USA > Iowa > Henry County > Portrait and biographical album of Henry County, Iowa, containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county > Part 28
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cessful farmer and owns 120 acres of land, and is a credit to the township in which his family resides. We are pleased to make suchi mention as the Allen family deserve in the history of the county, where for many years they have resided.
1 DDISON CHANDLER. harness-maker, sad- dler and dealer in horse furnishing goods, New London. Mr. Chandler settled in New London in 1852, and for twenty-five years has served as Postmaster of that village. He was born in Cayuga County, N. Y., Oct. 24, 1817, and is the son of Ebenezer and Lucinda (Niles) Chandler. He served a regular apprenticeship to the saddle and harness making trade at Skaneateles, N. Y. Ile removed to Indiana in 1837, and located at Moore's Hill, where he worked as a journey man. He started in business at Wilmington, Ind., in the line of his trade, and later removed to Manchester, Ind., where he also carried on a shop. He was married at Moore's Hill, June 17, 1839. to Miss Mary Emeline Hedge, daughter of Samuel Hedge. Mrs. Chandler was born in Steuben County, N. Y. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Chand- ler : Isabel is the wife of C. Whit Smith, and re- sides in Burlington, lowa; James married Martha De Long, and lives in Lincoln, Neb .; Janett died aged five years; Otho A. died at the age of one year; those named above were born in Manchester, Ind. The remainder of the children were born at New London: Thomas married Nettie Lewis, and lives in Burlington; Frank is at home, and Maggie is the wife of S. E. Symons, of Saginaw, Mich. Mr Chandler removed from Indiana to Ft. Madison lowa, Nov. 20, 1851, and the following September came to New London. He opened a harness-shop at that place, and carried on the business till 1862, when he was appointed Postmaster of New London under President Lincoln, in August of that year. He had been Acting Postmaster from the April pre- vious, was re-appointed, and held office until Janu- ary, 1887, when he resigned. During his twenty- five years of service as Postmaster he was never
absent a single day on account of sickness, and rarely from any other cause. His administration of the office was prompt, efficient and courteons, and most satisfactory to the people. Soon after taking the postmastership Mr. Chandler formed a partnership with his son-in-law, Mr. Smith, in the mercantile business, under the firm name of Chand- ler & Smith. They dissolved partnership soon after the close of the war, and Mr. Chandler conducted the business alone until 1884, when he closed out his stock in anticipation of going out of office. He has just perfected his arrangements to resume busi- ness again in the harness-making line. Mr. Chan- dler has served two terms as Justice of the Peace at New London, and is a member of New London Lodge No. 28, A. F. & A. M. Mrs. Chandler was a member of the Protestant Methodist Church, and was a most estimable Christian lady, and a devoted wife and mother. Iler death occurred April 30, 1884. Mr. Chandler's father was born in Vermont and his mother in Cayuga County, N. Y., and both families date their origin in America back to Colo- nial days.
C. ALLSUP was born in Jackson County, Ind., on the 3d of February, 1823. His parents were JJohn and Nancy (Shumaker) Allsup, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Tennessee. In 1816 they emigrated to Indiana and settled in Jackson County, where John Allsup felled the trees, and in the midst of the forest developed a fine farm. There were eight children in the family who grew to man- hood, but only two of these are now living: Rich- ard Il., of Jackson County, Ind., and J. C., our sub- ject. Jolm Allsup was reared in the Dunkard Church. Mrs. Allsup died a member of the Chris- tian Church. She was a true mother, a sincere Christian, an earnest worker for the Master.
The subject of this sketch is a pioneer of two States, Indiana and lowa. He was reared in the new country of Indiana, educated in the primitive schools, and was apprenticed to his trade of a car- penter in 1838, receiving his board and a suit of
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clothes. Ilis apprenticeship was over a term of two years. In the fall of 1841 he came to Henry County, remaining one winter on Skunk River. and in 1845 he led to the marriage altar Miss Elizabeth M. Burge. She was born in Lieking County, Ohio, in April, 1825. One child was born to them, R. Elizabeth, now the wife of John Noble, of Page County, Iowa. Mrs. Allsup was called to her final home in the year following her marriage. Mr. All- sup was again married, in 1847, to Mrs. Elizabeth Sharp, widow of Davis Sharp, by whom she had three children : Davis, of Lee County, lowa; Han- nah, wife of Edward Forbes, of Oregon, and Robert J., of Oregon.
Mr. and Mrs. Allsup had a family of six chil- dren, five of whom are now living: Ellen, who is the widow of Francis M. Prickett; Jennie, residing in Taylor County, lowa, is the wife of Charles Richardson; Leni Leoti lives at home: Harrison resides at Canton, Ill. : Jessie is the wife of Hiram Allen, of New London. In 1865 Mr. Allsup came to Mt. Pleasant, where he has since resided. When he first came to this county the settlements were so few that each man knew all of the settlers of the county. One could travel miles and not strike a farm, and there were but two or three settlers be- tween New London and Middletown. Mr. Allsup will always be remembered for the good he has done for Mt. Pleasant and Henry County, Iowa. In politics, he is a Republican, though he has voted with the Greenback party.
S AMUEL L. MILNER, dealer in stock and real estate, now of Hastings, Neb., was for- merly a resident of Tippecanoe Township, Henry County, and is a son of Jolm T. and Harriet Milner, for sketch of whose history see Courtland W. Milner. Our subject was born in Pickaway, Miami Co., Ohio, June 4, 1842, and was eleven years old when his parents emigrated to Van Buren County, lowa, where he lived until 1857, when he went to work in the Oakland Mill in Tip-
pecanoe Township. Henry County. for his unele, Nathaniel E. Armstrong. There he remained until the fall of 1861, when he volunteered in the com- pany known as " The Tippecanoe Rangers." John Millspaugh Captain, who entered the State service as Home Guards for three months. On the expi- ration of this term Mr. Milner enlisted in Company B, 25th Jowa Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war, being mustered out at Daven- port, Iowa, June 16, 1865. He participated in the battles of Chickasaw Bagou, Arkansas Post, the siege of Vicksburg, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Ringgold, Resaca, Kennesaw Mountain, the siege of Atlanta, the historic " march to the sea," at Savannalı, Ga., Columbia, S. C., and the closing scenes of the war, to the great review at the cap- ital, where Company B led the advance of Sher- man's army. On his return Mr. Milner rented the sawmill at Oakland, which he carried on until Jan- nary, 1866, when it was wrecked by a freshet. Ile then went to Louisa County, Iowa, where for three years he was engaged in farming, going thence to Ottumwa, where he entered mercantile life, and also bought a farm four miles from that place, which he subsequently sold. From Ottumwa he re- moved to Sheridan, Lueas Co., Iowa, running a woolen-mill for two years, and then selling it, en- gaged in selling implements, traveling for three years. In 1876 Mr. Milner removed to Webster County, Neb., and opened a new farm, on which he lived for seven years, when he sold it and re- moved to Hastings, Neb., where he has since been engaged in the stock business, and recently has been engaged considerably in real-estate transae- tions.
December 24, 1865, Mr. Mimer was married to Miss Thirza A., daughter of Israel and Mary (Seott) Murphy, who were early settlers in Knox County, Ohio, where Mr. Murphy had for a long time been engaged in carpentering and contracting. The family removed to Mt. Pleasant. Iowa, in 1864, and thence to Louisa County, where Mr. Murphy died in 1867. His wife is now living in Sheridan, Iowa. Mrs. Milner was born in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, Oct. 1, 1839. Mr. and Mrs. Milner were blessed with eleven children, of whom six are now living, namely: John F., Fannie Belle, Allie May, Harry
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THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILD' N FOUNDATIONS.
Nemusel
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Leonard, Flora and Hattie. Those deceased were Rossie, Ettie and Nora, and two twin infants.
Mr. Milner is an energetie man, who has been quite successful, and has always borne the reputa- tion of an upright man and good eitizen. In relig- ious matters he is liberal. in his belief, and in polities believes in the doetrines of the Union Labor party.
G EN. NICHOLAS GREUSEL, of Mt. Pleas- ant, was born in Bavaria, Germany, July 4, 1817, and before leaving the old eoun- try received a fair education in German and French in the schools of his native eity of Blies- kastle. The Greusels, consisting of father, mother, brothers and sisters, emigrated to the United States in the summer of 1833, and on arriving at the city of New York strangers and penniless, the eight larger children were told by their father that they were now in a free country, that he had noth- ing more than a parent's blessing to bestow, and that they must commence the battle of life for themselves, but that in case of siekness or misfort- une, such a home as he might be in possession of should be theirs. Without knowing a word of the English language, the future of these poor children looked dark and gloomy. The boy Nicholas wan- dered over the city for hours in search of em_ ployment, when, after many failures and rebuffs, a kind and benevolent lady admitted him under her roof, and gave him shelter and work. The lady who at this dark hour proved an angel of merey to him was the mother of Hamilton Fish, onee Sena- tor from New York, and afterward Secretary of State under President Grant. Ilere Nicholas re- mained a year, and the following year worked in a brickyard at Nasburg, N. Y., when the whole family removed to the Territory of Michigan, reaching Detroit by canal and steamer, Nov. 1, 1835, At first such odd jobs as could be found were resorted to for a livelihood, such as driving team, gathering ashes, etc., but in the spring of 1836 he obtained a permanent situation in the firm of Rice, Coffin & Co., in the business of lumbering, and remained in their employ for eleven years, until the breaking out of the Mexican War. Prior to this he had
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served as Captain of the Scott Guards, a local mili- tary company, and subsequently as Major of the Frontier Guards, and was on duty during the Patriot rebellion in Canada. At the municipal election in Detroit in 1844, he was elected Alderman of the Fourth Ward on the Whig ticket, and served in that capacity two years. On the breaking ont of the Mexican War he raised a company for service, which became Company D, Ist Michigan Volun- teers, of which he was elected Captain. Marehing to Springfield, Ohio, the company were sent thence by rail to Cincinnati, and by steamer to New Orleans and Vera Cruz, which latter place was reached ten days after its surrender to Gen. Scott.
In the mareb upon the eity of Mexico the Michi- gan Volunteers were attached to the division of Gen. Bankhead, which marehed through Cordova and Orizaba some distance out on the National road to the Mexican capital. Their progress through the country was almost a continuous battle with bands of guerrillas and bodies of Mexican soldiery, who swarmed from their mountain fastnesses. In their encounters with the enemy the Michigan Vol- unteers acquitted themselves nobly, performing successfully and well every duty assigned them.
The war being ended, in the summer of 1847 the regiment returned home, arriving at Detroit July 12. At the outset Capt. Greusel's company num- bered 105 men, and he returned with eighty-five, the company having been better eared for and in better health than any other in the regiment. Under his economieal management about $300 company money was saved, with which he purchased new shirts, shoes, blacking, and sneh articles of clothing as were lacking, and when within a few hours' ride from Detroit, directed his men to shave, wash, and dress in the new outfit provided for them. The other officers were astonished and somewhat cha- grined to find that his company were clean and well dressed, while theirs were walking bundles of dirty rags. On landing, Col. Williams placed Company D in the advance in marching through the city, and the newspapers were filled with articles eulo- gistie of Capt. Greusel and the fine appearance of his veteran company.
The day succeeding his discharge and muster out of the service, found him baek in his old posi-
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tion in the lumber-yard of Rice, Coffin & Co., at- tending to business as of yore. Subsequently he was elected Captain of the City Guards, and then Lieutenant Colonel of the battalion ; was appointed Superintendent of the city water-works in 1849, and was the first Inspector General of lumber for the State of Michigan in 1850. which office he held two years. An unfortunate investment stripped him of the hard earnings of a lifetime, and he again commenced at the lowest round of the lad- der of life to win his way to a competency, and to fame. He next turned his attention to railroad- ing, and found continuous employment as a con- ductor, first upon the Michigan Central, and then with the Chicago. Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, in whose employ the Rebellion found him. A company recruited by him at Aurora, Ill., was among the first to respond to the President's call for troops, he being the first man to enlist in that city, and on the organization of the 7th Regi- ment he was commissioned as Major, and pro- ceeded with it to the front. This was the first regiment raised in the State of Illinois. At the close of the three months' service he was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment, which had re- enlisted for three years, and on Ang. 14. 1861, was promoted to Colonel of the 36th Illinois Vol- unteer Infantry, and served as such until Feb. 7. 1863. He was a brave and efficient officer, and soon after the close of the war received the follow- ing letter from Lieut. Gen. Phil. II. Sheridan:
HEADQUARTERS, MO. DIV. OF THE U. S. ARMY. CHICAGO, Oct. 15, 1865. COL. N. GREUSEL,
Late of the 36tli Ill. Vol. AURORA, IL.L.
MY DEAR COLONEL :- It gives me great pleasure to summarize the service performed by you while under my command. I first met yon as Colonel of the 36th Illinois Infantry. In the fall of 1862 your service was most valuable. At the battle of Perryville, Ky., Oct. 8, 1862, while in command of a brigade, you were quite gallantly leading your brigade all the time, and on the campaign to Nashville the excellent discipline your men main- tained was a model for all. In the battle of Stone River, Dec. 31, 1862, while commanding your regi-
ment. and after the death of Gen. Sill. the brig- ade (1st Brigade, 3d Division, right wing), your services were marked by bravery and good judg- ment, and when you were compelled to leave us it was much regretted, for it was felt that our cause was losing one whom it could illy spare.
I am, my dear Colonel. yours truly, P. H. SHERIDAN, Lieutenant General.
Gen. Greusel left the army on account of dis- ability by rheumatism, which he contracted on the night of Jan. 2, 1863, at the battle of Stone River. He had been fighting for several days, and had no sleep nights, and on the night in question, in company with Gen. Sheridan, occupied a brush shel- ter. The wind shifted during the night, and in the morning they were completely covered with snow, and he was unable to move, and was com- pelled to resign in consequence, Feb. 7, 1863. Ile was breveted Brigadier General, by recom- mendation of Gen. Rosecrans, after Stone River. Returning to Aurora, Ill .. as soon as he was able to work, he was offered the position of conductor on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, which he filled until Sept. 1, 1866, when he removed to Burlington, Iowa, and in January following made his home in Mt. Pleasant. IIe came to Iowa as Roadmaster of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, holding that position for three years, when he retired from active life with the good wishes, and greatly to the regret of his superior officers on the road. Ile has in his possession a valuable solid gold badge, in shape and size of an annual pass, suitably inscribed, given to him in 1866 by James C. Sherman, President of the Con- ductors' Association, which is one of his most cher- ished souvenirs.
Gen. Greusel since his residence in Mt. Pleasant has connected himself with the Masonic fraternity here, demitting from the Illinois bodies. He is a member of Mt. Pleasant Lodge No. 8, A. F. & A. M. ; of Henry Chapter No. 8, R. A. M., and Jerusa- lem Commandery No. 7, K. T., in which latter body he has been Senior Warden for sixteen years.
In Detroit, Mich., in 1839 Gen. Greusel was united in marriage with Jane Doumens, a native of France. By this union there were twelve children, eight of whom are now living: E. Stuyvesant is
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assistant master mechanic at Plattsmouth, Neb. : Josephine is the wife of Lafayette Langston ; Eliza- beth F. is the wife of John A. White, a resident of Aurora, Ill .; Rachel married Fred Grouch, a resi- dent of Sandusky, Ohio; John O. resides at Mt. Pleasant; Nettie is still at home: Susie, wife of Charles Martin, of Plattsmouth, Neb. ; Phil. Sheridan is employed on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad; Joseph R. enlisted in the 27th Michigan Volunteers, and was killed while on the steamer "Lyon," in 1863. In 1866 Gen. Greusel came to Mt. Pleasant. The General and Mrs. Greusel are both members of St. Michael's Episcopal Church at Mt. Pleasant, of which he is a Vestryman. They are highly respected by all who know them. By good management and hard labor, they have obtained a competency. Probably no man has held more of- fices of trust, or served more faithfully his adopted country, than has Gen. Greusel. His military abili- ties are very great, as is shown by the letter we give from Gen. Sheridan, which, coming from such a source, is higher praise than any we could give. Alone, unaided, by his own might he has conquered all, and from humble beginnings he has won for himself an honorable name and an enviable position. The portrait of this brave and gallant soldier and honorable man is given on an accompanying page.
LIVER McDONALD is a farmer of Baltimore Township, Henry Co., Iowa. One of the early settlers of this State was the father of our subject, who located in Pleasant Grove Town- ship, Des Moines County, in 1837, on land adjoin- ing that upon which his son Oliver now resides. Originally, the MeDonalds were of Scotch and Irish ancestry, and we trace their history back to Mary- land, where John, father of Oliver MeDonald, was born. lle went to Kentucky a single man, and later wedded Mary Mahan, near Lexington, in that State. Most of their children were born in Adair County, Ky. They were: Elizabeth T., wife of Isaac Cor- nelius, and both now deceased; Alexander, who died single ; Jolin E., wedded to Mary L. Parrot; W. Wallace, who died in childhood; Archibald C., who died unmarried, and Oliver, of whom we write,
completes the list. He is the only living represent- ative of the family. In the spring of 1836 the family went to MeDonough County, Ill., and not finding a good title to the land there open for entry, Mr. MeDonakl pushed on to Iowa and took the claim mentioned above, leaving his family in Illi- nois until the next spring. The lands are on what is known as the Black Hawk purchase, and that cele- brated chief, with his band, wasat Burlington when the emigrants landed in Iowa. Oliver, who was born June 3, 1828, was a lad, but being so near their village for nearly a year, he formed a personal acquaintance with many of the tribe, as well as with the chief Black Hawk. This village was a mile and a half above Burlington. at the mouth of Flint Creek, now in the city limits, and Oliver remembers well when the tribe took their final departure. Even after they had gone and came back on annual visits to Burlington to receive their annuity, boys with whom he played remembered him, as they stopped often at his father's cabin.
Familiar in every detail with pioneer life, our subjcet, who has lived for half a century upon the saine land. has witnessed its entire development, from the first cabin to the fine farm house and sub- stantial home which take the place of the old cabins and pole sheds of fifty years ago. The death of his mother occurred when Oliver was only six months old, and his father, who loved her with all the fervor that a fond husband can love, remained true to her memory. His daughter Elizabeth was her father's housekeeper until her marriage, and then his sister, Maria MeDonald, remained with him during his lifetime. He died in 1854 in his seventy- first year, and his remains were interred at Pleas- ant Grove Cemetery in Baltimore Township.
Oliver McDonald, the same year, was married to Miss Ann;R. Algeo, of Des Moines County. She is the daughter of John and Ann (Stewart) Algeo, and the paternal ancestors were of Irish origin. They came from Wellsburg, Va., where she was born, and the family removed to this State about 1847. John Algeo went to California in 1850, and died in a mining camp. After her daughter, Eu- genie Archer, and her husband, decided to go to California, Mrs. Algeo resolved to accompany them, and in that State her death occurred later. She
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was the mother of six children: Thomas, John, Ann R., Eugenie. William and Ridgeley. Four of these are now living: John wedded Louisa Harlan ; Eugenie married John Archer; Ridgeley was mar- ried in California and lives there, and Ann is the wife of our subject, and was born Dec. 29, 1837.
After the death of his father and the other heirs, Mr. McDonald and his brother, John E., purchased the old homestead, and our subject now owns the original site where stood the pioneer cabin. The domestic life of the young couple was begun on the same tract. and the same residence to-day is the one in which, for almost thirty-five years, they have lived the happiest of lives. Four children have blessed their union : John E. and William Edgar, who are single : Anna B., wife of Seneca Kel- ley, a farmer of New London Township, and Mil- ton, the husband of Ivenette Williams, residing in Danville Township, Des Moines County.
The family circle remains intact, and in a cosy home, with all that makes life worth living, and with children of whom they have every reason to feel proud, the historian leaves the subject of this sketch, who has been an industrious and fortunate man, and has accumulated since he began life for himself, 280 aeres of very desirable land. Neither he nor his father have ever desired or ever held public office, but as citizens, gentlemen, and kindly neighbors, few men have greater credit. Mr. and Mrs. MeDonald are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Pleasant Grove, of which he has been Steward and Class-Leader, and is now a Trustee. Socially he is a member of Charity Lodge No. 56, I. O. O. F., of New London, and in politics has been a life-long Democrat.
C APT. WARREN BECKWITH, a leading business man and prominent citizen of Mt. Pleasant, was born in Henrietta, Mon- roe Co., N. Y., in 1833, his parents being George L. and Sally ( Winslow) Beckwith. The former was a native of New Brunswick, born in 1800, who went with his parents to Buffalo, N. Y., in 1813. The following year his father died, directly after which event news reached the settlers of the intended
destruction of the place by the Indian allies of the British, in the war then existing between the United States and Great Britain, Mrs. Beckwith and her family were among those who sought safety by flight beyond the Genesee River. In 1816 the family settled on a farm in Henrietta, Monroe County, near Rochester, N. Y., where the subject of this sketch was born, and which he now owns. George L., his father, was the eldest of the family, and the management of the farm naturally devolved upon him, and he subsequently became its owner. On this place he lived all of his after life, and died there in 1883, at the age of eighty-three years. IIe was always a farmer, but in his younger days had also been a teacher. He was a man of positive character and of strongly marked personal charac- teristics. Though never an office-seeker, he took an active part in public affairs ; a Democrat by con- viction, he was also an original Abolitionist, a be- liever in the doctrines of William Lloyd Garrison, and an ardent admirer of llorace Greeley. He was an extraordinarily well-read man, a sound thinker and cogent reasoner and fluent speaker, and wielded a more than ordinary influence in his locality. In the infancy of the common schools of the State lie was an influential friend and supporter, and did much to insure their success in that region. On the breaking out of the Rebellion he took an active part in support of the Government, helping to fill the quota of his county, and three of his sons were in the army, in which two of them lost their lives. Ile never engaged in any occupation but that of farming, and at his death left a competence. IIe was married in 1829 to Sally, daughter of Jonathan Winslow, of Henrietta, who had come to that place from New Bedford, Mass. She was born in 1805, and died in 1885, aged eighty years. They had seven children, namely : Adolphus, who was a farmer in his native county, and entered the Union army in 1861, enlisting in the 8th New York Cavalry, and died of typhoid fever in camp in Virginia, in No- vember, 1862; Samuel, the next son, was part of his life in the railroad business, and came to Mt. Pleas- ant, where he was Station Agent of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad from 1859 to 1864, when he returned to the old home in New York, staying there until 1880. during which period he
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