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History of Sac County
by William H. Hart -
1914
WILLHOITE, GEORGE B.
-----Specific mention is made in the following
paragraphs of one of the worthy citizens of Sac county,
Iowa, one who has figured in the growth and development
of this favored locality and whose interests have been
identified with its progress, contributing in a definite
measure in his particular sphere of action to the
well-being of the community in which he resides and to
the advancement of its normal and legitimate growth.
Earnest purpose and tireless energy, combined with
mature judgment and everyday common sense in the banking
business, have been among bis most prominent
characteristics, and he has merited the respect and
esteem which are accorded him by all who know him.
George B. Willhoite, the present
cashier of the Farmers Savings Bank, of Lytton, Iowa,
was born October 24, 1883, in Cisco, Piatt county,
Illinois, son of R. S. and Elizabeth (Taylor) Willhoite,
natives of Kentucky and Tennessee, respectively. The
parents of the Willhoite and Taylor families settled in
Illinois in about 1850, and R. S. Willhoite and
Elizabeth Taylor were married in that state. R. S.
Willhoite was the son of Thomas Willhoite and came to
Iowa in 1893, settling in October of that year in Wall
Lake. where the father
managed a harness manufacturing establishment, and they
remained here until 1905, when they moved to Schaller
this county. In 1907 they went to Owanka, South Dakota,
where they are now living with a daughter. Mr. and Mrs.
R. S. Willhoite were the parents of five children: A. P.
and Gertrude live in Owanka, South Dakota; P. M. is a
farmer of Wall Lake, Iowa ; G. S. is a civil engineer at
Aztec, New Mexico, and George B., whose history is here
presented.
George B. Willhoite was educated in
Wall Lake, where he completed the common and high school
courses in that town, after which he clerked in stores
in the town and did office work. His first banking
experience was in the German Bank of Wall Lake, and from
there he came to Lytton, in this county, as assistant
cashier of the Farmers Savings Bank in 1906. He applied
himself to his new duties and showed such a commendable
spirit in grasping the details of his new position that
he was promoted by the stockholders of the bank to the
responsible position of cashier in the spring of 1913.
In this position he is giving satisfactory service to
the bank and he is becoming increasingly useful to the
success of the financial institution.
The Lytton Savings Bank was
organized in 1902 by F. Schug and H. H.
Fitch, with Mr. Fitch as president and Mr. Schug
as cashier. The bank was started with a capital stock of
ten thousand dollars, and continued to operate until
June 1, 1906, when it was taken over by the Farmers
Savings Bank, of Lytton, which had been organized only a
few months previously, with a capital stock of fifteen
thousand dollars. Upon the organization of that bank, C.
F. Brobiel became president and F. A. Ayers. cashier.
When the Lytton Savings Bank was liquidated and taken
over by the Farmers Savings Bank Frank Corey was elected
president; John L. Hamilton, vice-president; F. A.
Ayers, cashier; G. B. Willhoite. assistant
cashier. The present officers are Frank Corey,
president; F. A. Ayers, vice-president; G. B. Willhoite,
cashier; C. H. Castor, assistant cashier. The bank now
has a capital stock of twenty-five thousand dollars and
in 1913 had a surplus and undivided profits of five
thousand dollars, with deposits of two hundred and
twenty-five thousand dollars. The capital stock had been
increased from fifteen thousand dollars to twenty-five
thousand dollars upon its incorporation in 1910. The
bank is now located in its own brick building, where it
has commodious and convenient quarters.
Mr. Willhoite was married in
December, 1907, to Mabel L. Trumbauer, of Lytton, the
daughter of Peter B. and Lovina J. Trumbauer. The
Trumbauer family were old settlers of Sac county, and
among the most prominent citizens of the county. They
came to Sac county in 1883, and owned the land on which
the town of Lytton was built. They sold the townsite to
the Milwaukee Land Company and platted the Trumbauer
Addition. Mr. Trumbauer died in 1909, and his widow is
now residing with her daughter. Mr.
and Mrs. Willhoite have one son, Robert B., who
is now four years of age. In politics, Mr.
Willhoite votes the Republican ticket and works in
harmony with the principles of that party. Mrs.
Willhoite is a member of the Presbyterian church. He is
a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and
also the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Willhoite keeps
well informed on all the current topics of the day, and
is a well-mannered, genteel, highly intelligent
gentleman, who has gained the respect of all with whom
he has been associated during his comparatively short
residence in this county.
WILLIAMS, ED. ----It is a
pleasure to investigate the career of a successful,
self-made man. Peculiar honor
attaches to that individual who, beginning the great
struggle of life alone and unaided, gradually overcomes
unfavorable environment, removes one by one the
obstacles from the pathway of success and by the master
strokes of his own force and vitality succeeds in
forging his way to the front and winning for himself a
competency and a position of esteem and influence among
his fellow men. Such is the record of the popular
citizen of Cedar township, Sac county Iowa, to a brief
synopsis of whose life and character the following pages
are devoted.
Ed. Williams, one of the older
farmers of the county, was born May 23, 1859 in Polk
county. Iowa, and is the son of John and Caroline
(Fletcher) Williams. John Williams was a native of
Sweden and came to New York city when a small boy. His
wife was born in Ireland, and likewise came to New York
city when a young lady. The young couple later met, were
married in New York city, immediately came West and
settled in Polk county, Iowa, being among the very first
pioneers in that county, and they spent the remainder of
their lives there, Mr. Williams dying in 1902, and his
wife in March, 1904. They reared a family of eight
children, six of whom are living: John and Mrs. Ella
Sargent, of Polk county; Isaac and Ed., of Sac county,
and Mrs. Rose Allen, of Des Moines.
Ed Williams was reared in Polk
county, this state, receiving his education in the
schools of his home neighborhood. He worked on his
father's farm until he came to Sac county in the spring
of 1892, bought his farm and rented out the farm on
which he lives for a short time, until fall when he
moved to Sac county to reside on his present farm of one
hundred and sixty acres, for which he paid thirty
dollars an acre. He has thoroughly drained this farm
since purchasing it and improved it with buildings,
fences and tiling until the land is today worth two
hundred dollars an acre. At a low estimate he has placed
over ten thousand dollars worth of improvements upon the
farm within the last twenty years. It is needless to say
that he has been a successful farmer. In 1912 he had
seventy-five acres of corn which averaged seventy
bushels to the acre. This last year (1913) he had
seventy acres in corn, which averaged forty bushels to
the acre. He keeps on an average each year five head of
horses and from nine to seventy-five head of cattle
annually, and raises seventy-five to one hundred head of
hogs. When he came to this farm he had to go into debt
for part of the purchase price and the farm at that time
had no tiling, little fencing and only a small house and
a straw stable. He owns one hundred and sixty acres in
Brookings county, South Dakota, near Aurora. Mr.
Williams deserves great credit for the remarkable
improvements which he has brought about in the character
of his farm within the last score of years, and it is
safe to say that he has done as much within that time as
any other farmer in the township in public as well as
his own private affairs.
Mr. Williams has always taken an
active part in the body politics and as a Republican has
served as township trustee for six years, township
school treasurer for sixteen years, and has held other
township offices of trust and responsibility.
Mr. Williams was formerly a
director and organizer of the Farmers Savings Bank; is
president of the Farmers Elevator Company; president of
the Farmers Lumber Company, and is a director of the
Farmers Mutual Insurance Company of Sac county.
Mr. Williams has been twice
married, his first marriage occurring on December 4,
1886, to Myrtle Kellison, who died March 18, 1899,
leaving two children, only one of whom is now living,
Georgia, who is now at home with her father, while Edna
died at the age of ten years. Mr. Williams was married
the second time on May 16, 1900, to Fannie Norton, of
Marshall county, this state, and the daughter of Levi
and Catherine (Gilmore) Norton, who were natives of
Pennsylvania and Ireland, respectively, and were among
the early homestead settlers (in 1855) of Marshall
county, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Williams
attend the Methodist Episcopal church, of which
denomination Mrs. Williams is a member, and contributes
liberally of their means to its support. They are genial
people, who have a large circle of friends and
acquaintances in the community, who admire them for
their many good qualities.
WILLIAMS, EPHRAIM ADDISON
-----Agriculture has been an honored vocation from the
earliest ages and as a usual thing men of honorable and
humane impulses, as well as those of energy and thrift,
have been patrons of husbandry. The free out-of-door
life of the farm has a decided tendency to foster and
develop that independence of mind and self-reliance
which characterizes true manhood and no truer blessing
can befall a boy than to be reared in close touch with
nature in the healthful, life-inspiring labor of the
fields. It has always been the fruitful soil from which
have sprung the moral bone and sinew of the country, and
the majority of our nation's great warriors, renowned
statesmen and distinguished men of letters were born on
the farm and were indebted largely to his early
influence for the distinction which they have
attained.
Ephraim Addison Williams, a
prosperous farmer of Cedar township, this county, was
born July 2, 1845, in Belmont county, Ohio, and reared
to manhood in Washington county, Ohio, near Marietta.
His parents were William and Margaret (Hogan) Williams,
natives of Delaware and Maryland, respectively. When
Ephraim was a small child, his mother died and his
father then married Mrs. Nancy (Gregory) Lang and died
in Washington county, Ohio. There were ten children born
to William and first wife, five of whom are living:
George W.. Dennis H., Angeline, Edward H. and Ephraim
Addison.
Ephraim Addison Williams lived in
Ohio until after the war when he and his stepmother left
the state for Polk county, Iowa. They bought a farm in
that county and remained there until 1886. Ephraim went
to Kansas and lived in Wichita for two and a half years.
He was there when the town was started and had the honor
of placing the first bank safe into the Wichita Bank,
performing this deed with block, tackle and a pair of
oxen. He went from Wichita to Polk county, Iowa, and in
1892 came to Sac county, Iowa, where he purchased one
hundred and sixty acres, and two years later brought his
family to this county at a total cost of twenty-three
dollars. He has added to his farm from time to time
until he now has three hundred and twenty acres. In 1896
he added eighty acres at a cost of forty-three dollars
and seventy-five cents an acre and in 1906 he bought
eighty acres more at a cost of eighty-two dollars an
acre. His land will now average one hundred and fifty
dollars an acre in value.
Since settling in this county he
has taken an important part in the public affairs of his
township and has served as trustee and school director.
He is a prominent Republican of the township and takes
an active interest in the affairs of his party.
Mr. Williams was married in 1878 to
Lydia L. Dietz, of Polk county, Iowa. To this marriage
have been born three children: Mrs. Barhara Effie
Foster, whose husband is a farmer in Cedar township, Mr.
and Mrs. Foster have two children, Nina and Etlna; John
W., the second child of Mr. and Mrs. Williams, was born
July 6, 1880, and is now living on the home farm with
his parents; Susanna, his youngest daughter, is still
under the parental roof. The family are regular
attendants at church and take an active part in the
church and social life of their community. Mr. Williams
raises considerable life stock and in 1913 had fifty
cattle, eight horses and thirty-five hogs on his farm.
He has a beautiful home and attractive grounds and large
barns and good outbuildings of all
kinds.
WILLIAMS, F. E. M. D. C.
-----Frequently in commercial life one may come into
possession of a lucrative business through inheritance
or gift, but in what are known as the learned
professions advancement is gained only through
painstaking and long continued effort. Prestige in the
healing art is the outcome of strong mentality, close
application, thorough mastery of its great underlying
principles and the ability to apply theory to practice
in the treatment of diseases. Good intellectual
training, thorough professional knowledge and the
possession and utilization of the qualities and
attributes essential to success, have made the subject
of this review eminent in his chosen calling and he is
recognized as one of the leading veterinary surgeons in
northwestern Iowa.
Dr. F. E. Williams, a veterinary
surgeon of Odebolt, Iowa, was born in the town where he
is now practicing on January 29, 1880. His parents were
John and Hannah ( Peterson ) Williams, both of whom were
natives of Sweden, John Williams was born in 1847 and
came to America in about 1865. His wife came to this
country in 1866, when she was about sixteen years of
age. John Williams operated a general store in Odebolt,
in the early eighties, but retired from business in
1898, though still remaining in Odebolt. John Williams
and wife were the parents of seven children: Albert J.,
of Omaha; Emma, deceased; Dr. Charles D., of Woodbine,
Iowa; Dr. Frank E., whose history is delineated here;
George V., of Omaha; Edward H. and Harry O., of Blencoe,
Iowa.
Dr. Frank E. Williams received his
common and high school education in the Odebolt schools,
graduating from the Odebolt high school in 1898.
After graduating he engaged with his brother,
Charles, in the flour, feed and coal business in
Odebolt, also assisted his brother in the drug business.
He served for a time as assistant postmaster of Odebolt.
However, he decided that he wanted to become a
veterinary surgeon, and with this end in view he began
to investigate the merits of the various veterinary
schools in the country ; he finally selected the Chicago
Veterinary College as one with an established reputation
and entered there, graduating with the class of 1907.
Upon graduation he started the practice of his
profession in Villisca, Iowa, but a year later returned
to his native town and located. He has met with success
in the six years which he has been established at
Odebolt. So pronounced has been his success that he felt
justified in erecting a veterinary hospital in 1909,
where he could more satisfactorily treat the worse
cases. His practice now covers a territory of several
miles, his trips making him seventeen miles south, ten
miles east, ten miles north and ten miles west, from
Odebolt.
Doctor Williams was married in
January, 1911, to Anna N. Hanson, the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Nels Hanson, who were pioneer settlers of this
township: they have one son Brooks Edward, who was born
May 30, 1913.
In politics, Doctor Williams is a
Progressive Republican, but the nature of his business
keeps him from taking an active part in politics. He and
his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church
and contributes liberally to its support. He is a member
of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and Modern
Woodmen of America. In his chosen field of endeavor.
Doctor Williams has achieved a notable success and has
an eminent standing among the veterinary surgeons of
this state. In addition to his creditable career in one
of the most useful professions, he has also proved a
strong member of the body politic, who is always willing
to perform his share of the duties which fall to the lot
of the American citizen. He is a man of genial
personality and has a host of friends scattered
throughout a wide territory.
WILSON, J. W. -----Fealty to
facts in the analyzation of the character of a citizen
of the type of J. W. Wilson, a well-known and successful
businessman of Sac county, is all that is required to
make a biographical sketch interesting to those who have
at heart the good name of the community honored by his
residence, because it is the honorable reputation of the
man of standing and affairs, more than any other
consideration, that gives character and stability to the
body politic. While advancing his individual interests,
he has never lost sight of his obligations to the
community in general, where for many years he has held a
high place in popular confidence and esteem.
J. W. Wilson, of the firm of
Harter, Wilson, Brownell & Company, of Sac City,
Iowa, was born February 23, 1851, in .Montezuma,
Poweshiek county, Iowa. His parents were Isaac N. and
Elizabeth (Hardin) Wilson, both of whom were natives of
Iowa. The Wilson and Hardin families left Indiana and
settled in Jefferson county, Iowa, Isaac Wilson being
one of the pioneers of Poweshiek county and assisted in
laying out the town of Montezuma, in that county. In
1863 Isaac Wilson went to Newton, Iowa, where he was in
the mercantile business for a time, then left Newton and
removed to Des Moines for three years. He then settled
in Jefferson county, where he retired from active
business, spending his declining years with his son, J.
W., at Sac City, and died in that place in 1904. Mr. and
Mrs. Isaac N. Wilson were the
parents of five children: Matthew B. and Fred, who are
in the West; James W., with whom this narrative deals;
Mrs. Margaret E. Morris, a widow of
Des Moines, Iowa, and Mrs. Ida M. Sifford, of North
Dakota.
J. W. Wilson moved from Jefferson
county to Carroll county, Iowa, in 1870, and farmed in
that county for the next ten years. In 1880 he located
in Wall Lake and engaged in the implement business.
After a period of eleven years of successful business in
Wall Lake, he moved to Sioux City in 1891 and engaged in
the li\e stock and commission business in the stock
yards of that city with Henry Rinehart, under the firm
name of Rinehart & Wilson. Two years later he sold
out and returned to Wall Lake, where he made the race
for county auditor on the Republican ticket. He proved
to be an effective campaigner and was elected and gave
such an efficient administration during his first term
that he was re-elected. Upon the expiration of his
second term in 1898 he was appointed postmaster of Sac
City and served for the next eight years in that
capacity. Upon retiring from the post office, he became
a member of the firm of Harter, Wilson, Brownell &
Company, which deals in agricultural implements,
harness, wagons, buggies, etc. The firm handles a
complete stock of agricultural implements and vehicles
and carries a twenty-thousand-dollar stock in Sac City,
besides a branch office at Nemaha, where they have an
equal amount of capital invested in the same business.
They also have a branch house at Lytton, this county.
The Sac City firm was established by Harter and Wilson
in 1904 and in 1905 F. R. Brownell entered
the firm. Prior to 1904 the business had been conducted
by L L Harter for several years. The firm is now located
in a large concrete and brick three-story building,
occupying half a block on Fifth street in Sac City. The
firm employs from eight to twelve men all the time and
does a large and flourishing business throughout this
section of the state.
Mr. Wilson was married on February
27, 1879, in Carroll county, Iowa, to Maria Jane
Herring, who was born in Cedar county, Iowa. To this
union have been born six children: Maud, who is with her
parents : Mrs. Mabel Shulte, of Sac City, Iowa; Mrs.
Beatrice Schmererham, of Omaha: a nurse employed in the
hospital at Omaha; James, Clifford and Fred, who are
still at home with their parents.
The Republican party has claimed
the support of Mr. Wilson since he has been old enough
to vote and he has always been an active worker in his
party. Being recognized as a man of sterling worth and
character, he was elected to the office of county
auditor and as a result of his efficient work in that
office, as well as his work for the party, he received
an appointment as postmaster of Sac City. All of the
members of the family are faithful attendants of the
Presbyterian church and render it zealous support in its
various activities. Fraternally, he is a member of the
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons at Sac City. For many
years Mr. Wilson has been a potent factor in the civic
life of his community, and no man stands higher in the
estimation of the people than he.
WILSON, ROBERT IRVIN -----There
is no calling, however humble, in which enterprise and
industry, coupled with a well-directed purpose, will not
be productive of some measure of success, and in the
pursuit of agriculture the qualities mentioned are quite
essential. Among the well-known and highly respected
farmers of Sac County, Iowa, who have attained to a
definite degree of success in their line and who at the
same time have greatly benefited the community in which
they live is the gentleman to a review of whose life and
career we now direct the reader's attention.
Robert Irvin Wilson one of the
prosperous farmers of Cedar township, Sac County Iowa,
was born September 27, 1877, in Clinton county, Iowa,
the son of John and Caroline (Cook) Wilson, natives of
Canada and New York, respectively. Her parents left
their native homes and migrated to Clinton County, Iowa,
in the latter fifties, and there John Wilson met and
married Caroline Cook. John Wilson was born in 1850 and
died in June, 1888. They lived the rest of their lives
in Clinton county, this state, and to them were born a
family of four children: Mabel, who died at the age of
three years; Nathan J., of Coon Valley township; Robert
I. and J. Lowell, of Sac township, the three brothers
all now living in Sac county.
The three brothers came to Sac
county Iowa, in March 1899, and Robert at once bought
one hundred and twenty acres of land in Cedar township
for thirty-six dollars an acre, the land having few, if
any. improvements upon it at that time. He has placed
many improvements, consisting of tiling, fencing, barns
and a new home, on his farm, and expended about ten
thousand dollars in improvements altogether. In 1909 he
purchased forty acres adjoining his farm, for which he
had to pay eighty dollars an acre, and although it was
but a few years ago. the same land is now worth about
two hundred dollars an acre. In 1911 Mr. Wilson erected
a fine, modern residence, which has all the latest
conveniences. In addition to his regular farming
pursuits. Mr. Wilson raises from twelve to fifteen head
of cattle for the market each year and finds this a
profitable part of his vocation.
Mr. Wilson was married on Christmas
eve in 1896 in Clinton county, Iowa, to Florence Miner,
a native of Jo Daviess county, Illinois, the daughter of
Albert and Ella A. Miner, who had come to Iowa in 1881.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are the
parents of one son. Ronald, who is now fourteen years of
age, born September 3, 1899.
Politically. Mr. Wilson belongs to
the Republican party, but the cares of his farm life
have been such as to prevent his taking a very active
part in the political game. Religiously. Mr. Wilson and
his family are earnest and consistent members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, to which they are faithful
attendants and to the support of which they are liberal
contributors.
 WINE, LACEY A. ----There is no
positive rule which, if followed, will enable one to
achieve success, and yet in the lives of successful men
there are always lessons which can be emulated by
others. The man who gains prosperity is he who can see
and utilize the opportunities which arise before him in
his upward path. The essential conditions forming the
environments of most human lives are ever the same, the
surroundings of individuals differing but slightly, and
when one man passes another on the highway of life to
reach the goal of prosperity before others who perhaps
started out before him, it is because he has the power
to use his advantages for the furtherance of his own
desires. Today, among the prominent citizens and
successful businessmen of Sac City stands Lacey A. Wine.
He possesses qualities of leadership among his fellows
and business ability of a high degree which has made him
a man of substance in the community.
Lacey A. Wine was born February 13,
1867, in Sac City. His parents are William G. Wine and
Mary Jane (Criss) Wine, early pioneer residents of Sac
City. William G. is a native of Indiana and son of
William Wine, whose nativity was the state of West
Virginia. William migrated with his family from Indiana
in 1855 on his way to California, but the family finally
settled in the connection line north of Sac City when
there were but few residents here, and the country
around about was but thinly settled. William, the father
of William G. opened one of the first general stores in
Sac City, and was accounted a well-to-do citizen, being
the proud possessor of a horse and carriage which was
looked upon as an unheard-of luxury by the early
settlers. He drove one hundred head of cattle from
Indiana to Iowa and pastured them upon the great free
ranges which were in existence at that time. He finally
realized his ambition to make the trip to the far West,
and set out for California by the overland route. He
eventually reached the mountains, but lost his life in
the ranges while prospecting for the precious metals.
William G. Wine was reared to manhood in Sac City and
followed the business of contractor and builder until
his retirement in 1898. He is now residing in
California. He served as a volunteer soldier in an Iowa
regiment during the Civil War. When a young man he
married Mary Jane Criss, a daughter of Hon. Eugene
Criss, a very prominent figure in Sac county history, of
whom our historian is pleased to write at considerable
length elsewhere in this volume. To Mr. and Mrs. W. G.
Wine were born four children, namely: Lacey A.: Mrs.
Lamont Lee, of Mason City, Iowa ; Mrs. J.
B. Rowe, Los Angeles, California, and Mrs.
Delmont Goldsmith. who died in 1893.
L. A. Wine, with whom this
biography directly treats, was educated in the schools
of his native city and completed a commercial course at
Shenandoah College. During the administration of
President Cleveland, he served as deputy postmaster from
1888 to 1890 inclusive. After this term he pursued his
commercial course, and was then employed as salesman in
a mercantile establishment until 1894. He then engaged
in business for himself and opened a small shoe store
which was later enlarged to include a complete stock of
dry goods, groceries and a general line of merchantable
goods tastefully arranged on the departmental plan. His
store is modern in every respect and it has continuously
enjoyed a constantly increasing trade among the better
class of people of the community. Having lived his
entire life in Sac county from the very earliest days of
the settlement of the city and county, Mr. Wine properly
has a large number of friends and acquaintances
throughout the county exceeded by very few citizens.
Politically, he is a Democrat and is widely and
favorably known as a stanch worker in the ranks and a
leader of his party. As a reward for his untiring
efforts in behalf of the Democratic party in the county
he was recently appointed to the position of postmaster
of Sac City. It is safe to predict that he will serve
his appointive term to the satisfaction of the
government and fill the duties of the office solely in
the interest of the patrons. Mr. Wine is the aggressive
county chairman of the Democratic central committee and
has always taken an active part in political affairs in
both county and state. He has attended several
Democratic state conventions in the capacity of delegate
and leader, and is well known as one of the Democratic
"wheel horses"' of the state Democracy. He has a wide
acquaintance throughout Iowa among the leaders and the
rank and file of the party of Andrew Jackson and Woodrow
Wilson. He is an attendant of the Episcopal church and
is fraternally connected with the Knights of Pythias,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and the Modern Woodmen
of America.
Mr. Wine was married June 12, 1902,
to Eu Delia Kiser, of Oskaloosa, Iowa. To them have come
no children, but they are rearing a child, Caroline
Kerns. Mr. Wine is genial and unassuming, readily making
friends everywhere and at all times, and always retains
them. He gives his unqualified support to every movement
which promises to be of material and moral benefit to
the people, and because of his success in life and his
genuine worth he is eminently entitled to fitting
representation in this work.
WINKLER, FRED ---One of Sac
county's many German citizens who have made a success in
their adopted country is Fred Winkler, a prosperous
farmer of Jackson township and proprietor of three
hundred and twenty-six acres of fine farming land. He is
one of the pioneers of the county and has the unique
satisfaction of knowing that the first plow which was
ever put in his farm by white men was guided through the
tough soil by his own hand. He can sit in the shade of
trees which are now ten feet in circumference and feel
the joy of knowing that he planted those trees with his
own hands more than forty years ago. He has fairly grown
up with the county and for this reason has a sort of
paternal feeling and affection which is common to all
pioneers of any country.
Fred Winkler was born in Germany in
1844, the son of Christ and Christina Winkler. In 1856
he came to this country with his parents and settled in
Racine county, Wisconsin.
Among the hills of Racine county,
Wisconsin, Fred Winkler grew to manhood. He had already
received the rudiments of an education in Germany and
was given but little schooling after reaching this
country. He married in 1868
and then, wishing to better himself, he and his young
wife decided to move to Sac county, having heard that it
was a fertile country and one which was bound to become
prosperous. The year 1870 found them with eighty acres
in Jackson township, for which they paid six dollars and
twenty-five cents an acre. The hand of man had never
been turned on this eighty acres, no buildings had ever
been erected, and this barren tract of eighty acres must
have seemed a dreary prospect to this young couple, but
they were not to be discouraged and in the course of a
few years they not only had the eighty acres under a
good cultivation but had trees planted, buildings
erected, the fields drained and were able to purchase
one hundred and twenty acres adjoining them. In 1883
they purchased one hundred and twenty acres for ten
dollars an acre, and now this land is worth twenty times
as much as they paid for it in 1883. It is needless to
say that Fred Winkler and his wife have been hard
workers, that they have been thrifty and economical. He
has now reached a position in life where they can take
things easy and spend the remainder of their days
surrounded with every convenience and luxury.
Fred Winkler was married in 1868 in
Racine County, Wisconsin, to Mary Reil and to this union
have been born three children: Albert F., who was born
in 1869 in Wisconsin and married in 1898 to Bertha Bell,
of Brooklyn, Wisconsin: he owns one hundred and twenty
acres of good land and also operates his father's farm.
He is a Mason, a member of the Ancient Order of United
Workmen, and at the present time he is president of the
Jackson township school board. Albert F. and wife have
one son, Drexel. Eliza, the second
child of Mr. and Mrs. Winkler, is deceased, while Katie
the youngest child, is now at Storm Lake, Iowa.
Politically Mr. Winkler is a Democrat, but has
never had the time to engage in the game of politics.
His wife died in 1893 since then he has made his home
with his son. Albert F., on the old home farm. Mr.
Winkler has many admirable qualities of head and
heart and the high regard in which of is held by his
fellow citizens indicates that he has led a most
exemplary life in this community. He can record many
interesting stories of the early days in this country
and often compares the conditions under which he started
to housekeeping in 1870 with the conditions at the
present. His life has been a
busy one and yet he has taken his part in all the
affairs of the community which he thought might better
the welfare of his fellow citizens.
Mr. Winkler enlisted, in the fall
of 1861, in the Ninth Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, and
served until his honorable discharge in the spring of
1866. He was captured and held as a prisoner for six
weeks while in the state of Arkansas.
WISEMAN, GEORGE -----The
historian knows of no more pleasing or satisfactory
accomplishment on the part of the individual than to
have amassed a competence sufficient to enable him to
live a contented life, free from care or annoyance, as a
tiller of the soil. Owing to the fact that each year
sees an increase of the hundreds of thousands of the
populace who have to be sustained from the products of
the soil, the science of agriculture has grown in
importance until it now takes the lead of all
occupations. A worthy example of the successful
agriculturist who is now retired from the actual labor
necessary to produce the crops annually yielded by his
fertile acres is George Wiseman, of Sac City.
Mr. Wiseman was born on a farm in
Grant county Wisconsin on August 4, 1858. His parents
were John Wiseman a native of Ireland, and Sarah Lloyd
Wiseman, a native of New York state. The father of
George Wiseman came to America in the year 1847, when
past fifty years of age. He first located in
Grant county, Wisconsin, on a farm and was there married
to Sarah Lloyd. He died in Grant county in 1877. He was
the father of four children: George: Mrs. Mary Crouch,
residing near Wall, South Dakota, and two deceased. Mr.
Wiseman had nine half brothers and sisters.
At one time there were six brothers in Sac county
among the early settlers, coming here as early as 1867,
namely: Robert, of Auburn, Iowa; John A., of Auburn;
Joseph, a farmer in Calhoun county, having come here in
the year 1868; David, who resides now in Missouri;
William, a resident of the state of Nebraska: Thomas,
deceased: a sister, Mrs. Tanson Tillison, deceased;
Edward, who died in Grant county, Wisconsin; James, who
lives in Kansas.
George Wiseman made his first trip
to Iowa in 1879, traveling the length of the state in
order to view the country and probably find a suitable
place for settlement. Evidently, he decided upon Sac
county, for he located here in 1881. He purchased one
hundred and thirty acres of land in Coon Valley
township, on which he resided for over twenty years.
Owing to his frugality and industry he has become the
possessor of two very fine farms, totaling four hundred
and sixty acres in all, well improved and in a high
state of cultivation. He is the owner of eighty acres of
land in Calhoun county. He removed to Sac City in 1901
and here resides in a handsome modern home. However, Mr.
Wiseman exercises careful supervision over his farms in
order that, under tenancy, the lands might not
deteriorate in fertility or value.
Mr. Wiseman is a Republican in
politics, and is a member of the Methodist church.
Fraternally, he is affiliated with the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows and Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
blue lodge and chapter.
Mr. Wiseman was united in marriage,
in Grant county, with Mary Bean, in the year 1885. Mrs.
Wiseman is a native of Grant county, Wisconsin, and is
the mother of four children: Mrs. Maud Whitnell, of
Kingsley, Iowa; Georgia Wiseman, a teacher in Nebraska;
Ernest and Albert, at home.
By the exercise of indefatigable industry and
good business judgment he has accomplished in a decade
what usually requires a lifetime to complete.
His first land in Sac township cost him fifteen
dollars per acre. It had but few improvements. On the
place was a small house, twelve by sixteen feet in
extent, which had been erected by a pioneer in 1867. He
remodeled this dwelling and later supplanted it with a
more commodious residence. In 1895 he purchased one
hundred and sixty acres additional and also a piece of
timber land bordering on the Coon river for fifteen
dollars an acre.
WOLF, MICHAEL B. -----The town of
Odebolt, Sac county, Iowa, boasts of many retired
farmers and whenever any county has a number of retired
farmers it is an indication that they have been
successful in their careers. While Sac county has
thousands of German citizens, it has few who are
descendants of German and French parents. Mr. Wolf has
inherited the good characteristics of a German father
and a French mother, and combines the thrift and
frugality of both nations.
Michael B. Wolf was born February
25, 1858, in Alsace-Loraine, and was the son of Michael
and Margaret (Bartel) Wolf. His father was a sturdy
German farmer, while his mother was a daughter of French
parents. Michael Wolf and wife
were the parents of five children: Mrs. Margaret Bachman
of Alsace-Loraine; Michael B., with whom this narrative
deals; Mrs. Katherine Fleck, of Lyons, Nebraska, and two
married daughters, Salome and Mary, who are living in
Strasburg, Germany. Michael B. Wolf was
given an excellent common school education in the
schools of Alsace-Loraine, but early in life decided
that he wanted to come to America to seek his fortune.
Accordingly when he was only fifteen years of age he set
sail for America and first located in Ashland, Ohio,
where he worked at farm labor until 1881. However, he
did not spend all of his time in Ashland county. Shortly
after coming to this country-in fact, when he was only
sixteen years of age-he was given the management of a
large farm in Wood and Ashland counties, Ohio, and
managed this farm very successfully. While living in
Ohio Mr. Wolf was married in 1880 and two years later he
went west and arrived in Odebolt on February 2,
1882.
Mr. Wolf arrived in Odebolt with
the earnings of several years and immediately purchased
two hundred and forty acres of land in section 17,
Wheeler township, at a cost of twenty dollars an acre.
The farm had scarcely any improvements on it at the time
he purchased it, although there was a house with no
plastering and only a ladder for a stairway. He
gradually improved his farm until it was able to net him
handsome returns each year. In 1900 he moved to Odebolt
where he has an excellent place in the west part of the
city. He sold eighty acres of his farm to his brother
in-law and still retains one hundred and sixty acres,
which he rents out. Mr. Wolf was married
October 24, 1880, to Lelia Smith, who was born in
Champaign county, Ohio, but reared in Wood county, that
state. She is the daughter of John Z. and Ruth Smith,
natives of Dutchess county, New York, and Connecticut,
respectively. Her mother came to Odebolt after her
father's death and died there.
The branch of the Smith family to
which Mrs. Smith belongs can trace their ancestry back
through several generations. The original John Smith, of
whom she is a lineal descendant, was born July 5, 1781.
He married Judy Benson who was born in 1788, and they
lived in New York until after their first two children,
Hiram and Julia, were born, after which they moved to
Connecticut, where John C, the father of Mrs. Wolf, was
born March 20, 1812. The other children of John Smith,
Sr., and wife were Julia Ann, Hiram Benson, John Z.,
Susan, David, Betsy, William Henry, Benjamin and George
DeWitt Clinton. A son of William Henry Smith, Glen.
lives on the Wolf farm in Wheeler township Sac county,
Iowa. John Z. Smith, the father of Mrs. Wolf, moved from
Connecticut to Avon, Livingston county, New York, and
from thence to Waukegan, Illinois. In 1851 he made the
overland trip to California, where he lived for two
years, after which he returned to Ohio and settled near
Urbana on the famous Neil stock farm. Later he moved to
Wood county, Ohio, where his death occurred. John Z.
Smith married Ruth Scott, whose grandfather, Capt.
Ezekiel Scott, was a famous soldier of the War of the
Revolution. The father of Captain
Scott was Samuel Scott. John Z. Smith's children were
Mrs. M. B. Wolf; Hiram B., deceased, late of Wheeler
township, this county: John H., also of Wheeler
township, and Mrs. Julia Dubbs, of Wood county,
Ohio.
Hiram B. Smith, a brother of Mrs.
Wolf, was born in Lake county, Illinois, December 7,
1846, and was married in 1870 to Jennie Marsh, of Otsego
county, New York. In 1878 H. B. Smith and family went to
Ohio, and later came to Sac county, Iowa, where they
purchased a half section of prairie land. To Mr. and
Mrs. H. B. Smith were born two children, Ada and Lenore,
and they also raised two nephews, Edmond and Maury
Marsh. H. B. Smith died February 1, 1914, at Fort
Orange, Florida. John H. Smith, another brother of Mrs.
Wolf, was born in Cook County Illinois, in 1852, and was
married in 1885 to Rachel Keister, and came to Sac
county from Ohio in 1884. He owns eighty acres of land
in section 17 of this township, which he purchased from
Mr. Wolf. John H. Smith and wife are the parents of four
children, lone, Hilda, Ruth and Louis.
Mr. and Mrs. Wolf have
one daughter, Esther, at home.
Politically, Mr. Wolf is a Republican in national
politics, but in local politics he reserves the right to
cast his vote for the best man in his judgment.
While Mr. Wolf was reared in the German Lutheran
church, he attends the Church of Christ with his wife,
and subscribes to its support.
Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, while he and his wife are both
members of the Odebolt Rebekah lodge. Mrs.
Wolf is a charter member of this order and was
the first presiding officer of the lodge. She has served
as the county deputy and is prominent in the affairs of
this order.
WOODKE, AUGUST D. -----From the
German empire has come to this broad land of the free
the best and truest of its population, who have entered
into the life of their adopted country with all the zest
and ambition of conquest of the difficulties presenting
themselves in their pathway, and have become the very
bone and sinew of many communities. In all departments
of the civic entirety they are to be found, not
laggards, following the procession or being led by
others, but they have pushed to the forefront in
agriculture, commerce, the professions, and
manufactures, and are found among the leaders in the
development and well being of any community in which
they have located. Among the many
representatives of this race in Sac county, who have
done their part in creating homes and competencies for
themselves and families, and assisted in the progress of
the section which is their adopted home, is found August
D. Woodke. of whom the historian is pleased to write
this review.
A. D. Woodke was born in Germany,
June 26, 1861 the son of John and Johanna Woodke. The
family emigrated to America in 1866 and settled at Crown
Point, Lake county, Indiana, in the year of their
arrival here. They resided on a
farm in Lake county until 1876, when they migrated to
Sac county and became prominently identified with the
pioneer life of Eden township. They settled in section
31 of Eden township, and here the son.
August D. was reared to young manhood. In their
old age the parents retired to a life of well-earned
leisure in the town of Lemars, the father going to his
long rest in 1899, and the mother following him to the
great beyond in February, 1902. They were the parents of
five children: William, of Breckenridge, Minnesota: Mrs.
Bertha Frevert of Odebolt, Iowa: Otto Woodke, Tiffin,
Iowa: Charles, residing in Lemars; Herman, in
Australia. and August D.
Mr. Woodke resided on the home farm
in Sac county until he attained the age of twenty-six
years. He then took charge of his father's farm and
operated it on the share system until he purchased it.
By the exercise of diligence and rare business ability
he soon succeeded in paying for the land and added
substantially to his possessions. He is the owner of two
hundred and forty-five acres of finely improved farm
land in Eden township and has another farm of eighty
acres in Eureka township. In March, 1913, he removed to
Schaller and is interested in the automobile business,
conducted under the name of A. D. Woodke & Son. This
firm has been established since 1911. It is located in a
large, commodious room on the main street of Schaller
and they deal in automobiles and auto parts and
supplies. A private repair shop is also maintained for
the benefit and convenience of their many patrons.
For the past twenty years Mr.
Woodke has been engaged in the production of pop corn,
which is one of the most lucrative crops of this
locality. For some years he was
a successful grower, but in 1907 he branched out in the
buying and shipping of this grain to the Eastern
markets. By fair and honest dealing with patrons he has
built up a thriving business. He travels in season over
a large section of territory devoted to the production
of this toothsome edible. He buys from the farmers in
the vicinity of the towns of Galva, Early, Holstein,
Superior, Estherville, and as far west as Nebraska
points. During the year 1913 he purchased and shipped to
eastern points over sixty-five carloads of this
grain.
It is recorded of Mr. Woodke that
in his younger days he learned the trade of plasterer
and worked at his trade for a number of years. This
accomplishment stood him in good stead during his
younger days in Sac county and his operations while
plying the trowel extended over considerable
territory. He plastered houses
in Odebolt and other towns of the county when a young
man.
Mr. Woodke has always been allied
with the Republican party. Originally he was brought up
in the Lutheran faith, but joined the Methodist
Episcopal church on coming to America. He is a director
and president of the Eden Township Mutual Telephone
Company.
Mr. Woodke's wedded life began
February 10, 1887 when he espoused Alvina C. Schaefer,
daughter of Christ Schaefer, the first pioneer settler
of Eden township, of whom extended and favorable notice
is given in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Woodke are the
parents of the following children: John H., of Schaller,
Iowa; Edwin A., in the automobile business in Schaller;
George C, who is tilling the home farm; Paul H. a
student in Morningside College, Sioux City; Leonard
Leslie, in high school; Albert M. a student in the
Schaller high school. Mr. Woodke is known as a kind and
indulgent parent who believes in assisting his children
by means of a good education, the right kind of parental
guidance and in other ways to advance themselves along
well chosen paths.
He is, among all of the Sac county
citizens whose life and accomplishments are herein
presented, fully entitled to this brief review and the
biographer takes pleasure in writing this tribute in
behalf of one who has "made good" in the performance of
his duties as an excellent family head and a citizen. A
study of his deeds and upright and honorable life will
reveal much to the student of human character which will
be of benefit to one who is seeking inspiration for his
guidance in the battle for success and standing among
his fellow men.
 YOUNG, EDWIN M. -----The
science of agriculture-for it is a science as well as an
art-finds an able demonstrator as well as successful
practitioner in the person of Edwin M. Young, who is
widely known in Sac county, maintaining a very
productive and desirable farm in Cedar township. He
comes of a very highly honored family of Ohio, members
of which came to this county a third of a century ago,
and became substantial citizens of the state.
Edwin M. Young, a prosperous farmer
of Cedar township, in this county was born March 13,
1870, in Nelsonville, Athens county, Ohio. His parents
were McKindree and Susan (Sheffield) Young, both of whom
were natives of Athens county, Ohio. The Young family
came to Sac county, Iowa, in 1883, leaving their native
state on March 13, the birthday of Edwin M., whose
history is herein recorded. The Young family first
settled in Jackson township, but later made their
permanent residence in Cedar township, where McKindree
Young died January 15, 1911, at the age of
seventy-three. His wife died March 17, 1892. Mr. and
Mrs. McKindree Young were the parents of four children:
Mrs. Jane Martin, of Seattle, Washington: Mrs. Huldah
A. Baier, of Seattle,
Washington: Edwin M., and one who died in infancy.
Edwin M. Young was educated in the schools of his
home county in Ohio and also attended the schools in Sac
county, after his parents moved to this state. Upon his
mother's death, in 1892, he married and went to work on
the home farm and has continued to reside there until
the present time. He became the sole
owner of the farm in the fall of 1905. and since then
has improved the farm in many ways and has brought it to
a state of productivity where it ranks with any in his
township. In 1913 he had thirty acres of corn which
would average sixty bushels to the acre, a yield which
is very satisfactory for this part of the state. In
addition to his general farming, he also raises
considerable livestock and thus adds a comfortable sum
to his annual income from the farm.
Mr. Young was married April 10,
1892, to Minnie D. Whitney. The daughter of Oscar M. and
Martha E. Whitney, old settlers of Sac county.
To this marriage have been born seven children,
four of whom are living. The children, in the
order of their birth, are as follows: An infant, born
January 3, 1895, who lived ten days; Cecil L, born June
7, 1897; Agnes Maggie, born July 30. 1899; Lillian Fern,
born October 31, 1902; Edwin Bigelow, born March 21,
1907, and Earl and Irma. twins, born January 6, 1910,
deceased.
Mr. Young is a Progressive in
politics and takes an active interest in the principles
of the new party. He attends the Baptist Church with his
family and takes an earnest interest in the various
organizations of the church. Fraternally, he is a member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of
Pythias and the Daughters of Rebekah. Mr. Young is a man
of pleasing appearance and has a host of friends
throughout the community whom admire him for his many
good qualities.
YOUNG, JOSEPH S. ------In the
history of Sac county, Iowa, as applying to the
agricultural interests, the name of Joseph S. Young
occupies a conspicuous place, for through a number of
years he has been one of the representative farmers of
Cedar township, progressive, enterprising and
persevering. Such qualities always win success, sooner
or later, and to Mr. Young they have brought a
satisfactory reward for his well-directed effort, and
while he has benefited himself and community in a
material way, he has also been an influential factor in
the educational, political and moral uplift of the
community favored by his residence.
Joseph S. Young, a prosperous
farmer of Cedar Township. Sac county, Iowa, was born
March 10, 1853, in Athens county, Ohio, the son of
Alexander and Caroline (Herrold) Young, both of whom
were natives of that county. Alexander Young was born in
1826, and died in 1895, being sixty-nine years, seven
months and twenty-seven days old at the time of his
death. His widow died June 17, 1909 at the age of
eighty-eight years, and was the oldest pioneer woman of
Sac county at the time of her death. They were the
parents of three children: Harriett, who died in 1868;
W. S. who is now a farmer
in the northwestern part of Alberta, Canada, and Joseph
S. Alexander Young and
family left Ohio in 1855 and located in Laporte county,
Indiana, where they lived for five years. In the fall of
1860 the family went farther West locating in Louisa
County, Iowa, where they entered land. In 1870 they came
to Sac county, and settled on the farm where Joseph S.
is now living.
Joseph S. Young has lived on the
homestead farm in this county ever since his parents
purchased it, with the exception of three years when
they lived in Sac City to educate the children. His farm
of one hundred and sixty acres was bought in 1870 by his
father for five dollars an acre and is today worth at
least two hundred dollars an acre. At that time, of
course, there were no fences, no drainage, no
improvements of any kind. The farm is now well drained,
has buildings of convenience and attractive appearance,
which add greatly to the value of the farm. Mr. Young
remodeled his home in 1903 and now has a fine home which
is modern and up-to-date in every way. He has a large
barn and corn cribs, which are sufficiently commodious
to accommodate his crops and stock. He keeps on an
average about eight head of horses and eighteen head of
cattle a year and makes a specialty of the breeding of
Duroc Jersey hogs.
Mr. Young was married in 1880 to
Mary Maxwell, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. H.
Maxwell, of Illinois, and to this union have been born
six children, five of whom are living: Howard, of Sac
City, who is married and has two children Kenneth and
Robert: Minnie, who is a twin sister to Howard, married
Elmer Cox and lives in this township on a farm near Sac
City; Harriet, the wife of J. C.
Harper, of Oakland, California, has one daughter,
Vivian: Woodward who was drowned in the river at Sac
City at the age of seventeen years in the fall of 1901
while skating; Linus, who is with his parents on the old
homestead farm, and Catherine, who was a graduate in
June, 1904 from the high school at Sac City.
Mr. Young has taken a prominent
part in the politics in his township and county and has
identified himself with the Republican party, who
recognizing his worth as a man and his ability as an
official, nominated him for the office of assessor and
he was elected as township assessor of Cedar township,
and performed the important duties of that office to the
entire satisfaction of all his fellow citizens,
irrespective of party lines. He and his family are loyal
members of the Methodist Episcopal church and render it
substantial support. He is a member of the Ancient Order
of United Workmen and takes a deep interest in the
deliberations of this fraternal organization. Mr. Young
is a man who has gained the respect and confidence of
his fellow citizens because of his frank and upright
manner at all times. He is a plain and unassuming man
who attends strictly to his own business and yet is
always found working for the best welfare of his
community.
YOUNIE, JOHN WESLEY -----John
Wesley Younie, one of the pioneer settlers of Sac
county, was born in Montreal, Canada, on July 15, 1849.
He has been connected with the history of this county
since 1873 and has been closely identified with the
history of the county in every way for the forty odd
years in which he has lived in it. He has taken a
prominent part in various activities and has always been
interested in everything which concerned the welfare of
his country.
John Wesley Younie came from Scotch
parentage, his father and mother, Louis and Jane
(Maxwell) Younie, being born near Edinburgh and Glasgow,
Scotland, respectively. His parents left Canada in 1861,
after selling their farm near Montreal, and located in
Delaware county, near Manchester, Iowa. In 1886 the
Younie family moved to Hawarden, Iowa, where Louis
Younie died in 1892, and his wife in 1903. Louis Younie
and wife were the parents of twelve children: Maggie,
born in May, 1848, died December 24, 1863; John Wesley;
Mrs. Ellen Alby, born January 16, 1851, and died
November 7, 1913: Mrs. Jeanette Bruce, born October 24,
1852, now living in Oklahoma; William, born February 5,
1854; Louis, born November 20, 1855: Mrs. Ann
Churchyard, born October 5, 1857, now living at Green
Acres, Washington; Alexander, born July 16, 1859; James,
born October 26, 1861; David, born December 25, 1863;
Richard and Jane, twins, born November 6, 1865. Louis,
Alexander, James and Richard are all now living at
Hawarden, Sioux county, Iowa. The father of these
children was born December 15, 1815, and died in May,
1892; the mother was born February 28, 1828, and died in
July, 1903. Their marriage occurred October 14,
1847.
John Wesley Younie was educated in
the Canada schools and also attended two winter terms in
Delaware county, Iowa, after his parents moved to this
state. In 1873 Mr. Younie came to Sac county, and
invested in one hundred and sixty acres in old Clinton
township, later Richland, for which he paid five dollars
and a half an acre. He was given six years to pay for
it. On May 12, 1874, he
returned with a breaking team and broke seventy-five
acres, and planted forty acres of wheat and twelve acres
of sod corn. The first crop of wheat averaged
twenty-three and a half bushels to the acre, which he
hauled twenty-two miles and received fifty cents for
each bushel. The second year he
raised ninety acres of wheat, averaging six bushels to
the acre. For this he received eighty-two cents a
bushel, but decided that wheat raising was unprofitable
and quit the business and began raising stock.
When he first came to this county Mr. Younie
brought his shack with him in the train and set up his
twelve-by-fourteen home and used this for six years.
Here he and his young wife started to housekeeping, and
during the first few years there were times when things
looked pretty discouraging, but they had brave hearts,
stout hands and determined to stick to the land, and in
six years they were able to build a new house, which
cost them nineteen hundred and fifty dollars. This was
considered a large sum in those days. In 1882 they sold
the farm for thirty dollars an acre cash and spent some
time traveling in Dakota and Nebraska, looking for a
location which might suit them better. However, they
found nothing which pleased them and more than their own
county, so they returned to Sac county and purchased one
hundred and sixty acres of section 31 in Richland
township, at twenty-three dollars an acre. It had no
buildings on it and was unimproved in every way. They
improved it. built a good home, barn and outbuildings
and have put all told, about six thousand dollars worth
of improvements on the farm. He has the farm well fenced
with woven wire fence and cement posts and the farm
today cannot be purchased for less than two hundred and
twenty-five dollars an acre. In 1907 Mr. and Mrs. Younie
moved to Odebolt, where they had previously built a
concrete bungalow.
John Wesley Younie was
married on February 2, 1875, to Emma M.
Messerole, who was born April 28, 1855, in
Delaware county, Iowa. She was the daughter of Jacob and
Mary Anna (Holcomb) Messerole, natives of Brooklyn, New
York, and Loraine county, Ohio, respectively. The
Messeroles came to Delaware county, Iowa, in 1854, four
years after their marriage in Ohio. Jacob Messerole was
born in Brooklvn, New York, January 20, 1820, and died
April 6, 1871. Mary Ann Holcomb, the mother of Mrs.
Younie, was born September 9, 1830, in Loraine
county, Ohio, and died January 20, 1894. After the death
of her first husband, Mrs. Messerole married Reuben
Durrin. Jacob Messerole and wife were the parents of a
large family of children: Edward J., born January 18,
1851, killed on railroad June 22, 1869; Emma; William
Ellison, born February 5, 1857, and now lives at Cedar
Rapids, Iowa; Ransom E., born April 12, 1859, now living
at Pierson, Iowa; Florence Eudora, who died at the age
of five ; Curtis Grant. born January 3, 1864 and died
January 25, 1914. To the second marriage of Mrs.
Messerole and Reuben Durrin there was born one
daughter. Mrs. Jasper Dennis,
who now lives in Nebraska.
Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Younie have
reared a family of interesting children, five of whom
are now living: Mrs. Jeanetta S. Prusia, born December
9, 1875, and graduated from college at Ames, Iowa, in
1899; she is now taking post-graduate work at the
college at Ames; she has four children, one of whom is
deceased, Cedric Edmunds ; Helen Constance, deceased ;
Joyce Eleanor and Lee Miles. The second child of Mr. and
Mrs. Younie is Louis, of Portland, Oregon, born March
26, 1877, and has one child.
Virginia Caroline, born February 13, 1914: Mrs.
Effie Ethel Weston, of New York state, born May 16, 1880
and has two children, John Miller and Marian Josephine;
Roy William, of Beresford, South Dakota, born August 16,
1883; Guy Leslie, a farmer of this township, born
October 16, 1887, and married August 3, 1910 to Minnie
Johnson; Marian Abbott, born November 21, 1897, and died
June 14, 1898.
Politically, Mr. Younie is a
Republican, and has served as school director in his
district for the past twenty-three years and also served
as treasurer of the school board of Richland Township.
The family are all members of the Methodist Episcopal
church and render it their zealous support. Fraternally,
Mr. Younie is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, the Order of the Eastern Star, the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, the Daughters of Rebekah and the
Yeomen. The career of Mr. Younie shows the result of a
life of hard work and good business management, since he
started in life with practically nothing and has gained
a very comfortable competence for his declining years.
All of this has been accomplished without incurring the
ill will of any of his neighbors, and by taking his full
share in the public life of the community in which he
has resided.
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