The Wilson Families of Jasper County, Iowa

JEREMIAH W. WILSON.

An enumeration of those men of the past generation in Jasper county who won honor and recognition for themselves, and at the same time honored the locality to which they belonged, would be incomplete were there failure to make mention of the well remembered and highly revered gentleman whose name introduces this biographical memoir, Jeremiah W. Wilson, late of Newton, who has been called to a higher sphere of action by the fate that awaits all mankind, but the good he did during a long and strenuous life will long; would and pervade the lives of those with whom he came into contact.

Mr. Wilson was born on August 8, 1834, in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania. When a boy he attended an academy at Poland, Ohio, and afterwards entered Mt. Union College, in the same state. Early in life he evinced a laudable ambition to follow the legal profession and began reading Blackstone and other authorities with McSweeney & Given, in the city of Wooster, Ohio, one of the strongest law firms in the north part of the state in those days. He made rapid progress and was admitted to the bar at Medina, Ohio, September 21, 1855. The following year he moved to Newton, Iowa, where he continued to reside until his death on May 6, 1887. His widow has continued to live there in her attractive and neatly kept home, which is regarded by her many friends as a place of hospitality and good cheer.

Mr. Wilson was an attorney who ranked second to none in this part of the state, being well grounded in the principles of jurisprudence and very painstaking and vigilant in his research. He took an abiding interest in public affairs and in October, 1861. he was elected county judge of Jasper county, which high office he held with much credit to himself and to the satisfaction of all concerned until in August of the following year when he resigned to offer his services in defense of the Union, enlisting in Company K, Twentyeighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He proved to be a very faithful and gallant soldier, and for meritorious service he was promoted to the rank of adjutant of his regiment in 1864, which rank he held until the close of the war, winning the hearty approval of his superior officers and the admiration of his men. After being honorably discharged he returned to Newton and resumed the practice of law. On January 1, 1878, he was appointed aide-de-camp to Governor Kirkwood of Iowa, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and he remained as such while the administration of Governor Kirkwood lasted, giving, as usual, the utmost satisfaction.

Mr. Wilson had taken a great interest in Masonry. From the annals of the grand lodge of Iowa in 1878 we take the following exactments by Hon. H. S. Winslow. gives the Masonic history of the deceased brother Wilson: "His Masonic history is a most honorable one; he was initiated in Newton Lodge No. 59. January 28, 1858; he passed July 31st of that year and joined on August 28th following. The Royal Arch degree was conferred upon him in Gebal Chapter No. 12, October 21. 1869. He was knighted in Oriental Commanders- No. 22, March 22, 1872. His daily life indicated that he attempted to carry out the lofty precepts of this worthy and time-honored order."

Mr. Wilson was united in marriage in 1859 to Mary M. Helphrey, a lady of culture and refinement and the representative of an excellent old family. She was born in Utica, Licking county, Ohio, and she was the daughter of Jacob and Catherine Helphrey, who moved to Newton, Iowa, where they were residing when the subject was married. To this union three children were born, namely: Mrs. W. W. Fenlon, of Clinton, Iowa; Mrs. P. W. Newell, of Los Angeles, California; Mrs. Dollie Baum, of Newton, Iowa. They were all well educated and are very comfortably situated in life and highly respected wherever they are known, each reflecting the wholesome home atmosphere in the midst of which they were reared.

Mrs. Wilson, whose cozy and attractive home is located at No. 221 South Vine street. Newton, is spending her declining years in the midst of plenty and she has a host of warm loyal friends who delight in her genial company.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

JOHN N. WILSON.

The term success is relative, depending often upon mere individual conditions, but it is seldom we find a man whose life work has been of that high character which merits the stamp of human approval. In a material way, John N. Wilson, of Newton, Jasper county, has succeeded to an extent not usually reached by the average man, and, apart from this interesting phase, his life story is full of much that is best and noblest. Whether as soldier in the great Civil war or as private citizen or head of his family, he has always striven to know and advocate the right, and his example has been one well worth imitating..

Mr. Wilson was born in Hendricks county, Indiana, February 5, 1843, and he is the son of Squire H. and Martha (Blanton) Wilson, the father a native of North Carolina and the mother of Kentucky. The former came from his native state to Hendricks county, Indiana, in early life and there purchased land and engaged in farming until 1850 when, with his wife and four children, he emigrated to Jasper county, Iowa, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Buena Vista township, entering the forty adjoining it from the government, this being the land now occupied by the county infirmary, being sold by the elder Wilson to Jasper county in 1867. Following this transaction he bought forty acres in Newton township, upon which he lived until his death in 188 1, when he was sixty-two years of age. He had been very successful as a farmer and stock man and at one time had owned nearly five hundred acres of land near Killduff; his wife survived until 1884, dying at the age of sixty-four. They were the parents of eight children, John N., of this review, being the third in order of birth; the eldest, William Thomas, died at Dead wood, South Dakota, where he had been engaged in the lumber business, having formerly been a farmer in Jasper county, Iowa; Hester J. married C. L. Roberts, a prominent grain dealer and at one time postmaster as Grinnell, Iowa, where they still reside; J. S. lives in Newton; M. J. owns and resides on a ranch near Lusk, Wyoming; H. C. is a farmer and stock man in Cherokee county, Iowa; Emsley M. lives in Des Moines; Alice is the wife of C. W. Stahl and they live in Los Angeles, California.

When a mere child John N. Wilson walked two miles to attend school at Adamson and Hickson Groves, the way often being through the deep snow. He also attended old Hazel Dell Academy for a year.

In August, 1862, he responded to his country's call and enlisted in Company E, Fortieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in which he served with gallantry for three years. His regiment was the first to enter Little Rock, Arkansas. He saw much hard and dangerous service, serving under General Steele in Arkansas and Kentucky and participated in the memorable Red River expedition, also the great siege of Vicksburg following which he was taken sick and was sent home. His regiment then moved upon Helena, Arkansas, and after defeating Confederates there, moved upon Duvall's Bluffs, capturing that point, going from there to Little Rock, at which place Mr. Wilson rejoined his regiment. Here they spent the winter and the following spring started on the Red river expedition, but being defeated at Red river were driven back into Little Rock, which city they guarded until the spring of 1865, when they went to Fort Smith, and in June of that year were sent to Fort Gibson, where a regiment of semi-civilized Indians, who hunted all the time, were stationed. Mr. Wilson recalls the fact that his regiment did more work in guarding the red men than they did in restraining the Confederate prisoners. Mr. Wilson was honorably discharged at Fort Gilson, August 12, 1865.

Returning to Jasper county, Mr. Wilson began farming, having purchased eighty acres in Buena Vista township during the war, for which he paid five dollars per acre. Selling this three years later, he purchased two hundred and forty acres in the same township, which he sold a year later and purchased eighty acres in Newton township, which he held four years and sold. He then bought one hundred and twenty acres just west of Newton, to which he subsequently added until he had at one time four hundred and sixty acres. Later he sold all but one hundred and eighty-four acres, which he still owns. In 1901 he quit active farming, after being very successful, and moved to his beautiful home in Newton, buying property there. Since leaving the farm he has been engaged in buying and selling land very extensively and at the present writing is one of the county's large landowners. He has one hundred and sixty acres near Peru, Madison county, Iowa; two hundred and thirty-seven acres in Kellogg township, this county; also six hundred and forty acres in Canada. At one time he and some associates were interested in twenty-two sections of land in Canada. Six years ago he operated a Reeves thirty-two horse-power steam plow on this land. It is doubtful if Jasper county can claim a citizen who is a better judge of land and land values than he, and he is a careful and successful business man in all lines. For years he has been a breeder of fine horses and cattle. In 1889, with others, he purchased the Alcyon roller flouring mills, of Newton, of which he subsequently became sole proprietor. This property, however, he later disposed of. At one time he was engaged at cabinetmaking at Des Moines.

In 1866 Mr. Wilson was united in marriage with Nancy Jane Green, daughter of Willis and Mary (Kirby) Green, both natives of Kentucky. Leaving that state, they went to Missouri, and later to Fairfield, Jefferson county, in January, 1843,.nd there Mrs. Wilson was born on May 7th of that year. Two years later the family moved to Jasper county, locating in Newton township, purchasing one hundred and twenty acres of land on which they lived until the death of the mother in 1877, when she was fifty-six years old, the father surviving until 1904, having attained the unusual mile-post of ninety years. At the time of his death he was living at Meringo, Illinois. Their family consisted of four children, one of whom, Sarah Ann, died at the age of eighteen years; Rebecca F., widow of William H. Pardoe, a former business man of Newton, resides in Fargo, North Dakota; John L., who was a soldier in the Civil war, was killed during the siege of Vicksburg.

Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, all living: Fannie May, born November 23, 1869, is the wife of Albert Brown, a farmer near Kellogg, and they have a daughter and two sons; Frederick Earl, born March 5, 1877, lives on a farm in Madison county, and he has two daughters; Guy Everett, born December 16, 1882, lives on the place west of town.

Politically, Mr. Wilson is a Republican. He belongs to Garrett Post No. 16, Grand Army of the Republic, at Newton.

Mrs. Wilson is a woman of talent and culture. She was a student in old Wittemberg College, and she has been of great service to Mr. Wilson in his life work, her encouragement and sympathy helping him over many a difficult place. She was reared in the Methodist faith and her life has been wholesome and helpful to all with whom she has come into contact.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

ALFRED O. WILSON.

The subject of this sketch early in life realized the fact that success never comes to the idle or dreamer and he has accordingly remembered the aphorism, and devoted himself to ardent toil along lines that cannot but insure success. The property which he enjoys has been the result of energy rightly applied and has been won by commendable qualities. In such a man as Mr. Wilson there is especial satisfaction in offering in their life records justification for issuing a biographical compendium such as the one at hand, not necessarily that the careers of such men as his type have been such as to gain them wide reputation or the admiring plaudits of men, but that they have been true to the trusts reposed in them, have shown such attributes of character as entitle them to the regard of all and have been useful in their respective sphere of action, at the same time winning and retaining the confidence and good will of all with whom he has come into contact.

Alfred O. W'wilson was born in Story county, Iowa, May 14, 1877, and he came with his parents to Jasper county in 1878 and with the exception of a year and a half spent in Rhodes engaged in the livery business, he has been a continuous resident of the same, being now successfully engaged in farming in Independence township. Here he grew to manhood and received his education in the common schools. He is the son of Elisha and Sarah A. (Barnes) 'wilson, the father born in Kentucky. He came to Iowa in an early day.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.