-600- M. V. GORVES, is one of the early settlers of Pilot Township, having settled there in 1869. He was born in Delaware County, Ohio, August 13, 1836, and is the son of Adam and Catherine Groves, natives of Pennsylvania, of German ancestry. M. V. passed his youth in his native county, assisting to clear the heavily timbered lands of which his father's farm was composed. In 1855 he came to Clinton County, Iowa, and engaged in farming. At the breaking out of the late Civil War he was not slow to respond to the call for men; he enlisted in April, 1861, in the SEcond Iowa Volunteer Infantry, Company I, and served his country faithfully. He was in the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Iuka, Corinth, and -601- several other engagements. He was honorably discharged at the expiration of his term of service at Pulaski, Tennessee. He then returned to Clinton County, Iowa. January 9, 1865, he was married to Miss Mary Ann McLaughlin, a native of Lowell, Massachusetts. In 1867 Mr. Groves removed to Jackson County, Iowa, remaining there one year; then he went to Scott County, Iowa, and spent one year there. He then came to Cherokee County and took a homestead of eighty acres in Pilot Township, being one of the first settlers in that neighborhood. His success in cultivating the first tract of land encouraged him to invest his surplus funds in other lands, and he now owns 280 acres in a high state of cultivation, with many modern improvements; he has planted two acres of grove, which adds very largely to the comfort and beauty of the farm. Mr. and Mrs. Groves are the parents of four children: John Emmet, a graduate of the Cherokee High School, now finishing his education at the Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois; Ida M., Florence and Agnes Laura. Mr. Groves is a Democrat, having left the Republican ranks some time ago, being a firm believer in free trade. He is a member of the G.A.R., and assisted in the organization of the General Custer Post, No. 25, at Cherokee. He is a man plain of speech, of a keen sense of right and wrong, a highly respected citizen of the county. JOHN FAIRWEATHER, an enterprising farmer of Pilot Township, was born in Scotland, in June, 1835. He is a son of W. and Susan (Carnegie) Fairweather, also natives of Scotland; the father was a miller by trade. John spent his boyhood in attending school and in assisting his father in the mill. He remained at home until he was nineteen years old, when he took a position as attendant in a lunatic asylum. Desiring to see America, and try what fortune there might be for him in the New World, he sailed from his native land in 1855, and after landing pursued his journey to Washington County, New York, where he remained one year. Thence he went to Chicago and worked there two years, principally at boiler-making. He then went to Will County, Illinois, and engaged in farm work until 1862, when he volunteered to defend the flag of his adopted country. He enlisted in September, 1862, in the One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Company E, under Captain Siegley. He was sent to Springfield, Illinois, and thence to the South. While at Lake Providence, Louisiana, he received an appointment as Second Lieutenant of the First Mississippi Heavy Artillery, garrisoned at Vicksburg, and while at that place he was stricken with heart disease, and was sent to a hospital; there he was confined between three and four months, and in October, 1863, he was discharged. He returned to his home in Will County, Illinois, and it was some time before he was strong enough to resume his accustomed duties. In 1885 Mr. Fairweather removed to Cherokee County, and purchased 160 acres of land in Pilot Township, on which he is making his home. The farm is well improved, and everything indicates the thrift and prosperity of the owner. Mr. Fairweather was married in 1859, to Miss Jane Hall, and by this union eight children have been born: Mungo, William , David, Agnes, Elizabeth, Susan, Matilda and John. In January, 1876, Mrs. Fairweather died, deeply mourned by her sorrowing family. Mr. Fairweather was again married in 1879, to Miss Ellen Scarriet, a daughter of Perry and Nellie (Boardman) Scarriet. Two children have been born of this marriage: [page 602 ] Thomas and Hazel. The parents are most worthy and consistent members of the Presbyterian Church. JOHN RIDDLE has for the past twenty years been an honored member of the farming community of Pilot Township. He was born in Holmes County, Ohio, May 29, 1842. His father was Matthew B. Riddle, a native of Ohio, of English ancestry; his mother was Eleanor (Underhill) Riddle, a native of the State of Pennsylvania. Her parents were married in Pennsylvania, and removed to Holmes County when she was but two years of age. Caught in the tide of Western emigration his parents drifted to Iowa, and settled in Story County; afterward the father removed to Crawford County, and died there. The mother died in Monona County, Iowa. John Riddle was brought up on his father's farm, and received a common-school education. During the late Rebellion he enlisted in the Twenty-third Iowa Infantry, in June, 1861, but being under age his father took him out of the service. He again enlisted November 10, 1865, in the Nineteenth United States Infantry, Company B, and served three years. He was in the battle of Knoxville, and was under General Steel's command in 1865; he was honorably discharged October 6, 1868, at Fort Union, New Mexico, and returned to Crawford County, Iowa, his father having settled there during the war. There he lived until 1869, when he took a Government homestead of eighty acres of land. He has been very successful in placing this land under cultivation, and has reaped abundant harvests; he has added to his first purchase of land, and now owns 160 acres of superior land; it is well fenced, has a comfortable residence, a good barn, an orchard and a grove; the place is well watered by a natural stream, rendering it very desirable as a stock farm. Mr. Riddle was married November 4, 1869, in Crawford County, Iowa, to Miss Nancy Randall, a daughter of Peter and Margaret (Tyra) Randall. Three children have been born of this marriage: Mary Margaret Eleanor, Rose Alma, and Effie May, who died at the age of fourteen months. Mr. Riddle stanchly supports the issues of the Democratic party. By a long residence in the county, and a life of unquestionable integrity, he has won the respect of all who know him. F. H. GILLETT, a farmer well known in Sheridan Township, was born July 10, 1848, in La Salle County, Illinois. His father, D. S. Gillett, was born in Connecticut, in 1820; his mother was Susan Worsley; she was born in Ohio in 1823. The boyhood and youth of our subject was passed in the borders of his native county; there he received the advantages afforded by the public schools of that time. Following his first impulse to rely upon his own resources, he left home at an early age and went to Mendota, Illinois, and resided there until his twenty-second year. He then came to Cherokee County and entered eight acres of land in section 28, Sheridan Township. There he spent twelve years in advancing this land to a high state of cultivation, and in making numerous improvements. His next move was to Sioux Falls, Daktoa; thence he went to Meriden, Iowa, and resided there three years. At the present time he under his care and direction the farm of Mr. Beal. Mr. Gillett was married March 10, 1870, to Miss Lydia M. Quinn, daughter of H. S. and Abbie L. (Myers) Quinn, who was born June 30, 1850. [page 603 ] Mr. and Mrs. Quinn are natives of the State of Vermont, and removed to Bureau County, Illinois, when Mrs. Gillett was two years old. There she was reared and received her education. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Gillett: Louis M., Fred H. and Nellie M. Mr. Gillett is a stanch adherent to the principles of the Republican party. The people of his township have called upon him to serve them as trustee, which office he has held for three years; he has served as road supervisor one term. He and his wife are worthy and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are ever ready to support any measures that will better the community. A. McKINNEY is one of the prominent members of the farming community of Liberty Township. He is a native of Highland County, Ohio, born November 10, 1845. His parents, Jesse and Rebecca A. (Crone) McKinney, were also natives of the Buckeye State. Until twenty-four years of age he engaged in agricultural pursuits, receiving a liberal education in the common schools, and at Central University, Pella, Iowa. He abandoned farming entirely, and for several years taught school. He then invested in a farm in Polk County, and from 1872 until 1876 he devoted himself to its cultivation. He then removed to Cherokee County, purchasing a farm in Marcus Township, on which he lived until 1882. He then bought 240 acres in Liberty Township which he is now making his home. Mr. McKinney was married March 14, 1872, to Miss Jane Prunty, daughter of Elias and Hariett (Cassel) Prunty; she was born n Jasper County, Iowa, November 3, 1849. Four children have been born of this union: Virgil Irving, Clarence Roy, Robert Francis and Anna Urville. In politics Mr. McKinney adheres to the principles of the Greenback party, but casts an independent suffrage; he has served as county supervisor three years, as township clerk, and is the present trustee of Liberty Township. Both Mr. and Mr. [Mrs.] McKinney are worthy members of the Christian Church, Mr. McKinney being an elder of the same. Mr. McKinney has made excellent improvements on his farm in Liberty Township; he has erected a residence at a cost of $1,500, and two good barns; he has planted eleven acres of grove which adds very much to the value of the farm. He devotes himself to general farming and stock-raising, and has done his part in building up that portion of the county in which he lives. He is frank and cordial in manner, honest and upright in all his dealings, and has the confidence and respect of all who know him. E. R. CHARLTON a representative and intelligent farmer of Liberty Township, is a native of Belfast, Ireland, born February 10, 1857. HIs parents are natives of the beautiful Emerald Isle, and there he passed his youth until thirteen years of age, when the family bade farewell to their old homes, and sailed to America, "the land of the free and the home of the brave." After landing in this country they proceeded to Illinois, and settled in Jo Davies County, remaining there one year; then they removed to La Fayette County, Wisconsin, where our subject resided until 1881. He then came to Cherokee County, Iowa, and bought a farm of eighty acres in Liberty Township which he is still making his home. Mr. Charlton was untied in marriage January 29, 1884, to Miss Sadie Anderson, daughter of John and [page 604 ] Jane (Burroughs) Anderson. Mrs. Charlton was born in La Fayette County, Wisconsin, September 11, 1858, and received her education in the Plattsville State Normal School of Wisconsin. Her father is a native of Scotland, and has served a term in the Legislature of Wisconsin, taking an active interest in local politics. Mr. and Mrs. Charlton have been blessed with two children: Edith Blanche and Aruba Belle. Mr. Charlton is a stanch supporter of the principles of the Republican party. He has served as a member of the School Board, and is the present clerk of the township. Both he and his wife are worthy and consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, and are numbered among the leading people of Liberty Township. JAMES HENRY TEMPLEMAN. This gentleman, who is one of the progressive spirits of Pitcher Township, has many of the qualities that go to make up a successful man. An active brain to plan and execute with good judgment and discrimination, he has made a comfortable fortune where many men less vigorous have merely held their own. Methodical in his every transaction, he has surrounded himself with the conveniences that make a home enjoyable. His house is roomy and comfortable, and taken in connection with his large and convenient barn, sets off to good advantage the broad and beautiful acres surrounding the home. The residence is but a few minutes' drive from Aurelia, the road lying through a fertile and well-cultivated region. Mr. Templman was born in Henry County, Indiana, December 4, 1839, and is a son of Joseph and Lodema A. (Hammersley) Templeman. Henry Templeman, the grandfather of J. H., came from North Carolina, and the Hammersleys are natives of New York. Joseph Templeman's family consisted of Hannah, wife of John Payne Belott; James Henry, William O., Robert, who died at the age of thirty-seven years; Henrietta, wife of Nelson Shore, and Joseph. Joseph Templeman, Sr., died at the age of thirty-nine years, and his widow still survives at the age of seventy years. James Henry was reared on a farm in Carroll County, Illinois, from his seventh until his twentieth year. After his father's death, which occurred when he was thirteen years old, much care and responsibility devolved upon him. When twenty years of age he engaged in work by the month until his marriage, which was November 2, 1861, to Miss Mary Leonard. After his marriage he rented land for five years, when he managed to secure land of his own, which he continued to farm until his coming to Iowa in 1877. In 1874 he had made a purchase of 160 acres of land, which he began to improve in 1878. The first house erected upon the place is now used as a granary. He has since added to his first purchase 160 acres, making his farm just one-half section of as good land as there is in the Northwest. He has been more of a grain-grower that a stock-man, and usually has from seventy-five to 100 acres of small grain. In this line of agriculture he has had more than ordinary success. Much of Mr. Templeman's prosperity in life, as with most men, is due to the wise counsel and faithful assistance of his devoted wife. Mrs. Templeman is a woman of refinement and good judgment, and her life has been devoted to the interests of her family. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Templeman are: Carrie, born January 19,1 865, wife of P. D. Wine; Lelia, born February 1, 1871; Ollie, born December 6, 1878, and Robert, born September 11, 1884. Lelia is one of the successful teachers of the county [page 605 ] and is much interested in her profession. She is organist in the United Brethren Church, and is an active Sabbath-school worker. Mr. Temleman is a man of faith, and is devoted to the study of the Scripture, which is his rule and guide. His religious belief is in accordance with that sect of worshipers known as "Life Believer Adventists." He is not a member of any church organization, but is a true and faithful follower of the truth as he understands it. Like others of the same belief, he is shaping every transaction to be prepared when Christ shall come, which will be at no distant day. He is a close student of the Bible, and is ever ready to prove his faith. -605- JAMES NICHOLAS RICE was born in Crawford County, Indiana, April 25, 1836, and is a son of Nicholas and Caroline (Samuels) Rice. The father was a native of the State of Pennsylvania, and the mother of Kentucky. They were married in Indiana, and removed to Knox County, Illinois, in 1839. In 1851 they removed to Hardin County, Iowa, where the father died in 1859. HIs widow survived him thirty years, her death occurring in Cherokee County, January 3, 1889, in her eighty-fourth year. Their family consisted of nine children, all of whom are living (July, 1889): Jacob K., Henry Harrison, William C., Marilda, wife of W. B. Fail; Catherine, wife of Job Leeds; Emma, wife of David Johns; Clementia P., wife of Charles Marks; Noble John and James N. James was fifteen years of age when the family removed to Hardin County, and there he grew to manhood, actively engaged in all kinds of farm work. He was married in that county, January 4, 1857, to Miss Mary A. Williams, who was born in Shelby County, Indiana, July 24, 1842. Her parents were John and Sarah (Porter) Williams, both of whom died in Hardin County, where they had settled in 1852. They had removed from Mahaska County, having settled there two years previously. After his marriage James N. was engaged in running a saw-mill near Steamboat Rock, Hardin County, for seven years, and was then in agricultural pursuits for a number of years. In 1868 he decided to locate in the beautiful county of Cherokee. He had made several trips to this section of the State on elk-catching expeditions. In 1865 there were numerous herds of elk in this part of the country, and having contracted with a New York firm for a certain number of young animals, he and two brothers came in the spring for several years. They camped out and devoted several weeks to the exciting sport. The young elk could be raised as easily with cows as if they were calves. In the spring of 1866 they captured and shipped thirty-four head of these young animals. In the fall of the year they would return and have a hunt,there being a demand for all the game they could capture, and they found this very profitable sport. Mr. Rice settled in the county in the fall of 1868, having secured land which he began to cultivate. He has ever since lived upon this tract, improving it and adding to it until he now owns 200 acres, besides a nice body of timber land in Cherokee County, near the town of Cherokee. In 1874 he purchased of Harvey Wamsley, one of the earliest pioneers of the township, his original homestead which he had entered about 1867. Mr. Rice has a beautiful home; lying higher than the surrounding country, it commands a magnificent view. He does a general farming business, and usually feeds from two to three car-loads of cattle annually. Mr. and Mrs. Rice are the parents of eleven children: Wilburn R., [page 606 ] Jacob W., Henry H., U. S. Grant, M. Rhoda, James K., Harvey E., Francis E., Charles C., Elva Amanda and Opal May. It is an interesting and intelligent family, and one of which any man might well be proud. -606- A. D. REED a well-known farmer of Cherokee County, was born in Whiteside County, Illinois, March 25, 1838, and is a son of R. J. and E. M. (Addison) Reed. He was early inured to the laborious work on the farm, and received limited educational advantages. At the age of seventeen years he removed with his parents to Wisconsin, and resided there until his twenty-third year; he then took up arms in the defense of his country, enlisting in the Fifth Missouri Cavalry, Company G. He served faithfully for four years and eight months, participating in the battles of Pea Ridge, Iuka, Ivy Farm, second battle of Corinth and at Brice's Cross Roads. He received an honorable discharge December 22, 1865, and returned to his home to resume the more peaceful pursuits of agriculture. He remained there until 1871, when he came to Cherokee County, and bought eighty acres of land in Liberty Township. For ten years he devoted himself to cultivating the soil, and to making many improvements on this place. In 881 he went to Meriden and worked at the carpenter's trade; at the end of four years he exchanged land with Mr. Davis, and returned to the country again. Mr. Reed was united in marriage July 4, 1867, to Miss Lucy M. Rice, daughter of Moorse and Clarissa (Phillips) Rice. She was born in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, August 2, 1838, and when four years old was brought by her parents to New York; there she grew to womanhood, receiving her education in the Lancaster schools. Mr. and Mrs. Reed have been blessed with three children: Lora Elsie, who follows the profession of teaching; Mary E. and Guy L. Mrs. Reed was a very successful teacher before her marriage, and was engaged in that profession for thirteen years. Mr. Reed affiliates with the Republican party; he has served nine years as clerk of Liberty Township, eleven years as district township secretary, as justice of the peace in Sheridan Township, and assessor of the incorporated town of Meriden, acquitting himself with much credit in these various positions. He is a member of the General Custer Post, No. 25, G.A.R. Mr. and Mrs. Reed and their daughter Lora are worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In March, 1869, Mr. Reed met with a very severe accident in the way of a broken leg; he was not discouraged by this seeming misfortune but kept things moving on the farm as though the proprietor was in the best of health. Mr. Reed is ambitious and energetic and is now enjoying the reward of his efforts. H. C. MITCHELL is an honored member of the farming community of Liberty Township. He is a native of the Buckeye State, born in Adams county, July 30, 1844, and is the son of George and Nancy (Bromley) Mitchell. When H. C. was a lad of ten years his parents determined to go farther west, so they removed to Whiteside County, Illinois, and settled on a farm. There our subject grew to manhood, receiving the training usually bestowed on a farmer's son, and the advantages of a common-school education. At the age of twenty-one years he bade adieu to the family hearth-stone, and spent one year traveling through Texas, Indian Territory, Iowa, Kansas and Illinois. -607- After studying the different advantages of this broad section, he decided to locate in Clinton County, Iowa, and there he remained seven years engaged in running a saw-mill. He then left Clinton County and came to Cherokee County, purchasing a farm of eighty acres in Liberty Township, which he still makes his home. He has a comfortable residence, substantial buildings for the care and protection of live-stock, and two and a half acres of grove, which adds greatly to the beauty of the farm, and not a little to its value. An air of thrift and prosperity pervades the Mitchell farm which speaks well for the management of the owner. Mr. Mitchell was married in 1876 to Miss Clara Stuart, a daughter of John and Mary (Barber) Stuart. Mrs. Mitchell was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 18, 1856. By this union two children have been born: Edith May and Lafayette. Mr. Mitchell adheres to the principles of the Republican party, and has been called upon to fill the office of township assessor. He and his wife are members of the Christian Church, and are interested in the movement calculated to advance the community in which they live. SAMUEL W. NEVILLE.—Probably no one family has contributed so much to the development of Diamond Township as the Neville family. The head of the family is Wilson Neville, now living in Aurelia. He was born in Holmes County, Ohio, August 5, 1816, and is a son of Joseph and Mary (Buckmaster) Neville; his father was born in Maryland about 1795, and his paternal ancestors were of French stock; his mother was a native of Pennsylvania. They settled in Ohio in 1812, and Joseph was drafted into the army, but as he still claimed Pennsylvania for his home he was not compelled to go. They had a family of twelve children, eight of whom are still living. Wilson was reared on the farm in Ohio, and was united in marriage April 11, 1844, in Holmes County, to Miss Rebecca Wilson, who was born in Holmes County, September 18, 1820, her parents being Samuel and Dorcas (Miller) Wilson. In 1853 he settled in Buchanan County, Iowa, and there he remained until 1876, when he came to Cherokee County and settled in Diamond Township. He and his wife now live in Aurelia, are pleasantly situated, and taking life's declining years quietly and peacefully. Mr. Neville cast his first vote for William Henry Harrison, and has not missed voting at a Presidential election since that time. His family consisted of eight children: Joseph, Samuel W., Dorcas, wife of Marion Lumley; Andrew; Maggie, the wife of Daniel Hench, died at the age of twenty-seven years; Clinton and Elizabeth. Samuel W. Nevile, whose name heads this brief biography, was born in Holmes County, Ohio, December 5, 1846. He worked at home until he was twenty-two years old, receiving a fair education in the common schools of Ohio and Iowa. He was untied in marriage April 11, 1870, in Buchanan County, Iowa, to Miss Lydia A. Harrison. He then engaged in farming until the death of his companion, who passed away after little more than a year a year's wedded happiness, November, 14, 1871. After this he worked for an uncle until the spring of 1873, when he came to Cherokee County, where his brother and sister had settled the year previous. He purchased some land and began farming, and since that time has made his home in Diamond Township. His farm now consists of 320 acres of choice land, which he has improved in good style; his farming arrangements are of the best and most convenient kind, and well adapted to the handling of -608- live-stock. Mr. Neville is widely known as the proprietor of a threshing machine, having been successfully engaged in that business for a number of years. After remaining single upward of ten years, he was again married March 3, 1883, to Miss Katie Elliott, who was born in Coshocton County, Ohio, August 11, 1847. The first wife left one son, David Elmer, now eight years of age, and one child has blessed this present union, Allen Leslie, six years of age. Mr. Neville enjoys the confidence of his neighbors to the fullest extent, and they have elected him trustee of the township three times consecutively. Politically he is a Republican, but he has friends among all parties. He is a man of culture and ability, and would command respect and achieve success in whatever field of action his lot might be cast. He and his wife are liberal supporters of the Diamond Center Methodist Church, of which he is one of the leading members. He is ever ready to assist in any worthy enterprise, and it is to such men that the prosperity of Cherokee County is due. THOMAS T. CRIPPEN, one of the leading farmers of Pitcher Township, was born in Carroll County, Illinois, August 25, 1852. His father, Rufus Crippen, was a native of the State of New York, and settled in Illinois in the year 1850. His death occurred in Carroll County, Illinois, at the age of fifty-six years, his wife, Persus (Powers) Crippen, having died twenty years before. The family consisted of Thomas T., William, Albert, Stephen, Annie, wife of Calvin Seward, and one that died in infancy. Thomas T. was reared on the farm in Carroll County, Illinois, and remained there until he became of age. He had received a fair education in the public schools; naturally having a quick perception and a retentive memory, he easily became proficient in the ordinary branches. His father had seen the possibilities of Cherokee County, and when it first began to be settled he had secured 240 acres of land. He gave Thomas eighty acres when he had reached his majority, and it was for the purpose of cultivating this tract of land that he first came to Iowa. His efforts have met with excellent success, and he has added to the legacy of his father until he now owns 240 acres. This he has highly improved, and has admirable buildings with suitable conveniences for handling live-stock. Mr. Crippen remained a bachelor for some years after coming to the county, but was finally married to Miss Martha Conklin, a daughter of Luther and Harriet (Spees) Conklin. Her father had lived in Cherokee County for years, and her mother now resides with her; her father is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Crippen have had born to them four children: Rufus, Earl, Raymond and Ewing. Mr. Crippen has met with more than average success, and this may be attributed to the fact that he is a man of more than ordinary ability, energy and perseverance. He is identified with the Republican party, and enjoys the respect and confidence of all who know him. NELSON W. CRIPPEN, a successful farmer of Pitcher Township, has been a resident of Cherokee County since 1872. He was born in Warren County, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1822, and is a son of Stephen and Lucy (Bauer) Crippen, natives of the State of New York. At the age of nineteen years he engaged in the lumber business in his native State on the Allegheny and Ohio rivers; he continued in this line, -609- cutting and sawing pine lumber until about 1852, when he removed to Michigan and again embarked in the lumber business in Branch and St. Joseph counties. While in Pennsylvania his experience was confined to soft lumber, but he afterward became familiar with all the details of hard-wood lumbering. At the outbreak of the Rebellion he left the saw-mill and took up the musket, enlisting in August, 1862, in the Fourth Michigan Cavalry, Company G. He soon joined the army at the front, and during the battle of Stone River he was detailed to drive a team; it was here that he received such severe injuries as to necessitate his removal to a hospital, and from December 31 to September 4 the following year he was confined in the hospitals at Nashville and New Albany. Not being able to resume his work he was discharged, and returned to Michigan, where he remained until the close of the war. Mr. Crippen then decided to seek a home in the West, and accordingly went to Illinois and settled in Stephenson County, where he remained six years. At the expiration of that time he came to Iowa and purchased raw land which he at once began to improve. He has a pleasant home with tasty surroundings, and eighty acres of land under cultivation. He is a popular man, and has been repeatedly asked to serve in the township offices, where he makes a careful and efficient hand. He has worked under such physical disability that a man with less nerve and determination would have been discouraged. About six years ago he suffered the loss of his right arm; while hauling a heavy load with a spirited team he was thrown from the wagon and was caught under the wheels, his arm being broken or crushed so as to necessitate amputation. Despite this serious drawback he attends to his farm work, and accomplishes as much work as most men. Mr. Crippen was married in Warren County, Pennsylvania, when twenty-six years of age, to Miss Betsey Long, a native of Warren County. Their family consists of Ernest D., Stephen G. and Delaven, all of whom are married and living near the old home. Mr. Crippen is a member of the G.A.R., and Uncle Sam recognized his services by allowing him a small pension. He is recognized as a stanch and true man, and his word is respected, his energy is admired, and his kindly heart and manly traits beloved by all his neighbors and acquaintances. CHARLES J. NORDSTROM is one of the successful and reliable farmers of Diamond Township. He was born in Sweden, October 13, 1850, and is a son of Peter Johnson, called in the Swedish language Yudnsen. On coming to this country and finding Johnson such a common name they decided to adopt another, and select that of Nordstrom. The mother's name was Grata Lesa Caulson. The father is now making his home with Charles, and the mother died in De Kalb County, Illinois, where the family settled oncoming to America in 1869, and where they resided seven years. Of a family of five children but two are now living: Charles J. and John C. The latter was born June 14, 1853. Coming to the United States in 1869 Charles was nineteen years of age; the family being in depressed circumstances financially, it was necessary for him to work at whatever presented itself; during the years spent in Illinois he was at work by the month or year, and was employed in digging wells. In 1876 the brothers came to Cherokee County and jointly purchased one-half of section 29, Diamond Township, and at once began making a -610- permanent home. They have ever since given every effort to the improvement of their farms, and their labors have been crowned with success, as each ne owns a fine body of land lying within the fertile Maple Valley, the choicest land in the State of Iowa. Charles has 400 acres and John 440. They both deal extensively in stock, and keep the best grades of improved cattle and hogs. Charles J. was married in 1877 to Miss Mary Lindberg, and this union has been blessed with four children: Sophia V., Frank, Andrew and Edna Cecelia. John C. was united in marriage July 29, 1882, to Miss Anna Larson, of Alta, Iowa. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Nordstrom: Oscar Theodore and Dorothea.

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