Audubon County >> 1915 Index

History of Audubon County, Iowa
H. F. Andrews, editor...Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Company, 1915.

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Unless otherwise specified, biographies submitted by Dick Barton.

Hon. WILLIAM WALKER, son of Joseph ad Catherine ( Sheridan ) Walker , was born in Huron county, Ohio , March 2, 1834 . On February 18, 1858 , he married Nancy Jane, daughter of William Henry Harrison and Eliza (Watson) Bowen. His father was a native of England , and it is traditional that he served in the British army under the Duke of Wellington. William Walker was a farmer and stockraiser. He went with his parents, in 1835, to Niles , Michigan , and came to Audubon county in 1855. He was a Republican in politics and served as representative. He was large landowner, and resided on Troublesome creek, in Audubon township. He was also a merchant in Exira for several years. He was a member of Exodus Lodge No. 342, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and in religion was a Congregationalist. He died at Exira in 1899. His children were as follow: John E., who married Ida VanSlyke; Charles W., deceased; Francis A., deceased; Laura A., married James D. Barhan; Ulysses S., married Louisa Marsh; Lula May, married James B. Rendleman; Olive M., married Ralph D. Hawk; Eva J., married Charles Jenkins; Jay Grant, married Jessie Pratt.

Herman C. Wedemeyer

Notwithstanding the fact that Herman C. Wedemeyer is still in the prime of life, he has succeeded in accumulating valuable farm real estate in Audubon county, where he now owns two hundred and thirty-five acres of land, all of which is located in section 14, Audubon township.  Having begun with a tract of eighty acres, a farm which was poorly improved, at the time of his marriage, Mr. Wedemeyer has added to his holding from time to time, and now owns one of the best-improved farms in the township.

Herman C. Wedemeyer, who was born on January 8, 1871, in Guthrie county, Iowa, is the son of Jacob and Catherine (Earnest) Wedemeyer, natives of Hanover, Germany, who were married in their native land, and who owned a farm in that country.  Herman C. is the only one of the ten children who was born in this country.  Of the ten children born to Jacob and Catherine (Earnest) Wedemeyer, only five, Henry, Chris, Anna, Mary and Herman C., are still living.  Mary is the only one of the children, except Herman C., who is living in Audubon county.  Coming to the United States about 1868 or 1869, the Wedemeyer family settled in Guthrie county, Iowa, where the father purchased a relinquishment.  The country was wild and the land was wild, and there were few except Indians for neighbors; the Indians, however, were friendly and they caused no trouble other than their begging.  After living in Guthrie county until 1876, the Wedemeyer family came to Audubon county, where they purchased a hundred and sixty acres of land in Audubon township.  Jacob Wedemeyer added to this original tract of land at various times until he owned five hundred and twenty acres in Audubon township, and a hundred and seventy-seven acres in Guthrie county.  The parents lived in Audubon township until their death.

After having been educated in the common schools of his neighborhood and after living at home until he was grown, Herman C. Wedemeyer purchased eighty acres of land in 1893 at the time of his marriage, and it is upon this tract that he now lives.  In the meantime he has added to the farm until he now owns two hundred and thirty-nine acres, all in section 14.  Originally the land was in poor condition, and the eighty-acre tract had only a fourteen-by-eighteen-foot house with a shed roof.  Mr. Wedemeyer lived in this house for four years, and then built his present large, nine-room home; barns, cribs, granaries and a garage have also been added.

On February 1, 1893, Herman C. Wedemeyer was married in Audubon county to Emma Bireline, who was born on September 19, 1872, in Johnson county, Iowa, and who is the daughter of Fred and Julia (Michels) Bireline, natives of Germany, who came to the United States at different times, and who were married in this country, either in Johnson county, Iowa, or in Chicago, Illinois.  They had seven children, six of whom, Minnie, Mrs. Wedemeyer, Kittie, Fred, George and Anna, are living; Mary is deceased.

Mr. and Mrs. Herman C. Wedemeyer have had two children, Clara, born on November 23, 1893, and Oscar, May 11, 1898; both of these children live at home with their parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Wedemeyer and family are members of the St. John's German Lutheran church, and Mr. Wedemeyer's father was one of the charter members of the congregation and took a very active interest in church affairs.  Herman C. Wedemeyer is especially interested in education.  A Republican in politics, he has served as school director for several terms, and during his life in Audubon township has done everything possible to raise the educational standard of the public schools.  He has done much in behalf of the public weal, and is popular in the neighborhood where he lives.

ORRIN SCOTT WELCH

The examples furnished by the biographies of steadfast men serve as a stimulus to others, spurring them on to success. In the case of the successful citizen of Lincoln township to whom the following pages are devoted, he had seen others of his class rise to positions of influence on the township in which he lived, and he made a mental resolution to exert his own force and will-power to the utmost, and win for himself a position equal to those occupied by others, who served as guides to his final success.

Orrin Scott Welch, general farmer and stockman, Lincoln township, Audubon county, Iowa , was born in McHenry county, Illinois , October 11, 1855 , the son of David and Matilda (Shields) Welch. At the age of six he came with his parents to this state and started to school at McGregor, where he attended until he was nine years old. They then moved to Clinton county, Iowa , where he attended school for nine years, coming later to Crawford county. In 1878 he came to Audubon county, locating in Lincoln township, where he invested his surplus funds in a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which he purchased from the Rock Island Railroad Company for nine dollars per acre. This he cultivated to such a degree of success that he was enabled later to purchase from his neighbors the balance of his present splendid property of four hundred and twenty acres in this county. On this farm he has placed about ten thousand dollars worth of substantial improvements, including six hundred rods of tiling. The crops to which he principally devotes his attention are corn and small grain, the corn averaging about forty-five bushels to the acre and the oats about thirty-five bushels, all of which is fed to the stock raised on the place, amounting to about two cars of cattle and one car of hogs each year. Mr. Welch is especially interested in the breeding of thoroughbred Hereford cattle and Poland China hogs. He has not escaped all the township offices, having served as school director and trustee for a number of years. Fraternally, he is a memmer of the Knights of Pythias, in which he has held several offices. In religion, the family are attendants of the United Brethren church , contributing their share to its support. In politics, Mr. Welch is a never-failing voter on the Republican ticket.

David Welch, father of the subject, lived in Ohio , where he owned and cultivated a farm, which he later sold and moved to Illinois . Here he bought another farm, on which he lived until 1859, and, still not being satisfied with his location, he again sold out, and came to Iowa , where he went into the lumber business at McGregor, remaining in that work until the time of his death, which occurred in 1863. The children born to him were as follows: Amanda, Thomas, Ellen, Martin, Phoebe, Cynthia, Orrin, and two others who are deceased.

Orrin Scott Welch was married on May 16, 1879 , to Matilda Oddy, the daughter of Joseph Oddy, of Guthrie county. To this couple were born the following children: Willie is married and lives near Dale City , in Guthrie county; John and Frank are married and reside three miles east of Audubon; Myrtle died in 1893. About two years after the death of his first wife, Mr. Welch was married to Belle Arnold, of Ohio , by whom he had ten children, namely: Clint, Ben, Orrin, Lyle, Mabel, Elsie, Hazel, Earl, Ivan and Lloyd. The three latter children are deceased. All of the other children are at home with the exception of Ben and Mabel. Ben is married and resides northeast of Manning, and has one child. Mabel is married and resides at Gray.

Albert W. Weston

One of the enterprising and successful young farmers of this county is Albert W. Weston, the proprietor of the "Hillside Stock Farm," comprising two hundred and eighty acres of land, located in section 5 of Melville township. Although Mr. Weston is not yet thirty years of age, he has made a remarkable success of his chosen vocation. He is enterprising in his methods, a careful student of the details of farm operation, and in consequence has prospered in his calling; not so much because he has confined himself to raising grain, though he has won distinction as a grower of pure Reid's Yellow Dent corn, but because he has devoted a considerable portion of his attention to stockraising. He is well known in Melville township, and is highly respected by all the people of that township. Mr. Weston makes a specialty of Clydesdale horses and Shorthorn cattle, and has taken numerous prizes on some of the splendid animals on his farm. As a corn grower, Mr. Weston also has attained an unusual distinction in this county, having won the sweepstakes prize on corn at the Audubon county fair five times in six years. In 1914 he won seventeen ribbons, including sweepstakes prize, at the Audubon county fair, and a silver loving cup at the "Big Four" county farmers institute, inclusive of the counties of Audubon, Adair, Cass and Guthrie; also the second prize for single ear at the state corn show at Ames, and the fifth prize for bushel at the same show.

Albert W. Weston was born in Melville township, this county, on June 1, 1887, a son of Walter W. and Isophene (Benson) Weston, the former of whom was born in Wisconsin on April 11, 1853, and the latter in Illinois in July, 1855. Walter W. Weston came from Wisconsin to Audubon county in 1877, and was married here shortly after arriving from his native state. Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Weston moved on the old Benson farm, where they lived for a number of years. During the early eighties they started in to build up the farm, which at that time was little more than raw prairie land, and remained there until 1911, when they retired and moved to Audubon. To Walter W. and Isophene (Benson) Weston eight children were born, namely: Mrs. Edith Willard, of Lansing, Iowa; Mrs. May Finch, of Goshen, Utah; Mrs. Minnie Edwards, of Lake City, California; Albert, with whom this narrative deals; Frank, of Melville township; Mrs. Nina Patefield, of Edgar, Wisconsin; Louis, a farmer of this township; Margaret, living at home, and Charles, deceased.

Albert W. Weston was educated in the public schools of Melville township, and also took a course at the State Agricultural College at Madison, Wisconsin. At the latter institution he received a thorough scientific training for his chosen vocation, and since leaving college has applied himself diligently to the problems of the farm and to their solution. Mr. Weston has always lived on the home farm. He took sole charge of it upon his father's retirement in the spring of 1911, and since that time has operated it quite successfully. Mr. Weston is an extensive breeder of Clydesdale horses, and has exhibited several horses at the Iowa state fair, winning the state championship on mares. In 1914 he won three second premiums and two third premiums on four animals. He keeps fifteen head of purebred Clydesdale horses at the present time. Mr. Weston also makes a specialty of Short-horn cattle, and has a number of purebreds. He always has from sixty to one hundred head of cattle, and is one of the extensive cattle feeders of the county. Likewise, Mr. Weston specializes in purebred Poland China hogs, having now about on hundred head of the farm, keeping practically this number all the time, all of these hogs being either registered or eligible to registry.

On April 5, 1911, Albert W. Weston was married to Arvilla Bates, who was born in Story county, Iowa, on February 21, 1885, a daughter of Sylvester F. and Betty (Harrison) Bates, natives of Michigan and Iowa, respectively, who are now residing in Cambridge, Story county, Iowa. To Albert W. and Arvilla (Bates) Weston two children have been born, Helen Pauline, born on November 4, 1912, and Albert, August 24, 1914.

Mr. Weston is a Republican, but with the exception of having served on the election board, has never held office. Mr. and Mrs. Weston are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Weston is not a member of any lodge, his business and his large farming interests having been too various and exacting to permit him to spend any time in lodge work. He and Mrs. Weston are held in high regard throughout that part of the county and enjoy the fullest esteem of all their neighbors.

W. W. Weston

Among the strong and influential citizens of Audubon county, Iowa, the records of whose lives have become an essential part of the history of this section, W. W. Weston, a retired farmer of Audubon, Iowa, and proprietor of the "Hillside Stock Farm" under the firm name of W. W. Weston & Sons, breeders of Clydesdale horses and big type Poland China hogs, occupies a prominent place. For many years, he has exerted a beneficial influence on the locality where he resides. His chief characteristics are keenness of perception, a tireless energy, honesty of purpose and motive and every-day common sense, which have enabled him not only to advance his interests but also to largely contribute to the moral and material advancement of the community.

W. W. Weston was born on April 11, 1853, in Iowa county, Wisconsin. He is the son of Charles S. and Hannah (Avenell) Weston, natives of England, both of whom came to America with their parents and who were married at Linden, Iowa county, Wisconsin. Charles S. Weston died in 1906 and his wife is still living in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. W. W. Weston is one of seven children born to his parents.

W. W. Weston was educated in the public schools of Wisconsin. In 1877 he came to Audubon county and first located in Viola township. He purchased his first land in 1880 and soon afterwards married. He improved the farm which consisted largely of prairie land. Mr. Weston bought one hundred acres at nine dollars an acre. He added to this farm until he has two hundred and eighty acres. He began breeding Clydesdale horses in 1900 and has been very successful, and now has twenty head of these useful animals. "Dorothy Vernon," which Mr. Weston's son, A. W., owns, is the champion of the state, having been awarded first premium at the Des Moines state fair in 1910. He took second, third and sixth in Futurity class in 1913. He has taken sweepstakes on stallions and fillies over all breeds in the county fair during 1913 and 1914. Mr. Weston and sons raise Poland China hogs. He began in 1914 and now has one hundred and twenty-five head of thorough-breds.

W. W. Weston was first married on October 13, 1880, to Josephine Beason, a native of Illinois, who came to Audubon county with her parents. She was born in 1856 and died in February, 1907. By this marriage eleven children were born, Nellie, who died at the age of sixteen; Edith, who married Rev. N. J. Weiland, of Lansing, Iowa, who is a minister in the Evangelical church; Mae, who is the wife of Oscar O. J. Finch, of Goshen, Utah; Minnie K., the wife of Coyle C. Edwards, of Lake City, California; Albert W., who lives on the home farm; Charles, deceased; Frank, who lives on the home farm; Nina R., the wife of Felix Patefield, of Fenwood, Wisconsin; Louis, who lives on the home farm; Fred, deceased; and Margaret L., who is at home.

Mr. Weston was married the second time, on July 28, 1909, to Ella F. Fowler, the daughter of Caleb and Harriet Fowler, natives of New York. They settled in Illinois and are now both deceased.

Mr. and Mrs. Weston and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and active in the affairs of this denomination. Mr. Weston is a Republican and has held various township offices and has filled all of them with credit to himself and to the people who elected him. He is a well-known citizen, a successful farmer and stock breeder and possesses to an unaccustomed degree the confidence of his neighbors and friends.

Welberg Wolf is another of those enterprising, progressive German farmers and citizens of Audubon county, who during the active period of his life was able to acquire a substantial competence and who has lately retired from the active duties of farm life. Mr. Wolf owns the old home place, comprising one hundred and fifty acres, north of West Exira, and one hundred and twenty acres south of Exira. This land is highly productive, and Mr. Wolf has a comfortable competence.

Welberg Wolf was born in Schleswig, Germany, march 7, 1872. His parents, Peter and Margaret (Peterson) Wolf, both were born in Schleswig, Germany. The former was a farmer in Germany and purchased cattle while he was not actively engaged in farming. He came to America in 1883 and located in Audubon county. He purchased a farm north of West Exira, and farmed there until 1902, when he retired and moved to Exira. Peter wolf first purchased ninety-one acres, and this was subsequently increased to one hundred and fifty acres, which his son, Welberg, now owns. He was engaged in general farming.

Welberg Wolf was one of eight children born to his parents. Welberg is the youngest. The others were Jens, Chris, Matilda, Christina, Margaret, Mary and Lena.

After attending school in Schleswig, Germany, Welberg Wolf continued his education in this country. After leaving school he farmed with his father until twenty-eight years old. He then rented a farm for a couple of years. He purchased the old home place of one hundred and fifty acres and farmed until 1910, and then purchased one hundred and twenty acres south of Exira. He farmed this until he came to Exira, and retired in March, 1914.

Welberg Wolf was married on June 11, 1902, to Lena Lansitzen, a daughter of Clarence and Anna Lansitzen. Two children have been born to this marriage, Leonard, and one who died in infancy. Mrs. Wolf was born in Schleswig as were also her parents. She came to America with her parents in 1882. They located in Shelby county, Iowa, and there bought a farm. They remained in Shelby county until 1899, and then moved to Audubon county, and located in Sharon township. They remained in Sharon township until their death. He died in 1903, and his wife in 1913. Mrs. Wolf's parents had six children. In the order of their birth they were as follow: Ness, Peter, Mary, Anna, Lena and Claudie.

Mr. Wolf has served as a member of the school board, but with the exception of that office he has not been active in politics. He is an independent voter.