Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 113

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1360

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For five years Mr. and Mrs. Scott con- tinued their residence in Indiana, and then came to Monroe county, Iowa, in 1850. The former entered land in Bluff Creek township, and there carried on agricultural pursuits for four years, when he sold out and purchased a farm in Troy township, continuing the cultiva- tion of his land in connection with school- teaching. He also followed the trade of a wheelwright for a time, and in 1861 he came to the farm upon which he is now living. His labors, however, were interrupted the follow- ing year, when in August, 1862, in Albia, Iowa, he offered his services to the Govern- ment as a defender of the Union, and was as- signed to Company A, Thirty-sixth Iowa In- fantry. He was elected Orderly Sergeant under Captain M. J. Varner, and with his command went to Keokuk, thence to St. Louis and down the river to Memphis, Tennessee. The troops made their way to Helena, Arkan- sas, and joined the Yazoo Pass expedition, be- ing constantly engaged in skirmishing along the march. They participated in the battle of Helena, and subsequently went to Little Rock, Arkansas, where our subject met with a seri- ous accident in the breaking of his leg. He

then returned home, but as soon as he had re- covered the use of his injured member he re- joined his regiment and continued at the front until honorably discharged, in 1864. He was always faithful to his duty, and was a valiant soldier, bravely following the old flag on many a weary march. Since his return he has suc- cessfully carried on agricultural pursuits and now has a beautiful home and good farm, pleasantly situated three miles southeast of Albia.

To Mr. and Mrs. Scott have been born nine children: Clara E., wife of Noah Clodfelter, a retired farmer living in Independence, Ore- gon; Sarah M. and Margaret A., both de- ceased; Mary E., wife of S. A. Smith, an ag- riculturist of Monroe county, Iowa; Melissa J., wife of Samuel B. Cooper, a farmer of Monroe county, Iowa; Laura B., wife of O. G. Camp- bell, a carpenter of Independence, Oregon; Charles S., deceased; Amy M., wife of Thomas Dixon, a glass-blower, residing in Muncie, In- diana; and Emma, deceased.

The parents are charter members and faithful workers of the Presbyterian Church of Albia, and for thirty-eight years Mr. Scott has served as one of its Elders. The children are also church members and the family is an honored and respected one. In politics he is a stanch Republican, prominent in the affairs and councils of his party, and for twenty years has been Township Assessor. He was nom- inated on the Republican ticket for the office of Representative from Monroe county and was elected by a plurality of 533 votes. Mr. Scott is highly esteemed, and his public and private life are alike above reproach.

ILEY S. FALL, the efficient Post- master of Albia, Iowa, is also a member of the firm of Elbert & Fall, breeders of registered short- horn cattle, and proprietors of the Hazelhurst farm, which adjoins the city of Albia, and com- prises 320 acres of choice land under a high state of cultivation. Upon it are two very ex-

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tensive cattle barns, furnishing ample accom- modations for their large herd of fine cattle, numbering 150 head of registered stock. This is the largest and most select herd in the State of Iowa, and the members of the firm are the recognized leaders in their line of business in this section of the country. The senior part- ner is one among the noted cattle men of the State, and to this line of business has given his attention for the past twenty-five years.

The junior member is also a practical stock dealer, having been trained to the business since his boyhood. He was born in Pleasant township, Monroe county, Iowa, May 31, 1860, and is a son of Michael W. and Elizabeth (For- sher) Fall. The father was a native of Preble county, Ohio, his birth having occurred in Eaton on the 6th of May, 1811. His parents were Christian and Margaret (De Witt) Fall, the former a native of Germany and the latter of English descent. In the spring of 1847 Michael W. Fall removed with his family from Putnam county, Indiana, to Monroe county, Iowa, and located on a claim of 160 acres, which he afterward entered from the Govern- ment and thoroughly improved. He placed the wild tract under a high state of cultivation and gave his attention to general farming and stock-raising, which he continued until 1864, when he began the breeding of shorthorn cat- tle. He was the first to introduce fine cattle in Monroe county, and did more to raise the standard of stock in an early day than any other citizen of this locality. His neighbors thought that their grades of stock were good enough and it was some little time before they could enter with him into this work of im- provement; but he demonstrated the advisa- bility and the practicality of raising superior cattle, and after a number of years had passed he was doing an excellent business and became one of the leading stock-men of the State. In the city of Albia Mr. Fall and his wife are still living, and these worthy pioneer people of Monroe county are respected by all who know them.

The gentleman whose name introduces this

sketch is the youngest of their twelve children, -six sons and six daughters, -all -of whom reached years of maturity, while seven are still living. The days of his childhood and youth were passed on the home farm, and he ac- quired his education in the district schools of the neighborhood, pursuing his studies in the winter season, while in the summer months he aided in the cultivation of the fields. As his father gave his attention more and more to the stock business, Wiley also became interested in this work, and such was the skill and judg- ment that he showed that he was offered a partnership by Mr. Elbert. The connection was formed, and has continued up to the pres- ent day with mutual pleasure and profit. At the head of their fine herd of cattle are such noted animals as Airdrie, Duke of Hazelhurst, officially registered in volume 40, American Short Horn Herd Book. In 1889 this farm placed on exhibition at the Fat Stock Show in Chicago the noted two-year old steer, Rigdon, weighing 1,900 pounds, and took the grand sweepstakes. Each year the firm has one or two stock sales which are very largely attended, for they have become noted throughout the United States.

In March, 1888, Mr. Fall was united in marriage with Miss Ida Campbell, of Fremont, Nebraska, the third daughter of John Camp- bell, and they have two children: Grace and Ruth. In November, 1893, Mr. Fall was ap- pointed Postmaster of Albia by Grover Cleve- land, and since December of that year has had charge of the office. Fraternally he is a mem- ber of Astor Lodge, No. 505, F. & A. M., and of Troy Lodge, No. 31, Knights of Pythias.

ODERICK W. AYRES, who is now successfully engaged in the grain and milling business in Bussey, Iowa, is a self-made man, owing his success in life entirely to his own efforts. Industry, enterprise and good inanagement have been the means of bringing to him his prosperity, and though he has never accumulated a large

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amount of wealth he is the possessor of a com- fortable competence that supplies him with all the necessaries and some of the luxuries of life.

Mr. Ayres was born near Hicksville, in Defiance county, Ohio, April 26, 1848, a son of Buenos and Sarah (Osborne) Ayres, the former a native of Massachusetts and the latter of Connecticut. On the paternal side the ancestry is traced back to three brothers who came to this country from England and set- tled in the old Bay State early in the seven- teenth century. One of his ancestors was Captain John Ayres, of Brookfield, Massachu- setts, who located at that place in 1648, but removed to Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1662, and lost his life in battle with the Indians on the 8th of August, 1675. He had two sons, the elder being John, who died December 24, 1685. The younger, Samuel, resided in New- burg, and afterward in Raleigh, Massachusetts. He was married on the 16th of April, 1677, to Abigail Fellows, and had a family of ten chil- dren, including Joseph Ayres, who resided at Brookfield. He was married and reared a family, among whom was Samuel. The last named made his home in Brookfield, and was a weaver by trade. He married Martha Bell, on the 21st of January, 1742, and their union was blessed with ten children. This number included Asa, the grandfather of our subject, who was born June 5, 1761. He wedded Mary Wait, and their family numbered ten children, of whom Buenos was the youngest.

Buenos Ayres was born in Chester, Hamp- den county, Massachusetts, January 17, 1810, and with his parents removed to Geauga county, Ohio, in 1820. There he grew to manhood and learned the trade of a carpenter and mill- wright. On the Ist of September, 1833, he married Sarah Osborne, daughter of Ransom and Sarah (Hurd) Osborne. The maternal grandfather was born in Connecticut and made his home near New Haven until Mrs. Ayres was about fifteen years of age. With his family he then emigrated to Ohio, locating in Defiance county. Soon after, in a very severe storm, he was lost in the woods, and was so

badly frozen as to cause the amputation of both legs below the knee. His last years were spent in the home of Buenos Ayres, in Henry county, Illinois, where he died in the fall of 1872. His wife had passed away many years previous.

Mrs. Ayres, mother of our subject, was born at Oxford, New Haven county, Con- necticut, September 2, 1816, and went with her father to Ohio about 1831. She engaged in school-teaching previous to her marriage to Mr. Ayres, which event was celebrated on the Ist of September, 1833. For a time they re- sided in Defiance county, Ohio, whence they removed to Fox Lake, Wisconsin, and after- ward to Henry county, Illinois. For sixty-one years they traveled life's journey together as man and wife, but at length were separated by the hand of death, the mother passing away in Knoxville, Iowa, November 1, 1894. In her early years she united with the Episcopal Church, and was a life-long believer in its doctrines. Her noble Christian example was a strong influence for good in her family and among her friends, and no higher tribute to her memory could be paid than the simple but eloquent words of her son Roderick, who said "she was the best of mothers." In the family were eleven children, seven sons and four daughters.

Mr. Ayres, whose name introduces this re- view, was the eighth in order of birth. He was only two years of age when his parents removed to Wisconsin, and shortly afterward to Bureau county, Illinois. When a lad of five summers he accompanied them on their removal to Henry county, where the father purchased a farm of 320 acres. The locality was then a frontier settlement, much of it wild and unimproved, and on the farm which he purchased not a furrow had been turned. They were in limited circumstances, were forced to meet many of the privations of frontier life, and few advantages were afforded for securing an education. Mr. Ayres, however, was blessed with a rugged constitution, and was thus able to cope with the hardships of Western life.

Rev. J.Mlook. Stuart.

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RECORD OF IOWA.

He assisted in the cultivation of the home farm, beginning work in the fields as soon as old enough to handle the plow.

On the 12th of February, 1874, he was united in marriage with Sadie M. Inglefield, of Knoxville, Iowa, who died October 31, 1874. Their married life was indeed short. On the 27th of December, 1876, he was joined in wedlock with Edith M. Swain, who was born in Henry county, Illinois, April 17, 1858, a daughter of William H. and Susan (Siming- ton) Swain. Her father was born in Brent- wood, New Hampshire, October 1, 1821, and was a carpenter by trade, but afterward fol- lowed farming. His wife was born in Dor- chester, New Brunswick, October 22, 1823, and their wedding was celebrated in Portland, Maine, October 18, 1846. The father died February 6, 1890, and the mother was called to the home beyond October 20, 1894.

Mr. Ayres lived on his father's farm until after his second marriage, when he rented the place for five years. On the expiration of his lease in 1882, he removed with his family to Sioux county, Iowa, where he purchased of an older brother a half interest in 1, 100 acres of wild land, which they at once began to im- prove. It was in its primitive condition, but with characteristic energy they began the ar- duous task of its development. After two years this property was sold and our subject removed to a farm of 176 acres, near Bussey, in Marion county, Iowa, where he continued to live for six years. As his financial resources increased he added to his farm from time to time until he now owns 320 acres of rich and arable land, which is under a high state of cul- tivation. He personally operated this until 1889, when on account of his wife's health he rented the farm and removed to Bussey, where he has since engaged in the grain busi- ness. They became the parents of eight chil- dren, four sons and four daughters, but one son and one daughter died in infancy. Mrs. Ayres is a member of the Baptist Church and a most estimable lady, highly regarded for her many good qualities. Both our subject and his wife

belong to the Good Templars' society, and he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

EV. THOMAS MCKENDREE STU- ART, D. D .- This gentleman occu- pies an exalted position as a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church in

Iowa. He was born in Blair county, Penn- sylvania, on the 19th of May, 1843, received a liberal education in the academies at Kingwood and Morgantown, West Virginia, and in 1872 wasgraduated at Simpson College at Indianola, Iowa, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and subsequently received the degree of Master of Arts from the same college. Some years later the degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him by the University of Arkansas, at Little Rock.

His early manhood years were spent as a teacher, being so employed in the States of Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Iowa, attaining an honorable position among the successful educators of the country. He began his ministerial labors at Sidney, Iowa, in 1865, and has been a member of the Des Moines Conference most of the time since. In 1867 Dr. Stuart was sent by the conference as a missionary to South Dakota and established the first Methodist Episcopal societies in that part of the Territory. His labors in this capac- ity covered a period of two years. In the fall of 1868 he was elected by the Republican party as Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Territory of Dakota, which then in- cluded Wyoming Territory. His labors were arduous and largely devoted to organization. Upon his recommendation the school laws of the State were formulated, the school system being largely that of the State of New York.

In 1869 Dr. Stuart returned to Iowa and resumed his labors as an itinerant minister for ten years, when he was appointed Presiding Elder of the Chariton district, filling this posi- tion with honor to himself and credit to his fellow workers for four years. In 1885 Mr.

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Stuart was appointed Presiding Elder of the Creston district, serving five years among the churches of that district, and in 1892 he was again appointed to the position he now holds, that of Presiding Elder of the Chariton dis- trict. His pastoral charges in Iowa have been . over the churches in Norwalk, Monroe, De Soto, Chariton, Afton, Clarinda and the Broadway Church of Council Bluffs.

Mr. Stuart has always championed the cause of the Prohibitionists, and the passage of the prohibitory amendment in 1882 is largely due to the self-imposed labors of the Methodist Episcopal clergy, among whom Mr. Stuart was one of the most efficient. During the memor- able campaign of 1882 he was ever ready with voice and pen to defend the cause of temper- ance and sobriety as against the blandishments of the saloon element of the State. His has been a busy life, and when not employed in his ministerial labors he devotes his leisure to literary work, contributing articles to the press of the church. Though not an aggressive poli- tician he nevertheless takes an active interest in the political affairs of the State and nation, voting for. and defending the doctrines of the Republican party. In connection with his manifold duties as the head of the church in his district, he has also held various positions of honor and trust, among which may be men- .tioned membership on the Board of Trustees of the Iowa Hospital for the Insane at Clar- inda; member of the National Conference of Charities and Corrections; member of the Board of Directors of the Church Publishing Committee; has served as a delegate from his church to the General Conference of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, and is one of the Board of Trustees of Simpson College.

Mr. Stuart was married at Sidney, Iowa, August 21, 1867, the lady of his choice being Miss Ruth Ellen Huff, a native of Indiana and a daughter of Eldred and Susan (Galantine) Huff, of Sidney, Fremont county, Iowa. Her father was of English descent and related to the Dodridges of England. Mr. and Mrs. Stuart are the parents of six children, two of whom

died in childhood. The living are David El- dred, a prominent young attorney of Council Bluffs, Iowa; Thomas Eddy, an electrical en- gineer; Frederick Charles and Albert B., who are attending the high school of Chariton. Dr. Stuart is a son of Rev. David Orr and Mary A. (Speise) Stuart, both natives of Pennsylvania, the father of Scotch and the mother of Ger- man descent. The paternal grandfather, John Stuart, came from Scotland to America in the beginning of the present century. The father of our subject spent his life in the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church and is now superannuated, living in Clarinda, Iowa. Tra- dition traces the family back to the House of Stuart under the reign of Henry VIII of Eng- land.

ON. AZRO BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HILDRETH is a gentleman whose name is closely linked with the history of Charles City, Iowa. For forty years he has been the moving spirit in the place. He founded and for many years edited the Intelligencer, one of the oldest and most influential papers in the State. A more recent enterprise which stands as a monument to his business ability and desire to advance the best interests of the city of his choice is represented in The Hildreth.

The Hildreth is the finest block in Charles City, and it contains the best appointed hotel and opera house in northern Iowa. In this magnificent structure Mr. Hildreth invested no less than a hundred thousand dollars, he being the heaviest stockholder in the Hildreth Hotel & Opera House Company. This company is officered as follows: Azro B. F. Hildreth, president; Charles H. Shaw, vice-president; and Julia A. Hildreth, secretary and treasurer; directors, -A. B. F. Hildreth, Charles H. Shaw, Julia A. Hildreth, Charles S. Waterhouse, and William H. Brock. The hotel was formally opened to the public March 8, 1894, at which time an elegant banquet, presided over by the president of the company, was tendered a

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large number of guests. From that date on- ward the house has steadily gained popularity and is now favorably known throughout the Northwest; and well it may be, as it is modern throughout, convenient and artistic in all its appointments. The terra-cotta floors lend elegance to the rotunda, which is reached from the Main street office entrance and by the Park entrance; and from the rotunda passages lead to all parts of the house. The arrangement of the rooms shows careful study. All the sleeping apartments-seventy in number-are well lighted and ventilated, and also well fur- nished; and when sunlight passes away at night electricity takes it place. In short, the hotel is a model in its every department, and its lessee, Charles H. Shaw, has all the qualifica- tions of a first-class host. He is also the manager of the opera house. The Hildreth Opera House has a seating capacity of one thousand, and, like the hotel, has every modern convenience. The stage and scenery are the best in the State, and are highly appreciated by the players, as well as the audience.

Having thus referred to the prominent posi- tion Mr. Hildreth occupies in Charles City and the enterprises of which he is the head, we would now direct attention to that page of his history which bears more especially upon his early life and ancestry.

Azro B. F. Hildreth was born in Chelsea, Orange county, Vermont, February 29, 1816, the eldest of a family of twelve children, six sons and six daughters. His father, Daniel Hildreth, was a native of Pepperell, Massachu- setts, born May 2, 1782, and at an early age removed with his parents to the town of Cor- inth, Orange county, Vermont. Subsequently he resided several years in Haverhill, New Hampshire, in the family of John Page, after- ward United States Senator and Governor of New Hampshire.

The Hildreths originated in England and were among the strictest of Puritans. James Hildreth, the grandfather of our subject, reared his family after the straightest Puritan manner. His wife, whose maiden name was

Esther Fletcher, was a daughter of Lieutenant Timothy Fletcher, of Revolutionary-war fame. From Corinth, Vermont, James Hildreth re- moved to Stanstead, Canada, where he died in 1818, at the age of seventy-three years. After his death, Grandmother Hildreth made her home with her son Daniel. She passed away in Chelsea, Vermont, in 1826, at the advanced age of eighty years. Daniel Hildreth married Miss Clarissa Tyler, a native of Piermont, New Hampshire, born July 5, 1794, their marriage being consummated June 9, 1814.

Azro B. F. Hildreth was married to Miss Liveria A. Knight in Fryeburg, Maine, Octo- ber 21, 1844. She was a woman of educa- tion and of sterling worth of character; and to her management and economy is due, to a large extent, her husband's success as a finan- cier. One child (Mary Liveria Aurette) was born of this marriage, and died at an early age in Charles City. Mrs. Liveria A. Hil- dreth passed away in Charles City, December 8, 1890, aged seventy-three years and six months.

In 1858, and for several years thereafter, the State of Iowa had an educational legisla- ture (separate from the General Assembly), whose business it was to enact all laws pertain- ing to her free public schools and the State University. Mr. Hildreth was a member of this State Board of Education and was prom- inent in the work of framing the laws which have given the Hawkeye State her superior educational system. Amidst much opposition he succeeded in opening to young ladies the doors of the State University at Iowa City, there giving them in all respects equal rights with the young men. Thus was this institu- tion made one of the first colleges in the United States to establish coeducation. It should be added that at the present time the percentage of illiteracy in Iowa is less than that of any other State of the American Union.

In 1863 Mr. Hildreth was elected a mem- ber of the Iowa General Assembly. Here his influence was decidedly marked. He was placed on several of the more important com-

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mittees; was chairman of the committee on schools and State University; a niember of the committee on banking; also on printing, and some others. While there, through the in- fluence of the Legislature, he succeeded in in- ducing Congress to pass an act giving a large tract of land to aid in the construction of the Iowa division of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. This railroad leads from McGregor westward through Charles City to Chamberlain, in South Dakota, and is now doing an immense business.

On March 1, 1892, Mr. Hildreth was married to Mrs. Julia A. Waterhouse, nee Brock, his present companion, a native of Lin- coln, Maine, and a lady of education and cul- ture, and marked business ability. By her former marriage she has two sons, William E. and Charles S. Waterhouse, both living in Boston, Massachusetts.

Mr. Hildreth now (1896) is in his eighty- first year, vigorous in health, step elastic, and posture erect. It is his boast that during his forty years' residence in Iowa, he has not lost one day by sickness.

ENRY W. MISER, M. D., is a suc- cessful practicing physician of Lovilia, Iowa, and has gained a leading place among the members of his profession in Monroe county. It is much to achieve suc- cess, but it is infinitely more to win the grati- tude of the suffering and afflicted. For more than thirty years Dr. Miser has devoted his efforts to his fellow men, and such has been the kindly, cordial manner of this ministration that in the hearts of those who have received it there is a sense of grateful recognition that words cannot express. He is a progressive physician, constantly improving upon his own and other's methods, and has thus kept fully abreast with the times.

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 113

Author: Publication date: 1896 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1360

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1360