USA > Iowa > Washington County > The history of Washington County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c. : a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men > Part 84
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R ICKEY, WILLIAM, farmer; Sec. 33; P. O. Richmond; was born September 1, 1835, in Pickaway county, Ohio; in 1847 his parents came to this county and located in Clay township; in 1850 they moved to where he now lives; he was raised on a farm and educated in the com- mon schools; he enlisted August 20, 1862, in company I, Eighteenth in- fantry, and served till March 1863, when he was discharged on account of general disability; he was wounded in the hip in the skirmish of Eutonia, Missouri, October 8, 1862; he was married April 22, 1863, to Miss Mary A. Parker, a na- tive Hawkeye, being born in this township; they have seven children: Findley E., Millard Lincoln, Irvie D., Charles I., Rosa M., Ida O., liv- ing, and one infant deceased.
RIGGEN, J. A., physician and surgeon, Wellman, Iowa; was born October 29, 1841, in Knox county, Illinois; his parents moved to Mis- souri in September, 1859, where he grew to manhood and was educated in the common schools, and in June, 1861, enlisted as private in compa- ny C, Eighteenth Missouri infantry; in October, 1861, he was transferred to company A, of same regiment; he was promoted to corporal, sergeant, first sergeant, hospital steward, ser- geant-major, second lieutenant, first lieutenant, assistant quartermaster of his regiment, and at the close of the war to captain by brevet; he was mustered out of service August, 1865, at St. Louis, Missouri, where
he remained and read medicine with Dr. S. B. Houts and attended St. Louis Medical College and also at- tended the Keokuk College of Phy- sicians and Surgeons, where he grad- uated M. D., in June, 1878; he began the practice of his profession in Ham- burg, Fremont county, this State, in 1866; in the spring of 1867 his fail- ing health compelled him to go to the mountains, where he remained about eighteen months; he then re- turned to Sullivan county, Missouri, where he remained about one year, and then located in Bates county, Missouri, where he practiced his pro- fession till April, 1879, at which time he came to Daytonville, near this place; in September, 1879, he built a store-house and put in a stock of drugs, which he manages in connec- tion with his practice; he also has a branch drug store in Amish, in John- son county; he completed the first residence in the town of Wellman; he was married November 13, 1868, to Mrs. Hannah E. Warner, a native of Vermont; they have one child: Cordelia F., living.
S EABROOK, HENRY, black- smith, Daytonville; he was born March 8, 1819, in Maryland; at the age of seventeen he went to learn his trade with Henry Snyder, of Carroll county, Maryland, with whom he worked about three years, when he went to Harford county, where continued to work at his trade till 1856, when he came to Iowa City, where he lived one year and came to this county in 1857 and lo- cated in Daytonville, where he opened a shop and has remained since; he owns 20 acres of land and several town lots; he was married March 7, 1844, to Miss Eliza A. Warner, a native of Frederick county, Maryland; they have had three child- ren: Clara (wife of John Waite, of this place), living, and Laura and Henry C., deceased.
SIGLER, J. J., farmer; Sec. 36;
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P. O. Wellman; was born May 27, 1814, in Maryland, and was raised on a farm and educated in the com- mon schools; he came to Virginia in 1846, and to Iowa in the fall of 1853 and located where he now lives; he owns 160 acres of land, 40 of which he entered from the government; he has been twice married; first, May 7, 1835. to Miss Eliza Potter, a na- tive of Maryland, who died August 12, 1844, leaving five children: Nancy C. (wife of B. W. Jenkins, of this county), Mary M. (wite of O. Wilson, of this township), Elizabeth E. (wife of Perry Stevens, of Seven- ty-six township), and Martha A., liv- ing, and one son deceased; was mar- ried again February 19, 1846, to Miss Golda Fazenbaker, a native of Maryland; they have nine children: George G., William W., Henry M., Godfrey F., Anna L. (wife of Isaac Evans, of Mahaska county), Eliza F., Sarah L., living, and two deceased.
SINGLEMAN, WM., farmer; Sec. 7; P. O. Daytonville; was born August 27, 1837, in Brunswick, Ger- many; at the age of seventeen he went to learn the carpenter's and millwright's trade, at which he worked till 1868, when he came to the United States and located in this township; in 1875 he and Mr. Fell. man bought what is known as the old Wassonville grist mill, which they still own; he also carries on his farm, which consists of 100 acres, to which he devotes most of his time; he was married in November, 1863, to Miss Sophia Brower, a native of Germany; they have seven children : Mena, Mary, Ella, William, Charlie, Emma, and an infant not named.
STAPLETON, M., farmer and stock-raiser; Sec. 21; P. O. Washing- ton; was born in Ireland, November 5, 1827; at the age of ten he com- menced school, where he remained till the age of eighteen, when he emi- grated to America, landing at Troy, New York, in 1846, where he
worked as a laborer; he remained here till 1848, when he emigrated to Chicago, Illinois, where he got em- ployment on the Chicago & North- western railroad and remained there till 1850 when he emigrated south and remained there till 1851, when he came to Washington county, Iowa; he has a fine farm of 560 acres, nicely fenced with hedge and barb wire; he was married in Mich. igan City, Indiana, May 22, 1852, to Miss Mary Carroll; by this union they have nine children: Thomas, born May 24, 1858; Bridget, born September 25, 1857; Julia, born September 13, 1860; Tobias, born February 10, 1863; Dennis, born July 28, 1865; Martin W., born Feb- ruary 11, 1868; Mary, born Septem- ber 13, 1870; Margaret, born August 2, 1874; Tateresa, born October 13, 1878, and John and Johanna, de- ceased.
V
TEJVODA, J. K., harness ma-
ker, Wellman; was born July 18, 1854, in Bohemia; in 1863 he came to the United States, land- ing in New York; they came at once to Iowa City where they loca- ted; in 1866 he learned the harness maker's trade with James Hodack, of Richmond, this county, who moved to Washington; he also went there and worked for him for about six months; he then went to Iowa City and attended the German school for three months, and in 1868 went to work for Mr. Vamney, of Day- tonville, with whom he worked for five years, after which he worked in various towns till October 27, 1879, when he came to Wellman and st rted a harness shop on his own account; he was married Jan- nary 24, 1877, to Miss Jennie Har- vet a native of Iowa City.
W ALL, CHRISTOPHER,
farmer: Sec. 21; P. O. Richmond; was born March 6, 1828, in Germany; he learned the weaver's trade while a young man, but has
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never followed it in this country; he came to America in 1849, making the trip in twenty-six days, being one of the quickest trips on record for a sailing vessel; he located near Pittsburgh, where he engaged in farming; in 1852 he came to this county and located in Clay town- ship, where he worked by the month ; in 1856 he came to his present farm of 117 acres; he was married April 24, 1856, to Miss Harriet Van Bus- kirk, a native of Indiana; they have seven children: Mary E. (wife of Silas Leach, of this township), Lewis G., Martha A., Joseph V. R. and Margaret V. living, and two de- ceased: Maria A. and Wm. A.
WHETSTINE, RUFUS, farmer; Sec. 25; P. O. Wellman; he was born August 18,1837, in Indiana; his parents came to Iowa in 1852, and lo- cated on section 24 in this township; he was raised on a farm and educa- ted in the common schools; he came to his present farm in 1871; he en. listed July 2, 1862, in company I, Eighteenth Iowa infantry, and served to the close of the war, and was discharged in July, 1865; he was wounded in the thigh at Poison Springs, Arkansas, while with a foraging party, for which he draws a pension from the government; he was married in November, 1859, to
Miss Elizabeth Bolding, a native of Illinois; they have a family of six children: Edward, Early, Otis, Ennice, Alvey and Wayne living, and two deceased.
WISHARD, J. H., farmer and stock-raiser; Sec. 14; P. O. Well- man; was born in Nicholas county, Kentucky, January 17, 1815; at the age of five years he commenced common school and remained there till the age of fourteen; he then moved to the State of Indiana where he went to school for two years, and then commenced farming, remaining in that State till April, 1853; he then moved to Washington county, Iowa, where he still resides, and is the owner of a splendid farm con- sisting of 190 acres of land, nicely fenced; he has one and a-half miles of as fine hedge fence as there is in the county; he has an abundance in store to make him comfortable in his old age; has been twice married: first to Miss Rebecca Vanduyn, Oc- tober 1, 1840, in the State of In- diana, and by this union had four children: Samnel, Permelia, John and Margaret A., all deceased; he married his present wife in Vermil- lion county, Indiana, Miss Margaret Miles, April 15, 1849; by this union they have three children: Wm. H., Olive L., Sam. J., all living.
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A NDERSON, L., carpenter, Richmond; was born in Marshall county, West Virginia, February 25, 1827, and came to tlris county in 1855, residing here since that time; wlien twelve years of age he was left dependent on his own resources, and for six years was a cabin-boy and waterman on board a vessel; then learned his trade. and in 1848 went to the Indian Nation and helped to build the Chickasaw Academy ; he remained there for about two years; returned to
Wheeling, and on November 1, 1850, was married to Miss M. E. Hardesty; their family consists of five children living; Harriet E., Mary E., Sarah E., Joseph T. and Charlie H .; have lost their oldest son : Arminins D .; when quite young Mr. Anderson joined the M. E. Church; he was class-leader at the age of twenty-six, and com- menced preaching when but thirty- four years old; he remained with that denomination until 1865, when he adopted broader and more liberal
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views; of late years he has turned his attention to the practice of law. BEAR EAR, GIDEON, farmer; Sec. 31; P. O. Richmond; was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylva- nia, August 7, 1810, where he was raised a farmer, which occupation he has followed all his life; at the age of twenty-eight he became con- vinced that the west offered better opportunities to a poor man, and with $20, all the money he had ac- cumulated since becoming of age, turned his face westward; coming to Indiana he got out of funds, where he remained nearly two years, when he came to this county, and located where he now resides; his life has been a quiet, persevering effort to build for himself and family a comfortable home; his farm consists of 530 acres under fine improve- ments; his success is attributable in a great measure to his excellent wife, who has ever been a constant helpmate; September 12, 1841, Miss Mary Gwin, a native of Harrison county, Indiana, became his wife; they have ten children living: Eliz- abeth (wife of J. W. Sterling), Sam- uel H., Margaret A. (wife of J. W. Coffman), Richard, Nancy (wife of P. Figgins), Wilbur, Clara (wife of R. Turnipseed), Alice (wife of F. Hoag), Martha J., the oldest daugh- ter at home, is a young lady of rare attraction, dutiful to her parents, a jewel fit to adorn any household, and Minora; they have lost four children: William, died in the army in 1862; Jane, Charles E. and an infant.
BOONE, ABNER, general iner- chant, Kalona; was born in North- umberland .county, Pennsylvania, October 17, 1828; when seventeen years of age he removed with his parents to Johnson county, this State; for three years he served an apprenticeship at tailoring, but owing to ill liealth he was obliged to give up his trade and afterward
worked at building and farming until 1873 when he entered into his pres- ent business at Williamstown; re- mained in business there until Sep- tember, 1879, when he removed to. his present place; September 13, 1853, he married Miss Almira A. Simonton, a native of Pennsylvania ;. they have six children living: Wil- liam A., Mary I., Alonzo, Arrissa, Alfred, and Benoni; have lost three: Marcelia, died November 5, 1864; Ada, died February 27, 1869; and Elmer E., died March 18, 1869.
BUNKER, HON. DAVID, far- mer and miller, Richmond; was. born in Guilford county, North Carolina, October 23, 1810, but was- raised in Wayne county, Indiana; his educational advantages were lim- ited consisting chiefly of home cul- ture; he was taught to read by his mother, while in mathematics his- father was his teacher; young Bunker remained at home on the farm until of age when he was called upon to settle the business of a mercantile firm in the northern part of Indiana; he afterward made an extensive tour through the Northwestern States with a view of locating and finally concluded to settle in this township which he did, coming in July of 1839; thus in the very earliest days of the settlement of this part of the county Mr. Bun- ker came bringing with him stern integrity, courage and energy, and has, perhaps, done more toward the development and advancement of the county than any other one man; in 1840 he was chosen county com- missioner which position he held for about two years, when his constitu- ents elected him a member of the Territorial legislature; during the session he presented the petition from Washington and Crawfordsville for the repeal of the "Black Laws";' this matter from our own standpoint would not seem a very serious one, but when we recall the times and the
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persecutions endured by the cham- pions of human rights then and many years after, we may well con- jecture the amount of courage re- quired to even present such a peti- tion; he has repeatedly represented his district in the State legislature serving with honor to himself and credit to his constituents; was also a znember of the Constitutional conven- tion in 1857, taking a prominent part in that deliberation; June 23, 1833, he married Miss Mariam Hunt, of North Carolina; she died in July, 1845, leaving a family of five chil- dren: Allison, Anna (wife of Peter Morgan since dead), Jesse, Martha (now Mrs. Jesse Thompson), and Abram; in June, 1846, Mrs. Julia A. Smithi became his wife; by this union they have four children living: Mariam, David, Phebe A., and Mary E .; Mrs. Bunker had one child by former marriage, who died in the army.
BUSH, A., farmer; Sec. 24; P. O. Richmond; was born in Fayette county, Ohio, February 8, 1813; in his boyhood he was employed on the farm summers, and the winters being spent in the shop with his father, who was a skilled mechanic; to the elder Bush belongs the honor of making and using the first boiler iron for mould-boards on plows; under the instructions of his father young Bush became a good me- chanic; in 1846 he removed to this township and made his claim where he now resides; he improved a fine farm of 200 acres; the dwelling and ·out-buildings were erected by him- self, bearing witness of his more than ordinary mechanical skill; in personal appearance he is plain and unassuming, social and obliging as a neighbor, kind and warm-hearted as a friend, hospitable and generous to all, firm in his convictions, which he maintains at all times; he was mar- ried October 7, 1832, to Miss Violet Arnold, of Fayette county, Ohio;
she was born in Kentucky; he has eight children living: Catharine (wife of W. W. Gwin), Sarah (wife of E. S. Marsh), Violet (now Mrs. W. E. Kerr), Mary (wife of Rev. J. P. Coffman), Leonard and Victory ; they have lost five children: Elizabeth, Huldah J., Louisa, Anderson and Darius, who was killed at the battle of Belmont, Mo.
C RITZ, FRANK, dealer in gen- eral merchandise, Richmond; is a native of France and was born April 12, 1839; when he was nine years of age his parents emigrated to the United States and settled in Lee county, Iowa, and lived there two years and then came to this county and settled in Iowa township; here the subject of this sketch was raised on a farm until sixteen years of age; he then entered the employ of N. Littler, Esq., a merchant in Richmond and remained with him for two and a-half years, when heed- ing the call of his adopted country for troops to suppress the rebellion, he enlisted in August, 1862, in com- pany K, Thirtieth Iowa infantry as aprivate and served nine months; was then commissioned first lieutenant; after serving with his regiment for a period of nine months in this ca- pacity he was detailed on the staff of Gen. C. R. Woods Fifteenth Army corps and held this position until he was mustered out with the regiment in Washington, D. C., in June, 1865; he then returned to Washing- ton county and formed a partner- ship with his former employer, Mr. Littler, and at the expiration of two years in connection with his brothers John and Joseph purchased Mr. Littler's interest in the business and formed a partnership under the firm name of Frank Critz & Brothers and continued in business until the spring of 1876 when Mi. Critz purchased his brothers' interest and became sole proprietor; Mr. Critz is emi- nently a self made man; reared as he
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was with limited school facilities, he has by reading and personal obser- vation since he attained manhood acquired such knowledge of men and books that he has a prominent place among the business men of the county ; he is a good illustration of what an industrious man can accom- plish by honesty and perseverance combined with a sound judgment and well-balanced mind, and his character as a business man may be inferred from the success which has attended his efforts; he was married May 21, 1861, to Miss Mary Dunkel, of Iowa. City; she died May 5, 1873, leaving a family of four children: Albert, ('harlie, Eda and Nettie; he was again married May 12, 1874, to Miss Helen Fettweis, who was born in Iowa City; by this union they have two children: Estella and Leo. LLIOTT, CHARLES A., far-
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E' mer; Sec. 10; P. O. Middle- burgh; was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, October 3, 1831; when twelve years of age he with his parents moved to Johnson county, Iowa, where his youth was spent on a farm; his parents died when he was fourteen years of age, leaving him to earn his own living; in 1853 he started with an ox team for Cali- fornia, arriving there after a journey of five months; remained there four years. being engaged in mining and dealing in wood; being prudent in his business, success here, as else- where, crowned his efforts; having a piece of land in Johnson county, he returned there, improved said land and resided thereon until 1861 when he removed to this county; he owns 240 acres of land under splendid improvements, his residence being the best in the township; he devotes his farm to the raising and feeding of stock; has held various offices of trust in the township, etc .; January. 3, 1860, he was united in marriage to Miss Malinda Sneider; they have seven children: Eliza, Dana A.,
Laura, William, Arthur, Stewart and Thomas; Mr. Elliott has been the architect of his own fortunes; he is evidently a self-made man; com- mencing life with limited means he has by industry, economy and per- severance attained a position one might well envy.
F IGGINS, PRESSLEY, retired
farmer, Richmond; was born in Brown county, Ohio, January 1, 1805, where he was raised and lived until 1839, when he removed to the then Territory of Iowa, and located in this township, and improved three different farms which he has since divided between his children; Mr. Figgins was amongst the earliest set- tlers of this township, and has ex- perienced many hardships incidental to pioneer life; he is a man of good, sound judgment, devoted to his family, a faithful friend, and an out- spoken opponent; he was married March 16, 1827, to Mrs. Malinda Henkle, a native of Virginia; they have five children living: George, Amanda, Margaret, Amy and Press- ley; have lost one son: James, who died in the army, leaving a family of five children : Daniel, Maggie E., LaFayette, Stephen A. D. and James A.
G WIN, WILLIAM W., farmer, T Sec. 35; P. O. Richmond; was born in Harrison county, Indiana, September 29, 1827; when about four years of age his parents moved to McDonough county, Illinois, and in 1835 came to what is now the State of Iowa, settling about six miles west of Burlington; in 1837 he moved to Louisa county, and six years later to this county, and here he has been raised; he entered the land where he now resides in 1858; improved it himself, without assist- ance from anyone, and now own 200 acres, finely improved; he has one of the best barns in the township, and devotes his entire attention to the raising and feeding of stock;
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
November 2, 1851, he married Miss Catharine (daughter of A.) Booth; she is a native of Ohio; they have seven children living: Nathan A., Nancy V., Ella M., Nora A., Lillie B. and Orley B.
K ERR, W. E., justice of the peace at Richmond; was born in Knox county, Ohio, July 16, 1833, and was raised a farmer, and has followed it as an ocenpation the most of his life; in his youth he en- joyed the advantages of a good com- mon school education, which was supplemented by attendance for two years at a select school at Mt. Ver- non, Ohio; after he attained his majority he became impressed, from the best sources he could obtain in- formation, that the opportunities of- fered for a young man in the then new State of Iowa were far superior to his own home, and acting on this impression he came to Iowa, and April 24, 1851, he came to this township, and engaged in farming, which he continued for six years; he has held varions township offices, and that of justice of the peace for many years, and it is remarkable that during his term of office of the many cases that have come before him only three have been appealed, and only one reversed; duties in connection with his office demanding so much of his time, he, in 1867, sold his farm, and, in connection with his official duties, is engaged to some extent in a brokerage busi- ness; there are lives more sensational in their career, but none confer greater benefit on society, or are more honored, than the successful, straight- forward, consistent citizen; as an of- ficial he has discharged his duties with unscrupulous care and fidelity ; his career has been honorable and successful; a man prudent in his ex- penditures, yet liberal where neces- sity has made known her wants; in all places and under all circum- stances he is loyal to truth, honor
and right, and his private life and public record are alike untarnished; he was married September 6, 1860, to Miss Violet Bush, of Washing- ton county; their family consists of five children: Rosa V., Minnie B., Myrtle A., Mary L. and Frank Ver- non.
M ANATT, SAMUEL, farmer; Sec. 2; P. O. Kalona; was born in Holmes county, Ohio, July 17, 1833; in 1846 his parents moved to this county, where the subject of this sketch spent his youth and early manhood, devoting himself to farming, stock-raising and feeding; he now owns 570 acres of land well adapted for stock pur- poses; was married October 30, 1859, to Miss Mary J. Britton, a na- tive of Indiana, but raised in this county; have nine children living: Tilla A., Scott E., Clement, Florence E., William B., Maggie, Samuel, Mary O., and Gray E .; Mr. Manatt is an honest persevering man, deserv- ing the confidence of his fellow citi- zens which he enjoys to an unlimited extent; he has a fine dwelling and good out-buildings and his property is the result of hard labor.
MYERS, J. G., farmer; Sec. 6; P. O. Kalona; was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, October 4, 1822; he was raised a farmer and lived in his native place until 1842, and then removed with his parents to McDonough county, Illinois; but desiring to avail himself of the ad- vantages offered further west, he placed his worldly effects in a cotton handkerchief and started on foot to seek a location; he arrived at Des Moines, Iowa, in 1844, and entered the employ of Thomas Mitchell, working on a farm and rema ning with his employer about two years; Mr. Mitchell proved a good friend and assisted young Myers in pur- chasing some land which proved a fortunate investment; he sold his property in 1851 and removed to
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this county, where he now resides; his farm consists of 700 acres of choice land finely improved, making it one of the most desirable stock farms in the county; in 1879 the Muscatine & Western railroad was extended through the southern line of his land, and he succeeded in having the new station Kalona lo- cated on his farm; Mr. Myers is a very successful raiser of thorough- bred cattle and hogs; his herd of the former contains about forty head, including some of the choicest fami- lies and purest stock in the State, and no one has taken more care in improving the stock of the county and raising it to a high standard; as a man he is of a social, courteous disposition, scrupuously honest and liberal to all deserving enterprises, and his success in business is an evidence of sound judgment and a well balanced mind; he was married April 6, 1848, to Miss Eliza J. Say- lor. of Des Moines; by this union they have twelve children: Benjamin B., George W., Mary (now Mrs. J. W. Hagler), Edwin S., Alexander, Margaret (now Mrs. J. Boler), Nellie, Martha, Ada, John G., Jr., Charles H., and Jessie Fremont.
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