USA > Iowa > Taylor County > History of Taylor County, Iowa; from the earliest historic times to 1910, biographical sketches of some prominent citizens > Part 27
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On the 20th of August, 1906, Mr. Lake was married to Miss Eva Carr, a daughter of James A. and Martha E. Carr. Mrs. Lake was born in Decatur county, Iowa, and is a member of the Christian church, and Mr. Lake is a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church of Bedford. Mr. Lake belongs to Taylor Lodge, No. 156, A. F. & A. M., of which he is a past master ; to Triangle Chapter, R. A. M., in which he is serving as high priest ; and to Bethany Commandery, K. T., of Crescent, Iowa. He is likewise connected with Kaaba Temple of the Mystic Shrine and with Bedford Lodge, No. 91, I. O. O. F. He is a man of social, genial nature and his many sterling qualities have made him one of the substantial and honored citizens of the county. That he is regarded as a man of genuine worth is indicated by the trust reposed in him in his election to public office.
WILLIAM LEONARD.
William Leonard, a successful farmer residing on section 18, Grove township, was born upon the family homestead in this county, November 2, 1857. His father, Daniel Leonard, was one of the very early settlers of this section of the state, an extended account of his life appearing elsewhere in this volume. Wil- liam Leonard received his education in the district schools and remained at home until he was about twenty-nine years of age, when he married and started in life for himself. For a number of years he farmed on eighty acres of his father's land, which in his childhood he had helped to clear. Indeed, he can remember some of the hardships of the early years which had not been entirely overcome when he was old enough to assist in the work. Until 1903 he operated his father's land in Holt township, and then he bought his present farm, which has since been his home. It consists of one hundred and seventy-eight acres, all well improved,
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and here he is engaged in general farming. In addition to his agricultural in- terests he is interested with his father and brothers in the sheep business, im- porting and breeding Shropshire sheep, in which they were the pioneers in this state.
On the 13th of February, 1887, Mr. Leonard was united in marriage to Miss Alice Claybaugh, who was born in Illinois, January 28, 1866, and is one of a family of fourteen children, nine of whom are still living. Her parents, Henry and Ann Elizabeth ( Kyle) Claybaugh, are natives of Ohio and are now residents of Dallas township, Taylor county, Iowa, where they have made their home since 1871. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Leonard, namely: Eva Irene. Ethel May, one who died in infancy, Henry H., Jennie Elizabeth, Lottie Opal, Lloyd Leslie and Lee William. Lottie Opal died at the age of seven years. Eva Irene is now the wife of Lon Boltinghouse, of Holt township.
The family are members of the Christian church and Mr. Leonard gives his political allegiance to the republican party. He takes considerable interest in local affairs, having filled the positions of constable, road supervisor, trustee and school director. His administrations have always been distinguished by strict adherence to duty and by a patent efficiency. This quality is also noticeable in his farming. Progressive in his ideas he is also thorough in the execution of his work and no task is left half finished. In consequence he has attained a success that is beyond the average.
J. E. ANDERSON.
In a history of those men who, through their activity along agricultural lines have contributed in large and substantial measure to the development and im- provement of Taylor county, mention should be made of J. E. Anderson, famil- iarly known as "Uncle Jimmie," a pioneer farmer and stock dealer of this county. For more than a half century he has been a resident of this community and in the meantime the development of ten or twelve farms may be set down to his credit, while by reason of his extensive realty holdings he became known as one of the large landowners of Taylor county.
Born across the waters, Mr. Anderson's birth occurred in Bergen, Norway, September 5. 1829. He was reared in that country and there attended the com- mon schools, acquiring a good knowledge of his native language. In 1851, when twenty-two years of age, he decided to try his fortune in the new world and, leav- ing home and friends, he embarked for the United States on a sailing vessel, the voyage covering eight weeks. The vessel was caught in a bad storm while en route, but, successfully weathering this, it cast anchor in New York Harbor in June of the same year. Mr. Anderson did not tarry in that city, however, but made his way westward to Racine, Wisconsin, where he found employment on a farm, being thus engaged for about six years. He was greatly handicapped, however, in his inability to speak the English tongue, but with characteristic energy and determination he set himself to master the new language and ere his removal from Wisconsin he had acquired a good practical knowledge of English. In 1857 he
MR. AND MRS . J.E . ANDERSON
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came to Taylor county, Iowa, and with the earnings which he had carefully saved during his residence in the Badger state, he purchased two hundred acres of land in Marshall township. When this property came into his possession it was raw prairie land, but he immediately set about improving and cultivating it. First came the breaking of the soil and then followed the processes of plowing and planting, while in due course of time rich harvests were gathered.
When he felt that his success justified such a course, Mr. Anderson laid the foundation for a home of his own by his marriage, in January, 1861, to Miss Mary Haun, who was born in Kentucky and when a little maid of ten summers came to Taylor county. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson began their domestic life on this farm, in a frame house which he had previously built. He was untiring in his industry and as the years passed and he continued to prosper in his undertakings, he in- vested in more land, from time to time adding to his property holdings until he became a very extensive landowner, possessing at one time about twenty-one hundred acres located in Taylor and Adams counties, a large portion of which he has since given to his children. He engaged in general agricultural pursuits and in connection therewith carried on a large and profitable business in raising and feeding, buying and shipping stock. He purchased stock in Texas and New . Mexico and became known throughout the county as a most successful buyer and shipper. Aside from the land which he owned in Iowa, he also possessed con- siderable property in Kansas and Missouri and had a half interest in about eleven hundred acres constituting a stock ranch in the former state. Altogether he has improved about ten or twelve farms, and his entire career, while engaged in agricultural pursuits, was an intensely active one. Subsequently he retired from farm life and, renting the home farm, he removed to Bedford, where he became identified with mercantile interests, engaging in the dry goods and hard- ware business in that city for about ten years. He later came to Conway, where he also engaged in the dry goods, hardware, lumber and grain business for a number of years and was very successful in this line of activity. He has now, however, given up active labor and is enjoying in well-earned rest the fruits of his former toil.
In 1908 Mr. Anderson was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away on the 27th of March, and her death was the occasion of widespread regret on the part of a large number of warm friends. In addition to her hus- band, six children survive her, three sons and three daughters, namely : J. Oscar, a farmer of Mason township, this county ; A. A., a partner of J. O. in his farm- ing pursuits; Oliver, a prominent stock raiser, breeder and dealer, making a specialty of pure blooded Percheron and Belgian horses, who is also the president of the Conway Savings Bank; Cora, who resides at home with her father ; Nora, the wife of Lewis Larson, a resident farmer of Gay township; and Minnie, the wife of Jacob Spring, of Adams county, Iowa. One son, Thomas, passed away October 29, 1908, after he had reached the age of twenty-eight years.
Mr. Anderson was for many years a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and was formerly superintendent of the Sunday-school for some time. In politics he is a republican where national issues are concerned, but at local elections he prefers to cast an independent ballot, voting for the men who in his estimation are best fitted to fill the positions. He has never sought nor desired
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office, but at the solicitation of friends and neighbors he served for some years as road supervisor and also as school director. He is public spirited in his citi- zenship, never withholding his cooperation from any measure which has for its object the material, intellectual or moral welfare of the community. He has never regretted his determination to come to the new world, for in this country where advancement is unhampered by caste or class he has met with most enviable success. Arriving here without capital, handicapped by his inability to speak the English language, he has steadily worked his way upward in the business world until he ranks among the best known, prominent and prosperous citizens of Taylor county, and he may justly lay claim to the honorable title of a self- made man. A gentleman of charitable tendencies, he has not only made and given away several fortunes but he has aided materially and substantially in the development of the communities in which he has resided. He helped to build the first schoolhouse of Bedford and also the first Methodist church of that place. He also assisted in the erection of the Methodist Episcopal church at Conway, being the principal contributor toward the building funds. He like- wise assisted in the erection of a Methodist church in Ringgold county, Iowa, donating the land upon which it was built, while he has contributed toward build- ing many other churches. He has now reached the eightieth milestone on life's journey, and his career has ever been such that, now in the evening of life, he can look back upon the past without regret and forward upon the future with- out fear.
C. E. LONGFELLOW.
C. E. Longfellow, proprietor of the Science Ridge farm located on section II, Jackson township, is a man of undaunted business enterprise, who closely studies his opportunities and utilizes them to the best advantage. In addition to raising the cereals best adapted to soil and climate he is well known as a stock- raiser and feeder and also breeds and deals in Chester White hogs. His life has been one of well-directed activity and, although he is a young man who has not yet completed his third decade, he is recognized as one of the leading representa- tives of agricultural life in this community.
A native son of Taylor county, Mr. Longfellow was born in Gay township, September 19, 1880. His father, J. P. Longfellow, also a native of this state, was born in Muscatine county, where he was reared and married, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary Elder. She, too, was a native of Muscatine county, and following their marriage they engaged in farming there for several years. About 1880 they removed to Taylor county, where Mr. Longfellow purchased land and . carried on farming, his place being located in Gay township, where he reared his family. He now resides in Oklahoma and is engaged in business there as a con- tractor and builder.
C. E. Longfellow was reared to manhood in Gay and Jefferson townships and pursued his education in the schools of Platteville. He remained with his father until he had attained his majority and, starting in life for himself, he chose as a companion and helpmate for the journey Miss Mary Streebin, whom he wedded
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on the 3Ist of January, 1900, who was born and reared in Jackson township, this county, and is a daughter of Chris Streebin, one of the early settlers and prom- inent farmers of this section of the state. After their marriage they located on the farm where they now reside. Mr. Longfellow bought out the Streebin heirs and became the owner of one hundred and sixty acres, while in 1909 he purchased one hundred and twenty acres adjoining, making a farm of two hundred and eighty acres of the valuable, rich and productive land of southwestern Iowa. His home is a large dwelling which he erected and which is built in modern style of archi- tecture. In the rear stands a good barn and the dwelling is surrounded by a neat and well-kept lawn enclosed within a garden fence. There is also a good orchard on the place and altogether the farm is a well-improved and valuable property. In the pastures and feed lots are seen high grades of Shorthorn cattle, Chester White hogs and good horses and in the autumn the granaries and cribs are filled with grain which has been harvested and the capacity of the hay loft is also taxed to the utmost. An air of neatness and thrift pervades the place, indicating the practical and progressive labors of the owner.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Longfellow have been born two sons, Roy C. and Harry N. The parents attend the Baptist church and Mr. Longfellow is one of the school officers, doing all that he can to promote the cause of education. His political allegiance is given to the republican party. He has been a resident of this county throughout his entire life and is well known in this section of the state, where he has so lived and labored as to win the high regard and unqualified confi- dence of all who know him. His record has been one of diligence and perseverance and that his labors have been well directed is indicated in the fact that he is now the owner of the Science Ridge farm.
HON. A. J. SOWERS.
The tendency of the times is decidedly toward the selection for public office of men of tried worth, who have given evidence of their ability in business life and who have proven their devotion of the public welfare by loyalty to all those measures and movements which are instituted for the general good. It was because of these things that Hon. A. J. Sowers was called to represent his district in the state legislature and to serve in various local capacities of honor and trust. He is preeminently a man of affairs and one who has wielded a wide influence. His activity in commercial lines has been a resultant factor in Bedford's upbuild- ing and development, and he is now well known throughout the county as a dealer in agricultural implements and vehicles.
Mr. Sowers was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, May I, 1846, his parents being John G. and Sarah (Hahn) Sowers. The father was a native of Pennsyl- vania and of English descent. In early manhood he prepared for the practice of medicine and for many years was widely known as a successful and competent physician. In 1846 he removed westward to Illinois, settling at Naperville, where he died in 1849 at the comparatively early age of thirty-eight years. He had, however, during that period demonstrated his ability to successfully cope
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with the intricate problems that continually confront the physician and was one of the valued and prominent pioneers of the medical profession in that part of the state. His wife survived him for only about a year and died at the age of thirty- eight in the faith of the Episcopal church, of which both were members. She was a native of Pennsylvania and of Welsh lineage. In their family were ten children, five sons and five daughters but only three are now living: Andrew J .; Mary L., the widow of John Dinges, of Bedford; and Frances A., the widow of Robert Reid and a resident of Portland, Oregon.
Following the death of his parents which occurred when he was only about four years of age, A. J. Sowers went to live with his uncle, the Rev. J. Crouse, at Bucy- rus, Ohio, where he was reared. He there attended the public and high schools and, aroused by the continued attempt of the south to overthrow the Union, he enlisted in 1862 as a private of Company K, Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served through the summer, although he was but sixteen years of age at the time. In the spring of 1864 he reenlisted as a member of the One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Ohio Regiment and did duty as a sergeant with that command until the succeeding fall.
After the war Mr. Sowers engaged in clerking in a dry-goods store in Pittsburg. Pennsylvania, for a brief period but in the spring of 1865 came to Bed- ford, Iowa, and soon afterward engaged in farming and teaming. In 1869 he turned his attention to the implement and vehicle business, in which he has since continued, covering a period of forty years. He carries an extensive stock, oc- cupying a large building and enjoys a very gratifying and constantly growing business. Throughout the entire period he has been most careful in conforming his course to a high standard of commercial ethics, not because he believes such a course to be the best policy but because he believes it to be right. He has never been known to take advantage of the necessities of another in business transac- tions but has placed his dependence upon the substantial qualities of close application, unfaltering enterprise and progressive methods. In 1907 he erected what is known as the A. J. Sowers block which is sixty-six by one hundred and twenty-six feet and is one of the leading business structures of the city. It is now occupied by his implement business, the Fair store, a real-estate office and a barber shop.
In all of his public relations Mr. Sowers has made an equally creditable record. He is a stalwart republican and for several years was chairman of the county central committee. He was the first mayor of the city of Bedford, served for several terms as a member of the city council and in all such relations has exercised his official prerogatives in support of movements which have been directly bene- ficial to the city. Further political honors came to him in his election to the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth general assemblies and while thus representing his district he was connected with much important legislation which proved of sub- stantial worth to the state. Outside of political connections, too, he has done effective work for the benefit of Bedford. He served in 1907 as president of the Bedford Commercial Club, the object of which is to induce business enterprises and factories to locate here and thus promote the growth of the town. He has also been the vice-president and the president of the Iowa Implement Dealers Association and has thus labored to promote general trade relations.
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On the 6th of January, 1875, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Sowers and Miss Olive I. Carson, a daughter of Joseph S. and Phoebe (Vaughn) Carson, of Marion, Linn county, Iowa. Unto them have been born four children, two sons and two daughters: Fay Irene, Donald J., William Lee and Edna. Fay Irene is now the wife of Clarence Orth, of Bedford, while Donald is a merchant at Tamaha, Oklahoma, and William Lee is professor of English and Latin at Hanover, Indiana. Both Mr. and Mrs. Sowers are Presbyterians in religious faith and he is serving as a deacon in the church in which they hold membership. He is also connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Yeomen. His life history constitutes an integral chapter in the records of Bedford, where he has now lived for more than four decades, closely associated, throughout the pioneer period, with the material, intellectual, social, political and moral progress of the community.
GUY R. AKEY.
Guy R. Akey is one of the younger representatives of farming interests in Taylor county, owning a well improved tract on section 20, Marshall township. He was born in Linn county, Iowa, December 30, 1871, the only son of William and Sidney (Hubbard) Akey. The father, a native of Ireland, accompanied his parents to the new world during his boyhood days, the family home being estab- lished in Wayne county, Ohio, where the son was reared to mature years. He learned and followed the cabinetmkaer's trade there and was married September 23, 1856, to Miss Sidney Hubbard, who was born and reared in Portage county, a daughter of Rev. Stephen Hubbard, a minister of the Methodist church. Soon after his marriage William Akey moved to Williams county, Ohio, and took up farming, which he followed there for nine years. Subsequently he sought a home farther west and finding a suitable location in Linn county, Iowa, bought land there in 1865. He improved the place by the erection of a good country residence and substantial outbuildings, set out a grove and orchard and made it a good property. After a residence of nine years in Linn county he sold his property there and purchased land in Taylor county, becoming owner of eighty acres in Washington township. He also made many improvements on this place and continued to cultivate the soil until 1895, when he rented his land and removed to Gravity, where he had prepared a comfortable home in which to spend his remaining days in retirement. He was not permitted to enjoy his new home for a very long period, however, for his death occurred March 13, 1896.
It will be seen that William Akey had much to do with the development of the farming interests of various sections of Iowa, but with the interests of Taylor county he was identified for many years. He came here when much of the land was still in a wild state and when the homes of the settlers were widely scattered. As the years passed others came in and claimed land by purchase and this district became one of the thriving centers of this great state. His energy was often at the service of his community and he had the love and respect of all among whom he lived. In daily life he was genial and affable. Intelligence and goodness were
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his decisions of merit and neither love nor power would make him oblivious to principles of right and duty. Thus his death caused a great loss to the com- munity, in which he had long lived and labored.
Guy R. Akey is the only son of the family, his sister being Edna, the wife of Arthur Hamblin, of Washington township, Taylor county. The son was a little lad of three years when the family removed from Linn to Taylor county, so that he was practically reared here. As he grew in years added duties were assigned him in the work of the home farm and he thus became well qualified to carry on work on his own account in later years. After the death of the father the mother disposed of her farming property and her town property in Gravity and she and the son removed to Phillips county, Colorado, where they purchased one hundred and sixty acres of raw land besides residence property in Holyoke. After a brief period of two years, however, they disposed of their interests in the west and returned once more to Taylor county, where the son and mother bought their present farm of eighty acres, located on section 20, Marshall township, his mother residing with him. Mr. Akey is most enterprising in his work and each year his labors are rewarded by the harvesting of excellent crops.
Mr. Akey is a democrat in his political views and affiliations. He is busily engaged with his business affairs and has attained a success that many a one of much older years might well envy.
SAMUEL J. KEY.
Samuel J. Key occupies a foremost place among the substantial, progressive and well-to-do citizens of Grove township, who, entirely through their own unaided efforts, have risen from a humble position to a place of prominence and affluence in business circles. A native of North Carolina, he was born in Surry county on the 17th of November, 1865, and is a son of A. S. and Ellen (Whittaker) Key. When but a child his parents moved to Indiana and later to Illinois, locating in. Peoria county, where they resided for about two years, and then, in 1880, came to Taylor county, Iowa, the father here purchasing a place upon which a permanent home was established. On that farm the family was reared and there the parents continued to make their home until two years ago, but now live in Marshall township.
Samuel J. Key was a lad of fourteen years when he arrived in Taylor county with his parents, and his education which had been begun in the schools of Indiana and Illinois, was completed in the district schools near his father's home in this county. Upon the home farm he was reared to manhood and when not busy with his text-books assisted in the operation of the farm, continuing to give his father the benefit of his labors until attaining his majority. Then, being desirous of en- tering the business world for himself, he wisely chose as his life work the occupation to which he had been reared and became identified with agricultural pursuits on his own account as a renter, operating a farm in that capacity for one year. He was married on the 15th of March, 1888, to Miss Rose Gaudard, a native of Illinois, who was reared in Adams county, Iowa.
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