Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 151

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

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Politically, Mr. Bever has always indorsed the Republican party, and in local politics has taken an active interest. He himself has filled nearly all the township offices. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In the church and in the political and social circles of his community he has all

these years been a prominent factor, he and his family being esteemed as among the lead- ing people of the community.

ON. ALVA LYSANDER HAGER, a member of the General Assembly of Iowa from the Ninth Congressional District; and one of the leading and influential citizens of Greenfield, is numbered among the early settlers of the State, dating his residence from the spring of 1859. He is a recognized leader in the ranks of the Repub- lican party, and his devotion to the best inter- ests of his constituents is a marked character- istic of his public service.

Mr. Hager is a native of Chautauqua county, New York, born October 29, 1850, and is of English,descent. His paternal grand- father, Benjamin Hager, was born in the Empire State and there spent his entire life, dying in Herkimer county, where he had for many years followed agricultural pursuits. William B: Hager, the father of our subject, was the only son of the family who attained to years of maturity. He was born July 31, 1812, on the old homestead farm in New York, and there attended the public schools to a limited extent, but his educational privileges were meager. When a young inan he went to Chautauqua county, New York, where he em- barked in lumbering. In that county he mar- ried Miss Almira Baker, and made it his place of residence until 1859, when he brought his family to Iowa. For three years he lived in Jackson county, and then removed to Jones county, which was his home until 1881, -- the year of his removal to South Dakata. He died at White Lake, that State, in December, 1889, and his wife died in Jackson county, Iowa. He was a stanch Republican from the formation of the party, but never aspired to public off.ce. Both he and his wife were mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

The family of this worthy couple numbered six children: Julia M., now the wife of Calvin L. Closson, of White Lake, South Dakota;

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Philanda, wife of Andrew H. Hall, who is also living in White Lake; A. W., who is engaged in the practice of law in Chicago; Alva L., of this review; Clarence E., a Methodist Episco- pal minister, now stationed in Vermillion, South Dakota; and Adelbert B., who is en- gaged in the practice of law and in the real- estate and insurance business in Mitchell, South Dakota.

No event of special importance occurred during the childhood and youth of Alva L. Hager. He lived upon his father's farm, at- tended the common schools of the neighbor- hood, and afterward was a student in the high schools of Monticello and Anamosa, Iowa. He also engaged in teaching for some time, and in 1874 determined to enter the legal profession. To this end he became a student in the Uni- versity of Iowa at Iowa City, and was gradu- ated in the law department in 1875. In Octo- ber of that year he located in Greenfield, where he has since built up an excellent business. From 1880 to 1890 he was engaged in business as a partner of George L. Gow, one of the ablest jurists in the State, and the law firm of Gow & Hager gained a high reputation and won a liberal support. Mr. Hager possesses fine oratorical powers, and usually represented the firm as the advocate before judge and jury. His entire time and attention were given wholly to his profession, and he won the success that placed him in the front rank among the repre- sentatives of the bar in Iowa. He won his high position entirely through his own exer- tions. He was careful and painstaking in the preparation of cases, and when he appeared upon the floor it was at once seen that he was master of the situation and could meet in log- ical argument as well as telling repartee any situation advanced by his opponent.

In consequence of his large clientage, Mr. Hager gained a handsome competence and made judicious investments in real estate until he is now the owner of 1, 000 acres of valuable land. He also has a comfortable home, and is one of the stockholders of the Exchange Bank of Fontanelle.

In his political views Mr. Hager is a stal- wart advocate of Republican principles and a close student of the questions of the day, there- fore giving an intelligent support to his party. He has taken an active interest in local poli - tics since his settlement in Greenfield, and for two years was the efficient Mayor of the city. In 1891 he was elected to represent in the Gen- eral Assembly the Sixteenth Senatorial Dis- trict, comprising the counties of Adair and Madison. He served in the Twenty-fourth Assembly, and during that time was a member of several important committees. In 1892 he received his party's nomination for Congress and defeated his opponent, Judge McGee, the Democratic candidate, by 2,500 majority. In 1894 he won the election by a majority of 3,500, over General James B. Weaver. In the legislative halls of the nation his influence has been strongly and beneficially felt, and although his party is now in the minority, he is recognized as an able statesman who has done valuable service for his constituents. He is a campaign orator of ability, logical and earnest, convincing by his persuasive power and deep thought many who hear him.

On the 29th of October, 1878, Mr. Hager was united in marriage with Miss Ella M. Bur- rell, a native of Iowa. Her father, Charles Burrell, was born in Scotland, and was a tailor by trade. After coming to this country he en- gaged in merchandising in Madison and Adair counties, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Hager have two daughters,-Effa M. and Rey. When Mr. Hager goes to Washington to take his place in the Congressional halls he is accompanied by his family, to which he is especially devoted. He is a man of domestic tastes and finds the greatest happiness with his wife and children.

He may truly be called a self-made man. He has an exceedingly amiable and upright character and a mind stored with all the riches of wide reading and deep research. He is a delightful entertainer and genial companion, and these traits, coupled with his mental gifts, make him the center of a wide circle of warm friends.

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HOMAS SCOTT .- Among the lead- ing and influential citizens of Iowa, there are none that stand higher than those who were born among the rug- ged hills of Scotland, and prominent among these is the gentleman whose name introduces this review.

He was born in Roxburyshire, Scotland, on the 29th, of July, 1841, and is a son of Robert and Helen (Elliott) Scott, who were also natives of the same country. When our subject was but six years of age he was brought by his parents to America, they taking passage on a sailing vessel, which left Liverpool, Eng. land, and six weeks later dropped anchor in the harbor of New York. They did not tarry in the East, but proceeded at once to Illinois, locating at Lacon, Marshall county, where the father engaged in farming from August until the following March, when he went to Osceola, Stark county, Illinois, where the parents passed their remaining days, the father dying at the age of seventy-seven and the inother at the age of sixty-three. In their family of five children, four are still living. One brother of our subject, William, who enlisted in the Union service in 1862, was killed at the battle of Missionary Ridge on the 25th of November, 1863.

On the home farm Thomas Scott was reared to manhood, receiving his education in the district schools of the neighborhood. The spring of 1870 witnessed his arrival in Iowa, and he purchased 120 acres of wild prairie land, on which he built a cabin 14×22 feet, on the site where his present comfortable resi- dence now stands. There for two years he kept bachelor's hall, during which time he began the development and improvement of his land.

In February, 1875, Mr. Scott led to the marriage altar Jane G. Henderson, whose birth occurred in Caledonia county, Vermont, and she is a daughter of William and Hannah (Grey) Henderson. Her father, who has now reached a ripe old age, still makes his home in Peacham, Caledonia county, Vermont, but

her mother has departed this life. To our subject and his worthy wife have been born three children, -Helen E., Nettie M., and Walter G.,-who have had the advantage of good educational privileges, attending the schools of Perry. The family hold a high position in social circles, having the confi- dence and esteem of all with whom they come in contact.

Mr. Scott now owns a fine farm of 640 acres of rich and arable land, to which he gives his personal supervision, and the neat and thrifty appearance of the place indicates the enterprise and business ability of the owner.

In politics he is a supporter of the Repub- lican party, having given his allegiance to that party since casting his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln, and by his fellow citi- zens he has been called upon to serve in many local offices. He and his wife are liberal sup- porters of the Presbyterian Church, in which they are active workers, and do everything in their power for the welfare of their fellow men.

ILLIAM HENRY WILCOX suc- cessfully follows general farming on section 9, Colfax township, Dallas county, Iowa. He owns and oper- ates 160 acres of land, which he has placed under a high state of cultivation, adding to it all the conveniences and accessories of a model farm.

A native of the Empire State, Mr. Wilcox was born in Cortland county, on the 13th of November, 1840, and on the paternal side is of German lineage, while on the maternal side he is of English descent. His parents were Will- iam and Naomi (Allen) Wilcox, the former a native of Cortland county, New York, and the latter of Vermont. They reared a family of six children, of whom William H. is the third in order of birth. He lived at home until eighteen years of age, and then, bidding adieu to the friends and scenes of his childhood, fol- lowed the course of emigration westward and

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took up his residence in Marshall county, Illi- nois. Subsequently he removed to Bureau county, of the same State, where he was living at the time of the inauguration of the Civil war.

Loyal to his country and the cause of the Union on the 23d of August, 1862, Mr. Wil- cox offered his services to the Government, and was assigned to Company E, Eighty-sixth Illi- nois Infantry. He took part in twenty-six en- gagements, including several of the most hotly contested battles of the war, and was several times wounded. On one occasion a minie ball grazed his right temple, and the scar will re- main with him until his dying day, evidence of

his loyalty and fidelity. He served with the rank of Corporal and Second Sergeant and was under the command of Generals Buell, Rose- crans, Thomas, Grant and Sherman. He was mustered out in Chicago in the month of June, 1865, for hostilities had now ceased and the preservation of the Union was an assured fact.

Mr. Wilcox at once returned to his home in Bureau county, and on the 24th of October, 1865, was joined in wedlock with Miss Mary Ann Britton, of Mason county, Illinois. She was born November 15, 1843, and is of Ger- man extraction. They at once located on a farm in Bureau county, where they resided until 1877, removing in that year to Stark county, Illinois. In 1885 they came to Dallas county and purchased the farm which has since been their home. The place was then but slightly improved, but with characteristic en- ergy Mr. Wilcox began its development and carried forward the work each year until it is to-day one of the most valuable and desirable properties of this region. It comprises 160 acres of land, worth $50 per acre. New stables, a granary and other necessary out- buildings have been erected, and in 1895 he completed a fine residence, which indicates his progressive views and his careful supervision. The farm yields to him a rich return for his care and cultivation, and his business is now proving a profitable one.

To Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox have been born

seven children, and the record of their names and births is as follows: Emma Rebecca, born September 26, 1868; Samuel Arthur, May 30, 1870; James Herbert, June 19, 1872; Nellie R., January 4, 1874; Ida Maude, May 1, 1878; Clara Belle, February 16, 1880; and Florence Edith, April 23, 1882. He has provided his children with excellent school privileges, be- lieving that education is one of the best prep- arations for life's duties.

Mr. Wilcox gives his political support to the Republican party, for three years served as Township Trustee and has also served as School Director. He is very fond of travel and has visited seventeen States of the Union. A broad-minded man of liberal and advanced ideas, during his ten years' residence in Dallas county he has by his sterling worth and strict integrity won the high regard of all with whom he has come in contact.

a HARLES WILLIAM NEAL is an attorney of pronounced ability, living in Stuart, Iowa, where he is exten- sively and successfully engaged in the practice of law.

A native of New Hampshire, he was born in the city of Portsmouth, October 15, 1847, and is a son of William H. and Mary E. (Dixon) Neal. The parents were both natives of Maine. The father, who was born in 1817, enlisted in his country's service during the late war, and was killed in the memorable battle of Gettysburg, on the 3d of July, 1863. His wife survived him for many years, dying in the Pine Tree State in 1875. In their family were two sons and three daughters, namely: Charles WV., the subject of this biographical sketch; Frank R:, who is foreman of the Chicago ship- building shops; Ella C., wife of Charles S. Simmons, a naval architect, employed by the United States Government at Philadelphia; Sadie E., wife of T. A. Ferguson, of the Chi- cago Board of Underwriters; and Julia A., wife of Joseph Logan, also of Chicago. The Dixon

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family, from which our subject has descended, has been connected with the United States since early Colonial days, and its American founders probably came to this country from the north of Ireland.

Charles William Neal is the eldest child of his father's family. He was educated in the common schools of Maine, and spent the days of his childhood and youth in his parents' home. In 1863, when only fifteen years of age, he enlisted and served until the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox. He carried a musket and faithfully followed the old flag until the stars and stripes waved over the capital of the Southern Confederacy. At the time of his discharge he was first duty sergeant of his company. Three brothers, Samuel, Thomas and William H. Neal, the father and uncles of our subject, laid down their lives on the altar of their country. Samuel was killed at the battle of Cold Harbor; Thomas met his death in front of Petersburg, and William died on the field at Gettysburg, while the grandfather, Guy Neal, died from wounds received in the Mexican war. The family was established in America during Colonial days by ancestors who came from the Emerald Isle.

The gentleman whose name heads this re- view learned the blacksmith's trade in the navy yard at Kittery or Portsmouth. He came to Stuart, Iowa, in 1874, as an employee of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Com- pany, and was engaged in dressing tools for six years, working ten hours per day. During this time he studied law, spending about two and a half hours per day in this way, so that he had but little leisure time. He pursued his studies under the tutorship of C. F. Fogg, now of Tacoma, Washington, and was admitted to practice on the 4th of March, 1880. Since that time he has been the local attorney of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, and does a general legal business, having built up an extensive practice which he well merits. He has a finely equipped suite of rooms and is yet a close student of his profession, as every successful lawyer must be. He practices in

the State and Federal courts and has been very successful, owing to his thorough prepara- tion of cases and his ability as an advocate. He has won an enviable position in the ranks of the legal fraternity and his fidelity to duty has secured him a large and well merited clientage.

Mr. Neal was married in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, January 12, 1869, to Miss Emma F. Willey, a native of Maine. She was edu- cated in the schools of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Kittery, Maine, and is a cul- tured and esteemed lady. Two children have been born of this union: Fred W., who be- came a student in the Iowa State University, was graduated in tlie collegiate department, admitted to the bar in 1893, and is now asso- ciated in business with his father, -a talented young man with a bright future before him. Frank C. was graduated at the Stuart high school in 1895, and is now a student in the Iowa State University.

Mr. Neal is prominently connected with several civic societies. For twenty-one years he has been a member of the Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows. He belongs to Token Lodge, No. 304 A. F. & A. M .; Damascus Chapter, No. 94, R. A. M .; and Alhambra Commandery, No. 58, K. T. In politics, Mr. Neal is a Republican, and as every true Ameri- can citizen should do takes a deep interest in political affairs. He has served four years as County Attorney of Adair county, has been City Solicitor of Stuart for five years, is a member of the Board of Education of Stuart, and is now president of the Iowa School Directors' Association. He has ever taken a deep and abiding interest in educational affairs and co-operates in all plans and enterprises for the upbuilding of the community in which he lives. He has also been honored with a num- ber of offices in civic societies, having served as Master of the blue lodge, as High Priest of the chapter for two years, and in 1884 was a mem- ber of the Grand Lodge. He is also connected with the Knights of Pythias fraternity and the Uniformed Rank. He and his family are Uni-

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versalists in religious belief and are people of prominence in this community, occupying an enviable position in social circles.

ORDON L. MULLINS, who is ranked with the wealthy and influential farm- ers of Van Meter township, Dallas county, Iowa, is a native of Ken- tucky, born May 4, 1833, son of Wiley and Prudent Mullins, the former a native of Ire- land and the latter of Vermont. Wiley Mul- lins came to America when a young man and spent his life in agricultural pursuits. Both he and his wife lived to about the age of seventy years. They were the parents of seven children, of whom three are yet living. Three of their sons, Matthew, Alois and Jona- than, served their country all through the Civil war.

Gordon L. Mullins, to whose life especially we direct attention in this article, passed his youthful days on his father's farm, doing farm work in summer and attending the common schools in winter. He remained a member of the home circle until his marriage, in 1856, after which he bought a tract of wild land in Kansas and moved upon it, continuing his resi- dence there for four years. At the end of this time he sold his property at a good advantage and removed to Iowa. In the meantime, during his residence in Kansas, he also ran a hotel in connection with his farming operations. On coming to Iowa, he located in Marion county, where he at first bought forty acres of timber land. He met with prosperity from the start, accumulating other property from time to time, and ere long was the owner of 370 acres of land. About 1883 he was a stockholder in a bank that went down, by which he lost $21,000 rather than have his name tarnished or his record blurred .. While a great financial calamity of this character would have dis- heartened most men, Mr. Mullins was not dis- couraged; it seemingly only spurred him on with renewed energies to rebuild his fortune. After this he removed to Polk county, where

he bought, improved and sold no less than eight farms, making a good margin on each transaction, and finally he purchased his pres- ent fine farm of 400 acres in Van Meter town- ship, Dallas county, and, as already stated, is classed with the well-to-do and influential men of his vicinity. Indeed, there is not a man in the State of Iowa, among the agriculturists, who stands higher in the estimation of his fellow citizens than does Gordon L. Mullins.

Politically, Mr. Mullins is in harmony with the Republican party, with which he has cast his franchise ever since he first voted for John C. Fremont. During the war he enlisted in Company H of a regiment made up in Iowa and went to Iowa City to enter the ranks, but was there taken sick and was rejected on ac- count of physical disability. He and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Mr. Mullins was married in Red Rock, Marion county, Iowa, in 1856, to Miss Nancy J. Corsen, a native of Indiana and a daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth Corsen. Her par- ents moved from Indiana to Iowa, and in the last named State passed the closing years of their lives and died. Her father was a veteran of the war of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. Mullins have had eleven children, all of whom survive except one, who died at the age of thirty-three years, leaving two children. The names of those living are as follows: Thomas R., Sher-' man H., Lorie, Delbert, George, Pleas, Belle, Mart, Mintie and Edward.

ILES SINES, one of the venerable citizens of Waukee, Dallas county, Iowa, is known as the man who planted the first tree in this now well shaded town; and here in his own de- lightful home and surrounded with all the com- forts of life he is living retired.

Miles Sines is a native of the Empire State. He was born January 10, 1819, fifth in the family of eight children of John and Catherine (Scutt) Sines, both natives of Germany, their

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parents having come to this country about the middle of the eighteenth century. John Sines served through the war of 1812, and his father was in the Revolution, both proving their de- votion to their adopted country by prompt and valiant service in its time of need. In the year 1840 John Sines died, leaving his widow and children in somewhat straitened circum- stances. At this time some of the older mem- bers of the family were married and caring for themselves. Miles was sixteen, and he nobly stood by his mother, assisting in the support of the family and further aiding in the education of his younger brother and sisters. He had learned the trade of blacksmith with his brother, and spent a few years over the forge, and next he farmed a few years. After that he bought a hotel in Davenport, Delaware county, New York, which he conducted for a period of thirteen years. He always had a fancy for horses, and during his hotel experi- ence he began to trade in them, and so suc- cessful was he in his horse deals that he finally sold the hotel and became a full-fledged stock- man. New York city was his market. He bought most of his stock in northern New York and Canada and drove them to New York, and in this way did a very extensive business; especially during the war did he make large deals. There is probably not another man in the State of Iowa who has bought and driven as many horses from Canada to the United States as has Mr. Sines. In Decem- ber, 1869, accompanied by his family, he came to Iowa, stopping first in Des Moines. In the spring of the following year he purchased a farm near that city and removed to it, but remained there only a year, after which he sold out to good advantage, and came to Waukee. Here he built the comfortable home in which he and his wife have since lived. Also, on coming here, he bought a farm of 226 acres, which he has always rented. During his early life in Iowa he handled a con- siderable amount of property on commission, but for a number of years past has been re- tired from active business of any kind.

Mr. Sines was married September 15, 1843, to Miss Sarah Grant, a native of Delaware county, New York, born February 19, 1821, and of Scotch descent. She is an accom- plished woman and one of more than ordinary business ability, and during the fifty-two years of their wedded life has proved herself a helpmate in the truest sense of the word. Although both are well along in years, they are well preserved physically and mentally. Indeed, they seem to have found out the secret of growing old gracefully. Of the three chil- dren which blessed their union, we record that Maggie E., the eldest, was born January I, 1845. She was married in November, 1873, to Mr. Isaac F. Ames, by whom she has one child, May, born in 1876. Mrs. Ames and her daughter live with her parents. The second, Eugene B., born November 28, 1849, married a Miss McCall, a native of Pennsylvania, and they have one child, their home being in Ta- coma, Washington, where he is engaged in the real-estate business. Edgar D., the youngest, was born April 9, 1857, and lives in Waukee. He married Miss Eliza Haines and they have one son.

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 151

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