USA > Iowa > Clinton County > Wolfe's history of Clinton County, Iowa, Volume 1 > Part 54
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69
The domestic life of Mr. Fields dates from 1896, on August 21st of which year was solemnized his marriage with Daisy Skinner, daughter of John and Emma (Bull) Skinner, the union being blessed with seven children, namely : Clyde, Clifford, Elizabeth, Jesse, Levi, Merle and Gladys, the third in order of birth being deceased.
Digitized by Google
i
¡
549
CLINTON COUNTY, IOWA.
JOHN WESLEY CLAPP.
There is nowhere a more beautiful farming country than the fertile rolling prairies of Sharon township in Clinton county. In the growing seasons of the year they present a rare picture, cattle grazing in the verdant pastures, fields of corn and oats waving in the breezes. Not only do they gratify the eye, but they as well richly reward the men who possess them and are the owners of the luxuriant crops which they produce. And the farm of Mr. Clapp is unexcelled among the farms of Sharon township.
John Wesley Clapp was born in Jackson county, Iowa, on September 10, 1866, the son of William Clapp, who was born in Edgar county, Illinois, on April 6, 1822, and Naomi (Jaynes) Clapp, who was born in Clark county, Kentucky, on November 14, 1825. William Clapp came to Jackson county, Iowa, in 1845, and took up two hundred acres of government land there. About 1850 accounts of the California gold fields began to inflame the minds of men in the Eastern states and William Clapp was among those who made the trip to that region of promise. In 1850 he started westward with an ox team, his route leading westward along the Platte river. The westward journey was long and toilsome and accompanied with hardships which no one save a man of iron constitution such as Mr. Clapp could have endured. Finally he reached the gold fields and spent about a year there, amid experi- ences the like of which were only witnessed in those times. His return was made by the Panama route, and after coming to Burlington by river he pur- chased a horse there, and rode to his Jackson county home, where he received a warm welcome. Besides gaining an experience of untold value, Mr. Clapp had accumulated enough money to pay for his home during his absence of two years. In 1869 he sold his Jackson county farm and purchased two hundred acres in Sharon township, Clinton county, and in the spring of 1870 moved to this farm, on which his son John Wesley now lives and for the remainder of his life followed farming. His death occurred on September 21, 1907, at the close of an eventful, respected and useful life. William Clapp was the father of the following children : Mrs. Katherine King, Mrs. Maritta Pillkington, Mrs. Minerva Taylor, Alfred C. Clapp, William Thomas Clapp, Mrs. Sarah McMillen, Howard Douglas Clapp and John Wesley Clapp, the youngest of the family.
John Wesley Clapp a, ttended the schools of Sharon township, and when he became of age bought eighty acres of land of his father, and soon afterwards another tract of the same size. He put up all of the farm buildings on the west side of the farm and still lives there. Mr. Clapp is a man of much public
Digitized by Google
550
CLINTON COUNTY, IOWA.
spirit and is deeply interested in education. For twenty-three years con- secutively he has been secretary of the school board. In politics he is an ad- herent of the Democratic party, and in fraternal relations a member of the Modern Woodmen of America.
Mr. Clapp has been twice married, the first time in December, 1887, to Edith Pear; the second time to Frankie Cook, on March 4, 1891. She is the daughter of Elisha M. and Elizabeth Cook, her father being one of the very earliest settlers of Sharon township, which he entered in 1849, before its organization, when it was wild and virgin prairie. Mr. Clapp is the father of four children : Elsie Edith, born in 1888; Paul, born in 1894; James Clifford. born in 1896, and Elizabeth, born in 1903. They are an excellent family of young people, who reflect largely their inheritance from worthy ancestry.
Mr. Clapp is a progressive man along all lines, especially in farming, which he carries on by the most up-to-date methods, and is well informed on all subjects of general interest. His character is such as to win in a marked degree the esteem and friendship of those who know him and all who meet him are favorably impressed.
GEORGE E. WILSON.
Among the honored and influential citizens of Clinton, Iowa, is George E. Wilson, who has shown what an earnest and energetic, hardworking man can accomplish, although forced to hew his own fortune from obstacles that beset his way. He started life without financial aid from anybody; has been industrious, and has adhered to those principles and ideals that always insure success, so that his twilight years are being passed in the midst of plenty and serenity.
Mr. Wilson is an American by adoption only, being by birth one of our esteemed English cousins. He was born in England March 18, 1847, the son of George and Eliza (Roberts) Wilson. His mother died in England, after which his father brought the family to the United States in the year 1856, settling near Rockford, Illinois, where he became well established and prominent. He was a man of sterling characteristics and was highly re- spected. He met death in a railroad accident near Rockford in 1892.
George E. Wilson, the subject of this review, was reared on a farm. where he remained until about seventeen years of age. In his youth he also worked in a reaper factory and a flour mill, and later learned the foundry and
Digitized by Google
551
CLINTON COUNTY, IOWA.
machine business. He spent the period after the Civil war in Louisiana and Alabama, and shortly thereafter went to Beloit, Wisconsin, where he was with the Merrill and Houston Manufacturing Company for two years. Later he located in Sterling, Illinois, where he was engaged in the foundry and machine business for several years. In 1892 he purchased the Clinton Bridge & Iron Works, at Clinton, Iowa. This company is one of the leading concerns of the state, and is too well known to require lengthy description here. Under Mr. Wilson's able and judicious management it has maintained an envied position in the industrial world. Its business is constantly increasing.
Mr. Wilson came to America at the age of nine. He was the only son of a family of four children. Of an ambitious and studious nature, he has become, by home study and actual contact with the world, a highly educated man in many branches. He is an interesting conversationalist on current top- ics, possessing a broad and general knowledge.
Mr. Wilson was married June 4, 1871. to Hannah Marie Fitzmaurice, daughter of John and Abbie Louise Fitzmaurice. Mrs. Wilson's parents came from the north of Ireland and settled near Belvidere, Illinois, where she was born. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson has been blessed by the birth of five children, named as follows: Louise, who is at home; George E., Jr., Frank E., J. Fred and Orrin A. The latter is Pacific coast agent of the Clinton Bridge & Iron Works at San Francisco. The other three sons are connected with the Clinton office. The four sons and father constitute the board of directors of the company.
Mr. Wilson manifested his loyalty to his adopted country during the great crisis in the sixties by forsaking the pleasures of home and offering his services during the Civil war by enlisting in the Fifty-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Company E, about six months before Lee's surrender, but owing to the fact that the war was drawing to a close he was not permitted to see active service. Twice before this enlistment he had run away from home to become a soldier. but his father interfered each time owing to his youth. He won his father's consent in the end.
Mr. Wilson is a member of all the different Masonic bodies of the York and Scottish Rites. He has always taken an active interest in the progress of Clinton and vicinity and has ever stood ready to do his full share in the work of upbuilding this locality in any way. He has always manifested an abiding interest in county, state and national affairs, and is regarded by all who know him as a high-minded, progressive man. While living at Sterling he served very acceptably as alderman, during which time many of the public improve- ments of the city were inaugurated. In addition to his private interests, he is
Digitized by Google
552
CLINTON COUNTY, IOWA.
president of the Merchants National Bank of Clinton, which institution is regarded as one of the most popular, safe and conservative banks in eastern Iowa. Mr. Wilson's home is at No. 306 Sixth avenue.
HENRY FRANCIS BOWERS.
In this age of increasing specialization, the lives of many men are con- fined to narrow lines. But this is not necessarily so, and is often the result of the temperament of the man. However, it is certainly worth while to know and to read of a man like Mr. Bowers, who has, while in no way neglect- ing his profession, developed himself along the broadest lines. And no one has ever taken the trouble to deny this truth, that the person whose life and thought are organized along these broad lines, obtains far more of happiness and content from living, and is more useful to his fellow men, than the man who has allowed his profession to confine him closely to its limits.
Henry Francis Bowers was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 12. 1837, the son of Augustus and Emeline (Lewis) Bowers. Augustus Bowers was a native of Germany and held a commission as second lieutenant in the German army. Coming to America to seek greater opportunities, he located in Baltimore, and there married Emeline Lewis, a native of the city. When returning to Germany on a visit, the ship on which he took passage sank and he was drowned. Henry F. Bowers received his education under his mother and aunt, and later studied by candle light of evenings on the farm south of De Witt, in this county, to which the family removed in 1857. Before this time, while a mere boy, he had taken active part in the work of the "under- ground railroad." For a while he worked in De Witt as a carpenter and cabinetmaker. In 1863 he was appointed deputy clerk of Clinton county, which office he held for one term. then served two terms as deputy recorder, after which he was elected as recorder and filled this office to the satisfaction of the people for two terms. During this time he studied law and was admitted to the bar on June 20, 1877, and as he had made a large acquaintance in the county, he obtained a good practice and has been successful. About this time he was appointed as special aid-de-camp to Governor Gear. In April. 1879, he was admitted to practice in the supreme court of the state, and in 1882 to practice in the United States courts. During his thirty-three years of practice he has shown much aptitude for and skill in his profession. Throughout life he has made a special study of geology and is a recognized
Digitized by Google
- -
i
----
---
HENRY F. BOWERS
Digitized by
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
--
LS O ", LENOX, AND LILIEN FOUNDATIONS R L
Digitized by Google
553
CLINTON COUNTY, IOWA.
authority on the regions with which he is familiar, having discovered some rare specimens in Clinton county. His collection of geological and archeo- logical specimens is valued at thousands of dollars .. The chapter on Geology in this work was contributed by Mr. Bowers.
Henry F. Bowers was the founder of the American Protective Associa- tion, which has had such widespread and powerful an influence, was its presi- dent for six years, and is now a member of the supreme council. This one fact has made him a man of national influence. He is a thirty-second-degree Mason, a member of the Methodist church, and in politics an unswerving Republican, in the ranks of which party he has been an active and influential worker.
On October 25, 1870, Mr. Bowers was married to Emma V. Crawford, of Barnesville, Ohio, who died on October 24, 1878. She bore to him three children, Clyde C., Homer H. and Mrs. D. Jones. Mr. Bowers was again married to Eliza Wilson, daughter of the Hon. Thomas Wilson, of Dubuque, the first territorial judge of Iowa.
Mr. Bowers is a man of very marked individuality, and is exceptionally informed on most subjects, having acquired by his reading and experience an education which many a university man might envy. Certainly he is a man whose career is interesting and instructive, an example of what an able man may accomplish unaided in living a valuable and happy life.
JULIUS CARSTENSEN.
Another of those German immigrants who, by their exertions, have be- come prosperous and demonstrated the worth of that blood which courses through their veins, and of the traits which are characteristic of their race, which cause them to live contented lives in whatever situation they are placed and to evolve prosperity, even in locations where such seemed impossible. Here is a man who has built himself a competency from a very small start, and is now one of the most highly respected residents of his community, and one of whom his neighbors always speak highly.
Julius Carstensen was born in Germany in 1841, a son of Hans and Magdelena (Johanson) Carstensen, both born in Germany and residents there all of their lives. Hans was a farmer. Julius was one of six children. He received his education in Germany and in 1866 came to America, landing on the first of May. In Germany he had farmed, but on coming to Clinton, Iowa,
Digitized by Google
554
CLINTON COUNTY, IOWA.
which he did directly after reaching this country, he took up the stone-mason's trade and worked at it in Clinton until 1878. In that year he came to a farm of ninety-six acres east of Delphi, which he bought and lived on for ten years. Then he sold this farm and bought his present one of two hundred and eighty acres. This is an excellent soil, in a high state of cultivation and equipped with suitable buildings, which he has erected. He is a general farmer and stock raiser and has some fine herds of black cattle. His farm is well culti- vated by modern methods and has yielded him profitable returns for his labor.
Mr. Carstensen was married in 1873 to Sophia Peterson, who was born in Germany and came to Clinton county in 1872. To their union the following children have been born : Minnie, Julius, Thomas, Carl and Henry, the latter deceased. The family are connected with the German church. Mr. Carsten- sen is a Democrat. He is a man of sterling character and one on whom you can thoroughly rely. for he performs all that he promises.
HENRY STOFFREGEN.
Sharon township, and Clinton county as a whole, in fact. number a great horde of German-born and German-American citizens within their borders. We owe them a great debt of gratitude for what they have done for us. They have taken our rough, primitive soil and made it to blossom as the rose, and they have placed on our hills and in our valleys cozy cottages and imposing dwellings; so, they have been most welcome wherever they have settled. Of this large number of enterprising citizens the name of Henry Stoffregen, formerly of Sharon township, should be mentioned, for he, by persistent ap- plication, wrested an excellent farm from resisting nature and won a reputa- tion for fair dealing and a public spirit.
Mr. Stoffregen was born in Sharon township, this county, March 1, 1866, and is the son of Ernest and Helen (Stagaman) Stoffregen, the father born in Germany, in October, 1847, and died in July, 1903; and the mother born in Prussia on October 3, 1847, and her death occurred in Sac county, Iowa. in 1894. They were a highly respected couple and became very comfortably established through their industry and economy. Ernest Stoffregen was eighteen years of age when he emigrated to our shores, having been reared and educated in the Fatherland. He first took up his abode in Davenport. Iowa, later moving to Clinton county. He came unaccompanied and hired out by the month. He saved his money and finally bought a farm in western
Digitized by Google
555
CLINTON COUNTY, IOWA.
Iowa (Sac county ). This place consisted of one hundred and sixty acres, on which he lived for a period of twenty years, then returned to Clinton county and lived with his children until his death. He was a member of the Lutheran church and was a man to whom everybody accorded the highest esteem. His family consisted of the following children, named in order of birth : Henry, of this review; John and Ida, both deceased; Mrs. Anna Jensen; Fred, de- ceased; Edward and Mrs. Emaline Mohr (twins) ; Emil, deceased; Ernest is farming in western Iowa, as is also William; and Fredaricka.
Henry Stoffregen was educated in the public schools of Sharon township and also those of Sac county. Iowa. He worked on his father's farm during his boyhood and later worked out. When twenty-five years of age he began renting land in Clinton county, and later he bought one hundred and forty acres in Sharon township which he farmed to good advantage, and he also rented eighty acres more. He kept his land well improved and was a hard worker, so he reaped abundant rewards. He had a good home here and a very desirable place. Recently he sold his farm in Clinton county and moved to Fayette county, Iowa, on a two hundred and forty acre farm which he bought in 1910.
Taking more than a passing interest in party affairs and the uplifting of his community, Mr. Stoffregen has been regarded as a man who could be de- pended upon to support all worthy measures, and he was school director and secretary of his district for the past ten years. He is a Republican and is a member of the Lutheran church at Lost Nation.
On January 12, 1893, Mr. Stoffregen was married to Margaret Mohl, who was born in Sharon township, Clinton county, the daughter of Christ Mohl, an early settler of Sharon township and a veteran of the Civil war. This union has resulted in the birth of the following children, of whom the subject is justly proud, for they are, like their ancestors, industrious and obedient : Albert, William, Mary, Theodore, Elmer, John, Helena, Walter, Lawrence, Esther, and an infant deceased.
CHARLES L. SADORIS.
A young man who is deserving of the large degree of success that is today his is Charles L. Sadoris, because he has worked for it along legitimate lines and his ideals have always been of the right kind. He is the scion of one of the best families of Clinton county and was born in Orange township,
Digitized by Google
-
5,56
CLINTON COUNTY, IOWA.
this county, on January 7, 1876. He is the son of Charles Sadoris, who was born in Scott county, Iowa, August 20, 1849. He was seven years of age when he went to Davenport with his parents and there he was educated in the public schools and the high school, and in 1864 he came to Clinton county, Iowa, and with the exception of seven years spent in Hand county, South Dakota. he has been a resident here ever since. He has always been a farmer and is now the owner of a fine place of three hundred and ninety acres, on which he carries on general farming and stock raising, being one of the sub- stantial men of his community. Politically, he is a Republican and he has held the office of township clerk in Orange township.
Mr. Sadoris was married in 1873 to Charlotte Suiter, a native of Penn- sylvania, from which state she came to Clinton county, Iowa, in early life with her parents, Frederick and Rebecca Suiter. The mother died here and Mr. Suiter is now living at South Tacoma, Washington. The wife of Charles Sadoris died in 1879 and in 1880 he married Eliza Matilda Suiter, a sister of his first wife. Three children were born of the first union : Nellie, born Aug- ust 27, 1874, is the wife of Logan Casey, of Alberta, Canada, and they have six sons and one daughter; Charles L., of this review; Mary, who is the wife of Roy Harmon, of Grand Mound, Iowa. The second wife of Charles Sadoris died in 1883 and left one son, Samuel F., who lives in South Tacoma, Wash- ington ; he married and they have one child, Helen Grace. Charles Sadoris was married a third time, his last wife being Mrs. Frances Newbern, whose death occurred in 1906 and Mr. Sadoris now resides with his son, Charles L .. on the old homestead.
The paternal grandfather, Samuel Sadoris, was born in Ohio, March 4, 1816. He married Eliza Werum, who was born in Germany, in May, 1822. They came to Davenport, Iowa, in 1845, and in 1864 moved to De Witt town- ship, Clinton county, and bought forty acres of land. Mr. Sadoris prospered here and became an extensive land owner before he died. He also engaged in stock raising on a large scale. Politically, he was a Republican and served his county as supervisor. He organized the Farmers' store at De Witt in 1874 and also organized the Clinton, Jackson and Scott County Farmers In- surance Company, of which he was secretary for several years. He was prominent and influential in local affairs and was one of the substantial and . highly esteemed men of the county. His family consisted of nine children. five of whom are living. His death occurred on May 28, 1908, and that of his wife in 1872.
Charles L. Sadoris was reared on the home farm and received a common school education. He has devoted his life to farming and has been very suc-
Digitized by Google
557
CLINTON COUNTY, IOWA.
cessful. He operates two hundred and thirty acres of the old home place, which he keeps well improved and on which he carries on general farming and stock raising in a manner that stamps him as fully abreast of the times. Politically, he is a Republican and he has been school director of the local district.
Charles L. Sadoris was married in 1901 to Ora Newbern, daughter of Samuel and Frances Newbern, mentioned elsewhere in this work. To this union the following children have been born : Velma, Beryl and Melvin Leroy, and they also have an adopted son.
Mr. Sadoris is a man who takes an abiding interest in the growth and general development of his community and county and he is regarded as one of its most representative citizens.
FRED CHARLES HOLCOMB.
What a fascination there is about a country threshing scene. At thresh- ing time the farm takes on its busiest aspect of the year and everything is hustling and rushing. The operations are carried on at a pace which if fol- lowed throughout the whole year would surely kill, yet in the excitement of the threshing time it is often kept up by the threshing crew for two or three months. To the average farmer the threshing is the biggest event of the year, and the one which gives to him the most of preparation and of management. To the farmer's wife it is the cause of much anxiety and worry over the responsibility of caring for all the helpers, though in many communities this feature has been removed by the crew caring for themselves. But to hear the hum of the thresher and the steady throbs of the engine, to see the straw piling up under the stacker, the loads of wheat driven up to the machine and pitched off and threshed at lightning speed, and the man busy carrying away the sacks of grain-these give to threshing a fascination for most, even, it seems, for the owner of a machine, for it is well known that when a farmer once makes a start in the threshing business, he usually continues for a long time. Incidentally, it is a business which requires the most careful manage- ment to make it profitable.
Fred Charles Holcomb was born in Rock county, Wisconsin, November 9, 1870, son of Charles and Sarah (Fisher) Holcomb, his father born at Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania, in 1825, and his mother in the same place in 1829. They came to Rock county, Wisconsin, in 1864 and settled on a farm near
Digitized by Google
1
--
5.58
CLINTON COUNTY, IOWA.
Janesville, which they afterward left and removed to Racine, Wisconsin, living there until 1883, when they came to Welton, Clinton county, lived there two years, and spent the remainder of their lives in Kansas, where Mr. Holcomb died in 1904, and his wife in April, 1910. Of their ten children, seven are living. Mr. Holcomb was a member of the Masonic order. In politics he was a Republican, and in Wisconsin was a tax collector. He was a man who held the respect and friendship of those who knew him.
Fred Charles Holcomb spent his early boyhood on the farm and in Ra- cine, attended school there, and was thirteen when his parents came to Clinton county, at which age he entered the De Witt high school. He has farmed since leaving school and carries on general farming and stock raising on a hundred and twenty-acre farm. He also owns a threshing outfit and each year · threshes a large amount of wheat in the township and is a hustling and enter- prising thresher. In politics he is a Republican, and in fraternal relations a Knight of Pythias.
Mr. Holcomb was married on February 14, 1899, to Mary Vaughn Par- ish, a native of New York, who has borne to him six children : Belle, Nor- ma, Andrew, Mary, Frederick and John. They are a bright and attractive family.
Mr. Holcomb is one of the active and progressive citizens of his town- ship and a man popular and well liked because of his geniality and cleverness.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.