Moses Coil,
One of the pioneers of Greene county, a son of George and Sarah
(Dixon) Coil, was born in Ross county, Ohio, in 1815. His mother died
during his infancy and when he was eight years old his father died. He
was raised by a family named Dixon. In 1841 he was married to Rosanna
Helius, a native of Virginia. They lived in Ohio until 1849, when they
came to Indiana, where they lived until 1852, when they came to Greene
county, locating in section 27 in Grant township. In 1860 they moved
on to 40 acres of wild land in section 30, Grant township, to which he
has added and now owns a farm of 118 acres, fully paid. Jan 26, 1898,
Mrs. Coil died, leaving a husband and eight children: Mary (Mrs.
Peel), Samuel, John, Moses O., Stephen, Rosanna (Mrs. J. Shriver),
Anna (Mrs. E. Shriver). In politics he is a republican.
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Joseph Stoos,
Farmer and stockman, son of Andrew and Jennie (Krider) Stoos, was
born in DuPage county, Illinois, in 1857, of French parentage. His
father was a wagon maker and a member of the famous "Peter
Schuttler Wagon Company, and made the wood work on the first wagon
which bore the name. It is still in the possession of he Company and
was on exhibition at the World’s Fair in 1893. Mr. Stoos’
education was in the Academy at Naperville, supplemented by a course
in the Northwestern College in the same town, where he was married in
1882 to Elizabeth Leesley, a native of Naperville. They came to Greene
county in 1882, locating on section 4 in Grant township, where he had
bought the farm upon which they now live and owns free of debt. He is
a member of Jefferson Camp 2844 M. W. A. and Politically is a
republican.
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George E.
Bannister,
Son of Brayton and Adelia (Smith) Bannister, was born in Columbia
county, Wisconsin, in 1861. When he was two year old his father died
and he was adopted by a Mr. And Mrs. M. W. Smith, of Wisconsin, which
name he now bears. In 1853 he with his adopted parents came to Greene
county, locating in Jefferson until the fall of 1869, when he bought
110 acres in section 1, Grant township, where the adopted father died
in 1883. The same year he married Nellie M. Hastings, of Hardin
township, and settled on the Smith homestead, where they have since
resided. He owns, besides, 80 acres in section 35, Hardin township. He
was raised on a farm, and educated in the common schools of Greene
county. They have had six children, five of whom are now living:
Marvin L., 13; Iva M., 11; Francis V., 9; Hazel A. 6; George E., 2.
Louis A., born June, 1854, died July 1896. Mrs. Smith is a daughter of
A. W. and M. E. Hastings, who were early settlers in Hardin township.
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Moses O. Coil,
Farmer and stockman, son of Moses and Rose Ann Coil, who came to
Greene county in 1850, is without a peer in the county, having been
born in Jackson township in 1854. Is of English-Irish descent. He was
raised a farmer, and fully understands the privations of pioneer life.
His education was acquired in the common schools of Greene county. In
March, 1887, he married Mary J. Dunivan, daughter of Patrick and Eliza
(Johnson) Dunivan. In 1892 he bought 120 acres of land in section 36,
Scranton township, and sold it in 1894, buying 120 acres in section 3,
Grant township, where they now reside. His success is due to industry
and economy. During a 15 years’ occupancy of a farm in Jackson
township, he saved enough to buy his present home. They have had three
children: Lillie Mae, 11; Michael M, 10, Charlie M., 8. In politics he
is a republican.
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William N.
Montgomery,
Son of Olive and Mary (Cowles) Montgomery, was born in Greene
county, Pa., in 1845. Was raised a farmer a calling he has followed
and was educated in the common schools of Monongahela county,
Virginia, where he lived until he was 18 years of age. In 1863 he went
to Illinois locating in Putham county, where he was employed as a farm
hand for several years. In 1870 he went to Harrison county, Missouri,
where he was married in 1872 to Elizabeth Kinsey of Ohio. In 1883 they
came to Greene county, locating in Dawson township, where they lived
three years, when he bought 40 acres timber land in Washington
township. In 1892 he bought the 200-acre farm in that township known
as the Young farm, where they lived until 1899, when they moved to the
Cavanaugh farm, adjoining Jefferson. They have nine children, six of
them still living: John, 22; Frank E., 21; Garfield, 16; DeWitt T.,
11; Lawrence C., 8; Ethel Irma, 6. In politics he is a democrat.
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George F.
Dawson,
Son of John and Martha (Burdette) Dawson, was born in Licking
county, Ohio, in 1849. When he was one year old he came with his
parents to Iowa, locating in Van Buren county, where they lived until
1855, when they moved to Marion county, where he was raised a farmer
and educated in the common schools of Marion county. He came to Greene
county in 1870, locating on what is known as the John Harker farm in
Hardin township. In 1879 he was married to Sarah E. Athey, a native of
Indiana. They commenced housekeeping in Dawson township, which
received its name from the father of Mr. Dawson, and he was the first
assessor in the township. In 1888 they moved on to section 12, Grant
township, where they now reside. They have eight children: Guss O.,
23; Mattie E., 21; Joseph F., 19; George E., 16; Clarence H., 13;
Annie Maud, 11; Ora W., 9; Georgia L. 6. Mr. And Mrs. Dawson are
members of the Friends church, and in politics he is a republican.
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Eleazer Hockett,
Was born in Hamilton county, Indiana in 1839, a son of Eleazer and
Rebecca (Powell) Hoskett, and is of Scotch parentage. He was reared a
farmer, and educated in the common schools of Indiana and Iowa. When
he was sixteen years old he came with his parents to Iowa, locating in
Jasper county. In 1857 he came to Carroll county, where he was
employed as a mail carrier; in 1859 he sought for gold in the Rockies,
and succeeded well. In 1861 he returned to Carroll county, and carried
mail from Marietta to Carrollton. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. E, 39th
Iowa Infantry, under Gen. Logan, and was wounded in the right leg at
Altoona Pass, and after a long hospital experience, returned to the
field in 1864, and was honorably discharged at Washington in 1865. He
then came to Greene county, settling in Scranton township, where he
bought 80 acres wild land which he improved. In 1871 he was married to
Catherine Kuder, of Champaign county, Illinois, and moved to Iowa,
locating on a farm of 160 acres in section 12, Grant township. In 1873
they moved to Cass county for a year and thence to Illinois for three
years. In 1884 they returned to Greene county, locating on section 12,
Grant township, where they now reside, and where he owns a pleasant
home. They have had four children: Flora (Mrs. Henderson), 26; Verlin,
24; Ella, 17; Pearl, 15. Mr. Hockett was raised a Quaker, and in
politics he is a republican.
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Austin McCuen,
Easily claims to be one of the pioneer sons of Greene county,
having been born on section 23, Grant township in 1861. When he was
six months old his father died at Des Moines, whither he had gone as a
volunteer in defense of his county. Austin was raised on the Grant
township farm, the place of his birth, and his education was received
in the common schools of Greene county, so that he honestly claims the
rank of a pioneer. In 1889 he was married to Emily Smith, daughter of
Morgan and Mary Ann (Bull) Smith, an English lady. They commenced
housekeeping on the 100-acre homestead farm which he now owns, besides
40 acres in section 26, and has a pleasant farm home. They have four
children: Hazel, 8; Alta, 5; G. Barton, 4; Bessie May, 1. Politically
he is a republican. He is at present Justice of the Peace and has
filled various positions in his township. The title to his farm is
direct from the U. S. to the McCuen family.
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Horace Bennett,
One of the enterprising farmers of Greene county, was born in
Medina county, Ohio, in 1844, a son of John and Mercy Ann (Lonker)
Bennett, and is of Scotch-Irish-German descent. The father died when
he was three years old, the youngest of seven children. When he was 12
years old he came to Rockford, Illinois, remaining until 1864, and
received his education in the common schools of Winnebago county. Was
raised a farmer, a calling he has since followed and in which he has
been successful. He came to Greene county in 1864, but thinking it too
wild, he returned to Illinois the next year and enlisted in his county’s
service in Co. G, 153 Ills. Infantry, and was honorably discharged at
close of war. In 1866 he returned to Greene county, locating on 80
acres of wild land in Franklin township. In 1864 he was married to
Emma J. Anderson, a native of Greene county, Ohio. The same year he
purchased 80 acres in section 22, Grant township, and has added to it
and now owns 321 acres—a splendid farm and a comfortable home, which
speaks well for the energy of a man who commenced without a dollar.
March 27, 1896 Mrs. Bennett died, leaving a husband and ten children:
Minnie (Mrs. I. Hamilton), 35; Theodore, 32; Ralph, 30; Ida (Mrs. B.
Grogan), 28; J. W. 26; Jessie, 34; Laura, 22; Anna, 20; Roscoe, 10;
Earl, 5. The church of the family is the M. E. church, and politically
he is a republican, and at present one of the township trustees, a
position he has filled for several years.
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Henry Gilroy,
Son of James and Anna (Crawford) Gilroy, is one of the earlier
pioneers of Greene county. He was born in Clark county, Ohio, in 1836,
and is of Scotch-Irish descent. When he was twelve years old he moved
with this parents to Illinois, locating in Vermillion county, where
they farmed for seven years. His education was in the common schools
of Ohio and Illinois. He came to Greene county Oct. 11, 1855, locating
on what is known as the Headley farm. In 1860 he married Lydia Houver,
a native of Indiana, and commenced housekeeping in a small cabin on
the Thos. Roberts farm, where they lived until 1861, when they went
back to Illinois for three years and then returned to Jefferson where
they located one year. In 1870 he rented the York farm in Franklin
township five years and then located on his present farm in section
20, Grant township. In 1892 Mrs. Gilroy died, leaving a husband and
three children: Frank S., 33; James R., 30; Harvey B., 19. In February
1894, Mr. Gilroy married Nellie Thomas of Grant township. He is
certainly a part of Greene county’s history, having taken the wild
prairie at an early day and converted it into a comfortable home. In
politics Mr. Gilroy is a Populist.
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Samuel M.
Taylor,
Farmer and stockraiser, was born in Champaign county, Illinois, in
1838, the son of Joshua and Nancy (Moore) Taylor, and is of
French-Irish descent. Having come to Greene county with his parents in
1855, he can justly claim front rank as a pioneer. They located in
section 27 in what was then Jefferson township, but now Grant
township, where the father purchased of James Barngrover, who entered
the land originally. The first cabin built by the Taylors was of logs,
14x16 feet and served as parlor and kitchen for a number of years. He
was raised on a farm, a calling he has ever since followed, and his
education was in the common schools of Illinois and he is also a
graduate of the Urbana Seminary of Champaign county, Ills., where he
was married to Mrs. Frances Correy, a native of North Carolina, and
where they commenced housekeeping. In 1870 Mrs. Taylor died, leaving a
husband and two children: Rosetta (Mrs. M. B. Dally), Nancy Adelia
(Mrs. H. B. Landenslayer). In 1872 he married Anna Tilton of Greene
county. They have had seven children, only three of whom are now
living: S. Martin, 26; Ariel Adolphus, 16; Roy Elmer, 7. In addition
to their own family they are caring for a daughter of Mr. And Mrs.
Alonzo Sawyer giving her the same school and home privileges as their
own children. The church of the family is the M. E. church and in
politics he is a republican.
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Jesse Perkins,
Was born in Indiana in 1836, and resided there until he was ten
years old when he came with his parents to Iowa, locating in Grant
township where he has since resided. He took out the first marriage
license ever issued in Greene county, when he was united in marriage
in 1853 to Nancy Tucker. He was one a a party of three who in 1853
found three men out on the prairie, near the present site of Carroll,
two of whom were frozen to death, and the third had his feet frozen.
Mr. Perkins helped to build the first house in Jefferson which his
father used as a store. They have had twelve children, six of whom are
dead. Politically he is a republican.
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