DANIEL McCOY, one of the early settlers of Valley Township, was born September 16, 1826, on a farm in Muskingum County, Ohio, and is a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Slaughter) McCoy, natives of the State of Virginia.   They were the parents of eight children: Sarah Ann, deceased; Louisa, deceased; Daniel, of whom this notice is written; Joseph; Nancy, wife of Henry Worry; Maria, widow of Alexander Buckles; Samuel, deceased, and Lebanon.
In 1840, when Daniel was fourteen years of age, his parents removed to Van Buren County, Iowa, and located on a farm within two miles of Farmington. He was brought up to farm work, and obtained his education in the common schools. When he was twenty-two years old, he was married, March 11, 1838 to Miss Sarah Jane Burner [sic, Burrier], a daughter of John and M. J. (Weakly [sic, Weekly]) Burner [sic, Burrier], natives of Pennsylvania.
Mr. and Mrs. McCoy are the parents of five children: William, Monroe, Alvah, Henrietta, wife of Squire Hedda [sic, Heady], and Ella, wife of S. Edwards. After his marriage Mr. McCoy rented a portion of the old homestead for one year, and then bought a tract of forty acres in Van Buren County, on which he resided two years; he disposed of this and bought 120 acres in Lee County; there Mrs. McCoy died October 20, 1865, beloved and respected by all who knew her. Mr. McCoy was again married in Lee County, June 11, 1866, to Mrs. Mary Young. Six children have been born of this union: Bert, Jessie, Charles, Fred, Curtis and Myrtle.
In 1868 Mr. McCoy disposed of his Lee County farm and removed to Page County, Iowa, where he purchased his present farm of 120 acres; he has made many improvements in the way of fencing, building a large barn and a comfortable dwelling; he has an orchard of 100 bearing trees, which adds materially to the value of the place.   In politics he is identified with the Republican party, and has served his district as school director. He has never sought public office, but has preferred to devote his time to his farming interests; he is a man of practical ideas and [page 450] sound judgment, and has made a success of his undertakings. The family are members of the township Christian Church.

[corrections in brackets above from Sherry Wagoner, Sheridan, Wy., 2013]

NATHAN ORME, one of the pioneer settlers and wealthy agriculturists of Page County, was born in Belmont County, Ohio, June 24, 1836, and is the son of William and Elizabeth (Dunn) Orme, natives of Maryland and Ohio respectively. They reared a family of eight children, of whom Nathan was the second. He was trained to the occupation of a farmer and received a common-school education. When he was eighteen years of age the family removed to Oskaloosa, Iowa, where the father was engaged in mercantile trade for two years. He then removed to Page County and bought 200 acres of partially improved land, and homesteaded eighty acres, all on section 36, Valley Township. This place he improved and made his home until his death, which occurred November 20, 1874; his wife died May 16, 1888.
Nathan remained with his parents in Oskaloosa about one year and then returned to Ohio, where he suffered from an illness of six months' duration. When he was strong enough he entered the University at Delaware, Ohio, and pursued his studies for six months. He was married April 23,1857, to Miss Lucina Sharp, a daughter of Cornelius and Eveline (Marshall) Sharp. She was born August 12, 1837. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Orme went to Page County, Iowa, and lived with Mr. Orme's parents for two years, during which time he taught school in the winter and cultivated a portion of the home farm in the summer. He then bought a tract of eighty acres of partially improved land, now a part of his farm, which he has increased by the addition of 524 acres, making one of the largest farms in the county. In 1872 he erected a handsome dwelling in the place of the old log one which had been a shelter for so many years. He has one of the largest and best arranged barns in the county, and all of his improvements are of first-class style; an orchard of four acres contains 300 bearing trees, and there are eighty acres of timber in different tracts.
Mr. and Mrs. Orme are the parents of seven children: Lorne Edwin, deceased; an infant, deceased; Eva E., deceased; William Marshall, who married Miss Mary E. Wise, and resides upon a portion of the farm; Emma B., a successful teacher at the time of her marriage to Joseph Rucker; Louie May, wife of Charles Spilman, and Bertie N.
Politically Mr. Orme affiliates with the .Republican party. For five terms he has served as Township Assessor, and during a period of twelve years he has been treasurer and clerk of the School Board; at present he is also school director. He has fulfilled the duties of these offices with ability and to the satisfaction of the public. He has always taken an active interest in religious and educational matters, and has striven to elevate the standing of his community. The family are members of the North Grove Methodist Episcopal Church.

WILLIAM M. ROBERTS, one of the early settlers and leading agriculturists of Nebraska Township, was born in Virginia, April 3, 1828, and is a son of Gaius and Sarah (Barton) Roberts, natives of New Jersey. The parents located in Virginia on a farm in 1800, and had a family of thirteen children: Rebecca and Louisa died in infancy; Nelson, Sarah, George M., So-[page 451] phia and David died after reaching maturity; John B., Gaius, Reuben S., Elizabeth and Mary are still living
William M. was reared on a farm and educated in the common schools. He remained at home until he was thirteen years old, when the parents discontinued house-keeping on account of their advanced age and went to live with their children. He went to live with one of his brothers who was a shoemaker, and entered his shop as an apprentice, serving three years; he then abandoned his trade and went to work on a farm for two years.
Mr. Roberts was married March 25, 1849, to Miss Caroline Holmes, who was born in Virginia, April 17, 1830.   Her parents were James and Ruth (Head) Holmes, natives of Maryland.   Eight children have been born of this union: James M. died March 17, 1883, in the prime of young  manhood; Franklin E. died July 3, 1869, in his infancy; George H., Marion, Emily M., wife of George M. Calhoun, Henry Clay, Thomas Oliver, and Bertie D.   After his marriage Mr. Roberts rented a farm in Virginia and lived on it for two years.   He then engaged in the shoemaking business, which he followed for two years.   In 1855 he removed to New London, Henry County, Iowa, and worked at his trade until 1856, when he went to Bonaparte, Van Buren County, Iowa;  there he was still engaged at his trade when there was a call for men to defend this nation.   He enlisted August, 1862, in Company E., Fifteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry.   He was elected Colonel of the Thirtieth Iowa, and Captain of Company A., both of which offices he refused to accept.   He participated in the battle of Peachtree Creek, and in a number of skirmishes, and although he was frequently in the thickest of the fight he was never wounded or taken prisoner.   He was honorably discharged April 4, 1865, and returned to his home in Van Buren County, Iowa, engaging in the more peaceful occupation of shoemaking. In 1868 he removed to Page County and continued to follow his trade until 1883, when he bought eighty acres of partially improved land, his present home in Nebraska Township. He has made many improvements of much value; he has an orchard of fifty trees, and fifteen acres of good timber.
Politically Mr. Roberts is indentified with the Republican party; he has served as constable and school director with much credit to himself and the satisfaction of the public. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of the township, which they joined in 1851. Mr. Roberts is a member of the G. A. R., Warren Post, No. 11, Clarinda, Iowa, and also of Bonaparte Lodge, I. O. O. F., Bonaparte, Iowa, which he joined in 1856. He is a man of good, practical ideas, and of upright methods: he has many warm friends and enjoys the confidence of all who know him.

H. D. FARRENS is one of the oldest pioneers of Page County and is numbered with the few who first trod the virgin soil of one of the most thoroughly developed sections of Iowa.   When he came to the county in 1842 the deer stalked at will over the prairie, the wolf roamed in perfect freedom and the Indians had been unmolested by the encroachments of civilization.   He and his brother Wesley came together and settled in what is now Buchanan Township on Buchanan Creek, where they made their home for several years.
Mr. Farrens was born in Greene County, Tennessee, June 3,1814, and is a son of Samuel and Cynthia (McCauley) Farrens, natives of [page 452] Pennsylvania and Virginia respectively. The parents were married in Tennessee, and H. D. was seven years old when the family removed to Wayne County, Indiana; thence they went to Randolph County, Indiana, where the father and mother passed the remainder of their days.   The son of whom we write this notice was reared to the occupation of a farmer and attended the subscription school but a short time.   In 1841, in company with his brother Wesley, he went to Missouri, making the trip down the Ohio River to the Mississippi and thence to St. Louis; they then walked to Clay County, Mo., and went to work on a farm by the month.   Not yet satisfied with what they had seen of the West, which was then the frontier, they bought a yoke of oxen and a wagon the following spring and made a trip to Page County, Iowa, locating as before stated on Buchanan Creek; he built a log cabin, in which he lived for ten or eleven years, and then sold his land and came to Clarinda, purchasing his present farm, which is adjoining the town on the north.   He owns 256 acres, which he has improved and which has come to be very valuable property.
Mr. Farrens has been twice married; his first wife was Miss Levina Stafford, a daughter of Major Robert Stafford, one of the early settlers of Page County; seven children were born of this union who lived to maturity: Robert A, John W, Marion W., Josephine Rohana, Julia and Rena; two children died in infancy.
In 1858 Mr. Farrens was married to his present wife, Mrs. Margaret Showen, widow of Miles Showen. She is a daughter of David and Mary (Alexander) McAlpin; she came to Davis County, Iowa, in 1852, and in 1853 her husband died, leaving two children, Edward D. and Miles A. By the last marriage three children have been born: Wilbert T., Albert H. and Russel D.
!
This worthy pioneer is a member of the Presbyterian Church, with which he has been prominently indentified. Politically he atfiliates with the Democratic party. He is a man plain of manner and speech, firm in his convictions of right and wrong, a citizen of whom Page County may well be proud.
Russell D. Farrens, who resides near his father's farm, was born in May, 1866, in Page County, Iowa; there he passed his youth, and received his education in the schools of Clarinda. He was married March 14, 1866, to Miss Jennie Orth, a daughter of John Orth, a resident of Clarinda. One child has been born of this union, Mary Ethel.

O.H. FRINK, the present Treasurer of Page County, Iowa, was elected to the office in November, 1889, and assumed the management of the same January 1, 1890. He was elected by the handsome majority of 961 votes over his opponent, a victory of which any man might be proud. He is an able and efficient officer, and is a credit to Page County and his constituents.
Mr. Frink was born in Elkhart County, Indiana, May 26,1848, and is a son of Hannibal and Eliza Frink, natives of New York and Michigan respectively. His father died when he was six months old, and when he was five years old the family removed to Stark County, Illinois. A short time afterward occurred the death of the mother, and thus at the tender age of six years he was deprived of the fond care of the remaining parent. He was taken to Henry County, Illinois, where he grew to manhood, receiving his early education in the common schools of that county.   When a mere lad [page 453]he obtained a situation as clerk in a mercantile establishment at Kewanee, Illinois. Jannary 1, 1865, when he was still a youth, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Twenty fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Company A, and started out in the defense of his country, that had so long been in peril; served with that regiment on its memorable Mobile campaign, and took part in thirteen days siege of Spanish Fort, Alabama, and in August, was transferred to the Thirty-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, where he remained until he was honorably discharged. After the declaration of peace he returned to Henry County, Illinois, and remained there until his removal to Page County, Iowa, which occurred in 1871. He located on section 10, Morton Township, and improved a farm of 130 acres; he was engaged in general farming until 1887, when he leased his land and embarked in the mercantile trade in Bingham, Iowa; he conducted this enterprise until November, 1889, when he disposed of his interests in Bingham and removed to Clarinda.
Mr. Frink was married April 12, 1870, to Miss Ellen Minnick, of Kewanee, Illinois. This union has been blessed with seven children:  Nettie, Libbie, Bertha, Grace, Mabel, Harvey and Irene.   The parents are, consistent church members, the mother belonging to the Methodist Episcopal and the father to the Baptist church.   Politically Mr, Frink is identified with the Republican party, and is a strong supporter of its principles.    He represented the people of his township as Township Clerk for fifteen years, and was a member of the School Board for a number of years. He is a member of Burnside Post, No.56, G. A. R., of Shenandoah.
Mr. Frink is a man of excellent business qualifications, prompt and reliable, and one whom the people of Page County will not regret that they have called to a position of honor and trust.

R.U. McCLENAHAN, the present efficient Auditor of Page County, was elected to that responsible position in the fall of 1889 by the handsome majority of 905. He has been a resident of the county since 1872, and has made a record here of which any American citizen might well be proud. It will be of interest to the friends of Mr. MeClenahan to know something of his early history and family relations, and we will go back to Guernsey County, Ohio, where he was born in 1847. His parents were James and Grisela (Stewart) McClenahan, who were of Scotch Irish descent; they reared a family of seven children, four sons and three daughters. The father died in 1887, and the mother survived him one month. The oldest son was wounded in the battle of Shiloh and was afterward brought home by his father; but the loving care of friends and family could not restore him to health, and he passed away two days after reaching home. The second son met a similar fate, so that the fond father and mother felt that they had contributed their share to the defense of this country, R. U. McClenahan is the oldest surviving member of the family. He attempted to enlist during the bitter days of the war, but was dissuaded by an uncle, who convinced him that his duty was at home with his parents. The youngest son is a professor of theology in Allegheny College, Pennsylvania, and professor of Hebrew at Chautauqua, New York. The two older sisters live near the old home in Guernsey County, Ohio, and the youngest is the wife of a missionary to Egypt, who was sent [page 454] out in 1882 by the United Presbyterian Missionary Society.
Mr. McClenahan spent the first twenty-five years of his life in his native county and then came to Page County and located on a farm in Amity Township, where he resided four years; he then removed to the town of Morseman and assumed charge of the railway station at that point, and also engaged in buying and selling grain, he continued in this business until the summer of 1889, when he removed to Clarinda and took charge of the station on the St. Louis Railroad, in whose employ he had been at Morseman. In November, 1889, he was elected to the office of Auditor as before stated. That the people of Page County have chosen well will doubtless be verified at the close of Mr. McClenahan's term of office.
Our worthy subject was united in marriage December 22,1869, to Miss Rebecca Tidrick, also a native of Guernsey County, Ohio. This union has been blessed with two children: Ernest EL, born in 1870, and Etta M., born in 1873. Politically he is identified with the Republican party.

FRANK W. PARISH, President of the Clarinda National Bank, has been connected with the interests of Page County since 1875, and has been a marked success in business and social circles. He was born in Iowa County, Wisconsin, June 11, 1846, and is a son of Ambrosia I. and Amanda (Key) Parish. The father came from Virginia to Wisconsin in 1832, and settled near the lead mines of the old town of Franklin, where he was among the early settlers. When Frank W. was but six years old the father died, leaving the mother with two young children; he was the older and went to live in different families until 1858, when he went to work for an uncle, with whom he remained until the breaking out of the civil war in 1861. September 28, of that year, he enlisted in Dillon's Sixth Wisconsin Light Artillery. In March, 1862, he was ordered South to Island No. 10, where he participated in a hard-fought battle; he was also engaged at Corinth, Mission Ridge, Vicksburg campaign, Chattanooga, Nashville, and was with General Grant on his Western campaign. He served as a loyal, brave soldier for three years and eleven months, and was with his company on every march and in every campaign and battle. He was honorably discharged and mustered out August 26, 1865. Upon his return home he attended the Commercial College at Madison, Wisconsin, and was graduated in the fall of 1866. He then went to Boscobel and entered the employ of Palmer & Coates, with whom he remained until the spring of 1868, when he came to Iowa and located at Marshalltown, where he was employed as a hotel clerk until the autumn of 1869. He next went to Council Bluffs, engaging as clerk aud manager of the Ogden and Pacific Hotels, and he also operated a railroad hotel in Texas. In the fall of 1875 he came to Clarinda and embarked in the drug business, which he conducted successfully until 1885, when he was elected president of the bank, which position he still holds.
Mr. Parish was married September 12, 1869, to Miss Jennie Wicken, the daughter of William and Mary (Osborn) Wicken, natives of London, England, and early settlers in Wisconsin. Two children have been born of this union,—Charles O. and Grace. The parents are both members of the Presbyterian Church at Clarinda.
Mr. Parish is a member of the Masonic order, including the Commandery of the. Grand Army Post, and of the A. O. U. W. [page 455] He has been a member of the School Board for four years, and has served on the City Council for six years. He was one of the projectors of the Linderman Hotel at Clarinda, being president of the stock company.
As one reviews the eventful and successful life of Mr. Parish, he is led to believe that such prosperity could be attained only by a thoroughly upright character and in our own liberal, enterprising America.

HON. RAYMOND LORANZ, attorney at law, Clarinda, by reason of his long residence and public career in Page County, very naturally finds space in the history of his county.   The greater part of his life has been spent here, coming as he did with his parents in his youth.   He was born in Fulton County, Illinois, August 1, 1852, and is the second son and fifth child of Antony Loranz, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume.   When he was six years old the family removed to Page County, and he received his education in the public schools of Clarinda; during his youth he assisted his father, who was both a farmer and merchant. When eighteen years of age he entered the law office of the Hon. T. E. Clark, with whom he remained until September, 1873, when he was admitted to the bar. He taught school one winter, and in January, 1875, he opened a law office.   The following summer he purchased a set of abstracts of land, adding land and loan business to law. He formed, at the same time, a partnership with his preceptor, which continued one year; he then practiced alone until January, 1884, when he disposed of a half interest in the land and loan business to his brother,  Henry,  the firm  being Loranz Brothers; this partnership still exists, Mr. Loranz was united in marriage June 5, 1876, to Miss Wilma Heald, daughter of Dr. Heald, a sketch of whom will be found on another page of this volume. Two children were born of this union; Barbara died at the age of seven years, and Albert, also deceased, aged one year. The good wife and kind mother died in a few days after the last child had passed away. The death of his beloved wife and two children was indeed a crushing blow to Mr. Loranz. He and his wife were both members of the Presbyterian Church at Clarinda. Politically he is a radical Republican, and has always taken an active part in politics. He served as chairman of the county central committee for several years, and in 1884 he was acting member of the State central committee and chairman of the Congressional committee. In 1885 he was honored by being elected Mayor of the city of Clarinda, and was re-elected in 1886. It was during his administration that the excellent system of water-works was provided for the city. He was a member of the city school board for many years, serving as President a great portion of the time. While he was on the board the new school building was erected, which is an ornament to any place.
Mr. Loranz is an honored member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Nodaway Lodge, No. 140, A. F. & A. M., Clarinda Chapter, No. 29, R. A. M., and Pilgrim Commandery, No. 20, K. T. He has passed all the chairs of the blue lodge and chapter, and has been Grand Marshal of the Grand Consistory of Iowa. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. lodge, No. 109, and of the encampment, having passed all the chairs in both. He belongs to Union Lodge, No. 38, A. O. U. W., and has represented that body at the Grand Lodge eight years. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Clarinda Lodge, No. 139, and of Uniform Rank, No. 19. The Loranz family have always been highly [page 456] esteemed wherever they have lived. By reference to the sketch of Antony Loranz it will be seen that the family is of excellent ancestry, and that Raymond Loranz comes very naturally by the estimable traits of character which he possesses. But few men of his age have done more for the county than he has. Whether in the law office midst books and legal documents, in political campaigns, in the secret chambers of the various societies to which he belongs, in educational matters, or in society at large, he is the same vigorous man whose whole life is one of noble impulses and progressive spirit. No charitable object ever applied to him in vain, and in sickness and sorrow no man in Page County has a more practical sympathy than he. By these many virtues he has won a host of friends.

CASSIUS M. TAYLOR.—This solid and reliable farmer has been identified with the interests of Page County since 1868. He was born in Warren County, Ohio, November 18, 1846, and is the son of Lewis Taylor, a native of the State of New York, and of Welsh ancestry.
At the age of eighteen years the father removed to Ohio, and about 1835 he went to the Territory of Iowa, locating near Burlington, which at that time consisted of three or four log cabins. The Indians then held dominion over that portion of the territory, and it required a brave and courageous heart to attempt any settlements. Lewis Taylor was married in Iowa, in 1842, to Miss Eliza Street, who was born in Ohio. This union was blessed with five children, three sons and two daughters. Cassius M. was a lad of seven years when his mother died. His father was married a second time, to Margaret Hampton, who bore him four sons and one daughter.
Cassius M. was early inured to the trials and hardships of pioneer life; he received his education in the early public schools, which did not then afford the opportunities of those of the present day. Arriving at the age of manhood he was married July 7, 1868, to Miss Eliza Coleman, a native of Muskingum County, Ohio, and a daughter of Sidney and Nancy (Estinghansen) Coleman, natives of the State of Ohio and early settlers of Lee County, Iowa. The father died in 1849 of cholera, leaving a wife and fourteen children, of whom Mrs. Taylor was the youngest. Her mother died in Lee County, Iowa, in 1884.
In 1868, soon after his marriage, Mr. Taylor came to Page County, making the trip with a team and wagon. He settled on eighty acres of wild land and built a log cabin 14 x 16 feet, which afforded a comfortable shelter for many years. In 1879 this humble dwelling was replaced by a more pretentious one, a house built in modern style and situated in the midst of shade and ornamental trees. As his means have increased he has added to his farm until he now owns 200 acres of as good land as lies in Page County. The place is stocked with high grades of cattle, horses and hogs, and some as fine sheep as can be found in the State.
Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are the parents of three children: Lewis Clyde, Laura Eliza and Dorr Coleman.
Politically our subject affiliates with the Republican party, and is a strong supporter of its principles.

JAMES McCOWEN, who has lived and labored in Page County for more than a third of a century, is justly entitled to the subjoined notice.   He came to the county and [page 457] tramped down slough grass where a portion of Clarinda now stands, when there were but few houses in the village. He was born in Warren County, Ohio, August 24, 1822, and is a son of John McCowen, a native of New Jersey, but of Scotch-Irish descent. The mother was Mary Briney, who married her husband in Ohio. Their children are five in number: George, James, Thomas, Jackson, and Catherine, wife of R. Leslie.
James, our esteemed subject, was reared on a farm, and enjoyed the advantages afforded by the common schools. He was married in Darke county, Ohio, March 7, 1843, to Miss Huldah Nealeigh, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Rice) Nealeigh. The father was born in Pennsylvania, of German ancestry, and the mother was a native of Virginia. They had a family of seven children: Barbara, deceased, wife of Jacob Schaar, Nancy, deceased, wife of John Schaar, Catherine, wife of Archibald Little, Huldah, Tillman, Henry, and Levi. The mother died in Darke County, Ohio, and the father, in Savannah, Missouri.
Mr. McCowen remained in Darke County, Ohio, until September 3, 1857, when he started for Iowa in company with two other families, those of Mr. Little and Mr. Nealeigh. The journey consumed twenty-six days, as the railroads had not then pierced the heart of Iowa, and the streams were yet unbridged. They arrived in Page County October 7, 1857, and Mr. McCowen located in Nodaway Township, entering forty acres of Government land; he built a log cabin in which they lived, and fed and lodged the weary travelers for three years; he then removed his family to his present farm, sixteen acres of which were broken out. He went to work with a will, and as the years rolled by acre was added to acre until the farm now contains three hundred and forty acres in a splendid state of cultivation, finely improved with good, substantial buildings.
Mr. and Mrs. McCowen are blessed with, four children: John, Sylvester, and Noah, all of whom are married and living on farms in Nodaway Township, and Mary, wife of Alexander Shum, a full notice of whom will be found in this volume.
Mr. McCowen has ever been a stanch supporter of the Democratic party, but has never sought public office. Although sixty-seven years of age he is spry and energetic, showing the temperate habits of a life-time. He is a plain man, frankly speaking his convictions, and his word is considered as good as his bond.

JAMES STEELE, of section 6, Nodaway Township, has been a resident of Page County since 1870. He was born in Van Buren County, Iowa, August 4, 1843, and is a son of James and Margaret (Hamilton) Steele. The father was born in Ohio, and the mother in Ireland, where she grew to womanhood. They were married August 10, 1838, in Ohio, and removed to Iowa when it was yet a Territory; they settled at Birmingham and opened a hotel and engaged in mercantile business. James, Jr., was one of the first white children born in Birmingham, and he lived there until he was twelve years of age, when his father settled on a farm near West Point, Lee County. His father died September 18, 1869, in Lee County, and his mother now resides in Fillmore County, Nebraska.
James Steele was reared to farm life and received a fair education in the common schools. At one time he was engaged in boating and lumbering along the Mississippi River.
September 28, 1870, he was united in mar-[page 458] riage to Miss Isabelle Jarrett, of Lee County, Iowa; she was a student at the Fort Madison Commercial College, and a successful teacher for many terms before her marriage. Her parents were Elias and Fanny (Lantz) Jarrett.
Soon after his marriage Mr. Steele came to Page County, locating three miles west of Clarinda. In 1874 he purchased 140 acres of wild land, which he improved and afterwards sold; he then bought his present farm, containing eighty acres, well improved. For several years he has been a successful stock-grower and breeder.
Mr. and Mrs. Steele have one child, Elma C, born January 15, 1882. Politically our worthy subject is a Democrat; he has held the office of township assessor, one of much responsibility, and gave the taxpayers a satisfactory administration. He is a man whom it is a pleasure to meet, as he is candid, frank and thoroughly practical in his business transactions. No man stands higher in the estimation of his neighbors, which is the true test of manhood.

THOMAS A. EDMONDS has been an honored resident of Page County since 1856; he came to Iowa with his parents, who were among the pioneers seeking new homes in the West.   At that time nature was [page 459] the supreme ruler, as man had accomplished but little towards making this goodly land what we now find it. It was in the beautiful month of October that the family gazed out over the charming landscape now comprising one of Iowa's banner counties.
Before going into the details of Mr. Edmonds' life in Page County it is best to acquaint the reader with his boyhood home and earlier days. He was born October 30,1838, in Clermont County, Ohio, and is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (West) Edmonds, natives of the State of Ohio. He is the seventh of a family of twelve children, ten sons and two daughters. He removed, with his family, to Clay County, Indiana, and remained there until September, 1856, when they started for the West. They moved in good, old emigrant style, driving four teams and camping by the wayside at night; they enjoyed much of the romance at first, but it soon became very laborious. In making that long-to-be-remembered trip they had to cross many unbridged streams, and found but few reminders of home. The father settled on land now occupied by Thomas A. There was a log cabin on the place, and about twenty acres had been broken out; here, both father and mother passed the remainder of their days. The father died in 1861, while the mother survived him until May, 1885.
Five sons of the family went out in defense of their country's flag during the dark days of the Rebellion. Wilkinson B. died soon after his return from the service, leaving a wife and four children; Isaac died in the army near Memphis, Tennessee; Ellis died in camp, leaving a wife and five children; Eitelbert died at St. Louis, Missouri. These brave heroes all served as members of the Twenty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry.
Thomas A. Edmonds was but eighteen years of age when he came to Page County, Iowa. He had been reared on a farm and received a good, common-school education in Clay County, Indiana; since coming to Iowa he has always lived on the land taken by his father in 1856. He was married, July 17, 1866, to Miss Sarah Jane Wallace who was born in Ohio. She came to Iowa at an early day with her parents, Thomas and Eliza (Devore) Wallace. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Edmonds: May, wife of William Annan; Bishop, Effie and Nina, who live at home; and Cora and Delia who died in infancy.
Mr Edmonds was greatly bereaved by the death of his wife, which occurred December 23, 1886. She was kind and loving, and was not only mourned by her own household, but the entire community. Mr. Edmonds is a prosperous farmer, owning 180 acres of land well improved; he carries on a general farming and stock-growing business. Politically he is Republican, but does his work by voting instead of hunting office, having no aspirations in that line. He is yet in the prime of life and has gathered around him most of the comforts of life.

ELIZA LA PORT, a most highly esteemed woman, has been a resident of Page County since 1855. She was born in Virginia, April 1, 1833. Her parents were William and Letitia (Smith) Devore, the father being a native of Maryland, and the mother of New Hampshire. When Eliza was a babe her parents removed to Jefferson County, Ohio, and settled in the vicinity of Richmond, where she was reared and educated. Her father and mother both died in Ohio. In 1848 she was united in marriage at Hagerstown, Ohio, to Thomas Ager Wallace, and remained in Ohio, living in Harri-[page 460]son and Monroe counties, until 1854. At that time, the family, which consisted of husband, wife and two children, emigrated to Iowa; they came overland and met with many adventures. The first winter was spent in Keokuk County at Sigourney, and the following spring they came to Page County, settling at Hawleyville. The husband first found employment in the steam mill, and he also worked for the Blair and Frazier mill; for two years he was operator of the Clarinda Woolen Mills, which at that time was little more than a carding mill propelled by means of ox-power. In the autumn of 1858 he settled on his wild land, and in 1858-'59, in company with Mr. La Port, he erected a mill and for several years did an extensive business. This mill was sold and removed about 1879.
To Mr. and Mrs. Wallace were born four children: Sarah Jane, deceased, wife of T. A. Edmonds; Elizabeth Ann, deceased, wife of George W. Skinner, and Mary Lucinda, and a babe, who died in infancy. Our subject was just beginning to know what sorrow is, when in March, 1860, her husband died. Mr. Wallace was an exemplary, christian man, leaving behind him an untarnished name.
For her second husband Mrs. Wallace married December 25, 1860, Frank H. La Port, who had the honor of being a Page County pioneer and a comrade of her former husband. He was a machinist and engineer; he located in the county in 1855, coming from Logan County, Ohio, where he had grown to manhood. In October, 1873, he passed to his reward. He was an acceptable member of the Universalist Church and belonged to the I. O. O. F. at Clarinda, Iowa. He was an upright and honorable citizen and a kind husband.
For her third husband Mrs. La Port married Enoch J. La Port, in 1874. He had been a resident of Page County for about fourteen years, and was a cousin of her former husband. He was born in the State of Ohio, in which commonwealth he grew to manhood. When he left his native State he went to Indiana and thence to Dowagiac, Michigan. He was a farmer by occupation. His death occurred September 22, 1885. He was a believer in the Universalist faith and lived a life of good deeds.
Mrs. La Port still lives on her farm, which contains eighty-four acres, all well improved and carefully cultivated.
When we contemplate the afflictions through which Mrs. La Port has passed, we are, indeed, convinced that nothing but a firm will and good judgment guided by a higher power could have preserved her to the enjoyment of life. She has always made the best of her trials and has tried to see a silver lining to every dark cloud.

JAMES H. ABBOTT, a thoroughgoing farmer of Nodaway Township, has been an honored resident of Page County since 1859. He was born in Kosciusko County Indiana, August 24, 1844, and is a son of David and Francinkey (Hankinson) Abbott. The lather was a son of James Abbott, a native of North Carolina. When James H. was fourteen years of age his mother died in Wabash County, Indiana, and in 1859 the father and eight children removed to Iowa, settling in Nodaway Township, four miles northwest of Clarinda. In 1883 the father removed to town, and there he died, in October, 1885.
James H. was reared to farm life and received his education in the common schools. In 1874 he located on his present farm, only [page 461] a portion of which had been improved at the time he bought it. In 1885 he erected a residence, at a cost of eighteen-hundred dollars; it stands upon a solid foundation and is built after the modern style of architecture; near by is a line bearing orchard of two acres, an important item on a western farm. Mr. Abbott also owns seventy acres west of Clarinda; he is extensively engaged in farming, stock-raising, and stock-feeding, all of which he makes a success.
He was married May 2, 1872, in Page County, to Miss Phebe J. Pfander, a daughter of Charles Pfander. She was born in Darke County, Ohio, where she lived until five years of age; then her parents removed to Page County, where she grew to womanhood; she received a good education, and taught school for a time in Page County. Four children have been born of this union: Grace D., David C, Daisy J. and Mary S.
Politically Mr. Abbott is a Republican, though of independent type. He is the present township trustee, and for fourteen years a member of the School Board. He is one of the county's best and most highly respected citizens: he is firm in his convictions of right and wrong, and is honorable and upright in all his business transactions. His residence in the county, covering a period of thirty years, has proven him a man to whom honor is justly due. Whether in the daily walks of life, on the farm, in business, or seated at his own hearthstone, one finds the true elements of a man.

SCOTT M. ELRICK, the subject of this biographical notice, came to Page County, Iowa, in 1868. He was born "in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, January 18, 1832, aud is a son of Adam and Jane (Marshall) Elrick, also natives of the old "Key­stone" State. He was reared in his native State, and spent much of his youth boating on the Pennsylvania Canal. In the spring of 1855 he came to Rock Island County, Illinois; he lived there and in Henry County, Illinois, until 1860, when the Western gold fever struck so many ambitious young men; he then went overland by team to California, taking his wife and child with him. He spent the first winter in Utah at Salt Lake City, arriving there in the month of October. This was during the terrible Indian outbreaks; there were eighty wagons in the train, and when they arrived at the Rocky Mountains, Mr. Elrick was the only one who refused to continue the journey; the other seventy-nine wagons, loaded with their human cargo, proceeded on the way; at the Fort south of Walla Walla the savages met the train, and every individual was slain.
Mr. Elrick finally went on to California, and remained there four years engaged in mining. In the fall of 1864 he returned to the East by the way of the Isthmus of Panama and New York city. He remained until 1868, in his old home, and then he came to Page County as before stated. The land on which he now lives was raw and uncultivated. He first purchased one hundred and twenty acres, to which he afterward added two hundred acres, ail of which is excellently improved with good buildings. The residence was erected at a cost of twelve hundred dollars, and is surrounded by a fine orchard of apple trees and evergreens; near by is a good grove of timber, the whole presenting a very attractive appearance.
Mr. Elrick is extensively engaged in stock-growing, and has a fine herd of short-horn cattle; he has been very successful in this branch of husbandry.
As to his family relations, it may be said [page 462] that he was married November 25, 1858, to Miss Maggie Feirling, a Dative of Franklin county, Pennsylvania. Her parents were George and Elizabeth Feirling, and when she was eleven years of age they removed to Illinois.
Mr. and Mrs. Elrick are parents of seven living children: Scott M., Harry C, Fred T., John C, Clyde H., Pearl Inez and Nellie Irene; three sons and one daughter died in infancy.
In politics our subject adheres to the principles of the Republican party, but occasionally votes an independent ticket. In his business relations he is frank and strictly honest, and is a man of whom the county may well be proud.

RICHARD HERZBERG and JOSEPH Wm DRIFTMEIER are members of the firm of Herzberg & Driftmeier, dealers in farm machinery at Clarinda, Iowa. January 1, 1887, they bought the well-established trade of Hartford, Beal & Co., one of the oldest firms dealing in this line of goods in Clarinda. They have done an extensive and successful business, and are numbered among the most popular and progressive firms of the place. They occupy a building on Fifth street, northeast from the court-house square; it was formerly erected for a skating rink, and is 50 x 120 feet, affording ample room for their large and growing trade. They are the agents for a full line of standard farm goods, and also carry a fine assortment of carriages, buggies and wagons. Their sales in 1889 aggregated $25,000.
Richard Herzberg, the senior member of the firm, has been a resident of Clarinda for nineteen years, and is well known throughout Page County.   He came from Cook County, Illinois, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits in Nodaway Township until 1887.
Joseph Driftmeier was born in Jackson County, Indiana, and came to Page County twenty-five years ago with his parents, who settled in Nodaway Township, where he grew to manhood.
Both of these gentlemen, are thorougly acquainted with the farmers in the northern part of the county, from which section they draw a large trade.
         
ALPHONSO EDMONDS, a highly respected citizen of Nodaway Township, is among Page County's pioneers, having arrived here as early as October, 1856. He was born in Clermont County, Ohio, April 12, 1830; his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth (West) Edmonds, were natives of Virginia and Kentucky respectively; the father was a soldier in the war of 1812.
There were ten children in the family, eight sons and two daughters, Alphonso being the fourth child. When he was ten years of age his parents removed to Clay County, Indiana, where they remained until 1856. He was reared in the good, old pioneer way, obtaining his education in the common schools. He was married September 28,1856, in Clay County, Indiana, to Miss P. F. Samson, who was born in Yirginia in 1833. Her parents John and Clara (Jollett) Samson, Virginians by birth, settled in Clay County, Indiana, in 1849, and resided there until death.
In October, 1856, Mr. Edmond's parents came with teams and a drove of livestock to Iowa. They were a month on the way, camping at night and cooking by a campfire. Alphonso settled in Nodaway Township, built a log house by the river, and began making improvements; he afterward sold this place [page 463] and owned one or two different farms; in 1887 he bought 160 acres, watered by the stream of Nealy Branch, rendering it very valuable for stock pasture; it is well improved, and is one of the finest stock farms in the county.
Mr. Edmonds owns eighty acres in section 7, 108 acres in section 6, and ten acres of timber land near the river. He has a family of four children: Seth Warren, residing in Nodaway Township; Amanda, wife of Henry Stafford; Almira, a successful teacher in the public schools of the county, and Charles, who is still at home. In political belief he is a Republican. He is a man bearing the good will of all his neighbors, and has trained up his children in the way they should go, and they reflect honor and credit upon the parents.

MORGAN BURWELL, who resides on section 26, Nodaway Township, has been a highly respected citizen and representative farmer of Page County since 1867. He was born in Crawford County, Ohio, March 16, 1838, and is a son of William Burwell, a well known pioneer of Nodaway Township, whose sketch will be found on following pages.
Morgan Burwell was reared on a farm and attended the common schools of Crawford County, Ohio, where he grew to man's estate. He was married June 2, 1857, to Miss Matilda Eby, who was born and reared in the same county as her husband. Her parents were Peter and Rebecca (Guisinger) Eby. Mr. and Mrs. Burwell remained in their native State until 1866, when they came to Linn County, Iowa; there they remained one year, and in May, 1867, they came to Page County and located on their present farm; it was then wild and uncultivated, but it has been brought to an advanced state of development.
Mr. Burwell was among the early settlers in his neighborhood; he built a house of native logs, which still stands as a landmark of those long-ago days. In 1883 he erected his present residence, a large, comfortable house of a modern style of architecture, costing about $1,600. A fine apple orchard adds to the value and beauty of the place, and all the surroundings display taste and culture. Both grain and stock-raising are carried on successfully in keeping with the present times. Truly, Mr. Burwell was fortunate in locating in so goodly a place.
Mr. and Mrs. Burwell are the parents of six children: Rilda L., wife of F. Pfander; William H., Alice J., wife of G. W. Hoskins; James M., Nellie Y. and Alverdo. Three children have passed to the other life: Zella I. died when five months old; Edna M. at the age of three years, and Myrtle Y. at the age of twenty years.
Politically Mr. Burwell is a Democrat; he has served as a member of the school board. Although past fifty years of age he is well preserved, proving that a temperate and moral life is the most profitable one to live. In his business and social relations no man stands higher in the estimation of the people than he of whom we have written this short notice.
William Burwell is known as one of the early settlers who came to Page County when it was in a wild, uncultivated state, as the red man had left it, and he claims our respect, almost our reverence, as only those brave souls do who have braved the dangers and the vicissitudes of pioneer life. He was born in Belmont County, Ohio, August 12, 1812, and is a son of Job Burwell, a native of Pennsylvania; his mother was Katie Custer Burwell. There were nine children in the family, of whom William was the fifth. He [page 464]was reared to the life of a farmer, and received a limited education. He was married in Harrison County, Ohio, at the age of twenty years, to Nancy Morris, and by this union nine children were born, four of whom are living: Mary Ann Brokaw, Joseph, Morgan, and Elizabeth Warden.
Mrs. Nancy Burwell died in Linn County, Iowa, in 1866, and in October, 1868, Mr. Burwell was again married to Mrs. Esther Pinkley Bullyer, a native of Knox County, Ohio.
Mr. Burwell owns forty acres of land in Nodaway Township, on section 26, and has a comfortable home. He has done his share towards the development of the county, and has the esteem and respect of all who know him.

R. H. FULTON, one of the present Board of County Supervisors, is justly entitled to a place in the biographical history of the county with which he has been closely identified since 1872.
To acquaint the reader with a part of his personal career not generally known, it may be stated that he is a native of the good old " Keystone " State, Pennsylvania. He was born in Indiana County July 8, 1845, and is the son of Silas and Ann (Horbinson) Fulton. The father was of Scotch descent, but was born in Pennsylvania, and the mother was also a native of the same State, although of Scotch-Irish extraction; they reared a family of seven children, three sons and four daughters, of whom R. H. was the fourth child. The father was a farmer by occupation, and the son followed the calling of the father.
During the civil war our esteemed subject enlisted, July 17,1863, becoming a member of Company D, Two Hundred and Sixth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, holding the position of fife sergeant. He was mustered out at Richmond, Virginia, June 28, 1865. His regiment was the first to enter the city after the surrender of Lee; he asassisted in putting out the fires, and was on provost guard for three months afterward.
At the close of the strife Mr. Fulton returned to his home, and November 25,1866, he was united in marriage to Miss Agnes Doughitt, a daughter of Nathan and Sarah (Beaty) Doughitt. He remained in his native State until 1872, and then removed to Page County, Iowa, first settling four miles north­west of Clarinda. He purchased his present farm ome [sic] time later; it was then wild land, but he has lived to see it subdued and cultivated; the place contains eighty acres of Page County's best tilled and richest soil; the improvements are good, consisting of a comfortable house, barns and shedding.
Mr. and Mrs. Fulton are the parents of four children: Harry W., Charley M., William D. and Anna. The father is a staunch but independent Republican, not voting for party's sake but for principles. He was elected to the responsible position of County Supervisor in 1886, and after faithfully serving his county a term of three years he was re-elected in the fall of 1889, showing how highly he was appreciated by his constituents. He is an honored member of the G. A. R., Warren Post, No. 11, and of the United Workmen, Union Lodge, No. 38. He is a firm believer in the teaching of the Christian religion, and is an active and consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, as is also Mrs. Fulton. He is a man in the prime of life, intelligent and frank, and highly respected by all who know him. His name should be preserved in this record if for no other reason than that he was a member of the County Board of [page 465] Supervisors at the time the new court-house was contracted for at $71,000.

F.P. BARR, a resident of Nodaway Township and one of the most stirring and enterprising agriculturists of the neighborhood, claims more than passing mention in this connection. He is a native of Kentucky, born in Breckenridge County, December 6, 1852, and is a son of Elias Barr, a native of Kentuckv. During the Revolutionary war the grandsire of our subject entered the army at the age of eighteen years, and served as a teamster until the declaration of peace. The mother of F. P. Barr was Sally Beauchamp, a native of Lexington, Kentucky, whose father was a Frenchman and a statesman of note, and whose mother was one of Scotland's fair daughters. Mr. Barr is the sixth son and eleventh child of a family of twelve, eleven of whom grew to maturity. At the age of seven years he was taken to Illinois by his parents, and there he grew to manhood in Hancock County. His father was a farmer, and he was early inured to hard labor. During the winter season he attended the common schools, where he received a fair education, afterward attending for a time the academy at La Harpe, Illinois, finishing his education at Carthage College.
February 8, 1880, he was married to Miss Flora M. Painter, a daughter of Henry R. and Jane (Dawson) Painter. The father was a native of Pennsylvania, and the mother, of Kentucky. Shortly after the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Barr they came to Page County, Iowa, and purchased 142 acres of land of John Turner; forty acres had been broken out, and a log house had been built on the place. By hard and unremitting toil Mr. Barr has subdued the wild land and has made one of Page County's most valuable farms. In 1881 he bought thirty-three acres adjoining his place on the south, making 175 acres in all. He built a good residence in 1880, costing $1,200. It is situated on an eminence, from which one views a wide sweep of country, one of the most beautiful districts of the State. The improvements about the farm are of an excellent kind, including substantial buildings, an apple orchard of 150 trees and a half acre of small fruits. Mr. Barr makes a specialty of stock-raising, finding it a profitable branch of farming. He raises horses, mostly Clydesdale and English draft, with some Norman stock. He has already sold many valuable animals. In cattle he handles the best grades and also keeps an excellent breed of swine.
Mr. and Mrs. Barr are the parents of two children: Henry Elias born November 8, 1880, and Francis Edwin, born February 2, 1888. In his political belief Mr. Barr is a stanch Republican. Both he and his wife are acceptable members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Clarinda.

WILLIAM D. STITT, of section 31, Nodaway Township, is among the men who moved into the "Kingdom of Page" in 1870, arriving Saturday, February 18, and has since been one of the substantial men of the county. He was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, June 16, 1838, and is a son of William Stitt. The Stitt family were early settlers of Franklin County. The grandsire, James Stitt, served as a soldier in the Revolution; he was of Scotch-Irish extraction. The mother of our subject was Margaret (Harmanni) Stitt, who was also a native of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Her grandfather also participated in the war [page 466] of the Revolution; he was of English-German extraction.
The parents of William D. reared a family of nine children, four sons, of whom he was the third, and five daughters. The father was a farmer by occupation, and naturally the son was trained in the same calling among the hills of the old " Keystone" State; there he received a limited education, and was taught the lessons of virtue and integrity which have characterized his whole life.
In 1855 the family came to Henry County, Illinois, where they had the honors as well as the hardships of pioneers. The parents lived to a ripe, old age, the father dying at the age of seventy-two years, and the mother at the age of seventy-four years.
November 1, 1864, William D. was united in marriage to Miss Sarah N. Payton, a native of Delaware County, Indiana, and a daughter of William and Mary Ann Payton. Her father was born in Butler County, Ohio, and her mother was a native of Kentucky. When Mrs. Stitt was about six years old her parents removed to Henry County, Illinois, where she grew to womanhood. Her father lives in Bedford, Iowa, and her mother passed away at Clarinda, Iowa, in 1885.
Mr. and Mrs. Stitt resided in Illinois until 1870, when they came to Page County and settled in Colfax Township; in 1871 they sold their land and removed to Nodaway Township, where they had a beautiful home; one of the attractive features of the place is a grove of evergreen trees, one for each year of our national independence since 1776. In 1880, Mr. Stitt sold this place to Joseph Beezly, and purchased his present farm, which then consisted of 369 acres; he has since disposed of 140 acres. He has a good, substantial farm­house one half mile from the village of Yorktown. Mr. Stitt has made many improvements, including a fine orchard and a grove of maple and catalpa trees, which add very much beauty to the place as well as to its value.
Mr. aud Mrs. Stitt are the parents of seven children: David DeKalb, Calvin M., Artie A., Samuel F., Harmon E., Emily M. and Inez. In the person of Mr. Stitt we find a strong supporter of the Democratic party. Like most busy farmers he has not become hungry for public office. He and his estimable wife are members of the Presbyterian Church at Yorktown, of which he is a trustee.
On the " shady side of fifty " our subject bears his years lightly, as do most men who have led temperate lives. He is an intelligent, Christian, American citizen, than which there is no higher or more honorable station.

DAVID E. RIDENOUR, one of Page County's industrious and successful agriculturists, came to this section in 1871. He was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, April 28, 1841, and is the son of John Ridenour, a native of Pennsylvania and of German ancestry. The mother was Susan Beightel, also a Pennsylvanian by birth They reared a large family, five sons and seven daughters, nine of whom were still living in 1889.
David E. was the sixth child, and when he was ten years old the parents removed to Illinois, locating in Fulton County near the present town of Canton. There they remained until 1854 when they went to Henry County, Illinois, where they were counted pioneers. The mother died there in December, 1877, and the father died in the month of May, 1885, in Kansas. David grew to man's estate in Henry County, Illinois, and obtained a common-school education. During the great civil conflict he volunteered to fill the quota [page 467] asked for in President Lincoln's call for 300,000 men. He became a member of Company D, One Hundred and Twelfth Volunteer Infantry. His regiment was ordered to Kentucky, and was at Covington, Lexington, and thence south into East Tennessee under General Burnside; was in the siege of Knoxville, and joined General Sherman at Rock Face, Georgia; participated in the battle of Resaca; was with General Sherman on his Atlanta campaign to Jonesborough ; then followed General Hood to Dalton, Georgia, and then went to Nashville, Tennessee. From that point they went to Pulaski and then fell back to Columbia, then on to Franklin and Nashville against General Hood, whom they followed to Columbia. Then they marched to Clifton, Tennessee, where they took a boat down the Tennessee and up the Ohio rivers to Cincinnati; thence to Alexandria, Virginia; Fort Fisher, and Fort Anderson; thence to "Wilmington and Kingston. Then they marched to Goldsboro, North Carolina, and again joined General Sherman, marching to Rolla, North Carolina, and Greensboro. June 15, 1865, Mr. Ridenour was discharged with honors. He received his final discharge at Camp Douglas, Illinois, after which he at once returned to his old home in Henry County, Illinois.
February 15, 1866, he was married to Mary J. Payton, a daughter of William and Mary Ann (Hamilton) Payton, natives of Ohio and Kentucky respectively. Mrs. Ridenour's parents opened a hotel at Hartford City, Indiana, and she was the first child born in that place. Her family removed to Delaware County, Indiana, thence to Knox County, Illinois, and in 1855 settled in Henry County, Illinois. In 1881 the parents removed to Page County, Iowa, where the good mother died July 8, 1885; the father now resides at Bedford, Iowa.
Mr. Ridenour resided in Henry County, Illinois, until 1871, when he came to Page County and purchased eighty acres of wild land in Nodaway Township. He has made many valuable improvements, developing one of the finest farms in the township. He has devoted his time to farming excepting eighteen months spent in Yorktown in mercantile business. Politically he is a Union Labor Republican. He and his wife are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, taking a deep interest in the class and Sabbath-school.
One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Ridenour, Rella, who is now living; one child died at the age of nine years—Orpha A.

FRANK PATTERSON, the subject of this brief biography, has come to be well known in Page County, and especially in Nodaway Township, where he has lived since 1881. He was born in Columbia County, New York, April 23, 1833, and is the son of Henry A. Patterson. His grandfather was Andrew Patterson, a native of Massachusetts, of Scotch ancestry. His mother's maiden name was Phylinda Smith, and she was born in Bethlehem, Massachusetts. She died March 13,1877, aged seventy-eight years ; her husband died August 10, 1869, aged seventy-seven years. They reared a family of seven children, five sons and two daughters. Frank grew to manhood in his native county, attending the common schools during the winter seasons and assisting his father on the farm in the summer. In 1855, when he was twenty-two years of age, he went to Henry County, Illinois, where he remained until he came to Page County.
Mr. Patterson was married in Henry County, Illinois, March 1, I860, to Miss [page 468] Elizabeth Stitt, a daughter of William aud Margaret (Harmanni) Stitt, natives of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. As before stated Mr. Patterson removed to Page County in 1881, and settled on his present farm, which he has brought to an advanced state of cultivation. His fields are well tilled, his buildings are of a most substantial character, and a fine, growing orchard and a beautiful grove surround his attractive residence. He devotes his time to the care of his farm, and is one of the successful agriculturists of the county.
To Mr. and Mrs. Patterson have been born ten children: Ellen M., wife of Samuel Cox; Sarah J., wife of Harvey E. Bearce; Alice N., wife of Allen L. Kennedy Jerome L., Olive, wife of L. L. Johnson; Cynthia, wife of Robert Shearer; Frank A., Orson H., Jessie C. and Etta E.
The greatest loss of Mr. Patterson's life was in the death of his wife, which occurred February 26, 1882. They had been companions for twenty-two years, a comfort, a help, and a solace to each other. Mrs. Patterson was born September 12, 1841; she was a consistent Christian woman, and an acceptable member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
In politics Mr. Patterson is a believer in the Prohibition platform. He is a devout member and class-leader in the Methodist Episcopal Church in the village of Yorktown. Page County has many good citizens, and without flattery it may be recorded that none stand in a higher rank for honor and integrity than Mr. Patterson.

JOHN F. FREED, a representative of the highest type of his countrymen, is justly entitled to a prominent space in this connection. It is with a good degree of national pride that we, as Americans, can point to such characters as Mr. Freed, in illustrating what free America can do for those who come from the Old World to our shores to make for themselves homes and become true, loyal subjects of our form of government. Our worthy subject, who resides on a well-tilled farm of his own earning, has become an adopted citizen of this country. To find out something of his early life the reader should allow his thoughts to go over the deep, blue sea to that charming country in Europe, Sweden, and there, among the evergreen mountains and pleasant valleys we find the birthplace of John F. Freed, the date recorded in the old family Bible being September 10, 1848. His parents were Andrew and Anna Freed, natives of Sweden. He was reared in his native land, and there obtained a good education in his mother-tongue. When he was nineteen years old he began to have dreams of the goodly land beyond the sea, America, and after a time decided to emigrate; he came via Guttemburg, Liverpool and New York city to Galesburg, Illinois, where he remained one year; thence he removed to Henry County, Illinois, and engaged in farming. He lived there until 1874, when he resolved to try his fortunes in Page County, Iowa; on arriving in the county he purchased eighty acres of land, the south part of his present farm of 140 acres; there was much wild land and he made an admirable selection; he at once began to improve his land, and there he "stuck and hung," and by frugal management he has built up for himself and family a splendid home. He has a comfortable farm residence, ample barns for stock and grain, and all the surroundings show good taste and excellent judgment.
Mr. Freed was united in marriage April 12, 1877, in Douglas Township, Page County, to Miss Louisa Hull, who was born in Sweden. She is a daughter of J. P. and Hellen Hull, [page 469] and when she was sixteen years of age she emigrated to America.
Mr. and Mrs. Freed have a family of three sons and two daughters: Ellen, Alvin, Mabel, Gilbert and Caleb.
Upon coming to this country Mr. Freed studied into our form of government and chose the Republican party as best representing his political opinions. He has often been honored with positions of trust and responsibility, and has faithfully discharged any duties devolving upon him. He has taken a deep interest in educational affairs and provides his family with valuable reading matter upon all subjects. In their religious faith Mr. Freed and wife are devout Swedish Lutherans and belong to that church, in Douglas Township.
Mr. Freed has been foremost among those of his own nationality in promoting laudable enterprises, believing he owes his adopted land this much in return for all that has been bestowed upon him and his family. He is classed among the best men of his neighborhood, and has won this position by meritorious conduct ever since his residence here.