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Pocahontas County >> 1904 Index The Pioneer History of Pocahontas County,
Iowa L Unless otherwise noted, biographies submitted by Dick Barton.
widow of Jacob, accompanied by her three youngest sons and one daughter, located on the SW-1/4 Sec. 33 (McKillip's farm), Cedar township. The next year they secured a homestead of 80 acres on the NE-1/4 Sec. 12, on which a cabin 12x16 feet had been erected. Five years later they bought 80 acres more adjoining. In 1882 she died and the next year Frederick, the oldest son, married Louisa Lichtenburg, of Dubuque county, and William C. married Helen Halder. At this time they had acquired 240 acres. In view of the changes just mentioned these lands were sold that year. Wm. C. and Louie J. then in partnership bought the NW-1/4 Sec. 20, 160 acres, Grant township. Louie J., two years later, bought the NE-1/4 Sec. 19 and built a good house upon it, having married the previous year. Sophia Spielman. He still occupies this farm, having increased it to 280 acres and improved it with fine buildings, orchard and groves. He has been treasurer of the school funds since 1893. His family consists of seven children, May, Adelbert, Louis, Florence, Vincennes, Frederick and Dorothea. William C. increased his farm to 360 acres and improved it with large and beautiful buildings. The barn, 56x60 feet, built in 1897, is one of the best in the township. He raises horses and cattle and has the reputation of having the best draught horses in that section of the county. He was one of six that paid $2,500 in 1885 for Matchless Wonder, an imported English Shire horse. He is now a trustee of the township and served as clerk eight years. His family consists of eight children, Louisa, Ida, Josephine, Clemens, Theresa, Francis, Allouise and Margarite. Magdaline, their sister, in 1813 became the wife of Louis Fuchs (see Fuchs). Henry, their oldest brother, is a druggist at Alton, Iowa. Frederick located on a farm near Alton and died there in 1897, leaving a family of seven children. Otto is keeping store in Alton and Cornelius is in Texas. LOWREY, GAD C. (b. May 6, 1827 ), Pomeroy, one of the pioneers of Colfax township, is a native of Connecticut , the son of Ira F. and Jane (Jacobs) Lowrey. At eight years of age he moved with his parents to Lacon , Ill. , where he grew to manhood. On Aug. 30, 1849 he married Emeline F. Snell (b. Ind. Dec. 28, 1830) and 4 years later moved to LaFayette where he engaged in the manufacture of wagons and carriages as a member of the firm of Smith & Lowrey, Abraham Smith, his partner being his brother-in-law. Four years later he moved to Mineral, Bureau Co., Ill. , where he remained eleven years. At the outbreak of the Civil War his interest was manifested by making a number of stump speeches to encourage enlistments. Later he himself enlisted in a regiment of mechanics. After a short time this regiment was disbanded and he then became a member of the 93d Ill. He served until the close of the war under Gen. Logan and participated in the engagements at Vicksburg , Champion Hills, Black River and others of less importance. At the time of his discharge he was 2d Lieut. of Co. H. In the fall of 1868 he moved to Des Moines , Iowa , and a few months later to Fort Dodge . In June 1869 he located on a homestead of 80 acres on Sec. 26, Colfax township erecting a good one and one-half story house for which he prepared the frame at Fort Dodge . This was the first house on section 26 and for several years was the largest one in the township. Whilst several young men had preceded him, his was the first family to locate in the township and Jason, his son, who preceded him a short time, was one of the first to do breaking in it. He planted a large grove and orchard, and added 80 acres to the farm; but in March, 1878 moved to Pomeroy where he still resides. The house on the farm was blown away by the cyclone of April 21, 1878 , and his home in Pomeroy experienced the same fate in 1893. He has proven himself a good citizen and noble minded man. When Colfax belonged to Cedar township he was chosen a member of the school board as the first representative from that district, and the first school in it was taught in his home in 1871 by his daughter, Ida. He has been a highly respected elder of the Presbyterian church of Pomeroy since 1883. His wife, a lady of unusually fine conversational powers, has shared with him cheerfully the hardships of pioneer life and given him hearty encouragement in all matters relating to the promotion of morality and piety. In 1899 they celebrated the 50th aniversary of their marriage and received the congratulations of many friends who expressed the hope they might be spared to enjoy many more years of happy wedded life. Their family consisted of seven children. 1. Jason H. Lowrey (b. Ill June 29, 1850 ), president of the State Bank of Pomeroy, came to Iowa with his parents in 1868. Locating in Pomeroy in 1878 he found employment in the post office and insurance business until July 1, 1886 , when he became cashier of the Farmers Loan & Trust Co. bank. In July, 1892, when it was reorganized as the State Bank through his instrumentality, he became its cashier and is now president of it. The large and well appointed dwelling house he now occupies was built in 1900. He has made the public school of Pomeroy a generous gift of a library of 300 carefully chosen volumes. By this manifestation of public spirit he laid the foundation of a worthy object that will perpetuate his name among his people as one that has widely endeavored to promote the public welfare. On Nov. 6, 1876 , he married Elizabeth Garlock of Cedar township who died July 21, 1892 , leaving one child that died soon afterward. July 16, 1893 , he married Hattie, daughter of Thomas and Sarah Wells, of Calhoun county, and they have two children, Genevieve and Vivian. He was a trustee of Colfax township in 1874, and secretary of the school board 1874-75. He was recorder of Pocahontas county in 1878 and postmaster at Pomeroy five years, Jan. 1, 1879 to Jan. 1, 1884 . 2 -- Ida D. (b. Ill. March 11, 1854 ) a teacher, on Feb. 21, 1872 , became the wife of Samuel H. Gill (see Gill) and died April 25, 1878 , from injuries received during the tornado that destroyed their home in Colfax township four days previous. 3 -- Charles F. Lowrey, (b. Ill. Jan. 11, 1856 ) on May 2, 1881 , married Laura J., daughter of Alexander and Ella Lockey. They live in Fort Dodge and have a family of seven children, Clara, Jay , Frances , Lyle, Wayne, Ava and Ross. 4 -- Emma (b. July 19, 1858 ) a teacher, on June 16, 1878 , married R. M. Wilbur, a traveling salesman. They reside first at Pomeroy where she taught school several years, then at Fort Dodge , Council Bluffs and St. Paul , where she died March 15, 1886 . 5 -- Mary E., died in childhood. 6 -- Judd (b. Jan. 24, 1862 ) in 1850 married Emily Wego of Minn. He is a train dispatcher at Escanaba , Mich. , and has one child, Madge. 7 -- Smith G., (b. Jan. 13, 1865) a carpenter, on Oct. 23, 1888, married Mary Miller, lives at Pomeroy and has two children, Clyde and Bernice. Lucas,
David Crystle (b.
Jan. 17, 1842) resident of Fonda and vicinity from 1873 to 1892, was a native of
Carroll, Indiana. In 1856 he moved
with his parents to Waverly, Iowa, where Dec. 28, 1863, he married Matilda Etta
Busby (b. May 21, 1839, N. Y.) of Dubuque and engaged in farming. In 1870 he moved to Plainfield, Butler county and engaged in
the mercantile business. In 1873 he
located on a homestead in Williams township, Calhoun county, Iowa, and in 1881
moved to Fonda, where he engaged first in the livery business, then for three
years owned a half interest in the Fonda Grist Mill, which seriously embarrassed
all who invested in it. He then
decided to engage in the hotel business and, serving as proprietor of the
Central House, Fonda, one year, in 1892 moved to Meriden and two years later to
Cherokee where he has since had charge of the Cherokee House.
As a hotel keeper he has become quite popular with the traveling public
and has met with good success. Both
he and his excellent wife, early in life, became active members and efficient
workers in the Methodist church, and in Fonda, he filled for a number of
successive years the responsible positions of treasurer, steward and
superintendent of the Sunday school. He has always been a staunch friend of the
temperance cause and a leader in movements for the suppression of the saloon. His family consists of five children, Carrie, the second, having died in infancy, Jennie V., an early teacher on the Fonda schools, on March 17, 1887 married Calvin B. Saylor and lives in Lincoln township; Mabel C., a teacher in the Fonda and Rolfe schools, on June 30, 1891 married George H. Bush and lives at Fonda; Eben Parker married Claudia Myers and they both belong to the theatrical profession; Howard Harlan, a graduate of the Cherokee high school in 1899 is now filling a lucrative position in that city.
(b. 1821), a pioneer of Cedar township, is a native of Ireland. In 1847 he came alone to New York state and after a few months located at Montreal, where in 1852 he married Margaret Lawler. In 1855, he moved to Grant county, Wis., and after two years to Brownsville, the oldest town on the Mississippi in Minnesota south of St. Paul, where he superintended the quarrying of rock for its first warehouse. During the next two years he had charge of a ferryboat that plied between Dubuque and Dunleith, now East Dubuque. He then engaged in farming in Dubuque and Jackson counties until April 1869, when, with his wife and four children, he located on the homestead - s(1/2) nw(1/4) sec. 2 - Cedar township. By subsequent purchases, his farm was increased to 240 acres. One of the first schools in the township was taught in his pioneer home by Mary A. Calligan in the fall and winter of 1870. His wife died in 1890. He sold the homestead soon afterward and has since resided with his oldest son on the adjoining section in Dover township. He was a member of the Cedar township school board in 1873-74. His family consisted
of four children: 1. Michael J., owner and occupant of sw(1/4) sec.
35 Dover township. In 1877 he was president of the Cedar schoolboard.
In 1882 he was chosen as the second secretary of the school board of
Dover township and has held that office until the present time, a period
of nearly nineteen years. He was a trustee from 1880 to '85 and has
been township clerk since 1895. Oct. 25, 1878, he married Julia Kearns,
a daughter of Patrick, and she died July 7, 1898, leaving a family of
eleven children, Margaret, William, Winnifred, Julia, Catherine, Anna,
Michael, John, Ellen, Patrick and Edward. 2. James, occupant of the
se(1/4) sec. 34, Dover township, married Bridget White and has two children,
Margaret and John. 3. Mary, married Matthew Byrne and resides at Fonda.
4. William is a resident of Colorado. |
