Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 174

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

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Mary, born January 15, 1826, died July II, 1832.

Jacob, born February 20, 1828, married Jane Courtright, reared a number of children, and died in Missouri, in 1858.

Sarah, born October 15, 1830, is the widow of John Grist. They were residents of East Troy, Pennsylvania, where Mr. Grist died. His widow afterward removed to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she is still living. Their children are Clara, wife of C. R. Lyon, by whom she has two children, Morton and Ruth; Thomas, who married Alice Harrier; and Charles, de- ceased.

Margaret Ann, born August 6, 1833, is the deceased wife of Aven Pearson, and had one son, Burton Aven.

Phœbe, born October 16, 1835, died Jan- uary 20, 1838.

Peter, born July 23, 1838, married Sophia Knight, and their children were as follows: George, who married Hattie Schackleton; Hat- tie, Nettie, Warren, John and Burton, -all de- ceased; Charles, Fred, Effa and Ora.

Mattie, wife of our subject, completes this family.

Mr. and Mrs. Brown have two sons. The elder, Harley B., born September 11, 1861, in Livingston county, Illinois, married Ella Lee, January 1, 1880, and has three children; Ethel, born October 18, 1880; Mabel, born February 12, 1885; and Alice, born May 6, 1887. Harley B. Brown is an engineer on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. Albert Lew, the younger son, born September 24, 1871, on the home farm near Perry, Dallas county, Iowa, attended the Perry high school and was graduated in 1889. He later became a student in the dental department of the State University of Iowa and on his graduation re- ceived the degree of D.D.S., in 1891, and is now practicing his profession in Perry. On the 7th of August, 1894, he married Miss Myr- tle Bennington, who is also a graduate of the Perry high school. Her parents, Joseph and Maggie Bennington, are residents of Perry, but were formerly of Monroe, this State.

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After his marriage Mr. William B. Brown rented land in Livingston county, Illinois, and carried on farming until after the breaking out of the Rebellion, when on the 9th of August, 1862, he enlisted as a member of Battery M, First Illinois Light Artillery, which was after- ward assigned to the Army of the Cumberland and credited to Cook county, the enlistment having taken place in Chicago. He valiantly participated in the battle of Chickamauga, under General Thomas, and the engagements at Lookout mountain, Mission Ridge, Dalton, Resaca, Marietta, Kenesaw mountain, Peach Tree creek, the campaign of Atlanta, Jones- boro, Lovejoy Station and many minor en- gagements. After three years of able service, he was honorably discharged in Chicago, July 27, 1865, the war having ended. He was al- ways found in the foremost of the fight, gal- lantly defending the stars and stripes which have since so proudly floated over the united nation. He is a charter member of Redfield Post, No. 26, G. A. R., and also of Camp No. 137, of the Union Veteran Legion,-both of Perry.

For four years after the close of the war Mr. Brown conducted a rented farm in Mar- shall county, Illinois, and in the fall of 1869 came to Dallas county, Iowa, where he pur- chased 160 acres of land on section 17, Dallas township, his present place of residence. He was one of the first settlers on this prairie, and his first home was a small frame dwelling, 20x20 feet, in which they lived until the present fine residence was erected. It is a beautiful country seat in the midst of 520 acres of highly cultivated and richly improved land.

Mr. Brown is a man widely and favorably known throughout the county and State, and his fellow citizens, appreciating his worth and ability, have called upon him to fill several public positions of honor and trust. He has served as Township Clerk and Justice of the Peace, first by appointment and afterward by election, and for two terms was Supervisor. Since casting his first vote for Abraham Lin- coln in 1860, Mr. Brown has been an inflexi- 69

ble Republican. He and his family are active in all good works, and liberally support all worthy enterprises. Probably no man in the State, engaged in agricultural pursuits, is more worthy the high encomiums given him than William B. Brown, who is, however, most un- assuming and modest in manner.

In fraternal relations Mr. Brown is a mem- ber of Otley Lodge, No. 299, F. & A. M .; Palmyra Chapter, No. 86, R. A. M .; Girard Conimandery, No. 56, K. T .; and the Priory of Des Moines Consistory, No. 3; of El-Kahir Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Cedar Rapids; and is also a member of the Grant Club, of Des Moines.

YLVANUS GILL, who carries on farming and stock-raising in Beaver township, Dallas county, claims Ohio as the State of his nativity. He was born in Fairfield county, March 18, 1833, and is a son of Ambrose and Sarah (Kettner) Gill. His grandparents, Nicholas and Ann Gill, were probably natives of England. Their last days were spent in Fairfield county, Ohio, where they died at an advanced age. The maternal grandfather, Henry Kettner, was of German lineage and followed agricultural pursuits. Both families were early settlers of the Buck- eye State, locating there at a time when the present county seat of Fairfield county could have been purchased for less than he paid for his farm. The father of our subject was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, and died in Fairfield county, Ohio, at the age of thirty- five. His wife, who was a native of Pennsyl- vania, passed away in the same locality at the early age of twenty-nine years. They were the parents of five children, of whom two sons are yet living.

At the tender age of fifteen years our sub- ject was left an orphan. He then started out to make his own way in the world, and what- ever success he has achieved has come to him through his own earnest labors. The spirit of self-help is the source of all genuine worth in

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the individual, and that spirit was early mani- fest in Mr. Gill. He began working by the month as a farm hand, and was thus employed until twenty-five years of age. In the spring of 1858 he removed to Coles county, Illinois, where he was engaged in herding cattle for nine months, continuing his residence in Coles and Douglas counties until about 1865, when he came to Iowa.

In the meantime Mr. Gill was married. On the 1 1th of February, 1862, he wedded Asenath Bush, a native of Edgar county, Illinois, who died in Dallas county at the age of thirty-seven. They were the parents of seven children, of whom six are yet living. One daughter died at the age of nineteen, leaving two children. The surviving members of the family are Dora D., who is married and has one child; Effie, who is married and has one child; Alice, at home; Nicholas H., who is married and has one child; Edward L., at home; and Romano, who has been twice married. The mother of this family was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and a sincere Christian lady, whose death was deeply mourned by a large circle of friends.

Mr. Gill first came to Iowa in the latter part of December, 1864, bringing with him seven horses, the cheapest one selling for $175; one mule team sold for $550, and off of this investment he made considerable money. His first location was about three miles east of his present home, and two years later he came to the farm on which he now resides, purchasing 160 acres of prairie land. He has since bought and sold other tracts, and now owns alto- gether 300 acres, which is under a high state of cultivation and well improved. In 1894 he built his present substantial and commodious barn, and to-day is the owner of one of the finest farms in the county. In connection with the cultivation of grain adapted to this climate, he has also successfully engaged in stock-rais- ing, making a specialty of the breeding of fine horses. He is a lover of the noble steed, and drives as fine horses as can be found in the county.

Mr. Gill was one of the organizers of the Greenback party in this locality, and has done all in his power for its support. He has fre- quently had tickets printed at his own expense and carried them to the polls of Beaver town- ship.

ON. JOHN D. NICHOLS, is the senior member of the law firm of J. D. & C. Nichols, of Vinton, Iowa. He is one of the oldest members, in years of continuous practice, at the Benton county bar, and also one of the most prominent, standing as a leader in professional ranks. In social and political circles he also occupies an enviable position, and to-day he is one of the most. esteemed citizens in this section of the State. A life characterized by all that is honorable and noble, by fidelity to duty and trustworthiness, well entitle him to representa- tion in this volume.

Mr. Nichols was born in Leeds county, Ontario, Canada, July 22, 1834, and is a son of Rev. Hugh and Avis (Schofield) Nichols, the former a native of Canada and the latter of New York. The father was a Baptist minis- ter and devoted his entire life to the cause of Christianity, laboring in Canada up to the time of his death. His excellent wife still sur- vives him, and at the age of eighty-six years is in possession of all her faculties.

Our subject was the second son in a family of seven children, three brothers and four sis- ters, of whom six are yet living. He spent his youthful days in the place of his nativity and acquired his education in the common schools. In 1856 he crossed the border into the United States and took up his residence in Salem, Henry county, Iowa, where he learned the trade of carriage-making, following that pursuit for several years.

In 1871 Mr. Nichols entered the law office of Traer & Gilchrist, of Vinton, with whom he studied until he was admitted to the bar, in 1872, by Judge Rothrock, now of the Supreme Court. Immediately afterward he opened a

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law office in Vinton and soon won high stand- ing at the bar, working his way steadily upward until he had left the ranks of the many and gained a place among the successful few. He first formed a partnership with Robert St. Clair, under the firm name of St. Clair & Nichols. In 1879 he associated himself with George W. Burnham, and the partnership was continued until 1886. In 1892 he was joined in business by his son Clarence, under the firm style of J. D. & C. Nichols, and they now command a large business. The junior mem- ber attended the law department of the State University and is a young man of high promise. Success is not a matter of genius, but of ear- nest, persistent labor, accompanied by the exercise of those abilities with which nature has endowed one and which can be acquired. Mr. Nichols came to the United States without capital and no influential friends to aid him. His fidelity, energy and industry in his pursuits secured him success, while a keen, analytical mind, combined with a thorough preparation and faithfulness to his clients' interests has won him prominence at the bar.

Mr. Nichols is a pronounced Republican and has been associated with the party since its organization. In 1876 he was elected State Senator to succeed Colonel John Shane, who resigned in order to accept the judgeship of the Eighth Judicial District of Iowa. In 1878 Mr. Nichols was re-elected for a full term, and while a member of the Senate served on judiciary and other important committees, discharging his duties with commendable fidel- ity, and was regarded as one of the most able men in the Senate during his incumbency.

In 1854 Mr. Nichols was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Stevens, of Leeds county, On- tario, Canada, and a daughter of Rev. Reuben Stevens. They have two sons: Malcolm E., assistant stenographer for Ramsey county, Minnesota; and Clarence, the junior member of the law firm. Mrs. Nichols passed away in 1870. In 1872 Mr. Nichols married Miss Phoebe Brennen, of Leeds county, Ontario. They have two sons: George C., an employee

of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad Company; and Frank B., who is in his father's office. In November, 1881, Mr. Nichols was again called upon to mourn the loss of his wife. In 1883 he was joined in wedlock with Miss Carrie A. Landgraff, a native of Oswego county, New York.

ON. MARION BROOKS, as one of the representative farmers of Boone county, Iowa, and as a Captain in the late Civil war, is entitled to more than a passing mention in this volume. The story of his life with a detailed account of his army experience would fill a book of no small proportions; but in a work of this char- acter only a brief review can be presented.

Marion Brooks was born in Whiteside county, Illinois, February 8, 1842, son of Al- phonso and Eliza (Teats) Brooks. His father was a native of Genesee county, New York, was one of the early pioneers of Whiteside county, Illinois, where he spent the greater part of this life, and died in Iowa at the home of his son Marion, while there on a visit. The mother was also a native of Genesee county, New York, and she, too, died at the home of her son in Iowa.

The subject of our sketch was reared on his father's farm, received his early training in the district school and was on the verge of young manhood at the time the war broke out; and when the first call was made in April he tendered his service to the · Union cause, but was rejected on account of his boyish appear- ance, he at that time weighing only ninety-five pounds. Later, however, September 20, 1861, he again offered his service, and this time was accepted, becoming a member of Company I, Eighth Kansas Infantry.

He enlisted in the United States Army Sep- tember 20, 1861, at Spring Hill, Illinois, went to St. Louis, Missouri, and in December went to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and joined the Eighth Kansas Infantry, in which regiment he served until discharged, at San Antonio,

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Texas, in January, 1866. He was elected by his company to take command of it, and did so for five months, being only a private him- self. At the end of that time he received his commission as Captain. During the service his company traveled 10,750 miles and took part in fifteen battles besides numerous skir- mishes, losing sixty-five per cent in killed and wounded. Among the battles in which Cap- tain Brooks participated were those of Chick- amauga, Mission Ridge, Kenesaw mountain, Peach Tree creek, Atlanta,, Jonesboro, Love- joy, Franklin, Nashville, etc. He was always in command of his company when it was in battle or on the march; in fact, during the long service Company I never stacked arms without his presence.

At the close of the war the Captain came to Boone county, Iowa. In the meantime, March 20, 1864, while at home on a furlough, he was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Matson, a native of Rock Island county, Illi- nois, and a daughter of John Matson. He and his wife have had six children, one dying in infancy. Those living are as follows: Fan- nie, wife of R. Grant, is the mother of four children; Myrtle, wife of Nelson McFarland, has one child; Clarence W. married Miss Mamie Sixberry; and Bradford M. and Retta, at home.

On coming to Boone county, Captain Brooks purchased eighty acres of wild land, on which was a log cabin, one of the first cabins built in Boone county. This log house, which was 18x20 feet in dimensions, he moved to his land, and in it he and his family lived for about eight years. Then he built a part of his present house, at a cost of $1,200, and later made additions to it until now he has one of the handsomest homes in this part of the county. To his original tract of land he has from time to time made additions, having in- creased it to 340 acres, -this fine farm and elegant home being the result of his own earnest labor and good management. At the time he landed here his worldly goods con- sisted of $90 in money, two horses and a

wagon, he having made the trip from Illinois with this team, sixteen days being required on the road. Here for thirty years he has lived and prospered, his energies being given chiefly to general farming.

All these years he has also taken a prom- inent part in public affairs, and has frequently been honored by official preferment. All the township offices have been ably filled by him. He served eight or ten years as Justice of the Peace, and he was an honored member of the State Legislature in both the Twenty-fourth and . Twenty-fifth Assemblies. While in the Legislature he was on several important com- mittees, on some of which he served as chair- man, and was indirectly the father of sorne important legislation for the agriculturists of Iowa. His first presidential vote was cast for Lincoln, and he has ever since maintained his allegiance to the Republican party. Both he and his wife attend the Methodist Episcopal Church; Mrs. Brooks, however, is a Baptist. Few men in Boone county are better known than Captain Brooks, and none are more highly esteemed.

J OHN R. ROLLINS, who has for more than twenty years been a retired mer- chant of Des Moines, Iowa, and a man whose business sagacity, keen discrimi- nation and resolute purpose has gained him the position which he to-day occupies among the business men of the Hawkeye State, is num- bered among the native sons of New Hamp- shire, his birth having occurred in Strafford, Strafford (now Carroll) county, on the 22d of October, 1824. The paternal grandfather, John Rollins, was a native of Maine, and de- scended from Scotch-Irish ancestry. The father, Elisha Rollins, was also born in Maine, and in early life followed the tanner's trade. He afterward learned the harness-maker's trade, prospered in his undertakings and made judicious investments in land until he became the owner of valuable farms aggregating 600 acres. At the same time he did a profitable

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business as a manufacturer of leather. His death occurred in 1871. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Prudence Lord, was a daughter of Joseph Lord. By her marriage she became the mother of three children: Daniel, who died in 1824, at the age of ten years; John R. and Olive E., the latter now a resident of New Hampshire.

John R. Rollins spent his boyhood days in the State of his nativity, acquiring his element- ary education in the common schools, and af- terward attending Wakefield Academy. Thus he fitted himself for teaching, a profession which he followed through the winter season for several years, while in the summer months he engaged in farming. He entered upon his mercantile career as a salesman in the employ of others, and during this time gained experi- ence that proved of great benefit to him. In 1854 he began operations on his own account, forming a partnership with Samuel Smith. The firm of Smith & Rollins continued in existence at Wakefield, New Hampshire, for two years, engaged in general merchan- dise, and the manufacture of clothing; but in March, 1857, Mr. Rollins sold out and sought broader fields of labor and greater op- portunities in the rapidly developing West. He at once came to Des Moines, Iowa, and has since been prominently identified with the ad- vancement and progress of this city, with the promotion of its commercial and educational interests. In the fall of 1857 he accepted the position of Superintendent of the Public Schools of Des Moines, and his interest in their welfare has never abated, although he continued his work as an instructor for only a year. In the spring of 1858 he joined the mercantile ranks and entered the grocery trade as a member of the firm of A. W. Rollins & Company, the senior partner being his uncle. At the expiration of two years he bought out his uncle and continued in the trade until 1865, when he sold out and returned to his old home in Wakefield, New Hampshire, where he re- mained for eighteen months. Then, in 1867, he again came to Des Moines, this time pur-

chasing the stock of groceries owned by Skin- ner Brothers, and associated himself in busi- ness with J. H. McClelland, under the firm name of Rollins & McClelland. Success at- tended the new enterprise and the business was satisfactorily carried on by those two gen- tlemen until 1872, when their store and its contents were almost entirely destroyed by fire. There was no insurance upon them and in consequence they lost heavily. They then secured what goods had been saved, sold them and retired from the grocery trade.

In the meantime Mr. Rollins extended his business operations into other fields and be- came prominently connected with the banking interests of Des Moines. For the past twenty years he has been a director in the Citizens' National Bank, and was one of the organizers of the State Savings Bank of Des Moines. He is a financier whose sagacity and foresight, combined with sound judgment and excellent executive ability, have brought to him a rea- sonable competence.

In 1865 occurred an important event in the life of Mr. Rollins,-his marriage to Miss Sarah E., daughter of Richard and Betsy Rol- lins, of Lebanon, Maine. Their union . was blessed with two children, a daughter and son, but the former, Mary O., died in 1888, at the age of eighteen years. Dick R. is now a bright and able student in Amherst College. Their home is a pleasant residence at No. 621, Seventh and High streets, and in addition Mr. Rollins owns other valuable city property. He and his family attend the Congregational Church, and in social circles occupy a promi- nent position.

In his political views Mr. Rollins is a Re- publican. For ten years he served as Alder- man of the Third ward of the city, the larger and wealthy ward, and in the elections had as his opponents some of the strongest men in the Democratic party; but he was never de- feated. While a member of the Council he labored earnestly and sometimes effectively for the best interests of Des Moines, supporting all measures that were calculated to promote the

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general welfare, or to enhance the material, social or educational interests. He has made an untarnished record and reputation as a business man, -upright, reliable and honor- able. In all places and under all circum- stances he is loyal to truth, honor and right, justly valuing his own self-respect and that of his friends as infinitely more valuable than wealth, fame or position. He is the worthy recipient of confidence and friendship which comes to him from most of those who know him.

EANDER GILLASPEY is a gentle- man who would prove a valuable acquisition to any community, and Lucas county recognizes him as one of her leading and influential citizens, who is as true to his duties of citizenship in times of peace as he was in times of war,-for he was one of the brave "boys in blue" who followed the old flag until the South was forced to ac- knowledge it as its banner.

Our subject is a native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, born November 26, 1843, a son of William and Margaret (Beds- worth) Gillaspey, also natives of the Keystone State, the former a descendant of Scotch- Irish ancestors, who were among the early settlers of Pennsylvania. The father died in Chariton, Iowa, at the age of sixty-six years, but the mother is still living, at the age of seventy. They had a family of ten children, eight of whoin reached maturity, namely: A. C., Irene Turney, A. M., Sarah Connell, Leander, William, Sophia J. Heald and Arpie Garland. The last named is a resident of Holyoke, Colorado; Mrs. Heald lives in South Dakota, and William is a resident of Des Moines, Iowa.

When the subject of this review was a small boy he was brought by his parents on their removal from Pennsylvania to Iowa, lo- cating in Henry county on what was then a frontier farm, for the entire region round about was but just opening up to civilization. There

he was reared to manhood, and was early in- ured to the hard labor of developing new land, his boyhood being spent in much the same manner as all other pioneer lads of the neigh- borhood. His educational advantages were limited to the opportunities afforded by the primitive schools of the communty. When the war was inaugurated he was still a boy in his 'teens, and had not yet attained his major- ity when President Lincoln issued his call for "three hundred thousand more troops." In response to this call, however, he enlisted, for his patriotism was not less than that of the grey-haired veterans who had been long in the field. He became a member of Company B, Twenty-fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and at once went to the scene of action. He partici- pated in the battle of Arkansas Post, the siege of Vicksburg, went with Sherman on the mem- orable march to the sea, participated in the campaign in the Carolinas, thence proceeded to Richmond and on to Washington. He was one of the victorious soldiers who participated in the grand review in the capital city, when " wave after wave of bayonet-crested blue " passed by the President's stand, while those who witnessed the scene made the very streets ring with their shouts of applause. After a service of two years and nine months Mr. Gil- laspey received an honorable discharge at Davenport, Iowa, and at once returned to his home.

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 174

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