USA > Iowa > Boone County > The history of Boone County, Iowa, containing biographical sketches war records of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of the Northwest, history of Iowa, map of Boone county etc. > Part 69
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BENNET, HIRAM, farmer; Sec. 5; P. O. Boone; is a native of Steuben county, New York, and was born January 26, 1820; when an in- fant he was taken by his parents to
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Michigan, where he was raised and educated; when 15 years of age he learned the blacksmith trade with his father, and followed the same as an occupation until fourteen years ago, when he engaged in farming; in 1857 he came to Iowa and located in Des Moines, there went to work and remained about one year; he moved to Fort Dodge, there worked in the government shops for two dol- lars per days and one soldier's ra- tion; remained there until August, 1853, when he came to Boonesboro and opened a shop on his own ac- count, doing work for all the adjoin- ing counties, and even Minnesota; in Angust, 1864, he moved on his present farm, which he has since car- ried on, owning 105 acres of land; has a shop on his farm, but does lit- tle at his trade since he has resided here; when he came to Des Moines he went from Chicago to La Salle, Illinois, via canal, took a steamer for St. Louis, from there to Keokuk in the same manner and by steamer to Des Moines, up the Des Moines riv- er, being twenty-four days from Keo- kuk on account of the dams at Bo- naparte; he has been president of the school board, and township clerk and county supervisor for two terms; August 16, 1846, Mr. Bennett was married to Miss Caroline Klinedob, a native of Livingston county, New York; they have five children liv- ing: Maria E. (wife of Byron Mox- ley, of this township), Geo. E., Mary B., J. Earl and Ida E .; one son died in infancy.
BERL, LEVI, farmer; Sec. 25; P. O. Boone; was born in Baden, Germany, October 26, 1827, and when 14 years of age his parents died; he concluded to try the for- tunes of the new world and landed at New York, and then went to New Jersey; he there went to work on a farm, but became sick and returned to New York City and began clerk- ing in a hotel; in 1846 he went to
Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania; learn- ed the blacksmith's trade and follow- ed it most of the time until two years ago; in 1861 he came to Iowa and located at Clinton and ran the shop for the railroad company; in 1863 he went to Amboy, Illinois, and remained three years, when he came to Boone, and in 1878 moved upon his present farin of 125 acres; February 27, 1854, he married Miss Rosanna Baker, a native of Penn., born March 17, 1837; have five chil- dren : Emma, Archibald, Edwin and Mabel living, and one deceased.
BLACK, JAMES W., stock deal- er, Boone; was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, March 24, 1831, and when young accompanied his par- ents to Sandusky City, Ohio, in 1833; owing to the death of his father, after a residence of one year in this place his mother returned to their former home, and the subject of this sketch then went to live with an un- cle on a farm, and remained with him until he was fourteen years of age, and then went to Owen county, Indiana, and was engaged in various occupations on the canal, river and clerking in a store in Bowling Green, Indiana; in 1854 he came to Boone county and entered the employ of McCall & Sypher and remained with them four years; he went on an In- dian expedition north and clerked for some time in Ft. Dodge, and then returned to Boone county and engaged in the hardware and stove trade and did a large and prosperous business; he has of late years de- voted his time and attention mostly to buying and shipping stock, and has been in the business continuous- ly, longer than any man in the coun- ty, and his reputation throughout the county for honor and fair deal- ing is an enviable one; he was mar- ried in 1869 to Miss Emma J. Bean, a native of New York; she died in 1874, leaving three children: Alice May, Wilford C. and Ernest.
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BLACK, J. E., dealer in hardware, stoves, tinware and farm machinery, Boone; was born in Sandusky City, Ohio, on the 11th day of March, 1833, and while an infant was taken by his mother to Tuscarawas county, Ohio; in 1844 he removed to Owen county, Indiana, and learned the trade of carpenter, and followed it for a long time as an occupation; from Indiana he went to Illinois, and lived there one year, and in 1854 came to Boonesboro and was engaged in constructing and building pre- vious to engaging in his present business; he married Miss S. J. Par- ker July 1, 1858; she was born in Indiana; they have a family of three children: Alonzo, Belle A. (wife of A. J. Wilson, of Silver Cliff, Colo- rado), and Mary; lost two sons: Ed- ward and James.
BOLT, F. A., dealer in books, sta- tionery, wall papers and notions, Boone; born in Knowlesville, Orleans county, New York, on the 15th day of November, 1848; when eleven years of age he removed to Iowa; he learned the printer's trade and worked nine years in Marshalltown, and four years in Fort Dodge and one year at Waterloo; he came to this county in 1876 and established his present business; he married Miss Ellen Thomas in 1874; she was born in Illinois; they have two chil- dren: Charles A. and Carrie.
BOWMAN, THOMAS, brick manufacturer; Sec. 30; P. O. Boones- boro; was born in. Trumbull county, Ohio, on the 27th day of March, 1837; he was raised in the State until twenty years of age, and then came to Du- buque county, Iowa; in 1860 he went to Pike's Peak, and returned and spent one year in Kansas on a farm; he enlisted in the Fourth Iowa cavalry, and served three years and eleven months, and came to this county January 28th, 1866; he owns 98 acres of land, and is extensively
engaged in the manufacture of brick, and makes on an average one million per year; he has held various town- ship offices; he married Miss Catha- rine Sebo January 1, 1866; she was born in Pennsylvania; they have four children: Mary C., Cora E., Minnie M., Ida B.
BOYD, THOS. S., county auditor, was born in Clinton county, Iowa, on the 15th day of April, 1844; he was raised a farmer and came to this county in April, 1869, and has been engaged largely in farming and stock business in connection with his fa- ther and brothers; his farm con- tains 160 acres; he has given a great deal of attention to raising the grade of stock in the county; he has never been a political aspirant, but yielding to the wishes of his friends he was elected to his present office in the fall of 1879; he was married to Miss Augusta E. Hess in 1875; she was born in Clinton county; Mrs. B. died June 9, 1879, leaving one daughter: Mattie E .; they lost one son : Charles R.
BRAINARD, JOHN M., editor and newspaper publisher, Boone; was born in Blairsville, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, on the 30th day of March, 1836; educated at Elders- ridge Academy in the same county, and at Beloit College, Wisconsin; came to Iowa in 1856, and has been a continuous resident since; settled first at Charles City, Floyd county, and in October, 1858, removed to Mason City, where he taught school for one year, and in the fall of 1859 removed to Clear Lake, and in 1860 established the Clear Lake "Inde- pendent" in connection with Silan Noyes; during this time (1859-60) he held the office of county superin- tendent of Cerro Gordo county, and was also elected a member of the State board of education; in 1863 he purchased the Nevada "Ægis"; in 1864-5 was clerk of the courts in Story county; in 1868 he purchased
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an interest in the Council Bluff " Nonpareil," and remained there one year; in September, 1869, he bought the Boone "Standard," which he has since published; he was appointed by President Grant postmaster of Boone in 1873, and held that office for four years; Mr. Brainard is a gentleman of fine ability, amiable disposition and more than ordinary affability of manners; his reputation as a writer and pub- lisher is widespread; he is conserva- tive rather than radical, and has as warm friends in the opposite party as his own; as an editor and pnb- lisher he occupies a position which, while it is exceedingly difficult to fill, is in many respects a most pleasant and desirable one; Mr. Brainard was married March 18th, 1856, to Martha V. Wilson, a native of Westmoreland county, Pennsyl- vania.
BROWNING, ALEXANDER, farmer; Sec. 5; P. O. Boone; was born in Marcy, Oneida county, New York, Angust 30, 1837, and was brought up a farmer; he was edu- cated in the common schools and Whitestown Seminary, of Whites- town, New York, where he attended about two years; in 1867 he went to Lima, Rock county, Wisconsin, and engaged in farming, but only re- mained about two years, and in the spring of 1869 he came to Iowa, locating where he now lives; he owns a farm of 85 acres; August 2, 1862, he enlisted in company G 117th New York infantry, and served to the close of the war; was honorably discharged May 24, 1865, at Wilmington, North Carolina; was married March 6, 1867, to Miss Mary E. Kent, a native of Stettsville, New York; they have four children living: Arthur E., Eddie S., Addie E. and Jennie J .; have lost three.
BRIGGS, GEO. W., was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, January 15, 1834, and in March, 1855, came to
this State; he is a mason by occupa- tion, and May 20, 1861, he enlisted in the war for the union; engaged in several unimportant battles in Missouri in 1861, and was in the battles of Shiloh, April 5, 1862, Hatchie, September 21, Jackson, July 12, 1863, etc. etc .; June 6, 1868, Miss K. A. Horlocker became his wife; she was born in Columbus, Ohio, February 29, 1848; they have. four children: Lincoln A. (age 10 years), Gay (age 7), Ray (age 5), Eu- gene (age 1).
BRYANT, H. F., dentist, Boone; was born in Pennsylvania in June, 1839; he was raised a farmer, and lived there until he attained his ma- jority; in 1860 he removed to the State of New York and entered the office of a prominent dentist in Bing- hamton, and learned his profession ; he came to this State in 1872, and settled in Boonesboro in 1875; he has the reputation of being a skill- ful operator, and has a large prac- tice; he was married to Miss M. Williams on the 26th day of June, 1865: she was a native of Pen syl- vania; they have two sons: Ira C. and Harry C.
BURLEY, JOHN, Boonesboro; was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, February 8, 1829, and in March, 1851, moved to Pennsylva- nia, where he resided for three years, and then returned to Ohio; remained there until 1869, during which time he was mostly engaged in the mercantile business at Pleas- ant Valley; in that year he came to Iowa and located in Glidden, Carroll county, and for two years was en- gaged in selling goods; in 1872 lie came to Boonesboro, and until the latter part of 1877 was engaged in business-a part of the time he was in the grocery and the balance in the hardware business; in the fall of 1877 he was elected sheriff of Boone county, which position he held for two years; November 30,
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1854, he was married to Miss Har- riet A. Williams, born July 18, 1836, in Pennsylvania; have seven children living: Florence H., Ida, Hattie, George, John, William and Emma; have lost two: Elizabeth and an infant.
BUTLER, M. A., proprietor of the St. James Hotel, Boone; was born in Connecticut in 1833; he re- mnoved to Rochester, New York, where he learned the trade of ma- chinist; he entered the employ of the M. S. R. R .; afterward was em- ployed by the C., R. I. & P. R. R., Terra Haute, Alton & St. Louis, I. C. R. R. and C. & N. W. R. R .; he came to this county in October, 1866; he was master mechanic for several years of the company's shop at this place, and in February, 1878, resigned his position; he became proprietor of the above hotel during the early part of 1880, and under his management the house is having a large share of public patronage; Mr. B. has been twice married, first to Miss Elizabeth Pembrookee, in 1855; she was born Pen Yan, New York; she died in 1867, leaving one son: Charles P., who was accident- ally killed on the Maple river branch of the C. & N. W. R. R. in 1877, being in his twenty-first year; Mr. Butler married for his second wife Miss Mary Rogan, in 1865; she was a native of New York; they have one son: Harry.
C ARROLL, OLIVER, florist and and proprietor of Pine Grove nursery, Boonesboro; is a grandson of Charles Carroll, an official in the Revolutionary War, who was a nephew of J. C. Carroll, of Carroll- ton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; was born in Miami county, Ohio, March 23, 1829, and was there raised, devoting his early life to farming ; on becoming of age he entered into the mercantile busi- ness in Georgetown, Ohio, and re- mained in said business for four
years, but his health requiring out- door exercise, he again engaged in farming; in 1856 he moved to Greene county, Wisconsin, and there followed his occupation for two years, and then came to Marshall county this State, and remained for four years; in 1863 he came to his
present location and established the first nursery in the county, and has been very successful; his nursery consists of all fruit trees adapted to this climate, and are of choice vari- eties, in connection with which he has evergreens, ornamental shrub- bery and house-plants in great vari- ety; his ground is tastefully laid out, and consists of eight acres; he was married October 2, 1856, to / Miss Mary J. Banta, who was born in Ohio; she is of Holland descent, Jacob Banta having emigrated to this country, and was about the first settler in New York City, then known as New Amsterdam; he set- tled in New Jersey, and from there to Lebanon, Ohio, shortly after the Revolutionary War was ended.
CHAMBERS, JAMES H., superintendent of public schools, Boone county; the subject of this sketch was born in Sussex county, New Jersey, on the 8th day of January, 1841, and at the age of seven his parents removed to Schuy- ler county, New York, where he re- ceived his early education; when seventeen years of age he came to Webster county, this State, and en- gaged in teaching for one year; he then went to Livingston county, Missouri, and there followed his profession till 1860; he then spent a few months in Kansas, and from there went to Mason county, Illi- nois, remaining till 1861, when he enlisted in company K, of the Sev- enteenth Illinois infantry, and was mustered into the United States ser- vice the following May, and that summer was with the regiment in Missouri, and participated in the
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battles of Frederickstown, Ft. Don- aldson and Shiloh, April 6th, where he received three severe wounds, one of which cut off three fingers from his left hand; he was then ta- ken to Pittsburgh, remaining till the last of June, and was then con- veyed to Schuyler county, New York, and in the following October he went as far Louisville, Ken- tucky, but was unable to get back to his regiment, and was dis- charged on account of disability, November 11, 1862; he then re- turned to McDonough county, Illi- nois, where he attended high school for one year, which he supplemented with a course at Central College, of Abingdon, this State, and since he has devoted his time to teaching; he came to this county in 1865, and for the last nine years has taught in this place; in the fall of 1879 he was elected superintendent of the public schools of the county; there are lives more sensational in their career but none confer greater bene- fit on society or is more honored than the successful self-made man; to the most thorough qualifications as an instructor he adds untiring energy in the discharge of his offi- cial duties; we cannot close this sketch better than by saying that Mr. Chambers' life is an eminent ex- ample of what every young man can accomplish who has the energy and determination of character sufficient to follow persistently any one line of action which duty and a clear judg- ment may mark out for him; Mr. C. had two brothers who lost their lives in the late war: Wm. C. en- listed in company E. Third Iowa. in- try; was killed at Jackson, Missis- sippi; Lee Grand enlisted in the Twenty-fourth New York cavalry, and died from the effects of wounds received at Petersburgh.
CHAMPLIN, FRANK, Boone; to a self-made man who has battled his way to success through his own
unaided ability gained an honored and responsible position in society, much should be accredited; the sub- ject of this sketch is the architect of his own fortune, and his rise in the world must be attributed to his energy and perseverence, and his life fully illustrates what industy and integrity aiming at a single point can accomplish in a few years; he was born in Kinderhook, Colum- bia county, New York, on the 25th day of June, 1831; he was thrown on his own resources at the age of ten years, and without funds or fa- vor with which to pave his pathway to success he has by indomitable will and energy made an enviable record; his early railroad experience was on the New York & Erie road in 1850; from this road he entered the service of the Atlantic & G. W., and remained with them four years; in 1866 he came to Boone in the employ of the C. & N. W. R. R., as passenger conductor; has run a train longer on the West- ern Division than any one in the employ of the company; he has al- ways been closely identified. with the interests of the city and has served faithfully as a member of its council; he was one of the organ- izers and a director in the First Na- tional Bank of Boone, and when the charter was surrendered he was one of the organizers of the city bank, and was elected vice-president and also a director, and has recently been elected president; he was mar- ried to Miss Vinnie York on the 10th of September, 1861; she was born in Birmingham, England; her father was a native of Vermont and her mother of England ; they have two children: Kate and Charles F .; Mr. Champlin is not only a self- made man, but one of nature's no- blemen, genial, generous and kind- hearted, finding his greatest happi- ness in the paths of a contented, quiet, peaceful and social life, al-
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ways ready to respond where neces- sity makes known her wants.
CHANDLER, E. E., jeweler and dealer in silverware, musical instru- ments, etc .; among the business men of Boone who are deserving a notice in this work is the subject of this sketch; he was born in New Hampshire on the 14th day of May, 1846; he was raised a farmer till nineteen years of age; in 1865 he removed to Rockford, Illinois, where he remained four years; in 1869 he came to this county and established his present business in the city of Boone, and is the pioneer house in his line in the city, and he is a good illustration of what a man can ac- complish by pursuing a straight- forward business course, and his character as a business man may be inferred from the success which has attended his career; he was mar- ried in 1873 to Miss Mary Bush, a native of New York; they have one son: Dexter, and an infant daughter.
CLARK, WILLIAM FRANK- LIN. deceased, whose portrait ap- pears in this work, was born in Lan- caster county, Pennsylvania, June 13th, 1829; removed thence to Har- rison county, Ohio, when eight years old, and when fifteen years old to Washington county, and commenced attending school at New Athens; he was a diligent student, never losing an opportunity to improve his mind, even carrying his books with him to the field that he might con his les- sons in the intervals of work on the farm; about this time he began the study of medicine with Dr James Little, at Beverly, in the same coun- ty, and subsequently took a course of lectures at Cleveland; returning from Cleveland he entered upon the practice of medicine with Dr. Little at Beverly, for a year or two; about 1853 he removed to Watertown and went into the practice by himself, in which he was very successful; in
1855 he was married to Miss Lavi- na W. Ford at Watertown; about 1858 the family removed to Putman; Muskingum county, where the Doc- tor again practiced medicine with his former preceptor, Dr. Little, but his health failing he shortly after- ward removed from there to Low- ell, Washington county, where he followed his profession for some lit- tle time; he also engaged in the mercantile business at this place, combining the two avocations as cir- cumstances allowed; he remained in Lowell until the spring of 1864, when he removed to Magnolia, Har- rison county, Iowa, resuming the mercantile business, and practicing his profession more or less until 1868, when he quit the practice except in a few families; in the spring of 1870 he sold his mercan- tile interests and engaged in the banking business at Magnolia, but left there on the 6th of September, 1872, for Boone, where he became one of the incorporators of the First National Bank and its heaviest stock- holder; he was elected president of the bank and held that position con- tinuously until the First National surrendered its charter and became the City Bank of Boone, of which also he has been the president up to the time of his death; during the seven and a half years of his resi- dence in this city Doctor Clark has been so closely identified with its so- cial and business interests that his death comes home to our people as a great personal loss, more keenly and widely felt, perhaps, than would be the taking away of almost any other man in the community; his business relations, brought him into contact, first and last, with almost every man in the county, and he en- joyed in the highest degree the re- spect and contidence of all; careful and methodical in his business hab- its, he was clear-headed and saga- cious in dealing with men, quick to
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decide and accurate in his judg- ments, to such a degree that his name long ago became the synonym of stability, safety, and success in all transactions of a business nature; we remember during the panic of 1873 when a good many monetary institutions in the country were col- lapsing that while conversing with him on the subject of bank failures he remarked to us that it was hard to tell what the outcome would be, but he expressed confidence that the First National would "weather the storm, for," said he, "we have our resources fully in hand; we have not indulged in foolish outside specula- tions, but on the contrary have uni- formly adhered to a legitimate bank- ing business and are prepared for almost any emergency"; the result showed the soundness of his judg- ment and the correctness of his con- clusions; the bank under his able management, supplemented, during the last few years, by the valued as- sistance of Mr. Ericson, the cashier, has remained one of the soundest in- stitutions in the country and has uni - formly prospered; the Doctor was always at his post unless sickness prevented, and many times when other men would have succumbed and gone to bed he kept steadily at work in the bank, sustaining him- self by the force of an indomitable will; Mr. Ford remarked to us that this saine will-power and determina- tion manifested itself in the earlier years of the Doctor's life; when practicing medicine at Washington, Ohio, he kept four horses and liter- ally wore them all out in attending to the calls of the sick; in his social relations the deceased was uniforinly kind and pleasant, charitable to the needy, a true friend, a good neigh- bor, and an upright and public spir- ited citizen; during the past year he was one of the building commit- tee of the new Presbyterian church,
and to his efforts more, perhaps, than to those of almost any other man, is due the successful accomplishment of that enterprise; he was one of the best informed men we ever met, not only upon topics connected with his business, but in matters of cur- rent interest, in politics, history and science, as well as in general litera- ture; and his knowledge was accu- rate and always where he could use it and impart it to others in a few terse words that never failed to be understood; he died April 16, 1880, leaving five children : Clara H., Ef- fie, Fannie, Willie W. and Lavina; [We copy the above from the Boone county "Republican."]
CONWAY, H. V., proprietor of the Conway saw-mill; Sec. 34; P. O. Boone; was born March 14, 1829, in Knox county, Ohio, and was there raised and educated in the cominon schools and also by his own efforts; he has learned the trades of brick- mason, painter, carpenter and build- er, all of which he has taken up without serving an apprenticeship. having a natural mechanical turn of mind; in the spring of 1871 he came to Iowa and located where he now lives, buying this mill at once; runs it during the winter months and works at building in the sum- " er and fall; in April, 1864, he en- listed as sergeant in company I, 142d Ohio, and served until September of that year, when he was discharged on account of expiration of term; while in the service his regiment was sent to Ft. Lyon, in Virginia, and then to Bermuda Hundreds where they were sent to the front and kept there under Gen B. F. But- ler, holding the works between the James and Appomattox rivers; May 30, 1849, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Jennings, a native of Greene county, Pennsylvania; they have four children living: Joth- am J., Sarah E. (wife of Warren
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