The above
image is of my ancestors.
Please do not copy.
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On a farm on section 7, Silver Creek township,
resides Bernhard Volkens, a buyer, feeder and
shipper of cattle and hogs. his place of two hundred
and eighty acres adjoins the village of Treynor
and is also devoted to the raising of grain as
well as of stock. A native of Holstein, Germany,
he was born May 15, 1868, his parents being Henry
and Mary (Hein) Volkens. The mother died in Germany
during the early boyhood of her son Bernhard and
the father is still living in that country.
Bernhard Volkens spent the first seventeen years
of his life in the land of his nativity and then
came alone to the new world, attracted by its
broader business opportunities and greater advantages.
He landed on the eastern coast but did not tarry
long there, making his way at once to Wright county,
Iowa, where he lived for two years, providing
for his own maintenance by working as a farm hand.
In 1887 he arrived in Pottawattamie county and
continued his work at farm labor for about ten
years. This was interrupted, however, by a trip
to the Pacific coast. About 1889 he traveled to
the far west, spending a year in Washington and
Oregon working in the timber regions and in the
towns. On the expiration of twelve months he returned
to this county, where he has resided continuously
since, but in order to engage in farming on his
own account he cultivated rented land for two
years after his marriage. He next bought his present
farm from his father-in-law and has resided thereon
for eleven years, having two hundred and fifty
acres of land on section 7, Silver Creek township,
save that eighty acres extends over the boundary
line into Keg Creek township. This farm adjoins
the village of Treynor and is devoted to the production
of grain and the raising of stock, Mr. Volkens
being well Iknown as a buyer, feeder and shipper
of cattle and hogs. This constitutes an
707
important branch of his business and furnishes
him with a good annual revenue.
In 1895 Mr. Volkens was married to Miss Annie
Heesch, who was born on the farm where Mr. Volkens
now lives, March 13, 1872. She was a daughter
of George Heesch and died in 1897 at the age of
twenty-three years leaving one child, Mary. In
1901 Mr. Volkens was again married, his second
union being with Emma Kahler, who was born in
Holstein, Germany, October 30, 1878, a daughter
of John and Anna (Aschinger) Kahler, likewise
natives of Holstein but now residents of Keg Creek
township. There are four sons of this marriage-Henry,
Herman, John and Harry, all of whom are still
under the parental roof, the family circle being
yet unbroken by the hand of death.
In 1899 Mr. Volkens made a trip to Germany, returning
in 1900. He brought his father back with him and
the old gentleman remained for two years, Mr.
Volkens in the meantime taking him to the Pacific
coast on a trip. There were eight children in
the father's family, five sons and three daughters,
of whom one son is now deceased. A brother, Ferdinand,
resides with Bernhard and another brother, Ed,
is living in Canada. A sister, Amanda, is the
wife of Fritz Ehrig, of Weston, and the others
are still in Germany. Mr. Volkens has held to
the religious faith of the family and is a member
of the Lutheran church at Treynor, while his political
belief is indicated by the ballot which he always
casts in support of the men and measures of the
republican party.
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Lewis Henn, now deceased, was one of the early
chiefs of the fire department in Council Bluffs
and was well known to the pioneer citizens and
early residents of Pottawattamie county. For a
long period he was connected with the hotel and
livery business in Council Bluffs, whither he
came in early manhood. He was a native of Berlin,
Germany, born April 14, 1830, his parents being
John and Charlotte Henn, who were likewise natives
of that city. They came to America in 1836, settling
in Syracuse, New York, where the father engaged
in the manufacture of salt throughout his remaining
days, both he and his wife passing away in Syracuse.
In the public schools of that city Lewis Henn
acquired his education and when a young man he
left home and came to the west. He first located
at Omaha, Nebraska, but after a short time removed
to Council Bluffs, being identified with the interests
of the city from that time until his demise. Here
he opened a hotel, owning the building and conducting
the business under the name of the Bryant House
on West Broadway. This is now the Neumayer Hotel.
Mr. Henn continued as the proprietor for several
years and then turned his attention to the conduct
of a livery stable on Broadway, which he continued
for a considerable period. During the last years
of his life, however, he was engaged in the livery
business on Scott street, in which he continued
until his demise.
708
Mr. Henn was married twice. He first wedded Miss
Harriet Schuyler, who died in Omaha, shortly after
their removal to the west. There were two children
by that union: Lottie, who now resides in California;
and Harriet, deceased. For his second wife Mr.
Henn chose Mary E. Rounds, also of Syracuse, New
York, a daughter of Daniel Rounds, of the Empire
state, who spent the greater part of his life
upon a farm near Syracuse, where both he and his
wife died. Three children graced the second marriage.
Carrie, the eldest, is now the wife of John M.
Schwab, formerly of Philadelphia, who came to
Council Bluffs in 1888 and is now engaged as shipping
clerk with M. E. Smith, of Omaha, but he and his
wife now reside with Mrs. Henn. Lewis is engaged
in the clothing business in Sheridan, Wyoming.
Mamie is the wife of Harlan Sawyer, a resident
of New York city, where he is engaged in the fire
insurance business.
The death of the husband and father occurred
on the 7th of April, 1882. In politics he was
a republican and though he never served in public
office nor desired political preferment he was
always interested in the welfare and progress
of the city and in the early days was chief of
the fire department here for several years. He
belonged to the Knights of Pythias fraternity
and assisted in organizing lodge No. 52 in Council
Bluffs. In his business he prospered, leaving
to his family a comfortable estate. He had a very
wide acquaintance among the pioneers of Council
Bluffs and enjoyed in large measure the warm regard
of those with whom he came in contact. Mrs. Henn
now owns a nice home at No. 116, Vine street,
where she is living with Mr. and Mrs. Schwab.
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HENRY NIEMANN.
Henry Niemann, a retired agriculturist and
extensive landowner of Pottawattamie county,
is now living in Avoca. He is a native of Germany,
having been born in Hanover on the 11th of September,
1848, of the marriage of John and Marie (Becker)
Niemann, also natives of the fatherland. The
father emigrated to America with his family
in the year 1864, taking up his abode in DuPage
county, Illinois, where he worked by the month
for a year. He then operated a rented farm for
eight years and on the expiration of that period,
in 1873, the family journeyed westward, locating
in Shelby county, Iowa, just across the county
line from Pottawattamie county, on a farm of
four hundred acres, which the father purchased.
Though he is now in his eighty-ninth year, he
is still active and makes his home with our
subject. Mrs. Niemann passed away on the 2d
of February, 1901, at the age of seventy-six
years. In the family of this worthy couple were
six children: William, living in Avoca; Henry,
of this review; Mary, the widow of Philip Bolander,
also residing in Avoca; Dora, the wife of Adam
Bolander, of Manilla, Iowa; Maggie, who became
the wife of Charles Steckelberg and resides
near Manilla, Iowa; and Fred, who makes his
home in Avoca.
711
Henry Niemann acquired his education in the
common schools of Germany and has always followed
farming and stock-raising as a business pursuit.
At one time he was the owner of eight hundred
acres of land, but sold three hundred and twenty
acres to great advantage, so that he now has
four hundred and eighty acres of well improved
and arable farming land. It is located in the
edge of Shelby county, five miles northwest
of Avoca, and is valued at one hundred and twenty-five
dollars per acre, so that he is easily ranked
as one of the most extensive landowners of the
county. He also has a fine residence in Avoca,
where he is now living retired, having left
the farm in 1906. His prosperity has been gained
entirely through his untiring industry and excellent
business management and his methods have ever
been such as have neither sought nor required
disguise. He has thus won the admiration and
respect of the people of this community, and
no one grudges him his present life of ease
and freedom from further labor.
On the 2d of September, 1880, Mr. Niemann was
joined in wedlock to Miss Emma L. Schmidt, who
was born in La Salle county, Illinois, December
11, 1862, her parents, however, being natives
of Germany. Mr. Schmidt came to Shelby county,
Iowa, in 1869 and is now living in Avoca, but
his wife has departed this life. Mrs. Niemann
was one of a family of six children and by her
marriage she became the mother of six children:
C. J., who is engaged in business in Omaha,
Nebraska; E. H., at home; H.O., who is married
and operates the home farm; J.. E., a druggist
of Shelby, Iowa; and Clara and Martha, both
of whom are at home. Mr. Niemann was called
upon to mourn the death of his wife on the 11th
of November, 1906, and her death was deeply
deplored throughout the community as well as
in her immediate family.
Our subject is a stalwart republican in his political,
views and has held the office of school treasurer
for seventeen years and has also been school director
for several years, the cause of education ever
finding in him a stanch friend. Fraternally he
is connected with the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows at Shelby and has filled all the chairs
in the lodge. He and his family are members of
the Lutheran church, in the work of which they
are actively and helpfully interested. Henry Niemann
is numbered among those ambitious young men who
left the fatherland to identify themselves with
American life and institutions, who have pushed
their way to the front and who are a credit alike
to the land of their birth and that of their adoption.
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Proof of the early connection of the Lewis family
with the development and progress of Pottawattamie
county is found in the fact that one of its townships
bears the family name, having been so called in
honor of the five brothers who had settled within
its borders. One of the number was John
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Chilson Lewis of this review, whose life record
began in the town of Monroe, Monroe county, Michigan,
on the 21st of February, 1829. His parents were
Silas and Lydia (Chilson) Lewis, both of whom
were natives of the state of New York. At an early
day the father went to Michigan but was driven
out by the Indians, who resented the encroachment
of the white man upon their hunting grounds. He
then went to Fort Meigs, Ohio, and there volunteered
to fight the red men, serving under General Harrison
in the war of 1812. He participated in that struggle
until it was brought to a successful termination,
after which he with thirteen other families returned
to Monroe, Michigan. During the war he had served
under General Hull and was connected with his
command at the time he surrendered Detroit but,
not willing to surrender, Mr. Lewis struck out
for Fort Meigs, one hundred miles away, through
the forest. While on the trip he passed many Indians,
the journey being a hazardous one, but at length
he reached his destination in safety. Following
his return to Michigan he aided in the pioneer
development of his district and continued to reside
at Monroe until killed by the falling of a tree.
It was in 1812 that he took up his abode at that
place on the River Rasin. His wife long survived
him and died in Lewis township, Pottawattamie
county, at the very advanced age of ninety-two
years. In their family were ten sons, of whom
John C. is the sixth in order of birth. Three
of the number are now living, his brothers being
George, a resident of Monroe, Michigan; and Nelson,
who is living in Lewis township, this county.
John Chilson Lewis was reared amid the wild scenes
and environments of frontier life, sharing with
the family in the hardships and privations incident
to the establishment of a home on the frontier.
His education was acquired in one of the log schoolhouses
of that early day, conning his lessons as he sat
upon a slab bench. As his age and strength increased
he aided more and more largely in the arduous
task of developing a new farm and in 1852, when
twenty-two years of age, he left home to make
the overland journey to California. He was one
hundred and one days on the road and after reaching
the Golden state he began mining. He made some
money in that way and remained upon the coast
until the summer of 1855, when he returned to
Monroe, Michigan, by way of the isthmus and the
water route. He spent the greater part of the
time during the succeeding winter washing out
apple seeds, with which he later started a nursery.
In December, 1855, he again turned his face toward
the setting sun but his journey was not so long
on this occasion. He drove overland as far as
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he spent the winter
grafting apple trees, his labors proving an important
element in the establishment of the early orchards
of the state. In the spring of 1856 he came to
Pottawattamie county and purchased eighty acres
of land, on which stood a log house that had formerly
been occupied by Mormons. There he made his home
for five years, after which he purchased and removed
to a tract of wild land of one hundred and twenty
acres. There were no improvements upon this place
but he soon built a frame dwelling, which is now
a part of his present residence. The work of development
was carried forward and was soon manifest, not
only in the substantial buildings but also in
the excellent condition of the fields. Since that
time he has bought and sold other pieces of land
and is
713
now the owner of three hundred and twenty acres
in the homestead, has land elsewhere in Iowa,
a section in Kansas and a quarter section in Nebraska.
In February, 1860, Mr. Lewis was married to Mrs.
Sarah Ball, a widow, and a daughter of James Piles,
of Pottawattamie county. Their children were:
Rena, the wife of Silas Wymore, of Stuart, Holt
county, Nebraska; and Harvey C., who is living
in Lewis township, this county. The parents traveled
life's journey happily together for thirty-six
years and were then separated by the hand of death
on the 2d of December, 1896, when the wife was
called to her final home.
Mr. Lewis is a prohibitionist in political principle
and has held various local offices, serving as
trustee of his township, as county supervisor
for several terms and as a member of the school
board for many years, the cause of education always
finding in him a warm and stalwart champion. He
is one of the oldest and most influential citizens
of Lewis township, having a very extensive acquaintance.
His is one of the finest stock and grain farms
in the state, as he annually produces abundant
harvests and also sends to the market much fine
stock. When he came to Pottawattamie county Lewis
was a part of Kane township and when it was subdivided
the section now comprised in Lewis and Garner
townships was taken away from Kane and known as
Lewis. The next year another subdivision was made,
however, resulting in the present township organization.
The citizens of this township petitioned to have
it named Lewis, which was done in honor of the
family of which our subject is a representative,
there being five brothers of the name in the locality.
When our subject first settled here his was the
only home in a territory distant eight miles from
Council Bluffs. Around him stretched the wild
unbroken prairie and there was much game in the
locality, including deer, turkeys and prairie
chickens. Wolves, too, were frequently seen and
it required considerable watchfulness to prevent
their depredations upon the farmyards. The conditions
which existed entailed many hardships and privations
upon those who were reclaiming the region for
the purpose of civilization but the pioneers were
a brave, courageous band of men and women, who
laid the foundation for the present development
and progress of the county. When Mr. Lewis first
shingled his house he used walnut shingles split
from blocks. Year after year he continued the
arduous task of developing his land and has now
a rich and productive farm that responds splendidly
to the care and labor he bestows upon the fields.
His long residence here has made him very widely
known and as an honored pioneer he certainly deserves
mention in this volume.
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R. FROST.
R. Frost is a self-made man who owes his advancement
entirely to his own labors. It is not a lack of
opportunity that prevents men from winning success
but a failure to recognize and improve it, for
similar opportunities surround a great majority
of mankind. Mr. Frost is one who has made good
use
714
of his chances and as the years have gone by
he has worked his way steadily upward to a position
of prominence and of financial independence.
He was born in Denmark, January 27, 1851, his
parents being Jans and Maria (Christenson) Frost,
whose family numbered seven children but only
three are now living, the sisters of our subject
being: Ida, the wife of Gustav Aukerstjerne, of
Aalborg, Denmark; and Sine, the wife of P. V.
Aukerstjerne, of Allingbro, Denmark. The parents
were also natives of that country, where they
were reared, their marriage being celebrated there
about 1845. The mother died in 1866 and two years
later the father came to the United States, being
for some two years employed on the construction
of the Rock Island Railroad through Iowa. He was
again married in 1870 and located either in Dexter
or Earlham, living at different times in both
of those towns. In 1874 he came to Avoca and settled
on a farm just over the line in Shelby county.
With the exception of a short period spent in
Arkansas he resided on that farm until about 1895,
when he removed to Avoca, where he died in 1902.
His second wife bore the maiden name of Isabelle
Schuberg and unto them were born three children
but only one is now living: Christ, a resident
of Avoca.
R. Frost was reared to farm life in his native
country and in 1874, when a young man of twenty-three
years, came to the United States, arriving in
Avoca on the 19th of April of that year. He was
attracted to this country by its broader business
opportunities, for here competition is greater
but advancement is more quickly secured and earnest
persistent labor always finds its just reward
unhampered by caste or class. For a year he worked
on the Rock Island Railroad and then turned his
attention to farming upon rented land, which he
continued to cultivate until 1880. He then purchased
eighty acres of land in Shelby county six miles
northwest of Avoca. He had just married and was
living on a rented farm. It was his intention
to remove to his new home but the death of his
wife soon afterward changed his plans and in 1882
he took up his abode in Avoca, where he secured
a situation in the new creamery--a recently organized
enterprise of the town. After a brief period had
passed he secured an interest in the business
and later became sole owner of the plant, giving
his time and attention to its management and conduct
until 1900, when he disposed of the business and
took a trip to his native country, accompanied
by his family. After spending a summer in Denmark
he returned to Avoca and has practically lived
retired from that time to the present. Here he
has .been quite extensively engaged in feeding
cattle and in breeding Duroc Jersey hogs. He owns
two hundred acres of land upon which he resides,
adjoining the town limits, and seven hundred acres
of land in North Dakota near Steele, Kidder county.
This land was purchased at a low figure in 1902
and has more than quadrupled in value since that
time, while at the present writing it is rented
to good advantage and brings in a desirable income.
That Mr. Frost is a man of excellent business
capacity and understanding is indicated by the
fact that whatever he has undertaken he has carried
forward to successful completion, while his co-operation
has been sought in the conduct of a number of
leading business enterprises of the town. In 1902,
at the organization of the Citizens Savings Bank
of Avoca, he became a heavy stockholder and was
made vice president of the institution, serving
in this capacity
715
up to the time of the death of the president,
J. W. Davis, in 1905. Mr. Frost was then elected
to the presidency and has since remained in this
position. His life history is another notable
instance of the foreigner of ability coming to
this country, where he readily adapts himself
to altered environments and different conditions
and, readily mastering the situation, works his
way steadily upward. He arrived in the United
States in 1874 a poor man, unable to speak the
English language. Today he is among the leading
and wealthy residents of western Iowa and one
of the well known authorities on questions of
finance in this section of the state. He is thoroughly
American in spirit and interests, having the strongest
attachment for his adopted country, while in his
home locality he puts forth every effort for pub1icimprovement
and progress.
Mr. Frost has been married twice. He first wedded
Miss Anna Olsen, a native of Iowa, whose father
came to this country from Denmark in an early
day. One child was born of this marriage but the
mother and child died soon after the birth of
the latter. For his second wife Mr. Frost chose
Miss Alice Aukerstjerne, a native of Denmark,
whom he wedded in 1883. They have three children:
Anna, Olga and Laubert. Realizing the value and
importance of education, Mr. Frost has given his
children excellent advantages in this direction.
The daughters are now attending the Forest Park
University at St. Louis, Missouri, and the son
is a student in the Agricultural College at Ames,
Iowa.
In his political views Mr. Frost is an earnest
republican and has served for four terms on the
town council of Avoca. He belongs to the Knights
of Pythias fraternity and is popular socially.
His life has been one of continuous activity,
in which has been accorded due recognition of
labor, and today he is numbered among the substantial
citizens of his .county. His interests are thoroughly
identified with those of Iowa and at all times
he is ready to lend his aid and co-operation to
any movement calculated to benefit this section
of the country or advance its wonderful development.
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Patrick Gunnoude, of the firm of Gunnoude &
Zurnmehlen, wholesalers and retailers of cigars
and tobacco in Council Bluffs, is a native of
Queens county, Ireland, where he was born September
27, 1853. When but thirteen years of age he came
to this country with his father, Michael Gunnoude,
and settled in Albany, New York, where they lived
for five years, removing in 1871 to Council Bluffs,
Iowa. He received his education in the public
schools of Albany and of Council Bluffs. Shortly
after coming to this city he secured employment
on the railroad and was so efficient in this work
that he was made an inspector. In 1881 with a
small capital acquired he went into the grocery
business, which he conducted for twenty years,
increasing his trade each year and controlling
an ever growing business. In all his dealings
with his patrons he was a model business man for
he al ways conducted his affairs with a strong
716
hand and clear judgment. In 1902 he organized
the firm of which he is still a member.
Mr. Gunnaude was married in Council Bluffs in
1872 to. Mary M. Keller, a daughter of John F.
Keller, of Stanton, Virginia. Their union has
been blessed with an only son, Richard S. Mr.
Gunnaude is a member of the Elks, the Maccabees,
Woodmen of the World and the Knights of Columbus
and is
popular in. each of these organizations. He is
a democrat in his political opinions but has never
sought or desired the honors of office, preferring
to devote his time and energy to his business
and to the enjoyment of his home and family. He
is a well known director in the State Savings
Bank. As a bay Mr. Gunnaude learned to do what
he did well. His father was a careful agriculturist
and methodical in all that he did, so that Mr.
Gunnaude early acquired this habit. In business
circles he is always depended upon to carry to
successful conclusion anything which he undertakes.
Strong, forceful and self-reliant, he is singularly
unassuming in manner, kind-hearted and generous.
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The home farm of F. T. C. Johnson is on section
13, Norwalk township, although in earlier years
he was well known as a representative of industrial
interests in Council Bluffs, having far fifteen
years carried an business there as a contractor
and builder. He settled in the city when it was
a small town up on the western frontier, serving
largely as a trading past far those who were journeying
to the Pacific coast. He arrived in the year 1855
and was closely associated with the improvement
of the little town in following his trade of carpentering.
Since 1870 he has been a representative of agricultural
life in Pottawattamie county and now derives a
good annual income from his excellent farm in
Norwalk township.
Mr. Johnson was born in the Shenandoah valley
of Virginia, June 16, 1834, and was a son of Francis
Johnson, also a native of that state. He was of
English ancestry, the family having been founded
in Virginia as early as 1700. The grandfather,
John Johnson, served as a valiant soldier of the
Revolutionary war. Francis Johnson was reared
in the Old Dominion and was married there to Miss
Mary Jane Hall, a daughter of Dabney Hall, a solider
of the war of 1812. Francis Johnson was a civil
engineer of Augusta county, Virginia, and there
reared his family, spending his last years, however,
at old Fort Defiance. One of his sons, Julian
A. Johnson, now of Boulder, Colorado, served for
four years with Stewart's Black Horse Cavalry
(or the First Virginia Cavalry) in the Civil war.
He was in the first battle of Bull Run and witnessed
the surrender of General Lee, continuing at the
front throughout the period of hostilities.
F. T. C. Johnson as boy and youth remained at
his father's home in Virginia and acquired a fair
common-school education. After putting aside his
text-books he served a four years' apprenticeship
to the trade of carpenter and
717
joiner and worked on the university buildings
at Charlottesville, Virginia. On leaving the south
he came direct to Iowa, reaching Pottawattamie
county in 1855. For some time he was employed
at his trade in Council Bluffs by William H. Fulson
but later bought out the business and began contracting
and building on his own account. In this field
of labor he prospered, a liberal patronage being
extended him, so that he found it necessary to
employ a large force of skilled workmen in executing
his contracts. After fifteen years' identification
with the early development and substantial upbuilding
of Council Bluffs he bought three hundred and
sixty acres of raw prairie land, which he broke
and fenced, developing a good farm as he placed
his fields under a high state of cultivation.
He now owns two hundred acres of the original
tract. He also bought thirty-six acres of the
town site of Bentley adjoining the farm and has
this property. In connection with the tilling
of the soil he feeds hogs, cattle and horses,
making a specialty of the raising of Englishshire
horses, short horn cattle and Poland China hogs.
He fattens and ships about two hundred hogs annually
and at times as many as four or five carloads
of cattle in a year. His stock-raising interests
have thus become extensive and a gratifying profit
results from the business, which under his guidance
is so controlled that it is one of the leading
enterprises of this character in Norwalk township.
Mr. Johnson was married in Council Bluffs in
1857 to Miss Caroline Babbitt, who was born in
Cleveland, Ohio, but was reared in Burlington,
Iowa, a daughter of Colonel Babbitt, who was the
register during administrations of Pierce and'
Buchanan at the land office in Council Bluffs.
In 1896 Mr. Johnson was called upon to mourn the
loss of his wife, who was laid to rest in Neola
cemetery. By that marriage there were three sons
and two daughters who reached maturity: L. B.,
who is now engaged in business in Neola; F. L.,
who lives upon a farm adjoining his father's property;
Julian A., now in the west; Mary Ellen, the wife
of John M. Phillips; of Norwalk township; and
Daisy Belle, who is acting as her father's housekeeper.
One son, Alexander W., died in infancy.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Johnson has
always supported the democratic party, advocating
the principles set forth by Jefferson. He cast
his first vote for Buchanan in 1856 and his last
for Bryan. In Council Bluffs he served as city
alderman two or three terms and has also been
road supervisor, township trustee, township clerk
and township secretary of the school board since
1870. He organized the first fire company at Council
Bluffs and served as the first chief engineer.
He became a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and has served through all of the
chairs of the lodge at Council Bluffs and is a
past grand.
Few men have as intimate knowledge concerning
the history of the county as Mr. Johnson, not
only because of his long residence here but also
owing to his close connection with its business
interests. He built the first courthouse of Pottawattamie
county, taking the contract in, 1868, and he also
worked on the first capitol of Nebraska at. Omaha,
the building now used as the city high school.
His memory compasses the time when much of the
land around Council Bluffs and in Pottawattamie
county was wild, unbroken prairie, giving little
evidence of future development. Many of the now
thriving towns and
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villages of the county had not yet sprung into
existence and the most farsighted did not dream
how quickly the transformation would be wrought,
the growth seeming almost magical when one thinks
that a half century ago there were very few houses
scattered over the countryside and the county
was considered to be on the very outposts of civilization.
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