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HIRAM Y. SMITH
 HON. HIRAM Y. SMITH, senior member of the law firm of Smith & Morris, the oldest firm in the city of the legal profession in continuous practice without change, is a native of Ohio. He was born in Piqua, Miami County, March 22, 1843, and is a son of John L. and Mary A. (Girard) Smith, whose sketches appear elsewhere in this work. He removed with his parents to Rock Island, Ill., in april, 1850, and there resided until the autumn of 1854. On the 2d of October, of that year he arrived with his parents in Des Moines. His father had erected, during the summer a commodious dwelling for those days, situated on the corner of West Walnut and Eighth Streets. The old home is still standing and is an historic relic of early times. The pine lumber used in its construction was hauled from Davenport.
The subject of this sketch received a common-school education, and was a prominent member of a well-known debating society that existed in this city for some time prior to the year 1861, holding its meetings in the brick schoolhouse then on the northeast corner of West Locust and Ninth Streets. During the winter of 1860-61 he taught school in the Guye schoolhouse, five miles north of Winterset, Madison County. The following spring he enlisted in a cavalry company raised by Judge John Mitchell, which was sworn into the State service. The Indians becoming troublesome in the northwestern part of Iowa, the company was stationed near Sioux City, where it remained until late in the fall of that year, when it was transferred to Council Bluffs and disbanded a few weeks later in Des Moines. Early in January, 1862, Mr. Smith was appointed Captain's clerk in the navy and ordered to report on the United States gunboat, "Kanawha" at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which he did, but not being satisfied with the position, he resigned and was appointed to a clerkship in the Dead Letter Office of the Postoffice Department at Washington. He served in that position from the 29th of January, 1862, until February 5, 1864, when he was promoted to a clerkship in the office of the Secretary of the Treasury Department, which position he filled until August, 1865. He then resigned and entered the Albany Law School, from which he was graduated in May, 1866.
Having completed his legal studies, Mr. Smith immediately established himself in practice in Des Moines as a partner of Joseph Lyman, but the firm continued only until the fall of that year, when Mr. Lyman removed to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Mr. Smith then became associated with E. J. Ingersoll under the firm name of Ingersoll & Smith and continued business until February, 1869, when the firm was dissolved, Mr. Ingersoll engaging in the insurance business. From that time until December, 1874, Mr. Smith was alone in practice. At the latter date the existing partnership was formed with E. T. Morris, under the firm name of Smith & Morris, and has continued to the present time, May, 1890. In 1874 Mr. Smith was elected District Attorney for the Fifth Judicial District, which comprised six counties, Warren, Adair, Madison, Guthrie, Dallas and Polk, and served four years, from January 1, 1875, until January 1, 1879. He was elected State Senator from Polk County in the fall of 1881, and served in the Senate four years in the Nineteenth and and Twentieth General Assemblies. During the Nineteenth General Assembly he was Chairman of the Committee on Judicial Districts, and in the Twentieth he was Chairman of the Joint Committee on Dedication of the New Capitol and Inauguration; the Republican Joint Caucus
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Committee, and the Committee on Insurance. In the fall of 1884 he was elected a Representative to the Forty-eighty Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of the Hon. John A. Kasson, who had been appointed Minister to Germany, and served during the second session of that Congress, during which he was a member of the Committee on Elections, one of the leading committees of the House.
Mr. Smith was married in his native town on the 10th of April, 1873, to Miss Susan Smiley, daughter of Dr. H. H. Smiley of that place, and a native of Butler County, Ohio. She was reared under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church, of which she has been a member for many years. Her mother died July 18, 1879, while visiting at Des Moines. Her father is still a resident of Piqua, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have five children, two sons and three daughters——Hugh Lawson, Gertrude Girard, Alma Martha, Marjorie and Hiram Y., Jr.
On the 16th of May, 1868, Mr. SMith was made a Mason in Pioneer Lodge, No. 22, A.F. & A.M., of this city, and has since held membership with that fraternity. He has taken the Royal Arch and Council degrees. He was Master of Pioneer Lodge in 1874, and Master of Capital Council, No. 9, R. & S. Master Masons, in 1870 and 1871. In the latter year he was also elected to the second highest office in the Grand Council of Royal and Select Master Masons of Iowa, and was Grand Master of the Grand Council two terms, from October, 1872, to October, 1874. In politics he is a Republican and has done active service for the support of his party principles. He served as Chairman of the Republican Congressional Committee of this district in 1872 and 1873. As a lawyer he stands high in the profession and the firm of which he is a member has an extensive practice. Mr. Smith came to Des Moines in childhood and has been a resident of this city for thirty-six years. During that long period his intercourse with his fellow-citizens has been marked by the strictest integrity and a genial and courteous manner that has won him a wide circle of friends. He first suggested founding the public library in this city, which is now the Des Moines City Library. He circulated the first paper to secure membership thereof, and called the first meeting to effect an organization. In 1874 Mr. Smith built and occupied the frame residence on the northeast corner of West Grand Avenue and Thirteenth Street, where he has since made his home.
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M. FLAVIN
FATHER M. FLAVIN, the well known pastor of St. Ambrose Church, was born in County Waterford, Ireland, October 31, 1841. His primary education was acquired in Mt. Melary Seminary, where he prepared himself for college, after which he pursued a course in Carlow College, being graduated in philosphy and the English branches. It was in 1869 that he severed all the sacred relations which bound him to his home and fatherland and set sail for the United States, to become a minister in this country. At St. Vincents Theological Seminary, Cape Girardeau, Mo., he completed his preparation for the ministry, and in 1870 came to Des Moines to be ordained by the Bishop of Omaha, his being the only ordination that has ever occurred in this city. Not long afterward he accepted a call as an assistant in the Cathedral at Dubuque, where he remained one year, when he took charge of a parish at Cedar Falls. A short time afterward he was called to the pastorate of St. Anthony's Church at Davenport, Iowa. that church edifice was the first one built of rock in the city, and it is one of the oldest churches of the diocese. While acting as pastor of St. Anthony's he organized the parish of St. Mary's, built a fine chuch and parsonage, and gave it rank among the first congregations of the city. As soon as it was able to support its own pastor, Father Flavin accepted the appointment, and there labored until 1885, when he came to St. Ambrose Church, this city.
In 1855 the congregation purchased from Thomas G. Given, two lots on the southeast corner of Sixth and Locust Streets for the site of a Catholic Church. The following year a small frame house was erected, the lumber being hauled from Iowa City, and in 1858 an addition was made to accommodate the increasing congregation. In 1863,
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under the management of the very Rev. Father John F. Brazil, the present brick edifice was erected, having a seating capacity of about nine hundred. This church property has just been sold for $80,000, and ere long a magnificent church, inferior to none in the State, will be in process of construction. In connection with St. Ambrose Church, a large parochial school is maintained by special contributions from the congregation, giving instruction to three hundred and fifty pupils. From four communicants, the congregation has increased to over two thousand, and has been twice divided, making two branches, St. Mary's and St. Michael's both strong congregations.
Father Flavin has ministered to the people of St. Ambrose Church for five years, and has grown in favor not only with his own congregation but with all who know him. He is a gentleman of scholarly attainments, well informed on almost every question, and takes an active interest in all the great topics.
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WILLIAM J. GASTON
WILLIAM J. GASTON, of the firm of Reeve & Gaston, attorneys of Des Moines, was born in McDonough County, Ill., August 14, 1842, and is a son of Thomas and Sarah (Marr) Gaston. His father was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and removed with his parents to Illinois in childhood, while the mother was a native of Tennessee. In March, 1844, the family emigrated to Iowa and settled in Keokuk County, where Mr. Gaston engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Our subject was reared to manhood upon the farm, and in the common schools of the neighborhood received his education. On the 14th of August, 1862, when twenty years of age, he left home to follow the fortunes of his country. He enlisted as a member of Company F, Thirty-third Iowa Infantry, and served until December, 1863, when he was discharged for physical disability, brought on through the hardships and exposure of army life. He immediately returned to his home, and soon after entered upon the study of law under the direction of G. H. Smith, Esq., of Sigourney, Iowa. On his admission to the bar in October, 1879, he formed a partnership with his former preceptor under the firm name of Smith & Gaston, and continued in practice at Sigourney until 1882, which witnessed his arrival in Des Moines. He was then alone in practice until 1885, when the existing partnership with H. D. Reeve was formed. Mr. Gaston has made a specialty throughout his career as a lawyer of the prosecution of government claims, and the firm of Reeve & Gaston has built up an extensive practice in that branch of business. Both gentlemen are men of marked ability, and the liberal patronage which they receive testifies to their rank in the profession.
Mr. Gaston was married in Martinsburg, Keokuk County, Iowa, in May, 1864, to Miss Cynthia Boltorff, a native of Greensburg, Ind., and a daughter of George Boltorff. She died in 1869, leaving one child, a son, John J., who is now employed in the Milwaukee office of Reeve & Gaston. On the 22d of February, 1873, in Fairfield, Iowa, Mr. Gaston was again married, his second union being with Miss Matilda Mowery, a daughter of David Mowery. Mrs. Gaston was born in Jefferson County, Iowa, where her parents were among the early settlers.
In politics, Mr. Gaston is a Republican, and while a resident of Sigourney was Mayor of that city one term. Socially, he is a Royal Arch Mason, belonging to Martinsburgh, Iowa, Lodge, A.F. & A.M., and to Joppa Chapter, No. 12, R.A.M., of Sigourney, Iowa. He also holds membership in Crocker Post, No. 12, G.A.R., of Des Moines.
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GRANVILLE G. DAVISSON
GRANVILLE G. DAVISSON, a real-estate dealer of Des Moines, was born in Taylor County, Va., April 16, 1846, and is a son of Josiah M. and Ann (Read) Davisson. His paternal grandfather, Jesse Davisson, was an officer in the War of 1812, and died from the effects of exposure in the service. He was of Irish and his wife of Scotch descent. Unto them was born, in Taylor County, Va., a son, whom they named Josiah. He
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was left an orphan when a small lad, and he and his brother were bound out and, as is too often the case, it was a grevious bondage. On reaching manhood he married Miss Read, who was born in Barbour County, Va., in 1820, and is descended from a highly respected family of Irish extraction, her father having been one of the prominent citizens of her native county. Josiah Davisson was engaged in farming and stock-raising, and was associated with his brother in the mercantile business in Pleasant Creek, Va., where for the long period of nineteen years, he also served as Postmaster. He was a strong anti-slavery man although a Southron by birth, and during the Civil War rendered good service to the Union cause in transporting supplies and mail for the army and in acting as guide for Gen. McClellan. In 1865 he removed to Warren County, Iowa, where, with his estimable wife, he is still living. Both are zealous workers in the Methodist Church.
The subject of this sketch was the third child in a family of nine children, five of whom are still living. His early education was confined to the district schools and at the age of eleven years he began to carry the mail in Virginia. Although very young when the war broke out, he was compelled by the Confederate soldiers to render them service, but as soon as the Federal forces gained possession of the country he shouldered his gun and enlisted in the home guards. As his education was limited in early life, on coming to Iowa he attended the Indianola Seminary, after which he turned his attention to merchandising in Council Bluffs and subsequently in Logan, Iowa. For four years he served as Postmaster at Oswego, Iowa, which position he resigned in 1868. Returning to his old home in Warren County, He followed farming and trading for some three years, when he received an appointment as clerk in the United States Mail Service, holding that position for three years. On the election of President Cleveland he resigned, and coming to Des Moines in 1884 opened a real-estate office. He assisted in laying out Forest Park and has greatly added to the growth of the city by improving residence property. He now owns both city and country property, his possessions having been acquired by his own efforts. He is energetic, industrious, and possesses excellent business ability. As a citizen he ranks high and has won the regard of all with whom he has come in contact. He has been a stanch supporter of the Republican party since its organization, but has never sought or desired political preferment.
In 1870, Mr. Davison was united in marriage with Catherine A. Van Haesen, a native of Iowa. Her father was born in New York, her mother in Ohio, but at an early day in the history of this State they were numbered among its citizens. To Mr. and Mrs. Davisson were born four children——Lester L., Herman D., Myra A. and Ethel. The mother departed this life in 1883, dying in the faith of the Methodist Church. Mr. Davisson is also a member of the church.
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CARROLL WRIGHT
CARROLL WRIGHT, of the law firm of Cummins & Wright, has been a resident of Des Moines since eleven years of age. His family has been prominently identified with the bar of Polk County. He is a son of Judge George G. Wright and was born in VAn Buren County, Iowa, on the 21st of October, 1854. In 1865 he accompanied his father's family to this city and in its public schools prepared for college. He is a graduate of the Iowa State University, at Iowa City, belonging to the class of 1875. On the completion of his college course he was employed in the office of the Iowa State Register for about two years, when in the spring of 1877, having made choice of the legal profession as a life work, he entered the law office of Wright, Gatch & Wright, where he remained until becoming a student in the law department of Simpson Centenary College, from which he was graduated in 1875. About the time of his graduation Judge Gatch withdrew from the above mentioned firm and our subject joined his father and brother, the remaining members, while the style of the firm was changed to Wright & Wright, and this continued until 1881, when Mr. Cummins was admitted to partnership and the firm name changed to Wright, Cummins & Wright. Some time passed and the Judge withdrew but the
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name remained unchanged. In 1886 the brother of our subject also severed his connection, on account of having been appointed Division Solicitor of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company, by which he is now employed as General Attorney. No change in the firm has occurred since that date, the partners being Mr. Cummins, a sketch of whom is given elsewhere in this work, and Carroll Wright. Both are gentlemen of culture, ability and business resources. They receive a liberal patronage and their corporation business in the line of their profession perhaps outranks all others in Iowa.
In 1879, Mr. Wright was united in marriage with Miss Nellie Elliott, the accomplished daughter of the Hon. John A. Elliott, who was formerly State Auditor of Iowa. His death occurred in Des Moines in August, 1877. The young couple rank high in social circles and have an extensive acquaintance among the best people of Polk County.
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HENRY T. MARRIOTT
HENRY T. MARRIOTT, owner of the finest farms in Bloomfield township, situated on section 34, is a native of the Buckeye State. He was born in Licking County, Ohio, November 28, 1833, his parents being Joshua and Sarah (Brown) Marriott, both of whom were natives of Maryland, the former born in 1800, tracing his ancestry back to France, while the latter was of Irish ancestry. They were married in Pennsylvania, and soon afterward emigrated to Ohio, becoming pioneers of that State. After assisting his father in developing a farm he entered land for himself and made a home. In the early days he often killed deer, bear and many other kinds of wild animals. Indians were still numerous in the settlement, and he underwent all the hardships and privations of pioneer life. The farm which he developed continued to be his home until his death, which occurred in the summer of 1866. His remains were laid by those of his wife, who died thirty years before and was buried in the cemetery of Martinsburg, Ohio. Joshua Marriott was a man well known in the county. He was upright and honorable in all his dealings, was genial in disposition and made friends wherever he went. He gave his support to the principles of the Democratic party, and in religious belief subscribed to the doctrine of the Presbyterians, his wife being a member of that church. There were seven children in the family to which our subject belonged, five of whom are yet living, namely: James H.; William R.; Permelia, wife of Joseph Jewell, of Morrow County, Ohio; Mary E., wife of Benom Simkins, of Licking County, Ohio; and Henry. After the death of the mother of these children, Mr. Marriott wedded Elizabeth Johnson and unto them were born eleven children. Those now living are: Angeline, widow of Charlie McWilliams, of Knox County, Ohio; John F., Joshua N., Greenberry and Elizabeth E. Mrs. Elizabeth Marriott survived her husband until 1878.
When a lad we find our subject learning his lessons in an old log schoolhouse, such as were common at that day. The seats were made of slabs and the desks were formed of planks placed upon pins, which projected from the logs about eighteen inches. Mr. Marriott remained at home until about twenty-one years of age when, in company with three young men of the neighborhood, he left home for the West. They journeyed by rail to Rock Island and thence walked to Mt. Vernon, Linn County, Iowa, a distance of sixty-five miles. They all secured positions as farm hands, but after two months the others returned home. Mr. Marriott, however, remained until spring, then retraced his steps to Ohio. He again worked with his father until the following fall when, on the 28th of September, 1855, he was joined in wedlock with Elizabeth A. Rice, and two weeks later the young couple started by team to Lisbon, Iowa, where they remained until April, when they removed to Adair County, Mo., where they spent four years. During that time our subject was engaged in farming, but crops proved a failure, his health was broken down with the fever and ague and he resolved to return to the North. Gathering his household effects together he started for Henry County, Iowa. Locating upon a farm he engaged in its cultivation for two years, after which he purchased property in Mt. Pleasant, and engaged in mercantile trade
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very successfully for about twelve months. He wished, however, to devote his attention to farming and selling out purchased land, which after cultivation for a year he disposed of at a profit of #1300. He then paid $1700 cash for a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, which five years later he sold for $4500, after which he removed to Polk County and, in the fall of 1870, purchased one hundred and forty-five acres of land in Crocker Township, which he engaged in cultivating for thirteen years. In the meantime he extended its boundaries until it comprised two hundred and forty acres. He then gave forty acres each to his two children, leaving him one hundred and sixty acres. Later he purchased a six-acre tract of land in Valley Township, near the line of North Des Moines, but after a year removed to his present farm of one hundred acres, for which he gave $8,500. It is one of the finest farms in the county and is located only four miles from the State capitol. The residence is a large brick dwelling, which is surrounded by all the improvements necessary to a model farm. He raises an excellent grade of stock of all kinds, and ships butter on quite an extensive scale. By the union of Henry and Elizabeth Marriott six children were born, three of whom are now living: William H., who resides in Crocker Township; Martha, wife of Scott Howard, of Saylor Township; and Charles Tildon, who is still at home. The mother died on the 8th of June, 1876, and on the 1st of November, 1877, Mr. Marriott wedded Eunice Larason, a native of Knox County, Ohio, and a daughter of Thomas and Melinda (Craig) Larason, the former a native of New Jersey, the latter of Ohio, while both are of English descent.
Mr. Marriott started in life a poor boy but has gradually worked his way upward to a position of affluence. Energetic and persevering and ambitious to succeed for the sake of his family, he has overcome all disadvantages and now has one of the best homes in the county. He has advocated the principles of the Democratic party since attaining his majority and has held a number of township offices, including that of trustee. He was also nominated for County Supervisor, but owing to the Republican party being in the majority he was defeated. Both he and his wife are members of the Christian Church and take an active part in its advancement. Charitable and benevolent they have contributed liberally to all worthy enterprises, and have made for themselves many friends in the community.
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WILLIAM A. DRAKE
WILLIAM A. DRAKE has for a third of a century been connected with the agricultural interests of the county, and is now engaged in general farming and stock-raising on section 34, Bloomfield Township. He is a native of the Empire State, his birth having occurred in Orange County March 3, 1826. On the paternal side the family is of Holland origin, and on the maternal of Scotch descent. Jedediah Drake, his father, was a native of New York and died in Broome County, N.Y. He wedded Matilda Oakley, a native of the same State and they became the parents of seven children : John, a resident of Long Island; Elizabeth, who is living in Orange County, N.Y.; Jonas, of Crawford County, Wis.; William of this sketch; Thomas, (deceased); Sarah, wife of Horatio Gibbs, of Broome County, N.Y., and Hannah, wife of George Didrick, residing in Broome County. The father of this family served his country as a soldier in the War of 1812, during which he was taken prisoner in Canada but was afterward recaptured by by the American forces and brought back to this country. His death occurred in 1863 and his wife died in 1884.
From the tender age of eight years our subject, William Drake, has made his own way in the world. He left his parents when a lad and went to make his home with an uncle, with whom he remained five years, during which time he received a limited education but was reared to habits of industry, enterprise and good management, which have been of much benefit to him in after life. When a lad of thirteen years he began working as a farm hand for $7 per month, which position he retained three years, when he engaged in jobbing until his marriage, which was celebrated February 25, 1849, Miss Roxanna Andrews becoming his wife. The
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young couple began their domestic life upon a rented farm in Broome County, N.Y., and in connection with the cultivation of that land Mr. Drake engaged in the dairy business until 1857, when he determined to try his fortune in the West. He chose Polk County, Iowa, as the scene of his future operations and, accompanied by his family, made his way by rail to Iowa City, completing the journey by stage to Des Moines, where he spent four years engaged in various occupations. At the expiration of that time he rented land and once more resumed farming, which he carried on until 1866, when he purchased eight acres of land on section 34, Bloomfield Township. since that time he has extended its boundaries until one hundred and twenty acres pay tribute to his care and cultivation. He erected a house upon his land, and after seeing that his family was comfortably situated devoted his entire energies to his business interests. Although he is now numbered among the prosperous farmers of the community, this result was not attained without much labor. He has always been an industrious and energetic man and has gradually worked his way upward step by step.
Unlike many who have been blessed with prosperity, Mr. Drake has always taken a deep interest in the welfare of the county and has given liberally to the support of those enterprises which were calculated for its advancement. All social, moral and educational interests have found in him a warm friend, and of the cause of temperance he is a stanch advocate, considering no labor too great which will promote temperance sentiment among the people. He cast his first Presidential vote for James Birney, the Abolition candidate, and next for Martin Van Buren, the nominee of the same party. In the meantime a new party was being formed, the Republican, and John C. Fremont was its first candidate for the office of Chief Magistrate of this Nation. Since that time Mr. Drake has never failed to cast his ballot in its support. His residence in this county covers a period of thirty-one years, and with the advance of time still others are added to his list of friends who hold him in high regard for his sterling worth, strict integrity and usefulness as a citizen. His wife is equally beloved and is a most estimable lady. Her influence is felt for good in the community and she holds a high position in the social world where true worth is taken as a standard.
The union of this worthy couple has been blessed with seven children, but Charles O., the first born, is now deceased. William is a resident of Ft. Collins, Colo.; Georgie Ann is the wife of George Freedman, a merchant of Grimes, Iowa; Albert is a resident of Polk County; John is also engaged in merchandising in Polk County; Edla is at home, and Helen is the wife of William Deets, a resident farmer of Warren County, Iowa. Mrs. Drake, the mother of these children, is a daughter of Philo and Roxanna (Meecham) Andrews, the former a native of Connecticut, the latter of New York. By trade Mr. Andrews was a blacksmith and followed that occupation until old age, accompanied by the usual failing health, forced him to lay aside all business cares. He continued his residence in Chenango County until his death, which occurred in 1863. His excellent wife, surviving him eight years, died in 1871. Both were members of the Old School Presbyterian Church and were greatly respected by those who knew them. The following is the record of their living children: Betsy is the wife of Stephen Bly, of Steuben County, N.Y.; Mary is the widow of Gideon Bursley, of Essex County, Del.; Philo makes his home in Chenango County, N.Y.; Roxanna, wife of our subject, is the next younger; Martha is the wife of Volney Roe, of Cortland County, N.Y.; Melissa is the wife of Chauncey Manning, also of Courtland County, and Emily is the wife of John H. Day of the same county. Five members of the family are now deceased.
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AUSTIN CLARK
AUSTIN CLARK is a representative of one of the pioneer families of Polk County. He is now engaged in farming and stock-raising on section 35, Bloomfield Township, and ranks among the respected citizens of the community. He first opened his eyes to the light of day in Oneida County, N.Y., October 16, 1839, and is a son of Ezekiel and Mary (Edick) Clark. His father was a New York farmer, and
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carried on operations in that line in the Empire State until 1859, when he emigrated with his family to this county. The first winter was spent in Des Moines, after which he removed to Adair County, where in connection with farming he engaged quite extensively in the manufacture of cheese and butter. A year later he went to the mines of Colorado, and during his five months' residence in that State was quite successful in his search for the golden ore. He returned home in October of the same year, and the next spring embarked in the dairy business, business, keeping about thirty cows for that purpose. The butter and cheese which he made were of such an excellent quality that he found a ready sale for his products, and engaged in their manufacture on an extensive scale. In the spring of 1862 we again find him a resident of Polk County, where he carried on the same line of business near the site now occupied by the State House. After continuing operations on that farm for about seven years, he purchased four hundred acres of land in Bloomfield Township, which was still in its primitive condition, not a furrow having been turned or an improvement made. He removed his family into a little schoolhouse and then built a barn, in which they resided until the fall of the same year, during which time he erected a commodious and substantial brick residence, which is still one of the best homes in the township, the house and barn costing between $8,000 and $10,000. The barn is eighty feet in length by thirty-six feet in width, and is therefore one of the largest as well as one of the best in the county. Mr. Clark still continued to engage in the manufacture of cheese and butter in connection with the cultivation of his land until he acquired a handsome property. He was always watchful for the interests of the family, and was not satisfied until he had provided them with a handsome home, the exterior of which is not only pleasing, but it is adorned within by many works of art, and beautiful and tasty furniture.
Mr. Clark had a wide acquaintance in Polk County, and by all was held in high regard as a worthy, upright citizen. He held a number of local offices, and in politics was a stanch supporter of the Democratic party. Socially, he was a member of the Masonic fraternity during his residence in the Empire State, and in religious faith was a Methodist. Although he gave liberally to all public enterprises, the church had the firmest hold on his sympathies, and he never wearied in his efforts to advance its interests. He brought happiness to himself in making others happy, and his memory will long be enshrined in the hearts of many on account of his deeds of charity, acts of kindness and expressions of sympathy. Consumption at last fastened itself upon Mr. Clark, and on the 10th of April, 1885, at the age of sixty-nine years, he dropped peacefully asleep. His remains were interred in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, of Warren County. Mrs. Clark, who is a most estimable lady, survives her husband and is still living on the old homestead, where she expects to spend the remainder of her days. There many happy years of her married life were passed, and the associations which cluster about it make it very dear to her.
A family of seven children was born unto this worthy couple——Lester, the eldest, is now a resident of Bloomfield Township; Austin is the second in order of birth; Francillo is also living in Bloomfield Township; Mary is now deceased; Weltha is the wife of Nat McClellan, of Polk County; Welcome is living on the old homestead; and Esther, the youngest, has passed away.
Our subject remained at home until his marriage, and like a dutiful son assisted his father in the cultivation of the home farm. Having arrived at years of maturity, he led to the marriage altar Miss Lucy J. Goodhue, the wedding being celebrated January 22, 1873. The parents of Mrs. Clark, Joseph W. and Mary (Ordway) Goodhue, were both natives of New Hampshire, and resided in that State until life was ended. The mother died in 1846, but her husband survived until 1859. Unto them were born four children——Franklin, Mary A., Lucy J. and Martha A. The parents of this family led earnest Christian lives, and in the community where they made their home were held in high regard.
After his marriage Mr. Clark took possession of his portion of the property, consisting of eighty acres of land on section 35, Bloomfield Township, and forty acres in Dallas County. He also owned twenty head of cattle, thirty head of hogs and a
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span of good horses. With this beginning he started in life under favorable circumstances, and having been reared to agricultural pursuits, his efforts in that direction have been quite successful. In 1877, however, he rented his farm and removed with his family to Des Moines, where for five and a half years he engaged in the livery business. At the expiration of that time he returned to his home in Bloomfield Township, and purchasing eighty acres of land adjoining his original farm, has there resided continuously since. He has engaged in stock-raising to a considerable extent, and makes a specialty of Durham cattle. He entertains practical and progressive ideas, and by the citizens of the community is regarded as one of the enterprising and worthy young farmers of the township. In politics, he is a Democrat. On all matters of public interest he keep himself well informed, and can therefore converse intelligently on almost any subject.
Mr. and Mrs. Clark have an interesting family of four children——Alice J., Hallet A., Mary O. and Warren E. They have also lost one child——Mabel E.
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