USA > Iowa > Story County > History of Story County, Iowa; a record of organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 25
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the most beautiful farms in his section. He makes a specialty of breeding thoroughbred shorthorn cattle and Duroc Jersey hogs and has succeeded in raising some of the choicest animals of the kinds named that have yet been bred in this county.
On the 20th of February, 1895, Mr. Olson was united in marriage to Miss Martha S. Kalsem, a daughter of John V. Kalsem, a record of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Six children have been born to this union, five of whom are now living, namely : Elmer J., who is now attending the Huxley high school: John F., also a student in the high school; Mollie S. and Ollie M., twins; and Milford S.
Mr. Olson and wife are members of the Lutheran church, of which he is secretary and one of its liberal supporters. Ever since arriving at voting age he has adhered to the republican party, believing that in so doing he is best advancing the interests of the entire country. A sincere friend of edu- cation, he is a member of the school board. upon which he has served for several years past. The life of Mr. Olson is one of great activity and the success he has attained is the result of his own unwavering and well directed industry.
WILLIAM DODDS.
William Dodds, living on section 33. Franklin township. general farm- ing interests claiming his attention, was born in Boone county, Iowa, De- cember 29, 1863, and was not yet two years of age when his parents, James and Catharine (Kegley) Dodds, came with their family to Story county. The father was a native of Ohio and the mother of Pennsylvania. She came to Boone county, Iowa, with her parents in her girlhood days, while James Dodds arrived when a young man of about twenty-one years. They were married on the farm where the birth of their son William occurred, and they spent their last years in Colorado, where the death of Mr. Dodds occurred in 1905, when he was seventy-two years of age, while his wife passed away in 1906 at the age of seventy years. Throughout his active life he devoted his energies to farming and carpentering and was the owner of four hundred and forty acres of valuable Iowa land which he sold ere his removal to Colorado. His family numbered eight children : Martha M., the wife of Ed Gilbert, of Salina, Kansas; William; Guy, a resident of Washington township. this county; Thomas, of Colorado; James, also liv- ing in Washington township; Belle, the wife of James Reynolds, of Gil- bert, Iowa ; Fannie, of Lamar, Colorado; and Gertrude, the wife of Alfred Downer, also of Lamar.
Brought by his parents to Story county when less than two years of age, William Dodds has since lived in Franklin township, where he was reared to the occupation of farming, remaining at home with his parents until
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his marriage, when he started out in life on his own account. He is today the owner of two hundred and eighty acres of rich and valuable land, sit- uated two and a half miles east of Gilbert on sections 1 and 12. Franklin township. He removed to that place immediately after his marriage and there resided until about four years ago, when he came to his present home on section 33. Franklin township, having purchased the property in 1905. This is a tract of land of one hundred and twenty acres, and in addition he also owns the former place. Both farms have been well improved by Mr. Dodds who now rents his land on sections I and 12. His present farm is situated about a mile north of College, and is devoted to the cultivation of the crops best adapted to soil and climate.
In 1894 Mr. Dodds was married to Miss Harriet Allen, who was born August 16, 1871. on the farm where she now lives, a daughter of O. D. Allen, mentioned elsewhere in this volume. They have three children : Bernice, Mildred and Galen.
Mr. Dodge is a republican and has held some road and school offices but cares little for political or official preferment. Fraternally he is con- nected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and both he and his wife are members of the Rebekah lodge. He has a wide acquaintance in Story county where almost his entire life has been passed and where his many good qualities have gained him the warm regard of those with whom he has been associated. The able management of his business affairs con- stitutes the basis of his success which has classed him with the substantial agriculturists of Franklin township.
ELWOOD FURNAS:
Elwood Furnas, deceased, who for more than thirty years was promi- nently identified with agricultural and business interests in Story county. will be remembered as one of the ablest and most public-spirited men the county has known. His death, which occurred December 31. 1902, when he was sixty-two years of age, was regarded as one of the severest losses in the history of this region, and there is no reason for doubting that the beneficial effects of the work which he set in motion will be felt for many years to come.
He was a native of Montgomery county, Ohio, born February 22, 1840. The family is of English ancestry, the first member of whom there is any record being John Furnas, who was born at Standing Rock, Cumberland- shire, England, in 1736. He was a peer of the realn, and a large land- owner. He married Mary Wilkinson in the Friend's Meeting House at Standing Stone, in February, 1763, and they came to America, landing at Charleston, South Carolina, where they spent the remainder of their days.
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Among noted descendants of this worthy couple in America may be named ex-Governor Robert Furnas, of Nebraska; Sarah Furnas Wells, M. D., author of "Four Years Travel Around the World," and Rev. Newton Fur- nas, a distinguished clergyman of Ohio. Benjamin Furnas, the father of our subject, was a lineal descendant of John and Mary (Wilkinson) Fur- nas. He was for many years identified with agricultural interests in Ohio and subsequently came to this state, where he continued until his death.
Elwood Furnas was reared in the parental home and gained his pre- liminary education in the country schools of Ohio. He was sufficiently ad- vanced in his studies to become a teacher, but after teaching a part of a term for a brother teacher, he abandoned the ferrule for a more congenial occu- pation in the fields. He came with his father to Louisa county, Iowa, in 1857, and after renting land of the latter for some years, he purchased a tract of land in Richland township, Story county., upon which he established his home in 1870. He applied himself with unusual energy and ability, ac- cumulating more land until he became the owner of a beautiful farm of eight hundred acres and also one of the leading cattlemen in this part of the state. He made a close study of agriculture and was widely regarded as an author- ity on that subject, being one of the prime movers in various organizations that have assisted in a marked degree in the advancement of the permanent interests of all branches of farming.
On the 10th of February, 1859, Mr. Furnas was united in marriage to Miss Mary Elizabeth Sunderland, who was born on a farm in Montgomery county, Ohio, February 20, 1842, a daughter of Richard and Eleanor Sun- derland. She is a descendant of Captain Richard Sunderland of Revolu- tionary fame. Her father was a prominent farmer of Montgomery county, and he and his wife have passed to their reward. No children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Furnas, but they made a home for six children and par- tially reared them.
Mr. Furnas was reared in the faith of the Society of Friends. He was identified with the Masonic order, and politically adhered to the republican party from the time of reaching his majority. He was never a seeker for public office but he filled various positions in the township, always dis- charging his duties with a fidelity that met the unanimous approval of the taxpayers. He was an earnest advocate of temperance and was widely known throughout the country on account of his prominence in advancing the farm- ing interests. He was president of the National Farmers Alliance, the Story County Farmers Institute and the Farmers Progression Reading Circle ; vice president of the Farmers Fire and Lightning Association of Story county ; secretary of the State Farmers Mutual Protective Association and of the local alliance ; and was one of the honorary members of the Commer- cial Travelers Fair, which was held in Madison Square Garden, New York city, December 16, 1896. A man of winning manner, generous in disposi- tion, he made a host of friends, and in the course of a life of unusual activ-
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ity he assisted in advancing very materially the comfort and happiness of those with whom he associated. He was thoroughly progressive and always ready to assist a fellow traveler less fortunate than himself, his greatest happiness being found in service for others.
OSMOND J. VILAND.
Although he began as a school teacher and attained an enviable reputa- tion in that calling, Osmond J. Viland, of Slater, felt attracted to a business career and embarked in the furniture and undertaking business, in which he has been highly successful. He is a native of Story county, born Sep- tember 8, 1871, and is a son of Knute and Carrie ( Fronsdahl) Viland, both natives of Norway. They were reared and married in that country and came to America in 1866, their destination being Story county, Iowa. The father purchased land in Palestine township, about one and one-half miles south of Huxley, and started upon what promised to be a highly prosperous ca- reer. In 1873, however, he passed away in the midst of a life of usefulness, leaving a widow and three children. The mother bravely took up the re- sponsibility of rearing her family and continued upon the farm until about a month before her death, when she removed to Slater. She died January 20, 1900, leaving the memory of an unselfish character that will long be re- remembered by those who knew her.
Osmond J. Viland was reared upon the home farm and assisted as he grew up in providing for the wants of the family. He received his early education in the district schools and later attended the State Normal Col- lege at Cedar Falls, Iowa, also the United Church Seminary, at Minnea- polis, Minnesota. After thoroughly preparing himself he taught school for five or six years, gaining a reputation as one of the most promising teachers in the county. In 1899 he joined Andrew Maland in the purchase of the furniture business at Halverson Brothers at Slater, the style of the new firm being Maland & Viland. On March 1, 1907, he acquired his part- ner's interest and has since conducted the business independently. He is a licensed embalmer and has acquired an extensive patronage both in the sale of furniture and as an undertaker.
On the 22d of June, 1904, Mr. Viland was united in marriage to Miss Inger Askland, of Slater, a daughter of Colben Askland, who was born in Norway and emigrated to the United States in the same year as the Viland family, stopping for some time in the state of Illinois. Finally he located in Story county and he is now one of the successful farmers of Palestine township. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Viland three children have been born : Clare Kenneth. Blanche Celestine and Lillian Margaret.
Mr. Viland gives his support to the republican party and has served in official positions for eight years past to the general satisfaction of the peo-
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ple of his town and township. He and his wife are faithful members of the Norwegian Lutheran church. He is secretary of the church and also super- intendent of the Sunday school, showing an ability in church and Sunday school work that has greatly assisted in promoting the best interests of the community. He is a man of fine address and superior talents, moreover, possessing the laudable desire to advance the welfare and happiness of others, and he justly ranks as a leader in his locality.
OSTEN T. MOLDE.
The agricultural interests of Milford township find a worthy represen- tative in Osten T. Molde, who is now living on section 23. His record is that of a self-made man for he not only started out in life empty-handed but also came to America without knowledge of the language or customs of the people. It was necessary that he familiarize himself with the speech of the American nation as well as to become acquainted with the methods of doing business here. Resolution and energy, however, have enabled him to work his way upward and he is now the owner of two hundred acres constituting one of the valuable and desirable farms of Milford township.
Mr. Molde is a native of the land of the midnight sun, his birth having occurred at Saude Ryffilke, Norway, on the 28th of November, 1854. His parents were Thormod and Rayna Molde, the latter now living at Saude at the advanced age of ninety-four years, her birth having occurred April 13, 1817. The father, who was born March 14, 1807, died in 1857. He was a farmer by occupation and thus provided for his family which num- bered four sons and three daughters.
Osten T. Molde was the youngest, and the only son who came to the United States. He remained a resident of his native land until about twenty-seven years of age, when he sailed for the United States and made his way direct to Nevada, Iowa. He was not acquainted with a single per- son here and he could not speak the English language. He had only sixty- five dollars at the time of his arrival but he possessed what is better than capital-firm purpose, laudable ambition and unfaltering integrity. He has since resided in Story county and has spent most of the time in Milford township. He had previously learned the carpenter's trade in his native land and after coming to this county he worked for a time at his trade and also was employed at farm labor by the month. Following his marriage he began farming on his own account on rented land and so continued for five years, during which period he carefully saved his carnings until he was en- abled to purchase eighty acres of his present farm which is situated on sec- tion 23, Milford township. He has added to this a tract of one hundred and twenty acres and now has an excellent farm property of two hundred acres upon which he has made good improvements, adding to it all of the
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accessories and conveniences of a model farm of the twentieth century. His methods of tilling the soil are practical, and his work at all times is charac- terized by a progressiveness that produces excellent results.
On the 13th of December, 1883, Mr. Moldle was united in marriage to Miss Gusta Jacobson, daughter of Johannes and Barbara (Teig) Jacobson. She was born in Norway, April 10, 1863, and with her parents came to the United States, settling first in Minnesota but removing a few months later to Story county, Iowa. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Molde have been born seven children : Julia, who is now engaged in dressmaking in Roland ; Theodore ; Emma; Gertie; Otis; Mabel; and Gladys.
The parents are members of the Lutheran church of Roland and are well known in their part of the county where they have gained many friends. Mr. Molde certainly deserves much credit for what he has accomplished. He has never regarded obstacles or difficulties as something to cause failure but rather as an impetus for renewed effort. He has worked carnestly and untiringly and there have been few idle hours in his life. Gradually. therefore, he has advanced and is now one of the substantial agriculturists of his adopted country.
J. H. BURROUGIIS.
Realizing at the outset that advancement in business must depend upon close application, earnest purpose, unfaltering diligence and reliability. J. 11. Burroughs has employed those qualities to reach the creditable place which he now occupies as one of the leading grocers of Nevada. He was born in Lake View, New Jersey. April 17. 1850, a son of George F. and Sarah ( Major ) Burroughs. The father was born in Cayuga county, New York, and became a foundryman, following that business until about fifty years of age, after which he turned his attention to farming. In 1868 he removed with his family to Cedar county, lowa, and there carried on agricultural pursuits but retired in his later years. His last days were passed in Salem, South Dakota, where he died in 1907 in his ninetieth year. His wife, a na- tive of New Jersey, passed away in Tipton, Iowa, in 1898, at the age of seventy-seven years.
J. 11. Burroughs, the fifth in order of birth in their family of twelve children, resided in New Jersey until eighteen years of age, when he ac- companied his parents on their removal to Tipton, Cedar county, where he resided until 1892. In that year he came to Nevada, where he has since made his home. For two years he worked in a foundry in New Jersey and Phila- delphia under the direction of his father and after going to Tipton was em- ployed in connection with the timber business for four years. He afterward went upon the farm and not only devoted his attention to the labors of the field but also engaged in teaching school for three terms. He likewise spent
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY
four years at the court house in the position of deputy auditor and at dif- ferent times engaged in clerking in stores in Tipton until 1890, when he entered into partnership with W. E. Elijah, with whom he was thus asso- ciated for two years.
On the expiration of that period Mr. Burroughs came to Nevada and purchased a grocery stock, conducting the store for two years, when he sold out. He spent the winter of 1895-6 at Eureka Springs, Arkansas, but in the spring returned to Nevada and purchased a furniture store, which he conducted for two and a half years. In 1898 he came to his present loca- tion, trading his furniture stock for a stock of groceries in the Ringheim block, where he carries a large and well selected line of goods, while his earnest desire to please his patrons and his honorable business methods are salient features in the success which is attending him. In addition to his grocery stock he owns three dwellings in Nevada and a farm near Crooks- ton, Minnesota, embracing a quarter section of land.
In 1883 Mr. Burroughs was married to Miss Mary Ryder, a native of Tipton, and a daughter of Christian and Rachel Ryder. Mr. Burroughs belongs to the Masonic lodge, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Methodist Episcopal church-associations which indicate much of the nature of his interests and the principles that govern his conduct. Per- sistent, earnest labor has brought him success, and tangible evidence of his active and well spent life is found in his business and real-estate interests in Nevada.
J. H. RIDDLESBARGER.
Prominent among the business men of Nevada is J. H. Riddlesbarger, for twenty-five years past connected with the poultry business and also ac- tively identified with other lines. He came to Nevada from Franklin Grove, Lee county, Illinois, in 1885, and was associated with A. F. Wingert, under title of Wingert & Riddlesbarger, the firm soon becoming widely known on account of its extensive operations in poultry. In 1900, the firm consolidated with Boardman Brothers and continued the business for three years, when Mr. Wingert and Boardman Brothers retired. Mr. Riddlesbarger and C. M. Morse then purchased the Boardman Brothers packing house, the name of the firm being changed to the Nevada Poultry Company. At the close of the year Mr. Morse withdrew and C. W. Harris was admitted as a partner, the title under which the business was conducted still remaining unchanged.
The Nevada Poultry Company handles annually half a million pounds of dressed and packed poultry, which is shipped principally to eastern and European markets. The company has built up an enviable reputation on account of the excellence of its products and the reliable business principles upon which its affairs are conducted. Mr. Riddlesbarger has from the
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beginning been a leading factor in its management. During his residence in Nevada he has also been prominently connected with the live stock market, purchasing extensively for packing houses at Chicago. In addition to the interests mentioned, he is engaged in farming and is the owner of a well improved place of two hundred and fifty-five acres in Grant township. lle is recognized as a progressive man of large enterprise and public spirit, and he has assisted very materially in enhancing the prosperity not only of Story county but of a much wider region in lowa.
JOHN M. CHRISMAN.
John M. Chrisman, a son of James A. and Amanda J. ( Fairbanks) Chrisman, was born in Bureau county, Illinois, on the 16th of February, 1867. The father was a native of Ohio, being born in Highland county, and was a son of George Chrisman, who came to the United States from Germany with his parents when a small boy. The mother was born in Posey county, Indiana, a daughter of Alexander Fairbanks, a cabinet-maker by trade, who was born in Massachusetts and belonged to the Fairbanks family of that state. Mr. and Mrs. Chrisman were married in Bureau county, Illinois, and were the parents of four children, who are as follows : Emma, who became the wife of Joseph Burton of Lincoln, Nebraska ; Catherine, the widow of Fred Conover, of Bradford, Illinois; John M., our subject ; and William David, of Bradford, Illinois. The father always fol- lowed the vocation of farming, in which he was very successful. The pa- rents were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which the father was a very active worker until his death in 1899. The mother is still liv- ing at an advanced age and makes her home in Bureau county, Illinois.
Mr. Chrisman spent his younger years in a manner very similar to the majority of boys who are reared in the country. He attended the district schools to the age of fifteen years and for three years at Princeton, ( Illi- nois) high school. He also took a course at the university in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he spent three years. At the age of twenty-one years he assumed the entire responsibility and control of the home farm, serving in this capacity for three years. At the expiration of that period he became a landowner, purchasing eighty acres of land in Bureau county, which he operated for nine years. In 1901 he came to lowa and bought two hun- dred acres of land on section 32, Richland township. Story county, where he continues to reside. Mr. Chrisman has always made a specialty of feed- ing and raising cattle and hogs and in this he has met with success and sub- stantial reward. lle has very largely confined his efforts in this direction to shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs.
In 1892 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Chrisman and Miss Addie Reed, a daughter of Iludson and Sarah ( Britton) Reed, the former a native
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of Ohio and the latter of Illinois. They have become the parents of two children : Ruth and Gertrude, both of whom still reside at home.
The parents both attend the Methodist Episcopal church, in which Mr. Chrisman is a very active worker. He has always been a very public- spirited man and takes an active interest in politics, his support being given to the republican party. He is now and has been for the past six years one of the township trustees, is also a member of the school board, of which he was at one time treasurer, and in addition to these two offices he is serv- ing on the township central committee and is a director of the First National Bank of Nevada.
Both the public and private life of Mr. Chrisman has at all times heen such that he has won and held the esteem and respect of those with whom he comes in contact in either a business or social way. He has been success- ful in the vocation he chose to follow, but it has been a steady progression every step of which has been won and held by his business ability and close application to the course which he had marked out for himself.
NICHOLAS SIMSER.
Nicholas Simser, who for nearly thirty years past has been engaged in the blacksmith business at Nevada, Iowa, and at the present time serving as member of the city council, is a native of Canada. He was born on a farm, November 3, 1843, and is of good Teutonic ancestry on the paternal side, being the son of John and Martha (Woods) Simser. The father was a native of New York and the mother of Canada. His grandfather, Jolin Simser, adhered to the British cause at the time of the Revolutionary war and fought in the army of the king, seeking safety in Canada after the close of the war, where he spent the remainder of his life. The father of our subject passed his entire life in Canada, where he engaged successfully in farming. He died at an advanced age when the subject of this review was a young man. The mother departed this life in 1876 at the age of eighty years. Her father also fled to Canada at the close of the Revolution, having been an ardent sympathizer of the British. Mr. and Mrs. Simser were both members of the Episcopal church. There were thirteen children in the family, the first two being girls and the next seven, boys, Nicholas be- ing the seventh of the latter in order of birth.
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