Page County, Iowa History 1909 Biographicals

(transcribed by Pat O'Dell: genpat@netins.net)

[page 132] James H. Dunlap is postmaster of Clarinda and for many years was one of the most successful and leading merchants of the city. He is now seventy-two years of age and his life record has been one of signal usefulness and, moreover, proves that success is ambition's answer. A native of Pennsylvania, Mr Dunlap was born in Butler county, on the 11th of October, 1837, a son of Robert and Catherine Dunlap. The father was a farmer by occupation and in 1852 removed to Fulton county, Indiana, where he carried on farming until his death, which occurred when he was seven-four years of age. His wife had died eight years previously.

Their son, James H. Dunlap, was a youth of but thirteen years at the time of the removal of the family from Pennsylvania to Indiana. His education was acquired in the public schools of both states and to his father he gave the benefit of his services until he reached the age of twenty-two years when, in response to the country's call for aid in crushing out the rebellion in the south, he joined the boys in blue, enlisting as a member of Company D, Twenty-ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He became a private of that command in August, 1861, and continued with the regiment until April 1863, when he was honorably discharged on account of a gunshot wound in the right hand, at Stone River, which permanently disabled him. He participated in the battle of Shiloh, the siege of Corinth, the engagement at Stone River and in numerous skirmishes with his regiment, being on active duty the entire time until he was wounded in April. He had been promoted to the rank of sergeant in recognition of his bravery and loyalty and he never faltered in the performance of any duty that devolved upon him during his military service.

When he was no longer fit for active field duty Mr Dunlap returned to Indiana and again resumed the occupation of farming, with which he was connected until the fall of 1864. In February of the following year he arrived in Clarinda and began freighting from this point to St Joseph, Missouri, continuing in the business until 1870. On that date he secured a clerkship in a hardware store, where he remained for four years, during which time his industry and careful expenditure enabled him to accumulate sufficient capital to engage in business on his own account. He formed a partnership with Charles Lyman and established a hardware business under the firm style of Dunlap & Lyman. This relation was maintained for two years, when Mr Lyman sold out to John M. Miller and the firm style was then changed to Dunlap, Miller & Foster. This existed for about five years, when another change in the partnership occurred, resulting in the [page 135] assumption of the firm name of Dunlap & Carlile Brothers. It was not long, however, until Mr Dunlap purchased the interests of Carlile Brothers and later he admitted William M. Alexander and G.F. Shaw of Clarinda to a partnership. When two years had passed Messr. Alexander and Shaw sold out to H.C. Beckwith, at which time the firm of Dunlap & Beckwith was adopted. They continued together for about two years when again Mr Dunlap became sole proprietor but soon admitted his nephew, S.E. Sperry, to a partnership under the style of Dunlap & Company. He remained an active factor in the trade until 1907, when he disposed of his interest to Mr Sperry and retired from active business life. For about three decades Mr Dunlap had been closely associated with the commercial interest of the city, maintaining a foremost place in the ranks of its leading merchants. Throughout the entire period the store was located on the south side of the square. There Mr Dunlap built a two story brick block, twenty-four by one hundred and forty feet, which he erected in 1893. He achieved such a goodly measure of success that his methods are of interest to the commercial world and in an analyzation of his life work it will be found that he based his business principles and actions upon the rules which govern industry and strict integrity.

While closely and prominently associated with commercial interest Mr Dunlap was connected in equally helpful ways with the public interest of Clarinda. He has served as trustee of the city and as a member of the school board. He was appointed postmaster in 1902 and again in 1907 by President Roosevelt and is now acting in that capacity. He was also appointed by Governor Frank O. Jackson, a trustee for the Clarinda Hospital for the Insane and served for six years. His devotion to the general good has been marked and whether in office or out of it he has always been most loyal to the welfare and upbuilding of his adopted city.

In 1872 occurred the marriage of Mr Dunlap and Miss Angeline M. Moore, of California, Missouri, a native of Fulton county, Indiana, where they had been schoolmates together. Mrs Dunlap is a daughter of William and Sarah Moore, who were farming people of the Hoosier state. By her marriage she became the mother of five children, of whom one died in infancy. the others are: Alfa, the wife of Willard Yaple, of Oklahoma; Robert E., a practicing physician of Portland, Oregon; William C., a farmer living at McCredie, Missouri; and Daisy S., who married Edward C. Allison, a pharmacist of Atlantic, Iowa.

Mr Dunlap maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades through his membership in Warren Post, No 11, G.A.R., of which he is a past commander. He is also a master Mason and he holds membership in the Presbyterian church, to which his wife also belongs. He is a thorough exemplification of the typical American business man and gentleman and though he has been known as one of the most enterprising and progressive merchants of Clarinda, his time being largely occupied with the management of an important and growing commercial enterprise, he has always found time and opportunity to devote to those of his friends who calls were purely of a social character. He is now proving himself capable as [page 136] postmaster, giving a public -spirited administration of the affairs of the office and at all times doing his full share in promoting public progress, whether through official connection or otherwise. Each interest with which he becomes associated feels the stimulus of his indefatigable energy and progressive spirit.

[page 136] Benjamin B. Welch, who has but recently rounded out the psalmist's span of three score years and ten, is still numbered among the active and progressive agriculturists of Nebraska township. He dates his residence in Page county from 1872, or for a period of thirty-seven years, and during the entire period he has been known as a leading representative of agricultural interests. He was born in Hampshire county, Virginia, November 20, 1838, and is a son of Benjamin and Julia N. (Rawlings) Welch who were also born in Hampshire county, Virginia. After the removal of their son to the west they, too, made their way to Sullivan county, Missouri, and the mother died there. The father was a son of Isaac and Mary (Ayers) Welch, natives of Ireland and of Turkey respectively. The former served for several years as a valiant defender of colonial interests in the Revolutionary war. The maternal grandparents of our subject were Benjamin and Julia (Newcomb) Rawlings, who were likewise natives of the Old Dominion and the former served for several years as a soldier of the Revolutionary war. In the family of Benjamin and Julia N. (Rawlings) Welch there were eight children: Sarah married William Welch, who though of the same name was not a relative, and they now reside in Washington county, Iowa. Sylvester, the second of the name, died in Kansas. Dempsey died in Kansas in 1908. Mary C. is the wife of Hiram Smith, a resident of Culbertson, Nebraska. Katharine became the wife of Henry Smith, a brother of Hiram Smith, and is now deceased. William died in Page county. Benjamin B. is the next of the family. America is the widow of A.J. Bailey, a resident of Furnas county, Nebraska.

The youthful days of our subject were quietly passed on the home farm with his parents in Hampshire county, Virginia, to the age of eighteen years, when the family started westward and in 1856 arrived in Keokuk county, Iowa. In that locality Benjamin B. Welch remained until twenty-one years of age, when he went to Sullivan county, Missouri, where he was married and began his domestic life. He engaged in farming in Missouri until 1872, when he came to Page county and took up his abode on section 35, Nebraska township, where he has resided continuously since. He is now the owner of fifty acres of land, having disposed of the remainder of his farm to his son, B.L. Welch. He has long carried on general agricultural pursuits, carefully tilling his fields so that good harvests are gathered, while all the work upon his place is conducted along modern and progressive lines.

[page 137] In 1860 Mr Welch was united in marriage to Miss Maria E. Lampton, who was born in Kentucky, December 17, 1845, and in her infancy was taken to Missouri by her parents, John and Ann (Bruce) Lampton, who were natives of the Blue Grass state. They spent their last days in Putnam county, Missouri, and it was there that Mrs Welch lived until her marriage.

Unto Mr and Mrs Welch have been born five children: Julia, now the wife of Philip Weaver, of Nebraska township; Mary at home; Benjamin L., who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume; Nora, the wife of J.W. Martindale, of Clarinda; and Ermina, the wife of Ralph Hafer, of Idaho.

The home farm of the family is on the East Nodaway river and when Mr Welch took possession of the place it was located in the midst of heavy timber, but as settlements increased the trees have been cut down and the work of improvement carried forward until the entire countryside is under cultivation. Mr Welch has born his full share in the work of general improvement and progress, his influence being always given on the side of advancement and upbuilding. In politics he is a stanch democrat and, while he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day, he does not seek nor desire office. His work has been that of an energetic farmer who realizes that the true secret of success lies in earnest labor and close application.

[page 138] William Orr. There are found many men whose industry has won them success--men who by their perseverance and diligence execute well defined plans which others have made--but the men who take the initiative are comparatively few. The vast majority do not see opportunity for the coordination of forces and the development of new, extensive and profitable enterprises and, therefore, must follow along paths which others have marked out. While Wlliam Orr is perhaps best known as an able and successful lawyer, he has done much to develop the industrial and commercial interests of Clarinda, for the initiative spirit is strong within him and, realizing the possibility for the combination of forces, he has wrought along the line of large undertakings, becoming closely associated with the enterprise and upbuilding of his adopted city.

He is native of New York and a son of William and Mary A. (Lynn) Orr. The father was a boss weaver and came to Iowa in 1867, locating about three miles north of College Springs, where he engaged in farming throughout the remainder of his life, his death there occurring in 1884. He was active in local affairs for the good of the community and from time to time held nearly all of the offices in the township. Both he and his wife were natives of Scotland and soon after their marriage decided to come to America. He had learned his trade in his native land and followed it [page 139] to some extent in the new world but finally gave his attention to general agricultural pursuits. His widow still survives at the very advanced age of ninety-four years and is now living in Clarinda.

William Orr pursued his education in the common schools and at College Springs, where he attended Amity College. Later he studied law in the State University at Iowa City and was graduated from the law department with the class of 1879. He also pursued a year's post-graduate course and in the fall of 1880 he came to Clarinda and entered the law office of W.P. Hepburn, many years congressman from this district. In December, of the same year, however, because of illness he was forced to give up practice and in 1882-3 engaged in teaching school. In 1884 he began merchandising in Clarinda but in a short time sold out and in 1885 resumed his law practice. He continued alone in the prosecution of his profession until 1906, when he admitted W.A. Turner to a partnership and is now practicing as senior partner of the firm of Orr & Turner. His ability as a lawyer has long been recognized, placing him with those who are foremost in Page county in the interpretation and application of the law. He sees with clear discernment and readiness the relation of a legal principle to the points at issue and in the presentation of his cases his deductions follow in logical sequence.

Mr Orr is equally well known in other business connections. In 1904 he was one of the organizers of the Clarinda Trust & Savings Bank, which was capitalized at seventy-five thousand dollars, and is still its president. He is also the president of the Lee Electric Light Company and was one of its original directors. He is the treasurer of the Lisle Manufacturing Company of Clarinda and has an interest in nearly all of the manufacturing enterprises and the public affairs of the city. In business matters his judgment is sound, his discernment keen and his enterprise unfaltering and his cooperation is therefore eagerly sought by those who recognize that his opinions are a valuable asset in business concerns. In connection with Mr Richardson he has laid out two additions to the city--an Orr addition and a Richardson, which are the only successful additions laid out in recent years.

Aside from business Mr Orr has been equally prominent and his labors equally effective in promoting affairs of moment. He was one of the organizers of the Christian church in Clarinda, was made superintendent of its Sunday school in 1880 and continued to act in that capacity until 1908, when he would no longer accept, resigning his position after twenty-eight years' service. He was also one of the organizers of the Clarinda Chautauqua Assembly and has been its president for eight years at various times and as a director until 1907. He was also chairman of the building committee that erected the handsome buildings which the assembly now owns and occupies. He was the attorney for Clarinda at the time the streets of the city were paved, has served as a member of the school board, is now a member of its public library board and of its building committee. He was for three terms the president of the twelfth district Iowa Christian Endeavor Union, having been elected four times, resigning after his last [page 140] election, and in church work he has ever been an active, interested and effective leader, his labors being especially valuable in the upbuilding of the Christian church. He was superintendent of the good citizenship committee of the Iowa Christian Endeavor Union and was afterwards elected president of the union. He belongs also to the Iowa State Sunday School Association, was a member of its executive committee for many years and for a long time was secretary of the committee. He was the president of the only Young Men's Christian Association that existed in Clarinda and he has been a member of the board of trustees of Amity College. His labors in behalf of public progress in the various lines of intellectual, material and moral development have been far-reaching and beneficial, his activities being so varied and important as to cause him to be recognized as one of the foremost citizens of Clarinda. What he has accomplished, however, represents the fit utilization of his innate powers and talents and the recognition of his opportunites. He has been instrumental in promoting various business concerns which have been of vital force in the upbuilding and development of the city and more than that he has never been neglectful of his duties and obligations in relation to the moral progress of the community but has sought by precept and example to instill into the minds of the young and others with whom he has come in contact the principles that work for development of upright character.

[page 141] Ezra P. Hardee, owning and operating a well improved and valuable farm of two hundred and thirty acres on sections 1, 2, and 11, Buchanan township, Page county, was born on this place on the 26th of September, 1861. He was the youngest son of William M. and Elizabeth (Farley) Hardee. His paternal grandfather, John Hardee, was a native of Dinwiddie county, Virginia, and came of sturdy Scotch-Irish stock. He served for six years and nine months as a soldier in the Revolutionary war, participated in the battle of Bunker Hill and was also present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. William M. Hardee, the father of our subject, whose birth occurred in Bourbon county, Kentucky, in 1815, took up his abode in Buchanan township, Page county, Iowa, in 1842, being the third white settler in the county and the father of the first white child born in the county--Perry Hardee. As the years passed he became widely recognized as a most successful and enterprising agriculturist and also became prominent in public affairs, holding the office of township trustee for many years. He likewise served as captain of the militia. He passed away on the 29th of May, 1902, having for more than ten years survived his wife, who was called to her final rest on the 31st of January, 1892.

Ezra P. Hardee remained under the parental roof until twenty-two years of age, attending the district schools during the winter months and giving his father the benefit of his services in the cultivation of the old homestead farm during the summer seasons. In 1884 he drove one hundred and forty head of cattle to Wyoming, returning home in the fall of the same year. He has devoted his time and energies to general agricultural pursuits [page 142] throughout his entire business career and, with the exception of a period of two years which he spent in Wyoming, has always resided on the old family homestead in Buchanan township. It was in 1895 that he went to Sheridan, Wyoming, purchasing and locating on a ranch of one hundred and sixty acres but, not finding the country to his liking, he disposed of his property there and returned to Page county at the end of a couple of years. His holdings now embrace two hundred and thirty acres of rolling, well watered land in Buchanan township, in which tract is included ten acres of fine timber and the old homestead farm where his father lived for more than a half century. The property is equipped with all of the improvements and accessories of a model farm of the twentieth century, and in his general agricultural interests Mr Hardee is meeting with a well earned and creditable measure of prosperity.

Mr Hardee has been married twice. On the 6th of March, 1884, he was joined in wedlock to Miss Nancy Jane Adams, a daughter of John Quincy and Jane (Kent) Adams, by whom he had seven children, six of whom still survive, namely: Otis, who lives near Spokane, Washington; William Quincy, a resident of Omaha, Nebraska; and Inez, Orpha, Nola and Emery, aged nineteen, fifteen, thirteen and nine years respectively, all of whom are at home. Sylvester App died on the 24th of April, 1905, at the age of thirteen years, one month and twenty-nine days. The wife and mother passed away on the 25th of April, 1904, and on the 30th of August 1906, Mr Hardee was again married, his second union being with Miss Mary L. Martin, a daughter of James Martin, of Andrew county, Missouri. Unto them has been born one son, Estes, now two years of age.

In his political views, Mr Hardee is a stalwart democrat and at the present time is capably serving as township trustee and also as a member of the township school board. Fraternally he is identified with Plumm Lodge, No 285, A.F. & A.M., at Siam, Iowa, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Christian church. The name of Hardee has figured in the annals of Page county from the period of its earliest development to the present time, and Ezra P. Hardee is well entitled to mention in this volume as one of its representative citizens and worthy native sons.

[page 142] Henry Sunderman, deceased, who was one of the most prosperous farmers and highly respected citizens of Douglas township and, in fact, of this part of the state, was born in Germany, October 14, 1834. He came to America with his parents when but six years of age and remained under the parental roof until he attained his majority, when he removed westward, arriving in Page county in 1858. Southwestern Iowa was at that time largely an unimproved district and he entered land here, upon which his widow now resides. He then began the development of a farm, making good improvements of a pioneer character thereon, and the log house he [page 143] erected stood on the site of the present residence. There was an old Indian trail passing through his yard and Clarinda contained but three log cabins. In those early days he hauled his grain to St Joseph, Missouri.

Mr Sunderman continued the work of cultivating his place until the winter of 1864, when he returned to Indiana and was united in marriage to Miss Sophia L. Fosbring, who was born in that state on the 15th of February, 1844. She was a daughter of John H. and Catherine A. (Steltenpohl) Fosbring, both of whom were natives of Germany. They came to America in 1839, locating in Maryland, where they lived for a year, after which they removed to Cleveland, Ohio, where they spent three years. On the expiration of that period they became residents of Indiana and Mr Fosbrink survived until the 15th of April, 1877, when he too, was called to his final rest. In their family were eleven children, of whom six are still living.

Following his marriage Mr Sunderman came with his bride to Page county, where he lived until his death. At the time of his marriage there was a small log cabin upon his place, but as the years passed and his financial resources increased he wrought a great change in the appearance of his farm. Upon it he built a fine house and good outbuildings for the shelter of grain and stock, while in the fields he used the latest improved machinery to facilitate his work. He also planted a fine grove of trees and made his place one of the model farms of the county. As he prospered in his undertakings he kept adding to his land from time to time until he became the owner of over thirteen hundred acres, having that amount in his possession at the time of his demise. Of this Mrs Sunderman still retains four hundred and forty acres, constituting the farm upon which she now resides. The remainder of the land she divided among her children, who were thus comfortably situated in life.

Unto Mr and Mrs Sunderman were born eight children: John K., now a resident of Fort Morgan, Colorado; Katie, the wife of Charles Williams, living in Nodaway township; George H., deceased; Hannah,the wife of William H. Endebrock, who resides in Jackson county, Indiana; William H., deceased; Rosena, the wife of William Mascher, deceased; Alvina A., the wife of Fred Roberts, living on her mother's farm; and Henry J., also a resident of Douglas township. Mrs Sunderman now has twenty-two living grandchildren.

Both Mr and Mrs Sunderman were members of the German Lutheran church, in the work of which she is still taking an active part. In his political views Mr Sunderman was a stalwart republican, always keeping well informed on the questions and issues of the day and giving stanch support ot the principles of the party. He served as township trustee, but was [page 144] never a politican in the sense of office seeking. He passed away on the 9th of February, 1905, and his remains were laid to rest in the German Lutheran cemetery in Nodaway township. He was a successful man, who owned his financial advancement to his own well directed efforts, business ability and unfaltering determination. Moreover, he was at all times loyal to his principles and to the teachings of the church to which he was affiliated and in his life he exemplified many of the sterling traits of the reliable citizen, the faithful friend and the devoted husband and father.

[page 147] Charles W. Stuart is filling the position of justice of the peace in Clarinda and for seven years has efficiently served as city clerk. He regards a public office as a public trust--and no trust reposed in him has ever been betrayed in the slightest degree. He is prompt and faithful in the execution of all of the duties that devolve upon him in these connections and that his work receives general endorsement is indicated in the fact of his continued incumbency. A native of central Pennsylvania, he was only two years old when the family removed to Virginia. His parents were David O. and Mary A. (Spiece) Stuart. The father was a minister of the Methodist church, devoting his life to the work of preaching the gospel in Virginia until 1865, when he removed westward to Iowa, settling in Warren county.

Charles W. Stuart was reared in the Old Dominion, pursuing his education in the schools of Morgantown, Virginia, and his liberal education enabled him to become a successful teacher. He taught school in Iowa and Nebraska from 1866 until 1874 and in the latter year, having been ordained to the ministry of the Methodist church, he entered upon active connection with the church work in a pastoral capacity. During this time he also studied law and in 1886 was admitted to the Iowa bar. In 1892 he came to Clarinda, where he has since engaged in general practice. He is a thorough and discriminating student with comprehensive knowledge of legal principles and his ability is such as to merit the clientage that is accorded him and the important character of his professional work. In 1892 he was elected justice of the peace and again in 1902 and has since served as justice and notary public. He has also been city clerk for the past seven years, filling the position most acceptably. Over his official record there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil and that he has the endorsement of the general public is indicated in the fact of his reelection.

In 1875 Mr Stuart was married to Miss Mary Jones, of Columbus, Nebraska, and they now have four children: Seba, now the wife of Lewis Steeve, a farmer of Page county; James T., a traveling salesman; Anna, at home; and Maud, the wife of Victor Hull, a resident farmer of Page county. They also lost one daughter, Kittie, who became the wife of William F. Stipe, an attorney practicing in Clarinda.

Mr Stuart is entitled to wear the Grand Army button, for in 1863 he joined the First Regiment of Virginia Independent State Troops and served [page 148] for over a year. In politics he has long been a republican, active in its local ranks, while fraternally he is a Mason. His life is in harmony with the teachings of the craft for he is a firm believer in its principles of mutual helpfulness and brotherly kindness.

[page 166] Earl Peters is actively connected with the profession which has important bearing upon the progress and stable prosperity of every community. Since 1898 he has been a representative of the Clarinda bar and since 1904 has practiced as junior partner of the firm of Parslow & Peters. He has made steady progress in his chosen field of labor and enjoys a well merited reputation for the utmost care and precision which characterize his preparation of a case, making him one of the successful attorneys of Page county.

A native son of Iowa, Mr Peters was born in Pleasanton, February 22, 1873, and is a son of Dr. William E. and Mary A. (Smith) Peters. The father was a physician who practiced his profession for a number of years but later turned his attention to general agricultural pursuits. Spending his boyhood days in his parents' home, Earl Peters pursued his education in the public schools and in the Leon high school, while later he prepared for the legal profession as a pupil in the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, from which he was graduated with the class of 1898. His training was thorough and comprehensive and, well equipped for his chosen field of labor, he entered upon practice at Clarinda in the fall of the same year. He was pleased with the city and believed it would prove an advantageous location and that his choice was a wise one has been evidenced by the result. He entered the office of H.E. Parlsow and in 1904 entered into partnership with Mr Parslow under the firm style of Parslow & Peters, which association has since existed. They conduct a general law practice and are accorded a very extensive clientage, connecting them with much of the important litigation tried in the courts of this part of the state. In his wide general information is found one of the strong elements of Mr Peters' power and ability as a lawyer. His pleas have [page 167] been characterized by a terse and decisive logic and by a lucid presentation rather than by flights of oratory and his power is the greater before court or jury from the fact that it is recognized that his aim is ever to secure justice and not to enshroud the cause in a sentimental garb or illusion which will thwart the principles of right and equity involved. During the year 1907 and 1908 he was city attorney, and in other connections he figures in the public life of the city. He is a director of the Clarinda Chautauqua Assembly and on its important committees. He has also been secretary of the school board since 1905 and the cause of education or any movement which tends to promote intellectual progress find in him a stalwart champion.

On the 10th of June, 1903, Mr Peters was married to Miss Clara Burleson, a daughter of D.G. Burleson, a grain dealer, who is now deceased. Mrs Peters was born at Villisca, Iowa, but was a little girl when her parents removed to Clarinda, where she has since made her home. Both Mr and Mrs Peters are widely known in this city and have a circle of friends almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaintance. Mr Peters belongs to the Masonic fraternity and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He has taken the degree of the lodge and the chapter in Masonry, and both he and his wife hold membership in the Eastern Star. In politics he is a republican, thoroughly conversant with the issues and questions of the day, and takes an active interest in the party work.

[page 174] Axel Hart. With the agricultural interest of Fremont township Axel Hart is closely associated, being engaged in the cultivation and improvement of two hundred and ten acres of land, which he purchased in 1902 and on which he has since lived. He was born in Sweden, November 4, 1865, and is a son of John and Clara Hart, who, like many other residents of this section of Page county, claim Sweden as the land of their nativity. The favorable reports which they heard concerning America proved to them an irresistible attraction and in 1868 they came to the United States, settling first in Henry county, Illinois. As they learned more of the new world they felt that they might have still better opportunites in Iowa and in 1870 removed to Montgomery county, this state, where they lived for about a decade. Early in the '80's they removed to Fremont township, Page county, and John Hart became the owner of the farm upon which his son Axel is now living. He diligently took up the work of bringing his fields under a high state of cultivation and was quite successful in his farming operations, at one time owning five hundred and twenty acres of the rich land of Page county, for as his financial resources had improved he had added to his original holdings, becoming one of the extensive and prosperous landowners of the community. This brought to him a handsome competence and in the spring of 1901 he retired from active life and removed to Essex, where he now resides.

The youthful days of Axel Hart were quietly passed, the public schools affording him his education privileges, while he was trained in the work of the farm under the direction of his father. After putting aside his textbooks he remained at home and assisted in the cultivation of his father's farm until the spring of 1889, when he started upon an independent business career, renting land. He was thus engaged in farming on his own account for fourteen years, during which time his industry and careful expenditure brought him sufficient capital to enable him to purchase land. In the spring of 1902, therefore, he purchased the old Hart homestead of two hundred and ten acres, to which he removed and upon which he has since lived. Something of his business ability and his thorough understanding of modern agricultural methods is indicated in the neat and thrifty appearance of the place. The fields are well tilled, the buildings are kept in good repair and high grades of stock are handled. He has been quite suc[page175]cessful and all of the grain which he raises he feeds to his stock, now dealing quite extensively in cattle.

On the 27th of April, 1890, Mr Hart was united in marriage to Miss Amanda Malmberg of Fremont township, and unto this marriage five children have been born, all yet at home: Gertrude, Alvin, Chester, Millicent and Winifred. Mr and Mrs Hart are consistent Christian people, holding membership in the Swedish Mission church. In matters of citizenship he is public spirited and progressive and gives loyal support to whatever he believes to be right. He votes with the republican party and has served for several years as a member of the school board, being a stalwart champion of many measures that have been beneficial in promoting the interests of public education.

[page 171] G.A. McCullough. For a half century G.A. McCullough has resided in Page county and throughout the entire period has not only been an interested witness of the changes which have occurred and the growth and development that has been made, but has also been a cooperant factor in much of the work of transformation.

His birth occurred in Scott county, Indiana, July 26, 1856, his parents being George and Sarah A. (McKee) McCullough. The father was born in South Carolina, July 3, 1826, and the mother's birth occurred in Kentucky, in November, 1827. In his childhood George McCullough went to Indiana with his parents, while the mother of our subject was reared in Ohio. They were married in Preble county of the latter state, October 15, 1850, and, removing to Indiana, there made their home until 1858, when they came to Page county, Iowa, arriving here on the 8th of May of that [page 172] year. Mr. McCullough had visited the county in the previous year and had purchased a farm near Braddyville in Amity township. When he returned the following year he made permanent location thereon, it continuing to be his home until his death, which occurred April 7, 1904. The mother still survives and makes her home with her youngest son on the farm where she located a half century ago.

George McCullough was quite extensively engaged in general farming and in feeding and raising cattle and was one of the enterprising and representative business men of the community. He served as a trustee of Amity College for nearly a quarter of a century and was secretary of its board for a number of years. He also filled the position of county commissioner for a number of years and discharged every duty that devolved upon him in an official way in a most prompt and capable manner. His early political support was given the republican party, but in the latter part of his life he supported the prohibiton party. While in Indiana he assisted in the operation of the underground railroad, whereby many negroes were aided in their efforts to secure freedom in the north, and during the Civil war he served on the home guard. He was identified with the United Presbyterian church throughout his entire life and was one of the first members of the congregation in Page county to which he belonged.

In his family were nine children: J.M., who is living in Amity township; Margaret I., the wife of J.F. Reid, of Wyoming; G.A., of this review; Nancy J., the wife of T.C. Shannon, of Amity township; Matthew Wilson, who died at the age of eighteen months; Martha E., the wife of John Farquahar, of Colfax township; James William, living in Amity township; Joseph, who is upon the home place; and Mollie, the wife of W.B. Garrett, of Amity township.

G.A. McCullough was only about two years old when the family removed from Indiana to Iowa and he has since resided in Amity township. He was reared to the occupation of farming and remained upon the old homestead until his marriage. At that time he took up his abode upon a farm three miles east of College Springs, there cultivating two hundred acres of land, which he yet owns. Year by year he carefully managed and developed the property, making his home thereon until 1905, when he came to College Springs. He also owns forty acres north of College Springs, which he cultivates. He has been one of the trustees of the United Presbyterian church for the past twelve years and is active in its work, a fact which indicates that his attention is not given wholly to business affairs nor is his nature a self-centered one. He rejoices in what is accomplished along the lines of moral development and improvement and cooperates in many measures for the public good.

On the 9th of November, 1882, Mr. McCullough was united in marriage to Miss Nettie White, who was born in Ohio and died twenty-two months after their marriage, leaving a little daughter, Ethel A., who is now the wife of Murray Grove, of Pennsylvania. On the 31st of March, 1887, Mr. McCullough was again married, his second union being with Eva McKinley, who was born December 21, 1858. She is a native of College [page 173] Springs and a daughter of J.W. McKinley. There were three children born of this marriage; Agnes; John, who died in infancy; and George William.

Mr. McCullough is a representative of one of the oldest families of the county and as the years have gone by his cooperation in public affairs has been of material benefit to this part of the state. He is recognized as one of the representative agriculturists of the community, being a man of strong purpose, who carefully formulates his plans and carries them forward to successful completion.