Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1915
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 656
HARMON L. PIERCE

The subject of the sketch to which the attention of the reader is now directed is one of the leading business men of Little Sioux, Iowa, well and widely known throughout this section. The career of Mr. PIERCE clearly demonstrates that perseverance, industry and sterling worth are sure to win conspicuous recognition. He is a man of vigorous mentality and strong moral fiber, possessing that genuine friendliness which is a necessary asset for one who caters to the public's need in any way. Mr. PIERCE is an excellent example of a successful, self-made man and is eminently deserving of the confidence reposed in him by his fellow-citizens.

Harmon L. PIERCE was born on December 18, 1852, in Iowa county, Wisconsin, a son of Philetus and Louisa (NOYES) PIERCE, natives of Illinois and Ohio, respectively, who, shortly after their marriage, became pioneers in Wisconsin, being among the very earliest settlers of their locality. They remained there until 1860 when they removed to this state, locating at Little Sioux in this county and owning and operating a valuable farm located about four miles southwest of the town mentioned. Harmon L. PIERCE was one of a family of fifteen children, being the second in order of birth, and he remained under the parental roof until the time of his marriage at the age of twenty. He put in several years at farm labor, hiring out by the month to farmers in the vicinity of Little Sioux, but he later mastered the carpenter's trade, at which he worked until 1885. Several of the store buildings in Little Sioux show evidences of his skill and he later did much work in the contracting line. Among the examples of his work in this connection are three school buildings in Jackson township, for the building and remodeling of which he was awarded the contracts. Among the finer residences to which he gave his attention is that of Judge WHITING, located in Monroe county, at which place he worked for seven months. In 1885 he discontinued his work as a carpenter, and went into the pump and windmill business and succeeded so well in this undertaking that three years later he felt justified in adding a line of farm implements. Again, in 1900, he branched out and in addition to the business then in operation, he put in a stock of hardware and opened up a tin shop, adding a five hundred dollar stock in this latter line. His business has steadily increased, owing to his excellent management and his manner of dealing with patrons; other lines have been added and at the present time he carries between four and five thousand dollars in his enterprise.

Mr. PIERCE's marriage took place on December 25, 1872, when he led to the altar Laura M. FARBER, born in Illinois on May 30, 1853, a daughter of George and Sarah (WELSH) FARBER, one of a family of eight children, the family having come to this county in 1870. To Harmon L. and Laura M. (FARBER) PIERCE have been born two daughters, Sadie M. and Jessie M. The former is the wife of N. J. Bryan and is the mother of three children, Vera, Pearl and Kenneth. The family resides in Little Sioux. Jessie M. is Mrs. H. D. Hollins and resides in Sioux City. She has one child, Loren Dale. The family always has been considered among the leading people of the town and each member in his or her own way has raised higher the standard of right and proper living.

In addition to his established business in town, Mr. PIERCE is engaged in an unusual venture in which he is highly successful. This is his pigeon ranch, the only one in the county. He raises squabs for the market and ships annually to Chicago from eight to eight and a half thousand. He has all full-blood birds of the Homer and Carneaux breeds and while he has not been selling his birds for breeding purposes heretofore, he expects to do so in the future, owing to the fact that he has been paying considerable attention to this phase of the business. At the present time he has from eighteen hundred to two thousand birds and has so mastered the various ends of the business, that he is finding it a most interesting and lucrative investment.

Mr. PIERCE holds his fraternal affiliations with the ancient order of Free and Accepted Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America, and both Mr. and Mrs. PIERCE are active members of the Daughters of Rebekah. Mr. PIERCE takes more than a passive interest in the workings of his fraternal orders and has in his time filled the chairs in both the Masonic and Odd Fellow bodies. Politically, he is aligned with the Republican party and while not an active politician, he takes a keen interest in party affairs and has been a member of the town council for a number of years.

Mr. PIERCE owns his own town property, a comfortable and hospitable home, located in the south part of town and is also a stockholder and director of the Little Sioux Savings Bank. Mr. PIERCE is descended from sterling English and German stock and has combined in his personality many of the admirable traits of both nationalities. The best of his life he has given to his home and business interests, but he has not been so wholly engrossed in these laudable pursuits as to preclude the proper discharge of the duties devolving upon him as the citizen of a great commonwealth, and has in his place met the obligations falling upon him. His is the wholesome, well-balanced life found in its fullest flower in this great land of ours and which in the aggregate forms the solid foundation of the nation's prosperity and peace.

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