USA > Iowa > Taylor County > History of Taylor County, Iowa; from the earliest historic times to 1910, biographical sketches of some prominent citizens > Part 33
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On the 16th of May, 1895, Mr. Harvey was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Fanny Marie Howey, a native of Columbus, Ohio, where she was reared and educated. She had previously wedded Samuel Howey and they made their home for some years in Columbus. Mr. Howey was a school teacher and for several years was superintendent of the city schools. By her first mar- riage, Mrs. Harvey became the mother of two sons and a daughter, namely: Montgomery, a resident of Chicago; William, living in Kansas; and Viola S., the wife of C. H. Sandusky, making her home in Columbus, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Harvey are both members of the Blockton Methodist Episco- pal church, the former joining when but a lad of thirteen years, while the latter became a member of the Presbyterian denomination at the age of fourteen years. Both are deeply and actively interested in the church and Sunday-school work and are people of great personal worth and of high standing in the community. Mr. Harvey maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades through his membership in Blockton Post, G. A. R. In politics, he is a republican, cast- ing his first ballot in 1856 for John C. Fremont, and has voted for each republi- can presidential nominee since that time. He served as trustee of his township and for several years was a member of the school board, the cause of educa- tion finding in him a stalwart champion. Public-spirited to an eminent degree, he is greatly interested in all matters and measures pertaining to the material, intellectual and moral upbuilding and development of the community and at all times remains as true and loyal to his country as when fighting on southern battlefields.
S. N. BRISTOW.
S. N. Bristow, who is carrying on general farming on section 24, Clayton township, his time and energies also being devoted to the raising and feeding of stock, is numbered among the native sons of Taylor county, his birth having oc- curred near Bedford, April 6, 1867. He is a son of S. P. and Nancy (Quack-
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enbush) Bristow, natives of Preble county, Ohio and of Indiana, respectively. The father was reared to manhood upon a farm in his native county and in 1865, when a young man, came to Iowa, settling in Taylor county. Here he met and married Miss Nancy Quackenbush and soon afterward he began to open up a new farm in Clayton township, being numbered among the early settlers there. He built a brick house near Bedford, hauling the material from St. Joseph, Mis- souri, for there was no nearer market where brick could be secured. The spirit of progress, enterprise and improvement characteized him in all of his work and his labors were attended with a measure of success which made him one of the prosperous and representative farmers of the community. At length he sold the old home place and bought a farm of two hundred acres in Benton township, upon which he spent his last years, there passing away in 1889. His wife survives him and is now a resident of Bedford. Mr. Bristow was recog- nized as a man of sterling worth and his labors were not only a source of pros- perity to himself but were also a factor in the substantial growth and development of the county.
S. N. Bristow is one of a family of four sons and two daughters. Upon the home farm near Bedford he was reared, no event of special importance occur- ring to vary the routine of life for him in his boyhood and youth. He early gained practical knowledge of the best methods of tilling the soil and in the ac- quirement of a literary education he attended the district schools and the Bed- ford high school. After the death of his father he remained with his mother until twenty-two years of age and carried on the home place. His early training now stood him to good purpose and although a young man he manifested keen discernment and business ability in managing the interests of the farm.
At length he completed his arrangements for having a home of his own by his marriage in Benton township on the 9th of February, 1898, to Miss Lillie Dopp, who was born and reared in South Dakota and was a daughter of Charles Dopp of that state. Mr. Bristow had previously purchased eighty acres of land and at the time of his marriage took his bride to his farm, bending every energy to its development and improvement that the fields might return to him boun- teous harvests which would enable him to meet all the requirements of the household. That he was diligent and practical in his work is indicated in the fact that he was at length enabled to make investment in other land, purchasing an adjoining tract of eighty acres. He then removed the house to its present site, built a barn, fenced his fields and has further carried on the work of improvement until his property is now a valuable and attractive one, constituting one of the pleasing features of the landscape. He has two orchards upon the place together with a good grove of trees and in addition to cultivating the corn and other crops best adapted to soil and climate, he is successfully and extensively carrying on stock rasing, making a specialty of pure-blooded Duroc Jersey hogs and Per- cheron horses. He has raised some fine animals, selling one yearling in 1909 for four hundred dollars and also some fine graded cattle for one hundred dollars per head. He has a polled Angus bull at the head of his herd and also owns some fine shorthorn cows. At different times he has sold many head of good cattle and his efforts have been effective forces in promoting the stock raising interests of the community.
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Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bristow have been born two children: Vera and Harold D. The parents hold membership in the Baptist church which is located on their farm and are active and helpful workers in both the church and Sunday-school. In his political views Mr. Bristow is an earnest republican and has served as a member of the town board, acting at the present time for the second term as township trustee. He has also been a member of the school board and is interested in every measure or movement that tends to promote the best interests of the community in the lines of material, intellectual, political, social and moral advance- ment. He is honored wherever known and most of all where best known, for his record is such as merits the friendship and regard of those with whom he has been brought in contact.
HERMANUS H. JOHNSTON.
Among the many men to whom the material advancement of Taylor county is to be attributed may be named Hermanus H. Johnston, who was born in High- land county, Ohio, October 30, 1835. His father, A. S. Johnston, was born in New York city, in the year 1798, and as he was left an orphan when but a few years old he had early to shift for himself. He went to Ohio and took up farm- ing in Highland county, where he was married and lived until 1849, when he came to Iowa and settled in Jasper county. For about twenty years he remained in Jasper county and then in 1869 came to Taylor county, purchasing the old Gravity farm in Washington township. On that he lived for two years, when, owing to impaired health, he was compelled to give up the active pursuit of his calling. He returned then to Jasper county, where he died at the age of eighty- seven. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Emily McClure, was a native of Virginia and died in Jasper county about eight years ago at the age of eighty- two.
Hermanus H. Johnston was twelve years of age when his parents left their Ohio home and came to this state, and he can well remember the trip across the prairies which was made by teams as the railroads had not yet reached this part of the country. Having arrived here he can remember also some of the hardships of the time, one of them being the fact that they had to go thirty miles to the nearest mill. But then this was less of a hardship than might at first seem, for it was quite an event in the little community to bring the flour to and from the mill; it broke in upon the monotony of the necessary daily toil and often exciting incidents might be met with on the route that would be accorded a flattering hearing when the boy returned. Mr. Johnston later established a sawmill in Jasper county, besides following agricultural pursuits. In 1869, when the family came to Taylor county, he it was who drove the team. As the result of his many years of toil he had two thousand dollars, with which he purchased three hundred and twenty acres of unimproved land and on this he has lived ever since. He first built a modest home, from lumber hauled from Afton, Iowa, and then in 1881 erected his present residence, which is one of the finest in the township. Successful beyond the average, he has earned every cent which has
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come into his possession and at one time owned over a thousand acres. Now he holds six hundred in his possession, while he has assisted one son to buy one hundred and sixty acres and another eighty.
In Jasper county, in December, 1856, Mr. Johnston was married to Miss Martha A. Cowman, who was born in Highland county, Ohio, and six children blessed this union: Lottie Marie, who is now the wife of Lewis Blakesley, of Gravity, lowa ; Emerson J., who married Miss Mary Richardson and is a farmer of Holt township; Laura A., who is the wife of Charles Morris, living in Cali- fornia ; Minnie, who is at home ; William A., also at home; and Erdine Florence, who is the wife of George Beemer, a farmer of Holt township.
Mrs. Johnston is a member of the Christian church but Mr. Johnston does not give allegiance to any religious denomination. He has always been a strong supporter of the principles of the republican party and has been very active in political matters and in local affairs. For six years he was a member of the county board of supervisors, for several years served as trustee of the town- ship, and for six years was treasurer of the township school board. A man of proven worth and of sterling integrity, successful in his own concerns, he enjoys the good will and respect of the community in which he lives.
SENATOR RISSER.
Senator Risser is the proprietor of the Maple Grove Stock Farm, a well-im- proved and valuable tract of land of two hundred and forty acres situated on section 10, Jackson township. In its neat and thrifty appearance it gives evidence of the careful supervision and practical methods of the owner, who has lived in Taylor county since 1903. He is, however, a western man by birth, training and preference, the place of his nativity being Canyon City, Colorado, while the date of his birth was September 17, 1867. His father, Jacob Risser, was a native of Ohio who in early life was taken to Illinois and was reared in Mc- Donough county, that state. There he was married to Miss Jane A. Locke, who was born in Indiana and was reared in McDonough county, Illinois. Jacob Ris- ser became a farmer by occupation, following that pursuit in Illinois for a number of years. He afterward removed to the west, however, taking up his abode near Canyon City, Colorado, where he engaged in ranching. He resided there for fifteen years, on the expiration of which period he took up his abode in Nodaway county, Missouri, purchasing land in Independence township. He owned eight hundred acres, constituting a valuable property, upon which he spent his last years, continuing actively in farming operations until his life's labors were ended in death in 1888. His wife survives him and resides with a daughter near the old home.
Senator Risser, whose name introduces this review, was a youth of fifteen years when the removal was made from Colorado to Nodaway county, Missouri. There he continued through the period of his minority, working on the farm through the summer months while in the winter seasons he attended the common schools. After arriving at years of maturity he began the cultivation of the old
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home place, which he continued to operate for three years after his father's death. His entire life has been devoted to general agricultural pursuits and for a time he was the owner of a farm in Nodaway county comprising one hundred and thirty-two acres of land, upon which he lived for seven years. In 1903, however, he sold that property and bought the farm on which he now makes his home. It is today a valuable property in the midst of which stands substantial improvements, including a large barn which he erected. There is also a good grove upon the place and substantial sheds, cribs and other outbuildings. He has divided the farm into fields of convenient size by well-kept fences and his home is an attractive and commodious two-story residence, supplied with all modern equipments and conveniences. Around it spread well-tilled fields and rich pas- ture lands, and with his farming he raises high-grade stock, handling short-horned cattle, Duroc Jersey hogs and Norman horses, all of high grade.
Mr. Risser was married in Taylor county on the 24th of February, 1891, to Miss Minerva Rowe, who was born in Nodaway county, Missouri, a daughter of Eldridge Rowe, one of the early settlers of Taylor county and a prosperous far- mer of Jackson township. Mr. and Mrs. Risser have become parents of four children : Hattie, a student in the Bedford high school; Annie, who is attending a hoine school ; Abbott W. and Leland.
In his political views Mr. Risser is a stanch republican, having supported that party since he attained his majority. He has been officially identified with the schools but has never desired political preferment. His wife is a member of the Baptist church. They are both well known in Bedford and throughout Tay- lor and Nodaway counties. and a review of their lives show that their many good qualities have won for them the esteem and favorable regard of all with whom they have been brought in contact. They have an extensive circle of acquain- tances and their circle of warm friends is almost equally large.
MARTIN C. OWENS.
Martin C. Owens, who since 1905 has resided on a farm of three hundred acres on section 14, Polk township, is carefully tilling the fields and also raising and feeding stock, his annual shipments of cattle and hogs being quite extensive. He also handles horses and his business interests are so carefully planned and well managed that substantial success rewards his labors, making him one of the progressive and prosperous farmers of the locality. His birth occurred February II, 1856. just across the boundary line in Nodaway county, Missouri. He is one of the three sons of John and Nancy (Linville) Owens, who grew to manhood. His father was a native of Kentucky who was reared in Indiana and was first married there. Subsequently he removed to Missouri, settling in 1848 on the Nodaway river in Nodaway county, where he entered a tract of wild land on which not a furrow had been turned nor an improvement made. At later dates he purchased land until he became the owner of three hundred and eighty-eight acres, in the midst of which he erected a neat residence together with substantial
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barns and outbuildings. He had one of the finest farms and best improved places in Nodaway county, his unremitting labors and unfaltering energy being the fac- tors which transformed the wild land into rich and productive fields, from which he annually gathered abundant harvests. Upon that farm he reared his family and spent his remaining days. His second wife bore the maiden name of Nancy Linville, was a native of Nodaway county and died there in 1862.
Upon the old homestead farm Martin C. Owens was reared and assisted ma- terially in its development and improvement as the years passed by and his strength increased. His education was acquired in the public schools and through the pe- riods of vacation, even in his early boyhood he aided in the work of the fields and continued to assist his father until the latter's death. He was then made adminis- trator of the estate and later sold the property and made division of the money.
Mr. Owens was a young man of about twenty-three years when in Maryville, Missouri, he was married on the 9th of January, 1879, to Miss Zerilda J. Witt, a daughter of Nelson B. Witt, a native of Missouri, who was born in Buchanan county and was a son of Nelson Witt, Sr., one of the pioneers of that locality and one of the first judges of Buchanan county. The first election held in the county was at his home and the old ballot box, made of mahogany, is still in pos- session of one of his sons who resides upon the old homestead. Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Owens began their domestic life on his father's farm in Nodaway county. He purchased a part of the place and there carried on general agricultural pursuits for more than twenty years, at the end of which time he sold the place and located near Maryville. There he also engaged in farming for four years and later cultivated a farm three miles north of Maryville. As previously stated he came to his present home in 1905 and has diligently pursued the work of further development and improvement here to the present time. His time and energies have been given to the cultivation of various cereals and to the raising and feeding of stock. He fattens a large number of cattle and hogs each year, making an annual shipment of three carloads and he is now getting a carload of horses in good condition for the market. He is an excellent judge of stock, quickly recognizing a valuable animal and seldom is his opinion at fault. Moreover Mr. Owens is justly accounted one of the most progressive farmers of the community, for he utilizes the latest improved machinery to carry on his work and secures all the modern conveniences and accessories that are found upon the model farm of the twentieth century. He puts up all his own ice so that through the summer months the home is well supplied with that cooling commodity.
As the years have gone by children to the number of eleven have been added to the Owens household and eight of the number are still living, as follows : Harley, who is married and resides at Papillion, Nebraska; Roy E., who is mar- ried and makes his home in Polk township, this county; Jessie, the wife of Ben- jamin F. Albright, now of Washington county, Kansas; Nora, the wife of Kelso Fuller, a resident farmer of Polk township; Edwin, a young man, at home; Verna, who is a student in the Hopkins high school; Lola and Neil, both at home. They also lost three children : Anna, who was married and died in Andrew county, Missouri, in 1900 at the age of twenty-three years; Clifford N., who died when but three months old; and James Elmer, when nine months old.
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In his political views Mr. Owens has long been a stalwart democrat, for he believes that the principles of that party are most conducive to good government. He served as road overseer in Nodaway county for five or six years but has never been a politican in the sense of office seeking, preferring to concentrate his time and energies upon his business affairs. He has, however, been a member of the township board in Polk township and also of the school board and fra- ternally he is connected with the Modern Woodmen and the Brotherhood of America. He has a very wide acquaintance in Taylor and Nodaway counties where the extent of his business interests has carried him into important relations, while the straightforward, honorable methods which he has ever followed have gained him the respect and good will of all with whom he has been associated. His record proves conclusively that success and an honored name may be won simultaneously.
GEORGE McMASTER.
George McMaster, living on section 26, Ross township, devotes his time and energies to farming, and that his labors have been attended with desirable re- sults is indicated by the fact that he is now the owner of one hundred and sixty- five acres and altogether cultivates two hundred and forty acres in this county. Stock raising is moreover a profitable feature of his business and his life is alto- gether one of untiring industry, crowned with success. Taylor county numbers him among her native sons for his birth occurred within her borders August 10, 1876. His father, John C. McMaster, was a native of Scotland and of Scotch and Irish lineage. He spent his boyhood days in the land of hills and heather and when a young man came to the new world, locating first in Taylor county, Iowa, where he became the owner of land, for which he traded an ox team. It was covered with brush and not a furrow had been turned nor an improvement made on the farm, but he resolutely faced the situation, knoing that much ardu- ous labor would be required to transform the land into rich and productive fields. As time passed he bought more land for annually the sale of his crops gave him a substantial financial return, and as he prospered he invested his earning in farm property until he became the owner of several hundred acres. For a long period he figured as one of the prosperous and well known farmers of this community. He was married in this county to Miss Sarah Thompson, a native of Indiana, and they reared their family upon the farm which continued to be the home of the husband and father until he was called to his final rest, his life's labors being ter- minated in death on the 4th of March, 1901. His widow still survives him and yet resides on the old home place.
George McMaster was one of a family of ten sons and five daughters and with the exception of one of the sons all are yet living. His youthful days were spent in the usual manner of farm lads. He worked on the old home place from the time of early spring planting until crops were harvested in the late autumn and thus became familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. He remained with his father and assisted him in cultivating the farm
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until twenty-four years of age, when he determined to establish a home of his OWN1.
It was on the 18th of April, 1900, in Elden, Iowa, that Mr. McMaster was united in marriage to Miss Maud Fluke, a native of Illinois, who was reared however, in Iowa. Previous to his marriage, Mr. McMaster had located where he now resides and in the intervening years his labors have been intelligently directed toward the development and improvement of this place which, under his wise supervision, has come to be one of the valuable farm properties of Ross township. He has erected a substantial house and barn, has planted many fine red cedar and evergreen trees and has also set out an orchard which yields its fruits in season and which constitutes one of the attractive features of the place. He also practices the rotation of crops, that he may keep his soil in good condition, and he raises and feeds stock and is also well known as a breeder of and dealer in pure blooded short horned cattle, having now a fine herd of fifty animals upon his place. He likewise raises Jersey hogs and is well known as a leading live stock dealer of the county, making frequent exhibits at the Taylor county fairs, on which occasions he has won numerous premiums.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. McMaster has been blessed with one daughter, Ethel, who is yet under the parental roof. The parents belong to the Union Baptist church and Mr. McMaster has been a life long republican, giving to the party his early support since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He has never held nor desired office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs, which have brought him a substantial return. His good qualities are widely recognized and he has many friends in the county where he has lived throughout his entire life.
RAY V. LUCAS.
Ray V. Lucas, editor and proprietor of the Bedford Free Press, of Bedford, Iowa, was born in Pittsburg. Pennsylvania, January 16, 1873. He was one of a family of seven children whose parents were Albert G. and Anna M. (Byers) Lucas, natives of Pensylvania. His paternal grandfather was Benjamin Franklin Lucas, also a native of the Keystone state and of Scotch-Irish descent. For many years he engaged in the practice of law in Pittsburg and in 1875 removed westward to Missouri, serving as circuit judge at Albany, that state. His course upon the bench and in his practice at the bar was such as won him much more than local reputation as an able and competent attorney. He died in Des Moines, Iowa, at the age of seventy-one years, while his wife, who in her maidenhood was Elizabeth Fox. died when past middle life. Their family num- bered three children. The maternal grandfather of Mr. Lucas was born in Pennsylvania and was of Scotch-Irish lineage. He carried on business as a dealer in horses and when a young man, was shot by the Confederates. His widow died shortly after the close of the war. Their family numbered four sons and one daughter.
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