USA > Iowa > Jasper County > Honor roll, 1917-1918-1919, Jasper County, Iowa in the World War : a history of one county's loyalty in the struggle for world democracy > Part 8
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
The methods of raising the miscellaneous contributions were many and clever. Baxter originated the idea of a street carnival by local talent which proved a great suc- cess wherever tried. Entertainments of all sorts were given. Red Cross quilts were made and sold at auction. In some parts of the county, notably in the northeast part, farmers donated hogs or other live stock which were sold and the entire proceeds turned over to the Red Cross. The regular monthly payments on subscriptions taken for general expense were the chief source of general revenue at Newton.
During the principal part of the war period, the officers and committee heads of the Jasper County Chapter, both at headquarters and in the branches, were as follows:
HEADQUARTERS AT NEWTON
J. E. CROSS
R. W. SAYRE II. C. KORF
Executive Committee REV. G. C. WILLIAMS MRS. J. C. HAWKINS D. J. EBERHART
MRS. O. N. WAGLEY
R. H. BAILEY MRS. JAY CLARK
Chairmen at Various Times
V. H. MORGAN R. H. BAILEY J. E. CROSS
Recording Secretary
MRS. O. N. WAGLEY MRS. W. E. SHARP
Treasurer R. W. SAYRE Executive Secretary MISS HELEN M. NEEDLES MRS. J. C. HAWKINS Ilcad of Hospital Supplies Committee MRS. JAY CLARK
104
Head of Surgical Dressings Committee MRS. J. C. HAWKINS MIRS. F. H. BERGMAN MISS FLORENCE SALMON, Director Head of Home Service Department REV. G. C. WILLIAMS E. M. S. MCLAUGHLIN
MRS. O. C. MEREDITH
W'ays and Means Committee
II. C. KORF IRENE CLARK
Junior, or School Committee
MISS LUCY E. HALL
Canteen Committee
Managers of First Membership Drive
R. S. REDMAN
R. H. BAILEY SAYRE J. MILES
Manager of First W'ar Fund Drive
Manager of Second Membership Drive SAYRE J. MILES
BRANCH OFFICERS
Ashton Chapel
Killduff
CHARLES LONG J. A. LEONARD
MRS. GEORGE HANSON JOSEPH TIFFANY
REV. GEORGE HENEVELD THELMA KLINE MRS. ARIE WILLEMSEN FRANK W. SWEARINGEN
Baxter
Kellogg
JAMES WILSON CARL WEBB
MRS. ED MILLER A. V. HART
MRS. C. M. FORNEY CHARLES BURDICK
MRS. R. W. DODDS MRS. ELEANOR MILLETT
Bethel Chapel
Lynnville
RALPH SPARKS R. A. FRITZ
ADA HORN
LESSIE FRITZ
HARLAN MEREDITH MRS. C. O. MACY MRS. W. F. ZIMMERMAN MRS. E. B. MACY
Center-l'ictor
Monroe
MRS. LAFE ELNORE MRS. ATRHUR DUER
MARK SHAW R. O. KINGDON
MRS. FRED YOUNG MRS. F. R. PAUL
MRS. NELLE RICHTER MRS. MYRTLE ROBERTS
Buena Vista
Newburg
MRS. ROBERT THOMPSON MRS. GEORGE MYERS MRS. MEEK PARSONS ROBERT THOMPSON
DR. C. J. ABBOTT MRS. M. E. PHILLIPS MRS. GEORGE MASON C. J. HESSON
Galesburg
Prairie City
REV. R. W. FILLMORE MRS. F. C. DEBRUYN RUBY SCHNUG
FRANK N. DEWITT MRS. C. R. VAN VOORHIES JOHN R. BUCKLEY NIRS. LIDA LOWER
Ira
Reasnor
W. I. PRICE
GEORGE WHITEHEAD
W. I. WASSON J. B. WASSON NIRS. W. I. WASSON
FRED ESCH
ALTO CROSS MIRS. E. L. WARING
Sully
A. C. BOAT MISS PEARL RENAUD P. C. WELLE
MRS. LOUIS SCHUTTS
J. E. CROSS
Manager of Second War Fund Drive R. S. REDMAN
105
In a cause where so many gave so freely of their means and their time, it would be impossible to mention all whose services were meritorious. No history of the Red Cross in Jasper County would be complete, however, without special mention of the work of Miss Helen MI. Needles who organized the chapter, and acted as executive secretary, devoting all her time, until she went abroad for war work ; Mrs. Jay Clark, who was in charge of the hospital supplies department of the chapter from its organ- ization until the armistice, and whose service record shows 4,600 hours devoted to the work ; Mrs. J. C. Hawkins, first in charge of the surgical dressings department and then executive secretary until the armistice, with a record of 3,200 hours. These women left their personal interests and devoted their entire time to the work when the country needed them most. In addition to the actual work done, they carried the responsibility of the entire chapter to a large extent. This responsibility was also shared by Mrs. F. H. Bergman who was at the head of the surgical dressings depart- ment for a long time, and whose service record shows 1,700 hours. Other people in the county whose records on file show one thousand hours or over of service are : Mrs. W. A. Green, Sr., Gilman ; Mrs. Mary Smith, Newton; Lida Lower, Prairie City ; I.illian L. Taylor, Newton; Irene Clark, Newton; Mrs. Mearl Stewart, Newton ; Mrs. Lana Henderson, Newton; Mrs. C. Coker, Newton; Mae Swisher, Newton ; Mrs. L. S. Kennington, Newton ; Mrs. A. M. Hough, Newton; Frances H. Gorrell, Newton ; Mrs. H. S. Morrison, Newton ; Miss Helen Green, Gilman.
The officers of the Colfax Chapter and its branches during the principal part of the war period were as follows:
CHAPTER OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE HEADS AT COLFAX
Chairman REV. E. G. WILLIAMS
Vice-Chairman. MRS. B. F. VANDYKE
Secretary THOMAS H. GOULD
Treasurer J. M. HOCKETT
Chairman Membership Committee. H. A. GUNN
Supervisor of Knitting MRS. B. F. VAN DYKE
Supervisor of Hospital Supplies Department MRS. W. C. CUSMAX Aides-MRS. J. W. DOYLE, MRS. H. A. WEIRICK, MIRS. JOHN A. DAVIS, MRS. W. E. BROWN
BRANCH OFFICERS
Mingo: In full charge of work-MRS. L. B. EVERETT, MRS. J. L. HARILEY Valeria: In full charge of work-MRS. JOHN SMALL, MISS KATHRYN GANNON
Washington Center Circle also rendered efficient aid as an organization.
The record of the work done by this chapter with a small territorial jurisdiction is sufficient testimonial to the faithfulness of its members.
When the final historian writes the ultimate chapter in the history of the greatest whirlwind of war that ever scourged the world, he will set down as the fairest fact in the whole grisly business, a record of the efforts of the Red Cross and kindred organ- izations to preserve the brotherhood of man and to plant the white blossom of charity on the blood-soaked fields of war.
10G
HOME ACTIVITIES
1
2
3
4
5
6
L
7
8
9
.
10
108
1- HARRY B. ALLFREE
Chairman
Mr. Allfree has been engaged in the loan and ab- stract business in Newton for about twenty-five years, and his work as Chairman of the Council of Defense stamps him as one of the most patriotic and public-spirited men of the county. His honest and fearless convictions, coupled with an unbounded enthusiasmn to serve his country faithfully, were re- sponsible for much of the success of the Jasper County Council of Defense.
6-O. P. MYERS Newton City Chairman
Mr. Myers is one of the pioneer lawyers of Newton and Jasper County, and his gifted eloquence and ability as a public speaker were available at all times to promote the cause of our government. His friendly counsel and eloquent appeal for patriotism did much to sustain the morale of the county in those trying times.
2 -A. K. MURPHY
Hickory Grove Township Chairman
Mr. Murphy is a prominent hanker and farmer of Newhurg. The son of a civil war veteran, he was born on a farm southeast of Newton, and is purely a Jasper County product. He taught school in his earlier life, and after several years of successful business life in the East, he came to Newburg in 1908 and became cashier of the Newburg Savings Bank.
3-ELI SWIHART
Member of the Council of Defense in Newton Township, District No. 3
Mr. Swihart, who is one of the successful farmers of the county, took an active part in all the campaigns and drives of the Council of Defense, and his untir- ing efforts contributed largely to the fine showing made by this county.
4-A. T. HADSALL Washington Township Chairman
Mr. Hadsall came to Jasper County in 1874 and in 1883 he moved with his wife on the farm where he now resides in Washington Township. He was an active and untiring worker throughout the war, and has always taken an active part in the welfare of the county at large.
5- FRANK CHIPPS Fairview Township Chairman
Mr. Chipps, for the past nine years has been assist- ant cashier of the Monroe National Bank. For twenty years prior to entering the bank, he was a farmer. Mr. Chipps was born in 1867, near Mon- roe, and attended the rural schools and Monroe high school.
7-E. L. DUNCAN Powershick Township Chairman
Mr. Duncan was born in Jasper County in 1858. His father, Lieutenant E. D. Duncan, was a hero of the civil war, and gave his life for his country at the Battle of Shiloh. Mr. Duncan successfully oper- ates a large farm northeast of Colfax.
8-J. W. JEFFRIES Chairman of Des Moines Township
Mr. Jeffries was born in Jasper County, in 1866, on Loan Oak Farm, his present home. Most of his ed- ucation was received in Des Moines schools. Mr. Jeffries was elected recorder of Jasper County in 1892, serving four years. He was elected to the office when twenty-six years of age, and at that time was the youngest county officer ever chosen. He also served several years as township committeeman.
9-CARL C. WEBB Chairman Independence Township
Mr. Webb, who has made a success of the real es- tate and insurance business at Baxter for the past twenty-five years, was born in Jasper County in 1875, the son of a veteran of the civil war. Mr. Webb has served as postmaster of Baxter for eight years, and for eighteen years has been his town's clerk. Mr. Webb was prominently identified with the war drive activity of his community.
10-S. H. NEWELL Chairman of Richland Township
Mr. Newell is the successful operator and owner of "Maple Grove Farm", in Richland Township, where he is known as one of the best farmers and stock raisers in the community. Mr. Newell has always been identified with and taken an active part in the public enterprises of his community and the county as well.
109
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
1-J. A. GUNN Chairman of Kellogg
Mr. Gunn, who is the founder and president of the Gould Balance Valve Company, of Kellogg, was one of the most active Home Service workers in the county. In addition to his activities in connection with the Council of Defense, Mr. Gunn was county chairman of the Military Training Camps Associa- tion, which association was responsible for securing men for training as officers at Fort Snelling, Min- nesota.
2-AUGUST G. MILLER Chairman of Mariposa Township
Mr. Miller, one of the public-spirited farmers of Mariposa Township, has been a resident of Jasper County all his life, and was born in 1871. He has made a success of farming and stock raising. Mr. Miller took an active part in all the campaign ac- tivities in his township.
3-E. C. TURNER Chairman of Rock Creek Township
Mr. Turner has been a life-long resident of Jasper County, having been born in the vicinity of New- burg in 1873. He located in Rock Creek Township about thirty-three years ago. He is a graduate of Newton Normal College. Mr. Turner has always taken an active part in the service of his community and county.
4-C. H. POTTER Chairman of Lynn Grove Township
Mr. Potter was born in Lynn Grove Township in 1869 and attended the public schools at Lynnville. He has lived practically all his life in Lynn Grove Township, and has been prominently identified with the development and improvement of his community. He was president of the township high school board for two years and a director for five years.
5 - GEORGE W. EDGE Chairman of Newton Township
Mr. Edge came to Jasper County in 1883 and set- tled on the farm which he now owns and operates. Mr. Edge served for five years with the Iowa Na- tional Guard, being honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant. For the past twenty-three years he has been prominently identified with the I. O. O. F. order. He has also served on his township school board, and is serving his sixth year as township clerk. Mr. Edge is also secretary of the Jasper County Farm Bureau.
6-ED WHITE Chairman of Buena Vista Township
Mr. White has been a resident of Jasper County for twenty years, and is known and respected as one of the prominent farmers of his township. Mr. White took an active part in all of the war activ- ities of his township.
7 -H. E. SMITH Chairman of Palo Alta Township
Mr. Smith was born in England and came to the United States in 1855. He was married in the same year and moved to Jasper County, settling in Palo Alta Township, where he has since resided and made a success of farming. Mr. Smith was one of the untiring workers in every campaign in his township.
8-W. H. BROCK Chairman of Mound Prairie Township
Mr. Brock came to lowa with his parents in 1870, and settled near Newton, in Mound Prairie Town- ship. Coming from several generations of Ameri- can farmers, Mr. Brock has made a success of his life profession and is now able to enjoy the fruits of his labors. Mr. Brock takes an active part in all community and county affairs and is a prominent member of the Jasper County Farm Bureau.
9 - WILLIAM C. DEBRUYN Chairman of Elk Creek Township
Mr. DeBruyn not only looked after his duties as township chairman of the Council of Defense, but busied himself in other ways, and devoted much of his time to the various war activities of the county. He is one of the substantial farmers of Elk Creek Township.
10 - ARTHUR C. WATT Chairman of Sherman Township
Mr. Watt is another of the tireless workers of the county, and stood steadfastly behind every move- ment and campaign that was undertaken in his township, devoting a large part of his time to the success of the enterprise in hand.
11-CHARLES LONG Chairman of Clear Creek Township
Mr. Long was born on the farm where he now lives, northwest of Mingo. He has served as town- ship clerk and is now completing his first term as a member of the Jasper County Board of Super- visors. Mr. Long gave willingly of his time when- ever he could be of service.
PHILIP S. HILL Chairman of Malaka Township
Mr. Hill came to Jasper County with his parents when a child and has lived here ever since, residing on the old home place in Malaka Township. Mr. Hill has spent several years as township trusee and on the school board. He is president of the Farmers Lumber Company at Baxter, and a director of the Baxter Telephone Company. (No picture obtain- able.)
111
Jasper County Council of Defense
Following a meeting held in Des Moines, called by Governor W. L. Harding, on February 11, 1917, county councils of defense were organized throughout the state. Governor Harding named two men in each county to proceed with the work of county organization. H. B. Allfree and O. P. Myers of Newton were named by the gov- ernor for Jasper County and they in turn named one man in each township to act as township chairman, and thus was moulded together one of the strongest and most important war sarvice organizations in the state. The permanent organization was perfected with H. B. Allfree of Newton as chairman and J. A. Winger, postmaster of Newton, as secretary and treasurer.
The Jasper County Council of Defense through its committees took over practically all of the war service work in the county and thus much duplication of effort and ex- pense was dispensed with.
Wl'ar Drives
The first of the war drive activities sponsored by the Council of Defense was on May 15, 1917, when the Y. M. C. A. campaign for funds was launched. The Jasper County quota of $2,000 was easily subscribed.
From May 27 to June 2, 1917, the first campaign for money to help the government prosecute the war was made in the form of the first liberty loan drive. The first lib- erty loan campaign in Jasper County was handled under the direction of the bankers of the county. The county's quota of $756,000 and was oversubscribed.
The first Red Cross drive in the county was instituted on May 27, 1917, and the Council of Defense took an active part in raising the county's quota of $15,000.
On July 6, 1917, the first draft numbers were received by the county Selective Ser- vice Board from Washington. The Council of Defense assisted the soldiers of the county in filling out their questionnaires and other papers in connection with the selec- tive draft.
The chairman of the Council of Defense appointed one man in each town in the county to act as Food Administrator whose duties were to see that the provisions of the orders of the national food administration were carried out and observed in order that the conservation of food could be effectively maintained.
The fuel administration was handled in a like manner, D. L. Clark, J. Lindley Coon, and C. P. Hunter of Newton acting as the county's fuel administrators.
Another organization working in connection with the Council of Defense was the Four-Minute Men. This organization was directed by Ross R. Mowry and the mem- bers consisted of prominent business and professional men all over the county, who delivered four minute talks in the theatres and at other public gatherings. The main object of the speakers was to keep before the public the things their government was fighting for and how they could best help in the great struggle.
The Second Liberty Loan was opened on October 9, 1917, and was handled through the Council of Defense. The quota of $1,000,000 for the county was subscribed.
112
The next drive was the Third Liberty Loan which started in May, 1918, and was oversubscribed about 230 per cent. The county's quota was $756,000.
The Fourth Liberty Loan was started September 30, 1918, and culminated in rais- ing the county's quota of $1,732,200.
And finally as a grand finish to the campaigns already undertaken for the govern- ment loans, the Fifth or Victory Loan was launched on April 6, 1919. That the peo- ple of the county were just as loyal as at the beginning, the county subscribed its quota of $1,302,000. The total amount subscribed for the five liberty loans in Jasper County reached the sum of $5,447,200.
In connection with the fifth loan drive the Council of Defense asked subscriptions for the erection of a suitable memorial to the boys from Jasper County who gave their lives while serving their country in the great war. The campaign was started for $25,000 to be used for this purpose and about one-fifth of that amount was raised. The Council of Defense expects to complete the canvass for funds for the memorial during the fall of 1920.
The War Service Council was a tributary organization of the Council of Defense composed of two men in each school district who worked under the direction of the township chairman of the Council of Defense. A total of 435 men in Jasper County was enrolled in this work and canvassed their school districts for every war activity of the Council of Defense.
The Jasper County Council of Defense enjoys the distinction of being the first county council organized in the state and its record of achievement stands forth as a glowing tribute to the men who so willingly disregarded their own personal and busi- ness affairs in order that the work assigned to them could be successfully concluded.
113
The Draft Board
On a warm summer day in the summer of 1914, a shot was fired which echoed and reechoed across the mighty oceans and through the great continents.
It started a conflagration which involved the world and was known as the World War. At first the war spread over the plains and mountains of Europe, but soon it extended to Asia and Africa, and the islands of the sea. In a short time it spread to the farthest parts of the world.
For months and years our country looked on and acted the part of the innocent by - stander. While some realized the great conflagration would sooner or later involve us in the struggle, we hoped against hope that it would pass us by. Vain hope! We maintained our strict neutrality even when our rights were violated ; our happiness and peace trodden underfoot. At last it was seen that we could no longer avoid our plain duty if we wished to preserve our sovereign dignity and the President advised and Congress acted by declaring that a state of war existed and passed a war measure called the conscription bill, requiring all males between the ages of 21 and 31 to reg- ister for war purposes. Later amendments were passed requiring males over 18 years of age and to 45, inclusive, to register. Draft Boards for districts and counties were organized to register and number the ten millions of men who were required to reg- ister. In our county the Sheriff, W. S. Gove, and the County Auditor, C. O. Edge. were selected by the Governor of lowa and the President to act as members of the Local Board. Also Dr. E. F. Besser was selected as the third member of the Board. The Board organized in 1917 by the selection of W. S. Gove as chairman and C. O. Edge as secretary. Mr. Gove acted as chairman until his death in August, 1918, at which time he was succeeded by C. O. Edge as chairman. T. J. Patton who had been the clerk of the Local Board was then appointed a member of the Local Board and was selected as the secretary and these two with Dr. E. F. Besser continued as the Local Board until the finishing up of the work.
On June 5, 1917, the first great registration was held all over the United States. In this county over 2,500 men registered on that date. In the different registrations held. there was a grand total of nearly 6,000 men registered. Our Local Board entered upon its duties at once and on August 2, 3, and + physically examined nearly 500 men and later in the month examined 200 additional men and was ready for the first call for troops.
In September, 1917, we sent eleven men, the vanguard of the nearly 1,600 sent from this county, and later during the same month we sent 92 or 93 men, and at different times the county furnished its quota until the final call for November 11, 1918. On that date we had our men assembled at the Court House waiting for further orders, but the signing of the armistice on that date rendered it unnecessary for them to entrain.
The registering and classification of men required a vast amount of work, as each man was allowed to file claims for exemption in classes as provided for by the rules governing their cases, there being Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
In the classification we were ordered to send the questionnaires out on a certain date. with instructions to return them within seven days. This plan for classification was provided for after the first troops had been sent in September, 1917, and the first ques-
114
tionnaires were mailed out about December 9, 1917, and began to come back on De- cember 15, 1917. The Local Board began at once to classify them and forwarded some of them that same day to the District Board at Des Moines, Iowa. Our Board was the first one in the Southern District of Iowa to forward questionnaires. The Dis- trict Board reviewed them at once and we were informed on December 17, 1917, of its findings.
It might be mentioned here that the Local Board passed on the question of de- pendency and the District Board on the question of occupation. All questionnaires having occupational claims were sent to Des Moines even if they had claims on de- pendency. The most deferred class governed the final classification. For instance, if a registrant was placed in Class + by the Local Board on dependency and the District Board placed him in Class 2 or 3 on occupation, he would still be in Class +, while if the local board placed registrant in Class 2 or 3 on dependency and the District Board placed him in Class + on occupation, the latter class would govern.
It is impossible to narrate the many incidents in connection with the work. The many pathetic, the many humorous. Some were anxious to be placed in Class ] when they should have asked to be deferred. Some, it seemed, should not have asked for exemption and did. But on the whole, the Local Board was proud of the many who seemed so willing to go and wanted to safely pass the physical examination. The 1587 stars on the service flag speak a language of themselves. It shows to the citizens of the future that Jasper County did her full share and furnished her full quota on every call and helped to fill out the quotas of some other counties who were short of men to fill their quotas. And the 53 gold stars. How can we speak of them? They represent 53 of Jasper County's best and noblest. When the call came for them to answer to their country's need, it was not theirs to question why. Theirs only to answer, Here. And now they sleep the last long sleep. Some sleep in Flanders field where poppies blow. some sleep in the English churchyard, and some sleep in the cemetery of their own home town. But be it near, or be it far, where they are sleeping the years of their manhood away, their lives will ever be remembered by a grateful people. As the years of the future stretch out into the unknown centuries, they will stand with the men of Bunker Hill and Saratoga and Yorktown, of Gettysburg and Vicksburg and Appomattox. We will ever hold their memory dear.
May the Great God of the Universe so will it, that there may never again be a call for like services. But if again, in future years, the call may come, we who have looked into the eager, brave and noble faces of the young manhood of America know that there will be no danger to our country, no alarm for our safety, as we gather at our firesides. But they will stand together as they have in the past, with faith to stand for the right, as God gave them to see the right, with the free blue sky above their heads and freedom's soil beneath their feet.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.