-137- VIRET E. NOBLE    Viret E. Noble, a representative and enterprising agriculturist of Liberty township, devotes his attention to the cultivation of a tract of eighty acres on section 26. He was brought here by his parents in 1876 and has remained on this farm continuously since with the exception of a period of two years he spent on his homestead in South Dakota. His birth occurred in Iowa county, Wisconsin, on the 2d of June, 1874, his parents being Clinton and Johanna (Powell) Noble, the former a native of Indiana and the latter of Ohio. Clinton NOble, an agriculturist by occupation, removed to Wisconsin in an early day and there engaged in farming until 1876, when he came to Cherokee county, Iowa, purchasing one hundred and twenty acres of land on section 26, Liberty township. He improved the property and here devoted the remainder of his life to general agricultural pursuits, passing away in January, 1894. His widow still survives and makes her home with our subject. Their children were eight in number, namely: Luetta; Hattie; Lizzie; Mary; Viret E., of this review; Bertha; Pearl; and Belle, whose demise occurred in 1863.    Viret E. Noble, who was but two years of age when brought to this county by his parents, attended the district schools in the acquirement of an education and has always remained on the home farm with the exception of a period of two years spent on his homestead in South Dakota, which he still owns. He is now busily engaged in the operation of the home place of eighty acres on section 26, Liberty township, and annually gathers good crops which find a ready sale on the market. He follows the most modern and progressive methods in the conduct of his agricultural interests and is widely recognized as one of the substantial and esteemed citizens of the community.    In politics Mr. Noble is a stanch republican, loyally supporting the men and measures of that party. His religious faith is that of the Christian church, while fraternally he is identified with the Masons at Cherokee. That his life has been well spent is indicated by the fact that many of his warmest friends are those who have known him from his boyhood to the present.

-137- J. E. WIESE    J. E. Wiese, a well known business man of Meriden, dealing in lumber, hardware and automobiles, was born in Holstein, Germany, March 3, 1869. He is a son of J. and A. (Uthoff) Wiese, also natives of German, where the father engaged in merchandising until his death in 1891. the mother afterward came to America and made her home with her children until she passed away, her death occurring December 22, 1910 -138-    J. E. Wiese, spent his childhood in Holstein and completed an education begun in Germany in a business college at Omaha, Nebraska. He came to America in 1885 and after working for some time in Mapleton, Iowa, moved to Omaha. After completing his studies there he bought a farm in Monona county, this state, and improved this for seven years. At the end of that time he established himself in the grain business at Mapleton and two years later entered the employ of the Bowman Lumber Company, operating yards in their interests at Dalton and Turin, Iowa. In 1896 he came to Meriden and purchased the interests of the Bruce Edgerton Lumber Company, their stock including a fine line of hardware. Mr. Wiese has since added an automobile business and handles the Ford and Cutting cars. He has made this one of the important departments of the business, which is well managed and profitable in every particular.    Mr. Wiese married Miss Freda Kock, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William (Senter) Kock, natives of Germany. They came to America in 1872 and located near Buffalo, New York. whence they moved to Monona county, Iowa. there the father purchased land and operated it until 1906, when he retired from active life, moving to Bloomfield, Nebraska, where he has since resided. He was a soldier in the regular German army in his youth and fought in the Franco-Prussian war. Mr. and Mrs. Wiese became the parents of five children: Walter, who is handling his father's automobile business; Jesse; Tina; Opal; and William; who died in April, 1911.    Fraternally Mr. Wiese is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America and he gives his political allegiance to the Democratic party. He has taken a prominent part in public affairs, serving as mayor of Meriden for four years and as a member of the town council. In all official and business relations he is known to be honorable and straightforward and his many sterling traits of character have gained him a place among the representative men of the county.

GEORGE W. FUNK   Full Size    George W. Funk is an early settler of Cherokee county, his residence here dating from 1867. During all of the intervening period he has made his home on the farm which is now his place of residence and his success has been such that he is now accounted among the prosperous agriculturists and representative citizens of this locality. He was born in Pennsylvania, June 13, 1842, and is a son of Dr. John L. and Elizabeth (Polen) Funk, natives of that state. The parents emigrated to Iowa in 1850 and settled in Lee county, the father practicing medicine at Salem for three years. He afterward engaged in professional work in Iowa City for four years and then moved to Hardin, where he maintained an office until he retired from active life. He died there in 1876, at the age of sixty-five, and was survived by his wife for many years, she making her home at Dell Rapids, South Dakota, until her death. In their family were eight children, of whom two still survive: George W. of this review; and D. V. K., of Vega, Texas. -143-    George W. Funk came to Iowa with his parents when he was eight years of age and he acquired his education in Lee county and in Iowa City. When he was twenty years of age he purchased his first farm, buying forty acres of land in Hardin county and transforming this from a tract of raw prairie land into a productive farm. In 1861 he enlisted in Company B, Fourteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and after serving one year and a half was transferred to Company L, Seventh Iowa Cavalry. He was in the Union army for three years and all of his fighting was with the Indians. After the close of hostilities Mr. Funk traded his Hardin county land to his father and moved to Cherokee county in 1867. He took up a homestead claim of eighty acres and entered another eighty from the government. This forms a portion of his present farm and he has added to it continually from time to time until his holdings now comprise eight hundred and fifty-two and one-half acres. It is located on sections 7, 18 and 17, Afton township, and is divided into four farms all in a high state of cultivation. Mr. Funk engages in general farming and stock-raising and, being a progressive and able business man, has met with a gratifying and well deserved success.  Full size    On the 10th of May, 1874, Mr. Funk married Mrs. Alice Cheesebro, the widow of Charles Cheesebro and a daughter of Nathan Park. Mrs. Funk was born near Buffalo, New York, and came west with her parents when she was four years of age, living in Wisconsin until her marriage. by her first marriage she has a son, William Cheesebro, of Cedar Rapids. Mr. and Mrs. Funk have become the parents of three children. Arti and Arthur, twins, were born February 12, 1875. The former died at the age of thirty-four and the latter is living upon the old homestead. In 1900 he married Miss Fannie M. Ware and they became the parents of four children: George E., who was born December 26, 1900; Nora May, born in 1902; Blanche M., 1903; and Agnes A., who died at the age of eleven months. Mr. and Mrs. Funk's other child was a daughter, Cora May, who died when she was thirty-five years of age. Mrs. Funk passed away May 7, 1908.    Mr. Funk is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is a republican in his political beliefs. He is a member of the G. A. R., thus keeping up his associations with those who like himself served in the defense of the Union. His long period of residence in this county has given him a high standing in the community, where he is esteemed and respected as a progressive business man and a public-spirited citizen.

DANIEL McCARTHY    When Daniel McCarthy passed away on the 20th of May, 1904, Cherokee county lost a man who for more than a quarter of a century had been closely connected with agricultural interests and had made many substantial contributions to development and growth. He was born in County Limerick, Ireland, and was a son of Dennis McCarthy. After acquiring his education in the public schools of his native country, Daniel McCarthy came to the United States, locating in Winamac, Indiana, where he engaged in farming. About the year 1876 he came to Cherokee county and purchased a farm in Afton township. Upon this -144- property he carried on agricultural pursuits with gratifying success, for he followed always the most practical methods in his farming operations and conformed to the highest standards of integrity in his business relations. In the course of years he accumulated a comfortable competency and in 1902, feeling that he had earned a period of rest and leisure, he retired from active life. He died on May 20, 1904, and his death was widely and deeply regretted by the many friends to whom his sterling qualities of mind and character had so greatly endeared him.    Mr. McCarthy married Miss Honora Casey, a daughter of James and Mary (Sullivan) Casey of Winamac, Indiana. The parents were natives of County Kerry, Ireland, and the father followed farming there and in Indiana. He died in Winamac, where his wife also passed away. He was a stanch democrat in his political beliefs and a member of the Roman Catholic church. His daughter, the widow of the subject of this review, was born in Ireland, October 9, 1838. Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy became the parents of nine children: Catherine, the wife of John Mahoney, of Colorado; Patrick, who has passed away; Mary, the widow of James Mulvaney, of Colorado; Dennis, a resident of Oregon; John, who makes his home in Cherokee; Michael, of Osceola, Iowa; Frank, who has passed away; Julia, the wife of Charles Guynn, of Marcus, Iowa; and Daniel, at home.    Mr. McCarthy was a democrat in his political beliefs and a faithful member of the Catholic church. His life conformed at all times to the highest principles of honorable and upright manhood and his death deprived Cherokee county of one of its most valued and representative citizens.

-144- FRANK E. PHIPPS    Frank F. Phipps has been actively engaged in farming in Afton township for many years and has made many substantial contributions to agricultural development and progress and has surrounded himself with an enviable degree of prosperity. He was born in Massachusetts October 15, 1856, and is a son of Albert and Martha (Littlefield) Phipps, both natives of that state. They lived there until 1856 and then came west with the Milford Emigration Society, settling in Iowa, where the father preempted a quarter section of land on the present site of the city of Cherokee. He occupied this for a number of years and resided upon a portion of his holdings until his death, which occurred April 10, 1901. His wife survived him one week. The father was at one time one of the most extensive landowners in Cherokee county, owning three hundred and sixty acres inside the city limits of Cherokee and one hundred and sixty acres in Afton township. He was one of the pioneers in this locality and when he first settled here was obliged to haul the produce of his farm to Fort Dodge, the nearest market. He was a veteran of the Civil war, serving in Company I, Fifteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, General McPherson commanding. He took part in the siege of Savannah and the battle of Bentonville and was with Sherman on his march to the sea. He afterward returned with his regiment to Goldsborough and after the surrender of General Joseph Johnston received his honorable discharge, having contracted rheumatism at Philadelphia. He was a stanch republican in his political beliefs -145- and held various township offices, serving also as county supervisor for ten years. He and his wife became the parents of nine children: Bethanna A., the widow of D. A. Wakefield, Luther, of Cherokee; John, who has passed away; Adeline, who married N. T. Burroughs, of Chicago; Henry L., of Cherokee; Frank F., of this review; Arthur I., who passed away at Cherokee; Martha, the wife of H. W. Prescott, of Cherokee; and Nathan A., of Chicago.    Frank F. Phipps acquired his education in the public schools of Cherokee county and remained at home until his marriage. His first purchase of land consisted of one hundred and sixty acres on section 21, for which he paid nine dollars per acre, property upon which he took up his home in 1887. Since that time he has added forty acres to his holdings which now lie on sections 19 and 21 and are divided into two farms, both in a high state of cultivation. Throughout the years Mr. Phipps has steadily followed the most progressive and practical methods and he has won that success which alway follows earnest and persistent labor.    On May 4, 1887, Mr. Phipps married Miss Mahala Alfrettie Welker, a native of Ohio and a daughter of Solomon and Lavina (Lantz) Welker, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio. The father served in the Civil war as a member of Company I, One Hundred and Seventy-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and after the close of hostilities returned to his native state, where he passed away in May, 1867. Afterward the mother and her five children came west, settling in Cherokee in 1872. The mother passed away in that city January 17, 1901. In this family were the following children: Henry F., of Cherokee; William F., a resident of Ashland, Wisconsin; Rachel Annette, the deceased wife of T. G. Nicholson, of Wyoming; Mahala Alfrettie, wife of the subject of this review; and Mary E., who married James B. Little, of Dorris, California. Mr. and Mrs. Phipps have become the parents of three children: Ruby Clare, who was born September 27, 1889, and who acquired her education in the public schools of Cherokee county; Arthur Freeman, born April 12, 1892, a graduate of the Cherokee high school; and Frank Welker, born June 16, 1900. Mr. and Mrs. Phipps are also rearing their niece, Esther Lavina, a daughter of Arthur and Hannah Phipps, both deceased. Mr. Phipps is an energetic, public-spirited and progressive citizen and during the long period of his residence in Afton township has held the esteem and high regard of a large circle of friends.

-145- JOHN BRANT    John Brant, a well known and successful agriculturist of Liberty township, is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land on sections 26 and 35 and has for a number of years devoted his attention to the pursuits of farming and stock-raising. His birth occurred in Sweden April 6, 1846, his parents being John and Hedwig Brant, who spent their entire lives in that country. The father followed general agricultural pursuits throughout his active business career.    John Brant, Jr., acquired his education in the land of his nativity and there spent the first twenty-three years of his life. In 1869, attracted by the favorable reports which had reached him concerning the advantages and opportunities of the new world, he crossed the Atlantic to the United States, locating in Red -146- Wing, Minnesota. There he was employed as a hod carrier for some time and subsequently made his way to Keokuk, Iowa, where he remained for one year, working for the government on the canal. He next spent one winter in work on a railroad in Louisiana, and then took up his abode in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and labored as a farm hand for six years. On the expiration of that period he came to Marcus, Cherokee county, and for three years was employed as a section hand by the Illinois Central Railroad. Having carefully saved his earnings, he then purchased eight acres of land on section 26, Liberty township, and began improving the property. As his financial resources increased, owing to his untiring industry and capable management, he extended the boundaries of his farm by additional purchase until it comprised two hundred and forty acres, eighty acres of which he sold in the fall of 1912. His place therefore embraces one hundred and sixty acres at the present time and half of the land lies in section 35, Liberty township. Since first coming here he has resided on that farm continuously with the exception of a period of three years which he spent on his farm of four hundred and eight acres in Minnesota. He cultivates the cereals best adapted to soil and climate and also raises thoroughbred Jersey cattle, both branches of his business returning to him a gratifying annual income.    On May 8, 1868, Mr. Brant was united in marriage to Miss Hedwig Anderson, her father being Jonas Anderson, a native of Sweden. Our subject and his wife are the parents of ten children, namely: Albert, Esther, Hannah, Emil, August, Emma, Huldah, William, Mabel and Edna.    In his political views Mr. Brant is a republican and for a number of years he able served as road supervisor for Liberty township. His religious faith is that of the Baptist church. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the new world, for here he found the opportunities which he sought and in their wise utilization has won a place among the substantial and esteemed citizens of Cherokee county.

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