1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa
Page Index:
McDowell |
Johnson |
Cockerell |
Schell |
Hansen |
Miller |
Cullison |
Christensen |
Cleveland
Poets often tell the truth and the old song which contains the refrain, "The farmer feeds them all," states a very fundamental economic truth. Without the farmer the rest of the country would starve within a week despite the large amount of food in cold storage. Every occupation might be done away with but farming and people could live, but a total cessation of farming for a very short time would actually depopulate the whole world. A man can live without banks all his life, but deprive him of his bread and
his career is soon ended. Farming is becoming an honored profession; our district schools are teaching it as a science and our colleges are granting degrees for agricultural courses. The farmers of any community sustain the people dependent on every other profession. Without the farmer the banker would close his doors, the manufacturer would shut down his factory and the railroads would suspend operations. Among the honored men of Shelby county, Iowa, who help to keep the banker, the manufacturer and the railroads is Perry McDowell, of Douglas township.
Perry McDowell, the son of Luke and Jane (Mitchell) McDowell, was born May 17, 1866, in Poweshiek county, Iowa, on the Poweshiek-Mahaska county line. His father is the son of John McDowell, who was a native of Ohio, of Irish descent. Luke McDowell was born in Ohio in December, 1850, was one of eight children and lived at home until one year before his marriage. He worked on the farms in his immediate neighborhood one year and stayed in his home county until about 1879, when he moved to Shelby county with his family, where he purchased sixty acres of land. Luke McDowell and one of his brothers, John, came together to this county and bought sixty acres each in section 24, of Douglas township, and on this farm Luke lived until his death, increasing his holdings to two hundred forty acres. He died July 29, 1912. His widow still survives him and resides at Kirkman. He was an independent voter, but never active in political affairs, although he was once a candidate for office on the Republican ticket. Mr. and Mrs. Luke McDowell were the parents of six children, Perry, Mrs. Euphema (Darling), Thomas, M. K. Dessa (Plummer), Mrs. Eva (Greeves) and Cooper.
Perry McDowell was given a good common school education in the schools of Poweshiek county. He was thirteen years of age when his parents moved to Shelby county and continued to work with his father on the home farm until he was married and then began farming in Polk township. A year later he removed to Nebraska and resided in Pierce county for eleven years, after which he bought two hundred and forty acres of land in Knox county, Central township, Nebraska, on which he resided for another eleven years. In February, 1913, he returned to Shelby county, renting his Nebraska farm and took charge of the old home place. He is now engaged in a general system of farming and stock raising, making a specialty of the raising of full blooded Poland China hogs. Unlike many stock raisers he has not adopted the practice of shipping his live stock for exhibition at the
county fairs, although he has stock that would stand a good chance of winning prizes.
Mr. McDowell was married to Elizabeth McConnell, the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Cassady) McConnell, early settlers of this county. To this marriage there have been born nine children, including three sets of twins. The three sets of twins are Vera and Neva, Vivian and Vernon, Luke and Jane, while the other three children are Tina, Charles and John. All of the children are still living at home with their parents, except Tina, who married Daniel O'Connor and lives in Nebraska.
Thomas McConnell (born 1820, died January, 1914), and Elizabeth (Cassady) McConnell (born 1836, died 1890), were natives of Ireland and came to Illinois from Ireland in 1850. In 1881 they came to Shelby county, and after about eight years' residence in Harlan moved on a farm of eighty acres in Douglas township. In 1900 they moved to San Diego, California. The children of Thomas McConnell and wife were as follows: Mrs. Belle Cassady, Vancouver Island; James, of Illinois; Edward, Fairbanks, Alaska; Mrs. Susanna Daniels, Wisconsin; Thomas, Fairbanks, Alaska; Elizabeth, wife of Mr. McDowell; Charles, deceased; Kate McConnell, San Diego, California; John, Goshen, California. Politically, Mr. McDowell was formerly a Democrat, but is now preferring the Republican policies, and while an advocate of good government, yet he has never been active in political matters. Fraternally, he is a memmer of the Modern Woodmen of America. He and the members of his family are adherents of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 771 - 773.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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The fame of Shelby county, Iowa, seems to have spread far and wide. Nearly every European country has sent some of its best citizens to this county and among these the people of Denmark occupy an important place. The present mayor of Elk Horn was born in Denmark and did not come to this county until he was twenty years old and, yet, in a comparatively short time he has risen to a position where he takes his place among the leaders of
his community. He has done this because he is a man of ability and energy and has applied himself with that perseverance which characterizes the people of his nation.
Harold Johnson, mayor of Elk Horn and secretary and manager of the Elk Horn Telephone Company, was born in 1863 in Denmark. His parents, Jens and Mary Johnson, were born in Denmark in 1828 and 1830, respectively, and lived all their days in the land of their birth. Jens died in 1888 and his widow passed away in 1903. The five children born to them are all living.
Harold Johnson was given a good education in Denmark and worked with his father, who was a carpenter, until he was twenty years old. In that
year (1883) his father died and he left his native country and came to. America and settled in Elk Horn, Shelby county, Iowa. Some of his countrymen had already located in this county and this had been the reason why he had come to Shelby county. For the first four years after coming to the
county he worked on the farms near Elk Horn, but he was not satisfied to be working for some one else. He wanted a farm of his own to operate, and
not having the money to buy a farm, he rented one and started his independent career in Clay township. He lived on a rented farm until 1908,
marrying in the meantime, and then moved to Elk Horn where he has since resided. Upon locating in this city he became the manager and secretary of the local telephone company and has since been connected with the company in this capacity. He is a man of excellent business ability and has demonstrated his fitness for the responsible position which he holds. Within a year after moving to Elk Horn he was elected mayor of the city on the Republican ticket and in this capacity has used his influence to further the welfare of the city in every possible way. His election to this important office by the citizens of the city is ample evidence of the high esteem in which he is held and the excellent service which he is giving the city fully justifies his elevation to the position.
Mr. Johnson was married in 1897 to Aria Baird, who was born in 1871, in Des Moines, Iowa. To this union there have been born three children:
George, who is farming in Monroe township; Woodman, who is farming in Jackson township; and William, who is still living with his parents in
Elk Horn. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have given their sons the benefit of a good education and have the satisfaction of seeing them ready to become useful members of the community where they live.
Politically, Mr. Johnson has identified himself with the Republican party since acquiring the right of suffrage and has always been interested in political matters. As mayor of his home city he is naturally the local leader of his party and his leadership has been such as to merit the approbation of his party. He and his family are members of the Danish Lutheran church and' in its welfare are deeply interested at all times. Fraternally, he is a member of the Woodmen of the World and the Danish Brotherhood.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 645-646.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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It is presumed that there is a niche for every man but observation discloses the fact that many men never find their proper niche. There are many
trite sayings to this effect, probably the most famous being that of the late Senator Ingalls, who wrote the famous little poem entitled "Opportunity"
In this he makes a special plea for every man to be on his guard constantly for the opportunity which "never knocks at your door but once." The great English poet, Shakespeare, iterates the same thought when he says, "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." In other words many men pass by their proper niche and fail to realize that it was made for them. One of the men of Harlan who has found his niche and is filling it in a way to indicate that he is a man of ability, is Charles A. Cockerell, the proprietor of a plumbing and heating establishment in this city.
Charles A. Cockerell, the son of William and Eleanor (McMillian) Cockerell, was born in Mishawaka, Indiana, December 17, 1877. William
Cockerell, the son of William and Elizabeth (Hoburn) Cockerell, was born in England, May 23, 1852, and came to this country when he was nineteen
years of age and located in Chicago where he followed the brick maker's trade for a short time. He then went to Indiana and branched out as a
contractor and builder. While living in Indiana he married Eleanor McMillian, who was born in Mishawaka, Indiana, January 16, 1850, and died in
Shelby county, Iowa, March 30, 1906. Eleanor McMillian was the daughter of Alexander and Amanda (Fransico) McMillian, born in New York state
in 1820 and 1825, respectively. Mr. McMillian was a carpenter in Indiana many years before his death in 1880, his widow passing away in 1891.
The grandfather of Charles A. Cockerell on his father's side was born in 1807 in England and his wife was born in the same country in 1812. They
came to this country and lived with their daughter in Grand Rapids until his death in 1887, his widow living until 1904. They were the parents of six
children, only one of whom is now living. In 1879, William Cockerell and his family moved to Harlan, Iowa, where he followed his business as a
builder and contractor. He built the present courthouse of Harlan and most of the buildings around the square. He died November 29, 1895, and his widow passed away March 30, 1906.
Charles A. Cockerell was two years of age when his parents moved from Indiana to Harlan, Iowa, and, consequently his education has all been received in this county and state. After completing the course in the schools of Harlan he entered the college at Ames, Iowa, and took a course in
mechanical engineering. After a two years' course he traveled over the western states for some time and then returned to Harlan in 1904. He at
once engaged in the building and construction business and continued alone until 1910, when he went into partnership with W. W. Simpson. They built the Vocational College building at Harlan, the Farmers and Merchants Bank building in Harlan and many fine buildings scattered all over the state. In 1913 the firm dissolved partnership and Mr. Cockerell bought out the Harlan Plumbing Company and placed O. F. Graves in charge of the plumbing establishment. Then he went to Atlantic, Iowa, and bought an interest in the City Investment Company and became the manager and vice-president of the company. Mr. Cockerell remained in Atlantic as overseer of all of the improvements which were being made in an addition which this company made to the city of Atlantic during 1913-14. In the spring of 1914, he returned to Harlan and took active charge of his plumbing and heating establishment. He employs six men all the time and carries about three thousand dollars' worth of material on hands.
Mr. Cockerell was married October 20, 1904, to May Campbell, the daughter of William and Emma Campbell, and born in this county May 18, 1879. To this union there have been born five children, Jean, Eleanor, Eloise, Charles, Jr., and Robert H.
Fraternally, Mr. Cockerell is a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. He is an independent voter and votes for the best men. He
has always been active in city political matters and has held a number of
city offices.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 646-648.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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Shelby county is distinguished for the high type of county officials on whom falls the burden of administering the governmental affairs of the
county. It requires a certain amount of intelligence and capability to perform the duties of an elective county office and a definite amount of personal
popularity is necessary for election thereto. Frequently some one individual stands out prominently among his fellows and is evidently gifted with
qualities of leadership, which, combined with well-defined ability to serve the people, makes him a man prominent among his fellows. The office of county auditor is one of the most important and one of the most difficult to fill; it is practically, and in a certain sense, the highest office within the gift of the people of an Iowa county, and is an office which, distinguishes itself when held by an individual signally equipped with education, intelligence and executive ability. Ernest A. Schell, auditor of Shelby county has ably filled this office for two successive terms; his popularity is beyond question and he is held in high esteem in Shelby county by men of all political parties. His conduct of the office for the past four years has been such as to commend him favorably to the entire population of the county. So ably and conscientiously did he perform the duties of his office that he was nominated and elected without opposition for his second term and is at present the candidate of his party for a third elective term.
It is the province of biography to record the main events of the lives of good and useful citizens and Mr, Schell is a high and useful type of citizen
of whom it is a pleasure to write. He was born at Montezuma, Iowa, on June 18, 1874 and is the son of German parents. From them he has inherited
those traits which have been a strong factOr in enabling him to achieve success in the adopted land of his parents.
He is the son of August and Christena (Nauroth) Schell, both natives of Germany. August Schell was born on August 5, 1832, at Walkes, Saxony,
Germany, and came to America to seek his fortune in the early sixties. He first engaged in farming in Poweshiek county and in the year 1880 removed
to Shelby county, settling on a farm near Earling. He is now living a retired life with his son in the city of Harlan. The wife of August Schell was
born in Moerlen, Nassau, Germany, in February of 1844 and came to America in 1868, locating in Poweshiek county. She and August Schell
were married in 1873 at Iowa City, Johnson county, Iowa. She came to Shelby county with her husband and died December 23, 1903. She is buried in the cemetery at Westphalia.
E. A. Schell was six years old when the family made a permanent home in Shelby county. He received a good common school education and
studied for one year in the St. Lawrence College at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, graduating from the Commercial department of the college in June of 1894.
He then took up teaching and for four years taught in the public schools of Westphalia, Washington and Cass townships. While teaching he spent some time on his farm in Westphalia township thereby combining the two occupations and making a fair success in both.
Turning his attention to political affairs he became the candidate of the Democratic party for the office of county recorder in the fall of 1906 but
was defeated by eight votes, notwithstanding the fact that the Republican party boasted a majority of over seven hundred votes at this time. He then
became deputy auditor and served four years in this capacity. In 1910 he received the nomination for the office without opposition and was elected by a majority of seven hundred votes. So well did he serve the people and so satisfactory was his conduct of the office that he was nominated and re-elected without opposition in 1912. He is now serving his fourth year in the office and is again the candidate of his party for re-election.
Mr. Schell was married to Anna Mester, April 28, 1898. His wife is the daughter of August and Regina Mester and the youngest of six children. To this union have been born six children, Olive, Irene, Edwin, Adeline, Vera and Richard, all of whom are at home with their parents.
Mr. Schell is a live and progressive citizen in a live and hustling community. He is keenly interested in every movement intended for the ad-
vancement of the welfare of the people of his home city and county. He is blessed with the faculty of making and retaining warm friendships. He is obliging and accommodating to a high degree and is deservedly popular throughout the length and breadth of Shelby county. He is earnest and sincere in whatever he undertakes and performs the public duties intrusted to his care with exactness and painstaking care.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 648-649.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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One of the most enterprising young men of Tennant, Shelby county. Iowa, is Frank L. Hansen. He is now the manager of the Green Bay Lumber Company at Tennant, as well as the postmaster of the town. He has been working for himself since he was fifteen years of age and has been
known as one of the hardest working young men of his community. Starting in to learn the carpenter's trade when a mere youth, he soon became an expert at this particular line of activity and within a few years was a valued employee of the Green Bay Lumber Company. He is a wide-awake and
energetic young man and is well deserving of the success which has come to him.
Frank L. Hansen, the son of Hans A. and Christina (Hines) Hansen, was born in Shelby county, Iowa, December 24, 1886. His father was born
in Denmark in 1850 and his mother was born in Germany in 1860. Hans A. Hansen left his native land when he was eighteen years of age and came to
America, locating in Chicago. He was foreman of a machine shop at the time of the great Chicago fire in 1871 and after the fire moved to Clinton,
Iowa, and found employment in the large saw mills in that city. In 1877 Hans A. Hansen moved to Kimballton, Iowa, where he was employed as a
rural mail carrier to Audubon, Iowa. A few years later he bought three farms and sold one of one hundred and sixty acres. He still owns one hundred and sixty acres north of Tennant and ninety-nine acres in Audubon county. He engaged in farming until he retired and moved to Harlan
in 1912. Hans A. Hansen and wife reared a family of seven children, six of whom are still living.
Frank L. Hansen received a limited education in the public schools of Audubon, Shelby county, Iowa. At the age of fifteen he left school and
started to learn the carpenter's trade. When he was eighteen years of age, he was employed by the Green Bay Lumber Company at Walnut, Iowa, and for the next three years and one-half he worked for that company at that place. The company then sent him to Jacksonville, Iowa, and he remained there one year and from there went to Harlan, Iowa. While working for the company at Harlan, he did all of the bookkeeping for the company and such was his excellent work that the company appointed him manager in 1910 of the branch at Tennant. On August 1, 1914, he was appointed postmaster at Tennant and now holds this position in connection with his other work. He owns property in the town of Tennant and also considerable land in the state of Florida.
Mr. Hansen was married, in 1911 in Harlan, Iowa, to Alvina Madsen, who was born in 1889. To this union one daughter, Maurine, has been
born.
Mr. Hansen is a Republican in politics and one of the leaders of his party in local political matters. He has taken an active interest in education
and is now serving as treasurer of the school board of his township. He and his wife are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Fraternally, he holds his membership in the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Mr. Hansen is an enthusiastic and energetic young man and the success which has attended his efforts so far presages a prosperous future for him.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 650-651.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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One of the youngest farmers of Shelby county, Iowa, is Ralph W. Miller, who is now operating his father's fine farm of three hundred and
forty acres in Center township. He is a son of one of the oldest pioneers of the county, the Miller family having lived in this county since 1857, a
heritage which counts for a great deal in the life of a man, and for this reason the career of Ralph W. Miller, which is now beginning, promises
well for the future. He has not been strikingly identified with the history of his county long enough to make his mark, but it is safe to assume that in
the course of a few years he will be taking a leading part in the various phases of the life of the county.
Ralph W. Miller, the son of George H. and Mattie E. (Carter) Miller, was born in Center township in 1887. His father was born in the same
township on October 10, 1858 while his grandfather, Jacob J. Miller, was born in Germany on March 8, 1827. George H. Miller's wife was born in
Jones county, Iowa, and is a daughter of James Carter. George H. Miller was elected to the office of county treasurer in the fall of 1911, and moved
to Harlan in December of that year for the purpose of assuming the duties of this office. He now owns four hundred and forty acres of fine land in
this county, on which he has two good sets of farm buildings. George H. Miller and wife are the parents of eight children: Charles J., a farmer of
South Dakota; Mrs. Leba Kemp, of Douglas township; Ralph W., with whom this narrative deals; Ira, a telephone manager in Harlan; Glenn, a
student in the medical department of Nebraska State University, at Lincoln; Myrtle, a milliner in Harlan; Veda, a student in Harlan high school,
and Walter, who is also a student in the high school.
Ralph W. Miller received all of his education in the schools of Center township, and when nineteen years of age rented land from his father and
began farming for himself. When his father assumed the office of county treasurer, in the fall of 1911, he took charge of his father's farm. In 1914
he put out one hundred acres of corn and thirty acres in oats, and had a bountiful crop. He keeps high grade live stock of all kinds but makes a
specialty of the breeding of Shorthorn cattle. Mr. Miller is still a young farmer and has barely had a chance to show what he can do, although the
success which has attended his efforts so far indicates that he will one day rank with the leading farmers of the county.
Mr. Miller was married to Erma Terrill, who was born in this county in 1886, and to this union have been born two daughters, Leda and Vera.
Mr. Miller and his wife are genial young people, who have a host of friends throughout the county.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 651-652.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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The gentleman whose name appears at the head of this review needs no introduction to the people of Shelby county inasmuch as his whole life with
the exceptions of a few years has been spent in the county. He is a young man of distinct promise and pronounced ability and is a member of the
Shelby county bar. Mr. Cullison has had the advantage of having an example before him of an able and distinguished father who has attained high
rank in the legal profession as well as in educational circles. His family is a very old one of Virginia stock.
Shelby Cullison is the son of Hon. George W. Cullison, one of the prominent citizens of Shelby county and a strong representative of the legal
profession in western Iowa who is widely and favorably known. He was born June 2, 1887, in Harlan. Here he was reared and received his public school education graduating from the high school in 1904. He then followed farming for one year in Colfax, Jasper county, Iowa, after which he entered Iowa State University in the fall of 1905 and graduated from the law school in 1908. He received his degree of Bachelor Of Laws on June
16, 1908, and was soon afterward admitted to the bar. His partnership with his father began in the same year.
Shelby Cullison was married April 8, 1914, to Myrtle Benedict, of Woodbine, Iowa, a daughter of George Benedict. Mr. Cullison is a Republican in
politics and takes an active interest in political affairs, lending his assistance to the party during the campaigns and in the interest of the party candidates. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Harlan. He is a young man of whom much may be expected in the years to come, and has a host of friends who value his friendship highly.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 652-653.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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To be a native of the little kingdom of Denmark seems to be a guarantee of success as far as the Danish citizens of Shelby county, Iowa, are concerned. There is no nation in Europe where the people are more thrifty and when they come to America they become prosperous and substantial citizens whereever they choose to locate. One of the valued citizens of that country who is making a pronounced success in Shelby county is Louis Christensen, an automobile and implement dealer of Harlan. Corning to this country without any capital and starting in to work for twelve dollars a month, he has by honest methods and strict attention to his business accumulated considerable property and made himself a highly respected citizen of the county honored by his residence.
Louis Christensen, the son of Soren and Hedwig (Sorensen) Christensen, was born in Denmark in 1869. His father, born in 1820, was a life-long farmer and sailor and died in his native land in 1904. His mother, who was born in 1830, was the mother of six children, by two marriages and died in Denmark in 1907, Louis Christensen being the only child by the last marriage.
The education of Louis Christensen was received in Denmark and when a mere youth began to learn the trade of a blacksmith. When he reached
the age of twenty-three he decided to come to the United States where he felt that there were better opportunities for advancement. Accordingly, in the year 1892 he came to America and at once went to Iowa where several Of his countrymen had already settled. He located in Shelby county and
worked for the first four months on a farm for the munificent salary of twelve dollars a month. He then permanently settled in Harlan where he
has lived ever since. He took up his trade as a blacksmith in a shop in Harlan and shortly afterward bought a half interest in the shop with H. P.
Hansen. In 1895 they built a shop, forty-four by sixty-two feet, on East Market street, and in 1898 Mr. Christensen purchased the interest of his
partner. At the same time he decided to add another building and engage in the implement business. Accordingly, he built a building, forty-four by
eighty feet, adjoining his blacksmith shop, and stocked it with a complete line of agricultural implements. Later he added an automobile department
and now is the agent for the Studebaker automobile. He has built up a large trade by honest methods and close application and is recognized as one of the substantial business men of his city.
Mr. Christensen was married in 1908 to Ella Brodersen, who was born in 1879, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Brodersen. To this marriage
have been born two children, Elva and Helen. Mr. Christensen and his family are consistent members of the Danish Lutheran church and contribute liberally of their means to its support.
The Democratic party has claimed the hearty support of Mr. Christensen since coming to this country, although he has never had any inclination to be a candidate for a political office. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and takes an active interest in that fraternal
organization. He is essentially a self-made man and deserves a great deal of credit for the success which has attended his efforts since becoming a
resident of this county.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 655-656.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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One of the men who have conferred honor and distinction on the city of Harlan, Iowa, is William Fiske Cleveland. A man who has now reached the
allotted three score and ten years, he has been closely identified with the history, of Shelby county for the past thirty-seven years and in that time has
been one of the leaders in everything pertaining to its welfare. As a private citizen, as a public official and as a man interested in public spirited' enterprises of all kinds, he has made a record which has made his name known throughout the state of Iowa. It is not possible within the limits of this
article to treat his life in detail but enough will be set forth to show the important place he has occupied in the history of his county.
William F. Cleveland, the son of George Washington and Almira (Barrett) Cleveland, was born August 30, 1844, at Waterville, Oneida county, New York. His father was born in 1808 in the same county, at the town of Westmoreland, and died December 4, 1884. His grandparents were Anson and Mehitable (Hammond) Cleveland. Anson Cleveland was born in Mansfield county, New York, December 24, 1777, and died May 5, 1832. Mehitable Hammond was born in Coventry, Connecticut, November 2, 1774, and died in 1868. When the wife of Anson Cleveland was a small girl she stood
on the continental road and watched George Washington and his soldiers march by as they were on their way from Boston to New York. The mother
of William F. Cleveland was born at Wilton, New Hampshire, August 27, 1808, and died March 11, 1886.
George Washington Cleveland was educated in the schools of Westmoreland, New York, and then entered the University of New York from which he graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in the spring of 1831. He first practiced his profession at Homer, Michigan, for two years, after which he removed to Sherburne, New York. He practiced in this place a few years and then permanently located in Waterville, New York, where he followed his profession until his death fifty years later. As a physician he ranked among the best in the state of New York and was called into
consultation in all parts of the state. Dr. Cleveland was married October 10, 1832, to Almira Barrett, the daughter of Benjamin Fiske and Betsie (Garrish) Barrett. Mr. Barrett was born January 16, 1770, at Billerica, Middlesex county, New York, and died at Springfield, New York, October 31, 1844. Mrs. Barrett was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, November 10, 1774, and died December 17, 1836. Dr. Cleveland and wife were the
parents of four children: Alice, George, William F. and Orlando. All of these children are now deceased except William F.
The education of William F. Cleveland was received in the schools of Waterville and included the thorough training of the academy at that place.
After leaving the academy Mr. Cleveland clerked in a store in his native town until after the close of the Civil War. He then went to Nashville,
Tennessee, and clerked in a clothing store for two years. By that time he had come to the conclusion that there were great possibilities in the South for
business and decided to go to New Orleans and engage in the clothing business for himself. He went to the Crescent City and found employment in a clothing store as a clerk, thinking that he could in this way determine whether the city offered the opportunities which he had been led to think it had. In a short time he became a partner in the store where he first found employment and was in a fair way to make a name for himself in the commercial
life of that city. After living there eight years his health became impaired and he felt that he would have to seek more congenial climate on that account. Accordingly he sold out his interest in the store and secured a position with the United States government as a contractor. The government sent him to the state of Wyoming at his request and there he remained for the next two years during which time he recovered his health. Wishing to again engage in business for himself he resigned his position with the government and came to Shelby county, Iowa, where he opened up a general mercantile establishment in the fall of 1877. He remained at Shelby until 1885, when he was elected to the position of treasurer of Shelby county and was compelled to move to Harlan, the county seat. He was re-elected to the same office at the expiration of his first term and served until 1889. He has now been in the county for twelve years and had so conducted his affairs as to win the unqualified endorsement of his fellow citizens: His education and wide experience enabled him to take a broad and intelligent view of public policies and his party were insistent that he be nominated for the important position of state senator.
The year 1889 marks the entry of Mr. Cleveland in politics and his subsequent career has reflected great credit on his county as well as his state.
He was elected as senator from the senatorial district of Shelby and Cass counties in that fall and in the following session of the General Assembly took a leading part. He was made the chairman of the committee on appropriations and was instrumental in getting the legislature to pass the one hundred and fifty thousand appropriation for the Iowa state building at the World's Fair which was held at Chicago in 1893. He introduced the bill
which provided that all capital punishments should tale place in the penitentiary but, owing to the house being Republican, the bill was defeated although supported by public opinion. The same bill was introduced by a Republican in the succeeding session and passed, a fact which does not take from Mr. Cleveland the hOnor of being very largely responsible for it being placed on the statute books of the state.
While a member of the state legislature Mr. Cleveland was elected cashier of the Harlan Bank and, upon serving out his term as senator, he
assumed the duties of that position. He filled the position of cashier for four years and then resigned to engage in the hardware business in Harlan. He continued in this business under the name of W. F. Cleveland &. Company for the next eight years and then disposed of his interests in the company and entered the real estate field, where he has since made a pronounced success. He has been dealing largely in Arkansas land and has built up a big business in that state.
In the year 1910, the Democratic party of his congressional district prevailed upon him to accept, the nomination for Congress and, although the
Republican majority in the district has always been overwhelming, yet he made the best fight that has ever been made in his district. His opponent
was Walter L. Smith and although he was elected, Mr. Cleveland reduced the normal Republican majority from nine thousand to less than two thousand, a fact which bears ample testimony as to his standing in his district. In 1912, Mr. Cleveland was a candidate for presidential elector in his district on the Democratic ticket and led his ticket by five thousand, being triumphantly elected. He not only had the honor of carrying the election returns to Washington but was the first Democrat within the past sixty years to go to Washington to carry the Iowa vote for a Democratic president.
The history of Mr. Cleveland would not be complete without mention of his connection with Masonry. He has for many years been one of the
leaders in the fraternity in his state and at the present time is devoting his time to the preparation of the Masonic history of the state of Iowa. In view
of the fact that Mr. Cleveland is the leader of the Masonic fraternity in his state it seems eminently fitting to give his Masonic record in detail.
He was initiated October 25, 1865; passed November 8, 1865; raised December 12, 1865. These three degrees were conferred in Sanger Lodge No. 129, located at Waterville (New York). In 1866 he was affiliated with Phoenix Lodge, No. 131, at Nashville, Tennessee, and three years later transferred his membership to Quitman Lodge, No. 76, at New Orleans, being elected worshipful master of the latter lodge in 1877. He was affiliated with Parian Lodge, No. 321, at Harlan, Iowa, in 1887 and was elected worshipful master of that lodge in 1898. He was erected senior grand warden of the grand lodge of Iowa in 1901 and in 1906 was made grand master of the grand lodge of Iowa. The grand lodge of the state of Iowa recognized him as peculiarly well fitted to write the Masonic history of the state and in 1909 made him the official historian of the fraternity for the state of Iowa, and he completed the history June 10, 1914.
His connection with the Royal Arch began in 1867, when he was exalted in Cumberland Chapter. The Royal Arch was installed in Harlan in 1886
and he then transferred his membership to Olivet Chapter, No. 107, at Harlan. He was elected high priest of the Harlan Chapter in 1894 and in the
following year (1895) was elected grand scribe of the grand Royal Arch chapter of Iowa. This honor was followed by his election as grand king in
1896, deputy grand high priest, in 1897 and grand high priest of the grand chapter in 1898. He was president of the Order of High Priesthood from
1900 to 1906, was re-elected to this position in 1908 and is still filling the office. He has served on the committee on correspondence of the grand chapter since 1902. He has been the grand representative of the grand chapter of the District of Columbia since 1890. He was elected president of the correspondence round table of the United States at Indianapolis, Indiana, in the year 1912 and is still filling this position.
Mr. Cleveland became a member of the Council at Nashville, Tennessee, in 1868, that being the first council organized within the state of Tennessee. He organized Adaphi Council, No. 4, at Harlan, Iowa, in 1890 and was thrice illustrious master for four years. He organized the grand council of Iowa in 1900 and in the same year was elected deputy grand master, being elevated to the grand mastership in the following year. He has been grand representative of the grand council in New York since 1901. He was elected general grand steward of the general grand council in 1903 and elevated to the office of general grand marshal in 1906. His election to the position of general grand conductor followed in 1909. In 1912 he was elected general grand captain of the guard at Indianapolis, Indiana.
Mr. Cleveland became a member of the Order of Knights Templar at New Orleans, in 1872, becoming a member of the Indivisable Friends Commandery, No. 1. He organized Mt. Zion, No. 19, at Harlan, Iowa, in 1886, being the first eminent commander of the commandery. He was elected
grand junior warden of the grand commandery of Iowa in 1888, grand captain general in 1889, deputy grand commander in 1890 and grand commander
in 1891. He was appointed grand representative of the grand commandery of Tennessee, in 1893, and still holds the position. He was chairman of the semi-centennial anniversary of the grand commandery of the state of Iowa which was held at Templar Park, Spirit Lake, Iowa, July 15, 1914. He was elected as an honorary member of the grand commandery of the state of Missouri at Springfield, Missouri, in May, 1913.
Mr. Cleveland received the degrees from the fourth to the thirty-second in October, 1907, in the Zarepath Consistory, Scottish Rite, at Davenport,
Iowa. He received the honorary degrees of the Knights Commander of the Court of Honor in the supreme council in October, 1913, at Washington,
D. C. He received the degrees in Kalp Chapter of the Acacia fraternity at Ames, Iowa, April 20, 1912. He was appointed a member of the committee on grand lodge recognition by F. W. Craig, grand master, in February, 1911.
Mr. Cleveland was married October 2, 1871, to Kate L. Collins, the daughter of Eli A. and Anna Collins. She was born at Galena, Illinois; her
father was born in Pennsylvania and her mother in Ohio. To this first union of Mr. Cleveland were born two children, William John and Anna. The son
died in 1876 and the daughter is the wife of W. W. Belknap and makes her home in New York. The first wife of Mr. Cleveland died August 18, 1885,
and on February 16, 1893, Mr. Cleveland was married to Mrs. Ella (Noble) Pratt, the daughter of Peter and Susan Noble, both natives of Clinton county,
Ohio. Mr. Noble was born June 11, 1831, his wife on June 18, 1836; he died October 7, 1913, and she passed away on June 3, 1889. Mr. Noble was a young man when he moved from Ohio to Indiana and lived in the latter state for a number of years on a farm south of Indianapolis. From there
he moved to Plattsville, Wisconsin, where he was engaged in the implement business for several years. Mr. Noble then removed to Walnut, Iowa, and became interested in the grain business and in 1884 located in Harlan where he lived until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Noble were the parents of six children: Edward P., Willard, Ella, Herman, Carrie and Leona. All of the children are still living.
Mr. Cleveland and wife have two children, William Fiske and Dorothy, both of whom are still living with their parents. They are being given the
best education possible in order to become useful members of society. The family home is one of the most beautiful in the city of Harlan and is located on West Baldwin street. Mr. Cleveland has one of the finest as well as the most valuable libraries in the county. The family are members of the Episcopal church and interested in the work of their church. Mr. Cleveland has taken a hearty interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of his city. He and his family are connected with various societies and organizations in their city and have always given their unreserved support to all worthy measures. Thus it may be seen that Mr. Cleveland has filled an important place in the history of his town, county and state, while as a Mason, he is known throughout the United States. In everything with which he has been connected he has conducted himself in such a way as to merit the high esteem of his fellow citizens and he has made a name for himself which is a credit to his home city and an honor to his family.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 656-661.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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