Biographies

~ Walker, George W. ~

There is no calling, however humble, in which enterprise and industry, coupled with a well directed purpose, will not be productive of some measure of success, and in the pursuit of agriculture the qualities mentioned are quite essential. Among the progressive farmers of the younger generation in Mound Prairie Township, Jasper County, who have attained to a definite degree of success, George W. Walker is deserving of mention, for while advancing his own interests he has not been neglectful of his larger duties of citizenship, and consequently the community has been benefited through his life-long residence.

Mr. Walker was born on the farm where he still resides, in this township, on June 6, 1873, the son of Charles and Sarah J. (Clair) Walker, the father born in New York State in 1834 and the mother in Kentucky. When a young man the former went to Illinois, locating near Monmouth and there owned a small farm. When the Civil War came on he enlisted in Company I, Sixteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he served with much credit for three years, after which he drove overland with wagon and horses to Jasper County, Iowa, and located in Mound Prairie Township, where he bought eighty acres, to which he later added until he owned a good farm of one hundred and eighty acres. In 1903 he sold out and moved to Day County, South Dakota, and there purchased a half section, but he died seven weeks after his arrival there. His widow is still living. He served his district as school director and was also road supervisor.

Politically, he was a Republican and in religious matters a Free Methodist. His family consisted of four children, one son and three daughters, of whom George W., of this review, was the second in order of birth, namely: Mrs. Flora March, Mrs. Hattie Bradley and Mrs. Esther Bruce.

George W. Walker grew up on the home farm and there helped with the general work about the place, attending the district schools during the winter months. He remained with his father on the home place until he was twenty-four years of age. He then started in life for himself by renting land of his father for four years; he then bought one hundred and sixty acres of the homestead and here he still resides, having kept it well improved and well cultivated and he has met with encouraging success all the while. Politically, he is a Republican and he is at present school director of his district.

Mr. Walker was married on February 24, 1897, to Lilly G. Daniels, who was born in Jasper County, Iowa, the daughter of Robert W. Daniels, an early settler. To the subject and wife two children have been born, namely: Winnie V., born June 15, 1897, and Hilma Irene, born April 5, 1902.Page 831.

~ Warner, G. H. ~

In the face of obstacles that would have utterly discouraged one of less stamina and determination, G. H. Warner, the well-known and successful real estate dealer of Newton, Jasper County, has won for himself not only a fair competency, but also the honest regard and esteem of those with whom he has for many years been associated. He has taken an abiding interest in the general welfare of his county and has aided in its development in every way possible and by his judicious course has won the friendship and good will of all classes.

Mr. Warner is a native of Scott County, Iowa, his birth having occurred there on November 28, 1865. He is the son of Frank and Ellen (Johnson) Warner, the father born in Germany and the mother in Ireland. Frank Warner immigrated to America when a young man and he came to Iowa about 1863 and devoted his life to farming, becoming well established here. His death occurred on April 18, 1910, at the age of sixty-nine years, his birth having occurred in August 1831. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Warner, namely: G. H. of this review; Frank W. lives on a farm in this county; Anna J. is the wife of John A. Pulley and is living in Faribault County, Minnesota; Ella died in young womanhood.

G. H. Warner spent his babyhood on the parental farm in Scott County, coming to Jasper County with his parents in the spring of 1868, when three years old and he has since made his home within her borders. The father located on a farm nine miles northeast of Newton and there G. H. spent his boyhood and youth, assisting in the general work on the place, attending the country schools during the winter months. When twenty-three years of age he began farming for himself, which he continued successfully up to the fall of 1899, when he came to Newton and engaged in the real estate business, which he is still conducting, having built up a very satisfactory patronage and a rapidly growing business through his judicious management and honest dealings. He is the owner of considerable desirable land outside the state.

Mr. Warner was married on April 25, 1888, to Anna L. Miller, daughter of Joseph Miller, a highly respected citizen of this state, whither he moved from Illinois when Mrs. Warner was a baby, she having been born in the last named state, and she was reared and educated in Iowa. To Mr. Warner and wife one child has been born, Blanche, whose birth occurred on March 6, 1889 Mr. Warner has always taken an abiding interest in public affairs and in 1908 he was appointed a member of the city council of Newton and in 1909 he was elected councilman-at-large on the Citizens' ticket. He is an enthusiastic city ownership advocate and he has done much for the general good of the town and vicinity since coming here.

Fraternally, he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen. Mrs. Warner belongs to the Presbyterian Church. Politically, Mr. Warner is an unswerving Democrat. He is well liked throughout the County as a result of his public spirit his known honesty and his genial address. Page 650.

~ Waring, Emal Loraine ~

Everybody in Jasper County knows and likes "Lar" Waring. They could not well help doing so, for he is a jovial, warm hearted, generous, kindly gentleman, who, while laboring to advance his own interests never loses sight of his obligations to his neighbors and the public in general.

Emal Loraine Waring was born March 3, 1876, and he is the son of John C. and Martha (McCrea) Waring, the former a native of New York and the mother of Indiana, but they came to Iowa when young and the subject was born in Jasper County. When they first came here, the father, then a young man, worked out as a farm hand, and after his marriage he rented land for a number of years, thereby getting a good start. He later purchased eighty acres near Reasnor upon which he made an excellent living, developed a fine farm and remained there the rest of his life, his death occurring on November 22, 1889, when he was fifty-two years of age. His widow survives and makes her home in Reasnor. Besides farming, Mr. Waring conducted a general grain and lumber business for over twelve years, during the last few years of his life representing the Denniston & Partridge Company. He was a man of splendid business ability, rare probity of character and was known and respected all over this locality.

Emal L. Waring is a member of a family of seven children, named as follows: Verda married S. D. Jones, a mechanical engineer, residing at Colfax; James E., a carpenter, lives at Reasnor; Emal L., of this review; Clyde C. is in the bank at Reasnor; Charles V., commonly known as Vint, lives on a farm near Newton; Fay is the wife of George Worth, a farmer residing near Monroe; Jesse Leo lives in Reasnor.

After receiving a fairly good education, Emal L. Waring, when twenty-one years of age, began life for himself on a farm, which he continued nearly four years, after which he and Albert Lufkin farmed in partnership, continuing thus for four years, at the end of which time Mr. Waring came to Reasnor, having laid by some capital, and here he engaged in buying and selling stock and grain. After three successful years in this business he purchased a farm near Kellogg, on which he lived two years, when he sold out and returned to Reasnor and again engaged in the live stock and grain business, which he has continued with uniform success to the present time, building up an extensive and satisfactory business through energy, good management and square dealing.

On November 23, 1898, Mr. Waring was united in marriage with Ollie Blackledge, daughter of Frank and Atlanta Blackledge, natives of Indiana, from which state they moved to Nebraska in early life. Mrs. Waring was born in Jasper County, Iowa, July 28, 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Blackledge spent their lives on a farm and they are now both deceased. They were people of excellent worth and highly respected.

To Mr. and Mrs. Waring five children have been born, of whom Rollin died in infancy; the living are Thelma, Dale, Russell and Warren.

Mrs. Waring is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Reasnor. In politics Mr. Waring is a Democrat and he has always manifested a lively interest in whatever tended to promote the good of his locality. Page 975.

~ Watt, William ~

A history of Jasper County would indeed be incomplete if it did not contain a sketch of the life and labors of William Watt, who died in Newton September 20, 1910, at the age of sixty-five years. To say of a man that he was of sterling worth and flawless integrity is to say much, but to add to this that he was a good son, a kind and considerate husband and father, and a man beloved by his fellow men, is to pay him a very high compliment indeed.

Yet this and more may truthfully be said of the subject of this review, for William Watt was a great soul. Upon his willing shoulders many burdens heaped themselves even early in boyhood, and the ensuing years added additional duties and responsibilities, but he met each with the same kindly smile, which at once reflected his serenity of mind as well as the understanding sympathy of his great heart.

Reared in the wilderness, his boyhood was spent close to God's great primitive handiwork and here it was, from companionship with woods and stream, meadow and flower, that he drank in that sturdiness of character and beauty of mind which stamped his later life and made his character one of exceptional sweetness. Always a proud man, he was very modest and retiring, never courting publicity and the acclaim of his fellows, but he never failed or faltered in the right as he saw it and died beloved, as few men have been.

Mr. Watt was born in Guelph, Canada, August 5, 1845, being the son of Charles Watt and Margaret (Hamilton) Watt, natives of Scotland, his parents having married in Canada. He was ten years old when he came to Jasper County with his parents, who had taken up land in the then new country, which land is still in the family. Of the hardships of these pioneers much might be said did space permit. Their first home was a small, mud plastered, log hut wherein the first bitter winter was partly spent until the kindness of a neighbor relieved their condition. The next spring a better home was built and the family set to work with a will to establish a home in the new land. But, alas, new trouble was in store for them, for three years after coming to Iowa the father, Charles Watt, of sainted memory, was drowned in what has ever since been known as Watt lake. Thus left alone in the new country, the widow and children were in a pitiable plight but William, the subject of this review, although but thirteen years of age, set resolutely to work. In such a crucible was his character moulded and tried, until at last it came forth the finest of gold, for from his efforts the foothold already gained by the family was retained and foundation pillars of one of the county's best families firmly established.

On November 30, 1871, Mr. Watt was united in marriage with Amanda A. Pierce, daughter of Alfred Pierce and Elvira (Kelsey) Pierce, natives of Wisconsin, who was his loyal wife and helpmate until May 31, 1909, when she passed away, but a short time prior to the passing of him in whose honor and remembrance this review is written. To this union were born eight children, six of whom are living: Mrs. Nelson Hammerly; Mrs. John Tiedje; Charles; Arthur, of this vicinity; Mrs. Herman McMurray, of Woodbine, Iowa: and Florence, who has kept the home for her father ever since the death of her mother.

Mr. Watt's mother died April 3, 1912, aged eighty-five years, and he is survived by three brothers and three sisters: Lawson and Charles Watt of Sherman Township; Jasper Watt, of Long Beach. California; Mrs. Jane DeWolf; Mrs. Mary Newhouse and Miss Elsie Watt.

Mr. Watt was a member of the Congregational Church, having been a member for many years and one of the best-known men in the county. About five years prior to this writing, Mr. and Mrs. Watt left the old farm and came to town, hoping to find the rest and comfort in life's sunset, which they so richly merited, and to enjoy the competence that they had won from the soil by years of labor and perseverance. They purchased the beautiful Engle flat on McDonald Street, but the divine arbiter of all things decreed otherwise. In the passing of Mr. and Mrs. Watt, Jasper County has sustained a loss, which is understood by all, but keenly appreciated by those who were fortunate enough to count them as friends and acquaintances. Thus is a good life honored. Page 817.

~ Weaver, Captain Jacob F. ~

The record herein presented is that of a man who was a few years ago among the best known and most influential of the citizens of Colfax, whose life is in all respects honorable and a worthy example. Responding to his country's need in his youth, he served faithfully in her armies, and for his bravery and efficiency he won promotion from the ranks to the command of a company; at the close of the war engaging in business, he proved his capability, and easily won success; he was always ready to aid in the development of his community; and though his death seemed untimely, yet he had completed a full life, and in deeds and works had lived more than many who have lived longer.

Jacob F. Weaver was born in Indiana, the son of George H. and Elizabeth (West) Weaver, on December 5, 1837. His mother was a sister of William West, a merchant of Colfax. Both his parents died when he was an infant, and he was reared to maturity by his grandmother West. At the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted at Mechanicsville, Iowa, in the Fifth Iowa Infantry, in which he served until the regiment was almost annihilates, and he was severely wounded. On his return after the healing of his wound he was transferred to Fifth Iowa Cavalry, was promoted, and was mustered out as first lieutenant, acting as captain. He took part in twenty-six battles and skirmishes, and went with Sherman to the sea. After the war he was a leading member of the Grand Army at Colfax.

In 1865 Captain Weaver came to Newton, Iowa, and engaged in the drug business for three years. In 1868 he came to Colfax, and bought out the interest of Mr. Kennedy in the firm of West & Kennedy, in the mercantile business, the new firm being West & Weaver. Until September 1883, Captain Weaver remained a member of the firm, which had remarkable success, and was during that time the leading business firm in the city. Captain Weaver accumulated a fair amount of property in Colfax. He was especially active in the Republican Party, and did considerable work for his party all over the County of Jasper, which was effective, and ranked him as one of the most successful workers of the party. He never sought any local office, but was postmaster of Colfax for seven years, dying before his second term expired. Mrs. Weaver was appointed postmaster from 1894 to 1898. Captain Weaver died on January 6, 1893, at the age of fifty-five. His loss was deeply felt by the community.

Captain Weaver was first married to Kate M. Dee, of Colfax. After her death he was married to Adella V. West, of Colfax, a daughter of Joseph T. West, a pioneer of Jasper County, and a grain merchant of Colfax. Joseph T. West was born in Hicks County, Pennsylvania, and was married in Mount Vernon, Iowa, to Susannah Hahn, the daughter of Daniel S. and Permelia (Epperson) Hahn. Mr. Hahn was an early settler of Lynn County, Iowa, and came in the forties from Virginia. His wife was a native of Kentucky. Joseph T. West died in Colfax, in 1900, at the age of seventy-one. Mrs. Weaver survives her husband.

Captain and Mrs. Weaver became the parents of three children: Roscoe B. Weaver graduated from Simpson College in 1905 and served as a first lieutenant in the Philippine constabulary for about four years from 1905 to 1909. For three years of this time Mrs. Weaver resided in the Philippines with her son. He is now a student at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, taking post-graduate work. Gail S. Weaver is deceased. DiEtta J. Weaver is in school in Colfax.

Captain Weaver was among the foremost men of Colfax in all respects, and had strong faculties of leadership. He was a progressive businessman, active in public interests, and a kind and loving husband and father. Page 570.

~ Weaver, Gen. James Baird ~

Among the few surviving commissioned officers of the Civil War is the man whose name heads this biographical notice. Gen. James B. Weaver, whose gallant military career, as well as useful political record, is well known to nearly everyone within the borders of Iowa. His espousal of the cause of reformation and temperance in this state will live in principle and be enacted into laws long after he has passed from earthly scenes. To have had the courage to fight the battles of one's country, whether on the field of carnage, or by tongue and pen, as a wide-awake, forceful writer and speaker in the great national political arena, is indeed a fit legacy to bequeath to future generations.

Mr. Weaver was born June 12, 1833, at Dayton, Ohio, and was educated in the common schools of early Iowa. He drove an ox team across the great plains of the West from Davis County, Iowa, to Sacramento City, California, in 1853. He returned via Panama and New York the same autumn, and clerked for Edwin Manning at Bonaparte, Iowa, in the winter of 1853-4. The following spring he began his long cherished study of the law in the office of S. G. McAchran, at Bloomfield, Iowa. He then attended law school at the Cincinnati College and graduated as a Bachelor of Law in 1855. On the board of examiners was Rutherford B. Hayes, who long afterward, became President of the United States. He then returned to Bloomfield, Iowa, and was there admitted to the bar under Judge H. B. Hendershott, and entered upon the practice of his profession and continued therein actively until the spring of 1861, when he entered the Union Army as a private soldier in Company G, Second Iowa Infantry Regiment. He was elected first lieutenant and served in that capacity through the Battles of Forts Donelson and Shiloh, and until the morning of the first day's battle at Corinth, Mississippi, when he was promoted to the rank of major. His commission as major came to him as a great surprise on the morning of the first day's battle. He had no intimation of his having been recommended for this position and was in no sense a candidate for that honor. In this he was promoted over all the captains of his regiment. The first day of that fierce engagement his colonel, James Baker, was killed, and at the first volley in the morning of the second day's fight his lieutenant-colonel, Noah W. Mills was mortally wounded. The next morning he was unanimously chosen colonel of the regiment by the officers and was duly commissioned by Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood. Subsequently, he was brevetted brigadier-general by President Lincoln.

After the conflict of that great civil War had ended, General Weaver returned to Bloomfield, Iowa, and again resumed the practice of law, and in 1866 was elected district attorney of the second judicial district, which was composed of several counties. The term lasted four years and during that time and two years longer he also held the office of United Stated assessor of infernal revenue for the first district of Iowa. When his term of office had expired he again entered the general law practice, meantime taking an active part in every political campaign as a Republican. Before the war lie had edited a weekly newspaper for a time and in many ways this became useful to him in after life. He also edited the Iowa Tribune, of Des Moines, several years and it had a national circulation.

In 1875 he was before the Republican State Convention as a candidate for the governorship of Iowa, and on the very morning of the convention it seemed certain to all that he would be the nominee, but on account of his antagonism to the liquor interests in the state and his uncompromising temperance principles, the liquor license men of the convention secretly organized a movement to bring out the name of Samuel J. Kirkwood, the old "War Governor," and against that grand old man's wishes they presented his name in dramatic manner and by a prearranged plan had a tremendous applause and cheering started in the convention hall which swept the convention off their feet and at the last moment diverted from General Weaver's strength to nominate Kirkwood. The majority of Iowa voters desired to make him governor, but the men at the convention were swerved from the path of honor and political duty.

But Weaver was to be heard from again. In 1878 he was deleted to Congress from the sixth district in Iowa, on the independent, or so-called Greenback party platform, defeating Judge Sampson. In 1880 he was nominated by the national Greenback Party for President of the United States and polled over three hundred thousand votes, after having made an extended canvass both North and South. In 1882 he again became a candidate for Congress in a triangular fight, and was defeated by Hon. M. E. Cutts, though General Weaver, having started in third, came out second best in the spirited contest. But he did not give it up. In 1888 he defeated Hon. Frank Campbell, by a close margin, that of only sixty-six votes. Again in 1886 he was elected to a seat in Congress over John A. Donnel, a Republican candidate. In 1888 Weaver was defeated by Hon. John F. Lacey.

In 1892, twelve years after his first Presidential race, he was again nominated for President of the United States by the Populist Party, and polled over one million votes, receiving twenty-two electoral votes, notably those of Kansas, Colorado and Nevada. During this campaign he canvassed the whole country from sea to sea and from the lakes to the gulf. He is the only third party candidate since Gen. John C. Fremont who has ever been able to force his way into the Electoral College, a victory that cannot be effaced. He still takes an active part in politics and religious work. He has long been identified with the Methodist Episcopal church.

General Weaver was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention of 1904 and a member of the committee on platform. In 1900 he made the fight of his life in the St. Louis Populist National Convention and secured the endorsement of W. J. Bryan by that convention. As a token of regard, Mr. Bryan dedicated his book "The First Battle" to three men, Bland, of Missouri, Teller, of Colorado, and J. B. Weaver, of Iowa.

Of late years General Weaver takes but little part in the practice of law, but is still very active on the stump when his heart is in the cause. In the campaign of 1908 he spoke from two to four times each day until the last night of the campaign. He is still hale, hearty and active. It should be added that his work in Congress was marked by great force and constant conflict. His battle for the opening of Oklahoma is unparalleled. For nearly one week, solitary and alone, he held up the House of Representatives until they were forced to pass that righteous bill. Remember, he stood alone upon the floor of the House in that struggle. That record stands unparalleled in all our parliamentary history. He had been prepared for this service by his conflicts at the bar where he met in fierce combat such men as Trimble, Knapp, Perry, Miller, Burton, Hendershott, Jones, Harris and all of the great men of the lowa bar of that day.

General-Weaver has truly been foremost in the advocacy of every reform now urged by the progressives of both parties of the present day. His speeches in Congress, his book "A Call to Action," published in 1892, and the platforms upon which he ran twice for President of the United States, establish this beyond doubt. oLf there ever was a representative in Congress from this Commonwealth true to his honest convictions, it was the gentleman of whom this sketch is written, and these points of excellency are being more and more realized as the years come and go in the political history of this country. Whether one views the venerable General from the standpoint of a brave soldier on the field of terrible conflict in the Southland; in the halls of national Congress; in state and national conventions; on the stump, the lecture platform, before the bar, or among his own home people, at his humble home in the beautiful city of Colfax, he is always and ever the same true, loyal, abiding friend to the great throng of American commoners.

That his services have been appreciated by many of his fellow country men, it only needs to be referred to that in 1908, after the smoke of political battle had cleared away, his scores of admirers in Iowa had painted an heroic life-size oil portrait of General Weaver, and publicly presented it to the art gallery in the Iowa State Historical rooms at Des Moines. Upon that occasion scores of friends sent letters of congratulation to him, the same being finally neatly bound and presented to him as a tribute of respect and honor. One of these letters (too lengthy to here insert) was from the pen of "Ret" Clarkson, formerly of the State Register, who lived in New York City and could not be present. But one section of this letter should here be given place, showing a trait of character not yet brought out concerning General Weaver: "It may be said of General Weaver that he has achieved in all the larger fields except that of commercial success and money-making. His failure in that is to be credited to his generous nature and his life-long desire to help others rather than himself. Had he not looked to the interest of others all his life, more than to his own, he by his profession and oratory could have amassed a fortune.

"I regretted he was not nominated for governor, instead of Kirkwood; he had fairly earned the position and a majority of the people of Iowa wanted him nominated."

Mr. Weaver was married in July 1858, at Keosauqua, Iowa, to Miss Clara Vinson, an Ohio girl, and by this union nine children were born, eight of whom are living, viz: Maude, J. B., Jr., Susan, Abraham C., Laura, Ruth, Esther, Paul and another son who died in infancy.

ADDENDA. --Since the foregoing sketch was prepared. General Weaver passed away on Tuesday afternoon, February 6, 1912, while visiting at the home of his daughter, Mrs. H. C. Evans, in Des Moines. Though he had been ill for a couple of days, suffering severely from an attack of acute indigestion, it was not thought his condition was critical, and his sudden death came as a profound shock to the whole community in which the General had for so many years been a familiar figure. Funeral services were held at the First Methodist Episcopal Church, Des Moines, where the body lay in state for several hours prior to the services. The Rev. Dr. Pruitt, of Colfax, General Weaver's pastor, was in charge of the services, and the Rev O.W. Fifer and Rev. Father James Nugent made appropriate addresses touching eloquently on the life and character of the deceased. The active pallbearers were the two sons, J. B. Weaver, Jr., and A. C. Weaver, three sons-in-laws, Charles Sullenberger, of Colfax, Edward Cohart, of Traer, and H. C. Evans, and a nephew, D. H. Payne, of Bloomfield. Honorary pallbearers were survivors of the Second Iowa, the General's old regiment. Page 417.

~ Welle, Henry ~

In the constant and laborious struggle for an honorable competence and a creditable name on the part of business or professional men there is little to attract the reader in search of a sensational chapter, but to a mind thoroughly awake to the true meaning of life and its responsibilities there are noble and imperishable lessons in the career of an individual who, early thrown upon his own resources and without other means than a sound mind, fertile perceptive faculty and a true heart, conquers adversity and wins not only a position in the industrial world, but what is equally as great, the deserved esteem and confidence of his fellow men. Such a man is the prominent business man of Sully, Jasper County, whom the biographer treats in this connection, and whose name is so intimately associated with the material and civic interests of Lynn Grove Township as to reflect much credit upon the town and vicinity, at the same time gaining the undivided respect of all who know him for his well directed life, which has been along paths of honor.

Henry Welle was born in Marion County, Iowa, June 24, 1867, the son of Cornelius and Sarah (Nollen) Welle, both natives of Holland, the father having emigrated to America in 1847 with his parents, Peter and Dirkie Welle, and located in Marion County, Iowa, two and one-half miles from Pella, and there they spent the rest of their lives, having established a very pleasant home in the new world, and there the father of our subject was reared, he having been but a boy when he was brought to this state. The maternal grandparents, Henry and Sarah Nollen, also natives of Holland who emigrated to America in 1854, located in Marion County, Iowa, also and there the mother of the subject was reared.

Cornelius Welle devoted his life to agricultural pursuits and became the owner of about two hundred acres of valuable land. His death occurred on September 20, 1907, his widow is still living at the town of Pella, being now about seventy-five years of age. Their family consisted of two sons and two daughters, all living. Mr. Welle was a quiet, home man, a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, to which his widow also belongs.

Henry Welle was educated in the common schools of Marion County and reared on the farm, and he engaged in the various phases of agricultural pursuits until he was twenty-eight years of age, then he spent a year in Pella and in 1895 came to Sully, Jasper County, and entered the general mercantile business in partnership with B. H. Van Spanckeren, which continued successfully for a period of five years, during which time they built up an extensive trade with the town and surrounding country. At the end of that time Mr. Welle bought out his partner and conducted the business alone for ten years, enjoying a liberal and growing patronage all the while, then sold out in the fall of 1910 to Mr. Haan, and soon entered a partnership with Frank Sherman in the automobile and garage business, in which they are still engaged, having been successful from the first. They built a modern, substantial cement building, thirty by sixty feet, on Main Street. They handle the popular Ford, Hudson and Mitchell cars and their business is constantly growing.

Mr. Welle is a Democrat in politics and while he has never sought public leadership he has always stood ready to do his part in furthering any laudable undertaking having for its object the up building of the community in any way. Religiously, he belongs to the Congregational Church.

Mr. Welle was married on September 2, 1896, to Dora Van Spanckeren, daughter of B. H. Van Spanckeren, Sr., who located in Marion County, Iowa, in 1847. He now lives in Pella and is eighty-four years of age. One son has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Welle, named Cornelius. Page 745.

~ Wells, John P. ~

One of the well-known and influential citizens of the locality of which this history treats is John P. Wells, a man who has met with encouraging success all along life's rugged road because he has worked for it along legitimate lines and has dealt honestly with his fellow men. He was born in Warren County, New Jersey, January 27, 1844, but the major part of his life has been spent in the Middle West. When four years of age, in 1848, his parents brought him to Bureau County, Illinois, where they remained until 1856, when they removed to Indian Creek Township, Story County, Iowa, where he has continued to reside. He is the son of Charles Wells, who was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, spent most of his life engaged in farming in Illinois and Iowa and died in Story County in 1880.

The paternal grandfather of the subject, George Wells, was born in New York City, and the great-grandfather of John P. Wells was a sea captain. The mother of the subject was known in her maidenhood as Sarah Park and was a native of Warren County, New Jersey. Her death occurred in Story County, Iowa, in 1890. The Wells family consisted of ten children, five of whom are still living. They were named as follows: Andrew J. is deceased; Mrs. Angeline H. Keel is deceased, as is also Harvey F.; Mrs. Mary Matilda Maryhew is living in Nebraska; Joseph G. is living in Maxwell, Iowa; John P., of this sketch; Mrs. Adeline Hardenbrook lives in Maxwell, Iowa; George S. is deceased; Mrs. Minerva Angelo lives in Oklahoma; a son died in infancy.

Five children were born to John P. Wells by a former wife, known in her maidenhood as Lottie Finney, two of whom are living: Delia Ann died at the age of two and one-half years; the two eldest children died in infancy; Mrs. Nellie May Granger, born June 15, 1880, is living in Collins; Maude Iola, born September 1, 1886, is also living in Collins. Mrs. Wells was first married to B. F. Stevens and to them the following children were born: Mrs. Sarah Ellen York, born May 27, 1858, is living in Oklahoma; John William, born September 17, 1860, lives in Nebraska; Andrew Jackson, born January 15, 1863, lives in Story County; Mrs. Addie Ann Cunningham, born March 8, 1865, died November 5, 1907; Mrs. Margaret Jane Benson, born October 26, 1867, died October 13, 1909; Mrs. Martha Rozella Bates, born January 1, 1870, is living in Collins Township, Story County; Mrs. Zora Olive Lindsrum, born March 18, 1872, died November 6, 1909; Mrs. Melinda Capitola Roush, born July 12, 1874, of Des Moines, Iowa. After the death of Mr. Stevens, Mrs. Wells was again married to J. F. Millhouse, who was born January 1, 1844, and the following were the children by this union: Charles Madison, born April 10, 1878, lives in Minnesota; Mrs. Alice Victoria Coulter, born January 6, 1880, lives in San Francisco, California; Mrs. Bertie Agnes Boutnott, born March 3, 1882, of Maxwell; Iowa. Mrs. Wells is a woman of strong personality and has a host of friends wherever she is known. She is a sister of Oliver B. Fuller, a sketch of whom appears in this volume, to which the reader is respectfully referred for a full history of her parents and the Fuller family.

John P. Wells is one of the veterans of the Civil War, having served faithfully in the Union army, enlisting from Linn County, Iowa, early in the War, in Company B, Twentieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and was assigned to duty in the Independent division of the Army of the Frontier. After the Siege of Vicksburg he was in the Thirteenth Corps, First Brigade, Second Division, Department of the Gulf, and served three years, receiving an honorable discharge at the close of the war. He served under General Canby, and saw some hard service; besides the siege of Vicksburg, he was in the battles of Prairie Grove, Fort Hudson, Fort Blakely and the capture of Mustang Island. He returned to Story County after the war and devoted his life to farming, in which he met with a large measure of success, retiring from the farm in 1905. He is now a resident of Collins, Story County, where his wife owns the hotel and he an attractive dwelling.

Politically, Mr. Wells is a Democrat and he has been a member of the school board. He belongs to Amity Lodge No. 361, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Collins, and he was its first and second noble grand, and was district deputy grand master in 1893. age 1235.

~ Wells, L. A. ~

Good intellectual training, thorough professional knowledge and the possession and utilization of the Qualities and attributes essential to success have made L. A. Wells, of Newton, Jasper county, eminent as an attorney-at-law, and he stands today among the enterprising men of this profession in central Iowa, figuring prominently for some time in the affairs of his locality, although yet young in years.

Mr. Wells was born October 31, 1879, in Crawford County, Iowa, and he is the son of N. A. and Emma J. (Benefiel) Wells, the father a native of Vermont and the mother of Davenport, Iowa. N. A. Wells was for many years a well known stock buyer, having come to Jasper County twenty-six years ago, moving from Crawford County, this state. He was a successful businessman and was prominent in political affairs and he was representative from Jasper County in 1897, filling this important office with much credit to himself and to the eminent satisfaction of all his constituents. He is at present living in Wadena County, Minnesota, where he moved about seven years ago. His wife died March 20, 1898. There were five children in their family, named as follows: W. B., of the United States Navy, was with Rear Admiral Schley, on the famous cruiser "Brooklyn" at the great naval battle of Santiago during the Spanish-American War. He is now on detached duty at the Annapolis Naval Academy, and is writing text-books on marine engineering and naval construction; he is a graduate of the academy at Annapolis, and stands very high in naval circles: S. H. Wells is on a ranch in Wyoming; Mrs. Edith Kohler lives on a farm twelve miles south of Newton; Mrs. Mattie Lewis lives in Oklahoma.

L. A. Wells, of this review, came to Jasper County with his parents when a child and he was reared on a farm five miles south of Newton and when old enough he assisted with the various duties about the place attending the neighboring schools during the winter months. He was always an ardent student and he made a splendid record while attending the high school at Newton, from which he was graduated in 1898, and the University of Iowa, having graduated from the law department of the latter in 1901, after which he began practice at once in Newton, and was very successful from the first, his practice having continued to grow steadily to the present time, being regarded as a very cautious, energetic and safe advocate and an earnest and logical exponent before a jury.

During the Spanish-American War in 1898, just as he was finishing high school, Mr. Wells gave vent to his patriotic impulses by enlisting in Company F, Fiftieth Iowa Infantry, and was stationed at Jacksonville, Florida, for six months, from April to November.

On April 18, 1902, Mr. Wells was married to Mary J. Manning, daughter of Richard Manning, a prominent citizen of Newton, Iowa, in which city Mrs. Wells was born, reared and educated and where, owing to her genial nature, she has always been a favorite in the best social circles. This union has been graced by the birth of two daughters, Hortense, seven years old, and Esther, five years old.

Politically, Mr. Wells is a Republican and he has long supported every laudable movement looking to the betterment of his county and state, and he has the confidence and respect of all who know him, his career so far having been characterized by lofty purpose and honest precept. Page 587.

~ Westfall, Lee C. ~

In studying the interesting life histories of many of the better class of men, and the ones of unquestioned merit and honor, it will be found that they have been compelled very largely to map out their own career and furnish their own motive force in scaling the heights of success and it is of such a one that the biographer now writes, Lee C. Westfall, an honored veteran of the Great Rebellion and a substantial citizen of Mingo, Poweshiek Township, Jasper County.

Mr. Westfall was born in Morgan County, Indiana, on October 10, 1842. He is the son of A. P. and Sarah Pettit Westfall, being their only child. They came from Knox County, Illinois, to Jasper County, Iowa, in 1854, locating at Monroe, then Tool's Point. The mother's second husband was Joseph Owens.

The subject became both a stationary and locomotive engineer, making this his principal life work, following his chosen vocation until about 1890, when he retired. He was one of the brave sons of the North who offered his services and his life, if need be, that the Union might be perpetuated, enlisting at Monroe, Jasper County, in Company B, Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, at the first call for three-year troops, and he served until in July 1865, in a manner that stamped him as an efficient and loyal American soldier. He served under Grant at Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg, in fact, all the engagements in the West. After the fall of Vicksburg he was sent to Georgia and fought at Kennesaw Mountain and in all the battles in the Atlanta campaign. He was wounded on July 21, 1864. He was with Sherman on the march to the sea, and went from Savannah, Georgia, through the Carolinas to Washington City.

After returning home from the army Mr. Westfall resumed his work as engineer, becoming widely known in this part of the state in this line of endeavor. For a number of years he has been township trustee and he has been township clerk for the past fourteen years, and secretary of the township school board for the past fifteen years. Politically, he is a Republican. He is a member of the E. H. Keyes Post No. 511, Grand Army of the Republic, at Mingo, being adjutant of the same for fifteen years. He has filled these offices with much credit to himself and to the eminent satisfaction of all concerned.

Mr. Westfall was married in 1866, in this county, to Jane Poling, daughter of Martin Poling, who served in the Civil War in the same company and regiment with the subject, as did also Mrs. Westfall's brother, Silas Poling. The mother of Mrs. Westfall was known in her maidenhood as Peary Carpenter, they were born in Randolph County, Virginia, from which they went to Union County, Ohio, then came to Jasper County, Iowa, in 1856, and they died in Shelby County, this state.

Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Westfall, namely: Alice married D. D. Adams, son of Elias Adams, a pioneer here; S. W. is farming in Poweshiek Township; Minnie L. married E. S. Turner, of this township, who is mentioned in the sketch of his father, C. C. Turner, appearing in this work; Arthur M. is farming in Winnebago County, Minnesota; Leroy G. lives in Mingo, Iowa; he is at present clerk in Baker & Baker's general store in Mingo.

The mother of these children passed to her rest en October 14, 1901, and on August 25, 1903, Mr. Westfall was married to Mrs. Mary Anderson, daughter of James Solomon, a pioneer of Poweshiek Township, Jasper County. Mr. Westfall is well known throughout the county and is highly respected by all as one of the worthy pioneers and veterans. Page 820.

~ Wheatcraft, John ~

Holding prestige among the successful agriculturists and stock men of Poweshiek Township, Jasper County, and ever since his birth an honored resident of this locality, John Wheatcraft, popular Township trustee and one of the most energetic and public-spirited local citizens, is entitled to more than passing notice in the biographical history of this section of Iowa. As a tiller of the soil he has labored long and arduously, improving his fine farm until he has brought it to a high and successful state of cultivation.

Mr. Wheatcraft was born in Buena Vista Township, this county, on August 24, 1865, and he represents one of the old and highly honored families of the same, being the son of D. H. and Margaret (Oberlier) Wheatcraft, the mother being a sister of John and George Oberlier, of Lincoln, Nebraska, leading wholesale coal and lumber dealers there, and leaders of the business, social and religious life of the Nebraska capital. Their father was Lewis Oberlier. D. H. Wheatcraft was born in Logan County, Ohio, and there he spent his boyhood days, coming to Jasper County, Iowa, in the forties. He located on a farm in Buena Vista Township and started life as a pioneer, undergoing the usual deprivations and hardships always incident to the life of a first settler, but he was a hard worker and succeeded in developing a good farm and establishing a comfortable home and there he still resides, being one of the best known and highly respected men of Buena Vista Township. He has reached an advanced age and can interest one immensely with his reminiscences of early days and the subsequent development of the County. He is now living retired, enjoying the fruits of his earlier years of labor.

John Wheatcraft, of this review, grew up on the home farm, which he worked during the summer months, and he attended the district schools in the wintertime, remaining at home until he started in life for himself.

On May 22, 1887, Mr. Wheatcraft was married to Eliza Listen, daughter of Jonathan and Mary Jane (Pownell) Listen, one of the honored pioneer families of Buena Vista Township. To the subject and wife two children have been born, Earl and Nora.

John Wheatcraft has devoted his life to farming and he is the owner of an excellent place in Poweshiek Township, consisting of two hundred acres, which he has placed under a high state of improvement and cultivation an where he has a pleasant home and is very successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising on a large scale.

Mr. Wheatcraft has always taken an abiding interest in political affairs, and in 1908 he was elected trustee of Poweshiek Township and he made such a splendid record in this office that he has been twice re-elected to the office. Page 815.

~ Wheeler, Orville Agustus ~

Among the enterprising citizens of Sherman Township, Jasper County, is Orville Augustus Wheeler, to a review of whose honorable career the attention of the reader is now called. An analyzation of his life work shows that he has been dependent upon no inheritance or influential friends for what he has acquired, but he has through his continued effort and capable management gained a desirable property, whereby he is classed among the self-made and influential men of the county, peculiar interest attaching to his career in view of the fact that he has been a resident of the locality of which this history treats all his life, having figured conspicuously in the agricultural and mercantile interests of the western part of the county.

Mr. Wheeler was born in Palo Alto Township, this County, January 23, 1861, the son of Joseph R. and Sarah S. (Turch) Wheeler, the father born in Ohio, December 5, 1834, and the latter in Indiana, February 11, 1842. The father grew to maturity in his native community and received his education there, and when he was twenty years old, in 1854, he came to Jasper County, Iowa, with his father, John Wheeler, and they settled in Kellogg Township, being among the early arrivals there when that section was practically a virgin prairie, dotted only here and there with a rude cabin. They drove from Ohio with a yoke of oxen. Here Joseph R. Wheeler became the owner of forty acres in Palo Alto Township. On this he farmed until 1868, when he traded it for the corner lot in the city of Newton where the opera house now stands. Then for a period of twenty-five years he engaged in buying and selling livestock, becoming one of the best-known and successful stockmen of the county.

During the Civil War he enlisted in Company B, Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in which he served most creditably for a period of three and one-half years, taking part in many important battles and trying campaigns.

He was known to be a man of courage, good habits and public spirit. His death occurred in 1903. There were nine children in his family, named as follows: Mrs. Massilda J. Main, Orville Augustus, of this sketch; Mrs. Clara L. Loomis; Ernest Oliver, of Seattle; Mrs. Viola Mary Couch; Anthony; Mrs. Eunice Muller; Lucella died in infancy; Mrs. Delsie D. Milligan.

Orville A. Wheeler, of this review, grew up in Palo Alto Township and received his education in the public schools there and in the schools of Newton. Afterwards he broke prairie one summer in Hamilton County, then for a year he rented and farmed land in Osborne County. He then came back to Jasper County, where he rented land until 1890 when he bought eighty acres in Sherman Township. This he sold twelve years later and moved to the hamlet of Goddard where he bought grain and live stock, also sold coal and lumber, building up a very satisfactory business. In 1908 he bought the general store here, which he conducted in a successful and satisfactory manner until in January 1911, when he sold out.

Mr. Wheeler is a Democrat politically and he has been school director in his district, but he has never sought political leadership.

On March 23, 1883, Mr. Wheeler was united in marriage with Amanda Abiah Couch, who was born in Seneca Township, Seneca County, Ohio. She is the daughter of Rufus Baker Couch, who lived north of Mingo, Iowa. To Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler two children have been born, Roy Charles and Mrs. Mary Sarah Leonard, living in Poweshiek Township, this county. Page 860.

~ Wheeler, Vernon S. ~

One of the progressive young farmers of Jasper County who has been successful in his chosen field of endeavor because he has worked for definite ends along legitimate and approved lines is Vernon S. Wheeler, one of the worthy native sons of this county, born here on July 3, 1872. His parents were John F. and Ellen (Link) Wheeler, natives of Ohio, from which state they came to Jasper County, Iowa, when young and here they were married. The father devoted his early life to farming, but for thirty years prior to his death he was engaged in other business. Before coming to Reasnor he owned forty acres, which he sold upon removing to town and here he engaged in the restaurant, meat and hotel business, which he conducted for twenty years. His death occurred in the town of Reasnor in 1906. He was always a man of vigorous and alert mind, and he took an abiding interest in whatever tended to promote the good of his community. He served in several offices in Palo Alto Township, among them being that of constable. His family consisted of eight children, two of whom, Mrs. J. S. Sullivan and Bertie, an infant, are dead. Those living are: Glen C., Robert E., Don, Vernon S., Mrs. Edward Coker and Mrs. C. B. Walsh, both of Reasnor.

The father of these children was one of the brave sons of the North who served his country ably and well during the days of the Rebellion, having enlisted in 1861 in Company E, Fortieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in which he served for three years, receiving an honorable discharge. While in the service he took part in several of the most important engagements of the war, among them being the Siege of Vicksburg and the Battle of Helena, Arkansas. He was a member of Garrett Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Newton, and he belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church at Reasnor. In that town his widow still resides.

After receiving a good education Vernon S. Wheeler began life for himself when twenty-one years of age as a farmer, and in connection with general farming he did many other things in order to get a start and to earn an honest living. Later he came to Reasnor and conducted a livery business and feed barn for two years, after which he purchased a farm near Kellogg, selling the same a year later, then purchased the one near Reasnor, where he still resides. It consists of sixty-five acres, well improved and under a high state of cultivation. In connection with his farming business, he keeps for breeding purposes fine domestic and imported stallions, the principal bloods being Percheron, French draft, shire and German coach, the latter being a high-grade bred trotting horse. These animals are greatly admired by all who see them, owing to their superior quality, and Mr. Wheeler is widely known as a horseman, being regarded as one of the best judges of horses in the county.

On February 28, 1901, Mr. Wheeler was united in marriage with Nettie Bain, daughter .of Hamilton and Margate (Farmer) Bain, and has proved to be a most loyal and faithful helpmeet, and is a woman of many praiseworthy attributes, having a wide circle of friends here. This union has been blessed by the birth of three children, namely: Ruth, born October 13, 1907; Eva, born November 4, 1909, Buela, born July 29, 1910.

Mr. Wheeler is a member of the Woodmen of the World of Reasnor, being a past sentry of that order. He is an energetic, wide-awake young farmer and businessman to whom the future promises much. Page 999.

~ Whitcomb, Daniel W. ~

The world owes much to the plain, plodding worker who, uncomplainingly, does his whole duty as he sees it; but beyond his labors there is a sphere of activity wherein the workers are few and the products produced are most rare, that of genius. Through the medium of this subtle, sublime, elusive thing, possessed of certain favored ones, all the great treasures of art, literature, music and science have been given to the world. Those who know him best do not hesitate to pronounce Daniel W. Whitcomb, one of Jasper County's best-known citizens, as a genius of high order, although it is doubtful if many who know him appreciate this fact to the fullest extent. In his little studio in Newton he is producing photographic art studies which are more than mere everyday likenesses as turned out in a never ceasing stream from most photograph galleries; they are works of art, while his samples of burnt wood etching, his painting in oil, pastel, water color, crayon and other mediums are of the finest.

Mr. Whitcomb was born in this county on February 22, 1858, and he is the son of W. A. and Anna (Childs) Whitcomb, both natives of New York State. The father was a skilled mechanic and his services were always in great demand; he even made violins, which were marvels of perfection. Back in his native state he was a miller, and later engaged in the mercantile business. He was a comparatively young man when he came to Indiana and settled near Vincennes, where he continued the mercantile business until 1856, when he came by wagon to Jasper County, Iowa, and located in Rushville, trading his stock of goods for forty acres of land, to which he later added forty acres more, and he followed, farming the rest of his life. There his death occurred, at the age of sixty-eight years, and his wife was aged sixty-four when she was summoned to the silent land. The old homestead is still in the hands of the family. The father, as has already been intimated, was a man of splendid natural ability in many ways. He was ardently interested in church work and in the up building of his locality, and he was an advocate of all that was best in life, being highly honored by all who knew him. His wife was a noble woman, whose innate gentleness of character shed the most loving and benign influence upon her home and friends. Their family consisted of eleven children; _____ married Joseph Braley and her death occurred in Kellogg about 1887; Amanda, who remained unmarried, died there when twenty-two years of age; William A. died in Rochester, Washington, in 1899; J. T. died in Oregon about 1907, those living are Lodency, wife of Dr. W. H. Green, of North Yakima, Washington; Stephen A. lives in Colorado; C. E. lives near Prairie City, this county; Eva lives in Des Moines; Daniel W., of this review.

In August 1877; Mr. Whitcomb entered as apprentice with Charles A. Clifford, of Newton, learning the old fashioned "wet-plate" process of photography, and he was with him about a year, after which he went to Des Moines, where he remained two years. Then he traveled extensively, teaching the "dry-plate" process of photography, and, following this, he again worked with Clifford and others in different places.

On October 25, 1882, Mr. Whitcomb was united in marriage with Orlina LaBar, a native of Pennsylvania and the daughter of Jesse and Sarah (Snyder) LaBar, the father a native of France and the mother of New York. The father died when Mrs. Whitcomb was a baby, so she has no recollection of him whatever. Her mother and the rest of the family came to Iowa in an early day and settled in Monroe about 1867.

To Mr. and Mrs. Whitcomb have been born four children, all living, namely: Leon A., born March 19, 1884, in Monroe, and who has been crippled from infancy, began selling the Saturday Blade when a child, the circulation of which he soon increased from thirty-four to one hundred and sixty; selling this out, he began peddling extracts, toilet articles and other things, and by untiring industry succeeded in getting together enough money to purchase an expensive and modern pop-corn and peanut wagon, which, with its genial and hustling little owner installed within it, is a familiar object upon the streets of Newton, and he is making a decided success of the business. The other children are, Mabel, who married Thomas A. Cure, lives in Newton; Lloyd is at home. He has been in the employ of the One Minute Manufacturing Company for five years and is a young man of good habits and splendid promise in business affairs. Crippled like his brother from boyhood, he has not permitted seemingly untoward circumstances to thwart him in his career. An operation on his limb recently made him almost normal physically. Florence Edna Whitcomb is with her parents, and is a recent graduate of the Newton high school.

After his marriage, Mr. Whitcomb opened a gallery at Monroe and in 1886 he went to Kellogg, later coming to Newton, where he has lived practically ever since, although he has traveled alone and with his family in many states, principally those of the Middle West. During his travels he has taught painting in different mediums, as well as photography. He gave up his profession in the spring of 1880 and went to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where, among other things, he worked on a newspaper. At another time he accepted a contract to finish the Atlas Distillery stock barns. This contract he completed and made some money in the work. He has occupied his present location twelve years and has built up a large and constantly growing business, many of his patrons coming from remote sections of this and adjoining counties, for his reputation has traveled over a wide territory.

He makes every kind of picture known to the photographic art and his work in all branches is superb. He also makes enlarged portraits in watercolor, crayon and pastel. His gallery is one of the best equipped in the state, being fitted to make all kinds of cuts, half-tones, chalk plates, zinc etchings, etc.

Mr. Whitcomb in his fraternal relations belongs to the Kellogg Lodge, Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen and the Yeomen, of Newton. He is a man of genial and interesting personality, and his wife is admired by a wide circle of acquaintances. Page 614.

~ Whitehead, Fred~

Conspicuous among Jasper County's most influential and solid citizens and representative businessmen of central Iowa, Fred Whitehead, although born in alien lands, has, while advancing his individual interests, done much for the general development of this vicinity, with which the latter part of his life has been closely interwoven. A man of sterling worth, unswerving integrity and progressive ideas, his well-regulated life has gained the admiration and respect of all who have come into contact with him.

Mr. Fred Whitehead was born in Somersetshire, England, October 4, 1835, the son of William and Maria (Harris) Whitehead, both natives of England, his father being the third in order of birth in a family of four children born to Thomas Whitehead and wife. William Whitehead was a mason by trade, also followed farming later in life. He emigrated to America with his family in 1845, when the subject was ten years old, and they settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in which city a brother John, uncle of Fred, of this review, had located eight years previously. Leaving Pittsburgh in 1851 William Whitehead moved his family to Chicago, but soon left there and bought a farm near Joliet, Illinois, which he sold in 1856 and moved to Madison County, Iowa, and later to Marion County, where he continued to reside until his death, in 1891, at the advanced age of eighty-nine years. He established a good home in the new world, became active in Republican politics and was highly respected wherever he lived. His widow survived him until 1897, when she died at Monroe, Iowa, having attained the ripe age of ninety-one years.

To William Whitehead and wife four children were born, namely: Matilda, who married William F. Reed, a business man of Pittsburgh, died while on a visit to the subject of this sketch at Monroe; Walter is living on a farm in Kansas; his wife died, leaving eight children; Fred of this review; Elizabeth A. is the widow of William A. Hankins, lives with her son, her only child, who is a rancher and stock man in northwestern Nebraska.

Fred Whitehead obtained his education in the country schools, which was later in life supplemented by wide and careful reading on miscellaneous subjects and by actual contact with the world. In speaking of this phase of his life record, he laconically remarked that his early education had been neglected in view of the fact that he had to work instead of go to school. He learned the plumbers' trade in Pittsburgh and also farmed a while prior to the commencement of the Civil War. On August 15, 1861, he proved his loyalty to his adopted country by enlisting at Monroe, Iowa, in Company I, Tenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and he proved to be a very faithful defender of the Stars and Stripes, having taken part in the following engagements: Raymond, Jackson (before the Siege of Vicksburg), Champion's Hill, Siege of Vicksburg, second battle of Jackson, Missionary Ridge, New Madrid, Missouri, and Corinth, Mississippi. He received an honorable discharge and was mustered out on September 28, 1864, at Kingston, Georgia. He was wounded in the Battle of Champion's Hill.

After his career in the army Mr. Whitehead returned to Iowa and bought ninety acres in Marion County, for which he paid three dollars and fifty cents per acre. He held this land until five years ago. At the present time he owns a half section of good land in Arkansas and nearly six hundred acres in Tennessee. He also owned considerable land in Nebraska, which he later disposed of. In 1894 he retired from active farm life and moved to Monroe, where he has a modern, attractive and pleasant home. He has been very successful in his business operations and is one of the substantial men of the southern part of the county. He has never married.

Mr. Whitehead is a Republican and he cast his first ballot for Fremont. He has always taken an abiding interest in public affairs, especially in whatever tended to the betterment of Jasper County. Personally, he is a genial, obliging and honest gentleman. Page 970.

~ Whitehead, George G. ~

George G. Whitehead, farmer of Poweshiek Township, Jasper County, was born here on November 1, 1867, and here he grew to manhood and received his education in the common schools. He is the son of Austin and Elizabeth (Weston) Whitehead, the father born in Ohio in 1837 and the mother in Indiana in 1835. They came to Jasper County, Iowa, in 1856 and 1857, and are now residing at Colfax. They were among the pioneers of this locality.

Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Austin Whitehead, named as follows: Mrs. Mollie Watt, born March 5, 1859, lives in Sherman township; Mrs. Clara Watt, born September 10, 1861, lives at Long Beach, California; Mrs. Allie Stouffer, born November 1, 1865, lives near Seevers, Iowa; George of this sketch; Dr. E. I., born August 12, 1872, lives in Nebraska. These children were all reared in Jasper County.

George G. Whitehead has made farming his life work, and is now the owner of a good farm of one hundred and five acres of well-improved and well-cultivated land in Poweshiek Township, also forty acres in Sherman Township.

George G. Whitehead was married on February 23, 1897, to Stella Tramel, who was born in Story County, Iowa, on December 5, 1872, and there she grew to womanhood and was educated. She is the daughter of Joseph and Cynthia (Leonard) Tramel. The father died in Portland, Oregon, when sixty-five years old, and the mother died in Des Moines, Iowa, at the age of sixty-three years. Mrs. Whitehead's paternal grandfather, W. A. B. Tramel, was one of the early settlers in Clear Creek Township. There were four children in the Tramel family, namely: William, who lives in Independence Township; Stella, wife of Mr. Whitehead of this sketch; Walter 0., of Clear Creek Township; Mrs. Bertha Allspaugh, of Boulder, Colorado.

To Mr. and Mrs. Whitehead six children have been born, all in Poweshiek Township and all living, namely: Wilbur Weston, born August 12, 1898; D. May, born August 27, 1900; Floyd, born December 23, 1902; Glen Austin, born January 19, 1905: Ruth Elizabeth, born April 3, 1907; Virgil Paul, born October 12, 1911. The older children are attending school in the home community. . Politically, Mr. Whitehead is a Republican. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Lodge No. 174, at Mingo, and of the Yeomen at Ira. He and his wife are faithful members of the Christian Church at Ira. Page. 1031.

~ Whittaker, John Ervill ~

One of the successful young farmers of Kellogg Township, Jasper County, is John Ervill Whittaker, a man who is deserving of the success that has attended his efforts because he has striven for it along conservative and legitimate lines, never permitting obstacles, small or great, to thwart him in his pursuit of the goal, and while laboring for his own advancement he has not neglected his larger duties to his fellow men and the public in general, having always stood ready to lend his support to all worthy movements having for their object the general good.

Mr. Whittaker was born in Des Moines, Iowa, January 22, 1879, and he is the son of Joseph Whittaker, who was born in England, October 7, 1850, but who was brought to America in 1852. He grew to manhood at Oil City, Pennsylvania, where he attended school, and he came to Iowa in 1864, during the Civil War, and located in Jasper County when the country was new, and remained here until 1872, when he entered the service of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company as fireman, finally becoming engineer, serving twenty-three years in that capacity, being well-known in railroad circles and regarded as one of the most capable and faithful of that road's employees. He is now living retired in Newton, Iowa.

John E. Whittaker attended school in Des Moines, after which he began railroading, serving as fireman and engineer until 1910, in fact, he alternated work on the road and his father's farm, and his services on the Rock Island system were highly satisfactory at all times. Finally desiring to turn his attention to farming exclusively, he located on his present farm in 1910. It consists of one hundred and twenty-five acres, about sixty acres of which is flat, the balance rolling. It is of excellent quality and produces abundant crops, being well adapted to general farming and stock raising.

Mr. Whittaker is a member of a family consisting of five children, three daughters and two sons, he being the eldest; the others are, Frederick, Jenny, Mabel and Alice.

The subject was married November 4, 1909 to Merle Call, who was born at Broughton, Kansas, January 30, 1887. She is the daughter of Dell P. and Amelia A. (Pierce) Call, the father born in Pennsylvania in 1854 and died September 1887, in Benton, Kansas; he made farming and school teaching his life work. Mrs. Call was born at Middlefield, Ohio, June 22, 1862, and her death occurred on May 12, 1902, in Herington, Kansas. Their family consisted of two sons and two daughters, Mrs. Whittaker being the eldest; the others are Verne, Nellie, Ralph B. and Merril.

To Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker one child, Homer O. has been born, his birth occurring on April 2, 1910.

Politically, the subject is a Republican and, fraternally, he belongs to the Masonic Order, including the Knights Templar, and religiously he belongs to the Congregational Church. Page 1060.

~ Wiggin, Andrew J. ~

Eighty-two years have passed with leaden feet through the relentless gates of the irrevocable past since Andrew J. Wiggin, one of Jasper County's best known and most highly respected citizens, first saw the light of day in an old house in New England, but the years have been kind to him and he is as active as most men are at the age of fifty. All his faculties have been well preserved, so that he reads without glasses, can climb a tree as nimbly as a boy, has a keen, comprehending intellect and is still a man of affairs and influence. His early life was that of a soldier of fortune, a prospector and gold digger in the far West in the early fifties, and later was to be found gallantly defending his nation's flag on the field of battle, and in many ways he encountered and endured hardships and difficulties that would have crushed many of a less sterling spirit, but his courage, energy, tact and robustness carried him safely through and now, in the mellow Indian summer of his years, he finds himself surrounded by peace and plenty upon the pleasant place he procured over thirty years ago.

Mr. Wiggin was born on April 14, 1830, in New Hampshire, the son of Andrew Wiggin and wife, who lived on a farm in that state, of which they, too, were both natives. His great-grandfather Wiggin came from England to Massachusetts in the historic "Mayflower." The subject was the third in order of birth in a family of eight children, namely: Enoch, Laura, Sarah, Augusta, Mary, George and one who died in infancy. They were all born in New Hampshire, all remaining in their native state except Andrew J., of this review; Enoch, Laura and George are deceased, and the parents passed away many years ago.

Andrew J. Wiggin attended the country schools near his home for a time, but at the early age of fifteen years he started out in life for himself, went to Boston, Massachusetts, where he learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed until 1852, when, lured by the call of the western Eldorado with its possibilities of untold wealth to be had for the mere digging, fortune favoring, he set out with his savings to California, going by steamer from New York and across the isthmus and thence up the western coast by steamer. He followed mining there for five years, and while not finding the enormous wealth of which he had dreamed, yet he was very successful and came away with several thousand dollars. He returned to Boston in 1857, and that same year he came to Iowa, making the trip by rail to Mount Pleasant and from there by stage to Prairie City, and he purchased eighty acres of land in Des Moines Township. The following year he marred Cynthia Parker, who bore him six children, namely: Morris, the eldest, lives in Wyoming; Mrs. Mary Pentacoe lives on a farm near Des Moines; Orin lives on a farm in Nebraska; George makes his home in Omaha, Nebraska; Carrie, who has remained single, lives at home and keeps house for her father; one child died in infancy.

When the great rebellion broke out in the early sixties, Mr. Wiggin felt it his duty to forsake the pleasures of home, to leave his fields to grow up in weeds and go to the front and do what he could in saving the Union, consequently in August, 1861, he enlisted in Company I, Tenth Iowa Volunteer infantry, in which he saw much hard service and proving himself to be a true and gallant American soldier, an exponent of the Anglo-Saxon that has never been defeated. He took part in fourteen of the hardest-fought battles of the war, besides a number of skirmishes. He was in, among others, both Battles of Corinth, Siege of Vicksburg, Raymond, Jackson, Holly Springs, Iuka, Champion's Hill, New Madrid and Missionary Ridge. His regiment was in the brunt of the bloody clash at Champion's Hill, and his company of thirty-four men lost twenty-two, including Captain Pogue. Captain Garret, who commanded them at the time of their enlistment, had been promoted to the rank of colonel. Captain Drew was their captain when they were mustered out in October 1864, at Kingston, Georgia.

After his return home Mr. Wiggin took up the cultivation of his land and about twenty years later he sold the eighty acres and bought forty acres where he now lives, adjoining Prairie City. Later he added to this until he had one hundred and sixty acres, which he farmed successfully until ten years ago, when he retired from active life, and a few years ago he sold all his land but four acres around his house, and here he continues to reside, the town having grown out around him. He has judiciously invested his money in various ways until he now enjoys an income of five dollars per day.

Mr. Wiggin has been twice married, but for a number of years now he has lived single. Mr. Wiggin is a Republican, but he has never sought office. He cast his first vote for Fremont for President, he having been a resident of San Francisco at that time. He is a member of the McCray Post No. 27, Grand Army of the Republic, being a charter member of the same. He was its commander for several years, and at the present time he is senior vice-commander, and he has always been active and prominent in the organization. Page 593.