O. D. Hart

Although we are often prone to rail at our environments and our lack of early opportunities, often blaming these for our failures along the road toward the "heights," yet the contemplative mind must conclude that life is, after all, about what we make it. When but a boy O. D. Hart, well-known stockman of Le Mars, realized that man is master of his fate; that he is the captain of his own soul, and he set about in a laudable manner to shape his destiny on "these banks and shoals of time."

O. D. Hart is a son of David and Gertrude (Alling) Hart, natives of Massachusetts and of the state of New York, respectively. The father came West when a young man, locating in Wisconsin and engaged in farming in Jefferson county for many years. He came to Iowa in 1876 and died in this state on August 26, 1907. His family consisted of five children, four of whom are still living, O. D. Hart being the only one in Plymouth county. O. D. Hart was born in Jefferson county, Wisconsin, April 7, 1859, and there he spent his boyhood and received his education in the common schools. After leaving school he took up athletics and was a sprint runner, making excellent records. Leaving his state in 1876 he went to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a short time; thence to Waterloo and was a trainer for L. F. Walker's running team, which he coached and which under his guidance won the state championship for three years in succession. Later he went to Omaha, Nebraska, to coach a team that was named for J. M. Thurston, which team he took to New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1886, and won the world's championship. He also managed other teams at Pueblo, Colorado, and at Mankato, Minnesota, and his reputation as an athlete became international in the world of sports. In 1890 he turned his attention to breeding thoroughbred Jersey cattle and Poland China hogs at Kingsley. He was very successful from the first in this venture and soon became widely known to farmers and stockmen. In 1894 he sold one sow for fifteen hundred and fifty dollars, the highest price ever paid for an animal of that kind up to that time. At this writing he has a large heard of thoroughbred Jersey cattle and also of Poland China hogs. He has shipped his fine animals to nearly all the states in the Union, finding a very ready market for them, owing to their superior quality. He is the only breeder of Jersey cattle in Plymouth county, and was one of the first to breed Poland China hogs here. He has always been among the prize winners at the Iowa and South Dakota state fairs, carrying off all the prizes offered on such stock one year at the South Dakota fair, and also repeated this unusual record at the Iowa State fair at Sioux City the same year.

In 1884, at Albert Lea, Minnesota, O. D. Hart was married to Alice Huggins, a daughter of J. P. Huggins, and to their union six children have been born, namely: Raymond, who married Mary Miller and has one child, Robert; Marvel, who married George Stevens and has one child, Ruth; Oscar, John, Nelson and George, who are at home with their parents. Mr. Hart is a Republican.

Sam C. Harvey

The success which has come to Sam C. Harvey, a retired farmer of Le Mars, is directly traceable to the salient points in his character, for he started in life practically at the bottom of the ladder, which he has mounted with little aid from any source, although meeting with the usual obstacles that confront most men of ambition.  With a mind capable of planning he combines a will strong enough to execute his well-formulated purposes, and his energy, sound judgment and perseverance have resulted in the accumulation of a good property.

Sam C. Harvey was born in Montreal, Canada, May 12, 1852, a son of David and Catherine (Clarke) Harvey, both natives of Ayreshire, Scotland.  The father was seven years old when his parents brought him to Canada, and the mother was five years old when her parents emigrated to that country with her.  They grew up in Canada, attended the common schools, he being educated at St. Regis, on the St. Lawrence river, at which place he resided for a period of about sixty years.  He came to Le Mars, Iowa in 1872, locating in Union township, Plymouth county, taking up a homestead, which he improved and finally had an excellent farm here of two hundred and forty acres, on which he established the family home.  He was advanced in years when he came here and most of the harder work on the place was done by his sons.  David Harvey, Jr., his youngest son, still lives on the homestead.  There the death of the father occurred in 1907 at the unusual age of ninety-six years, his wife having preceded him to the grave in January, 1902, at the age of eighty-two years.  They were members of the Presbyterian church.  Politically, David Harvey was a Republican and stanch in his political beliefs.  To these parents ten children were born, namely;  Mrs. Mary Cattnach, now deceased; Elizabeth, widow of J. E. Brown, who lives on the old home place in Union township; Jeanette, the wife of James Reid, of Huntington, Canada; Sarah, the wife of George Sackett, of Holyoke, Massachusetts; Robert, who is engaged in the lumber and coal business at Huron, South Dakota; John, who died in Massachusetts after devoting his life to the hotel business; Sam C., the subject of this sketch; James who was a farmer in Union township, this county, and who died on August 18, 1916; David, Jr., who is farming on the old home place, and Cassie, who married John W. Warner and is now deceased.

Sam C. Harvey spent his boyhood in Canada, where he attended the public schools.  He lived at home until he was twenty years old.  He came to Iowa in 1872 and on the day of his arrival in Plymouth county he bought eighty acres of wild land in Union township, which he cleared, improved and lived on for a period of thirty-eight years, during which time he saw the county grow from practically a wilderness to its present high state of civilization.  Mr. Harvey carried on general farming and stock raising, owning from time to time some fine horses; in fact, he has always dealt in horses, of which he is a good judge.  He also raised Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs.  He added to his original farm, as he prospered through hard work and good management. until he owned two hundred and forty acres of valuable land, but he has sold it all but eighty acres - - his original homestead.  He also owns nine hundred and sixty acres in Canada.  He operated a threshing outfit for many years in his earlier career, and in 1871 his right arm was so badly injured in an accident while threshing that it had to be amputated.  He retired from active farming in 1910, and moved to Le Mars, where he purchased his present modern home on Main street.

On September 10, 1878, Sam C. Harvey was married to Susan Saunders, who also was born in Canada, a daughter of William and Catherine (Leach) Saunders, natives of Canada, from which country they came to Iowa in 1869, Mr. Saunders securing a homestead in Marion township, Plymouth county, which he later sold, buying land near Hawarden, in the neighboring county of Sioux, where he and his wife spent the rest of their lives.  They were members of the Presbyterian church.  To Mr. and Mrs. Harvey eight children have been born, namely;  Mrs. John Raynard, who lives in Saskatchewan, Canada;  Mrs. John Adamson, who lives in Monterey, California;  Mrs. Thomas Alcock, who lives in Oregon;  Thomas, deceased; George, who lives in Emerson, Nebraska;  William, who makes his home at Eastline, North Dakota;  Robert (deceased),  who lived at Grand Junction, Colorado;  Mrs. Hiram Mudgett, the seventh child lives in North Dakota.

Politically, Mr. Harvey is a Republican.  He has served as justice of the peace, also as assessor for ten years, and was school director and treasurer for ten years.  He attends the Presbyterian church.

John Hoffman, a well-known and successful farmer and a former hotel proprietor at Remsen, was born in Luxemburg on December 10, 1848, the son of John and Mary Hoffman, also natives of Luxemburg, where they were married.  The elder John Hoffman was a small farmer in his native land and he and his family continued to live in the Fatherland until 1871, when they came to Iowa and located in Mills county, where Mr. Hoffman purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land, which he developed and improved and there he engaged in general farming until the time of his death.  He and his wife were prominent in the social and the religious life of that community, active members of the Catholic church and took much interest in church work.  They were the parents of eleven children, eight of whom are now living, but of whom John and his brother, J. N. Hoffman, are the only ones who reside in Plymouth county.

The junior John Hoffman received his education in the public schools of his native Luxemburg, and in 1862, when fourteen years of age, he went to France, where he worked as a farm hand for six years, at the end of which time he engaged in the butcher business and was thus engaged for two years.  He was in the commissary department of the German army for a short time during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.  During his residence in France Mr. Hoffman learned to read and write the French language and is now able to read and write in German, French and English  In 1879 he decided to come to the United States.  He located at Council Bluffs on January 3, 1871, and in that neighborhood was engaged as a farm hand for two years, after which he worked for his father for one year and was then married, after which he engaged in farming for himself.  He rented a farm for four years in Mills county, after which he came to Plymouth county, locating on Deep creek, in Meadow township, where he rented for three years, after which he purchased one hundred and sixty acres in that township, paying for the same seven dollars and acre.  He owned that farm a short time and then traded it for property in Remsen, where he established the well-known Hoffman House, which he conducted successfully until 1903,  when he sold the place and engaged in the butcher business for two years.  He then retired from the butcher business and bought eighty acres of land, a part of which is in the city limits of Remsen, and is considered the most valuable farm land in that section of the county.  There he and his son are engaged in general farming and the raising of fine Jersey hogs, having some of the best hogs in the county.  They take much pride in their stock, are careful of their breeding and give their hogs the best of care.

On January 7, 1874, John Hoffman was united in marriage to Margaret Kraber, and to this union eleven children have been born, eight of whom are living, Margaret, J. N., Lena, Mary, Francis, Henry, Katherine and Etta.  Margaret Hoffman married Frank Wentz.  Mary Hoffman married Doctor Stewart.  Francis Hoffman is teaching school at Casper, Wyoming.  Henry Hoffman lives at Los Angeles, California.  Katherine Hoffman is a Red Cross nurse, serving with the United States army on the Mexican border, and Etta Hoffman is a trained nurse.  The family are active members of the Catholic church and are prominent in the social and the religious life of the community, highly regarded by all who know them.

John Hoffman has always taken much interest in local affairs, and has ever advocated the maintenance of the best of schools.  In the early history of the township he, with Mr. Aline and Martin Seibold, were instrumental in the establishment of the first parochial school in Remsen.  Mr. Hoffman was president of the school board for nine years and served as trustee of the Remsen township for a number of years.  He is identified with the Democratic party and is recognized as one of the substantial and successful men of the county.  He is perhaps one of the best-known men in his section of the country and has a personality that identifies him as a man of ability and a leader in whatever he undertakes.  He has had much to do with the development and the growth of the township and the city of Remsen, where he is so well and favorably known.

John P. Hoffman, one of the substantial and progressive farmers of Union township, this county, proprietor of a half section of land in that township and for years actively identified with the work of developing the best interests of that part of the county, was born on a farm in Stevenson county, Illinois, October 5, 1861, son of Jacob and Barbara Hoffman, natives of Germany, whose last days were spent in Illinois.

Jacob Hoffman was reared to farming in his native land and after his marriage farmed there until 1853, in which year he and his wife came to the United States and settled in the neighborhood of Freeport, Illinois, where he presently bought a farm and there he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives.  They were the parents of seven children, of whom five are still living, three of these, Louis, Mrs. Kate Berner and the subject of this sketch, making their homes in Plymouth county.

John P. Hoffman was reared on the home farm in Stephenson county, Illinois, and in the schools in the neighborhood of the same, obtained his schooling.  He early began farming on his own account and rented a farm in his home county until 1894, in which year he and his brother, Louis Hoffman, came to this county and bought a half section of land in Union township, the place where John P. Hoffman now lives.  For some years the brothers operated that farm in partnership and then John P. Hoffman bought his brother's interest in the place and has since owned the well-improved tract of three hundred and twenty acres, on which he is engaged in general farming and stock raising and which he has brought up to a high state of cultivation.  He has a fine farm plant, including a silo with a capacity of one hundred and forty tons and annually feeds about one hundred head of hogs and a couple of carloads of cattle.  He owns a tractor and in other features of his farm equipment demonstrates the up-to-date character of his farming.  Mr. Hoffman is a Democrat, but has not been included in the office-seeking class.  He is a member of the local lodge of the Modern Woodmen of America, in the affairs of which he takes a warm interest, and was formerly banker of the same.

In 1907 John P. Hoffman was united in marriage to Fredia Roller and to this union one child has been born, a son, Alvin J..  Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman are members of the German Lutheran church at Le Mars and take a proper interest in the various beneficences of the same, as well as in the general social activities of the community in which they live and are helpful in promoting all worthy causes thereabout.

George Hotham  

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 good 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 standards set by the leading men have been high and their influence such as to mould the characters and shape the lives of those with whom they mingle. In placing George Hotham, of Le Mars, in the front rank of such men, justice is rendered a biographical fact recognized throughout this locality by those who have come in contact with him during his residence here since the early pioneer days.  

George Hotham was born in Scarboro, Yorkshire, England, April 14, 1862. He is a son of John and Mary (Roundell) Hotham, both natives of England. The father was an army man and was captain of horse artillery in the British army for many years, finally retiring and locating on his estate, "Scaftworth," near Scarboro, where his death occurred in 1882 at the age of seventy years, his widow surviving until 1898, she reaching the age of seventy-two years. They were members of the Church of England. One of their sons is Admiral Sir Charles F. Hotham, G. C. B., K. C., V. O. He entered the English navy when thirteen years old, became a distinguished officer and retired in March, 1914, with the rank of admiral. He is now living in London. His brother, Col. John Hotham, of the horse artillery of the British army, has been a member of the same since he was twenty years old, and is now in the service in Cairo, Egypt. Another brother, Major William Hotham, is a member of the One Hundred and Seventh Infantry, having spent his life in the service, and is now (1916), at the front with the army in Europe. George Hotham, the subject of this sketch, was the next child in order of birth. The only daughter, Mary Hotham, is the youngest of the family, and is living in London.  

George Hotham grew to manhood at Scarboro, England, and was given an excellent education, attending school at Rugby, also at Coblentz, Germany, and at Oxford University, from the latter of which he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He has continued a student all his life and is an exceptionally well-informed man, not only with reference to the world's best literature but on the current topics of the times; however, he is a plain, unassuming gentleman, with no desire for public leadership or the plaudits of his fellow men. Upon leaving the university Mr. Hotham came to the United States, proceeding on out to Iowa and locating on a farm ten miles south of Le Mars, where he engaged in general farming and stock raising successfully until he sold the place in 1886. He is now living in a beautiful and well-appointed modern house at 1306 Eagle street, in Le Mars.  

On May 6, 1896, George Hotham was married to Louise Neumeister, who was born in Plymouth township, this county, where she grew to womanhood and attended school. She is a daughter of John C. and Caroline (Long) Neumeister, both natives of Germany, from which country they came to America and became pioneers in Plymouth county, engaging in farming here until they retired from active life some time ago. John C. Neumeister is now living in Sioux City, his wife being deceased. They had seven children, namely: William, who is farming in Washington state; Caroline, the widow of Sam Callfas and lives in Le Mars; Anna, who married Walter Bolton and lives in South Dakota; Mary, who married Gus Schultz and is now deceased; Louise, wife of the subject of this sketch; George, who lives in Idaho; and Walter, who lives in Sioux city, Iowa.