-433- ELIJAH W. GREGG, (deceased), one of the early settlers of Cherokee County, was a true type of that excellence and nobility of manhood so prominent in the worthy pioneers of the West. He was born in Morgan County, Ohio, December 17, 1831, a son of Caleb and Millicent (Dowdny) Gregg. The father was born in Virginia, and the mother was probably a native of Ohio. In 1851 the family emigrated to Iowa and settled in Linn County, where the father entered a homestead, and a tract of eighty acres of Government land for each of his children. Caleb Gregg passed the remainder of his days in Linn County; he died in 1882, at the advanced age of seventy-eight; his wife is still living and resides in Linn County. He was a minister in the Society of Friends. Elijah W. Gregg received his early instruction in the common schools and continued his studies in a Friends' academy in his native State. After coming to Iowa he remained with his -434- father's family for a time, and then began the task of improving the land which had been entered in his name. He devoted himself to this work until 1871, when he removed to Cherokee. At one time he was interested in the livery business, having formed a partnership with N. T. Burroughs, Esq. After this firm sold out Mr. Gregg retired to his farm near Cherokee, which he cultivated and improved until 1883, when he sold his land and removed to St. Paul, Nebraska. He was a Mason, belonging to the Blue Lodge, chapter and commandery. During his last illness he received every attention from his brother Masons, and after his death, which occurred August 14, 1887, his remains were taken in charge by the Sir Knights of the Grand Island Commandery and escorted to St. Paul, Nebraska, where they were laid away. In 1862 Mr. Gregg enlisted in the Twenty-fourth Iowa Volunteer Infantry and served in the Western Army for three years; he was honorably discharged at the close of the war. He was the father of seven children, five of whom are living: Martha, who died at the age of fourteen years; Eva L., Archie, Fred, Harry, Hattie, and a son who died in infancy. Eva L. Gregg, the present superintendent of the Cherokee County schools, was a child when her father came to Cherokee. She attended the public schools, and afterward entered the college at Ames, Iowa. In 1876 she taught her first school in the Mill Creek school-house, and continued to teach in the district schools until 1881, when a position was offered her in the graded schools of Cherokee without her solicitation. In this work she made an enviable reputation for herself. She exhibited such a clear understanding of the needs and purposes of the public schools that in the fall of 1887 she was elected to the office of county superintendent of schools. Although she was nominated by the Republicans, she was heartily endorsed by the Democratic party. Under her administration the educational interests of the county have not lagged, and her decision and judgment under most trying conditions have been rendered with that honesty and sincerity of purpose which bring satisfaction to all parties. In the Republican county convention of 1889 she was again nominated for the same office, and glowing tributes were paid her by men who are in a position to know and appreciate the value and scope of her work. She was again endorsed by the Democrats in their convention in the fall of 1889. Eva L. Gregg is a woman of the highest integrity of character, and of exceeding honesty and earnestness of purpose. When all the offices of the land are in the hands of those guided by so clear an insight and so quick a conscience, there will be no cries of "spoils," and the country will be in a well-nigh ideal condition. BENJAMIN O. SIMPSON was born in the State of New Hampshire, in the town of Windham, June 23, 1820. His father, Robert Smith Simpson, a farmer by occupation, was also a native of New Hampshire, and a grandson of Alexander Simpson, who settled in New Hampshire in 1735. He also was a farmer, and was descended from Scotch and English ancestors; he settled near what was called Simpson's Pond. Our subject has in his possession the old gun used by his ancestors in the French and Indian War in 1757, and also in the battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. The barrel of this gun was originally five feet long and was a flint lock, but it has been changed to a percussion lock and is a fine shooting gun to this day; the bayonet belonging to it is in a good state of -435- preservation, and is highly valued by the family as a relic. Robert S. Simpson, father of Benjamin O., spent all his life in New Hampshire. He married Mary Simpson, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a daughter of George Simpson, of English extraction; to them six children were born, five boys and one girl. Benjamin O. obtained his education in the schools of Windham, and after leaving school entered the cotton mills, where he remained ten years. He then decided to try his hand at farming, and he followed this occupation successfully until 1870, when he retired from his farm and purchased what was known as Bartley store, and embarked in the mercantile trade. He continued in this business until 1876, when he sold out. He was then chosen agent for the town of Windham to go to Portsmouth and look after the interests of the town in relation to the enrollment of the citizens who were not liable to military duty; to strike from the rolls the names of all who were disqualified by age or otherwise, and to put in substitutes. He also served as collector of the town of Windham for several years, and as judge of elections for 1867'68. June 14, 1878, Mr. Simpson removed to Cherokee, Iowa, where he has since lived a somewhat retired life. He has various business interests in the way of town property, which he rents out. While he began in a very humble way, by good management and energy he has accumulated a handsome property. Besides his town property he owns a good farm of 140 acres. Mr. Simpson has been twice married; first, in 1845, to Martha Jane Sanford, of Freedom, Maine, a daughter of Henry Sanford. Two children were born of this union: Mary, deceased, and Robert. The mother died in 1863. In 1866 Mr. Simpson was again married, to Abbie G. Foye, a native of New Hampshire, and a daughter of Joseph Young. No children were born of this marriage. Mrs. Simpson died March 12, 1888. For many years in her early life she was a successful teacher. Mr. Simpson's life has not been an uneventful one; he has had three narrow escapes from death by shooting; in the first accident he was wounded in the neck, the shot entering near the windpipe and lodging near the back of the neck; the second time he and his son were out hunting, and a charge of shot entered his leg below the knee; the third time he was with a party hunting partridges, and the shot entered his shoulder belt over the lung, lodging in the belt. He is very fond of the sport of hunting with dog and gun, and his appreciation of the pleasure has not been diminished on account of his various accidents. He is considered a very fine shot, and has whiled away many pleasant hours in this pastime. He has served officially as a member of the City Council of Cherokee for four years, from 1882 to 1886. H. H. LAMOREUX, Vice President of the Cherokee County Bank at Meriden, is one of the active and prominent business men of the county. He was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, October 27, 1849, and is a son of Wesley and Emeline (Brown) Lamoreux, also natives of Pennsylvania. He was reared to the life of a farmer in Luzerne County, and during the winter season attended the common schools. He was married December 23, 1875, in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, to Miss Nettie Phoenix, a daughter of the Rev. James and Mary A. (Rice) Phoenix, natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Lamoreux is possessed of a superior education, and before her marriage was engaged in teaching. In 1878 Mr. Lamoreux -436- removed to La Fayette County, Wisconsin, and made his home there until 1880. During this time he traveled extensively through the West, and decided to locate in Cherokee County. Accordingly he purchased 240 acres known as the H. S. Quinn farm, one of the best in the county. He added to and remodeled the residence, making an attractive and convenient dwelling. He has one of the finest and largest barns in the county, the improvements costing $3,000. There are nine acres of grove, and the success of the owner is apparent on every hand. In 1882 he sold $3,000 worth of corn, and in 1885 he engaged in the grain business in Meriden. The first season he bought 100,000 bushels of grain; the second, 175,000 bushels, and the third, 200,000 bushels. In February, 1887, Mr. Lamoreux was made vice president of the Cherokee County Bank; he is also an extensive stockholder in the Mapleton Bank, which was organized June 16, 1889. Mr. and Mrs. Lamoreux are the parents of three children: Carrie May, Etta Blanche, and Harry Ralph. Mr. Lamoreux casts his political influence with the Republican party. He is in the prime of life, is a man of fine presence and good physique, and is numbered among the leading men of the county. JONATHAN J. HITCHCOCK, an early settler of Cherokee County, Iowa, was born in White Pigeon, St. Joseph County, Michigan, December 15, 1830. His parents were John B. and Mary (Ellerton) Hitchcock, natives of New York and Virginia respectively. John B. Hitchcock was a son of John Hitchcock, a native of New York, of English descent; he was a farmer by occupation, and served as a soldier in the War of 1812. The mother of our subject was a daughter of William Ellerton, of Scotch-English descent. When Jonathan J. was two years of age his parents removed to La Porte, Indiana, and remained there five years, when they went to Monroe County, Illinois; there they made their home until he was fourteen years old, when they moved to Jo Daviess County, Illinois, where he grew to manhood; he obtained his education in the district school, and remained on the farm with his parents until he was twenty-one years old. He was then engaged in various avocations for some time. He was married in Carroll County, Illinois, to Laura E. Wilder, a native of the State of Ohio, and a daughter of R. W. Wilder, Esq. She died in 1863, and Mr. Hitchcock was again married in 1864, to Nancy A. Powers, who is still living. Mr. Hitchcock settled in Carroll County, carrying on farming until the spring of 1869, when he came to Cherokee County and took a homestead in Pitcher Township of eighty acres; this land he brought to an advanced state of cultivation, and improved with excellent buildings. For thirteen years he made his home on this farm, and then bough a place in Grand Meadow Township. In the fall of 1888 he came to Cherokee, and has since lived a somewhat retired life; he exchanged his farm for town property, which he rents. Mr. and Mrs. Hitchcock are the parents of ten children: Martha, wife of R. D. Leets; Emma B., wife of Abraham Sliner; John R., Daniel H., Anna M., Elizabeth E., wife of A. N. Bailey; Jeremiah, deceased; William B., Jonathan I. and Alta J. Mr. Hitchcock has served in Pitcher Township as trustee, road master, supervisor, and school director. During the Civil War he enlisted as a recruit in October, 1864, in Company C, Ninety-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry. While at Camp Butler, Illinois, he was taken ill, and remained there some time; he was -437- promoted to Second Sergeant of the Commissary Department, in which he served until he was honorably discharged, May 22, 1865. He is a member of Custer Post, No. 25, G.A.R. Mr. and Mrs. Hitchcock are devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics Mr. Hitchcock is Republican. H. A. MALTBY, a prominent farmer of Amherst Township, was born in Lake County, Illinois, May 19, 1851, and is a son of A. T. and Susan (Burdick) Maltby, natives of the State of New York. He is the fifth of a family of six children, and until his thirteenth year lived in the county in which he was born. The family then removed to Decorah, Winneshiek County, Iowa, where he grew to manhood. He attended the common schools until his sixteenth year, when he went to learn the harness trade at Decorah; he followed this business for a period of nine years, when he returned to the industry of his youth, farming. In 1877 he removed to Cherokee County, and located on a tract of 320 acres in Amherst Township, which he had purchased in partnership with his brother-in-law, O. B. Fobes. No improvements had been made on the place in any way; they erected a small building, which has since been enlarged to a handsome frame residence, and barns for stock and grain. They operated this farm together until 1884, when Mr. Maltby purchased the entire control; he devotes his time exclusively to farming and stock-raising. The present season he has been engaged in dehorning cattle. Mr. Maltby is interested in propagating the better grades of short-horn stock, and owns a fine herd of Duroc Jersey hogs. He has been prominently identified with the Republican party in his township, where he is one of the wheel horses; he has held the office of justice of the peace for four years, and for eight years has been a member of the School Board, six years serving as president. He is a member of the A.O.U.W. He is a zealous worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church, having held the office of treasurer and trustee, class-leader, and superintendent of the Sabbath-school. Mr. Maltby was married May 7, 1873, to Miss Estella Fobes, daughter of G. M. and Emily (Blodgett) Fobes, natives of the State of New York. Mrs. Maltby was born in Yates County, New York, February 8, 1852. Five children have been born of this marriage: Arthur J., Harrison W., Adda, Lois and Marion. JOHN BRUCE ROWE, one of the most intelligent and enterprising farmers of Amherst Township, was born and reared in Cedar County, Iowa. His paternal ancestors were German and English, dating back to the time of William Penn. His maternal grandfather, Andrew Crawford, was a native of Ireland, and is also known in the annals of the State of Iowa as the first settler of Cedar County. During the first years of his residence there the Indians held war dances but a few rods from his cabin door, and his life there was truly pioneer. Abram L. Rowe, the father of our subject, was an excellent mechanic, and was able to provide well for the wants of his wife and two small children, when death seized him after a long illness. Thus his widow was left with two young sons to support, and her little means was nearly exhausted after paying heavy doctor's bills and other attendant expenses. She afterward married a farmer with some property. As John B. was the elder of the children, he was early inured to hard labor, with but -438- little cessation excepting during the winter months, when he attended the district school. Naturally of a studious disposition, he thoroughly appreciated even this small opportunity, and often struggled through two miles of snow rather than miss a day. His mother always encouraged this desire for knowledge in her children, and trained them to lives of temperance and usefulness. When Mr. Rowe was sufficiently advanced, he entered Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa, working Saturdays and evenings to pay his incidental expenses. He was soon elected a member of the Amphictyon Society, and ranked with the highest students. In consequence of his high standing and his excellent habits he enjoyed the favor of all his instructors. Upon the death of his step father he remained on the farm to assist in the support of his mother and the children. He continued there two years, when he resigned his place to his younger brother, and came to Cherokee County, which was then beginning to attract attention from home-seekers. April 24, 1872, he settled on a quarter section of wild land, which he bought on five years' time, intending to improve it and sell it; with the rise in value he would complete his college course. But these were hopes and aspirations never to be realized. The first crop was destroyed by grasshoppers, and the four years following the hardest labor of a lifetime were spent in producing that which was harvested by those worse than pirates. When the grasshoppers swept over the land in great swarms, they appeared in the distance like a black thunder cloud, stretching out for many miles in either direction. Hard times ensued, and the poor pioneers could not forsake their homes without dishonor and the certainty that their creditors would seize allthey had left after the ravages of their inumerable foe. They could not sell, for the "hoppers" were the deadly "Upas tree" that made buyers pass by and through to lands beyond. So the settlers remained, working and hoping for a better day, which finally dawned. During these dark years of trial and privation Mr. Rowe "bached," did his farm work in the summer, and taught school in the winter season. He was engaged in the profession of teaching twenty terms, and was very successful in his work. At the age of eighteen years he became a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and since that time he has been a zealous worker in the cause of his Master. He has served in an official capacity for many years, and to Sabbath-school work he has given much time, thought and attention. For five years he was superintendent of two Sabbath-schools at the same time, and for five years he was either president or secretary of the Cherokee County Sabbath-school Association. Of this last duty he was relieved at his own urgent request. In politics he is a Republican Prohibitionist, and has often been elected to offices of trust which he has filled with an eye ever watchful for his country's highest good. His community is enterprising, temperate, and has a high standard of morals, a character which Mr. Rowe has been one of the main factors in forming. March 7, 1882, he was united in marriage to Miss Jennie E. Gibson, near Farley, Dubuque County, Iowa, where she had grown to womanhood. She is a woman of accomplishments, social and domestic, is an excellent wife and mother, and is thoroughly appreciated and beloved for her many virtues. Mr. and Mrs. Rowe are the parents of two children living: John Woodford and Wesley Newman. Mr. Rowe is a man of refined tastes and sensibilities, and a lover of all that is beautiful both in nature and art and literature. The influence for good which one such man has in a community can scarcely be measured, and those who come under his teaching and example may well count themselves among the favored. -439- JOSEPH F. SHELDON has been a resident of Cherokee County since 1872. He was born in Madison County, New York, December 13, 1822, and is the son of Hezekiah H. and Sallie (French) Shelden, also natives of the State of New York. He is the second of a family of five children, three of whom survive, and are residing in Iowa. Our subject was reared to the life of a farmer and obtained his education in the common schools. When he had obtained his majority he secured employment in the woolen factory at Morrisville, New York. For six years he followed this business, and then took an ocean voyage on a whaling vessel; this occupied three years, after which he returned to the woolen factory. He then worked one summer at the mason's trade and again engaged in farming, which he pursued for five years in the State of New York. At that time the tide of emigration was to the West, and Mr. Shelden drifted to Lake County, Illinois, and was there engaged in farming for a period of nine years. In 1863 he removed to Bremer County, Iowa, where he purchased a farm which he cultivated until 1872, when he came to Cherokee County as before stated. He purchased a tract of 320 acres, partly from the railroad company and partly from private individuals. When he took possession of the land it was wild and untouched by the hand of civilization. There were only three families in the township, and two families in the village bearing the same name. The surroundings present to-day a vastly different view. What was wild, waste land is one of the finest farms in the county, and one of the pleasantest homes in Western Cherokee County has sprung up where the Indian wigwam was wont to stand. Mr. Shelden's farm lies one and a quarter miles from Marcus, in Marcus Township. He is a man who has always taken an active interest in all enterprises tending to advance the welfare of the community; he assisted in organizing the township, and he was selected to serve as the first trustee. He has disposed of a portion of his land, and now owns the quarter section on which he lives, and two lots in the village of Marcus. Mr. Shelden was married January 1, 1850, to Miss Mary Youmans, a daughter of William and Lydia (Shaw) Youmans, natives of the State of New York. Mrs. Shelden is one of a family of nine children, and was born in New York, April 8, 1821. Their family consists of three children: Mary, at home, was born December 22, 1851; Madaline, born January 22, 1853, was the first teacher in Marcus Township; she is now the wife of George Procter; the third child, Joseph H., was born February 20, 1854. For many years Mrs. Shelden has been associated with the Methodist Episcopal Church. When she and her husband started in life they had little of this world's goods with which to begin, but through perseverance and industry they have amassed a comfortable competence. He is a stanch Republican, and has always supported the party since its organization.

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