USA > Iowa > Buena Vista County > Past and present of Buena Vista County, Iowa > Part 49
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Mr. Peterson is an independent voter, casting his ballot for the candi- dates whom he thinks best qualified for office without regard to party affilia- tion. He has been closely identified with the school interests of Cherokee county and was also road supervisor. He is a member of the Free Mission church and his influenee is always on the side of right, justice and truth. He can tell many interesting ineidents concerning the early days when this part of the state was practically destitute of railroads, when its homes were widely seattered and when its settlers had to face many obstacles and difficulties in order to carry on farming on the frontier. Mr. Peterson has borne all of the trials meted out to the frontier settler, but he worked on diligently and per- sistently and never allowed himself to become discouraged or disheartened. lIe hauled the humber for his largest house eighteen miles, for there was no nearer source of supply. He has rejoiced in what has been accomplished in the county, nor has he ever had occasion to regret that he did not remain in his native land, for he recognizes the fact that he has had better business opportunities than he could have seenred in Sweden, and while he has worked hard and persistently, he has ultimately gained a measure of prosperity that now brings to him all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of life.
BUCK BROTIIERS.
Although among the younger representatives of agricultural interests in Buena Vista county, the firm of Buek Brothers, consisting of R. R. and Leslie Buck, are none the less prominent. They operate a well improved farm of three hundred and fifty aeres located on section 6, Storm Lake township, and are sneeessfully engaged in general farming and stock-raising. They are natives of Clayton county, Iowa. They are R. R., born Angust 27, 1875, and Leslie, born 1883, sons of A. C. Buek, a native of Vermont, who was born on an island in Lake Champlain in 1826 and is a son of C. A. Buck, who was born in New England and was a soldier of the war of 1812, while his father, Moses Buck, was a soldier of the Revolutionary war.
A. C. Buek, the father of our subjects, was reared in Vermont and was a young man of twenty-two years when, becoming imbued with the desire to
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try his fortune in the new west, he made his way from New England to Clay- ton county, Iowa, becoming one of its pioneer settlers. He married Miss Sarah Peters, also a native of the Green Mountain state, and through their combined efforts they accumulated two hundred and forty aeres of land, which the father placed under a good state of enltivation. They made their home on that farm until 1892, when they removed to Buena Vista county and both still survive. The father is now a hale and hearty old man of eighty- two years, while the mother is well preserved at sixty-seven years. Their family numbers four sons: E. R., who married Minnie L. Clark, of Storm Lake, and is now practicing medicine in Hudson, South Dakota; R. R .; Arthur, who is unmarried and makes his home with his brother a part of the time; and Leslie, also unmarried.
R. R. Buck was reared to farm life in Clayton county and was given the advantages of a good education, graduating from the Storm Lake high school. He remained with his father on the home farm until the time of his marriage, having assumed full management of the place for some time. In connection with his brothers he is now operating three hundred and fifty aeres on see- tion 6, Storm Lake township, and in connection with his brother, Leslie, he is engaged in general farming and in raising and feeding stock, shipping to the city market about one carload of hogs and one carload of cattle each year. In 1900 they raised a large crop of alfalfa hay, being the first to introduce this product in Buena Vista county, which has since been found to be a suc- cess and is now raised on quite an extensive scale. The brothers are alert and enterprising. studying the best methods of agriculture and putting into prac- tice the new methods of which they read.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. R. R. Buek is made happy by their two little sons, Joyce and Clarence. They also lost their eldest, Carroll, who died when three months old. R. R. Buek and wife are members of the Storm Lake Methodist Episcopal church and both are active in church and Sunday school work. The brothers are independent in their political views and affiliations. They are prominent young people, commanding the esteem and confidence of a large circle of friends.
GULECK K. STENNERSON.
Guleck K. Stennerson, successfully engaged in farming on section 8, Lee township, is one of the native sons of Buena Vista county, born Angust 1, 1864. Tle represents one of the worthy old pioneer families, being a son of Kunte and Ingeborg (Guleekson) Stennerson, both of whom were natives of Norway. Their childhood days were passed in the land of the midnight sun and in 1848 the father came to America, while the mother arrived two years later. They established their home in Dane county, Wisconsin, where they lived for about twelve years, Mr. Stennerson being employed in the lead mines and pineries of that region. On the 17th of June, 1860, he arrived in Buena Vista county, which was then an unimproved frontier district, the
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MR. AND MRS. KNUTE STENNERSON
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seeds of early civilization having scarcely heen planted here. Ile purchased eighty acres of wild land, on which not a furrow had been turned nor an improvement made, and thus established his home in the new and unsettled northwest.
The story of the pioneer is always one of interest and there is ever an eminent degree of satisfaction in reverting to the life history of those whose identification with the county dates back to its pioneer period. Few white settlers had located within the borders of Buena Vista county when Knute Stennerson arrived and his name should be honored as long as we recognize the worth of those who laid the foundations upon which has been built the present prosperity and progress of the county. In this age of intense busi- ness activity, when men are absorbed either in the pursuit of wealth or in the endeavor to obtain with it every pleasure and comfort in life possible, they are apt to overlook the faet that much of their prosperity is due to the labors and struggles of those of earlier times upon whose efforts rests the present substantial development. It is therefore that history becomes an enduring monument to the memory of those who have been the early promoters and builders of various localities and to this end the annals of Buena Vista county are being prepared, lest as the years go by we should cease to remember and honor those who bore the hardships and trials of pioneer life in this locality. In this connection Knute Stennerson should be remembered as a man of ster- ling worth and integrity, whose word was as good as his bond. He was ever an energetic, industrious man and whatever success he achieved was attribut- able entirely to his own labors.
On the 11th of March, 1861, Knute Stennerson was married to Ingeborg Guleekson, also a native of Norway, and they became the parents of three children : Alena, the wife of Olof Severson, a resident of Lee township; Astena, the wife of Hans Wethal, also a farmer of Lee township: and Guleck K., of this review. The father served as .a soklier in the Union army with Company E. Sixteenth Regiment of Iowa Infantry. This command was assigned to the Eleventh Corps and at the close of the war Mr. Stennerson was mustered out, having made a creditable military record in defense of the Union. He then returned home and resumed the pursuits of farm life. While at the front he had been ill for a time in the hospital and never recov- ered the physical strength and vigor that possessed him before he became a soldier. As the years passed he prospered in his undertakings and added to his landed possessions until they were quite extensive, having altogether four hundred and eighty aeres on sections 8, 16 and 17, Lee township. He was a prominent member of the Lutheran church and his entire life was in harmony with his Christian professions. Ile also belonged to the Grand Army of the Republic. He died September 7, 1905, at the age of seventy-seven years, leav- ing to his children not only a goodly inheritance but also the still more priceless heritage of an untarnished name. His wife died June 4, 1902, at the age of eighty-five years. The Stennersons come from a long-lived race of people, the grandmother of our subject being eighty-eight years of age at the time of her demise.
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Guleck K. Stennerson was reared to farm life on the old homestead, early assisting in the arduons task of developing new land. The lessons of indus- try and economy which were instilled into his mind bore fruit in later years and made him one of the substantial business men of the community.
On the 16th of October. 1901. Mr. Stenerson was married to Miss Emma Wethal. a daughter of Lauretz and Martha (Erickson) Wethal, both of whom were natives of Norway, whenee they came to America in 1878, settling at St. James, Minnesota, where they resided two years. Mrs. Stennerson was the second of eight children, the others being: Mina ; Aliee. a hospital nurse who was graduated from a training school; Marie, the wife of Bernard Knuteson, who is living in Butterfield. Minnesota; Ingeborg, a teacher in the public schools, living at home; Agnes, also a teacher; Anna and Helen, at home. The father had always followed farming until about eight years ago. when he engaged in business at Butterfield, Minnesota. Four children were horn unto Mr. and Mrs. Stennerson ; Inga Matilda and Lawrence Kenneth, who are still living : and Emil Gilford and another who died in infaney.
Gnleck K. Stennerson assisted in the cultivation of the home place until his father's death, when the property was divided aeeording to the terms of his will, giving to Astena the southeast quarter of section 16, to Alena the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 8; the west half of the southeast quarter of section 17 and the southeast quarter of the northeast quar- ter, while Guleck K. Stennerson inherited the east half of the southwest quarter of section 8 and the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter and the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section 17, constituting one hundred and sixty acres in all, which is the old homestead place. It is a valuable farm, under a high state of enltivation, and everything about it is in keeping with the spirit of modern progress and advanced agricultural develop- ment. For years Mr. Stennerson continned the farm work but has now rented his land and expects to retire from the more active duties of farm life. He has long been an influential and representative citizen in the community. Ile gives stalwart allegiance to the republican party, and the family are mem- bers of the Lutheran church.
The Stennerson family has been prominent here since the days of early pioneer development. At the time the father came with his family there were few settlers in this portion of the northwest and they had to go to Boone, Iowa, a distance of more than one hundred miles, to mill, the trip sometimes taking from two to three weeks. There was no market for what they could raise and the price of groceries was very high. They passed through all the periods of Indian danger. financial panies and grasshopper seourges in addi- tion to the nsnal hardships of life on the frontier. Roving bands of Indians frequently visited the neighborhood, while elk. deer and other kinds of wild game was to be had in abundance. The father would go long distances in the winter for wood and ofttimes the deep snows made it difficult to travel. One day when starting on the home trip he found the ravines so filled with snow that he could not make his way, as night was coming on. He was there- fore obliged to camp all night in a hole which he made in the deep drifted snow and which protected him from the winter winds. After the building
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of the railroad, however, markets were nearer and times began to improve. The Stennersons bore with undaunted courage all of the hardships of pioneer life. On the farm today there is a most valuable water system, supplied from an ever-flowing spring in a deep ravine, the water being forced up an ele- vation to the house and barns by a hydraulic ram. Guleek K. Stennerson well deserves the rest which he expeets soon to enjoy, for his life thus far has been one of nntiring and well direeted activity.
JAMES ROGERS.
James Rogers lives upon a farm which he has ocenpied since 1881. More than a quarter of a century has passed since he took up his abode here, and all of the improvements upon his place stand as monuments to his thrift and per- severance. His home is on seetion 18, Newell township, and comprises one hundred and sixty acres of land, which is rich and arable and responds read- ily to the care and labor he bestows upon it.
Mr. Rogers is one of the native sons of the middle west, his birth having occurred in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, on the 23d of December, 1850. He is descended in both paternal and maternal lines from English ancestry. His grandfather, Walter Rogers, was a native of England and there resided until his death, his time and energy being devoted to the milling business. His family numbered six children : Walter, Mary, Betsey, James, John and Priscilla. Of these, John Rogers was born in England, the place of his nativ- ity being Cambron. For a long period he was employed in the tin mines of England and also followed the milling trade. He married Elizabeth Perry. who was born at Elston, England, where her parents spent their entire lives. Iler father died when abont thirty-five years of age. He had been married twice, his first wife being the grandmother of our subject. It was in the year 1845 that John Rogers came to the United States and settled in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, where he engaged in mining. He was employed in the lead mines and later turned his attention to farming in the same county and became a thrifty and well-to-do man. He died September 1, 1908, at the advanced age of eighty-seven years, while his wife passed away in 1902, at the age of eighty-four years. In early life they were members of the Church of England but afterward united with the Methodist church. Their children were John; James: Walter: Matilda. deceased; Elizabeth. wife of T. A. Harris; Richard and Thomas.
James Rogers was reared in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, upon the home farm, early becoming familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. Ile attended the district schools when not engaged in the work of the fields and later the German-English school at Galena, Illinois, He afterward went to Colorado and for a short time was employed in the sil- ver mines. Coming to Iowa, in 1881, he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, in Newell township. Buena Vista county, and has since given his time and energy to the work of further developing and improving this
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place. It is now a good property and the fields respond readily to the eare and labor which is bestowed upon them. He has recently erected a beautiful residence, heated by a furnace, and supplied with a bathroom and other mod- ern conveniences. He has given considerable attention to the dairy business and now milks eighteen or twenty cows. For six years he has been president of the Coon River Cooperative Creamery Company, of which he was one of the promoters, and is still serving as president and one of the trustees. Under his able management the creamery has proved profitable and now turns out from thirty to forty tons of butter per week.
Mr. Rogers married in 1882 Miss Alice Elizabeth Kerslake, a daughter of George and Eliza Jane (Harris) Kerslake. Her father was born on the Isle of Man, while her mother was a native of England. He has been dead some years but she lives with her daughter, Mrs. Rogers, at the age of seventy-three years. The other children in their family were Richard, who resides at Seales Mound, Ilinois; William: George, who resides at Storm Lake; and Alice. Mrs. Rogers was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and has become the mother of four sons and three daughters: Wilbur Walter, George Kerslake. Louisa Jane. John James, Bessie Irene, Cereta May and Robert Glenn. The family eirele yet remains unbroken by the hand of death and all are yet under the parental roof.
Mr. and Mrs. Rogers hold membership in the Methodist church and he is serving as one of its trustees. Ile belongs to Newell lodge, No 232. I. O. O. F., while politically he is a republican. He has never sought nor desired pub- lie office, yet he is not remiss in the duties of citizenship for he is interested in all that pertains to the general welfare. ITis time and attention, however. have been fully occupied by his business affairs and he has shown good work in the community in promoting its substantial development.
JAMES NEWTON SMITIL.
James Newton Smith, a well known and snecessful agriculturist residing on the southwest quarter of section 27. Lee township, was born in Barren county. Kentucky. December 18, 1851. The great-grandfather on the pater- nal side was the founder of the family in the United States and two of his sons, John and Ingh Smith, served as captains in the Revolutionary war. The grandparents of our subject were Captain John and Isabella (Lattimore) Smith, both of whom were of Irish deseent and were born in Rutherford county, North Carolina. There they celebrated their marriage and in 1798 emigrated to Barren county, Kentucky, taking up land near the head of Beaver Creek. Captain JJohn Smith, who was a fine Latin scholar, engaged in surveying and farming in Barren county, Kentucky, and there made his home for abont fifty years, rearing a family of twelve children. Both he and his wife lie buried in the old Lattimore graveyard. Francis Lattimore served with the rank of captain in the Revolutionary war, while William Lattimore was a soldier in the the Confederate army under John H. Mor-
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gan. In the winter of 1863-4 the latter emigrated to Jefferson county. łowa. The Smiths and Lattimores were all Protestants in religions faith.
Finis and Fanny (Siddens) Smith. the parents of James Newton Smith, were both natives of Kentucky. The father successfully carried on merchan- dising and farming in the Blue Grass state but at the time of the Civil war was obliged to leave the south because of his sympathy with the Union cause and in 1863 he took up his abode in JJefferson county. Fowa. He was married twice, his first wife passing away in 1864 when forty-five years of age. By that union there were fourteen children, three of whom still survive, namely : George W .. a resident of Marathon. Towa : Lewis M .. who is living at Gadsden, Alabama: and James Newton. of this review. Unto Finis Smith and his second wife were born five children. Ilis demise occurred in Jacksonport, Arkansas, when he had attained the age of seventy-two years.
James Newton Smith lost his mother when but twelve years of age and thus early in life was thrown upon his own resources, but he bravely met and eventually conquered the many difficulties which beset his path, winning the prosperity that ever crowns earnest and persistent labor. On the 13th of November. 1873. in Jefferson county, lowa, he was united in marriage to Miss Martha Ann Mills, a daughter of Ralph R. and Elizabeth (Parker) Mills. natives of Vermont and Pennsylvania, respectively. Ralph R. Mills was mm- bered among the earliest pioneer settlers of Jefferson county. Towa, where he located in 1830, receiving the first deed to his farm in that county, signed by James K. Polk. He was called to his final rest in August, 1873, while his wife, long surviving him. passed away in July. 1904, the remains of both being interred in Fairfield cemetery in Jefferson county. Unto this worthy couple were born ten children, six of whom are still living. namely: Minerva, the wife of Carter Lawson, who resides on the old homestead in Jefferson county ; Allie E., the wife of John Page, of Colorado; Mrs. Smith ; Mary A .. who is the wife of William G. Lawson and resides near the old homestead in Jefferson county, lowa; Sarah J., who is the wife of John Nevin and makes her home in Winterset. Iowa; and Joel E., who wedded Miss Mary Stewart and lives in Sterling, Colorado.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born the following children : Fanny E .. the wife of Byron E. Tremain, who resides in Buena Vista county; Anna Belle, who became the wife of Duncan Donaldson and passed away in Decem- ber. 1902, when twenty-five years of age; Bertha. the wife of J. Oliver Landsness also living in Buena Vista county; Ralph R., who resides west of Spirit Lake; and Gilbert G .. Benjamin H. and James Newton, Jr .. all at home.
In the spring of 1878 James Newton Smith removed to northwestern Iowa, having traded property in Jefferson county for some land in Clay county. which, however, he soon disposed of. Subsequently he bought a tim- ber claim on section 14, Grant township. Buena Vista county, which he afterward sold to Dan Woods and then rented a farm on section 34 for about seven years. Throughout this period both he and his wife taught school in addition to carrying on the work of the farm. While residing on section 34 he purchased the entire adjoining section, with the exception of forty acres. Selling this property in 1881, he subsequently bought four hundred and sixty-
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five acres on seetion 3, Lincoln township, and two hundred and forty acres on section 1, and bought and disposed of many pieces of property. In 1880 he purchased the farm on which he now resides, comprising the southwest quar- ter of section 27, Lee township. It is a rich and well improved property and annually yields golden harvests in return for the care and labor that is bestowed upon it. Mr. Smith is widely recognized as one of the representa- tive and prosperous farmers of the county, who has been prominently identified with its agricultural interests from pioneer times down to the present.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Smith has given his political allegiance to the democracy and for several years served as presi- dent of the school board, the cause of education ever finding in him a stalwart champion. Fraternally he is connected with Enterprise Lodge. No. 332, A. F. & A. M., at Sioux Rapids, and also the Odd Fellows lodge at that place.
WILLIAM H. PRATT.
William H. Pratt, who for forty-two years has continuously remained in the employ of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and since 1882 has served the company as agent at Sioux Rapids, is one of the highly esteemed and respected residents of Buena Vista county. He was born in Woodstock, Ver- mont, in 1841, his parents being John A. and Sarah (Patrick) Pratt, both of whom spent their entire lives in the old Green Mountain state. The grand- parents were also natives of Vermont and the grandmother. Freedom Moore. was the first child born in Windsor, that state. after the signing of the Declar- ation of Independence. John A. Pratt, the father of our subject. was a very prominent man in Woodstock, Vermont, and in fact was well known through- out the entire state. As his grandfather and father were also named John, he was called John the Third, and finally petitioned the legislature of Vermont for the addition of the A. to his name. For a number of years he acted as sheriff of his county and likewise held various other publie offices. He served as a lieutenant in the war of 1812 and at the close of hostilities was sent by the United States government in charge of a surveying party to determine the boundary line of the state. He was an extensive landowner and a most pros- perons and publie-spirited citizen. Prominent in Masonry, he held important official positions in the Fraternity for many years and was serving as grand master at the time of the Morgan trouble, taking an active part in the reeon- struction of the order. His demise occurred in 1852 and his wife survived him for only two years, being called to her final rest in 1854.
SILAS A. BEASON, D. D. S.
Silas A. Beason, D. D. S., who since 1897 has engaged in the practice of dentistry in Newell, was born in Greene county, Ohio, March 16, 1860. His ancestry has been distinctively American, both in its lineal and collateral lines for many generations. The grandfather of Dr. Beason was a native
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of Pennsylvania and followed the occupation of farming. He became an early settler of Greene county, Ohio, in its pioneer development and continued an active factor in its agricultural progress until his death. His wife reached the very advanced age of ninety-three years. The maternal grandfather of Dr. Beason was likewise a native of Pennsylvania, and both he and his wife lived to an advanced age. Their children were Jacob : John ; Phoebe Mahala, who was the wife of James Ewing; and Eliza, who was the wife of Jacob Harness.
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