Wesley Pierce Love

JONES, LOVE, ROWE

Posted By: Judy Wight Branson (email)
Date: 9/2/2004 at 14:24:10

W. P. Love, senior member of the firm of W. P. Love & Company, who own general store in Macksburg, was born in Knox county, Illinois, In 1853, a son of John D. and Phoebe (Jones) Love, natives respectively of North Carolina and of Ohio. The father removed with his parents to Indiana and thence to Knoxville, Illinois, where he engaged in carpentering and contracting. In 1864 he took up his residence in Madison county and in addition to working as a carpenter contractor conducted a sawmill on Grand river for some time. In 1872 he removed to Macksburg, where he established the store now conducted by W. P. Love & Company. He was active in its management for more than two decades but eventually retired and for ten years before his demise was an invalid. He passed away on the 20th of November, 1906, and was survived until the 1st of March, 1908, by his widow.

W. P. Love was reared in Illinois and in Grand River township, this county, and received a common-school education. In 1872 he became associated with his father in the management of the latter's store and was later taken into partnership. At length he succeeded his father and has now admitted his son Clyde to the business, the firm name being W. P. Love & Company. They carry a stock of groceries, dry goods and shoes, and as their trade is good and as they manage their affairs wisely they receive a gratifying profit from their store.

Mr. Love married Miss Elizabeth Rowe, who was born in Davis county, this state, and is a daughter of Martin Rowe, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Love have five children, Clyde, Eugene, Myrtle, Onie and Ethel.

Mr. Love exercises his right of franchise, believing it to be every citizen's duty to do so, and his ballot is cast for the candidates of the democratic party. He holds membership in Fern Lodge, No. 558, A. F. & A. M., at Lorimor, and those who are associated with him most intimately know best that the spirit of fraternity is the guiding principle of his life. He is one of the progressive merchants of Macksburg and is a factor in the commercial expansion of his village.

Taken from the book, “The History of Madison County, Iowa, 1915”