Trails to the Past
Iowa
Appanoose County
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Biographies
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Progressive Men of
Iowa
He was
married in Dundee, August 16, 1857, and at that time concluded to quit the
sea and make a home in America. He left his wife with her parents, and
without a cent in his pocket, shipped on board a vessel bound for Quebec,
coal laden. The ship was six weeks in making the passage, but finally
reached the dock in Quebec, Canada, and the following day Mr. Forsyth made
his way to Montreal, where he joined the crew of the old propeller, St
Lawrence, and remained with her till the lakes froze up. The boat was
taken out of commission at Kingston, and there he remained all winter, and
the next spring shipped aboard a small vessel, where he remained until
June, 1858, at which time he came to Rock Island, 111. He expected to find
here a land of milk and honey, but at that time the country afforded
nothing but discouragement to persons without any means whatever. The land
was all right, but the milk and honey were hard to get. It was two years
before he could send enough money to procure passage for his wife to this
country. Before her arrival he found work in a coal mine, and was thus
engaged for about eight years. When he had saved a little money at this
work he was persuaded to invest it in a mining property and through the
perfidy of his partners came out of the transaction penniless. He managed
some way to get to What Cheer, and for a few years it was the same old
struggle with poverty. But he was destined to have a streak of good luck;
he purchased coal lands there, mostly on time, and when the Burlington,
Cedar Rapids & Northern railroad reached the town he immediately
leased his land to a coal company and sold part at a handsome figure. He wisely concluded to get into
the drug business, and not take more chances in speculation, so bought
one-half interest in one of the leading drug stores in What Cheer, and
placed his eldest son to learn the business, and later started two others
in the same business in the towns of Mystic and
Jerome. He is a
Mason, Odd Fellow and a member of the Presbyterian church. He is the
father of nine children, five boys and four girls, all living and seven
owning homes of their own. The children are: James Craig, Donald William
and David Butter, born in Mercer county, 111.; Isabella J. and Robert J.,
born in Poweshiek county, Iowa; Mary Elizabeth, born in Mahaska county,
Iowa; Jessie Elizabeth and Dougald Richardson, born in Keokuk county,
Iowa. He is a republican, and
regards his political belief as next to his religious faith. He has
instilled into his boys the doctrines of the party which, he believes,
represents progress and prosperity, and as a very natural consequence they
are all republicans of the staunchest sort.
C. W. Lane
was born at Independence, Washington county, Pa., September 16, 1848. He
received a common school education, and, as his father was for many years
both merchant and farmer, he received early training in both these lines
of business, which well fitted him for the affairs of later life. In 1864,
at the age of 16, he came with his parents to Iowa, settling in Appanoose
county, where for ten years he worked with his father. In 1874 he was
given the management of Gen. F.
M. Drake's mercantile establishment, and in 1875 he formed a
partnership with General Drake and R. F. Lyman, and engaged in general
merchandise under the firm name of Drake, Lane & Lyman, at
Centerville. In 1878 he purchased Mr. Lyman's interest in the business,
and the firm name was changed to Drake & Lane, though General Drake
was succeeded in 1885 by his son, F. E. Drake. In July, 1898, C. W. Lane
purchased the interest of F. E. Drake, and is now sole owner. Under Mr. Lane's exclusive
management, this business has grown from a small beginning to be one of
the strongest and largest establishments in southern Iowa. In addition to handling an
extensive mercantile stock, he buys and ships large quantities of farm
produce, including grain, hay and flour. Mr. Lane also has extensive
interests in coal mining property, and probably controls more coal mining
stock than any other man in the county. He has strong faith in the future
greatness of the Appanoose coal fields, and regards his interest in them
as a better investment than government bonds. He has built and now owns
several very fine business buildings, one of which he occupies with his
extensive stock of general merchandise. Mr. Lane was married June 23, 1874, to Miss Kate Ella Drake, a daughter of Judge John A. and Harriet J. Drake, and a sister of Gov. F. M. Drake and of J. H. Drake, of Albia, Iowa. Mrs. Lane was a woman possessed of many admirable traits, and was very devoted to her family. She died October 20, 1890, leaving four children-John Clyde, born October 26, 1876; George Hamilton, born December 10, 1878; Clark White, Jr., born June 5, 1883; and Marion, born May 7,1886. The oldest son, John, is studying law at Drake university; the second, George, is attending the Military academy at Culver City, Ind.; and the third, Clark, is in school at home. The youngest, Marion, died July 22, 1894. In politics Mr. Lane is a democrat. He has served one term as city alderman, four years as member of the school board, and president one term. He is president of the Centerville Block company, a company with a quarter of a million capital stock. He is a member of the Christian church, and for five years has been superintendent of the Sunday school, which has a membership of over 200. Mr. Lane takes pride in the fact that he never bet on a horse race, never speculated on the board of trade, and never knew how to play a game of cards, pool or billiards.
Major
Stanton was born near Marietta, Ohio, December 28, 1841, and when 10 years
of age removed with his parents to Lee county, Iowa, and subsequently to
Appanoose county. He enlisted as a private on August 20, 1861, in Company
I, Third Iowa cavalry, and during four years of brilliant service was
promoted as follows: September 6, 1861, Fifth sergeant; September 20,
1862, second lieutenant; November 1, 1862, captain; September 21, 1864,
major. He took part in nearly all the battles in which his regiment was
engaged, the more important of which were Pea Ridge, West Plains, Salem,
Bayou Cache, Grenada, La Grange, Vicksburg, Jackson, Little Rock, Guntown,
Ripley, Tupelo, Tallahatchie, Independence, Big Blue, Mine Creek,
Plantersville, Montevalle, Selma and Columbus. He was
severely wounded at La Grange, Ark., May 20, 1863, but continued to serve
with his regiment until it was mustered out in August,
1865. With a view to
keeping alive the memories of those days of strife and bloodshed, and for
the purpose of perpetuating the sentiment of patriotism he has, since the
war, affiliated with nearly all the prominent organizations partaking of a
military character. He is past commander of Bashore Post, G. A. R., a
member of the Iowa commandery of the Loyal Legion, chief of staff of the
Iowa G. A. R., and president of the Third Iowa Cavalry association. In the
last named organization he has been re-elected at each annual reunion
since 1887. He cast his
first vote for Lincoln for president, while a soldier in the field, and
has voted the republican ticket ever since. He was appointed by Governor
Larrabee in 1889 a member of the board of regents of the Iowa State
university, and was re-elected by the legislature in 1890. At the present time he is a member
of the university executive committee. He has served as a member of the
board of education in Centerville, and for a time was its president. He is
a member of the Presbyterian church, and affiliates with many secret and
benevolent societies, among which may be mentioned the Masons and Odd
Fellows. He was
married to Miss Emma Houston, May 1, 1878. They have had four children:
Edna, Nora, Neil and Anne Stanton.
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FORSYTH, Robert. The story, of the life of Robert Forsyth, of
Mystic, reads like a novel. He was born in the far away land of Scotland,
town of Kilmarnock, June 2, 1832. His father was a hand loom weaver, a
poor man, and the father of ten children, of whom Robert was the
youngest.
LANE, Clark White, is one of Centerville's leading business
men, and is a member of the firm of Drake & Lane. His father, John
Walker Lane, was born in 1818 in Westmoreland county, Pa.
STANTON, Maj. Cornelius Albert, of Centerville, is a soldier
and citizen whose virtues it would be almost impossible to exaggerate in
biography. This man comes naturally by his fine traits of patriotism and
good citizenship. His father, Nathan Stanton, was a native of Washington
county, Ohio, his parents having settled near Marietta at a time when that
section of country was an almost unbroken wilder-ness. He came to Iowa in
1850, and settled in Lee county, removing two years later to Appanoose
county. He was an anti-slavery man before the war, a believer in universal
human liberty, and the fugitive slave escaping across the Ohio river from
his Virginia master always found at Nathan Stanton's door assistance and
help on his way toward Canada and freedom.