Progressive Men of Iowa
1899

NICOLL, David, an ex-member of the house of representatives in the Iowa legislature, a minister of the United Presbyterian church, and a farmer in Battle township, Ida County, Iowa, was born in Delaware county, N. Y., February 22, 1841.  He was the son of Andrew and Margaret George Nicoll, and was the eighth born of their family of ten children. His father was born in Perthshire, Scotland, in 1797, and grew to manhood and married there.  He emigrated to America in 1839 and located on a farm in Delaware county, N.  Y., where the rest of his life was spent His death occurred in March, 1870. His wife survived him until April, 1890, and died at Clarence, Cedar county, Iowa.  All but two of the children are still living.  They are: Elizabeth, wife of John Beckwith, deceased; William, married and living in Delaware county, N. Y.; James, deceased; Andrew, married and living in Tarkio, Mo.; Margaret, wife of John G.  Russell, living in Delaware county, N. Y.; Ann, wife of Allen Elijah, living in Clarence, Cedar county, Iowa; Christina, widow of John D. Imrie, living in Red Oak, Iowa; David, the subject of this sketch; Jane, wife of William Imrie, of Napa City, Cal., and Jeannette, wife of L. D. Boyd, of Red Oak, Iowa.

David was reared on a farm in his native county, and enjoyed the advantages of the common schools until 1859, when he entered the Andes academy. In September, 1861, he entered Jefferson college, at Cannonsburg, Penn. After completing the sophomore year, he enlisted at Pittsburg, Penn., August 29, 1862, in Knapp's Pennsylvania battery, for a term of three years, or during the war. The battery was connected with the Second division, Twelfth army corps, and participated in the battles of Antietam, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, besides numerous other skirmishes. In September, 1863, the Twelfth army corps was ordered west under General Hooker to join the army of the Cumberland. On the night of October 28, 1863, at Wauhatchie, near Chattanooga, Tenn., Mr. Nicoll received a gunshot wound in the right shoulder, resulting in the permanent and total disability of the right arm. Though disqualified by reason of this wound, for service in the field, he continued in the service of his country in the provost marshal's office in New York city until the close of the war, and received his honorable discharge May 17, 1865. 

In September, 1865, he re-entered Jefferson college and remained there until January, 1866, when he went to Illinois and entered Monmouth college, graduating in June, 1867. After leaving college, he attended Theological seminary at Newbury, N. Y., and Monmouth, 111., graduating from the latter in March, 1869. In September, of the same year, he settled at De Witt, Clinton county, Iowa, as pastor of the United Presbyterian church. He remained there for a period of fifteen years, when on account of impaired health, he resigned his pastorate, moved to Ida county and located on a farm of wild land purchased in 1880, when he donated a site on one corner of his farm, and a church building with a seating capacity of 150 was erected thereon. Since 1884 he has devoted much time and attention to the im-provement of his farm, consisting of 320 acres. He has now a good modern house, barn and all other necessary buildings, and is extensively engaged in general farming and stock raising. Mr. Nicoll has always been a republican and is closely identified with all the best interests of the county and township in which he lives. He was twice elected to represent his county in the state legislature, being a member of the Twenty-second and Twenty-fifth General Assemblies. He has also taken a deep interest in educational matters, and has served continually as an officer of the school board of his township ever since he came to the county. He is a member of the G. A. R. and of the A. O. U. W. 

January 6, 1870, he was married to Miss Isabella F. Brown, of New York. They have three sons: William E., married and living on the home farm; Thomas Edward and George David, both of whom are students in the electrical engineering department of the State Agricultural college at Ames.

WILLIAMS, George Townsend, mayor of Ida Grove, Iowa, editor and proprietor of the Ida Grove Pioneer, an all-at-home, eight-column newspaper, was born in Nauvoo, 111., in 1854, moving across the country in an ox wagon from there to Tabor, Fremont county, Iowa, with his uncle and his mother, and was raised on a farm.

Circumstances were such that his parents were unable to send him to school except during the winter terms. He never attended a high school or college a day in his life. In the spring of 1872 he received an injury in his right hip, which threatened to render him a cripple for life and he was compelled to abandon farm work. He came to Ida county and taught a term of school in the little village of Ida Grove, it being the second term the village ever had.  There were eleven pupils in attendance and the price he received was $30 per month.  Realizing that his education was not sufficient to make a specialty of teaching, and desiring to learn a trade, he accepted W.  P. Evans' proposition to go into the Pioneer office, although he had been offered the school for the winter term. In October, 1872, he was employed in the office as the "devil" on a salary of $2 per month for one year. The second year he received $15 per month, and at the end of which time he purchased a one-half interest in the office, and secured A. B. Chaffee, of Storm Lake, as his partner, Mr. Evans, at that time, was holding the office of postmaster, and confined himself to that and the real estate business. The office was sold to Williams and Chaffee for $700, Mr.  Williams turning in his two years' wages, of which he had not drawn a cent, toward his part of the purchase price, and giving his note for the balance.

The Pioneer is now owned, controlled and edited by George T. Williams, where he gives employment to seven hands. Six persons connected with the office have families to support, and in all nineteen persons receive their support directly from the Pioneer. The Pioneer gives employment to more persons than any other firm or establishment in Ida Grove. Mr. Williams owns and enjoys the luxuries of a pleasant home, besides owning the Williams opera house and the Williams park, a beautiful fourteen-acre tract of land, almost in the center of the city. During the last six or seven years he has been travel-ing over the United States as a special correspondent, which has taken him to every state in the union, and in every town in Iowa, and to every county in all the middle and southern states, and he has probably traveled over the American continent more than any other one Iowan.

All the money he has thus earned he has brought back and invested in Ida Grove.  He erected the first dwelling, the first brick building, set out the first trees in Ida Grove, shipped the first power printing press into Ida county, and established the First National bank that was ever commissioned to do business in Ida county. He .is now one of the most enterprising men of his city, and in short he is a fine sample of those so-called self-made men. He has been successful in all his undertakings and victorious in all his battles-among the latter being fourteen libel suits. The first dollar he earned for himself was from the sale of three bushels of popcorn, which he planted, hoed, gathered and marketed during some spare moments obtained from the regular routine of farm work. On June 17,1897, he celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the existence of his paper and his connection therewith, and the exercises, novel indeed, consisted of a literary program and a public meeting in his opera house where fully 1,500 people were present. Following this he issued a 20,000 souvenir edition, beautifully printed, with over 200 illustrations, and one of the best editions of the kind ever issued in this or any other state. Mr. Williams has always been a republican and has represented his county twelve times in the state conventions and assisted in the nomination of Governors Larrabee, Sherman, Gear and Jackson. 

Mr. Williams was married in March, 1878, at Ida Grove, to Miss Sarah H. Rankin, an estimable lady who still presides over their beautiful home, but as yet no children have added to their joys. The mother of the subject of this sketch is Mrs. M. T. Spees, of Marion, Kan., who is an active and hearty old lady, having just passed the three score and ten mile post.

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