Biographies

~ Bailey, William E. ~

One of the substantial and progressive citizens of Baxter, recently retired from the active duties of life, and who was formerly one of the leading agriculturists and stockmen of Jasper County, is William E. Bailey, a man who, as owner of the Oak Grove herd of shorthorn cattle, won a widespread reputation in his chosen field of endeavor, having been long noted for his excellent ability to judge live stock. He was a man who believed in employing the most approved methods in farming, studied his soil with a view of learning its quality and capacity and for what crops it was best adapted; he used fertilizers as needed and rotated his crops so that the land was not exhausted by repeated cultivation of a single product. He has been a leader of agricultural and horticultural literature, attended exhibits, made comparisons of his methods and results with those of his neighbors; he believes in attending the lectures and demonstrations made by those in charge of the agricultural and stock trains that the government or agricultural associations send over the Country, and is interested in the practical work of the national agricultural department and of the state experiment stations, in short, he believes in keeping fully awake to the possibilities of his calling and making every effort to increase the output along the most advanced lines. Thus his large success so early in life is not to be wondered at.

Mr. Bailey was born in Independence Township, this County, on May 5, 1872, and here he has spent his life, having always been identified with agricultural and stock raising pursuits. He is the son of William, Sr., and Elinor (Caragher) Moonen-Bailey, the father born in Lincolnshire, England, March 14, 1819. He came to New York State in 1830 and remained there four years engaged in farming. He came on to Ohio in 1835, then took up the study of medicine and surgery at Greentown, Stark County, Ohio, and he was later graduated from Lake Erie University, now the Starling Medical College, at Columbus, Ohio, and for twenty years he practiced his profession with much success. In 1866 he moved to Newton, Iowa, where he continued to practice a year, then for eighteen months he engaged in the mercantile business there, then moved to Boonesboro. In various parts of the United States he carried on various business enterprises, conducted a sawmill for some time, and finally purchased a herd of cattle in Texas and brought them to Iowa. He was an extensive traveler and visited all parts of the Union. He was a man of strong characteristics and made his influence felt wherever he went, and was very successful as a businessman and a physician. His death occurred at Newton, Iowa, on July 25, 1907. He was twice married, his second wife, mother of the subject, being a native of Tioga County, New York, where she was born in 1835; she died on August 26, 1882. One child was born to the first union, Mrs. Lucy Mann, now residing in Turlock, California. The six children born to the second union of Dr. William Bailey were named as follows: John died in infancy; Mrs. Elinor Ann Galbraith, born December 22, 1856, died February 20, 1905; Mrs. Mary Sophia Scott, born December 9, 1868; William, of this review; Mrs. Margaret Smith, born November 20, 1876, lives in Newton, Iowa. These children were reared in Jasper County.

Dr. William Bailey, Sr., was a member of Unit Lodge No. 520, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Baxter. He was president of the school board here for four years. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Newton, while his wife belonged to the Catholic Church there. He was one of the earliest and most successful of Jasper County's physicians.

The son, William Bailey, of this sketch, received a good education in the local schools and here he grew to manhood. He was married on December 3, 1903, to Lizzie K. Bale, who was born in Newton, Iowa, on January 17, 1881, and there she grew to womanhood and was educated and she has always lived in this County. She is the daughter of John and Mary (Donnelly) Bale, the father born in Rockford, Illinois, July 10, 1853, and he is residing with the subject of this sketch. The mother of Mrs. Bailey was born in Louisiana on July 6, 1855, and died in Newton, Iowa, on April 28, 1907. There were seven children in the family, all living, named as follows: Lizzie K., wife of Mr. Bailey, of this sketch; William, born September 23, 1883, lives in this County; Leo P., born May 3, 1886, is living in Baxter; Mrs. Henry Bunse, born April 28, 1889, lives near Newton; John, born February 21, 1892, lives in Baxter; Vernon, born August 23, 1895, lives in Newton; Maurice, born August 13, 1898, lives in Newton. All these children were born and reared in Jasper County. To Mr. and Mrs. Bailey one daughter has been born, Mary Thelma, whose birth occurred in Independence Township, August 6,1905.

Politically, Mr. Bailey is a Democrat, and he is a member of Active Lodge No. 516, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Baxter, and he belongs to the canton at Newton, while Mrs. Bailey is secretary of the Baxter Rebekah Lodge No. 579, of Baxter. He has been a member of the school board of Independence Township for two years. Mrs. Bailey is a member of the Catholic Church at Newton.

Mr. Bailey has been very successful in a business way and has laid by a sufficient competency to insure his future years from want. He sold his fine farm of one hundred and twenty-six acres, in the fall of 1911 and moved to Baxter, where he has a cozy, commodious and attractive home and here the family intends to reside permanently. His Oak Grove herd of shorthorn cattle was among the best to be found in the state.

The subject and wife are sociable, neighborly people, hospitable and obliging and they number their friends by the scores. Page 1237.

~ Bailey, R. H. ~

R. H. Bailey, the present popular and efficient county recorder of Jasper County, was born in Des Moines Township, near Vandalia, this County, June 23, 1880. He is the representative of one of the sterling early families of Jasper County, being the son of N. P. and Nancy J. (Keating) Bailey. The elder Bailey was a native of Illinois, from which state he, came to Jasper County, Iowa, in 1855, locating on a farm in Des Moines Township, which he soon had under excellent improvements and had established a good home where he spent the remainder of his life, dying in 1912, at the age of sixty-six years. His wife was a native of Pennsylvania, from which state she moved with her parents to Ohio and thence to Iowa about 1855, with her parents. She is still living, making her home in Vandalia; she is a woman of fine Christian characteristics.

Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. N. P. Bailey, namely: H. C., deceased; J. E. lives in Des Moines; Edna Pearl is the wife of W. J. Bruner of St. Louis; M. Coral is the wife of F. A. Vaughan, of Primghar, Iowa; R. H., of this review. These children received good common school educations and are well situated in life, respected in whatever community they have cast their lot.

R. H. Bailey, of this review, grew to maturity on the home farm where he assisted with the general work about the place and during his youth attended the neighboring schools in the winter time, receiving a good education which has been supplemented in later life by general home reading and study. He remained on the parental acres until he was elected county recorder in 1908 on the Republican ticket, in which year he moved to Newton and where he has since resided. He has long taken an active part in the affairs of the party, and his selection to the important position he now occupies is looked upon as a very fortunate one, owing to the fact that he has discharged his duties in this capacity in a most effective and praiseworthy manner, giving entire satisfaction to all concerned. So faithful and well did he discharge his duties during his first term that he was his party's choice for re-election in 1910.

Fraternally, Mr. Bailey is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Masonic order and the Modern Woodmen, standing high in each, and in religious matters he is a member of the Christian Church. Mr. Bailey was married June 7, 1911, to Anna L. Sauerman, daughter of C. F. Sauerman, of Newton. Page 490.

~ Bain, Fred ~

Another of the most progressive of Jasper County's young farmers and stock men who is worthy of specific mention in this work is Fred Bain, whose energy and good management has brought him a very desirable success. He comes of an honored old pioneer family, members of which have done much for the general good of this County, and here his birth occurred on February 5, 1876. He is the son of Hamilton D. and Margaret (Farmer) Bain, the father being a native of New York and the mother of Ohio. They grew to maturity in the East and came to Jasper County, Iowa, when young, here marrying. The paternal grandparents came to this County in the early days and here developed a farm. Hamilton Bain lived to see this locality transformed from wild prairies to its present high state of cultivation, and he did much to encourage the general up building of the community, for he was a man of fine public spirit and true worth, and was one of the County's most highly esteemed citizens. His death occurred in 1904, while residing on the home farm in Fairview Township. At the time of his death he owned one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land in the County. He served his Township in nearly every capacity for a great many years. He was not a soldier himself, but he had five brothers in the Civil War. His grandfather was a trainer of troops in his day and he organized a number of volunteer companies for military training.

There were three sons and three daughters in the family of Hamilton Bain, of whom three are deceased, namely: Emma is the wife of J. E. Sipe, a rural mail carrier who resides in Reasnor; Nettie is the wife of S. V. Wheeler and they live near Reasnor; Neil died when twenty-two years old; Mina died at the age of fifteen, and Orie's death occurred at the age of twenty-one.

By a former marriage of Hamilton Bain two children were born, Mrs. John Krouse, of Colorado, and Mrs. Maud Guthrie, who was the wife of George Guthrie, is deceased.

Fred Bain has always been a farmer. When a boy he worked on the home place and attended the neighboring schools in the winter. He began life by renting land for several years, working hard all the time. At the end of that period he purchased one hundred and sixty acres north of Newton, upon which he lived two years; he then sold it and purchased his present farm near Reasnor, upon which he now lives and which he has brought up to a high state of improvement and cultivation and where he is very success fully engaged in general farming and stock raising.

On October 5, 1897, Mr. Bain was married to Etta Bean, daughter of Charles and Ella (Oldfield) Bean, who now live on a farm in the state of Idaho, devoting his attention principally to fruit growing. His wife is deceased. Mrs. Bain is the child of a second marriage of the father. She has one sister, Mrs. Shipley of Menlo, Iowa. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bain, Harold, whose birth occurred July 4,1898, and Mildred, born February 8, 1902.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Bain take an active interest in Church work at Reasnor, being members of the Methodist Episcopal Church there, of which he is one of the trustees. In politics he is a Republican. He is a whole-souled, genial young man of excellent character. Page 1293.

~ Baker, Albert I. ~

Among the men who have been instrumental in public affairs is Albert I. Baker, of Newton, a man eminently deserving of the high esteem in which he is held by all classes, and whose name should be perpetuated in the history of his locality, partly because of his honored and untiring efforts in upbuilding the same and partly because he has led a worthy and consistent life, also because he is the scion of one of the prominent and influential old pioneer families, the type that has made the great Mississippi valley rival that of the Nile in medieval times.

Mr. Baker was born in Livingston County, Illinois, December 1, 1864, and he is the son of William E. and Sarah (Chesebro) Baker, both natives of New York. His mother's parents were pioneers of Livingston County, Illinois, having built the second house in Sullivan Township, there, and for many years they farmed extensively in that county. William E. Baker was reared in Cincinnati, Ohio, and he came from there to Livingston County, Illinois, when a very young man, where he located on a section of land purchased by his father and here he was married. There is no more prominent man in Livingston County, Illinois, today than the subject's father, for he has at all times been active in politics and has held numerous township and county offices, having twice been a member of the county board of supervisors. He was at one time mayor of the town of Dwight, Illinois, and was also a member of the board of education there. After leaving Dwight he moved to Fairbury, in the same county, where he was appointed postmaster under Cleveland. Upon retiring from the post office in 1890 he was elected county treasurer on the Democratic ticket, having resigned the position as, postmaster to accept same. During his term as treasurer he was elected chairman of the Democratic County Committee, in which capacity he served through two he served through two different campaigns, winning in both. Since going out of office he has been appointed on the board of review for the apportionment of taxes for his county. At present he is residing in Pontiac, the county seat, and is serving as justice of the peace for Pontiac Township, having been elected in 1909 by both parties. He is serving in this capacity with his usual ability and satisfaction. Although Mr. Baker is now seventy-three years of age, he is hale and hearty and an interesting man to know, being of the finest characteristics and well informed on all public questions. His wife is now sixty-six years old, and they have a host of warm friends. Their family consists of six children, an equal number of boys and girls, namely: Albert I., of this review; Clark E., a photographer of Smithfield, Utah; Stevens R., an attorney in Pontiac; Helen lives in Pontiac; Delia, who married a ranchman, lives in Kalispel, Montana, and Isabel, in Pontiac.

When eighteen years of age Albert I. Baker began working as an assistant bookkeeper and cashier in a large general store at Fairbury, Illinois, and there he remained three years, giving his employers the utmost satisfaction. Then he and his brother Clark established The Fairbury News, a weekly paper, which flourished for three years, when the plant burned. The following day both brothers accepted a partnership with The Fairbury Blade, where they remained two years. Clark Baker then went to Utah and in December 1890, Albert I. Baker was appointed deputy clerk of Livingston County under John C. George and served four years. After, that he spent over three years in Elkhart, Indiana, as head bookkeeper for the National Paper and Supply Company, and it was while living there that he met and married Mrs. Harriet A. Gruber, nee Dodson, she being the widowed daughter of James J. and Jane (McLean) Dodson, both of Ontario, Canada, where the father had been a merchant; he is now deceased; his widow is making her home in Buffalo, New York, and is now seventy-four years old.

One child, a son, born to Mr. and Mrs. Baker, died in infancy.

In November, 1898, Mr. Baker came to Newton, Jasper County, and purchased the Iowa State Democrat, which he sold after running it less than a year, then engaged with the Iowa Mercantile Company, filling the position of bookkeeper and cashier with his usual ability and fidelity for a period of four years. The next two years he was storekeeper and purchasing agent for the Parsons Self Feeder Company. On June 1, 1906, he became auditor and credit man for the One Minute Manufacturing Company, which position he still holds, performing his duties in a manner that reflects much credit upon his ability and to the entire satisfaction of his employers. He owns a beautiful modern home in Newton. He and his wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Newton, Mr. Baker being one of the trustees.

He has always taken an active interest in politics, especially since coming to Newton. He has acted as secretary of the Democratic Central Committee of the county and it is in a great measure due to his efforts that the party has been placed on a successful basis. Fraternally, he is a member of Newton Lodge No. 59, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and he is a dimitted member of Newton Chapter No. 100; Order of the Eastern Star, of which his wife also is a member. He also belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America and the Brotherhood of American Yeomen at Newton. He is a genial, kindly man whom it is a pleasure to meet, well informed on current topics on which men and parties divide and is acquainted with the world's best literature. He is one of those sincere, honest, public-spirited citizens who are a credit to any community, for while laboring to advance their own interests they never lose sight of their obligations to their neighbors and the general public. Page 510.

~ Baker, B. F. ~

The gentleman to whom the biographer now calls the reader's attention, one of the best known farmers of Clear Creek Township and one of Jasper County's most representative citizens, B. F. Baker was not favored by inherited wealth or the assistance of influential friends, but in spite of this, by perseverance, industry and a wise economy, he has attained a comfortable station in life. His career is one that should encourage others to press on to greater achievements. When he came to Jasper County, without money or influence, he set to work to overcome all difficulties that might lay in his path to success, and the comfortable competency and the high standing, which he now enjoys is the result. Earnest perseverance, careful management and a willingness to work even in the face of obstacles, these are the elements which brought him prosperity, and while he has labored for his own advancement he has at the same time ever been vigilant in his efforts to forward the general interests of the community.

Mr. Baker was born of a sterling old family in Muscatine County, Iowa, November 1, 1846, and there he grew to maturity and received his education. He came to Jasper County in 1869 and settled in Clear Creek Township and here he has resided continuously to the present day. He is the son of Harvey and Harriet (Freeman) Baker, both born in Ohio, the father in Clermont County, and they grew to maturity there, married and spent their early years, coming to Muscatine County, Iowa, later in life, where they both died. Their family consisted of three sons and two daughters, namely: George, of Muscatine, Iowa; B. F., of this sketch; Marietta Gatton, of Bozeman, Montana; C. J., who lives on the old home farm in Muscatine County; Laura A. Mallicoat, who lives east of Newton, Iowa. The older brother was born in Marion County, Indiana, where the family lived a number of years, before coming west, and the younger ones were born in Muscatine County Iowa.

B. F. Baker was married on September 2, 1873, to Jane E. Crawford, who was born in Ohio, September 8, 1853, and whose death occurred in Jasper County, Iowa, March 20, 1896. She was one of a family of two sons and four daughters, namely: Mrs. Hannah Tramel of Ira, this County; Jane E., who married Mr. Baker, of this sketch; H. W. Crawford of Lake-City, Iowa; Mrs. Mary Campbell, of Audubon County, Iowa; Mrs. Nellie Planalp and J. H. Crawford, both living at the town of Ira.

To Mr. and Mrs. Baker a son and a daughter were born: Walter C., whose birth occurred on March 26, 1876, died March 31, 1900; Mrs. Coral H. Southern, born December 5, 1877, married E. E. Southern December 23, 1902, lives on the home farm with her father and she has these children; Lois Eva, born October 3, 1904; Thelma Leota, born November 6, 1906; Orlo Mansfield, born October 14, 1910; these children were born on the old homestead in Clear Creek Township.

Mr. Baker has devoted his life to agricultural, pursuits and he has met with much larger success than the average person in this line of endeavor. He is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of choice land in Clear Creek Township, which he has brought up to a high state of improvement and cultivation, on which stand a modern and cozy dwelling and substantial outbuildings. Mr. Baker and E. E. Southern operate both his farm and a farm owned by Mr. Southern, and also rents one hundred and twenty acres in Sherman Township, which he owns.

Mr. Baker is a Republican in politics, and he has been a member of the school board of his district. Mr. Baker is a man who believes in keeping well abreast of the times, is progressive, broad-minded, industrious and of unquestioned integrity. Page 1296.

~ Bale, Leo P. ~

To attain a worthy citizenship by a life that is always honored and respected even from childhood deserves more than mere mention. It is no easy task to resist the many temptations, which assail and beset the pathway of youth and early manhood and plant a character in the minds and hearts of associates that will remain untarnished for all time to come. One may take his place in public life through some vigorous stroke of public policy, and even remain in the hearts of friends and neighbors, but to take the same position by dint of the practice of an upright life and without a craving for exaltation and popularity is worthy of the highest commendation. One of the highly respected and industrious young men of Baxter, Jasper County, is Leo P. Bale, who was born in Newton Township, this County, on May 3, 1886, and here he grew to manhood and received his education in the common schools. He has always resided in this locality, of which his parents were early settlers, his mother being eleven years old and his father twenty-one when they came here. He is the son of John and Mary (Donnely) Bale, the father born in Rockford County, Illinois, on July 10, 1853, while the mother's birth occurred in Louisiana on July 6, 1855. She came North when a child and grew to womanhood in Jasper County, Iowa, was educated in the old-time schools and here she and Mr. Bale were married and he spent the rest of her life here, dying in Newton on April 28, 1907. The father of the subject grew to manhood in Illinois and about 1864 came to Jasper County, Iowa, and married and here devoted his life to farming. He is now living in Baxter, making his home with his daughter, Mrs. Lizzie K. Bailey, she being the eldest of a family of seven children, her birth occurring in Newton, Iowa, on January 17, 1881; the others are: William, born September 23, 1883, lives in this County; Leo P., of this sketch; Mrs. Henry Bunse, born April 28, 1889, lives near Newton; John, born February 21, 1892, lives in Baxter; Vernon, born August 23, 1895, lives in Newton; Maurice, born August 13, 1898, lives in Newton. All these children were born, reared and educated in Jasper County.

Leo P. Bale was married on December 3, 1908, to Dora Bunse, who was born in Newton Township, this County, November 8, 1891, and here she grew to womanhood, was educated and has always lived here. She is the daughter of Fred and Henrietta (Flamma) Bunse, both natives of Germany, the father born in Helminghausen on September 29, 1848, and the mother born in Stormbraugh on March 25, 1859. There they spent their childhood and were married May 15, 1882, emigrating to America in August 1883, locating in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa, where they remained until 1888, when they moved to Jasper County and here became very comfortably established, and here the father spent the rest of his life, dying in Sherman Township, December 16, 1900. The mother is still living in Sherman Township.

Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bunse, namely: Mrs. Frank Brisel, born in Germany, January 23, 1883, is living in Sherman Township; Henry, born February 14, 1885, of Sherman Township; Herman, born August 27, 1889; Dora, wife of Mr. Bale of this sketch; Meta, born September 27, 1895; lives in Sherman Township. This family was reared in Jasper County.

To Mr. and Mrs. Bale has been born one daughter, Wilma Arlene, whose birth occurred at Ira, November 3, 1909.

Mr. Bale purchased an interest in the dray line at Baxter in 1911 and this he is successfully engaged in. Politically, he is a Democrat and he belongs to the Catholic Church at Newton. Fraternally, he belongs to Active Lodge No. 516, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Baxter. Mrs. Dora Bale is a member of Baxter Rebekah Lodge No. 579. Page 1230.

~ Barbee, Christopher C. ~

For sixty years an honored resident of Jasper County, or practically all his life, Christopher C. Barbee, well known hardware merchant of the town of Ira, Independence Township, is entitled to special mention with the successful and representative men of the County. He has for nearly a half century been inseparably connected with the agricultural and industrial growth and development of the County and in the equally important matter of education and public morals he has also taken a leading part. While primarily attending to his own interests, his life has been devoted, as much as possible, in the ordinary course of every-day events, to his fellow men, having sought to inspire a proper respect for law and order and ready at all times to do his full duty in furthering any movement having for its object the general betterment of his community. His career contains few mistakes and abounds in much that is honorable and of good report, containing the record of an untarnished name and a character above reproach, which is much more to be desired than great riches.

Mr. Barbee was born in Hendricks County, Indiana, March 8, 1852, and when two years old he was brought by his parents to Jasper County and this has been his home ever since. The long, tiresome trip was made overland in an old-fashioned wagon, and they camped along the rough roads and forded the unbridged streams. He is the son of John arid Ollie (Newton) Barbee, the father born in Kentucky and the mother in Indiana. They came to Jasper County, Iowa, in 1852 and here became well established on a farm, spending the remainder of their lives here, the father dying on March 9, 1889, and the mother in 1892. Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. John Barbee, six of whom are living at this writing.

Christopher C. Barbee, of this sketch, began life for himself on the farm, which he has made his chief life work; he also learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed successfully for a number of years. He has for some time maintained a hardware store in Ira where he keeps a large and carefully selected stock of general hardware and farming implements, and he enjoys a very liberal patronage with the surrounding country, his customers, many of them, coming from remote localities. He also owns a modern and comfortable home in Ira, and through his industry and good management has become very well established in a material way.

Mr. Barbee talks interestingly of the days when the family first settled here. Wild game was abundant and Indians formed the major portion of the population. He says that often when the larder was empty of meat the father would give notice to the family that he intended to go out and kill a deer and that the rest of the family might be required to help bring it in, many of the deer being so large that it required more than one person to carry it home.

Mr. Barbee was married on May 26, 1873, to Angeline Sparks, who was born in Minnesota, September 11, 1858, the daughter of Joseph and Amilda (Parks) Sparks, the father born in Kentucky and the mother in Indiana. They moved to Minnesota in an early day and there the mother's death occurred on June 12, 1900. The father was a soldier in the Union army and died while in the service.

Mrs. Barbee has one full brother, John Sparks, who resides at Bemidji, Minnesota, and two half brothers, Ernest and Charlie Clemmons, of Bemidji, Minnesota, and one full sister and two half sisters, deceased.

Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Barbee, four of whom are living at this writing, namely: Bertie died in infancy; Mrs. Maude L. Reddick, born December 31, 1877, lives in South Dakota; Otis .C., born December 21, 1879, and Clarence J., born January 4, 1882, were killed in a train wreck while journeying to Dakota; J. Clifford, born December 26, 1884, is a blacksmith at Mingo, Iowa; Ray H., born February 9; 1889, lives in Ira; James Edward, born January 18, 1895, is assisting his father in the store at Ira. These children were reared and educated in Jasper County.

Politically, Mr. Barbee is a Republican, and while he has been too much engrossed with private affairs to seek public offices, he has always been interested in his party's welfare. He and his family are members of the Latter-Day Saints Church. Page 1134.

~ Barbee, J. Clifford ~

Success in this life comes to the deserving. It is an axiom demonstrated by all human experience, that a man gets out of this life what he puts into it, plus a reasonable interest on the investment. The individual who inherits a large estate and adds nothing to his fortune cannot be called a successful man. He that falls heir to a large fortune and increases its value is successful in proportion to the amount he adds to his possession. But the man who starts in the world unaided and by sheer force of will, controlled by correct principles, forges ahead and at length reaches a position of honor among his fellow citizens achieves success such as representatives of the two former classes can neither understand nor appreciate. To a considerable extent J. Clifford Barbee, of Mingo, Jasper County, is a creditable representative of the class last named, a class, which has furnished much of the bone and sinew of the country and added to the stability of our government and its institutions.

Mr. Barbee was born in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, December 26, 1884. He is the son of Christopher C. and Angeline (Sparks) Barbee, the father born in Hendricks County, Indiana, March 8, 1852, and the mother born in Minnesota September 11, 1859. When two years old, the father was brought by his parents, John and Ollie (Newton) Barbee, to Jasper County, Iowa, making the overland trip in wagons, before the days of railroads in this part of the country, and here Christopher C. Barbee grew to manhood and has continued to reside, devoting his life to farming and blacksmithing, now engaged as a hardware merchant in the town of Ira, this County. The mother of the subject was the daughter of Joseph and Amilda (Parks) Sparks, the father born in Kentucky and the mother in Indiana. They moved to Minnesota in an early day and there the mother died. The father was a soldier in the Union army and died while in the service.

Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Christopher C. Barbee, four of whom are living at this writing, namely: Bertie died in infancy; Mrs. Maude L. Reddick, born December 31, 1877, lives in South Dakota; Otis C., born December 21, 1879, and Clarence J., born January 4, 1882, were killed in a train wreck while journeying to Dakota several years ago; J. Clifford, of this sketch; Ray H., born February 9, 1889, lives at Ira; James Edward, born January 18, 1895, is assisting his father in the store at Ira. These children were reared and educated in Jasper County.

J. Clifford Barbee was six months old when his parents brought him to Rhodes, Marshall County, Iowa, from Jackson County, Missouri, and the family lived at Rhodes about four years, then moved to Independence Township, Jasper County, where they have since resided. The subject grew to manhood here and received his education in the local schools. He learned the blacksmith's trade when a young man and this has been his life work. He has become very skilled in his chosen vocation and enjoys an ever-increasing business, having followed his profession continuously for the past eight years, and in July 1911, he purchased a well-equipped shop in Mingo where he does a general blacksmithing and repair work.

Mr. Barbee was married in November 1904, to Lizzie Inglis, who was born in Illinois in 1884. She is the daughter of John Inglis, who was born in Scotland and is now living in Texas. There were twelve children in the Inglis family.

To Mr. and Mrs. Barbee three children have been born, namely: Zola, Fern, born in Melbourne, Iowa; Raymond Harold, born in Fairmount, Minnesota; Gladys, born in Webster City, Iowa. The two older children are attending school at Mingo. Politically, Mr. Barbee votes independently. Page 1348.

~ Bateman, Mark W. ~

Mr. Mark W. Bateman was born on August 13, 1839, in Cambria, Pennsylvania, and he is the son of Wesley and Jane (Thomas) Bateman, natives of Pennsylvania, the father born in Center County, he being of French and English descent, while the mother's people were Welsh. The father of the subject was a carpenter and cabinet-maker, and he came west in 1856, bringing his son, Mark W., of this review. They came by steamboat to Glasgow, Missouri, and went from there to Sheridan County, Missouri, where they spent the summer. Later they moved to Van Buren County, Iowa, where they stayed until late in the fall, when they returned to Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1867, the entire family came to Farmington, Van Buren County, and there the father worked at his trade until 1892 when he came to Monroe, Jasper County, and lived with his son. His death occurred at the Soldiers' Home in Marshalltown in January 1895, at the age of eighty-seven years. He was a member of the famous Gray Beard Regiment, of Iowa, in which there was no man under forty-five years of age. He is remembered by his comrades as a brave and efficient soldier, serving until receiving an honorable discharge at the close of the war. He was a member of the Shelledy Post, Grand Army of the Republic, which was named after Colonel Shelledy, commander of his regiment. The mother of the subject died in Farmington, Iowa, several years before the elder Bateman's death. They were the parents of seven children, two of whom are living at this writing; they were: John T. who is in the National Soldiers' Home in Tennessee; Mark W. of this review; James E. and Anna Jane are both deceased; William H. was drowned when a boy; Milton W. died while in the army; George C. died in October 1910.

Mark W. Bateman was married in 1863 to Jane Sulgrove, daughter of Edward and Margaret (Rodman) Sulgrove, natives of Indiana, in which state Mrs. Bateman was born. Her parents were early settlers in Iowa, having come here in 1839 or 1840, when the country was a wild and almost interminable prairie and the home of thousands of Indians.

About a year after his marriage Mr. Bateman drove five yoke of oxen to a prairie schooner across the great western plains to Boise City, Idaho. He went in search of gold, but failed in his efforts and about a year later he returned to Iowa, reaching home in September 1865, proving his courage and sterling mettle by making the return trip on a pony, the distance traversed being two thousand one hundred and fifty miles. It is indeed interesting to hear him relate incidents of his western trip in those early days. He was at that time living in Farmington, but with the coming of the Des Moines Valley Railroad he moved to Monroe, Jasper County, and has since made his home here, moving his family thither on March 26, 1867. At first, after arriving in Monroe, he engaged in the grain business: later he began working for the railroad company, but continued to buy grain. He has lived in the same house every since coming here, forty-four years ago. During this time he has seen the County develop from its primitive conditions to what it is today one of the leading counties of the state, and he has taken an active and praiseworthy interest in the upbuilding of his community.

In the fall of 1873 he was elected constable of Fairview Township and in January 1874, he was appointed deputy sheriff of the County, serving most acceptably in this office for six years, and as constable for sixteen years, finally giving up the office of his own accord. During this long service as a public official, he had many narrow escapes in encounters with desperadoes, but never failed to make an arrest when ordered to do so. In 1889 he was elected Township Clerk and served in this capacity with much credit to himself and to the satisfaction of all concerned for a period of twenty years, at which time he was appointed justice of the peace, which office he has held to the present time, discharging the duties of the same in a highly commendable manner, his decisions being unbiased, impartial and fair to all parties concerned, and they have seldom been reversed at the hands of higher tribunals. He has also served on the town council and the school board. Fraternally, he belongs to Fairview Lodge No. 194, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.

having been a member for many years. At one time he was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mrs. Bateman is a member of the Baptist Church.

To Mr. and Mrs. Bateman six children have been born, all of whom are living, namely: Mrs. Addie Jarnagin; Stella married James Keating, who died seven years ago, and she now lives with her father; Frederick E., Mrs. Ollie Crosby and Mrs. Margaret Ible, all live in Monroe; James E. lives in Omaha, Nebraska. This is one of the best-known and most highly respected families in Jasper County. Page 864.

~ Battles, Beriah ~

It would be hard to find, within the borders of the locality of which this history treats, a man better beloved by his neighbors and his community than Beriah Battels, a sterling and honored pioneer, who, now that he has reached the advanced mile posts of the years "where cool and long the shadows grow", before the mellow evening twilight, is serenely passing his last days in retirement in his cozy home in the city of Newton. His life since boyhood has been an exemplary one, and he is now nearing his four score years. Kindly in his nature, gentle in his judgments, broad in his sympathies, he has long Id been known in truth to be "a-friend in need and a friend indeed." Although the sunshine for him has been darkened during the past few years, owing to some affliction of the eyes, he bears his Jot with rare fortitude and cheerfulness. His optimism of character, his gentleness and kindliness have made him ever a welcome guest in the homes of his fellow men and have endeared him to all who know him.

Mr. Battels was born on April 9, 1833, in Trumbull County, Ohio, the son of Beriah and Elizabeth (Fisher) Battels, both natives of Pennsylvania. His father was a veteran of the War of 1812, and his grandfather, who was also named Beriah, was a soldier in the Revolution. When the subject of this sketch was but a small boy he moved with his parents to Hancock County, Ohio, and there, in the district schools, he received his education. His father first engaged in the foundry business in Pennsylvania, later took up farming in Ohio, and in 1855 moved with his family to Iowa, locating in Hamilton County, where, as a pioneer, he engaged in farming until his death, in 1863, at the age of sixty-five years. Upon coming to this state the subject came on to Jasper County, in 1855, selecting a farm in Poweshiek Township, being among the early settlers there, with neighbors few and far between. Here he remained until the outbreak of the Civil War, when he proved his patriotism by enlisting, in September 1861, in the state service, and on October 21st following was sworn into the United States service at Camp McClellan, as a private in Company B, Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, under the command of Capt. Thomas H. Miller and James Wilson, first lieutenant, the latter finally becoming a general. E. E. Dungan was second lieutenant. They were quartered at Jefferson barracks, near St. Louis, and at Jefferson City, Missouri, for the winter, and in March following they were ordered down the river, ostensibly bound for Savannah, but they were turned aside at Pittsburgh Landing and ordered into active service. During this engagement Mr. Battels had a portion of his hand shot away, which incapacitated him for further duty, and he was discharged at St. Louis on August 12, 1862, and sent home. After his return from the army he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Malaka Township and, with the exception of two years, 1881 and 1882, when he owned and conducted a general store at Mitchellville, he remained upon this farm until he retired in 1890, in which year he removed to Newton, where he has ever since resided, owning here a commodious and pleasant home, neatly furnished and well kept.

Mr. Battels was the second child in a family of eight children, namely: Hiram Newton was a member of a company recruited at Homer, and he served in the Second Iowa Cavalry during the Civil War; he had a family of thirteen children, eight of whom were boys, who have now reached maturity and are successful business men. Mrs. Margaret E. Russell lives on a farm near Webster City, Iowa; Jane, who married George Stover, died in Kansas; Hiram, the second, died in Polk County, Iowa; Mrs. Mary Tucker lives in Pueblo, Colorado; Mrs. Amanda Bell, now a widow, lives at Brush Prairie, Washington; Mrs. Rhoda Brandon lives in Des Moines; Mrs. Ellen Abernathy lives in Arkansas City.

On February 22, 1853, Mr. Battels was united in marriage with Eliza J. Myers, daughter of John and Matilda (Groves) Myers. Not having any children of their own, they took a child to raise when only two months old, Charles F., the son of Lucetta Roberts, now Mrs. Albert B. Kitchel. They educated him and reared him to manhood, and although never legally adopted by Mr. Battels or his wife, he has always borne their name.

Mr. Battels' first wife died in 1882, whereupon he retired from the mercantile business, turning the same over to the young man he had reared. On me April 11, 1883, he was married again, his last wife being known in her maidenhood as Mary E. Carper. Her father, a well-known farmer in Poweshiek Township, this County, died in 1864, when only thirty-four years old; his widow survived him many years, dying on her seventieth birthday in Seattle, Washington. There were five children in the family, who grew to maturity, a namely: Dr. P. D. Carper, a well known physician of Seattle, Washington, died six years ago; T. E. Carper, now engaged in the transfer business in It- the last named city, is married and has two children; Mrs. Kathryn Hinton, now deceased, left one child, Mrs. Andrew Christensen, wife of one of Seattle's, progressive business men; Mrs. Clara Kircher died at Columbus, Ohio; he the two brothers, mentioned above, were the first two from this country to set foot into the Klondike, and they enjoyed the distinction of being the first to discover gold in paying quantities on Bonanza Creek. Their mining venture was very successful, the two having mined out several hundred thousand dollars' worth of gold, and they finally disposed of their claim for two hundred of thousand dollars. At his death Dr. P. D. Carper was the owner of the Goodlope Mine of Nevada, which he left as a legacy to his brothers and sisters and it is still in the family.

The first coal discovered in Jasper County north of the river was on the farm belonging to Mrs. Battels' mother, and there the little town of Oswald was builded.

Mr. and Mrs. Battels are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Newton, the former having been converted at the age of eighteen, and he has been a consistent member of that denomination ever since. He has been class leader in the church since he first moved to Newton; he has held most every office in the church, including that of steward, and as lay pastor he visits the homes of the afflicted and those who need his help and he in is ever a welcome visitor, for he believes in scattering sunshine about him as e, he goes through life. Mrs. Battels has been a teacher in the church for a number of years and was a charter member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Colfax. When but fifteen years old she and her sister were baptized in the Skunk River at Colfax, being the first to receive baptism in the river there, and united with the Christian Church, in which faith their mother had been I, baptized by Alexander Campbell at Massillon.

Mr. and Mrs. Battels have no children. He is a member of the Masonic order at Newton, also belongs to the Garret Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of which he has been past commander and chaplain. In 1862, after his return from the army, Mr. Battels was commissioned captain of the Home Guards by Governor Stone of Iowa. Politically, he is a Republican. Mrs. Battels is a member of the Eastern Star, also the Woman's Relief Corps, having been president of the latter for three years, also served as chaplain.

Personally, Mr. Battels is a very pleasant gentleman and he and his wife have long been prominent in local affairs, especially in a social way, and among the most influential in club and church matters. Page 519.

~ Battles, Ephraim C. ~

One of the most up-to-date agriculturists of the northwestern portion of Jasper County is Ephraim C. Battles, of Clear Creek Township. Mr. Battles has always followed farming for a livelihood and he is regarded as an enterprising and typical tiller of the soil of the present day. His thorough system of tillage, the good order of his fences, the well-cared-for condition of his fields, the commodious and comfortable buildings, all demonstrate his successful management and substantial thrift. During the past decade he has lived on the farm, which he now owns, and the years of his residence in this community have won for him a very high place in the confidence and esteem of his many neighbors and friends. In every relation of life he has always been regarded as a representative citizen, discharging every duty devolving upon him with commendable fidelity and proving himself worthy the large measure of respect with which he is treated by all who know him, and that embraces much of the population of both Jasper and Polk counties, this state, as well as other sections of the country.

Mr. Battles was born in Polk County, Iowa, on February 18, 1876, and there he grew to manhood and received his educational training, started in life as a farmer and continued to reside there until February 1902, when he moved to Jasper County. He is the son of Hiram and Susan E. (Lacey) Battles, the father born in Ohio on August 24, 1838, and the mother was born in Tennessee on January 25, 1846. They grew up and were married in the East, coming to Iowa in pioneer days and became well established in Polk County, where the father spent the rest of his life, dying on September 17, 1892. The mother is now living in Mitchellville, this State.

To Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Battles thirteen children were born, twelve of whom are living, named as follows: Isaac S., born in Hamilton County, Iowa, August 21, 1867, is living at Santiago, Polk County; Etna, born in Jasper County, Iowa, on December 10, 1868, lives at Mitchellville; Mrs. Bertha Williams, born August 24, 1871, lives at Farrar, Polk County; Delmer, born February 28, 1873, also lives at Farrar; Calla, born November 12, 1874, died August 24, 1875; Ephraim C., of this sketch; Fred, born November 25, 1877, lives in Ira, this County; Edward B., born September 1, 1879, lives at Farrar, Polk County; Mrs. Ella Baldwin, born October 10, 1881, lives at Mingo, this County; Dora Hilker, born August 16, 1883, lives in Polk County; Leroy H., born August 28, 1885, lives at Mitchellville; Asa W., born January 8, 1888, is residing at Pineville, Oregon; Lloyd C., born August 15, 1890, lives .at Mitchellville. This family was reared in Polk County.

Ephraim C. Battles located in Clear Creek Township when he came to Jasper County early in the year 1902. Here he began farming on rented land, then purchased the old Byal place, containing two hundred acres of choice land, which he still retains and which he has brought up to a high state of improvement and cultivation, until today it is regarded as one of the best farms in this part of the County. Mr. Battles purchased this place in 1909. He has a pleasant home and good outbuildings and he always keeps an excellent grade of livestock.

Mr. Battles was married on August 30, 1896, to Mary E. Baldwin, who was born in Jasper County, Iowa, December 26, 1876, and here she grew to womanhood and received her education in the common schools. She is the daughter of Daniel F. and Frances (McClannahan) Baldwin, the father born in Pennsylvania on May l, 1853, and the mother in Iowa, on October 1, 1856. They reside in Mingo, this County, where they have a comfortable home and are well known.

To Daniel F. Baldwin and wife twelve children were born, eleven of whom are living, named as follows: Charles Edward, born March 28, 1874, lives in Montana; Mary E., wife of Mr. Battles, of this review; Frank Elmer, born December 26, 1877, lives at Mingo; Mrs. Gertie Ellen Sannon, born July 12, 1879, lives in Denver, Colorado; Mertie Elizabeth, a twin sister of the last named (Mrs. Sannon), died in infancy; Mrs. Bertha Elizabeth Miller, born May 13, 1884, lives in Mitchellville, Iowa; Jacob Frederick, born January 11, 1887, lives in Jasper County; Mrs. Florence Longnecker, born December 16, 1889, is a resident of Mingo; Roy Wesley, born November 4, 1893; lrvin J., born June 12, 1896; Vera, born August 2, 1898; Ruby, born February 2, 1900, all live at Mingo, Jasper County. This family was reared and educated in this County.

The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Battles: Pearl, born September 23, 1897; Ethel and Edna, twins, born January 23, 1899, the latter dying on August 30th of the same year; Finley Austin, born May 18, 1904; Coral, born July 25, 1906; Charley Lacey, born December 11, 1907. These children are attending school in their home district.

Politically, Mr. Battles is a Democrat and, fraternally, he belongs to Mingo Lodge No. 174, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Mingo, and he and Mrs. Battles belong to the Rebekah Lodge of Mingo, and they also hold membership with the Yeomen Lodge of Ira. He belongs to the encampment of that place and she is a member of the Woman's Relief Corps there. Page 1312.