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he removed to Traer. His son James settled on section 8, where he still lives. He has served two terms in Congress and has been elected for a third. His son Peter is a successful farmer and resides also on section 18. His son Allen is a stock dealer and resides in Traer. West W., another son, has been a prominent citizen of Traer for a number of years.

JOHN WILSON was born in the parish of Girvan, in 1811, in Ayrshire, Scotland, and in 1842 moved to Wigtownshire, where he lived until 1851, then came to America with his family and settled in Norwich, Connecticut. He came to this county in September, 1854, and entered land on section 17, Perry township where he settled in the spring of the following year. Mr. Wilson’s first wife was Jean McCosh, who died May 16, 1881. He was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, March 7, 1815. They had nine children when they came to America, all of whom were under sixteen years of age. They have had five children since coming to this county, and of their family of fourteen children, six sons and five daughters are still living. Two sons, Peter and John served in the Union Army during the rebellion. The former belonged to the 14th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and the latter to the 1st Iowa Cavalry. Mr. Wilson’s present wife’s maiden name was Martha J. Stoakes, born in Ohio, where she was married to J. P. Hopkins, who died at Wellsville, Ohio. She was again married to L. S. Cope, with whom she came to Tama county in the fall of 1854. Mr. Cope entered land in Perry township, and there resided for ten years, then removed to Waterloo, Black Hawk county, where he died October 9, 1873. Mrs. Wilson has one son by her first marriage—John S. Hopkins—now a resident of Clark township. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson were married August 8, 1882. Mr. Wilson’s family is one of the best known and influential in Tama county. They are members of the Presbyterian Church.

LYMAN CODY, of Wyandotte county, Ohio, a carpenter by trade, came in 1855, and made his claim on section 29, where he yet remains. Mr. Cody was born in Portage county, Ohio, May 23, 1828. When eight years of age his father bought a large track of land in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and moved there with his family. He lived but one year in Pennsylvania, then returned to Ohio and kept tavern near Cleveland for one year, and again pulled up stakes and moved to Wyandotte county, where he kept tavern for three years in Little Sandusky. He then moved to Carey, where he died two years later. The subject of this sketch when twelve years of age engaged with a carpenter to learn the trade. He worked at his trade in Ohio, until 1850, when he started for California by way of New York and the Isthmus. He engaged in mining in Sierra county the most of the time for three years, and then returned to Ohio. He worked at his trade in Carey, until 1855, when he came to Iowa to seek a home. He entered land on section 29, township 85, range 14, now known as Perry township. He hauled lumber from Muscatine, 120 miles distant, and built a house in which he lived until 1868, when he built the house in which he now lives. He has been a successful farmer, and now has 200 acres of well improved land. He

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Bertha L. After his marriage he settled on the northwest quarter of section 23, a part of his father’s homestead. He now resides there.

GORHAM GREENLEAF, a native of Massachusetts, came also in 1855 and preempted a quarter on section 22, where he improved the land, and remained until 1867, when he sold out and went to Waterloo and engaged in the business of manufacturing soap a few years, and afterward removed to Providence, Rhode Island, where he now lives.

A carpenter by the name of GEORGE SLOSS, a native of Scotland, came here from Chicago that year and settled on section 7, where he yet remains, and in company with his son owns and operates the flouring mill at Traer.

Another native of Scotland, GILBERT McDOWELL, came the year following and located on section 18. He improved his land and remained there until recently. He now makes his home with his children—John B. and Gilbert, and who are prosperous farmers of this township.

M. L. SEAMANS, of Erie county, New York, came from McHenry county, Illinois, in 1855, and entered the northeast quarter of section 21, then returned to Illinois and spent the winter. The following spring he returned and settled at West Union. In 1857 he settled on his land, where he still resides. Mr. Seamans was born in Erie county, New York, February 23, 1831. He was reared on a farm and was given advantages, so that he acquired a good common school education. It 1852 he commenced teaching in his native county, and in 1854 went to Illinois and engaged in teaching in Algonquin, McHenry county, until January, 1855, when he came to Iowa and entered land on section 21, Perry township. He returned to Illinois and remained until 1856, when he moved here with his family. He bought lots in the growing town of West Union and built a house, which he sold in 1857. He has taught in Iowa for a number of years, and among the places where he has tried his skill in teaching the young idea how to shoot, we find the names of Eden, Benton county, West Union, Buckingham and Baker’s Grove. Of late he has devoted his time to farming. In 1854 he was united in wedlock to Miss Kate H. Evans, of Chautauqua county, New York, and they have three children respectively named Willie L., Charles H. and Erwin D.; another named Susan Celestia, died in infancy.

DEXTER HIGGINS, a native of York State, also came here in 1855, and located on section 23. He sold out in 1857 and moved to West Union, where a few years later he died.

The following year ANDREW COLLINS, a native of Indiana, located on the northeast quarter of section 31. In 1861 he removed to Illinois remained until 1868, when he returned to his farm and now lives there. Mr. Collins was born in Washington county, Indiana, August 26, 1823. His marriage to Miss Clementine Parr, of Johnson county, Indiana, took place March 16, 1852. He then settled on a farm that he had previously purchased in Washington county. After coming to Iowa in 1856 and purchasing land, he built a house, but only remained until 1861, when he returned to Indiana and rented land in Johnson county. He stayed...

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and returned to his home. Mr. Van Vliet was married to Nancy M. Parish, in 1845; she died April 12, 1873. He remained in York State about five years, then moved to Illinois, and bought land in Lake county. He improved the land, built a house and lived there until 1854, when he came to Iowa and entered land on section 36, of township 86, range 14, now known as Buckingham, in Tama county. He lived there until 1859, when he came to Perry township, and settled on the northwest quarter of section 1, where he now lives. Mr. Van Vliet lives with his nephew, Fred C. Van Vliet. Fred was born in Lake county, Illinois, September 22, 1847. When he was five years of age, his father went to California, and two years later, his mother moved to Michigan, and died there when her son was nine years old. Two years later he came to Iowa to make his home with his uncle Henry. He was married March 12, 1872, to Miss Flora A. Quintard, of Knox county, Ohio. They have three children, named Olive, Ella and Maggie. Mr. Van Vliet’s farm is on the northwest quarter of section 1.

DRYDEN BARBOUR came to Tama county, in 1858. He was born in Canton, Hartford county, Connecticut, April 4, 1815. He spent his early years on his father’s farm, in the district school, and in his brother’s shoe shop, until, at the age of 19, he went to the State of Alabama in the capacity of a Yankee clock peddler. He continued in that business for seven or eight years, in Alabama, Pennsylvania and Ohio, then he returned to Connecticut, and was married to Miss Jane Wilcox, March 16, 1843, who was also a native of Canton. He bought a farm and remained in his native town six years.

In 1849, Mr. Barbour moved to Wakeman, Huron county, Ohio, where he remained nine years. In the spring of 1858, he sold out in Ohio, and moved to Tama county, Iowa. In 1861, he bought the southeast quarter of section11, in Perry township, one mile east of Traer, where he still resides with his son Henry, who carries on the farm. Mr. Barbour was the father of six children, three of whom together with their mother, have passed away.

In addition to those who have been already mentioned, the following may be named as sound, substantial residents of Perry township; Andrew McCOSH, Nathan WHITE, James LOGAN, Thomas SHERETT, William WORDEN, William LODER, Andrew LAW, John HELLER, James W. AND David M. STUART, AlbertT G. CONE, James CRON, George M. FRANKSA, Henry M. HEALY, Thomas L. KNIGHT, Robert A. SCOTT, Adin ANTRIM, Alexander S. McPHERRAN and others.

ANDREW McCOSH was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, January 9, 1823. In his younger days he attended school, and later worked on a farm. He was married in Scotland on the 20th of April, 1847, to Miss Elizabeth Sloss, who was born in Ayrshire, March 17, 1822. Andrew was employed at farming in his native shire, until 1852, when he came to America. He first located in Lisbon, Connecticut, where he engaged in farming two years, then came to Davenport, Iowa, at which place he was employed in a saw mill for two years, and in a flour mill for four years. He then came to Tama county and bought...

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was erected across the line in Buckingham township. Services were held in this school house until 1868, when a church edifice was erected in the village of Buckingham.

SOLOMON WEST INGHAM, was born in the town of Dryden, Cayuga county, N. Y., February 9, 1812. His father, Solomon Ingham, was a native of Connecticut, and his mother, Deborah (West) Ingham, of Massachusetts. His father died when he was but seven years of age. At this time the family were living in what is now Fayette county, Indiana, where they had removed the previous year. On their arrival in this then frontier country, they found only three white families living in the county, while there were between 3,000 and 4,000 Indians, who at the time had just received their annuity, and were having a drunken frolic previous to their removal to a new reservation a little farther in the direction of the setting sun. Before leaving his eastern home, young Ingham had the privilege of attending school, his first term being when but three years of age. On his removal to Indiana, he could not enjoy that privilege for a time, there being no schools at any convenient point. From his sixth to his fifteenth year the total time of attendance at school would not exceed three months. When fifteen years of age he was apprenticed to a hatter for five years, but purchased the last year of his time. He continued to work at his trade three years longer, when he concluded to abandon it. After leaving this business he attended school five weeks. Realizing how little he knew, for two years, after his day’s work was done, he studied by firelight until a late hour of night, by which time he was qualified to teach the various branches usually taught in the schools of that day. From that time until 1840, he taught school in the winter months, and worked as a carpenter in summer. When nineteen years of age, he was converted and united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and about one year after was made a Class Leader.

In 1836 he was united in marriage with Lydia Ann Gadd, Shelby county, Indiana. Five children blessed this union, four of whom grew to manhood and womanhood, one of whom has for many years been an influential minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church — REV. S. W. INGHAM, Jr.

In 1837, the subject of the sketch was licensed as a local preacher, and for three years labored in Indiana, while at the same time teaching, and working at the carpenter’s trade. In 1840, with his family, he came to Iowa, and united with the Confrerence, and was assigned to the Marion circuit in Linn county, where he remained two years, and was then transferred to Cedar county, where he also spent two years. His next appointment was to the Pleasant Valley circuit, where he remained but six months, and was then compelled to cease preaching, his voice having failed him. For three years afterwards he was an invalid. Recovering his health, in a measure, he traveled with a team, selling goods on the frontier and to the Indians. In 1847, his wife died, and in 1848 he married Rebecca Husband, in Washington county Iowa. In 1852, having recovered his health and voice, he was again assigned to duty in the ministry, being appointed to the northern Iowa circuit, embracing eleven

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