Marion County >> 1915 Index

The History of Marion County, Iowa
John W. Wright and W. A. Young, supervising eds. 2 vols. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1915.

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Hon. Charles Hestwood Amos – page 18

Iowa lost one of her most distinguished residents when Hon. Charles Hestwood Amos was called from this life. With marked strength of character he had used wisely and well the talents with which nature endowed him and he stood among the foremost lawyers of the state, also as a leader in political circles and as one of the prominent members of the Masonic fraternity. There were, moreover, in him those social traits which made him the loved friend of all with whom he came in close contact.

His birth occurred in Union township, Marion county, February 24, 1869, his parents being Captain Caleb J. and Emma Amos. His early youth was spent in his native county, but when he was eight years of age his parents removed to Chicago, where his father engaged in the live-stock business. In that city the boy, therefore, pursued his education, attending the public schools until graduated from the Lake high school. He was ambitious to secure a good education and entered the University of Michigan, where he spent three years as a student in the liberal arts department in preparation for a course in law. He had determined to make law practice his life work and after studying for a time in the Michigan State University entered the Union College of Law, now the law department of Northwestern University of Chicago, from which he was graduated at the head of his class in 1892, despite the fact that he was earning his own way, working in the claim department of the Nickel Plate Railroad.

Mr. Amos immediately entered upon the practice of his chosen profession in Chicago and notwithstanding the fact that competition is nowhere greater he made substantial progress there during the three years of his residence in that city. Owing to his father’s death he became the only support of his widowed mother and repaid her for every thoughtful care and attention which she had bestowed upon him in his childhood with the most filial love and devotion. This was one of the traits of his character that made him universally respected and admired. She was not only his mother but his confidant and his best friend, and the closest ties of companionship bound them. In 1895 they returned to Knoxville, where Mr. Amos entered into a law partnership with W. A. Stone, which relation was maintained until 1897, when Mr. Stone removed to Idaho. At that time Mr. Amos became a partner of Hon. L. N. Hays, with whom he was connected for fourteen years, when the senior member of the firm was made district judge. At that time the firm of Amos & Vander Ploeg was formed and so continued until the death of Charles H. Amos. With the passing years he won a place among the distinguished lawyers of Iowa. He was a forceful and resourceful member of the bar, strong in argument, logical in his deductions and a wise counsellor. There are few lawyers who are so careful to conform their practice to high standards of professional ethics. He gave to his clients the service of great talent, unwearied industry and rare learning, but he never forgot there were certain things due to the court, to his own self-respect and above all to justice and a righteous administration of the law which neither the zeal of an advocate nor the pleasure of success would permit him to disregard.

Of him the Knoxville Journal said: “It is said that ‘death loves a shining mark,’ and so it would seem in this instance when it summarily closed a career so bright with promise as that of Charley Amos. He was a man of unusual ability, of commanding presence, an orator of power and effectiveness, endowed with a liberal education and the broadest views, and he seemed at the very outset of a career of much distinction. The safe counsellor, the brilliant advocate, the honored citizen and loving son has been taken away, affording further evidence of the truth of the precept that the ways of Providence are past finding out.”

Prominent as was Mr. Amos as a member of the bar, he was equally well known in political circles. All unsought, he had attained a position of leadership in the democratic party and two years before his death was his party’s candidate for attorney general, while at the last primary election before his demise he would have been a formidable candidate for governor had he permitted the use of his name. He studied the political problems with great thoroughness and earnestness and no one over questioned the honesty of his convictions.

About the time he attained his majority Mr. Amos became a member of the Masonic lodge and afterward advanced through both the York and Scottish Rites until he became a Knight Templar and a Consistory Mason and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He took great delight in the work of the order in all of its branches and served as high priest of Tadmor Chapter, R. A. M., for several years. He was also patron of the Eastern Star chapter at Knoxville for two years and in March, 1910, attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in the Des Moines consistory. At that meeting he was chosen by unanimous consent to be the spokesman of the class, which was a large one, and delivered one of the finest orations ever heard upon such occasions. His life embodied the highest standards of Masonry. The teachings of the order made a deep and lasting impress upon his mind and he ever endeavored to live out the instruction concerning the brotherhood of man. It was a great comfort to him during his last illness that his Masonic friends were the watchers at his bedside. Among his closest associates he was known as “The Duke” – a term of affection by which he was greeted on all occasions. During the last six months of his career after being advised by his physician of his condition he made a strong fight for life, but when he knew that the end was certain he met it with the same courageous spirit that characterized him in every action. Around him were the watchers at his bedside, and, returning to consciousness after a period in which he had been in a comatose condition, he said: “I didn’t think I would ever come back again, boys, but while I am here I want to talk to you. You boys of the consistory and you others too remember your Masonry. Maybe my life has been open to criticism but I have tried to live my Masonry. The consistory has been my religion. I will meet you boys again. Remember the teachings of Masonry. Everything is all right with me, with everybody and everything. I am not afraid to die. (Here one of the boys broke down and began to cry, whereupon he said, calling him by name and waving his hand toward him with a smile.) Never mind, it is all right and all for the best. You boys will take care of my blessed mother.”

If the historian were to attempt an analyzation of the life work of Charles H. Amos, which ended January 18, 1913, when he had compassed but the comparatively brief span of forty-three years, ten months and twenty-three days, it would be difficult to point out the strongest element. Nature endowed him with keen mentality, but it is only through the exercise of effort that powers grow. He had the force and ambition that enabled him to earn his way through college and as the weeks sped on his mind compassed the branches that fitted him for high professional attainments. Citizenship was never to him an idle term. He studied political questions with a sense of obligation that arose from his belief that every individual should do his best for his county. Of him it might be written:

“Not a general giving his orders,
Not an officer wearing the gold,
But a true-hearted private in service,
With the strength of a warrior of old.

“Not the glory of fighting in battle,
Not the glory of winning the day,
But the glory of doing his duty
When his country’s need pointed the way.

“Not a life with its joyous home-coming,
Not a life with ambition fulfilled;
For duty and death met together,
And his great heart of honor was stilled.”

However, the great circle of his friends – and they were as numerous as the circle of his acquaintance – have the firm belief that that which is great and good and noble is eternal and may well entertain the spirit of James Whitcomb Riley’s beautiful lines:

“I cannot say and I will not say
That he is dead – he’s just away.
With a cheery smile and a wave of his hand,
He has wandered into an unknown land,
And left us dreaming how very fair
It needs must be, since he lingers there.

“And you, O you, who the wildest yearn
For the old-time step and the glad return –
Think of him as faring on, as dear
In the love of There as the love of Here;
Think of him still the same, I say –
He is not dead – he is just away.”

Captain Caleb J. Amos – page 358

Marion county pays honor to a most worthy man when she makes mention of Captain Caleb J. Amos, who was numbered among the Iowa pioneers who represented the state upon the battlefields of the south during the darkest hour in the country’s history and who was afterward identified with business interests in this state, becoming a merchant of Knoxville. Ohio claimed him as a native son, his birth having occurred in Highland county, that state, on the 31st of July, 1839. His father, Pleasant Amos, was born in Grayson county, Virginia, and represented one of the old colonial families of that section of the country. He removed from Virginia to Ohio and in the autumn of 1848 brought his family to Iowa, again casting in his lot with the pioneer settlers. He took up his abode near Red Rock, in Marion county, and Captain Amos, who was then a lad of nine years, was largely reared to manhood in Marion county, meeting with many of the experiences of pioneer life.

The latter attended the common schools and afterward became a student in Central University at Pella, where he pursued his studies for three or four years. He had almost reached the point of graduation when his course was interrupted by his military life. All of his preconceived plans were put aside when the Civil war broke out, for on the 12th of August, 1862, he enlisted as a member of Company H of the Fortieth Iowa Infantry and assisted Dr. Johnston in raising that company. His father had been a soldier in the War of 1812 and the military spirit was strong within him. He was chosen second lieutenant of his company, but was commissioned first lieutenant when the regiment was mustered into service at Iowa City on the 15th of November, 1862, being the youngest commissioned officer in his brigade. The following winter was spent in Kentucky and in the summer of 1863 he participated in the siege of Vicksburg. Later his command was stationed for a year and a half at Little Rock, Arkansas, and when Captain Richards retired from the command of the company Mr. Amos was appointed to that position on the 9th of April, 1864, and thus won the title by which he was afterward known. He was at that time acting quartermaster of his regiment in the place of A. B. Miller of Knoxville, who had retired. Captain Amos saw strenuous service in the Camden expedition, in which he was twice wounded, though not so seriously as to necessitate his leaving the company. He was on duty at Fort Smith and at Fort Gibson and when, in May, 1865, the victorious Union army marched through the streets of Washington in the Grand Review – the most celebrated military pageant ever seen on the western hemisphere – Captain Amos stood at the head of his company and participated in that event. He was mustered out with his command on the 2d of August, 1865.

Captain Amos at once returned to Marion county and on the 20th of May, 1868, he was united in marriage to Miss Emily A. Hestwood, a daughter of the Rev. Samuel Hestwood, who for many years was a distinguished minister of the Methodist Episcopal church in Iowa. They became the parents of four children, all of whom died in infancy, with the exception of one son, Charles, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this work.

Following his marriage Captain Amos located in Essex, Page county, Iowa, where he engaged in business for three years and took an active part in the upbuilding of the town during the time when the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad was built through there. In 1875 he moved to Knoxville, erected a business block and conducted a dry-goods and general store until 1878, becoming one of the leading merchants of the city. The success which he achieved in that connection led him to seek a still broader field of labor and in October, 1878, he went to Chicago, where he engaged in the live stock commission business to the time of his death. He was a man of energy and prudence, possessed sound business ability and good judgment and obtained in large measure the rewards of business application and enterprise. He was also a man of scholarly tastes and habits and in the midst of pressing business duties found time to keep abreast with modern thought and to inform himself concerning questions of vital and significant importance. Of him it was said: “He was known among his associates as a thoughtful, well informed man and one possessing broad views of public matters and of life. To him the world was more than a place in which to make money.”

Captain Amos passed away at his home in Chicago on the 7th of January, 1893, and his remains were taken back to Knoxville, Iowa, for interment. He was for many years an exemplary member of the Masonic fraternity and to the time of his death retained his membership in the lodge at Knoxville, which organization conducted his funeral services. He was also a member of Abraham Lincoln Post, G. A. R., and many of its members were present when he was laid to rest. No better indication of his life and character can be given than by quoting from one of the Knoxville papers, which said of him:

“Captain Amos was deservedly held in high esteem by all who knew him. He had the confidence and esteem of his business associates in an unusual degree. In the army he was loved, honored and trusted by his comrades and showed marked qualities for leadership. He was a man of commanding presence, generous heart and broad sympathies and loved to do a kindly deed. He was an upright, manly man. He had no patience with meanness, trickery or dishonesty. His most marked characteristic was sterling honesty. He sought to be an honest man in business, in his social relations, at home, everywhere. He was a man of courage on the field and was no less brave in the defense of what he believed to be right at home. And with these qualities he was fitted to take a manly part in the wonderful development through which our country has passed since the war and in the growth of the great western metropolis in which latter he had made his home. In his home life he was a dutiful son, a brother beloved, a kind and loving husband and father and everywhere a genial and companionable man.”

George H. Amos – page 265

George H. Amos, who was a member of the firm of Amos & Davis, proprietors of a well known hardware store in Knoxville, is one of the youngest business men in the city, as he was born in 1893. His birth occurred in Boston, Massachusetts, and he is a son of George L. and Ida (Harris) Amos. His father was born in Monroe, Iowa, and was a son of E. H. Amos, a native of Ohio. The latter was one of the first settlers of this state and entered government land in Marion county. He became very prominent here and was president of the Knoxville National bank, of which he was one of the organizers. George L. Amos was by occupation a stock buyer and shipper and was known in that connection throughout the United States. He bought horses all over the western part of the country, purchasing them by the train load and selling them throughout the east. He was known in Chicago as one of the biggest shippers of horses operating through that city. Many of the horses which he bought were finally exported, as his father-in-law was engaged in that business and bought many horses from him. His wife, who was in her maidenhood Miss Ida Harris, was a daughter of Henry S. and Matilda Harris, residents of Boston. The father and paternal grandfather of our subject both died in 1901, but his mother survives and lives in Boston. His paternal grandmother is also living and makes her home in Knoxville.

George H. Amos was the only child born to his parents was given an excellent education. After completing the course offered by the public schools he entered the Rindge Technical College, from which he was graduated in 1912. He was employed by the Cambridge Trust Company for six months and then was connected with Stone & Webster for a year. At the end of that time he came to Knoxville and purchased an interest in the hardware business known as Amos & Davis, of which he later became sole owner. The store is one of the longest established ones in the city, having been founded in 1865, and he received lucrative patronage, but on the 1st of November, 1914, he sold out.

Mr. Amos is liberal in his religious views and in politics casts an independent ballot, preferring to support the candidate whom he deems best fitted for the office in question without regard to party affiliation. Although he has been a resident of Knoxville but a short time, he has already gained the confidence and respect of the community and has also made many warm friends among his fellow townsmen.

James M. Amos – page 228

For the past twenty years James M. Amos has been identified with the business life of Knoxville and is now the proprietor of a large livery and sales stable, having upon an average forty-five horses of his own in the stable. Altogether he owns seventy-five horses. He has an ambulance, runs a bus and transfer line and is prepared for furnishing cabs for funerals. Mr. Amos was born in Union township on the 30th of September, 1852, a son of Pleasant and Celia A. (Ballard) Amos, the former of whom was born in Ohio and the latter in Indiana. The father came with his parents to Marion county in the late ‘40s and his father, who passed away in this county, was among the first settlers to secure land. Pleasant Amos, who was a farmer of Union township, died in 1854, when only twenty-eight years of age. His widow, who was born in Indiana, married the second time, becoming the wife of John Butcher, by whom she had eight children, six sons and two daughters, but only two sons survive, namely: Richard, living near Indianola, Iowa; and Osa, of Swan township, this county, residing upon the old home place. The mother is still living in Knoxville and is in good health, although about eighty years of age.

James M. Amos was the only child born to his parents and was reared in Union township. As the schools in pioneer days only lasted a few months in the winter and he was compelled to spend most of his time in assisting with the work at home, his education was somewhat limited. After his marriage he farmed in Union township for a number of years, but for the past twenty years he has lived in Knoxville. For two years he was deputy sheriff and subsequently was elected sheriff of the county, receiving all but three votes in his township irrespective of party. The nomination came to him unsolicited and was a tribute to his fitness for the office. His service was so acceptable that he was reelected, serving in all four years as sheriff. For nine years he dealt in stock, buying and shipping a large number of animals annually. He buys horses and has sold many fine animals at public sale. In addition to the buying and selling of horses and the renting of horses and vehicles by the hour or day, he runs a bus and transfer line, a dray line, and also does hospital work. He gives especial attention to furnishing horses and the necessary vehicles for funerals and his service is always satisfactory. All of these various phases of his business are well managed and yield him a profit annually.

In 1871 Mr. Amos was married to Miss Mary A. Davis, who was born and reared in Union township. Her parents were Phillip and Esther Davis, early settlers of that township, both of whom are deceased. Two sisters of Mrs. Amos reside in this county, Mrs. S. O. Harmon and Mrs. Harry Cooper. To Mr. and Mrs. Amos have been born three children: Mellcena, who married Charles Bridges and died September 22, 1900; Mrs. James Cunningham, residing at Knoxville, where Mr. Cunningham owns a billiard and poolroom; and Connard D., living in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he is in the wholesale fruit business. The last named married Miss Sophronia Bitzel, a native of Marion county, and they have become parents of three children, the oldest of whom died in infancy. Those living are Mary Adla and Elizabeth Josephine.

Mrs. Amos is a Methodist and takes great interest in the work of the church. Mr. Amos has supported the measures and candidates of the democratic party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise and has for many years taken an active part in politics. For twelve years he was justice of the peace in Union township and for nine years served as trustee of that township. As previously stated, he was for two years deputy sheriff of the county and for two terms sheriff. In all of his official connections he has proved as faithful to trust and as upright as in his private life. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. His business integrity is above question and his personal honor is unimpeachable, and the respect in which he is held by his fellowmen is fully merited.

Allen Anderson – page 251

Allen Anderson, who is the proprietor of a roller skating rink in Knoxville and is also engaged in the real-estate business, was born in Polk township, this county, on the Des Moines river, in 1860, a son of J. W. and Harriet (Smith) Anderson. The father was a native of Kentucky and when ten years of age accompanied his parents to Davis county, Iowa. His father was J. W. Anderson, Sr., also a native of Kentucky, although his father was born in Sweden, being the first of the family to come to America, and upon his arrival in this country making his way direct to Kentucky, where he located. J. W. Anderson, Sr., grew to manhood in Davis county, where his father owned land which he had entered in the early ‘50s. The parents of our subject were married in Van Buren county, Iowa, in 1860 and in the same year removed to Marion county, locating in Polk township, at what was then called Coalport, a small steamboat town of that time. The father farmed with his father-in-law, Thomas C. Smith, for a time and subsequently conducted a potter for a number of years. He returned to Davis county and followed agricultural pursuits there for some time, but in 1877 moved again to this county. His wife died in 1897 and he afterward went to Des Moines, where he served under Mayor McVicker upon the police force. He is still living in that city at the advanced age of eighty years. His wife was born in Somerset, Ohio, and was a daughter of Thomas C. Smith, a native of Delaware. The family home in Ohio was next to that of General Phil Sheridan but removal was subsequently made to this county, where Mr. Smith is well remembered by many. He died at his home in Polk township when about eighty-four years of age. Mrs. Anderson was sixty-three years of age when she passed away. Her religious faith was that of the Baptist church. Mr. Anderson of this review has two brothers living, namely, J. W. and Thomas C., both farmers of Polk township.

Allen Anderson was reared in Davis and Marion counties and early became acquainted with the duties of the farmer and learned by practical experience efficient methods of agriculture. Upon starting out in life for himself he cultivated land and so continued until 1896. He also ran a thresher and for fifteen years was the owner of a sawmill which he operated. In 1896 he removed to Knoxville, where he started a feedyard in 1900 and operated the same until 1907. Since 1910 he has owned and conducted a roller skating rink, which is a popular place of amusement, especially for the young people of the city. He also engages in the real-estate business to some extent and finds this a profitable side line.

Mr. Anderson was married in this county to Miss Eliza Crouch, who was born here. Her father, William Crouch, settled here in 1859, coming from Virginia. Mrs. Anderson has a sister, Mrs. Jones, who lives near Knoxville, and two brothers living in Knoxville. By her marriage she became the mother of six children, three of whom survive, namely: A. J., who is a plumber and resides at home; and Eva and Raymond, also at home. A daughter, Mrs. Harvey Myers, died in young womanhood, and Nora and Frank died in childhood. Mrs. Anderson and the children belong to the Christian church.

Mr. Anderson is a democrat and one of the prominent men in the local political circles. For the past twenty-five years he has attended the county and state conventions of his party and he has held a number of local offices. In addition to serving in various township positions he was for two terms county supervisor, being first elected in 1906, and he has also been a member of the city council of Knoxville. Fraternally he is well known, holding membership in the subordinate lodge and encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in the Knights of Pythias, the Red Men, the Foresters, the Modern Woodmen and the Homesteaders. He likewise belongs to the ladies’ auxiliaries of all of the above orders. His wife is a member of the Rebekahs, the Pythian Sisters, the Pocahontas and Woman’s Relief Corps. He has proved a successful business man and also an upright and public-spirited citizen and enjoys the respect of those who know him.

Hiram Andrews – page 35

For many years Hiram Andrews was a farmer and stockman residing on section 25, Knoxville township, and the news of his demise, which occurred in June, 1908, at Bentonville, Arkansas, was the occasion of much sincere grief in this county, where he was well known and highly esteemed. He was born in Crawford county, Ohio, on the 27th of September, 1830, a son of Jacob and Ellen Andrews, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, but who became early settlers of Ohio.

Hiram Andrews was reared in the county of his nativity and there attended the common and high schools. When in his twentieth year he began teaching and followed that profession in the Buckeye state for seven years. In the spring of 1857 he came to Marion county, Iowa, and located here, having been much pleased with the prospects of the county when he investigated conditions here in 1854. After his arrival in this county he continued to teach during the winters for seven years and devoted the summers to farm work, cultivating land new Newbern in Dallas township. In 1865 he removed to section 25, Knoxville township, and from that time gave up teaching, concentrating his efforts upon the cultivation of his land and the raising of live stock. He was energetic in the performance of the tasks that fall to the lot of the farmer and also sought to so systematize and manage his work as to secure maximum efficiency. He owned one hundred and twenty acres of land and his place was once of the best improved farm properties of his locality.

On the 11th of March, 1859, Mr. Andrews married Miss L. Richardson, a native of Ohio, and they became the parents of two children: William Franklin, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work; and a daughter, Eva, now the wife of James Pugh, of Omaha, Nebraska.

In the fall of 1879 Mr. Andrews was elected assessor of Knoxville township on the republican ticket and proved a capable and conscientious official. For ten years he served as secretary of the school board and during his entire life manifested deep interest in the welfare of the public schools. He and his family were all members of the Christian church and were factors in the extension of the influence of that organization in their locality. On the 15th of December 1879, he lost his residence and many household effects by fire, but soon after he rebuilt, his new home being at that time one of the finest in his section of the county. About 1898 he removed to Bentonville, Arkansas, and passed away there in June, 1908. His wife survived him for about two years, her demise occurring at Omaha, Nebraska, at the home of her daughter in February, 1910. Their lives were well spent and they served well the day in which they lived, performing to the best of their ability the tasks that lay closest at hand and cooperating heartily in all movements that sought the public welfare.

William Franklin Andrews – page 148

William Franklin Andrews, of Knoxville township, has contributed to the development of the live-stock industry in this county as a breeder of Duroc-Jersey hogs. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of fine land six miles southwest of Knoxville and his property is one of the well improved places of his township. He was born near Newbern, this county, on the 23d of December, 1861, a son of the late Hiram Andrews, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Mr. Andrews of this review has one sister, Eva, the wife of James Pugh, of Omaha, Nebraska.

In the schools of Spring Hill William Franklin Andrews acquired his scholastic education and supplemented this with practical training in agriculture, as he assisted his father with the work of the home farm. He remained under the parental roof until 1884, when he was married and began farming upon his own account. Success has rewarded his efforts and since 1901 he has resided upon his present quarter section of land, which is situated on section 34 Knoxville township, and is finely improved. In 1910 he built a resident which has all of the modern conveniences and is one of the best farm houses of the county. He devotes his entire attention to his agricultural pursuits and makes a specialty of raising thoroughbred Duroc-Jersey hogs, his stock bringing high prices on the market.

Mr. Andrews was married in 1884 to Miss Amanda Fortner, a daughter of the late Samuel Fortner, a pioneer resident of this county. She was born on the 30th of November, 1859, in Indiana, but was brought here in early childhood. In this county she grew to womanhood and here her marriage occurred. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews have one daughter living, Amy, the wife of Albert Dykstra, who is a resident of Osage, Saskatchewan, Canada. He is engaged in wheat raising upon an extensive scale, his annual yield being many thousand bushels. In connection with his brother he owns three hundred acres, but they operate altogether more than two sections of land. Mr. and Mrs. Dykstra have a son, Frank A., who was born on the 31st of December, 1913. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews lost two daughters, who died in infancy. He is a republican and his fraternal connections are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America, while his wife and daughter are both affiliated with the Rebekahs. Mr. Andrews and his wife are members of the Concord Methodist Episcopal church and all who know them bear testimony to the sincerity of their religious belief, as their lives are guided by the principles of Christianity.

J. W. Avery – page 274

J. W. Avery was for many years a blacksmith in Knoxville and was known as an able workman. He was born in Michigan in 1856, a son of James and Sarah (Salters) Avery. His father was a farmer by occupation and was also a veteran of the Civil war, having served in that historic conflict for three years. The family is of English descent.

J. W. Avery was reared in his native state, but in 1889, when a young man of thirty-three years, came to Iowa and located at Atlantic, where he remained for one year. In 1890 he removed to Knoxville and here opened a blacksmith shop, which he conducted successfully until his death, which occurred on the 22d of September, 1908. In the intervening eighteen years he established himself firmly in the confidence and respect of those who knew him and gained a reputation as an expert at his trade.

In 1876 Mr. Avery married Miss Mary Watkins, likewise a native of Michigan and a daughter of John Watkins, and she survives and lives in Knoxville. They were the parents of three children. Frank, who was born in Michigan in 1878, was educated in the public schools of Knoxville and for twelve years was connected with Culver & Company but it now a partner of the Avery-Clelland Company, which owns a hardware business in Knoxville. He married Maude Sheddan of Knoxville and has a daughter, Ruth. He is independent in politics and fraternally belongs to the Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. Arthur, the second son of J. W. Avery, was born in Michigan in 1880 and was also educated in the Knoxville public schools. For twelve years he assisted his father in the latter’s blacksmith shop, but since May, 1910, has been a partner in the Avery-Clelland Company. He married Miss Lola Culver, of Knoxville, and has two children, Robert and Alice. He is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Harry was born in Knoxville on the 19th of August, 1892, and graduated from the Knoxville public schools. He is connected with the same hardware business as his brothers. The concern is known as Avery-Clelland Company and was founded in 1907 by J. W., Frank L. and Arthur Avery and W. W. Clelland. The store occupies a building one story and basement, eighty-two by one hundred feet in dimensions, which is located on East Main street, and the company carries a general line of hardware and farm implements.

J. W. Avery was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and held all of the chairs in the local subordinate lodge. His widow is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and takes an active part in the furtherance of its cause. Mr. Avery was independent in politics, took a great interest in public affairs, and for two terms served upon the city council, in which capacity, as in his private life, he did all within his power to secure the general welfare. His demise, which occurred in 1908, was sincerely regretted and in his passing the city lost a valuable citizen.

John Andrew Ayers – page 365

Closely connected with agricultural and stock-raising interests in Marion county for many years was John Andrew Ayers, who passed away on the 23d of May, 1913, after a residence of many years in this county. He was born in Illinois on the 26th of January, 1853, his parents being Andrew and Susanna (Smith) Ayers. At an early day the family was established in Marion county, becoming identified with the development of this part of the state when the work of progress and improvement had scarcely been begun here. The family home was established in Liberty township and Andrew Ayers carried on general farming up to the time of his death. He also took an active interest in community affairs and cooperated in many plans movements for the development and upbuilding of the county. Both he and his wife were people of the highest respectability and their lives, at all times honorable and upright, won for them warm regard.

John A. Ayers was a pupil in the public schools of this county, to which he came with his parents in early life. He started out on his own account when but a youth and was always identified with general agricultural interests. He also followed carpentering and was a good workman in that line. He thoroughly understood the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops and as the years passed on he brought his farm to a high state of cultivation and received therefrom a gratifying income, for the large crops which he harvested found a ready sale.

On the 17th of April, 1879, Mr. Ayers was married to Miss Mary M. Yeater, a daughter of James R. and Virginia (Shaw) Yeater. To Mr. and Mrs. Ayers were born three children, Elmer, Mamie and Alfred, all of whom survive. The father passed away on the 23d of May, 1913, and was laid to rest in the Bussey cemetery.

His political allegiance has always been given the republican party from the time when age conferred upon him the right of franchise and for several terms he had efficiently served as road supervisor of Liberty township. He did not seek nor desire office, however. He was essentially a home man and preferred to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs and the enjoyment of the companionship of his family, to whom he was a devoted husband and father. In friendship, too, he was faithful and true, and he was highly regarded by all who knew him, so that his death was the occasion of deep regret throughout the county.