USA > Iowa > Washington County > History of Washington County, Iowa from the first white settlements to 1908. Also biographical sketches of some prominent citizens of the county, Vol. II > Part 13
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Mr. Mayer is a native of Hardin county, Ohio, his birth having there occurred on the 29th of March, 1845. His parents, Adam and Dorothy (Remge) Mayer, were both natives of Germany, who came to the United States in childhood days with their respective parents. The Mayer home was established in Pennsylvania but subsequently a removal was made to Ohio in which state the parents of Mrs. Dorothy Mayer had previously located. It was there that Adam Mayer and Dorothy Remge became acquainted and were married. They began their domestic life upon a farm in Hardin county where they resided until 1846, when they removed westward to lowa, settling in Dutch Creek township, Washington county. Two brothers, Henry and John Mayer, also came with Adam Mayer and the three secured a large tract of government land in Dutch Creek township. Henry Mayer, however,
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remained for only a short time after which he returned to Ohio, Adam Mayer purchasing his share of the land. As the years passed the last named became known as one of the representative farmers and honored agri- culturists of the community. He resided here up to the time of his death. which occurred in 1892, when he was seventy-six years of age. He was then the owner of three hundred and forty-eight acres of land which had been acquired through his well directed labor and judicious investment. He was a democrat in his political views, stalwart in his support of the principles of the party and he served in various township offices to which he was hon- ored by the vote of his fellow citizens, yet he was never a politician in the sense of office seeking, having no ambition for honors of that character. Both he and his wife were members of the Evangelical Lutheran church. Mrs. Mayer passed away about eight years prior to the death of her husband, her demise occurring in 1884 when she was sixty-six years of age. They were both people of genuine personal worth, esteemed by all who knew them, and as their circle of acquaintance increased their circle of friends also grew.
Washington county was a pioneer district when the Mayer home was established within its borders and John C. Mayer, then but one year old, was reared amid the wild scenes and environments of frontier life. He obtained his education in one of the old time log schoolhouses common in a newly developed district, and when not busy with his text-books his atten- tion was given to the active work of the farm as he assisted his father in the work of plowing, planting and harvesting. They were associated in business until 1872 when John C. Mayer and his brother Henry purchased a farm of four hundred aeres in Seventy-Six township, which they cultivated in partnership until 1883. In the spring of that year John C. Mayer removed to his present farm which the brothers had previously purchased. They then divided their interests, each becoming the owner of a fine tract of land of four hundred acres. In earlier years they were known as extensive cattle feeders but in recent years John C. Mayer has fed only the stock which he has raised himself. He breeds and raises shorthorn cattle, having some fine stock for which he finds a ready sale on the market, this branch of his business constituting an important source of revenue. In addition to his home place of four hundred acres he owns a farm of one hundred and sixty acres two miles northwest of the homestead and he is a stockholder in the Union State Bank of Keota. He was also one of the organizers and is the vice president of the Farmers Savings Bank of Keota. His home place is splendidly improved with all modern equipments, the buildings being substantial and commodious, the machinery is of the latest improved pattern and everything about the farm is indicative of the spirit of thrift and enter- prise which characterizes the owner.
It was in 1881 that Mr. Mayer was married to Miss Jane Carkuff of Dutch Creek township, and unto them has been born one child, Winifred, at home. The parents are church members, Mr. Mayer belonging to the Evan- gelical Lutheran church while his wife is connected with the Methodist Episcopal church. In polities he is a democrat and has served as trustee of
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his township. The honors and emoluments of office, however, have little attraction for him, as he prefers to concentrate his energies upon his busi- ness affairs, which capably conducted have brought to him substantial suc- cess. What he accomplished represents the fit utilization of his innate powers and talents. He is a man of resolute spirit, overcoming the diffi- culties and obstacles in his path by determined and honorable effort, knowing that success is not a matter of genius or of fortunate circumstances, as held by some, but is rather the outcome of clear perception and experience, of persistent labor and sound judgment. It has been along those lines that he has worked his way steadily upward until he is now. numbered among the men of affluence in Seventy-Six township.
GEORGE WASHINGTON ALEXANDER.
George Washington Alexander, well known by reason of his business activity, enterprise and progressive citizenship, makes his home in Washing- ton. He was for some years identified with agricultural interests in this county and since putting aside the work of the fields has given his attention to real-estate dealing. He was born in Blount county, Tennessee, January 3. 1846. His father, Samuel Alexander, was likewise a native of that state and throughout his life followed the occupation of farming, thus providing for his family. He married Ann Morelock, who was born in Tennessee, as were the paternal and maternal grandparents of our subject. The More- lock family is of Dutch descent. It was in the year 1861 that Samuel Alexander arrived with his family in Washington county, Iowa, settling near the town of Crawfordsville in Crawford township, where he purchased forty acres of land. With characteristic energy he began to develop and improve this and as he prospered in his undertakings he added eighty acres. Later he sold his farm and removed to Missouri where he lived for two and a half years, after which he returned to Crawford township where his remaining days were passed, his death occurring January 22, 1879, when he was sixty-eight years of age. His wife died in 1894 at the age of eighty- three. Both were members of the United Presbyterian church and their influence was a factor for good in the community. Their family numbered three sons and three daughters, but only two are now living, the elder being Mary E., the wife of John F. Nicholson, of Yorktown, Canada.
The younger is George W. Alexander, whose name introduces this record. He was a youth of fifteen when he came to Washington county, Iowa, and here he assisted in the labors of the farm, having previously acquired his education in the district schools of Tennessee. He aided in the arduous task of developing new land and when he had attained his majority started out in life on his own account, purchasing twenty acres in Crawford township. He cultivated that tract and also the forty acres, belonging to his father. for several years. Later he bought thirteen acres in Crawfordsville, a part of which he laid off in town lots and for fourteen years he main-
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tained his residence in that village. On the 12th of February, 1907, he became a resident of Washington and purchased a nice home at No. 1109 South Iowa avenue.
On the 28th of April, 1904, Mr. Alexander was married to Miss Jennie L. Bare, who was born in Augusta county, Virginia, near Staunton and is a daughter of Samuel V. and Deminer ( Phillips) Bare, the former a native of Augusta county and the latter of Nelson county, Virginia. His parents were Valentine and Annie Bare. The latter died at the age of forty years and the former afterward married again and reached the advanced age of ninety-three years, two months and twenty-five days. The maternal grand- father of Mrs. Alexander was William Phillips who spent the greater part of his life in Rockbridge county. Virginia. Both he and his wife, Mrs. Polly Phillips, lived to old age and they reared four sons and four daughters: Deminer, Susan, Jacob, Joseph, Nancy, Jesse, James and Mary. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Bare spent the greater part of their lives in the south, but about 1888 came to Iowa. Mr. Bare was a soldier of the Civil war, serving for four years. He died in May, 1907, at the age of eighty-six years, seven months and three days and is still survived by his widow who is now living near Lexington in this county. They were the parents of two sons and six daughters : Mary E., the wife of B. I. Jones ; Martha Jane ; William Henry . Mrs. Alexander ; Sarah Frances, the deceased wife of Charles F. Adams ; Alice Agnes, the wife of C. P. Rosen, of Staunton, Virginia : Jesse V. : and Ella, at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander are widely known in Washington and through- out the county and the hospitality of the best homes is freely accorded them. They hold membership in the Second United Presbyterian church and while living in Crawfordsville Mr. Alexander served as one of the elders of the church. His aid and influence are always given to movements that tend to uplift humanity and promote moral progress. His staunch advocacy of tem- perance has led him to give his political allegiance to the prohibition party. His genuine worth is widely acknowledged and his many substantial and admirable qualities have gained him the respect and good will of all with whom he has been brought in contact.
ABSALOM ANDERSON.
The name of Absalom Anderson is so closely, prominently and honorably interwoven with the history of Washington county that no record would be complete without extended mention of him and what he has accom- plished. For more than a half century he has lived in this county. Un- familiar with the experiences of farm life when he arrived here at the age of, sixteen, he was long associated with general agricultural interests and his ready adaptability enabled him to soon place himself in a position where success followed his labors as a legitimate and logical sequence.
Anderson
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATION
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He was born near Steubenville, Ohio, January 9, 1841, his parents being John T. and Sarah ( Baxter) Anderson. In the paternal line he comes of Scotch descent. His grandfather, a native of Pennsylvania, was a river trader on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, building boats which he floated down the rivers to New Orleans, trading with the planters along the way. After disposing of his goods he would then return on foot to the north. On one of these trips he lost his life through accident and liis remains were interred at Natchez, Mississippi. He had married a Miss Craig, who was of Scotch-Irish lineage and both died in middle life. They were the parents of a son and two daughters : John Thompson : Eliza, the wife of Ezekiel Gar- rett ; and one who died in infancy.
John T. Anderson was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, and a cabinetmaker by trade. He also gave his attention to the undertaking busi- ness in early manhood in Washington county, Pennsylvania. With the exception of two years spent in Ohio he remained a resident of the Key- stone state until 1855, when he removed to Sauk City, Wisconsin, where he lived for a year and a half. In the spring of 1857 he came to Washington county, Iowa, settling on a piece of land eleven miles northeast of the city of Washington in Highland township. There he lived for twenty-nine years, after which he took up his abode in the county seat, spending his re- maining days in the enjoyment of well earned rest. He died in 1888 when nearly eighty-three years of age. His wife survived him for only five months and died in February, 1889, at the age of seventy-eight years. His people were all of the Presbyterian faith, while Mrs. Anderson belonged to the old-school Baptist church. Her birth occurred in Brooke county, West Virginia, and she was a daughter of Greenbury Baxter, a native of Mary- land, who was of English descent. He followed farming as a life work and removed from the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland, to Brooke county, West Virginia, where he engaged in farming. He, too, was a river trader and made seven trips down the Mississippi river. His death occurred at Natchez on his seventh trip. His wife bore the maiden name of Hannah Butler and was also of English lineage. The birth of Mr. Baxter occurred November 16, 1780, and his death on the ist of April, 1823, so that he was but forty- two years of age at the time of his demise. His wife, who was born Decem- ber 30, 1784, died in April, 1829. They were the parents of eleven children : Absalom ; Samuel; Susanna, the wife of Samuel Thorley; Sarah, who be- came Mrs. Anderson and the mother of our subject : Anne, the wife of Berry Haney ; Charles O. ; Mary. the wife of Dr. S. Gregory : William ; Ruth, who died in childhood : Rachel and John, also both deceased.
Unto the marriage of John T. Anderson and Sarah Baxter there were born seven children, five sons and two daughters: Marion B., who was a member of Company A, Twenty-fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry in the Civil war and lost his health in the army, his military experiences eventually term- inating his life; Anna E., the widow of Bazil Wells, of Washington, Iowa; Sarah M., the widow of Thomas Craig and a resident of Washington ; Absa- lom, Samuel and John Thompson, who are all living in Washington ; and Charles O., who died in 1897.
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In Washington county, Pennsylvania, Absalom Anderson spent the first fourteen years of his life and then accompanied his parents on their re- moval to Wisconsin. In his sixteenth year he came to Washington county, Iowa. While in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin he had lived in towns, but on the removal to this state the family home was etablished on a farm, where he continued until twenty-two years of age. The surroundings were new and the experiences interesting. He became a factor in the early development of the locality in which the family lived, for from the outset he aided in the cultivation of the home place. He also engaged in teaching school for two or three terms in early manhood and after leaving the farm located in Ains- worth, Iowa, where he purchased and sold live-stock and grain. Subsequently he built a store there and carried on general merchandising in partnership with Samuel A. White for twelve years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Washington, where he continued to deal in live-stock for a few months, after which he turned his attention to financial enterprises, becoming cashier of the Washington County Savings Bank, which position he filled for twenty-three and one-half years, when he resigned. He is now vice presi- dent, but leaves the active management of the bank to others, while he gives his attention merely to the supervision of his farms and other properties. He is the owner of a tract of valuable land of two hundred acres in Washing- ton township, has realty in Ainsworth and is likewise the owner of a fine home in the city of Washington. In all of his business affairs he showed keen discrimination and closely studied the possibilities and improved the opportunities of every situation. As the years passed he thus reached a prominent position in the community and now in well earned retirement is enjoying the fruits of his former toil.
On the 31st of July, 1869, Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Martha J. Stretch, of Muscatine county, a daughter of Andrew and Melinda (Purcell) Stretch. They became the parents of two sons, Marion Thompson and George Jay. The former, now well known as a dealer in coal and ice in Washington. married Lucy, daughter of Dr. Burroughs, and they have two children, Charles B. and Marion. Mrs. Martha J. Anderson died July 28, 1896, at the age of fifty-eight years. She was a member of the Methodist church. to which Mr. Anderson also belongs. Her birth occurred near Urbana, Ohio, and during her girlhood days she was brought to Iowa by her parents, who were natives of Kentucky, while hier grandparents were natives of Virginia.
On the 29th of May, 1900, Mr. Anderson was married to Mrs. Emma C. Ink, the widow of Parker P. Ink and the eldest daughter of Harrison Arnold Ball and Mary Ann ( Ihrig) Ball. Mrs. Anderson was born near Wooster, Ohio, and in 1856. at the age of four months, was brought by her parents to Washington, where they settled, the father still living in the house which he built that year and in which the large family of nine children was reared. He was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, and is of English descent, his parents being Virginians and her mother was born in Wayne county, Ohio, of German descent.
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Politically, Mr. Anderson is a republican, having supported the party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. Without invidious dis- tinction he may be termed one of the foremost citizens of Washington, inas- much as his activity in various lines has contributed largely to the material intellectual, social, political and moral progress of the community. In all his connections he has been actuated by high and honorable purposes and throughout his entire life it has been his habit to look beyond the exigencies of the moment to the possibilities and opportunities of the future so that his labors have been fraught with great good. He has never regarded any position as final but rather as a starting point toward further accomplish- ment. and it has been his intelligent appreciation of the possibilities of a situation that has constituted the foundation for his most gratifying and continuously increasing success.
WILLIAM N. HYDE.
When one visits the enterprising little city of Brighton with all of its business interests, its pretty homes and its institutions for intellectual and moral instruction, it seems almost impossible to realize that it is within the memory of a living man when Indians were encamped through the district or were frequent visitors to the little village that had here been established. Yet William N. Hyde has seen as many as five hundred Indians at one time in this locality. This fact alone indicates that he is one of the pioneer settlers, and those who are at all familiar with the history of the county know that he has been an important factor in its growth and progress as the years have gone by. He was born on a farm in Coshocton county, Ohio, February 15, 1834. The Hyde family came from England and was founded in America in colonial days by the grandfather of our subject and his two brothers. The grandfather served as a soldier throughout the Revolutionary war, rendering valiant aid to the colonists in their struggle for independence. West Hyde. the father of our subject, was born in Huntington county, New Jersey, in 1793 and was there reared. Later he removed to Virginia, settling on the south branch of the Potomac but subsequently went to Coshocton county, Ohio, where he lived until 1837 or 1838. At that time he continued his westward way and established his home near Peoria, Illinois, where he lived for a few years, when in 1842 he again traveled westward and hecame a resi- dent of Brighton, where he made his home until his death, which occurred in 1861, his remains being interred in a cemetery in that place. In early life he engaged in boring wells when such work was done by hand, but during much of his life he followed agricultural pursuits and was an active factor in reclaiming the wild land of this county for the purpose of civilization. In his boyhood days he served as a soldier in the war of 1812 and at all times was most loyal to the interests of the country, local progress and national advancement both being canses dear to his heart. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Rebecca Hines, was born in Maryland in 1796. They were
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married in Virginia and she accompanied her husband on his various re- movals as he traveled toward the setting sun. Her death occurred in Wash- ington county in 1884, and her remains were also interred in the Brighton cemetery. In the family of this worthy couple were ten children: John L., who for fourteen years served as county treasurer of Lincoln county, Oregon, and is now deceased; William N .; Thomas W., who is engaged in the real- estate business in Des Moines ; Margaret, Mary and Hannah, all deceased ; Elizabeth, who is living with her daughter, Mrs. Roy Johnston, in Clay township; Rebecca, who is the wife of Robert McCarty; Sarah Ann, de- ceased; and Catherine, who is living with her daughter, Mrs. Smith, in Des Moines.
The birthplace of William N. Hyde was about three miles southwest of Coshocton, Ohio, and he was only three or four years old when the family left for Illinois. He has been a resident of Washington county from the age of eight years and his education was acquired in the schools of Brighton. He remained at home with his parents until twenty-four years of age and assisted in the arduous task of developing a new farm. He then started out in life on his own account, giving his attention to general agricultural pur- suits in Clay township, until 1869, when he came to his present location on section 8, Brighton township. Here he owns two hundred and forty acres of rich land and the buildings and improvements upon the place stand as monu- ments to his thrift and enterprise. As the years passed he prospered in his undertakings and at one time owned six hundred and forty acres, but sold much of this property, not wishing in his later years to be burdened with the care of so large a farm. In 1872 he began dealing in stock and continued in that line of business until a few years ago and he still owns some good horses of the Norman draft variety. A few years ago, however, Mr. Hyde discontinued his stock-raising interests and now devotes his attention simply to the supervision and the cultivation of his fields. His life has been char- acterized by diligence, thrift and perseverance and through these qualities he has attained the success which is now his, making him one of the sub- stantial citizens of the community.
It was in 1858 that Mr. Hyde was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Pollock, who was born in Claysville, Guernsey county, Ohio, March 18, 1838, and is a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Wilson) Pollock. In the year 1844 her father removed westward with his family to Iowa, settling in Mount Pleasant, where he remained until 1849, when he came to Brighton, making his home here until a few years prior to his death, when he went to Redwillow county, Nebraska. There his demise occurred in 1870 and he was laid to rest in a nearby cemetery. By trade he was a tailor although other pursuits also claimed a part of his time. Following his demise his widow returned to Brighton where she passed away in 1888. In their family were six children : Samuel, who is living with Mr. and Mrs. Hyde ; Mrs. Jennie Wilson, a resident of Los Angeles, California; Thomas, of Portland, Oregon, who for many years practiced medicine but is now re- tired; John, a railroad man of Minneapolis; Harris, a railroad man living in Alabama ; and Mrs. Hyde.
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Both Mr. and Mrs. Hyde hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and are people of genuine personal worth. Mr. Hyde also belongs to the Masonic fraternity of Brighton. His political support is given to the republican party which he has supported since voting for John Fremont in 1856. He was township clerk at one time but has never sought nor desired office, preferring to give his time and energies to his business affairs. When Mr. Hyde was seventy-one years of age he saw the ocean for the first time, he and his wife going to the coast to visit his brother John in Lincoln county, Oregon. They also visited San Francisco, Los Angeles and other points along the Pacific, having a most enjoyable trip in the far west. Mr. Hyde has the deepest attachment for his adopted county and state, for almost his entire life has here been passed ; here he grew to manhood and here he has seen the remarkable changes which have been wrought, transforming the county from a wild district inhabited by Indians to one of the populous and prosperous counties of the commonwealth. He has ever enjoyed in large measure the confidence, good will and friendship of those with whom he has come in contact and is a worthy citizen whose labors have not only been a source of individual profit but have also constituted an element in the coun- try's substantial growth.
WILLIAM H. BLUMENSTEIN.
The life history of the majority of people is not fraught with exciting incidents nor does it contain many thrilling chapters, but it is the men of the community who day by day faithfully perform their duties and uphold the legal and political status who are of genuine value to the state. To the latter class belongs William H. Blumenstein, one of the prosperous farmers of Lime Creek township who makes a specialty of raising Galloway cattle. He was born March 18, 1859, and is a son of George and Elizabeth ( Eck- hardt) Blumenstein, both of whom were natives of Germany. The father died about six years ago and the mother now resides at Wellman. When they, came to the United States they settled in Ohio and were there married. Subsequently they removed to Indiana where they remained for two years, after which they came to Iowa and established their home in Iowa county. About thirty years ago they removed to a farm in Lime Creek township. Washington county, which contained more than three hundred acres of land. With characteristic energy the father began to till the soil and develop this place, leading the life of a prosperous and progressive agri- culturist. Unto him and his wife were born six children, namely: Charles H, of Wellman. Iowa ; George D., residing in Waterloo, this State : William H., of this review ; Frank, of Lime Creek township: Andrew D., a resi- dent of Iowa county ; and Emma, deceased.
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