HENRY HOWELL
Henry Howell, proprietor of the Benton mills, also owns a farm of two hundred and forty acres on section 20. The mill is located on section 29, and was built in 1870, by Joseph Northgrool, who operated it for six or seven years, and of whom Mr. Howell purchased it in 1877. It is situated on Troublesome creek, and has two run of stone and water power that never fails. Its capacity is about one hundred bushels of grain in twelve hours. This is the only mill ever erected in Benton township, and does the milling of the farmers for many miles around. The machinery consists of the "Garden City Purifier," "Eureka Smutter and Scourer," with a corn-sheller attached, which is operated by water. This mill does first-class work. Mr. Howell was born in Delaware county, New York, and was reared in Genesee county, on a farm. He received his education at the Delaware Literary institute of Franklin, New York. He went to California in 1855, and engaged in mining until 1859. He then went to Illinois and remained until he came to this county. He has been engaged in farming, in connection with carpenter work, the greater part of his life. He purchased his farm here in the spring of 1883. It is excellent land and especially adapted to the raising of corn. He has, the present year, (1884), ninety acres of corn, which will average fifty-five bushels per acre. Mr. Howell was married to Mary Strother, a native of Indiana. They have two children -- Grace and Home.
Transcribed by Gloria Goltiani from "History of Cass County, Iowa. Together With Sketches of its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Representative Citizens." Springfield, Ill.: Continental Historical Company, 1884, pp. 645.
