Biographies

~ Ramsey, E. B. ~

Fifty years ago when the slaveholders' rebellion broke out with all its fury at Fort Sumter and when it looked as if the Union, which all love so much, would be dissolved, E. B. Ramsey, a venerable and esteemed citizen of Newton, Jasper County, enlisted to save the federation of states, being perfectly willing, notwithstanding the grave dangers and certain hardships, to do what he could in this direction. It was a time when there could be no temporizing and no halting-no half-way position-for all who were not for the Union were against it, and both sides hated the man who claimed to be neutral because he had not the courage to go upon the field of battle and had no principles to sustain. Mr. Ramsey was alive to the gravity of the national conflict, realizing that the struggle impending was something more than a holiday undertaking and knew that it meant great sacrifices and the shedding of much precious blood before the flag could again wave from Maine to Florida and from the Atlantic to the Pacific seaboards; but he did not hesitate, be it said to his everlasting credit. So for this and many other reasons the name of Mr. Ramsey should be included in this history, not the least of which is the fact that he has been a loyal booster to the city of Newton since taking up his residence here, forty-four years ago, having played no inconspicuous part in the general progress of the town, and led a life so free from aught that is paltry or ignoble that its parallel is not frequently met with, and now that the twilight shadows of life are enshrouding him he can look backward over a road well traversed and forward with no apprehension.

Mr. Ramsey was born in 1827, in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and he is the son of Thomas and Sarah (Weaverling) Ramsey, both natives of Pennsylvania. The father, who devoted his life to farming, was an old-line Whig and a man of upright character. His death occurred on December 20, 1861, at the age of fifty-nine years, while his son, E. B., was away from home, fighting for the flag, which they both loved. The mother lived to be seventy-seven years of age.

E. B. Ramsey, who was the third child in a family of six children, is of Scotch-Irish ancestry; the other children are: James, now deceased, formerly a wagon maker in Pennsylvania; John died in Bucyrus, Ohio, when twenty-eight years of age; Henry W., who served in the Union Army, enlisting in a Pennsylvania regiment, is a shoemaker and lives in that state; Sophia is also living there; Oliver, now deceased, also served in the Civil War from Pennsylvania.

E. B. Ramsey, of this sketch, received his education in the public schools in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, but his educational advantages were limited. When fifteen years of age he was apprenticed to a tailor, and after learning the trade he worked at it for a period of fifteen years in different towns in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and won a reputation for very skilled workmanship. When the Civil war began he was one of the first to offer his services to the Union, April 25, 1861, in Company G, Thirteenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was stationed at York, Pennsylvania, and later at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He was accidentally wounded by the carelessness of Lieut. William Barndollar. The subject found a revolver while doing picket duty and having seen one similar in the hands of his lieutenant, he took it to him, the latter carelessly taking hold of the weapon which was discharged as he did so, the bullet passing through Mr. Ramsey's hand. The lieutenant was also injured. The result was that the subject received a discharge for disability and was sent home. On February 20, 1863, leaving his young wife at home (for he had in the meantime married), he re-enlisted, this time in Company E, One Hundred and Eighty-sixth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was in various engagements and skirmishes, but most of his duties were performed while on detached service. After the close of the war he received an honorable discharge and was mustered out in August 1865, in Philadelphia.

Mr. Ramsey was married on February 18, 1862, to Sarah E. Widell, who was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, the daughter of George and Mary (Millborn) Widell, both natives of Pennsylvania. Her parents were of German and English extraction. They came to Iowa and located in Newton in 1867 and here Mr. Widell lived until his death on December 20, 1888, at the age of seventy-eight years. They were the parents of six children, the eldest, Sarah E., who married Mr. Ramsey, was born on November 26, 1840; Amanda died when twenty-two years of age; Mary is the wife of Hess Parsons, a prominent stock man and farmer in Malaka Township, this county; Georgia, wife of James Woods, lives in Newton; Henrietta, who married Charles Clark, lives in the state of Washington, where he owns a fruit ranch; William lives in Newton.

E. B. Ramsey came, unaccompanied, to Iowa in the fall of 1867, reaching the city of Newton on November 23rd, his family following soon afterward. He was able to foresee a great future for Newton and decided to settle here. First he worked at his trade, that of tailor, later conducting a dray and express business for over thirty years, or until he retired from active life, he having been sole owner of the same. By careful and honest management he succeeded in building up an extensive patronage and accumulated a competency for his old age.

Three children were born to Mr. Ramsey and wife, named as follows: Elmer Elsworth lives in Des Moines; Charlie Preston, who makes his home with his father here in Newton, married Almira Stewart, and they have two children, Katherine W., who teaches school, and Florence E., who is attending high school in Newton. They keep house for their grandfather, the subject, his wife being deceased. William Albert, the youngest child of the subject, died in infancy.

After traversing happily and harmoniously the winding path of life together for nearly a half century, Mr. Ramsey was called upon to undergo his greatest sorrow, that of parting from his faithful life companion, who passed to her rest on August 9, 1910. She was a woman of remarkable intellect, broad-minded, kind-hearted and who was always willing to lend her assistance in forwarding any good cause. By her efforts, probably more than those of any other woman, was the public library in Newton established. There being much local prejudice against it, she was compelled to work for it for a number of years. She presided over the "reading room," patiently working with other right-minded citizens, until the public library became a fixture in Newton. She was its first librarian, and served as such for a period of thirteen years in a manner that reflected much credit upon herself and to the satisfaction of all concerned. She was a faithful member of the Lutheran Church, a charter member of the local congregation, and she was a teacher in the Sunday school until ill health compelled her to resign.

Mr. Ramsey is a member of the same church, having been loyal to this denomination for a period of sixty-seven years, and he was an officer in the church for a period of forty-five years, having been elder until recently, when his hearing grew too poor to perform his duties adequately, but he is still elder emeritus. He is a member of Garret Post, Grand Army of the Republic. When he enlisted for service in the army he was postmaster at Everett, Pennsylvania; his wife, having been made his deputy, looked after the office while he was at the front. She was a member of the Woman's Relief Corps, also the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Politically, Mr. Ramsey has always been a stanch Republican. He owns a pleasant cottage on Farmer and Washington streets, and is spending his declining years in peace and comfort. Page 525.

~ Reckler, Frederick A. ~

There have come to the United States from the German empire and other alien lands men of limited financial resources, but imbued with a sturdy independence and a laudable ambition to succeed, and who have taken advantage of the wonderful possibilities afforded here. Gradually, step-by-step, they have risen to places of prominence in various lines of activity. Of these there can be none mentioned who deserves more favorable attention than Frederick A. Reckler, for many years one of Jasper County's successful farmers, and who, having by his thrift gained a competency, is now living retired in his cozy home in the city of Newton. He is one of the honored veterans of the great war between the states, having proved his patriotism to his adopted country by gallantly fighting in defense of the Stars and Stripes on many a sanguinary field, and even after being desperate wounded and languishing for months in the terrible prisons of the South gladly returned to the front and continued to do what he could to save the national Union.

Mr. Reckler was born in Saxony, Germany, November 28, 1831. He is the son of Simon Gottlieb Reckler, who spent his life in Germany, a tailor by trade, and his death occurring when his son Frederick A. was nine years of age. The father was in the German army against Napoleon. His wife, also a native of Germany, lived and died there, the subject being the only member of the family to come to America. He grew to maturity in his native land and was educated there. Believing that the new world held great opportunities for him, he set sail across the Atlantic in 1857, going by way of Liverpool to New York. From there he traveled by rail to Davenport, Iowa, and secured employment on a farm near there. With characteristic German thrift he worked there steadily until the outbreak of the Civil War when he went to Wisconsin, and on April 22, 1861, only a few days after Fort Sumter had been fired upon, he enlisted in Company C, Second Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, under Captain McGee. At first he was sent to Washington, D. C., and he was at Arlington Heights for some time drilling; he was then plunged into real war by taking part in the first great battle of the war, Bull Run. During this fierce engagement he received a very severe wound that would have meant death to many another of less hardy constitution. A bullet struck him in the left breast, passing through a small German Testament and on through his body just below the heart, coming out at the back. He still has this Testament, the hole through it bearing grim evidence of the long and dangerous conflict. Mr. Reckler was captured in this battle and for six weeks he lay exposed in a field hospital with scant attention; he was then taken to Libby prison, later to the prison at Salisbury, North Carolina, and still later to New Orleans. Shortly before General Butler captured the Crescent City, the prisoners there were returned to Salisbury and paroled. Mr. Reckler was suffering with scurvy and was very sick of numerous ailments, so he was sent to the military hospital at New York City, where he remained eight weeks, after which he returned to Wisconsin and began farming. But he could not be content to stay away from the front and in October 1863, he returned to his regiment and, as a private in the Army of the Potomac, he took part in many of the greatest battles of the war, including Mine Run, Spotsylvania and the Wilderness. After a remarkable army record, in which he proved himself to be a fearless and splendid soldier, Mr. Reckler was honorably discharged on June 28, 1864, and he soon afterwards returned to Wisconsin. A year later he came to Iowa, locating near Davenport and there farmed on rented land for five years, then came to Jasper County and bought one hundred and sixty acres in Newton Township, in 1869 and here he continued to reside until 1905, when he turned the care of the farm over to his sons and moved to Newton, where he is spending his declining years in the midst of plenty as a result of his able management of the farm.

In 1867 Mr. Reckler was married to Henrietta Junck, who was born in St. Louis, of German parentage. To this union eight children has been born, namely: Mary, Christian and one infant are deceased; the five living are, Fred H., who resides on a farm in Sherman Township; Emil is on the farm in Newton Township; Harriet married William Hildebrandt and they live in Arkansas; Lena married Harmon Jensen and they live on a farm in Sherman Township; Laura married August Snelle and is living at home with her parents.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Reckler are members of the German Lutheran Church. Politically, he is a Republican, and he belongs to Garrett Post, No. 16, Grand Army of the Republic. Page 677.

~ Reed, Albert H. ~

That life is the most useful and desirable that results in the greatest good to the greatest number and, though all do not reach the heights to which they aspire, yet in some measure each can win success and make life a blessing to his fellow men; and it is not necessary for one to occupy eminent public positions to do so, for in the humbler walks of life there remains much good to be accomplished and many opportunities for one to exercise one's talents and influence which in some way will touch the lives of those with whom we come into contact, making them better and brighter. In the list of Jasper County's honored citizens is Albert H. Reed, who is living in retirement in Newton. In his career there is much that is commendable and his life forcibly illustrates what one can accomplish, even in the face of obstacles, if one's plans are wisely laid and his actions governed by right principles, noble aims and high ideals.

Mr. Reed was born on February 12, 1836, in Jacksonville, Illinois, the son of Dr. Maro McLain Reed and Elizabeth (Lathrop) Reed, both natives of Connecticut, and in the old Nutmeg state they grew up, were educated and married. At Hartford the father practiced medicine two years, then located in Jacksonville, Illinois, and there the major part of his active career was spent. The Reed family is one of the oldest in New England and its several representatives for a number of generations have distinguished themselves in various walks of life wherever they have dispersed, being noted for their industry, culture and intellectual attainments. The paternal grandfather of the immediate subject of this review was Elijah F. Reed, a physician, very prominent in his profession, in fact, was in advance of his times. He was the first doctor along the Connecticut valley to abandon the old practice of bleeding a patient for almost all ailments. He lived and died in Connecticut after a useful and honored life. He was a descendant of one who came over in the "Mayflower," William Bradford, who was elected the second governor of the Plymouth Colony. His son, Maro McLain Reed, received his classical education at Yale College and his medical education at two medical colleges. Like his father before him, he was very successful as a medical practitioner and was highly esteemed for his many commendable attributes of head and heart. He was a man of fine public spirit and broad-minded. He was a strong abolitionist and prohibitionist.

After coming to Illinois he and Elihu Woolcot, with others, founded the Congregational Church at Jacksonville. He practiced medicine in Jacksonville for a period of forty-five years, during which time he became widely known, in fact, was regarded as one of the leading physicians of that part of the state. His death occurred in 1877, at the age of seventy-six years. His wife was a refined gentlewoman of excel- lent New England parentage, and she is remembered as having a face good to look upon, full of benevolence and purity of mind and soul, indexing the inner life of one who held close communion with higher things. She was born in 1807 and lived to the goodly old age of ninety-seven, beloved by all who knew her.

Nine children, of whom Albert H., of this review was the third in order of birth, were born to Dr. Maro McLain Reed and wife; those now living are Julia, wife of William T. Reid, of Belmont, California. Mr. Reid was at one time president of the State University of California, but at present he is the owner and manager of the Belmont School for Boys, a preparatory school for Harvard University; he is assisted in the work by his wife, a woman of fine culture, great executive ability, and unwavering fidelity. Maria Reed married J. W. Thompson, and they live retired at Berkeley, California; Harriet Reed was stewardess for a period of twenty years for the Belmont School for Boys and died in 1902; Mary E. Reed, now deceased, was the wife of Professor Blackburn, of Chicago University.

Albert H. Reed enjoyed the advantages of a liberal education. He attended the Jacksonville schools and was graduated from Illinois College in 1859, after which he attended Andover Theological Seminary, in Massachusetts, and was graduated from that institution in 1862. After leaving the seminary, he took up the work of the American Missionary Association for Freedmen at Norfolk, Virginia, but after two years of earnest endeavor, he was forced to retire from the work on account of failing health, which had been undermined by the miasmatic climate, and a severe accident. Since then he has led a more or less retired life.

On May 13, 1868, Mr. Reed was united in marriage with Julia Wentworth, a descendant of one of the illustrious Eastern families. She was born at Rollingsford, New Hampshire, January 5, 1838, the daughter of John H. and Judith A. (Pottle) Wentworth. Her father was a lineal descendant of Elder William Wentworth, of England. Five of the governors of New Hampshire have borne the name of Wentworth. In Portsmouth today stand several handsome colonial mansions formerly occupied by the Wentworths who were governors of the Granite State. The Wentworth House, the most prominent hotel in the city of Portsmouth, has achieved international prominence by reason of the peace conference between Japan and Russia being held there and the signing of the treaty between those nations there. John Wentworth, father of Mrs. Reed, died in 1860 at the age of fifty-four years. His family consisted of eight children, Besides Mrs. Reed, they are, Elias P., who is now eighty years old, is a retired farmer living near Portsmouth, at Greenland; Eleanor married Charles Maloy, of Waltham, Massachusetts, he having been a literary man and a lecturer of prominence, a follower of Emerson; Martha H., the wife of Joseph Langton, is living at Kittery Point, Maine, just across the river from Portsmouth; he was formerly a merchant, but is now living retired; Thomas Fenner Wentworth is now deceased; he was formerly a prominent attorney in New York City; Francis G., who served through the Civil War, having enlisted as lieutenant in the Seventh New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, and he was brevetted major during the raid at Washington.

Mr. and Mrs. Reed were married at Jacksonville, Illinois, and they continued to reside in that city for a period of thirty-one years, in the same house, and then they moved to Newton, Iowa. This union was blessed by the birth of four children, named as follows: Elizabeth Wentworth Reed, a very capable and talented professional nurse, has had an extensive training in her line, having attended a training school at Fall River, Massachusetts, and also one of the best hospitals in New York City, receiving careful instructions in surgery as well as in nursing; she has been successfully engaged in her work in Newton for ten years, and her services are always in great demand. Julius A. Reed, the subject's second child, who is with the great Wanamaker Department Store of New York City, was named for his uncle, Rev. Julius A. Reed, well known throughout the state of Iowa as a Congregational minister, his entire life having been spent in home missionary work. After the first few years of this work, he was appointed superintendent of home missionary work for the whole state of Iowa, which position he held for eighteen years. Julius A. Reed, son of the subject of this review, was married to Harriet Lyons, of New York, and they have one child, Harriet Wentworth Reed. Jennie Reed, third child of the subject, died in childhood. William T. Reed, the youngest child, who lives at Tucson, Arizona, married Mabel Edwards, of Newton, and they have four children, Laura Wentworth, Jennie M., Theodore F., and Ora Elizabeth. Both of the sons, Julius A. and William T., enlisted in the Spanish-American War, in Company K, Fiftieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry.

Mr. and Mrs. Reed are Congregationalists in religious belief, and they were members of the church of this denomination in Jacksonville, Illinois. As intimated in a preceding paragraph, they have lived a retired life in Newton during the past twelve years, and it has been their custom for some time, to spend their winters in Tucson, Arizona. Page 538.

~ Rees, Spencer H. ~

One of Jasper County's substantial and representative citizens is Spencer H. Rees, who is essentially a self-made man, and as such ranks with the most enterprising and progressive of his contemporaries. He has, from early life, steadily pursued the honorable course, which in due time brought social recognition and the high position he has long occupied in the industrial life of Newton. By a life consistent in motive and action and because of his many fine personal qualities he has earned the sincere personal regard of all who know him, and in his home, which is the center of a large social circle, there is always in evidence a spirit of generosity.

Mr. Rees was born of a sterling old Buckeye family, on August 4, 1847, in Hancock County, Ohio, being the son of Thomas and Mary A. (Prouty) Rees, the father a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Ohio. In 1840 Thomas Rees came to Ohio, where he followed his trade of stonecutter for about eight years, during which time he met and married Mary A. Prouty. Shortly after the birth of his son, Spencer H., of this review, he emigrated to Iowa, reaching Jasper County in the fall of 1848, settling in Palo Alto Township, and there he entered wild prairie land from the government, on which he built a one-roomed log cabin and began life in pioneer style, setting resolutely to work to carve out a new home in a new country. Here he became well established in due course of time, developing an excellent farm on which he remained until his death, March 10,1865. For three months during his first winter here the only neighbors seen were Indians, but they were friendly. Wolves, deer and turkey were plentiful. Thomas Rees became a man of much influence in his community, being a man of fine personal characteristics and pronounced public spirit. The first election held in the township was in his barn. At the time of his death he was one of the county's largest landowners, having seven hundred and forty acres in Palo Alto Township. After his death his widow married Isaac G. Badger, a native of England. She lived with him until her death, on November 22, 1881.

To Thomas Rees and his first wife nine children were born, one of whom died in infancy; Lewis died at the age of ten, and Anson B., well known all over the County, died April 6, 1910; those living are. Spencer H., of this review; Henriette married Harry McVey and they live in Rathburn, Iowa; Rowland L. lives on a farm in Palo Alto Township; Franklin P. is engaged in the mercantile business at Wann, Oklahoma; Estella M. married Dr. D. N. Johnson, of Chickasha, Oklahoma; Effie C. married G. W. Byington, a real estate dealer in Little Rock, Arkansas. After Mr. Rees's death, Mrs. Rees married Isaac Badger and two children were born to them, H. J. Badger, who is now residing in Chinook, Montana, and Mary Belle, who married S. A. Guessford, a farmer of Buena Vista Township, this County.

On October 24, 1877, Spencer H. Rees was married to Margaret E. Holmes, daughter of Ranson P. and Mary A. (Duncan) Holmes, the father being a native of Kentucky and the mother of Indiana, Mr. Holmes having been a farmer and stock raiser. His death occurred on February 26, 1893, and that of his wife on October 27, 1891. Their family consisted of six children, of whom five are living, John W. Holmes having died in 1905; those living are: Charles W., of Texas; Alnora is the wife of Dr. J. W. Hannah, of Tonkawa, Oklahoma; Ida married George W. Maund and lives in Jennings, Louisiana; Verna married A. L. Lewellen, who is living in Rosendale. Missouri.

After the death of their father, Spencer H. Rees and his elder brother assumed control of the farm and managed the same until the estate was settled upon the re-marriage of the mother, at which time the subject began working for himself, following farming until 1904, with more than ordinary success, when he was elected secretary of the Mutual Fire and Lightning Insurance Association of Jasper County, which position he has held ever since, discharging the duties of the same in a manner that has reflected much credit upon himself and to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. He has served both as trustee and clerk of Palo Alto Township for two terms and has been assessor of that Township three terms. He has acted as trustee of roads and upon coming to Newton he resigned as clerk of the school board. He is the owner of an excellent farm in Palo Alto Township, upon which is the site of the cabin his father built when he came to this County.

He also holds considerable property interests in Newton, having been very successful as a businessman in whatever he has directed his attention to. During the year 1887 he was traveling mail weigher for the United States government on route No. 27036. In 1889 he was nominated for county auditor by the Union Labor Party and endorsed by the Democrats, being defeated by a small margin only. In 1895 Mr. Rees was nominated for county treasurer by the Populists and in the three-cornered fight which followed he polled his share of the votes. Both these nominations came to Mr. Rees unsought.

Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Rees, two of whom died in infancy; those living are, Morris H., born April 27, 1880; he received a high education and is professor of biology in the college at Tarkio, Missouri; Edith Glen, born January 8, 1884, is unmarried; Floy Naoma, born October 17, 1887, is unmarried and at home.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Rees are members of the United Presbyterian Church. While living in Palo Alto Township he was a trustee of the church. In March 1905, Mrs. Rees was stricken with rheumatism from which she has been a constant but patient sufferer, having been almost helpless during the past five years, but here severe affliction has not changed her genial and kindly disposition. Mr. Rees is one of the honored "boys in blue," having proved his patriotism and loyalty to his country by enlisting in Company B, Forty-eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, on May 24, 1864. After serving faithfully for five months he was honorably discharged October 21, 1864. Page 633.

~ Reid, Lewis D. ~

Prominent among the businessmen of Jasper County is Lewis D. Reid, who was born July 18, 1860, in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, his father, DeWitt C. Reid, being a native of Erie County, Pennsylvania, and his mother, Delia (Lewis) Reid, a native of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. The father died in Crawford County, in 1883, at the age of fifty-two years; the mother still lives, making her home with the subject of this review.

Mr. Reid's father was a farmer and was quite a local politician in his day, being a Republican after the birth of that party in 1856. After the death of his father, Mr. Reid left his home in Pennsylvania, in the spring of 1884, coming at once to Newton, Jasper County, where he rented land and began farming, his mother coming with him. At the end of three years, he bought a farm of his own and continued thereon until 1896, when he sold it and came to town, engaging in the livery business. In this business he continued for five years, after which he opened a real estate and insurance business, which business he has continued in every since. He makes a specialty of farms and farmlands in Jasper County, and also deals quite extensively in Canadian land and south Minnesota lands, conducting excursion parties to these regions. Mr. Reid is one of the best judges of soil in the County and enjoys the confidence of all his neighbors and friends. Aside from his extensive dealings in lands, he deals considerably in city property values and general investments and conducts a general fire, tornado and lightning insurance business, his office being located at this time at No. 114 West McDonald Street in the City of Newton.

Mr. Reid was united in marriage with Nettie R. Drake, daughter of Horace and Catherine (Berminghoff) Drake, in September 1884, in Cambridge, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Reid's parents were both natives of Venango County, Pennsylvania. Her father died in 1906, and her mother in 1883. Mrs. Reid's grandfather, John Berminghoff, was a well known figure in the early history of the Pennsylvania oil fields, and was the victim of what was known at the time as the Berminghoff Robbery, being robbed of over three hundred and sixty thousand dollars, which he was keeping in his house, not caring to trust the unstable wild-cat banks of that time, he having lost heavily by them on three occasions. The prime mover in this robbery was never caught.

To Mr. and Mrs. Reid have been born six children, five of whom are living, one dying in infancy, named as follows: Lyle F., born December 13, 1885, is a traveling musician and electrician with the Chase Theatrical Company, with which company he has been connected for four years; Ida Pearl, born December 3, 1888, resides at home, and is toll operator at the Newton telephone exchange; George M., born January 21, 1894, Hazel L., born January 13, 1896; Gladys G., born August 1, 1902.

Mr. Reid is a member of Central Lodge No. 73, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Newton, being also a member of the encampment and Uniform Rank. Mrs. Reid is a member of the local Rebekah lodge and also member of the First Christian Church of Newton, and the Ladies Aid Society. In politics Mr. Reid is a Republican. Page 653.

~ Reynolds, Hayden ~

This well-known and highly honored old soldier of Newton, Jasper County, is an excellent representative of the retired business men of this locality, coming from an ancestry that distinguished itself in the pioneer times, when the country was covered with wild, native growths; in fact, Mr. Reynolds himself came to this country in the days of the wild, wide-sweeping prairies, and assisted his people and the rest of the early settlers to carve homes, build schools and churches and introduce the customs of civilization in the wilderness. They were hardy, courageous, honest pioneers, willing to take the hardships that they might acquire the soil and the home that was sure to rise and enjoy the blessings following inevitably in the wake of civilization.

Hayden Reynolds was born in Hart County, Kentucky, on October 12, 1842, the son of Shadrach and Mary (Logsdon) Reynolds. The father was a native of Virginia, but when a child his parents brought him to Kentucky and there he grew to manhood and married, and in 1855 he moved with his family from the "dark and bloody ground" country to Jasper County, Iowa; however, the trip was not made at once, for they went in wagons to Louisville and New Albany, stopping in the latter city several months, when the journey was resumed by steamboat to Keokuk, Iowa, and from there in wagons to Newton, the father buying land in what is now Newton Township, which was at that time a part of Malaka Township, settling there in 1856, thus becoming one of the early settlers of the county. There the elder Reynolds farmed until his death, which occurred when he was fifty-eight years of age, his wife reaching the age of sixty-four years. They had a large family, fourteen children, of which Hayden, of this sketch, was the third in order of birth; the others are, James O., who served in the Civil War as a member of Company B, Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, died in Kansas; Sarah, who married Green B. Bridges, lives in Newton; Deliah died in infancy; Nancy J., now Mrs. John Montis, lives at Bellefontaine, Ohio; William, who was in Company L, Ninth Iowa Cavalry, during the Civil War, died in Afton, this state; Zachariah died in Oskaloosa, Iowa; Joseph lives in Des Moines; Isabel married John T. Rapp, a veteran of the Civil war, who is living at the Soldiers' Home near Dodge City, Kansas; Thomas lives in Newton; Charles lives on a farm near Newton; A. G. lives in Des Moines; E. F. lives in Newton; Martha is the wife of Lee Logsdon and they live in Newton. The last five named were born after the family came to Jasper County.

Hayden Reynolds attended the district schools in his township, and during the summer months he assisted with the work on the home farm. When the great war between the states came on he gladly sacrificed the pleasures of home and prospects of business and offered his services to the Union, being among the early volunteers, having enlisted in Company B, Fifth Iowa Infantry, in June 1861, and on July 15th following he was sworn into the service at Burlington, Iowa, this being the first regiment raised in this state under the call for three hundred thousand troops. He saw some hard service, having been in the battle of Iuka, in which his company lost very heavily, in fact, more than half of it was killed or missing. Mr. Reynolds witnessed the bombardment of New Madrid, Missouri, and he was in the hard-fought battle of Corinth. At Memphis he was accidentally wounded and was laid up in the hospital for some time. On September 7, 1863, he was given an honorable discharge and sent home on account of disability, after a faithful service of twenty-six months, during which time he participated in several important campaigns, hotly contested battles and innumerable skirmishes. After returning home he engaged in farming, but his health was broken and his injury troubled him, in fact, has ever since been somewhat of a handicap to him.

On October 25, 1865, Mr. Reynolds was united in marriage with Mary Linder, who was born in Iowa, and this union resulted in the birth of six children, namely: James lives at Sully, Iowa; Elizabeth died when four years of age; Ida B. married J. E. Townsend and they live in Dexter, Guthrie County, Iowa; Frederick died in infancy; Arthur lives in Newton, being at present street commissioner there; Sarah married Robert Linder, and they live on a farm in Sherman Township, six miles west of Newton.

The first wife of Mr. Reynolds died and he was subsequently married to Harriet Walker, June 5, 1881. She was the daughter of William and Mary (Dixon) Walker, the father a native of Ohio and the mother of Illinois. They came to Iowa in 1853. Mr. Walker was a soldier in the Civil War, a member of Company C, Thirty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry, having been sent to the front as a volunteer, and he saw much hard service, was wounded at Jenkins Ferry, captured and confined in prison at Tyler, Texas, making his escape from his captors at one time, but was overtaken and returned to prison, having been run down by bloodhounds. He was held a prisoner thirteen months. His eyes having been affected by the treatment he received while a prisoner, he later went blind. His death occurred in 1891, at the age of seventy-one years. His wife died in 1889, at the age of fifty-nine years. Mrs. Reynolds, who was born in 1853, was the oldest of eight children; those now living are, Malissa Walker is living in Newton; William makes his home in Kansas; Ruth is the wife of George Rodgers and they live in Newton, where Erwin also resides. The parents of Mrs. Reynolds came to Jasper County in 1885.

To Mr. Reynolds' second marriage one child, Iva, was born, but lived only a short time. About the time of his second marriage, thirty years ago, Mr. Reynolds moved to Newton and for a while was engaged in the painting business, then became a pension agent, in which he has since been engaged. At first he was associated with Judge Clements and Attorney Salmon, but later established an office of his own. He is a property owner and has a substantial home in a good portion of Newton, only two blocks from the public square. Besides looking after pension claims, he is engaged very successfully in the spectacle business.

Mr. Reynolds has been a member of Garrett Post of the Grand Army of the Republic at Newton for over twenty-five years, of which he has held most of the offices and has been commander twice. He was signally honored in 1901 by being appointed an aid on the staff of the commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, the commission carrying with it the honorary but nevertheless enviable title of colonel. Mrs. Reynolds is a member of the Woman's Relief Corps, and she belongs to the Baptist church. Page 558.

~ Reynolds, John W. ~

It is oftentimes considered by those in the habit of superficial thinking that the history of so-called great men only is worthy of preservation and that little merit exists among the masses to call forth the praises of the historian or the cheers and appreciation of mankind. A greater mistake was never made. No man is great in all things and very few are great in many things. Many by a lucky stroke achieve lasting fame, who before that had no reputation beyond the limits of their neighborhoods. It is not a history of the lucky stroke that benefits humanity most, but the long study and effort which made the lucky stroke possible. It is the preliminary work, the method that serves as a guide for the success of others. Among those of the past generation in Jasper County who achieved success along steady lines of action was John W. Reynolds, a man whose character was above reproach and who richly merited the confidence and esteem which all freely accorded him, for he took a deep interest in the development of the locality, and always stood ready to do his full share in the work of progress.

Mr. Reynolds was born on July 23, 1837, in Vermilion County, Illinois, the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Reynolds, the mother dying when he was a baby and when he was about fifteen years old his father came to Linn County, Iowa and there purchased a farm where he continued to reside until his death, becoming well established there, and he was one of the well known settlers of that County. When he was about twenty-five years of age, John W. Reynolds returned to Vermilion County, Illinois, and located near his old home, remaining there about fifteen years, during which time he met and married, on June 16, 1861, Mary A. Morgan, of that county. She was born June 4, 1843 and was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Morgan, successful farmers of that county and highly honored citizens there.

Seven children were born to this union, named as follows: Dora May died when four years old; Alton lives in Denver, Colorado; Ida (deceased) married H. Van Epps, of Jasper County, and they had two children. Nellie Grace dying in infancy, Percy being the living child; Loella Reynolds died at the home of her mother at the age of thirty-one years in 1901; Victor, who lives on the home farm, married Ada L. Simpson and they have four children, Foster, Paul, Floyd and Robert; Nellie Reynolds died in 1901; Foster, the youngest child, died in 1901.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. John W. Reynolds took up their residence in Illinois and remained there eleven years, and in 1872 the family came to Jasper County, Iowa, locating in Buena Vista Township on a farm of one hundred and forty acres, about five and one-half miles southeast of Newton and there they lived until the death of Mr. Reynolds on April 4, 1892, and there Mrs. Reynolds continued to reside until 1900, when she moved to Newton, locating in a commodious and cozy home which she had built. Remaining there a few years, she moved to the beautiful home she now owns and occupies at No. 215 North Mechanic Street, and here many friends delight to gather for she is popular with a wide acquaintance. She has retained the home farm. Mr. Reynolds made quite a success as a general farmer and stock raiser and he was a man whom everybody trusted. He was a worthy and active member of the Methodist church at Pleasant View, Jasper County, to which his family also belongs. In 1862 Mr. Reynolds showed his love of the national union by enlisting for service in the Federal Army, becoming a member of Company G, One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. A few months later he was honorably discharged on account of disability and returned to his home in Vermilion County, Illinois.

Politically, Mr. Reynolds was a Republican and he took an active part in the affairs of his party. He was a well-read man and always abreast of the times. Page 573.

~ Reynolds, Victor ~

It was in the fall of 1872 that Mr. Reynolds' father came from Illinois to Jasper County with his family, buying one hundred acres where the homestead is now, and forty acres more some fifteen years later, paying from twenty dollars to twenty-five dollars per acre for same. Here it was that he made his home until his death, following general farming. He was at all times a man of keen public spirit, and while very just, was very outspoken, always taking a middle-of-the-road position upon any of the great moral or political problems of his day. He enlisted as a northern soldier in the One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, serving as a good and efficient soldier until he was discharged on account of ill health. He held many public offices, being treasurer of the school board, a director of schools, and upon occasions preached in the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Mr. Reynolds, the subject of this sketch, is one of eight children, one, Dora M., dying in infancy; Alton; Ida, wife of Harry Van Epps, died in 1897; Luella, deceased; Nellie, deceased; Foster, deceased.

On March 22, 1900, Victor Reynolds was united in marriage to Ada L. Simpson, daughter of A. J. and Martha (Flaugh) Simpson. She was born July 19, 1881, in Jasper County, Iowa. Her father and mother are both living near Kellogg. Mrs. Reynolds was one of four children, all of whom are living. To Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds have been born four children, all boys, named as follows: Foster, born June 27, 1901; Paul, born December 16, 1903; Floyd L., born February 19, 1906; and Robert S., born May 17, 1910.

Mr. Reynolds has always taken an active interest in politics and in the progressive movements of the times. He has been secretary of the school board of his township for twelve years, which office he still holds. He has served five years as township clerk. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge at Kellogg, and of the Grange at Buena Vista. Both Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has been superintendent of the Sunday school of Pleasant View Church for the past six years. In politics Mr. Reynolds is a stanch and outspoken Republican. Page 968.

~ Richardson, Fred ~

Among the representative farmers of Jasper County is Fred Richardson, who has a comfortable home in Richland Township where he is carrying on the various departments of his enterprise with that discretion and energy which are sure to find their sequel, quite naturally, in definite success. Having always been a hard worker, a good manager and a man of economical habits, and, being fortunately situated in a thriving farming community, it is no wonder that he has made a very satisfactory living and has laid by something for the rainy days ahead.

Mr. Richardson was born in Mahaska County, Iowa, April 9, 1876, and he is the son of James and Louisa (Clark) Richardson, the father born in Ohio in 1845 and the mother a native of Marion County, Iowa. The maternal grandfather, Green T. Clark, came to Marion County, this state, in 1840, being among the earliest settlers, and he staked off a claim before the County was established, and began life on the wild prairie when neighbors were few and far remote, in fact that section of the state had not so much as been surveyed.

The father of the subject came to Pella, Iowa, in 1855, during the winter of that year, and although the country was not calculated to favorably impress one in its winter aspects, he knew that it had a great future and here he made his permanent home. He had been in Dallas County, Iowa, just previously, but did not like it there. He finally became the owner of two hundred and fifty acres of good land in Mahaska County and was well fixed. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His death occurred in the spring of 1904 at an advanced age. His family consisted of the following children: Clark, Elsworth, Charles M., and Alta Erma. Clara (deceased) and Fred. The father took a great interest in his children and was careful in their training.

Fred Richardson, of this review, attended school in Mahaska County and grew to manhood there. When twenty-four years of age he began renting land in order to get a start, having come to Richland Township, Jasper County, to a farm of one hundred and seventy-eight acres, belonging to George and Levi Richardson of Newton. He has been here twelve years and has been very successful as a general farmer and stock raiser. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and a Republican.

On February 15, 1900, Mr. Richardson was married to Mayme Elizabeth Grandia, who was born in Mahaska County. Iowa, the daughter of Anthony Grandia and this union has resulted in the birth of these children: Harold Emmett, Ralph Roy, lrma Viola and Esther Grace.

~ Rippey, William F. ~

The best history of a community or state is the one that deals most with the lives and activities of its people, especially those who, by their own endeavor and indomitable energy, have forged to the front and placed themselves where they well deserve the title of progressive men. In the following paragraph will be found the record of one who has outstripped the less active plodders on the highway of life and achieved a career surpassed by few of his contemporaries, a career of marked success in agricultural affairs and a name which all who know him delight to honor owing to his upright life and habits of thrift and industry.

William F. Rippey, one of Jasper County's leading pioneer citizens, living on his beautiful farmstead near the village of Ira, was born in Kosciusko County, Indiana, April 9, 1838, and there he grew up and received what education he could in the schools of the early days. He is the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Jeffries) Rippey. The father, born in Henry County, Indiana, died in Kosciusko County, that state, at the early age of thirty-four years. The mother, who was born in Rush County, that state, came to Iowa late in life and her death occurred in Independence Township, Jasper County, at the age of seventy-six years. Their family consisted of five sons, four of whom fought for the preservation of the Union during the Civil War, William F., of this review, being the eldest; Matthew J. was killed at the battle of Champion's Hill; James Allen received wounds at the battle of Jonesboro from which he died a few days later; John was captured during the service, but was paroled, after the war he came to Iowa and became owner of the land where the town of Baxter now stands, and finally died while in Indiana on a visit; Milton D. died when twenty-two years of age. The four stepbrothers, Wilson, Charles, Winfield and Allen, were all Union soldiers, and they are now all deceased but the youngest who lives at Manchester, Indiana, and Winfield, who lives in Kosciusko County, Indiana.

When a young man William F. Rippey came to Iowa, reaching Jasper County in March 1854, and he located on a farm of one hundred and twenty acres which he entered from the government, and established his permanent home near the town of Marietta, when this country was all a wild prairie, his nearest neighbor being four miles distant, but, being a man of excellent foresight, he knew that this was to be a rich and populous country as the years advanced. He traded his first farm for one hundred and sixty acres where the village of Ira now stands. He was at this time only seventeen years old. Not many youngsters would have displayed so much courage and business sagacity. In order to get a start he went to Greene County, this state, where he worked two years. In 1857 he began breaking prairie, and he hauled the timber that went into the construction of the first courthouse in Greene County. He then returned to Indiana and attended school, but his funds becoming exhausted he went back to Iowa, where he has since made his home continuously. Working hard and economizing and managing well, he prospered and added to his original purchase as the years advanced until he at one time owned one thousand acres of valuable land. Not caring to be burdened in his declining years with the care of so much land, he now retains six hundred and fifty acres, all well improved and well cultivated; in fact, his home place is one of the model farms of this part of the county. The rest of his land he gave to his children, to each eighty acres. He has a modern, substantial and beautiful home, among its equipment being one of the best private libraries in the county. He has kept well abreast of the times in all matters relating to the world's affairs.

William F. Rippey was one of the patriotic sons of the North who gave his services to the Union in the great conflict between the states, having enlisted at Newton, Iowa, in Company I, Tenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in which he served with much credit for a period of three years under Generals Sullivan, Logan and Sherman. His regiment was among the troops that captured five thousand prisoners at Tiptonville, and he was in the siege of Vicksburg and the following battles: Shiloh, Corinth, Champion's Hill, Big Black River, Jackson, Iuka, Raymond, Missionary Ridge, Decatur, New Madrid, Charleston, Bloomfield, Holly Springs. Upon his retirement from the service he received an honorable discharge.

Mr. Rippey was united in marriage on July 6, 1859, to Ann Armsworth, who was born in Kosciusko County, Indiana, April 11, 1838, there being but one intervening day between her birth and that of Mr. Rippey. She was the daughter of Willis and Ann (Clifton) Armsworth, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively. The father died in Indiana and the mother came to Jasper County, Iowa, and lived in Independence Township until her death. They were the parents of two sons and four daughters, all now deceased except the youngest daughter, Mary Crawford, Mrs. Rippey having passed away on June 23, 1908.

Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Rippey, namely: Mrs. Fannie E. Lowe, born February 18, 1861, died May 2, 1886, at Salubra, Idaho; Mrs. Elizabeth A. Parker, born June 30, 1865, lives in Sherman Township, this County; Mrs. Edna Hansen, of Clear Creek Township, born March 7, 1867; Mrs. Martha Byall, born December 3, 1868, lives in Clear Creek township, this county; Francis J., born March 18, 1870, lives near Ira, this County; Frederick Grant, born September 10, 1872, died February 9, 1873; Mary, born December 18, 1873, died in September 1874; Jessie M., born February 12, 1874, died February 23, 1907. They were all born in this township, and those reaching maturity grew up here.

Mr. Rippey was again married in November 1910 to Eva Blackwood, who was born in Jasper County, Iowa, May 25, 1867. Her father, Birch Blackwood, resides at Newton, her mother having died near that city.

Politically, Mr. Rippey is a Republican, a member of the Methodist Church and of Lodge No. 520, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at Baxter. He has held all the local township offices, having been township trustee for sixteen years. He has always taken a deep interest in any public enterprise and his duties as a public servant reflected much credit, upon himself and elicited the hearty approval of all concerned. He is a man of straightforward, generous and wholesome impulses, whom to know is to respect and admire. Page 1264

~ Rippey, Francis J. ~

Among the native-born men of Independence Township who occupy a prominent place in the esteem of the people of Jasper County is Francis J. Rippey, who is respected by all who know him, for fair dealing has been his watchword. He is optimistic, looking on the bright side of life, and is seldom heard to complain at the rough places in the road, knowing that life is a battle in which no victories are won by the slothful, but that the prize is to the vigilant and the strong of heart.

Mr. Rippey was born in Independence Township, March 18, 1870. He is the son of William F. and Ann (Armsworth) Rippey, a complete sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this history.

Francis J. Rippey, of this sketch, grew to manhood on his father's farm and assisted in the general work about the place, and he received his education in the local schools. He took up agricultural pursuits for a livelihood and has continued the same to the present day, and he is now the owner of one of the choice farms of Independence Township, consisting of two hundred and eighty acres, upon which are two sets of excellent improvements, his home being modern in all its appointments. Everything about the place denotes thrift and prosperity and he is regarded as one of the leading young farmers of this part of the county.

Francis J. Rippey was married on January 29, 1896, to Zella B. Miller, who was born in Indiana on March 25, 1874, the daughter of Elisha and Martha (Murphy) Miller, the father born in Indiana, and he is now a resident of Clear Creek Township, this county. Mrs. Rippey has one brother and one sister. To Mr. and Mrs. Rippey two sons have been born, namely: Russell, born February 25, 1899, and William Gale, born October 17, 1902.

Politically, Mr. Rippey is a Republican and he has served as school director of his district. He belongs to the Methodist Church at Ira, the Modern Woodmen of America at Ira, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Mingo. Mrs. Rippey is a member of the Yeomen. Page 1236.

~ Robb, Wilson M. ~

The success achieved by Wilson M. Robb, a worthy citizen of Newton, Jasper County, proves the force of his nature and illustrates the persistency of an honest purpose, and he is eminently entitled to the high esteem in which he is held as a citizen of one of the foremost communities of a great commonwealth, which he has ever sought to promote in whatever manner possible.

Mr. Robb was born in Muscatine County, Iowa, June 23, 1854, and he is the son of James E. and Elmira (Freeman) Robb, natives of Indiana, who were the parents of four children, of whom Wilson M. was the third in order of birth. James E. Robb was a self-made man and one of the best citizens Jasper County ever had. He was born and reared in Indiana and received a good academic education in the Rush County schools of his native state. He taught subscription schools and also taught singing in the old-time singing schools, which were numerous in his day. He came to Iowa in 1850 and entered land in Muscatine County which he improved and later sold, and he lived in that county until 1883, when he moved to Jasper County and settled in Buena Vista Township in the locality known as Adamson Grove, purchasing one hundred and ninety-seven acres. Here the family home was maintained until 1892, when they moved to Newton, in which city the death of James E. Robb occurred on October 27, 1900. He had many friends wherever he was known, possessing the faculty in a marked degree of making and retaining warm personal friendships. He was a fearless, straightforward character who was always interested in the community's good. While a citizen of Muscatine County he was for thirteen years County Supervisor. He served a short time in the Civil War, refusing the offer of a substitute tendered him on account of a large and dependent family. He was a religious man, though not identified with any church. His exemplary and useful life remains a precious heirloom not only to those immediately left to mourn him, but to the community in which he lived and labored.

Dr. E. H. Robb, of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and Mary E. Robb, of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, besides Wilson M. of this review, are the remaining children of James E. and Elmira Robb, one being deceased. Mrs. Robb was Elmira Freeman and was born in Indiana.

Wilson M. Robb came to Jasper County, Iowa, with his parents in 1883. He received a public school education, and was engaged in the management of the parental farm, bearing the brunt of the labor in the fields, and, with his father, shared in the success attained. After the father's death he became possessor of the home farm, but subsequently disposed of it, and now lives on his farm four miles north of Newton.

Mr. Robb was married on February 20, 1879, to Elmira J. Moss, daughter of William and Mary E. (Humphrey) Moss, a well-known and highly respected family. Of the four children born to Mr. and Mrs. Robb, two are living, namely: Lynn M., born December 2, 1879, and Clarence W., born March 13, 1883. This family belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Mr. Robb is a man of distinctive moral courage, and he takes a special interest in the cause of temperance, being fearless in his advocacy of prohibition and giving freely of his time and means to aid the success of temperance work. On all moral issues or community interests, Mr. Robb will not hesitate should occasion demand, to advocate his principles in the face of any opposition. He is not a man to sacrifice principle for favor, but will do what he thinks is right, hewing to the line always and letting the chips fall where they will, regardless of consequences. Such unselfish devotion to principle does not always command its just reward, but Mr. Robb, unmindful of provoked censure, has not wavered in defending the moral principles he advocates. A man of more than ordinary ability and unquestioned integrity, his place in the community is one of honor and respect. Page 985.

~ Robinson, Ralph ~

Ralph Robinson, who died July 21, 1911, was for many years the able editor of the Newton Journal. He was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, September 11, 1830. But little information is before the writer regarding the early history of the Robinson family. We learn, however, that they originated in the north of Ireland and were all Protestants, and by occupation small farmers and weavers. The paternal great-grandfather was quite a leader in his community, and was at one time master of the grand lodge of the Orangemen of Ireland.

The family was numbered among the early Methodists of Ireland, and John Wesley, when in the neighborhood, visited the subject's grandfather, to whom he wrote a number of letters. Large families have always been characteristic of the Robinsons. In his great-grand father's family there were fifteen children; in his grandfather's thirteen, and in his father's family nine, consisting of seven sons and two daughters. Of these last, two brothers and one sister are now living.

William Robinson, father of the subject, was brought to this country when a young man, together with two others bearing the same name as he, by an uncle whose name was also William Robinson. This uncle was a unique character, of liberal education and a bachelor. The object of his life was to free Ireland, and he came to America with the determination to make a fortune and eventually use it in bringing about the accomplishment of the aim of his life. He possessed a remarkable memory and in all his numerous business transactions never kept a book, depending on his memory for everything in this line. He was always very reticent, and never conversed with relatives or friends of his business transactions unless obliged to do so. It is believed that he accumulated a fortune of some two or three million dollars, and was doubtless preparing to devote it to the object for which it was made, when he was seized with a stroke of apoplexy and died without leaving any information to his relatives or friends of where his accumulations were invested, and the lawyers in the large cities where his interests were supposed to be, being discreet enough to keep silent after his death, neither Ireland nor his relatives received any benefit from his large fortune.

The father of the subject was one of a pair of twins, the tenth addition to the family. He settled in Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania, where he opened a small weaving shop, and early in life married Margaret Bushfield, of Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Energetic and industrious, a man of keen intelligence and judicious management, he prospered in business, and at the time of his death, which occurred in Washington, Pennsylvania, in 1834, he was a wealthy man. While engaged in weaving, he employed many apprentices. Having always been a Methodist, he was among the first to join the Methodist Protestant Church after the division of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was a very devoted member of the denomination. To aid the cause, he made it a point to "graduate" preachers from among his apprentices at the weaver's bench, and in that way he added a dozen or more ministers to the pulpit of the church, the most prominent of them being Doctor McClintock, of Philadelphia.

Since coming to this country the Robinson family has been largely engaged in business enterprises, more particularly in the weaving, paper and iron business. One of the subject's uncles built the Benwood Iron Mills, at Benwood, three miles south of Wheeling, West Virginia, and a brother was extensively interested in paper mills, owning an interest in several large concerns. Quite a number of his immediate family have been newspaper publishers. His eldest brother, Samuel, was for a time connected with the Washington (Pennsylvania) Reporter. His brother, James G., in company with D. R. Locke (the famous "Nasby"), first published the Advertiser, at Plymouth, Richland County, Ohio, afterward the Mansfield Herald, at Mansfield, Ohio, and then the Bucyrus Journal.

Subsequently the subject of this sketch purchased Mr. Locke's interest in the last named paper, after which he and his brother published it for several years. Another brother, William T., learned the printer's trade in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and first published the Republican at Knoxville, Illinois, then the Journal at Leon, Decatur County, Iowa, and is now publishing the Opinion at Glenwood, Iowa, having been a publisher for nearly forty years. When the senior Mr. Robinson died, in 1834, the subject was a child of four years, and his mother was left a widow with seven children. Soon afterwards financial reverses came, and in 1837 the family removed to Beverly, Washington County, Ohio, from which point the children began to scatter. In 1840 the mother and three children removed to Morristown, Belmont County, Ohio, thence to Cambridge, and finally returned to Beverly, where she died in 1841.

Very early in life the struggle for existence began with the subject of this sketch. At eleven years of age, he having determined to learn the trade of a printer, we find him at Meadow Farm, Muskingum County, Ohio, where he found a place with the Rev. Cornelius Springer, who was then publishing the Western Recorder, Methodist Protestant paper. There he remained about two and one-half years, after which he worked for a time on the Zanesville Aurora, and from there went to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he entered the office of the Wheeling Times, then under the management of James E. Wharton. In that office his term of apprenticeship was completed, after which he attended school in Wheeling for two terms.

We next find Mr. Robinson a teacher in the public schools for one year. This profession, however, did not suit his taste, for while he desired to be a teacher; he wanted to do his work through the columns of a newspaper and not in the schoolroom. Removing to Pittsburgh, he became a journeyman and reporter, and also filled the position of foreman in several offices in that city. He was a member of the second, if not the first, typographical union in this country. While engaged as foreman on the Chronicle in Pittsburgh, he gave to a man who afterward became famous his first work in a printing office. This was no less a personage than David R. Locke, who is noted as the author of the "Nasby Letters", and who made a great success as editor and publisher of the Toledo Blade.

As Mr. Robinson grew older and gained additional experience, he discovered that a more thorough education would be of advantage to him. Accordingly he went to Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, where he entered college and attended several terms, but did not graduate. Later he became proprietor of a bookstore in Wheeling, which, after conducting for little more than a year, he sold. For a time he managed a straw paper mill, in which a brother was interested. On account of failing health, he removed from Wheeling to Fairfield, Huron County, Ohio, and returned to his "first love," the newspaper business. At that time he purchased an interest in the Fairfield Gazette, and continued its publication for two years. He then accepted a position as local editor of the Peoria, (Illinois) Transcript, and after a short time thus spent he purchased the Republican at Middleport, Iroquois County, Illinois. The fever and ague drove him out of that town, and he went to Bucyrus, Ohio, where he bought an interest in the Journal and remained for six and one-half years.

Meantime the Civil War was in progress. Mr. Robinson assisted in raising two companies of volunteers for Union services, notwithstanding the fact that Crawford County was relied upon for a Democratic majority of nineteen hundred, and the blue coat of a soldier upon the street was oftentimes the signal for a knockdown. Though desirous of enlisting, Mr. Robinson realized that to do so meant to discontinue a Republican paper in Crawford County, and on consulting with Ohio's old War governor, David Todd, he was told, "Stick to your paper, Ralph. You can do more good for the Union cause there than you can by fighting rebels at the front." Therefore his fighting was done through his paper, and he did his full share of it, too. Moreover, he has the honor of a lieutenant's commission, having been commissioned in Company B, First Ohio Regiment, "Squirrel Hunters" at the "Siege of Cincinnati," and partook of six-weeks rations of hardtack and "pig's bosom."

While in Bucyrus, Mr. Robinson married Fannie J. Hamilton, whose home was in Monroeville, Ohio. From Bucyrus he came to Iowa and purchased a half interest in the Fairfield Ledger with W. W. Junkin, remaining there for six and one-half years. He then went to Clarinda, where he purchased the entire interest of the Clarinda Herald, running it until 1877, when he came to Newton and bought a half interest in the Newton Journal, and subsequently purchased the entire paper, in the publication of which he was engaged until his death. Socially, he was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and was a Royal Arch Mason, having taken the first three degrees in Wheeling Lodge No. 128, in 1853, when he lived in that city. He was made a chapter Mason in McCord Chapter of Fairfield, Iowa, and received the council degrees at Newton.

In all his newspaper venturings and wanderings Mr. Robinson was successful as a publisher and gained the respect and confidence of the people among whom he resided. He was thrice honored by being chosen as a delegate to national editorial conventions. Since his residence in Iowa, he visited all parts of the country, from Manitoba on the north to the old city of Mexico on the south, and from Boston on the east to San Diego on the west, travel being his principal recreation. In politics he was always a Republican. He was a member of an old Whig family, and his first Republican vote was cast for John C. Fremont, and every vote afterwards was cast for the nominees of the party he represented, without an exception or a scratch on the tickets. The great good accomplished by the party during all these years of his connection therewith furnished him with reliable evidence that he had made no mistake in his political affiliations. From 1851 to the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln, he was more or less identified with the "Old Liberty Guard" and knew much of the workings and passengers of the underground railway and of the travel of the latter from slavery of the South to their Mecca of freedom in Canada.

~ Rodgers, Capt. Joseph R. ~

No resident of Colfax is better known to its people, stands higher in their regard, or comes from a more honored family, which he by his life has made more honored, than does Capt. Joseph R. Rodgers, now retired, who was the first mayor of Colfax, installed as such on September 9, 1875. He came to Newton, Jasper County, in 1854 with his parents, Hugh and Emily (McManus) Rodgers. Hugh Rodgers came to this county from his native city, Charleston, South Carolina. He was the son of Henry and Jane (Nealy) Rodgers, respectively natives of Limerick and Cork, Ireland. Two of Hugh's brothers, Dr. Henry Rodgers and William Rodgers, also located at Newton, where the three brothers were among the leaders of the people for many years. Hugh Rodgers engaged in mercantile pursuits, and was coroner of Jasper County from 1858 to 1864 and from 1871 to 1876. The brothers were prominent in Masonic circles. Hugh was the first junior warden of Newton Lodge No. 59, of Masons, instituted on March 20, 1855, was proxy for the worshipful master at the grand lodge in June 1855. William Rodgers was the first senior warden of the Newton Lodge, the first principal sojourner of Gebul Chapter No. 12, Royal Arch Masons, instituted in 1856, and was a charter member of Commandery No. 22, Knights Templar, and of Lodge No. 73 of Odd Fellows. Dr. Henry Rodgers was a resident of Newton in 1850, and is credited with being the pioneer doctor of Jasper County. He was treasurer of Newton Township in 1850, county treasurer from 1850 to 1854, and county recorder from 1850 to 1858. A son of Henry Rodgers, T. F. Rodgers, still, in 1910, resides on a farm near Newton.

Joseph R. Rodgers attended school in Newton, and in 1861 enlisted in the first company to leave Newton, Company B, Fifth Iowa Infantry. In 1863 he became captain of Company B, Forty-eighth Iowa Infantry, and was so mustered out in October 1864. He took part in the battles of Corinth, Iuka, and all the battles of the Western army up to and including the siege of Vicksburg. In 1868 Captain Rodgers came to Colfax and engaged in the grain and lumber business, in which he continued until 1898, when he retired, after thirty years of successful experience, in which his business abilities were strongly demonstrated. He was the first mayor of Colfax, served on the local school board for some years, and was town clerk for nine years. He was appointed land appraiser on the Dawes Indian commission in the Indian Territory, and served for three years. He has been during all this time a loyal Republican. E. W. Duncan Post No. 283, Grand Army, numbers him among its most enthusiastic and active members.

Captain Rodgers was married at Newton to Emma J. Manning, the daughter of Ben and Mary (Gibson) Manning. Her parents came to Newton in 1854 from Plainfield, New Jersey, and were prominent in the city. Mrs. Rodgers died on April 10, 1909, at the age of sixty-four. She left one daughter, Anna L. Rodgers, the wife of W. S. Cutter. Mrs. Rodgers' brother, Col. W. R. Manning, of Newton, is past state commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. A sister and a brother of Captain Rodgers live in Newton, the sister, Ella Townsend, being the widow of Col. Nathaniel Townsend, who was adjutant-general of Iowa; the brother is Ward M. Rodgers, the editor of the Newton Record.

The record of the Rodgers family is an honorable one, and its members are types of the best of American citizenship. Capt. Joseph Rodgers is a man whom his community delights to honor for his services freely rendered, and whom it ranks among its first and foremost citizens. He has in his lifetime endeared to himself many friends. Page 592.

~ Rohrdanz, Fred ~

The agricultural interests of Elk Creek Township, Jasper County, are ably represented by Fred Rohrdanz, who, during the entire period since his birth, February 17, 1859, has been a resident and honored citizen of the locality of which this history deals. He is a connecting link with the pioneer period of the history of this section, this family having been active in the affairs of the same since the County was attacked by the seekers of new homes from the Eastern states, something more than a half century ago. Going still further, back in the family history, it is learned that his parents in an early day left the vine-clad hills of Prussia and joined the tide of emigration to the free republic in the western hemisphere. This family having been used to the hardest kind of labor in the old country, labor, which had inadequate returns, did not shrink from the task of clearing the wild land here and improving it, so they have succeeded.

Fred Rohrdanz grew to manhood on the home farm and here he attended the district schools until he was fairly well educated. He is the son of John J. and Mary (Price) Rohrdanz, both born in Prussia, now a part of Germany, the father on February 11, 1825, and the mother in the town of Deemen, on January 23, 1829. There they grew up and were educated and there the father learned the blacksmith's trade. When thirty-six years of age he immigrated to America, locating in New York City, where he worked at his trade for a year. He then went to Niagara Falls, where he assisted in building the first suspension bridge over that noted cataract. The mother immigrated to New York in her girlhood days and there the parents of the subject were married. In 1844, seeking newer fields in which to establish their permanent home, they emigrated westward until they came to Jasper County, Iowa, where the father purchased forty acres of land of the government, for which he paid one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, in Elk Creek Township. The country was new and they had to undergo many privations for a time, but they worked hard, developed a good farm and became very comfortably established, the father owning at the time of his death about two hundred and thirty-six acres. He was highly respected among the pioneers.

Politically, he was a Democrat and in religious matters he belonged to the German Lutheran Church. He was a true pioneer, having come here only one year after the first settler in the county. There was but one house between his and Newton, eleven miles away, and neighbors were indeed very few. He was a splendid soldier, having served in the German Army for a period of eight years and he served gallantly in the Franco-Prussian War. His death occurred on his farm here on November 10, 1906. His family consisted of two daughters and one son, Fred, of this review, being the youngest of the family; his elder sisters were, Mrs. Christina Schultz and Mrs. Mary Berkenholz.

Fred Rohrdanz was a mere lad when he began making a hand in the fields of his father, plowing corn when twelve years of age. He has devoted his life to agricultural pursuits and has met with encouraging success all along the line, being now the owner of three hundred and nine acres of choice land in Elk Creek Township, which he has placed under excellent improvements and a high state of cultivation. He has a pleasant home and such other farm buildings as his needs require, and everything about the place indicates that a gentleman of good taste has its management in hand. In connection with general farming he raises and feeds considerable livestock of various kinds.

Politically, Mr. Rohrdanz is a Democrat and he belongs to the Lutheran Church.

On March 19, 1890, occurred the marriage of Fred Rohrdanz and Emma Andrews. The latter was born in Elk Creek Township, Jasper County, on November 19, 1868. She is the daughter of Fred C. Andrews, who came to Jasper County in 1857 from Germany, where he was born on April 1, 1843.

The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Rohrdanz: Letta, born February 2, 1893; Ella, born August 4, 1901; Otis, born September 22, 1906; Wilma, born March 27, 1908; Pearl, Lulu, Lily and Vera are all deceased. Page 709

~ Romans, Bert A. ~

One of the most active, enterprising and thoroughgoing young farmers of Elk Creek Township, Jasper County, is the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. Bert A. Romans comes of a family that settled on the wild Iowa plains when the Indians still roamed at will and the howl of the wolf and scream of the wild fowl were still heard. Members of both sides of the house were adventurous and enterprising and cared little for hardships, at least they did not permit obstacles to thwart them in their efforts at establishing new homes in new countries. Thus persevering, they succeeded where the less courageous failed and became well established and useful citizens. Many of their praiseworthy traits seem to have been inherited by the subject, for he has met with success in material things and has at the same time won a reputation for fair dealing and straightforward, honest relations with all the world.

Mr. Romans was born in Elk Creek Township, this county, on January 16, 1878. He is the son of Asbury D. and Mary A. (Wood) Romans, the father born in Illinois on December 30, 1839, and the mother in Kosciusko County, Indiana, on February 2, 1841. The maternal grandparents of subject were Eli and Elizabeth (Carr) Wood, both natives of Ohio, where they grew up and were married, and from that state they moved to Indiana soon after their marriage, locating in Kosciusko County, where Mr. Wood became owner of a farm. It was in 1856 that the mother of the subject and her parents drove overland from Indiana to Jasper County, Iowa, with horses and wagons, arriving here in June of that year, their trip having been much pleasanter than those of other eastern pioneers to this country. There were several families in the party and a number of young people. The weather was most propitious and they all enjoyed the camping out. Grandfather Wood bought one hundred and sixty acres in Fairview Township, this county and there he lived until his death, having developed a good farm. He and his wife were devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They were the parents of twelve children, five sons and seven daughters, the mother of the subject of this sketch having been the tenth in order of birth. She attended school in Indiana and grew to girlhood there. Her mother being in poor health, Mary A. took charge of the household work when but a child, her older sisters having left home upon their marriage.

Mr. and Mrs. Asbury D. Romans were married on February 5, 1865, and they moved on the farm where the mother of the subject now lives in Elk Creek Township, in 1869. Eight children were born to them, Bert A., of this sketch, being the sixth in order of birth, the others being named follows: Mrs. Mehala Carney; Wallace lives in Mitchellville, Iowa; Frank, who was next in order; Mrs. Jessie Butin, living in South Dakota; Mrs. Laura Efnor lives in Newton, Iowa; Mrs. Edna Whiteman lives in South Dakota; Ora is deceased.

Bert A. Romans grew up on the home farm and when but a small lad assisted with the work during the crop seasons, attending school in the Pleasant View district. When twenty-one years old he began renting farms in Elk Creek Township, thereby getting a start. In 1907 he rented land of Morris Gating in this township, and this he still operates, in connection with eighty acres, which he owns near by, just north of Galesburg. He is an extensive hog feeder. Politically, he is a Republican and he belongs to the blue lodge of Masons.

Mr. Romans was married on September 21, 1906, to Yetta Terpstra, who was born and reared in this county. She is the daughter of Dow W. and Rosa (Napjus) Terpstra, both natives of Friesland, Holland, the father born June 11, 1842, and the latter on September 23, 1848, and when eight years of age the latter emigrated to the United States with her parents, John and Rosa (Plantenga) Napjus, who located in Marion County, Iowa, where the mother of Mrs. Romans grew up and went to school, and in 1869 she and Mr. Terpstra were married. Dow W. Terpstra was the son of Watson and Sietska (Zuidma) Terpstra, natives of Holland, from which country they emigrated to the state of New York in 1850, where they lived five years, then came to Marion County, Iowa, obtained raw land and on this Dow W. grew up and worked hard. After his marriage he came to Jasper County and bought eighty acres, which he later traded for one hundred and twenty acres in Elk Creek Township and here became a substantial, well known citizen, owning four hundred and fifty acres, and for years he was one of the largest cattle feeders on the County. Retiring from active life in 1905, he moved to Sully, this County, and there his death occurred on July 11, 1906. His widow is now living on a part of the old homestead.

Mrs. Romans is one of a family of eight children, the others being, Watson Valentine; Mrs. Sietska George, of North Dakota; Harry D., of Elk Creek Township; Albert L., Mrs. Rose Dick and Martin. Page 694.

~ Rorabaugh Frederick Orlando ~

One of the most enterprising of the younger agriculturists and stockmen of Mound Prairie Township, Jasper County, is Frederick Orland Rorabaugh, who was born in this township, July 27, 1882, the son of John M. and Julia (Kelly) Rorabaugh, the father a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of New York City. The father came to Jasper County in an early day with his father, Israel Rorabaugh, and they bought several hundred acres in Mound Prairie Township, becoming leading farmers here and among the most influential citizens in the pioneer days. For a full history of this well-known old family, the reader is referred to the sketch of John M. Rorabaugh, appearing complete on another page of this volume.

Frederick O. Rorabaugh grew up on the home farm and when but a boy he assisted with the general work there, and the training he received has stood him well in hand in his subsequent life work. He received a very good education in the rural schools of his native township, which he attended during the winter months for a number of years. He has been contented to remain in this locality and his life has been devoted to agricultural pursuits, and. judging from the excellent start he has at such an early age, one must conclude that the future holds large things in store for him as a tiller of the soil and a stock raiser, for he has been taught to have system about his affairs, performing every detail exactly as it should be performed, never following slipshod methods. He began by renting his father's farm of one hundred and eight acres, which he has kept well improved and well tilled, carrying on general farming and stock raising.

Politically, Mr. Rorabaugh is a Republican and, fraternally, be belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Improved Order of Red Men.

Mr. Rorabaugh was married on October 30, 1907, to Mary Jane Hummel, who was born in Fairview Township, this county, reared and educated here. She is the daughter of John M. Hummel, one of our early settlers and a highly respected citizen. Two children have been born to the subject and wife, John Orland and Glenwood. Page 910.

~ Rorabaugh, John M. ~

Very largely to his own efforts is the success of John M. Rorabaugh, well known agriculturist of Mound Prairie Township, Jasper County, attributable, for he has been a man of resourcefulness and self-reliance all his life, preferring to depend upon no one to do his planning or his work, and, being ambitious and industrious, he has forged to the front in the face of obstacles.

Mr. Rorabaugh was born in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, May 24, 1848. He is the son of Israel and Phoebe (McQuillan) Rorabaugh, both natives of Pennsylvania, the father born in 1819, and there they grew up and were married, and in that country Israel Rorabaugh followed lumbering. He hewed out frame timber and rafted it down the Susquehanna River. In 1860 he immigrated with his family to Jasper County, Iowa, and located in Mound Prairie Township. He had come here previously, in 1857, and bought one hundred and forty acres, after which he went back to Pennsylvania. Later he bought one hundred and sixty acres more and in 1892, having accumulated a competency, he retired from active life and moved to Colfax and there he made his home until his death, in 1902, his widow surviving until 1905. He and his wife were members of the United Brethren Church in early life, but after coming to Colfax they joined the Methodist Church. He was a Republican and for some time he served his community as justice of the peace. His was a large family, twelve children, of whom John M., of this sketch, was the second in order of birth.

John M. Rorabaugh attended the public schools in Pennsylvania and Iowa. At that time there was only one school in the township here and the subject had little chance to get an education. During the winter he worked at the old stage station, located where his house in Colfax now stands. He worked for his board so that he could attend school. When he was fifteen years of age he began working out as a farm hand. When he was twenty-three years old he bought eighty acres in Mound Prairie Township. He improved this and added to it until he now owns two hundred acres of excellent land. He has met with a large measure of success as a general farmer. He retired from active life in the spring of 1911 and moved to Colfax. Politically, he is a Republican and he belongs to the United Brethren Church.

Mr. Rorabaugh was married on December 3, 1871, to Julia Kelly, who was born on East Fortieth Street, New York City, December 15, 1852, the daughter of Patrick Kelly, a quarryman by occupation. In the fall of 1864 the Kelly family moved to Knox County, Illinois, and in 1870 they came on to Mound Prairie Township, Jasper County, Iowa, locating on a farm, and there Mr. Kelly lived the rest of his life, dying in 1888.

The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Rorabaugh: Mrs. Phoebe Elizabeth McCracken; Thomas Francis; Frederick Orland, who lives in Mound Prairie Township, is represented in a separate sketch in this volume; and Mrs. Mary E. Baker. Page 911.

~ Ross, Charles Fremont ~

One of the up-to-date farmers and stock raisers of Elk Creek Township, Jasper County, who has worked hard for what he now possesses is Charles Fremont Ross. He knows how to appreciate the true dignity of labor and to place a correct estimate upon the value of money. Nevertheless, he is liberal in his benefactions and stands ever ready to support with his influence and means all measures for the material and moral welfare of the community in which he has so long resided. Among those who know him best he bears a reputation of a man who exercises sound judgment and who has pronounced views and he keeps himself well informed upon all matters pertaining to the public weal or woe and always exercises the duties of citizenship in a conscientious manner.

Mr. Charles Fremont Ross was born in Van Buren County, Iowa, on July 10, 1856. He is the son of Elisha and Eliza Ann (Shanklin) Ross, the father born in Seville, Ohio, September 11, 1818, and the mother in Onondaga County, New York, on November 24, 1824. The mother moved to Ohio with John Carns, who was her foster parent, her mother having died when Mrs. Eliza A. Ross was six years old. The parents of the subject grew up in Ohio and were married there. From Seville, that state, they moved to Lee County, Iowa, in 1854, and bought a farm there. After living there a short time they moved to Van Buren County and bought forty acres. In 1862 he left his family on the farm and went to Idaho where he remained three years, working out, and in 1865 he returned to Iowa and brought his family to Jasper County. He traded for sixty-five acres in Elk Creek Township on which he lived until his death, on February 25, 1868. Politically, he was a Republican and he and his wife belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church. His widow survived many years, dying on September 5, 1906, outliving her husband nearly forty years.

There were three sons born to Mr. and Mrs. Elisha Ross, namely: Robert. H. Craig and Charles Fremont, of this sketch, the subject being the second in order of birth.

Charles F. Ross helped with the work on the home farm and he attended school at Pleasant View and Galesburg. When sixteen years of age he left his parental rooftree and began working out by the month, which he continued to do until he was twenty years old. Then he rented a farm two years, after which he bought forty acres of the home place, to which he later added twenty-five acres, now owning a valuable little place of sixty-five acres, which he has placed under excellent improvements, having put most of the buildings on the same. Politically, he is a Republican and he belongs to the Evangelical Church.

Mr. Ross was married on September 28, 1876, to Almeda Lucretia Smith, who was born in Palo Alto Township, Jasper County, Iowa, on October 20, 1857, and here she grew up and attended the common schools in her district. She is the daughter of William J. Smith, a very early settler in this County. He was born in 1834, in Knox County, Ohio, and he came to Jasper County, Iowa, in 1856, settling in Palo Alto Township in a log house and there he spent several years, later moving to Elk Creek Township where he became the owner of eighty acres. His death occurred on August 28, 1911, after a fairly successful and well-spent life, having reached an advanced age and died knowing that he left behind a host of friends and no enemies. He had outlived his wife about forty-five years, she having passed away on February 21, 1866. He was justice of the peace for many years, giving eminent satisfaction in this office. He belonged to the Methodist Church.

Twelve children, seven of whom are living, have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Ross, namely: William Albert, Frank, Zel, Harry, Robert Lee, Ruth and Edith and five who died young.

Politically, Mr. Ross is a staunch Republican, and he belongs to the Evangelical Church. Personally, he is a genial, neighborly man, who delights in a good joke and likes to see others happy. Page 944.

~ Ross, Frank B. ~

Frank B. Ross, the subject of this sketch, is a splendid example of what an enterprising young man of sincere purpose can accomplish. But twenty-five years of age, Mr. Ross is the owner and proprietor of one of the best stores in the town of Reasnor and enjoys the respect and good will of a wide circle of friends and acquaintances in the county. Keen, alert and energetic, he is honest to the tore and. believes in doing by his fellow man as he would be done by.

Mr. Ross was born May 12, 1884, in Jasper County, Iowa, and is the son of Charles F. and Almeda L. (Smith) Ross, both of whom were natives of Iowa, the mother being born in Jasper County.

It was in 1864 that the father of the subject came to Jasper County and as a mere boy engaged in farm work. In 1878 he purchased forty acres, to which by thrift and untiring industry he kept adding until at one time he owned one hundred and seventy-eight acres. While he followed general farming only, he raised some stock also. He still owns and resides upon the first land he ever bought and still is actively engaged in farming. Mr. Ross's father is well known and is a solid, stable man of affairs and a good citizen. While never a politician or a man who has sought office, he is a man who takes a keen and intelligent interest in the advancement and up building of his county and state. At different times for over twenty years he has been director and treasurer of the independent district schools. Both he and his wife are consistent members of the Evangelical Church.

The subject of this review is one of twelve children, of whom seven are now living: Elsie, who was born in 1877, died in childhood; William A., born July 9, 1879, is a prosperous farmer residing near Newton, Iowa; Jessie died in infancy; Bertha also died in infancy; next in order of birth is the subject of this sketch; Elmer, born July 9, 1886, died when quite young; Zell S., born June 3, 1888, is a well-to-do farmer residing in Jasper County; Charles Owen, born October 11, 1890, died at the age of ten years; Ada Ruth, born December 19, 1892, resides at home; Harry S., born March 10, 1895, is at home; Edith Fern, born January 30, 1899, is at home; Robert L., born March 16, 1901, is at home.

Mr. Ross began working for himself in the spring of 1905, following the pursuit of farming. At this business he continued steadily in Jasper County until March, 1909, when he removed to northern Minnesota upon a farm of two hundred and twenty acres he had purchased there, but later he returned to Reasnor, when he purchased, June 1, 1910, the general store and hardware business of J. J. McCartney, which he has conducted successfully ever since, selling pumps and windmills in connection with the other general items of hardware.

On February 28, 1905, Mr. Ross was united in marriage with Victoria A. Tool, the daughter of H. F. L. and Louan (Woody) Tool, both of whom were natives of Iowa, and both of whom are living at this writing, on farms in Minnesota.

Mrs. Ross was born January 20, 1885, in Jasper County and departed this life May 8, 1909. No purer or more gentle spirit ever passed from earth into the great unfathomable beyond than she and many were the hearts left desolate by her going. Ever delighting in doing acts of kindness and living for others, she was a woman whose life was an example of that which the Savior of men exemplified while upon earth. Always an earnest worker in the Methodist Church, she put her faith and her devotion into deeds and was a guiding star and spiritual inspiration to many who were fortunate enough to know her.

Besides her bereaved husband, she left behind her a sweet little daughter, Mable Louise, who was born December 26, 1908. Every effort was made by Mr. Ross to save her fair young life, the best nurses and physicians obtainable were procured and she was taken to the city hospital at Aiken, Minnesota, but all without avail, for death came four days after she entered the hospital. It was after the untimely death of his beloved wife that Mr. Ross returned to Reasnor and engaged in his present business.

The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Ross are: Julia C., wife of F. E. Fairchild, a farmer residing in northern Minnesota; Nora, wife of Zell S. Ross, a brother of the subject; William A.; Ella and Irena, live at home in Minnesota. Lena died when but two and one-half years old.

Mr. Ross is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, having at one time been trustee and also superintendent of the Sunday school of the Church at Belleview. He is an uncompromising foe of liquor and the liquor traffic, and is a Prohibitionist in politics. Affable and genial, he is one of the popular men of the younger generation of the county. Page 1349

~ Rush, Melvin ~

In Melvin Rush Fairview Township, Jasper County, has a farmer who believes in doing well whatever is worth doing at all, and although he leads a quiet life, tending to his own business, he never withholds his help from worthy public enterprises and he believes in each individual asserting his rights.

Mr. Rush was born in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, October 18, 1854. He is the son of Jefferson and Elizabeth (McClintock) Rush, both natives of the same locality in which the subject was born, the father's birth occurring in 1823. There they grew up, were educated in the pioneer schools and there they were married, and they farmed on his father's place, the grain raised on this farm being used to make corn whisky in the distillery of Peter Rush, grandfather of the subject. In the spring of 1855 Jefferson Rush and family moved to Allamakee County, Iowa, and there purchased a small farm. Selling this in 1866, the family moved to Fairview Township, Jasper County, and here bought eighty acres. The father was first a Whig and later a Republican, and he belonged to the Baptist Church. His death occurred in 1904, his wife having died in 1902. They were the parents of four children, named as follows: Marshall, deceased; Melvin, of this review; Mrs. Rebecca Walker; Mrs. Lydia Montgomery.

Melvin Rush grew up on the home farm and when but a boy he knew the meaning of hard work. He attended the Capital Prairie district school. He has spent nearly all his life on the farm here. His father not being robust, the son tended the place after he reached maturity and he is now the owner of the same, and has kept it under a good state of improvement and cultivation. When thirty years of age the subject took a claim in Sheridan County, Nebraska, and lived there two years, but finally lost the claim through the trickery of others.

Politically, Mr. Rush is a Republican, but he has never manifested a desire to be a public man. He was married on January 22, 1889, to Rachael Ogg, who was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of George Ogg, who came to Jasper County in 1866. To this union two children have been born, William M. and Byrdie Eva. Page 906.

~ Ryan, Reverend James E. ~

No estimate of the immense amount of good that conies from a long and useful life like that of the late James E. Ryan, can be made, for it was far reaching in its effects and will continue through coming generations, like the light that "shines more and more unto the perfect day." Few lives have been so unselfish, so pregnated with good deeds and so controlled by an insatiable desire to be kind and beneficial to his fellow men; therefore, his memory is cherished wherever he was known, by thousands whom his life touched directly or indirectly.

Rev. Mr. Ryan was born in the city of Roscrea, Ireland. His parents came to New York in 1831 when he was a small boy, thence they went to Montreal, Canada, and there they were living during the year of the great cholera epidemic. His parents being poor, the subject was compelled to start in life for himself when very young, being about nine years old when, in 1837 he began clerking in a dry goods store in Toronto, continuing in the same line of work seven years there and in Ontario, Buffalo and New York City and a number of other large cities. In 1845 he united with the Episcopal Church and resolved to become a minister, and he at once began a course of study at the academy at Romeo, Michigan, then under the direction of Prof. Rufus Netting Law. During the winter of 1846-1847 Mr. Ryan taught school and boarded around among the patrons of the school. In the fall of 1847 he entered the freshman class at Western College, later locating at Hudson, Ohio, where he remained three years, but, being poor and out of funds, he left college at the close of his junior year to accept a position offered him as tutor in Williams Hall, a school for boys, and at the same time he became a divinity student at Bexley Hall, both institutions being located at Gambier, Knox County, Ohio, the seat of Kenyon College. He was graduated from Bexley Hall in 1853 and the same year he was ordained deacon by Rev. Charles P. McIlvaine, Bishop of Ohio, and the following year he was ordained to the second office of priest by the same bishop. For several years he served as rector of Grace Church at Warren, Ohio. In 1858 he was sent by the church as a missionary to Kansas, later taking charge of the church at Atchison, that state, then he was called to St. Paul's Church at Des Moines, Iowa, and he entered upon the duties of that important parish in the fall of 1864 and for a period of twenty-six years he labored faithfully and effectively in the diocese of Iowa, giving his best efforts to the various churches to which he was called. In 1871 and again in 1877 he had the honor of representing the diocese of Iowa in the general convention of the churches and was for a number of years deacon of the northern and central conventions, and in 1885 he resigned the rectorship of the Good Shepherd in Des Moines. Later, about 1880, on account of ill health, he and his family came to Newton, Iowa, where he spent the balance of his days.

On April 8, 1875, Rev. Mr. Ryan was united in marriage with a lady of talent and culture, Mrs. H. C. Hawkins, at her home in Troy, Kansas. She was born April 17, 1834, in Canandaigua, New York. She first married H. C. Hawkins, of Marshall, Michigan. Afterwards Mr. Hawkins and his wife moved to Topeka, Kansas, throughout which state he became known as one of the ablest lawyers of the same and ranked high as a public man serving, at one time, very ably and commendably as a member of the Legislature of that state. His death occurred when he was a comparatively young man, forty-three years old. By their union one son, J. C. Hawkins, was born, who married Eva Ketman, of Humboldt, Iowa, the daughter of a very prominent family there, and Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Hawkins are now living in Newton, Iowa, where they, like Mrs. Ryan, have a host of friends and are highly respected and influential in the best social circles.

Rev. James E. Ryan was a man whom to know was to love, admire and praise, for he was high-minded, learned, kind, generous, untiring in his efforts to do good and at the same time unassuming, content merely to follow in the footsteps of the humble Galilean and to know that he was doing His will, consequently the widespread fame and honor he won was justly due him, and the world is better and happier by his having lived in it. Page 583.