Boiler, Cyrus


Cyrus BOILER, of Walnut, is one of the early settlers of this part of the county. He is from an old American family of German descent. David BOILER, the great-grandfather of our subject, came from Germany and settled on a farm in Virginia, about 1775. Joseph BOILER, son of the above and grandfather of our subject, was born in Virginia, married Miss Nancy COLLISON, and reared a family of thirteen children, seven boys and six girls, who all lived to years of maturity. Mr. BOILER moved to Pike County, Ohio, about 1800, one of the pioneers of that county, and lived there until his death. William BOILER, son of the above and father of our subject, was born in Pike County, Ohio, in 1810, and married, in Ohio, Miss Almira DANIELS, daughter of Benjamin DANIELS, a mayor of the town. Mr. and Mrs. BOILER had four children: Joseph, Benjamin, Wesley, and one who died young.

Mr. BOILER remained on his farm until he was forty years of age, and then, in 1850, moved to Muscatine County, Iowa, and entered a farm, and four years after sold that farm and bought another in the same county, and selling this afterward he moved to Marshalltown, Iowa, and after a short residence there he returned to Muscatine County, Iowa. In 1873 he came and settled on 160 acres of land in Pottawattamie County, Wright Township, where he died, in 1886. Mr. BOILER was a substantial farmer and an industrious, honest man. His first wife died in Ohio, and June 1, 1843, he married Miss Caroline KINCAID, daughter of Robert and Martha (HUMPHREY) KINCAID. To Mr. and Mrs. BOILER were born two children: Cyrus and James. Mr. BOILER was an honorable American citizen, and a man who provided well for his family.

Cyrus BOILER, son of the above and subject of this sketch, was born July 6, 1844, in Rice County, Ohio, received a common-school education, and was six years of age when his father moved to Iowa. He learned the carpenter's trade when young. In 1873 he came to Pottawattamie County, Iowa, and improved a claim for his father. In 1876 he married Mary R. OSBORN, daughter of Solomon and Lydia (PARIS) OSBORN. The OSBORNs were an old American family from Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. OSBORN have three children: Ina M., Georgiana and Charles C. In 1879 Mr. BOILER went to Leadville, and was in the silver mines, where he remained five years and nine months, and since then he has resided in Walnut. Mr. BOILER is a man who has the respect of his fellow townsmen; in Colorado he was Justice of the Peace and in Walnut has been constable. He is a man who stands well as an honorable citizen and a man of integrity.

Boiler, James

James BOILER. Among the prominent and well-known citizens of Wright Township, Pottawattamie County, we find the name that heads this sketch. Mr. BOILER has been a resident of this place since 1873. He was born in Pike County, Ohio, March 26, 1848, son of William and Caroline (KINCAID) BOILER, both natives of Ohio. Grandfather David BOILER was born in Germany.

In 1851 Willaim BOILER and wife moved from Ohio to Iowa and settled in Muscatine County, becoming pioneers of the place. They made their home in Muscatine County until 1865, when they moved to Marshall County, same State. After remaining in the latter place three years they returned to Muscatine County. Then, in 1873, they came to Wright Township. Three years later they moved to Walnut, Iowa, where the father died April 25, 1886, at the age of seventy-six years. He was a farmer all his life. In politics he was a Democrat. His widow, now sixty-eight years of age, resides at Walnut.

On a frontier farm in Muscatine County James BOILER grew to manhood. He was educated in the pioneer schools, and early in life was taught that industry, economy and honesty were necessary elements for the foundation of a successful life. At the age of seventeen he entered upon a three years' apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade, and was afterwards engaged in contracting and building in Marshalltown, Iowa. In 1873 he came to this township and bought 160 acres of wild prairie land, and was one of the first settlers in his neighborhood. He has since added to his first purchase until he is now the owner of 320 acres of valuable, well improved land. He also owns 160 acres, which he uses for pasture, and which is located two miles from his home farm. He has a fine two-story residence, which was enlarged and remodeled in 1884. It is beautifully located and is surrounded with shade trees, making an attractive place and a comfortable home. A grove and orchard of five acres are near the house. He has a large barn, stock scales and other buildings, two modern wind pumps and good fences; in short, this farm is considered one of the best improved ones in the neighborhood. Mr. BOILER keeps annually from fifty to 150 head of cattle, and from 200 to 300 hogs.

Mr. BOILER was married in Muscatine County, Iowa, January 25, 1876, to Miss Sarah Jane NOLTE, a native of Jefferson County, Indiana, daughter of Herman and Sarah (PADGETT) NOLTE. She was reared in Indiana, and at the age of sixteen years came with her parents to Muscatine County, where they now reside. Mr. and Mrs. BOILER have three children, namely: Orpha Lola, born November 1, 1876; Glen Ira, born May 22, 1878, and Grover Cleveland, born February 2, 1885.

Mr. BOILER is one of the leading Democrats in the eastern part of Pottawattamie County. In 1885 he was elected County Supervisor and served three years. During his term of office the Court House was erected, and other important business was transacted. Mr. BOILER was an efficient and popular officer. He has also served in township offices, and has acted as Chairman of the Democratic Central Committee. He is a man well informed on all general topics and current literature, and has broad and progressive views. He is honorable in all his business dealings, and is regarded as one of the solid men of Pottawatttamie County. His wife is a member of the Baptist Church.

In regard to Mr. BOILER's family history, it should be further stated that of the five sons born to his parents, four are living: Joseph is a prominent real-estate dealer at Walnut, Iowa. Benjamin and Cyrus also live at that place, the latter being a contractor and builder. Wesley BOILER, next to the eldest, lives in Muscatine County, Iowa. Besides the above there was one sister.

Bolton, C. H.


C.H. BOLTON, section 30, Grove Township, Pottawattamie Co., Iowa, is one of the representative citizens of his community. He was born in Giles Co., Virginia, March 7, 1832. His father, George BOLTON, was a native of the same county and was a son of Henry BOLTON. The latter was born in Germany, and when a youth was kidnapped and brought to America. This occurred before the Revolutionary War. After his arrival here, he made his escape, joined the colonial forces and fought under General Washington in the struggle for independence. After the war, he settled in Virginia where he married and lived until his death. George BOLTON married Margaret DUNCAN, also a native of Virginia, and to them were born 7 children, five of whom are now living: Elizabeth SOUTHERN, who resides in Oregon; Eliza J. RICE, also in Oregon; C.H., the subject of this sketch; Nancy M. SMITH, of Delaware Co., Iowa; and Christena WILKINSON of Mills Co., same state.

When Mr. C.H. BOLTON was 10 years of age, his father and family removed from Virginia to Cedar Co., Iowa, making the journey in an old fashioned Virginia wagon. Iowa was then a territory and Mr. Bolton's family were among the early settlers of Cedar Co. He was a farmer all of his life, a Jackson Democrat, a Protestant Methodist, and a man of integrity and moral worth. His death occurred in Cedar Co. a few years after he settled in this state. His wife, an earnest Christian, and a member of the Protestant Methodist Church, lived to about the age of 80 years and died at the home of her son in Grove Township, this county. The son of poor but industrious Christian parents, C.H. BOLTON was reared on a farm and in early youth taught those lessons of diligence and good morals which have been important factors in his after life, and have helped him on to success. He first attended school in Virginia and after moving West his studies were continued in the primitive log school-house which the pioneers had erected. To these rudiments of an education thus obtained, Mr. Bolton has added a practical experience, which can only be gained by personal contact with business and the world.

When he was 21 years of age, he wedded Miss Louisa BOLTON, a distant relative of his, who was born in Indiana, a daughter of William and Sarah BOLTON. Our subject lived in Cedar Co. until 1873 when he came to his present location, coming via the C.R.R.I. Railroad to Walnut, and from there to Grove Township in wagons. He bought 120 acres of land; two years later he bought the 80 acres where he now lives and which is near the first purchase. The latter property has been improved by Sam H. HOPKINS, who sold it to Mr. Bolton. The 120 acres corners on the southeast of it making, in all, a fine farm of 200 acres. He has a comfortable house, a good barn and all necessary improvements and buildings for the care of stock, etc. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bolton, two of whom are deceased. The living are: Lewis, who resides in Oregon; George and Mary at home; and Cora, wife of Jesse PEDIT, of Waveland Township. Martin Sherman died at the age of 11 years and Oliva at the age of 3 years. Mrs. Bolton died Sept 16, 1886, and her loss was deeply felt by her husband, her children and her many friends. She was greatly beloved by all who knew her, and as a Christian woman her life is worthy of emulation. She was a member of the Protestant Methodist Church, as is also her husband. In politics Mr. Bolton is a Republican.

Bolton, George


GEORGE BOLTON was born in the Territory of Wisconsin (now Iowa), December 9, 1840. His father, William Bolton, was one of the seven men who first settled in Cedar County, in 1836. His grandfather, Henry Bolton, when a lad in his teens, was kidnapped and brought to America from his native country, Germany. He made his escape and a short time afterward enlisted in the cause of the colonies and fought in the Revolutionary war under General Washington. His son, William Bolton, was born in Virginia, and was married in that State to Sarah Southern, also a native of the Old Dominion and a descendant of one of the old Virginia families. He subsequently became a pioneer of Cedar County, Iowa, as already stated, and there passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring at the age of fifty-seven years. His wife lived to be eighty years old and died at the home of her son George in Pottawattamie County. Mr. Bolton and his wife were earnest Christian people, and were members of the Methodist Church. He spent his life as an honest tiller of the soil; was a Jackson Democrat, a strong Union man during the war, and cast his vote for President Lincoln. This worthy pioneer couple reared a family of eight children, viz.: J. A., a resident of Jasper County, Iowa; Oliva, of Oregon; Louis, who is deceased; Virginia Vanmeter, of Cass County, Iowa; George, the subject of this sketch; John, Cedar County, Iowa; Agnes, wife of A. W. Pierce, Grove Township, this county; and Grace, wife of Frank Emmons, also of Grove Township.

The son of a pioneer farmer, George was early in life inured to hard work, and was taught those lessons of industry and honesty which have served him so well in after life. His early advantages were limited. What education he received was obtained in the primitive log schoolhouse of that period. He was married November 8, 1860, to Miss Hannah M. Pierce, who was born and reared in Ohio, the daughter of Dennis and Mary (Polick) Pierce, both natives of Pennsylvania. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bolton: Charles E., who is married and lives in Grove Township; A. W., also married and a resident of the same township; Ida M., wife of D. W. Magee, sheriff of Banner County, Nebraska; Nellie G., Albert, and James A., at home. Three of their children died of diphtheria, -- Luke, at the age of eight years; Minnie, ten years of age; and Frank, six.

Mr. Bolton lived in Cedar County, Iowa, until 1877, when he came to his present location and bought the farm on which he resides of Isaac Denton. Some improvements had been made on the place previous to its purchase by Mr. Bolton, but he has since enhanced its value by building, fencing, etc. He built a comfortable residence, a story and a half high, surrounded it with shade and ornamental trees, and also planted a grove and orchard. He built a commodious barn, 40 x 66 feet, which is well arranged for grain, hay and stock. A modern windmill furnishes the power, by which water is forced through pipes up to the yards and feedlots, a distance of forty rods. This farm contains 320 acres, and its flourishing condition at once indicates the thrift and prosperity of the owner. Mr. Bolton is engaged in general farming and stock-raising. Among his stock is Shorthorn cattle and Clydesdale horses.

Our subject is one of the wheel horses of the Republican Party in Grove Township. He served nearly fifteen years as Township Trustee. He has also served with credit as a member of the School Board. He is an active worker in and a trustee of the Christian Church, of which his wife and tow of their children are also members. Socially Mr. Bolton is connected with I. O. O. F., Lodge, No. 421, of Macedonia. He is regarded by all who know him as an honorable and worthy citizen. Since he took up his residence here he has identified himself with the best interests of the community, and every enterprise that has for its object the promotion of good finds in him an earnest supporter.

Bolton, James M.


JAMES M. BOLTON is ranked among the intelligent and well-known citizens of Washington Township, Pottawattamie County, and resides in section 24. He was born in Botetourt County, Virginia, September 14, 1850, son of David and Martha (FISHER) BOLTON, natives of Virginia. James was 12 years old when his parents moved to Cedar County, Iowa. The family lived there for many years, after which they came to Pottawattamie county. His parents are now residents of Wheeler, this county. To them were born 11 children, James M. being the third.

He was reared on a farm and educated in the public schools of Cedar county. He moved to Guthrie County, Iowa, and three years later to Grove Township, Pottawattamie County. After residing there several years, he moved to Mapleton, Monona County, same state, where he engaged in the dairy business. In 1886 he returned to Pottawattamie County and bought his present farm of A.B. Clark, who had partly improved the place. Here he has since made his home, having 160 acres of land under a splendid state of cultivation. He has a good two-story house, 18 X 26 feet, well located with a grove and orchard nearby. His barn is 30 X 38 feet.

Mr. BOLTON is engaged in general farming and stock raising and has met with success in his agricultural pursuits. He is an expert mechanic, and has invented two machines which he has had patented. One, a four-row corn planter, was patented September 14, 1885, and has proved to be a valuable machine, giving Mr. Bolton no little notariety. The other, a washing machine, was patented in June 1890 and is equally successful. It has six small rollers and one large fluted cylinder roller. It is considered the best machine in the county for practical use.

When he was 20 years old, Mr. Bolton was married to Sarah ANDERSON, a native of Miami County, Indiana, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (DRAKE) ANDERSON. To them six sons have been born: Clyde, Herbert, Homer, Roy, Harry and Grant. Their only daughter, Gracie, is deceased. In his political views, Mr. Bolton is a Republican. He is a member of the Farmers' Alliance. In all his business relations, he is regarded as an honorable and upright man.

Book, John

John BOOK. In sketching the lives of the pioneer settlers and prominent citizens of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, the writer finds the name of John BOOK among the early residents of Waveland Township. He has made his home here since 1865.

Mr. BOOK was born in Clarke County, Ohio, April 5, 1843, son of William H. and Mary (LEFFEL) BOOK, natives of Botetourt County, Virginia, and Ohio respectively. Both his paternal and maternal grandfathers, John BOOK and Daniel LEFFEL, were natives of Pennsylvania. The subject of our sketch was reared in Ohio and Indiana, as his father moved back and forth two or three times. He was brought up on a farm, and educated in the common schools of those States. His father was a carpenter by trade, for a time was in the mercantile business, and later in life turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He died in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, October 11, 1884. His wife died when John was five years old.

In 1865 Mr. BOOK came to this county, and, in partnership with his father, bought some wild land. Some time later he sold his interest to his father, after which he bought 200 acres where he now lives, and since has sold ten acres of timber. In 1889 he purchased eighty acres more, now owning 270 acres of well-improved land. He has a good frame house, the main part a story and a half, and a one-story L. Other improvements are a beautiful grove and orchard of three acres, a barn, 36 x 50 feet with sixteen-foot posts, cribs, granary and good fences. His farm is divided into several fields, and every thing is arranged with reference to convenience. He is engaged in general farming and stock-raising.

Mr. BOOK was married May 15, 1872, to Miss Sally Maria POTTER, daughter of H. C. and Caroline (PARMLEY) POTTER. Her father is one of the prominent citizens of Waveland Township. Mr. and Mrs. BOOK have four children: Arthur Benton, Orrin Orlando, John Ray and Ruth. In his political views Mr. BOOK is a dyed-in-the-wool Republican. He has served in some of the township offices, always with credit to himself and for the best interests of the public. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Walnut Valley, in which he has served as steward. Broad and progressive in his views, he favors education, good morals and religion, and gives an earnest support to all worthy causes.

Boruff, D. W.

D. W. BORUFF is one of the leading citizens of Macedonia Township, Pottawattamie County. He was born near Bloomington, in Monroe County, Indiana, April 18, 1845. His father, Samuel Boruff, was of German extraction and a native of Tennessee, and soon after his marriage came with his wife to Monroe County, Indiana. In the midst of the forest he cleared and improved a farm, on which he and his wife reared a large family of children and on which they spent the remainder of their days, his wife dying at the age of fifty-four years and he at the ripe old age of eighty-five. In politics he was a Jackson Democrat, and he and his wife were consistent members of the Christian Church. Of the sixteen children born to this worthy couple the subject of this sketch is the youngest of the fifteen who grew to adult age.

He was reared on the farm and received his education in the public schools of Monroe County. At the age of eighteen he went to Logan County, Illinois, where he worked at farm work. In May, 1864, he enlisted in Company C, One Hundred Thirty-Third Illinois Infantry, and served about four months, the regiment being stationed at Rock Island, guarding rebel prisoners. After his discharge he returned to Logan County where he remained until 1876. In that year he came to this county and bought eighty acres of wild land, where he now lives, paying $12.50 per acre. Here he built a good one-story-and-a-half house, surrounded it with pines and other evergreens; planted a grove and orchard; built a barn 30 x 40 feet; has a modern wind pump; in fact, everything about the place indicates the good taste, the thrift and the enterprise of the owner. Mr. Boruff owns 120 acres of land located a half-mile from the village of Macedonia. Among his cattle are some fine Holsteins and Jerseys. He also has some graded hogs.
Mr. Boruff was married in Logan County, Illinois, January 16, 1873, to Miss Josie Hoblit, a lady of intelligence and refinement, who was born, reared and educated in that place. Her parents, L. M. and Eveline (Haughey) Holbit, came from Ohio to Illinois and settled in Logan County previous to her birth. Mr. and Mrs. Boruff have one child, Otis D., born March 2, 1887. Mr. Boruff is a Democrat, and is one of the leading members of that party in his township. He has served the public as Township Trustee. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, associated with Ruby Lodge, No. 415, of Macedonia; and Chapter No. 159, of Glenwood. He is also a member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for U. S. of A. T. T. and D. thirty-second degree.

Note to researchers: The surname HOLBIT and HOBLIT were spelled two different ways in this bio. This is not an error on the part of the transcriber. No effort by the transcriber was made to validate which spelling is correct.

Boruff, Jackson C.


JACKSON C. BORUFF, of section 23 Macedonia Township, was born in Mercer County, Illinois, May 17, 1845, the son of John and Mary (McGREER) BORUFF. The father, a native of Tennessee, was the son of Valentine BORUFF, a native of the South; the mother was born in Indiana near Connersville. The parents were married in Illinois and reared three children. The mother died in 1865 and the father now resides in Rock Island County, Illinois, and is married and has one son. Jackson, the second of three boys, was reared in Rock Island Co, Illinois, and passed his youth at farm work. In 1876 he came West to Montgomery County, near Red Oak, where he bought a farm and resided 3 years. He then bought 80 acres of land, and later 40 acres and he now has 120 acres within one mile of Macedonia. He has three wells to supply water for stock purposes.

Mr. BORUFF was married in Muscatine county, Iowa, May 18, 1876, to Miss Hannah DRURY, who was born in Rock Island County, Illinois, daughter of James and Jane (RANDOLPH) DRURY, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. BORUFF have three children: John W., Hattie A., and Claude C. Politically Mr .BORUFF is a Democrat, but has never aspired to public office. He is a man yet in the prime of life, honorable in all his dealings and is one of the solid men of the township.

Bosen C.


C. BOSEN, proprietor of the sash and door factory and planing mill at the corner of North Main and Mynster streets, makes stair-work a specialty, but does all kinds of woodwork usually executed at such establishments. The mill was erected in 1889 and opened in January following. Mr. BOSEN commenced taking contracts and building in 1881 and since then has had extensive business. He built the EISENMAN and SCHUBERT blocks, the Pierce Street schoolhouse, the Third Street schoolhouse and framed a number of prominent buildings. He first came to Council Bluffs, December 25, 1869, and has made his home here since that time, except three years spent in Chicago and Nebraska. He was born in Denmark, September 1848, son of Rasmus CHRISTENSON BOSEN, and brought up to farm life, but spent three and a half years at the carpenter's trade in his native country and three years in Council Bluffs. After coming to this country, he sent the first summer in Wisconsin, and in the fall came to Council Bluffs. In his political views he is a Republican, and takes an active part in political affairs. He is a member of the Bluff City Lodge, No. 71, F.&A.M. He was married in 1877 to Josephine H. MICHELSON, who was born in Council Bluffs September 3, 1859. They are both members of the Scandinavian Baptist Church, and reside at 622 Mynster Street. Their two children are George C. and Roy E.

Bostedt, August


AUGUST BOSTEDT, one of the Commissioners of Pottawattamie County, was born in Barmstedt, Germany, July 8, 1859, a son of J. BOSTEDT, who was a well-to-do farmer of that place. He was the father of fourteen children, twelve of whom are now living, namely: August, William and Lizzie, are now citizens of Pottawattamie County; John, Lona, Fred, Katie, Henry, and Ernest are the children by his first wife; by his second wife there are William, August, Lizzie, Emma, Helen and Frederick. Their mother's maiden name was Mary MORRIS. The father died August 16, 1882, at the age of eighty-two years.

In 1880, at the age of twenty years, August BOSTEDT came to America, and after landing in New York came direct to Minden, Iowa, where he began work at the carpenter's trade, which he had learned in the old country. Politically Mr. BOSTEDT is a Democrat, and has taken an active part in political matters. He was elected Constable and served four years, and in 1889 was elected County Commissioner by the large majority of 1,300 votes, which office he is still holding, to the general acceptance of the people. Since July 4, 1890, he has built thirty-six bridges, which had been washed away by the floods of June, 1890, and which is an astonishing number for such a short time. Mr. BOSTEDT has the confidence and respect of the people on account of his sterling honesty and a desire to do what is right. He is descended from the sturdy old German stock, who have helped to build up America. He is a lover of good books, and a believer in self-education and cultivation. He was married April 23, 1887, to Mary GOETHJE, a daughter of Christ GOETHJE, and they have one child, Minnie.

Boulden, John R.


JOHN R. BOULDEN, a farmer of Rockford township, was born in Miami county, Ohio, November 20, 1825, son of William L. and Nancy (PATTERSON) BOULDEN. The parents were natives respectively of Maryland and Delaware, and of Scotch and Irish ancestry. The father was born and brought up on a farm. On attaining the stature of manhood, he drove a stagecoach between Baltimore and Philadelphia. In 1811 he was detailed by the Government to take his team to Ft McHenry, where he was made wagon-master, and was there during the bombardment. He served through the war of 1812-14. In 1817 he came westward over the mountains by wagon to Wheeling, Virginia, where he placed his family on a flat-boat and floated down to Cincinnati, while he with the horses came overland through Ohio to that point.

In 1810 in Philadelphia, he had married the daughter of Joseph PATTERSON, who had served in the Revolutionary war, and was engaged in thirty-two different battles. Out of 700 of the regiment, he was one of only thirty-five who came out under command of General DeKalb, who fell at the battle of Camden. He had marched from Delaware to engage in the siege of Boston; he was also at the battle of Brandywine and many other hard-fought battles of the Revolution. Afterward he was sent south under the command of Gates. After the war was over, he returned to his native home in Elktown, Delaware, where he died July 4, 1798. He was intimately acquainted with General Washington. At his death, he left his wife and five children, of whom Abraham, Jemima, and Benjamin are dead, and Nancy was the wife of the late Mr. BOULDEN, and Sidavant was the wife of Jerome BONAPARTE. She was known as Lady Bonaparte in Baltimore, where she survived the death of her husband a short time.

Mr. William L. BOULDEN had but one sister, Rachel, who married Robert MOODY, both of whom are now deceased. When he moved to Miami County, he bought a tract of heavy timbered land there and cleared and made many valuable improvements; and there he made his home until his death, September 18, 1830, leaving a wife and five children, namely: Lewis, born in 1813 died in March 1866; William H., born March 16, 1816, and died in October 1857; Joseph P., born August 11, 1819, residing now in Pottawattamie County; Mary Ann, born September 7, 1822 and died a year afterward; John R., the subject of this sketch; Maria, now the widow of Levi G. BRANDON, born November 27, 1828, and now residing in Des Moines.

Mr. John R. Boulden, brought up in farm life, at the age of 19 went to Piqua and learned the shoemaker's trade. At the age of 24 he married Mary MILLER, daughter of Elias and Catherine (MOORE) Miller, natives of New Jersey, who came to Ohio in 1803. Mrs. Catherine Miller was a native of Kentucky and came to Ohio at an early day. Mr. and Mrs. Miller were of German and Irish extraction, and were the parents of 9 children: Rebecca and Ellis, deceased; Lucretia, residing in Ohio; Hannah, wife of Solomon WINTERS and living in Indiana; Philetha, widow of Adam SCHAEFFER in Piqua Ohio; Philip, in the west; Mary, wife of Mr. BOULDEN; John, residing in Ohio, and Elias, in Lafayette, Indiana. Mrs. Boulden was born Feb 18, 1829, and brought up in farm life, and married at the age of 20 years.

Mr. Boulden remained in Miami County on a farm until 1871, when he moved by emigrant wagon to this state, being six weeks on the road. He purchased a quarter section of land in Wayne County but sold it and bought the present place of 125 acres of heavy timber land on section 36, range 44, and here he began clearing and breaking and starting the many improvements essential to a complete home in the country. He has a fine orchard of about six acres, besides a nice vineyard. He raises all the small fruits. The residence is beautiful and the locality healthful. During a period of 19 years the family has resided here with no sickness worth mentioning. Fifty acres of the place is cultivated to grain, while the rest remains in pasture and timber. Having learned the trade after he was married, Mr. Boulden has done a great deal of carpenter work in connection with farming; and also, for some years past, has made about 1,000 bushels of charcoal per year. He is a live, energetic man.

Politically he is a zealous Democrat, taking an active part in the interests of Democracy, and as such he enlisted in the service of his country in the 147th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, at Piqua, being mustered in at Camp Dennison. Being taken to Washington, he was placed in the First Brigade, under General Derusa, in the 22nd Army Corps and fought in many hotly contested battles. He was advanced to the position of Sergeant, and was finally mustered out as such Sept 4, 1854 at Camp Dennison. He also enlisted in the Mexican war, but was held for orders at Cincinnati, Ohio, in readiness for a call. He has also been connected with the township in its various offices, of which he has been Justice of the Peace for three terms. He is now officiating on the Board of Education, taking a leading part. He is a member of the Farmers' Alliance of which he is now President. He was elected to represent Miami County, Ohio in 1867 in the Legislature with the overwhelming majority of 440, over a Republican majority of 1,600 being on the ticket with Allen G. Thurman when he ran for Governor of Ohio. And he was on the stand when Vallandigham made the famous speech for which he was taken captive and banished.

Mr. and Mrs. Boulden are the parents of 12 children: Charles W., born October 1, 1850 and now residing in Missouri Valley; John F., born February 19, 1852, at home; George W., born November 15, 1853, and is now living in Seattle, Washington; Martha C., born June 15, 1855, wife of James GARRISON in Los Angeles, California; Cathrine A., born February 20, 1862, wife of Charles WILTFONG in Council Bluffs; Eva, born June 16, 1865, is now Mrs. Richard THORNTON of Fremont, Nebraska; Benjamin Thurman, born August 20, 1868; Emma born November 15, 1870; Maggie M., born June 15, 1877, the last three at home; Aldezara, born May 10, 1857, died July 8, 1858; Joseph Orra, born Sept 10, 1859, died June 14, 1860; and Louis E., born Sept 12, 1863, died March 16, 1865.

Boulden, Joseph P.

Joseph P. BOULDEN, a farmer of Hazel Dell Township, was born in Piqua, Miami County, Ohio, August 11, 1819, the son of William L. and Nancy (PATTERSON) BOULDEN, natives of Delaware and of Scotch and Irish extraction. He was the third in order of birth in a family of seven children, only three of whom are still living. The other two are John R., of Rockford Township, and Mary J., widow of Levi G. BRANDON, living in Des Moines.
On attaining his majority Mr. BOULDEN married, in November, 1839, Susan LEE, who was born in Licking County, Ohio, in 1822. They had two children: John W., now residing in California, and Mary E., residing in St. Louis, Missouri. Mr. BOULDEN was married again in 1848, to Mary LEE, who was born in Licking County, Ohio, August 13, 1826 and died February 25, 1887. There were two children by this marriage also, namely: Joseph P., a resident of Hazel Dell Township, and Benjamin F., deceased. Mr. BOULDEN made his home in Ohio until 1849. The first business in which he was engaged after he arrived at the age of twenty-one years was that of boating on the Miami Canal, for some five years. In 1849 he came to Illinois, where he was a miller for three years. May 14, 1853, he arrived here in Pottawattamie, locating first at Council Bluffs, where he engaged as a mill-sawyer, manufacturing the first lumber that was ever turned out at this point, as he operated the first saw-mill here. At the end of about two years he went to Omaha and engaged in saw-milling there a year, turning out also the first lumber at that point. Returning to this side of the river he operated a mill for the Jeffrey Brothers, northwest of Council Bluffs, for about half a year, when he located upon his present farm. He first purchased 200 acres of unimproved land on section 32 of what is now Hazel Dell Township; and here he has since resided with the exception of two years in Utah and Nevada. He was one of the first settlers in that part of the county, and suffered the usual privations and hardships of pioneer life. Courage, guided by cool judgment, has guided him on in the improvement of his place until he now has a comfortable home, where he can spend the remainder of his life in contentment. His first dwelling was a structure 16 x 22 feet; and his present residence, also a frame, 18 x 24 and 16 x 20, was erected in the midst of a natural grove. General farming and stock-raising are Mr. BOULDEN's specialties. He takes pride in the rearing of the better grades of live-stock. He now possesses one of the finest horses in the county, a Morgan. He has also done much for the material interest of his community, and his dealings ever command the highest respect. He has disposed of his real-estate by a distribution to his children, and he now makes his home with his son J. P. on the old home place.

Politically Mr. BOULDEN is a decided Republican, ever taking a leading part in the political affairs of the county. He was Coroner four years, member of the Board of County Supervisors three years, Justice of the Peace, Township Trustee, member of the School Board, etc. In his manner he is cordial and affable, in disposition kind.
His son, J. P., was married to Miss Maggie DIAL, and they had two children: Ida M., deceased, and Benjamin F., a resident of California. He was again married March 10, 1887, to Anna ANDERSON, who was born in Sweden in 1870, and they have one child, Mary G.

Braden, Peter


PETER BRADEN, section 12, Silver Creek Township, ranks among the enterprising and well-known citizens of his community. He was born in Richland County, Ohio, March 11, 1837. His father, Samuel BRADEN, a native of Washington County, that State, was a son of John Braden. The Bradens were of German ancestry. The mother of our subject, Margaret (GATES) BRADEN, was born in New Jersey, daughter of Peter GATES. When they were children Samuel Braden and his wife came to Ohio with their parents. They grew up and were married in that State. The Braden family was one of the first to settle among the Indians in Ohio. Samuel Braden lived in Richland County until 1849, when he cameWest and settled in Macon County, Illinois. His wife died in Ohio when her son Peter, the subject of this sketch, was about ten years old. By her Mr. Braden had five children, and after her death he was twice married. He died in Iowa, at the age of seventy-eight years. He was a farmer all his life; was a member of the Lutheran Church, and affiliated with the Democratic party.

Peter BRADEN was about twelve years of age when he went to Macon County, Illinois, with his father. There he was reared on a farm and was educated in the common schools. He was married at that place in August, 1864, to Miss Sarah A. POOLE. She was born in Henry County, Illinois, daughter of Simeon and Elizabeth (PARMETER) POOLE, and was left an orphan at the early age of four years. Mr. Braden lived in Illinois until 1866, when he removed to Otoe County, Nebraska, where he lived nine years, at the end of that time coming to Pottawattamie County. He settled near Macedonia, where he resided until he purchased his present farm of eighty acres in Silver Creek Township. It was then wild land, and with the enterprise and push which characterized the western pioneers, he went to work to improve his farm. He now has a good frame residence, a grove, orchard, stables, feed lots, and everything about the place shows the thrift of the owner. He is engaged in general farming and stock-raising.
Mr. and Mrs. Braden have seven children, namely: Belle, wife of John HARBURT, of Carson Township, this county; Elmer E., of Macedonia, is a painter; Ida, wife of A. E. SEABURG, of Silver Creek Township; Willie, Gracie, Claude and Archie. They had three children who died in childhood. Mr. BRADEN has always been a Democrat, but has never aspired to public office.

Bray, Theodore


THEODORE BRAY, proprietor of the Pacific Livery, Sale and Feed Stables, was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, February 19, 1841, son of John and Eliza J. (STRUBLE) BRAY, of Irish and German origin. He was reared to farm life in his native state, educated at the public schools, and in a private college at Deckertown, that state, graduating April 10, 1861. Four days afterward, he enlisted in Company I, Harris Light Cavalry, under General Kilpatrick, and served four years and nine days, being mustered out at Washington, District of Columbia. He was taken prisoner in the Shenandoah Valley, and nine days after this was exchanged; but he was again captured at Iuka, Mississippi, and was in prison eight months at Vicksburg. The principal battles in which he was engaged were those of Fair Oaks, Fairfax Courthouse, Corinth, Shiloh, Lookout Mountain, and other skirmishes.
After the War, he spent a year in Chicago as foreman of a livery barn; then was a year in the same business at St. Louis; and then ten months for himself at Rockford, Illinois. Selling out at the latter place, he came to Bowen, Iowa, where for one winter he ran a pack line. In August 1877 he came to Council Bluffs, where he has since made his home.

Here he first engaged in railroading on the Sioux City & Pacific line, contracting and making the first grade into Sioux City. Two years afterward, he returned to Council Bluffs, and since then has been engaged in the livery business, in which he gives general satisfaction and is doing a prosperous business, having now a stock of about 35 horses, with a good number of vehicles, etc.

He is a Republican and a member of Lodge No. 166, F.&A.M.; of Abraham Lincoln Post G.A.R.; and also of the Veteran Firemen's Association, he being one of the charter members in 1868.

He was married in 1866 to Cynthia A. ALLEN, at Hamilton, Canada, who was born in that province in 1843, and they have two children: Charles, engaged in real estate and loans in Omaha but residing in Council Bluffs; and Nettie A., a graduate of 1890 at the Sisters' School. The family are Catholics.

Breneman, Nery E.


NERY E. BRENEMAN, of section 30, Macedonia Township, was born in Hancock Co., Ohio, Dec 13, 1845, the son of Richard and Sarah (CLARK) BRENEMAN, both born in Mercer Co., Pennsylvania and reared in Columbiana Co., Ohio, and of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. The parents were married in that county and afterward removed to Hancock County, same state, and in the fall of 1854 to Iowa County, Iowa, settling ten miles south of Marengo. They were early settlers in that portion of the state. They came to Pottawattamie Co., Washington Township, Iowa, in 1881, where the father died in the spring of 1883 and the mother still resides in Washington Township.

NERY E. BRENEMAN, our subject, came to Iowa in 1879 and bought his land in the spring of 1875, which was wild and uncultivated. He has, since residing upon it, improved it in a good manner and his pasture and meadow is well adapted to general farming and stock raising. He was married March 1, 1882, to Miss Celia KANKE, who was born in Adams Co., Illinois, daughter of Christian and Anna (WEEKS) KANKE, the former a native of Germany and the latter of England. Mrs. BRENEMAN was five years old when her parents came to Pottawattamie County. Mr. and Mrs. BRENEMAN have two children: Howard, born July 31, 1885, and Alma Frances, born August 11, 1881. Politically Mr. Breneman is a Democrat, but has never aspired for political distinction. He is a member of the I.O.O.F., Macedonia Lodge No. 421.

Briggs, Dexter M.


DEXTER M. BRIGGS, a substantial farmer of Knox Township, is a native of the State of Vermont. His grandfather on the maternal side was in the Revolutionary war, and was at the battle of Plattsburg, New York. Royal BRIGGS, his grandfather on the paternal side, was from an old Puritan family who settled in Boston. There were three brothers of that name who came from England. Royal Briggs was a sea captain, sailing from Boston. His son, also named Royal, the father of our subject, was born in that city, learned the trade of blacksmith, and settled in the town of Hinesburg, Vermont. He was married in Leicester, same State, to Fannie DOW, daughter of Moses and Rebecca DOW, natives of France. The father was born in Germany and later was a Vermont farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Briggs were the parents of ten children who lived to maturity: Murray, Dexter M., Nelson, Byron, Cummings, Royal, Amelia, Leticia, Calfernia and Julia A. The father lived in Vermont nearly all his life, having come from Boston at the age of sixteen years. He was in the war of 1812, and drove a team from Plattsburg to Sackett's Harbor. Both he and his wife were members of the Free-Will Baptist Church. Mr. Briggs held the office of Justice of the Peace, and was one of the Board of Selectmen of his town. He lived to the age of sixty-five years, and was an upright and honorable man.

Dexter M., the subject of this sketch, was born February 3, 1822, in Hinesburg, Vermont, and received a common-school education. He drove a stage sixteen years from Burlington, Vermont, to Montpelier. He was also engaged in the stock business, buying cattle for the Boston market eight years, but in the financial panic of 1857 lost all his property. In 1866 he went to Omaha, Nebraska, and after six months moved to Council Bluffs, where he resided two years. He then came to Avoca, where he was a checkman of the railroad, checking the baggage and passengers across the Missouri River from Council Bluffs to Omaha. In 1871 he bought his present farm, and has also interested himself in pure-bred Scotch collie dogs.

Mr. Briggs was married in Vermont to Emily BROWN, daughter of John and Betsey (GROW) BROWN. The father was an old settler of that State, and participated in the war of 1812. His father, also named John Brown, was a Captain in the Revolutionary war. To Mr. and Mrs. Briggs were born two children: Frank, who married Rebecca Davis, and is now a farmer of Knox Township, and Clotilda, now the wife of Seth HUNT, a merchant of Burlington, Kansas. Mr. Briggs' first wife died in Brattleboro, Vermont, and he was married to Alma TRACY, daughter of Harry and Catherine (REYNOLDS) TRACY. The father was a prominent merchant at Barre, Vermont, and his father was in the Revolutionary war. To Mr. and Mrs. Briggs were born three children, viz.: Emma, Charlie and William. Emma married David GATES, of Council Bluffs, a conductor on the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad.

Brown, Alexander L.

Alexander L. BROWN came to his present location in Center Township, Pottawattamie County, in 1872, and was among the first settlers in this neighborhood. A brief resume of his life is herewith given.

Mr. Brown was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, May 25, 1827, the son of Benjamin Brown, a native of New York. His grandfather, Alexander Brown, was born in Scotland. His mother, Nancy (McKee) Brown, a native of New Jersey, was a daughter of a Protestant Irishman.

Our subject passed his youth on his father's farm in Muskingum County, and received his education in the public schools. He was married April 20, 1848, to Miss Elizabeth Catherine Mennefee, a native of Virginia. Her father, Charles Mennefee, was born in the Old Dominion, in 1782, the descendant of an old Virginia family. Her mother, nee Mary Madox, a daughter of Notley Madox, was also a native of Virginia, as was her father. Mr. Brown resided in Ohio until 1853, when the whole family removed to Mercer County, Illinois. There the parents spent the residue of their lives. The father died at the age of seventy years. In politics he was a Whig until the organization of the Republican Party, when he joined its ranks. A member of the Christian Church, he was an active and zealous worker in the cause of religion. The mother died at the age of ninety years.

Mr. Brown remained in Illinois until 1872, when he came to this county and bought his present farm, eighty acres, of J. Q. Rollins, who had broken the ground. Mr. Brown has since put the land under a good state of cultivation, and has substantial and convenient farm buildings.

He and his wife are the parents of seven children, viz.: Samantha, wife of Horace Bull, Rock Island, Illinois, has five children; Joanna, wife of Riley Duncan, of Wayne, Nebraska, is the mother of two children; Charles, a resident of Custer County, Nebraska, is married and has three children; L. W., at home; Hugh resides in Pottawattamie County, is married and has two children; George A., a successful teacher of Center Township, is married and has one child. Benjamin, the twin brother of Charles, died at the age of four years.

Politically Mr. Brown is a Republican. For many years he has been a member of the Baptist Church, and forty years a member of the Masonic fraternity. He is an intelligent man of broad and progressive views, and is regarded by all as a worthy and upright citizen.

In connection with Mrs. Brown's family history it should be further stated that her father died in Mercer County, Illinois, and her mother, now at the age of eighty eight years, makes her home in Mr. Brown's family.

Brown, Oscar


OSCAR H. BROWN, one of the most prominent business men of Council Bluffs, was born near Biggsville, Henderson County, Illinois, September 28, 1855, the first born in the family of Clinton W. and Louisa (Short) Brown. The other children were: Fannie Alice, born May 20, 1857; Anna May, born October 31 1858, and married E. C. Brown; William R., born June 18, 1863; Elva C., born October 15, 1865; Stewart C., born January 3, 1868, and died March 26, 1889. Mr. Clinton W. Brown was born near Gallatin, Sumner County, Tennessee, April 28, 1882 [believe this is should be 1832 based on dates below] the youngest in a family of four of Reuben S. and Keziah (Sarver) Brown. The other children were: Henry P. M., born April 8, 1824; Marian L., born March 25, 1826; Julia Ann, born July 30, 1828, and married H. W. Crossthwait; Reuben S. Brown was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, August 5, 1799, and was taken by his parents to Tennessee in their change of residence to that State, settling in Sumner County about 1822 or 1823. He inherited no property and commenced married life without means; was Colonel of the State militia for a few years, and October 10, 1838, with all his household goods in a covered wagon, drawn by horses, he moved to Knox County, Illinois, which section of country he had previously visited, receiving favorable impressions of the fertility of the soil and congenial sentiments of the people concerning slavery; though a Southerner by birth he was a strong Abolitionist. He was eight weeks on the journey, having to ford most of the streams and suffer many privations. Settling at Cherry Grove, Knox County Illinois, he remained there until the fall of 1850, when he located upon a farm in the vicinity of Biggsville, Henderson County, same State. During Grant's administration he was Postmaster at Biggsville. In 1876 he removed to a point near Piper City, Central Illinois, where he lived until the fall of 1879, and then he came to Council Bluffs, and spent the winter with his son on C Street. In the spring of 1880 he went to Imogene, Iowa, where his daughter, Mrs. Crossthwait, had located, and where he passed the remainder of his life, dying January 21, 1890, at the advanced age of ninety-one years. His first vote for president of the United States was cast for General Jackson in 1828, but he afterward became a Whig and supported Henry Clay. From the time he became of age he cast his vote at every presidential election during his life. He was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, and wept like a child when that great and good man was assassinated; was an ardent supporter of the Union cause during the war, and was always a strong advocate of temperance; was a zealous student of State and national politics, and a man of remarkable memory, which remained unimpaired until his death, and was generous, even to a fault, in all his dealings. His life companion, a native of North Carolina, died only four years previously, February 2, 1886, at her daughter's home. She was a devoted wife and mother and a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Her death was the first that occurred in the family.

Mr. Clinton W. Brown was married September 15, 1853, but being the youngest of his father's family, he remained with his parents until the fall of 1854, when he purchased a farm near by, in what was afterward Oquawka Township, file miles from Oquawka, the county seat of Henderson County, Illinois. He remained there until the autumn of 1863, making many improvements and placing the land in a State of fine cultivation. He then sold out and moved with his family to Montgomery County, Iowa, rented a farm nine miles from Red Oak, at a point now called Climax, remained there until the spring of 1870, and then removed to Pottawattamie County, buying an unimproved piece of land in Washington Township. He erected some buildings, planted a windbreak and an orchard and made other improvements. In March, 1877, he rented this farm and moved into the city of Council Bluffs, and owing to the poor health of his wife he never returned to the farm, which he consequently sold in 1882, buy property in the city. Here he has been engaged in buying and selling real estate and farm machinery and in building. He has been Justice of the Peace, Township Clerk and Treasurer of the School Board for a number of years. Is a prohibition Republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which society he is a class-leader, trustee and steward. He is a gentleman who enjoys the confidence and respect of the community in which he has been identified with all the moral, social and material interests. His wife was born in Henderson County, Illinois, August 11, 1835, a daughter of Abner Short, who was a native of Kentucky, a pioneer of the "Prairie State," married Hirana Ewing in Indiana, and moved to Henderson County, Illinois, where he continued to reside during the remainder of his life. Mrs. Brown was brought up a Presbyterian, but a few years before her death she united with the Methodist Episcopal Church. She was a woman of sympathetic nature, a devoted wife and mother, and admired by all who knew her. She died in Council Bluffs, July 20, 1870, and was buried in Fairview Cemetery.

The early life of Mr. O. H. Brown, whose name heads this biography, was spent on a farm and in school. At the age of twenty years he began teaching school, in his native county, and continued that vocation till the spring of 1878, when he entered the employ of Harle & McKune, wholesale and retail druggists, and served two years as an apprentice without pay. The firm then employed him as a traveling salesman for five years, and as a "knight of the grip" he was decidedly successful, though not one of the "boys." By strict attention to business and the practice of economy he saved enough to buy out the retail department of his employers, and opened a first-class drugstore, comprising also toilet and fancy articles, at 527 Main Street, his present location, and he enjoys the confidence and esteem of a large patronage. He also owns a beautiful residence on Tenth Avenue. Thus in his short business career, and while yet in the morning of life he has established a financial standing and business reputation that is indeed enviable. The many traits of character that are essential to the establishment of friendships and a successful career in the social and business world, he possesses to a marked degree. Step by step he has ascended the ladder of prosperity until to-day he ranks among the leading business men of the city. In his political sympathies he affiliates with the Republican Party, though he takes no active part in party councils.
September 12, 1889, he married Miss Mamie Sherlock, of Auburn, New York, a lady of many personal charms and accomplishments. Mr. Brown is a member of the A. O. U. W., in which order he has held the responsible position of Financier for two terms.

Brown, William


WILLIAM BROWN, one of the substantial farmer of James Township, is the son of Nathan Brown, who was born in Pike County, Ohio, in 1813. He was from an old American family, and was reared to farm life. In 1839, at the age of twenty-six years, he came to Bloomington, Iowa, where he settled on a tract of wild land, remaining on the same farm for thirty years. In the spring of 1872 he came to Pottawattamie County, where he bought a farm of 640 acres in James Township, which he improved. From the effects of blood-poisoning occasioned by a wound from a needle of a self-binder running through his hand, he died, in 1879, at the age of sixty-six years. Religiously both Mr. and Mrs. Brown were United Brethren. Mr. Brown was a hard-working and industrious man, and accumulated a handsome fortune. He was of a quiet disposition and took but little interest in politics, but was a stanch Democrat. He had the respect of his fellow-citizens and had served as Trustee of his township. He took an active interest as School Director, and built the school-house at District No. 6. He was married to Filinda Odell, daughter of Thomas Odell, and to them were born eight children, of whom the two eldest, Johnnie and Sarah, died in infancy; Alvira died at the age of twenty-six years; Hattie is the wife of Dr. James Welsh, a mining expert of New York city, and they have one child, Bertie; Johnson is still unmarried; Minor Married Fannie Parker, of James Township, and they have two children, Eva and one unnamed; William, our subject; and Jessie, who married Henry Crommett, deceased, formerly a real-estate dealer in Omaha.

William Brown, a son of the above and the subject of this sketch, was born in Muscatine, August 8, 1858, and was reared to farm life. He was but sixteen years of age when his father came to James Township, Pottawattamie County. In 1882 he married Allie Irwin, daughter of J. D. and Emily (Downs) Irwin, and they have had four children: Leslie, Ira, Jessie and William. Since the death of his father, Mr. Brown has been managing the farm. He is a practical farmer and stands deservedly high as one of the young and enterprising citizens of Pottawattamie County. He owns 240 acres of good farm land. Politically he is a Democrat.

Brown, William R.


WILLIAM R. BROWN, who owns 264 acres of land on section 36, Garner Township, came to Pottawattamie County in 1862. He was born in Indiana, June 26, 1836, son of John and Rachel (PETERSON) BROWN, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter a descendant of old Virginia families. They were the parents of four children, three sons and one daughter. William R. BROWN was but a babe when his parents moved to Marion County Indiana, about six miles south of Indianapolis, and at 12 years of age his mother removed to Cass County, Indiana, where he remained until our subject was matured, having passed his youth on a farm. At the age of 19 years, William R. came west and arrived at Omaha on May 15, 1862, when it was but a small village of about 1,000 inhabitants. He first engaged in teaming, then in working a stone quarry, in which he bought an interest and remained two years. He then sold out and engaged in freighting to Denver, Colorado, for one year; and then engaged in carpentering, a trade which he had followed in Indiana. In 1867 he went to work in the Union Pacific Railroad shops where he remained until 1877 when he rented some land east of Fort Omaha and engaged in farming one year. He next went on the KUNCE place, now in Omaha, where he resided six years. Here he bought 160 acres of land near Fort Omaha which he kept two and a half years, then sold it at a good advance. He then returned to Des Moines, and bought a carload of horses, which he sold, and bought the SCOFIELD farm of 160 1/4 acres, which he owned nine months, and then sold at an advance of $40. Mr. Brown then purchased his present farm, in October 1887, which was known as the VAN SILVER farm, or the WHITE farm; it is well watered by Pony Creek, which flows through it.

He was married in Warren County, Iowa, near Fort Hartford in 1861, to Miss Margaret L. LEWIN who was born in the eastern part of Iowa, the daughter of Washington LEWIN, who came to Omaha in 1856. They have five sons and four daughters, viz.: Charles, who is married and resides in Omaha; James, a commercial traveler residing in Galesburg, Illinois; Mary, wife of J.K. HAZARD of Omaha; Albert who resides in Omaha; Dolly living at home; Nellie, Bennie, Delphia, Salome and Oscar. They have lost five children by death in childhood. Politically Mr Brown is a Republican; he is a member of the I.O.O.F., Council Bluffs Lodge No. 49.

Bryant, T. G.


T. G. BRYANT, Mayor of Carson, Justice of the Peace, agent for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroads and also express agent, was born in Parke County, Indiana, November 3, 1863, son of S. B. J. and Martha (STROTHER) BRYANT. The father is now in Atlantic, Iowa, and general agent for an insurance business and is a respected citizen of the town. T. G. BRYANT was reared in Champaign County, Illinois, receiving his education there and in Indianapolis, and when sixteen years of age, they came to Iowa.

In 1882, he was made operator at Neola, Iowa, and later at Anita, Iowa. In 1883 he was stationed at Exira, Iowa, where he remained for about three years, and was then promoted to the agency of this town, filling his position well and gaining the good will of the railroad officials. Politically Mr. BRYANT is a Republican and was elected Mayor of Carson in 1890 and is serving to the best advantage of himself and party. He is interested in educational matters and served on the School Board for two or three years. He is a member of the I.O.O.F. Lodge No. 444 and is Secretary of the same, and is also Secretary of the Modern Woodmen, Botna Lodge, No. 172.

Mr. BRYANT was married November 4, 1886, in Exira, Iowa, to Miss Mary HOUSTON, the daughter of A. B. HOUSTON, a well-known and prominent citizen of that town. They have had two children: Clarence Jackson, who died July 22, 1890, and Hazel. Mr. And Mrs. Bryant are members of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. BRYANT, although a young man, had gained a position, socially, politically and financially, among the best citizens of Carson.

Bullis, Allen


ALLEN BULLIS has been a resident of Wright Township since 1870. He was born in Racine County, Wisconsin, June 6, 1847, son of Thomas and Elizabeth BULLIS, natives of England. His parents were married in England, and subsequently removed to the United States and became residents of Racine County, Wisconsin. They had a family of seven children, five sons and two daughters, Allen being the fifth child. He was only eight years old when his father died; was brought up on the farm and was educated in the public schools.

January 1, 1864, he enlisted in Company E, 19th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and served to the close of the War. He was in the battles of Duvall's Bluffs, Cold Harbor and Seven Oaks; was honorably discharged at Richmond, Virginia; returned to Wisconsin and received his final payment at Madison. He then engaged in agricultural pursuits and remained in Wisconsin until 1870. In that year, he came to Iowa and located in Wright Township, Pottawattamie County, where he had relatives and acquaintances. The first land he bought was 160 acres in section 4, which he improved and afterward sold. Then he purchased eighty acres in section 8, and later 120 acres more, now owning 200 acres of well improved land. He has a comfortable house, good stables, and other out-buildings, a grove and orchard, and a modern wind pump. Much of his attention is being devoted to stock-raising. At this writing, he is feeding thirty-six head of cattle and sixty-five hogs.

Mr. BULLIS was married in 1873, at Lewis, Cass County, Iowa, to Miss Mary HARMES, who was born in Ohio and is a daughter of Jacob and Catherine HARMES, residents of Wright Township. Mr. And Mrs. BULLIS have one son, Freddy J., a youth of fifteen years. Mr. BULLIS casts his vote and influence with the Republican party. He is a member of the I.O.O.F., Lewis Lodge No. 140.

Bunker, William W.


WILLIAM W. BUNKER, Walnut, Iowa. Mr. BUNKER is of an old American family. His grandfather came from Wales and settled in Pennsylvania. His son, Andrew BUNKER, father of William W., was born in Pennsylvania and settled on a farm in Clarion County, that state. He married Sarah HOWE, of old Pennsylvania-Dutch descent. To Mr. And Mrs. BUNKER were born thirteen children, named William, Melville, Elizabeth, George (deceased), Nathan, Thomas, James, Julia, John, Frank, Robert, Andrew and Emma. Mr. BUNKER lived on his farm in Clarion County, Pennsylvania for fifteen years, and in 1857 he removed to Muscatine County, Iowa, twelve miles west of Davenport and lived there until 1863; then he went to a farm two miles south, and there he still resides. He was born in 1814. Mr. And Mrs. BUNKER were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She died in June 1888, at the age of fifty-six years. Mr. BUNKER is a man who has always been honest and industrious. He came to Iowa a poor man and made a fine property, consisting of 240 acres of fine farm land, and is now a substantial farmer. He has, since he came to Iowa, worked very hard and is now living at the advanced age of fifty-six years. In politics he is a Democrat.

William W. BUNKER, son of the above and our subject, was born in 1845 in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, and received a common-school education. At the age of twelve, he came to Iowa and has since been a citizen of this state, becoming an adept at farming when quite young. At the age of twenty three, in 1869, he married Miss Sarah C. KIRK, daughter of Robert and Martha KIRK, and they have had five children: Edward H., Harry K., Amanda E., Orion M. and Raymond. After marriage, Mr. BUNKER settled down to farming in Muscatine County, Iowa, and after two years bought his farm and lived there for five years, and in 1876 he came to Layton Township, this county, and bought his present farm consisting of 163 acres of fine farming land, and is in prosperous circumstances. Mrs. BUNKER is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Politically, Mr. BUNKER is a Democrat. A man who has the respect of his fellow citizens, he has held the office of assessor and school director, has taken an active interest in the schools, was School Director and Township Clerk of Muscatine County, and is giving his children a good education. He stands high as an honorable public-spirited citizen, whose word is as good as his bond. Mr. Bunker's brothers and sisters are: Eliza J., Matilda, Thomas, Sarah C., Robert, Emma, William and Martha.

The father settled on a farm in Portage County, Ohio, where he was among the pioneer settlers. He resided there about 12 years, then moved to Winnebago County, Illinois, remaining seven years; in 1851 he came to Clinton Co., Iowa, and settled on wild land where he lived until he came to Shelby County. His wife and son Byron died and after two years he went to the State of Washington, where he still lives at the age of 85 years. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he was for many years a deacon, class and leader, trustee, and has always made the Methodist ministers at home in his residence. His wife was a devout church member since 12 years of age, and she was a woman of high character and instilled the lessons of integrity and honesty into the minds of her children, and she is still remembered with affection. Politically Mr. Bunnell is an old-time Whig and Republican and has always been a hard working and upright man. He had two sons in the Civil War: Byron L. and Joseph A. The former was in the 26th Iowa Volunteer Infantry and was in Sherman's first and second battles of Vicksburg, and also in the severe battle at Arkansas Post, where he was badly shot in the hand, and was in the hospital at Memphis. He afterward returned to his regiment and drove an ambulance from Chattanooga to Atlanta and was with Sherman on his march to the sea. He was also on the return march to Washington and was present at the grand review. He was engaged three days in heavy skirmishing at the battle of the Clouds at Lookout Mountain.

JOSEPH A. BUNNELL, our subject, was born January 10, 1836, in Portage Co., Ohio and received a common school education. In 1852 at the age of 16 years, he came to Clinton County, Iowa, where he worked on his father's farm and then came to Shelby County with his uncle, TRUMAN R. BARLOW, a blind man but of excellent education. Mr. Bunnell took up wild land before it was in market on March 9, 1853, which he has since improved. October 14, 1863, he enlisted in Company M, 9th Regiment Volunteer Infantry and was in the battle with Shelby's force near Duvall's Bluff. His regiment was guarding the Memphis & Little Rock Railroad and was in very dangerous service and was engaged in many skirmishes. Mr. Bunnell escaped without wounds, and served to the close of the war, and was honorably discharged at Davenport, Iowa, in February 1866. AFter the war he settled on his farm in Shelby County which he afterward sold and bought his present farm, then consisting of 120 acres of wild land, for which he paid $1,800. By energy and perseverance he has added to this until he now owns 600 acres of the finest bottom land in Pottawattamie Co., and also 280 acres in Adams Co., this state. In his political views he is a strict Republican. He is a member of the U.S. Grant Post No. 123, Avoca, Iowa. He has held the office of School Director and Trustee for 15 years and has also been Secretary, Supervisor, and Assessor. Mr. Bunnell was married in 1856 to SARAH J. HEADLEE, a sister of Joseph Headlee whose sketch appears in this volume. To Mr. and Mrs. Bunnell have been born 9 children: Amanda J., George E., Annis D., Walter E., Albert E., Charles S., Ola G., Emma V. and one who died in infancy.

Burckhalter, Daniel A.


DANIEL A. BURCKHALTER, one of the older soldier farmers of Pottawattamie County, was born in Boone County, Indiana, September 22, 1840. His great-grandfather, Adam BURCKHALTER, was of German descent. His son, Abraham, the grandfather of our subject, was born in South Carolina, and at an early day moved to Ohio on pack horses, and again moved to Union County, Indiana, where he lived several years. He next went to Boone County, where he died, on his farm, at the age of eighty years. He was a member of the Baptist Church, an honorable and upright citizen, and a man respected by all. His wife survived until 1888, dying at the advanced age of 104 years and two days. He was the father of ten children, viz.: Carson, Fannie, Margaret, Rebecca, Jerry, Sarah, Joseph, Thomas, James S., and one who died young. James S., a son of the above and the father of our subject, was born in Union County, Indiana, March 22, 1818, and was reared to farm life. He was married to Leah BELLES, daughter of John W. and Mary (HUFF) BELLES. The father was a native of New Jersey, and moved to Hamilton County, Ohio, where he worked at his trade of carpenter. He was the son of Adam BELLES, who was a native of Germany. John BELLES moved to Boone County, Indiana, in 1863, and built a mill on Prairie Creek, but died two years afterward, at the age of sixty-three. He was an industrious and honorable man, and was the father of ten children: Annie, Elisha, Isaac, Leah, William, Jacob and Peter. To Mr. and Mrs. James S. BURCKHALTER were born eight children: Eliza J., Daniel A., Cynthia A., John M., Thomas W., Abigail C. and Laura A. After marriage his father lived on a farm in Boone County for seventeen years, and then moved to Marion County, Iowa, in 1854, where he lived until 1862, and where he was one of the early settlers. He enlisted in Company H, Fortieth Iowa Regiment Volunteer Infantry, but was taken sick and died one year afterward, from chronic diarrhea. He died on the steamboat at St. Louis. He was a good, substantial farmer, and although over forty-five years of age his patriotism would not allow him to remain at home, and he left his family and a comfortable home to lose his life for his country. His brother, Carson BURCKHALTER, was also in the same regiment, and was sixty years of age when he enlisted, and like his brother was a well-to-do farmer, but could not remain idle when his country needed him. James BURCKHALTER and his wife were devout members of the Christian Church. Politically he was a Republican, and socially a Master Mason. He was a man of high character, true and steadfast, a kind father and loving husband, and a patriot who did not hesitate to risk his life for his country, which is all that any one can do.

Daniel A. BURCKHALTER, the subject of this sketch, enlisted in Company K, Third Iowa Cavalry, Colonel BUSSEY, at the early age of twenty-one years. He was in several skirmishes, served in Missouri and Arkansas, and was in the siege of Vicksburg. The service in Missouri was principally against General PRICE and the bushwhackers, which was very dangerous, as the troops were very often fired upon from the bush. He was in a hard fight at Saline River, after which he was sent to Pine Bluff with the ambulance corps, and was captured by the Confederates under Captain WEBB, but escaped within one hour. He served three years, and was honorably discharged at Keokuk, Iowa, and returned home.

In 1879 he moved to Pottawattamie County and settled on his present farm, which now consists of 160 acres of fine land. He also has 160 acres of land in Dakota, and 120 acres in Cass County, Iowa. He is a hard working and a straightforward citizen, and stands high among the people. He is a member of the G. A. R., Abbott Post, No. 201, of which he has been Chaplain. He is a member of the Christian Church, and has held the office of deacon.

Mr. BURCKHALTER was married in 1865, to Edna BELL, daughter of Simpson and Mary (FOOTE) BELL. The father was born in Vermont, and moved from Ashtabula County, Ohio, to Marion County, Iowa, where he became a prominent farmer. He is now living in Montgomery, Iowa. He was the father of four children. Mr. and Mrs. BURCKHALTER had five children, namely: Charles, Sherman, who moved to Monroe Cemetery, Iowa, and died at the Black Hills, Custer County, Dakota, at the age of nineteen; Mary M., Cora L., Lucy A. and Carrie J. The mother died in Jasper County, Iowa, and Mr. BURCKHALTER was again married January 25, 1891, to Lucie DENNIS, of Essex, Page County, this state.

Burckhalter, John W.


JOHN W. BURCKHALTER, one of the prominent farmers of Lincoln Township, is of an old American family of German descent. Abraham BURCKHALTER, his grandfather, came from South Carolina to Ohio about 1811, and then removed to Union County, Indiana, then to Boone County, same State, in 1831. When he first came to Ohio his wife rode a horse and he walked. He was the father of nine children, viz: Cason, Jeremiah, James S., Joseph, Thomas, Fannie, Rebecca, Sarah, and a daughter whose name is unknown, who married and reared a family. Abraham BURCKHALTER lived to the age of seventy years, and died in Boone County, Indiana. He was a prominent farmer of that county, and was able to give each of his children eighty acres of land. James S., the son of the above and the father of our subject, was born in 1818, on a farm in Union County, Indiana, and was married in Boone County to Leah BELLES, daughter of William and Mary (HOFF) BELLES. The father was born in New Jersey, and is said to have royal blood in his veins. He was married in that State at an early day, and then moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, when that city was a small village, and where he worked at the carpenter's trade. He afterward settled in Boone County, Indiana. He was the father of ten children, all of whom lived to years of maturity, namely: Isaac, Elisha, Eliza, Catherine, Jacob, Peter, Ann, Leah and two others. Mr. William BELLES died in Boone County, at the age of sixty-two years and his wife, nee Mary HOFF, lived to the great age of 104 years, dying in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, in 1888. To Mr. and Mrs. James BURCKHALTER were born eight children: Daniel A., John W., Thomas W., Abijah C., Eliza J., Cynthia A., Mary F. and Laura A. Mr. BURCKHALTER remained in Boone County until the year 1854, when he came to Marion County, Iowa, and settled on a fine farm of 300 acres. At the age of forty-four years he enlisted in the war, serving one year, but died on the steamboat on his way home, and was buried at St. Louis. His son Daniel was also in the war, and served three years in Company K, Third Iowa Cavalry, and was in the battle of Salina, Arkansas; was taken prisoner by the Confederates, but soon made his escape.

John W. BURCKHALTER, our subject, was born September 23, 1845, and at the age of nine years he came with his father to Marion County, Iowa, where he has grown to manhood. In 1873 he came to Lincoln Township, where he remained one year, and next removed to Cass County, where he also resided one year, returning to Marion, where he resided four years. In 1879 he returned to Lincoln Township and settled on his present farm, then consisting of eighty acres of wild land, but to which he has since added until he now owns 240 acres of improved land. Politically he is a Republican. He was married in Marion County, Iowa, February 25, 1872, by Rev. C. M. BINGHAM, pastor of the Congregational Church of Otley, Marion County, Iowa, to Sabinah ROBERTS, daughter of Simon S. and Nancy (DONNELL) ROBERTS. Simon S. ROBERTS was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, October 9, 1808; taken when ten years of age by his parents to Ohio; at twenty-one learned the trade of carpenter and millwright; moved to Indiana, thence to Missouri, where he was building water mills for ten years. Then he returned to Ohio and was married, to Miss Elizabeth CONRAD, in 1844, and they were the parents of three children: James P., George and Charles. They removed to Iowa in 1846. He was again married, to Nancy M. DONNELL, daughter of John C. and Nancy (McROBERTS) DONNELL, September 22, 1850, and they had the following children: Orin, Sabinah, Eva, Ethel, Millie, Mary E., Sarah, Elsie, Edwin and Maggie. To Mr. and Mrs. BURCKHALTER have been born seven children, all of whom are still living, namely: Thomas W., born February 11, 1875; Simon R., August 28, 1876; James H., January 22, 1879; Mary E., November 1, 1882; Bertha E., April 27, 1885; George C., May 28, 1888; and an infant, Eva Irene, born September 22, 1890.

Nancy M. DONNELL was born in Seneca County, Ohio, February 12, 1828, came with her parents to Marion County, Iowa, in 1848, and married Mr. ROBERTS, as above mentioned. The grandparents of Nancy M. DONNELL, on her mother's side, were McROBERTS. Her grandfather, of Scotch descent, was a Revolutionary soldier, was at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, and saw the British stack their arms. Mrs. McROBERTS, nee Nancy HYLAND, was born in Virginia in 1757.

Burke, Finley


Finley BURKE, the senior member of the well-known law firm of BURKE & CASADY, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, is pre-eminently a lawyer. The distinguishing qualities of men who have achieved success in any vocation are patient industry and the determination to win. When to this is added unswerving integrity and mental vigor you have the measure for a man who will honor his name and his profession. The most cursory glance at the character of Finley BURKE will indicate the presence of these dominating qualities. A little delving around the roots of his genealogical tree shows that he comes of a stock that is noted for these characteristics. He was born September 1, 1855, at Wheeling, Virginia, now West Virginia. His father was Finley Adams BURKE, a sketch of whom is given just preceding this, containing also the family record on his father's side. The maiden name of his mother was Margaret McMILLEN. She was born in a stone farm house i