USA > Iowa > Jasper County > Past and present of Jasper County, Iowa, Vol. II > Part 49
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Leo P. Bale was married on December 3. 1908, to Dora Bunse, who was
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born in Newton township, this county, November 8, 1891, and here she grew to womanhood, was educated and has always lived here. She is the daughter of Fred and Henrietta (Flamma) Bunse, both natives of Germany, the father born in Helminghausen on September 29, 1848, and the mother born in Storm- braugh on March 25, 1859. There they spent their childhood and were mar- ried May 15, 1882, emigrating to America in August, 1883, locating in Davenport, Scott county, Iowa, where they remained until 1888, when they moved to Jasper county and here became very comfortably established, and here the father spent the rest of his life, dying in Sherman township, Decem- ber 16, 1900. The mother is still living in Sherman township.
Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bunse, namely: Mrs. Frank Brisel, born in Germany, January 23. 1883, is living in Sherman township; Henry, born February 14, 1885, of Sherman township'; Herman, born August 27, 1889; Dora, wife of Mr. Bale of this sketch; Meta, born September 27, 1895, lives in Sherman township. This family was reared in Jasper county. To Mr. and Mrs. Bale has been born one daughter, Wilma Arlene, whose birth occurred at Ira, November 3, 1909.
Mr. Bale purchased an interest in the dray line at Baxter in 1911 and this he is successfully engaged in. Politically, he is a Democrat and he be- longs to the Catholic church at Newton. Fraternally, he belongs to Active Lodge No. 516, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Baxter. Mrs. Dora Bale is a member of Baxter Rebekah Lodge No. 579.
BENJAMIN CARVER.
One of the most painstaking and successful farmers of northwestern Jasper county is Benjamin Carver, a man who has always advocated that whatever was worth doing at all was worth doing well, hence his continued success in his chosen line of endeavor. Being an omnivorous reader, he keeps well abreast of the times, not only in matters pertaining to agricultural affairs, but general topics, keeping the best current literature in his home.
Mr. Carver, like many of the enterprising people of this section of the Hawkeye state, is a Pennsylvanian by birth, the record showing that he was born in Pennsylvania on November 22, 1856. In early life he moved with his parents to Wisconsin, later to Illinois, thence to Story county, Iowa, and in 1880 the family came to Jasper county, where they have since lived. He is the son of Jabez and Ellen (Jackson) Carver, both natives of Pennsylvania,
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the father born on September 2, 1822, and the mother on January 9, 1831. They grew up in their native state and were educated and married there and devoted their lives to agricultural pursuits. They both died in Jasper county, Iowa, the father on August 10, 1886, and the mother on December 10, 1894. Their family consisted of thirteen children, twelve of whom are living, namely : Mrs. Lydia Stark, born August 1, 1850, lives in Sycamore, Illinois; John, born October 29, 1851, lives in Minnesota ; Samuel, born May 7, 1853, lives in Jasper county ; Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Dixon, born November 15, 1854, lives in Collins, this county ; Benjamin, of this sketch; Mrs. Sarah Jane Stark, born May 21, 1858, lives in Maxwell, Iowa; Mrs. Ada Elzona Hughes, born August 30, 1860, is living in Webster City, Iowa; Jabez, born May 23, 1863, died October 29, 1909; Mrs. Minnette Teeter, born October 28, 1865, is living in Marshall county, Iowa; Dewitt Edwin, born August 9, 1867, lives in Jasper county ; Mrs. Mary Ellen Garret, born May 24, 1870, lives in Aurora, Nebraska; Florence Louisa Carver, born December 1, 1873, of Sycamore, Illinois ; Ira Douglas, born April 10, 1875, lives in Dakota. The seven eldest children were born in Pennsylvania and the four following were born in Wis- consin, while the two youngest were born in Illinois.
Benjamin Carver is the owner of an excellent farm of one hundred and seventy-three acres of choice land in Clear Creek township, Jasper county, which he has placed under a high state of improvement. Although the work is done by a tenant, Mr. Carver has the directing of the crops and the general overseeing of the place. Through his industry and application, he has secured a competency. He raises large numbers of grade stock. Politically, he is a Democrat. He has never assumed the responsibilities of the married state.
W. R. VANDIKE.
All honor is due the courageous pioneers who were willing to leave their ancestral homes in the East and come to the new state of Iowa when it was little known to civilization, when the wild beasts of various types and scarcely less wilder tribes of red men here held the balance of power. They were truly hardy spirits, but they braved the dangers, underwent the hardships always incident to pioneer life and in due course of time became well established, making the wild plains blossom and bring forth abundant harvests and now their homes and those of the latter generation are seen on every hand, all pleasant and inviting. Of this worthy band of early settlers the name of W.
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MR. AND MRS. W. R. VANDIKE
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R. Vandike is inseparably linked with the early history of the locality of which this volume treats. He was born in Delaware county, Ohio, October I, 1835, and there he spent his early childhood, leaving his native hills on August 26, 1856, and came by team in a tedious overland journey to Jasper county, Iowa, and he has been a continuous resident here ever since. 'His first settlement was made in Clear Creek township and his life has been, for the most part, spent in agricultural and educational pursuits, in which he has met with very satisfactory results. In the spring of 1891 he with his esti- mable helpmate retired from the active duties of the farm and moved to their cozy home in the town of Baxter, where they are enjoying the fruits of their former years of endeavor.
Mr. Vandike is the son of John and Elizabeth (Aultman) Vandike, the father a native of Saline county, New Jersey, and the mother was born in Pennsylvania, grew to womanhood in Ohio and died in 1851. The father of John Vandike having died when the latter was quite young, he was reared by his grandfather near Philadelphia, and his death occurred in Benton county, Iowa, in 1880. His family consisted of seven children, namely : Henry W., ex-mayor of Belle Plaine, Iowa, died there in August, 1899, at the age of eighty years; Jane B. Crawford died when twenty-five years old; Hanna A. Ridgeway died in California in June, 1909, at the age of seventy-seven years ; W. R., of this review ; J. P. lives near Elberon, Iowa ; S. P., who was county auditor of Benton county, Iowa, for five years, lives at Belle Plaine, this state ; Mary E. Walton lives in Custer county, Nebraska.
W. R. Vandike grew up on the home farm and worked hard when a boy. He was married in Independence township, this county, on November I, 1860, to Sarah F. Cushatt, who was born in Hart county, Kentucky, Septem- ber 4, 1842. Her father, Aquilla Cushatt, was born in Alabama in 1816. He migrated to North Carolina, thence to Kentucky, later to Jasper county, Iowa, as a pioneer. When the Civil war came on he enlisted for service in the Union army in Company I, Tenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and served four years, receiving an honorable discharge, after which he returned to agricultural pursuits ; his death occurred in Independence township, this county, on April 14, 1889. He married Osee Logsdon, who was born in Hart county, Kentucky, and died in Baxter, Iowa, February 3, 1889. They settled in Jasper county in 1848, when the country was wild and there were few settlers. There were eleven children in their family, all but four dying when quite young ; those who grew to maturity were Sarah F., wife of Mr. Vandike, of this review ; Andrew, born March 19, 1844, is living in Colorado ; Robert W. was born July 30, 1852, and he lives in Jasper county, Iowa; Isa- (78)
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belle Thompson, born July 14, 1855, died at Rocky Ford, Colorado, Febru- ary 14, 1909.
To Mr. and Mrs. Vandike seven children have been born, four of whom died in infancy ; those living are John Aquilla, born in Jasper county July 29, 1861, who, after completing the common school work, entered the University of Iowa, from which he was graduated, later taking up teaching as a pro- fession, at which he has been very successful and was formerly superintendent of schools at Plainview, Wabasha, Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and he is at present superintendent of schools at Coleraine, that state. H. Walter Vandike was born November 6, 1868, was graduated from the common schools, later attended college at Iowa City and Mt. Vernon ; he became an actor and has met with a large degree of success. Austa Jane Bair, born December II, 1874, is residing in Newton, Iowa. These children were all reared in In- dependence township. Their father gave them every advantage of education and was of much assistance to them personally in this, for he was for a long period one of the leading educators of this locality, having taught twenty-four terms, during which time his services were in great demand and he was uni- versally popular with both pupils and patrons. He has always been a student, has kept well abreast of the times on all current questions. He has all his life manifested an abiding interest in public school work and has been a director for many terms. Perhaps few have done so much for local educational af- fairs as he. He was president of the board of education at Baxter for a period of twenty years, and still holds that office, and was secretary of In- dependence township for an equal period. He has been justice of the peace for ten years, and assessor of the town for the same length of time. He has filled all public trusts in a manner that has reflected much credit to himself and satisfaction to all concerned.
This worthy and highly esteemed pioneer couple moved to Baxter in 1891. where they own nine acres of valuable land besides a commodious and neatly furnished home. Here they celebrated their golden wedding on November 1, 1910. Mr. Vandike is a member of Unit Lodge No. 520, An- cient Free and Accepted Masons, at Baxter and he has been master of the same for two years. Personally, he is well informed, public-spirited, broad and liberal-minded, charitable and advocates the simple life. Politically, he is a Democrat and belongs to the Congregational church. It is doubtful if any couple in Jasper county can claim a broader acquaintance or more friends than they. It is interesting to hear them recall reminiscences of pioneer days and of the subsequent work in bringing this favored section up to a level of any in the great Hawkeye commonwealth.
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JOHN P. WELLS.
One of the well known and influential citizens of the locality of which this history treats is John P. Wells, a man who has met with encouraging success all along life's rugged road because he has worked for it along legit- imate lines and has dealt honestly with his fellow men. He was born in Warren county, New Jersey, January 27, 1844, but the major part of his life has been spent in the middle West. When four years of age, in 1848, his parents brought him to Bureau county, Illinois, where they remained until 1856, when they removed to Indian Creek township, Story county, Iowa, where he has continued to reside. He is the son of Charles Wells, who was born in Hunterdon county, New Jersey, spent most of his life engaged in farming in Illinois and Iowa and died in Story county in 1880. The paternal grandfather of the subject. George Wells, was born in New York city, and the great-grandfather of John P. Wells was a sea captain. The mother of the subject was known in her maidenhood as Sarah Park and was a native of Warren county, New Jersey. Her death occurred in Story county, Iowa, in 1890. The Wells family consisted of ten children, five of whom are still. living. They were named as follows: Andrew J. is deceased ; Mrs. Angeline H. Keel is deceased, as is also Harvey F .; Mrs. Mary Matilda Maryhew is living in Nebraska; Joseph G. is living in Maxwell, Iowa; John P., of this sketch; Mrs. Adeline Hardenbrook lives in Maxwell, Iowa; George S. is de- ceased ; Mrs. Minerva Angelo lives in Oklahoma : a son died in infancy. Five children were born to John P. Wells by a former wife, known in her maiden- hood as Lottie Finney, two of whom are living; Delia Ann died at the age of two and one-half years ; the two eldest children died in infancy ; Mrs. Nellie May Granger, born June 15, 1880, is living in Collins; Maude Iola, born September 1, 1886, is also living in Collins. Mrs. Wells was first married to B. F. Stevens and to them the following children were born: Mrs. Sarah Ellen York, born May 27, 1858, is living in Oklahoma; John William, born September 17, 1860, lives in Nebraska; Andrew Jackson, born January 15. 1863, lives in Story county ; Mrs. Addie Ann Cunningham, born March 8, 1865, died November 5, 1907; Mrs. Margaret Jane Benson, born October 26, 1867, died October 13, 1909; Mrs. Martha Rozella Bates, born January I, 1870, is living in Collins township, Story county ; Mrs. Zora Olive Lindsrum, born March 18, 1872, died November 6, 1909; Mrs. Melinda Capitola Roush, born July 12, 1874, of Des Moines, Iowa. After the death of Mr. Stevens, Mrs. Wells was again married to J. F. Millhouse, who was born January I,
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1844, and the following were the children by this union: Charles Madison, born April 10, 1878, lives in Minnesota; Mrs. Alice Victoria Coulter, born January 6, 1880, lives in San Francisco, California; Mrs. Bertie Agnes Bout- nott, born March 3, 1882, of Maxwell, Iowa. Mrs. Wells is a woman of strong personality and has a host of friends wherever she is known. She is a sister of Oliver B. Fuller, a sketch of whom appears in this volume, to which the reader is respectfully referred for a full history of her parents and the Fuller family.
John P. Wells is one of the veterans of the Civil war, having served faithfully in the Union army, enlisting from Linn county, Iowa, early in the war, in Company B, Twentieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and was assigned to duty in the Independent division of the Army of the Frontier. After the siege of Vicksburg he was in the Thirteenth Corps, First Brigade, Second Division, Department of the Gulf, and served three years, receiving an hon- orable discharge at the close of the war. He served under General Canby, and saw some hard service; besides the siege of Vicksburg, he was in the battles of Prairie Grove, Fort Hudson, Fort Blakely and the capture of Mus- tang Island. He returned to Story county after the war and devoted his life to farming, in which he met with a large measure of success, retiring from the farm in 1905. He is now a resident of Collins, Story county, where his wife owns the hotel and he an attractive dwelling.
Politically, Mr. Wells is a Democrat and he has been a member of the school board. He belongs to Amity Lodge No. 361, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Collins, and he was its first and second noble grand, and was district deputy grand master in 1893.
FRANCIS J. RIPPEY.
Among the native-born men of Independence township who occupy a prominent place in the esteem of the people of Jasper county is Francis J.' Rippey, who is respected by all who know him, for fair dealing has been his watchword. He is optimistic, looking on the bright side of life, and is seldom heard to complain at the rough places in the road, knowing that life is a battle in which no victories are won by the slothful, but that the prize is to the vigilant and the strong of heart.
Mr. Rippey was born in Independence township, March 18, 1870. He is
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the son of William F. and Ann (Armsworth) Rippey, a complete sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this history.
Francis J. Rippey, of this sketch, grew to manhood on his father's farm and assisted in the general work about the place, and he received his educa- tion in the local schools. He took up agricultural pursuits for a livelihood and has continued the same to the present day, and he is now the owner of one of the choice farms of Independence township, consisting of two hundred and eighty acres, upon which are two sets of excellent improvements, his home- being modern in all its appointments. Everything about the place denotes thrift and prosperity and he is regarded as one of the leading young farmers of this part of the county.
Francis J. Rippey was married on January 29, 1896, to Zella B. Miller, who was born in Indiana on March 25, 1874, the daughter of Elisha and Martha (Murphy) Miller, the father born in Indiana, and he is now a resi- dent of Clear Creek township, this county. Mrs. Rippey has one brother and one sister. To Mr. and Mrs. Rippey two sons have been born, namely : Rus- sell, born February 25, 1899, and William Gale, born October 17, 1902.
Politically, Mr. Rippey is a Republican and he has served as school direc- tor of his district. He belongs to the Methodist church at Ira, the Modern Woodmen of America at Ira, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Mingo. Mrs. Rippey is a member of the Yeomen.
WILLIAM E. BAILEY.
One of the substantial and progressive citizens of Baxter, recently re- tired from the active duties of life, and who was formerly one of the leading agriculturists and stock men of Jasper county, is William E. Bailey, a man who, as owner of the Oak Grove herd of shorthorn cattle, won a widespread reputation in his chosen field of endeavor, having been long noted for his excellent ability to judge live stock. He was a man who believed in employing the most approved methods in farming, studied his soil with a view of learning its quality and capacity and for what crops it was best adapted ; he used ferti- lizers as needed and rotated his crops so that the land was not exhausted by repeated cultivation of a single product. He has been a reader of agricul- tural and horticultural literature, attended exhibits, made comparisons of his methods and results with those of his neighbors; he believes in attending the lectures and demonstrations made by those in charge of the agricultural and
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stock trains that the government or agricultural associations send over the country, and is interested in the practical work of the national agricultural department and of the state experiment stations, in short, he believes in keep- ing fully awake to the possibilities of his calling and making every effort to increase the output along the most advanced lines. Thus his large success so early in life is not to be wondered at.
Mr. Bailey was born in Independence township, this county, on May 5, 1872, and here he has spent his life, having always been identified with agri- cultural and stock raising pursuits. He is the son of William, Sr., and Elinor (Caragher) Moonen-Bailey, the father born in Lincolnshire, England, March 14, 1819. He came to New York state in 1830 and remained there four years engaged in farming. He came on to Ohio in 1835, then took up the study of medicine and surgery at Greentown, Stark county, Ohio, and he was later graduated from Lake Erie University, now the Starling Medical College, at Columbus, Ohio, and for twenty years he practiced his profession with much success. In 1866 he moved to Newton, Iowa, where he continued to practice a year, then for eighteen months he engaged in the mercantile business there, then moved to Boonesboro. In various parts of the United States he carried on various business enterprises, conducted a saw-mill for some time, and finally purchased a herd of cattle in Texas and brought them to Iowa. He was an extensive traveler and visited all parts of the Union. He was a man of strong characteristics and made his influence felt wherever he went, and was very successful as a business man and a physician. His death occurred at Newton, Iowa, on July 25, 1907. He was twice married, his second wife, mother of the subject, being a native of Tioga county, New York, where she was born in 1835; she died on August 26, 1882. One child was born to the first union, Mrs. Lucy Mann, now residing in Turlock, California. The six children born to the second union of Dr. William Bailey were named as fol- lows: John died in infancy ; Mrs. Elinor Ann Galbraith, born December 22, 1856, died February 20, 1905; Mrs. Mary Sophia Scott, born December 9, 1868; William, of this review; Mrs. Margaret Smith, born November 20, 1876, lives in Newton, Iowa. These children were reared in Jasper county.
Dr. William Bailey, Sr., was a member of Unit Lodge No. 520, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Baxter. He was president of the school board here for four years. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Newton, while his wife belonged to the Catholic church there. He was one of the earliest and most successful of Jasper county's physicians.
The son, William Bailey, of this sketch, received a good education in the local schools and here he grew to manhood. He was married on December
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3, 1903, to Lizzie K. Bale, who was born in Newton, Iowa, on January 17, 1881, and there she grew to womanhood and was educated and she has always lived in this county. She is the daughter of John and Mary (Donnelly ). Bale, the father born in Rockford, Illinois, July 10, 1853, and he is residing with the subject of this sketch. The mother of Mrs. Bailey was born in Louisiana on July 6, 1855, and died in Newton, Iowa, on April 28, 1907. There were seven children in the family, all living, named as follows : Lizzie K., wife of Mr. Bailey, of this sketch; William, born September 23, 1883, lives in this county ; Leo P., born May 3, 1886, is living in Baxter; Mrs. Henry Bunse, born April 28, 1889, lives near Newton; John, born February 21, 1892, lives in Baxter; Vernon, born August 23, 1895, lives in Newton ; Maurice, born August 13, 1898, lives in Newton. All these children were born and reared in Jasper county. To Mr. and Mrs. Bailey one daughter has been born, Mary Thelma, whose birth occurred in Independence township, August 6, 1905.
Politically, Mr. Bailey is a Democrat, and he is a member of Active Lodge No. 516, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Baxter, and he be- longs to the canton at Newton, while Mrs. Bailey is secretary of the Baxter Rebekah Lodge No. 579, of Baxter. He has been a member of the school board of Independence township for two years. Mrs. Bailey is a member of the Catholic church at Newton.
Mr. Bailey has been very successful in a business way and has laid by a sufficient competency to insure his future years from want. He sold his fine farm of one hundred and twenty-six acres, in the fall of 1911 and moved to Baxter, where he has a cozy, commodious and attractive home and here the family intend to reside permanently. His Oak Grove herd of shorthorn cattle was among the best to be found in the state.
The subject and wife are sociable, neighborly people, hospitable and obliging and they number their friends by the scores.
LAWRENCE HUTSON.
It is a pleasure to meet the old settler-one who came here when young. when the observation was quickest and the mind most plastic-and learn from his lips of the trials which were endured for the sake of the happy homes which now dot the county of Jasper. Such a man is Lawrence Hutson, of Mingo, one of the well known and highly honored citizens of this locality.
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Most of his earlier impressions were gained in the woods of the pioneer period and he relates many interesting stories of those times. The pioneers were happy. It is singular how easily a person can adapt himself to any surround- ings and derive comfort therefrom. And yet it fails to be at all singular when account is taken of the selfish desire of the human race to be comfortable. If we have enough to eat and enough to wear and a little ahead and an outlook for some good reading matter we can manage to worry along and derive some satisfaction out of life. So the old settlers were contented with their lot, much more so than we, with our so-called advanced methods of living.
Lawrence Hutson, like many of our enterprising citizens, hails from the old Buckeye state, his birth having occurred in Wayne county, Ohio, in 1832. He spent his youth in Ohio, where he received his education in the common schools and there grew to manhood, remaining there until he was twenty- three years of age, when he made the overland journey to Jasper county, Iowa, arriving here in June, 1855, and he has lived in the county ever since, a period of fifty-seven years, during which time he has seen a wonderful trans- formation, the wild prairies give way to fertile farms and comfortable homes, and he has been active in the work of the same. There were no railroads in this part of the country when he came here, in fact, he says there was nothing but a grove to give any evidence of civilization when he arrived in this part of Jasper county and there were little evidences of the future conditions of the county. There were no trading points within a radius of fifty miles. But he was a man who had a wise foresight and cared nothing for hardships and obstacles, so set to work with a will and in due course of time had a pleasant home and a good farm in Clear Creek township, eighty acres, on which he has made a good living and is now surrounded by plenty, spending his de- clining age in quiet.
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