Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 75

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

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a BARKER, who is numbered among Warren county's pioneers, having for thirty-five years resided in this local- ity, claims Indiana as the State of his nativity, his birth having occurred within its borders June 29, 1831. His father, Daniel Barker, was a native of Massachusetts, and at an early day in the history of this community located in Warren county. · In his earlier life he followed farming, but subsequently turned his attention to merchandising, which he car- ried on at old: Greenbush from 1854 until 1872. He became a well known and promi- nent citizen of the county, a leader in public affairs, and his life was indeed upright and ex- emplary. In 1880 he was called to the home beyond, and his remains were interred in In- dianola cemetery, where a monument has been erected to his memory. His faithful wife also rests by his side. They were indeed worthy people, well meriting the high esteem in which they were held.

Our subject was one of a large family of children, and was educated in a deaf and dumb · asylum in Indianapolis, Indiana, under the direction of Professor Brown. He has read quite extensively, and is to-day an intelligent man. On the 21st of April, 1859, he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth A. Barker, a daughter of John W. and Elizabeth

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RECORD OF IOWA.

(Bing) Barker, who had a family of three sons and two daughters. Her mother died in Cen- ter county, Pennsylvania, after which her father was married again, and came with his family to Iowa in 1853, locating at Fort Des Moines. He was born in 1817, and died in 1854, near Keokuk, Iowa, while hauling a steam boiler. His widow returned to Pennsyl- vania where her last days were spent. She had one child, Franklin Pierce. To our subject and his wife have been born two children,- Charles W., who resides on the old home- stead; and Sybil N., who died in Indianola, Iowa, at the age of nine months and five days.

Mr. Barker is now engaged in merchandis- ing, and also owns a farm. He has made the best of his opportunities in life and the success he has achieved is of great credit to him and is well deserved. He has found in his estimable wife an able helpmeet, and throughout the community she is widely and favorably known. In politics, Mr. Barker is a Republican, hav- ing supported that party since casting his first presidential vote for John C. Fremont.

RED JOHNSTON .- The deeds of battle have been the theme of story and of song since the earliest ages, and will continue to awaken interest and patriotism through all the coming years. Our subject was numbered among the loyal boys in blue, who fought for the preservation of the Union, braving danger and death and winning the gratitude of the nation. In times of peace he is alike faithful, and is accounted one of the valued citizens of Warren county, where he has made his home since 1861.

Mr. Johnston was born in Morrow county, Ohio, August 28, 1842. His father, John Johnston, was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, January 15, 1814, and wedded Miss Mary Loy, a native of Maryland, born February 8, 1818. By trade he was a carpenter and he followed that occupation until 1859, after which he turned his attention to farming. In 1861 he took up his residence in Louisa county, Iowa,

where he spent his remaining days, his death occurring in 1875, when he was laid to rest in Oakland cemetery, near Wapello. In politics he was a supporter of Jeffersonian principles, and in religious belief was a Presbyterian. His wife died in July, 1874,-a most estimable lady, whom all loved.

This worthy couple were the parents of nine children, five sons and four daughters, of whom six grew to manhood, while the follow- ing yet survive: James B., a broker, of Colum- bus Junction, Iowa; Elizabeth, wife of Frank Griswold, a farmer and carpenter living near Columbus Junction, Iowa; Fred, who is the third in order of birth; Louisa, living with her brother, James; William, who makes his home in Manning, Iowa; and John, a resident of Bremer county, Iowa.

Under the parental roof our subject spent the days of his childhood and came with the family to this State. In the winter of 1862-3 he engaged in school-teaching, and subse- quently followed the same profession through all the winter seasons from 1865 until 1875. On the Ist of August, 1863, prompted by a spirit of patriotism, he offered his services to the Government and became a member of Company L, First Ohio Heavy Artillery, re- ceiving his discharge on the 2d of August, 1865, at Camp Dennison, Ohio. He was always faithful to his duty, and saw some ar- duous service.

When the war was over, Mr. Johnston re- turned to Findlay, Ohio, and a few weeks later went to Louisa county, Iowa, where on the 17th of November, 1868, he was united in marriage with Miss Alice Gilchriest, a daugh- ter of Robert and Mary (Momeyer) Gilchriest. The lady was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and accompanied her parents to Iowa, in 1855, becoming a resident of Louisa county. She has indeed been to her husband a faithful companion and helpmeet and her many excellencies of character have gained her the high regard of all with whom she has been brought in contact. Four children have been born of their union: Mary Alice, born June

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL

2, 1870, is the wife of John L. Stayton, a traveling salesman of Blue Springs, Missouri; Fred E., born September 3, 1872, died June 28, 1880, and was buried in the cemetery in Squaw township, Warren county; Emma L., born December 24, 1874, is the wife of David Lucas, of Medora, Iowa; and James Glenn, born May 31, 1882, completes the family.

In 1870 Mr. Johnston removed to Warren county, and has since been one of its leading and influential citizens. He has been honored with various public offices, having first been elected Justice of the Peace in 1874. He was also made secretary of the School Board, a position which he filled for several years. In 1876 and 1878 he was elected Township Clerk, and in 1880 was elected Justice of the Peace, which position he acceptably filled for a num- ber of years. In 1890, he was a member of the Board of Supervisors and has since con- tinued in that office. . He has also been secre- tary of the School Board for a number of years, and in these various positions has dis- charged his duties with a promptness and fidel- ity that has won him high commendation. Every trust reposed in him is faithfully per- formed, whether of a public or private character, and he is a consistent member of the Presby- terian Church. Socially he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Johnston is a man of fine personal appearance, being over six feet in height, and is a courteous, genial gentleman, very popular with all classes of people.

S ANFORD THORN is a self-made man who started out in life a poor boy, having from the tender age of eight years been dependent entirely upon his own resources. Steadily he has worked his way upward, brushing aside the barriers in his path, and overcoming all obstacles that ob- structed his way to success, and to-day, as the reward of his untiring energy, he is the pos- sessor of a handsome competence.

Mr. Thorn is numbered among the native sons of the Buckeye State. He was born in Jackson county, March 14, 1825, being a son of William and Elizabeth (Bachus) Thorn, whose family numbered three children-John, one who died in infancy, and Sanford. When only three months old our subject was left an orphan and from that time until eight years of age made his home with his paternal grand- father, William Thorn. He then started out in life for himself. Few indeed were his edu- cational privileges, and whatever pleasures and successes came to him were the reward of his own exertions. He worked on different farms as he found opportunity, and also engaged in carrying the mail in Jackson, Athens, Hawkins and Gallia counties, Ohio, making the journey on horse-back and receiving as a compensation only twelve and a half cents per day. Later, as he received better wages, he spent part of his money in securing an education, and in the school of experience he gained a good practical knowledge.

Mr. Thorn first came to Iowa in 1845, at which time he visited Wapello and Henry counties. Subsequently he returned to Peoria county, Illinois, where he remained for nine years, when he again came to this State, spending the succeeding winter in Marion county. Later he visited Warren and Lucas counties, and resided near Hammondsburg for two years, on the expiration of which period he sold his property to John A. Notestine, a banker of Milo, and purchased his present home in July, 1866.

On Saturday, the 18th of January, 1851, Mr. Thorn was united in marriage with Miss Abigail Barber, a native of New York and a daughter of John Barber. They became the parents of seven children, four sons and three daughter, namely: Harriet; Chauncey, of Squaw township, Warren county; Nancy, wife of George Sones; Maria; Sanford S., of Clarke county, Iowa; Stephen E., of Liberty town- ship, Warren county, Iowa; and John, of Oak- land, California.

When Mr. and Mrs. Thorn came to Iowa

Mis. CH. Mr. Millen.

John Mc Millen.

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RECORD OF IOWA.

they crossed the river at Burlington, bringing with them two horses and two dogs. They re- sided in a tent until a log house could be erect- ed and did their cooking under a tree. They were frequently visited by the Indians and went through the usual experiences and hardships of pioneer life, but all this has long since passed, and as the years have gone by the financial re- sources of Mr. Thorn have increased, all the comforts of civilization have been added to his home, and he is now the owner of 380 acres of rich and valuable land. He cast his first presi- dential vote for Franklin Pierce and has since been a supporter of the Democracy. For thirty years he was a member of the Odd Fel- lows' society, and has always lived so as to command the confidence and regard of those with whom he has been brought in contact.

LDER JOHN McMILLEN, a retired farmer and minister of the Christian Church, residing at Winterset, Iowa, was born in Allegheny county, Penn- sylvania, near Pittsburg, August 25, 1816. His father, James McMillen, was a native of the same State, born in 1787, was a ship- builder for a number of years, at Mckeesport, Pennsylvania, and after his arrival in Ohio was engaged in building steamboats at Ripley, on the Ohio river, and later in life was a farmer. He died in 1850, in Brown county, Ohio. The father of the latter, also named James, was likewise a native of the Keystone State, born in Westmoreland county, of Scotch descent. The Elder's father married Miss Eleanor Ber- nethy, who was born January 17, 1790, in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Bernethy, natives of Ireland, who emigrated to America. She died in 1864.

Elder McMillen, whose name honors the introduction of this sketch, is the eldest of. eight children, two sons and six daughters, only three of whom now survive. His brother, James B. McMillen, is a resident of Nodaway county, Missouri, and his sister, Jane, is the wife of Iroby Perkins, of Hancock county, Illi-

nois. Mr. McMillen passed his boyhood in Brown county, Ohio, attending a subscription school and afterward a district school, mean- while doing some farm work during the inter- vals. October 7, 1837, he was united in mar- riage to Miss Harriet M. Glaze, of Brown county, where she was born and reared. Her parents were Nathan and Elizabeth Glaze, re- spected people in the community where they resided.

After marriage Mr. McMillen settled in Brown county and remained a resident there until 1852, when he removed to Champaign county, same State. In the spring of 1856 he removed to Hancock county, Illinois, and after a number of years to Warren county, same State. In 1869 he changed his residence to Madison county, Iowa, purchasing a farm of 240 acres in Scott township, and the following winter a sixty-acre farm in Lincoln township, which, however, he exchanged several years afterward for a farm in Lee township, consist- of 320 acres, which he improved, and rented until he sold it. At length he moved to Win- terset, sold his farm and loaned the money. A few years later, however, he bought another farm, of 260 acres, of Chase and Neil, in Jack- son township, same county, which he rents.

July 27, 1842, he delivered his first ser- mon, near Cincinnati, Ohio, taking for his text the words of St. Paul, "Pray without ceas- ing," and during his life he has done more or less preaching in Ohio, Illinois and Iowa, ---- mostly in Madison county. He has organized a number of churches and preached for them for years, at the same time carrying on his farm. He and his wife, who is also a member of the same church, eight years ago celebrated their golden wedding, when he was presented with a gold-headed cane by his grandchildren, of whom he had forty-two, while he has six- teen great-grandchildren. Their own children, originally eleven in number, now number only six living, but nine grew to years of maturity. The living are: Albert W., a resident of Okla- homa; Clarinda I., now the wife of A. M. Meacham, of Madison county; Jane C.,

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who married C. M. Daniels, of Jackson township, same county; Olive H., wife of G. W. Lofftus, of Omaha, Nebraska; Henry C., a dealer in real estate in Kansas City, Missouri; and Mary S., who became the wife of N. M. Williford and is living in Henry county, Iowa; John A., who was a soldier in the last war, a member of the Twelfth Illinois Cavalry, is now deceased.

Mr. McMillen is now in his eightieth year, and in possession of all his faculties with the exception of failing eyesight and hearing. In his views of national issues he is a Republican. He began life with small means, but by indus- try and good judgment he in due time accumu- lated a good property, and now both himself and wife are able to pass their declining years in contentment, in a prolonged golden evening of life, with a consciousness of having done their duty.

EORGE DILLARD has been a wit- ness of the growth and development of Warren county for more than forty years. He has seen its wild lands transformed into beatiful homes and farms, has watched the building of railroads, the intro- duction of the telegraph and telephone, has seen the establishinent of towns and cities, and in all the work of development and progress he has borne his part. He. therefore deserves mention among the honored pioneers who form the advance guard of civilization.

A native of the Hoosier State, Mr. Dillard was born in Fayette county, on the 15th of April, 1825, and is of English lineage. His grandfather, Thomas Dillard, was born in Eng- land in the seventeenth century, and when a young man came to America, locating in the Virginian Colony, long before the Revolution- ary war. Thus the family was established on American soil. He spent his remaining days in that State, where he died at an extreme old age. George Dillard, the father of our sub- ject, was born in Virginia in the year 1777, and continued his residence there until 1799, when

he removed to South Carolina. £ Two years later he emigrated to the Territory of Indiana, and took up his residence in the wilderness of Franklin county, in 1801. The greater por- tion of that State was then an undeveloped re- gion, mile after mile having never been trav- ersed by white man. Anid the rough and rugged surroundings of pioneer life he lived, following the trades of millwright and carpen- ter which he had learned in his early years. He belonged to that class of sterling pioneers who were possessed not of an adventurous spirit but of a desire to establish homes. He was a public-spirited citizen, devoted to the best interests of the community. In politics he was a stanch Whig. A well spent life gained him high regard, and he passed away in 1843, at the age of sixty-six years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Rachel Kitle, was a native of South Carolina, where her par- ents were also born, reared and spent their en- tire lives. The family is of German lineage. Mr. and Mrs. Dillard became the parents of eight children, and the surviving members of the family are Thomas, who is living in Lo- gansport, Indiana; Jacob, who makes his home in Warren county; Nancy, wife of Thomas Baldwin, of Albia, Iowa; Jane, wife of John Bennett, of :Shelby county, Indiana; and George, of this review.

The last named spent his early life in his native State, and after his father's death, which occurred during his boyhood, the care of his mother devolved upon him. Faithfully did he perform the task, managing her business inter- ests until twenty-seven years of age. On the 22d of Octobter, 1849, he was married, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary Dowell, a native of North Carolina and a daughter of John Dowell, of that State. She died in 1868, leaving nine children, of whom seven are now living, as follows: Nancy Jane, wife of James Chandler, of Pottawattamie county, Iowa; Sarah A., wife of Williamn Reshaw, who is living in the same county; John T., Simeon J., and Jacob F., all residents of Warren county; Frank M., wife of William Blockmer, of

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RECORD OF IOWA.

Ritzville, Washington; and Hannah, wife of S. L. Kauffman, of South Dakota.

In 1854 Mr. Dillard cast in his lot with the early settlers of Warren county, locating in Greenfield township, which has been his home from that time up to the present. He became the owner of 120 acres of wild land, and with characteristic energy began its development and improvement. As acre after acre was placed under the plow and crops were planted, the place began to assume the appearance of a good farm, and has become one of the most valuable and desirable properties in this section of the State. As his financial resources in- creased, Mr. Dillard added to his farm, until it now comprises 760 acres. Upon it stand large and substantial buildings, including com- modious barns which furnish ample shelter for the large number of cattle, horses and hogs which he raises. The latest improved ma- chinery is there seen, the fields are well tilled and everything about the place indicates the careful supervision of the owner, who through his own efforts has become one of the most prosperous and prominent farmers and stock dealers of Warren county.

Mr. Dillard was again married in 1870, when he was united to Prissilla Dowell, who was born in North Carolina, but was reared in Indiana, a sister of his former wife. They have one son, George W., who is now at home. Mr. Dillard is pre-eminently a public- spirited man, devoted to the national welfare, and to the best interests of his resident com- munity. In politics he is a pronounced Re- publican, although he has never sought or de- sired the honors or emoluments of public office.

ARK THOMAS, a representative farmer of Madison township, Madi- son county, Iowa, was born in Wayne county, Indiana, December 22, 1841. Charles Thomas, his father, was a native of North Carolina, and when four years of age was taken by his parents to Wayne county, Indiana, where he was reared. Grand-

father Stephen Thomas, it is supposed, was born in one of the Carolinas. The mother of our subject was by maiden name Nancy Moor- man. She, too, was a native of Carolina, as was also her father, Tarlton Moorman, and they removed to Indiana when she was a little . girl and settled in Randolph county. She was reared by her grandmother Moorman. Both the Thomas and Moorman families were prom- inent members of the Society of Friends. It was in Randolph county, Indiana, that Charles and Nancy Thomas were married, and shortly afterward they located in Wayne county, that State, where she died. After her death he came to Iowa, where he married again. Later he returned to Indiana and spent six years there, then coming back to this State and set- tling in Dallas county on a farm. Here he passed the residue of his life and died, at the time of his death being seventy-six years of age. By his last wife he had no children. The children of his first wife numbered thirteen, Mark being the seventh born and one of the ten that reached adult age; eight are now liv- ing. ·

The subject of our sketch was reared in Wayne county, Indiana, receiving his educa- tion in the district schools and in a graded school of what was then Newport, now Foun- tain City, Indiana. In 1869 he left home and came out to Iowa, locating in Guthrie county, where he was engaged in farming from that time until 1875. In 1875 he came to his pres- ent location in Madison county, where he has ever since resided. He still, however, owns his Guthrie county farm, 160 acres. At his home place in Madison township, on section 4, he has 175 acres. This place was but little improved at the time of his location here; to- day it is ranked with the first-class' farmns of the county. Among its improvements is a modern and commodious ten-room residence, erected in 1893, good barns, fences, etc., and everything kept in the best of order. Mr. Thomas carries on diversified farming and gives considerable attention to stock-raising, much of his stock being thoroughbred.

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He was married in 1872 to Miss Mary Tomkins, who died in less than a year from the time of her marriage. In 1875 he wedded Miss Almeda Barnett, a native of Marion county, Indiana, and they have two children, . a son and a daughter, Ernest and Myrtle.

Mr. Thomas is a Republican in his political views, and has served his district as School Director. As above stated, his parents were prominent members of the Friends' Church, and in this faith he was reared. He, how- ever, is not a member of the church now.

H. TALBOTT, a representative of one of the oldest pioneer families of Warren county, was born in a log house erected by his honored father in Belmont county, Ohio, March 29, 1847, a son of Ralph and Elizabeth (Mount) Talbott. They were the parents of the following named children: Susan, wife of A. C. Ralph, who served his country in the late Rebellion as a private in an Iowa regiment, and is now a farmer in Belmont township; W. H., the sub- ject of this sketch; Mary, wife of Palmer Dob- son, who also served as an Iowa soldier, and is now a resident of Council Bluffs, Iowa; D. R., also of that city; Ella, deceased at the age of twenty-six years, lies at rest in Waveland cem- etery in this township; A. D., who owns a part of the old homestead; and Catherine, who died in infancy. Ralph Talbott, the father, was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, January 16, 1815, a son of Henry H. and Su- san (Davis) Talbott, natives of Maryland. Henry H. Talbott was a blacksmith by occu- pation. Early in this century he and his wife crossed the Alleghany mountains into Ohio, where they spent the remainder of their lives.

Ralph Talbott, father of our subject, located with his father in Belmont county, Ohio, in 1840, where he remained many years. In 1854 he decided to come West, and in the summer of that year arrived in Warren county, Iowa, residing for a short time in Fairfield. He erected a log cabin, 12 x 14 feet, in Belmont

township, the earth serving in the capacity of flooring, and the roof being clapboarded, while a rude stick chimney emitted the smoke. This venerable pioneer and his interesting and grow- ing family resided there many years, and there our subject obtained the knowledge of the coun- try schools, and the use of such farming im- plements as were in use in those days. Not far from the paternal roof stood another log house, in which resided Louis Harlan, and there a committee met for the purpose of town organization. Under that hospitable roof, in 1853, Belmont was christened. Ever after that Ralph Talbott manifested a live and spirited interest in his adopted town, which he had helped organize, and which received its name from Belmont county, Ohio, by virtue of his long residence there. Mr. Talbott held all the town offices of Belmont, and was ever foremost in every enterprise which in his judg- ment redounded to public good. He was a de- vout Christian gentleman, and a faithful worker of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His life was a long and useful one, and his memory will live in the hearts of not only his family but of the early settlers and their descendants. He now lies at rest in Waveland cemetery, having been called to the spirit world November 5, 1876. Beside him sleeps his wife, who died in 1885. She shared many of the joys and sor- rows, trials and tribulations of pioneer exist- ence on the bleak prairies of Warren county.

Early in life W. H. Talbott, the subject of this sketch, learned to toil in the field, and when yet in his 'teens his country was in the throes of a rebellion. His patriotism mani- fested itself by his enlisting as a private in Company D, Thirty-third Iowa Volunteer In- fantry, on September 1, 1862, at Oskaloosa. He participated with his company in the bat- tles of the first siege of Vicksburg; was at Helena, Arkansas; at the capture of Little Rock; in the Red River campaign; at the cap- ture of Mobile; and at the siege of Spanish Fort. He was honorably discharged Septem- ber 9, 1865, at Davenport. Returning to the plow, Mr. Talbott followed routine duties until

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Memorial and biographical record of Iowa, Part 75

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