History of
Plymouth County, Iowa
Indianapolis, Ind.: B. F. Bowen, 1917
E
Charles D. Eberhard, a well-to-do and prominent farmer of Liberty township,
Plymouth county, Iowa, was born at Galena, Illinois, in 1861, being the son of
David and Barbara (Holch) Eberhard, both of whom were natives of Germany, the
father having been born in Baden-Baden and the mother in Wurtemburg.
David Eberhard received his education in the public schools of his native
land and lived there until 1856, when he came to the United States with his
father, Michael Eberhard, who settled in Illinois, where he established a home
on a farm, and were he died some years later. In 1860, David Eberhard was united
in marriage to Barbara Holch, who had come to America some years before and,
with her parents, had settled at Galena, Illinois. Eight years later, Mr. and
Mrs. Eberhard came to Plymouth county, Iowa, and here Mr. Eberhard took a
pre-emption of forty acres, for which he paid one dollar and twenty-five cents
per acre, and a homestead of eighty acres, all of which was in section 12,
Liberty township. He built a small one-room shanty on the pre-emption, where he
lived until the fall of 1869, at which time he had proved up on the forty acres,
and then moved the house over on the homestead. In the spring of 1869, he
returned to Illinois and brought the family to the new home on the plains. The
trip was made overland, with a wagon and four horses. The family brought
provisions to last them for a year and were thus prepared to devote their time
to the development of their farm. The first year saw thirty acres of the tough
prairie sod broken and ready for cultivation, but there were no crops to gather
until 1871. Then for some years the greater part of his crops were destroyed by
the grasshoppers.
The family lived in the first house for eleven years, when a better, though
small, frame house was erected. Mr. Eberhard continued to engage in general
farming, with success, until 1892. He purchased more land and was the owner of
two hundred acres when he retired to Merrill, where he died in 1905; the wife
and mother died in 1904.
David and Barbara Eberhard were the parents of the following children:
Charles D., Elizabeth, Bertha, John, Amelia, Herma, Julia, Henry, Jacob and one
that died in infancy. Bertha is the wife of Ernest Stohsner and lives at Santa
Clara, California; John is with a telephone company at Lane, South Dakota;
Amelia married William Haden, of Merrill, Iowa; Julia is the wife of L. E.
Ansmon, of Wessington Springs, South Dakota; Henry is at Ash Creek, South
Dakota, and Jacob is farming near Hinton, Iowa.
Charles E. Eberhard received his education in the old sod school house near
his fathers homestead. He remained at home until he was twenty years of age,
when he went to California, where he resided for nine years. In 1890 he returned
to Plymouth county and assumed the management of his father's farm, in
partnership with his brother, John. For three years this partnership continued,
when Charles D. managed it for the next five years alone. He then purchased the
entire farm, of two hundred acres, at sixty-five dollars per acre, since which
time he has made many improvements. In 1913 he remodeled the house and today has
one of the splendid two-story houses of the township. He has a fine barn,
forty-two by one hundred feet, with a hay capacity of one hundred and twenty
tons. His buildings are all practically new and are kept in the highest state of
repair. In 1900 he purchased two hundred acres of land in sections 11 and 12,
for which he paid one hundred dollars per acre, and now values it at two hundred
dollars per acre, and on the home place he will not place a value.
Mr. Eberhard is engaged in general farming and stock raising and is active in
the operation of the larger part of his large farm, only a part of it being
rented. He raises a large number of both cattle and hogs, in addition to the
many that he buys for fattening purposes. In addition to his many cattle, he
generally has some one hundred and sixty head of hogs and twenty-two horses.
On March 6, 1894, Charles E. Eberhard was united in marriage to Minnie Kalas,
and to this union the following children have been born; Harold, Walter, Carl,
Rudolph, Willard, Eldon and Ruth. Mr. and Mrs. Eberhard are active members of
the Evangelical Lutheran church, of which Mr. Eberhard is a liberal supporter.
They have long been active in the social life of the township and are held in
the highest regard by all who know them. Politically, Mr. Eberhard is identified
with the Republican party and has had much to do with the civic and business
life of the township and the county. For eight years he served as clerk of the
township and was for a number of years clerk of the school board.
James J. Elliott
Among the well-known and successful farmers and stockmen
of Elgin township, Plymouth county, is James J. Elliott, who was born at Dover
Center, Ohio, on January 18, 1851, the son of William and Louisa (Parfitt)
Elliott.
William and Louisa Elliott were born in England and there
they received their education and grew to maturity and were married.
William Elliott learned the joiners mill-wright trade, at which he worked in his
native land for some years. Some time after his marriage Mr. Elliott came
to the United States and for a time located at Rockport, Ohio, where he followed
his trade and then established himself at Dover Center and he purchased a farm,
and for the rest of his life he engaged in general farming and stock raising,
with success. Mr. and Mrs. Elliott were the parents of ten children, eight
of whom are still living, but James J. is the only one who lives in Plymouth
county.
James J. Elliott received his education in the schools of
Dover Center and there grew to manhood on the home farm, where he assisted his
father with the work and later rented the place for five years. In 1882 he
left the farm in Ohio and came to Iowa, where he purchased his present farm in
Elgin township. Here he and his brother, Henry, farmed the place together
for three years, when his brother went to Chicago, Illinois. The farm at
first consisted of one hundred and twenty acres, which has since been increased
to three hundred and twenty acres and is known as the "Rose Valley Stock
Farm," and is one of the finest in the township. Here Mr. Elliott is
successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising. He raises on an
average one hundred acres of corn each year and fifty acres of small grain, and
keeps a large number of cattle, hogs and sheep, and is today recognized as one
of the most successful farmers of this section.
When he came to the county, Mr. Elliott had but little
means, and it has been by hard work and rigid economy that Mr. Elliott and
family have succeeded. They devoted their best interests to their work and
being good managers, were soon on the road to success. He saw the great
possibilities in the soil of this district and soon possessed himself of a farm.
He believes in intensive farming, insofar as it can be carried on in this
section, and the raising of much stock. His stock is of the best and his
fields are evidence of the high cultivation which they receive.
In 1886 James J. Elliott was united in marriage to Ella
Spicer, and to this union five children were born, four of whom are now living
as follow; William Garfield, Leontine Edna, James John, Vernon Donaldson and
Henry Clinton, the one that is deceased. Leontine Edna, before her
marriage, taught several years in the Plymouth county schools. She is now
the wife of Louis Croston and they are the parents of five children, whose names
are Druella, Clarence, Frank, Margaret and Robert. The other children of
the family are single and at home, working on the "Rose Valley Stock
Farm."
Mr. and Mrs. Elliott and family are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church and have always taken much interest in all branches
of church work. For eight years Mr. Elliott was superintendent of the Dover,
Ohio, Sunday school, and during his administration the school met with much
success.
Mr. and Mrs. Elliott have a beautiful country home, all of
the improvements having been placed by them. The house is a substantial
and convenient structure and modern in every respect and the barn and other
outbuildings are constructed for durability and comfort, and add much to the
value and beauty of the place. The home is nicely located and presents a
commanding view from the surrounding country.
Mr. Elliott has always taken a keen interest in local
affairs and has been much interested in the development of the schools and the
general growth and prosperity of the township. He is identified with the
Republican party and has served his district for a number of years as school
director. His acquaintance extends over the greater part of the county and
he has many stanch friends in all sections of this commonwealth.
Thomas L. Elliott
Many of the descendants of those hardy people who lived in
Scotland, the historic and romantic land of Bruce and Burns, have become honored
and respected citizens of the United States, where they have distinguished
themselves in art and literature, in the business world, in science, and as
tillers of the soil. Among the number who trace their direct lineage to
Scotch origin, is Thomas L. Elliott, one of the substantial citizens of Perry
township, Plymouth county, who was born in Brant county, Canada, on November 3,
1844, and is the son of Isaac and Mary (Elliott) Elliott.
Thomas Elliott, the paternal grandfather, was a native of
Scotland, and there engaged in farming. Isaac Elliott was born in England,
as was his wife. They received their education in that country, and after
their marriage came to America, locating in Brant county, Canada. There
they established their home on a farm, where the father died in 1846. Mr.
and Mrs. Elliott were the parents of one child, Thomas L., the subject of this
sketch.
Thomas L. Elliott received his education in the schools of
Canada, and was there married on January 19, 1870 to Nancy Frazer, who was born
on May 2, 1844, and died on February 10, 1910. Mrs. Elliott was the
daughter of John and Nancy (Clark) Frazer, who were natives of Scotland.
In 1871 Thomas L. Elliott and wife left their Canadian home and came to the
United States and landed at Sioux City. On March 24, of that year, they
came to Plymouth county, where Mr. Elliott worked as a farm hand for a
time. He also, on March 27, 1871, pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres
of land in Perry township in section 8. Here he had a splendid opportunity
to show his worth as a pioneer farmer on the broad plains of Iowa. He
entered into the development of the place with the spirit of one who is
determined to succeed. A house was built and other farm buildings erected,
and in time Mr. Elliott became a prosperous farmer. He purchased more land
and is today the owner of four hundred acres of excellent land, all of which is
under high cultivation and well improved. The grove which he planted is
one of the finest in this section, and his buildings are all substantial and
well kept. He and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church in
Canada, but never transferred their membership to the church of this county.
Mr. Elliott has long been recognized as one of the most
substantial citizens of Plymouth county, and is held in high regard. He
served his township as trustee., during which time the official duties of the
office received the same care that Mr. Elliott always gave to his own
business. For the past twenty years he has given much attention to the
breeding of Chester White hogs and has raised and fattened many Shorthorn
cattle.
Thomas L. and Nancy Elliott were the parents of the
following children; Nelson Z., Clarence, James W., and Garnet W.
Nelson Z. married Elsie Griffith, daughter of Samuel Griffith and wife of
Leeds, Iowa. Nelson Z. Elliott, who was born on October 21, 1872, is now
the oldest living native-born resident of Perry township. He lives on the
home place and operates the farm in connection with his own farm of eighty acres
in the township. Clarence is a resident of St. Joseph, Missouri, where he
is a government inspector of meats. His wife was Vera Prindle. James
W. Elliott married Myrtle Van Dusen, and their home is in Burlington,
Vermont. where Mr. Elliott is professor of civil engineering in the State
University. Garnet W. married Martha Sterling and they are living on a farm in
the Rainy river district, Canada.
Few men in Plymouth county are held in greater respect
than is Thomas L. Elliott. Coming to the county as he did, a young man in full
vigor in an early day, he has had much to do with the development of the
district. Being a man of broad views he always advocated the highest class
of improvements, and was a strong advocate of the best school system possible.
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