BIOGRAPHIES: O thru R; Lyon County, Iowa ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES PROJECT NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ ************************************************************************ The USGenWeb Archives provide genealogical and historical data to the general public without fee or charge of any kind. It is intended that this material not be used in a commercial manner. All submissions become part of the permanent collection. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Roseanna Zehner October 22, 2002 ____________________________________________________________________________ NOTE: For more information on Lyon County, Iowa Please visit the Lyon County, IAGenWeb page at http://iagenweb.org/lyon/ _________________________________________________________________________ Compendium of History Reminiscence and Biography of Lyon County, Iowa. Published under the Auspices of the Pioneer Association of Lyon County. Geo. Monlun, Pres.; Hon. E. C. Roach Sec'y; and Col. F. M. Thompson, Historian. Geo. A. Ogle & CO., Published, Engravers and Book Manufacturers. Chicago, 1904-1905 Transcribed for Lyon County by Darlene Jacoby and Diane Johnson -O- OLDENBURG, WILLIAM William Oldenburg, who has been a resident of Logan township, Lyon county, for nearly a dozen years, and in that time has demonstrated his own ability as a farmer and his standing as a man and a citizen, was born in Davenport, Iowa, September 18, 1863. Frederick Oldenberg, his father, was a farmer who was born in Germany and came to America in 1857 a single man. William was the third member of a family of eight children, and grew up on the farm near the city of Davenport, where he had plenty of hard work, and finished his education after passing through the common school, at the Duncan Business College. William Oldenburg spent some time on the farm after completing his business course, and in 1887-1888 spent the most of his time in Nebraska, having a large lumber yard at Benningten in that state. Mr. Oldenberg, and Miss Neta Kuzhper were married in 1891. She was a native of Scott county, Iowa, while her father, Fritz Kuelper, was a farmer and a native of Germany. To this union were born: Stela, Malinda, Esther, Willbur and Amanda. Mr. Oldenberg had returned from Nebraska and been a resident of Scott county three years before his marriage; he remained in that county for three years after that event, and in the spring of 1904 came to Lyon county where he bought his present farm in section 23, Logan township, which he has greatly improved. His house has the following dimensions: 16 by 28, 16 by 20, and 12 by 12 feet; the barn and granary is 40 by 50 feet; there are corn cribs, a chicken house, a hog house, and generally a complete set of buildings for the farm requirements. The farm grove is thrifty, and a young orchard, mainly of apples, cherries and plum trees is coming forward rapidly. The farm now comprises one-half the section, and is considered one of the most desirable in the county. Mr. Oldenburg is a prominent citizen of the county, has been assessor of the township for six years, and is now president of the school board. On another page of this volume will be found a portrait of Mr. Oldenburg. -P- PARSONS, J.M. J.M. Parsons, a prominent attorney of Rock Rapids, was born October 16, 1858, at Jones, Iowa, where he spent his earlier years attending school, living at home until old enough to enter the state school at Ames, where he was a student for one year, finishing his school days at Cornell College. In 1879 he began reading law with Shean & McCarn, at Anamosa, Iowa, and was admitted to the bar in 1880, after which he located in Rock Rapids. His settlement in Lyon county was in April, 1881. He gradually increased his legal practice until now he is considered one of the leading members of the bar in Lyon county. In all the leading cases tried in the county courts he has almost always appeared on one side or the other. He was on the celebrated bonded indebtedness case of Lyon county, a case that was carried up to the Supreme Court on several important and complicated points. It was full of fraud, in the attempt to beat the people, and Mr. Parson fought it in every court. In another part of this work will be found a true account of these bond cases, which, coming as it does from the pen of Mr. Parsons, will be found very interesting reading for the citizens of Lyon county. Mr. Parsons was united in marriage, in 1883, with Miss Lutie M., daughter of D.C. Whitehead, one of the earlier settlers in Iowa. Her father was born in New Jersey, and admitted to the bar in that state. To Mr. and Mrs. Parsons came five children to bless their union: Harry O., Robert O. and George A., now students at Cornell College, and Alabel C. and Louise Hortense, at home. In 1884 Mr. Parsons became editor and proprietor of the Review, a Democratic publication of Rock Rapids. During the heated political excitement that lasted from 1884 until 1889, the Review was always in evidence as an exceedingly well conducted and deeply interesting sheet. In 1889 Mr. Parsons retired from the paper that he might devote his undivided attention to his law practice, then assuming large proportions. He has always taken a deep interest in politics, and in 1891 he was elected Mayor of Rock Rapids, being twice re-elected. Since 1894 he has been on the school board, and is at the present time serving the city in that capacity. At every Democratic state convention since 1884 he has appeared as a delegate, that year being temporary chairman of that body. He also served as permanent chairman of that body several times. He was a delegate to the National Democratic convention at Kansas City in 1900, and a delegate at large to the St. Louis convention in 1904, serving on the committee on credentials. He was nominated for Attorney General in 1898, and in 1903 was a candidate for Congress. Mr. Parsons owns several hundred acres of land which he rents. In Masonic circles he has risen very high, affiliating with Blue Lodge, No. 406, Lyon Chapter, No. 111. Commandery Petros, No. 54, and is a thirty-second degree Mason, Des Moines Consistory, and has taken the Shrine KCCH degree of the thirty-third degree, at Washington, D.C. He belongs to the order of Elks at Sioux City, and has been railroad attorney for the Illinois Central since 1886, and for the B.C.R. & N.R.R. since 1901. He has participated in several murder trials in Lyon and other counties and is regarded as one of the leading attorneys in Northwest Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Parsons attend the Congregational church, of which she is an honored and active member. His father, Silas Parsons, came to Iowa in 1836. He was born on the Roanoke river, in Virginia. We take pleasure in presenting a portrait of Mr. Parsons on another page of this volume. PEACOCK, JAMES H. James H. Peacock, a prominent citizen of Larchwood, Lyon County, and well and favorably known in connection with the banking business at that point, was born at Manchester, England July 21, 1871. His father, James Peacock, who was a builder and contractor, died January 12, 1904. The subject of this sketch grew to manhood in his native land, where he attended the local school until he reached the age of eighteen years, when he sought a home in the New World, landing in the city of New York in 1889, and reaching Larchwood May 13th of that year. Here he found employment for a year and a half on a ranch. He then secured a position in the Larchwood Bank. This was in December 1891, and his progress from that time has been rapid. Mr. Peacock was married May 9, 1900 to Miss Minerva L. Snider, a native of Waterloo, Canada, where she was born December 25, 1879. They have one child, Pauline. Mr. Peacock is a Republican and has served on the town board. At present he is clerk of the township. He has given close attention to his business affairs, kept all his business engagements with strict fidelity, and proved himself reliable under all conditions. No sacrifice is too much to oblige his patrons, and he has hosts of friends throughout the county. He is now cashier of the Larchwood Savings Bank and ranks high among the leading businessmen of the day. PEILE, ROBERT MOORE Robert Moore, Peile, now one of the venerable residents of Rock Rapids, where his years and character command popular respect and esteem was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, March 7, 1832, and lost his parents while still very young, from cholera. The young orphan was liberally educated, and attended college in County Waterford for seven years, quitting school when he had reached the age of nineteen years. On the first of November 1850 he left his native land and sailed for Boston. His first home was near Mendota, Illinois, where he taught school for two years. He was among the first to herd cattle in this country, beginning with nine hundred head, and at one time had as many as twenty-seven hundred under his care. In June 1861 he was out riding on the prairies and was struck by the great tornado of that year, which swept across a wide area and wrought vast destruction. In Illinois he held several township offices, and bought and sold many thousand acres of land, improving many farms, and bringing them up to a high state of cultivation. During the Civil War he was influential in recruiting men for the service at the front. In 1886 Mr. Peile sold out in Illinois, and moving to Lyon County became the agent for Close Brothers, and sold many hundred acres of their Lyon County lands for them. He also bought land here on his own behalf, which he held until it doubled in price and would then sell it. He still owns a fine farm near Rock Rapids, which he works himself. About nine years ago he bought a fine residence in Rock Rapids, into which he moved his family, and which he still occupies. Mr. Peile stands high among his neighbors. Mr. Peile was married May 31, 1853 to Miss Mary Landers. She died February 14, 1872, and he contracted a second marriage June 17, 1874, when Miss Lydia J. Banning became his wife. He had four children by his first wife, and four by his second: Maria married Arthur Sanborn, of Concordia, Kansas; Ellen, who married William B. Sutliff, and lives at Burr Oak, Kansas; Katie, the wife of Ivan Hubbell, of Madison, South Dakota; John J., a traveling salesman; Minnie E., a teacher in Rock Rapids; Lydia J., a teacher in Madison-both are graduates of the South Dakota State Normal school at Madison; Robert M., a clerk in Norfolk, Nebraska; Myrtle, the youngest, is at home. Mr. Peile is a member of the Church of England, to which his parents belonged, and is a nephew of the late Robert Moore Peile, after whom he was named, who changed the order of the letters to designate the different families. Mr. Peile still has the seal ring made of heavy gold and carnelian with the cut of the arms of the family. He also had a solid silver heavy drinking cup. He also has a solid gold cane with an address from the people of Reynold Township when he left to come to Lyon County, showing how much they esteemed him as a good citizen and neighbor. Dr. Robert Moore Peile, of Ireland, died at the advanced age of ninety-three in 1858. He was educated as a physician, and became inspector general of hospitals for the forces in Ireland, and senior surgeon to the Richmond Hospital and the House of Industry, a position he held for fifty years. He was also consulting surgeon for Dr. Stephens' Hospital, and was regarded as the father of modern surgery in Ireland. Dr. Peile retired from service in 1847 with the rank of inspector general with a reputation as a most skillful surgeon and successful operator, especially in cases of lithotomy, for which he had devised instruments of his own, now well known to the profession, such as Peile's lithotomy and staff. He was good to the poor, affectionate to his family, and courteous to all. The family belonged originally to the same line from which Sir Robert Peil, of England, sprang, and Robert Moore Peile of Rock Rapids, traces his line through the Irish branch. PENNING, JOHN J. John J. Penning is well entitled to have his name written among the better and more prominent class of agriculturists, whose industry, good business sense, and general knowledge of their vocation have combined to put them at the front. His pleasant farm graces Garfield township, and he is widely known as one of the enterprising men of the vicinity. His home has been in Lyon county for many years although his residence in Garfield township has been quite limited. John J. Penning was born in the kingdom of Hanover, Germany, in 1849. His father, John E. Penning, removed with his family to this country in 1851 and settled on a farm in Madison county, Illinois, near Alton. There John J. was reared to manhood and afforded such schooling as the times admitted. He was trained a farmer, and developed ability for hard work which has since stood him well in hand. When he was twenty-one he struck out into the great world for himself and began a successful career as a farmer on his own land. After seven years he moved to Christian county, Illinois, where he continued farming until 1891, making a very decided success of his various enterprises at that time. Mr. Penning was married in 1885 to Miss Kate Johnson, also of German birth and rearing. Her parents were farmer people in Christian county, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Penning are the happy parents of a family of three children: Louis, Noah and Onme. In 1891 Mr. Penning came to Lyon county, Iowa, and bought a farm in section 22, Doon township, after having been settled for some two years in the village of Doon, where he had conducted a hardware store for about a year. Disposing of the store property at the end of that time he bought his present farm in sections 30 and 31 in Garfield township. This farm had but few and small improvements but since it has been in the hands of Mr. Penning he has added greatly to its equipment. He has put in a complete set of farm buildings, a house 16 by 30, a barn 30 by 42, a chicken house, a hog house, and other sheds and structures as the place requires. His farm comprises one hundred and forty-four acres, and is divided b the Rock river, so that it presents admirable features for stock farming, which are being rapidly utilized, although grain farming has been very successful under Mr. Penning's careful management. It is said that Mr. Penning built the first good house in the village of Doon, which was then a very small hamlet. He has from the first taken a leading part in local affairs, and is now serving as trustee from the township of Garfield. PETERS, CHARLES F. Charles F. Peters, farmer and stock raiser, has a handsome home on section 26, Dale Township, and is widely known as an upright and progressive citizen, an honest man, and a true friend and neighbor. Born in Prussia, May 7, 1850, he was the youngest of a family of fifteen children born to David and Fredrica (Nellethen) Peters, both of them died in the old country. Of this large family of children, Charles F. is the only living son, while he has three sisters still living who keep their residence in the old country. His father died when Charles F. was seven years old, and he was given a good education. At one time in his boyhood he thought he would be a herd master, but when he learned his salary attached to that position was only $18 a year, his ambition weakened. His mother was a shrewd businesswoman and had a keen ambition for his future. It was at her instigation that he joined a neighboring family and embarked for the New World. After a voyage of seventeen days on the steamship "Baltimore" he landed at Baltimore, and made his way to Ashton, Illinois, where he found the harvest in full blast. This was in July 1868 and Mr. Peters found work at once. The next year he hired out to a farmer for $160. and continued working for the farmers for five years. Much of this time he was with English families and while his knowledge of the vernacular became very good; he had saved a thousand dollars. At this time he began trading horses quite extensively, and operating a threshing machine, but by several unfortunate deals he lost all he had saved. About this time he was married, and the following season his corn and hogs brought him big prices. Taking all the money he could command he got on the train and came to Lyon County where he purchased the southwest quarter of section 26, Dale Township in August 1882. He paid for this land $14.50 per acre. He remained in Illinois until the spring of 1884 when he removed with his family to his Lyon County possessions. In the fall of 1884 he borrowed a small sum of money at the bank for which he had to pay 24 percent. This was his first taste of money borrowing, and it was a lesson worth learning. He was a hard worker, and he had good crops, so that he soon had money to invest, which he put into lands rather than in buildings. In 1895 his wheat went thirty bushels to the acre. Starting in with but one cow he realized the advantage of the bottom range land near his place at that time open for the public benefit. He invested in twenty steer calves, which grew up with, but little expense, and when they were sent to market they brought a profitable price. From this time until the ranges along Otto Creek were all bought up he kept as many cattle as he could. He made a fine start financially in this manner, buying, feeding, and selling. In 1896 Mr. Peters built himself a comfortable home, and he now has a set of five barns, the main one being 48 by 80 feet, with 20-foot posts, and a stone basement, making altogether the finest structures in this part of the county. His cattle barn is 42 by 64 feet, with 18-foot posts. The entire place appears to be cared for with close attention, the buildings and fences are painted, and every endeavor is made to maintain the farm in a condition that shall be a credit to the country. The grain barns have a capacity for ten thousand bushels, and loading is done from spouts. An abundant water supply completes a stock farm that cannot be surpassed, and farther improvements are contemplated in the very near future. Mr. Peters is a Republican, and is known throughout the county as a man of influence. In religion he is a member of the German Lutheran Church. In 1878 he was married to Miss Christina Gartz, a native of Prussia, by whom he has had four children: Frederick, a normal school student at Spencer, Iowa; Charles, Jr.; William, a graduate of the commercial department of the Mount Morris College, of Illinois; and Lillian, a student of the same school. These children have all received superior educational advantages, and their parents spare no pains or expense to make their home attractive in every manner. Mr. Peters met with a railroad accident in which he was badly hurt, and came near losing his life. It was in 1900 and he was going to Chicago with a shipment of cattle, when there was a rear end collision, and he was pinioned fast in the wreckage. The car took fire, and he was badly burned before his rescue from danger by a friend. For about two months he was in the hospital, and has never fully recovered the use of his right arm, which was very badly burned. PETERSON, JAMES James Peterson, a prosperous farmer of Garfield Township, Lyon County, is a notable representative of the vast numbers of the energetic and hard working men and women that the Scandinavian kingdoms have contributed to the making of the most desirable citizenship of the northwest. They are people of the most pushing character, with noble ambitions, and are willing to endure great privations if only at the last they may see a home and a farm and a modest competence for all their industry and economy. Mr. Peterson was born in Denmark in 1849, his birthplace being the farm on which his father lived and died. He was a member of a large family of children, three of whom only are now living. Until he became of age he lived in Denmark, where he was reared to hard work and given such educational advantages as the schools of the day afforded. In 1869 he set his face westward, and crossing the ocean first set his foot on the soil of the North American continent at Quebec, Canada. Hastening on toward the land of his hopes soon found him at Racine, Wisconsin, where for two years he found employment at farm labor. In the fall of 1871 he came to Sioux County, Iowa, where he was among the very earliest settlers. He took a homestead in section 18, Sheridan Township, of that county, and he still retains this land. Here he put up a sod house, in which he kept "bachelor's hall" for two years. Here he had an ox team, but could not use them for a time. Here he was long engaged in farming, and soon built up a good home and farm, owning when he left Sioux County in 1891 some seven hundred acres, well equipped with ample and convenient buildings, machinery, and everything needed to successful cultivation of these broad acres. During 1891 and 1892 Mr. Peterson lived in the village of Hull, but the following year settled in the village of Doon, where he bought an interest in the local flour mill. There he spent some two years as a miller. Then disposing of his mill interests, he bought his present farm property in section 28, Garfield Township. Upon this place extensive improvements were made consequent upon his removal to it and making it his home. Among the present substantial and attractive buildings may be mentioned a country residence, 16 by 27, and 14 by 16; a barn, 40 by 80, a granary; a hog house; a cow barn 40 by 80; and a corn crib, together with all other buildings and sheds the economical and successful cultivation of the farm may demand. Mr. Peterson is largely interested in both stock and grain raising, and in both lines has met with much success. Beside his landed property mentioned above, Mr. Peterson owns land in South Dakota. Mr. Peterson was united in marriage in 1875 with Miss Sarah A. Cornforth, a native of Illinois, and a daughter of John Cornforth, who was born in England. He was a railroad engineer, and was killed during his service as a soldier in the Civil War. She taught school in Iowa before her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson are the happy parents of a family of three children: Herbert J., John W., and Irene Myrtle. Mr. Peterson held various township offices while residing in Sioux County, being trustee six years, and also road commissioner and school director. This last office he is now filling in Garfield Township. While in Sioux County he passed through the "grasshopper times," of which his recollections are alike interesting and painful. During their prevalence he lost six crops by the grasshoppers, sometimes seeing them so thick that they would sweep a field bare in two hours. For years he worked out to pay family expenses and keep up the farm, which he was determined should not be dropped. At different times he was employed on seven or eight different railroad lines in Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas. He did not expect to make money. To keep alive was enough for any man in those days. Today he has reason to congratulate himself on his unbroken faith in the great northwest, for it has paid him grandly. PIERCE, HERBERT BURDICK H.B. Pierce, one of the more prominent citizens of Rock Rapids, Iowa, was born in Sterling, Illinois, October 12, 1858, a son of Reuben J. and Roena (Burdick) Pierce. The father was born in Oswego, New York, July 5, 1827, and for many years was engaged as a carpenter, but has been for the past twenty years a dealer in books and stationery at Ida Grove, Iowa. Free and liberal handed, he has never accumulated any great sum of money, but is of a character respected and beloved by all who know him. His father was killed by a premature discharge of an anvil used in celebrating Independence day at Fulton, New York, July 4, 1831. His maternal grandfather, Sherman, was a private in the American army during the War of 1812, His wife, the mother of H.B., was born in Madison county, New York, June 23, 1833. She was the daughter of Thomas Burdick, who was born in Brookfield, New York, in 1801, and Polly Wright, who was born in 1797. Her grandfather, Smith Wright, was born in England in 1758, and he was enrolled as a member of the Colonia Militia during the Revolution at Woodbridge, New Jersey. He was one of the pioneers in central New York, clearing a farm in 1815 in Oswego county. Herbert B. Pierce received his earlier education very largely at his mother's knee, and when seven years of age he accompanied his parents in their removal to Clarence, Cedar county, Iowa. This was in 1865, and here he attended the public schools for nine years, graduating from the Clarence high school. He remembers gratefully the instruction he received from William T. Stubbs, formerly of Maine, and now residing at Foxcroft, Maine, one of the most noted teachers of the day. Mr. Pierce attended Simpson College, at Indianola, in 1876-7, intending to take a thorough normal course training, but after three terms attendance, he was compelled to quit school by severe illness. After traveling for a time as a salesman on the road he became principal of the schools in Ida Grove, where he demonstrated signal ability as a teacher, but ill health again drove him from the school room, and he spent the summer of 1881 in New York. That year he was on the Republican ticket for county superintendent of schools, of Ida county, Iowa, but was beaten by the narrow margin of two votes. He was made deputy recorder and held the position for a year, and was admitted to the Carroll county bar September 28, 1882. He opened an office in Rock Rapids October 12, 1882, for the beginning of his professional career, and was associated with the firm of Buxton, Clark & Company, he being the junior member of the firm. A year later Mr. Buxton retired, and the firm was continued as Clark & Pierce. In 1885 Mr. Clark retired and was succeeded by V.G. Coe, of Clarence, Iowa, the firm continuing under the name of Pierce & Coe. In 1891 Mr. Coe withdrew, and Mr. Pierce has since conducted his business under his own name, building up a large patronage, especially in loans and real estate. On October 31, 1883, Mr. Pierce was married to Miss Ida L. Eastman, of Clarence. She had been his class in the high school from 1870 to 1874. She is a lady of superior attainments, and has been of much assistance to her husband. Her father, Joseph E. Eastman, who was a wagon maker, died in 1897; her mother is a resident of Rock Rapids. To this union have come two children: Homer Jay, and Ralph Edwin. Mrs. Pierce has artistic ability of a high grade and has achieved notable success as a decorator of china. Mr. Pierce is an active and public spirited citizen, taking part in many movements for the public good, and belonging to several orders and fraternities, by which he is brought in close touch with his community. In Masonic circles he has attained high standing and is enrolled at Rock Rapids in the blue lodge, chapter and commandery. He is also a member of Paliadium, Lodge No. 91, Knights of Pythias, where he has passed through the various official chairs, and has been representative to the grand lodge. He is a member of Rock Rapids, Lodge, No. 480, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In church matters he is an enthusiastic Methodist, and has served on the official board for the last twenty years. For thirty-five years he has been a member of the church, and he has seen his local church grow from small beginnings until in 1896 it was able to erect a magnificent structure, costing $15,000, he being a member of the building committee. In Sunday School and Epworth league work he is very active and is known as a close student of the Bible, having had charge of one Bible class for over twenty-one years. Mr. Pierce is a staunch Republican, and in 1885 was elected a member of the county board of supervisors, and the same year was the Republican candidate for circuit judge, on the part of the Lyon county Republicans. The district convention, however, named D.D. McCallum, of Sibley. He is a member of the board of education of Rock Rapids, and president of the board of trustees of the city library. In 1888 he was elected justice of the peace, a position he held for six years. Mr. Pierce was very efficient in securing its fine system of water works for Rock Rapids, and for four years was its superintendent. He is the owner of farms comprising some eleven hundred acres of the best land in Lyon county, and is also the proprietor of some fine farms in Brookings county, South Dakota and elsewhere. He has seen Lyon county land advance from six to seventy dollars in value, and has loaned over one and a half million dollars on Lyon county farms without losing a dollar or being compelled to resort to foreclosure in a single case. A portrait of Mr. Pierce will be found on another page. PENNING, JOHN J. John J. Penning is well entitled to have his name written among the better and more prominent class of agriculturists, whose industry, good business sense, and general knowledge of their vocation have combined to put them at the front. His pleasant farm graces Garfield township, and he is widely known as one of the enterprising men of the vicinity. His home has been in Lyon County for many years although his residence in Garfield township has been quite limited. John J. Penning was born in the kingdom of Hanover, Germany, in 1849. His father, John E. Penning, removed with his family to this country in 1851 and settled on a farm in Madison county, Illinois, near Alton. There John J. was reared to manhood and afforded such schooling as the times admitted. He was trained a farmer, and developed ability for hard work which has since stood him well in hand. When he was twenty-one he struck out into the great world for himself and began a successful career as a farmer on his own land. After seven years he moved to Christian county, Illinois, where he continued farming until 1891, making a very decided success of his various enterprises at that time. Mr. Penning was married in 1885 to Miss Kate Johnson, also of German birth and rearing. Her parents were farmer people in Christian county, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Penning are the happy parents of a family of three children: Louis, Noah and Onme. In 1891 Mr. Penning came to Lyon county, Iowa, and bought a farm in section 22, Doon township, after having been settled for some two years in the village of Doon, where he had conducted a hardware store for about a year. Disposing of the store property at the end of that time he bought his present farm in sections 30 and 31 in Garfield township. This farm had but few and small improvements but since it has been in the hands of Mr. Penning he has added greatly to its equipment. He has put in a complete set of farm buildings, a house 16 by 30, a barn 30 by 42, a chicken house, a hog house, and other sheds and structures as the place requires. His farm comprises one hundred and forty-four acres, and is divided by the Rock river, so that it presents admirable features for stock farming, which are being rapidly utilized, although grain farming has been very successful under Mr. Penning's careful management. It is said that Mr. Penning built the first good house in the village of Doon, which was then a very small hamlet. He has from the first taken a leading part in local affairs, and is now serving as trustee from the township of Garfield. POGREBA, ANDREW Andrew Pogreba, the assistant road-master of the Garretson and Iowa Division of the Great Northern Railroad, was born in Germany November 30, 1855, where he attended school, finishing his attendance on the schoolmaster before he was fourteen years old. After this he went to Berlin where he learned the baker's trade, but though he regarded this as an honorable occupation, he felt himself possessed of powers and gifts for something very much higher. At the age of eighteen he crossed the ocean and landed in the United States at New York March 21, 1874 in search for this higher occupation. Here he drifted into work on the great railroads, and by this his whole course of life was entirely changed. For by his connection with the railroads was developed his ability to handle men. The green German trackman was selected for promotion, and from a common laborer his promotion was rapid. He soon became section boss, where he at once showed his ability to handle men. He was soon put in charge of a large gang of men working on steam shovels, often having from fifty to a hundred men engaged in the construction of new railroads or the remaking of old tracks. He was held responsible for the amount of work the men did, and it was a matter of exact record. The work must show for itself and so much work must be done. The boss must show it or step down and out. In all these trying places Mr. Pogreba was always equal to the demands upon him, and presently became assistant road master. With the thrift and economy of his ancestral blood, he saved his money, and was able to leave the railroad and go into a general mercantile business in North Dakota, which was in his personal care until it was destroyed by fire. After this disaster he resumed his connection with the railroad, again becoming assistant road-master of the Garretson and Iowa Division of the Great Northern Railroad, a position he is now creditably filling. For some time Mr. Pogreba's headquarters were at Doon in Lyon County, but his headquarters have since been removed to Sioux City, Iowa. Mr. Pogreba was married September 8, 1879 at the age of twenty-three years, to Miss Emma Torgerson, by whom he has a family of eight children: Anna, Leo, John, Peter, Norah, Minnie, Eliza and Aggie. All are living at home. He and his family are members of the Catholic Church and they have been at all times very progressive and among the best people in whatever locality they have lived. POHLMAN, GEORGE S. George S. Pohlman is regarded as one of the leading farmers in Garfield Township and his name has gone throughout Lyon County as one of its most reliable and valuable citizens. He is a hard-working and industrious man, takes an active and intelligent interest in public affairs, and by his thrift and industry has become prosperous. Mr. Pohlman was born in Will County, Illinois, near Joliet, in Jackson Township in 1865. His father, William Pohlman, was born in Germany, and coming to this country before he was of age, devoted his life to the cultivation of the soil. He died in October 1893. In 1885 he bought the farm in section 8, Garfield Township, having given much time to sightseeing before settling down, and selecting Lyon County as a most promising and desirable region for a home. George S. Pohlman was reared on the Will County farm in Illinois and was trained to a farm life. His education was largely obtained in the local schools and was supplemented by a year and a half at the Northern Indiana Normal School. His business career began as a farmer in Will County where he carried on a farm until his coming to Lyon County. Mr. Pohlman was married in 1900 to Miss Margaret Heggie. She was a native of Scotland and came with her parents to this country in 1881. Her father, John Heggie, was a boilermaker, and had his home in Joliet. Before her marriage with Mr. Pohlman she was a very successful schoolteacher in Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Pohlman are the happy parents of two children, Grace and Gordon. The farm on which Mr. Pohlman located in Lyon County in 1900 was but slightly improved and all the substantial buildings have been the work of his own hands. Here he has built a handsome and roomy house 14 by 26 feet, two stories high with an addition 20 by 24 feet one and one half stories high. The granary, barn, and other buildings meet every requirement, and the entire place shows the best of handling. Mr. Pohlman is a member of the Republican Party, and is now holding the position of township trustee. In all public affairs his voice is heard with attention and his advice given much consideration. POPPINGO, JOHN John Poppingo, one of the foremost public spirited and worthy citizens of Lyon county, is a native of Germany, where he was born in 1852, a son of Jacob and Molly Poppingo. The family came to America in 1865, and first settled in Ogle county, Illinois, where the mother died the following year. The father died in Butler county, Iowa, in 1877. John Poppingo had to get out early in life, and hustle for himself. He was one of six children, four of whom are yet living, and when he had reached the age of fourteen years, he went out to work by the day, studying as he could get time and opportunity. Working this way up to manhood he not only became somewhat forehanded but he also gained for himself a very valuable education, the more so that it was hammered out on the anvil of necessity, and was all practical. The subject of this sketch and Miss Kate Behr were married September 1, 1879. She was born in Germany, and is the mother of seven children, all of whom are still living. Her parents were Conrad and Frances Behr. Her mother died in Germanyand , but her father came to this country and died in Illinois. They had six children, five of whom are yet living. To Mr. MrsLyon . Poppingo have come the following children: Jacob O.; Conrad W.; Grace, married to George Bursing, a farmer of county; George H.; Martin E.; Jennie M.; Leslie R. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Poppingo lived on rented land until 1888, when he bought a quarter section three miles northwest of Rock Rapids, Iowa. At the time he bought it was mostly wild land, and here he has made one of the finest farms of Riverside township. To the original quarter section he has added 100 acres, and since then has added twenty acres more, making two hundred and eighty acres all told, and has put up a modern house, barns, granaries, and such other buildings as the profitable operation of the place demanded. Mr. Poppingo is a thorough American-German, a prominent member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has been president of the school board for some years. He is a self-educated man, and is considered by all as a man of much intelligence. His politics are Republican, and he cast his first vote for R.B. Hayes. He started out in life with a capital of health and his two hands. With the help of his good wife he has beaten his way through manifold trials and difficulties, and now stands in the front rank of social and business circles. Mrs. Poppingo is a member of Rebekah Lodge, No. 49, of Rock Rapids. PRIESTER, MATHIAS Mathias Priester, at present one of the supervisors of Lyon county, and amuch respected resident of Rock Rapids, was born in Prussia, on the Rhine, and remained at home with his parents until he reached the age of fourteen years. At this time he became an apprentice at the trade of cabinet making, at which he spent three years. After this he was employed as a journeyman until February 22, 1866, when he started for the United States, crossing the ocean on the sailing vessel, "The City of London," sailing from Liverpool. It was then the largest vessel on the ocean, and required seven weeks to make the run to New York. The voyage was hardly begun before the cholera broke out, and in a week six hundred people were buried from the boat. Mr. Priester brought his own food, and so escaped an otherwise almost certain death. On the way from New York to Cassville, where he had friends, Mr. Priester spent a few days in Chicago, where he worked as a laborer. In Wisconsin he was employed for a time on a farm, and then went west to Guttenberg, Iowa, where he was employed as a carpenter for four years and eight months under B.H. Overbeck. At the end of this time he married and set up in business for himself as a contractor and builder, being engaged in this manner for some two years, and for about the same time was foreman in a saw mill. His health failed on account of the malaria on the river, and he was obliged to go into the interior. Mr. Priester settled in Lyon county in 1884, and here he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Allison township, for which he paid ten dollars an acre. This land he held for seventeen years, greatly improving it, and then selling it for fifty-five dollars an acre. He had built a house, and barn, as well as other necessary improvements. He moved to Rock Rapids, where he had purchased a home for his family at the corner of Green and Third stress. Here has been his home to the present time. Mr. Priester has always been a Democrat, and in 1899 was the candidate of his party for the position of supervisor. He was successful in the election, and again in 1902 made the race. The district was normally strongly Republican, and yet he received ninety-three majority at his first election, and forty-three at the second. In 1903 he was made chairman of the county board. For six years he has been a school director, and for four years secretary. He has served one term as township assessor, and another as town clerk of Allison township. Mr. Priester is a member of the Catholic church, and entertains liberal views regarding other communions. The wedding ceremonies of Mr. Priester and Elizabeth Backus occurred May 12, 1870. She was a daughter of Peter and Anna Mary Backus. Her father was a prosperous farmer, who died in 1888 at the age of sixty-three; her mother died in 1899 at the age of seventy-one. Both were natives of Germany. To Mr. and Mrs. Priester are still living three children: John, a farmeran , who married Miss Anna Wiltrock, a daughter of Henry Wiltrock, a successful farmer, who is still living; Edward H., engineer; and George C., who is at home with his parents -Q- QUINN, AUSTIN J. Austin J. Quinn, whose home is in Sioux Township, Lyon County, was born in Clinton County, Iowa July 22, 1865. His father also bore the name of Austin, and was a son of the Emerald Island. In an early day he came to Iowa, and located in Clinton County back in the '40s. The father had a family of nine children, and is remembered as a man of kind character, neighborly spirit, and industrious habits. In his native community Austin J. Quinn attained his majority, after having received such education as the schools of his neighborhood afforded. In 1884 he started farming in Sioux County, Iowa, where he remained until 1900. That year he sold out and removed to Lyon County, where he bought a farm in Sioux Township, on which he is found at the present time. Mr. Quinn was married in the month of November 1887 to Miss Margaret A. Slavin, a native of Wisconsin, where she was born March 10, 1868. To this union have come eight children, as follows: Ida, Alvin, Everett, Tressie, Vivian, a baby, who died unnamed, Mary and Evangeline. Tressie has also died. Of these children all were born in Sioux County, with the exception of the youngest. Mr. Quinn is a Democrat and has taken an active part in the political work of that party. He has served on the school board and is regarded as one of the sound and substantial citizens of the county. He owns a quarter section of highly improved land, on which he has good farm buildings, and a very attractive and profitable grove. His farm is devoted to general purposes, and he is regarded as both thrifty and prosperous. -R- REIMERS, JOHN H. Mr. Reimers was born in Germany in 1849, where he was reared on a farm, and well prepared for that honorable and useful career which he has led in the United States. Here he has had his home since 1868, and his loyalty to his adopted land is beyond question. He is thoroughly Americanized, and is proud of the land which has given him such a generous welcome. His home is in Doon township, Lyon county, where he has lived many years. In May, 1868, Mr. Reimers arrived in Scott county, Iowa, coming from Germany, and for a time was employed as a farm hand. In 1873 he began farming for himself, and the following year was married to Miss Caroline Elizabeth Clasen. She was also born in Germany, and by her marriage with Mr. Reimers has become the mother of four children: Otto J., Meta E., Mary C., and Clara S. Mr. Reimers removed to Cedar county, Iowa, where he maintained his home three years. In March, 1885, he located in Lyon county, having already bought a farm in Cleveland township the previous year. In the spring of 1885 he bought his present property, the northeast quarter of section 1, Doon township, on which some few and simple improvements had already been made. In 1889 he bought the northwest quarter of section 6, Garfield township, and at the present time owns three hundred and fifty-six acres, all improved, and furnished with about the finest set of farm buildings to be found in the county. he devotes his attention principally to stock and grain raising, and has made a very great success of his various agricultural enterprises. In these years in which he has been a citizen of Doon township he has built up a magnificent farm, and made for his family a noble and commanding home. In political matters Mr. Reimers generally takes strong Democratic ground, and has served as town trustee, and has been appointed supervisor to fill a vacancy on the county board. In his own district he has been school director, and has always been ready to meet every duty as a man and a citizen. His upright and honorable career should be an encouragement to the young men of the present generation, as in it they can see what thrift and industry, honesty and integrity can always accomplish. REIMERS, JULIUS Julius Reimers, thrifty farmer of Richland township, Lyon county, was born in Germany July 13, 1863, and while still in the prime of life has won for himself a most creditable standing in the land of his adoption. His father, Jerome Reimers, was a lifelong farmer in the Fatherland, and there he died full of years and of honor. The subject of this narrative grew up and attended common school in his German home. When he was sixteen he began work for himself, learning the carpenter trade at which he became very proficient. In 1882 he crossed the ocean seeking a larger life for himself, and greater opportunity for industry and courage, which he knew was to be found in the land of freedom under the starry banNer. He landed at New York, and came straight through to Clinton county, Iowa, where he found employment for a time as a carpenter. Ten years later he removed to Lyon county, where he bought a farm and entered at once upon its cultivation. Here he has since remained and by good management and untiring work has become prosperous. Mr. Reimers was married June 2, 1885, to Miss Helena Stelcke, a native of Germany, where she was born October 14, 1867. To this marriage have come four children: Clara, Emma, Linda and Edna. Linda died in 1892. The youngest child was born in Lyon county, the others in Ida county. Mr. Reimers is like his brother, a Democrat, but devotes his attention very closely to his farming operations. While his farm is not large according to the expansive west, it comprises one hundred and twenty-two acres, and has a fine set of farm buildings. It is under thorough cultivation, and presents every evidence of most careful management. It has a farm grove, which Mr. Reimers set out himself, and which is a charming feature of the landscape, being both sightly and useful. REIMERS, PETER Peter Reimers, a well know German-American farmer of Richland Township, Lyon County, belongs to that vast army of stalwart men, with arms of steel and hearts of courage, who have done so much to reclaim the great northwest and make it a garden and a home for many millions. His father, Jerome, was a farmer in Germany, where he died full of years and honors. Peter Reimers became a man while still dwelling in his native land where he received such education as the families' affairs permitted and where he was trained to a farming career. Born in Germany March 26, 1846, it was not until 1873 that he crossed the ocean to find his home in this land of opportunity. Landing in the city of New York he did not remain in the east, but hastened through to Rochester, Minnesota, where he was employed for four months. His next move was to go to Clinton County, Iowa, where he worked out until 1876. Then Ida County became his home and there he lived until 1893. That year he bought a farm in Lyon County, on which he settled at once, and there he is to be found at the present time, enjoying the fruits of well spent years and happy in the respect of his neighbors. Mr. Reimers was married December 16, 1875 to Miss Mary Peters who was born in Germany May 11, 1851. Three of their children are living, and four have died. Hugo, Amanda and Eddie are those who are living. Eddie was born in Lyon County; Hugo is a native of Clinton County; and Amanda was born in Ida County. The subject of this narrative is a Democrat. He has worked hard and managed well, so that now he owns a fine estate consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, which is nearly all under high cultivation. The farm buildings are very good, and the farm grove is better than the average. Mr. Reimers is a veteran of the Great War between France and Germany. He was a German soldier throughout the entire struggle, and at its close received an honorable discharge. He was once severely wounded in the arm. REYNOLDS, L.A. L.A. Reynolds is one of the bright and progressive business men who have done so much to make the village of Doon known far and wide as a most desirable trading point, where goods, fair treatment and honest prices can be secured by all. He came to Doon in January, 1897, where he purchased the harness store and good will of J.B. Eiler, who had come to this point some eighteen years of age and established a very successful harness trade. Before this advent in Doon Mr. Reynolds had been located at Inwood, where, in company with his brother, he had built up a considerable trade in this line. There he had learned the trade, and is regarded as master of its every detail. Mr. Reynolds was born near Lindon station, in Wisconsin, August 17, 1871, where he was reared on a farm, and where he remained until 1892, when he came into Iowa and sought a home in Lyon county, where as already noted he learned the harness trade in Inwood. Since his location in Doon he has united with the Knights of Pythias, Lodge 351. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, Camp No. 2916, and the Mystic Toilers, Lodge No. 178, both of Doon. In these fraternal associations he is both active and efficient, and has built up for himself a wide circle of friends. Mr. Reynolds was married in 1896 to Miss Maggie, a daughter of John Perigo, a well known farmer. They are the happy parents of one child, Edna. Charles Reynolds, father of L.A., is still living in Wisconsin. The maiden name of the mother of L.A. Reynolds was Betsie Webster, and her living children are as follows: William W., who is a harness maker in Doon; James S., who lives in Arkansas, where he is employed in the mines; James, who is a harness maker and lives in Wisconsin; Bert, a farmer in Wisconsin; George, a farmer in Wisconsin; Etta, married, and lives in Wisconsin; Maggie, married and lives in Wisconsin; Laura is also married, and lives in Wisconsin. Mr. Reynolds, in connection with his harness trade, in which he handles both hand made and machine goods, has purchased a machine for stitching tugs, and he thinks the product is better than the purely hand-made goods. He also does shoe repairing in his shop. RICE, HENRY D. (Deceased) Henry D. Rice and his estimable wife made the Bonnie Doon Hotel one of the principal establishments of the kind in the northwest. Henry D. Rice was born in Cambridge, Washington County, New York, twenty-five miles from Saratoga, and thirty-five miles from Albany, August 17, 1832. His education was secured in the local schools, and in the academy in Poultney, Vermont. In 1856 he came into the far west and joined a surveying party. They tramped through the wilds as far as Pembinia, and then returned to St. Paul. The following winter they footed it from Dubuque to St. Paul, as there were no railroads and the river was frozen. In the summer of 1857 they were again at work surveying in Minnesota. After completing the season he went back to the east, and for nine years was there engaged in farming, but in 1866 again came west, bringing his family with him, and settled for a time in Peterson, Clay County, Iowa, where he built a stone residence. The following winter he spent in O'Brien County, four miles from Peterson, and in the spring of 1868 in company with Lafayette Knight came to Lyon County, and on the site of the village of Doon, put up a cabin. Mr. Rice went back to Peterson for his family, and the following year put up the first frame house erected in this region. For the construction of this model dwelling he hauled the lumber from Sioux City, where they bought their provisions, and where for a time their mail also was delivered. The Rices entertained strangers. It is history that Mrs. Rice, who settled on the Rock River in 1870, was the first white woman on the river. After a time a railroad was finished to LeMars, and later to Sheldon, only twenty-six miles away, which seemed to them a wonderful convenient market. When a postal route and a station were established, the post office at Doon was put into the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Rice, who held it until the building of the Omaha road through Doon, when they turned it over to the agent of the road. Mr. Rice built the hotel in 1880, which he named the Bonnie Doon, and was compelled ten years later to materially enlarge it by the steady increase of patronage. In 1902 he made a second addition, and retained his interests here until his death. Mr. Rice was married August 17, 1858, to Miss Sarah, daughter of Dewey and Lorana (Shattuc) Barton. Her father was born in Bennington, Vermont, followed farming as his life occupation, and died at the age of seventy years. His father, Richard, who lived to be eighty years of age, was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and came of a Welsh ancestry. Lorana Shattuc was a daughter of William and Sarah (Smith) Shattuc. He was born in England, and became a soldier in the War of 1812. Sarah Smith was a daughter of John Smith, who was a veteran of the Revolution. Thomas Rice, the father of Henry D., was born in Connecticut in 1796 and died in 1859. His father, Roswell Rice, was born in England. Selina (Belling) Rice, the mother of Henry D., is the daughter of Ebenezer and Dollie (Danforth) Belling. Ebenezer Belling was born in Connecticut, and the history of the family is authentic back to 809. They belonged to the old puritans, and there is still in the family possession the hammer and square used in the building of the first meeting house near Boston. Dollie Danforth was the daughter of Jonathan Danforth, a soldier of the Revolution, who became a postmaster soon after the inauguration of Washington, a position he held as long as he lived. Henry D. Rice cast his first vote for Fremont in 1856, and has since been a Republican. He was the first justice of the peace in this county, and in the early days married many couples. On one occasion he was called some twenty-five miles across the country to marry a couple. It was in the spring of the year, and Rock River was so high he had to leave his team to cross the river in a dugout, and walk the rest of the way. After the ceremony he was asked how much the charges were, and replied that the state allowed him two dollars, but the groom could pay him what more he thought fit as the journey had been especially hard. That worthy gentleman pondered a moment and then drew out a quarter from his wallet with the observation that that would pay him in addition to what the state gave him. Mr. Rice said he gave it back, and spent another day in getting home. The Danforth family, of whom mention is made above, deserves more than passing attention. Joshua Danforth, the oldest son of Jonathan, was a lieutenant in the Continental army during the Revolution, and located on the Hudson River. At one time he was judge advocate. A Diary kept by him is now in the possession of Mrs. Fields of Minneapolis. Lydia Danforth married a Mr. Woodard, and lived in New York. The mother of Vice President Wheeler was one of her descendants. Keyes Danforth, a son of Jonathan, was born in Bellerica, June 4, 1736. Nicholas Danforth came to this country from Framlingham, England, in 1634, had three sons and three daughters. He settled in what is now Cambridge, Massachusetts. Jonathan Danforth, with his two sons, Joshua, aged sixteen, and Jonathan, aged fourteen, was in the battle of Bunker Hill, and served as MinuteMen until the close of the war. Joshua Danforth made his home in Pittsfield, where he married and remained, holding many offices and honor. President Washington made him postmaster of Pittsfield in 1784, the year the office was established. He was holding this position at the time of his death, January 30, 1837, being the oldest postmaster in length of service in the country. The following is the genealogy of Mrs. Rice along the Danforth line: Nicholas Danforth was born in 1586, and died in 1638; Elizabeth Symmes, his wife, died in 1624. Their third son, Capt. Jonathan Danforth, was born in 1628, and died in 1712; Elizabeth Poulter, his wife, born in 1633, died in 1689. Their third child and oldest son was Ensign Jonathan Danforth, who was born in 1659, and died in 1712. His wife, Rebecca Parker, was born in 1661, and died in 1754. Their fifth child and third son, was Samuel Danforth, who was born in 1692, and died in 1742. His wife, Dorathy Shed, was born in 1691; their eighth son, and youngest of twelve children, Capt. Jonathan Danforth, was born in 1736, and died in 1802. His wife, Lydia Read, was the mother of the following family: Joshua, Jonathan, Dorathy, Lydia, and Hannah. Dorathy Danforth, who was always called Dollie, married Ebenezer Billing, and became the mother of the following children: Laura, Sophia, Danforth, Danforth (2), Selina, married Thomas Rice. Henry D. Rice was the son of Thomas Rice, and Selina Billing. Thomas Rice was the son of Roswell Rice, who was born March 31, 1769, dying in 1849, and of Mary Nye, who died in 1796. Roswell Rice was the son of Thomas and Thankful (Eldredge) Rice; the father was born September 1, 1745, dying in 1833. Thomas Rice was the son of Daniel and Lydia (Royer) Rice. He was a twin brother with John Rice. The fifth in descent from William Brewster is Abigail Smith. RINIKER, SAMUEL DAMBERT Samuel Dambert Riniker was born on the 22nd day of February, 1868, on a farm in Liberty township, Jefferson county, Iowa. He was the sixth of nine children born to Jacob and Madeline Riniker, who had located in that county in the year 1854. Jacob Riniker, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born the 1st day of April, 1823, in Canton Aagau, Switzerland; and his mother was born in France in the year 1831. His parents were married early in 1853, sailed for America, and landed at Castle Garden, in New York City, thirty-five days after their departure from the mother country. Shortly after their arrival in New York, they started for the far West, sojourning about one year at Canton, Ohio. With team and wagon they faced the dangers and hardships, encountered by pioneers, in crossing the prairies of Indiana and Illinois and arrived at Fairfield, in Jefferson county, Iowa, late in the year 1854. In a log house, on a forty-acre tract, which was purchased shortly after their arrival, Mr. Riniker was born. His parents sent him to the district school, in the neighborhood, and later to the public school in the town of Libertyville, which was but one mile from his home. He worked on the farm and attended school until he was eighteen years of age, when he secured a contract to teach a country school in the neighborhood. In 1888, he entered Parsons College, at Fairfield, where he remained until 1893, teaching and pursuing his studies alternately. During the time he was connected with the college as a student he held the principalship of the schools at Libertyville and Batavia, in the same county. As a member of Orio Literary Society, he developed considerable ability as a public speaker, and won the declamatory prize at the annual commencement exercises against all competitors. Young Riniker early took an interest in politics, and as president of the College Republican Club, made a number of Republican speeches in the campaigns of 1888 and 1892. In April, 1893, he became a member of the class of '94, in the State University of Iowa, taking special work in history, economics and politics. Becoming a member of Irving Institute, that organization selected him as president of the Inter-Society Debating League. In the oratorical contest held at the University for the selection of delegates to attend the Inter-State contest he delivered an oration on "The Federal Convention," and was selected by the judges as a delegate to go to the Inter- State convention held at Madison, Wisconsin, that year. During his last year in the university he carried double work, taking senior collegiate and junior law studies, finishing his college career in the spring of 1894. Finding himself with but a few dollars in his pocket, and those borrowed from a classmate, he was obliged to take up any employment he could find, and took up canvassing, which he pursued until the 18th of November, of the same year. With a small amount of money, saved from the past summer's work, he landed in Rock Rapids, Iowa, and secured permission from the law firm of Parsons & Van Wagenen to read law for one year in their office. Passing a successful examination before the supreme court, he was admitted to practice on the 2nd day of October, 1895. The firm of Parsons & Van Wagenen having been dissolved in June of that year he formed a partnership with J.M. Parsons, under the firm name of Parsons & Riniker, with which firm he has been connected ever since. An enthusiastic Republican, he has been more or less active in politics during his residence in the county, however, being a candidate but two times, in the ten years of his residence: once for the office of district judge, and once for county attorney, being successful in the latter, the Democrats failing to nominate any candidate to run against him. In the spring of 1899, he was elected mayor of Rock Rapids by an overwhelming majority, refusing to be a candidate for a second term; however, accepting a nomination for councilman in the spring of 1904, to which office he was elected and has ever since been a member of that body. In the summer of 1895 he became acquainted with Mary Britton Campbell, of Marshalltown, Iowa, at that time a student in Iowa College at Grinnell, Iowa. The acquaintance and friendship extended over a period of several years, finally ripening into love, and they were married October 15, 1902. His success at the bar of the county has been marked by more than ordinary ability; and augurs well for a bright future. He is a good lawyer, loyal friend and worthy citizen. RIPLEY, EUGENE W. Eugene W. Ripley, whose farm home is in section 28, Grant township, is one of the few original homesteaders of Lyon county, who are still living on the land secured by them in their first entry. He was born in Cooperstown, New York, March 31, 1842, and was the second child and oldest son born to Noah W. and Julia (Loveland) Ripley. The father was a shoemaker, while the son, Eugene W., was mostly employed as a farm help until the breaking out of the Civil war. In May, 1861, the son enlisted in Company F, Thirty-fourth New York Volunteer Infantry, for two years' service. The first engagement in which he participated was that known as Balll's Bluff, and then he passed through the Peninsular campaign, having a hand in such battles as the first and second battles of Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and other fierce and bloody struggles. When the term of two years had expired, Mr. Ripley returned, but soon reenlisted, becoming a member of Company C, Second Regiment New York Veteran Cavalry. Here he first engaged in struggle with the enemy at the capture of Mobile, being under command of General Steele. Throughout he had a record of fourteen set battles and many skirmishes that in other wars would be "battles," and happily to say, returned uninjured. After the war Mr. Ripley started on the overland route for California, going as far as Missouri, where he stopped for two years, and engaged in farming, going back in the interim for a wife in his native state. At the end of this time her health failed, and they returned to New York. In March, 1871, Mr. Ripley came to Lyon county and he ks known as the first permanent settler of Grant township. He built a sod house, and wrote his wife he was building a house of Iowa brick. Imagine her feelings when she was driven up to a sod house 12 by 13 feet in dimensions, with a dirt floor and a sod fireplace. These were gloomy days for the wives, many tears of homesickness watered the fertile plains of Iowa. A yoke of steers and a wagon were his stock in trade. He raised corn and vegetables on the sod for the first winter. The grasshopper period was a dark time for the inmates of the little sod house, for they became very destitute despite Mr. Ripley's best efforts at teaming and other work as it could be found. The little shanty was almost a hotel, so popular a stopping place did it become. In the winter of 1872, while gone with a yoke of oxen for provisions at Beloit, forty miles away, Mr. Ripley was caught in a blizzard,, and came near losing his life. For five hours he fought against the storm, and finally reached the Sanderson farm, where he was taken in and cared for. Mr. Ripley had a friend with him, and as they found the mistress of the house alone and out of fuel, despite their exhausted condition they made haste to furnish a new supply. Two days passed before it was possible for them to proceed home. Mr. Ripley is a member of the Methodist church, and a staunch Republican. He was married in 1867 to Miss Julia Teeter, and to their union were born eight children: Grant E., Charles R., Mattie J. (deceased), Arthur W., Edward and Fred, twins (Edward deceased), Minnie J. and Gracie. Mrs. Ripley, who has a most entertaining store of reminiscences of the old times, relates the following blizzard story of a lost Irishman: During the winter of 1872 and 1873 she and her brother were alone in the little shanty, which was all but buried in the deep snows of that winter. It was almost bed time when they were startled by a noise as of some animal scratching and thumping near the door. The door was thrown open, but little could be seen except a huge bank of snow almost filling the doorway. Sounds of deep breathing, grunts and a few strange noises were heard. Then a most grotesque apparition was thrust into the doorway by his companion, sliding in feet foremost and bringing with him a great quantity of snow, came a son of the Emerald Isle. Hatless, with his long red hair sticking straight up, his clothes filled with snow, he lay on the floor, wholly helpless, a pitiful object yet comical in his sad plight. His companion followed and then it was learned that the two had been wandering for hours. The Irishman, who was not warmly clothed, had given up, and been dragged along by his companion. By chance they had come across the little prairie home where they received hospitable treatment. This was the welcome given to all strangers in those good old neighborly times. ROACH EDWIN CLAY Edwin Clay Roach, lawyer, or Rock Rapids, Iowa, is the son of Rev. James Porter Roach and Jane Cassell. His paternal ancestors emigrated originally from Ireland to France and thence to America, while those on his mother's side came direct from Germany. His father was a prominent minister of the Gospel. Mr. Roach was born in Abington, Knox county, Illinois, December 31, 1850, but moved to Iowa when he was a boy, and has since resided in that state. He was educated at Oskaloosa College and the Iowa State University, graduating from the law department of the latter institution in 1875 with the degree of LL.B. In June of the same years he was admitted to the bar at Iowa City. He practiced his profession in Jasper county from the time of his admission until 1882, when he moved to Lyon county, where he formed a partnership with J.W. Ramsey. In 1898 in connection with Mr. Ramsey and F.L. Sutter, he organized the Iowa Savings Bank at Rock Rapids, now one of the substantial savings institutions of the state. As a Republican Mr. Roach has been active in politics for many years. He has been a delegate to every Republican state convention since 1885, and in 1896 was a delegate to the National Republican convention at St. Louis. He was a member of the Iowa house of Representatives in the Twenty-first and Twenty-second General Assemblies, and was chairman of the judiciary committee in the House of the Twenty-second General Assembly. He is a member of the Lodge, Chapter, and Commander of the Masonic Fraternity, a public spirited citizen, and thoroughly identified with every important object which has the welfare of the community at heart. Mr. Roach was married December 31, 1875 to Mary A. Ramsey of Jasper county, and they have four children: Lorin J., Lena, Rollin E. and Paul. ROGERS, EDWARD D. Edward D. Rogers is a successful farmer whose home is in the township of Doon, Lyon County, and whose honorable and useful career as a high minded and independent agriculturist shows him a good citizen and a faithful husband and father, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1845. His father, Patrick Rogers, was born in Ireland and about 1830 came to this country with his wife and one child, settling in the western part of Ohio. Seventeen years later the family removed to Dubuque, Iowa, where they lived some years and then removed to Clayton County. Mr. Rogers grew to manhood in Clayton County, where he was bred to farm work and given somewhat limited opportunities for schooling. At one time he attended school in a log house, and walked two miles for that purpose. He remained at home until he reached the age of twenty-five years, when he started out for himself as a blacksmith, and followed that trade in Elkader, Lansing, and at other points in Allamakee and McGregor Counties. In 1869 Mr. Rogers and Miss Della Hutchins were married. She was born in Pennsylvania and came of English and Scotch parentage. Before her marriage she was a successful schoolteacher in Clayton County where her parents were old settlers, and where she was reared to womanhood. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are the parents of a family of eleven living children: Michael, Edward, Annie, Mary, Emmet, Theodore, Frank, LeRoy, Nora, Stella and James. Fannie, the fifth child in order of birth, is dead. Soon after marriage Mr. Rogers began farming in Clayton County, a vocation for which his experiences as a youth and at home had peculiarly fitted him. Although he had to confront many obstacles and do a vast work, he built up a fine place of four hundred and forty acres, all but forty of which he had in cultivation. The forty being reserved for its natural timber. In 1892 Mr. Rogers came into Lyon County and bought the north half of section 19, Doon Township. This place was gradually opened up and improved by him until 1898 it became the home of Mr. Rogers and his family. Here he had a house, 16 by 26 feet, two stories in height, with an addition 16 by 20 and 12 by 12, a barn, 40 by 52, a granary 18 by 32, a wagon shed 18 by 32, cattle sheds, and corn cribs as the farm requires. There is on this place also a splendid grove, and the beginnings of a fruit orchard. Mr. Rogers has put his Clayton County farm into the hands of his two oldest sons for operation, and they are meeting with fine success. At home Mr. Rogers is devoting himself both to stock and grain farming, and along both lines meeting with substantial profit. He is regarded as a sound and practical businessman, and is widely known as a landed proprietor, owning in addition to his Iowa property a large tract of land in Wilkins County, Minnesota. In political matters he is a Democrat, but is not a working politician in any sense, preferring to care for his farming interests, and devotes himself to his own land. ROSS, AUGUST G.F. Mr. Ross, a popular general merchant of Little Rock, Lyon County, has an established business of eleven years' standing, and carries a stock consisting of groceries, boots and shoes, dry goods, clothing, and an extensive line of queensware. He was born in Schleswig, Holstein, Germany, February 22, 1870, the fourth member of a family of eleven children born to August and Anna (Peters) Ross. He completed a business course in the old country, uniting with his studies work in a dry goods store. A line which he followed for several years after his school days had ended, whereby he acquired an intimate knowledge of the business, a knowledge that has stood him well in hand in after years. In 1888 in company with a younger brother the subject of this writing came to the United States and found employment in the dry goods store at Hawarden, Iowa, which was run by an uncle. After six months, despite the fact that he had never made a study of English, he had become so proficient in it, that he was put in charge of a store at Alcester, South Dakota, where he did all the buying and kept all the accounts. For two years he was engaged at this point and then spent a year in Sioux City, Iowa, with T.S. Martin & Co., after which he went back to Aleester to take the management of a three-room store owned by F. Raastad & Co. In the spring of 1894 Mr. Ross came to Little Rock and purchased the old Fisher building, there he went into business, Smith & Ross being the original firm, with Mr. Ross in charge. Five years ago Mr. Ross became sole proprietor. At the present time the volume of his business is so great that he employs four clerks. In politics he is a Republican, and in religion a member of the Lutheran Reformed Church. He is now serving his third term as a member of the village council, and is also on the school board. Mr. Ross was married in 1893 to Miss Emma Klee, and this happy union has been blessed by the birth of three children, Florence, Hobart and Irma. They have a comfortable home in the village, and are regarded as among the best people of the town. ROSS, C C.Ross, a leading merchant and prominent business man of Doon Lyon County, was born in the province of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, in 1868, and spent the earlier years of his life at home with his parents, where he attended school and made those provisions of knowledge and character that have counted so much for him in after years. When he was fifteen years old he came to the United States, and secured a position as clerk by his attention to business and care for details made his services of value to his employers, so that he was retained in his first place five years. In his second position he remained three years, a situation in Sioux City as clerk in an exclusive dry goods store. In 1901, on the money he had saved by his frugal habits, he was able to take a trip to his old German home to see his parents and to lay fresh colors on the pictures of old friends and scenery of his boyhood days. HE spent the summer in his native land making extended trips to various quarters and forming a more accurate idea of that great empire. When Mr. Ross returned to Doon he was able to purchase an interest in the leading general store of that place. It was under the firm name of Bailey and Ross, which in 1892 became Peters and Ross, and in 1896 was changed to Ross and Company. In 1900 the store passed into the hands of Mr. Ross alone, and he has since done business under his own name. During all these years his trade has gradually increased until now it amounts to thirty or forty thousand dollars a year, and he is the sole proprietor. His is the largest stock in the city, and for its proper handling he has constructed a large double store which is the pride of the county. This building was necessary in answer to the demand his successful trade makes upon him. Mr. Ross was married in 1894 to Miss Mary Rudloff, a daughter of William Rudloff, who was born in Prussia. Mr. and Mrs. Ross are happy parents of a bright and interesting family of six children: Lorena, Mildred, Lillie, Cornelius, Henry and Mary. Mr. Ross and his family are associated with the German Lutheran church. He is a charter member of Lodge 356, Knights of Pythias, of Doon. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, of which he is banker. In the Modern Brotherhood of America he is an active member. Mr. Ross is a Democrat and at the present time holds the position of president of the school board. He is president and treasurer of the Doon mutual Telephone Company. His parents were born in Germany, where the father was a merchant. They had a family of eight children and as quickly as they reached maturity he would assist them to cross the ocean. Mr. C. Ross was the second son to come to the United States. In 1900, father, mother and all that were left crossed to this country, and are making a home in this land of liberty and peach. A portrait of Mr. Ross will be found elsewhere in this volume. RUDLOFF BROTHERS Rudloff Brothers is a well known firm, doing business in George, Lyon county, handling grain, live stock, coal, lumber, and all kinds of building material, and in the comparatively brief time is has been before the public it has won more than its full share of the general traffic. Before opening up at George, its members were at Lester, where they operated under the name of Rudloff and Meier, dealing in lumber, coal and other commodities suitable to the local market. In 1899 the brothers came to George, and purchased their present large business interests of F. J. Edmunds & Company. Their elevator, which was brought at about this time, is one of the largest in this part of the state, and has a capacity of more than twenty thousand bushels. It was erected in 1888. Jacob Rudloff, the father of the energetic brothers at George, was a weaver in Thuringen, Germany, and removed to this country in 1868, landing in Baltimore on the 2d day of August of that year. For eight years he made his home in Cook county, Illinois, thence he spent the remaining years of his life, dying in 1902, at the age of seventy-eight years. His widow is still living, and has her home in Ida Grove. She is now in her seventy-eighth year. John Christoph Rudloff, the grandfather of the George Rudloffs, was a soldier in the old Napoleonic wars, and served in the army from 1806 to 1815, and did duty before Paris in the last year of his service. He rose to the rank of corporal, and died in 1865 at the age of seventy-two years. Jacob Rudloff had the following family: George W., a farmer in South Dakota; Anna and Caroline, deceased; Elizabeth, widow of Henry Kramer, has her home in Cherokee; Ferdinand and John C., of whom mention is made later; Casper A., and Martha are dead. FERDINAND RUDLOFF was born in Germany, September 29, 1854, and at the age of fourteen years came to this country in company with his parents and other members of the family. For eight years he worked at the lumber business in Chicago, and in 1876 he came to Iowa where he bought land and for eight years was engaged in farming. In 1885 he located on a farm in Lyon county, where he remained until 1899, when he helped form the firm of Rudloff & Meier, at Lester. The same years the firm became Rudloff Brothers & Meier, the last-named gentleman retiring in 1902. Mr. Rudloff has been a Democrat, and has help various local offices, being town trustee, and town assessor for nine years, school director for ten years, and secretary of the school board eight years. He is now a member of the George Council, and has long been regarded as a man of character and weight. Extensive landed interests give him a standing among the leading real estate owners of the county. He has a half section of land in Wheeler township, which he located in 1885, and on which he worked the starting of the coal and lumber business at Lester. Mr. Rutloff was married December 28, 1880, to Miss Christina Neckel, the oldest daughter of Hans and Wilhelmina (Koop) Neckel, both of whom were born in Germany. Mrs. Rudloff was born in Germany, April 10, 1863, and accompanied her parents in their removal to this country in 1880. They settled in Crawford county, Iowa, where her father, who was a laborer in the old country, made his home for five years, and then settled in Wheeler township, Lyon county, where he is now leading a retired life. His wife died in 1899, at the age of sixty years. To the union of Mr. Rudloff and Miss Neckel were born the following children: Anna, the wife of C. B. Rezelts, a farmer of Wheeler township, and now working the farm of his father-in-law; Clara, at home; William, deceased; the others are at home.- Hulda, Emily, Ida, Lydia, and Ella. JOHN CHRISTOPH RUDLOFF, JR., the other member of this enterprising firm, was born in Germany, January 2, 1857, and was only twelve years of age when he came with his parents to this country. Until he became a member of the Rudloff Brothers & Meier firm he was always a farmer, remaining at home with his father on the family homestead until he bought a farm for himself. This he still owns and has it now in the hands of a trusty tenant. Mr. John C. Rudloff was married to Miss Amalia Onnen in 1885. She was born in Germany, October, 30, 1865, a daughter of Henry and Elise (Harms) Onnen, and died in 1894. To this union were born the following children: Albrecht, Louise, Erwin, Arthur, deceased, and Walter. The Onnen family came to the United States in 1871, and for a time was located near Sterling, Illinois, where the husband and father worked as a laborer. He later removed to Ida county, and yet again to Lyon county, where he located on a farm in Cleveland township in 1885. Mr. Rudloff contracted a second marriage, December 21, 1902, when Miss Etta Claassen became his wife. She was born in Germany, and is a daughter of John M. and Maria (Ubbringa) Claassen, both of whom were born in Germany. Mr. Claassen is a farmer, and sought a home in this country in 1893, settling first in Illinois, not far from Peoria, and in 1898 coming to Lyon county where he still lives in Wheeler township. To Mr. and Mrs. Rudloff have come two children: Clarence and Laurine. Mr. Rudloff, like his brother, is a life-long Democrat, and has been called by his community to fill various local positions of trust and honor. He was assessor of the township for one term, and filled a vacancy for the constable one year. For nine years he was town trustee. The brothers both belong to the German Lutheran church. In the matter of fraternal insurance they carry membership in the Modern Woodmen of America and the Modern Brotherhood of America.