The above
image is of my ancestors.
Please do not copy.
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Henry Sperling, treasurer of the Peterson &
Schoening Company, dealers in furniture, hardware
and rugs, is well known in commercial circles,
although one of the more recent additions to the
business life of Council Bluffs. He located in
this city in 1902, and his strength of purpose,
ready dispatch of business and his unfaltering
determination have gained him recognition as a
valuable factor in mercantile life here.
He is one of Iowa's native sons, his birth having
occurred on a farm in Mills county, on the 4th
of November, 1868. He came with his parents to
Pottawattamie county, Iowa, in 1870, and remained
upon the home farm, until 1881, during which period
he was a student in the country schools near his
home. In 1881 his parents removed to Council Bluffs
and he was placed
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in school, here. He afterward spent a year in
Toensfeldt Institute in St. Louis, and upon putting
aside his text-books he returned to Council Bluffs
to receive it more direct business training in
the Western Iowa Business College. He afterward
put his theoretical knowledge to the practical
test as an employe in the china store of W. A.
Mauer, with whom he remained for a year. He next
spent a year in newspaper work in connection with
the Nonpareil, and was afterward for a year in
the office of the county auditor of Pottawattamie
county.
Attracted by the far west, he went to Seattle,
Washington, in October, 1888, and for six years
remained upon the Pacific coast, spending one
year in a furniture factory and five years in
a furniture store in that city. He was also serving
as a member of a volunteer fire department at
the time of the great disastrous fire, which occurred
in Seattle on the 6th of June, 1889. In 1894 he
returned to Council Bluffs but soon afterward
took up his abode upon a farm in Hardin township,
Pottawattamie county, where he carried on general
agricultural pursuits for eight years. He then
disposed of his property interests and in 1902
once more came to Council Bluffs, purchasing an
interest in the Peterson & Schoening Company,
of which he was chosen treasurer in 1904. This
company does an extensive business in furniture,
hardware and rugs, having a well appointed establishment
and drawing its trade from among the best class
of citizens in Council Bluffs and the surrounding
country.
Mr. Sperling was married in Seattle, Washington,
on the 27th of July, 1890, to Miss Matilda N.
Beck, and they have two children, Amelia S. and
Frederick H. The family home is about two miles
from the city, where Mr. Sperling owns and operates
a fruit and dairy farm. He thus enjoys the advantages
of rural life, at the same time being in close
touch with the city and its interests. While in
Seattle he became a member of the Ancient Order
of United Workmen and he also holds membership
relations with the Elks, the Fraternal Order of
Eagles and the Sons of Hermann at Council Bluffs.
The family attend the Episcopal church. Mr. Sperling's
life has been somewhat varied in its interests
but each change he has made has brought him broader
opportunities and he has gradually worked by way
upward until he has valuable interests. Moreover,
the methods he has followed are such as commend
him to the trust and confidence of the business
world, for they have ever been such as neither
seek or require disguise.
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George Herbert Mayne is well known as a member
of the bar of Council Bluffs, being the junior
partner of the firm of Hazelton & Mayne. His
birth occurred at Keosauqua, Van Buren county,
Iowa, September 18, 1869. His father, Winfield
Scott Mayne, born in Ohio, October 5, 1833, attended
the public schools of Iowa and was graduated from
the Wesleyan University at Mount Pleasant, Iowa,
in 1860. He then took up the study of law, qualified
for the bar and after practicing at Red Oak, Iowa,
for a few years came to Council Bluffs in 1875.
Here he opened an office and was not long in
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securing a good clientage, continuing actively
in' the practice of his profession until 1898,
when he was appointed referee in bankruptcy by
the United States court and is now filling that
position. He is a valued member of the Masonic
fraternity and is serving on the official board
of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he
holds membership. In early manhood he married
Miss Ruth Ellen Mangum at Keosauqua, in 1862.
Her parents were A. W. and Ruth Ellen (McCrary)
Mangum and Mrs. Mayne was the first white child
born in Van Buren county. Judge Mayne was a son
of Captain Emanuel and Grace Magruder Mayne, and
the former was killed at the battle of Kirksville,
Missouri, in the Civil war while serving as a
soldier in the Union army. George H. Mayne is
a brother of County Surveyor J. H. Mayne, and
a brother of the late Karl W. Mayne, former cashier
of E. E. Hart's private bank, who accidentally
shot and killed himself while hunting on the 19th
of June, 1903. The two sisters of the family are
Mrs. W. S. Rigdon, of Council Bluffs, and Mrs.
W. A. Longnecker, the wife of a Methodist minister
at Letts, Iowa.
At the usual age George Herbert Mayne entered
the public schools of Council Bluffs and passed
through successive grades until he was graduated
from the high school of the class of 1886. Determining
upon the practice of law as a life work, he pursued
a full course in the law department of the Iowa
State University and was graduated in the class
of 1889. He then began practice as a member of
the firm of Mayne & Hazelton. When his father
was appointed referee in bankruptcy he withdrew
from the firm, the present partners being A. S.
Hazelton, now postmaster of Council Bluffs, and
George H. Mayne. Because of the official position
of his partner the greater part of the business
of the firm devolves upon Mr. Mayne. They have
an extensive practice, their clientage being of
an important character, and their devotion to
the interests of their clients is proverbial.
They are located at No. 237-40 Merriam block.
On the 31st of October, 1905, in Council Bluffs,
was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Mayne and Miss
Zoe Hill, a daughter of the late Fred Hill formerly
a member and secretary and treasurer of the firm
of Empkie, Shugart & Hill. He died February
14, 1907. The mother was a daughter of Judge Knapp,
of Keosauqua, Iowa, a well known pioneer lawyer
who served on the bench in the district court
of Van Buren county. He died several years ago
but left the impress of his individuality upon
the early judicial history of the state. The daughter,
Mrs. Mayne, is a graduate of the high school of
this city and also of the La Salle (Massachusetts)
Seminary of the class of 1902. She is a prominent
member of several clubs and is recognized as a
leader in social circles.
Mr. Mayne holds membership with the Elks and
the Royal Arcanum. His political allegiance is
given to the republican party and he has taken
an active interest in Hs growth and the attainment
of its successes. In all matters relating to progressive
citizenship he is deeply interested and his cooperation
has been a valued factor in promoting the public
welfare. Aside from his profession he is interested
in several manufacturing and business
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enterprises, being a stockholder in the First
National Bank of Council Bluffs and financially
connected with other corporate interests. He resides
at 823 Third avenue and is popular socially, having
many warm friends in the city where for a long
period he has made his home. He is perhaps best
known as a member of the bar and his comprehensive
understanding of the principles of jurisprudence,
his careful preparation of cases; his clear presentation
of his cause and his cogent reasoning combine
to make him one of the strong find able representatives
of the legal fraternity in Council Bluffs.
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Frank M. True is numbered among the native sons
of Pottawattamie county, his birth having occurred
in Knox township, on the 5th of September, 1859.
He is a representative of one of the old and prominent
pioneer families, his parents being Josiah and
Abby (Plummer) True, whose sketch appears on another
page of this volume. He was reared upon the home
farm and began his education in the district schools,
while later he attended the Avoca high school
and subsequently the Davenport Commercial College.
After completing his business course he returned
to the farm and the greater' part of his life
has been devoted to general agricultural pursuits.
On the 1st of December, 1881, Mr. True was united
in marriage to Miss Amanda Coppock, a daughter
of Nathan and Anna (Saustead) Coppock, the former
a native of Ohio and the latter of Indiana. The
father was a barber by trade and after his marriage
settled in Laporte, Indiana, where his daughter
Amanda was born. Later he removed with his family
to Varparaiso, Indiana, where his wife died, and
in 1877 he came to Pottawattamie county, Iowa,
settling in Avoca, where his remaining days were
passed. Unto Mr. and Mrs. True have been born
three sons: Fred C.; who is now at Coos Bay, Oregon;
and Merritt B. and Robert H., both at home.
In the spring of 1883 Mr. True removed to Marshall
county, South Dakota, where he entered from the
government three quarter sections of land, on
which he built a sod house that he occupied until
December, 1895. He then started for Pottawattamie
county, arriving at his old home in time for dinner
on Christmas day. On again locating in this county,
Mr. True formed a partnership with his brother
Fred and engaged in merchandising in Avoca. They
soon secured a liberal patronage and conducted
a well appointed store until the fall of 1906,
when Frank M. True sold his interest in the business
and resumed farming. He is now the owner of one
hundred and ten acres of the old homestead property
and on this tract he has erected substantial buildings
for the shelter of grain and stock, while his
residence is one of the finest in Knox township.
The latest improved machinery is also used to
facilitate the work of the fields and everything
about the farm is indicative of the spirit of
thrift and enterprise which characterizes the
owner.
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Mr. True is a democrat in his political views
but without aspiration for office, preferring
to give his undivided time and attention to his
business affairs and social interests, He is a
member of Mount Nebo lodge, A. F. & A. M.,
and Raboni chapter, No. 98, R. A. M., and he and
his wife are identified with the Eastern Star
chapter in Avoca, of which he was the first patron,
while Mrs. True was the first matron. She is a
member of the Congregational church and is an
accomplished and educated woman of natural refinement
and culture, who wins friends wherever she goes.
Both are prominent socially and enjoy in large
measure the trust and confidence of those with
whom they have been brought in contact, while
their hospitable home is a favorite resort with
those who know them.
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The attractive farm residence of Henry Stude
is located in Pleasant township in the midst of
a fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres
situated on sections 22 and 27. The soil, naturally
productive, responds readily to the care and labor
which he bestows upon it and as the years have
passed his efforts have resulted in making this
one of the excellent farm properties of the county.
Mr. Stude was born in Germany, March 5, 1843,
and his parents, Henry and Elsie Dora (Seavogel)
Stude, were also natives of that country, whence
they came to America in 1853, settling in La Salle
county Illinois. After a year there passed they
removed to Livingston county, Illinois, where
the father purchased a farm, which he cultivated
for several years. Subsequently he returned to
La Salle county and took up his abode near Ransom,
both he and his wife spending their remaining
days in that community. They were the parents
of three children, of whom two are yet living,
the sister of our subject being Mrs. Elsie Arndt,
the widow of August Arndt. She now lives with
her brother Henry.
The latter remained at home with his parents
until he attained the age of eighteen years, when
he started out in life on his own account, working
by the month as a farm hand for four years. On
the expiration of that period he felt justified
in marrying and making a home of his own and in
1865 he wedded Miss Margaret Young, of La Salle
county, Illinois, who was one of a family of five
children. Following their marriage, Mr. Stude
rented a tract of land four miles east of Streator
from a Mr. Wagner and there resided for seven
years. In the meantime he worked hard to attain
success and carefully saved his earnings. He then
bought a farm in Ford county, Illinois, on which
he located, making it his place of residence until
1885. In that year he sold the farm and removed
to Pottawattamie county, Iowa, settling in Pleasant
township, where he purchased three hundred and
twenty acres of land on sections 22 and 27. Here
he has since lived, and his farm is one of the
fine agricultural properties of the locality.
He has improve4 the place by erecting a substantial
and beautiful residence and also built barns,
cribs and sheds. He uses the latest improved machinery
to facilitate the work of the fields and in fact
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everything about the place is indicative of careful
management and a progressive spirit.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Stude were born nine children,
all of whom are yet living, namely: Chris, a resident
of Nebraska; William, of this county; Louise,
the wife of Henry Schnackel, of Valley township;
Katie, at home; Edward, who is living in Shelby
county, Iowa; Henry, at home; Fred, located on
his father's farm in Pleasant township; Lydia,
the wife of William Nicholi, of Hancock, Iowa;
and Anna, the wife of George Brandes of James
township. The wife and mother died in 1892 and
in 1896 Mr. Stude was again married, his second
union being with Miss Minnie Voss, who was born
in Germany. Her father's death occurred in his
native country, after which the mother came to
America and is now living in Avoca. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. Stude have been born a son and two daughters:
John, Margaret and Hattie.
The parents are members of the German Lutheran
church, and Mr. Stude is a republican of pronounced
views but not of bitter partisanship. He has served
as school director for several years and is always
interested in matters pertaining to the general
welfare, withholding his support from no movement
he deems of benefit to the public. Although of
foreign birth, he has resided in the middle west
for more than a half century and has lived in
Pottawattamie county for twenty-two years, during
which time he has ever commanded the respect and
trust of his fellow citizens.
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John A. Bates, who follows farming in Belknap
township, was born in Mercer county, Illinois,
February 27, 1857, his parents being Ambrose C.
and Hannah (Gray) Bates. The father was born in
Indiana and is of German descent, the family having
been represented, however, in the Revolutionary
war. He came to Iowa in the spring of 1862 and
settled on section 11, Belknap township, Pottawattamie
county, where he is now living at the advanced
age of eighty-four years. He was formerly the
owner of .one hundred and sixty acres of productive
land and has been a successful farmer and stock-raiser,
but is now practically living a retired life.
For many years he has voted with the democracy
and has filled a number of township offices, the
duties of which he has discharged with promptness
and fidelity. In 1900 he was called upon to mourn
the loss of his wife who died at the age of seventy-four
years. She was born in Tennessee, was of German
lineage and is also a representative of ancestors
who served in the war for independence. She held
membership with the Dunkard church. By her marriage
she was the mother of eight children: Mary, now
the wife of Jacob Bird, a resident farmer of Kansas;
Radocia, the deceased wife of William Kellison;
Diania, deceased; John A.; Edward, who has passed
away; Alfred, who is a farmer in Center township;
and Charles and Ella, both deceased.
Upon the home farm John A. Bates spent the days
of his boyhood and youth. He was only five years
of age when brought by his parents to Iowa,
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the family home being established in Belknap
township, Pottawattamie county. He early became
familiar with all the duties and labors that fall
to the lot of the agriculturist, and when twenty-three
years of age began farming for himself in James
township. Thirteen years later he removed to the
old home farm on section 11, Belknap township,
where he now owns one hundred and sixty acres
of land. He also has one hundred and sixty acres
on section 14, one hundred and sixty acres on
section 2, and two hundred acres on section 9,
Belknap township, his landed possessions thus
aggregating six hundred and eighty acres. He breeds
black polled Angus cattle for the market and in
addition is extensively engaged in cultivating
his fields, being one of the leading and prominent
farmers of Belknap township. His landholdings
are very extensive and his labors are bringing
to him a gratifying financial return annually.
In 1879 Mr. Bates was married to Miss Anna Myers,
who was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, in 1861,
and is a daughter of Enos and Rebecca Myers. The
father was a carpenter and farmer who removed
to Burlington, Iowa, in the '60s, and in 1874
came to Pottawattamie county, settling near Macedonia,
where he engaged in general agricultural pursuits
and also worked at the builder's trade. He is
now living in Nebraska at the age of seventy-eight
years and his wife has attained the same age.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bates were born five children:
Lennie M., who was born in 1880 and married Charles
Jefferson, a resident farmer of South Dakota;
Clifford I., born in 1882; Ira O., born in 1884;
Enos, in 1887; and one who died in infancy.
The parents hold membership in the Christian
church and Mr. Bates gives his political support
to the democracy. He has never sought or desired
office, preferring to give his undivided attention
to his business affairs, which are practically
managed. He has made judicious investments in
property until he is now the owner of very extensive
landholdings, and his enterprise and industry
constitute the foundation upon which he has builded
his success.
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Click for full size
WILLIAM GARNER.
So closely is the history of William Garner interwoven
with the story of the settlement and development
of Pottawattamie county that no record of the
county could be complete without extended mention
of this honored pioneer, who has now departed
this life. He came to the country before the townships
were divided or the surveys made and aided in
reclaiming the wild land and extending the frontier.
He bravely bore all the hardships and faced the
dangers incident to settling upon the very borders
of civilization, his memory compassing the period
when Indians were numerous in this part of the
state, while various kinds of wild animals were
seen and wild game was to be had in abundance.
Years passed and he worked diligently and
833
persistently to convert the trackless prairie
into productive fields. Few men indeed have done
as much for the agricultural development of this
portion of the state and he was fittingly honored
when Garner township was named for him.
A native of Fayetteville, Cumberland county,
North Carolina, he was born January 22, 1817.
His father, David Garner, whose birth occurred
in the same state, died in Harrison county, Iowa.
However, he had made his home for some time previously
with his sons, William and Henry, passing away
while visiting in Harrison county. His remains
were brought back to Pottawattamie county for
interment and he was laid to rest in Garner cemetery.
The date of his death was September 3, 1872, and
he had attained the very venerable age of one
hundred and four years. His wife, who bore the
maiden name of Jennie Stephens, was born in North
Carolina and died at the age of ninety-six years
when visiting in California in 1868. She had made
her home in Pottawattamie county previous to this
time and had gone on a trip to the Pacific coast
by way of the Isthmus of Panama with her son,
George Garner. .She was a cousin of Alexander
Stephens, vice president of the southern confederacy.
William Garner spent the first seventeen years
of his life in North Carolina and in 1834 accompanied
his parents on their removal to Adams county,
Illinois. He was one of a family of eleven children,
all of whom came to Pottawattamie county with
the exception of the third, Mrs. Nancy Wakefield,
who went to California. The others, all now deceased,
were George, Phillip, David, John, Mrs. Sarah
Wakefield, William, Mrs. Elizabeth Harrison, Mrs.
Eliza McCafferty, Henry and Mrs. Miranda Rose.
The family remained in Adams county, Illinois,
until 1846, when they drove across the country
to Florence, Nebraska, where the wife and children
lived for two years in a tent. It was about the
same time that William Garner enlisted for service
in the Mexican war. He proceeded southward to
the scene of military action, marching the entire
distance on foot--two thousand miles. He participated
in an engagement upon Mexican soil and was honorably
discharged in San Diego, California, William Garner
having done active duty under command of General
Kearney.
Following the close of hostilities William Garner
worked in California until he could earn a sum
sufficient to pay his way home. He then bought
pack ponies and traveled as far eastward as Salt
Lake, where he spent the winter. He then continued
on his way to Florence, Nebraska, where he arrived
in the spring of 1848 after an absence of two
years. With his family he then came to Garner
township, Pottawattamie county, where he resided
up to the time of his death on the 29th of March,
1892.
The county was fortunate in securing him for
a citizen, as he stood for progress and improvement
and contributed in substantial measure to the
advancement that was here made along business,
political and intellectual lines. At the time
of his arrival he found a district largely wild
and undeveloped. The county had not been surveyed
nor divided into townships and one could ride
for miles over the prairie without coming to a
fence or house to impede his progress. Mr. Garner
bought land from the government, built
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a log house and in true pioneer style began life
here. He owned at one time between four and five
thousand acres of land, cleared and improved a
great deal of this and long before his death gave
to each of his children a good farm, thus enabling
them to start out in life in comfortable circumstances.
Mr. Garner had been married in Illinois to Miss
Sarah Workman, a daughter of Henry and Sarah (Grady)
Workman, both natives of North Carolina. Mrs.
Workman was a second cousin of William Grady,
"the silver tongued orator of the south,"
to whom a monument has been erected in Atlanta,
Georgia, by the people of that section of the
country. The Workmans became prominent residents
of Adams county, Illinois, bearing the same relation
thereto in pioneer times that the Garners did
to Pottawattamic county. Both Mr. and Mrs. Workman
died in May, 1863, having attained the ages of
eighty-eight and seventy-eight years respectively.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Garner were born twelve children:
Mrs. Elizabeth Dillon; Mrs. Sarah Jane Price;
Mrs. Julia A. Kuhn; Mrs. Ellen Sutton; Adelaide,
who died at the age of two years; William; John;
Mrs. Rachel Ann Smith; Mrs. Mary Matheson; Mrs.
Coqualla Pilling, who is deceased; Mrs. Georgiana
Trephagan; and Mrs. Olive Benedict. The wife and
mother died in Chicago, Illinois, where she was
living with her daughter.
The first home of the family in Pottawattamie
county was built of walnut logs-timber which is
today very valuable. The claim which Mr. Garner
secured was situated in what is today Garner township.
The district now comprised within the townships
of Garner, Lewis and Kane when first dividea as
called Lewis and Kane. Later Lewis township was
divided, Garner being set off and named in honor
of the subject of this review. Not only did Mr.
Garner contribute largely to the agricultural
development of the county and of western Iowa,
owning large tracts of land in Pottawattamie and
Harrison counties, but likewise proved an active
factor in its industrial development. In 1857
he built a gristmill in Garner township, to which
people went for many miles with their grists.
In 1866 he erected a woolen mill, sold the machinery
in the gristmill and used the building for the
new enterprise, which proved a very successful
venture from a financial standpoint. He himself
kept about seven hundred sheep, using the fleece
in the mill and other people brought their wool
to the mill from a distance of one hundred miles.
In 1868, in connection with John Hammer and Charles
Bond he built the Ogden House at Council Bluffs,
which at the time of its erection was the largest
and best hotel in the city. Some time afterward
the hotel was destroyed by fire and Mr. Garner
and his partners sold the site before the hotel
was rebuilt. At the beginning of the Civil war
Mr. Garner sold a horse to General Dodge known
as Dan. This horse was shot in an engagement but
recovered sufficiently from its wounds to follow
the command, which it joined again two days after
sustaining the injury. It was so badly crippled,
however, that it was unfit for further service.
In his political views Mr. Garner was a stalwart
democrat and served on the board of supervisors
for several years. He was always loyal to the
best interests of the county, withholding his
support from no measure or
835
movement that tended to prove of benefit to the
public. He was noted far his great kindness of
heart and his contributions to the poor of Pottawattamie
county would amount to several hundred dollars.
His wife, too, was a lady of most generous spirit
and helpful disposition and in early days she
would go for miles day or night to care far the
sick or assist those in trouble. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Garner will always be lovingly remembered
by the pioneers of Pottawattamie county. Mr. Garner
was everywhere known as Uncle Billy-- a term expressive
of the affection in which he was uniformly held.
Entirely free from ostentation or display, he
possessed those sterling traits of character which
always warm the heart and win friendship. He was
considerate in his opinions of others, courteous
in his treatment, kind hearted and generous. He
won success not by taking advantage of others
in business transactions but by careful investment
and able management. His labors at all times proved
a benefit to the community as well as a source
of individual prosperity and his efforts in behalf
of the county's development were far reaching
and beneficial. His death, which occurred in 1892,
was the occasion of the most deep and wide spread
regret but as long as memory remains to those
who knew them the names of Mr. and Mrs. William
Garner will be honored in Pottawattamie county.
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Forrest Smith, secretary of the Patents Manufacturing
Company, has spent almost his entire life in Council
Bluffs, whither he was brought by his parents
in early childhood. He is a self-made man, his
advantages having been gained through his own
efforts, while his advancement is the indication
of a worth and ability which he has displayed
in business life.
Mr. Smith was barn in Allegheny City, now Pitts
burg, Pennsylvania, on the 29th 'Of January, 1856,
and the year 1859 witnessed the removal of his
parents to Crescent City, Iowa, whence in less
than a year they came to Council Bluffs. Ferrets
Smith was therefore reared here and is indebted
to the public schools far the educational privileges
he enjoyed. He continued his studies to the age
of nineteen years, when he was graduated from
the high school, after which he went to Lowell,
Massachusetts, where he spent two years in a machine
shop. He returned to the west, settling at Omaha.
where for four years he was employed in the shops
of the Union Pacific Railroad Company but ambitious
to engage in business on his own account he opened
a real-estate and insurance office in Council
Bluffs, since which time he has carried on business
along this line. He has thoroughly informed himself
concerning property values and the possible diminution
or advance in prices and has been enabled to assist
his clients in making advantageous sales and purchases.
In more recent years he has became interested
in patent rights, having several patents of his
own, and in 1905 he organized the Patents Manufacturing
Company, of which he is the secretary. His knowledge
of mechanical principles and his skill and ingenuity
along mechanical lines
836
have led to his production of several valuable
devices, on which he has secured patents. Aside
from his interests in Council Bluffs he is the
owner of Texas lands, and the good use which he
has made of his opportunities has made him a successful
business man.
On the 30th of May, 1890, in Omaha, was celebrated
the marriage of Forrest Smith and Mrs. Charlotte
V. Rothery. There are two children by this marriage,
Ingleetta C. and Douglas F. Mr. Smith belongs
to no secret societies. He is affiliated with
the Presbyterian church and his life, ever honorable
and upright, is in harmony with his professions.
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DANIEL W.
KELLER.
Realizing fully that success must be persistently
sought and earnestly won, Daniel W. Keller in
his business life has put forth the strenuous
effort and stalwart purpose so necessary to achieve
advancement in mercantile lines. He is today proprietor
of the Iowa Furniture & Carpet Company of
Council Bluffs, and although he started out in
life at a salary of only a dollar and a half per
month, he is now one of the prosperous merchants
of his adopted city.
He first opened his eyes to the light of day
on a farm near Grindstone Hill, Franklin county,
Pennsylvania, on the 24th of May, 1841, and there
he lived to the age of thirteen years, when his
father died, and the mother removed with her family
to the vicinity of Scotland, Pennsylvania. There
Mr. Keller remained for four years, completing
his education in that locality. He attended school
during the winter seasons, while in the summer
months he worked for a dollar and a half per month.
For four years he remained in that place and then
went to Columbus, Indiana, where he resided until
the fall of 1865. In that year he became a resident
of Springfield, Illinois, where he worked at the
carpenter's trade until 1870. His next location
was Brookfield, Missouri, where he continued to
engage in carpentering until the spring of 1874,
at which date he arrived in Council Bluffs.
Mr. Keller's connection with the business life
of this city began as an employe in his brother's
furniture store, where he continued as a clerk
and foreman for about fourteen years; occupying
the latter position, however, most of the time.
In 1890 he was admitted to a share in the business
under the firm style of the Council Bluffs Carpet
Company and thus figured in the commercial circles
of the city until 1898, when he sold his interest.
He was then out of business until 1899, when he
organized the Iowa Furniture & Carpet Company
at Council Bluffs. His previous long experience
in the trade had made him thoroughly acquainted
with it and had given him comprehensive understanding
of the demands of the public in this regard. He
has built up a good business, having one of the
finest stores of the city, in which he carries
a large line of furniture and carpets. His reasonable
prices, his honorable methods and his earnest
efforts to please his
837
patrons have been the salient features in winning
him the liberal trade which is accorded him.
Mr. Keller, in 1877, was married in Belvidere,
Illinois, to Miss Flora Sellerd. He belongs to
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has filled
all of the chairs in lodge No. 606, at Council
Bluffs. In politics he is independent, voting
for men and measures rather than for party. In
religious faith he is a Congregationalist and
is serving as one of the trustees of the church,
in which he holds membership. His prosperity is
well deserved, as in him are embraced the characteristics
of an unbending integrity, unabating industry
and energy that never flags.
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Lewis Cass Greene is a highly respected and leading
agriculturist of Knox township, deriving his income
from a valuable property of two hundred and ten
acres on section 27. He was born in Ashtabula
county, Ohio, November 17, 1858, a son of H. S.
Greene, whose birth occurred in New York in 1828.
He was only about two years of age when, in 1830,
he was taken by his parents to Ohio, where he
spent the days of his boyhood and youth under
the parental roof. After he had attained his majority
he engaged in teaching school for several years.
He married Miss Sarah J. Wood, a native of the
Empire state, born in 1829. They resided for a
number of years in Ohio and in 1870 left that
state for Iowa, settling in Pottawattamie county.
Here Mr. Greene purchased two hundred acres of
land in Knox township, upon which his son, Lewis
Cass Greene, now resides. With characteristic
energy he began the development and improvement
of the farm and continued to engage actively im
its cultivation until his life's labors were ended
in death in 1886. In the family were four children
but only two are now living, the younger being
Woody D., who is located at Ashtabula Harbor,
Ohio. The mother still survives and is yet living
in the Buckeye state.
Lewis Cass Greene was reared to the occupation
of farming, which he has always followed, and
he is indebted to the public school system of
Ohio and of Iowa for the educational privileges
he enjoyed. He has always followed farming and
remained at home, working for his father until
twentythree years of age, after which he rented
and for one year cultivated his father's farm.
On the expiration of that period he purchased
the homestead property of two hundred and ten
acres lying on section 27, Knox township.
He is quite well known because of his live-stock
interests, making a specialty of raising shorthorn
cattle and also Percheron horses and roadsters.
He has owned and sold some fine stock, both horses
and cattle, and is an excellent judge thereof,
being seldom, if ever, at error in his estimation
of the value of live-stock. He is, moreover, a
man of keen business discernment and strong purpose,
who is meeting with success in his chosen field
of labor and well merits the prosperity which
has come to him.
838
In 1881 Mr. Greene ;was united in marriage to
Miss Martha E. Martin, who was born at Green Castle,
Jasper county, Iowa, a daughter of James J. and
Catharine (Given) Martin, who were natives of
the Buckeye state. They went to Jasper county,
Iowa, at an early day and later came to Pottawattamie
county; the father trading two old mares and a
colt for eighty acres of prairie land located
on section 12, Knox township. There he built a
log house with puncheon floor, puncheon door and
puncheon roof, and in true pioneer style the family
began life on the western prairie, being closely
associated with the early development and progress
of that part of the county. The family numbered
nine children. The father is now deceased, while
at this writing the mother makes her home with
her daughter, Mrs. Greene. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Greene
has been born one son, Harry Martin, who is a
graduate of the Avoca high school and of the law
department of the State University of Iowa. He
was also admitted to the bar and is recognized
as a man of strong intellectual force. He possesses
superior oratorical ability and the consensus
of public opinion says that he has no equal in
this regard in the locality in which he lives.
Undoubtedly a bright future awaits him.
Mr. and Mrs. Greene are people of culture, widely
and favorably known in the locality where they
reside. They enjoy the hospitality of the best
homes and the circle of their friends is a very
extensive one. In his political views Mr. Greene
is a democrat and has served as township trustee
but otherwise has never sought nor held office,
preferring that his time and energies should be
devoted to his business interests, whereby he
is meeting with success that enables him to provide
well for his family.
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