Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 66

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

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and emigrated to Virginia, and the grandfather, James McNutt, received a tract of land in Ohio from the State of Virginia in reward for his services as a soldier of the Revolution. John M. Laverty was a soldier in the war of 1812, and his military record was a brilliant one. He, too, was given a land warrant, which he located in the West. He was a man of good education, a very prominent citizen of the Hawkeye State, and with the history of its de- velopment his name is inseparably connected. He served as the first Surveyor of Warren county, and laid out the town of Indianola. To him the county owes much of its prosperity and progress, for he belonged to that class of representative citizens who were untiring in their efforts to promote the general welfare. A devout man, his high Christian character and sterling worth commended him to the high re- gard of all and his friends were many. His first wife was an estimable Christian lady, who died in 1860. The following year he married Miss Electa Miller, of Palmyra, Iowa.

The gentleman whose name heads this record was married in 1845 to Miss Mary A. Peck, a native of Putnam county, Indiana, born in 1823. At the time of their marriage he was engaged in teaching in Terre Haute, and they began their domestic life in that city. In 1847 they removed to Polk county, Iowa, where Mr. Laverty engaged in farming. A peculiar feature of this settlement is the fact that the boundaries of the county and town- ship were changed so that he has lived in two counties and five townships, yet has never moved until coming to Indianola in 1893. He continued his residence upon his farm for many years, and his home was blessed with two chil- dren, born of the first marriage: Este Fidelia, the eldest, is now the wife of I. L. Harvey, who resides upon land in Warren county, which her father entered in 1848; she was born in Terre Haute, Indiana; John W. is also en- gaged in farming on the old homestead. He was born in Polk, now Warren, county, in 1848, and is probably one of the oldest native- born persons in the county. The mother of

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this family died in March, 1879, and on the 26th of December following Mr. Laverty was united in marriage with Mrs. Lydia Clough, whose maiden name was Rice. She is a na- tive of Meigs county, Ohio.

Among the honored pioneers of Iowa, James Laverty well deserves mention. He emigrated to this State not only in an early day, but also laid land warrants for other parties and was thus instrumental in bring- ing many of his former neighbors to this locality. His own farm he entered from the Government and with characteristic en- ergy began the improvement of the tract of wild land which he transformed into rich and fertile fields, making it one of the valued prop- erties of the county. When not employed in official work he continued its operation until 1893, when he removed to Indianola. His worth and ability are recognized by those who know him, and he has therefore been called to several public offices. He served for two terms as a member of the Board of Supervi- sors of Warren county, was County Surveyor of Polk county in 1849 and 1850, and is now serving his third term as County Surveyor of Warren county. His life has been very closely identified with the growth and progress of this locality and he is widely recognized as an honored and useful citizen. He was a member of the building committee which erect- ed the Warren county courthouse, and has given his support to many interests and enter- prises calculated to promote the general wel- fare. He can relate many amusing and in- teresting incidents of pioneer life in this local- ity concerning the time when it was a sparsely settled region and gave little promise of rapidly developing civilization.

Socially, Mr. Laverty is connected with the Masonic fraternity, having been initiated into the mysteries of the order in 1860. In early life he usually supported the Whig party, and in 1856 voted the American ticket. He has since been a stanch Republican, giving his undivided support to the men and measures of that party. He has done his duty by his neigh-

bor, his country and himself, and his honor- able, upright life, filled with many good deeds, is deserving of emulation.

DWARD DARIUS BLACKMAN is the junior member of the firm of McKis- sick & Blackman, lumber, paint and grain dealers of De Soto, and pro- prietors of one of the largest tile factories in the State. Our subject has the qualifications necessary for a successful business career, being enterprising, energetic, wide-awake and possessed of sagacity and good executive ability. He was born on the 7th of July, 1856, and has been a resident of De Soto since December. 1875. His mother died in that year, his father having departed this life several years previous. He then came with his elder brother, Joseph, to the city which is now his home, and during the twosucceeding years attended school. He then entered upon his business career in the mercantile establishment of his brother of whom he soon after purchased a livery stable. After a year, however, he sold the stable to Joseph and bought a half interest in a large general store. He then devoted his energies with untiring zeal to the upbuilding of that business and the firm enjoyed a very large and profitable trade. He continued merchandising until 1889, when he exchanged his interest in the store for his brother's half interest in the tile works and became a member of the firm of McKissick & Blackman. Their business is a large and profitable one. Their extensive factory and grounds cover six acres and they ship their products far and wide, for the quality of their output has won them a high and ex- tended reputation. In addition to the manu- facture of tilings they handle lumber, paint and grain, and do an extensive business in those commodities. Mr. Blackman also owns a good farm of 145 acres, which he purchased in 1894.

On the 25th of February, 1880, was cele -. brated the marriage of Mr. Blackman and Miss Ada Fish, who was born and reared in Dallas county, Iowa. Her father, Peter Fish, was a

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RECORD OF IOWA.

stock-buyer and a prominent citizen of Dallas county. He is now residing in Chicago, where he is engaged in the live-stock commission bus- iness, in the Exchange building at the stock yards, as a member of the firm of Eastburn, Fish & Company. The mother was a native of England, and came to the United States when a child. Mr. and Mrs. Blackman have two children: Nile N., born October 19, 1884; and Howard H., born March 12, 1894.

Mr. Blackman takes a deep interest in po- litical affairs and has always been a stanch ad- vocate of Republican principles. Socially he is connected with De Soto Lodge, No. 400, I. O. O. F. He is numbered among the faithful members and earnest workers of the Christian Church, in which he is now serving as Elder and Treasurer. He is not only a man of good business training, industrious habits and of great executive ability, but he has the reputa- tion in all his business transactions of the high- est honor and of incorruptible integrity.

ILLIAM LUCAS McKISSICK, who is engaged in the manufacture of tile and brick in De Soto, Iowa, is one of the foremost men in his line of business in the State. A native of Penn- sylvania, he was born in Indiana county, August 27, 1853, and is the second in a family of ten children, whose parents were Thomas and Betsy (Garman) McKissick, who also were natives of the same State, the father being of Scotch-Irish extraction, while the mother was of German lineage. Thomas McKissick spent most of his life as a pilot on the Susquehanna river, and when not thus engaged devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits. In the month of June, 1864, he emigrated westward to the Hawkeye State, and located on a farm nine miles south of Des Moines, where he remained for two years. He then removed with his family to Norwalk, Warren county, Iowa. His father had served as a soldier in the war of 1812, and throughout the remainder of his life

was given a pension in recognition of his serv- ices.

William L. McKissick received but meager school privileges, attended the common schools for a small portion of each year, and during the remainder of the time working for his father upon the home farm. He accompanied the family on their emigration to Iowa, when eleven years of age, and in consequence was reared amid the wild scenes of the frontier. At the age of nineteen he left home and returned to Pennsylvania, where he spent two years at the brick mason's trade, after which he returned to Iowa, taking up his residence in Indianola. There he followed brick-laying until 1876 and became thoroughly familiar with the business, which he mastered in all its details.

On the 4th of July, 1877, Mr. McKissick was united in marriage to Miss Mary Melissa Stephens, who was born and reared in Warren county, Iowa. The following year he removed to a point midway between the towns of Van Meter and De Soto, and not far from Adel. There he established a brickyard and took contracts for furnishing the brick for most of the buildings in those towns. He erected twenty-one brick buildings in the city of Adel. In 1880 he sold his plant and removed to Adel, where he began the manufacture of brick on a more extensive scale, also doing business as a contractor and builder. His trade constantly and rapidly increased, and, needing more capi- tal in the business, he admitted to partnership two gentlemen, R. M. Kerms and A. C. Hub- bard, under the firm name of R. M. Kerms & Company. Soon after this partnership was formed they enlarged the business and added to it the manufacture of drain tile. Mr. Mc- Kissick continued to act as manager, and owing to his ability and enterprise the new concern proved a very profitable one. In 1886 he sold his interest to his partners and came to De Soto, where he built one of the largest tile factories in the State. It is modern in every way, complete in every detail and equipped with the latest improved machinery. He is

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also engaged in the manufacture of brick. His extensive acquaintance throughout the State among those who purchase tile and brick won for the new enterprise success from the time of its establishment and Mr. McKissick is now at the head of a very large trade. In the fall of 1888 he sold a half interest to J. W. Black- man, who in .1892 disposed of his interest to his brother, E. D. Blackman, and operations are now being conducted under the firm name of McKissick & Blackman. Their plant covers about six acres, and in addition they handle grain, lime, coal, lumber, paints, oils, etc. Our subject also owns one of the best homes in De Soto, and is an extensive potato grower. It will thus be seen that his abilities are by no means limited to one line of trade.

Mr. and Mrs. McKissick have an interesting family of three children: Ernest R., born June 10, 1880; Andrew J., born November 7, 1882; and Gertrude, born June 15, 1885. They intend to give their children the best educa- tional privileges available, thus fitting them for life's practical duties. The parents attend the Methodist church, and in politics Mr. Mc- Kissick is a Republican. His life has been a busy and useful one. He has diligently applied himself to business, and his success is the natural result of his own persevering energy, sterling integrity and self-reliance. He loves travel and has indulged his taste in this direction to a considerable extent. In his char- acter he combines those qualities of mind and heart that render him deservedly popular and secure to him the warm friendship and genuine esteem of all who know him.

J ACOB KEFFER .- From German an- cestry this gentleman is descended. His great-grandfather was born in that far distant land and crossed the Atlan- tic to the New World, becoming the founder of the family in America. The grandfather, George Keffer, removed from Tennessee to Union county, Indiana, when the father of our subject was a child of eighteen months. There

Samuel Keffer was reared to manhood and ac- quired his education in the primitive log school- house. Having arrived at years of maturity he married Miss Eliza Lennen, a native of Preble county, Ohio, whose parents removed to Union county at an early day in the nine- teenth century. In 1825 Samuel Keffer be- came a resident of Hamilton county, Indiana, where he resided for more than a quarter of a century. In April, 1856, he left his home there and started for Iowa, arriving in Warren county on the 4th of June, 1856. Mr. Keffer, who was born on the 16th of May, 1805, in Knox, Tennessee, died September 2, 1890, and was laid to rest in New Virginia cem- etery. Mr. and Mrs. Keffer were the par- ents of twelve children, six of whom are yet living, namely: Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Huffman, a farmer of Madison county, Iowa; Nancy, widow of Gottleib Kefler; John, a ranchman living in Cook county, Oregon; Har- rison, who was named in honor of the hero of Tippecanoe, now resides in Cass county, Iowa; Washington is living also in Cass county.

Our subject was a child of ten years when with his parents he came to Iowa. Almost forty years have passed since that time. He remembers crossing the broad waters of the Mississippi, at Muscatine, and traveling across the unimproved prairies to Warren county. At that time Virginia township contained but sixteen voters. The farm on which the family located had not upon it a single improvement and for miles around stretched the unbroken prairie. The nearest neighbor to the north was Amos Barker, while to the south resided Mr. Connor, on what is now the Sayre home- stead. Churches and schools, manufactories and business houses were mostly things of the future. Our subject conned his lessons in a little log school-house, where everything was carried on in primitive style. He early be- came familiar with the labors of the fields, which were then performed with machinery quite crude in comparison with the perfected implements of to-day.

On the 6th of April, 1876, Mr. Keffer was

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united in marriage with Miss Anna Chandler, daughter of Charles and Minerva (Rodgers) Chandler. She was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, and there her father died, after which, in 1856, her mother brought the family to Iowa, locating in Davis county. In 1876 Mrs. Chandler came to Warren county, and here died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Keffer. Two children (twins) were born of this union,-Mary Jane and a son; the latter died in infancy and was laid to rest on the home farm.

In his political views, Mr. Keffer has been a Republican since casting his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. During the war he manifested his loyalty to the Government by enlisting in the First Iowa Cavalry, at Des Moines, on the 20th of September, 1864, under Captain George W. Walker. He took part in all the engagements of his regiment, and was discharged at Davenport on the 12th of March, 1866. The Keffer family was well represented in the struggle for the preservation of the Union. The eldest brother, Samuel, enlisted in September, 1862, at St. Charles, Madison county, as a member of Company F, Thirty- ninth Iowa Infantry, and was discharged in June, 1865. George and John were both members of Company F, Fourth Iowa Infantry, enlisting at Winterest, July 12, 1861, and re- ceiving their discharge at Louisville, Kentucky, in June, 1865. The Keffer family is noted for loyalty in all the relations of life, and has long been prominently connected with the history of Warren county. Our subject is a member of the German Baptist Brethren Church, and takes a deep and abiding interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of his resident com- munity.

K. REED, who is numbered among Warren county's pioneers, and has borne an active part in the develop- ment and up-building of this region, is numbered among the sons of Indiana, where his birth occurred November 22, 1830. His

parents, W. C. and Mary (Keffer) Reed, had a family of eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, of whom the following survive : G. K., of this review; Frances A., wife of Joseph Pullen, of Greenwood, Nebraska; Mary, wife of John T. Miller, a farmer of Mer- cer county, Illinois; S. P., who served for four years in Company A, of an Iowa regiment, and is now living on the allotment strip in the Indian Territory; Enos H., who was a mem- ber of the Ninety-third Illinois Infantry, and now resides near Beatrice, Nebraska; Nancy Jane, wife of Leroy Wolf, of Kansas; and W. S., a farmer of Osceola, Iowa. The father of this family was a native of South Carolina, and in the Territorial days of Indiana went with his father, Jacob Reed, to that State. In the midst of the forest they developed a farm. About 1843 W. C. Reed removed from Indiana to Mercer county, Illinois, then to Rock Island county, that State, where his death occurred in 1866, at the age of sixty- five years.

Our subject was reared under the parental roof, and was a child of thirteen when his par- ents went to Mercer county. In Rock Island county, on the 14th of November, 1852, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Foster, daughter of Isaac and Sarah (McKei) Foster, natives of Manchester, England, who came from England to America. The young couple began their domestic life in Rock Island county, and in the city of Rock Island, on the 4th of March, 1865, Mr. Reed enlisted in Company I, Twenty-eighth Illinois Infantry, which rendez- voused at Camp Butler. He joined his regi- ment stationed at Mobile, and there remained until the Ist of July, when the troops were ordered to San Diego, Texas, and thence pro- ceeded up the Rio Grande river to Browns- ville. On the 4th of March, 1866, our sub- ject was honorably discharged and at once returned to his home.

Mr. Reed continued his residence in Rock Island county, Illinois, until the 8th of April, 1868, when, with a two-horse team, he started, in company with his wife and six children, for

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Iowa, crossing the Mississippi at New Boston. After ten days he reached Warren county, and since the 2d of March, 1868, he has resided upon his present farm. He purchased 120 acres on section 31, Virginia township, a wild tract on which not a furrow had been turned or an improvement made. With characteristic en- ergy he began its development, placed it under a high state of cultivation and added many val- uable improvements, including his present com- modious residence. The place is neat and thrifty in appearance, and indicates his careful supervision.

To Mr. and Mrs. Reed were born twelve children: William Wesley, who was born July 3, 1853, died in Mercer county, Illinois, at the age of fifteen months; Herbert B., born De- cember 29, 1854, also died in Mercer county, at the age of fifteen months; Artemesia, born March 9, 1856, is the wife of A. J. Miller, pro- fessor of the schools of Monona, Iowa; for some years he has successfully followed school-teach- ing, and is a graduate of the Cedar Falls Col- lege, of the class of 1895; Desdemona, born December 8, 1857, is the widow of Marcus Oli- phant, a resident of Villisca, Iowa; Brooks H., born November 25, 1859, died August 5, 1895; Belmont, born February 5, 1862, is now the wife of Elias Touet, of Osceola, Iowa, and was named for the first battle in which Mr. Reed's oldest brother participated; Oscar J., born September 22, 1864, is a resident of Mad- ison county, Iowa; Fred Sherman, born De- cember 17, 1866, is living in Osceola; Lee, born September 8, 1868, died August 26, 1869; Dora Alice, born September 6, 1870, is the wife of H. H. Holmes, of Des Moines, freight receiver and operator; Dean, born May 25, 1873, married Anna Lake, of Madison county; and Dell, his twin brother, is at home. The mother of this family was born November 25, 1831, and died April 3, 1895, her remains be- ing laid to rest in Fremont cemetery.

In early life Mr. Reed affiliated with the Whig party, and in 1860 supported Abraham Lincoln for the presidency, but since that time has been an advocate of the principles of the

Democracy. For twenty years he has served as School Director, and has done effective serv- ice for the cause of education. Throughout all his life he has carried on agricultural pur- suits, and his enterprising efforts and capable management have placed him among the sub- stantial citizens of the community.

ILLIAM EDGAR BLAKE .- The city of Burlington, Iowa, has many able representatives of the legal pro- fession, and prominent among the leading members of the bar at that place is found the gentleinan whose name forms the heading of this sketch. He is a member of the popular firm of Blake & Blake.

For his birth-place we turn to the "Buck- eye State," and there, in the town of Morning Sun, June 27, 1844, he was born, his parents being Henry Clay Blake and Mary A., nee Wil- son, both natives of Ohio. He is the eldest of their family of five children, the others being as follows: Wilson W., of the city of Mexico, editor of the Two Republics; and Mel- ville E., of the firm of Blake & Blake. The other two died in infancy. Henry Clay Blake, the father, was a farmer and merchant. He came to Iowa in the year 1845 and settled in Louisa county, where he was engaged in both merchandising and farming. During the late war he served three years as a member of Company C, First Iowa Cavalry, and his father was at the same time a member of Company B, Thirty-seventh Iowa Infantry. The latter was a veteran of the war of 1812. At the close of the Rebellion Henry C. Blake returned to his home in Iowa, Morning Sun, which he had named after his old Ohio home, and here he spent the residue of his life, dying in 1876, at the age of fifty-seven years. His widow still maintains her residence at that place. She is a member of the United Presbyterian Church, with which he also was identified. For years he figured as one of the leading citizens of his community. He served as a member of the Board of Supervisors of the county, was a

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public-spirited and useful man, and for his many excellent traits of character was es- teemed by all who knew him. Having thus referred to the parents of Mr. Blake, we now turn for some history of his grandparents.

The Blakes originally came to this country from England, and Nehemiah Blake, the grandfather of our subject, was a New Eng- lander, Maine his native State. He was a man of fine physique, and, as already stated, served in both the war of 1812 and the Civil war. He had a large family and lived to a good old age, being ninety at the time of his death, which occurred at the home of his son, Henry C., and ten days before his son's death. Dan- iel Wilson, the maternal grandfather of Will- iam E. Blake, was a native of South Carolina, and was a farmer. He was drowned in Ohio in 1844, while in the prime of life.

At the time of his father's removal to Iowa, William E. Blake was a little over a year old, and here he has since lived, having passed half a century in the Hawkeye State. He grew up in Louisa county. At Monmouth College, Monmouth, Illinois, he spent some time as a student, and then, having selected the law for his profession, entered the law department of the State University of Iowa, at Iowa City, where, in due time, he completed his course, and in June, 1869, was admitted to the bar. Since August of that year he has been engaged in the practice of his profession at Burlington, where he has won distinction. Also he has been interested in banking. He is a director in both the Merchants' National Bank, of Bur- lington, and the National State Bank, of Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

Mr. Blake has a beautiful home in this city, No. 902 College avenue, and, when not engrossed with business, is usually found there, happy in the society of his family. He was married July 4, 1867, to Miss Sarah Lucretia Hurd, daughter of James L. and Nancy (Green) Hurd. They have two daughters, Mrs. Eva B. Swan, wife of W. B. Swan, of Burlington, and Miss Lucretia Barnes Blake.

His political views are in harmony with the

principles advanced by the Republican party, to which party he has given his support ever since he was a voter. He and his family wor- ship at the Presbyterian Church, in which he is an Elder, and of which he is a liberal sup- porter.

DWARD JOHN MEARS STEVENS, who is the owner of one of the fine farms of Van Meter township, Dallas county, Iowa, was born in Melbourne, Australia, on the 11th of March, 1842, being one of the first children born in that place. His parents were William and Sarah E. (Mears) Stevens. Both were natives of Kent, England, and went to Australia at a time when the mother country was giving passes to peo- ple who would locate in the English province there. The father was a ship carpenter by trade. They lived in Australia from 1834 until 1847, and then returned to London, England, where they boarded the Patrick Henry, a westward-bound American sailing vessel. Six weeks later they landed at New York, and at once continued their journey across the coun- try to Iowa City, where they remained for about three years. On the expiration of that period they went to Des Moines, where the father worked at his trade for many years. He passed away at the age of seventy-six, but his wife is still living and yet makes her home in the capital city of Iowa. In the family were eleven children, of whom one son and three daughters are now living.

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 66

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