10, 1881, died October 9, 1881. These children were reared in this county and educated in the local schools.

Politically, Mr. Campbell is a Democrat and has been more or less active in public affairs. He has been a member of the board of trustees and school director.

JOHN W. SOUTHERN.

One of the business men of Clear Creek township. Jasper county, who has been content to spend his life in his native community is John W. Southern, at present conducting a restaurant at Collins, but most of his life has been spent in connection with agricultural pursuits. Here he was born on December 29, 1874, and here he grew to manhood and was educated. After engaging in railroad work for some time he returned to the farm, where he remained until November 21, 1908, when he, with his family, began the restaurant business in which they have met with a large measure of success all along the line. He owns a good stock and modern restaurant fixtures, and his place has become popular with the local and traveling public.

Mr. Southern is the son of David H. and Melissa C. (Penquite) Southern, the father born in Logan county, Illinois, January 23. 1849, and the mother was born in Ohio, April 29, 1852. They are both living on the old homestead in Clear Creek township. The Southern family was among the earliest arrivals in Jasper county, having come here in the fall of 1853 and in the spring of 1854 they moved to Clear Creek township. The subject's paternal grandfather was born in Virginia, the Southern family having been one of the first of the Old Dominion.

Seven children were born to David H. Southern and wife, all of whom are living, named as follows: John W., of this review, being the eldest; Mrs. Eva Tilton, of Collins; Mrs. Bertha Osborne; Mrs. Jessie Atwood; Harvey E., who lives at Collins; Mary is living at home; Mrs. Lena Renfelt is a resident of Galva, Iowa.

John W. Southern was united in the bonds of marriage to Ida Oswalt, who was born in Clear Creek township, this county, September 17, 1876, and here she grew to womanhood and was educated. She is the daughter of Edward and Martha Jane (Tripp) Oswalt, the father born in Stark county, Ohio, July 28, 1835. and the mother in Lee county, Iowa, June 21. 1841 the latter's death occurred in Collins, Iowa, February 2, 1903. Edward Oswalt spent his early youth in his native state, coming to Des

Moines, Iowa, in 1846, thence to Clear Creek township, Jasper county, in 1847, thus making him one of the earliest settlers in this locality. He conducted the Oswalt mill on Indian creek for eighteen years. He is making his residence at Collins at this writing. Mrs. Southern's paternal grandmother, Rachael Grimes, was a sister of one of Iowa's earliest governors. There were eight children in the Oswalt family, seven of whom are living, namely: Jacob died in infancy; John Andrew lives in Emmet county, Iowa; Mrs. Edna Dennison lives in Collins; Mrs. Robert Elzy, of Marshalltown; James lives in New Albany township, Story county, Iowa; Ida, wife of Mr. Southern of this review.

To Mr. and Mrs. Southern two sons have been born, namely: Leroy, born in Clear Creek township, this county, November 6, 1898; Edward Harold, born near Nevada, Story county, January 18, 1903. attending the public schools in Collins.

They are both

'Politically, Mr. Southern is independent, voting for the man whom he deems best qualified for the office sought. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, Crescent Camp No. 2358, of Collins, and he also holds membership in the Mystic Workers, No. 181, of that place.

WALTER O. TRAMEL.

While the life of Walter O. Tramel, one of the worthy native sons of Clear Creek township, Jasper county, has not been of an unusual character,— nothing strange or tragic about it,-nevertheless it abounds in lesson and incentive, for his record has been one of persistence, even in the face of obstacles at which others would have quailed. He has sought to be of benefit to his neighbors and the community in general, and his example has resulted in no harm to those who have come under his influence.

Mr. Tramel was born in Independence township on October 29, 1876, here grew to manhood, was educated in the common schools and has always been identified with the agricultural interests of the community, believing that better opportunities existed here in his chosen line of endeavor than elsewhere. Mr. Tramel is the son of Joseph and Cynthia (Leonard) Tramel, one of the well known old couples of this locality. The father's death occurred in Oregon in September, 1904, at the age of seventy years, and the mother died January 18, 1907. Their family consisted of four children, two sons and two daughters, namely: William lives in Independence township;

Mrs. Stella Whitehead lives in Poweshiek township, this county; Mrs. Bertha Allspaugh lives in Boulder, Colorado; and Walter O., of this sketch. For a full history of the Tramel family the reader is referred to the sketch of William Tramel on another page of this work.

Walter O. Tramel has devoted his life to general farming and stock raising, buying and shipping, and is one of the best known stock men in this locality and one of the most successful. In the spring of 1911 he moved onto the farm which he had purchased the preceding year and he has made a vast improvement in the same, rendering it one of the best farms in the community, well equipped in every respect and under a high state of cultivation, and he has a good home. In addition to caring for his farm Mr. Tramel buys and sells about two hundred car loads of live stock annually, and no small part of his income has been from this source in the past. No better judge of live stock could be found than he and he is uniformly successful. By hustling persistently and dealing honestly he has accumulated a competency, but he has never shown that parsimonious spirit exhibited by some of the successful men of today and he therefore has the respect and confidence of all who know him.

Mr. Tramel was married in March, 1903, to Lillian Long, who was born in Clear Creek township, this county, March 12, 1882, and here she was reared and educated. She is the daughter of George and Phoebe Jane (Miller) Long, the father born in Winneshiek county, Iowa, April 3, 1854, and the mother in this township, on May 24, 1857, and this union resulted in the birth of nine children, five of whom are deceased, namely: Clarence D., born May 11, 1877, lives in Independence township; Quincy, born October 27, 1879, died November 29, 1879; Pearl Hardenburgh, born in April, 1880, lives in Independence township; Lillian, wife of Mr. Tramel of this sketch; James Carl, born September 13, 1883, is assisting his father on the home farm; Stella, born June 18, 1885, died November 3, 1885; Charles, Fred and the youngest child died in infancy.

To Mr. and Mrs. Walter O. Tramel four children have been born, namely James Russell, born January 6, 1904; William Blaine, born January 6, 1905 Cynthia Marie, born June 7, 1906; Gertrude Irene, born March 6, 1910. These children were born in Independence township, this county, and they are all at home with their parents.

Politically, Mr. Tramel is a Republican and he belongs to the Yeoman lodge of Ira. He is a public spirited man and takes much interest in whatever tends to promote the interests of his community, lending his aid whenever necessary.

ELI W. BORTS.

One of the native-born citizens of Clear Creek township, Jasper county, who is deserving of special mention along with other enterprising young men who are performing well their work here, is Eli W. Borts. His birth occurred here on September 5, 1879; he grew to manhood on the home place, which he helped develop, and he has always been identified with the agricultural interests of this community. His father, Eli Borts, was born in DeKalb county, Indiana, November 29, 1845, and there he grew up and received his education in the old time schools. Although young in years when the Civil war came on, he enlisted as drummer boy in Company D, Forty-ninth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, having previously emigrated to the West to make his fortune. He enlisted at Greencastle, Poweshiek township, Jasper county, and served faithfully through the major part of the war, after which he received an honorable discharge. He married Margaret Stier, who was born in St. Joe county, Iowa, March 13, 1851, and when four years old she came with her parents in 1855 to Jasper county and is residing at present at Mingo, her husband having died in this county on March 5, 1891. Their family consisted of six children, five of whom are living, as follows: William H., born July 3, 1869, is living with his mother at Mingo; Mrs. Cora Pitcock. born October 13, 1872, died June 7, 1897; Gertie, born September 27, 1875, is living at Boone, Iowa; Rosa, born April 1, 1884, is living with her mother at Mingo.

Eli W. Borts was married on February 18, 1903, to Bertha H. Skinner, who was born in Clear Creek township, this county, May 20, 1885, and here she was reared and educated. She is the daughter of Herbert K. and Mary A. (Edwards) Skinner, one of the best known and influential families of this and adjoining counties, her father being representative from Jasper county in the state Legislature. He was born in St. Lawrence county, New York, April 2, 1849, but has spent most of his life in Iowa, having moved with his parents to Ft. Dodge in 1853 and on to Jasper county in 1860 and the family has resided here continuously to the present time. Mr. Skinner devoted twelve years of his life to teaching. He has been very successful in a business way and is the owner of some of the best land in this locality and also in Texas, over five hundred acres in all. He has been prominent in public life for many years, holding a number of local offices, finally securing a seat in the Legislature and there he is making a record of which his constituents and friends may well be proud. He married Mary B. Keyes in 1871; she was born in Benton county, Iowa, in 1848 and her death occurred in Jasper

county in 1875. Mr. Skinner was married in 1876 to Mary A. Edwards, who was born in Jasper county in 1855, the daughter of M. M. and Anne (Henderson) Edwards. To the latter union eight children were born, namely: Elsie M., Charles Herbert, Bertha H. (wife of Mr. Borts of this sketch), Mrs. Cora A. Tiffany, Arthur L., Mary Helen, Howard Otis and George M. For a full sketch of the Skinner family the reader is directed to the sketch of Hon. Herbert K. Skinner, appearing in another part of this work.

To Mr. and Mrs. Borts have been born three daughters, Reva B., born February 18, 1904. Zelma E., born February 11, 1906, and Lena Irene, born December 24, 1911. The two older girls are attending the rural schools in the home neighborhood. Politically, Mr. Borts is a Republican and he affiliates with the Congregational church. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Lodge No. 174, of Mingo.

Mr. Borts is success fully farming eighty acres of the old Skinner homestead in Clear Creek township. He has a good home, well furnished and supplied with modern literature.

OTTO HARRE.

If a list could be made of the original homes of the old settlers of this portion of Iowa it would be found that a very large number of them came to Jasper county from the German empire, or at least their ancestors did, some of them, maybe, settling in the old Keystone or Empire states or other sections of the East, and not a few in the Badger and Wolverine states of the North, and from these their descendants emigrated to this section; thus thousands of our best citizens are of this descent and blood. The German people are noted the world over for their thrift, honesty and industry, and for that reason the United States has always welcomed them to our shores.

One of the progressive farmers of Independence township, Jasper county, who belongs to the second generation of Germans in America is Otto Harre, whose birth occurred in Sheboygan county, Wisconsin, December 2, 1870. He is the son of Fred and Wilhelmina (Meierkort) Harre, both natives of Lippe-Detmold, Germany, the father on June 4, 1830, and the mother on October 3, 1848. There they spent their childhood, and emigrated to America in early life, locating in Wisconsin, from which state they came to Jasper county, Iowa, when their son Otto, of this sketch, was quite young. Here they established a good home through their untiring industry and honesty,