Mills County, Iowa Biographies CHARLES KESTERSON was the first son of Thomas Kesterson and Nancy Jackson, Charles Kesterson was born in Tennessee in 1819. He married Mary A. Dunagan in Greene Co. in 1841 and they had 6 children, Thomas, Catherine, James, Elizabeth, Nancy and Charles, all born in Tenn. In 1854, the family set out by river boat for Mills Co., Iowa, where Mary's parents, 5 brothers, 1 sister and a widowed sister-in-law lived. Enroute, Mary died of cholera and was buried on the bank of the Mississippi River in Illinois. On arriving in Iowa, Charles and the 6 children made their home with his parents-in-law, Nicholas and Rebekah Dunagan south of Malvern. Charles married Elizabeth Brooks in 1858 and they had 8 children in the "second family," Marinda, Zylphia, Azuba, Ida Mae, William, John, George and Mary. A pioneer in Mills Co., Charles reared his 2 families on a farm there, died in 1899 and is buried in Malvern Cemetery beside his wife Elizabeth. Thomas J. Kesterson served in Company B, 29th Iowa Infantry in the Civil War; later he was a scout, a bear hunter and bounty hunter in Montana and ranched on the Dismal River in Nebraska. Married to Miranda Brown in 1868, they had 14 children, 10 living to adulthood. Thomas died and is buried in Albion, Nebraska. Catherine Ann Kesterson married the French immigrant, John Lang, in 1861 in Mills Co. where they spent their lives. They had 9 children and 243 descendants at last count, many living in western Iowa. James Cannon married Julina Read in 1870-71 in Mills Co. where their 7 children were born. Twins Eddie and Marietta died in infancy. The family moved to Latham, Kansas where James and "Lina" are buried. Descendants have been found in Del Norte and Monte Vista, Colorado and in Washington state. Elizabeth J Kesterson married the English immigrant Walter Aistrope in Mills Co. in 1868 where they had 4 children. Son Walter died in infancy. George B.Kesterson married Mary Heikes. Mary Birdie married Seymour Rhode and lived in Ft. Lupton, Colorado where they owned a bank. Charles R. Kesterson married Edith Maloy; he died of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Colorado. Walter and Elizabeth are buried in Malvern Cemetery, as are Charles R. and Seymour and Mary Birdie Rhode. Nancy Rebecca Kesterson married (1) John Allen Hodgin, a Civil War veteran, Co. F, 15th Iowa Infantry. Their children were Edwin L., Maude (Albert) Lowell and Clara (Andrew) Thompson. This family lived near Ashland, Nebraska. Nancy married (2) James Potter. They had 1 son, Jim, who died of diptheria at age 4. Nancy Potter died of diphtheria in Red Cloud, Nebraska, in 1887. She is buried in Malvern Cemetery. Charles, a 3-month-old baby at the time of the family migration from Tennessee, grew up near Malvern. He tried the Colorado mines in 1880 around Leadville, returned to Iowas where he married Jeanette Oriola "Nettie" Russell in Malvern in 1883. They moved to Wakefield, Nebraska where their 4 daughters were born and grew up. LoDema B. (Herman) Beckenhauer, Bessie B. (Albert) Carnes, Elsie (Albert) Marsh and Ruth R. (Will) Hall. Nettie Kesterson died Christmas Eve, 1894 at Wakefield; Charles in 1927 in Council Grove, Kansas. They are buried in the Wakefield Cemetery. The second family of the older Charles Kesterson was born near Malvern. Miranda married Richard Ainley; Zylphia married Fate Davis - lived at Memphis, Nebraska; Azuba married Jesse "Ham" Read - they're buried at Malvern; Ida Mae married Ed Liggett; Williwm married Daisy Coon - buried Malvern; John no record; George married Mrs. Ethel Rossiter - they lived in Drain, Oregon where he is buried. Mary married Clarence Smith and they lived near Ashland, Nebraska. Source: " Mills County History Book" 1985. Information submitted by William Beckenhauer Silver Creek Township FOLLET, WARREN, Silver Creek; was born January 22, 1838, in Caldwell county, Missouri. He left that state with the Mormon exodus, and went with his parents to Nauvoo, Illinois, where his father died in 1844. Driven with the Mormons from that state he came to Iowa and located in Silver Creek township, on what is now the farm of David Emrick. He moved to the farm he now occupies in 1853. In 1862 he enlisted at Glenwood for a term of three years or during the war. September 6, of the same year, he was married. His farm comprises some 220 acres, all in splendid condition and well improved, with buildings and fruit. Mr. Follett is one of the oldest settlers in the county, and has always been closely identified with its improvements and advances. KERNEY, NATHAN, is a farmer by occupation, whose domain of 159 acres lies in section 31. He is a native of the old Keystone state, born in Bedford county, August 22, 1824. At the age of one year he came to Ohio with his parents, where he remained some sixteen years, during which period of his youth he attended the common school and worked for on the farm. At the age of seventeen—1841—he went to Missouri and tarried some fifteen years, until 1853, when he came to Mills county, Iowa, as one of its pioneer settlers. At his advent, the land upon which the town of Malvern stands was owned by the United States government. He was first married March 1, 1849, to Miss Margaret Van Buskirk, of Savannah, Missouri. Five children were added to the household through this marriage: William W., Sarah A., Lydia A., Laura G. and Martha E. whose mother died November 22, 1873. After wearing the weed of sorrow for three years, he contracted another marital alliance with Sarah M. Showalter, of Dade county, Missouri, through whom two children— Charles H. and Adin G.—were added to the already good circle. Mr. K. was a member of the Masonic order—Silver Urn Lodge of Malvern. He and his present wife are of the Baptist persuasion. LEWIS, MILLARD F., a native of Mills county, Iowa, was born on the farm on which he now resides, August 25, 1856. Mr. L. is a son of Daniel Lewis, one of the earliest settlers of this county. He carries on farming on the old home. He was educated in the common school, and at Bryant's business college, of St. Joseph, Missouri, and at Montague & Lillibridge business college, of Davenport, Iowa. He married Miss Mattie A. Knight, of Mills county, December 10, 1876—a centennial marriage. One child, Harry, cheers their young hearts. LEWIS, DANIEL, is a native of Kentucky, born in Shelby county, December 4, 1801, where he lived until he was twenty-seven years old, when he moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. After spending four or five years here, and three years at Quincy, Illinois, he located in Mills county, Iowa, in August, 1851. He located on land then in the possession of the Mormons, and from whom he purchased it. It was then known as Cutler's camp. At the time Mr. Lewis came to Mills county the country about him and Malvern, except the "Mormon settlement," was unoccupied by white men. He was identified with the first formation and settlement of the county; he was a member of the first grand jury organized in the county; he had seen corn sold in the early days of the settlements for $1.50 per bushel; he was first married to Nancy Logan, in Kentucky, in 1820; his second marriage was to Harriet Holstein, October 24. 1830; has five children living: George W., Donald J., Henry Clay, Winfield S. and Millard F.; his farm lies in section 7, and contains three hundred acres. Before providing for his children his acres numbered twelve hundred. NORRIS, WILLIAM, is a native of Hoosierdom, where he first breathed the breath of mortality, May 22, 1821, in Clay county. At the age of twelve years he went to LaPorte, Indiana, where he remained until his twenty-third year, preparing for the battle of life before him. In 1844 he pushed on westward to Illinois, where he sojourned until 1871, where he pursued the carpenter trade for a livelihood. He was first married when but twenty-one years of age, to Miss Jane Mix, who died in 1848; again, December 25, 1849, he married Amanda Brock, his present wife. Jackson E. and Ethlena are the children of this marriage. He has carried on farming since June, 1849; in 1871 he moved to Mills county, Iowa, where he still continues farming, his farm containing two hundred and fifty-five acres, all tillable, which he improved to its present condition, with good buildings. In connection with his other farm work, Mr. N. feeds about one hundred and fifty head of cattle each year. SMITH, W. S. C., is a native of Putnam county, Indiana, where he entered the scenes of life April 24, 1843. In 1845 he, with his parents, came to Illinois and tarried until 1848, when he came to Clark county, Iowa. Here he acquired a common school education, and worked until 1862, when he entered the service of his country, enlisting in company F, Sixth Iowa infantry, in which he served two years, and in 1864 re-enlisted in the same regiment as a veteran, and served to the close of the war. He was in twenty-seven regular engagements, among which were the battles of Mission Ridge, Jackson, Miss., Kenesaw Mountain, New Hope Church, Atlanta two days, Griswold, Georgia, and Savannah, the latter place being the terminus of Sherman's march to the sea. Here is a record of patriotism rarely excelled. At the close of the war in 1865 Mr. S. settled in Mills county, where he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, in section 21, being one of the early settlers of the locality, and where he still lives, giving his energies to farming. He was married December 25, 1867, to Rosene Wheeler, of Glenwood, the result of which were four children: Bernice H., Daisy R., Earnest G. and Jeptha G., who will earn' their memory hence. Mr. S. is a member of the Odd Fellows and Masonic Orders, at Malvern. SLATER, SAMPSON, is a native of the British Isle, where he first saw light in Morley Moor, Derbyshire, February 3, 1826; and where he continued to live until 1851, when he immigrated to America, and located at Strongsville, Ohio. After a four years sojourn in the Buckeve State, he came to Johnson county, Iowa, where he spent ten years of his life, which was employed in tilling the soil. In 1865 he removed to Mills county, where he purchased a farm of two hundred acres, in section 28, with timbered land in other sections. He was one of the pioneers of Silver Creek township, and aided in gathering a wheat harvest on the ground now occupied by the town of Malvern. His farm improvements are after the modern style, including a fine two story barn 36x46 feet, upon a stone base for stable. His farm also contains an orchard of some 300 trees, some 200 of which are apple bearing, the others include cherries, plumbs peaches, etc. Mr. Slater married November 11, 1868, Kate Byers, of Ohio, and Charles, born April 16, 1872, will perpetuate the name to generations hence. In 1880 Mr. S. returned to his old home in England for a month's visit to see the relatives and scenes of his manhood; giving London and its Museum, Tower, Halls and other points of interest, a part of his time; as well as other towns in the realm. He returned to his adopted country in contentment. WEST, NATHAN A., is a native of Ohio, born in Trumbull county, April 10, 1808, where he spent the first twenty-four years of his life, and where he received a common school education. He married his first wife in Portage county, in 1828—Mary S. Hulett—who died in 1835. In 1832 he removed to Missouri, where he whiled away six years, then moved to Illinois, where he spent eight years more; thence he was allured by the attractions of Iowa to its borders, and in 1848 he permanently located in Mills county, being one of its first settlers; in fact lived in the territory when it was a part of Pottawattamie county. He has thus seen this section of the state reclaimed from its native wilderness, and its towns grow up to their present dimensions and prosperity. Mr. West married his second wife, March 17, 1836, Adeline L. Follett. He had two children by his first marriage, one of whom, Mrs. Maria Kempton, resides in Glenwood. His principle pursuit through life has been that of farming. His farm of eighty acres lies in section twenty. At the first election in Silver Creek township he was elected justice of the peace, and has continued to hold that office almost continually since. He has also held various other township trusts. [Source:History of Mills County, Iowa, 1881]

RETURN ©2008 Genealogy Trails