The above
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Samuel R. Read, who has departed this life, was
classed with the substantial citizens of Carson
township, where he owned and cultivated one hundred
and sixty acres of land on section 36. He made
this a valuable property, owing to the excellent
improvements which he placed upon it, and in connection
with tilling the soil he likewise engaged in breeding
fine stock. A native son of Indiana, he was born
October 12, 1850, his parents being Nathan and
Malinda (Van Scoy) Read, the former born in Virginia
and the latter in Ohio. Their family numbered
five sons and two daughters, of whom Samuel R.
Read was the fourth child, the others being: Charles
W., of Staples, Minnesota; William, who was killed
in the Civil war; Smith, who is living at Tacoma;
Washington; and Jesse. One sister, Nettie, became
the wife of George George and died in Los Angeles,
California, October 12, 1906. The other members
of the family were half-sisters, born of the father's
second marriage--Cora. Bowles, of Minneapolis,
Minnesota, and Phoebe, of Mason City, Iowa. The
mother died when her son, Samuel, was only twelve
years of age, passing away in Illinois, and the
father is now living in Staples, Minnesota, with
his eldest son, at the age of eighty-five years.
Samuel R. Read was quite young when the family
left Indiana and removed to Bureau county, Illinois,
and at the age of fifteen came to Iowa, settling
in Cerro Gordo county. His educational privileges
were those afforded by the public schools. In
1874, with his wife and one child he removed to
the vicinity .of Malvern, in Mills county, Iowa,
and in 1881 he came to this county, settling near
Carson, on the farm which is now owned by his
widow. It is pleasantly located two miles northeast
of the village of Carson and comprises one hundred
and sixty acres of land situated on the southeast
quarter of section 36. It is one of the best farms
in Carson township although it came into his possession
a tract of wild and unimproved land. His characteristic
labors and his unfaltering diligence converted
it
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into one of the finest farms of the county. Here
in connection with tilling the soil, Mr. Read
also engaged in the breeding of fine stock, both
branches of his business claiming his attention
until his death.
On the 25th of December, 1871, Mr. Read was united
in marriage toMiss Julia Bushnell, who was born
in Rock county, Wisconsin, March 29, 1854, and
went to Cerro Gordo county with her widowed mother
in 1867. Her parents were Robert L. and Margaret
(LaFever) Bushnell, natives of New York city.
Both are now deceased, having passed away soon
after reaching middle life. The father's death
occurred in Vermillion, South Dakota, and the
mother passed away in Mason City, Iowa. Their
family numbered five sons and two daughters: Permelia,
the wife of W. J. Sherman, of Carson City, Iowa;
Minard, who died in Kansas; Mrs. Read; Elisha,
of Malvern, Iowa; Augustus, of Fremont, Nebraska;
Eugene, of Butte, Nebraska; and William, who resides
in LaPorte, Texas. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Read were
born eight children: Alice, now the wife of Thomas
Dungan, who is living on the farm formerly her
father's property; Irving, also upon the farm;
Nettie, at home; Minard, who died at the age of
eleven years; Margaretta, Joy, Irena and Paul,
all yet at home.
For many years Mr. Read continued to reside upon
his farm, and his life of thrift and industry
was manifest in its excellent appearance, but
in order to give his children better educational
advantages he removed to the village of Carson
and soon afterward died there, passing away on
the 17th of December, 1905. In politics he was
a republican, and from childhood hall been a devoted
and faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal
church. His life had been true and honorable in
every respect, his home duties were performed
with a sense of conscientious obligation and in
them he found a genuine pleasure, doing everything
in his power to promote the happiness and welfare
of his wife and children. He was a man of strong
domestic taste and found greatest contentment
amid his family and his own fireside. He had,
however, an extensive circle of friends and acquaintances
and was honored and respected by all who knew
him. To his wife and children he left not only
a comfortable competence, but also an untarnished
name, and for year, to come his memory will be
lovingly enshrined in their hearts.
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THOMAS
N. CHRISTIAN.
Thomas N. Christian is one of the pioneer settlers
of Waveland town. ship, having developed his farm
from raw prairie to a highly cultivated tract
of land presenting an excellent appearance, with
its waving fields of corn and grain giving promise
of abundant harvests. A native son of the middle
west, he was born in Putnam county, Indiana, February
2, 1836, a son of Lewis and Levina (Frazier) Christian.
There were two younger children in the family:
Melinda, now the wife of Amos Spencer, of Blair,
Nebraska; and Joseph S., of White Cloud, Kansas.
The father was born in Knox county, Tennessee,
in 1811, and when a young man went to Indiana,
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settling in Putnam county, where he purchased
land and engaged in farming until 1849, when he
sold his property there and removed to Gentry
county, Missouri. In that locality he also owned
and developed a farm and there spent his remaining
days, being called to final rest in March, 1897,
when eighty-six years of age.
Thomas N. Christian was reared on the old homestead
and acquired a public-school education. He was
thirteen years of age when the family removed
to Missouri, and the same fall he joined a hunting
party that traveled through southern Iowa. It
was said that the houses at that time were fifty
miles apart. Possibly this was exaggerated, but
yet the homes were widely scattered and the frontier
condition of the country is indicated by the fact
that it was no unusual thing to see ten or twelve
elk at one time, while deer were numerous. In
1854 Mr. Christian drove a team to Kaneville,
now Council Bluffs, Iowa, to bring his maternal
grandmother and her family to Pottawattamie county.
Kaneville was then a settlement of Mormons who
lived in dugouts and on going up the hill beyond
the asylum it seemed to be a hill of human heads,
for popping out of the ground everywhere were
seen the faces of the inhabitants of those primitive
dwellings.
Mr. Christian was married in Gentry county, Missouri,
in 1861. The following year he enlisted for service
in the Civil war, joining Company F, of the Thirty-fifth
Missouri Infantry on the 13th of August, 1862.
In 1863 he was honorably discharged, after which
he returned to his home in Gentry county, where
he remained until 1866. He next removed to Iowa
and for a year lived at Lewis, Cass County. In
June, 1867, he came to Pottawattamie county, and
while looking about for a desirable location he
operated a rented farm for two years. In 1869
he bought the north half of the northeast quarter
of section 4, Waveland township, and the west
half of the northwest corner of section 3, adjoining.
It was raw prairie, which he broke, and when the
sod was turned and the fields harrowed he planted
his crops, in due time gathering rich harvests.
In 1871 he built a good residence upon this farm
and removed to his new home. He has added to the
original purchase the south half of the northeast
quarter of section 4, the northeast quarter of
the southeast quarter of section 4, and the east
half of the northwest quarter of section 3, Waveland
township, making his present holdings something
more than one half section of land. The first
purchase was made for five dollars per acre and
his first payment was three hundred dollars. When
he took up his abode here the earlier settlers
who were located near the timber along the river
tried to dissuade him and told him he was too
far from civilization and that his children would
grow up wild Indians, that there would never be
any schools in his locality, and other discouraging
things, But Mr. Christian's foresight was better,
for he believed that in time this would become
a populous and rich district. There was, however,
little settlement here until 1876, and the first
school was held in the summer of that year, Mr.
Christian allowing a room of his house to be used
as a schoolroom, the teacher being Miss Ada Teff.
From that time on the settlement has been rapid
and the labors of man have made
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this part of the country to bloom and blossom
as the rose. Mr. Christian has borne his full
share in the work of agricultural development
here and now owns a valuable and productive farming
property.
The lady who now bears the name of Mrs. Christian
was in her maidenhood Miss Rebecca E. Cranor,
a daughter of Joshua Cranor, who moved from Indiana
to Missouri. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Christian have
been born thirteen children, of whom seven are
yet living: Ida, the wife of William Dean, of
Waveland township; Alner B., who cultivates the
home farm; Lewis J., who resides in Seattle, Washington;
Manlove Benton, of Waveland township; Cena, the
wife of Ed. Davis, of Cass county, Iowa; Isabelle,
the wife of Donald McKenzie, of Waveland township;
and Ethel, the wife of David Blaine, of Wright
township, this county.
Mr. Christian is a republican in politics but
has never been an aspirant for public office.
He has, however, filled all of, the township offices,
to which he has been called by the vote of his
fellow townsmen, who recognize his ability and
appreciate his effective labor in behalf of community
interests. He is now serving as township trustee
and as a member of the school board. He belongs
to the Christian church and in early years was
affiliated with the Masonic lodge but took a demit
and has not since been affiliated with any local
organization. The history of western Iowa and
its development is largely familiar to him for
he has been a witness of its growth through many
years, having seen its wild prairies reclaimed
for the purpose of civilization, while its natural
resources have been used in the development of
fine farms and good homes, where live a contented,
prosperous and happy people.
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Lewis A. Hatswell is one of the large resident
landowners of Grove township and a business man
whose enterprise and executive ability have been
a strong element in agricultural and commercial
development in this section of Pottawattamie county,
contributing at the same time to his individual
prosperity. For twelve years he has resided upon
his present farm on section 34. Grove township,
having here two hundred and sixty acres, constitu6ng
one of the best improved properties of the district.
Throughout his entire life he has brooked no obstacles
that could be overcome by determined and honest
effort, and the careful utilization of his opportunities
has gained him rank among the foremost residents
of Grove township.
His birth occurred near Mineral Point, Iowa county.
Wisconsin, June 28, 1856, his parents being John
and Mary (Collard) Hatswell, who were natives
of Devonshire, England, the former born in 1812
and the latter September 29, 1821. They were reared
and married in their native country and came to
the United States in April, 1851, with three children,
settling in Iowa county, Wisconsin. The father
continued a resident of that state until his death
an October, 1898, having always followed the occupation
of farm
1057
ing as a life work. His widow still survives
and is now living with a son in Red Oak, Iowa.
Their children, eight in number, were: John, a
retired farmer of Red Oak; Mary, who became the
wife of G. W. Fairchild and died in 1904; Elizabeth,
the wife of the Rev. W. R. Newman, of Holt, Nebraska;
Martha, who became the wife of Robert Turney and
died in 1878; Selena, the wife of W. M. Tindall,
of York county, Nebraska; Lewis A.; William T.,
of Red Oak, Iowa, where he is engaged in the real-estate
business; and Royal C., a retired farmer of Red
Oak.
Upon the home farm in Wisconsin Lewis A. Hatswell
was reared, early becoming ,familiar with all
the duties and labors that fall to the lot of
the agriculturist. He left home in the fall of
1870, and removed to Red Oak, Iowa, with his older
brother and two sisters. The brothers lived there
together for several years engaged in farming.
Mr. Raiswell began renting land and hiring men
to cultivate it. He had had practical experience
in farm work, for from the time that he was twenty-one
years of age he had been employed as a farm hand.
He worked by the month for one year for Judge
Tubbs and also for one year for Andrew Davis,
of Illinois. At length, as stated, he began renting
land and raising crops, and gradually he developed
his business into the cattle industry, which he
followed until he came to Pottawattamie county
in the spring of 1881. His first purchase of land
here made him owner of eighty acres on section
26, Grove township. H8 afterward went to Oakland,
where he leased three hundred and twenty acres,
residing there for two years. He then returned
to Grove township, where he has since made his
home, and for twelve years has resided on his
present farm of two hundred and sixty acres on
sec1iion 34. Here he has erected a good dwelling
and new barns. There are three dwellings on the
farm, two of which are tenant houses. Mr. Hatswell
now owns five hundred and eighty acres in Grove
township comprised within three farms, has two
hundred acres adjoining the village of Macedonia
and two hundred and forty acres in Harlan county,
Nebraska, together with six hundred and forty
acres in Saskatchewan, Canada. He has been extensively
engaged in raising, feeding and shipping stock,
shipping from fifteen to twenty carloads of cattle
and hogs per year. He raises and ships hogs on
a very extensive scale, and as the years have
passed he has made investments until he is today
one of the large landowners of Grove township
and one of the most extensive stock men of this
section, his undivided attention being given to
general agricultural pursuits and the raising
of stock. Aside from his farm property he owns
a business house in Macedonia in partnership with
William Lewis, and he is a stockholder in the
Macedonia State Bank.
In 1894 Mr. Raiswell was married to Miss Maude
Atteberry, who was born in Monroe county, Indiana,
but was reared in Logan county, Illinois, where
her parents, William and Fannie (Rodgers) Atteberry,
still live. They were natives of Illinois and
Indiana respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Ratswell have
become the parents of a son and daughter: Carl
and Lois Marie.
Mr. Hatswell is an exemplary Mason, belonging
to Ruby lodge, No. 415, A. F. & A. M., of
Macedonia. In politics he has been a life-long
republican and has served as chairman of the school
board of Grove township. Com-
1058
munity affairs are always of interest to him
and his active co-operation has been given to
many measures for the benefit of the township
and county. In matters relating to the public
good as well as in business life he is practical
and his success is well merited, for he started
out on attaining his majority as a farm hand and
has made advancements through the opportunities
that he has utilized, carving out his own fortune,
and upon the safe foundation of industry and perseverance
building his success.
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Minor T. Palmer, deceased, who was the pioneer
physician of Big Grove and a man whose service
was of the utmost benefit and value to his fellowmen,
was born in Indiana and with his parents removed
to Rock Island, Illinois, w hen about ten years
of age. He resided, there and at Oquawka, Illinois,
until he had attained his majority, after which
he married Miss Caroline Tuel, a native of Ohio.
They resided at Sugar Grove, Mercer county, Illinois,
until after the birth of their first two children,
Marion and Sumner S. In the late spring of 1853
they started across the state of Iowa, with an
ox team and arrived at Kanesville, now Council
Bluffs, in the fall of that year, having completed
the long and tedious trip. Here Mr. Palmer worked
at the carpenter's trade, and while thus engaged
he assisted in building the first frame house
in Omaha, Nebraska. He finally secured a team
of horses and followed teaming from the old boat
landing to the bluffs. In the winter of 1854-5
he removed to Big Grove, bringing with him the
first team of horses that he purchased and which
he kept until they died of old age.
When Mr. Palmer first came to Big Grove he engaged
in carpentering, but having studied medicine to
some extent in his younger days, he was persuaded
by an old Scotch physician by the name of Barratt,
who lived at a place called White Cloud, on the
Nishimbotna river a few miles below the present
town of Hastings, in Mills county, to take up
the practice of medicine, which he followed with
remarkable success for ten or twelve years before
any other physician located at Big Grove, as all
the old settlers up and down the Rotna valley
from Harlan to Hastings will attest. About the
year 1867 or 1868 Dr. T. C. Alexander, a graduate
of Kings Medical College of Cincinnati, Ohio,
located at Big Grove, but finally concluded to
remove to Kansas, against the earnest protest
of Mr. Palmer, who saw in him a possible chance
of retiring from the practice of medicine, which
he so much desired to do, for his health had failed,
owing to his arduous duties, the long rides and
the exposure incident to the practice of medicine
in those days. There were no towns nearer than
Council Bluffs and it was necessary to keep a
large supply of remedies on hand. This being the
case, Mr. Palmer drifted into the general mercantile
business, as it was necessary for him to furnish
medicine and other supplies, to the neighborhood.
In the year 1870 Dr. Tobey located at Big Grove,
and in the winter of 1873 Dr. Alexander returned,
locating here, so that Mr. Palmer was relieved
from the active practice of medicine. He
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never could retire altogether, however, and,
in fact, his death was caused by his getting wet
and catching cold when going to visit a patient.
He passed away on the 26th of August, 1882, and
thus ended the career of Big Grove's pioneer physician,
a man whose life was one of usefulness and activity
and who throughout the entire community was respected
arid honored by all who knew him.
Mr. Palmer's family numbered seven sons and two
daughters, namely: Marion and Sumner S., who are
mentioned elsewhere in this volume; George, who
died at the age of twenty years; Minor T., who
died in infancy; Mary M., the wife of F. P. Forward,
of Holt county, Nebraska; A. L., who for the past
ten years has been traveling for the International
Harvester Company and others, spending nearly
two years in Australia and New Zealand and considerable
time in traveling over the west half of the United
States; Alexis P., who died at South Butte, Montana,
October 18, 1889; Hiram T., who is a farmer of
Lincoln township; and Della, the wife of Orlando
Trotter, of Payette, Idaho.
Minor T. Palmer, the father, was a member of
the Baptist church, which he joined in his youth.
He was ever ready and generous in his support
of the church and its work and was interested
in all matters of progressive citizenship. He
was never an officeholder, however, except that
he served as postmaster, filling the position
at the time of his death. His life was of benefit
to his fellowmen and his worth in the community
was widely acknowledged.
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Willard E. Smith, who is engaged in general agricultural
pursuits on section 27, Macedonia township, was
born May 12, 1865, in Grove township, this county,
and is therefore a representative of one of its
old families, his parents, Stephen and Mary (Frain)
Smith, being still residents of Grove township.
Their family numbered four sons and a daughter:
Henry, of Macedonia; George, of Tabor; C1ara,
the wife of Charles Bogue; of Colorado; Willard
E., of this review; and Arthur, at home.
No event of special importance occurred to vary
the routine of farm life for Willard E. Smith
in the days of his boyhood and youth. He remained
with his parents until he attained his majority,
with the exception of two years spent in Colorado
and Montana--1884 and 1885. He was engaged in
mining in the former state and was employed upon
a ranch in the latter. He then returned home,
was married at the age of twenty-one years and
started out in life on his own account as a farmer
of Grove township. He first rented one hundred
and sixty acres of land, which he cultivated for
three years, and on the expiration of that period
he bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres
in Macedonia township, whereon he resided for
three years. On selling that property he made
investment in two hundred and forty acres, constituting
the northwest quarter and the west half of the
southwest, quarter of section 24, Grove township,
which he now owns. In March, 1905, however, he
bought his
1060
present farm and took up his abode upon this
place, comprising one hundred and eighty acres
on sections 22 and 27, Macedonia township. He
therefore has a total of four hundred and twenty
acres in the two £arms and is cultivating
both tracts, raising grain and stock. He is a
large stock feeder and shipper, and his business
is bringing to him a very gratifying financial
return.
Pleasantly situated in his home lire, Mr. Smith
was married in 1887 to Miss Susan Knox, who was
born in Youngstown, Ohio, October 21, 1867, and
came here at the age of ten years with her parents,
Andrew and Matilda (Young) Knox, natives of Ireland,
who were married, however, in Massachusetts. The
family home was established in Grove township
when Mr. Knox brought his wife and children to
Iowa and upon the farm which he there developed
and cultivated both he and his wife spent their
remaining days, Unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been
born eight children: Ruby, Lois, Lottie, Ralph,
Dart, LeRoy, Violet and Lyle. The family attend
the Presbyterian church and Mr. Smith belongs
to Ruby lodge, No. 415, A. F. & A. M., or
Macedonia. For one term he served as trustee of
Grove township, but has never been a politician
in the sense of office seeking, although he gives
stalwart allegiance to the republican party.
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William H. Jurgensen, a progressive and enterprising
agriculturist of Layton township, is one of the
worthy sons that Germany has furnished to the
United States, his birth having occurred in Schleswig-Holstein,
on the 25th of August, 1862. His parents were
Fritz and Leilia (Sell) Jurgensen, both of whom
were also natives of the same section of the fatherland
in which our subject was born. The birth of the
father occurred in 1834 and that of the mother
in 1827, and they were reared and married in their
native land. In the year 1872 they crossed the
Atlantic to America, locating in Davenport, Iowa,
where Mr. Jurgensen followed the coopers' trade
for four years. In 1876 he took up his abode in
Pottawattamie county, purchasing eighty acres
on section 1, Layton township, for which he paid
ten dollars per acre. At a later date he bought
an adjoining tract of eighty acres, whereon he
resided until June, 1907, when he was taken to
the hospital in Council Bluffs,
Owing to the limited financial resources of the
parents, William H. Jurgensen early had to provide
for his own support and he therefore acquired
only a meager education. Soon after arriving in
this country he went to work as a cash boy in
the store of J. H. C. Peterson & Sons at Davenport
and subsequently he was employed as a painter
in the sash and door factory of Roberts &
Company. His health became affected, however,
because of the poison in the paint and he was
therefore compelled to give up this position,
after which he secured employment in the store
of L. W. Peterson, dealer in wall paper and carpets.
On coming to Pottawattamie county he worked for
his father on the farm and when he had attained
his majority took entire charge of the place,
the father making his home with our subject after
the death of Mrs. Jurgen-
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sen. In 1895 William H. Jurgensen removed to
an eighty acre tract adjoining the home farm on
the west, which he had purchased, and has here
since made his home in order to be nearer the
school which his children are attending. He has
removed the building from the old homestead farm
to his present place of residence and has brought
his land under a high state of cultivation, the
fields annually yielding golden harvests in return
for the care and labor he bestows upon them. The
air of neatness and thrift which pervades the
place is indicative of his enterprise and well
directed business ability in the conduct of his
farming interests and he is accounted one of the
prosperous agriculturists of his community.
On the 18th of December, 1887, Mr. Jurgensen
was united in marriage to Miss Emma Range, of
Layton township, Pottawattamie county, and a daughter
of Adolph Range, who in an early day emigrated
from Germany to the United States, locating in
Muscatine county, Iowa. Subsequently he came to
Pottawattamie county and now makes his home in
Walnut. Mr. and Mrs. Jurgensen became the parents
of six children, four of whom survive: William
E., Leonora M., Herbert C. and Harry L., all of
whom are at home.
In his political views' Mr. Jurgensen is an advocate
of the democracy and is quite prominent in local
political circles, having served as a member of
the school board far the past five years and now
acting as chairman thereof. He is also a member
of the board of township trustees and is widely
recognized as one of the leading, progressive
and intelligent citizens of Layton township. He
is a dominant factor in the affairs of the township
and his influence is ever given on the side of
reform, progress and improvement. Fraternally
he is connected with Walnut lodge, No. 194, A.
O. U. W., Excelsior camp of the Modern Woodmen
of America, and the German Verein of Walnut. He
is also a member of the Lutheran church, in the
work of which he is actively and helpfully interested,
contributing liberally of his means to its support.
Since coming to America--a little lad of ten years-he
has been dependent entirely upon his resources
for whatever success he has enjoyed and the prosperity
which has came to him is therefore the result
of his untiring perseverance and diligence in
the conduct of his business interests. He and
his family are highly esteemed throughout the
entire community as people of genuine personal
worth and enjoy the hospitality of many of the
best homes of the locality.
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P. W. Frederickson, a farmer and stock-raiser
living on section 15, Grove township, owns and
cultivates one hundred and twenty acres of rich
and productive land, which he has converted from
the raw prairie into a fine farm. He became a
resident of Iowa in 1856, when he settled in Fremont
county, spending twenty years there ere his removal
to Pottawattamie county in 1876. He was born in
Hancock county, Ohio, March 17, 1842, his parents
being Porter and Elmira (Coolidge) Frederickson,
who resided from 1856 in Fre-
1062
mont county, Iowa, until they were called to
their final rest about twenty years ago. The father
followed both carpentering and farming. The family
numbered four sons and three daughters, of whom
one died in infancy. Four of the number are still
living: Mrs. Martha Savage, who is located near
Tabor, Iowa; Mrs. Catherine Penney, living near
Albion, Nebraska.; and Solomon, of Woodbury county,
Iowa.
P. W. Frederickson was a youth of fourteen years
when he came to Iowa with his parents. His education
was largely acquired in the public school, and
in Fremont county he was reared amid pioneers
scenes and environments, for the district in which
they located was then but sparsely settled, He
performed the arduous task of developing a new
farm as he aided his father in the improvement
of the homestead property, and in Fremont county
he continued to reside until 1876, when he came
to this county. Here he has since carried on general
agricultural pursuits and has now a well developed
farm of one hundred and twenty acres on section
15, Grove township.
Mr. Frederickson was married in Fremont county,
Iowa, to Miss Laura Green, who was there born,
a daughter of Noah and Sarah (Gaylord) Green,
who were pioneer residents of this state. In his
political views Mr. Frederickson has always been
a democrat and has twice served as trustee of
Grove township. He keeps well informed on the
questions and issues of the day, as every true
American citizen should do, and his vote is the
indication of his honest belief. His religious
views are indicated by his membership in the Church
of the Latter Day Saints.
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NICHOLAS KIERCH.
Nicholas Kierch has probably resided longer in
Keg Creek township than any other of its residents,
for he took up his abode here in 1868 and from
that time to the present has been successfully
connected with agricultural and stock-raising
interests on section 31. He was born in Germany,
April 8, 1844, his parents being Frank and Josephine
Kierch, who came to the United States in 1847,
locating in Dubuque county, Iowa, where the mother
passed away the same year. The father entered
land as a dollar and a quarter an acre, successfully
operating the same until 1856, when he sold out
and removed to Mills county, making the journey
with ox teams. He purchased land in Oak township,
for which he paid four dollars an acre and continued
to reside thereon until called to his final rest
in 1858 when he had attained the age of fifty-six
years. In his family were four children, three
of whom are yet living: Margaret, who makes her
home in Black Hawk county, Iowa; Mrs. Susan Sausa,
of Minnesota.; and Nicholas, of this reriew.
The youth of Nicholas Kierch was largely one
of strenuous toil, for he had to provide for his
own support from the age of thirteen years. He
worked in Council Bluffs and in that vicinity
for several years, and at the time of the outbreak
of the Civil war offered his aid to the government
in crushing the rebellion in the south but was
rejected on account of being too
1065
young. In November, 1864, however, he was accepted
and joined Company I, Thirteenth Iowa Regiment,
with which he saw active service. He was discharged
in August, 1865, having made a most creditable
military record. In 1868 he purchased one hundred
and sixty acres of raw land which is now comprised
within his home farm. He built a log cabin, began
to till the soil and otherwise improved the place.
The primitive condition to the country is indicated
by the fact that he had to haul rails with which
to make a fence for a distance of nine miles and
as there were no roads or bridges at that early
period the task was a most difficult one. However,
he was not discouraged by the many obstacles that
confronted him in his efforts to establish a home
here and as the years have gone by has continued
the work of development and improvement and has
also added to his original purchase until he is
now the owner of two hundred and forty acres of
rich and arable land, eighty acres of which is
situated in Mills, county. In addition to general
farming he is also engaged in raising cattle and
hogs and for the past twenty years has sold none
of his grain, feeding all of it to his stock.
He has met with a gratifying measure of prosperity
in his live-stock interests and is therefore accounted
one of the successful farmers as well as honored
pioneer citizens of Pottawattamie county. He has
resided on his present place for thirty-nine years
and, as stated, there is probably no other resident
in Keg Creek township who has lived here for as
long a period.
On the 3d af November, 1865, Mr. Kierch was united
in marriage to Miss Mena Green, a native of Germany,
who came to America in 1862 and was employed in
Council Bluffs at the time of her marriage. Her
father passed away in Germany but the mother died
in this country about twenty years ago. Mr. and
Mrs. Green became the parents of eleven children,
five of whom are living: Charles, of Pottawattamie
county; Henry, living in Mills county; Gottlieb,
of Seattle, Washington; Mrs. Kierch; and Mrs.
Dora Rina, who resides in Council Bluffs. Unto
Mr. and Mrs. Kierch have been born nine children:
Frank, who married Mary Mundt and resides in Harrison
county, Iowa; Charles; Dora, the widow of Frank
Miller, who makes her home in Harrison county,
Iowa; Julius, who wedded Annie Schaening and resides
in Mineola, Iowa; Bertha, who became the wife
of Chris Lumby and lives in Harrison county, Iowa;
Peter, who passed away at the age of nine years;
John, Agnes and Harry, all at home.
Mr. Kierch gives stalwart support to the republican
party, having affiliated with that political organization
since casting his first presidential ballot for
Abraham Lincoln. He has served as township trustee
for several terms and has also held the office
of school director for fifteen years. The family
are members of the German Lutheran church and
during the long period of their residence here
have gained the warm regard and friendship of
many of the county's residents. Forty-seven years
have passed since Mr. Kierch came to Pottawattamie
county to cast in his lot with the pioneers. People
of the present period can scarcely realize the
struggles and dangers which attended the early
settlers, the heroism and self-sacrifice of lives
passed upon the borders of civilization, the hardships
endured, the difficulties overcome. These tales
of the early days read almost like a romance to
those who have
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known only the modern prosperity and conveniences.
To the pioneer of the early days, far removed
from the privileges and conveniences of city or
town, the struggle far existence was a stern and
hard one, and these men and women must have possessed
indomitable energies and sterling worth of character,
as well as marked physical courage, when they
thus voluntarily selected such a life and successfully
fought its battles under such circumstances as
prevailed in the northwest.
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Stephen Smith, now living retired but still residing
an his farm an section 27, Grove township, came
to Pottawattamie aunty about the 1st of November,
1847. On the day he arrived in Council Bluffs,
where he spent the winter. In the following April
his father arrived in Macedonia township, bringing
his family with him, and there he built the first
house within what is now the borders of the township.
John Smith, the father, resided there for eight
years or mare, and in the fall of 1853 or 1854
became a resident of Grove township, settling
an section 8, where he continued to reside until
his death occurred, in 1870, when he was seventy-two
years of age. His remains were interred in the
cemetery of the Latter Day Saints in Grove township,
He was a farmer by occupation and at one time
he built the first saw-mill on Farm creek, which
he operated for several years, thus becoming associated
with the industrial development as well as the
agricultural interests of the county In politics
he was originally a whig, but upon the dissolution
of that party became a republican. He served for
several terms as supervisor from his township
and was a member of the county board when the
first courthouse at Council Bluffs was built.
As a determined pioneer and influential citizen
he was well known in this county. His birth had
occurred in North Carolina and he had resided
far same time in Indiana prior to coming to Iowa.
The wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth
Martha Koonts, was born in Indiana, and from that
state they removed to Adams county, Illinois,
where the death of Mrs. Smith occurred, in 1840.
Stephen Smith was born in Henry county, Indiana,
January 28, 1836. His father wedded a second time,
having wedded Miss Sarah Winegar in Adams county,
Illinois, after losing his first wife. She accompanied
her husband to Pottawattamie county and died here
in 1882. By the two marriages there were seven
sons and six daughters. Those of the family who
came to Pottawattamie county were: Mary, Patience,
Hannah, Elizabeth, Lydia, Rhoda, Anna, Stephen,
Joseph, Hiram, Carlos and Abraham. Two brothers
of the family died in early childhood. Of the
children Stephen, Lydia and Abraham are still
living, the sister being a resident of Cheyenne
county, Kansas, while the brother makes his home
in northwestern Nebraska.
Stephen Smith was eleven years of age when he
came with his father to Pottawattamie county.
In Illinois he had attended subscription schools,
but owing to the fact that this county was a frontier
district in which the homes
1067
were widely scattered he had no educational advantages
in this locality. He has always followed farming
as a life work. In early days he underwent the
hardships, privations and experiences incident
to pioneer life and performed the arduous task
necessary to the development of a new farm, but
as the years passed he was very successful .and
now is enabled to live retired in the enjoyment
of all of the comforts and some of the luxuries
of life.
In Mills county, Iowa, Mr. Smith was married
to Miss Mary C. Frain, who was born May 31, 1837,
and was brought to Iowa at run early period in
its development when about five years of age.
The family home was established in Cedar county,
where both her father and mother died. To her
husband she has been a faithful companion and
helpmate on life's journey and they have reared
a family of five children: Henry A., living in
Macedonia; George M., of Fremont county, Iowa;
Mrs. Clara V. Bogue, of Eagle county, Colorado;
Willard E., a farmer of Macedonia township; and
Arthur J, at home.
Mr. Smith of this review was reared in the faith
of the Church of the Latter Day Saints, but is
not connected therewith at the present time. In
politics he is an earnest republican, having supported
the party since casting his first presidential
vote for Abraham Lincoln. He has served in various
township offices and as township trustee altogether
for about seventeen years, a fact which indicates
his fidelity to duty and the confidence and trust
reposed in him by his fellowmen. Wherever known
he is held in high esteem and his good qualities
entitle him to the record which is uniformly given
him, while his close application and industry
in business have justly merited the success that
has came to him through his farming operations.
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Valentine Plumb, who owns and cultivates two
hundred acres of rich laud on section 26, Macedonia
township, where he is engaged in the raising of
oath grain and stock, has here lived for six years,
prior to which time his entire life had been passed
in Mills county, Iowa. His birth had occurred
in Anderson township, that county, on the 10th
of August, 1869, but he is of English descent,
his parents being Valentine and Lucinda A. (Gonser)
Plumb, the former a native of Lincolnshire, England,
whence he came to the United States when a young
man. He settled first in Ohio and afterward was
engaged in mining in the far west for a number
of years. His wife was born in Ohio and, still
surviving her husband, is now living among her
children. The father died upon the old home place
in the Buckeye state about twenty-four years ago,
when sixty-two years of age. In their family were
ten children, eight of whom are now living, the
subject of this review being the fourth in order
of birth.
Valentine Plumb was reared as a farm boy and
his work in the schoolroom was interspersed with
his labors in the fields as he aided his parents
in carrying on the task of plowing, planting and
harvesting upon the old home
1068
stead. He continued to reside in Mills county
until six years ago, when he came to his present
farm. He had lived upon the old homestead up to
the time of his marriage, when he began cultivating
an adjoining farm, which, however, was really
a part of his father's original property. There
he lived for twelve years, when thinking a removal
would prove advantageous, he settled on section
26, Macedonia township, where he now has two hundred
acres of land devoted to the raising of grain
and stock, the latter, however, being the leading
feature of his business.
On the 1st of September, 1890, Mr. Plumb was
united in marriage to Miss Dora B. McFrull, a
native of Indiana. They now have four children:
Wilbur E., Lilly G., Vernon and Gladys. Mr. Plumb
votes with the democracy. He and his family are
well known in the community, where they reside,
and in the management of his business interests
he shows thorough familiarity with farm work,
winning through his practical methods a gratifying
competence.
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W. H. Crandall, who is engaged in general farming
on section 31, Grove township, is a native of
Pennsylvania, his birthplace being near Troy,
Bradford county, while the date was January 1,
1840. He was the fifth in order of birth in a
family of nine children born unto Stephen Allen
and Sarah (Chase) Crandall, the former a native
of Cortland county, New York, and the latter of
Delaware county, that state. Both died in Pennsylvania,
Mr. Crandall passing away in 1876 at the age of
seventy-four years, while his wife survived until
1891 and reached the age of eighty-two years.
Their sons, Dewitt C. and Charles Lee, each served
for three years as Union soldiers in the Civil
war.
W. H, Crandall resided at the place of his nativity
until after the outbreak of hostilities between
the north and the south and worked on the farm
and at the carpenter's trade with his father.
He recalls the time when he labored for a mere
pittance as a boy, often receiving only twenty-five
cents per day. The first interruption to his farm
labor came in 1861, when arisen by a spirit of
patriotism, he enrolled at Troy for ninety days'
service, The regiment, however, was not called
out, as the government at that time declined to
receive any more ninety day men. Later he joined
the construction corp, but was taken ill and sent
home after a few months' service. He continued
in Pennsylvania for about a year, when, having
regained his health, he rejoined the construction
corps and was in the employ of the United States
for about two years, working all through the,
south.
Mr. Crandall dates his residence in Iowa from
1866, when he settled at Red Oak and assisted
in building the first church there. There were
only two houses in the town at that time. He made
Red Oak his headquarters for a considerable period
and worked at his trade in the surrounding country,
During the first winter there he taught school
at the Stennett schoolhouse and
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thus eagerly availed himself of every opportunity
to improve his financial condition and secure
advancement in business life. In 1868 he was married
and, having thus made arrangements for a home
of his own, he located on a farm south of Elliott,
purchasing eighty acres of land, to which he afterward
added forty acres. For eight years he resided
upon and cultiv6ted that place and then traded
it for his present farm of one hundred and twenty
acres on section 31, Grove township. He has since
lived upon this place with the exception of three
years spent in Red Oak. He has carried on farming
and carpentering as a life work and assisted in
constructing many of the first buildings in this
locality and at Macedonia and Carson. In his building
operations, as well as in his farming pursuits,
he is thorough and practical and his own industry
forms the basis of his present position of affluence.
As stated, Mr. Crandall was married in 1868,
the lady of his choice being Miss Isabelle Marian
McComb, who was born near Rockford, Illinois,
and died in 1888 at the age of sixty-three years.
They were the parents of three children: Gertie,
the wife of J. M. Pardee, of Red Oak; Nettie L.,
the wife of Wesley Park, of Macedonia; and Lelith,
who died at the age of seven years.
Mr. Crandall has been a stalwart supporter of
the republican party since age conferred upon
him the right of franchise, but the honors and
emoluments of office have had little attraction
for him. He has found it necessary to concentrate
his time and energies upon his business affairs
if he would win success and the measure of affluence
which has come to him is the just reward of his
perseverance and diligence.
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Thomas Bowman, railroad contractor with headquarters
at Council Bluffs, was born May 25, 1848, in Wiscasset,
Maine. He was educated in the common schools and
in Oak Grove Seminary at Vassalboro, Maine. Arriving
in Council Bluffs in 1868, when a young man of
twenty years, he was first employed by John Hammer,
a contractor, and later entered the employ of
J. P. and J. N. Casady, land agents and abstractors.
In 187'2 he was appointed manager of the Crystal
mills on Main street owned by Henry F. Plumer,
in whose service he continued until 1876.
Mr. Bowman has figured prominently in connection
with the public service and has made an irreproachable
record. None have ever questioned the honesty
of his intentions and his official work has been
in large measure satisfactory to his fellow citizens.
In 1872 he was elected assessor of Council Bluffs
and was re-elected three times, resigning that
position in January, 1876, in order to enter upon
his duties as treasurer of Pottawattamie county,
to which position he had been chosen on the democratic
ticket the previous fall. His fidelity and excellent
service were indicated by the fact that he was
twice re-elected to that position, and in 1882
was chosen mayor of Council Bluffs, He, served
as postmaster of the city under the two administrations
of President Cleveland and in 1890 was elected
a member or the fifty
1070
second congress, while in 1893 he was defeated
as a candidate for railway commissioner. Mr. Bowman
served as a member of the democratic sound money
conference held in Chicago, July 23,1896, which
resulted in the formation of the "gold standard"
democracy and in that campaign he supported the
Palmer and Buckner ticket.
For several years Mr. Bowman was associated with
Hon. M. F. Rohrer in business. He aided in establishing
the Evening Times in 1870 and in 1883 he acquired
the ownership of the Daily Globe, which he controlled
for ten years. He also owned the Free Press in
1880 and has thus been closely associated with
the newspaper interests of the city. Since becoming
postmaster Mr. Bowman has been engaged in railroad
construction, making his headquarters at Council
Bluffs. He was one of the organizers of the Citizens'
State Bank and of the Iowa and Nebraska Insurance
Company, of the Odd Fellows Building Association,
the Tariff Reform Club, the Poultry and Pet Stock
Association, the Driving Park and Fair Association,
the Council Bluffs Sportsman's Club, the Rescue
Hose Company No.3, and John N. Baldwin, Jr., Hose
Company. The enumeration of these interests which
owed their formation in greater or less measure
to Mr. Bowman indicates the fact that he has been
a leader in public thought and action and a molder
of public opinion. His intense and well directed
activity has never been concentrated on personal
ends alone but has touched the general interests
of his city in the production and conservation
of advancement in various normal lines of human
progress.
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