USA > Iowa > O'Brien County > Past and present of O'Brien and Osceola counties, Iowa, Vol. II > Part 2
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Land Speculators 545
Schools 671
Section 2 545
Section 3 546
Court, District, Clerks of. 540
Court, First Term of 541
Court House, First 541
2
1
1
1
1
549
Section 29
549
1
1
I
I
Section 34
549
Settlement
545
Speculators 545
Baptist Churches
616
Bench and Bar
647
Boards of Supervisors
541
C
Catholic Churches
623
Churches
606
Cities 593
Officials
598
St. Gilman
597
Section 24
Altitude
597
1
1
547
Section 11
L
547
Section 17
Section 28
Section 10
First Buildings
HISTORICAL INDEX.
D
Davis, Jefferson, Survey 536
Death, First in County. 672
Deaths by - Accident
667
Deaths by Freezing
663
Diphtheria Epidemic
633
Diseases
631
District Court, Clerks
of
540
Doctors, Early
629
Drainage
535
Dunkelmann, Henry
548
E
East Holman Township 549
Settlement 549
Section
1
549
Section
2
549
Section
4
550
Section 5 550 1 I 1
Section 6 550 1 1
I Section 7 551
Section
8
551
I
Section 10
551
Section 12
551
1
1
Section 14
551
Section 17
552
1
1 1 Section 18 552
Section 20
552
Section 21
553
1
Section 22 553 1
Section 24
553
Section 26
553
1
Section 28 553 1
Section 30
554
Section 32
554
1
Section 34
554
Section 36
554
Early Trials 537
Early Transportation
677
Educational History
670
Election, First
538
* * Evangelical Lutheran Churches __ 611, 620
Extraordinary Events
660
F
Fairview Township 555
Beautiful Vista
555
First Officers
556
Fairview Township-Continued.
„ Officers, First
556
Officers, Present
556
: Prairie Beauty
555
Schools
557, 670
Section
8
555
Section 20
555
Section 22
1
555
· Section 28
555
Section 30
1
1
1
556
Section 32
556
Section 33
556
1
1
Settlement
555
1
Farm Statistics 681
Finances, County 541
First Attorneys
647
First Court House
541
First Election
538
First Grand Jury
541
First Nominating Convention
538
First Preaching Service
606
First Railroad
678
First Schools
670
First Supervisors 540
First Term of Court 541
First Things
672
Foster, William R.
565
Fuel Question
674
G
Geology 535
German Lutheran Churches
621
Gilman Township
557
Hard Times 557
Schools 671
Section
2
557
Section
4
557
Section 6 558 1 1
Section
8
558
Section 10 558 1
Section 12 558
Section 14 559
Section 18
559
Section 22 560
Section 24 560
Section 26 560
Section 28
560
Section 30 560
Section 32
561
1
1
I
I
1
1
1
1
1
HISTORICAL INDEX.
Gilman Township-Continued.
Section 34
561
Settlement
557
Usurious Interest
557
Schools 572, 670
Section 8 570
Section 10
570
Section 12 570
Section 14 570 I 1
Section 18 570
Section 20 570 1
Section 22 570 1 I 1
Section 24 570 1
Section 26 570 1
1 Section 28 570 1 1 1 1
Section 30 571 1
Section 32 571 1
Section 34 571 L
1
Section 36
571
Human Pincushion
643
I
Increase in Land Values
542
Iowa Land Company
673
Ireland Post, G. A. R. 652
J
Jenney, J. B.
588
Johnson Murder
660
Jury, First Grand
541
Grasshopper Scourge
678
Groen, George, Shooting of
663
H
Harris 598
Business Interests 599
Churches
610
Officers, First
599
Officers, Present
600
Organization
599
Harrison Township
568
Agriculture 568
Land Speculators 568
Mennonites
568
Schools
671
Settlers, Early
568
Speculators, Land
568
Horton Township 569
Churches 620
Immigration of 1883-5 571
Goewey Township
561
Schools
671
Section 1
561
Section 2
561
Section 4 562
Section 6 562
Section 8
Section 10 1
563
Section 12
564
Section 13
564
Section 14
564
Section 16
564
Section 18
564
Section 19 1
564
Section 20
565
Section 22
565
Section 23
566
Section 24
566
Section 26
566
Section 28
566
Section 30
567
Section 32
567
Section 34
567
Section 36
567
Grafters, Influx of 539
Grand Army of the Republic
652
Grand Jury, First 541
L
Land Values
542
Legal Fraternity
647
Looting of County Treasury
539
M
Medical History
628
Melvin
604
Churches 608
Methodist Episcopal Churches
606
Mileage, Railroad 542
Military History
652
Miscellaneous
670
Murder of Peter Johnson
660
1
I
1
1
1
1
1 1
1
1
1
1
I
1
1 1
1
1
1 1
1
1
1
1
1
1
F 1
1 1
1
1
1
1
1
563
HISTORICAL INDEX.
N
Naming of Osceola County 536
Natural Features 535
Neill, Dr. H. 636
Nominating Convention, First 538
O
Ocheyedan 601
Beginning 601
Business Concerns 601
Churches
611, 615
Improvements
601
Location
601
Officers
603
Ocheyedan Township 572 1 1 1
Drainage 572
Schools 671
Section
572
Section 3 573 1 1 1
Section
1
573
1
Section 6 573
Section
573
Section 10 573 1
Section 12
574
Section 13 574 1
Section 14 574
Section 18 574 1
Section 20 574 1 1 1 1 1 1
Section 22 574 1
Section 24 574
Section 25 576 1 1
1 1 1 Section 26 576 1
Section 28 576
Section 30
1 576
1 1 1 Section 32 576 1
Section 34 576 1 1
Soil 572
Ode to Osceola 689
Officials, County 540
Old Soldiers in the County 652
Organization Election 538
Organization of County 536
Osceola County, How Named 536
Osceola County Set Off
537
P
Physicians, Early 629
Pioneer Letters
682
(46)
Preaching Service, First
606
Presbyterian Churches
616
R
Railroad Land Taxation 542
Railroad Mileage
542
Railroads
678
Record Setting off County 537
Recorders, County
540
Religious History
606
Roster of County Officials
540
Rush Lake
535
S
Schools, First 670
Schools, Superintendent of 540
Sheriffs
540
Shooting of George Groen 663
Sibley
537, 593
Business Interests 593
Churches
606, 612, 615, 616, 617, 626
596
Hospital
Officers
597
Public
Utilities
596
Schools
672
Sioux City Attorneys 650
Soil
536
Soldiers, Old, in the County 652
Streams
535
Suhm, Josef von Willemoes 682
Superintendent of Schools 540
Supervisors, Boards of 541
Supervisors, First
540
Surgical Cases 630
Survey by Jefferson Davis
536
Surveyors, County
540
T
Taxation of Railroad Land 542
Topography 535
Tower, Joseph P. 574
Town, the First 537
Towns
593
Trails, Early 537
Transportation 677
Treasurers, County
540
Treasury, Looting of County
539
1
I
1
1
1
1
1 1
1
I
1
1
1
HISTORICAL INDEX.
V
West Holman Township-Continued.
Section 12
583
Veterans of the Civil War 652
Section 13
584
Viola Township
576
Section 14
584
Churches
621
Section 15 584
Schools
580, 670
Section 16
585
Settlement
576
Section 18
585
Section co
576
Section 19
585
Section 10
576
Section 20
585
Section 12
577
Section 22
586
Section 14
577
Section 23
586
Section 18
577
Section 24
586
Section 20
577
Section 26
587
Section 22
578
587
Section 24
578
Section 29
587
Section 26
578
Section 30
587
Section 28
578
Section 31
587
Section 29
579
Section 32
587
Section 30
579
Section 32
579
Section 33
579
Wilson Township
I
1
1
589
Schools
592, 670
Section S
589
Section 10
590
Section 12
590
Section 14
590
1 L Section 18 590 1 1
Section 20 590 1
Section 2
580
Section 4
581
Section 22
590
Section 5 581
1 Section 24 590
591
1 1 Section 6 582 1
Section 26 1
1
1
I
Section 8 582 1
582
Section 32
591
Section 9
1
1
582
Section 34
591
Section 10
Section 11
583
Section 36
591
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
I
I
J
1
1 1
I
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
579
Section 36
580
1
1
W
West Holman Township 580
Churches
622
Section 1 580
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
I
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
588
Section 34
1
1
1
588
Section 36
t
1
1
1
1
I
1
1
1
1 Section 582
Section 28 591 I I
Section 30 591
1
1
1
1
Section 28
1
1
1
1
Section 34
1
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX
A
Adams, Lincoln 1194
Adkins, John V. 837
Agar, Albert H. 1047
Alexander, Thomas
J
1241
Aldinger, John
732
Aldinger, Lester T.
734
Algyer, David 1290
Appleton, Charles E. 1144
Archer, John H. 1260
Armstrong, Hon. William S. 874
Attig, Christ
1176
Attig, Fred
1195
Aupperle, Dr. George .
1061
Avery, Milo, M. D 760
B
Babcock, Charles A. 1270
Ballou, Nathaniel 1262
Bangert, Henry L. 1200
Bark, Tom B.
1159
Beebe, William W. 1114
Beers, Bessie J. 889
Berne, Thomas 919
Bidwell. Francis L. 1202
Billingsly, James J. 743
Bishop, John F. 901
Blaesser, Walter A. 1000
Blahauvietz, John
982
Blake, George G.
808
Bloes, Nick 904
Bobzine, John 1053
Bock, Adolph
995
Boies, Hon. William D.
746
Bonderman, Warner W. 1127
Bonner, William
881
Boor, Nicholas
946
Bossert, John P. 1016
Boyce, Samuel 1042
Boyd, Richard M. 860
Boyd, Robert W.
980
Brackney, Herman J., M. D.
869
Bradrick, Sidney I. 1193
Brady, Albert V. 986
Brady, Ezra M. 986
Brahan, William
977
Braig, Anthony J. 1001
Brandt, Jacob, Jr. 1185
Briggs, Charles W.
822
Briggs, James C.
1052
Briggs, William 721
Brock, Andrew J. 1243
Brock, Walter R., M. D. 867
Broders, Ernest F.
789
Brosh, James 1082
Brown, William H. 773
Brundage, John R.
1314
Brundage, Selonious
1022
Bunce, Wayland M.
1086
Bunker, Ernest A. 1234
Burlet, Willard A. 792
Burley, Victor A.
1235
Burns, Charles 883
Burns, John H.
938
1
Byers, David
941
1
Bysom, Daniel 1096
C
Cain, William 1106
Cajacob, Platcy A. 890
Callenius, Otto
1108
Campbell, James S.
826
Cannon, Charles C.
1004
Clark, Charles S.
1116
Clarksean, Charlie 945
Claussen, Ernst J.
1226
Cleaveland, Ezra D.
1219
Clements, Isaac 784
Closson, Richard 1237
Coleman, George 788
Conn, James
1252
Cooper, John
1162
Cooper, Rev. Leonard J.
1010
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
Corns, Thomas M. 937
Cowan, John 998
Cram, Frederick W., M. D. 848
Cronin, Dennis E.
1168
Crum, Roy R.
1024
Culver, Andrew 806
Cutsinger, James 1066
D
Daly. James H. 864
Day, Harley 1240
Dean, Herbert E. 1221
Delan, John J. 987
Den Beste, Joseph
1134
Denny, Michael
959
Derby, Frank N. 1017
Dewey, James
804
Diamond, Tobias E. 834
Doolittle, Hezekiah G. 853
Dougherty, Patrick J.
973
Dornbusch, Ina 1021
Downing, William H. 778
Draper, Merriett S.
1077
Dries, Anton 1175
Dummett, William H. 1090
Dunkelmann, Henry 1191
E
Egdorf, William 1057
Eichner, Julius F. 923
Elliott, William B. 947
Ely. William E., M. D. 1216
Emery, A. J. W. 1088
Engelke, John
1308
Epping, Henry 1242
Evans, Oliver
935
Ewoldt, Hugo
925
F
Farnsworth, Thomas 1074
Farquharson, Charles 1170
Fillenwarth, Arthur T. 850
Finch, Mellville D. 1136
Flinder, Samuel C. 1071
Fogle, John H. 957
Foote, Charles E. 818
Foskett, Elmer C. 1132
Frey, Otto J. 1231
Friedrichsen, William 1092
Frisbee, Frank 832
Frisbee, Fred 1140
Fruhling, Rohlf
1209
G
Gardner, Jolın 1112
Gaster, Ed
742
Geister, Albert G. 1079
Geister, Henry W.
Geister, Joseph
1118
Gere, Capt. Francis 770
Gilkinson, Alexander 1198
Gill, Joseph 780
Glover, John F.
954
Gole, Menno S. 1201
Gosch. Adolph
105G
Grant, Alexander 961
Graves, William 1184
Green, William C. 1245
Grending, Frederick W.
1124
Guhl, Fred
1039
H
Hain, Foster 1034
Hakeman, George 972
Hamilton, George 1232
Hand, William C., M. D. 1018
Hanon. John C. 841
Harding, Orlando B. 758
Harker, William 1253
Harris, George W. 1248
Harvey, Mahlon 1148
Hass, Henry C. 1197
Hastings, John A. 1014
Heatherington, Rev. M. J. 1300
Helmer, E. L. 922
Henderson, Humphrey 1205
Hendrick, Harry H. 1068
Herrick, Frank L. 733
Hickey, Martin
975
Hickey, Peter
1318
Hickok, J. W. 839
Hill, Reuben W. 1311
Hinman, Hon. John F. 800
Hinman, Ralph T. 726
Hinz, Fritz S12
Hodapp, Michael 1111
Hoeven, Andrew 952
1
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
Hoffmann, Rev. John P. 761
Hoke, Joseph 1295
Horton, Frank W., M. D. 866
Hough, Frank S., M. D. 749
Hughes, N. I. 1256
Hulser, Frank W. 1154
I
Ihle, Charles E.
1272
Irvine, John H. 1104
J
Jackson, W. C. 1229
Jacobson, Jacob 1277
Jepsen, John W. 966 1
Jinkinson, William 903 1 I 1 1
Johnson, John A. 754
Jones, Benjamin 1210 1
1 Jones, George L. 1030 1
Jones, Martin
1303
Jones. Robert P. 962
Jossem, John T.
1009
K
Kas, Thomas D., M. D. 769
Kelley, Patrick 872
Kenderdine, Dr. William H. 1028
Kennedy, Frank E. 844
Killmer, Henry J.
942
King, Roy H.
896
Kirchhof, Otto
989
Knaack, G. E.
1
Kopp, August 1100
Kundel, John 1186
L
Lange, John 1307
Lemke, William 912
Lewis, C. W. 811
Lighter, Omer L. 967 1
1 t Linsday, James B. 882
Linquist, Sam
908
Locke, Roscoe J.
842
Logan, Scott 1301
Loger, William 1161
Longshore, Channing, M. D. 1164
Mc
McBride, Arthur W. 997
McCallum, A. W.
776
McCandless, John 718
Mcclellan, Elbert 1139
McCormack, Rev. James 906
McCracken, Edwin W. 992
McDougall, Charles M. 1181
McElwain, Lee 1129
McFarland, Mrs. Addie C. 1083
McFarland, Elmer 991
McKenna, George 1255
McNeill, J. H. 870
M
Macomb, John, Jr. 1276
Mann, Edward 1054
Mann, Thomas E. 1075
Mansmith, John C. 928 1
Martin, Alexander L. 1103
Martin, Scott 1150
Mateer, Robert A.
1143
Mathern, John W. 1278
May, Harry C. 724
Mayne, Edward A. 873
Maytum, Dr. Burlington J. 1126
Meier, Ernst 1317
Meltvedt, Chris 1006
Messer, Edwin P. 1258
Metcalf, Wilbert C. 1122
Metz, Oliver A. 815
Meyer, Albert H. 1130
Meyer, C. F. 1130
Miller, Sumner F. 1073
Miller, William J. 730
Montzheimer, Otto H. 722
Moorhead, Robert J. 1029
Morton, Alfred 830
Mullin, Michael P. 1046
Murphy, James B.
1035
N
Nelson, George W. 828
Neuman, John 976
Noehren, W. H. 1250
Nott, Fred
1049
Noyes, William H. 1023
0
O'Donnell, John J.
907
O'Donnell, John F.
1043
1002
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
Olson, Ben 930
Olson, Ole F. 968
Osgood, Wilbur J. 1178
Overholser, Willis W. 795
Ruther, H. Theodore 1008
Rnwe, Louis 1032
S
Sands, John A. 1174
Saupe, Bruno 1085
Saupe, Otto 894
Schaap, Clarence C. 909
Schaefer, Louis B. 1286
Schneider, Arthur H. 1218
Schnurr, Berth 1206
Schoelerman, William H. 1050
Schubert, Lorenz 951
Schnknecht, Fred 1297
Schultz, Albert H. 1156
Scott, Henry P. 1064
Shea, Mart 1225
Shearer, Archibald 1093
Shearer, Mrs. Sarah 1093
Sheldon, Daniel M. 1033
Sheldon, Joseph O. 933
Shell, Levi 914
Shinski, Joseph 802
Shumway, David F. 1094
Shuttleworth, W. D. 970
Silverthorn, Isaac M. 931
Sims, William A. 911
Sleeper, William H. 859
Slick & McFarland.
990
Slick, John N. 990
Smith, Daniel A. 1109
Smith, George W. 1263
Smith, John J.
1153
Redmond, Thomas S.
786
Reifsteck, Charles F.
1037
Reifsteck, George
1037
Rembe, Fred 1238
Rerick, Henry
745
Solon, Anthony W.
994
Rerick, Isaac L. 736
Solon, Will A. 858
Soop, Ira 879
Stage, Theodore J. 845
Stamp, Joseph B.
762
Stearns, Mrs. Evelyn (Pease)
766
Richter, Conrad 1296
Robertson, Robert J. 1180
Roland, Edward E.
128S
Romey, Albert
738
Romey, George A.
1207
Roth, Joseph 1304
Strampe, Fred
1313
Roth, W. M. 1274
Roy. e. Clarence H1.
753
Strampe. William 1283
Str-it, John 751
Q
Quilleash, Thomas A. 1171
R
Ralston, Weston D. 1011
Randall, Andrew V. S. 1267
Raymond, Ross L. 1060
Reader, George L. 1183
Rector, George E. 949
Redmond, Patrick
813
Smith, William M. 1281
Snider, John
1098
Sokol, George F.
791
Sollitt, J. E.
1172
Rhodes, Rev. Bert J. 1285
Richards, Prof. Edward E. 836
Richards, Homer E. 765
Stearns, Dr. Pleasant S. 1040
Steelsmith, Daniel C., M. D. 1188
Steinbeck, John 955
Stoelting, Alfred A. 1138
Strampe, Henry 1289
Runyan. Harmon H. 1215
P
Patch, Frank 887
Patch, Freeman R. 797
Peck, J. L. E. 715
Peisley, Patrick L. 978
Peters, Charles F. 863
Peters, Edo 1316
Phelps, Spencer A. 882
Philby, Enoch 1190
Phinney, George F. 740
Pingel, Adolph 1166
Protextor, George W. 1293
Protextor, John
984
Putnam, Denison C.
943
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
Sweeney, James F. 1305
Swensen, Peter 892
T
Tagge, Albert 921
Taylor, E. M. 820
Thatcher, William J. E. 757
Thietje, John 1045
Tierney, Frank W. 1151
Tow, Severt L. 1280
Townsend, James E.
728
Trainer, Dr. M. M. 798
Turnbull, William W. 816
V
Van Epps, Cornelius V. 824
Vogel, William C.
927
Vos, Garrett 1310
Voss, William T. F. K. 1062
Y
Young, Ruben W.
1146
Youngers, Louis
856
Yungbluth, Michael
1070
Walter, George W. 1058
Ward, George W. 794
Ward, John C. 1227
Wassman, Herman 1299
Waterhouse, George W. 1080
Weal, John 1025
Webster, Benjamin F. 1291
Webster, James S. 917
Weinke, Albert H. 983
Whitney, David 1265
Wiechner, Theodore 1013
Wilkinson, Noah C. 1120
Williams, Henry L. 781
Wilson, Lyman F. 964
Winkler, Frank P., M. D. 810
Winterfield, A. C. 851
Wolf, Henry 1158
Wolf, Jacob H.
898
Wolf, John
1101
Wollenberg, Louis
1019
Woodman, Lewis 1026
Woods, Paul C. $85
Woods, Mrs. Roma W 1222
Woods, William H. 1222
Wright, Edgar 969
Wagner, William 958
Z
Zahn, Henry
1065
Zimmerman, Theodore
STS
PUBLIC L
ATTC"
×
r
J. L. E. Jeck
BIOGRAPHICAL
J. L. E. PECK.
J. L. E. Peck was born August 18, 1852, at Killworth-on-the-Thames, near London, Middlesex county, Ontario, dominion of Canada. His great- grandfather. Jacob Peck, was born in 1770, 'and his grandfather, Washing- ton Peck, was born April 12, 1801, each in Massachusetts, and each removed west near Toronto, Canada, about 1825. Washington Peck was a rover all his life and had a large family, four daughters and three sons, namely : Elizabeth Whiffin, of Sarnia, Canada : Mary Ann Banghart, of Tucson, Ari- zona: Emma Colvin. of Los Angeles, California : Jane Keys, of Colorado ; David Abbott Peck, of Northboro, Iowa; Egerton E. Peck, of Westboro, Missouri, and Edmond G. Peck, a frontiersman of the west as early as 1849. when but twelve years of age. Washington Peck and family made two over- land trips with ox team across the plains, first in 1852 and again in 1857- 1859, returning via Panama, and at times resided in Canada. Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Arizona, Utah, California, and rounded up in Centralia, Washington, where he spent his last twenty-five years, and from which he was sent to the Territorial Legislature about 1865. The whole family being coopers they all spent eighteen months at Salt Lake and made up for Brigham Young a large amount of what were known as wooden bolts into barrels, tubs, buckets and other vessels, and made one of the strikes of his life so far as money was concerned, in that then wild country where such articles could not be procured.
David A. Peck, the father of J. L. E. Peck, was born November 29, 1829, near Toronto, Canada, and grew up a cooper by trade, which he con- tinned for some years, and then cut down and cleared up a heavily wooded farm of one hundred acres near London. In 1862, with his family and the subject of this sketch, he emigrated to Atchison county, Missouri, near Rock- port. Later on, during the war, under a prevalent fear that the lands of rebels would be confiscated in Missouri and that the titles would be bad, he moved to Page county, Iowa, and bought a farm, then largely prairie, at two dollars and fifty cents per acre, on which he resided thirty-five years, until his death, December 8. 1897, and on which his youngest son. David Arthur
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Peck, born November 27. 1872, still lives and owns the old homestead. David Peck spent much of his life as local preacher, establishing churches and Sunday schools and doing other church work in northern Missouri and Page county, Iowa. His wife was Eliza Jane Carey Peck, a cousin of the poets, Alice and Phoebe Carey. Her mother was Beulah Foster Carey and her father Francis King Carey, residing at Killworth. Canada. Benjamin Foster, great-grandfather of J. L. E. Peck, was killed at the battle of Lundy's Lane, fighting on the American side in the War of 1812. The great-grand- father, Francis Carey, was three months on the ocean coming over from Ireland and experienced a shipwreck, in which the passengers had to take possession and manage the sailing vessel. He settled near Albany, New York, and was a contractor on the stone work on the capitol building.
The family of David A. Peck consisted of J. L. E. Peck, the oldest : Edward Washington Peck, of Pasadena, California; Robert E. Peck, hard- ware merchant, and David Arthur Peck, each of Northboro, Iowa, and Johanna Peck Mawhinney and Minnie Peck Blanchard, sisters, each de- ceased in 1902. A daughter, Ida, aged sixteen, died November 27. 1870.
The subject of this sketch attended the district schools until fourteen years of age, then took a course of three years at the academy at College Springs, lowa. At seventeen he commenced teaching school in the rural schools, and taught five years. This being the period of the growing up of the early families, he had large schools of sixty or more. He then took a course at the State University of Iowa, at lowa City, and graduated there June 16, 1874. He studied law and was admitted to the bar. He formed a partnership at the law with Eric P. Johnson, at Decorah, lowa, and remained there nearly three years. He arrived in Primghar June 27, 1877, and on September 1, 1877, formed a partnership in law with Isaac W. Daggett. which continued about one year. Later he had his office in the bank building of John R. Pumphrey. On July 30, 1878, he met with an accident, breaking his left limb, a compound fracture, which, on account of bad surgery, left him lame for life. This left him in debt nine hundred dollars. He got back to work in 1879, just as the campaign for county offices was opening, and at once took part in the agitations of the county and was elected for two terms as county auditor, serving from 1880 to 1884. The main questions and items during his two terms of office and in which he participated, were the rebonding of the old county debt of two hundred thousand dollars, and re- ducing the rate of interest on same from ten to seven per cent. It took seventeen thousand signatures by himself as auditor to sign up those bonds and coupons. He took part in the second trial year and subsequent years in
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getting the county on a cash basis. Ile sold eleven of the sixteen sections of school land and loaned the proceeds under the state laws. He took part, as auditor, in the largest tax sale of about thirty thousand dollars ever held in the county. Mr. Peck, as auditor, laid out and established eight hundred miles of roadways, on section lines on the then prairies, it being done when land was cheap, that no damages would be asked for. As auditor he or- ganized Dale, Union and Omega townships and named the latter.
On June 15, 1882, Mr. Peck was married to Alice Wilkinson, of West- boro, Missouri, and they commenced keeping house in Primghar June 24th. Their immediate family consists of two daughters, Demia Eliza Peck, born October 11. 1884, and Beulah Frances Peck, born February 8. 1886. One son, George David Peck, died when five months old. Alice Blanchard, born July 7, 1895, the child of his sister Minnie, has been raised in the family since 1903, and is now a teacher in the rural schools of the county. Ralph Carey Mawhinney. a son of his sister Johanna, was raised in part in the family from twelve to seventeen years of age.
George Harmon Wilkinson, the father of Mrs. J. L. E. Peck. was born February 27, 1830, in Seneca county, New York, and died at Westboro, Missouri, February 2, 1913, and with his wife, Demia E. Wilkinson, resided with his daughter in Primghar for ten years. The grandfather of Alice Peck, John Wilkinson, was a Methodist minister, born in 1794. Likewise her great-grandfather. also a John Wilkinson, resided in Seneca county, New York, the family later removing and settling near Tiffin, Seneca county, Ohio, this great-grandfather being a soldier in the Revolutionary War on the American side. \ sister of Mrs. Peck, Elmetta E. Wilkinson, resides with her in Primghar. Frank B. Wilkinson, her brother, resides at Westboro, Missouri. He was married to Mary E. Rerick, daughter of ex-County Re- corder Isaac L. Rerick, of Primghar. They have three sons, George Rerick Wilkinson, aged twelve years, Burdette Frank Wilkinson, aged eleven years, and Everett Wilkinson, aged nine years.
J. L. E. Peck has been a member of the board of education twenty-four of his thirty-seven years in Priinghar, and president of same about fifteen vears of that time. He was referee in bankruptcy under appointment of Hon. Oliver P. Shiraz, United States district judge of the northern district of Iowa, from August, 1898, to September, 1993, and acted in ninety-one bankruptcy proceedings. He has been commissioner of insanity for thirty of the thirty-seven years, and has acted in the commitment of about six hun- dred persons to the several state hospitals. He was mayor of Primghar two years, 1896-1897. and a member of the town council nine years. He was
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one of the ten men who signed the guaranty to the Illinois Central Railroad to furnish twenty-two miles of right of way from Archer to the Cherokee county line, and thirteen acres for depot grounds at Primghar. He has prac- ticed law during all the years. He has participated in much of the court and public records. In the early years he did much abstracting on each of the six sets of abstracts of title in the county, and has examined hundreds of abstracts for land purchasers in many states. He was cashier and manager of the Primghar State Bank for four years, 1886-1890. and has been a stock- holder and director in the Primghar Savings Bank since it started in 1894. In brief, he has participated in scores of the sundry county affairs as de- tailed in this history.
In 1903. with his family. Mr. Peck removed to Indianola .. Iowa, to give his daughters the privileges of Simpson College. After their graduation there he returned to Primghar in 1907. During his time there he was a member of its city council, practiced law, and its mayor, B. F. Clayton, being absent one year in Europe, Mr. Peck acted in his place by appointment. He has dealt much in land, and has farmed much both in O'Brien and Dick- inson counties. in this state, and for twelve years also in the Red River valley : in fact. since Igor has farmed each year more than one thousand acres in crops.
He was partner of David Algyer in 1894. and in the latter part of that year was formed the law, loan and abstract firm of Peck. Artherholt & Ingham, composed of himself, Wade W. Artherholt and Clarence W. Ing- ham. This continued until 1898. He was later partner with Mr. Artherholt as Peck & Artherholt, after returning from Indianola. In 1891, with F. M. McCormack ("Pomp"). he wrote up twenty-four chapters of a history of O'Brien county, which were then published in the O'Brien County Bell, and just now (1914) is one of the editors of this later history of the county. His full name is John Licinius Everett Peck.
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