Henry Co IAGenWeb Biographies

W. H. Taylor

W. H. TAYLOR, SR., residing on section 16, Center Township, Henry Co., Iowa, was born in Providence, R. I., Sept. 10, 1816, and is a son of Horace and Hannah (Ballou) Taylor. A shoemaker by trade, his father had a contract for making army shoes during the War of 1812. In 1818 he removed to Lewis County, N. Y., where he secured Government land, residing there for some years, engaged in farming during the summer and shoemaking during the winter. Horace and Hannah Taylor were the parents of nine children, five sons and four daughters, six of whom are now living. Later, in 1828, the family removed to Middlebury, Vt., where the children found employment in the cotton factory.

William Taylor, in 1829, was apprenticed to a harness-maker, Walter R. Gilkey, in Middlebury, Vt., receiving no compensation during the five years of his apprenticeship except his board and clothes, and at the age of twenty he emigrated with his brother Horace and others in an emigrant canal-boat on Lake Champlain to Whitehall, and was three weeks making the journey to Buffalo, N. Y. Remaining in that city hut a short time, he went to Cleveland, Ohio, working there for six months, and then proceeded to Athens, Ohio, where he had a half-sister living, and remained there for a year. Subsequently going to Marietta, that State, he there became acquainted with Susan H. Talbot, daughter of William and Jemima J. Talbot, and their mar�riage was celebrated Oct. 28, 1838, the ceremony being performed by the Rev. Mr. Petty. Carrying on harness-making until 1856 in Marietta, he, with his family, removed to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and again embarked in the same business. Eight children grace their union: Sarah E., wife of Dr. T. L. Andrews, resides in Wichita, Kan.; B. Franklin enlisted in Company B, 25th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, under Capt. Smith, participating in the battle of Arkansas Post, and during the siege of Vicksburg contracted a disease from which he never recovered, dying in the general hospital at St. Louis, Mo., and was buried in Forest Home Cemetery, Mt. Pleasant; W. H., Jr., a resident of Wichita, Kan., enlisted in the 100-days regiment, and served on guard duty near Memphis, Tenn.; Mary S. is in business in Bloomfield, Davis Co., Iowa; Anna T., wife of Clinton M. Shultz, commercial editor of the Pioneer Pressat St Paul, Minn., where they reside; Laura J., wife of Will Van Benthuysen, who is night editor of the Chicago Tribune, having the general makeup of the paper, and the son of Judge Van Benthuysen, of Bloomfield, Iowa; Nellie L., wife of Nelson Culver, a carpenter of Chicago; Rollie, the youngest child, is at home.

Among those who so gallantly defended their country during the late Civil War, besides his two sons, Mr. Taylor had two brothers and five nephews. One brother, Horace, was taken prisoner during the Kilpatrick raid on Richmond, suffering all the cruelties and miseries of the rebel treatment of prisoners of war, and at last starved to death on Belle Isle. In early life Mr. Taylor was a Whig, casting his first vote for �the log cabin candidate,� William Henry Harrison, and since the organization of the Republican party he has been one of its stanch supporters. Nearly half a century has elapsed since Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were married, and we gladly welcome this worthy couple to a place in the history of Henry County.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, pp 341-342) (JC)

JOHN TEESDALE,
MOUNT PLEASANT.

ONE of the oldest representatives of the press living in Iowa is John Teesdale, who, like Dennis A. Mahoney, of Dubuque, Wesley Bailey, of Decorah, and a few others in this state, spent thirty or forty years in a printing office. Mr. Teesdale is a native of York, England, is a son of Robert and Elizabeth (Overton) Teesdale, and was born on the 25th of November, 1816. His parents emigrated to this country when he was two years old and settled in Philadelphia, where his father was a merchant, who died when the son was about ten years old. Two or three years later John entered the office of "The Casket," Philadelphia, doing various kinds of work, but not much at the case. He partly learned the printer's trade in the same city, in the office of the "American Sentinel," finishing it at Beavertown, Pennsylvania, whither his mother, now married again, removed when he was about sixteen. Two years afterward he spent a short time at the Steubenville. Academy, and then went to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he remained for several years, working at his trade part of the time, and also editing the Wheeling "Gazette" and a little later the Wheeling "Times." During this period he spent a short time at Cadiz, setting type and aiding an editor, and six months at Mount Vernon, as one of the editors and proprietors
of the " Western Watchman," suddenly leaving the paper because his associate was too timid on the slavery question and they could not agree.

Mr. Teesdale was the editor of the "Ohio Whig Standard," of McConnellsville, seven or eight years, and went thence to Columbus in 1843; took charge of the "Ohio State Journal," and conducted it four or five years. He was private secretary of Governor Bartley a short time; in 184S purchased the Akron "Beacon," and was its conductor for eight years, selling out and removing to Iowa City, then the capital of the state, in the summer of 1856.

Mr. Teesdale became the proprietor of the Iowa City "Republican," which he published until elected state printer, in the winter of 1856-57, and his removal to Des Moines, which was made the capital in 1858. He was state printer four years. On reaching Des Moines he purchased "The Citizen," soon changed its name to " Iowa State Register", and sold it to Frank W. Palmer, the incoming state printer, in 1861.

At that time Mr. Teesdale was appointed postmaster by Mr. Lincoln, and he held the office until turned out by President Johnson.

In November, 1868, Mr. Teesdale removed to Mount Pleasant, which has since been his home, though he himself has had brief sojourns in other places. He spent seven months on a daily paper at Omaha, Nebraska, in 1870, and had charge of the "Daily Chronicle," Washington, District of Columbia, during the second campaign (1872) of General Grant for the Presidency.

Since locating in Mount Pleasant Mr. Teesdale was a short time on the " Mount Pleasant Journal," and a short time in trade with his son-in-law, George P. Okell. Latterly he has engaged in no business. Mr. Teesdale was originally a whig, and was a delegate to the national convention which nominated General Taylor in 1848. From the birth of the republican party he has acted witli it, and his pen has wielded a powerful influence in promulgating its principles. Probably no journalist now living in the state has done more to advance the cause of his party.

Mr. Teesdale has been a member of the Congregational church for many years, much of the time official member. He has been prominent among the laymen of the state, attending congregational state conventions as a delegate and participating in their deliberations.

The wife of Mr. Teesdale was Miss Mary Dulty, of Wheeling, West Virginia; married in June, 1837. They have had seven children and have lost four; one of them is buried at Akron, Ohio, one at Columbus and two at Des Moines. The two buried in the state were married; Addie was the wife of John M. Clark, of Des Moines; John, junior, who died in Boston in November, 1877; was buried in Des Moines. Of the three living, Mary is the wife of George B. Okell, of Chicago, Robert lives at home and George Dulty is a merchant at Crete, Nebraska.

(The United States Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self-Made Men. Iowa Volume. Chicago and New York; American Biographical Publishing Company. 1878.) Contributed by Nettie Mae Lucas, August 2018.

Stephen Thatcher

STEPHEN THATCHER, farmer, on section 12, in Salem Township. For a quarter of a century our subject has been engaged in, and identified with, the business interests of Henry County. He was born in Rochester, Warren Co., Ohio, and is a son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Linton) Thatcher. The Thatcher family are of English origin, and on the Linton side they emigrated with William Penn to America. Elizabeth Linton was born in Bucks County, Pa., and her husband in Berkeley County, Va. The parents on both sides became residents of Ohio, the Thatchers settling in Greene County in 1806. Joseph Thatcher and Elizabeth Linton were married in Clinton County, Ohio, and removed to Rochester, Warren County, where they owned a farm and also kept a tavern for a few years. All their children were born in Ohio, as follows: Jesse and Ruth, who died unmarried; Hannah was next, and is married to Augustus Cox, of Page County; William married Sydney A. Thompson; David wedded Charity Cook; Hannah was next, and is married to Augustus Cox, of Page County; then Thomas, who was married to Melinda Scott, were all born in Clinton County. In Warren County were born Stephen, our subject; John, who wedded Anna Buffington, and Ann, deceased. The entire family removed to this State in 1846, and settled near Salem. One year later Joseph Thatcher purchased a farm near West Point, and five years later returned to Marion County, Ind., near Indianapolis, remaining there, however, only two years, when he again came to Henry County and purchased a farm near Salem, upon which he staid a few years, and then purchased property in Salem, where both the parents lived and died. Both reached a ripe old age, Joseph being ninety-one and his wife seventy-nine years old at the time of their death.

Stephen Thatcher has always been a farmer. He was married, Oct. 20, 1853, to Miss Ann Hadley, of Morgan County, Ind., where she died May 27, 1 863. She was the mother of three children: Jared is the husband of Emma Lamb, and is a farmer of Thayer County, Neb.; Marietta became the wife of George Pruitt, a resident physician of Blanchard, Page Co., Iowa, and Albert is deceased. The second wife of our subject was Miss Achsah Pidgeon, a daughter of Isaac and Phoebe Pidgeon, who have an extensive history elsewhere. The wedding was celebrated March 21, 1861, and their two first years of married life were spent in Indiana. In 1863 Mr. Thatcher came to this county, purchased his present farm, and has been a citizen of Henry County ever since. To their union were born six children: Charles, a graduate of the Burlington Commercial College, is a resident of Yama, Col.; Isaac E. is now a resident of Imperial, Chase Co., Neb.; Ruth I., Alice and Anna B. are yet at home, and Daisy is deceased. Almost a quarter of a century of happy married life came to our subject and his wife, when, beloved by all, in a home made joyous by the bright smiles and happy voices of her children, the spirit of the faithful wife and loving mother passed from this earth to life eternal, Nov. 8, 1885. An elegant home was thus left without a matron, and a husband who adored her in life and now reveres her memory, still remains true to his trust, and the children, guided by the correct teaching and loving counsel of their mother, have lightened his sorrow as best they could. The neighborhood in which Mr. Thatcher resides is composed of the best families in Salem Township, and all unite in their praises of him as a father, a gentleman, and a public-spirited citizen. Born in the Quaker Church, to which his parents belonged, he still holds his allegiance with it, and yet retains his membership in the first society of Friends organized in Henry County, Salem Township.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, pp 256-259)(JC)

John A. Thomas

JOHN A. THOMAS has been engineer at the Iowa State Hospital for the Insane, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, since November, 1862, now covering a period of twenty-five years. He was born in Coshocton County, Ohio, Jan. 27, 1835, and is the son of John and Mary (Baker) Thomas. His father was born in Bedford County, Pa., in 1801, and was of Scotch and German descent. his mother was also born in the same county, of German parentage. His father was a merchant and farmer, and politically was a Free-Soil Democrat and an ardent Abolitionist. John A. lost his mother when he was ten years of age. He learned the machinist's trade at Shanesville, Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, and in 1848, when only sixteen years of age, started overland to California. He crossed the plains, which at that time were infested by hostile Indians, spent six years in California as a miner and mechanic, then went to South America, where he ran a flouring-mill for two years on a salary of $2,000 a year. From there he sailed to the Sandwich Islands, spent some time at Honolulu and other points on the Islands, going from there to Puget Sound, Vancouver's Island and Alaska. Returning from British America to California, he helped to organize the Republican party in that State in 1856, and then returned to the States that year, via Panama and New York. coming direct to Iowa, he located in Jefferson County, Lockridge Township, where he built and operated a flouring-mill. He was there chosen Captain of Militia, and on the breaking out of the late war was offered a Captain's commission by Attorney General Baker, of Iowa. He entered the service with his company in Missouri, under Gen. Fremont, in 1862, serving directly under Col. Moore. He was back and forth to Missouri as he was required during the first year of the war. Never formally accepting his commission, he served as Captain just the same. Capt. Thomas came to the State Hospital at Mt. Pleasant, as engineer, Dec. 18, 1863, and for nearly twenty-five years has served in that capacity. he is a first-class mechanic, understands his business thoroughly, and possesses the perfect confidence of the State Board of Managers and of his superior officers. Under his judicious management the engines and machinery have been operated with the greatest economy and safety.

Mr. Thomas was married in Salem, Henry County, June 2, 1856, to Miss Lettie Kendall. Mrs. Thomas was but fifteen years of age at the time of her marriage. She was born in Indiana and came with her parents to Henry County, Iowa, when but four years of age. Four children were born to them, two sons and two daughters: Stephen, the eldest, born March 2, 1860, died in infancy; Martha J. was born Sept. 30, 1866, and is the wife of Louis Schultz, a farmer of Trenton Township, Henry Co., Iowa; she has a family of three children, two boys and a girl - Lily, Jesse and Harry. George W. was born at Mt. Pleasant, Nov. 5, 1863; he is an engineer at the Ketcham Mills of this place. Jesse P. is the foreman of the laundry department of the Iowa State Hospital for the Insane at Mt. Pleasant; he possesses marked artistic talent which, if cultivated, may prove a source of great pleasure to himself and friends. Mr. Thomas and his wife are Methodists. He is liberal in his political views, and is a member in good standing of Mystic Lodge No. 55, I. O. O. F., and also a member of K. of L.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 369-70.)

D. D. W. C. Throop

D. D. W. C. THROOP, deceased, was for many years the senior editor of the Mt. Pleasant Free Press, owned by his nephew, James A. Throop, who had from boyhood been to him as a son, and whom he had followed to Iowa from his home in the State of New York. He was born in Hamilton, Madison Co., N. Y., Nov. 27, 1819, and was the youngest of a family of seven children, all of whom had preceded him to the farther shore. In early life he was designed by his friends for the ministry, for which his devout and reverent nature seemed especially to fit him. His own inclinations, however, led him to the study of the law, in which he spent three years. Too great an absorption in the studies which he loved impaired his health, and a long and dangerous illness resulted, compelling him to relinquish his cherished design, and seek a more active career for his life work, which he accordingly did.

May 4, 1847, he was married in his native town to Lydia A. Whipple, also of that place. The young couple began their domestic life in Preston, Chenango Co., N. Y., where they lived until about twenty years later, when they removed to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Their union was blessed by the births of three children, one daughter and two sons, namely: Eliza C., who became to wife of M. J. Blanding, and died in Henry County, in 1877, leaving two children who were taken to rear by their grandparents, and on whom Mr. Throop lavished the love he had felt for his only daughter, whose death was to him the greatest sorrow of his life. The sons are: George E., a well-known resident of Mt. Pleasant, and Deputy Postmaster; and James H., who carried out the early ambition of his father, and is now a successful attorney at Norwich, N. Y., the town where his father had began his studies, and of which James H. Throop has recently been elected as Mayor. Besides his own children, our subject had reared his nephew, James A. Throop, proprietor of the Mt. Pleasant Free Press, and had regarded him as one of his own, an affection fully reciprocated by its recipient. The latter settled in Mt. Pleasant in December, 1856, and in March, 1868, our subject decided to make that place his home, also, having likewise a sister and other relatives living there. On his arrival in Mt. Pleasant he engaged in the hardware business with his nephew, the connection continuing until the latter became, in the summer of 1872, one of the proprietors of the Mt. Pleasant Free Press. He then became a regular contributor to the paper, a labor he loved, and on the retirement of the regular editor, Mr. Edwin Van Cise, he assumed the duties of editor-in-chief, a position he filled until the moment of his death, the proprietor giving his attention to its management. He was a ready and fluent writer, and his editorial work on the Free Press marked him as a man of no ordinary ability.

In politics Mr. Throop was in early life an ardent Whig, but on the formation of the Republican party, was equally enthusiastic in its support. Especially was he an admirer of Horace Greeley, who was his ideal Statesman, and when the latter was nominated for the Presidency in 1872, he followed him into the ranks of the Democratic party, with which he afterward continued to act. He was also an ardent advocate of the cause of prohibition, and in his New York home was especially active in its support.

The death of Mr. Throop was sudden. He died as he had often expressed a wish to do, "with the harness on." On Saturday, March 10, 1888, he was cheerfully conversing with an old friend and former associate, Mr. Edwin Van Cise, in the Free Press office, when he was seen to put his hand to his head and fall forward. Loving arms caught him and laid him gently down, and in a few moments the spirit of the just man winged its way to Him who gave it.

Mr. Throop was a man of rare purity of life, of deep religious feeling, honest in word and deed, of a cheerful, kindly disposition, beloved by all who knew him well, and his death was mourned by an unusually large circle of friends to whom his lovable traits of character had greatly endeared him.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 619-20.)

James A. Throop

JAMES A. THROOP, editor of the Mt. Pleasant Free Press, was born Dec. 7., 1835, in Hamilton, Madison Co., N. Y., of which village his parents were also natives. His ancestors were of English origin, but for several generations had been natives of America, first residents of Connecticut, but afterward of New York State. On the paternal side they were of the Throop-Masons, and on the maternal of the Goldsmith-Miners, all well-known residents of the Eastern States. When James A. was an infant of three months old he was, with his sister Cordelia, taken by his grandmother to rear, his mother having died. His sister is now Mrs. C. T. Cole, of Mt. Pleasant. His grandmother afterward removed to Chenango County, N. Y., where James A. was reared and where he attended the common schools until he was sixteen years old, when he began a regular college course at Madison University, in Hamilton, N. Y. He was designed for the ministry, but on account of delicate health that intention was abandoned, and he worked on a farm, attended and taught school until 1855, when at the earnest solicitation of his sister, then a popular teacher at Henry, Marshall Co., Ill., he came West. His father had died six years before this, in 1849, at the then small city of Chicago. He was with his sister at the time of her marriage to Rev. W. R. Cole, in Henry, Ill., in December, 1856, and came with them, at that time, to Mt. Pleasant, where he has ever since lived. In 1857 Mr. Throop was engaged by Messrs. J. W. & R. S. Cole as collector and book-keeper, and in the fall of that year returned to Chenango County, N. Y., and in the spring of 1858 was married to Miss Rowena Beebe, at McDonough, in that State. In May of that year he brought his wife to Mt. Pleasant, and began keeping house in the old "Octagon," well remembered as one of the landmarks of that city, but after one change finally settled down in his present home.

In 1959 Mr. Throop had an interest in the business of Messrs. Cole Brothers, under the firm name of Cole, Throop & Co., the firm establishing at Greencastle, Ind., in 1862, a pump factory. These they sold in this and other States in connection with lightning rods. In the spring of 1865 Mr. Throop sold his interest to Cole Brothers, and continued the business of selling lightning rods and pumps, taking his uncle, D. D. W. C. Throop, as a partner in 1868, and Solomon Wait in 1869, when hardware was added to the business. In January, 1872, Mr. Throop sold out his business, and in June of that year, in company with Edwin Van Cise, bought the Mt. Pleasant Free Press, which was conducted under their management until 1877, since which time it has been conducted solely by him, Mr. Throop giving his entire time and energies to its business and management. The result of his care and excellent judgment in the conduct of its affairs is apparent in the splendid property into which the concern has grown, and the wide influence it has acquired in the councils of the Democratic party in Henry and adjoining counties. He has greatly extended the business of the office and has established agents not only in many parts of Iowa, but in other of the Western States. Though not taking personally a very active part in public affairs, Mr. Throop has served seven years on the School Board of Mt. Pleasant, and one term in its City Council.

Mr. and Mrs. Throop are the parents of eight children, of whom five are living, viz: Joseph C., Horace L., Thomas D., Addison J. and Bessie C. The three eldest are at present employed with their father in the Free Press office. In his religious views Mr. Throop has from his youth been a believer in the doctrines of the Universalists. In politics he was until 1872 a Republican, but in the Greeley campaign of that year joined the ranks of the Democracy, with which party he has since been identified. Personally he is a genial gentleman, an upright man and a good citizen.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 370-71.)

Palmer C. Tiffany

PALMER C. TIFFANY, one of the pioneers of Henry County, was born in Sturbridge, Worcester Co., Mass., April 7, 1809, and is a son of Jonathan and Experience (Chamberlain) Tiffany. The latter was a daughter of Deacon Edmund Chamberlain, a prominent member of the Baptist Church in that locality. Mr. Tiffany was a mechanic, and also quite a good musician. He was a plain, straightforward man, of a social, genial disposition, and endeavored to give his children the best obtainable education, believing that to be the best inheritance he could leave to them. Mrs. Tiffany was a woman of domestic habits, a faithful wife and devoted mother. Both were sincere Christians, and had the respect of all the people who knew them. Mr. Tiffany died Dec. 12, 1865, and his wife July 31, 1861. They were the parents of seven children, as follows: Palmer Co.; Edwin D., a resident of Hartford, Conn., whose first wife, Esther Cooper, died May 3, 1837; his second wife, Julia Campbell, died March 9, 1886. Lucien also lives in Hartford; Elizabeth K., who was married to Franklin D. Hall, died Nov. 11, 1862, and her husband Jan. 13, 1857; Mary died in infancy; Susan, living in Hartford, Conn., is the widow of John R. Youngs, who died Feb. 6, 1880; and Louisa J., who was the wife of Edward Beach, died Feb. 26, 1887; her husband still survives.

When a boy the subject of this sketch worked in a cotton factory in the summer, attending school in winter, and was afterward employed as a clerk and book-keeper. He was married, Jan. 1, 1835, to Eliza Chevey, of Worcester County, Mass., a daughter of Pennel Chevey, a prominent citizen of that county, and they have passed together a happy wedded life of fifty-three years, and their friends hope many more are yet in store for them.

The father of Mrs. Tiffany was a gentleman of great reputation for integrity and in his Eastern home was entrusted with much business of a confidential and responsible character. He was often chosen trustee and guardian, and discharged every trust committed to his care with fidelity. He was never a robust man, and lived but a few years after coming West, dying in Mt. Pleasant, in 1843, at the age of sixty-two. His wife, Huldah Tardell, also of Sturbridge, Mass., was an enterprising and energetic woman, of great executive ability, and brought her family up very strictly. She died in the house where Mr. Tiffany lives, in 1873, in her ninetieth year, and might have lived longer, but for a trip she took shortly before her death, which over-taxed her strength.

In 1838, attracted like thousands of others by the golden promises of the far West of that day, and by the glowing accounts of a former neighbor who had emigrated to Iowa, Palmer C. Tiffany and his wife, accompanied by her father and brother, undertook the tedious journey to this State. In the company was a child the son of Mrs. Tiffany's brother, she taking charge of him until his mother joined the colony the following year. They also brought with them an Indian girl, Wealthy Buckingham, whose father had given her to Mrs. Tiffany's mother. She was brought up with Mrs. Tiffany, and has been a life-long servant and devoted companion, still living with Mr. and Mrs. Tiffany.

On leaving the East, the company went to Albany, N. Y., by stage, and thence to Utica by railroad; thence to Buffalo, N. Y., by canal, and by steamer on the lake to Cleveland, Ohio. From Cleveland they pushed on to Portsmouth, Ohio, by canal on a freight boat, as their household goods could not be carried on a packet. From Portsmouth they went down the Ohio River by boat to Cincinnati, and thence to St. Louis. From there they went up the river to Warsaw, Ill., the nearest point to their destination. On arriving at that point Mr. Tiffany hired a team to take them to their intended stopping-place, which his former neighbor had told him was called "Sweet Home." The journey was attended with many discomforts, and on arriving at the place, instead of the flourishing town they had been led to expect, they found but one small cabin. Starting out to look for a better location Mr. Tiffany and his brother-in-law reached Farmington, Iowa, where they heard of Mt. Pleasant, and decided to see what it looked like. Here they determined to settle, and Mr. Tiffany bought the claim of a squatter named Martin Tucker for $700, which he afterward purchased from the Government. This included the land on which the State Hospital for the Insane now stands. In 1839 he kept a public house in Mt. Pleasant in a rented building, and in the following year bought the lot known at the "Tiffany Corner," on which was a small building. Here he kept a hotel known as the "Hawkeye House," and later as the "Henry House." In 1849, on the breaking out of the California good fever, he joined a company and made the perilous journey across the plains, leaving his wife in charge of the hotel, which she successfully conducted in his absence. The journey to California by ox-teams consumed four months. The company stopped at "Hangtown," now Placerville, and Mr. Tiffany engaged in mining, remaining until 1851, when he returned, going by sailing-vessel to the Isthmus, the voyage occupying seventy-two days, for twenty of which they were on short allowance. They crossed by mules to the Chagres River, and down that stream to Chagres, where the embarked on a steamer for New York by the way of Cuba. After visiting old friends in Massachusetts and Connecticut, Mr. Tiffany returned to his home in Mt. Pleasant and again assumed charge of his hotel, to which he added many improvements, and which was thereafter known as the "Tiffany House." He continued in the hotel business until his house was burned down, Nov. 23, 1857. He then put up a store on the lot, and engaged in selling books, stationery, wall-paper, fancy goods, etc., carrying it on until he was again visited by a disastrous conflagration, Feb. 14, 1882. With characteristic pluck and energy he began again, and has since been in his pleasant trade of dealing in furniture, wall-papers, doing undertaking, etc.

In 1839 Mr. Tiffany was appointed by Territorial Governor Lucas, Justice of the Peace, and on the office being made elective was elected, and re-elected, holding the position until he resigned to go to California. On his return he was several times again elected to the same office. In politics he has always been a Democrat, and under President Pierce's administration was appointed Postmaster of Mt. Pleasant, holding the position for nearly nine years. Twice he he has been elected Alderman of the city on a none-partisan ticket, holding that office four years. Always active in any movement for the benefit of his town, he took a prominent part in procuring the establishment of the Iowa Wesleyan University, of which he was one of the incorporators, and President of its first Board of Trustees. He has always lent a helping hand to any deserving enterprise for the public good. Mr. and Mrs. Tiffany have no children of their own, but adopted and reared two: The son, Samuel, married Louise Osborn; he is a traveling salesman, and at present is living in New York City. The daughter, Eliza W., received her education at Howe's Academy in Mt. Pleasant, and was afterward sent for a year to Hartford, Conn., to finish her education. She became the wife of Gen. Thomas B. Eldridge, well known for the prominent part he took in the Kansas border war. he died in Lawrence, Kan., where Mrs. Eldridge now lives. Mr. and Mr. Tiffany are members of St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Mt. Pleasant, of which he has been Warden for many years. He is also a member of the I. O. O. F., belonging to Henry Lodge No. 10. His life of half a century in Mt. Pleasant has been one of usefulness and honor, and he is justly regarded not only as one of its first, but also as one of its best citizens, who is held in esteem by all who know him. Since locating here he has witnessed many changes. The beautiful but wild prairie has given way to a flourishing city, and where stood the rude cabins of the early settlers, are now to be found splendid buildings devoted to the trade of a thriving business center. Another indication of progress is mentioned by Mr. Tiffany. When he first came to Mt. Pleasant the journey occupied thirty days, and cost the little party $500, now the same trip can be made within forty-eight hours, in elegantly equipped railroad coaches, and would cost the same number not to exceed $100. Truly a wonderful progress.

This sketch would be incomplete without a more particular mention of Mrs. Eliza C. Tiffany. A woman of marked individuality, and of rare gifts, she exercised a wide influence in the social and business life of the young city. Her charity was a no less noted trait of her character. No matter how inclement the weather, or how lowly the station of the sufferer, where distress needed relief there Mrs. Tiffany was ever to be found, never hesitatingly or grudgingly, but freely and promptly ministering to the wants of the needy, even though the object was perhaps hardly worthy. With her, charity was first; reproof, if needed, came later. No personal dislike (and she was a woman of strong impulses) ever deterred her in the performance of a charity, no fear of contagion frightened her, and her keen judgment and firmness of mind were often tested in trying scenes. As a woman of business, while conducting the hotel i the absence of her husband in California, and while presiding over the work of the post-office, while her husband was Postmaster, she showed herself possessed of rare executive abilities, and the older residents of the city, who her best, speak of her in warms terms of admiration. She is indeed a most estimable lady, and worthy of all the words of praises bestowed upon her.

It is with great pleasure we present the admirable portraits of these most worthy living representatives of the pioneers of Henry County.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 409-11.)

Bernhard Traut

BERNHARD TRAUT, a resident of Marion Township, living on section 21, was born in Eppingen, State of Baden, Germany, Feb. 29, 1832, and is the son of George and Catharine (Lindner) Traut, who were also natives of Germany. George and Catharine Traut were the parents of six children, but only three grew to man and womanhood: Louisa, deceased; Nancy died in Germany at the age of thirty; Mina mar�ried Henry Klingemeier, a farmer now living in Wapello County, Iowa; Elizabeth, Catharine and one other child died in infancy. Bernhard was the fourth child, and when four years of age his parents removed to Bretten, where he attended school. At the age of fifteen he left school to learn the trade of dyeing and printing goods of various kinds, at which trade he worked about three years, or until he was eighteen years old, at which time he made up his mind to leave his native country. Accordingly, April 1, 1850, he embarked on board a ship and sailed for America. After a voyage of forty-five days he landed in New York City May 13, where he remained for about two months, work�ing in a brewery at $2 a month for the first, and $3 for the second month. About this time a friend of young Traut came from Philadelphia to New York, and Traut concluded to go with him on his return to the City of Brotherly Love, which he did. After looking around for some time, he concluded to learn the carpenter's trade, and accordingly went to work with the firm of George Link & Fisher, at $30 per year, board and washing included. He worked with them two years and eight months, or until he was twenty-one years old. At the expiration of his time with Link & Fisher, he began taking instructions in stair-building, receiving $1.25 per day for the first year, boarding himself. The second year he worked as journeyman, and received $1.75 in summer and $1.50 in winter. In May, 1855, he went to Chicago and remained there until sometime in June, when he went to Burlington, Iowa, and from there by wagon to Mt. Pleasant, where he went to work at his trade for Robert Reed, for whom he worked one month, when they formed a partnership, under the firm name of Reed & Traut. In January, 1856, he went to St. Louis and from there to New Orleans, where he remained three weeks. Taking passage on a steamer, he returned to New York, remaining there until the time of his marriage, which occurred July 15, 1856, to Miss Caroline Schneider, who was born at Ober, Oterbaeh, in the State of Bavaria, Germany, April 7, 1832. She was the daughter of Frederick and Frederica (Fath) Schneider, who were both natives of Germany. In August, young Traut returned to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, with his young bride, and built his first home in America. He worked at his trade, part of the time at St. Louis and Jefferson City, Mo., until 1858, when he went to work on the hospital for the insane at Mt. Pleasant, and continued at this work from June until December. Work being scarce in Mt. Pleasant, he again went to St. Louis, and engaged in stair-building at $2.25 per day, remaining three months. When his work was finished, his employers made him a present of $10 as a token of their appreciation of his ability as a workman. While he was in St. Louis, Mr. Traut received word that his father had come to New York, and he returned to Mt. Pleasant with the intention of going for him, but in the meantime the old gentleman arrived at that place, where he made his home with his son and daughter. He died at the age of eighty-one years and three months. His wife died when Bernhard was twelve years old. Mr. Traut began work on the asylum in 1859, working there until the spring of 1861, when he bought forty acres of land, but two acres of which were cleared, and on which was a log cabin. He commenced working on his land, grubbing and clearing, and adding buildings and more land from time to time, until he now has 235 acres. He and his two sons own 515 acres, of which the first forty acres were the foundation. Mr. Traut has erected good buildings on his farm, and it is under a fine state of cultivation, being the result of economy and industry on his part, for at the age of twenty-one he had but $4 in cash with which to begin the battle of life. Today none stand higher in the respect of the citizens of Henry County than do Mr. Traut and his estimable wife.

Four children have graced their union: Louisa, the eldest, died in infancy; George, born Dee. 20, 1858, was united in marriage with Miss Maggie Smith, now deceased; by this union he had one child, Frederick, born Sept. 27, 1886, and resides on section 20, Marion Township. Henry, born in July, 1862, married Mary Lafferty, a daughter of John Lafferty, and now resides on a farm in Marion Township; Lillie, born Oct. 10, 1866, is still living at home. Mr. and Mrs. Traut have given each of their children a good education, and all are held in high esteem. In politics, Mr. Traut holds liberal views, voting for the man and not the party.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, pp 260-261)(JC)

Henry Traut

HENRY TRAUT, one of the young, enterprising farmers of Henry County, residing on section 21, Marion Township, was born in this county, July 3, 1862, and is the son of Bernhard and Caroline (Schneider) Traut, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work. His parents were natives of Germany, emigrating to Iowa in 1856, where Henry was born. He was reared upon the home farm, and attended the district school, but his parents feeling that this was not enough, sent their son one term to Howe's Academy at Mt. Pleasant and two terms to the Wesleyan University, where he made such good progress that he received a teacher's certificate. He is a man who believes that a farmer, to be successful, must be intelligent and keep posted in the current events of the day. After his return from school, he made his home with his parents until Feb. 17, 1886, when he concluded to take to himself one of Iowa's fair daughters. He was married to Miss Mary I. Lafferty, who was born Aug. 24, 1861, in Henry County, Iowa, and is the daughter of John and Martha (Campbell) Lafferty, natives of Indiana.

Mr. Traut owns a fine farm of 160 acres, and in 1886 erected a beautiful and commodious two-story house thereon, which has added much to the beauty and value of his farm, which stands second to none in the county. He is turning his whole attention to farming and stock-raising, and has been very successful in both. Mr. Traut is a young man full of energy and enterprise, never hesitating to lend a helping hand to any enterprise that is for the general good of the community. He and his young wife stand high in the esteem of their friends and neighbors, and Henry County has few nobler sons and daughters than Mr. and Mrs. Traut. His political interests are with the Democratic party.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, pp 287-288) (JC)

George C Traxler

GEORGE C. TRAXLER, residing on section 20, Marion Township, is by birth a Pennsylvanian, having been born in Cumberland County of that State, Oct. 31, 1842. His parents, Jacob and Elizabeth (Cramer) Traxler, were also natives of Pennsylvania, though of German descent. The father and mother of Jacob Traxler came to America at a very early day and settled in Pennsylvania, where Jacob was born. Jacob and Elizabeth Traxler were the parents of nine children: Catherine A., wife of Levi Flickinger, now resides in Story County, Iowa; John, a farmer and brick-maker of Seward County, Kan., wedded Rebecca Yount; Jacob, whose first wife was Eliza J. Humes, who died Aug. 5, 1867, leaving three children, was again married, to Mrs. Elizabeth Gould, and is a resident of Trenton Township, Henry County; Mary, deceased wife of John Black, of Trenton Township; Elizabeth, the deceased wife of Elias Black; Frances R., the deceased wife of J. W. Moore, of Marion Township; George, the subject of this sketch, is next in order of birth; Joseph, a farmer of Appanoose County, Iowa, and Grazel, who died at the age of nine. John Traxler emigrated to Iowa in 1853, and his father Jacob, with the rest of the family, came in 1854. The father bought eighty-four acres of land in Marion Township, on which he lived until his death, which occurred April 24, 1871. He was born Oct. 28, 1807, and had been blind for a number of years before his death, having lost his sight while blasting. His wife died Oct. 9, 1872. They were both members of the Lutheran Church, and were regular and faithful attendants of the same.

George Traxler obtained his education in the common schools of the township, but at an early age he left to learn the trade of brick-making, which business he followed until 1885. On the 15th of October, 1865, he was united in marriage with Miss Emma L. Harper, of Franklin County, Ohio. Mrs. Traxler is a daughter of Elisha and Ann (Davis) Harper, and was born ,Jan. 29, 1845. Mr. and Mrs. Harper were natives of Pennsylvania, but of German and Irish descent. To them were born six children: David, a farmer of Marion Township Eliza A., wife of Samuel Jay, of Dallas, Col.; William J., a farmer of Page County, Iowa; Mrs. Traxler; Margaret, wife of David Kenworthy, of Mt. Pleasant, and Eli, a farmer of Trenton Township. Mr. Harper died Nov. 18, 1855, and his wife was again united in marriage, with Reuben Mannings, now deceased. Mrs. Mannings is now residing in Trenton Township.

Mr. and Mrs. Traxler are the happy parents of two children: Levi A., born Dec. 26, 1866, and Annetta, born Oct. 11, 1868. In March, 1886, Levi started a store of general merchandise on the Washington road. Mr. Traxler and his good wife are highly respected by all who know them. He was reared a Democrat, but cast his first vote with the Independent party. He owns a nice farm of fifty-six acres, on which he has good and substantial farm buildings.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p 252)(JC)

Jacob Traxler

JACOB TRAXLER, residing on section 25, Trenton Township, Henry Co., Iowa, is a native of Cumberland County, Pa., born Sept. 9, 1831, and is of German ancestry. Our subject learned the trade of brick-making, which he has followed most of his life. He came to this county in 1854 with his father, settling in Marion Township, where he purchased 266 acres of land, which he afterward sold, buying a farm of 120 acres on section 9 of the same township. He resided upon that farm from 1859 until 1884, and during that time made many improvements, but sold in that year, and rented a farm in Trenton Township, where he has since made his home.

In the fall of 1855 Jacob Traxler was united in marriage with Eliza J. Hume. She was born Dec. 18, 1838, in Ohio, and is the daughter of James Hume, a native of Virginia. By that marriage five children were born, namely: James B., who was born Sept. 21, 1856, was for four years School Superintendent of Henry County, and is now teaching in Grenada, Col.; an infant, born May 6, 1859, was the second child; Elizabeth J., born Aug. 5, 1860, who was a teacher in the public schools, became the wife of J. Wallace Miller, a farmer of Marion Township; Grezelle A., born April 6, 1869, died in May, 1883; George C., born May 5, 1866, died in infancy. Eliza J. Traxler died Aug. 5, 1866. She was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Mr. Traxler was again married, Jan. 16, 1867, to Ruth E. Carpenter, who was the widow of John F. Gould, of Jones County, Iowa, who died Feb. 28, 1865, and by that marriage Mrs. Traxler had one child, Hiram E. Gould, now living in Nebraska. By Mr. Traxler's second marriage ten children were born: Viola C., born Oct. 25, 1867; John E., Nov. 15, 1869; Clarence C., Jan. 13, 1872; William L., April 29, 1874; Rosa Belle, Dec. 3,1875; Mary A., April 5, 1877; Minnie B., born Feb. 25, 1879, died March 20, 1882; Alvin J., born Nov. 24, 1880, died Feb. 26, 1882; Louis E., born July 31, 1883; and Catherine, March 5, 1885. Politically, Mr. Traxler is a Democrat, though he is liberal in his views. Mr. and Mrs. Traxler are among the highly respected people of Trenton Township, and we welcome them to a place in the history of Henry County.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, pp 329-330) (JC)

Charles H. Tribby

CHARLES H. TRIBBY, farmer. There are many of the young men of today, who were born in other States, that are representatives of the business interests of Henry County. Among these we are pleased to mention Charles H. Tribby, who is favorably known to many of the people of this county as an energetic farmer whose home for a score of years has been in Salem Township. He was born in Harrisville, Harrison Co., Ohio, in 1855, and is a son of John W. and Jane H. Tribby. The paternal grandfather of our subject, and his family, were natives of Virginia, and of their early history but little is known. John Tribby, grandfather of our subject, was left an orphan when ten years of age, and before he reached full manhood went to Harrison County, Ohio, where he was married to Ann White, then in her sixteenth year. Her death occurred in this State in 1873, and her marriage must have been one of the earliest celebrated in that county, and was consummated, perhaps, in 1813. Her husband was a tanner by trade, and before his marriage worked at that business in Virginia. He also owned and operated a tannery in Ohio after his marriage, and engaged in clearing up and farming the lands previously entered. They were the parents of several children, of whom we mention: Sarah J., who is the wife of Milton Mendenhall, and lives in Colorado; Isaac B., married to Mary Yost, lives in Londonderry, Ohio; Lewis D. is married to Melissa Thompson, and lives in Marshall County, Iowa; John W., father of Charles H.; and Samuel. Several died young. The children were born, reared and married in Ohio, and with their parents emigrated to this county in 1864, purchasing land four miles north of Salem. Upon that farm the parents lived, and died within a year of each other, at a ripe old age. They were of the Friends' faith, and were zealous advocates of their doctrines. John W. and his wife, Jane Howard, are the parents of six children, living: Martha, wife of Wyke Elliott; Julia, wife of Samuel Spray; Hannah, wedded to Levi Parkins; Ella, the wife of Marion Weimer; Melissa wedded Alpheus Taylor; and Charles H. Possessed of an adventurous spirit, the parents have taken a Western trip, and have located a tract of unimproved land in Greeley County, Kan., although their connection with this county has not been severed.

Our subject attended school in this county, completing his education at Whittier College in the summer of 1879. For several years both before and after that time, he engaged in teaching in this and Lee County, in which profession he was favorably known. Having been reared upon a farm he learned to love its independent life, and worked at farming at intervals. The year prior to his marriage he was in the employ of the "Gate City Publishing Company," engaged in reportorial and various kinds of work in the States of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. Desirous of becoming settled in life, and of engaging in the breeding of stock, he relinquished journalism, and on the 30th of November, 1882, Miss Mary Carver, of Lee County, this State, became his wife. Her mother, Mary (Cook) Carver, died at her birth, and Mary was reared and educated by her uncle and aunt, Samuel and Susan Hill, formerly of Lee, but now respected citizens of Salem Township, this county. Mr. and Mrs. Hill were early pioneers of Lee County, and began life in the most primitive way, but the ends for which they toiled have been accomplished, and they are now numbered among the aged and wealthy couples of this county. In 1844 they settled in Lee County, but subsequently became residents of Henry County solely for the purpose of educating their niece, who was in attendance at Whittier College. She was reared with all the care and tenderness a mother and father could have bestowed upon her, and to the aged couple her love goes out with all the warmth of affection of an appreciative daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Hill had no children of their own, consequently their attention was given not only to Mrs. Tribby, but they also partly reared several other children, all of whom are now gone from the homestead.

After his marriage, in the winter of 1882-83, Mr. Tribby was assistant teacher at Whittier College, and this closed his school work. Mr. and Mrs. Tribby are the parents of two children, Nellie and Ray, both bright, interesting children. In 1887 Mr. Tribby leased a half section of land near Salem, and has stocked it with breeds of the best cattle and hogs, and intends to engage largely in the rearing of stock. Having been the son of a good father, who was industrious but poor, Charles was obliged to work his own way in the world, and he is a thoroughly self-made man. Mr. Tribby is a charter member of Monarch Lodge No. 143, K. of P., of which he was first Past Chancellor, and also its first representative at the Grand Lodge. In local politics he is a prominent factor. He is the soul of courtesy, and an honored citizen, respected and esteemed by all who know him.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, pp 271-272) (JC)

George W. Trimble
Superintendent of the Mt. Pleasant Water Company, and a resident of Mt. Pleasant since 1855, was born in Westmoreland County, Pa., April 7, 1821, and is a son of John and Mary (Carnahan) Trimble. His father was a native of Ireland, and came to America with his parents in infancy. His mother was born in Pennsylvania, of Scotch parents. The early life of George was spent on a farm, and in his youth he learned the carpenter's trade, at which he worked for some years. On the 3d of December, 1853, in Westmoreland County, Pa., he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Frey, a daughter of Hon. Jacob Frey. Her parents were Germans, and her father was a prominent man of that region. Five children were born unto Mr. and Mrs. Trimble, one in the East, and the remainder in Mt. Pleasant: John W. is a druggist's clerk in Chicago; Mary died at the age of thirteen years; Charles is in British Columbia; Emma J. is the wife of Phillips Fluke, a dairyman of Mt. Pleasant; Estella M. lives with her father at Mt. Pleasant. Mrs. Trimble died at Mt. Pleasant, in August, 1883.

In 1855 Mr. Trimble decided on coming West, and in June of that year landed at Burlington, Iowa, where he remained a short time, and in August following came to Mt. Pleasant, where he has since continued to reside, engaged principally in working at his trade of contracting and building. On the 1st day of January, 1886, he became connected with the water company, George B. Inman & Bro., of New York, and has since been Superintendent. For many years he was politically a Republican, but since the Greeley campaign of 1872 he has affiliate with the Democratic party. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, his membership being with Mystic Lodge No. 55, at Mr. Pleasant. Mr. Trimble has not been an office-seeker, but for some years was a member of the City Council. In the third of a century that he has been a resident of Mt. Pleasant, he has made many warm friends, and enjoys the respect and confidence of the entire community. Many of the best buildings in the city were constructed under his supervision.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 238-239)(PW)

Meno Trope

MISS MENO TROPE, Lady Supervisor of the State Hospital for the Insane at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, has occupied that position since October, 1869, and has been an employe [sic] of that institution since 1867, covering a period in all of twenty-one years to this date. During this long time of service Miss Trope has seldom been absent, and never for more than ten days at any one time. She was born in Prussia, and came to America when six years of age, in company with her parents and elder sister, and a brother younger than herself. The family settled in Gasconade County, Mo., within a year from their arrival in the New World, where they hoped to build up a home for themselves, but both parents were stricken with disease and died, leaving the three orphans in a comparative poverty to fight the battle of life as best as they could. They had no relatives in this country, and were separated to be cared for among strangers. Miss Trope came to Iowa in the fall of 1854, and made her home at Wapello, Louisa County, where she resided until 1867, when she came to Mt. Pleasant to become an attendant at the Iowa State Hospital for the Insane. Two years and two months later she was appointed to the position she now holds. Miss Trope never knew what became of her sister. Her brother, she learned, went as a soldier in the late war, and died at St. Louis soon after his return.

Miss Trope has been, with one or two exceptions, longer identified with the management of the hospital than any other person. She is a woman peculiarly fitted for her work. Possessing good executive ability, she knows how the affairs under her control should be conducted, and she has the tact, energy and courage to carry through successfully the many arduous, difficult, and sometimes dangerous, duties devolving upon her. The hospital is a model of neatness and order, not excelled even by the proverbial neatness and system of a well regulated navel frigate. The patients under her charge seem orderly and as contented and happy as their unfortunate mental condition will admit.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 404 & 409.)

Alford Trueblood

ALFORD TRUEBLOOD, of Mt. Pleasant, one of the pioneer settlers of Henry County, Iowa, was born in Washington County, Ind., April 24, 1841, and is the son of Phineas and Elizabeth (Overman) Trueblood, natives of North Carolina. Mr. Phineas Trueblood when a lad of twelve removed with his father, Abel Trueblood, to Washington County, Ind., in 1816. Our subject's father emigrated to Henry County in 1847, settling on section 35, Tippecanoe Township, residing there until his death, which occurred in March, 1877, at the age of seventy-three. His wife preceded him four years to her final home, departing this life in 1873. They were both members of the Society of Friends.

Alford, our subject, was but five years old when his parents came to this county. He was reared on the farm, and educated at the district school. On the 1st of September, 1865, he formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Rosanna Smith, a native of Indiana. By this union there are eight children - William Foster, Nelson, Matilda, Alvan, Newton, Eliza Ellen, Lena Florence and Le Roy. Mr. and Mrs. Trueblood are members of the Society of Friends, and are highly respected by all. In politics Mr. Trueblood is a Republican, and is at present serving his township as Justice of the Peace. He owns 194 acres of land in Henry County.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 367-68.)

Samuel M Turner

The Postmaster and merchant of Coppock, he is a prominent citizen of Henry Co. Among the earliest famlies settling in Salem Twp. was his father Thomas N. Turner, who was born, reared and married in KY. The Turners were of Scots origin, but the early history of the family cannot be detailed.

Thomas N. Turner was three times married, his first wife being Miss Margaret M. McKinney. After their marriage, in the autumn of 1845, the next Spring found them enroute to IA. They were parents of 10 children, all sons, and all born in this county: William E., married Cordelia Lane, and resides in Polk Co., IA; John F. wedded Lydia Allred,resides in Harrison Co., MO; Samuel, our subject; Henry wedded Aletha Jay, who died Nov. 15, 1847; Perry M. married Elizabeth Graham, and lives in Polk Co., IA; Benjamin H. and Martin M. are unmarried live with=their father on the farm. Oscar Zephaniah David died in childhood.

The death of Mrs. Turner occurred Nov. 20, 1873, and on Nov. 12, 1875, Mr. Turner was married to Mrs. Nancy (Wright) Vorris, who died the following August, and on May 6, 1877, he married Mary M. (Long) Redinger, who by her first union had six children: Samuel H., William T., John E., Sarah C., Mary A., and George D., all living.

The four youngest are married: George is the husband of Hettie McDonough, resides in Corvallis, OR; Sarah C. wedded Julius Lippmon, now deceased, and she makes her home with Mr. Turner and is the mother of Jules R., a bright boy four years of age; Mary A. married William A. Smith, of Trenton.

The parents of Mrs. Turner, John and Mary M. Long, came to IA from Franklin Co., PA in 1842, settling in Jefferson Co., and bringing with them six children: John, William, Sarah, David, Henry and Mary M. Only two are living, the eldest and youngest. John wedded Barbara Courtney, resides in Chariton, IA. The parents both died in Jefferson Co., the father age 61 and the mother age 63.

Our subject, Samuel M., was born May 7, 1854 on the farm in Franklin Twp. He was married in 1872 to Miss Elizabeth C. Mason, whose father W. Mason, was an early settler and whose history will be found elsewhere.

A few months after his marriage he rented a farm in Henry Co., and 3 years later removed to Montgomery Co. for three years, and then to Jefferson Co. for one year, then farmed one year in Henry Co. An accident to his right hand disabled him for farm work and he engaged in huckstering a year, and when the railroad was graded he came to the village of Coppock, and erected his home which was the first one built on the town site.

Four children have been born to them: Martha L., and Harry O., who died within a few days of each other, in 1878, one on Oct. 18 and one on Oct. 26; Clayton O., and Elsie M. who was the 1st child born in Coppock, was born on Dec. 31, 1882. Mr. Turner was the 1st family to settle in the village, and he was the first merchant and Postmaster. His commission bears the signatures of Timothy O. Howe, Postmaster General, and Frank Hatton, First Asst.,dated July 5, 1882.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888)(PW)

Daniel Turney

DANIEL TURNEY, a farmer of Jefferson Township, Henry Co., Iowa, was born near Columbus, Ohio, in 1815, and is a son of John and Susan (Ridenhour) Turney. She was born in Maryland and her husband in Westmoreland County, Pa., and both went to Ohio in 1800, having been married in Pennsylvania. Their eldest son, J. M., was born in Pennsylvania prior to the emigration to Ohio. J. M. Turney, Sr., the grandfather of our subject, purchased several soldier's warrants and secured with them about 700 acres of land in Ohio. He and his wife lived and died upon that land. During the residence of John and Susan Turney in Ohio nine children were born to them: Henry died in childhood; Mary married David Dill; Jacob, deceased, married Rebecca Butler; Susan married Thomas Bell; then came our subject, Daniel; Catherine married Zenik Noble, and resides in Indiana; Elizabeth married Augustus Dill; Phoebe and George R. were twins; Phoebe married Elijah Noble, and resides in Jefferson Township; George K. married Cynthia Pinney, and Davis, who died when five years old, completes the family. Their parents lived and died in Ohio.

Daniel, our subject, was married in 1839 to Lavina Wilcox, and in 1843 the young couple came to Henry County, Iowa, and entered a part of the land he now owns. He was a voter for the organization of Iowa as a State, and only a few families were living in Jefferson Township when he came. Of their children, Charles C. and Laura were born in Ohio, and Darius P., Joel, Theodore, Sarah, George, and Cynthia, deceased, were born on the Turney homestead in Jefferson Township. Charles C. married Anna Green, and now resides at Wahoo, Saunders Co., Neb., of which he is County Treasurer. He was educated and married in Henry County, and with his cousin Joel, now of Trenton, learned the blacksmith trade when a young man. Laura married Nathan Carker, a farmer of Audubon County, Iowa; Darius P. married Irene Gillespie, and resides in Saunders County, Neb.; Joel resides in Dakota, and wedded his wife in Minneapolis, and is a large farmer and stock-raiser and also a practical engineer by profession, and formerly ran an engine in Minneapolis; Theodore married Agnes Bowen, and is a farmer in Saline County, Neb.; Sarah married John Ernst, a farmer of Trenton Township; George married Emma Fleagle, and resides upon his father's homestead; Darius P. enlisted in Company G, 11th Iowa Infantry, when but seventeen years of age, and passed through many of the most severe battles of the war, being at home only once during the entire campaign; he was at Shiloh, Corinth, Lookout Mountain, Atlanta, and with Sherman to the sea, and in the military review at Washington he participated.

One of the finest residences in Jefferson Township in an early day was that of our subject. he was a poor man when he came to this county, but success has crowned his efforts and his acres no number 320 in one body. His wife departed this life in 1865, and in 1867 he was again married, his second wife being Eliza Wheeler, of this county, who was born in Coshocton County, Ohio. By this marriage he has had two children: John W., now in Colorado, and Hattie M., a student at Howe's Academy, Mt. Pleasant, both unmarried. One of the most genial personages in the township is our subject. He is of Franco-German origin, and three generations ago his ancestors, who were of French parentage, but German speaking, came to America. His great-grandfather married a Yankee lady in Massachusetts, and from him is descended the family whom we are pleased to honor. Mr. Turney was a Whig in the days of that party and was one who assisted in the formation of the Republican party in this county. He has been frequently Township Trustee, and has also filled many other offices of the township. Prudent in business and energetic in habits he has grown wealthy, and in his ripe old age looks backward upon a life well spent. Other sketches of individuals members of the Turney family will be found elsewhere, and this of Daniel Turney will be warmly welcomed by hundreds of his old friends and neighbors.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 630-31.)

George Tyner

GEORGE W. TYNER, farmer, and President of the Salem Bank. Indiana has contributed many enterprising men to the Western States, and Iowa has shared largely in securing them. The fertility of her soil, the facilities for raising stock and for the production of cereals, are a boon of which she is justly proud.

Our subject was born in Hancock County, Ind., in 1832, and is a son of Elijah and Sarah A. (Halberstout) Tyner. Elijah Tyner was born on Little River, Abbeyville District, S. C., March 21, 1799, and was the second son of Rev. William Tyner, a Baptist minister who removed with his family to Kentucky in 1802, and three years later to the Territory of Indiana, locating near where Brookville has since been built. In 1854 he removed to Decatur County, Ind., where his death occurred, Elijah Tyner was thrice married. The first wife was Martha McCune, who had one son, William H. The second wife was Mary Nelson, whose children were Martha A., Mary J., Robert N. and Charlotte. Sarah A. Halberstout was the third wife, and had seven children-George W., our subject, John H., Oliver H., James M., Elbert, Alonzo and Missouri.

Before the first marriage of Elijah Tyner, he took a claim in Hancock County, Ind., where there was no road but Indian trials to guide the chance trapper or occasional squatter to and from his humble cabin, and here Elijah opened a small stock of general merchandise in a log cabin. As long as he lived he was engaged in the mercantile trade, and upon his original claim, which he finely improved, he lived and died. He was a very exemplary and suc�cessful business man, and by reference to clippings from Indiana journals we learn that he was one of the wealthy and highly respected citizens of that county. At the time of his death he owned over 1,000 acres of land in one body. His wife still resides on the Indiana homestead, and has reached the ripe age of eighty years.

In 1854 George W. Tyner left Indiana and located in McDonough County, Ill., where he began the business of stock-breeding and farming. In 1855 he took a survey of Southeastern Iowa, and purchased his present farm on section 33, Jackson Township, in the autumn of that year. While a resident of Illinois, Mr. Tyner first met the lady who is now his wife, and the occasion was the removal of her parents from Indiana with the intention of locating in this county. They stopped dur�ing the winter in the village of Olena, in Illinois, opposite Burlington. It was agreed that they should be wedded, and after a few months, by mutual agreement our subject followed the young lady to this county, and in the autumn of 1855 Miss Mary F. Bartlett became his wife, the ceremony being performed at the home of her parents, John W. and Catherine (Carmichael) Bartlett, in Jackson Township. The Bartlett family are yet extensively represented in the county, one son, William A., being in the clothing business in Salem, and Jesse D. residing on a farm near Mt. Pleasant.

The parents of Mrs. Tyner lived for many years after they came to this county, the mother dying Aug. 4, 1879, the father, May 22, 1885. During his early life John W. Bartlett resided in Virginia, and when a young man removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, and learned the coach and carriage making trade, which he afterward carried on in that city. He was married at Lawrenceburg, Ind., and when the family removed to Iowa they came from Rush County, Ind. Mrs. Tyner was born in Harrison, Dearborn County, in that State, Nov. 3, 1832. She is the eldest living of the ten children. Her birth was followed by those of William, Jesse D., Kate and Maggie, who are all living and married. Five others died in infancy.

The domestic life of Mr. and Mrs. Tyner was be�gun under the most favorable circumstances upon their present farm. Their union has been one of the happiest, their successes the most continuous, and their social qualities so well known as to win for them the respect and good-will of their neighbors. They are the parents of eight children, of whom six are living-Elijah, Sarah C., Melvin, Oliver, James and Elbert; and William and John, deceased. Two of the children are married. Elijah is the husband of Emma Geese, and resides in Tippecanoe Township, this county, and Sarah C. is the wife of Dr. A. J. Rodgers, a physician of Hast�ings, Neb. The four eldest children were educated at Whittier College prior to its destruction by fire. Melvin has been engaged in teaching in this county, and is another of the many teachers educated in the old college which has fitted many of the youth of this county for a successful business life.

Aside from his farm duties, Mr. Tyner finds time to attend to other business of importance. He was for two years Township Clerk, and for four years has been a member of the School Board. The Salem District Fair owes much of its success to the efforts made by him, Mr. O. H. Cook and Mr. Z. H. Arnold, to whose enterprise the successful exhibitions of 1886 and 1887 are largely due. From its beginning he has been one of the principal promoters and supporters of the enterprise, he has been Treasurer of the association since its organization, and no debt remains unpaid. The society is now fully organized and future meetings will probably be even better than the past. As a successful farmer, his well-tilled fields give evidence. To be assured of their courtesy, it is only necessary to visit the Tyner home, and to judge of their social and business life, the praise of neighbors is suffic�ient.

For several years Mr. Tyner has been connected with the Bank of Salem, as a stockholder, and since 1882 has been its President. For a term of four�teen years he has been in partnership with J. L. Bennett in the purchase and shipment of stock. Mr. Tyner is widely known in a business and social way, and is one of the most successful farmers and business men in the county. He and his family are distinguished for their social qualities, and he is justly regarded as one of the leading and estimable citizens of the county.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, pp 272-273) (JC)

Edwin G. Van Cise

EDWIN G. VAN CISE, M. D. The late Dr. Van Cise, an eminent physician of the Eclectic school of practice, and a resident of Mt. Pleasant since 1857, was born in York County, Pa., Feb. 25, 1810. His father, Daniel Van Cise, was a native of Holland, but came tot America in early life and settled in York County, Pa. His mother was Elizabeth Griest, who was born in Pennsylvania.

The advantages for an education were limited in those primitive days, yet our subject acquired a liberal education and qualified himself for his profession of a teacher. He was a poor boy and had his own way to make in the world, but he was studious, and possessed a laudable ambition to perfect himself in his profession. He was eminently successful as a teacher, and never lacked for a good situation. During an illness contracted while teaching, he became impressed with the superior advantages of the then new system of medical practice, known as the "Reformed School," and determined to qualify himself for practice in that branch of the profession. With this end in view, he purchased books and studied nights, saving in the meantime money from his earnings to defray his expenses at college. He also had to contend with the prejudice of friends and acquaintances, who had only scorn, or what was harder to bear, pity, for his supposed folly in taking up with a system that was only an experiment, and which was being persecuted and ridiculed by the "Old School" practitioners and their friends. He entered the Reform Medical College of New York City, and after a regular course of study, graduated in the class of 1835. He at once established himself in practice in York County, Pa., near his native place, and in spit of the general truthfulness of the old adage that "a prophet is never without honor except in his own county," he built up an extensive practice, in the face of much opposition and prejudice, and became prominent in his profession. His success was so marked that patients from a hundred miles distant sought his services.

He was married in March, 1837, to Miss Maria Martha Garretson, daughter of the Rev. Joel Garretson, a popular Quaker minister. Mr. Van Cise was born in Adams County, Pa. They were the parents of nine children, four sons and five daughters: Elizabeth G. was the wife of Dr. W. Roberts, and died March 29, 1873; Lavinia was the wife of Isaac Phillips, and died Sept. 11, 1874; Edwin, a prominent member of the Deadwood (Dak.) bar, is married to Ada McBrine; Joel G., married to Laura Marsh, resides at Summit, N. J., and is a Assistant Actuary of the Equitable Life Insurance Society in New York City; Maria L. is single, and resides at the old home in Mt. Pleasant,; Orson F. married Minnie Colby, and resides at Clear Lake, Iowa; he has adopted the profession of civil engineer, and is a graduate of the Iowa Wesleyan University, and of the Canton Theological School, of Canton, N. Y. He was ordained a minister of the Universalist Church, and was engaged for several years as pastor, till his health became impaired, and he temporarily took up the business in which he is now engaged, in hopes of becoming benefited. Isaac, the next younger, married Mary E. Howard, and is engaged in the drug business at Mt. Pleasant; Theresa is single and resides at home; Martha P. is the wife of Frank W. Hamilton, of Deadwood, Dak.

Dr. Van Cise took an active interest in the cause of education, and his long experience as a teacher led him to a knowledge of the defects of the system and text-books then in use. He was elected a member of the School Board in Adams County, Pa., and naturally exercised a more than usual influence. Under the old custom the line of text-books consisted of the following: Webster's Speller, Murray's Grammar, Pike's Arithmetic, and the New Testament, the reading of the latter six times a day being the principal exercise in reading. Dr. Van Cise took the ground the Testament was not adapted for school exercises, and that a graded set of readers should be substituted; that the reading by the teacher of a chapter of the Scriptures once a day would be sufficient religious instruction; in fact, took advanced grounds in the way of reform in school matters. He succeeded, in a measure, in having his views adopted, and effect was to produce a marked improvement; still there were those who clung to the old way, and so much bitter feeling resulted that he determined to seek a new home among people of broader views and more advanced ideas. Acting on the impulse, he came to Iowa in 1852, and finding at Mt. Pleasant a field that promised good educational advantages, he decided on making this his future home. This he did in 1857, when he removed his family to that city, where he resided until his death, and where for thirty-one years he successfully pursued the practice of his profession. Some of his children were educated under the direction of Prof. Samuel Howe, a gentleman distinguished for his ability as an educator; the others were educated in various schools.

Dr. Van Cise died March, 1888, in his seventy-eighth year. He continued in active practice, with mental powers unimpaired, up to the last year of his long and useful life. An accident to one of his feet, which happened recently, caused him much annoyance and suffering.

While not professing to be a specialist, Dr. Van Cise made the treatment of chronic diseases an important part of his practice. His reputation was widespread as a skillful and successful physician, and patients consulted him and were treated by mail from hundreds of miles distant. As a citizen he was highly esteemed, and he had the satisfaction of seeing his children grown to be men and women of superior intelligence, and good and respected citizens. His estimable wife died April 5, 1886.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 350-51.)

Rev. Joseph Bowers Vernon

REV. JOSEPH BOWERS VERNON, deceased, was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, Jan.1, 1812, and was a son of John and Elizabeth Vernon. His parents were natives of Bucks County, Pa. Joseph B. was reared on a farm, and followed that occupation in the East until the fall of 1851, when he came to Mt. Pleasant, and in the following spring removed to a farm four miles northeast of the city, on which he lived until 1863, when he sold his farm and removed to the city. Always industrious and careful, he was a successful farmer. After his removal to Mt. Pleasant he was twice elected to the office of Justice of the Peace. Mr. Vernon early in youth turned his thoughts to religious matters, and at the age of thirteen united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he was until his death a pious and consistent member, and in which he became a local preacher, and did much good through his ministrations. He died June 16, 1882, in Mt. Pleasant, leaving a widow and children to mourn the loss of an affectionate husband and faithful parent. Mr. Vernon was married March 22, 1837, while living in Ohio, to Miss Maria Monroe, the daughter of Daniel and Mary Monroe. Mrs. Vernon was born in Muskingum County, Ohio; her father in Virginia, and her mother in Erie County, Pa. Mr. and Mrs. Vernon's union was blessed by seven children, of whom five are now living. The eldest son, Leroy M. Vernon, D.D., is a distinguished minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who has for seventeen years past been in charge of the Methodist Episcopal Mission in Rome, Italy, where he is now living. Under his superintendence the first American Methodist Episcopal Church was built in the Eternal City, in the face of much opposition. He has been twice married, first to Miss Fannie Elliott, daughter of Rev. Charles Elliott, D.D., LL.D., who was President of Iowa Wesleyan University in 1857-61, and in 1864-66, and also filled several of the chairs in that institute. After her death Mr. Vernon was united in marriage with Emily Barker, of New York City. The next of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon's family is John Wesley, who is married to Mary Palm, of this county, and is a practicing attorney in Memphis, Tenn., and has been a member of the Tennessee Legislature, and served throughout the Civil War, in Company K, 4th Iowa Cavalry, in which he was Sergeant under Capt. James T. Drummond. The next of the famly was Samuel M. Vernon, D.D., who was married to Hattie Kelley in Muskingum County, Ohio, and is now a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pa.; the daughter is Mary Elizabeth, who is the wife of Joseph T. Patch, Esq., of Mt. Pleasant (see sketch); William Spry, the youngest son, is married to Sarah M. Hatch, of Mt. Pleasant, and is a merchant of Des Moines, Iowa. The deceased are: Harriet Lucinda, who died at the age of fourteen months, and Joseph Albert, who died in infancy. Mrs. Vernon, like her husband, is a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which she united on Christmas Day, 1828, and is a lady respected and esteemed by all who know her. She is now calmly awaiting the summons which will reunite her to the husband with whom she lived in faithful companionship for so many years. Three of her uncles, whose names were Monroe, were prominent in the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, pp. 420-421)(PW)