Robert W. Williamson, eldest son of Edward and Mary E. (Rice) Williamson was born April 3, 1879, in Hopeville, Iowa and died August 12, 1958. On May 6, 1903, he was married to Alice Belle Katzenbarger (1885-1978), daughter of John V. and Elizabeth (Adair) Katzenbarger and to this union were born four children: Charles Wayne, John Edward, Lorain Chew and Lois Homewood. Mr. Williamson was born in the home in Hopeville where he lived when he passed away. He was a member of the IOOF Lodge No. 306 at Hopeville and was a veteran 4r of 55 years. Both are buried in Hopeville Cemetery.
William G. Gonseth was born at Stennett, Iowa, July 23, 1908, and died September 4, 1969, son of John and Rosa (Cornielson) Gonseth, he was from a family of four children: Lisa (Gonseth) Williams, Leland and Forrest. He was marries June 21, 1929 to Mildred Welker at Corning, Iowa. He was a retired farmer and trucker and spent most of his life in Clarke County. To this union were blessed three children: Mrs. Peggy Kleindienst, William R. and Leo. Burial n Murray Cemetery.
Ivy Inoa (Smith) Hale was born April 2, 1887 in Clarke County and died October 23, 1969 in Osceola, Iowa, daughter of Samuel J. and Eva Lutilla (Oaks) Smith. She married Charles Hale December 31, 1907 in Osceola, Iowa. Three children were born to this union: Harley, Eva and Helen.
Lewis Clyde Smith, son of Lewis C. and Tabitha Jane Smith, was born in Worth County, Missouri, November 2, 1876 and died December 29, 1953. In 1877, he and his parents and an older brother and sister moved to Smith County, Kansas, where they lived for some six years. The family then returned to Iowa and he grew to manhood near Hopeville. On February 14, 1907, he was married to Effie C. Cooper of Thayer, Iowa. During the early years of his marrled life, he served as County Superintendent of Schools in Clarke County and later as Supt. of Schools in Cushing, Iowa. While in Cushing, two children were born to them: a son Lewis Clifford and a daughter Alice Marie m. Harold Mears of Philadelphia, Pa. Later the family returned to Clarke County where he taught for many years in the Hopeville School. His teaching career was ended in March, 1932, when a partial stroke left him a semi-invalid. He and his wife, Effie (Cooper) Smith (1880-1960) are buried in Hopeville Cemetery.
Lewis C. Smith was born June 23, 1841 and died February 5, 1899. He served in Co. I, 4th Iowa Infantry during the Civil War. He married Tabitha Jane, born August 6, 1844, died May 11, 1932, both buried in the Hopeville cemetery. They became the parents of five children: Lewis Clyde b. 1876 m. Effie C. Cooper; Laura m. Gaumer; W. Floyd; J.O.; and W.M. They came to this area from Kansas in 1877.Jonas Ray Smith, son of James and Salome Smith, was born In Hopeville, Iowa, March 24, 1884, and died January 10, 1910 at the age of 25 years. When he was 15 years old, his father died; he then made his home with his sister, Mrs. Jennie Allen of Rock Island, Illinois. After two years in Rock Island, he returned to Hopeville and made his home with his mother when not employed away from home. He was married on the 20th day of February, 1906, to Miss Bessie Pearl Cooper near Hopeville. They became the parents of a son, Everret Wesley, who was only three years of age at the time of his father's death.
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Submitted by... Bessie Siefkas
I remember when I was a small child, we had a Post Office in Hopeville with a man by the name of Sol Shaffstall as our Postmaster. We also had a hardware store, three grocery stores, a barber shop, a restaurant, three churches, I.O.O.F. Lodge and Rebecca's. The three store owners I remember were Frank Perdue, Crate Kuder and Bill Beaman. Another fond remembrance were the tent shows: The Hatchers Tent Show and Tobey's Tent Shows; they came every year.
There were also, at one time, several tribes of Indians in and around the area before my family came there to live. They were called Mosquoke and Pottawattamie. The noted Chief of one of these tribes was called John Green. This being close to the Morman area, it was known that they always had a very good relationship between them.
My brother was down on the forty south of his home one day, and looked up and saw a man coming toward him on foot. The man told him his name and my brother could tell the man looked like an Indian. They visited for awhile. The man told my brother that he was a great grandson of the Chief John Green whose tribe lived on my father's ground. He walked with my brother and pointed out that the cemetery was located where his hog lot was. There had always been a streak of red dirt where it would show up when plowing. The man said that was where they had their bonfires for years. This particular tribe of Indians were the "Iowa".
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Last revised November 12, 2013