USA > Iowa > Taylor County > History of Taylor County, Iowa; from the earliest historic times to 1910, biographical sketches of some prominent citizens > Part 34
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Albert G. Lucas, father of Ray V. Lucas, was a printer in his young man- hood at Kittanning, Pennsylvania. When the Civil war was inaugurated, he was a member of the Pittsburg Zouaves and with that command he enlisted for active duty at the front, becoming a member of the Twenty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Subsequently he reenlisted in the One Hundred and Elev- enth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, of which he was adjutant. He served throughout the entire period of hostilities, participated in a number of important battles and several times was slightly wounded, although he sus- tained no very serious injuries. He took part in the siege of Vicksburg, in the military movements around Atlanta and in the march to the sea under General Sherman, and after the war he practiced law in Pittsburg for a number of years in partnership with his father. He also acted as United States district attorney and made an enviable record by reason of his ability in the legal profession during his residence in the east. In 1875, he removed with his family to Grant City, Missouri, where he practiced law for a time, after which he turned his attention to journalism, purchasing and editing the Grant City Star. He was connected with that paper for several years and then removed to Hopkins, Mis- souri, where he published the Hopkins Journal in partnership with James Pierce, of Des Moines. In 1878, they established the Taylor County (Iowa) Republi- can and removed to Bedford. They also purchased a number of other papers and at length traded their syndicate interests for the Iowa Homestead at Des Moines, Mr. Lucas removing to that city in 1891. He remained as editor of the Home- stead for ten years or until 1901, when he sold out and went to Buffalo, Wyom- ing, where he purchased the Buffalo Bulletin, which he is still conducting. He is well remembered in journalistic circles of this state and among old friends in the east as a lawyer of prominence and ability. His political allegiance is un- falteringly given to the republican party and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist church. Of their family of two sons and five daughters only four are now living, namely : Bessie, the wife of J. D. Gallup, of Buffalo, Wyom- ing; Ray V., of this review ; Frank E., who is serving as postmaster of Buffalo, Wyoming; Nellie, likewise a resident of Buffalo; Lulu, the deceased wife of Dr. Park Holland; and two who died in infancy.
Ray V. Lucas was only five years of age when brought to Bedford by his parents, so that the following year he became a pupil in the public schools and passed through consecutive grades until he had become a high school student. He entered upon his business career when seventeen years of age through appointment to the position of railway postal clerk. This he resigned in 1900 and bought a newspaper at Earlville, Iowa, conducting it until January, 1906. He then returned to Bedford and purchased the Bedford Free Press, which is a republican newspaper with very progressive proclivities. The plant is one of the finest owned by any country newspaper in the state. Before entering the mail service Mr. Lucas had learned the printer's trade in the office of his father and he and his brother, Frank E., had conducted a job office in Des Moines, so that he brought practical experience to the business when he entered the field of journalism at Earlville. He has made the Free Press a credit to the city and county and has gained for himself an enviable reputation among the younger representatives of newspaper interests in Iowa. On the 18th of May, 1909,
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Mr. Lucas was appointed assistant postmaster under his father-in-law, James P. Flick.
On the 4th of June, 1895, Mr. Lucas was married to Miss Maude Flick, a daughter of James P. and Amanda (King) Flick. There are three children of that union: James A., Cora L. and Lucile. Mrs. Lucas is a member of the Methodist church and Mr. Lucas belongs to Taylor Lodge, No. 156, A. F. & A. M., and Triangle Chapter, R. A. M. He is likewise connected with the Knights of Pythias and his record is at all times in harmony with the demands which those orders make upon their members for good citizenship and for up- rightness in all the walks of life. He has been aptly termed a man of purpose and this is evidenced not only in his efforts to promote his own success in business lines but also in his indefatigable labor for the welfare of the com- munity in lines of general progress and improvement.
JOHN T. SHAW.
The story of the Civil war is a familiar one to John T. Shaw, for he went to the front in defense of the Union and for four years did active military duty. For the past twenty-seven years he has been associated with the business interests of this county as a painter and paper hanger and also as a farmer, and inde- fatigable industry and strong purpose have constituted important elements in the success which he has enjoyed as the years have gone by. For more than a half century he has lived in Iowa, becoming a resident of Washington county in 1856, while since 1882 he has made his home in Lenox. He has now reached the age of three score years and ten, his birth having occurred in Harrison county, Ohio, on the 11th of May, 1839.
His father, Thomas P. Shaw, was a native of Pennsylvania and was reared and married there, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary Gault, who was also born in the Keystone state. They afterward removed to Ohio, where Mr. Shaw purchased land, owning two farms in Harrison and Carroll counties. He after- ward sold his property there and come to Iowa, making investment in farm land in Washington county. For some years he carried on general agricultural pur- suits in that district, after which he disposed of his interests there and spent his last years with a son in Indianola, Iowa. His wife survived him for several years. At the time of the Civil war he served with the Thirty-seventh Graybeard Regi- ment, one of the most famous regiments that the state sent to the front. He was for two years with that command, after which he was mustered out and honor- ably discharged. Our subject's grandfather, George Shaw, was a soldier in the War of 1812, being a member of the Black Horse Cavalry.
John T. Shaw spent his boyhood and youth in his native state and when a young man came to Iowa with the family, remaining with his father until 1861. He was among the first in the state to respond to the country's call, for hardly had the smoke from Fort Sumter's guns cleared away when, in April, 1861, he responded to the call for three months troops. The regiment, however, was sworn in for three years. He went to the front with the Second Iowa Volunteer In-
MR. AND MRS. JOHN T. SHAW
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fantry and after about a year veteranized and joined Company C, of the Eighth Iowa Infantry, with which he served for three years. He participated in the charge at Fort Donelson and the second battle of Shiloh. This was known as the "Hornet's Nest Brigade," because of its fearlessness and the vigor and as- surance with which it met the enemy. Mr. Shaw also participated in the Vicks- burg campaign, being in battle nearly every day. Later he was in the second fight at Jackson, Mississippi, also at Brandon, and afterward returned to Vicksburg, where the regiment remained for some time. Afterward the troops proceeded to Pocahontas, Tennessee, and the regiment veteranized there, Mr. Shaw returning home on a thirty days furlough. On the expiration of that period they went again to Memphis and were detailed to guard the city. When Forest made his raid into the city the other Union troops succeeded in driving the rebel general out and Mr. Shaw continued on guard duty there until January, 1865, when he went down the Mississippi river to New Orleans, joining the Department of the Gulf. He participated in the last fight in that section of the country at Spanish Fort. He lost no time from sickness or other cause but was always found at his post and was honorably discharged at Mobile, Alabama, in February, 1866. He served for about four years and made a most creditable record as a brave and loyal soldier, keeping duty ever foremost during the long period of the civil strife.
When the war was over Mr. Shaw returned to Washington, Iowa, where he learned the painter's trade and followed that pursuit for a long period. In the same year of his return, he was married in Wapella, Illinois, June 10, 1866, to Miss Mary J. Bryant, who is a daughter of John Whitney and Eveline (Coy) Bryant and a native of Fulton county, Illinois, where she was reared and edu- cated. Her grandfather, William Bryant, was a soldier of the war of 1812, and her brother, William C. Bryant, was a member of the One Hundred and Seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil war. In June, 1864, the latter was taken prisoner and died in Andersonville in August of the same year.
Mr. and Mrs. Shaw began their domestic life in Washington, Iowa, where Mr. Shaw carried on business as a painter and paper-hanger until 1868, when he removed to Wapella, Illinois, where he remained for four years. In the spring of 1872, he became a resident of Worthington, Minnesota, where he se- cured a claim and opened up a farm, carrying on general agricultural pursuits there for four years. He also did some painting and later removed to Winfield, Henry county, Iowa, where his attention was given to general agricultural pur- suits. His next place of residence was in Crawfordsville, Iowa, and in 1882, he came to Lenox, where he has since resided. Here he has engaged in paint- ing and paper-hanging, doing a large business which has made him one of the prosperous citizens of the town. He has also been identified with the upbuild- ing and improvement of Lenox and his cooperation can always be counted upon to further any movement or measure for the public good.
Mr. and Mrs. Shaw have two sons and a daughter: William B., who is a painter and decorator and resides at home; T. E., who served as quarter- master sergeant with the Fourth Missouri Regiment in Cuba, during the Span- ish-American war and is with the American Steel & Wire Company, in Portland, Oregon; and Eva, who is now the wife of John Barrans, a farmer of Platte
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township. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw also lost two children: Clara Bell, who died at the age of four months ; and one who died in infancy.
In his political views, Mr. Shaw is a stalwart republican but while he believes firmly in the principles of the party, he has never sought nor desired office. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Shaw is connected with the Grand Army Post, in which he served as commander for two or three years and was officer of the day for the last fourteen years. His wife is an active member of the Relief Corps and they are both highly esteemed in the city which they have made their home for more than a quarter of a cen- tury. From early manhood, Mr. Shaw has been a resident of Iowa and for twenty-seven years has lived in Lenox, during which time he has seen it develop from a cross-roads village to the second city in size in the county. He rejoices in what has geen accomplished and at all times has given his aid and coopera- ation to progressive public movements. In his business affairs he has been found thoroughly reliable and his industry and perseverance have constituted the salient features in the success which is now his.
W. C. FLEMING.
The home farm of W. C. Fleming is situated on section 17, Grant township, where a tract of three hundred and twenty acres of rich and productive land yields bountiful harvests in return for the care and labor which he bestows upon it. There are few leisure hours in his life for he is always busily engaged in the improvement of his own farm or in the cultivation of a farm of one hundred and sixty acres belonging to his father-in-law. Taylor county has numbered him amoung its residents since the year 1874. At the time of his arrival he was a young man of twenty-five years, his birth having occurred in Clearfield county, Pennsylvania, May 22, 1849. His father, Samuel Fleming. was a native of the Keystone State, where he was reared and married, the lady of his choice being Miss Rebecca Bonsall, also a native of Pennsylvania. In the year 1856 the father removed with his family to Illinois, settling in Stark county, near Toulon, where he opened up a new farm and reared his family. Later he removed to Toulon, where his last days were spent, his death occurring December 2, 1907. He had long survived his wife, who passed away in 1866.
Taken to Illinois when a lad of seven summers, W. C. Fleming was reared in Stark county and his education was acquired in the public schools there. Through the summer months he worked in the fields and gained practical knowledge of the best methods of tilling the soil in the cultivation of the cereals best adapted to climatic conditions in this part of the country. He gave his father the benefit of his services until 1874, when he started out upon an independent business venture and coming to Taylor county invested in one hundred and twenty acres of land in Grant township. It was a tract of raw prairie, upon which not a furrow had been turned nor an improvement made, but with characteristic energy he used the breaking plow, harrowed and planted his land and in course of time opened up a farm'which he continued to cultivate for a decade or until 1884. when he sold
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that property and bought one hundred and sixty acres which he now owns. He then bent his energies to the cultivation of that tract and extended its boundaries in 1894 by an additional purchase of eighty acres, while in 1907 he secured eighty acres more, thus becoming owner of the entire half section. All is now well im- proved and valuable land. He has built a large barn for hay and stock, horses and cattle, it being one of the substantial structures of this character in Grant town- ship. In connection with its farming he raises and feeds stock, fattening three car- loads of hogs yearly for the market. This brings him a good return and other departments of his business are also profitable for he annually gathers good crops. The farm presents a neat and attractive appearance, indicating his careful super- vision and progressive methods. Its improvement constitutes a profitable business and like all successful business men Mr. Fleming is diligent and enterprising in the conduct of his affairs.
In 1879 Mr. Fleming was united in marriage to Miss Amy Chittenden, who was born in Cass county, Michigan, where she was reared and educated, a daughter of Thomas Chittenden, who came to Iowa from Illinois in 1876 and purchased the farm which he now owns and makes his place of residence. He has reached the venerable age of eighty-seven years, while his wife is eighty-three years. They are one of the worthy and respected old couples of the county and are yet en- joying good health. In 1882 Mr. Fleming took charge of and has since carried on the Chittenden farm, on which he resides, thus relieving his father-in-law of the arduous task of developing his fields.
Politically Mr. Fleming is a stanch democrat, and for one year served as township clerk, but has never sought nor desired office, preferring to give his time and attention to his farm and business interests. His wife and her parents are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church and Mr. and Mrs. Fleming and Mr. and Mrs. Chittenden all enjoy the high esteem of those who know them. He has been a resident of the county for thirty-five years and has seen remark- able changes since the time of his arrival, including the building of the railroads and the development of wild prairie land into productive farms, whereby this section of the state has been made to bloom and blossom as the rose. At the time of his arrival it was open prairie but was rich in its possibilities, which have been improved by a class of progressive agriculturists of which Mr. Flemng is an excellent type.
J. T. CURPHEY.
J. T. Curphey, a prominent and well known resident of Lenox, is numbered among the prosperous and representative farmers and stockmen of Platte township, owning a valuable farm of two hundred and forty acres on section IO. His birth occurred in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, on the 18th of July, 1861, his parents being Robert and Margaret (Cain) Curphey, both of whom were natives of the Isle of Man, where four of their children were born. In 1858 they crossed the Atlantic to the new world, settling in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where the father reared his family. At the time of the Civil war, he enlisted
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in defense of the Union as a member of the Forty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he remained until discharged on account of disability, having been shot through the leg. On recovering from his injury he once more enlisted, joining the One Hundred and Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of hostilities between the north and the south, being honor- ably discharged in August. 1865. His demise occurred in March, 1907, when he had attained the venerable age of ninety-three years, while his wife had been called to her final rest in 1905 at the age of eighty years.
J. T. Curphey spent the first sixteen years of his life in the county of his nativity and there pursued his education. On leaving the Buckeye state he made his way to Iroquois county, Illinois, where he worked by the month as a farm hand for several years. Subsequently he removed to Custer county, Neb- raska, where he homesteaded a claim of one hundred and sixty acres, opened up a farm and devoted his attention to general agricultural pursuits for ten years. Returning to Iroquois county, Illinois, he was there married on the 26th of May, 1886, to Miss Carrie Barnum, a native of Tazewell county, Illinois. When seven years of age she was brought by her parents to Iroquois county, where she was educated, completing a course at the Grand Prairie Seminary of Onarga. For about two years prior to her marriage she successfully followed the profession of teaching. The young couple began their domestic life on the Nebraska farm-fifty-five miles from the nearest railroad. Mr. Curphey hauled the lumber for his house and barn from Kearney, a distance of one hundred miles. As the years went by he brought the fields under a high state of culti- vation and placed a number of substantial improvements on the property, which still remains in his possession. In 1893, he leased the place and again returned to Illinois, purchasing a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Iro- quois county, in the operation and improvement of which he was actively en- gaged until 1900, when he sold out to good advantage. In that year he came to Taylor county, Iowa, and bought his present farm of two hundred and forty acres on section 10, Platte township, to the cultivation and further improvement of which he has since given his time and energies. There were two good barns on the place but he has erected another, has also rebuilt and remodeled the resi- dence and has both a double and single corn crib, a hog house, and so forth. He has partly tiled the land and altogether has a very' valuable and productive farm, the fields annually yielding golden harvests in return for the care and labor which is bestowed upon them. Since coming to this county he has made a specialty of the raising and feeding of shorthorn cattle and Percheron horses and is a well known dealer in pure blooded stock, having bred and sold some fine animals. In March, 1909, he purchased a nice residence in Lenox, where he has recently established his home in order that his children may enjoy the advantages of the Lenox schools.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Curphey have been born two sons and three daughters, as follows: Ross E., a farmer by occupation, who is married and makes his home in Lenox ; Elva and Robert Harold, both of whom are high school students; Edith, who is likewise attending school at Lenox; and Grace Lucile.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Curphey has given his political allegiance to the men and measures of the republican party. He
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served as highway commissioner while a resident of Iroquois county, Illinois, and likewise acted as a member of the board of education there. He has also been a school director in Nebraska and in this county, having served in that capacity altogether for twenty-two years. Both he and his wife attend the Methodist Episcopal church and he contributes to its support.
JOHN R. COOPER.
John R. Cooper, a prominent banker of Conway, who also for a number of years was identified with farming and stock-raising in Taylor county, was born in Erie county, New York, on the 28th of March, 1851. He dates his residence, however, in Iowa since 1877 and during the intervening years has won for himself a high place among the prosperous and representative citizens of Taylor county. At an early age he accompanied his parents on their removal west, the family home being established in Lee county, Illinois, where Mr. Cooper was reared and acquired his education in the common schools. His early years were spent upon the home farm where he assisted his father in the cultivation of his fields, and that his early training in farm work was thorough and practical is evidenced in the substantial success which attended his labors in later years. After attaining his majority, he began earning his own livelihood by working by the month as a farm hand. He was thus employed for two or three years and then, desiring that his labors should more directly benefit himself, he rented a farm, which he continued to operate for four years. It was during his resi- dence in Lee county, Illinois, that Mr. Cooper met Miss Fannie Young, a native of Kankakee county, that state, whom he married in November, 1876. The following spring witnessed his arrival in Taylor county, Iowa, where he located on a farm in Grant township. The place consisted of one hundred and sixty acres of raw prairie land with only a few acres broken. He erected a little house and, with characteristic energy and industry, began the improvement and development of his property. As the years passed he prospered in his under- taking, and from time to time, as his capital increased, he purchased more land, until in time he became the owner of about two thousand acres in five well im- proved and valuable farms, his realty holdings constituting him one of the exten- sive landowners of Taylor county. Upon his home farm he built a good barn and substantial outbuildings and also erected a large and beautiful residence, equipped throughout with all modern conveniences, while upon the place are found all of the latest accessories for facilitating the work of the farm. He also engaged extensively in stock-raising, making a specialty of breeding hogs and cattle, and became known throughout the county for his live stock inter- ests, while he acted as clerk at various public sales throughout the community for years.
In 1903, Mr. Cooper directed his interests into other channels, becoming identified with the financial interests of Taylor county through his purchase, in January of that year, of the bank at Sharpsburg, Marshall township, which institution he still owns and operates. In the following year he promoted and
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organized the Farmers Bank of Conway and became its president, which position he today occupies. He is engaged in a general banking business and his business sagacity, his ability for good management and above all his upright and honor- able methods have gained for him an enviable place among the prosperous and representative capitalists of Taylor county.
As the years have come and gone the home of Mr. and Mrs. Cooper has been blessed with nine children, six sons and three daughters. The sons are : Roy, who operates the home farm; Fred, cashier of the Farmers Bank of Con- way: Clyde, a resident farmer of Marshall township; John, employed in the Sharpsburg Bank; Leo, ten years of age; and Paul, a lad of six years. The eldest daughter. Nellie, is now the wife of B. F. Wilson, cashier of the Sharps- burg Bank. Grace M. wedded W. J. Martin, of Chicago, while the youngest daughter. Margaret, is still at home.
Fraternally Mr. Cooper is connected with the Masons, holding membership in Blue Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and is also a Royal Arch Mason and Knight Templar of Creston, Iowa, and is a member of the Mystic Shrine of St. Joseph, Missouri, while he likewise is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has filled all of the chairs and is now a past grand. In politics, Mr. Cooper has given his allegiance to the republican party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise and has been called upon to fill various positions by his fellow citizens. He was elected supervisor and served as a member of the county board and was chairman of the board during the erec- tion of the courthouse. He also served as township trustee and as township clerk and in various other official positions. He is prominent in the local party ranks and has been sent as delegate to various state and county conventions. Starting out at the beginning of his business career without any especial favor- ing circumstances, Mr. Cooper has worked his way upward by diligent labor and unfaltering perseverence until today, by reason of the success which he has attained. he ranks among the prominent and representative citizens of Taylor county, while his personal characteristics are such as have won for him the honor. respect and good will of all with whom he has been associated.
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