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Clarence M. Deming

Success has been worthily obtained by Clarence M. Deming, who is today counted one of the industrious farmers and substantial citizens of Fairfield township, and by hard work and close application he has won his present station in life, rather than depend upon influential friends to show him the road to comfort and prosperity. He was born January 30, 1861, in this county, and is the son of George and Mary (Mead) Deming, his father a native of Ohio and the mother born in Michigan. They were married in Fayette county, Iowa, in 1860 and began their married life on rented land. In 1865 they purchased forty acres in section 25, and made this their home until 1889, when they moved to Arlington, having been successful in farming their place in Fairfield township.  The mother died in 1874, and is buried in Reed’s cemetery. The father is now living at the age of seventy-four years, making his home with his daughter, who keeps house for him.

Mr. Deming is a well known and respected citizen, and although he has been in failing health for some years he retains his fortitude and cheerfulness which has characterized his life in the past and made him many friends wherever he has cast his lot. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. George Deming, six of whom are living at this writing, namely: Effie, Mrs. Flower; Hattie, Mrs. Richards; Florence, Mrs. Rawson; Bertha is clerking is a store; Fern married a Mr. Foster; those deceased are Glenn and Lottie.

Clarence M. Deming received a common school education in the schools of his native community and in his youth assisted with the work on the home place.

On January 1, 1889, he married Ida Stetter, daughter of Rev. George Stetter, of the German Methodist church, having filled the pulpits in his regular charges at Sioux City, Freeport, Iowa, and Galena, Illinois. He is a native of Germany and a man of much influence in the church. Mr. and Mrs. Deming began their married life on his present farm of one hundred and twenty acres in section 26, in Fairfield township.

It is safe to say that there are few farmers in Fayette county who have more or better improvements on their farms than have been placed here by Mr. Deming. Whatever he does is done well, and thoroughness, close application and persistency have been keynotes to his success.

Besides general farming, he has long handled a great deal of stock and is a breeder of some excellent grades. He has prepared his buildings for watering and feeding where he can take the very best care of all kinds of stock. His farm seems well adapted to the raising of grains, grasses,--in fact, most anything suited to this latitude. He has a neat and substantial home and splendid outbuildings of all kinds.

Fraternally, Mr. Deming is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and, politically, he is a Republican. Mrs. Deming and her daughters take much interest not only in beautifying the home, but in poultry raising and the general success of the farm. The two daughters are Pearl, born December 20, 1890, and Emogene, born November 29, 1894; they both have a good common school education.

~transcribed for the Fayette Co IAGenWeb Project by Mary Aldrich)