Dallas County >> 1907 Index

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

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Thomas M. Redfield  

Thomas M. Redfield, one of the extensive and widely known agriculturists of Dallas county, was born in Redfield, March 28, 1857, a son of Colonel James and Achsah (Moore) Redfield. James Redfield was the twelfth child and the youngest son of Luther and Mary (Dryer) Redfield, and was born in Clyde, Wayne county, New York, March 27, 1824. His ancestors were among the earliest settlers of New England and were noted for their sturdy characters and unremitting zeal.  The great-grandfather of James Redfield was Captain Peleg Redfield, who fought in the French and Indian war under General Wolfe and participated in the battle of Quebec, while four of his grand uncles were in the Revolutionary war, holding commissions under Washington, and two of them were killed in battle. Mr. and Mrs. Luther Redfield were both natives of Richmond, Berkshire county, Massachusetts.  They were married on May 19, 1803, and two years later Luther Redfield started with his family for the "far west," which at that time was western New York. After a long journey he reached Junius, Seneca county, New York, where he purchased and cleared a large farm. In 1822 he removed to the town of Galen (now Clyde) in Wayne county, adjoining Seneca county, New York.  During the war of 1812 he was captain of the militia of the town of Junius and at the time of the landing of the British at Sodus, on Lake Ontario, in June, 1813, he and his company which was attached to Colonel Swift's regiment, were summoned to that place.  They started at once, marching all Sunday afternoon and night and reaching Sodus at sunrise, just in time to see the burning village and the retreating vessels of the enemy. Mrs. Luther Redfield passed away at Clyde, May 7, 1853, while her husband's death occurred in 1868.  

James Redfield, who was born March 27, 1824, and was killed at Allatoona Pass, Georgia, October 5, 1864, supplemented his early education by a course in the high school of Clyde and in 1841, at the age of seventeen, entered Yale College as a freshman.  While in college there was perhaps no member of his class more generally respected, his exceedingly genial manners and known integrity securing for him the esteem of the pupils with whom he came in contact. In scholarship he ranked above the average, but academic honors were less to him than the benefits of a thorough preparation in his college course for his future life work.  His mind was well balanced.  If not of the largest mental calibre, his great energy and indomitable perseverance, with a large share of self-reliance, compensated for any lack there may have been in other respects.  His geniality and gentlemanly  deportment, as well as his generous nature, made him popular among his classmates, he being always ready to do his full share in any class benefit or movement of a like character common to the interests of college students.  He was in the main judicious, somewhat positive in expressing his opinions, quick and impulsive but noble of spirit and brave even to a fault, for he seemed almost morbidly sensitive on the subject of personal bravery. If occasion or duty seemed to him to deem it necessary, he was utterly oblivious to danger or fear -- a trait which dominated his actions throughout his entire life. In 1848 he became a resident of Albany, New York, where he acquired a reputation for utter fearlessness in the discharge of whatever duty was entrusted to him. As his subsequent military career fully proved, he was born to be a soldier, and, with his dauntless courage and bravery, his death at his post of duty in the midst of fearful conflict seemed almost inevitable.   Upon graduating from Yale, James Redfield returned to his home in Clyde, where he began the study of law with Hen. Coles Bashford, who was afterward governor of Wisconsin and subsequently attorney general and congressional delegate of Arizona. The following year Mr. Redfield was elected county superintendent of common schools of Wayne county, New York, taking the oath of office on December 3, 1846.  He acted in this capacity for two years and in 1848, at the invitation of Hon. Christopher Morgan, secretary of the state of New York, he went to Albany. Abandoning the law, Mr. Redfield accepted a position in the office of Hon. Morgan which virtually made him supervisor of common schools of the state. While at Albany he became exceedingly popular among all classes of people, perhaps no young man being better known or more highly esteemed throughout the entire city.  He is not known to have had an enemy there, for he ever manifested the same geniality of manners which had made him so popular and well liked at college.  After retiring from the office of the secretary of state he engaged in mercantile pursuits in Albany, but in May, 1855, came to Davenport, Iowa, where he made the acquaintance of Thomas Moore, his subsequent father-in-law, and in company with him spent some time prospecting for a location.  Mr. Redfield and Mr. Moore, in connection with a Mr. Stevens, at length purchased a large tract of land in the beautiful valley of the middle branch of the Raccoon river in Dallas county, Iowa, near the original Dodge survey for the line of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway, where they founded a village which they called Wiscotta. This survey was afterward abandoned and a narrow gauge road was built from Waukee to Herndon in 1879.  The town of New Ireland had been established at an early date but about 1862 the name was changed to Redfield in honor of Senator Redfield.  

On May 7, 1856, James Redfield was united in marriage at Redfield, Iowa, to Miss Achsah Moore, a, daughter of Thomas and Achsah (Harvey) Moore, both of Beaver, Pennsylvania.  Three children were born to this union: Thomas, of this review; Martha H.; and Mary L.  The first born at Redfield and the two latter at Wiscotta.   The mother, born June 31, 1837, passed away June 5, 1907.  

In October, 1861, after a very heated canvass, James Redfield was elected to the state senate of Iowa on the republican ticket. That legislature, of which Senator Redfield was a member, was a notable body in the history of Iowa, furnishing a member of a president's cabinet, two members of congress, two lieutenant governors, two supreme and several district judges, two United States district attorneys, one state treasurer and other prominent officials. In this distinguished body Senator Redfield at once took high rank and acquired great influence, being placed on the committee of ways and means, schools and public lands.  This was the legislature that made provisions for organizing Iowa's quota of the grand Union army and history has long since recorded how wisely and well that work was done.  Senator Redfield had so distinguished himself by sound judgment and marked ability as a member of the senate in this most important session that he was appointed by Governor Kirkwood as lieutenant colonel of the Thirty-ninth Regiment of Iowa Volunteers, having previously, with characteristic promptitude and energy, organized a company of volunteers which, on his appointment, became incorporated in the regiment of which he was made lieutenant colonel.  However, as the colonel, Henry J. B. Cummings (afterward member of congress), was almost immediately detailed to court-martial duty, Lieutenant Colonel Redfield was in command of the regiment until his death. This regiment was at once ordered to the front. Their first encounter with the enemy was with the Confederate General Forrest's brigade at Parkers Crossroads, near Lexington, Tennessee, on December 30, 1862.  Lieutenant Colonel Redfield was especially conspicuous for coolness and courage in this engagement and though severely wounded he seemed wholly oblivious to his own sufferings in his effort to rally his men, and contributed not a little toward the victory which followed.  As soon as he had recovered from his wounds he hastened to rejoin his regiment and was soon again in active service in the division commanded by General Do dge, seeing much hard marching and frequent encounters with the enemy up to October, 1864, when his command was attached to the brigade of General J. M. Corse and followed General Sherman to Atlanta, Georgia. On October 5, 1864, General Corse was stationed at Allatoona Pass with orders to hold the same, as it was essential to the safety of General Sherman's army, which was then beginning its march to the sea. An overwhelming force of the enemy encircled Allatoona, and the story of General Sherman's signaling General Corse from the top of Kenesaw Mountain the laconic "Hold the fort for I am coming" is familiar, while the heroic and successful defense of the pass is historic. Colonel Redfield received orders to hold the pass at all hazards and with the fealty of the truest soldier determined to hold it or die.   We quote Ingenoll's graphic description of this desperate struggle: "The battle increased in fury.   The enemy, failing to break our lines after repeated charges,  at length moved in mass against them.  Then ensued the most terrible combat in which American troops ever took part and well-nigh as terrible as any of which history speaks. Men bayoneted one another over the works, officers thrust their swords through the bodies of hostile officers. Corse and his little band fought against fearful odds many long hours, many brave officers and men were already dead or wounded and the fate of the battle was trembling in the balance.  The rebels again charged in compact masses on the works. Our gunners double-shotted their pieces and, waiting until they could almost shake hands with the enemy, poured into their faces such a terrific discharge of grape and canister that they staggered under it.  Volley after volley followed in such rapid succession that human courage could not endure it longer, the column was thrown into confusion, fell back and finally fled in disorder, and the desperate battle was won. Allatoona was called the Thermopylae of the war.  Colonel Redfield commanded his regiment in this bloody battle and no regiment at Allatoona Pass fought more gallantly than his, none suffered so heavily.  The regiment was posted three hundred yards in advance of the fort to check the rebel advance. After it bad repulsed several charges of the rebel army it slowly retired to the  cover of the  fort. It fought with a courage and obstinacy never surpassed by any troops on any battlefield. The heroic colonel was first wounded in the foot but he stood at his post, dragging himself along the line where duty called him.  A second shot shattered his leg but he still refused (though entreated) to leave his post of danger and, seated on the ground, he continued to direct the fight; but soon a third ball pierced his heart and the soul of as brave and generous a man as ever lived passed into the undiscovered country." Colonel Redfield's remains were removed from Centerville and brought by his nephew, Ward Redfield, in the spring of 1865, and interred in the cemetery in the village which bears his name.  In 1868 a fine marble monument was erected over his grave by his widow.  It is twelve feet from the base to the summit and the name is set out in large letters above the inscription. Above is a pillar four feet long draped with the American flag with two swords crossed in front, below these is the square and compass and surmounting the pillar stands an eagle of life size with wings spread as if to soar--fitting emblems all, of the brave man who sleeps beneath.  

Thomas Redfield was the first white child born in Union township, Dallas county, and his parents were the first white couple married in Union township.   The family have been connected with many "first things:" the first work harness in Dallas county was made by C. B. Lamb for James Redfield; the first reaper brought into the county was purchased by James Redfield; the first sewing machine and first kerosene lamp brought into the county and the first piano brought to Union township were purchased by Mrs. Redfield, while T. M. Redfield--in 1871--brought the first pair of club skates into Iowa.  He attended the common schools at Redfield and the Tarrytown Military Institute at Tarrytown, New York, for two years, after which he spent two years in the high school at Des Moines, Iowa, from which he was graduated. He finished his education at Woodland College at Independence, Missouri.  He has always followed agricultural pursuits as his life work and is now the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of land in Union township, known as the Colonel Redfield Farm--one of the best farms in the county. He has followed modern methods in the cultivation of his land and the present splendid improvements and equipments which are found upon the place are largely the result of his untiring industry and sound business judgment.  He has made a specialty of the raising and feeding of stock and also finds this a profitable undertaking.  

Thomas Redfield has two sisters: Martha, the wife of Judge Wolf, a resident of Tipton, Iowa; and Mary, who makes her home with our subject.  Mr. Redfield also has one son, James B.  In his political views he is a republican and has held several  township offices, while fraternally he is connected with Wiscotta lodge, A. F. & A. M., at Redfield, which was organized in the house of his father, Colonel Redfield, who was a charter member thereof and in whose home meetings were held throughout one winter before the war. Thomas Redfield is also a member of Redfield lodge, No. 346, K. P., his sterling traits of character winning him the warm regard and esteem of the brethren of the fraternities with which he is connected, as well as the admiration and respect of those with whom he has come in contact in other ways.   He has prospered from year to year and has conducted all business matters carefully and successfully, and in all his acts displays an aptitude for successful management.  

Peter Reel, to whom has been vouchsafed an honorable retirement from labor, is not only deserving of mention in this volume because of an active business career that has won him prosperity but also because in days of peace and days of war he has been a loyal citizen of his adopted land and is numbered among the veterans of the Union army. He was born in County Armagh, Ireland, on the 27th of March, 1836, his parents being Daniel and Elizabeth (Gollogly) Reel, who were also natives of the same county. The father was a farmer by occupation and thus provided for the support of his family. He and his wife spent their entire lives in their native country and were consistent members of the Roman Catholic church. Both lived to the advanced age of ninety-two years but of their family of nine children, seven sons and two daughters, only five are now living, namely: Patrick; Stephen, a resident of Ireland; Michael; Margaret and Peter. Those deceased are James, Hugh, Mary and John.

John Reel, an uncle of Peter Reel, was a sea-faring man who made his home at Liverpool, England, and in 1846 he brought his nephew, Peter Reel, to America on one of his ships, the lad being at that time ten years of age. He joined his brother James at Cruger's Landing, in Westchester county, New York, and there he further acquired his education by attending the public schools until seventeen years of age. In 1853 he went south to Georgia and worked as a slave driver, being in the employ of John Brown during the last seven years of his residence in the south. About the time of the outbreak of the Civil war, however, he returned to the north and after the inauguration of hostilities he offered his aid to the country in defense of the Union, joining Company D, of the Fourteenth Regiment of United States Infantry. He was mustered into the regular army at Fort Trumbull and was in all of the battles and skirmishes with his regiment save during a period of six months and twenty- seven days, which he spent as a prisoner of war, being incarcerated at Libby, Belle Isle and Salisbury, North Carolina. He was at Annapolis, Maryland, on the 14th of April, 1865, the day on which President Lincoln was assassinated, and he was discharged at Drum Barracks, California, on the 22d of September, 1868.

Mr. Reel then returned to the state of New York and was employed at railroad work in New York and in Pennsylvania until 1879, when he made his way westward to Montana, Iowa, now Boone. There he entered the employ of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company and later he came to Perry, working for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company until 1891, when he retired from business life. He is now enjoying a well-earned rest, making his home in Perry, where his genuine worth has won him many friends.

Mr. Reel was married on the 4th of October, 1872, to Miss Catherine Sherry at New Brighton, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. She was born in Scotland, July 4, 1851, her parents being Thomas and Jane (Cronston) Sherry. Her father, native of County Monaghan, Ireland, became a coal miner of Scotland and later superintendent of mines. He crossed the Atlantic to the new world in the early '50s by sailing vessel and after a voyage of six weeks landed at New York city. He then located in Pennsylvania, where he owned coal banks and also acted as superintendent of coal mines for others. His religious faith was that of the Roman Catholic church and in politics he was a democrat. He died January 6, 1890, at the age of sixty-nine years, while his wife, who was born in Scotland, died March 8, 1891, at the age of sixty-nine years and eight months. Both the father and mother of Mrs. Reel spent their last days in East Palestine, Columbiana county, Ohio. Of their family of ten children five are now living: Mrs. Reel, who was the fifth in order of birth; Thomas; Mary Jane; Ann; and Alice.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Reel have been born four children. Daniel T., born July 14, 1873, was married September 18, 1900, to Ella M. Kerns, whose birth occurred in 1881. He is a conductor on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, living at Perry, and they have two children: Bernard S., born November 9, 1901; and Raymond R., born September 6, 1903. Joseph M., born December 5, 1875, is a conductor on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, living at Perry, and he married Margaret J. Graney, who was born June 6, 1875, and by whom he has one son, Francis L., born November 29, 1906. John W., born July 11, 1878, and now station agent on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad at Persia, Iowa, married Annie M. McElmeel on the 25th of September, 1900. She was born July 18, 1877, and they have two daughters: Alberta M., born September 28, 1902;and Cecelia K., born August 31, 1904. Peter J., born February 20, 1884, and now a brakeman on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, was married June 27, 1906, to Alice Cunningham, who was born in September, 1884, and they have one son, Peter O., born March 20, 1907.

Mr. Reel is a member of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic church. He belongs to Redfield post, No. 26, G. A. R., and thus maintains pleasant relations with the old army comrades with whom he served as a soldier in the Civil war. His political allegiance is given to the republican party. Mr. Reel has now passed the Psalmist's span of three score years and ten. Having led an active, useful life, whatever success he has achieved is due entirely to his own labor and persistency of purpose and at all times he has been most faithful in his allegiance to America and her institutions, standing firmly in support of those principles which are the basis of our republican government.

Harry V. Rickerson occupies a leading position in mercantile circles in Adel, where for some years he has successfully conducted business as a dealer in clothing and men's furnishings. He is a native so of Adel, having been born here on the 9th of January, 1867, while in the public schools he acquired his education. His paternal grandparents were Ransom and Mary (Loomis) Rickerson. The former was a farmer of the state of New York and came to Iowa in 1854, casting in his lot with the pioneer settlers of Dallas county. He carried on general agricultural pursuits in Adel township until 1856, when he put aside the active work of the farm and lived retired during his remaining days in Adel, where he passed away in 1858, at the age of fifty-seven. In politics he was a whig and was deeply interested in matters of progressive citizenship. He took an active and helpful part in the early development of the county and deserves mention among its honored pioneers. His wife long survived him, passing away in 1886, at the age of eighty-two years.

Their son, C. G. D. Rickerson, the youngest in a family of three children, is the only one now living. He was born in Oswego county, New York, September 30, 1830, and came to Dallas county with his parents in 1854, when twenty-three years of age. He had learned the carpenter's trade in New York and followed that pursuit here until the 14th of August, 1862, when he enlisted at Adel for three years' service, or during the war, becoming a member of Company B, Thirty-ninth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He participated in the battle of Parkers Crossroads and on the 5th of October, 1864, took part in the battle at Allatoona, Georgia. The officers being out of line and Mr. Rickerson being first orderly sergeant, he took command of the company in that engagement. Be was also in the battle at Mills Springs and participated in the celebrated march under Sherman to the sea. He was mustered out in Washington, D. C., June 5, 1865, and received an honorable discharge at Clinton, Iowa, on the 13th of June. He made a creditable military record as one who was always found at his post of duty whether on the firing line or on the lonely picket line. After the close of the war he resumed building operations in Adel and has followed his trade here to the present time. He filled the office of city marshal for twelve years, being elected for the first term in 1868. For a number of years he affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was also a Good Templar and is a member of Colonel Mills post, No. 54, G. A. R., in which he maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades. In politics he is a stanch republican.

C. G. D. Rickerson has been twice married, his first union being with Miss A. Simons, by whom he had one son, William H. Having lost his first wife, Mr. Rickerson was married in Adams township, on the 28th of August, 1862, to Miss Malinda A. Caldwell, who was born in Hendricks county, Indiana, August 11, 1844. She was the daughter of John F. and Winnie A. (Churchman) Caldwell. Her father was born in Tennessee, September 13, 1810, and died September 7, 1897, while his wife, who was born in Tennessee, May 26, 1818, died September 12, 1890. They were married in Tennessee in July, 1838, and in their family were nine children, of whom six are now living, Mrs. Rickerson being the third of the family. Soon after his marriage Mr. Caldwell removed to Indiana, where he followed farming until 1854, when he came with his family to Adams township, Dallas county, Iowa, aiding in its pioneer development and material progress. Here he spent his remaining days, a respected and worthy citizen. He held membership in the Baptist church and his political support was given to the republican party.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey G. D. Rickerson have been born three sons: Harry V., Guy H. and Glenn C. The first named spent his boyhood and youth not unlike that of most lads of the period. He acquired his education in the public schools and in early manhood was employed by others, but in January, 1893, when twenty-six years of age, he began business on his own account as a dealer in clothing, men's furnishings, boots and shoes. He has now conducted the business for fourteen years with a constantly growing trade. He has a well appointed store and receives a liberal patronage, which is indicative of the carefully selected line of goods which he carries and also of his straightforward dealing. He is a member of the Iowa State Retail Merchants Association and thus keeps in touch with business conditions throughout the state.

On the 23d of February, 1893, Mr. Rickerson was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Jolley, who was born in Colfax township, Dallas county, Iowa, January 13, 1862, a daughter of Lewis and Elizabeth (Sowash) Jolley. Her paternal grandparents were John and Hannah (Cook) Jolley, the former a prominent man in Ohio during antislavery days. He was a man of literary tastes and attainments, possessed a liberal education for that time and in 1795 he wrote a treatise on mathematics, which is still in existence in manuscript form. He taught school, did surveying and kept accounts for farmers and was regarded as the educated man of his settlement for miles around in Union county, Ohio. He died in 1860 at the age of seventy-eight years. Lewis Jolley, the father of Mrs. Rickerson, was born in Union county, Ohio, December 21, 1827, and was a carpenter by trade. He came to Adel in 1855 and in this city, on the 12th of February, 1857, he was married to Mrs. Elizabeth Young, whose maiden, name was Sowash and who was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, January 11, 1823. In 1859 they removed to the farm which he purchased two miles west of Adel, and there he carried on general agricultural pursuits until the fall of 1883, when he again took up his abode in the county seat, where he spent his last days in honorable retirement from labor. He was a prominent and influential farmer through many years and was respected by all who knew him as a man of sterling worth. He assisted in building the first Methodist Episcopal church in Adel in 1861 and continued a member of that denomination until his death. His political allegiance was given to the republican party. The death of Lewis Jolley occurred November 19, 1887, and his wife survived until September 24, 1902. Only two members of their family are now living, Jasper L. and Mrs. Rickerson.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Rickerson are highly esteemed in Adel, where they have many warm friends. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he is a firm advocate of its principles but has never sought or desired public office, preferring to give his time and attention to his business affairs, which are capably conducted, making him one of the leading and successful merchants of Adel.

Elmer Robison, whose home farm is an excellent tract of land of one hundred and sixty acres on section 22, Boone township, is engaged in feeding and shipping stock in connection with the cultivation of grain, and is well known as one of the practical and progressive agriculturists of his community. He was born in the township where he still resides, on the 30th of July, 1871. His father, William Robison, was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, born in December, 1847, and was a son of James Robison, who in 1857 removed from the Keystone state to Iowa, spending the first two years in Dubuque. In the latter part of 1858 he came to Dallas county, taking up his abode in Boone township, where he opened up a farm and reared his family. He died in December, 1896, at an advanced age.

William Robison was only ten years of age when brought by his parents to this state. Here he was reared amid the wild scenes of pioneer life at a time when Indians were numerous in the district and when deer and other wild game were to be had in abundance. Having arrived at years of maturity, he was married here to Miss Ellen Knight, a native of Indiana, who left that state, however, when a child of five years in company with her father, George Knight, who was also one of the early settlers here. He later joined a son in Nebraska, where he died in 1900, at the advanced age of ninety-five years. William Robison was for a considerable period actively engaged in general agricultural pursuits and thus acquired a comfortable competence. In 1902 he removed to Booneville, where he now resides, being there engaged in buying and shipping stock. He is one of the active and energetic men of the community and one of the oldest settlers of the county, having for almost six decades resided within its borders. In his family were two children, the daughter Ellen being now the wife of Frank Griffith, a resident farmer of Boone township.

Elmer Robison was reared on the old homestead and at the usual age became a pupil in the district school, where he mastered the common branches of English learning. He remained with his father during the period of his boyhood and youth and then engaged in farming on his own account. As a companion and helpmate on life's journey he chose Miss Stella Boone, a daughter of Joshua Boone, who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume. Their wedding was celebrated on the 12th of February, 1896. Mrs. Robison was born and reared here and acquired a public-school education. After their marriage Mr. Robison rented land and engaged in farming in this township, also raising stock. He afterward bought a farm in Missouri but later sold that property and in 1904 located where he now resides. Here in connection with general farming he raises, fattens and ships stock, sending out about two carloads of stock per year. His business interests are well managed and are bringing him a good financial return.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Robison have been born three children, Clara Belle, J. Earl and Doris Irene. Mr. Robison votes with the republican party on national questions, having stanchly supported its policy since casting his first presidential ballot for Benjamin Harrison. He was elected and served for four terms as assessor and is now secretary of the schoolboard. He has likewise been a delegate to various county conventions and is recognized as one of the strong advocates of republicanism in this county. Fraternally he is connected with the Modern Woodmen. A native son of the county, his memory goes back to the time when he had seen various tribes of Indians pass through this section of the state. It was a period of primitive development here when much of the land was unclaimed and uncultivated but the rapid growth of the county has wrought a wonderful transformation, and, like others, Mr. Robison has borne his full share in the work of agricultural development.

John C. Robison is operating about three hundred acres of the old Robison homestead on section 13, Boone township and in his work he shows thorough familiarity with modern methods of agriculture. He is a native son of Dallas county, having been born on the old homestead in Boone township, February 6, 1864.  His father, James Robison, was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, born March 11, 1823, and the grandfather was of Irish parentage, the family having been established in Washington county at an early day.  James Robison was married there in 1843 to Miss Mary Cain who was also born in that county.  For a number of years he continued to follow farming in Washington county and there seven children were born unto them. In 1856 Mr. Robison removed westward to Iowa and made a permanent location in Boone township, Dallas county, after a residence of two years in Jackson county.  Here he purchased raw land and opened up a farm. He owned three hundred and sixty acres and had a well improved and valuable place, becoming one of the prosperous and progressive agriculturists of Dallas county.  The soil responded readily to the care and cultivation he bestowed upon it and annually brought forth rich crops.  For many years he was active in the work of the farm but in his last days the labors of the fields were left to others.   Here Mr. Robison died on the 8th of December, 1906, at the venerable age of eighty-three years, having long survived his wife who passed away on the 12th of March, 1888.

John C. Robison is the youngest of a family of ten children, all of whom reached adult age while nine are still living.  The eldest son, William R., is a farmer, stock raiser and shipper of Booneville, Iowa. Thomas C. is a.substantial farmer of Boone township, located on section 3.  Henry is also a farmer in Boone township.  The sisters are Margaret, the wife of William Z. Swallow, who owns and conducts a good farm in Boone township; Nancy, who resides at the old homestead; Mary, the widow of Henry Swallow and a resident of  Boone township; Ellen Jane, who resides with her sister Nancy on the old home farm; Sarah, the wife of Alexander Ham, a farmer of Boone township; and Rose, who became the wife of Martin Dunn and died about the year 1900.  Of the surviving members of the family, all are residents of Boone township and seven of the number have reared families of their own.

On the old homestead farm John C. Robison spent the days of his boyhood and youth assisting his father in carrying on the work of the fields, while in the winter season he attended the public school and thus acquired his education.  He was married in Boone township, March 6, 1888, to Miss Margaret Helen Boone, a daughter of Joshua Boone, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. He then located on a part of the old homestead farm, where he now resides, and has since been engaged in the cultivation of the fields and in raising and feeding stock. He is a prosperous and progressive agriculturist and in all of his work accomplishes satisfactory results. He owns a farm of one hundred and sixty acres on section 22, Boone township, which he now rents.  He is a man of good business ability, of upright character and of unfaltering integrity.  By his father's wishes he was made administrator of the estate and has managed the property personally, giving his time and labors to the care and improvement of three hundred acres of the old homestead.

Politically Mr. Robison has always been a democrat, where national issues are concerned, but casts an independent local ballot.  Be was nominated and elected assessor for Boone township, was re-elected and served for four consecutive years.  He has never sought or desired office, however, preferring to give his undivided time and attention to his business affairs in which he has made  signal  success.   The family have an interesting old relic in the shape of a public sale bill that has been owned by them for nearly half a century. It is an advertisement of a sale held by the grandfather in Washington county, Pennsylvania   Both Mr. and Mrs. Robison are members of the presbyterian church at Waukee.  He is well known in Dallas and Polk counties and has seen much of the development of this part of the state.  His entire life has been spent upon the farm.

W. S. Robison

The great enterprises of our country are being carried on by men who began business life empty-handed. Most of them were reared on terms and were early accustomed to hard work, but more than this--they were accustomed to make use of what was at hand. They learned also to entertain themselves and so developed individuality and originality and became enterprising citizens. We can find men of this stamp in the private walks of life and in the rural districts as well as in the large cities, and we introduce such a man in the person of W. S. Robison. Delaware county, Iowa, numbers this able agriculturist and stock-raiser among its native sons for he was born there June 1, 1853. He belonged to a family of people who were long-lived, his grandmother Spencer living to the ripe old age of ninety-nine years. He was the son of Milton G. and Mary E. (Spencer) Robison, his father having been born in Ohio in 1811 and his mother in the same state in 1820. The latter had the honor of being a classmate of Abraham Lincoln. In 1849 Mr. and Mrs. Robison came to Delaware county where they took up a soldier's claim which was granted them on the ground that Mr. Robison's father was a captain in the Revolutionary war. It was on this piece of ground that they lived until 1872 when they moved to Madison county, Iowa, where Mr. Robison passed away. They were the parents of seven children, four of whom are still living: J. H., of Manchester county, Iowa; J. P., a resident of Edgewood, Iowa; Martha J., the wife of Hamilton Lee, who lives in Montana; and W. S., the subject of this sketch.

Mr. Robison received his education in the common schools and was early obliged to go to work in the fields of his father's farm. During his school days he spent his summer vacations in agricultural pursuits and thus acquired a practical training which has been of inestimable value to him ever since. He stayed at home until the time of his father's death and then struck out for himself, following general farming and stock-raising. He is well known at present as the raiser of thoroughbred trotting and draft horses, shipping a carload of horses, as well as eight or ten carloads of cattle and hogs each year. By hard work and careful economy he was able little by little to add to his original purchase and he is now the owner of five hundred and thirty acres of fine land in Madison county, on sections 17, 18 and 20. He has added all of the modern improvements to his place, has adopted modern methods of agriculture and has a residence which is the finest in the village of Dexter, Dallas county, where he is now enjoying life.

In 1874 he was united in wedlock to Sarah Guye, a native of Madison county, Iowa, where she was born in 1855. She was the daughter of G.W. and Lucella (Harris) Guye, her father being a native of Kentucky and her mother a native of Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Robison have been born four children who are an honor to their parents: C. W., who read law with Governor A. B. Cummings, is now a well known lawyer in Montana; Charles J. died in infancy; Grace L., who completed her education in Des Moines, has traveled extensively since then, having been through fifteen of the western and southern states of our Union; and Frankie J. is a student of the Dexter school. She and her sister Grace are expert equestrians and spend much of their time horseback riding through the country. They are very accomplished women and interesting because of their wide experience and reading.

Mr. Robison is a member of the Masonic lodge at Dexter and of the chapter at Winterset, Iowa. He is also a Modern Woodman, belonging to camp No. 1662, at Dexter, Iowa. While he makes no ostentatious display of his religious views, he is a firm believer in the doctrines of Christianity as taught by the Christian church, of which his wife and daughters are members.

Mr. Robison is an unusual agriculturist and stock-raiser. This occupation is generally considered enough to occupy every minute of a man's time and energy, but the subject of this sketch has had leisure for extensive travel and so brings to his work a knowledge of life which is wider and more comprehensive than that of the usual agriculturist. He uniformly bears himself as a gentleman, never being.heard to give expression to it vulgar phrase or sentiment. Mentally he has grown to be very strong without becoming a great student of books. He is quick of apprehension and comprehends business affairs in a moment. He is domestic in his habits and provides liberally for those dependent upon him. He has made judicious investments which are rapidly increasing in value. He has thus become the possessor of considerable means and is able to surround his family with all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. Nothing affords him greater happiness than to minister to them and he cannot do too much to enhance their welfare.

William W. Rudrow, a resident of Adel, is extensively engaged in general farming and in feeding and raising cattle and hogs. He is owner of four hundred and ninety-seven acres of valuable land near the county seat and his possessions are the visible evidence of his life of industry and thrift.

Mr. Rudrow was born in Randolph county, Indiana, May 4, 1849. His parents were William S. and Mary G. (Vandergriff) Rudrow, both natives of Camden, New Jersey, the former born October 24, 1826, and the latter in 1825. They were married in Indiana. The father was a farmer in New Jersey and also followed the same pursuit in the Hoosier state. In 1856 he came west to Iowa, settling in Marion county, near Knoxville. He was one of the pioneer residents of that locality and aided in its early improvement but in 1858 he sold his land there and removed to Madison county, establishing his home near where the town of Earl now stands. There he carried on farming until 1864, when he sold that property and bought a farm two miles north of Adel. His time and energies were given to the further development and improvement of that land until 1893, when he sold out and came to Adel, where he spent his remaining days in honorable retirement from labor. Be was a lover of fine horses and engaged in breeding them quite extensively. He believed in living an honest, upright life and largely followed the golden rule. In politics he was a republican and cast his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. He died in Adel, May 24, 1903, while his wife passed away in February, 1891. They were the parents of two sons and two daughters: Ezra V., who married Lucy A. Slaughter and for his second wife chose Mary Field; William W., of this review; Mary, the wife of Joseph M. Parker, living near Dexter, Iowa; and Hannah A., wife of Albert G. Parker, whose home is near Adel.

William W. Rudrow was educated in the common schools and was reared to the occupation of farming accompanying his parents to Iowa at an early date. He began farming on his own account, in 1871 in Adel township, where he rented fifty acres of land. He carefully cultivated that tract, saved his earnings and later on bought forty acres of land, to which he has added from time to time until he is now the owner of four hundred and ninety-seven acres, constituting a well improved and valuable property. He is a feeder of cattle and hogs and in 1906 fed two hundred and ten head of cattle and two hundred head of hogs, which he shipped to the Chicago market. He operates very extensively in these lines and has met with a gratifying measure of success.

Mr. Rudrow has a fine home in Adel, where he and his family are now living. On the 25th of March, 1874, he married Miss Eva Barngrover, who was born in this county, October 27, 1854, daughter of John S. and Sarah A. (Kinnick) Barngrover. The father was born near Cincinnati, Ohio, September 26, 1822, while the mother's birth occurred January 23, 1830. They were married in Indiana, April 13, 1848. The father was the son of a farmer and when a young man left home, settling in Indiana, where be lived until 1854, when he came to Dallas county, Iowa, and aided in the reclamation of the heretofore wild region for the purposes of civilization. He made his home in Adel township near the present city of Adel and engaged in the breeding of Durham shorthorn cattle. His life was honorable and upright, in conformity with his belief as a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was a member of Adel lodge, No. 80, A. F. & .A. M., and in politics was a Jacksonian democrat. Be served his country in the Mexican war and lived to an advanced age, passing away February 21, 1900. His wife still survives and makes her home with Mrs. Rudrow. In their family were ten children: Nancy A. and George W., both deceased; Sarah A.; Mary E., wife of William W. Rudrow; John W., who has departed this life; James A.; Charles E.; Harvey M.; Nettie B.; and Frank L.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Rudrow has been blessed with one son, Edwin B., who was born January 16, 1875. The family are prominent in the community, the hospitality of the best homes being cordially extended them, while their circle of friends is very large. Mr. Rudrow belongs to Ellsworth lodge, No. 154, K. P. In politics he is a republican and is now serving as a member of the city council. He is interested in all that pertains to the welfare and upbuilding of the community and his labors have brought him a measure of success which is gratifying, for his prosperity is due not only to his diligence, but also to his business probity.

Burton Russell

One of the most prominent and, by the consensus of public opinion, the most able of the younger members of the Dallas county bar is Burton Russell of Adel, who is now serving as deputy county attorney and is likewise engaged in the private practice of law as the junior member of the firm of Miller & Russell. So widely and favorably is he known that his life history cannot fail to prove of interest to many of our readers. He is one of the native sons of the county, having been born in Spring Valley township, Dallas county, February 6, 1873.

His parents were the Hon. William S. and Ada (Green) Russell. The father was born in Indiana and in 1856, when ten years of age, came to Iowa with his parents, Peter T. and Adelgertha Russell. In 1863 he enlisted for service in the Civil war, joining an Iowa regiment, with which he continued actively at the front until after the close of hostilities, when he returned home with a most creditable military record. He served for three terms in the state legislature and has been a leading and prominent factor in political circles and public life. He belongs to Perry lodge, A. F. & A. M. The family numbered three sons and a daughter and three of the number are now living, namely: Burton, of this review; Katherine, the wife of Dr. H. B. Byers, a resident of Manchester, Iowa; and C. D., who, is living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, being manager of the sales department of the Merical Pressed Stone Company.

After acquiring a knowledge of the elementary branches of English learning Burton Russell became a student in the high school at Perry and afterwards attended the Northern Indiana Normal College at Valparaiso, Indiana, for three years. He was graduated in the class of 1896, winning the degree of Bachelor of Science, and subsequently he attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor for three years, where he prepared for his chosen profession, being graduated from the law department in the class of 1901. He made an excellent record in college and gained thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the principles of law but he did not immediately enter upon active practice, for during the succeeding winter he was superintendent of schools at Woodward, Iowa. He had been superintendent of schools at Linden, Iowa, in 1897 and had proved himself a capable educator, doing much to advance the standard of the schools in the localities where he labored along educational lines.

He was admitted to the bar of Michigan on the 19th of June, 1901, and to the bar of Iowa on the 15th of May, 1902. There were twenty-seven applicants for admission at that time but only fourteen were successful. The highest marking any applicant received was eighty-six per cent and Mr. Russell stood eighty-five. Besides being admitted to practice in the supreme court of Iowa Mr. Russell was, upon motion of an attorney, also admitted to practice in the district and circuit courts of the United States. He opened an office in Adel on the 4th of July, 1902, and on the 12th of March, 1904, he formed a partnership with D. H. Miller for the practice of law under the firm style of Miller & Russell. On the same date he was appointed deputy county attorney and holds the office to the present time. Since entering upon active practice here Mr. Russell has been connected with a number of notable cases. The firm brought suit in the Dallas district court to test the question of beverage liquor sold under various titles. Judge Nichols rendered a decision adverse to the contention of Messrs. Miller & Russell, but an appeal was taken to the supreme court, where the decision of the lower court was reversed. Another case of interest was that in which the Northwestern Life & Savings Company, formerly of Des Moines, brought an action upon an insurance note against Nelson McGriff. Mr. Russell in his defense alleged in his answer that the note was given for insurance premiums and that the note was uncollectible for the reason that it did not state upon its face that it was given for insurance. He won a verdict in favor of his client and in commenting upon this a local newspaper said, "His ability as a lawyer is attracting more than local attention." General interest was also felt in the case concerning the settlement of the estate of Luther E. Colton. It seems that Colton was three times married. In the settlement of the estate his first wife came forward and asked for her share of the property as his lawful wife, alleging that Luther E. Colton was her husband at the time of his death, as they had never been divorced. In the lower court the case was decided in favor of the defendant, Eliza A. Tubbs, wife No. 3, but the supreme court, to which an appeal was taken, reversed the decision, establishing the claim of the first wife. Although one of the younger members of the bar Mr. Russell has made a most creditable record for legal discrimination, keen analytical power and inductive reasoning.

On the 14th of June, 1906, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Russell and Miss Nellie E. Britton, who was born in this county, January 31, 1883, a daughter of Samuel H. and Margaret (Gudgel) Britton, both natives of Bradford, Illinois. The father is now living at Linden, this county, but the mother died in 1896, at the age of thirty-eight years. In their family were three daughters and a son: Pearl, who married Frank Orton and is living at Linden; Edna, who is studying music in Leipsic, Germany; Mrs. Russell; and Guy. The father first located in Colfax township, this county, where he engaged in fanning for a number of years and then removed to Linn township, settling on a farm which he made his home until his removal to his present farm in the same township. He is recognized as one of the leading agriculturists of the community. In politics he is a republican and is a member of the Christian church.

Mr. Russell belongs to Adel lodge, No. 80, A. F. & A. M. He, too, is a member of the Christian church, taking a most active and helpful part in its work and he has filled the pulpit in the absence of the regular pastor. In politics he is an earnest republican and has frequently addressed the public on political and other questions. He was called upon to deliver the 4th of July oration at Linden in 1905 and the address on that occasion was spoken of as "a most excellent oration, expressing original thought." He has always been listened to with attention whether on public occasions or in the courtroom and is an orator of more than ordinary force and power.

Hon. J. W. Russell 

No matter in how much fantastic theorizing one may indulge as to the secret and causation of success, sober-minded judgment must reach the conclusion that it is the outcome of energy well applied and guided by sound judgment which statement finds proof in the life record of J. W. Russell, of Adel. When he arrived in this city he faced the situation of being not only without capital but with an indebtedness of one hundred and fifty dollars. Today he is president of the Dallas County Savings Bank, thus having in trust large moneyed interests for others.  Other business enterprises have also claimed his attention and the combination of his interests have made him one of the foremost citizens of Adel (sic) county. 

The Russell family, of which he is a representative, is of English lineage, the ancestry being traced back to John and Sarah (Lovett) Russell, who crossed the Atlantic from England prior to the war of 1812 and established their home in Virginia, where their remaining days were passed.  John Russell early learned the shoemaker's trade, which he largely followed as a life work. His son, Daniel L. Russell, grandfather of J. W. Russell, of Adel, was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, in 1795 and during the Civil war he disappeared and no news has since been received concerning him.  He had married Sophia Smith, who was a native of New York and died in Delaware county, Ohio, in  1865.  The maternal  great-grandparents of our subject, Thomas and Sarah (McCarty) North, emigrated from England to America during the colonial epoch in the country's history and also settled in Virginia. They were of English and Irish descent and were farming people, the former also aided the colonies in their struggle for independence.  The maternal grandparents were Joseph and Sarah (Russell) North.  The former, born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1805, died in Indiana in 1885, while his  wife,  whose  birth  occurred  in Loudoun county, Virginia, in 1820, died in Maryland in 1866. 

It was subsequent to the removal of the family to Ohio that Adoniram Russell, father of our subject, was born in Fairfield county, in 1825.  The North family was also established in that state in the early part of the nineteenth century, and in Delaware county Sarah North was born in 1828. She was one of a family of seven children and in early womanhood gave her hand in marriage to Adoniram Russell. Twice he served his country upon her battlefields, holding the rank of lieutenant in the Mexican war, while in the Civil war he won the rank of colonel for meritorious conduct on the field of battle.  After living for some time in Indiana, Colonel and Mrs. Russell went with their family to Illinois, and his death occurred in Clay county, that state, in 1867.  His wife long survived him and married again.  She had three children by her first marriage and two daughters by the second. 

J. W. Russell was born in Kosciusko county, Indiana, on the 19th of May, 1851, and for fifteen years lived the quiet and uneventful life of the farmer.   He then left home to attend Hillsdale College, ambitious to secure a good education, and his farm labor enabled him to meet the expenses of his college course.  Leaving school in the sophomore year, he removed to Adel in 1872 and has since been a resident of this city, making advancement in his business life with the growth of the city, and in fact contributing in substantial measure to its material development through the conduct of his private business interests.  He was somewhat handicapped at the time of his arrival by a small indebtedness but he possessed energy, firm resolution and honorable purpose--qualities upon which many a  fortune has  been builded and which now stood Mr. Russell in good stead. He clerked for a law firm and read law for a year, after which he was placed in charge of a loan business and later under the firm name of Willard & Russell carried on operations in that line.  Thus he became identified with the moneyed interests of the county and has since figured prominently in financial circles. 

His recognition of business opportunities and advantages has been a strong element in his success.   He has engaged to a  considerable extent in land speculation and has been especially accurate in determining the value of land and its probable diminution or appreciation in price.  His investments have thus been judiciously placed and he has realized a goodly return from his sales. He made another forward step when he became connected with the Dallas County Savings Bank, of which he is the president.  This is regarded as one of the safe, reliable concerns of the county and under his management the business of the bank has increased. He was likewise the vice president of the first railway built through Adel.  The company was organized in his office and with the aid of several other enterprising business men the new concern was secured. He became secretary of the Adel Improvement Company upon its organization and in this way has been instrumental in securing a number of factories and business enterprises for Adel, and at all times he has done whatever he could for the upbuilding and development of the county seat. 

Mr. Russell was married, October 22, 1874, to Mrs. Florence M. Holland, who was born in Elkhart, Indiana, in November, 1852, a daughter of Jacob Taylor, who on coming to Iowa settled at Adel, where he engaged in the hotel business until his death.  By her first marriage Mrs. Russell had a daughter, Mrs. Pearl W. Messinger, and by the second marriage there were six children, but one died at the age of eighteen months.  The others are: J. L'Verne, Earl W., Lulu C., Florence Louise and Cedric E.  The family are members of the Presbyterian church, to the support of which they contribute generously.   Theirs is one of the moat beautiful and commodious homes in Adel, in addition to which property Mr. Russell owns some business property and several large and valuable farms in the county. 

Mr. Russell affiliates with the Knights of Pythias and with the Masons and has attained the thirty-third degree of the Scottish rite. Strong in his republicanism since casting his first ballot for General Grant, he believed it the duty as well as the privilege for every man to support his honest convictions and has long been recognized as one of the leaders of his party in the county.  For some years he was county Chairman, holding that position until 1907.  As mayor of the city in 1896 he gave a public-spirited and businesslike administration, accomplishing much for the city in the way of practical improvements, especially in the paving of the city with vitrified brick, in the laying of cement sidewalks and in the establishment of an adequate system of waterworks. His talents have been used to good advantage and his ability has been increased in its use.  The public recognizes his worth  as  a citizen,  as  an official  and  as  a  business  man,  and  he is uniformly honored and respected.