| 622
BRIGHTON TOWNSHIP.
ALLEN, ROBERT, farmer and miller; Sec. 20; P. O.
Brighton; born in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania, July
5, 1796, and lived there until about sixteen years
of age, when he moved with his parents to Venango
county; there he was raised; in 1833 moved to Belmont
,county, Ohio, and after remaining there until 1842
carne to Iowa, first locating in Washington; after
living on several farms not far from that city, he
entered 160 acres of land ,and lived upon it for nineteen
years, then sold it for $9,000; then bought his mill
property, where he now resides, paying $20,000 for
it; he and his sons now own and run the Lenox Mills,
which cost about $17,000, and they always have a good
trade; also own a grocery store in Fairfield; when
Mr. Allen arrived in this State he had but seventy-five
cents, but he went to work with a will and by hard
toil and industry has accumulated his fine property;
owns 275 acres of land; November 8, 1825, he married
Miss Jane Vincent, a native of Butler county, Pennsylvania;
have five children: Joseph, Mary, Charity J. (now
Mrs. Hugh Watkins, of Lenox, Iowa), Margaret (now
Mrs. Jacob Zimmerman, of this county), and George;
have lost five; Mr. and Mrs. Allen are members of
the United Presbyterian Church.
AULD, JAMES H., furniture dealer and painter, Brighton;
was born October 22, 1825, in Fayette county, Pennsylvania;
his parents moved to Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1836;
here he grew to manhood on a farm and was educated
in the common schools; he learned the chairmakers'
trade in 1842 to 1845, at which time he went to Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, where he served an
623
apprenticeship at steamboat painting with James Spears,
the Iron City painter; in 1847 he came to Champaign
county, Ohio, where he, applied himself at his trades
for two years; in 1849 he came to Iowa and located
at Brighton where he at once went into the chair making,
painting, and furniture trade, which he has continued
since; he was town assessor from 1860 to 1869 and
made the last assessment of the town of Brighton;
was mayor of Brighton in 1878; helped take the census
of Brighton and Clay township in 1870; has been recorder
of the town of Brighton since 1869, except two years,
and township clerk since 1868 and was elected for
another ,term at the late election; he has been secretary
of the Masonic lodge for the last fifteen years, and
corresponding secretary of the American Bible Society
for fifteen years; has been a notary public since
1868; he also carries on the insurance business to
fill up his spare time; he helped to organize the
first Sunday-school in Brighton, (the Methodist Episcopal),
of which church he was trustee for twenty years and
never missed but two meetings of the board; he was
married September 9, 1848, to Miss Hannah Thompson,
who is a native of Virginia; they have raised a family
of twelve children: Mary C., Sarah E., Al1en W., J.
Ross, .Amy L., Rose L., Colonel Ellsworth, and Mattie
E. living, and John, Adolphus, Clayton, and Annie
B. deceased.
BIERCE, W. R., grocer, Brighton; was born June 13,
1846, in Mercer county, Pennsylvania; when eighteen
years of age he carne to Iowa and located in this
township and has since resided here; he was raised
a farmer and followed it as his occupation until five
or six years ago; he started into the butchering business
in October, 1874, and ran a shop until the fall of
1879; then started a first-class grocery store, opening
the same in January, 1880; he keeps a full line of
staple and fancy groceries which he sells at bottom
prices; October 31, 1868,. Miss Celestia S, Smith
became his wife, she is a daughter of Uriah Smith,
of this township, and is a native of Pennsylvania;
they have two children: Charlie and Nellie.
BROWN, J. E., livery and feed stable, Brighton; was
born in Fairfield, Jefferson county, Iowa, March.
22, 1856; his parents moved to this county in 1866
and here he has been raised; he was educated in the
common schools, supplemented by a course in Jefferson
College, Fairfield; has been engaged in the livery
business for the past ten years and now keeps a fine
stable with good horses and carriages at reasonable
rates; runs an omnibus to an trains and does the transfer
business of the town; he was married February 27,
1878, to Miss Effa A. McCol1ough, a native of Brighton;
they have one child; Fern, born December 25,1878;
in a business point his life has been a grand success,
and his industry and rectitude are before the young
men of the county.
BUCK, THOMAS, merchant, Brighton; was born November
2, 1824, and is a native of Ohio; he was raised on
a farm and educated in the common schools; in 1844
he came to Knox county, Illinois, where he remained
about two years when he came to Iowa and located in
Henry county; he remained there till 1852, when he
came to Brighton and went to work at the carpenter
trade, having learned it while a young man; this he
followed till 1873, when he opened a dry goods, notion
and millinery store in this place, and has continued
in the business ever since; he has been twice married;
first in April, 1844, to Miss Margaret Corbit, a native
of
624
Ohio; she died June 17, 1851, leaving him four children:
Harvey and Lafayette living, and two deceased; again,
November 21, 1852, to Miss Malinda Shaw, a native
of Illinois; by this union they have five children:
Arthur, Chester, Franklin; and Charlie living, and
one deceased.
CARMICHIEL, G. O., druggist, Brighton; was born July
11, 1854, in Linn county, Iowa; in 1862 his parents
moved to Henry county, Iowa, where he grew to manhood;
he was educated at Howe's Academy at Pleasant, Iowa;
when he became of age he went to work for his brother
in his drug store, where he learned the business and'
remained :about one year; in 1876 he carne to Brighton
and opened a drug store on his own account, and has
succeeded in building up a lucrative trade; he is
a capable and reliable druggist and keeps none but
fresh and first-class goods, always selling at reasonable
prices; he was married September 19, 1877, to Miss
Ella Downs, a native of Brighton.
CAMPBELL, J. S., farmer; Sec. 33; P. O. Brighton;
born in Miami -county, Ohio, August 17, 1828, and
was raised on a farm, receiving his education in the
common schools; in 1851 he carne to Iowa and located
where he now resides; owns 155 acres of improved land;
has always followed farming as an occupation, :at
which he has been quite successful; July 30, 1851,
he married Miss Mary Ann Townsley, a native of' Greene
county, Ohio; they have two children living: George
W. and Lawrence L.; have lost two sons.
DOWNS, GEORGE, retired farmer, Brighton; was born
in New Jersey September 18, 1811, and when very young
moved with his parents to Warren county, Ohio; was
there raised and educated; in 1846 he came to Iowa
and located on section 29 this township; resided in
Clay township for four years and returned to this
township where he lived until 1876, then retiring
from active service; he removed to the town of Brighton
where he has since lived; he commenced life with nothing
to speak of and has made all he now owns by hard,
honest toil; owns a fine residence in Brighton, also
two business houses; and the reputation that he has
always borne for honesty and veracity is to be envied
by all; married May 15, 1840, to Miss Mary Johnson,
a native of Ohio; they have four children: Katie B.
(now Mrs. W. T. Burgess, of Fairfield), W m. H., J.
L., and Laura Ellen (now Mrs. G. O. Carmichael); have
lost two.
DOWNS, W. H., grocer, Brighton; was born July 18,
1845; in 1846 his parents came to Iowa and located
in Brighton; here he has grown to manhood; was educated
in the common schools and raised on a farm; in 1872
he opened a grocery store in Brighton on his own account,
which he has carried on ever since; he carries a full
line of goods found in a first-class grocery store;
he enjoys a good trade which he has made by hard work,
strict integrity, and keeping only first-class goods;
he began as a farmer boy and has educated himself
up to a No.1 grocer; he was married September 17,
1873, to Miss Dora Baringer, a native of Enon, Ohio;
they have two children: Linna A., and Grace O., both
living.
FLEAK, MAJOR L. B., proprietor of Fleak House, Brighton;
was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, January 27, 1808;
there he lived till about eighteen years of age, when
he went to England to live with his uncle; remained
there about three months, then returned to the United
States, and after visiting sev-
625
ral States and Canada settled in Richmond, Missouri,
and there engaged in the jeweler's trade, having learned,
the same when young; after a residence there of two
and one-half years he moved to Clarke county, Missouri,
and was there engaged in selling goods; in March,
1840, he came to Keokuk; kept the first store in that
place, also the first hotel, (Keokuk House), and was
the first justice of the peace in that city, being
appointed by Governor Chambers; was the first postmaster,
appointed June 24, 1841; remained in Keokuk until
the spring of 1844, when he again moved to Missouri,
and two years later returned to Keokuk: during the
Mormon troubles at Nauvoo, Illinois, he was instrumental
with others in capturing a number of guns and ammunition,
which greatly discouraged the Mormons in their outrages;
with four others Major Fleak was hunted down by the
emissaries of Joe Smith who had orders to take their
lives at the first opportunity; remained in Keokuk
until his removing upon a farm near Fairfield, where
he remained until 1854; then traded his farm for the
Eagle Hotel of Brighton, kept the same for about two
years, sold out, and the next spring bought the property
which he now owns (The Fleak House); since coming
to Brighton has traveled for about three years as
Deputy Grand Master and Lecturer of the A. F. and
A. M. lodge of Iowa, and during that time organized
a large number of the lodges of the State; for one
year was editor of the "Western Star," then
commenced the publication of the "Brighton Star"
and at the end of three .years sold out; the following
year began editing the "Sun," continued
the same until April, 1879, and then retired from
editorial charge; his papers have all been of the
Republican class; Major Fleak has been twice married;
first, October 15, 1828, to Miss --; she died in February
1830, leaving one son: Wm, L. B., who now lives in
Missouri; was again married in June, 1835, to Miss
Julia A. Pennock, a native of New York; they have
six children: Martha A, (now Mrs., B. Tracy), Valencourt,
Zach. T., George, Laban and Julia Ann; have lost six;
March 1, 1864, he was appointed as private secretary
to General Curtis with the rank and pay of major;
this position came to him entirely unsolicited and
he held that position until the close of the war.
FRAZEY, JAMES H., farmer; 8ec.19; P. O. Brighton;
was born in Pennsylvania, November 23, 1827, and when
thirteen years of age he moved with his parents to
Iowa, locating in Jefferson county; there he was raised,
and educated in the common schools, and in 1851 came
to this county, settling in Brighton; in 1865 moved
on his present homestead of 82 acres and has since
resided here; is a miller by trade and worked in the
Brighton mill for twenty-four years, leaving it in
1879; August 4, 1849, he married Miss J. A. R. Hawthorne,
a native of Tennessee; they have seven children: E.
W., P. R., J. D., J. F., H. S., Mary D. and E. V.;
lost three children, .
GRACE, THOMAS, telegraph operator and agent, Brighton;
was born May 24, 1850, in Ireland; emigrated to the
United States with parents in 1853, landing in New
York; from there went to Ottawa, Illinois, and was
there raised and educated in the common schools; he
learned his trade at Ottawa in 1869 and 1870, taking
charge of the office in 1870; came to this office
in 1873 and has since remained here; his
626
father died when the subject of this sketch was young
and he was obliged to rely on his own resources; April
27, 1874, he married Miss Bridget A. Murray, a native
of' Illinois; they have four chi1dren: Joseph, Katie,
George and Thomas, Jr.
HEACOCK, C. C., editor and proprietor of the "Greenback
World," Brighton; was born December 27, 1851,
in Marlboro, Ohio; there he was raised on a farm;
he received his education at Mt. Union College, Ohio;
for several, years he traveled through the winter
seasons, visiting most of the States of the Union,
in various lines of' business; he came to Iowa and
located in Brighton in 1874: in 1879 he bought out
the office of the "Brighton Sun" and began
the publication of the "Greenback World,"
which he has continued until the present time with
a marked degree of success; he was married October
6, 1874, to Miss Carrie E. Davis, a native of Ohio;
they have a fami1y of two children: Mary and Guy;
both living.
HESSELTINE, D. K., farmer; Sec. 20; P. O. Brighton;
was born in New York, January 31, 1836, and when young
moved to Ohio in 1844, remaining there unti1 1852;
he then came to Iowa, locating in this county, and
in the fall of' 1863 moved on his present farm which
consists of 111 acres; has made all his property himself;
February 16, 1860, he was united in marriage with
Miss Arm Gordon, a native of this State; she is a
daughter of' Jefferson Gordon, one of the first settlers
of this township; they have five children: Douglas,
Josiah, Daniel, Mary and Dennis; lost two: Sallie
and Martha Ann.
INGHAM, MARCUS, farmer; Sec. 34; P.O. Brighton; was
born in the State of New York, December 14, 1840,
and when eleven years of age he with his parents moved
to Connecticut, where he lived for six years, when
he came to Iowa and located in Clay township, this
county; he came upon his present farm of 70 acres
in March, 1879, and since he arrived in this State
has followed farming as his occupation; he held the
office of justice of the peace for two terms in Clay
township; December 10, 1865, Miss Anna Barton, a native
of Vermont, became his wife; they have four children:
Mary, Harry, Frank and Katie; have lost one.
ISRAEL, W. T., proprietor of the Central House, Brighton;
was born January 1, 1841, in Sharon, Ohio; at the
age of six years he came with his parents to Iowa
and located near this. place on a farm; here he has
grown up and lived since; he received his education
in the common schools, Washington Seminary and Mt.
Pleasant College; he learned the tinner's trade with
John Bowman, of Mt. Pleasant, in the years 1857-'58;
he then returned home and began clerking in the dry
goods store of his. father at Richland, Keokuk county,
where he remained till May 2, 1861r when he enlisted
in company E, Second Iowa infantry; he served to July
8, 1862, when he was discharged for general disability;
on his return home he opened a stove and tinware store
in Brighton, which he continued about one year and
a half, when he sold out; in 1812 he opened a dry
goods and tin store in Talleyrand, Keokuk county,
where he continued in business. about four years when
he again sold out and returned to Brighton; in the
fall of 1879 he' bought out the Central House, which
he is now keeping in connection with a restaurant;
he was married December 28, 1862, to Miss Mary M.
White, a native of Jefferson county, Ohio; they have
a fami1y of six children: Oscar J., Luther A., Rilla
E., George A., living, and twins who died in infancy.
JAMIESON, W. A., farmer; Sec. 34; P. O. Brighton;
was born in
627
Ohio, May 3, 1829; in 1833 his parents moved to Guernsey
county, Ohio, where he was raised and educated; came
to Iowa in 1849 and located in Henry county, where
he lived about two years, then moving to Scott county,
Iowa; he came to this county in 1874, and located
where he now resides and owns 100 acres of land; has
been town trustee; in August, 1861, he enlisted as
a private in company G, Twentieth Iowa infantry, and
was promoted to corporal; served until December, 1864,
when he was discharged on account of disability; was
in the battles of Prairie Grove and siege of Vicksburg;
September 8, 1854, he was married to Miss Juliet M.
Stewart, a native of Orange county, Ohio; they have
four children: Samuel B., Mary E., Charles F, and
Joseph H.
McKINNIE, WALTER, farmer;Sec.3;P.0.Brighton; was
born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, September 13,
1815, and when eighteen years of age he moved to Montgomery
county; was raised on a farm; has followed farming
as an occupation all his life; received his education
in the common schools; came to Iowa in 1845, locating
where he now resides; owns 200 acres of well improved
land; on coming to this county he experienced many
hardships known to such a life; then there were but
two houses between Brighton and Washington; January
28, 1841, he married Miss Elizabeth Mi1ler, a native
of Kentucky; they have two children: Eliza J. (wife
of T. E. Johnson), and Ellen M.; they have lost two.
MILLS, ROSWELL S., attorney-at-law, Brighton; was
born April 17, 1817, in Connecticut; his parents moved
to Ohio in 1818; there he was raised on a farm; at
the age of twenty-one years he went into the mercantile
trade at Georgetown, Pennsylvania, which he continued
till 1840, when he returned to Ohio; in June, 1841,
he came to Iowa and located in this county, where
he went to farming, which he continued till 1863,
when he was elected a member of the Tenth General
Assembly of Iowa from Keokuk county; it having been
cut off of Washington county; he served one term with
distinction to himself and honor to his constituents';
in 1864 he was admitted to the bar by Judge E. S.
Sampson, and has followed his profession since; has
held the office of justice of the peace several terms;
married March 11, 1842, to Mrs. Lucretia Worthing,
a native of Ohio; they have a family of five children:
James S., Faith A., and Ella, living, and Mary and
Randolph, deceased.
MOORE, ANSON, retired farmer and dealer in produce,
Brighton; was born in Connecticut December 23,1806;
when 12 years of age he moved with his parents to
Trumbull county Ohio, where he remained until the
spring of 1840; he then came to Iowa and located in
this township, entering his land from the government
in 1843; here he carried on the carpenter trade, following
the same till 1860 when he retired and went into the
produce trade which he has since followed; has held
the office of justice of the peace since the fall
of 1841 with the exception of one term; also held
the same office for two years in Ohio; is undoubtedly
the oldest justice of the peace and has held the office
longer than any other man in the State; has been mayor
of Brighton for three terms and still holds that position;
is one of the oldest settlers in the county; married
to Lucia Meacham, a native of Ohio; they have had
twelve children, seven of whom are living; four are
residents of this county, one of Keokuk county, one
resides in Iowa City, and one lives , in Nebraska.
MYERS, THOMAS, farmer; Sec.
628
28; P. O. Brighton; was born October 7,1802, in Kentucky;
he, with his parents, moved to Ohio when but three
years of age, and there grew to manhood and was educated
in the common schools; in 1848 he came to Iowa and
located where lie now lives, and has since resided
here; owns forty-five acres of land; December 24,
1835, he married Catharine Confer, who died April
2, 1861, leaving a family of six children: Francis
B., William M. Adam, Albert, Ann and Pauline, living,
and Martha, deceased; his son, WILLIAM M. MYERS,
was born in Ohio, December 10, 1839, and in 1848,
he, with his parents, came to Iowa and located in
Jefferson county where they remained a short time;
in 1849 he came to this county and located where he
now resides; he was raised on a farm; October, 1861,
he enlisted in company K, Thirteenth Iowa infantry,
and served until August 4, 1865; taken prisoner July
22, 1863, at Atlanta, Georgia, and sent to Andersonville,
where he remained nine months and a half, when he
was released at the close of the war; then went to
Jacksonville, Florida, where he, with others, was
met by the government authorities and sent to Davenport,
where he was discharged; married December 25, 1867,
to Miss Elizabeth J. Smith, of Ohio.
PARKER, ISAAC, farmer; Sec. 32; P. O. Brighton; was
born in Richmond, Indiana. April 12, 1824; his parents
died when he was eight months of age, and he was taken
to Fayette county by friends; he lived there for a
few years and then returned to Wayne county and resided
in that and Fayette counties; at the latter place
he worked for six dollars per month, for four years,
and for seven years received eight dollars per month;
at the end of this time he was enabled by prudence,
etc., to buy a farm of 160 acres of land, mostly improved;
he came to Iowa in 1847 and located in Henry county,
where he remained till 1850; he then came to this
township and located on Sec. 16; moved on his present
farm of 285 acres in the fall of 1868; dur-[?] his
early residence in the county he cut and split rails
for 37 1/2 cents per hundred in order to buy corn
meal for the family to live; he is well acquainted
with all the trials incident to pioneer life; has
held the office of town trustee and several minor
offices; has been twice married; first in April, 1851,
to Miss Martha A. Gordon, a native of Iowa; she died
in 1855, leaving two children: Martha A., and Ellen;
was again married September 17: 1856, to Miss Elsie
J. Kirkpatrick, a native of Ohio; they have had by
this union five children: Emma, Lem B., Olive, and
John living, and one son deceased; Mr. Parker commenced
life without anything and what he now has is the result
of his own proud efforts.
PEASLEY, MRS. NANCY, farmer; Sec.34; P. O. Brighton;
was born in Vermont, January 3, 1811; she was the
daughter of Levi Winter who was in the War of 1812;
and he with his family moved to New York in that year;
there they lived ten years and they moved to Ohio;
after a residence there of about five years they went
to Dearborn county, Indiana; August 12, 1831, she
was married to Mr. Jacob Peasley, a native of Maine;
they moved to Iowa, locating in Jefferson county in
1839, and in the spring of 1844, to this county locating
where she now resides; she owns 240 acres of land;
they were among the earliest settlers of the township
and had to battle with all the disadvantages known
to pioneers; their nearest mill was at Lowell, below
Burlington, and their nearest post-office was Fairfield;
often their letters had to remain in the office on
account of not having twenty-five cents with which
to take
629
them out; Mr. Peasley died October 2, 1874, leaving;
a family of six children living: Robert, Sarah (now
Mrs., James Beans, of Kansas), Abigail, M, (now Mrs.
Wm. Marrall, of Harrison, Iowa), Mount, Anna and Leo;
have lost five.
PRIZER, JOHN W., retired merchant and banker, Brighton;
among the many good citizens of this county there
is none perhaps that is more deserving of notice than
the subject of this sketch; he was born October 8,
1825, in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania; there he grew
to manhood, and received only a common school education;
being of an energetic disposition and hearing of the
advantages and openings for the young men in the far
west, he determined to see the face of its broad prairies;
in the fall of 1849 he bid adieu to his old home and
came to Iowa, and located in the town of Brighton;
the gold fever having broken out during that season
he determined to see the gold fields of California,
and in company with a few of his neighbors, received
their outfit at the expense of Mr. Friend, who now
lives in Brighton; the trip though fraught with many
perils and hardships was successfully carried through,
and he at last found himself wandering around digging
in the golden State; he remained there till 1854,
when he returned to Brighton fully satisfied that
there were as great gold fields in Iowa as there were
in California; soon after his return he embarked in
the mercantile trade with D. W. Coffman, in Brighton,
and continued it till January, 1878, when he retired
from the firm, his son Henry taking his interest;
at the organization of the National Bank of Brighton,
in 1872, he was elected its cashier, which position
he held until January, 1877, when he retired to give
his entire attention to his mercantile interests;
in January, 1878, he again became connected with the
bank by being elected to its presidency, which position
he now holds; he was elected to the State Senate from
the 14th Senatorial district in the fall of 1879,
for a full term of four years, as a Republican; this
is the first public office he ever held in his life
and came to him unsolicited, as he was never an office
seeker; he is a man of sterling integrity, and one
who wm not stoop to the low tricks of the professional
politician, but will represent his constituency honestly
and well; he was married September 6, 1855, to Miss
Charlotta Moore, who is a native of Ohio; their family
consists of four children living: Henry A., Josepha
E., Eugene and Hattie, and two deceased.
RISK, MRS. AMANDA, farmer; Sec. 17; P. O. Brighton;
born in Ohio, May 15, 1828; she lived there until
1846, when her father, Mr. Abraham Park, came to this
county locating on Sec. 33, of this township; February
16, 1851, she married Mr. Wm, Risk, a native of Pennsylvania;
he died on the 22d of November, 1875, leaving her
a family of eight children living: Louisa (now Mrs.
Henry Nichols), John, James, George, Martha (now Mrs.
Tom Rivers), Hattie, Arthur and Dora, and one deceased;
with the assistance of her sons who are all at home,
Mrs. Risk has continued to carry on the farm.
SMITH, URIAH, farmer; Sec. 31; P. O. Brighton; was
born in Ohio, November 19, 1852; there was raised
and educated in the common schools and also learned
the carpenter and joiner's trade, which he followed
until he came to this county; he has worked at this
trade and farming since he has been here and is considered
one of the best mechanics in this part of the county;
moved to Pennsylvania in 1849 and lived there until
1861,
630
when he returned to Ohio; he lived there until 1865,
when he came to Iowa and located where he now lives;
owns 116 acres of land; February 22, 1848, be married
Miss Mary E. Fox, a native of Ohio; have seven children:
Celestia, William G., Marian, Hettie, Harry, Kate
and Myrtle; lost one, an infant.
SNYDER, W. H., grocer, Brighton; was born in Clarke
county, Ohio, April 21, 1837; when 11 years of age
he came with his parents to Iowa and located near
this place; he was raised on a farm and educated in
the common schools; he followed farming until 1861,
and in September of that year he enlisted in company
K, Thirteenth Iowa infantry, and served until July
2, 1862, when he was discharged on account of general
disability; after his return home he went into the
grocery business at Pleasant Plain, Jefferson county,
where he remained for about nine months; he then came
to Brighton and bought out a butcher shop, which he
continued to run for about one year; he then sold
out; then engaged in the carpenter trade until the
tan of 1874 when he again bought the butcher shop,
running the same until April 1879; he then engaged
in his present business and has followed it successfully
since; has been street commissioner in Brighton for
the past three years; June 9, 1869, he married Miss
Mary Sturgeon, a native of Ohio; have two children:
Milton E. and Katie; lost one.
SWISHER, E. W., grocery, hardware and implement dealer,
Brighton; the subject of this sketch was born June
24, 1845, in Champaign county, Ohio; in April, 1856,
he came with his parents to this county, locating
near Brighton; here was raised on a farm and educated
in the common schools; when 20 years of age he attended
the Eastman College of Chicago, and after a course
of five months he graduated with high honors; with
his diploma as a capital stock he commenced life:
he had however, an indomitable will, energy, perseverance
and a strict integrity; in 1872 he began business
by opening his present store and has followed it ever
since; be has been elected a member of the city council;
is a man of liberal thought and has done much for
one of his age toward the advancement in education
and science where he has lived; October 6, 1874, he
was married to Miss Katie Brier, daughter of James
Blair, of this place; have one child: Fraude, living.
TERRY, M. C., M. D., physician and surgeon, Brighton:
he is a native Hawkeye, having been born in Washington
county, Iowa, May 13, 1845; he received his education
at the college in Washington, in his native county;
he served an apprenticeship at the jeweler's trade
with a Mr. Sheldon of Washington, but on account of
his health (not being able to stand the confinement,
he had to give it up, and turned his attention to.
school teaching, which he followed for several years;
although very young he began the study of medicine
about 1860 and kept it up while teaching till 1864,
when he became a student of Dr. James McKee, of Washington,
with whom he studied about one year; at the end of
which time he went to Chicago to finish his medical
education at the Rush Medical Co11ege; he graduated
from that institution in the spring of 1866, and in
the fa11 of the same year located in Grand View, Louisa
county, where he practiced his profession till 1868,
at which time he moved to Oakland, in the same county;
here he only remained about one year, when he moved
to Coneville, Muscatine county, where he entered into
the mercantile trade in connection with his practice;
at the end of four
631
years, however, he sold out his stock of goods that
he might give his entire time to the practice of his
profession, which had grown at this time to require
it; in August 1878, he came to Brighton and formed
a co-partnership with Dr. O. H. Prizer for the practice
of his profession, which he has continued since; he
was married May 13, 1868, to Miss Lotta M. Israel,
a daughter of Mr. Reuben Israel, a prominent and well
known citizen of this county; they have a family of
two children: Mareus Claude and Grace M., both living.
TRACY, B., dealer in hardware, agricultural implements
and groceries, Brighton; was born August 30, 1832,
in Belmont county, Ohio; his parents came to Iowa
in 1845, and located in Brighton; here he grew up
and was educated in the common ,schools; he received
the most of his education, however, in the store;
in 1866 he began business on his own account by keeping
a restaurant in Brighton, which he followed one winter,
and then opened a grocery store, to which he added
hardware, in 1876, and farm implements in 1879; he
is one of the oldest citizens of the town, and has
realized and passed through many of the hardships
incident of a pioneer life; he was married December
4. 1856, to Miss Martha A. Fleak, a native of .Missouri
and daughter of Colonel L. B. Fleak, now a resident
of Brighton; they have had seven children: Albert
R., Henry F., Frank B., Bertram O. and Mattie E. living,
and Edwin L. and Mildred deceased.
TUCKER, THOMAS, miller; ,Sec. 2O; P. O. Brighton;
was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, February
24, 1818; there was raised and educated in select
schools; lived there until the fall of 1833, when
he .moved to Indiana, locating it Putnam county; remained
there about one and a half years, and in 1835 he came
to Iowa settling near Mt. Pleasant; in 1839 he came
to this county and located in Marion township; since
that time has been engaged in the milling business;
April 1, 1879, he came and took a lease of the Brighton
mills, and has remained in that place; he learned
his trade without a teacher and is acknowledged to
be one of the best millers in the country; owns fifteen
acres of land; in October, 1835, in company with several
others, he came to. this county on a bee hunt, going
near Brighton; they soon found honey in abundance
and succeeded in getting 147 1/2 gallons of strained
honey and 117 pounds of beeswax; got thirty gallons
of honey out of one tree; they took all this to Burlington
and received fifty cents per gallon for the honey
and twenty-five cents per pound for the beeswax; this
was the first large (?) amount of money they received
in Iowa; Mr. Tucker has been twice married; first
July 14, 1833, to Miss Rosella Harris, a native of
Davis county, North Carolina; she died May 5, 1846,
leaving six children: Sarah A., Nancy J. and Louisa
living, and three deceased; was again married February
11, 1847, to Miss Sarah Stoner, a native of North
Carolina; they have seven children: Martha E., Amos
M., William M., Jefferson La F., Alice, Emily L. and
Ida M.; lost one.
VAN WAGENEN, I. W., farmer; Sec. 8; P. O. Brighton;
was born in Ohio December 1, 1830; and when fifteen
years of age came to Iowa settling in Marion township
this county; in 1854 he moved on the farm which he
now occupies, consisting of 167 acres; he was one
of the earliest settlers in the county and has always
taken an active part in all educational matters; has
been school treasurer for the last eight years; married
August 10, 1851, to
632
Miss Elizabeth Moreland, daughter of L. Moreland,
who settled in this township in 1839: they have had
twelve children, nine of whom are living: Anthony,
James E., Sarah, Anna, Agnes, Mary Frances, Nora and
John; lost three.
WHITE, WILLIAM V., blacksmith, Brighton; was born
in Pennsylvania September 26, 1808; when young he
moved with his parents to Ohio, locating in Jefferson
county; when seventeen years of age, he went to learn
his trade with David Irvin, of St. Claresville, Ohio,
where he worked for two years; in 1855 he came to
Iowa and located where he now lives; he opened a shop
which he has since carried on, although for a year
or two he engaged in farming but found the blacksmith
trade better suited to his taste and stopped farming;
at this time although well advanced in years, he can
wield the hammer with the agility of his youth; December
15, 1829, he married Miss Sarah Waters, a native of
Ohio; they have had thirteen children, seven of whom
are dead and six living: Celia A., Joseph W., Mary
M., Benjamin F., G. W., Clara E., JOSEPH W. WHITE
was born in Ohio December 8, 1838; he came to Iowa
with his parents in the spring of 1855, locating in
Brighton; in 1856 he commenced to learn his trade
(that of blacksmith) with his father and has followed
it ever since; May 27, 1861, he enlisted in company
H, Second Iowa infantry and served three years, then
was honorably discharged; he participated in all of
the battles in which his regiment was engaged; at
the close of the war he returned home and resumed
work; in 1872 he took a trip to Arizona, but not liking
the country he returned to Missouri and remained there
for three years, working at his trade all the time;
he again came to Brighton and has since remained here;
August 17, 1864, he married Miss Anna M. .Jacobs,
a native of Ohio; they have three children: Edwin,
Gilbert and Blanche.
WILKINS, ELISHA, farmer; Sec. 19; P. O. Brighton;
was born in North Carolina, February 15, 1815, and
when young his parents moved to East Tennessee where
the subject; of this writing was raised and educated;
on the outbreaking of the war he left that State on
account of his political views not being in keeping
with the majority of the population, and in 1863 he
came to this State and county; September 22, 1840,
he married Miss Nancy Burnett, a native of Tennessee;
they have seven children: Arthur O., Frank, Taylor,
Samuel B., George, John and James; have lost four.
WOODFORD, CAPTAIN S. E., carpenter and millwright,
Brighton; was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, October
20, 1829; he was there raised and educated at the
Vienna. Academy; in the fall of 1850 he came to Iowa
and located in this county, and in 1851 came to Brighton,
where he has since remained; September, 1861, he enlisted
as private in company K, Thirteenth Iowa infantry,
and was elected by the men of his company to the position
of captain; he served until August, 1862, when he
was obliged to resign his commission on account of
ill-health; his health was so poorly that for more
than a year he was unable to attend to his daily avocations;
after his recovery he pursued and followed his trade,
and owns his present homestead; the first railroad
that he ever rode on was when, he went to the army;
when he came to this county he came to Keokuk by water
and from there to Brighton on foot; he was one of
the four men who voted the abolition ticket in 1852;
has been town trustee and member of the school board
for several years, a member of the town
633
council, and is at present chairman of the board
of supervisors of the county; on the 14th of March.
1854, Captain Woodford was married to Miss Abigal
Moore, a native of Ohio; they have four children:
Edmond N., Ella A., Frank W. and Charles S.
YOCKEY, DANIEL, lumber dealer, Brighton; was born
in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, April 10, 1818;
during the winter of 1831-32 he moved to Starke county,
Ohio, with his parents; he was there raised and on
becoming of age he returned to Pennsylvania; in 1839
he returned to Ohio, and in April, 1840, he came to
Wayne county, Illinois, remaining there about one
year; he then moved to Iowa City in March of the following
year and in April, 1842, he came to Washington, this
county; there are but two men now living in Washington
(Mr. Norman Everson and David French), that were here
when he came; in 1872 he came to Brighton and opened
a 1urnber yard for John Mesner, which he continued
for about three years; he then opened a lumber yard
on his own account and has continued the same ever
since; March 12, 1844, he was married to Miss Jane
B. Kilgore, a native of Ohio; they have a family of
six children: Grezelda, John K., Jennette, Susan M.,
Martin M., Maggie B.; have lost two, Lizzie Jane and
David G.
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