USA > Iowa > O'Brien County > Past and present of O'Brien and Osceola counties, Iowa, Vol. II > Part 14
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Cornelius V. Van Epps and his family came to O'Brien county in 1872 and homesteaded on the southeast corner of section 10 in Carroll township. They erected a frame house, fourteen by eighteen feet, and suffered severe hardships for the first few years. At that time fuel was very scarce and they had to travel many miles in order to secure it. The nearest place where they could get wood was in Rock Valley in Cherokee county. Mr. Van Epps hauled the first load of lumber which went into the construction of the first house in Primghar, the county seat. He continued to live on the farm which he entered in 1872 until 1890, when he came to Sheldon, where he has since lived. He sold his farm in the fall of 1892.
Politically, Mr. Van Epps is a Progressive, having allied himself with this new party upon its organization in the summer of 1912. He has always taken an active interest in politics and in all the public affairs of the town-
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ship. For some years he served as justice of the peace in Carroll township. He and his wife are members of the Congregational church of Sheldon and contribute liberally to its various activities. Mr. Van Epps is a pleasant, con- genial man to know and has a host of friends in Sheldon and vicinity, who honor him because of the clean and open life which he has lived in this com- munity.
JAMES S. CAMPBELL.
The history of Osceola county is but a record of the doings of its people and the value of the present volume is greatly enhanced because it is written while many of the first pioneers of the county are still living. The story of the plain, common people who came here in the sixties and seventies attracts the attention and interest of all the succeeding generations of this county. One hundred years from now this volume will be of intense interest to people who will be then living here and the many incidents which gather around the lives of the early settlers of the county will make interesting reading at that far-away time. The "grasshopper war" will undoubtedly cause much curiosity in the generations to come and yet the history of many of the pioneers which are presented in this volume gives testimony of the frightful ravages wrought by these little invaders. The life history of James S. Campbell, who is now living retired in his comfortable home in Sibley. is a record of a life true to its highest ideal and there is much in it that should stimulate future generations of Osceola county to higher and better things.
James S. Campbell, the son of J. M. and Elizabeth ( Hazelwood) Camp- bell, was born in Jefferson county, New York, May 9, 1851. His father was born in New York, while his mother was a native of England. J. M. Camp- bell was the son of James Campbell, a native of Scotland. The wife of J. M. Campbell came to America with her father from England when she was twelve years of age. In 1858 the Campbell family left New York state and moved westward, finally locating at Beaver Dam, Dodge county, Wisconsin. In 1886 they removed to Crawford county, Iowa, where they lived until the death of father and mother. J. M. Campbell was born April 3, 1827, and died in August, 1906. He was twice married. His first wife, the mother of James S. whose history is here portrayed, died in 1856 and he subsequently married his first wife's sister, Mary Maria Hazelwood, who died January I, 1910, at the age of seventy-five. There were two children by the first mar- riage, James S .. with whom this narrative deals, and Mrs. Ida Elizabeth
MR. AND MRS. JAMES S. CAMPBELL
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Kellips, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. To the second marriage were born six children : Walter J., of South Dakota: Charles Ambert, of lowa: Mrs. Louise Beaumont, of Denison, lowa : Wilmer, of South Dakota : Mrs. Martha Woodruff, of Denison, Iowa, and Rev. Albert Gilliver, a Methodist minister. now preaching at Rapid City. South Dakota. In this connection it might be noted that the father of the two Hazelwood sisters was a Methodist minister.
James S. Campbell was seven years of age when his father left New York for Wisconsin and consequently received most of his education in the latter state. He was reared to manhood in Wisconsin and married in that state, living the life of a farmer there until the spring of 1889. He then migrated to Crawford county, lowa, where he purchased a farm on which he lived for two years, after which he sold it and moved to Osceola county. lowa, where he bought two hundred and forty acres of land in East Holman township for twenty dollars an acre. On this farm he lived for nine years. when he sold it and built a modern home in Sibley, where he is now living. He moved to Sibley in order to give his children better educational advan- tages. Three years after moving to Sibley he purchased one hundred and sixty acres in East Holman township adjoining the town of Sibley on the east and still later purchased three hundred and twenty acres in Wilson town- ship. For some years he resided at times during the summer season on these farms. He owns two residences in Sibley, also the Tribune building, the opera house block and a half interest in the store building adjoining the opera house. Mr. Campbell has been remarkably successful as a business man. a success which ha's come about solely through his own business ability. together with the strictest integrity in all of his financial dealings.
Mr. Campbell was married March 9. 1874. to Ellen Janes, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Janes, early settlers of Wisconsin. To this union have been born three children : William Madison, a farmer of South Dakota and. the father of four children: Clarence Eugene, a farmer of Alberta. Canada, and Mrs. Katie Elizabeth Jones, of South Dakota. Mr. Campbell was married a second time on September I. 1908, to Mrs. Alice Bishop O'Connor, a widow. of Janesville, Wisconsin. She was born, reared and educated in Wisconsin and has been a prominent church worker all of he: life. She is a member of the Northwestern Iowa Conference Board and now secretary of the Home Missionary Society. In October. 1913. she was selected as secretary to the national convention of the Woman's Home Mis- sionary Society. She is a very able and intelligent woman and has devoted several years of her life to church and missionary work. In this she is now ably assisted by Mr. Campbell, who has been a church worker all of his life.
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In the Methodist Episcopal church, to which he belongs, he has been class leader and a member of the official board for many years. He is a strong temperance advocate and never loses an opportunity to give the liquor traffic a blow.
Politically, Mr. Campbell has usually voted the Republican ticket. although he now classes himself as an independent voter. It is a fact that thousands of our best citizens are now breaking away from party ties and, especially in local elections, voting for the best man irrespective of their party affiliations. To this large and intelligent class Mr. Campbell belongs and if there were more such men of independent thinking the country would be far better off than it is. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has always taken an interest in the work of this old fraternal organization. Such is the 'outline of the life of Mr. Campbell, which indicates that his career has been the result of careful and conscien- tious work and that in all the relations of life he has performed his full duty. Successful in business, respected in social life and as a citizen dis- charging his every duty in a manner becoming an intelligent, patriotic man, he has earned and retained the good will and regard of all who know him.
GEORGE W. NELSON.
AAn honored pioneer of this county and a distinguished veteran of the Civil War is George W. Nelson, who is now living a retired life at Sutherland, O'Brien county, Iowa. He came to this state in 1870. He has been an active figure in his state from the beginning and has always taken his full share in all of those enterprises which promise to benefit his community in any way. When the rebellion was raging throughout the Southland and threatening to destroy our Union, he responded with patriotic fervor to Lincoln's call for troops and in many of the hardest fought battles of that memorable struggle he proved his loyalty to the government whose flag he had promised to serve. He has been no less loyal to his government in times of peace and no citizen of the county is more worthy of representation in this volume. He deserves the commendation which comes to him from his fellow citizens because he has always led a clean and wholesome life and never done anything which might bring upon him the censure of his neighbors.
George W. Nelson, the son of Underhill and Harriett ( Hauley ) Nelson, was born in Wisconsin in 1843. Underhill Nelson was born in 1798 and as
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a young man learned the tanner's trade, following it for twelve years. He then left his native state and moved to Albany, New York, and later to Wisconsin. He was married in the latter state in 1846 to Harriett Hauley, who was born in 1804 and died in Jefferson county. Wisconsin, in 1855. Mr. Nelson and wife were the parents of six children: Mary, Beach H., Elizabeth, Edward, Elias. deceased, and George W., who is the only one alive.
George W. Nelson received a limited common school education in his native state and when thirteen years of age began farming for himself near Milford, Wisconsin. He was working upon a farm when the Civil War broke out and then volunteered his services for the defense of his country. He enlisted August 22, 1862. in the Twenty-ninth Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry and served until he was finally mustered out. June 22, 1865. at Shreveport, Louisiana. During his service of three years he was always ready for duty and served with distinction throughout the whole period of his service.
After the close of the war Mr. Nelson returned to his home in Wiscon- sin and in 1870 came to O'Brien county and homesteaded on a quarter of a section in this county. In 1873 he was married and from that time on he and his wife worked hard to make a substantial home for themselves and their children. He succeeded to a most gratifying degree, and now has a most attractive farm as well as one of the most productive in this section of the county. Mr. Nelson carries on general farming and also raises as much stock as he can feed with his crops.
Mr. Nelson was married in 1873 to Ann Elizabeth Bookman, who was born in New York state in 1857. To this marriage have been born eight children : Elias, a farmer of this county, who married Cora Steele : Alma, deceased ; Beach H., who married Edith Thompson and is living on the old home farm; Elva, the wife of Edward E. C. Propp, manager of the Farm- ers' Elevator at Sutherland. Iowa : Grace, deceased: Elizabeth, who married W. M. Andrews and lives in Sutherland: Berton, a farmer of this county. and George W .. Jr., who is still with his parents.
Politically, Mr. Nelson belongs to that large and intelligent class of citizens who reserve the right to cast their votes for the best men, irrespective of their party affiliation, and for such men the term Independent Progressive is peculiarly applicable. Mr. Nelson has always taken an active interest in political affairs and while he was never an office seeker in any sense of the word, yet he has served his fellow citizens in two official capacities with credit to his township and honor to himself. He has served as road supervisor for
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three years in his township, as well as school director, filling the latter office for three years. Fraternally, he is a member of the Ancient Free and Ac- cepted Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Order of the Eastern Star and the Daughters of Rebekah. As he was an active veteran of the Civil War, it is but natural that he should take an active part in the Grand Army of the Republic post at Sutherland, where he has belonged for many years. Too much honor can not be accorded these boys in blue who fought the brave fight which enabled our country to remain a united nation. They are fast passing away and when taps are sounded for them our nation will have lost those men who made it possible for the flag to wave from coast to coast and from the lakes to the gulf.
ALFRED MORTON.
Few residents of Osceola county, Iowa, are better or more favorably known than the enterprising business man and representative citizen whose life history is briefly told in the following lines, and none stands higher than he in the esteem and confidence of the community in which he resides. His influence has been potent and his sympathies broad, so that he has been able to become an influential factor in the life of his locality. He is mindful of the duties he owes to the community and discharges the same as becomes a man of character and a citizen thoroughly abreast of the times.
Alfred Morton, the son of Alfred and Mary ( Moyer) Morton, was born July 19. 1868. in the state of New York near Syracuse. Alfred Morton, Sr., was born in Oswego, New York, in 1836, and was married to Mary A. Moyer November 13. 1861. He enlisted in the Civil War on March 29, 1865, at Auburn, New York, in the One Hundred and Ninety-third Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry, and was commissioned as major on May 6, 1865, with his rank dating from March 29th of the same year. He was later commissioned as brevet lieutenant-colonel and with this rank was dis- charged January 18. 1866, at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Early in the recon- struction period President Grant appointed him circuit judge in Virginia. with headquarters at Richmond. In 1879 he removed to Iowa and settled at Sheldon, where he practiced law until his death. April 19, 1896. He was a man of great strength of character, one of the leaders of the bar in Iowa. He was a member of the Congregational church and was very much inter- ested in the work of that denomination. Fraternally, he was a member of
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the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Grand Army of the Republic at Sheldon. At the time of his death he was the city attorney of Sheldon. Alfred Morton, Sr., and wife were the parents of three children: Joe, of Sioux City, lowa, and secretary of the Interstate Fair Association ; Mrs. E. G. Hutchinson, of Phoenix, New York, and Alfred, with whom this nar- rative deals.
Alfred Morton, Jr., was educated in the schools of Sheldon, Iowa, and later graduated from Phoenix, New York, Academy in 1886. Upon return- ing to lowa after graduating from the academy, he became interested in the banking profession and has been engaged in the banking business in George, Ocheyedan and Sibley, in this state. He was cashier of the Sibley State Bank from 1905 to 1910, when he disposed of his interest in the bank and became interested in the real estate and automobile business.
The Sibley Auto Company was organized in 1910 and Mr. Morton has been proprietor of the company since it was established. The company occupies a building which is seventy by eighty-five feet. It is built of con- crete block and contains a large show room, well equipped office, repair shop. with all of the latest machinery for automobile repairing, besides other small rooms. The original building was built by Doctor Neill and an addition was built by Morton, who took charge of the company. Besides the retailing of cars, the company does a general livery business in addition to the repair work. They handle the Chalmers and Reo automobiles and have built up an extensive business throughout this section of the state.
Mr. Morton was married in 1897 to Maud Barclay, who died four years later, leaving one daughter, Elizabeth. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James T. Barclay, pioneers of Osceola county and has the honor of being the first child born in Sibley. Her death occurred in 1902. Mr. Morton was married a second time in September, 1910, to Mrs. Leona Fralick, of Syracuse, New York, who had one daughter, Muriel, by a former marriage. To this second marriage have been born two children, John and Josephine.
Politically, Mr. Morton is identified with the Republican party and in the civic affairs of his community has always taken an active interest. He is a member of the Sibley school board and for several years has been a member of the city council. Fraternally, he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and has attained to the thirty-second Scottish-rite degree and the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias at Sibley. Mr. Morton is well known throughout the county and his many excellent qualities have won for him many loval friends.
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FRANK FRISBEE.
The two most strongly marked characteristics of both the East and the West are combined in the residents of Iowa. The enthusiastic enterprise which overleaps all obstacles and makes possible almost any undertaking in the comparatively new and vigorous Western states is here tempered by the stable and more careful policy that we have borrowed from our Eastern neighbors, and the combination is one of unusual force and power. It has been the means of placing this section of the country on a par with the older East, at the same time producing a reliability and certainty in business affairs which is frequently lacking in the West. This happy combination of char- acteristics is possessed to a notable degree by the subject of this history, Frank Frisbee, of Sheldon. He is too well known to the readers of this work to need any formal introduction here, for he not only comes of a family whose name is deeply engraved in the financial, commercial, profes- sional and industrial history of this section of the state, but he himself is filling a large place in the public affairs of this community. Recognized as a man of strong and alert mentality, deeply interested in everything pertain- ing to the welfare of the community along material and civic lines, he is re- garded as one of the progressive and enterprising men of his city and county.
Frank Frisbee, a retired farmer and banker of Sheldon, was born at Geneva Lake, Wisconsin, May 9, 1847, the son of Chester and Emeline (Stevens) Frisbee. Chester Frisbee was a native of New York, and came to Wisconsin in the early forties, where he lived for seven years at Geneva Lake. He then moved to the southern part of Dane county, in which the capitol of the state is located, and resided there for the next twenty-five years. In about 1880 he went to Sheldon, Iowa, where he resided with his daughter until his death. Mrs. Frisbee died in 1870. Mr. and Mrs. Frisbee were the parents of eight children : Mrs. Elizabeth Vaughn, who died some years ago in San Diego, California; Adeline, who began teaching in Wisconsin at the age of sixteen and taught for ten years in that state; Mrs. Ruth Fox, who died in Sheldon: Janette, who died in California in 1908; James B., who came to O'Brien county with his brother Frank in the spring of 1871 and died in 1891; Frank, whose history is herein delineated: Fred, whose career is given elsewhere in this work; Bessie, the wife of Frank Webster, of Sheldon.
Frank Frisbee received a good practical education in the common schools of Wisconsin and worked on his father's farm until he came to this county in 1871. He came by rail to Algona, Iowa, and from there drove the
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rest of the way. There were three of them who made this trip, Mr. Frisbee. his brother. James B., and Noah Stevens, the uncle of the two brothers and a veteran of the Civil War. When they came here in 1871, O'Brien county had a population of less than eight hundred and most of these were in the southeastern part of the county. Very little of the land had been homesteaded o: pre-empted, but the settlers were fast rushing in to take hold of the choice land. Frank Frisbee located on half of section 14 in Carroll township, and with James immediately put up a shack and started to break the land and put in their first crop. They had to haul all of their lumber from Cherokee, the county seat of Cherokee county, on the south, and their rude cabin, built in 1876, was the home of the second family to locate in Carroll township. Here they lived until the fall of 1878. The grasshoppers became so bad that they decided to forsake their farm temporarily and engaged in the livery business at Sheldon. For the next thirty years the brothers were in this business. selling out in 1906.
The real fortune of the Frisbee brothers dates from the opening of their livery business in Sheldon. As fast as they had any money saved from their business they invested it in land, buying it from two and a half to forty-five dollars an acre, although the majority of it cost them only about fifteen dollars an acre. The next twenty years they bought five thousand acres, most of which they still retain. Frank Frisbee now has fifteen hundred acres in O'Brien county. He is a large stockholder in a land firm in Winnipeg which owns twenty thousand acres and forty elevators. While he has been largely interested in real estate, he has also been an important factor in the banking interests of this section of the state. He assisted in organizing the Primghar State Bank, First National Bank of Sheldon, First National Bank of Hartley. the Ocheyedan Savings Bank, the Sanborn Savings Bank, the Farmers' Savings Bank of Boyden and a bank in Minnesota, of which he was president for some time. The Frisbee brothers now own the controlling interest in the Sheldon First National Bank. In addition to their land holdings and bank interests, the Frisbee brothers also have large holdings in business blocks and other real estate in Sheldon.
Mr. Frisbee is a Republican in politics and has served on the school board. Although his name does not appear on the roll of any church, yet he is interested in the work of the churches and gives generously of his means to the support of more than one denomination. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and is one of the charter members of Malta Lodge No. 144 of Sheldon. Mr. Frisbee was married October 15, 1868, in Wiscon- sin to Myra McLaughlin, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. W. MeLaughlin.
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Mrs. Frisbee's mother was the first woman in the township where the Mc- Laughlins settled in Wisconsin. Mrs. Frisbee's mother spent her declining years with her daughter in Sheldon. Mr. and Mrs. Frisbie are the parents of four children: Fred E., president of the First National Bank of Sheldon : Chester, who died at the age of four: Archie Lee, who died in infancy, and Gertrude, the wife of C. H. Woodruff, of Pasadena, California. Mr. Fris- bee is a self-made man, having attained his success solely through his own efforts. His life and character forcibly illustrate what a man of right prin- ciples and high ideals can accomplish when his plans are wisely laid. Success- ful in business, respected in social life and as a citizen and neighbor dis- charging his duties in a manner becoming an intelligent citizen of the com- munity, he has earned and retained the good will of all who know him.
TOBIAS E. DIAMOND.
Life is what we make it. If we but exercise the powers bequeathed to us by virtue of birth, upbringing, and through inheritance from the benef- icence of the Unknown Power which influences the actions of the individual, we are accomplishing the mission in life which may have been planned for us even before our births. The lives of self-made men always have some noticeable points worthy of recording which are of the unusual and strik- ing order. T. E. Diamond, a brilliant and rising young attorney of the city of Sheldon. O'Brien county, is a self-made man who has overcome difficulties which would prove to be well-nigh unsurmountable to the average individual.
Mr. Diamond was born in the village of Tilsit, Germany, March 18, 1876, the son of Hyman and Lena ( Epstein ) Diamond. His father is now a resident of Liverpool, England, and his mother died when he was a lad of eleven years, at which early age he came, alone, to America in May, 1887. Hle first located in Philadelphia. He resided in and about Philadelphia fot nearly three years and earned his living by doing chores on nearby farms for his board during the summer seasons and attended school during the winters. When Mr. Diamond came to America he was familiar with but two English words. Six years later he was teaching school. This remark- able accomplishment was brought about by close application and an iron determination to succeed in the land of his adoption. In the year 1890 he journeyed to Minneapolis and worked in a candy factory for one year. From
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