W. H. Wonder

WONDER, BEAMAN

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 3/14/2007 at 00:03:10

W.H. Wonder. Some men are born to be the leaders of the opinions of other men, and some follow the bent of ideas not their own. Of the former class we have an excellent representative in the late able and energetic editor and proprietor of the Whiting Herald.
Mr. Wonder is of German descent and a native of Ohio, was born in Reedsburgh, Wayne County, Ohio, November 9, 1849, and is the son of Enos and Jane (Miller) Wonder, both of whom are natives of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the former born in 1826, and the latter in 1827. Early in the “50’s” the family removed to Greene County, Ind., from which in 1870, the father and mother came to Iowa and for some years made their home in Taylor County. From there they moved on to a farm in Franklin County, and, a few years later, to Harrison County, where they now live in their declining years.
W. H. Wonder was reared in Indiana, and acquired in the country schools of that locality, by hard labor, the rudiments of a fair-education which he has largely supplemented by an extensive course of reading and continual study. When about eighteen years of age he began the study of music in a country singing-school, and, having a great aptitude for it, learned rapidly and soon acquired a good musical education. For four years he taught vocal music, thus accumulating enough money to pay his tuition for a year in a musical conservatory at Terre Haute, Ind. After leaving this institution for about a year he acted as leader of the choir in the Central Christian Church, in the same city, and during the same time held several musical conventions. He made vocalism and its teaching his business until 1881, when he established a paper at Mondamin, Harrison County, Iowa to which he gave-the name of the Mondamin Independent. He filled the editorial chair of this journal for about eighteen months, when he sold it to D.W. Butts, its present proprietor, who two years later removed it to Little Sioux. In February, 1885, Mr. Wonder came to Monona County, landing in Whiting on the 6th of February, and established the Herald, the first number of which was issued February 21, 1885. He made this one of the best local papers in the county, and carried it on until October, 1889, when he sold it to its present proprietors. It was the only Democratic newspaper in Monona County, and a history of it is given in detail in another portion of this work. Mr. Wonder having been appointed to the office of Postmaster in the latter part of December, 1885, entered upon the discharge of his duties in February, 1886, and continued until November 15, 1889, when he was succeeded by Charles Thomas.
Mr. Wonder was united in marriage Sunday, January 23, 1870, with Miss Sarah E. Beaman, a native of Indiana and a daughter of John and Mary (Lucas) Beaman. Their home has been brightened by the advent of five children: Effie, Enos Elmer, deceased: Etta, Stella and Fred W.

Source: History of Monona County, Iowa 1890
Chicago National Pub. Co.