Biographies

~ Adamson, Abraham ~

One of the best known of all the early settlers of Jasper County, as well as one of the most sincerely revered, is the subject of this review. A volume of the keenest interest might well be written of his long and useful life did space permit, and it would indeed be a difficult task for the biographer to say more in praise of Mr. Adamson than is his due.

To begin with, his birth was peculiar, he having been born while his father and mother were enroute by wagon from Missouri to Iowa. When within one day's journey from their destination, the cavalcade of settlers was halted there, at the home of a settler named Ingerman, in Marion County, Iowa, March 31, 1846, the subject of this sketch was ushered into the world.

His father, Evan Adamson, a native of Tennessee, and his mother, Elizabeth Miller, a native of North Carolina, had been married in Madison County, Indiana, August 4, 1835, removing to Plat Purchase, Missouri, where they remained until 1846. With the family came Abraham Adamson, the grandfather of the subject; James Etchison, and Jessie Rickman, who was afterwards elected judge of Jasper County. Trips were usually made in old "prairie schooners" of pioneer days, but Mr. Adamson had a spring wagon for his family. Many and varied were the incidents and adventures the emigrants encountered along the way. Indians were plentiful, as well as bear, deer, wolves and buffalo, and the streams crossed were, many of them, wild and unbridged torrents. The family settled upon a considerable tract of raw timber and prairie land surrounding what has since been known as "Adamson's Grove," which land the father had secured from the government upon a trip made prior to the coming of the family.

Of the hardships and privations endured during those early years much might be said. A small log cabin was built and, with few comforts, the family set to work to carve out a home in the new and wild country. From the first the father was a leader of his time, taking active part in the advancement and development of his County and state. He it was who furnished and hauled the timber from which the first courthouse was built in Newton. He was also either the first or second sheriff of the County, director of schools, justice of the peace, constable and held many other offices and positions which he filled with credit during his long and useful life. Everyone in the County knew "Uncle Evan," as he was endearingly called. He died six miles southeast of Newton, in Buena Vista Township, May 26, 1899, at the advanced age of ninety-one years and four months.

Mr. Adamson, the subject, is one of nine children, six of whom are living: Francis M. died at the age of twenty-eight; Mary Ellen departed this life at the age of fifteen; Sarah Ann, widow of W. W. Richards, resides in Adamson's Grove; Clarinda Bushey, wife of Frank Bushey, resides in Colorado; the next in order of birth is the subject of this sketch; Evan, unmarried, lives with his sister, Mrs. Richards; Joseph died in infancy; Elizabeth Thompson, wife of S. A. Thompson, resides in Manchester, Iowa; Martha Ellen Reno, widow of L J. Reno, resides in Des Moines, Iowa.

At the age of sixteen the subject of this review attempted to enlist in the Northern Army, but was rejected on account of his size and age. However, determined to be a soldier, he went along with the regiment as aid to the captain, a cousin of his father. This was in the spring of 1863. In the fall of that year he returned home and the following spring he enlisted at Newton on May 21, 1864, in Company B, Forty-eighth Iowa Infantry, under Capt. Joseph R. Rodgers. He was mustered out September 29, 1864, for re-enlistment in Company G, Seventh Iowa Cavalry, which company was under command of his father's cousin. Up until re-enlistment, Mr. Adamson was engaged at Davenport, Iowa, guarding rebel prisoners, but upon re-enlistment he was ordered to Omaha, thence to Fort Kearney, Nebraska, a distance of one hundred and ninety miles, which was made on horseback without saddles, from there to Cottonwood Springs, Nebraska, where the winter was spent doing scouting duty in the Indian troubles then raging. When spring came, he and thirty comrades were ordered to Cow Creek, Kansas, by way of Fort Leavenworth, and here it was on the second day out that their wagons and train was attacked by a band of Indians far outnumbering themselves, and a fierce fight ensued in which the soldiers narrowly escaped massacre. Finally, when nearly surrounded, they succeeded in killing the chief and this so demoralized the Indians that they fled. That night Mr. Adamson took sick and was taken to the hospital at Fort Kearney. Eager to join his company, he left the hospital before he should have done so and attempted to overtake his comrades, but the flesh was too weak, although the spirit was strong, for at Fort Leavenworth he was too sick to go further and was mustered out of the service July 31, 1865, receiving an honorable discharge. From that time on Mr. Adamson has been sick more or less and is today a confirmed invalid, the direct cause of which was exposure during his service in the Indian country. At one time on a march from Cottonwood Springs to Fort Kearney, he was forced to sleep on the ground in the middle of January without tent or covering of any kind, and could hear the ice on the Platte river popping with the cold. During his first enlistment, Mr. Adamson was made corporal of his company. He is a member of Garrett Post No. 16, Grand Army of the 1 Republic, of Newton. At present he is leading a retired life in Newton, owning a most elegant arid comfortable home there as well as considerable land in the County. He also draws a pension of seventy-two dollars per month.

On July 5, 1868, Mr. Adamson was married to Hetty Evans, daughter of John and Margaret (Jones) Evans, both natives of Wales, Mrs. Adamson being born there. Her family came to America in 1856 in the good ship "Sam Curling," a cotton ship which carried cotton to Europe and returned with passengers. They were five weeks on the way and two passengers died in crossing. Landing in Boston Harbor, the family started for Utah to join the Mormons, they having accepted that faith in Wales, where it was extensively preached, but upon arriving in Jasper County they learned of the practice of polygamy and some other things which had not been mentioned in Wales by the Mormon teachers so the new religion was discarded and the family settled in Jasper County, Mrs. Adamson being at the time twelve years of age, having been born November 26, 1843. The first year after landing in America, the mother died in Iowa, January 20, 1857, at the age of forty-two, after which Mrs. Adamson kept house for her father until his death, which occurred August 31, 1866, at the age of fifty-two. After the death of her father and mother, Mrs. Adamson made her home with John and Mary Davis until her marriage, they having no children. Mrs. Adamson is one of three children, the eldest of whom died in infancy; John Evans, a brother, resides in Fairmont, Nebraska, being a successful farmer with seven children. He was born August 27, 1849, and was married in 1888 to Clara B. Newton.

To Mr. and Mrs. Adamson have been born three children, all boys, of whom but one is living: John, born October 27, 1869, died November 22, 1869; Everett, born December 12, 1870, died May 29, 1887; Arnott Abraham, born January 7, 1874, is a prominent veterinary surgeon of Newton, being a graduate of McKillip College of Veterinary Surgery of Chicago, of which institution he is an honorary member of the faculty. He married Elizabeth A. Burnsides, a native of Iowa, November 28, 1900.

Mr. Adamson the subject of this sketch is a Mason, being a member of Lodge No. 59, Gebal Chapter No. 12 and Commandery No. 22, of of Newton. Mrs. Adamson is a member of the Woman' Relief Corps No. 3, Auxiliary of Garrett Post and also Newton Chapter No. 100, Order of the Eastern Star. She is also a member of the Christian Church of Newton but was christened in the Episcopal Church of Wales. She is a most charming and interesting woman. Page 800.

~ Adamson, William ~

The importance that attaches to the lives, character and work of those who took the initiative in the work of transforming the country from its wild condition into its present high state of development, and the influence they have exerted upon the cause of humanity and civilization is one of the most absorbing themes that can possibly attract the attention of the local chronicler or historian. If great and beneficent results, results that endure and bless mankind are the proper measure of the good men do, then who is there in the world's history that may take their places above such men as the late William Adamson, one of the best remembered of Jasper County citizens of a past generation whose good deeds will never be forgotten?

Mr. Adamson was born March 27, 1841, at Huntsville, Indiana, the son of Enos and Mary Adamson. Enos Adamson died at Savannah, Missouri, and the widow came to Jasper County, Iowa, when William Adamson was about four years old. She entered land from the government and developed a very comfortable home. William Adamson remained at home with his mother until he enlisted in the defense of the Stars and Stripes on April 1, 1861, becoming a member of Company B, Fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, from Jasper County, this regiment being known as the "Jasper Grays." He fought in the battles of Missionary Ridge, Lockout Mountain, Vicksburg, Iuka, Fort Donelson, Fort Henry and Shiloh. Mr. Adamson saw much hard service and was in many tight places, and was once wounded on the head and was sent to the hospital, rejoining the army after his recovery and he was honorably discharged and returned to his mother, who was still living on the home farm in Jasper County. He taught schools in the winter months and farmed in the summer for several years.

On December 12, 1867, he was united in marriage with Angeline Poore, a native of Wichester, Randolph County, Indiana, where she was born May 27, 1841, and she was the daughter of Edward and Nancy A. Poore, who came to Jasper county, Iowa, in an early day when their daughter, Angeline, was young, and here they became well established and were prominent in the days of the first settlers. To this union two sons were born: Paul M. Adamson, who married Leah J. Wheldon, of Marshalltown, Iowa, and they have one child, Maxwell W., who is attending school at Marshalltown; Earl C. Adamson, the second son of the subject, was married to Daisy M. Lindsey, and to this union two children were born, one of whom died in infancy; Marcella B. now resides in Newton with his grandmother, Mrs. William Adamson, his mother having passed away when he was a small boy. The second marriage of Earl C. Adamson was to Elois Allen, of Des Moines, Iowa, and to this union one child, Joseph F., was born.

William Adamson grew up in Jasper County, received his education in the old-time public schools here and he went to school for a time at the Hazel Dell Academy. He and his family were members of the Methodist Church at Newton and he was a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic post at Newton and he always upheld the policies of the Republican Party. For a number of years he was assessor of Sherman Township, and became one of the prominent men of his county.

Mr. Adamson was more than an average man, and had a fine education. After his marriage, Mr. Adamson remained on the farm only a few years, then on account of failing health, he moved to Newton and purchased the home where his widow now resides and there he lived until his death January 15, 1897, and he was buried at Newton Cemetery. He left his family a beautiful home and several valuable lots in Newton, also another valuable residence property, these holdings of Mrs. Adamson being well situated of East South street in a very desirable residence district of the city. Mrs. Adamson is a woman of estimable characteristics and has a host of warn personal friends who often visit her in her beautiful home. Her family were influential in their locality, and two of her brothers, Thomas J. and George W. Poore, were in the Civil war, the former being in the same company with he husband, William Adamson, and the latter was in the Iowa Cavalry and he died while in the service. Page 485.

~ Adkains, Merit Winfield ~

In the daily laborious struggle for an honorable competence and a solid career of most individuals there is little to attract the casual reader in search of a sensational chapter, but to a mind thoroughly awake to the reality and meaning of human existence there are noble and imperishable lessons in the career of one who, without other means than a clear head, strong arm and true heart, directed and controlled by correct principles and unerring judgment, conquers adversity and, toiling on, finally wins.

The above paragraph briefly describes the life record of Merit Winfield Adkains, farmer of Kellogg Township, of which he is a native, having been born here on April 19, 1871, and he has continued to make his home in Jasper County. He is the son of Lewis B. and Arlimeck Adkains, the father born in Kentucky, April 17, 1848, and the mother in Kellogg, Iowa, January 28, 1850. They came to this County in its early history and became well established on a farm here. Merit W. Adkains, of this review, was their only child. He grew up in Kellogg and attended the local schools. Upon reaching maturity he went to Nebraska, later to Kansas and engaged in farming, but returned to Kellogg Township, Jasper County, and in 1904 he located on his present farm of twenty-four and one-half acres in section 27, and here he has a neat little place which is yielding a very comfortable living under his able direction.

Mr. Adkains was married on September 17, 1896, to a Miss Dunn, who was born in Columbus, Texas, December 31, 1878, the daughter of Christopher and Nancy Jane Dunn, the father born in Ireland, November 13, 1843. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Adkains, five sons and one daughter, namely: Gaston, Agatha, Ceril, Alphonse, Basil, Marion R. Politically, Mr. Adkains is a Democrat and he is a member of the Christian Church. Page 1299.

~ Adkins, Martin ~

One of the most prominent farmers and pioneer citizens of Jasper County was Martin Adkins, whose life work has now been closed by the common fate that awaits all mankind, but his innumerable good deeds will continue to live in the lives of his many friends and descendants. He identified himself with every movement that seemed likely to contribute to the advantage of the community and was a leader in all worthy enterprises. He took great interest in the affairs of the County and state and was foremost in his contributions to benevolent projects. Of him it can be said that the world is better for his having lived. He did not a little to make his Township one of the best in the County, and after a life of unusual purity and honor he went to his reward.

Martin Adkins was born in Wayne County, Kentucky, January 26, 1821, the son of James and Nancy (Pemberton) Adkins, the father a native of one of the Carolinas; the mother was born in Wayne County, Kentucky, and her death occurred in 1879.

Martin Adkins grew up in his native state and went to school there. He made the overland trip to Jasper County, Iowa, in 1845 and in March of that year settled in Kellogg Township, two miles west of the town of Kellogg, and there he farmed all his life, being actively engaged in his affairs until his death, on August 7, 1878. He was one of the earliest pioneers of the County and although he had to undergo the usual hardships and privations that all who choose to invade a new country must bear, he let nothing discourage him and became well to do for those days. At the time of his advent here the city of Newton had not been laid out and there was an unbroken prairie where the town of Kellogg now stands. There was not a house between his farm and Lynnville, a distance of sixteen miles, and there was not a railroad in the state and only stage lines between important places.

Mr. Adkins married Mary Ann Edwards on October 24, 1845. She was born in Henry County, Iowa, May 12, 1826, the daughter of Aaron and Mary E. (Slatton) Edwards, the father born in Kentucky.

Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Martin Adkins, six sons and four daughters, all living but one son and one daughter, three of the sons and all the daughters being married. They are, Nancy Jane, born November 3, 1846; Henderson, born August 6, 1848; Alvin, born September 18, 1850; Eliza Ann, born October 22, 1852; Emory, born May 16, 1856; Archie, born February 12, 1860; Sarah A., April 30, 1862; George and William, twins, born May 19, 1866; Margaret E., born October 14, 1868.

The mother of these children is still living, being now eighty-six years of age, owning a large, substantial and comfortable home in the town of Kellogg, where she is spending her declining years in the midst of plenty, her sons William and George making their home with her. She is a woman of beautiful Christian character and is beloved by all who know her. Her two sons who live with her are unmarried.

The father, Martin Adkins, belonged to the Grangers, one of the prominent lodges in his day. He was a Democrat and a member of the Baptist Church. Page 1062

~ Agar, Henry W. ~

Henry W. Agar was born September 26, 1854, in Livingston County, New York, the son of Thomas and Lucy A. (Alsop) Agar, both natives of England, their home being in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The family came to the United States about sixty years ago and settled in Livingston County, New York, where the father engaged in agricultural pursuits. In England he had followed the trade of cabinetmaker and general mechanic.

In 1864 the family removed to Muscatine County, Iowa, Mr. Agar, Sr., buying at that time eighty acres of land, and from time to time he added to his real estate holdings until he owned two hundred and forty-acres of fine land, and here, in the year 1866, the mother died at the age of fifty-three, leaving beside her husband, four children to mourn her loss. They are as follows: Libby, wife of C.F. Sauerman, a member of the board of County supervisors, lives in Newton; Henry W., the subject of this sketch; Annie E., wife of G. W. Van Camp, representative of Greenfield, Adair County, lives at Greenfield, Iowa; Lollie E., wife of Frederick Grim, stock buyer and farmer, lives at Sibley, Iowa.

In 1867 Mr. Agar contracted a second marriage with Sarah Rowan, and to this marriage were born three children, as follows: Albert E., a farmer living near Sibley, Iowa; Eugenia, wife of Otto Bohnsack, living on the old home farm in Muscatine County, Iowa; Thomas, stock buyer and farmer, living at Montpelier, Muscatine County, Iowa.

About the year 1900 Mr. Agar, Sr., retired from active labor and moved to Montpelier, Iowa, where, in the year 1905, he departed this life at the age of ninety-one years. His widow still lives in Montpelier.

Henry W. Agar, the subject of this review, lived at home and helped his father on the farm until he was twenty-seven years of age, when he was united in marriage, in 1881, to Ada R. Fridley, the adopted daughter of Henry and Mary (Calhoun) Fridley. Mr. and Mrs. Fridley never had children of their own, and they gladly welcomed into their home the little child of two years, born October 15, 1861, whose parents had become estranged. She was brought up with all the loving care of an only child, and they early instilled into her those virtues and graces which have endeared her to her many friends. Mr. Fridley was a West Virginian by birth and Mrs. Fridley a native of North Carolina. They came to Muscatine County, Iowa, in the year 1846.

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Agar lived in Muscatine County and engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1885, when they came to Jasper County, where Mr. Agar engaged in farming for a few years, after which he formed a partnership with W. L. Dennis in 1889, and the firm thus established bought out Johnson & Brother's lumber and grain business in Killduff, and this business they conducted until the year 1900, when they sold out to Messrs. Macy and Fleck, and Mr. Agar again engaged in agricultural pursuits and the buying and selling of live stock, which business he still continues to carry on.

To Mr. and Mrs. Agar have been born ten children, whose names are as follows: Ralph, born June 30, 1883, married Cora Earp, and lives in Colfax and is manager for the Denniston Partridge Lumber Company; May, born October 13, 1885, lives in Newton, is the wife of John P. Nelson; Henry, born February 13, 1887, married Mattie De Bruyn, and lives in Jasper County; Leroy, born December 9, 1889, bookkeeper for the Denniston Partridge Lumber Company at Newton; Ray, born March 3, 1891, lives at home; Iowa, born August 17, 1893, died at the age of fourteen years; Ethel, born June 28, 1895, is attending high school in Newton; Earl, born May 10, 1912, died in infancy and two other little ones, a boy and a girl, who died at birth.

Mr. Agar is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Sully. He is no affiliated with any Church, although he was christened in the Episcopal Church when a child and brought up in that belief. In politics his sympathies are with the Democratic Party.

Mrs. Agar is a faithful and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Kilduff. Her adopted father, Mr. Fridley, died on June 21 1889, in Muscatine County, Iowa, at the age of eighty-one, and her mother died the 1st day of October 1911, at the age of ninety-one. Page 813

~ Allan, Fred ~

In looking over the records of Jasper County farmers we find none who furnish a worthier example of the wide application of sound business principles and safe conservatism than Fred Allan, of Independence Township. The story of his success is not long nor does it contain any exciting chapters, but in it lies one of the most valuable secrets of the prosperity which it records; his career is replete with interest and incentive, no matter how lacking in dramatic action, it being the record of a life consistent with itself and its possibilities in every particular.

Fred Allan was born in the Township where he still resides on August 20, 1877, and here he grew to manhood, was educated and has spent his life engaged in agricultural pursuits. He is the son of James and Joan (Davidson) Allan, the father born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1835, and she was also a native of Scotland. They immigrated to America in early life and settled in Jasper County and they are still living on the home farm in Independence Township. Their family consisted of eleven children, seven of whom are living, named as follows: John, born July 7, 1861, is residing on the home farm in Independence Township; Mrs. Margaret Yule lives in Newcastle, Colorado; Mrs. Charles Davey lives in Baxter; William lives in Seattle, Washington; Charles lives in Newcastle, Colorado; Fred, of this sketch; Mrs. Jessie Cool, born January 22, l885, lives in Baxter, Iowa. Four children died in early childhood. The elder ones were born in Scotland, and all were reared in Independence Township.

Fred Allan was married on January 29, 1902, to Leota Cool, who was born in this Township, August 12, 1880, and here she grew to womanhood and received her education, having graduated from the Baxter high school with the class of 1899. She is the daughter of Peter J. and Lusina B. (Stone) Cool. Her father came with his parents to Jasper County in 1853, when a year old, his birth having occurred in Freeport, Illinois, July 1, 1852, thus being among the early settlers of this County; Mrs. Allan's mother was born in Wisconsin, June 16, 1860, and came here when young. These parents reside in a comfortable home in the town of Baxter, Jasper County.

There were six children in the Cool family, all of whom are living, namely: Mrs. Agnes Workman, born December 15, 1878, lives in Baxter; Leota, wife of Mr. Allan, of this sketch; Mrs. Jennie Goodwin, born January 27, 1882, lives in Independence Township; Mrs. Winnifred Curyea, born December 16, 1883, lives in Parker, South Dakota; Mrs. Alphone Gallagher, born August 2, 1887, lives at home; Mrs. Ethel Dodd, born November 30, 1891, of Eden Township, Marshall County, Iowa. All these children were born and reared in Jasper County.

To Mr. and Mrs. Allan has been born one son. Arnold Alphond, whose birth occurred on August 2, 1910.

Politically, Mr. Allan is a Democrat and his wife is a member of the Congregational Church at Baxter. He belongs to Baxter Lodge No. 168, Knights of Pythias, at Baxter, while she is a member of Temple No. 202, Pythian Sisters.

Mr. Allan is the owner of eighty-five acres of good land in Independence Township, and he tills seventy-five acres in addition to this. He has a good farm, well improved and he carries on general farming and stockraising successfully. He has good livestock, and his home is a new, commodious and nicely furnished one, surrounded by excellent outbuildings. They are prominent in the social life of the community and are well known over this part of the County, having spent their lives here and each representing sterling old families. They have worked hard, been economical and managed well so that they are now very comfortably established. Page 1077

~ Allen, George M. ~

There are always valuable lessons to be gained in perusing the life histories of such men as the late George M. Allen, one of Jasper County's most popular citizens whose life forcibly illustrated what energy, integrity and a fixed purpose can accomplish when animated by noble aims and correct ideals. During the years of his residence in the County he held the unequivocal confidence and esteem of those with whom he came into contact, for he was a man whom to know was to trust and admire owing to his many commendable attributes of head and heart, when the "reaper whose name is death" gathered him in its sheaves while in the fullness of his strength and the prime of useful manhood, his irreparable loss to the community was keenly felt by all.

Mr. Allen was born in this County on December 17, 1869, the son of James T. and Sarah E. Allen, the father a soldier in the Civil War, having been a member of Company G, Seventh Iowa Cavalry, and his death occurred when his son George was thirteen years of age. Left fatherless thus early in life, it became necessary for him to put his shoulder to the wheel, and, nothing

daunted, he pushed forward through every obstacle, proving his sterling innate mettle. He was educated in the public schools and for two years he attended the Western Normal College at Shenandoah, from which institution he was graduated in 1890. He was a good student and advanced rapidly, and when he was ready to begin a career for himself he was well equipped.

Turning his attention to the clothing business, he entered the employ of G. M. Hoyt & Company. Later he formed a partnership with J. E. Ammons, succeeding the first named concern, but a few years later he and Mr. Ammons dissolved partnership, and Mr. Allen associated himself with J. T. Pound in the same business. He later sold his business to a Mr. Bock and in the spring of 1908 he formed a partnership with Fred A. Jones, under the firm name of Jones & Allen, clothiers, which partnership was continued until dissolved by the death of Mr. Allen, on July 21, 1910. He was regarded as one of the leading merchants of Newton, and always enjoyed a good trade with the surrounding country as well as the city, for he was uniformly courteous and considerate to his hundreds of patrons, all of whom were his friends, for he believed in injecting the Golden Rule into his every-day affairs and he therefore had not only the confidence but the good will of those with whom he had dealings. He was a man of good judgment, keen discernment and managed well, consequently he was succeeding most admirably when his career was suddenly cut short by the common fate of humanity.

On June 17, 1896, Mr. Allen was united in marriage with Grace Hough, who survives him. She was the daughter of William H. and Sarah E. (Bond) Hough, both natives of Virginia, born in the Shenandoah Valley in Loudoun County, where Mr. Hough was a prominent and influential Quaker. Mr. and Mrs. Hough were married at Waterford, Loudoun County, Virginia, May 22, 1850, and they came to Iowa in 1858, locating in Newton, and for a time Mr. Hough freighted goods between that city and Grinnell. He was a man of much native ability and he took considerable interest in political affairs and was highly respected wherever he was known. For many years he owned and conducted a grocery store here. He was elected County Recorder of this County on the Republican ticket for two terms, performing the duties of that office in a most satisfactory manner. His death occurred in Newton on April 16, l894, when seventy-one years of age, his birth having occurred on November 27, 1823. He was a member of the Methodist Church and a prominent worker in the same, having united with the same soon after he came to Newton, although he had been reared a Quaker. For many years he was class leader in the local congregation and he also served his church as treasurer. His wife was born on January 17, 1832, and her death occurred in Newton on October 20, 1908. She was a woman of the finest personal characteristics.

Mrs. Grace (Hough) Allen was born in the house which she now occupies, on January 25, 1872, and it has been her home ever since. All her girlhood pleasures are connected with the place, the joys of her young wifehood, and later the place became hallowed to her as the place wherein her devoted life companion spent his last days on earth and also as the place from which both her beloved parents passed into the mystic beyond, and here, too, she was led to the happy hymeneal altar.

Mrs. Allen was graduated from the local high school in 1890, and she has been prominent in musical affairs from childhood. She is now a member of the choir of the Methodist Episcopal Church; in fact, she has been singing in this choir since she was a schoolgirl. She has a splendid alto voice, which delights all who have the pleasure of hearing her sing. Mr. Allen was also a singer of exceptional ability as well as a thorough musician, and for years he was a well-known figure in the choir of the Methodist Church with his wife, and he was also a member of the Newton band. His voice, rare and well trained, was frequently heard at funerals and upon memorial occasions.

Besides Mrs. Allen, the following children constituted the family of Mr. and Mrs. William H. Hough: Mrs. E. E. McCord, Arthur and Fred, all living in Newton.

Surviving Mr. Allen, besides his wife, is a sister, Mrs. Carrie Rice, of Pueblo, Colorado, and Roy Allen, who is in the printing business in Newton.

At the time of his death Mr. Allen was treasurer of the Methodist Church. He was a prominent Mason, being a member of the blue lodge; he was also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and was a charter member of the Newton Hunting and Fishing Club. He had no children. He was a man of engaging personality, genial, kind and generous almost to a fault, ever true to all that was best and noblest. All who knew him felt the personal charm of the man, for they knew him to be a man not only of exceptional ability, but an advocate of all that meant progress in material, civic and moral lines.

~ Allan, John ~

From the beautiful health and bluebell country, the land of Bruce and Burns, bonnie Scotland, the land that has sent to our shores so many sterling citizens, who have been of incalculable estimate in furthering our civilization, hails John Allen, one of the most progressive and highly esteemed citizens of western Jasper County, a man whom has outcropped many of the sterling attributes of his worthy ancestors. He has been very successful since taking up his abode in his adopted country to whose institutions he has ever been loyal and, while laboring for his own advancement, has not neglected his obligations to the community in general, and, his character being exemplary, he has therefore merited the high esteem in which he has ever been held by the wide circle of his acquaintances.

Mr. John Allan was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, July 7, 1861. He is the son of James and Joan (Davidson) Allan, both natives of Scotland, who grew to maturity, were educated and married there, and in 1871 they emigrated to America, locating in Jasper County, Iowa, in June of that year and here they became well established. They lived on what is known as the McKenzie farm for one year, then moved to the present Allan homestead, the father having developed an excellent farm on which he still lives, with the subject, being now seventy-six years of age.

Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. James Allan, seven of whom are living, namely: John, of this review; Mrs. Margaret Yule lives at Newcastle, Colorado; Mrs. Charles Davy lives in Baxter, Iowa; William lives at Seattle, Washington; Charles lives at Newcastle, Colorado; Fred is a resident of Independence Township, this County; Mrs. Jessie Cool, born January 22, 1885, lives in Baxter. Four children of this family died when quite young; the elder ones were born in Scotland, but the family was practically reared in Jasper County, Iowa.

John Allan was ten years old when he accompanied his parents and the rest of the family to Jasper County, Iowa, and here he grew to manhood and received his education. He assisted his father on the home place when a boy and early in life turned his attention to farming, and he has been operating the home place, tilling ninety acres in Independence Township. There are two sets of buildings on the place, the home occupied by his father and mother, and the one occupied by himself and family. He carries on general farming and stock raising, and makes a specialty of full-blooded shorthorn cattle, besides the best grade of hogs, horses and other stock.

Mr. Allan was united in marriage to Miss Janet Galloway, who was born in Scotland on March 23, 1879, of which country her parents, James and Jane (Strachan) Galloway, were also natives. They grew up and married there and finally immigrated to the United States, at present making their home in Seattle, Washington. There were five children in the Galloway family, all living, named as follows: Mrs. Robert Johnson lives in Independence Township; Mrs. Lizzie Meiklejohn, of Washington; Mrs. Agnes Allen lives in Seattle, Washington; Arch lives in Riceville, Iowa; Janet, wife of Mr. Allan, of this sketch, being the youngest. These children were all born in Scotland.

To Mr. and Mrs. Allan have been born six children, all living named as follows: Daisy Jane, born April 12, 1900; Albert, born March 3, 1903; James, born May 19, 1904; Joseph, born July 9, 1905; William, born August 26, 1906; Bessie, born February 7, 1909. They were all born in Independence Township.

Politically, Mr. Allan is a Democrat, and he affiliates with the Congregational Church at Baxter. Fraternally, he is a member of Unity Lodge No. 520, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Baxter, being a present worshipful master of the same; also a member of Baxter Camp No. 5642, Modern Woodmen of America, of Baxter. That Mr. Allan is held in high confidence and esteem is evidenced by the fact that he has been placed in such a responsible position in one of the world's leading secret orders. Page 1140.

~ Allfree, Henry I. ~

In nearly every community are individuals who by innate ability and sheer force of character rise above their fellows and win for themselves conspicuous places in public esteem. Such a one is the well-known gentleman whose name appears above, a man who has been identified with the history of Jasper County for a period of forty-five years, for his entire life has been spent here, his mature years having been closely interwoven with the material growth and development of the central part of the County, while his career as a progressive man of affairs has been synonymous with all that is upright and honorable in citizenship.

Henry I. Allfree, well-known farmer of Sherman Township, was born in that Township May 19, 1866, and he is the son of A. K. and Sophia (McGovern) Allfree, both born in Pennsylvania, the father in 1826 and the mother in 1830, where they grew to maturity and were married. In 1857 they came to Iowa and bought one hundred and sixty acres in Sherman Township and here established a good home, this land now being owned by his son, Henry I., of this review, and on this place the latter was born and reared. The father drove overland from Fayette County, Pennsylvania, to Jasper County, Iowa, though he stopped a year in Ohio and a year in Illinois. He and his wife went to work with a will and succeeded and they are still living on the farm they developed in Sherman Township, making their home with their son, Henry I., who delights in ministering to their wants in their declining years. He is the younger of two children, the other being Mrs. Clara Phelps, of Colfax. The parents are worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, are well known and have a host of good friends in this community.

Henry I. Allfree grew up on the home farm, which he helped develop, and when old enough he attended the public school near his home. When a small boy he spent almost all of three years in the saddle, herding cattle on the open prairie, and driving stock for some of his neighbors, and during those years he had many thrilling experiences, but this life developed in him not only a strong constitution, but also an independence of spirit and a courageousness that have stood him well in hand in later life. The subject has always stayed at home, and, as intimated, he now runs the home place, which he has purchased. He has kept it well improved, and made its one hundred and sixty acres yield abundant harvests. He is also the owner of one hundred and forty acres of valuable and desirable land in Mound Prairie Township, this County. For a period of fifteen years he has operated a threshing machine in this community, which has tended to further his acquaintance and to increase his annual income. He is known to be a very hard and persistent worker and is noted for accomplishing a great deal in a short time.

Mr. Allfree was married on October 15, 1898, to Belle Sanderson, who was born in Ohio, the daughter of James Sanderson, of Newton Township, this County, and to the subject and wife have been born five children, namely: Minnie, Mary, Jimmie, Edith and Vera. Politically, Mr. Allfree is a Democrat and he has been school director and he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Page 927.

~ Altemeier, Edward C. ~

In all that constitutes true manhood and good citizenship Edward C. Altemeier, farmer, of Mariposa Township, Jasper County, is one of the conspicuous examples among our young native men and none stands higher than he in the esteem and confidence of the community. His career has been characterized by duty faithfully done and by industry, thrift and wisely directed efforts he has acquired a valuable farm and is receiving his just share of this world's goods, besides earning a reputation which he has never clouded by the commission of a single unworthy act so far as his neighbors and those who have been closely associated with him have discovered. He is known to be a man of good judgment and pronounced views and while keeping himself informed upon current events and taking a lively interest in all public affairs of his township and county he has never expressed so much as the faintest desire to exchange the quiet and content life on the cozy farm for the distractions and cares which usually come to the man who fills official positions and aspires to some exalted station among their fellow men. He is to be commended in this attitude, for such as he constitutes our best citizens.

Mr. Edward C. Altemeier was born in Mariposa Township. Jasper County, on March 21, 1881. He is the son of Adolph and Wilhelmina (Klopping) Altemeier, the father born in the town of Horn, Province of Lippe, Germany, on December 24, 1837, and the mother was born in the town of Detmold, Province of Lippe, Germany. There the father grew up and as a boy engaged in farm work. In 1855 he came to Freeport, Illinois, where his brother Simon and sister Louise had previously located, they having emigrated from Germany to New Jersey in 1852, coming to Illinois the following year. Simon Altemeier is now living in Mariposa Township, Jasper County, Iowa. It was in 1857 that Adolph Altemeier, Sr., came to Newton, Iowa, and there he worked for some time in a brickyard, then began renting land five miles east of Newton. He then went to Spirit Lake, this state, and took up a claim in that wild, unsettled country and at the Indian uprising he was compelled to give up his land and return to Jasper County. In 1860 he bought forty acres in Malaka Township. Selling this a few years later, he purchased one hundred and twenty acres in Mariposa Township, this County, and here he prospered, adding to his farm until he became the owner of five hundred acres of valuable land. He farmed on a large scale and became one of the substantial and well-known men of this community. He served his Township as trustee and assessor, also serving on the Township board. He and his wife were members of the German Evangelical Church. His death occurred on October 10, 1886, after a successful and well-spent life. The mother of the subject of this sketch came to America when she was nine years of age, in 1850, locating at Freeport, Illinois, where she spent four or five years with neighbors who had settled there from her old locality in Germany. Her parents died when she was a small child. She came to Newton, Jasper County, Iowa, about 1856 and worked in the home of Colonel Curzad for several years, then married Mr. Altemeier. Since his death she has lived principally in Newton.

To Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Altemeier were born nine children, named as follows: Adolph G., Jr.; Mary, deceased; Mrs. Lottie Rathelson, deceased; William J. is farming in Mariposa Township; Mrs. Minnie Werman, Mrs. Anna Wiesman, Louis, Edward C., of this review, and Fred.

Edward C. Altemeier spent his boyhood on the farm and assisted with the general work there, attending the district schools between crop seasons. When he was twenty-one years of age he began farming, renting land of his mother, the father having previously died; when the subject was five years of age. It was in 1906 that the subject began renting the farm of one hundred and sixty acres where he now lives, this land having belonged to his mother. He has met with success as a general farmer and stock raiser, paying special attention to raising Hereford cattle. In 1910 he purchased one hundred and sixty acres just southeast of where he now lives. Politically, he is a Democrat, but is not, as already intimated, a public man.

On December 6, 1905, was solemnized the marriage of Edward C. Altemeier and Sarah Davis Banghart, who was born in Mariposa Township, this County, December 27, 1883, and here she grew to womanhood and was educated. She is the daughter of Thomas Banghart, a highly respected citizen. Two children have been born to the subject and wife, Leroy Edward and Virgil. Page 899.

~ Altemeier, William John ~

The gentleman whose life history is herewith outlined is a man who has lived to good purpose and achieved a measure of success that is the legitimate reward for honest labor and faithful enterprise. By a straightforward and commendable course he has made his way to a respectable position in the business world, winning the hearty admiration of the people of his community and earning a reputation as an enterprising, progressive man of affairs which the public has not been slow to recognize and appreciate. He is one of our native sons who has been satisfied with local conditions and willing to spend his life on his native heath, having had the sagacity to foresee that here were as good if not better opportunities as existed in this or any other state, and, thus growing up amid the conditions in which he first found himself and being persistent. he has benefited himself and the community in general. His well-kept and well-tilled farm in Mariposa Township shows that Mr. Altemeier has kept fully abreast of the times in every respect and that he believes in doing well whatever he attempts, whether trivial or of momentous importance, and it will be noticed that such men succeed at their life work, where others fail for lack of concentration.

Mr. Altemeier was born in Mariposa Township, Jasper County, Iowa, on June 28, 1870. He is the son of Adolph, Sr., and Wilhelmina (Klopping) Altemeier, the father born on December 24, 1837. at the town of Horn in the Province of Lepin, Germany, and the mother was born on April 8, 1841, at the town of Dephmold, in the Province of Lepin, Germany. When a boy the father worked on the farm in his native land, and in 1855, when eighteen years of age, he emigrated to our shores, taking up his residence in the town of Freeport, Illinois, where his brother Simon and sister Louise were already located, they having emigrated to New Jersey in 1852 and came to Freeport, Illinois, a year later: Simon Altemeier is still living in Mariposa Township, Jasper County, Iowa. In 1857 Adolph Altemeier, Sr., came to Newton, Iowa, and there worked for some time in the brickyard, then began renting a farm five miles north of Newton. He then moved to Spirit Lake, Iowa, and took up a claim, but at the time of the Indian uprising he was forced to leave it, so he returned to Jasper County and in 1860 bought forty acres of land in Malaka Township. A few years later he sold out and bought one hundred and twenty acres in Mariposa Township, this County. Here he met with a larger measure of success than falls to the average man, beginning life as he did, a pioneer under discouraging conditions. He added to his original purchase from time to time until he became the owner of eight hundred acres of valuable land, and he farmed on an extensive scale, becoming one of the substantial and influential men of his community.

He took considerable interest in public affairs and served as Township trustee and assessor, also served on the Township school board. He and his wife were members of the German Evangelical Church. The elder Altemeier passed to his reward on October 10, 1886, after a successful and honored career. The mother of the subject came to the United States when she was nine years of age, in 1850. and located at Freeport, Illinois, and there lived five or six years among her neighbors from her birthplace in Germany. Her parents had died when she was a young girl. It was about 1856 that she came to Newton, Iowa, and worked in the home of Colonel Curzard for several years, then was married to the senior Altemeier. Since his death she has lived in Newton, for the most part.

Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Altemeier, Sr., named in order of birth as follows: Adolph, Jr.; Mary is deceased; Mrs. Lottie Rathelson is also deceased; William John, of this sketch; Mrs. Minnie Werman, Mrs. Anna Weiseman, Louis, Edward C. and Fred.

William J. Altemeier grew up on the home farm and when but a boy he began making a regular hand in the crop seasons, attending district school No. 4 in Mariposa Township. When twenty-one years of age he began hiring out by the month, then rented part of the home place from his mother for four years. He was twenty-one years of age when he purchased one hundred and sixty acres just south of the old homestead. Five years later he added eighty acres more to this and here he has continued to reside, keeping the place well up-to-date in. the matter of tillage and improvements, carrying on general farming and stock raising in a successful manner. In 1911 he built a splendid new barn and has such other convenient buildings as his needs require, including a very pleasant residence. He has long made a specialty of raising Poland-China hogs.

Politically, Mr. Altemeier is a Democrat and while he has ever manifested an interest in the welfare of his community he has not sought public office.

On October 28, 1898, occurred the marriage of William J. Altemeier and Hilaria Morris. The latter was born in Mariposa Township, Jasper County, Iowa, on October 31, 1870. She is the daughter of Stephen and Charlotte (Wilson) Morris. The father was born in Tuscarawas County, 0hio, on July 3, 1838, and the mother was born in Arkansas on November 27, 1840. The paternal grandparents were Payton and Martha Morris, who spent their lives in Ohio. The maternal grandparents, Robert W. and Johanna Wilson, who left Arkansas in 1842, moved to Clark County, Indiana, where they lived until 1854 in which year they drove through with a team and wagon to Jasper County, Iowa, Mr. Wilson entering land just east of Rushville in Kellogg Township, and there he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives. Mrs. Altemeier's mother was two years of age when her parents took her from Arkansas to Indiana and there she spent a part of her girlhood, accompanying the family to Iowa, growing to maturity in Kellogg Township and attending the local schools. She became fairly well educated for those times and she taught the first school in district No. 4 in Mariposa Township when the district was opened in 1863.

She and Mr. Morris were married on February 11, 1866, he having come to Jasper County from Ohio in 1860. Mr. Morris enlisted in Company I, Tenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in which he served faithfully for a period of three and one-half years during the most stirring part of the Civil War. He contracted a disease of the eyes which made it necessary for him to spend some time in the hospital, and in fact, he was troubled from the effects of the same the balance of his life Stephen Morris had bought a farm in Jasper County before he came to Iowa, and after the war he traded that for the home place of one hundred and sixty acres in Mariposa Township, later adding forty acres more. He was a Republican in politics and all the family were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The death of the father of Mrs. Altemeier occurred on February 4, 1912, and since that event the mother has been living among her children.

Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Morris, named in order of birth as follows: Mrs. Sarah Elvira Pennington lives in Colton, South Dakota; Anne Clair died in infancy; Mrs. Hilaria J Altemeier, wife of the subject; Robert Melvin, farmer of Mariposa Township, this County; Jesse Payton is living in Newton, Iowa; Herbert S. is deceased; Mrs. Edith J. Snodgrass is living in South Dakota; Clarence is deceased; Harvey Rice is living in Worth County, Iowa.

Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Altemeier, of this sketch, namely: Pearl, Odessa, Eva, Lucile and Morris.

Mr. and Mrs. Altemeier are pleasant people to visit in their hospitable home, and they have many friends throughout the locality in which they live. Page 837.

~ Anderson, Hans Peter ~

Kellogg Township, Jasper County, can boast of no more typical twentieth-century farmer than Hans Peter Anderson, as is shown by a cursory glance over his well improved, well tilled and well kept farm, where everything seems to be in its place and all under a superb system.

Mr. Anderson was born in Malmo, Sweden, October 23, 1859. He is the son of Peter and Hannah (Swanson) Anderson, both born in 1840 in the same place as their son.

The subject grew to maturity in his native country and went to school in Malmo until he was thirteen years of age. He came to America in 1871 and settled in Kellogg Township, Jasper County, Iowa. He saw the future possibilities here and has remained. In order to get a start he herded cattle arid worked on the farm by the day for five years, devoting his time especially to gathering corn in the fall of the year. Then he railroaded for four years for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific road, serving three years at section work for the same. Upon leaving the road he purchased eighty acres and began farming for himself in 1883. Thirty acres of this land was timbered, about ten acres of which he cleared during the first four years and in 1890 he added one hundred and seventy-three acres, thus making him a splendid farm of two hundred and fifty-three acres, which he has gradually improved and kept well cultivated, raising general staple crops and hogs, cattle and horses. He has an attractive and well-furnished home and good outbuildings.

In 1883 he married, in Kellogg, Iowa, Karna Anderson, who was born in Malmo, Sweden, June 16, 1863, and this union has resulted in the birth of eight children, seven daughters and one son, namely: Hannah, born November 1, 1883, died December 18th following; Hannah Elizabeth, born November 11, 1884; Mary, born September 18, 1886; Hulda Amelia, born October 31, 1888; Carrie, born September 1, 1890; Harry, born August 10, 1893, died November 7th following; Ethel Agnes, born August 28, 1894; Delia Pearl, born November 11,1896; May, born May 15, 1899; Laurence Wilbur, born September 25,1903.

Mr. Anderson was formerly a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a Republican and belongs to the Christian Church. He has always taken a great interest in public affairs and has held numerous local offices, having been school director for twenty years, holding this position at present. He was president of the school board of his district, his term expiring January 1, 1911, he having held that position since 1909, and he has served in that capacity four different times, always most satisfactorily.

Mr. Anderson is president of the Farmers Elevator Company at Kellogg, which was organized in June 1909; at which time he was elected president, and the large success achieved by this concern has been due principally to his judicious management and wise counsel. He relates with interest of his trip from Sweden, which was made on the old Allen line steamer, he having taken passage from Liverpool, England, to Quebec, Canada. He then came direct to Kellogg, Iowa. He could not then understand or speak a word of English, thus finding 'it very difficult to make himself understood, but he was treated with every courtesy and consideration. He found rather primitive conditions here, most of the settlers still living in rude shanties, and frequently during the long winters he would awaken to find the snow drifting under his bed, but, nothing daunted, he has forged to the front over every obstacle and is today one of the substantial and influential men of his community. Page 1008.

~ Andreas, Fred C. Jr. ~

The everyday life, with its cares, necessities and duties, affords ample opportunities for acquiring experience of the best kind and its most beaten paths provide a true worker with abundant scope for effort and improvement. This fact was recognized early in life by Fred C. Andreas, Jr., one of the enterprising and esteemed citizens of Sully, Jasper County, who seized the small opportunities which he encountered on the rugged hill that leads to life's lofty summit where lies the ultimate goal of success, never attained by the weak, inactive and ambitionless. Mr. Andreas is carrying on the Bank of Sully with that discretion and energy which are sure to find their natural sequence in definite success, and in such a man there is particular satisfaction in offering in his life history justification for the compilation of works of this character.

Mr. Andreas was born in Elk Creek Township, Jasper County, on December 20, 1875. He is the son of Fred C., Sr., and Mina (Castorf) Andreas, both natives of Germany, the father born on April 1, 1843; and the mother on June 23, 1848. The maternal grandparents of the subject were Charles and Anna (Wass) Castorf, natives of Germany, where they grew up and married and from which country they emigrated to America in 1858, locating in Jasper County. Frederick and Sophia (Rohrdanz) Andreas were the paternal grandparents of our subject.

Fred C. Andreas, Sr., grew up in Germany and there learned the blacksmith's trade. In 1857 the family immigrated to Jasper County, Iowa, the grandfather buying a farm in Elk Creek Township, where he lived until his death. He gave his son, Fred C., the father of the immediate subject of this sketch, eighty acres of land here, in view of the fact that he, being the eldest son, had helped his father since a small boy. Fred C., senior, kept adding to his farm until he had five hundred and forty acres of valuable land at the time of his death, on March 18, 1911, and he was one of the leading farmers of the Township and one of its most highly respected citizens. He took an active interest in the affairs of the Democratic Party, and served his Township very ably as trustee and he was treasurer of the independent school district. He was reared in the German Lutheran Church, from which faith he never departed. His widow is still living on the home place. The parents of the subject were married on January 11, 1868. This union resulted in the birth of three sons and seven daughters, namely: Mrs. Emma Rohrdanz, Mrs. W. J. Kling, Mrs. Ella Sherman, Mrs. Martha Schnell, Fred C., William J., Mrs. Cora Talbot, Frank, Mrs. Mary Watts and Stella.

Fred C. Andreas, Jr., grew up in his native community and he attended the district schools in Elk Creek Township. When only about twelve years of age he began driving a team on the home farm and assisting with the general work on the same. When twenty-two years old his father gave him one hundred and twenty acres just west of the home place and here the subject resided until March 1, 1912, when he moved to his commodious home in Sully and took active management of the Bank of Sully, of which he has been president since March 1, 1911. He had the farm under excellent improvements and in 1905 built a commodious and pleasant dwelling.

In connection with general farming he fed large numbers of hogs and bred and raised Norman horses of such a fine quality that they always found a very ready market.

Mr. Andreas is a Democrat politically and he has served as township clerk for four years and as assessor for two years, giving eminent satisfaction in each. He belongs to the German Lutheran Church.

Mr. Andreas was married on January 10, 1900, to Amelia Marie Schnell, who was born in Buena Vista Township, this County, on April 5, 1877. She is the daughter of August Schnell and wife, a highly respected family. One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Andreas, Percy Lee, who died when six months old.

Mr. Andreas is a man of excellent business qualifications and he has succeeded in whatever he has turned his attention to, being a man of sound judgment and wise foresight, and he is one of the well known financiers of his Township, being president of the Bank of Sully, to which position succeeded in 1911, upon the death of his father (who had been president of the bank for four years preceding his death), and the duties of which he has discharged with a fidelity and ability which reflects much credit upon himself and to the satisfaction of the stockholders and patrons the bank. Personally, he is a very pleasing gentleman to know, cultured, well informed, genial and honorable in all the relations of life. Page 690.

~ Arnold, Reverend Joseph ~

Examples that impress force of character on all who study them are worthy of record, and the mission of a great soul in this world is one that is calculated to inspire a multitude of others to better and grander things; so its subsequent influence cannot be measured in metes and bounds, for it affects the lives of those with whom it comes into contact, broadening and enriching them for all time to come. By a few general observations may be conveyed some idea of the noble career of the late Rev. Joseph Arnold, for many years one of the best known ministers and attorneys of Jasper County, united in whose composition were so many elements of a solid, practical and altruistic nature as to bring him into prominent notice, who, not content to hide his talents amid life's sequestered ways, by the force of will and a laudable ambition forged to the front. His life was one of hard study and unselfish industry, whose laborious professional duties in the various relations in which he was placed, led to a high position in the esteem of the public, which gave evidence that the qualities which he possessed afforded the means of distinction under a system of government in which places of honor and usefulness are open to all who may be found-worthy of them. He passed over the troubled sea of life like a galleon through the phosphorescent Spanish main, leaving in its wake a pathway of illuminating radiance.

Joseph Arnold, son of Jesse and Mary (Pucket) Arnold, was born at Arba, Wayne County, Indiana, April 1, 1832, and there he spent his early boyhood, removing to Henry County, Iowa, where the town of Salem now stands, in the year 1839; later moving to Jefferson County, and in 1843 located in Mahaska County where his father took a homestead on the first day that lands were thrown open to settlers, two miles east of the present city of Oskaloosa, his stock of farming utensils consisting only of an axe and an old-fashioned flint-lock gun; but he was a brave, hardy, persevering pioneer, who, in due course of time, established a good home in the wilds. In 1851 as a carpenter Joseph migrated to the Lynn Grove settlement in Jasper County to carve out his fortune. In the year 1853 he received from Franklin Pierce, then President of the United States, his appointment as postmaster of Lynnville, and in the same year was married to Tacy Smith, of Palmyra, Warren County, Iowa. To this union were born six children, two of whom are deceased.

Up to the year 1861 the active business life of Joseph Arnold was one of marked success, at which time he received an injury to the spine, by being thrown from a wagon, from which he never wholly recovered. Being thus deprived of physical strength, but having a strong mind, he turned his attention from business matters to the ministry, and in 1864, after having prepared himself for this new work during a time of great physical distress, he was ordained as a minister of the gospel in the Society of Friends, of which church he was a birthright member. He continued taking treatment of the best physicians of the country, but with little improvement, and he finally moved with the family to Oskaloosa in 1867 for the purpose of being continually under the care of a specialist. His wife died while living there in the year 1869, and he was subsequently married to Sarah E. Hawkins, of Oskaloosa, to whom three children were born. In 1852 he had purchased an interest with his father in the flour and saw mills at Lynnville, which interest he retained, and in 1872, having somewhat improved in health, the family returned to Lynnville and Joseph Arnold was the miller there for some time until he traded his interest for the property which was known as the Iowa House. The humdrum life of a landlord in a small town was not to his liking, however, so, while looking after the wants of his guests, serving the town as mayor and the township as justice of the peace, he studied law, devoting himself so assiduously to the same that in eleven months after he began to read Blackstone he successfully passed the required examination and was admitted to the Jasper County Bar, besides performing his duties as minister of the gospel. He was very successful from the first and soon enjoyed a satisfactory clientage, being known throughout the country as "the Quaker lawyer-preacher," and in his law practice the policy of Mr. Arnold was largely governed by the principle of arbitration, even to the frequent sacrifice of justly earned regular attorney fees. He was an earnest, persevering, cautious and unbiased advocate, thoroughly grounded in the principles of jurisprudence and as a speaker, whether at the bar or in the pulpit, he was forceful, persuasive and not infrequently truly eloquent. Something of his popularity in his home community and the confidence in which he was held by the public may be gained from the fact that he was for fourteen successive years chosen mayor of Lynnville and he served a subsequent term of two years. During his long administration he did much for the upbuilding and permanent good of the town. He was not a politician in the usual acceptation of the term, but when an emergency arose he was always ready with his influence and personal efforts, indorsing all movements calculated to be of general good to the community and County.

Illustrative of Mr. Arnold's early tenacity for freedom and the rights of man, reference is made to his active part for the abolition of slavery for he was one of the first stockholders, directors and conductors on the underground railway, which made it possible for the transportation of many slaves toward Canada and freedom. Again, when the campaign was on for the prohibition amendment he left his business and went out to stump the southeastern part of Jasper County for the cause of the home and right. His utterances on the peace question were so clear and well defined that he was made secretary of the American Peace Society and frequently represented the state of Iowa in the great peace conferences of the several states and thus he enjoyed a wide acquaintance throughout a vast amount of territory. He was regarded as one of the prominent ministers of the society in the United States and his services were often in demand in settling legal questions in which the churches were interested.

From the year 1851 until he was summoned to take up his work in a higher sphere of action, on September 7,1904, Mr. Arnold was closely identified with the public history of the County. In January 1881, he drew up the organization papers for the Old Settlers Association of Central Iowa, and continued as its secretary and most active member until his last illness in 1902. He was very proud of this organization for it was the first of its kind in this part of the state, and by far the largest. In all his business career he never allowed anything to interfere with his attendance at the mid-week service at the church, but would lock his office and attend divine worship.

Mrs. Joseph Arnold, a woman of beautiful, Christian character and praiseworthy attributes, is still living at Lynnville, having attained the age of sixty-eight years. The children of this family were named as follows: Jesse died when three years old; Mrs. Abbie A. Ratcliff died in 1896 at the age of thirty-seven years; Mrs. Mary E. Styles lives at Brentford, South Dakota; Mrs. Emma A. Dryden is a resident of New Sharon, Iowa; Raford L., of Newton, Iowa; Mrs. Ardilla Cattell lives in Pasadena, California; Mrs. Flora Gregory lives in Chicago; Mrs. Maud Gause makes her home at Lynnville; and J. W. Arnold is a resident of Hoisington, Kansas.

Throughout his entire career Joseph Arnold was animated by lofty motives and he made every personal consideration subordinate to the higher claims of duty. Broad and liberal in his views, with the greatest good of his fellow men ever before him, his conduct was that of the lover of his kind and the true and loyal citizen, withal a man of the people, who stood among the leaders of thought and molders of opinion and whose career was fraught with great good to the people of Jasper County and the world. Page 663.

~ Arnold, Raford Lindley ~

Holding distinctive prestige among the enterprising citizens of Jasper County is Raford Lindley Arnold, popular and efficient cashier of the First National Bank and the Newton Savings Bank, at Newton, Iowa, whose record here briefly outlined is that of a self-made man, distinctively the architect of his own fortunes, who, by the judicious exercise of the talents with which nature endowed him, successfully surmounted an unfavorable environment and rose to the position he now occupies as one of the substantial and influential men of the locality honored by his residence, having been true and loyal in all the relations of life, standing as a type of that sterling manhood which ever commands respect and honor. He is a man who would win his way in any locality in which fate might place him, for he has sound judgment, coupled with great energy and business tact, together with upright principles, all of which make for success wherever and whenever they are rightly and persistently applied. Mr. Arnold is a creditable representative of one of the old and highly esteemed families of Iowa, and possesses many of the sturdy traits of his forebears.

Mr. Arnold was born in Lynnville, Iowa, on August 12, 1861. The family moved to Oskaloosa, Iowa, in 1867 in order that the father, Joseph Arnold, might receive medical treatment for an injury to his spine, which accident occurred in 1861. Moving back to Lynnville in 1872, Mr. Arnold

assisted his father in the flour-mill and later in the hotel known as the Iowa House. Owing to a lack of means young Arnold was compelled to shift for himself early in life and, although he met with many adverse conditions, the training thus received fostered in him a spirit of perseverance and fortitude, which has contributed in no small measure to his subsequent success. He commenced clerking in the store of Gause, Macy & Company when only fourteen years of age, thus his early education was neglected, but he has overcome his deficiency by wide miscellaneous home study and reading and actual contact with the business world. Later he was employed in the stores of John Gray and J. M. Rayburn at Lynnville. Afterwards a co-partnership was formed under the name of Rayburn & Arnold, the firm handling a line of general merchandise. This partnership continued successfully until 1894, the firm having enjoyed a liberal patronage with the city and surrounding country. In that year Mr. Arnold turned his attention to banking, in which he has since been engaged, having accepted a position in Baxter, Iowa, as cashier of the City Bank of Baxter; however, he had previously had experience in this field having filled a similar position in 1892 and 1893 with H. D. Lane & Company, bankers at Lynnville.

In 1891 the City Bank of Baxter was incorporated into the State Savings Bank with Mr. Arnold as the principal manager. In 1906 he accepted the position as cashier of the two banks in Newton and here he has continued to give the utmost satisfaction to the stockholders and patrons, performing his duty in an able and conscientious manner that has elicited the commendation a

confidence of all concerned. During his nineteen years' experience in the banking business the deposits entrusted to his management have ranged from five thousand to the present figures, five hundred thousand.

Mr. Arnold was a birthright member of the Friends Church, of which denomination his father was an ordained minister. Upon his removal to Baxter Raford L. Arnold identified himself with the Congregational Church and was an active member of the same. After taking up their residence in Newton the family found a church home in the Methodist Episcopal congregation of which Mr. Arnold is treasurer. He has always been active in Sunday school work, having twice been elected president of the Jasper County Sunday School Association, and at the present time he is a director of the Iowa State Epworth League Assembly. He is a member of the executive board

the Business Men's Association. Fraternally, he is also active and influential, being a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and is banker of the local camp; he also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Yoeman Homestead.

The domestic life of Mr. Arnold began on May 10, 1887, when he was united in marriage with Mae Irene Rayburn, the accomplished daughter of the late Dr. C. E. Rayburn, of Brooklyn, Iowa, a well known and highly esteemed family there.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold has been graced by the birth of four children, namely: Aleta F., born in 1889; Mildred T., born in 1894; Lowell J., born in 1899; and Gerald E., born in 1903.

Personally, Mr. Arnold is a genial, hospitable, public-spirited, unassuming gentleman whom it is a pleasure to meet and who has justly earned the universal esteem in which he is held. Page 670.

~ Auten, Alex C. ~

Alex. C. Auten was born in Knox County, Ohio, July 20, 1839, and came of that stock which meant so much to the early history of this country. He is the second child in a family of eleven born to J. C. and Rebecca (Colley) Auten, both natives of Pennsylvania, of whom there are only seven now surviving besides the subject, namely: Mary E., who was the wife and is now the widow of Madison Boatright, living in Buena Vista Township, Jasper County, Iowa; Jacob Wesley; William Allen; James Finley; and Alice, who married Wheeler Cole, all living in Ohio; and Almira, wife of George Hall, living in Pennsylvania. Those of the family who have departed this life are: Henry Clinton, who died some years ago; Louisa died at the age of six; John died in infancy; and Emma, who married Stucker Robbins, died in 1875. Both father and mother died in Ohio, to which state they had removed soon after the birth of their eldest child, Henry Clinton, in the year 1837. Alex. C. Auten and his sister, Mary E. Boatright, were the only members of the family that ever came to the West, and on January 16, 1862, Mr. Auten was united in marriage to Lois D. Foot, in Ohio, who was born in Knox County, that state, being the daughter of Aninijah and Elizabeth (Dilliston) Foot. She was one of fourteen children. One of her brothers, Wilbur Foot, enlisted in an Ohio company and served in the Civil War during the struggle between the North and South.

To Mr. and Mrs. Auten were born two children. The elder, Frank McClellan, was born in October 1865, while the family lived in Ohio; and Jay C. was born September 1, 1872, in Buena Vista Township, Jasper County, Iowa, but died at the age of sixteen years. In the spring of 1866 the family moved to Jasper County, Iowa, and for three years after coming west Mr. Auten rented land, after which period he purchased forty acres in Hixon Grove, Buena Vista Township. Later he sold this land and in 1895 he and his son, Frank, purchased one hundred and sixty acres in section I, in Buena Vista Township, which they still hold. The son Frank lives near the home place, with his interesting family of four children. The wife and mother, Susie May (Morris) Auten, was called from this life on June 2, 1910, leaving to mourn her loss, besides her husband, a little daughter, Annie Lois, aged eight years; two sons, Jay Morris, seven years old; Charles Winsor, four years old; and a baby daughter, Margaret, aged only two years.

Mr. and Mrs. Auten are well beloved and esteemed by all who know them, and are of the finest and best citizens of Jasper County. Both are faithful and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Page 607.

~ Awtry, Emmet ~

The march of improvement is accelerated day by day, and each successive moment seems to demand of men a broader intelligence and a greater discernment than did the preceding, showing that successful men must be live men in this age, bristling with activity. The purpose of biography is to preserve the records of such men for the edification of succeeding generations; thus the lesson of biography may be far-reaching to an extent not superficially evident. A man's reputation is the property of the world, for the laws of nature have forbidden isolation. Every human being either submits to or rises above the controlling influence, which touches, controls, guides or misdirects others. If he be honest and successful in his chosen field of endeavor, investigation will brighten his reputation and point the way along which others may follow with like success. The career of Emmet Awtry, well known business man of Sully, Jasper County, is of that class of enterprising citizens whose example is calculated to be an incentive to others, for his efforts have met with a fair measure of success in life's affairs.

Mr. Awtry was born in Marion County, Iowa, July 29, 1873, the son of Simon P. and Margaret A. (Flaugh) Awtry, the father born in Kentucky and the mother in Ohio, and they came to Iowa in a very early day, and the maternal grandparents, Elisha and Tissue Flaugh, who were natives of Ohio, came to Jasper County, Iowa, when the country was wild and settlers few. It is believed that they entered land from the government and here they established a good home, after the usual hard work and discomfiture, and here spent the rest of their lives, reared a family and took a leading part in the county's affairs. Mr. Flaugh was a surveyor and, there being a great deal of this work done in his day, he was kept busy, though he managed to operate successfully his one hundred and sixty acre farm. Giles Awtry, the paternal grandfather, was also a pioneer of Iowa, he having come from Kentucky to Lick Prairie Township, Marion County, and there entered government land. He was a cooper by trade, which he followed in connection with farming and he became an influential citizen in that County. On his farm the father of the immediate subject of this sketch grew up and when the Civil War came on he enlisted for service in the Federal army, in Company C, Fifteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in which he served very faithfully for three years and ten months. He was wounded at the battle of Shiloh and came home on a furlough, after which he returned to his regiment and served out his time, receiving an honorable discharge. After coming back to Iowa from his army career he was married and soon afterwards began farming, buying a part of his father's homestead. Through close application and good management he prospered from year to year and added to his holdings until at the time of his death, on July 25, 1891, he owned four hundred and forty acres of valuable land, which he had brought up to a high state of improvement and cultivation. His widow survived until in August 1910. Simon P. Awtry led a quiet home life, preferring to give his attention to his farm and his family rather than seek precarious public honors. His wife was a member of the Christian Church, and known as a kind-hearted, noble-minded woman. Their family consisted of eight children, six of whom are living at this writing.

Emmet Awtry grew up in Marion County, assisted his father with the general work about the place and received his education in the public schools there, and there he took up farming, which he followed for a period of five years, getting a good start the meanwhile. In September 1902, he came to Sully, Jasper County, and there entered the live stock business with Macey Brothers & Gove. Mr. Gove having later retired, the Maceys and Mr. Awtry are conducting the business, which has assumed extensive proportions and they are widely known over this locality, in fact, are among the leading and most successful stock men in this section of Iowa.

Politically, Mr. Awtry is a Republican, and he has served his township as trustee.

In March 1897, occurred the marriage of Mr. Awtry with Nellie C. Boat, a native of Marion County, Iowa, and the daughter of a highly respected family. This union has been blessed by the birth of one child, Margaret. Page 428.