1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa
Page Index:
Jensen |
Clapp |
Andersen |
Dowling |
Lewis |
Dudley |
B Harris |
C Harris |
Scheef |
Ickes
An enterprising farmer and stockman of Clay township, Shelby county,
Iowa, who has lived in this country for more than a score of years is Christian Jensen, who belongs to that large body of Danish citizens that have made
this county their permanent residence, and, in common with the men who have
come to this county from Denmark, has made a notable success of farming.
He has all of those habits of industry, persistence and perseverance which
are necessary to the successful farmer, and by the right application of these
same principles, he has met with a success which should be very gratifying to
him. His well-improved farm is making him a comfortable living, and
more than this, a man could not want. He is a man of strict integrity and
has filled an honorable place among the citizens of his adopted county.
Christian Jensen, the son of Lorens and Anna M. (Petersen) Jensen,
was born in Denmark, July 9, 1862. His father was born in 1837 and his
mother in 1838. Lorens Jensen came to America in 1882 and settled in
Davenport, Iowa, where he was engaged in the saw-mill business for a few
years. In 1885 he removed to Clay township, Shelby county, Iowa, rented
a farm for eight years, and then moved to Audubon county; this state, and
bought a farm, on which he lived until his death in 1912. Lorens Jensen
was twice married, his first marriage occurring in 1861, when he was united
to Anna M. Peterson. She died after the birth of three children. Two of
these children, born to his first marriage, are still living. In 1865, Mr. Jensen
married Martha M. Mathesen, who was born in Denmark in 1832, and is
now living in Audubon county, Iowa. Six children were born to this second
marriage, two of whom are deceased.
Christian Jensen was twenty years of age when his parents left Denmark
and came to America, and he remained with his father on the home farm
until he was twenty-nine years of age. He then married and started farming
for himself by renting land in Jackson township. He saved his money and
in 1903 bought a farm of eighty acres in Clay township, on which he has
placed more than five thousand dollars' worth of improvements. He is an
intensive farmer, gets the maximum results from his efforts, and has found
that a farm of this size is sufficient to insure a very comfortable living.
Mr. Jensen was married January 7, 1891, to Ida Hansen, who is a native
of Denmark, born October 10, 1870. She left there with her parents when
she was five years of age. Her father, Hans, died in 1908, after having
acquired a very fine farm in Shelby county. Mr. Jensen and his wife are
the parents of four children: Anna M., Marie, Laura and Rosa, the two last
named being twins. Rosa is now deceased.
The Danish Lutheran Church receives the hearty support of Mr. Jensen
and his family. In politics, he is a firm believer in choosing only the best
men for office, and consequently has never allied, himself particularly with
one party, and does not hesitate to vote for the best men, irrespective of
which ticket they are on. In this way, he feels that he is best serving the
interests of his country. He is an honorable, upright man, industrious and
temperate in his daily life and conduct. As a factor in the body politic, he
has performed well his every duty, and no one questions his standing in this
favored locality of the commonwealth of Iowa.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 974 - 975.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
|
To Page Index ---
To Bio Index
Successful banking requires a certain definite order of financial ability,
a keen discernment and pronounced business judgment. The banker must
keep closely in touch with financial conditions throughout the country and
be able at all times to safeguard the interests of his depositors. His judgment in making loans depends upon the faculty of discriminating as to the
stability of collateral offered. He is generally a broad gauged individual,
ever willing to lend his assistance to the promotion of the best interests of
the general public and the growth of his home city. and county. Inherited
banking traits are a gift, evident in many cases where an illustrious father
has achieved a wonderful success in the realms of finance.
In the person of Albert C. Clapp, president of the Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank of Harlan, we find a successful citizen whose ability
as a banker is pronounced and who was blessed with being the son of a
pioneer banker of Shelby county. The father achieved a gratifying and noteworthy success from the time of his coming to the county, in 1874, when he
engaged in the mercantile business in Shelby and established the Citizens'
Bank in that city.
Edwy C. Clapp, father of A. C. Clapp, was born in New York City in
the year 1850 and died in Shelby county in June of 1913. He was descendant of New England ancestors who came to America from England in
the seventeenth century. Edwy C. Clapp was the son of Clinton Clapp, who
was reared in New England and the son of poor, hardworking parents. Like
many sons of the old New England families Clinton Clapp was given the
advantage of a good education and then given permission to go out in the
world and seek his fortune. His father gave him the sum of ten dollars
and a new homespun suit of clothes, accompanied by his blessing and heartfelt wishes for his success. Indications were not favorable in the locality
of the parental home for attaining success so the young man set his face
toward the great city of New York and journeyed thither. His first employment was in a large dry goods concern, and so diligently did he apply
himself that he became an expert judge of fabrics and was given a foreign
assignment as his firm's representative in Europe in the purchasing department. As expert buyer for the fabric department he made several trips
to Europe and was a trusted and valued employee for several years He was
not satisfied, however, in remaining an employee and he conceived the idea
of engaging in business for himself. It was at this time that the great West
was proving to be the lure of the young men of the East, and Clinton set
out for the new land of promise imbued with the thought that somewhere
in the vast country beyond the Father of Waters was the goal which would
give him the opening for the realization of his ambitions He traveled westward in Iowa to the terminus of the Rock Island railway, and opened a
general merchandise store at Iowa City. Later he opened an exclusive clothing establishment and became a banker. Success smiled upon him. He
prospered beyond his earlier dreams and became an influential and respected
member of the growing city where he had cast his lot. For many years he
was president of the First National Bank of Iowa City. In his later days
Clinton Clapp retired from active business pursuits and moved to Chicago,
where he died in 1905
E. C. Clapp was but a youth when he came to Iowa with his father.
Re was the victim of a serious misfortune in youth which deprived him of
the sight of one eye and he was never able to complete his education, as was
desired by himself and parents. His first venture on attaining his majority
was in the mercantile business, at West Liberty, Iowa. In 1870 he journeyed to Kansas and for a time did a thriving mercantile business in that
state, but like many others was driven out during the grasshopper visitations and never returned. In 1874 he came to the town of Shelby and opened
a general merchandise store which prospered under his excellent management. Shelby at this time was in need of a banking institution, and Mr.
Clapp undertook to supply this need by founding the Citizens' Bank, which
is still in existence and a prosperous banking institution under the management of his son, M. E. Clapp. The Citizens' Bank was later consolidated
with the Bank of Shelby. Mr. Clapp prospered in all of his ventures in
Shelby county, and in March of 1904 established the Farmers' and Merchants' Savings Bank of Harlan. He foresaw the inevitable rise of land
values which has since occurred and invested heavily in real estate. He
bought and sold hundreds of acres of farm lands during his forty years'
residence in the county. At the time of Mr Clapp's demise he owned one
thousand five hundred acres of lands in Shelby, Pottawattamie and Harri-
son counties
E. C. Clapp was married when a young man to Lelie Mordoff, a native
of Brooklyn, New York, who was born in 1851 and died in 1907. She was
the daughter of A. D. Mordoff, an early settler of Iowa City, Iowa. To
this union the following children were born, namely: Mrs. Helen L. Tanner of Davenport, Iowa, who is the mother of two children; Miss Alice L.
Clapp of Chicago, Illinois; M. E. Clapp, a banker of Shelby, Iowa, who has
one son, Albert C., of Harlan, with whom this review is directly concerned.
E. C. Clapp was a lifelong Republican who had no aspirations for public
preferment of any kind but who readily lent his assistance to the interests
of good government wherever and whenever it became necessary. He took
an interest in the political affairs of the day, and was a broad minded, unassuming gentleman who cared little for publicity of any sort. He was
devoted to his family, his town and county. He was affiliated with the
Episcopalian church, but belonged to no lodges or fraternal organizations.
His home was his club, and his fireside was sufficient recreation aside from
his various duties as a citizen. His demise was a distinct loss to the community. He was sincerely mourned by his many friends and acquaintances
throughout this section. Enduring monuments stand to his memory. The
upright and worthy lives led by. his sons and daughters are the best tribute
to his wisdom as a parent and citizen.
Albert C. Clapp was born March 10, 1881, in Shelby, Shelby county, and
was educated in the public schools of his native town, graduating from the
high school when a youth and continuing his studies in the State University at Iowa City. He graduated from the latter institution with the degree
of Bachelor of Science in June, 1903. On the organization of the Farmers'
and Merchants' Savings Bank of Harlan he became the vice-president of the
institution, and has since made his home in this city. On the demise of his
father in 1913 he succeeded him as president of the bank. Although one
of the younger bankers of the state Mr. Clapp has already given evidence
that he fully measures up to the responsibilities of his position and is exemplifying the time-tried adage of "like father, like son."
He was married June 1, 1906, to Elenore Hayes, of Vallisca, Iowa, a
former teacher and graduate of the University of Iowa, class of 1903. To
this union have been born two children, namely: Jane Alice, aged six years,
and Margaret, two years.
Mr. Clapp is a Progressive Republican and an advocate of progressive
principles in government, while still a steadfast adherent of the Republican
party. He believes that reforms can best come from within the party, and
changes in government can best be brought about through the influence of
the party of Lincoln. He is affiliated with the Episcopalian church, and
like his father his home is his lodge and club. He is the owner of two hundred and sixty acres of land in Shelby county and two hundred and sixty
acres of farm land in Pottawattamie and Harrison counties. Mr. Clapp,
while an excellent and aggressive business man and banker, is a quiet and
modest gentleman who believes in doing his duty as a citizen in every sense
the word implies. He has the best interests of his city and county at heart
and is genial, approachable and companionable in his daily intercourse with
the people in his community.
The Farmers' and Merchants' Savings Bank of which he is the president is one of the strong and growing financial institutions of western Iowa.
It was first organized as a private banking concern, March 10, 1904, under
the name of the Security Bank of Harlan. Its officers under the first organization were Edwy C. Clapp, president; A. C. Clapp, vice-president, and R.
D. Prouty, cashier. E. C. Clapp came to Harlan and organized the private
venture for the purpose of trying out the location and with a view of incorporation the concern later if the field seemed promising.
His judgment that there was room in Harlan for an additional bank
proved correct, and the Farmers' and Merchants' Savings Bank succeeded
the Security Bank of Harlan. It was incorporated under the laws of the
state, September 1, 1905, with a capital of $50,000. The original stockholders were E. C. Clapp, A. C. Clapp, N. W. Macy, E. Lockwood, E. M.
Hertert, R. D. Prouty and William Hayes. The original officers were E.
C. Clapp, president; E. M. Hertert, A. C. Clapp, vice-presidents; R. D.
Prouty, cashier; the officers with E. Lockwood forming the board of directors.
The faith of its founder that the bank would grow has been affirmed.
In September, 1905, a short time after the reorganization, the bank's deposits
aggregated but $40,000 in round numbers. In 1906 they had reached
$200,000; in 1907, $250,000; in 1908, $300,000; in 1911, $350,000; in 1912,
$400,000, and in 1913, $515,000. In April, 1914, the deposits exceeded the
grand total of $585,000.
Prior to opening the original bank Mr. Clapp bought a very fair brick
building, abutting the alley on the east side of the square. This was the
home of both banks until the new and present building was completed and
occupied, in February, 1912. To make room for the new building an additional lot was bought, north of where the old building stood, and the old
brick building was moved upon the adjacent lot. Prior to moving the old
structure four feet of the adjacent alley was bought from the town council
to make room for the new, building. The moving of a brick building was a
very unusual occurrence in Harlan and attracted considerable attention.
Before erecting the new bank building Mr. Clapp visited Battle Creek
and Kalamazoo, Michigan, to inspect twin buildings erected in those cities.
He was so well pleased with the general plan of the structures that he
selected them as a model for the Harlan building. The building erected to
house the banking business is one of the best. Its massive and imposing
front is constructed of solid marble, the rear walls of pressed brick. The
interior banking room extends through the entire elevation of the building,
which is two stories in height. Ceilings and side walls of the room are handsomely paneled in hardwoods, and the lower walls are lined with marbles and
other suitable materials in stone. The effect of the finish combined with the
splendid furniture in the bank makes a very pleasing appearance. There
are few handsomer or better banking rooms anywhere. Besides the main
banking room there are rooms for directors' meetings, a private office for
president and cashier, a private room for the use of customers and a supply
of safety deposit boxes for the convenience of patrons.
The building cost over $20,000. After the death of the elder Clapp
there was a reorganization of the bank's officials. A. C. Clapp was advanced to presidency, E. M. Hertert and R. D. Prouty were continued as
vice-president and cashier, Gottlieb Walter was made assistant cashier and
A. W. Dales and Hans Broderson were added to the board of directors with
Carl Hansen as bookkeeper.
This bank represents the culmination of the life work of a modest and
unassuming man of affairs The two institutions which Edwy C. Clapp
founded will stand for all time as fitting monuments to his memory.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 978 - 982.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
|
To Page Index ---
To Bio Index
The large number of Danish farmers of Shelby county, Iowa, are among
the thrifty and most substantial men of their respective localities. As farmers,
they rank among the most progressive. The thousands of acres, which they
own in this county today, are a tribute to their industry and good management. One of these excellent Danish farmers is Chris M. Andersen, who
started in as a renter, and by the proper application of his energies, has
become the owner of two hundred and twenty acres of well improved land.
Such industry is worthy of commendation. It is the purpose of this volume
to hand down to coming generations the careers of men of this type, who
have made Shelby county one of the prosperous counties of Iowa.
Chris M. Andersen, son of Soren and Mae (Christensen) Andersen,
was born in Denmark, May 16, 1878. His father was born in Denmark
in 1854, and his mother in 1858: Soren Andersen and his family left their
native land in 1881 and settled in Shelby county, Iowa. The first few
years, Soren Andersen worked as a farm hand and then rented a farm and
began to manage for himself. Subsequently he purchased a farm of one
hundred and sixty acres in Jefferson township, and in 1901, sold this farm
and bought one of similar acreage in Clay township. He remained upon
the farm until 1912, when he retired from active farm life and moved to
Atlantic, Iowa, where he is now living. Soren Andersen and wife have reared
a family of ten children.
Chris M. Andersen was only three years of age when his parents moved
from Denmark to Shelby county, Iowa, and consequently nearly all of his
life has been spent in this county. Here he received his education; here he
grew to manhood and has lived, an active participant in the life of the
county for more than thirty years. He assisted his father on the home farm
until 1902, and then began farming for himself, renting land in Clay township. In 1908 he bought one hundred acres of land in Clay township, and
has since doubled this so that he now has two hundred and twenty acres.
Year after year has found him increasingly prosperous. His farm has enhanced in value by the addition of six thousand dollars' worth of improvements placed upon it.
Mr. Andersen was married in 1904 to Dora Backsen, who was born
in Cass county, Iowa, in 1884. To this union have been born four sons:
Earl, Leo, Arlo and Avery.
In politics, Mr. Andersen has allied himself with the Republican party
since reaching his majority and has continued to give his allegiance to the
candidate of this party. The career of Mr. Andersen has been successful
in every way. As a public-spirited citizen, his interests have always been in
favor of good government, and in behalf of all measures calculated to bring
it about. Therefore, he has earned the respect of his fellow citizens, and
such has been his life that he has won the esteem and confidence of all
with whom he has been associated.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 975 - 976.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
|
To Page Index ---
To Bio Index
Sheer merit and capability will inevitably win a place for an energetic individual in the end. To succeed in any avocation requires an endowment of definite talent and the exercise of those attributes in a person mentally and physically which are his by gift of nature and birthright. To have become reasonably successful and to have attained to an eminence in the banking world as the head of a leading financial concern while yet a young man in years is evidence of inherent and pronounced ability on the part of the gentle- man whose name forms the caption of this brief review Harry P. Dowling president of the Shelby County State Bank, is a man well worthy of the re- sponsible position which he holds and is likewise a progressive and
enterprising citizen whom it is gratifying to know.
Harry P. Dowling was born October 31, 1874, at North Bend, Nebraska, and is the son of a banker. His father was M. Dowling, a native of Greene county, New York, who came to the west when the country was yet in the infancy of its development, saw and seized the opportunities which were every- where waiting for the venturesome and capable and became remarkably suc- cessful as a merchant and banker. He was descended from old Colonial stock. Mr. Dowling, Sr., left his native heath in 1865 and migrated to Cairo, Illinois. Later, after traveling about for some time, he journeyed to North Bend, Nebraska, and here engaged in the mercantile and grain busi- ness with a partner, the firm being known as Dowling & Purcell. They were pioneers in Cairo in the grain and merchandise business and also engaged in banking: Mr. Dowling's brother-in-law, Mr. Purcell, was associated with him in practically all of his early ventures. He made heavy investments in land which turned out profitably and naturally became wealthy.
The father of H. P. Dowling is now practically retired from active business pursuits. His mother was Mary E. Purcell, also a native of Green county, New York, and is still living. Harry P. Dowling graduated from the North Bend High School and then entered the University of Nebraska, where he studied for some time. He also pursued his collegiate work in the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. After the completion of his education, he received the appointment of Indian clerk for the United States Land Office at O'Neil, Nebraska, in 1894 and served in this governmental position until 1897. He then became associated with his father in the banking business in what was formerly the Bank of North Bend, but later became the National Bank of North Bend. He entered the bank as bookkeeper, and then became assistant cashier for eight years. In the meantime, he had taken part in the establishment of a bank at O'Neil and was president of this bank for two years. The Dowlings also owned the Atkinson National Bank. For two years H. P. Dowling was vice-president of .the Commercial State Bank of Grand Island, Nebraska. He held this position until April 29, 1911, when he came to Harlan to become vice-president of the Shelby County State Bank. One year later he became president of this important financial institution. Besides performing the duties of his re- sponsibile position as president of the Harlan bank, Mr. Dowling is a director in the O'Neill National Bank, a director in the Security Savings Bank of Atkinson, Nebraska, and president of the Kirkman Savings Bank, at Kirk- man, Shelby county, Iowa.
Mr. Dowling was married October 3, 1899, at Eldorado Springs, Mis- souri, to Claudia Grace, a daughter of M. Blair, of Eldorado Springs. They are the parents of two children: Mary Elizabeth, born October 31, 1904, and Dan Blair, who was born November 16, 1906.
Politically, Mr. Dowling is a Democrat. He and the members of his family attend the Episcopal church. He is fraternally associated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and is a member of the Chapter and Commandery of Harlan. Mr. Dowling is an individual representing a high type of citizenship and takes an active interest in all matters having a tendency to promote the best interests of his adopted city and county. He is a genial, broad minded man who makes and retains friendships easily. His ability in his chosen life work is evident when one considers the rapid strides he has made in the banking world in the few years in which he has been thus engaged.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 987 - 989.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
|
To Page Index ---
To Bio Index
Farmers come nearer being their own masters, than any other class of workers. It takes considerable capital in these days to go into farming, but a farmer does not need as much land as he has been taught he should have. Where one hundred and sixty acres has been considered a necessity for a good farm, forty acres will soon be regarded as plenty, and for some kind of crops ten acres is all that a man can possibly handle. In Holland the farmer who has five acres considers that he has all that he can successfully manage, and it is true that a farmer of Holland with five acres will make as much money as many farmers of the United States with one hundred acres. The secret of the success of the small farmer lies in his intensive cultivation with modern methods. There are farmers in the northern part of Indiana who make more on five acres of onions than other farmers in the same township make on one hundred and sixty acres where they raise the ordinary crops of that section of the state. In other words, it is not the acreage that counts, but the manner of cultivating the land to the best advantage. In Shelby county, Iowa, today there are many farmers who are making as much money with fifty acres as their fathers and grandfathers did with three times that much land. Everett M. Lewis, a prosperous farmer and stock raiser of Shelby county, Iowa, was horn August 9, 1847, in Lee county, Illinois. His parents, Miles and Miranda (Segar) Lewis, were both born in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, and shortly after their marriage settled in Illinois, locating in Lee county about 1842. They purchased land in that county, and with
the exception of a few years' residence in St. Croix county, Wisconsin, they lived there the remainder of their lives, Miles Lewis dying in 1877 and his
wife in 1899. To Miles Lewis and wife were born six children: Alpha M., deceased; Anna, deceased; Alice E., deceased; Everett M.; Claraice Elizabeth, the wife of William Flatt, and Robert N.
Everett M. Lewis was seven years of age when his parents moved from Lee county, Illinois, to St. Croix county, Wisconsin, where they resided nine years. He went to school in the latter county and finished his education in the schools of Lee county, Illinois. He remained at home until he was twenty-one years of age, assisting his father with the work on the farm, and then began to work out in the immediate neighborhood. He married in 1872 and he and his young wife at once came to Iowa and settled in Carroll county, where they lived upon a rented farm for five years. In 1878 they moved to Shelby county and purchased their present farm, which they have since improved and brought to a high state of cultivation. Mr. Lewis is a progressive farmer and has taken an active part in the life of his community since settling in this county. He gives due attention to the raising of all of the cereals grown in this section of the state and also raises a considerable amount of live stock annually. He has gradually improved his farm and now has it well tilled; fenced and covered with the latest improvements, including a fine home, commodious barns and other outbuildings. Surrounding the home is a fine grove of trees covering six acres.
Mr. Lewis was married November 6, 1872, to Grace Flatt, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Abram Flatt, of Lee county, Illinois, and to this union have been born seven children: Maud J., who died in infancy; Miles A., who married Grace Custer and has three, children, Joy, Lawrence and Margaret; Clarence K, who married Hattie Arnold; J. G., who married Millie Gish and has one daughter, Jane; Winnie, who married Lee Croft and has three children, Vera, Elwin and Everett G.; Frank D., and Belle, wife of Samuel Inman. Mrs. Lewis, who was born March 17, 1854, in Lee county, Illinois, died August 20, 1908. Her parents were born in Canada, emigrated to Lee county, Illinois, and later located in Indiana near Goodland. A few years later they returned to Illinois, where they lived until their death.
Mr. Lewis has always been a Republican in politics and has taken an active part in the growth of his township and county and the development of its resources. He has also been deeply interested in public and political matters, not as an office seeker or aspirant for leadership, but in such ways as lie thought he could better the community in which he lives. He has filled the offices of county supervisor and township assessor in such a way as to show that he was a man of good business ability. Mr. Lewis served as county supervisor(1896-1899), and during his term of Office a new building was erected on the county farm. He served as township assessor in 1880 and again in 1885. Personally, Mr. Lewis is a courteous and affable man, popular throughout his township and county and a man who is highly respected by every one with whom he has come into contact.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 984 - 986.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
|
To Page Index ---
To Bio Index
Carl E. Dudley was born February 27, 1868, in Iowa county, Iowa. He is the son of Jonathan Hopkins Dudley, who was the only son of Daniel and Lydia (Hopkinson) Dudley. Jonathan H. Dudley was born at Mainville, Ohio, June 28, 1833. He spent his boyhood days on the home farm, attending the district school in Ohio. In 1852, accompanied by other young men, he drove overland from Ohio to eastern Iowa but remained in the new country for only a short time. In 1854 he was married to Miss Rachel Emery, a daughter of David and Elizabeth (McKibben) Emery, of Clermont county, Ohio. She was born December 16, 1833, and was also reared on a farm in the old Buckeye state. In 1854 Jonathan H. Dudley and his wife came to Iowa and located in Cedar county. They resided here for a time and also lived in Iowa and Washington counties until 1875 when they came to Shelby county. They set out by wagon in the fall of that year and arrived in Greeley township September 15th accompanied by their four sons. They brought with them six head of horses, two wagons, two colts and sixteen head of cattle. A small house was built on the tract of land which Mr. Dudley purchased, the lumber for which was hauled from Avoca. During the winter of 1875 and 1876 they lived on the John Burke farm located three miles north of Harlan. They returned to their Greeley township farm the following spring. Not long afterwards Mr. Dudley sold his farm to Mr. Latham and then bought the one hundred and twenty acre tract
adjoining his original farm on the south. Here he erected a comfortable home and tilled his acres until 1882 when this farm was sold to John Dunlap.
Mr. and Mrs. Dudley then moved to Irwin, where Mr. Dudley engaged in the implement business. As a business man he was not a great success. He was too easily imposed upon. Goods that cost him cash money were sold to patrons for notes and many of the notes taken in payment for goods were not paid. As a consequence his ready money was soon gone and he was forced by necessity to work at day labor in order to support his family. In the meantime Mrs. Dudley's health had been failing for some years and she became afflicted with lung trouble. This induced Mr. Dudley to sell his Irwin property in 1888 and remove to Colorado. They settled at Springfield, Baca county, Colorado. This county is located in the southeastern part of the state and proved to be a very poor country for farming on account of the drought. This very dryness of the atmosphere, however, proved beneficial to Mrs. Dudley's ailment and she regained her health to such an extent that they decided to remain and make a living as best they could. Mr. Dudley took up a homestead and bought a quarter section of land near Caddoa, and Mrs. Dudley also bought a quarter section, all dry land.
Both Jonathan Dudley and his wife lived to be four score years of age. Both were born in the year 1833 and both died in the same year, 1913, Mrs. Dudley dying February 6th and Mr. Dudley dying November, 22d. They were both members of the Baptist church and reared their children to become upright citizens. They were the parents of seven children, namely: Mrs. Elizabeth Gilbert, born in Cedar county, Iowa, January 7, 1856, and now living at Wiley, Colorado; Mrs. Jennie Avery, born in Muscatine county, July 2, 1858, and now residing in Primghar, Iowa; Silas Emery, who was born in Muscatine county, Iowa, November 18, 1860, and now resides in Irwin, Shelby county, Iowa; William Edwin, born at Wilton, Iowa, November 30, 1864, and now residing in Vancouver, Washington; Carl Ellsworth, born in Iowa county February 27, 1868, and now residing in Irwin; Charles Elmer, born in Iowa county February 27, 1868, died in infancy; Harry Eugene, born in Washington county, Iowa, March 30, 1871, and who now lives at Hasty, Colorado.
Carl Ellsworth, of whom this chronicle directly treats, came with his parents to Greeley township, Shelby county, in September of 1875, and has always lived in Shelby county with the exception of a few weeks spent in Colorado. When he was fifteen years of age he worked on farms during the summer season and attended the district school during the winters. In the spring of 1888 he went to Colorado with his parents, but did not like the country. Accordingly, he left home with one dollar in his pocket and managed to "beat" his way back to Iowa. Two months of the "short grass" country was sufficient, as he never since had an inclination to leave the fertile prairie lands and return to the dry country. The trip homeward also gave him all of the "beating it" that he cared for, and has never taken another journey in the same fashion. Having previously acquired a good common school education he began teaching in the rural schools in 1890 and taught for ten years, two years of which were in the town of Irwin. In 1900 he purchased a confectionery business and has been engaged in business in Irwin since that time.
Carl E. Dudley was married November 6, 1896, to Katie May Farrell, second daughter of Rev. Benjamin and Emma Farrell, natives of Canada and Michigan respectively, and who were among the early settlers of Jefferson township. Mrs. Dudley was born September 14, 1872. At the time of her marriage with Mr. Dudley she was one of the most successful and best known teachers in the community. Mrs. Dudley died March 12, 1899, leaving a baby daughter, Gladys Catharine, born January 21, 1899. The child was taken and cared for by Mr. Dudley's sister, Mrs. Jennie Avery of Primghar, and was legally adopted by Mrs. Avery.
Carl E. Dudley is one of the best known citizens of Irwin and Shelby counties and has more than a local reputation as a news reporter and writer. For several years he has been the efficient correspondent of the Shelby county Republican, and his services as valued by that newspaper. We are indebted
to him for the excellent chapter concerning Jefferson township and the town of Irwin, forming a component and important part of this history. This chapter is ably written and denotes marked ability on the part of its author. His reminiscences cover a long period of years and are accurate. Mr. Dudley says, regarding his boyhood days in Shelby county:
"When a boy, like all other boys, I had one pair of boots in a year, and when they were worn out I went barefooted until I was given another pair the following fall. A few snow storms occurring before boot time came around didn't make any difference. From 1875 to 1879 corn was the staple diet, not only for our family but for all the neighbors. Wheat bread was a luxury in which we seldom indulged. My father taught a term of school in our home during the winters of 1877-1878. There were from fifteen to twenty pupils in attendance, and I think I am safe in saying that not a piece of cake or even white bread came into the house as a part of the children's lunches during that whole winter. We had fried mush for breakfast, corn bread for dinner and mush and milk for supper. If we boys had a dime each for the Fourth of July celebration we were surely in great luck. This wasn't because father was stingy but because he did not have the money to give us."
"Speaking of overshoes and underwear we didn't know that there were such things in existence. Nevertheless we were just as healthy and enjoyed
life just as well as boys do now who have everything they can think of and some things they can't."
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 971 - 973.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
|
To Page Index ---
To Bio Index
The career of Benjamin J. Harris, a substantial, farmer of Clay township, Shelby county, Iowa, is illustrative of the success which attends the efforts of those farmers in this county who have applied themselves patiently and industriously to the tilling of the soil. He began as a renter and by frugally conserving his energies and saving his money, was soon able to buy a farm of his own. With the increasing years he has found himself to be one of the substantial men of his township Quiet and unassuming in demeanor, he has attended to his business affairs in such away as to bring material prosperity, while at the same time he has commended himself to his fellow citizens.
Benjamin J. Harris, the son of Isaac and Mary A. (Lykins) Harris,
was born in Randolph county, Indiana, in 1864. His. father was born in
Virginia in 1822 and later settled in Ohio with his parents He spent part
of his boyhood days in Ohio, and later moved with his parents to Indiana,
where he grew to maturity arid was married. The wife of Isaac Harris was
also a native of Indiana, born in 1831, and after the marriage of Isaac
Harris and Mary A. Lykins they lived for several years in Randolph county,
Indiana. In 1870 they moved to Illinois and lived there eight years. In 1878
Isaac Harris and his family moved to Iowa and located in Clay township,
Shelby county. He had some land in the state of Illinois, which he traded for
Shelby county land, and in this county Isaac Harris followed agricultural
pursuits until his death in 1887. There were eight children born to Isaac
Harris and wife, four of whom are still living.
Benjamin J. Harris was educated in the schools of Randolph county,
Indiana, Illinois and Shelby county, Iowa. After his parents moved from
Illinois to Iowa, he lived with his brother, Albert E., until he was twenty-
one years of age. He married shortly afterward, and began farming for
himself on rented land. A few years later he bought the old home place
of eighty acres from his brother, Albert, and has since increased his acreage
until he now has one hundred and, sixty, acres, in Clay township. He has
placed seven thousand dollars' worth of improvements on this farm and
now has it in such a condition that it is yeiding a handsome return each year.
By diligently dividing his attention between the raising of crops and live
stock, he has secured the maximum results from his labors and each succeeding
year finds him more prosperous.
Mr. Harris was married in 1886 to Emma Hildebrand, the daughter of
John F. Hildebrand, a pioneer of Clay township. Mrs. Harris was born in
Buckeye, Tama county, in 1867. Three children have been, born to Mr. Harris and wife: Valeria, whose husband, George Mutum, is a farmer in this
township; Orla, who is farming with his father; and Glen L., deceased in
infancy.
In politics, Mr. Harris classes himself with, the independent voters. His
interest in good government is such that, he has deemed it best to vote for
men rather than for platforms, and consequently he votes only for such men
as he believes will best represent the interests of his fellow citizens. Fraternally, he is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 986 - 987.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
|
To Page Index ---
To Bio Index
With each succeeding generation it becomes more difficult for the farmer
to get good results from the soil. The wearing-out process of the virgin
fields of the United States has extended over a long period of years and
their rejuvenation will require many years of agitation on the part of experimenting stations, farming experts and agricultural papers, but each year
the farmers of the middle West are showing improvements in their methods
of handling the soil. Fifty years ago there was no more productive land
than was to be found in Shelby county, Iowa, but continuous cropping has
sapped the soil of its pristine fertility, and now the farmer must feed his
soil, as well as his stock. Judicious crop rotation, in which one of the
legumes is included, is having much to do in bringing about an increased
yield. There has not been, and will not be, a spontaneous movement to restore
the soil's fertility. Many farmers do not have the initiative to try to restore
the soil to its former productivity; some will take the initiative and still
others will learn by example, but yet another unfortunate class will wait
until forced by a depleted soil and a decreased yield to take up the great
work of rebuilding the soil. Among the men of Shelby county who have
kept apace with modern scientific developments in agriculture there is no one
who deserves more honorable mention in this volume than Calvin J. Harris,
the owner of the "Maple Grove Stock Farm," and an active farmer of nearly
half a century, who is now living a retired life.
|
Click photo to enlarge
Calvin J. Harris, the son of John C. and Mary (Wyland) Harris, was
born August 4, 1864, in Coffey county, Kansas. John C. Harris was born
in Ohio, reared on a farm in that state, educated in the common schools
and upon his marriage removed to Indiana, where he farmed for several
years. He lived in Indiana about ten years, and in 1860 went to Kansas.
where he followed agricultural pursuits for five years. He then settled in
Douglas township, in Shelby county, Iowa, where he bought the farm on
which his son, Calvin J., is now living. John C. Harris died January 14,
1892, his wife dying February 1, 1882. To John C. Harris and wife were
born eight children: Alice, who died in infancy; James W., who died at
the age of seven; David J., who married Olive Mitchell and has five children,
Ray, Earl, Jennings, Howard, Bertram and Vivian; Catherine, who married
W. A. Lacy and has four children, Wayne, Sylvia, Austin and Elmer; Ira J.,
who married Arabella Barber and has four children, Esther, Pearl, Ralph
Vance and Mary, J.; Calvin J., with whom this narrative deals; Carrie, who
married William Sunderland and has three children, Maud, Bernice and
Vince H.; Helen S., who died at the age of nine. John C. Harris was a
member of the Christian church and his wife was an adherent of the Dunkard
denomination.
Calvin J. Harris was only about one year old when his parents moved
from Kansas to Shelby county, Iowa. He received a good common school
education in the schools of Douglas township, and has worked all his life
upon the same farm. Early in life he decided to follow the pursuit of agriculture and to this end he applied himself eagerly to the acquisition of all
knowledge pertaining to the successful farmer. He has carried on a general
system of diversified agriculture, combining the raising of grain and live
stock in such a way as to yield satisfactory returns. Three years ago he
retired from active farm life and turned the management of his farm over
to his sons.
Mr. Harris was married in 1880 to Anna Lantrup, and to this union
were born three. children: Iliff; Verner Jay, who married Tina Tague, and
Mary Helen. The mother of these three children died in 1904, at the age
of thirty-eight years, and on June 3, 1913, Mr. Harris married Mrs. Julia
D. (Buckman) Jarvis, a daughter of John C. Buckman and wife, of Bucks
county, Pennsylvania. The Buckman family are numbered among the influential and prominent families of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, as is shown
by the history of General Davis, the historian of Bucks county. John C.
Buckman and wife were the parents of the, following children: Mrs. C. J.
Harris, Belle, Harry W., Roy and Anne. Mr. Buckman died in 1909 and
his wife died in September, 1913. Mrs. Harris is the mother of two children by her first marriage, Jay Eli and Leslie.
Mr. Harris has always been interested in the success of the Democratic
party but has never held any other than township offices. He has served for
more than twenty years as a member of the school board of his township
and is now secretary of the board, as well as township clerk. During his
long service on the school board he has favored every measure which he felt
would benefit the schools of his township, and he has earned the lasting
gratitude of the progressive citizens of his home township. Fraternally, he
is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of the World. Mr. Harris is a highly respected and
public-spirited citizen, has lived a life of industry and has dealt honestly
with his fellow men, so that he is in every way deserving of the esteem
which is gladly accorded him by his fellow citizens. He has lived to see the
community develop from a wild state into one of the foremost farming
localities in the Hawkeye state and has played well his part in the transformation.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 992 - 994.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
|
To Page Index ---
To Bio Index
A prosperous young farmer of Clay township, Shelby county, Iowa, is
Henry S. Scheef, whose whole life thus far has been spent within the limits
of this county. He comes from German parentage, and with that thrift and
frugality which characterize the German people, he has made a pronounced
success of farming in Clay township. He is a young man of splendid char-
acter and deeply interested in modern methods of agriculture, so that his success is but a realization of his own well directed efforts. Within a very few
years he has bought and paid for a large farm in this county and placed
thousands of dollars' worth of improvements upon it. His career strikingly
shows what can be accomplished by the young men of this county who are
content to remain on the soil and cultivate it in the most approved manner.
Henry F. Scheef, the son of Fritz and Fredericka (Kuchel) Scheef, was
born September 25, 1883, in Shelby county, Iowa. His father was born in
Holstein, Germany, in 1846, and was the son of Guy H. and Katherine
Scheef, who were born in Germany in 1791 and 1806, respectively. Guy H.
Scheef died in his native, land in 1858, and his wife passed away in 1864.
The eight children born to Guy H. Scheef are all deceased with the exception of Fritz, who came to America from his native land in 1868, settled in
Clinton county, worked on a farm in that county for two years and then
came to Shelby county, where he is still living. He has been twice married,
his first wife, to whom he was married in 1880, was Fredericka Kuchel, and
to this union four children were born: Mrs. Anna Byer, Henry F., Mrs.
Nora H. Carbohn and Mrs. Emma Hansen. The first wife of Mr. Scheef
died in 1890, and in 1893 he married Margaret Rohweder, and to this second
union four children were born: Fred, Louis, John and Harry. The interesting career of Fritz Scheef is set forth elsewhere in this volume.
Henry F. Scheef received a good common school education in the
schools of his home district, and when twenty-three years of age married
and started in to rent land from his father. He rented for five years and
then bought one hundred and sixty acres in Clay township, where he is now
living. The six thousand dollars' worth of improvements which he has placed
upon his farm have made it one of the best improved farms in the township.
While he gives attention to general farming he has made the most of his
money from hog raising, and in 1914 had two hundred and fifty hogs on his
farm for the market.
Mr. Scheef was married December 12, 1906, to Louise K. Hennings,
who was born in Shelby county, March 17, 1883. She is a daughter of Jens
Hennings, who was born in 1859 in Germany, and who was one of the early
settlers of Shelby county. The mother of Mrs. Scheef was Dora Haman,
who was born in Germany in 1860, and died in Shelby county in 1907, while
Mrs. Scheef's father died in 1900. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Hennings: Mrs. Rosa Jave of Monroe township, this county; Louise, the
wife of Mr. Scheef; Chris, a farmer of Monroe township; Otto, also a
farmer in Monroe township; Anna, the wife of Doctor Koll of Walnut, Iowa;
Mrs. Dora Hansen, living in Monroe township.
Mr. Scheef and his wife are loyal and consistent members of the German Lutheran Church. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Scheef is at the beginning of a long and successful career. The township and county will hear more from him in the future, as he has always indicated that he has the qualities to make a thoroughgoing success of his chosen life work.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 994 - 995.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
|
To Page Index ---
To Bio Index
One of the most distinguished veterans of the Civil War in Shelby
county, Iowa, is George W. Ickes, who has been a resident of this county,
since 1875. Since coming to this county he has been actively interested in
the advancement of his home county, has been one of the large land owners
and one of the most prominent stock raisers. At one time he owned more
than eight hundred acres of land and has bought and sold several farms during the past thirty years. He has been living in Shelby for the past fifteen
years where he has extensive business interests. He has taken a prominent
part in politics, and has served his party and the public on several occasions in
various official capacities.
George W. Ickes, the son of George and Susan (Slick) Ickes, was born
May 12, 1843, in Bedford county, Pennsylvania. His parents were both born
in the same state, his father's birth occurring in 1805 and his mother's in
1806. His father was a shoemaker by trade, but spent his life in farming
in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, until his death in 1861. His widow died
in 1891, and both of them are buried at Mount Smith, Pennsylvania. Of
the twelve children born to George Ickes and wife all are deceased with the
exception of two, George W., born May 12, 1843, and Elizabeth M., born
October 3, 1846.
George W. Ickes was educated in the schools of his native county, Pennsylvania, and completed his educational training at Wolfsburg, that state.
He left school when he was seventeen years of age and started to learn the
blacksmith trade. At the age of nineteen he enlisted in the service of the
Union army at Bedford, Pennsylvania, and was mustered in as a member of
Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Most of his service was in the eastern states, and although he
fought in many of the hardest and most stubbornly contested battles of the
whole war, never being seriously disabled. He participated in the first battle
at Brand Station, Virginia, and the battles of Gettysburg, Mine Run, Wilderness, Deep Bottom, Bermuda Hundred, Petersburg, Snicker's Gap, Opequon
Creek, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek and many others of lesser importance. He
was with Sheridan when he made his famous ride from Winchester to Cedar
Creek, and was in the charge which was made on Petersburg by General
Grant in the spring of 1865. He was also in the battle of Sailor's Creek
when the marine forces of the southern army surrendered six thousand of
their number to General J. Warren Kiefer. He was a mounted orderly to
General Kiefer for the last eighteen months he was in the service, and was in
General Grant's army and present when General Lee surrendered to General
Grant, on April 10, 1865. He was finally discharged from the service at
General J. Warren Kiefer's headquarters near Washington, D. C. in the
summer of 1865. At the battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia, he was wounded
in the left leg by a sharpshooter, but was soon back in the service. An interesting coincidence concerns his eldest son, John, who enlisted in the Spanish
American War at Omaha in 1898. He was a member of Company D, Third
Regiment Nebraska Volunteer Infantry, and under the command of Col.
William Jennings Bryan. He was made an orderly under Major-General
J. Warren Kiefer, of the Seventh Army Corps, under whom his father had
served during the Civil War.
Immediately after the close of his distinguished services for the Union,
Mr. Ickes returned to Bedford county, Pennsylvania, where he worked at his
trade as a blacksmith at Wolfsburg. He was married in 1867 and he and his
young wife went to Illinois, where they lived for eight years. He rented
one hundred and sixty acres of land after being there a year and farmed it
during the time of his residence there. In 1873 he bought a farm of eighty
acres, but sold it two years later and moved to Dawson county, Nebraska,
where he took up a claim of one hundred and sixty acres, at the same time
buying one hundred and sixty acres from the Union Pacific Railway Company. The grasshoppers came along and ate everything he had on the farm
with the result that he could not keep up his payments and was compelled
to let the land revert to the government and railroad company.
The year 1875 found Mr. Ickes and his family in Shelby county, and
here they have lived since that time. Mr. Ickes rented a farm for the first
year and then bought one hundred and sixty acres of ten-dollar land. He
broke up the whole one hundred and sixty acres by himself the first year and
has prospered from the start. He sold this farm within the first two years
and since that time has bought and sold many different farms in Shelby and
Harrison counties, always making a profit in these deals. At one time he
owned no less than eight hundred and forty-one acres of land in these two
counties, but he gradually disposed of all of his land and in 1899 moved to
Shelby, where he has resided since. While on the farm he was a breeder of
Clydesdale and Percheron horses, and took many prizes at county and state
fairs. He also kept a high class of Duroc Jersey hogs and Shorthorn cattle.
He owns twelve business and residence lots in Shelby.
Mr. Ickes was married in 1867 to Elizabeth Hixson, who was born at Emeryville, Fulton county, Pennsylvania, October 3, 1846. She was the daughter of Nathan Hixson, a blacksmith and farmer. To this union eleven children have been born: John F., born September 4, 1868, a farmer of Mitchell, South Dakota; Nettie A., born October 6, 1870, died April 5, 1874; Mrs. Alice M. Springer, born November 3, 1872, who lives in Harrison county, Iowa; Mrs. Anna L. Sutton, born June 28, 1875, died May 20, 1904; Mrs. Martha E. Richmond, born November 28, 1877, who lives in Osceola county, Iowa; Enoch H., born March 7, 1880, a resident of this county; Leroy and Lieuray, twins, born August 21, 1882, the latter of whom died May 6, 1884, the former being a resident of Pottawattamie county, Iowa; Jennie M., born March 28, 1885, living at home; Mrs. Clara Coker, born May 12, 1888, a resident of Shelby, and Mrs. Laura G. Petersen, born December 30, 1890, also a resident of Shelby.
Politically, Mr. Ickes is a Democrat, and has been prominent in his
party's councils for many years. He was appointed deputy sheriff during
the administration of George Rainbow, and is now serving as constable of the
city of Shelby. He has taken an active part in the fair association of Shelby
county, and formerly served as vice-president of that organization. He and
his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, while he maintains
his membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Ickes is
one of the most highly respected men of his county, and is a fine type of the
true American citizen. He served his country long and faithfully during the
Civil War and he has been no less zealous in its service since that time.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1450 - 1453.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
|
To Page Index ---
To Bio Index
|
