CHAPTER XXXII FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP (CONT'D)

REPRESENTATIVE MEN.

Among the men who are residents of Franklin township to-day, the following have been selected, as the most prominent in view of showing of what excellent material the population of this sub-division of Cass county is composed. It is no wonder that, with many such men, the township is fast progressing to a front rank and a foremost place in the county. James S. Morgan, resides upon section 7, Franklin township, where he owns two hundred and forty-five acres. He entered the eighty on which he resides, and an eighty adjoining on section 8, in 1855, but did not locate here until 1864. He was born in Richland county, Ohio, July 24, 1825. His early years were spent in his native State, and he was there married to Rebecca Steele, a native of the same county, born in 1832. He came to Iowa in 1856, and located in Jasper county, where he lived until he came to Cass county in 1864. His parents, Jacob and Mary Morgan, settled in Belmont county, Ohio, at an early day. Jacob Morgan died in Ohio. His wife died in Jasper county. Mrs. Morgan's parents, James and Elizabeth Steele, were brought in Pennsylvania, and afterward settled in Richland county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan have three children---Harry S., now in California; Alice, wife of Edward Berg, and George Franklin, at home with his parents. William Wood was born in Derbyshire, England, on the 30th day of October, 1838, and is the son of Samuel and Matilda (Cartlidge) Wood. When about six years of age he came with his parents to America, and located in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he was reared and educated. In January, 1865, William came to Cass county, Iowa, and settled in Franklin township. In March, 1873, he removed his family to section 10, where he now owns one hundred and forty acres of land, thirty acres of which are timber. He was married in Cass county in April, 1866, to Harriet Turner, a native of England, who when quite young came to America, where her parents died, and are buried in Jameson cemetery, this county. Mr. and Mrs. Wood have five children living---Charles A., Lenora A., Walter W., Hattie and Samuel. William died in August, 1868, aged one month, and Jessie K. died in August, 1875, at the age of five months. Mr. Wood was elected to the office of justice of the peace in November, 1880, and has been township assessor, trustee, supervisor and school director. He is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the Odd Fellows' organization. Mrs. Sarah Robinson, widow of James Robinson, lives upon the northeast quarter of section 3, where she settled with her husband, in April, 1865. The farm was then unimproved, with the exception of the breaking of about two acres. James Robinson was born in Londonderry, Ireland, in 1826. He came to the United States with his parents, when about fifteen years old. The family settled nears Pittsburg. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were married in Pennsylvania, in March 1849. They emigrated to Jasper county, Iowa, in 1858. One year later, they came to Cass county and settled on the farm of his brother-in-law, Joseph Turner, in the town of Pymosa, which he broke and fenced. They remained on the place three years, then removed to a farm, at Grove City, where they lived three years. Mr. Robinson died July 2, 1865, about three months after locating in Franklin township. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson had nine children born to them, all of whom are living. Robert, now in Colorado, James A., in Adair county; Joseph W., in Benton township; William, living at home with his mother; Emma, wife of F. M. Hemphill; Clifton, at home; Hattie M., Agnes C. and Alice B. Mrs. Robinson was formerly Sarah Turner, a daughter of Robert Turner. She was born in England in 1825, and came to this country with her father's family. Her farm contains two hundred acres. Henry H. Most settled in 1866, on section 31, where he now resides. He was born in the province of Hesse, Germany, in 1828. He came to the United States in 1865. He has been twice married. His first wife died in this town, March 29, 1872. He again married to Susanna Heyman, a native of Hesse, Germany, born in 1840. She came to this country in 1866. By the first union there were five children: Philip, Ernest, Anna, Lizzie and a little girl, born November 3, 1871, whose death occurred February 16, 1872. By the second wife there was one son---George. S. J. Roe settled in 1866, on the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 17, where he still resides. This is one of the first farms opened in this township. It contains three hundred and sixty acres, for which Mr. Roe paid five dollars per acre, and is all under cultivation. He was born in Chenango county New York, in the town of Norwich. When he was five years old his parents removed to Knox county, Illinois, where he lived until 1864. In that year he came here and purchased his farm, then returned to Knox county and enlisted in company A, of the Thirtieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war. His first regiment was attached to the Seventeenth army corps. He participated in numerous engagements, and in Sherman's march from Atlanta to the sea. He located upon his present farm soon after the close of the war. His wife was formerly Nancy Swim, a native of Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Roe have seven children: Leroy, Edwin, Robert, Jack, Lilly, Fanny and Florence. Mrs. Tabitha Bartles, widow of Nicholas Bartles, resides on eighty acres that is on Section 22. She owns a farm, eighty acres of which is on section 27. Nicholas Bartles was born in Fulton county, Illinois, April 9, 1842. He enlisted in the Forty-seventh Illinois Infantry, March 8, 1865, and served until the close of the war. He came to Cass county after the war, and was married in 1870, to Tabitha Eller, a daughter of Jesse Eller. The settled soon after marriage, upon the farm where Mrs. Bartles now lives. Mr. Bartles' death occurred in 1880. Mrs. Bartles was born in Jefferson county, Iowa, in 1848. She is a daughter of one of the early settlers of the county. She has three sons: Jesse F., Clarence E. and Charles O. John McKnight settled upon section 31, his present residence, in 1870. His first purchase was forty acres, to which he has added until he now owns two hundred and forty acres. He was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, September 19, 1837. His early life was spent in his native county. He enlisted in 1861 and served until the close of the war. He was at the battle of Antietam, South Mountain, second battle of Bull Run, siege of Atlanta, siege of Vicksburg and Sherman's march to the sea. After the war he returned to Ohio, where he remained until he came to Iowa, in 1867. He lived three years in Poweshiek county, then came to Cass county. Mrs. McKnight was formerly Rachel Forney, a native of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. McKnight have five children: Callie P., Ulysses G., Elsie B., Frank W., and Dollie M. Mr. McKnight is an enterprising and successful farmer. John M. Engle lives upon section 27, where he owns one hundred and twenty acres. He settled here in the spring of 1870, purchasing his land of Samuel Baumer and A. S. Walker. The farm was wholly unimproved, he being the first settler upon it. Mr. Engle was born in Menard county, Illinois, in 1827, and was there reared to agricultural pursuits. He decided, on attaining manhood, to learn the wagon makers' trade and followed wagon and carriage making for a number of years. He lived in Illinois until he came to Iowa in 1870. At the age of fifteen years he became a member of the Church of God, and, several years later, was made an elder and bishop of that denomination. On one occasion the brethren of the church, met and chose him as elder and pastor, in which capacity he served some years. He began preaching in 1872 and continued to preach regularly for a number of years but was compelled, some time since, to abandon it, on account of a bronchial trouble. He was married in Illinois to Mary Jane Smith, a native of Morgan county, Virginia. She removed with her parents to Illinois when seven years old. Mr. and Mrs. Engle have had nine children born to them, only two of whom are living: Fred, born in Illinois in 1864 and Leonard, born in 1865. Of their seven deceased children, four died in June, 1876, between the 18th and 22d. In Portland, Maine, on the 18th of February, 1833, Charles W. Simonton was born, his father being Benjamin Simonton, a native of Maine, who fought in the War of 1812. His mother, Anne Buck, was born in Dorchester, New Brunswick. Charles remained in Maine until twenty years of age, when he moved to Illinois, and resided, in Henry county, until the year 1872, when he came to Cass county, Iowa. His mother died in April, 1883, being at the time of his death about eighty-seven years old. In Illinois, Charles was united in marriage with Hannah E. Watrous on the 24th of April, 1869. By their union they have been blessed with five children, whose names are: Sarah M., aged fourteen; Arthur R., aged eleven; Nellie E., aged nine; Melville C., seven; and Eddie B., four. Mr. Simonton is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 10, in Franklin township. Jamison Lamoreaux, son of Darius and Ellen (Darling) Lamoreaux, was born February 17, 1847, in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania. He was reared and educated in his native State. When he was eighteen years of age, his father, who was a farmer, moved to Mason county, Illinois. The subject of this sketch came to Cass county, Iowa, in 1874, and settled then upon his present farm, which is located on Section 16, of Franklin township. It contains eighty acres and is all under cultivation. He is engaged in general farming. Mr. Lamoreuax was married to this county, April 26, 1877, to Elizabeth Pollock, a native of Pennsylvania. They have two children: Orris, born in May, 1878, and Blanche, born in December, 1880. Philip Dasher, owes his nativity to Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, having been born there on the second day of April, 1836, and is the son of John and Elizabeth Dasher. Philip came to the United States in 1854, and located in Pennsylvania about three months, when he moved to Warren county, Illinois, and began early life in agricultural pursuits. He remained in that county until 1870, when he came to Iowa, and located on section 15, Franklin township, Cass county, where he owns two hundred and forty acres of nicely cultivated land, and raises some of the finest stock in the county. Mr. Dasher was married in Warren county, Illinois, in October, 1866, to Anna Wisner, a native of Germany. Their union has been blessed with three children, whose names we learn are: George Philip, Anna M. and Harry. Mary K., died in 1874, aged two years. Mr. Dasher and family are prominent members of the Lutheran church. George Dalzell came to Cass County in 1873, and settled at that time, on section 3, where he now lives. He is a native of county Armagh, Ireland. He came to the United States in 1846, and settled in Pennsylvania, where he remained ten years. He then went to California, and lived upon the Pacific coast sixteen years. Mr. Dalzell was married in Pennsylvania, in 1841. Mrs. Dalzell was born in county Derry, Ireland, and came to this country in 1841. They have five children living---Anna, Charles, Lavina, George and Robert. Three have died, Anna J., who died in Pennsylvania; Elizabeth, who died in Idaho, and William, who was killed at the age of twenty, by the kick of a horse, in the fall of 1877. Charles is a teacher in the higher department of the Wiota school. Anna, also, has been engaged in teaching for several years. Mr. Dalzell's farm is two hundred acres, one hundred acres of which is on section 4. James W. Kelsey owns and resides upon the northwest quarter of section 33, where he settled in 1874. At that time the land was wholly unimproved, but he now has a fine farm in a high state of cultivation, and is an enterprising and successful farmer. In 1884 Mr. Kelsey had one hundred and ten acres of his farm planted to corn, which will probably average fifty bushels per acre. He has an orchard containing one hundred trees, and all of the land is well fenced. Mr. Kelsey was born in Saratoga county, New York, November 19, 1831, and was reared a farmer. In 1854 he went to Whiteside county, Illinois, and opened a farm of eighty acres. He came to this county from Sterling, Illinois. He was married to Martha E. King, a native of Vermont, and daughter of Hosea King. They have no children living. The have lost one son---Willie. Mrs. Catherine Euken resides on section 35, Franklin township, where she located with her family in 1876. Her farm contains one hundred and sixty acres of land, which, at the time of her purchase, was wholly unimproved, but is now well cultivated. Mrs. Euken is the widow of John R. Euken, a native of Germany, who emigrated to the United States with his family in 1869. The settled in Whiteside county, Illinois, upon a farm, where Mr. Euken died in the fall of 1872. The family came to Iowa for the purposes of getting more land than they then owned in Illinois. Mrs. Euken has five children, four sons and one daughter---Emke, Edward, Carl, Amelia and Herman, all of whom were born in Germany. David W. Paine came to Franklin in 1876, and settled on section 28, where he has a farm of two hundred and forty acres, all of which was unbroken prairie at the time of his purchase. He now has it fenced and other excellent improvements upon it. He has stables sufficient to accommodate many cattle, sheep and hogs, in the raising of which, Mr. Paine is largely engaged. His residence is on section 18, he having leased the farm above mentioned, for five years. He purchased the place on which he resides, in the fall of 1881. It contains one hundred and sixty acres, most of the improvements upon it have been made by Mr. Paine. It is a beautiful place. He makes a specialty of Short-born cattle and Poland China hogs, and is one of the most extensive breeders of fine stock in Cass county. He keeps, also, fine mutton sheep. Mr. Paine was born in Addison county, Vermont, in 1834. He remained in his native State until 1862, when he, with his family, came west and located in Whiteside county, Illinois, where he engaged in farming. They removed from that county to Cass. Mrs. Paine was formerly Marion Langdon, a native of Addison county, Vermont. They have five children---Lilly D., Lelia J., Wesley W., Leslie L., and Wilton A. Mr. Paine's parents, David and Eunice Paine, were also natives of the Green Mountain State. They had but two children---D. W. and a daughter, P. J.; the latter died in 1841, at the age of eleven years, and one week later her mother, also, departed this life. The father afterward married Caroline Ashley, who lived but three years after their marriage, when he again married; his third wife being Harriet Ashley, a sister of his second wife, who still survives. The father died in 1833. John Gentle was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, September 14, 1846. He was reared to the occupation of farming and at the age of twelve years, removed to Hancock county, Illinois, with his parents, William and Jerusha Gentle. William Gentle died in that county, June 6, 1868. His widow now lives at Bowen, Illinois. They had a family of ten children, four sons and six daughters. John, the subject of this sketch, is the only one of the sons now living. One son, George W., was killed at the battle of Antietam. Two of the daughters, Mrs. Mary E. Wood and Mrs. Martha A. Matchin, reside in this State, the former in Poweshiek county, and the latter, in Van Buren county. John Gentle was married to Elizabeth E. Howard, of Hancock county, Illinois. They have three children---Carrie I., Willis G. and Ralph Waldo, all of whom were born in Franklin township. Mr. Gentle's farm consists of the east half of the northwest quarter, and the west half of the northeast quarter of section 36, Franklin township. He purchased the first described land of John Connor, October 18, 1875, and the described of John Herbert, in March, 1882. Of the first, sixty acres were broken at the same time of his purchase. The latter, was mostly broken but not fenced. The farm is now all fenced and under good cultivation, with the exception of eight acres of slough. He built his residence and other buildings in 1875. He has upon his farm, the present year, (1884) seventy-five acres of corn, twenty acres of flax, eighteen acres of oats and twelve acres of wheat. Mr. Gentle is a thorough going and prosperous farmer. George Felt owns and resides upon the southeast quarter of section 23, Franklin township, where he settled in 1875. He purchased his farm in 1872, of Edward Felt, of Galesburg, Illinois. He made the first improvement upon this land in 1873, breaking forty acres. He now has one hundred and fifty acres broken and the entire tract fenced. In 1878 he built his present residence and planted an orchard of one hundred apple trees. Mr. Felt was born in 1852, in Adams county, Illinois, where he was reared upon a farm. His father Jeremiah Felt, native of New Hampshire, was one of the pioneers of Adams county, where he still lives. He settled there in 1830. George Felt is the only one of his father's family living in Cass county. He was married to Clara Smith, daughter of Joshua Smith, who came to this county in 1865, and now lives in Atlantic. Mr. and Mrs. Felt have two children---Garnet and Stanley. Politically, Mr. Felt is a Republican. He is one of Cass county's enterprising citizens.

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Transcribed by Deb Lightcap-Wagner, January, 2014 from:"History of Cass County, Together with Sketches of Its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Reporesentative Citizens", published in 1884, Springfield, Ill: Continental Historical Co., pp. 794-800.