Jackson, Ruth M.

JACKSON

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 6/23/2021 at 11:22:19

Source: History of Warren County, Iowa, by Gerard Schultz and Don L. Berry, The Record and Tribune Co., Indianola, Iowa, 1953, p.312

RUTH M. JACKSON
Ruth M. Jackson, assistant professor of English at Simpson College, has been a resident of Indianola since 1905, and lives at 510 North I street. She was born in Warren County Sept. 20, 1895, the daughter and third child of James Milton Jackson (born in Carroll County, Ohio, April 7, 1853, and died at Indianola Jan. 8, 1928) and Ellen Viola Marts (born in Polk county Sept. 14, 1869, and died at Indianola April 29, 1951). The two older children are: J. Hugh Jackson (born in Warren County Jan. 20, 1891), who is dean of the graduate school of business, Stanford university, Calif., and Don D. Jackson (born in Warren County April 20, 1893), Indianola, private first class, Company C, 17th Engineers railway, June 12, 1917 to April 9, 1919.
Ruth M. Jackson graduated from Indianola High School, 1913; Simpson College, bachelor of arts, 1918; University of Chicago, master of arts, 1922. She has completed additional work at the University of Chicago at various times. Her professional experience includes: Five years public school teaching; Simpson college English department, 1923-1926, and dean of women, 1936-1947 (president, 1941-1942, Iowa State Association of Deans of Women); College of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Wash., English, 1927-1928; Denison university, Granville, Ohio, English, 1930-1931. Organizations to which Miss Jackson belongs are: Alpha Chi Omega, national committee chairman (1940-1946) of Founders Fellowship awards; American Association of University Women, charter member of the Indianola branch, branch president (1938-1940), secretary of the Iowa division (1940-1942); Delta Kappa Gamma, Iowa state president (1943-1946), chapter president (1949-1952); Epsilon Sigma, secretary-treasurer ( 1937 to present) ; Indianola Woman's club; Modern Language Association of America; Shakespeare Association of America; Sigma Tau Delta, advisor to the student chapter, including its publication projects; Simpson Guild; and Simpsonia club.
Her religious affiliation is with the United Presbyterian Church, and her political ties are with the Republican Party.
J. M. Jackson, his parents, sisters and brother, came to Warren County in 1871 from near Monmouth, Ill., where the family had lived since 1859. His parents were Hugh Jackson (born Washington county, Pa., Feb. 22, 1815; died Warren County, Iowa, Aug. 30, 1884) and Margaret Crawford (born Carroll county, Ohio, March 8, 1815; died Warren County, Iowa, Dec. 13, 1897). Along with farming J. M. Jackson taught various rural schools in the west part of the county from the early seventies until 1889. Then with farming, he combined real estate and insurance. After 1905, only real estate and insurance.
Mrs. J. M. Jackson was the youngest child of Jacob Martin Marts (born Indiana May 5, 1820; died Polk county, Iowa, Oct. 8, 1871) and Rebecca Houser (born Hardin county, Ohio, Feb. 17, 1832; died Polk county, Iowa, March 6, 1881), both of whose parents came to Polk county about two years before Iowa became a state. Her parents were married in 1849 and continued to live in Polk county. But Rebecca's parents, George H. Houser (born Virginia Sept. 25, 1803; died Warren County, Iowa, March, 1866) and Sophia Beighler (born Berks county, Pa., Feb. 9, 1802; died Warren County, Iowa, Oct, 11, 1861) moved into Warren County. Their hilltop farm in Allen township (west half of southwest quarter of section 6 received from the United States government July 11, 1850) was a little north of North river and east of the present Highway 65 and 69. Long before he came to Iowa, George H. Houser was an enthusiastic Methodist exhortor and class leader. He continued to preach quite regularly. The late Evan Dowell (1857-1917) frequently told Mrs. Jackson anecdotes about her grandfather. The one he referred to most often and seemed to enjoy greatly was the announcement Mr. Houser always made at the close of every sermon he preached to the North River Methodist congregation, whose meeting house was west of Mr. Houser's farm and south of North river. Mr. Houser's announcement always included information as to date and hour he again would come to preach, and always was concluded with the comment "the Lord willing and if the river is not out."
In 1865 George H. Houser and wife (he had remarried) and young son moved to a newly purchased farm in Jackson township (north half of northwest quarter of section 4), just south of Wick. After his death his widow continued to live on this farm until 1873, when it was purchased by her stepson-in-law, t h e Rev. Arthur Badley (born Jan. 25, 1820; died Nov. 23, 1887). Mrs. Badley (Nancy Jane Houser, born Union county, Ohio, Jan. 18, 1829; died Indianola Jan. 30, 1904) remained on the farm a short time following his death. One of their children, the Rev. Brenton H. Badley (18491891), was a member of the first graduating class of Simpson college (M.A. 1870; D.D. 1887) and received the first diploma the institution granted. In 1871 after completing his ministerial training, he and his wife became Methodist missionaries to India. He founded the Lucknow Christian College. Nov. 23, 1945, one of their sons, Bishop Brenton T. Badley (born India May 29, 1876; died India, Feb. 1, 1949; Simpson student, 1892-1895; LL.D. 1926) gave back to Simpson his father's diploma, now a document of historic interest to the college.