USA > Iowa > Fayette County > Past and present of Fayette County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 41
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EDWARD H. MUMBY.
A descendant of England, a man fortunate to count himself by birth a member of that nation which has spread its dominion farther than empire be- fore ever extended, which has developed a language that will soon become a world tongue, is the subject of this sketch. And it is the virtues of just such stalwart citizens as this man, the brawn of the empire, which have made England great and are making her descendant, the United States of America, greater.
Edward H. Mumby was born in Fulston, Lincolnshire, England, March IO, 1837, and reared on a farm until sixteen, when he learned the blacksmith trade. He came from England to Quebec, worked at his trade two years in Canada, then, in the fall of 1860, moved to Rockford, Illinois, to a farm. In 1869 he came to Eden township, this county, and for twenty-one years rented one of Mr. J. Harris's farms, the old homestead. He has now one hundred and twenty acres of his own in Eden township which was deeded to him by Mr. Harris for his excellent services.
On December 10, 1863, Mr. Mumby married Christie Ann Elliott, who was born in Winnebago county, Illinois, where he lived several years. She died in 1880 and was the mother of five children : J. W. ; Frank E., farmer in Morton county, North Dakota; Zilla, wife of James Prouty, McGregor, Iowa ; Mary Olive, wife of L. C. Gifford, of West Union; Herbert, farmer in Eden township. In 1861 Mr. Mumby enlisted in Company G. Forty-fifth Illinois
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Volunteer Infantry. He was absent from home six months and was in the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, but was discharged from hospital on account of disability. He was in the hospital longer than in field service. He is a member of Sutherland Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Wau- coma, and is a past commander. He has been present at four national en- campments, at St. Paul, Minneapolis, Chicago and Milwaukee. He is a very enthusiastic member and has done much for the support of his post. He is a Republican, was justice of the peace for sixteen years, and has held other township offices. The Waucoma lodge of Masons claims him as one of its best members and he has filled most of the offices in the lodge. He is very familiar with the Masonic work and has visited lodges in many other states. He is also a member of the Eastern Star. Mr. Mumby's reputation is above reproach and he is a very entertaining man with whom to spend some time in conversation.
JOHN W. MUMBY.
It is improbable that a better informed man on general agricultural and stock raising topics than John W. Mumby, of Eden township, Fayette county, could be found, as those familiar with his record will readily attest. He be- lieves in doing everything well and, taking a deep interest in his work at all times and being a man of good judgment and persistent energy, he accom- plishes a great deal more than the average man in this line of endeavor. As superintendent of the large Harris stock farm at Eden, Eden township, he fills a very responsible position to his credit and to the satisfaction of his employer.
Mr. Mumby was born in Winnebago county, Illinois, November 17, 1864, and is the son of Edward H. and Christie Ann (Elliott) Mumby, the father born in England in 1837, coming to Quebec, Canada, when a young man, working at the blacksmith's trade, which he learned in his native country. He came to Rockford, Illinois, in 1860, locating on a farm near there, and in 1869 he moved to Eden township, Fayette county, Iowa, and for twenty- one years rented one of the Harris farms. He now lives on a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in this township, which Mr. Harris gave him in recognition of his valued and faithful services.
Mr. Mumby and Christie Ann Elliott were married on December IO, 1863, in Winnebago county, Illinois, where he lived several years. His wife, who bore him the following five children, died in 1880: J. W., of this review ;
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Frank E., a farmer in Morton county, North Dakota; Zilla, wife of James Prouty, of McGregor, Iowa; Mary Olive, wife of L. C. Gifford, of West Union ; Herbert, who is farming in Eden township. The father was a soldier in an Illinois regiment during the Civil war. He is a Republican, a Mason and an enthusiastic member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and a man well liked by everyone. See his sketch in this work.
John W. Mumby, of this review, remained at home until past twenty- one years of age, assisting his father in the farm work and attending the com- mon schools of Eden township. Early in life he began to work for J. Harris and has been in his employ for a period of twenty years on his large farm. For the past fifteen years he has been superintendent of about twelve hundred acres, which he has managed very successfully, all of this fine tract being under his supervision. He is up-to-date in his views of general farming and he gets the best results possible. He keeps about two hundred and fifty head of cattle, is a good judge of the bovine tribe and knows well how to properly care for stock and prepare them for the market. He trades continuously, and is at all seasons a very busy man. He has four men under his direction in working the place. He grows from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and twenty- five acres of corn each season.
Mr. Mumby was married on August 26, 1894, to Gladys A. Roberts, daughter of H. N. Roberts and wife, of Eden township, this county, near Waucoma, where Mrs. Mumby was born and reared, receiving her education in the local schools. Four children have been born to this union : Glennie A .; Howard W. was born November 17, 1898, on his father's thirty-fourth birth- day ; Lee H. and Fay B.
Politically, Mr. Mumby is a Republican, but he has been too busy all his life to seek public office or mingle much with politicians, if he had had the desire to do so. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Waucoma, also the Rebekahs.
JOHN H. ERNST.
It is always pleasant and profitable to contemplate the career of a man who has made a success of life and won the honor and respect of his fellow citizens. Such is the record of the well-known retired farmer whose name heads this sketch, than whom a more whole-souled or popular man it would be difficult to find within the limits of the township where he has his home.
Trust 86.
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John H. Ernst is a native of the state of Ohio, where he was born on the 27th of August, 1841, a son of John D. and Katherine ( Pfeiffer) Ernst. These parents were both natives of Germany, where they were reared and mar- ried. In May, 1834, attracted by the allurements held out to them by a free country, where unlimited opportunities awaited them, they took passage on a slow-going sailing vessel and six weeks later landed on the shores of this country. They at once located in Richland county, Ohio, and a few years later moved to Geauga county, the same state. They were pioneers of the former county, where they owned a large tract of land, as they did also in Geauga county. In the fatherland Mr. Ernst had followed the trade of a butcher. but after coming to the United States he devoted his attention to the tilling of the soil, in which he met with fair success. On November 8, 1856, the family came to East Dubuque, Illinois, from which point they went by team and boat to Highland, where the father bought land. Subsequently he sold out there and moved to Missouri, where he spent the remainder of his days. He was the father of four children, namely: Frederick was a pioneer farmer, owning land in Clayton and Fayette counties, Iowa, subsequently re- tiring and moving to Elgin, Iowa, where his death occurred in 1909; Char- lotte, who lived in Ohio, is deceased; Irene Ely, who resides in Elgin; John H., the immediate subject of this sketch. Frederick was a member of an Iowa regiment during the Civil war and took part in Sherman's famous march to the sea. John D. Ernst, the father of these children, was a Demo- crat in political faith and always took an active interest in political affairs, though he never held office. Religiously, he belonged to the Evangelical church.
John H. Ernst was reared and educated in his native county, attending the public schools of the locality. In young manhood he accompanied his parents on their removal to the west, where he gave his attention to farming. On taking up the battle of life on his own account, he rented land in Illyria township, Fayette county, Iowa, where he remained five years, meeting with a fair degree of success, and at the end of that period he bought a farm in the same township, the tract comprising one hundred and twenty acres of splendid land. He devoted his energies exclusively to the improvement of the place, making many permanent and substantial improvements in the same, until it became known as one of the best farms in that section of Fayette county. He gave his personal attention to every detail of the farm work, thus keeping in close touch with its operation, and his efforts were rewarded with abundant crops annually. In 1907 Mr. Ernst retired from active labor and moved to West Union, where he has since resided. During his active years on the farm
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Mr. Ernst gave considerable attention to the raising of livestock, in which he met with gratifying success, being considered a good judge of stock.
In 1866 Mr. Ernst was married to Johanna Ernst, a daughter of Christian and Christina ( Beaschler) Ernst, natives of Germany who married after com- ing to the United States, locating in Geauga county, Ohio, where their deaths occurred. Three children were born to this union, Eugene P., Myrtle and Edith, the brother deceased. Mrs. Ernst died December 14, 1895.
Politically, Mr. Ernst is a stanch Republican and has taken an intelligent interest in local public affairs, though he has never aspired to nor held public office of any nature. He is a member of Abernathy Post No. 48, Grand Army of the Republic, this membership being peculiarly consistent from the fact that in the fall of 1861 he enlisted in the military service of his country, be- coming a member of Company D, Seventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, joining this regiment while on a visit to that state. He served three years and was then transferred to the Fifth Ohio Regiment, which was later reorganized. In November, 1864, Mr. Ernst was given an honorable dis- charge and immediately returned to his home. He had given his country nearly three years of valiant and efficient service and has just reason to be proud of his military record. In every avenue of life's activities he has been faithful to the duties which have confronted him and by a life of right living and irreproachable conduct he has earned and retains the sincere regard of all with whom he has been thrown in contact. Mr. Ernst has one of the model homes of the city of West Union, being located on the east hill overlooking the city, and here he has five acres to devote his time to.
FURNET A. KIEL.
The following is a record of the life of one who, by close attention to business, has achieved marked success in his chosen line of endeavor and risen to an honorable position among the enterprising men of his locality. Furnat A. Kiel, of Smithfield township, Fayette county, is one of those estimable characters whose integrity and strong personality win the confidence and respect of their fellow men and leave the impress of their personality upon the time in which they live. He was born in Green county, Wisconsin, April 15, 1868, and was educated in the rural schools of that community, and the Ger- man Lutheran school from which he was graduated, and in that church he was confirmed when fourteen years of age. He is the son of August and
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Minnie ( Bretzeg) Kiel, both born near Berlin, Germany, the father in Aug- ust, 1826, and the mother in September, 1833; they were children of parents who worked on farms of large land owners, and when Mr. and Mrs. Aug- ust Kiel became of proper age they also began farm work. They were mar- ried in 1855, and, desiring a home of their own, they sought American shores in 1856, and located in Green county, Wisconsin, where they worked as farm hands on a large farm for a number of years. About 1862 or 1863, Mr. Kiel bought one hundred and sixty acres and in later years added other purchases and he established a good home and became fairly well-to-do, owning an ex- cellent farm of two hundred and forty acres at the time of his retirement. About 1890 he sold his farm and retired from active life. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, eight of whom are living at this writing : Fred W. lives in Scott township, Fayette county; Herman lives in Green county, Wisconsin; Henry lives at Artesian, South Dakota; Frank lives in Martintown, Green county, Wisconsin; Mrs. Mary Trickle lives in Monroe, Wisconsin; Furnet A., of this review; James lives at Highmore, South Da- kota ; Mrs. Emma Trickle lives at Browntown, Wisconsin. The oldest and youngest children are deceased.
Furnet A. Kiel lived with his parents until he was eighteen years old when he left home and came to Fayette county, Iowa, with his brother, Fred, who rented a farm in Harlan township for about two years. The first year Furnet A. was in this county he worked as a farm hand, then returned to Mon- roe, Wisconsin, and worked three years in a brick yard and at railroad work. In 1890 he returned to Fayette county, and on May 26, 1891, he bought one hundred and eighty-seven acres in section 8, Smithfield township. During the summer of 1891 he worked out as a farm hand and in the spring of 1892 he moved onto his farm, where he lives at present. He is considered an hon- est, hard-working, capable farmer, a good hand at any kind of work about a place. He has built a very comfortable and modern dwelling and spacious barns on the farm since he bought his present excellent place. He carries on general farming and dairying, and always keeps some excellent stock, making a specialty of Duroc-Jersey hogs. He has been very successful in all these lines of endeavor.
Politically, Mr. Kiel is a Republican, but he has never held public office. He is a member of the Yeoman Lodge, No. 94, of Fayette, Iowa, and he is a member of the German Lutheran church.
On December 23, 1891, Mr. Kiel married Nettie L. Adams, who was born in Maynard, Fayette county, May 6, 1871, and was educated in the pub- lic schools of that place, graduating from the high school with the class of
FAYETTE COUNTY, IOWA.
1889. She is a lady of refinement and the possessor of many praiseworthy traits which render her a favorite with a wide circle of friends. She is the daughter of Leander L. and Rebecca (Cline) Adams, who are mentioned fully in a separate sketch in this volume. When eighteen years old Mrs. Kiel se- cured a school in Harlan township and taught there for three years in a very acceptable manner, giving up the position upon her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Kiel are the parents of two children, Grant Leander, born April 26, 1895, is attending school in Fayette; Louis Adams was born December 29, 1897. Mrs. Kiel is an active and leading member of the Mothers' Club, consisting of twenty-five members, which was organized in March, 1901, in Smithfield township. The object of the club is a very laudable one-self-improvement. Mr. and Mrs. Kiel gained prosperity by proving themselves worthy of it, and their success in life is a grand indication of what can be gained by industry, integrity and perseverance.
HENRY BADGER.
A descendant of one of the excellent and influential pioneer families of Fayette county is Henry Badger, owner of a well kept and highly productive farm in Union township, near Elgin. He is a native of this locality, having been born in Fayette county. He received a fairly good education in the pub- lic schools which he attended during the winter-time and worked on the home farm during crop seasons, and, thus early becoming interested in and ac- quainted with the various phases of farming, he has chosen to devote his life work to the same and he has not labored without adequate results, as his neat home and attractive farm attest. His farm consists of seventy-two acres.
Mr. Badger was married in 1895 to Addie Perrine, daughter of an hon- ored family of this county, where she grew to maturity and was educated, and this union has resulted in the birth of one daughter, bearing the pretty name. Bernice May.
Henry Badger is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and also belongs to the Yeoman lodge. Politically, he is a Democrat, but he does not aspire to offices of public trust, preferring to devote his attention to his farming.
Mr. Badger's father, Richard Badger, was a man of sterling worth and influence in his day and generation and a detailed account of his life and work is deemed advisable in the history of Fayette county, where he spent much of his useful life; however, he was a native of Lower Canada, where his birth
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occurred on December 25, 1829, the son of Elisha and Rebecca Badger, both born in Canada, where they spent their early childhood days on the farm. At least that is their record so far as the present generation is able to determine. In the year 1838 the Badger family left there and came to Illinois, where Elisha and Rebecca Badger lived until their deaths, having spent their lives on a farm. Richard Badger was educated in the common schools of Illinois and reared on a farm. When twenty-nine years of age he came to Iowa, locating near Fayette, where he began farming and became the owner of a fine tract of land of three hundred and twenty acres, four miles southeast of Maynard. He carried on general farming and stock raising on an extensive scale, being one of the leading agriculturists of that community.
Richard Badger married, on November 1, 1857, Lucy Lucettia Gray, who was born December 7, 1839. She was the daughter of John B. and Lucy (Heth) Gray, both natives of Saratoga county, New York. It was in 1853 that they settled in Kane county, Illinois, where they followed farming until 1857 when they came to Iowa and located in Smithfield township, Fayette county, where they became the owner of one hundred acres of land on which Mr. Gray carried on general farming until his death.
To Mr. and Mrs. Richard Badger these children were born : John Elisha, who died when three months old; Martha Estell; Harmon; Henry, of this re- view; Alfretta, deceased; Margaret, Mary, Frank Ivan, Lucy Rebecca, Rich- ard Elmer, Eugenia, George Earl (deceased).
Richard Badger's death occurred October 25, 1906. His wife is still living. They were excellent people, highly respected by all who knew them.
SETH LUTHER CLARK.
Seth L. Clark, farmer and stock-raiser of Fayette county, Iowa, was born on the farm in Eden township where he now lives, April 28, 1858. His father, Hiram Clark, a native of Rochester, New York, was a son of Samuel Clark and brother of Orlando and James Clark, the latter well known residents of Eden township, where the family has been represented many years. Hiram Clark, whose birth occurred on the 16th of June, 1833, came to Iowa with his parents and, securing a tract of wild land from his father, grubbed out and improved the farm in the above township on which he spent the remainder of his life, dying May 22, 1868. He married, on June 6, 1857, Caroline Broad- bent, who was born May 30, 1837, in Leicestershire, England, and in 184I
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came to America with her parents, William and Catherine Broadbent, who first settled in Illinois, removing thence to Fayette county in 1855, and settling in Eden township where they spent the remainder of their lives, he dying about 1894, at the age of seventy-six, she in 1899, in her eighty-sixth year. William Broadbent purchased land in Eden township which in due time he improved and in after years became a well-to-do farmer and respected citizen. In 1874 he lost his sight and from that time until his death, a period of twenty years, was totally blind, although he made the most of his misfortune and was never cast down nor heard to complain. Of the twelve children of Wil- liam and Catherine Broadbent, four only survive : Robert, who lives at Akron, this state; Albert, at Alpha; William and a younger brother in Colorado. Two of the sons, George and Robert, served in Company B, Ninth Iowa In- fantry, during the late Civil war and earned honorable records as soldiers, the former dying at Corydon, this state, at the age of seventy-four years. Mrs. Hiram Clark, who departed this life April 18, 1873, was the mother of three children, Seth Luther, the subject of this sketch; Fanny R., wife of E. M. Paul, and Martha, who died in infancy.
Seth L. Clark was reared amid the bracing airs of the country and while still young became familiar with the duties of the farm. He received a fair education in the district schools and, having lost his father when only ten years old, remained with his mother until fourteen and then went to live with his uncle, Orlando Clark, with whom he remained until twenty years of age. when he commenced life upon his own responsibility. On attaining his majority he took possession of the family homestead in Eden township, hav- ing purchased his sister's interest in the same and, addressing himself to the task of its improvement, soon had the house rebuilt and the farm in excellent condition. Since moving to the place he has given his attention very closely to agriculture and by his industry, energy and good management is now in comfortable circumstances, with a sufficiency of this world's goods at his com- mand to insure his future against want or any other contingency that may arise. As a farmer he is energetic and methodical, a careful observer of the soils and their adaptability to the different crops and he seldom if ever fails to realize abundant returns from the labor expended on his fields.
Mr. Clark is quiet and unassuming, attends strictly to his own affairs, but at the same time manifests a lively interest in whatever tends to promote the welfare of the community and the common good of his neighbors and fellow citizens. He stands for progress in all the term implies, lends his in- fluence and assistance to all laudable enterprises and as a Republican has rendered valuable service to his party, though neither a politician nor office
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seeker. In his fraternal relations he is a Mason, belonging to the lodge at Waucoma, and with his wife is also identified with the Order of the Eastern Star at that place, both being active and influential workers in the organiza- tion.
Mr. Clark was happily married on November 23, 1881, to Carrie R. Paul, who was born in Walworth county, Wisconsin, April 9, 1859, being a daughter of Oscar S. and Sarah A. Paul, the latter now Mrs. J. T. Gager, of Eden township. For several years prior to her marriage Mrs. Clark taught in the public schools of Fayette county and earned a creditable reputation for her efficiency in the school room, both as a teacher and disciplinarian. She is a lady of beautiful life and character, takes an active interest in the social and intellectual life of the community and is held in high esteem by the large circle of friends and neighbors with whom she mingles. She has borne her husband two children, the older of whom, Hiram Paul Clark, married Mabel Peters and since his eighteenth year has been a salesman for various mercan- tile firms in Hawkeye. Sarah C., the second in order of birth, is a graduate of the Waucoma high school and for several years past has been teaching in the public schools of Eden and other townships.
FRANK L. MEDBERRY.
One of the citizens of Pleasant Valley township, Fayette county, who is eminently deserving of a place in the history of this locality is F. L. Med- berry, because of his life of close application to legitimate lines of endeavor and his exemplary life among his fellow citizens. He comes from a sturdy family of the old Keystone state, having been born in Mercer county, Penn- sylvania, in 1860, and he is the son of M. D. and S. A. (Kilgore) Medberry, the father a native of Chenango county, New York, and the mother a native of Mercer county, Pennsylvania. George Medberry, the paternal grandfather of F. L. Medberry, was also a native of New York, while the maternal grand- father Kilgore came to America from Scotland. When a small boy the father of F. L. Medberry came to Pennsylvania and there received his educa- tion in the old-time public schools. He devoted his life to farming and car- pentering. He married in Pennsylvania, and in 1863 he and his wife came to Iowa and located in West Union and bought forty acres near that place, re- maining there until 1875, then moved to Illyria township and purchased eighty acres which M. D. Medberry improved and on which he lived until his death
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