Past and Present of Guthrie County, Iowa
Chicago: S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1907.
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Unless otherwise noted, biographies submitted by Dick Barton.
James Francis Lalley
That Guthrie county offers excellent opportunities to the agriculturist is
indicated by the fact that although James Francis Lalley made an extended trip
through the west, going as far as the Pacific coast, he found no country which
to him was more attractive than his native state, and he is here successfully
engaged in carrying on general agricultural pursuits on one hundred and sixty
acres of land, situated on section 35, Grant township, whereon he resides, this
property belonging to his father, while he also leases an eighty-acre tract
located on section 23, Grant township, likewise belonging to his father.
Mr. Lalley possesses many of the sterling characteristics of his Irish
ancestry, he being the eldest son of the twelve surviving members of a family of
fifteen children born unto Patrick and Mary (Kelly) Lalley, both of whom claim
County Galway, Ireland, as the place of their nativity. Extended mention of
Patrick Lalley is made on another page of this work. James F. Lalley was born on
the old homestead farm in Grant township, Guthrie county, October 19, 1879, and
was there reared to farm life, assisting his father in the work of plowing,
planting and harvesting in their respective seasons, while during the winter
months he pursued his studies in the public schools of Grant township, this
knowledge being supplemented by a course in Augustana Business College, at Rock
Island, Illinois, from which institution he was graduated in April, 1900. Soon
after his graduation he made an extended trip to the west, going he made an
extended trip to the west, going as far as the Pacific coast, the object of his
trip being to study the possibilities which might there be enjoyed. After a
year, however, he returned to Guthrie county, and on the 4th of June, 1902, was
married to Miss Leonora Kelleher, of Audubon township, Audubon county, Iowa, and
a daughter of John Kelleher, who was a prominent farmer of that county, but is
now deceased.
Following their marriage the young couple located upon a farm belonging to
his father, this being situated on the northeast quarter of section 35, Grant
township, and comprising one hundred and sixty acres, and he also operates
another tract of eighty acres lying on section 23, Grant township; thus it will
be seen that he is carrying on farming on quite an extensive scale, operating in
all two hundred and forty acres. In addition to raising the cereals best adapted
to soil and climate he is also engaged in the breeding of polled Angus cattle,
and this branch of his business is proving a profitable source of income to him.
In all his work he is practical and progressive and finds a valuable assistant
in his estimable wife, who capably manages the household affairs. Mr. Lalley
follows in the political footsteps of his father, giving stalwart support to the
democratic party, while at the present time he is serving as trustee of Grant
township. He and his wife are communicants of the Catholic church and his
fraternal relations are with the Independent Order of Foresters and the Knights
of Columbus.
Mr. Lalley has spent his entire life in Guthrie county and is therefore well
known to our readers. Although numbered among the younger members of
agricultural life in this section of the state, he has already attained a
position of prominence and is justly classed among the prosperous young farmers
of Grant township.
Patrick Lalley
The rich farming land of Iowa has furnished the means whereby through a life
of activity and usefulness Patrick Lally [Lalley] is now enabled to live retired
in a beautiful home in Adair, while from his landed possessions, comprising
seven hundred and twenty acres, he derives the income that now supplies him with
all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. He is a native son of the
Emerald isle, his birth having occurred in County Galway, in March, 1849, and is
one of the four survivors of a family of six children born of the marriage of
Thomas and Honora A. (Riley) Lalley, the others being John and James, who still
reside in County Galway, Ireland; and Bridget, the widow of Dennis Kane, and a
resident of Adair, Iowa. Both the father and mother were likewise natives of
Ireland, where their entire lives were passed, the father passing away there
when he reached the advanced age of about eighty-three years, while the mother
departed this life when about seventy years of age. The father was a carpenter
by trade and it was under his direction that the son Patrick acquired a good
practical knowledge of the builder's art.
At the early age of fourteen Patrick Lalley left his native country and went
to England, where he engaged in carpentering in Chester for four months,
subsequent to which time he returned to his home in Ireland, but after a few
months there spent once more made his way to England, this time locating in
Sheffield, where during the greater part of the subsequent three years he
followed his trade. In the spring of 1866, being then a youth of eighteen years,
he decided to try his fortune in the new world, for he had hears of the
advantages that were here afforded to young men of ambition, determination and
enterprise. Accordingly he crossed the Atlantic to the united States and at once
made his way to the state of Illinois, locating in Peoria, where he remained for
four or five months, acquaintnig [acquainting] himself with the manners and
customs of this land. Eventually he continued his journey westward, locating in
Davenport, Iowa, where he resumed his work at the carpenter's trade, being thus
engaged for a decade. Believing that the rich farming lands of Iowa offered
splendid opportunities, Mr. Lalley then made his way in the sprig of 1876 to
Guthrie county, where for two years he operated leased land in Grant township,
and with the money thus gained during this period he invested in a farm of his
own, making purchase of the northeast quarter of section 35, Grant township,
which he improved and on which he located. About four years subsequent to his
first purchase he added to his original holdings, this time coming into
possession of the southeast quarter of section 26, Grant township, situated
across the road from his home place. He later added additional tracts, one of
eighty acres on section 26, a second eighty on section 21 and a third on section
23, while in 1900 he purchased a quarter section in Eureka township, Adair
county, his landed possessions thus aggregating seven hundred and twenty acres
of valuable farming land, all of which is cultivable. All that he today
possesses has been acquired through his own diligence and perseverance for all
that he possessed at the time of his arrival in the United States was a
knowledge of his trade and when he made his first purchase of land, which
amounted to four hundred and sixty dollars, he was obliged to borrow one hundred
dollars, on which he had to pay ten per cent interest. He, however, possessed
good business management and keen foresight, so that from a humble beginning he
has worked his way upward until he is now numbered among the wealthy and
substantial landowners of the state of Iowa. He was actively and successfully
engaged in general agricultural pursuits until 1902, when he retired to Adair,
where he purchased a beautiful residence, which he is now occupying and in which
he enjoys all the comforts and conveniences of life.
On the 30th of September, 1878, Mr. Lalley was united in marriage to Miss
Mary Kelly, who was born in County Galway, Ireland, in the same parish in which
the birth of her husband occurred, but her marriage occurred in Davenport. She
became a resident of the United States in 1875 and by her marriage became the
mother of fifteen children, of whom three are deceased, all having died within
eight days and only a week after the location of the family in Grant township.
The surviving members of the family are: James, a resident farmer of Grant
township, who is mentioned on another page of this work; John, a farmer of Adair
county; Thomas, also following farming in Grant township and who is mentioned
elsewhere in this volume; Michael, of Denver, Colorado; Timothy, who follows
carpentering in Denver; Connor, who is attending Creighton University at Omaha,
Nebraska; Catherine, the wife of James McDonald, a druggist of Adair; Anna, the
wife of Daniel Fagan, of Adair; Mary, the wife of Christopher Bateman, of
Denver; Nellie, who is engaged in teaching in the district schools and resides
with her parents; Loretta, also at home; and Margaret, the wife of Thomas
Farrell, a resident of Mead, Kansas.
Mr. Lalley gives his political support to the men and measures of the
democratic party but is not radical in his views. He is a communicant of the
Catholic Church. His life should serve to inspire others of resolute spirit and
determination, for the success which today crowns his efforts has been acquired
through his own capable management and well directed labor, as he came to this
country a young man, ignorant of the manners and customs of American people but
in due time gained a position of prominence, being classed today among the
substantial and retired citizens of his section of the state.
T. J. Lalley
Among the native sons of Guthrie county who are engaged in general
agricultural pursuits none are more prominent than he whose name introduces this
record. T. J. Lalley was born on a farm in Grant township, Guthrie county, July
14, 1880, and is the third in order of birth of the twelve surviving children
born of the marriage of Patrick and Mary (Kelly) Lalley, both of whom were born
in County Galway, Ireland, the former born in March, 1849, while the year 1866
witnessed his arrival in the United States, he being then a youth of eighteen
years. Further mention of the parents is made on another page of this work.
T. J. Lalley was reared to the occupation of farming, early becoming familiar
with the best methods of carrying on a work of this character, for he assisted
his father in operating the home place during the summer seasons, while through
the winter months he attended the common schools, wherein he obtained the
knowledge which later fitted him to carry on business on his own account. Upon
starting out to face the responsibilities of life on his own account he chose
the occupation to which he had been reared and this has continued to be his
pursuit to the present time, while in connection therewith he makes a specialty
of the raising of full-blooded Aberdeen Angus cattle. He is now located on a
well improved farm in Grant township, Guthrie county, his postoffice being at
Adair.
Mr. Lalley completed arrangements for having a home of his own by his
marriage, on the 8th of January, 1901, to Miss Grace McLaren, who was born in
1880. Her parents were of Scotch-Irish descent and located in America at an
early date. The mother, however, is deceased, her death occurring in 1906, but
the father is still living and now makes his home in Oklahoma. Mrs. Lalley is
the fourth in order of birth in a family of seven children and was provided with
liberal educational advantages, having graduated from the normal at Audubon,
Iowa, and following the completion of her education she successfully engaged in
teaching for six years prior to her marriage. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Lalley
has been blessed with two interesting children: Vincent, who was born January
15, 1902; and Cornelius, born April 6, 1903.
Mr. Lalley gives his political support to the democratic party and has served
as school director. He and his wife are communicants of St. John's Catholic
church at Adair, while his fraternal relations are with the Foresters lodge at
Adair. They are highly esteemed young people of the community, and the
hospitality of their own pleasant home is greatly enjoyed by their many friends.
JOHN D. LENON
A fitting reward of a well-spent and active life is a period of rest through opportunity to enjoy the fruits of former toil, and this is vouchsafed to John D. Lenon, who is now living retired at Panora. As merchant and miller and representative of other business interests he has done much to promote the material prosperity and upbuilding of this section of the state and especially has Panora benefited by his labors, which at the same time have brought him a splendid financial return, so that he is now numbered among the men of affluence in Guthrie county. Moreover, he has maintained his residence here from an early day, having lived within the borders of the county for forty-six years.
His birth occurred in Carroll county, Indiana, January 8, 1834 , his parents being James R. and Elizabeth ( Duncan ) Lenon, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Tennessee . The father was a farmer by occupation and died in 1849, when his son John was but fifteen-years of age, having for some time, however, survived his wife, who died in 1842, at the age of twenty-five years. After losing his first wife James R. Lenon was married to Margaret Mabbitt, who, after losing her first husband, became the wife of George Whisler and with him removed to Guthrie county, where she died several years ago.
John D. Lenon was one of five children, but he and his brother, Peter H., the latter a resident of Guthrie Center , are the only ones who now survive. The common schools afforded John D. Lenon his education privileges during the period of his boyhood and youth, and when still comparatively young he learned the carpenter's trade. He remained a resident of Indiana until 1861, when he arrived in Guthrie county, Iowa , and engaged in the drug business with his brother,, the firm maintaining an existence until 1865. In 1863, in connection with James and John Cline, he built and operated a woolen mill and later purchased the interests of his partners. The business was carried on along the original plan until 1877, when the mill was converted into a grist mill, which Mr. Lenon operated until 1903, when he leased it to his son. He was also a partner in a drug store in 1872. His business enterprises have been important and of a varied character, but in all that he has undertaken he has won success, possessing that strong spirit of determination and energy which enabled him to overcome all the difficulties and obstacles in his path and to work his way steadily upward. At different times he has had valuable real and personal interests in the county, but has now disposed of all his property here except his mill and his residence, having largely invested his money in Arkansas realty.
On the 13th of September, 1855, when a young man of twenty-one years, Mr. Lenon was married to Miss Margaret M. Long, who was born in Clinton county, Indiana, on the 20th of April, 1837, her parents being David and Anna Long, who were farming people, locating in Indiana in pioneer days, and there spending the remainder of their lives. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lenon have been born ten children, as follows: James B., who married Miss Anna Furguson, and is now operating a grist mill at Panora, Iowa; Viola, the deceased wife of M. N. Lenon, who was a distant relative, and who made her home in Indiana; Luella, the wife of Robert King, of Panora; Henry, who died at the age of sixteen years; Warren, who graduated from the county high school, wedded Miss Clara Mercer, a sister of H. H. Mercer, clerk of Guthrie county, and who is now president of a bank in Little Rock, Arkansas, and is also mayor of that city, now serving his third term; Florence M., who died in 1895; Brenton, who passed away at the age of three years; one who died in infancy; J. F., who graduated from the Guthrie county high school, married Miss Cora Hale, and is now cashier, director and secretary of a banking house in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Olive, the deceased wife of Hoyt W. Chase, a resident of Yale, Guthrie county.
Mr. Lenon has been an Odd Fellow since 1866 and has exemplified in his life the spirit of brotherly kindness and mutual helpfulness which underlies this organization. He joined the Masons in 1856 and has taken the Royal Arch degree. His political views endorse the democracy and for many years he was a recognized leader of his party in Guthrie county, his opinions carrying weight in its local councils. In 1866 he was elected treasurer of the Panora school district and held that office for sixteen consecutive years. In 1881 he was elected and served for one term as county treasurer, and in 1889 was again chosen for the office, proving a faithful defender of the public exchequer. He served for several terms on the city council and for two terms as mayor, giving an administration characterized by a prompt and businesslike dispatch of his duties and by a marked devotion to the general good. He has been a member of the Presbyterian church for eight years and is now one of its elders, while his wife has been a member of the same church for forty years. In the varied relations of an active life he has ever commanded the good will and confidence of his fellowmen, who acknowledge his worth as a citizen and in business circles. The most envious cannot grudge him his success, so honorably has it been won and so worthily used. He has passed the Psalmist's span of three-score years and ten and now at the age of seventy-three years is enjoying a well-earned retirement from labor.
James A. Lyons was a native of Morgan county,
Ohio. In 1855, with his parents, he was in Allemakee county, Iowa, where he
farmed until 1856. He then went to Leavenworth, Kansas, and engaged as a
government freighter from that place to New Mexico. Was later found in the
lumber regions of Wisconsin and there until 1861. Returned that year to
McGregor, Iowa, and enlisted in Company K, First Iowa Cavalry. Was shot in the
shoulder in an engagement with Quantrell's band in Missouri and was discharged
in 1862. In October of that year commissioned by Governor Kirkwood as second
lieutenant of Company A, Twenty-seventh Iowa Infantry. Was compelled to resign
later on account of old wound; 1864 in Independence, Iowa, then to La Harpe,
Illinois, where he was a merchant until 1868. In that year came to Guthrie
county and engaged in farming. In 1870 in the dry goods business. Now deceased.
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