USA > Iowa > Fayette County > Past and present of Fayette County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 76
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Politically, Mr. Clark is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, the principles of which he believes to be for the best interests of the people and the great mission of which, he is confident, is by no means at an end. He at- tends the township and county conventions as a delegate and takes an active part in the deliberations of these bodies, serving on important committees and using his influence in the selection of judicious candidates though never him- self a seeker after the honors or emoluments of office. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has passed all the chairs, besides belonging, with his wife, to the Rebekah degree, and he is also connected with the order of Woodmen. Religiously, the Congrega- tional church holds his creed, he and Mrs. Clark being esteemed members of the local congregation.
FRANKLIN DEWEY.
Perhaps no class of men living today are entitled to higher honors or greater respect than the veteran boys in blue who sacrificed their all to save their country in the dark days of the sixties, although be it said with shame, a great many of the younger generation do not seem to fully appreciate what these brave men have done for them, nor do they accord the old soldiers proper respect. One of the sons of the North who bore the brunt of battle, the hardships of prison life, the trials of hard campaigns is Franklin Dewey, of Harlan township, Fayette county, Iowa. He was born in Montville, Geauga county, Ohio, June 8, 1839. He was brought to the West when a boy and received his education in the district schools of Fayette and McHenry counties, Illinois. He is the son of Thomas J. and Eunice O. (Stephens) Dewey. The father was born in Westfield, Hampden county, Massachusetts, February 22, 1803, and the mother was born in Montville, Geauga county, Ohio, January 26, 1814; they were married in Montville, February 14, 1835.
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the last named state, and lived on a farm there until 1844 when they moved to McHenry county, Illinois, where Mr. Dewey entered government land and lived there for ten years. In 1854 the family moved to Fayette county, Iowa, making the overland trip in wagons, locating in Harlan township, near the town of Maynard, where Mr. Dewey entered eighty acres of land from the government and bought one hundred and sixty acres, and here he and his wife lived until their deaths. Politically, Mr. Dewey was a Republican, but later joined the Greenbackers. He and his wife were the parents of eight children, namely : Franklin, of this review; Jasper, born October 22, 1840, resides at Fulton, Kansas; Addison was born September II, 1842, resides at Oelwein, Iowa; Malinda C., born September 20, 1844, resided at Maynard, and died on June 25, 1899; Minerva D., born November 6, 1846, died October 11, 1863; Charles L., born September 10, 1848, died October 20, 1863; Miranda D., born May 24, 1850, died October 15, 1863; Ira S., born September 15, 1852, died November 3, 1863.
The father of these children died February 2, 1890, and the mother on October 15, 1894. They were a fine old couple whom everybody respected and admired because of the kindness, generosity and hospitality they exer- cised.
Franklin Dewey, of this review, lived on a farm with his parents until he was of age, when he hired out as a farm hand and worked in that capacity until 1862. On August 15, 1862, he enlisted in Company F, Third Iowa Infantry, and served until the regiment's term of enlistment expired in June, 1864. He was taken prisoner at Holly Springs, Mississippi, in February, 1863, but at the expiration of twelve hours he was recaptured by the Federal troops. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Fayette Post No. 46, at Fayette. Upon his return from the army he moved to a farm of one hundred and fifteen acres in Center township which he had bought some time previous, and he lived on the farm until May, 1877, when he sold out and moved to a farm of ninety-two acres in section 5, Harlan township, where he lives at present, having a neat and well improved place.
Mr. Dewey is a Republican, but has never sought office. He holds mem- bership with the Methodist Episcopal church, being steward and trustee of the same, also class leader.
On December 25, 1867, Mr. Dewey married Mary F. Hotchkiss, who was born at Oxford, Chenango county, New York, February 7, 1848. She was educated in the district schools of Fayette county, Iowa, also spent four terms at the Northern Iowa University, being a teacher for a number of years. She was the daughter of Charles W. and Maria (Crandall) Hotch-
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kiss, the father born in Smithfield, New York, May 12, 1817, and the mother born in Chenango county, that state, September 8, 1824. They moved to DeKalb county, Illinois, in the fall of 1849, where they lived on a farm until May, 1856, when they drove through by ox teams to Fayette county, Iowa, and located in Center township, where Mr. Hotchkiss entered government land. They were the parents of four children : : Mrs. Franklin Dewey ; Charles H. lives on the home farm in Center township; Sarah J. is the wife of William H. Sidler, of Oran township, Fayette county; Helen M. is the wife of William Cross and resides in Smithfield township. Mrs. Hotchkiss lives on the home farm with her son, Charles H. Mr. Hotchkiss died February 6, I904. Mr. and Mrs. Dewey have no children.
PHINEAS C. JAMES.
The subject of this sketch, who is a leading farmer of Scott township and one of the representative citizens of the community in which he resides, is a native of Illinois, born at Flatrock, Ogle county, December 7, 1849. Louis James, his father, was born October 1, 1819, in Wales, came to America with his parents in 1831 and settled in Ogle county, Illinois, where he grew to maturity, received a limited education and began life for himself as a mer- chant. The subject's paternal grandparents, David and Ann James, were among the pioneers of Ogle county, where they spent the remainder of their lives on a farm, Louis being the only one of their six children now living.
After devoting a number of years to the flour, feed and milling business in his native state, Louis James came to Fayette county, Iowa, and is now spending the evening of his life in the town of Arlington, where he is well known and greatly esteemed. He has reached the advanced age of ninety years and for one so old retains possession of many of his faculties, physical and mental, being quite well preserved, with a memory which is seldom at fault in bringing to mind facts and incidents of the remote past. He has been thrice married, first to Harriett Campbell, some time after whose death he chose a second companion and helpmeet in the person of Mrs. Elizabeth Car- penter.
Prior to the marriage of Mr. James, the subject's mother had contracted a matrimonial alliance with a gentleman by the name of Lindsey, by whom she had three children, only one of whom, Mrs. Mary Wright, widow of Hiram Wright, of Denver, Colorado, is living. Her union with the subject's father
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resulted in the birth of six offspring, namely: John, a real estate dealer in California; Phineas C., of this review; Ann, wife of William Feakes, of Greene county, Iowa; Henry H., a farmer of Scott township, Fayette county ; Louisa, now Mrs. William Conkey, of Oelwein, and Martha, who married Clifford Hayes, of St. Louis, Missouri, she being deceased.
In early life Phineas C. James attended the common schools of his native county, later he took a high school course and at the proper time began life on his own account, choosing for his vocation the ancient and honorable call- ing of husbandry. He remained in the state of his birth until September, 1896,, when he moved to Fayette county, Iowa, purchasing one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 22, of Scott township, which, under his effective labors and good management, was in due time brought to a high state of tillage and otherwise well improved. In connection with the general agriculture which he conducted upon quite an extensive scale, he has devoted consider- able attention to the breeding and raising of live stock, and today there are few in his township as successful as he in this important and remunerative branch of farming. He feeds and markets every year a large number of cat- tle and hogs, which he ships to Chicago and other markets, and he also owns some of the finest dairy stock in the county which adds much to the liberal income of which he is the recipient.
Mr. James, in 1889, erected the handsome modern dwelling which the family now occupy and which is one of the finest and most attractive country homes in his part of the country, and the year following added still further to the appearance of his farm by erecting a large and commodious barn which is admirably adapted to the various purposes it is intended to subserve. His other buildings are also up to date and in excellent repair and, being situated in one of the best agricultural districts of the country, with an abundance of wood for all practical purposes, the nine hundred acres of land which he now owns in point of fertility and productiveness are unexcelled by any similar area within the limits of the county.
Mr. James is an enterprising man of sound intelligence and mature judg- ment and since moving to this state his career presents a series of successes such as few attain. He keeps almost ahead of the times on all matters per- taining to his calling, takes an active interest in the material advancement of the township and counties and, like all enterprising and wide-awake men, is fully informed on the leading questions and issues before the public, and, as a Republican, he wields a strong influence for his party though not in the direction of office seekers.
The domestic life of Mr. James dates from the year 1889, when he was
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happily married to Mary McMillan, a native of Scotland, and a daughter of Alexander and - - (Campbell) McMillan, who immigrated to this country when Mrs. James was a child, and settled in Scott township, Fayette county, where in due time both passed to their final reward. Mr. and Mrs. James have a family of six children, whose names are as follows: Charles J., Ethel L., Floyd L., Ella M., Belle M. and Edith A., all living and giving great promise of future usefulness. Mrs. James is a member of the Baptist church at Stan- ley. Although not identified with any organization himself, Mr. James has great respect for the church, which he believes to be a powerful agency for good, being a regular attendant of the one to which his wife belongs and a liberal contributor to its support.
W. C. STEWART, V. S.
Although a young man, Dr. W. C. Stewart has become known through- out Fayette county as one of the leading representatives of his profession in this part of the state. He comes from an excellent family of this county, he himself being a native of the same, born in Harlan township, June 23. 1881, the son of William and Stella B. (Ketchum) Stewart, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Indiana. They grew to maturity and were educated in their respective states, and they came west in 1877, having mar- ried in the East. They located in Windsor township where they purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres; a few years later they sold this and purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Harlan township and there they still reside, carrying on general farming very successfully, having made rapid progress since coming to this county. William Stewart is a Prohibitionist and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, always taking a great deal of interest in whatever tends to promote the moral as well as the material good of the county.
Dr. W. C. Stewart, of this review, is the fifth child of a family of six sons and one daughter. He was educated in the district schools, later attend- ing the high schools at Maynard and Oelwein, making a good record in each. In the fall of 1903 he entered the veterinary department of the Iowa State University at Ames, from which he was graduated with a very creditable record in 1907. He immediately located in West Union and until November. 1909, he maintained his office in the Wimber barn and from there success- fully practiced his profession, soon becoming widely known as a capable,
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thoroughly up-to-date and painstaking veterinary surgeon. In November, 1909, he bought the old store barn which in the early days was the stable of the old United States House, and here he has established a veterinary hospital and is doing an extensive business, which is constantly increasing.
ยท On October 16, 1907, Doctor Stewart married Clara Myer, the daughter of John Myer, a well known citizen of Fayette county, where Mrs. Stewart was reared and educated. The Doctor and his wife are members of the Eastern Star, and the former belongs to the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, also the Modern Woodmen of America; he also belongs to the American Veterinary Association and the Iowa State Veterinary Association, taking much interest in the affairs of each.
SIMON B. O'NEILL.
In enumerating the progressive, public-spirited and worthy citizens of Fayette county, who are deserving of specific mention in a work of the province assigned to the one at hand, the name of Simon B. O'Neill should not be overlooked, for he has succeeded in forging his way to the front rank amid discouraging environment while yet a man young in years. He is a native of Illyria township, this county, having first seen the light of day on June 29, 1878, and he is the son of John and Ellen (McGuire) O'Neill, the former a native of Utica, New York, and the latter of Iowa, each representa- tive of good pioneer families. The subject's paternal grandparents, Simon and Mary (Manahan) O'Neill, were both natives of Ireland, coming from that country to America about 1859, locating at Utica, New York. The grand- father devoted his life to farming, though he did not remain long in the state of New York (three or four years), coming to Iowa about 1868 or 1869, locating in Illyria township, Fayette county, where he purchased eighty acres on which he made his home until his death.
The father of Simon B. O'Neill was educated in the public schools of Illyria township, remaining on his father's farm until he was seventeen or eighteen years of age. He then learned the carpenter's trade, which he has since followed, becoming a very skilled workman. He now lives in West Union, and many of the best houses and business blocks in this locality at- test to his ability as a carpenter and builder.
Simon B. O'Neill was reared and educated in Illyria township, this county, attending the common schools during the winter months and assist-
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ing with the work on the farm during the crop season. He has always pre- ferred to follow farming, although he learned the carpenter's trade under his father. He is the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of highly productive and well improved land in Pleasant Valley township, which he purchased in 1897, and he has made this place his home with the exception of one or two years. He carries on general farming and stock raising very successfully, and devotes his attention to feeding cattle for the market, the "ins and outs" of which he well understands and therefore makes it a paying business. He has a pleasant and attractive home and is well fixed to enjoy life as well as lay by a competency for his declining years. He also followed threshing for about nine years in connection with farming and became widely known in this line of work.
Mr. O'Neill was married. October 28, 1903, to Fannie Boyle, daughter of William and Rosana ( Monahan) Boyle, both born in Ireland, but who came to America when young and were among the early settlers in Fayette county, Towa, where they soon had the respect of all their neighbors. To Mr. and Mrs. O'Neill two children have been born, Frances Ellen and Francis Joseph.
Mr. and Mrs. O'Neill are members of the Catholic church and faithful attendants upon the same. Mr. O'Neill is a Democrat politically, and he has been school director in his local district, though he has never aspired to public office.
J. W. MILLER.
Switzerland, though a small and mountainous country, has made a his- tory highly creditable to herself, while sending out her sons to all parts of the world to take part in the development of other regions. They are noted for their industrious habits, skill in the trades and various branches of manu- facture and also in farming and gardening, especially all branches of dairy- ing. Such people are valuable acquisitions to any state, but they were especial- ly desirable in the Northwest when that section was being settled and needed skillful farmers and dairymen. Iowa, which is naturally adapted to the dairy business, found need for all immigrants who understand the business and she had land for all industrious homeseekers who came over during the formative period. Sprinkled all through this ideal agricultural state will be found Scandinavian, German and Swiss farmers, to whose energy and skill is due much of the prosperity now common to the people of this great common- wealth. They had a marvelous faculty of acquiring and improving land and
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many of the best farms in the state are now owned by men who crossed the ocean with just enough means to get to their destination. The present genera- tion is reaping the benefits of the toil and privation of their emigrant ances- tors and worthily managing the properties which they inherited. This sketch deals with a representative family of the kind above described and a few bio- graphical notes concerning them will be found of interest.
John F. Miller was born in canton Bern, Switzerland, in the early half of the nineteenth century, and when seventeen years old decided to cast his fortunes with the great republic beyond the sea. He had but scanty means, little more than enough to pay his passage over, but he had a brave heart and an ambition to succeed that usually brings success. After reaching the United States he made his way directly across the continent, accompanied by a brother named Christian, their objective point being Iowa. Reaching Fayette county, the two brothers decided to locate in Pleasant Valley township, which "looked good" to them. They engaged in farm work and by industry and attention to duty in time "made good." John F. was not long in securing a farm of his own, which he cultivated with success while rearing a large family. He mar- ried Mary Islie, a native of Switzerland, who came to this county with her parents when five years of age, twelve years prior to the arrival of her future husband. The Islies first located in Ohio, but soon located in Fayette county on a farm in Pleasant Valley township. They had ten children, devoted all their lives to farming, belonged to the Baptist church and were good all- around citizens of the kind that build up communities.
Among the ten children above mentioned was J. W. Miller, who was born on the homestead in Pleasant Valley township, Fayette county, Iowa, April 4, 1863. He obtained the usual common school education, but from earliest boyhood was trained to hard work, just as his ancestors had been for generations. After working for wages for some years he eventually acquired three hundred and ten acres of his own in Pleasant Valley township, which he has improved and cultivated. He devotes himself to general farming and stock-raising and gives up his whole time to the duties called for by the busi- ness. He has been a director in the Clermont Creamery since the second year after its organization and paid considerable attention to making a success of the business. For eight years he served as assessor of the township, discharg- ing his duties well and gave entire satisfaction to his constituents. He is re- garded as a reliable man in all the duties of life and stands well in his com- munity. He and his family are members of the Baptist church and Mr. Miller has always been affiliated with the Republican party.
On November, 1884, Mr. Miller married Mary Muchlenthoner, a native
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of Switzerland, and they have eleven children, Louisa, Esther, Mary, Wesley, Hulda, George, Lilly, Bennie, Otto, Florence and Ada. They live quietly and unostentatiously in a neat home on a farm that is well managed and success- fully cultivated.
C. L. SHAFFER.
The real estate merchant, though often maligned, carries on a business which has done more than any other to build up our communities. He it is who locates the garden spots and farming paradises and brings them to the attention of a public who without him never would know of their existence. He locates town sites in the midst of wild prairie, and, lo and behold, thanks to this modern wizard of civilization, soon a city blossoms like the rose, grow- ing as it were over night. Mr. Shaffer, such a man, has gained pecuniary success as a portion of his reward ; as another portion, he has the consciousness of the happiness of many people placed in comfortable homes through his efforts.
C. L. Shaffer was born near Springfield, Illinois, May 16, 1855. When he was nine weeks old his parents came west to Iowa and located in the Big Woods in Black Hawk county, where they lived until 1863, when they moved to WVest Union, where C. L. was educated; then, in 1867, they moved to High- land township, Fayette county. Despite the severity of some of our present winters, the winters then seem to have been even colder. In the winter of 1878 his father's horses strayed away from home and were lost for twenty- seven days in the exceptionally deep snow. Mr. Shaffer remained on his father's farm until 1876, when he married Maria J. Ogle, who was born in Ohio, and came to Fayette county at a very early age, He then commenced farming for himself in the same township. Ten years later he moved to Richville, where he was interested in the creamery business, and was after- wards engaged in the same business in Fayette county at Elgin. In 1882 he was in Arlington, Illinois, where he had the misfortune to lose his house and all his possessions in the cyclone of June IIth. From Fayette county he moved to Alma, Harlan county, Nebraska, and ran a hotel there for six years, then returned to Fayette county and again took up farming, this time in Illyria township. He bought eighty acres of land, but soon sold it and went in partnership with J. I. Phillips, of Highland township, in the breeding of Norman and German coach horses, remaining in this business for four
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years, then formed a mercantile partnership with S. J. Capper, of West Elgin, with whom he stayed five years, retiring to enter the livery business in Elgin. He continued this for a year and a half, sold out, bought a hundred-acre farm, lived on it five months, then returned to Elgin, and went into the real estate business, carrying on operations in Texas, South Dakota, Minnesota, and this part of Iowa.
Mr. Shaffer's wife died in 1906, and in 1908 he married Belle Jaquette, who was born in Scott county, Iowa. Her parents came to Clermont, Fay- ette county, when she was very young. Her father is one of the few of the old stage drivers now living. He farmed in Fayette county from 1862 with the exception of a few years spent in North county, until recently. For the past four years he has been night watchman in the canning factory at Elgin.
While Mr. Shaffer was in Nebraska he served as deputy sheriff one year. He is a Republican, and served as mayor of Elgin six years to general satisfaction, and then resigned. The Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen of America claim him as a brother in their organizations. The various char- acters of the occupations which he has followed have given him an experience wider than the average, and one very valuable in his present business, in which his success has been notable.
WILLIAM O. SUMNER.
This representative farmer and stock raiser and for a number of years one of the leading citizens of Scott township, is a native of Saratoga county, New York, where his birth occurred on January 31, 1837. His grandfather, James Sumner, married Asenath Alvord, whose birth occurred in Middle- ton, that state, December 26, 1783. By occupation James Sumner was a tanner and furrier, which trades he followed in Saratoga county for a number of years, later in life turning his attention to agricultural pursuits. He was for many years a deacon in the Baptist church and is remembered as a man of fervent piety who exemplified his Christian faith in his relations with his fellow men. Mrs. Sumner departed this life January 1, 1862, and her hus- band on February 26, 1864.
James and Asenath Sumner were the parents of children as follows : 24, 1806, married, October 13, 1831, Richard Sherman, and died on the 23d of May, 1857; Harriett was born July.23, 1810, became the wife of S. L.
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