The History of Poweshiek County, Iowa : containing a history of the County, its cities, towns, &c.,., Part 75

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Des Moines : Union Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1004

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two fine orchards, considerable stock, hogs, horses, bees, and a good creek of running water. The subject of our sketch is one of the prominent members of the Baptist Church, and has held the office of justice of the peace for about six years.

HUDSON, WILLIAM-Farmer and stock-raiser, P. O. Forest Home. Mr. Hudson was born in Belfast, Ireland, February 25, 1837. At the age of twelve he came with his parents to the United States and settled in Clin- ton county, New York. In the year 1856 he came to Forest Home, where he engaged in wagon-making till the spring of 1864; he then went to Nashville, Tennessee, and made wagons for the United States govern- ment for about six months, returning again to Union township, section 19, where he has since resided. He married Miss Sarah Totton, of New Jer- sey, September 12, 1865. Their family consists of four children: Anna Mary (born June 29, 1866), Minnie E. (born January 22, 1868), David Ed- win (born May 27, 1869), Fanny Louisa (born January 24, 1871). He has a good farm of one hundred and fifty acres, a good supply of fruit and a happy home.

JOHNSON, VIRGIL H .- Mr. Johnson is one of the best of farmers and also an early settler. He was born September 16, 1813, in Highland county, Ohio, and lived there with his parents about five years; then the family removed to Greene county, and remained until 1849. He married Miss Mary Wilson, April 29, 1841, and while yet in Ohio there were born three children: Lorenzo D. (born February 4, 1842), Carey A. (born No- vember 20, 1845), Harvey P. (born April 22, 1849). He came to this State in the fall of 1849 and settled on his present farm, in section 15. Four of the younger children were born here: Joseph A. (born April 15, 1851), William P. (born April 18, 1854), Merrit V. (born June 20, 1856), and Mary Angeline (born September 15, 1858). He has an excellent farm of 160 acres, all under good cultivation, besides thirty acres of good timber. It contains an orchard of bearing trees, large crops of corn, wheat, oats, grass, grapes and small fruits. A grove of soft maples, several colonies of bees, thirty head of cattle, twenty hogs, and seven horses are on the place. He has a large and fine house and good barn. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are well developed physically, a little over the average size, and notwithstand- ing years of honest toil have been their lot, yet retain vigorous health.

M ARSH, JASPER H .- Born in Lee county, Iowa, March 10, 1844. He lived with his parents until he enlisted in the Union army. He enlisted in company F, Sixteenth regiment Iowa volunteer infantry, Feb- ruary 18, 1862. Very soon he was taken to camp in St. Louis, then went down the river, and as a raw recruit entered the battle of Pittsburg Land-

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ing; was in two battles at Corinth, the battle of Iuka, and was in the at- tack on Vicksburg and the siege and capture, then to Jackson, Meridian and Atlanta. He re-enlisted March 27, 1864, was taken prisoner at At- lanta, Georgia, July 22, 1864, and confined in Andersonville prison pen, where he remained, subject to untold inhumanities, till May 28, 1865. He entered the Federal lines at Jacksonville, Florida. He was mustered out on June 16, 1865. He married Miss Nancy S. Saunders, June 7, 1869, and the names of the children born to thiem are as follows: Martha B. (born March 29, 1872), Ethel E. (born September 6, 1878). His farm contains sixty acres, on section 21. He raises grain, corn, fruits of all kinds, hor- ses, cattle and hogs. His father's name is I. L. Marsh; his mother's, Mar- tha A. Marsh. The wife of our subject is the daughter of Aaron A. and Harriet Saunders, and was born August 22, 1852.

MOOR, JOHN-P. O. Forest Home. Was born in Sangamon county, Illinois, October 14, 1825; lived there on his father's farm, attending school a portion of the time, till 1843, when, with his father and brother, he came to Poweshiek county, Iowa, in April. The next year, 1844, he made a per- manent settlement on his present farm, in section 27. He was married Oc- tober 14, 1848, to Miss Amelia P. Woodward, and they have eight children : Nicholas (born October 4, 1849), Mary Louisa (born June 12, 1851), Sarah E. (born June 23, 1854), Emma L. (born January 21, 1856), Rosetta (born May 28, 1857), Drusilla (born May 4, 1859), Winfield S. (born February 1, 1861), Harlan G. (born February 13, 1869). The subject of this short sketch has, from the earliest history of the county, been among its foremost men. His intelligence, honesty and generosity have won for him the re- spect of all. He has been justice of the peace sixteen years, township trus- tee several terms, member of board of county supervisors during the war, and besides several other positions in the gift of the people he was elected on the regular Republican ticket to the most numerous body of the Fif- teenth General Asembly of Iowa, in the fall of 1873. He has given his at- tention to raising stock and farming, till by his industry he has one of tlie finest farms in the county. The farm includes 280 acres of good land, 200 of which are under excellent cultivation, forty acres pasture, and about forty timber, large and beautiful house, an orchard of over 400 bearing apple trees and forty cherry trees, a good barn, fifty head of neat cattle, several short-horn cows, eight good horses, 180 hogs, good wells and slightly roll- ing land. Mr. Moor has been a member of the M. E. Church since sixteen years of age.

S AUNDERS, AARON A .- Farmer, section 21. Was born in Greene county, Ohio, May 13, 1820. In his native county he attended school

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and grew to manhood. He married Harriet E. Dudley, who was also a native of Greene county, Ohio. He came from Ohio in the spring of 1851 and has since resided here, one of the most respected citizens of the county. Their large circle of children are as follows: Mary S., Elizabeth (born May 18, 1848), Helen L. (born July 16, 1849), Irvin S. (born October 19, 1850), Nancy S. (born August 22, 1852), James M. (born February 2, 1855), Robert A. (born April 17, 1857), Isaac H. (born March 20, 1859), Richard A. (born September 15, 1864), Harry S. (born June 12, 1867), Ernest F. (born May 14, 1873). The subject of this sketch has been identified with the best interests of the town and county for many years, and has reared a large and useful family. Although his early advantages were not such as are afforded youth at the present day, he faithfully improved what he had. Where he attended in Ohio the principal school conveniences were slab seats and desks, log chimney plastered inside and out, puncheon floor, books of inferior quality, and other things to correspond. By industry, perseverance and economy Mr. Saunders has accumulated a fine farm of 270 acres, including ten acres of good timber. He has a good orchard and all other conveniences which make farming pleasant and profitable and a farmer's life happy. From boyhood he has been a member of the church.

SAUNDERS, MARION-Born in Greene county, Ohio, March 29, 1840. Came with his father to Poweshiek county, Iowa, in 1851. Enlisted in the Union army, June 11, 1862. Was with Grant's forces at Vicksburg, being in six battles and skirmishes, and was discharged on account of disability, July, 1863. Re-enlisted in May, 1864, and served 110 days, and was dis- charged at Davenport, Iowa, September 10, 1864. He now resides on sec- tion 29. Married Miss Lydia E. Boswell, December 25, 1869, and has a family of two children: Stella B. and Harry.

SMITH, SAMUEL B .- Farmer, P. O. Forest Home. Mr. Smith has a farm of 100 acres, in section 21, where he resides. He was born in Greene county, Ohio, May 10, 1842. In 1848 he came with his parents to Iowa, and settled in Jackson township, this county. He was married to Miss Sa- relda Farmer, January 15, 1865. She is the daughter of Mr. John Farmer, one of the early and prominent citizens of the township. Mr. Smith is an industrious and successful farmer.

STILWELL, OBADIAH-A large and enterprising farmer, living on section 7. He was born in Wayne county, Indiana, on the 29th day of January, 1840. He lived there with his parents till the sixteenth year of his age, working on the farm and going to school in the winter. In the spring of 1866, he, with all his father's family, came west, taking steam-

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boat at Cincinnati, and after a voyage of abont 1,000 miles and nine days' · time, landed at Keokuk, thence to Sugar Creek township, this county. Here our subject resided till 1876, when he moved to his present residence in Union township. He married Miss Martha Steele, February 26, 1866. His wife was also born in Indiana, in Morgan county, July 24, 1843, and came to Poweshiek county when three years of age. By this marriage there were four children: Hannah E. (born November 25, 1866), Robert Franklin (born January 22, 1870), Fred A. (born September 2, 1877) and an infant (died January 23, 1880). Mr. Stilwell's farm is one of the oldest and best in the county. Land was broken just south of the house, perhaps the first in the township. It contains 370 acres, ninety timber, remainder tillable, a part of which is under excellent cultivation. There are orchards, young and old; some trees have been planted thirty-five years. At present he keeps about sixty head of cattle, ten horses, 130 hogs, twenty stands of bees. Grapes, currants, and raspberries, are in abundance. He has here- tofore raised considerable corn, oats and wheat, but intends soon to give his attention to stock-raising. He has grown this year about seventy acres of corn, and one field of forty acres will yield eighty bushels per acre. He has one of the finest and best arranged dwelling-houses in the county, a large and commodious barn, with granaries for oats and wheat, stalls for eighteen horses, hay-lofts, and other conveniences. There are four living springs of water located at various places on the farm. Although it is an old farm, it has had only three owners. Mr. McIntire, Mr. Watson, and the present owner. Mr. Thos. Rigden first took the land as a claim, but Mr. McIntire obtained a deed from the government.

SWANGEL, BENJAMIN F .- Born in Carroll county, Ohio, March 12, 1835. He came to Montezuma in 1855, and in the year 1858 married Eliza J. Saunders. He enlisted in company C, Twenty-eighth Iowa volun- teers, August 2, 1862. He was in the battle of Champion's Hill, and still carries a buck-shot in his breast which he received on that field. He was in the siege of Vicksburg, the Red River campaigns, under Gen. Banks, and many battles and skirmishes. The names of his children are: Wil- liam W., Frank, Aaron A., Charlotte and Christopher C. Three infant children died. Mr. Swangel is an industrious and faithful man, with & good, honest reputation among those with whom he deals.

W ALTON, SAMUEL B .- Born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, Jan-

uary 12, 1849. Removed to Oskaloosa, Mahaska county, October 15, 1868, where he lived six and a half years, five years merchandising, and a year and a half farming. In June, 1875, he came to Forest Home, Union township, this county, where he now resides. He married Mary M. Noble,

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October 11, 1868. The names and births of their children are as follows: Charles (born September 12, 1869), Ralph B. (born September 28, 1871) James H. (born September 20, 1873), Samuel B. (born March 11, 1876), and Robert H. (born April 13, 1878). Charles was drowned at Leighton, Mahaska county, July 5, 1877. Since March, 1876, Mr. Walton has been postmaster at Forest Home, and township clerk during the past three years. Merchandising has been his occupation to the present year. He was U. S. enumerator for Union township during the summer of 1880.

WILLETT, EDWARD A .-- Born in Mercer county, Illinois, April 7, 1840. He lived with his parents, brothers and sisters at home till the breaking out of the civil war. Enlisted August 16, 1861, in com- pany A, Thirtieth Illinois volunteer infantry, and served in the army of the Union three years and eleven months. He was first in camp at Spring- field, then with headquarters at Cairo, Illinois. Did scout duty, being in several engagements in Kentucky and Missouri. After the battle at Donelson, he proceeded to Corinth and lay in siege there till it was evac- uated by the Confederates. In the battle of Britain Lane, our hero cap- tured a revolver and shot-gun. He afterward proceeded to La Grange, Holly Springs, Water Valley and Memphis, where he remained some time, then on to Milliken's Bend. Was in the battle of Raymond, Mississippi, then in the battle of Champion's Hill, Mississippi, then to Black River and entered the Siege of Vicksburg, where he remained till its fall. In Jan- uary, 1864, he re-enlisted as a veteran in the infantry, after a furlough of thirty days. He then entered the Georgia campaign, was in the battles of Ackworth, Kenesaw Mountain, and was in the battle in which Gen. McPherson was killed, July 22, 1864; then again in a battle July 28, 1864. On the 13th of August he was severely wounded in the arm near the shoulder, but the wound did not daunt our brave soldier and in less than sixty days he was again marching with his comrades in arms. He was with Sherman in his great march to the sea, and was mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, July 19, 1865. He married Elizabeth M. Rodgers, December 4, 1865. His children are: Noyes W. (born October 31, 1866), George V. (born November 24, 1869, and died December 29, 1871), Mabel E. (born June 7, 1873), Lydia E. (born October 15, 1875), Edith E. (born April 24, 1879). Our subject moved from Illinois to Malcom, this county, in May, 1867, and engaged in mercantile business till February, 1868, when he moved to his present farm in section 3. His farm is 200 acres, two large orchards of bearing trees, thirty acres devoted to hay, forty acres to oats. He has sixty head of hogs. The farm is excellently located, only two miles west of Montezuma. Much fruit and other products are sold there.

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A LLUM, ISAAC-Section 24, P. O. Deep River. His ancestors came from England. His father was born in Washington county, Penn- sylvania, in June, 1796, farmed all his life, and died April 2, 1868. Isaac was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, November 30, 1828. Was edu- cated in his native county, and worked for his father until twenty-four years of age. After marrying he farmned for two years in Pennsylvania, then emigrated to Jasper county, Iowa, where he bought fifty acres, and farmed for seven years. Having lost his wife, at the expiration of this time, he returned to Pennsylvania and enlisted in the Fifth heavy artillery, but after three weeks service in a fort near Washington, was equipped as infantry and placed in company K, of the Two Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania volunteers. He participated in numerous skirmishes against Gen. Mosby, and received his honorable discharge July 6, 1865. In March, 1870, he emigrated directly from his father's home to his present place. He married December 21, 1852, Miss Lucinda Parsons, who was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, May 6, 1832. This lady bore him the follow- ing children: Theodore V. (born October 16, 1853, married Nancy At- wood), Rebecca J. (born December 6, 1855, died April 6, 1857), Jas. E. (born March 22, 1858, died November 5, 1866), unnamed (born November 15, 1859, died immediately), Isaac Francis (born November 5, 1860) and Delila Alice (born January 5, 1863.) Mr. Allum's first wife died, and he married Miss Sarah A. Swart, of Greene county, Pennsylvania, who was born March 29, 1842. The result of this alliance has been: Sarah Florence J. (born March 1, 1865), Penina Arabella (born December 10, 1866), Eliza Ida M. (born September 6, 1869), John M. (born August 26, 1872), Minnie O. (born October 7, 1875), Emma Effie (born July 3, 1877), and Asenah Ann (born August 5, 1879). Mr. Allum owns a good farm of 120 acres, and six acres of timber. His place is well stocked, and virtually free from debt.

ARMSTRONG, HARRY G .- Postmaster at Deep River, and dealer in general merchandise. His father, A. C. Armstrong, emigrated West in the spring of 1855, and after stopping eight months in Battle Creek, Mi- chigan, came directly to this county, and in conjunction with Albert Mor- gan and others, laid out the plat of the village of Dresden. He built the first house ever erected in the town. It was twelve by ten feet, and has since been moved about three miles west of town, where it now stands on Thos. Harris' place, a monument of the early settlement of the county. Harry was born in Rutland county, Vermont, May 4, 1848. He was raised

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on a farm, and enjoyed the advantages of an ordinary district school, which he regularly attended during winter, farming in summer, until he was twenty years old, when he married Miss Fidesta M. Hart, of Deep River town- ship, on March 11, 1868. Mrs. Armstrong was born in Cedar county, Iowa, May 23, 1850. To them were born three children: Hattie H. (born June 4, 1869), Alice A. (born April 4, 1871,) and Abel C. (born April 2, 1874, and died October 30, 1875). Mrs. Armstrong died November 12, 1875, and on the 13th of March, 1877, he married Miss Hattie M. Dawley, of Rutland county, Vermont, who was born among the mountains, May 24, 1851. She has borne her husband one child, Herbert H. (born October 18, 1879. Mr. Armstrong owns his comfortable home, and is full proprietor of a thriving business. He was the first to put the telephone to practical use in Dresden, by connecting his store with his dwelling. He has served his township in the capacity of clerk, and enjoys the confidence of his many patrons as a gentleman of undoubted business integrity.

ARMSTRONG, AARON W .- Section 26, P. O. Thornburg. His ancestors were Scotch, and his great-grandfather (Robert) came from the land of his nativity to America, and shortly afterward entered land, became the first settler, and raised the first crop in east Tennessee, and died a few years subsequently. His father (Aaron) was born in upper east Tennessee, August 3, 1787; farmed all his life in Knox county, Tennessee; held the office of major in the War of 1812, and died in the fall of 1860. Aaron was born in Knox county, March 20, 1835; was educated there, and lived and worked for his widowed mother until he was twenty-six years old, when he enlisted in company G of the Sixth Tennessee infantry, entering the Union army at Columbus, Kentucky, April 10, 1862; he was promoted rapidly from private successively through the positions of corporal, sergeant, and sergeant-major, serving eighteen months, when he was changed to the Ninth Tennessee cavalry, in which he attained the offices of lieutenant and captain. He participated in several skirmishes, and at the expiration of his term of service returned to farming on the old homestead. During the winter of 1865-6, he came to Iowa, stopping at Victor six weeks, when he went to Omaha, Nebraska; and at the end of seven months he went to Phelps county, Missouri, thence, in March, 1867, to his present place, and commenced the improvement of his farm. He married in Monmouth, Warren county, Illinois, April 28, 1874, Miss Emma Eiffort, of Henderson county, Illinois, who was born in Henderson county, November 25, 1849. The fruits of their union have been: Cora E. (born February 3, 1875), Ada J. (born May 11, 1876), Laura I. (born December 22, 1878), and Harry E. „(born August 4, 1879). Mr. Armstrong owns a fine farm of 220 acres of

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improved land, besides two and a half acres of timber. His place is in splendid condition; well stocked, and entirely free from debt. His house is one of the best appearing and most comfortable residences in Deep River township; and personally he is in easy and natural possession of the charm- ing instincts of the true Southern gentleman.

AXTELL, SILAS S .- Section 20, P. O. Tilton. His great-grand- father came to America during the colonial days, and his grandfather was born in Pennsylvania, where his father (Jesse) was also born, about 1814, and married, in Indiana, Mrs. Munger (nee Miss Mary Brewer), who was born in 1809, in New York, where her first marriage occurred. His grand- father moved to Ohio before his father was two years old. His father fought in the Texan War two years, where he lost his health and was discharged; he settled in Indiana, and died in September, 1871. Silas was one of five children, the next oldest of whom (Daniel) died in a government hospital, after having passed untouched through twenty-seven battles and skirmishes. Silas was born in Noble county, Indiana, July 25, 1848; educated in Ken- dallville, Indiana; worked for his father until he was nineteen years of age, then went to Michigan, where he worked on a farm by the month for two years, when he immigrated to Iowa, arriving in Deep River township, this county, August 29, 1869. In the following spring he went to Keokuk county, where he worked by the month until the next year, when he rented a farm where Thornburg now stands; here he farmed for the succeeding five years, at the expiration of which time he bought eighty acres where he now lives, and moved to it on the 28th of February, 1877. He subsequently added to his property two other adjoining pieces of land, forty and eighty acres respectively. Mr. Axtell married in Keokuk county, Iowa, on the 5th of March, 1873, Miss Mary J. Nelson, of Washington township, Keokuk county, who was born in Knox county, Illinois, October 21, 1850. The children are: Jesse Franklin (born December 5, 1873), Charlie E. (born January 6, 1876) and Louis D. (born June 10, 1879). Mr. Axtell owns 200 acres of good land, and is enterprising, industrious and prosperous.

B ARTELS, GEORGE-P. O. Deep River, and he lives in the village

of Dresden. He is the only tinner in town, and keeps constantly on hand a full line of tinware. His parents were born in Anhalt, Germany; the father (Charles) in 1776, and the mother in 1786. George was born in the same place, February 18, 1822; he learned the trade of coppersmith in Prussia when fourteen years old. Upon coming to this country, in 1869, he set up in the business of coppersmithing, in Muscatine, Iowa; from there he moved to his present place, March 1, 1877. He married in Ger- many, June 18, 1850, Miss Charlotte Becker, of Hochheim, Germany,

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born October 20, 1822. They have had four children: Louisa (born April 3, 1853; married June 22, 1874, to William Diatz), Gustavns (born May 3, 1855), Charlotte (born September 20, 1858) and Alvina (born January 14, 1861). Mr. Bartels owns his present business house and home, and is free from debt. He is not only a successful business man, but a scholar of no mean attainments, having educated himself to speak fluently in four differ- ent languages.

BARKER, AUGUSTUS K .- Section 2, P. O. Deep River. He was born in Morgan county, Ohio, December 4, 1842; was raised on a farm, and educated in part in his native county. He was twelve years of age when his father (James) came to this county. In 1859 he went to Read- ing, Michigan, where he learned his trade as a mason, and remained until April 7, 1861, when he enlisted in company E of the Fourth Michigan vol- unteers. He participated in the battles of Bull Run, Bull Run No. 2, Siege of Yorktown, Chickahominy, Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mill, Fair Oaks, Malvern Hill, Turkey Bend, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericks- burg, second Fredericksburg, Wilderness, Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, and many others, besides numerous skirmishes. After receiving his honorable discharge January 28, 1864, he re-enlisted, and was again honorably dis- charged, April 4, 1865. He then lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, until April 8, 1867, when he entered the United States regular army for an enlisting term of five years, and served until he was the third time honor- ably discharged, June 30, 1871. He then returned home, and has since been chiefly engaged in farming and threshing, and occasionally work'.,.g at his trade. He married, March 18, 1874, Sarah J. Black, of Victor, Iowa, who was born in Bureau county, Illinois, February 24, 1848. Mr. Barker owns fifty-four and twenty-six-one-hundredths acres of farming land, in splendid condition, and ten of timber. He has served his township as school director, and is an energetic and successful gentleman.

BARRETT, EDWARD E .- Section 30, P. O. Tilton. His great-grand- father, Moses Barrett, was born in London, in 1719, was educated for the ministry, came to America and was ordained an Evangelist of the Puritan type, and married Mary Dow, of the family of Dows from whence sprang the famous Lorenzo Dow-she died of measles, October 6, 1813, at the age of eighty-seven. He was associated with David Brainard in Christianizing the Indians, and for that purpose took a trip to London to solicit funds from the British Government to aid in setting up free schools among them. His grandfather, Daniel Barrett, read the entire Bible before he was five years old-was in the service of his country under Gen. Washington at White Plains, and married, in August, 1782, Rebecca Bosworth, from

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The History of Poweshiek County, Iowa : containing a history of the County, its cities, towns, &c.,., Part 75

Author: Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Des Moines : Union Historical Co. Number of Pages: 1004

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Des Moines : Union Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1004