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Biographies of Residents
Sigourney Township
1880

Adams, J. M., insurance agent; was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1830; at an early age he was taken by his parents to Perry county, Ohio, and in 1852 came to this county and was engaged in teaching, and followed mercantile pursuits; he held the office of sheriff for two terms; filled the position of cashier of the Sigourney bank and remained such until it sold out to the First National Bank; he has had a large experience in insurance and express business, and at the present time is the agent of the United States Express Company; he represents the following insurance companies; Home, N. Y., North America, Philadelphia, Continental and Springfield Fire and Marine, Royal of England, North British Mercantile and Queen, besides various State companies; he married Miss Eunice I. McLean, in 1854; she was born in Green county, Ohio, and died in 1855; he married for his second wife Miss Susan C. Cissna, in 1857; she was born in Indiana; they have five children: Hattie I. (now Mrs. T. C. Weaver), Charles E., Milo A., Mary B., and Gertrude D.

Adams, R., blacksmith.

Adams, Joseph, farmer; was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1814, and raised there until 1821; he was raised a farmer and afterward learned the trade of blacksmith; he came to Washington county, Iowa, in 1839, and lived there until 1844, and since that time has made his home in Sigourney, where he worked at his trade for a long time; he owns a farm near town of 80 acres; he married Miss Mary Tracy, in 1839; she was born in Maryland and died August 11, 1879, leaving seven children: Margaret (now Mrs. Farra), Henry C., sheriff of the county, John B., Mattie A. (now Mrs. Ellis), James A., Mollie (now Mrs. Hay), and William.

Adams, H. C., sheriff of Keokuk county; was born in Washington county, Iowa, in 1844, and brought to this county by his parents the same year; he was raised a farmer; he enlisted in the Thirteenth Iowa Infantry during the late war, in Co. D., and after serving three years re-enlisted as a veteran; he was present at the battle of Pittsburg Landing, siege of Corinth, Vicksburg, and in the Atlanta campaign, and with Sherman in his march to the sea, and participated in the grand review at Washington; he was mustered out as orderly sergeant of Co. D; after returning to his home he worked at the trade of blacksmith, and in 1877 was elected sheriff, and again in 1879, re-elected to the same office; he married Miss Sophronia Minteer in 1871; she was born in Ohio; they have two children: Stella, and an infant daughter.

Abernethy, J. F., clerk.

Alexander, Mrs. A. E.

Allbright, Geo., farmer, Sec. 35.

Alsup, G. W., farmer, Sec. 20.

Alsup, T. F., farmer, Sec. 8.

Ames, J. W., farmer, Sec. 35.

Anchors, John, farmer, Sec. 35.

Anderson, J. T., hardware merchant; born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1847, and lived there until nine years of age, when his parents removed to Saux City, Wisconsin, where they resided eighteen months and then decided to settle in Washington county, Iowa, coming there in 1857; here the subject of this sketch was educated, and after a mercantile experience of four years came to this county in 1873, and connected himself with T. C. Cunningham, under the firm name of Cummingham & Anderson, dealers in hardware, agricultural implements and farm machinery; he married Miss Virginia I. Cunningham in 1872; she was born in Indiana; they have one daughter: Mary Victorine.

Applegate, J. H., principal of schools.

Armsstrong, Dr. J. N., dentist; born in Columbiana county, Ohio, in 1851, and lived there until 1865, when he removed to Iowa; he entered the office of Drs. Wilson & Denise, dentists, of Burlington, to learn his profession, after which he settled in this city, in 1876, and has since been engaged in the practice of dentistry; he married Miss Mary E. House in September, 1877; she was born in this county; they have one child; Lewallen.

Baird, J. C., station agent C. R. I. & P. R. R.; was born in Portage county, Ohio, in 1835, and resided there until 1845, when he was taken by his parents to Illinois; he enlisted in the 112th, Ill. Vol. Infantry during the late war, and was sergeant-major of the regiment, and was in the service three years and three months; came to this county in 1874, and has been connected with the company he now represents eight years; he married Miss Josephine Annison, of Cambridge, Henry county, Illinois, 1867; she was a native of New York; their family consists of five children: Raymond, Evelyn, Lucy, Henderson and Elsie.

Baines Brothers, dealers in general merchandise; the firm is composed of John M. and G. P. Banes (sic); they are natives of Ohio and came to this state in 1856 and settled in Henry county; they have been selling goods from boyhood, and may be said to have grown up in the business; they came to this county in 1872, and have built up a successful and profitable business and command a large trade.

Baldauf Bros. & Co., clothing dealers

Barker, W. H., farmer, Sec. 15; P. O. Sigourney; born in Vermont, August 12th, 1828; was raised there a farmer, until 1856, when he moved to Walworth county, Wisconsin; he remained there until February, 1860, when he moved on the place where he now resides; owns 215 acres of land; in 1851 he married Miss Laura Wilcox, a native of Vermont; they have one child; Alice B. (now Mrs. Page), who has two children: Anna L. and Lloyd S.; in 1861 he enlisted as a private in Co. F, Eighth Iowa Infantry; served for three years and participated in the battles of Pittsburg Landing,Vicksburg,  Corinth, and others; Mr. and Mrs. Baker are members of the M. E. Church; he also belongs to Lodge No. Ninety-eight I. O. O. F. and A. O. U. W., No. Sixty-two, Sigourney; he and his son-in-law, Mr. Page, run the farm and also have a blacksmith shop in connection.

Baker, J. N., farmer, Sec. 17.

Basil, Jeremiah, farmer, Sec. 8.

Basil, Stephen, farmer, Sec. 8.

Beatty, J. A., stock dealer.

Beatty, Wm., photograph artist; was born in Newark, Ohio in 1844, and remained in Ohio until 1855, when his parents removed to Wisconsin, where they lived until 1856, and then settled in Burlington, Iowa, and in 1857 he changed his place of residence to Johnson county, Missouri, and while living here learned the art of photography, in which occupation he has since been engaged; he came to this county in 1873; married Miss Katie Shanafelt, in February 1870; she was born in Mooresville, Indiana; they have four children: Lottie, Willie, Anna and James D.

Beatty, Thos., proprietor of the Beatty House; born in Missouri in 1814, and raised in that State; his youth was spent in attending school and in mercantile pursuits; he became a prominent merchant of St. Louis, and accumulated a large sum of money, which he lost in steamboat investments; came to Iowa in 1851, settling at Pleasant Plains, and in 1852 moved to Richland, Keokuk county, where he engaged in general merchandise and buying stock; this occupation he followed twenty years, and in 1872 changed his business, came to Sigourney and purchased the Beatty House; he married Miss Mary A. Taylor, in 1840; she was born in Virginia; they have five children: Catharine (now Mrs. McIndoe), James, Callie (now Mrs. Charlton), Mary, and Celia (now Mrs. Dr. Higgins).

Beard, Eliza, farmer, Sec. 17.

Belcher & Stranahan, beer saloon.

Belcher, Wm., billiard saloon; born in Stueben county, New York, in 1844, and was raised there a farmer; came to this county in 1867 and engaged in farming, and soon turned his attention to railroad building, and has been engaged on the B. & M. road, Burlington & Cedar Rapids, Chicago, R. I. & P., Muscatine & Western, St. Louis & Kansas City, and the C. B. & Q; his latest work was building the bridge across the river at Plattsmouth; he was married to Miss Amanda Moore in 1867; she was born in Ohio; they have four children; David, Sidney, Samuel and Harry; Mr. Belcher enlisted in the Eighty-sixth New York Infantry in the late war, and served two years, and was then transferred to the Fourth New York Heavy Artillery, and served two years and four months; his service was in the Army of the Potomac.

Bensmiller, Peter, farmer, Sec. 7.

Benton, Thomas H. M., barber; born in Morgan county, Missouri in 1847, and lived there until 1861, and then went to Kansas; from here to Monmouth, Illinois, where he resided some time, and then came to Iowa, and settled in Washington county, and came to this county February 27, 1871.

Berry, L. A., horse dealer.

Birtsch, Phillip, billiard saloon; born in Germany in 1853, and came to the United States in 1869, and settled in Pekin, Illinois, and came to this county in 1871; in 1874 he went to Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, returning in 1875; he married Miss P. Huodeck in 1879; she was born in Germany, and came to this country when young, and was raised principally in Washington county.

Birtsch, Jacob, meat market; born in Germany in 1833, and raised there until fifteen years of age; in 1848 he emigrated to America, and landed in Baltimore, and in 1851 went to Washington, D. C., and lived there until 1854; he came to Davenport in 1855, and to this county in 1869; he married Miss Catherine B. Jacobs in 1857; she was born in Germany; they have four children: Anna and Mary, twins, Jacob M. and George; lost five sons and two daughters.

Black, Joseph, farmer, Sec. 35.

Boegel, H. H., dealer in general merchandise; born in Waynesburg, Stark county, Ohio, June 1, 1822; he was raised there, and learned the trade of tailor, and followed the occupation in that state until April, 1855 when he came to this county; he owns a farm of forty acres. He was a member of the first city council; he enlisted in the Thirty-third Iowa Infantry, Co. B, and served three years; he married Elizabeth Mang in 1853; she was born in Jefferson county, Ohio; they have five children: Florence, Inez, William Charles and Ralph.

Boaton, S. W., retired farmer.

Bracken, R. F., merchant.

Brolliar, J. C., deputy sheriff; born in Richland township, Keokuk county, April 12, 1846, and was raised on a farm, and has divided his time between teaching and farming; he has held the office of justice of the peace and other township offices previous to his appointment as deputy sheriff; he married Miss Sarah Cox, February 28, 1872; she was born in this county; they have two children: Gill B. and Olga.

Brown, Granston, farmer, Sec. 35.

Brown, C. M., attorney, of the firm of Sampson & Brown; born in Knox county, Ohio, November 7, 1845; his early life was that of a farmer, but he had the advantage of the common schools and the high schools of the place, and entered the preparatory department of Kenyon College, Ohio; he came to this State in 1868, and settled in Muscatine county; he read law in the office of the Hon.Thomas Hanna, and was admitted to the bar in 1870, and graduated from the law department of the Iowa State University, in 1871, and July 6, the same year, he came to this county, and engaged in the practice of his profession, and has made it his home since that time; June 18, 1874, he married Miss Flora Sampson, a daughter of the Hon. E. S. Sampson, his law partner; they fruits of this union are two children: Eunice Anna and Roy Chase.

Brown, A. G., farmer and stock raiser; born in Virginia, in October 1823, and lived there until 1833, and then removed to Greene county, Ohio, and remained there until 1855, when he emigrated to Iowa, and settled in Sigourney, and engaged in banking and mercantile pursuits, and in this was very successful; he gradually bought up a large tract of land near the city, and now owns 1,140 acres of choice land; he closed out his mercantile business, and has since devoted his time to raising stock, and his returns from this, as well as other investments, have been attended with satisfactory results; he has always taken great interest in educational matters, and has been on the school board a large portion of the time; he is one of the directors of the First National Bank, and one of the largest taxpayers of Keokuk county, he married Miss Ettie Yerger in 1862; she was a native of Pennsylvania; they have two children: Harry B. and Stock.

Bowen, James, Sigourney.

Brunt, J. M.; born in Madison county, Indiana in 1837; when ten years of age his parents removed to Keokuk county and settled in Lancaster township; he was raised a farmer; he enlisted in the Thirty-third Iowa Infantry, August 13, 1862, and served three years; he was in various engagements, and was wounded at Helena, Arkansas; he has served the county four years as clerk of the courts, and one term as treasurer; he married Miss Mary A. Davis in 1859; she was born in Morgan county, Indiana; they have seven children: Viola M., Samuel, Lydia M., Isaac, Homer, John, and Ralph W.

Buck, Dudley, farmer, Sigourney.

Burkholder, Geo., farmer, Sec.2.

Byrne, N. P., farmer, Sec. 35.

Butler, M. H., grocer.

Cattell, J. B., dealer in general merchandise; is a son of Samuel G. Cattell, and Elizabeth, nee Hair; born in Ohio; his father was a native of New Jersey, and his mother of Pennsylvania; when young his parents removed to Indiana, where the boyhood of the subject of this sketch was spent as a farmer boy; in 1857 his parents removed to this county, where he remained engaged in the agricultural pursuits until he enlisted in the Thirty-third Iowa Infantry, and served three years; in 1867 his father engaged in mercantile pursuits, and became the successor of Brown & Yerger, in what was known as the New York Store; the house is one of the prominent ones of the city, and commands a full share of public patronage; he married Miss Eliza Loffer in 1867; she was born in Ohio; they have two children: Willie and Rettie.

Cattell & Co., merchants.

Cissna & Selby, merchants.

Cissna, G. W., merchant.

Cissna, J. B., carpenter.

Clark, J. T., stock-raiser and stock dealer; was born in New Hampshire in 1823, and moved to Ohio when young, and remained there until 1844, and then settled in Indiana, and lived there four years, coming to this county in 1850; for eight years he was engaged in the hotel business, and it was at his house that John Brown and James Lane of Kansas fame, had their first meeting; of late he has devoted his time to the stock business; he owns about 500 acres of land; he has been twice married, first to Miss Nancy Richards, in 1850; she was born in Ohio, and died in March, 1873; he married for his second wife Margaret Marks; their family consists of seven children: Mary (now Mrs. Shean), Kate, Charlie, Ella, Jennie, Nettie and George.

Clark, C. C., stock dealer.

Clubb, James, stock dealer.

Cook, G. B., retired.

Cook, S. D., M. D., physician and surgeon; was born in Knox county, Ohio, in 1832, and was raised in Knox and Delaware counties; he received a common school education, which was supplemented by attendance at the Wesleyan University at Mount Pleasant; he commenced the study of medicine in 1851, and was educated at the Starling Medical College at Columbus, Ohio, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, Iowa; in 1855 he came to Henry county, and engaged in the practice of his profession, and has been in constant practice since that time, excepting a short time he commanded a Company in the Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, previous to his being promoted to the Medical Staff of the Eighth Iowa Infantry; he was in the service three years; has pursued his chosen calling with untiring zeal and energy; he started on his professional career with a laudable ambition to succeed, and has not been disappointed; Dr. Cook is a man of acknowledged ability as a physician, and his services are recognized by a host of appreciating friends, and his kind and sympathetic nature makes him a welcome visitor in the sick room; he is known all over the county, and the respect shown him is as wide as his acquaintance; he is very kind to the poor and has ridden hundreds of miles to administer to their necessities without expectation of any compensation; he married Miss Jennie Moore in 1865; she was born in Henry county, Iowa; their family consists of five children: Ida E., Lulu, Homer, Roscoe, and Minnie.

Corbin, S. L., salesman.

Cowell, John, farmer, Sec. 18.

Covey, A., foundry.

Coy, John, farmer, Sec. 36.

Croneweth, J. W., grocer.

Crownweth, P., painter.

Crouse, N., farmer, Sec. 6.

Crouse, John, farmer, Sec. 5.

Cunningham, T.C., dealer in hardware, agricultural implements and farm machinery; was born in Franklin county, Indiana in 1842, where he was educated and raised in mercantile pursuits; he came to this State in 1868, and settled in Washington county, and in 1872 came to Sigourney and engaged in his present business; during the war he enlisted in the 11th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was discharged on account of disability; he afterwards re-enlisted and was appointed quartermaster sergeant of the 134th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and a considerable portion of the time was the acting quartermaster of the regiment; he married Miss Emma M. Pickett in 1878; she was born in Ohio; they have one daughter: Charlotte V.

Dana, G. B., farmer, Sec. 1; P. O. Sigourney.

Darner, P. J., farmer, Sec. 11; P. O. Sigourney.

Daut, George, bakery, lunch and refreshment house; born in Germany in 1827, and was engaged in mercantile pursuits and learned the trade of baker; he came to the United States in 1848; after a residence in various places he visited Australia, Alaska, California, Caraboo, Mexico and South America; when he concluded to return to the United States he was without money and worked his passage on board a steamer, and arriving in New York he borrowed $75 and returned to Germany, and came back in 1866, bringing with him $25,000 in gold and U. S. bonds; he invested largely in real estate in Sigourney and has made valuable improvements; he married Miss Mary T. Mitchell in 1866; she was born in Germany; their family consists of five children; Peter, Katie, Rosa, Lizzie and Willie; they lost one son: George.

Dern, W., grocer.

Detchon, F. R.

Disney, J. B., harness-maker.

Dobie, G. W.

Donnell, R. L., attorney.

Donnell, John A., attorney and counselor at law, was born in Decatur county, Indiana, in 1838; when sixteen years old he came to Iowa; he was educated at Washington College, and graduated in 1861; about the time of graduation, and a short time before, in conversation with the judge of the District Court, and a number of lawyers, about the war of Rebellion which had begun shortly previous, he stated his determination to enlist as a volunteer, which he did shortly afterward in a company which afterward became a part of the first cavalry; entering the service, he was promoted from one rank to another till he finally became adjutant of the regiment, which office he held at the time he resigned to accept the office of county clerk, to which he had just been elected; after serving acceptably in this office till the expiration of the term, he began the study of law under the instruction of G. D. Woodin; he was admitted to the bar in 1867, and the success which has attended him in the practice of his profession has been most extraordinary; there are few men of Mr. Donnell’s age and experience to whom has been committed the management of such important cases; the skill and ability which characterized his management of the “White  murder case” became a matter of common report in this and adjoining counties; besides being a close student in matters pertaining to his profession, Mr. Donnell gives a portion of his time to literary pursuits, and to him more than to any other one belongs the credit of maintaining one of the most interesting and successful literary societies in the State; Mr. Donnell is yet a comparatively young man, and has a long career of usefulness in store for him; in 1867 he married Miss Sue C. Hogin, daughter of Hon. J. C. Hogin; his family consists of five children: Una Z., Willie W., Birney, Orrella M., and an infant.

Downing, T., laborer.

Durland, A. F., coal dealer.

Dwyer, E., tailor.

Dwyer, James, farmer, Sec. 35.

Eastburn, William, farmer, Sec. 3.

Eckley, T.R., grain dealer; born in Ohio in 1831 and lived there until 17 years of age, and then came to this State in 1848; he learned the trade of blacksmith and wagon-maker and followed it as an occupation for many years; he spent two years in Van Buren county, and came to Lancaster, Keokuk county, in 1855; he owns 520 acres of land and his home is one of the choicest locations of the county; he held the office of postmaster in Lancaster for sixteen years; he married Miss Honora D. Hart in 1852; she was born in Washington county, Ohio, Sept. 29, 1829; by this union they have five children living; William T., Abraham L., Romaine, Mary and Maggie; Mrs. Eckley died Oct. 5, 1879, and we copy the following from the Sigourney News in a notice of her death; "She was a woman of retiring nature; had to be known to know her true worth; she had a strong desire for knowledge; she was a graduate of the Ladies' Seminary at Harmar, Ohio; to the last, her intellect was kept polished by study; granted a home, she neglected it not; blessed with children, for them she cared; a faithful wife and true mother, yet the ambiotion of her life was to educate her children; nothing prevented her from leading them into the sphere of knowledge; while in this sphere with them the morning came to her a brighter day; years ago she united with the Presbyterian church; clouds of doubt at times flitted across her sky of faith; those getting nearest to her Christian life should not her doubt; they caught the gleams that shone from a bright inner life-gleams that shone upon the path along which her spirit quietly ascended into a world of cloudless faith and higher knowledge."

Eckley, P.L., dealer in groceries and provisions; born in Ohio in 1824, and raised there a farmer; in 1848 he emigrated to Jefferson county, Iowa, and came to this county in 1852, and in 1856 he came to Sigourney; during the late war he enlisted as a private in the Eighth Iowa Infantry, and after serving three and one-half years was mustered out as second lieutenant; he engaged in his present business in 1869; has held the office of town trustee; he married Miss Mary Martin in 1849; she was born in Ohio and died in January, 1871, leaving two daughters: Elcina (now Mrs. Corbin), and Ella; he married for his second wife Mrs. Isabella McKibben, in May 1879; she was a native of Gloucester county, New Jersey, and was previously married, in 1851, to Robert McKibben, a native of Scotland, who died October 8th, 1865 leaving three sons: Robert, James and Joseph.

Ellis, E., restaurant.

Farra, J. R., proprietor of the Paragon Job Printing Office; born in Shenandoah county, Virginia, in 1837, and lived there until eighteen years of age; he learned the printer’s trade in the offices of the “Stanton Messenger” and “True American”; he came to Iowa in 1857 and settled in Sigourney, and in 1858 established the “Iowa Democrat,” in connection with S. B. Evans, now of Ottumwa, and continued it until the outbreak of the war, when he enlisted in Co. D, Thirteenth Iowa Infantry during the late war, and was captured at Holly Springs in December, 1862, and paroled in April 1863; he was discharged on account of disability; he returned to Sigourney and bought out the “Sigourney News,” which he afterwards sold out and established the “Review,” in connection with A. J. Kenney, and sold out in 1873; he then bought an interest in the “News” with J. W. Havens, and sold out in 1876 and went to California and had charge of the “California Daily and Weekly Star,” Los Angelos, for six months; he married Miss Margaret A. Adams, in 1858; she was born in Washington county, Iowa, and was the first white child born in Washington county, Iowa.

Fair, S. C., marble dealer.

Ferguson, J. M., saddler and harness-maker; born in Ohio, in 1825, and learned the trade of harness making; he moved to Washington county, Iowa  in 1853, and lived there nine years, and came to this county in 1862,  and has been in this business continuously longer than any man in the county in the same line; he is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the A. O. U. Workmen; he married Miss. Laura M. Coleman, in 1855; she was born in Knox county, Ohio; they have one son: Charles W.; lost one daughter: Ella M.

Fear, J. H., farmer, Sec. 5.

Fidler, D. L., merchant.

Fischer, J., Merchant.

Fonda, S. L., attorney; born in Saratoga county, New York, November 26, 1848, and raised there and received an academical education, and, having a preference for the law profession, entered the office of W. T. Odell, in Ballston Spay, and prepared himself for admission to the bar, which occurred at Schenectady, in April 1869; September 29th, the same year, he came to Iowa and engaged in his chosen avocation; he is associated with Hon. S. Harned in business, and holds the office of mayor of the city; he married Miss Mattie E. Harned in December 1871; she was born in this county and died March 23d, 1877, leaving one daughter: Ella B., born February 14th, 1873; lost two children: Seward L. and Staats S.

Franken, B., druggist, of the firm of Cook & Franken; born in Siegburg, Prussia, in 1833, and was raised there; he came to the United States in 1852 and settled in New York, and afterward removed to Illinois and thence to this State, in 1856; he has held various township offices; he married Miss L. Schirmer in 1860; she was a native of Bavaria; they have two children: James L. and Edwin; he has been connected with Dr. Cook in general drug business for ten years.

Frey, Rev. J.; born in Knox county, Ohio, in 1827, and was raised there; in his youth he received the benefits of the common schools and supplemented his education by attendance at the Granville College, near Newark, Ohio; after preparing for the ministry, he was ordained in Muskingum county, Ohio, in 1851, and his first pastorate was at Tomaka, Coshocton county, Ohio, and this relation existed until 1856, when, owing to his wife’s impaired health, he came to Iowa and made Sigourney his home in 1857; and of the eleven congregations of the Baptist denomination in existence in the county at the present time, all but three have organized since he came to the county, and for years he was the only Baptist clergyman in the county, and these are largely the outgrowth of his labors; he has served as pastor of the Baptist Churches of Sigourney, South English and Keota, Talleyrand, Fairview, Ioka and Rock Creek; he married Miss Louisa Arnold, of Licking county, Ohio, August 8th, 1851 she being a daughter of Hon. John H. Arnold, of that county; they have five children: Roger W. (now living in Livingston county, Illinois), Charles E., Sarah P., Samuel H. and Mary E.; have lost three: Judson C., James N. and Frank A.; Mr. Frey was elected superintendent of schools for Keokuk county in 1861 and 1862.

Fritz, F., saloon keeper, and of the firm of F. Fritz & Sons, cigar manufacturers; born in Bavaria in 1833, and lived there until 1853, when he came to the United States and enlisted in the regular army and served  five years, and in 1859 came to Sigourney and learned the cooper’s trade; he married Miss Louisa Kleitz, in 1856; she was born in Alsace, Germany; they have six children: Edward, George, Josephine, Nellie, Louisa and Emma.

Funk, L. A., miller; born in Ohio in 1845, and in 1846 his parents removed to Van Buren county, Iowa, and remained there until he was eight years of age and then changed their residence to Davis county, this State, and came to this county in 1862; he has grown up in his present business from boyhood, and can well be termed a practical miller; he built his present mills, known as the Garden City Mills, in 1877; it has four run of burrs and fitted with all the improved machinery; the demand for his flour and the high repute in which it is held speaks creditably for the manufactor; he married Miss Mary P. Davis in May, 1868; she was born in Indiana; lost one son: Claude.

Gaston, Wm. J., attorney; born in McDonough county, Illinois, in 1842, and in 1844 his parents removed to Keokuk, Iowa where the subject of this sketch was educated and raised with a mercantile experience, in which business he has been engaged since attaining a proper age, until a short time since; he owns, besides city property, eight-seven acres of land in Lancaster township; he enlisted in the Thirty-third Iowa Volunteers during the late war, and after serving about eighteen months was discharged at Little Rock, Arkansas, on account of impaired health; he married Miss C. A. Bottorff, in 1864; she was born in Indiana, and died in 1867; he married for his second wife Miss M. McRunnells, in 1872; she was born in Jefferson county, Iowa; has one child by first marriage; John J.; and lost one daughter; Cynthia.

Gann, L. O.; Sec. 35.

Gann, A.; Sec. 35.

Goldthwait, C. J., boot and shoe dealer; born in Waterville, Somerset county, Maine, in 1833, and was raised a farmer the early part of his life, and afterward learned the trade of shoe making; he came to this county in 1855, and has been engaged in the shoe business since that time; during the late war he enlisted in the Thirty-third Iowa Infantry and served three years; he was wounded at the Saline River; he married Miss Fidelia E. Lyon, in March, 1858; she was born in Pennsylvania, and died in August, 1875, he married for his second wife Mary Shawhan, in 1876; she was born in Indiana; their family consists of one daughter; Mary, by first marriage; and two sons: John and George, by second marriage;

Gortner, H. D., attorney; born in Green county, Ohio; in 1847, and was brought by his parents to Washington county in 1850, and from this place removed to Iowa county; he was raised a farmer, and at the age of seventeen commenced teaching school and taught eleven years; at the same time he commenced reading law and attended the law department of the State University, and was admitted to the bar in June 1877; he married Miss Mary C. Boltz, in 1869; she was born in Ohio; they have one son; Perry S., aged five years.

Haughenberry, J. T., laborer.

Hair, DR. J. H., physician and surgeon; was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1830, and while young his parents removed to Ohio, where the subject of this sketch was raised on a farm, and having made choice of the medical profession, he prepared himself to enter the Western Reserve Medical College, and graduated from that institution in 1857; after practicing a few years, he was appointed surgeon of the Thirty-third Ohio Infantry, in which capacity he served faithfully and acceptably; he came to this county in 1866, and established himself in the practice of his profession and in the drug trade, in connection with the late Dr. Parks; he married Miss Mary Gaston in 1854; she was born in Ohio; they have five children: W. Mand, Lizzie, Mary, L. Roy and Walter.

Hankins, W. H., of the firm of Johnson and Hankins, abstracters and loan agents; was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, February 13, 1852, and was raised there until sixteen years of age, and came to this county in 1869; he received an academical education, and has been engaged in his present business since 1877; he married Miss Ella M. Randall, November 19, 1873; she was born in Keokuk county, her father, W. W. Randall, being one of the oldest settlers of the county; they have one son: Homer H; and one daughter: Grace G.

Hanson, J. W., farmer, Sec. 9; P. O. Sigourney; was born in Park county, Indiana, in 1827, where he was raised a farmer; he came to this county in 1853, and settled where he now resides; he owns 270 acres of land and has made all the improvements since he came here; he has done considerable civil engineering since coming to the county; he is the author of the first Greenback platform in the State of Iowa, and ran for congress on the Greenback ticket in 1870, on the same platform which Gen. Weaver was elected in 1878; he married Miss D. Horner, June 3, 1849; she was a native of Ohio; they have five children: Mary E. (now Mrs. John A. Benson, of California), Solon A., civil engineer, Alphens P., Della (now Mrs. L. D. Bond), and Monta.

Haffner, G., painter.

Henke, D. R., carpenter.

Harlan, C. M., lumber dealer.

Harned, S., attorney; among the early settlers of Keokuk county who have been identified with its interest officially and civilly, is the subject of this sketch; he was born in Hardin county, Kentucky, in 1814, and was raised there in various occupations until twenty-one years of age; in 1835 he removed to Warren county, Illinois (now Henderson), and in October, 1839 changed his residence to Iowa City having a professional turn of mind, he entered the office first of A. Calkins, as a student of law, and afterward, one year with Curtis Bates, Esq.; he was admitted to the bar in Sigourney in July, 1844, and the same year he settled in Richland, Keokuk county, and engaged in the practice of his profession; in 1846 he was a delegate to the constitutional convention; in 1852 he was elected to the senate, but not admitted owing to a legal technicality; in 1855 he was elected county judge, re-elected in 1857, and during his term of office the present courthouse was built; in 1864 he was appointed quartermaster of the Forty-seventh Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and in July of the same year, he was appointed A. Q. M., with rank of captain, and ordered to Virginia, and was present at the surrender of Lee; he was afterward on duty in Texas, and was mustered out in March, 1866; in 1875 he was elected to the lower house of the Iowa State legislature, and in 1877 was elected to the State senate; he was married to Miss Evaline Galbreath in 1837; she was a native of Tennessee; they have two children: Amanda and Z. T.; they have lost six children: Jonathan T., Elizabeth, Maria, Mary, Irena and Martha E.

Havens, J. W., born in Franklin county, Ohio, May 17, 1842; he removed to Illinois in 1854; here he learned the trade of marble cutter, which occupation he followed until 1863; upon arriving at the age of twenty-one he determined to change his occupation; he had for some time an inclination to enter the newspaper profession and for this purpose came to Sigourney in December, 1863, and in connection with a brother, H. E. Havens, brought the “Sigourney News;” upon taking charge of the "News" that journal soon gained a wide spread reputation, and Mr. Havens proved his genius for the new profession he had chosen by making the “News” one of the spiciest and sprightliest papers in the State; his connection with the “News” lasted till November, 1878, a period of nearly fifteen years, during which time he had exclusive editorial charge; in the fall of 1870, he was chosen to represent Keokuk county in the State Senate, and although the youngest member of the Thirteenth General Assembly he acquitted himself with honor and made a record for statesmanlike sagacity which would have been creditable to one of more advanced age and wider range of experience; Mr. Havens was married to Miss E. J. Dunn in 1863; she was a native of Ohio; they have five children: Jessie, Benjamin, Josie, Birdie, Blanch, and an infant daughter; Mr. Havens sold the :News” in November, 1878, to Mr. Needham, of Oskaloosa, in order to relieve his mind from the cares of a business so long successfully managed, and to permit him to accompany his wife, who of late years was in feeble health, on a trip to the mountains; fifteen years of journalism in one place is a more than average career, and when successful, as was that of Mr. Havens, is something to be proud of; as an anti-grange editor and legislator, Mr. Havens especially distinguished himself, and in this particular did his conduct contrast most favorably with those truckling time-servers who embraced the Granger in prosperity only to abandon his falling fortunes when the tide ebbed.

Henton, W. C., stock dealer; was born in Hillsboro, Highland county, Ohio, August 25, 1831; when young his parents removed to Hendricks county, Indiana, near Danville, where the subject of our sketch was raised on a farm until nineteen years of age; he came to this county in 1850, and has been principally engaged in agricultural pursuits and the stock business; for the last few years he has devoted his time to the latter; he has served the city as a member of its council and on the school board; he married Miss A. E. Homan in February, 1853; she was born in Indiana; they have two children: Alice and Ollie.

Higgins, G. W., harness maker; was born in Springfield, Illinois, in 1821, and was raised there; he was apprenticed for five years to a tanner to learn the business, and one of the conditions of the indenture was, that the apprentice was to have all holidays and general muster days for himself, and these he occupied in learning the collar trade, so that by the time his apprenticeship had expired he was able to make a full hand at this business as well as a tanner; he engaged in business on his own account in Washington, Illinois, and remained there until 1856, when he came to Sigourney, which has since been his home, excepting two years, when he had charge of a collar manufactory in Albia; he has recently discovered, after a great deal of experimenting as well as expense, a process for tanning lace leather in an incredible short time, and claims as a merit, that the glutinous substance of the skin is extracted in such a manner that the fiber is stronger than in its natural state, although manufacturing by this process is in its infancy; Mr. Higgins cannot begin to supply the demand; he married Miss Isbel Smith of Irish Grove, Illinois, in 1842; she was born in Ohio; he enlisted in Company F, Eighth Iowa Infantry, and served three years and six months;

Hull, W. Mc., farmer, Sec. 14.

Hiser, Samuel, farmer, Sec. 17.

Hogin, Hon. James L., deceased; for many years a distinguished member of the Masonic order, and in 1854 grand master of Iowa, was born in Kent county Delaware, on the 7th of March, 1801; his father was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and his mother of English origin; both families were strong patriots during the revolution, and several of them bore arms in the cause of the colonies; the subject of this sketch received but a limited education in early life, and during his minority learned the shoemaking trade, at which he worked for many years, but he was always a diligent student, and noted as a lover of books; even when poor and earning but a scanty livelihood, he was continually adding to his stock of historical and standard works, and in after years possessed one of the finest libraries in the State; in March 1819, he removed to Indiana, and located in Brookville, Franklin county, of that State, where he worked at his trade for a number of years; he afterward engaged in mercantile pursuits, a pursuit which he followed as long as he continued in business, and from which he derived a reasonable competency; in the spring of 1832, he removed to Indianapolis, and continued in business there until 1845, when he removed to Danville, where he remained till his removal to Sigourney, in 1850; here he made his home, and passed the remainder of his life time, enjoying the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens; although shrinking from public notice, yet the importunities of his fellow citizens of Keokuk county pressed him into their service, and he was elected to the State senate in 1854, and served with distinction two regular, and one special session; but it was as a Mason that he was especially distinguished, having taken a deep interest in the order from the time he connected himself with the fraternity, and held the prominent offices of the order in the State in 1854, being elected grand master; Mr. Hogin married Miss Eliza J. Crouch, of  Wellsburg, Virginia September 3, 1822; she was a woman of high intellectual attainments, and led a blameless and useful life; her social qualities were highly developed, and she was the centre of a large circle of friends, who looked up to her as a counselor and leader; she died in 1864; of their family of twelve children eight are still living: John C. (now one of Sigourney’s prominent business men), Caroline N. (now the wife of Dr. N. Henton, of Salem, Oregon), Elvia A. (wife of Wm. M. Wells Esq., of Oskaloosa), Mary (now the wife of T. B. Matthews, of Kansas), Cornelia E. (now wife of Rev. C. W. Shaw, of Salem, Oregon), George B. (is a druggist, of Newton), Juliett W. (now the wife of A. C. Romig, of Abilene, Kansas), and Benjamin R. (now living in Kansas; they have lost four: one son, Wm. F., was captain of Co. F. Eighth Iowa Infantry, and was killed at the battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, on the 5th of April, 1862, having just reached his majority; he was a youth of great promise, a gallant soldier, and estimable gentleman; in the home of a son he forgot the world of care and the battle of life, which had furrowed his earlier years and drawn closely around the hearths of children and grandchildren, and in their loved presence awaited the hour when he should be summoned to meet his beloved partner in the mansions of rest; the hour came in peace and quiet, and “the spirit ascended to the God who gave it” he died on the 7th of December 1876; James L. Hogin was one of nature’s noblemen; living an upright and honorable life, he did much to build up the town and county in which he had cast his lot for life, and to-day many rise up and call him blessed in their recollection of pleasing memories of his intercourse with them.

Hogin, Hon. John C., merchant; whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Brookville, Franklin county, Indiana, in 1823, and is the oldest son of Jas. L. Hogin, and Eliza nee Crouch; his father was a native of Delaware, and his mother of Virginia; In 1832 his father removed to Indianapolis and engaged in mercantile pursuits, and the son became a very valuable assistant of his father; of Mr. Hogin, it may well be said that he was bred a man of business, and the uninterrupted success which has attended him through life this far may be attributed to his early training; in 1848 he removed to Sigourney, Keokuk county Iowa, and engaged in business on his own account; in a few years his father became associated with him, and the name of the firm was James L. Hogin & Son, and continued some time, when it was afterward changed to Hogin, Harned &Glandon, and in a few years Mr. Hogin again became sole proprietor, and remained so until his retirement from business, near the close of the year 1877; when Mr. Hogin retired from business it created quite a sensation, and the press of the city took occasion to comment on the event in poetry and prose; like many other successful business men Mr. Hogin, soon after retiring, became uneasy and restless, and he came to the conclusion it was better to wear out than to rust out, and he again embarked in business, after a brief retirement, changing, however, to the drug and book trade, and in this as in other pursuits, he has made it a success; we here recall an incident in his life worthy of a record in these annals of the county; in 1853, while he and his father were partners in business, the Democratic party selected the subject of this sketch as their nominee for the State senate, and in order to defeat him, if possible, the Whig party nominated his father; although the contest was a spirited one, it did not cause the least ill feeling between the two partners, who long afterwards continued their present business relations; the record of the election as made by the canvassing board, shows the James L. Hogin was elected by sixty-one votes; at the same election M. M. Crocker (afterwards General Crocker), who was the Democratic nominee for representative, was defeated by 131 votes; neither Mr. Hogin nor his father sought the office for which they were nominated; during the rebellion Mr. Hogin again became a candidate (much against his will) for the State Senate on the Union war ticket, and instead of being defeated by a small majority, was elected by a majority, was elected by a majority of 500 votes; Mr. Hogin’s uninterrupted business career in Keokuk county covers a period of thirty years and six months, and justly entitles him to the credit of being in business longer than any merchant in the county; he may well be termed an old citizen, and can remember nearly all the period covered by the county’s history; he has risen slowly but steadily; he accepted the hardship of pioneer life with good grace, and even zest, and has built up his prosperity on the business principle that in every fair bargain both parties gain, consequently he has become a man of mark and influence in the community, and has made an enduring impression on the business and social life about him; his life has been one of ceaseless activity and industry; his official record without a stain, having served with credit and ability; as a business man he has proven himself upright, reliable and honorable in all places and under all circumstances; he is loyal to truth, honor and right; socially he is pleasant and affable; few men have more devoted friends or merit more the confidence and esteem of their fellow citizens: he was married to Miss C. H. Richards in 1847; she was a native of Highland county, Ohio; but a resident of Hendricks county, Indiana, their family consists of five children: Clara (now Mrs.Hutchinson), Susan C. (now Mrs.  J. A. Donnell), Samuel R. (a merchant in Delta), Josephine (now Mrs. Ellis), and Lillie.

Hollingsworth, L., retired; was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, in 1831, and spent his early years on a farm, and afterward learned the trade of cabinet maker; he came to this county in 1854; he settled in Prairie township, where for twelve years he was engaged in agricultural pursuits; he has held the office of county auditor for four years, and also the office of county treasurer, and in 1862 represented Keokuk county in the State Legislature; at the present time he is the coroner of the county; he has filled his official positions with ability and unswerving integrity; he is modest and unassuming in his manner, an upright citizen, enjoying the confidence of all who know him; he married Miss Hannah Fawcett in 1859; she was born in Ohio; their family consists of two children: Luella E. and Horace S.

Hollingsworth, W. R., editor and proprietor of the “Sigourney Review;” born in Maysville, Kentucky, in 1840, and removed with his parents to Des Moiens county, Iowa, in 1841, and remained there until 1856; then went to Ohio, and entered Oxford College; he graduated from this institution in 1861, and returned to Iowa, and in 1863, purchased a farm in Henry county, and engaged in agricultural pursuits, and lived there until he came to Sigourney and bought the “Review, in connection with Mr. Kinney; he soon became sole editor and proprietor, and continues as such at the present time; he married Miss Anna S. Thorneloe, in 1874; was born in England.

House, E. B., plasterer.

House, D., plasterer.

Howard, J. Q., of the firm of Howard & Kerr, dealers in books, stationery, etc; was born in York county, Pennsylvania, in 1823, and in 1833 removed with his parents to Licking county, Ohio; he came to this State in 1855, and settled in Davis county, and was engaged in teaching; he enlisted in the 113th Ohio infantry during the late war and served three years; he came to this county in 1868, and owns a farm of 168 acres; he has held the office of county treasurer for six years, and served as a member of the school-board, he married Miss Julia A. Deming n 1868; she was born in Washington county, Ohio; they have seven children: Wm. D., Hattie E., Kittie A., Bertie, Edward, Mabel and May.

Huddleson, N., butcher.

Huffman, W. D., physician.

Huff, Sanford W., M. D., deceased; born in Hamburg, Erie county, New York, on the 25th of December, 1826, and was the son of Timothy Huff and Phebe, nee Potter, and was the youngest of five children: his early boyhood days were passed on his father’s farm and attending school; financial embarrassments prevented his father, in a measure, of carrying out his cherished design to give the subject of this sketch a thorough collegiate education, so that he was left to achieve his own mental discipline as best he could; he was able, by dint of perseverance, economy and industry, to avail himself of the advantages of academical schools; he chose the medical profession for an occupation and graduated from the medical department of the University of Buffalo, in the spring of 1851, and commenced as the partner of a practitioner of high standing in that city; but the severe application incident to his professional studies began to recoil on his health and he was obliged to change his location to the country; he came to Iowa and located in Iowa City, in 1857; during the first two years of his western experience his attention was divided between his profession and outside operations; he then devoted himself exclusively to his profession, and when the war opened in 1862, he accepted the surgeoncy of the Twelfth Iowa Infantry, and served until the close of the war; he participated in nearly all the great achievements of the army of the southwest and filled all the grades of responsibility to which a regimental surgeon is eligible, and rendered valuable service on the staff of Gen. Mower, and afterward Gen. McArthur, as surgeon-in-chief of the department of Alabama, on the staff of Gen. Davis, and remained in this position until he was mustered out in the winter of 1866; he then returned to his home and resumed his practice, and soon after was elected to the position of secretary to the State Historical Society and editor of its annual. this little publication grew in his hands, from a pamphlet of some thirty odd pages, to a dignified quarterly of magazine proportions; he visited the legislature during its session of 1868-9, at his own expense, and secured an appropriation of seven thousand dollars with which to defray the expenses of printing and preserving the records and accumulations of the society for the benefit of the future historian of the State: after three years of toilsome but successful labor, he was compelled, on account of private business, to resign; he soon afterward engaged in a newspaper enterprise, but his professional duties requiring his attention, the paper was absorbed by the “Republican;” he received a very flattering unofficial invitation to a chair in the medical department of the State University, which he declined; he was president, for several years, of the Johnson county Medical Association, and a member of the State Medical Association, and in 1877 was a delegate to the annual meeting of the National Medical Association held at Chicago; his taste for literature has not prevented him from concentrating his intellectual forces on the great science belonging to his profession, and in it he has always been a success, taking leading parts in professional gatherings, making an eviable (sic) reputation as a practitioner; he was twice married, first to Miss Harriet E. Borland, in 1853; she died in 1863, leaving one daughter: Alice (now Mrs. H. Sheldon, of Fremont, Ohio); he married for his second wife, Miss Laura S. Nickerson, in 1870; she was a native of Fort Crown Point, N.Y, a lady of high education and refinement, and of fine artistic talents; she was educated in the art department of Cooper Institute; by this union they had three children: Wirt S., born October 3, 1871; died in July 1873; Laura C., born September 16, 1875; Frances, born April 18, 1877; died February 19, 1878; Dr. Huff died November 7, 1879.

Jackson, Thomas, barber; was born in Washington county, Mississippi, February 10, 1849, and lived there until 1866, when he came to Iowa and settled in Washington, where he learned his trade; in June, 1869, he came to this county and has followed his present business since that time; he married Hattie Black in 1874; she was born in Davenport, Iowa; they have one son: George.

Jackson, B. F., merchant, dealer in iron, hardware and agricultural implements; was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, November 25, 1833, where he was raised on a farm; he came to this county in 1871, and engaged in his present business; the house in one of the oldest in the city and was established by Wm. Jackson and Hugh McElroy in the spring of 1856; January 1, 1859, William Jackson bought out McElroy; in 1865, J. H. Shawhan became a member of the firm, under the name of Wm. Jackson & Co.; in 1869 Mr. Shawhan withdrew, and Wm. and R. B. Jackson continued under the same firm name; in 1871 B. F. Jackson purchased Wm. Jackson’s interest and the business continued under the firm name of R. B. & B. F. Jackson; in January, 1879, R.B. Jackson sold his interest to B.F. Jackson, who is now sole proprietor. Mr. Jackson married Miss L. C. Carrington, of Piqua, Ohio, in May, 1867; she was born in Baltimore.

Jackson, Wm. farmer, Sec. 1.

Jacobs, J. W., farmer, Sec. 20.

James, Samuel A.; born in Botetourt county, Virginia, on the 27th day of December 1823, his parents being Thomas James and Barbary nee Britts; his father was of mixed Scotch and Welsh lineage, while his mother was of German origin; in 1829 the family removed from Virginia to Indiana and settled in Hendricks county, in which and the adjoining county of Montgomery the subject of this sketch obtained a common school education; as soon as he was old enough he had recourse to the usual expedient of aspiring youths --- school teaching; he taught three winter terms, being at the same time an industrious and diligent student himself; in the spring of 1842 he resolved to follow the star of empire westward, and, turning his back upon the scenes of his boyhood, he started alone and on foot, with a pair of saddle-bags thrown over his shoulder containing his worldly effects; he crossed the States of  Indiana and Illinois into the then Territory of Iowa, and to the town of Washington, which he reached on the 25th of March, 1842; in the fall of the same year he taught one term of school in Washington, but in the year following, 1843 he removed to Keokuk county, Iowa, and made a claim four miles north of Sigourney; in the autumn of this year he returned to Washington and spent the following winter in the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in Sigourney soon after; as yet the territory now forming Keokuk county was a part of Washington, and in March, 1844, Mr. James was appointed clerk of the District Court with a special commission to organize the county of Keokuk, and accordingly, equipped with the same old saddle-bags he journeyed to the southeastern part of the county, where he arranged places for holding the first election and designated the judges thereof, after which he canvassed the returns and qualified the first set of officers; soon after the organization of the county he was appointed postmaster; he remained at Sigourney until, the seat of justice having been removed to Lancaster, he followed the office to the latter place; in 1849 he removed to the city of Keokuk, in Lee county, where he was soon appointed deputy clerk, with headquarters at Fort Madison; in 1852 he was elected clerk, and re-elected in 1854; the business of this office required such incessant labor and close confinement that his health became impaired and he was obliged to resign as the only means of prolonging his life; in the autumn of 1855 he returned to Keokuk county; in May, 1861, he was appointed postmaster of Sigourney by President Lincoln, a position he held for five years, but refusing to Andy Johnsonize, as the movement was then phrased, he was superseded in August, 1866; the interval between that date and the present time he has devoted to private pursuits, giving his attention mainly to the transactions in real estate and in the brokerage and money-loaning business; judicious and prudent investments in real estate and other business operations have combined to make him one of the large tax-payers of Keokuk county; during the period of the civil war he was unable to enter the military service on account of defective eye-sight, from which he had long suffered, but he did excellent work for the Union cause with his pen in the columns of the Sigourney" News,” of  which he was principal editor during the first year of the war; he has been prominently identified in educational matters of the county; he has always been a man of public spirit, advocating every measure calculated to benefit the city; he was married in Sigourney on the 2nd of September, 1847, to Miss Sarah Moody, of Licking county, Ohio; they have three children living: George S. (now associated with his father in business), Libbie A. (now Mrs. H. A. Seamans), and Ida Bell; they have lost three; Mr. James is a man of great decision of character, with strong and enduring convictions of right; he has filled his official positions with marked ability and always with unswerving integrity and unyielding firmness; he is modest and unassuming in his habits and manners-- an upright citizen, enjoying the confidence of all who know him.

James, Geo. S.; son of S. A. and Sarah James; born in Lancaster, Iowa, April 16, 1849, and was married to Miss Frances S. Barringer, April 10, 1879; she was born in the State of New York, in 1857, and came to Iowa in 1877; he is the junior member of S. A. James & Son, in real estate and loan business.

Johnson, R. M., carpenter.

Johnson, T., tinner.

Johnson, Peter, farmer, Sec. 35.

Johnston, C. G., attorney and abstracter, of the firm of Johnston & Hankins; born in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1837, and was raised there until 1851, on a farm; at this time he emigrated to Iowa and settled in Davenport; he read law and was admitted to the bar in Scott county in 1859; he returned to Steubenville, Ohio, and in 1864 accepted a position in the Treasury Department at Washington, D. C.; he came to this county in 1867 and engaged in the practice of his profession; he has been honored with the office of mayor of the city; he married Miss Hannah Updegraff, in February 1867; she was born in Jefferson county, Ohio; they have three children: Edward, A. Josiah and Zella.

Keller, C., butcher; born in Germany in 1840, where he lived until 1860, when he came to the United States and settled in Ohio, and remained there ten years; he learned his trade in his native country, and has followed it successfully since coming to this county in 1870; he married Miss Louisa Emdre in 1862; she was born in Germany; they have eight children: Charlie, George, Jacob, Lula, Theodore, Ida, Maggie, Clara and Baby; they lost one daughter: Ida.

Kelley, G., shoemaker.

Keck, Irving A.; born in Washington county, Iowa, in March, 1846; his mother was a daughter of John Jackson, one of the first settlers of Washington county; his father Joseph Keck, settled in Washington in 1842, and as a successful financier and public-spirited citizen has been prominently connected with the interest of that flourishing city almost from the first to the present time, a period of thirty-nine years; Irving A. Keck was bred and trained a banker; he was educated in the schools of Washington---first in the public schools and then in the academy of that place; during his leisure hours while attending school, and his whole time after graduation, he was in his father’s bank, and received his ideas of financiering while assisting in the practical work of that institution; upon the organization of the First National Bank of Sigourney; he was appointed cashier in 1871; since that time he has had exclusive charge of the management of that institution, and the best proof of his skill and industry is the bank’s record which for stability, accuracy and accounting and liberality of dealing has no superior in the State; Mr. Keck is an author as well as a banker, he having contributed several of the most interesting and reliable articles appearing in the “Annals of Iowa,” a periodical published some years since and educated by a number of the most distinguished gentleman who settled in the State during an early period; considering the fact that Mr. Keck is now but thirty-three years of age, his life has certainly been an exceptionally successful one; he married Miss A. D. Wait, of Boone, Iowa; she was born in New York.

Kerr, E. B., of the firm of Howard & Kerr, dealers in books and stationery, wall paper etc.; is the son of the Rev. Joseph and Mary J. Kerr, and was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, in 1838, and was raised in that State until sixteen years of age; he came to Iowa in 1854 and settled in Jefferson county; he was raised a farmer and afterward learned the trade of carpenter; during the late war he enlisted in the Thirtieth Iowa Infantry and was commissioned Captain of Co.G., he served three years; he came to this county in 1861, engaged in farming and owns a farm of eighty acres; he has held the office of county surveyor, and is the present incumbent of the office; he married Miss Kate A. Deming in 1862; she was a native of Ohio; their family consists of three children: Mary A., Clara H. and Julia.

Keys, L. H., grocer.

Klett, G., blacksmith and carriage works.

Klinesmith, G. E., wagon maker.

Knape, F., cigar manufacturer.

Laffer, E., druggist and jeweler; born in Tuscarawas county Ohio, April 17, 1837; he was raised on Ohio; in mercantile pursuits until seventeen years of age; in 1854 he came to Keokuk county, and has been engaged in merchandising since that time; he has been closely identified with the growth and prosperity of the county; he has attained a large measure of success and gained an enviable place in the confidence of the people; he has served the county on its board of supervisors and the city in its council; he enlisted in the Forty- seventh Iowa Infantry during the late war; he married Miss Susan F. Goodson in 1864; she was born in New York; they have one daughter; Stella May; Mr. Laffer is one of the organizers of the Union Bank and vice-president of the same.

Laffer, Phillip, farmer, Sec. 4; P.O. Sigourney; born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, August 2, 1827; he was there raised on a farm and lived there until 1855, when he came to this county and settled where he now lives; he owns one hundred and nineteen acres of good land, well improved; has on his land a fine bearing orchard; August 28; 1862, he enlisted in Co. F. Fifth Iowa Infantry; served fifteen months and was then discharged on account of disability; he participated in several small battles; he married, in 1850, Miss Catharine E. Williams, a native of Ohio; they have four children: Hannah E. (now Mrs., Randall), Franklin, George and Edward.

Laffer, H., farmer, Sec. 9,

Landers, J., farmer, Sec. 3.

Lash, D. W., restaurant and confectioner; born in Johnson county, Indiana, in November 1842, and came to this State in 1845; he was raised a farmer until seventeen years of age, when following the impulses of his patriotic nature, he enlisted in Co. F, Eighth Iowa Infantry and served four years and nine months, and was in the engagements of Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg, Jackson, and many other engagements of less importance; he married Miss Isadora Stickney in 1868; she was born in Louisa county; they have two children: Lola and Lulu; lost one daughter: Lottie.

Leachman, Wm., clothing merchant Sec. 35.

Lewis, J. G., farmer, Sec. 35

Lowe, J. M., merchant, dealing in clothing, hats, caps, and gents’ furnishing goods; was born in Indiana in 1844, and was brought by his parents to this county in 1849; he was raised on a farm until 18 years of age and then enlisted in the 33rd Iowa Infantry in August 1862, and served until discharged on account of disability; he returned to his home and then attended school for some time at Oskaloosa; he has been engaged in his present business since 1866; he has held the office of city treasurer four years; he married Miss Belle Hair in 1869; she was born in Ohio; they have three children: Elsie, Thomas L. and Addie.

Loux, Joseph, farmer, Sec. 21.

Lucie, D. J., merchant.

Lyons, G. T., laborer.

McCarty, T. F., county auditor; was born in Onedia county, New York, in 1842; from that county he removed to New England, and came to this State in 1858 and engaged in railroad building; his home since 1865, when he came to the county, and previous to his election to his present office, was in Lafayette township, where he owns a farm of 80 acres; he was elected auditor first in 1877 on the Democratic ticket, and although his township was strongly Republican he carried it by a large majority; he was re-elected again in October 1879; he married Miss Mary Boyer in 1869; she was born in Pennsylvania; they have four children: Catherine M., Theressa, Charlie and George.

McClelland, J. S., printer.

McClenahan, R., postmaster; was born in Stark county, Illinois, in 1840, and lived there until 12 years of age; he came to this county in 1854 and was raised on a farm; heeding his country’s call for troops to defend it against the traitors of the South, he enlisted in Co.F, 5th Iowa Infantry, and was the first man to enlist from this county; he was wounded at the battle of  Iuka, and discharged on account of disability; after his return he learned the marble-working business and followed that occupation until June 5, 1869, at which time he received the appointment of postmaster, on the recommendation of the popular vote of his party; he married Miss Tillie Hoover; she was born in Stark county, Ohio; they have a family of two children; Curtis and Freddie.

McCollough, A., farmer, Sec. 16.

McJunkin, E. W., attorney; was born in Richland county, Ohio, in 1844; in early life his time was divided between farming and mercantile pursuits; he received an academical education, but while pursuing his studies the call for troops to suppress the rebellion of the South awoke the student from his dreams over mathematical problems, and he enlisted in the 123d Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served three years; the was being over, he came to Iowa in 1865, and entered the office of his uncle, Attorney-General McJunkin, of Washington, as a student of law; after preparing himself he was admitted to the bar in September, 1868; he was engaged in the practice of his profession for two years in Knoxville, Marion county, Iowa, previous to his coming to this county, in 1872, and since which time he has been associated with G. D. Woodin, Esq., in the practice of law. He married Miss Sally A. Jenkins in December, 1872, she is a native of Kentucky; they have one son: Paul.

McIntire, J. A., pattern maker.

McLean, M. H.

McLean, W. I., farmer.

McNabb, John, farmer, Sec. 6.

McMurry, David, farmer, Sec. 4.

McNabb, H., farmer, Sec. 5.

McMullen, Wm., hotel keeper.

McWilliams, W. C., county recorder; was born in Knox county, Ohio, in November, 1851, and raised there until six years of age, and at that period was brought by his parents to Keokuk county, he was raised a farmer, and divided his time between farming and teaching until elected to his present position in 1878.

McWilliams, Dr. T. B., physician and surgeon; was born in Knox county Ohio, November 12, 1843, and was raised in that State until 14 years of age, when he removed to Iowa; he came to this county in 1857; he studied medicine and graduated for the Keokuk Medical College in 1871, although he had been practicing for three years previous to his graduation; he married Miss Amanda Gore in 1867; she was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, and died September 23, 1870; he married for his second wife Miss Sadie R. White in 1877; she was born in Pennsylvania; he has two children by his first marriage: Lucy Addie and Frank.

Mackey, C. H., attorney; born in Fulton county, Illinois, in 1837; here he received his education and learned the trade of carpenter; he came to this county in 1855; having a natural taste for the profession of law, he prepared himself for admission to the bar, and was admitted in 1858; in August, 1862, filled with patriotism, and obedient to the calls of his country, he enlisted in the Thirty-third Iowa Infantry, and was commissioned lieutenant-colonel, and was mustered out in July, 1865; returned to his home and resumed the practice of his profession, and has built up a large business; he was elected to represent the county in the State Legislature in October, 1879, he married Miss Lydia Reed in 1858; she was born in Ohio; they have five children: James R., Mollie, Frank, Lizzie and Charles; lost two: Nellie and Freddie.

McCaulay, Charles, dealer in stoves, agricultural implements, hardware and tinware manufacture; was born in the north of Ireland in 1834, and when thirteen years of age removed to Scotland; he was brought up a farmer, and remained in the employ of one man nineteen years, who, in recognition of such service presented him with a valuable testimonial; he emigrated to the United States October 28, 1869, and came to this county in 1870; he is doing a prosperous business, and building up a large trade.

Maleby, A., egg dealer.

Mahon, Richard, farmer, Sec. 35.

Marsh, G. L., jeweler.

Mead, Clark, farmer, Sec. 35.

Merriam, W. D., real estate dealer, was born in Lowell, Washington county, Ohio, in 1825, and lived there until he arrived to years of manhood; his early life was spent on a farm, and afterward he devoted considerable attention to the grain and produce business, and at the outbreak of the rebellion was doing a large business in shipping to New Orleans and other river towns; he came to this county in 1864, and engaged in his present business; he owns a farm of 160 acres near Sigourney, beside wild lands in other places; he married Ruth Clark, in October, 1868; she was born in Hamilton county, Ohio; Mr. Merriam has one daughter: Angevine (now Mrs. West), living in Ohio, by a former marriage.

Middleton, J. J., farmer, Sec. 20.

Miller, Fred, carpenter.

Mitchell, Mathias, farmer, Sec. 19.

Miles, William, farmer, Sec. 8.

Minteer, J. P., farmer, Sec. 12.

Minteer, B. C., livery stable.

Miles, Daniel, farmer, Sec. 5.

Miles, John, farmer, Sec. 5.

Miller, C. E., farmer, Sec. 2.

Miller, J. W., farmer, Sec. 1.

Mohme, Henry, farmer, Sec. 36.

Morrison, John, grain dealer.

Myer, A., farmer, Sec. 35.

Namur, Theodore, saloon; born in Paris, August 24, 1842, and was raised there; he emigrated to the United States in 1865, and settled in Chicago, where he remained one year, and came to Keokuk county, Iowa in 1866; he married Miss Christine Triebel in 1868; she was born in Keokuk county; they have four children: Charles, Henrietta, George and Theodore.

Neas, Samuel, farmer, Sec. 2.

Needham, Wm., editor of the “Sigourney News,” is a native of Guernsey county, Ohio, and was born on the 22d day of August, 1840, and lived there until thirteen years of age, and then came with his parents to Iowa, and settled in Oskaloosa in October, 1853; he received the benefits of the educational advantages of the town and entered the "Herald” office and learned the printing business, and followed it for a time as an avocation in Des Moines and Albia until the outbreak of the rebellion; he enlisted in the Twenty-second Iowa volunteer Infantry as a private, and after several promotions, was mustered out as first lieutenant at the close of the war; he participated in the battles of Port Gibson, Champion’s Hill, Jackson, Black River Bridge, and in the charge on Vicksburg, May 22d, 1863 and was also under Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley, at the battle of Fisher’s Hill and Cedar Creek; after the war he returned and bought an interest in the “Herald” and was connected with it for twelve years; he held the office of postmaster of Oskaloosa from February 1, 1870 until March 1, 1876; in November, 1878, he became the editor of the Sigourney News;" he married Miss Olive A. Knowlton December 26, 1866; she is a native of Clinton county, Ohio; their family consists of four children: Charles K., John R., Edna Pauline and Emma; lost one daughter, Alice Pearl.

Neff, Mrs. M., physician.

Neff, Samuel, stock dealer.

Nelson, John, farmer, Sec. 10.

Newkirk, C. J., farmer, Sec. 17.

Newkirk, Daniel, farmer, Sec. 20.

Nuller, David, farmer, Sec. 8.

Neiman, Fred, farmer, Sec. 35.

Olemayer, Joseph, furniture dealer and undertaker; born in Germany, October 3, 1828, and was raised there until 1854; in his youth he was apprenticed to a cabinet maker to learn the business; he came to the United States in 1854, and settled first in New York, where he remained one year then came to Iowa City, and during the year 1855 came to Sigourney, where he has since resided; he has served as a member of the town council, and is one of Sigourney’s prominent business men; he married Miss Mary Rupf in 1855; she was born in Germany in 1827; they have three children: Joseph, Mary and Lucy

Olive, D. P., merchant, dealer in general merchandise, agricultural implements and lumber; was born in Perry county, Ohio, January 19,1821, and lived there until 1857; while living there he read law, and was admitted to the bar November 5, 1844; he came to this county December 15, 1857, and engageD in the practice of his profession, which he continued for many years, but owning to impaired health he relinquished his profession and engaged in his present business; he has held various township offices; he married Miss Margaret Sellers March 30, 1845; she was a native of Perry county, Ohio, and died June 10, 1877; he married for his second wife Mrs. Belle Williams, October 12, 1878; she was born in New York; their family consists of three children: James, Louisa, and Emma.

Page, T. B., farmer, Sec. 14.

Page, A. T.; born in Cavendish, Windsor county, Vermont, September 15, 1806, and lived there until eighteen years of age, when his parents removed to Mansfield, Ohio, where he lived for twenty-eight years; his youth was divided between teaching school during the winter months, and working on a farm in summer; he was also engaged to some extent in mercantile pursuits previous to his removal to this county, in 1854; this business he resumed after coming to Sigourney; he held the office of justice of the peace many years, and very satisfactorily; he owns an undivided half of about eighty-five acres of land in Sigourney township; he married Miss Cynthia J. Dana in May, 1829; she was born in Utica, New York; they have three children: Joseph, Thomas, and Cleora (now Mrs. Huffman).

Parker, I. B., farmer, Sec. 10.

Parker, Sam,, house-mover.

Parker, J. T., carpenter.

Parks, E. A., jeweler.

Pernell, M., farmer, Sec. 35.

Pennell, J. S., farmer, Sec. 35.

Pfaff, M., furniture dealer and undertaker; born in North Carolina, in 1828, and removed with his parents to Indiana, in 1830; he was raised a farmer; having a desire to come to Iowa, and wanting some one to come with him, he paid the expenses of a companion to accompany him, and when he arrived here, in 1851, he had but fifty cents left, and this he paid for the lodging and breakfast of the person coming with him; he has worked at his present business since that time; he owns a farm of fifty-one acres, beside valuable city property; he married Miss Amelia Strong, in 1853; she was born in Michigan; they have six children: Harriet (now Mrs. Clark), Carrie (now Mrs. Cheney), Frank, Ettie, Belle and Earl.

Pfaff, G. W., farmer, Sec. 16.

Pfaff, A. J., stock raiser, farmer, Sec. 16; P. O. Sigourney, born September 1, 1820, in North Carolina; when seven years of age his parents emigrated to Indiana and settled in Morgan county; he was raised a farmer and has followed it as an occupation to the present time; he came to Iowa at an early day and without means; when he arrived here he had only fifty cents in his pocket and owed fourteen dollars, but he had what was more valuable than gold – he combined industry, perseverance and economy together with a strong constitution and fixed principles of honor and honesty; he went to work with a will, and has been eminently successful; he owns 450 acres of land, and his homestead is one of the best improved farms in the county; he married Miss C. Jackson in September 1851; she was born in Ohio; they have three children: George, Harriet and Delia, they lost an infant daughter.

Pfaff, Samuel I., farmer, Sec. 21; P. O. Sigourney; is the son of John D. and Lourana Pfaff, and was born in North Carolina in 1819; the family moved to Morgan county, Indiana, when the subject of this sketch was eight years of age; his early life was spent on a farm; he afterward learned the wagon-making trade, and after he came to Sigourney, in 1848, he worked at the business 16 years; in 1865 he bought they farm he now occupies, containing 160 acres, well improved; he came here without means, and has accumulated whet he now enjoys by honest labor; he married Miss Caroline Jackson in 1851; she was a native of Ohio; they have four children: Willis B., William C., Charles D. and Samuel L.; lost one son: Jackson A.

Pilkington, R., farmer, Sec. 2.

Pinkerton, C., billiard saloon.

Plessner, O., blacksmith.

Pope, Maj., A. J., deputy auditor; was born in Morgan county, Indiana in 1837,and learned the trade of tinsmith in youth, and came to this county in 1856, and worked at his trade; heeding the call of the government for troops to preserve the honor of the country and to suppress the rebellion of the South, he enlisted in the Thirteenth Iowa Infantry, October 21, 1861, and after passing through several grades of promotion, he was mustered out as major at the close of the war; he was at the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, siege of Vicksburg, Jackson, Atlanta and many of less importance than the last named places, he was prisoner July 22, 1864, and taken to Macon, and afterward to Charleston, and placed under fire of the federal guns; he participated in the grand review at Washington, and after his return to this county, he was appointed an assistant in the office of collector of internal revenue, and afterward, he was appointed collector, and held the office four years; he has also had four years experience in the auditor’s office; he married Miss Hannah Pinkerton, in 1861; she was born in New York; they have a family of five children: John, Jessie, Mary, Worth B., Eakes.

Prather, C. G., drayman.

Prather, John, drayman.

Price, A. C., M. D., physician and surgeon; among the medical practitioners of Keokuk county, no one is more deserving of a place in these memorials than the subject of this sketch, who has been engaged in the practice of medicine in this county more years than any other in his profession; he was born in Urbanna, Ohio, in 1822, and is the son of Abraham and Martha Price; the former was a native of New Jersey; the latter was born at Fort Hamilton (now Cincinnati), and in one of three of the first white children born in this place; the family moved from Ohio, to Sangamon county, Illinois, and thence, to Morgan county, and in 1841, he came to Iowa, and located in Iowa City; he was raised a farmer, with very limited advantages, but after his removal to Iowa City, feeling desirous of acquiring an education, he availed himself of the facilities offered by the Academy in the town, and at intervals teaching school; he turned his attention to medicine, and read with Dr. S. M. Ballard, as preceptor; he attended the St. Louis Medical College, and graduated from that institute in 1850; he came to this county at an early day, and soon built up a large and fairly remunerative practice; he established himself in the confidence of the public, and was always prompt in responding to the calls of duty, whether the patient was able to pay for professional services or not, and in no instance has ever refused to attend the suffering on this account; he responded to the call of President Lincoln for volunteers to assist in putting down the rebellion, and recruited Co. D, Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and was commissioned captain, but after serving for a time was compelled to resign in consequence of impaired health; after his discharge, he returned home and resumed the practice of his profession; in his medical relations he has built up his reputation by skill and energy, and much of his success may be attributed to his careful attention to the details of his profession; he is a well-read man, of independent thought, and has strong convictions of his responsibility as a citizen, never wavering in the discharge of his duties; he has held the office of postmaster at Sigourney, and one of the State commissioners for the insane; he was married to Miss Amanda F. Stebbins, in the autumn of 1852; she was a native of Kentucky and died in April 14, 1877; he has two children: Imogene and Maud.

Randall, Maxon., retired farmer; born in Steuben county, New York, September 10, 1810, and was raised there until sixteen years of age; he then went to Salem, Ohio, in 1826, to learn the trade of millwright; he returned to New York and also lived for a time in Erie county, Penn., in 1822 he removed to Illinois and was one of the inspectors of election that organized Kendall county, in that State; he came to Iowa with a wagon and four yoke of oxen, bringing two plows with him; he reached Talleyrand May 5, 1843; he settled in Warren township, where he resided thirty-five years; he has held various offices of trust; he served as county commissioner for many years, and also drainage commissioner, beside filling all the township offices; he is one of the oldest settlers of the county, and has been closely identified with its material growth and prosperity; he married Miss Drusilla Greenfield, in 1832; she was born in Montgomery county, New York; they have six children: Sarah (now Mrs. Hankins), Sabra (now Mrs. Payton), Nancy (now Mrs. Hildebrand), James P., John and Thomas J.; two sons, Maxon W. and Charles, enlisted in the late war; the former died at Helena, and the latter n Mississippi.

Randall, W. W., stock dealer.

Raumaker, F. S., mail carrier.

Rehkoff Bros., carriage makers.

Rickey, C. D., farmer, Sec. 35.

Richmiller, A., farmer, Sec. 17.

Rice, J. W., retired.

Richardson, Joel, clerk of the courts of Keokuk county; born in McDonough county, Illinois, in 1839, and lived there until 1845, when his parents removed to this county; he was raised a farmer, and owns a farm of 130 acres in Lancaster township; he has held various township offices previous to his election to his present position; he married Miss Mary Brown, in 1860; she was born in Indiana, and died in 1875; he afterward married Miss Lizzie Hubbird, in 1876; she was born in Keokuk county; their family consists of four children: Schuyler, Julia and Viola by first marriage; and a daughter Lucie, by second marriage.

Robison, A. G., tailor.

Robison, T., cashier of Union Bank.

Rogers, John, justice of the peace; born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, in 1808; when eight years of age his parents removed to Ohio; here he learned the trade of shoemaker; and in 1839 he removed to Indiana, and in 1856 came to Keokuk county, bringing with him a printing press, and published the first paper published in Sigourney; he has held the office of county judge seven years, from 1861 to 1868; and mayor of the city for two terms, and justice of the peace for seven years; he has been thrice married: first to Elizabeth Davis in 1830; she was a native of Ohio, and died in 1846; he married for his second wife Elizabeth Derrick, in 1846; she was a native of Ohio, and died in 1853; he was married a third time to Diadana C. Adamson, in 1853; she was a native of Ohio; he has two children by first marriage: Howard S. and Mary (wife of G. W. McKean); by the second marriage, one son: Horace; and by the third marriage, one daughter: Alice (wife of Charles A. Gray).

Rohloff, farmer, Sec. 18.

Rosecrans, H. C., miller.

Sampson, Hon. E. S., attorney; born in Huron county, Ohio, on the 6th of December, 1831, and is the son of Ezekiel Sampson and Polly,  nee  Merifield; his father was of English origin and his mother a native of Vermont; the family, when the subject of this sketch was young, he moved to Fulton county, Illinois; thence to what is now Keokuk county, Iowa, in 1843, the first year the whites were permitted to enter upon that portion of the territory called the New Purchase; the subject of our sketch attended the public and subscription schools a portion of the time between the age of seven and twelve years; from twelve to nineteen he worked on his father’s farm, attending school but one winter; he was, however, a diligent student, and extremely fond of his books; he studied arithmetic and grammar at night and during intervals of labor; his father, being in limited circumstances, was able to render but little assistance to his son in the way of procuring an education, so that he was mainly thrown on his own resources; from 1850 to 1853 he attended the high school of Prof. S. S. Howe, at Mr. Pleasant, Iowa; the last two years of his stay at the academy he was enabled to pay his board and tuition by learning to set type, setting type mornings and evenings and on Saturdays, in the autumn of 1853 he entered the sophomore class of Knox College; his father died during the year, which terminated his educational privileges; having developed a taste and aptitude for professional studies, he entered the office of Messrs. Eastman & Rice, of Oskaloosa, as a law student; in the year following he was admitted to the bar, and in the spring of 1856 moved to Sigourney (which has since been his home); in August 1856, he was elected prosecuting attorney, and held the position till January, 1859, at the same time carrying on a general civil practice; he enlisted in the late war, and was commissioned captain of Co.F, Fifth Iowa Infantry; in 1862 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and served in that capacity until mustered out in 1864; on returning from the army he entered again upon the practice of law, in partnership with G. D. Woodn,(sic)  Esq., and soon took a leading rank at the bar; in 1865 he was elected to the State Senate, and in the autumn of 1866 he was elected Judge of the Sixth Judicial District of the State, and served in that capacity till the end of 1874, having been re-elected in 1869, without opposition; in this situation he won and maintained the reputation of being one of the foremost jurists in the State, receiving on his retirement the most flattering testimonials as to his ability from the bar of every county in the district; while yet on the bench, and after having declined to become a candidate before the convention, he was nominated to represent the Sixth District of Iowa in the Forty-fourth Congress; he was elected by a majority of two thousand, four hundred votes, and re-elected in 1876, by a majority of four thousand; he served on several important committees with credit to the State, to his district, and honor to himself; he is at present engaged in the practice of his profession, and is associated with C. M. Brown; he is characterized as a man of great industry, and is governed by the most rigid principles of honesty and integrity; he was married to Miss Eunice McCann, in 1855; she was a resident of Keokuk county but a native of Indiana; they have a family of seven children: Lee, Edmund, Flora (now Mrs. C. M. Brown,, Leona, Clara, Ellen, and Lavina.

Sanders, Samuel, farmer, Sec. 3.

Schriever, Wm., cigar maker

Snodgrass, H. S., clergyman.

Schipfer, F. A., merchant, and dealer in general merchandise; born in Germany, in 1832; he was raised there, and came to the United States in 1852; and settled in Sigourney in 1856; he has always been engaged in selling goods, and is the oldest house in this line in the city; he married Miss Emily Knape, in 1857; she was born in Germany; their family consists of seven children: Francis A. (who is associated with his father in business), Herman, Lewis, Oscar, Eugene, Clara and Freddie.

Schott, Andrew, lumber dealer; born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1843, and lived there until 1856 when he came to Iowa and settled in Muscatine; he enlisted in the Second Iowa Cavalry and served until the close of the war; he then received the appointment of post-trader in Texas, and remained there two years; he came to this county in 1871 and engaged in the lumber business; he is also connected with a firm in the same line at What Cheer, and also at Keswick, in this county, he is associated in business with Charles M. Harlan; they deal in all kinds of lumber, doors, sash, blinds and wagon stock; he married Miss Emma Berry, in Muscatine, in 1865; they have one son; Edward H., born September 9, 1966.

Seevers, Paul, farmer, Sec. 13.

Scott, John, retired.

Seamans, H.A., telegraph operator.

Selby, Mrs. M. D.; whose maiden name was Cissna, was born in Ohio, and removed to Michigan in 1859; she married Dr. H. W. Selby in 1860; he was born in Knox county, Ohio, and after making choice of the medical profession he prepared himself for its practice and followed it for an occupation for several years; owing to impaired health he engaged in mercantile pursuits, and while absent in Chicago purchasing goods, was taken sick and died, April 11, 1876.

Seamans, H. A., telegraph operator; born at Wheaton, Illinois, in 1853, and came to Iowa in 1876; he married Miss Libbie A. James, daughter of S. A. and Sarah James, April 3, 1878; they have one son: Worth J.

Shafer, E., dealer in general merchandise; born in Knox county, Ohio, in 1838; he came to this State in 1844 and settled first in Washington county, and afterward removed to Jefferson county and remained there until he settled in this county, in 1858, where he has been engaged for the greater portion of the time selling goods; he has held school and township offices; he married Miss Cynthia A. Jones, in 1863; she was born in Jefferson county, Iowa; they have six children: Alta E., Mary L., Nina L. John E., Mattie, and an infant; lost one daughter; Carrie.

Shawhan, Joseph H., dealer in agricultural implements; born in Rush county, Indiana, in 1838, and when seven years of age was brought by his parents to Keokuk county, Iowa, settling here in 1845; his father, Benjamin P. Shawhan, was born in Kentucky, and his mother’s name was Maria A., and she was a native of Virginia; Mr. S. enlisted in Co. B, Thirty-third Iowa Infantry during the late war, and was commissioned first lieutenant; he was compelled, on account of sickness, to resign, and as soon as he had sufficiently recovered, he recruited Co. K, Ninth Iowa Calvary, and remained in service until February, 1866; he married Miss Mary A. Jackson, in March 1861; she was born in Piqua, Miami county, Ohio; their family consists of six children: Benjamin P., Harry H., William J., Ethel G., Bessie and Glenn.

Shilling, E., tinner.

Shilling, S., farmer, Sec. 35.

Shiflett, A. J., farmer, Sec. 6.

Shults, F. W., shoemaker.

Sidenbender, S., horse dealer.

Sims, E. T., painter.

Simpson, Nic., farmer, Sec. 8.

Skillman, Dr. E. H., retired physician; prominent among the citizens of this county who have passed the ordeal of pioneer life in the west and whose early struggles well deserve a place in these memorials, is the subject of this sketch, Dr. E. H. Skillman; he was born in Highland county, Ohio, on the 21st day of June, 1812; he received his education at Washington, Fayette county, Pennsylvania; having made choice of medicine as a profession, and after preparing himself, he attended the Medical College, at Cincinnati; in 1842, following the star of empire westward, he came to Iowa and settled in Columbus City, Louisa county, and lived there four year, and then removed to this county, in 1846, and engaged in the practice of his profession; he pursued his chosen calling with untiring zeal and energy and with a success which has earned for him an enviable reputation and acquired an extensive practice; to the poor he was ever kind and obliging, and has ridden hundreds of miles to administer to their necessities without expectation of pecuniary compensation; after practicing his profession for several years he engaged in mercantile pursuits and finally abandoned his practice, and in this, as well as in other pursuits, was eminently successful; he owns over 700 acres of land and is one of the large taxpayers of Keokuk county; he married Miss E. A. Browder, in 1838, she was born in Green county, Ohio; they have a family of six children: Nancy J. (now Mrs. Moore), Lizzie (now the wife of Hon. Geo. D. Woodin), Allen C., Elnora (now Mrs. Havens), Evan H.Jr., Eliza A. (now Mrs. Marshall,) Sarah (now Mrs. Kelly); he is a man of strong convictions and bold and fearless in advocating them; he is modest and unassuming in his habits and manners and an upright citizen.

Smith, Samuel, billiard hall.

Smith, Albert, farmer, Sec. 7.

Smith, J. G., farmer, Sec. 35.

Smith, G. H., attorney; born in Hancock county, Indiana, in 1843, and when three years of age his parents removed to Jefferson county, Iowa, and remained there until March, 1856, when they came to Keokuk county, and settled in Jackson township; in October, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company A, Seventh Iowa Cavalry and after serving three years was mustered out second lieutenant, November 25, 1865; having been denied school privileges in youth, and ashamed of his backwardness, he hired a teacher after he became of age; having a taste for the profession of law, he studied and was admitted to the bar October 3, 1871; he has held various township offices and owns a farm of forty-six acres of land; he is associated in business with W. J. Gaston and H. L. Richardson, who in connection with their general business make a specialty of collecting pensions and U. S. Claims; they also do a large insurance business and represent a large line of companies, among which may be mentioned the Commercial of Hartford, National of Hartford, Orient of Hartford, Meridian of Connecticut, Fire Association of Philadelphia, American of Philadelphia, Glenn Falls of New York, Niagara of New York, Watertown of New York, Newark of New Jersey, British America and Commercial Union of London; Mr. S. married Miss C. Porter January 31st, 1866; she was born in Indiana; they have five children: Frankie, David B., Samuel S., Gad O. and Eva.

Sonwalts, Fred., farmer, Sec. 17.

Sparks, J. S., restaurant.

Starr, J. C., editor of the Sigourney Courier; born in Columbus, Ohio in 1848, and was raised there until eighteen years of age, at which time his parents removed to this county; he divided his time between the farm and attending school; having a taste for the practice of law, he entered the office of Mackey, Harned & Fonda, and was admitted to the bar April 6, 1877; he married Miss Minnie Mohme, in 1871; she was born in Prussia, Germany; they have four children: Rosa, Ella, Annie and Mertie.

Startzman, C. D., harness maker.

Stevens, W., teamster.

Stevens, owen, farmer; born in Frederick county, Maryland, in 1811, and was taken by his parents to Belmont county, Ohio, in 1816, where his father engaged in farming; he also gave his attention largely to tobacco culture, curing and shipping; the subject of this sketch remained in Ohio until 1864, and then removed to this county, where he owns a farm of 230 acres, adjoining the city, and is devoting his attention mostly to stock; he married Miss Ann Chambers, in 1838; she was born in Ohio; they have a family of seven children: Oliver P., Lida, Mollie (now Mrs. McLean), John Q. A., Belle, Pauline and Pigeon.

Stewart, R., farmer, Sec. 14.

Stranahan, A.; born in Philadelphia, in 1841, and lived in Pennsylvania until 1855, when he came to this county, where he has since resided; he was raised a farmer; in 1868 he was elected sheriff of Keokuk county, and served eight years in this capacity; since his retirement from the sheriff’s office he has been engaged in railroad building; of his promptness and success in arresting criminals mention is made in another part of this work; he married Miss C. E. Smith, in 1867; she was born in Illinois; they have three children: Lizzie, Melinda P. and Carrie.

Stuck, H., carpenter.

Swails, D. P., planning-mill.

Thornloe, W., stock raiser.

Thompson, Dr. Jas., dentist; born in Harrison county, Ohio, July 9, 1846, and was raised in that State; he enlisted in the 172d Ohio Infantry during the late war; he made choice of the dental profession, and has followed it for twelve years; he came to Iowa in 1868, and settled in Washington county, and in 1872 changed his residence to Sigourney; he married Miss Anna M. Snyder, of Jefferson county, Ohio, March 26, 1868; they have one son: Robert A.; lost one daughter: Minnie V.

Todd, H. D., formerly county superintendent of schools; born in Decatur county, Indiana, in 1847, and came to this State in 1854 and settled in Washington county, and lived there until 1858, when he made his home in this county; he was educated at the Oskaloosa College and the Iowa State University, and was engaged in teaching four years previous to his election as county superintendent, in 1873; he married Miss Mary E. Deering, March 20, 1877; she was born in Maine.

Trussler, H. C., farmer, Sec. 18.

Trussler, H. O., farmer, Sec. 7.

Trussler, G. D., farmer, Sec. 18.

Trussler, R. M., farmer, Sec. 7.

Turner, H. J., farmer, Sec. 2.

Updegraff, A., dealer in groceries and provisions, boots and shoes; born in Ohio in 1836, and was raised there a farmer; he enjoyed the benefits afforded by the common schools, and supplemented his education by attending the McNeely Normal School, in Harrison county, Ohio; he followed teaching as an occupation very successfully for ten years; he came to this State in 1863, and settled in Mahaska county, and came to this county in 1872; he married Miss Hannah Harlan, in 1869; she was born in Muskingum county, Ohio; they have two children: Harlan and Zena M.

Valerius, Peter, saloon; born in Fondulac, Wisconsin, in 1846, and was raised there a farmer; he came to this county in 1867; he married Emma Fritz, June 15, 1878; she was born in Germany; they have five children:
Henry, Michael, Mary, Johnnie and Jennie.

Veitch, Wm., proprietor of the Sigourney woolen mills; born in Paisley, Scotland, in 1839, and emigrated to the United States in 1844, and settled in Guernsey county, Ohio; his father was a practical woolen manufacturer, and the son was educated in the business from boyhood; he came to Iowa in 1859, and settled in Henry county, and while living here had the experience of building two mills; he came to this county in 1872, and established his present business of manufacturing principally, cassimeres, flannel, jeans, blankets and knitting yarn, giving employment to about twenty hands; the goods manufactured by these mills are of a good quality, and meet with a ready sale; Mr. Veitch was married in 1859, to Miss Lydia A. Booth, a native of Ohio; thy have a family of six children: Marietta, Frank, Minnie B., Pearl E., Paul L. and Margaret; lost three: William, Annie and James.

Vert, John, farmer, Sec. 7.

Vickery, C., stock dealer.

Vogle, Andrew, farmer, Sec. 2.

Weaver, T. C., assistant cashier of the First National Bank; born in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1847, and removed to Lafayette, Indiana, in 1850, and was principally raised there; he came to Washington, Washington county, Iowa, in 1871, and in 1872 came to this county; he married Miss Hattie Adams in September 1878; she was born in English River township this county; they have one son: Waldo T.

Wait, Wm., farmer, Sec. 2.

Warren, Geo., farmer, Sec. 35.

Wallace, J., teamster.

Warick, Oliver, farmer, Sec. 16.

Wells, Edward, farmer, Sec. 35.

Welsch, John, blacksmith.

Weller, R. F., grain dealer; born in Nelson county, Kentucky, August 9, 1820; the family removed to Indiana when he was an infant; his early life was spent on a farm; he then learned the cooper’s trade, and in 1841 removed to Illinois and lived there four years, and in 1845 came to Keokuk county and worked at his trade, and afterward engaged in general merchandise; Mr. W. has endured all the hardships of pioneer life; he taught the first school in Steady Run township, in a log school-house, 14X14, with puncheon floors, and for light one log was left out and paper pasted over the opening thus made; the roof was so open that when it snowed the floor would be covered with snow; he married Miss Harriet Jacobs in 1848; she was born in Harrison county, Indiana; she died November 30, 1859; he was again married, in 1867, to Miss Jane R. Shafer; she was born in Knox county, Ohio; he has one daughter by first marriage: Julia M. (now Mrs. Dunn); lost four; and two by second marriage: Mabel and Alexander J.; lost three.

Wallace, J., teamster.

Welch, John, blacksmith.

Westman, G. E., tailor.

Westman, G., tailor.

Williams, Henry, farmer, Sec. 7.

Williams, Matt, attorney; born in Rush county, Indiana, in 1834, and lived there until he came to this county in 1846, and settled in Lancaster township, where he now owns a farm of 160 acres; he was engaged in agricultural pursuits the early years of his life and has held various township offices; having a taste for the profession of law, after preparing himself, he was admitted to the bar, in April, 1870; in 1877 he was elected to the lower house of the State legislature and served his term acceptably to this constituents and creditably to himself; he married Miss Martha Vittetoe, in 1856; she was a native of Johnson county, Indiana; she died in June, 1864; he married for his second wife Henrietta Morrow, in 1867; she was born in Missouri; has one daughter by first marriage: Margaret (wife of Wm. Eulin); and four by second marriage: Martha, Lillian, Jettie and Mattell,

White, J.S., dealer in general merchandise; born in Indiana, in 1842, and lived there until 1855, when he removed to Missouri, and after a residence of a few years in that State came to Iowa in 1859; has been engaged in selling goods eighteen years; he married Miss Phebe A. Williams in 1863; she was a native of Indiana; they have a family of four children: Ida, Ellsworth, Eddie and Bertie.

Wightman, M., grocer; born in Fayette county, Indiana, in 1835, and lived there until eleven years of age, when his parents removed to Bloomington, McLean county, Illinois, in 1844, where he was raised on a farm; he came to this county in 1855; during the war he enlisted in the Seventh Iowa Infantry, as a private, and was mustered out as first lieutenant; after his discharge from the army he returned to the county and has since been elected county clerk three successive terms; he married Miss Hattie Forgrave in March, 1860; she was born in Ohio; they have four children; Louie B., Abbie E. George R. and Hattie V.

Whiteman, Calder, farmer, Sec. 4.

Woods, Pack, farmer, Sec. 35.

Woodin, George D., attorney and counselor-at-law, born in Warren county, Pennsylvania, on the 27th of February 1827, and is the son of David and Parthena Woodin, natives of Monroe county, New York; his father was a descendant of Puritan stock, the original ancestor having come over with the Massachusetts Bay Company, in 1628; the mother of our subject traces her ancestry to Irish origin; the youth of Mr. Woodin was spent at work on his father’s farm during the summer and attending school in the winter until 1844, when he attended one term at the Waterford (Pennsylvania) Academy, and the next winter taught a district school; the two following summers were spent at Jamestown Academy, New York, and the winters were spent in teaching; with one term of preparatory still to complete he entered Allegheny college, at Meadville, in 1847; the full course of one term in the preparatory department, and four years in the college were completed in four years, while at the same time he taught school for three months each winter and made one year in his law studies with A. B. Richmond of Meadville, Pennsylvania; he graduated with honors at the head of his class in 1851, having defrayed the entire expense of his educaton by teaching, except ten dollars given him by his mother; after leaving college he taught in the academy at Warren, Pennsylvania, for one year, reading law at the same time in the office of L. D. Wetmore; he was admitted to the bar in 1862, and for one year after practiced his profession with his preceptor, developing at the same time rare powers and genius as a practitioner; in 1853 he decided to come to Iowa and he made the then incipient town of Iowa City, his future home; his entire stock of trade consisted, on arrival, of a few books, a suit of clothes and four dollars in money, the bar of Iowa City, at that time being on of the ablest in the State, and had as its shining lights Gilman Folsom and W. Penn Clark; in 1854 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Johnson county and in 1855 was elected mayor of Iowa City; in 1856 he was elected to the legislature from Johnson county and served one term with credit to his constituents and honor to himself; in 1857 he moved to Sigourney, which has since been his home, and in 1858 was elected district attorney for the Sixth Judicial District, and served four years, during which time he earned for himself the reputation of being one of the most skilled and successful criminal lawyer’s in the State; Mr. Woodin has had great success as an attorney and has been engaged on one side or other of almost every important case since he came to Sigourney, and during a period of twenty years he has not been absent from the court room one full hour at any one time during the session of court; his addresses to the jury are quick, pungent and exceedingly earnest and he rarely fails of success with either judge or jury; he is a man of great penetration, seeming to know a client’s case before it is half stated; he has steadfastly refused all offices since those above named which were in the line of his profession; he has devoted himself to the duties of his profession and may emphatically be termed a man of one work; in July, 1859, he was married to Miss Mary E. Skillman, of Sigourney; she was a native of Louisa county, Iowa; they have three children, Link, Guy and Grace.

Yerger, J. P., president of the Union Bank; born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1825; he studied dentistry and followed it as an occupation for some years; he came to this county in 1856, and after relinquishing the practice of his profession engaged in mercantile pursuits; his investment in this direction proving satisfactorily remunerative, in connection with E. Laffer, vice president, T. Robison, cashier, and others, he organized the Union Bank, July 1, 1875; his financial ability and integrity have never been questioned; careful and accurate, he has the fullest confidence of the people as a man, upright, reliable and honorable; he has served the county as a member of the board of supervisors and has always taken great interest in educational matters; he is a genial gentleman, a quick observer and as prompt in his business relations as he is generous in his social relations and thoroughly merits the esteem in which he is held by his fellow citizens; he married Miss Matilda Colder, in 1858; she was a native of Baltimore, Maryland; they have one son: Frank, now a student of law in the office of Woodin & McJunkin; they lost one daughter Kate C., she died on May 16th, 1877 aged eighteen years.


Submitted by John Davis. Source: "History of Keokuk County Iowa" 1880
Proofread and edited to  match the original test by Pat Wahl.