Iowa

Biographical Sketch of D. Countryman

D. Countryman, born in 1841 in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, was a prominent farmer and stock raiser in Grant Township, Ida County. He was the first settler in the area after relocating from Linn County, Iowa, in 1875. Married to Lydia Usher in 1865, they raised seven children. Countryman was known for his quality draft horses and served on the school board and as the first Assessor of Grant Township. By 1893, he owned 292 acres of cultivated land and had built a two-story residence.

Biographical Sketch of Julia Hickey

Julia Hickey emigrated from Ireland to the United States during the famine, leaving home at her mother’s urging. After stowing away on a ship, she arrived in America, never to reunite with her brother. Settling in New York, she and her husband John had four children before relocating to Wisconsin and Iowa. Their son John pursued mining, while daughter Jennie became a teacher, selling land for a school and church. William H. became a bank director and state legislator. Julia died in 1893.

Biographical Sketch of Hector Baxter

Hector Baxter, born on June 16, 1834, in Argyleshire, Scotland, immigrated to the United States in 1877. Initially a shoemaker, he transitioned to farming after purchasing 160 acres in Tama County, Iowa, which he sold in 1881 to acquire 320 acres in Ida County. There, he built a home and barn, specializing in farming and stock-raising, particularly shorthorn cattle. He married Margaret Stuart, and they had seven children: Nellie, John, James, William, Mary, Hector M., and Stuart.

Biographical Sketch of C. C. Van Houten

C. C. Van Houten, born April 24, 1856, in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, moved to Iowa at twenty, settling in various counties before establishing his farm near Battle Creek in 1882. He owned 120 acres, featuring well-maintained buildings and productive land. His father, John Van Houten, a Civil War veteran, and his mother, Mary Ann Boyles, had seven children. C. C. married Lizzie Fricke in Muscatine, Iowa, with whom he had four children, though the first died in infancy.

Biographical Sketch of John Harrison

John Harrison, born in County Monaghan, Ireland, in December 1824, was a notable pioneer of Douglas Township, Ida County, Iowa. After moving to Scotland with his family, he married Jeanette Stevenson in 1845 before immigrating to the United States in 1855. Harrison served in the Civil War and later settled in Iowa, where he took a pre-emption claim in 1868. His home served as a stage station and gathering place for travelers. He and Jeanette had six children, engaging in farming and stock-raising throughout their lives.

Biography of John H. Moorehead

J. H. Moorehead, born in Zanesville, Ohio, on September 21, 1808, moved to Ida County, Iowa, in 1856 after living in Iowa City. Actively involved in local affairs, he became the first County Judge when the county was organized in 1858. His home served as both the first courthouse and post office. Moorehead played a key role in establishing the Village of Ida and later the town of Ida Grove. He and his wife, Martha, had five children, including Giles, who became a physician in the area.

Biographical Sketch of H. C. Dall

H. C. Dall was born on July 31, 1845, in a region of Denmark that became part of Germany in 1864. He emigrated to America in 1872, settling in Lee County, Illinois, and later moved to Maple Township, Ida County, Iowa, in 1881, where he purchased a farm. Dall was married on January 7, 1875, to M. K. Schmidt, also from Denmark, and they had five children: Christ H., Henry C., Carrie May, Elizabeth, and an infant son.

Biographical Sketch of C. C. Zupp

C. C. Zupp was born on September 18, 1835, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to French immigrants George Peter Zupp and Elizabeth Zeuder. The family relocated to Wyandot County, Ohio, and then to Hillsdale County, Michigan. He enlisted in the Civil War with the Eighteenth Michigan Infantry. After the war, Zupp moved to Buchanan County, Iowa, and later to Douglas Township in Ida County, where he faced the challenges of pioneer life. He married twice, having a total of eight children. His father, also a soldier, was a veterinary surgeon.

Biographical Sketch of George Yousling

George Yousling, born on October 28, 1825, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, settled in Corwin Township, Ida County, Iowa, in 1879. A carpenter by trade, he transformed a 400-acre farm into a productive estate featuring a two-story residence and various outbuildings. Yousling served nine months in the Civil War with Company K, 192nd Regiment. He married twice, first to Eleanor Young, with whom he had three children, and later to Mary McFadden, with whom he had six children. His family and agricultural contributions mark his legacy.

Biographical Sketch of William C. Forney

William C. Forney, born on October 13, 1854, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, settled in Corwin Township, Ida Grove, Iowa, in 1882. He was educated at Millersville Normal School and initially worked in the boot and shoe industry before turning to farming and stock-raising. He married Emma J. Kinter, with whom he had four children: Margaret, Michael, Harry, and William Jr. William Jr. had two children, Ross and Arlo. The Forney family has roots in Pennsylvania, with connections to the Kinter family.

Biographical Sketch of Frank Correll

Frank Ferris Correll was born on February 27, 1859, in Chenoa, Illinois. After living in North Dakota, he moved to Iowa, where he settled near Hanover. He operated a grocery store in Galva, aiding his daughter, Myrtle. A talented fiddler, Frank entertained at local barn dances. He was a second cousin to Charles Correll, known from the radio show Amos and Andy. Frank married Elma J. Correll, with whom he had Myrtle, who taught her mother oil painting despite her arthritis.

Biographical Sketch of George Grouell

George Grouell, born on April 19, 1846, in Crawford County, Ohio, moved to Iowa with his family at age ten, initially settling near Lowden and later Wheatland. In 1883, he settled in Ida County, establishing a modest home. He was first married to C. V. Brown in 1870, with whom he had three children, before her passing in 1878. He married Mary A. Jamieson in 1882, and they had four children together. His parents were John Grouell and Christena Weaber, both of German descent.

Biographical Sketch of Sydney Cork

Sydney Stephan Cork was born on July 13, 1890, in Hartlip, Kent, England. After working on a farm post-education, he immigrated to America in 1913. Settling in Galva, Iowa, he earned a modest living through farm work. He married Florence Agnes Davison, who also emigrated from Kent, on February 28, 1917. The couple farmed together, raising flax during World War II and acquiring modern farming equipment in the late 1930s. They had one son, Wilfred Earl, born in 1920.

Biographical Sketch of J. T. Payne

J. T. Payne, born in 1851 in Clay County, Indiana, was the son of William Benjamin and Malinda Payne. Educated in Boone County, Iowa, he purchased land in Hayes Township, Ida County, in 1875, where he became an important early settler. He played a significant role in organizing Hayes Township and establishing local school districts. Payne married Georgiana Friott in 1880, and they had five children. His contributions to the community and family life reflect his commitment to the region’s development.

Biography of Richard Williams

Richard Williams was born in 1845 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, to English immigrants. He served in Battery F of the First Illinois Light Artillery during the Civil War, participating in significant battles before returning to farming. In 1868, he relocated to Boone County, Iowa, where he contributed to the Illinois Central Railroad’s construction. Williams married Angeline Ewer in 1872, having eight children. A pioneer in Grant Township, he played a key role in organizing the township and was elected County Commissioner in 1891.

Biographical Sketch of John Preston

John Preston was born on June 27, 1857, in Forfarshire, Scotland, and immigrated to Battle Creek, Iowa, in 1872 at the age of 15. He worked on his brothers’ farm and later purchased several parcels of land in Maple Township, focusing on general farming and Shorthorn cattle. In 1882, he married Maggie Todd, also from Scotland, and they had four children together. Preston’s contributions to farming in Ida County reflect the immigrant experience and agricultural development of the era.

Biographical Sketch of Jonas Collin

Jonas Collin, born in Sweden on April 12, 1830, immigrated to America in 1869 with his family, initially settling in Iowa. After an 18-month stay in Benton County and a further period in Marshall County, he acquired 80 acres in Ida County, later expanding to 440 acres. Collin was dedicated to improving his land with various fruit trees. He married Johanna Segolson in Sweden, and together they had nine children, two of whom died young.

Biographical Sketch of Gilbert S. Usher

Gilbert S. Usher, born on September 22, 1837, in Ashtabula County, Ohio, was a resident of Battle Creek, Iowa, and a veteran of the Civil War. Raised on a farm in Linn County, Iowa, he attended a log schoolhouse. In 1862, he enlisted to serve in the war. Usher moved to Ida County in 1881, where he farmed after purchasing land in Grant Township. He married Amanda Marsh, and together they had ten children.

Biographical Sketch of John A. Brechwald

J. A. Brechwald, born in the German Rhineland on June 21, 1858, immigrated to Ida County with his parents in 1881. He co-founded the cigar manufacturing company Brechwald Bros. in Ida Grove. In 1907, he relocated to Florida, where he worked in the nursery business, carpentry, and real estate. Brechwald passed away on May 22, 1919, and was interred in the Ida Grove Catholic Cemetery. He left behind his wife, a daughter, and numerous siblings.

Biographical Sketch of R. S. Wasser

In 1885, R. S. Wasser and J. L. Bleakly established a grocery and queensware business in Ida Grove, Iowa, initially starting at a stand before relocating to a brick building. R. S. Wasser, born on November 17, 1860, in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, was the firm’s leader. He married Mollie L. Dutcher on September 19, 1888; she was from Franklin Grove, Illinois, and sadly passed away at a young age on August 1, 1891.