Gardner, Edward E. (1874-1939)

GARDNER

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 11/16/2016 at 00:12:52

Advocate Tribune newspaper, Indianola, Iowa, Thursday, Feb 22, 1906, front page
Biography of Edward E. Gardner, written by George E. Epps

E. E. Gardner, the second son of Giles and Matilda Gardner was born Sunday, September 27, 1874 near the town of New Holland, Logan county, Illinois. The seventh sign of the Zodiac called the seventh sign of the “Libra” was exerting its influence over those born at that period making them bold and successful. In the spring of the year 1880 Mr. Giles Gardner moved his family from Illinois to the farm where he now lives, three fourths of a mile west of Palmyra. Edward, the subject of our sketch, was then a boy who had passed his fifth birthday. His boyhood was spent working on the farm in summer and attending school in winter at Palmyra. The winter of 1888, writer taught school at Palmyra and Edward Gardner was one of the pupils attending the school. His deportment was good, he was energetic and wide awake. In the month of February 1896 he was married to Miss Alice Butterfield, daughter of W. S. Butterfield. Three children, one son and two daughters have come to brighten their home and enlarge the sphere of their usefulness. After his marriage he rented land and farmed for five years when he bought the 121 acres where he now lives one half mile west of Palmyra. The eighty acres where he now lives is a fine piece of land, level and productive and thoroughly tiled. He has his farm fenced into twenty acre fields with woven wire. He gathers the corn from one field and turns in his hogs. In this way nothing is lost. He has a good home and a good barn with sheds to shelter all his stock. His pasture and feed lots are all conveniently arranged. He has for a number of years fed on an average two car loads of cattle a year. He keeps from twelve to fifteen brood sows and breeds them so as to raise two litters of pigs each year in this way he raises and feeds about 156 head of hogs a year. The Poland China is his favorite breed and I consider him the champion hog raiser of Palmyra township. He has a hundred of hogs now ready for market. Mr. Gardner is still a young man not yet thirty-two years of age but he has lived long enough to lay the foundation of a successful life. Every man is the architect of his own fortune. If he builds a good character he must lay a solid foundation. Honesty, energy, economy and industry must be used in laying the foundation of a good character and a successful life. Sometimes a young man starts out in the world without a dollar but he goes to work and when he has earned a dollar he puts it to work to help him earn more dollars but such a life requires courage and self denial. The young man who lacks the courage to deny himself some of the luxuries of modern life will never build up a strong character. We must labor and assume responsibilities if we would develop our manhood. Ed Gardner is an early riser, and a good rider. Everything about his place is a model of neatness, good order and good cheer. He affiliates with the republican party, but is guided by toleration willing to believe and let others believe as their conscience may dictate. He is not a member of the church. He is a member of the Masonic lodge at Hartford and a member of Palmyra lodge I.O.O.F. The old saying that the boy is father to the man may be illustrated in the life of E. E. Gardner. Keep an eye on him, he has already started up the ladder and on the top round we see in shining letters the word success.