Mills County, Iowa
Biographies
L
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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