Biographies

~ Shaffer, Tobias ~

An enumeration of those men of a past generation in Jasper County who won honor and public recognition for themselves and at the same time honored the locality to which they belonged, would be incomplete were there failure to make mention of the late Tobias Shaffer, one of the prominent and substantial citizens of Newton, who, through all life's vicissitudes, sustained a very enviable reputation in all circles, and left behind him the greatest of all inheritances, a good name, something to be desired, according to Holy Writ, much more than silver and fine gold.

Mr. Shaffer was born May 24, 1839, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, the son of Philip and Rebecca Shaffer, of that county, where they spent their lives engaged in farming pursuits, and there the subject grew to maturity, assisting with the general work about the place and attending the public schools during the winter months, remaining with his parents until he was married to Amanda Ressler, August 22, 1862. She was born May 29, 1842, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and was the daughter of William and Elenor Ressler, of that county, where they spent their lives engaged in farming.

Four days after his marriage Tobias Shaffer proved his patriotism and his loyalty to the flag by enlisting on August 26, 1862, in Company F, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and he remained in the army nearly three years, proving to be a very gallant soldier. He was wounded at the Battle of Fisher's Hill, September 22, 1864, having been shot through the left knee. Later he was taken to a hospital at Philadelphia, where his limb was amputated. After he recovered he returned to his wife at the old home in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and there they remained until 1871, when they came to Jasper County, Iowa, and located on a farm near Wittemberg. Remaining there three and one-half years, they moved to Newton and purchased a home. Mrs. Shaffer resides at No. 208 East North Street. He retired from active life, after accumulating a competency.

Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Shaffer, Joe W., born December 31, 1866, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, married Edith Stine, of St. Joseph, Missouri, and one child was born to them who died in infancy. The death of Joe W. Shaffer occurred in St. Louis, August 10, 1904. Alberta May Shaffer was born in Jasper County, Iowa, August 6, 1873. She married Andrew Stewart and they live at Rockwell City, Iowa, where he is an extensive farmer and cattle dealer. They have three children, namely: Eugene, Ruth and Donald, who are all attending school at Rockwell City.

Tobias Shaffer was a member of the Lutheran Church. Mrs. Shaffer belongs to the Christian Church. Mr. Shaffer was an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Newton, Iowa. In political affairs he was a Democrat, but later in life became a stanch Republican, remaining so until his death. Owing to his being disabled in the army his government remembered him with a pension of fifty-seven dollars per month as long as he lived, and his widow now receives twelve dollars per month. Her beautiful and well furnished home in Newton is often the gathering place for her many warm friends. Page 499.

~ Sharp, Henry D. ~

Located on the road about one and three-quarters of a mile north of Killduff, beautifully situated, is the handsome home of Henry D. Sharp, modern throughout in every particular and beautifully finished inside and out. It is doubtful if there is a finer residence in the county, in fact it is said to be one of the finest in Jasper County. Mr. Sharp is the owner of two hundred and forty acres of fine land at this place, purchased in 1902 of J. C. Donahey. He is a farmer and stock raiser and very successful.

Mr. Sharp was born in Sherman Township, July 11, 1869, and was the eldest child born to Adam and Isabel (De Vaughn) Sharp. His mother was a native of Alexandria, Virginia; his father, a veteran of the Civil War, was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania. When a young man he went to Illinois and engaged in farming, and when the war broke out he enlisted in the Ninety-third Illinois, Company B. He served until the close of the war and was mustered out with an honorable discharge. He participated in several important engagements, such as the Battle of Champion's Hill, the Siege of Vicksburg, and went with General Sherman on his famous march to the sea. At the close of the war, or shortly afterward, probably in the year 1866-67, he came to Jasper County, Iowa, and bought land in Sherman Township, where he farmed for many years. He also owned one hundred and sixty acres of land in Richland Township. At the present time he is retired and lives in Grinnell, at the age of seventy-two years, and his wife is aged sixty years.

He was raised in the Catholic faith, while his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Fraternally he is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Henry D. Sharp was one of four children, all sons, born to this worthy couple, whose names are as follows: Frank E., living in Richland Township, married Mary Doak; William M. died when a child; Charles, who lives in Grinnell, engaged in the butcher business, married Cora West.

Until he reached the age of twenty-five the subject lived at home. At that time he started out to work for himself, and for two years he worked by the month as a farm hand. At the expiration of that time he rented a farm for himself, and after one year he bought the place where he now resides. In 1909 he erected the handsome house, which now stands there.

On December 21, 1898, Mr. Sharp was united in marriage to Ella Schnell, the daughter of John A. and Caroline (Shutts) Schnell, both natives of Germany, who came to America when quite young. The father's family lived in New York for a few years, then moved to Illinois, near Rock Island.

Mr. Schnell came to Iowa nearly fifty years ago and bought forty acres of land in Buena Vista Township, later acquired more land, and is now the owner of six hundred and forty acres of fine land. He is now living a quiet and retired life in Newton, Iowa, in which place he has resided for the past seven years. To this estimable couple were born seven children, of whom five survive, namely: John W., who lives on a farm in section 23, in Buena Vista Township, married Margaret Castorf; Louis C., who lives in Richland Township, on the line of Buena Vista Township, married Myrtle Rohrdanz; Emma married Charles McDonough and lives in Richland Township; Mary married Artie Sparks and lives in Lynn Grove Township, one mile east of Sully; Henry and Edward died in childhood. Mrs. Sharp's father at this time is sixty-eight years of age and her mother is sixty. Mrs. Sharp was born March 4, 1876, in Buena Vista Township. To Mr. and Mrs. Sharp have been born two children, namely: Hilda Marie, born July 9, 1900, and Roy, born November 20, 1906. Mrs. Sharp is a member of the Lutheran Church in Elk Creek Township. Mr. Sharp has held various township offices, serving as clerk in Richland Township for six years. In politics he is a Republican. Page 803

~ Shaw, Samuel W. ~

Among the enterprising and progressive farmers of Fairview Township, Jasper County is Samuel W. Shaw, owner of beautiful South View Farm. He has long been actively engaged in agricultural pursuits in this locality, although he is a native of the old Keystone State, and the years of his residence here have but served to strengthen the feeling of admiration on the part of his fellow men owing to the honorable life he has led and the worthy example he has set.

Mr. Shaw was born in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, May 4, 1848. He is the son of Thomas R. and Rebecca (Robertson) Shaw, both natives of Pennsylvania, the father born in Allegheny County, November 9, 1809, and the mother's birth occurred on July 12, 1812. They grew up, were educated and married in their native state, and there they became the owner of a farm of one hundred acres. In 1866 they moved to Jasper County, Iowa, and bought two hundred and fifty-five acres just east of the town of Monroe, on the old state road from Oskaloosa to Des Moines. The elder Shaw was a successful farmer, making a specialty of raising wheat. He was a Republican and he served his district as school director. He and his wife belonged to the Presbyterian Church. His death occurred on October 14, 1894, on the home farm where the subject now lives. He reached the advanced age of eighty-five years, and was able to do considerable work up to the last. His wife preceded him to the silent land in 1893. They were the parents of six children, an equal number of sons and daughters, namely: W. Hamilton, who is living in Monroe; Mary Ellen, who died in Pennsylvania; Matthew was killed during the Civil War, being a soldier in the Union Army, Company B, Sixty-first Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; Mrs. Maggie Davidson is deceased; Samuel W., of this sketch, was fifth in order of birth; Mrs. Mattie Monlux is living in Garner, Iowa.

Samuel W. Shaw attended the district schools in Pennsylvania and one winter in Iowa. He grew up on the home farm and remained with his father until the death of the latter. He managed the place after old age overtook the elder Shaw, and he always kept it well cultivated and well improved. He now owns the place, which consists of one hundred and seventy-two acres beautifully located less than a half mile from Monroe. He has long made a specialty of thoroughbred Poland China hogs and Shorthorn cattle.

Politically, Mr. Shaw is a Republican, but he has never been an aspirant for office. He and his family belong to the Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Shaw was married on October 22, 1885, to Cora Ink, who was born in Knox County, Ohio, March 25, 1859, the daughter of Abram Ink, a farmer, who came to Mt. Vernon, Iowa. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Shaw, namely: Mrs. Eula McDuff; Florence; Wallace is deceased; William and Raymond.Page 965.

~ Sherman, John H. ~

What characterizes the present age of industry in contrast with all that have gone before is the great and wonderful diversity of pursuits. One merchant of today will handle nothing but hats, another nothing but stationery, another nothing but confectionery, and so on; few manufacturers nowadays turn out more than one product, and in nearly every line of endeavor in this rushing, specializing, industrial age, this fact is traceable. To a considerable extent this holds good on the farm as well as in the city; the modern agriculturist is turning his attention to some specific branch of farming, and only pursues the others so far as they will aid him in making a success of the one.

In following the one he but observes the tendency of the times to concentrate most of his attention on certain lines which are thus sure to be vastly more successful than if his efforts were scattered over many occupations. Thus it is found that some farmers make a specialty of raising certain grades of stock, to the exclusion of general farming except as the latter will aid him with his stock. A good exponent of both general and special farming is to be found in John H. Sherman, one of the best known citizens of the southeastern part of Jasper County, and the son of one of the honored and most influential of the pioneers of Lynn Grove Township, in the development of which the Shermans have been among the most active during the past half century or more, and in which Township occurred the birth of the subject on March 23, 1861, and here he has been content to spend his life. He is the son of Thomas and Peninah (Sparks) Sherman. The paternal grandfather, Harris Sherman, was a native of Massachusetts, and in 1831 this family moved to Portage County, Ohio, and settled among the pioneers there, Mr. Sherman engaging in farming there until his death, at the advanced age of eighty-seven years, his wife also reaching a ripe old age.

The Sparks family originated in Wales, from which country they emigrated to America and settled in Maryland in the early history of this country, later making their home in North Carolina, and still later in Kentucky. The maternal grandparents, John R. and Elizabeth Sparks, were born in Adair County, Kentucky, he on March 16, 1806, and she on January 7, 1806, and there they grew up and were married, and moved to Illinois in the early settlement of that state, and from there came on to Lee County, Iowa, in 1836, making their home there until 1845, when they moved to Jasper County, locating in section 10, Lynn Grove Township, entering about three hundred and twenty acres from the government. Mr. Sparks had little of this world's goods when he arrived here: he had twenty-five dollars in money, a span of horses, three yoke of oxen and two plows. But he liked nothing better than to begin life in a new country, and he made a clearing, built a rude hut and went to work with his usual courage, and soon had a good farm and comfortable home in which he spent the remainder of his life, dying on August 17, 1886, his wife having preceded him to the grave only a short time, her death having occurred on June 7th of that year. Their lives were remarkable in that they began and closed, each within a few days of the other and during a long flight of years they traversed the pathway side by side. They were among the first settlers of Iowa and their like are not frequently met with nowadays.

John R. Sparks built the first saw-mill in Lynn Grove Township, choosing for the site the present village of Lynnville, on the Skunk River, and he also established the first grist-mill here, in fact, this antedated the saw-mill some time, he having established these mills at Lynnville before he began farming in this vicinity.

Thomas Sherman, father of John H., of this review, was born in Massachusetts, on September 6, 1828, and in 1831 he accompanied his parents to Portage County, Ohio, and there grew to maturity on the home farm, receiving such education as those early times afforded in the public schools.

Early in life he manifested an unusual ability as a financier. In 1854 he came to Jasper County, Iowa, reaching here with absolutely nothing, and he began working for John R. Sparks, for two years at twelve dollars per month. On April 10, 1856, he married his employer's daughter, Peninah. She was born in Morgan County, Illinois, on December 3, 1835. He had been economical, saved his money and after his marriage bought two hundred and forty acres of land in Lynn Grove Township, not far from the Sparks homestead, for which he paid only one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, when this Township had a population of less than two hundred. He built a frame house of native walnut trees. Being a man of keen business discernment and good judgment, he prospered from the first, and added to his original purchase from time to time until he owned one thousand and sixty acres of valuable Jasper County land which he divided mostly among his seven children before his death. His home farm was a model in every respect, and he became, one of the County's leading agriculturists and substantial citizens, prominent and influential and a man whom everybody trusted and esteemed. He retained the old homestead until his death, on April 10, 1909, his widow surviving until January 27, 1911, both having reached advanced ages. He was a great reader, kept well advised on current topics and was an intelligent and progressive citizen. He dealt exclusively in land, never refusing to sell when offered a reasonable profit. When the Iowa Central railroad built through this country he aided in organizing and founding the town of Sully. He' gave his children good educations and they are all doing well in life's affairs. In politics he was a Republican and he and his wife belonged to the Methodist Protestant Church, to which their parents before them also belonged.

John H. Sherman, of this review, grew up on his father's farm and when he became of proper age assisted in the general work on the same. After passing through the public schools of his community, he spent four years in Iowa College at Grinnell. In 1886 he returned to his native community and took up his life work. On December 23, 1887, he was united in marriage with Anna L. Shoop, daughter of a highly respected family. They started housekeeping on the farm, which his father had given him. Later he bought a part of the homestead and now owns a valuable, well-improved and productive farm of one hundred and eighty acres in Lynn Grove Township and has met with a large measure of success as a general farmer and stock raiser. He has placed many modern improvements on this land, including a new and attractive dwelling and a good barn, fencing, etc. He has dealt in stock raising all his life, and for some time specialized in breeding Poland-China hogs. In the fall of 1908 he moved to Sully and built a fine modern home in that pleasant village, in the southeast part of town where he now lives retired, leaving the operation of his farm to his sons, though he still maintains general supervision of the same.

Politically, Mr. Sherman is a Republican and he and his wife have always been members of the Methodist Protestant church. Mrs. Sherman was born in Ohio, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Shoop, the father a soldier in the Civil War, dying after returning from the army, of sickness contracted in line of service. About 1867 his widow and daughter came to Iowa and located near Kellogg, Jasper County. Mrs. Shoop lived until 1894. Anna L., wife of Mr. Sherman, was her only child.

To Mr. and Mrs. Sherman three children were born, namely: Emerson, born November 5, 1888; Raymond, born September 9, 1890, and Florence M., born August 6, 1900. Page 479.

~ Signs, J. Emery ~

Not alone are those worthy of biographic honors who have moved along the loftier planes of action, but to an equal extent are those deserving who are of the rank and file of the world's workers, for they are not less the conservators of public prosperity and material advancement. Through all the gradations of life recognition should be had of the true values, and then should full appreciation be manifested, for there can be no impropriety in scanning the acts of any man as they affect his public, social and business relations. Viewed from whatever standpoint, the career of J. Emery Signs, one of Clear Creek Township's prosperous farmers, is worthy of consideration in this connection. He is one of the worthy native sons of Jasper County, his birth having occurred on March 1, 1850, in Clear Creek Township, and here he grew to manhood and he has always been identified with the agricultural interests of this locality. He is the son of James and Sarah (Kintz) Signs, the father born in Indiana is living in this Township, and the mother, who was born in Summit County, Ohio, died in this Township. Their family consisted of four sons and one daughter, namely: J. Emery, of this review, is the eldest; Mrs. John W. Long lives in Eden Township, Marshall County; Charles O. lives in Olathe, Kansas; John' is a resident of Collins, Iowa; Lee lives on the old home farm in Clear Creek Township, this county.

Mr. Signs, of this review, was married on November 7, 1880, to Ida May Hampton, who was born in Clear Creek Township, November 5, 1861, the daughter of William R. and Sarah Ann (Deeter) Hampton, the father born in Kentucky and the mother in Pennsylvania. They came west, spent their last years at Gering, Nebraska, the father dying on December 5, 1904, and the mother passing away on December 4, 1903. Their family consisted of twelve children, ten of whom grew to maturity, one son and one daughter dying in infancy; they were named as follows: Theodore is living in Juniata, Nebraska; Cornelia Kimberly is living at Gering, Nebraska; Caroline Hidy is a resident of Mapleton, Kansas; Dora Adeline died about fifteen years ago; Ida May, wife of Mr. Hampton of this sketch; Hulda Porter, of Towanda, Kansas; Jennie Hughes, of Mapleton, Kansas; Commodore lives at Gering, Nebraska; William also lives there; Russell R. lives in Independence Township, this County; Albert lives at Gering, Nebraska. These children were born in Clear Creek Township, this county, of which their parents were early settlers, having lived here many years before moving to Nebraska.

To Mr. and Mrs. Signs have been born two sons and four daughters, namely: Earl, born September 27, 1882, died April 11, 1888; Sarah Pearl Jones, born November 14, 1887, lives in Sherman Township, this county; Jessie Belle Shuey, born August 14, 1890, is living north of Collins; Alta, born February 8, 1893, is living at home; Ora, born November 5, 1896, is also a member of the family circle; Orville Edwin, born January 18, 1899. They were all born in Clear Creek Township. One grandchild, Gwendolyn Fern Shuey, was born on May 10, 1911.

Mr. Signs has been very successful in a business way, and he is the owner of one hundred and nineteen acres in Clear Creek Township, which comprises one of the best improved and most productive farms of this locality, on which stands a modern, well furnished home, and he has laid away a competency for his old age.

Politically, Mr. Signs is a Democrat, and he has been Township trustee and a member of the local school board. Fraternally, he belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America at Mingo. Page 1199.

~ Signs, John W. ~

The career of John W. Signs, one of our worthy native sons, illustrates forcibly the possibilities to the young men who are content to spend their lives in their home districts, if they are men of earnest purpose, integrity and sterling business qualities. A well-spent life and an honorable career constitute his record, and, like the other members of the old pioneer family from which he springs, he has a wide circle of friends in this locality.

Mr. Signs was born in Clear Creek Township, this county, on February 14, 1864. Here he grew to manhood, received his education in the public schools and assisted with the general work on the home place in his boyhood, in fact, he has always been identified with the agricultural pursuits of this vicinity until within the past few years.

The subject is the son of James and Sarah (Kintz) Signs. The father was born in Wayne County, Ohio, on August 18, 1831, and the mother was born in Summit County, Ohio, on June 12, 1835. James Signs settled in Iowa in 1854 and in Clear Creek Township, Jasper County, in 1857, in which he is still living, on the old home place with his son, J. Lee Signs. He has lived to see this section develop from a wild prairie to one of the chief agricultural communities of the state and he has taken no small part in this work of transformation. He has made a success as a tiller of the soil and is widely known here. His wife died on October 23, 1903. Their family consisted of four sons and one daughter, namely: J: Emery, born March 1, 1859, lives in Clear Creek Township; Mrs. John W. Long lives in Eden Township, Marshall County; Charles C., born January 8, 1862, of Olathe, Kansas; John W., of this sketch; and J. Lee, of Clear Creek Township.

John W. Signs was married on September 5, 1885, to Mary Wiley, who was born in Clear Creek Township, this county, September 6, 1868. Here she grew up and received her education. Her parents, James and Julia (Deeter) Wiley, were among the earliest settlers in this Township. The father was born in Indiana, March 13, 1845, is living in South Dakota, and the mother, who was born in Ohio, died when thirty-five years of age, in April 1880. There were four daughters in the Wiley family, namely: Mary, wife of the subject of this sketch; Clara, born in Clear Creek Township, February 12, 1872, is the wife of J. Lee Signs, of this Township; Mrs. Belle Dodd, born August 11, 1876, lives in Lowrie City, Missouri.

To Mr. and Mrs. Signs have been born two daughters, namely: Clara B., born May 24, 1887, is attending, the common schools near her home and the Collins graded schools, from which she was graduated with the class of 1907, and she was a student at Highland Park College, Des Moines, for one year; she is at present teaching the grammar department of the Collins high school and is giving eminent satisfaction. Maude, the younger daughter, was born August 22, 1889, and died September 17, 1891.

Politically, Mr. Signs is a Democrat, and he belongs to Unit Lodge No. 520, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at Baxter. He and his wife are members of Sunbeam Lodge No. 181, Mystic Workers, at Collins.

A few years ago Mr. Signs moved to Collins and for some time conducted the hotel there, later returning to the farm, but remained only a year, then moved back to Collins, where he is now engaged principally in teaming. For a number of years he bought and sold horses, in fact, he was one of the heaviest dealers in this community. Page 1327.

~ Signs, Lee ~

Although no section of the great Hawkeye State is richer in opportunities or offers greater advantages to its citizens than does Jasper County, success is not here to be obtained through desire alone, but is to be persistently worked for, there being various obstacles to be overcome just as in every country, so the idler or dreamer knows nothing of the rich rewards that come to the toilers in the locality of which this history deals. Lee Signs, of Clear Creek Township, Jasper County, is evidently entitled to rank with that class of hardworking citizens who prefer to follow the old maxim of go it alone, rather than depend upon others to contribute to his support and progress. Having spent his entire, life in this township, it is evident that he has preferred to remain at home rather than seek some mythical better country, and here he has not only reaped the fruitage of a well directed energy, but has so ordered his course in all the relations of life as to command the confidence and esteem of his fellow men.

As intimated, Mr. Signs was born in this township, on the farm where he now resides, August 4, 1869, and here he received his education and early in life turned his attention to agricultural pursuits He is the son of James and Sarah (Kintz) Signs, the father born in Wayne County, Ohio, August 18, 1831, and he is residing with his son Lee on the old home place, he having come to Iowa in 1854 and settled in Clear Creek Township, this county, in 1857. The mother of the subject was born in Summit County, Ohio, and her death occurred on October 23, 1903. Their family consisted of four sons and one daughter, as follows: J. Emery, born March 1, 1859, is living in Clear Creek Township; Mrs. John W. Long lives in Eden Township, Marshall County; Charles C., born January 8, 1862, lives in Olathe, Kansas; John, born February 14, 1864, lives at Collins, Story County, and Lee, of this review.

Mr. Signs, of this review, was married on March 15, 1892, to Clara Wiley, who was born in Clear Creek Township, this county, February 12, 1872. Her mother having died when she was quite young, she was taken into the home of William Parker, of Collins, and was reared and educated there. She is the daughter of James and Julia (Deeter) Wiley, the father born in Indiana, March 13, 1845, while the mother's birth occurred in Ohio, and she died in April 1880, at the age of thirty-five years. Mr. Wiley is now living in South Dakota. Their family consisted of four daughters, namely: Mary, who married John Signs, was born September 6, 1868, and is residing at Collins, Iowa; Clara, wife of Mr. Signs, of this review; Mrs. Belle Dodd, born February 12, 1874, lives in Collins Township, Story County, Iowa; Mrs. Gertie Ferguson, born August 11, 1876, is living at Lowery City, Missouri. These children were all born in Clear Creek Township.

To Mr. and Mrs. Signs have been born three daughters and one son, namely: Coral, born December 12, 1893, lives at home; Gladys died in infancy; Floyd, born April 20, 1895, Mildred, born June 6, 1905. These children were all born on the farm where lives their father and grandfather.

Politically, Mr. Signs is independent and, fraternally, he belongs to Mingo Lodge No. 174, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; also Indian Creek Camp No. 1180, Modern Woodmen of America, at Mingo. He has been a member of the school board for a number of years.

Mr. Signs is tilling the one hundred and sixty acres of the home place and he also owns sixty acres, near his residence. He keeps his land well improved and well cultivated, as did his worthy father when he was an active farmer. Page 1098.

~ Silwold, Henry ~

Henry Silwold, well known attorney and substantial citizen of Newton, Jasper County, was born in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, January 12, 1860. He is the son of Henry and Charlotte (Depping) Silwold, both natives of Germany where they spent their childhood, emigrating to America when young. The elder Silwold devoted his life to farming and by hard work and good management became well established. He came to Iowa in 1866, located in Malaka Township, Jasper County, where he bought land, which he placed under excellent improvements and a high state of cultivation and where he continued to live until his death, in October, 1901, his wife surviving until March 1908. They were highly respected in their community and had a host of friends wherever they were known. Six children were born to them, five of whom are living, namely: Henry, of this review. Mrs. Herman Claussen, who lives four miles north of Newton; Mrs. W. J. Kelly, of Grovont, Wyoming; Fred is living on the old home farm in this county; Mary is also living on the old homestead.

Henry Silwold was six years of age when his parents brought him to Jasper County; here he grew to maturity on the home farm which he worked during the crop seasons, attending the common schools in the wintertime; after which he took a preparatory course at Hazel Dell Academy at Newton before entering Drake University, in 1885, at Des Moines, from which institution he was graduated in 1890, having completed the collegiate course. He remained under his parental rooftree, with the exception of the time spent in school, until he was twenty-five years of age. He had long entertained a laudable ambition to study law, and after leaving college he plunged into Blackstone and other authorities in earnest and made rapid progress With W. O. McElroy, of Newton, and he was admitted to the bar in October 1892, and soon thereafter began active practice at Baxter, Iowa, where he gained a good foothold at once, remaining there three years. Seeking a wider field for the exercise of his talents, he moved to Newton in May 1898, and has remained in the practice here to the present, proving himself to be a painstaking and careful advocate, and he is regarded as a logical and earnest pleader at the bar. He keeps fully abreast of the times in all matters pertaining to his profession, such as the latest decisions in important cases, new codes and revised statutes, and, judging from his past worthy and eminently honorable and satisfactory career, he bids fair to become one of the leading attorneys of the state in due course of time.

Mr. Silwold has never assumed the responsibilities of the married state. Politically, he is a Republican and has been more or less active in politic; affairs for a number of years, always lending his support to any movement having for its object the general development of his locality. He was count attorney from April 1900, to January 1, 1902, holding this important office in a manner that reflected much credit upon himself and to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic order and in religious matters he belongs to the Congregational Church. Page 470.

~ Simpson, George W. ~

George W. Simpson is a name known to every one who has any acquaintance whatever with the business history of Newton and Jasper County, for he has long filled an active place in the industrial affairs of this locality, and as an enterprising, far-sighted and energetic man whose judgment is seldom at fault. His influence has made for the substantial up building of the community and he has earned the good will and esteem of a wide circle of friends.

Mr. Simpson was born November 7, 1859, at Westfield, Poweshiek County, Iowa, and he is the son of John and Elizabeth (Patrick) Simpson, natives of Ohio, the father of Scotch descent and the mother of Irish. The elder Simpson began life as a farmer, but after coming to Iowa he preached as an ordained minister in the United Brethren church. While living near Kellogg he had three charges, one of which was forty miles west of Des Moines. Every two weeks he drove eighty miles to preach and back again after the services. For this service he was paid sixty dollars a year. This one instance casts a strong side light upon the inherent strength and beauty of the father's character and readily reveals why he was one of the best beloved men in the County. All his life was spent in good works.

The family came to Iowa in 1834, first settling near Dubuque and about a year later came on to Westfield. For years the father conducted a tavern on the old stage road between Iowa City and Des Moines, and he ran a general store in connection with the same. He also bought and shipped cattle and hogs extensively, often driving droves of hogs as far as Iowa City to market, which place was at that time the western terminus of the Rock Island system.

After selling the tavern, he bought a farm three and one half miles southeast of Kellogg, and there he made his home until 1873, when he retired from farming and he and his son W. S. started a general store in Kellogg, which they sold after conducting it until 1876, whereupon the father retired. His death occurred in Kellogg in 1906, at the advanced age of eighty-six years; the mother is still living in that town, being now eighty-seven years old. John Simpson was a local politician of more than ordinary influence and he was for years mayor of Kellogg, the last time when past eighty years, making one of the best officials the town ever had. He was a loyal Republican and served his township in many capacities, always in a manner that reflected much credit upon himself and to the entire satisfaction of all concerned.

Eight children were born to John Simpson and wife, of whom six are living, namely: Thomas J. died in California, at the age of fifty-six years; Wallace W. died in Kellogg, at the age of twenty-two years; W. S. is an eye and ear specialist in Des Moines; A. J. owns and operates the home place of two hundred and forty acres; T. L. resides in Kellogg, owning the only hotel there, and also has two farms; Sarah E. is the wife of James Bennett and lives in Kellogg; George W. of this review; L. E. is a retired farmer and resides in Kellogg.

George W. Simpson began railroading in 1876 as water boy on the construction of the Rock Island. Two years later he began working with the steam shovel gang in Missouri. Then in the fall of 1879 he began braking on the Rock Island road, in Missouri, remaining two and one-half years. From that state he went to Ogden, Utah, then the western terminus of the Union Pacific road, with his headquarters at Evanston, Wyoming. After about a year he was transferred to Idaho and given a train. This he conducted but a short time, when he was placed in the yards at Pocatello, Idaho, as yardmaster. All told, he worked twenty-three months for the Union Pacific. He then went to San Francisco and other points on the Pacific coast, then returned east, and began braking out of Trenton, Missouri, continuing at this a year and a half, after which he ran a train several years, being a conductor both on a freight and a passenger. He was in many wrecks and saw much hard service, a great deal of it under the old-fashioned style of apparatus, before the days of safety devices and modern improvements. In making an old-fashioned coupling he was injured, losing a part of his hand. He was in a bad wreck in January before quitting the railroad business in February. At one time he worked for the Wabash Railroad three months, but most of his long service was with the Rock Island and Union Pacific. He became widely known in railroad circles and was regarded as a faithful, honest and capable employee.

After he quit railroading Mr. Simpson purchased an eighty-acre farm near Kellogg, on which he spent nine years, then sold out and bought one hundred and fifty acres, in Kellogg township which he farmed three years; selling this, he purchased one hundred and forty-three acres in Newton Township. After living here three years he sold it for one hundred sixty-two dollars and fifty cents per acre, then purchased the one-fourth city block in the heart of the business district of Newton where he has a feed store and hitch yard, which is doing a large business. Besides this property, he owns a splendid modern residence in Newton and valuable farming interests in Dickerson County.

On March 31,1887, Mr. Simpson was united in marriage with Mattie E. Stringer, of Missouri, and the daughter of James Stringer and wife, both now deceased; they were farmers and highly respected in their neighborhood in Missouri.

To Mr. and Mrs. Simpson five children have been born, all of whom are living, namely: Earl E., born February 26, 1888, is a mail carrier in Newton; Harry V., born December 6, 1889, lives in DeSoto, Iowa; Guy, born August 24, 1896; Ruth, born April 26, 1902; Gerald, born February 5, 1905; the last three named being at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Simpson are members of the Methodist Church, and active and sincere workers therein. Mr. Simpson is at present third vice-president of the Methodist Brotherhood. He has in the past been a trustee in the church and was assistant superintendent of the Sunday school two years and teacher of the men's class one year. While in the country he was superintendent of the Sunday school three years. He is a member of Central Lodge No. 73, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Newton, being its present treasurer. In January 1903, he joined as a charter member the Knights of Pythias Lodge at Trenton, Missouri, later transferring his membership to Lodge No. 76 at Kellogg, Iowa, in which he has passed all the chairs except those of outer guard and prelate. At this time he is a member of the Newton lodge, which he has represented in the grand lodge several times. He was a delegate from the Kellogg lodge to the grand lodge at Council Bluffs. Both he and his wife are members of the Rebekahs, and Mr. Simpson is a member of the Modern Brotherhood of America, of which he is secretary. Mr. Simpson has served on the school board of Buena Vista Township for three years and as road supervisor for two years. He also served two years as clerk of Newton Township. He is regarded as one of Jasper County's useful and representative men. Page 616.

~ Sitler, Joseph R. ~

To say that a man has been true to himself all his days is to pay him very great compliment, but to add to this that he has been a good father, kind and considerate husband, brave soldier and a man whose citizenship has been without taint or flaw is to place that man high among his fellows. Yet these things may be truthfully said of Joseph R. Sitler, the subject of this review.

Mr. Sitler was born in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, May 19, 1832 being the son of George Sitler, a native of Pennsylvania, and Sarah (Robins) Sitler, a native of New York. He is one of eight children, of whom but four survive, as follows: Mr. Sitler, of this review, the eldest; Henry F., born in 1836, resides in Dodge City, Kansas, of which city he has been one of the pioneer settlers and builders. An old cattleman and railroad contractor, he has been one of the most important factors in the up building of his home city, a portion of it being upon land which he formerly owned as a cattle ranch; Jessie R. Sitler, born in 1840, resides in Bliss, Oklahoma, and is engaged in the grain business; Frank J. was killed at Axtell, Kansas, in 1900, by falling from a loaded straw wagon; he was born in 1845; Ida Wright, widow of Rev. Byron Wright, a Methodist minister, resides in New York City; Anna, wife of Rev. Orin B. Coates, died at the age of twenty-six years, one week after her marriage, her death being as tragic as it was pitiful. Her husband of one week enlisted in the army and when the news of his enlistment was brought to her, she fell to the floor in a swoon, from which she never revived. The young husband went to the front a broken-hearted man. Two brothers of the subject died in infancy. Of Mr. Sitler's parents it may be said that they were hardy, God-fearing people of culture and refinement. The father was a farmer and was a stalwart among his fellow men. Neither ever removed from Pennsylvania. Both are now deceased.

The military record of Mr. Sitler is as remarkable as it is creditable. Few men, even though they took part in that great civil war, were compelled to undergo the misery, hardship and privation through which Mr. Sitler passed. Modest and retiring in manner, he gave only some of the more striking details of his varied army experience to the biographer, but it is easy to "read between the lines" and gather the full purport of what he passed through.

On October 6, 1861, in company with forty-four neighbor boys, he enlisted in the Second Pennsylvania Cavalry, and was placed in the department of the army guarding Washington. For six months he took part in the famous chase after Mosby and his men, after which he was transferred to the Army of the Potomac. He took part in the second Battle of Bull Run and was in the great Battle of Gettysburg. Here it was he acted as first lieutenant of provost guards, the captain being absent, and, hurrying here and there, supervising, directing and reporting to his superiors, he was under fire for hours. He saw the famous charge of rebel General Pickett. The next battle of importance in which he took part was that of Mine Run, Virginia, and for days thereafter was under fire. Then came the terrible battle of the Wilderness and the desultory fighting along the Rapidan River during which battle he was again in command. Before the Battle of the Wilderness he was sent home to recruit men for the army, recruiting one hundred men from Crawford County, Pennsylvania, in one month. On April 26, 1864, along with four hundred men who had been home on furlough, he re-enlisted and was soon in the thick of the fight, two days thereafter being detailed with a scouting party to watch the actions of the rebel cavalry along the Rappahannock river. On the night of May 7, 1864, following the Battle of the Wilderness, he was captured and marched to General Lee's headquarters, where he was kept for twelve days in company with forty-four officers and fourteen hundred other prisoners, with no rations except what they were able to buy for themselves. Next they were marched to Lynchburg, Virginia, a distance of sixty-five miles, two crackers being issued to each prisoner before starting. Some of the men got none. At Lynchburg the men were robbed of everything they possessed, and were then taken to Macon, Georgia, to the rebel prison camp. Here they were kept until July 10, when they were taken to Savannah, and then to Charleston, South Carolina. Here it was that they were confined to the jail yard and the Northern prisoners were exposed purposely to the Northern artillery fire in order that an exchange might be enforced, but none was made. October 9, 1864, they were taken to "Camp Sorghum," South Carolina, so called for the reason that the rations consisted of a pint of corn meal each day and all the sorghum molasses they could use. From Camp Sorghum they were taken across the river and put in the asylum prison at Columbia. Then a number of moves were made to Raleigh, North Carolina, to Wilmington, South Carolina, and to many other places in the vain attempt to avoid the fast approaching Northern Army, but finally at Wilmington, Mr. Sitler, along with many others was paroled. Here occurred one of those striking and romantic incidents so frequent in the Great War. Standing among the Northern troops was a tall, commanding looking man, who eyed the subject of this sketch as he moved about among the other wretched prisoners. Suddenly, something familiar appealed, to him and he clasped the thin hand of the prisoner. It was his brother, Jesse, at that time an adjutant of the Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania. After a long siege in the hospitals, finding him unable to serve further, the authorities gave Mr. Sitler an honorable discharge as first lieutenant and he returned home. Mr. Sitler was commissioned to serve on court martial duty twice, first after the battle of Gettysburg and second at Annapolis. Maryland. This was an exceptional honor to be given a line officer and he was the junior member of the court both times.

Mr. Sitler is a member of Garrett Post No. 16, Grand Army of the Republic, of Newton, of which he has been adjutant since 1895. He has also been commander of the post. He came to Jasper County August 2, 1866, and has resided here ever since with the exception of one year spent in Dodge City, Kansas. On February 16, 1864, he married Carrie Spalding, daughter of Rev. Josiah Spalding, who bore him the following children: Harry, born March 1, 1867, residing in Jasper County; Anna, born January 12, 1869, is unmarried, and resides with her father at home; one child died in infancy, the wife and mother dying soon after.

On March 2, 1881, Mr. Sitler was married to Rebecca Goodrich, daughter of Levi Goodrich, a native of Maine. She still survives and is the considerate and loyal companion of Mr. Sitler, being a sweet-faced woman of rare accomplishments. Both Mr. and Mrs. Sitler are members of the Congregational Church of Newton and Mrs. Sitler is prominent in temperance work, being an active member of the Anti-Saloon League.

Mr. Sitler is a large landowner, besides owning elegant city property and being interested in the Jasper County Mutual Fire and Lightning Insurance Company, of which he has been treasurer for seventeen years. Few men are better known and none are more respected. In politics Mr. Sitler is a Republican. Page 626.

~ Skinner, Hon. Herbert K. ~

It is the progressive, wide-awake man of affairs who makes the real history of a community, and his influence as a potential factor of the body politic is difficult to estimate. The examples such men furnish of patient purpose and steadfast integrity strongly illustrate what is in the power of each to accomplish, and there is always a full measure of satisfaction in adverting even in a casual way to their achievements in advancing the interests of their fellow men and in giving strength and solidity to the institutions which tell so much for the prosperity of the community. In every life of honor and usefulness there is no dearth of incident and yet in summing up the career of any man the biographer needs touch only those salient points, which give the keynote to his character. Thus in setting forth the life record of Hon. Herbert K. Skinner, sufficient will be said to show what all who know him will freely acquiesce in, that he is one of the enterprising and progressive citizens and representative men of Iowa, at present the able and popular representative from Jasper County in the state Legislature. Such a life as his is an inspiration to others who are less courageous and more prone to give up the fight when obstacles thwart their way, or their ideals have been reached or definite success has been obtained in any chosen field. In the life history of Mr. Skinner are found evidences of a peculiar characteristic that always makes for achievement, persistency coupled with fortitude and lofty traits, and as the result of such a life he has long been one of the best known, most influential and highly esteemed citizens of this locality.

Mr. Skinner was born in Stockholm, St. Lawrence County, New York, April 2, 1849. In 1853 he moved with his parents to Fort Dodge, Iowa, where they remained until 1860, in which year they moved to Jasper County and have been continuous residents here ever since. The subject secured his education in the rural schools, supplemented with high school privileges at Newton. He began his career as a teacher, which profession he followed with much success for a period of twelve years in this County, during which time many of the foremost men of this community were numbered among his pupils.

Mr. Skinner is the son of George and Abigail (Kingsbury) Skinner, both natives of New York, the father born in 1823 and the mother in St. Lawrence County. They grew up in their native state, received their education in the schools of their native communities and were married there.

Immigrating to Jasper County, Iowa, in the early period of its development, they established a good home here and spent the rest of their lives, the father dying in June 1871, and the mother on July 2, 1892. The father was a veteran of the Civil War, having enlisted for service in the Union army in Company K, Twenty-eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry and he served gallantly under Colonel Myers and received an honorable discharge. There were four sons in the Skinner family, two of whom died in infancy, namely: Herbert K., of this sketch, the eldest; Arthur, born July 3, 1852, died in Jasper County, March 27, 1882.

Herbert K. Skinner was married on January 19, 1871, to Mary B. Keyes, who was born in Benton County, Iowa, in July 1848, and her death occurred in Jasper County on June 6, 1875. Her parents were among the earliest settlers of this County. To this union of the subject was born one son and one daughter, Walter L., whose birth occurred on December 8, 1871, is living in Newton, Iowa; Mrs. Gertrude Boyd, born October 22, 1873, is living at Farrar, Iowa. Mr. Skinner was again married on March 16, 1876, to Mary A. Edwards, who was born in Jasper County, March 29, 1855, and here she grew to womanhood and was educated. She is the daughter of M. M. and Anne (Henderson) Edwards, the father a native of Missouri, and the mother of New Jersey. They came to Jasper County in its early development and here spent the rest of their lives, the father dying in June 1884, and the mother in 1896. There were ten children in the Edwards family, five of whom are living, namely: Jonathan lives in Iowa; George W. lives in the state of Washington; Charlie C. lives in Shelby County, Iowa; James died in 1906; Mrs. Mary A. Skinner, of this sketch; Mrs. Helen E. Brown, deceased; Albert, of Mingo, Iowa; Mrs. Arnold A. Rambaugh died in 1897; the two eldest died in infancy.

To Mr. and Mrs. Skinner have been born eight children, five of whom are living, namely: Elsie M. died when five years old; George M. died in infancy; Charles Herbert, born May 2, 1883, lives in Clear Creek Township; Mrs. Bertha H. Borts, born May 20, 1885, lives on the old Skinner homestead in Clear Creek Township; Mrs. Clara A. Tiffany, born June 26, 1889, lives in Story County; Arthur L., born December 6, 1892, lives with his parents; Howard Otis, born March 12, 1899, died March 24th of the same year. These children were all born and reared in Clear Creek Township, and have been given good common school advantages as well as advanced work at Newton and Highland Park at Des Moines, and Mrs. Tiffany attended high school at Collins.

Mr. Skinner started life without funds, but by industry, perseverance and honest dealings with his fellow men he has been very successful in a material way. He is still in possession of the farm where his parents located, owning at present four hundred and sixty acres of choice land in Clear Creek Township, upon which stand three sets of excellent and convenient buildings, besides which he is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of prairie land in Texas. He keeps his farms under a high state of improvement and cultivation, employing modern methods of agriculture, and in connection with his general and extensive farming interests he has devoted especial attention to raising live stock, no small part of his annual income being derived from this source. He is regarded as an excellent judge of stock, and is especially fond of a good horse.

Mr. Skinner has long taken an abiding interest in public affairs, being an uncompromising Republican, and he has received the highest honors that his neighbors can bestow in a public way. His judicious course and honorable record indicates the wisdom of his constituents in selecting him for positions of trust and responsibility, and his continued retention in office is criterion enough of his good standing in his home district and of the confidence in which he is held there. For a period of ten years he was assessor of Clear Creek Township and for eighteen years was its efficient clerk. He has never sought the emoluments of office, but his neighbors and friends throughout the County urged him to become a candidate for the Legislature, lower branch. In the subsequent election he won by a handsome majority, serving his first term with such credit and ability and general satisfaction that his re-election for a second term was assured long before the first expired. He is making his influence felt for the good of the people of this section and the state and unselfishly devoting his best talents to the betterment of civic and material conditions, fearlessly advocating the right as he sees and understands the right. He is at present treasurer of the local school board.

Religiously, Mr. Skinner belongs to the Congregational Church, of which he is a liberal supporter and he has been very active in Sunday school work, having been superintendent of Ashton Chapel Sunday school for the past nine years, and previous to this time he held the same position in the Church at Clyde and Mingo.

Mr. Skinner is also active and prominent in fraternal circles, belonging to Mingo Lodge No. 174. Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Mingo. Personally, he is sociable, democratic, genial, unassuming and a man of generous and honorable impulses, meriting in every respect the high esteem in which he is held. Page 1024.

~ Slaght, Dr. Nellie ~

This alert, capable and energetic woman is a splendid example of what courage, coupled with ability, may accomplish. Although a woman, she has entered a field of human effort commonly given over to men, and, while not sacrificing one jot of the feminine daintiness which is hers, she has been very successful in her chosen profession, that of a physician of the osteopath school. Nellie Slaght was born September 3, 1872, in Tiffin, Iowa, the daughter of Charles Parker and Philena (Higgins) Slaght. Her mother was born July 29, 1840, at Mount Vernon, Ohio, and her father was a native of New Jersey, born in Morris county, that state, March 25, 1835. He was the fifth child born in a family of six children to Jeremiah Slaght (born 1798, in New Jersey): Several years after his marriage, Jeremiah Slaght took his family and moved to the state of Ohio; here he followed agricultural pursuits for a number of years and in 1853 he removed to Iowa and settled on a farm near Iowa City. At this time Charles Parker, father of the subject, was a young man of eighteen years, and came with his father's family to Iowa. He learned the stonemason's trade in an early day and worked at this trade and also farming throughout his life. He was a man of good parts and great public spirit. He invented a hay rake and loader, known as the "Clean-sweep Hay-rake and Loader," now manufactured by the Sandwich Manufacturing Company of Illinois. This invention has been exhibited at the world's fairs held in Chicago, Paris, Buffalo, etc., and is sold and shipped to Australia, South America, and, in fact, to all parts of the world. He was also a soldier in the Civil War, serving with distinction throughout the struggle, being a member of the Twenty-seventh Iowa Regiment. He was always prominent and active in politics, being identified with the interests of the Republican Party; was an officer in the Methodist Episcopal Church in Tiffin for a great many years.

In 1881 he moved to Iowa City and here his death occurred in 1890, from injuries received from falling from a roof of a barn. He was twice married, his first marriage occurring October 8, 1857, when he was united to Rachel A. Chamberlin. To this union there were three children born, namely: Margaret, Mary and George, none of whom are now living, and only one of whom, Margaret, grew to maturity. She died at the age of thirty, unmarried, and his first wife died June 20, 1864, and on September 13, 1866, he was united in marriage to Philena Higgins, mother of the subject, as stated above. She was a daughter of Jesse and Sophronia (Van Wormer) Higgins. To this second marriage were born three children, namely: Sophronia Celia, born September 3, 1867, died at the age of twenty-six; Agnes, born in August, 1869, died at the age of four; and Nellie, the subject of this review. The mother died May 10, 1903, at Monroe, Iowa, where she was living with the subject, leaving her the only living member of her family. Her father's people were all long-lived people. The family is of German descent. Two of her aunts, on the father's side, Lucinda Wolf Drake and Nancy Doty, are still living, aged respectively eighty-eight and eighty-two. Mrs. Drake lives in Newton, Iowa, Mrs. Doty at Sparta, Ohio.

Nellie Slaght graduated from the high school at Iowa City, after which she taught two terms of school in Johnson County, and one term in the schools of Washington County, this state. She then took up the study of osteopathy, and entered the S. S. Still College of Osteopathy in Des Moines, Iowa, from which institution she was graduated in June 1901. She then moved with her mother to Monroe, where she began the practice of osteopathy. About a year later she gave up her practice in Monroe and went to Chicago and taught there in the Chicago School of Osteopathy in the winter of 1902-3. She also took up the study of homeopathy, from which branch of medicine she was graduated in April 1904. After her graduation she entered St. Hedwig's Hospital in Chicago as intern and served there during the winter of 1904-5. The following July she came to Newton and opened an office for the practice of osteopathy. Success crowded her efforts, and during the years she has been in Newton she has built up a large and lucrative practice and is recognized as one of its leading and prominent physicians. She is an active member of the state and district osteopathic associations and is eligible to membership in the National Osteopathic Association. She is a zealous member and active worker in the United Presbyterian Church.Page 454.

~ Slaven, Jesse ~

The subject of the present-sketch is a well-known resident of Colfax and was formerly a farmer of Washington Township, where by hard work and honest dealing he accumulated a large amount of property, and is still the owner of one of the largest and best farms of the township. To his neighbors he is known as a man of high honor and integrity, of good business judgment, an enterprising and progressive farmer and a loyal friend.

Jesse Slavens was born in Hendricks County, Indiana, thirty miles west of Indianapolis, the son of James and Mary (Davis) Slavens. The Slavens family was a family of soldiers. Many of the Indiana family served in the Mexican war, Reuben Slavens, the grandfather of Jesse and his son Thomas took an active part in the War of 1812, and Reuben Slavens' father served in the Virginia troops during the Revolution. Jesse Slavens came to Iowa at the solicitation of his uncle, C. M. Davis, with whom he lived for a while. At the outbreak of the war no youth descended from such a line of soldiers could have remained away from battle at his country's call, and Jesse Slavens enlisted in Company I, Tenth Iowa Infantry, under Captain Garrett, in 1861, and served for four years. He was in the Western army through the Corinth campaign to Vicksburg, was at the battle of Missionary Ridge, and went with Sherman to Atlanta and on to the sea, then took part in the Grand Review at Washington. He followed the line of greatest resistance, and took part in all the principal battles fought by the Western army. Always a brave and faithful soldier, he escaped with but one wound during the war, as light one received at Champion Hill.

At the close of the war, in the fall of 1865, Jesse Slavens came to Washington Township and located on the farm which he now owns, where he has since spent the most of his life and which contains four hundred acres of fertile and improved land. On this farm he has expended much labor and it has been well rewarded. One year ago he rented his farm and retired to Colfax. Mr. Slavens is a member of the Grand Army, an Odd Fellow, and has taken the blue lodge and chapter degrees of Masonry. In politics he is a strict Republican, and has efficiently served the people for one term on the board of County supervisors. He is now trustee of Washington Township, serving on his second term, having been six years in office. His official service has been greatly satisfactory to the people. Mr. Slavens owns a large amount of business property in Colfax. Mr. Slavens has one child, a daughter, and the wife of Jesse Marquis, of Washington Township.

Widely and favorably known in the County, Mr. Slavens is especially deserving of mention among the representative citizens of his community. Page 575.

~ Sloanaker, Chester ~

One great exemplification of the fact that wealth attends upon industry and that comfort is a close follower in the wake of thrift is shown in the life career of Chester Sloanaker, the popular and able vice-president of the First National Bank of Newton and a potent factor in the financial circles of the locality for many years, being regarded as one of the leading and substantial citizens of Jasper County; however, his is a plain record, rendered remarkable by no strange or mysterious adventure, no wonderful and lucky accident, and no tragic situation, Mr. Sloanaker being one of those estimable characters whose integrity and strong personality must force them into an admirable notoriety, which their modesty never seeks, who command the respect of their contemporaries and their posterity, and leave the impress of their individuality upon the age in which they live.

Mr. Sloanaker was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, January 11, 1856, of a sterling old New England family, members of which have figured more or less prominently in various walks of life since the old colonial days. He is the son of Isaac Morgan and Mary Trego (Hartman) Sloanaker, the father a native of Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he grew to maturity and was educated, and for many years he engaged successfully in the wholesale mercantile business in the city of Philadelphia, under the firm name of Sloanaker, Kilpatrick & Company, wholesalers and importers, which firm did an extensive and thriving business. His wife was the daughter of Maj. Gen. George W. Hartman, who took a conspicuous part in the War of 1812. His father, Major George Hartman, was a drummer boy when fourteen years of age at the battle of Brandywine, during the Revolution, and he was wounded in that engagement. His father was Major Peter Hartman, an officer in the patriot army. Peter Hench, the great-grandfather of Mrs. Isaac M. Sloanaker, lived at Valley Forge during the war for independence, and while Washington's army was camped there, and he turned out his herd of cattle to the commander, to be used as food for the soldiers, for which worthy service the government later voted him money. His wife baked bread for the army.

The maternal side of the family is traced back to Plymouth Rock, through the Weaver and Sharpies families, the subject's grandmother having been a Weaver. The earliest progenitor of the Hartman family in America was John Hartman.

Dr. William Dell Hartman, uncle of the subject, was a member of the Academy of Science at Philadelphia, and during his career as professor he made a fine collection of shells, which was eventually purchased by the Carnegie Museum at Pittsburgh.

Isaac M. Sloanaker, father of Chester, was a Whig and an Abolitionist. He was a strong-minded and a useful man, and his death occurred in 1863; his wife survives, having attained the age of eighty-seven years. She makes her home with the subject and is a woman of gracious personality. She is the mother of two children, Chester, of this review, and Mrs. Edith Mary Lyday, of Newton.

Chester Sloanaker was educated in the public schools and the State Normal at West Chester, Pennsylvania, and also studied at two private academies there. He first turned his attention to farming, which he continued in his native state for five years, then came to Newton, Iowa, in 1881 and was one of the organizers of the First National Bank here in 1882, becoming its cashier, the duties of which position he discharged in a most worthy manner for a period of ten years, his courteous treatment of the bank's patrons and his conservative and judicious management of its affairs rendering it one of the most popular financial institutions of central Iowa. He became its president, which important position he held for a period of ten years, during which the bank enjoyed a still greater period of prosperity; he is at this writing vice-president and is devoting part of his time to real estate and other large interests. He is essentially an organizer and promoter by nature, and he possesses rare business acumen and foresight, being able to forecast with remarkable accuracy the future outcome of a present transaction, and he has been very successful in a financial way, having, by his individual efforts, accumulated a handsome competency and extensive property interests, including one of the most attractive, modern and desirable residences in Newton, the presiding spirit of which is a lady of culture and genial personality, known in her maidenhood as Elizabeth Failor Lyday, whom Mr. Sloanaker married on September 13, 1881. She was born in Springfield. Ohio, and came to Jasper County, Iowa, in her youth. She is the daughter of Joseph H. and Mary (Failor) Lyday. This union has been blessed by the birth of six children, namely: George Hartman died when thirteen months old; Joseph Lyday, who lives near Fresno, California, graduated from Iowa College, Grinnell, class of 1908, and engaged in the eucalyptus tree industry, maintaining a large nursery at his home; Ruth married Earl C. Guessford, teller with the First National Bank of Newton; Ralph Chester is with Graber & Miles Garage Company, of Newton; Mary Cecelia graduated from the Newton high school with the class of 1911; Hiram Lyday is a student in the local high school.

This family belongs to the Lutheran church, of which Mr. Sloanaker is an elder, and he has been identified with the church council since he has resided in Newton. Politically, he is a Republican. He is a genteel gentleman at all times and a man in whom the utmost confidence is reposed owing to his honest methods. Page 534.

~ Small, George A. ~

Those who belong to the respectable middle classes of society, being early taught the necessity of relying upon their own exertions, will be more apt to acquire that information and those business habits which alone can fit them for the discharge of life's duties, and, indeed, it has long been a noticeable fact that our great men in nearly all walks of life in America spring from this class. The gentleman whose life history we herewith delineate is a worthy representative of the class from which the true noblemen of the republic spring, and while he has never achieved wide notoriety, or, indeed, cared for the admiring plaudits of his fellow men, he has played well his part as a citizen and done much for the localities where he has lived.

George A. Small, the genial and popular proprietor of the Commercial Hotel at Baxter, Iowa, hails from the dark and bloody ground country, his birth having occurred in Jefferson County, Kentucky, September 27, 1849, and he was quite young when his parents, who were pioneers of that state, left there and moved to Macoupin County, Illinois, being among the early settlers there; they began farming and the subject assisted in developing the same, helped build the rail fence that surrounded it and there became acquainted with hard manual labor. There the family lived until the fall of 1870, when they moved to Jasper County, Iowa, locating about two and one half miles west of Monroe on the Prairie City road and there secured a good farm and home.

The parents, George W. and Julia Ann (Clemons) Small, were both natives of Kentucky, the mother born in Jefferson County. They both died in Prairie City, Iowa. There were thirteen children in their family, namely: Ella Overstreet, deceased; George A., of this review; James C., residence unknown; Richard L., deceased; E. S., deceased; Edwin E. lives in Dallas County, Iowa; William is deceased; Forney lives in St. Paul, Minnesota; the others died in infancy.

In May 1871, George A. Small was united in marriage with Laura J. Meek, who was born in Jasper County, Iowa, in 1850, and whose death occurred in April 1876. There were two children born to this union, namely: Mattie Zella Clutter, born May 17, 1872, is living at home; after completing the common school work she was graduated from the Omaha high school, and she taught school a number of years very successfully. The youngest child died in infancy.

Mr. Small was again married at Newton, Iowa, on September 12, 1883, to Emma Flock, who was born in Jasper County, Iowa, February 15, 1859, the daughter of John and Catharine (Haymond) Flock, the father a native of New Jersey, who emigrated first to Ohio, then to Iowa, dying in Jasper County; the mother was a native of Maryland; they came to Jasper County about sixty years ago. Their family consisted of the following children: Charles Flock; Emma, wife of Mr. Small, of this review; Lena died about fifteen years ago; Catharine Sewell lives in Clear Creek Township, this county.

To Mr. and Mrs. Small two daughters have been born, also one son, namely: Verda Rey Hopson, born September 20, 1885, married September 24, 1903, residing in Des Moines; John A., born November 8, 1888, attended the common schools, was employed about three years as telegraph operator for the Chicago Great Western Railway, and he is now operator at Baxter; Gertrude Leona, born April 18, 1891, is now Mrs. James McKinzie, and lives in Baxter. These children were born and reared in Jasper County.

From 1871 to 1876 the family resided near Monroe, thence moved to Prairie City, where the first Mrs. Small's death occurred. Mr. Small moved to Colfax and engaged in various business enterprises and traveled extensively. After his second marriage he engaged in farming until 1891, then conducted a restaurant in Colfax. In 1902 he purchased the restaurant at Baxter, which he sold in 1909 and bought the Commercial Hotel here, which he is still conducting, his son, John, managing the restaurant. His aim is to make this one of the best hotels in every respect in central Iowa. It has been entirely refitted and is now first class in every respect, and, being convenient to both the business district and the depot, it is popular with the traveling public. Guests find in Mr. Small a genial, obliging and courteous gentleman who spares no pains in making them comfortable and his trade is rapidly increasing.

Politically, Mr. Small is a Democrat and Mrs. Small belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Small and his son, John, are members of Baxter Lodge No. 168, Knights of Pythias. The former was at one time a member of the Knights of Honor at Colfax.

Like his father, John Small is popular and well liked wherever he is known and he is proving to be a successful businessman. Page 1096.

~ Smith, Alexander ~

From the far-away land of Bruce and Burns, the bonny heaths of blue bell and thistle, the rugged north "countree" that has for centuries sent its hardy, honest, liberty-loving sons to help build the great republic of the west, -- has come to us one of our most highly esteemed and useful citizens, Alexander Smith, one of Jasper County's most extensive land owners, a man whom to know is to admire and respect, for, without other aid than a strong heart and willing hands, guided and controlled by right principles and a sound brain, he has fought his way from an obscure environment to the top of the material ladder and has long been one of the influential men of this locality.

Mr. Smith was born in the village of Forres, Scotland, on September 26, 1830, and he is the son of Robert and Jeannette (Lysle) Smith, both born in Scotland. The paternal grandfather was Alexander Smith, a farmer, and the maternal grandmother was of noble blood, being a sister of the Duke of Southerland in England.

Robert Smith came to America with his family in 1834 and located in Delaware County, New York, and there established a good home, and in that vicinity the son, Alexander Smith of this review, grew to manhood and he received his education at Roxbury, New York, having the honor of being a schoolmate of the famous financier, Jay Gould, and the scarcely less noted author and naturalist, John Burroughs, the former having sat on the left of the subject for a year and the latter just in front of him for three years. After leaving school at the age of eighteen years, Mr. Smith engaged in teaching for eight or ten years, during which time he met with great success and his services were in demand wherever he was known. He also clerked for some time in a general merchandise store. In 1865 he moved to Pella, Iowa, and rented a farm that fall in Jasper County. The country was wild and improvements had been made here and there, but he had the foresight to see a great future for so rich a region and in due course of time he had become of the leading farmers here. Not long after his arrival he bought two hundred and forty acres, partly in Lynn Grove Township and partly in Elk Creek Township. Prospering through close application and good management, he added to his original holdings until he now owns eight hundred acres of as choice land as the county affords. He also owns four hundred acres in Lake County, Iowa, and two sections of land in North Dakota, all valuable and well-located land. While general farming has been Mr. Smith's principal life work, no small part of his large competency has been derived from the livestock business; he has fed cattle annually for forty years, and he has met with a larger degree of success in this line than the average person. He has kept his land under excellent improvements and has a modern, convenient and well furnished home, in the midst of pleasant surroundings.

Politically, Mr. Smith is a Republican and while he has never sought leadership he has always stood ready to serve the public when necessary. He was treasurer of the school board of his district for a period of fifteen years.

Mr. Smith was married on June 12, 1864, to Sarah Voss, who was born in New Jersey, the daughter of John Voss and wife, and to this union seven children have been born, of whom three are deceased, the living being named as follows: Mrs. Amy Jeanette Sherman, who lives in Pasadena, California; Mrs. Emily Francisco, who is living in Des Moines, Iowa; Mrs. Mamie Nicholson, who lives in New Sharon, Iowa; Alexander Lyle.

The last named son was born on the farm he now operates in Lynn Grove Township, Jasper County, on October 6, 1876. There he grew to maturity and assisted with the general work on the place during the crop seasons, attending the public schools during the winter months near his home, later the high school at Lynnville, and the Iowa State College at Ames, spending two years in the agricultural course there; he also attended the Gem City Business College at Quincy, Illinois. Thus well equipped for his life work from a standpoint of text-book training, he returned home to assist his father man age some of his farms and he has met with a large degree of success; being regarded as one of the most modern and scientific farmers in the county. He took charge of about six hundred acres two miles south of the town of Sully where he has carried on general farming and cattle raising on an extensive scale, preparing for market and shipping from two to four car loads of cattle and two hundred hogs annually. Although he rents some of the land, he has general supervision over it all. Politically, he is a Republican and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Sully.

Alexander L. Smith was united in marriage with Elizabeth Jean Vaughn on May 27, 1903. She was born in Pennsylvania, but was living at Burlingame, Kansas, at the time of her marriage. She is the daughter of W. J. and Emily K. (Brown) Vaughn, who moved with their daughter to Kansas when she was two years old, and the parents still reside in the Sunflower State.

Three children have graced the union of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander L. Smith: Donald Lyle, born December 29, 1907; Vernon Eugene, born July 27, 1909; Robert Vaughn, born November 4, 1911. No family in the county is better or more favorably known. Page 732.

~ Smith, I. S. (Scott) ~

I. S. Smith, or Scott Smith, as he is familiarly and universally called and known, was the seventh child of a family of ten children born to Jesse and Elizabeth M. (Johnson) Smith. The father was born in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, on December 27, 1832, and was the son of John B. and Sarah Smith. In 1862 he married Elizabeth M. Johnson, who was the daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Cramer) Johnson. She was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, May 10, 1840. After their marriage, about three years, Jesse Smith removed with his family from Pennsylvania to Iowa, and settled first in Scott County, on a farm. Five years later the family moved to Jasper County and purchased eighty acres of land in Buena Vista Township; later other lands were added to this and at the present time Mr. Smith's holdings consist of two hundred and eighty acres upon which the son, Scott, the subject of this review, resides, the father having retired and moved to Newton in 1904, buying property there. Here Mr. Smith died, January 11, 1911.

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Smith are as follows: John B., born 1863, died in 1872; Joseph J., born in 1864, married Grace Young, lives in California; William Richard, born 1866, died in 1878; Edward B., born 1868, married Charlotte Castleman, lives on what was formerly a part of the old Smith homestead, and adjoining, in Buena Vista Township; James A., born 1871, died 1878, of diphtheria; Frank, born 1873, died in infancy; Scott, of this sketch, born 1874; Alice May, born 1876, married Garrett Hasselman, lives on a farm in Marion County, near Oskaloosa; Anna M., born 1880, married John Philips, who died, and later she married Sherman Sanderson resides in South Dakota; Charles H., born 1883, married May Callison, lives in Redfield, Iowa.

Jesse Smith was active in church affairs before his health failed. He helped build, financially and with his labor, the Baptist Church at Killduff, of which he and his wife are charter members.

Scott Smith began to work for himself at the age of twenty years. He rented a place from his father and farmed it for a while. In 1901 he bought one hundred and sixty acres in Buena Vista Township, which he farmed for three years, when he sold it to Ike Barda and moved to Newton, but one year later he moved back on his father's farm where he has since resided.

On February 15, 1899, Scott Smith was united in marriage to Anna M. Hill, daughter of J. B. and Elizabeth (Stanley) Hill, both natives of Indiana, she being the seventh child born in a family of eight. Mr. Hill, her father, was a large landowner in Buena Vista Township, and a very fine man. He departed this life in 1900, at his old home place in Buena Vista Township, his wife surviving him and now lives in Kellogg.

To Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born four children, as follows: Clarence, born April 26, 1900; Florence, born January 2, 1906; Ruth, born June 30, 1908, died September 2, 1909; Ester Evelin, born June 10, 1911.

Besides farming, Mr. Smith owns and operates in partnership with his brother-in-law, Bert Hill, a threshing machine, also owning a fine automobile and is a progressive farmer. Fraternally, he is a member of the Iowa State Grange in Buena Vista. Both Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Pleasant View. Mr. Smith has since bought the place on which he lives, his father's old homestead.Page 797.

~ Smith, John ~

Many families throughout the United States during the past few decades have gone to much trouble and expense to collect their records back to the first settlement of their ancestor emigrant, thus laying the foundation of a permanent family tree in this country for the benefit and pleasure of all descendants. There can be no doubt of the importance of this step. One of these days, in the entailment of estates, such a record will be invaluable to descendants. It will be found that those who do not have such a record will not be able to prove their right to inherit valuable property. The saving of such a record is simply a matter of self-preservation for the descendant The Smith family, represented by John of this review, has preserved a fair record, good enough, perhaps, to make the claim certain in case of suit over an estate, and this sketch will, to some extent, improve this claim.

John Smith, an honored veteran of the Civil War, long known as one of Jasper County's leading contractors and builders, who died at his home in Newton, October 11, 1911, was born in Schuyler County, Illinois, February 2, 1843. He was the son of David and Henrietta (DeLap) Smith, the father a native of Tennessee and the mother of Kentucky. David Smith first moved to Illinois in the pioneer days, then to Iowa in 1854, locating near Burlington where he farmed for six years, later moving on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in McDonough County, where he lived until his death, in 1867, at the age of sixty-eight years. His wife died at the age of seventy-two, in Newton, Iowa. They were the parents of eighteen children, a large family even in those early days; twelve of these grew to maturity, namely: David; Mary Ripptoe, a widow; Mrs. Harrison Scott; Mrs. Rhoda Gaul, and John, of this review, all reside in Newton.

John Smith received what education he could in Schuyler County, Illinois, then a wilderness, in which lived Indians, wolves, deer, snakes, etc. Later he went to school in McDonough County. During the summer months he worked on various farms at fifteen and twenty cents per day. When but a boy he proved his courage and patriotism by enlisting in Company D, Twenty-eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served as a brave and efficient soldier for three years, one month and five days, being honorably discharged at the close of hostilities, having seen much hard service, participating in some of the bloodiest battles of the war, such as Fort Donelson, Fort Henry, Shiloh, Corinth, Bolivar, Vicksburg, Jackson, Natchez and many skirmishes.

Returning to McDonough County, Mr. Smith purchased a ditching machine, which he operated for two years, then farmed for four years, and on August 19, 1870, he come to Newton, Iowa, where he engaged in farming and teaming. He also learned the brick and stone mason's trade, which he followed for many years, building and assisting to build possibly as many buildings and structures in Newton and Jasper County as any other man in this locality. He helped build every church in Newton except one. He was known all over the county as a very skilled and conscientious workman.

On March 26, 1866, Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Mrs. Ursula Dern, widow of James M. Dern, who was killed in the battle of Bull Run during the Civil War. She was the daughter of Henry and Mary F. (Gore) Rayburn, natives of Kentucky, and Mrs. Smith was born in that state. Her father was in the war of 1812 and her brother served in the Mexican war. She is the sole and only survivor of the family of which there were twelve children, ten of whom grew to maturity. The others were, Nancy married Alex Bradshaw; McNeal; Amanda married James Kennison; Henry W.; Mary A. married Benjamin Lamb; John H.; Belinda married James Pilsher; Henrietta; Merritt C., who was in the Mexican war, and William Newton. Mrs. Smith was the eleventh child in order of birth. The parents of these children died in Ohio.

To Mr. and Mrs. Smith six children were born as follows: Samuel, who lives in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, is a farmer and traveling salesman; Delia is the wife of William Fisher, a jeweler of Des Moines; Audrey is the wife of A. C. Mowry, who is superintendent of the Colfax Telephone Company; Alta is the wife of Walter Nitche, a stockman of Omaha; Guy H. is a salesman in Omaha; Frank B. is deceased.

By her first marriage two children were born to Mrs. Smith, both living, Louisa, wife of John Woodruff, and Alice, wife of Frank Manly, of Grand Island, Nebraska.

Mr. Smith was a member of the Woodmen of the World and the Grand Army of the Republic. Politically, he was a Republican. He and his wife have a host of friends throughout this locality. Page 675.

~ Smith, Thomas Jr. ~

Prominent in the affairs of Newton and Jasper County and distinguished as a citizen whose influence was far extended beyond the limits of the community honored by his residence, the name of the late Thomas Smith, for a quarter of a century the able and popular street commissioner, stands out a conspicuous figure. Characterized by breadth of wisdom and strong individuality, and in all of his enterprises and undertakings actuated by noble motives and high resolves, his success and achievements but represented the result of fit utilization of innate talent in directions effort along those lines where mature judgment and rare discrimination led the way, and he long enjoyed the confidence and esteem of all classes, having done much for the general up-building of the city and community and led a clean, upright life from his youth up.

Mr. Smith was born in England on March 10, 1834, and after a long and busy career he passed to his reward at Newton, Iowa, on February 25, 1907, at the attractive modern residence at No. 623 South Farmer Street, where Mrs. Smith still resides. He grew to manhood and was educated in England, emigrating to New York City at the age of twenty-one years, but remained there only a short time when he came west, and, finding Jasper County a place of future possibilities and delightful surroundings, he decided to make this locality his permanent home, Iowa then being in her first stages of development. He first located in Newton Township, but soon afterwards came to the town of Newton, where he made his home until his death, being very active up to within a year and a half of that time, having resigned his position with the city in order to spend his declining days in retirement, ill health forcing him to take this step. He spent his early life engaged in agricultural pursuits, having in his youth worked with his father, Thomas Smith, Sr., a native of England and a prosperous farmer there.

In 1856 Thomas Smith, Jr., was united in marriage with Mary Jackson, of Newton, Iowa, and to this union three children were born, only one of whom survives, Frank, who is married and resides at Colfax, this county.

The first wife of Thomas Smith, Jr., died in 1872, and in 1874 he was united in marriage with Martha Hanson, of Newton, who was born September 14, 1849, the daughter of Thomas Hanson and wife, of Birmingham, England. To this union four daughters were born, three of whom are now living, namely: Minnie married John Gardner, a large land owner and farmer of Jasper County; Ida May married William Gardner, a brother of John Gardner; they live on a farm four and one-half miles from Newton and have two daughters, Mabel and Florence; Katie Belle married Guy Finch, of Newton.

Mrs. Martha (Hanson) Smith is the daughter of Thomas and Jane Hanson, of Newton, to which city they came in 1865 from Birmingham, England. Here he soon began working at his trade, that of brick maker and molder. Their family consisted of fourteen children, namely: Emma, Mrs. Liza Lister, of Newton; William; Mrs. Anna Beach, who now resides in Birmingham, England; Mrs. Fannie Newton, also of that city; Martha, now Mrs. Smith, of this review; Mrs. Jane Ferguson, who lives in Adel, Iowa: Mrs. John Woodrow, of Newton, Iowa; Mrs. Clara Clasby, of Newton: George is deceased; Arthur lives in Oklahoma; Charles is deceased; Anna Norris is now deceased; Thomas lives in the state of Washington. Mrs. Thomas Smith, Jr., is the owner of considerable valuable property in Newton, including a substantial and well-furnished residence, surrounding which are three acres of ground.

Mr. Smith was a Republican in politics and always took an active interest in local affairs. He was not a member of any church, being liberal in his religious views, although he inclined to the doctrine of the Methodists and attended that church in Newton with his family, they being members of the same. Page 476.

~ Snider, Amos ~

It is the pride of the inhabitants of this country that when the titanic struggle between the states closed in 1865 all the vast army of citizen soldiery quietly laid down their arms and returned to the pursuits of peace. It was predicted by the governments of Europe, not only that the country would be divided, but that after the war an enormous army would be kept up and a military dictatorship would be established on the fragments, perhaps of every state. Foreign nations did not understand the spirit of the people of this country, that is, the spirit of the people in all the free states. They could not understand how we could come to love the name of liberty and be willing to sacrifice blood and treasure to save a country founded upon the rock of freedom. In view of these misguided ideas the most of the foreign nations stood ready to pounce upon the fragments when the smoke of war had rolled away. But they beheld a splendid sight. They saw the great armies melt away, saw a reunited country in which liberty was a fact as well as a name, and saw the soldiers return to their farms and shops, mills and various other vocations.

One of the gallant boys in blue thus to return was Amos Snider, now a well-established farmer of Richland Township, Jasper County. He was born in Linn County, Iowa, three and one-half miles south of Cedar Rapids, about 1843, the son of John and Margaret Snider, the father a native of Sangamon County, Illinois, and the mother of Kentucky. Each came to Iowa in pioneer days, single, and located in Linn County. The father devoted his life to farming and became the owner of some property there, but sold out and moved to Hardin County when it was still new and about 1853 or 1854 he moved to Jasper County, where he remained until 1865, when he moved to Kansas, in which state his death occurred in 1883. His wife died in Jasper County. They were the parents of seven children, three supposed to be living at this writing.

The elder Snider was a Republican, but took little active interest in public affairs, being of a retiring disposition. He, too, was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in Company K, Twenty-eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, for a period of nearly three years, during which time he took part in about fifteen battles and skirmishes, in one of which he was wounded in the arm.

Amos Snider, being reared in a newly settled country where schools were few, had no chance to obtain an education; then, too, it was necessary for him to assist with the general work in developing the home farm. He was eighteen years of age when he accompanied his parents to Jasper County. He entered the army in the same company with his father and took part in about the same engagements, serving about the same length of time. He was in the siege of Vicksburg, the battles of Lookout Mountain, Port Gibson and Champion's Hill. At the last named battle he was wounded in the left side of the head by a bursting shell, which badly stunned him, but he recovered in due course of time. After the war he returned to Jasper County and began operating a sawmill in Lynn Grove Township, which he continued for eight or nine years, then went to Kansas, where he remained a year. Returning to Richland Township, this county, he bought a farm of twenty acres, which he gradually added to until he now has a very productive and desirable place consisting of one hundred and twenty acres in this township. This land he cleared, broke and improved and placed under a high state of cultivation. He is also the owner of eighty acres of good land near Newton and twenty acres northeast of his home. He has carried on general farming and stock raising successfully, but is now living practically retired from active life.

Politically, Mr. Snider is a Republican. He belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic.

Mr. Snider was married about 1864 to Millie Ann Messick, after he returned from the army. She died about a year later, leaving twins, William Henry and Minnie; the former died at the age of twenty years, and the latter married a Mr. Hamilton. About two years after the death of his first wife, Mr. Snider was married to Dora Bailey, whose death occurred about 1894. To this union one child was born, Nellie, who is still living. Mr. Snider was again married, his last wife being Mrs. Jennie Jumper, who was born in Illinois, a daughter of Jackson and Susan Jumper. Her family came to Iowa when Mrs. Snider was four years old and here her father died and the mother is still living. Page 1184.