HARRY DODDS

Harry Dodds, a progressive farmer and extensive landowner of Cass township, Cedar county, where his entire life has been spent, was here born on the 31st of May, 1869. He was the sixth child in a family of seven born unto Dr. William C. and Mary A. (Phillips) Dodds, the former a well known physician of Cedar county. The mother is now deceased, while Dr. Dodds makes his home with his children. Extended mention is made of him in another part of this work.

The son of a country doctor, Harry Dodds was reared to farm life, spending the period of his boyhood and youth in Cass township, where he attended the district schools in the acquirement of an education. At an early age he assisted in the work of the fields, thoroughly acquainting himself with the best methods of plowing, planting and harvesting, and later, upon reaching man’s estate, wisely chose farming as his life work and has since been engaged in this pursuit. He remained under the parental roof until he established a home of his own through his marriage, after which he located upon his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres on section 23, Cass township. In the meantime he has made a close study of agriculture, practicing rotation of crops, planting the cereals best adapted to the soil, and the land, naturally rich and fertile, has responded readily and abundantly to his efforts, so that with the passing years he has been most successful. As he has prospered, he has purchased more land from time to time until today, in addition to his original farm, he is the owner of one hundred and three acres of good Cedar river bottom land, forty-three acres on section 21, Cass township, sixty acres in Linn township and one hundred and sixty acres located in Dallam county, Texas, his property holdings constituting him one of the large landowners in his section of the county.

It was on the 20th of February, 1895, that Mr. Dodds was united in marriage to Miss Alice Mayer, who was born in Cass township on the 21st of October, 1873, the thirteenth in order of birth in a family of fourteen children born unto Enoch and Rachel (Yoder) Mayer. Her parents are now residing in Tipton and are mentioned at length elsewhere in this volume. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Dodds has been blessed with three daughters, Naomi, Beulah and Opal.

In politics Mr. Dodds votes with the democratic party and is now serving for the fourth year in the office of township trustee. He has held various school and road offices, performing the duties that devolved upon him in a manner which won the commendation of all concerned. Public-spirited in his citizenship, he has ever strongly advocated those things which are matters of civic virtue and civic pride, while a spirit of progress has at all times prompted him to support those measures which tend toward the upbuilding and growth of the community.