USA > Iowa > Fayette County > Past and present of Fayette County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 66
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HON. WILLIAM B. LAKIN.
From the past the legacy of the present, art, science, industry, states- manship and government, are accumulations. They constitute an inheritance upon which the present generation have entered and the advantages secured from so vast a bequeathment depend entirely upon the fidelity with which is conducted the study of the lives of the principal actors who have trans- mitted and are still transmitting the legacy. This is especially true of those whose influence has passed beyond the confines of locality and permeated the
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public life of the state. To such a careful study are the life, character and services of William B. Lakin entitled, not only on the part of the student of biography, but also of every citizen who, guided by example, would in the present wisely build for the future.
Although for some years a resident of another state, Mr. Lakin spent the greater part of his life in Fayette county and while here was perhaps more prominent in the public mind and exerted a greater influence in behalf of enterprises and measures for the general good than any other citizen. His was indeed a strenuous career, replete with usefulness to his fellow men and as age grew on apace, in the ripeness of years and experience, he calmly passed the evening of his life in the love of family and friends and in the confidence of the community which he honored by his presence.
William B. Lakin was born at Point Pleasant. Clermont county, Ohio, May 29, 1831. being a son of William P. and Sarah ( Bretney) Lakin, na- tives of Kentucky and Ohio respectively. In his youth he received a pre- liminary educational training in such schools as his native place afforded and later attended Clermont Academy, though somewhat irregularly, several terms. This institution was located fully three miles from his home, which distance he daily and perseveringly walked through all kinds of weather, so bent was he upon acquiring the mental discipline necessary to success in the sphere of life he then had in view. Actuated by a laudable desire for addi- tional scholastic training, he subsequently became a student of Farmer's College near Cincinnati, where he had for classmates Hon. Benjamin Har- rison, later President of the United States, and Murat Halstead, for many years one of the most distinguished journalists of the country, also a power in political circles. After about one year of persevering work in that insti- tution, Mr. Lakin devoted the two ensuing years to the study of law in a private office, at the expiration of which time he was formally admitted to the bar, the event of happy coincidence occurring on May 29, 1852, the twenty-first anniversary of his birth.
After practicing his profession in his native state until 1859. Mr. Lakin settled in the village of Fayette, Iowa, where the following year he was ap- pointed, by the board of supervisors, probate judge to fill a vacancy, but saw fit to decline the honor. Subsequently, early in 1861, he took charge of the North Iowa Observer, of which Dr. William Brush was publisher, and in this capacity advocated at the beginning of the Civil war compensative emanci- pation, a scheme deemed by many not only impractical, but in the highest degree chimerical and visionary. Again, in 1867, he had editorial charge of the Observer and was also one of the publishers of the paper that year, which
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was memorable as seeing the last decisive contest between Fayette and West Union in the county-seat issue, a contest in which it is needless to state that he took an active and prominent part and through the medium of his paper wielded strong influence for the success of the place.
In politics, Mr. Lakin was always a stalwart Republican and as such exercised a strong influence for his party, both in local and state affairs, while a resident of Fayette county. In 1862 he was elected to represent the county in the lower house of the General Assembly and his ability in that body was such that four years later he was further honored by being elected to the Senate, where by efficient and untiring effort in behalf of his con- stituency he met the high expectations of his friends and earned an honorable reputation as legislator. Meantime he served as clerk of the district court and in 1863 was appointed by Abraham Lincoln allotment commissioner, discharging the duties of both positions in a manner highly creditable to himself and to the satisfaction of the public. Under President Cleveland he served as postmaster at Fayette, in this, as in the various other positions to which called, proving capable and painstaking and in the full sense of the term a courteous and obliging public servant.
For many years Mr. Lakin was one of the most active and useful men in Fayette county and he made his influence felt in all that concerned the wel- fare of his fellowmen. An orator of pronounced ability, his services were always in great demand during the political contests, for as a campaign speaker he had no superiors in his part of the state. Some, it is true, might have excelled him in flowery language and oratorical verbiage, but in dis- cussing the issues of the day his clear, explicit statements and cogent, logical reasoning, fortified by sound deductions and when necessary by ridicule and sarcasm, left him without a peer on the hustings. He was always the chief speaker in political debates and defended the principles of Republicanism invariably to the discomfiture of all who were pitted against him. In the midst of the thronging cares and demands of a busy life he was always ap- proachable, gracious in his association with his fellows and enjoyed the per- sonal popularity which was the natural result of his characteristics. He gained a reputation as a man well equipped equally with the solid and bril- liant qualities essential to material success, but above this he ordered his life on the high plane which included a deep sense of his stewardship and an appreciation of the responsibilities which rested upon him as a citizen and in- fluential factor of the body politic.
A matter worthy of record is the fact that Mr. Lakin's native town was also the birthplace of Gen. U. S. Grant and it is interesting to note that that
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distinguished military chieftain and President was born in the same house in which Caroline M. Thompson, wife of the subject, first saw the light of day. The marriage of Mr. Lakin and Miss Thompson, daughter of Wilson L. and Nancy H. (Sherwin) Thompson, which was solemnized on the 29th day of October, 1861, has been blessed with six children, namely: Mrs. Mabel Lakin Patterson, Corwin Thompson, Anna Eliza, Frederick James, Caroline Louise and William Parker Lakin. Mr. Lakin died January 7, 1910, at Miles City, Montana. His patient resignation during a long affliction from . rheumatism endeared him to his friends, while his cheerful and intelligent personality impressed them with the earnest interest he ever had in the re- sponsibilities of life. The many beautiful tributes of love and affection that surrounded him in his last hours bore testimony to the esteem in which he was held by the community. He died as he had lived, a true believer in the just dispensation of a wise and loving Father in whom he believed and trusted.
Mrs. Lakin, who is a woman of gentle refinement and gracious pres- ence, has ever taken an active part in the social life of the places where she has made her home and commands the appreciative regard of all who come in contact with her kindly influence. She is an artist of recognized ability and for many years was at the head of the art department of the Upper Iowa University at Fayette as teacher of painting and drawing. The sons are prosperous and respected men of Miles City, Montana, to which place the parents removed in the year 1905. Thus in a rather cursory way have been set forth the leading facts and characteristics in the life of one of Fayette county's most notable and influential men of affairs. Always devoted to the public service and to the improvement of his town and county, he was beloved by his friends, admired and esteemed by the community and his career was crowned with honor and sustained by popular approval.
HIRAM R. PALMER.
Hiram R. Palmer, dealer in dry goods, groceries, shoes, etc., in Hawk- eye, has the honor of being a native-born Iowan. His birth occurred in Oxford, Jones county, November 14, 1858, and he is one of nine children whose parents are William W. and Susan A. (Carnicle) Palmer. The father was born in Morgan county, Ohio, November 28, 1819, and there married in 1848, his wife having been born in the same place September 12, 1829. Their children are as follows: Martha E., who was born December 31,
HIRAM R. PALMER.
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1850, and became the wife of B. P. Riley, of San Jose, California; Oscar J., who was born October 8, 1852, wedded Mate Palen, and is now residing in San Jose, California, where he is engaged in merchandising; Amanda J., who died in infancy ; Jasper J., retired, who was born July II, 1855, and mar- ried Emma Coonfare; Priscilla J., born January 18, 1861, is the wife of William J. Bigger, of San Jose, California, where Jasper also resides; Levi L., born February 1, 1864, married Ida Perry, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is living in San Jose; Sarah B. died in infancy; and Jacob E., of Campbell, California, who married Myrtle Fitch, of West Union, Iowa.
The subject of this sketch lived at home with his parents in Jones, Clinton and Jackson counties until 1875, in which year he located at Straw- berry Point, Iowa, where he was engaged in the creamery business with the Kingsley brothers. On severing that connection he spent two and one-half years in Brush Creek (now Arlington), Iowa, where he was employed as a salesman in a general merchandise establishment. On the 19th of September, 1880, he was married to Isodene Chesley, of Volga City, Iowa, a daughter of Norman and Lucy A. (Phillips) Chesley. Her father was born in Can- ada in 1827, was a practicing attorney and enlisted in the Twenty-first Iowa Infantry, his death occurring during his service, on the 21st of April, 1865. Mrs. Chesley was born in Pennsylvania, March 26, 1840, and their marriage was celebrated April 19, 1860, at Monona, Clayton county, Iowa. After the death of her first husband she became the wife of Francis F. Goodwin, of Volga City, Iowa. By the first marriage were born three daughters : Mrs. Palmer; Ella B. and Eva B., twins, who were born in Volga City, Iowa, March 8, 1864. Both engaged in teaching until Ella B. was married, October 30, 1887, to J. W. McGregor. He was formerly from Hamilton, Canada, and graduated in medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; he died in Denver, Colorado, January 29, 1908; Eva Blanch was married October 12, 1892, to William F. Yearouse, of Volga City, Iowa.
Mrs. Palmer was born at Monona, Clayton county, Iowa, January 7, 1862, and during her early womanhood followed the teacher's profession for some time. By her marriage she has become the mother of four children: Chesley R., born at Strawberry Point, Iowa, August 21, 1881 ; Mildred B., born January 26, 1885, at Brush Creek; Kingsley R., born at West Union, Iowa, August 18, 1893; and Russell R., born at West Union, Iowa, July 29, 1897.
Mr. Palmer's father was a shoemaker by trade and followed that busi- ness in early life. He came to Iowa in 1852 and bought a farm in Jones county. There for a number of years he followed farming, carpenter work
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and (in winters) shoemaking. Finally he sold his farm and moved to Cedar Rapids, where he was engaged as a contractor and builder until his death, in 1889. He was then seventy years of age. His widow, an octogenarian, makes her home among her children, mostly in California. H. R. Palmer remained with his parental family until grown to manhood. He received his education in the public schools of Jones, Clinton and Jackson counties, and in 1873 started out to make his own way in the business world. His first employment was with the Kingsley brothers, in the creamery business at Strawberry Point, Clayton county. He was with this firni for seven years. After severing his connection he was employed as a clerk and sales- man in mercantile business at Brush Creek (now Arlington) for two and one- half years. He came to Hawkeye in 1886 and started in business on his own account. His beginning was small and means limited, but he was thorough- ly conversant with all details of the business, was a good salesman and an affable and agreeable man who was soon surrounded with friends and pa- trons who assisted him to a position of prominence and affluence in the mer- cantile world. His business grew with the passing years, until his store has been recognized as the leading business house in Hawkeye for a number of years.
Mr. Palmer has been prospered and, through his own efforts, has ac- cumulated considerable property in the thriving town and has been signally honored by its people. He served twelve years as a president of the school board and was an important factor at the incorporation of the town, the organization of the independent school district, and the building of the fine school house, of which every citizen is justly proud. In addition to these things, much of the material progress of the town is due to the public spirit and enterprise of H. R. Palmer. The subject of this article has always been an active, working member of the Republican party and a recognized leader in local politics. In 1893 he was elected to the office of clerk of the district court and was re-elected in 1895 and again in 1897. During these six years in official life he and his family lived in West Union, and the store and busi- ness was managed by his brother, J. E. Palmer, formerly chief clerk and salesman in the same business, who is now manager of an extensive mercan- tile institution at Campbell, California. After the return of H. R. Palmer to his business at Hawkeye his son, Chesley, was employed in the store for several years ; but he is now city salesman for Cluett, Peabody & Company. in Chicago. He was married to Ella Zins, of Chicago, October 31, 1908, in which city they now reside.
Kingsley R. Palmer is a student in the Upper Iowa University, and Rus-
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sell R. is attending school in Hawkeye. Mildred, a young lady of fine at- tainments and prepossessing appearance, has spent most of her time for the last two or three years among the numerous California relatives. She is still a cherished member of the parental family.
H. R. Palmer is a member of the principal fraternal orders, and is well advanced in Masonry, in which fraternity he has been honored with high official positions. He is a member of Langridge Commandery No. 47, Knights Templar, of West Union, serving as eminent commander in 1903, and he and his accomplished wife are members of the Order of the Eastern Star in the same town. He was worthy patron of said order for two years. His blue lodge membership is with the West Union lodge and his affiliations in the Royal Arch Masons are in the Fayette chapter.
Mr. Palmer is a gentleman of much more than ordinary business at- tainments. His success is wholly due to his own unaided efforts. A genial, companionable disposition, coupled with his inherent ability to say "yes" or "no" without offense, when his personal interests dictate the word to use, are the leading characteristics of his business progress. This applies to buying as well as selling merchandise.
GEORGE W. GILBERT.
Among the honored old pioneers of Fayette county, Iowa, the subject of this sketch occupies a conspicuous position. A life of good purpose and unimpeached integrity has won for him the unbounded confidence of all who know him and he is eminently entitled to representation in a work of this nature. Mr. Gilbert is a native of western Canada, where he was born on the 28th day of February, 1841, and is the son of William and Rebecca (Pratt) Gilbert. He is of stanch Irish stock, his grandfather Gilbert having come to America from the north of Ireland. On the maternal side his ances- tors were English, his maternal great-grandfather having been born in that country, as was his son, who was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, later locating in Canada, where his daughter, the subject's mother, was born. The old Revolutionary veteran referred to was the father of twenty-three children and lived to the remarkable age of ninety-three years. He was three times married and the subject's mother was born to the first wife. The grand- parents were all tillers of the soil and were energetic and enterprising people, standing high in their respective communities. William Gilbert was born in
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New York city February 18, 1810, and his wife Rebecca first saw the light of day in Canada on February 11, 1821. The former died in 1889, at the age of seventy-nine years, and the latter in 1862, at the age of forty-one years. William Gilbert lived in his native city until he had reached his majority, when he went to Canada, where he married. About 1845 the family moved to Rockford, Illinois, where they resided until about 1864, when they came to Fayette county, Iowa, and located at Eldorado. In the winter of the fol- lowing year they moved to Charles City, this state, where they lived eight years. At the end of that time they went to northern Minnesota and took up a cla m adjoining the Chippewa Indian reservation. When about seventy-five years old, William Gilbert went to live with his daughter, Mrs. Lois Davis, at Saginaw, Michigan, where his death occurred, his remains being taken to Rockford, Illinois, for interment. After the death of his first wife, he was again married while residing at Rockford, and by the second union he had two sons, three children having been born to the first union, namely: George W., the subject of this sketch; Rebecca, who lives at Lansing, Michigan, and Lois, now deceased. The children of the second union were Theodore, a resident of Minnesota, and Henry, who lives at Detroit City, Minnesota. Their mother is now living in California. William Gilbert was an indus- trious and energetic man. He was by trade a carpenter and joiner and mill- wright. In political sentiment he was an abolitionist and took an active part in politics after the war. He was widely known and in whatever company he happened to be he was perfectly at home, being himself somewhat of an entertainer. Through his energetic habits and wise management he was always in fair pecuniary circumstances. In church work he was active, being prominent in the Baptist society, and he was ever found in support of move- ments for the benefit of the community.
George W. Gilbert was reared in the paternal home and in his youth at- tended the public schools in Rockford, Illinois. His studies were inter- rupted, however, by the sounds of the impending conflict which was then about to burst over the nation, and when the President's call for volunteers was issued, he responded promptly, enlisting at Rockford, at the age of nine- teen years, in Company D, Eleventh Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry. The command first went into camp at Bird's Point, Missouri, where they remained during the winter of 1861-62. Subsequently the regiment took part in the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, followed by Shiloh, these being the most important battles in the history of the regiment. Dur- ing the battle of Shiloh, the subject was detailed to the boat "City of Mem- phis," to help care for the wounded, and during the thickest of the fight he
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helped to carry many dead and wounded soldiers from the field. General Grant designated him as a nurse on the boat mentioned, which position he retained for four or five weeks, then becoming the steward of the boat. He had charge of about fifty nurses and the boat was kept busily engaged trans- ferring sick soldiers from the South, usually carrying six hundred and seven hundred sick and wounded men at each trip. After this he was detailed as a cook in the Cairo hospital, but soon afterwards was himself taken sick and confined in the same hospital. On his recovery he was made chief cook, which he retained for some time. He then rejoined his regiment and was discharged from the service because of physical disability. When he entered the service, Mr. Gilbert was a strong and robust man, but when he left the army he weighed but eighty-five pounds.
After the completion of his military service Mr. Gilbert returned to his former home at Rockford, where he remained about a year and then came to Fayette county, Iowa, locating in Auburn township. During the following ten years he was successfully engaged there in the tilling of the soil, but in 1876 he came to West Union, where he has since lived. Being an expert mechanic, he was for a number of years kept busily employed, but of recent years he has been living practically retired from active labor. He is a man of splendid personal qualities and is well liked in the circles in which he moves.
On February 25, 1866, Mr. Gilbert was married to Elizabeth Dewey, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Dewey, her birth having occurred No- vember 2, 1844, near New Richmond, Montgomery county, this state. The Dewey family was originally from Maryland, going from that state first to Ohio, and thence coming to Iowa. They were farming people and occupied a prominent position in their community. Of their eight children, Mrs. Gil- bert was the fourth in order of birth, she being a twin to a brother who is now deceased. The Dewey family arrived in Fayette county in 1856, locating near Eldorado. To Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert have been born two children, name- ly : Maud, born August 28, 1871, became the wife of Earl Ostrander, of this county, and they have a boy, Jesse, now two years old; Olive, born May 19, 1877, is the wife of Carl Ostrander, and they have one child, Edith Elizabeth, three years old. Carl and Earl Ostrander are twins.
Mr. Gilbert is a stanch Republican in his political faith and has held several township offices, being at present the justice of the peace, in which he is giving eminently satisfactory service. He has long taken an active interest in agricultural matters, being a member of the Fayette County Fair Associa- tion. On the fair grounds is a typical log cabin, in which are kept many
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valuable and interesting relics of the early pioneer days and which is always the center of interest for visitors. This cabin Mr. Gilbert himself built and presented to the Old Settlers' Association for the specific purpose to which it is devoted, and he was appointed the superintendent of the building, a posi- tion he still retains. Mr. Gilbert is the possessor of a number of interesting old relics, one of them being an old map and railroad guide that was pub- lished in 1845, before the state of Iowa was admitted to the Union. It is an interesting relic and by contrast emphasizes the wonderful development which has taken place in this state. Mr. Gilbert is also the owner of the celebrated cabin which was used during the first Presidential campaign of Benjamin Harrison, having been made for the Harrison Club of West Union. Several attempts have been made to destroy or steal the cabin, but it is still intact and has been made use of a number of times by the Modern Woodmen and others at different times. Fraternally Mr. Gilbert is a member of Post No. 48, Grand Army of the Republic, at West Union, and was at one time commander of the Veterans' Association of Fayette county. Religiously he is a Baptist, holding membership with the church of that denomination at West Union. He and his wife are living quietly and unostentatiously in their comfortable home at West Union and they enjoy the friendship of a large circle of acquaintances. They give a cordial welcome to all who enter their home, the spirit of true-hearted hospitality being ever in evidence.
ALBERT B. STUART, M. D.
Although yet a young man, Dr. Albert B. Stuart has won definite suc- cess in one of the most exacting of professions, one that requires persis- tency. close application and the exercise of many attributes of character that go to make the alert business man and the refined gentleman-the tact that wins and retains the confidence and esteem of those with whom he mingles. He comes from an excellent ancestry, people who were influential in the early development of the Hawkeye state. He was born in Lucas county, Iowa, September 1, 1881, the son of Rev. Thomas McKendree and Ruth H. (Huff) Stuart, the former a native of West Virginia and the latter of Iowa. The Doctor's paternal grandfather, Rev. David Orr Stuart, was a native of West Virginia, his parents having come from Scotland to America in an early day. The Doctor's father served throughout the Civil war as first lieutenant of a company of West Virginia cavalry. The paternal great-
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