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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CHARLES H. MEYERS, early settler in Iowa and a representative of one of the honored pioneer families of the state, has for many years been identified in an influential way with farming interests in Pleasant township, and his enterprise and well-directed work have contributed substantially to the progress in this locality. He was born in Hancock county, Illinois, August 3, 1859, and is a son of George Meyers, a native of Bavaria, Germany, who grew to maturity in that country and came to America as a young man. He located in Hancock county, Illinois, in pioneer times and there married Miss Kate Schneider, also a native of Germany, born in Hesse-Darmstadt. They remained in Illinois until 1868, in which year they moved to Iowa and located in Franklin township, Appanoose county. Here the father of our subject purchased a tract of wild land and with characteristic energy and determination set about the task of opening up a farm. He fenced his fields, brought the land under the plow and was soon gathering abundant harvests. As his prosperity grew he added to his holdings until he owned three hundred and eighty acres of land, which he managed so carefully and operated along such practical lines that he became one of the substantial and wealthy residents of this part of the state. He gained widespread respect and esteem by reason of his honorable standards and upright business methods, and when he died upon the homestead his passing was widely and deeply regretted.
Charles H. Meyers came to Iowa with his parents in pioneer times, being at the time of his arrival a lad of nine years. At intervals he attended the public schools, but his advantages along this line were extremely limited and, although he is today a well-informed and cultured man, this is due almost entirely to his own efforts in reading and observation. As a boy he aided in the hard labor of breaking the soil and developing the farm, but was afterward obliged to devote himself to minor tasks owing to his failing health. At the age of twenty-one he left home in order to seek recuperation in less strenuous work, and accepted a position as driver of a medicine wagon for S. Baker. For one year he journeyed throughout Iowa and then went to Lewistown, Fulton county, Illinois, where he drove a wagon for the Thompkins Medical Company for a number of years, traveling over seventy-five counties in that state and dealing with wholesale and retail dealers and private residents. He accomplished his aim of recovering his health, and later returned to the old home in Franklin township, where he joined his father in the operation of the farm. He married in 1888 and he and his wife began their domestic life upon a tract of land which Mr. Meyers had previously purchased. He farmed this in connection with rented land and was successful. However, after a time he sold the property and moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, returning to Iowa after ten months. He purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Appanoose county and upon this he still resides. The land lies on section 18, Pleasant township, and is in a high state of cultivation, the farm being well kept in every particular and provided with all the requisites for carrying on a model agricultural enterprise. Mr. Meyers has erected a good residence, a barn and substantial outbuildings and has also planted a fine orchard of selected trees. In addition to general farming he engages extensively in stock-breeding, raising high grade cattle and hogs, some of which he prepares for the market.
On the 5th of September, 1888, Mr. Meyers was united in marriage to Miss Emma Condra, who was born and reared in Appanoose county, where the father is a prosperous farmer of Franklin township. Mr. and Mrs. Meyers have four children: Anna; Richard L., who is aiding in the operation of the homestead; Minnie, who is a student in the Cincinnati high school; and Mary, who attends district school. Our subject and his wife are members of the Methodist church and attend Simpson chapel.
Mr. Meyers has important fraternal relations, being a Master Mason and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has attained a place of prominence, having served in all the chairs and being a past grand. He is eminently progressive in matters of citizenship and since attaining his majority has given loyal support to the republican party. For eight years he served as justice of the peace of Pleasant township and was for three years a member of the county board of supervisors. He is a man whose industry, ability and success have made him influential in the affairs of the township and county and, being possessed of fine qualities of character and a progressive public spirit, he takes a deep interest in the general welfare of the community and commands the respect and confidence of his fellow citizens, being a substantial factor in the community.
ALEXANDER MITCHELL - Scotland has sent many of her sons into various sections of the world to become factors in the colonization and the later development and progress of the districts with which they become identified. Among the sons of Scotland who have been residents of Appanoose county was Alexander Mitchell, now deceased. He was born in the land of hills and heather in 1855, his parents being Alexander and Mary Mitchell, also natives of Scotland. The father was a grocer in the old country, conducting a store there throughout his entire life. Both he and his wife died in Scotland.
Alexander Mitchell was reared and educated in that country and in early life began mining coal. He was married to Miss Margaret McFee, a daughter of Alexander McFee, a native of Scotland, in which country he spent his entire life. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell began housekeeping in their native country and there remained until after the birth of five of their children, when in 1881 they came to the new world, settling first in Lucas county, Iowa, where the father engaged in coal mining. In 1889 he removed to Centerville, where he resided until his death. He was connected with coal-mining interests throughout the entire period of his residence in the new world and after coming to Appanoose county he also engaged in farming for some time. Industry and enterprise were numbered among his salient characteristics and constituted the foundation upon which he builded his prosperity.
Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell became the parents of nine children, namely: Alexander; Christina, deceased; James; Frank; Charles; Andrew; Elizabeth; John; and William. Andrew Mitchell was born in Lucas county, Iowa, in 1884, and is now engaged in the butchering business at No. 1012 South Eighteenth street in Centerville. He has a well-equipped meat market and enjoys a large and growing patronage. The family circle was broken by the hand of death when in 1902 Alexander Mitchell, Sr., passed away at the age of fifty-seven years. His widow survives and is fifty-seven years of age. She owns and occupies a fine home at No. 1008 South Eighteenth street. Mr. Mitchell voted with the republican party but never sought the honors and emoluments of office as a reward for party fealty. However, he kept well informed on the questions and issues of the day and never neglected his duties of citizenship. Religiously he was identified with the sect known as Believers, of which Mrs. Mitchell is also a member. He possessed many of the sterling characteristics of the sons of Scotland, including that thrift which manifests itself in careful management, and wherever he went he won the friendly regard of all.
ELMER J. MODEN, is an active business man of Numa, where for a number of years he has conducted a first-class restaurant, his work along lines of advancement making him a factor in the general business development and progress of the town. Appanoose county has numbered him among its residents since his birth, and he is regarded in Numa as a valuable addition to the ranks of progressive business men. He was born in Brazil, Bellair township, November 29, 1885, and is a son of John and Carrie (Stirts) Moden. The father came to Appanoose county in pioneer times and was one of the first settlers in the town of Brazil. He was an experienced coal miner and after coming to Iowa engaged in that occupation during the remainder of his life, passing away in 1895. His widow still makes her home in Brazil.
Elmer J. Moden was reared at home and acquired his education in the district schools of Bellair township. After completing his studies he also engaged in coal mining and for thirteen years continued his connection with that line of work. At the end of that time he went to Plano, Walnut township, and established himself in the restaurant business, conducting a flourishing enterprise for one year, after which he sold out at a profit and came to Numa. Here he resumed his occupation and is now operating the only first-class restaurant in the town. His business interests are carefully conducted and his sound judgment, industry and enterprise are manifest in the prosperity which comes to him.
On the 11th of September, 1909, Mr. Moden was united in marriage to Miss Ida Philby, a daughter of George and Emma (Rothwell) Philby, natives of England. The father came to America with his parents when he was a child and as soon as he was old enough he engaged in coal mining. In 1882 he came to Appanoose county and resumed his former occupation. He now resides in Plano. Mr. and Mrs. Moden have two children: Edith L., two years of age; and Ruth V., aged one.
Mr. Moden gives his allegiance to the republican party and his religious views are in accord with the doctrines of the Methodist church. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Foresters of America. Mr. Moden is also the organizer and leader of the band at Numa, and is an accomplished musician, being an artist on the clarinet. He is still a young man but possesses in his character the qualities upon which success is founded and his continued advancement is, therefore, assured. As a resident of Numa he has been loyal in his advocacy of everything pertaining to the welfare of the town and has already made some substantial contributions to its development and progress.
CHARLES A. MONTGOMERY - For thirty-seven years Charles A. Montgomery, of the firm of Montgomery Sons, has been actively connected with the commercial circles of Moulton, of which city he has been a resident since 1872. He was born in New Lexington, Perry county, Ohio, on the 2d of March, 1850, and is descended from one of the pioneer families of the Buckeye state. His father, John C. Montgomery, who was born in the early '20s, removed to Iowa about 1852, locating in Henry county, where he bought a farm. Three years later he removed to Agency, Wapello county, this state, and established a general mercantile store, which he conducted until 1869. In the year last named he removed to Adair county, Missouri, where he continued to engage in the mercantile business until the spring of 1872. His next removal was to Moulton and here he founded the grocery store now owned and operated by his son and grandsons. Mr. Montgomery passed away in July, 1875, at the age of about fifty-eight years. He was married in New Lexington, Ohio, in 1847, to Miss Susan Turner, who was born on the 1st of June, 1826, and was a daughter of Hiram Turner. The father, who was a farmer and lay preacher in the Methodist Episcopal church removed from Ohio to Iowa in the early days, and was residing about two miles from Burlington at the time of his death. To Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery were born six children, as follows: Mary F., who is deceased; Charles A., our subject; Margaret J., the wife of R. M. Brashear, of Kirksville, Missouri; Victor E., of Moulton, Iowa, deceased; and Timothy and John, who died in infancy. Mrs. Montgomery passed away on April 16, 1910, at the age of eighty-three years.
The boyhood and youth of Charles A. Montgomery were passed in the parental home, his education being obtained in the public schools of Agency, Iowa. He came to Moulton in 1872 and entered the employ of the Moulton Bank, remaining there until the death of his father, following which he and his brother, Victor E., took over the management of the store. They conducted this enterprise on a partnership basis until the latter's death in 1903, when the sons of Charles A. Montgomery were admitted to the firm, which has since been conducted under the name of Montgomery Sons. It is one of the oldest and largest groceries in the city and as it is the policy of the company to conduct their business in a manner which commends them to the confidence of the community they enjoy a large patronage.
On August 6, 1876, Mr. Montgomery was married to Miss Josephine T. Dome, who was born in Harrison county, Indiana, July 9, 1855, and is a daughter of Hiram and Sarah (Parker) Dome. The parents were both natives of Indiana, where they passed their entire lives. Of this marriage have been born four children, as follows: C. Ward, of the firm of Montgomery Sons, who married Olive May Reisner and has one child, Pauline; Arthur E., who is also a member of the firm of Montgomery Sons; John C; and LaFayette D., who is likewise engaged in business with his father and brothers.
The family attend the Methodist Episcopal church in which the parents hold membership. In matters of citizenship Mr. Montgomery is public-spirited and takes an active interest in all local affairs, particularly of a political nature. He has served for several terms as township clerk and he has also been school director and a member of town council. His commercial career has been characterized by the honesty of purpose and reliable methods, which invariably win permanent advancement and an honorable name, and both as a business man and private citizen he enjoys the esteem and respect of a large circle of acquaintances among whom he has won many stanch friends during the forty-one years of his residence in the community.
MATHEW MORE, owning one hundred and sixty acres of land in Union township, upon a portion of which he has resided for thirty years, is a native of Ohio, born in Clark county, December 5, 1847. His parents were John and Mary E. (Moor) More, natives of England, both of whom were born in Yorkshire. Their marriage occurred in that section and immediately afterward they crossed the Atlantic to America, settling in New York state in 1832. Subsequently they pushed westward to Ohio and established a residence in Clark county in 1848. At the time the tide of emigration swept toward Iowa the father of our subject joined the throngs who were going westward and located in Davis county, where he took up one hundred and sixty acres of government land. He and his wife remained upon this property until their deaths, the father passing away in 1865 and the mother in 1890. Both were devout members of the Methodist Episcopal church. In his politics John More was a loyal democrat and a man of influence and weight in local party councils, having served for several years in various important capacities.
Mathew More was reared at home and acquired his education in the public schools. After his marriage in 1874 he left Davis county and rented land in Appanoose county, near Moulton, upon which he resided for one year. He spent the next four years upon rented land in Wapello county but in 1880 returned to Appanoose county and purchased eighty acres in Union township, which constitutes a portion of his present farm. With characteristic energy he began the work of developing and cultivating his fields and, his methods being progressive and his standards of business integrity high, his work was rewarded by well deserved success. From time to time he added to his holdings and today owns one hundred and sixty acres, constituting one of the finest and most profitable agricultural enterprises in this part of the state.
In Davis county in 1874 Mr. More married Miss Mary E. Smith, a daughter of Paris Smith, one of the early settlers in Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. More became the parents of ten children, nine of whom are still living: John Orville, of Unionville, Appanoose county; William Everett, a resident of Des Moines; Paris E., whose home is in Unionville; Jessie M., who married Charley Tomlin, of Davis county; Ruby, the wife of Eugene Boyer, of Union township; Addie, the wife of Clarence Swain, also of Union township; Nannie, the wife of Olin Swain, of Udell township; Nettie, who married Joseph Harrington, of Davis county; and Ora, a teacher in the district schools of Union township. Mr. and Mrs. More are devout members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Eminently progressive in his citizenship, Mr. More gives a loyal support to the democratic party and takes a helpful and active interest in all movements which have for their object the public welfare or the growth and advancement of the section in which he has so long resided. Although not an office seeker he has never been known to shirk his public duties and in their discharge has been found constantly loyal and public-spirited, an earnest worker in the service of the people. For the past ten or twelve years he has been secretary of the school board and has been township assessor, township clerk and township trustee, serving in some one of these three offices for over twenty years. He stands today among the men of weight in this community and during the thirty years of his residence here his influence has never been given to a dishonorable cause and has never been unworthily used.
S. JOHN O. MORE, manager of the undertaking department of the firm of More & Morrison, is one of Appanoose county's native sons, born July 19, 1875, his parents being Matthew and Elizabeth (Smith) More. He acquired his early education in the district schools of Appanoose county and in 1895 entered the Southern Iowa Normal School and after completing a thorough business course returned home and remained with his parents until 1899. In that year he went to Des Moines and secured a position in a wholesale house, where he remained for two years, returning to Appanoose county at the end of that time and engaging in farming in Union township. In the spring of 1908 he moved to Unionville and obtained employment in the undertaking and hardware store operated by A. T. Bishop. In June, 1911, he formed a partnership with William Morrison. The firm purchased the interests of Mr. More's former employer, A. T. Bishop, and since that time the subject of this review has had charge of the undertaking department. They carry a complete line of caskets and funeral supplies and he is known in the city as a business man of strict integrity and reliability.
In 1900 Mr. More was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Morrison, a daughter of Irvin Andrew and Amanda (Noland) Morrison, of whom further mention is made elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs. More became the parents of five children: Mabel, born in April, 1901; Jacob, whose birth occurred in August, 1903; Mattie, born in June 1906; Ruth, in February, 1909; and Omar, born in April, 1912.
Mr. More gives his allegiance to the democratic party and served for one term as township trustee of Union township and was for some time a member of the Unionville school board. He belongs to Unionville Lodge, No. 665, I. O. O. F., and he and his wife are members of the Eastertide Lodge, No. 155, of the Rebekahs. Both belong to the Methodist Episcopal church in Unionville and their religious faith finds expression in their straightforward and worthy lives. Mr. More is a man who has faithfully discharged every duty imposed upon him, met fully the obligations and responsibilities of life and won for himself a high position in business, social and political circles.
FOSTER C. MORGAN, has for the past six years been successfully engaged in the drug business at Centerville, being associated with Everett O. Moss in the conduct of the Continental Drug Company. His birth occurred in Decatur county, Iowa, on the 23nd of August, 1885, his parents being David and Nellie (Mullinix) Morgan, who are of Welsh and English descent respectively. The father was born in New York in 1860, while the mother's birth occurred in Indiana in 1862. David Morgan came to Iowa with his parents when but a child, the family home being established on a farm in Decatur county. It was there that he wedded Miss Nellie Mullinix, who had been brought to Decatur county when but five years of age He followed general agricultural pursuits in that county until 1888, then leased his farm and removed to Leon, Decatur county, where he embarked in the hardware business. Subsequently he sold out and removed to Des Moines, Iowa, where he still resides, being employed as traveling salesman for the F. P. Light Hardware Company of that city.
Foster C. Morgan completed the high-school course at Leon in 1903 and two years later was graduated from Northwestern University with the degree of Ph. G. In 1906 he came to Centerville and, in partnership with Everett O. Moss, bought out the Continental Drug Company, which he has conducted to the present time with gratifying success, enjoying a liberal and well-merited patronage.
In 1911 Mr. Morgan was joined in wedlock to Miss Marion G. Phillips. Her father was a native of England, while the mother's birth occurred in Canton, Fulton county, Illinois, her maiden name being Eggleston. Mr. Phillips emigrated to the United States as a young man and located in Fulton county, Illinois, where he was married and spent the remainder of his life, acting as editor of a newspaper at Canton. His widow gave her hand in marriage to John Walling, of Illinois, and they still reside at Canton, that state.
In politics Mr. Morgan is a stand pat republican, loyally supporting the men and measures of that party. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Presbyterian church of Centerville, to which his wife also belongs. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons and the Elks, acting as secretary of the Centerville lodge of the latter order. He is popular in both business and social circles of his community and has won a creditable measure of prosperity for one of his years.
IRVIN ANDREW MORRISON, who is living in retirement in Unionville after having spent thirty-eight years in agricultural pursuits and stock- raising in Union township, is a native son of Appanoose county, born February 25, 1847. His parents were Andrew and Mary (Byers) Morrison, the former a native of Ireland who came to the United States with his mother when he was still a child, locating in Pennsylvania. The mother of our subject was a native of that state, born in Mercer county, November 11, 1812, of an old New England family. The parents married in the Keystone state and in 1846 removed to Appanoose county, where the father took up one hundred and sixty acres of government land in Udell township. With characteristic energy he cleared the property, put the unbroken soil under the plow and gradually developed a model agricultural enterprise. He remained upon his property until his death, which occurred in 1874, being long survived by his wife, who passed away in 1890. To their union were born eight children: Caroline and William Calvin, both deceased; John D., a retired merchant of Topeka, Kansas; Elizabeth and James H., both of whom have passed away; Irvin Andrew, of this review; Mary, who married John McMurray, a fruit raiser of Auburn, California; and Esther, the wife of James Leitzell, a farmer of Altamont, Illinois.
Irvin Andrew Morrison acquired his education in the subscription and public schools of Appanoose county and grew up on his father's farm, becoming early familiar with the pioneer conditions which then existed and with the details of practical agriculture. In 1869 he and his two brothers purchased two hundred acres of land on section 23, Union township. Later Mr. Morrison purchased his brothers' interests and to this tract added eighty acres, of which he afterward sold forty. Upon the remainder of the tract for a number of years he engaged in general farming which he abandoned in 1907, when he rented the farm and came to Unionville, where he purchased a beautiful home in which he lives retired. He owns two hundred and forty acres on section 23, Udell township, upon which he has made all the necessary improvements and to which during the days of his activity he gave his earnest attention, making it one of the most valuable properties in this part of the county.
In 1870 Mr. Morrison was united in marriage to Miss Amanda Noland, a daughter of Joshua and Frankie (Lowe) Noland, both of whom were born in Estill county, Kentucky, the former on the 22d of February, 1812, and the latter on the 10th of January, 1814. The father was of English, French and German ancestry and the mother of Scotch, Irish and Dutch stock. Her ancestry can be traced back in a direct line to Joe Proctor, the noted Indian fighter of Kentucky. Joshua Noland was a farmer and followed this occupation in Kentucky until after his marriage, which occurred in 1852. He then came to Davis county, Iowa, and bought one hundred and sixty acres of land, to which he later added, acquiring in all two hundred acres. He remained upon this property until his death, which occurred April 4, 1884. His wife survived him only a few weeks, dying on the 20th of the same month in the same year. To their union were born seven children: Mary E., John N., William and Ann, all of whom are deceased; Amanda, the wife of the subject of this review; Daniel, who makes his home in Big Eddy, Oregon; and Samuel, a merchant of Everdell, Minnesota.
Mr. Morrison's married life has been singularly happy and during the forty-three years of its continuance he has found in his wife a charming companion and a loyal helpmate. Mr. and Mrs. Morrison have six children and twenty-eight grandchildren, all of whom are worthy of the honored name they bear. Their eldest daughter, Frankie, who was born July 14, 1871, is the wife of Walter Whistler, a farmer of Udell township. William M., born January 3, 1873, is a merchant in Unionville. Mary, born June 4, 1874, became the wife of Andrew Eslinger, of Foster, Monroe county, and is deceased. Samuel, born July 22, 1876, is employed in a florist's shop at Des Moines. Walter, born August 21, 1878, is assisting his father in the operation of the home farm. The youngest daughter, Lucy Ann, was born September 8, 1883. She is the wife of John O. Moore, a merchant of Unionville. Mr. and Mrs. Morrison are members of the Methodist church.
Mr. Morrison gives his allegiance to the democratic party and has served as trustee of Union township for a number of years and has also been a member of the school board. He is well known throughout Appanoose county, where his entire life has been spent, and after his long, useful and active career can look back without regret on a life, whose purposes have always been high and sincere.
WALTER R. MORRISON, resides on section 26, Union township, where he owns and cultivates two hundred and thirty-nine acres of rich and productive land. It was upon this farm that he was born August 21, 1878, his parents being Irvin Andrew and Amanda (Nolan) Morrison. The father was also a native of this county, born in 1847, his parents having been among the first settlers of this section. They came to Iowa from Pennsylvania, while the Nolan family were originally from Kentucky, arriving in Appanoose county about 1851. The year following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Irvin A. Morrison settled upon the farm where their son Walter now resides and there they lived until the spring of 1907, when they turned the operation of the farm over to their son and established their home in Unionville, where they are still living, the father having put aside business cares. In politics he has always been a democrat and for many years he served as township trustee. He is one of the well-known and highly esteemed residents of this section and he and his wife are valuable members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Walter R. Morrison was reared at home, acquiring his education in the public schools and working in the fields when not busy with his textbooks. He was married in Peoria, Illinois, on the 12th of August, 1902, to Miss Pearl Stigall, a daughter of James Stigall, a prominent farmer of Cass county, Illinois. Mr. Morrison was employed in the Parlin & Orendorf Plow Factory at Canton, Illinois, at the time of his marriage, and there remained for a year and a half after his marriage, continuing his work in the plow factory. On the expiration of that period he removed to Peoria, where for two and a half years he was employed in a boiler shop. In December, 1906, however, he returned to the home farm and the following year took charge of its operation, being now busily engaged with its further cultivation and development, annually gathering good harvests, for his methods are both practical and progressive.
To Mr. and Mrs. Morrison have been born three children, Roscoe, Lenora and Viola. In politics Mr. Morrison is a democrat and at the present writing is clerk of Union township. He has never been very active as a politician, yet is ever loyal to the principles in which he believes. Both he and his wife are members of the United Brethren church and in its teachings he finds the guiding spirit of his life. He is now serving as superintendent of the Sunday school and takes an active interest in other departments of the church work. He is justly accounted one of the progressive, enterprising and highly esteemed young men of Union township.
WILLIAM I. MORRISON, is a leading merchant of Appanoose county, conducting a furniture and hardware business in Unionville, where he carries a large stock and has a well appointed store. This county numbers him among her native sons, his birth having occurred in Udell township, January 3, 1873. His parents were Irvin Andrew and Amanda (Noland) Morrison, of whom mention is made on another page of this work. Spending his youthful days under the parental roof, William I. Morrison pursued a public school education, which was continued until he had mastered the branches of learning taught in the Unionville high school. His early experiences were those which come to the farm boy and after he had put aside his text-books he assisted his father in the work of further developing and improving the old home place up to the time of his marriage. He then began farming on his own account and when he had saved a sufficient sum from his earnings he purchased eighty acres, his wife having the same amount, making one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 22, Union township. This he carefully and systematically cultivated and success further attended his labors, so that in 1909 he was enabled to purchase an additional tract of one hundred and twenty acres situated on section 3, Udell township, from William Bray. To that farm he removed and still makes his home there. At a later date he sold eighty acres of his first farm, but he still owns two hundred acres of rich and valuable land in this county and his home place is a well improved property which he operates himself. On the 1st of June, 1911, in partnership with his brother-in-law, John Moore, he purchased the undertaking, furniture and hardware business of J. R. Stewart, formerly the property of A. T. Bishop. As one of the owners of this store, Mr. Morrison is accounted one of the leading merchants of Unionville. They carry a large and well selected line of goods, their prices are reasonable and their business methods honorable and straightforward. In 1907 Mr. Morrison went to Stanley county, South Dakota, where he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land, and after making all payments upon this place he gave it in trade as part payment upon his store. He is an energetic, enterprising business man, carefully utilizing his opportunities, and his keen discernment and sound judgment are important features in his success.
Mr. Morrison was united in marriage August 22, 1895, to Miss Essie B. Voorhees, a daughter of Richard D. and Maggie (Middleton) Voorhees, who were natives of New Jersey and Ohio respectively. The father was a farmer by occupation but at the time of the Civil war put aside all business and personal considerations to aid in the struggle for the preservation of the Union. Both he and his wife removed to Illinois with their respective parents during childhood and were there reared and married. In the late '60s they came to Appanoose county and Mr. Voorhees began farming in Udell township, owning at the time of his death two hundred acres of productive and well improved land. He remained upon this farm until his death in February, 1905, after which his widow took up her abode in Unionville, where she is now living. Their daughter, Mrs. Morrison, was born in Appanoose county, June 21, 1871. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Morrison has been blessed with seven children, as follows: Byrl M., who completed the course of study in the Centerville high school in 1911; Merrill B., Sunbeam, Enid, Richard and James, all of whom are attending school; and Wayne.
Mr. Morrison votes with the democratic party and, keeping well informed on the questions and issues of the day, is able to support his position by intelligent argument. He served as township trustee of Union township for about five years and for several years was a member of the school board. His official duties have always been promptly and capably performed and he is interested in the welfare and upbuilding of township and county. He and his wife are members of the United Brethren church and their lives are in harmony with their professions. Mr. Morrison is accounted one of the enterprising business men of his community, carefully and capably directing his interests and activities with the result that success is now his, in substantial and desirable measure.
N. E. MURDY - Prominent among the leading progressive and substantial business men of Moravia is N. E. Murdy, a registered pharmacist, who since 1904 has been engaged in the drug business, his activity contributing not only to his individual success but constituting also a factor in general development. Mr. Murdy is a native of Appanoose county, born in Moulton, May 5, 1878, and is a son of William. M. and Emeline (Wamsley) Murdy, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Indiana. The father came to Iowa in 1857, bringing with him his widowed mother, his father having died in Pennsylvania. The mother of our subject came to this state with her parents in 1848, her father, Wendell Vincent Wamsley, being one of the earliest settlers in Washington township. He took up land in that section when his nearest neighbor, John Cupp, was two and a quarter miles away, the next nearest, Mr. Sutton, residing at a distance of six miles. When the father of our subject came to this state he bought land in Washington township and in the course of years added to his holdings, acquiring three hundred acres, which he still owns. However, he has now retired and he and his wife make their home in Moulton. Mrs. William E. Murdy is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
N. E. Murdy was reared at home and acquired his education in the district schools of Washington township and in the Moulton high school, from which institution he was graduated in 1899. Afterward he taught school for two years, but in 1901 took up the study of pharmacy under C. A. Powers, of Moulton. Continuing in the employ of Mr. Powers for a time, he then went west to Aberdeen, South Dakota, where he worked in a drug store for a year, returning at the end of that time to Moulton. On the 5th of April, 1903, he passed his examinations and received his diploma as a registered pharmacist. Having bought the business conducted by his former employer, he had managed it alone for six months, when he sold back to Mr. Powers a half interest, and shortly afterward disposed of his other half interest, and in May, 1904, came to Moravia, where he purchased the drug business owned by F. C. Smith & Company, to the management of which he has given most of his time and attention for the past eight years. He is an able, resourceful and enterprising business man and his methods are at all times practical and progressive. As a result his patronage has extended rapidly and has reached gratifying proportions, placing him among the men who are an influence in business circles of the city.
On the 14th of October, 1903, Mr. Murdy married Miss Elma Painter, of Kirksville, Missouri, and to their union were born three children, two of whom are living, Paul Painter and Newton Gordon. Mr. and Mrs. Murdy are devout members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Murdy is well known in fraternal circles, holding membership in Antiquity Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a loyal democrat and active in public life, being a member of the present town council and of the Moravia school board, bringing to the discharge of his official duties the same well-directed energy and good judgment which have distinguished the activities of his business career. In all of his dealings he is thoroughly reliable and straightforward, and in matters of citizenship helpful and progressive, giving his aid and influence to many measures for the public good.
 William J. Myers |
WILLIAM T. MYERS - One of the most prominent, successful and representative citizens of Appanoose county is William T. Myers, who has lived in this section since 1852 and in the course of a long, honorable and worthy career has gained the unqualified respect and confidence of all with whom he has been associated. For many years he was closely and influentially connected with agricultural pursuits and was at one time an extensive landowner but since 1905 has lived retired in Centerville, having earned rest and comfort by well directed work in the past. Mr. Myers is a native of Indiana, born in January, 1832, his parents being Joseph and Mary (O'Connor) Myers, the former a native of Germany and the latter of England. The father was a farmer and emigrated to America in his early life, settling in Indiana, in pioneer times. There he acquired land and gave his time and attention to its improvement and cultivation until his death, which occurred in 1838, when he was only thirty years of age. His wife survived him for some time, passing away in 1844. |
William T. Myers acquired his education in the public schools of Indiana and then he laid aside his books and began serving an apprenticeship at the tanner's trade. However, he found this occupation not to his liking, abandoning it in order to work as a farm laborer. For four years he served in the employ of others and at the end of that time was able to rent a farm, which he operated successfully until 1852, when he came to Appanoose county and entered a claim of one hundred and sixty acres in Center township, which is now Walnut township. With characteristic energy he began improving and developing his property, planting the fields in the most suitable grains, and gradually his work was rewarded by abundant harvests. As his financial resources grew he added to his holdings until his farm comprised eleven hundred and fifty acres of fine land. He still owns this property but in 1905 gave up its active management and moved into Centerville, where he has bought a comfortable home at No. 531 West Maple street. No man in Centerville is more honored and esteemed than he, for his entire life has been influenced by high standards of integrity and great sincerity of purpose and in all of its relations has been upright, straightforward and honorable.
Mr. Myers has been twice married. In December, 1858, he wedded Miss Anna Osborne, a daughter of William Osborne, a preacher, mechanic and farmer, who came to Appanoose county in early times and remained in this section for a number of years, following all of his various occupations. When he left Iowa he went across the plains to Colorado, joining the rush of gold seekers to that state, and there he made his home until his death. By his first wife Mr. Myers had three children: Mary, the wife of William Gillespie, whose son Carl is operating part of the home farm; Amanda, the wife of Frank Cate, of Centerville; and Rosie, deceased. Mr. Myers' first wife passed away in December, 1894, and on the 26th of September, 1896, he was again wedded, his second union being with Mrs. Eliza (Matheny) Sherrard, a daughter of Joseph and Jane (Sterrett) Matheny, the former a native of Worcester, West Virginia, and the latter of Beaver county, Pennsylvania. The father went to Pennsylvania in early times and there established himself in the salt business, operating his original enterprise along this line until his death, which occurred April 18, 1838, when he was twenty-six years of age. His wife passed away April 30, of the same year. Mrs. Myers is a native of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, born February 16, i838. By her first marriage she had three children: Ella, the wife of J. H. Robinson, of Stillwater, Oklahoma; Albert L., who resides in Centerville; and Elmer R., a farmer in Payne county, Oklahoma. Mr. and Mrs. Myers are devout members of the Christian church.
Mr. Myers gives his allegiance to the republican party and since casting his first vote has been loyal in his support of its men and measures. He served for years as trustee and was nominated for the position as member of the county board but failed to qualify. He is public-spirited and progressive in his citizenship and is always willing to lend his influence and aid to movements for the public good. Having reached the age of eighty years, he has earned the retirement he is now enjoying, having labored sincerely and earnestly to make it possible. He is in all things a dignified and courteous gentleman, of kindly spirit and strongly marked convictions, who in the course of more than sixty years' residence here has left an impress for good upon his community.
GEORGE WEST NEEDELS, who has been instrumental in making the Centerville Citizen a prosperous daily paper, in which connection he has become widely known in this city and county, was born December 3, 1849, at New Albany, Franklin county, Ohio, his birthplace being about sixteen miles northeast of Columbus. His father was a member of the state board during the Civil war and his occupation was that of farming, which he carried on about four miles from New Albany. Two sons of the family, John and S. I. Needels, are residing near the old home. The four sisters are: Mrs. Eve Whiten, residing at Van Wert, Ohio; Rene Kirts, of Johnstown, Ohio; Mrs. Sarah Ross, of California; and Mrs. Alice Ross, of Portland, Oregon.
George West Needels supplemented his education acquired in the district schools by a term's study at the Albany school. When seventeen years of age he started westward and was employed at railroading in Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas, being connected with the construction department as one of the superintendents for five years. He afterward traveled for the Kilbourn-Jacobs Company, a wheel scraper company, for three years through Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, and it was this which led him eventually to settle in Centerville, for being pleased with the city and its future he resolved to locate here, and did so in 1879. On the 31st of July, of that year, he purchased a livery barn which he conducted successfully until it was destroyed by fire. He next entered the Citizen's office and in 1892 he erected his present business block. In the meantime he gave careful study and attention to the publication of the paper which at that time was brought out as the Centerville Weekly Citizen but at the present writing a daily paper is published, having an extensive patronage and thereby returning to the owner a good profit.
On the 29th of August, 1883, in Centerville, Iowa, Mr. Needels was married to Miss Margaret Crosby Jones, a daughter of Mrs. Eleanor (Crosby) Jones, and their children are three in number: Otis Crosby, born November 17, 1886; Eleanor C, July 13, 1888; and Samuel Lyman, who was born February 12, 1891, and died in infancy. Mr. Needels holds to the Unitarian faith and he is a charter member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge, No. 64, in which he has held all of the chairs. In politics he has ever been a republican since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He has been a member of the city council for two terms of three and two years each, and he has been a member of the building and loan association. Whether in office or out of it he stands for that which has most to do with the welfare and upbuilding of the city, advocating at all times progressive measures which work for the material, intellectual, social and moral progress of the community.
ZIBA B. NIGHSWONGER, who is serving his third term as a member of the board of supervisors of Appanoose county, is numbered among the successful agriculturists and stockmen of Moulton, where he owns a well cultivated farm of two hundred and eighty acres. He was born in Marshall county, Illinois, on the 23rd of February, 1862, and is a son of Reason and Ellen (Gregory) Nighswonger. The father, whose birth occurred in the vicinity of Richmond, Virginia, on the 20th of January, 1819, belonged to an old colonial family, but was of German extraction. His grandfather emigrated to this country in early manhood and located in Pennsylvania, where his wife and two children were massacred by the Indians. He subsequently married again and of this union was born a son, also called Reason Nighswonger, and the grandfather of our subject. The great-grandfather was a veteran of the French and Indian war. In early life Reason Nighswonger, Sr., removed to Virginia and engaged in farming and also rafted logs. He lost his life on the Ohio river in the '30s, leaving a widow, who in her maidenhood was known as Susan Buffington, and nine children, all of whom lived to attain maturity. Some years after the death of her husband Mrs. Nighswonger and her family removed to Illinois, locating in Pike county, that state, in the late '30s. One member of this family, Asa Nighswonger, is still living and resides in Marshall county, Illinois. Reason Nighswonger, Jr., who was the fourth child born to his parents, obtained his education in the subscription schools of Virginia. He assisted his brothers in clearing and cultivating the family homestead in Illinois, and he also worked in the lumber woods and rafted logs to St. Louis. On the 12th of October, 1843, he was married to Miss Ellen Gregory, a daughter of Robert and Nancy (Broyles) Gregory. The family were natives of Tennessee, whence the father removed to Illinois in 1830, and passed away in Marshall county, that state, about 1867. He was a son of John Gregory. His widow subsequently removed to Iowa and here passed her latter years. About 1850 Reason Nighswonger removed with his wife and two eldest children to Marshall county, Illinois, and bought government land, which he cultivated with a fair measure of success until 1876. In the latter year he came to Appanoose county, and purchased a farm southeast of Moulton, where he later acquired extensive holdings. Although he lived practically retired dur- ing his latter years he continued to make his home on his farm, where he passed away on April 23, 1904. He was survived by his widow until the 1st of March, 1909. Mr. Nighswonger was a very devout man and a zealous worker in the Christian church of which his wife was also a member. To this worthy couple were born twelve children, two of whom died in infancy. In order of birth the others are as follows: David, who passed away in 1867, a volunteer in a company of Illinois infantry during the Civil war and for thirteen months confined in the Confederate prison at Tyler, Texas; Melissa, the wife of W. B. Hoskins, of Orient, Iowa; Minerva, the deceased wife of J. B. Teagarden, of Fairfield, Nebraska; Elizabeth Ann, who married A. S. Hoskins, of Hiawatha, Kansas; Charles D., who is residing in the vicinity of Wildon, Decatur county, Iowa; Robert, who died at the age of thirteen; Addie, the wife of John P. Stansberry, of Moulton, Iowa; Ziba B., our subject; William F., who is residing in Leroy, Kansas; and Eva, the deceased wife of J. P. Stansberry, of Moulton, Iowa.
The first fourteen years in the life of Ziba B. Nighswonger were passed in the state of his nativity. He was reared in very much the manner of all farmer lads of that period, and in the acquirement of his education attended the public schools of Illinois, the high school of Moulton and the State Normal School at Kirksville, Missouri. While engaged in the mastery of the various branches of learning he was also fitting himself for the career of an agriculturist by assisting his father with the cultivation of the fields and care of the stock when not occupied with his lessons. He cultivated his father's land until about 1890, when he purchased eighty acres on section 1, township 67, where he continued his agricultural pursuits for three years. In 1893, he removed to his present farm, which is located on section 24, township 68, where he made his home until 1910. In the year last named he removed to Moulton where he has since resided, but still superintends the operation of his farm. His fields, which are planted to such cereals as he deems best adapted to the soil, annually yield abundant harvests and in connection with diversified farming he engages in stock-raising. He deals largely in sheep and hogs, and as he is a capable man, of practical ideas and good business judgment, is meeting with more than an average degree of success.
On the 23rd of September, 1883, Mr. Nighswonger was married to Miss Hattie M. Guile, whose birth occurred on the 15th of February, 1860, her parents being Richard and Hannah (Finley) Guile. The father was born in the vicinity of Columbus, Ohio, where he resided until a youth of about fourteen years, when his parents removed to Indiana. There the grandfather passed the remainder of his life. Richard Guile was reared to manhood in Indiana, where he was married and made his home until 1855. In the latter year accompanied by his wife and three children he removed to Davis county, Iowa, where Mrs. Guile passed away in 1894. Very soon thereafter he came to Moulton, making his home here until his death in 1905. To Mr. and Mrs. Nighswonger have been born three children, as follows: Floy, the wife of Ira Powell, of Moulton, Iowa; Blanche, who married Rama C. Dye, of Moulton, and has one child five years of age; and Mildred Naomi, who is living at home.
The family are members of the Christian church, and fraternally Mr. Nighswonger is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Modern Woodmen of America and the Brotherhood of American Yeomen. He has served with efficiency as township assessor, road supervisor and school trustee and for three terms he has been a member of the board of supervisors. In the execution of his official duties he manifests the same foresight, sagacity and capability which characterize him as a business man. His public career has been noticeably free from any taint of suspicion as to his integrity, nor has there ever been cast at him any of the aspersions, which often fall to the lot of those in official life. Mr. Nighswonger has passed the greater part of his life in this immediate vicinity where he is widely known and enjoys the esteem and regard of a large circle of friends.
 George & Lizette Noland |
GEORGE W. NOLAND, is one of the enterprising citizens of Appanoose county, making his home in Udell. He was born December 22, 1872, in Udell township, his parents being John N. and Emma C. (Boyer) Noland. The father's birth occurred in Estill county, Kentucky, in 1842, and the mother is a native of Coles county, Illinois. John N. Noland is of English descent and is a prominent stockman and fruit-raiser. When a child he came to Iowa with his parents, the family settling in Davis county, since which time he has been a resident of this state. The mother arrived in Iowa with her parents about the same time and they were married in Davis county, whence they removed to Appanoose county, October 1, 1863. Mr. Noland purchased eighty acres of land in Udell township, to which he afterward added forty acres, residing upon that place for fourteen years and developing it into an excellent farm. On account of failing health, however, he sold out and removed to Arkansas, but after a short time returned to Iowa and invested in one hundred and sixty acres of land in Davis county, on which he passed away in 1883. His widow survives and is now acting as housekeeper for her son George. |
After acquiring his preliminary education in the district schools George W. Noland entered the Western College at Toledo, Iowa, September 18, 1891, to prepare himself for the ministry. He was a bright, precocious child and a general favorite with everyone and during his school days had made steady progress in his studies, which was supplemented by an excellent record during his college course. Before entering college, however, he had attended five terms of summer school at the Southern Iowa Normal College at Bloomfield in order to prepare himself for teaching. In 1893 he entered upon the active work of that profession and taught ten terms of summer school in order to meet the expenses of his own education. During his college days he was known as an excellent student and a fine debater and held the chair of critic in the Scylomathian Literary Society of Western College. Being interested in literary and journalistic work, he was given a position in 1894 on the reportorial staff of the Ottumwa Courier. In 1895 he made a tour of the state of Iowa and he spent one winter in traveling for a wholesale dealer in novelties at Ottumwa, Iowa. He was later given a position on the reportorial staff of the Burlington Hawkeye and subsequently served in a similar capacity on the Des Moines Capital and the Chicago American. In the spring of 1900 he went to Bloomfield, where he opened an office and a racket store. The same fall, however, he removed to Darbyville, Missouri, where he engaged in merchandising, and while there he was appointed postmaster. On the 1st of June, 1906, he removed to Salina, Kansas, and it was while living there that he composed and brought out a number of popular songs, one entitled "'Neath the Cotton Woods of Sunny Kansas Land" and another called "I Don't Want to Trade You Off for Any Other Girl." Soon after the publication of his music a paper commenting upon his picture said: "In this portrait we see fine organic quality, a high degree of the mental temperament, with the intellectual, moral and esthetic elements quite strong. Ideality and the poetic faculty predominate, giving a love of beauty in nature and art and a great imagination. It is a fine picture for character study."
After living in Salina, Kansas, for about a year Mr. Noland went to Brookville, Kansas, where he purchased a shoe store, added to the stock and built up a good trade, but eventually sold out there and in 1908 went to Mountain Grove, Missouri, as pastor of the Christian church. Later he returned to Darbyville, Missouri, where he opened a general store and was again appointed postmaster. In 1910 his wife's health failed and, hoping to benefit her thereby, he returned to Mountain Grove, Missouri, settling on a farm, but Mrs. Noland passed away not long afterward. Mr. Noland then went to Des Moines, Iowa, where he remained with his mother until October 16, 1911, when they all removed to Udell. Here he rented a store room and put in a new stock of general merchandise and dry goods. He is enjoying a growing business here and is numbered among the enterprising merchants of the town.
It was in 1900 that Mr. Noland was married to Miss Lizette Boyer, a daughter of Madison and Mary B. (Moore) Boyer, both of whom were natives of Illinois. They were married in that state and removed to Appanoose county, where the father taught in the public schools and also engaged in preaching in the Christian church. During the Civil war he acted as hospital clerk and drummer boy and some time after hostilities had closed drew a pension. At the close of the war he returned to Appanoose county, where he continued teaching. Later he removed to Davis county, where Mrs. Noland was born in 1874. While the family were living there he served as county treasurer two terms and was a prominent and influential citizen of that locality. His wife died in Davis county and Mr. Boyer passed away at the home of his brother in Udell. Their daughter Mrs. Noland was a talented musician and composer and wrote the music for her husband's songs. By this marriage were born two children: Edna, born at Salina, Kansas, October 17, 1906; and John M., in Darbyville, Missouri, in 1909.
Mr. Noland is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Bloomfield, Iowa. He gives his political support to the democratic party but has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking. He has always been deeply interested in the study of phrenology. When a boy he obtained possession of a publication of Fowler & Wells, which he read with great interest; he studied his schoolmates and on entering college had access to the library, which contained the works of Spurzheim, George Combe, Neison Sizer and the Fowlers, which he eagerly read, becoming an advocate of phrenology. He has lectured quite extensively on this subject through the middle west and at different times has followed this science. Now, however, he devotes his attention to merchandising and is building up a good trade in Udell. Church work has also long interested him. At an early age of fifteen he began preaching and was called "the boy preacher." He was an eloquent speaker and drew large congregations to hear him and many joined the church under his teachings. His has been an active life, fruitful of good results along many lines, and wherever he has gone he has been known as a student, whose reading and researches have been deep.