Dallas County >> 1907 Index

Past and Present of Dallas County, Iowa
Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1907.

P

Cyrus Parcel

Farming interests long claimed the time, attention and energies of Cyrus Parcel but at the present writing, in 1907, he is resting from labor in the enjoyment of a well earned and honorable retirement. He has lived in the county for thirty-seven gears, dating his residence here from 1870. He is now in the seventy-eighth year of his age and a review of his life shows that his salient characteristics are such as win confidence and esteem in every land and clime. He was born in Middletown, Butler county, Ohio, October 12, 1829, his parents being Aaron and Rebecca (Ivans) Parcel, who were natives of New Jersey. The father was a tanner by trade but later turned his attention to farming in Indiana, where he died in the year 1847. His wife long survived, passing away at the age of eighty-six years. He held a number of township offices and in his community was rated as a valued citizen. His political views were in harmony with the principles of democracy.

Cyrus Parcel was taken by his parents to Clinton county, Indiana, when only twelve months old and continued a resident of that state until about thirty years of age. He left Indiana in April, 1859, to establish his home in McLean county, Illinois, where he resided until 1870, when he came to Dallas county, Iowa. Here he purchased a farm north of Perry. Throughout his entire life he had followed the occupation of farming, had been reared to that pursuit and from his boyhood days had continued actively in the work of the fields. In 1877 he removed from the farm north of Perry to a tract of land east of Perry, whereon he continued to make his home until 1900, when he took up his abode in the city. In the meantime he had placed his fields under a high state of cultivation and had added all modern equipment and accessories to his place, making it one of the valuable and desirable farms of the community. He annually gathered good crops and thus year by year he was enabled to add to his income until it has attained sufficient proportions to enable him to live retired.

On the 3d of November, 1831, Mr. Parcel was united in marriage to Miss Amanda J. Newland, who was born in Madison county, Ohio, April 5, 1842, a daughter of Joseph and Nancy (Martin) Newland, who were likewise natives of the same county. The father passed away at the age of fifty-four years and his wife when forty years of age. He had followed agricultural pursuits in the Buckeye state and on coming to Iowa in 1854 he established his home in Des Moines township, Dallas county, where he purchased a tract of land and carried on farming with good success until his life's labors were ended in death. He was a member of the Odd Fellows society and he exercised his right of franchise in support of the democratic party. The surviving members of his family of nine children are Margaret, Louisa, Mary and Mrs. Parcel.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Parcel were born six children. William married Ida Van Loan and they have four children: Eddie, Robert, Hettie and Allie. Ardella is the wife of Charles E. Baker and they have three children: Josie, Edith and Cyrus. Their elder daughter became the wife of Walter Jarnagin and by this union there are two sons, Howard and Walter, who are great-grandchildren of Mr. and Mrs. Parcel. Franklin A. Parcel married Mollie Swisher and has two children, George C. and Dorothy, The other members of the Parcel family are now deceased.

The cause of education has always found in Mr. Parcel a stalwart and helpful friend and he did effective service in behalf of the schools while acting as school director for a number of years. He was also township trustee for three years. He voted with the republican party upon its organization and has since continued one of its stalwart supporters, while of the Baptist church he has been a faithful member since 1851. Looking back over his past life, he finds little to regret, for it has been in harmony with his professions as a believer in the Christian religion. In his business he has never been known to take advantage of the necessities of his fellowmen in any trade transaction but has always been honorable and straightforward and thoughout his entire life he has stood for those tings which are just, true and right, valuing at all times his own self respect as worth infinitely more than wealth, fame or position.

Frank Parcel is an enterprising and progressive farmer and stock-raiser of Dallas county, owning a well improved tract of one hundred acres situated on section 7, Beaver township.  He was born in Woodford, Illinois, November 11, 1868, a son of Cyrus Parcel, further mention of whom is made on another page of this work.

Frank Parcel was but two years of age when he was brought to Dallas county by his parents, and here he was reared and educated, pursuing his studies in the common schools.  He remained under the parental roof until he reached the age of twenty-one years, and was then married, December 26, 1888, the lady of his choice being Miss Mollie Swisher, who was born and reared in Boone county, Iowa, a daughter of George and Emily (McMichaels) Swisher, in whose family were five children, the other members of the family being:  B.M., a farmer of Dallas county; George, a resident of Boone County, Iowa; J.P., also of Boone county; and Carrie, the wife of Charles Vernon, also a resident of that county.

Following his marriage Mr. Parcel took up his abode on the old home farm, which he has since purchased.  It comprises a well improved tract of one hundred acres, situated on section 7, Beaver township.  Mr. Parcel has erected a good barn, has tiled the land, built fences, set out fruit and shade trees and has made the property one of the valuable farms of this section of the state.  He is practical and progressive in all that he does and his place presents a neat and attractive appearance.  In addition to carrying on general agricultural pursuits he is also engaged in raising and feeding stock, which he sells on the city markets.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Parcel has been blessed with a son and daughter:  George, a young man at home; and Dorothy.  In politics Mr. Parcel is independent, giving his support to the men whom he deems best fitted for office, regardless of party ties or affiliation.  He has been called by his fellow citizens to fill some local offices, having served one year as assessor, and he has likewise served as  a member of the school board.  He and his wife are identified with the Methodist Episcopal church at Bouton.  Fraternally Mr. Parcel holds membership with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Perry, having served through all of the chairs of the lodge and has been a past grand.  He has represented the lodge in the grand lodge of the state and served one term as district deputy.  Both he and his wife belong to the Rebekahs, in which she has filled all of the chairs.  Having spent almost his entire life in Dallas county, Mr. Parcel is well known and among his business associates he is regarded as a man of reliability.  He finds his greatest social enjoyment at his own fireside, where his wife and intimate friends know him to be a delightful companion.

W. H. A. Parks, deceased, was well known in business circles in Woodward and in Perry, and the qualities of his manhood, aside from his marked characteristics as a business man, were such as to gain for him the respect and friendship of those with whom he came in contact.  In his commercial career he won success and was honored by reason of the straightforward methods which he ever followed.  He was born in Newport, Kentucky, on the 6th of January, 1851, and entered upon his eternal rest on the 30th of March, 1905, when fifty-three years of age.  In his boyhood he accompanied his parents on their removal to Goshen, Ohio, where he was reared.  He is both a self-educated and a self-made man, depending largely upon his own efforts outside of school for the knowledge that he acquired as well as for the success which he attained in business.  In early manhood he was engaged as a clerk in a store for a time and thus received a thorough practical training.  

Mr. Parks was married in Martinsville, Ohio, on the 23d of March, 1875, to Miss Jennie Bright, a native of England and a daughter of John Bright, who, on coming to the new world, settled in Martinsville, Ohio, where he reared his family.  Soon after his marriage Mr. Parks came with his young wife to Iowa and made a permanent location in Dallas county, beginning at old Xenia under the firm style of Parks & Leaming.  There he conducted the business for four years, on the expiration of which time he went to Perry, having sold the store at Xenia.  He then established a general store at Perry, where he remained for two or three years, when he sold out there and came to Woodward.  He was one of the first merchants of this place.  He at first opened a clothing business and later put in a stock of general merchandise. Subsequently he formed a partnership under the style of Parks, McCracken & Skinner and at a later date Mr. Skinner sold out to his partners and the firm of Parks & McCracken then carried on the business for a number of years, after which Mr. Parks turned over his interests to his son. Subsequently he gave his attention to the real-estate business in which he continued up to the time of his death.  He erected a business house and several residences and otherwise added to the improvement and substantial development of the town.  

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Parks have been born four children:  John Holmes, living in Woodward where he is married and has one child, Phyllis; Eva Marie, at home; Edwin B., of Oregon, who is marred and has one child, Lawrence; and Oscar, who died in infancy.  Mr. Parks served on the school board and in other local positions.  He was ever loyal to the best interests of his community and did everything in his power to promote public progress and improvement.  His political allegiance was given to the democracy but he never sought or desired office.  He was prominent in the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the Woodward lodge, A.F. & A.M.; Perry chapter, No. 32, R.A.M. and to the Knights Templar, while in Des Moines consistory he attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish rite.  He filled all of the offices in the local lodge and was a past master.  Both he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church and contributed generously to its support. Mr. Parks was a well known business man in Dallas county, closely identified with the development of Woodward.  He was familiarly called Henry by his many friends and he enjoyed in large measure their love, confidence and esteem.  His good qualities were numerous, and if he ever did offend anyone, it was a matter of misunderstanding not of intention on his part.  He was quick to recognize the rights of others and he looked at life from a rational standpoint that brought him a clear understanding of the conditions of the world, its possibilities and the obligation that rested upon him in his relation to his fellowmen and in citizenship.  Mrs. Parks makes her home in Woodward, and, like her husband, is well known in social circles.

D. J. Pattee

D. J. Pattee, president of the First National Bank, of Perry, Iowa, was born in Chittenden county, Vermont, December 22, 1839. It is not often that a man can point to so notable an ancestry as can the subject of this sketch, an ancestry in which the country has always found brave soldiers, honorable citizens and able statesmen. Thirteen of his cousins served in the Civil war. Both his grandfather, Loami Pattee, and his great-grandfather, John Fay, served under General Washington in the Revolutionary war, the former in Captain John Eastman's company and in Colonel Thomas Bartlett's regiment of militia, raised by the state of New Hampshire for the defense of the colonies. He enlisted July 4th and was discharged October 4, 1780, re-enlisting later on August 31, 1781, and being discharged December 18, 1781. The great-grandfather, John Fay, was killed at the battle of Bennington while fighting under General Stark. Two other members of this family served in the Revolutionary war, while one of our subject's uncles, Asa Pattee, served in the war of 1812. In the earliest history of the country we find the name of John Fay as the first secretary of the state of Vermont and also secretary of the council of safety during the Revolutionary war and author of the first declaration of independence for the state of Vermont, a declaration which abolished slavery from the state for all time. We find in the records of Vermont that the first sheriff was Benjamin Fay. The earliest Pattee to emigrate from England to the United States was Peter, a son of Sir William, a physician to Cromwell and to Charles II, who came to the shores of the new world in 1648.

The parents of David J. Pattee were William H., born at Georgia, Vermont, March 21, 1812, and Caroline (Fay) Pattee, born at Richmond, Vermont, October 6, 1817. Both the father and mother died in Dallas county, the father on September 2, 1903, and the mother on May 22, 1905. Mr. Pattee was a carpenter and joiner and worked at that trade in Vermont until he came to Perry to live with his son after which he spent his remaining days in retirement. There were eight children in this family, four of whom are now living: David J.; Mrs. Marilla Ballard, of Perry; Hubbel, a farmer in Spring Valley township; and Mrs. Capitola Fidler, of Adel. The subject of this sketch was educated in the public schools of Georgia, Vermont, and at the Georgia Academy of the same place. Having completed his schooling, at the age of eighteen he began clerking in a general store at Georgia where he continued until June 9, 1862. His patriotic spirit was aroused at the south's attempt to overthrow the Union and true to the qualities which he had inherited from his ancestors, he enlisted in Company A, Ninth Vermont Volunteer Infantry, serving under Generals McClellan, Polk and Burnside. That he was a brave and valuable soldier is evidenced by his promotion from private to commissary sergeant. He was in many skirmishes, took part in the battle of Harper's Ferry, and at that place was taken prisoner, but was parolled shortly after and sent to Camp Douglas, near Chicago, in charge of rebel prisoners, but his hard service had told upon his health and he was discharged because of physical disability. On account of his poor health he followed his physician's advice and came west, securing a position in the general store of Rawson & Osgood at Des Moines, Iowa. He was with the firm but a few months when he re-enlisted in June, 1864, in Company F, Forty-seventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and served under General Sherman in the west until October, 1864, when he was honorably discharged at Davenport, Iowa. Shortly after his second enlistment he was elected second lieutenant of his company and later was commissioned captain, being mustered out with that rank. Well may Perry be proud of a citizen whose military record is so full of honor.

But the same qualities which had made him valuable in the army were apparent elsewhere. His employers, Rawson & Osgood, for whom he was working before his second enlistment, had kept his place for him, a proof of his value to that business and a sure indication of his business ability which he has developed so marvelously since that time. Shortly after this he became a partner of his former employer, Mr. Rawson, on the retirement of Mr. Osgood, the firm name being Rawson & Pattee. In 1867 he came to Perry where he put up a building and opened a general store which they conducted for six years. Mr. Pattee then purchased his partner's interest and conducted the business with his brother Ira Pattee, under the firm name of D. J. Pattee & Brother. After conducting the store for several years they sold out, taking a farm in part payment. Subsequently the subject of this sketch engaged in the real-estate and loan business until 1883, when he started a private bank in partnership with O. Mosher. In 1885 this firm bought out the First National Bank of Perry, which was organized with Mr. Pattee as president, a position which he still holds. Mr. Mosher retired from the business about two years after its organization. We have only to quote the following statistics to show what the president's bright management and business methods have done for this institution. At the time of its purchase the assets were ninety-two thousand dollars, but at present the assets have reached the amount of six hundred and twenty thousand dollars. He is also a large stockholder in the Perry Savings & Exchange Bank.

It is almost unnecessary for us to tell the people of this city that Mr. Pattee is a republican, so long and faithfully has he been identified with the political issues of this party. He has served it in many positions of trust and honor. In 1868 he was made county supervisor, holding the office for one term. For three years he was the mayor of the city and for thirteen years was the most proficient postmaster, serving under Presidents Grant and Hayes. As a mark of approval of his services and a tribute to his ability the party elected him a member of the Iowa legislature in 1883, and because of his superior services in that capacity re-elected him in 1885.

Mr. Pattee is not a member of any church, but both he and his family attend the Congregational church. Aside from his banking business he is extensively interested in agriculture in Dallas and Boone counties, having at one time owned two thousand acres of land and at present conducts the farming interests of nine hundred acres of land. He is a Scottish Rite Mason, a Mystic Shriner, a member of Za-Ga-Zig Temple at Des Moines and a member of the Elks lodge. He has held all the offices of the Knight Templar commandery and is a highly honored member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

On November 21, 1872, Mr. Pattee was united in marriage to Belle Moore, the daughter of John H. and Martha Moore, whose sketch appears in another part of this work. Mrs. Pattee's death occurred February 12, 1902. Six children were born to this union: William H., who died at the age of nine months; May; Harry M., who married Miss Grace Clarke, of Papillion, Nebraska, who is assistant cashier of the bank at Perry; Martha, the wife of Robert A. Ridge, an employee of the bank; Ada and William H., at home.

There is no man in Perry who has done more for the town than has Mr. Pattee, who has always been intensely interested in every movement that contributed to its growth and improvement. In 1903 he gave to the city twenty acres of land for a park, to be known as Pattee park. In 1884 he erected a brick building on the main street and his present residence is one of the finest in the city. He is a gentleman of very pleasing manner and well may we say of him that he is sixty-seven years "young" so effectively does his appearance belie his age. He is still active and energetic in business circles. His success has been due to his straightforwardness, his wisdom and his honest business methods. All that is noble and high he has represented in every undertaking in which he has been identified.

Frederick Peitzman, Jr.

Frederick Peitzman, Jr., is one of the younger farmers and business men of Grant township, living on section 29. He is a native son of the county, his birth having occurred on the place which is yet his home, and his father was one of Dallas county's worthy pioneers. The birth of our subject occurred September 18, 1878, and he has always remained upon the old homestead, where he now owns one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land.

It will be interesting in this connection to know something of the history of his parents. His father, Frederick Peitzman, Sr., was a native of Prussia, born in 1837. He was educated in the schools of his native country and came to America when nineteen years of age. He arrived in Cass county, Illinois, in 1857, and there followed farming. He was married in that county to Miss Mary Ellerman, also a native of Germany, and they became the parents of ten children, nine of whom reached adult age. In the year 1872 Frederick Peitzman, Sr., came to Dallas county, Iowa, and first purchased eighty acres of land on section 29, Grant township. Upon that tract he established his home and has since added to the property until he now owns six hundred and forty acres of valuable land. Year by year he continued the work of the farm, the result being seen in its excellent improvements and the fine condition of the fields. He continued to reside there until 1902, when he removed to Grimes, where he now makes his home. Here he lives retired, being now in his seventieth year, while his wife is in her sixty-ninth year. The rest which he is enjoying is well earned, for it came to him as the result of his activity and capable management in business affairs at an earlier day.

Frederick Peitzman, Jr., whose name introduces this record, was reared on the old homestead farm, no event of special importance occurring to vary the routine of farm life for him in his boyhood and youth. He had good common-school advantages and when of age he began cultivating one hundred and sixty acres of the old home place for himself. He has since carried on farm labor and in connection with the tilling of the soil in the production of the crops best adapted to climatic conditions here, he has also raised shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs, which he feeds for the market, using all of his corn in this way. Since his marriage he has greatly improved the old homestead and now has one hundred and sixty acres in splendid condition. From this he annually gathers good crops, for his labors are practical and his work is diligently prosecuted.

On the 28th of May, 1902, Mr. Peitzman was married to Miss Nellie Bohrofen, a native of Polk county, and a daughter of Peter Bohrofen, who was born in Germany and was an early settler of Polk county. They have two children, Fred Bohrofen Austin and Josephine Mary Louise, both being named for their grandparents. Mr. Peitzman is a consistent and faithful member of the Lutheran church and in politics is a republican. Having spent his entire life in this county he is well known and that he has always merited the esteem and good will of his fellow townsmen is indicated by his popularity, for he has a large circle of warm friends.

Henry F. Peitzman

An excellent farm on section 25, Grant township, is the property of Henry F. Peitzman and each fall one may see the large crops which are gathered as the result of the care and labor which he bestows upon the fields. He also raises stock, this proving a profitable branch of his business, while in the cultivation of his farm of two hundred and forty acres he shows himself thoroughly familiar with the best and most modern methods of agriculture. He has lived in Dallas county since 1872 and upon his present farm since 1890. His birth occurred in Cass county, Illinois, on the 16th of May, 1862, and he is the eldest in a family of ten children whose father, Fred Peitzman, who was born in Germany, is now living retired in Grimes, Iowa.

Henry F. Peitzman was a lad of ten years when in 1872 he came with his parents to Dallas county. No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm work for him in his boyhood. He had only common-school advantages but in the school of experience he has learned many valuable lessons. Working in field and meadow when not busy with his textbooks, he remained with his father until twenty-three years of age and then made preparation for having a home of his own by his marriage.

It was on the 12th of February, 1885, that he wedded Miss Amanda J. Hammond, a native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and one of the seven children of Philip Hammond. Her father was born in Washington county, Maryland, but was married in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, to Catharine Nighswander. They came to Iowa in 1880, settling in Dallas county, where Mr. Hammond carried on general farming until he retired from active business life in 1895. His death occurred at Dallas Center in 1905, when he had reached the venerable age of eighty-two years, while his wife passed away in 1898, at the age of sixty-nine years.

Following his marriage Henry F. Peitzman rented land and thus continued to carry on farming for five years. He afterward bought his present residence on section 25, Grant township, and has since erected here a good two-story dwelling equipped with modern conveniences, and other buildings. The place is lacking in none of the equipments of a model farm. A good orchard and small fruit have been set out and shade and ornamental trees add to the beauty and attractive appearance of the place, which is one of the most picturesque as well as one of the most highly improved farms of Dallas county. Mr. Peitzman makes a specialty of raising and feeding shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs and uses all of his grain in this way. He is practical in his methods and his intense and well directed activity constitute the basis of the gratifying success which has crowned his efforts as a farmer and stock-raiser. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Peitzman have been born six children: Ella, a music teacher, who is now attending Parsons College at Fairfield, Iowa; Charles M. and Clarence F., who assist in carrying on the home farm; Anna and Amanda, twins, at home; and Ida, who completes the family.

In studying the questions and issues of the day Mr. Peitzman has come to the conclusion that the republican party contains the best elements of good government and votes accordingly, but at local elections where no issue is involved he casts an independent ballot. He has served his township as clerk for two years and was trustee for three years. At present he is secretary of the school board and for twenty years has been one of its members, doing effective and beneficial work in behalf of the schools. He is a director of the Grimes Savings Bank of Grimes, Iowa.

Mr. and Mrs. Peitzman with the entire family of children hold membership in the Presbyterian church at Grimes, in which he is serving as ruling elder and also as a Sunday school worker. His life has been actuated by his religious belief and he is well known in Adel, Dallas Center and throughout the county as one who has labored for the betterment of public interests and withholds his co-operation from no progressive public movement. The name of Peitzman has long figured honorably in connection with the business history and public interests of the county and Henry F. Peitzman is one in whom his many friends have great confidence. In all of his business dealings he has been thoroughly reliable and straightforward and his influence is at all times in favor of those movements, measures and beliefs which uplift and benefit humanity.

John Perry

John Perry is living on section 5, Des Moines township.  His success in business makes him a leading citizen of the community, but moreover he is entitled to mention in this volume by reason of the fact that he is one of the old settlers of Dallas county, having arrived here in 1853, at which time he took up his abode at High Bridge in Des Moines township. There was then only one house between the Perry farm and Raccoon river, a distance of eighteen miles.  Mr. Perry was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, his birth having occurred where the city of Dayton now stands, May 7, 1837. His father, Peter Perry, was born in Highland county, Ohio, in 1810, and was there reared and married, the lady of his choice being Miss Priscilla White, also a native of that county.  He continued his residence in Ohio until 1845, when he removed to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, where he followed farming for eight years and then came to Dallas county, Iowa, in 1853. He drove across the country with ox-teams and the slow, plodding movements of those animals made it necessary for him to spend four weeks on the road, so short a distance did the oxen travel in a day. At length, however, he reached his destination and entered from the government one hundred and sixty-one acres of land upon which he built a house, making his home there for about twenty years, or until 1872, when he removed to Perry. He conducted a hotel in the town for several years and then retired from business life.  He continued to reside in Perry for some time longer, after which he removed to the city of Des Moines, where he died in 1892, at the age of eighty-two years.  His wife died in 1895 at the age of seventy-seven years.  They had a large family of fifteen children, twelve of whom reached adult age.

John Perry, the eldest of this family, was reared on the home farm, where he remained until he reached his majority. He is largely a self-educated man, for his school privileges in youth were limited, as he was reared in a pioneer district. He was married in Boone county, near Boone, on the 9th of December, 1858, to Miss Catherine Fruit.  Mrs. Perry's parents were Harmon and Susan (Foster) Fruit, the former born in Indiana February 17, 1813, and the latter in Ohio April 12, 1813.  The father died in Boone county in 1889, and the mother in the same county in 1895.  They went to Marcy township, Boone county, in 1857 and took up one hundred and twenty acres of government land, improved it and lived there until their death.  Mrs. Perry was one of six children, of whom three are living.

After his marriage Mr. Perry rented land in Des Moines township until 1866, when he made his first purchase--fifty acres on section 16, Des Moines township.  It was on this place they resided for fifteen years.  Mr. Perry, in 1867, purchased forty acres on section 10.  He thus had ninety acres in all in Des Moines township, Dallas county, and he bought eighty acres more in Boone county which he improved and sold.  He has gone through all the experiences of early pioneer farming, breaking the prairie, making rail fences and bringing his fields under cultivation.  In the early days he split nine hundred posts, hauled them to market at Dallas Center and sold them to John Slyer.  His farming operations were interrupted in 1862 by his enlistment at Des Moines in defense of the old flag.  He joined Company I, Thirty-ninth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered in at Davenport.  The first engagement of the company was at Jackson Crossroads, but Mr. Perry had been ill and could not participate in the battle.  In 1863 he was discharged for disability and returned to the farm.

He then rented land until 1866, after which he purchased, as previously stated, remaining upon this farm until 1881, when he sold out and removed to Xenia.  He purchased three lots and later added to this until he owned four blocks.  There he remained for fifteen years, conducting a meat market for only a few months.  Subsequently he opened the first meat market in the town of Woodward, conducting it for a year.  Then he bought eleven acres of land where he now resides, between Xenia and Woodward. He erected a nice modern residence, barns and sheds, fenced and cleared his land, and set out both fruit and shade trees and now, in the midst of pleasant surroundings, he is living a retired life, enjoying in well earned rest the fruits of his former toil.  About the middle of July, 1907, Mr. Perry sold the property where he now lives and bought a house and five lots in Woodward and expects to move there soon.  He received twenty-five hundred dollars for his place, or two hundred and fifty dollars per acre. In addition to his property in Des Moines township Mr. Perry owns one hundred and sixty acres of land in South Dakota. In 1879 Mr. Perry contracted with the government to carry mail from Des Moines to Moingona, Iowa,--a distance of forty-five miles.   Every other day he went from Xenia to Moingona and on the other days to Des Moines, making a drive of sixty miles a day. When going to the latter place he drove a stage wagon and carried passengers and baggage.  He conducted this business from July 1879, to July, 1880, for the sum of eight hundred dollars and did not miss a day
in the entire year.

Mr. and Mrs. Perry became the parents of ten children, of whom seven have reached mature years.  They also have twenty-five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.  Their eldest son, Ellsworth Perry, who resides in Madrid, owns a farm in South Dakota.  He married Miss Ida Gibson and they have one son, Paul.  Alice became the wife of E.K. Rowley, who died in Alaska.  She is living in Woodward and has two children, La Verne and Kenneth.  Emma is the wife of Milton Reynolds, a business man of South Dakota, who owns two hundred and forty acres of land there.  They have six children: Mamie, Susan, Alice, Alger, Fred and Emma, and their oldest child, Mamie, is married and has two children, her home being in Oklahoma.  Laura Perry, the fourth member of the family, is the wife of Albert Snogren, a farmer of Des Moines township, and they have four children: Earl, Elsie, Lula and Eva, while one son, John, died in infancy.  Mattie Perry is the wife of Emil Snogren, a miner of Des Moines township, and they have eleven children: Delia, Henry, Nina, Hazel, Gladys, Otis, Ruby, Roy, Marie, Mildred and a baby.  James Brady Perry married Ida Crank, by whom he has two children, Fern Beatrice and Ralph.  They reside in Woodward. John Perry, the youngest of the family, is a barber in Adair, Iowa.

Mr. Perry has been closely associated with the history of the county in many ways. He helped to make the brick for the first brick courthouse of Adel. He has never failed to vote at a presidential election in support of the candidates of the republican ticket since casting his first ballot for Abraham Lincoln. He filled the office of road supervisor for several years, ran the first grader in the township, helped to open up new roads and thus assisted materially in promoting the welfare and progress of the county.  He was also identified with the school board for many years and the cause of education has always found him a warm friend.  He belongs to Guthrie post, G. A. R., of Woodward, and has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church since 1857, becoming a charter member at Woodward.  Mrs. Perry, who is now in her seventieth year, is also equally devoted to the church and
they are both earnest Christian people. The number of their friends is almost co-extensive with the number of their acquaintances, for their many good qualities have won for them the warm regard and good will of all with whom they have come in contact.

Mr. Perry can relate many interesting incidents of pioneer life.  He remembers to have seen a steamboat loaded with salt go up the Des Moines river in the spring of 1857, proceeding as far north as Fort Dodge, while another got as far as Colonel Roe's in Boone county, near old Boonesboro.  In those days it was a common occurrence to see rafts of timber float down the river to Fort Des Moines.  In the spring of 1858 Mr. Perry saw another boat go north, passing his father's place, which was on the bluff near where the high bridge now spans the river.  When the family located in Des Moines township in the fall of 1853 the following were heads of families living there: Juda Teaming, Aaron T. Johns, O. D. Smalley, Richard Platt, Mrs. Elizabeth Howland, S. Pelcher, Isaac Robbins, A. C. Newell, David Ray, William Chestnut, Dr. Speer, Washington K. Watson, Elisha Teaming, James Ince, H. Ince, Jaduthan Waldo, Almarian Waldo, Daniel Rhodes, Dan Skinner, Ed Thornley, John Bailey, Harvey Biggs, Peter Harvey, John Newland, Joseph Newland, Washington Rinker and Samuel Warden, of those only Mrs. Elizabeth Newell now survive.

Chatham H. Phillips

Chatham H. Phillips, a prosperous and progressive farmer and stock-raiser of Dallas township, owns a well improved farm of one hundred acres, which is situated near Dawson, on section 20. He has made his home here since 1896 but has lived in the county since 1880 and in the state since 1872. Mr. Phillips was born in Belmont county, Ohio, February 27, 1857, a son of Hartley and Lydia (Kinney) Phillips, who were likewise natives of Belmont county. The father remained in the Buckeye state until 1872, when he removed to Guthrie county and purchased there one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he developed and improved, making a good home for himself and family. He died in Guthrie county in 1899, when he had reached the age of seventy-two years, while the mother still survives at the age of seventy-five years and now makes her home in Linden, this state.

Chatham H. Phillips is the third in order of birth in a family of six children, all of whom reached years of maturity. He was reared on the home farm and thus acquired a knowledge of the practical methods of carrying on a work of this character. He acquired his education in the common schools and remained with his father until he reached manhood.

On the 3d of October, 1878, Mr. Phillips chose as a companion and helpmate for the journey of life, Miss Ida L. Cole, who was born in Seneca county, Ohio, a daughter of William Cole, who came to Iowa in 1873 and settled on the farm where our subject now resides. He passed away here in 1904, when he had reached the age of seventy-seven years, while the mother still survives at the age of seventy-four and now makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. Phillips.

Following their marriage the young couple located on a tract of rented land, where they lived for three years, subsequent to which time they removed to Perry, where Mr. Phillips was employed for two years in an implement house. He then went to Red Willow county, Nebraska, and homesteaded a tract of one hundred and sixty acres. He broke seventy-five acres of this and made his home thereon for one and a half years, when he once more returned to Dallas county and was employed by L. D. Gamble in his furniture establishment, where he remained for six years. Believing that farm life would be more congenial he removed to a tract which he had traded for his Nebraska land. He sold that property and purchased his present farm, to which he removed in 1896 and has since made his home here. He has erected a story and a half house, has laid five hundred rods of tiling on his land, has divided it into fields of convenient size and has made it a well improved and productive property. In addition to tilling the soil he also raises Chester White hogs and a few cows for dairy purposes. He is meeting with gratifying success in his undertakings and his prosperity is the outcome of clear judgment, close application and excellent business ability.

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips has been blessed with a daughter and a son. Ivy was educated in the Perry high school and in the Normal College of that place and following the completion of her education she taught for one year. She is now the wife of John McCrory, who is cashier in the bank at Dawson. They have one son, John Raymond McCrory. Ralph H. Phillips is a student in the Perry Normal College and assists his father on the home farm.

Mr. Phillips gives his political support to the republican party and for two years was assessor of the township, while for six years he filled the office of justice of the peace. He has served as president of the school board for several years and has been a director of the local telephone company for several years. He is a member of the Modern camp at Dawson and the family hold membership with the Methodist Episcopal church. They are highly esteemed in the community where they reside and no man is more worthy the respect of his business associates than he whose name introduces this record.

C. B. Pierce, who is familiarly called Charley by his numerous friends, has been engaged in the livery business in Woodward for the past five years. He is well known in the town and county in this connection, and throughout the state as a member of the team of the Odd Fellows lodge, being an enthusiastic representative of this order--and well may he be proud of the record of the team, which has won the highest honors in the country in two out of three national contests.

Mr. Pierce is a native of Boone county, Iowa, his birth having occurred in Cass township, November 18, 1862. His grandfather, Elijah Pierce, went to Boone county, Iowa, in 1857, from Sangamon county, Illinois. He had previously married Cynthia Nance. He, together with his two sons, Newton and John, bought three hundred and twenty acres of wild land, which they improved. Elijah Pierce had ten children: Jane, living in Woodward the widow of John Darrell; John; Newton living in Perry; Alice, wife of Silas Biggs, of Boone, Iowa; Jasper, living in Woodward; Mrs. Likens, deceased, who was the widow of Andrew Likens; James, living in Woodward; Halsey, of Woodward; Hepsey, wife of George Zeckman; and Melvin, of Boone county. Halsey and James are bachelors. They lived with and kept house for their parents for four years and then for eighteen years continued to live on the place. They did the cooking; washing, farming and all work done on the place. They lived on the farm which their father settled on in 1857 until the spring of 1907 when they sold and moved to Woodward, where they now own a home in which they do all the house work.

John Pierce was born near Springfield, Sangamon county, Illinois, and there grew to manhood. Coming west to Iowa in 1856, he settled in Boone county, where he broke land and opened up a farm. He is still actively engaged in agricultural pursuits in that locality. After his arrival his father and brothers joined him, in 1857, and the Pierce family and their relatives were among the pioneer settlers of Boone county, being well and favorably known in this section of the state. In the early '60s John Pierce killed an elk and buffalo on the old home place. John Pierce was married in Boone county to Miss Margaret Ellison, a native of Indiana, and to them were born three sons and three daughters, all of whom are yet living, with the exception of one daughter.

C. B. Pierce was reared to manhood in the county of his nativity and the common schools afforded him his educational privileges. He remained with his father until twenty-two years of age and assisted in carrying on the home farm, thus gaining a practical business experience which has been a strong element in his success in later life. He was married at the age of twenty-three years, on the 1st of July, 1886, to Miss Mary Preston, who was born April 10, 1868, and reared in Des Moines township. Her father, Zean Preston, was one of the first settlers of this part of the state. He was the postmaster at old Xenia and is the present postmaster at Woodward, having served in that capacity at different times for about twenty-five years.

Following his marriage Mr. Pierce engaged in mining coal for about six years in Boone and Polk counties and later turned his attention to farming in Dallas county. He owned a small tract of land and also rented other farms, thus carrying on the work of tilling the soil until 1902, when he sold his property and removed to Woodward. He purchased a livery business, in which he has since been actively engaged, and now has a liberal and growing patronage, for he has a good line of vehicles and a number of horses, and does all in his power to meet the wishes and demands of his patrons. He has a good barn and he has also purchased a residence in the town, thus closely allying his interests with those of Woodward.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Pierce have been born three children: Floyd, born January 15, 1887, who is assisting his father in business; Mabel, born September 1, 1888, a graduate of the Woodward high school and now engaged in teaching; and Elva, born August 3, 1890, at home.

Politically Mr. Pierce is a democrat on national issues but does not consider himself bound by party ties and casts an independent local ballot. His chief activity, outside of his business, is in connection with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He belongs to Woodward lodge, in which he has filled all the chairs, and is a past grand, while his wife is connected with the Rebekah lodge. Mr. Pierce belongs to the celebrated degree-team workers, consisting of thirty-two members of the Woodward lodge. This is the most noted lodge team in the United States. They appeared with many other teams before the sovereign grand lodge at Des Moines, where they competed and won the first and second prizes over all other competing teams from various states. They also appeared before the sovereign grand lodge at a later meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, where they went through the drill in competition with a great many teams and again won first and second premiums.

They made their third appearance before the last meeting of the sovereign grand lodge at Toronto, Canada. There was a very strong contest between lodges of both the United States and Canada and the noted Woodward team carried off second prize. Mr. Pierce is an enthusiastic Odd Fellow, justly proud of his lodge and the degree team, which has met with and assisted many lodges in Iowa in initiations and degree work. Moreover he is loyal to the helpful and beneficent teachings of the order and he has the high regard and friendship of his brethren, while in his home locality he is widely known for that genuine worth of character which transcends all assumed superiority or acquired polish and is of value because it is real.

Jacob Pitsenbarger

As a pioneer of Dallas county, Jacob Pitsenbarger is well known, for he came here at an early period of its development and has borne his full share in the work of advancement and progress which has been carried on along agricultural lines. He is now one of the extensive landowners of the county, having four hundred acres, two hundred and forty acres being comprised in the home place, situated on section 34, Lincoln township. Mr. Pitsenbarger was born in Pendleton county, West Virginia, February 27, 1844, a son of Jacob Pitsenbarger, Sr., who was also born and reared in that state, and was there married to Katie Simmons, who was born in Virginia. In 1855 the father removed to Jones county, Iowa, and opened up a new farm, being one of the first settlers of the state. He spent his remaining years in Jones county but died in 1872 while on a visit to his son Jacob of Dallas county. His wife had preceded him to the home beyond some years.

Jacob Pitsenbarger was reared in Jones county and there acquired a limited education but he is mostly self-educated. When starting out in life on his own account he operated a farm in Jones county for two years and then came to Dallas county, where his wife had come into possession of forty acres through inheritance and to this Mr. Pitsenbarger added an additional forty-acre tract. This was all wild land but he soon transformed it into cultivable fields and from time to time added to his original holdings until he is now in possession of four hundred acres of rich farming land. Two hundred and forty acres of this is comprised in the home place, and on this he has erected a fine country residence, good barns and outbuildings, has fenced and tiled the land, set out an orchard and has made it a valuable property. He also owns three eighty-acre tracts, one of which is located on section 27, Lincoln township, and a second on section 32. In addition to carrying on general agricultural pursuits he is also engaged quite extensively in raising and feeding stock, keeping hogs, cattle and horses.

Mr. Pitsenbarger was married prior to his removal to Dallas county, the lady of his choice being Miss Isabella Potter, their marriage being celebrated in Jones county on the 2d of February, 1868. She was born in Jackson county, Iowa, a daughter of Nathan Potter, one of the early settlers of Iowa, coming to this state from Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Pitsenbarger have become the parents of nine children, of whom four died in infancy, while five are living: Everett, who is married and follows farming in Lincoln township; George E., who is also married and is engaged in farming in this township; William E., who is married and lives on a farm in Lincoln township; Guy M., a young man at home; and Sarah, the wife of A. M. Webb, a farmer of this township. Mrs. Webb has three children: Lee M. Webb, twelve years of age; Katie E., eleven years; and Bertha I., aged four years.

Mr. Pitsenbarger gives his political support to the men whom he deems best fitted for office but he has strong prohibition tendencies. He has never aspired to office but for two years served as road supervisor. Both he and his wife are members of the Shiloh First Christian church, of which he is a trustee. They have resided in Dallas county for the past thirty-seven years, and during this time have witnessed many changes as the work of advancement and improvement has been carried on along agricultural, industrial and commercial lines. His success is by no means the result of fortunate circumstances but has come to him through energy, labor and perseverance, for he started out at the very bottom round of the ladder and has gradually worked his way upward until he is now in possession of valuable land holdings.

C. B. Platt, one of the prominent citizens of Van Meter, Dallas county, displaying excellent executive force and keen discrimination in his supervision of important industrial interests, was born January 26, 1864, at Kewanee, Illinois, a son of J. L. Platt.  He took the civil engineering course at Iowa State University in the class of 1886.  After completing his education he was associated with his father in business until the latter's death, since which time he has aided in the management of the estate, which includes the tile works at Van Meter.  He readily solves intricate business problems with an ease and facility that show a thorough understanding of all the elements that go to make up business success and of all the details and principles of immediate interests under his care. 

On Christmas day of 1894, Mr. Platt was married to Miss Mary C. Stevens, of Kewanee, Illinois, and unto them has been born a son, Allen S., born May 26, 1896.  In his political views Mr. Platt is an independent republican. He has served on the town board and has been president of the school board for two terms. His religious faith is that of the Christian Science church, while his wife is a member of the Congregational church.  Socially he is connected with the Masonic lodge of Van Meter, of which he is now treasurer and both he and his wife are members of the Eastern Star lodge.

J. L. Platt

J. L. Platt, deceased, was a native of Angelica, New York, born in 1826, and descended from English ancestry.  In early manhood he engaged in merchandising in Pike county, New York.  He had very limited capital but gradually worked his way upward and met with prosperity.  Afterward he established and conducted a foundry in the state of New York.  In 1854 he went to Chicago, where he engaged in the dry goods business and was very successful at that place.  In 1858 he removed to Kewanee, Illinois, where he established what is now known as the Western Tube Company and a branch of the original company, the Kewanee Boiler Company, also the Kewanee Bank. He was a man of excellent business capacity, sound judgment and rare adaptability.  His vision was never bounded by the exigencies of the moment for he recognized all the opportunities and possibilities of the future. While conducting industrial and financial interests in Kewanee he also became connected with the operation of coal mines at that place as well as at Fort Dodge and Van Meter, Iowa, the Fort Dodge mines alone employing four hundred men. In 1887 he went to the present site of the city of Red Lodge, Montana, and became the founder of that town.  He developed the coal mines of that place until the output was about one thousand tons per day, after which he sold to the Northern Pacific Railroad.  While developing the mining industries of Red Lodge he built forty-seven miles of railroad across the Crow reservation. When he had disposed of his interests in the northwest he gave his entire attention to the management of the brick and tile works and mining interests at Van Meter. The mines were closed down in 1903 and have not been put in operation since.  The tile plant at present has a floor space of eleven  thousand two hundred and twenty square feet.  There are several kilns with a daily capacity of sixty-five tons of clay ware. 

In early manhood Mr. Platt was married to Frances Barker, a resident of Fredonia, New York.  She was born in 1826, was liberally educated and is now living in Des Moines.  Unto Mr. and Mrs. Platt were born six children: Sarah, deceased; Hessie, wife of F. A. White, a brick manufacturer of Marseille; Missouri; Francis and Flora, both deceased; James L. and Chauncy B., who are associated in the management of the tile works at Van Meter and in the supervision of the Platt estate. 

Mr. Platt was indeed a prominent and enterprising business man.  To him there came the attainment of a distinguished position in connection with the great material industries of three cities and his efforts were so discerningly directed along well defined lines that he seemed to have realized at any one point of progress the full, measure of his possibilities for accomplishment at that point. A man of distinctive and forceful individuality, of broad mentality and most mature judgment, he left his impress upon the industrial world.  For years he was an important factor in business circles and aided largely in the promotion of enterprises which added not alone to his individual prosperity but also advanced the general welfare in the localities in which his business interests were conducted. He died February 1, 1893, having accumulated through his intense and well directed efforts an estate estimated at three hundred thousand dollars.

Charles Martin Poffenberger was born in Washington county, Maryland, May 14, 1863, and was a son of William and Catherine (Schamel) Poffenberger. There were ten children in this family, of whom the following survive: Albertus, of Hagerstown, Maryland; Andrew, a resident of Dallas county, Iowa; Margaret, the wife of Mr. Myers, of Colorado; Minnie, who lives at Hagerstown, Maryland; Grace, who married Mr. Thomas of Mount Morris, Illinois; Fannie, the wife of Andrew Mills, of Harper's Perry, Maryland, Clara, the wife of Charles Langfitt, of North Dakota; and Charles Martin, the subject of this review. The father of this family was born in Sharpsburg, Maryland, about the year 1834. It was there that he received his early education, which was very limited. His practical training was in the line of the blacksmith's trade, which he followed in Sharpsburg during his entire life. It was said that during the war every man's talent could be made use of and Mr. Poffenberger's trade was no exception. He enlisted as a mechanic and served until the close of the war. He passed away in 1878, at the age of forty-four. During his entire life he was devoted to the men and measures of the democratic party. His wife was born in Tumbleton, Maryland, about 1836, and passed away in her sixtieth year.

Charles Martin Poffenberger was reared by his maternal grandfather, Peter Schamel, from his second to his fifteenth year. His father died about this time and Mr. Poffenberger was obliged to shift for himself. This is often the best thing for a boy, for he finds himself responsible for his own place in the world. For several years Mr. Poffenberger worked at whatever offered itself. His education was necessarily limited. He was employed by several farmers, and was always spoken of as a boy of honor and integrity, who earned every penny honestly. About 1886 he rented a farm, which he continued to cultivate for five years. By persistency, determination and careful living he had been able, in 1892, to accumulate enough money to purchase one hundred and ten acres of land in Colfax township across the road from his present home farm. It is one of the most dilapidated farms in Dallas county but this acted simply as a stimulus for the young man's best endeavor. He has thoroughly enjoyed his hard labor, which it was necessary to expend upon this place to bring it to its present improved condition. Today it is spoken of as one of the most up-to-date and best improved farms of the county. In 1901 he was offered so liberal a price for his acres that he sold out and purchased his present home farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Washington township on the southeast quarter of section 31. It is said that it is often difficult to live up to one's reputation and Mr. Poffenberger had attained so enviable a one on his former location that he put forth every effort to make his new farm all that his former one had been. He has erected all the buildings on the place and they are second to none in the county.

On the 2d of December, 1886, Mr. Poffenberger was married to Miss Mary Ellen Walker, of Dallas county, a daughter of Samuel Walker, now deceased. He was one of the prominent farmers of Colfax township. To Mr. and Mrs. Poffenberger have been born ten children, nine of whom survive: Fred, born in 1887; Effie in 1888; Roy, in 1890; May, in 1894; Albert, in 1896; Elsie, in 1899; Ira, in 1901; Lee, in 1903; and Ada in 1905. Jennie Viola, born in 1892, died in 1895. The children are all at home and make up a large and interesting family. They all attend the Christian church and are active in its support.

Mr. Poffenberger is a stanch republican. He has served as a member of the school board for several years and is one of Dallas county's best known and most influential farmers. Strong in all that makes for noble manhood, he is an inspiration to all who know him. For the welfare of the community in which he lives he is always active, giving liberally of his time and money. His advice on agricultural details is of value and he never gives it grudgingly. In consequence his influence in the agricultural life of the district is strongly felt.

F. B. Preston is now living retired in Adel, deriving his income largely from his investments in real estate. His life history began on the 2d of October, 1854, the place of his nativity being Winchester, Indiana. His parents were Samuel R. and Liddie D. (Hutchens) Preston, the former a native of College Hill, Ohio, and the latter of Virginia. They were married in 1853. The father went to Indiana in the early '50s and spent the years of an active life as a breeder of draft horses, conducting an extensive and successful business in that way. He died in Indiana in 1875. His wife came to Adel in 1865, bringing her two children, Asahel and F. B. Preston,with her and here she spent her remaining days, departing this life in 1899, while her son Asahel was called to his final rest in 1888.

F. B. Preston is therefore the only surviving member of the family. After acquiring a common-school education he learned the tinner's trade in Adel, working for one man for six years. He became an expert in his line and he afterward acquainted himself with the trade of a stationary engineer. Later he entered the employ of the Des Moines, Adel & Western Railroad Company, with which he continued for four years, acting in the capacity of hostler when he severed his connection with the corporation. He afterward secured employment in a machine shop in Adel and later he returned to the railroad service. After a time, however, he opened a tin shop of his own in Adel in 1883 and for some years thereafter was closely associated with industrial life in this city. He also put in a stock of hardware and groceries and carried on business until 1891, when he sold out. He next established a general repair shop in Adel, which he conducted for a year and a half, after which he turned his attention to the butchering business, carrying on a meat market for five years. He met with success in that undertaking, as he had in his other business ventures, and at length he retired to private life to enjoy in well earned rest the fruits of his former toil. In the meantime he had made extensive investments in real estate, purchasing property from time to time until his holdings are now large and bring to him a gratifying annual income. He now owns three or four business houses in Adel, among which is a fine brick structure at the corner of Main and Walnut streets. He likewise owns thirty acres of land on section 29, Adel township. His property interests stand as monuments to his thrift, enterprise and sound business judgment and represent the fit utilization of the innate talents which are his, for his prosperity is due entirely to his own labors and from a humble financial position he has worked his way upward to one of affluence.