USA > Iowa > Woodbury County > Sioux City > Past and present of Sioux City and Woodbury County, Iowa > Part 49
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Unto Mr. and Mrs. Cobb have been born thirteen children: Nora, deceased : Edward, at home; Byron and Clyde, who are in the state of Washington ; Mary, the wife of Arthur Lampman, of Ida county; Cordelia, the wife of Luther Bailey, of Woodbury county; Ros- well, James, Marcia, Fielding, Susie, Forest and Valerie, all at home. The parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal church
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and in polities Mr. Cobb is an earnest Repub- lican, unfaltering in his allegiance to the party and its principles. He has been a resident of Woodbury county for twenty years and during this period has improved and developed two excellent farms. He has never sought to figure in any light before the publie aside from his business interests, but therein he has demon- strated his powers, showing marked enterprise and sound business judgment.
D. W. CONNOLE.
In reviewing the history of D. W. Connole one is reminded of the words of a great New York financier. "If you're not a success don't blame the time you live in, don't blame the place you occupy, don't blame the circum- stances you're surrounded with-lay the blame where it belongs-to yourself. Not in time, place or circumstance, but in the man, lies suc- cess. If you want success you must pay the price." Mr. Connole, with full understanding of this faet, has done his best to gain success by his own efforts and by indefatigable energy, perseverance and well applied business prin- ciples has won the victory which he started ont to win years ago. He is now extensively engaged in the loan and banking business in Anthon and to this undertaking has directed his energies for the past fifteen years.
Mr. Connole is a native of Jones county, Iowa, and a son of Daniel Connole, whose birth occurred in County Clare, Ireland, in 1815. When a young man of sixteen years his father crossel the Atlantic from the Emerald Isle to Boston, Massachusetts, and subsequently he came to Iowa, casting in his lot among the pioneer settlers of Jones county. In 1849, attracted by the discovery of gold on the Pa- cifie coast, he made his way to California, where he spent five years in mining, meeting with fair success. On the expiration of that period he returned to Jones county, Iowa, ar-
riving there in 1854. He was married there to Bridget Quinlivan, an Irish lady, who was born in County Clare. Mr. Connole was a prominent farmer of Jones county, where he resided continuously from 1854 until 1897. IIe was then called to his final rest at the age of eighty-two, and died full of years and honors, for he was one of the most respected and worthy citizens of his community. His wife passed away in 1879. In their family were three children, of whom D. W. Connole is the second in order of birth. The others are Catherine, the wife of P. M. Sullivan, a prominent farmer of Kedron township, Wood- bury county ; and J. D., a resident of Anthon.
Upon the home farm D. W. Connole was reared to manhood, and when he had mastered the branches of learning taught in the public schools he attended the Monticello high school. Later he engaged in teaching for a few winter terms and after arriving at man's estate he turned his attention to merchandising, which he followed in Cascade, Iowa, for four or five years. In 1885 he returned to Montana and at Butte was engaged in mining and also in the conduet of a brickyard. His activity in business there and his well managed interests brought to his success during the three years of his residence in the northwest. Returning then to Iowa he located in Sioux City, where he engaged in the loan business, making loans on farm lands in Iowa and Nebraska. He also engaged in buying and selling property in Woodbury county and has been active and suc- cessful in this business continuously since. In 1902 he established the Citizens' State Bank with a capital stock of twenty-five thousand dol- lars and he is now the principal stockholder. In 1903 he built his present fine bank building which is well equipped for the purpose used. He also built in the same block a large two- story business house, containing two stores on the first floor with offices above. This was erected at a cost of thirty thousand dollars and is the finest business block in the attractive
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little town of Anthon. Mr. Connole has thus a native of Sweden, is now living in Sioux aided materially in the upbuilding and im- City, at the age of sixty-three years, having provement of the town and his efforts in its behalf have been far-reaching and beneficial. In addition to his business interests here he owns large mining and ranching interests and other property in Montana and he makes an annual trip to Butte to superintend his invest- ments in that part of the country.
Politically Mr. Connole is a Jacksonian Democrat, giving firm allegiance to the party. He was reared in the Catholic faith and is a member of the Catholic church. IIe is well known not only in the village in which he makes his home, but also in Sioux City and throughout Woodbury county. Starting out in life with few educational and pecuniary ad- vantages he became imbued with a landable ambition to attain something better and has steadily advanced in those walks of life de- manding intellectuality, business ability and fidelity, and to-day he commands the respect and esteem not only of his immediate com- munity but of the entire county. His record should prove a source of inspiration to many a young man on starting out in life as he did a few years ago with no capital save brains, integrity, determination and perseverance- which, after all constitute the best capital, and without which wealth, influence and position amount to naught.
GUSTAV ANDERSON.
Gustav Anderson, who is at the head of the wall paper, painting and decorating establish- ment of Anderson & Abel-the leading enter- prise of the kind in Sioux City-was born in Sweden in 1861, his parents being Gustav and Caroline (Janson ) Anderson. The father spent his entire life in Sweden, where he car- ried on business as a contractor. He served in the Swedish army and was a member of the Swedish Lutheran church. His wife, also
come to the United States in 1895. She also belongs to the Swedish Lutheran church, By her marriage she became the mother of seven children, four of whom are now living: Carl, a jeweler of Sioux City; Axel A., who went to Alaska six years ago and located some claims which have proven very profitable; Ida, the wife of Jonas Olson, a manufacturing jeweler of Sioux City ; and Gustav.
The last named was a student in the public schools of his native country and also attended a business college there. At the age of eight- een he became interested in the wall paper busi- ness in Sweden, continuing in that line for three years. He then came to the United States in July, 1881, and located first at Blair, Nebras- ka, where he dealt in wall paper until 1885. In the fall of that year he came to Sioux City and entered into partnership with Andrew Almskog, under the firm name of Almskog & Anderson. This partnership was con- tinned for fourteen years, when Mr. An- derson, upon the death of Mr. Almskog, pur- chased his interest. He divided the business and selling a half interest in the retail de- partment to Mr. Abel, it is conducted under the name of Anderson & Abel, but Mr. Ander- son is sole owner of the wholesale business, conducted under the old firm name of Alm- skog & Anderson, the stock being on the see- ond floor of Plymouth block, at the corner of Fourth and Court streets. The retail busi- ness is at 611 Fifth street, where is carried a large line of wall paper, moldings and paper hangers' supplies, painters' supplies, artists materials, picture frames and moldings, and they also do decorating and take contracts for painting. This is the largest concern of the kind in Sioux City and the two houses repre- sent an investment of fifty thousand dollars.
Mr. Anderson was married in 1901 to Chris- tine Nilson, a daughter of Peter Nilson, a coal dealer of Sioux City. She was born in Nor-
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way in 1868 and they had one child, Irene Lil- at New York city. He made his way direct to lian, now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are members of the Swedish Lutheran church, and a constantly growing circle of friendship indicates the position which they hold in the regard of those who know them. Fraternally he is connected with the Odd Fellows, the Svenska Monitoren, the Freidhein Society-a church organization-and the Commercial Club, while his political support is given the Republican party. His has been pre-eminently a business career, his time and energies being devoted to the development of his commercial interests, and yet he has never been neglectful of social or moral obligations or remiss in the duties of citizenship.
JOHN WILLIAMS.
Throughout his entire life John Williams has devoted his time and energies to agricultural pursuits and is now following general farming and stock-raising on section 8, Wolf Creek township. He was born in Montgomeryshire, England, on the 10th of April, 1846. His father, John Williams, Sr., is a native of Shrop- shire, England, where also occurred the birth of Thomas Williams, the grandfather. John Williams, Sr., was reared in the place of his nativity and was married there to Miss Ann Farmer, a native of the same locality. They became the parents of ten children, three sons and seven daughters, and the sons and five daughters are yet living. With the exception of John Williams, of this review, all reside in England. He was reared to farm life in Mont- gomeryshire and in Shropshire and received common-school advantages in his youth. He continued to assist his father for a number of years after attaining his majority and also worked as a farm laborer in the neighborhood, but the business possibilities of the new world attracted him and bidding adieu to home and friends he sailed for America in 1887, landing
Sioux City, Iowa, and through the two succeed- ing years was employed by the month upon the farm where he now resides. He then rented the place for three years and on the expiration of that period purchased the property. He has added to and repaired the house and he also has substantial outbuildings and many modern im- provements. His farming methods are pro- gressive and he has the strong determination and qualities of perseverance which enable him to carry forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes. Owing to his careful management and enterprise he has become the owner of a large and valuable farm, comprising three hundred and twenty acres on section 8, Wolf Creek township.
In 1891 Mr. Williams returned to England to visit his parents and the scenes among which his boyhood days were passed. While in that country he was married on the 5th of March, 1892, to Miss Rose H. Harrison, a native of England, and soon afterward they started for the new world. They began their domestic life upon the farm in Iowa which has since been their home and unto them have been born five children : Bessie, Harry, Leslie, Walter and Isabelle.
Politically Mr. Williams is a Prohibitionist and because of his strong temperance principles gives his support to the party which embodies his ideas upon this question. He has served as a member of the school board, but otherwise has held no public office, preferring to do his duty as a private citizen rather than as a public official. He and his wife were reared in the faith of the Episcopal church and are now mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church, which holds its meetings at schoolhouse No. 8. To the teachings of that denomination they are true and loyal, while in the church work they take an active and helpful part. In his busi- ness career Mr. Williams has demonstrated the power of energy in winning success through the opportunities which the new world affords
MR. AND MRS. JOHN WILLIAMS.
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in a business way. He is a leading and in- the old homestead in Williams county, Ohio, fluential farmer of Wolf Creek township, sue- cessfully engaged in the raising of high graded Hereford cattle as well as in the production of erops best adapted to soil and climate. With- out special advantages to aid him in his youth he came to America with no capital and, begin- ning life in Woodbury county as a farm hand, he has steadily worked his way upward until he has attained high financial standing.
E. W. ERB.
E. W. Erb, numbered among the highly re- spected and progressive farmers of Woodbury county now making his home on section 10, Rutland township, is numbered among the na- tive sons of Ohio, his birth having occurred in Williams county, that state, on the 4th of February, 1854. His father, Jacob Erb, was born in Pennsylvania, and was of German lin- eage, and the mother, who bore the maiden name of Susanna Weaver, was also a native of the Keystone state. Removing to Ohio, Jacob Erb engaged in farming in Williams county and there reared his family. Subse- quently he made his way to South Dakota, where he lived for eight or nine years and then came to Woodbury county, living a retired life in Pierson until he was called to his final rest on the 4th of March, 1902. His wife died at the same time and they were interred in the same grave. E. W. Erb is the second in order of birth of their nine children. The others are as follows: Ephraim Erb, the eldest, is de- ceased : Samuel is a resident of Woodbury county; William makes his home in Cedar county, Iowa; Jacob is living in Michigan ; Anthony is in Cedar county ; Mary is the wife of Joseph Brown, of Michigan : Amelia died at the age of nineteen years; and Lucinda is the wife of Robert Brown, of Perry, Iowa.
E. W. Erb spent the days of his boyhood and youth in the usual manner of farmer lads on
and during the winter months attended the public schools, while in the summer seasons he worked on the farm. He was married there on the 25th of August, 1884, to Miss Mary Winter, who was born in Defiance county, Ohio, and was there reared. Iler father was Christopher Winter, a native of Germany. The year following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Erb removed to Iowa, loeating in Clin- ton county and Mr. Erb and his brother rented and cultivated a tract of land for five years. He then came to Woodbury county, where he again operated a rented farm for a year and then purchased another eighty-acre tract of land, upon which he now resides. Locating on this farm he at once began its further develop- ment and improvement, and he has since added to the place from time to time as his financial resources would permit and now has two hun- dred and forty aeres in one body. He has built a good barn and other structures for the shel- ter of grain and stock, has placed his fields under a high state of cultivation and has al- ways made a specialty of the raising of cattle and hogs. He annually feeds a carload of steers for the market. Fruit trees and shade trees upon his place were set out by him and the former are now in good bearing condition.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Erb has been blessed with two children, Emma and Elsie. The parents are members of the Christian church of Pierson, of which Mr. Erb is an officer. He votes with the Republican party, but has never desired political preferment as his business affairs make constant demands upon his energies and time. He has given his close attention to his business with the result that his strong determination and perseverance have proven an excellent foundation upon which to build his snecess, and although he started out in life empty-handed he now pos- sesses a farm which is valuable and well im- proved, indicating that the owner is a leading agrienlturist of his community.
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SILAS KIMM.
Upon a farm on section 2, Rutland town- ship, Silas Kimm resides and is there engaged in the cultivation of one hundred and thirty- two acres, which is his own property. He is numbered among the early settlers of the state, having come to Iowa in 1864, and since 1887 he has resided continuously in Woodbury county. He was born in Oneida county, New York, October 25, 1857, and is a son of Henry Kimm, a native of Germany, who remained through the period of his minority in the land of his nativity and then came to America, set- tling in Oneida county, New York. There he carried on farming for a number of years and five of his children were born in that county. In 1864 he removed with his family to Iowa, taking up his abode in Benton county, where he developed a good farm. He spent his last years there and was a well known and re- spected agriculturist of that community.
Silas Kimm was reared in Benton county upon the old homestead and is largely a self- educated and self-made man, although to some extent he attended the common schools in his boyhood days. He removed to Ida county, Iowa, in early manhood and in Sac county he was married on the 28th of October, 1885, to Miss Johannah Warneke, a native of Germany, whose girlhood days were passed in Wisconsin. The young couple located in Odebolt, Iowa, where Mr. Kimm was engaged in the grain business for two years. They then removed to a farm in Ida county, near Holstein, and after a year there passed Mr. Kimm purchased his present farm, comprising one hundred and thirty-two acres on section 2, Rutland town- ship, Woodbury county. He immediately be- gan the further development and improvement of this place, later erected a good house and planted maple, willow and cottonwood trees, so that he now has a fine grove upon his place. He also set out an orchard and planted small fruit, has fenced his land and in connection with general farming has engaged in stock-
raising. In 1903 Mr. Kimm was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 23d of October, of that year. They were the parents of eight children: Caroline, Henry D., Fred, Hannah and Anna, twins, Lura and Laura, twins, and Marie. Politically Mr. Kimm is a stanch Democrat, but has never sought or desired office, as his attention has been fully occupied by his business affairs. Ile and his family attend the Methodist Epis- copal church and are well known in Rutland township, where they have many warm friends.
J. D. BELL.
Almost a century and a half has passed since George Washington said that agriculture is the most useful as well as the most honorable occu- pation to which man directs his energies and the truth of this saying has been abundantly verified in the history of this country and stands to-day, as it did then, an unquestioned fact. Mr. Bell, of this review, widely and fa- vorably known for his activity and integrity in business affairs, is engaged in general farm- ing on section 4, Rutland township, where he owns and operates two hundred and forty acres of well improved and valuable land.
He was born in Macon county, Illinois, Sep- tember 27, 1842. His father, Josiah Bell, was born in the city of Harrisburg, Pennsyl- vania, in 1815, and the grandfather, Abraham Bell, was a native of Scotland, whenee he emi- grated to America, becoming one of the early settlers of Pennsylvania. Josiah Bell was reared in the Keystone state and was married in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, to Mary Doyle, who was born in Pennsylvania and was of Welsh and German lineage. About 1835 Mr. Bell came with his family to the middle west, settling in Macon eounty, Illinois, among its pioneer residents. There he opened up a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, upon which he reared his family. At the time of
J. D. BELL AND FAMILY.
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the Civil war he joined the boys in blue as a he was taken to the hospital at Nashville, and defender of the Union ennse, enlisting in the Fifth Illinois Cavalry, with which he served until the close of the war. Being a saddler by trade he was engaged to work in that way in the army and he also did service in the ranks. He died at the Soldiers' Home in Quiney, Illinois, in the 'SOs, having for a num- ber of years survived his wife, who passed away in 1867. In their family were eleven chil- dren, ten of whom reached adult age.
J. D. Bell, who was the third in order of birth, was in his boyhood days occupied with the duties of the schoolroom, the pleasures of the playground and the work of the home farm. His youth was passed in Macon county, amid the wild scenes of frontier life, and he had to walk from two to four miles to school, going through the woods along a blazed road. He was a young man of only eighteen years when he responded to the country's call for aid, enlist- ing on the 21st of April, 1861, in response to President Lincoln's first call for troops. He joined Company A of the Twenty-first Illinois Infantry, a regiment commanded by General Grant. He marched first from Springfield to Naples, Illinois, thence to Quiney and across the river there into Missouri. He was first under fire at the battle of Fredericktown, Mis- souri, and was engaged in the campaign against bushwhackers. He participated in the siege of Corinth, and the battles of Holly Springs and Iuka, and was transferred to the Army of the Cumberland and under command of General Buell went to Louisville, Kentucky. He was also in the battle of Perryville, Kentucky, in the engagements of Crab Orchard, Nashville and Stone River, Knob Gap, Liberty Gap, Pine Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Jonesboro and Franklin, and was twice wounded. On one occasion he sustained a gunshot wound through the knee and a piece of shell also struck his heel, crippling him badly, as both wounds were in the same leg. Ile was held a prisoner for six days and was then re-captured, after which
later to Cincinnati, where he remained for some time, for when he had recovered he served in the hospital as a steward. Later he rejoined his regiment at Stevenson, Alabama, and was in the battle of Chickamauga, where the regi- ment lost heavily, there being two hundred killed and wounded, while five hundred were taken prisoners. Mr. Bell was in the siege of Chattanooga and of Missionary Ridge, also went on the Atlanta campaign, during which he participated in some of the hardest fought battles of the war and then returned to Nash- ville and drove out the forces under General IIood. There he served until the close of the war and veteranized at Ooltewah, Ten- nessee, after which he went to Huntsville, .Ala- bama, in pursuit of General Hood and thence to North Carolina, being in that state at the time of General Lee's surrender. Again re- turning to Nashville, he was then sent to New Orleans and to Texas, whence he went to San Antonio and there he was mustered out and re- turned home, being honorably discharged at Springfield, Illinois. He had served for four years, nine months and five days in defense of the old flag and the Union cause, and made for himself a most ereditable military record. He never faltered in the performance of any duty no matter where it led and he suffered all the hardships of war, but his loyalty remained unshaken and he displayed valor equal to many a veteran of twice his years.
After the close of hostilities Mr. Bell re- turned to his home in Illinois, where he re- mained for a year. He then went to Lee coun- ty, Illinois, where he was married on the 26th of February, 1868, to Miss Emma Van Nors- del, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Isaac Van Norsdel, who settled in Illinois about 1862. After his marriage Mr. Bell worked at the carpenter's trade for a year and then began in the grain business, conducting an elevator for two years. Upon the expira- tion of that period he removed to Sterling,
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Whiteside county, Illinois, and was there en- number of years and he has also served as gaged in the manufacture of farm implements commissioner of highways. He and his wife are members of the Dunkard or Brethren church, and while living in Illinois he belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His residence in Woodbury county covers al- most a quarter of a century and he has won the favorable opinion of his fellow men by rea- son of his activity and reliability in business, and his loyalty in citizenship, which is equal today to that which he displayed upon south- ern battlefields during the period of the Civil war. and furniture for about nine years. In 1878 he came to Iowa, settling first in Marshall county, where he operated a tract of rented land for four years. On the expiration of that period he came to Woodbury county, where he purchased two hundred and forty acres, upon which he is now living. His farm was then a tract of raw land, but he at once began to improve it and has continued the work of cul- tivation up to the present time. He arrived here in Februay, 1883, when the land was covered with snow and a big blizzard was rag- ing. He suffered many hardships and priva- tions of pioneer life while developing his farm, but after a few years the land became produc- MRS. MARY SCHLUPP. tive and yielded to him a good living. He planted a grove of maple trees and erected sub- stantial buildings upon his place. An orchard was also planted by him and he fenced the farm and in connection with his crops he en- gaged in the raising of graded stock, making a specialty of horses, cattle and hogs.
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