Henry Co, IA Biographies

GUSTAVUS A. DANIELSON

GUSTAVUS A. DANIELSON, who since 1870 has resided upon the farm which is yet his home, in Jackson township, is one of the worthy citizens that Sweden has furnished to Iowa, his birth having occurred in Ionsherping, Esteryetland, Audlif, on the 14^th of September, 1841. His parents were Daniel and Catherina (Peterson) Swanson and the latter died in the year 1844. The father afterward married again and with his second wife came to America in 1861, making his way to Jefferson county. He purchased a small place near Salina and lived there until 1886, when both he and his second wife died with a week, in April of that year.

Gustavus A. Danielson is indebted to the public-school system of his native country for the educational privileges he enjoyed, but he had little opportunity for attending school, as he began to work on a farm when only eleven years of age. He was thus employed until 1858, when he went to Stockholm and worked for a building master, learning the mason's trade. He spent five years in that way, after which he entered the employ of a grain commission merchant, with whom he continued until 1867. In that year he crossed the Atlantic to New York and made an overland trip to Burlington, Iowa, where he arrived in the month of August. He then went to his father's place, where he remained for six months and at the end of that time began working on the Union Pacific Railroad, spending two years in that service in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Utah. Later he returned to Mount Pleasant, where he worked for John Rhugarber and John Winters, and when his labor had brought him sufficient capital he made investment in property, purchasing eighty acres on section 9, Jackson township, Henry county, in 1870. This was partially improved, with twenty-five acres fenced and three acres broken. He began the further cultivation and development of the place and his labors soon wrought a marked transformation in its appearance, for what was once wild land was converted into productive fields and brought forth rich harvests. His prosperity was indicated by the fact that in 1891 he erected a frame residence of eight rooms. He has also built a barn thirty-six by forty feet, and numerous other buildings and has added one hundred and fifteen acres more to the original tract, so that the farm now comprises one hundred and ninety-five acres. Like most of the Iowa soil, the land is rich and productive, responding rapidly to the care and cultivation bestowed upon it and he therefore raises good crops. He has it all improved with the exception of fifteen acres of timber, and he successfully carries on general agricultural pursuits, in addition to which he raises road horses, cattle and Poland China hogs.

On the 22^nd of April, 1877, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Danielson and Miss Ellen Roudebush, who was born in Ohio, a daughter of Jacob and Saloma (Kuhn) Roudebush, natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Danielson now have a son and daughter: Charles H. L., born February 10, 1878; and Margaret E. J., born September 16, 1879, the wife of T. P. Box, a farmer near Ottumwa. The father was reared in the faith of the Lutheran church, but is now, with Mrs. Danielson, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and his political views are in accord with the principles of the Republican party. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to America, for he has found and improved good business opportunities in this country and his labors, unhampered by caste or class, have brought him to a position of local prominence and of affluence in agricultural circles.

(Biographical Review of Henry County, Iowa. Chicago: Hobart Publishing Co.,1906, p. 481-482) (PE)

FRANK C. DAVEY

Among the successful farmers of Canaan township are many who were born and bred upon the farm, who have followed agricultural pursuits all their lives and have become representative men in the community in which they live. There are many who have gained the deserved prominence they now enjoy through their own energy and steadfastness of purpose. A young and successful farmer of such a type is Frank C. Davey, who was born in Canaan township, July 5, 1871, on the place where he now resides. He spent his boyhood and youth on the home place, assisting his father in the farm work, when he was too young to take responsibilities. He attended school in the district schools and received a good general education.

He is a son of Lewis and Maria (Shopbell) Davey and is, through his father, of English descent, the elder Davey having been born in Devonshire, England. His mother's parents, Jacob and Elizabeth (Huskin) Shopbell, were natives of Pennsylvania. Lewis Davey went to New London and married there in 1851 and lived upon a farm which he leased until 1861. He then purchased eighty acres on section 27, Canaan township, a piece of land which was then in an uncultivated state. He made many needed improvements and at the time of his death in 1902 left the land in a good state of cultivation. He lived to see most flattering results of his early labors. His wife, the great helper in his early days of wresting his land from the wilderness, is still living and is passing her declining years with her daughter, Mrs. W. M. Anderson, of Aurora, Illinois.

Frank C. Davey has always lived upon the old homestead where he has devoted his time and energy to his chosen calling. In 1901 he bought eighty acres of the farm originally belonging to his father, and in 1904 he purchased eighty acres more of the home place. He is a practical farmer and confines himself to no one line, but follows general farming, raising hogs, cattle and horses. October 27, 1902, Mr. Davey married Miss Ida M. Ross, who was a native of Wapello, Louisa county, Iowa. She was a daughter of Hector Ross (of Canadian birth) and Mary Ross. She gained her education in the public schools of Mediapolis, where she was a student until she completed the course of studies. Mr. Davey is a practical farmer and is a man who is constantly seeking the improvement of his productive and well tilled lands. He is politically a democrat, but does not care to take an active part in politics, preferring rather to aid in good government by being a conscientious, faithful citizen, devoted to the welfare of both home and country.

(Biographical Review of Henry County, Iowa. Chicago: Hobart Publishing Co.,1906, p. 254-255) (PE)

ROBERTS P. DAVIDSON

ROBERTS PARKS DAVIDSON is the owner of a valuable farm of two hundred and forty acres on section 23, Scott township. It was here that he was born and he is one of the typical native sons of the county, alert and enterprising, watchful of opportunities for his own business advancement and for the good of the community as well. His paternal grandparents were Judah and Mary (Parks) Davidson, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Kentucky. Their son, James Thomas Davidson, was born in Nicholas county, Kentucky, and when he had reached adult age was married to Miss Nancy Glenn, who was born in that locality as were her parents, Moses Ferguson and Elizabeth (Cowan) Glenn. After residing in Kentucky for a time James T. Davidson came with his family to Iowa in 1858 making the journey by boat from Cincinnati to Burlington, whence he came to Henry county. Here in connection with his brother, Robert P. Davidson, he purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land. James T. Davidson also bought eighty acres of land on which a house had been built, to which he afterward added and removing to that place made his home thereon until he had reared his family of seven children, four sons and three daughters. He was an enterprising, industrious agriculturalist, whose labors were well directed and proved resultant factors in winning for him success. When he had acquired a handsome competence that rendered further labor unnecessary he removed to Winfield in 1893 and there continued to make his home until his demise, which occurred in July, 1902. His wife had died while upon the home farm in 1889. Mr. Davidson was the owner of seven hundred and fifty acres of land at the time of his death and thus left to his family a valuable property and also an honored name, for in all business transactions he was straightforward and reliable.

Following the death of the father the property was divided among the children, Robert P. Davidson retaining the old home place. He has spent his entire life upon this farm and in his youth he aided in the labors of field and meadow when not occupied with the duties of the schoolroom. His early education was acquired in the district schools and his more advanced knowledge was obtained in Cornell College at Mount Vernon, Iowa. Through the periods of vacation he worked in the fields and he is now the owner of two hundred and forty acres of valuable land on section 23, Scott township which was well improved when it came into his possession. The only interval in his life in which he has not been associated with farm work here was from 1884 until 1886, which he spent with a surveying outfit in Texas. He then returned and has since given his undivided attention to farm labor and is accounted one of the progressive, practical and prosperous agriculturists of his community. He votes with the Democracy, but has no aspiration for office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his farming interests.

(Biographical Review of Henry County, Iowa. Chicago: Hobart Publishing Co.,1906, p. 627-628) (PE)

David Davies

DAVID DAVIES is a farmer residing on section 4, Jefferson Township, Henry Co., Iowa. From a country far across the seas came a family of note in the history of this county. Henry Davies, Sr., was married to Elizabeth Jenkins, in Wales. They had a family of twelve children prior to the emigration to America, of whom two are deceased. In. Wales Henry Davies, Sr., was a farmer, and owned two farms, These he sold after purchasing 1,000 acres in this and Washington County. With his wife and children he left Liverpool in 1853. The voyage was made without accident, but the loving wife and tender mother died on the ocean, and was buried in the blue waters of the Atlantic. That was a sorrowful time for the company of emigrants. The girls were young and knew but little about life's duties, but the family came to Henry County and here found a home. The blow was a sad one to the husband, who had laid the foundation for most successful business, but as joys and sorrow; come to all alike, he bore the loss with all the patience of a devoted Christian, and to her memory Henry Davies remained true, and reached the ripe old age of eighty-four years. Of the children we speak individually: David, our subject, is the eldest; Henry Davies, Jr., married Mary, a daughter of John Davidson, of Washington County, and resides in Wayland; Mary wedded Evan E. Davis, farmer of Louisa County, who was also born in Wales; Elizabeth married John Park, a dealer in stock and a resident of Washington, Washington Co., Iowa; Dinah is the wife of Robert T. Jones, a farmer residing in Louisa County; Hannah is the wife of Huston D. Fishburn, a farmer of Jewell County, Kan; Evan wedded Elizabeth Williams, a daughter of Hopkin Williams, who was one of the first settlers in the county, and in whose honor Williams Creek received its name; Winnie A. became the wife of William Sutherland, a resident farmer of Washington County; Sarah, deceased, wedded Jacob Izenhart, who is in the restaurant business at Brighton, Washington Co., Iowa; John married Addie Park, and resides on the original Davies homestead.

Perhaps no family enjoy a higher degree of prosperity or are more favorably known for their excellence of character than the family under consideration. All are prosperous, and the majority are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. David Davies, our subject, was born in 1832, and was married first to Miss Sally, a daughter of Hopkin Williams, in 1860. One son, William H., graced the marriage, but his death occurred when a babe of four months, dying Sept. 11, 1861. His mother was disconsolate, and a short time afterward also died, her death occurring Nov. 26, 1861, and their bodies repose side by side in the village cemetery. In 1866 Mr. Davies was again married, Mrs. Nancy (Anderson) Schooler becoming his wife. This couple have enjoyed a happy married life of twenty-one years, during which time one son, Homer E., has brought added joy to their home. He is now in his fourteenth year. Two hundred and nineteen acres pay tribute to the energy of Mr. Davies, and his home overlooking the pleasant village of Wayland is commanding in appearance, and his large barns and outhouses show him to be a man of enterprise and thrift. We welcome to these pages the history of such a family.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 192-193.)(JC)

Evan Davies

EVAN DAVIES, farmer, residing on section 4, Jefferson Township, Henry Co., Iowa, is a prominent member of the family whose earlier history is noticed under the name of an elder brother, David Davies, elsewhere in this volume. Evan Davies was born in South Wales, Aug. 3, 1842, and came here when his father emigrated in 1853. His education was received here, and his father's house, near where he now lives, was his home until after his marriage. After getting such education as was afforded by the district schools he attended Howe's Academy in Mt. Pleasant for two years, and afterward graduated from the Great Western Business College, at Mt. Pleasant, receiving a diploma as "Bachelor of Accounts." His subsequent life has been passed in agricultural pursuits, and the farm on which is his home was inherited from his father a few years after his marriage. He is noted as one of the intelligent and successful men of Jefferson Township, and has held nearly all the township offices. He is now Township Clerk and Treasurer of Independent School District No. 5, and has been Justice of the Peace and Trustee. He is a member of Wayland Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is Parsonage Trustee. His wife is likewise a member of the same church, and the family are held in high esteem. He was married, Nov. 29, 1870, to Miss Elizabeth Williams, the history of whose parents will follow. Upon their present homestead a happy and prosperous married life was begun, and to this day no nicer home or happier family graces Jefferson Township. Their new mansion was completed in 1874, and in 1884 the great barn was erected. Thousands of dollars have been spent by Evan Davies in improvements, and his farm, consisting of 172 acres, adjoins the northwest corner of the village plat of Wayland. Six children were born to this couple, three now deceased-Eva, Ira and Isa, twins. Those living are Addie B., Annie R. and Gracie E.

As will be seen in referring to other pages in this volume, Wales furnishes some of the most distinguished families of this part of the county, and among her sons and daughters are those whose life's history no stain or blot has ever marred. Hopkin Williams was born in Wales, and in that country he was married to Wennie Jones, and had a family of four children before they emigrated to America. Hopkin Williams was a farmer in his native country. There is no obtainable history of either the Williams or Jones families back of Hopkin and his wife, but we propose to give their children data that to them will be valuable. In 1832 the family sailed for America, and located first in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, remaining there about two and a half years, where they purchased a farm. The Germans rapidly settled about him and later purchased his farm. Having a desire to live further West, Hopkin packed his goods upon a steamer and with his family started down the Ohio. Before reaching the Mississippi he decided to land his goods and buy a team, which he did, and overland in a covered wagon the family made their way to Iowa, crossing the Mississippi at Burlington in the summer of 1835. After prospecting a few days, Mr. Williams pushed farther westward and found a tract with water, timber and prairie, which suited his ideas of what a farm should be. He selected a large claim, but after it was surveyed by the Government found that others had taken part of it, consequently he entered different tracts in this and Washington County.

John H. Wallbank owns the farm upon which Hopkin Williams built his first cabin, which was later destroyed by fire, and at the same time the family records and other valuable property was burned. While in Ohio, a daughter, Rachel, were born; she is now the widow of Amos Montgomery. Ann, the wife of Evan Evans, was born in Wales, also her brother William and two other children who died unmarried. In this county were born Sarah, who wedded David Davies, of whom mention is made elsewhere; Jane, who wedded Solomon Cavenee, a resident of Henry County; Benjamin, who wedded Jennie Benham, and is a farmer of Page County, Iowa, and Elizabeth, the honored wife of Evan Davies. A long lifetime was spent in happiness by Hopkin Williams and his good wife. He was an industrious man, and his wife was one of the most amiable of ladies. She was a member of the first Methodist Episcopal class organized in this township, and was during her lifetime a firm believer in the faith. Some of her children followed her example, and all were numbered among the best residents of the community.

"Williams Creek" was named in honor of Hopkin Williams; it passed through his claim, and his being the only white family in this part of the county nearer than Trenton, the name naturally followed. The Indians made sugar during the early spring months of each year in the maple groves skirting Mr. Williams' farm, and their dusky faces were more common by far than white ones. Hopkin Williams died at the age of seventy-three, and his wife survived him several years, making her home with her children.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 209-210.)(JC)

Henry Davies Jr.

HENRY DAVIES, JR., a retired farmer, residing on section 10, Jefferson Township, Henry Co., Iowa, is a member of one of the oldest and wealthiest families of Jefferson Township, and we add with pleasure his sketch in this volume. He was born Dec. 22, 1833, in South Wales. His education was commenced in Wales, and completed in Jefferson Township. He was married, in 1867, to Miss Mary Davidson, of Washington County, Iowa, a daughter of John and Elnora Davidson. The young wife was brought to a new home on the farm owned by her husband, a part of the Davies' land. On this farm their married life was begun. Here their children were born, namely: Sarah E., wife of William Henss, Jr., a resident on the home farm, and Jesse E. In 1883 Mr. Davies became a resident of Wayland, purchasing twenty acres of the Warren addition, adjoining the original village plat. After the marriage of their daughter the husband occupied the homestead and has since engaged in farm work, although by trade a mechanic, and the son of one of the oldest residents of Wayland. One grandson, Lester, plays gladly in the arms of the fond grandparents, who on both sides are living. No better name than that of Davies can grace these pages, and in presenting their history we offer the public a record of a people who have no superiors in social and moral virtues. Henry Davies, Jr., broke with several yoke of cattle all the sod of his, and a part of the David Davies' tract, and with pleasure he relates his love for the work, and the way in which he could manage his cattle in turning down the tall hazel brush and the long prairie grass.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p 197.)(JC)

ASAHEL H. DAVIS

ASAHEL H. DAVIS is occupying a valuable farm of one hundred and eighty acres in Center township, on which he has resided since 1898. His parents were Hosea and Sarah Abbie (Stevens) Davis, the former a native of Royalston, Massachusetts, born in 1816, while the latter was born in Petersham, Massachusetts, in 1836. The father became a successful physician, having prepared for his profession in Dartmouth College in Vermont, from which he was graduated, while later he pursued a course of study in Chicago in the early '50s as a student in Rush Medical College. He entered upon the active practice of his profession in Rushville, Indiana, in 1847, and in 1849 removed to Littleton, Illinois, where he built up a large practice, there continuing to make his home until 1888, when his life's labors were ended in death. His wife survived him for several years, passing away in 1896, and both were laid to rest in Littleton. The father was a stalwart republican in his political views, served as supervisor for several years and was called to still higher political honors, being chosen to represent his district in the general assembly in 1879, thus serving for a two years' term. He was twice married, his first union being with Miss Cynthia Marks, by whom he had two children, one of whom is yet living-Cynthia M., now the wife of Dr. Louis Seeley, of Rushville, Illinois. For his second wife Dr. Davis chose Miss Sarah Stevens and they had seven children: Asahel, of this review; a babe, who died when but six weeks old; John died at age of three years; Abbie R., the wife of Dr. Elmer DeGraff, of Des Moines, Iowa; Glaphyra V., now the wife of Henry P. Garrison, of Littleton, Illinois; Ethel E., who is living with her brother Asahel; and Ernest E., who is a physician of much ability practicing at Avon, Illinois, after completing his course of study in Northwestern College at Chicago.

Asahel H. Davis was born in Schuyler county, Illinois, July 15, 1861, and completed his literary course in the Rushville high school, from which he was graduated in the class of 1881. He then engaged in teaching school at Littleton for a year, after which he turned his attention to farming, which he followed in that locality until 1898, when he came to Henry county, Iowa, settling on his present farm. It was an improved place and he at once undertook the further task of further developing and cultivating the property. He is a general farmer and stock-raiser, practical in his efforts and successful in the result which attends his labors. He now has ninety acres of rich land, the greater part of which is under cultivation, and also operates ninety acres he rents and in the midst of his fields stand good buildings, while everything about his place indicates his careful supervision and practical, yet progressive methods.

On the 20^th of January, 1904, Mr. Davis was united in marriage to Miss Marietta Becker, who was born in this county February 10, 1875, a daughter of Urskine and Hester Ann (Morehead) Becker, the former born in Indiana in 1845, and the latter in Henry county, Iowa, 1851. The father devoted his time and energies to agricultural pursuits for many years but he and his wife are now living retired in Mount Pleasant. He has long voted with the Republican party but has been without aspiration for office. Both Mr. and Mrs. Becker hold membership in the Methodist church, in which he is serving as a trustee. In the family have been born five children: Lillian C., the wife of F. A. Hinkson, resident of New London township; Marietta, now Mrs. Davis; Callie B., the wife of D. H. Palmer, of Henry county; John Wesley, who died at the age of five years; and Myrtle, at home. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have two sons, Harold John and Ralph B.

Mr. Davis exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Republican party, and while living in Illinois served as town clerk. He is an Odd Fellow, holding membership in Mystic lodge, and his wife is a member of the Methodist church. They have a good home in the midst of a fine farm and are well known young people of Henry county, who occupy an enviable position in social circles, while cordial hospitality is freely extended to them by many friends.

(Biographical Review of Henry County, Iowa. Chicago: Hobart Publishing Co.,1906, p. 607-608) (PE)

EVAN DAVIS

EVAN DAVIS, well known in business circles in Mount Pleasant, where he is conducting an insurance office, was born in Glamorganshire, Wales, on the 3^rd of August, 1842, a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Jenkins) Davis. The father was born in 1800 in the same county and there he followed farming during the early years of his manhood. His wife died when Evan Davis was a little child. In October, 1853, Henry Davis crossed the Atlantic to America in one of the old-time sailing vessels, which was six weeks in completing that voyage to New York. He did not tarry in the east, however, but continued his journey into the interior of the country and took up his abode in the northwestern part of Jefferson township, Henry county. He became a noted stockman and successful farmer and placed his land under a good state of cultivation. His methods were practical and resultant and as the years passed he accumulated a comfortable competence and was known as the owner of a valuable property. He voted with the Democracy and his fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, frequently called to public office. He served as census enumerator, has assisted in other local positions in Wales and here he gave his political support to the Democratic party. Both he and his wife were members of the denomination known in the early days as New Lights. His wife died on the ocean in 1853 and was buried at sea, while the father passed away in Henry county in September, 1884, and was laid to rest in Wayland cemetery. In their family were ten children: David, who died in 1896; Henry, who married Mary E. Davidson and resides in Wayland, Iowa; Mary, the wife of E. E. Davis, residing near Columbus Junction, Iowa; Elizabeth, the wife of John Parks, who is living in Washington county, Iowa; Diana, the wife of R. T. Jones, of Cotter, Iowa; Hannah, the wife of H. D. Fishburh, whose home is in Nampa, Idaho; Evan, of this review; Winnie, the wife of William Sutherland, residing in Washington county, Iowa; Mrs. Sarah Eisenhart, of Page county, Iowa, who died about 1875 or 1876; and John, who married Ada Parks and is now living in Brighton, Washington county, Iowa. The eldest child was educated in the high school at Swansea, Wales, and the others were all educated in America.

Evan Davis was eleven years of age when brought by his parents to the United States and he pursued his education in the district schools and afterward in Howe's Academy in Mount Pleasant, in which institution he spent two years. He later attended the Great Western Business College at Mount Pleasant, from which he graduated. Returning to his father's farm he assisted in the cultivation and improvement until he had made a home of his own at the time of his marriage. On the 29^th of November, 1870, he wedded Miss Elizabeth Williams, who was born in Henry county, Iowa, October 2, 1846, a daughter of Hopkins and Winnie Williams, both of whom were natives of Glamorganshire, Wales. They came to America in 1836, settling in the northern part of Henry county and one of their grandchildren is still living upon the old homestead farm. There were only two houses in Mount Pleasant at the time of their arrival, one being the home of Presley Saunders and the other of Enoch Hills. The nearest neighbors of the Williams family were Indians, who were never hostile but were quiet and were good traders. The family lived in true pioneer style, remaining in the covered wagon in which they had traveled westward until the log cabin was completed. Mr. Williams entered his land from the government-a fact which indicates that not a furrow had been turned nor an improvement made upon the place but he at once undertook the arduous task of transforming a raw tract into rich fields, and in the course of time good crops were gathered. In politics he was a democrat, supporting that party throughout his entire residence in America. His wife was a member of the Methodist church and died in that faith in 1879, while Mr. Williams passed away during the war. He was a man of fine physique, large and well proportioned, and both he and his wife were pleasant, agreeable people who won the friendship of many with whom they came in contact. In their family were three sons and six daughters: John and Mary, now deceased; Mrs. Ann Evans, of Wayland, Iowa; William, of Wayland, Iowa, who married Miss J. L. Howard, now deceased; Rachel, who has passed away; Sarah, the deceased wife of David Davis, who has also departed this life; Jane, the wife of Solomon Cavenee, a resident of El Campo, Texas; Benjamin, married Jennie Benham, and is living in Taylor county, Iowa; Elizabeth, now Mrs. Davis. All of the children were reared and educated in this state.

Following his marriage Evan Davis purchased a farm of one hundred and seventy acres in Henry county and devoted his attention to the tilling of the soil and to stock-raising. He placed all of the building upon his farm, erecting substantial structures for the shelter of grain and stock and he added all modern equipments, including the latest improved machinery. His farm was ever neat and thrifty in appearance and indicated his careful supervision. He remained thereon until October, 1892, when he put aside the duties of agricultural life and came to Mount Pleasant, locating at No. 405 North Main street. He purchased and remodeled the property there, converting it into a fine residence. In 1893 and 1894 he was engaged in the poultry business and since 1895 has been engaged in the insurance business, representing reliable fire and life insurance companies, including the Des Moines Fire Insurance Company, of Des Moines, Iowa, and the Iowa State Insurance Company, of Keokuk, also the Merchants' Life Insurance Association, of Burlington. On the 24^th of June, 1905, he purchased the business conducted under the name of the Mount Pleasant Milling Company and is now proprietor, while W. M. Allison is manager.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Davis have been born three children: Ada Blanche, born in Henry county on the 12^th of December, 1876, was educated in the graded schools of Wayland, and continued her studies in the Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant. She is now the wife of Adam L. Foggy, who resides seven miles east of Mount Pleasant and they have two children, Lenox Davis and Ruth Elizabeth Foggy. Anna R. was born December 7, 1880, attended the high school in Mount Pleasant and afterward the Conservatory of Music in this city. She is now the wife of William M. Allison, who is manager of her father's mill and they reside on North Lincoln street. Grace E. Davis, born in Henry county, December 18, 1882, was graduated from the Mount Pleasant high school and spent two years as a student in the Iowa Wesleyan University. She was married on October 11, 1905, to George T. Hill, of Burlington, who now resides in Mount Pleasant and is cashier of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, at this place. Mrs. Foggy was married in 1894 and Mrs. Allison on the 27^th of February, 1904. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal church and have a wide acquaintance in Mount Pleasant, while the hospitality of their home is greatly enjoyed by their many friends. For more than a half century Mr. Davis has resided in Henry county and is therefore largely familiar with its history from its pioneer epoch down to the present time.

(Biographical Review of Henry County, Iowa. Chicago: Hobart Publishing Co.,1906, p.70-72) (PE)

WILLIAM DAVIS

WILLIAM DAVIS, of Mount Pleasant, is the owner of one of the largest and finest farms in this section of Iowa, having seven hundred and fifty acres in one body, and for many years he has been a leading stock-raiser of this section of the state, his extensive and profitable business interests bringing to him a large measure of success. He was born in Newark, Licking county, Ohio, on the 22^nd of June, 1824, and is a son of Zachariah and Elizabeth (Roberts) Davis. The father was a wheelwright by trade, and after following that pursuit for a time turned his attention to the butchering business. His last days were passed in Danville, Illinois.

In the public schools of his native state William Davis acquired his education, and in 1846 started westward, locating first in Attica, Indiana. He herded cattle in Chicago in 1847, and was acquainted with some of the pioneer residents of that city who have since become famous for their enterprise and wealth. Mr. Davis engaged in buying cattle, shipping at times as many as a hundred head in a single lot to Kentucky, and also making shipments to New York. He was very successful in that undertaking, and he also handled hogs. He spent ten years in Lafayette, Indiana, and then came to Iowa, settling in Mount Pleasant, where he built a pork-packing house, thus establishing one of the early successful industries of the city. He also bought the farm formerly owned by the heirs of John Sample, six miles west of the city, comprising seven hundred and fifty acres of valuable land, and on this farm Mr. Davis made his home for many years and has made most of the improvements. This he made his home till 1900, although he had lived in town during the winters to educate his children prior to retiring. In 1900 he bought a pleasant home opposite the Seeley Memorial building, and has since lived retired. This is largely a stock farm, although he raises grain to some extent. It is one of the large farms of the county, all in one body, with only one road through it, and with a railroad on the northern boundary. He still owns this place, but of recent years has rented the land.

In 1854 Mr. Davis was married to Miss Eliza Sample, a daughter of John and Ann (Taylor) Sample, who came from Randolph county, Indiana, being natives of Ohio, to Augusta, Iowa, in 1839, and after one summer removed to a farm he bought in Tippecanoe township, and there lived until eight of his family died of the cholera, in 1851. Miss Sample being left with a number of orphan children of four families, brothers and sisters, her brother came from Indiana and took her back with him. Those were hard days, she having to bury her own brother and undergo many other heart-rending trials. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Davis occurred at Lafayette, Indiana. She came to the middle west in 1839, locating north of Skunk river. She is one of the oldest settlers of the county, having resided here for sixty-six years, and can remember when the Indians were numerous, having not yet left their old hunting grounds for the reservations farther west. Wild game was to be had in abundance and wild animals were numerous, and the homes of the settlers were mostly built of logs. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have but one child, Nina, who was born in Mount Pleasant, and is the widow of Robert Buchanan. She resides in Denver, Colorado, and has four children: Henry, Walter, Smith and Robert Lloyd, all of whom are enterprising men of excellent business ability.

Mr. Davis bought his present residence in the fall of 1900. He has lived in Mount Pleasant and vicinity for a half century, having begun the construction of his pork house May 1, 1856. This was the first packing establishment west of Burlington, and he recalls many changes, not only in the county, but also in the state. He was made a Mason in this city, being a member of Henry Lodge No. 55, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He voted for William Henry Harrison in 1840, and continued a supporter of the whig party until its dissolution, when he joined the ranks of the then recently organized republican party, of which he has since been a stanch advocate. He is a pioneer of the middle west, who by the utilization and improvement of business opportunities has advanced from a humble financial condition to one of wealth and affluence.

(Biographical Review of Henry County, Iowa. Chicago: Hobart Publishing Co.,1906, p. 64-66) (PE)

James Harvey Day

JAMES HARVEY DAY, residing on section 35, Marion Township, was born in New London, Iowa, Jan. 19, 1855. His father, Ransom Day, is a native of Logan County, Ohio, and his mother, Rachel (Cox) Day, is a native of Canada. They emigrated to Henry County about 1848, settling in New London, where he was engaged in carpenter work, which trade he had learned when a young man and still follows. When James was but an infant his parents removed to the city of Des Moines, where they resided for two years, then going to Augusta, Des Moines County, they made that place their home until 1869, when they removed to Marshall.

When a lad of fourteen years James Day went to Mt. Pleasant, where he was employed in a brickyard as one of the burners, working in that yard until 1874, and at last had charge of a kiln. Going to Fairfield, he worked in that city during the summer of 1874 as foreman of a brickyard. Returning to Mt. Pleasant, he was again engaged in the old brickyard, working until 1878, when he went to Wilber, Neb., where he worked at his trade for a short time, but soon returned to Mt. Pleasant. In 1879 Mr. Day decided to go to Topeka, Kan., and in that city worked one winter at the carpenter trade, and the next spring began track work on the Santa Fe Railroad. He was then employed by the railroad company as bridge carpenter, continuing in their employ for nearly two years, and then returned again to Mt. Pleasant. He engaged to work with the St. Louis, Keokuk & Northern Railroad, but only remained with them for two months. Going to Ketcham's, a place four miles west of Mt. Pleasant, he was engaged as Superintendent of the brickyard, being in this employ for a year, during which time he went to Missouri and made a kiln of brick. Returning to Mt. Pleasant, he again took charge of the old brickyard, manufacturing brick for the asylum. He made two and a half millions of brick in three years. In the spring of 1887 Mr. Day purchased seventeen acres of land and a neat cottage on section 35 of Marion Township, and also the brickyard formerly operated by Daniel Stephens. Upon this farm he moved, and continues to carry on brickmaking. This first year he has manufactured four hundred thousand bricks. He intends making stock brick for fronts and fine walls, and will also take contracts for supplying customers with all kinds of brick. Mr. Day is a thorough workman, and understands his profession perfectly, and of the young, enterprising business men none rank higher than our subject.

Mr. Day was united in marriage, in 1873, with Miss Elizabeth Edwards, who is a native of Henry County, and a daughter of Hiram Edwards. Nine children have graced the union of this worthy couple: Morris R,; Eddie, deceased; William, Mattie; Belle, who died in infancy; Leander, Bessie, Bertha and Richard. Mr. Day holds the political views of the Republican party, while socially he is a member of the I. O. O. F.

Within the pages of this volume will be found a fine engraving of the brickyard spoken of above and belonging to Mr. Day.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p 241.) (JC)

WILLIAM H. DEAL

WILLIAM H. DEAL is the owner of a good farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Scott township and its present condition of advanced improvement is due entirely to his efforts, for all of the buildings save the house have been placed here by Mr. Deal, who is progressive in his farm methods and successful in his results.

He was born March 24, 1859, in Des [sic] school education in Henry county, having removed thereto with his parents, Aries Brotherton and Mary Elizabeth (Hester) Deal, the former a native of Lafayette county, Indiana, and the latter of Dublin, Indiana. His paternal grandparents were W. H. and Margaret (Brotherton) Deal, both natives of Pennsylvania. The parents of our subject were married in Dublin, Indiana, on the 5^th of November, 1852, and there resided until 1858, when they came to Iowa, settling in Des Moines county, where the father purchased a farm in Franklin township, comprising eighty acres of land. He lived there for about three years and then sold out, after which he went to Louisa county, where he purchased a farm, residing thereon for two years. On selling that property he bought eighty acres of land in Scott township, Henry county, and that he prospered in his undertakings is shown by the fact that at the time of his death he was the owner of seven hundred and twenty acres of valuable land, all lying in this county. He was a man of good business ability, executive force and keen discernment and he realized that earnest labor is the real basis of all prosperity. On the 7^th of October, 1892, he was called to his final rest and he is still survived by Mrs. Deal, who resides upon the old homestead with her daughter, Mrs. Annie E. Spray.

William H. Deal is indebted to the public school system of Henry county for the educational privileges he enjoyed and he remained with this parents until the 27^th of November, 1883, when he was married to Miss Virginia Alice Snyder, whose birth occurred in Pleasant Grove township, Des Moines county, while in the common schools of Henry county she acquired her early education, which was supplemented by several terms' attendance at Howe's Academy in Mount Pleasant. She afterward engaged in teaching school in Des Moines and Henry counties until her marriage and she is a lady of intellectual and native culture and refinement. Her parents were James and Mahala (Doty) Snyder. The father was born near Wheeling, West Virginia, and the mother's birth occurred in Ohio. In 1845, after being left a widow, she emigrated to Linn county, Iowa, where she lived until her death, which occurred in 1880.

Following his marriage W. H. Deal took up his abode upon one of his father's farms comprising one hundred and sixty acres of land, constituting the northeast quarter of section 34, on which he still resides and owns. He has laid about seven hundred rods of tiling upon this place and has built all of the fences, nearly all of which are of woven wire. He bought eighty acres of land from A. V. Riggs in 1895, for which he paid sixty dollars per acre, and in the spring of 1902 he added eighty acres adjoining on the east, for which he paid seventy-five dollars per acre. This property today, however, could not be purchased for one hundred dollars per acre. His second tract of one hundred and sixty acres constitutes the southwest quarter of section 26, Scott township. He has put in eleven hundred and thirty rods of tile and the productiveness of his land is shown by his splendid crop which he raised in the year 1905. He carries on general agricultural pursuits, cultivating the various crops adapted to soil and climate and he also has good stock upon his place, including twenty head of horses, twenty-four head of Durham cattle, forty-five hogs, twenty-one head of thoroughbred Shropshire sheep.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Deal have been born four children: Leslie Snyder, born August 19, 1884, has been a student in the Iowa Wesleyan University at Mount Pleasant since the 13^th September, 1904, preparing himself for the ministry. Amy Clara, born March 10, 1886, was married February 25, 1904, to Arthur A. Aronhault, a farmer of Louisa county, in which locality he was born. Carl Arius, born May 31, 1889, and Guy James, born March 11, 1891, are at home. The family is prominent socially and the members of the household occupy an enviable position in social circles. Mr. and Mrs. Deal hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has served as steward since 1903. He also belongs to Winfield Lodge, No. 4, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and gives his political support to the Republican party. Starting out in life on his own account he has made steady advancement through his persistency of purpose and untiring labor and now has valuable farming interest, being recognized as one of the leading and substantial agriculturists of his community.

(Biographical Review of Henry County, Iowa. .Chicago: Hobart Publishing Company, 1906. p. 3661-662) (PE)

Pauline Lewelling Devitt

Member of Board of Education, born April 10, 1877, in the girl's department of the Iowa State Reform school which her father and mother, Lorenzo D. and Angie Cook Lewelling had recently organized near Mt. Pleasant. In 1887, shortly after the death of Mrs. Lewelling, Mr. Lewelling, then president of the board of the State Teachers college, moved his family to Kansas of which state he was elected Governor in 1892. The daughter, Pauline, was graduated from the Wichita high school and from the State University of Kansas and then taught for four years in the high schools of that state. In 1901 she was united in marriage to James Arthur Devitt of Oskaloosa, Iowa, at that time county attorney for Mahaska county. To this union was born three children who have the distinction of being third generation Hawkeyes. Mrs. Devitt was president of the Iowa Equal Suffrage association in 1919 when a special session of the legislature ratified the federal suffrage amendment. During the was she was appointed by Governor Harding a member of the state council of defense and served also as sixth district chairman of the liberty loan committee. In 1920 she was delegate-at-large to the national republican convention. At the time of her appointment to the state board of education in 1921 she was a member of the local school board in Oskaloosa. In 1926-27 she served as vice president of the state conference of social work and in 1927 was reappointed by Governor Hammill to the state board of education.

Iowa Official Register, 1927-1928; Biographies of State Officials. (SF)

Wesley K. Dillon

WESLEY K. DILLON, Assistant Supervisor of the Iowa State Hospital for the Insane, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, since April 1, 1885, was born in Wheeling, Va. (now West Virginia), June 27, 1846. His father, Reuben Dillon, was born in Allegheny County, Pa., was a hatter by trade, and of Scotch-Irish descent. The family were residents of America prior to the Revolution, and were represented in all the important wars of this country. The subject of this sketch and his father were both soldiers of the late war, members of Company D, 62d Pennsylvania Regiment. The grandfather of Wesley K. Dillon was a soldier in the War of 1812, and his great-grandfather, a soldier in the Revolutionary War. The mother of our subject was Lydia B. Monk before her marriage. She was born in Center County, Pa., and died when Wesley K. was but a child. Her ancestors came to America from Hanover in Colonial times. One of her relatives was an officer in the Revolutionary War and served on Gen. Washington's staff. After his mother's death, Wesley accompanied his father to Minnesota, in the fall of 1856, where they spent four years, and in the fall of 1860 returned to Pennsylvania, and July 4, 1861, they both enlisted in Company D, 62d Pennsylvania Infantry. His father served in the Quarter-master's Department, and died from exposure while in service. Wesley K. was but fifteen years of age when he enlisted. He was wounded at the battle of Spottsylvania Court-House, Va., May 12, 1864, by bullets and buckshot in his left lower leg, and was confined to the hospital from May 14 to Sept. 1, 1864, when he was mustered out, receiving an honorable discharge. On his return from the army he attended school, with a view of fitting himself for college, but circumstances prevented the consummation of his plans, and he engaged in teaching school. In 1869 he became connected with the Dixmont (Pa.) Hospital for the Insane, and continued there till 1874, when he took a two-years course of lectures at the medical department of the Western Reserve University, of Cleveland, Ohio. He was employed at the Danville Hospital for the Insane, from Feb. 24, 1876, until 1882, when he engaged at the Morristown (N.J.) Asylum for the Insane, till 1884, when he accepted the position of private secretary to William McKinney, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and in March, 1885, was appointed to his present position at the Iowa State Hospital for the Insane, at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.

Mr. Dillon is an efficient and faithful officer, and is held in high esteem by all with whom he is connected. Politically, he is a Republican. He is a member of McFarland Post No. 20, G.A.R., of the Harlan Camp of the Sons of Veterans, Mt. Pleasant, and a Knight Templar Mason, a member of Mt. Pleasant Lodge No. 8, A.F. & A.M., of Henry Chapter No. 8, R.A.M., and of Jerusalem Commandery No. 20, K.T., all of Mt. Pleasant.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 399)

WILLIAM A DILTS

WILLIAM A. DILTS, M. D., physician and surgeon at Salem, Henry Co., Iowa, was born Jan. 13, 1860, in Louisa County, Iowa, and is a son of Thomas D. and Martha L. [Kirkpatrick] Dilts. His father was born in Logan County, Ohio, March 20, 1831, his parents being Wilkisson and Catherine Dilts. In 1840 they removed to Henry County, Iowa, but returned to Ohio the same year. In 1854 Thomas again emigrated to Iowa, locating in Louisa County, where he remained until 1864, when he removed to Baltimore Township, Henry County, where he spent six years, removing in 1870 to Jackson Township, where he now lives. He was married in Louisa County, Iowa, March 20, 1858, to Miss Martha L. Kirkpatrick. She was born Dec. 25, 1838, in Lee County, Iowa, her parents being William R. and Mary [Pratt] Kirkpatrick, who were of Scotch ancestry. They were among the earliest settlers of this State, emigrating from near Galena, Ill., in 1834, where they had come from Ohio. On arriving in the then Territory of Wisconsin, they settled on unsurveyed land about four miles north of what is now West Point, Lee County, removing thence in 1850 to Henry County, where they lived until their deaths, both of which occurred in 1885, when each was about eighty. They had three sons and seven daughters, all of whom are now living, and all married. The family were widely known and greatly respected in the county. Thomas Dilts and wife had four children, of whom our subject was the eldest; the next, Emma J., was born in Louisa County, Iowa, Aug. 6, 1862, and is the wife of O. A. Garretson, a prominent farmer of Jackson Township, to whom she was married Nov. 7, 1881; John J., born July 10, 1864, worked on his father's farm until 1880, when he entered Whittier College. He began in 1884 the study of medicine with his brother, and is now a student at the Keokuk College of Physicians and Surgeons, and will graduate in 1888; Laura, born Jan. 6, 1872, is living with her parents. Thomas Dilts is a Republican in politics, and is known as an honorable and upright man. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Thomas Dilts has two brothers and two sisters: Joseph is a farmer in Ohio; Josephine is the wife of J. W. Prottsman, a farmer in Northwestern Nebraska; Anna is the wife of Gus Fetters, a merchant in Kansas; and John W. is a ranch owner in Colorado.

Our subject, Dr. William A. Dilts, remained on the farm until 1878, when he entered Whittier College, at Salem where he remained until 1882, when he began the study of medicine under Dr. E. W. Cook, then of Salem, now of Plattsmouth, Neb. He attended a course of lectures in the medical department of the Iowa State University in 1883-84, and then practiced for two years in Jackson Township, Henry County. He subsequently entered upon a course of study at the college of Physicians and Surgeons, at Keokuk, Iowa, and in 1887 graduated second in a class of fifty-four. He removed to Salem in March of that year, and has gained recognition as a talented and conscientious young physician, and is rapidly building up a lucrative practice. He was married, March 16, 1887, to Miss Nellie E., the accomplished daughter of Rev. David and Rebecca Donaldson. Mrs. Dilts was born April 17, 1864, at Linwood, Iowa. Her parents were from Ohio, and were early settlers of Iowa, where they located in 1838. Her father was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, well known as a speaker of talent, and a man of culture. He was ordained by the Upper Iowa Conference; was transferred to the Iowa Conference in 1865, was assigned to the Abingdon charge in 1868, and came to the Salem charge in the fall of 1870, where, after a faithful work of two years, he died, July 21, 1872. He left a devoted wife and four children to mourn their loss. His widow still lives in Salem. Of his surviving children, William, the eldest, born March 28, 1856, is a druggist in Pierce, Neb.; he was married, Feb. 17, 1878, to Miss Eva Crew, and has two children; Samuel F. was born May 15, 1860, is unmarried, and is a farmer in Northwestern Nebraska; Nellie E., the wife of Dr. Dilts, was formerly a teacher. Addie was born Dec. 7, 1868, is still living with her widowed mother, and is a teacher of determinedly high standing in the county. Two other children, Edmund J. and Eva, died in childhood.

Dr. Dilts and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a Republican in politics, and a member of Monarch Lodge No. 183, Knights of Pythias, of Salem. As a physician he has already acquired the confidence of the people, and as members of society he and his wife are held in high esteem.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 436-439)(PW)

Alfred Doan
ALFRED DOAN (deceased). He was born 16 Aug 1831 in Orange County, Indiana, the son of Mahlon Doan. He married Miss Rachel Melton 19 Aug 1853. She was born in Warren County IN, the daughter of John and Phebe (Huston) Melton, and they had three children: Sarah Luella, b. 1 Sep 1856, the deceased daughter of Zimri Brown of Salem Twp. and they had two children, Michael Devillo Melton, and Frank Ebert Melton; Sarah Jane who is an adopted daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Faulkner of Salem, IA; and Mahlon Harlan who was born 15 Jan 1860 and married Mary Ellen Stevenson who was born in Henry County. They had one child, Myron Alfred; Perry Albert b. 29 Apr 1872. Both sons reside with their mother.

Alfred Doan was in the 25th IA Volunteer Infantry, and enlisted in 1862, serving three years. he was in the battles of Arkansas Post, the siege of Vicksburg, and the Chattanooga Campaign, Resaca, Dallas, Kennesaw Mtn. and battles around Atlanta, Lovejoy Station, Ships Gap, and Bentonville. He was with Sherman on his march through Georgia and the Carolinas to Richmond and Washington. Mr. Doan was promoted to Sgt. on 10 Feb 1863. The Regiment mustered out at Washington D.C.

He returned home and engaged in farming until his death on 19 Oct 1880, at 51 years of age. He never had his usual health after he came out of the army, and died from the effects of exposures endured in the service.

He was a member of the IOOF at Salem and was a Republican. His widow still resides on the old farm. He was a man in advance of his times. His farm of 90 acres was one of the best improved in the county.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 522)

Mahlon Doan
MAHLON DOAN. He was born 7 April 1804 in Orange County, NC, the son of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Stout) Doan. Ebenezer was born in NC and died in 1860 at a very advanced age. Elizabeth was also born in NC, and she died when Mahlon was a child. They had eight children, two of whom are living: Mahlon and Nancy, who married James Tomlinson and lives in Plainfield, Indiana.

Mahlon married first, Jane Freeman, a native of North Carolina, a daughter of John and Charity Freeman who were both natives of North Carolina. Mahlon and Jane had three children: Alfred; John, who resides in Tippecanoe Twp., and Julia Ann who died at age 19.

Mahlon's second wife was Alice Davis, who was born>in Orange County, IN, the daughter of Warner and Millie (Hudson) Davis, both natives of NC. They had four children: Sarah Emeline, who m. John Burton of Taylor County, IA; William who resides in Powesheik County, IA; Zach, who resides in Salem Twp.; and Mary E. who died at age four.

Mahlon and family were of the Society of Friends, and he was a Republican. He went to Henry County in 1837. He bought 200 acres in Section 11, Center Twp., where he still lives. He also owns 40 acres adjoining, in Tippecanoe Twp.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 389)

Solomon H Dover

SOLOMON H. DOVER, an honored pioneer of Henry County, Iowa, of 1834, and a resident of New London Township since 1836, was born in Burke County, N. C., in 1806, and is the son of Joshua and Elizabeth (Childers) Dover. His father was also born in Burke County, N. C. His mother was born in South Carolina, and was a sister of Mrs. James K. Polk, wife of President Polk. Our subject removed to Warren County, near Bowling Green, Ky., with his parents when an infant, spent nine years in the State, and then removed to Tennessee, locating in Anderson County, later in Overton County, same State, where he married, Oct. 6, 1827, Miss Matilda Davis. Mrs. Dover was born in Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Dover began life with a very limited amount of this world's goods, but a good stock of health, hope and pluck, as their history shows. They had little else than a pair of horses, and the least possible amount of household goods. They had the misfortune to lose one of their horses just as they were on the point of emigrating to Illinois. Nothing daunted, they packed what goods they could upon the remaining horse-a bed on one side was balanced by a bundle on the other. The bride was perched in the center, while the husband trudged along by her side on foot. At times the wife would insist on taking a turn at walking while her husband rested himself by a short ride. In this manner they made their way to Montgomery County, Ill., and located at Hillsboro. Mr. Dover had $3 when he started on the journey. This was in 1828, when that region was a frontier country. Mr. Dover was a shoemaker by trade, but did not like the business, so engaged in farming in a small way. He worked out to support his family, and earned enough to buy a mate to his horse. To make matters worse the climate proved unhealthful, and they were both sick with the ague, so after a short time they moved to Morgan County, where Mr. Dover taught school a couple of years, and earned some money for a start. They then removed to Macomb, Ill., in 1832. In 1834 he came to Henry County, Iowa, and made a claim on section 36, township 71 north, range 5 west, now New London. He erected a cheap shanty on the claim, but a big storm coming on he gave up trying to improve his place, and leaving it to the care of his brother Abram, who had preceded him and was established here, he returned to Macomb. In April, 1836, he again started westward, and located his family on his claim, where they made their home till 1882, when Mr. Dover sold out his well-improved farm of 160 acres, and removed to the village of New London, where he now resides.

Mr. and Mrs. Dover were blessed with a large family, having fourteen children, seven sons and seven daughters: Andrew, born Dec. 11, 1828, is unmarried, and resides in California; Celina, born Feb. 10, 1831, is the wife of J. A. Hardin, of Beaver City, Neb.; Louisa, born March 16, 1833, died in 1835; Sarah C., born Nov. 3, 1835, is the widow of George Matthews, who was a soldier in the late war, and was killed at Helena, Ark., July 6, 1863; she resides at New London. William L., born Aug. 29, 1836, was the first white child born in New London Township; he is supposed to have been killed in the late war. Ellen E., born Feb. 10, 1838, died aged four years; Cyrus W., born Nov. 30, 1839, married Elizabeth Hampton for his first wife, and Sallie Hays for his second wife; he was a soldier of the late war, and now resides in Southern Kansas. Henrie Anna, born Nov. 17, 1842, is the wife of J. T. Kennett, of Missouri; Harriet M., born Aug. 18, 1844, is the wife of Henry Hampton, a blacksmith of New London; John F., born Sept. 16, 1845, died Aug. 23, 1865; Joel M., born July 29, 1854, married Martha Hiles, and died Oct. 24, 1880; Zachary T., born Sept. 17, 1849, married for his first wife Agnes, daughter of Prof. Mayor, and for his second wife Ellen Rowland, and resides at New London; Winfield Scott, born Aug. 26, 1851, is the editor and publisher of the New London Sun; he married Miss Jennie New, who died in December, 1883. Laura M., born Sept. 23, 1854, is the wife of William Reese, of New London.

Mrs. Dover, who had been her husband's faithful helpmeet through all the trials and hardships of their daily life and through the later cares and responsibilities of rearing up so large a family, passed to eternal rest Sept. 3, 1869. Mr. Dover was married again, April 7, 1870, to Mrs. Eliza Beardsley, daughter of Benjamin Matthews, and widow of Lucian Beardsley, who died in March, 1857. Mrs. Dover was born at Yarmouth, Barnstable Co., Mass., Dec. 22, 1828. Her family were of English descent, but had been residents of Massachusetts for generations. She had four children by her former marriage, two sons and two daughters: Horace M., born Feb. 6, 1850, married Clara Ashley, and resides at Springfield, Mass.; Lorinda. C., born Nov. 1,1853, unmarried and lives at Danville, Iowa; Edwin D., born June 12, 1855, died aged twenty-one months; Harriet L., born in March, 1857, died aged two years. One child, a daughter, Lulu Belle, was born of the latter marriage, now a beautiful girl of sixteen years.

Mr. and Mrs. Dover are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Dover was a Whig in his political affiliations in his early life, but since the formation of the Republican party has voted with that organization. He has always been a hard working, temperate man, upright and honorable in his relations with his fellowmen.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p.194-195.)(JC)

Winfield Scott Dover

WINFIELD SCOTT DOVER, editor and proprietor of the New London Sun, a weekly six-column folio, independent in politics, established April 30, 1887, and issued every Saturday, was born in New London Township, Henry County, Aug. 26, 1854, and is the son of Solomon H. and Matilda (Davis) Dover. He was educated at the New London Academy, and began teaching school when only seventeen years old, has taught eight years in Henry County, and four in Southern Kansas. He first went to Kansas in 1874, and remained till 1886, when he returned to New London, and in the spring of 1887 established the Sun.

Mr. Dover was married at New London, to Miss Jennie New, daughter of John New. Mrs. Dover was born in Des Moines County, Iowa, and died Feb. 28, 1884, leaving three children, a daughter, Gay, born June 25, 1875, and two sons, Jeffie and Ralph, the elder born June 15, 1878, and the younger Nov. 11, 1880. Mr. Dover is a Republican in politics.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 399-400)

J.H. Drake, M.D.

J. H. DRAKE, M. D., the most prominent and successful practicing homeopathic physician of Mt. Pleasant, Henry Co., Iowa, was born in St. Thomas, Canada, Dec. 28, 1845. His ancestors were of Scotch and English descent, and came to America prior to the Revolution, settling in Northern Vermont. His paternal grandfather espoused the cause of the British during that struggle and removed to Canada, where his family were reared. The parents of the subject of this sketch were William and Eliza (Malott) Drake. The former was by occupation a builder and contractor, but later in life became a farmer, owning a large tract of land in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. He was a prominent and well-known citizen, and a leader in the public affairs of that county and Province, and had held many local offices. He was a man of unquestioned integrity, and deservedly stood high in the estimation of the community. He was a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, and for seventeen years was Treasurer of the lodge in Kingsville, where he lived. He was also an ardent and consistent friend of the cause of temperance, and abstained not only from the use of intoxicating liquors but of tobacco in every form. He and his wife were life-long communicants of the Episcopal Church, and were known as zealous and efficient church workers. Mr. Drake died Feb. 4, 1882, aged seventy-six, his wife preceding him to the grave twenty years, dying Feb. 3, 1862, aged forty-five. Of their ten children, the following six are now living: James W., Thomas and Benjamin, contractors and builders, residing at Kingsville, Canada; Margaret, wife of David Fuller, of Amherstburg, Canada; Kenneth M., a farmer at Meston, Canada, and Dr. J. H. The latter received his primary education in the common schools of his native place, and when seventeen years old came alone to Sandusky, Ohio, where he entered the graded school. Having from boyhood an ardent desire to become a physician, he read all the medical works he could find, and in that way obtained a good general knowledge of the healing art. His means were limited and he was compelled. to work his way through college, which he did successfully, graduating with honor in 1874. That same year he went to Linn County, Iowa, engaging in practice at Mt. Vernon, and acquiring a large and paying clientage and an excellent reputation. Owing to his arduous labors in his extensive practice his health failed, and for a time he was compelled to rest. In the winter of 1879-80 the Doctor attended Hahnemann Medical College, Chicago, where he gave especial attention to the study of diseases of the eye and ear, in which specialty he has been exceptionally successful. In 1880 he settled in Mt. Pleasant, this county, where from the first he has had a large and lucrative practice, and has gained a reputation as a skillful, kind and painstaking physician and surgeon, of which he may justly be proud.

In 1871 Dr. Drake was married to Miss Mary E. Boyington, a native of Saratoga County, N. Y., born in September, 1853. Their union has been blessed with four children-Frank J., Leon D., Carrie G. and William B. Dr. Drake is a member of the Hahnemann Medical Society of this State, and filled the office of Treasurer in 1885 and 1886. He is also a member of the Cedar Valley Medical Association, of which he was Secretary for three years. He is essentially a self-made man, and no person living in Henry County to-day is entitled to greater credit for raising himself from a comparatively humble position to one of eminence in his profession, of which lie is a leading member. He is still a student, as is every first-class member of the profession, and keeps abreast of all the latest discoveries in medical science. He possesses by far the finest collection of instruments and appliances of any physician in the county, and has, apartments fitted up for the administering of Turkish, Russian and vapor baths, and for electrical treatment and the practice of dentistry. He and his wife are active workers in the cause of temperance, Mrs. Drake being now Grand Superintendent of Juvenile Templars, having charge of the juvenile work under the auspices of the State Lodge of the Independent Order of Good Templars, and the Doctor is Grand Deputy Chief Templar for this district. Both are also members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Mt. Pleasant, the Doctor filling the office of Steward. He is also a Master Mason, a member of Xenium Lodge No. 108, A. F. & A. M., and politically is a warm supporter of the Republican party, and in every way an honored citizen of the county.

The portrait of this gentleman appears on an adjoining page.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 187-188.)(JC)

Capt. William Draper

CAPT. WILLIAM DRAPER was born in Rupert County, Vt., and was married, Oct. 19, 1806, to Miss Mary Richmond. Mr. Draper was one of the brave men who fought so gallantly to free the Colonies from the British yoke of oppression, and served during the Revolutionary War, first as Second Lieutenant, then as First Lieutenant, and later as Captain, beloved and esteemed by the men under him and admired and respected by his superior officers. Mr. and Mrs. Draper were the parents of seven children, five sons and two daughters: Charles L., Allanson B., Leonard L., Prudence, Susanna, John L. and Samuel W., all of whom are now dead with the exception of Mrs. Campbell. Mr. and Mrs. Draper emigrated to Dearborn County, Ind., in the year 1819, and the following year removed to Ripley County, the same State. Mr. Draper was called from earth to his heavenly home Sept. 5, 1827, and his beloved wife survived him many years, dying Feb. 25, 1878, at the advanced age of eighty-seven. Mr. and Mrs. Draper were members of the Baptist Church. They were highly esteemed by all who knew them, always ready to help those in need, and were truly Christian workers in the church and elsewhere, and when the final summons came they were ready to enter into the joys prepared for the just by their Heavenly Father.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 241-242) (JC)

HON. JOHN B. DRAYER,
MOUNT PLEASANT.

JOHN BREITENBACH DRAYER, circuit judge of the first judicial circuit, was born in Labanon, Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, on the 7th of April, 1823. His parents were Joseph Drayer, watchmaker, and Henrietta Breitenbach, both of whom were of German pedigree, the families being among the early emigrants from the old world to Pennsylvania. The grandfather of John B. spelled his name Dreher, Joseph changing the orthography but retaining the German pronunciation.

The family removed to Hamilton, Ohio, when the subject of this notice was ten years old, and there he learned the trade of his father, working at it until in his nineteenth year, with no literary education except what he obtained in a common and high school. At the age just mentioned he commenced reading law with Hon. John Woods, since a member of congress from Ohio, and was admitted to practice in April, 1844, when just twenty-one years old. He practiced at Hamilton about eight years, then at Eaton, Preble county, until March, 1858, when he removed to Mount Pleasant.

In 1862 Dr. Drayer entered the service as captain company H, 30th Iowa Infantry, and after seven months was obliged to resign through ill health. He was elected county judge in 1863, and served from January, 1864, to January, 1869, when he went on the bench. He has been reelected twice, the last time without opposition, and his third term will not expire until -the 31st of December, 1879. As a jurist, he is scrupulously conscientious and painstaking, studying each case with the utmost diligence;
and his decisions are rarely reversed. As a probate judge, it is doubtful if he has a superior in the state. In all the relations of life he has shown himself to be a man of the strictest integrity.

Judge Drayer has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church since 1846, and at one period of his life, since locating in Iowa, he preached for two years, resigning a pastorate in the Brookville circuit to go into the army. His Christian record, as well as the ermine which he has worn so long, is unsoiled.

The judge was originally a whig, and on the demise of that party promptly, and with hearty sympathy, cast in his fortunes with the noble party of freedom. Before becoming judge he was quite an active politician. He has lost none of his attachment to the principles of the republican party, but in his official position his innate sense of propriety deters him from active partisanship.

He has taken the second degree in Odd-Fellowship. Judge Drayer has a third wife. His first. Miss Mary M. Withrow, of Butler county, Ohio; married on the 5th of January, 1847, died on the 22d of July, 1852, leaving two children, both of them since dying. His second wife, Miss Mary J. McCabe, of Eaton, Ohio; married on the 21st of February, 1854, had one child, and died on the 13th of October, 1871. His present wife was Miss Amanda Baird, of Butler county, Ohio; married on the 24lh of December, 1872. She has one child. Of the two children by his first wife, a son, Samuel J., died at six years of age; the other, Marietta, was the wife of Dr. George W. Curfman, of Fairfield, Iowa., dying on the 9th of March, 1873. The child by his second wife, Anna, is the wife of William R. Sullivan, secretary of a scale company. Mount Pleasant.

Judge Drayer had a hard struggle in early life, but overcame all obstacles and pushed manfully forward until he reached his present position. Should his life be prolonged, he has more history, equally honorable, to make.

(The United States Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self-Made Men. Iowa Volume. Chicago and New York; American Biographical Publishing Company. 1878.) Contributed by Nettie Mae Lucas, August 2018.

John K DuMars

JOHN K. DUMARS, a tinner of Winfield, Iowa, was born in Harrisburg, Pa., Jan. 3, 1841, and is the son of William G. and Hannah (Paul) DuMars, both of whom were also natives of Pennsylvania. They were the parents of ten children, seven of whom are living: Mary L., wife of Maj. William Ernest, of Harrisburg, Pa.; Elizabeth, also a resident of Harrisburg; Caroline is the wife of Samuel Franklin; Cornelius, a resident of Harrisburg, was also a soldier, a member of a Pennsylvania regiment, and was captured and confined in Libby Prison; James and Maggie are also both residents of Harrisburg, and John is our subject. Those deceased are: Thomas; Susan, who married Capt. William Miller, a soldier during the late war, and George, who died in infancy. Mr. DuMars was a tinsmith, which occupation he followed for five years. Before the breaking out of the Rebellion he was a Democrat, but after that war he voted with the Republican party. He was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He departed this life in 1878, his wife surviving him one year.

John K. DuMars is a prominent citizen of Winfield, Iowa. He is a tinner by trade and one of the best mechanics in the State. He was reared at Harrisburg, Pa., where he received a liberal education. When fifteen years of age he began an apprenticeship of three years, receiving for his services for the first year $32, the second, $40, and the third, $60, and he was to board himself, he was also under instructions in New York for a year, where he received $1 a day. On the 18th of April. 1861, Mr. DuMars enlisted in the 1st Pennsylvania Infantry, when Lincoln called for 75,000 men for three months. During that time he was mostly on guard duty, though he participated in some skirmishes. He re-enlisted at the end of that time in Battery D, 5th United States Artillery, under Gen. Griffin, and was mustered in at Harrisburg. The command was then sent to Arlington heights. He participated in the battles of Yorktown, Hanover Court. House, Mechanicsville, Gaines Mill, and Malvern Hill in the seven-days fight. Manassas Junction, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Alton, Antietam, Blackman's Ford, Gettysburg, Rappahannock Station, Mine Run, Bethesda Church, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Todd's Tavern, Petersburg and Weldon Railroad. where, as his time had expired, he was discharged. He re-enlisted in the 21st Pennsylvania Cavalry, and while in that command participated in the battle of Five Forks. He was mustered out at Lynchburg, Va., at the close of the war. He was a brave soldier and was always found at his post of duty. At one time he was thrown from his horse, having been ambushed; at the battle of Gaines Mill he was captured, but was recaptured in about twenty minutes by his comrades. He was at one time offered the command as Second Lieutenant but would not accept.

Returning to his home in Harrisburg, Mr. DuMars, in 1866, was united in marriage with Miss Fannie Hutchins, a daughter of David and Margaretta (Woods) Hutchins. She was a native of Ohio, her parents being early settlers of that State. In the same year they were married Mr. and Mrs. DuMars removed to Elmira, N. Y., but later returned to Harrisburg, where Mr. DuMars worked at his trade. In 1872 they again removed, this time settling in Columbus Junction, Iowa, from thence came to Crawfordsville in 1883, and the following year to Winfield, where they have ever since resided. Mr. DuMars is a member of Scott Tent No. 6, Knights of the Maccabees Insurance Company, and Mort Hobart Post, G. A. R. Mr. and Mrs. DuMars have had twelve children, four of whom are living-Anna M., William G., John B. and Frankie D. The remainder died in infancy. Mrs. DuMars and her daughter are members of the Presbyterian Church. Politically, Mr. DuMars is a stanch Republican, and an earnest worker for his party.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 196-197.)(JC)

Jasper N. Dutton
JASPER N. DUTTON He resides on Sect. 22, Marion Twp., and was born in Henry County, Nov. 4, 1850, the son of George and Dorcas (Ramsey) Dutton. His father is a native of Connecticut, his mother of Indiana. The family consisted of 9 children, two of whom died in infancy; of those living D. Webster married Miss Amanda Bealer, daughter of Samuel Bealer of PA and they now live near Mt. Union in this county; Louisa is the wife of Capt. George W. Barr, a farmer, and resides near Spring Branch, NE; Frank B., married and lives in Newton, KS; Williard G., a farmer and stock-raiser of Udilla Co., NE, married Miss Kate Turner; Jasper is the 5th child; George W., married and lives at Coleridge, NE; Charles is a resident of Bennet, NE and wedded Miss Mary Smith, daughter of John Smith of Henry Co.

The father and mother of this family met at a very early day, and were married here. As George Dutton came here in 1835, he may truly be called a pioneer. There was only one log cabin where Mt. Pleasant now stands. He took a claim of 160 acres and built a log cabin where now stands a beautiful two-story dwelling. He remained in Henry Co. until 1869, when he removed to Montgomery Co., KS and entered 320 acres of land, and remained there until 1884 when wishing to be nearer his son George, he moved to Pierce Co., NE.

At the age of 21 his father gave Jasper 40 acres, and now has 400 acres in one body, the old home- stead of 160 acres being included.

In Dec, 1875 he married Miss Mary Montgomery who was born Jan. 6, 1856, and to them have been born 4 children: Ira, born Oct. 4, 1876, died June 5, 1883; Clyde, born Aug. 5, 1878; Fred, born May 8, 1881; and Art b. Oct. 8, 1884.

(Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa; Acme Publishing Company, Chicago, 1888, p. 378)