Niles H. Spears
Among the citizens of Westgate, Fayette county, Iowa, who have long occupied a conspicuous position among the leading men of the community is the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this sketch. A man of sterling integrity, marked business ability and genial disposition, he has not only earned the respect of his business associates, but has gained for himself the good will of all who have come in contact with him.
Niles H. Spears was born February 26, 1843, in Erie county, Ohio, and is the son of Nathan W. and Susan Maria (Toogood) Spears, both of whom were natives of New York state. The father had become a woolen manufacturer at Birmingham, Ohio, where for several years he was successfully engaged in business. Later he moved to Tecumseh, Michigan, where he operated a woolen mill for five years. August 23, 1855, he came to Fayette county, Iowa, driving through with three yoke of oxen and a span of horses, a combination which in those early days was a common sight. He located on land in section 21, Fremont township, his having been the honor of naming the township, after General Fremont, the "Pathfinder." There were but seven or eight other families in the township at that time and but little progress had been made in the way of improvements. Mr. Spears obtained a half section of government land, which he improved and on which he resided until his death.
Nathan W. Spears took an intelligent interest in public affairs and was a stanch Republican in his political opinions. He rendered good service to the community as a justice of the peace and as postmaster. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which they gave an earnest and liberal support. Mr. Spears was twice married, first to Eliza Tainter, and to this union were born the following children: William, deceased; James V., who died in Michigan; Sabra Jane died in childhood; Jessie M. died in South Dakota. By [his] marriage with Susan Maria Toogood the following children were born: Charles G., who now resides near Waterloo, Iowa, served three years during the Civil War as a member of Company F, Thirty-eighth Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry; Jane is the wife of L.C. Head of Sumner, Iowa; Frank M. died in Duluth, Minnesota; Niles H., the subject of this sketch; Mary L. became the wife of P.H. Winnegar, who died August 3, 1910, in the old Spears homestead in Fremont township, this county; Daniel H., who died at Sedalia, Missouri, in 1864, was a member of Company C, Twelfth Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry; Sarah E. is the wife of L.B. Gillett of Sumner, Iowa.
The subject of this sketch remained under the parental roof until he was eighteen years of age, receiving his early education under the direction of his father, who was a successful school teacher for a number of years.
On September 15, 1861, he enlisted in Company C., Twelfth Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He was first sent to Camp Union, at Dubuque, being later sent to Benton Barracks, St. Louis, and on January 27, 1862, to Smithland, Kentucky, where he remained in camp until the 5th of the following February, when he went by boat up the river to Fort henry, marching across country from there to the Cumberland river, at Fort Donelson. They then returned to Mettle's Landing, on the Tennessee river, and thence by boat to Shiloh, where his command engaged in battle with the enemy on April 6 and 7, 1862. The regiment then marched to Corinth, Mississippi, assisting in the capture of that city, later going into camp at Danville, ten miles south of that city. On the 3d of October they returned to Corinth and participated in the battle of that day and the day following. At ten o'clock on the morning of the second day's fight Mr. Spears was shot in the left hand and was sent to the hospital at Columbus, Kentucky, and subsequently was transferred to the hospital at Keokuk, Iowa, where he remained until the Spring of 1863, when he went to Davenport, Iowa, and rejoined the regiment. He was home on a twenty-one day furlough, and in March, 1863, he returned to St. Louis, and on April 14th went to Duckport, Mississippi, where he remained until May 2d. The regiment then marched to below Vicksburg, crossed the Mississippi river on May 10th and participated in the battle at Jackson. The regiment went to Vicksburg May 19th and participated in the siege of that city, which culminated in its surrender on July 4th. On the 9th of the same month they returned to Jackson. On the 1st day of July the subject was captured by the Confederates while he was on a foraging trip, but after marching about two miles he succeeded in effecting his escape and returned to his command. The regiment went into camp at Black river after the evacuation of Jackson by the enemy and remained there until November 6th, when they marched to Vicksburg, and from there to Memphis, Tennessee, and thence to LaGrange, the same state. On the 16th the regiment went into winter quarters and on January 5, 1864, Mr. Spears re-enlisted as a veteran in the same company and regiment. On January 26th they returned to Memphis and on February 1st they took boat for Vicksburg. From there they marched to Black river, where they remained until March 4th, when they returned to Vicksburg and on the 7th took boat for Memphis and thence went up the river to St. Louis and on to Davenport, Iowa, where they arrived March 22, 1864. Mr. Spears was at home on a veteran furlough of thirty days and on April 28th he returned to Davenport, and from there to St. Louis, Missouri, Cairo, Illinois, Memphis, Tennessee, Mobile, Alabama, White River, Arkansas, returning to Memphis June 18th. From there they were transported in box cars to Collinsville, Tennessee, marching from there to LaGrange, that state, where they spent July 5th. Going then to Ripley and New Albany, and thence on to Tupelo, where they engaged the enemy on July 14th and 15th. On the following day they took train for Memphis, but after the battle of Tupelo they returned to LaGrange, going from there to Coldwater. On August 2d they advanced on Holly Springs, where they remained until August 13th. After a skirmish with the enemy, they marched to Oxford, and thence to Memphis, where they took boat down the Mississippi river to White river and up that stream to Duvall's Bluffs, and on the 10th they started on the march for Brownsville, Arkansas. On September 11th they started in pursuit of Price on Little Red river, going to the Ozark mountains and then to Greenville, Missouri, on October 2d and to Cape Girardeau on the 5th. After nineteen days marching, during which they covered a distance of three hundred and thirty-six miles, they were conveyed by boat to St. Louis. From there they went up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to Jefferson City, Missouri, and on the 18th of October they went to Sedalia, Missouri, thence to Independence, Blue River and Kansas City, marching all day and all night in order to intercept General Price. From Blue River on October 23d they marched thirty-seven miles in twenty-four hours, and after a three-day rest, they marched one hundred and seventy-six miles in eight days, after which they started on the return march of three hundred miles to St. Louis. This was a trying trip and the soldiers were compelled to sleep in hay stacks and other sheltered spots in order to keep warm. They arrived at St. Louis on November 16th and on the 24th they went to Nashville where they joined the army of General Thomas which was engaged in repelling Hood's invasion. On December 10th they Union forces attacked General hood and drove him back to Franklin. They went to Lawrenceburg and Waynesboro, and on January 26, 1865, they took transports at Clifton for Eastport, Mississippi, where they went into winter quarters. Running short of provisions, they were compelled to subsist for an entire week on corn. On February 5th they went to Cairo, Illinois, and on the 10th to Vicksburg, Mississippi, going into camp on the 13th at Walnut Hills. On the 18th they took boat for New Orleans and on the 21st the regiment camped on Gen. Andrew Jackson's old battlefield. On March 2d the regiment marched to Lake Ponchartrain, and there took boat for Lake Borgue and Dauphin Island. They went up Fish river opposite Spanish Fort and on April 8th they captured Spanish Fort first and then Fort Blakely. On April 13th they started for Montgomery, Alabama, reaching that place on the 25th of April. On May 10th the regiment marched to Selma, where they remained in camp throughout the summer. On September 25th they went to Talladega, going from there to Jacksonville, where they were engaged in provost duty until December 25th. On January 2, 1866, the regiment was sent to Memphis, and on the 25th of that month they were mustered out of the service. Mr. Spears served through the war as a private, though at times he was placed in responsible positions, having acted as wagon master of the Sixteenth Army Corps, having charge of the ammunition and supply train. After his discharge he went to Davenport, Iowa, and was paid off.
On his return to Iowa Mr. Spears lived on the old homestead farm in Fremont township, where he remained until 1887, when he went to Westgate, where for several years he was engaged in the mercantile business. On April 16, 1901, he entered upon the active discharge of his duties as postmaster of Westgate. He has given to this office his best efforts and has administered its affairs to the entire satisfaction of the patrons of the office and his official superiors.
Fraternally Mr. Spears is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, holding membership in Sunnyside Lodge, No. 510, at Maynard, Iowa, and his wife and daughter are members of the auxiliary order of the Eastern Star, at Sumner. Mr. Spears keeps alive his old army associations through his membership in Reynolds Post, No. 47, Grand Army of the Republic, at Maynard. Politically he is a stanch Republican and served in a number of official positions, including those of trustee of Fremont township and member of the school board, of which he was president. He is the present mayor of Westgate, his ability and popularity being evidenced in the fact that he is now serving his third consecutive term in this office.
On November 28, 1872, Mr. Spears was united in marriage to Annie M. Bane, of Portland, Ohio, the daughter of James and Ann W. (Richard) Bane, the latter having been a native of historic Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. James Bane, who was born near Wheeling, West Virginia, was for a number of years engaged in the commission business in partnership with his father at Portland, Ohio. In 1864 he came to Fayette county, Iowa, and secured a half section of good land, located a mile north of Westgate, where he conducted farming operations up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1873, at the age of sixty years. His wife survived him many years, dying September 24, 1909, at the age of eighty-nine years. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, his wife being a Quaker. They were the parents of four children, namely: Mary E., who died in 1887, was the wife of W.O. Sales, by whom she had a daughter, who is now the wife of Dr. W.H. Emmons, of Burr Oak, Iowa; Annie M., wife of Mr. Spears; J.R., of Oelwein, Iowa; I.W., of Des Moines, Iowa. To Mr. and Mrs. Spears has been born a daughter, Stella W. The latter received her elementary education in the public schools, subsequently attending Drake University, at Des Moines. She studied music under the well-known teacher, Emil Liebling, of Chicago, later under W.H. Pontius, at Dubuque, Iowa, and also under good teachers at Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is now engaged as a teacher with W.H. Pontius in the Minneapolis School of Music and expects to complete her music studies in Europe.
Mr. Spears enjoys a wide acquaintance throughout Fayette county and numbers his friends by the number of his acquaintances. He is a man of splendid personal qualities, marked business ability and unquestioned integrity of character and is numbered among the practical, conservative and reliable citizens of the county, in which he has spent so many years. He is entitled to particular respect because of his military record, a record of which he may well feel proud.
Typed for the Fayette Co IAGenWeb Project by Mary Thiele Fobian
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