Guthrie County >> 1884 IndexHistory of
Guthrie and Adair Counties, Iowa
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Cass Township Samuel D. Anderson, son of John and Elizabeth C. (Roe) Anderson, was born in Huntington county, Pennsylvania, May 4, 1830. He moved with his parents to Richland county, Ohio, when he was quite small, and resided there until the spring of 1842, when they moved to Fulton county, Illinois, where they remained one year, and then moved to Wapello county, Iowa, where they remained until 1852. They then moved to Guthrie county, and Samuel going to Kentucky, spent two years in school. In 1854, he came to Guthrie county, where he joined his family. He was married in August, 1854, to Miss Nancy J. McClaran, daughter of Samuel McClaran. They had one child--Mary Elizabeth--born in 1855, died in 1858. In 1869, they adopted a little girl, Elizabeth J., who died in May 1881. In 1870, they adopted a boy, Thomas. Mr. Anderson is a minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, being ordained in 1860 by the Presbytery of West Iowa. He is also a member of the Masonic lodge, No. 121, at Panora, having been initiated in 1860. In July, 1854, Mr. John Boblett went through Guthrie county to Council Bluffs and Omaha, the latter just then being surveyed, and the former but a mere hamlet. He found nothing that pleased him so well as Guthrie, so he returned to Panora and bought the shanty of Hursche & Turner and opened a store. He ppurchased of "Ed & Bob Robinson" a cabin which stood upon the lot now owned by Charley Campbell, which he used as a dwelling. For some time they had neither tables nor chairs, and took their scanty meals Gypsy fashion. By and by he purchased of Hursche, a table, two chairs and two rough bedsteads. During the dreadful first year they had but little to eat, and sometimes were really Hungry. He went to a well-to-do farmer living near Booneville to buy corn, but he would not let him have any; however he offered to sell him a small lot that had been left by a man who had "gone to Texas." Out of five bushels he picked a half bushel, that under ordinary circumstances he would not have used, but the wolf must be kept from the door by some means. As soon as blackberries, of which there was an abundance, began to "turn" they picked and ate them, as well as green wild grapes. Peter Boblett was born in October, 1791, and his wife May 4, 1794, the former in Bedford, and the latter in Campbell county, Virginia. Mr. Boblett served in the war of 1812, under Captain Gray. July 1, 1854, they came to Panora, where they lived in a tent for six weeks, They then bought the David Bay farm, where they remained two years, when they returned to Panora. Joseph Boyer, a prominent citizen of Cass township, was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, in 1821. He is the son of David and Barbara (Smith) Boyer, with whom he moved to Richland county, Ohio, when he was about three years of age. In 1842 he moved to Elkart county, Indiana, where he remained until 1853, when he came to Warren county, Iowa, where he lived on a farm some twelve years. He came to Guthrie county in 1882. He was married in Indiana, in 1846, to Miss Susannah Whetstone, a native of Pennsylvania. They have six children living: David, Elizabeth, Rachel, Simon, Amanda and Rebecca. They have two dead--Joseph and Lewis, both of whom died aged three years. Mr. Boyer owns three hundred and twenty acres of good land, nineteen acres of which are timbered lands. He has a fine house and large willow trees on his premises. This gentleman is also a member of the Gernam Baptist church. Conrad Brumbaugh was a settler of the year 1850, coming to this locality from Pape county, Indiana, in the spring of that year. He was a native of Ohio, and was united in the bonds of matrimony while a resident of that state, to Miss Mary Jacobs. His family were originally of German extraction. When he reached this county, He located on section 32 [Cass township], where he opened up one of the finest farms in the township. On the 19th of May, 1859, he was so unfortunate as to lose his wife, who was the second person to die in the township. Mr. Brumbaugh was himself called to his future home in Movember, 1874, and his son Henry lives in the old homestead. Henry Brumbaugh, the only child of Conrad and Mary (Jacobs) Brumbaugh, is one of the prominent citizens of Cass township. He was born Nov. 14, 1835, in Elkhart county, Indiana, where he lived till the fall of 1844, when his parents moved to Polk county, Iowa, where they remained until 1850, when they came to Guthrie county, settling on section 32 in Cass Township, where his father entered one hundred and sixty acres of land. Conrad Brumbaugh died in 1874, and his wife died in 1857. Henry was married August 31, 1853, to Miss Matilda Stanton, and they have had ten children, eight of whom are now living--Conrad, Thomas, George W., Abraham, Anna, Catherine, William and Alberta. In 1864 Mr. Brumbaugh went to Montana and Idaho to mine, but after arriving there was taken sick and did not attempt mining, but remained in that section some eighteen months. He is the owner of one hundred and nime acres of as good land as is to be found in Cass township. Charles M. Campbell, a son of Hugh Campbell, came to this county a young man, in 1853, was a native of Indiana, having been born at Indianapolis, May 19, 1832, and is the son of Hugh and Cynthia (Kimberly) Campbell. He was reared and educated in his native city, and came to Iowa with his parents, with whom he lived until he was within a year of thirty. He learned his trade of carpenter after coming here, and has followed it ever since, and is now engaged as a master builder on his own account. He has been employed on several large works, notably the school-house in Panora, where his sub-contract covered over $1000 worth of work. He was united in Marriage on the 7th day of October, 1860, with Miss Priscilla Hosier, the daughter of Abraham and Mary (Huff) Hosier, old settlers of this county also. Their union has been blessed by the birth of two children--Frances, who was loaned them for a short time, when the Lord called her home, leaving her parents to mourn her death, and Hattie, who is still living. Mr. Campbell has been a continual resident of the county since his advent here until the present time, with the exception of a short absence to Kansas during the dark days of 1857, when that state was in the throes almost of death, and needed men of stirling character to help her. Mr. Campbell has inherited from a long line of Scottish ancestry, the industrious habits and frugal industry of the people of that nationality, and merits the regard in which he is held in this community. In 1853, Hugh Campbell, with his family, became settlers in this township [Cass], he taking up one hundred and sixty acres, on section 3, and forty on section 9. He was a native of Virginia, although of Scotch descent, tracing his pedigree back to the semi-royal house of the great McCallum More, the Duke of Argyle. He was born in Rockbridge county in the "Old Dominion," but came to Guthrie county from Indianapolis, Indiana. He was married to Miss Cynthia Kimberly, in the latter city during the year 1828, and by whom he had eleven children. These were Martha, Charles M., Catherine, George, William H., Hugh Jr., Ezra, Sarah, Albert and Austin. Hugh Jr. enlisted in company C, 4th Iowa infantry, and succumbing to fell disease was the first death in the regiment. This sad event occurred in Rolla, Missouri. The senior Mr. Campbell died at his home, in Cass township, on the 10th of June, 1854. He is spoken of by his neighbors, as a hard worker and of a deeply religious turn of mind, as is characteristic of the race from which he sprang, and was well loved by all who know him. He was buried near Panora. Stephen S. Chamberlin was born in 1831 in Adams county, Pennsylvania, and in 1856 was married to Sarah A. Haughtelin, who was born Janary 24, 1839, also of Adams county, Pennsylvania. In the spring of 1857 they moved to Cass township, Guthrie county, Iowa, where their son, Dayton F., was born, June 30, 1857. In 1858 they moved to Johnson county, Iowa, where their son, Oscar W., was born, January 27, 1859, and where they resided two years, when they returned to Guthrie county. Here Mr. Chamberlin died in the fall of 1860. In the spring of 1867 Mrs. Chamberlin married Samuel H. Tibbals, by whom she had two children--Hiram L. and J. Wilford. The former died January 26, 1879. Mr. Tibbals died in 1874. Dayton P. Chambers now resides on Orchard stock farm, in section 24 of Victory township, where he follows general farming and is an extensive breeder of thoroughbred shorthorn cattle and Poland-China hogs. Oscar W. Chamberlin moved to Lee county, Illinois, in 1868, where he lived with an uncle until he was eighteen years of age, when he attended school several years, and then taught school until the spring of 1881, when he returned to Guthrie county, Iowa, where he bought a fine farm, now known as Maple Lawn stock farm, located in section 1 of Victory township. He is now engaged in farming and improving his farm in summer and in teaching school during the winter. [See Stephen S. Chamberlin bio for more.] John A. Crawley was born in Adair county, Kentucky, October 27, 1814. He removed from Kentucky in 1824, to Illinois, where he remained until he came to Iowa, which was in 1849. His father, Charles T., died in 1839, in Illinois, where he spent his last years. He was married in 1855 to Miss Rebecca Ann Vickers, a native of Illinois, by whom he had eighteen children, eight of whom are now living: Nancy Ann, Amanda Jane, Sarah S., Phoebe C., William H., Charles, J. D., George W., Martha R. He remained in Boone county until 1871, when he came to Guthrie county, locating on section 2, Cass township. He owns one hundred and twenty acres of ground, nearly all under cultivation, and raises a large stock of hogs, cattle, and horses. He was married to Mrs. Martha Shaw after his first wife died, and after her decease he married Mrs. Amelia Cabbage, a native of Kentucky. Winston Crouse, one of the pioneers of Cass township, was born in Ash county, North Carolina, February 8, 1820, being the son of Martin and Susan (Waggener) Crouse. With his parents he moved to Clay county, Indiana, when nine years of age. He went to Jasper county, Illinois, in the fall of 1850, and remained there until the spring of 1852, when he came to Greene county, Iowa, remaining there until the fall of 1853, when he came to Cass township, Guthrie county, where he has resided ever since. He was married in Indiana, in 1848, to Miss Mary Stevens, a native of North Carolina. They have eight children--Susan, Jane, L. J., Elijah A., Sarah A., Matilda, James M., Mary A., and Louisa. Mahalie, an infant, died in 1851. Mr. Crouse has sixty acres of farm land, all cultivated, and twenty acres of timber. In addition to farming he raises cattle and hogs. In 1862 Mr. Crouse enlisted in Company I, 29th Iowa infantry. The first battle that he took part in was at Helena, Arkansas, and was in every battle in which the regiment was engaged up to the close of the war. With his regiment he was mustered out at New Orleans in the fall of 1865, and discharged at Davenport, Iowa. He is also a veteran of the Mexican war, and was in the battle of Buena Vista, being in the 2d Indiana. During that battle he was struck by three bullets, but none of them did any serious injury. Henry Culbertson, a prominent Cass township citizen, was born in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, December 9, 1825, being the son of Alexander and Mary (Longebaugh) Culbertson. He was reared in Stark county, Ohio, and removed to Guthrie county in the fall of 1860, locating in Cass township. He farmed near Panora for two years, when he engaged in the mercantile business in Panora, remaining in the same for two years, when he again went to farming. He was married in Ohio, in 1855, to Miss Mary McGregor, a native of Tuscarawas county, Ohio. They have three children--Le Roy, Sherman, and Franklin. Mr. Culbertson owns three hundred and five acres of good farming land, nearly all of which is well improved. His land is located in two different sections. He is grading up in shorthorn and Jersey cattle, but particularly shourthorns. Also raises Poland-China hogs and good farm horses. Ebenezer Culver, one of Cass township's prominent citizens, was born in Norfolk county, Ontario, Canada, March 9, 1840, his parents being Aaron and Amanda (Stearns) Culver, natives of New York. His mother's ancestors came over in the Mayflower. In 1856 he left Canada with his mother (his father having died when he was ten years of age), going to Ingham county, Michigan, and remained in that state till 1862, then coming to Des Moines, Iowa, where he lived until 1864, when he came to Cass township, Guthrie county. Wild game was yet plentiful when he arrived, and a buffalo was killed near his place. He was married in Guthrie county in 1871, to Miss Alice E. Thompson, a native of New York, They have five children--Herbert E., Arthur A., Anna B., Frank T. and George. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of good land, about one hundred acres of which is well improved. Besides farming proper, he raises cattle, hogs and farm horses. He has held the position of secretary of the school board. Leman G. Culver, who was one of the prominent men in this township
[Cass], was born in Canada, March 28, 1842, being the son of Aaron and Amanda (Stearns)
Culver. He remained in Canada until 1856, when he went to Michigan, and remained there
until some time in 1864. He then moved to the city of Des Moines, and in 1867 came to
Guthrie county and settled in Cass township. He was married in 1871 to Miss Martha A.
Hill, daughter of Thomas J. and Rachel Hill, of Indiana. When Leman was just in the prime
of life, and had become one of the foremost men in his locality, the Angel of Death
hovered over him, and he passed beyond all reach of earthly cares. He died in April, 1881,
leaving a wife and three sons to mourn his departure. He was buried in the Dunkard
cemetery, north of Panora. His widow is still a resident of Cass township, where she owns
some one hundred and sixty acres of valuable improved land, on which she lives most of the
time, occasionally visiting her mother in Mahaska county, she also being a widow, the
husband and father dying in Indiana in 1852. Leman was a kind father and a loving husband.
Jacob Deardorff, a prominent man residing on section 4 [Cass township], came to this county in March, 1875, where he owns a large farm of one hundred and five acres, and raises a large stock of cattle, hogs, and sheep. He was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, on the 15th of January, 1837, being the son of Andrew and Catharine Deardorff, with whom he moved to his present location. He was married in Illinois, in 1861, to Miss Nancy Brecuner, a native of Pennsylvania. They have six children--Harry A., Christie, Frank M., Lottie, Stella, and Verne. Two have died--Lucy in May, 1864, aged one year, and Columbus in June, 1872, aged twenty-one years. Mr. Deardorff is a prominent member of the Dunkard church here. Moses Deardorff, a prominent and enterprising citizen of Cass township, was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, December 15, 1844, being the son of Andrew M. and Catharine (Coffman) Deardorff. He removed from Pennsylvania in March, 1858, to Lee county, Illinois, where he lived until going into the music business at Lanark, in 1867. He was in that business one year. He came to Guthrie county in September, 1881, locating on section 1, in Cass township. He was married in Lee county, Illinois, in October, 1867, to Miss Catharine Fiscel, a native of Pennsylvania. Has two children--Ellis Ray and Winfred. His father died October 6, 1876, aged seventy-six years and eleven months, and his mother died January 17, 1864. Mr. D."s father was a member of the German Baptist church, and preached the first sermon in his faith in Panora, in 1851, having been ordained in Lee county, Illinois. He was a native of New Jersey. In 1856 he entered eight hundred acres of land in Richland township. Moses Deardorff owns one hundred and seventy-seven and one-half acres of land, all improved, and he has two wind-mills on his farm. He raises shorthorn and Durham cattle, four of his animals being pedigreed; also has Norman horses and Poland-Chiana and Berkshire mixed hogs. Among the early settlers of Cass township must be mentioned Robert A. Dilley. He is a native of Ohio, having been born in Guernsey county, March 27, 1831, his parents being Robert and Hannah Dilley. Removed from Ohio to Guthrie county in 1856, settling in Panora, and has made his home in the county since that time. He was married in 1870 to Miss Cora Bull, a native of the state of New York. They have adopted a child--Mattie. He owns fifty-five acres of land, fifteen of which is timber, and the rest is under cultivation. In addition of farming, he pays attention to raising cattle and hogs. In 1861, he enlisted in Company C., 4th Iowa infantry, and served faithfully til the close of the war with that regiment, when he was mustered out. Joseph Dyson, with his family, came from West Virginia. An ox-team, with a scanty amount of Household goods, were all the possessions he had. He rented the grist mill of John Anderson, which he operated for some time, and afterwards ran a general store in Panora. He has been dead several years, but was at one time quite prominent in the county affairs. In April, 1857, Joseph Dyson was elected to fill the vacancy[clerk of court] caused by the resignation of Mr. Serry, and served until the same fall. Mr. Dyson came to this county in 1855 from Ohio, locating at Panora, where he entered into business as a merchant in that growing town. In 1861 he, like many others in the county, was seized with the war fever, and on the organization of Company I, of the 29th Iowa infantry regiment, he was elected captain and served with credit to himself in that capacity. In 1863 he resigned the captaincy and returned to Panora, where he died about three years later. Ozias Ferree, son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Le Fefever) Ferree, was born in Tyrone township, Adams county, Pennsylvania, in 1818. He left Pennsylvania in April, 1863, coming to North Cass township, Guthrie county, locating in section 17 [Cass township], the country north being one vast prairie, where wolves, deer, and occasional small herds and single buffaloe roamed at will. He was married December 4, 1849, to Miss Sarah H. Lishy, a native of Codorus township, York county, Pennsylvania, adjoining Spring Forge. They have five children living, namely--Carman L., Curtis F. Cepeda O., Centeno T., and Lishy L. Sallie F. died in 1863, aged one year. He owns one hundred and seventy-five acres of land and has given each of his children a farm. His beautiful mansion was built in 1877, and he and his companion are members of the German Baptist church--"Dunkard," or, properly, Brethren. Corydon E. Foster owes his nativity to Madison county, Indiana, having been born there in December, 1848, being the son of James and Louisa A. Foster. In the fall of 1854, or 1855, he moved with his family to Guthrie county, where he remained at home until in August, 1868, when he was married to Miss Jennie Crouse, a native of Clay county, Indiana. In the spring of 1870, he moved to the present location, on section 35 [Cass township]. He now owns a farm of about eighty acres of good land, all of which is under cultivation. He is raising a large stock of shorhorned cattle, and a large stock of Poland-China hogs. James W. Foster was born in Darke county, Ohio, on the 15th of November, 1823. When but a child his parents moved to Preble county, Indiana, where he grew to manhood. On attaining the latter, he removed to Madison county, Indiana, where he engaged in farming. He was married in January, 1848, to Miss Louisa A. Elliott, by whom he had four children, all living in this county at the present. These were--C. E., now living near Panora; Mary, the wife of H. E. Long; Thomas J., deputy auditor, and John W., the present auditor of Guthrie county. The subject of this sketch with his family, came to Guthrie county in 1855, and made the settlement upon the northwest quarter of section 13, township 79 range 30, now a portion of Cass township, which he purchased of Nathan Maynard. The former owner of this place had built thereone a small log cabin, but had made no other improvements, but no sooner had it passed into the hands of Mr. Foster than he set to work at its development, until there was no finer tract of land or more beautiful home in the county. Mr. Foster was, although a strong republican, outspoken in the interests of that party, no politician, in the common acceptation of that term. In 1873, he was nominated by the party, as its candidate for the legislature, but owing to his peculiar idea that the office should seek the man, not the man the office, and the circumstance of local feeling over the removal of the county-seat, the leading question of that election, and the grange movement, he was defeated by the small majority of thirty-one. He was one of the first trustees of the high school, and served in that position with honor. Mr. Foster died at his home, in Cass township, March 1, 1883, and passed to his reward. He was a man of great public spirit and enterprise, and although his name does not appear upon the roll of official honors, it was rather by his wish that it should be, as he was well known all over the county as one of the most straightforward, intelligent, honest, honorable, substantial citizens, and one of Guthrie county's greatest benefactors. Richard Gilbert was born in Rutland county, Vermont, in April, 1813, being the son of Caleb and Polly (Cutter) Gilbert. He moved to Wayne county, New York, when he was about a year old and there remained until he was nearly sixteen years of age. He then went to Westfield, New York, and remained but a few months, when he went to Lancaster, Ohio, where he followed the occupation of making fanning mills. After drifting around from place to place in Ohio, he went to Indianapolis, where he remained eighteen or nineteen years, working at his old trade until the spring of 1850, when he went to California, making the voyage around Cape Horn. After making a trip to Oregon, he returned home, He came to Guthrie county in September, 1852, entering three hundred and twenty acres of land in section 5 [Cass township]. He was married in 1836, to Miss Martha Thomas, of Indianapolis. They had three children--Obed F., killed at Pea Ridge; Charles G., was killed in 1881, on the Wabash railroad, and an infant. His wife died in May 1842. He was married in December, 1853, to Miss Isabel M. Campbell, a native of Indiana, by whom he had seven children: Harrison H., Emma J., Henry W., William H., Richard O., and Lucy P., died, aged twenty months. He owns one hundred and fifty-four acres, all of which is under cultivation. He raises a large stock of cattle, hogs and sheep. Among the first settlers, not already spoken of, are: Richard Gilbert, who came to Panora in September, 1853. He was then a widower, and, with his two little boys for companions, traveled by wagon from Indiana, weary, hungry and travel worn. he stopped at the cabin of J. W. Cummins and asked if they could let him something to eat. "Yes," said the good lady, "come in and sit down while I grate some corn and bake it." She grated the corn up on a radish grater, and they relished it greatly when it was done. Mr. Gilbert entered the east half of section 3 - 79 - 30, and forty acres in section 9 [Cass township]. P. S. Hamilton, a native of Knox county, Illinois, was born in January, 1841, being the son of Walker and Rebecca (Stiver) Hamilton. His father is now living in Cass township, his mother having previously died. Mr. H. moved to Panora in 1856, where he farmed until he became clerk for C. H. Zinn. He began the mercantile business in 1877, with David Ryerson, which firm continued until 1880, when Mr. Reynolds became a member of the firm. Mr. Moore was taken into partnership, and so continued until Mr. Hamilton started in business in Yale. He was married in October, 1876, to Miss Jennie Fiscel, a native of Illinois. The have had one child--Lulu, who died in May, 1879, aged one year and one month. Chauncey Harper, farmer, on Section 4 [Cass township], the owner of a well-improved farm of two hundred and thirty acres, came originally from Mercer county, Ohio, where he was born in February, 1845. He moved with his parents to St. Jo county, Indiana, when he was about one year old. They remained there until the fall of 1853, when they came to Guthrie county, settling on section 36, which is now part of Panora. Chauncey was married in December, 1869, to Miss Jennetta E., daughter of W. C. Jones, one of the early settlers of Guthrie county. Have one child--Franklin C. He remained on a farm for a year and a half after his marriage, when he moved to his present location. he owns a large farm and raises a large stock of shorthorn cattle and Poland-China hogs. His parents are both living in Panora at the present time. His wife's mother died in 1875. Abraham H. Haughtelin, a native of Adams county, Pennsylvania, was born in August, 1837, being the son of John C. and Eliza (Diehl) Haughtelin. He remained in his native state until the spring of 1857, coming to Panora, where he remained but one year. He then moved to Iowa City, where he remained until the spring of 1882, when he moved to his present location, on section 19, Cass township. He was married in December, 1864, to Miss Sarah E. Cline, a native of Indiana, and daughter of Thompson Cline. They have five children, all of whom are living--Ulysses G., Willis E., Alvaretta, Iva and Estella. He buried his wife in the spring of 1876. Mr. Haughtelin owns four hundred and eighty acres of improved land and twenty-three acres of timber in Iowa, and a section of heavy timber in Missouri, and raises a large stock of cattle and hogs. He has held the offices of school director, township secretary and road supervisor nearly all the time he lived in Victory townshiop, and had to resign all those offices when he left. He is a prominent member of the Dunkard church. James A. Hensal, a son of John and Anna (Cochun) Hensal, was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, September 10, 1837. His father died in the fall of 1865, while his mother is now making her home with her son James. He moved to Kansas, in 1858, and returned to Pennsylvania at the close of the war. He came to Guthrie county, in 1856, settling on section 22, in Cass township. He was married, in 1864, to Miss Love S. Diehl, a native of Pennsylvania. They have four children living--Rollen, Elmer, Telford, and Minnie. They have also, three dead--Jennie, died in 1868, aged eighteen months; William, 1876, aged fifteen months, and Nora, died in 1881, aged sixteen years. He enlisted in the 7th Kansas cavalry, on the 10th of August, 1861, and was assigned to the Western Army, under Grant. He served in Missouri until the spring of 1862, when the regiment was ordered across the plains, but returned soon to the Mississippi, and participated in the engagements at Corinth, Iuka, Holly Springs, Grenada, and Jackson, Mississippi. Mr. Hensal was appointed a spy at Corinth, Mississippi, and served in that capacity with Sherman on the Atlanta campaign, and was promoted to the position of chief of scouts, in the fall of 1863. He owns two hundred and forty acres of improved land, and raises a large stock of cattle and hogs. William Kirtley was born in Logan county, Ohio, in April, 1843, his parents being Washington and Mary (Arbgast) Kirtley. He moved from Ohio to Guthrie county, in the fall of 1856, settling in Cass township. He was married in Guthrie county in 1867, to Miss Sarah Whistler, a native of Indiana. By their union, three children have been blessed--Charles W., Edgar W. and George W. He owns a large farm of one hundred and twenty-three acres, most of which is improved, and he raised a large stock of shorthorn cattle and Poland-China hogs. His mother now resides in Dallas county, his father having died in September, 1876. He is a member of Missionary Baptist church, of which he is a deacon, and is also a member of the Masonic lodge of Panora. Joseph Lisle, a farmer and owner of sixty acres of land, came originally from Belmont county, Ohio, where he was born in March, 1818, being the son of James and Peninah (Doudna) Lisle. His parents caame to Ohio in 1800, where they were married in the course of a year. Joseph came to Guthrie county, settling in Highland township, where he remained until he moved to his present location on section 13, Cass township, in 1865. He was married in Ohio in 1839, to Miss Mary Evans. They have six children--John E., James, Charles A., Thomas, Hugh M. and Mary. Have three dead--Sarah M., died in 1846, Emma, died in 1860, Jane (Lahman), died in 1868. Mr. Lisle owns sixty acres of land, forty of which is improved, and raises a acres[sic] large stock of cattle, hogs and horses. He has been a member of the Methodist Church for forty-four years. John Manning, one of the early settlers of Cass township, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1817, his parents being Thomas and Elizabeth (Cup) Manning. His parents removed to Wayne county, Indiana, in 1823, where he remained until 1855, when he moved to Dallas county, Iowa. In the spring of 1856 he came to Cass township, Guthrie county, and has remained there ever since. He kept a shoe shop in Panora for some ten years, when he engaged in farming. He married Elizabeth N. Howell, a native of Indiana. They have six children living--Sarah Alice, Sylvester, George E., Florence, Columbus and Ray. Two of their Children have died: Thomas J., a member of the 29th Iowa infantry, died on the march at Little Rock, Arkansas, in May, 1865, aged nineteen years; Mary E. died May 3, 1861, aged three months and ten days. Mr. M. lives on section 10, owns eighty acres of land, mostly cultivated, and, in addition to farming, is engaged in stock-raising. He is a member of the United Brethren church. His son, Columbus, is a school teacher. When Mr. Manning first came to the county, deer and other wild game were in abundance. George W. Martin was born in Licking county, Ohio, February 24, 1839. He moved from Ohio in the fall of 1850, and came to Iowa, residing in Linn county, and there farmed until 1869, when he came to Guthrie county. He was married in Linn county to Miss Celia M. Strite, a native of Mercer county, Pennsylvania. They have four children--John W., Elizabeth E., Edmond P. and Clark. He owns eighty acres of well cultivated land on section 12 [Cass township], where he makes his present location. He enlisted his service in Coumpany H, 24th Iowa infantry in August, 1862. He was in the Red river campaign, and was wounded in the battle of Winchester, Virginia, September 12, 1864, and was so disabled that he was discharged before the close of the war. Artemas McClaran was born in Holmes county, Ohio, September 25th, 1832, and moved from that state with his father and mother, Samuel and Mary, in September, 1844, to Owen county, Indiana. His mother's maiden name was Mary Cline. In his father's family there were thirteen children, two of whom died while young. The others moved to Guthrie county with their parents, in June, 1853. Artemus married Miss W. E. Reynolds, June 1st, 1854 (she was born October 14th, 1835), and unto them were born fifteen children, four boys and eleven girls: Sylvester W., born September 19, 1855; Malissa Y., born June 7, 1857, died January 10, 1858; Alice S., born September 25, 1858; America I., born January 31,1860; Josephine A., born August 12, 1861; Armadilla S., born February 12, 1863; Lasa B., born February 12, 1867, died March 9, 1867; Epha E., born May 5, 1868; Charles O., born September 22, 1870; Elmer E., born February 2, 1872; Eva M., born January 20, 1874; Jesse G., born October 22, 1875; Bernetta C., born August 8, 1876; Leo B., born March 26, 1879; Eldiva, born January 27, 1881. Mr. McClaran taught school in his own house, in what was then Dodge township, now Victory township, in the winter of 1856-7, the same being the first school north and west of Panora in this county. He was a volunteer in Company I, 29th Iowa infantry. Enlisted August 13, 1862; was mustered out with said organization at new Orleans, Louisiana. While a member of this company he was promoted first sergeant, February, 1863, and first lieutenant, February 8, 1865. he served as deputy county surveyor from 1872 to 1873, and was then elected and served as surveyor until 1881. Was township assessor of Cass for the years 1878,1879,1883 and 1884. Philip D. Miller, a farmer and stockraiser, agricultural and livestock writer for newspapers in Cass township, owes his nativity to Perry county, Ohio, where he was born in September, 1839, being the son of Nathan C. and Elizabeth (Sellers) Miller, the former of whom was a surgeon in the 18th Iowa infantry. He was a graduate of the Cleveland medical college, and had charge of a hospital at Columbus. In the fall of 1852, Philip came with his father's family to Keokuk county, Iowa, where his parents still reside. He was married in 1861, to Miss Lucy A. Stubbs, who was at that time a student of Richland academy. They moved to Colorado shortly after their marrieage, where Mrs. Miller died in 1865, leaving a husband and three children to mourn their loss. He then returned to Keokuk county, and remaining there until 1877, he came to Guthrie county, settling in Cass township, on section 19. He has had three children by his first marriage--Robert, died in 1863; Arthur N. and Earnest B. In 1878 he was married to Miss Mary Secrest, a native of Illinois. Mr. Miller devotes his energies to the raising of shorthorns, Holstein and Jersey cattle; Poland-China, Berkshire, Chester-white, Essex and Suffolk swine; Plymouth Rock, light Brahma, brown leghorn and game chickens; bronze turkeys and white China geese. He has taken over two hundred premiums per year at the various state and county fairs, and is know far and wide as a breeder of the finest stock. His place is known as the "Oaklandredge Stock Farm." Benjamin Mitchell, in 1853, settled upon the southwest quarter of section 28 [Cass township] where he still is living. Benjamin Mitchell was born in Henry county, Kentucky, March 9, 1810, and when quite young was taken by his parents, to Indiana, where the family resided for a number of years. In the spring of 1853, Benjamin came to Guthrie county, settling in Panora, having bought three hundred and twenty acres of land in section 28 and 29. He was married in Johnson county, Indiana, in 1833, to Miss Beretta Beadles a native of Kentucky. They had eleven children--Mary Elizabeth, John Thomas, William D., Sarah, Emeline, Clarissa Jane, Amanda Susan, Franklin Pierce, Rachel Louisa, Lydia A., died January 3, 1862; James R., died September 9, 1857; Ephraim, died in September, 1861. Mrs. Mitchell died on the 24th of October, 1870. In 1874 he married Mrs. Elizabeth (Zook) Mullis, a daughter of Peter and Margaret Zook. Mrs. Mitchell was born near Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1812. Her father died in 1872, her mother having previously died in 1870. The subject of this sketch took part in the Black Hawk war, in Wishood's company. He also took part in the defense of Chicago and vicinity. Luman G. Pierce, a farmer and stockraiser in Cass township, is the son of Charles and Sarah (Ingraham) Pierce. Luman was born in Middlesex county, Massachusetts, in March, 1838. He moved to Vermont, where he remained but a short time, when he commenced traveling through the Southern states and on the sea. He then moved to Ogle county, Illinois, where he remained until the opening of the war, when he left his home and friends and enlisted in the 11th Illinois infantry, and remaining in that charge three months, he enlisted in the 8th Illinois cavalry, under Colonel John Farnsworth. He served some six months as orderly, then commissioned as second lieutenant, which position he held for a short time, when he was promoted to the position of captain of Company A of that regiment, and served in that capacity until the close of the war. He participated in the engagements at Vicksburg, Pleasanton's raids, and in all the battles of the Potomac. He was in the grand review at Washington, and was mustered out in 1865, at St. Louis. He returned to Ogle county, Illinois, where he was married to Miss Alta Francis, a native of New York. They have four children--Mary, Ardell, Charles B., Winnifred and Daniel. Mr. Pierce has been school and road officers, and at present holds the position of the president of school board. He is a member of the masonic lodge at Panora, and is a member of the G. A. R., post No. 37. Gillum Reynolds, a native of North Carolina, but lately a resident of the state of Indiana, made his appearance on these scenes [Cass township] in May 1852. His wife was a Miss Beaman, also a native of North Carolina, and they had a large family, that came with them into the country. He located upon section 4 -79 - 30, and soon opened up a farm. He resided here until 1856, when he died and entered upon the just reward of his labors in this world. His son Elijah J. Reynolds, has always been identified with the life and growth of the county and has held the position of county treasurer for several terms. The latter was a young man of about twenty when he came here with his father, with whom he resided until 1853, when he settled where he now lives in Panora. This was before the town was in existence and this was then all wild land. This he tilled for many years. Richard G. Reynolds a farmer and stock raiser in section 10 [Cass township], came to Guthrie county in 1882. He was born in Clay county, Indiana, in 1832, being the son of James and Nancy (Stevens) Reynolds. He was married in 1852, in Indiana, to Miss Sarah Biddle, a native of Ohio. They have had four children, two of whom are living: William M., James S., Caroline, died in 1880, aged twenty-three; Samuel, died in 1880, aged nineteen years. Richard enlisted in company H, in the 59th Indiana infantry, in 1862, and served until the close of the war. He took part in the engagements of Cornith, Champion Hills, Jackson, Mississippi, Altoona Pass, Visksburg, Chattanooga, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta and in Sherman's march to the sea. He owns sixty-three acres of land on section 10, all of which is cultivated, and raises cattle and horses. Of the many who came at this time to Cass township were Mrs. Casandre Roberts, with her two sons, Joseph and Philip, who settled where Joseph now resides. The latter had been here in 1853, purchased the land and built a cabin--without doors or windows. When they moved, the family consisted of eighteen persons (only four of whom were the children of Mrs. Roberts). They landed on the prairie, where they waited until a doorway could be sawed out; one of the boys crept through under the logs to get inside, in order to assist in the operaton of sawing. For some time their door was a bed quilt, their windows the chinks in the walls, and their bedsteads the floor. About two weeks after their arrival they were visited by a terrific storm; the wind blew the lights out as fast as they could be struck; the lightning glared threateningly, and the thunder was terrible, while the rain was a genuine flood. Each whispered courage to the others, but the lightneing revealed anything but courageous attitudes. One Smith, who had been very brave, was seen crouching on one hand and knee, while with the other hand he endeavored to ward off the lightning's fierce darts. Their first furniture was made of native lumber, sawed at Brumbaugh's mill. David Ryerson, a wealthy and prominent farmer in Cass township, was born in Sussex county, New Jersey, on the 10th of January, 1839. His father, Richard A., now resides in Muscatine county, Iowa, his mother having died in New Jersey in 1844. He moved with his father from New Jersey in 1855, to Muscatine county, Iowa, where he remained until 1870, when he came to Guthrie county, settling on section 14, Cass township. He was married in Guthrie county, in 1878, to Miss Kittie Powell, of Panora. He owns over one hundred and sixty acres of farm land, nearly all under cultivation, and raises a large number of cattle and hogs. He enlisted in company B, 35th Iowa infantry in 1862, and was afterward assigned to the 16th army corps. He took part in the campaign and capture of Vicksburg, in the Red river campaign and in the battle of Jackson. He was wounded at Yellow bayou in 1864, and was immediately discharged. Peter Scheib, the son of Adam and Susannah E. (Beir) Scheib, was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1832, and emigrated to Wisconsin, America, in 1849, where he remained until 1851, when he moved to Jackson county, Iowa. In 1855 he moved from Jackson county to Washington county, where he remained until some time in February, 1883, when he moved to Guthrie county, locating on section 35 [Cass township]. He was married in 1859 to Miss Julia A. Schauf, also a native of Germany. They have six children--Hattie was married in Washintgon county to G.J. Wishard; Mary, was married in Guthrie county to A. N. Miller; Gussie, Julia, Elsie and Georgia. Mr. Scheib owns eighty acres of improved land, and owns a fine stock of Galloway and Jersey cattle and Poland-China hogs. James D. Shepherd, farmer, a son of James and Levica (Kimberlin) Shepherd, was born in Shelby county, Kentucky, in October, 1823. When he was about seven years of age he moved with his parents to Montgomery county, Indiana, where he remained until coming to Guthrie county in 1856, settling on section 14, Cass township. He was married in Indiana, in 1848, to Miss Eleanor Rolley, who died in 1853, leaving two children--Mary Francis and John A., who died in November, 1864. He was married for the second time in 1854, to Miss Mary J. Wasson, by whom he had six children--Nancy E., Ellen, James W., Eva A., Corydon F. and Caleb D. Two died in their infancy. His second wife died in December, 1878, and James D., living alone for over two years, was married in 1880 to Margaret McClellan, a native of Owen county, Indiana. He owns one hundred and eighty acres of land, nearly all under cultivation, fifty-two acres of timber, and raises a stock of shorthorn and Durham cattle. He has a fine farm, two large orchards and two maple groves. Mr. Shepherd is a prominent member of the Baptist church. Among the prominent men in Cass township is David Shook, a son of John and Sarah (Harper) Shook, and was born November 11, 1820, in Dearborn county, Indiana. He removed from Indiana to Fayette county, Iowa, in 1855, and came to Guthrie county, settling in Cass township in 1870. He was married in 1840, to Miss Indiana Diehl, a native of Pennsylvania. She died in 1865. He had eight children by that marriage--Jacob, Mary, Jane, William, Ezra, Granville, Albert, Isabel, James and Louisa. He was married to Miss Eliza Moffitt, and has three children by that marriage--Robert, Josephine and Robert. He owns one hundred acres of good land, all improved, and is engaged in stock-raising. Two of his sons, Jacob and Charles, served terms during the war, the latter being in the cavalry service. Charles served his term, and was honorably discharded,and Jacob was discharged on account of diability, nine months after his enlistment. Jacob Shook was born in Ripley county, Indiana, near Versailles, February 7, 1840, his parents being David and Indiana (Diehl) Shook. His mother died in 1865, and his father is now living in this township. When Jacob was twelve years of age his parents moved to Fayette county, Iowa, and remained there until coming to Cass township, Guthrie county, in 1870. He was married in 1863 to Miss Jennie Moffitt, who afterwards died. They had two children, one of whom is yet living--Wallace Grant. He afterwards married Miss Catharine Howell, a native of Indiana, and has six children by that marriage--Ellen, Nelson, Mary, Della, Mabel and Lincoln. Enlisted in 1862 in Company G, 38th Iowa infantry, serving until becoming disabled for duty, some nine months afterwards. The whole regiment suffered severly from sickness. He was dischared at St. Louis, Missouri. He owns eight acres of land, all improved, and is also engaged in raising cattle and hogs. David C. Sidener was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, in October, 1831. When he was about six years of age he moved with his parents to Montgomery county, Indiana, where he remained until 1875, when he came to Guthrie county settling on section 15, in Cass township. He was married in Montgomery county, Indiana, in 1856, to Miss Maria Miller, a native of Kentucky. The have seven children--Mary L., Hannah J., Lucy I., Nettie, James F., Emma A., Eva Josephine. He has two hundred and forty acres of land, nearly all under cultivation, and owns a large stock of shorthorn cattle and Poland-China hogs. He is a member of the Masonic lodge at Panora, and also a member of the I.O.O.F. John Walker came to Guthrie county in 1855 or 1856, locating on section 14 [Cass township]. He was born in county Tyronne, Ireland, in 1825, being the son of John and Rachel Walker. When he was about twenty-five years of age, he came to America, residing in Ohio, where he remained a number of year, when he came to his present location in Cass township. He was married in 1858, to Miss Emeline Frazier, a native of Indiana. They have five children: Lucinda Jane, William S., James E., Cora E. and Ida May. Mr. Walker owns eighty acres of excellent land, all of which is under cultivation, and raises a large stock of cattle and hogs. He enlisted, in 1862, in Company I, of the 29th Iowa infantry, and served until 1865, when he was mustered out at New Orleans, on account of disability. He is also a member of the G.A.R. William Warren, a farmer in Cass township, was born in Noble county, Ohio, September 25, 1852, being the son of A. and Melissa (Ogle) Warren. In the year of 1865, he came from Ohio (Noble county) to Guthrie county, Iowa, settling in what is now Valley township. William has taught school for a number of years, beginning in the year of 1870. He was married in Panora, in 1876, to Miss Louise Mitchell, a daughter of Benjamin Mitchell. They have three children--Wilbur, Bernetta and Elizabeth. He remained in Stuart for nearly two years after his marriage, when they moved to Panora, where he and his wife carried a large stock of millinery fancy goods, for over two years, when they moved to their present location, one-half mile north of Panora. Prominent among the men of Guthrie county, who give character to the coummunity in which they live, and are a credit to the county, is James A. Wasson, of Cass township. He was born in Montgomery county, Indiana, in 1836, being the third of a family of five children. His father, John Wasson, was a Kentuckian by birth, and in 1830 he married Miss Elizabeth Kinkead, also a native of Kentucky. They remained in Indiana until 1856, when they came to Guthrie county, locating on sections 14, 11 and 12, his house being on section 14. He owned five hundred and forty acres of land in several farms. He died in September 1883, his wife having previously died in 1877. James A. remained at home until 1870, when he was married to Miss Phedema A. Parrish, a native of Canada, who died in 1875, leaving one child--Jessie P. In 1879 he married Miss Melissa Parrish, a native of Lee county, Iowa. He owns four hundred and forty acres of land in sections 11, 14 and 15, Cass township, two hundred and fifty acres of which is under cultivation, and he also raises cattle, hogs and horses. He is a member of the Panora lodge, No. 121, A. F. and A. M. Was initiated in June 1860. John A. Wasson, a native of Montgomery county, Indiana, was born August 30, 1831, his parents being John and Elizabeth Wasson, with whom he moved to this county in 1856. He lived with his parents until he was married, which was in March, 1864, to Mrs. Mary Ann Woodvine, a native of Indiana, by whom he had seven children--John H., Elmer, Lizzie, Della, Clara, Mary and Vestie. He owns nine hundred and sixty acres of land, nearly of which is under cultivation. He raises large herds of cattle, hogs and horses. He enlisted in the service of the 4th Iowa infantry in 1861, and served that regiment four months, when he was discharged on account of sickness. He is a member of the Panora lodge No. 121, A. F. and A. M. Robert Wasson, one of the prominent farmers of Guthrie county, although now nearly eighty years of age, is a native of Shelby county, Kentucky, having been born there in December, 1804. He moved from Shelby county to Montgomery county, Indiana, where he remained until 1854, when he came to Guthrie county, settling on section 34, Cass township. He was married in Indiana to Jane Thornburgh, a native of Pennsylvania. They have had four children, two of whom are living--Samuel A. and James T. Mary Louisa died in 1856, aged two years; June died in 1881, aged twenty-five years. Samuel A. Wasson, a farmer and stock raiser in Cass township, was born in Montgomery county, Indiana, in August, 1852. His father, Robert Wasson, is a Kentuckian by birth, and came to this county in 1854. Samuel was married in February, 1876, to Miss H. D. Carter, who is a native of Missouri. They have two children--Leroy, aged three years; Ada, aged one year and six months. He has held the positions of different township offices and is one of the most prominent men in this township. Among the old settlers of 1853 in Cass township was Joshua W. Wiggins. This gentleman was born in Rome county, Tennessee, on the 30th of September, 1830. At an early age his parents took him to Lawrence county, Indiana, where he was reared on a farm. He remained there until 1853, when he came to this township and made a settlement on section 14, where he has since remained. His wife was Miss Catherine Henderson. John Willesen was born in Denmark, October 21, 1851, his parents being William and Ann C. Willesen. In 1872 he emigrated to the United States, locating in Monmouth county, New Jersey, where he farmed until coming to Guthrie county, which was in March, 1883. His father died in Denmark in 1878, and his mother is still living in the old country. He is now located on section 13 [Cass township], on the Foster homestead. He was married, October 2, 1878, to Miss Sarah Elizabeth Bennett, a native of New Jersey. One child has blessed their union, Hannah, aged three years. He cultivates thirty-five acres on a farm of ninety acres. He is a consistent member of the Bapist church. Theodore Wilson, a farmer and stock raiser on section 22 [Cass township], was born in Rockbridge, Virginia, March 17th, 1855, being the son of Robert and Sallie (Hull) Wilson, both of whom died, leaving Theodore an orphan at the age of five years. When Theodore Wilson was about nineteen years of age, he moved to Montgomery county, Indiana, where he remained about three years, when he came to Guthrie county, settling on section 22. he was married in June, 1880, to Miss Hannah J. Sidener, a daughter of David Sidener. They have two children: Freddie M., and Mabel A. He owns eighty acres of land, part of which is under cultivation in section 10, and lives on section 22. He owns a fine stock of Durham and Hereford cattle and Poland-China hogs, and has held the position of school director for several years. Milo Yale, son of Nathaniel and Polly (Werrin) Yale, was born in Oneida county, New York, in 1822. He removed from there with his parents to Lee county, Illinois, in 1836, where they remained until 1877, when they came to Guthrie county, settling in Richland township. He was married in Illinois in 1844, to Miss Eveline Tallman, a native of New York. They have eight children--Samuel J., Charles, Wallace, Jeannette, Frank, Byron, Ida and Bruce. He owns about five hundred acres of land [in Cass township] nearly all of which is under cultivation and raises large numbers of cattle and hogs. |