~ George N. Lacey ~

George N. Lacey, one of the oldest settlers of Poweshiek Township, Jasper County, was born near the city of Springfield, Ill., July 30,1850. His parents, Isaac and Jane (Boyd) Lacey, were natives of Tennessee, and grew to maturity and married in that state before removing to Illinois. They occupied a farm near Springfield for a few years, and in 1854 immigrated to the new state of Iowa. Here they were among the earliest arrivals and found a country fair as the "Garden of the Gods" to look upon but entirely unsettled and unoccupied, save by the wild animals of the plains, whose habitat they invaded to make for themselves a home. Buffaloes, deer and elks, of the larger game, quails, prairie chickens and wild geese, of the feathered tribes, were abundant and afforded a ready means of replenishing the larder until the farm was well under cultivation. Wolves were very destructive, and sheep, hogs and fowl suffered severely from their depredations. Years of hard labor brought the reward, and today Mr. and Mrs. Lacey have retired, and reside in Mitchellville, Polk County, at the ages respectively of seventy- three and sixty-seven years.

Of the thirteen children born to them, but seven remain: Susan, widow of H. M. Battles; George N., the subject of this sketch; James, a resident of Polk County; Filmore, of Jasper County; William, of Polk County; Ulysses (deceased), and Jonathan, the latter also a resident of Polk County.

George N. Lacey was educated, in the country schools, but attended only in the winter season, being obliged to walk a distance of four miles, frequently through deep snow or heavy rains. He continued in this way to secure such education as the labors on the farm permitted, residing in the meantime with his parents until his twenty-first year, when he purchased an interest in the farm which he now occupies. At this time he is the sole owner of the property, and has increased its dimensions to a fine estate of two hundred acres, nearly all of which is under a high state of cultivation, is improved with a beautiful residence, spacious barns and outhouses and every convenience that can aid a farmer, He carries on a general farming business, but devotes much attention to the improvement of his stock, which ranks second to few in the state. In 1872, at the age of twenty-two years, he married Miss Eliza Cummings, a native of Ohio and a daughter of Mason and Lucinda Cummings, who came into this county from Ohio in 1861. Mr. Cummings died in 1865, at the age of thirty-seven, and his wife in 1868, also at the age of thirty-seven. They were among the early settlers of Muskingum County, Ohio, and were the parents of five children, only two of whom survive, Eliza and Ida, the latter now Mrs. William Mason, who resides in Colorado.

Mr. and Mrs. Lacey are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Elmer and Orva are the only ones of their five children who remain. Mr. Lacey is a Democrat in politics and a leader in the party, and can always be counted upon to support the party nominees. Page 463.

~ Nathan W. Lee ~

Jasper County is the home of a large number of enterprising and progressive farmers whose estates add attractiveness to the landscape, being marked by first class improvements, and the air of thrift that gives one unacquainted with rural life a good idea of the value of farm property. Washington Township has her share of these well-regulated farms and one of them is located on section 17, where Mr. Lee owns two hundred and twenty-seven acres of land. In addition to this property he also owns a section of land in Texas.

In this sketch it is but a fitting tribute to a noble man that prominent mention should be made of the father of our subject, the late Ishmael Lee. He was born on a farm in Blount County, TN, May 22, 1815, and in his youth learned the trade of a shoemaker. In 1833 he removed to the vicinity of Richmond, Wayne County, IN, where he engaged in general farming. In 1834 he went to Michigan, and for eighteen years made his home in Cass County, removing to Iowa in 1852. In the winter of 1852-53 he lived on the Des Moines River, near the then existing town of Dudley, Warren County. In the spring of 1853 he removed to section 23, Franklin Township, Polk County, and cleared and improved a farm, where he resided until 1869. In the latter year he removed to Beaver Township, one-quarter of a mile south of Mitchellville, Iowa, where he died April 22, 1879, aged sixty-three years and eleven months.

While living in Michigan Ishmael Lee was married, January 14, 1836, to Miss Sallie East, who died April 22, 1840. Two children survive of that marriage, Mrs. Eliza Lee, who lives near Mitchellville, and Mrs. Hannah Chandler, of Lake City, IA. June 22, 1841, at Richmond, IN, Mr. Lee married Miss Miriam Marmon, a native of Ohio, who removed to Michigan at the age of twelve years. She is still living and makes her home with our subject. Her father, Peter Marmon, was of French descent. The second marriage of Mr. Lee resulted in the birth of the following children; Mary, wife of Peter Marmon, Elizabeth, who is the wife of William H. Woodrow, Lydia, who married John W, Wilson, Samuel and Nathan, who live on the farm where their father died, Peter, who enlisted in the Second Iowa Battery and died at Memphis, TN., March 32, 1865, Hiram, who died May 7, 1866, Ruth, who married Frank F. Blyler, and died November 19, 1871.

In the biography of Ishmael Lee, published a few days after his demise in the Mitchellville News, the following appears: "Mr. Lee was one of those peculiar men born into the world to fill a place that few men can fill. Not a public man in one sense, yet in another, few men have a wider reputation than he had and has. Never aspiring to office, and never filling any, yet he was never indifferent to anything. His views were always positive. He was never one of those men who get on the fence and wait for public opinion to tell them on which side they must full; but formed and advocated his views with freedom and independence from the start. Those views were never antagonistic to the fullest freedom and liberty of the human race. They were always formed upon the broadest platform of justice and liberty. In the stirring times of thirty years ago, he had no hesitation in allying himself with that sterling band of Garrisonian Abolitionists who fought the slave aristocracy against odds. He never faltered nor counted the cost, but all his energies were bent, in freedom's channel, until the starry banner covered no slave. The wily Kentuckian found him a foe whom their lash could not cower. An East Tennesseean by birth, the mountain air he inhaled in his youth was freighted with that magic liberty and Justice. Belonging to that society which always held the doctrine, 'Do as you would be done by,' it is doubtful whether he ever knowingly violated this rule.

"In his dealings with his fellow-men he was honest in all that the word implies. As a neighbor he had no enemies; the latchstring to his door was always out. As a husband he was a model. There was never any jarring nor discord in that family. As a father, few children were ever more blest. As a friend, he was warm and generous. As a counselor, he was safe and reliable. In politics he was an original Abolitionist. When the Republican Party came into existence he allied himself with it, and was always one of its most positive members. When a national or state election came, no man ever asked how Mr. Lee was going vote. Even in anti-monopoly times, when some of his best friends wandered from the Republican fold, no man had the hardihood to ask how Mr. Lee would vote.

"If Ishmael Lee had an enemy upon God's footstool, it was caused by a political discussion. He gave and received knocks in political strife, yet held animosity against no man. The controversies held between him and some of his old neighbors were legion, yet we doubt not there is a warm place in their hearts for the brave old man today. Mr. Lee kept even with the times. He was a friend and advocate of improvements and everything that would build up and enhance the good of the state and the nation. Honest himself, he gave humanity credit for the same virtue, and was often imposed upon by designing men, much to his own cost.

"The good, brave, conscientious old man has gone, leaving a record of good deeds as a legacy to his children, and a well spent life as an example to the world. He died happily, willingly and expressing the belief that 'it is all well for me for the hereafter.' "

The Casaopolis Democrat of June 19, 1879, in publishing his biography, stated that "He was a brave, noble, conscientious man, not learned nor erudite, but by his well spent life of good deeds he has left a worthy example to those who come after."

The subject of this sketch, the seventh child and third son of the parental family, was born in Polk County, Iowa, November 10, 1854. He was reared upon a farm, and in childhood received the advantages of a common-school education. When only eight years old, he commenced to plow, and from that time forward, was interested in farming. In March 1877, he was united in marriage with Miss Mattie Pearson, a native of Polk County, Iowa, who was born June 2, 1858, being the daughter of Jesse and Hannah (Hibbs) Pearson. Our subject purchased from his father the old homestead, and there resided until 1881, when he removed to his present farm. He and his wife are the parents of three sons, Athel, who died at the age of two months, W. Garfield and A. Blaine.

Although Mr. Lee can scarcely he called a politician, he is an ardent supporter of the Republican Party, and is a law-abiding citizen. In the Methodist Church at Mitchellville, he is a prominent member and one of the Trustee's. Personally, he possesses the qualities, which have surrounded him with warm friends, whose loyalty he warmly reciprocates. He is charitable and benevolent, and his honorable life is well worthy of emulation. The success which has come to him is well merited, and he ranks among the leading farmers of Washington Township. p. 225.

~ Joseph B. Lister ~

Joseph B. Lister, a prominent and successful businessman of Newton, was born in Yorkshire, England, near the village of Bradford, April 30, 1855. He is the son of William Lister, who was also born in Yorkshire and was an operator in a woolen mill there. The family immigrated to America in l864 and settled in Philadelphia, PA, where the father engaged in the manufacturing business. In 1870 be came to Iowa and soon afterward opened a coalmine near Newton, in which be met with such success that he has since become one of the wealthiest men in the city. He and the subject of our sketch are the owners of the Lister Opera House, as well as other valuable property in and about Newton. A man of enterprise, push and excellent judgment, the success which has rewarded his efforts is not the result of fortuitous circumstances, but has been attained solely through his unaided shrewdness and ability.

A mere child at the time of coming to America, our subject is thoroughly identified with the progressive interests of the United States and is especially interested in the development of the wonderful resources of the State of Iowa. Coming to Newton at the age fifteen years, he grew to manhood here and has since made it his home, with the exception of nine years, during which time he occupied a large farm in Franklin County, clearing the land and tilling the soil of the estate with flattering success. Other than that, he has been engaged in business in Newton, being interested in a grocery here, and for several years the manager and proprietor of a meat market.

In 1878 Mr. Lister was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Lowery, who was born in Illinois and accompanied her parents to Iowa in 1868. Her father was a farmer by occupation and in connection therewith he also engaged in milling. Mr. Lister is one of a family of eleven children. He and his wife are the parents of four children, James J., William H., Hattie and Lottie. p. 194.

~ Robert B. Little ~

The present high standing of Jasper County among the agricultural regions of Iowa may be attributed to the patient, self-sacrificing labors of the men who have for years conducted general farming pursuits here. As a representative of this class we present the name of Robert B. Little, a successful and capable farmer residing on section 1, Palo Alto Township. Since coming to this county in 1868, he has witnessed its development and contributed to its material prosperity, and while advancing his personal interest has also promoted the welfare of the people. His landed possessions aggregate one hundred and sixty acres, upon which he has placed first-class improvements.

A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Little was born in Allegheny County, on the 8th of January 1814, being a son John and Margaret Little. His paternal grandfather is said to have been a soldier in the War of the Revolution, but other than that little is known concerning his ancestry; He was reared to manhood in his native county, and in his boyhood was a student in the subscription schools which were then held in primitive log cabins scattered throughout Pennsylvania. His education has been acquired mainly in the school of experience, and by observation and reading he has become a well-informed man. Upon arriving at man's estate he learned the trade of a carpenter and joiner, which he followed for many years.

Upon forming domestic ties, Mr. Little was united in marriage with Miss Nancy Mahood, a native of Pennsylvania. Seven children were born to this union, of whom five are now living, namely: Margaret, James H., John, Ann, who is the wife of Alphonso France, and Jennie, who married Homer Weld. For years after his marriage Mr. Little resided in Pennsylvania, whence, in 1860, he removed to West Virginia and resided in that state for a number of years. Upon coming west he made his home in Rock Island County, Ill., for a time, and from there removed to Jasper County in 1868, settling upon the farm which he has since owned and which was then in a wild, unimproved condition. With the assistance of his sons, Mr. Little has cleared the land and placed the soil under excellent cultivation. He now owns one hundred and sixty acres, and his sons are the owners of one hundred and eighty acres, making a total acreage of three hundred and forty.

As every public-spirited citizen should, Mr. Little takes an intelligent interest in local and national issues of importance, and in matters political gives the weight of his influence and ballot to the principles of the Democratic Party. He has served in numerous positions of trust, and his son, John, has filled the position of Trustee of Palo Alto Township. In his religious belief, he is identified with the United Presbyterian Church, and is a generous contributor to all enterprises originated and conducted by that denomination. He is a man possessing characteristics of the highest patriotism, and during the Civil War his sympathies were enlisted on the side of the Union. He was hired as a teamster by the Government, and under the command of General Fremont, traveled through West Virginia, and later under General Hunt, Jr. participated in the campaign in the Shenandoah Valley. For about three years he was thus engaged, receiving a discharge at the close of the war. He was not enlisted as a soldier. Page 339.

~ William Lister ~

William Lister, proprietor of Lister's Opera House at Newton, is an extensive landowner of Jasper County. He resides on section 10 of Palo Alto Township, where he owns a finely improved farm consisting of one hundred and forty acres. In addition to this property he owns one hundred and sixty acres in Franklin County, Mo. His valuable possessions have been accumulated through his unaided exertions, and his success in life may be attributed to his energy and industry, seconded by good judgment and sound common sense.

A native of England, our subject was born in Yorkshire, on the 20th of October 1823, and is a son of John F. and Sallie (Fausett) Lister, natives of England. He was reared to manhood in the land or his birth, and early in life began to learn the trade of a wool sorter under his father, who followed that occupation. In connection therewith he engaged in agricultural pursuits. At the age or sixteen he was chosen foreman of wool sorters, and served in that capacity for many years in various parts of England. In his youth he had limited educational advantages, but having been a thoughtful reader and diligent student of events of current interest, he has become a well-informed man.

On the 2nd of February 1847, Mr. Lister was united in marriage with Miss Hannah Brown, who was born in Yorkshire, England, August 7, 1820, and was roared to maturity and married in her native shire. She is a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Shepherd) Brown, both natives of England. To Mr. and Mrs. Lister there have been born eleven children, seven of whom are now living, as follows: James, who makes his home in Rhode Island; John, residing in Kansas; Joseph, who lives in Newton, Iowa; Samuel, also a resident of Newton, Iowa; Alfred, who lives in Palo Alto Township, Jasper County; Arthur, who lives in Rhode Island, and Thomas, whose home is in Palo Alto Township.

Our subject has three brothers in America: John F., Thomas and James. He brought his family to this country in 1865, taking passage on the steamship "City of Baltimore" and landing in New York City after a voyage of about fourteen days. Thence they proceeded to Philadelphia, where Mr. Lister followed the occupation of a wool sorter and buyer for several years, and for a time superintended a woolen factory in that city. He also engaged in business as a manufacturer of worsted goods, and all the machinery used while thus engaged was imported directly from England.

About 1872 Mr. Lister came to Iowa, having previously purchased the farm where he now lives. His farm, in addition to being well cultivated, is valuable on account of having upon it a coal bank, from which soft coal has been secured in such quantities as to be quite profitable to the owner. In politics a Republican, Mr. Lister is not aggressive in political affairs, but nevertheless maintains his opinions with fidelity and enthusiasm, and always casts his ballot for the principles of his chosen party. Page 332.

~ M.K. Livingston ~

M. K. Livingston, a representative farmer and stock raiser of Jasper County, and the owner, and occupant of a finely improved farm lying on section 12, Palo Alto Township, is a native of Ohio, having been born in Morrow County, August 10, 1850. He is a son of the late Leroy S. Livingston a native of New York State who resided for many years in Ohio, and from there removed to Iowa, becoming a pioneer of Jasper County. In 1855 he settled on section 12, Palo Alto Township, and commenced the arduous task of developing a farm from the wilderness. In time he became the owner of one of the finest farms in the township, and upon that place be continued to reside until his death, which occurred in 1887. His widow still survives, and at present makes her home in Newton.

Of the children born to Leroy and Annis (Chipps) Livingston, three are now living, viz.: William A., Ira N. and M. K. The father of this family was a man of honor and integrity, who trained his sons for position of usefulness in the business world. Prominent in public affairs in Jasper County, he was an excellent representative of that class of brave pioneers who endured hardships innumerable in order that their descendants might reap the rich reward of their lives of self-sacrifice. He served as Assessor of Palo Alto Township, and occupied other official positions, in all of which he served with efficiency. In his death the township lost one of its noblest citizens.

At the time the family came to Jasper County, the subject of 'this sketch was a child of five years. His life, therefore, has been passed principally within the limits of this county. In his childhood he aided his father in the task of clearing the land and improving the farm. He also, when opportunity allowed, attended the district schools, where he gained the rudiments of his education. Subsequently, by self-culture, he has added to the knowledge gained in schools, and is now well educated.

On the 2nd of March 1876, Mr. Livingston married Miss Ella Springer, who was born in Newton, Iowa. They became the parents of three children: Nettie, Mabel and Carroll. The family is highly esteemed in the social circles of the township, and in their hospitable home frequently gather many of the best people of the community. Mr. Livingston is the owner of two hundred and eighty-seven acres, upon which he engages in general farming. He is meeting with success in his chosen calling, and occupies an assured position among the businessmen of the county, having the confidence of his associates and the regard of all his friends.

The political questions of the age have received from Mr. Livingston the serious consideration, which they demand, and he has firm convictions upon all subjects of general importance. In political belief, he is an earnest advocated Republican principles, and invariably gives his support to the nominees of that party. He gives his aid to all public measures having for their object the promotion of the welfare of the people, and may be relied upon to give his influence in behalf of all that is true, uplifting and beneficial. p. 205.

~ William A. Loomis ~

William A. Loomis is a prominent and successful agriculturist of Newton Township, Jasper County, was born in Portage County, Ohio, about thirty miles from Cleveland and four miles from Ravenna, the date of his birth being September 15, 1830. He was the eldest in a family of two sons and three daughters born to the union of William H. and Cynthia (Loomis) Loomis, who although bearing the same name were not related, unless it was many generations back.

Tradition tells us that the Loomis family was of English extraction, and that, not long after the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, three brothers, Job, Joel and Alexander, left their native land for the New World, and arriving in this country made settlement at Saybrook, Conn. From that place the family dispersed throughout Massachusetts and into other New England states. Job removed to Ohio, Joel to New York, and Alexander remained on the home farm. It is probable that the father and mother of our subject were descendants of different branches of this family.

William Loomis, the father of our subject, was born at Northampton, Mass., May 10, 1809, and was the youngest of seven children comprising the family of Amos Loomis. Our subject's great-grandfather, Nathaniel Loomis, was born in Connecticut and served in the French and Indian War, where he was captured by the Indians at Ft. Henry. With an Indian on each side of him he was being led away, perchance to death, or at least to a long captivity, when he, being a man of powerful physique seized a favorable opportunity when his captors were off their guard. When that moment came, with almost superhuman strength, he hurled the Indians from him and made a dash for life and liberty. Before they had regained their self-possession he made his way to some large rocks and hid himself in a projecting cliff. Soon he heard the Indians on the rocks above him. They made diligent search, but failed to find his hiding place, he could hear them converse in their native language and could understand what they were saying, and this is the substance of their conversation; "The strength he exhibited, the speed with which lie ran and the way he has vanished from our sight, prove that be is not a white man at all, but the devil." With that remark they left the place, evidently fearing that he would appear to them again. Thus he was enabled to make his escape.

In 1818, when our subject's father was nine years of ago, his parents immigrated to Ohio and settled in Portage County, where Grandfather Loomis died some three years later. In 1838, when our subject was eight years old, his parents removed to Henry County, Ohio, where his father remained until his death, in December 1867. Cynthia, our subject's mother, was the daughter of Capt. Daniel Loomis, the youngest of four brothers, all of whom were born in Connecticut and all but himself served in the Revolutionary War.

Early in life Captain Loom is went to New York State and settled on the Delaware River, where he was engaged in the lumber business. He rafted large quantities of lumber down the river and frequently had charge of the raft in person, from which circumstance he became known as Captain Loomis.

It was on the banks of the Delaware that the mother of our subject was born May 1, 1810. About 1820 her father removed to Wayne County, Ohio, where he and his wife died. Afterward she lived with an aunt, Mrs. Christina Andrews, the wife of Deacon Andrews, in what is now Kent, Portage County, Ohio. Deacon Andrews was a man of more than ordinary education and was a prominent member of the Presbyterian Church, in which frequently officiated as a preacher. His son, John (the cousin of our subject's mother), was a prominent minister in the Presbyterian Church. Lorin, another son of Deacon Andrews, was also a Presbyterian minister, and in 1830 he went to the Sandwich Islands as a missionary, spending his entire life in mission work there.

With Mrs. Andrews, our subject's mother made her home in girlhood and until her marriage, at the age of nineteen years, her husband, William H. Loomis, being one year her senior. She died in Newton, Iowa, in January 1872,and her remains were taken back to Ohio and buried by the side of her husband. A brother of our subject was a Methodist preacher and served as Chaplain of his regiment in the late war, dying some years afterward from the effects of his army life. Upon his father's farm, our subject grew to manhood, receiving a fair education and acquiring a thorough knowledge of every department of agriculture.

At the age of eighteen years we find Mr. Loomis a teacher in a country school. Three years later he entered Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, Ohio, where he took a full-years' course, graduating from the scientific department. Afterward he taught school for about three years in Ohio, and in April 1850, came to Iowa, where he followed the profession of a teacher in Polk County for one year. In April 1860, the gold fever took possession of him, and he with others fitted up two yoke of oxen and started for the Rocky Mountains to make his fortune in gold mining. Like many others, his expectations were not fully realized. After aiding in opening up several mines that did not prove profitable, he embarked in the lumber business, in which he continued for a time. Later he again opened up a mine, the latter returning fair profits.

After having spent seven years in the mountains and accumulating a snug fortune, Mr. Loomis retuned to Iowa, in 1867, and in September of the same year he married Miss Annie Penman, who was of Scotch ancestry and was born in Pennsylvania. After his marriage he returned to the mountains, and one year later again came east. In January 1869, he located in Newton, Iowa, soon afterward settled on the farm that he had purchased while en route from the mountains eastward in 1867. Here he has since been extensively engaged in farming and stock raising, which he has met with success, being now one of the most prominent agriculturists of the county.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Loomis resulted in the birth of three children. Mary M. is the wife of S. C. Moffitt, and lives three miles west of her father's farm; Lizzie was killed at the age of fourteen years, by a train, which struck her when she was crossing the railroad track; Kattie is a teacher in the public schools of Newton Township. Both daughters were educated in Hazel Dell Academy, Newton, and are accomplished young ladies. Mr. Loomis belongs to a family possessing old-line Whig proclivities, and in himself a strong Republican. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church.p. 146.