bios.htm

Genealogy Trails logo

History and Genealogy
of
Iowa County, Iowa

Biographies of Iowa County, Iowa
Hon. Charles H. Akers
The life of Hon. Charles H. Akers, secretary of Arizona, has been an eventful one, and represents the successful striving of a man who. unaided save by his own nobility of character and great perseverance, has known how to conquer obstacles and avail himself of opportunities.
The ancestors of the Akers family were originally loyal subjects of the English crown, and their ambition did not extend beyond the borders of their native island until the latter part of the eighteenth century, when the paternal great-grandfather, Peter Akers (or Acres, as the name was then spelled), emigrated to America, landing at New Castle. Del., in the year 1780. on this ocean voyage, William Akers, the grandfather of Hon. Charles H., was born. Shortly after settling in this country the great-grandfather, Peter, died, and his widow subsequently married Joshua Lee, and henceforward made her home in Pennsylvania. William Akers married Nancy Holmes in 1807, and settled on a farm near the present site of the village of New Athens, Harrison county, Ohio. In 1822 he removed to Richland county, Ohio, and located four miles north of the town of Mansfield. At the time of this removal there were eight children in the family, the youngest being but one year old. John Holmes, the father of Hon. C. H. Akers, was then ten years of age, and drove one of the teams to the Richland county home. In 1834 the family left Richland county and returned to their former home in Harrison county in the vicinity of Athens. The children born to William and Nancy Akers were : Elizabeth, John H., Mary, Abraham H., Margaret, William, Rebecca, Susan, Eli D., and Thomas R.
John H. Akers, M. D.. was the oldest son in his father's family, and was born in Harrison county, Ohio, in 1812. His early life was that of the average farm-reared youth, and in 1836 he married Nancy Rankin, who died in 1845. He was a man of marked ability, and his achievements in later life more than realized the promise of his youth. During the greater part of his active career he was a prominent physician and surgeon, having graduated from an eastern medical college. He first practiced in Ohio, and later settled in Millersburg, Iowa, where he was not only a practicing physician but also a prominent citizen. The most active part of his life was spent in Kansas, to which he moved in 1859, settling in Shawnee, Johnson county. During the latter part of the Civil war he served for a time as government surgeon at Leavenworth, and was surgeon after the battle of Westport, Mo. In tender solicitude for the wounded in this battle, his wife walked the distance from Shawnee to Westport, and dressed the wounds and alleviated the sufferings of those who had been injured in the cause. Aside from his ability as a healer of men, Dr. Akers was an eloquent speaker, and exercised his gift in advocating the principles of the Republican party and in the cause of abolition. He was a devoted member of the Methodist church, and convincingly preached the gospel of kindliness and good will as occasion offered. One of his best remembered efforts as a public speaker was at the first meeting for securing the Terminal Railroad for Kansas City. Up to the time of his death in March of 1881, at the age of seventy-two years, he was vitally interested in the prosperity and development of Kansas, and was regarded as one of the brightest lights in the medical profession in the state. He was twice married, and of his union with Nancy Rankin there were four children : Elizabeth, Christine (deceased), Nancy J., and Adatilda. Dr. Akers married for his second wife Almarine Harbaugh, who was born in Trenton, Tuscarawas county, Ohio, being the daughter of Benjamin Harbaugh, of Maryland. Benjamin Harbaugh was a cabinet maker by trade, and an early settler in Trenton, Ohio. He served in the war of 1812, and married Judith Knaus, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Lewis Knaus, representative of an old Pennsylvania family. Mrs. Akers, who is now living in Prescott, Ariz., is the mother of four children. Of these John B., met a tragic death while superintendent of a sawmill near Prescott, November 19, 1887. When fifteen years of age he enlisted in the Civil war in the Sixteenth Kansas Regiment, and was slightly wounded at the Battle of Westport. In 1865 he started for the far west with ox-teams and wagons and spent two years on the government trail, subsequently settling in Prescott, where he lived until his death. The other members of the family are: Josephine, who is now the wife of K. L. Mills, of Kansas City, Mo.; Charles H., and J. W. who came to Arizona in 1882, and is now postmaster at Prescott.
Charles H. Akers was born in Millersburg, Iowa, September 21, 1857, and until his fourteenth year was reared in Shawnee, Kans., and educated in the public schools. At fifteen he started out to face the bread winning and responsible side of life, accompanied only by the splendid enthusiasm of youth, and a firm determination to succeed. For three months he worked in a brick yard, and then obtained employment with Banning & Gallup, a large railroad and ditch contracting concern, whose mules and horses he herded at night for two and a half years. Upon returning to Shawnee, Kans., he attended school during the winter, and in the spring of 1875 went to Creston, Iowa, and was in the employ of Thomas Hall in the stock business for one year. He later assumed charge of the engine-house in Creston, and had the training of the first team used in the house which eventually became the prize team in the state. In 1879 the mining boom of Leadville stimulated him to a journey westward, and for a year he prospected with ups and downs in the mining regions around Leadville. An unexpected drawback presented itself in 1880 when he was taken with pneumonia, and his recovery was equally on the unexpected order. In the meantime his father had died.
In December of 1880, Mr. Akers started for Arizona, journeying by rail to Albuquerque, and thence by horseback to Prescott. His first employment in the territory was in a sawmill, working for his brother John in the Curtis mill. After six months he engaged in mining, and in 1882 struck some good luck, and from then on looked at life through more ambitious glasses. For two and a half years he was subsequently employed in a settler's store, owned and managed by C. P. Head & Co., at Camp Verde, but was again overtaken by the mining fever in January of 1885, and prospected and mined at the Tip Top mines for two years This proved an unsuccessful venture, and in hopes of improving his future prospects Mr. Akers came to Phoenix and entered the employ of the Maricopa & Phoenix & Salt River Valley Railroad Company, under Mr. Porter. In the spring of 1888 he became a bookkeeper for James Dougherty, a general merchant in Prescott, and in September, of the same year, was nominated county recorder of Yavapai county on the Republican ticket, and elected the first Republican recorder of the county, and the third Republican to hold any office in the county. The popularity of Mr. Akers may be estimated when it is known that in a strong Democratic community he received one hundred and sixty majority. In 1894 he was re-elected by a majority of six hundred, and served for two terms. In the fall of 1892 Mr. Akers was nominated sheriff of Yavapai county, but was beaten in the election. He served as recorder until 1892, and in 1893 was appointed clerk of the board of supervisors, which position he held until December 31, 1896. From September 1894 until 1896 he served as chairman of the Republican County Central Committee, having been elected in 1894 by a unanimous vote. In that election, out of thirteen candidates, nine were elected in the county. Since that time Yavapai county has not elected a member of the Republican Party to office.
In 1896 Mr. Akers was elected a delegate to the Republican convention at St. Louis. Six of the delegates were from the start in favor of the nomination of Mr. McKinley. To the admirable services of Mr. Akers in this regard is undoubtedly due his later appointment as secretary of Arizona. In January of 1897. he opened an abstract office in Prescott, and May 19, of the same year, was appointed secretary of Arizona by President McKinley. July I, 1897, he assumed the duties of his responsible position, and a few days later, upon the removal of Governor Franklin, he became acting governor until Governor McCord was sworn in. It is doubtful if any man in the territory could invest this position of trust with greater satisfaction or dignity, or with greater credit to himself and the wonderful territory which he represents. Mr. Akers was further honored by the people of the territory in 1900, by being unanimously elected chairman of the Republican delegation to the Philadelphia National Convention, and was appointed a member of the committee on platforms and resolutions.
In addition to the numerous political responsibilities to which Mr. Akers seems by nature and adaptability heir, he is interested fraternally and socially in many of the organizations of the city of Phoenix. He is a number of the Benevolent Protective Order of Folks, the Woodmen of the World, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Knights of Pythias, of which he is Post Chancellor and member of the Grand Lodge, and the Moderns and Masonic order. He is a member of the Maricopa Club, and attends the Episcopal church, of which his wife is a member. April 10, 1889, Mr. Akers was united in marriage with Emily Philpot, who was born in Salisbury, Mo., and was a niece of John C. Herndon. of Prescott. Mrs. Akers died on her wedding journey while in Kansas City, Mo., May 26, 1889. Mr. Akers was married December 1, 1891, in Phoenix, to Jennie Bryan, a native of New York state, and a graduate of Mills Seminary. Of this union there are three children ; Bryan, John Kelsey, and Henry Harlow.
[Portrait and Biographical Record of Arizona, submitted by Barb Ziegenmeyer]
Capt. Geo. P. Carman
CARMAN, GEO. P., CAPT., merchant tailor, Marion; born at Tyrone Forge, Blair Co., Iowa, June 1, 1832; moved to Marengo, Iowa, in March, 1869; to Davenport in 1872: to DeWitt in 1873, and came to Marion in 1875.
He enlisted in Co. K. 51st Penn. V. I., Aug. 28, 1861 (having been in three months service previously, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant Dec. 25, 1861; to First Lieutenant July 25, 1862, and to the Captaincy of his Co. on the battle field of Second Bull Run, Aug. 29, 1862; mustered out July 3, 1865.
He married Rachel E. Lyon, May 10, 1853; she was born at Williamsport, Lycoming Co., Penn., Dec. 24, 1835; they have had three children; one son - Orlando Chester, died in April, 1859, aged 3 years and 8 months; the living are Lillie D and Rachel B. The Captain and family are members of the Baptist Church.
[Source: The history of Linn County Iowa; Western Historical Company; 1878; transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
Jacob Hagea
Farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 10, P. O. Homestead. Was born November 9, 1818, in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, and after finishing his education he learned the plasterer's trade. He worked at it till 1854, and then moved to Rock Island county, Illinois, where he again engaged at his trade for some time. Then commenced the mercantile business in Camden Mills which he continued to conduct for nearly three years.
In 1857 he came to Iowa and settled where he now lives and owns 127 acres of improved land, including timber, having a large residence on the same.
He has been twice married; first, November 9, 1840, in Pennsylvania, to Miss Rachel Richey, and from this union there are two children: George (married and lives in Lenox township) and Eliza (wife of R. E. Johns). Mr. Hagea buried his wife in Pennsylvania, January 18, 1849. July 2, 1850, he married in Pennsylvania, for his second wife, Miss Catherine Shriver, a native of Pennsylvania.
[History of Iowa County, Iowa, 1881, submitted by Cathy Danielson]
Robert Irving
Farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 1, P. O. Homestead. Was born in January, 1814, in Scotland. His parents being poor and having a family of eleven children, he did not enjoy any opportunities for an education and never attended school but one day. Early in life he engaged in mining.
In 1845 he came to the United States and engaged in mining in Pennsylvania, where he continued for ten years. In 1853 he came to Iowa and entered his present farm and in 1855 settled where he now lives and owns 240 acres of improved land.
He has been twice married; first, in August, 1834, in England, to Miss Jane Allen, a native of England. They had two children by this union, both now deceased. His wife died in 1839. He married for his second wife, August 3, 1844, in England, Miss Mary Weatherburn, a native of England. Eight children have been born to them, four of whom are now living: Robert, Elizabeth, (widow of William Armstrong), Sarah Jane and Permilla (wife of L. Neuma).
[History of Iowa County, Iowa, 1881, submitted by Cathy Danielson]
David Leonard
Farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 1, P. O. Norway. Was born December 6, 1836, in Licking county, Ohio, and when eight years old, he with his parents moved to La Salle county, Illinois. He learned the cooper's trade and worked at this and at farming for a livelihood.
In October, 1864, he came to Iowa and engaged in farming in Benton county. In 1865 he moved to Story county, Iowa, where he bought eighty acres of land, and there engaged in the employ of the C. &. N. W. Railway, and worked for this company most of the time for three years. In the spring of 1868 he moved to Benton county and engaged in farming near by. In January, 1869, he settled where he now lives and owns 160 acres of well improved land.
He was married, in May, 1865, in Marengo, to Miss Martha L. Dutton, a resident of Norway and a native of Illinois. They have six children: Orson A., Floyd M., Lydia E., Vivian L., Stella M., and David D. They have buried one daughter, Florence.
[History of Iowa County, Iowa, 1881, submitted by Cathy Danielson]
J. F. Schlueter
Farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 6, P. O. Norway. Is a native of Prussia, born September 23, 1819. There, after finishing his education, he learned the carpenter's trade and worked at the same until 1844, then came to the United States and settled in Missouri, where he engaged in farming and working at his trade in Lincoln and Warren counties. In 1849 he went to St. Louis, there working at his trade until 1851, when he came to Iowa and settled in what is now Lenox township and became a member of a German colony which continued five years then dissolved for want of means. He then settled where he now lives and owns 320 acres of well improved land. He owns 177 acres of improved land in Johnson county. Mr. S. and his family suffered much for want of food the first years of their residence here, often, living on milk alone, and at one time they lived three days on turnips, at the same time doing hard work.
He was married in 1844, in Missouri, to Miss Mary Voss. They have seven children living: William (married and lives in Jackson county), Henry, Mary (now the wife of Adam Wolf of Iowa county), Peter, John, Charles and Annie, and have buried five: Harman, Mina and Lina (twins), Marv and John.
[History of Iowa County, Iowa, 1881, submitted by Cathy Danielson]
John W. Wehrman
On the highway leading north from Jasper and one mile out from the town are found the pleasant home and broad acres of one of the most enterprising farmers and respected citizens of Pipestone county, Minnesota,--John W. Wehrman. As his name indicates, he is of German origin, and he possesses, to a marked degree, many of the commendable traits of character which are found in the German people. He was born in Iowa county, Iowa, October 2, 1862, son of Henry and Sarah (Elder) Wehrman. Henry Wehrman is a German by birth. He spent the first thirteen years of his life in the old country, then set sail for the alluring shores of America, located in Iowa, and is still a resident of that state, engaged in farming. The mother of our subject died in Iowa.
On his father's farm in the "Hawkeye state" John W. Wehrman spent his boyhood days and passed into manhood, remaining there until he was twenty three. His educational advantages were limited to the district schools, but close observation, home study and actual business experience have broadened the knowledge gained there, and up with the times, especially in his line of occupation. After leaving home he was for a few years employed in farm work in Iowa before coming to Minnesota. It was in 1888 that he came up into Minnesota and located in Pipestone county. On his arrival here he purchased two hundred and forty acres of his present farm, built a house upon it, sixteen by twenty four feet in dimensions, and went earnestly and persistently to work to make a home and farm. For two years he kept "bach" here and then he returned to Iowa, married and brought his bride to his new home, and aided and encouraged by a loving companion, he has since continued to prosper. He built his barn in 1888, enlarged and remodeled his house in the fall of 1895, and in the meantime added eighty acres to his farm, making his present holdings three hundred and twenty acres in extent, the same being regarded as one of the finest farms in Pipestone county. Like the majority of agriculturalists in this part of the state, he raises a diversity of crops.
December 31, 1889, Mr. Wehrman was united in marriage to Miss Anna Schild, a native of Benton county, Iowa, born March 24, 1868, daughter of John and Dorothea (Budy) Schild, both of German birth and ancestry, their home being on their farm in Benton county, where they settled a number of years ago. Mrs. Schild was only nine years old at the time she came to this country. Mr. and Mrs. Wehrman have been blessed in the birth of three children, whose names and dates of birth are as follows: Irene M., born May 16, 1891; Iona M., September 11, 1892; and Ruth C., September 18, 1894.
As a citizen of influence and on of high moral and financial standing in his community, the subject of our sketch occupies an enviable position. He has at heart the best interests of his town and county, is always willing and ready to support any measure or movement intended to promote their welfare, and that he is popular among his fellows goes without saying. He was among those who took the initial steps in securing a house of worship for the Lutheran congregation in Jasper, of which organization he is an official member, and it was largely through his personal efforts that the building was pushed to completion. Politically he is a Populist. He has served efficiently in several of the township offices, being commissioner two terms, assessor two terms, and is at present serving his first term as treasurer.
[Source: "Memorial Record of S.W. Minnesota"
Submitted by Gary Boomgaarden]

Copyright © Genealogy Trails
All data on this website is Copyright by Genealogy Trails with full rights reserved for original submitters.

		History and Genealogy of Iowa County, Iowa

Biographies of Iowa County, Iowa Hon. Charles H. Akers The life of Hon. Charles H. Akers, secretary of Arizona, has been an eventful one, and represents the successful striving of a man who. unaided save by his own nobility of character and great perseverance, has known how to conquer obstacles and avail himself of opportunities. The ancestors of the Akers family were originally loyal subjects of the English crown, and their ambition did not extend beyond the borders of their native island until the latter part of the eighteenth century, when the paternal great-grandfather, Peter Akers (or Acres, as the name was then spelled), emigrated to America, landing at New Castle. Del., in the year 1780. on this ocean voyage, William Akers, the grandfather of Hon. Charles H., was born. Shortly after settling in this country the great-grandfather, Peter, died, and his widow subsequently married Joshua Lee, and henceforward made her home in Pennsylvania. William Akers married Nancy Holmes in 1807, and settled on a farm near the present site of the village of New Athens, Harrison county, Ohio. In 1822 he removed to Richland county, Ohio, and located four miles north of the town of Mansfield. At the time of this removal there were eight children in the family, the youngest being but one year old. John Holmes, the father of Hon. C. H. Akers, was then ten years of age, and drove one of the teams to the Richland county home. In 1834 the family left Richland county and returned to their former home in Harrison county in the vicinity of Athens. The children born to William and Nancy Akers were : Elizabeth, John H., Mary, Abraham H., Margaret, William, Rebecca, Susan, Eli D., and Thomas R. John H. Akers, M. D.. was the oldest son in his father's family, and was born in Harrison county, Ohio, in 1812. His early life was that of the average farm-reared youth, and in 1836 he married Nancy Rankin, who died in 1845. He was a man of marked ability, and his achievements in later life more than realized the promise of his youth. During the greater part of his active career he was a prominent physician and surgeon, having graduated from an eastern medical college. He first practiced in Ohio, and later settled in Millersburg, Iowa, where he was not only a practicing physician but also a prominent citizen. The most active part of his life was spent in Kansas, to which he moved in 1859, settling in Shawnee, Johnson county. During the latter part of the Civil war he served for a time as government surgeon at Leavenworth, and was surgeon after the battle of Westport, Mo. In tender solicitude for the wounded in this battle, his wife walked the distance from Shawnee to Westport, and dressed the wounds and alleviated the sufferings of those who had been injured in the cause. Aside from his ability as a healer of men, Dr. Akers was an eloquent speaker, and exercised his gift in advocating the principles of the Republican party and in the cause of abolition. He was a devoted member of the Methodist church, and convincingly preached the gospel of kindliness and good will as occasion offered. One of his best remembered efforts as a public speaker was at the first meeting for securing the Terminal Railroad for Kansas City. Up to the time of his death in March of 1881, at the age of seventy-two years, he was vitally interested in the prosperity and development of Kansas, and was regarded as one of the brightest lights in the medical profession in the state. He was twice married, and of his union with Nancy Rankin there were four children : Elizabeth, Christine (deceased), Nancy J., and Adatilda. Dr. Akers married for his second wife Almarine Harbaugh, who was born in Trenton, Tuscarawas county, Ohio, being the daughter of Benjamin Harbaugh, of Maryland. Benjamin Harbaugh was a cabinet maker by trade, and an early settler in Trenton, Ohio. He served in the war of 1812, and married Judith Knaus, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Lewis Knaus, representative of an old Pennsylvania family. Mrs. Akers, who is now living in Prescott, Ariz., is the mother of four children. Of these John B., met a tragic death while superintendent of a sawmill near Prescott, November 19, 1887. When fifteen years of age he enlisted in the Civil war in the Sixteenth Kansas Regiment, and was slightly wounded at the Battle of Westport. In 1865 he started for the far west with ox-teams and wagons and spent two years on the government trail, subsequently settling in Prescott, where he lived until his death. The other members of the family are: Josephine, who is now the wife of K. L. Mills, of Kansas City, Mo.; Charles H., and J. W. who came to Arizona in 1882, and is now postmaster at Prescott. Charles H. Akers was born in Millersburg, Iowa, September 21, 1857, and until his fourteenth year was reared in Shawnee, Kans., and educated in the public schools. At fifteen he started out to face the bread winning and responsible side of life, accompanied only by the splendid enthusiasm of youth, and a firm determination to succeed. For three months he worked in a brick yard, and then obtained employment with Banning & Gallup, a large railroad and ditch contracting concern, whose mules and horses he herded at night for two and a half years. Upon returning to Shawnee, Kans., he attended school during the winter, and in the spring of 1875 went to Creston, Iowa, and was in the employ of Thomas Hall in the stock business for one year. He later assumed charge of the engine-house in Creston, and had the training of the first team used in the house which eventually became the prize team in the state. In 1879 the mining boom of Leadville stimulated him to a journey westward, and for a year he prospected with ups and downs in the mining regions around Leadville. An unexpected drawback presented itself in 1880 when he was taken with pneumonia, and his recovery was equally on the unexpected order. In the meantime his father had died. In December of 1880, Mr. Akers started for Arizona, journeying by rail to Albuquerque, and thence by horseback to Prescott. His first employment in the territory was in a sawmill, working for his brother John in the Curtis mill. After six months he engaged in mining, and in 1882 struck some good luck, and from then on looked at life through more ambitious glasses. For two and a half years he was subsequently employed in a settler's store, owned and managed by C. P. Head & Co., at Camp Verde, but was again overtaken by the mining fever in January of 1885, and prospected and mined at the Tip Top mines for two years This proved an unsuccessful venture, and in hopes of improving his future prospects Mr. Akers came to Phoenix and entered the employ of the Maricopa & Phoenix & Salt River Valley Railroad Company, under Mr. Porter. In the spring of 1888 he became a bookkeeper for James Dougherty, a general merchant in Prescott, and in September, of the same year, was nominated county recorder of Yavapai county on the Republican ticket, and elected the first Republican recorder of the county, and the third Republican to hold any office in the county. The popularity of Mr. Akers may be estimated when it is known that in a strong Democratic community he received one hundred and sixty majority. In 1894 he was re-elected by a majority of six hundred, and served for two terms. In the fall of 1892 Mr. Akers was nominated sheriff of Yavapai county, but was beaten in the election. He served as recorder until 1892, and in 1893 was appointed clerk of the board of supervisors, which position he held until December 31, 1896. From September 1894 until 1896 he served as chairman of the Republican County Central Committee, having been elected in 1894 by a unanimous vote. In that election, out of thirteen candidates, nine were elected in the county. Since that time Yavapai county has not elected a member of the Republican Party to office. In 1896 Mr. Akers was elected a delegate to the Republican convention at St. Louis. Six of the delegates were from the start in favor of the nomination of Mr. McKinley. To the admirable services of Mr. Akers in this regard is undoubtedly due his later appointment as secretary of Arizona. In January of 1897. he opened an abstract office in Prescott, and May 19, of the same year, was appointed secretary of Arizona by President McKinley. July I, 1897, he assumed the duties of his responsible position, and a few days later, upon the removal of Governor Franklin, he became acting governor until Governor McCord was sworn in. It is doubtful if any man in the territory could invest this position of trust with greater satisfaction or dignity, or with greater credit to himself and the wonderful territory which he represents. Mr. Akers was further honored by the people of the territory in 1900, by being unanimously elected chairman of the Republican delegation to the Philadelphia National Convention, and was appointed a member of the committee on platforms and resolutions. In addition to the numerous political responsibilities to which Mr. Akers seems by nature and adaptability heir, he is interested fraternally and socially in many of the organizations of the city of Phoenix. He is a number of the Benevolent Protective Order of Folks, the Woodmen of the World, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Knights of Pythias, of which he is Post Chancellor and member of the Grand Lodge, and the Moderns and Masonic order. He is a member of the Maricopa Club, and attends the Episcopal church, of which his wife is a member. April 10, 1889, Mr. Akers was united in marriage with Emily Philpot, who was born in Salisbury, Mo., and was a niece of John C. Herndon. of Prescott. Mrs. Akers died on her wedding journey while in Kansas City, Mo., May 26, 1889. Mr. Akers was married December 1, 1891, in Phoenix, to Jennie Bryan, a native of New York state, and a graduate of Mills Seminary. Of this union there are three children ; Bryan, John Kelsey, and Henry Harlow. [Portrait and Biographical Record of Arizona, submitted by Barb Ziegenmeyer] Capt. Geo. P. Carman CARMAN, GEO. P., CAPT., merchant tailor, Marion; born at Tyrone Forge, Blair Co., Iowa, June 1, 1832; moved to Marengo, Iowa, in March, 1869; to Davenport in 1872: to DeWitt in 1873, and came to Marion in 1875. He enlisted in Co. K. 51st Penn. V. I., Aug. 28, 1861 (having been in three months service previously, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant Dec. 25, 1861; to First Lieutenant July 25, 1862, and to the Captaincy of his Co. on the battle field of Second Bull Run, Aug. 29, 1862; mustered out July 3, 1865. He married Rachel E. Lyon, May 10, 1853; she was born at Williamsport, Lycoming Co., Penn., Dec. 24, 1835; they have had three children; one son - Orlando Chester, died in April, 1859, aged 3 years and 8 months; the living are Lillie D and Rachel B. The Captain and family are members of the Baptist Church. [Source: The history of Linn County Iowa; Western Historical Company; 1878; transcribed by Andaleen Whitney] Jacob Hagea Farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 10, P. O. Homestead. Was born November 9, 1818, in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, and after finishing his education he learned the plasterer's trade. He worked at it till 1854, and then moved to Rock Island county, Illinois, where he again engaged at his trade for some time. Then commenced the mercantile business in Camden Mills which he continued to conduct for nearly three years. In 1857 he came to Iowa and settled where he now lives and owns 127 acres of improved land, including timber, having a large residence on the same. He has been twice married; first, November 9, 1840, in Pennsylvania, to Miss Rachel Richey, and from this union there are two children: George (married and lives in Lenox township) and Eliza (wife of R. E. Johns). Mr. Hagea buried his wife in Pennsylvania, January 18, 1849. July 2, 1850, he married in Pennsylvania, for his second wife, Miss Catherine Shriver, a native of Pennsylvania. [History of Iowa County, Iowa, 1881, submitted by Cathy Danielson] Robert Irving Farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 1, P. O. Homestead. Was born in January, 1814, in Scotland. His parents being poor and having a family of eleven children, he did not enjoy any opportunities for an education and never attended school but one day. Early in life he engaged in mining. In 1845 he came to the United States and engaged in mining in Pennsylvania, where he continued for ten years. In 1853 he came to Iowa and entered his present farm and in 1855 settled where he now lives and owns 240 acres of improved land. He has been twice married; first, in August, 1834, in England, to Miss Jane Allen, a native of England. They had two children by this union, both now deceased. His wife died in 1839. He married for his second wife, August 3, 1844, in England, Miss Mary Weatherburn, a native of England. Eight children have been born to them, four of whom are now living: Robert, Elizabeth, (widow of William Armstrong), Sarah Jane and Permilla (wife of L. Neuma). [History of Iowa County, Iowa, 1881, submitted by Cathy Danielson] David Leonard Farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 1, P. O. Norway. Was born December 6, 1836, in Licking county, Ohio, and when eight years old, he with his parents moved to La Salle county, Illinois. He learned the cooper's trade and worked at this and at farming for a livelihood. In October, 1864, he came to Iowa and engaged in farming in Benton county. In 1865 he moved to Story county, Iowa, where he bought eighty acres of land, and there engaged in the employ of the C. &. N. W. Railway, and worked for this company most of the time for three years. In the spring of 1868 he moved to Benton county and engaged in farming near by. In January, 1869, he settled where he now lives and owns 160 acres of well improved land. He was married, in May, 1865, in Marengo, to Miss Martha L. Dutton, a resident of Norway and a native of Illinois. They have six children: Orson A., Floyd M., Lydia E., Vivian L., Stella M., and David D. They have buried one daughter, Florence. [History of Iowa County, Iowa, 1881, submitted by Cathy Danielson] J. F. Schlueter Farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 6, P. O. Norway. Is a native of Prussia, born September 23, 1819. There, after finishing his education, he learned the carpenter's trade and worked at the same until 1844, then came to the United States and settled in Missouri, where he engaged in farming and working at his trade in Lincoln and Warren counties. In 1849 he went to St. Louis, there working at his trade until 1851, when he came to Iowa and settled in what is now Lenox township and became a member of a German colony which continued five years then dissolved for want of means. He then settled where he now lives and owns 320 acres of well improved land. He owns 177 acres of improved land in Johnson county. Mr. S. and his family suffered much for want of food the first years of their residence here, often, living on milk alone, and at one time they lived three days on turnips, at the same time doing hard work. He was married in 1844, in Missouri, to Miss Mary Voss. They have seven children living: William (married and lives in Jackson county), Henry, Mary (now the wife of Adam Wolf of Iowa county), Peter, John, Charles and Annie, and have buried five: Harman, Mina and Lina (twins), Marv and John. [History of Iowa County, Iowa, 1881, submitted by Cathy Danielson] John W. Wehrman On the highway leading north from Jasper and one mile out from the town are found the pleasant home and broad acres of one of the most enterprising farmers and respected citizens of Pipestone county, Minnesota,--John W. Wehrman. As his name indicates, he is of German origin, and he possesses, to a marked degree, many of the commendable traits of character which are found in the German people. He was born in Iowa county, Iowa, October 2, 1862, son of Henry and Sarah (Elder) Wehrman. Henry Wehrman is a German by birth. He spent the first thirteen years of his life in the old country, then set sail for the alluring shores of America, located in Iowa, and is still a resident of that state, engaged in farming. The mother of our subject died in Iowa. On his father's farm in the "Hawkeye state" John W. Wehrman spent his boyhood days and passed into manhood, remaining there until he was twenty three. His educational advantages were limited to the district schools, but close observation, home study and actual business experience have broadened the knowledge gained there, and up with the times, especially in his line of occupation. After leaving home he was for a few years employed in farm work in Iowa before coming to Minnesota. It was in 1888 that he came up into Minnesota and located in Pipestone county. On his arrival here he purchased two hundred and forty acres of his present farm, built a house upon it, sixteen by twenty four feet in dimensions, and went earnestly and persistently to work to make a home and farm. For two years he kept "bach" here and then he returned to Iowa, married and brought his bride to his new home, and aided and encouraged by a loving companion, he has since continued to prosper. He built his barn in 1888, enlarged and remodeled his house in the fall of 1895, and in the meantime added eighty acres to his farm, making his present holdings three hundred and twenty acres in extent, the same being regarded as one of the finest farms in Pipestone county. Like the majority of agriculturalists in this part of the state, he raises a diversity of crops. December 31, 1889, Mr. Wehrman was united in marriage to Miss Anna Schild, a native of Benton county, Iowa, born March 24, 1868, daughter of John and Dorothea (Budy) Schild, both of German birth and ancestry, their home being on their farm in Benton county, where they settled a number of years ago. Mrs. Schild was only nine years old at the time she came to this country. Mr. and Mrs. Wehrman have been blessed in the birth of three children, whose names and dates of birth are as follows: Irene M., born May 16, 1891; Iona M., September 11, 1892; and Ruth C., September 18, 1894. As a citizen of influence and on of high moral and financial standing in his community, the subject of our sketch occupies an enviable position. He has at heart the best interests of his town and county, is always willing and ready to support any measure or movement intended to promote their welfare, and that he is popular among his fellows goes without saying. He was among those who took the initial steps in securing a house of worship for the Lutheran congregation in Jasper, of which organization he is an official member, and it was largely through his personal efforts that the building was pushed to completion. Politically he is a Populist. He has served efficiently in several of the township offices, being commissioner two terms, assessor two terms, and is at present serving his first term as treasurer. [Source: "Memorial Record of S.W. Minnesota" Submitted by Gary Boomgaarden]

Copyright © Genealogy Trails All data on this website is Copyright by Genealogy Trails with full rights reserved for original submitters.