SUMMERS, HARVEY W.

     Harvey W. Summers is one of the most extensive landowners and successful farmers of Mills county, and has justly earned the distinction of being what the public calls a self-made man. He was born in Tazewell county, Illinois on the 4th of July, 1826, his parents being John and Emily (Woodrow) Summers. The father was a native of North Carolina and with his three brothers and their mother went to Ohio at a very early day, the father of our subject having died in North Carolina. The family is an old and prominent one of the south. After residing in the Buckeye state for some time the Summers family removed to Illinois and there the mother of our subject died. After arriving at years of maturity John Summers married Emily Woodrow, a daughter of Richard Woodrow, who was of Irish lineage, the name being originally spelled Withrow. John Summers followed farming in Tazewell county, Illinois, and died in that state at the age of seventy-two years. His wife's death also occurred there. They were the parents of five children, of whom two are yet living, the brother of our subject being William G., who follows farming near Malvern, Iowa.

     Mr. Summers of this review was reared in the old family homestead in Tazewell county, Illinois, where he remained until twenty-nine years of age. He began his education in the old time log schoolhouse, the school being conducted on the subscription plan. At the age of twenty-four he left the old homestead and began life for himself. He was married on the 24th of February, 1850, to Miss Hannah F. Jennings, who was born in Harvey county, Virginia, on the 2d of June, 1832, a daughter of William and Eliza (Dray) Jennings. Her father was a native of Ireland. His wife was born in Virginia and died in Illinois whither the family removed at an early day. The grandmother of Mrs. Summers, Agnes Mansfield, was born in Virginia and died in Missouri.

     In September, 1854, Harvey W. Summers, accompanied by his brothers, James and Milton, came to Mills county, Iowa, and entered a large tract of land from the government. Mr. Summers of this review taking up his abode on Section 4 in White Cloud Township. Here he has resided for forty-five years. His first home was only sixteen by twenty-four feet, but he afterward made additions to it and the family resided therein until 1862, when he erected his present fine residence which now adjoins his farm. On the 24th of September, 1855, the family came with him to his new home. As the years passed he added to his property and now owns two thousand acres of the rich lands of Iowa and is numbered among the wealthy and enterprising agriculturists of this portion of the state. About 1868 he began shipping stock and has since made it a part of his business, carrying on that enterprise quite extensively. He has raised, bought and sold large amounts of stock and has thus added materially to his income. He follows very progressive methods of farming, keeps his land in good condition through the rotation of crops and has upon his place the latest improved machinery. Everything upon the farm is neat and thrifty in appearance and indicates his careful supervision.

     Unto Mr. and Mrs. Summers have been born five children, of whom three are yet living: Willard Leslie, who is married and has three children; Laura A., who is married and has two children; and Edward L., who also is married and has two children; John died at the age of twenty-two years, being injured in the accident of the railroad bridge at St. Charles, Missouri, going down under a stock train. He was rescued and lived only a few days; William C., the other member of the family, died when only eleven months old.

     In his political views Harvey W. Summers is a stanch Republican. He cast his first presidential vote for Zachary Taylor in 1848, and on the organization of the Republican party he joined its ranks and has since been one of its stalwart advocates. He holds membership in the Baptist church and has lived an upright, honorable life. For forty-six years he has been a resident of Mills county and is therefore numbered among its honored pioneers. He and his wife saw the first interment made in the cemetery at Malvern and his brother's wife was the second person to be laid at rest in that city of the dead.

      Great changes have occurred since the family came to Iowa, and in the work of progress and development Mr. Summers has ever borne his part, doing whatever he could to promote the material educational and moral interests and welfare of the community. He has ever lived so as to win the respect and confidence of his fellow men, and all who know him esteem him for his sterling traits of character.

SUMMERS, JAMES N.

      When Mills county was located upon the western frontier, when the greater part of its land was in possession of the government and pioneer homes were few and far between, James Newton Summers, now deceased, came to the county and throughout the remainder of his life devoted his time and energies to agricultural pursuits and to the faithful discharge of his duties of citizenship, winning high regard by reason of his straightforward dealing and his fidelity to manly principles. He was a native of Illinois, his birth having occurred in Tazewell county, on the 20th of August, 1829. He was a representative on the paternal side of one of the old families of North Carolina, and his father, John Summers, was a native of that state, whence he emigrated to Illinois at a very early day. He married Emily Woodrow, who was a descendant of Richard Withrow, a native of Ireland, who founded the family in the new world. In the intervening years the orthography of the name has undergone a change to its present form. The parents of our subject spent their last days in Illinois, the mother dying in April, 1835, while the father passed away many years later at the ripe old age of seventy-two. They had five children, but only two are now living. Harvey and William. One son, Milton, died during the Civil war, while serving in the Fifth Iowa Cavalry.

      Amid the wild scenes of frontier life James Summers was reared and was thus fitted for his pioneer experiences in Iowa. Schools were of a primitive character and his education was therefore rather limited, but his training at farm work was not meager. In the year 1854 the brothers of the family decided to seek homes in Iowa and came to Mills county, which was just being opened to civilization. The government offered its lands at a merely nominal price to those who would convert the raw prairie into cultivated fields, and the Summers brothers therefore secured large tracts. James became the owner of a farm and with characteristic energy began its development. It was situated in White Cloud township, and had hitherto been unimproved, but as time passed, acre after acre was placed under the plow and began to yield good returns.

      Mr. Summers was united in marriage in early manhood to Miss Charlotte Raines, a native of Missouri, and she became the mother of three children, two of whom are yet living, as follows: Lillian E., now Mrs. Palmer, and John Henry. After the death of his first wife Mr. Summers was again married on the 9th of June, 1873, to Miss Ella J. Brown, who was born in Tazewell county, Illinois. She had seven children, six of whom are living, namely: Ross B.; Eunice E., now Mrs. Carl E. Axtell; Laura B.; Strayer S.; J. N.; and Arvilla M. Mrs. Summers is a daughter of Dr. Alfred and Sarah (Griswold) Brown. Her father was born in 1810, and was a grandson of Henry and Lydia (Humphrey) Brown. The former was called "Continental Brown" owing to his activity in connection with the affairs of the Continental army which he joined in 1775. In April of that year he enlisted and served for six days following the alarm at Lexington, and was afterward with the First Connecticut Regiment. He was a member of the company commanded by Captain Woolcott. In 1781 he received a commission as sergeant. From the First Connecticut Regiment he was transferred to the New York troops, serving under General Lafayette. He participated in the battle of Bunker Hill, the first important engagement of the war, and was also present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. In an engagement he was wounded in one of the limbs, and after leaving the army he was always known as "Continental Brown." In recognition of his services he was granted a pension by the government. Henry Brown was the father of Lyman Brown, who married Sarah Tryon, a daughter of Lord Tryon, of England, who was also in the Revolutionary war. Their son, Dr. Alfred Brown, was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Hooker Griswold, who was born in 1810. At an early day they became residents of Illinois, emigrating westward from Connecticut, making the journey in an ox cart. The Doctor engaged in the practice of medicine for fifty or sixty years and both he and his wife spent their last days in Tazewell county, Illinois.

      Our subject and his wife continued to reside on the old homestead until 1891, when his life's labors were ended in death. She still resides upon the farm and is one of the highly esteemed ladies of the community. Mr. Summers was a man of strong purpose, honorable in all his dealings, and to his family left the priceless heritage of an untarnished name.

SUMMERS, MILTON S.

      Milton S. Summers is numbered among the heroes of the Civil war and gave his life as a ransom for his country. He was born in Tazewell county, Illinois, November 20, 1828, being a son of John and Emily (Woodrow) Summers. On the paternal side he was descended from one of the old families of North Carolina, while on the maternal side the ancestry can be traced back to Richard Withrow, a native of Ireland, who became the founder of the family in America. As the years have passed the name has undergone a change to its present form of Woodrow. The parents of our subject emigrated westward, becoming residents of Illinois, and there they spent their remaining days.

     On the old home farm there Milton S. Summers was reared, aiding in the labors of field and meadow through the summer months, while in the winter season he pursued his studies in the old-time schools which were conducted on the subscription plan and which were held in log buildings. He was taught the value of industry and honesty in the affairs of life. After his death his obituary notice appeared in the Tazewell Register, published in the vicinity of his old home in Illinois, in which was the following: "The virtuous traits which adorn and endear character were instinctive with him from early boyhood, and impelled him under many disadvantages to habits of industry and propriety, which culminated in making an honored and useful man. Especially was his energy conspicuous in acquiring a decent education at a time and in a locality when and where means for education were limited and the student had to rely very much upon self-application.

      "We first became acquainted with him in the autumn of 1845, in his nineteenth year, when he came into our school at the 'Woodrow settlement' as a scholar - from the corn gathering. Although unrestrained, the master of his own inclinations, he took few hours for pleasure, but rather divided his time assiduously between hard labor, hard study and hard works of charity. Many families still remember him as the ministering angel of those days, supplying them with needed food and fuel; plain but genuine and unaffected charity and a disposition with heart and hand prodigal to give where was real need or suffering, were leading traits of his character; and we are told, by those who know, that the disposition continued to the last, went with him to the wilds of Iowa and made him the benefactor of the poor there. His diligence at his books, and his obedience and attention to our commands, made him one of our favorites, while his constant good nature, frankness and kindness endeared him to his companions. We never loved a young man more sincerely."

     With his brothers, Harvey W. and James N., Milton S. Summers, removed from Illinois in the fall of 1854, and came to Iowa, believing that better opportunities were afforded to young men in this state, which was not then so thickly settled as the states east of the Mississippi. They took up their abode in Mills county, Iowa, and entered a large tract of land from the government and began the development of the farm.

     Milton S. Summers was united in marriage to Miss Llewellen Welsh, a native of Kentucky. Her surviving friends in this vicinity speak of her as a woman of high birth; of an exceedingly amiable and lovable disposition; devoted, tender and true. The faithful and intelligent performance of every known duty was a very prominent trait of her character and this trait was transmitted, a precious inheritance, to her only child, Mrs. I. J. Swain. In true pioneer style Mr. and Mrs. Summers began life in Iowa, hoping here to secure a good home which should be their place of abode for many years to come, but the country became involved in civil war, the slavery question of the south had aroused the country, and many of the southern states threatened to secede. When Fort Sumter was fired upon brave men from all sections of the north responded to the president's call for aid and enlisted under the stars and stripes as defenders of the Union. Among the number was Milton Summers, who, prompted by a spirit of patriotism, left his home and joined the Fifth Iowa Cavalry at the three years call. He enlisted in 1861 and with his regiment went to the front participating in all of its engagements until his death. Speaking of his army experiences the same paper from which we have before quoted said: "Lieutenant Summers rallied for his country immediately after the fall of Sumter, and has ever since been constantly on the field of duty. Although not so prominent as many of the host who have sealed with their lives their devotion to their country, this terrible rebellion has not immolated a nobler or better youth. He was a stranger to fear, and conscious that whenever he met the foe it would be to conquer or to die. From the time that we learned that he had enlisted we have watched the army reports, apprehensive of his fate. Mark the fatal realization! Read the record that gives his name to immortality. On the 25th of August, 1862, the enemy made a desperate charge upon Fort Donelson with a force far outnumbering the garrison, but were gallantly repulsed. We continue the account in the words of Rev. A. L. McKinney, chaplain of the Seventy-first Regiment Ohio Infantry: "As soon as the Rebels were known to be in force in our immediate vicinity a telegram was sent to Colonel W. W. Lowe, commanding the post of Fort Henry and Heiman, and to whose command we are temporarily attached, informing him of the danger and asking reinforcements. He promptly responded to our call by immediately marching at the head of six companies of cavalry and one field-piece. They arrived here at about half past six o'clock in the afternoon. The enemy had been routed and were retreating up the river. At daylight next morning the 26th, Colonel Lowe, at the head of four companies, being less than one hundred and thirty men, of the Fifth Iowa Cavalry, started in pursuit of the enemy, overtaking them at Cumberland Iron Works, about seven miles from here. A sharp engagement followed. The Rebels, about five or six hundred strong, were posted in a deep ravine bordering on the road, along a cornfield fence and behind houses. Their position was one of great natural strength. The enemy's battery became annoying, and Colonel Lowe ordered Lieutenant Summers, with his company (B), to charge it. The order was obeyed in gallant style. He at the head of his company charged through a terrible fire of the concealed foe, scattering the Rebel cavalry, upsetting and breaking the cannon, so as to render it useless. The charges of the cavalry were most daring and heroic, at least a score of horses went down with it. From fifteen to twenty of our men were killed and wounded; among them was the gallant Lieutenant Summers, who was mortally wounded. The loss of the enemy is not known. Colonel Lowe's forces, both men and horses, being jaded and suffering for food, returned to this post, after having waited more than an hour for the enemy to make an attack. We captured a number of guns and among them some of those the Rebels took from our boys at Clarkville. This charge of the brave Summers is not exceeded by any in the annals of the war for desperate daring. An eye witness states that Summers, rushing on in advance, encountered a six-pound field-piece which was pouring destruction upon his men. Unmindful of his own safely and thinking only of theirs, he killed four of the enemy with his own hands upon the spot, and seizing the field piece by the wheels upset it as stated above.

     "The noble hero lived till the next day. The remainder of his story is soon told; brought home for burial, on Thursday, the 11th inst. the concourse of friends and neighbors who had known him so long and well bore him through the beautiful grove which had been the playground of his school days up to the old graveyard and laid him down beside his mother, who had been resting there more than twenty years. The ceremonies, which were such as appealed to the heart, rather than ostentatious, were conducted by Judge Harriott. Dr. Robert Gibson delivered a very touching and eloquent eulogy, brief but truly appropriate, and was followed by remarks from Messrs. James Haines and Merrill C. Young, eulogistic of the brave martyr.

      "His commanding officer, writing a letter to his bereaved father, speaks like a soldier in brief but eloquent words and testifies as to his worth. He says that his remaining companions in arms all mourn his loss with the same sincerity as do his friends at home; that he was beloved by both officers and men; that he was always faithful in the discharge of his duties; that a braver man never lived; and that, though dead in the flesh, he still lives in the spirit among them.

      "The testimonials could not be otherwise and at the same time be true, for it was the cardinal ambition of life with our brave friend, in all things and at all times, to act well his part. Hence, he says of himself, writing to his uncle, Samuel Woodrow, Esq., his last letter, 'That I am in for the war, and have taken a through ticket. I have aimed to do my duty, both as a soldier and an officer; consequently I have the confidence of my superior officers and the love and respect of my men. I feel that my connections will never be disgraced by me. I expect to do my duty regardless of consequences, and if I live to get home, well and good; if I should not I have the glorious and happy consolation of dying in defense of my country.'

      "He so died, and has left his family and friends a name, not a disgrace, but a name of honor, which shall be imperishable as long as the history of Donelson shall hold a page in human annals."

SWAIN, I. J.

       I. J. Swain, the well known and popular secretary of the Mills County Fair Association, was born in Dane county, Wisconsin, on the 8th of March, 1849, and is a son of Rev. E. R. and E. S. (Cady) Swain, the former a native of Vermont, the latter of New York. The Rev. Elisha R. Swain was born in Reading, Windsor county, Vermont, February 16, 1801. His mother bore the maiden name of Hannah Ransom, and it was for her father, Elisha Ransom, a Baptist minister, that the Rev. E. R. Swain was named. His maternal grandmother bore the name of Hannah Grow, and the name of Hannah seems to have been a favorite one as it was borne by the grandmother, the mother, the sister and one of the daughters of the Rev. Swain. The brothers and sisters of the Rev. Swain were as follows: Hannah, born at Woodstock, Vermont, August 30, 1802; Aaron, born February 19, 1804; Sally, born in Plymouth, Chenango county, New York, November 5, 1805; a son who was born on the 24th of May 1807, and died on the 26th of the same month; Oliver, born August 31, 1808; and John F., born May 6, 1810. The father of this family, John F. Swain, died May 3, 1811. The mother attempted to keep the family together, but found this impossible and soon the children were scattered. She afterward married Elisha Morton, but the children still remained separated and were not brought together again until this was made possible through the efforts of Elisha R. Swain, the eldest of the family.

      After his father's death he went to live with his grandfather and uncle, both of whom bore the name of Elisha Ransom. He was not kindly treated there, however, and this largely caused him to lose ambition and energy, but later these were again aroused and he entered upon a work whose influence was far-reaching. He remained with his maternal grandfather until he was fourteen years of age, when he went to a place about eighteen miles from his home to learn the trade of chair-making and house painting. But after two years thus passed his employer failed, so that the Rev. Swain, being thrown out of employment, entered the employ of his uncle James, and with him the next year went to Homer, Cortland county, New York, where he remained for one year. In his nineteenth year he took up his abode upon the place which had been left by his father, and gathered all the children of the family there, with the exception of the youngest brother, John, who lived with his uncle, Elisha Swain, about a mile and a half away. They experienced some rather hard times in attempting to gain a living, but were happy in being once more united.

      When about twenty or twenty-one years of age Elisha R. Swain was married to Laura Mead, the wedding being celebrated December 27, 1821. The lady was born December 27, 1803, and was therefore married on the eighteenth anniversary of her birth. They lived happily together for about sixteen years, when Mrs. Swain was called to her final rest, leaving to her husband the care of four daughters and a son, the last named being only about six months old. He only survived his mother fifteen days. The children were: Mary, who was born in Plymouth; Eliza, who died from scalding when about two years of age; Clarissa and Helen Eliza, both of whom were natives of Plymouth, Chenango county; and Ransom, who died only fifteen days after his mother, on the 17th of November, 1837. The eldest daughter, Mary, also passed away on the last day of December of the same year.

      In the meantime, while residing in North Norwich, New York, Elisha R. Swain had been converted and joined the North Norwich Baptist church in 1829. For some time he felt that he was called to the ministry before he finally decided to devote his life to the work, but at length he was ordained at Clymer church, Harmony Association, of New York, in 1833. In 1840 he removed to Busti, Chautauqua county, New York, and became pastor of the church there, remaining for six years. A publication which appeared in 1878 said that "his pastorate was the longest in the church and the most splendid record in its history." In the six years one hundred and thirty persons were baptized and the membership increased from eighty-four to two hundred and twenty-three. In 1842, during the pastorate of Rev. Swain, a revival meeting was held and the church recorded seventy-nine baptisms. Temperance and virtue pervaded the community and the influence of the church became marked on all classes. Soon after the Rev. Swain moved to that place the church built a parsonage and its work prospered in every department. He was much beloved for his fervent piety, social qualities and entertaining preaching, and long afterward the church invited him to become their pastor again.

     On the 8th of May, 1839, Elisha R. Swain was again married, his second union being with Betsy R. Kinne, who had been a friend and schoolmate of his first wife. On the 28th of April they removed to Busti, Chautauqua county, New York and there on the 23rd of May, 1841. Mr. Swain was again bereft by the death of his wife, who left a son, Dwight Kinne, then only sixteen days old, who died on the 22nd of June, 1842. On the 8th of November of the same year, Mr. Swain wedded Emma Sophronia Winn. She was a widow at the time and her maiden name was Emma S. Cady. Her father, Sylvester Cady, was born in the northwest part of New York, March 25, 1777, and married Abigail Adams, who was also a native of the Empire state, born May 27, 1782. They were married January 6, 1805, and Mrs. Swain was their second child, her birth occurring January 26, 1808. Her mother was familiarly known as Nabby and was named for the wife of John Adams, to whose family she belonged, although the exact relationship with her and the two presidents, John Adams and John Quincy Adams, has never been traced. By the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Swain the following children were born: James Ransom, born in Busti, New York, May 25, 1843; John Bunyan, born in Busti, September 27, 1844; Delia Maria, born in Windsor, Dane county, Wisconsin, January 9, 1847, the first white child born in the township; Ira Joy, born March 8, 1849; and Aaron Cady, born October 2, 1851. In 1846, on account of failing health, Mr. Swain removed to Wisconsin, then a territory. He left his New York home on the 30th of June, and on the 25th of September took up his abode in what afterward became Windsor, Dane county, He there gathered together the few scattered Baptists on the frontier and organized the Windsor Baptist church, which at first had but eight members. He also organized a church in the adjoining town of Bristol and to these churches and to those of several other localities he preached the gospel of Christ until 1867. While in Wisconsin the people of his pastorate raised money enough, within a few dollars, for him to purchase forty acres of land and that constituted his first home in the west. Previous to this he had entered eighty acres and finally purchased forty acres additional so that he was the owner of a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, which was located twelve miles northeast of Madison, Wisconsin.

     On reaching Iowa, Rev. Swain gathered together a number of Baptists and organized a church near Osage, in Floyd county. In August, 1867, he settled in what is now Peoples township, in Boone county, where he remained until he was called to the home prepared for the righteous. In 1868 he organized the Spring Valley Baptist church in Dallas county, and was largely instrumental in the organization of the Peoples Baptist church, of which he was a member at the time of his death. He passed away April 7, 1886, at the age of eighty-five years, one month and twenty-one days. Although he lost several children, he reared and educated a noble family of four sons and one daughter, all of whom are faithful adherents of the Baptist church. The day of his demise, while working in the garden, he fell suddenly to the ground, prostrated with heart disease, and death came to him within ten minutes. He closely followed the teachings of the beloved apostle, being emphatically a peace-maker. The whole community in which he lived for so many years joined in cherishing his memory as one who was a true and faithful preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and who lived as he preached.

     Of his wife, Emma S. Swain, it may be said, as the Psalmist wrote of old: "Her children rise up and call her blessed." No better estimate of character can be given than the child's of the mother, and one of Mrs. Swain's daughters said of her: "I can not write anything nicer than what you wrote in your letter about our mother, her gentle disposition, her sweet, confiding nature, her high intellectual development and the Christian graces that shone through all her life, making her memory sacred to her loving children, and blessed by the communities where she dwelt, and led her gently and peacefully into the Light and Life beyond. In a few words, nothing could be better to say: it would take a whole volume to say all that might be told of her beautiful life, her patience under grievous trials and disappointments, her cheerful acceptance of whatever her lot in life might be, and her devotion to the interests of the church. Her last written words were a prayer that 'everything might be removed that hindered her from communion with God.' Alas for us! the prayer was quickly answered, and the 'tabernacle of clay' that held the sweet spirit was taken away, and she was free from earth."

      The surviving children of the Rev. Swain are as follows: James R., who was married May 18, 1867, to Mary Almira Lewis, at Booneboro, Iowa; John Bunyon, who was married in Windsor, Dane county, Wisconsin, in 1866, to Miss Frances Julia Wheaton; Delia Maria, who on the 9th of June, 1870, became the wife of William Ringland, in Peoples township, Boone county; I. J., of this review; and Aaron Cady, who married Effie Benson, near Union, Hardin county, Iowa.

      The first twelve years of his life I. J. Swain spent upon a farm, and then attended school at Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, for six years, at the end of which period he came with his parents to Iowa. On the 3d of May, 1870, he took up his residence in the village of Malvern, Mills county, where he was engaged in the lumber business for five years, and then located on the farm in White Cloud township where he now resides, it being the homestead of his father-in-law. The same year he purchased a hardware store at Malvern, which he conducted eighteen months, but since that time has devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits and has met with marked success in his undertakings.

      On the 23d of December, 1875, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Swain and Miss Hannah A. Summers, who was born on the farm where they now live, and was the only child of Milton Summers, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work. Milton Summers Post, G.A.R., of Malvern was named in his honor. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Swain have been born six children, as follows: Clarence E., Dwight M., Alton J., Milton S., E. Ransom and James N. All are receiving the best educational advantages that the schools of this section afford. The family is one of culture and refinement, and is quite prominent in the best social circles of the community. They hold membership in the Baptist church.

      Mr. Swain is one of the most active members of the Mills County Fair Association, of which he has been secretary for twelve years or more. By his ballot he supports the men and measures of the Republican party and cast his first presidential vote for Gen. U. S. Grant in 1872. He has creditably filled many local offices of honor and trust, such as township trustee, clerk and member of the school board, and is one of the most public spirited and progressive men of his community. He is a whole-souled, genial gentleman who makes many friends and is quite popular socially. Fraternally he is an honored member of the Masonic lodge of Malvern.

SWARTS, WILLIAM C.

     The people of Indiana are enterprising and progressive and have made it one of the great states of the Union, and Indianans who have located elsewhere have most of them made their marks in the business community and taken the lead in public affairs. One of the prominent Indianans of Mills county, Iowa, is William C. Swarts, a prosperous stock farmer who for the past seventeen years has lived in Silver City.

     William C. Swarts was born in Allen county, Indiana, October 11, 1849, a son of George Swarts, who was born in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, November 26, 1826, and passed his younger days there, removing to Erie county, New York, and thence after seven years to Wayne county, Ohio. Peter Swarts, the father of George Swarts, and grandfather of William C. Swarts, was born in Pennsylvania in 1796 and died in 1880. His wife was Susan Dolph and they had five children, of whom three sons and a daughter are living. One of these, George Swarts, the father of William C. Swarts, lives in Mills county. Another, known as "Aunt Mary" Boles, is living, widowed , in Hemphill county, Texas. His wife died at the age of forty-three in Wayne county, Ohio, and he married again and had five children by his second marriage. In 1849, when he was twenty-three years old, George Swarts married Margaret Johnson, who died in 1868, nineteen years later, leaving five daughters and one son, William C. Swarts, the subject of this sketch. February 22, 1870, he married Amanda (Johnson) Doner, a sister of his first wife, who bore him one daughter, who was named Kate, and who is the wife of E. H. Scott, of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Mr. Swarts began life poor, but prospered abundantly and became an extensive land-owner and bought and sold many farms, and at this time he owns three hundred and sixty-five acres, comprising two farms. He is a Mason and in politics is independent. He has filled the offices of township trustee of Ingraham township and mayor of Silver City.

     William C. Swarts was older than his five sisters. He passed his younger days in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan and his educational advantages were limited. At the age of twenty he left home and hired out on a wood job in Indiana and earned fifty dollars during his first two weeks' service. Later he settled on a small farm of eighty acres, which he paid for in work before he was married. The success which attended his first business ventures did not desert him in after years, and he has been prosperous to the present time. He lived on his first farm from 1873 to 1876 and improved it greatly and sold it to advantage preparatory to moving to Mills county, Iowa. Since he first located in Mills county he has moved four times and has owned several different farms. He came to his present farm, which adjoins Silver City on the south, in 1895. It consists of three hundred and sixty-five acres, well improved and well equipped for stock farming. For twelve years prior to coming to this place, he owned and lived on a farm of two hundred and seventy-six acres north of Silver City, which he bought for ten thousand dollars and sold twelve years after for twenty-five thousand dollars. He has always been a stock-raiser, and while dealing principally in cattle has handled horses and hogs somewhat extensively. During the past twenty-four years he has made a specialty of feeding beef cattle, and until 1894, shipped more fat stock than any one else in the county, often handling forty to fifty thousand dollars' worth in a month. Owing to failing health, he partially retired from business in the year mentioned, but has now two hundred and fifty head of cattle and about fifty head of horses and mules. He has bred many horses and some valuable ones. He raises one hundred acres of corn and fifty acres of small grain, and buys corn and hay for his stock. His home farm originally consisted of five hundred and twenty-five acres, of which he sold one hundred and sixty acres, and he owns a section of land in Nebraska, which is cultivated by tenants but the stock on which is his, and there is no time when he does not have on hand two to three hundred head of cattle. He built the fine residence on his former farm north of Silver City in 1894, and his present modern residence, the best in the vicinity, two years later.

      Mr. Swarts is a Master Mason, a Republican and a supporter of the Christian church, of which his wife is a member. He has steadfastly refused to accept any public office, but exerts a recognized influence in city and township affairs. He was married in 1873, in Porter county, Indiana, to Sarah Jane Isminger, a native of that county, and a daughter of John and Catharine (Koutz) Isminger, natives of Ohio. Frank Swarts, their eldest son, was born November 9, 1875, and came with his parents to Mills county, Iowa. He is a pharmacist and has a wife and one little daughter. Edward, their next son in order of birth, is a member of their household, as are also Mark, Jim, Mabel and Mae. Maud died when fifteen months old. Mabel and Mae are twins and were born November 26, 1888, on the anniversary of the birth of their grandfather Swarts. They do not resemble each other in personal appearance as some twins do, but are bright interesting girls, with a decided talent for music, and Mae is a star in social entertainment, both as a vocalist and as an elocutionist.