JOHN E. GARDNER
John E. Gardner is the owner of two hundred and forty
acres of fertile land in Washington township but he now
resides in Cambria, where he has erected a modern home and
devotes a considerable portion of his attention to the
operation of a mill which he opened for grinding coarser food
stuffs. He was
born in McLean county, Illinois, in a log cabin near Sugar
Creek, December 21, 1846, and is a son of Hiram and Rachel
(Richards) Gardner. The
father was born in Perry county, Ohio, and passed away in
Tazewell county, Illinois, in April, 1870, while the mother, a
native of Muskingum county, Ohio, survived until 1905, in
which year she passed away at Cambria. In their family
were six children, four of whom are living: John E., our
subject; Benjamin F., a resident of Humeston; M. F., of
Cambria; and Mrs. Mary E. Henline, of Oklahoma. Mrs. Martha Decker
is deceased; and N. P. died in infancy. All of the children
were born in McLean and Tazewell counties, Illinois, where the
surviving members were reared.
The parents were early settlers of that state. The maternal
grandfather, Benjamin Richards, was one of the earliest
settlers of Illinois and had the distinction of having seen
George Washington on two different occasions.
John E. Gardner was reared under the parental roof and
when a boy removed with his parents to Tazewell county, where
he grew to manhood, assisting his father in the work of the
farm. He there
became acquainted with the best methods of agriculture which
later stood him in good stead and this knowledge was the
foundation of his later success. In 1876 he left Illinois and removed to
Nebraska but later returned to the former state and there
remained until 1892, when he purchased a farm one mile east of
Humeston, in Richman township, Wayne county, Iowa. Having sold this in
1899 he bought two hundred and forty acres in Washington
township, well improved, and he has since engaged largely in
the cultivation and improvement of his property. He also gives
considerable attention to the operation of a mill, the returns
from which enterprise bring him a gratifying income. He is a man of
sound judgment, energy and industry and through these
qualities, in connection with the use of modern methods, he
has attained prosperity and become one of the substantial men
of his locality.
Mr. Gardner was twice married, his first union being
with Miss Sarah M. Livesay, a native of Tazewell county,
Illinois, where she subsequently passed away. The wedding took
place in 1873 and three daughters were born thereof: Mrs. Paralee Davis,
a resident of Cambria; Alba O., who resides with her parents
at the same place; and Eva Minerva, of Des Moines, Iowa. Miss Alba O.
Gardner was born in Nebraska but the other two daughters are
natives of Illinois. After
the death of his first wife Mr. Gardner was married, in
February, 1892, to Miss Minnie M. Reemer, a native of Peoria
county, Illinois, and a daughter of William and Matilda
(Lobaugh) Reemer. Two
children were born of this union: Jess, born in 1894, who is attending
college at Iowa City; and Hiram Ray, who was born in 1895 and
attends high school at Corydon.
Mr. Gardner is a progressive republican in his
political affiliations and as a member of the school board has
done efficient service in the cause of education. He also has been
called upon to serve as trustee of Washington township, an
office which he fills at this writing. All measures that
stand for improvement along educational lines and are
undertaken to uplift the young find in him a ready supporter
who not only gives them his moral endorsement but is ever
ready to extend material help when needed. Public-spirited and
progressive, Mr. Gardner has become a force in local
development and while he has attained individual success has
been a helpful factor in general advancement as well. He has become
recognized as a forceful element in this locality, having won
by his sterling traits of character the high regard and
confidence of all with whom he has come in contact.