USA > Iowa > Story County > History of Story County, Iowa; a record of organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 22
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O. M. JOHNSON
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Cambridge, he began on his own account in the mercantile business under title of O. M. Johnson & Company, selling out six years later in order to accept a position at Sheldahl under the employ of Oley Nelson, formerly senior member of the firm of Nelson & Ersland. In the summer of the same year Mr. Nelson removed his business to Slater and Mr. Johnson went with him, continuing until 1894, when he rented Mr. Nelson's elevator at Slater and became identified with the grain business, purchasing the ele- vator in 1903. In 1904 Mr. Johnson bought from John Valland his eleva- tor and lumber yard at Huxley and since that time has been one of the leading men of business in the community.
In 1879 Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Alice Larson, a native of Norway, who located in Illinois in 1867 and came to Story county, Iowa, in 1875. Eight children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, four of whom are now living, namely : Joseph, now superintendent of the city playgrounds of Dayton, Ohio; Rebecca, a teacher of music in the Jewell Lutheran College; Martin, cashier of the Farmers Savings Bank of Alleman, Iowa; and Lennie, now attending the Jewell Lutheran College.
Mr. Johnson is a man who fearlessly follows his convictions in political matters and having observed the evil effects of the saloon he is a stanch ad- vocate of prohibition. That his neighbors have great confidence in his judg- ment is evinced by the fact that he is now serving his third term as mayor of Huxley and for six years past has been a valued member of the school board, having assisted very materially in the erection of the new school building. He and his wife are consistent members of the Lutheran church. He has from the beginning of his career been remarkably energetic and wide-awake, and whatever rewards he has achieved have come to him as the result of his own well directed efforts.
WILLIAM GATES.
Nevada has been signally favored in the class of men who have filled her public offices, for on the whole they have been practical business men who have brought to the discharge of their official duties the same keen insight and spirit of enterprise which characterizes their conduct of private interests. In a history of those whose records have been creditable and beneficial to the city mention should be made of William Gates, who is now Nevada's chief executive and one whose ability and fidelity are strongly manifest by the fact that he is now serving in the office for the fifth term.
He was born in Ireland, on the 17th of March, 1842, and is a son of John and Katharine (Conigan) Gates, who were likewise native's of the Emerald isle but in 1845 sailed for Canada, establishing their home at Niagara-on-the-Lake. They brought with them their five children, but the
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mother died soon after their arrival. The father kept the children to- gether for a few years but they later separated, as one after another started out in business life. The father continued his residence in Canada until his death, which occurred in 1869. The five children of the family are: John, who died in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Margaret, who died in Los Angeles, California ; Jennie, the widow of Dr. E. H. Akin and a resident of Oak- land, California; William, of this review; and Maria, the widow of Wil- liam Taber, of Minneapolis.
William Gates was only three years of age when brought by his parents to the new world. He resided at Niagara, Canada, until twelve years of age, when he took up his abode in the vicinity of Hamilton, where he re- sided until the spring of 1865. In that year he came direct to Nevada where he has resided continuously since. At twelve years of age he began learning the blacksmith trade which he followed until January 1. 1900, and has worked to some extent at the trade since that time in connection with his sons who succeeded him to the business here. In 1895 he built a brick shop forty by sixty feet and two stories in height. For many years he carried on a very extensive business because of his expert workmanship and his honorable dealing. He now owns two hundred and eighty acres of valuable land four miles southwest of Nevada, which he has improved and from which he derives a substantial annual income, his farm being the visible evidence of his life of well directed energy and thrift.
In 1864 Mr. Gates was married at Hamilton, Ontario, to Miss Agnes Malloy, a native of Scotland born November 1. 1844. With her parents she went to Canada in her girlhood days. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Gates there were born two children while residents of Canada while two others were added to the family after the removal to lowa. The eldest, Janette, died at the age of one year and five months. W.R. is conducting the blacksmith shop at this place. Mabel J. is a school teacher at Longmont, Colorado. and Fred E. is a blacksmith of Beech, North Dakota. The two sons learned their trade with their father and Fred followed blacksmithing in Nevada until February, 1910, when he removed to his present place of residence.
Mr. Gates is a stalwart advocate of republican principles, supporting the party since he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He has served as township trustee of Nevada township for several terms and was called to more important office in his election as mayor of the city. Ile is now serving for the fifth term in this capacity and has made a splendid record. Continued reelection is an indication of the confidence and trust reposed in an individual and of his fidelity to that trust. Abra- ham Lincoln said: "You may fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." The truth of this is nowhere so strongly manifest as in politics, for untrustworthiness and lack of ability will surely be found out and will awaken opposition. That Mr. Gates has been again and again elected to the office of chief executive proves that he has given to the city
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a public-spirited and businesslike administration which receives the in- dorsement of the general public. Fraternally he is connected with the Masons, belonging to the blue lodge and chapter at Nevada. Excalibur Commandery, K. T., at Boone, Iowa ; and Za-ga-zig Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Des Moines. He is regarded as an exemplary representative of the craft, and no history of Nevada would be complete without the record of his life, so worthily has he borne himself as a factor in its public affairs and in the progress of the city.
OBADIAH D. ALLEN.
For more than three decades Obadiah D. Allen was numbered among the worthy citizens of Story county and those who knew him entertained for him warm regard, for he was always straightforward in business, liv- ing peaceably with his fellowmen and sought at all times the welfare and progress of the community. He was born in Fairview township, Erie county, Pennsylvania, on the 4th of September, 1836, his parents being Lorenzo D. and Jane (Culbertson) Allen, the former a native of Otsego county, New York. and the latter probably of Erie county, Pennsylvania, where both died. On leaving the Empire state the father walked to Penn- sylvania, driving before him an ox team. He followed farming, devoting his entire life to that pursuit. His family numbered seven children : Joshua, now deceased; L. C., of Franklin township, who came to this county in 1868; Obadiah E .; Andrew, who served for three years in the Eighty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry during the Civil war and is now de- ceased; Ebenezer, who was killed in the battle of Gettysburg; Mary, who died in childhood; and Martha, the wife of Jay Frances, of Erie county, Pennsylvania.
Obadiah D. Allen remained with his parents until twenty-one years of age and then removed westward to Wisconsin, but after a short time re- turned to Erie county and was there married in 1862. He afterward went to Branch county, Michigan, where he lived for six years, and in 1868 came to Story county, Iowa, settling in Franklin township, where he re- sided until his death, which occurred February 23, 1899. He was a life- long farmer and was the owner of an excellent property of one hundred and twenty acres about a mile north of College.
In 1862 Mr. Allen was married to Miss Sarah S. Strickland, who was born at East Gainesville, Wyoming county, New York, May 27, 1840, and there resided until ten years of age, when she went to Erie county, Penn- sylvania, with her parents, William and Betsy (Wadsworth) Strickland. Her father, who was born in England, October 23, 1808, came to the United States when about twenty years of age and died at the age of seventy-one. He was a miller by trade. His wife was born near Rome,
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New York, January 6, 1806, and died in Erie county, Pennsylvania, Feb- ruary 22, 1882. She was related to the well known Wadsworth family of Geneseo, New York, and her brother, Lee Wadsworth, is still living at the age of over ninety years and is one of the wealthy residents of Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Strickland had five children: William W., who died March 7, 1909; Sarah S .; Harriet L., the wife of L. O. Eldridge, of Springfield, Erie county, Pennsylvania ; J. F., who died in 1893: and Kittie O., also of Springfield, Pennsylvania. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Allen were born five children : Edgar S., of Rocky Ford. Colorado; Edwin F., the twin brother of Edgar S., and a resident of Cambria, Iowa; Hattie M., the wife of W. R. Dodds, a farmer of this county : William D., a railway engineer of Dubuque, Iowa ; and Hugh, a brick-mason of Ames,
In his political views Mr. Allen was a Lincoln republican. He kept well informed on the questions and issues of the day and was a public- spirited citizen but never sought nor desired office save in connection with the schools. He belonged to the Grange and lived a quiet and uneventful but useful life, which gained him the kindly regard of his fellowmen. He was in the sixty-third year of his age at the time of his death. February 23, 1899, and was not only deeply mourned by his family but also by his many friends.
NEHEMIAH H. NELSON.
Among the extensive landowners of Story county is Nehemiah H. Nel- son, who was born in Hardin county, Iowa, on the 12th of September. 1880. His father, Henry Nelson, was born in Norway in 1854 but decided that the United States afforded far better prospects than the old country and therefore in 1875 he emigrated. He remained on the Atlantic coast a short time and then made his way to Hamilton county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming, and later lived for a time near what is now the village of Randall. In 1880 he removed to Hardin county, where he lived for ten years, and then located in Radcliffe but after five years' residence in the latter place he returned to Hamilton county, where he continues to live. In 1878 he was united in marriage to Miss Amelia Peterson and to them were born the following children: Nehemiah 1I .; Helen E., who married S. V. Van Winkle, of Eagle Grove, Iowa ; and Tobie A., the wife of E. C. Houck, of łowa Falls, Iowa. Mrs. Nelson passed away in 1886, and the father later married Miss Cecelia Onstean, his present wife, and they have become the parents of five children : Gertie, Lloyd. Lilas, Otis and Mamie.
Nehemiah HI. Nelson acquired his preliminary education in the district schools of llardin county and later he attended Jewell Lutheran College at Jewell, Iowa, where he took a commercial course. After his graduation in 1899 he came to MeCallsburg, being employed in the bank for seven
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years, but at the end of that time he engaged in the real-estate, insurance and loan business. Mr. Nelson has been quite successful in all of his un- dertakings and has acquired three hundred and twenty acres of land in Warren township and several hundred acres in South Dakota.
Mr. Nelson completed his plans for a home by his marriage to Miss Annie Guthrie, and to this union two children have been born : Lucille and Ilo. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of American and votes the republican ticket. He takes quite an active interest in local politics.
THOMAS E. POSEGATE.
The majority of travelers who reach Story county today come in Pull- man parlor cars, equipped with nearly all of the conveniences and luxuries which one may obtain at home. Thomas E. Posegate, however, drove across the country with team and wagon for no railroads had been built in this section at that time and the seeds of civilization had scarcely been planted within the borders of the county. Here and there a settlement had been made but much of the land was still in possession of the government, and there was little to indicate that the county would soon become a popu- lous and prosperous region.
Mr. Posegate was born in Vermilion county, Illinois, on the 27th of August, 1833, his parents being Thomas and Charity (Hayworth) Pose- gate, both of whom were natives of Ohio, where they were reared and married. They afterward removed to Vermilion county, Illinois, where they spent their remaining days upon a farm. Their family numbered sixteen children, eight of whom lived to years of maturity.
Thomas E. Posegate spent his youth in the usual manner of farm lads in Illinois during the pioneer period. His educational opportunities were limited to the advantages afforded in the public schools but his training at farm labor was not meager. As soon as old enough to handle the plow he took his place in the fields and worked from the time of early spring planting until crops were harvested in the late autumn. He resided at home until his marriage, which was celebrated in 1852, Miss Martha A. Seal becoming his wife. She was born in Vermilion county, Indiana, Oc- tober 10, 1836, and was a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Trowser) Seal, who were natives of Ohio. Her father died in Illinois but her mother spent her last years in Story county.
It was in the year 1854 that Mr. and Mrs. Posegate came to lowa. They drove across the country from their old home in Illinois to Warren county, where they spent the winter, and in the spring of 1855 they con- tinued their journey to Story county, settling at Ballard Grove, Mr. Pose- gate entering one hundred and sixty acres of prairie land near the grove in Palestine township. He never resided upon that place, however, but
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had a small tract of land in the grove, for at that day people were afraid to get very far out on the prairie, believing it would be safer and better to live in the timber. The second winter was a very severe one and there was much suffering. The family occupied a log cabin for a number of years, and Mr. Posegate tried strenuously to make a comfortable living for his family. Des Moines was at that time the nearest market and also the closest milling place and it took a long time to make the trip to the city in order to secure supplies. Mr. Posegate has resided continuously in that portion of Story county since 1855 and was actively engaged in farming until eight years ago, when he told his place and removed to Kelley, where he has since lived. During most of the time he owned and cultivated one hundred and sixty acres of good land and lived the life of a quiet, industrious and energetic farmer, who realized that his success must come from persistent and determined effort.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Posegate were born six children: John, who died when but sixteen months old; Mary, who is the wife of W. Parriott, of Nebraska, and has eight children ; George, of Des Moines, who is married and has five children ; Eli. who is living in Boone county, west of Ames, and has eight children; Ellen, who is the wife of Joseph Montgomery, of Nebraska, and has one child; and Victoria, who became the wife of C. A. Crane and died in 1907 at the age of forty years, leaving three children. Mr. and Mrs. Posegate now have twenty-five grandchildren.
In Story county this worthy and venerable couple are widely and favorably known. They are members of the Baptist church and their entire lives have been passed in harmony with its teachings. While they have never sought to figure prominently in public or social ways, they have so lived as to gain the esteem and good will of their fellowmen and all who know them entertain for them warm regard.
GENERAL JAMES RUSH LINCOLN.
General James Rush Lincoln, brigadier general of the lowa National Guard and military commandant of the Iowa State College at Ames, was born in Frederick county, Maryland, February 3, 1845, a son of Thomas Blodget and Sophie Julia ( AAsh) Lincoln, both of whom were natives of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they were reared and married. The father was one of the original directors of the Southern Pacific Railroad and also spent considerable time in Texas in the development of railroads in that state. lle likewise owned a large stock ranch there. He inherited an extensive fortune, which gave him opportunity to live as and where he pleased, and in many ways his wealth was used for the advantage of the sections in which he resided. He lost his wife when their son James was
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but three months old, after which the father spent much of his time in travel, his death occurring in Cecil county, Maryland, in 1888.
Thomas B. Lincoln was a son of Abel Fearing Lincoln, an officer in the United States navy, who died in New Orleans of yellow fever when thirty- five years of age. Major General Benjamin Lincoln was a brother of the great-great-grandfather of General Lincoln of this review and received the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. He was the eldest of the family, while Seth Lincoln, the great-great-grandfather of General Lincoln, was the youngest. Thomas Blodget Lincoln, the father, received his middle name because of connection with the old Blodget family of New England. His grandmother was the wife of Colonel Samuel Blodget, son of Governor Blodget of New Hampshire, and she was a daughter of Dr. William Smith, who with Benjamin Franklin founded the University of Pennsylvania and was the first provost of the university. The maternal grandfather of Gen- eral Lincoln was Michael W. Ash, a brigadier general of the war of 1812 and of Irish birth. Genealogical records connect the family with the an- cestry of President Lincoln, the line in each case being traced back to three brothers who came from England and landed on American soil in 1637. They located at Hingham, Massachusetts.
The family of Thomas B. and Sophie J. Lincoln numbered four chil- dren, namely : Matilda, Harriet, Sophie and James R. The three sisters are yet living but none are married.
General Lincoln traveled with his father until nine years of age and had been all over the continent prior to that time. A private tutor accom- panied them and thus his education was not neglected. At the age of nine, however, he was placed in school and continued his studies until after the outbreak of the Civil war, attending the Loudon Military Academy of Maryland, the Virginia Military Institute and the Pennsylvania Military College. After the outbreak of hostilities the military spirit which he in- herited from his ancestors was aroused and, espousing the cause of the Confederacy, he joined J. E. B. Stuart's Cavalry, which with Lee's army surrendered at Appomattox. He was serving on staff duty at the battle of Gettysburg and participated in a number of the hotly contested engage- ments of the Civil war.
General Lincoln afterward spent two years in Virginia and then came to Iowa, settling in Boone in February, 1868. He remained a resident of Boone county until October, 1883, when he came to Ames and took charge of the military department and steward's department of the Iowa State College, remaining in charge of the military section continuously since but resigning the steward's department in 1892. He has also taught in the engineering department but is perhaps most widely known because of his prominence in military circles. He mobilized the Iowa troops for the Spanish-American war and sent them to the front. He was appointed brigadier general by President Mckinley on the 27th of May, 1898, and commanded a brigade in the Fourth Corps, later a brigade of the Second
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Corps and subsequently the Second Division of the Second Corps. He was the last volunteer brigadier general to be mustered out after the close of hostilities with Spain, his military service in that war continuing until March 16, 1899. He then returned to Ames, where he has resided con- tinuously since. At the reorganization of the Iowa National Guard after the war. he took command of the Fifty-first Regiment and later of the Fifty-fifth Iowa Infantry. On the 5th of July. 1908. he was elected briga- dier general of the lowa National Guard, which position he has since filled.
In 1865 General Lincoln was married to Elizabeth Blake, of Virginia, who died in 1866, leaving a son, who died in 1908 and left a widow and two children in Richmond, Virginia. In 1872 General Lincoln wedded Pris- cilla C. Ilicks, a native of New York and a daughter of Alexander Ham- ilton Hicks, who removed from the Empire state to Three Rivers, Michi- gan, but is now deceased. The children of the second marriage are: Wil- liam B., government inspector in charge of packing houses in Nashville, Tennessee ; Charles S., who is a graduate of the Iowa State College and is now a captain of the Second Infantry of the regular army; Theressa, at home; Francis HI., a captain in the coast artillery of the United States army, being artillery engineer officer of the district of Boston, Massa- chusetts ; Arthur J., an employe of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail- road; Rush B., a lieutenant of the Second Infantry, U. S. A .; and Lotie, who died in 1898 at the age of nine years.
General Lincoln is a man of fine personal appearance, whose soldierly bearing is at once evidence of his military training and experience. He holds to a high standard in the military training of his department in col- lege and of the state troops as well and has every reason to be proud of the record of the Iowa National Guard.
ANDREW C. ANDERSON.
Andrew C. Anderson, who owns a well developed and highly productive farm in Palestine township, belongs to the class of men who win their way to the front regardless of circumstances. They possess the strength and energy so necessary in the accomplishment of an important undertaking. es- pecially in the attainment of financial success. In this class are to be found many men representing the best type of American citizenship.
Mr. Anderson was born in Clinton county, lowa. October 28, 1871. a son of Christopher and Veksler Anderson, both natives of Norway. They lived for a short time in Clinton county, and then removed to Story county. Mr. Anderson purchasing a farm about four miles northwest of Huxley, in Palestine township. This place he cultivated to good advantage until 1898. when he removed to Huxley, where he has since resided. He and his wife
MR. AND MRS. A. C. ANDERSON
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are active members of the Lutheran church and on account of their many estimable traits of character are greatly esteemed by all who know them.
Andrew C. Anderson was reared on the home farm, acquiring his educa- tion in the district schools and showing an application both as to work and study which gave favorable promise for a successful career. After arriving at twenty-one years of age he worked as a farm hand by the month for two years and then rented land on his own account, applying himself with such earnestness that in 1895 he had acquired sufficient capital to purchase the farm upon which he has since lived. It now consists of one hundred and fifty-four acres, the interurban railway cutting off six acres of the quarter section. He has improved his place with characteristic energy, setting out a good orchard, shade and ornamental trees, building large barns and a thoroughly modern residence, which he erected in the spring of 1910, sup- plying it with furnace heat and the most approved and up-to-date conven- iences. He ranks as one of the most thorough farmers of the township.
In 1898 Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Lessie Chelswick, of Palestine township, a daughter of Peter Chelswick, one of the settlers of this township. Four children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. An- derson : Clara V., Palmer O., Willard E. and Leroy A.
Mr. Anderson and his estimable wife are firm believers in the authority and inspiration of the Bible and are stanch members of the Lutheran church. He votes for the candidates of the republican party and although not a poli- tician in the sense of being an office seeker, he keeps well informed as to questions arising from year to year and also on the general progress of events in America and the world. He is recognized as a man of good judg- ment and fine business capacity and his opinion on subjects pertaining to agriculture or stock-raising is generally worthy of respectful hearing. His neighbors and friends recognize that he possesses the elements of character most essential in the attainment of success, therefore he is greatly respected by all who know him.
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