Hooker, James D. (1837-1913)

HOOKER

Posted By: Joyce Hickman (email)
Date: 9/18/2008 at 13:34:09

James Dewey Hooker
July 10, 1837 - Jan 3, 1913

(From the 1883 History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, by J. H. Keatley, p.160, Macedonia Twp.)
J. D. Hooker, farmer, P. O. Carson, was born in Chautauqua County, N. Y., in July, 1837. His father, M. H. Hooker, was born in Genesee County, N. Y., in 1810. He was a farmer and lumberman, and came to Iowa in the winter of 1854, settling in Delaware County, where he died in March, 1874. Subject's mother, Nancy (Palmeter) Hooker, was born in New York State in 1816, and is the mother of ten children. Mr. Hooker's first work was in a saw-mill in the pine woods of Pennsylvania, where he continued till coming to Iowa in the spring of 1855. In March of that year, he commenced work in a saw-mill, and continued in the employ of the same man five years; he then bought and improved a small farm, which he sold in 1869. He next spent two years at the coal miles of Fort Dodge, then started for Nebraska, changed his mind, and, in 1871, traded with John Hammer, now of Council Bluffs, for the farm of eighty acres, where he now lives. He was married, in Delaware County, iowa, in July, 18611, to Miss T. J. Wilson, born in England in October, 1843, daughter of John and Jane (Crelling) Wilson; he, born in Ireland October 5, 1813, died October 18, 1876; she, born in 1817, lives in Page Co., Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Hooker have eight children - John M., Charles M., Edward D., Joseph D., Jennie L., Lewis E., Shockey E. and Genie E. Mr. Hooker is a Democrat. Mr. Hooker's father was unfortunate in the lumber business, losing his property, with the exception of that in Delaware County, which he had purchased before engaging in the lumber trade. While in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, he received an injury by a fall, from which he never fully recovered.

(From the 1891 Biographical History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, p.360)
J. D. HOOKER, of section 11, Carson Township, was born in Chautauqua County, NY, July 10, 1837, the son of H. M. and Nancy (PALMETER) HOOKER; the father was a native of Genesee County, NY, and a relative of the General "Fighting Joe Hooker." The family were of English ancestry and descendants of two brothers who were among the early emigrants to the northeastern states. The parents reared a family of ten children. The father was born in 1810 and came to Iowa, settling in Delaware County in 1854, being one of the first settlers in that county. He lived there until his death which took place in March 1874. The mother resides in this county at the age of 74 years.
J. D. HOOKER first worked in a saw mill in Pennsylvania, having been brought up in the lumber regions of southern New York, and was well fitted for that situation. He came to Iowa in the spring of 1855, when quite a young man, and his experience in the sawmill made him quite a desirable man to serve in the capacity of foreman, and he easily obtained a situation. He remained here five years and then purchased a farm in Delaware County, Iowa, which he sold in 1869. Here he first commenced the study of veterinary surgery, practicing occasionally while he carried on his farm. He removed to Webster County, south of Fort Dodge, where he lived for two years, and in May 1871, first came to Pottawattamie County, and settled on prairie land, when all was new and wild in that county. Mr. Hooker now owns a valuable farm situated about one mile from Carson. He has a blacksmith shop run by his sons, and his home, called Pleasant Valley, is a beautiful place.
He carries a full line of instruments of all kinds, especially those required in horse dentistry and surgery, having over $200 worth altogether. He is also the inventor of Hooker's Cure for Flatulent (wind) Colic, one of the most prevalent and fatal diseases of the horse, and he contemplates beginning soon to manufacture the medicine.
He was married in Delaware County, Iowa, July 10, 1861, to Miss T. J. Wilson, the daughter of John and Jane (CRELLING) WILSON; the former was born of Scotch parents who had settled in Ireland, where he was born; and the latter was born in Northumberland, England. The family came to the United States in 1848 and settled in Iowa County, Wisconsin, and in 1858 came to Delaware County, Iowa. The father died in 1876 in Delaware County, and the mother still lives at Sioux City, Iowa, at the age of seventy three years.
Mr. and Mrs. Hooker have nine children, namely: J.M., a contractor and builder in Chase County, Nebraska; C.M., at home; Edward D., residing in Chase County, Nebraska; James D., residing at the same place; Jenny L., the wife of Frank Perry of Washington Township; Lewis J., at home; Shockey E., Jennie E., Frederick S. They lost one chld, Leander Vern, by death when two and a half years old. Politically Mr. Hooker is a Democrat, and has served in some of the minor offices of the township. He is a skilled veterinary surgeon, having had about 30 years experience, and is considered one of the leading authorities in the eastern party of the county.