- ment of personal interests,-perseverance, discrimination and mastering of expedients,-but the foundation of all achievement is earnest, persistent labor. At the outset of his career as a nurseryman Mr. Stokes recognized this fact, and he did not seek any royal road to the goal of prosperity and independence, but began to work earnestly and diligently in order to advance himself, and the result is that he is now numbered among the progressive, successful and influential men of Sac county.
William W. Stokes, a prosperous nurseryman of Sac City, Iowa, was born May 18, 1874, in England. His parents were George and Jane ( Bugg) Stokes, natives of England. In 1876 the Stokes family left England for the United States and first settled in Illinois, but a year later moved to Carroll
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county, Iowa, where they permanently settled. The father was accidentally killed at a railroad crossing June 30, 1881. Mr. and Mrs. George Stokes were the parents of seven children : Charles, of Carroll county, lowa : Mrs. Ada Simpson, of Shelby county, Iowa; George, of Petersburg, Nebraska; W. W., of whom this narrative speaks; Mrs. Agnes Howard, of Sac county ; Mrs. Minnie Hogge. of Lake View, Iowa; Walter, also of Lake View, and one adopted child, Jennie.
William W. Stokes received his education in the parochial schools of Carroll county, lowa. The family lived in a Catholic community and. al- though they were Presbyterians in faith, they were glad to avail themselves of the excellent schools which were conducted by the Sisters of Charity in their home community. Mr. Stokes received an excellent practical educa- tion before his parents moved to Sac county in 1896. Upon coming to this county Mr. Stokes rented land and in 1897 moved to Cedar township, where he lived on a rented farm for seven years. In 1904 he moved to Coon Valley township, where he remained until he moved to his present farm. He now has one hundred and ten acres near Sac City, which he purchased in 1907 for seventy dollars an acre. In 1911 he purchased a nursery and since that tinie has been rapidly stocking his nursery with trees, both fruit and ornamental, which can be grown in this locality. He now has twenty- six different varieties of apples, five varieties of cherries, six varieties of plums, and many varieties of currants, gooseberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and other kinds of small fruits. He has taken a great deal of pride in getting only the best and hardiest trees and shrubs for his nursery, and his rapidly-growing trade shows that he has succeeded to a marked de- gree. He is working up a parcel post business throughout this part of the state and is already gratified with the results which have attended his efforts in this line. It is safe to say that his business is well established and in the coming years will prove increasingly profitable.
Mr. Stokes was married February 1, 1898, to Christina Hogge, of this county. the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Hogge. Both of his wife's parents were natives of Iowa and are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Stokes are the parents of four children, Elizabeth. Wilmer, Roy and Pearl.
In politics, Mr. Stokes is a Republican, but has been so busy with his varied interests that he has not had time to identify himself actively with the deliberations of his party. Religiously, the family are members of the Presbyterian church and render to it their earnest and zealous support. Mr. Stokes is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Daughters of Rebekah and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a
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man who has not allowed the pursuit of wealth to warp his kindly nature, but has preserved his faculties and the warmth of his heart for the broaden- ing and helpful influence of human life, and is a kindly friend and genial gentleman whom it is a pleasure to meet.
ROBERT ENGELHARDT.
The state of Illinois has contributed a number of the best agricultural citizens of Sac county from her teeming population. With few exceptions, the migrants from this older state have made good in Iowa and have become important and influential members of the communities in which they reside. Bringing with them improved methods of farming and evidences of culture and refinement, in many instances they have had a salient and beneficent effect in being assimilated into the more or less cosmopolitan body politic of Sac county. The family of Robert Engelhardt, of Jackson township, came originally from Illinois and are well and favorably known in Sac county for their many excellent qualities and the activity of the various members of this excellent family in using their influence in the promotion of the educational, religious and social life of their neighborhood and in Sac City.
Mr. Engelhardt has a fine farm of eighty acres in Jackson township, a few miles north of Sac City. He is a breeder of Poland-China hogs and has a fine herd of thoroughbreds on his place, which is one of the most attractive and well kept farms of the neighborhood.
Mr. Engelhardt was born December 24, 1860. in LaGrange, Illinois, the son of Charles and Mary ( Harnisch ) Engelhardt, natives of Germany and who were born on a farm sixty miles from the town of Leipsic, Saxony. Charles was born in 1835 and came to America in 1851. In 1853 he returned and brought his father (Charles) and family back with him and settled at La Grange, Illinois. The Engelhardts went to Kansas in 1878 and home- steaded in Allen county, where the father died in December. 1888. The mother died in August, 1906, on the Allen county homestead. There were the following children in the family: Charles, deceased in 1876; Alfred, of Los Angeles, California; Robert: Gustavus, a resident of Allen county, Kansas; Frank, in Chicago; Mrs. Flora Cornell, who died in Wyoming. in 1908; Edward, a citizen of Chicago: Fred, of Sherman, California, and Charles, a resident of Chicago.
Robert Engelhardt followed farming near Maroa, Illinois, previous to
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coming to Sac county in 1903. He at first purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Sac county, but later disposed of eighty acres. In 1885 he journeyed to western Kansas and homesteaded in Stevens county, the family residing in a typical dugout for some years. In 1887 they returned to Allen county, Kansas.
Mr. Englehardt is a Progressive in politics ; is a member of the Christian church, and is, fraternally, connected with the Modern Woodmen and the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
Mr. Engelhardt has been twice married, the first marriage taking place in December, 1884, with Clara Ham, of Indiana, who died in 1888, leaving one daughter, Clara Robert, a talented teacher in the Sac City schools. a graduate of the Sac City high school and a former student of Drake Uni- versity and the college at Normal, Illinois. Mr. Engelhardt's second mar- riage occurred December 17, 1890, with Eva M. Williams, of Maroa, Illinois, a daughter of W. O. and Emily J. Williams. Two children have been born to this union, namely: Vera Bernice, a graduate of the Sac City high school and of Drake University, class of 1913. She is a teacher in the Kirkham high school : Helen, deceased in 1898 at the age of twenty months.
William O. and Emily J. Williams were natives born to Illinois, having been born near Jacksonville. William was born and reared on a farm in Morgan county, Illinois, the son of John and Margaret J. ( Craig) Williams. John Williams was a Kentuckian by birth and served in the Black Hawk WVar. In 1827 he came to Sangamon county, Illinois, and some time after- ward moved to Morgan county, where he was married. In 1835 he removed to Cass county and in 1857 settled permanently in Macon county. He died April 26, 1862. He served as assessor of his township in Cass county. Mrs. Williams died in November, 1856. John was the parent of the following children : William; James D., a soldier in the Forty-first Illinois Volunteer Regiment, Union army, during the Civil War, and was killed at Fort Donel- son in 1862; John E., also a soldier in the same regiment, died at Jackson, Mississippi; Mary J. died in 1872; Anna E., wife of Elisha Holmes, and deceased in 1897 in California; Sarah, deceased in 1863; David H., of Memphis, Tennessee. William O. Williams made his residence in Macon county after 1857, settling in Maroa township in 1858. Ile owned a farm of eighty acres on which he resided until 1888, and then removed to another farm which he had purchased in the same township. He was married July 3. 1862, to Emma J. Hedger, who was born in Parke county, Indiana, on April 23, 1841, a daughter of Thomas and Jane ( Mc Allister ) Hedger, of German and Scotch descent respectively. In the Hedger family there were
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eight children : Minerva. William. John, Mary. Emma J., Harriet, Sarah E. and Joseph. Mrs. Hedger died October 16, 1865. and Mr. Hedger died in January, 1887. Mr. and Mrs. William O. Williams were the parents of four children : Addie, deceased September 8. 1865; Mrs. Eva Engelhardt ; Jennie, a teacher of music, the wife of Charles E. Barracks, of Anderson. Indiana : Fred, who died October 25. 1872: Grace, who died April 6, 1881. They were members of the Christian denomination. William O. died in March. 1899. His wife still survives him in the old home in Illinois, mak- ing her home partly in Indiana and with Mrs. Engelhardt in Sac county.
It is recorded that the first child born to Robert Engelhardt and his first wife came to them in a dugout on their Kansas claim in Stevens county. The hardships which they were forced to undergo in holding down their homestead in Kansas would fill a good sized volume in itself. although it was one of the happiest periods of their lives. Mrs. Englehardt is a cultured and refined lady who has had the advantages of a good home in her early life and received a good education-attributes which have been of great assist- ance to her in the upbringing of her interesting family. She is very active in social and religious work, both she and Mr. Engelhardt being members of the Sac City Christian church. They are also members of the Country Club, composed of their neighbors and friends who meet semi-monthly for social discussion and recreation. It is one of the well known institutions of Sac county whose example is being followed in other sections.
CHARLES WESLEY BALLARD.
He whose name stands above is a member of a family which has long been identified with the growth and development of Sac county, each having contributed in his peculiar way to the moral, educational and material ad- vancement of his time. Charles W. Ballard, proprietor of the Glendale farm, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres located in section 25 of Wheeler township, was born on September 1, 1859, in Colchester. Lamoine township. McDonough county, Illinois, the son of George Haven Ballard and Adaline .A. Belles, his wife. George H. Ballard was born on November 3. 1836, in Perry, Lake county, Ohio, the son of William L. (born in 1786) and Susan ( Baldwin) Ballard, the latter born in 1795. George H. Ballard, father of the immediate subject of this sketch, was married in 1856, while a resident of Sycamore. Illinois, the marriage taking place at Malta, Illinois.
MR. AND MRS. CHARLES W. BALLARD
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the home of Miss Belles, who was born September 22. 1838. George H. Ballard was a man of more than ordinary ability and great aptitude. He had a natural bent for mechanies and when quite young mastered the cabinet- maker's trade, in which his ability amounted to nothing short of genius. He frequently contracted for building houses entire, putting many unusual touches into the finishing of same. He was also more or less familiar with steam engineering and frequently operated engines of this class. For a period of eight years he was connected with the Marsh Harvesting Machine Com- pany in the capacity of subforeman and time-keeper and also was responsible for the proper working of the various lines of machinery. In the spring of 1878. desiring to better his financial condition and possibly secure an ex- cellent location, he left Illinois with a colony which settled in Stafford county. Kansas. However, he did not find conditions there at all to his liking and two years later, in the fall of 1880, he came to Odebolt. this county, and took up his residence on a farm about two and one-half miles north of that city. Shortly after coming to this locality, he purchased the Union restaurant and for a period of nineteen years devoted his time and attention to the manage- ment of that business. He is now living in comfortable retirement in Ode- bolt, having given up connection with the active labors of life. In spite of his years, he retains a keen interest in affairs, both local and otherwise, and his mental and physical activity would do credit to a man several years his junior. There were originally six children in the Ballard family, one of whom. William, died in childhood. Those other than the immediate subject of this sketch are Frank Seymour, who resides in Duff. Rock county. Nebraska: Elizabeth M. ( Mrs. Bailey ), residing in Osmond, Pierce county, Nebraska, and Etta Emeline ( Mrs. Traver), who lives in Webster City, Hamilton county, Iowa. In his younger days. George H. Ballard had a reputation as a sportsman and fisherman of more than usual ability and as he advanced in years he spent weeks and months at his cottage on the shore of Wall lake, where he maintained his reputation of earlier days. He has a great store of reminiscences which he takes pleasure in recounting to the de- light of his friends.
Charles W. Ballard, the immediate subject of this sketch, received his education in the schools of DeKalb county, Illinois, and later at Sycamore in the same county. He taught one term of school in Kansas and after coming to this county he assisted in operating the paternal farm for six years and during that time and later taught fourteen terms of school in Richland, Clinton and Wheeler townships, this county. He proved particularly pro- ficient in the education of youth and exerted a wholesome influence over his
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pupils in the formation of character. During sixteen years of the time his father was engaged in the restaurant business, he was associated with him, having practical charge of the business, especially at such times as the father would be absent on some of his famous hunting trips. The winter of 1903- 1904 he spent in California and upon returning to this locality he retired from active business and for two years resided in Odebolt. In the spring of 1907 he took up his residence on his present farm in Wheeler township which he had purchased in the spring of 1900 at a cost of forty-seven dollars per acre. He made this investment after disposing of his farm in Richland township for five thousand, seven hundred and fifty dollars for the entire farmı.
Mr. Ballard engages in general farming, in which he is eminently snc- cessful and pays particular attention to live stock. He has from twelve to fifteen head of high grade Shorthorn cattle and has seven milk cows. He operates a private dairy, disposing of his cream to the creamery. He also produces for the market about one hundred head of hogs annually. He has an excellent strain of thoroughbred Poland China swine, all of which are eligible to registration. For the general work of the farm he keeps two horses and in the season of 1913 from sixty acres planted to corn he pro- duced thirty-five hundred bushels. The management of this farm is such as to constitute another proof, if proof there need be, of the undoubted busi- ness ability of the owner and proprietor.
On November 17, 1897, in Orangeville, Stephenson county, Illinois, Mr. Ballard was united in marriage with Mary Esther Riem, born in that town on July 27, 1873, a daughter of George Franklin and Clara Elvira ( Cross) Riem, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania and the latter born and reared in Illinois. After several years' residence in Illinois, George F. Riem and wife moved to Los Angeles, California, where his death occurred on January 28, 1903. Ile was in his sixtieth year, having been born on February 26, 1843. The widow, whose birth occurred on June 16, 1851, still resides in that city. Mr. and Mrs. Ballard have two interesting daughters, Blanche Eleanor, born November 20, 1898, stili in school, and Myrtle Amanda, born on March 6, 1905.
In politics, Mr. Ballard is aligned with the Progressive party and his religious affiliation is with the Methodist Episcopal church, which the family attends. Fraternally, he is a member of the order of Yeomanry and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, through the local organizations at Ode- bolt. Mr. Ballard has long been numbered among the progressive and public-spirited citizens of this county and is in every way one of the substan-
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tial men of the community. Endowed by nature with strong mental powers and possessing the courage and energy to direct his faculties in proper chan- nels, he early became a man of resourceful capacity, as the able management of his private affairs abundantly testify. Ile possesses the happy faculty of not only making friends, but binding them to him by his good qualities of head and heart.
SAMUEL HAHNE.
There is no positive rule for achieving success, and yet in the life of the successful man there are always lessons which might well be followed. The man who gains prosperity is he who can see and utilize the opportunities that come in his path. The essential conditions of human life are ever the same, the surroundings of individuals differing but slightly, and when one man passes another on the highway of life to reach a goal of prosperity before others who perhaps started out before him, it is because he has the power to use advantages which probably encompass the whole human race. Today among the prominent citizens and successful men of Schaller stands Samnel Hahne. The qualities of keen discrimination, sound judgment and executive ability enter very largely into his make-up and have been contributing ele- ments to the material success which has come to him.
Samuel Hahne, the cashier of the State Bank of Schaller, Iowa, was born August 27, 1883, in the town where he is now living. His parents were F. H. and Sophia M. (Schaefer) Hahne, natives of Germany and Wiscon- sin respectively. F. H. Hahne was born in Germany in 1847 and died in 1900. He came to America with his parents when a child and settled in Wis- consin. In the early seventies the Hahne family came to Sac county, Iowa, and settled in Eden township, on land for which they paid one dollar and a half an acre. The country at that time was all a barren prairie, but it needed only the magic touch of the human hand to convert it into the garden spot of the world. F. H. Hahne was one of the first citizens of Schaller and was prominently identified with the material prosperity of the town and com- munity. He served as county supervisor for two terms and was one of the largest land owners of the township. At one time he owned nearly one thousand acres of land and at his death was the owner of four hundred and eighty acres. In his latter years he was interested in the banking business at Schaller and was president of the organized private bank which became a
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state bank in 1889. Mr. and Mrs. F. H. Hahne were the parents of seven children, Mrs. Matilda Aldrich, Mrs. Marie Jenkins, Mrs. Sarah King, Hulda ( deceased ), Samuel and Joseph.
Samuel Hahne was educated in the common schools of Schaller and later graduated from the high school of that place. He entered the bank in 1902, when only nineteen years of age. as assistant cashier and became the cashier of the bank in 1913. The State Bank of Schaller was originally operated as a private bank, and dates its existence from 1880. It was con- ducted as a private bank from the time of its organization until 1899, when it was reorganized and made a state bank, with F. H. Hahne president and A. W. Bicknell, cashier. The capital stock was forty thousand dollars. In 1900 F. H. Hahne was succeeded by H. L. Leland as president, which posi- tion he held until 1907, when he was succeeded by W. J. Howard, who is still president of the bank. Mr. Bicknell was succeeded by J. T. Edson as cashier, and in 1913 Mr. Hahne assumed that responsible position. The present officers of the bank are as follows: W. J. Howard, president ; J. H. Meier, vice-president ; Samuel Hahne, cashier; E. W. Sacaefer, assistant cashier. The directors of the bank are C. O. Porter, William Spindler, W. J. Howard, J. D. Currie, J. T. Edson, Samuel Hahne, J. H. Meier and J. T. Edson. The bank has a capital stock now of forty thousand dollars and in 1913 deposits of three hundred and twenty thousand dollars and a surplus of ten thousand. The bank is housed in a large brick building, which is owned by the banking company.
In addition to his banking interests, Samuel Hahne owns three hundred and twenty acres of land in Minnesota and has recently disposed of several tracts of land which he owned in this county. Politically, he is a Republican and is at present the treasurer of the city of Schaller. Mr. Hahne and his family are members of the Presbyterian church, to which they give an earnest and zealous support. Fraternally, he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
Mr. Hahne was married in 1906 to Cora M. Mclaughlin, of Schaller, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Mclaughlin, and they have one son, Everett Lincoln, born February 12, 1908. Mr. Hahne is rapidly coming to the front as one of the prominent business men of his community. He is forging his way to the front ranks by reason of his innate force and superior ability, and shows intelligence and judgment of a high order. He has applied himself closely to the intricacies of the banking business with a determination which speaks well for the future. He is now at the thresh-
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hold of a long and useful career, and the life which he has lived so far in the community has proved that his career in the future will be one which will reflect credit upon himself and redound to the honor of the community in which he lives.
WILLIAM L. COLE.
The gentleman whose name heads this sketch is widely known in Sac county and is one of the honored citizens of Douglas township, where he is living after a strenuous life of activity in connection with agricultural pur- suits. His well directed efforts in the practical affairs of life, his capable management of his business interests and his sound judgment have brought to him prosperity, and his life demonstrates what may be accomplished by any man of energy and ambition who is not afraid to work and has the perse- verance to continue his labors in the face of any disaster or discouragement that may arise. In all the relations of life Mr. Cole has commanded the confidence and respect of those with whom he has heen brought into contact and a biographical history of this locality would not be complete without a record of his career.
William L. Cole, of Douglas township, Sac county, Iowa, was born September 5. 1862, in Clinton county, lowa. His parents. Madison and Sarah Jane (Swing) Cole, were both natives of the Hoosier state of Indiana. Madison Cole was born in Indiana, in June, 1826, and died August 26, 1903. Sarah Jane Swing was born March 13, 1835, and died March 13. 1900. Shortly after their marriage Madison Cole and his wife came to Clinton county, Iowa, about the year 1858, where they remained until 1881, when they settled on the farm in Douglas township, Sac county, where W. L. Cole is now living. Mr. and Mrs. Madison Cole were the parents of a large family : Mrs. Malinda Jane Shadle, deceased; Mrs. Laura Glidden, de- ceased: Mrs. Abigail Cook, of Clinton, lowa: Mrs. Fannie Allison, of Wichita, Kansas; John, of Jackson township, Sac county; W. L .. of whom this sketch speaks; Mrs. Inez Paeper, of Douglas township. in this county; Charles, of Varina, Iowa : A. U., of Cedar township, this county, and Mrs. Ola Block, who lives in Douglas township. this county.
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