Henry Arms Field
Henry Arms FIELD was a man of Iowa's soil and airways. Henry's seed and nursery company was one of the most famous and successful in the Nation. His radio broadcasts helped put Shenandoah on the map, and made Henry an institution for farmers and gardeners throughout Iowa and the Midwest.
Henry Arms FIELD was born on December 6, 1872 at Sunnyside farm near Shenandoah, the oldest of eight children born to pioneer schoolteachers Solomon Elijah "Sol" FIELD (1834-1923) and Celestia Josephine (EASTMAN) FIELD (1846-1918). Some accounts give Henry's middle name as "Ames." Others give his middle name as "Arms" which was his paternal grandmother's maiden name.
Inspired by the Vick's Floral Guide, five-year-old Henry gathered seeds from his mother's garden, packaged them in homemade envelopes and sold them to his aunt. Later, Henry carried baskets of produce two miles into Shenandoah and sold them door to door. By the time Henry was ten-years-old, his business included strawberry plants, seed potatoes and pansies. When he was fifteen-years-old, Henry worked at the Livingston Seed Company in Des Moines, Iowa, during the winter. Here he learned hands-on how to run a seed business.
Henry graduated from Shenandoah High School in May of 1889. He attended Western Normal College in Shenandoah from 1889 to 1891.
Hardworking and driven, Henry worked at several jobs but knew that his true vocation would be in the seed business. He taught country school in the wintertime for three years and worked in he gardens during the summer. Henry also worked part-time as a surveyor for Page County.
Henry and his college classmate Annie L. HAWXBY were married on November 24, 1892. Annie was born on January 2, 1871. An avid gardener, Annie shared Henry's interest in establishing a seed business. They began a truck farm named Sleepy Hollow located on the edge of town. Their produce was so popular that area farmers began asking for seeds.
In 1894, Henry and Annie rejoiced in the birth of their son Frank. Sadly, however, Annie came down with scarlet fever and died from complications on April 28, 1899. She was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Shenandoah.
Henry converted one of the rooms in his home into an office. The barn became his seed house. He bought a press and in 1899 began printing his own small four-paged catalog. Henry would later say, "I was the whole thing from catalog to delivery wagon."
Henry and Edna Lois THOMPSON were married on May 8, 1900, at Auburn, Nebraska. Edna, the daughter of Alonzo Leonard Phillip and Sarah Louis (JONES) THOMPSON, was born on August 3, 1878 at Hillsdale, Nebraska. They were the parents of ten children:
Faith Thompson FIELD, born 08 May 1901, Shenandoah; died 30 Jul 1986, Escondido CA
Hope FIELD
Philip C. FIELD, born 03 Jun 1904, Shenandoah; died 26 Jul 1995, Shenandoah; interred Rose Hill Cemetery, Shenandoah
Josephine L. FIELD, born 1906, Shenandoah
Jessie R. FIELD, born 1908, Shenandoah
Mary Charity (FIELD) HAMILTON, born 20 Aug 1909, Shenandoah; died 09 Jul 1998, Shenandoah
Ruth FIELD
Georgia FIELD
John FIELD
Celestia "Letty" FIELD
Henry was a family man, never missing mealtime or nights with his family. Although he normally worked from fourteen to sixteen hours a day, he was nearby in the gardens and seedhouses, always accessible to his children.
Encouraged by his friends and customers, Henry incorporated his business as Henry Field Seed Company in 1907. It grossed $63,000 during the first year.
Henry made himself accessible to every customer who came into the seedhouse by placing his desk in the center of the store. He visited with everyone who came by.
The company grew beyond Shenandoah as a mail order business with the slogan "Seeds that Yield are Sold by Field."
Henry edited Field's Seed Sense, a combination almanac and mail-order seed catalog. The subtitle was "For The Man Behind the Hoe." Henry was also regular contributor to horticultural and agricultural publications.
Henry became a radio broadcast pioneer when he built a station - KFNF - on top of his seed house. KFNF - "Keep Friendly, Never Frown" or "Kind Friends Never Fail" - offered country entertainment, information and, naturally, discussion of Henry's seed company. The use of brand new technology in broadcast radio made KFNF on the cutting edge when only 300 radio stations were in operation in the country at the time.
Henry's biggest competitor was Earl MAY, also located in Shenandoah. MAY operated Earl May Seed and Nursery Company, making Shenandoah widely known for its nurseries and seedhouses.
When Henry established KFNF radio station, Earl MAY followed suit in 1925, establishing KMA, his own 500-watt radio station just down the street from KFNF. When Henry built a radio auditorium so people could watch his radio broadcasts, MAY built an even larger auditorium. Both stations sponsored autumn jubilees which attracted tens of thousands of fans to Shenandoah.
Henry and Earl, although they competed for business, recognized the value of having a worthy competitor just down the street. Henry was voted the "World's Most Popular Broadcaster" by Radio Digest Magazine in 1925. The following year, Henry withdrew his name and gave his support to Earl who won the national recognition in 1926.
Every day at noon, Henry sat down at the microphone as "Henry Himself" to visit with his listeners about the weather, his garden, his business, and whatever was on his mind at the moment. Henry's sisters became well-known broadcasters - Lenna (FIELD) DRIFTMIER who started on The Mother's Hour which developed into the longest running homemaker program Kitchen-Klatter; Helen (FIELD) FISCHER who started The Mother's Hour and offered gardening tips; and, Jessie (FIELD) SHAMBAUGH. Frank FIELD, Henry's son with his first wife Annie, became a well-known voice on KMA-Radio.
Edna died of Bright's Disease on April 3, 1925. She was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Shenandoah.
Once again Henry was a single father. He devoted himself to his children.
In 1929, Henry married a company employee, Bertha McCULLEN. Bertha was born on September 21, 1884. She was a loving wife and caring mother to Henry's children.
Although the FIELD family lived a modest existence, the FIELD company was ranked as one of the largest seed business in the nation. During the peak season, hundreds of Shenandoah's residents were on the payroll and 2/3 of the postal volume in Shenandoah came from Henry's business.
In 1932, Henry ran as a Republican candidate for a U.S. Senate seat. He defeated his primary opponent, incumbent Senator Smith Wildman BROOKHART, but lost in the general election. Henry would later say he was glad he didn't win. "The way things are in Washington these days, if I'd gone down there I'd be dead or crazy by now."
During the Great Depression, the Henry Field Company suffered from financial problems. Bonds which were sold in 1930 to fund company operations were foreclosed upon in 1933. Henry lost ownership of the company which was reorganized as Henry Field Seed and Nursery Company.
At the age of 67 years, Henry retired in 1938. He retained the title of president until his death at which time the company had an annual sales of approximately $3,000,000 from a million customers.
Henry A. FIELD died on October 17, 1949. Bertha (McCULLEN) FIELD died in March of 1981. Henry and Bertha were interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Shenandoah, Iowa.
Amfac, Inc. purchased Henry Field Seed Company in 1981. An eight-member investor group purchased Amfac, Inc. in June of 1984. Don KRUMEL who owned a private direct marketing firm, purchased Field's in 1991. The business was sold to Foster & Gallagher, Inc. of Illinois in 1999. Foster & Gallagher, Inc. had also purchased other well-established names such as Breck's Bulbs, Gurney's, Michigan Bulb Company, New Holland Bulbs, Spring Hill Nursery, Stark Brothers and Garden Solutions.
During the Great Depression, Henry lost control of his radio station. It changed ownership and locations several times. It is now an FM-station, most recently acquired by McCook Radio Group of Nebraska.
The Henry Field Collection is housed at the State Historical Society of Iowa in Iowa City.
Celestia Josephine (EASTMAN) FIELD was born in March of 1846, the daughter of Stephen W. and Susan Martha (GILL) EASTMAN. She died in 1918. Celestia and Solomon Elijah FIELD were married on November 6, 1870. Solomon Elijah FIELD was born on July 8, 1834, at Onway (Ashfield), Massachusetts, the son of Elijah FIELD (1791-1871) and Philena (ARMS) FIELD (1798-1838). He was residing in Knoxville, Illinois when the Civil War broke out. Enlisting as a Private on May 14, 1864, Sol was mustered into Company E of the 138th Illinois Infantry on June 21, 1864. He was mustered out on October 14, 1864 at Camp Butler in Springfield, Illinois. Sol died at the age of 88 years on March 6, 1923. They were interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Shenandoah, Iowa.
Solomon and Celestia's children were:
Henry Ames FIELD, born 06 Dec 1871; died 17 Oct 1949, Shenandoah
Stephen Wayne FIELD, born Mar 1874, Shenandoah; died 11 Aug 1875, Shenandoah
Helen E. (FIELD) FISCHER, born 13 Mar 1876, Shenandoah; died 24 Apr 1953, Shenandoah
Martha L. (FIELD) EATON, born Sep 1878, Shenandoah
Celestia Josephine "Jessie" (FIELD) SHAMBAUGH, born 26 Jun 1881, Shenandoah; died January 15, 1971
Solomon Elijah FIELD, born 30 Sep 1883, Shenandoah
Leanna Ruby (FIELD) DRIFTMIER, born April 3, 1886, Shenandoah; died September 30, 1976
Susan Eastman (FIELD) CONRAD, born 25 May 1888, Shenandoah; died 23 Jan 1955, Redlands CA
SOURCES:
desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/FAMOUSIOWANS/41221015
saveseeds.org/biography/field/index.html
sil.si.edu/SILPublications/seeds/fieldhenry-a.html
lib-cdm5.iowa.uiowa.edu/uipress/bdi/DetailsPage.aspx?id=117
Compilation by Sharon R. Becker, January of 2012