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1907 Past and Present Biographies

Matthew M. Wherry

Among the respected and substantial retired farmers living in Churdan is numbered Matthew M. Wherry, a native of Guernsey county, Ohio. He was born on the 12th of August, 1839, of the marriage of John and Catherine (Bunnell) Wherry. The father was a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1800, and when only about a year old was taken by his parents from the Keystone state to Ohio, where he was reared to manhood amid the wild scenes and environments of a pioneer district. Having attained years of maturity he wedded Catherine Bunnell, a representative of one of the old families of the Buckeye state, her birth having occurred in Guernsey county in 1807. Following their marriage they continued residents of that county for a considerable period, but in 1853 sought a home in Iowa, settling in Jones county. Much of the land was still in possession of the government and there was little evidence of development and progress up to that time. Mr. Wherry, however, entered land and at once begain the improvement of his claim. After breaking the sod he planted his seed and in due course of time gathered rich harvests. Year by year he carried on the work of the farm until he made it a very productive property, continuing in active agricultural life until called to his final rest, passing away in Jones county in 1876 at the age of seventy-six years. His wife survived him for a number of years and died in Greene county in 1883 at the same age. In their family were nine children, of whom five are yet living: Samuel, a resident of Jefferson, Iowa; Mrs. Harriet Fuller, who is living in Seward, Nebraska; John P., whose home is in Churdan; Matthew M., of this review; and Mrs. Sarah Shannon, who is located in Jefferson, Iowa. David died at fifty years of age; Mary Ellen died in 1857; Isaac died in 1885; and Andrew died in January, 1891.

Upon the old homestead farm in Ohio, Matthew M. Wherry spent the days of his boyhood and youth. He had the advantages of a common-school education and received ample training at farm labor on the old homestead, lessons of industry, economy and honesty being strongly impressed upon his mind. He continued at home until after the outbreak of the Civil war, when in response to his country’s call for aid he offered his services and on the 1st of September, 1861, was enrolled with the boys in blue of Company C, Fourteenth Iowa Infantry. He was with that command for three years in active field service and then re-enlisted as a veteran of the Fourteenth Iowa Cavalry, with which he continued until honorably discharged after the cessation of hostilities on the 28th of June, 1865. He was mustered out at Sioux City, Iowa, having for almost four years remained at the front in defense of the stars and stripes. He became familiar with all of the experiences of military life during that long and sanguinary conflict and returned home with a most creditable record.

On resuming the pursuits of civil life Mr. Wherry gave his attention to farm labor in Jones county, carrying on agricultural pursuits there on his own account. He was married December 5, 1868, to Miss Nancy J. Dryden, who was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, October 18, 1850, and is a daughter of James and Mary (Turkle) Dryden, who were likewise natives of Guernsey county. There they lived until about 1856, when they removed to Clinton county, Iowa, and later to Calhoun County. The father passed away in 1889 at the age of sixty-five years, while the mother’s death occurred in 1870, when she was forty-five years of age. In their family were three children, but Mrs. Wherry is now the only one living. By her marriage she became the mother of two sons and a daughter. Clarence O., living in Churdan, married Lulu Myers and has two children, Aleen and Donald. Myrtle is now the wife of C. H. Cumming, a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota, by whom she has one child, Omer D. Charles E., editor of,the Churdan Reporter, married Alice Post and is mentioned elsewhere in this volume.

The year following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Wherry came to Greene county, settling in Cedar township, where he purchased eighty acres of wild land for four dollars per acre. Believing this to be a good invmtment, he soon bought eighty acres more at five dollars per acre and later one hundred and sixty-acres at ten dollars per acre. His time and energies were devoted to the cultivation of the soil and the care of the crops, and as the years passed he prospered in his undertakings as a farmer. He carried on agricultural pursuits until 1889, when he retired, having in the meantime added to his landed holdings until he was the owner of three hundred and twenty acres, which he has since sold. He was always greatly interested in stock-raising, which constituted an important and profitable branch of his business.

Mr. Wherry has always given his political allegiance to the republican party and is a firm advocate of the principles embodied in its platform. He served as township trustee in both Cedar and Highland townships and has ever been loyal to the trust reposed in him, whether as an official or as a business man. Since 1891 he has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, while his wife is a member of the Presbyterian church. For more than a third of a century he has lived in this county and the strength of his character and his strong purpose are recognized by all who know him. He belongs to that class of representative American men who recognize and improve opportunities and with laudable ambition advance from a humble position to one of affluence and of prominence.

Transcribed from "Past and Present of Greene County, Iowa Together With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Prominent and Leading Citizens and Illustrious Dead,"
by E. B. Stillman assisted by an Advisory Board consisting of Paul E. Stillman, Gillum S. Toliver,
Benjamin F. Osborn, Mahlon Head, P. A. Smith and Lee B. Kinsey, Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1907.

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