tion he purchased old Hazel Dell Academy, an institution which has probably had enrolled seventy-five per cent. of the business men of Newton and vicinity at one time or another and about which a fine glamour of college romance will ever linger. He was principal of this school for nine years or up until 1893, giving to it all the energy and genius of his remarkably strong character. Then the name was changed to Newton Normal College, and many changes made in the buildings and their location, a new building being erected by a lot sale plan. The new school was continued until 1896, when Mr. Wormley severed his connection with it in order to take his family onto a farm. Selling the school, he purchased the fine farm of one hundred and twenty acres upon which he now lives, becoming one of the good farmers of the county, for Mr. Wormley does everything he attempts thoroughly and well. In connection with his general farming he raises thoroughbred hogs and cattle.

Mr. Wormley is one of the finest mathematicians in the state, is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as is also his excellent wife and family. He is also a member of the Central Lodge No. 73, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Newton, having gone through all the chairs, subordinate, encampment and canton. George W. Wormley is clean, fearless and straight out from the shoulder, despising hypocrisy and deceit and never courting tawdry acclaim. He is one of Jasper county's best citizens.

JAMES M. BROWN.

Among the honored citizens of Jasper county who shouldered their guns when Fort Sumter was fired upon and who followed the flag through many bloody campaigns and harassing marches during the great Civil war, none bore a more honorable part than James M. Brown, now living in retirement after a long and useful life, devoted principally to general agricultural pursuits and stock raising, a man who has richly earned the high esteem in which he is held by all classes in this locality, for he has done much toward the general upbuilding of his vicinity and his ideals have ever been high, and his conduct above reproach.

Mr. Brown was born in Washington county, Ohio, December 18, 1841, and he is the son of Zebediah and Hannah (Ward) Brown, the father being a native of New York and the mother of Pennsylvania. They devoted their lives to farming, leaving Ohio when their son, James M., of this review,

was one year old and went to West Virginia, where they lived nine years. In 1850 the family came to Iowa, making the trip by boat down the Ohio and up the Mississippi and landing at Princeton, where the father bought a large tract of land and began farming. His death occurred in 1852 of typhoid fever; the epidemic which took him away also killed the subject's uncle, brother and niece. James W. continued to live with his mother until her death in 1857, at which time he went to live with a married sister, remaining with her until the outbreak of the Civil war. On October 28, 1861, he proved his patriotism and courage, although but a boy of twenty, by enlisting in Company E, Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and was sent by way of Davenport to Benton Barracks, where he was drilled for several months. He was then sent to Jefferson City, Missouri, and there was discharged from his regiment on account of complications following an attack of measles. He then went home, where he remained until August 15, 1862, when he re-enlisted in Company G, Twentieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, for the three years' service. He was again sent to Benton Barracks, thence to Rolla, Missouri, marching from there to Springfield, that state, and later to Fayetteville, Arkansas, fighting several skirmishes en route. At Fayetteville he took part in the battle of Prairie Grove, then marched all the way back to St. Louis. He took part in some of the most desperate battles of the war, including Iron Mountain, Duvall's Bluff, siege of Vicksburg, Yazoo, Port Hudson, New Orleans, Morganzee Bend, the Red River expedition, Mobile Bay, Fort Morgan, Fort Blakely, and although his service was hard and dangerous he always acquitted himself as a true soldier. On July 8, 1865, he was honorably discharged, and returned to Scott county, Iowa, where he farmed until 1869, then came to Jasper county, Iowa.

On November 1, 1866, Mr. Brown was united in marriage with Sarah E. Morrison, of Orange county, New York, the daughter of Henry and Harriet (Sherman) Morrison, both natives of New York, in which state they spent their lives on a farm and there the father died, after which the mother brought her family of nine children to Wisconsin and later to Iowa, in which state she died.

Mr. Brown is one of a family of eight children, of whom three are living, Mrs. Lafayette Martin, of Creswell, Oregon; Addison F. and himself.

To Mr. and Mrs. Brown nine children have been born, three of whom are deceased; George and Charles died in infancy; Henry died on the farm east of Newton when twenty-two years old; Edward is at home; Carrie is the wife of T. J. Powers: Gertrude is at home: Kellogg, Frank, Eben and Bertram are all in South Dakota on farms.

Mrs. Brown has two brothers and a sister living at this time, Henry Morrison, of Newton; John Morrison, of Plattsville, Wisconsin; Mrs. Catherine Wallace, of Springville, Pennsylvania.

Mr. and Mrs. Brown are members of the Congregational church of Newton. He belongs to Garrett Post, Grand Army of the Republic. He has been very successful as a business man. Besides his city property, he has considerable property in South Dakota. Prior to his retirement, five years ago, he farmed near Kellogg and later near Newton. He is a Republican and has served his township as assessor, road supervisor, member of the school board and in other capacities, always discharging his duties in a very able and acceptable manner. He has served his party as committeeman and as a delegate to both county and state conventions, and he has always made his influence felt for the good of the same. Mrs. Brown is a member of the Woman's Relief Corps. She is a lady of high intelligence and culture and, like her husband, enjoys the friendship of a very wide circle of acquaintances.

WARREN A. KITCHEL.

One of the most active and successful of the young native farmers of Clear Creek township, Jasper county, is Warren A. Kitchel, and, judging from his past record, the future holds much in store for him, for he belongs to that class of men who believe in carving out their own fortunes, laying their own plans and doing their own work, never waiting for fortune to come to them or for someone else to perform their tasks.

Mr. Kitchel was born on May 8, 1880, in Clear Creek township, Jasper county, on the farm on which he still resides and there he grew to maturity and began working when but a small boy. During the winter months he attended the neighboring schools. He resided north of Collins three years. in Rhodes one year and six months and two years in Collins, the remainder of his life being spent on the home farm, which he purchased in 1910. It consists of eighty acres and lies in Clear Creek township, and on March 1, 1911, he moved thereto and he is placing it under excellent improvements and proving his ability at building up the soil.

Warren A. Kitchel is the son of Albert and Lusetta (Roberts) Kitchel, the father born in Michigan, February 9, 1837, and the mother in Ohio in 1842, and they grew up and received such education as they could in the pioneer schools of their respective communities. Immigrating to Jasper county,

Iowa, in 1853, among the early settlers, they were married here and here they worked hard to develop a farm in the new country and they are still living at Collins. There were six children in the Kitchel family, including a half sister, now deceased: Mrs. Gertrude Darling was born January 1, 1870, and is living in Rhodes, Iowa; Mrs. Laura Jackson, born March 8, 1872, is living in Forest City, Iowa; Ed was born April 8, 1875, and is living in Collins. township, Story county; Mrs. Kate Stevens, born March 27, 1877, is living near Pratt, Iowa; Warren A., of this sketch, is the youngest. They were all reared in Clear Creek township, and here attended the common schools.

The father, Albert Kitchel, was a soldier in the Union army, having enlisted from Minnesota,

Warren A. Kitchel was married on February 11, 1903, to Ella Graef, who was born in Newton, Iowa, January 15, 1879, and she was reared in Story county. She is the daughter of Hugh and Sarah (Walker) Graef, the father born in Germany, from which country he emigrated to the United States, located in Story county, Iowa, and died there on February 7, 1910. The mother, who was born in Ohio, is living in Collins, Iowa. One brother, Fred Graef, who was born in Story county in September, 1868, is living near Riceville, Iowa.

Politically, Mr. Kitchel is a Republican and he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America of Collins. Mrs. Kitchel belongs to the Christian church at Collins.

MRS. BRUCE CARSON.

Mrs. Bruce Carson, whose maiden name was Murdock, was born in Scotland in 1869, coming with her parents to America when one year old. She is the daughter of Archibald and Margaret Murdock, who were born in Scotland, and is the widow of the late Robert Carson, who died in October, 1908.

Mrs. Carson has two brothers and one sister, all of whom reside in Jasper county. They are James Murdock, William Murdock and Mrs. Claude Carrier, all of them prominent and well-known people of the county. Mrs. Carson is an energetic and capable woman and, with the assistance of her step-children, successfully manages and operates the large farm upon which she resides. The husband of the subject of this sketch was also born in Scotland, coming to this country twenty-five years prior to this date. Upon his arrival he engaged in mining, which occupation he followed more or less.

until he died, operating a mine upon his home farm, which since his demise his widow now controls.

Mr. Carson was a prominent man in his county, being a member of the First Presbyterian church at Newton, the county seat of the county, and being affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and that of the Woodmen of the World at the time of his death. In politics he was a Democrat, but often voted independently.

The subject of this sketch has no children of her own, but is a good mother to the three children of the former wife of Mr. Carson. The children are, respectively, Ellen Carson, aged twenty-two; Mary Carson, aged nineteen, and Archie Carson, aged eighteen, who all reside with their mother upon the home farm, which consists of one hundred and sixty acres of as good land as the county affords. Mrs. Carson's home is one of the best in Palo Alto township.

HON. HERBERT K. SKINNER.

It is the progressive, wide-awake man of affairs who makes the real history of a community, and his influence as a potential factor of the body politic is difficult to estimate. The examples such men furnish of patient purpose and steadfast integrity strongly illustrate what is in the power of each to accomplish, and there is always a full measure of satisfaction in adverting even in a casual way to their achievements in advancing the interests of their fellow men and in giving strength and solidity to the institutions which tell so much for the prosperity of the community. In every life of honor and usefulness there is no dearth of incident and yet in summing up the career of any man the biographer needs touch only those salient points which give the keynote to his character. Thus in setting forth the life record of Hon. Herbert K. Skinner, sufficient will be said to show what all who know him will freely acquiesce in, that he is one of the enterprising and progressive citizens and representative men of Iowa, at present the able and popular representative from Jasper county in the state Legislature. Such a life as his is an inspiration to others who are less courageous and more prone to give up the fight when obstacles thwart their way, or their ideals have been reached or definite success has been obtained in any chosen field. In the life history of Mr. Skinner are found evidences of a peculiar characteristic that always makes for achievement-persistency coupled with fortitude and lofty traitsand as the result of such a life he has long been one of the best known, most influential and highly esteemed citizens of this locality.