USA > Iowa > Fayette County > Past and present of Fayette County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 60
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his wife died on the 23d day of February, 1894. Later he went to Montana, where he still resides, having reached a ripe old age.
The oldest child of William and Prudence Frost, Mrs. Sarah Jane Wen- nich, widow of Rev. David Wennich, lives at West Union, Iowa, where her two sons and one daughter also reside. Her sister, Mrs. Polly Ann Robb, a widow living at St. Paul, Minnesota, has three sons and four daughters, all grown to maturity. John W., of this review, as already indicated, is the third in order of birth and the oldest son.
William Frost, or "Uncle Bill," as he was familiarly known, is remem- bered by all the early settlers of Fayette county as a self-reliant, active, ener- getic pioneer, who wielded a wide influence among his fellow citizens and took a leading part in the development of the section of country in which he lo- cated. He lias outlived most of his neighbors of the early day, but there are still a few who remember him in his prime, when as a typical pioneer of a period long past he acted well his part in life and did much to lay broad and deep the foundation upon which rests the prosperity of a county which is now one of the most advanced and prosperous in the state. "Uncle Bill" was a kind husband and father, a good neighbor and a faithful friend. He early manifested special interest in the cause of education and some of his children excelled those of other pioneer families in the matter of intellectual training and general culture. Like the majority of early settlers, he was fond of the cup that exhilarates, but did not indulge his taste to excess, as did so many whose downfall in those times was attributable to too frequently resorting to the flowing bowl. He was an expert horseman and had animals so trained that if for any cause he happened to fall to the ground, they would stand close and patiently wait until he was able to rise, remount and pursue his way ; if, however, he saw fit to remain in a recumbent posture longer than usual the faithful animal stayed close by and awaited the pleasure of its master. Mr. Frost lived to see Fayette county transformed from a wilderness to a very garden of plenty and beauty, and going farther west, has also witnessed many marvelous changes that of recent years have taken place in the new and rapidly growing state of Montana. Although nearing the century mark, he retains to a remarkable degree the possession of his faculties and nothing pleases him better than to recount his many experiences of the early days when he was in his prime and the great future before him bright with promise.
John W. Frost, to a brief review of whom the remainder of this sketch is devoted, was born in Warren county, Illinois, February 12, 1848, and when about three years old was brought to Fayette county, Iowa, where he grew to maturity and laid the foundation for what has since proven a career of
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signal usefulness and honor. After receiving his preliminary discipline in the public schools, he took a business course in a commercial college and on attaining his majority turned his attention to agriculture, which he followed for some years first in Clayton county and subsequently in the counties of Audubon and Dickinson. Later he removed to Flathead, now Lincoln county, Montana, where he has been located for the last ten years, devoting his at- tention the meanwhile to real estate, insurance and public loans, in which he has built up a large and lucrative business, his land deals, mostly in British Columbia, being very extensive and returning him a handsome income. His holdings in that country at the present time amount to ninety-two hundred acres of excellent land, which is rapidly increasing in value, in addition to which he owns a fine homestead at Eureka, Montana, which under his able management has been highly improved and brought to an excellent state of cultivation.
In his business affairs Mr. Frost is associated with his son, William M. Frost, a rising lawyer of Eureka, and one of the influential citizens of the community, the firm thus constituted being widely and favorably known and its patronage growing in magnitude and importance with each succeeding year. In all of his undertakings, Mr. Frost has been more than ordinarily successful, and he is today one of the solid men of the community in which he resides, and a factor of considerable influence in his adopted county. In politics he has always voted with the Democratic party and from time to time has been elected to various local offices, including those of assessor, clerk, justice of the peace and alderman, having served in the last named capacity in Eureka, where he was instrumental in bringing about much im- portant municipal legislation. He was made a Mason in 1873, and since that time has been an active and influential worker in the order, besides being honored at intervals with positions of responsibility and trust.
Mr. Frost, on January 13, 1876, was united in marriage with Marie J. McMullen, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Hershaw) McMullen, natives respectively of Venango county, Pennsylvania, and county Armagh, Ireland, the father of Scotch ancestry, the mother of English parentage. After the death of Mr. McMullen, which occurred in Fayette county in the year 1860, his widow married Milton Grow, an early pioneer in Illyria township and a most exemplary Christian gentleman who proved a father indeed to the Mc- Mullen children, of whom there were three: William, who died in this county at the age of thirty, leaving a wife and six children, his death resulting from an accident ; Maria and Mrs. E. J. Fenton, of Eureka, Montana, who is mar- ried and the mother of two offspring.
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To Mr. and Mrs. Frost have been born seven children, of whom Pru- dence, Alma and Florence Ethel are deceased, the first at the age of eight months, the latter when eleven years old. The surviving members of the fam- ily are Sarah F., wife of Morgan Thomas, of Eureka, Montana; William M., who married Frances Thornburg and has one son and one daughter; Hen- rietta, whose marriage with Harvey Morgan has been blessed with two sons and one daughter; Anson J. married Pearl Reedy, and lives at Swift Current, Saskatchawan, British Columbia, and Vernie Irena, an intelligent young miss of twelve years of age.
FRED S. ROBINSON.
Only those who come in personal contact with the gentleman whose name forms the caption of this biographical review, the well-known editor and proprietor of the Oelwein Register, daily and weekly, can understand how thoroughly nature and training, habits of thought and action, have enabled him to accomplish his life work, exhibiting pronounced talent in two professions, having been successful as a superintendent of schools and as a journalist, being in every respect a fit representative of the enterprising class of professional people to which he belongs, a man who unites a high order of ability with courage, patriotism, clean morality, and sound common sense, doing thoroughly and well the work that he finds to do and asking praise of no man for the performance of what he conceives to be his simple duty.
Fred S. Robinson was born near Skowhegan, Maine, of sturdy New England stock, his antecedents having been prominent in various walks of life in the old Pine Tree state for many generations. He was reared on the old family homestead where he was born, which has been owned and occupied by the family for more than a century. This branch of the Robinson family is of Puritan origin, the first representative of the family coming to America from England in 1630, locating in Massachusetts, where the family remained for many years. Removing to Exeter, New Hampshire, in the early part of the eighteenth century, they resided in that section until 1795, when they emi- grated to Somerset county, Maine, where the old farm home was purchased by Rev. John Robinson, great-grandfather of Fred S. Robinson, of this review.
Mr. Robinson was educated in the public schools, the Coburn Classical Institute and Colby College, Waterville, Maine, and he was a student for a year in Shurtleff College, Upper Alton, Illinois. Thus well equipped
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for what the poets are pleased to call "the battle of life," Mr. Robinson came to Iowa in 1886, and for a period of six years he was superintendent of the Eldon public schools, during which time the cause of education there received quite an impetus, for he thoroughly systematized and raised the standard of the schools under his care, for which he received unstinted praise from the press, pupils, patrons and board of education. In the spring of 1892 he resigned his position there for the purpose of accepting a similar one at Brooklyn, where he had charge of the schools for a period of seven years, giving his usual high-grade service. During the last five years of this period he was also principal owner and much of the time editor of the Brooklyn Chronicle. While there he established an excellent school library, placed the high school in the highest rank of the accredited schools of the State University and other leading colleges, and interested the young men in educational affairs, and they were a majority in the last four graduating classes. During the last years of his supervision and following it, a ma- jority of the teachers in the Brooklyn schools were his graduates.
In order to devote his attention exclusively to journalism, which he believed he was best suited to his tastes, Mr. Robinson notified the board of education in January, 1899, of his intention to retire from school work the following June. At the close of the scholastic year the board placed upon its records resolutions highly commending Mr. Robinson as "an able superin- tendent, a competent instructor, a man who inspires educational life in the schools, and one who commands the respect and confidence of patrons, pupils and teachers." He was a prominent factor in making the Brooklyn Chronicle one of the leading papers of central Iowa from an editorial and business standpoint.
Desiring a wider field for the exercise of his talents, he sold his interest in that paper and at once purchased a half interest in the Oelwein Register, an official county and city paper of large circulation in the growing city of Oelwein, Fayette county, and in June, 1899, he began his editorial work on that paper and, infusing new life into its pages, it grew rapidly. Within three months from the date of his connection with the paper a larger news press was purchased, and the paper enlarged to a full-sized seven-column quarto, all home print. In July, 1906, the issue of the Oelwein Daily Reg- ister was begun, together with the weekly, and both editions have grown rapidly in circulation, now covering an extensive territory. The Register is easily the leading paper in Fayette county, having the largest circulation and best equipped office, including a standard model No. 5 linotype, and the mechanical appearance of the paper is first-class in every respect, system be-
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ing maintained throughout, and as an advertising medium it ranks among the best in northern Iowa. Editorially, the Register wields a wide influence, Mr. Robinson being a lucid, forceful and trenchant writer, conversant with all problems and advanced ideas of the present day, being at all times a student and fearless in advocating the truth and what he believes to be for the best interests of his readers.
Mr. Robinson has always been an ardent Republican and he has been a regular attendant at the various conventions of his party for many years, where his counsel is often sought by party leaders. Although he is a worker in the ranks and has done very commendable work as a stump speaker in many campaigns, he has never been a candidate for public office. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and he is a Knight Templar, having held the highest offices in each of the former lodges.
Personally, Mr. Robinson is a man of magnetic presence, in whom con- fidence is readily reposed by all who know him, being a good mixer, sociable and gentlemanly.
Mr. Robinson married Rebecca Irving, a native of Boston, Massachu- setts, a woman of talent and culture. She was educated in the public schools, and completed a classical course in Waterville, Maine, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Literature. She has been a very successful teacher and was principal of the Eldon high school for five years. She is prominent in secret societies, having been at the head of the grand temple of Pythian Sisters of Iowa and has been presiding officer of local chapters of the P. E. O. and Eastern Star. She has a wide acquaintance in the literary club circles of the state, having served for several years on the official board of the Iowa Federation of Women's Clubs, is a pleasing writer and speaker and influen- tial in all circles in which she is interested.
FREDERICK OELWEIN.
Frederick Oelwein, a German pioneer of Fayette county. Iowa, was born in Saxony, Germany, on the 2d day of September, 1808. He was reared to manhood in his native land, and there learned the trade of silver- smith. In 1832 he was married to Cecelia Schmidt, a daughter of William Schmidt, and five years later, in 1837, emigrated with his family to America, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he secured work at his trade, con-
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tinuing operations in that line until 1848. Mr. Oelwein then determined to try his fortune in the West and resuming his travels, continued his journey until he reached Dubuque, Iowa, where he again worked at his trade for four years. At the expiration of that time he removed to a farm in the township of New Vienna, Dubuque county, where he resided until 1855, which year witnessed his arrival in Fayette county. Purchasing a farm in Jefferson township, situated three miles north and a mile and a half west of the site of the city of Oelwein, he began preparations for a home and re- moved his family to his farm, where he resided until 1857, when he bought the land on which the city of Oelwein is now located, from James Burch, and removed his family to this place. In 1866 he sold this land to his son, Gustav A., who still owns a portion of the original purchase.
The only surviving child of the family is a son, Gustav A., whose sketch is given elsewhere in this work. The mother died in March, 1866. Mr. Oelwein died September 12, 1900.
CHARLIE B. DICKENS.
The gentleman whose name introduces this sketch is a well known farmer and respected citizen of Eden township, a native of Walworth county, Wisconsin, and one of nine children, whose parents were Thomas and Mary Jane Dickens, the former born in England, the latter in the state of New York. Thomas Dickens was brought to America at the age of one and a half years and grew to manhood in New York. He later came to Walworth county, Wisconsin, where he was united in marriage to Mary Jane Ives. Her parents moved from New York to Rockford, Illinois, and later to Walworth county, Wisconsin, of which they were early settlers and from there, in the fall of 1867, came to Fayette county, Iowa, purchasing a farm in Bethel township, on which he lived for a number of years, then, after rent- ing land in Fayette county for a few more years, retired from active life, they changing their residence to the village of Alpha. Mr. Dickens died at that town some years ago and his widow, who survives him, makes her home at this time in Hawkeye. Thomas and Mary Jane Dickens reared a family of nine children, all of whom were living in the year 1909, four of the num- ber being residents of Fayette county, namely : Frank S., a farmer near Ran- dalia ; Norman, of Eden township; Fanny, wife of R. D. Smith, of Hawk-
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eye, and C. B., of this review; another daughter, Henrietta, wife of W. Davis, living a short distance across the line in Chickasaw county.
Charlie Byron Dickens was born March 8, 1856, and spent his childhood on the home farm in Walworth county, Wisconsin, being a lad of eleven years growth when the family moved to Iowa. He was reared to agricul- tural pursuits, received his educational training in the public schools and re- mained at home assisting in the cultivation of the farm and contributing to the interest and comfort of his parents until his marriage, which took place in his twenty-ninth year. Mr. Dickens chose for his wife and companion, Mrs. Almida Abbott Tone, daughter of P. G. Abbott, an early settler of Bethel township and widely and popularly known throughout the same. For seven years following his marriage Mr. Dickens farmed on rented land in Fayette and Chickasaw counties, but in 1893 he purchased his present place in the southern part of Eden township, six miles northwest of Hawkeye, where he has since lived and prospered, bringing his farm to a high state of cultivation the meanwhile and achieving marked success as an industrious and progressive tiller of the soil.
Mr. Dickens' farm is not as large as some of his neighbors, consisting of forty-eight acres, but what it lacks in size is more than made up for in the superior manner of its cultivation. By a careful study of the natural condi- tions of the soils, and their adaptation to the different crops, also by judicious rotation of the latter, he has been enabled to enhance the original fertility of his land, which now yields ample returns for the time and labor expended upon it. He has made a number of good improvements and by industry, thrift and excellent management has succeeded in placing himself in the comfortable circumstances which he now enjoys. In all that pertains to the prosperity of the community he manifests a lively interest and to the extent of his ability is ever ready to assist his fellowmen and promote the common welfare. He stands high as a neighbor and citizen and belongs to that large and eminently respectable class of yeoman who by deeds rather than words' add stability to the body politic and make the world better by their presence and influence.
In his political views Mr. Dickens is stanchly and uncompromisingly Republican, though not a politician in the sense the term is usually accepted; nevertheless he keeps in touch with the questions of the day and has decided opinions upon issues concerning which men and parties divide.
The family of Mr. and Mrs. Dickens consists of three children, Emily Tone Stokes, married and living in South Dakota, and two daughters, still at home, Achsah and Bertha, to the rearing and educating of whom the parents are devoting much interest.
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WILLIAM A. CLARK.
One of the leading citizens of West Union and the representative of an old and influential Fayette county family is William A. Clark, who was born in Eldorado, this county, in 1857, the son of Lookings and Mary (Kin- ney) Clark, both natives of Pennsylvania. His paternal grandfather, Wil- liam Clark, was also born in Pennsylvania, while his wife hailed from the state of New Jersey. In the early days they all figured prominently in their respective communities. Lookings Clark grew to maturity in the old Key- stone state and received his education in the early-day schools. In 1849 he came to Galena, Illinois, by rail and the remainder of the way to Eldorado on foot. There he helped build the first dam in that place. After a year or two there he returned to Pennsylvania and there married, after which event he came back to Eldorado, Iowa, and bought sixty acres of land near that town. He prospered, being a hard worker and a man who looked carefully to small details, and he eventually became the owner of one hundred and ten acres of good land. He operated the same until a few years before his death, when he sold his farm and moved to West Union, spending his declin- ing years in retirement; however, he purchased eighty acres south of that city, which he looked after. He was a successful farmer, and religiously he was an ardent Wesleyan Methodist. The maternal grandparents of W. A. Clark, Mr. and Mrs. Kinney, were natives of New Jersey. To Mr. and Mrs. Lookings Clark the following children were born: Orpha J. married I. H. Hazlett; Mrs. James A. Iliff, mention of whom is made elsewhere in this work; Adie, deceased; Maggie, deceased; William A., of this review.
William A. Clark was reared on the home farm and for a period of twenty years he conducted very successfully his father's eighty acres, south of West Union. Since that time he has resided in West Union, with the ex- ception of two years spent on a farm near this city. He has various real estate interests in West Union which claim his attention. While on his father's farm he conducted a dairy and a milk route for twelve years and no small part of his nice competency was gained in this way. He finally pur- chased this farm, but sold it when he moved to town. He was regarded as one of the leading farmers and dairy men in the county; in fact, he has been successful at whatever he has turned his attention.
Mr. Clark was married in 1881 to Carrie Fox, of Elgin, this county, the daughter of a well-known family there. The father of Mrs. William A. Clark was Charles N. Fox, who came to Alamakee county, Iowa, in 1855, then removed to Fayette county in 1858. This union resulted in the birth
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of the following children : Blanche, now living in South Dakota; Edna, deceased. The mother of these children was called to her rest in 1884. In 1886 Mr. Clark married Melissa Wolf, a woman of genial personality, and to this second union the following children have been born: Alfred, Susie, Russell, Lenora, all living at this writing. The maternal grandparents of these children are Henry and Amandy (Pitcher) Wolf, the former born in Columbus, Ohio. In 1866 they came to Fayette county, Iowa, and pur- chased a saw-mill at Eldorado, which Mr. Wolf operated until 1877, when he moved to Kansas. Later he returned to West Union and now lives here retired, having been very successful in his business career.
Mr. Clark is regarded as one of the upright and scrupulously honest men of this vicinity, always ready to do what he can in promoting the moral, spiritual and civic welfare of the county. He is an active Wesleyan Metho- dist and a Prohibitionist.
C. J. COONEY, M. D.
There is no class to whom greater credit is due from the world at large than those self-sacrificing, sympathetic, noble-minded men whose life work has been the alleviation of human suffering. There is no known standard by which their beneficent influence can be adequately measured; their helpful- ness is as broad as the universe and their power goes hand in hand with the wonderful laws of nature that emanate from the very source of life itself. Some one has aptly said, "He serves God best who helps humanity most." If the veracity of the statement is not to be questioned, the earnest and conscientious physician surely is entitled to a place of high honor among the professions and vocations which characterize what some are pleased to term modern civilization. Among the physicians and surgeons of Fayette county who have risen to eminence in their noble calling is the subject of this sketch, whose career has been that of the true worker in ministering to suffering humanity and who today stands at the head of his profession in the city of his residence.
Dr. C. J. Cooney is a native of Iowa and was born January 16, 1873, in Buchanan county, where his parents, Patrick and Honora (Costello) Cooney, settled as early as the year 1857. Both Patrick Cooney and wife were natives of county Clare, Ireland, and possessed many of the sterling qualities for which their nationality has ever been distinguished. The former came to America in 1846 and located first in Vermont, where he worked for
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some time on a farm which belonged to Dr. Dewey, father of the distinguished admiral of that name, who bore such a conspicuous part in the late Spanish- American war, and to whom is due the credit of planting our flag permanently in the far east. Mr. Cooney tells many interesting reminiscences of his early experiences in this country, and his familiarity with the various places where he labored from time to time has made him an authority on local geography. During his younger years he was employed in railway construc- tion in the Green Mountain state, thence worked westward through New York and Pennsylvania, and for a while was head blaster in the construction of the great tunnel through the mountains. He was in the latter state in 1854, during the memorable drought, when no rain fell for several months, and food for stock became so scarce and so high that it could not be obtained at any price. Mr. Cooney states that he had a team conservatively valued at three hundred dollars, but owing to the impossibility of obtaining any kind of feed was obliged to turn the animals loose in the woods and abandon them. He also says that the ground cracked so badly that in certain locali- ties pigs fell into the crevices and could not extricate themselves, the result being that many died of starvation ere they could be rescued. With the terrible drought came a plague of cholera, which spread over the country with frightful rapidity and awful results, it being difficult at times to find sufficient men to bury the dead. In this dilemma Mr. Cooney tendered his services, for which he received the sum of five dollars per day, or ten times what was then a laborer's wages.
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