Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 53

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

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J 'OHN W. SHEPPERD .- Among those who came out to Iowa and settled on Government land in the early '50s, and who have maintained a residence here up to the present time, is found the subject of this sketch, John W. Shepperd, of White Breast township, Lucas county : his post-office, Chariton.

Mr. Shepperd was born in Greene county, Indiana, December 26, 1826, son of Elias Shepperd, a native of Stokes county, North Caroline. Elias Shepperd's father, Charles Shepperd, was a Scotch Highlander who emi- grated to this country and settled in North Carolina, where he passed the rest of his life. The mother of our subject, nee Charity Long, was a native of North Carolina and a daughter of John Long. After their marriage Elias and Charity Shepperd moved to Greene county, Indiana, being among the very earliest settlers of the "Hoosier" State, and for some time having to remain in the fort in order to secure protection against the Indians. Later they removed to Jackson county, same State. When John W. was four years old his mother died, leaving five children,-Thomas, George W., Pharaoh, John W. and Mary Ann. She

had one other child, a son, that was deceased. Later the father married Elizabeth Springer, who bore him four children, -Charles, Bar- bara, Minerva, and Malvina. He died at the age of sixty years. In politics he was a Whig, in religion a Presbyterian, and his occupation throughout life was that of farmer.

When Mr. Shepperd was a small boy he went to live with one John Nixon, with whom he made his home for five years, and after that lived with his father and stepmother one year. When he was fourteen he was apprenticed to John C. Humes to learn the trade of black- smith, with whom he remained six years and a half, in that time becoming an expert at the business. After this he went to Elizabeth- town, Indiana, bought a stock of tools and set up in business for himself. In 1851 he left Indiana, and with an ox team and wagon set out for Iowa, landing here in May of that year. On section 14, of White Breast township, Lu- cas county, he established claim to Govern- ment land, the 160 acres he still owns and oc- cupies. Here he built a log cabin 16x 18 feet, which served as his home for some years. He now has a comfortable frame cottage, a story and a half, nicely located and with pleasant surroundings, his place being two miles west of Chariton. Among other improvements on his farm are found a nice orchard and grove.

December 17, 1850, the year before he left Indiana, Mr. Shepperd was married, in Jack- son county, that State, to Miss Clarinda J. Sanderson, a daughter of Elisha and Juna (Wright) Sanderson, natives of New York State. Her grandfather, Elijah Sanderson, was of Massachusetts birth. Elisha Sanderson and his family came to Iowa the same year that Mr. Shepperd did, and settled in this county, where he died at the age of sixty-two years; his wife died in Union county, this State, at the age of sixty-six. They had five children, viz .: Mary Ann Ireland, who died in Oregon; William A., a veteran of the late war, died in Nebraska, in 1893; Clarinda J. Shepperd, of White Breast township; Addie E. Belle, of Warren township, Lucas county; and Juna D.

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Kating, a resident of Ottumwa, Iowa. The parents of this family were members of the Church of Christ. Mr. and Mrs. Shepperd have five children living, all settled in life and filling honorable and useful positions, namely: George W., Moscow, Latah county, Idaho, where he owns and farms one section of land; Prof. Bruce E., having the chair of mental and moral philosophy, of Drake University, Des Moines, and one of the leading educators of the State, his education having been re- ceived at Oskaloosa, Iowa, at Drake Uni- versity, and in Leipsic, Germany; he has formerly taught higher mathematics and various other branches; was commissioned by the Governor of Iowa to represent the State at the American exhibition of arts, etc., at Earl's Court, Kensington, London, England, in 1851; Junietta L., a graduate of Oskaloosa College, is now at Pratt's Domestic Institute of Econ- omy at Brooklyn, New York, and previous to her connection with this institution was for years one of the officials of the Danville (New York) Sanitorium; Macy M., who taught in pub- lic schools before her marriage, and is now the wife of Sanford Powers; and John H., who occupies the position of professor in the Agri- cultural College at Fargo, North Dakota, and is also Agriculturist at the Government experi- ment station. They also have two daughters deceased, one of whom was Clara S., wife of Professor W. M. Hays, of Fargo, North Da- kota: she left two children, Bessie and Myron. Mrs. Hays was a lady possessing many Christian graces, was highly educated and was employed as teacher in the college at Fargo. At time of her death she had also taught and lectured at farmers' institutes in Minnesota. Their other deceased daughter, Addie B., was their fifth child, and was four years old at the time of her death.

Mr. Shepperd's political views are in harmony with the principles advocated by the Republican party. He has served his township as Trustee and also as a member of the School Board. He and his wife and all their children are identified with the Christian Church.

ENRY BLOUS is one of the repre- sentative and leading citizens of Lucas county and is now serving acceptably in the responsible position of County Clerk. He was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, on the 7th of April, 1842, and is a son of John and Catherine Elizabeth (Kuhn) Blous, the former a native of Pennsylvania, while the latter was born in Prussia, Germany, and lived there until eighteen years of age. Their mar- riage was celebrated in the Buckeye State, and the mother died in Tuscarawas county, in Jan- uary, 1893, while the father is still living in that locality, at the age of seventy-five years. His wife was two and a half years his senior.

In the county of his nativity Henry Blous grew to manhood, acquiring his education in the common schools and through private study. In the fall of 1861, being then nineteen years of age, he offered his services to his country, enlisting in Company G, Fifty-first Ohio Vol- unteer Infantry, in the month of September. He went to the rendezvous at Camp Meigs. The first Colonel of this regiment was Stanley Mathews, who later attained a national reputa- tion. The company spent the winter at Camp Wickliffe, Kentucky, and Mr. Blous participated in the campaign leading up to the capture of Fort Donelson, and his regiment was the third to enter Nashville. He was in all the engage- ments from the Atlanta campaign until the close of the war, but being on detached duty he did not participate in the battles of Stone River, Murfreesboro and Chickamauga, being employed in the commissary department of his regiment. After the battle of Atlanta, the reg- iment, being in the Fourth Army Corps, re- turned to Tennessee and took part in the bat- tles of Nashville, Franklin and others, while Sherman was marching to the sea. Mr. Blous was honorably discharged at Victoria, Texas, in the fall of 1865, having faithfully served for more than four years, during which time he was always found at his post of duty, defend- ing valiantly the old flag, and the cause it represented.

Returning to the parental home in Ohio,

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Mr. Blous resumed the peaceful pursuits of the farmer, which he continued until 1890, when he retired from active business life and re- moved to Chariton. He was married on the 3Ist of August, 1869, the lady of his choice being Miss H. R. Cross, also a native of Tus- carawas county, Ohio, and a daughter of Uriah T. and Margaret (Barnhouse) Cross. The father is a native of Maryland, and both parents are living in Tuscarawas county, Ohio.

In the spring succeeding their marriage Mr. Blous brought his wife to Iowa, locating in Wapello county, and a year later came to Lucas county, locating upon a new farm in Warren township, where he lived for about twenty years, engaged in its improvement and cultivation. His fellow townsmen were not long in appreciating his worth and ability, and frequently honored him by election to public office. He served as Secretary of the School Board, as Township Trustee and in other local positions. Coming to Chariton with a view of providing his children with better educational advantages, he was soon after chosen by the Republicans as a candidate for the office of Clerk of the District Court, and was first elected in the fall of 1892 and re- elected in 1894. His fidelity to duty and his promptness and loyalty in discharging every obligation that comes to him has won him almost unlimited confidence and gained for him the respect of all with whom he has been brought in contact.

The family of Mr. and Mrs. Blous numbers three living children, and they have also lost one, Jessie, who died at the age of three and a half years. Grace, Max and John are still at their parental home. 'Miss Grace is a young lady of liberal education and was for two years local editress of the Chariton Patriot. She attended Simpson College at Indianola for about three years and the sons are now at- tending school in Chariton. Mr. Blous and his family are active and earnest church workers. He became a member of the Method- ist Episcopal Church at the age of twenty- five, and has always been a stanch adherent of

that faith. For many years he has served as one of the church officers and at present is a member of the official board of the Methodist Church of Chariton. He is equally active in Sunday-school work and has been chairman of the County Sunday-school Association. He is also an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic and is zealously interested in every- thing that tends to uplift humanity or promote the general welfare. An honorable upright life, well worthy of emulation, has won him the esteem of all, and among the representative men of the State he well deserves mention.

HILANDER PEDEN SHELLER, County Auditor of Lucas county, Iowa, is a gentleman who is as popu- lar as he is well known, he and his family being ranked among the leading people of Chariton. He was born in Schuyler county, Missouri, March 1, 1847, son of John S. and Sarah M. (Custer) Sheller, of German and Scotch-Irish descent, their families, however, having long been established in America. John S. is a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1812, and is still in possession of all his facul- ties. He is a member of a family which is noted for longevity, and which has been repre- sented in mercantile and professional ranks. His life has been largely spent as a surveyor and land agent, having Government contracts for surveying land in Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri. At this writing he is a resident of Omaha, Nebraska. His wife, nee Sarah M. Custer, a native of Virginia, died some fifteen years ago. Their family was composed of three sons and three daughters, of whom Philander P. is the eldest. The second, Meta, who died in 1891, was the wife of W. H. Booth; James E. died in 1888, leaving a widow; Sarah E., wife of Thomas O'Byrne, resides in Missouri; John S., unmarried, died at about the age of thirty years; and Mary S., wife of James O'Byrne, died in 1888.

When Philander P. Sheller was about four years of age his parents settled in Lucas county,

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Iowa, and here, with the exception of eight years in Missouri, the rest of his life has been spent, his education being received in this county. When he was seventeen he became a clerk in a general store at Chariton, and was thus occupied six years. Then he went to Missouri, where he clerked in the post-office at Carrollton six years. On his return to Lucas county, Iowa, he opened a grocery store at Chariton, in which business he was engaged until his election to the office of County Audi- tor in 1892. He was re-elected to this posi- tion in 1894, and is therefore now just enter- ing upon his second term. This honor was conferred upon him by the Republican party, of which he has always been a zealous member.

Mr. Sheller was married in Missouri, in 1872, to Miss Amy DeGarmo, a native of Ken- tucky, where she was born in 1852. Her par- ents were prominent Kentuckians, and her father was for many years a merchant and farmer. They are now residents of Inde- pendence, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Sheller have two daughters, Ora G. and Edna. Miss Ora is her father's efficient clerk in the Audi- tor's office. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Physically disqualified for military duty, Mr. Sheller is for the same reason ineligible to membership in various secret organizations.

RANK HALL BOYNTON, M. D., the only practitioner of the Homeopathic school in Chariton, Iowa, is a young man who is well abreast with the ad- vancement his profession has made, and it is fitting that biographical mention be made of him on the pages of this work.

Frank H. Boynton was born in Hartford, Van Buren county, Michigan, January 8, 1866, son of Cyrus and Emma (Hall) Boynton, both natives of the Empire State and of English origin. The Boyntons trace their ancestry back for about 800 years with close genealog- ical connection. The family in America holds an annual reunion at some appointed place,

whereat all members of the family are wel- come, and thus has the kindred bond been strengthened. The Boyntons are given to longevity, in stature are usually above the medium, and are a light-complexioned people. They have been found chiefly in the profes- sional ranks. Of the Halls, the family of which Dr. Boynton's mother is a member, we record that for generations they have been en- gaged in agricultural pursuits, and they too are noted for longevity and are above the medium in stature; have fair complexion, with dark hair and eyes. Cyrus Boynton, the Doctor's father, was a merchant in New York. He came west to Van Buren county, Michi- gan, at an early day, being among the pio- neers of the county and purchasing a large tract of wild land, where he reared his family and where he still resides. Of his two sons and two daughters the subject of our sketch is the youngest and the only one born in Michigan, the others being natives of New York. Clar- ence, the eldest, is a commercial traveler, with headquarters at Chicago. Mary is the wife of Dr. Joseph Drake, a practicing physician of Des Moines, Iowa; and Carrie, the other daughter, is the wife of Eli Church and resides at the old home at Hartford, Michigan. Mr. Church is an employee of the Michigan Cen- tral Railroad Company.

Dr. Boynton was educated in the public schools of his native place. He was for some time engaged in mercantile business with his father, and also at Grand Rapids, Michigan, until his removal to Iowa. In 1885 he entered the medical department of the Iowa State University, where he graduated with the de- gree of M. D. in 1887. He had studied in the office of Dr. Drake, then a resident of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, for two years previous to en- tering the university, and after graduating re- turned to Mount Pleasant and formed a part- nership with Dr. Drake, his brother-in-law, with whom he was associated in practice until April 8, 1890. Since that date he has been engaged in the practice of his profession at Chariton. He has one of the best appointed

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offices in the city, has established a fine prac- tice, and both as a physician and gentleman is held in high esteem by all who know him.

Dr. Boynton was married June 5, 1888, at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, to Miss Fannie, daugh- ter of A. S. Hunter, then a prominent mer- chant and politician of that place, now a resi- dent of Kansas. She was born in Elgin, Illi- nois, but was reared and educated at Mount Pleasant, being a graduate of the Mount Pleas- ant high school and a teacher there for some five years subsequent to her graduation. They have two daughters, Helen and Marea, aged respectively six and three years.

The Doctor is a member of the State Hahnemann Medical Society. He is promi- nently identified with the I. O. O. F., and is also a member of the beneficial organizations of A. O. U. W., M. W. of A., and Home Forum, being the authorized medical examiner for the last two. In his political views he har- monizes with the Republican party. His peo- ple, however, are all Democrats, he being the only one of the family to affiliate with the Re- publicans. Both he and his wife are worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

J AMES ALAN PENICK, a prominent attorney of Chariton, is numbered among the native sons of Iowa, his birth having occurred in Wapello coun- ty, in the town of Eddyville, February 9, 1854. His parents, William C. and Martha A. (Thompson) Penick, were both natives of Tus- carawas county, Ohio, the father born in 1827, the mother in 1831. In that county they were married, removing thence to Iowa in 1853. For generations past the family had been pio- neers, removing west from place to place and settling on the frontiers. William C. Penick is a pioneer of Iowa; his father, William Pen- ick, of Tuscarawas county, Ohio; while his grandfather and his great-grandfather were numbered among the pioneers of Virginia. The founder of the family in America was a Welshman, who married an English lady and

settled in Prince Edward county, Virginia, when that locality was just opening up to civilization.

When William C. Penick reached Iowa he ' was in very limited circumstances, his capital be- ing not more than $500. He traveled westward by team, locating in Eddyville, as previously stated, and engaged in teaching and working at the carpenter's trade. Soon, however, he entered the store of Edwin Manning as a sales- man and remained with that gentleman for a long period, rising from a clerkship to a part- nership. The partnership was formed in 1860 and still exists, one of the oldest established firms in the State. In 1861 they came to Chariton and opened a general store and for some years past they have been extensively en- gaged in farming and banking. The Bank of Chariton, owned by Manning & Penick, is one of the solid financial institutions of the State and does a vast volume of business. Mr. Pen- ick is largely interested in farming and stock- raising, devoting most of his time to this in- dustry, and owns 1,000 acres of land in Ring- gold county and 500 acres in Clark county, besides a small farm in Wayne and about 2,000 acres in Lucas county. He also has landed interests in South Dakota. All this is held in partnership and represents the accumulations derived from industry and careful financial en- gineering.

In the Penick family were five brothers and one sister, all of whom are living, James A. being the eldest of the family. Ida is now the wife of F. Q. Stuart, editor of the Chariton Democrat. W. B. is married and resides in Tingley, Ringgold county, managing the farm there located. Edwin is cashier of the Char- iton Bank, and Harry is assistant cashier. The last mentioned was educated in the military academy at West Point, completing the full course of study in that famous institution, and on entering the college he passed a perfect physical examination, the only one of the class whose record was so high in this particular. H. L. is now engaged in the grocery business in Chariton and the two youngest are unmar-

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ried. The family have all enjoyed excellent educational advantages.

James A. Penick graduated at the high school of this city and then entered Sinipson College, of Indianola, Iowa, and later the Iowa Wesleyan University, at which he graduated with the degree of B. S. in 1874. Upon the completion of his literary course he entered the law office of Messrs. Stuart & Bartholo- inew, of Chariton, and was admitted to practice in 1877. Previous to this, however, and just following his graduation, he entered the store of his father, where he remained for a year.

Mr. Penick formed 'a law partnership with Judge J. C. Mitchell, which existed until 1891, when the Judge removed to Ottumwa, since which time Mr. Penick has been alone in prac- tice. As an orator and successful lawyer he has no superior in Lucas county. A man of splendid appearance, good voice and intelligent understanding of his profession, it is not strange that he stands in the foremost rank of Iowa's attorneys.

Mr. Penick was married in Chariton, in 1876, to Miss Ida H., daughter of W. K. Ware, of Knox county, Illinois, where the daughter was born on a farm. She was educated at St. Mary's Seminary, Knoxville, Illinois, and by her marriage has two children: Lloyd, now sixteen years of age, and Raymond J., aged five. She holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church, as do also the parents of our subject. Mr. Penick is a prom- inent member of the Masonic order, having taken the Knight-Templar degree. In politics he is a Democrat, and one of the leaders in the councils of the party. He was a delegate to the Democratic national convention which convened in Cincinnati in 1880, and assisted in the nomination of Gen. W. S. Hancock for the presidency. He has twice been the candi- date of his party for the Legislature, but owing to the strong Republican majority in this district met defeat. On the completion of the Lucas county court-house lie was selected as the proper person to deliver the dedicatory address, a compliment which he fully appre-

ciates and one which he certainly merits or he would not have been the choice among so many eminent orators as can be found among the ranks of the dominant party of Chariton.

SAAC L. HILLIS is the honored Mayor of Des Moines, and, as his official posi- tion well indicates, is one of the most prominent residents of the capital city. He is a Western man by birth, and possesses the true Western spirit of progress and enterprise which have placed the upper Mississippi States on a par with the older and more thickly inhab- ited States on the Atlantic coast.

Born in Madison, Indiana, on the 23d of January, 1853, Mr. Hillis is one of the eight children of William C. and Eliza S. (Lea) Hil- lis, the former a native of Jefferson county, In- diana, and the latter of Baltimore, Maryland. The paternal grandfather, David Hillis, de- scended from an old Saxon family, and his an- cestors emigrated to the north of Ireland, set- tling in county Sligo, at the time of the ascen- sion of Charles II to the throne. The first

member of the family that crossed the Atlantic to America was William Hillis, the great- grandfather of our subject, who came to this country as a surgeon of the English army be- fore the Revolutionary war. After war was declared he resigned his position. enlisted with the Colonists, and served in the Revolutionary army until the close of the contest. When the struggle was over he did not return to his na- tive land.

David Hillis was a surveyor or civil engi- neer in his early life, and located the boundary lines of nearly the whole of Indiana and a good part of Illinois. He was Lieutenant Governor of the Hoosier State for one term, and was chairman of a committee appointed by the President of the United States to form bound- ary lines and establish peace relations among the Indian tribes. For the long period of about forty years he was State Senator from Jefferson county, Indiana, and took a promi- nent and active part in formulating the his-

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tory of the State during that period. He was a member of the Whig party, and the Demo- · cratic party was largely in the majority in that locality; but his popularity was so great that he was enabled to win the election, even though his opponents had strong support. His father had located in Indiana about 1808, and was also one of the most prominent men of that region. During the war of 1812 David Hillis was manager of the advance guard un- der General Harrison and Colonel of the Ken- tucky Rangers, and was sent into the Indian camps to prevent large gatherings of the red men to attack the white soldiers. He thus fought many desperate battles. His death oc- curred about 1856.

The maternal grandfather of Des Moines' Mayor-Isaac C. Lea-was a descendant of John Lea, a Quaker minister, who came to America with William Penn and located in the Keystone State. Isaac C. Lea for many years resided in Baltimore, Maryland, where he en- gaged in business as a merchant and banker. In an early day in the history of that locality he moved to Madison, Indiana, but his death occurred in New York city, when he had reached the advanced age of eighty-four years. He had a large family. His father, Samuel Lea, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and because of that fact was disowned by his church, which is much opposed to warfare.

William C. Hillis is a lawyer by profession, and has practiced in the courts of Indiana, Missouri and Iowa. He came to Des Moines about 1875, making the city his home until 1884, when he removed to California. He was Police Judge of the courts of Des Moines, Iowa, served as Circuit Attorney for a number of counties in Missouri, was treasurer of Jef- ferson county, Indiana, and served for several sessions as a member of the State Legislature. Failing health caused his removal to the Pa- cific slope, at which time he retired from active business life. Four of the eight children of the family are still living: Alice, who resides in Santa Barbara, California; Isaac L .; Jo- seph W., manager of the abstract business in

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 53

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