No history of Pottawattamie county would be complete without mention of John F. Garner and the family of which he is a representative. He was born in the township which bears the family name, being so called in honor of his father, who was its first settler, and of whom mention is made on another page of this work. The birth of John F. Garner there occurred on the 27th of February, 1849, and amid the wild scenes and environments of pioneer life he was reared, early becoming familiar with the arduous toil incident to the development of a new farm.

He attended the public schools as opportunity offered and worked upon the old homestead until the time of his marriage, which was celebrated in October, 1868, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary Elizabeth Dial. Her father, William H. Dial, was one of the early settlers of the county, arriving here during the period of the Civil war. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Garner have been born six children: Lillie, now the wife of Joseph Young; Halcyon, deceased; John, who resides in Garner township; James, who has also departed this life; Maude, the wife of Eli Jones, of Harrison county; and Edna, at home.

At the time of his marriage John F. Garner began farming on one of his father's properties, for William Garner was one of the largest landowners in the township at the time of his demise. The subject of this review improved a part of the land on which he located and later built a good house and barns there. He lived upon that place for about thirty-two years, transforming it from wild prairie into richly cultivated fields and then, retiring from active agricultural pursuits, removed to Council Bluffs about 1901. There he lived for three years and in 1904 returned to farm life, taking up his abode on section 17, Garner township, where he now makes his home. He owns three hundred and twenty-five acres of rich and productive land in this township and formerly his possessions were more extensive, for in the summer of 1906 he sold one hundred and twenty-five acres. He now has about fifty acres in his home place.

Great indeed have been the changes which have occurred during the period of his residence here. He can remember a day when there were many deer and some bears in this locality but owing to the severity of the winter of 1856-7 the deer mostly perished. Indians still visited the neighborhood to some extent and wild animals roamed at will over the prairie or sought shelter in the timber which bordered the streams. Only here and there had a habitation been placed, showing that the seeds of modern civilization were being planted on the western frontier.

In his boyhood and youth Mr. Garner bore his full share in the work of reclaiming wild land for the purposes of civilization and as the years have gone by be has continued to carry on agricultural pursuits with excellent results, being now one of the substantial farmers of his community.