Henry Rowe
BRADLEY, CRAWFORD, GLASSBURNER, JOHNS, MORTON, ROWE, SHACLELFORD, WILSON
Posted By: Judy Wight Branson (email)
Date: 10/19/2004 at 19:05:26
“History of Madison County Iowa and Its People”
Herman A. Mueller, Supervising Editor
Chicago, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1915Henry Rowe was for many years a successful farmer but is now living in Macksburg and dealing in horses. Born in Westmorland county, Pennsylvania, on the 25th of April, 1849, he is a son of Andrew Rowe, who was born in Stuttgart, Wurtemberg, Germany, on the 27th of January, 1809. In 1822 the father came to the United States and eleven years later was united in marriage to Elizabeth Glassburner and they settled in Fayette county, Pennsylvania. They also lived in Westmorland, Greene and Washington counties, that state, but in 1855 removed to Davis county, Iowa, where both spent the remainder of their lives. He was a farmer by occupation. In their family were eight children, as follows: Jacob, who is living at Bloomfield, Iowa; Martin, who resides in Macksburg; D. G., who died in this county; Elizabeth, the wife of William Bradley, of Carson, Iowa; Andrew, who died in this county; Henry, of this review; Mary Ann, now Mrs. Larkin Shackelford, of Elk county, Kansas; and Washington, who died in infancy. The four older sons were all soldiers in the Union army during the Civil war.
Henry Rowe spent his boyhood and youth in Davis county and acquired only a limited education, much of his time being taken up by farm work. He worked as a hired hand for a considerable time and for nine years was foreman on a large farm. He was married in Davis county and in 1874 removed to Madison county, locating on eighty acres of land which he had previously purchased. At that time the only building on the place was a small shanty but during the years that the farm was in his possession he made many improvements and erected suitable buildings, besides adding forty acres to his original purchase.
In 1914 he sold his place for one hundred and fifty dollars per acre, the highest price ever paid for land in his township. The farm is recognized as the best improved place in the township and in the development of his property Mr. Rowe manifested not only a progressive spirit but also sound judgment. The sale of his grain and live stock returned to him a good income and he found the raising of Black Polled Angus cattle and Poland China hogs especially profitable. Since selling his farm and removing to Macksburg he has dealt extensively in horses, and has succeeded in that occupation also. He is an excellent judge of horses and has owned some valuable animals. He has one of the finest homes in Macksburg and it is provided with acetylene gas light, furnace heat, hot and cold water.
Mr. Rowe married Miss Almira Johns, who was born on the 18th of January, 1851, of the marriage of James and Lucinda (Morton) Johns, natives of Ohio, who settled in Davis county, Iowa, at an early day in the history of this state. Her father was a contractor and lumberman in Ohio but after removing to Iowa engaged in farming. Both he and his wife died in Davis county.
Mr. and Mrs. Rowe have two children;. Mamie is the wife of Charles Southworth, of Macksburg, and they have two children. Their daughter Bonnie is the wife of Gardner Crawford and has two children, Beulah and Jane, so that Mr. and Mrs. Rowe are great-grandparents. Pearl, the younger daughter of our subject, is the wife of Eugene Wilson, of Winterset, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work, and they also have two children.
Mr. Rowe is a Republican but has never aspired to political preferment. He has given the strictest attention to his business affairs, has sought continually to increase his efficiency, and his energetic and progressive spirit has been a large factor in his attainment of success. He was influential in getting a railroad built to Macksburg, giving liberally of both time and money to the project.
Madison Biographies maintained by Linda Griffith Smith.
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