tural pursuits and with this purpose in view located in Wellington, Ohio. After eighteen years residence in the Buckeye state he removed to Iowa, locating on two hundred and twenty acres of land in Story county, where he still resides. His farming has always been conducted along thoroughly scientific and businesslike methods. His stock is well sheltered and cared for, all sheds, pens and barns being kept in a thoroughly sanitary condition, while the latest models in machinery and most up-to-date processes in drainage and fertilization are employed in the cultivation of the fields. He has given as much study to agriculture and as careful regard in its pursuit as he would have bestowed upon the details of any profession or industry, all of which is indicated by the general air of prosperity which surrounds his homestead.
Mr. Eckels was married to Miss Jennie Wadsworth, a daughter of Benjamin Wadsworth, of Wellington, Ohio, one of the extensive land-owners and prominent farmers of that section of the state. Mrs. Eckels is a well educated and highly cultured woman, an alumna of the Oxford University of Oxford, Ohio, one of the oldest and best educational institutions in the state. She is a descendant of Captain Wadsworth 0f Massachusetts, who hid the charter of the state in the old Charter Oak, and the poet Longfellow was connected with the same family on his mother's side. Mrs. Eckels also has the distinction of being a descendant of General Putnam of Revolutionary fame. Both she and her husband belong to good old American families who have been connected with the history of the country since colonial days and are eligible to various societies whose membership depends on Revolutionary lineage.
They are the parents of eight children, who are as follows : Elmer Palmer is living in Illinois. Jennie Wadsworth became the wife of George G. Hutchinson, cashier of the First National Bank at Lake City, Iowa. She was a student of Overland College, while Mr. Hutchinson is a graduate of the Iowa State University. Herron Ames married Bertha Chapman, of Wellington, Ohio, who was a teacher in the Cleveland high school. Frank Johnston is a graduate of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, that state, and is now practicing law at Fort Smith, Arkansas. He attended the Iowa State College at Ames for two years and the University of Michigan for three. Maria was a student at Ferry Hall and later at Oxford College at Oxford, Ohio. She married Raymond Hutchinson, a graduate of the Iowa State University, who is now the cashier of a bank at Rockwell City, Iowa. James Starr is deceased. Benjamin Wadsworth and Margaret Davidson are attending school in Nevada.
The family always attend the services of the Presbyterian church, of which the parents are members. They are a family of unusual refinement and education and hold a prominent social position in the community where they reside, their home being noted for its hospitality and the gracious cordiality accorded all guests. Mr. Eckels has been a resident of Story county for only nine years, yet that time has sufficed for him to impress his per-