1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa
Page Index:
Klindt |
Slaven |
Grund |
Patterson |
Young |
Beuck |
Schmid |
Hayward |
Darling |
Hervey
Happy is the man who finds his niche of life. The cause of so many failures is the fact that men do not get into the occupation for which they are the best fitted. There is a statement to the effect that this world is governed by the law of the survival of the fittest and this is demonstrated every day. Many a farmer does not prosper because he is not equipped for agricultural work and it is the same way with many other occupations. One of the farmers of Shelby county who is making a pronounced success of his work because he is well equipped for his chosen activity is Peter B. Klindt. He has been a resident of this county for more than thirty years and in that time has borne his share of the burdens of community life.
Peter B. Klindt, the son of Peter and Caroline (Wendt) Klindt, was born October 20, 1870, in Davenport, Iowa. Both of his parents were horn in Germany but came to this country several years before their marriage. The father of Peter B. Klindt was eight years old when his parents came to America. The mother died on the voyage across the Atlantic and was buried at sea. Peter Klindt, Sr., located in Scott county, Iowa, with the rest of the family and worked on a farm until he was sixteen years old. He then began to work in a lumber yard at Davenport and for four years drove a team for a lumber firm in that city. By that time he had saved enough money to branch out in business for himself and when only twenty-one years old he started in the ice business in Davenport. He made a success of it and followed it for the next fourteen years. In 1874 Peter Klindt, Sr., moved with his family to Shelby county and bought a farm of one hundred and forty acres in Monroe township. He had saved his money and was able to equip his farm at the start, for this reason he prospered from the beginning. He bought land at a time when it was cheap, paying less than ten dollars an acre. He added to his land holdings from time to time until he now owns five hundred and ninety-seven acres in Monroe and Fairview townships. He has added extensive improvements of all kinds and has one of the most attractive farms in the county. Peter Klindt, Sr., and wife are the parents of thirteen children: Henry, Frank, Peter B., Louis (died March 19, 1892) ; Herman and John; Bertha, the wife of F. W. Habicht; Augusta, the wife of William Peters; Emma, the wife of John M. Hanson; Carrie, the wife of John Peters; Minnie, the wife of Alfred Nielsen; Alvena, the wife of Peter Waltman; and Della, the wife of John Greene.
Peter B. Klindt was four years old when his parents moved from Davenport to Shelby county and, consequently, has received all of his education in
this county. Early in life he began to work on the farm. He had no other idea than that he would be a farmer. He was married at the age of twenty-two
and has since been in charge of part of his father's large farm. He is one of the most extensive stock raisers of the township and sells several carloads
each year. The farm is equipped with all the latest machinery and tools for the most advanced farming methods.
Mr. Klindt was married in 1892 to Anna H. Samuels, the daughter of Alexander Samuels of Fairview township. To this union there have been born three children, Louis C., Myrtle L. and Ronald Earle, who died March 11, 1903.
In politics Mr. Klindt is an enthusiastic Democrat and has always been interested in the success of his party, particularly in local matters. His party
nominated him for the office of township trustee and subsequently elected him to that responsible position. He is filling the office in a manner which is
entirely acceptable to the citizens of the township. Fraternally, he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 995 - 996.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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A farmer of Cass township, Shelby county, Iowa, who is making his mark in the, history of his township, is John F. Slaven. Although he has not been long in this township, yet he has already demonstrated that he is a man of splendid character and unusual ability. He is a man who is interested in the advancement of his county, and such measures, as he believes will promote the interests of his fellow citizens, receive his hearty and unreserved
support. In all the relations of life he carries himself as the true American citizen, and for this reason merits the esteem in which he is held in his community.
John F. Slaven, the son of Henry C. and Margaret (Lawrence) Slaven, was born in Macon county, Illinois, January 19, 1871. His father was born in Ohio and his mother in Georgia. Henry C. Slaven was reared in Ohio and when a young man he moved to Illinois with his mother, his father having died when he was a small boy. He farmed in Illinois for twelve years, and then moved west, and in 1889, located in Shelby county, Iowa, in Cass township. Here Henry C. Slaven rented a farm until, he retired from active farm life to make his home with his son, John F. The wife of Henry C. Slavery died November 4, 1893, leaving five children, Jennie, who died at the age of fourteen; Myrtle, the wife of Frank Burk; William, who married Corrine Crandall; Ruby, deceased, and John F. Slaven. Two children died in infancy.
John F. Slaven was educated in the schools of Missouri and Texas, and after leaving school he worked with his father until he was twenty years of
age, and then rented a farm in Cass township, and began farming for himself. He farmed in this township until 1907, when he moved to Colorado, and remained there for the next two years. In 1909, he returned to Shelby county, and rented a farm of two hundred and forty acres in the northern part of
Cass township. In 1912, he moved to Pottawattamie county, Iowa, but returned to Shelby county in the spring of 1913, and moved on the farm where
he is now living.
Mr. Slaven was married in 1889 to Sarah Burkett, the, daughter of E. M. and Melvina Burkett, and to this union eight children have been born: Anna,
who married Edward Bean, and has two children, Lula and Shirley; Mary, the wife of William Williams, and the mother of three children, Ray, Opal
and Ruby: one child died in infancy; the rest of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Slaven, Jessie, Henry, Margaret, Lallie and John, are still single
and at home.
Mrs. Slaven's parents were natives of Tennessee, and moved from that state to Texas, where they are now living. Eight children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Burkett: Dona, Sarah, Hick, Jay, Joseph, Maude, Lottie and Emma.
Politically, Mr. Slaven is a Democrat, but has never cared to take an active part in political affairs. He and his family are earnest and devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and actively interested in its various enterprises. Fraternally, he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and a trustee in his lodge. He has held all of the different offices in the Modern Woodmen. He is also a member of the Royal Neighbors of, America, and a trustee of his lodge. Mr. Slaven is a man of genial manner and kindly disposition, and has so lived as to be recognized as a true type of the good American citizen.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 997 - 998.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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An enterprising farmer of Cass township, Shelby county, Iowa, is R. J. Grund, who came to America in 1894, and located in this county. Born of German parentage, he has those. qualities of thrift, industry and integrity which are sure to bring success. He has made a notable career for himself since casting his lot in this favored spot of the state of Iowa. Robert J. Grund, the son of Anton and Monica (Locker) Grund, was born in Austria, August 29, 1877. His father died in his native land in 1885, and his mother later came to this country and died in Shelby county, Iowa, August 21, 1811. Six children were born to Anton Grund and wife. R. J. Grund is the only one living. Four of the children, Anton, Anna, Josef and Elizabeth died in Austria, and Frank died at Crofton, Nebraska, in 1908.
Mr. Grund was seventeen years of age when he came from Austria to Shelby county, Iowa, and consequently received all of his schooling in his native land. He came here for the purpose of bettering his opportunities and although he had no resources when he came to the county, he has applied himself with such energy that he has become a successful farmer in Cass township. He deserves much credit for the success which has come to him since it has been achieved in a manner to merit the approbation of his fellow citizens.
Mr. Grund was married September 26, 1905, to Mary Theresa Leinen, and to this union have been born six children, five of whom are still living with their parents, Laura, Rosa, Hilda, Anthony and Veronica. Mary died in 1908.
Mrs. Grund is a daughter of Constand and Gertrude Leinen, and was born February 14, 1881. Her parents were natives of Germany and had a family of six children, Matthias, Constand, Jacob, Josefina, Mary and Gertrude.
Politically, Mr. Grund is a Democrat, and while taking an intelligent interest in the civic life of his community, yet he has never been a candidate for any public office. He and his family are loyal members of the Catholic church at Portsmouth, and are interested in its various activities.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 998 - 999.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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A native of Iowa and a resident of Shelby county since 1869, Chandler R. Patterson has been identified with the history of this county for the past forty-five years. He has been engaged in business in Harlan for many years, first becoming interested in the retail meat market business and later in the
real estate business. He has been prominent in the life of his city and has served on the city council and school board, which indicates that he is a
public-spirited citizen who is interested in the welfare of his city.
Chandler R. Patterson, the son of Hugh and Eleanore (Carder) Patterson, was born in Dexter, Dallas county, Iowa, in 1868. His father and mother were born in Athens county, Ohio. After their marriage they moved to Knoxville, Iowa, where they lived until 1868 and then moved to Dexter, Iowa. In 1869 Hugh Patterson and his family moved to Shelby county, where he bought a farm near Bowman's Grove. He lived on this farm four years and then sold it and bought a farm south of Bowman's Grove, where he resided until 1882. He was elected sheriff of Shelby county for that year and moved to Harlan, where he died in December of the same year. Hugh Patterson enlisted for service in the Civil War in 1862 and was a member of Company A., Thirty-third Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war, returning to Knoxville, Iowa, after being discharged from the service. Ten children were born to Hugh Patterson and wife, five of whom are now living, George K., Moses H., Chandler R., Carrie and Ota B.
Chandler R. Patterson was only one year of age when his parents moved to Shelby county, Iowa, and all of his life since that time has been spent in this county. After leaving school, he worked on a farm for about seven years, after which he worked in a retail meat market for seven years, and then went
into the retail meat business for himself. He erected a suitable building on the west side of the square, at the time one of the best equipped business
buildings in the state. He continued in the meat business until 1907, when he disposed of it in order to devote all of his time to his farming interests. He has a fine farm of over two hundred acres east of Harlan, as well as real estate interests in Nebraska. Since 1909 he has been engaged in the real
estate business in connection with his farming.
Mr. Patterson was married in 1894 to Luella Downs, the daughter of Dunham Downs. To this union three children were born, Herman, George and Edna. His first wife died and Mr. Patterson then married Mrs. Ida (Paup) Pierce, the daughter of Daniel Paup, and to this union three children have been born, Eleanor, Margaret and C. Robert. The children of both marriages are still living at home.
Mr. Patterson is a Republican in politics and has been one of his party's leaders in local affairs. The family are members of the First Baptist church
and deeply interested in its welfare. He is a member of the board of trustees of his church and has also served as clerk for a number of years.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 999 -1000.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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It is an honor to be a pioneer in a new country, but it is an honor which is always accompanied by great hardships. The pioneers who first broke the prairie sod of Shelby county, Iowa, and planted the first crops deserve a great deal of credit for courage which they displayed in making the first homes in the county. The men who came here in the early seventies are well deserving to be classed among the pioneers of the county. Among these the name of Jackson J. Young occupies a conspicuous place.
J. J. Young, the son of William and Mary (Marshall) Young, was born May 20, 1849, in Cannonsburg, Washington county, Pennsylvania. His parents were natives of the same county, of German parentage on the father's side and Scotch-Irish on the mother's side. William Young was a shoe maker by trade and followed that occupation in his native state until he came to Shelby county, Iowa, in 1871. After coming to this county he bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Douglas township, which he improved by the building of a house, barns and other outbuildings. He continued to farm until 1905 when he returned to Harlan county. His wife passed away in 1907. He is still living in Harlan. William Young and wife were the parents of eight children: Elizabeth, the wife of James Stockdale; J. J., whose history is here related; Katherine; Hannah, the wife of I. W. Alter; William; Robert; Wilson, and Effie, the wife of Lafayette Darland.
The education of J. J. Young was received in the public schools of Washington county, Pennsylvania. He made his home with his parents until he reached the age of thirty, when he came to Iowa and worked for two years in Des Moines county on rented land. His parents came to Des Moines county in 1869 and to Shelby county in 1871. He went to that county and worked on his father's farm until 1879 when he married and purchased eighty acres of unimproved railroad land in Douglas township on which he is still living. He has added extensive improvements to this farm, including a substantial house and commodious barns and outbuildings. When he first came to this county in 1871 his nearest market was twenty-five miles away, and the price which he received for his grain was so low that it seemed that it hardly paid for the labor necessary to produce it. He persevered, however, and prospered as the years went by until today he has a fine farm, well improved and yielding him a comfortable revenue each year. He has always engaged in general farming, dividing his attention between the raising of grain and live stock. He has a fine orchard on his farm with an abundance of all kinds of fruit.
Mr. Young was married December 24, 1879, to Martha Reid, the daughter of Jesse C. and Elizabeth (Cooper) Reid, both of whom are deceased. Mrs. Young's parents came to Shelby county, Iowa, in 1876, and have lived in this county continuously since. Mr. Reid died in 1902 and Mrs. Reid in 1896. They settled in Greeley township in 1876 where they remained until her death when he moved to Irwin, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Reid had eight children, Augustus, Mary, Frank, Jane, Thomas, Margatte, Martha and John.
Mr. and Mrs. Young are the parents of three children: Grace, who married Elmer Maxwell and has two children, Mabel and Mildred; Reid, who married Jennie Fike, and Raymond. who is still unmarried and living with his parents.
Politically, Mr. Young has long been associated with the Republican party and has held different positions of trust and responsibility at the hands of his party. He has served as school director and township clerk, and in both capacities has discharged the duties faithfully. He and his wife are loyal and consistent members of the Christian church in whose welfare they are deeply interested and to the support of which they are generous contributors.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1005 -1006.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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There is no calling, however humble, in which enterprise and industry, coupled with a well-directed purpose, will not be productive of some measure
of success. In farming these qualities are quite as essential as in any of the learned professions. In fact, farming is becoming a learned profession, and
the best farmers of the future in Shelby county will be the men who make a scientific study of the subject. The day has passed when farming can be made successful by the slip-shod and haphazard methods our forefathers used. We no longer cut our wheat with the cradle or harvest it with the flail, yet many farmers are using crude methods today. The German farmers of this county are among the most progressive and are always fully abreast the latest methods. Among these may be mentioned Gustav Beuck, a farmer of Fairview township, who has not only attained to a definite success in his chosen field of work, but has also been very active in the civic life of this community. Gustav Beuck, the son of Henry and Johanna Beuck, was born March 4, 1860, in Germany. His father came to the United States in 1876, and went to Iowa and bought a farm in Shelby county in 1879. He lived only
five years after coming to this county, but in that time had improved his farm and made it produce a very profitable income. His widow lived until
1900. Eight children were born to Henry Beuck and wife and those who are still living are leading lives of usefulness and honor. The children living
are as follows: Gustav, Augusta, Catherine, Lamp and Marie.
The education of Gustav Beuck was received in the schools of his native land and being sixteen years of age when his parents located in this county.
he at once began to assist in the improvement of the farm which his father had bought. He worked continuously upon the farm until his marriage at
the age of twenty-three, when he bought the farm on which he is now residing at a cost of thirty dollars an acre. He has erected a new residence,
barns and various kinds of outbuildings and improved the farm until he has increased its value many fold. Adjoining his beautiful country home he has
a valuable natural grove of forest trees, comprising about twenty-five acres. In a land where trees are scarce, such a timbered tract becomes a very
valuable asset. Mr. Beuck gives due attention to raising such crops as are grown in this section of the state, together with a high grade of live, stock.
His home farm consists of two hundred and forty acres. He owns also one hundred and fifty-four acres, two miles north, in Fairview township.
Mr. Beuck was married May 25, 1883, to Marie Rohlfs, a native of Germany and the daughter of John Rohlfs, and to this union have been born
four children: Henry; John; Marie, and Eleanor, who died at the age of one year.
Politically, Mr. Beuck is a Republican, and has been honored by his party on various occasions with offices of responsibility. Among the different offices which he has held since settling in Fairview township may be mentioned that of township trustee, school director, treasurer of the school board and township assessor. In each of these he administered the duties in such a way as to merit universal approbation. He is a man of excellent business judgment and is always interested in all movements having to do with the welfare of his community. He stands high in public esteem, a fact which
is a glowing tribute to his worth as a citizen.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1007 - 1008.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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The reputation of the individual is best judged by his deeds, his manner of living and his standing in the community. It matters not whether he is of
foreign birth or has many generations of American forbears who have preceded him. It is his moral and intrinsic worth to his community that counts.
Jacob H. Schmid is a German-American citizen, whose birth occurred in the Fatherland and whose young manhood was spent in the land of his birth
with distinction to himself and in the service of his country on its battlefields. He has the distinguished honor of having been granted citizenship
in a country other than his native land as the highest reward possible in recognition of an act of bravery during which he risked his life in behalf of a
fellow man. The career of Jacob H. Schmid in the land of his adoption has been signally marked by one success following another until he is now rated
as one of Shelby county's best known and most substantial citizens. He has become thoroughly Americanized and he is proud of the fact that he has succeeded in advancing himself in the land of his adoption and has taken the place in the body politic which has been justly earned.
Jacob H. Schmid, the son of Jacob Henry and Christiana (Sterle) Schmid, was born April 30, 1848, at Stuttgart, in Germany. His father was a mechanic and lived all of his days in his native land, as did, all the other members of the family. Jacob Henry Schmid and wife were the parents of four children: Jacob H., who is the only one who left the Fatherland; Emma, Henry and Julius.
Jacob H. Schmid was given a good, common school education in his native land and later graduated from a military college in 1866. He participated in that famous Seven Weeks' War between Austria and Germany in 1866, which brought about the separation of those two countries and the independence of Germany. He was also a participant in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, when Germany had the satisfaction of humbling France and at the same time acquiring Alsace and Lorraine. This memorable war marked the beginning of the present prosperity of Germany and Mr. Schmid is justly proud of having borne his share in placing his Fatherland in the front rank of the nations of the world.
While still a citizen of Germany, Mr. Schmid was a renowned marksman who had the distinguished honor of participating in shoots conducted in the presence of the crowned heads of Europe and under their patronage. In 1880 he took part in a rifle shooting contest at Vienna which was attended by Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. Czar Alexander of Russia was also present at this world-famous shoot. The Archduke Carlsreinhard purchased his rifle at Vienna, thinking that Mr. Schmid's excellent marksmanship was due to the superior workmanship of his rifle. He was sent to Kronstadt, Russia, to participate in an international shoot and there won a magnificent bear robe valued at five hundred dollars as a reward for his skill with the rifle. He won many trophies and prizes, among them being six handsome silver goblets which he has in his possession today. These trophies were won in Russia, Switzerland, Austria and Prussia against all corners of various nationalities. His finest goblet is a beautiful hand-hammered silver vessel with the following inscription placed thereon, "V. Deutsches Bundes-Schlessen-Stittgart." The rifle which Mr. Schmid used in many of his contests is still in his possession and is highly prized by his family. Having received a good military education, which included higher mathematics, it was natural that Mr. Schmid should engage in the contracting and building business, and for ten years after the close of the Franco-Prussian war he followed this profession in his native land. In 1881 he decided to come to America and make it his future home. Upon arriving in this country he went directly to Ida county, Iowa, with his family and farmed there until 1890, after which he engaged in the grain, live stock and mercantile business for a time. From 1890 to 1899 he was engaged in various lines of business and was uniformly successful in everything which he undertook.
For a time he operated an elevator at Battle Creek, Iowa, but disposed of his interests in the elevator in 1899, and moved to Kirkman, in Shelby county, where he has since resided. He first engaged in the grain and live stock business at Kirkman, and was as successful in this line of business as he had been in his contracting and farming. In 1911 he built an elegant store room, fifty by fifty feet in Kirkman, and since that time has engaged in the general merchandise business. His store is well stocked with high class goods and in general equipment is the equal of the best mercantile establishments in towns of much larger size. He is courteous in his treatment of customers and fully alive to their needs. He conducts his business on a high plane, and because of his high integrity he commands the confidence and respect of every one in this section of the county. Mr. Schmid has recently finished a fine opera house in. Kirkman, which is a model of its kind and the superior in many respects of similar buildings located in towns of larger size. The interior and exterior of this building is nicely finished and fitted with a large commodious stage and laid with hardwood floors.
A noteworthy incident in the life of this gentleman is that in the year 1876 he was given citizenship in the republic of Switzerland, as a fitting recognition and one of the highest honors within the gift of the Swiss nation for saving a man from drowning on November 28th of that year. The water at that season of the year was icy cold and Mr. Schmid jumped in the water to rescue the drowning man while burdened with an overcoat and heavy winter clothing. His great physical strength and iron constitution here stood him in good stead and he brought the hapless individual safely to the shore. All that part of Europe rang with the news of the brave deed and his honorary reward was the result and came to him unsought.
Mr. Schmid was married August 3, 1871, in Germany, to Salina Fischer, daughter of Jacob and Regina (Stucke) Fischer and to this union have been
born four children: Julius, Henry, Julius Henry (deceased), and Emma. Julius is now engaged in the mercantile business with his father. He married Theresa Burow and has three children: Olga T., Ulrich J. and DeLoss. Jacob and Regina (Stucke) Fischer were both natives of Switzerland and
came to America at the same time Mr. Schmid emigrated. Mr. Fischer made his home in Battle Creek, Ida county, until his death. Mrs. Fischer accompanied her daughter's family to Shelby county and made her home with them until her death.
Fraternally, Mr. Schmid is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and stands high in the work of this ancient fraternity. He has passed
all the chairs of the Blue Lodge and has attained the Chapter, Commandery and Knight Templar degrees, as well as the Mystic Shrine. He holds his
membership in the Blue Lodge at Battle Creek, Iowa. He is a member of the Chapter at Ida Grove and was made a Knight Templar in Sac City. His
Shrine membership is held in Cedar Rapids, El-ka-har temple. He and his family are loyal and zealous members of the Lutheran church, to which they
contribute generously of their means. Mr. Schmid has shown himself to be a man of marked individuality and enterprise, ranking among the most successful and popular business men of his county. He has labored not for himself alone, but has found time to assist such worthy movements as have
for their object the general improvement and advancement of his locality, whether in a civic, material or moral way.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1008 - 1011.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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One of the first families to move into Shelby county, Iowa, was the Hayward family, the grandfather of Arthur C. Hayward having located here in 1870. This long period of residence has given the people of the county a chance to observe them in their everyday life. It is the consensus of opinion that the members of this family are public-spirited, high minded citizens.
The grandfather of Arthur C. Hayward was born in England and came to the United States at the age of seventeen. He first located in Kentucky, then moved to Ohio, and from thence westward to Scott county, Iowa, in 1837. He was a life-long, farmer and died in 1892, highly respected and honored by all who knew him. He was the father of two children: George, the father of Arthur C., with whom this narrative deals, and Elizabeth, who married W. H. Carter. George Hayward was born in Scott county, Iowa, April 25, 1838, and lived in that county until 1870, when he moved to Shelby county where his death occurred in 1911. He enlisted in
Company E, Second Iowa Cavalry and served at the front for three years, during which time he performed gallant and meritorious services for his country.
He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Grand Army of the Republic. George Hayward and wife were the parents of seven children: John; Alice, the wife of Daniel Gillett; Arthur C.; Olive, who died in infancy; Frank; Pearl, and Coral, the wife of C. W. Simonson. Arthur C. Hayward attended the public schools of his home township and later spent one year in the schools of Avoca. From his boyhood days he wished to be a farmer. He then began farming in this township and is now the owner of one hundred and ninety-four acres of highly cultivated land on which he has good buildings of all kinds. He divides his attention between crops and stock raising in such a way as to .bring the best results from his efforts.
Mr. Hayward was married November 23, 1893 to Minnie Williams, the daughter of J. Z. and Laura (Hamma) Williams, who were natives of Ohio. Mrs. Hayward's father died February 16, 1914, and her mother passed away on the 14th day of February, 1907. Mr. Hayward and wife are the parents of three children: Merle, Bernice and an infant who is deceased.
The Republican party has claimed the support of Mr. Hayward since he reached his majority, and he has always been actively interested in local politics. He has served as trustee of Fairview township and has been president of the school board for ten years. Fraternally, he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons at Harlan and also a member of the Sons of Veterans, while religiously he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Hayward is a man who is highly respected because of his clean and upright life, and no man in this community takes a greater interest in the public welfare movement.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1012 - 1013.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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There were comparatively few settlers in Shelby county, Iowa, in 1872, when Darwin M. Darling was born. His father had come here very early and purchased land in Douglas township, where he lived until his death in August, 1907. In this county his son has spent the most of his life. He is a man of good business ability and for many years has operated a threshing machine with pronounced success, mostly in North Dakota. It is interesting to note that he inherited the desire to follow threshing business, his father before him having been interested in this business for many years.
Darwin M. Darling, son of Thomas and Mary A. (Kelsey) Darling, was born April 28, 1872, in Shelby county, near Harlan. His father was a native of western New York. He was a boatman on the Allegheny river and sold lumber from the towns along the river during the spring and summer seasons, while he worked in the lumber camps of western Pennsylvania during the winter time. Subsequently Thomas Darling went to Wisconsin and worked in the lumbering camps of that state during the winter and found employment on the farms of that state during the summer season. He bought a threshing machine, and after operating it for a time in Wisconsin drove in a covered wagon to Minnesota during wheat harvest, threshing on the road. He arrived in Shelby county in 1871 and rented a farm near Harlan. In 1876 he bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Douglas township, and to this added from time to time until he finally was the owner of over four hundred acres of good farming land in Douglas township. Thomas Darling and wife were the parents of four children: Darwin M.; Thomas B., who married Stella E. McGee, and they have one child, Edith; Myrtle A., and Cora, who died in infancy.
Mrs. Darling, mother of D. M. Darling, was born in Dane county, Wisconsin, near Madison. Her father was Harlow P. Kelsey of Genessee county, New York. Mr. Kelsey married Amy Landt of Delaware county, New York. He came to Wisconsin when a young man. He died there in 1881. His wife died in 1894. He was a farmer and was a member of the Democratic party.
Darwin M. Darling was educated in the public schools of Douglas township and worked on the home farm until 1902, and then farmed for himself a few years in Shelby county after which he went to North Dakota, took up a claim of one hundred and sixty acres and remained there six years. While in North Dakota he bought a threshing machine and for several summers threshed all during the long wheat harvest in that state. He is still interested in the threshing business and works in Iowa and North Dakota every year. He is the owner of a fine farm in Douglas township of one hundred and sixty acres, which he rents to responsible tenants. Mr. Darling was married in 1912 to Eva Custer, the daughter of B. C. Custer, an old and highly respected citizen of Harlan. Mr. Custer's history is found elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Darling and wife have one son, Marvin, who was born March 11, 1914.
Mr. Darling is a stockholder in the Equity Elevator Company of North Dakota, and a member of the Farmers' Association of that state. He has never been interested in political questions, and the nature of his business has been such that he has not been able to take any active part in politics. He is a man with force of character and strictly honest in all of his dealings.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1013 - 1014.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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There are individuals in every community who, by reason of their pronounced ability and force of character, rise above the heads of the masses and command the esteem and respect of their fellow men. Such a man is Samuel C. Hervey, a man who is the architect of his own fortune, a man who
started at the foot of the ladder and has made a success of life although heavily handicapped at the start. With but four months of schooling altogether, with no help from wealthy relatives or friends, with none of those advantages which are open to every youth of today, he has made a success which is little short of remarkable. It is such men who have placed the state of Iowa where it is today among the leading agricultural states of the Union.
Samuel C. Hervey, the son of David A. and Marguerite (Christy) Hervey, was born July 19, 1848, in Harrison county, Ohio. It is not known definitely where David A. Hervey was born but it is supposed that he was born in Pennsylvania; at least, his father was a native of that state, and a descendant of the Scotch-Irish who came to that state early in the eighteenth century from Ireland. David A. Hervey was a harness maker by trade and early in life moved to Ohio, married in that state and moved with his family to Keokuk county, Iowa, in 1852. Here David entered one hundred and sixty acres of government land and lived until his death. To David A.. Hervey and wife were born eight children: John R., Mrs. Sarah J. Barber, George, William H., Samuel C., Mrs. Elizabeth Welch, David L. and Joshua W.
Samuel C. Hervey was only four years of age when his parents moved from Ohio to Iowa and settled in Keokuk county. As a youth he had the opportunity to attend but one term of school and that four months was all the school-room education he ever had. However, that was sufficient to instill in him the desire for more knowledge and many a night while working in Nebraska he sat up by a feeble lamplight and read such books as he could get hold of on the farm. He has always been an omnivorous reader and has been especially interested in historical works.
When a mere lad he began to make a "hand" upon the farm and until he was nineteen he had been out of his county but twice. When he reached that age he went to Nebraska and worked out by the day and month for a time, but later returned to Iowa to help his brother-in-law who was sick and unable to attend to his farm. He stayed with him until 1873 and then went to Nebraska again and worked for two years, returning to Iowa in 1875, to manage his sister's farm, her husband having died. He remained with her one year and then went to Adair county, where he farmed for one year, leaving that county to return to his parents at their earnest solicitation. He now stayed upon the old home farm until March, 1883, when he came to Shelby county and bought forty acres in section 35 in Greeley township. In September of the same year he added an additional forty and in 1897 he bought eighty acres in the same section, giving him one hundred and sixty acres in one tract. He carries on general farming but is particularly interested in the raising of full blooded Poland China hogs and has been very successful in handling them. During the past few years he has been renting his land out to responsible tenants, reserving enough land for a truck patch which he tends in order to have something to do in the summer time.
Mr. Hervey was married in September, 1887, to Emma B. Kelsey, and to this union there was born one child, which lived only a few months. His wife died in 1894 and on November 7, 1900, he was married to Mary L. Guss, the daughter of Samuel and Eldora I. (Plummer) Guss. Mr. Guss was born in Illinois and his wife was born near Eldora, Iowa, hence her name. To this second marriage there have been born three children: Almeda A., born February 21, 1902; Samuel C., Jr., born November 7, 1905; Eldora, born February 25, 1909.
Political matters have never troubled Mr. Hervey, and although he has been a school director for two terms, the office was thrust upon him by his many friends. He is an advocate of good government and gives his support to all measures which he feels will bring it about. While not a member of any church, yet his life has been lived in accordance with the teachings of the church and he is a firm believer in the good which is accomplished by
churches. His wife is a consistent member of the Christian church in Irwin. Mr. Hervey is a man of wide information, having been an extensive reader
and within the past few years has traveled widely over the United States. He recalls the time when he did not have enough money to buy a shirt and
bought the cloth and made his own shirts at night. He can now look back over a long life which has been filled with hard work and yet, through it all,
he has kept his sweetness of temper and optimistic view of life. Such men are the salt of the earth and it is such men who have made Iowa a great state.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1016 - 1018.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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