USA > Iowa > Wapello County > History of Wapello County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 18
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"Some time ago MIr. Johnston was induced to take stock in a cutlery factory and this is what led him to make improvements on machinery of that kind. His first patents were for grinding and polishing machines; these brought out another condition in the department of forging, which led him to make improve- ments in order to get a uniform product for the grinding machines. The result of this was the inauguration of the manu- facture of grinding machines and this led to the designing and patenting of machines for the different operations-forging, grinding, whetting and glazing, also machines for grinding and finishing handles. About twenty-five patents have been taken out by Mr. Johnston, bearing on cutlery machinery. So impor- tant have these been that they have revolutionized the manufac- ture of cutlery, even in the old world. These machines are made by the Ottumwa Iron Works and are being used in Norwich, Connecticut, and Sheffield, England, the two greatest cutlery manufacturing centers in the world. The Ottumwa Iron Works are now building machines for one of the most extensive plants in Sheffield, England. In this connection an incident may be related. Some years ago Mr. Johnston was on his way to Eng- land to make arrangements with cutlery works there for the, introduction of his machines. On the steamer he made the acquaintance of an Englishman, who made some inquiries as to the object of his visit to England. Mr. Johnston replied: 'I am going there to show them how to make cutlery.' The English- man replied : 'Why do you mean to say that they don't know how to make cutlery in Sheffield?' 'No,' said Mr. Johnston, 'I don't mean that, but I am going over to show them a better and cheaper way to make cutlery, and I am sure they will take hold of my proposition.' The result proved to be as the latter said; the English factories were glad to take hold of the American in- ventor's patents and are well pleased with their investments."
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Mr. Johnston has taken about one hundred and twenty- five patents on various lines of invention, among them those mentioned above and his more recent achievements, hollow balls used in ball bearings and a pressed gear used in washing ma- chines and lawn mowers, which is made from strips of sheet metal by compressing the metal into the shape of gear teeth.
In 1872 Allen Johnston wedded Elizabeth Wiley, a daugh- ter of Dr. Wiley, of Oskaloosa, Iowa, and they became parents of three children: Stella M., the wife of F. W. Sharp, of Ot- tumwa, who is a partner in the Johnston & Sharp Company; Roy W., who is also a partner; and Alice M., at home. The family attend the First Presbyterian church, and Mr. Johnston contributes liberally to its support and to its charities. Polit- ically he is a republican, with no desire for office, nor does he have any great desire to accumulate large wealth, but prefers the pleasure which he gets from his inventions and from the success which comes in developing his embryonic ideas into tangible assets in the mechanical world.
FRANCIS WILLIAM SIMMONS.
Francis William Simmons is president of the American Min- ing Tool Company, manufacturers of miners' tools and supplies. Well earned success is his, success that has come through energy wisely directed. He was active in promoting one of the im- portant productive industries of the city, one that features largely in manufacturing circles and thus adds to the material prosperity of Ottumwa and her people .. Mr. Simmons was born in Ohio, January 11, 1854, a son of Rev. John T. Simmons, whose birth occurred in Wilmington, Delaware, January 11, 1829. The paternal grandparents were John and Margaret (Talley) Sim- John Simmons, grandfather of Francis W. Simmons, spent his entire life in his native state of Delaware, and during the Revolutionary war our subject's great-grandfather served in Harry Lee's Light Horse Brigade. The widow of John Sim- mons later removed to Vinton county, Ohio, where she continued to make her home until called to her final rest.
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Their only child was the Rev. John T. Simmons, who was reared in Ohio and largely acquired his education in Morgan county. He was deeply interested in the vital questions that
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engaged public attention prior to the Civil war, became a stanch supporter of the abolition cause and made many speeches in its behalf. In 1855 he removed to Jefferson county, Iowa, and pur- chased an improved farm, upon which he established his home. The following year he became identified with the Methodist conference, and in a life devoted to the ministry he accomplished much good work for the cause of Christianity, his influence being a potent force in moral development in the different communities in which he lived. Until 1858 he filled a pastorate at Glasgow and then went to Iowa county, where he had charge of a large circuit, consisting of sixteen appointments, making his home at that time in Richmond. In 1862, heartily in sympathy with the Union cause, he joined the Twenty-eighth Regiment of Iowa Infantry as chaplain and was mustered into service at Iowa City. In October of the same year the regiment proceeded to Daven- port and on a transport went to Helena, Arkansas, where, on the 20th of November, 1862, the Twenty-eighth lowa was as- signed to the First Brigade, Second Division, military district of East Arkansas. On the urth of December the Rev. Simmons was transferred to the Second Brigade, First Division, and on December 17th to the Second Brigade, Second Division. On the rith of April, 1863, he was assigned to the Twelfth Division, Thirteenth Army Corps and with that command participated in the Vicksburg campaign and the battles of Fort Gibson and Champion Hills. He was later in the siege of Vicksburg and after its surrender went to Jackson. He was later again at Vicksburg and then at Natchez and at Carrollton. At the last named place he was transferred to the Third Division and on the 26th of February the troops were ordered to report at New Orleans. They passed through the Red River campaign and at length reached New Orleans, where they embarked under sealed orders. They went to Fortress Monroe and thence to Alexandria, Virginia, and Washington, D. C., this being the first lowa regiment in the capital. Proceeding to the Shenandoa' valley, they were assigned to the Fourth Brigade, Third Divi- sion, Nineteenth Army Corps, marched through Charleston, West Virginia, on the 8th of September and participated in the battles of Perryville and Winchester.
In March, 1865, Rev. Simmons resigned and returned to his home in Iowa county, Iowa. In 1873 he entered upon a three years' pastorate in Ottumwa and from 1882 until 1886 he was presiding elder of the Keokuk district. He then settled upon a
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well improved farm of eighty acres in Center township, Wapello county. He was pastor of the Mount Pleasant Methodist church in 1878-79 and agent for the Iowa Wesleyan University in 1880- 81. He was also presiding elder of the Newton district for four or five years, and in 1866 he devoted a year to the establishment and building of the Soldiers' Orphans' Home of Iowa.
Rev. Simmons was married in 1852 in Ohio to Martha Argan- bright, who died in Center township in 1892, when sixty years of age, her birth having occurred in Ohio, February 29, 1832. Mr. Simmons survived for fourteen years and passed away in 1906. They were a most highly esteemed and worthy couple and had an extensive circle of warm and devoted friends in Wapello county. In their family were six children: Lydia, now the de- ceased wife of E. G. Chapman of Duluth, Minnesota; Francis William; George B., living in Ottumwa; John W., a resident of Florida; Kitty, the widow of G. G. Springer and the mother of two children ; and Edmundson, of Nebraska.
Francis William Simmons attended the common schools of this state. According to the itinerant custom of the Methodist ministry, the family removed from place to place, so that his studies were pursued in different cities. He was a student in the high school at Mount Pleasant and also the Iowa Wesleyan University there and afterward entered the State University at Iowa City. He next taught school for seven months and then entered the hardware business in Ottumwa. He first worked for two years for the firm of George Haw & Company and at the end of that time purchased the interest of Mr. Henry in the business, entering the firm in 1878. He was continuously con- nected with the business for thirty-one years, during which time it was a prosperous and growing concern. He has a contagious enthusiasm which is felt by all who are associated with him, and his enterprise and energy were factors in the growth of the house. After thirty-one years' connection therewith he retired, and in 1906 he, together with his brother George, organized and secured the charter for the American Mining Tool Company, of which he is president, with George B. Simmons as vice president. This is a growing concern, engaged in the manufacture of miners' tools, miners' clothing and other supplies. Among their well known products are the Little Giant drill, the Scott Patent pick and Uncle Sam overalls. Their plant is large, well lighted and splendidly equipped with the latest improved machinery to facilitate the work, and the enterprise is one of the important
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productive industries of the city, furnishing employment to from sixty to seventy-five people. In addition to his activity in that direction Mr. Simmons is known in financial circles and through his further investment in other industrial concerns. He is now one of the directors of the First National Bank and of the Union Trust & Savings Bank.
On the 16th of January, 1890, Mr. Simmons was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth B. Bonnifield, a daughter of W. B. Bonnifield and a native of Ottumwa. Their children are four in number: Kenneth G., living in Chicago; John B., a student in Yale College, who entered the freshman class at the age of seventeen years; Francis William, attending high school; and Martha, also in school.
The family attend the First Methodist church, and Mr. Sim- mons holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows and the Masonic fraternity. He is also a member of the Country Club and the Wapello Club. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party. He has frequently represented the party in state and national conventions. He was a delegate to the national convention in 1892, which nominated Benjamin Harrison ; was delegate at large to the convention in 1908, which nominated William Howard Taft; and was alternate at large to the Chicago convention in 1904. He recognizes the duties and obligations as well as the privileges of citizenship and is anxious and willing to cooperate in all movements for the general good of city, county, state and nation. He keeps in touch with the trend of modern thought, is well informed on the leading ques- tions and issues of the day, political and otherwise, and in business affairs is abreast of the tendency of the times.
CHRISTOPHER HAW.
Christopher Haw is prominently known in business circles of Ottumwa as the head of the Haw Hardware Company, a whole- sale concern with which he has been continuously identified for the past forty-three years. His birth occurred in Grant county, Wisconsin, on the 29th of March, 1848, his parents being John and Mary (Lazenby) Haw, both of whom were natives of Eng- land, the former born in Yorkshire on the 9th of November, 1806, and the latter on the 18th of February, 1808. They were mar-
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ried in that country in 1833 and crossed the Atlantic to the United States in 1844, settling on a farm in Platteville, Wisconsin, to which place they had driven by wagon from Milwaukee. John Haw died on the Wisconsin farm in 1858, while his wife was called to her final rest in 1855. They were the parents of nine children, as follows: William, a Methodist preacher, who died leaving a family in Wisconsin; George, also deceased, who came to lowa in 1865 or 1866 and was engaged in business here; Jane, the deceased wife of George McMurray, an agriculturist resid- ing in Evansville, Wisconsin; Simon, who has passed away ; John, a Methodist minister who makes his home in Wisconsin; Thomas, who died in a hospital at Nashville while a soldier of the Union army during the Civil war; Christopher, of this review; Elizabeth, the deceased wife of Charles Deselhorst; and Mary, the wife of Judge Charles Smith, who acts as judge of the superior court in Superior, Wisconsin. The first five named were all born in England and accompanied their parents to the new world, the ocean voyage consuming six weeks. George, Simon, John and Thomas Haw participated in the Civil war.
Christopher Haw acquired his education in the common schools and was graduated from the Adams high school of Ot- tumwa, having come to this city in 1867. Subsequently he made his way to Kansas City, Missouri, and for one year was em- ployed as clerk in the hardware store of G. W. Henry. He then returned here to Ottumwa and in 1871, having saved the sum of five hundred dollars, became a member of the firm of Henry & Haw, which was later changed to George Haw & Company. Frank Simmons was subsequently admitted to the firm, which was eventually incorporated under the name of the Haw & Simmons Company and on January 1, 1914, became the Haw Hardware Company. The concern does a wholesale business exclusively and in its management Mr. Haw has displayed splendid executive ability, keen discernment and sound judg- ment, so that the trade has constantly increased and his own success has been augmented.
On the 12th of October, 1875, Mr. Haw was united in mar- riage to Miss Clara E. Bowen, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George W. Bowen. Her father is deceased, but her mother still survives at the age of eighty-two years and makes her home in Kansas. Mrs. Clara E. Haw passed away on the 12th of February, 1911, leaving the following children: Edwin A.,
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who is associated with his father in business; Mabel Joy, Fran- cis B., who is likewise associated in business with his father; and Arthur B., a student in Harvard University. On the 4th of December, 1912, Mr. Haw was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Elizabeth (Lee) Kercheval, the widow of Orren P. Kercheval. She is eligible to membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution through her father, Joshua R. Lee, a descendant of the Revolutionary Lees.
Mr. Haw gives his political allegiance to the republican party, exercising his right of franchise in support of its men and measures. He is a valued member of the Methodist church, has served as its trustee and Sunday school superintendent and is now treasurer of the permanent fund. In 1896 he was elected by the Iowa conference as a delegate to the general conference held at Cleveland and four years later was sent to Chicago. In 1890 he was chosen Iowa delegate to attend the international meeting of Good Templars in Edinburgh. For the past twelve years he has been a member of the board of trustees of the Iowa Wesleyan University at Mount Pleasant. Wherever known he is held in high regard and most of all where he is best known. He is a broad and liberal minded man of high purposes and principles and his innate ability of character has gained for him the honor and respect of all with whom he has come in contact, while his efforts have been a potent force in the material and moral progress of the community.
W. H. H. ASBURY.
W. H. H. Asbury, who for a quarter of a century has been engaged in the real estate business in Ottumwa, was born in Parke county, Indiana, April 4, 1841. This was the day upon which General William Henry Harrison died and Mr. Asbury was named in his honor. His parents were Benjamin and Polly (Porter) Asbury, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Kentucky. They were married in the Bluegrass state and started overland to the Wabash valley, establishing their home in Vermilion county, Indiana, whence they afterward removed to Parke county. In 1850 they came to Iowa, settling in Monroe county, where they spent the greater part of their lives, although
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the father died in Ringgold county. He was a blacksmith by trade, having served an apprenticeship of nine years. In later life he engaged both in blacksmithing and in farming. During the Civil war he served with the Thirty-seventh Iowa Regiment, known as the Gray Beards-a regiment which was largely engaged in guard duty. His father, Joseph Asbury, was a sol- dier of the Revolutionary war and was with Washington's army during the memorable winter at Valley Forge. For five years altogether he was on active duty under Washington. His birth occurred at Fairfax county, Virginia, and his entire life was passed in that state. The mother of our subject was a grand- daughter of Robert Porter, who served as a sergeant in the Revo- lutionary war under General Broadhead. In the family of Ben- jamin and Polly Asbury were five children: Emily, who is the widow of Leonard Clary, of Keokuk county, Iowa, and is now eighty-one years of age; Thomas Payne, of Ringgold county ; W. H. H .; Mary Ann, the widow of Harrison Neidigh, of Ring- gold county, and Benjamin F., of Albia, Iowa.
W. H. H. Asbury spent his youthful days in his parents' home, remaining with them until he enlisted in response to the country's first call for three months' troops. He did not go to the front, however, until August, 1861, at which time he was a mem- ber of Company E, Third Iowa Cavalry. He enlisted at Bloom- field and was honorably discharged in October, 1862.
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Mr. Asbury then returned home and farmed for awhile. He then went to Blakesburg, where he entered the drug business with his older brother, continuing in that line for three years. He next came to Ottumwa and on the ist of January, 1870, was made deputy sheriff, which position he capably filled. Later he was made deputy treasurer, and at the close of the term was elected county treasurer for four years. Subsequently he again accepted the position of deputy treasurer, remaining for ten years in the court house. In 1880 he entered the insurance and real estate business and in 1889 he was appointed internal rev- enue collector for this district. When his term in that office expired he resumed active connection with the real estate busi- ness, in which he has since been engaged. In 1910 he was again called to public office, when he was made supervisor of the census for the sixth congressional district, in which position he had 160 men and women under him. He has always given his political support to the republican party and has been most loyal to its principles.
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On the 5th of May, 1867, Mr. Asbury was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Jay, who was born in Miami county, Ohio, July 26, 1841, and in 1854 was brought to Wapello county by her parents, Jabe P. and Rachel (Commons) Jay, who were natives of Ohio and Indiana respectively. They were of the Quaker faith, and their lives were of the highest integrity. They con- tinued residents of this county until called to the home beyond. In their family were ten children, six of whom reached adult age. Mrs. Asbury attended a Quaker school until she came to lowa, where she has made her home continuously for sixty years. Mr. and Mrs. Asbury have lost three children, who died in infancy, while Bertha, who was born May 8, 1881, passed away April 8, 1903, when almost twenty-two years of age.
Mr. Asbury belongs to the Unitarian church, while his wife is a member of the Presbyterian church. He holds membership in Cloutman Post, G. A. R., also in the Masonic lodge, and with the Sons of the American Revolution. Progress and patriotism might be termed his salient characteristics. It may be that he inherited the spirit with his name; at any rate, he has many of the substantial qualities which made the hero of Tippecanoe famous.
EDWARD L. LAMBERT.
Edward L. Lambert is manager of the Cedar Rapids Gas Company at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He is, however, well known in Ottumwa and Wapello county, for during two years he was general manager of the Ottumwa Gas Company, to which posi- tion he was appointed in May, 1912. His birth occurred in Jacksonville, Illinois, on the 6th of October, 1881, his parents being Edward C. and Belle (Short) Lambert, likewise natives of Jacksonville, the former born in 1849 and the latter in 1859. Edward C. Lambert still resides in that city and is now living retired. Unto him and his wife were born three children, as fol- lows: Anne, who gave her hand in marriage to Edward Clif- ford, of Evanston; Helen, the wife of John C. T. Tillson, of Fort Riley, Kansas; and Edward L., of this review.
The last named acquired his early education in the public schools of his native city, subsequently attended the Illinois Col- lege of Jacksonville and in 1902 was graduated from Culver
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Military Academy. Since putting aside his text-books he has been identified with gas companies, being in the service of the United Light & Railway Company, with headquarters at Grand Rapids. In May, 1912, he went to Ottumwa, Iowa, and ably managed the interests of the Ottumwa Gas Company until transferred to his present position. After taking control in Ottumwa he erected entire new works and expended about two hundred thousand dollars in improvements, including a new office at the corner of Main and Court streets. The company prospered under his administration and he gained enviable recognition as a young man of splendid executive ability and sound judgment. He carries to his new position the experience gained in former business connections and will doubtless display the same ability and spirit of enterprise which has already marked his course in business.
On the 2d of May, 1907, Mr. Lambert was united in mar- riage to Miss Marion Courtney, a native of Silver Creek, New York, and a daughter of W. H. and Elisabeth Countney, both of whom are deceased. Her father was formerly the vice presi- dent of the Des Moines, Iowa Falls & Northern Railway Com- pany. Mr. Lambert is a popular member of the Wapello and Country Clubs and is identified fraternally with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Masons, while his religious faith is that of the Episcopal church. In matters of citizenship his influence and support are given on the side of advancement and progress, and he holds to high standards in man's personal relations with his fellowmen. No one who knows Edward L. Lambert doubts that he will win a large circle of warm friends in his new home as well as the high regard of business asso- ciates.
FRED Z. KIDD.
Fred Z. Kidd has been actively engaged in business as a druggist of Ottumwa since April, 1905, and has won well mer- ited prosperity in this connection. His birth occurred in Wis- cousin on the 2d of June, 1873, his parents being R. A. and Melissa (Kaufman) Kidd, the former born in Ohio, in 1841, and the latter a native of West Point, Lee county, Iowa. R. A. Kidd, who served in the Civil war as a member of Company
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D, Forty-second Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, followed farm- ing in the Badger state until the time of his demise. His widow now makes her home with our subject. Their three surviving children are as follows: G. A., who is a resident of Oelwein, Iowa; L. D., living in New York city; and Fred Z., of this review.
The last named acquired his early education in the common schools of his native state and later pursued a high-school course at Oelwein, Fayette county, Iowa. He was subsequently employed in a general store for two years and on the expiration of that period entered the Highland Park College of Pharmacy in Des Moines, being graduated from that institution on the 25th of June, 1895. During the two following years he was associated in the drug business with A. C. Wilson at Oelwein and later embarked in that business at Allerton, Wayne county, Iowa, there remaining for six years. Subsequently he spent two years in the drug business at Eddyville, this county, and then sold out and came to Ottumwa in April, 1905, purchasing the establishment of Mrs. Orr at No. 632 West Second street. At the end of four years in that location he removed his stock to the corner of West Second and MeLane streets, where he has since conducted business, carrying a general line of drugs and druggists' sundries, as well as paints and oils, and also main- taining a sub postal station in his store. He belongs to the National Association of Retail Druggists and the Iowa Pharma- ceutical Association and enjoys a foremost place among the prosperous retail merchants of Ottumwa.
On the 27th of December, 1899, Mr. Kidd was united in marriage to Miss Myrtle Clawson, a native of Illinois and a daughter of William and Minnie Clawson, who are residents of Allerton, Iowa. The father offered his services in St. Louis at the time of the Civil war but was rejected on account of physical disability. He went to the front nevertheless and served for two years. In 1880, by special act of congress, he was mustered in, honorably discharged and paid for his services. He is an agriculturist by occupation and now receives a pension. Our subject and his wife have two children, Frederick Allen and Pauline Lenore.
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