USA > Iowa > Taylor County > History of Taylor County, Iowa; from the earliest historic times to 1910, biographical sketches of some prominent citizens > Part 60
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HOWARD SEYMOUR STRAIGHT.
Howard Seymour Straight, living on section 14, Jackson township, is one of the active and progressive farmers and stock raisers of this part of the state. His time and energies are given to the development and improvement of four hundred acres of land, constituting one of the valuable farms of the county. Diligent and persistent, he allows no obstacle to bar his path to success, if it can be overcome by honest and persistent effort.
He was born in Jackson township, Taylor county, October 3, 1866, and is a son of Truman Straight, a native of New York, whose birth occurred near Oswego in 1824. He was reared, however, in Ohio, to which state he removed with his parents during his boyhood days, the family home being established near Cleveland. He pursued his eduaction in the public schools there and after- ward became a teacher in the schools of Ohio. Following his removal to Lee county, Iowa, he again engaged in teaching for several years. He was married in that county to Miss Mary Kemery, who was a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1830, but was reared in Iowa. At a later date Truman Straight removed to Taylor county, where he opened up a farm and spent his last years, his death occurring in 1868. His wife survived him until 1896, and reared their family of children, numbering five sons and three daughters, of whom two daughters and four of the sons are yet living.
Howard S. Straight was reared on the home farm in this county and remained with his mother through the period of his minority, acquiring his education in the district schools and receiving thorough training in the business of a farm. Having arrived at years of maturity he chose as a companion and helpmate on life's journey Miss Effie L. Wheat, whom he wedded in Sheridan, Missouri, on the 6th of September, 1891. She was born in Lee county, Iowa, but was reared in Worth county, Missouri, and engaged in teaching prior to her marriage. Unto this union were born seven children: Seymour S., who is now attending the Bedford high school; Selma M., who is also attending school in Bedford; Sola Alice, Leonard C., Iness Ethel and Clio E., all under the parental roof; and Serena, who met death by accident when only a year old.
Prior to his marriage Mr. Straight had purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land and had taken up his abode thereon. To this farm he brought his
MR. AND MRS. H. S. STRAIGHT
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bride at the time of their marriage and began the cultivation and improvement of the place. They lived in a log cabin for three years, but later this primitive home was replaced by a more commodious frame residence and the work of improve- ment in other lines was also continued, so that the place was transformed into a productive and substantial farm. Mr. Straight purchased more land from time to time as his financial resources permitted until he is now the owner of four hundred acres. In the midst of this place stands a good residence together with substantial outbuildings and upon the farm is a fine grove and also an orchard. In the feed lots and pastures are found high-grade horses, mules, cattle and hogs and the fields through the spring and summer give promise of rich, golden harvests in the autumn. Altogether the farm presents a most attractive appear- ance, constituting one of the leading features of the landscape. Politically Mr. Straight is a republican and religiously is a member of the Christian church, while his wife holds membership in the Baptist church.
J. F. WALKUP.
J. F. Walkup is numbered among the large landowners and substantial citi- zens of Taylor county, dating his residence here from 1870. He was born in Greenbrier county, West Virginia, May 9, 1852, and was there reared to the age of seventeen years, having been trained to the duties of farm life. In 1870, being then a youth of eighteen, he came to Taylor county, Iowa, where for six years during the summer months he was employed at farm labor. For four years dur- ing the winter months he continued his studies in the schools of this county, his earlier education having been acquired in the schools of his native county. After completing his education he was engaged for two years during the winter seasons as a teacher but he continued to carry on farm work during the summer months.
It was in 1880 that Mr. Walkup established a home of his own by his mar- riage in Clayton township, this county, to Miss Mary Mehan, their wedding cere- mony being performed on the 9th of March of that year. Mrs. Walkup was born and reared in this county. Following their marriage they located on a farm of eighty acres in Clayton township, which Mr. Walkup had previously bought. After about four years, however, he disposed of that land and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of his present home place in Gay township. This tract was but partly cleared but in due time Mr. Walkup had the entire place under cultivation. He further improved the farm by the erection of a house and out- buildings, set out an orchard, built fences and made it a valuable property. As time passed and the sale of his crops brought him good financial returns, he in- vested his money in more land from time to time until the home place now com- prises two hundred and forty acres. In 1908 he erected a modern and substantial farm residence and added more outbuildings and his place today is one of the best in his section of the county. In addition to carrying on general farming he also gives attention to raising and feeding stock, annually raising a carload of hogs. Mr. Walkup also owns another farm of eighty acres, which he rents. It will thus be seen that he made no mistake in locating in Taylor county during
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its pioneer period, for through his labors and his wise judgment he has accumu- lated a good" rope-+-
The marri nd Mrs. Walkup has been blessed with three sons and
two daughters, nai Blanche, the wife of Lon Keith, a resident of Canada; Maude, the wife of Earl Gordon, a resident farmer of Clayton township; Roy C., who is on a ranch in New Mexico; and Glen and Frank, who are still at home.
Politically Mr. Walkup is a democrat. For a number of years he has served as township trustee, while he has also filled the office of road supervisor and has been identified with the school board as a director. Popular and public- spirited, he has been chosen by his party as a delegate to county conventions. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Baptist church. Since coming to the county almost four decades ago he has seen many changes as the railroads have been built through this section, the telephone and telegraph lines introduced and many other modern and needed improvements made. He has been a leader in much of the work that has been accomplished and takes a just pride in seeing Taylor county rank with the best sections of the state of Iowa.
J. W. FOWLER.
J. W. Fowler, a prosperous agriculurist residing on section 13, Grant town- ship, owns and operates a neat and well improved farm of eighty acres within two miles of Clearfield, while his landed holdings also include an eighty-acre tract in Platte township and another valuable farm situated about three miles from Clearfield. He was born in Elmira township, Stark county, Illinois, on the 27th of June, 1837, and there grew to manhood on the old home farm. He re- mained with his father until he had attained his majority and then started out as an agriculturist on his own account, being actively identified with farming in- terests in Toulon township for several years.
In 1879 Mr. Fowler made his way westward to Taylor county, Iowa, pur- chasing a farm four miles west of Clearfield in Grant township. For twelve years he devoted his attention to the cultivation and further improvement of this property, erecting thereon a commodious and substantial residence and barn, fencing the fields and also setting out an orchard. On disposing of that farm he took up his abode in Clearfield, where he resided for three years, in the mean- time buying a tract of land of thirty-five acres adjoining the corporation limits of the town. After the place had been in his possession for five years he sold it to good advantage. Previously he had purchased a farm southwest of Clear- field in Grant township, which he likewise sold after residing thereon for years. On the expiration of that period he bought the farm of eighty a Platte township which is still in his possession, though he leases the In 1895 he purchased the farm on section 13, Grant township, on wh resides and where he has since carried on his agricultural interests lent success. He built a modern residence and substantial barn in : fact the place is now lacking in none of the equipments and accessorie? farm of the twentieth century. Energetic, enterprising and ind m
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labors as an agriculturist have been rewarded with a gratifying annual income and he has long been numbered among the most substar and pected citi- zens of the community.
In October, 1893, at Winterset, Iowa, Mr. Fowler wa. u .ed in marriage to Mrs. Mina Van Wye, the widow of George Van Wye. A native of Pennsyl- vania, she was reared and married in that state but later took up her abode in Iowa.
Mr. Fowler cast his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1850 and for several years voted the republican ticket but later became identified with the democracy and has since supported its men and measures. The honors and emol- uments of office have never had any attraction for him, however, and he has always preferred to devote his undivided attention to his private affairs. His wife is a devoted and faithful member of the United Presbyterian church at Clearfield. The period of his residence in this county now covers thirty years and he has therefore been a witness of much of its development and growth. At the time of his arrival here the town of Clearfield was still in its infancy and Lenox was but a crossroads village. He has not only been an interested witness but also an active participant in the arduous labor which was necessary to bring about this wonderful transformation, having improved and developed four dif- ferent farms. He has now passed the seventy-second milestone on life's journey and receives the respect and veneration which should ever be accorded one who has traveled thus far on this earthly pilgrimage and whose career has been at all times upright and honorable. Throughout life he has been an extensive reader, so that he is today a man well informed on current topics as well as subjects in general, and he is the owner of a good library.
L. C. BOLTINGHOUSE.
L. C. Boltinghouse, a successful farmer and extensive landowner of Grove township, whose well-directed efforts in agricultural lines are meeting with sub- stantial success, was born in Monroe county, Indiana, on the 23d of May, 1854. He is a son of Isaac Boltinghouse, who was born in Tennessee and removed to Indiana with his parents when a boy. His occupation was farming.
No event of special importance came to vary the routine of life for L. C. Boltinghouse during the period of his boyhood and youth, which were spent on his father's farm in Indiana amid the scenes and environment of rural life. Al- though he attended the district school for a brief period, he is mostly self-edu- 'd, having acquired a broad knowledge through extensive reading and tion in later years. His practical training, however, was thorough and ensive and he early learned the best methods of plowing, planting and giving his father the benefit of his assistance until he reached man- was married on the 6th of August, 1874, to Miss Sarah Freeman, a reene county, Indiana, who was reared in Nebraska until eleven years ยท which she returned to Indiana and in Monroe county gave her, hand to our subject.
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After his marriage Mr. Boltinghouse entered the business world on his own account, wisely choosing as his life work the occupation to which he had been reared. The young couple began their domestic life on a farm in Rock Island county, Illinois, where they remained for three years, and then, in 1879, they came west to Iowa, locating in Grove township, Taylor county. Here he pur- chased eighty acres of his present farm which, when it came into his possession, was but slightly improved. He at once took up the task of its further develop- ment and under his careful management and wisely directed labor the fields were brought under a high state of cultivation. During the first few years, however, the work of progress was very slow for he was handicapped by sickness and inany hardships and privations, but his indomitable energy and determination would brook no obstacles in the path to success and with the passing of the years he became very prosperous, from time to time being able to add to his original purchase until today his farm consists of six hundred and forty acres, consti- tuting him one of the large landowners of the locality. The farm is all in one body located on sections 18 and 19, Grove township, and has become one of the valuable and desirable properties of the locality. In 1905 Mr. Boltinghouse erected a comfortable and attractive residence, while in the rear he has built two substantial barns and commodious outbuildings. He has set out a good orchard and grove, and everything about the place indicates that he has kept in touch with the modern spirit of progress which is manifest in agricultural lines. In connection with general farming he engages in raising and feeding stock, fatten- ing from one to two carloads of cattle and hogs annually. His business interests are all wisely and carefully managed and he is enjoying a most gratifying mea- sure of success from the fact that both branches of his business-the raising of grain and the raising of stock-are proving sources of an excellent income.
As the years have come and gone the home of Mr. and Mrs. Boltinghouse has been blessed with eleven children, seven sons and four daughters. The sons are: Joe, who is married and carries on general farming in Grove township; James, also married and farming in this township; Charles, who is married and is engaged in agricultural pursuits in North Dakota, being an extensive wheat grower, raising sixteen thousand bushels of wheat in the year 1909, his entire grain crop aggregating thirty thousand bushels; A. L., who is married and follows farming in Holt township; Orville L., who is married and resides with the father and operates the home place; and Walter and Floyd, who are still under the parental roof. The daughters are as follows: Bertha, the wife of Claude Carter, of Grove township; May, who married A. Murray, of North Dakota; Eva, the wife of Clarence Armstrong, of Grove township; and Ethel, residing at home. All of the children were born in Taylor county with the ex- ception of two.
Mr. and Mrs. Boltinghouse hold membership in the Christian church, in which he is serving as deacon, and are people who are highly thought of through- out the community by those who recognize and appreciate true worth of character. Politically he has voted the republican ticket since age conferred upon him the right of franchise, and has ever been a stalwart supporter of the principles of that party, although he has never sought nor desired public office as a reward for party fealty. He was, however, identified with the school bm
- syste
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for several years, the cause of education finding in him a warm champion. A resident of Taylor county for over thirty years, he has, during this period, seen wild lands reclaimed and new farms opened up, and has ever taken his part in the work of development and improvement which has been carried forward since his arrival here. Early trained to habits of industry, thrift and integrity, these characteristics have proven salient elements in his business career and have been the means by which he has attained to the high degree of prosperity which is today his. He has made many acquaintances throughout the district and is popular with a large circle of warm friends who greatly admire and respect him for his many excellent traits of character.
T. W. BENNETT, M. D.
Dr. T. W. Bennett, making his home in Lenox, is actively engaged in the prac- tice of medicine in Taylor, Union, Adams and Ringgold counties. He has here resided since March, 1882, and in the intervening years has proven his worth as a citizen and as a representative of the medical fraternity. His thorough under- standing of the principles of medicine and his conscientious discharge of his duties have gained him the unqualified respect of all with whom he has been associated.
He is one of Iowa's native sons, his birth having occurred in Washington county, December 1, 1852. His parents were William and Catherine (Wilkins) Bennett, natives of New Jersey and of Nashville, Tennessee, respectively, but were married in Washington county, Iowa, in 1845. The father was of German descent. On coming to Iowa in 1836, he first located in Des Moines county and from there removed to Washington county, where he entered a tract of government land. He died upon that farm in 1879 at the age of sixty-nine years, but his wife passed away in Wathena, Kansas, at the age of seventy-nine. Both were earnest and consistent members of the Presbyterian church and throughout life the father followed the occupation of farming.
Dr. Bennett was reared in Crawfordsville, Iowa, where he attended the public schools, after which he continued his studies in Iowa City and in the Mount Pleasant College. A review of the business field and the opportunities offered along the various industrial, commercial and professional lines led him to the conclusion that he preferred the practice of medicine as a life work and to this end he studied under the direction of Dr. J. D. Miles, of Crawfordsville. He afterward pursued a course in the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Keokuk and was graduated with the class of 1877. He then practiced for five years in his native town, after which he removed to Lenox and is now one of the oldest practitioners of Taylor county, having for twenty-seven years followed his pro- fession in this part of the state. Throughout the entire period he has kept abreast with the progress made by the medical fraternity, his investigations and researches bringing to him wide and comprehensive knowledge. He is a member of the Taylor County Medical Society, the Iowa State Medical Society and the South- western Medical Society and has read a number of papers before their meetings.
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Dr. T. W. Bennett was married in Crawfordsville, Iowa, July 3, 1876, to Miss Emma Jackson, a native of Canada, who came to this state during her early girl- hood and was here reared. They have no children of their own but have an adopted son, Floyd V. Bennett, who has been a member of their household from the age of three years. They are prominent in the social circles of the city and county, having an extended circle of warm and admiring friends.
Aside from his practice the Doctor is a director in the First National Bank of Lenox, of which he was one of the organizers. He is also president of the Clear- field & Lenox Mutual Telephone Company, which he aided in promoting, was one of the promoters and is the president of the Electric Light & Power Company and is the owner of considerable real estate, having made investments in land in Michigan and Texas. He is also the owner of valuable property in Lenox, where he has built several residences. Politically he has been a life-long republican, casting his first presidential ballot for Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876. He filled the office of coroner for two terms and in 1908 higher political honors were con- ferred upon him in his election to the state senate from the sixth district. While a member of the general assembly he gave consideration to each question which came up for settlement and left the impress of his individuality for good upon the work of the senate. He served as a member of the ways and means com- mittee and also the committees on insurance, pharmacy, public health, suppres- sion of intemperance, constitutional amendments, senatorial and representative, suffrage and labor. He has frequently been a delegate to the county and state conventions and his labors have been effective forces in promoting the growth and insuring the success of his party.
For years Dr. Bennett has been a trustee and a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is a member of the Masonic fraternity, being connected with Lenox lodge, the chapter at Corning, the commandery at Creston and the Mystic Shrine at St. Joseph, Missouri. For eleven years he was master of Tremont Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Lenox. Both he and his wife are members of the Eastern Star and Mrs. Bennett is connected with the Relief Corps, of which she was president for years. The Doctor ranks as one of the most public-spirited citizens of Taylor county, his labors constituting an impor- tant element in general progress and improvement, while in his profession he stands among the foremost in this section of the state.
HENRY COULTHARD.
Henry Coulthard, one of the successful farmers of Holt township, Taylor county, Iowa, whose progress has been due solely to his own efforts, was born in County Durham, England, September 15, 1834. He received a very limited edu- cation in the land of his birth and at the age of eleven years began to work in the mines. At the age of twenty he came to the United States, confident that he could better his condition here were he but to try. In 1854 he found employment in the mines of Lafayette county, Wisconsin, where he remained two years, and then went to Virginia, where an uncle of his lived and where he again worked in
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the mines. In 1861 he went to Wisconsin for the second time and shortly after his return, the Civil war having been inaugurated, he enlisted in Company C, Fiftieth Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment. For one year he saw active service in Missouri and the Dakotas, and then, in Sioux City, was mustered out. He had been made clerk of the regiment and was six months in the hospital, where he contracted catarrh from which he is still a sufferer.
In 1871 Mr. Coulthard came to Taylor county, Iowa, driving a span of mules across the prairies from his Wisconsin home. He owned, however, in addition two yoke of oxen, two cows and two calves, and purchased eighty acres of rail- road land upon his arrival here. It was unimproved at the time and one of the first things he did was to put up a board shanty as a shelter for himself and his family. This remained his home for three or four years, when he erected the frame dwelling which he occupies at present. He set about clearing his land, making it ready for cultivation, and by his industry has reaped from it plentiful crops. As an increasing income rewarded his efforts he bought land extensively and now owns six hundred and forty acres, which are being farmed by his sons.
In 1863, while a resident of Wisconsin, Mr. Coulthard was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary Hutchinson. She had been born in Yorkshire, England, and was but two weeks old when her parents started upon their journey to America. They located in Wisconsin, where Mrs. Coulthard grew to maturity. On the 20th of June, 1900, she was released from the cares and toils of life, when she was almost fifty-six years of age. She was born September 3, 1844, and during her active life did much good and was well beloved. From her girl- hood she was a church member.
Ten children were born to Mr. Coulthard and his wife. Robert H., who was brought into the world September 3, 1864, married Miss Minnie Hartzler, and they have three children. He is a farmer in Holt township. Henry Dickson, born December 6, 1866, also a farmer of Holt township, wedded Miss Clara Burch, and they have four children. Mary Elizabeth, born February 14, 1869, is the wife of James Pedley, a farmer of South Dakota. Joseph William, born May I, 1871, married Miss Ella Cundy and is now engaged in farming in Holt township. Sarah Elizabeth, born January 6, 1874, is the wife of Charles Hunt- ington, a farmer of Holt township, and they have one child. Margaret Ann, born January 8, 1876, is unmarried and lives at home. George Thomas, born May 12, 1878, wedded Miss Mabel Cundy and they have two children. He is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Holt township. Lilly Jane, born September 1, 1880, is unmarried and lives at home. James Elmer, born May 27, 1883, wed- ded Miss Ella Heath and is engaged in farming in Grove township. Nellie May, born December 1, 1886, is at home.
Mr. Coulthard is a firm believer in the principles of the republican platform and cast his first presidential vote for John C. Fremont. Since coming to Iowa he has taken an active part in the affairs of his locality, having served as road supervisor, as assessor for two years, as township clerk for eight years and as school director for a long period. He has also been a member of the county board of supervisors for six years, during which time he was a conservative and fearless official, instrumental in reducing expenditure he deemed unnecessary, and when he resigned his position he held the respect of his fellow members on
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