USA > Iowa > Johnson County > Leading events in Johnson County, Iowa history, biographical > Part 34
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 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69
Mr. Crozier was married in the fall of 1868 to Elizabeth Orris, daughter of Joseph and Susan Orris. Miss Orris was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, and came to Johnson county with her parents when a child in 1849. Both her par- ents died in Penn township. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Crozier are: Maggie, widow of George Hoover, Iowa City; Charley, farmer of Penn township; Annie, wife of Albert Northrup, Iowa City; Ethel, wife of Andy Ranp, Madison township; Edith, wife of George Green, Madison township; Ora, wife of P. E. Ritz, Waterloo: Geneva, wife of Ray Lenin- ger, Madison township.
Mr. Crozier has been township trustee and was a member of the board of school directors for nine years. He is a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity of North Liberty and of the G. A. R.
ISAAC MEYERS
One of the prominent retired farmers of Johnson county is Isaac Meyers, who in 1903 gave up the active work of the farm and in 1904 established his home in the beautiful town of North Liberty, where his declining years are being spent in the enjoyment of the friendships which he has formed during his half century of residence in Penn township. Mr. Meyers was born in York county, Pennsylvania, September 26, 1841, and is the second of the family of five children of John and Susanna (Bair) Meyers, both natives of the Quaker state. John Meyers was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1810, and died at Muscatine, Iowa, in 1849, of cholera, while en route to Johnson county with his wife and family. Susanna Bair, daughter of George and Catherine Bair, was born in Pennsylvania, June 17, 1818, and died at Baltimore, Maryland,
446
HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA
July 10, 1893, being buried at Westminster. Five children were born to this couple : Elizabeth, Isaac, our subject : Sam- uel : Louisa, wife of Frank March; and David. Immediately after the sudden death of John Meyers at Muscatine, the widow went to Penn township, and there remained until Sep- tember, 1849, when she returned with her children to the old home in Pennsylvania. Later she removed to Maryland, where she was married to John Malehorn, dying in Baltimore, as stated above. Abraham Meyers, the paternal grandfather of our subject, came to Johnson county in the fall of 1848 and bought four farms in Penn township - one for himself and one for each of his children - paying therefor the sum of
RESIDENCE OF ISAAC MEYERS
$2.400.00. He resided in that township until his death in 1863. His wife survived until 1873, dying at the age of eighty-two. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Erb. The children of Abra- ham and Elizabeth Meyers were: Mrs. Elizabeth Aldinger; John, father of our subject : Anna, wife of Mathias Albright. Isaac Meyers, our subject, returned to Penn township at the age of eighteen in 1859. His early life was filled with mis- fortunes. When a boy his arm was broken twice within two weeks : before his marriage, his team ran away with him near Iowa City, erushing his ankle and injuring one of the horses so that it had to be killed; the same year his residence and contents were burned, being a total loss : in 1875 he was burned out again, as was a saw mill owned by his brother-in-law, and
447
BIOGRAPHICAL
the same year his brother Samuel was drawn into a circular saw at a mill on his farm, recovering from his injuries. However. our subjeet has survived misfortune, and now lives in Iowa City in comfort and peace, respected and honored by his fam- ily and friends.
August 19, 1861, our subject enlisted in Company H, See- ond lowa Cavalry, under Major H. W. Love of lowa City, taking part in numerous battles as follows: Siege of Corinth, Farmington, Booneville, Rienze, Luka, Corinth, Coffeville, Palo Alto, Birmingham, Jackson, Grenada, Collierville, Mos- cow, Pontotoo, Tupelo, Old Town, Oxford, and engagements against Hood's march on Nashville, battle of Nashville, and close skirmishes of the Civil War, remaining in active service until September 22, 1865, when he was mustered out at Selma, Alabama. During a fierce engagement at Franklin, Ten- nessee, he was shot by a minie ball through the left thigh and was confined to the hospital for about four and a half months. The war ended, our subject returned to Johnson county with impaired health, and for nearly one year was unable to en- gage in any labor.
Mr. Meyers was married in Penn township, February 20, 1868, to Miss Sarah E. Moreland, by Rev. Joseph Buzzard. She was the daughter of John L. and Mary (Hetrick) More- land, natives of Pennsylvania. The Morelands came from Pennsylvania to Penn township in 1844, where they resided until their death. Mrs. Meyers is the youngest of six children, and was born in Penn township, on the old homestead, Janu- ary 13, 1847. Immediately following their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Meyers settled upon the old Meyers farm, and in 1882 moved onto the old Moreland farm. The names of their chi !- dren are : Mary Ellen, wife of J. B. Hemphill; Anna Eliza- beth, wife of Samuel A. Myers, of North Liberty ; lowa Elmira, wife of L. L. Lentz; John G., of Texas, married to Blanche Young, daughter of Dr. Miller Young : Isaac B. (see sketch). married to Ivy Anderson ; Lewis, married to Faye Anderson, sister of Ivy, both daughters of George A. Anderson, of North Liberty ; Sarah Edna, wife of Frank Zellar, of Winter- set, Iowa.
Our subject is a pronounced republican (standpatter), and has taken an active interest in local and general politics, hav-
448
HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA
ing occupied the offices of trustee, clerk, and assessor in his township. He is a member of the G. A. R., and has never missed a reunion of his old company ; in this respect he stands alone. He is an honored member of the Masonic fraternity - White Marble lodge, No. 238, of North Liberty, and Iowa City chapter No. 2, Iowa City. The family are associated with the Evangelical church, in which Mrs. Meyers has been a most ac- tive and valuable worker.
If any early facts are wanted by the settlers they always call on Isaac Meyers and his cousin, Abraham Albright, two pio- neers with retentive memories. Mr. Meyers keeps a record of events as they transpire, and this is an encyclopedia for his- torical data.
ALEXANDER LEMON MORELAND
The Morelands were prominent among the early pioneers of eastern Iowa and have been representative of the best in- terests of the region. The farm in Penn township, Johnson county, now owned by Alexander L. Moreland, is one of the finest in the neighborhood, being well drained and containing substantial buildings. Mr. Moreland, who is a veteran of the Civil War, has lived retired from active life for several years, but continues to reside on his farm, and takes an active interest in the affairs and issues in his locality. He is one of the most substantial and best-known citizens of his county, and has been identified with various enterprises besides his farming opera- tions. Ile is president of the North Liberty Savings Bank, with which he has been connected for some years. Mr. Move- land is a native of Perry county, Pennsylvania, born February 20, 1842, son of John L. and Mary (Hetrick) Moreland, and grandson of Captain David Moreland, the latter a soldier in the War of 1812 and a native of Ireland.
John L. Moreland was born March 3, 1807, and died July 3, 1878. His wife survived him many years, passing away Jann- ary 1, 1900. They left Pennsylvania in 1843, with their five children, going west in search of a desirable location for a home. They made the trip in a prairie schooner, with four horses, and camped out on the way, finally locating in Illinois. There were no bridges and it was with difficulty they crossed
Alexander L Morland
Mary (Heller) Moreland (MRS. ALEXANDER M.)
449
BIOGRAPHICAL
many of the streams on the way. After remaining in Illinois two years, in 1845 they came on to Johnson county, lowa, and there made a permanent home. The father had been reared on a farm and in youth had learned the trade of fuller, which he followed for a time. On March 28, 1833, he married Mary Hetrick, who bore him six children, three of whom now sur- vive. The eldest child, David Semern, was killed at the battle of Shiloh. The survivors are: Alexander L .; William S., of Audubon county, Iowa; Sarah F., wife of Isaac Myers. The family located on Section 12, Penn township, where they im- proved land and developed a fine farm, of which the two sur- viving sons eventually took charge. The father was an
-
RESIDENCE OF ALEXANDER L. MORELAND
industrious and energetic farmer and became influential in the life of the community. In early days money was very scarce, as trade was carried on by the method of exchange. At one time the father took a load of potatoes to Iowa City and traded them for a pair of boots, which instance illustrates the com- parative value of the commodities in those days.
Alexander L. Moreland was reared on the home farm in Penn township and educated in the school near his boyhood home. Later he engaged in farming on his own account, in which he has been most successful. In 1868 he married Miss Mary Zeller, a native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, danghter of Nicholas and Catherine Zeller, early settlers of
450
HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA
Johnson county. She was a popular school teacher before her marriage and her family was prominently identified with various interests in pioneer times. Her father secured land and developed a fine farm, which is the property of Mr. More- land, so that Mrs. Moreland now resides on the place where her girlhood was spent. Mr. Moreland purchased the More- land home in 1876. In 1876 he had purchased the David S. Miller place, which he improved in various ways, remodeling the house and building a new barn, etc. He purchased 187 acres of the present home, the Zeller and Moreland farms later. He also owns 217 acres of fine pasture land near his home. He has a good tenant on his farm on Section 12, who rents the land by the year. The land has been brought to a high state of cultivation and produces 80 bushels of corn and 50 bushels of oats to the acre.
Mr. Moreland enlisted in Company E, Twenty-eighth Regi- ment Iowa Volunteer Infantry, which was mustered in October 10, 1862, and mustered out at Savannah, Georgia, July 31, 1865. This company was organized at Iowa City and was com- posed of Johnson county men. They were under the command of Colonel William E. Miller, Major C. B. Lynch, and Lieu- tenant-Colonel John Connell, of Toledo, and the captain of their company was Captain David Stewart. They participated in the battles of Fort Gibson, Champion Hills, Jackson, and siege of Vicksburg; took part in General Banks's Red River Expedition : and were engaged at Sabine Cross Roads, in Shen- andoah Valley, Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek. Mr. Moreland was wounded at Winchester, Virginia, Septem- ber 19, 1864, when he sustained an injury to his leg. His consin, Amos Moreland, was captured at Sabine Cross Roads, April 8. 1864, sent to Tyler. Texas, and held until the close of the war. He was also engaged in many skirmishes. At the close of his service. during which he had won a most honorable record, Alexander L. Moreland returned home and took up private life, turning his attention again to farming. He is an active member of G. A. R. Post No. S at Iowa City.
Children as follows were born to Mr. and Mrs. Moreland : Mary C., wife of Charles Colony, Jr. : Clara died young; Cora E., wife of W. W. Young; Florence A., wife of Orville Wolf (see Wolf and Young sketches). Mr. Moreland retired from
2
-
1911
THANKSGIVING REUNION OF A. L. AND MRS. MORELAND, CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN
451
BIOGRAPHICAL
active work in 1903 and has since had leisure to enjoy the fruits of his toil and take a more active part in other affairs. He is a member of the Old Settlers' Association and actively interested in its activities. He and his wife have reared a fine family to be a credit to them and to the community. They have fourteen grandchildren.
The reunion of this family annually on Thanksgiving Day, will always live in the memory of their children and grand- children.
IRVY ERR WILLIAMS
Irvy Err Williams removed from Carroll county, Maryland, to North Liberty, Iowa, in 1899. At that time he was thirty- one years of age and unmarried. Previous to his location in Iowa Mr. Williams had been engaged in farming in Maryland, his entire efforts up to the age of twenty-four being expended
RESIDENCE OF I. E. WILLIAMS
on the home farm of his father in Carroll county. When twenty-four years of age, in 1892, he began business for him- self as a farm hand, and continued in that line until 1899, the date of his removal to Iowa. Mr. Williams' parents were farmer folks, and were for a considerable period of their lives
452
HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA
residents of Pennsylvania. It was in Adams county, in the Quaker state, that our subject was born, January 26, 1868. In 1875 he removed with his parents to Maryland. Henry Tritt Williams, his father, died in Maryland in June, 1911, at the advanced age of eighty-four. The mother, Amanda Jane Hum- mer, died in August, 1910, at the age of sixty-eight. Our sub- ject is the third child in a family of nine, all of whom reached maturity and all of whom were married with one exception. Mr. Williams was seven years of age when he removed to Maryland with his parents, and his education was received in the public schools of that state.
In 1900 Mr. Williams began working in the Linebaugh Lumber yard at Iowa City, where he continued for five years, thereafter removing to North Liberty and continuing work in the same yards at that point. In 1910 he purchased the North Liberty yards of Mr. Linebaugh and changed the name of the enterprise to North Liberty Lumber Company. The business has developed into an important enterprise, including coal, cement, building supplies, and wire fencing.
Mr. Williams was married in 1907, at Iowa City, to Miss Rebecca Paulus, daughter of John and Henrietta (Detwiler) Paulus. They have one child, Florence Mildred, born April 28, 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Williams are members of the Lutheran church.
SAMUEL RANSHAW
Among the many beautiful homes for which North Liberty, Iowa, is noted, probably the most modern, up-to-date, and com- plete in every respect is that of Samuel Ranshaw, the subject of this sketch. The fine copper-plate view of this residence, accompanying this sketch, will give the reader a good idea of the exterior appearance of this cozy home. Samuel Ranshaw paid for the ten acres upon which this residence stands the flat sum of $300.00 per acre, and the property. with the cost of house and improvements added, represents a cash investment of $12,000.00. The house is completely plumbed for hot and cold water, both hard and soft, pumped by gasoline engine, and is also provided throughout with gasoline gas system for lighting. The interior finish is of the latest pattern and in
453
BIOGRAPHICAL
keeping with the splendid exterior. Surely, its owner and his family are to be congratulated upon the possession of such a home as this. That it is the outcome of careful industry and management through years of toil goes without saying, for be it known that such homes do not grow on sluggard bushes nor spring, unbidden like mushrooms, from the soil of inactivity.
Samuel Ranshaw is a farmer with a business education. This, plus native ability of a high order, accounts in part for his success. He had a humble beginning, however. His birth- place was a log house, formerly a log barn of the famous old stage hostelry, the Bond Hotel, known to all early settlers of Johnson county, which his father began to use as residence
RESIDENCE OF SAMUEL RANSILAW
when he first took up goverment land in Madison township. This old log house still stands on the home place and is used by Samuel Ranshaw as a machine shed. Dropping corn by hand and covering it with a hoe'in the old-fashioned way was a sample of the humble work of our subject in his boyhood days. He made a "hand" in the daily work of his father's farm and learned the homely lessons of industry and frugality. His common school education, received in the district schools of his township, was supplemented by a course at the Iowa City Academy. Following this, he took up the occupation of farming in Madison township, a business which he continued
454
HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA
until he retired to North Liberty March 10, 1908. During his farming operations he became the owner of the original quar- ter section which his father entered as a homestead. To this he has added from time to time until he now possesses over five hundred acres of the best land in Johnson county. The old house on the home farm has been remodeled, new stock barns have been built, and many extensive improvements made. The date of his birth was August 24, 1863. Today, at the age of forty-nine years, he is accounted one of the wealth- iest and most progressive citizens of the county.
Mr. Ranshaw took for his wife Miss Emma A. Stauffer, sister of Joseph Stauffer, retired, of Iowa City. (See sketch of the Stanffer family for further data). They were married by Rev. J. H. Becore. The names of their five living chil- dren are: S. Raymond, graduate of the Irish Business Col- lege ; May, a graduate of the North Liberty school ; Ruth and Elsie, attending North Liberty high school ; and Laura, also at school. They had one son, John A., who died at the age of 16 months. Mr. Ranshaw is a deacon of the Church of God of Madison township, of which the family are members. He has been a member of the school board of this township, and takes an active part in the cause of education.
JOHN RANSHAW, father of Samuel Ranshaw, was born in 1827 in Lancashire, England. He came to America about 1850, and for a time pursued the occupation of gardening in New York City. He was well educated and a splendid work- man in his line. In 1854 he came west by rail as far as Rock Island, Illinois, and thence by stage to Iowa City. The first piece of land he purchased was twenty acres from Nathaniel Scales, an old settler. In a little while he disposed of this and took up a quarter section from the government in Madison township, paying therefor $1.25 per acre. On this he moved the old log barn heretofore mentioned, which he transformed into a residence. Jolin Ranshaw added to his holdings until at one time he owned four hundred acres. His early work was characterized, of course, by the use of primitive tools and methods, but during his entire life he was known as a man of great executive ability. His early market town was Musca- tine, and his trips thereto with produce occupied from two to
5
456
HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA
photographer in Cedar Rapids, and Carrie J. Runkle McCul- lough, born in Iowa City, Iowa, October 11, 1871.
Mr. Runkle became a member of the Masonic fraternity by joining Iowa City lodge No. 4, in the spring of 1868.
ISAAC B. MEYERS
The business of stock raising is becoming more popular every year with the farmer of today, as this line of enterprise brings the best financial results. Among those who are thus engaged in Johnson county, may be mentioned Isaac B. Meyers, of Section 6, Penn township. He has a quarter sec- tion of some of the best farm land in the county. All the buildings on the place were erected by his father, Isaac Mey- ers, Sr., a pioneer in Johnson county, a sketch of whom is given
RESIDENCE OF ISAAC B. MEYERS
in this work. He is an extensive feeder and shipper of cattle and hogs for the Chicago market. He has some 70 head of the latter besides young pigs, and ships from North Liberty. He raises horses with which he carries on the farm and he is ener- getic and up-to-date in his method of operation. In 1911 he erected a silo with a capacity of 140 tons, which is a model of of this class of buildings. He averages a erop of 50 bushels of oats to the acre, and endeavors to get the highest results from
457
BIOGRAPHICAL
all his operations, having a high opinion of the possibilities of land and conditions with which he has to deal.
Isaae B. Meyers was born in Penn township, on October 10. 1880, son of Isaac and Sarah ( Moreland) Meyers.
Isaac B. Meyers and wife, who is a daughter of George and Sarah (Green) Anderson, became parents of three children : Erman, born January 15, 1901; Siebert, born January 21, 1904; and Ceola, born February 22, 1909. Mr. Meyers is ac- tive in the affairs and interests of his community and is highly esteemed for his sterling qualities as a citizen. He is now a member of the school board, and fraternally is a member of the Masons and the Odd Fellows. He is one of the best known men of Penn township and has a host of friends.
GEORGE E. JAMES
One of the representative and prosperous farmers of Lin- coln township is George E. James, who was born in Muscatine county, lowa, September 7, 1867, his parents being Gad and Harriet ( Kile) JJames, the former a native of Wales and the latter of Indiana. Gad James came to America with his father in 1854, being then a small boy and motherless, the mother having died when he was four years old. The widower and his small family (there were four boys and one sister) settled first in New York state for a few years, thence remov- ing to Cedar county, Iowa, where they remained a short time, and thereafter to Louisa county for a few years. Finally he settled in Missouri, where he resided until his death. Gad James remained in Muscatine county, where he was married to Harriet Kile, and engaged in farming in that county. This always was his occupation. He died September 15, 1912, and is buried at West Liberty, Iowa. Gad James and Harriet Kile had ten children : George E. ; Curtis W., married to Nettie Ris- ley, of Nichols, Iowa, father of four children, Harriet, Evelyn, Janet Ruby, and Curtis Ripley; May, now Mrs. Vincent Bir- kett, living at West Liberty, mother of six children. Blanch Lilly, Thomas, Dorothy May, James Vincent, Edith Leota, and Ethel Marie; Edwin G., living on a farm in Lincoln town- ship (see his sketch) ; Bertha, now Mrs. Benjamin Bigsby, liv-
458
HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA
ing in Cedar county, Iowa, mother of three children, Herbert, Gynith, and Grace - Mr. Bigsby died September 20, 1912; Jesse K., living in Muscatine county, married to Miss Edith Nichols, of the same county; Clayton S., also of Muscatine county, married to Miss Bessie Heath, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Heath, has one son, Raymond Heath : Leota, now Mrs. Chas. Waite, residing in West Liberty : Harry, who died when two years old; Warren W., living in Muscatine county, married to Benlah May Ayers, of West Liberty. All of our subject's brothers are farmers, who possess their own homes within a radius of a few miles of his own residence in Lincoln township.
RESIDENCE OF GEORGE E. JAMES
George E. James has always been a farmer. In 1897 he bought his present farm, containing 160 acres, which is now one of the finest in the county. He was married March 18, 1891, to Miss Martha Hanna, who was born in Preston county, West Virginia, October 21, 1866, and came to Muscatine county with her parents, James and Ellen Hanna, in 1875. Mr. Hanna was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He enlisted from his native state and served three years in the Civil War. Mr. and Mrs. Hanna had seven children, three of whom died in infancy. Those who reached maturity were : Martha, wife of George E. James ; William, married to Lottie Wells, and he died in Tune, 1901, father of two children, Elsie and James, the latter dying at six years of age; Lucinda, now Mrs. Lewis Leach, of Lu-
GEORGE E. JAMES
459
BIOGRAPHICAL
verne, Minnesota, mother of three children, Albert, Harry, and Vera; Mary Della, now Mrs. Ernest Wells, of Lincoln town- ship, Johnson county.
Mr. James lost his wife by death July 28, 1908. She left one danghter, Alverda Fern, born October 11, 1899. George E. James has always been a republican. He has been town- ship trustee for six years and has held other local offices. He is a member of the M. P. church.
HENRY M. COLBERT
Henry M. Colbert, of Fremont township, is a farmer and the son of a farmer. Moreover, he is proud of both facts. At twenty-one years of age he determined upon agriculture as his chosen occupation and began work on his own accourt. Seventeen years ago he bought 160 acres at his present loca- tion and from year to year added thereto until today he has
RESIDENCE OF H. M. COLBERT
390 acres of as nicely improved land as can be found in south- ern Johnson county and has one of the coziest homes in the county.
Mr. Colbert is a son of Luther and Phoebe (Kiser) Colbert, and was born in Louisa county July 28, 1863. His father was born in Indiana and his mother in Iowa. The father came to
460
HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA
Iowa in 1854, and settled upon a farm in Louisia county. There he was married in 1861 to Miss Phoebe Kiser, who bore him five children, two of whom died in infancy. The surviors are: Jacob H., married and living in Ottumwa, Iowa; Addie, now Mrs. J. P. Teeter, living in Muscatine county; our subject. Father Colbert died January 8, 1908. The mother is still liv- ing.
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.