Mills County, Iowa
Biographies


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LACOCK, GEORGE
     Alice McElree was born on October 6, 1849 in Washington County, Pennsylvania. She was united in marriage to George Lacock in 1870. George was born December 11, 1845. To this union were born three children: one died in infancy, Gertrude and Mona. Gertrude was the first telephone operator in Silver City and married Charles Nines. Mona married Dr. M. J. Hostetter.
     George died October 23, 1891, and Alice passed away at her home in Silver City on October 21, 1904.

LANDON, ERASTUS FELTON
   Erastus Felton was born 1-12-1833, Bucyrus, Ohio. He came to Mills County, where he worked as a cabinet maker and carpenter for several years. He helped build the old court house at Glenwood as well as many landmarks in the county. He married 12-30-1859 Mary Jane Looker, whose father was owner of an old Stage Inn in Savannah, Mo. In 1865, they homesteaded 240 acres 2½ miles S.E. of the present site of Silver City, and moved into the town 1898. He was identified with the growth and development of this community, serving as twp. trustee for 20 years. After moving to town, he was councilman for many years, Vice-President of the Silver City Bank and was city Treas. at the time of his death 6-28- 1908. He was a leader of I.O.O.F. and Encampment and Masonic Lodge member. After they had lived in this community many years, Mr. Landon and Erastus F. Banister found that they were both named for the same circuit rider, Erastus Felton, in Ohio and that they had grown up not many miles apart. Mr. and Mrs. Landon were parents of 6 children: Clotilda, Douglas, Felton, Roy and twin boy who died young.
     Clotilda attended the academy at Malvern where she did much oil and water color painting, several pictures are in possession of the family today. She married Sanford Babbit who died 1898. She later married James Lawson, who was a well known Poland China Hog breeder in this community and later in Shenandoah. Their son died young. She was a res. of Silver City many years and was identified with the Methodist Church and community groups. She died 1943.
     Steven Arnold Douglas born 12-20-1893, Glenwood, was a farmer, implement and hardware dealer; and was the first Ford dealer in Silver City. He married 12-10-1910 Ruth Whipple. He died 9-2-1949. They had 2 children: Arnold and Margaret Allene.
     Roy Paine, born 4-25-1876, Ingraham Twp. was educated in the public school and Shenandoah College. He farmed the old homestead until 1915, also farmed at Hillsdale and at Hopkins, Mo. He was twp. trustee severa1 years and Sec’y of Prairie Valley School for 15 years. He married 9-28-1898 Viva Huffaker, a member of a pioneer family. They were parents of 3 children Ada and Ida twins and Elton. He died 3-7-1928 and she died 8-26-1935. Their daughter Ada died young. Ida graduated from Silver City High School received higher education at Cornell graduate N.W. Missouri State Teacher. She married 9-17-1937 Roy Flangan a member of another pioneer family. She was a member of several patriotic societies and helped with the old history book. Both are deceased. Elton was born 3-22-1910 and died 8-8-1975. He graduated from Hopkins Mo. High School received higher education at Creighton Uni. was a merchant in Silver City and a pharmacist and manager of Frank Street Pharmacy in Council Bluffs; he farmed with his brother-in-law R.A. Flanagan. He married 10-7-1931, Erma Lou Jensen a graduate of Jennie Edmundson Hospital School of Nursing. They had 2 children; Rob­__ Philip married and lives in Georgia; Joyce Ann is now Mrs. Gerald Knudsen of Glenwood.

LAWSON, OLE
      Ole Lawson came from Norway to America and in 1869 settled on a farm 8 miles northeast of Silver City. He was the father of Elton who married Minnie Parker, daughter of George and Elizabeth Parker, pioneer citizens of English ancestry. Mr. and Mrs. Elton Lawson had 4 sons and 2 daughters Floyd, Florence, Ralph, Kenneth, Melvin and Marjorie who died at 2½ years. They lived on the Lawson farm most of their married life with the exception of several years when they lived in Silver City while their children attended high school. They built a new house in the northeast part of Silver City. Elton Lawson was a Methodist, a Mason, a director of the Farmer’s State Bank, and a school hoard member. He was a highly respected citizen, benevolent, in a quiet unassuming manner. Elton died April 15, 1944. In March 1969 Minnie and Florence died just 6 days apart.
     Ralph Lawson married Eva Murphy of Sidney on October 4, 1923. The parents of three daughters, they now live on their farm adjoining the old Lawson farm. Kenneth married Lillian Lewis of Lincoln where they lived until his retirement as an executive of the Lincoln Telephone Company. They live near Lamp, Missouri at Table Rock Lake. Melvin Lawson, an osteopathic surgeon for 40 years at Ashippun, Wisconsin, died Dec. 31, 1978.

LAWSON, FLOYD AND MARGARET
     
 Floyd Lawson, son of Elton and Minnie Lawson grew up on the farm; attended Living Springs School; Treynor and Silver City High Schools and Tabor College. He was an army sergeant in WWI; a charter member of Gordon May American Legion Post; a Methodist and a member of both the Silver City Band and Orchestra. He worked for a year at the Greenwood Lumber Company, 1923-24. Margaret Lawson was born near Sedalia, Missouri; graduated from Sedalia High School; and attended Central Missouri University; taught English and Latin in La Monte and Sheldon, Missouri, and in Silver City High School 1919-1924.
       In November 1924 Mr. and Mrs. Lawson moved to the Lawson farm where he farmed for the next 45 years. Mrs. Lawson was an active member of the Silver City American Legion Auxiliary during these years. They had 6 sons and one daughter: Lewis, Donald, Gerald, James, Robert, Ronald and Anice. Gerald and Ronald, deceased, are buried in Silver City Cemetery. All four Sons are veterans and college graduates. Anice married Ed Radloff, an army career man, now retired. They lived in 5 different states, none in Iowa.
      In 1956 Margaret Lawson returned to college and to teaching. She alternated college and teaching in Macedonia from 1956 to May 1970. Mr. Lawson quit farming in the fall 1969 and they bought a home in Macedonia where they now reside. They have 11 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, the youngest of whom is another Elton Lawson.

LEU, ADOLPH L.
      Adolph Leopold Leu, born November 12, 1851, came to Mills County in 1870 from Germany. He first worked for the Wearins as a hired hand. He purchased a farm in Indian Creek Township, and in 1878 he married Louisa Marie Warnke. To this union ten children were born. The youngest living son, Louis Adolph Leu, born June 12, 1897, married Wilma Waive Henderson (see Henderson). Before her marriage, Waive worked in various homes in Silver City. They were married March 30, 1930 and lived on the Leu homeplace until 1959 when they built a home in Malvern. To this union six children were born: Eugene married Lois Shaver and they have two girls and three boys. Orville married Donna Mikesell and they have one girl and one boy. Virginia married Harold Seipold and they have two girls and one boy. Dickie married Elaine Maahs and they have five girls. Frederick married Sally Pounds and they have one boy and two girls. Janet married James Melton and they have two boys and three girls.

LE VIER
      Naomi, the daughter of Thomas and Mae (Swarts) McMahan, was born at Stanberry, Missouri. She was a 1927 graduate of Silver City High School and also a graduate of the Jennie Edmundson Hospital School of Nursing. She married Lester Le Vier of Council Bluffs. They have one daughter Darlene, who married Donald Jensen of Minden; two grandchildren: David Roger and Donetta Marie. Lester and Naomi reside in Lomita, California.

LITTLE, IRVING S.
      Irving S., born 8-29-1862, Marsh’s Corner, Michigan, was a Burlington Railroad conductor for 17 years and a hardware dealer in Silver City. He married 9-28-1898 Ora Spencer. They had 2 sons; Spencer and Blair. He died 3-14-1930 after many years of illness and she died 12-24-1952. Mr. Little was a member of Masonic Lodge.

LONG, ANDREW J.
      Andrew Jackson Long was born January 27, 1865. On August 27, 1887 he married Barbara A. Bachman who was born March 23, 1864. They lived in Greencastle, Missouri where most of their children were born. They came to the Silver City area in 1907. Mrs. Long died January 29, 1926, and Mr. Long died February 14, l945. Both are buried in the Silver City Cemetery.
      They had six children: Bertha A., born June 4, 1887; Robert Emery, born September 14, 1888; Isaac Raymond, born October 8, 1890; Otto B., born April 1, 1892; Jonathan Leonard, born August 14, 1896; and Iva C., born March 2, 1902.
      Bertha married Harvey Branstetter, had five children and remained in Missouri. Emery (see Robert Emery Long history). Raymond (see Hammons history). Iva C. died in infancy.
      Otto B. married John William (Chub) Cary on February 16, 1916. They moved to the Abel Cary farm near Hastings just north of the St. John’s Lutheran Church. They had two children: A. Lee and Deta. After the fam­ily moved to Council Bluffs, John Cary was killed in a car accident on November 25, 1929. Otto returned to the farm to raise her children. She died December 30, 1952 at her son’s home in Missouri. Lee was born March 30, 1917, and lived in West Plains, Missouri and near Malvern until his death on April 14, 1973. He was married to Juanita Moyer of Missouri. Deta married Warren G. Bateman of Randolph on May 8, 1941. They had one daughter, Cary Lee, born in 1956, and were later divorced. She then married Myron A. Norman and now lives in Tustin, California.
      Leonard married Fern Teatsworth and had two children: Lloyd and Eva. He later married Burley Fender, and they had two children: Robert and Leona. Leonard moved his family to Wyoming in 1928. Lloyd lives in Sheridan, Wyoming and is married with children. Eva (see W. R. Teatsworth history). Robert lives at Sheridan and is not married. Leona is married with children and also lives in Sheridan.

LONG, ROBERT EMERY
      Robert Emery Long was born in Missouri. After graduating from school, he spent time clearing land in Montana for the Union Pacific Railroad. Then he moved to Iowa where he spent the rest of his life.
      In 1909 he married Anna Adelia Bada who was born in Silver City where she grew up and graduated from Silver City High School. She used to break horses for people in the area. The couple lived on a farm south of Silver City until 1934 when they moved to Silver City. Most of the people who live in Silver City will remember Emery Long as their Mayor for several terms. They had two children, Ardath and Creda. Both children grew up and graduated from Silver City High School before leaving the area. The winter Emery died Iowa had an early heavy snowfall just before Thanksgiving. Ardath and Creda want to make sure that all will remember the gallant effort that Kenneth Carlson and Billy Hunt made to reach a doctor and help for our father before he died. Most people in Silver City never knew our mother very well. She wasn’t one to socialize and she had a small circle of friends, but she was a wonderful lady and mother. After Emery’s death, she moved to Southern California to be near her son and daughter, living in Big Bear in the San Bernardino County Mountains where she passed away in 1962.
      Ardath B. Long moved to Southern California where he married and had one son, Randall. During World War II he served as a Platoon Sergeant in the 91st Infantry Division, 362nd Regiment, 1st Bat., Co. “A”. He was wounded in Italy and was returned to the States Christmas Day 1944, spending the next 18 months in Army hospitals. After discharge from the Army, he returned to work at General Motors from which he retired in 1972 after completing 36 1/2 years. In 1971 Ardath remarried and in 1978 moved to Olympia, Washington, where he is presently residing.
     Creda Kathryn married Harold Witt. They now live in California and have one daughter, Marilyn, who graduated from Silver City High School. She is married to Vern Shatz and has three children: David is 25 and a medical school student in Guadalajara, Mexico and a graduate of UCLA. Richard is 23 and will graduate from California State University with a B.S. in geology. Linda is 20 and a junior at UCLA. The family owns and operates Webber Typewriter Company in Glendale, California.

LOWER, EUGENIA
        Mrs. Eugenia Lower, daughter of E.K. Porter, a well known Missouri Methodist Circuit Rider, and the widow of Lewis Lower, Pettis County farmer, of German descent, moved from Sedalia, Missouri to Silver City in the fall of 1919. She lived in the house of Mrs. Clotilda Lawson. Her two daughters, Margaret and Louise both attended Central Missouri University, and both taught in the Silver City School. Louise taught in 1920-21; later teaching in Clarkson, Nebraska where she met and married Victor Wacha. They now live near Frazier Park, California. Margaret married Floyd Lawson on Dec. 22, 1923 at the home of her mother. Mrs. Lower died July 18, 1925 and is buried in the Silver City Cemetery.

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