NORTHWESTERN IOWA

ITS HISTORY AND TRADITIONS

VOLUME II

1804-1926

M

H. C. McNEIL

Henry Clay McNeil, one of the best known and best liked citizens of Sioux City, where he was actively identified with business interests for more than a half century, was at the time of his death the senior member of the firm of H. C. McNeil & Son, dealers in building supplies at Nos. 308 and 310 Jackson street .l  He was in the eighty-seventh year of his age when called to his final rest on the 26th of March, 1924, his birth having occurred October 30, 1837, at Homer, Cortland county, New York, the scene of the novel, "David Harum."  In the novel Homer is referred to as Homerville.  The parents of Henry C. McNeil, James and Hannah (Billings) NcNeil, were natives of Connecticut and of New York, respectively.  The family comes of Scotch lineage, the emigrant ancestor arriving from Scotland about 1640 and settling in Connecticut.  James McNeil saw service in the  War of 1812 and his death occurred in 1866, when he was eighty-seven years of age.

Henry Clay McNeil attended the public schools of Homer, New York, but at the age of twelve years went alone to Sandusky, Ohio, where his brother Albert was in business.  He remained there for a few months and then paid a visit to his brother, Orin S., in Crawfordsville, Indiana, spending two years in that place, during which time he attended school.    He then returned to Sandusky, where he spent the succeeding year, after which he went with his brother Orin S. from Sandusky to Rock Island, Illinois.  Not long afterward, in 1852 when a youth of fifteen years, he made his way to Davenport, Iowa, where he secured a clerkship in a grocery store and also learned the tinner's trade, remaining in that city for two years.  He next went to Muscatine, Iowa,  where he completed his trade, which he followed at that point for two and one-half years.  Returning to Davenport, he established a retail furniture business, which he conducted until he enlisted for service in the Union army during the Civil war.

The smoke from Fort Sumter's guns had scarcely cleared away when Mr. McNeil offered his services to the government.  In fact, he had the distinction of being the first man in Iowa to enlist, joining the army on the 15th of April, 1861, at the first call for troops.  He was assigned to duty as a private of Company C, Second Regiment of Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered into the service of the state on the 24th of April as a sergeant.  On the 28th of May the regiment was mustered into the United States service and on the 7th of October, 1862, Mr. McNeil was commissioned second lieutenant of his company, with which he remained until May, 1864, when he was mustered out at Pulaski, Tennessee, after more than three years of active service.  He commanded his company for over a year and participated in the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Iuka, Corinth and many minor engagements.  He was wounded in the arm at Fort Donelson and was also wounded at Shiloh and Corinth.  His military record was indeed a most creditable and honorable one, and he proudly wore the little bronze button of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Upon his return from the south mr. McNeil joined his brother in business in Davenport, Iowa, the relation continuing for about five years.  In 1869 he came to Sioux City, where he entered the fire insurance business, with which he was connected throughout the remainder of his life, representing a number of the substantial old companies.  In 1887 he began dealing in building materials, along which line he developed a business of constantly growing importance.  the Sioux City Journal of January 23, 1921, contained the following interesting article concerning the pioneer experiences of Mr. McNeil in this state: "Sixty-eight years ago there was not a foot of railroad track in Iowa or west of the Mississippi river.  Today in Iowa there is not a spot that is more than twelve miles from the railroad.  That is what H. C. NcNeil, Sioux City pioneer and head of the building material company of H. C. McNeil & Son, thinks of every time he looks at the big map of Iowa in his office.   And he pictures himself as a boy about fifteen years old hopping on the tender of the first locomotive that ever covered a foot of track in this state or west of the Mississippi and riding along on the little wood burner enjoying the sensation of being carried by the steam engine that was as truly a curiosity in those days as a purple cow would be to the present generation.  Mr. McNeil counts himself fortunate to have lived in a period of such great achievement, and though he modestly believes that he is not the sole possessor of interesting information in regard to the early history  of the state and Sioux City, he consented to relate a few of his experiences.  When a boy Mr. McNeil came west, and it was while he was in Davenport, Iowa, that he saw the beginning of the railroad transportation in the state.  Mr. McNeil came to Davenport in 1852, and it was in 1853 or 1854 that the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad Company laid its tracks from Davenport to Iowa City and planned to construct a line across the state.    The Mississippi and Missouri company was afterwards taken over by the Rock Island company, which still owns the line.  The first engine to run on the track laid in Davenport was brought in pieces across the ice on the Mississippi and put together on a temporary track laid along the river.  There was no bridge there then.  When young McNeil and a few other boys of his age heard that the phenomenon was actually going to move, they ran down the track and, hopping on the tender of the little engine that was but a toy compared to the powerful locomotives of today that speed across Iowa's length and breadth, were carried along over the first track ever covered by a steam engine west of the Mississippi river.  Mr. McNeil came to Sioux City in 1869 and has been in business for himself continuously since that time.  He is past eighty-three years of age and takes pleasure in walking to work and in being in his office daily.  He was in the insurance business when he first came here and keeps up that interest in the Peters, Guiney, McNeil and Powell Company.  The only railroad in Sioux City at the time he came was the Sioux City and Pacific, which ran one train a day each way and was a combination freight and passenger train.  There were no business houses in Fourth street and only a few in Pearl street and along the river front.  Sioux City developed to a greater extent for its size between 1869 and 1872, Mr. McNeil believes, than it has in any other period.  At that time, he pointed out on a map of Old Sioux City, it spread north about as far as Ninth and Tenth streets.  The past century, Mr. McNeil stated, he believes to be the most remarkable century in history.  In one line of accomplishment alone, it has seen transportation by railroad develop upon the plains of Iowa a network of railroad lines, all of which have been laid in less than one man's lifetime."

The following article appeared in the local press in 1923:  "Can you remember away back when Pierce street was known as Honeymoon Glen?  If you can, then you can remember when Henry C. McNeil, of the firm of H. C. McNeil and Son, built the residence that is still standing at 901 Pierce street.  That was fifty years ago, and Mr. McNeil is still occupying the house.  But the business center of Sioux City has grown until now it practically surrounds the McNeil home, so Mr. McNeil and his wife have decided to move.  They have purchased the residence at 1427 Douglas street, which was the property of the late R. C. A. Flournoy.  When Mr. McNeil built the house which he lives in now, the region in the vicinity of Tenth and Pierce streets was still country.  The open prairie extended beyond his dooryard, stretching away northward towards the level sweeps of northwest Iowa and southern Minnesota.  There was only one other house in the block at that time, for Sioux City had not yet exerted her commercial charms upon the people who were flowing through toward the vacant west, where land could be had for a 'song.'  But shortly after Mr. McNeil and his wife had settled in their new home other young people who had lately contracted matrimonial bonds, began to move into the section and it wasn't long until the first comers were living 'right down town.'  It was because so many newly married couples built their homes on the north edge of the city, that Pierce street was known by the sobriquet of 'Honeymoon Glen.'  The Home Insurance Company, of New York city, recently presented Mr. McNeil with a gold medal, in commemoration of fifty years of service with that company.  He was the recipient of a silver medal from the same firm twenty-five years ago when he completed that number of years of faithful service.

As above stated, when Mr. McNeil came to Sioux City in 1869 he took up the insurance business.  From 1878 until 1898 he was in the building material business with C. T. Hopper, under the firm style of Hopper & McNeil, after which the firm of H. C. McNeil & Son was organized.  For about thirty years he was a director of the Security National Bank, so continuing to the time of his death.

On the 8th of June, 1871, at Davenport, Iowa, Mr. McNeil was united in marriage to Miss Marie B. Wilber, a daughter of Lorenzo D. Wilber, and to them were born two children:  Carrie, who is the wife of Jerome P. Schnabele of Sioux City; and Wilbur C., who with his wife, Mrs. Virginia (Hearne)  McNeil, was killed in an automobile accident near Hull, Iowa, September 6, 1914.  Both were graduates of Leland Stanford University.  They left two children:  Joseph Herne, born February 8, 1904, who was graduated from Yale University with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1926, and who is now attending Oxford University; and Eleanor Marie, who is a student at sweet Briar College at Sweet Briar, Virginia.

Mr. and Mrs. McNeil attended the Unitarian church.  In politics he was a progressive republican.  He never sought nor desired political office and the only public position he filled was that of secretary of the school board of Sioux City for twenty years. He was honored with various official preferment's in fraternal circles, however, being identified with the Masonic order for about six decades.  He joined the Masonic order at Davenport, Iowa, and later when he came to Sioux City he was instrumental in founding Sioux City Lodge, No. 103, which became known as Landmark Lodge.  He also was a member of Chapter No. 26 of the Royal Arch Masons, of Columbian Commandery and of Abu-Bekr Temple of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.  During the many years of formation and growth, Mr. McNeil assumed a position of activity and responsibility in lodge work.  From an undernourished child laboring for breath, he saw and helped Sioux City Masonry develop into a potential power of beauty and strength.  He attended scores of meetings and conventions, state, district and local, and was persistent worker through thick and thin for the higher achievements.  During his career, Mr. McNeil was worshipful master of Landmark Lodge; high priest of the Royal Arch chapter; eminent commander of Columbian Commandery; and grand high priest of the grand chapter of Iowa.  He was appointed grand high priest in 1888, and he was a past grand warden of the grand lodge of Masons in Iowa.  He belonged to the Hawkeye Club and the Sioux City Boat Club and in all these different organizations had many warm friends and admirers.  His life was an active and useful one, characterized by loyalty in every relation as well as during the days when he served his country as a soldier upon southern battlefields.  He became a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion and was chosen commander for Iowa.  He likewise belonged to Hancock Post, G. A. R., of Sioux City, and was one of the organizers and a charter member of August Wentz Post of Davenport, which was the third Grand Army post organized in the United States and the first in the state.

The following newspaper paragraph appeared under date of March 29, 1924:  "Old comrades of the Civil war, their heads bowed in sorrow, were among the many Sioux Cityans who paid their last respect Saturday afternoon to H. C. McNeil, the first Iowa man to enlist in federal forces when the call came to save the Union.  Lodge brothers, business associates and friends made in the long years in Sioux City, when, as a pioneer city builder and business man, the late Mr. McNeil was prominent, gathered for the funeral ritual in the Masonic temple to hear the eulogy of Rev. Charles E. Snyder of First Unitarian church.  A short service and prayers preceded the eulogy.  "The unbroken prairies have yielded to the husbandman's plow.  The haunts of the buffalo no longer resound to their mighty tread.  The builders came.  They came with the working tools, the plumb, the level and the square, and they made the foundation and erected houses and temples and they smoothed the rough ashlars.  A city grew with homes for the wives, who also endured the pioneer life, and for the children whose laughter rang o'er the hillsides,' said Rev. Mr. Snyder.  "Today we have gathered in a lodge of sorrow for one of those builders, who out of his vision and strength contributed to the growth of city and its institutions.  He remained active, interested, quick of mind, firm of judgment and finally lay down as one who wraps the draperies of his couch about him to pleasant dreams.  We are gathered this sorrowful consistory to speak our tribute of farewell, but I cannot say, I shall not say, that he is dead.  The grand master has called him into the lodge room beyond whose doors we cannot see.  But I think, if we might see him just now, it would be with a wave of his hand and a smile of good cheer to say to us that the order he heard was, Let there be light, and there was light."

The following is an editorial tribute which appeared in the Sioux City Journal under date of March 28, 1924:  "In the death of Henry C. McNeil, Sioux City has lost one of its best known citizens, one who had been a part of the community's progress for more than half a century.  Also Sioux City has lost one if its best liked men.  Mr. McNeil's friendships were many.  It is doubted that anyone here had a wider acquaintance.  Many interesting things are connected with the life of Mr. McNeil in Sioux City.  An outstanding feature of it was the fact that he was in business constantly for some fifty-two years, during which time he built up a reputation for integrity, public spirit and business activity all of which reflected the character of the man.  At eighty-six this pioneer of the long ago had not retired, as he might have done and as many business men much younger have preferred to do.  His friends knew his attitude toward life to be that of one who wanted to go on, active and energetic to the end.  Such an outlook may be recommended to anyone approaching the natural end of a career.  He saw the paving of the streets, the extension of the city limits to take in many square miles, the coming the street car, the automobile, the telephone and electric lighting.  He saw, in a word, the growth of a village to a modern city.  And he was a part of it all, a part of its business life constantly expanding, a part of its fraternalism, of its social activities, aiding, meanwhile, in unchanging confidence the community's advancement.  Henry C. McNeil was one of Sioux City's foremost citizens throughout his long residence here.  Dependable, trustworthy and energetic, he was, like many others of his time, responsible in a large degree for Sioux City's progress.  His familiar figure will be missed by the hundreds who knew him.

D. A. MAGEE

It is an honor today to be classed among the pioneers of Sioux City and to be acknowledged as one of those who in early days were potent factors in the city's development and progress.  David A. Magee, to a brief review of whose life the following ones are devoted, has been a resident of this city continuously since 1869, a period of fifty-seven years, and for many years was an active and prominent figure in the commercial and civic affairs of the  community, contributing in a very definite measure to the prosperity and upbuilding of the city.

Mr. Magee was born in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, on the 6th of August, 1849, and is a son of David F. and Abigail Magee.  In May, 1855, when he was five years of age, the family emigrated to Iowa, having descended the Allegheny and Ohio rivers to Cairo, Illinois, and thence up the Mississippi river to Davenport.  At that time there were no railroads that far west and Mr. Magee retains a vivid recollection of the opening of the railroad bridge across the river between Davenport and Rock Island in 1856.  His gather located on a farm in Pleasant Valley township, Scott county, and David A. Magee was given the advantage of attendance at the Davenport public schools for a few years.  In 1858 the family went to Muscatine county, Iowa, and in the following year moved to Scotch Grove, Jones county, this state, where they lived during the Civil war period.  In April, 1866, Mr. Magee went to Omaha, Nebraska, to enter the employ of a live stock company, but Indian troubles interfered with the company's plans, and Mr. Magee then went to Loveland Mills, Iowa, where he entered the employ of Loveland & Creighton, who directed him to take some stock from Omaha to their mill on the Boyer.  When he arrived at the mill he was induced to remain and learn the miller's trade.  In November, 1868, Mr. Magee returned to Jones county and attended the fall and winter terms of the Monticello high school.  In May, 1869, he came to Sioux City and accepted a situation as miller in the Exchange mills, where he remained until 1871, when he went to work as a miller with the City Mill and Elevator Company, which had just erected a new mill at the corner of Third and Water streets.  He continued in that position until June, 1878, when he entered into a partnership with L. Hattenbach, under the firm name of Hattenbach & Magee, and established a retail grocery business at 305 and 307 Pearl street, which they carried on successfully until January 1, 1901, when the partnership was terminated, since which time Mr. Magee has lived quietly in his comfortable home in Sioux City.

On June 18, 1876, Mr. Magee was married to Miss Adelia Hattenbach, of Sioux City, and they became the parents of a son, Oliver G., born February 3, 1880.

Politically Mr. Magee has been a lifelong supporter of the republican party and has always maintained a deep interest in all matters affecting the welfare of the community.  In 1877 he was elected a member of the board of aldermen, serving three years, and in March, 1885, was elected mayor of the city, serving one term.  In November, 1887, he was selected sheriff of Woodbury county and in 1894 was elected alderman from the fourth ward.  In 1888 he was commissioned by Governor Larrabee as aide-de-camp on his official staff, with the rank of lieutenant colonel.  In 1882 Mr. Magee took a leading and active part in promoting the waterworks and street railway projects of this city and eventually be came the first president of both the Sioux City Water Company and the Sioux City Street Railroad Company, having driven the first spike in the building of that road.  During the six-year period between 1895 and 1901 he was largely instrumental in the work incidental to the construction of the Floyd monument.  He also assisted in placing a marker at the grave of War Eagle on War Eagle Hill to honor the last Sioux chieftain of the Dakotas of the southeast border.  In September, 1926, as committee chairman of the Woodbury County Pioneer Club, he caused the removal of the remains of Sioux City's first white settler (1849), Theophile Bruguier, to be laid beside those of his father-in-law, War Eagle, in War Eagle Park, with appropriate ceremonies.

The following paragraph is copied from the Sioux City Journal of September 23, 1926:  "Routine business occupied the attention of the city council at the regular session Wednesday, the important points of the meeting being the naming of Magee drive, Carlin park and Kellogg park, in addition to authorizing the signing of a contract for the construction of the Greenville branch library.  The drive beginning at the northeast corner of War Eagle park and running up to War Eagle hill will be called Magee drive in honor of D. A. Magee, former mayor of Sioux City.  The council passed a resolution to this effect."

During the World war Mr. Magee served as associate food commissioner of Woodbury county.  He has been secretary of the Sioux City Retail Merchants Association for the past twenty years, and he also belongs to the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Academy of Science and Letters.  His fraternal relations are as follows:  Landmark Lodge, No. 103, A. F. & A. M.; Sioux City Consistory, No. 5, A. A. S. R.; and Sioux City Lodge, No. 181, of the Ancient Order of United Workmen.  Genial and kindly in manner and straightforward in all of his relations, Mr. Magee has always enjoyed the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens and is regarded as one of the grand old men of Sioux City, in whose prosperity, growth and welfare he has ever maintained a devoted interest.

L. R. MANLEY

Leonard R. Manley, cashier of the Security National Bank and vice president of the Woodbury County Savings Bank of Sioux City, was born in that city November 1, 1891, a son of the late Wilbur P. Manley, veteran banker and philanthropist, whose services to this community have been referred to above, and all his active life has been spent in the banking business.  He was graduated from the Sioux City high school in 1909 and then entered Dartmouth College, at Hanover, New Hampshire, and in 1913 was graduated from that institution with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.

Upon his return from college Mr. Manley entered the Security National Bank and was gradually advanced in the service of that sound old financial institution until in January, 1919, he was elected cashier and has since been serving in that responsible capacity.  In August, 1924, he was elected vice president of the Woodbury County Savings Bank and thus now has official connection with both the banks which  his late father had so successfully established.  Besides banking, Mr. Manley has other interests of a substantial character and is a member of the board of directors and secretary-treasurer of the Sioux City Telephone Company.

In 1918 Leonard R. Manley was united in marriage to Miss Madge Vaughn of Des Moines, Iowa, and they have three children, a son and two daughters, namely:  Winthrop L., Priscilla and Joan.  Mr. and Mrs. Manley are members of the First Presbyterian church and Mr. Manley is a Royal Arch and Knight Templar Mason, his basic connection with Freemasonry being through Tyrian Lodge, No. 508, his connection with capitular Masonry being through Sioux City Chapter, No. 26, R. A. M., and his Knights Templar connection through Columbian Commandery, No. 18.

W. P. MANLEY

During the obsequies following the passing of the late Wilbur Porter Manley, veteran banker and philanthropist of Sioux City, his pastor, the Rev. Edwin F. Rippey of the First Presbyterian church observed that "the city counts his going as a loss and mourns."  And it was even so.   "There are men in every community whose privilege it is to serve,"  continued the clergyman.  "Certain ones accept the opportunities presented.  Only those who forget self and discount personal welfare successfully serve.  Such men give their life, their best.  So it has been with W. P. Manley."  In further comment along this line the clergyman observed that "we did not mark his presence except in the good that he did.  He went his quiet way, retiring and dignified.  Only was his presence felt when he gave to the need of the community or the individual.  But keen as the loss may be, there is great reason for rejoicing in the heritage of memories that he leaves us, of his faith in the future of this city, of his belief  in the men who made the city, of his love for and loyalty to the city and its institutions, of his friendliness and his interest in his acquaintances, of his devotion and loyalty to his church, of his service to men in the effectual paths of religion and of his loving care and keen and intense devotion to his family."

Many similar tributes emphasized the above.  Resolutions passed by the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce referred to Mr. Manley as one of the city's most valued residents, "an upright and far-seeing business man, always ready to assist any worthy enterprise; a man who in the midst of his business activities was always a leader in the educational, religious and philanthropic life of the city, giving abundantly of his time and his means; a man to whom those in distress instinctively turned for comfort, advice and help."  These resolutions gratefully acknowledged the Chamber's deep obligation of memory "to our departed friend whose life is an example and an inspiration to the citizens of the city to which he came as a young man and to whose growth and betterment he has contributed by his ability, his integrity and his humanity."  In like fashion the Sioux City Grain Exchange recognized "the great loss the community and surrounding territory sustains in the passing of this good man who was always foremost in work for civic welfare, in philanthropic generosity and in private giving of his means and advice to all worthy causes."  At a joint meeting of the directors of the two banks which Mr. Manley established and of which he was for years the head the resolutions there adopted set out with reference to the deceased that "the phrase, 'a gentleman of the old school,' best describes his suave and gracious manner.  It was always a delight to meet him."  Continuing, these resolutions declared concerning this veteran financier that "as a banker he was conservative, yet he had vision to see growth and once he backed an honest, capable man in a new business he stood by him through thick and thin.  Because he was prudent and his judgment was sound he has built in these banks monuments to his memory........He was a philanthropist in the broad sense, was always ready to give liberal aid to a deserving charity or to help an unfortunate individual.  He was unostentatious in his benefactions, yet he was the foremost giver in the community.  He regarded his wealth as a trust to be used in part for the help of those less fortunate than he.....His career has been a vital part of the life of Sioux City for forty years.  He has left his impress upon the community and has built a monument to his sturdy manhood."

The newspaper carried similar tributes in their editorial columns and published many expressions of regard and esteem for the memory of the deceased.  The president of the Chamber of Commerce expressed the opinion that "the standards of banking in this whole territory are higher because of Mr. Manley's conduct of his own bank and because of his influence.  His ability as a banker was recognized in the great banking centers and more than once he was invited to accept a connection with one of the large institutions in the cities.  However, he loved Sioux City and believed in its future. . . I never knew anyone more generous.  The public has known of his large gifts to worthy institutions.  He also gave constantly and liberally where only the recipient and himself knew of the gifts.  The gift of his time was an important as the gifts of his money."  Another friend observed that "he was a true and consistent friend, a judicious and intelligent banker whose friends in the middle west and in the banking centers of this country will join with his friends in Sioux City in sincerely mourning the loss of a good citizen and a generous man."  Another had it that "apart from his great ability as a banker his outstanding characteristic was his wonderful generosity - he simply could not turn down any worthy plea for assistance and always signed up for more than might reasonably be expected.  His giving was one of the real satisfactions of his life.  He had unbounded faith in men.  If convinced that a man was honest and doing his best he would go to the limit with him."  By another it was observed that "his characteristics were a high standard of ethics, strict integrity, intelligent and helpful interest in the city's growth - materially and spiritually - an open generosity in all matters that appealed to him as worthy, an unswerving loyalty to his friends and an abiding interest in the welfare of younger men who were starting out on life's career from as small beginnings as his own."  There were many such expressions, for the whole community seemed to feel a sense of personal bereavement in the passing of this good man whose personal services had meant so much in the general development of that community from the days that might be regarded as belonging to the pioneer period of that development.

Wilbur P. Manley, who died at his home in Sioux City on February 2, 1924, was born at Rutland, Vermont, July 25, 1858, and was thus in his sixty-fifth year at the time of his passing, forty years of which time had been spent in Sioux City.  He was a son of Judge James Edwin Manley and Electa (Porter) Manley, both members of old colonial families in that section of New England, and the former for years occupied the bench of the circuit court in the Rutland district.  Reared amid an excellent social environment, W. P. Manley received good schooling and as a young man was employed as a clerk in a local bank at Rutland and in rapid course was advanced to the position of cashier, there laying the foundation for his later eminent position in the banking world.  While thus engaged he became interested in the establishment of the first telephone exchange in that city and presently bought the same, developed it and carried on the business for three years.  In 1883, when twenty-five years of age, he became so attracted to the possibilities then so apparent to easterners in this section of Iowa that he disposed of his Rutland interests and started west with a view to becoming a banker in a growing community.  His first location was at LeMars, where in that year he established the American Trust and Savings Bank.  He presently became convinced that the then rival town of Sioux City offered better opportunities for expansion of the banking business than were apparent in LeMars and before the year was out he had determined to change his base of operations to the town down the river at the mouth of the Floyd.  He found no lack of enterprising backers at Sioux City and it was thus that on February 1, 1884, there was founded, under his effective organization, the Security National Bank, now the oldest continuing banking institution in the city and regarded as on of the soundest in the northwest.

This bank, which now has a paid up capital of a quarter of a million dollars, was organized with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars and is the oldest "Security" national bank in the country, Mr. Manley having coined the name which is now used in many cities throughout the United States.  The growth of this institution is revealed in a late statement which shows it to have resources aggregating about six million dollars, with deposits of about five million dollars and with a surplus of nearly half a million.  The original incorporators of this bank were Frank H. Peavey, grain dealer; Nicholas Tiedeman, grocer; Craig L. Wright, lawyer; Miles C. Davis, miller; Frank B. Goss, realtor; Allen C. Hoskins, realtor; Eri Richardson, realtor, and Mr. Manley.  All are now deceased.  Mr. Peavey was elected president, Mr. Davis the vice president and Mr. Manley the cashier, the latter furnishing his practical experience as a banker.  In April, 1885, James A. Spaulding was elected president and he was succeeded, on June 1, 1891, by Mr. Manley, who continued as executive head of the institution until his retirement, at his own urgent request, in the fall of 1923, when he was made chairman of the board of directors and so continued until his death in the following February.  The original bank was located at the northeast corner of Fourth and Nebraska streets, but its location was presently changed to a more desirable site on Fourth street, there continuing until its present building was erected in 1893.  For many years Mr. Manley also was the president of the Woodbury County Savings Bank and he occupied a position of real prominence in banking circles throughout the northwest.

Mr. Manley had no secret society affiliations and his only "club" connections were those he held through membership in the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce, the Country Club and the Boat Club, in these latter finding pleasant outdoor diversion.  But for many years he had found his home to be his best and most comfortable "club" and it was there that his fondest interests ever centered.  As has been so clearly indicated above, Mr. Manley's philanthropies afforded his much pleasure and to these he devoted thoughtful and intelligent attention, his donations being liberal in behalf of schools and welfare work, particularly the schools organized in behalf of the backward population of the south and in the work of the Young Men's and Young Women's Christian Associations. He was one of the chief organizers of the local branch of the Young Men's Christian Association at Sioux City and a member of the advisory committee of the Young Women's Christian Association.  During the time of this country's participation in the World war he served as president of the Woodbury county chapter of the American Red Cross and was a constantly stimulating factor in the beneficent operations of that humanitarian agency here.  For many years an office holder in the First Presbyterian church, he took an active and earnest interest in general church work, was a liberal contributing member of the American Bible Society and was a member of the board of trustees of Morningside College, Buena Vista College and Yankton College.

On December 10, 1884, the year in which he began his banking operations at Sioux City, W. P. Manley was united in marriage to Miss Eva Richardson of this city, daughter of Eri Richardson, mentioned above as one of the incorporators of the Security National Bank.  Since the death of her husband Mrs. Manley has continued to make her home at Sioux City, in which her interests have centered since the days of her girlhood, residing at 2323 Nebraska street, where she is very pleasantly situated.  Mr. Manley also is survived by a son, Leonard R. Manley, cashier of the Security National Bank, and two daughters, the Misses Margaret T. Manley and Louise E. Manley.

J. P. MANSMITH

The business career of J. P. Mansmith has been closely identified with the commercial growth and prosperity of Arnolds Park, Dickinson county, where he has for a number of years successfully conducted a flourishing mercantile business, while at the same time he has taken a commendable interest in the general welfare and progress of the community.  Born at Hartley, Iowa, on the 9th of February, 1888, he is a son of John C. and Julia Ann (Paul) Mansmith, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Illinois.  They were married at Marshalltown, Iowa, to which state their respective families had come in early pioneer days, making the journey from the east in the typical covered wagons of that day. Both families settled on land in O'Brien county, where the young people were reared to maturity and married.  After his marriage, John C. Mansmith bought six hundred and forty acres of land from George W. Skee, the gentleman who later donated American flags which he had placed on every schoolhouse in Iowa.  Mr. Mansmith still owns three hundred and twenty acres of this land, which is located two miles east of Hartley, but for the past nineteen years has been retired from active affairs and is living in Hartley.

J. P. Mansmith attended the public schools, graduating from the high school at Hartley, and at the age of fourteen entered on an apprenticeship to learn the mercantile business, serving as clerk and utility boy in a store at Hartley.  He remained with his first employer three years and was employed as a clerk in different stores in Hartley for nine years.  On January 1, 1911, at Arnolds Park, he became a clerk in the general mercantile store of A. L. Peck, with whom he remained two years, and in 1913 he opened a store of his own here, in which he has enjoyed a very gratifying success, doing a volume of business that would only be expected in a city of much larger size.  He has devoted himself assiduously to his affairs, in all of which he has shown keen judgment and wise discrimination, and his success has been well merited.  Mr. Mansmith was one of the organizers and is now vice president and a director of the Arnolds Park Savings Bank.

In 1909, Mr. Mansmith was united in marriage to Miss Lela Mentzer, of Springville, Iowa, and to them has been born a son, Paul David, a student in high school.  Fraternally Mr. Mansmith is a member of Gloaming Lodge, No. 482, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Milford; Spirit Lake Chapter, No. 132, Royal Arch Masons; Okoboji Lodge No. 429, Knights of Pythias, at Milford; and the Brotherhood of American Yeomen.  He has at all times evinced a commendable interest in local public affairs and has served eleven years continuously as a member of the town council of Arnolds Park and has served as treasurer of the school board for the past seven years.  His religious membership is with the Methodist Episcopal church at Hartley, and he is also an associate member of the undenominational church at Arnolds Park, to both of which organizations he gives generous support.  He is a man of active and energetic manner, sound and reliable in his business methods, and keenly alive to the highest and best interests of the community.  Personally he is a man of genial and kindly manner and enjoys an enviable standing throughout the district honored by his citizenship.

W. C. MARSH

William C. Marsh, a Union veteran, has resided in Cherokee county for fifty years, bearing his share in the work of development and progress, and Aurelia numbers him among its honored pioneers.  He was born March 31, 1840, in Clinton county, New York, and is the fourth in a family of six children.  The others were Julia, Madison and Emily, all of whom are deceased; Nancy A., who has also passed away; and Susannah, a resident of Armour, South Dakota.  Their parents were Lyman and Polly (Comstock) Marsh, the former a native of Massachusetts and the latter of Vermont.

Mr. Marsh came to the middle west in his youth and was a student at Lawrence University of Appleton, Wisconsin.  He engaged in farming until 1862 and on August 2 enlisted in Company B, of the Thirty-second Wisconsin Infantry.  He was discharged in March, 1863, and returned to Wisconsin.  In the summer of that year he went to Chicago for the purpose of attending the Bryant & Stratton Business College and after completing his course entered the employ of the government in the capacity of chief issuing clerk.  His duties took him from Ringgold, Georgia, to Atlanta and a year later he was sent to Louisville, Kentucky, thence to Baltimore, Maryland.  There he took a steamer for Savannah, Georgia, passing around Cape Hatteras, and after reaching his destination found that General Sherman had already departed with his command.  Mr. Marsh then returned to New Bern, North Carolina, where he remained until June, 1865, aiding in the work of repairing the railroads, after which he took a tug to Fortress Monroe, Monroe,  Virginia, and went from there to Baltimore by steamer.  In October, 1875, he came to Cherokee county, Iowa, and a year later built the first hotel in Aurelia.  He conducted the business for two years and then began speculating in farms.  He also embarked in the grain business, operating an elevator in this locality, and prospered in all of his undertakings.  He displayed wisdom and foresight in making his investments and his plans were carefully formulated and promptly executed.

Mr. Marsh married Miss Frances Hubbard, who passed away October 7, 1918, and eight children were born to them:  one who died in infancy; Grace, also deceased; Edith, at home; Lyman, deceased; Winnie, who is the wife of Bert Wilson, of Prince Rupert, British Columbia; William C., who lives in Aurelia, Iowa; Ethel, who married C. W. Persons, of Aurelia; and Mrs. Lula Royer, of Cherokee.

Mr. Marsh is allied with the republican party and was twice honored with the majoralty by his fellow townsmen.  He was also elected county supervisor and made an excellent record in both offices.  His record as postmaster is notable.  Appointed to the office, he served for four years and three months, after which President Cleveland appointed another to the position, but in ten days less than a year Mr. Marsh was returned to the office and served constantly for nineteen years and one month - a fact which indicates clearly his ability and fidelity in the position.  He is a Knight Templar Mason and belongs to Custer Post, No. 25, of the Grand Army of the Republic.  He has been loyal to every trust reposed in him and faithful to every duty.  He has always dealt honorably with his fellowmen and at the venerable age of eighty-five years can look back upon a well spent life, enjoying the respect that is ever accorded the citizen of worth.

H. V. MARTIN

One of the outstanding business successes of Sioux City is the great department store of T. S. Martin Company, of which Howard V. Martin is a director and secretary-treasurer.  From boyhood he has been identified with this business and has had a part in its later success, devoting himself closely to its interests.  A man of sterling qualities and marked business ability, he has won a high place in the estimation of his business associates and throughout the community he commands universal confidence and regard.  Mr. Martin was born in Sioux City on the 6th day of June, 1893, and is a son of Thomas Samuel Martin, who was for many years an honored resident of Sioux City and who established the business with which his sons are now identified.

Howard V. Martin attended the public schools of this city and graduated from the Tome Preparatory School at Port Deposit, Maryland, after which he was for two years at Wharton School, of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia.  He returned home on the death of his father, August 9, 1915, and on the reorganization of the T. S. Martin Company, ten days later, he was made a director and secretary-treasurer of the company, in consequence of which he did  not return to school.  During his boyhood years he had worked in his father's store during vacations and on Saturdays and while attending school in Philadelphia he had worked afternoons and other spare time in John Wanamaker's store, so that he had gained a practical insight into department store methods.  He has ably filled the position which he holds and not a little of the prosperity which the firm enjoys has been due to his devotion and conscientious efforts.  He is also a director and secretary-treasurer of the T. S. Martin Realty Company.

On June 28, 1917, Mr. Martin was united in marriage to Miss Leone Weston, of Hardington, Nebraska, a daughter of W. S. Weston, now vice president of the Peters Trust Company, of Omaha, Nebraska.  To this union has been born a daughter, Mildred.  Mr. Martin is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Sioux City County Club and of the Chamber of Commerce.  He is a member of the Cathedral of the Epiphany Roman Catholic church and Mrs. Martin is a member of the Presbyterian church.  He has been true and loyal in every relation of life, is public spirited in his attitude towards all movements for the betterment of his community and has a host of warm and loyal friends.

J. E. MARTIN

Among the leading department stores of Sioux City is that of the T. S. Martin Company, which was established by the father of J. Earle Martin in 1890, has enjoyed a steady and substantial growth through the years, and is now, with the magnificent building which houses it, one of the landmarks of the city.  J. Earle Martin, now president of T. S. Martin Company, has literally grown up in the business and has gained a place in the front rank of the progressive and enterprising business men of the community.  He was born in Sioux City on the 27th of August, 1884, and is a son of Thomas Samuel Martin, ow whom an extended sketch appears elsewhere in this work.  After completing his preliminary education in the public schools of this city, he attended Christian Brothers College, at St. Louis, and then took a commercial course in the Sioux City Business College.  From the age of twelve years he had spent his vacations and other leisure time in his father's store and at the age of eighteen he formally began an apprenticeship in merchandising under the wise direction of his father, the ensuing seven years being spent in learning every detail of the business, from the ground up.  In 1909 he was taken into partnership and shortly thereafter the business was incorporated as T. S. Martin Company, prior to which time it had been operated under the firm name of T. S. Martin & Company.  In 1911 he was elected a director and treasurer of the company, serving in that capacity until January, 1915, when he was made vice president, while at the same time his brother, Jules T. Martin, was made a director and elected secretary-treasurer.  On the reorganization of the company, August 19, 1915, caused by the death of the father, J. Earle Martin, was made president of the corporation, Jules T. became vice president, and another brother, Howard V. Martin, became a director and secretary-treasurer, which respective positions they still hold.  On January 1, 1925, the T. S. Martin Realty Company (formerly the T. S. Martin Estate) was incorporated for a million dollars, with the same officers as the T. S. Martin Company.  In 1918 the T. S. Martin Estate built the Orpheum theater and in 1919 the new T. S. Martin store building was erected, at an approximate cost of one million dollars.  The building itself is a model of architecture as well as efficiency, containing a every convenience known to the most modern stores.  It is absolutely fireproof, with an automatic sprinkler system, and has attracted wide attention, architects and builders from distant parts of the country coming to see it.  It is built of buff brick, trimmed in white, is six stories high, with full basement, and is said to be the finest equipped department store west of Chicago.  Over six hundred employees attend to the needs of the buying public and everything required in any home can be bought here.  Sioux City is justifiably proud of this great store and of the men who are so ably managing it.

On August 9, 1910, J. Earle Martin was united in marriage to Miss Helen Ross, daughter of Dr. Grant J. Ross, one of Sioux City's eminent physicians, and they are the parents of three children, Mariette, J. Earle, Jr., and Thomas Ross.  Mr. Martin is a member of Sioux City Lodge, No. 112, Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, of the Sioux City Country Club, the Sioux City Commercial Club and the Knights of Columbus.  He and his family are communicants of the  Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church.  Mr. Martin's marked success in the business world has been gained by close attention to the interests entrusted to him, and by an honorable and consistent course he has long held an enviable place among the representative business men of the community.  He has always maintained a deep interest in whatever has tended to promote the prosperity and welfare of his city and is held in the highest esteem by all who know him.

J. T. MARTIN

Among the men who are contributing to the prosperity and commercial welfare of Sioux City stands Jules T. Martin, vice-president of the T. S. Martin Company, which owns one of the leading business houses of this city.  From young manhood he has devoted himself to this business and takes a justifiable pride in the concern of which he is an official member.  Mr. Martin was born in Sioux City, on the 20th of July, 1889, and is a son of Thomas Samuel Martin, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work, and who was the founder of the great business which now bears his name.

Jules T. Martin attended the public schools of Sioux City, and the Tome Preparatory School, at Port Deposit, Maryland.  He then spent two years in the University of Wisconsin, following which he returned home and was admitted to the firm of T. S. Martin & Company.  In January, 1915, he was made a director and secretary-treasurer of the company, and on August 19, 1915, he became vice president, which position he still holds.  He thoroughly understands every phase of the department store business and in a large measure has been responsible for the wonderful growth of the business.

In 1917 Mr. Martin was married to Miss Jessie Marguerite Reid, of Birmingham, Michigan, and they are the parents of a daughter, Margaret Ann.  Mr. Martin is a member of Sioux City Lodge No. 112, Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Sioux City County Club and the Chamber of Commerce.  His religious connection is with the Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic church.  Personally he is a man of forceful individuality, possessing to a marked degree those attributes which commend a man to the favor of his fellowmen, and he is active and influential in affairs affecting the welfare and progress of his city and community.

DANIEL MELTER

For fifty-five years a resident of Rock township, Daniel Melter is thoroughly familiar with events that have shaped the history of the district during this period, and as one of its pioneer agriculturists and useful citizens he is widely known and highly esteemed.  He was born October 16, 1843, in Stark county, Ohio, and his parents, Michael and Eva C. (Dean) Melter, were natives of Germany.  In 1835 they came to the United States and for a number of years the father followed the trade of a carpenter in Ohio.  Subsequently he settled on a farm in Wisconsin and the mother passed away in that state in 1870.  After her demise he migrated to Iowa, where he spent the remainder of his life, responding to death's summons in 1895.

Mr. Melter is the only surviving member of a family of six children.  He attended the rural schools near his father's farm and remained at home until 1864, when he enlisted in Company D of the Forty-fifth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.  He served until the close of the Civil war, gallantly defending the Union cause, and was mustered out on July 17, 1865.  he returned to Wisconsin and engaged in farming in the Badger state for three years.  In 1869 he came to Iowa and lived for a year in Black Hawk county.  In March, 1870, he moved to Cherokee county and purchased a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, which he still owns. He was one of the early settlers in this district and has experienced the various phases of life on the frontier, watching with interest the onward march of civilization in the west.  In the work of development he has borne his full share and through un-abating effort, wise management and the exercise of the qualities of patience and perseverance has converted his private property into a public asset.  he takes justifiable pride in his  farm, which is supplied with many modern improvements and ranks with the best in the township.

In 1868 Mr. Melter married Miss Mary Spinharney, a native of Wisconsin.  Death severed their union in 1918 and her remains were laid to rest in the Cherokee Oak Hill cemetery.  She had become the mother of seven children:  Fred W., who was the first white child born in Rock township and now makes his home in Cherokee; Rose, the wife of William Frambach, of Boise, Idaho; one who died in infancy; Edwin, who lives in South Dakota; Bertha, the wife of C. Johnson, of Danbury, Iowa; Maggie, now Mrs. William Huber; and Stephen, a resident of Cherokee.

Mr. Melter has sixteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild and in their society renews his youth.  He is a stanch republican in his political views and his public spirit had been demonstrated by both word and deed.  He was a member of the school board for some time and was the first clerk of Rock township, of which he was also assessor.  Along fraternal lines he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to Cherokee Lodge, No. 188.  Mr. Melter is a self-made man, deserving of all the praise which the term implies, and at the venerable age of eighty-two years is enjoying eh prosperity earned by honest toil.  His record is an unblemished one and commands for him the highest admiration and respect.

E. C. MEYERS

The history of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church at Milford embodies a record particularly of one man's unselfish devotion to a great cause and of his progressive an enterprising spirit in everything he has done here.  If the value of a man's life is to be judged by his accomplishments, then to Rev. E. C. Meyers is due the gratitude and love of the people of his community, for his influence has been not only beneficent in a religious way, but he has also contributed in a very definite measure to the material progress and upbuilding of his section of Dickinson county.  The history of the Catholic church in Dickinson county begins with the year 1873, when the first mass was celebrated in the house of Oliver Sarazine, at Spirit Lake, by Rev. J. J. Smith, of Emmetsburg.  Father Smith continued to attend to the spiritual wants of the Catholics in this county, coming twice or three times a year until 1881.  In the early spring of that year Rev. M. K. Norton came to Spirit Lake and temporarily made his home with the Sarazine family.  From this place he attended missions at Armstrong, Everly, Spencer, Ruthven, Estherville, Lake Park and Milford.

Milford's church history begins with the time of Father Norton, who said the first mass in the house of Daniel Ryan, three miles east of town, he and his successor, Father McCauley, continuing to say mass in private houses or in the hall over the J. A. Ellis store until 1889, when, under the guidance of Rev. L. Carroll, the Catholics of Milford built their first church, thirty by forty feet in size, at a cost of thirteen hundred dollars.  For twenty years this parish struggled on without a resident pastor, being attended from Spencer, but in the spring of 1909 Bishop P. J. Garrigan, of Sioux City, sent Rev. E. C. Meyers here, with practically all of Dickinson county as his charge.  When he arrived, Father Meyers fund about twenty-five scattered families at Milford and a smaller number at Spirit Lake.  Encouraged by the presence among them of a resident pastor, the Catholics of the community awoke from their lethargy, for which they were in a large measure not responsible, and set actively to work.  Realizing that more numbers were needed, they started to advertise the advantages of Dickinson county, where excellent farm land could be bought at a comparatively cheap price.  Their advertisements were repeatedly answered by the inquiry as to whether they had a parochial school.  Being forced to answer the question negatively, they met with poor results, so, realizing the key to the situation, they purchased a new site on Main street, moved their little church to the new location, and also bought the old public school building and moved it to the lot.  Then, prepared to answer the question as to educational facilities, they again began to advertise, with splendid results.  The school building became too small and was doubled in size, while by 1913 the church building had been added to at both ends in order to accommodate the increasing congregation.  The community's rapid and healthy growth was reflected in the corresponding growth of the church, and on August 3, 1921, they dedicated a beautiful, fireproof structure, one of the best in the state.  The little parish of twenty-five families has grown to one hundred and twenty-five, mainly the result of judicious advertising.  That Father Meyers' part in the splendid developments at Milford has been generally recognized is evidenced in a letter from C. F. Cody, of Mason City, to C. F. Hilliker, of Des Moines, division freight and passenger agents of their respective divisions, in which the writer said in part:  "Father Meyers made the country in and about Milford what it is.  I have been personally acquainted with that country for about thirty years and up to twelve or fifteen years ago it was thought that in and around Milford was no fit place for man it live.  But he has brought in a class of people who have made it a 'bang-up' good country."

E. C. Meyers was born in Carroll county, Iowa, on the 10th day of August, 1877, and is the son of John and Catherine (Rosauer) Meyers, the former born in Dubuque county, Iowa, and the latter in LaSalle county, Illinois.  The paternal grandparents were among the early pioneers of Dubuque county.  They were of the Protestant faith, but the grandmother became a convert to the Catholic faith, and all of her ten children became communicants of that church.  About 1870 John Meyers and a twin brother, Christopher, migrated to Carroll county, Iowa, where the father had bought for them a quarter section of land, for which he paid six dollars an acre.  For a few years they farmed this land together, but at the time of their marriage they separated.  They went back to Chickasaw county for their bridges and married sisters.  John Meyers resided in Carroll up to within some three years of his death, when he sold his three hundred and twenty acres of land and thereafter made his home with his son, E. C. Meyers.  The latter attended the district schools of Carroll county and the parochial school at Roselle, Iowa, after which he entered St. Francis College, at Quincy, Illinois, where he was graduated in 1902, with the degree of Master of Arts.  He then took a theological course and prepared for the priesthood at St. Paul's Seminary, where he was ordained to holy orders on June 12, 1906, by Archbishop Ireland.  He celebrated his first mass at Carroll, Iowa, and then was sent to Granville as assistant under Rev. J. A. Gerlemann, where he remained three years, or until May 29, 1909, when he came to Milford, his record here being referred to in the opening paragraphs of this sketch.  As a pastor Father Meyers is extremely efficient, maintaining personal supervision over every department of church work, while he is also active in visitation work through the parish.  As a preacher he is widely known, being a man of vigorous and effective style and a splendid sermonizer.  In affairs outside the church, but affecting the general welfare of the people of the community, Father Meyers is also deeply interested and has been an effective power for good, being a man of sound and reliable judgment in business affairs, and standing for social civic and moral betterment of the people.  He is a kindly, genial and sympathetic friend to all with whom he is associated and throughout the community he is greatly respected and esteemed by all, regardless of creed or profession.

J. P. MILLS

A notable example of a long and useful career is furnished in the life history of John P. Mills, who came to Clay county in pioneer times and was long a factor in the development of its rich farming lands.  For more than two decades he has been one of the outstanding figures in commercial circles of Spencer and although he has passed the eightieth milestone on life's journey, he is still active in commercial affairs, retaining the priceless possession of physical and mental vigor.  He was born January 11, 1845, in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, and his parents, Samuel and Nancy (Emory) Mills, were also natives of the Keystone state.

Mr. Mills is the second in order of birth in a family of ten children.  He was reared on the homestead in Lafayette county, Wisconsin, and attended the district school in winter, aiding his father in the cultivation of the fields during the summer months.  In 1864, when nineteen years of age, he enlisted in Company E of the Forty-third Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry and served until the close of the Civil war.  He then returned to his home and engaged in farming in the Badger state until 1869, when he came to Iowa, first locating in Carroll county.  In January, 1870, he moved to Clay county and rented a farm near Sioux Rapids.  He operated that place until 1873 and with his savings purchased an eighty-acre tract in Gillett Grove township, on which he established his home.  As his resources permitted he added to his holdings and eventually acquired a ranch of five hundred and sixty acres.  He afterward sold one hundred and sixty acres and now owns a half section in Clay county.  Having an expert knowledge of his occupation, Mr. Mills brought his land to a high state of development, erecting substantial buildings for the shelter of grain and stock, and through unceasing effort transformed the property into one of the finest farms in the township.  In 1902 he moved to Spencer and turned his attention to business affairs.  He was elected president of the Farmers Mutual Insurance Company and for seventeen years was its executive head.  During that period the business made rapid strides and he is now acting treasurer of the company, of which he is also a director.

On December 19, 1867, Mr. Mills married Elizabeth Sprague, a native of Cornwall, England, and ten children were born to them.  Their son, Charles B., died in 1922.  Mr. Mills is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church and his wife is also of that faith.  He belongs to Annett Post, No. 124, of the Grand Army of the Republic, whose membership is rapidly diminishing, and he finds much enjoyment in his association with the "Boys in Blue."  He is a republican in his political views and was formerly active in public affairs.  He was county supervisor, road commissioner, and for two terms acted as town clerk, rendering valuable service in each of these offices.  Mr. Mills has acquitted himself with dignity, fidelity and honor in every relation in life and occupies a high place in the esteem of his fellowmen.

H. G. MOORE

A veteran of the Civil war and one of the venerable and highly respected citizens of Storm Lake, Buena Vista county, is Henry G.  Moore, who, after a long, active and successful life as a farmer, is now retired and is spending the golden sunset of his life in his comfortable home in Storm Lake.  Mr. Moore was born in Pennsylvania on the 7th of September, 1842, and is a son of Henry and Margaret Moore, also natives of Pennsylvania.  In 1857 they moved to Iowa, first locating in Davenport, from which place they later went by team to Jones county, Iowa, where the father bought a farm.  Later he sold that place and went to Linn county, where he settled on another farm and there he and his wife spent their remaining years.

Henry G. Moore attended public schools of his native state and was about fifteen years of age when the family migrated westward.  He remained with his father until August 5, 1863, when he enlisted in Company K, Eighth Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry, with which he served until the close of the war, escaping without injury, and was mustered out at Macon, Georgia, and honorably discharged at Clinton, Iowa.  He served as corporal and then as sergeant.  He then returned to Jones county, where he went to work on a farm, remaining there until 1868, when he came to Buena Vista county and bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Hayes township.  During the ensuing forty years he devoted himself closely to the cultivation of this place, which he developed into one of the best farms in that locality, and in 1909 he retired from active farm work and moved into Storm Lake, where he now lives.  He still owns his farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and also owns one hundred and sixty acres of land in Oklahoma.

On April 29, 1872, Mr. Moore was united in marriage to Miss Helen Scott, who was born in Orleans county, New York, October 8, 1853, a daughter of John and Sarah Scott, both of whom were natives of Scotland.  They came to the United States in an early day, locating first in New York, but later moved to Dallas county, Iowa, where the father's death occurred, and the mother afterwards went to Miller, South Dakota, where her death occurred.  Of the eleven children born to this worthy couple, Mrs. Helen Moore was the fourth in order of birth and six of them are living.  To Mr. and Mrs. Moore have been born six children, as follows:  Ulysses W., deceased; Florence, the wife of John Henry, who died in 1910 leaving two daughters, Edith and Irene Moore, now young college students; Maude, wife of David Boyce; and Mae, the wife of E. S. Leggett.  Mr. Moore and his wife have long been earnest members of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Storm Lake.  Politically he is a stanch supporter of the republican party and was in former years very active in local public affairs, having served as assessor and as school treasurer for fifteen years.  He is a member of Baker Post, No. 80, Grand Army of the Republic.  Throughout his entire life he has been as true and loyal to his country and her interests in days of peace as when he followed the nation's starry  banner on the battlefields of the south.