Andrew M. Baker

There is no more up-to-date farmer or public-spirited citizen in Jackson township, Hardin county, than Andrew M. Baker, a man who has won success in his chosen line of endeavor because he has worked for it along legitimate lines and has dealt fairly with his fellow men.

Mr. Baker was born on October 11, 1844, in Carroll county, Illinois. He is the son of Reseleer and Mary (Burgdef) Baker, both natives of the state of New York, the father born in Saratoga Springs and the mother near Auburn. They were of English descent. They grew to maturity, were educated and married in their native state, and from there they moved to Carroll county, Illinois, in 1837 or 1838, where Mr. Baker secured a large tract of government land and there he became well established, raising a great deal of stock, it being his custom to sell his cattle and drive them through to Chicago, he having been in that city many times prior to the building of a railroad station. He became an influential man in his community among the pioneers, but he never aspired to office, and was an independent voter. In 1859 he started to freight across the plains and followed this line of work several years. He also contracted a great deal on railroad work. He was a very busy man, exercised splendid business judgment and was successful in whatever he turned his attention to. His family consisted of two children, Lucy, who is the wife of James Wood, of Union, Iowa, and Andrew M., of this review.

The latter received a common school education and also attended Mt. Morris, Illinois, the Bryant-Stratton Business College in Chicago, and thus became well equipped for his life work; however, his education did not stop when he left the school room, for he has always been a great reader and a close observer and is a well informed man on all current topics and familiar with the world’s best literature. He was married on October 10, 1868, to Sarah Elizabeth Eick, who was born in Somerset county, New Jersey. She was the daughter of John and Margaret (Barnes) Eick, the former a native of Sussex county, New jersey, and the latter of Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, born near Wilkes-Barre, where they were married. In 1858 they came to Coles county, Illinois, and later settled in Carroll county, that state, among the pioneers. Mr. Eick ran a threshing machine there several years, and he secured government land which he developed into a good farm and became well established. His death occurred on November 6, 1906, and that of his wife on April 1, 1891. They were the parents of six children, namely: Emma J. is the widow of Jefferson Wade, of Polo, Illinois; Sarah Elizabeth, wife of the subject; Almira is the widow of Richard Mathews, of Polo, Illinois; George is engaged in the livery business at Hastings, Nebraska; John died when twenty years of age; Lou married Ed Holley, of Rockford, Illinois.

The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Baker: Fred married Jessie Cummings, lives on a farm in Jackson township, this county, and two children have been born to them, Guy, who died when eighteen years old, and Glen; Elsie Baker died in 1890, when twenty-one years of age; Nellie is the wife of Charles Cummings, of St. Louis, and they are the parents of two children, Fred and Mabel; Mellie Baker married George C. Gardner and they live at Des Moines, where he is a member of the staff of the Register-Leader; they have two children, Ethel and Helen.

Andrew M. Baker was married in Whiteside county, Illinois, but he resided in Carroll county, that state, until he came to Hardin county, Iowa, in the fall of 1868. In 1864 he had purchased land here in section 16, Jackson township. After living on this place a while, he moved to where he now resides and in 1879 built his present commodious and pleasant home, where he has since resided. He has made all the improvements on the place and brought it up to a high standard – in fact, he has one of the choice farms of the county, consisting of two hundreds and fifty-five acres of valuable land. He has always taken a great deal of interest in stock raising and has specialized on short-horn cattle, draft horses and other grades of livestock. He retired from active work in 1908.

Mr. Baker votes independently and he has held several of the township offices. He is well known throughout the county and has a host of warm friends here.

Fred E. Baker

Among the sturdy agricultural element in Hardin county whose labors have profited alike themselves and the community in which they live is the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this sketch, a man who has achieved success because he has diligently sought it along proper channels and has been an advocate of honest living and dealing with his fellow men. Though never animated with ambition for public leadership, he has ever lent his aid in furthering the general interests of his locality and is well fortified in his political convictions, being at all times public-spirited to an extent of loyalty.

Fred E. Baker, successful farmer and stock raiser in the vicinity of Hubbard, was born in Kane county, Illinois, May 18, 1865, and he is the son of George and Caroline (Lawrence) Baker. The father was born in Lincolnshire, England, there grew up and was educated. When he was eighteen years of age he came to America and located at St. Charles, Kane county, Illinois, where his brother and sister had located the year previous. There he followed farming, in which he has been very successful, and has made his home there ever since. His wife, Caroline Lawrence, was a native of the state of New York, and she came to Volga, Iowa, where she lived until her marriage.

Fred E. Baker grew to maturity on his father’s farm in Illinois, where he worked when a boy, attending the common schools in the winter months. On April 12, 1894, he was united in marriage with Rebecca Thompson, daughter of George and Elizabeth (Roweth) Thompson. She was born in Kane county, near Elgin, Illinois. Her parents were both natives of March, Cambridgeshire, England, and were reared, educated and married there. They emigrated to America about 1851 or 1852, locating at Sycamore, DeKalb county, Illinois. They purchased raw prairie land, and the father broke the wild sod with an ox team. The country was undeveloped and still the roaming grounds of Indians. This family had to contend with many unpleasant things, including prairie fires. But they persevered and developed an excellent farm and established a good home in which they still live.

After his marriage the subject continued farming until March, 1897, then moved to Hubbard, Hardin county, Iowa, and purchased a hardware and implement business, which he conducted successfully for eight years, then sold out and bought a farm of one hundred and eighty-four acres adjoining Hubbard, which he continues to operate. He has placed it under a high state of improvement and cultivation and it ranks with the valuable and choice farms of the county. It is well tiled and he has placed many excellent buildings on it and has a modern and attractive home. In connection with general farming he pays much attention to stock raising and at present has a fine herd of Jersey cows.

Mr. Baker’s first wife died on September 22, 1900, leaving one son, George Burton Baker. On July 29, 1904, the subject was united in marriage with Anna Thompson, sister of his first wife. They have with them as one of the family, Millie Andrews, daughter of Mrs. Baker’s sister. Mrs. Andrews died in 1900. Miss Andrews was graduated from Grinnell College with the class of 1909 and has been teaching school ever since that time in the Hubbard high school, being regarded as a most excellent teacher.

Politically, Mr. Baker is a Republican. He has been a member of the city council of Hubbard for six years and has also been a member of the school board. He and his family belong to the Methodist church.

John Smith Baker, pp. 768-770

One of the progressive and enterprising farmers of Eldora township is John Smith Baker, who has spent forty-five years of his life in that community and is thus well acquainted with its history.  He was born on October 20, 1838, in Licking county, Ohio, the son of Charles Baker.

Charles Baker was born on May 19, 1814, in Licking county, Ohio, and remained in that county until 1852, farming and operating a canal boat on the Ohio canal.  He was married on January 20, 1835, to Elizabeth Smith, who was born in Pennsylvania, and who bore to him six children, George W., John, William G. and James N.  Elizabeth Deliah and Mary Catherine, both dead.  The mother of these children died on December 31, 1845.  Charles Baker then married in August, 1846, in Licking county, Susan Fox, a widow, of Virginia.  She died in Wells county, Indiana, on July 28, 1858.  No children were born to this marriage.  Charles was married a third time to Sarah Fryback, on December 23, 1858.  She, with five children, died in 1864, of spotted fever.  Charles Baker, after leaving Ohio, spent the remainder of his life in farming, moving in later life to Missouri, where he lived with his son William.  He visited his son John in 1884, and while there died on September 18^th and his body lies in Buckner cemetery.  He was an honest and hard-working man and was much respected in the communities in which he lived.

When John S. Baker was fourteen his father moved to Wells county, Indiana, and here he remained until after his majority, attending school, working on the farm and working in a mill.  He then moved to Illinois.

On August 6, 1862, John S. Baker enlisted at Rockford, Illinois, in the Seventy-fourth Illinois Infantry, Company F, and served just three years to a day.  His regiment saw exceptionally hard service, and was so badly thinned out before the end of the war that it was joined to the Eighty-eighth Illinois, with which regiment its members served to the end of the war.  John stayed in Illinois until the spring of 1866, when he came to Iowa, arriving at Eldora on April 27^th with fifteen cents in his pocket.  Here he has spent the remainder of his life.  The first property which he obtained was an old but good horse, which he traded for an eighty-acre farm.  This horse took the first prize at the first county fair in Hardin county, which was held at Steamboat Rock.  He later traded farms with Joseph Frank and bought the heirs’ portion, thus increasing his holdings to one hundred and forty acres.  Selling part of this, he bought one hundred acres of Judge Whitney and twenty acres of Lawyer Preston, and still has the same two hundred acres.  This land cost in the neighborhood of eighteen dollars per acre and is now worth about one hundred and forty dollars per acre.  His farming operations have been general in character and so successful as to entitle him to be ranked among the best farmers of his community.

Mr. Baker was married on March 23, 1876, to Alice V. Madden, who was born in Pennsylvania on December 22, 1853, the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Wert) Madden.  Her parents came with their family to Hardin county on April 23, 1867.  Alice had eleven brothers and sisters, namely: Matilda, Clara E., Martha, Charles F., John E., George R., William A., Anna R., Melvin A., Lewis W. and Elmer D., all living but Matilda.  John Madden was a coal miner operating in the mines just north of Eldora.  He died on January 4, 1907, and his widow is living with her daughter, Mrs. John Baker, and family.

Mr. and Mrs. Baker are the parents of the following children:  Melvin Franklin was born on September 22, 1877, and married Grace Bartine, of Clemens Grove, Iowa, who has borne to him three children, Helen, Robert and Marian.  He now lives at Rhodes, Iowa, and is a druggist; Lillie Elizabeth was born on April 8, 1879, and married William Ethridge, of Hardin county, to whom she has born one child, Wallace.  John Smith was born on June 8, 1880, and married Emma Rosine, by whom he is the father of one child, George C.  Mary Ellen, who was born on January 31, 1882, married Lyman Whiting, and lives east of Eldora.  Charles Clayton, who was born on September 22, 1883, married Edna Lepley, and lives in Eldora township.  Alice Valentine was born on February 14, 1885, and lives with her parents.  Jessie Lee was born on April 7, 1887, married Herbert Meeker, and lives near Chugwater, Wyoming.  Fleda May was born on August 3, 1894, and is at home attending school.

Mr. Baker moved from his farm in Eldora in 1904, and is now living there and enjoying the society of his friends.  He is in politics a Republican, and his wife is an active member of the Presbyterian church.  Mr. Baker is one of the sterling and substantial citizens of Eldora, a man whose strong qualities command respect and whose genial disposition has won him many friends.

Isaac Barnhart

No citizen has lived in Tipton township, Hardin county, in recent years who has left behind him a worthier record and a cleaner reputation than the late Isaac Barnhart, a man whom to know was to respect and admire, for he was industrious, public-spirited, generous and a good neighbor and loyal friend.

Mr. Barnhart was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, September 22, 1831, and there he spent his early youth, moving with his parents to Miami county, Indiana, in 1844, where the family lived ten years. They moved from there to Marshall county, Iowa, then took up a claim in section4, Tipton township, Hardin county, in November, 1855, but they did not settle there until 1870. Isaac Barnhart is the son of Daniel and Susanna (Reis) Barnhart, natives of Butler county, Pennsylvania, the father having been a cabinetmaker in early life, later a farmer. There were five children in his family, namely: Amos, Joel, Henry, Phoebe and Isaac. The subject received a limited education in the common schools, and in 1854 he went to Winneshiek county, Iowa, and in November, 1855, selected a claim in section 4, Tipton township, Hardin county, of one hundred and twenty-six acres. He did not begin to improve the same until 1870. It was wild land and he placed all the improvements on the same. Prior to this he had lived in various parts of the county. On June 2, 1870, he married Mary Ann Reep, born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, and the daughter of William and Jane (Titus) Reep, both natives of Butler county, Pennsylvania. In 1855 this family moved to Rock Island county, Illinois, and after living there several years, moved to Scott county, Iowa, where they remained three years and then moved to Chickasaw county, Iowa, and lived there three years, thence moved to Tipton township, Hardin county. The father's death occurred in March, 1883, and the mother died in 1875. They were members of the Lutheran church, and politically he was Republican, but never aspired to public office. They were the parents of ten children: Lewis, who as a member of Company K, Twentieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, died at Holly Springs, Mississippi; Henry, who lives at LeClaire, Iowa, married Elizabeth Miller; Mary Ann, wife of the subject; William I. is farming in Tipton township, this county; Sarah Jane married Andrew Mossman, of Grant township, this county; Amos T. is a farm; Fannie married Joseph Wagner, of Flora, Iowa; Lavina, who married L. Taylor, is deceased; Hannah is also deceased.

Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Barnhart, namely: Daniel F., Susanna Jane, John Henry, Martha Catherine, Isaac Albert and Edwin Oliver. They have all been well educated, Edwin and Isaac having attended Ellsworth College in 1908 and 1909.

Isaac Barnhart started in life in a small way, but he succeeded and left his family a very desirable property. Politically he was Democrat and a member of the Methodist church, as is also his wife. The death of this excellent citizen occurred on November 3, 1908.

William Bartling, pp. 575-576

One of the largest land holders and ablest and most successful farmers of Hardin county is William Bartling, who was born in Polle, Germany, on January 20, 1838, the son of Christian and Johanna (Seelemeier) Bartling.  His father was a native of Lippe, Germany, and a wagonmaker by trade.  His mother died in Germany at the age of fifty-four, his father at the age of seventy-three.  Of their family of four, William was the only one oto try his fortunes in America.

In 1857 William Bartling came to New York and remained there one year, then went to Connecticut, where he resided for eleven years, working in a factory.  In 1869 he came to Iowa and located in Aetna township, Harding county.   He was married in Connecticut in 1860 to Wilhelmina Behling, the daughter of Charles and Magdelina Behling, natives of Germany.  Mr. Bartling, on his arrival in Aetna township, purchased the northwest quarter of section 5 and built a temporary house and barn.  In 1898 he built a modern home and has put up other substantial buildings, including a large barn, which he built in 1889.  He has added adjoining land to his first purchase until now he is the owner of more than a section of as fine farming land as is found in the county, in good condition and in a high state of cultivation.  His farming has been very successful and he raises and puchases a large number of stock, which he feeds for the market.

Mr. Bartling is an enterprising man, well known and progressive.  In politics a Republican, he cast his first vote for Lincoln.  He has served his district as school director for nine years, and served as road supervisor for several years, being a strong advocate of good roads.  Both he and his wife, and their children as well, are members of the Lutheran church in Ackley and he has been a trustee of the church for six years.

Mr. and Mrs. Bartling are the parents of nine children, of whom six are living, and the grandparents of seventeen.  The living children are Mary, Mrs. H. Thileke, whose husband is a harness maker in Ackely; Emma, who married H. Butt and lives on her father's farm; Minnie, the wife of H. Ricksmeier, a well-to-do farmer of Butler county, Iowa; Frank, on his father's farm; Willie, on his father's farm; and Freddie, on a farm.  All these sons are located in Harding county and are among the industrious and successful young farmers of Aetna township.

Mr. Bartling, when he came to New York in 1857, remained nine months before he could find work, and then got a job in a store at four dollars per month.  But by good management, hard work and economy he has accumulated property, and reared his family respectably.  Today he is one of the largest land owners in his county and owns valuable property in Ackley, where he has lived for ten years, having his sons and daughters on his different farms, all prospering and doing well and all leading Christian lives.  Mr. and Mrs. Bartling celebrated their golden wedding on June 5, 1910, and their children made this a notable occasion.

Harvey E. Bateson, pp. 526-528

No one of a contemplative turn of mind could study the life history of a man like Harvey E. Bateson, well known in industrial circles of Hardin and adjoining counties and one of the representative and substantial citizens of Eldora, without being benefited thereby.  His record, showing industry, public-spirit and uprightness, is, in the main, like that of many other men, -- a general mingling of life's joys and sorrows, triumphs and defeats, -- yet we shall see how he brought success out of situations where weaker souls would have surrendered to the enemy, despaired and consequently failed.

Mr. Bateson was born near McGregor, Allamakee county, Iowa, January 26, 1862, and he is the son of Edward and Roxana (Pike) Bateson, the father born in Dublin, Scotland, of Scotch-Irish ancestry; the mother was born at Concord, Ohio.  Edward Bateson died when his son, Harvey E., was three years old.  He emigrated to America in a sailing vessel in an early day, the voyage requiring six weeks to cross the ocean.  The Pike family were also hardy pioneers, coming to the vicinity of McGregor about the time Iowa was admitted to the Union.  Eli Pike, brother of the subject's mother, was in the employ of the government and helped escort the Winnebago Indians to Minnesota.  The maternal grandmother was known for miles around as an exceptionally good nurse of the old pioneer type, was familiar with the curative properties of all roots and herbs, and she was called in all sickness and child births for many miles around her neighborhood.  She possessed an abundance of common sense and judgment, was a grand character, greatly beloved in her community and was long remembered there.  Soon after the death of Edward Bateson, the mother and the four children and Eli Pike, mentioned above, moved to Grundy county, Iowa, driving their teams across the sparsely settled prairies about 1865, and settled near New Hartford where they lived until the fall of the year of the Chicago fire, 1871, then moved back to Allamakee county, settling at Postville.  There the son, Harvey E., went through the public schools, remaining there until 1877, when he was fifteen years of age.  In that year he came to Hardin county, worked on a farm and attended Eldora high school, being in the senior class.  He remained there until he was old enough to teach, which line of endeavor he began when twenty-one years old and continued successfully for three years.  On April 9, 1886, he entered the employ of the North Western Loan & Trust Company of Eldora and remained with them until they sold out to Albrook & Hardin, and he continued in their employ until Albrook sold his interest to Hardin.  It was a long, trust and abstract business.  Mr. Bateson has continued with Mr. Hardin ever since.  On April 9, 1911, he completed his twenty-fifth year with this well known and popular institution, in the abstract business, which is now in connection with the Citizens Savings Bank.  He is regarded as one of the ablest, most accurate and conscientious abstractors the county has ever had.

On June 28, 1886, Mr. Bateson was married to Ella McDonald, daughter of Alexander W. McDonald, whose record appears in full on another page of this work.  Mrs. Bateson was also a teacher and was employed in the city schools at Eldora at the time of her marriage.  To this union four children have been born, all living, namely: Hazel, who lives at home, is teaching in the public schools; Donald M., who is now teacher of English in the Sioux City high school, was graduated from the State University of Iowa in June, 1910; Gladys M. is now attending the State University of Iowa, being in her junior year; Rexford R., named after the families of his parents' grandparents, is in the right grade in the Eldora public schools.

The subject has one brother, Dr. J. C. Bateson, who is located at Scranton, Pennsylvania, and one sister, Mrs. Sarah J. Noble, who owns a large farm there which he operates successfully.

Mr. Bateson was secretary of the school board for sixteen years, was president of the board in 1910 and re-elected in 1911.  He was at one time a member of the city council.  While he was teaching school he acted for a time as county superintendent.  He was formerly city clerk of Eldora and for a time was secretary of the Hardin County Agricultural Society.  Fraternally, he is a Mason.  Politically, he is a Republican, and while he has been active in the party, assisting friends and worthy candidates, he has never sought office himself.  For several years he found time to act as correspondent for a number of newspapers at various points, and he gave evidence of possessing much natural ability as a journalist.  He is a stockholder in the Mutual Telephone Company; he is also a stockholder and director in the Park Dam Power Company and is a member of the Eldora Commercial Club.

In all of the twenty-five years of his abstract work his mistakes have been remarkably rare.  He enjoys a reputation far beyond the limits of his county, his work being accepted without question as to its accuracy by insurance companies or wherever it is known.  To be successful in this line of endeavor much depends upon sound judgment, a knowledge of law, of probate, real estate and courts, as to what can affect title.  Mr. Bateson also does much work in connection with the quieting and perfecting of titles.  He has written an enormous amount of records, kept systematically, showing every transfer affecting real estate in the county, indexed both ways as to the property and in the name of the owner.  It requires twenty-one copy books of one thousand pages each, to hold the copies of abstracts made, eaach page being equal to two pages of legal cap.  He makes abstracts for every bank in the county and probably every attorney.

Jerome B. Beach, pp. 954-956

One of the most up-to-date agriculturists of Providence township, Hardin county, is Jerome B. Beach, a man who has succeeded in life because he has directed his energies along proper lines and has been persistent in following up the dictates of his sound judgment.  He comes to us from the old Nutmeg state, having been born of an excellent old New England family in Litchfield county, Connecticut, September 15, 1841.  He is the son of William and Mary Ann (Allen) Beach, both natives of the same locality as the subject.  It was in 1856 that the father brought his family to Alden, Iowa, where he secured a farm and began life as a first settler, developing his place from the wild state into an excellent farm and establishing a good home there.  His death occurred in Providence township, Hardin county, in 1862.  His widow survived until 1877, when she died in Boone county, Iowa.  They were the parents of four sons and one daughter, namely: Josephine, who married Joseph Loveland, lives in California; John M., who was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war, died July 12, 1862, with black measles; Allen died in 1910 at Boone, Iowa; Jerome B., of this review; Homer died March 30, 1860.

Jerome B. Beach received only a limited education in the home schools, having been compelled to work out as early as the age of ten.  He lived at home until his father's death.  In 1863 he bought a farm of eighty acres in section 12, Providence township, Hardin county.  It was raw land, but he went to work with a will and soon had an excellent farm developed and a good home established, building a commodious and comfortable house on the place in 1870.  There he made his home until he purchased one hundred and twenty acres in section 11, of the same township, where he has since lived.  He has made all the improvements on the place and now has one of the best kept and valuable farms of its size in the township, and he has a very pleasantly located dwelling and good outbuildings.  He handles an excellent grade of live stock.  He started out in a small way, but has surmounted every obstacle in his road to success and is now living retired, having ceased hard work on the place several years ago.

Mr. Beach was married on December 10, 1868, to Margaret Moore, who was born in Jackson county, Indiana, and who is the daughter of William and Lucinda (White) Moore, both natives of North Carolina.  They were among the early settlers in Jackson county, Indiana, with their respective parents, and there they were married.  In 1865 they came to Marshall county, Iowa, and bought land and there Mr. Moore's first wife died.  He later married Mary Whinery.  Mr. Moore spent the last years of his life with the subject and there his death occurred in 1898.

To Mr. and Mrs. Moore were born the following children: Margaret, wife of Mr. Beach; Thomas, a farmer at Monticello, Minnesota; Eliza married Elias Bueghly and lives at Liscomb, Iowa; Charles is a farmer in Marshall county, Iowa; Ella, now deceased, married Jacob Cook; William is an implement dealer at Liscomb, Iowa; Marrieta married Linn Trumbull and he is deceased.

The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Jerome B. Beach: William H., born May 4, 1870, died in infancy; Amanda V., born march 8, 1872, married Edward Seward, a farmer of Providence township, this county, and they have three children, Mary E., Everett and Wallace; John M., born July 23, 1873, married Nellie DeWitt; they are living on a farm in Providence township, Hardin county, and have five children, Frank, Sarah L., Jerome, Paul and Chelsea; Susie, born October 4, 1874, is living at home; Frank, born April 10, 1876, died when nineteen years of age; Robert, born February 4, 1879, married Nina Winslow, and they have four children, Blanche, Mildred, Lucile and Clarence H.  Their father farms the old home place.  Lusana Beach was born April 28, 1881, and is living at home; Fannie was born November 22, 1891, also at home.  These children have all received very good educations in the home schools and New Providence Academy, and Amanda V. and Lusana made successful teachers.

Mr. Beach is a man who takes considerable interest in local political affairs, and he has very ably held several of the township offices.  He votes the Republican ticket and is loyal in his support of the party's principles.  He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church at New Providence and is a liberal supporter of the same.  He is known as a man of honorable character and fair dealing among his fellow men, and therefore has a wide circle of friends who repose in him the utmost confidence.  He is a director in the bank at Providence.

Myron Beecher, pp. 792-793

Although the gentleman whose name heads this sketch has been for several years a member of that silent realm from whose bourne no traveler returns, his memory is held in high regard by the friends and relatives who knew him well when on earth, and his sons and daughters have filled such positions of usefulness that their lives are his best monument, while some of them have gone to join their father in the land beyond.

Myron Beecher was born in Bradford county, Pennsylvania, on May 13, 1813, the son of Samuel and Esther Beecher, who were the parents of five children, Bradford, Almon, Myron, Polly Ann and Harris, all deceased. Samuel Beecher and his wife were originally from Connecticut, and died in Bradford county, Pennsylvania, where they had spent the greater portion of their lives in farming, Myron Beecher grew up in Pennsylvania and attended the common schools there. He married Louisa Wakely Jones, of Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, whose parents had come from Connecticut and died in Pennsylvania. Mrs. Beecher died on February 28, 1864, and in 1866 Mr. Beecher came west with his children, and lived in Hardin county, Iowa, until his death, on January 21, 1891. Mr. Beecher was a stanch Repub­lican. A member of the Presbyterian church, he was a true and earnest Christian, of strong character, and was a man much esteemed and respected by those who knew him.

Myron and Louisa Beecher were the parents of seven children. Orman was a farmer in Hardin county, and married Eliza A. Conklin, who bore to him nine children. He is deceased and his widow lives in Eldora. Adelaide O. married Garrett Van Voorhis fc of Union township, and both she and her. husband are deceased.

Antoinette Beecher married Edward B. Chaffee, a native of Bradford county, Pennsylvania, who came to Union township, Hardin county, with the Beechers in 1867, and bought a farm on which he lived until his death, August 27, 1909. Mr. Chaffee, on August 6, 1862, enlisted at Harrisburg, Penn­sylvania, in Company D, One Hundred and Forty-first Pennsylvania Regi­ment, and was assigned to the First Brigade, First Division. He was a brave and efficient soldier, and took part in the following engagements : Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Vanborn, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North Ann River, Petersburg, Johnson's Road, Deep Bottom, Peter Springs Church, Boydton Road, Hatchers Run, Cold Harbor, Sailors Creek, Appomattox, and many skirmishes. For three weeks he was confined in the hospital at David's Island, later was transferred to Beverley, New Jersey, and received his dis­charge on May 29, 1865. Many times in the service his duties led him where he met with close calls for his life. After the war he was prominent in the Grand Army post at Union, in which he took much interest. On August 27, 1909, at the age of seventy-two, Mr. Chaffee died. He was known to many people in the community, and was esteemed and loved by all who knew him.

Emory Beecher, the fourth child of Myron Beecher, married William Gleneying, of Union township, and is now deceased. Gifford is farming at Lawn Hill, Iowa. Ernest was but ten years old when the family came to Hardin county. He married Minnie Haymond, who died in 1908, leaving one daughter, Marcia G. Ernest and his sister, Mrs. Chaffee, have always lived together. Ernest Beecher is a capable and prosperous farmer, well known in the county as one of her substantial citizens. One daughter of Myron Beecher, Effie, died on December 19, 1879. All the members of the Beecher family are well thought of in their communities, and have fulfilled their duties in their various stations in life.

Samuel W. Benshoof, pp. 920-921

The subject of this review is one of the sturdy spirits who has contributed largely to the material welfare of the community where he resides, being a farmer and stock raiser, and as a citizen he is public-spirited and progressive in all that the terms imply. For a number of years Mr. Benshoof has been actively identified with the agricultural interests of Hardin county, and he is the owner of a very desirable landed estate in Buckeye township.

Samuel W. Benshoof was born in Scott county, Iowa, on March 21, 1864, and is the son of Samuel and Nancy Jane (Steele) Benshoof, both of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. There they grew to maturity, were educated and married. In 1853 the father of the subject went to Scott county, Iowa. He was a blacksmith by trade, which he followed there. Remaining in Scott county but a short time, he came on to Hardin county in 1868 and settled in Ellis township, where he bought land, and started life with the pioneers there, this country then being practically unimproved. In 1883 he located in Buckeye township, securing one hundred and sixty acres of wild land which he improved into an excellent farm on which he spent the rest of his life, dying there in 1885, his widow surviving until 1895. Politically, he was a Republican and held several of the minor offices in Ellis township, and he was at one time treasurer of the school board; he and his wife were members of the Congregational church. The reared their family here, six children having been born to them, namely: Albert J. lives in Iowa Falls, this county; Charles L. is farming at Herdsfield, North Dakota; Experience, who married Benjamin Ridout, of Ellis township, is deceased; Catherine married Albert Riley, of Madilla, Minnesota; Samuel W., of this review; Oliver S. is a grain dealer at Alden, Iowa.

Samuel W. Benshoof received a fairly good education in the common schools and he lived at home, assisting with the general work on the farm, until his marriage, on September 4, 1892, to Clara Etta Kellogg, of Buckeye township, this county. She is the daughter of A. P. Kellogg, a highly respected citizen, who was born in Troy, Ohio, November 2, 1843. When twelve years of age he moved with his parents to Hardin county, Iowa, and located in Buckeye township, where the son, A. P., grew to manhood and received his education in the common schools. He is a strong Republican and was trustee of his township for several years, also school director. On April 18, 1869, he married Harriet M. Smith, who was born in 1850 on the banks of the St. Lawrence river, in the state of New York. When four years of age she came with her parents to Walworth county, Wisconsin, and in 1864 to Wright county, Iowa. She attended an academy in Wisconsin for two years and Elkhorn Academy, at Elkhorn, Iowa, one year, after which she taught school one term. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Kellogg: Ossan A.; Clara E., wife of Mr. Senshoof; Marcie A. and Almone P. Mr. and Mrs. Kellogg have devoted their lives to farming, but now live retired at Alden, Iowa.

Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Benshoof, namely: Elba W., born in 1893, died in 1894; Alvin L., born in 1895, is living at home; Experience E., born in 1897, died in 1898; Gladys and Donald.

After their marriage the subject and wife lived on his father's old place until 1895, then bought where they now live, a splendid farm in section 11, Buckeye township, the old W. W. Farwell place. They have prospered by reason of hard work, economy and good management, and now own a farm of two hundred and sixty-six acres, in a high state of improvement and cultivation, -- in fact, it is regarded as one of the finest stock farms in Hardin county. Besides general agricultural pursuits, Mr. Benshoof devoted a great deal of attention to stock raising, making a specialty of Durham cattle, Norman horses and is an extensive breeder of Duroc-Jersey Red hogs, keeping some of the finest in the state, and, owing to the superior quality of his live stock, he experiences no trouble in securing a ready market for them. No better judge of all kinds of live stock is to be found in this vicinity than he, and his thoroughbred herds are admired by all.

Politically, Mr. Benshoof is a Republican and is interested in party affairs. He was trustee of his township for fourteen years, and was president and secretary of the school board for many years, filling all these offices in a manner that reflected much credit upon himself and to the satisfaction of the public. He and his wife belong to the Congregational church at Buckeye. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Buckeye and of the Modern Woodmen of America at Alden, Iowa. He and his family are highly respected wherever they are known.

John Benson, pp. 776-777

[Biography not yet online]

Thomas J. Birdsall, pp. 408-410

The name of Thomas J. Birdsall, banker at Alden, Hardin county, is too well known to the reader of this work to need much special comment on the part of the biographer, who will confine his paragraphs to a clear statement of facts, rather than engage in any fulsome laudation.  Suffice it to say that he has won a large and permanent place in the business circles, and in the specific lines of effort to which his energies have been devoted, have given him much more than a local reputation and today his name is a familiar sound throughout this locality, for as a citizen he is public-spirited and energetic, fully in sympathy with the progressive ideas of the age and ready at all times to lend his aid and influences to whatever promises to be for the best interests of the community.

Mr. Birdsall represents a sterling family of the Badger state, his birth having occurred in the village of Weyauwega, Waupaca county, Wisconsin, on October 5, 1851.  He is the son of Benjamin and Anna (Hyde) Birdsall, both natives of the state of New York, he of Green, Chenango county, and she of Cattaraugus county, the elder Birdsall having been born on January 8, 1810.  He was the son of Morris Birdsall.  This family always followed agricultural pursuits.  Benjamin Birdsall came west in 1835 and located in LaSalle county, Illinois, where he purchased two hundred and sixty acres of land.  He was a bachelor in those days, but successfully conducted his farm, battling his products to Chicago by ox team, selling dressed pork at five shillings per hundredweight.  Later he conducted a grocery store in Peru, Illinois.  After selling his farm in the Sucker state, he went to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, but remained there only a few months, then settled in the village of Weyauwega, that state.  There he, with two associates, built a dam and saw mill, and afterwards built a grist mill.  He was successful in his milling ventures and lived there until the spring of 1871, when he moved to Wright county, Iowa, where he bought a farm and located his family, his death occurring there in July, 1888, after he had established a good home and developed a fine farm.  In 1873 he, in company with C. M. Nagle, established the bank of Alden.  Mr. Nagle retired from the business in 1876 and the bank has since been conducted under the name of Benjamin Birdsall & Son, and is one of the best known and most popular in this part of the country.

The elder Birdsall was married in 1850 and the following children were born to him:  Thomas J., of this review, is the oldest; Mary Louise is the wife of Albert Brown, of Iowa Falls; Charles A. lives at Albuquerque, New Mexico; Benjamin P., ex-United States senator, representative and judge, is now practicing law in Clarion, Iowa; John H. died at the age of forty-two years; Anna M. is the wife of Oliver P. Morton, of Wright county, Iowa; Catherine E. is the wife of Clarence marsh, now in Clarion, Iowa; Raymond W. is cashier of the bank at Dows, Iowa; Morris died when sixteen years of age, in 1879; Emma C. is the wife of W. H. Brown, of Clarion, Iowa.  The wife and mother died in 1904, at the age of seventy-five years.

Thomas J. Birdsall has a limited common school education in the Wisconsin schools, and he spent several years of his youth in the logging and lumber camps, and he came with his parents to Iowa in 1871, and to Alden in 1872.  He studied law with C. M. Nagle for a short time, and in 1873 he entered the bank with his father.  The panic of that year made it difficult for the bank to pull through, but it weathered the storm.

Mr. Birdsall was married in 1874 to Julia Lorena Nagle, daughter of John Nagle, a native of Canada, and to this union two children have been born, May L., born in 1878, is the wife of A. W. D. Weis, a prominent manufacturer at Waterloo, Iowa, and they have two children, Arlene and Henry B.  John Nagle, the subject's second child, born August 18, 1875, married Grace L. Todd, and is in the bank with his father; he and his wife are the parents of one daughter, Josephine, born March 25, 1911.

Mr. Birdsall seems to have inherited some of his father's financial ability and is one of the leading bankers of the county.  He is also interested in the flour mill here, also owns and operates an elevator on the Illinois Central railroad here, and he has other property interests.  He has been very successful as a business man all along the line.

Mr. Birdsall is a prominent Mason, a Republican in politics, but never held public office.  He is a liberal supporter of churches, is popular and well liked by all classes.

James Calvin Blair, pp. 910-912

It is found that very often in this country the President, Governor and other high public officials possess no higher ability than thousands of other citizens.  They have simply taken better advantage of their surroundings than their fellows.  And this truth runs through every occupation.  The farmer who rises above his fellow farmers does so because he has found out how to rise above the surroundings which old others down.  Such a farmer is James Calvin Blair, of Tipton township, Hardin county.  He is a native of this locality, having been born in Pleasant township, March 29, 1860, and he is the son of James and Hester Jane (Sheldon) Blair, an excellent pioneer couple, who came here, among the first settlers, natives of Knox county, Ohio.  The country was wild, sparsely settled and untraversed by railroads.  They bought a farm on South fork on which they lived until about 1862, then moved back to Illinois and remained there two or three years, then returned to Hardin county, where the family has maintained their home ever since.  The father became one of the prosperous farmers and influential citizens of this part of the county.  He owned two good farms on South fork, one lying just south of Point Pleasant, and on this he made his home until his death.  He was a man of strong personality and exemplary character.  There were twelve children in his family, one of whom, Tommy, died when two years of age, those reaching maturity being as follows:  Hulda Jane, who married L. D. McFarland, is now deceased; Irvin Clark lives at Lake Park, Iowa; Basil Robinson is deceased; John Nelson is deceased; Margaret Elizabeth, who married Robert Smith, is deceased, as is also Mr. Smith; Susan Matilda, who married George Smith, lives in North Dakota; Almira Melinda, who married Willis Hubbard, is deceased; James Calvin, of this review; Sarah Martha, who married Curtis Wilson, is deceased; Loretta, who married William Thompson, is deceased; Ellen married Reuben Boody and lives southeast of Point Pleasant.

The father of these children died on May 11, 1889, and the mother's death occurred on July 30, 1909, at the age of eighty-four years.

James C. Blair grew up on the home farm, where he remained until he was twenty-four years of age, having obtained his education in the district school.  He was then married and continued to live on the home farm a year, then farmed two years on the Fox place north of Hubbard.  He then went to Idaho about 1889 and farmed a year on the shares, then returned to Hardin county.  In March, 1890, he moved on the excellent farm which he now occupies.  Before going to Idaho he had bought eighty acres, two and one-half miles north of Hubbard, where he still lives, having lived here ever since.  He has a good farm and a pleasant home, and has added to his original holdings until he now has two hundred and seventy-five acres all in one body, representing as valuable and desirable land as the township affords.  He always keeps a good grade of live stock.

Mr. Blair was married on December 30, 1896, to Edith L. Glidden, daughter of Clark C. and Lucy (Sabin) Glidden, a fine old family, a sketch of whom is to be found on another page of this work.  Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Blair, namely:  Edna, born September 19, 1888, married Charles Smuck and lives near her parents in Tipton township; they have two children; Ellen, Born November 15, 1889; Ethel, born October 4, 1891, died when twelve years of age; Charles, born march 4, 1896; Mabel, born March 8, 1898.

[Biography not yet online]

August Boeke, pp. 602-604

Among the substantial and progressive German element in Hardin county, the name of August Boeke is certainly deserving of special mention, in view of the fact that he has done much for the locality in general and has proven himself to be an honest, loyal citizen, always ready to do his full duty in all the relations of life.

Mr. Boeke was born in the village of Asandorf, Lippe-Demtold, Germany, January 29, 1852, the son of Christoft and Amelia (Henke) Boeke, both of the same place.  There they grew up, went to school and married, the father being a butcher and carpenter by trade, and there they spent their lives, the father dying in 1868, at the age of sixty-eight years, and the mother in 1871, when sixty-five years old.  They were members of the Reformed church.  There were seven children in their family, namely:  Herman, who was a farmer in Grant township, Hardin county, died in 1888; he married Minnie Kuhfus, who is living in Hubbard, Iowa; Henry is a retired farmer, living at Hubbard; Simon is a furniture dealer at Hubbard; Amelia, the oldest child, died in Germany; Henrietta, who remained single, died at the age of twenty-one years; Fred died at the age of fourteen years; AUgust, of this review.

The subject was educated in the common schools in Germany, where he grew to maturity.  During the winter he worked as a butcher and as a brick maker during the summer.  In 1871 he and Henry Cranner came to America, the balance of the family coming ten years later.

August Boeke came to Eldora, Iowa, and worked one year in Tipton township for Christ Mehlenbine; then he went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he remained two years.  He worked on a farm and later in a butcher shop in that state for a time, then returned to Hardin county, Iowa, working one year for G. Spencer, then moved to the place which he now occupies at Hubbard.  He first bought eighty acres, which he improved and added to from time to time.  He sold sixty acres for lots in an addition to the town of Hubbard, and he has forty acres in Grant township, retaining two hundred and fifteen acres in his home place, all of which is well improved and valuable land and under a high state of cultivation.  He has a modern, commodious and beautiful home.  When he took possession of this land it was all wild.  He put up a small house which he remodeled several times, building his present fine home in 1906.   It has ten rooms and every convenience.  He built his barn in 1883, and set out large orchards of an excellent variety of fruit, in fact he made all the improvements on the place and has one of the model farms of the county.  He raises short-horn cattle, Duroc, Jersey Red hogs and draft horses, and he rents a general farming and dairy business.  He is president of the Hubbard Creamery, the large success of which has been largely due to his able management.  He has made what he has unaided except by his faithful wife, and they certainly deserve a great deal of credit for what they have accomplished.

Politically, Mr. Boeke is a Republican married Mary Granzow, a native of Pommern, Germany, and the daughter of Henry and Frederika (Seilof) Granzow, both natives of Germany.  The father was a blacksmith by trade and he came to America in 1869, locating at Eldora, Iowa, and later came to Clay township, Hardin county; where he bought a farm, subsequently buying a farm four miles west of Eldora, his place consisting of one hundred and twenty acres.  His death occurred in 1902, his wife having died on December 19, 1896.  They were members of the Lutheran church, and their family consisted of nine children, namely:  Fred, a retired farmer, lives at Hubbard, Iowa; Minnie first married I. O. Narum, and her second husband was Peter Jones; they live in Hubbard; Alvina, widow of Henry Kuhfus, lives in Hubbard; Augusta married John Topp, of Buckeye, Iowa; mary, wife of the subject; Bertha married C. Seilof and they live near Buckeye, Iowa; Carl, who married Emma Kadolf, lives in Jackson township; John, who married Tillie Kadoft, is farming in Pleasant township, this county; Amanda married Carl Hanke, of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Boeke, namely:   Minnie, born September 27, 1881, married William Beckmeier, of Tipton township, this county, and they are the parents of five children, Irene, Ora, Nora, Alice and John; John, born July 31, 1890, has always lived at home; Leona, born September 25, 1899, is attending school at Hubbard, Iowa; Harley, born September 7, 1902, is also in school at Hubbard; Clarence, born November 14, 1904, is with his parents.

Fred C. Boeke, pp. 439-440

Although the character of the immigrants that come to America today seems to be changing, yet there is not a single doubt that in years past some of the most sturdy, energetic and progressive people living upon our soil were the ones that came to us from foreign lands.  They have brought to us not only the spirit of thrift and endurance, but have contributed to the loayal American spirit to a degree which can hardly be over estimated.  Among the many worthy of mention in this connection we refer to Fred C. Boeke, popular and successful plumber and heating specialist at Hubbard, Hardin county.  He was born in Asendorf, Lippe-Detmold, Germany, January 15, 1869, and he is the son of Herman Boeke, who emigrated to America in 1881 and first settled in Grant township, Hardin county, Iowa.  He devoted his life to farming and became very well established in the new world.  He was born in 1837 and his death occurred in this county in 1889, at the age of fifty-two years.  His widow is still living, being now seventy-three years of age.

The son, Fred C. Boeke, of this review, was reared on the home farm, he being one of a family of five children, namely:  Minnie, who married Edward Lehmeyer, died December 29, 1909, leaving nine children; Simon H. lives in Hubbard; Matilda is the wife of Simon Brand and they live near Hubbard; August C. is engaged in the hardware business in Melvin, Iowa; Gustav is living on the old homestead.

Fred C. Boeke was united in marriage with Caroline Hoelscher, whose death occurred on February 17, 1905, at the age of thirty-five years, leaving the following children:  Alice M., Agnes H., Eugene C., Herman F. and Calvin H.

Mr. Boeke resides in Hubbard where he has a pleasant home, and is employed in the heating and plumbing business, at which he has worked for twenty years.

Politically he is a Democrat and in fraternal matters he belongs to the Masons and the Woodmen.  He is a member of the Zion Evangelical church.

Personally, Mr. Boeke is a very pleasant gentleman, generous, friendly and obliging, taking the interest of a good citizen in the affairs of his township and county.

Gustave Boeke, pp. 471-472

The methods followed by Gustave Boeke, farmer and stock raiser of Grant township, are those which ever insure ultimate success; they are the methods of an up-to-date tiller of the soil and a man who believes in relentlessly pursuing those ideals and principles which bring not only material success, but which are calculated to redound in various blessings.  He seems to be most loyal to this, his adopted country, being as patriotic, if not more so, as many of our own native citizens, for he has never been known to refuse his support to all worthy movements looking to the general good of the community in which he has cast his lot.  He has therefore made many lasting friends here who bear him no ill will in anything.

Mr. Boeke was born in the village of Asendorf, Lippe-Detmold, Germany, on April 5, 1880, and he is the son of Herman and Minnie (Kuhfuss) Boeke, the father being a brother of August Boeke, a sketch of whom appears in this work.   Herman Boeke was born in the year 1837 at Asendorf, Lippe-Detmold, Germany, and his death occurred in 1888, at the age of fifty-two years. His widow survives, making her home in Hubbard, being now seventy-three years old.  Their family consisted of eight children, two of whom died in childhood in the old country, and Minnie, who later became the wife of Ed. Lehmeier, died January 2, 1910; those living are Fred, who makes his home in Hubbard and runs a hardware store in Garden City; Simon, who lives in Hubbard, is an extensive dealer in the produce, ice and coal business there; Matilda married Simon Brandt and lives in the east part of Grant township; August lives at Melvin, Osceola county, Iowa; Gustave, of this review.

In September, 1881, the Boeke family emigrated to America and located at Hubbard, Hardin county, Iowa.  In the spring of 1882 they bought a farm a short distance southeast of Hubbard, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, for which they paid twenty-one dollars and fifty cents per acre.  A large part of it was new, unbroken ground, but they set to work diligently and placed it under excellent improvement and cultivation, making of it as good a farm as any in the township, and here they have established a very pleasant home.  Here the family lived together until the death of the father, on march 12, 1888.  Not long afterwards the children began to scatter, some marrying and now doing for themselves, all being very comfortably situated in different places.  Gustave, of this review, remained with his mother on the home place and has successfully continued the work inaugurated by his father.

On October 19, 1904, Gustave Boeke was united in marriage with Anna Hilker, daughter of Fred and Sophia (Klemme) Hilker, and this union has resulted in the birth of three children, Velma, born October 19, 1905; Bernice, born August 24, 1908, and Glen, born September 20, 1910.

As stated above, the subject continued farming the homestead and in the spring of 1905 he bought out the other heirs and has since owned and operated the place.  In 1911 he built a new house, attractive and modern in every appointment.  He keeps a good grade of stock.  Religiously he is a member of the Zion Evangelical church at Hubbard.

Charles Boody, pp. 511-512

Another of the prosperous and skillful farmers of Pleasant township, Hardin county, is Charles Boody, who was born in Hanover, Germany, January 12, 1835, and, like others of his blood who have cast their lot with us, he has proven to be a most excellent citizen in every respect.  He is the son of Frederick and Doretta (Fredericks) Boody, both natives of Hanover, Germany, where they spent their lives and where they died, the father passing away in 1838 and the mother in 1872, after reaching an advanced age.  Their son Charles received a fairly good education in his native land and when nineteen years of age emigrated to the United States, locating in Morgan county, Missouri, later taking up his abode in Clayton and Jones county, Iowa, thence to Hardin county, settling in section 18, Pleasant township, where he still resides.  On October 27, 1860, he married Sarah Rousseau, of Marshall county, Iowa, who was born March 17, 1837, the daughter of Reuben and Sarah (Baugus) Rousseau.  Her parents were among the earliest settlers of that county and there they played a conspicuous part in its early development.  Her father was born August 23, 1814, and died December 12, 1874, and the birth of her mother occurred on December 12, 1803, and her death on October 12, 1869.  They became the parents of the following children:  Mary, who was born in 1826 and died in September, 1905, married Mark Weaver, a carpenter, and they lived in Hartford City, Indiana; Robert, born April 4, 1828, died February 28, 1898, married Evelin Harmon, who is also now deceased; they lived in Marshall county, Iowa, and in Nebraska; Nancy, born May 12, 1831, married John Reed, a tailor of Ohio, and she died December 5, 1903; they lived in Marshall county, Iowa; Julia, born October 5, 1834, married John Hixson, of Marshalltown, Iowa; Sarah, wife of the subject, was born March 8, 1837; Sylphia, born September 9, 1840, married Ullry Patton, who is deceased, but she is living at Audubon, Iowa; Elenore, born December 8, 1842, died Hovember 24, 1889; Emily C., born May 22, 1855, married Robert Roberts and they are living in Missouri.

Mrs. Boody's father came from North Carolina, where he spent his early life, coming to Indiana first, thence to Marshall county, Iowa, in 1850.  He was the son of David and Nancy Rousseau, a prominent family of France.  David Rousseau was a soldier in the war of 1812.  Ten children constituted the family of Mr. and Mrs. David Rousseau.

To Mr. and Mrs. Charles Boody seven children have been born, two of whom are deceased:  Estella J., born August 17, 1861, became a successful school teacher and taught sixty terms of school; Robert E., born February 7, 1863, died January 9, 1908; he married and one child, Bessie, was born to the union; Otis S. and Orley S. (twins), born January 27, 1865, the former now living at home; Reuben, born August 14, 1868, married Ellen Blair, daughter of James and Hester (Shelton) Blair; the father, a native of Ohio, was a pioneer in Hardin county, Iowa; Frederick, born August 20, 1873, married Abigail Brown, and they have one child, Gene R.; Tinnie, born March 6, 1877, married William Sheldon and they have five children.

Mr. Boody is a Democrat and a member of the Lutheran church.  While he is always glad to note any progress made in his township and county along all lines, he does not find time to take any special part in public affairs.  He has always been a farmer and his efforts in this direction have been crowned with success.  His large farm is well improved and under a high state of cultivation.  He handles an excellent grade of live stock, especially horses, and his cattle and hogs are of an excellent quality.  He has a very pleasant and well kept home.

Ansel J. Bowman, pp. 885-887

Among the honored veterans of the Civil war and leading contractors and builders of Hardin county the well known and influential gentleman whose name forms the caption of this review is numbered.  There is much that is commendable in the life record of Mr. Bowman, for he has been found true to duty in every relation, whether of a public or private character, and while energy and unabiding industry have been salient features of his business career, he is equally well known for his uprightness and the honorable methods he has always followed and for his loyalty in fostering public improvements.

Ansel J. Bowman was born in Wyoming county, New York, February 24, 1842, and he is the son of Ansel and Julia (Granger) Bowman, the father a native of Vermont and the mother of New York.  They were a sterling family and hard workers.  The son, Ansel J., grew up on the home farm in his native state and asisted with the general work about the place during the summermonths, attending the local schools in the winter time.  He remained in his native community uni 180, when he came to Iowa Falls, Hardin county, Iowa, with his parents where the family settled and where the father and mother spent the rest of their lives.  They ha hardly become comfortably established here when the great Civil war came on and on July 17, 1861, Ansel J. Bowman was sworn into the United States service as a private in Company C, Sixth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, having enlisted in the first call for three hundred thousand troops.  He saw some hard service and proved to be a very faithfulsoldier, being in a number of engagements, including the battle of Shiloh; being wounded, he was discharged for disability after the battle of Shiloh in the spring of 1862, after which he returned home, and in October, 1864, he re-enlisted in Company K, Sixth Iowa Cavalry, and his duties were in guarding the frontier against Indians.  He enlisted for one year, but served about thirteen months, following the red men over western territory.  After being mustered out he returned to Iowa Falls and resumed the carpenter's trade, having already someexperience in this line.  He successfully followed that occupation until along in the eighties, when he began as an independent contractor and his efforts have been singularly successful.  Heas bult all kinds of structures, many of the best busiess houses and attractive dwellings throughout the locality standing as monuments to his skill.  At this writing he is engaged in erecting a large addition to the Christian church at Iowa Falls.  Having kept fully abreast of the times in all matters pertaining to the builder's art and being honest and conscientious in his work, he has won the good will and confidence of all with whom he has had dealings.

Politically,Mr. Bowman is a Democrat, but not an office seeker, though he has been an assessor of his township and is a member of the school board at the present time, having held this position for the past six yars and was recently re-elected.

Mr. Bowman was married on November 22, 1866, to Lucy Martin, a native of Massachusetts and the dauhter of John A. and Samantha (Beard) Martin, who were early residents of Iowa Falls, having come here on Christmas day, 1863.  A sketch of Mr. Martin is found on another page of this work.

Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bowman, of whom a son and two daughters are living:  Jennie, who is the wife of William Wood, lives at Armstrong, Iowa, and has three children; Ina is the wife of Alvin Oterbach and they live in the south part of Iowa Falls; Frank Elmer lives in Iowa Falls and is engaged in the bus and transfer business.  Mr. Bowman is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

James Mitchell Boyd, pp. 568-572

Like most of his countryman from the distant land of the Kaiser, William Brand came to our republic with little of this world's goods, but although starting in life with practically nothing, he is a man of indomitable energy and thrift and has been successful, as only a casual glance over his splendidly improved and desirable farm in Grant township, Hardin county, would indicate, and he is therefore deserving of much credit for what he has accomplished, for it has not only been hard work, individually done, but also along legitimate and honest lines.

Mr. Brand was born in Lippe-Detmold, Germany, November 10, 1863, and he is the son of Fred and Wilhelmina Brand. He spent his youth in his native land and was educated there, emigrating to America in 1884 and locating near Truxton, Warren county, Missouri, where he worked one year, then went to Kansas, where he spent a year, then went back to Missouri for a year and there married Sophia Rothaus, a native of Lippe-Detmold, Germany. This union resulted in the birth of one daughter, Armeta, now at home with her father.

Mr. Brand moved to Hardin county, Iowa, about 1887, locating first at Hubbard and worked out one year by the month, then rented a year, after which he bought eighty acres in Grant township, section 14. He remained on that place until 1900, then bought the farm where he now lives. Selling his first farm he bought a place of three hundred and twenty acres in the southwestern part of Grant township, formerly owned by O. F. Anderson, and in the fall of 1909 he bought eighty acres, making four hundred acres in all. This land is well kept and is very productive, being well located and as good as any land in this part of the county. He has been most successful as a general farmer and stock raiser, his entire family being very industrious. He keeps his farm free from unsightly weeds and makes a good showing at all seasons. Whiling living on his first eighty-acre farm, Mr. Brand's wife died, about three years after their marriage. He subsequently married Lina Brand, sister of Simon Brand, a sketch of which family appears herein. This last union resulted in the birth of the following children: John, Ida, Will, Erne, Ernest, Carl, Walter, Selma and Alice, all at home.

Mr. Brand had but ten dollars when he came here. He went to work with a will, was economical, and stuck closely to his work, and these qualities have been the secret of his success all through life. He is a member of the Zion Evangelical church and is a good citizen in every respect. In politics he is independent, casting his vote for the man who in his opinion is best fitted for the office.

Simon H. Brand

In looking over the well kept and well tilled farm of Simon H. Brand, one of the successful young farmers of Grant township, Hardin county, the stranger cannot help admiring his industry and sound judgment. He represents that class of earnest, foreign-born citizens who have done so much for the development of the United States, while at the same time they have benefited themselves in a very material manner.

Mr. Brand was born August 26, 1872, in Lippe-Detmold, Germany, and he is the son of Henry and Louise (Steiman) Brand, the former being the son of Hans Heinrich Brand. Henry Brand died in May, 1893. There were seven children in his family, namely: Louise married John Hagendorn in Germany, before she came to America, and she now lives near Ledyard, Kossuth county, Iowa; Lena married William Brand and lives in the southwestern part of Grant township; Simon H., of this review; Henry lives near the center of Grant township; Hermina married Simon Goeke and lives near Ledyard, Kossuth county; Augusta married Henry Ploeger and lives three miles north of Hubbard; Matilda married August Junkermaier; they live in the eastern part of Grant township and have two children, Alvin and Regina. Of these children, Lena came to America in March, 1891, locating in Hubbard, Iowa, and Louise came the following fall. When the family reached Hubbard Simon H. and Henry, who had grown to maturity in the fatherland, worked out at farm work by the month for four years, then Simon rented a farm in the eastern part of Grant township and lived there one year, then lived on the Kuhlman farm, south of the Center school, six years. Thus he got a good start and has since been very comfortably established. The second year he was on the above mentioned place he bought the farm of one hundred and twenty acres where he now resides in section 23; Grant township, which he moved to after spending six years on the Kuhlman place, and this has been his home to the present time. Adding to his original purchase, he now has one hundred and sixty acres, all very productive, well improved and on which stand a very pleasant home and good outbuildings. He always keeps a good grade of live stock.

In 1899 Mr. Brand was united in marriage with Matilda Boeke, daughter of Herman Boeke and wife, a record of whom is contained in the sketch of Gus Boeke, brother of Mrs. Brand.

To the subject and wife seven children have been born, namely: Herman, Annie, John, Elbert, Edward, Minnie and Otto. Mr. Brand is a worthy member of the Zion Evangelical church at Hubbard.

Simon D. Breuning, pp. 523-524

A citizen of Hardin county especially deserving of mention in this work is S. D. Breuning, the popular postmaster at Ackley. He was born in Holland on April 18, 1851, and was educated in a private college as a civil engineer. His father, who was a sea captain, came to Canada in 1871 with his family, and died there. The subject spent about three years as a traveling salesman and four years later moved to Michigan, then to Illinois, and finally to Hardin county, Iowa, where his mother, who had married J. W. Eeckhoff, located on a farm near Ackley. Here S. D. followed farming for two years, and then factory, making both walking and riding plows. The plows manufactured were excellent, but for lack of capital the company stranded after three years, meaning a great loss to the village.

In 1883 S. D. Breuning and his brother, H. D. Breuning, started the Ackley electric light plant, at a time when electricity was just coming into use, and Ackley was one of the first cities in Iowa to install a light plant. The original plant is still in existence. The brothers soon added to their establishment a steam heating plant to supply heat for public and private houses. Next Mr. Breuning started the Ackley Telephone Company, adding rural lines as well as city. This was one of the earliest telephone companies and had a struggle for existence, but the efficiency of its organizer finally brought the enterprise to success. In 1899 Mr. Breuning was given the Ackley postmaster office, after a hard fight. He received the office through Colonel Henderson from President McKinley. Since April, 1899, Mr. Breuning has been in charge of this office, and during that time the colume of mail passing through it has greatly increased. He started with one rural route, six have been established since he took office, and the entire county covered with routes. Those starting from Ackley reach into four counties, Butler, Hardin, Franklin and Grundy. He started with two assistants ten years ago, now has eight. The first year of his incumbency the receipts of the office were three thousand two hundred dollars per annum; now they are five thousand two hundred dollars per annum.

About 1905 Mr. Breuning sold his interests in the electric light and telephone companies, and has purchased lands, some near to Ackley, some in Alberta, Canada. Active in his party, he has been prominent in Republican conventions and was formerly at times a member of the county committee. Fraternally, he is a charter member of the Knights of Pythias at Ackley, and is a past chancellor and local leader of the Uniform Rank. He has represented his lodge in grand bodies, and has been deputy grand chancellor, taking much interest in the order. He is also a charter member of the Modern Woodmen. As a recreation Mr. Breuning enjoys nothing better than hunting, fishing and outdoor sports, and often takes an outing where he may enjoy these.

In 1878 Mr. Breuning was married in Port Huron, Michigan, to Laura P. Elmslee, who was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. To this union were born two children, Edwin, now a student in a business college at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Julia, the wife of J. J. Junkerman, of Ackley.

Mr. Breuning is known as one of the most sagacious business men of Ackley, and as a citizen of much public spirit, always active in the common good. He has many friends, and is a pleasant social companion. Among the pleasant outings taken by Mr. Breuning was a trip to his native Holland, during the summer of 1911, and which was highly enjoyed by him. In his beautiful home at Ackley every caller receives a cordial welcome and it is a popular rendezvous for a large social circle. Mrs. Breuning is a lady of refinement and rare social qualities and presides over her home with a becoming grace which makes her guests feel they are welcome.

WILLIAM EDWARD BRIGHTWELL

One of the owners of extensive farming interests in Hardin county and one of the progressive and public-spirited citizens of Ellis township is William Edward Brightwell, proprietor of “Cottage Ridge Farm.” His valuable property has been acquired through his own efforts, his persistency of purpose and his determination, and the prosperity which is the legitimate reward of all earnest effort is today his.

Mr. Brightwell was born in Tipton township, this county, on November 30, 1870. He is the son of William and Maria (Sheldon) Brightwell, both natives of Ohio, the father of Coshocton county. They grew to maturity, were educated and married in their native state. The father first came to Iowa in 1866, locating in Tipton township, Hardin county, on one hundred and sixty acres of land, which was then a wild prairie, but he set to work with a will and soon developed it into a good farm. Here his wife died in 1869, and the following year, 1870, he returned to Ohio, where he remained five years, and again came to Iowa, settling in Tipton township, Hardin county, where he lived several years, then went to Guthrie, Iowa, for awhile and then to West Liberty, Iowa, where he died in the spring of 1909. He was in the elevator and grain business at Stewart, Iowa, about eleven years, and later returned and lived at West Liberty, this state. He was successful in business, became well known and was highly respected wherever he lived. He took an interest in public affairs and held several township offices. He was a Democrat and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

For children were born to Mr. and Mrs. William Brightwell, namely: Irvin is farming in Pleasant township, this county; Albert is farming in Etna township, this county; Lizzie is the wife of Elmer Ostheimer, of Eldora; William Edward, of this review.

The subject grew to maturity on the home farm and assisted with the general work about the place, attending the public schools in the winter time. He started out in life for himself when only fifteen years of age, and worked five years for G. B. Smith, east of Eldora, working out altogether fourteen years. He was economical, saved his money and thereby got a start. On January 29, 1896, in Tipton township, this county, he was united in marriage to Mary J. Mossman, of Hubbard, Iowa, the daughter of A. J. and Sarah (Reep) Mossman, natives of Illinois and Pennsylvania, respectively, and she was born in Hardin county. They came to Tipton township, Hardin county, Iowa, in an early day and became owners of a good farm. Their family consisted of six children, namely: Mary J., Edith, Samuel, Elsie, Lovesta and Thomas. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brightwell, namely: Mabel, Hazel (died in infancy), Floy, Alma, Evelyn, Marie and Marjorie.

After marriage Mr. Brightwell and wife located in Buckeye township, this county, where they remained two years, also lived in Sherman township two years. In the spring of 1900 they came to Ellis township and bought one hundred and twenty acres of good land, eighty of which was known as the Riley place, the other forty being known as the Thomas place. In the winter of 1910 Mr. Brightwell bought forty acres more, so he now has one hundred and sixty acres of valuable, well improved and very productive land, all in a good state of cultivation. He has made many valuable and extensive improvements on the place, including a large and substantial barn, built in 1909. He carries on general farming successfully, also stock raising, making a specialty of Hereford cattle, Duroc-Jersey Red hogs and draft horses. Owing to the high grade stock he handles, they always find a very ready market and are admired by all who see them.

Mr. Brightwell has been school director for eight years, and he has done some road work and takes a great deal of interest in politics, being a stanch Republican. He and his wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal church at Hubbard, Iowa. They started out in life practically empty handed, but they have both worked hard, managed well and dealt honestly and today are very comfortably situated, well known and have a host of friends.

Henry Broer, pp. 572-573

The name of Henry Broer, late of Sherman township, Hardin county, but who now has now passed on into the Silent Land, is enrolled very high on the list of honored and worthy citizens of a past generation in this county, for he was a man who made a persistent effort to lead a life in every respect in harmony with the higher rule of ethics and established morality, and, being industrious and public-spirited, he did a great deal for the general good of the community honored by his citizenship, leaving behind him valuable material property and, what is much more to be desired, a good name and an untarnished reputation.  Like many of the most enterprising citizens of this locality, he was a native of Germany, born in Osofeldt on March 31, 1846.  He was the son of Fred and Louisa (Ostermeier) Broer, who lived and died in Germany.  There were six sons in their family, three of whom came to America:  Louie, who lives near Hubbard, Iowa; Herman, of Cleveland, Ohio, and Henry, of this review.

Henry Broer was educated in Germany and grew to maturity there, emigrating to America in 1874, located in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, where he remained six years, working on a farm in order to get a start.  He later returned to Germany for a time.  In February, 1881, he was united in marriage with Louisa Buschmeyer, who was born in Gohfeld, Hereford, Germany, the daughter of William and Minnie (Schurman) Buschmeyer, the mother a native of Gohfeld and the father of Exter, Germany.  They came to America in 1883, locating first in Michigan, later coming to Sherman township, Hardin county, Iowa, and then went to Fairfax, South Dakota, where they spent the remainder of their lives, though the mother's death occurred at the home of the subject and wife.  The father was a carpenter by trade and a very skilled workman.  They were the parents of children as follows:  William and Minnie are both deceased; Fred is in Oklahoma; Henry is in Fairfax, South Dakota; Louisa, wife of Mr. Broer of this review.

Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Broer, named as follows:  Minnie, who married Henry Herbst, lives in Oklahoma; Louie, Henry, Lena, Clara (deceased), Willie and Fred are at home.

In 1882 Mr. Broer and wife located in Sherman township, this county, when the country road about was all wild and as a rule unimproved.  They first secured eighty acres of raw land, to which they added eighty more, which they developed into a good farm and home in due course of time, and this is still the family residence.   They began life here with but little means, put up a rude frame house and, working hard and managing to god advantage, soon were very comfortably established.

Mr. Broer was a republican and a member of the Lutheran church at Hubbard.  The death of this splendid citizen occurred on February 21, 1903.  His widow and children continue to operate the place in a successful manner.

Christian H. Brunemeier, pp. 1038-1039

The names of the old pioneers who have passed beyond “this bank and shoal of time” into the great beyond will ever retain a warm place in the hearts of succeeding generations, owing to the fact that they did so much for us, sacrificing many things that their descendants might prosper and live in comfort. They builded wiser than they knew, for, no doubt, none of them dreamed of the great opulence of the present time; they did not think it possible that within a comparatively few decades of their own generation there was to spring up the marvelous civilization of today. They were men of hardier mould than we of the aftermath, and if we of today had to take our rifles and axes into the frontier country, drive back the hostile Indians, clear up the great wildernesses and establish new homes in the wild, we would no doubt find the task too great, would not be equal to it in either brawn or courage, consequently we owe them a debt of gratitude which we cannot hope to repay. The late Christian H. Brunemeier was one of those pioneers. He was born about 1832 in Lippe-Detmold, Germany, and there he grew to maturity and attended school, and in his youth learned the carpenter's trade, also butchered in the winter months, and sometimes engaged in farming, but carpentering was his usual occupation. He married Wilhelmina Wiegraebe, a native of his own community in the old country. To this union five children were born, namely: Herman, who now lives in Grant township; Henry lives in Hubbard, this county, and owns several farms nearby; Minnie is the wife of William King and lives in Tipton township; W. A. is farming near Lake Park, but was formerly in the harness business in Hubbard; Louis H., who is farming in Grant township, has a sketch in this work.

In June, 1868, the family, consisting of the parents and three oldest children, came to Warren county, Missouri, locating about sixty miles north of St. Louis, buying forty acres of land there on which they made their home until 1891, when they moved to Hardin county, Iowa, and bought eighty acres in the northeastern part of Grant township and there the permanent home of the family was established. The two youngest children were born while the family lived in Missouri. While living in that state the family were members of the Methodist church and since coming to Hubbard they have affiliated with the Evangelical church.

Christian H. Brunemeier met death in a tragic manner, having been killed by lightning in the summer of 1885, while at the home of his son whom he was helping during harvest. He was seated just outside the house near others, and although he was instantly killed none of the other members of the family were injured, but the house was slightly damaged. Since his death Mrs. Brunemeier has made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Minnie King, in Tipton township.

Louis H. Brunemeier, pp. 1037-1038

Among the law-abiding and successful citizens of Grant township, Hardin county, who have built up a comfortable home and surrounded themselves with valuable landed and personal property, none are more deserving of what they have accomplished than Louis H. Brunemeier. With few opportunities except what his own efforts were capable of mastering and with many discouragements to overcome, he has made a success of his life work, and if he continues to prosper in the future as he has in the past his old age will have the satisfaction of knowing that the community in which he has resided has been benefited by his presence and his counsel.

Mr. Brunemeier is a native of the country of the “big muddy water,” as the Indians named it, his birth having occurred about sixty miles north of St. Louis, Missouri, on July 27, 1873. He is the son of Christ and Wilhelmina (Weigraebe) Brunemeier, a separate sketch of whom appears on another page of this work.

The son, Louis H., lived on his father's farm in Missouri until he was nine or ten years old, then he accompanied the family to Hardin county, Iowa, the father buying eighty acres of land in the northeast part of Grant township, and there the subject grew to manhood, assisted with the general work of developing the place and attended the district schools in the winter months. On February 23, 1896, he was united in marriage with Kathrina Beaupain, daughter of Peter and Helena (Kahl) Beaupain. She was born as Ernsthausen, Hessen-Nassau, Germany. She grew up in her native land and came to Hubbard, Iowa, in 1891 and lived there until her marriage. She has a brother, William, in Tipton township, and another brother, Jacob, at Clinton, Iowa. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brunemeier, of this review, namely: Ernest, born on June 30, 1899; Helen, born March 8, 1902, and Verne, born January 10, 1909.

The year in which he was married Mr. Brunemeier bought eighty acres, the land that his parents first purchased when the family moved to this county, and here he started farming for himself, remaining on this place three years, then in 1899 he bought one hundred and twenty acres northwest of his first home, and moved thereto soon afterwards and has since made this his place of abode, having developed a good farm and he has a very pleasant dwelling and good outbuildings. In 1908 he bought eighty acres additional, all fine land, and under his able management it yields abundant harvests from year to year. He raises some good stock of various kinds. Mr. and Mrs. Brunemeier are members of the German Evangelical church.

Boyd R. Bryson, pp. 437-439

The character of a community is determined in a large measure by the lives of a comparatively few of its members.  If its moral and intellectual status be good, if in a social way it is a pleasant place in which to reside, if its reputation for the integrity of its citizens has extended into other localities, it will be found that the standard set by the leading men have been high and their influence such as to mould their characters and shape the lives of those with whom they mingle.  In placing Boyd R. Bryson, the present popular and efficient mayor of Iowa Falls, Hardin county, in the front rank of such men, justice is rendered a biographical fact recognized throughout this locality by those at all familiar with his history.

Mr. Bryson has preferred to spend his life in his home community rather than seek uncertain fortune elsewhere, having had the wisdom in his youth to foresee the future greatness of this favored locality.  He was born in Ackley, in the extreme northeast corner of the county, on September 29, 1877, the son of Alexander M. and Cartha H. (Allen) Bryson, the father born in Connecticut, the son of James Bryson and wife, who emigrated from Scotland about 1840 and settled in that state, becoming engaged extensively in the manufacture of woolen goods.  The family came west about 1848 and located in Allamakee county, Iowa, where they took up government land.  There were over seventy Indian tepees on the farm when they came; this was along Paint creek, so named because of the paintings made upon the rocks by the Indians.  There the old folks spent the rest of their lives and there the father of the subject grew to manhood.  He received an excellent education in the public schools and Upper Iowa University and while in school there he met Cartha H. Allen, whom he afterwards married.  Her parents were missionaries to the Indians in the Indian territory and her father, Samuel Allen, died in that country.  Ethan Allen, the noted patriot, was descended from the same family tree.

The father of the subject attended a business college in the East and also the Iowa State University, in addition to the schooling mentioned above, and finally studied law, located at Ackley, Hardin county, and became one of the leading lawyers of this section of the state.  He had started in life as a merchant, but did not follow that line of endeavor long.  He was in school when the Civil war began and he enlisted with a number of classmates in the Twenty-seventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry and was wounded during the service.  After he returned home he resumed his studies.  He continued practice at Ackley until 1892, when he moved to Iowa Falls, where he remained until his death, in November, 1899.

Boyd R. Bryson lived in Ackley until he was sixteen years of age, then moved with his family to Iowa Falls.  He attended the high school at Ackley and was in his senior year when he came to Iowa Falls.  Here he attended Ellsworth College, from which he was graduated in the science department in June, 1896.  Deciding upon the law as his life work, he attended the law department of Drake University at Des Moines in 1897 and 1898 and was admitted to the bar in January, 1899.  Returning to Iowa Falls, he began practicing with his father, with whom he continued until the latter's death.  A month later he was joined in the practice with his brother, Cassius A. Bryson, who has just finished school at Des Moines, and they have remained in practice here ever since under the firm name of Bryson & Bryson, which firm has figured very prominently in all the important legal work of this locality and is enjoying a large and ever increasing clientele.

Boyd R. Bryson is a close student of all that pertains to the legal profession and he is painstaking and ever vigilant of the interests of his client.  For three terms he filled the office of justice of the peace in a most able and satisfactory manner.  In 1906 he became a candidate for nomination for mayor of Iowa Falls against J. H. Funk, ex-speaker of the house in the Legislature.  Mr. Bryson was not active himself in seeking election, but his friends insisted on his making the race, and he was nominated by an overwhelming majority and elected almost unanimously on a citizens' ticket.  He has discharged the duties of the office in a manner that reflects much credit upon himself and to the eminent satisfaction of all concerned, having done much to improve the city along all lines and handling its affairs in a straightforward, business-like manner.

The domestic life of Mr. Bryson began in September, 1897, when he married Alma C. Collins, who was then residing in Iowa Falls.  She is a lady of refinement and is the representative of an excellent old family of this county, being the daughter of Eugene C. and Alice E. Collins.  This union has been graced by the birth of a daughter, Muriel A. Bryson.

Fraternally, Mr. Bryson belongs to the Knights of Pythias at Iowa Falls, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge No. 302, at Webster City, Iowa, having filled all the chairs of the former and he was a member of the grand lodge.  His every-day life among his fellow men has been such as to gain their confidence, good will and respect and he is one of the leading citizens of his city and county.  The Bryson family has been one of the most influential in the affairs of Hardin county since its earliest history.

Cassius A. Bryson, pp. 859-861

Conspicuous among the representative professional men and public-spirited citizens of Hardin county is the well known gentleman whose name forms the caption of this biographical review.  He has made his influence felt for good in Iowa Falls and vicinity, being a man of sterling worth, whose life, like that of his honored father before him, has been closely interwoven with the history of the community in which he resides and whose efforts have always been for the general advancement of the same, and the well regulated life he has led, thereby gaining the admiration and confidence of his fellow men, entitles Mr. Bryson to representation in a work of the scope intended in the present volume.

Cassius A. Bryson was born at Ackley, this county, May 18, 1874, the son of Alexander M. and Cartha H. (Allen) Bryson.  The father was born in Connecticut, the son of James Bryson and wife, natives of Scotland, where they grew to maturity and married and from which country they emigrated to our shores about 1840, settling in Connecticut and there the elder Bryson became a prominent and successful manufacturer of woolen goods.  About 1848 the family came west and located in Allamakee county, Iowa, when the country was wild and yet the domain of the red men.  There were over seventy tepees on the land which Mr. Bryson entered from the government, lying along Paint creek, so named because of the paintings upon the rocks made by the Indians.  Here the Brysons began life in typical pioneer fashion and underwent the usual hardships and privations incident to the lives of first settlers, but by persevering and hard work they developed a good farm and became very comfortably established, the subject's grandparents spending their last days here and his father growing to manhood.  The grandfather was an influential man there in his day and he assisted in the general upbuilding of the country, being one of the men who was instrumental in securing the right-of-way for the first railroad in that country, which ran from the Mississippi river t Waukon.

Alexander M. Bryson assisted his father in the work about the home place during his boyhood and he received an excellent education for those days, having attended the public schools, Upper Iowa University at Fayette, after he had passed through the Eastman Business University at Poughkeepsie, New York.  While in school at Fayette, Iowa, he met Cartha H. Allen, also a student there, and several years afterwards they were married.  Her family came originally from England, taking up their abode in America in the sixteenth century.  The parents of Cartha H. Allen were missionaries to the Indians in Indian Territory, and there her father, Samuel Allen, died.  He was a descendant of the same ancestry as was Ethan Allen, famous during Revolutionary days.

The Civil war began while Alexander H. Bryson was in school at Upper Iowa University and he and several fellow students enlisted in the Union army, becoming members of the Twenty-seventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry.  He saw some hard service, was wounded and confined to the hospital for some time.  After the close of his army career he returned to school at Fayette, and he was married soon after the war, and he entered life as a merchant, but two years later abandoned this field, took up the study of law and was admitted to the bar.  About 1873 he came to Ackley, Hardin county, and began the practice of his profession, soon forming a partnership with William V. Allen, his brother-in-law, who afterwards became United States senator from Nebraska.  This partnership lasted two or three years.  Mr. Bryson continued practicing law at Ackley with much success until about 1892, when he moved to Iowa Falls, where he practiced with ever increasing success until his death, in November, 1899.  He took a high rank among his colleagues at the bar in those days and was a man of sterling characteristics and exemplary character.  He was an active Republican and influential in public affairs.

Cassius A. Bryson was graduated from the high school at Ackley, then attended Ellsworth College at Iowa Falls, after which he entered Drake University, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws on May 20, 1897.  During the major part of the following year he was in the office of Granger & Bennett, two prominent lawyers who have since shown themselves leaders in other large cities.  In December, 1899, he came to Iowa Falls and took up the practice of law with his brother, Boyd R. Bryson, under the firm name of Bryson & Bryson, and they have continued to the present time, taking a very high rank among the leading lawyers of this section of the state, having for years figured more or less prominently in the leading cases in all the local courts.  In 1897 the subject was admitted to practice in the United States district and circuit courts and has since been admitted to practice before the various departments at Washington.  He has kept well abreast of the times in all matters of jurisprudence and is a very careful, persistent and able advocate and, like his brother, an earnest, logical and not infrequently eloquent pleader in the trial of cases.

Mr. Bryson was united in marriage, in 1899, with Jessie F. Reisner, of Des Moines.  She is a lady of talent and has long been a favorite with a wide circle of friends.  He met her while attending Drake University.  She is the daughter of William and Mary E. Reisner, the father being now deceased, while the mother is living at Los Angeles, California.  The home of Mr. and Mrs. Bryson has been blessed by the birth of three children, Helen M., ten years old; William P., now seven years of age, and John Robert, who has attained his fifth birthday.

Fraternally, Mr. Bryson is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees.  He has long been active in political and public affairs and is at present ably serving the people as county attorney, in fact, according to the consensus of opinion the country has never been better served in this capacity, for he looks after its interests with the same degree of fidelity as he would manage his individual business, and he carries the same honest policy into this office that has always characterized his work.

Adolph Buchholtz, pp. 774-775

For a long time Adolph Buchholtz was regarded as one of the leading farmers and stock raisers of Sherman township, Hardin county.  By judicious rotation of crops and a plentiful use of fertilizers he not only retained the soil's original fertility, but increased its productiveness and seldom if ever did he fail to realize liberal returns from the time and labor expended on his fields.  Although primarily interested in his own affairs, as is quite natural and right.  Mr. Buchholtz manifests an abiding regard for the advancement and welfare of the community and for any measure or enterprise by which his fellow men may be benefited.  He encourages churches and schools, is a respecter of law and order and has no use or sympathy for any calling or business which tends to lower the moral status of the country or degrade the youth of the land.  He now lives retired.

Mr. Buchholtz was born in 1839 in Mecklenburg, Germany, the son of William and Sophia (Dornson) Buchholtz, both natives of the locality in which the subject was born.  There they grew up, were educated and married, and subsequently emigrated to America, locating in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where they remained several years, then went to Waterford, Racine county, that state, where they spent their last years on a farm and where they both died.  They were members of the Lutheran church; there were four children, all sons, in their family, named as follows: William, John and Charles are all deceased, August, of this review being the only survivor of the family.  He was educated in Germany and grew to manhood there, coming to the United States with his parents.  He bought a farm in Racine county, Wisconsin, which was partly timbered; this he cleared and improved the place in a general way.  In 1869 he came to Hardin county, Iowa, and bought three hundred and twenty acres of wild land in Sherman township, which he improved into an excellent farm.  He also bought one hundred and twenty acres in Buckeye township.  He continued to live in Sherman township in his pleasant home and conduct his farm until 1896, when he moved to Radcliffe, where he has since lived retired, having laid by a competency.  He raised fine cattle, horses and hogs, in connection with general farming.  He is a Republican in politics and has held the office of treasurer and trustee of Sherman township.  He is a member of the Evangelical church at Radcliffe.  He built the first church in Tipton township.

Mr. Buchholtz has been twice married, first to Mary Kruger, a native of Germany, whose death occurred in September, 1908.  By this marriage eight children were born, namely: William is living in Seattle, Washington; Charles owns the old home place in Sherman township; Annie lives in Winnebago county, Iowa; August also lives in that county; Paulina lives in Portland, Oregon; Mary is deceased; Lewis is farming in Buckeye township, this county; Elizabeth, who was the oldest child and is deceased, married John Swenger.

On December 15, 1909, Mr. Buchholtz was married to Elizabeth Heintzelman, widow of Fred Heintzelman, of New Orleans, who at that time lived at Defiance, Ohio.  By this union three children were born, Henry, Clara and Minnie, all of whom live in Toledo, Ohio.  The subject's second wife was born in Henry county, Ohio, the daughter of John and Anna (Hoffman) Schatz, natives of Germany, who came to America and settled in Henry county, Ohio, and spent the rest of their lives there on a farm.  They were members of the Lutheran church.  There were eight children in their family, seven of whom are now living.

Clarence Henry Burlingame, pp. 807-808

Mr. Burlingame was born in Eldora, Iowa, November 15, 1870, the son of Elon and Sarah Jane Burlingame. The father was one of the early settlers of Hardin county, coming here in 1855 from Oriskany Falls, New York, where he was born and grew to manhood. The mother of the subject was the daughter of Thomas G. Williams, who came to Hazel Green (now Robertson), Iowa, in 1854. She now lives at Eldora.

Clarence H. Burlingame attended the public schools at Eldora until he was about fifteen years of age, then took up employment in various mercantile lines until he moved to Iowa Falls, and became assistant postmaster, under R. A. Carleton, in 1893. In 1894, in company with Mr. Carleton, he went to Illinois, where he engaged in the lumber business, remaining about two years. In 1898 he became cashier for William Welden, leaving this position in 1899 to become cashier of the Smith-Lichty-Hillman Company of Waterloo. He remained here but a few months, being elected assistant cashier of the First National Bank in the fall of 1900. At the organization of the Security Savings Bank he was elected cashier, and in 1897 he was elected cashier of the First National Bank and now holds the two positions, in a manner that reflects much credit upon himself and to the entire satisfaction of the stockholders and patrons, being an alert, well advised, courteous and obliging gentleman who has the confidence and good will of all classes.

Mr. Burlingame has been prominent in both the Knights of Pythias and the Masonic fraternities, belonging to Alpine Lodge No. 7, at Iowa Falls, of the former, and to the local blue lodge, the Eldora Chapter and St. Elmo Commandery of the Masons. He served two terms as grand master of exchequer of the Knights of Pythias grand lodge and is one of the best known and most influential members of the organization. Politically, he is a Republican and always interested in public affairs, supporting such measures as, in in his best judgment, make for the general good. He and his wife belong to the Episcopal church. He is a member of the board of education and has served as a member of the city council. He is prominent in local and state politics.

In 1894 Mr. Burlingame was united in marriage with Edith Carleton, a lady of culture and refinement, the representative of an excellent family. This union has resulted in the birth of the following children: Carleton H., Charlotte Marjorie and Harriet Ellen.

Zenas J. Bump, pp. 832-834

[Biography not yet online]

William O. Burdick, pp. 542-543

As a twentieth-century farmer and stock raiser, William O. Burdick seems to have no superiors in Ellis township, Hardin county, as all who have occasion to see his well tilled and well kept farm can testify, for he trained himself to do everything systematically and never leaves for tomorrow what should be done today.  He comes of an excellent agricultural family of the Sucker state and his birth occurred on June 15, 1854, in Stephenson county, Illinois, seven miles west of Freeport.  He is the son of George D. and Sarah J. (Christy) Burdick, both natives of Pennsylvania, who in an early day moved to Stephenson county, Illinois, where the father bought land.  In 1855 they moved to Hardin county, Iowa, driving through with an ox team and bringing a heifer among their scant earthly possessions.  They settled in section 17, Ellis township, where he bought eighty acres of wild land upon which he erected a log cabin, starting life in typical pioneer fashion.  He prospered here and later added eighty and forty acres.  In 1862 he traded the place for one hundred and eighty-one acres in Benton county, Iowa, twenty acres of which was timbered.  At Vinton, Iowa, he enlisted for service in the Union army and was killed in Georgia and buried there, having made a most gallant soldier in defense of the flag.  He had also served in the Mexican war.  After his death the widow and four children went to Crawford county, Pennsylvania, to her father, Henry Christie, and were there two years, then came to Benton county, Iowa, and later to Ellis township, Hardin county, settling on a farm of one hundred and five acres that G. D. Burdick had bought previously.  It was wild land, but they put up a dwelling and went to work and made a very comfortable living, remaining there two years.  They then traded for the farm which the subject now owns and lived there until 1872, when the mother went to Kansas, Colorado, Idaho and Arizona, driving through with a team most of the way, and she made two similar trips from Kansas to Arizona.  There were four children in her family, namely: William O., of this review; Lucina, the widow of Z. Roberts, of Alden, Iowa; George R., a miner and ranchman at Malta, Idaho, who went west with his mother when twelve years of age and began work at forty dollars per month; he remained with one man four years and worked up to sixty dollars per month in a short time.  He saved his money and finally became well-to-do; he was a cowboy in the early days.  James Perry Burdick is with his brother at Malta, Idaho, engaged in business.  The mother of these children married a second time, her last husband being Frank Cooley, of Illinois, who died in Arizona; this union was without issue.  The widow now lives with her children in the West.

William O. Burdick had little opportunity to attend school.  He started in life for himself when sixteen years old, and he has spent the major part of his life in Ellis and Buckeye townships.  He was married on June 22, 1877, to Margaret Palmer, of McLean county, Illinois, near Bloomington.  She was the daughter of Thomas and Rachel (Dearth) Palmer, of the last named place.  In an early day they moved to Pierce county, Wisconsin, where the mother died, after which the father came to Hardin county, Iowa, and his death occurred here on August 12, 1890, his wife having passed away in 1871.  They were the parents of nine children, eight of whom are still living, namely: Elias, who lives at Logan, Iowa, was in the Civil war six months; Randolph, who lived in Oklahoma, went in the army when only sixteen years of age and served throughout the war; Elizabeth lives at Fort Wayne, Indiana; Nancy lives in Oklahoma; J. J. lived at Caldwell, Idaho; Margaret, wife of Mr. Burdick of this review; Benson lives at Waterloo, Iowa; Ludy is deceased; Asal lives in Iowa Falls.

Three children have been born to the subject and wife: George Edward, married, on November 5, 1903, Lucretia Cooper and they have two children, Ruby and Inez; on March 5, 1906, he went to Smith county, South Dakota, where he has since farmed; he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America.  Neoma J. Burdick, who married John Eason, a farmer of Ellis township, has two children, Enola and Farn; Bertie Eugene is at home.

In connection with farming, Mr. Burdick has become well known throughout the county as a threshing machine man, having operated a thresher for forty years in this locality.  He has always been a farmer and stock raiser.  He owns a well improved farm of sixty-nine acres in Ellis township, where he has a pleasant home.  Politically, he is a Republican, and has served as a member of the school board many years.  He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Buckeye, also the Modern Woodmen of America at Alden, Iowa.

ASA L. BUSHNELL

A citizen of Hubbard, Hardin county, Iowa, who is well known in his community as a man who has ever done all in his power for the betterment of the common welfare, and as an honest dealing and successful merchant, and whose life has been full of interesting and varied experience, is Asa L. Bushnell, who was born on June 18, 1847, in Oneida county, New York, the son of Loren and Susan (Davis) Bushnell. His father was one of the twelve children of Asa Bushnell, and spent his life in farming, dying in New York in 1858, at the age of fifty-seven. His mother was born in New York also, the daughter of Ichabod Davis, and died at Lee Center, New York, where she is buried, in 1853, aged forty-six. Loren and Susan Bushnell were the parents of the following children: Henry, who died young; Asa L,; and Mary, who died as a young girl. After Susan Bushnell's death Loren Bushnell was married to Eliza Sheldon, a daughter of George and Annie Sheldon, farmers of New York. She bore to Mr. Bushnell one son, Daniel George Sheldon Bushnell, a traveling man residing in Vermont.

Asa L. Bushnell received his early education in New York, and lived with his uncle, Seymour Davis, a farmer of Oswego, New York. While liv­ing with him, at the age of eighteen, on January 4, 1864, Asa enlisted at Orwell, New York, in Company G, Twenty-fourth New York, to serve three years or during the war. On June 2, 1864, he was wounded at Petersburg, Virginia. On June 17, 1865, he was transferred to the First Provincial Cavalry, Company G, and was mustered out on June 27, 1865. He took part in the following engagements, among others: the battle of the Weldon Rail­road, Cold Harbor, North Anna River, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Totopotomy and Petersburg, and saw much hard fighting. After receiving his wound he was sent to the Satterlee General Hospital, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His war record was that of a brave and efficient soldier.

After the war Asa L. Bushnell returned to New York and for a time followed farming, then clerked in a store, and became the owner of a general store at Richland, New York. He was married in 1868 to Mary Reynolds, who was born in Canada in 1850, the daughter of George and Sarah (Ball) Reynolds, who came from Ireland and settled at Cape Vincent, Newfound­land. They were burned out here and moved to Canada. The father died in 1853 and the mother also is deceased. Their children were: Margaret, who married George Rook, formerly of Canada; Rebecca, who married Ed. Lyon, a farmer of New York; John, deceased, a farmer of Canada; George, a blacksmith of Illinois; William, a farmer of New York, who married Rose Duffy; Mary; Sarah, unmarried, living in Oswego county, New York.

In the same year that he was married Mr. Bushnell came to Hardin county, Iowa, and located near Point Pleasant, Tipton township, where he lived on a farm and improved it for three years, at the expiration of which time he opened a store at Point Pleasant, and there kept the post-office and ran a stage office. This town is now entirely wiped out. Later Mr. Bushnell again returned to farming, in which he was engaged for six years at a place one mile west of Point Pleasant. He then moved to Hubbard, Iowa, and until two years ago very successfully operated a general store and hotel. In 1908 he suffered a stroke of paralysis, which, though it did not entirely disable him, incapacitated him from active work, and now he finds a comfortable home with his daughter Stella, the wife of Charles Schroeder, of Hubbard. In politics Mr. Bushnell has always been a Republican. He is a man much esteemed and respected in the village of Hubbard, where the true worth of his character is known and appreciated.

Mr. Bushnell is the father of the following children: Frank, born in 1869, married Viva Vitenvoss, who has borne to him four children, George, Asa (deceased), Glen and Calla. He lives in Hubbard. Susan, who was born in 1871, married H. E. Martin, of Iowa Falls, and is the mother of two children, Ross and Vera. Stella married Charles Schroeder, of Hubbard, and is the mother of three children, Nellie, Harold and Mary. Charles was born in 1880 and lives in Eldora. He married Nellie Doan, who has borne to him two children, Gladys and Veda. Roy, born in 1887, is a telegraph operator.

Dan E. Byam, pp. 430-432

It is always pleasant and profitable to contemplate the career of a man who has made a success of life and won the honor and respect of his fellow citizens.   Such is the record, briefly stated, of Dan E. Byam, one of Hubbard's most progressive business men, than whom a more representative, general and popular gentleman it would be difficult to find within the limits of Hardin county, where he has long maintained his home and whose interests he has ever had at heart, for in all the relations of life he has proved true to every trust reposed in him and no citizen of this locality is worthier of the high esteem which they enjoy than Mr. Byam.  He was born in Jones county, Iowa, April 29, 1862, and he is the son of Cheney O. and Elizabeth A. (Starry) Byam.  The paternal grandfather, Jesse Clayton Byam, was a native of Wales.  The father of the subject was born in Crown Point, New York, on Lake Champlain, in Essex county; his mother, who was known in her maidenhood as Betsey L. Swinton, came from Scotland, it is supposed.  Elizabeth A. Starry was born in Jones county, Iowa, in 1841, where her parents had located in a very early day, when the country was wild and unsettled, Jones county being practically a wilderness, they having made the long overland journey from Pennsylvania.

The father, Cheney O. Byam, came to Iowa about 1854 or 1855 and settled in Jones county.  In the spring of 1868 he brought his family to Benton county this state, and bought a farm there, and on this Dan E., the subject, grew to maturity, remaining at home until he was twenty-two years of age.  After attending the public schools he took a course in Blairstown Academy.  In 1884 he came to Hubbard, Hardin county, and took a place as bookkeeper in the private bank of Eli G. Swem, in which his father purchased an interest.  There he has strict and valuable training, for Mr. Swem was very exacting and particular as to his books being kept just right.  After continuing in this position three years, Cheney O. Byam bought out the interest of his partner, becoming president of the bank and installing his son, the subject, as cashier, the latter being in  practical control of the institution and managed the same for his father in a manner that reflected much credit upon himself and to the satisfaction of the patrons of the bank and al concerned, proving to himself to be an able, alert, conscientious and progressive business man.  He continued in this position until June, 1892, when this institution, which had been known as the Bank of Hubbard, was consolidated with the Hubbard State Bank and Mr. Byam was elected cashier of the same, which position he held with his usual success and popularity until January, 1908, at which time he was elected president of the bank, the duties of which he has continued to discharge with faithfulness and according to the most modern and approved banking methods, the large and rapidly growing success and popularity of this sound, safe and conservative institution being due in no small measure to his able management.

Cheney Byam, who moved to Hubbard early in 1890 or 1891, died in September, 1891.  He was a man of fine business qualities and exemplary character, and he was highly respected by all with whom he came into contact.

Besides his banking interests, Dan E. Byam has for years dealt in farm land and live stock, dealing in North Dakota lands for the past ten years with great success in a financial way, and he is now the owner of twenty-five hundred acres there.   At one time he owned over six thousand acres in partnership with A. M. Drake, formerly of Radcliffe, now living in Minnesota.

Politically, Mr. Byam is a Republican and has long taken an abiding interest in local affairs, and has generally held some office at Hubbard, being school treasurer at present, though he is not an active aspirant for political positions.   He always supports any measure looking to the development of his community in any way.  Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and was a member of the local lodge of Knights of Pythias until they surrendered their charter.   He and his wife belong to the Methodist church and are liberal supporters of the same.

On June 8, 1887, Mr. Byam was united in marriage with Kitty Kerr, a lady of culture and refinement, the daughter of Joseph A. and Rebecca (Seibert) Kerr, an excellent and worthy old family.  She was born at Ridott, Stephenson county, Illinois, and came to Hubbard, Hardin county, Iowa, in 1883, her father having bought a farm within the corporate limits of Hubbard.  He lived here until March, 1887, then moved to Ames, this state.  He now lives in Oregon, his wife being deceased.   Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Byam, namely:  L. Vera, who married Glen B. Whitney, lives in Hubbard; Cheney A. and Dannie E. are the younder members of the family.

Personally, Mr. Byam is a pleasant gentleman to meet, being a genial, obliging, optimistic and well informed man, who has long been regarded as a leader in this community.

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Photos were submitted by Pete Byam.

Note from Pete Byam: "I read the bio briefly and I see a error in it. Cheney Byam was the son of Jesse Byam(6) and the Brother of Jesse Clayton/ Clayton Jesse Byam. Jesse Clayton Byam did not come from Wales. George A Byam, their 4th Great Grandfather came from Wales. Cheney's lineage is Jesse Byam (6 & 5) Jacob Byam (4 & 3) Abraham Byam (2) and George A. Byam (1) "