Past and Present of Appanoose County, Iowa. Volume II
Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. L.L. Taylor, editor. 1913
Transcribed by Renee Rimmert. A complete copy of this book is available on-line at archive.org.
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MATISON S. EDWARDS - One of the successful and widely known business men of Moulton is Matison S. Edwards, who is a member of an estimable pioneer family of Appanoose county, where he has passed the greater part of his life. For many years his entire attention was devoted to diversified farming and stock-raising, in which he is still interested, but since 1903 he has been president of the Moulton State Savings Bank, an institution he was largely instrumental in founding. Mr. Edwards was born in Laurel county, Kentucky, his natal day being the 11th of April, 1850, and his parents William and Marilla (Elliott) Edwards. The father was also a native of Laurel county, Kentucky, his birth there occurring on the 29th of January, 1811, while the mother's natal day was January 29, 1816. The Edwards family originally came from Tennessee, but they were among the first settlers of Kentucky, our subject's grandfather, William Edwards, having taken up a homestead in Laurel county in his early manhood and there passed the remainder of his life. His son, William Edwards, Jr., was born, reared and married in Laurel county, where he resided until 1850, when he re- moved with his family to Iowa. They first settled in Van Buren county, but in the spring of 1851 they came to Appanoose county. The father took up a homestead in Wells township, where he continued to increase his landed interests until at the time of his death his holdings aggregated five hundred acres, a hundred and sixty of which was timber land. The remainder of his active life was devoted to the improvement and cultivation of his farm, which he transformed from a tract of prairie land into one of the valuable properties of the county. Upon his retirement he removed to Moulton, where he made his home until his death. To Mr. and Mrs. Edwards there were born nine children, one of whom, Andrew, died in infancy. In order of birth the other members of the family are as follows: Elizabeth, the widow of S. P. Elam, of Moulton, Iowa; James W., captain of Company B, Second Missouri Cavalry, during the Civil war, who passed away in the Indian territory in the vicinity of Caney, Kansas, from wounds received in the service; Mary Ann, the deceased wife of Isaac A. Coffman, of Wheatland, Missouri; Lewis, a veteran of the Civil war and a member of the Iowa Home Guards, who is now residing in Erie, Kansas; Daniel, a member of a Missouri regiment during the Civil war, who is now residing in Moulton, Iowa; William, a Civil war veteran, of Moulton; Isaac Calvin, a resident of Appanoose county, deceased; and Matison S., our subject.
As he was still in his infancy when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Appanoose county, practically the entire life of Matison S. Edwards has been passed in the immediate vicinity of his present home. He was reared on his father's farm in very much the same manner as other lads of the pioneer period, and at the usual age began his education in the district schools in the vicinity of the old homestead. He completed his course of study in the Centerville high school, and then turned his attention to agricultural pursuits with which he was already familiar. At the age of twenty he rented twenty acres of land from his father and began farming on his own account. His efforts in this direction proved so successful that at the end of two years he was able to purchase an adjoining tract of forty acres. This small holding formed the nucleus of a farm, the boundaries of which he continued to extend until he had acquired the title to five hundred acres of land. As the years passed he increased the value of his property by the addition of various improvements, and there engaged in diversified farming and stock-raising and feeding until 1891. In the year last named he disposed of that farm and subsequently removed to a place he had previously purchased adjoining Moulton. He still owns and operates this place, which contains four hundred and forty acres of land and has been developed until it is one of the best equipped and most valuable properties in the county. Mr. Edwards there continued general farming and stock-raising, engaging extensively in feeding, until 1897, when he removed to Moulton, where he has since resided, but still directs the operation of his homestead. In February, 1903, he joined other local capitalists in the organization of the Moulton State Savings Bank, of which he has been president since it was founded.
Mr. Edwards has been twice married, his first union having been with Miss Martha Lane, the event occuring on the 31st of March, 1870. She was born in Ohio in 1851 and is a daughter of W. H. and Cassandra (Albert) Lane, likewise natives of Ohio, whence they removed to Iowa in 1867, locating in the vicinity of Centerville. Of this marriage were born six children, two of whom died in infancy. In order of birth the others are as follows: Burton, who passed away in 1898, at the age of twenty- seven years, in Wray, Colorado; Fred C, a Methodist minister located at Brooklyn, Iowa, who married Mabel Anderson, a daughter of Reuben Anderson, of Pulaski, Iowa, and has one child; Marian L. Ethel, the wife of W. R. Votaw, of Bowie, Texas, and the mother of two children; and Carl, who died at the age of fifteen years. The mother passed away December 26, 1901, and in April, 1904, Mr. Edwards was married to his present wife, whose maiden name was Etta Wight. She is a native of Brashear, Missouri, her birth occurring on the 24th of September, 1873, and is a daughter of John M. and Sarah (Elliott) Wight. The family removed to Iowa many years ago, locating in the vicinity of Troy, Davis county, but the father, who is a veteran of the Civil war, has now retired and he and the mother are residing in Moulton.
Mr. and Mrs. Edwards are active members of the Methodist church, and he is a member of the board of trustees. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, while Mrs. Edwards is most worthy matron of the Moulton Order of the Eastern Star, and she is also an officer in the Rebekahs. Mr. Edwards has always taken an active interest in local politics, and was at one time a member of the board of supervisors of Appanoose county. Different members of his family have figured in public life, one of his nephews, Don C. Edwards, having formerly been United States senator from Kentucky. During the long period of his residence in Appanoose county Mr. Edwards has made an excellent record for upright manhood and honorable citizenship, and his fellow townsmen accord him the respect and esteem ever extended to men of worth and integrity.
MORGAN EDWARDS - At different times through an active business life Morgan Edwards was engaged in the flour, feed and milling trade and in farming, but whatever occupied his attention was sure to claim his energies and industry to the utmost, for he was an enterprising man, prompted by laudable ambition in all that he undertook, and it was only when ill health forced him to retire that he put aside business cares. His birth occurred in Centerville, Ohio, his death in Centerville, Iowa. His natal day was September 1, 1849, and his parents were John Abraham and Anna (Morris) Edwards, both of whom were natives of Great Britain, the former born June 16, 1821, and the latter in 1815. Both came to the United States in 1838, and John A. Edwards settled in Gallia county, Ohio, where later he wedded Anna Morris. For several years thereafter they remained residents of the Buckeye state and in 1859 came to Iowa, locating in Monroe county. The father was a miller by trade and met with substantial success in that undertaking, becoming owner of milling properties at Centerville and Moulton in Appanoose county and at Albia in Monroe county, remaining in that line of business throughout the rest of his days.
Morgan Edwards was a youth of ten years when his parents came to Iowa and acquired the greater part of his education in the schools of Monroe county. He there learned the miller's trade of his father and later he and his brother engaged in the milling business on their own account at Albia, Iowa, operating a mill there until the ill health of Morgan Edwards forced him to retire. He then operated a farm, in Appanoose county, belonging to his father and took up his abode thereon, giving to it careful supervision until 1907, when he became a resident of Centerville and established a flour and feed business. That undertaking claimed his time and energies until his health again failed, when he retired, spending his remaining days in Centerville, where he passed away in January, 1911. He had made a creditable record, as a business man, was energetic and industrious, and his honorable dealings were also a potent factor in his prosperity.
On the 17th of February, 1870, Mr. Edwards was united in marriage to Miss Frances Ann Clark, who was born near Albia, Iowa, February 13, 1851, a daughter of John and Sarah (Bishop) Clark, the former born near Oxford, Massachusetts, December 9, 1817, and the latter at Bedford, Lawrence county, Indiana, May 2, 1832. They were married near Albia, January 3, 1850, the father having become a resident of Iowa in 1841, at which time he took up his abode in Monroe county. There he continued to reside until called to his final rest on the 2nd of August, 1906. His wife survived him for less than a year and died near Centerville, March 5, 1907.
Mr. and Mrs. Edwards became the parents of ten children. Mary Gertrude, born November 11, 1871, was married October 10, 1901, to Albert A. Stewart, who died March 4, 1902. Ira Evan, born February 9, 1873, was married February 14, 1900, to Mae Kerchner and died June 20, 1903. Frederic Arthur, born April 24, 1874, was married December 24, 1903, to Katherine Cobb and now resides at Mount Ayr, Iowa. John Clark, born March 8, 1876, after completing his education in public schools of Iowa, worked upon the home farm for his father until he was thirty years of age, when he came to Centerville and accepted a position with the Adams Express Company. After acting as driver for a short time he was appointed agent and has had charge of the interests of the company here continuously since. He was also interested in the flour and feed business with his father for a short time and is known as a representative business man of the city, enterprising, progressive and determined. He is a valued and popular member of the Elks lodge, the Modern Woodmen camp and the Royal Arcanum. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he holds membership with the Presbyterian church. Grace Ann, born November 2, 1877, became the wife of Ray D. McCauley, April 15, 1896, and they reside at Moravia. Kate, born October 24, 1879, was married November 13, 1900, to Charles Pewthers and they reside in Indianola, Iowa. Charles, born June 15, 1882, was married in May, 1906, to Mae Bouse and they reside in Centerville. Martin Clever, born April 29, 1887, was married April 7, 1908, to Birdie Tuttle and they also live in Centerville. Dora Lynn, born January 15, 1891, is at home. Harry, born December 2, 1892, died at birth. Mrs. Edwards resides at No. 508 South Twelfth street with her two daughters and her son, John C. The family has long been well known in this city and throughout the county and Mr. Edwards was numbered among the men of sterling worth, a well spent and upright life gaining for him the high regard, confidence and good-will of all with whom he was associated. The years of his business activity brought him substantial success and he left to his family not only a comfortable competence but also the priceless heritage of an untarnished name.
WILLIAM EDWARDS - Among the honored veterans of the Civil war in Appanoose county appears the name of William Edwards, who for more than forty years has been identified with the agricultural and business interests of Moulton. Although the greater part of his life has been passed in Iowa, he is a native of Kentucky, having been born in Laurel county, that state, on the 19th of December, 1843. He is a son of William and Marilla (Elliott) Edwards, who are likewise natives of Kentucky, the father's birth having occurred in Laurel county on the 29th of January, 1811, while the mother's natal day was January 29, 1816. The Edwards family originally came from Tennessee, but they were among the early pioneers of Kentucky, locating in Laurel county, where they took up some government land. There the grandfather, William Edwards, lived and died. William and Marilla Edwards were reared and married in Kentucky, where they made their home until 1850, when they came to Iowa. They first settled in Van Buren county, but in the spring of 1851, they came to Appanoose county, and the father took up a tract of government land in Wells township. He continued to increase his acreage from time to time until he owned about five hundred acres, a hundred and sixty of which was timber land. Upon retiring from active life he removed to Moulton, where he passed away. The mother is also deceased. Of their marriage were born nine children, one of whom, Andrew, died in infancy. The other members of the family were: Elizabeth, the widow of S. P. Elam, of Moulton; James Wesley, a captain in Company B, Second Missouri Cavalry, who passed away in the Indian territory in the vicinity of Caney, Kansas, from injuries received in the service; Mary Ann, the deceased wife of Isaac A. Coffman, of Wheatland, Missouri; Lewis, a member of the Iowa Home Guards during the Civil war, who is now residing in Erie, Kansas; Daniel, a member of a Missouri regiment during the Civil war, now residing in Moulton; William, our subject; Isaac C, a former resident of Appanoose county, who is deceased; and Matison S., who is more fully mentioned elsewhere in this work.
William Edwards was a lad of about seven years when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Iowa, where he has ever since made his home. He obtained his education in the public schools and assisted with the cultivation of the home farm until the breaking out of the Civil war. When the first call came for troops he responded by enlisting for six months as a member of Company B, Second Missouri Cavalry, in which he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. At the expiration of his period of enlistment he reenlisted and remained at the front until the close of hostilities. He participated in many of the notable conflicts of the war, having been present at Pierce's Mills, Kirksville, Cape Girardeau, Pilot Knob, Bloomfield, Hickory Ridge, and he also took part in the campaigns against Generals Marmaduke, Price and Quantrell. When mustered out he returned to Iowa and continued his education in the high school at Centerville, following which he taught for two terms. In 1870, he came to Moulton and engaged in buying, feeding and shipping cattle and hogs, in which business he has continued to engage winter and summer for forty-two years. He has met with more than an average degree of success and during the intervening years has acquired a valuable farm of three hundred and twenty acres located a half mile from Moulton. He engaged in the cultivation of this place until four years ago, when he turned it over to his son, and has since been devoting his entire attention to his stock business.
On the 1st of January, 1867, Mr. Edwards was married to Miss Mary A. Floyd, a daughter of William and Martha (Storms) Floyd, natives of Laurel county, Kentucky. The family came to Iowa about 1850, locating near Bloomiield, Davis county, where they resided for nearly fifteen years. At the expiration of that time they went to Hilltown, Iowa, and about 1870 they removed from there to Milan, Missouri. In 1880, they went to Peru, Kansas, where the mother continues to reside, but the father passed away in 1909. They had seven children, the second in order of birth being Mrs. Edwards. The others are as follows: Frank, who resides in Peru, Kansas; Jesse, who lives in Syracuse, Kansas; James, also of Peru; Addie, the wife of George Baker, of Caney, Kansas; Hattie, who married John Mertz, of Sedan, Kansas; and Effie, the wife of Claude Clements, of Peru. To Mr. and Mrs. Edwards were born nine children, three of whom are deceased: Belle, whose death occurred at the age of ten years; and two, who died in infancy. Those living are as follows: Ulysses, a farmer, who married Martha Black and is residing in Pawhuska, Oklahoma; Martha May, the wife of the Rev. George E. Tifft, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, located at Parsons, Kansas, and the mother of one child; Charles Wesley, a member of the United States navy for four years and a veteran of the Spanish-American war, having served on the Montgomery, who married Jessie Elam and has one child, now managing his father's farm; Clyde V., who married Carrie Knittle and has one child, a resident of Moulton; Clarence, a real-estate dealer at Ness City, Kansas, who married Nellie Baldridge and has one child; and James H., operating a farm near Moulton, who married Iva Gary and has two children. The wife and mother passed away on the 3rd of March, 1898, and in 1901, Mr. Edwards was married to his present wife, whose maiden name was Maude M. Taylor. She is a daughter of Phineas and Susan M. Taylor, and is descended from one of the pioneer families of Appanoose county. The paternal grandfather, William Taylor, removed to this county from near Cleveland, Ohio, in the early '50s, and located in Washington township, where all of his children were born.
Mr. and Mrs. Edwards express their religious belief through their connection with the Methodist Episcopal church with which he united in 1857. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Grand Army of the Republic and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has never figured prominently in political affairs, but served as justice of the peace and township trustee, discharging his duties in both capacities in a capable manner. He assisted in the organization and is a director of the Moulton State Savings Bank. Mr. Edwards has always led an active life, directing his undertakings with the foresight and sagacity which invariably bring success in any field of endeavor, and is numbered among the substantial citizens of his commimity. His honesty of purpose, fidelity to duty and honorable method of conducting his transactions have won him the esteem and respect of his fellow townsmen and business associates, among whom he numbers many friends of long years' standing.
REV. AXEL W. P. ELFSTROM - A philosopher has written, "Not the good that comes to us but the good that comes to the world through us is the measure of our success," and judged by this standard, the life of Rev. Axel W. P. Elfstrom was a most successful one. His time and energies were devoted to the ministry and he was not denied the full harvest nor the aftermath of his labors. His influence was far-reaching and beneficial, his words of wisdom bearing fruit in the lives of many with whom he came in contact. He was born March 25, i860, in Ullervad, Vestergötland, Sweden, a son of Gustave Elfstrom, who was also a native of that country and a manufacturer by occupation. Liberal educational opportunities were accorded the Rev. Axel W. P. Elfstrom, who, after attending high school in Falkoping and Skofde, Sweden, spent several terms in study in the college at Gottenborg. In the fall of 1884, then a young man of twenty- four years, he came to America and at once entered Augustana College, at Rock Island, Illinois, there pursuing a classical course for two years. In 1886 he matriculated in Augustana Theological Seminary and was graduated with the class of 1888. The same year he was ordained to the ministry of the Swedish Lutheran church and accepted the pastorate of Algona, Bancroft and Swea, making his home at Algona, Iowa, where he remained for fourteen years, doing excellent service in the upbuilding of the church and the extension of its influence there. In 1902 he accepted a call to the pastorate of the Swedish Lutheran church in Centerville and that he was equally honored here and that his services proved highly acceptable to the church is indicated in the fact that he was pastor to the time of his death on the 16th of August, 1910. While an active representative of the Swedish Lutheran ministry for twenty-two years he had but two pastorates during that period. His influence and labors were of far-reaching effect. He was an earnest and ofttimes an eloquent speaker and had the qualities which are so acceptable in pastoral work, a social disposition, kindly spirit and an understanding and sympathetic nature. He was a prominent member of the Iowa conference of Augustana synod of his denomination and was recognized throughout the state, in which he lived and labored, as a student and man of scholarly attainments. He kept in touch with the world's work along all the lines of vital significance to mankind.
On the 5th of December, 1890, the Rev. Axel W. P. Elfstrom was married to Miss Matilda Carlson, a daughter of Carl and Johanna Carlson, both of whom were natives of Vestergötland, Sweden. The father was a farmer by occupation and died when his daughter Matilda was but four years of age. The mother is still living in Sweden, at the advanced age of eighty-nine years. Mrs. Elfstrom came to the United States in 1885 and took up her residence in Chicago, where she was married. Since her husband's death she has continued to live in Centerville. Their children are: Gustav Sigfrid, who was born November 11, 1891, and is clerking in the Maring grocery store in Centerville; Hanna, who was born September 18, 1893, graduated from the Centerville high school, in 1911, and is a teacher in the Garfield school of this city; Ester, who was born May 24, 1895, and will graduate from the Centerville high school with the class of 1913; and Carl, who was born December 27, 1897, and is a high-school student.
The family are all members of the Swedish Lutheran church and their influence is always on the side of right, progress, reform and truth. Rev. Elfstrom gave his political allegiance to the republican party, nor was he neglectful of the duties of citizenship. He stood for all that is highest and best in material things and in intellectual activities while working untiringly for the moral progress of the community in which he made his home. His influence was of no restricted character. He was regarded as one of the strong preachers of his denomination and his work added much to the moral tone of the community. He embodied the words of the spirit of Abraham Lincoln who said, "There is something better than making a living - making a life," and therefore he put forth untiring effort in the great field of character building.
CHARLES H. ELGIN, is a member of the firm of Howell & Elgin, enjoying the largest law practice in Centerville. He is, moreover, a representative of one of the old and prominent pioneer families of Appanoose county. That his has been a well spent life is indicated in the fact that many of his stanchest friends are those who have known him from his boyhood to the present time. He was bom in this city, August 31, 1874, a son of John M. and Mary J. (Silknitter) Elgin, both of whom were natives of Indiana. The father came to Centerville from Martinsville, Indiana, with his parents in '50s and here resided until after the outbreak of the Civil war, when his patriotic spirit aroused, he offered his services to the government and joined the boys in blue of Company F, Thirty-sixth Iowa Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war, participating in many hotly contested engagements. With the restoration of peace he returned to Appanoose county and purchased a farm near Mystic, at once beginning the work of clearing and improving the tract, which he operated successfully until 1872. He was then called to public office, being elected sheriff, in which position he served through the ensuing two years. With his retirement he returned to the farm and again engaged in general agricultural pursuits until 1895, when he put aside business cares and once more became a resident of Centerville, remaining here until his death, which occurred April 1, 1900, when he was fifty-eight years of age. His widow is still living in Centerville at the age of seventy.
The youthful days of Charles H. Elgin were spent under the parental roof, and the district schools afforded him his educational privileges until he reached the age of seventeen, when he entered school at Lincoln, Nebraska. He afterward attended Drake University for some time, then served for a time as deputy county clerk and subsequently went south participating in the Spanish-American war. Finally, however, he became a student in the State University, at Iowa City, and was graduated therefrom with the class of 1900 on the completion of the law course. At that time he returned to Centerville and for thirty days was in the office of the county attorney, after which he entered into partnership with C. F. Howell, one of the most able and learned members of the Appanoose county bar. Their association has since been maintained under the firm style of Howell & Elgin and they enjoy a very extensive practice, with offices at 100 1/2 West Jackson street. Mr. Elgin is thorough and painstaking in all his legal work, preparing his cases most carefully and losing sight of no point which will tend to further his cause.
In March, 1899, Mr. Elgin was married to Miss Isal Strickler, a daughter of John J. and Mary E. (Williamson) Strickler, who were natives of Indiana. The father arrived in Centerville in 1862 and engaged in the dry-goods business, remaining one of the foremost merchants of the city for thirty-four years. He is now living retired. His wife died January 14, 1911. Mr. and Mrs. Elgin have two children, John Robert and Mary Elizabeth, aged twelve and nine years.
Mr. Elgin is the owner of considerable real estate in Centerville, including a pleasant home at No. 427 East State street. He is a member of the Masonic lodge, also of the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks. His political indorsement is given to the republican party but without desire for office as a reward for party fealty. The religious faith of the family is that of the Christian church. The good-will and confidence of many friends is theirs and the professional prominence of Mr. Elgin is the result of well developed powers in the field of law.
GEORGE C. ELLIOTT, serving for the fourth term as clerk of the courts of Appanoose county, has a record as a public official which any man might well envy, for in his long connection with public office capability, efficiency and promptness have ever characterized his service. He was born in Drakesville, Davis county, Iowa, in May, 1874, his parents being John and Nancy (Morgan) Elliott. The father was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, September 30, 1837, and the mother's birth occurred in Switzerland county, Indiana, March 25, 1845. With his parents John Elliott removed to Davis county, Iowa, in 1851, and there learned the carpenter's trade, which he afterward followed until the outbreak of the Civil war. He enlisted as a member of Company A, Third Iowa Cavalry, and was at the front until the close of hostilities, participating in many hotly contested battles, in which he proved his loyalty to the old flag. When the war was over he returned to Davis county and settled upon a farm owned by him and a brother. He then turned his attention to the nursery business, which he conducted for six years, and on the expiration of that period removed to Drakesville, where he engaged in the lumber and grain business, which he carried on with substantial success until 1882. He then sold out and came to Centerville, accepting a position as traveling salesman with the Osborn Machine Company, which he represented for some time. He next turned his attention to the sale of nursery stock, in which business he continued for a considerable period, after which he was called to public office, being elected county clerk of Appanoose county. He filled that position capably for four years and following his retirement was elected and served as mayor of Centerville for two years. Soon afterward he was elected to the office of justice of the peace and served for two years. He likewise filled the position of councilman for several terms and in that connection exercised his official prerogatives in support of many progressive public movements and reforms. Entering the insurance field, he followed that business throughout his remaining days, passing away March 9, 1908, at the age of nearly seventy-one years. His widow is living in Centerville with her son and daughter at No. 530 North Eighth street. In the family were four children: Jennie, who was born in 1867 and died in 1873; Allie, who was born in 1870 and is at home with her mother; George C, of this review; and Stella, who was born in 1875 and is the wife of J. P. Mason, who is traffic superintendent for the Bell Telephone Company at Des Moines.
George C. Elliott began his education in the schools of his native city and when but a boy came with his parents to Centerville, where he completed his public-school course. He was eighteen years of age when his father appointed him to the position of deputy county clerk and he thus obtained his initial experience in the office which he is now filling. With his father's retirement from the position of clerk four years later George C. Elliott entered the abstract business, in which he continued for a year, and was then appointed deputy county treasurer under Noah M. Scott, with whom he continued for four years, and was then again appointed to the position under J. T. Sherrard. After eight years' service in the treasurer's office Mr. Elliott became delinquent tax collector and so continued for several years. Prior to entering the treasurer's office he was appointed county clerk to fill an unexpired term of a year. When he left the position of delinquent tax collector he was once more deputy county treasurer under J. A. Moss and on his retirement from the position was elected county clerk. Since that time he has been thrice reelected, a fact which stands as incontrovertible proof of his capability and fidelity. He was called to the position for the fourth term in November, 1912, so that he will remain the incumbent in the office until 1915. Mr. Elliott has almost continuously filled public positions since eighteen years of age and over his record there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. He also has business interests, being secretary and treasurer of and owner of a fourth interest in the Appanoose Abstract & Title Company of Centerville. He has never faltered in his allegiance to the republican party and has always kept well informed on the questions and issues of the day, so that he is able to support his position by intelligent argument. He is well known in the membership of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, of which he is a worthy representative. He was reared in the Methodist faith, his father having joined the church in 1868, becoming a most active and earnest worker therein.
 William M. Ellis |
WILLIAM MORRISON ELLIS - Upon the roll of Appanoose county's honored dead appears the name of William Morrison Ellis, who is held in loving and grateful remembrance by his many friends in this section, although thirteen years have passed since his death. He was for a long period one of the substantial and progressive agriculturists of this section of the state and through the years of his honorable and upright career he gained the respect and confidence of all with whom he came in contact. Mr. Ellis was a native of Kentucky, born on the 13th of January, 1830, his parents being Marcellus and Nancy Ellis, both natives of Kentucky. The father farmed in that state for some time but eventually came north and settled in Indiana, whence in 1855 he came to Caldwell township, Appanoose county, where he purchased land and engaged in general agricultural pursuits during the remainder of his life. |
William M. Ellis acquired his education in the public schools of Kentucky and of Harrison county, Indiana, and grew to manhood in the latter section. He left Harrison county about the year 1850, trading his property in that state for a land warrant for forty acres in Sharon township, Appanoose county, to which he added eighty acres entered from the government. For a number of years he concentrated his attention upon the improvement and development of this farm, making it in all respects a model agricultural enterprise. When he left Sharon township he moved into Caldwell township, purchasing eighty acres, and upon this property he carried on general agricultural pursuits. His intelligently directed energies brought him success and he continued to cultivate his farm until his death, which occurred in 1899. His widow now lives upon the homestead, which for some time she rented out but which her grandson Vemie L. Ellis is now operating for her.
 Margaret A. Ellis |
On the 25th of December, 1849, Mr. Ellis was united in marriage, in Harrison county, Indiana, to Miss Margaret A. Ellis, a daughter of Daniel and Mary Ellis, natives of Kentucky, whose ancestors came from Virginia and were originally of Dutch, Irish and Welsh extraction. Daniel and Mary Ellis went from Kentucky to Indiana and spent the remainder of their lives on a farm in Harrison county. The mother died in 1851, after which Daniel Ellis married Mrs. Patsy Bunch, of Harrison county, who has passed away. Mr. and Mrs. William M. Ellis became the parents of six children. The eldest, America, passed away at the age of fifteen. Perry, a farmer of Vermillion township, married Violinda Eddy and they became the parents of eight children, Lloyd, Floyd, Ella, Bessie, May, Alta, and William and Russell, both of whom have passed away. Jesse, the third child born to Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, is a farmer in Vermillion township. He married Belle Grimes and by her has six children, Lonnie, Maude, Pearl, Hazel, Hygene and Fitz. Laura married Clint Toney, a farmer of Sublett, Missouri. |
They have seven children, John, Hazel, Pansy, Ivy, Nora, Marion and Arthur. Millard is a cement worker in Centerville. He has been married three times, his third wife being Miss Rose Hitchcock. By his first union he is the father of five children, Ernest, Clyde, Vemie, Ethel and Shirley, and by his third marriage has one son, Harold. The youngest child born to Mr. and Mrs. Ellis is Cora Delia, who married Harry Bennefield, a stockman in Oklahoma, by whom she has four children, Otis, Blanche, Elsie and William. Mrs. Ellis has now reached the age of eighty-two years but is still active and vigorous and enjoys the best of health. She comes of a long-lived family. Her grandfather, John Ellis, lived to be one hundred and one years old and then met his death by accident, having been thrown out of a buggy and killed. Her great-grandfather was struck by lightning and killed at the age of one hundred and two years.
William M. Ellis was loyal in his support of the men and measures of the democratic party and, although he was no office seeker, he was nevertheless identified with many local enterprises and was known as a cooperant factor in many measures that directly benefited the community. He was for several terms director of the school board and fraternally was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He gave devout adherence to the doctrines of the Christian church, exemplifying in his upright life the principles in which he believed. Those things which are most worthy and commendable in life made strong appeal to him and the standards of honorable manhood found worthy expression in his career, gaining for him widespread respect and esteem and many friends.
WILLIAM EVANS, who passed away in Centerville on the 4th of September, 1898, was a pioneer citizen of Appanoose county, who was for many years prominently identified with important business interests and also won an enviable reputation in financial circles here as cashier of the First National Bank of Centerville. Among the public offices which he held was that of county treasurer, in which capacity he was retained for four terms. His birth occurred near Salem, Washington county, Indiana, on the 12th of May, 1829, and it was in that year that his parents took up their abode in Greencastle, Putnam county, Indiana, where his boyhood was spent on a farm. In 1849, when a young man of twenty, he accompanied his parents on their removal to Monroe county, Iowa, and there cx)ntinued to reside until February, 1864. At that time he came to Appanoose county, Iowa, settling in Iconium, where he was engaged in the mercantile business until December, 1871, when, having been elected treasurer of the county, he took up his abode in Centerville and here made his home until his death. As the democratic candidate for that office he overcame the normal republican majority and thus received tangible evidence of the confidence and trust reposed in him by the voters. That his record fully justified the faith of his constituents is indicated in the fact that he was three times reelected, gaining and maintaining a reputation as one of the county's most competent and trusted officials. At the end of eight years' service as treasurer he was offered the position of cashier of the First National Bank of Centerville and proved a valued representative of that institution by reason of his wide acquaintance, excellent business ability and sterling integrity. The period of his residence in Iowa covered about a half century and most of that time was spent in Appanoose county. In 1888 he had removed to Topeka, Kansas, but returned two years later. He was appointed postmaster of Centerville in 1894 but at the end of three years resigned on account of impaired health, spending the winter of 1897-98 in Texas. Returning to Centerville, he passed away here on the 4th of September, 1898. His widow has since continued to reside in Centerville. He had won the high esteem and friendship of all who knew him, and in his demise the community lost one of its prominent, respected and representative citizens.
On the 25th of November, 1852, Mr. Evans was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Jane Vestle, who was born in Putnamville, Indiana, on the 9th of March, 1831. They became the parents of six children. Sarah Elizabeth, whose birth occurred in Monroe county, Iowa, on the 3d of September, 1854, gave her hand in marriage to William H. Everson on the 3d of September, 1873, and passed away at Pratt, Kansas, on the 13th of March, 1901. She was the mother of four children, as follows: Pearl, who was born in Centerville, Iowa, in December, 1874, and wedded Tenny Rogers, by which union there is one child, Eugene Everson; Jennie, who was born at Centerville in 1877 and gave her hand in marriage to Jess E. Dickinson, by whom she has a son, Frank Dickinson; Frank, who was born at North English, Iowa, in 1879, and passed away at Pratt, Kansas, in 1902; and Goldie, who died in 1908 and who was the wife of Clifford Roberts, by whom she had a daughter, Elizabeth Roberts. Margaret Esther Evans, whose birth occurred in Monroe county on the 30th of January, 1856, became the wife of James Cain Bevington on the 12th of March, 1874, and died in Centerville, Iowa, on the 6th of May, 1883. She had two children, namely: William M., who was born in Centerville, Iowa, in May, 1875, and wedded May Brooks, by whom he has one daughter, Esther Bevington; and Lois, whose birth occurred at Centerville, Iowa, in June, 1879, and who became the wife of Dennis L. Fleak in 1900. Lucy Ann Evans, who was born in Monroe county, Iowa, on the 11th of November, 1857, passed away at Centerville on the 3rd of September, 1892. In July, 1879, she gave her hand in marriage to Richard C. Stewart, by whom she had a daughter, Ida Margaret Stewart. William Franklin Evans, whose birth occurred in Monroe county on the 16th of November, 1859, makes his home in St. Louis, Missouri, and acts as general solicitor for the Rock Island and Frisco lines. Maria Belle Evans, who was born in Iconium, Iowa, on the 26th of November, 1863, became the wife of Hubbard Milton Cyphers in April, 1885. They have one daughter, Beulah Evans, who was born on the 18th of January, 1887, and who wedded Harold H. McLucas in 1910. Ida Evandale Evans, whose birth occurred in Iconium, Iowa, on the 8th of February, 1867, was married in 1883 to Clarence William Walton. Their daughter, Lucy Estelle Walton, was born on the 4th of May, 1888, and gave her hand in marriage to Hugh N. Fogle in 1911.
As above stated, William Evans was a stanch democrat in his political views. While a resident of Iconium he served as postmaster for eight years, and he also acted as township clerk and assessor for several terms. His religious faith was indicated by his membership in the Baptist church, to which his widow also belongs. He served as deacon and trustee of the church and exemplified its teachings in his daily life. Fraternally he was identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to Lodge No. 76 and Encampment No. 24 and being a past grand of the former. He manifested in his character that admirable combination of qualities which caused him to work diligently and do well whatever he undertook. He was a useful citizen, interested in every worthy enterprise, responsive to every moral obligation, and in his dealings with men showed that he recognized the true significance of life and sought to meet and assume its higher and nobler duties.
WILLIAM FRANKLIN EVANS, of St. Louis, general counsel for the Frisco lines and general attorney for the Rock Island railroad, is well known in Appanoose county. He was born in Monroe county, Iowa, October 11, 1859, as the only son of William and Margaret J. (Vestal) Evans, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume. The boy was but five years of age when his parents removed to Appanoose county, where he acquired a good public-school education in Iconium and Centerville, the family home being established in the latter city when W. F. Evans was a lad of twelve years. He started out in the business world as a clerk in the general mercantile store owned by Major Staunton at Centerville and during the years 1877 and 1878 he served as deputy county treasurer under his father. In 1880 he took up the study of law in the office of Vermilion & Vermilion in Centerville, but did not enter upon active practice at once when admitted to the bar. Instead, he accepted the position of assistant cashier in the First National Bank of Centerville and in 1884 he went to Milan, Missouri, as assistant cashier of the First National Bank of that city. In 1885, he returned to Centerville and became associated with his former preceptor, W. F. Vermilion, in active law practice. In March of the same year he was elected city solicitor and the capable manner in which he performed his duties led to his reelection in 1886. He has since practically given undivided attention to his duties as a member of the legal profession, specializing in the field of railroad law. On his retirement from the office of city solicitor he went to Topeka, Kansas, where he became assistant to the general attorney of the Rock Island Railroad Company and his experience in that connection well qualified him for the responsibilities which he assumed when in 1902, he removed to St. Louis to become attorney for the Frisco lines. He has since acted in that capacity, being now chief counsel in the law department of the Frisco system, and is also general attorney for the Rock Island road. He is a director of the Central National Bank of St. Louis and occupies a prominent and enviable position in professional and financial circles. His ability, natural and acquired, has been constantly developed through study, research and experience and he stands today as one of the foremost legal representatives of railway interests in the middle west.
THOMAS G. FEE - The name of Fee has long figured prominently in connection with the bench and bar of Appanoose county and in the practice of law Thomas G. Fee, whose name introduces this review, has won for himself a creditable position as an able lawyer whose wide knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence is supplemented by the ability to accurately apply those principles. He is now practicing in Centerville, his native city. He was born August 25, 1877, a son of Thomas Milton and Marie (Barker) Fee. The father's birth occurred in Feesburg, Brown county, Ohio, April 18, 1840, and his parents, Thomas J. and Sarah (Hastings) Fee, were of English and Irish descent respectively, the former being a well known merchant and manufacturer of Ohio, whence he removed to Illinois with his family in 1849. In the latter state Thomas Milton Fee was reared and educated, remaining there until 1860, when he became a resident of Ottumwa, Iowa, where he engaged in teaching school. He also took up the study of law in that city under the direction of Colonel S. W. Summers but in May, 1862, removed to Centerville and on the 8th of August of the same year offered his services to the government, enlisting in Company G, Thirty-sixth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He took part in various engagements with the Thirteenth, Sixteenth and Seventh Army Corps and was captured at Mark's Mills, Arkansas, after which he was for ten months confined in a rebel prison at Tyler, Texas. In September, 1865, he was mustered out and was honorably discharged at Davenport. Following his return from the war he established himself in the practice of law, which he followed continuously to the time of his death save for the period spent upon the bench. For a time he served as superintendent of public instruction in Appanoose county and for a term of four years was district attorney for the second judicial district of Iowa. In those connections he displayed unfaltering devotion to duty as well as great energy and ability. In 1894 he was elected district judge and remained upon the bench until January, 1902, when he resigned and resumed the private practice of law with his son Thomas as his partner. His decisions had ever been strictly fair and impartial, based upon the law and the equity in the case, and he was regarded as one of the most capable judges ever presiding over the district court. In politics he was a republican, deeply interested in the success of the party because of his firm belief in the efficacy of its principles as factors in good government. He belonged to the Masonic fraternity, in which he attained high rank, becoming a member of the Mystic Shrine. He was also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Grand Army post and was a prominent representative of the county bar association. In 1881 he lost his first wife and later married Mrs. Cill McGregor, of Centerville, who now resides at Rice's Landing in Pennsylvania. Judge Fee passed away in Centerville, April 13, 1910, honored and respected by all who knew him. His children were seven in number, namely: William, who passed away at the age of five years; Frank, who died when twenty-one years of age; John, who acts as car inspector for the Santa Fe railroad at Bakersfield, California; Marsa, who is the wife of J. W. Voorhees, a fruit ranchman residing at Bakersfield, California; Thomas G., of this review; Eugenia, at home; and John M., an agriculturist of Vermillion township, who married Ethel Barber, of Chicago.
Thomas G. Fee completed his preliminary education by graduation from the Centerville high school with the class of 1896 and then entered the law department of the Iowa State University. For a year he pursued a special course of study and later was graduated from the law department as a member of the class of 1899 with the degree of LL. B. He at once opened an office in Centerville and for two years practiced alone, but with his father's retirement from the bench joined him as junior partner in the firm of Fee & Fee, a connection that was maintained until the spring of 1909, when Thomas G. Fee went to Los Angeles, California, as special representative for some oil companies. He lived at Los Angeles and at Bakersfield until 1912 and then, returning to Centerville, resumed the practice of law in this city.
In June, 1904, Mr. Fee was married to Miss Janet Gray, a daughter of J. R. and Sarah (Cyphers) Gray, the former a native of Scotland, while the latter is of Scotch lineage. They reside in Centerville, where Mr. Gray is employed as engineer by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad. For the past twenty-six years he has been upon one run, between Keokuk and Centerville. Mr. and Mrs. Fee have become parents of a daughter and son: Margaret, who was born April 26, 1905, and is now a pupil in the public school; and Thomas, who was born October 14, 1907, and was named for his father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
Mr. Fee holds membership with Centerville Lodge, No. 940, B. P. O. E., and also belongs to the Masonic fraternity, while his wife is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. She is also connected with the P. E. O., and both are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Fee gives his political allegiance to the republican party and has been somewhat active in its local ranks, serving for three terms as chairman of the county central committee. In the fall of 1904 he was elected county attorney and through reelection served for two terms. He occupies a creditable and enviable position at the Appanoose county bar, for he prepares his cases with great thoroughness and skill and presents them with clearness and force, so that he never fails to command the attention of court or jury and seldom fails to win the verdict desired. His reasoning is clear, his deductions sound and he is seldom surprised by an unexpected attack of an adversary.
WILLARD JOSHUA FENTON, M. D. - Careful training and conscientious service in the practice of medicine has made Dr. Willard Joshua Fenton one of the leading physicians not only of Mystic but of Appanoose county. He was born in Lancaster, Missouri, February 1, 1881, and is a son of J. B. and Susan E. (Tucker) Fenton, both of whom were natives of Missouri, and now reside in Columbia, that state. Their entire lives have been passed in Missouri, where Mr. Fenton for many years followed farming but is now living retired. In the family were three children, of whom Dr. Fenton is the eldest, the others being: Oden L., also of Columbia ; and Laura Campbell, who is doing post-graduate work at the State University of Missouri.
Dr. Fenton was reared at the place of his birth and in the acquirement of his education passed through consecutive grades in the public schools until graduated from the high school at Lancaster, with the class of 1900. He then entered the medical department of the Missouri State University, in which he spent one year, and further prepared for his chosen profession by study in the Keokuk College of Physicians & Surgeons, from which he was graduated with the class of 1904. He then located for practice in Mystic, opening an office here in May, 1904, and in the intervening period of eight years he has successfully followed his profession, proving his capability as a factor in successfully combating disease. He is one of the local surgeons for the Milwaukee railroad and he is a member of the County Medical Society, the Iowa State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. His connection with the different medical societies keeps him in close touch with the advanced work that is being done by the profession, and he is quick to adopt new methods which his judgment sanctions as of vital worth and force in checking the ravages of disease. He has business interests aside from the practice of medicine, being now president of the Mystic Mutual Telephone Company. He is also local examiner for four of the leading insurance companies.
In June, 1903, Dr. Fenton was united in marriage to Miss Zilla Heaton, a native of Lancaster, Missouri, and a daughter of J. J. Heaton, a druggist of that place. They now have two children, Heaton J. and Dorothy M. Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. Dr. Fenton has supported the democratic party but manifests only a citizen's interest in politics, his time and attention being fully occupied by his professional duties, which are constantly growing in volume and importance. Dr. Fenton is a Mason and has taken the degrees of both the lodge and chapter. He also holds membership with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Knights and Ladies of Security, and both he and his wife are connected with the Eastern Star and with the Rebekahs. His acquaintance is wide and the opinion entertained for him by those who know him is most favorable, arising from his admirable personal qualities and his close adherence to high professional standards.
ROBERT CRAWFORD FORSYTH, is one of the oldest among the merchants of Appanoose county, having passed the eightieth milestone of life's journey, but he still remains an active factor in commercial circles as the senior partner in the firm of Forsyth & Son, druggists, and as such has contributed largely to the commercial activity and consequent prosperity of Mystic. He was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, June 2, 1832, a son of James and Margaret (Crawford) Forsyth, who always remained residents of the land of hills and heather. The father was a weaver, working at a hand loom throughout his entire life. Their son, Robert, was the youngest in a family of twelve children, six of whom reached years of maturity but he is now the only one surviving. He remained at home until he reached the age of seventeen years but when fourteen years of age he entered a drug store where he was employed for three years. At the end of that time he went to sea to improve his health which had become greatly impaired, and for nearly ten years he remained upon the water. In 1857 he was married to Miss Betsy Stewart Butter.
Leaving his bride at her old home, Mr. Forsyth two weeks after his marriage came to America on a sailing vessel as a seaman. He left the ship, however, at Quebec and went to Montreal where he joined a propeller, sailing on the Great Lakes until winter caused a cessation of navigation. Mr. Forsyth passed the winter in Kingston, Canada, after which he sailed on the lakes until June, but thinking to find better business opportunities in the interior of the country he made his way to Rock Island, Illinois, where he lived with his sister and brother-in-law. Soon afterward he secured employment in a stone quarry in Mercer county, Illinois, at seventy-five cents per day and also took out the coal which was used in the operation of a grist mill. For twenty-three years he engaged in digging coal through the winter seasons and spent the summer months at farm labor. In two years he had saved enough to send for his wife who joined him in Mercer county, Illinois, and in 1866 he came to Iowa and for three years met with different experiences in mining and farming in Mahaska county and then removed to What Cheer, where he continued for twenty-four years. There he followed coal mining and also general agricultural pursuits and during the latter part of that period purchased a farm, which he found was underlaid to some extent with coal so that he again engaged in mining as well as in the development of his fields. Eventually, however, he entered the drug business and for twenty-eight years has been engaged in that line of trade in this country. It was the business to which he first turned his attention on starting out in the world and his early experience served him in good stead when he once more became a druggist. In 1893 he removed to Mystic, where his son David had located in a drug store and, joining his son, has since been carrying on business here as a member of the firm of Forsyth & Son. Following the disastrous fire which occurred in Mystic he erected his present building, a fine two-story brick structure, twenty four by one hundred feet, at the corner of Second and Main streets. He also owns a half interest in two other business blocks and has, furthermore, become identified with business interests in this town as a director of the Mystic Savings Bank, to which position he was elected on its organization, becoming at that time one of its stockholders. He and his son are also interested in farm lands in Texas and Iowa and in city property in Mystic.
To Mr. and Mrs. Forsyth were born nine children: James, who is engaged in the drug business at Numa, Iowa; Donald William, who is a hardware merchant of Mystic; David, who is in partnership with his father; Isabella, who became the wife of Thomas Glendenning, and died in Minnesota, leaving four children; Mary, the wife of Robert Maxwell, of Keokuk county, Iowa; Robert, a tinsmith of Mystic; Mrs. Jessie Coop, who is with her father; Elizabeth, the wife of William Keffner, of Jerome, Iowa; and Dougald R., who is engaged in the drug business at Redfield, Iowa. In 1911 the family were called upon to mourn the loss of the wife and mother, who died on the 6th of January of that year.
Mr. Forsyth has been a life-long republican, supporting the party since becoming an American citizen. He has never held office, however, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his business duties which have been of constantly growing volume and importance. Mr. Forsyth is a Master Mason and also an Odd Fellow. He belongs to the Presbyterian church, to the teachings of which he has ever been loyal. No history in this volume, perhaps, indicates more clearly what can be accomplished through a resolute will, unfaltering perseverance and carefully directed efforts. He worked hard and persistently year after year, scorning not the earnest toil which is the basis of all success. Gradually he advanced until his industry and economy placed him on the high road to success and from that point forward his progress has been assured, bringing him at length to a prominent position among the successful business men of his adopted country. His record may well serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement to others, showing what may be accomplished when energy and determination lead the way.
 Joseph & Minnie Frankel |
JOSEPH J. FRANKEL - .No man occupies a more enviable position in business circles of Centerville than Joseph J. Frankel, proprietor of the large and flourishing dry-goods store which bears his name. He is respected and esteemed by all who know him, not alone by reason of the success he has achieved but also owing to the fact that his business methods have been constantly straight- forward and honorable. He is a dependable man under all circumstances and the simple weight of his character and ability have carried him forward into important business relations. A native of Poland, Mr. Frankel was born November 30, 1873, and is a son of Joseph and Eve (Margolis) Frankel, both of whom were born in that country. The father was a contractor and grain dealer and was unusually successful in both branches of activity. He never came to America but passed away in Poland in February, 1904, at the age of sixty-six. Later his widow came to America and settled in Peoria, Illinois, where she now resides, having reached the age of seventy-seven. |
In the acquirement of an education Joseph J. Frankel attended school in his native country. He was nineteen years of age when he came to America, settling in Peoria in 1892. He secured a position in a clothing store and retained it until 1900, when he came to Centerville, where he has since resided. At first he worked in a department store operated by A. Grinspan and he continued this identification until July, 1901, when he returned to Peoria and established himself in the wholesale men's furnishing business, under the name of the Peoria Mercantile Company. This enterprise he conducted successfully until February, 1905, when he sold the concern and came again to Centerville, joining Mr. Grinspan in the management of his general store. Their association continued until January, 1910, when Mr. Grinspan was obliged to go west on account of his failing health. Mr. Frankel at that time purchased his interest in the business and has operated the store ever since. His establishment comprises a fine double store and basement at Nos. 116-118 West Jackson street and is one of the finest of its kind in Centerville. Mr. Frankel carries a large and complete line of stock and strives in every way to keep pace with metropolitan progress, buying new goods as they come upon the market and never selling anything not favored by the newest fashion. This progressive spirit is one of the factors in his success, secondary in importance only to the standards of unwavering integrity and honesty to which he has steadily adhered. He has ever utilized his opportunities to the best advantage and, making steady progress in the business world, has today reached a position of prominence and influence. Mr. Frankel has at this writing under contemplation plans for using the entire building in which his store is now located and on realization of this project will own and occupy the largest dry-goods emporium in southern Iowa. Doubtlessly his trade will increase to warrant such enterprise for which he deserves all success, as he is a man who very truly can be called the salt of the earth, one whom it is a pleasure to meet and one whom all who know him only wish the best of success. He is a stockholder in the Centerville & Mystic Interurban Railroad and in the Centerville Gypsum Company and is besides extensively interested in the Hercules Manufacturing Company of Centerville. He owns a beautiful home at No. 700 Drake Avenue.
On the 12th of July, 1900, Mr. Frankel married Miss Minnie Grinspan, a daughter of Aaron and Leah (Starovolsky) Grinspan, natives of Knyshin, Russia, where the father was born October 20, 1847. He was reared and educated in his native city and there learned the weaver's trade, which he followed for many years, gaining rapid advancement and finally becoming superintendent of a factory. He remained in Russia until 1882 and then came to America, settling first in Brooklyn, New York. After a short period of residence there he went to Des Moines, Iowa, and there secured a position as superintendent of Sherman Brothers Woolen Mill, continuing in this position for a number of years. Later he came to Centerville and for some time peddled dry goods. Being ambitious, energetic, well educated and intelligent, he was rapidly successful and had soon saved a sufficient sum of money to establish himself in business. He opened a small store near the Burlington depot and after conducting his enterprise in that location for some time moved to a more favorable location, establishing himself at No. 116 West Jackson street, where Mr. Frankel is now located. He continued active in the management of this enterprise until his health failed and he was obliged to go west to recuperate. He died in Seattle, Washington, July 25, 1910, at the age of sixty- three, and is buried in St. Joseph, Missouri. His widow survives and makes her home in Seattle, having reached the age of sixty-six years. Mr. and Mrs. Frankel have become the parents of a daughter, Helena Josephine, who was born May 19, 1904.
Mr. Frankel gives his allegiance to the republican party but is not active in political affairs, although he is public-spirited and loyal to a marked degree. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias and to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and with his family is a devout member of the Congregation B'nai Israel. As a resident of Centerville he has been loyal in his support of everything pertaining to the welfare of the city and has made some substantial contributions to its development and progress.
 Bernard A. Fuller |
BERNARD A. FULLER, is a prominent and influential factor in industrial circles of Appanoose county as president and treasurer of the Hercules Manufacturing Company of Centerville, owning the largest stump-pulling and land-clearing machinery plant in the world. His birth occurred in Muscatine, Iowa, on the 28th of February, 1869, his parents being Bernard and Elizabeth (Mushoff) Fuller, who were born, reared and married in Germany. The father was a grocer by trade. In 1852 he crossed the Atlantic to the United States, locating in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he remained for eighteen months. Subsequently he spent two years in St. Louis, Missouri, and then took up his abode in Muscatine, Iowa, where he passed away in 1894. His widow yet makes her home in that city. |
In the acquirement of an education Bernard A. Fuller attended the St. Mathias parochial school of Muscatine. After putting aside his textbooks he served an apprenticeship at the iron moulder's trade in Muscatine and later began work at the trade in Kansas City. He afterward worked in Chicago for a year and then spent two years in the foundry at the government arsenal at Rock Island. In 1893 he came to Centerville, Iowa, and embarked in the foundry business in partnership with Miles Bateman, whose interest he purchased at the end of eighteen months. Subsequently he combined his foundry with the machine shop of the Smith Brothers and then organized the Centerville Foundry & Machine Company, acting as president of the concern for three years. On the expiration of that period, in association with his former partner. Miles Bateman, he organized the Hercules Manufacturing Company, which is today the largest stump-pulling and land-clearing machinery plant in the world. This concern, of which Mr. Fuller is the president and treasurer, was reorganized and reincorporated in 1912 and is now building a capacious new plant. Our subject has acted as manager of this important enterprise since its organization and is well known as a prominent and leading business man of the community. He is a stockholder in the Centerville Gypsum Company and the Centerville Electric Railway Company.
On the 20th of June, 1901, Mr. Fuller was united in marriage to Miss Cora M. Jackson, a daughter of L. H. and May (Perjue) Jackson, who reside on a farm southeast of Centerville and are well known throughout Appanoose county. Jackson Perjue, the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Fuller, was the first sheriff of Appanoose county. Mrs. Fuller was a teacher in the public schools of Centerville at the time of her marriage and had taught in the local schools for six years. She is the mother of three children, namely: Bernard, who was born on the 1st of January, 1904; Edmund Lee, whose birth occurred on the 25th of February, 1906; and Genevieve, whose natal day was October 31, 1911.
In politics Mr. Fuller is a stanch democrat, having supported the men and measures of that party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He joined the Centerville Boosters Club at the time of its organization and has since remained one of its valued members, doing everything in his power to promote the growth and development of the town. Both he and his wife are devout communicants of St. Mary's Catholic Church at Centerville. Mr. Fuller deserves much credit for what he has accomplished. By sheer force of character, strong purpose and laudable ambition he has forged ahead and commands the respect which is ever accorded those whose success has been honorably won.
GEORGE GLADFELDER - By reason of a life of useful and worthy labor along progressive lines, influenced by high standards of integrity and honor, George Gladfelder has gained the unqualified respect and esteem of all with whom he has been associated. Moreover, he has another claim to a place in the public regard, for his name stands high on the long list of men who fifty years ago sacrificed their personal interests in order to serve their country during the dark days of the Civil war. Mr. Gladfelder is a native of Ohio, born in Noble county, July 25, 1836, and is a son of William and Mary (Cline) Gladfelder, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Virginia. Their marriage occurred in Ohio, to which state both had removed in childhood. The father was a carpenter by trade and attained a fair degree of success in this occupation until 1853, when he left Ohio and came to Iowa, purchasing one hundred and sixty acres of land in Chariton township, Appanoose county, upon which he resided until his death in 1881. His wife survived him for some time, passing away in 1888.
George Gladfelder was reared at home and acquired his education in the public schools. As a youth he learned the carpenter's trade under his father's instruction and at the age of twenty began his independent career. He worked at carpentering until one year after the outbreak of the Civil war, enlisting on August 27, 1862, in Company C, Thirty-sixth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He served with courage and ability until the close of hostilities and received his honorable discharge at Duvall Bluff, Arkansas, on the 24th of August, 1865. He arrived at his home in Iowa on September 11, of the same year, and resumed carpentering and building work, in which he continued until 1881, meeting with a gratifying degree of success. Mr. Gladfelder has a record of thirty years' activity in this occupation, his work being interrupted only by his period of military service. In 1872 he bought from the heirs their interest in the estate of his father- in-law's farm, upon which he has made his residence since that time, and has given his attention to its further development, meeting with the success which always attends earnest and well-directed labor.
In 1861 Mr. Gladfelder was united in marriage to Miss Tamsey J. Callen, a daughter of Edward Callen, who came to Appanoose county from Tennessee in 1842. Mr. and Mrs. Gladfelder became the parents of three children: George R., who has passed away ; Brittie, the wife of C. C. Phillips, of Appanoose county; and Harry C, who makes his home in Omaha, Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Gladfelder are devout adherents of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Gladfelder is a member of the board of trustees. He gives his allegiance to the republican party and for four years served as assessor, discharging his official duties in an able and conscientious manner. He is especially interested in educational affairs and has a record of twenty-three years' continuous service as secretary of the school board. He keeps in touch with his comrades of fifty years ago through his membership in the Samuel Sumner Post, No. 398, G. A. R., of which he has served two terms as commander and is now in his tenth year as adjutant. Mr. Gladfelder has passed the seventy-sixth milestone on life's journey and can look back upon many years of active, worthy and useful work. His fellow citizens esteem and respect him as a man whose labors have been a powerful force in development and whose life has been made successful by reason of talent and ability, given to honorable causes and never unworthily used.
FRANK R. GLICK, who has been elected recorder of Appanoose county and assumed the duties of his office in January, 1913, is a native of this section, born October 29, 1882. His parents are Daniel and Martha (Hanniman) Glick, the former a native of Indiana and the latter of Ohio. The father of our subject was seventeen years of age at the outbreak of the Civil war and he enlisted in Company H, Twelfth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving for three years. After he was mustered out he went to Missouri and there engaged in general agricultural pursuits for a short time, later coming to Appanoose county, where he bought a farm in Douglas township. This property he has improved and operated for many years and upon it he and his wife are still residing. Daniel Glick has reached the age of seventy and his wife is sixty-three years of age.
Frank R. Glick of this review was reared at home and was educated in the public schools of Appanoose county. His childhood was spent upon his father's farm and he aided in its operation until he reached the age of twenty-one, when he began contracting for the sinking of coal shafts. In this occupation he continued to engage for five years and then went to Colorado, where he worked in the coal mines. After one year, however, he had the misfortune to meet with a severe accident which dis- abled him, his back having been dislocated by a blow from a falling piece of coal. He was obliged to discontinue his work and on the 14th of November, 1908, went to an osteopathic hospital at Kirksville, Missouri. He remained six months, taking a course of treatment and returned wonderfully improved but still in a crippled condition. He is obliged to go everywhere in a wheeled chair but has not allowed his misfortune to cast a cloud over his career, facing the altered conditions of his life with confidence and courage and winning the respect and honor of his many friends by his valorous struggle against adversity. At the general election held on the 5th of November, 1912, Mr. Glick was elected recorder of Appanoose county and will assume the duties of his office in January. His friends predict for him continued progress in this line of work and a long and successful political career.
On the 8th of April, 1908, Mr. Glick married Miss Mabel Conger, who was born in Appanoose county in August, 1887, a daughter of H. G. and Ella (McCollum) Conger, the former a native of Monroe county, Iowa, and the latter of Missouri. The father came to Iowa at an early date and for many years carried on general agricultural pursuits, winning at last a comfortable competence. A short time ago he abandoned farming and is now engaged in county road work. He has reached the age of fifty-one, while his wife is forty-eight years old. Mr. and Mrs. Glick are the parents of a son, Frank Doyle, who is four years of age. Mrs. Glick is a member of the Methodist church.
Fraternally Mr. Glick is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the United Mine Workers of America. He is a stanch supporter of the republican party and is interested in everything pertaining to the welfare of his native section. In all the relations of his life he is upright, high-minded and honorable and has won a high place in the respect and esteem of all who are in any way associated with him.
ABE GOLDSTEIN, is well known in mercantile circles in Centerville, being one of the proprietors of a department store which he conducts in connection with Lewis Salinger. A spirit of enterprise actuates him in all of his business interests and is winning for him substantial success. He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, December 25, 1880, and is a son of Reuben and Esther Goldstein, who were natives of Russia. The father came to this country at an early day, settling in St. Paul, Minnesota. He had engaged in teaching in his native land but after arriving in the new world turned his attention to merchandising which he carried on in St. Paul for several years. He then removed to Omaha, Nebraska, where he continued in the same business to the time of his death, which occurred in 1896. His widow is yet a resident of that city.
Abe Goldstein was reared and educated in the cities of St. Paul and Omaha and when his schooldays were over secured a situation in a drug store in which he remained for two years. He then went to Fairbury, Nebraska, and was employed in a dry-goods store belonging to his brother- in-law, remaining with him there and in Nebraska City for seven years. On the expiration of that period he came to Centerville in 1902 and entered into partnership with Lewis Salinger in the operation of a department store which they have since successfully conducted, carrying a large and well selected line of goods and enjoying a liberal patronage. They also own and carry on the Grand Leader which is likewise a department store. The two establishments are very complete, carrying everything to be found in their line, and their enterprising and progressive business methods have brought them a continuously growing trade. Mr. Goldstein is also a stockholder of the Centerville Gypsum Company, the Hercules Manufacturing Company and in the Centerville & Mystic Interurban Railway Company.
On the 28th of April, 1903, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Goldstein and Miss Anna Chapman, a daughter of Hyman and Esther Chapman, natives of Russia. The father settled in Centerville at an early period in its development and engaged in peddling for a number of years, after which he turned his attention to the real-estate business and in its conduct attained a gratifying degree of wealth. He passed away January 18, 1912, and is survived by his wife.
Mr. and Mrs. Goldstein have but one child, Rosaline, now six years of age. They own a nice home at No. 500 Drake avenue and Mr. Goldstein is well known in fraternal circles, holding membership with the Modern Woodmen of America, with the Iowa State Traveling Men's Association and with the I. B. O., a Jewish lodge. He holds to the religious faith of his fathers, his membership being in B'nai Israel. His political support is given to the republican party and, recognizing the duties and obligations as well as the privileges of citizenship, he does all in his power to advance the welfare and upbuilding of the community. He has made a creditable record in business circles for one of his years, for he started out empty-handed and through persistent effort and energy has reached a position among the substantial businessmen and merchants of his adopted city.
JOHN FRANKLIN GRAY, M. D. - A history of the medical fraternity of Appanoose county would be incomplete were there failure to make mention of Dr. John Franklin Gray, who is engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery in Moravia. Throughout the years of his connection with the profession he has made steady progress and has proven his knowledge and capability in the excellent results which have attended his labors. He came to Moravia in 1906 and has since devoted his attention to the performance of his professional duties. He is a native son of Iowa, born in Monroe county, September 20, 1873, his parents being Samuel and Mary A. (Griffin) Gray, the former a native of County Derry (Londonderry) Ireland, and the latter of Zanesville, Ohio. The parents of our subject were married in Monroe county, whither her mother had come as a girl with her parents and to which the father had emigrated as a young man. After settling in Iowa, Samuel Gray devoted all of his time to farming and still resides upon his home farm five miles north of Albia, having reached the age of eighty-seven. He is very proud of the fact that in the course of a long career he has never been involved in a law suit and has never been a witness nor a juryman, preferring to accept the losing end of an argument rather than to have recourse to legal proceedings.
Dr. John F. Gray was reared at home and acquired his education in the public schools. This was supplemented by a three years' course at Penn College in Oskaloosa, Iowa. His medical training was received at the Iowa State University at Iowa City, from which he was graduated on April 1, 1902, with the degree of M. D. Following his graduation he was made physician in charge of the mines belonging to the White Breast Fuel Company at Hilton, Iowa, and he acted in this capacity for five years, doing able work and gaining valuable experience. In 1906 Dr. Gray came to Moravia and has since built up an extensive practice here. The consensus of public opinion regarding his professional skill is altogether favorable, for it is well known that he is most careful in the diagnosis of cases and never neglects anything which will be of value in checking disease and promoting health.
On the 24th of June, 1906, Dr. Gray married Miss Beulah T. Cum- mins, of Moravia, a daughter of Rufus E. Cummins, at that time post- master of the town, and a granddaughter of Captain Ephraim Cummins, one of the prominent political leaders and well known men in public life in southern Iowa. Dr. and Mrs. Gray have two children: Charles; and Samuel Francis, who received the second state health prize at the Iowa state fair in 1912 in his class of towns of under ten thousand, as the most perfect child in the state.
Dr. Gray is extensively interested in fraternal affairs and has many important affiliations. He belongs to Antiquity Lodge, No. 252, A. F. & A. M., and he and his wife belong to Moravia Chapter, O. E. S. Dr. Gray is identified also with Monroe Chapter, No. 125, R. A. M., at Albia, Iowa, and holds membership in Moravia Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Moravia Camp, No. 4204, M. W. A.; and Homestead No. 346, Brotherhood of American Yeomen. Mrs. Gray is a devout member of the United Brethren church. Dr. Gray has made an excellent professional record, as is evidenced by the lucrative practice now accorded him, and he is, moreover, known in Moravia as a progressive and public-spirited citizen.
HARRY S. GREENLEAF, one of the promising young attorneys of Appanoose county, is practicing his profession in Centerville as junior member of the law firm of Porter & Greenleaf and is also serving for the second term as city solicitor. His birth occurred at Unionville, this county, on the 10th of July, 1881, his parents being Stephen and Mary Lillian (Sawyers) Greenleaf, who came of Scotch-Irish lineage. The father was born at Bloomfield, Iowa, on the 24th of June, 1853, a son of Dr. Daniel C. and Amanda C. (Young) Greenleaf. Dr. Daniel C. Greenleaf, a native of Indiana, was a physician and surgeon by profession and served as such during the period of the Civil war.
Stephen Greenleaf, the father of our subject, was graduated from the Kentucky Medical College of Louisville in 1876 and studied for a time at Mount Pleasant, Iowa. It was in Bloomfield, Iowa, that he began the practice of medicine and surgery, while subsequently he opened an office at Ash Grove. At the time of his demise, which occurred in 1886, he was a resident physician of Milton, Iowa. It was on the 28th of September, 1876, at Unionville, Appanoose county, that he wedded Miss Mary Lillian Sawyers, a daughter of Dr. S. H. and Mary F. (Miller) Sawyers, both of whom were natives of Tennessee. She was a maiden of fourteen when her parents established their home in Unionville. Her father was one of the pioneer physicians and surgeons of this county, practicing his profession at Iconium and Milledgeville before he located in Unionville, where his death occurred in 1892. His widow lives in Centerville with her daughter, Mrs. George Barnett.
Harry S. Greenleaf completed the public-school course in Unionville in 1899 and then entered Parsons Academy at Fairfield, while subsequently he continued his studies in Parsons College, being graduated from that institution in the spring of 1905 with the degree of B. S. Having determined upon the practice of law as a life work, he then went to Iowa City, entered the College of Law of the State University of Iowa and won the degree of LL. B. in 1908. He then came to Centerville and one month after the date of his graduation entered the law office of the Hon. Claude R. Porter as junior member of the firm of Porter & Greenleaf, in which connection he has since been engaged in general practice. At no time has his reading ever been confined to the limitation of the questions at issue. It has gone beyond and compassed every contingency and provided not alone for the expected but for the unexpected, which happens in the courts quite as frequently as out of them. He is a member of the bar association of this county and enjoys an enviable reputation as an able representative of his profession.
In politics Mr. Greenleaf is a republican. He was elected city solicitor of Centerville in 1909, and being reelected in 1911, is serving in that capacity. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Presbyterian church, while fraternally he is identified with the Yeomen of Centerville. He resides with his mother in an attractive home at No. 416 South Fifteenth street.
JOSEPH P. GRIBBEN - For more than a third of a century Joseph P. Gribben has been a resident of Centerville and has made an excellent record in connection with the abstract business. Moreover, in every relation of life he has won and merited the respect and confidence of those who know him, proving himself at all times a progressive, reliable citizen and a man worthy of the trust and confidence of his associates. He was born in Huron county, Ohio, in August, 1839, and has therefore passed the seventy-third milestone on life's journey. His parents were George and Eliza (Perry) Gribben, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of New York. In the '50s the father came to Iowa, settling at Benton, where he worked at his trade for a number of years. He then removed to Cameron, Missouri, where he continued to reside until his death, which occurred in 1879. His wife survived him for a quarter of a century, passing away in 1904.
Joseph P. Gribben is indebted to the public-school system of his native state for the educational opportunities which he enjoyed. In his youthful days he learned the painter's trade and subsequently spent some time on the Pacific coast, locating upon his removal to Missouri, in 1870, at Cameron, where he remained for six years. On the expiration of that period he came to Centerville, where he has since made his home. Here he opened a set of abstract books and continued in the business for almost a third of a century or until 1908, when he retired, enjoying now a rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves. The only interruption to his active and well directed business affairs came at the time of the Civil war, when in response to the country's call for aid he offered his services and was assigned to duty with Company I, First California Regiment, with which he continued for four years. He had come to California at an early day and it was there that he joined the boys in blue. Following the close of the war Mr. Gribben was married, on the 6th of December, 1866, to Miss Caroline Holloway, a daughter of Ira and Achsah (Bouton) Holloway, the former a native of Ithaca, New York, and the latter of Lorain county, Ohio. Her father was a farmer by occupation and when he removed to the Buckeye state he purchased a tract of land which he cultivated and improved, carrying on farming successfully for many years. Eventually, however, he sold that property and went to Michigan, where he bought another tract of land, continuing his farming operations there throughout the remainder of his days. He died September 3, 1887, and his wife's death occurred on the 27th of November, 1907.
Mr. and Mrs. Gribben became the parents of four children: Ira G., aged forty-four years, who is engaged in railroading and lives in St. Louis, Missouri; Percy C, aged forty-two years, who makes his home in Pueblo, Colorado; Harry E., aged thirty-eight years, a resident of Los Angeles; and Ralph, who died on the 8th of February, 1885. Mr. Gribben and his wife occupy a pleasant modern residence at No. 403 South Main street and its hospitality is greatly enjoyed by their many friends. Mr. Gribben served as city clerk of Centerville for six years, proving a capable and efficient officer, and his political allegiance has always been given to the republican party which was the defense of the Union during the dark days of the Civil war and has been a party of reform and progress since. Fraternally he is connected with the Grand Army of the Republic and thus maintains pleasant relations with those who like himself wore the blue uniform during the darkest hour in our country's history. He has ever been loyal in citizenship, manifesting the same fidelity which he displayed when he followed the old flag.