HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY, IOWA
FROM ITS EARLIEST SETTLEMENT TO l909
BY Samuel Gillespie and James E. Steele
BIOGRAPHICAL
PETER LIENEMAN.
Peter Lieneman, who carries on general farming on section 6, Riverton township, and is also engaged in raising and feeding stock, came to this state more than half a century ago. The traveler who rides over Iowa today can scarcely realize the conditions that then existed, for it seems hardly possible that it is within the memory of living men when much of Iowa was an uncultivated waste — a barren prairie and wide marsh. Mr. Lieneman, however, has noticed with interest the changes which have come as the progressive citizens have wrought along well defined lines of labor until they have won for Iowa leadership in certain departments of agriculture and gained for her a high place in all those things which make for good citizenship. Mr. Lieneman had been a resident of America for only two years when he arrived in the state. He was born in Germany, November 19, 1847. His father, Michael Lieneman, was also a native of that country where he was reared to manhood. Three children were born unto them ere they crossed the Atlantic. The opportunities of the new world attracted them and in 1855 they made the ocean voyage which brought them to American shores. They did not tarry in the east, however, but continued on their westward way to Menard county, Illinois, where for two years the father worked as a farm hand. On the expiration of that period he came to Iowa, settling in Jackson county, among its early residents. Later he purchased a farm there and reared his family upon the place which he cultivated and developed. His death was caused by a railroad accident on the 20th of September, 1904. For six years he had survived his wife, who passed away in the fall of 1898.
Peter Lieneman was reared to manhood on the home farm in Jackson county and though his educational opportunities were limited his training for farm labor was not meagre and he remained on the old home place, assisting his father, until thirty-one years of age. Lessons of industry, thrift and integrity were early impressed upon his mind and have constituted factors in his success since that time. Soon after his marriage, which occurred in 1879, he removed to Ford county, Kansas, bought land and opened up a new farm, of three hundred and twenty acres, making his home thereon for ten years. He then traded his Kansas property for land in Clay county and has since lived there upon the farm which is now his home. When he took possession of it there was an old house upon it which he has converted into a good home, making additions and remodeling the place until it is a substantial farm residence. In the rear stand good barns and
outbuildings, and these in turn are surrounded by well tilled fields which generously bring forth good harvests. He has fenced his land, has put out fruit and altogether has made a valuable farm, the raw prairie land being, transformed into a tract of rich property. He practices rotation of crops and makes a study of the soil and the needs of different cereals. Moreover he is raising and feeding stock and is a stockholder in the Farmers' Elevator at Spencer. His home place now comprises three hundred and sixty acres, constituting a gratifying source of income to him for his annual sale of grain and stock brings to him a substantial yearly return.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lieneman have been born three children who are yet living: John M., who is married and follows farming in Clark county, South Dakota; Louis F. and Jesse, who are assisting in the improvement of the home farm. They also lost two daughters, Emma, who died in her second year, and Clara, who died at the age of six years.
Politically Mr. Lieneman is a democrat and, as every true American citizen should do, keeps well informed on the issues and questions of the day, but has had little desire for office although he served for nine years on the school board. He was reared in the Lutheran faith, is a member of a fraternal insurance order, and is a business man of progressive spirit and a citizen of loyal devotion to the public good. Well known in Spencer and Clay county, he has the good will and trust of those with whom he has been associated.
CARL WALSTROM.
Representatives of foreign countries are doing much toward peopling the great west and among them are many Germans and Swedes, who have taken the raw prairies and by their energy and industry transformed them into fertile fields, thereby adding greatly to the country's wealth. Carl Walstrom, who for a number of years has been identified with the agricultural and stock-raising interests of Spencer, this county, is a native of Sweden, where his birth occurred August 21, 1859, and a son of Andrew and Annagreta (Johnston) Walstrom. His father was born in 1824 in Sweden, where he engaged in general farming in connection with which he ran a sawmill until his death which occurred in 1897. His mother was also a native of Sweden, where her birth occurred in 1817 and there she died at an advanced age. Among their children were Christina, who became the wife of Mr. Johnston, a progressive agriculturist in Sweden; Bettie, who passed away in that country; M., who is engaged in agriculture in Lincoln township; Carl; Tilda, who became the wife of G. H. Green, the couple residing here; and Ivan, who departed this life in Sweden.
The common schools of his native land afforded Carl Walstrom his education and he remained at home, assisting his father on the farm until he was twenty years of age, at which period of his life he came to the United States, locating in Spencer. For a period of five years he hired out at farm work, at the expiration of which time he began agriculture for himself on section 6, Sioux township, where he now resides and where his success from year to vear has been such that
he now possesses two hundred and forty acres of excellent land which he has provided with a fine residence, capacious barn, and with every convenience necessary to successfully pursue his occupation. In addition to this large farm he also owns another containing one hundred and sixty acres in Chippewa county, Minnesota, both farms being, in excellent condition and under a high state of cultivation. He produces general crops and in addition to raising hay and the various grains he also pays attention to stock-raising and, particularly, to the breeding of Hereford cattle, for which he has quite a reputation throughout the state.
On April 26, 1886, he wedded Gusta Borgloff, a native of Sweden, who is the mother of eleven children, namely: Minne M., deceased; Ray; Edith C.; Albert Charles; Henry, deceased; Frederick; Ringhold, deceased; Oscar Benhart; Teckla S.; Harold O.; and Francis A. Mr. Walstrom's political faith iS in the principles of the republican party, and, while he is not active in public affairs, yet, he keeps himself well informed with regard to the paramount issues of the day and is always ready with his vote and influence during campaigns to aid the candidates of his party to secure the offices they seek. In the township he has held several offices and is now an efficient member of the school board, of which he is secretary, and also a township trustee. He is faithful to his religious obligations and is a member of the Swedish Lutheran church of which, for a period of fifteen years, he served as secretary and of which he is treasurer and also a deacon, having, served in this capacity for the past six years. He is a man of high moral purpose and is not only ardent in the work of the individual church to which he belongs but he does all he can to preserve the moral and spiritual standing of the community in which he resides. Mr. Walstrom is a good man; his industry has surrounded him with prosperity and his upright walk has merited him the respect of his neighbors.
FRANKLIN FLOETE.
The business development of Spencer has been greatly conserved through the efforts and enterprise of Franklin Floete, whose sound judgment and keen sagacity enable him to successfully control the interests with which he becomes identified. He is now president of the Citizens National Bank and also of the Floete Lumber Company and belongs to that class of representative American men who, in promoting individual success, also contribute to public prosperity. He was born in Guttenberg, Iowa, April 6, 1855, a son of Charles Floete, a native of Germany. The paternal grandparents spent their entire lives in Germany, where they reared a large family and remained until past middle life when they were called to their final rest.
Charles Floete, reared in the land of his birth, pursued his education in the schools there and afterward learned the cabinet-maker's trade. Coming to America in 1848 he settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he followed cabinet-making for about two years. In 1850 he removed westward to Clayton county, Iowa, and purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, giving his time and energies to its cultivation and development until he brought his fields into a state of rich
fertility. After about eight yeaps spent on the farm, however, he abandoned agricultural pursuits and removed to Guttenberg, Iowa, where he engaged in the lumber business. His wife passed away in 1856. Both were consistent members of the Lutheran church and their upright, honorable lives gained them the confidence and good will of all with whom they were associated. Their family numbered three children: Charles E., of Armour, South Dakota; Anna, of Los Angeles, California; and Franklin, of this review.
The last named was reared in his native town and the public schools afforded him his early educational privileges, while later he entered the Kentucky University, at Lexington, and was graduated therefrom in 1877. In September, 1878, he arrived in Spencer and became manager of the lumber yard of Stauer & Daubenberger of McGregor, Iowa. After remaining in that employ for some time he bought out the business, which he has conducted continuously since. In the intervening years he has constantly extended the scope of his interests and activity until, in addition to his large and profitable business in Spencer, he also owns and conducts lumber yards at Milford and Hartley, Iowa, and at Armour, South Dakota. Eventually the business was incorporated under the name of the Floete Lumber Company, with Franklin Floete as the president and treasurer and his brother, C. E. Floete, as vice president and secretary. Each year has registered a marked development in their business and, believing this section of the country to be an excellent field for business enterprises of this character, they have established altogether twenty yards in Iowa and South Dakota. They, therefore, handle lumber on a very extensive scale and their business interests are among the most important industries of this section of the state. The name of Franklin Floete has long been an honorable one on commercial paper and he today figures prominently in financial circles. Some years ago he became a director in the First National Bank, at Spencer, later was elected its vice president and when the Citizens National Bank was organized he became its president and has so continued to the present time, with J. H. McCord as the cashier. They also control the Citizens Savings Banks of Royal, Webb and Fostoria, with Mr. Floete as president of the Fostoria Bank and vice president of the one at Webb. He is also the president of the Floete, Cory & Bemis Company, a real- estate and land company, handling important and extensive interests. Whatever he has undertaken he has successfully controlled, neglecting no detail that promises to contribute to success. Moreover, he has recognized that the present and not the future holds his opportunity and has thus made each hour count for the most possible and in the attainment of success has followed the strictest lines of commercial honor and integrity.
On the 26th of January, 1896. was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Floete and Mrs. Mary (Thayer) Snow, the widow of Sumner Snow and a daughter of John and Hannah (Green) Thayer. Mrs. Floete was born in Vermont and by her former marriage had one daughter, Florence, while by this union there is one son. Franklin Thayer Floete. She is a member of the Episcopal church and is well known socially, while over her home she presides with gracious hospitality. Mr. Floete belongs to Evening Shade Lodge. No. 312, A. F. & A. M.; Clay Chapter, R. A. M.; Esdraelon Commandery, K. T.: and Za-Ga-Zig Temple of
the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He has thus attained high rank in Masonry and is in thorough sympathy with the principles and purposes of the craft. His political support is given the republican party but the demands of his business have left him no time for public office even had he inclination to seek its honors and emoluments. His life has been characterized by orderly progression under the steady hand of one who is a consistent master of himself. He is a man of well balanced capacities and power and capable of mature judgment concerning the people and citizens that make up his life contacts and experiences. With the growth of his business he has been called upon to assume the discharge of comprehensive duties requiring physical and mental strength immediately at command. His record embodies all the elements of what in this country we term a "square man" — one in whom to have confidence. His quietude of deportment, his easy dignity, his frankness and cordiality of address, with the total absence of anything sinister or anything to conceal, foretoken a man who is ready to meet any obligation of life with the confidence and courage that come of conscious personal ability, right conception of things and an habitual regard for what is best in the exercise of human activities.
THOMAS E. DELANEY.
With the coming of Thomas E. Delaney to this part of the northwest in 1887 and his settlement on two hundred and sixteen acres of land on section 36, Garfield township, Clay county, Iowa, there was added to the strength and character of the county a man destined to take part in the development of that rich and promising section. He was born in Smithfield, Jefferson county, Ohio, September 27, 1830, a son of Michial and Mary (Livingstone) Delaney, natives of Maryland and Pennsylvania respectively. They both went to Ohio at a very early day, were there married and spent almost their entire lives in that state. The father died in June, 1874, having reached the ripe old age of eighty-nine years. He had served his country as a soldier of the war of 1812 and was always loyal and progressive in citizenship. In January, 1874, his wife passed over the border-land into the great beyond. There is little known concerning the ancestry of the Delaney family save that the paternal grandfather of our subject was buried at sea and that his maternal grandfather was a native of Pennsylvania.
Thomas E. Delaney is the youngest member and the only survivor of his father's family of six children. At the age of twenty-one he started out in life for himself and leaving his Ohio home made his way to Illinois. There he remained for only four years, and during that time had some varied experiences. After saving a little sum of money he made a visit to Chicago where he was offered real estate at a very low figure, but it was no temptation to him and he returned to Bureau county and engaged in raising wheat. For the first year he prospered and garnered a big crop, the sale of which brought him a considerable amount of money. The following winter he made a visit home and advised his father, if he wished to win wealth, to go to Illinois and raise wheat. The visit over, Mr. Delaney returned to the Prairie state and engaged in wheat rais-
ing on a larger scale than before, but the venture did not prove successful Owing to the failure of crops, and after three years of hard labor he lost every dollar of his former earnings and was forced to commence all over again. In his vocabulary, however, there is no such word as fail, and he did not allow himself to become discouraged over his loss, but resolutely continued his work and was soon again on the road to prosperity.
On the 22d of September, 1856, there occurred an important event in the life of Mr. Delaney, for on that date was celebrated his marriage to Miss Hannah Gilles. She was a daughter of Ruben and Pamelia ( Blanchett) Gilles, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Pennsylvania. They were married in Princeton, Illinois, where Mrs. Delaney's family had located at an early date. Her uncle, John Blanchett, platted the town of Blanchett, Ohio, and it was named in his honor. Her father, Ruben Gilles, was a soldier of the war of 1812. Her parents spent their married life in Clinton county, Ohio, where her father passed away September 4, 1883, at the age of ninety-three years, his life record covering almost the entire century that is the most remarkable in the world's history, taking in events that have shaped the civilization of the universe. Mrs. Gilles had long previously passed away, her death occurring April 14, 1842, when she was fifty-one years of age. Thomas Gilles, the grandfather of Mrs. Delaney, was brought to America from Ireland when he was only six weeks old, but nothing more is known of the ancestral history of the family. Thomas Gilles married Ruth Perkin, who lived to the very venerable age of one hundred and four years. Joseph Blanchett, the maternal grandfather, was a native of France and came to America at an early age, serving as a patriot soldier in the Revolutionary war, remaining with the army for seven years, or throughout the entire period of the struggle. His wife, Mrs. Olive Blanchett, lived to a very advanced age.
After his marriage Mr. Delaney lived in Illinois until 1874, when he came to Iowa, living in Story county until 1887. He then emigrated further west and eventually settled in Clay county. He had experienced considerable loss in Story county through the extended drought and he determined, if possible, to find some part of the country where there would be plenty of water and good grazing grounds for stock. When he left Story county and started out to seek a new location he did not anticipate that he would find that for which he was seeking so near at hand. But fate seemed to favor him for in company with others he came across the site of his present home, situated upon the banks of a beautiful lake. For miles on either side was the wide expanse of unbroken prairie, affording, unlimited range for grazing. This seemed to him the exact spot that he had long desired, and having succeeded in making a purchase of the land, he began the development of the new home. In 1894, however, his expectation for a permanent water supply was somewhat shattered. This was known as the year of the great drought and Pickerel Lake, upon whose shores Mr. Delaney had builded his home, was more than half reduced in extent, the water line receding for a long distance. The following winter was one of extreme cold and in many parts of the lake the water was frozen to the bottom. When the ice melted in the spring and the warm winds from the south drifted
the ice toward the northern shore, there was a serious condition confronting the few inhabitants around the lake. It is estimated that tons and tons of decaying fish covered the shores and soon the odor was almost unendurable for miles around. The health officers of the county were appealed to and many attempts were made to haul the fish away, but the task had finally to be abandoned. The water of the lake soon became contaminated yet it was the only supply for the stock and they were compelled to drink it throughout the long summer. Strange to say, the fear of an epidemic of illness from these conditions was not realized, and the season was unusually healthy in the vicinity of the lake.
Mr. Delaney possessed the same spirit of patriotism which governed his ancestry and was one of the first to answer to his country's call, and on August 12, 1862, he enlisted at Bradford, Stark county, Illinois, as a member of Company B, One Hundred and Twelfth Regiment of Illinois Infantry under Captain James B. Doyle and Colonel Thomas J. Henderson, the regiment being assigned to the Third Brigade, Third Division of the Twenty-third army corps. The first active service of the regiment was in Kentucky and later they were on duty in and around Nashville, participating in the battle of Franklin, one of the most desperate battles of the regiment up to that time. Afterward they were ordered into the Atlanta campaign where there was most terrible fighting and hardships to be endured. Mr. Delaney says he can never forget the scenes of carnage that characterized the battle of Atlanta, in which the gallant General McPherson was killed. In the same battle a brother of Mrs. John Delaney lost his life. Mr. Delaney was mustered out at Greensboro, North Carolina, June 20, 1865, and was honorably discharged at Chicago on the 6th of July. He was a brave and gallant soldier and had served throughout nearly the entire war. As the years are added to the cycle of the centuries, to the lists are constantly being added the names of those old battle-scarred veterans who have marched to an everlasting bivouac. It remains as a solemin duty to man to cherish the memory of those brave defenders, both living and dead, and to record their deeds of heroism and sacrifice.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Delaney have been born nine children, only five of whom are now living. Andrew J., born November 23, 1857, was married June 9, 1896, to Bertha Stewart, and resides at Hutchinson, Kansas. John F., born March 7, i860, was married March 7, 1899, to Eva Munns, and. residing on the old homestead, is in charge of the farm of two hundred and sixteen acres which he owns jointly with his father. George D., born December 12. 1861, married Dora Ellis and resides in Garfield township. Mary Pamelia, born December 19, 1864, was married July 2, 1898, to George Baker, a resident of Clay county. Sherman, born July 14, 1866, also resides at the old homestead and assists in caring for his parents. Minnie, born April 15, 1869, died March 3, 1896. Edgar, born March 4, 1871, died on the 14th of the same month. The others also died in infancy.
Mr. Delaney is a member of Marathon Post, G. A. R., and in his political allegiance has always been identified with the republican party. His wife is a member of the Christian church, as is also Mrs. John F. Delaney. In their declining years Mr. and Mrs. Delaney are fortunate in having with them their two sons, John F. and Sherman, to faithfully look after their every want and
comfort. After many years of earnest toil and battle with the world the parents are now enjoying well earned rest. For over a half century they have journeyed as companions along the great highway of life, have seen their children grow up around them, have witnessed the transformation of wild stretches of prairie into cultivated fields, while comfortable homes have taken the place of the rude habitations of the early settlers. In his business dealings with his fellowmen Mr. Delaney has been ever fair and upright, never taking advantage of the necessities of others in any manner whatsoever. He has gained for himself an honorable name among men and a reputation for kindness and generosity that will live through the coming years. He enjoys the respect of all with whom business and social relations have brought him in contact and he takes just pride in what has been accomplished in the country, while at all times he has borne his full share in the work of general improvement.
THOMAS McQUEEN.
Thomas McQueen, now living retired, was for a long period closely associated with commercial interests in Spencer and his enterprise enabled him to reach the goal of prosperity. The business methods he has followed have ever commended him to the confidence and respect of all with whom he has been associated, for he has based his actions upon the rules which govern strict and unswerving integrity.
Mr. McQueen is numbered among the residents of Spencer that Scotland has furnished to the new world, his birth having occurred in Paisley on the 12th of September, 1841. His parents, David and Joanna (Atkinson) McQueen, were also natives of Scotland and the former was a son of John McQueen, who engaged in merchandising in Glasgow, where he died when well advanced in years. David McQueen became a clerk in the government service in the city of Paisley but the reports which he heard concerning the opportunities of the new world proved an irresistible attraction to him and with the hope of benefiting his financial condition he crossed the Atlantic to the United States and established his home in Fulton county. New York, where he had relatives living. He then turned his attention to farming and his remaining days were devoted to general agricultural pursuits, the community recognizing in him a valued and representative citizen. He died in the town of Perth, Fulton county, in 1851 when about forty-five years of age, while his wife passed away in 1878. They were members of the Presbyterian church and their salient characteristics were in harmony with those principles which work for righteousness, truth and justice.
Their family numbered ten children, six sons and four daughters, as follows: David, deceased; Ellen, the deceased wife of Alfred DeGraff; Miriam, the deceased wife of William Heath; John, a resident of York, Nebraska; Joan, the deceased wife of David Vandebogart; Thomas, of this review; Archibald, who makes his home in Wilmington, Illinois; Peter, who has also passed away; Jeannette, the widow of Orson Barker; and Alfred, of Braidwood.
Thomas McQueen was but a little child when his parents left the land of the crag and glen, of mountain peak and mountain lake, of lowland heath and plain, and sought a home beyond the seas. He was reared upon his father's farm in Fulton county, New York, early becoming familiar with the task of plowing, planting and harvesting. Through the summer months he assisted in the work of the fields and in the winter seasons attended the district schools,, thus preparing for life's practical and responsible duties.
In 1861 he arrived in Illinois, being then a young man of twenty years. He located first at Wilmington in Will county, where he engaged in farming, but had scarcely made a start in his new location when he felt that his duty to his country was paramount to all else and in August, 1862, enlisted as a member of Company A, One Hundredth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until June, 1864. In the battle of Chickamauga he sustained two wounds. He participated also in the battles of Bardstown, Perryville, Stone River and the Tullahoma campaign, serving throughout the entire time as a private. He was a brave and loyal defender of the old flag and at length was honorably discharged on account of disability occasioned by his injuries. After the war he returned to Will county, Illinois, and resumed farming with his three brothers. There he carried on general agricultural pursuits until 1872, when the farm was sold and Thomas McQueen purchased a half interest in a grocery store in Wilmington. For eleven years he carried on that business but in 1883 disposed of his stock of groceries there and removed to Clay county, Iowa, where he resumed merchandising, having a stock of groceries, boots and shoes. He was thus identified with commercial interests in Spencer for four years, after which he established a coal office in the north end of town and also dealt in wood and farm implements. The new undertaking prospered and he continued the business with increasing success until about 1902, when with a handsome competence acquired through his well directed diligence he put aside further business cares and has since lived retired.
On the 9th of June, 1870, Mr. McQueen was married to Miss Helen A. Corbett, a daughter of Rufus and Mary Ann (Currier) Corbett. Mrs. McQueen was the first white child born in the town of Florence, Will county, Illinois, after the township organization was effected. On the 24th of January, 1904, at the age of fifty-six years, she passed away and her death was the occasion of deep regret to her many friends. Mr. McQueen was again married on the 15th of July, 1906, his second union being with Mrs. Etta Dye, the widow of A. M. Dye and a daughter of Loren Ellsworth. By her former marriage she had one son, Leon Dye, who married Alma Hoke and has two children, Leo and Olive.
Both Mr. and Mrs. McQueen attend the Congregational church and are prominent in the social circles of the city. Mr. McQueen belongs to Spencer Lodge, No. 247, I. O. O. F., and to Annett Post, G. A. R., of Spencer. Previously he had been affiliated with Bowen Post, No. 24, at Wilmington, Illinois, it being one of the first organized posts of the country. His political views have been in accord with the principles of the republican party since he attained his majority and he has always given loyal support thereto. Soon after his return from the war, while living in Illinois, he was elected tax collector and served on the school board for a number of years. After coming to Spencer he was
elected a member of the city council and also served for one term as mayor, his administration being characterized by a businesslike dispatch of his duties and by the utmost lovalty to the public good. He was appointed one of the three members of the soldiers relief commission and held that important office for nine years, embracing three successive terms. For a quarter of a century he has resided in Spencer, where he was known as a prosperous, enterprising and successful businessman until his retirement. He is yet regarded as one of the leading and valued citizens here, being held in high esteem for his manly bearing and his integrity of character.
JAMES ELDER.
James Elder, living on section 3, Sioux township, is one of the public-spirited citizens of his part of the county. He has lived here since 1882 and is a well known representative of the sons of Scotland who have sought the opportunities of the new world, bringing with them their national characteristics of thrift, perseverance and determination — qualities which are always of value in the attainment of success. Mr. Elder was born near Edinburgh, Scotland, June 11, 1845. His father, James Elder, Sr., was likewise a native of the same country and when he had attained his majority he was there married to Miss Jane Sibald, who was likewise born in the land of hills and heather. The father followed farming there and reared his familv in that country. Both he and his wife remained residents of Scotland until called to the home beyond. Their son, Samuel Elder, still owns and operates the old home farm there, comprising one hundred and sixty acres.
James Elder of this review spent his youthful days in the land of the crag and glen, of mountain peak and mountain lake, of lowland heath and plain — a land celebrated as the home of liberty, poetry and song, whose heroes have honored Britain's flag on every field from Waterloo to Crimea and Lucknow. That land has been the ancestral home of many of America's brightest, best and most distinguished men. On his father's farm there James Elder remained until nineteen years of age. He pursued his education and then went to New Zealand, where he spent ten years in mining and sheep farming. When the decade had passed he returned to Scotland, where he continued for four or five years, engaging in farm work with his father.
It was in the spring of 1880 that Mr. Elder was married in his native land to Miss Anna Shaw, a Scotch lady, and soon afterward they crossed the Atlantic to the United States, making their way at once to Iowa. Their destination was Osceola and in that locality Mr. Elder engaged in farming for about three years, after which he removed to Clay county, where for six years he rented a farm. In the meantime he carefully saved his earnings so that at the end of that period he was enabled to purchase the place upon which he now resides. With characteristic energy he began to further cultivate and develop the property and has since erected a good substantial residence, large barn and outbuildings. He has also planted an orchard, set out a grove and many ornamental trees, and
has altogether made his farm a most neat and attractive property. In the fields are planted the cereals best adapted to soil and climate while in connection with the raising of grain he also raises and feeds hogs. He likewise conducts a dairy business and is a stockholder in the Dickens Creamery and the Farmers' Elevator at Spencer. His business interests are carefully managed and his investments judiciously made, so that he has become one of the substantial farmers of the community.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Elder have been born six children: Maggie, who was educated in Spencer and at Cedar Falls, is now a teacher in Clay township; Anne, also well educated, is engaged in teaching; James has started out in life for himself; Mary is likewise following teaching; and John and Robert are at home. They also lost one child, Jane, at the age of fifteen years.
Politically Mr. Elder is a stanch democrat, never faltering in his allegiance to the party. He has been a member of the school board and has also served for three years as township trustee. He has likewise been a delegate to county conventions and at all times he supports every measure that he believes calculated to promote general progress and improvement. That he has made good use of his time and opportunities is indicated in the fact that he is now the owner of a valuable farm of one hundred and sixty acres which is carefully cultivated and well improved.
H. M. WILLIAMS.
H. M. Williams, prominent as an agriculturist and stockman in Logan township, is of English descent and a native of Iowa county, Wisconsin, born April 7, 1856. His grandfather, John W. Williams, was a prominent manufacturer in the old country and for many years operated a silk mill in London, England. His parents, John P. and Emma (Clarke) Williams, were also of English birth. The father, a native of London, went to Prince Edward Island when he was but fifteen years of age and in the year 1846 he repaired to the United States and located in Iowa county, Wisconsin, where he engaged in general farming, hauling the products of his farm to Milwaukee, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles. He was a carpenter by trade and to some extent carried on this occupation in connection with farming, and during the latter years of his life conducted a wagon shop and was well known as a skilled mechanic. In Iowa, while on a visit, he departed this life November 15, 1908. His wife, a native of Yarmouth, England, is now living in Iowa county, Wisconsin, on the old homestead. To her were born William L., a farmer of Gillett Grove, Clay county; Thomas R., who was a soldier in the Twenty-first Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry and received a wound during a battle, the efifects of which eventually caused his death; Harriet, Jordon J. and B. C, all of whom are deceased; H. M.; Emma, widow of S. T. Roch, of Iowa county, Wisconsin; and Harriet M., deceased.
On his father's farm H. M. Williams was reared and there became familiar with the various departments of agricultural work, in the meantime attending the district schools, where he acquired his education. When sixteen years of age
he assumed the management of his father's lands, which embraced three-fourths of a section. He remained on the home farm until he was nineteen years old and then spent six months in Colorado, after which he came to Clay county in the fall of 1879 and located lands near Spencer. There he engaged at once in buying and shipping stock and during the first year his business amounted to something over one hundred and thirty-five thousand dollars. At that time, the railroad having passed through the place two years before, corn sold for seventeen cents a bushel; hogs brought two dollars and eighty-five cents a hundred weight; cows, one dollar and eighty-five cents a hundred weight; and steers, two dollars and forty cents a hundred weight. At these prices it obviously required quite a number of heads to net the sum of money which Mr. Williams handled during his initial venture in the stock trade but he entered the enterpirise heavily with a view to conducting the business on a large scale and, as a result, was eminently successful in this line of trade which he followed for seventeen years. His next move was to Sioux township where he located an extensive tract of land which he cultivated for twelve years, at the expiration of which period he located in Logan township, where he is operating a farm containing one thousand acres for M. E. Griffen, of Spencer, Iowa.
Mr. Williams has always supported the republican party, his political convictions being the result of a candid study of the platforms of the several parties. While in Sioux township he served as trustee. Mr. Williams is a man whose genial disposition and honesty have won him the confidence and respect of his fellowmen and whose aggressiveness and industry have not only contributed to his own success and prosperity but have also enabled him to do much toward the general welfare.
WILLIAM J. DURANT, M. D.
Dr. William J. Durant is one of the well known and honored physicians of Clay county, following his profession in Spencer, where he holds to high ideals in practice and at all times conforms to a high standard of professional ethics. His service as a physician and surgeon is always performed with a sense of conscientious obligation and the general public has come to trust him fully, knowing that he is both zealous and capable in his chosen field of labor. A native of Jackson county, Iowa, Dr. Durant was born in Preston, October 11, 1869, and in the paternal line comes of English lineage. His grandfather, Samuel Durant, a native of England, was born in 1794 and came to America in early life and was married on this side of the water to Miss Alma Ferris, whose birth occurred in Vermont in 1800.
Their son, John Durant, was born in Cayuga county, New York, July 31, 1823, and was a little lad of six summers when in 1829 his parents removed to London, Canada, where they maintained their home until 1836, when they became residents of Michigan. The following year they removed to Illinois and in 1838 became residents of Van Buren township, Jackson county, Iowa, where John Durant entered land from the government. Iowa was at that time still under territorial rule and save along the Mississippi and other rivers was largely
uninhabited except by red men who yet found it a good hunting ground. Much of the youth of John Durant had been passed on the frontier and after coming to Iowa he assisted in the arduous task of developing the new farm. He had also learned the carpenter's trade and on his father's land he built a house which is still standing. The timbers were hewed by hand and the work was primitive but substantial in construction, as indicated in the fact that it is still one of the old landmarks of the neighborhood. The place was surrounded bv a rail fence, the rails and posts being split by hand, and this too is a feature of the old homestead farm. Taking up the occupation of farming John Durant gave his time and energies to general agricultural pursuits and as the years passed brought his fields under a high state of cultivation and annually gathered rich crops, for which he found a ready sale on the market. As time passed and his financial resources increased he made other investments in land until he owned between three and four hundred acres in Jackson county, Iowa, and three quarter-sections near Pipestone, Minnesota. He had only a grammar school education but he was a man of good judgment and learned many valuable lessons in the school of experience and turned all the knowledge that he acquired to practical account. His political allegiance was given to the republican party and he held a number of township offices, the duties of which he discharged with promptness and fidelity. All who knew him respected him for his general worth, his progressive spirit and his loyalty to principles.
In 1851 John Durant was married to Miss Amanda Tompkins, who was born in Ohio, February 20, 1831, and was brought to Jackson county, Iowa, by her parents about 1844. The death of Mr. Durant occurred March 4, 1892, and on the 2d of July, of the same year, his widow also passed away, so that they were separated in death for only a brief period. They were the parents of eleven children: Mary, whose death was occasioned by falling down stairs when twenty-three years of age; Eliza, who became the wife of Albert Hanyen, of Michigan, and died in 1898; Alma, the wife of Henry Heberling, a resident of Santa Rosa, California; Albert, who is living on the old homestead in Jackson county, Iowa, the place having been deeded by the government to his father and from him passing to the son, so that it has never been out of possession of the family; Louis, who died at the age of twenty-eight years; George, a retired farmer living in Gordon, Wisconsin; Thomas, who for twelve years was principal of schools at Sumner, Iowa; Dr. Durant of this review; Charles, who died at the age of five years; May, who died in infancy; and Horace, who is living in Berrien county, Michigan.
Dr. Durant spent his boyhood days on his father's farm and at seventeen years of age entered the Upper Iowa University at Fayette, where for three years he pursued a literary course. He afterward engaged in teaching in the district schools and for seven years was principal of the schools at Washta, Iowa, but he regarded this merely as an initial step to further professional labor, his laudable ambition prompting him to prepare for the practice of medicine and surgery. With this in view he matriculated in the medical department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he was graduated with the class of 1902. Immediately afterward he came to Spencer, where he has since been located, and his thorough understanding of modern methods of practice, his
careful diagnosis of cases and his accurate application of remedial agencies have been the features which have brought to him a constantly growing practice. He is justly regarded as one of the prominent physicians of this part of the state and he remains a thorough and discriminating student of the profession, interested in everything that tends to bring to man the key to the complex mystery which we call life.
On the 1st of September, 1892, Dr. Durant was married in Cherokee, Iowa, to Miss VeNetta Fee, who was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of William G. and Elizabeth (Welsh) Fee. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Durant have been born two interesting children, Elizabeth Amanda, whose birth occurred on September 8, 1895, and Winston John, born October 30, 1902.
The parents are members of the Congregational church and are prominent socially, the hospitality of the best homes of the community being cordially and continually extended them. In his political views Dr. Durant is a stalwart republican and, as every true American citizen should do, keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He has served the city as health officer and in all of his practice conforms to a high standard of professional ethics in putting forth every efifort to prevent as well as to allay disease. In this connection he did good work as a health officer. He keeps in touch with the onward march of the profession through his membership in the Clay county, Iowa State and American Medical Associations. He is now widely recognized as a most able and progressive physician, one who is never content with his present achievements but is always reaching out to something broader and better in the field of his chosen labor and he thus makes steady advancement.
ALVERTUS B. RUSK.
Alvertus B. Rusk, a farmer and stockman of Freeman township, making stock shipments from Dickens, was born in Morgan county, Ohio, October 1, 1856. He is one of a family of ten children, eight sons and two daughters, whose parents were John and Nancy (Breese) Rusk, also natives of the Buckeye state. The former was a son of James Rusk, who was born in Ohio and devoted his life to general agricultural pursuits. He married a Miss Stansbury. They reared a family of eight children, and lived to be more than eighty years of age. The maternal grandfather of Alvertus B. Rusk was Luke Breese, who was born in Virginia and on removing to Ohio cast in his lot with the early settlers of Morgan county, where he spent his remaining days, his death occurring, when he was about ninety-two years of age. His wife bore the maiden name of Mary Hopkins and she, too, was very old when she died.
John Rusk was reared to farm life and determined to make agricultural pursuits his life work. His early training was thorough and well qualified him to take up the task of tilling the soil on his own account. In 1876 he removed from Ohio to Champaign county, Illinois, and purchased land near Rantoul. There he carried on general farming for some years, after which he retired and established his home in the village of Rantoul where his last years were passed. HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY 663
He served as a soldier for a short time during the Civil war and assisted in the capture of Morgan, the famous bushwhacker. He died in 1908 at the age of seventy-eight, while his wife passed away in 1885 when about fifty years of age. They were loyal to the teachings of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which they held membership and their many good traits of character made them people of the highest respectability. The members of their family were as follows: Alvertus B., of this review; Albert W. and Alvin H., both of whom are residents of Rantoul, Champaign county, Illinois; Violet J., the wife of Arthur Crane, of Rantoul; Ulysses G., of Areola, Illinois; Mrs. Emily Baldin, of Areola; John and William, both of whom have passed away; Thomas, who makes his home in Sherburn, Minnesota; and James Lucius, of Des Moines, Iowa.
On his father's farm in Morgan county, Ohio, Alvertus B. Rusk spent his youthful days and attended the district schools. In the school of experience he has also learned many valuable lessons and is today a well informed man. In 1876 he became a resident of Illinois, where he lived for six years and in 1882 he arrived in Iowa, locating in Spencer. Soon afterward he secured a situation on the farm of Dr. McAllister and when his industry and careful expenditure had brought him sufficient capital he began farming on his own account, making purchase of eighty acres of land in Summit township, where he carried on general agricultural pursuits for about ten years. He then sold that property and removed to the Hart farm south of Dickens, where he resided for a decade. He next took up his abode on the William Kenderdine farm in Freeman township south of Dickens, where he has now lived for the past five years. Here in addition to cultivating the soil and caring for his crops he also buys and ships stock, giving his attention partly to this business for ten years. Both branches of his undertaking are now proving, profitable and he is well known as a farmer and stockman of Freeman township.
On the 20th of March, 1879, Mr. Rusk married Miss Laura C. Nicholson, who was born near Meadville, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of John and Lydia (Trace) Nicholson. The five children of this marriage are Flora, Rosa, John, Olive and Blanche.
Mr. Rusk votes with the republican party and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He belongs to Dickens Lodge, No. 583, I. O. O. F., and his wife and children are all members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
GEORGE B. BENDER.
George B. Bender, starting in business life as a drug clerk, is now the owner of five different drug stores in Iowa, including the leading enterprise of this character in Spencer. As a business man he has a talent for leading — which is one of the highest attributes of men and a necessity in these days of close competition. He possesses, moreover, all the characteristics that assert their force in a resolute, positive character that results in the accomplishment of any work undertaken. Today he is numbered among the most prominent and successful
druggists of the middle west because of the extent and importance of the interests which he manages. Only about four years ago he was called the king druggist of the world, owning and operating more stores than any other individual in the world, according to the New York Pharmaceutical Era of July 25, 1904.
Mr. Bender is a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in York county, on the 1st of January, 1864. His grandfather was also born in the same state and served his country as a soldier of the war of 1812. His wife lived to be ninety years of age. Henry Bender, the father of George B. Bender, was born in the Keystone state, was there reared to manhood and eventually became well known in business circles. He figured prominently in the public life of the community because of his activity in political circles and at one time during the Civil war he served as county treasurer of York county. He married Lavina Brown, also a native of Pennsylvania. Her father was likewise a native of this state, having been a druggist in Berlin, Pennsylvania. Both he and his wife reached an advanced age, the latter being eighty-nine years of age when called to her final rest. The death of Henry Bender occurred when he was forty-six years of age. His wife long survived him. She was a member of the Congregational church at Spencer, Iowa, and in that faith reared her family numbering five sons and four daughters, of whom six are yet living, as follows: Sarah, the wife of J. Raffensparger, of Spencer; Theodore P., a resident of Los Angeles, California; Jacob C, William L., George B. and Fannie G., all residents of Spencer.
George B. Bender spent the first ten years of his life in York county, Pennsylvania, and began his education there. In 1874 he came to Spencer, Iowa, and here attended school, completing his course in 1879. The same year he entered business life, securing a clerkship in a drug store and in 1880, with I. B. McGrew, he took up the study of pharmacy. Later he went to South Dakota and engaged in the drug business at Plankinton, where he continued until 1886 when he returned to Spencer. For two years he conducted a grain business here and at Everly and for two years also engaged in railroad contract work, after which he returned to his original business pursuit and in 1890 established the Palace Pharmacy, which he conducted for sixteen years. On the expiration of that period he sold the store and since then has given his attention to his store farther north on Main street. At one time he had nine drug stores and he still owns five. He is thoroughly familiar with the drug trade, knows the demands and the washes of the general public and, in carrying a large and well selected stock, has been able to meet the requirements of his trade. His business has developed along substantial, gratifying lines, leading to success.
In social relations Mr. Bender is connected with the Knights of Pythias and has served as colonel on the staff of the major general of the state of Iowa. He likewise belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and to the Iowa State Pharmaceutical Society. His political views are in accord with the principles of the democratic party. He is quick, positive, exacting and comprehensive of every detail of affairs that comes within the scope of his business and in both determiniation and feeling is thoroughly representative of the ideas of progress in these days when men are called upon to act quick and think quicker. He meets
all men on an equal footing, in his courtesy and shows no distinction between the man highest from lowest in the scale of human effort. While modestly inclined he is thoroughly aggressive in business and has made for himself a notable place in commercial circles in western Iowa.
CHANNING WELCH.
Channing Welch, who operates a large farm in Logan township, this county, devoting his time to general agricultural pursuits and stock-raising, was born in Blue Island, Illinois, March 5, 1860, a son of Rodney and Ebbie (Stephens) Welch. The ancestry were originally from Wales, whence they went to Scotland, then to England and finally located in the United States prior to the Revolutionary war, in which several of the members of the family took part. Rodney Welch was born and reared in Monmouth, Maine, and about the year 1852 located in Kentucky, where he remained for seven years, being principal of a seminary there. Later he took up his abode in Geneva, Illinois, where he remained for some time and then lived in Blue Island, that state, in both of which places he was a prominent educator and principal of the schools. Upon resigning this position in the latter place he went to Irvington, Illinois, where he became professor of chemistry. The latter years of his life were spent in Chicago, where he filled the chair of chemistry at the Chicago University, and upon resigning that position became editor of the Prairie Farmer and later of the Chicago Times, remaining with the latter for fifteen years. Mr. Welch was affiliated with a number of Chicago and New York papers and enjoyed enviable reputation both as a scholar and journalist. He acquired knowledge easily, had the advantages of higher education and was a graduate of Waterville College. After a long and useful career he departed this life in 1896, leaving a host of warm friends and admirers. He survived his wife, a native of the state of Maine, where they were united in marriage, by ten years. They reared the following family: Helen Medora, wife of M. C. Long, a general merchant of Geneva, Illinois; Martha T., a well known school teacher of Chicago, Illinois; James, who passed away in New York city in 1884; Henry B., a prominent contractor of Chicago, Illinois; and Channing.
In the public schools of Chicago, Illinois, Channing Welch received his preliminary education and after completing his studies there entered the high school, from which he was graduated. He then remained at home until twenty-one years of age, in the meantime spending three years as a clerk in a drug store, after which he decided to follow agricultural pursuits on account of his declining health. In 1881 he launched out in the venture at Manson, Calhoun county. Iowa, where for three years he successfully pursued farming, at the termination of which time, in the year 1884, he located on section 36, Logan township, Clay county, at first owning but a portion of the section but now possessing its entire acreage. The ground was in a wild state when Mr. Welch entered it and the excellent farm with its modern improvements is the result of his industry, perseverance and good management. At the time he entered the section the district was sparsely settled, his nearest neighbor being at a distance of four miles, and within the limits of
forty-two sections there were but nine voters to go to the polls on election day. The majority of the farmers who were located in Logan township at the time Mr. Welch settled there were well up in years, and now there is not a person alive who was in the locality when he arrived, so that he has the distinction today of being the oldest living settler here. Mr. Welch's farm is in excellent condition and worked by modern methods, and in addition to producing general crops he takes a special interest in stock-raising, particularly in breeding shorthorn cattle, of which he has one hundred and twenty-five head of the finest registered animals and also a number of head of Poland China hogs which are also of registered breeds. Sheep-raising also commands much of his attention and he raises a number of head annually which he feeds and makes ready for market. He is numbered among the most proficient and successful agriculturists and stock men in the township.
In 1899 Mr. Welch wedded Miss Bernice Huff and to this union were born John and Eleanor, twins, Rodney and Martha T. His political allegiance Mr. Welch gives to the democratic party and during national elections he is enthusiastic in his labors to aid the candidates of his party in securing the offices they seek. He enjoys an excellent reputation throughout the community for his industry, honesty and good judgment, and for fourteen years has been a trustee of the township school. His business affairs are carefully conducted and his substantial qualities make him a valued citizen as well as a prosperous business man.
GEORGE W. LAFURGE.
George W. Lafurge, who is numbered among the successful, enterprising and energetic agriculturists of Logan township, was born in Fayette county, Iowa, on the 22d of February, 1872, his parents being William and Lorena (Pratt) Lafurge. The father, a native of Prince Edward Island, came to the United States in an early day, first taking up his abode in Auburn, Iowa, and later removing to Windsor township, Fayette county, this state, where he continued to make his home until called to his final rest in 1874. Throughout his active business career he was engaged in general farming, meeting with a creditable measure of prosperity in his undertakings. His political allegiance was given to the republican party. His marriage was celebrated in Fayette county, Iowa, his wife being a daughter of Orren and Susan (Chesley) Pratt and a native of Bradford county, Pennsylvania, where her birth occurred February 26, 1841. The Lafurge family originally dwelt in France but later removed to England, where the name was spelled "Lefurgey," while subsequently the present spelling was adopted. Unto William and Lorena (Pratt) Lafurge were born seven children, namely: Homer, a farmer of Perry Oak; Frank, who was an agriculturist of Dexter. Iowa, and who passed away on the 8th of February, 1909; Ritta, the wife of William Burling, a farmer of Fayette county, Iowa; Hettie, the wife of Fred Mayo, who is likewise an agriculturist of Fayette county; George W., of this review; J. W., who is a twin brother of G. W. and carries on farming, in Moody county, South Dakota; and William who is also engaged in farming in Moody county.
In the common schools of Fayette and Clay counties, George W. Lafurge acquired his education, having removed to the latter county when fourteen years of age to live with his uncle, Milt Pratt, with whom he remained for one year. Subsequently he worked by the month until he had attained the age of eighteen years, when his mother purchased a farm on section 35, Logan township, Clay county, and during the succeeding six years he assisted in its cultivation. On the 15th of November, 1900, he was united in marriage to Miss Lora Cramott, who was born in Iroquois county, Illinois, September 11, 1879, her parents being Charles G. and Mary Frances (Thomas) Cramott, the former a native of France. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cramott still survive, being residents of Moody county, South Dakota. Mrs. Lafurge has four sisters and one brother who are likewise living in Moody county. One of her sisters died in infancy. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lafurge have been born three children: D. Wayne, Robert L. and Roy Lester.
Following his marriage Mr. Lafurge resided in Buena Vista county for two years and in 1903 went to Norman county, Minnesota. The following year he took up his abode on his mother's farm in Logan township. Clay county, where he has since continued to reside, being successfully engaged in its cultivation and improvement. The fields annually yield golden harvests in return for the care and labor which he bestows upon them and he is well known and highly esteemed throughout the community as a progressive agriculturist and public-spirited citizen. Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise he has supported the republican party at the polls, while fraternally he is connected with the Yeomen. Both he and his wife are well and favorably known here, the circle of their friends being almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaintances.
REV. NATHAN C. HARVEY.
Rev. Nathan C. Harvey is devoting his life to the work of the ministry in the Friends church and also to the conduct of farming interests on section 18, Gilletts Grove township. He took up his abode upon this farm in 1900 and is now cultivating a rich tract of eighty-eight and a half acres, pleasantly located about two miles from Greenville and six miles from Spencer. In his church relations he is a man of no restricted influence, for his zeal and interest in the work is proving an element in the moral development of the community and has gained for him the respect of ail who have regard for the higher, holier duties of life. His circle of friends is so extensive that his history cannot fail to prove of interest to many of the readers of this volume. He was born in Hamilton county, Indiana, near Noblesville, on the 28th of December. 1837, and is a son of Caleb and Louise (Cook) Harvey, both of whom were natives of Indiana. The father was a son of William Harvey, a native of North Carolina, who established his home in Indiana when it was still a frontier state, giving little evidence of modern development and progress. He cast in his lot with the pioneer settlers of Wayne county and later removed to Hamilton county. He became a factor in its development when nmch of its land was still unclaimed and uncultivated, when its forests were uncut and its streams unbridged. He
assisted in the arduous task of reclaiming the wild land for the purposes of civilization and in the course of years became a thrifty farmer of his part of the state. He married Rachel Townsend, a native of Virginia. and both lived to an old age, rearing there a family of seven children. The Harveys are of English descent but little is known concerning the history of specific ancestors back of the grandfather. The Cook family is also of English lineage, and Nathan Cook, the maternal grandfather of the Rev. N. C. Harvey, was born in North Carolina. He learned and followed the cabinet-maker's trade and on leaving the south made his way to Indiana, becoming the head of the Friends church in that state. Later he removed to Wisconsin, spending his last days in Sauk county, where he died at about the age of sixty-six years. His wife, Mrs. Anna (Wickersham) Cook, died in middle life. Their family of eight children included Louisa Cook, who gave her hand in marriage to Caleb Harvey. The latter, in support of his family, followed the occupation of farming in Hamilton county, Indiana, where he settled at an early day. There he cleared a farm, brought his fields under a high state of cultivation and in connection with the raising of the cereals best adapted to soil and climate he also set out a fine orchard and raised much fruit. He was noted for his prowess as a hunter and had ample opportunity to indulge his skill in that direction, for deer, turkeys and other wild game were abundant in those days. During the early period of his residence in Indiana there were many sections of the state in which the civilization of the white race had wrought no change, for as yet the red men had been the only inhabitants. After following farming for some years in Hamilton county, during which period he assisted materially in its development and improvement, Mr. Harvey went to Wisconsin about 1859, settling in Sauk county. There he secured a tract of land and carried on general agricultural pursuits, while he also operated a grist mill on the Baraboo river. He continued there until about 1900, when he sold out and came to Iowa with the intention of living with his son but following the death of his son's wife, he returned to Hamilton county, Indiana, where his remaining days were passed, his death there occurring in 1902, when he was eighty-seven years of age. His wife died in 1899, at the age of eighty-two years, passing away on the sixty-seventh anniversary of her wedding day. They were both devoted members of the Friends church and their lives were in harmony with the teachings of that sect, which labors always for peaceful relations among men, for charitable opinion and for kindliness of purpose. In community affairs Mr. Harvey figured as a representative and valued citizen, serving as township treasurer and in other town offices.
Nathan C. Harvey was reared in Indiana until twenty years of age and pursued his education in Bloomingdale Academy. The experiences of farm life early became familiar to him and through the assistance which he rendered his father he gained that broad and practical experience which constitutes a feature in his successful work as a farmer at the present time. The year 1857 witnessed his removal to Wisconsin, where for some years he engaged in farming, devoting the summer months to tilling the soil, while in the winter seasons he taught school for several terms and thus contributed to the educational progress of the community. Following the outbreak of the Civil war. when men of every walk
of life flocked to the standard of the Union, going from the workshops, the counting rooms, the fields and the offices, Mr. Harvey also joined the army and in 1863 became a member of Company H, Twelfth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. In January, 1864, he was mustered in, and participated in all of the battles in which his regiment took part. He was also with Sherman on the celebrated march to the sea and when with his comrades he met the enemy in battle array, he proved his loyalty to the Union by his valorous defense of the old flag. At the close of the war he was mustered out at Madison, Wisconsin. He had enlisted as a private but was promoted to corporal while at Atlanta, on the 22d of July. Among the engagements in which he participated were the battles of Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro, Kenesaw Mountain, Savannah, and numerous skirmishes, and the story of military experience with all its attendant hardships and horrors is a familiar one to him.
When the war was over Mr. Harvey returned home with a most creditable military record, happy again to be with his family. He had been married on the 22d of October, 1856, to Miss Mary M. Kersey, a daughter of Stephen and Jemima (Leonard) Kersey. After the war the family lived on a farm in Wisconsin and in connection with the tilling of the soil Mr. Harvey operated a sawmill. He owned two hundred acres of land in the Badger state, and with characteristic energy gave his attention to the task of making it a productive and valuable property.
Mrs. Harvey was born in Parke county, Indiana, while her parents were natives of North Carolina. By her marriage she became the mother of five sons and three daughters: Clementine, now the deceased wife of E. M. Horine; Wilson B., who is a carpenter living in San Jose, California; George L., a carpenter residing in Greenville, Iowa, who married Lillie Collier, who passed away during the infancy of their only child, Nathan C.; Anna L., who became the wife of Stephen Davis, and died leaving three of their five children, Ethel, Bertha and Esther; Mary Ellen, the wife of Alfred Hanson, of Newburg, Oregon, by whom she has several children, including Edward, Nellie and Willis; Horace G., of Sauk county, Wisconsin, who wedded Mary Mortimer, and has four children: Caleb, Lemmie, Mamie and Zella; Edward, whose home is in San Jose, California, and who married Rose Snider, by whom he has five children: Mattie, George, Myra, Jennie and Bud; and Jesse, of Zimmerman, Minnesota, who married Cora Kinser and has four children: Lawrence, Clara, Bessie and Dewey.
In 1897 the family were called upon to mourn the loss of the wife and mother, who passed away on the 19th of September, of that year, at the age of fifty-nine. She, too, was a member of the Society of Friends and her life was in harmonv with its teachings. In the meantime the family had become residents of Iowa, removing to this state in the spring of 1887, after which the Rev. Mr. Harvey preached for the Greenville church and also at the Fisk schoolhouse and at Riverton, devoting six years to the mihistry in those places. He had been ordained to the ministry in the Friends church in 1886 and has since been an earnest worker in behalf of this denomination. In 1900 he removed to his present farm on section 18, Gillett Grove township. Here he at first had eighty acres of land and now has eighty-eight and a half acres, constituting a well improved
and highly cultivated farm, pleasantly situated near Greenville. Everything about the place is indicative of his careful supervision and practical methods. In politics he is a democrat and while in Wisconsin served as supervisor of his township and also helped to locate the county poor farm in Sauk county. His life has been characterized by all that is honorable and upright in every relation and his genuine personal worth has gained for him the friendship not only of people of his denomination but of other religious faiths as well.
P. H. BOLAND.
Among the young men who are engaged with the plow in turning the soil of the Iowa prairies to their advantage and converting apparently barren lands into fertile fields is P. H. Boland, who is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Logan township. Clay county. He was born in Allamakee county, Iowa. March 17, 1870. Reared to farm life he is familiar with every phase and department of the business and his youthful energy and enterprise are fast finding wealth in the soil and leading him along the pathway of success to prosperity. He is of Irish extraction, possessing the zeal and characteristic grit of those of his nation, his parents being Michael and Anne (O'Connor) Boland, his mother having married and died in Iowa. His father came from Galway county, Ireland, to the United States in the early '50s, locating in New York city, where he remained for a brief period and then removed to Galena. Illinois, thence to Allamakee county, this state, where he remained until 1879 and then located in Webster county, where he still resides, living a retired life. Prior to locating in Webster county he successfully followed general agriculture and stock-raising for a number of years, but later engaged as section foreman on a railroad, which he followed up to the time of his retirement. He reared a large family, the surviving members being Daniel, a railroad contractor, of Pierre, South Dakota ; Joseph, who resides in Washington, and P. H., our subject. Some time after his wife had departed this life Mr. Boland was united in marriage to Miss Anne O'Brien, to which union were born Thomas F.. a railroad engineer of Fort Dodge, Iowa; Martin H.. a baker of Vancouver. British Columbia; and Eleanor, who lives in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Two children passed away early in life. Nothing unusual transpired in the early life of P. H. Boland. He was- reared on his father's farm and engaged in the daily routine of country lads, attending the district schools during the w-inter, where he acquired his education. He continued in active farm work until he was twenty-three years of age, when he became employed on the railroad, remaining for three years, at the termination of which time he went to Fort Dodge and established himself in the livery business. He had not continued long in this enterprise when, deeming that there were larger opportunities in agriculture, he disposed of his interest and took up farming. Six years ago he removed to Clay county and located on section 26 in Logan township, where he owns one hundred and sixty acres of highly cultivated land upon which he has since resided. He does a general agricultural business and engages to some extent in raising horses, cattle and sheep. His HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY 671 farm is well kept, having a comfortable residence and all the necessary buildings and machinery. He has a number of head of graded stock and makes a specialty of breeding Chester White hogs, their superior quality being known throughout the country. In addition to general farming and other interests Mr. Boland owns stock in the Farmers' Elevator at Ayrshire. In 1897 Mr. Boland wedded Miss Mary E. Hale, a native of Shiocton, Wisconsin, her birth occurring October 24, 1875, a daughter of Sanford" and Rose (O'Neil) Hale. Her father was born in eastern Massachusetts and located in Delavan, Wisconsin, about the year 1871, from which place he subsequently went to Shiocton, W'isconsin, there holding the position of foreman in a lumber mill, and where he died. They had one child, Mary E. After the death of her husband Mrs. Hale wedded Thomas Byrne, in 1884, and they have one child, George F. They reside about nine miles from Fort Dodge. To Mr. and Mrs. Boland have been born the following children : Valeria, ten years of age ; Marie, who is passing her sixth year; and Georgia, who is four years old. Mr. Boland gives his political allegiance to the democratic party and belongs to the Catholic church in Ayrshire. He is a man whose enterprise and honesty have gained him a good reputation throughout the community and he is numbered among the progressive and substantial citizens of the township. WILLIAM F. GALLAHER. William F. Gallaher. one of the practical, progressive and prosperous farmers of Sioux township living on section 33, was born in Clearfield county, Pennsylvania, on the 22d of February, 1832. He was ten years of age at the time of his parents' removal westward in 1842, to Ogle county. Illinois. There the father opened up a new farm, becoming owner of two hundred and forty acres of rich and productive land. Upon that place he reared his family but later sold the property and came to Iowa, settling in Pottawattomie county, where he spent the last years of his life. He was numbered among the worthy and respected residents of the community and thus his death, which occurred in 1895, was the occasion of deep and widespread regret. His wife had passed away about two years before. William F. Gallaher was reared on the old home farm in Ogle county, Illinois, and after mastering the elementary branches of learning taught in the common schools he had the advantage of intellectual training in a higher school. His work on the home farm also qualified him for the active duties and labors of later life. He was married on the ist of January, 1855, to Miss Louisa Richard, who was born and reared in New York. Thus having made arrangements to establish a home of his own he settled on a farm in Ogle county, becoming owmer of two hundred acres of land, which he carefully tilled until he brought the fields under a high state of cultivation. For some time he resided upon that place but later sold out and removed to Lee county. Illinois, where he again purchased a tract of land. He made it his home for a few years and then disposed of the property prior to his removal to Iowa, where he invested in a half section upon which he now resides. It was in 1896 that he took up his 672 HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY abode on his present farm which is located on section 33, Sioux township, comprising the north half of the section. It is pleasantly and conveniently located near Spencer, so that the advantages of city life are easily obtainable. When he took possession of the place there was a small house upon it and only a little portion of the land was cultivated. With the indefatigable energy which has characterized him at all times, he took up the task of further developing the property and the result of his labors is today seen in a valuable farm on which none of the accessories and conveniences of agricultural life in the twentieth century are lacking. He replaced the little dwelling with a good two-story residence. There is also a large barn and substantial outbuildings, while on this land of almost boundless prairie is a fine grove of evergreen, Scotch pines and cedars, forming a most attractive feature in the landscape. He has also put out a good orchard which is just coming into bearing. His fields, too, produce abundant crops and he raises good grades of stock and also feeds considerable stock for sale. In 1906 Mr. Gallaher was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away in that year. There are two living children of that marriage: Adella, now the wife of Charles G. Grant, of Portland, Oregon ; and Grant, who married Miss Carrie Dennis, a native of Illinois, but reared in this state. He is now carrying on the home farm with his father and is an enterprising young business man. Unto him and his wife have been born three children : Glen and William, who are students in the home school ; and Louisa. Mr. Gallaher has been a republican from the organization of the party. He cast his first presidential ballot for John C. Fremont in 1856 and has never failed to endorse the nominees of the party at the head of the ticket since that time. In Ogle county, Illinois, he served for three terms as assessor and in Lee county, Iowa, capably served as justice of the peace for several years. He was elected township trustee in 1901, was afterward reelected and has now continued in office for six years, discharging his duties in a manner creditable to himself and satisfactory to his constituents. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and while in Illinois served as junior warden of his lodge. He has made his home in this county for more than twelve years and is well known in Spencer and throughout this part of the state. His activity in business and his devotion to the public welfare have made him a valued citizen who has been closely associated with the development and prosperity of Clay county. His life in its varied relations has won for him a creditable place in the regard of his fellowmen and his example in business life is well worthy of emulation, showing what industry and determination may accomplish. DAVID O. JONES. For many years general farming and stock raising have commanded the attention of David O. Jones, who resides in Royal, Clay township, this county, where he bears the reputation of being an enterprising and up-to-date citizen as well as one of the most substantial and highly respected farmers. He was born in Dodge county, Wisconsin, November 13, 1847, a son of Owen B. and HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY 673 Anne (Edwards) Jones, the parents being natives of Wales. The father came to the United States in 1841 and located in Wisconsin, where he took up land and engaged in farming and in that state he is now living retired at the age of eighty-six years. Throughout his long life he has always supported the republican party, his allegiance to its principles being such that he has never had any inclination to become disloyal to his party. He is also gifted with the high religious nature common to the Welsh people, being a zealous Christian, and all his life he has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was married in Wisconsin and his wife departed this life in the year 1893 in Columbia county, that state, where her remains were laid to rest. They reared a family of six children: John O., a farmer of Howard county, Iowa; Edward O., who follows the same pursuit in Fillmore county, Minnesota; Owen O.. a carpenter of Dodge county, Wisconsin ; Ann, who became the wife of Robert LewMS, a farmer of Fillmore county, Minnesota; Mary, wife of John Williams, who lives on a farm in Columbia county, Wisconsin ; and David O., the subject of this review. After acquiring his education in the district schools o'f Dodge county, Wisconsin. David O. Jones remained at home with his father and assisted in the duties of the farm for about four years when he repaired to Louisa county, Iowa, and there engaged in farming for one year. In 187 1 he came to Clay township, this county, where he took up eighty acres in section 18, cultivating this land until 1890, when he removed to his present farm of four hundred acres in sections 18, 8 and 7. His property is highly improved, composed of the best quality of soil, provided with two sets of substantial buildings and is acknowledged to be one of the finest farms in Clay township. He and his son are the owners of a quarter section in Murray county, Minnesota. He devotes most of his acreage to producing hay and grain but also pays some attention to stock raising, keeping on hand some of the best breeds of horses and cattle, feeding the latter for marketing. In March of the year 1873, he wedded Miss Rachael Williams, a native of Louisa county, Iowa, and a daughter of Richard and Anne (Arthur) Williams, natives of Wales, her father having come to the United States at an early date. He settled in the county of her nativity and remained there actively engaged in farming until his death. Her mother, who still lives in Louisa county, Iowa, came to this country when she was thirteen years of age and was twice* married, the first time to Richard Williams, by whom she had two daughters : Mary, wife of Hupling Richard, an agriculturist of Louisa county : and Rachael, the mother of Mrs. Jones. To her second union were born : William, of Colorado, where he operates a ranch ; and Lewis, a banker of Louisa county, Iowa ; and one daughter, Jane, who became the wife of John Pugh, a ranch owner of Carson county, Colorado. Mr. and Mrs. Jones had three children, two of whom died in infancy. The son, John O., married Celia Richards. In politics Mr. Jones gives his allegiance to the republican party, to which he has been loyal since casting his first vote and he has served for the past eight years as trustee of Clay township. He ,is a man of high morals and noble purposes, and considering his religious obligations his first duty in life, he and his wife attend 674 HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY divine services at the ]\Iethodist Episcopal church, of which they are hberal supporters. T^Ir. Jones is an energetic man, having ahvays been inspired by the spirit of progress, and his long years of success and his present prosperity are due to his own exertions. RICHARD G. HEIKENS. Richard G. Heikens is one of the extensive landowners of Clay county, his holdings aggregating seven hundred and twenty acres, while in addition his wife owns two hundred acres. The home place is situated on section 6, Summit township, and comprises five hundred and sixty acres. The entire farm is under cultivation and the place presents a neat and attractive appearance, indicating to the passerby the careful supervision and thorough methods of the owner. Mr. Heikens is one of Iowa's native sons and the state has reason to be proud of his record, for he is an energetic, enterprising business man, who carefully controls his individual interests and at the same time is not unmindful of his duties to the public through the relations of citizenship. • Mr. Heikens was born in Grundy county, Iowa, December 20, 1866. His father, George Heikens, was a native of Germany, in which country he spent the days of his boyhood and youth. At length the reports which he heard concerning the favorable opportunities of the new world proved an irresistible attraction, and crossing ..the briny deep, he became a resident of De Kalb county, Illinois, estabUshing his home near Forester. Later he removed to Grundy county, Iowa, where he purchased land and opened up a farm. There as his financial resources increased he added to his property until at one time he owned over two thousand acres. His investments were judiciously made and as the years passed he prospered through the wise direction of his business interests. In Grundy county he was united in marriage to Miss Anna Riekna, also a native of Germany. Mr. Heikens spent his last days on the home farm in Grundy county, his death there occurring in June, 1901. His family numbered twelve children, eight sons and four daughters, all of whom reached mature years and with one exception all married and reared families. Richard G. Heikens, whose name introduces this review, spent the days of his boyhood and youth upon the home farm in Grundy county and pursued his education in the schools of the neighborhood. His training at farm labor was not meager. He assisted materially in the development of his father's land and remained at home until twenty-five years of age, when he married and started out in life on his own account. It was on the nth of March, 1891, that he wedded Miss Ettie Arends, a native of Michigan, who was reared in Belmont, Iowa. They began their domestic life upon the farm where they still reside. It is situated on section 6, Summit township and is a valuable property. Mr. Heikens commenced here with only one hundred and sixty acres, which at that time was unimproved, but he broke the sod and after turning the furrows planted the seed that in due course of time brought forth abundant harvests. Carefully conducting his farming interests, he prospered in his undertakings and from HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY 675 time to time added to his place all the modern improvements. He built a commodious two-story frame residence in modern style of architecture and it is now tastefully and comfortably furnished. He also built a good barn and other substantial outbuildings, so that his grain, stock and farm machinery are carefully protected from the inclement weather. He has likewise set out an orchard and grove and many evergreens and other ornamental trees adorn the place and add m.uch to its attractive appearance. Mr. Heikens inherited his first quarter section of land and has since purchased other property until the home place now comprises five hundred and sixty acres and in addition he owns one hundred and sixty acres, all under cultivation. His wife also inherited one hundred and forty acres adjoining his place and afterward bought sixty acres more, so that the family possessions comprise eight hundred and eighty acres, all of which is well improved and returns a gratifying income in reward for the cultivation which is bestowed upon the fields. He annually has large corn crops and also raises other cereals. He likewise feeds and raises cattle and hogs, feeding from fifty to two hundred and eighty head of stock annually and shipping about a carload of hogs. He likewise breeds and raises high grade horses, owns a Percheron and also a registered Belgium stallion and a mammoth jack. His efforts have likewise been extended to commercial lines and he now ov/ns and conducts a general store at Fostoria and likewise handles farm machinery and hardware. He began this business about 1902 and has since built up a good trade. He employs several clerks and has an efficient manager at the head of the store, to which he also gives general supervision. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Heikens has been blessed with three sons and two daughters: Rose, a*^ student in the Spencer high school; Minnie, Robert G., John Arends and Lee R., all yet under the parental roof. The family circle yet remains unbroken by the hand of death. In politics Mr. Heikens is independent, supporting men and measures rather than party and yet in all matters of citizenship he is progressive, giving to affairs of local moment his earnest endorsement and cooperation. He belongs to the Evangelical church and both he and his wife are held in high esteem throughout the community, having an extensive circle of friends. His business enterprise has carried him into important public relations and he has taken a most active and helpful part in the development of the northern portion of the county and is widely and favorably known in adjacent counties as well. FRED McKEE. Fred McKee, owning and operating, a well improved and valuable farm of one hundred and sixty acres on section 22, Logan township, has also been engaged in threshing throughout his active business career. He was born in Missouri on the i6th of June, 1872, a son of David and Lorana (Goodenough) McKee. The father was a native of Stephenson county, Illinois, born February 17, 1847, while the mother's birth occurred in Dane county, Wisconsin, March 15, 1852. Their marriage was celebrated at Montezuma, Iowa, on the 14th of September, 1871. 676 HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY David McKee was reared in Illinois but subsequently removed to Iowa, later went to Missouri and after a time he again made his way to this state. On the 13th of November, 1863, he enlisted for service in the Union army as a member of Company B, Forty-sixth Illinois Regiment, and, when the country no longer needed his aid, was honorably discharged on the 20th of January, 1866. He followed general farming as a life work and passed away March 3, 1902, his demise being the occasion of deep regret to many friends as well as his immediate family. His widow still survives and is now a resident of Idaho. Unto this worthy couple were born four children, namely: Fred, of this review; Blanch, the wife of John Beg.uim, who is engaged in farming near Idaho Falls, Idaho ; Nellie, the wife of Anton Heyrend, who also follows farming near Idaho Falls ; and Frankie, the wife of Fred Anderson, a miller of Idaho Falls. Fred McKee attended school in Humboldt county, Iowa, and also in Brooklyn, this state. On putting aside his text-books he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits and for five years followed farming in Humboldt county. At the end of that time he came to Clay county, in 1898, and has since been engaged in the cultivation and development of a farm of one hundred and sixty acres which he owns on section 22, Logan township. He has erected the buildings on the property, has tiled the land and equipped the farm w4th many modern improve- ments and in his undertakings has met with that measure of prosperity which is ever the reward of earnest, persistent effort when guided by sound judgment and keen discrimination. Since the age of thirteen years he has also been engaged in threshing, now possessing a complete line of threshing, machinery, and this branch of activity has added not a little to his income.
In 1894 Mr. McKee was united in marriage to Miss Mattie Battles, a daugh- ter of Charles Battles, a native of New York, who for five years served as a •voldier of the Civil war in Company B, Twenty-sixth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. During his military career he was incarcerated in Libby prison for a time. His death occurred in ^Missouri, September 2"], 1907.
In his poUtical views Mr. McKee is a stanch republican and has served as assessor of Logan township. He attends the Methodist Episcopal church and fraternally is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows at Ayrshire. The success which has attended his labors well entitles him to recognition among the prosperous, enterprising and representative citizens of the community and his many sterling traits of character have won him the warm friendship and regard of those with whom he has come in contact.
JAMES E. STEELE.
James E. Steele was born in Belmont county, Ohio, in September, 1849. He remained there until he reached the age of twenty years. While residing iii Ohio he attended the common schools and then for quite a period was a student of Hopedale Academy. He taught school several years. He visited different parts of Pennsylvania and spent considerable time in that state. In 1869 he came to Iowa and located in Louisa county, and subsequently went to Clinton
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY 677
and was bookkeeper for a large wholesale establishment for several vears. Resigning this position, he accepted a similar one with the Peoria & Rock Island Company, and remained there one year. His aptitude and preference for the legal profession led him to resign this position and prepare himself for that vocation. He entered the law office of Hon. \\\ H. H. Hart, of DeWitt, now of Clinton, and an attorney of national prominence. Here he applied himself closely and attentively to reading and studying the principles of law and rules of practice. Then, as now, he was a very close student and gave his studies his undivided attention, mastering slowly and carefully every knotty problem of the fundamental principles of the law of the country. When having completed the required number of years of reading, and being sufficiently versed in law, he applied for admission, and after a vigorous and exacting examination, he entered the active work of a practitioner at the bar. He came to Spencer in 1878 and soon after opened an office, and since that date has been in continuous practice at the Clay county bar in Spencer.
Mr. Steele is now the oldest resident practicing lawyer in Spencer. He has been very successful in his profession and enjoys a lucrative practice from a varied clientele. He is methodical in his business, prudent in all his affairs and honorable in his dealings. He is extremely cautious in giving an opinion, but when once given it is safe to conclude that the law will verify him in his utterances. As an office lawyer has has no superior in Spencer or in Clay county. He is modest and somewhat retiring in his manner but an extensive reader and an inveterate student. His knowledge of the law is broad and com- prehensive and the positions he takes in a case are in the main tenable. He was city recorder for three years and has held other positions of trust. He was married on the 9th of July, 1873. to Miss [Maggie Craig. This union was blessed with one child, a daughter. Florence, now deceased.
JOHN J. SKALITZKY.
John J. Skalitzky, who follows general farming on section 33, Waterford township, his place of one hundred and twenty acres yielding to him a substantial annual revenue, is a native of Bohemia. He was born on the i8th of December, 1867. and the first eighteen years of his life were passed in the land of his nativity upon a farm on which he gained thorough knowledge of farming methods as practiced in that land. His educational opportunities were those afforded by the common schools of that country. From time to time reports reached him con- cerning the business opportunities of the new world. Imbued with the laudable ambition that prompts young men to start out in search of fortune, he bade adieu to friends and native country and sailed to the United States in 1885. Landing at New York, he did not tarry in the east but made his way at once to the Mississippi valley and soon afterward procured employment on a farm in Stephenson countv. Illinois. There he worked by the month for a number of years, during which time he carefully saved his earnings in the hope of one day
678 HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY
becoming the owner of a farm. In 1893 he removed from IlUnois to Iowa and two years were passed in Lynn county, after which he came to Clay county. Here he has resided continuously since 1895. He had previously visited the county in 1894 and had purchased one hundred and twenty acres on which he is still living.. Following his return he took up his abode upon this farm and has continuously made his home on section 33, Waterford township. That he has 'not been idle is indicated in the well kept appearance of his place. When he first came here he lived in a little shanty, but as soon as he was able to earn sufficient capital to do so, he built a more commodious and substantial residence. He has used every opportunity to improve his place, has set out a grove and orchard, has built a barn, granary and hog house, and has added other improvements which are indicative of his progressive spirit, his determination and his unfaltering energy. Todav his farm of one hundred and tw^enty acres is a well developed property that is the visible evidence of his thrift and enterprise. He is also well known because of his live-stock interests, for he raises, feeds and fattens stock and annually sells a large number of hogs which command good prices on the market. In Linn county Mr. Skalitzky ■ celebrated Christmas day of 1894 by his marriage to Miss Minty Houts, who was born in that county and spent her girl- hood days near Cedar Rapids, in which locality she acquired her education. Her father, James Houts, was a native of Pennsylvania and on his removal west he settled in Stephenson county, Illinois, where he married a Miss Price who, although born in the Keystone state, was reared in Illinois. Subsequently he removed with his family to Linn county, Iowa, where he carried on general agricultural pursuits. Mrs. Skalitzky has been of great assistance to her husband in his business career, carefully and ably managing the household affairs while he has controlled the work of the fields. Unto them have been born three sons and a daughter, Raymond, Leroy, Francis and Beatrice. The parents are devoted and faithful members of the Everly ^lethodist Episcopal church, in which Mr. Skalitzky is serving as a trustee. They are much interested in the church w'ork and the extension of its influence and their lives are in harmony with their pro- fessions. Mr. Skalitzky votes with the republican party but has no desire for office as a reward for party fealty. As the architect of his own fortune, he has builded wisely and well. He recognizes that the invariable law of destiny accords success to tireless industry when it is guided by sound judgment, and year after year he has carefully labored to win a substantial position in business circles that he might give to his children a comfortable home and such advantages as would well qualify them for life's practical and responsible duties.
ANDREW T. GOODELL.
Andrew J. Goodell, a railway postal clerk living in Spencer, was born in Erie county. New York, September 16, 1845, ^ son of John M. and Hannah (Baldwin) Goodell, who w^ere natives of New Hampshire and Vermont, respect- ively, and parents of the following children: William and Tirzah A., both deceased ; Mary Jane, wife of A. K. Frain, of Chicago ; Caroline, deceased ; and
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY' 679
Andrew J. John M. Goodell went to Illinois at an early day and kept a hotel in Somonauk, DeKalb county, where he departed this life when seventy-five years old. His wife, who was a member of the Christian church passed away in Spencer, October 29, 1896, at the age of ninety-one years. Theophilus Baldwin, the maternal grandfather, a farmer and native of Vermont, died at the age of sixty-eight years. His wife, Hannah (Mann) Baldwin was also long-lived. To this union were born five children, three of whom died early in life, while John P. attained the age of eighty years, and Mrs. Hannah Goodell was ninety-one years.
In New York state Andrew J. Goodell lived until he was twelve years old, the first seven years being spent in Erie county and the remaining five in Cayuga county, in both of which places he attended the district schools and assisted his father in the work of the farm. When fifteen years of age he left home and, starting out in the world for himself, he secured employment at which he remained until he was sixteen years and eleven months old, when he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Thirteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he served as a private soldier from August, 1862, until June, 1865. He took part in the following battles : Arkansas Post, Price's Crossroads, Eastport, Alabama, and a number of skirmishes. At the close of the war he was united in marriage and removed to Buchanan county, Iowa, but after four years' residence there he repaired to Clay county and settled on one hundred and sixty acres of land, situated six miles north of Spencer, which he cultivated for a period of fifteen years. Giving up agriculture, he engaged in railroad grading for two years and during that time assisted in building the Chicago, Milwaukee 8c St. Paul Railroad and for the past twenty years he has been in the railway mail service.
On February 22, 1866. Mr. Goodell wedded Miss Ceressa Elderkin, who passed away in 1887, leaving her husband and six children, namely : L. T.^ William and Stella, deceased ; Harry M. ; Eva; and Howard in Hartley, a printer by trade but now farming in Burnett county, Wisconsin, where he resides with his children : Naomi, Mary, and Helen, wife of Frank Goodale, the couple living three miles west of Spencer, with their children : Star and Mary ; Howard, served four years in the United States navy and now resides at Hartley, Iowa. On June 16, 1891, Mr. Goodell was again united in marriage to Grace M. Wood, daughter of Norman H. and Harriet M. (Wilcox) Wood. Mr. and Mrs. Goodell belong to the First Congregational church. He is a member of Evening Shade Lodge, No. 312, A. F. & A. M.; Clay Chapter, No. 112, R. A. M. ; Evening Shade Chapter, No. 116, of the Eastern Star, of which his wife is also a member; and Annett Post, G. A. R. Politically Mr. Goodell gives his support to the republican party. He resides at No. 347 West Third street, where he owns an attractive home.
SAMUEL GILLESPIE.
Samuel Gillespie was born near Lafayette, Indiana, June 17, 1843. He continued to live in that part of the country until 1869, when he went to the Pacific coast and spent there two years in teaching He came to Clay county, Iowa, in the spring of 1871, locating in Peterson and assisting in the publication
6§0 HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY
of the Clay County News, the first permanent paper pubHshed in the county. The fall of 1871 he moved to Spencer, with the newspaper with which he was connected, and has since continued to reside there, devoting most of the intervening years to work on the News.
M. B. SWIFT.
Since the spring of 1882 M. B. Swift has lived in Clay county. He came to this locality in the full strength of his manhood, realizing the opportunities of life, and imbued with a determination to make the most of his chances. He now lives on section 20, Meadow township, and the farm of eighty acres which he owns is devoted to the cultivation of grain, to the raising of stock and to the conduct of a dairy business. It is now a well improved property.
:\Ir. Swift was born in Allegany county. New York, August 10, 185 1, and the davs of his boyhood and youth were there passed, while advantages oflfered by the common schools enabled him to become familiar with those branches of learning which are regarded as essential as a preparation for life's practical duties. He cannot remember his father, Zipha Swift, for he was left an orphan at a ver^ earlv age and has had to depend upon his own resources since the age of eight vears. He worked by the month for some years and this period was one of earnest and unremitting toil. In 1881 he made his way westward to Illinois, going first to Woodstock, McHenry county, where for one year he worked on a farm belong- ing to an uncle. In the spring of 1882 he came to Iowa and again was employed at farm labor by the month in Clay county. He did similar work in North Dakota and in 1883. with the capital which he had saved from his earnings, he purchased the place upon which he now resides and began to till and improve the farm. He has since fenced the place, has erected substantial buildings, has set out considerable fruit and now has an excellent property. His residence, the barn, and the outbuildings for the shelter of grain and stock were also erected by him. and he is numbered among the active and progressive farmers of the community. He raises stock, making a specialty of raising, and fattening hogs, and he also conducts a dairy business and keeps a large number of cattle. He is likewise a stockholder in the Langdon Cooperative Creamery and also in the Fostoria Elevator Company. His business affairs have been carefully managed and his capable control of his interests has brought him well merited success.
On the 2d of August, 1884, in Clay county. Iowa. Mr. Swift was married to Miss Elizabeth Owen, who was born in Dupage county, Illinois, and is a daughter of Charles Owen, who was a farmer of Dupage county but became an early settler of Clay county and located a homestead in ^Teadow township. Mrs. Swift was only eight or ten years of age when she came to Iowa with her parents. Here she was reared, continuing her education in the schools of Spencer, and prior to her marriage she engaged in teaching. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Swift have been born four sons but only two are now living, Roy D. and Coy N., who are assisting their father in carrying on the home farm. They lost their first born. Samuel, in infancv. while their vouneest child. Claud, also died when a babe.
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY 681
^Ir. Swift is a Mason, holding membership in the lodge at Spencer and in his life he exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the craft. His study of the political questions of the day has led him to believe that the republican party contains the best elements of good government and he gives to it his support where national issues are involved. At local elections, however, he votes independently, nor will he consent to hold office. He is a man of high business principles, thoroughly reliable in all his trade transactions and to his unflagging industry and well directed effort mav be attributed the success that he has attained.
F. D. WAGGONER,
F. D. Waggoner, a substantial farmer and highly respected citizen of Logan township, this county, where he is proprietor of a large farm upon which he engages in general agriculture and stock-raising, is a native of Allen county, Kansas, where his birth occurred November 22, 1873, and a son of Levi Addison and Fanny Rachel (Jerrett) Waggoner, his father being a native of Ashtabula, Ohio, who located in Allen county, Kansas, in 1859, later removing to Neosho county, this state, where he still resides, carrying on farming together with work at the carpenter trade. His wife was born near Cumberland, Kentucky, and they were married in Kansas, where they are still living. They were parents of the following children : Frank, a bookmaker at the race track in Oakland, California ; Joseph F,, who is an agriculturist in Neosho county, Kansas, and is the twin brother of the subject of this review ; Lydia, who became the wife of Henry Thurman, who engages in general farming and stock-raising in Neosho county, Kansas ; Harry, railroad engineer, who resides at Chanute, Kansas ; Efifie, who is united in marriage with Russ Perry, a farmer in Neosho county,^ Kansas ; Fannie, wife of Harvey McConnell, a well driller who lives in Chanute. Kansas ; Levi, a merchant living in Petrolia, Allen county, Kansas ; and F. D.
The common schools afforded F. D. Waggoner his education, after acquiring w^hich he remained at home until he was eleven years of age, at which period of his Hfe he was employed by an uncle, with whom he remained for three years and then went to the Indian Territory, from which place he made an extensive tour of the west and returned to his native state, remaining there until 1901. He then came to this county and assumed the management of a farm owned by G. M. Dyer, the farm consisting of five hundred acres, but within five years he left this position and came to Logan township, locating on section No. 32, where he has since remained carrying on a general agricultural business and in addition paying some attention to stock-raising.
On September 22, 1905, Mr. Waggoner was united in marriage tQ Miss Emma Hurley, daughter of John and Nancy Catherine (Fritz) Hurley. Her father is a native of Indiana, now operating a farm in Wilson county. Kansas, where he resides with his wife. They had the following children : Isaiah McAllen, of Minnesota ; Jeannette Rose, wife of G. M. Dyer, a general merchant of Iowa ; Marv L., who w^edded Curtis Camp, of Albert City, Buena Vista county, Iowa ;
682 HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY
George Sylvester, who has farming interests in Kansas ; Effie F. A., wife of Miller Cooley, an agriculturist of Kansas ; Alma S.. who became the wife of George Hostig. also a farmer of Kansas ; and Emma. To Mr, and Mrs. Waggoner has been born one child, John Addison, who is now entering his third year.
Mr. Waggoner is loyal to the republican party and although he is not an office seeker, he uses his influence during campaigns in behalf of the candidates of his party. He belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen, meeting in Earleton, Neosho county, Kansas, and to the Ayrshire Lodge, L O. O. F. Mr. Waggoner is a man w^hose enterprising qualities have staid by him in the attainment of his present prosperity, and being a man of good character and interested in the general welfare of the township he is numbered among its substantial and desirable citizens.
