USA > Iowa > O'Brien County > Past and present of O'Brien and Osceola counties, Iowa, Vol. II > Part 32
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The subject received his schooling at Bellevue and when but thirteen years of age was apprenticed to the harness trade, remaining in that con- nection for six years. At that time he went to Clinton, Iowa, where for three years he was employed by a saddlery and harness company. He re- turned to Bellevue, working at the retail trade for one year and in 1895 came to Paullina. O'Brien county, where for three years he followed his trade. He then bought out the firm by whom he was employed and at
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the present time owns a half interest in the business, which has grown in a most satisfactory manner since he assumed the management of it. He has more than a local reputation as an expert in his line and is known as a man of most honorable business methods, worthy of every trust and confidence.
In 1896 Mr. Braig was united in marriage with Josephine Manderschied, born in 1872 in Jackson, Iowa, and to their union three children were born, but one of whom, Eugenia, is living. Leo Anthony died when small and an- other child died in earliest infancy. Mr. Braig endorses the policy of the Progressive party and endeavors to keep thoroughly posted on all current events. Religiously, he is a communicant of the Roman Catholic church and his fraternal affiliation is with the Knights of Columbus. In every phase of life's activities in which he has engaged Mr. Braig has been true to every trust and because of the genuine worth of his character he retains the sincere regard of all who know him.
G. E. KNAACK.
In examining the life records of self-made men, it will invariably be found that indefatigable industry has constituted the basis of their success. True, there are other elements which enter in and conserve the advancement of personal interests,-perseverance and mastering of expedients,-but the foundation of all achievements is earnest, persistent labor. At the outset of his career, Mr. Knaack recognized this fact, and he did not seek any royal road to the goal of prosperity and independence, but began to work earnestly and diligently in order to advance himself, and the result is that he is now numbered among the progressive, successful and influential business men of O'Brien county.
G. E. Knaack, the cashier of the German Savings Bank of Hartley, Iowa, was born October 24, 1876, in Cedar county, lowa, on a farm. He is the son of Theodore and Anna (Rohweder) Knaack, both of whom were natives of Germany. Theodore Knaack was born in 1846 and came to this country in 1849 with his parents. Anna Rohweder was born in 1854 and came to America with her parents in 1867. The parents of both families settled in Scott county, lowa, when the country was an unbroken prairie west of Davenport. Theodore Knaack and his wife were married in Daven- port and went to Cedar county, where they made their home. In 1903 they sold their farm in Cedar county and retired to Luverne, Minnesota, where they are now living.
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G E. Knaack was educated in the Durant schools and later took a course in the Commercial College in Davenport. He then worked on his father's farm in Cedar county, and engaged in the grain business. Later he entered a bank at Rake, Iowa, and in 1902 came to Hartley and com- menced as cashier of the German Savings Bank on Thanksgiving day.
The German Savings Bank was organized in November, 1902, with a capital stock of twenty thousand dollars. It has had a prosperous career from the date of its organization and is now in a position where it enjoys the confidence of its patrons to a marked degree. The directors are J. T. Conn. William T. Voss. C. A. Dutton. G. E. Knaack, John Hebbel, John Fick, Jochim Leth, Henry Brandt and A. T. Rohweder. The officers are J. T. Conn, president : William T. Voss, vice-president: G. E. Knaack, cashier, and H. P. Mousel, assistant cashier. The condition of the bank is shown by the report which the bank issued March 17. 1914: Resources- Loans, $368,650.03: overdrafts. $1.955.55: cash on hand and due from banks, $60,297.61 ; real estate, banking house furniture and fixtures, $7,- 000.00: total, $437.903.19. Liabilities-Capital, $20,000.00; deposits, $399.402.15 : surplus and profits, $14.350.31 : rediscount. $4,150.73; total, $437,903.19.
In addition to his banking interest. Mr. Knaack is an extensive land dealer and handles thousands of acres of land annually, in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and other states. In 1913 he did the largest land business of any firm in O'Brien county, his business in that year aggregating six hundred thousand dollars. He has individual holdings in O'Brien county, Iowa, and in South Dakota and Minnesota. He is also president of the Welcome State Bank. at Welcome, Minnesota, which was organized in 1913, with a capital stock of $12.500 and a surplus of $2.500.
Mr. Knaack was married February 19. 1908, to Ada B. Miller, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dorr Miller, of Hartley. To this union have been born two children, Edward, born December 19, 1909, and Helen, born December 20, 19II.
Politically, Mr. Knaack is a member of the Democratic party and has always taken an active interest in politics, has been secretary of the county central committee and on September 24, 1913, was selected chairman of the O'Brien Democratic committee. He has attended the various state con- ventions of his party for the past several years and has a wide acquaintance among the leading Democrats of his state. While not a member of any particular church, yet he is a firm believer in the work of the church and is a liberal supporter of various churches. Fraternally, he is a member of the
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Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and is a member of the Scottish Rite, in which he has attained to the thirty-second degree. He is also a member of the Brotherhood of American Yeomen at Hartley. Mr. Knaack is a self- made man and has earned every dollar he possesses today by his own busi- ness ability and determination. He is another one of the many examples of citizens of our county who are descendants of German parents and who have made a notable success in this county. He is a man who has taken his part in public affairs and supported every movement which he felt would benefit his community. Personally. he is a man of pleasing appearance and easily makes friends wherever he goes.
CHARLES C. CANNON.
Perhaps one of the most widely known citizens of O'Brien county, Iowa. is the honored gentleman whose name forms the caption of this review. For many years he has bought grain throughout this locality, his business bringing him into contact with a vast number of citizens of this and surround- ing counties, by all of whom he is held in the highest esteem by reason of his irreproachable business methods and genuine worth of character. While primarily seeking his own individual interests. he has been of inestimable as- sistance to farmers of this locality in affording them a ready market for their grain. He has figured prominently in the growth and development of this favored locality, his interests being identified with its progress, and he has . contributed in a definite measure in his particular sphere of action to the well-being of the community and to the advancement of its normal and legiti- mate growth. Earnest purpose and tireless energy, combined with mature judgment and everyday common sense, have been among his prominent characteristics and he has merited the respect and esteem which are accorded him by all who know him.
Charles C. Cannon was born in 1862 at Philadelphia, Tennessee, a son of William and Susan (Bogart) Cannon, the former being a native of the same place, born in 1824. His vocation was that of a farmer, which busi- ness he carried on, on a large scale, owning two thousand acres in his native state, and in which enterprise he was highly successful. He was a veteran of the Mexican War and his death occurred at his home in Tennessee in 1898. In 1856 he was united in marriage with Susan Bogart, who was born at Athens. Tennessee, in 1836, and she is still living, making her
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home on the old plantation in Tennessee with her son Arthur. She is the mother of seven children, three of whom have passed away.
The subject received his elementary education in the schools near his boyhood home, later attending the University of Tennessee, from which he was graduated in 1886. Shortly after graduation he came to Paullina. O'Brien county, where, in company with his brother Robert and John Met- calf, he engaged in the grain business. In this venture they have been highly successful, the subject and W. C. Metcalf now owning the entire business. They buy and ship grain, handling many car loads in the course of a year. Mr. Cannon is also a shareholder in the Logan Lumber Company of Knox- ville, Tennessee, which company also maintains a branch at Cincinnati, Ohio. He also serves this institution as its vice-president and is largely concerned in its management. In addition to these business interests, he also owns a tract containing five hundred and seventy-six acres, adjoining his old home in Tennessee, on which he carries on general farming as practiced in that locality.
In 1896 Mr. Cannon was united in marriage with Grace Jennings, who was born in Iowa Falls, lowa, in 1874. To their union have been born five children, the eldest of whom, William, the only son, is deceased. The daughters, Susan. Margaret and Catherine, remain with the parents; Mary died June 24, 1914. The family is well liked, moving in the best social circles of the town, and are prominent in church and other matters pertain- ing to the advancement of the best interests of community life.
Politically, Mr. Cannon gives his support to the Democratic party and is one of its most stalwart adherents in this section. He had conferred on him the honor of being a delegate to the national convention of his party at Denver, Colorado, in 1907 and an amusing coincidence connected therewith lay in the fact that his partner, W. C. Metcalf, with whom he is so closely associated, was in the same year a delegate to the Republican national con- vention at Chicago, Illinois. In 1912 Mr. Cannon was elected to repre- sent O'Brien county in the Legislature. Mr. Cannon possesses considerable civic pride and has done much to advance the welfare of his home town. For several years past he has been a school director and takes a keen interest in all pertaining to the proper education of youth. His religious affiliation is with the Presbyterian church, being a faithful and consistent member of same, and to the support of the local society giving liberally of his means. He is a member of the time-honored order of Freemasonry, evincing a keen interest in the work of the local society. Endowed by nature with strong mental powers and possessing the courage and energy to direct his faculties
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in proper channels, he early became a man of resourceful capacity, as the able management of his private affairs abundantly testifies. He possesses the happy faculty of not only making friends but binding them to himself by his good qualities of head and heart.
CHRIS MELTVEDT.
Northern Europe has sent to our shores many worthy citizens. men who have accomplished much for themselves, and in so doing have brought credit to the community in which they reside. These men who have come to us from afar, those who have journeyed from the beautiful country of Norway. essentially a land of industry and thrift, have in most instances made for themselves enviable positions and acquired for their declining years a competence. Such a man is the subject of whom we wish to speak in this article.
Chris Meltvedt, a prominent citizen of Union township, O'Brien county. was born in the year 1856 in Norway, the son of Knud Meltvedt. This latter gentleman was born in the year 1828 and the early years of his life were spent in the land of his nativity. In the year 1853 he was united in marriage to Ragnild Rovnaas, whose birth occurred in the year 1829. Throughout his youth Mr. Meltvedt has heard glowing reports of the gold- en opportunities which awaited the willing worker in the New World, and in the year 1866 he was enabled to bring his family across the broad seas and seek their future amid the broad prairies of our own state of Iowa. Here, in Marshall county, they established their home, engaging in the pur- suit of agriculture. Here they remained for twenty years, and at the ex- piration of this period of energetic labor and proverbial Norwegian thrift. he was enabled to purchase for himself a tract of land which should fulfill for the family their former dreams of wealth. In O'Brien county he found a tract of six hundred and forty acres, a mile east of Paullina, and this was purchased and a homestead established. The ground was soon broken and planted, comfortable buildings were erected and other necessary im- provements were made, and here the declining years of Knud Meltvedt were spent. Six children were born to this worthy couple, one of whom is now de- ceased. Martha, now Mrs. Strangland, is a resident of Highland town- ship: Andrew is a successful farmer of Union township; Einger, now
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Mrs. Medhus, is a resident of Union township, and Mrs. Henderson, with whom the mother resides, is also a resident of Union township. The father was called to his final rest in the year of 1914, having lived far beyond the alloted span of three score years and ten.
Chris Meltvedt remained with his parents, assisting in the labors of the farm and accompanying them in their journeyings, until he reached the age of twenty-eight years. At this time he engaged in the pursuit of agri- culture for himself in Marshall county, Iowa. Shortly afterward he came to Paullina, O'Brien county, and entered into partnership with Theodore Wichner in the ownership of a general store, and in this he labored diligent- ly for the upbuilding of the concern. Here he remained until the year of 1913, when he retired from active business life and returned to the homestead of his father east of Paullina. He is now the owner of a quar- ter section of well improved and cultivated land and also has an interest in a two-hundred-and-fifty-acre fruit farm in Idaho.
Mr. Meltvedt was united in marriage, in the year 1884, to Susan Jacob- son, whose birth occurred in Norway in 1867. Seven children came to brighten their home, now located as follows: Vida (Mrs. Tjossem), a resi- dent of Chinook, Montana: Kurnel and Silas, both at home, assisting in the activities and labors of the farm; Clair, clerking in a grocery in Paullina ; Etta, a trained nurse of Boise, Idaho; Madeline and Christopher, attending school. In the year 1901, however, sorrow came to the family. for the Grim Reaper called from their midst the faithful wife and mother. In 1903 Mr. Meltvedt's marriage to Martha Moen, also a native of Nor- way, occurred, and she is now his helpmate and the mistress of his home.
The business of Mr. Meltvedt has been marked throughout by unbound- ed energy, perseverance in carrying out the plans previously outlined by him, and unquestioned integrity in all his dealings. One of the substantial, dependable, conservative citizens of the township, he is held in high esteem by his fellow citizens. This is evidenced by the fact that for thirteen years he has been selected by them to serve as a member of the school board of the locality, a position which he has held with credit to himself and to his con- stituents. He has given of his time and energy without stint, being awake to the progress of the times in educational affairs and deeply interested in all matters and movements looking toward the higher efficiency and in- creased purity of life and thought of the coming generation. Politically, he is a man of strong principles and firm beliefs, voting for what he con- scientiously believes to be the best interests of the community at large. He
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is now a strong adherent of the Independent Progressive party. Re- ligiously, he is an attendent of the Lutheran church and, fraternally, is af- filiated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Paullina, among whom he is held in high esteem.
H. THEODORE RUTHER.
The gentleman whose name appears at the head of this article is well known to many of our readers, being connected with a thriving butcher shop in Paullina and a retired farmer of Liberty township. Like so many other of our representative business men. he is a native of Germany, having been born in that country in the year 1876. His father. Peter Ruther, was also a native of the fatherland and there his youth was spent. In the year 1874 he was married to Tilsie Carson, whose birth occurred in 1843. In the year 1881 he emigrated with his family to America, making his way directly to the unbroken fields of western Iowa. Here, in Tama county he remained for two years, after which he continued his journey, eventually settling in O'Brien county where he purchased a tract of land in Union township, and also one in Liberty township. Here he remained for thirteen years, diligently laboring to cultivate and improve the place which the family loved to call home. Here the children received their schooling and wandered in the broad fields, and as they grew to maturity assisted in the various duties of the place. In the year 1906, however, the father felt that the years of toil through which he had passed were sufficient and that he had earned the right to spend the declining years of his life in rest and quiet. Hence the farm was disposed of and the family was moved to Paullina and there ensconsed in a comfortable home. Of the three children who were born to this worthy couple, however, but one, the subject of this sketch, is now a resident of the county. John W. is now farming in North Dakota. and Marguret, now Mrs. Schlapkohl, is a resident of South Dakota.
Theodore Ruther remained with his father until twenty-one years of age and assisted in breaking and cultivating the western fields in O'Brien county. In the year 1901 was solemnized his marriage to Anna Holm and soon afterwards he rented a tract of land which he cultivated for a period of nine years. At the expiration of this time he was enabled to purchase a tract for himself, and after two years of successful cultivation and im- provement this was disposed of and his capital reinvested in a quarter section
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of farm land in South Dakota. This farm he still owns, though he retired from active labor along this line in the year 1907, at which time he took up his abode in the town of Paullina. In the year 1913, however, he took up employment in the meat market business of Fernand Helbert, in Paullina.
Mr. Ruther is a firm believer in the principles promulgated by Jeffer- son and consistently votes the Democratic ticket. He and his wife are both members of the German Lutheran church and he is affiliated with the order of Yeomen.
Mr. Ruther is yet a young man, but in a business way he has accom- plished much, and his keen business acumen and aggresssive methods .bear promise of future success.
JOHN T. JOSSEM.
The reader's attention is now called to a short review of the career of John T. Jossem, well known grain dealer of Paullina, O'Brien county, Iowa. Mr. Jossem was born in Marshall county, Iowa, in 1871, being the son of Ole P. and Julia J. (Norland ) Jossem, both natives of Norway, the former born in 1843 and the latter in 1852. The elder Jossem left his native Nor- way upon attaining his majority, emigrating to America, the "land of promise" for so many ambitious young men of the old world. He came almost directly to lowa, locating in Marshall county, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. There he remained for a number of years and in 1884 came to O'Brien county, where he located in Dale township. He secured a tract of five hundred acres of land and this he was engaged in farming at the time of his death in 1905. He had succeeded along financial lines and was at the time of his death regarded as one of the leading men of his lo- cality, his passing being a distinct loss to the community. He was a man of brain and ingenuity, readily solving many of the problems of pioneer life. At the time the telephone system above referred to was installed. sufficient poles to support the wires were not obtainable and the miles of fencing offered a ready solution to the difficulty. the wires being strung from house to house along the fence. Ole P. Jossem was the father of thirteen children, all living at the present time with the exception of one.
In 1895 Mr. Jossem was united in marriage with Altha Haynes, of Humboldt, Iowa, born in 1877, and to their union have been born three chil- dren, the eldest of whom, their son Clarence, they have had the misfortune to have removed from them through death. Two other sons, Ray and
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Howard, remain with their parents. Mr. Jossem's fraternal affiliation is with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and in the work of that order he takes a commendable interest.
REV. LEONARD JAMES COOPER.
This is a Christian nation, and one of the boasts of our country is the fact that each man can worship his God as he chooses. The Constitution of the United States guarantees to every one the right to worship as he pleases. This freedom of worship is one thing which has brought to this country people from every nation on the face of the globe. It was this freedom of worship which populated most of the original thirteen colonies, and today there is no one who questions the wisdom of our forefathers who incorporated that particular clause concerning religious freedom in the constitution.
Rev. Leonard James Cooper, pastor of St. Cecilia's Catholic church at Sanborn, Iowa, was born at Davenport. Scott county, Iowa, March 29, 1863. the son of Michael and Margaret ( Ennis) Cooper, natives of Pennsylvania and Ireland, respectively. The Coopers are an old family and came with Lord Baltimore to Maryland more than four hundred years ago. Michael Cooper was born February 20, 1826, and was the son of Leonard Cooper, who came to Iowa in 1840, and was one of the earliest pioneers of the state. Michael Cooper married Margaret Ennis on November 24, 1854, who was born in Ireland February 1, 1834, the daughter of James and Elizabeth Crawford Ennis. Her parents came from Ireland to Canada and afterward emigrated to Scott county, Iowa. Michael Cooper died October 14. 1895. in Rock Rapids, Iowa, where he had moved in the summer of that year. The other died June 30. 1904. in Flandreau, South Dakota. Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cooper were the parents of nine children : James H., born Septem- ber 16, 1855, deceased : Mary E., born July 2, 1857. deceased : Charles A., born March 1. 1859, of Sanger, California: Elizabeth A., born December 8, 1860, deceased : Rev. Leonard J., with whom this narrative deals; Mrs. Margaret P. Higgins, born July 14. 1865. of Sanger, California; Marcella L., born December 16, 1867, deceased : Thomas A., born June 4, 1871, now living in Seattle. Washington : Francis, born March 1, 1875, also of Sanger, California.
Father Cooper was reared on a farm in Scott county, Iowa, and was educated in St. Joseph's College at Dubuque, Iowa, where he remained from
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1891 to 1893, after which he spent a year in the Grand Seminary at Montreal, Canada. He then took the theological course at St. Mary's Seminary, at Baltimore, where he was in attendance three years and a half. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 19, 1896, and was first assigned to the charge of St. Joseph's church, Sioux City, as an assistant to Rev. A. W. Fowler. Two years later he was transferred to Charter Oak, in Crawford county, Iowa, where he remained for seven years. The next seven years he was in charge of the church at Alvord, Lyon county, and came to San- born September 14, 1911, and now has charge of the church at Sanborn, as well as St. Francis of Assisi, at Primghar. Father Cooper is a man of genial demeanor and kindly disposition. and. while he is greatly beloved by his own congregation because of the excellent work he is doing among them, he finds time to participate in the life of his community .. He possesses that simplicity. purity and humility of character which are the characteristics of the man of God, and although he has firm convictions, yet his kindly way of expressing them helps to give them the greater value. He is a kind and courteous Christian. a worthy follower of him who has been called "the world's first gentleman."
WESTON D. RALSTON.
Prominent among the leading and most enterprising young men of Paul- lina, O'Brien county, lowa, is Weston. D. Ralston, the popular young post- master of that place. While a young man in years, Mr. Ralston's attain- ments and accomplishments are such as might well be prized by many men of a greater number of years. In every section are found men who are born to leadership in the various vocations; men who dominate because of their superior intelligence, natural endowment and force of character. It is always profitable to study such lives, weigh their motives and hold up their achievements as incentives to greater activity and higher excellence on the part of others. Men endowed with a strong inherent force and superior ability are those from whom much is expected, as it is they alone who are naturally fitted to be leaders of men of lesser parts in all move- ments pertaining to the advancement of every cause that makes for a more perfect community or national life. It is gratifying to know that the sym- pathies of the subject in question are enlisted on the right side of every vital question of the day, and it is safe to predict that as the years pass
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