Fred W. Smock, organizer and cashier of the Sargeant State Bank, was born in Benton county, Iowa, near the village of Vinton, March 6, 1874, son of C. and Viola (Webster) Smock, who located in Iowa in 1865 and now live on a fine farm of 320 acres at Riceville, Iowa. Fred W. received his education in the public schools of Iowa, and engaged in farming at home until twenty-five years of age. Then he secured a position with the Farmers' and Merchants' Bank, of Riceville, Iowa, as bookkeeper.

This position he faithfully filled until July, 1906, when he came to Sargeant and purchased the private bank of Schoonmaker & Blethen, which he at once organized into a state bank, becoming its first cashier. The bank has prospered, and is well equipped for business, one of the latest improvements being a burglar-proof vault safe. Aside from the banking business, Mr. Smock carries on an extensive business in insurance, real estate and loans. In 1908 the present brick bank building was erected.

Mr. Smock has been treasurer of the village four years and is still serving in that capacity. He is much interested in his village and the surrounding country, and is doing all that he can to promote the prosperity of the community.

The subject of this sketch is a high degree Mason, a member of the M. W. A., an attendant of the Congregational church and a Republican in politics. He was married August 29, 1900, to Addie N. Norton, of Charles City, Iowa, and they have one son, Morton C., born September 22, 1903.

Lucius F. Snyder, the efficient and accommodating mail carrier of rural route No. 1 out of Austin, was born in a pioneer log house in Red Rock township, this county, May 31, 1875, son of William J. and Hannah E. (Hurd) Snyder. He received his education in the district school of his neighborhood, Bridget P. Barrett being one of the teachers, and it is worthy of note that in after years, when Mr. Snyder had become a man of prominence in the community, and was elected clerk of this district, No. 68, he hired Nellie Barrett, a sister of one of his first teachers, to take charge of the school.

At the age of seventeen he took up farming for himself and followed this occupation until 1902, when the old home farm was sold after his father's death, and then came to Austin, where for one year he conducted a livery stable, which occupation he decided he wasn't cut out for. Then he took the civil service examination, and on September 22, 1903, was appointed a carrier on the route of which he was one of the petitioners to get started, and to his present position.

Mr. Snyder is a Republican in politics, is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and belongs to the C. of H. and the M. W. A. Lodges. He has also served five years as a private in Company G, Second Regiment, M. N. G. The subject of this sketch was married January 25, 1899, to Estella Parkins, and this union has been blessed with four children: Emma E., Burdette R., Fred A., Sterling E., all at home.

On January 31 he resigned the position as rural mail carrier on Route No. 1, heretofore mentioned after serving a little over seven years, and at all times on the best of terms with all the patrons. He then engaged in the real estate business with a private office on Main Street, and is enjoying a good trade.

William J. Snyder and Hannah E. Hurd, his wife, came to Mower county in 1866, and took up a homestead of eighty acres in the Red Rock township, which they broke and improved, and followed farming until June 16, 1897, when William J. died. His widow moved to Austin and later to Albert Lea, where she still resides.

Ananias Sorenson has lived in Le Roy township for thirty-five years and has seen many changes in township, county and state. He was born in Norway, married Annie Ronningen Paulson, and brought his family in America in 1865, locating at Lansing, Iowa.

In the spring of 1871 he moved to Winneshiek county, in the same state, and in 1876 came to Mower county, where he purchased 160 acres in section 2, Le Roy township. This land he developed, erected a house thereon and followed farming until the fall of 1888, when he sold his farm to his son, Soren A., with whom he now makes his home. His wife died August 9, 1910.

Soren A. Sorenson was born in Norway, March 27, 1860, was brought to America by his parents, lived with them in Iowa, and in 1876, centennial year, came with them to Mower county. After receiving an adequate education he worked with his father until 1888, when he acquired the home place, having in the meantime purchased eighty acres in 1885. On his farm of 240 acres he now conducts general farming and has made many improvements, including a new barn built in 1897 and a new house built in 1898.

His stock consists of Poland-China hogs, Shorthorn cattle and Shropshire sheep. Mr. Sorenson has spent practically all his manhood in Le Roy, with the exception of one year from the fall of 1887 to the fall of 1888, when he was in Canton, Lincoln county, S. D.

He has taken an active part in the affairs of his neighborhood and has served continuously for twenty-two years as treasurer of school district No. 1. Aside from his farm in Le Roy he owns a 340-acre farm in Chisago county, near North Branch. The subject of this sketch was married January 23, 1891, to Miss Louisa J. Sogn, born in Lincoln county, South Dakota.

This union has resulted in ten children, of whom eight are living. They are: Alice M., a graduate of the Augustana College, at Canton, S. D., and Leonard A., Mattie 0., Sylvester R., Edna L., Helen S., Ruth C. and Enoch B.

John Sorflaten, for over nine years town chairman of Clayton has been a prominent man in the community for a long period. He is a native son of the county, born in Grand Meadow township, December 12, 1868, son of Ole and Ollie Sorflaten, who came to America from Norway in 1858, and came directly to Grand Meadow, where they purchased land and followed diversified farming the remainder of their days.

John Sorflaten was educated in the county schools and later attended the Darling Business College at Rochester, Minnesota. At the age of sixteen he started life for himself by working out by the month, in which manner he continued for five years. He afterward learned the carpenter trade and followed this vocation five years also. Then he purchased eighty acres in section 21, Clayton township. This land he has developed and improved, has erected buildings, tilled the soil and planted trees.

He carries on general farming, and raises Shorthorn cattle, Chester White hogs and Plymouth Rock chickens. In addition to the office mentioned above, he was town clerk four years and clerk of district 74 for nine years.

The subject of this sketch was married on October 28, 1895, to Minnie Huseby, a daughter of Arne Huseby, of the town of Marshall. Eight children have blessed this union, of whom Alvin Obert, Julius Melvin, Stella and Orville William are living. The three oldest are at school. The family faith is that of the Lutheran church.

Dr. Rensselaer Soule, a pioneer physician of Lansing, came to Minnesota with the intention of retiring from the practice of medicine, but found the demand for his services so great that he was obliged to yield to the solicitations of his neighbors and take up practice in this county.

He was born in Fairfield, Vt., was educated in the University of Vermont, and practiced in that state and Canada. He came to Minnesota with his family in 1865, and purchased a large tract of land in Lansing township. His wife, Susan (Richardson), died in the spring of 1880, at the age of sixty-seven years. He died the following fall at the age of seventy-seven years.

Herbert R. Soule was married to Alice Padgett, September 3, 1884. He has been engaged in various lines of business, among them farming, shipping live stock, and some real estate business. He was town clerk of Lansing for eight years.

At the present time he is committee clerk in one of the departments of the legislature, session of 1911. He belongs to the Masons, Woodmen, Court of Honor. Alice (Padgett) Soule was born near Beaver Dam, Wis., December 10, 1857. Her parents came to America from Lincolnshire, England, in the early fifties. Three of her brothers, William, John and Robert, enlisted in Wisconsin regiments, serving in the Civil war.

Alice came with an older sister (Mrs. Mann) to Moscow, Freeborn county, in 1870. She was a successful teacher in the public schools for a number of years. This union is blessed with one son, Herbert P. Soule, born August 13, 1893, and is a student in Pillsbury Academy, Owatonna. The Soule family trace their ancestry back to the Mayflower. Through the female line it is proud to claim Miles Standish as an ancestor, and through the male line, George Soule, who was one of the peerless company who took possession of "New England's rock-bound coast."

Rensselaer Soule, Jr., son of Dr. R. Soule, was born in Fairfield, Vt., March 27, 1836, came to Minnesota with his family in 1864, and settled in Lansing village, some years later moving onto a farm, southwest quarter of section 10.

His wife's maiden name was Cornelia L. Hawley, sister of L. Hawley. (See Lyman Hawley family.) There were four children: Herbert, Helen, Lillian and Bessie (wife of A. E. Beadell, Lansing, Minn.); Helen, who married F. A. Foote, died in St. Paul in 1905. Lillian died in Faribault in 1884. Rensselaer Soule, Jr., father of Herbert R., died in Lansing, March 5, 1904.

William H. Spencer, assessor of the town of LeRoy for the past seven years, clerk of school district 21 for the past twenty-one years, and an earnest advocate of progressive and intensive farming, was born on the farm where he still resides in LeRoy township, May 26, 1857, son of William B. and Elizabeth (McGee) Spencer, who were among the earliest pioneers.

He received his education in the district schools of LeRoy township, and after this engaged in farming in Otter Tail county for seven years.

In 1885 he returned to his father's farm, and worked its 196 acres for two years, after which he purchased the place. Since then he has increased his holdings to 266 acres. On this farm he has continued to live, successfully conducting general farming on an extensive scale.

He has erected a pleasant residence, and has some modern barns, in which are housed his high-bred pureblooded Hereford cattle, of which he has a most excellent herd. Aside from his property holdings, he owns stock in the First State Bank, of LeRoy. Mr. Spencer was married May 8, 1879, to Helen E. Mason, daughter of J. M. and Margaret (Blackburn) Mason.

This union has been blessed with six children: Orville, now of LeRoy township; Alma E., living at home; Lura H., now Mrs. A. C. Brooks, of Austin township; Elmer W., of LeRoy township; Marcia B., of Postville, Iowa, now Mrs. H. L. Hauck; and Elsia I., living at home. The family faith is that of the Presbyterian Church.

William B. Spencer, a member of the first elected board of county commissioners of Mower county, was born in Covington, Rhode Island, September 5, 1823. When nine years of age he was taken by his parents to Deerfield, Rensselaer county, New York. Nine years later they went to Warren county, Pennsylvania, and there William B. was married October 11, 1842, to Elizabeth A. McGee, born in Warren, November 18, 1825.

In 1855 Mr. and Mrs. Spencer started for Minnesota. At Dunkirk they, with their team, embarked on boat for Toledo, there took the cars for Chicago, and then made their way by team to Lafayette county, Wisconsin. On this journey Mr. Spencer was accompanied by his brother and sister as well as by his wife. After a rest of two months they started for Minnesota. The men were ill, and the wife and sister drove the teams. They came to the river at McGregor, pushed on to Mona, Iowa, and there Mr. Spencer left his family, and came to Mower county in search of a suitable location.

He purchased a claim in what is now section 29, LeRoy, and then returned for his family. Upon their arrival here they moved into a log cabin, and lived in this until a farm house was built in 1857. At the first election for county officers, held in 1856, William B. Spencer was elected county commissioner, and held that office during the memorable county seat contest. At the first town election he was made a member of the town board.

In October, 1861, he enlisted and assisted Captain Mooers in raising Company K, Fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, going with this company to Ft. Snelling as second lieutenant. During the winter he was taken ill, and this coupled with illness in his family caused his resignation. In 1862 he enlisted in Company M, First Minnesota Mounted Rangers, and was mustered in as first orderly sergeant, serving fourteen months with Sibley on the frontier.

Then he returned to LeRoy and farmed until 1887, when he retired and moved to LeRoy village. His wife died November 4, 1906. Mr. Spencer now lives with his daughter, Elizabeth, in Ionia, Iowa.

In the family were four children: Marcia, wife of L. W. Prosser, of LeRoy township; Henrietta, of Chicago; Elizabeth J., now wife of Dr. Deloss Hurlbert, of lonia, Iowa, and William H.

Herbert St. Ledger, manager of the Southern Minnesota Land Company, with headquarters at Austin, was born in Oakland township, Freeborn county, September 24, 1876, son of Daniel and Anna Jane (Christie) St. Ledger. He received his education in the public schools of Austin, and after school farmed with his father until 1900, when he became salesman for a clothing house in Austin. Two years later he entered into the real estate business as salesman, and in January, 1908, organized the company of which he is at present the manager.

Mr. St. Ledger is a staunch Republican, and an earnest worker in the cause of that party, being a member of the Republican county committee. He helped to organize the Modern Samaritans in Austin, and is also a member of the C. T. A. U. Mr. St. Ledger is an attendant of the Catholic Church.

Daniel St. Ledger was born in Vermont, and married Anna Jane Christie, a native of Illinois. He was engaged as a young man in managing a sawmill on a large southern plantation. Later he went to the gold fields and mined successfully in Washington Gulch, Mont., for four years. Then he came to Freeborn county and took a claim of 160 acres in Oakland township.

He built one of the first houses in that locality, hauling the lumber from Rochester. Later he added eighty acres to his land, and on his 240 acres followed farming until 1898, when he sold his farm and came to Austin, where he took up his residence.

In 1887 he came to Northfield, in this state, and died in 1889. His wife died in California, at the good old age of eighty-four.

Sam Start, a prosperous and representative citizen of Bennington township, was born in Iowa county, Wisconsin, April 23, 1870, son of John and Christina (Forthun) Start. He received a limited district school education, and at eighteen years of age started out in life for himself by purchasing 160 acres in Howard county, Iowa. After eight months he sold this place, making $800 on the transaction. He then purchased eighty acres in section 32, Bennington township, this county. To this tract he has added from time to time until he now owns 400 acres, all in Bennington township, 160 acres being in section 32 and 240 in section 29. This land is all in tillable condition, and Mr. Start has made many improvements, as well as erected many new buildings.

He now follows diversified farming, raising grain and breeding live stock. He has a fine herd of about one hundred head of Hertford cattle and a large drove of Chester White hogs. Mr. Start is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Lutheran church. He was married June 19, 1894, to Minnie Johnson, and they have four children: Lulu, Carl, Sanford and Lloyd.

John Start was born in Norway, and married Christina Forthun. They came to America and located in Iowa for a while, living there until 1878, when they took up their residence in the old town of LeRoy, where they remained a year.

Then they rented land until 1882, when they purchased eighty acres in section 29,. Bennington township, and followed general farming until John's death in 1894. His wife now lives in McIntyre, Iowa.

Charles H. Steffens, a large stock raiser of Racine township, was born in Fillmore county, this state, December 24, 1861, son of Richard and Mercy (Hammond) Steffens, natives of Canada.

The father, Richard, went to California in 1852 and engaged in the lumber business for six years. Then he returned to Canada and was there married. October 26, 1860. Subsequently he and his wife came to Fillmore county and purchased 160 acres of land. Richard Steffens died in 1883 and his wife Mercy at Spring Valley in 1907.

Charles received his education in the district schools and taught school five years, this period including one year's service in the schools of Grand Meadow. In 1884 he finished a full course in the Normal School at Winona.

Later he settled on his present farm, where he has been very prosperous. He is one of the supervisors of the town, has been treasurer of school district 34 for twenty-three years and belongs to the Grange and the M. W. A. Ile is one of the extensive farmers of the county, cultivating 465 acres, a part of which he leases.

The subject of this sketch was married, December 24, 1885, to Ella Felch, daughter of C. J. Felch, first probate judge of Mower county. This union has been blessed with eight children. Nellie M. is a student at Carlton College. Bonnie Richard graduated from the agricultural school of the University of Minnesota, and is now employed by the state drainage commission. Alice is at home. David B. is a student in the Spring Valley High School. Joseph Warren died October 20, 1895, aged one year and fourteen days. Charlotte and Raymond attend the Racine village school. The youngest of the family is Lincoln. The family faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Otto S. Stenseth, clerk of the town of Frankford, is a na tive of this county, born on the farm where he still resides, November 16, 1880, son of Sever and Gertrude Stenseth. He was reared on the home farm, received his early education in the district schools and continued farming with his father until 1902, when he rented the home farm. Since that date he has successfully conducted general farming operations.

He votes the Republican ticket, belongs to the M. W. A. and attends the Lutheran church.

Sever Stenseth was born in Norway and came to America in 1866. After living in Racine a year, he purchased forty acres in section 16, Frankford township. To this he later added sixty acres in section 15, making 100 acres in all. On this farm he and his wife Gertrude still live, although they rent the place to their son Otto S. Of their twelve children seven are living. They are: Inger, wife of Sever Kval, of Frankford township; Sarah, wife of S. E. Wilsie, of Grand Meadow; Emma, wife of Peter Weeks, of Racine village; Sever; Nels, of Grand Meadow; Otto S., of Frankford, and Sophia.

John A. Stephan, banker, merchant and postmaster of Waltham, was born at Ottawa, Waukesha county, Wisconsin, May 22, 1859, son of William and Theresa (Zimmerman) Stephan, who reared him to agricultural pursuits, in the meantime affording him the means of obtaining a good common school education.

At the age of twenty-four he became a carpenter, and worked at that trade in Wisconsin for one year, after which he came to Waltham and followed the same trade another year. Then he opened up a general store in a building which he had erected for the purpose, the first goods being sold over the counter September 26, 1885. The original building has received a number of additions, and the business has prospered.

In March, 1886, Mr. Stephan was appointed postmaster at Waltham, a position he has since filled with honor and credit. The subject of this sketch has not, however, confined his interests to his store. He owns a fine 240-acre farm in the township, is vice president of the Waltham State Bank, is interested in the telephone business, and was one of the organizers and is still a stockholder in the Waltham Co-operative Cheese Factory.

He is a Republican in politics, and at the incorporation of Waltham village was named as its first president, a position he held for several terms.

He was married October 2, 1884, to Ada Lurbey, who died in April, 1900, leaving three children: Ethel M., Gladys L. and Beulah M. Ethel MI. was born June 22, 1888, graduated from the Austin high school and is now assistant in the postoffice at Waltham and bookkeeper for her father. Gladys L. was born November 22, 1893, and now attends the Austin high school. Beulah M. was born December 26, 1897.

Mr. Stephan was married September 22, 1903, to Lillian Hayes. The family faith is that of the Episcopal Church.

William Stephan was born in Germany and married Theresa Zimmerman. They came to America about 1847, and lived in New York City a year. In 1848 they came west to Wisconsin, and located in Ottawa township, Waukesha county, and engaged in farming. William Stephan died about 1890 and his wife still lives on the old homestead at the good old age of eighty-four years.

They were the parents of eight children: William is dead; Katie is now Mrs. Gust Baach, of Blooming Prairie; John A. lives in Waltham; Lena is Mrs. Philip Kramer, of Kenyon, Minn.; Margaret is Mrs. Fred Baach, of Austin; Fred lives on the old homestead in Waukesha county, Wisconsin; Annie is Mrs. Elliott Cory, of Elkhorn, Wis., and Sarah is Mrs. Fred Seifert, of Staubville, N. D.

Stanley W. Stephenson, of Dexter, manager of one of the eighteen elevators of the LaCrosse Grain Company, of which his father, Martin Stephenson, is president and manager, was born in Brownsdale, this state, September 14, 1887. He attended the Brownsdale schools, and when sixteen years of age entered the grain business under the tutelage of his father.

Mr. Stephenson belongs to the A. F. & A. M. and to the Austin Royal Arch Chapter.

James M. Sterling was born in Pitcher, Cortland county, New York, April 3, 1824, where he lived until eleven years of age, when he moved with his parents to Lima, Livingston county, New York. After the death of his father in 1866, he bought the interest of his brothers and sisters and succeeded to the ownership and management of the home farm.

In 1853 he married Helen Eldredge, of Cincinnatus, N. Y.   Of their four children, Edward H. and Nellie G. are living and reside in Austin, a daughter, Carrie, died at the age of three months, and a son, Worthy S., died in Austin in 1890, at the age of twenty-four. Having a favorable opportunity to sell the Lima farm, in the spring of 1871, he decided to do so and shortly afterward came west. After spending the summer and winter of 1871 in Austin, he decided to locate in Mower county.

Early in the year 1872 he purchased the farm just west of the city of Austin, known for so many years afterward as the "Sterling farm." He was a thorough, practical farmer and soon made this naturally attractive place a model farm and was long looked upon as one of the best farmers in the county.

In the spring of 1896, at the age of seventy-two, wishing to retire, he sold the farm and moved into the city and built the home at 306 West Water street, where he still resides, respected by all who know him. In 1902 Mr. and Mrs. Sterling celebrated their golden wedding, and, notwithstanding his advanced age of eighty-seven, Mr. Sterling is still active, a great reader and retains his interest in current events and public affairs.

Deacon Jonathan Stewart, a pioneer, was a man universally respected and took a prominent part in advancing the cause of religion and good morals, whenever his influence could be felt. He was born in Oneida county, New York, September 9, 1816.

His father, Jonathan Stewart, Sr., was a farmer, and to this vocation Jonathan, Jr., was bred. The subject of this sketch was married, March 16, 1840, to Laura Martin, who was born in Oneida county, July 10, 1822.

In 1854 he went to Wisconsin and purchased 160 acres of government land, lived on it twelve years, then sold the place and came to Racine township, June 11, 1857, and pre-empted land in section 27. Deacon Stewart and his wife were the parents of seven children: Jonathan A., John Wesley, Latham D., Thaxter M., Eugene P., Theressa R. and Jay Emmett. Jonathan Stewart died in 1908 and his wife in 1898.

Alvah F. Stiles, druggist of Racine village, was born in Buffalo county, Wisconsin, January 26, 1862, son of William L. and Betsy E. (Hummison) Stiles, and a year later was brought by them to Mower county, where he was reared to manhood. At the age of twenty-one he started working out, and later in life went to Minneapolis and took* a course in the Minnesota Institute of Pharmacy.

After coming to Racine he entered business in partnership with A. W. Brown. This partnership was dissolved by mutual consent, and then Mr. Stiles erected a building and engaged in the drug business.

In February, 1908, the building was burned, entailing a heavy loss. However, Mr. Stiles at once rebuilt and now has a fine brick block, which serves the purpose of store and residence. The subject of this sketch has been a member of the school board for nearly twenty years. He is a Mason, and a member of the B. A. Y. and the M. W. A.

He was married April 20, 1891, to Grace E. Turner, daughter of Edward Turner, and this union has beenblessed with four children: Luella, Sylvia I., Lester, and Kenneth. William L. and Betsy E. (Hummison) Stiles were born in Vermont, lived some years in Wisconsin, and in 1863 came to Mower county and located in section 24, Pleasant Valley township. W. L. Stiles is dead and his wife is still living.

Charles F. Stillman, an Austin contractor, was born in Marquette county, Wisconsin, April 8, 1857, son of Henry and Amelia (Stebbins) Stillman. He moved with his parents to Pepin county in the same state. There he grew to manhood, and after finishing his schooling worked on a farm. Then he learned the carpenter's trade, and worked for a time in Menominee, Wis., going in 1880 to Winona, working at the same trade.

Subsequently he worked at railroading two years, then was employed a year in Minneapolis, and finally went to Northfield, Minn., where he started business as a builder and contractor and remained seven years.

In the fall of 1893 he came to Austin, and has since been engaged in contracting and building in this place, having a well equipped woodworking shop on Lansing Avenue. Mr. Stillman is an independent voter, and in 1908 was elected alderman of Austin from the first ward. He has been through the chairs of the M. W. A. and the I. O. O. F., and is also a member of the Commercial Club, of Austin.

The subject of this sketch was married October 19, 1880, to Margaret Bergmann, and to this union has been born one son, Marcus H. Stillman.

Marcus H. Stillman, son of Charles F. and Margaret (Bergmann) Stillman, was born in Northfield, Minn., September 10, 1887, and there received some of his early education, coming to Austin with his parents in 1893. Here he also attended school. He is now employed in the Government Bureau of Standards at Washington, D. C.

Ulysses L. Stillwell, an energetic real estate dealer and insurance agent of LeRoy, was born in St. Joseph county, Michigan, March 17, 1865, son of Thomas V. and Jane A. (Benedict) Stillwell. He received his education in Osage, Iowa, and then took up farming, an occupation he continued until twenty-five years of age, when he engaged in the insurance and real estate business. He came to LeRoy in 1894 and two years later opened a fire insurance and real estate, handling considerable land, and acting as representative of eight different insurance companies.

In addition to this he has written considerable life insurance for the Mutual Life Assurance Company, of New York. Mr. Stillwell is an independent voter, and affiliates with the I. C. M. A. and the I. O. O. F.

The subject of this sketch was married June 26, 1895, at LeRoy, to Myrtie Wright, and to this union six children have been born: Vier B., May 28, 1896; Inez A., October 3, 1900; Elmo L., February 17, 1904; Pearl L. and Ruby J., twins, February 3, 1906; and Carroll M., March 25, 1910.

Thomas V. Stillwell was born in New York state, November 3, 1824, and came to Ohio when very young, later going to Michigan, where he married Jane A. Benedict, and engaged in farming. He purchased timber land, which he cleared and cultivated until 1867, when he moved to Mitchell county, Iowa, and remained there until the fall of 1880, when he moved to Howard county, in the same state, and stayed until 1905, when he came to LeRoy and lived until his death, November 13, 1908. The widow is still living in LeRoy.

George A. Stillwell, restaurant keeper of Le Roy, was born in St. Joseph county, Michigan, December 23, 1857, son of T. V. Stillwell. When ten years of age he was brought by his parents to Mitchell, Mitchell county, Iowa, and there received his education and grew to manhood. When twenty-one years old he moved to Howard county, Iowa, engaging in farming until 1900, when he came to Le Roy township, purchased forty acres of land, and farmed until March, 1907, when he moved to the village of Le Roy.

In June, 1909, he opened a first-class restaurant, which he has since successfully conducted. Mr. Stillwell has served as road overseer and as a school director.

He was married March 26, 1892, to Ceola Hopkin Stillwell, born in Howard county, Iowa, November 11, 1870, daughter of Ezra and Patience (King) Hopkin. This union has been blessed with two children: Gerdy, who lives at home, and William, who died in infancy; they have one adopted son, Van Tyle Stillwell.

Mr. Stillwell votes the Republican ticket and affiliates with the M. W. A. The family attends the Baptist church.