minia Colyn in 1858. She is a native of Gelderland, and was born October 30, 1835; came to this country with the first Holland colony. They have a family of eight children: Cornelia, Trintie, Jane, Leonard, Harman, Sufrin, Jacob, and Albert. Have lost one. Himself and wife are members

of the Third Reformed Church of Pella.

WELLE, CORNELIUS-Farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 32, P. O. Pella Was born in South Holland, September 13, 1828, and was raised in the city of Gorengem, receiving a common school education. He learned the bak er's trade from his father, and worked with him in the shop until they crossed the ocean in 1847. They settled in Marion county, and Cornelius helped his father on the farm and devoted his spare moments to the study of English. He now has a very fair English education. When twentyeight years of age he settled on the place he now occupies, in 1856. Mr. W., Sr., died February 9, 1880, aged eighty-two years. He left an estate of 400 acres of improved land to be divided between his wife and four children. Being one of the early settlers, our subject has had his share of hardships of pioneer life to contend with, and he has acted his part faithfully. He married Miss Twantye Nollen, in 1861. She is a native of Gelderland, and was born November 9, 1839. They have four children: Henry, Peter. Twantye and Dirkge. Mr. and Mrs. W. are members of the Presbyterian Church. In his manners he is pleasant and agreeable.

WESTERKAMP, HERMAN-Farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 13, P. 0. Pella. Was born August 20, 1844, in the Netherlands, where he learned the carpenter's trade. He came to the United States in 1869, and settled in this county and engaged in farming. Owns 109 acres of land. His father, Fedde Westerkamp, lives with him. He was born on the twenty-first of February, 1813. His wife was born on the fifth of May, 1814. They had two children: John and Herman. She is a member of the Presbyte

rian Church of Pella.

WINTERS, E. E.-Pastor of the First Reformed Church of Pella. Was born on the fifth of January, 1838, in the village of Zoutkamp, Province of Groningen, Netherlands. He remained there until six years of age and then moved to Vlrum, and resided there until the fall of 1849, when he crossed the ocean with his parents. They settled in Holland, Ottawa county, Michigan. He secured a common school education in Europe and took a preparatory course at the Holland Academy in Michigan. In 1857 he commenced a collegiate course at Rutgers College, New Brunswick, New Jersey, and graduated there in 1860, and entered the Theological Seminary at the same place in the fall of the same year, and graduated from there in May, 1863. Was licensed by the Classis of Hoiland and ordained in August of the same year by the Classis of Orange, New York, and was settled as the pastor of a church at Cuddebackville, Orange county, in 1863. In March, 1866, he came to Pella, and took charge of the First Reformed Church. He has been twice married. First to Miss Mary E. van Liew, on the twenty-sixth of May, 1863. She was a native of New Brunswick, New Jersey, and was born on the twenty-sixth of December, 1840. She lived to enjoy life until the twenty-third of March, 1864, when she was gathered to the land of rest. He married again on the twenty-eighth of November, 1865, Miss Minerva Kenebeck, a lady of rare talent and culture. She was born in June, 1835, in the city of Cuddebackville, New York.

WISSE, ABRAHAM-Wagon-maker. Was born October 21, 1834, in the Netherlands, and came to the United States in 1854, settled in New

York State and farmed about three years, then came to Iowa and settled in Burlington, and worked two years at the carpenter's trade. Then worked some four years for Mr. Nealys, a nurseryman, after which he again took up carpenter work. Came to Pella in the spring of 1865 and commenced working at the wagon trade with Mr. Buerkens. They continued the business until the Pella Manufacturing Co. bought them out. He was one of the organizers of the company, and owns eighty-five shares in it at present. He commenced life a poor man and has gained what he now has by hard work. He married Miss Dina Lubberden on the thirteenth of June, 1868. She is a native of Netherlands and was born on the fourth of January, 1842. By this union they have one child, John. Lost one. Mrs. Wisse is a member of the First Reformed Church of Pella.

WORMHOUDT, H.-Lumber-dealer. Was born in Rotterdam, February 15, 1825, and learned the carpenter's trade in his youth. He emigrated to the United States in 1847, and settled in Marion county, and worked at his trade and in the saw-mill business until 1872, when he engaged in the lumber business as agent for a Mr. Baldwin, and in 1875 became a partner of the firm of Waechter & Wormhoudt. The firm are doing a large and lucrative business in their line, and have the unlimited confidence of their patrons. Mr. W. has been prominent as a member of the city council, and in educational matters, at the present time serving on the school board. He is also a deacon in the First Reformed Church. He married, first, Miss Aartje Overkamp in April, 1850. She was born in the Netherlands and died in Pella in October, 1855, leaving two children: Johanna M. (now Mrs. Hospers, born July 28, 1851), and Gerret H. (born November 2, 1853). He married for his second wife Miss Annie Overkamp, a sister of his first wife, in 1858. She, also, was born in the Netherlands. By this marriage they have seven children: Henry D. (born July 22, 1860), Effie (born October 28, 1862), Isaac Andrew (born November 14, 1866), John (born August 10, 1869), Edward (born July 13, 1872), Andrew I. (born September 11, 1875), Dominicus (born January 11, 1879). One son, Isaac A. (born March 13, 1865), died November 15, 1865.

CHAPTER III.

SUMMIT TOWNSHIP.

Summit Township-Town of Otley-American City-Biographical.

SUMMIT township was organized from part of the old township of Red Rock in March, 1854. The following is taken from the official records: "On March 3, 1854, the petition of Jacob Pendroy and sixty-one others, was presented to the county judge asking that the township of Red Rock be divided and a new township to be called Summit be organized. The petition was granted, and the first Monday in April was fixed as the time for holding the organizing election. John C. Donnel was appointed to carry out the provisions of the order, and the house of Jacob C. Brown was designated as the place for holding the first election."

The township corresponds with congressional township 77, range 19. The north and east portions of the township are prairie, and constitute a part of the water-shed between the basins of the Des Moines and Skunk

rivers. There is considerable timber in the southwest part which borders Lear the Des Moines River. There are no large streams in the township.

The coal fields of the township are of wide extent and are very product ive. The first mine is said to have been discovered in 1849 by Mr. Joha A. Scott, and was for many years the only one worked. The next mine was opened in 1861 by William Fisher. The coal veins average from four to seven feet in thickness, and the coal is of the best quality found in Iowa.

When the organization of the township was first talked of, the name Harrison was proposed, but the name Summit was finally adopted. It is said that the name, as adopted, was advocated by a number of settlers whe originally came from Summit county, Ohio.

The first election was held on the first Monday in April, 1854, at the house of Jacob C. Brown, and the following are the names of the officers elected: John Ribble and A. F. McConnell, justices of the peace; Ge Reynolds, I. N. Crum and Ira Kelsey, trustees; Abram B. Scott, clerk: Ira Kelsey, assessor; and A. Donnel and P. P. Harp, constables.

Some changes were effected in the civil geography of this township, which, though they were the result of partisan wire-working, and occurred at a comparatively recent date, we shall take the liberty of sketching briedy. In 1862, in response to a petition of a portion of its citizens, the township was enlarged by the addition of that portion of Polk (township 76, rang 19) lying north of the river. This change not being agreeable to the Re publicans of the township, they petitioned the board of supervisors to have the above mentioned territory, locally known as the "Whitebreast Settlement," re-attached to Polk, which was accordingly done at the September session, 1864. But, owing to the neglect of the clerk, John B. Hamilton to transmit to the board of trustees an official report of the change, much embarrasment and partisan feeling resulted at the election that fall in relation to the admission of the vote of that district. A hot dispute was car· ried on for some time that very nearly resulted in personal violence. But the difficulty was finally settled by the admission of the challenged votes.

Soon after this the Democrats again petitioned for the attachment of the disputed territory, which act was received by the opposite party as an a knowledgment that it was not a part of the township at the time of the election. The petition was granted, and Whitebreast was now indisputably a part of Summit, and so it remained till 1867, when the board was aga asked to restore it to Polk, which was accordingly done, and where it has since remained.

Prominent among those who settled in the township at the earliest date. are James Price, the Wilsons, David and Allen Tice, and Andrew Met Among those who came later, were, Joseph S. West, the Harps, I. N. Cruta James Deweese, S. S. Roberts, Alex. B. Donnel, and Allen Lawhead. Many of these are still residents of the township. Others took claims at a very early date, but did not become permanent settlers. Most of the first settlers located in and along the edge of the timber, and it was not till '45 that the divide began to be permanently occupied.

James Price was born in Clark county, Ohio, September 14, 1817, emigrated to Cass county, Michigan, at the age of thirteen, and from thence to Burlington, Iowa, in 1840. From there, early in the spring of '43, in com

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pany with Jonathan Donnel, he came into this county and selected a claim. The first cabin they built was a few rods below the coal mine owned by S. 5. Roberts. Some slight remains of this pioneer building are still visible. This house he occupied with his family on the twenty-second of June.

That spring Mr. Price broke nine acres of prairie on his claim, planted it with corn, and realized from it a surplus of two hundred bushels, which he sold for fifty cents per bushel. On the following season he obtained some seed wheat from Fairfield, and obtained from it a fair crop. During the irst summer he went to Burlington to mill, and in the winter to the nearest mill on the Skunk. On the occasion of his winter trip he had to ferry his oad over that river in a canoe. On his return from a trip to Fairfield, it ained much of the time, then turned so cold that his clothing was frozen stiff on his body. On another occasion, returning in company with Ray and Samuel Wilson, from a milling expedition to Skunk, a heavy snowstorm obstructed the way so much that it was necessary to make frequent halts till one or the other should go forward in search of the path and break

the drifts.

Andrew Metz settled in the township in 1846. Andrew Donnel came the same year. The former was a native of Germany, the latter was a native of Pennsylvania, from whence he moved to Ohio in 1818.

A somewhat amusing instance of claim jumping may be related here. Andrew Donnel had made a claim and hauled some logs to the ground, preparatory to the erection of a house thereon. But, after a few days absence on some other business, he returned to the place and found, to his astonishment, and, we presume, somewhat to his grief, that the house was already built and occupied by Mr. John Scott. Mr. D. preferring not to disturb the intruder, made another claim in the neighborhood, which proved to be far superior to the first in value.

The first post-office in Summit township was called "Divide," and John A. Scott was commissioned P. M. in '47. But, as Mr. S. did not serve, the office was immediately discontinued, and he carried the mail to Red Rock fer several years. At first, not having any regular mail-bag, he took the small amount of matter directed to that place tied up in a handkerchief. In the summer of '57 a post office was established on section 16, called Newark, Wm. H. Anderson, P. M. Some years after this it was shifted into the hands of various persons, and finally got settled at Otley, where its name was changed to that of the village, Geo. H. Hammond, P. M.

The first day school was taught by Abram B. Scott, in the southern part of the township. Watson, better remembered as "the one armed Watson," afterward taught in a small cabin on the divide. In the same cabin the first Sunday-school was organized and conducted by Andrew Donnel and others, in the summer of '49, and preaching was had there on irregular occasions. The next year after the organization of the township, in 1855, Summit township contained:

In 1879 it was

Real estate....
Personalty

$269,400 84,452

The independent school district plan prevails in this township, there being nine independent districts. There are also nine road districts. A road tax of two and one-half mills on the dollar was levied last year, from which there was realized for the improvement of the roads the sum of $800. The aggre gate tax levy of the township for all purposes, last year was sixteen and one. half mills on the dollar.

There are in the township public and private burying grounds to the number of eight, as follows:

Private ground on the land of William Fisher.

Private ground on section 16, called the Pendroy ground.

Honnold ground in section 13.

Burkhalter ground in section 29.
Viersen ground in section 29.
Yowell ground in section 30.
The West ground in section 34.
Public cemetery in section 27.

The Otley coal mines are located a half mile south of the town of Otley. The vein is from four to eight feet in thickness and is of an excellent qual ity.

The following is the official directory of the township for 1880:

Trustees--John Ribble and M. Tilma.

Justices of the Peace-John W. Honnold and N. A. Bovee.
Olerk-W. S. Honnold.

Assessor-E. S. Bearden.

Constables--G. D. Pastina and John Brown.

TOWN OF OTLEY.

Otley was laid out in August, 1867, by J. F. Baldwin, Columbus Long and George W. Johnston. It is located in sections 15 and 22.

The depot was the first building in the town, and it may properly be termed a railroad town and being such is characterized by much of the enterprise, dash and sprightliness common to towns of that kind.

The first store building was erected by Mr. R. Weaver, and Alexander Jolly built the first dwelling.

Otley post-office dates from the spring of 1868, J. W. Honnold having been the first postmaster. His successors have been as follows: J. S. Davis, J. C. Donnel, G. M. Hammond, Simpson Bell and Isaac N. Crum. The town of Otley was named in honor of Col. Otley, engineer of the Des Moines Valley Railroad at the time the town was laid out. Otley is regarded as one of the liveliest towns along the railroad. quantities of grain, stock and farm products of all kinds are annually shipped from this point.

Great

The public school consists of two departments; H. B. Wilson is at present principal and Miss Ida Dunn assistant.