1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa
Page Index:
Hammer |
Edwards |
Hann |
Olson |
Turpin |
Larson |
Lewis |
Hayward |
Crouch |
White
An enterprising merchant of Harlan, Iowa, is Peter A. Hammer, who has been a resident of this county since 1880. Born in Germany, he came to this country when only sixteen years of age and started out to work by the day on farms in the county. The success which has come to him is the direct result of his own individual efforts. He has taken a prominent part in the civic life of his community and is now serving as treasurer of Harlan. Peter A. Hammer, the son of Otto R. and Christena (Stendrup) Hammer, was born in Schleswig, Germany, October 4, 1864. His parents were both born in Germany and spent all of their lives in the land of their birth.
His father was an engineer and followed this occupation until his death in February, 1912. The mother of Peter A. Hammer died when he was a small boy. There were three children born to Otto Hammer and wife, Otto R., who is working for his brother in Harlan; Christena, who is still living in Germany, and Peter A.
The education of Peter A. Hammer was received in the schools of Germany and in 1880 he came to this country alone and located in Shelby county, Iowa. He worked on the farms of this county for the first five years and then went to Harlan and began clerking in the Eidamiller Brothers' general store, and worked here five years and had then learned enough about the business to start for himself. After leaving the employ of this firm, he started a general merchandise business in Harlan in company with three others. In 1907 he acquired sole interest in the store and organized the P. A. Hammer & Company, of which he is president. He has a well stocked general store in Harlan and handles everything which is sold in department stores of cities of this size. He handles dry goods, shoes, groceries and a
general line of ready-to-wear garments.
Mr. Hammer was married October 25, 1886, to Ida Nelson, the daughter of Peter Nelson, and to this union seven children have been born, Fred, Clara, Elva, Herbert, Harold, Kermit and Melvin. Fred married Edith Wells; Clara is the wife of Dr. T. A. Willis, of Clear Lake, Iowa; Elva is the wife of Harry C. Carpenter, of Omaha; the rest of the children are still single and living with their parents.
The wife of Mr. Hammer was born in Illinois, her father being a native of Denmark and her mother of Germany. Her father was a sailor in his native land and came to America before the Civil War and settled in Illinois in Rock Island county. He came to Shelby county, Iowa, in the early seventies and started farming in Jackson township. A few years before his death he moved to Wall Lake, where he lived until he passed away. His widow is still living at Wall Lake. Mr. Nelson owned a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres in Jackson township. There were six children born to Mr. and Mrs. Nelson, Charles, Ella, Hannah, Fred, Anna and Ida, the wife of Mr. Hammer.
Politically, Mr. Hammer is identified with the Republican party and is now filling the important office of city treasurer of Harlan. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He and his family are members of the Congregational church of Harlan.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 879 - 880.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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The pioneers who settled Shelby county and bore the brunt of the battle which has transformed the county from a prairie wilderness into one of the fairest and most fertile counties on which the sun shines, were a noble army of men in whom the present generation and their descendants can take a just and abiding pride. They were a cosmopolitan body of men who were drawn from the east, south and the north and many were of foreign birth. Many old world countries are represented in the best families of Shelby county. One of those who was born in a foreign land and whose name is honored to this day as one of the sturdy pioneers of the county was John E. Edwards, who departed this life in 1911, after a long and useful residence in the county. His career is well worth recording. Mr. Edwards rose from a poor boy to become one of the largest land owners of the county and was one of Harlan's best known and well respected citizens. He and his faithful wife bravely
endured the hardships of life in the prairie lands and made a home where there was naught but a wide expanse of grass covered land and neighbors were far away. Mrs. Edwards can recall the vicissitudes of those early days and well remembers the howling of the wolves about the door of their cabin during the long winter nights. For over forty years the Edwards family have been residents of Shelby county and vicinity. It is meet, therefore, that a brief history of this family be recorded in this volume of memoirs.
John E. Edwards was born January 8, 1834, in Cardiganshire, South Wales, a son of Edward J. and Ceynor Edwards, who left their native land in 1840 and came to America to seek their fortunes. They located in Jackson county, Ohio, where Mr. Edwards was engaged as a skilled iron furnace builder. At this time the iron industry of southern Ohio was in the beginning of its great development and skilled iron workers and furnace builders were in great demand. Here it was that John E. was reared to young manhood and received his education. He bought his time from his father when eighteen years of age. He came to Iowa in 1868 and located in Mahaska county, where he engaged in the general the merchandise business. He was naturally thrifty and prospered. He foresaw the inevitable rise of land
values and the development of the western part of the state and soon made an investment in Shelby county land, buying an entire section (16) in Shelby township, January 19, 1869, receiving his patent to the land direct from the state, signed by Governor Samuel Merrill. He disposed of his merchandise store at Beacon, Iowa, in 1870, and located on his Shelby county land and began improving it. He was married in 1874, brought his bride to his new home and she was of great assistance to him in the future upbuilding of his fortunes. After a residence of some years in Shelby county he invested in a tract of one hundred and twenty acres of land in Guthrie county, upon which he moved his family and resided for six years from March 1, 1888, to 1894. He then made a permanent home in the city of Harlan and owned a fine residence situated in the north part of the city. This home is surrounded by some of the finest old trees in the county and is beautifully situated.
Mr. Edwards was a large land owner during his life time and much of the family estate is still held intact. He bought and sold several farms which he improved. He was the owner of six hundred and forty acres of the original homestead in Shelby township, nine hundred and sixty acres of good land in South Dakota, and a farm of two hundred and forty acres north of Harlan.
Mr. Edwards was married March 3, 1873, to Mary E. Windowmaker. Mrs. Edwards was born December 11, 1846, in Randolph county, Indiana, on a farm in the east part of Madison township. She was the daughter of John W. Windowmaker, a son of Jacob Windowmaker, a native of Pennsylvania, of Holland descent. The wife of Jacob Windowmaker was Elizabeth Miller, a native of Maryland, and reared in Ohio. The mother of Mrs. Edwards died when she was but a child and she was reared partly in the home of her grandparents and by her father and stepmother. John William Windowmaker was born in Highland county, Ohio, and came to Indiana when the state was a wilderness. He was ever a pioneer who paved the way through the trackless wilderness and was in the vanguard of the early settlers
in several localities. In 1859 he took his family to southwest Missouri, but owing to the unsettled condition of this border state he came to Iowa on July 13, 1861. For a number of years the family made their home on a farm near Stewart, in Guthrie county. Mary E. Windowmaker was first married in 1865 to J. P. Mays. who died in 1871. Her second marriage took place March 3, 1873 to John E. Edwards. To this union were born eight children: John Charles, born February 7, 1874; David Daniel, born March 20, 1876; Mary Cathrine, born December 15, 1877, wife of Leonard C. Paup and the mother of three children-Marvin K., Marjorie Lewis and Thelma K.; Lewis Arthur, born November 14, 1879, drowned June 7, 1895; Alice Bertha, born April 7, 1882, deceased August 18, 1895; Emma Belle, born September 16, 1883; Ceynor Ruth, born November 20, 1888. Mr. Edwards died May 23, 1911, and was sincerely mourned by a host of friends and acquaintances.
He was a life long Republican and prominent in the civic and political affairs of his township and city, although he never sought political preferment in any form. He did his duty in filling minor offices in his home township and assisting in the conduct of local affairs. He was a charter member of the Shelby Masonic and Odd Fellow lodges and the Masonic lodge had full charge of his funeral services. Mr. Edwards was originally affiliated with the Calvinistic Methodist church but became identified with the Methodist Episcopal church denomination, to which he was a liberal contributor. It can be said of John E. Edwards that he was a good and true man,
an excellent and progressive citizen, a kind parent and a good provider whose memory will long be revered by those who knew him best in this life. His name will go down in imperishable history as one of the sterling pioneers who assisted in making Shelby county the famous garden spot which it is today. His record as outlined in the foregoing paragraphs should serve as an incentive and an inspiration to the young men of the present generation who desire to advance themselves and have aspirations to attain success in its better and more desirable forms.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 880 - 882.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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There is no better or more progressive farmer and stock raiser in Shelby county, Iowa, than Frank W. Hann, a prosperous farmer of Douglas township. He keeps up with the best literature dealing with general farming and the handling of live stock, adopting such advanced methods as in his judgment make for the betterment of conditions in his locality. He has always been a close observer himself, experimenting in the rotation of crops and the use of fertilizing agents, until today he is thoroughly grounded in the science of tilling the soil and secures the maximum results from his efforts. It is needless to add that he is held in the highest esteem by all who know him intimately, for he is a man who throws the force of his own strong individuality into the general work of upbuilding his township and county.
Frank W. Hann, the son of Philemon P. and Amelia (Pickard) Hann, was born on September 14, 1869, in Iowa county, Iowa. His father was born in Ohio, reared in that state, and, when a young man, settled in Iowa county, Iowa. Later he moved to Shelby county in 1879, remained here for twenty years. then moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, where he died, living the life of a simple farmer until his death, November 17, 1895. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church and to them were born five children: Frank, with whom this narrative deals; Minnie, the wife of R. G. Maxwell, of Fort Collins, Colorado; Vernon D., of Fort Collins, Colorado; Jennie, who married Oliver Tallman, deceased, and then remarried; Fred, who married Evelyn Ross.
Frank W. Hann was educated in the public schools of Douglas township, this county, and assisted his father on the home farm until he was twenty years of age. He then began farming for himself and several years later purchased the old homestead farm, which he has now brought to a high state of cultivation. He has made extensive improvements upon the farm since acquiring it, in the way of erecting new buildings and repairing the buildings which were already on the farm. He thoroughly understands scientific crop rotation and in this way does not impoverish the soil, but keeps it in a high state of productivity. He keeps abreast of the latest advances in agriculture and never hesitates to adopt new methods when convinced that they are superior to the ones he formerly used. While raising all of the crops common to this section of the state, he has made a specialty of the raising of a high grade of cattle and hogs, and has been favored with good success in handling his live stock, consisting of Hereford cattle and Duroc Jersey hogs. He now has fifty head of standard-bred cattle. Mr. Harm was married on August 20, 1892, to Ida L. Goddard, the daughter of Thomas and Martha J. (Boyer) Goddard, and to this union has been born one son, Vernon H., who is still living with his parents.
Mr. Hann is a member of the Republican party, but has always preferred to devote the most of his time and attention to his agricultural affairs rather than political affairs. However, he always takes an active interest in anything which makes for good government and civic righteousness, and casts his ballot in accordance with his best judgment rather than because of any political party. Fraternally, Mr. Hann is a member of the Woodmen of the World. The residence of Mr. Hann in this county for many years has brought him the good will and esteem of his neighbors, while he has not only been industrious, but public-spirited and honorable in all his dealings
with his fellow men. He is a member of the Shelby County Live Stock Exchange. Mr. Hann removed to Harlan on September 1, 1914, and now lives at the corner of Tenth and Walnut streets.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 883 - 884.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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Nearly every nation of the earth has contributed some of its best citizens to the growth of Shelby county, Iowa, but the emigrants from no country have made better citizens than the sterling sons of Norway. The prosperity of the agricultural sections of our country has appealed to the nations of Europe for the past century, and millions of ambitious people from the Old World have found permanent homes on the farms of this country. By comparison with the surroundings in the old country, they have readily recognized the fact that in the United States lie the greatest opportunities for the man of ambition and energy, and for this reason they have broken the ties of their home and native land and have earnestly entered upon the task of gaining in the New World a home and competence for themselves and their children. Among the sturdy Sons of. Norway who have made this their permanent home there is no one more deserving of mention than Ole Olson, who has lived in this county for more than forty-one years. He seems to have inherited many of the thrifty and sterling traits of his father and has forged to the front in the face of obstacles not infrequently so large as would have entirely broken the spirit of men of less genuine fiber. His life history may well be studied and emulated with profit by the youth of this county, who are ambitious to make good, successful citizens.
Ole Olson, the son of Barry and Julia Olson, was born in Norway, September 12, 1851, and came with his parents to the United States in 1859 and located in Lee county, Iowa. His father was a carpenter by trade in his native land and followed that occupation at various places in this state until his death, which occurred in 1872. His widow is still living and is now ninety-four years of age. Barry Olson and wife were the parents of five children: Fabius, deceased; Tunis; Ole, with whom this narrative deals; George, and Nellie, the wife of William Edwards. Barry Olson and his wife were both members of the Friends church.
Ole Olson received his preliminary schooling in Norway and, owing to his ignorance of the English language, he received very little, if any, educational opportunities after coming to this country with his parents. Early in life he began to work for himself, and has known what it was to have responsibilities thrust upon him. At the age of twenty-seven years he came to Shelby county, Iowa, and rented land and continued to rent until 1894, when he purchased his present farm of eighty acres. Since acquiring this farm he has brought it to a high state of cultivation and has improved it by erecting a new house and various kinds of outbuildings. He is a plain farmer who is never happier than when engaged in agricultural pursuits. He raises all of the crops common to this section of the state and also handles as much live stock as he can care for upon his farm.
Mr. Olson was married in 1881 to Olena Erickson, of Shelby county, the daughter of Henry Erickson, and to this union have been born seven children, Henry, Benjamin, Josie, Ernest, Fred, Frank and Lucile. Henry married Anna Thield; Benjamin married Bertha Strubel, and has two children; Josie is the wife of William Plantenburg, while the other four children are still unmarried and living with their parents.
Politically, Mr. Olson is affiliated with the Republican party, but has never held any office other than that of school director of his township. Fraternally, he is a member of the Woodmen of the World and is much interested in the welfare of that fraternal organization. He is also a member of the Bankers Life Insurance Company. Mr. Olson has made himself familiar with every phase of agriculture through several years of close study and persistent work. He has thrown the force of his sterling individuality into his vocation and into his efforts to assist in the general public weal and his efforts have not failed of attainment by his neighbors and friends. He is a fine type of the men who have laid the foundation and labored in the development of this county, and to such men will ever be paid a tribute of
reverence and gratitude by those who have profited by their well-directed endeavors and appreciated the lessons of their lives.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 884 - 886.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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One of the most interesting things to be noted in the biographies of the men of Shelby county, Iowa, is the fact that they or their fathers have come from practically every state of the Union, as well as from many of the countries of Europe. The historian has discovered that nearly every state east of the Mississippi is represented in this county, and that hundreds of the best citizens of Shelby county were born on foreign shores. The old Keystone state has furnished many good citizens for this county, and among them is Frank Turpin, a prosperous farmer of Douglas township. He is a man whose energetic nature and laudable ambition have enabled him to conquer many adverse circumstances and steadily advance in material prosperity and in the esteem of his fellow men. Such a man is a credit to any community and his life forcibly illustrates what character and consecutive effort can accomplish when directed and controlled by correct principles.
Frank Turpin, the son of William and Sarah (Deremer) Turpin, was born November 30, 1850, in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania. His father and mother were both born in New Jersey, but settled in Luzerne county when William Turpin was a boy. William Turpin was the son of Isaac and Rebecca (Davis) Turpin, Isaac Turpin being a soldier in the Revolutionary War. A record compiled by the United States government shows that he served under General Lafayette. In addition to following farming, Isaac Turpin was also a sailor for a time and led a seafaring life for many years. Isaac Turpin and wife were the parents of sixteen children, John,
Mary, Matilda, Priscilla, Sarah, Rebecca, Jane, Hannah, Isaac, Lewis, Annie, Daniel, William and three who died in infancy.
William Turpin, the father of Frank, was a small lad when his parents moved to Luzerne county, Pennsylvania. Later he came to Shelby county, locating one and one-half miles south of Harlan, dying in 1896, in Casey, Iowa, his wife, Sarah, passing away in the same year. They were loyal members of the Baptist church. To William Turpin and wife were born ten children: John, who died in infancy; Jefferson, who married Louisa Brunson, and had seven children, Maude, May, Rollie, Blanche, Clyde, Guy, William; Jefferson served four years in the Union army, in the Ninth Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company D, and was wounded at the battle of Perrysville, Kentucky; Wilson, the third son of William Turpin, also served in the Union army, being a member of the One Hundred Sixteenth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and was killed at the battle of Cold Harbor on June 3, 1864; George, who married, first, Emma Soals, and second, Mary Beaver; by his first marriage he had two sons, George, who died at the age of twenty-two, and Charles, who died in infancy; George was also a soldier in the Union army, serving in the Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; Henry, who was never married; Frank, with whom this narrative deals; Addie, who married Frank Crouch, and has four children, Jessie, Earl, Pardon and Frank, who died at the age of four years; Olive A., who married Merritt Kocker, and has three children, William, deceased, Emma and Susan; Catherine, who first married Z. B. Moore, and second, Benjamin Custer, and by her first marriage had two children, Eugene and
Jefferson, and by her second marriage two children, Harry and Nellie; Corinda, who married James Van Loon, and has two children, Frank and Eva.
Frank Turpin was educated in the public schools of Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, and worked upon his father's farm in that state until the family came to Shelby county, Iowa, in 1868. He farmed with his father for twelve years, and then purchased eighty acres in Douglas township, where he is now living. On this place he raises all of the grains and fruits common to this section of the state and handles as much live stock as he can keep on his farm. Mr. Turpin is one of the oldest farmers of the county, and has had the satisfaction of seeing the county emerge from its pioneer condition to its present prosperous state. He has followed the vocation of farming all of his life with more than ordinary success, and now has one of the most attractive, as well as one of the most productive farms in the township.
Mr. Turpin was married February 23, 1880, to Julia Van Loon, the daughter of Robert and Joanna (Tyle) (Prince) Van Loon, and to this union has been born one daughter, Fannie. Mr. and Mrs. Turpin are loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and are actively interested in the work of the church.
Politically, Mr. Turpin is a member of the Republican party, and has always taken an active interest in political affairs, although he has never been an aspirant for any public office. He has served as road supervisor of his township and performed very satisfactory service in that capacity. Mr. Turpin has always been an advocate of clean living, and during all of his life in the county has taken a prominent part in the social, educational and moral development of the community, and much of the present prosperity of his township is due to the efforts of such men as he, and although he is not a native of the county, his name will emblazon the pages of the history as a good and loyal citizen. Mr. Turpin is one of the well known men in the county.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 886 - 888.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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There are many ways of estimating success. It never means the mere accumulation of wealth, for some of the most successful men the world has ever, known have been poor in worldly things. According to the biblical injunction, however, it is man's duty to provide for himself in a way whereby he will not be a care upon anyone in his old age. The parable of the talents shows that the Master intended men to invest their money in such a way as to bring definite returns, and frequent references are made in the Bible to the advisability of accumulating property. The difficulty lies in the fact that many people forget that there is something more to be done than to lay aside wealth. They forget their duty to their fellow beings and, in so far as they do forget their obligations to society, they find themselves in the same position as the young man who came to Christ asking what he should do to be saved. Christ replied, "Sell all the goods that thou hast and give to the poor," and thus chided him for his selfishness. One of the young farmers of Shelby county who is accumulating property and at the same time doing his full duty toward his fellow citizens is George Larson, of Jackson township.
George Larson, the son of Jens and Maren (Jergensen) Larson, was born January 1, 1880, in the county where he has spent his life down to the present time. His parents were both born in Denmark, his father being born in 1847 and his mother in 1850. They were married in their native country in 1869 and came to this country in 1872, settling first at Atlantic, Iowa. Jens Larson worked as a day laborer for the first two years and then moved to Shelby county where he bought one hundred and twenty acres of unimproved land. He was one of the earliest pioneers of the county and endured all the hardships and trials which confronted the early settlers of this county. However, he prospered and as the years rolled by he improved his farm and in the course of time had as good a farm as there was in the township. He
continued to live on the farm until his death in 1904. His widow is now living at Kimballton, Iowa, with her children.
George Larson is one of eight children born to his parents, three of whom are deceased. He was given as good an education as the schools of his township afforded and stayed at home until he was twenty-one. He then rented a farm in Jackson township and lived on it until 1908, when he bought his present farm of one hundred and forty acres in Jackson township. He is especially interested in the raising of high grade live stock and keeps pure bred Poland China hogs, Shorthorn cattle and Percheron horses. He has won frequent prizes on his cattle and horses at the county fairs throughout the state. In 1913, at the Shelby County Farmers' Institute, Mr. Larson was awarded first prize on a Percheron colt and second on the mare and colt in 1912. The same mare and colt won second and third prizes in 1914.
Mr. Larson was married May 27, 1903, to Anna Rasmussen, who was born January 28, 1882, on the farm now owned by her husband. To this union there have been born two children, Emory and Ernest. Mrs. Larson is the daughter of Rasmus Rasmussen, now a resident of Harlan.
The Republican party claims the undivided support of Mr. Larson and he takes an intelligent interest in political matters. He has served as road supervisor of his own township for two terms and gave efficient service to the citizens of his township. He and his family are earnest members of the Danish Lutheran church and are deeply interested in the work of their church. Mr. Larsen is a young man and has had to work for what he has and is eminently deserving of the high esteem in which he is universally held by his friends and neighbors.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 888 - 889.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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One of the largest stock feeders of Shelby county is Miles A. Lewis, who has attained a marked success in the live stock business. Descended from excellent ancestry, he has inherited those sterling characteristics which mark the successful men of affairs. He is a finely educated man and has a record of good school experience which is second to none in the county. Being a man of genial disposition and winning personality, he was one of the most popular teachers Shelby county ever had, having taught in 1896, 1897 and 1899, and when he left the school room for the farm the county lost one of its ablest instructors of the youth. Successful as he was in the school room, his subsequent career has been no less so, and today he stands as one of the recognized leaders in the stock-feeding business in the
county.
Miles A. Lewis, the son of Everett M. and Grace (Flatt) Lewis, was born November 27, 1875, in Carroll county, Iowa. His father was born August 9, 1847, in Lee county, Illinois, the son of Miles and Miranda (Segar) Lewis, both of whom were born in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania. Everett M. Lewis was married in 1872, and he and his young wife came alone to Iowa and settled in Carroll county, where they lived upon a rented farm for five years. In 1878 they moved to Shelby county and purchased the farm on which they are now living. Everett M. Lewis and wife are the parents of seven children: Maude J., who died in infancy; Miles A., with whom this narrative deals; Clarence E., who married Hattie Arnold; J. G., who married Millie Gish; Winnie, the wife of Lee Croft; Frank D., of Harlan, and Belle, the wife of Samuel Inman.
Miles A. Lewis was three years of age when his parents moved from Carroll county to Shelby county, and consequently received all of his education in the schools of this county. While he was growing to manhood he attended school during the winter time and worked on his father's farm during the slimmer season. He studied one year at Highland Park, and when he finished school he was regarded as such a bright young man that his friends induced him to commence teaching. He taught school for four terms and was remarkably successful in the school room, which was due to his educational qualifications as well as his companionable disposition. It is an undisputed fact that pupils always advance much more rapidly when they feel that the teacher sympathizes with them and treats them in a genial manner. However, Mr. Lewis felt that there were better opportunities for advancement on the farm, and in 1900 retired from school teaching and located on his present farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Douglas township, known as the N. C. Croft farm. Since purchasing this farm he has erected several large and commodious barns and sheds in order to feed and take care of his live stock. He has made a specialty of buying, feeding and shipping live stock, and has been very successful in this line of activity. His annual business amounts to several thousand dollars and is constantly increasing. He is not only one of the largest and most successful dealers in Douglas township, but is one of the leaders in his county as well. He seems to be a natural business man, possessing the congenial manner and open frankness which invites confidence. He is a cheerful and even graceful loser and when the markets are against him he never loses his optimistic spirit. If there is any one man in Shelby county who will never die with nervous prostration, it is Mr. Lewis.
Miles A. Lewis was married on December 27, 1899, to Grace Custer, the daughter of Benton and Laura (McGee) Custer, and to this union have been born three children, Joy, Lawrence and Margaret. Mrs. Lewis' father is one of the oldest and most highly respected residents of the county.
Mr. Lewis is a Republican in politics, but although one of the best read men in the county, has never, in any sense of the word, been a seeker after public office. He gives his hearty support to the best men and advocates every measure which will benefit his fellow citizens. He is living such a life as well befits the ideal American citizen and Shelby county honors itself in classing him among its representative citizens.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 889 - 891.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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Descended from one of the first families who settled in Shelby county, Henry F. Hayward is well entitled to the honorable name of pioneer. His grandfather entered land in Fairview township at the close of the Civil War and his father settled on this land in 1868. The forty years which have passed since Henry F. Hayward was born have practically covered the history of this county. In the early days this state was a very tempting field to energetic, ambitious, strong-minded men, and Iowa was filled with as sturdy pioneers as ever honored any state in the Union. There was a certain fascination in the broad fields in the state, and the fertile soil has continued to hold out great promises to its tillers.
Henry F. Hayward, the son of George and Anna (Ashby) Hayward, was born August 1, 1874, on the farm where he now lives in Fairview township. His father was born in Scott county, Iowa, while his mother was a native of England. George Hayward came to Shelby county in 1868, and located on land which his father, John Hayward, had previously entered from the government. George Hayward lived a long, useful and prosperous life, and at his death, on November 25, 1911, was the owner of four hundred acres of excellent farming land in this township. To George Hayward and his wife, who died many years ago, there were born seven children:
Alice, the wife of Daniel Gillett; Arthur; Olive, deceased; Henry F.; Pearl, the wife of C. Snyder, who died July 26, 1913; Coral, the wife of C. W. Simonson, and one who died in infancy.
Henry F. Hayward received all of his education in the schools of Fairview township, spending his winters in the school room and his summers on the farm. He married at the age of twenty-four and is now the owner of a well-improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres, part of which is the same land which was entered by his grandfather, at the close of the Civil War. He has excellent buildings on his farm and takes a just pride in keeping them in an attractive manner. He raises good crops and feeds the most of his corn to hogs and cattle, having made a specialty of stock raising for several years. He keeps fully abreast of the best farming methods and does not hesitate to use new ideas when he feels that they will produce better results.
Mr. Hayward was married in April, 1898, to Alice Gillett, the daughter of Henry and Margaret (Ruger) Gillett. Mrs. Hayward's parents were born natives of New York state, and removed to this county in 1874. Mr. and Mrs. Hayward are the parents of six children, all of whom are still living with their parents, Donald, Olive, Harold, Margaret, Dorothy and George.
Politically, Mr. Hayward is a Republican, and although he is interested in good government and gives his hearty support to all measures which can promote it. yet he has never been active in a political sense. He has preferred to devote all of his time and attention to his agricultural pursuits and leave political matters to those who had the time to handle them. Fraternally, he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Mr. Hayward is a public-spirited and wide-awake citizen who is deeply interested in the welfare of his fellow citizens, and for this reason is held in high esteem by all those who know him.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 891 - 892.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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The life of the farmer of today is the most independent existence which can be enjoyed, and with all the modern inventions to facilitate farming, it is fast losing those objectionable features which have always appeared so ominous to the average farmer lad. The public schools of many states have included the study of farming in their curriculum and agricultural colleges are doing a work for the farmer which is of inestimable value. The United States government through the department of agriculture is printing millions of bulletins for the use of the farmers of the country and distributing them without any cost whatever to the farmer. No state in the union has better farming land than Iowa and no county in this state has better land or more efficient farmers than Shelby. Among the men of this county who are making a pronounced success of farming there is no one more worthy of mention in this volume than Frank L. Crouch, long a resident of this county.
Frank L. Crouch, the son of Charles and Eliza (Ridenour) Crouch, was born May 23, 1876, in Page county, Iowa, near the town of Clarinda. His parents were natives of Illinois and came to Page county about 1868 or 1870. Charles Crouch was the son of Louis, a gallant veteran of the Civil War. Frank L. Crouch was about nine years of age when his parents moved to Nebraska, where they lived for three years. They then returned to Page county, Iowa. His father left the family when living in Nebraska. About three years later he remarried, and moved to St. Joe, Missouri. He now lives at Topeka, Kansas. In 1894 the mother of Frank L. Crouch married Lemuel Stilwell at Yorktown, Page county, Iowa, moving to Shelby county the same spring. Mr. Crouch was eighteen years of age when he accompanied his stepfather and the remainder of the family to Shelby county. When he was only sixteen he left home to work by the month on the farms in the im-
mediate vicinity of his home, receiving twelve dollars a month for his services.
When the family came to this county he came along and found work on the farms in this county. At the age of twenty-one he ventured into farming for himself by renting a farm. Two years later he married and at once moved on his present farm in Jefferson township where he has since lived. He carries on a general system of farming, although he lays the most stress upon stock raising. In the year 1914 he had eighteen head of horses, thirty-nine head of cattle, including twenty-one much cows, and about fifty head of hogs. In addition to his farming interests he owns and operates in season a threshing and corn shelling outfit and does a large business in his county, finding all he can do in his own township.
Mr. Crouch was married in 1899 to Nettie F. French, who was born August 8, 1880, in Douglas township, the daughter of William and Barbara (Wooster) French. The reader is referred to the history of William French, which is found elsewhere in this volume, for additional facts concerning the French family. Mr. and Mrs. Crouch are the parents of six children: Mabel A., born August 9, 1900; Maud P., born August 9, 1900, and died January 10, 1903; Ora F., born December 20, 1902; Harold W., born May 10, 1906; Ivyl D., born March 2, 1909; Ancel F., born November 18, 1912.
In politics Mr. Crouch identifies himself with the Republican party and has always been actively associated with his party in local political matters. He has served in a creditable manner on the school board of his township and for eight years filled the office of township assessor. Mrs. Crouch is an active member of the United Brethren church and Mr. Crouch is a supporter of that denomination.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 892 - 893.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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A substantial farmer and stock raiser of Jackson township, Shelby county, Iowa, is John H. White, who is fast forging to the front as one of the leading men of his community. Although still a young man he has already impressed his individuality upon the community where he resides, and is taking an active part in every phase of the history of his township and county. He comes from sterling Irish ancestry and has inherited those excellent characteristics which have made the people of that country welcome citizens in the United States.
John H. White, the son of James W. and Eliza J. (Speer) White, was born July 13, 1884. James W. White is a native of County Down, Ireland, and came with his parents, John White and wife, to America when he was fourteen years of age. James W. White lived in New York after coming to America, and took a business course at the celebrated Eastman Business College at Poughkeepsie, New York. Some years later John White, the grandfather of John H. White, moved with his family from New York state to Guernsey county, Ohio, where the family resided for many years. Later they became early pioneers of Benton county, Iowa. James W. White taught school in Scott county, Iowa, and as a young man spent some time in the pineries of Minnesota, and at a time when Minneapolis was a small town,
he was foreman in a lumber yard for a prominent lumber company there.
Returning from Minnesota to Iowa, James W. White was united in marriage to Eliza J. Speer, of Scott county, Iowa, whose father, James Speer, came to Scott county from Pennsylvania in 1841. Mr. White taught school and also followed farming in Benton county, Iowa, for a few years, and in 1875, went with his family to Shelby county, where he purchased a farm in Jackson township, on which he now resides. After coming to this county, James W. White taught school in Monroe township for several years and also one term in Jackson township. He has taken a lively interest in the promotion of agricultural and stock raising interests, and has been and is prominent in organizations having for their purpose the betterment of these industries. He was an active factor in the Farmers Alliance for many years
in this county and was secretary of the local county organization. He has also been interested in the Farmers Institute, the Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, of which latter organization he is now and has been for several years the president. He has for many years been a heavy breeder and feeder of hogs and cattle and a heavy feeder of lambs, and at present is an extensive grower of alfalfa, all of which he feeds on his stock farm.
John H. White was born in Jackson township, and has spent his entire life thus far in this township. He received his education in the districts schools of his home neighborhood and early in life began farming with his father. He continued as a partner with his father in farming and stock raising until 1911, when he began farming for himself by renting land from his father. He is an extensive breeder of Aberdeen-Angus cattle, and since 1902, when he began the breeding of this particular kind of cattle, he has been remarkably successful. He now has eighty-five head of thoroughbred Aberdeen-Angus cattle on his farm. He is the manager of two hundred and forty acres of well improved land in Jackson township which he is devoting to general farming and stock raising. He feeds on an average of two hundred and fifty head of hogs a year, and not only feeds all of the grain which he raises on his own farm, but is compelled to buy about four thousand bushels of corn each year in order to feed his stock. Mr. White has a beautiful country home, and one of the largest barns in the county. His barn, which is seventy by seventy feet, has a capacity of two hundred head of cattle and two hundred head of hogs.
John H. White was married August 26, 1906, to Lena Hess, the daughter of Nicholas and Margaret (Hanson) Hess, and to this union three daughters have been born, Evelyn, Mabel and Margaret.
Nicholas H. Hess, the father of Mrs. White, was born February 13, 1853, in Schleswig, Germany, and came to America when he was seventeen years of age. Nicholas Hess located in Davenport, Iowa, and remained in that city for a year and a half, after which he went to California, and worked at the butcher trade for about five years. He then returned to Shelby county, Iowa, and bought a small tract of land in Jackson and Center townships, where he lived alone until his marriage in 1880. The parents of his wife, Mary Hanson, came from Germany to America in the spring of 1872, and located on a farm near Atlantic, Iowa. Mr. Hess and his wife have reared a family of four children: Lena, the wife of Mr. White; Chris, a farmer of Center township, who married Carolyn Damgaard and has one child,
Gladys; George, a farmer of Fairview township, who married Dora Christiansen and has one daughter, Thelma, and Andrew, who is now managing his father's place in Jackson township. Nicholas Hess is one of the most substantial farmers of Shelby county and now owns four hundred and ninety acres of land in Jackson township, one hundred and sixty acres in Center township, and one hundred and sixty acres in Fairview township, all of which is well improved.
Mr. White is a stanch Republican in politics and has always been actively interested in the welfare of his party. At the present time he is a member of the school board of his township and is serving as president of the board. In every respect Mr. White measures up to the full standard of the high class American citizen and is one of the representative citizens of his county.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 894 - 896.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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