USA > Iowa > Fayette County > Past and present of Fayette County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 40
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Mr. Henderson has held the above honorable and responsible position to the present time, discharging the duties incumbent upon him with ability and credit, also manifesting a lively interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of the institution and gaining more than a local reputation as a capable official
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and wide-awake, farseeing business man. He is a thorough student of mone- tary questions, has broad and intelligent views of finance and its relations to the other interests of the country, while his practical experience in the posi- tion he has so long and so creditably held has made him familiar with every phase of banking and an authority on all matters relating to the business. Mr. Henderson has not only been active and influential in the financial circles of his town, but also has been a local leader of the Republican party and judicious adviser in its councils. Notwithstanding his indifference to official honors, his fellow citizens of Hawkeye some years ago elected him mayor of the town, which office he held with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of the public for one term and a position for which his business experience peculiarly fitted him.
The domestic life of Mr. Henderson dates from June 3, 1894, when he was united in marriage with Jessie E. Hull, of Hawkeye, Iowa, daughter of J. A. and L. J. Hull, the union resulting in the birth of two children, Dolly G. and Josephine H. Mrs. Henderson dying May 20, 1902, Mr. Henderson sub- sequently, on January 17, 1905, took a second wife in the person of Margaret Riley, of West Union, who has borne him three children, namely: Kenneth R., Martin V. and Anna Laura Henderson.
In closing this brief review of the career of one of Hawkeye's prominent and respected business men suffice it to state that he has succeeded admirably in all of his undertakings and honored every position to which his fellow citi- zens have called him. Of unimpeachable integrity, public spirited in all the term implies, liberal in his benefactions and popular in the social circle, he fills a large place in the public eye and all who know him pronounce him an affable and courteous gentleman who has worthily earned the high esteem in which he is held.
JAMES F. SMITH, JR.
A well known and highly respected citizen of West Union, Fayette county, who has won the undivided esteem of those with whom he has come into contact and labored alike for the advancement of himself and family and the community at large, is James F. Smith, Jr., who was born near Bat- tle Creek, Calhoun county, Michigan, September 4, 1839, the son of James Floyd and Eliza Ann (Hoag) Smith, both natives of Thompson county, New York. The paternal grandfather, James Smith, was born near Ithaca, New York, and devoted his life to the shoemaker's trade. He left New
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York about 1845 and moved to Calhoun county, Michigan, where he con- tinued his trade. The maternal grandparents, Hewitt and Ann ( Ogden) Hoag, lived in New York, where Mr. Hoag was born; later in life they moved to Michigan, where Mr. Hoag followed farming and carpentering until his cleath.
The parents of James F. Smith, Jr., were married in New York, where they lived for a time, then moved to Calhoun county, Michigan, making the long journey in wagons drawn by oxen. There, amid primitive surround- ings, they entered land and began farming, first on forty acres, after they had erected a log house and cleared a small "patch." Mr. Smith was a wagonmaker by trade. In those days money was scarce and Mr. Smith would often walk five miles in order to do a day's work. . He cut timber into cord wood, off the ground which is now the main street of Battle Creek. Mr. Smith was employed for some time as wagonmaker in the Jackson Wagon Works, one of the best known plants in the state. He was a very industrious man and improved a good farm of three hundred and sixty acres, one hundred and sixty acres of which lies where the city of Lansing now stands. He walked to that city, quite a distance, to pay taxes, making his path through the dense woods by "blazed" trees. There were deer, bears, wild cats and all kinds of wild animals and great varieties of fish in those days, and the elder Smith, being a hunter and fisherman, kept his table supplied with fresh meat. His family consisted of ten children.
In May, 1854, the Smith family came to Fayette county and settled one mile north of West Union, where a farm of four hundred and sixty acres was purchased. A number of other farms and timbered lands were pur- chased from time to time, in all five forty-acre tracts, some in-lots, and ninety acres in bottom lands. In the late seventies, the elder Smith sold out his vast holdings here and moved to Kansas, locating at Beloit, where he erected a store building, also bought land; he later took up a homestead in Thomas county, that state, where he lived until his death. Politically, he was a Whig, and he held various small township offices. He was a man of exemplary character, successful in whatever he undertook and was liked by all who knew him.
James F. Smith, Jr., was educated in the old-fashioned log school houses in Michigan and at West Union and assisted his father with the work on the farm during the crop season. He still owns the place his father left him, the farm proper consisting of one hundred and forty acres, also twenty acres containing Denton's cave. He is a general farmer, raises small fruits and nursery stock, having been successfully engaged in this line of work for forty
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years, during which time he has become known as one of the leading nursery- men of this locality. He keeps well advised on all horticultural topics. He formerly kept a varied nursery stock, but he deals now in evergreens only. In 1892 he moved to West Union and built his beautiful modern home the following year and has lived here ever since.
Mr. Smith was married in December, 1860, to Lucy M. Hacket, who was born and reared in Smithfield township, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Elisha and Polly (Phelps) Hacket, the former born in Massachusetts and the latter in Pennsylvania, her people having long been well known there. This union has resulted in the birth of the following children : Mrs. Ella N. Forbes, Mrs. Jessie B. Forbes and Mrs. Alice Ger- trude Pilson.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Universalist church, in which they take a great deal of interest in its various lines of work. Politically, Mr. Smith is a Republican and he has been school director for the past twenty- five years, also served as road supervisor, and while he is deeply interested in all that goes to develop Fayette county, he has not aspired to public office, always preferring to give his exclusive attention to his horticultural and agri- cultural pursuits, hence his eminent success in these chosen lines.
THOMAS D. REEDER.
The agricultural and stock raising interests of Fayette county have no better representative than Thomas D. Reeder, who, like many of his worthy neighbors and fellow citizens, is a native of the old Keystone state, having been born in Pennsylvania, January 8, 1847, but most of his life has been spent in Iowa, his mother having brought him to Fayette county when he was seven years of age. He is the son of Robert and Dorcas (Kilgor) Reeder, both natives of Pennsylvania, the father working in a foundry there many years. In 1854 the family joined the tide of emigration setting in for the Middle West and came to Fayette county, Iowa, and settled in West Union. While living here, Mrs. Dorcas Reeder married a second time, her last hus- band being Steve Reeves, which union resulted in the birth of three sons.
Thomas D. Reeder was educated in the common schools of West Union and remained under the home roof until he enlisted in the Union army in 1862, becoming a member of Company C, Sixth Iowa Cavalry. He saw some hard service in the West, under Capt. L. L. Ainsworth, serving with credit
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and marked devotion to duty until in October, 1865. Although he was but fifteen years of age when he enlisted, he proved to be just as gallant and brave a defender of the flag as the matured men of his regiment, his conduct at the battles of Whitestone Hill and Tahkahokutu being especially commend- able. After his career in the army he returned home and began farming for his step-father, later buying a farm of three hundred acres in Union town- ship on which he placed all the important improvements, being an excellent manager and a persistent worker, until his farm today ranks with the best in the township in every respect. He has very successfully carried on general farming and stockraising, handling large numbers of Durham cattle, having long been a well known breeder of this special line; he also raises Poland China hogs. He has an attractive and nicely furnished home and many sub- stantial outbuildings. However, Mr. Reeder is now living practically retired, merely overseeing his extensive interests, having moved from his farm to West Union in 1905 where he has a pleasant home.
Mr. Reeder was married on September 13, 1876, to Isabella Montgomery, who was born in Delaware county, Iowa, daughter of Archie and Elnaor (Kilgore) Montgomery, a well known and highly respected family of that county, where Mrs. Reeder was reared and educated. This union has resulted in the birth of the following children: Robert D., John J., Christabel May, Thomas R. (deceased), Alta Valora. They are all living and have been given every attention possible as to their education and culture.
Mr. and Mrs. Reeder are members of the Universalist church, and, po- litically, Mr. Reeder is a Democrat, and while he has not had time to devote any special attention to political affairs he has always been ready to assist in furthering the general good of his county, and he has held very satisfactorily such offices as township trustee and all school offices, and he has been road supervisor many times. Fraternally, he has been a member of the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows for a period of thirty-six years.
Personally, Mr. Reeder is a pleasant man to know, genial and hospitable, and he has lived such a life of honor and integrity that he has won and re- tained the confidence and respect of the people of Fayette county.
RANSON S. NILES.
Many friends and acquaintances of R. S. Niles, a well known agricul- turist for many years in Fayette county, but now retired, know of his energy, public spirit and exemplary character and such a wholesome career will not
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soon be forgotten. He was born in Vermont, of hardy New England par- ents, March 4, 1834, the son of Alansor and Olive (Stoddard) Niles, both natives of Vermont. His paternal grandfather. Icabod Niles, was born in Connecticut, and he was a pioneer in Alburg, Vermont, where he established a home and engaged in farming until his death. The maternal grandfather. Stoddard, married Laura Ladd, whose father was one of the earliest settlers in North Hero, Vermont, where he owned a large tract of land and was proprietor of a hotel. The father of R. S. Niles was educated in the common schools of Vermont and followed farming, spending the rest of his life in Vermont. He took an active part in politics, was a Whig, later a Republican and he held various offices in those early days. He and his wife reared a family of nine children. Icabod Niles, grandfather of R. S. Niles, was also a local politician and he served as justice of the peace for many years. Sumner A. Niles, brother of R. S. Niles, was a soldier in the Civil war. as was also I. E., who entered the service later in the war; N. C. Niles also served in the Union army. R. S. Niles of this review was a member of Company G, Thirty-eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, having enlisted in the fall of 1862, served two years and two months and was discharged on account of disabilities, after which he returned to Fayette county, Iowa, having first come here in 1858, but he came to the state in 1856, remaining in Clayton county the first two years. He first bought land near Auburn township. Fayette county, and remained on his thirty acres there for several years, then bought one hundred and sixty acres in Windsor township, later one hundred and twenty acres in Bethel township; selling his land there, he purchased one hundred and sixty acres adjoining the old place in Windsor township and there he farmed with his usual success until about 1897. About 1902 he traveled considerably and finally located in West Union and has since lived retired.
Mr. Niles was first married to Ruth A. King, in the spring of 1857. She was the daughter of Isaac W. King, who was born in the state of New York, but who later in life moved to Fayette county, Iowa. This union resulted in the birth of the following children : I. A .; Alma is deceased; Carrie May, Alice R. and Blanche B. The mother of these children died March 1, 1900, and Mr. Niles was married, on September 20, 1901, to Mrs. Nancy H. (Finch- Chandler) Cowle Swank. She had been married twice before, her first hus- band being Esq. Chandler, whom she married in September, 1855, and they were the parents of three children, Hazen, born July 31, 1858, B. D. Chandler, who was born on August 29, 1860, and one who died in infancy. Her sec-
(70)
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ond husband was Capt. Jacob Swank, and the following children were born to them : Lulu, born January 19, 1868; Eddie, born June 6, 1873, is deceased. The father of these children was captain of Company F, Third Iowa Volun- teer Infantry.
Mrs. R. S. Niles, who was born March 7, 1837, is the daughter of James B. and Hannah (McDonald) Finch. James B. Finch was born in England, came to America when young and for many years engaged in farming near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On March 7, 1855, he came to Iowa and located seven miles east of West Union. In 1862 he enlisted in the Thirty-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, known as the "Gray Bird Regiment," in which he served until the close of the war. Politically, he was a Whig. His fam- ily consisted of three girls and three boys; one girl died at the age of eleven years. They were, R. M. Aspland, living at Dundee, Delaware county, Iowa ; C. C., of Fayette ; B. B., of Severy, Kansas ; Mrs. R. S. Niles, and D. D., liv- ing at Trinidad, Colorado. D. D. Finch enlisted in Company F, Third Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in 1861 and served for three years, reenlisted and served until the close of the war. He was wounded at Shiloh and taken prisoner and was confined for six or eight months in Libby prison, but he survived both prison and battles.
EDWARD MORTIMER PAUL.
This well known farmer and stock raiser and a representative citizen of Eden township was born in Walworth county, Wisconsin, November 1, 1854, and is descended from an old New England family on the paternal side, his grandfather, George WV. Paul, having been a native of Massachusetts and on the maternal side he traces his family history back many years to the state of Connecticut. George W. Paul was born in the town of Dighton, Massachu- setts, November 13, 1804, and in young manhood he married Mary Root, whose birth occurred at Cheshire, Connecticut, April 30, 1805. This couple, prior to the year 1852, moved from New York to Wisconsin, where they spent the remainder of their lives, both dying in Walworth county, he on the 20th of September, 1864, she in the year 1867. Among their children was a son Oscar, who was born October, 1831, and spent his early life in New York, which was his native state. He accompanied his parents to Wisconsin, where he grew to maturity on a farm in Walworth county and there married, on the 13th of December, 1853, Sarah A. Perkins, whose people were among the early pioneers of that part of the state.
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In 1861 Oscar S. Paul and wife moved to Fayette county, Iowa, and settled near the village of Alpha, but, owing to the prevalence of ague at that time, remained only a brief period, returning to Wisconsin within a couple of months, crossing the Mississippi river on April 9th of the year indicated, the day war ivas formally declared by the Southern states. Mr. Paul served in the latter part of the war as a private in Company K, Forty-ninth Regiment Wisconsin Infantry, a regiment sent to Rolla, Missouri, to do garrison duty. By reason of illness he obtained a furlough and did not again rejoin his com- mand, having been discharged on account of his disability. A farmer by occupation, he made his calling fairly successful and lived the remainder of his days in Walworth county, where his death occurred on September 10, 1876. The following are the names of the children born to Oscar S. and Sarah A. Paul; Edwin Mortimer, of this review; Carrie R., who married Seth L. Clark and lives in the village of Alpha; Frank W., a painter living in the state of Washington; Laura A., wife of L. G. Liddle, of Waucoma, and Kittie, now Mrs. W. E. Stamp, of Waterloo, this state.
In 1876, shortly after the death of her husband, Mrs. Paul brought her children to Fayette county, Iowa, where her mother was then living, the lat- ter moving to this state in 1861 and settling in Bethel township on land still in possession of her descendants. Edwin Mortimer, being the oldest of the family, very naturally assumed the responsibility of supporting his widowed mother and the younger children, accordingly he commenced work on the above land and in due time developed and improved a good farm. Prior to leaving Wisconsin he attended high school at Delavan, that state, two terms, which terminated his schooling, but his education is largely of the practical kind which is obtained in the stern school of experience. He continued to cultivate the above farm and look after the interests of the family until the younger children were able to care for themselves, his sisters in the meantime becoming teachers, which removed no small burden from his shoulders.
After a period of twelve years on the above place, during which time his younger brother became self supporting, Mr. Paul married and purchased the farm on Crane creek, one mile northwest of Alpha, which he still owns and which, under his efficient labor and management, is now one of the finest and most valuable tracts of land in Eden township. It consists of one hundred and forty-eight acres of excellent land, originally covered with small timber, to remove which and reduce the soil to cultivation required a great deal of grubbing and other hard and exacting toil. When properly developed, how- ever, the soil proved exceedingly fertile and at this time could not be bought for five times the price Mr. Paul paid for it, which was seventeen dollars per acre.
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Mr. Paul made a. careful study of the science of agriculture and is a first class farmer, his place being highly improved and in many respects a model country home. He is a man of progressive ideas and tendencies, cultivates the soil by the most approved methods and in connection therewith devotes considerable attention to livestock, in the raising of which he has been very successful. He is a Republican in politics and as such has been elected from time to time to various local offices, having served his township for some years as justice of the peace, also as clerk and constable. He is invariably chosen a delegate to the conventions of his party and takes an active part in their de- liberations, possessing, as he does, sound, practical intelligence and well bal- anced judgment, qualities of especial value in making platforms, drafting reso- lutions and in formulating and directing policies. In matters religious he is a Congregationalist and with his wife and two daughters belongs to the local church of that denomination at Waucoma.
Mr. Paul's marriage, to which reference is made in a preceding para- graph, was solemnized on January 1, 1883, with Fannie Clark, who was born! in Eden township, November 12, 1861, being a daughter of Hiram and Diana (Broadbent) Clark and a sister of Seth Clark, whose marriage to the subject's sister, Carrie Paul, has already been noted. Mr. and Mrs. Paul have eight children, namely: Allie B., an accomplished musician and teacher of music. is now the wife of Tracy E. Dungey, a successful farmer in Bethel township; Oscar S., a carpenter and builder; Avis L., a stenographer at Charles City : Ray S., a painter; Wanda L., Edward Mckinley, Harley Clayton and Arlo Freeman.
JAMES M. WETHERBEE.
No one should be stinting in his honor to the silvery-haired veterans who sacrificed so much to save the national union and to bring to us of the present generation a great and united country. We are often prone to forget what they did for us, to lose sight of their noble sacrifices and the hardships which they endured for our peace, perpetuity and prosperity. One such gallant son of the Northland was James M. Wetherbee, a venerable and interesting resident of West Union, a man greatly admired by a host of friends in Fayette county for his many traits of sterling character and for his past record, which has been without blemish.
Mr. Wetherbee was born in Royalton, Niagara county, New York, No- vember 4. 1831, the son of Ira and Lydia ( Manchester) Wetherbee, both
MR. AND MRS. JAMES M. WETHERBEE.
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natives of Fulton county, New York, where they grew to maturity and mar- ried ; soon after this event, however, they came to Niagara county, and there spent the major part of their subsequent lives, the father dying in West Union, Iowa, at the home of his son, James M., of this review. He reached an ad- vanced age, as did also his wife. They had three children that lived to years of maturity : James M., the eldest; Harriett Freeman, and Rexa Burns, now living at Potterville, Michigan. Several children died in infancy or child- hood.
James M. Wetherbee was educated in the common schools of Niagara county, New York, and there grew to maturity. He came to Mercer county, Illinois, in 1856 and remained there two years engaged in farming. In 1858 he moved to Henry county, Illinois, and farmed the land on which the town of Alpha is now located, remaining at that place three years or until he enlisted in the Federal army, as a private in Company D, Eighty-third Illi- nois Volunteer Infantry, August 7, 1862. He was at Fort Donelson in 1863 and was on detached service for two years, mounted, in which he participated in many skirmishes and was much exposed to danger and had a great deal of hard work, the duties of this detachment being to control the guerrilla warfare and protect interests from their depradations. He was twice wounded. He assisted in the capture of the notorious guerrilla leader, Jake Sly, and rendered other valuable service in his sojourn in this irregular military service, and he was honorably discharged on June 26, 1865.
Mr. Wetherbee came to Fayette county, Iowa, October 1, 1865, with two yoke of oxen and two cows, locating first in Center township, and then bought one hundred and twenty acres in Richfield township (now Bethel) and lived there from 1867 to 1874, when he moved to West Union, where he was in the machinery business until 1904, and in the wool business continu- ously until the present time. In 1906 he went to South Dakota and took up one hundred and sixty acres of government land, which he has improved and which is located one hundred miles west of Chamberlin.
Politically, Mr. Wetherbee is a Republican. He served as constable for two years in Henry county, Illinois, also served as school director and road supervisor. He is a member of Abernathy Post, No. 48, Grand Army of the Republic, of which he is the present commander.
In 1854 Mr. Wetherbee married Louisa Johnston, a native of New York state, and of Irish extraction. This union resulted in the birth of five chil- dren, namely : Ellen is the wife of E. N. Fortney and lives in Spencer, Iowa; George W. lives in Lathrop, California; Addie M. married Charles Stuckey and they live in Stockton, California; Ira J. lives at Buffalo Center, Iowa,
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and May Brown Miller lives in Cherokee, Iowa. The mother of these chil- dren died on August 18, 1866, and in 1874 Mr. Wetherbee married his pres- ent wife. She was known in her maidenhood as Catherine M. Roberts, and she was the widow of Lewis Baker. Five children were born of this union, namely : Ida married Clarence Augis and they live in the state of Idaho; James M. is engaged in the livery business in West Union; Charles E., for- merly in business with his brother, is now deceased; William has a homestead in South Dakota, and Cora is the wife of Glenn Kinney, of North Dakota. James M. Wetherbee, of this review, has thirty-four living grandchildren, and thirty great-grandchildren. He has been an active and hardworking man all his life and only retired when compelled to do so by advancing years and failing health. He recently made a most enjoyable trip of four months, during which time he visited the states of Idaho, Washington, Cali- fornia and the Dakotas.
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