West Branch Times, West Branch, Iowa, Thursday, April 10, 1924
Transcribed by Sharon Elijah, August 2, 2018
A STORY IN THE HISTORY OF MY COMMUNITY
By Lillian Pennock
In the years when Iowa was a young state, the Hoovers, with the tide of the nation, pushed their way to the undeveloped country west of the Mississippi, and were among the founders of the Quaker village of West Branch in Cedar county.
The first of the Hoovers to come to West Branch was Jesse, Herbert Hoover’s great grandfather, who was born in North Carolina and while yet a young man came to Miami county, Ohio.
In 1854 Jesse Hoover and his family landed at Davenport and came from there to Iowa City in a stage coach driven by Uncle David Hoover, who had preceded Jesse to cross the Mississippi into Iowa. From Iowa City they came to West Branch where they took a prominent part in the founding of the Quaker village.
He purchased a farm just east of the town which remained in the Hoover family for many years and is now owned by Newton Branson. One cold winter day in 1856, since timber was scarce around West Branch at that time, Jesse went to a timber about eight miles from his home to get wood. In felling a tree it fell on him and pinned him down for several hours before he was discovered by a searching party. As a result he became ill with pneumonia and died.
Eli Hoover, son of Jesse and grandfather of Herbert, purchased a farm just west of town and now owned by Joseph Albin. One of the children of Eli and Mary Hoover was Jesse Clark Hoover, father of Herbert, who married Miss Hulda B. Minthorne at West Branch.
Jesse was a blacksmith and later a farm implement dealer. He was very poor but nevertheless he always had a joke and a kind word for everybody. It is from him that Herbert inherits his genial characteristics.
Herbert’s mother was a preacher in the Friends church, and after the death of her husband she took up evangelistic work, but she did not receive a stated salary and at times the family had to fight for existence. From her Herbert inherits such characteristics as service to the public, understanding the needs of others, and a practical way of putting his ideas into action.
Herbert was the second of three children, the oldest being Theodore Jesse, the youngest Mary.
Herbert was born on August 2, 1870, in a small one-story house which was then painted brown and has since been remodeled. It is now owned by Mrs. Jennie Scellars.
As far back as the old residents of West Branch can recall, up to the age of ten years, at which time he moved from that village, Herbert was just a plain American boy, full of life and very lovable. Like other boys, he was nicknamed and was usually called Herb. He was very attractive and was liked by every one in the community.
G. C. Hoover, Herbert’s cousin, and at present a lawyer in West Branch, says that he well remembers how the older boys picked on Herbert, as older boys usually do a younger playmate. But it was always in fun that they pestered him for they liked him too well to do otherwise.
Herbert, especially, liked to play Indian, swim and fish, and since he was still too young to help his father, his time, while living in West Branch, was chiefly spent in these recreations.
He started to school in the four room building in West Branch where all twelve grades were taught. Mrs. Mollie Carran, still living here, describes him as being such a very bright boy, that in order to keep him busy it was necessary to put him ahead a year. “I can almost see him now,” she says, “Sitting there in the room; he was such a clean boy and so attractive. He was of a sufficiently retiring disposition so that he always stuck right to business.”
After she was married, Herbert was among a group of her students who wrote letters of good wishes to her. He also visited her many times. On his last visit to West Branch Mr. Hoover said, “I should say I do remember Mollie Carran. It was fairly a case of love.”
At this time the school room was equipped with double seats. Herbert’s partner and companion was Louis Penrose, who recently moved from West Branch to Muscatine. They were quite chummy and played as well as studied together.
On December 13, 1880, Herbert’s father died of typhoid pneumonia and left an estate of not more than three thousand dollars.
According to the old residents Mrs. Hoover worked very hard after her husband’s death. To her friends’ remonstrance she answered, “Jesse said when he died that he had not done all that he should have and I am determined to die in the harness.” And she did, for on February 18, 1884, she rose on her knees and uttered her last prayer for the people of West Branch. Thus, at the age of fourteen Herbert was left an orphan.
The family became separated, and thus early in life Herbert became partially self-supporting and began to look about for himself more than most boys of his age did.
Immediately after his mother’s death he lived with his uncle, Allen Hoover, until the end of the school year when he went to the home of Dr. Minthorn, in Newberry, Oregon.
Mr. Hoover has made three visits to his birthplace since he left as a lad of about fourteen. The last of these visits was in April, 1923, when he visited his birthplace and the cemetery where his parents are buried.
In keeping with his dislike of any public demonstration, he declined to speak to the people of the town, but he made a few minutes’ talk to the pupils of the West Branch high school, dealing with reminiscences of his boyhood days.
He especially commended the village on the two modern brick school houses which are standing in the place of the little four room building where he started his education.
With Herbert Hoover rising to the greater heights of national prominence, the Quaker village, among the hills of Cedar county, is becoming well known throughout the United States.
