Biographies

~ Jeffers, Thomas J. ~

In such men as Thomas J. Jeffers, farmer of Independence Township, Jasper County, there is peculiar satisfaction in offering their life histories as justification for the compilation of works of this character, not that their lives have been such as to gain them particularly wide notoriety or the admiring plaudits of their fellow men, but that they have lived upright lives and been true to the confidence reposed in them, having shown such integrity as to entitle them to the regard of all.

Mr. Thomas J. Jeffers was born in this Township on April 22, 1873, and here he grew to manhood and received his education, and, with the exception of a short time in the West, he has been a continuous resident in this vicinity. He is the son of Joseph Jeffers, who was born in Ohio. He was among the early settlers of Jasper County and here spent his last days on a farm in Independence Township, dying in 1877; his wife died in 1876. They were the parents of five children, two daughters and three sons, namely: Mrs. Clara Beels, born March 11, 1857, lives in Baxter; Mrs. Edward Patterson lives in Independence Township; William, born June 15, 1853, lives in Nebraska; Thomas J., of this review; Walter, born May 23, 1874, lives in Independence Township. These children were all born and reared in this Township and were educated in the local schools.

Thomas J. Jeffers was reared on the home farm and there he assisted with the general work about the place during the summertime, and he has made farming his life work. He owns thirty acres of good land in Independence Township and has a comfortable home there. In connection with his farming he operates a threshing machine and corn shelling outfit, doing a big annual business with each, being one of the best-known threshers in the County, enjoying substantial, returns from a large territory.

Mr. Jeffers was married on November 11, 1894, to Lillie Blanche Stier, who was born in Clear Creek Township, Jasper County, Iowa, August 6, 1876, and here she grew to womanhood and was educated, and with the exception of five years has been a continuous resident of the County. She is the daughter of John and Polly (Emery) Stier, the father born in Michigan on April 25, 1849, and died in Clear Creek Township, this County, on December 31, 1897, the mother was born in Wisconsin on August 7, 1859, and is living in Mingo, Iowa. They were early settlers of this County.

There were seven children in the Stier family, five of whom are living, namely: Amos and Mamie, twins, born in 1878, the former residing in Minnesota, the latter having died in infancy; Albert, born in 1880, lives in Mingo; Mrs. Minnie Densmore, born in 1889, lives in California; Ileon, born July 4, 1897, lives in Mingo; Lee died in infancy. These children were born in Clear Creek Township, the rest in Jasper County.

To Mr. and Mrs. Jeffers has been born one daughter, Zella, whose birth occurred on May 31, 1896; she is attending the rural schools of this community.

Politically, Mr. Jeffers is a Republican. He is a member of Jasper Lodge No. 168, Knights of Pythias, of Baxter. Mrs. Jeffers is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Clear Creek. Page 1138.

~ Jeffries, Arthur W. ~

One of the most enterprising of our younger generation of businessmen is Arthur W. Jeffries, the present efficient postmaster at Ira, Independence Township, and a member of one of the leading families of Jasper County, members of which have done much for the general up building of the same along all lines. He seems to have inherited many of the winning characteristics of his sterling ancestors, who are remembered as people who refused to be thwarted in their life course by untoward circumstances and who at the same time they were laboring for their individual advancement, never neglected their duties to their neighbors. They have always stood high in the communities where they have sought to establish their homes and engage in their chosen vocations, which have embraced many lines of endeavor; merchandising, general agriculture and stock raising, however, have been their chief attractions for a livelihood. They have been not only neighborly and hospitable, but also public spirited.

Mr. Jeffries was born in Independence Township, this County, on November 28, 1881. He is the son of Hiram A. and Barbara (Witmer) Jeffries, the father born in this Township on March 10, 1857, and the mother in Pennsylvania on July 27, 1860. From there she came to Jasper County, Iowa, in early life, and here met and married Mr. Jeffries, who had grown to manhood here, being the son of an early family of Jasper County. To Mr. and Mrs. Hiram A. Jeffries four children were born, three of whom are living, named as follows: Arthur W., of this sketch, is the eldest; Vera B., born March 1, 1884, at present instructor in domestic science in the public schools at Lake City, Iowa; Maude, born October 16, 1885, died March 14, 1912; Nellie, born February 9, 1894, is attending high school in Des Moines. These children were born and reared in Independence Township. Their parents, after spending many years in Jasper County, where the father was engaged for the most part in the mercantile business, have moved to Des Moines, and are residing at University Place, a very desirable residence section of the capital city.

Arthur W. Jeffries grew to manhood in his native Township and here he attended the common schools, and also Park College in Des Moines for a short time. With the exception of eight years, he has spent his life in Jasper County. For a great many years he was associated with his father in the general merchandise business at Ira, also the hardware and implement business, besides the poultry and butcher business, in all of which he made a success, enjoying a liberal patronage with the surrounding country. In 1911 he was elected postmaster at Ira, the duties of which he continues to discharge with a fidelity that meets the hearty approval of the people and the department.

Mr. Jeffries was married on December 10, 1902, to Daisy M. Cross, who was born in Independence Township, this County, where she grew to womanhood and received her education in the public schools. Her birth occurred on April 26, 1883. She is the daughter of Samuel W. and Melissa (Hefner) Cross, who are now residing in Baxter where they have a pleasant home. There were eight children in the Cross family, seven of whom are living at this writing.

To Mr. and Mrs. Jeffries one daughter and one son have been born, namely: Gladys Ethel, born February 7, 1904, and Dennis Delbert, born November 26, 1905. They are both attending the public schools at Ira.

Politically, Mr. Jeffries is a Republican and he takes much interest in local public affairs. He is a member of the Yeoman lodge at Ira. He has a cozy, well furnished home in Ira, and he is the owner of thirty acres of fertile, well-improved land in Independence Township. He and his wife are pleasant young people and are popular with the various circles of the community. Page 1099.

~ Jennings, Charles H. ~

All honor and praise is due the old soldiers, they who, when the Union was in danger of being disrupted, gladly and unhesitatingly left their varied tasks, forsook their cheerful hearthstones, bade farewell to home folks, shouldered their muskets and offered their services and their lives, if need be, in order, as the Great Emancipator said, "that the nation, under God, might live." By their great sacrifices we of today are enjoying the fruits of their labors, the glorious heritance which is inestimable. One of this worthy number is Charles H. Jennings, of Newton, Jasper County, a man whose life has been led along consistent lines, resulting in much good to those with whom he has come into contact and he is held in high esteem wherever he is known.

Mr. Jennings, who is of English and Irish ancestry, was born in Knox County, Ohio, May 26,1845, the son of Joseph and Eliza (McCown) Jennings, of New England. They came to Ohio when both were children. The paternal grandfather, Joseph Jennings, owned land in Knox County, Ohio, on the stage road, his home becoming a stage station in the early days, in fact, his place was a sort of tavern and there both driver and teams were changed. His son Joseph, father of the subject, when fifteen years of age, began driving the stage through Knox and adjoining counties and continued in this business for a period of twenty-five years. In 1856 he came to Iowa, driving overland in "prairie schooners" from Franklin County, Ohio, where, at Reynoldsburg, he had kept a grocery store, the trip here requiring a month, for the roads were very rough; on the way a sick horse was traded for a good yoke of oxen. He arrived with his family in Newton in April 1856, his family at that time consisting of three children, four having been born at later dates, and, besides himself and wife, his father also came along, but the latter later returned to Ohio and his death occurred at Columbus. During the first year of his residence here Joseph Jennings engaged in freighting. He handled the brick for the first two brick houses built in Newton, those for George Anderson and Colonel Meyers, both still substantial buildings. The same year he bought one hundred acres of land in Newton Township, which land now lies in Sherman Township, paying two dollars and fifty cents per acre for the same. This he cultivated for over thirty years, during which time he became one of the township's leading farmers, and laid by a competency; then he bought property in Newton and moved there, where he continued to reside until his death, in 1898, at the advanced age of eighty-two years, his wife having preceded him to the grave many years before. He was a man of sterling character and always a hard worker and a useful citizen.

Charles H. Jennings was the second child in order of birth in a family of seven, named as follows: Isabel, who married Milton Heifner, a farmer, died some time ago, leaving four children; Mary F., who married Austin Niffin, taught school a number of years in this County, and her death occurred in Newton a few years ago; George, Cordelia, Maggie and William, all died during childhood.

The subject's schooling was not extensive, owing to the fact that he grew up in a pioneer county; however he improved such opportunity as he had in the subscription schools, walking three miles, also going to school some in Newton. When seventeen years of age he ran away and joined the army, his father having opposed his suggestion to become a soldier; but he enlisted in Company L, Ninth Iowa Cavalry, on August 3, 1863. His service was mostly in Missouri and Arkansas, taking part in a, number of minor engagements and skirmishes, and while he was not wounded he suffered from a severe sunstroke, which has proved detrimental to his health ever since. He was also badly hurt by his horse falling on him. He was honorably discharged on February 3, 1866, and after his return home he began farming. In 1871 he took up a homestead claim of one hundred and sixty acres in Kansas, remaining there until 1873, when he sold it and returned to Jasper County. In 1878 he bought land in Adair County, but sold it a few years later, after which he followed carpentering in Newton for ten years. He was appointed janitor of the courthouse, which position he held for five years. He bought a substantial residence property on Main street in the west part of Newton, and in 1894 traded this for his home place, which is pleasantly situated in the north end of the city, surrounded by four and one-half acres of ground, and on this Mr. Jennings has planted a number of fruit trees of excellent variety, and that same year he built a good, cozy house here. Besides this valuable property, he is the owner of a very desirable farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Wells County, Colorado.

Mr. Jennings was married in 1868 to Araminta Rumbaugh, which union proved a failure and continued less than a year. In 1876 he was again married, his second wife being Mary Eleanor Miller, whose death occurred in 1896; this union was without issue, but they adopted a son when he was three days old, he having proved to be a good boy and a great comfort to his foster parents. Two years after the death of his second wife Mr. Jennings was united in marriage with Mrs. Alma Sager Kintz, who was born in Jasper County, Iowa, the daughter of Simon and Eliza Sager. By her former marriage, she became the mother of one child, William Kintz, who is now living in Newton; he is a moulder and carpenter. The two boys just referred to grew up together. The adopted son was named Charles Ernest Jennings. He is now in Colorado. Page 598.

~ Jennings, W. E. ~

Mound Prairie Township has no more progressive farmer or Jasper County no more honored citizen than W. E. Jennings, who, like many of our enterprising men, hails from the old Empire state, his birth having occurred in Ontario County, New York, September 5, 1863, the son of Charles and Mary R. (Starkweather) Jennings. The paternal grandparents were New Englanders and they spent their lives in their native country, as did also the maternal grandparents. The father of the subject was born in western New York and the mother in Vermont and they were married there. Charles Jennings was a carriage-maker by trade. He brought his family to Iowa in 1871, arriving in Jasper County on January 11th of that year, and they located on a farm of about one hundred acres just southeast of Colfax. Mr. Jennings here became the owner of one hundred and eighty acres and he lived here until his death, on July 16, 1894. Politically, he was a Republican, but he never aspired to public office. Before leaving New York he was a justice of the peace. His family consisted of two children, W. E., of this review, and John Charles Fremont, who died in December 1900. The mother was a member of the Presbyterian Church. Her death occurred on January 25, 1907. The father was reared a Quaker, from which faith he never departed.

W. E. Jennings was educated in the common schools of Colfax and he spent five months in Hazel Dell Academy at Newton. He was reared on the home farm and after he quit school he began the management of the home place, building a house near that of his father. In 1890 he moved to the two-hundred-acre farm he had purchased east of his home, in Mound Prairie Township, and here he has carried on general farming and stock raising in a manner that has resulted in much definite success. He has a rich and well-improved farm and a good home. He also runs a light dairy business, disposing of his products at Colfax.

Politically, he is a Republican and he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He has never aspired to public office.

On September 14, 1892, Mr. Jennings was united in marriage with Mary E. Baldwin, who was born at Ira, this County, August 1, 1866, the daughter of Mirtlow and Sarah Jane (Green) Jennings, the father born in New York and the mother in Illinois. Mirtlow Baldwin came to Iowa in the fall of 1855, and Sarah Jane Green came to this locality in 1858 with her widowed mother, Mary (Dotson) Green. The latter's family of five children were furnished a home by their uncle, Charles Dotson, and here the mother reared them.

The maternal grandfather was Harvey Green. The mother had been married first to Willis Rowe, who was killed during the Civil War, and on 0ctober 5, 1865, she married Mirtlow Baldwin. He led a quiet life on the farm, but finally moved to Newton where he spent the last sixteen years of his life, and died there on January 1, 1909, and there his widow still resides. They had two children, Mary E., wife of Mr. Jennings, and Eugene H., who lives at Fara (Farrar?), near Mingo, Iowa. The paternal grandparents, Newton and Sarah Jane (Tucker) Baldwin, were natives of New York, from which state they came to Jasper County, Iowa, in 1855. They finally moved away and the grandfather died in Wisconsin, and the grandmother in Montana.

Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Jennings, namely: Harvey E., a graduate of the high school at Colfax; Hugh B., who died in infancy, and Hazel. Page 876.

~ Jensen, Herman H. ~

Another of the representative young farmers of Sherman Township, Jasper County, is Herman H. Jensen, living on an excellent farmstead which he manages in a manner that stamps him as fully abreast of the times in matters pertaining to husbandry, and he is carrying on the various departments of his enterprise with that discretion and diligence that insure success.

Mr. Jensen was born in the locality where he still lives on September 22, 1875. He is the son of Henry and Carolina (Schmidt) Jensen, the father born in Germany in October 1849, and the mother's birth occurred in Scott County, Iowa, in 1856. Henry Jensen grew up and was educated in Germany and when nineteen years of age he emigrated to the United States and located in Davenport, Iowa, landing there without a dollar, and for several years he worked near there by the month and there he was married. In March 1875, he moved to Sherman Township, Jasper County, and bought one hundred and eighty acres. He went to work with a will, managed well and consequently prospered and now he owns four hundred and twenty acres, still residing on the home place. His wife died some time ago. Politically, he is a Republican. He has served his district as school director. Since 1896 he has been a member of the Lutheran Church. His family consists of the following children: William is living in Sherman Township; Herman H., of this review; Mrs. Meta lske, Louie, Hulda is deceased.

Herman H. Jensen grew up on the home farm and helped develop the same, attending the district schools in Sherman Township, and he remained at home until he reached maturity, then, began renting land of his father, of whom he yet rents one hundred and sixty acres. This he has kept well improved. Politically, he is a Republican and he belongs to the Knights of Pythias. He has been school director and Township Clerk.

Mr. Jensen was married on December 18, 1912, to Lena L. Reckler, who was born in Newton Township, this County, the daughter of Frederick H. Reckler, an early settler from Germany. This union has resulted m the birth of the following children: Meta Marie; Ora Bell; the third in order of birth died in infancy; Henry F. is the youngest.

Besides farming, Mr. Jensen is interested in the Jasper County Telephone Company. Page 847.

~ Jensma, Andrew D. ~

No class of emigrants who reach our shores from the kingdoms and republics of Europe show a greater aptitude in adapting themselves to our peculiar institutions than those who come from Holland, and while they find many things different from what they had been accustomed to, they, in due course of time, become familiar with our political methods and customs and appreciate the advantages which are offered by our laws. The result is that they are at once contented and straightway proceed to make the most of their new surroundings. After their home is established and they have attained some degree of comfort, they look around and soon take a hearty and intelligent interest in our form of government and prevailing institutions. One of the best known and most successful of the colony of Hollanders who have favored Jasper County by casting their lots with us is Andrew D. Jensma, a progressive young farmer of Mound Prairie Township.

Mr. Andrew D. Jensma was born in Holland on July 2, 1880, and he is the son of Johannas and Sarah (Bierma) Jensma, both born in Holland, and there they grew up and were married and there the father operated a large farm, which he rented. His death occurred in 1888. His family consisted of five sons and two daughters, namely: James, John, Levi, Andrew D., Peter, Anna and Sarah. All these children and their mother immigrated to America after the father's death and settled in Marion County, Iowa, near Monroe. The year following their arrival there they rented a farm in Fairview Township, Jasper County, and here they became very comfortably fixed. Andrew D. Jensma attended school both in Holland and in America, and, applying himself very carefully, made rapid progress. He remained with his mother until he was of legal age, then started in life for himself by renting land. He saved his earnings and in 1909 bought an excellent farm of three hundred and twenty acres, known as the old D. C. Gifford farm, known at present as the Bear Grove Stock Farm. Here he is making a pronounced success as a general farmer and stock raiser, and he feeds a large number of cattle and hogs annually. He is gradually bringing his place up to a high standard of improvement and cultivation, and he has a pleasant dwelling and substantial outbuildings.

Politically, Mr. Jensma is a Republican, but has not sought public recognition, merely exercising his rights of citizenship in a manner, which appeals to him as being right under approved and established standards.

On April 12, 1905. Mr. Jensma was united in marriage with Maud Roberts, daughter of W. Edward Roberts, an early settler in Jasper County and a highly respected citizen. Two interesting children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Jensma, Edward and Freddie. Page 901.

~ Jensma, Sicco James ~

The Netherlands have sent many of their best and most enterprising citizens to our various states and they have, as a rule, proven of great assistance to us in our general work of development. One of this worthy number is Sicco James Jensma, of Kellogg Township, Jasper County, whose influence as an honorable, upright citizen is productive of much good upon all with whom he comes into contact.

Mr. Jensma was born in the Netherlands, October 9, 1872, and he is the son of Joseph Sicco Jensma, his mother's maiden name having been Sarah J. Bierma, both born in the Netherlands. The father spent his life on a farm and died October 2, 1889. His family consisted of five sons and two daughters, namely: Sicco James, of this review: John J., Levi, Andrew D., Pete, Anna M. and Ann Sarah.

Sicco J. Jensma, of this review, spent his boyhood days at home, assisting his father with the various duties about the farm, and attending the common schools from the time he was five until he was fourteen years of age, having been a pupil in both the day and night schools. He began life as a farmer when young in years. Having heard of the good opportunities to secure a large amount of rich land cheaply in America, he set sail for our shores when eighteen years of age, coming direct to Marion County, Iowa, where he farmed one year, then moved to Jasper County, locating near Monroe, in Fairview Township, where he remained three years, then went to Prairie City, remaining there three years also, then he took up his abode near Newton where he continued to reside ten years, then located on his present farm of two hundred and forty acres in Kellogg Township, but which consisted of only two hundred acres then, but he has since added forty acres, ten acres of which is timbered, a portion of which he has cut for his own use in various ways. He has added many substantial and valuable improvements on his farm, which renders it one of the best in the Township, and as a general farmer and stock raiser he ranks with the best. He has a good, comfortable home, barns and such outbuildings and improved farming implements, as his needs require.

Mr. Jensma was married on September 27, 1910, to Christiana Jacoba VanDam, who was born in the Netherlands, November 9, 1892, the daughter of William and Rensje (Peereboom) VanDam, both natives of the Netherlands, the father born in 1863 and the mother on March 18, 1862.

Politically, Mr. Jensma is a Republican and he belongs to the Baptist Church. Page 1055.