Biographies

~ Lamb, Richard ~

Fealty to facts in the analyzation of a citizen of the type of the late Richard Lamb, of Newton, Jasper County, is all that is required to make a biographical sketch interesting to those who have at heart the good name of the community, because it is the honorable reputation of the man of standing and affairs, more than any other consideration that gives character and stability to the body politic and makes the true glory of a city or state revered at home and respected abroad. In the broad light which things of good report ever invite the name and character of Mr. Lamb stand revealed and secure and though he is remembered as a man of modest demeanor, with no ambition to distinguish himself in public position or as a leader of men, his career was signally honorable and it may be studied with profit by the youth entering upon his life work.

Mr. Lamb was born in Randolph County, North Carolina, September 9, 1829, and he was four years old when he accompanied his mother from his native hills to Hendricks County, Indiana, where he grew to manhood and received his education. His early youth was spent on the farm with his mother, two brothers and one sister, John, Caleb and Elizabeth.

The subject was about four years old when his father, Albert Lamb, died, in fact, death took him from his family while enroute to their new home in the North, to which the mother bravely pushed on and established in the Hoosier state.

Richard Lamb came to Jasper County, Iowa, in 1852, located at Newton and remained here three years. Here he met Nancy Thompson and they were married on February 25, 1855. She was born on September 3, 1834 and she was the daughter of Jerry and Jessie Thompson, of Kentucky. His parents moved from Wayne County, Kentucky, to Clinton County, Iowa, where they located on a farm. After his marriage Richard Lamb remained in Newton but a short time, when he took his mother back to Indiana, their old home, and remained there five years on a farm in Hendricks County. Later Mr. Lamb brought his wife and mother back to Newton, Iowa, in the fall of 1860, and in 1865 they bought eighty-five acres of good land and there Mr. Lamb and wife made their home for a period of twenty-three years, during which time they enjoyed a liberal reward for their labors and developed one of the choice little farms of this part of the county. Finally, his health failing, he moved back to Newton, where he continued to reside until his death, on November 13, 1912, at the cozy and neatly furnished home, No. 425 West North street, where Mrs. Lamb continues to reside.

They were the parents of two children, a daughter and a son. Frances Jane, born April 16,1856, is now the wife of E. C. Ogg, of Newton, and the mother of two sons living, Harry and George JR., the latter being now in school at Monmouth College, Illinois. Albert Lamb, the subject's other child, died in infancy.

Religiously, Richard Lamb held to the Baptist faith, and he was always a stanch Republican, taking a very active part in public affairs in his earlier years. Fraternally, he belonged to Lodge No. 59. Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at Newton, and he was also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Mr. Lamb was very successful in a material way and as he prospered through hard work and good management he added to his original eighty-five acres until he had a valuable place of two hundred acres, also a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in another part of Jasper county, which was well located and desirable land. He also owned one hundred and sixty acres of good land in Dakota, besides his home in Newton, adjoining which is one acre of land. He was one of the substantial and popular citizens of the county and, owing to his upright life, his kind and genial nature, he enjoyed the confidence, good will and friendship of all who knew him. Page 747

~ Lambert, Col. Elliott E. ~

The office of biography is not to give voice to a man's modest estimate of himself and his accomplishments, but rather to leave upon the record the verdict establishing his character by the consensus of opinion on the part of his neighbors and fellow citizens. The life of Col. Elliott E. Lambert, a leading business man of Newton, Jasper County, has been such as to elicit just f praise from those who know him best, owing to the fact that he has always been loyal to the trusts reposed upon him and has been upright in his dealings with his fellow men, at the same time lending his support to the advancement of any cause looking to the welfare of the community at large.

Colonel Lambert was born in Licking County, Ohio, January 8, 1863, and he is the son of R. K. and Cynthia (Benjamin) Lambert, both natives of Ohio. The father, who devoted his early life to farming, came to Iowa in 1868 and settled in Newton, soon buying one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he farmed until 1876, in which year he came to Newton and established the famous Lambert Hotel, which he and his wife conducted successfully for a period of twenty-eight years, the same being popular with the traveling public and known throughout this part of the country. Mr., Lambert is now living retired in Newton. He is one of the interesting pioneers and has had a varied and interesting history, a representative of that sterling type of men who constitute the bone and sinew of any country. His grandfather, Francis- Lambert, was a soldier in the War of 1812. The subject's father was a soldier in the Civil War, a faithful and efficient follower of the Stars and Stripes in many a trying campaign and hard-fought battle. He is known as a worker, a to man who does things. Although now advanced in years, having been born in 1839, he is today strong and vigorous. His wife is a woman of the fine old school who has given the world so much sweetness and refinement, hospitable and affable. Ever loyal to all that was best and truest, during all her life she has brought to her home and friends a benign and uplifting influence. She is a faithful church worker and her life has been filled with many charitable deeds. The three children in this family are all living, namely: William R. lives in Newton, Iowa; his son, Everett W., now deceased, had a national reputation as an all-around athlete; Elliott E., of this review; Belle is now the wife of Doctor Besser, of Newton.

It was in 1886 that Colonel Lambert, of this review, began business for himself, by taking up the general freighting and transfer business in Newton, which he followed for a period of seventeen years, when he sold out and engaged in the implement business there, the style of the firm being W. C. Bergman & Company, which business he conducted with his usual success for two years, after which he engaged in the general fire and life insurance business, which he has continued to the present time, his offices now being in the Scharf Building, north of the court house square. He has met with a large measure of success from the first in this line of endeavor and is one of the best-known insurance men in central Iowa.

On January 6, 1886, Colonel Lambert was united in marriage with Lizzie M. Boydston, daughter of James and Mary Boydston, the father dying soon after his daughter and the Colonel were married, and the mother died in Newton on April 10, 1910.

Four children have been born to the Colonel and wife, all of whom are all living, namely: Earl B., born October 7, 1886, is at home and employed by the American Construction Company; Harold R., born June 1, 1891, is attending the State University at Ames; Robert E., born August 27, 1893, is employed as stenographer for the Bergman Manufacturing Company; Marjory B., born September 5, 1896, is at home, and, possessing a voice of exquisite melody and sweetness, which has been carefully educated, she is well-known in musical circles.

Colonel. Lambert's military record is one of which, his relatives and friends should be justly proud. On July 15, 1888, he enlisted at Newton in Company B, Third Iowa Volunteer Infantry, National Guard. On March 9, 1889, he was elected captain of his company, in which capacity he served until April 30, 1892, when he was transferred to the Second Regiment and elected major with the rank from that date. Later he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, January 11, 1897, being mustered out May 18, 1898, and on that date he was mustered into the volunteer service with the rank of lieutenant-colonel of the Fiftieth Iowa Regiment, and for meritorious service he was promoted to colonel on August 29, 1898, being mustered out as colonel on November 30th following, at Des Moines. On February 5, 1900, he enlisted as a private in Company L, Fiftieth Regiment, Iowa National Guard, of which he was elected major on July 16, 1900. He was advanced to the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Fifty-fourth (same as the Fiftieth) Regiment,

May 2, 1904. He was appointed quartermaster on the staff of Brig-Gen. J. Rush Lincoln, commander of the First Brigade, Iowa National Guard, July 20, 1909, which position he still holds. During the Spanish-American war he was quartered at Jacksonville, Florida, having been assigned to duty with the Second' Division of the Seventh Army Corps, under command of Gen. Fitzhugh Lee. As a soldier he has acquitted himself most gallantly, and has won the admiration of his men and the praise of his superior officers.

Colonel Lambert is a member of Newton Lodge No. 59, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Gabal Chapter No. 12, Royal Arch Masons; Oriental Commandery No. 22, Knights Templar, and the Za-Ga-Zig Temple, Mystic Shrine, at Des Moines. He is past eminent in the Commandery, and has passed all the chairs in the same. He is also a member of Central Lodge No.73, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Newton Encampment No. 16, and Canton Chevalier Bayard No. 31. At the present writing he is department commander of Patriarchs Militant of Iowa, with rank of major general. He is also grand senior warden in the grand encampment of the Independent Odd Fellows of Iowa.

Colonel Lambert has also been a member of Newton's volunteer fire department for twenty-seven years, being foreman of the company and chief of the department a part of the time. At present he is vice-president of the Iowa State Firemen's Association and chairman of the pension committee of that association. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, White Pine Camp No. 22, of Newton, of which he was clerk for ten years. For some time he served as a member of the city council of Newton, being a member and chairman of the committee on streets and alleys. He has also been a member of the Newton Business Men's Association ever since its organization, and is its present secretary.

Mrs. Lambert is well known in church and social circles; she is a member of Newton Chapter No. 100, Order of the Eastern Star, of which the Colonel is past worthy patron. She is a member of Margaret Rebekah Lodge No. 237, of Newton. She was formerly president of the Twentieth Century Club of Newton. She is a steward in the Methodist Church, of which all the family are members. Page 438

~ Lamphier, Daniel ~

An honored veteran of the Civil War, a successful agriculturist and a man of sterling qualities of character, such is the briefest epitome of the gentleman whose life is outlined in the following paragraphs.

Daniel Lamphier was born in Onondaga County, New York, July 6, 1835, and was the seventh child in a family of thirteen born to Stanton and Rhoda (Brotherston) Lamphier, only three of whom are now living: Olive, the oldest child, married Charles Freeman, who died in Michigan City, Indiana; Edson and Edward both died in Michigan before reaching their maturity; Sarah, who married James Burns; Fidella, who married Charles Stone, and Clinton Lamphier all died in Michigan City, Indiana; Louisa, who died in March 1911, was the widow of William Beadle; William and Wallace, twins, died in infancy; Edson H., named for the brother who died several years before, died at South Bend, Indiana; Jared, the thirteenth child, died April 18, 1912. The subject is the only one living of thirteen children.

Stanton Lamphier was a native of New York State and his wife was a native of Connecticut. About the year 1836 Stanton Lamphier moved with his family, then consisting of seven children, from New York to Michigan, where he purchased a farm of eighty acres. But proved to be a very disastrous move. The whole family was taken sick with a fever, which was epidemic in those parts; two of the children were buried and then the father, at that time thought to be on his death-bed, vowed to God that if he was spared, that as soon as he was able to get around he would move away from the state, which he did the year following, abandoning the farm. He left money with a friend with which to pay the taxes, but the friend proved false to his trust and the farm was sold for taxes, and was a total loss to the family. When they abandoned the farm they moved to Michigan City, Indiana, where the father and mother both resided until their deaths, the father dying in 1852, at the age of fifty-two years, and the mother in 1897, at the age of seventy-seven years. In 1852 Daniel Lamphier, then a boy of not quite eighteen years of age, was married to Anna McDonald. She was a winsome Irish lassie of his own age, having been born July 3, 1835, in County, Louth, Ireland. On account of the tender age of the couple, they could not obtain a license in Indiana, and so they ran away to Michigan, where no license was required at that time, and were married at New Buffalo. Ann Lamphier was one of a family of nine children, only one of whom, Rosa, a sister, is now living, besides Mrs. Lamphier. The sister still lives in Michigan City, Indiana, where the family settled on arriving in this country from Ireland. They came over in the sailing vessel "Royalist" when Mrs. Lamphier was eleven years old. Her father's name was John McDonald and her mother's given name was Nancy. The father died in 1855 at Michigan City, at the age of sixty-five years and the mother died in Jasper County, Iowa, in 1892, at the age of seventy-seven years.

In 1852 Daniel Lamphier moved his family to Jasper County and obtained work on a farm. At the time the Civil War broke out he was living upon a rented farm in Buena Vista Township and working for himself. To him and his wife were born eight children, namely: Sarah, born February 18, 1853, in Michigan City, Indiana, is unmarried and lives at home. When but a small child she was cruelly trampled upon and clawed by a large drove of elk near their home in Jasper County; Mary Francis, born in Jasper County, July 29, 1854, married Bazzel Bell, and died June 14, 1887; James S., born in Jasper County, March 7, 1856, married Clara Lawson, and lives in Mahaska City, Iowa; Jared, born in Jasper County, June 2, 1858, died June 11, 1896, in Jasper County. He had married Ona Wingate; Albert, born in Jasper County, October 2,1860, died in 1963, while the father was serving in the army; Elma, born May 14, 1864, married William Olson, and she died m 1891; Edward, E., born March 16, 1866, lives in Buena Vista Township; he married Debby Kinzybaugh; Lucian, born July 8, 1878, married Alice Rumpler and lives in Newton, Iowa.

When the Civil War broke out, Daniel Lamphier, leaving his wife and five children, enlisted October 17, 1861, and was sworn into the United States service at Davenport, as a member of Company B, Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. They wintered at Jefferson City, Missouri, and then were ordered back to St. Louis, where they took a steamer and were sent to Pittsburgh Landing. At this battle the regiment lost one hundred and twenty-five men. Mr. Lamphier was also at the Battle of Corinth, Mississippi, when Price's army surrendered; he was in the Siege of Vicksburg, and at Nickijack Creek, near Atlanta. He was wounded in the right leg and was sent to the hospital at Maryetta, then to Rome, Georgia, and from there was sent home. At the end of his sick leave he reported for duty at Davenport, but was found unfit for service and was again sent to the hospital where he remained until the close of the war. He was not discharged from the service until five months after the close of the war, owing to the papers having been lost by his captain. The first captain he served under was Thomas H. Miller, of Newton, who was killed at Shiloh. His second captain was Harvey J. Shift.

When Mr. Lamphier became able to work he farmed for his cousin, Margaret Likens, whose husband was killed in front of Atlanta. He bought forty acres of land from her in 1867, which he still holds, and where he has ever since made his home.

Mr. Lamphier served as constable in Buena Vista Township for eight years. He is a member of Garrett Post No. 16, Grand Army of the Republic, at Newton, and politically he is a Republican. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lamphier are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Mt. Zion, having been members there since 1856. Page 786

~ Landmesser, Nicholas ~

Fame may look to the clash of resounding arms for its heroes; history's pages may be filled with the record of the deeds of the so-called great who have deluged the world with blood, destroyed kingdoms, created dynasties and left their names as plague spots upon civilization's escutcheon; the poet may embalm in deathless song the short and simple annals of the poor; but there have been few to sound the praise of the brave and sturdy pioneer who among the truly great and noble is certainly deserving of at least a little space in the category of the immortals. To him more than to any other is civilization indebted for the brightest jewel in its diadem, for it was he who blazed the way and acted as a vanguard for the mighty army of progress that within the last seventy-five years has conquered the wilderness, upturned the wild sods of the plains, and transformed them into one of the fairest and most enlightened of the American commonwealth's fair domains. They seem to have had the sagacity to foresee the present opulent state of Iowa, having had, in some occult manner, been able to discern the future of this singularly favored section of the great Middle West.

One of these honored early settlers is Nicholas Landmesser, a venerable agriculturist of Elk Creek Township, Jasper County. He was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, December 27, 1835, and he is the son of Nicholas, Sr., and Catherine (Kriedler) Landmesser, the father born near Saarburg, on the Rhine, in Alsace-Lorraine, Germany, formerly a part of France, on December 5, 1811. The mother was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, August 20, 1811. The father was of a Huguenot family and they were persecuted by the Catholics in their native land. The father was a teamster and worked all over western Germany. In the year 1833 he immigrated to America, the tedious voyage requiring seven weeks on an old-time sailing vessel. He was accompanied by a married sister and brother-in-law and an unmarried sister, Nicholas and Louise Bisch and Mary Landmesser. The father of the immediate subject of this sketch located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, when that country was practically new. He found employment first in digging canals, later worked in coalmines. He remained in the old Keystone State many years, but not getting the start he had anticipated he immigrated with his family to Jasper County, Iowa, in 1854. They came to Chicago by train and made the rest of the journey in a wagon, buying a team in the city by the lake. Here the elder Landmesser purchased two hundred and twenty acres in Elk Creek Township, to which he later added seventy acres. He prospered in the new country through hard, persistent labor and good management and become one of the substantial and well known men of his community. He was school director and active in Democratic politics. He was reared in the faith of the German Lutheran church and he remained a supporter of the same to the end, his death occurring on March 4, 1879, his widow surviving only a few months, she having joined him in the Silent Land on November 1st of the same year.

There were eight children in the Landmesser family, named as follows: George, Daniel, Louis, Henry, Peter and Nicholas, of this sketch; Louise is deceased and two children died in infancy, the subject having been the oldest of the family.

Nicholas Landmesser, Jr., had to work hard when a boy, assisting his father care for the younger members of the family and clear and develop the home place, in fact, he did a man's work from the age of fifteen years, and he then began working in tunnels and mines. He had little chance to obtain an education, but in later life he made up for this as best he could by home reading and contact with his fellows. Thus he grew to manhood in Pennsylvania, being nineteen years old when he accompanied his parents to Jasper County, Iowa, in 1854, and he continued to live with them until he was twenty-six years old, then began renting land of his father. He spent the entire year of 1865 breaking wild prairie land, and that fall he ran a horsepower threshing machine. In 1865 he purchased two hundred and twenty acres and his father bequeathed forty acres to him, so that he is now the owner of a fine farm consisting of three hundred and thirty acres in Elk Creek and Buena Vista Townships, which he has kept well improved and under a high state of cultivation and has met with encouraging success as a general farmer and stock raiser all along the line. For some time he kept between thirty and forty cows, running a dairy for butter, of which he made a success, later sold the cream and shipped it to Chicago. He is one of the most widely known threshers in this section, having owned and operated a threshing machine for the past forty years. He keeps full-blooded Polled-Angus cattle, and, being a good judge of livestock, he has met with more than ordinary success in this field of endeavor.

Mr. Landmesser is a stanch Democrat and has long been active in the affairs of his community, his support always going to such measures as make for the general development of the same. He has been Township Supervisor for one term.

Mr. Landmesser was married on January 13, 1858, to Louise Keller, who was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, on August 18, 1836, and the she spent her girlhood days. She proved to be a woman of praiseworthy characteristics and a fit helpmeet for an enterprising man of affairs. She was called to her rest on January 16, 1910. She was the daughter of Conrad Keller and wife, this family having immigrated to Jasper County, Iowa, 1856, thus being among the pioneers, like the Landmessers.

To Mr. and Mrs. Landmesser were born eight children, named as follow Fred, deceased; Charles Henry lives in Canada; Richard lives on his father's place and assists in operating the same; Isadore lives in Galesburg, this state; Mrs. Henrietta Hieman; Luther, Effie and Wright live at home.

Mr. Landmesser is a well-preserved man for his years, hale and active. Personally, he is a man of positive ideas and has the courage of his convictions. By a judicious daily life he has won the confidence and good will of all who know him. Page 702

~ Lane, George ~

In observing the things about us as we go through life, we find much of interest, even in our immediate environment, but there is little that interests one more than to observe how different men begin and continue the duties of life. Some commence in hesitation and seem to hesitate at every obstacle they encounter. Others begin boldly, but after a time show by some defect in execution, that they have not properly mastered their tasks. Still others commence with steady grasp of the situation, and show by their subsequent accomplishments that they have compassed the problem of life; to the last class success always comes and they are the men to leave behind them good names and their descendants are left to reap the harvests of good actions.

One of the enterprising and deserving men of the locality of which this history treats is George Lane, well known in railroad circles as division foreman of the bridge department of the Chicago Great Western Railroad Company, with headquarters at Marshalltown.

Mr. Lane was born in Baxter, Jasper County, Iowa, on February 5, 1878. He is the son of Reuben M. and Alice (Logsdon) Lane, the father born in Muskingum County, Ohio, December 5, 1845, and the mother in Jasper County, Iowa, on July 6, 1852. In 1856 the father moved to Jasper County with an uncle and here grew to manhood, locating near Newton. Both the father and the grandfather of Reuben M. Lane were soldiers in the War of 1812. The subject's maternal grandparents, Thomas and Martha (Dawson) Logsdon; were natives of Kentucky, where they grew up and were married, emigrating to Jasper County, Iowa, in pioneer times, 1850, and here became very comfortably established.

To Mr. and Mrs. Reuben M. Lane six children have been born, namely: Mrs. Stella Logsdon, of Colfax, and Leslie, of Minnesota, were twins, and were born on August 24, 1876, in Madison County; George, of this sketch; Harvey, born May 31, 1881, in Jasper County, is living near Melbourne, Marshall County; Laura, born February 12, 1886, in Jasper County, lives with her parents in Baxter; Walter Guy Lane was born at Baxter, Iowa, February 15, 1893. Their parents are still living in a comfortable home in Baxter and enjoy the friendship of a wide acquaintance.

George Lane grew to manhood in this County and he attended school in his native community. After leaving school he was employed by the Chicago Great Western Railroad Company as Bridgman, and he has remained with the company ever since, having given the utmost satisfaction, as will be seen from the fact that they have entrusted him with the highest position in the bridge department, that of division foreman, with headquarters at Marshalltown. He understands thoroughly every detail of his work in this connection and is a conscientious, trustworthy employee.

Mr. Lane has a pleasant home at No. 202 ½ South Second Avenue, Marshalltown. He is a member of Baxter Lodge No. 168, Knights of Pythias, Baxter, Iowa. Page 1354

~ Lawrence, Avery Thomas ~

There are individuals in nearly every community who, by reason of pronounced ability and force of character, rise above the heads of the masses and command the unbounded esteem of their fellowmen. Characterized by perseverance and a directing spirit, two virtues that never fail, such men always make their presence felt and the vigor of their strong personalities serves as a stimulus and incentive to the young and rising generation. To this energetic, enterprising, broad-minded and strong-souled class Avery Thomas Lawrence, of Newton, belongs. He is one of the best known men in Jasper County, where, for several decades, he has played no secondary role in the drama of material and public affairs, and who, now that the autumn of his years has come, is living serenely in his cozy home in the County seat, enjoying the fruits of his earlier years of strenuous endeavor.

Mr. Lawrence was born in Jefferson County, New York, December 3, 1836. He is the son of Daniel T. and Almera (Brown) Lawrence, the father born on the coast of Massachusetts, July r6, 1803, and his death occurred on October 4, 1883, at Volga, Iowa, and the mother died on April 28, 1852.

When the father of the subject was five years old he went with his parents to the State of New York, which was then a wilderness, and there he grew up like all pioneer children. He was married when twenty-four years of age, and in his youth learned the shoemaker's trade, which he subsequently followed until 1837, when he came to Madison County, Ohio, and there he reared his family of six daughters and one son. In 1834 he moved to Ferry Township, Clayton County, Iowa, and there he developed a farm on which he continued to reside until his death.

Avery T. Lawrence, of this review, was educated in the pay schools of his day in Ohio, and he has been a great reader and student of miscellaneous themes all his life, thereby acquiring a vast fund of knowledge, in fact, he is the peer of all of his contemporaries in this locality when it comes to being profoundly and broadly educated, and, being for the most part self-learned, he is thereby deserving of all the more praise. He has always been liberal m his religious belief, taking human character for its standard before mere profession. He has carried on his researches fearlessly and, being a vigorous and independent thinker, he has ever been his own exponent. A keen student of nature, he has ever been an interested student of bird, animal and plant life, a lover of the wild, viewing God's glorious out-of-doors with both the eye of a poet and a philosopher, through which majesty and inscrutable splendor and mystery he has been enabled to see the working of the Master Mind, the handiwork of the Deity. He believes in the application of the Golden Rule in his everyday life, and his word has ever been considered as good as the bond of most men.

On March 9, 1873, Mr. Lawrence was united in manage with Mary C. Gill, of Jefferson, New York. This union was without issue. Mrs. Lawrence's death occurred on April 9, 1893, and on June 15, 1895, the subject was united in marriage with Florida Martha Boyd, who was born in Chicago June 26, 1852, the daughter of Thomas and Martha (Mayfield) Boyd, her father a native of the District of Columbia, and the mother was born in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Boyd was for many years in the employ of the government in different capacities and at various points, in Wisconsin and Chicago, part of the time as Indian agent. He subsequently engaged in the dry-goods business, and in 1854, while on a trip to New York to buy goods, his death occurred at Detroit, Michigan, while just in the prime of life. His wife died in Illinois when fifty-one years old. Their family consisted of six children, of whom two, Thomas and Harriet, are deceased; Mary is the wife of Albert DuPuis, a fanner near Savanna, Illinois; Charles is a surveyor in Colorado; Virginia is the wife of Henry Bell, of Chicago.

Mrs. Lawrence's great-great-grandfather Boyd was a prominent public man in his day and in the early history of America he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to France.

To Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence has been born one child, Ruth, who is now attending high school, where she is making a splendid record, and she is taking special training in instrumental music.

At one time Mr. Lawrence was quite active as a Greenback politician. He called the first Greenback convention ever held in Clayton County. In a business way Mr. Lawrence has been very successful. He was formerly engaged in the creamery business on an extensive scale, shipping butter from his farm to New York City. Some twenty years ago he bought the place adjoining Newton where he has since resided, leading a retired life. He is one of the worthy "boys in blue," having served his country well as a soldier in one of the western armies during the war between the states, being at the front ten months; however, he spent most of his time in the hospital, sick, and was compelled to return home on account of physical disability, but he had seen some hard service during that brief period.

Mr. Lawrence is one of a family of seven children, named as follows: Mary, wife of Benjamin Hunt, of Kensington, Kansas; Mrs. Emily Ross died in Ohio; Avery Thomas, of this sketch, was next in order of birth; Estella, who married Thomas Piper, lives in Greeley, Colorado; Almira lives in Wisconsin; Theodosia married George Rue and they live in Greeley, Colorado; Ellen is the wife of John Emery, of Newton.

Thomas Lawrence, paternal grandfather of the subject, was a picturesque frontiersman and Indian fighter, and he served three years in the army during the Indian Wars; after his discharge he was compelled to walk all the way from Massachusetts to Cincinnati.

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence are cultured, educated and hospitable people whom it is a pleasure to meet and they have a host of friends throughout the locality of which this history deals. Page 824

~ Lee, James ~

The life history of James Lee, an honored citizen of Newton, Jasper County, is that of a man who has lived for a high purpose and has succeeded because his efforts have been rightly directed, and now in the golden evening of his life he can look over the vista of the past and realize that, after all, the lines have been cast for him in pleasant places, and he faces the future with the calm assurance that all is well.

Mr. Lee is of sterling old New England stock, having been born in Bristol County, Massachusetts, June 30, 1831. He is the son of Stephen and Sarah (West) Lee, both natives of Massachusetts, in which state they were reared, educated, married and spent their lives on a farm, both being now deceased. They were the parents of eight children, James of this review being the only one living, although they all lived to be over fifty years of age.

James Lee grew to maturity in his native state and received a good public school education. Believing that the then new Middle West held peculiar advantages for the willing worker, he came to Dubuque, Iowa, in 1854, thence to Bremer County, Iowa, where he remained until 1856, when he moved to Bellevue, Nebraska, where he worked at the carpenter's trade. In 1858 he went to Colorado, where he remained three years, driving from Omaha to Denver, in 1858, the year in which the present great city of Denver was started. In 1861 he came to Jasper County, Iowa, and engaged in farming, which he followed successfully up to about twenty years ago when he retired from active work. He has also large interests in Nebraska and town property in Newton. He has been very successful in whatever he has been engaged, having always worked hard and managed well. His fortune will aggregate easily one hundred thousand dollars.

Mr. Lee was married first in 1862 to Sarah Whitcomb, who was born in Indiana and whose death occurred in 1884. To this union six children were born, one dying in infancy, namely: Marietta, wife of Rev. M. L. Rose, of Yakima, Washington; Cady died in infancy; Hon. C. G. is at present circuit judge of the district embracing Ames, Iowa, in which city he lives; Orpha is the wife of Dick Daley, of Newton, Iowa; James E. and Stephen A. also live in Newton. In 1885 Mr. Lee married Penelope Thralkild, a native of Missouri, who died in 1887.

In 1893 Mr. Lee was married to Eliza E. Davis, who was born in Indiana, but was reared in Iowa, to which state she was brought by her parents when a baby. To this union there was no issue. She was the daughter of C. M. Davis, an old settler and highly respected citizen of Jasper County.

Mr. Lee is a member of the Christian Church, of which he is an elder and a liberal supporter, in fact, a pillar. Mrs. Lee is also a faithful member of this church. He has held several minor Township offices, such as township treasurer and he has been school treasurer for many years in Kellogg Township where he lived on his farm before he moved to Jasper. He was also Township clerk and a member of the school board quite a while. Politically, he has supported both parties as his conscience dictated.

He has a beautiful, modern and commodious home on East Main Street, Newton, which was built in 1905. Here the many friends of the family frequently gather, always finding an old-time hospitality and good cheer prevailing.

Mr. Lee is a man whom to know is to honor, for he is a whole-souled, genial and genteel gentleman, widely read, an excellent conversationalist, a man who has kept abreast of the times and who has always stood ready to support those measures looking toward the general good of his community, and no man in the County is more popular or held in higher esteem; however, he is a plain, unassuming man, contented merely to be a good citizen of a good country. Page 1009

~ Lenz, Carl ~

Among the thrifty German citizens who have taken up their abode in Jasper County and have thereby benefited alike themselves and the community is Carl Lenz, farmer of Kellogg Township, who was born at Kroganke, West Prussia, Germany, October 13, 1864, the son of Ferdinand and Caroline Lenz, both born in Germany, the father on February 4, 1837, and the mother on January 11, 1842. Not being satisfied in the fatherland and most of his children being in the United States, Ferdinand Lenz came to our shores in 1894, he and his wife coming to live with their oldest son, Carl, of this review, who was farming the old Shuman place, three miles south of Laurel. After living on the farm six years they moved to Kellogg. The father's death occurred on February 5, 1904, and the mother is living with her two youngest sons, Gustav and Arthur, keeping house for them.

Carl Lenz grew to maturity in his native land and went through all the branches of the public schools there, attending school from the time he was seven until he was fourteen years of age. After leaving school he began learning the mason's trade, and in 1879 he immigrated to America with relatives. Locating in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he worked for some time in Plankington's Packing House, later worked in some of the famous Milwaukee breweries, but the work being too hard he was compelled to give it up. Money was then scarce and jobs few and hundreds of idle men were besieging the employment bureaus about the court house, looking for work, Mr. Lenz being one of the number. That was the latter part of December 1882. The subject decided to leave there and, taking the tracks of the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, he followed them south to Freeport, Illinois, being compelled to ask for food several times on the way, and at night slept in straw-stacks. He found employment on a farm near Freeport and worked there six years, most of the time in the neighborhood of Eleroy. He saved his money in order to get a start, and in 1887 moved to Iowa and rented a farm three miles south of Laurel, Jasper County, for five years. Here he found hard work and often trying conditions to meet, but he persevered, refusing to be downed by obstacles. He moved to the E. P. Shuman farm, which he operated for eleven years, then purchased the place and is still living three miles north of Kellogg, having a good farm and a very comfortable home. He is carrying on general farming and stock raising successfully, keeping his place well tilled and well improved.

Mr. Lenz has been twice married, first on May 10, 1889, to Minnie Bloom, daughter of Gottlieb and Christina Bloom, of Laurel, Marshall County, Iowa. To this union one son and two daughters were born, who are living and one son, the oldest, died when six months old; John, Emma and Marie being the others. The mother of these children died on March 25, 1895 and on May 29, 1900, Mr. Lenz was married to Lena Exter, daughter of Anton and Friederike (Saak) Luff, of Stemmen, Lippe-Detmold, Germany. The following children were born of the second union: Adolf, Clara, Ernst, Louis and Eleanora.

Politically, Mr. Lenz is a Republican and he has always been interested in the development of his community along all lines and has proven to be a good citizen. Page 1069

~ Leonard, Joseph A. ~

Laborious effort was the lot of Joseph A. Leonard, one of the substantial and well known citizens of Clear Creek Township, Jasper County, during his youth and early manhood, but his fidelity to duty won him the respect and confidence of those with whom he was thrown into contact and by patient continuance in well doing he gradually arose from an environment none too auspicious to his present high standing among the influential citizens of this part of the County, being one of the Township's leading general farmers and stock raisers, always giving his personal attention to his various industries with the same energy and discretion, persistency and foresight that have characterized his labors during an honorable career. Having every dollar in his possession as the result of honest effort, and that, too, not infrequently in the face of adverse circumstances, he can claim without ostentation the proud American title of self-made man.

Mr. Leonard was born in Clear Creek Township, this County, November 14, 1861. He grew to manhood here and has always been identified with the agricultural interests of this community. He was educated in the district schools here. He is the son of A. L. and Sarah (Ashton) Leonard, the father born in Delaware County, Ohio, and the mother in Illinois. They came to Jasper County, Iowa, in the year 1858 and here spent the balance of their lives, the father's death occurring at the old homestead in Clear Creek Township, in December 1880, at the age of forty-eight years, the mother having passed away in 1874, when forty-two years old. They were the parents of the following children: Mrs. Cass Stock is deceased; Joseph H., of this review; C. A. lives at Prole, Iowa; J. H. lives at Boulder, Colorado; A. W., of Driftwood, Oklahoma. These children were born and reared in Clear Creek Township, this County.

In November 1880, Joseph A. Leonard was united in marriage with Gracie E. Cooper, who was born near Grand Detour, Illinois, August 17, 1854. She was the daughter of B. F. and Mary (Wiser) Cooper, the father born in Washington County, Maryland, February 14, 1834, his mother's birth having occurred in Fairfield County, Ohio, July 8, 1831. They came to Jasper County, Iowa, in an early day and are now both residing in Clear Creek Township. There were nine children in the Cooper family, six of whom are living, namely, Mrs. Gracie Leonard, of this sketch; Mrs. Alice Rostern, of South Dakota; Ransom, of Clear Creek Township, this County; Alma, deceased; Mrs. Nettie Barbee lives in Clear Creek Township; Byron is deceased; Charles lives in Collins; Mrs. Edna Stone lives in Story County. The five oldest children were born in Illinois and the younger, ones were born in Jasper County, Iowa.

Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Leonard, namely: Mrs. Carrie Miller, born February 22, 1884, is living on the home farm with her father; Leora, born May 1, 1889; is also at home with her father. The wife and mother passed away in 1909.

Politically, Mr. Leonard is a Republican and he has taken considerably more than a passing interest in local affairs, having ever had the interests of his community at heart. He has served as Township trustee, assessor, and is clerk, and at this writing he is also president of the board of education in district No. 5, Clear Creek Township. He has discharged his duties as a public servant in a manner that has reflected much credit upon himself and won the commendation of all concerned.

Mr. Leonard is the owner of one of the choice farms of his Township, consisting of two hundred and seventy-two acres on which are two sets of excellent improvements and he is now planning more up-to-date improvements. Personally, Mr. Leonard is an honest, public-spirited, liberal, and pleasant gentleman. Page 1328

~ Lewis, Martin L. ~

There are few people of Jasper County who have not heard of Martin L. Lewis, the subject of this sketch, and to know him is to realize the pleasure of knowing an honest, upright gentleman. He was born September 1, 1842, in Indiana, being the son of George and Eleanor (Ewing) Lewis, both natives of Ohio. The father died in Tazewell County, Illinois, June 1, 1853, at the age of forty-four years, and the mother at Stanford, McLain County, Illinois.

The father was a farmer and a man, whose word was his bond, being a strict church member of the Baptist denomination. A few years after his marriage he moved from his birthplace in Indiana and engaged in farming, building a log cabin in the then wilderness. It was here that the subject of this sketch was born. Next the father removed to Tazewell County, Illinois, near the town of Washington, where he purchased sixty acres of land, which he farmed until his death. After the death of the father the mother remained on the land nineteen years, when she removed with her family to McLain County, Illinois, where she remained until she died. Mr. Lewis's mother was a Baptist and a woman of rare courage and Christian virtue, striving in every way to inculcate the principles of honesty and industry in the minds of her growing children.

Mr. Lewis is one of seven children, five of whom survive, whose names are as follows: Mariah Gibson, aged seventy-six, widow of Elisha Gibson, who, with her children, resides upon a farm in Nebraska; Robert Lewis, aged seventy-four, retired farmer, resides in Los Angeles, California, having been a Northern soldier during the great civil conflict; Mary Wade, wife of John Wade, died at the age of thirty years; Martin L., subject of this sketch; Sarah Angenette Field, wife of Henry Field, died eighteen years prior to this writing; Eleanor Small, wife of Millard Small, aged fifty-eight, resides in Deer Creek, Illinois; George Alvin, a retired farmer, residing in Moscow, Idaho, aged fifty-six.

It was in March 1894, that the subject of this sketch came to Jasper County, settling upon a rented farm, where he remained ten years, farming and stock raising. After that he went back to Illinois, remaining one year, after which he returned to Newton and engaged in the manufacture and bottling of soft or temperance drinks, which business he still conducts, selling his, products all over the United States. His son, Merton L., manager of the plant, invented the now famous Cherry Blossom, a soft drink of unusual excellence, which is being sold everywhere.

Mr. Lewis was married to Adelia Field, a native of Illinois, who died ten years later, while Mr. Lewis was living in Illinois. To this union were born three children: George B., agent for the Adams Express Company in Oskaloosa, Iowa; Daisy Martin, wife of Harry Martin, a farmer, residing near Monroe, in Jasper County; Herbert, whose wife was Laura Swaub, is a jeweler in Sutton, Nebraska.

Subsequently Mr. Lewis was married to Emma Deal, daughter of John and Melvina (Eures) Deal, natives of Virginia. Mrs. Lewis died in Newton, March 26, 1909. To them were born three children, namely: Deal H., who married Catherine Livingston, resides in Jasper County; Merton L., unmarried, resides in Newton, being a partner with his father; Bessie Whitaker, wife of John Whitaker, a mail carrier, resides in Newton.

Mr. Lewis has at all times been a public-spirited citizen, having served five years as school director and five years as supervisor of toads in Fairview Township. He is a charter member of the Modern Woodmen of America, Pine Tree Camp No. 394, of Sutton, Nebraska, at which place Mr. Lewis lived for six years prior to coming to Jasper County, being engaged in the livery business. In politics he is a Republican. Page 657