William N. Fouts

As printed in 1891

ILLIAM N. FOUTS, of Missouri Valley, left Indiana from Putnam County in 1850, and emigrated to Pottawattamie County, Iowa, and engaged at farming in Rockford Township until the spring of 1857, and then settled in St. John’s Township, and continued to farm until about 1885.

In the James Buchanan presidential campaign he was one of tim nine voters in Rockford Township, and the election returns show that Buchanan received five out of the nine votes cast. It is said that the Clerk of the Board, Joe DeForest, an ex-sailor, made a speech in which he said that Buchanan was elected, and regretted very much that they did not have communication with Washington Ivy telegraph, because he knew Buchanan was elected, for as “Rockford Township went, so went the United States! ”

Mr. Fouts was born May 13, 1827, one-half mile north of Manhattan, Putnam County, Ind., and is the son of Abner and Rosy (Woodrum) Fouts. The Fouts were of German descent, while the Woodrums were of Irish extraction. The father, like most of his ancestors, followed agricultural pursuits. Of the three children horn by this union, our subject is the only one living. His mother died in Indiana June 23, 1841, and in 1850 the father came to Pottawattamie County, Iowa. In 1842 the father married for his second wife Edicy Tresner, a native of Putnam County, Ind., by which marriage union six sons and two daughters were born, of which number four sons and one daughter are living. The sons are all residents of Douglas County, Neb., while their sister lives in Texas. The father died in Harrison County, and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, St. John’s Township, and his widow lives near Valparaiso, Neb.

In the autumn of 1864 our subject enlisted in Company C. of the Thirteenth Iowa Infantry, and continued in the service of his country until August 12, 1865. He was in Sherman's Seventeenth Army Corps, and participated in the battle between Thomas and Hood, and was at Nashville in the reserve and was not called out.

Politically, he has always voted the

Democratic ticket, except in the Greeley campaign. He has held numerous local offices in St. John’s Township; was Trustee twelve years, Assessor, member of the School Board, and School Treasurer. He was one of the charter members of the Grand Army Post at Missouri Valley, and belongs to Lodge No. 232 of A. F. & A. M.

Mr. Fouts was united in marriage August 2, 1855, to Miss Elizabeth C. Smith, of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, who was a native of Wayne County, Ohio. The family moved to Greene County, Ind., and followed farming until the autumn of 1854, and then came to Pottawattamie County. The father died in this county early in the ’70s, and the mother survived until March, 1890. They were both buried in the Harris Grove Cemetery.

Mr. and Mrs. Fouts are the parents of three sons and five daughters; Alma, deceased at the age of twenty-one years and five months, and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery; John W., who lives in Missouri Valley, and is a carpenter; William A. is in the Missouri Valley Carriage Factory; Rosa L., wife of Daniel Griffith, a farmer for many years of Illinois, but now in the resJbaurant and candy trade; Ida J., wife of M. E. Brundidge, living in Missouri Valley; Hattie, living at home; Clara Eliza, at home, and Marvin Earl, at home.

)j/OB ROSS (deceased), came to Harrison County in the autumn of 1854, and settled on section 25, of Clay Township, and filed on three hundred and twenty acres of swampland, and built a hewed log house 18x22 feet, which is now in use as a crib. He lived in that house four years and then built a frame building 18x36 feet, and two stories high, with an upper and lower porch the entire length of the house. The family lived in this house until 1881, when he built a new house 20x30 feet, with an ell sixteen feet square. In 1877 Mr. Ross removed to the village of Modale and engaged in the hardware business in partnership with F. H. Ludwig. This continued for about two years when Ross bought Ludwig out and continued in the business until 1881, w7hen he put in a general stock in connection with hardware. About 1883 the stock was burned and since that time he has not been actively engaged in business.

Mr. Ross was born October 14, 1831, in Peoria, Ill. He was the son of George and Hannah (Hughes) Ross. In 1851 the family started for Oregon and when one hundred and fifty miles west of Omaha their stock was taken from them by the Indians as well as their provisions. There were twenty-one wagons in the train. They were attacked twice. The first time by about fourteen hundred Indians, but finally made a treaty with them by giving them $100 worth of provisions and three head of cattle for beef. The savages agreed not to molest them again, but alas for the honesty of poor Lo ! When they had gone about fifty miles further on their journey westward they came upon them in the night time and stampeded and secured one hundred and sixty-five head of cattle as well as some of the horses. They recovered the latter, however, but suffered the loss of their cattle and most of their provisions. This was too much for the emigrants, for it will be remembered this was in 1851, ten years before the breaking out of the Rebellion, when all west of the Mississippi River was yet wild. They turned back and returned to

Peoria, Ill., believing themselves fort nate to escape with their lives, as twenty-two men and boys stood no show with fourteen hundred Indians in a hand to hand encounter. The Captain of the whites got them out and drew them up in line; the Indians charged twice hut did not fire or come closer than twenty feet. The second time the Captain asked if there was any who could talk English, when one of them and the Captain had a talk and agreed if they would give them a a yoke of cattle and $100 worth of provisions they would let them go on. At that time our subject was seventeen years old. The company got back to Peoria late in the fall of 1851, and in August, 1854, our subject’s people again started West, not knowing where they would finally settle but came through the southern tier of counties of Iowa to Council Bluff — then called Kanes ville — which was a mere hamlet made up principally of Mormons. They intended to remain there all winter, but after about a month they met a man who had been up into Harrison County and gave a glowing description of the country, so they came up in time to put up their winter’s hay. They bought a claim with a house upon it and remained in the country. They had twenty head of cattle which lived largely on the hay they had cut and also off the rush beds. Mr. Eoss, however, put quite an amount of hay up each year and hence did not suffer the loss that many of the settlers did during the hard winter of 1856-57, when very many of the cattle died. Everything had to he bought at Kanesville, even to a pound of coffee. In making their trips to that point in hot weather with ox-teams they had to cross the big bottoms in the night time on account of “green heads” (flics). They remained here six years before they had any schools. At that time a few of the neighbors held a meeting and agreed to build a schoolhouse. So they hauled cottonwood logs to the mill and from this rough lumber erected a school building, the first term of school being taught in the fall of 1858 or 59. This schoolhouse stood on our subject’s land, and the first teacher was Miss Hillis, who afterward was a missionary to the Island of Ceylon and where through exposure and self-sacrifice she died in 1889.

Our subject was married in Harrison County, Iowa, in October, 1862, to Miss Nancy West, by whom two children were born — Luella M., deceased; baby boy died in infancy. Mrs. Nancy (West) Boss died in the fall of 1867. She was the daughter of Edwin and Susan (Becord) West, and was born in Marietta, Ohio, and when a small girl her parents came to Harrison County, Iowa, where she remained until the date of her death.

For his second wife Mr. Boss married Jennie Bobertson, the daughter of Allen and Mary (Barnes) Bobertson. She was born near Burlington, Iowa, June 5, 1859, and came to Harrison County with her parents in 1870. Her parents remained two years and then returned to Des Moines County where our subject was married, September 14, 1876. By this union two children were born — Charlie, May 26, 1878; and Nettie, February 5, 1884.

Our subject’s parents were both natives of Pennsylvania and were married in the city of Philadelphia, July 18, 1820. They were the parents of nine children, five daughters and four sons, of whom our subject was the third child. All are deceased hut one brother, George A. Boss, having in Burt County, Neb. The family came to Harrison County in 1854, as above related. The mother died in Noy vember, 1857, and the father in 1860, and were buried in the Calhoun cemetery. Three of the family died in Illinois, one in the Civil War, three in Harrison County, Iowa, and one daughter in Arkansas.

Our subject was elected at an early day, as Drainage Commissioner for Harrison County, and was elected to the office of Justice of the Peace three terms, and has held numerous other offices. At the time of his death he was Trustee of the town, as well as a member of the School Board, and Treasurer of the town of Modale.

Politically Mr. Ross was originally a Whig, but was always identified with the Republican party after its organization.

Coming to this county as he did at so early a date, he saw the county grow from what was then a vast wilderness to a land of culture and plenty.

To live in a country thirty-seven years and witness the vast changes convinces a man that he has passed through the greatest age of progress in the world’s history.

Mr. Ross stood high in the community in wThich he lived, and for many years was the man that gave advice to any who sought it and all say invariably it was good and honest advice. He should go down in history as a man who has been a a success both financially and socially. His portrait very appropriately finds a place in this volume. Just as we go to press we learn of his death, which took place Tuesday, January 12, 1892. The whole county will mourn his loss.

during

As printed in History of Harrison County, Iowa. Containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county. Together with portraits and biographies of all the go (1891). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.