Biographical and genealogical history of Appanoose and Monroe counties, Iowa
New York, Chicago: Lewis publishing Co., S. Thompson Lewis, editor. 1903
Transcribed by Renee Rimmert. A complete copy of this book is available on-line at archive.org.
Wa - Wh
JAMES W. WAILES - This honored veteran of the Civil war, who is now successfully engaged in farming in Chariton township, was born on the 20th of January,1834, in Bartholomew county, Indiana, and is a son of John P. and Sophia (Wilson) Wailes, both of whom were representatives of distinguished old colonial families that are an important part in the establishment of the republic. His paternal grandparents were Samuel and Nancy (Naylor) Wailes, the former of whom was born in Virginia and died in Maryland, while the latter was born in Maryland and died in Indiana. Our subject's parents were also natives of Maryland, and his mother was a daughter of David and Mary (Wilson) Wilson, who were born in the same state. David Wilson died there, but his wife passed away in Davis county, Iowa. He was a colonel in the Revolutionary war and was a son of James Wilson, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, in 1776. Our subject's paternal grandfather also aided in freeing the colonies and held a captain's commission in the continental army. At an early day the father, John P. Wailes, came to Iowa and took five hundred and twenty-one acres of government land in Appanoose county, where he spent his remaining days, though he died while on a visit in Kansas at the advanced age of eighty-eight years. His wife had passed away many years previously, dying in Appanoose county at the age of forty-five. They had nine children, seven of whom are still living.
Coming to Iowa with his parents in boyhood, James W. Wailes was reared on a farm in this county, and was educated in the local schools. No event of special importance occurred during his early life until the Civil war broke out. With the blood of Revolutionary heroes flowing in his veins, he could not remain quietly at home when the country was in danger, and in 1863 he enlisted in Company H, Eighth Iowa Cavalry, under the command of Captain M. M. Walden, and was in every battle in which his company and regiment took part, being never off duty during his entire service. He was in the raid with General McCook against the rebels near Atlanta, Georgia, and was captured near that city. Later he was sent home as a paroled prisoner of War, and when exchanged rejoined his command at Macon, Georgia. At the close of the war he was honorably discharged in the fall of 1865 and returned to his home in Iowa.
For fifty-one years Mr. Wailes has resided upon his present farm in Chariton township, where he owns two hundred and fifty-three acres of the land his father obtained from the government on first coming to this state. It is one of the best farms in the county. In 1852 a log house, sixteen by eighteen feet, was built upon the place, which, in 1901, was replaced by his present modern and attractive home, and the barns and outbuildings are good and substantial.
On the 22nd of February, 1865, Mr. Wailes was united in marriage to Miss Zerelda E. Needham, who is also a native of Bartholomew county, Indiana, and a daughter of Bailey Wesley and Nancy Needham. Her parents were both born in North Carolina, as were also her paternal grandparents, John and Nancy Needham, and her maternal grandparents, Benjamin and Ruth Bland. The grandparents all died in Indiana, but Mrs. Wailes' father died in this state, of which he was an early settler, being seventy-six years of age at the time of his death. Her mother also died here, aged seventy-one years. They had a family of six children. Among her ancestors were soldiers of both the Revolutionary war and the war of 1812.
To Mr. and Mrs. Wailes were born eight children, who are still living, and four of the number are now married. They also have eight grandchildren. The children are John W., a graduate of the Keokuk Medical College, who is now engaged in the practice of his profession in Davis City, Iowa; Emma, Mrs. James Kineman; Luther; Nannie, Mrs. B. Thackery; Myrtle, Mrs. Charles McIntyre; Levin; James W., and Zerelda E.
Most of the family attend the Methodist Episcopal church and are highly respected and esteemed wherever known. Politically Mr. Wailes is unwavering in his support of the Republican party, and cast his first presidential vote for John C. Fremont, riding five miles to the polls. He has creditably filled various township offices, serving as assessor, justice of the peace and as a member of the school board. Socially he is an honored member of Sumner Post, No. 150, G. A. R., of Moravia, Iowa, and also belongs to the Andersonville Prisoners' Association, having been confined in that loathsome prison pen during his army life. He recounts the sufferings endured by the northern soldiers there, and at one time saw one hundred dead within its walls. He is a man of broad and liberal views, a good citizen and thoroughly patriotic, devoted to the welfare of his country in times of peace as well as in war. He is one of the most popular men of his township, and stands high in the esteem of all who know him.
JOSIAH SAMUEL WAILES, M. D. - Physicians are indispensable adjuncts of new towns, whose rapid growth, lack of sanitary regulations and other dangers incident to municipal adolescence are apt to make calls for the doctor frequent and persistent. They might make an effort to get along for awhile without lawyers or dentists or even preachers, but doctors they must have. In this connection it is not too much to say that the growing town of Mystic was rather fortunate when Dr. Wailes settled there, inasmuch as he is what is called in the west a "hustler," that is, a man of unusual energy, and besides is an excellent physician and surgeon and on the whole "a royal good fellow." The Doctor's people came from Maryland, but were so long identified with Indiana as to be entitled to the name of "genuine Hoosiers." John P. Wailes and Sarah Wilson were both born in Maryland and both migrated to Indiana, where they met and married, but later removed to Iowa and settled in Appanoose county. It was in 1855 that they took up their abode on a farm in Chariton township and here both ended their days, the mother in 1862 and the father twenty years later. They reared a family of eight children, equally divided between sons and daughters.
Josiah Samuel Wailes, one of the sons of the couple just described, was born at Wailesboro, Bartholomew county, Indiana, June 21, 1848, and was therefore seven years old when his parents made their migration to Iowa. He grew up on the paternal homestead in Appanoose county and obtained the principal part of his education in the schools at Iconium. He had early conceived a desire to enter the medical profession, and with a view to gratify this ambition became a pupil in the office of Dr. Abel Jewett. After studying diligently for a year under this able preceptor, the youthful aspirant for professional honors went to Kansas, opened an office at Peabody and practiced there nine years in partnership with Dr. George M. Gronnett. After this experience Dr. Wailes entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk and was graduated by that institution in the class of 1889. Immediately thereafter he located at Brazil, Iowa, practiced there three years and in 1891 came to Mystic, where he has ever since been one of the features of the place.
In 1891 Dr. Wailes was married to Sarah J. Cross, who died in 1897, leaving five children. In 1902 he took a second wife in the person of Mrs. Susa M. Stoole, whose maiden name had been Cunningham, and there is no more popular couple in Mystic social circles than the Doctor and his amiable wife. Dr. Wailes is justly entitled to rank as a strictly self-made man, as he owes all he has and all he has done to his own practically unaided exertions. As previously stated, he is a man of great energy of character and has no superior in the rapid and efficient dispatch of business, both ordinary and professional.
ELIZABETH WAKEFIELD - One of the honored residents of Appanoose county living near Plano is Mrs. Elizabeth Wakefield, who, already past the allotted three score and ten, still experiences the joys of life in the peace which is alone the concomitant of an old age preceded by years of industrious and conscientious effort. Mrs. Wakefield is a native of Bartholomew county, Indiana, her birth taking place on April 29, 1829. Her parents were Samuel and Anna (Stater) Daugherty, who both died in Indiana, where the father had for many years followed the trade of a carpenter and blacksmith and was also a farmer. On August 24, 1848, Miss Daugherty was married to James Stuckey Wakefield, and it was their lot to travel together the way of life for nearly half a century, sharing equally the burdens and the comforts which came to them.
Mr. Wakefield was born in Bartholomew county, Indiana, June 6, 1823, and passed away on January 16, 1899. His parents were native to Indiana and were neighbors to the Daughertys. The father, who was a teacher by profession, died at the age of forty-eight, and the mother at the age of eighty-four. After their marriage James and Elizabeth Wakefield went to housekeeping with a grandfather of Mr. Wakefield, and later moved to a farm owned by the father of Mrs. Wakefield, where they remained until 1855. They then loaded their possessions into wagons, took with them horses and livestock and made the long but pleasant journey to Appanoose county, where they occupied the place which is still in the possession of Mrs. Wakefield. Like his father, Mr. Wakefield was a teacher, and many who have now grown to middle age remember him as the instructor their youth. While in Indiana he served for many years as justice of the peace, being elected on the Democratic ticket. He also held the same office in Appanoose county and was fulfilling its duties a short time before his death. He was a member of the board of supervisors at the time the court house was built in 1861; also when the county farm was purchased. During President Cleveland's first administration he was postmaster of Plano. For twenty-two years he was school treasurer, holding that place at the time of his death. His religious connections were with the Christian church. Such a life of usefulness could not fail to leave its impress upon the community, and to him was shown the regard due the man of character and faithfulness to trust which he had proved himself to be.
Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield and all are now living: Mrs. Catherine A. Baker, of Bellaire township; Mrs. Sylvania J. Wailes, living north of Garfield; Samuel W., of Brazil, Iowa; George W., at home; James H., of Plano; John A., of Des Moines; Mrs. Elizabeth Matilda Cross, living near the old home; William F., also near home; Christian E., residing north of Garfield; and Randle Fisher, at home.
THOMAS WALLACE - This venerable man, now in the eighty-first year of his age, was one of the first settlers of Appanoose county, where he has lived considerably over half a century. His farm, consisting originally of ninety acres, was all wild land when he bought it and with the exception of thirteen acres every inch of it was cleared by Mr. Wallace, as the result of many a hard blow and many years of wearisome labor. In fact, his whole life, from childhood up, has been one of almost unremitting toil, and up to a year ago he might still be seen in his fields "holding a row" with the best of them. Though quiet and unassuming, Mr. Wallace is a man of great worth and real nobility of character and in his unpretentious way has contributed to the development which has placed Iowa at the lead of all the agricultural states of the Union.
He is a son of Solomon and Millie Wallace and was born in Kent county, Delaware, December 14, 1822. The death of his father when he was still in early childhood brought upon him that fate so much dreaded, the necessity of becoming a "bound boy" as the only means of obtaining a livelihood. Such a life at best is not enviable, but Mr. Wallace seems to have fallen into fairly good hands when apprenticed to one William Hollingsworth, a seafaring man who lived in Kent county, Delaware. This individual was captain of a sailing boat and it was the business of little Thomas to cook for the crew, while incidentally engaged in mastering the details of the sailor's trade. This drudgery continued four years, at the end of which time the boy was taken by his master to Fayette county, Indiana, where he was fortunate enough to find an uncle, who furnished him a home. He remained with his uncle Joshua one year, during which time he worked on the farm all week and hauled logs on Sunday. At the expiration of his time on this place the boy had completed the thirteenth year of his age and during the ten following years was engaged as a farm hand by the month on different places in that part of Indiana. In 1845 he was married to Eliza Barkley and spent the next two years on the farm of his wife's father, in Fayette county, Indiana. In the fall of 1847 he removed with his wife and child to Davis county, Iowa, where he remained five months and then made what proved to be his final move to Appanoose county. He arrived in March, 1848, and immediately took possession of the farm of one hundred and sixty acres which has ever since been his place of residence. Here he busied himself for some years getting his land in shape for cultivation, until his household affairs were disarranged by the loss of his wife, who died in the early part of 1856, leaving five children. These, in order of birth, were George, now a resident of Butler county, Kansas: James, of the same section; Mrs. Sarah Ankrom, who has since died: Jasper, who lives in Custer county, Nebraska: and Lewis, who resides near his father's homestead.
On August 7, 1856, Mr. Wallace took a second wife in the person of Lydia Croxton, who died December 28, 1888, leaving seven children: Mrs. Margaret E. Gordon; John, of Davis county, Iowa; Francis M., of Butler county, Kansas; Warren, of Centerville, Iowa; Washington H., of Davis county; Mary J., of Appanoose county; and Mrs. Minerva C. Bean, of Fort Madison. On March 31, 1890, Mr. Wallace contracted his third matrimonial alliance with Mrs. Nancy J. Howell, who came in childhood to Iowa with her parents from Roanoke county, Virginia. By her first marriage she had one child, Mr. A. A. Howell, who is now proprietor of the Howell House at Moulton. Mr. Wallace is a devoted member of the Christian church and for a long time performed the functions of preacher during the absence of the regular pastor. As he has occupied his present homestead for fifty-four years he is probably entitled to rank as the oldest continuous resident of Appanoose county. His place contains a curious relic of the olden times in the shape of a log cabin which was the first building ever located in Appanoose county, having been removed there from the nearby county of Davis.
FRANCIS M. WELLS - This gentleman, who is now living in retirement at Plano, is entitled to entrance to the class known as early settlers of Iowa, his residence in the state having extended over thirty-five years. He is a native of Pennsylvania and a son of Benjamin L. and Sophia (Coon) Wells, a worthy and unpretentious couple who spent all the days of their lives within the borders of the Keystone state. Benjamin Wells was a farmer by occupation, what was then known as a Free Soiler in politics, and in religion rather inclined toward the Methodist church, of which his wife was a devout member. The latter died in 1851, when about forty-eight years old, and after surviving her a number of years the husband passed away in 1863 at the age of sixty.
Their son. Francis M. Wells, was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania. February 1, 1832, and remained at home until a year or two past his majority. After reaching his twenty-third year, he determined to strike out for himself, and going to Illinois engaged in the carpenter's trade. At Bureau in that state he became acquainted with Christina Anderson, and this acquaintance ripened into marriage in 1857, after which the couple still continued to reside in Illinois about ten years. In 1867 Mr. Wells removed to Appanoose county, Iowa, obtained possession of some land in Johns township and for many years thereafter devoted his whole time to its cultivation. His wife died in 1871, leaving four children: Henry Clay, Mandana, Emma, deceased; William Sherman. In 1872 Mr. Wells married Lydia A. Hinegardner, whose two children, Byron and Daniel R., are now dead. In 1893 Mr. Wells and family removed to Plano, where he has since lived in retirement, and there his second wife died July 22, 1902. She was a good woman, of devout religious temperament, and all her life she belonged to the Christian church, of which Mr. Wells himself is also a member. His political predilections have always been Republican, though he has neither sought nor held office, and his fraternal connections are confined to membership in the Masonic order.
 James A. White |
JAMES A. WHITE - Among the well and favorably known men of Iowa is J. A. White, tourist, lecturer and successful financier, of Centerville. Mr. White comes of an honorable and respected ancestry. His paternal grand- father was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, in which he distinguished himself as a brave and gallant fighter for the cause of independence. He was residing in Indiana when he was called away by the summons of death, being ninety-two years of age. The parents of our subject were John and Jane (Pearman) White, who were born in Kentucky, but were taken at an early age by their parents to Indiana, who settled in Vermilion county, in the valley of the Wabash. For twelve years after their marriage they resided in that state, but in 1849 removed to Iowa and settled near Centerville. Here the father continued in agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred when he had passed the sixtieth milestone of life's journey. The mother still lives, being in her eighty-third year, and resides in Moulton. Early in life they both joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in that faith they lived and reared their eleven children, six of whom are now deceased. |
James A. White was born in a primitive log house on a farm in the vicinity of Centerville, on December 30, 1849. The fact that it was the year of the discovery of gold in California is the little superstition Mr. White allows himself to believe to account for his success in finance. He was reared on the farm and there learned the lessons of industry, perseverance and integrity that have marked his career. His education was obtained in the common schools, but he later in life attended the Oskaloosa (Iowa) Commercial College, graduating in 1879. In 1870 he married Miss Elzina Wood, a native of Iowa and a lady of accomplishment and culture. Immediately after his marriage he settled on a farm and for nine years was engaged in this pursuit with gratifying success. But his business qualifications prompted him to turn from the farm to the more active career of business. Disposing of his personal property, he first removed to Corydon, Iowa, where he engaged in banking and real estate for eight years, and in 1887 came to Centerville in order to get into a large trade center. Here he has met with unqualified success. He is the owner of considerable and valuable real estate in the city and in Appanoose and Wayne counties and in the state of Kansas. He has constructed several excellent business blocks in the city, which stand as a monument to his thrift and ability. As a financier he stands second to none, and his reputation has extended far beyond the borders of his county, and he is rated as one of the ablest business men in the community. In the study of his business career it is evident that his success has been the result of doing one thing at a time and persevering in this until it was accomplished. He is fair and just in his dealings, and, though exacting, he is reasonable in his practices, being liberal in his compensation of labor. Mr. White is possessed of a studious and analytical mind; he has traveled extensively in the United States, Canada, British Columbia, Cuba and Old Mexico, and he has delivered several interesting and well received lectures relative to his travels. He now has in contemplation a trip through Europe.
In the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church Mr. White was reared, and his religious practices indicate that with the lapse of time he grows stronger in the faith, and, while he has accomplished much in life, he is not unmindful that to a Higher Being belongs the credit for his achievements. In matters political he has always been a stanch Republican. In 1896 he was a prominent candidate for the nomination to the high office of governor of the state, and has since been frequently mentioned as an available candidate for that place. It is generally recognized that, were he elected to the executive chair, he would administer the affairs of state along progressive business lines and with the same skill that he has manifested in his own affairs. Fraternally Mr. White is prominent in the Modern Woodmen and the Knights of Pythias orders; in the latter he has held various offices in both the local and grand lodges. He is respected and esteemed as a citizen of progressiveness and enterprise in matters of city, county and state, and he numbers many in his list of friends.