Laid out the original plat of Mt. Pleasant,Iowa.
Private 3rd Brig Illinois MTD Vols.
Black Hawk War
PRESLEY SAUNDERS, who is a leading merchant of Mt. Pleasant, and President of the First National Bank of that city, is now the oldest living pioneer of the county, and is the founder and sponsor of the flourishing city within whose present bounds he has made his home for more than half a century. He was born in Fleming County, Ky., in 1809, and is a son of Gunnell and Mary (Mazey) Saunders, both natives of Virginia, who emigrated to Kentucky with their parents, and were married in the latter State. They were farmers, and lived in about the same way as other pioneers in the "dark and bloody ground," and there reared a family. In 1828 they decided to follow their son Presley, who in the previous year had located at Springfield, Ill., and emigrated to that then small village. There they engaged in farming, and remained several years, when once more they followed the footsteps of their enterprising sons, and came to Mt. Pleasant, where both died. They were members of the Christian Church, and was respected by all who knew them. They were the parents of the following seven children: Jonathan R., who was a soldier in the Black Hawk War, and died at Springfield, Ill.; Nancy, wife of Amos Locke, who with her husband died in Indiana; Frances, who was the wife of David Mackey, after whose demise she married Arthur Miller, and died in this county; Presley, the subject of this sketch; George, who is a farmer near Springfield, Ill.; William, who died in this county; and Alvin, formerly a noted citizen of Mt. Pleasant, afterward Territorial Governor of Nebraska, and one of its first United States Senators after its admission as a State, and now a resident of Omaha.
Presley Saunders was reared like the majority of farmers' sons of his day, and received his education in the primitive pioneer schools of his native State. When eighteen years old he went with a brother-in-law to the latter's home in Indiana; he worked for him a while, and then went to another place in the same State, but not liking the employment, which offered no inducements to his enterprising spirit, he determined to push on still farther west, his destination being Springfield, Ill., of which he had heard glowing accounts. He had left his horse with his brother-in-law, and finding it would delay him to go back for it, he started on his 200-mile journey afoot. On getting to Springfield, he sought labor at whatever he could find to do. He mauled rails, built post and rail fences, worked at day's labor, etc. This rude labor in the open air laid the foundation of a constitution that has carried him to nearly fourscore years, and yet leaves him comparatively hale and vigorous. Among his operations while in Illinois was the purchase of a farm, which he improved and sold at an advance. In 1828 he and a Mr. Rogers took a drove of hogs to Galena, Ill., feeding them on the mast found in the woods on the way. After disposing of the drove, he hired on a flatboat for a trip to St. Louis, and being favorably impressed with the appearance of the country along the river, determined that whenever the land was opened for settlement, he would locate somewhere there. The treaty of 1832, after the defeat and capture of Black Hawk, gave this opportunity, the Indians giving up possession June 1, 1833. In the events which led to that treaty, and gave this rich Territory to the white man, Mr. Saunders was an active participant. On the breaking out of the Black Hawk War, in 1832, he enlisted in Capt. Moffet's company, and was in the fight at the Heights of Wisconsin, and at the battle of Bad Ax, and served until the capture of Black Hawk. The consequent treaty prepared the way for him to keep the resolution formed years before, and in 1834 he, with four companions, started West. His first intention was to locate near the Mississippi, but a wholesome dread of the ague, inseparable in that day from the banks of the river, drove him farther inland, and the little company kept on over the prairie until the site of Mt. Pleasant was reached. Struck with the beauty of the place, and finding water convenient, Mr. Saunders drove his stakes right there. The selection was a fortunate one for him. In February, 1835, he brought his family from Illinois, and knowing this must be near the center of the new county whenever formed, he laid out a plat for a village, which he called Mt. Pleasant, a most appropriate name. In 1836 Mr. Saunders opened a store in the new village, and there began the business life which he has followed, with strict integrity, and always successfully, for fifty-two consecutive years, making him the oldest merchant in the State, if not in the entire Northwest.
Beside the original one, Mr. Saunders laid out two additional plats to the town which he founded. The county was organized by the Territorial Legislature of Iowa in 1838, and an old law giving the county the right to a quarter section for county purposes, Mr. Saunders gave up almost half his lots in the village for court-house buildings, etc. The land not having yet been surveyed, he sold the balance of his lots to purchasers with a bond attached, guaranteeing a deed when the title was secured from the Government. From this time on the rapid and healthy growth of the embryo city was secured, and Mr. Saunders reaped the reward of his foresight. His property rapidly increased in value, and that and the legitimate gains of a carefully conducted business have made him a wealthy man, a result in which his life-long neighbors rejoice, taking a pride in the success of so justly an esteemed citizen. In 1862, desiring to enlarge his field of operations, Mr. Saunders formed a partnership with James M. Kibben, and established a private bank under the name of Saunders & Kibben. This was the forerunner of the First National Bank of Mt, Pleasant, which was organized under the National Banking Law, and of which he has been President, and a guiding spirit ever since its inception. To his sagacious and prudent management must be attributed in a large degree the success which has made it one of the soundest financial institutions in the State.
Notwithstanding his prominence in the city and county, Mr. Saunders has always refused to hold public office, but has given his attention exclusively to business matters. His duties as a citizen he has discharged in a quiet, unostentatious manner, and many are the quiet, good deeds recorded of him by those who know him best, accounting in a measure for the regard in which he is held by the people of Henry County.
Our subject has been twice married, first in Sangamon County, Ill., in 1830, to Miss Edith Cooper, who was born in Tennessee, and was a daughter of John Cooper, a native of the same State, who was one of the earliest settlers of Sangamon County. Mrs. Saunders died at Mt. Pleasant in 1836, leaving three children, of whom a daughter Mary, now a resident of Colorado, is the sole survivor. Mrs. Saunders was an estimable lady, who had the respect of the people among whom she lived; she was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The second marriage of Presley Saunders was the first within the bounds of Henry County. It was solemnized in 1837. His wife was Huldah Bowen, with whom he has now passed a happy wedded life of over half a century. Mrs. Saunders was born near Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1817, and is a daughter of Isaac and Rhoda Bowen, who were natives respectively of Maryland and Kentucky, who were married in Ohio, and removed to Mt. Pleasant, where both died. Mrs. Saunders is a member of the Christian Church, in which she is an active worker and a liberal supporter. Her long life has been one of content and happiness, and she, with her husband, shares the good-will of the people of the city where they have lived so long. Their union was blessed with four children, all now living, viz.: Smith, who is married to Emma Jenness, and is a dealer in real estate in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Alvin B. married Alice Saunders, and was a real-estate dealer at Harper, Kan., but is now managing his father's store at Mt. Pleasant; Eliza, the wife of John Bowman, and Etna, the wife of Fred Hope, all residents of Mt. Pleasant.
As an illustration of the changes which have taken place during the long residence of Mr. Saunders in Henry County, he cites the fact that he had one child born in the Territory of Michigan, one in the Territory of Wisconsin, one in the Territory of Iowa, and one in the State of Iowa, and during all the time wherein these births occurred, was living on the same quarter section, an extraordinary incident, probably without parallel.
The life of Mr. Saunders is full of encouragement to young men who have an earnest desire to succeed, and are possessed of the necessary qualifications. His capital at the start was a good constitution, temperate and frugal habits, industry, and unquestioned integrity of character, with unbounded pluck and perseverance, and but $5 in money. From these humble beginnings he has raised himself to the prominent position he has held in the community for many years, and has acquired an ample fortune, and no man in the county stands higher in the estimation of his fellowmen then does Presley Saunders, the pioneer.
For the excellent portrait of this honored citizen, which appears on an adjoining page, our readers are indebted to friends who contributed this memorial in honor of the most eminent pioneer of Henry County. That he is worthy of the leading place in this record of the best citizens of the county, will be conceded by every resident.
Excerpts from Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa
Private 3rd Brig Illinois MTD Vols.
Black Hawk War
PRESLEY SAUNDERS, who is a leading merchant of Mt. Pleasant, and President of the First National Bank of that city, is now the oldest living pioneer of the county, and is the founder and sponsor of the flourishing city within whose present bounds he has made his home for more than half a century. He was born in Fleming County, Ky., in 1809, and is a son of Gunnell and Mary (Mazey) Saunders, both natives of Virginia, who emigrated to Kentucky with their parents, and were married in the latter State. They were farmers, and lived in about the same way as other pioneers in the "dark and bloody ground," and there reared a family. In 1828 they decided to follow their son Presley, who in the previous year had located at Springfield, Ill., and emigrated to that then small village. There they engaged in farming, and remained several years, when once more they followed the footsteps of their enterprising sons, and came to Mt. Pleasant, where both died. They were members of the Christian Church, and was respected by all who knew them. They were the parents of the following seven children: Jonathan R., who was a soldier in the Black Hawk War, and died at Springfield, Ill.; Nancy, wife of Amos Locke, who with her husband died in Indiana; Frances, who was the wife of David Mackey, after whose demise she married Arthur Miller, and died in this county; Presley, the subject of this sketch; George, who is a farmer near Springfield, Ill.; William, who died in this county; and Alvin, formerly a noted citizen of Mt. Pleasant, afterward Territorial Governor of Nebraska, and one of its first United States Senators after its admission as a State, and now a resident of Omaha.
Presley Saunders was reared like the majority of farmers' sons of his day, and received his education in the primitive pioneer schools of his native State. When eighteen years old he went with a brother-in-law to the latter's home in Indiana; he worked for him a while, and then went to another place in the same State, but not liking the employment, which offered no inducements to his enterprising spirit, he determined to push on still farther west, his destination being Springfield, Ill., of which he had heard glowing accounts. He had left his horse with his brother-in-law, and finding it would delay him to go back for it, he started on his 200-mile journey afoot. On getting to Springfield, he sought labor at whatever he could find to do. He mauled rails, built post and rail fences, worked at day's labor, etc. This rude labor in the open air laid the foundation of a constitution that has carried him to nearly fourscore years, and yet leaves him comparatively hale and vigorous. Among his operations while in Illinois was the purchase of a farm, which he improved and sold at an advance. In 1828 he and a Mr. Rogers took a drove of hogs to Galena, Ill., feeding them on the mast found in the woods on the way. After disposing of the drove, he hired on a flatboat for a trip to St. Louis, and being favorably impressed with the appearance of the country along the river, determined that whenever the land was opened for settlement, he would locate somewhere there. The treaty of 1832, after the defeat and capture of Black Hawk, gave this opportunity, the Indians giving up possession June 1, 1833. In the events which led to that treaty, and gave this rich Territory to the white man, Mr. Saunders was an active participant. On the breaking out of the Black Hawk War, in 1832, he enlisted in Capt. Moffet's company, and was in the fight at the Heights of Wisconsin, and at the battle of Bad Ax, and served until the capture of Black Hawk. The consequent treaty prepared the way for him to keep the resolution formed years before, and in 1834 he, with four companions, started West. His first intention was to locate near the Mississippi, but a wholesome dread of the ague, inseparable in that day from the banks of the river, drove him farther inland, and the little company kept on over the prairie until the site of Mt. Pleasant was reached. Struck with the beauty of the place, and finding water convenient, Mr. Saunders drove his stakes right there. The selection was a fortunate one for him. In February, 1835, he brought his family from Illinois, and knowing this must be near the center of the new county whenever formed, he laid out a plat for a village, which he called Mt. Pleasant, a most appropriate name. In 1836 Mr. Saunders opened a store in the new village, and there began the business life which he has followed, with strict integrity, and always successfully, for fifty-two consecutive years, making him the oldest merchant in the State, if not in the entire Northwest.
Beside the original one, Mr. Saunders laid out two additional plats to the town which he founded. The county was organized by the Territorial Legislature of Iowa in 1838, and an old law giving the county the right to a quarter section for county purposes, Mr. Saunders gave up almost half his lots in the village for court-house buildings, etc. The land not having yet been surveyed, he sold the balance of his lots to purchasers with a bond attached, guaranteeing a deed when the title was secured from the Government. From this time on the rapid and healthy growth of the embryo city was secured, and Mr. Saunders reaped the reward of his foresight. His property rapidly increased in value, and that and the legitimate gains of a carefully conducted business have made him a wealthy man, a result in which his life-long neighbors rejoice, taking a pride in the success of so justly an esteemed citizen. In 1862, desiring to enlarge his field of operations, Mr. Saunders formed a partnership with James M. Kibben, and established a private bank under the name of Saunders & Kibben. This was the forerunner of the First National Bank of Mt, Pleasant, which was organized under the National Banking Law, and of which he has been President, and a guiding spirit ever since its inception. To his sagacious and prudent management must be attributed in a large degree the success which has made it one of the soundest financial institutions in the State.
Notwithstanding his prominence in the city and county, Mr. Saunders has always refused to hold public office, but has given his attention exclusively to business matters. His duties as a citizen he has discharged in a quiet, unostentatious manner, and many are the quiet, good deeds recorded of him by those who know him best, accounting in a measure for the regard in which he is held by the people of Henry County.
Our subject has been twice married, first in Sangamon County, Ill., in 1830, to Miss Edith Cooper, who was born in Tennessee, and was a daughter of John Cooper, a native of the same State, who was one of the earliest settlers of Sangamon County. Mrs. Saunders died at Mt. Pleasant in 1836, leaving three children, of whom a daughter Mary, now a resident of Colorado, is the sole survivor. Mrs. Saunders was an estimable lady, who had the respect of the people among whom she lived; she was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The second marriage of Presley Saunders was the first within the bounds of Henry County. It was solemnized in 1837. His wife was Huldah Bowen, with whom he has now passed a happy wedded life of over half a century. Mrs. Saunders was born near Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1817, and is a daughter of Isaac and Rhoda Bowen, who were natives respectively of Maryland and Kentucky, who were married in Ohio, and removed to Mt. Pleasant, where both died. Mrs. Saunders is a member of the Christian Church, in which she is an active worker and a liberal supporter. Her long life has been one of content and happiness, and she, with her husband, shares the good-will of the people of the city where they have lived so long. Their union was blessed with four children, all now living, viz.: Smith, who is married to Emma Jenness, and is a dealer in real estate in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Alvin B. married Alice Saunders, and was a real-estate dealer at Harper, Kan., but is now managing his father's store at Mt. Pleasant; Eliza, the wife of John Bowman, and Etna, the wife of Fred Hope, all residents of Mt. Pleasant.
As an illustration of the changes which have taken place during the long residence of Mr. Saunders in Henry County, he cites the fact that he had one child born in the Territory of Michigan, one in the Territory of Wisconsin, one in the Territory of Iowa, and one in the State of Iowa, and during all the time wherein these births occurred, was living on the same quarter section, an extraordinary incident, probably without parallel.
The life of Mr. Saunders is full of encouragement to young men who have an earnest desire to succeed, and are possessed of the necessary qualifications. His capital at the start was a good constitution, temperate and frugal habits, industry, and unquestioned integrity of character, with unbounded pluck and perseverance, and but $5 in money. From these humble beginnings he has raised himself to the prominent position he has held in the community for many years, and has acquired an ample fortune, and no man in the county stands higher in the estimation of his fellowmen then does Presley Saunders, the pioneer.
For the excellent portrait of this honored citizen, which appears on an adjoining page, our readers are indebted to friends who contributed this memorial in honor of the most eminent pioneer of Henry County. That he is worthy of the leading place in this record of the best citizens of the county, will be conceded by every resident.
Excerpts from Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa
Laid out the original plat of Mt. Pleasant,Iowa.
Private 3rd Brig Illinois MTD Vols.
Black Hawk War
PRESLEY SAUNDERS, who is a leading merchant of Mt. Pleasant, and President of the First National Bank of that city, is now the oldest living pioneer of the county, and is the founder and sponsor of the flourishing city within whose present bounds he has made his home for more than half a century. He was born in Fleming County, Ky., in 1809, and is a son of Gunnell and Mary (Mazey) Saunders, both natives of Virginia, who emigrated to Kentucky with their parents, and were married in the latter State. They were farmers, and lived in about the same way as other pioneers in the "dark and bloody ground," and there reared a family. In 1828 they decided to follow their son Presley, who in the previous year had located at Springfield, Ill., and emigrated to that then small village. There they engaged in farming, and remained several years, when once more they followed the footsteps of their enterprising sons, and came to Mt. Pleasant, where both died. They were members of the Christian Church, and was respected by all who knew them. They were the parents of the following seven children: Jonathan R., who was a soldier in the Black Hawk War, and died at Springfield, Ill.; Nancy, wife of Amos Locke, who with her husband died in Indiana; Frances, who was the wife of David Mackey, after whose demise she married Arthur Miller, and died in this county; Presley, the subject of this sketch; George, who is a farmer near Springfield, Ill.; William, who died in this county; and Alvin, formerly a noted citizen of Mt. Pleasant, afterward Territorial Governor of Nebraska, and one of its first United States Senators after its admission as a State, and now a resident of Omaha.
Presley Saunders was reared like the majority of farmers' sons of his day, and received his education in the primitive pioneer schools of his native State. When eighteen years old he went with a brother-in-law to the latter's home in Indiana; he worked for him a while, and then went to another place in the same State, but not liking the employment, which offered no inducements to his enterprising spirit, he determined to push on still farther west, his destination being Springfield, Ill., of which he had heard glowing accounts. He had left his horse with his brother-in-law, and finding it would delay him to go back for it, he started on his 200-mile journey afoot. On getting to Springfield, he sought labor at whatever he could find to do. He mauled rails, built post and rail fences, worked at day's labor, etc. This rude labor in the open air laid the foundation of a constitution that has carried him to nearly fourscore years, and yet leaves him comparatively hale and vigorous. Among his operations while in Illinois was the purchase of a farm, which he improved and sold at an advance. In 1828 he and a Mr. Rogers took a drove of hogs to Galena, Ill., feeding them on the mast found in the woods on the way. After disposing of the drove, he hired on a flatboat for a trip to St. Louis, and being favorably impressed with the appearance of the country along the river, determined that whenever the land was opened for settlement, he would locate somewhere there. The treaty of 1832, after the defeat and capture of Black Hawk, gave this opportunity, the Indians giving up possession June 1, 1833. In the events which led to that treaty, and gave this rich Territory to the white man, Mr. Saunders was an active participant. On the breaking out of the Black Hawk War, in 1832, he enlisted in Capt. Moffet's company, and was in the fight at the Heights of Wisconsin, and at the battle of Bad Ax, and served until the capture of Black Hawk. The consequent treaty prepared the way for him to keep the resolution formed years before, and in 1834 he, with four companions, started West. His first intention was to locate near the Mississippi, but a wholesome dread of the ague, inseparable in that day from the banks of the river, drove him farther inland, and the little company kept on over the prairie until the site of Mt. Pleasant was reached. Struck with the beauty of the place, and finding water convenient, Mr. Saunders drove his stakes right there. The selection was a fortunate one for him. In February, 1835, he brought his family from Illinois, and knowing this must be near the center of the new county whenever formed, he laid out a plat for a village, which he called Mt. Pleasant, a most appropriate name. In 1836 Mr. Saunders opened a store in the new village, and there began the business life which he has followed, with strict integrity, and always successfully, for fifty-two consecutive years, making him the oldest merchant in the State, if not in the entire Northwest.
Beside the original one, Mr. Saunders laid out two additional plats to the town which he founded. The county was organized by the Territorial Legislature of Iowa in 1838, and an old law giving the county the right to a quarter section for county purposes, Mr. Saunders gave up almost half his lots in the village for court-house buildings, etc. The land not having yet been surveyed, he sold the balance of his lots to purchasers with a bond attached, guaranteeing a deed when the title was secured from the Government. From this time on the rapid and healthy growth of the embryo city was secured, and Mr. Saunders reaped the reward of his foresight. His property rapidly increased in value, and that and the legitimate gains of a carefully conducted business have made him a wealthy man, a result in which his life-long neighbors rejoice, taking a pride in the success of so justly an esteemed citizen. In 1862, desiring to enlarge his field of operations, Mr. Saunders formed a partnership with James M. Kibben, and established a private bank under the name of Saunders & Kibben. This was the forerunner of the First National Bank of Mt, Pleasant, which was organized under the National Banking Law, and of which he has been President, and a guiding spirit ever since its inception. To his sagacious and prudent management must be attributed in a large degree the success which has made it one of the soundest financial institutions in the State.
Notwithstanding his prominence in the city and county, Mr. Saunders has always refused to hold public office, but has given his attention exclusively to business matters. His duties as a citizen he has discharged in a quiet, unostentatious manner, and many are the quiet, good deeds recorded of him by those who know him best, accounting in a measure for the regard in which he is held by the people of Henry County.
Our subject has been twice married, first in Sangamon County, Ill., in 1830, to Miss Edith Cooper, who was born in Tennessee, and was a daughter of John Cooper, a native of the same State, who was one of the earliest settlers of Sangamon County. Mrs. Saunders died at Mt. Pleasant in 1836, leaving three children, of whom a daughter Mary, now a resident of Colorado, is the sole survivor. Mrs. Saunders was an estimable lady, who had the respect of the people among whom she lived; she was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The second marriage of Presley Saunders was the first within the bounds of Henry County. It was solemnized in 1837. His wife was Huldah Bowen, with whom he has now passed a happy wedded life of over half a century. Mrs. Saunders was born near Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1817, and is a daughter of Isaac and Rhoda Bowen, who were natives respectively of Maryland and Kentucky, who were married in Ohio, and removed to Mt. Pleasant, where both died. Mrs. Saunders is a member of the Christian Church, in which she is an active worker and a liberal supporter. Her long life has been one of content and happiness, and she, with her husband, shares the good-will of the people of the city where they have lived so long. Their union was blessed with four children, all now living, viz.: Smith, who is married to Emma Jenness, and is a dealer in real estate in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Alvin B. married Alice Saunders, and was a real-estate dealer at Harper, Kan., but is now managing his father's store at Mt. Pleasant; Eliza, the wife of John Bowman, and Etna, the wife of Fred Hope, all residents of Mt. Pleasant.
As an illustration of the changes which have taken place during the long residence of Mr. Saunders in Henry County, he cites the fact that he had one child born in the Territory of Michigan, one in the Territory of Wisconsin, one in the Territory of Iowa, and one in the State of Iowa, and during all the time wherein these births occurred, was living on the same quarter section, an extraordinary incident, probably without parallel.
The life of Mr. Saunders is full of encouragement to young men who have an earnest desire to succeed, and are possessed of the necessary qualifications. His capital at the start was a good constitution, temperate and frugal habits, industry, and unquestioned integrity of character, with unbounded pluck and perseverance, and but $5 in money. From these humble beginnings he has raised himself to the prominent position he has held in the community for many years, and has acquired an ample fortune, and no man in the county stands higher in the estimation of his fellowmen then does Presley Saunders, the pioneer.
For the excellent portrait of this honored citizen, which appears on an adjoining page, our readers are indebted to friends who contributed this memorial in honor of the most eminent pioneer of Henry County. That he is worthy of the leading place in this record of the best citizens of the county, will be conceded by every resident.
Excerpts from Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa
Private 3rd Brig Illinois MTD Vols.
Black Hawk War
PRESLEY SAUNDERS, who is a leading merchant of Mt. Pleasant, and President of the First National Bank of that city, is now the oldest living pioneer of the county, and is the founder and sponsor of the flourishing city within whose present bounds he has made his home for more than half a century. He was born in Fleming County, Ky., in 1809, and is a son of Gunnell and Mary (Mazey) Saunders, both natives of Virginia, who emigrated to Kentucky with their parents, and were married in the latter State. They were farmers, and lived in about the same way as other pioneers in the "dark and bloody ground," and there reared a family. In 1828 they decided to follow their son Presley, who in the previous year had located at Springfield, Ill., and emigrated to that then small village. There they engaged in farming, and remained several years, when once more they followed the footsteps of their enterprising sons, and came to Mt. Pleasant, where both died. They were members of the Christian Church, and was respected by all who knew them. They were the parents of the following seven children: Jonathan R., who was a soldier in the Black Hawk War, and died at Springfield, Ill.; Nancy, wife of Amos Locke, who with her husband died in Indiana; Frances, who was the wife of David Mackey, after whose demise she married Arthur Miller, and died in this county; Presley, the subject of this sketch; George, who is a farmer near Springfield, Ill.; William, who died in this county; and Alvin, formerly a noted citizen of Mt. Pleasant, afterward Territorial Governor of Nebraska, and one of its first United States Senators after its admission as a State, and now a resident of Omaha.
Presley Saunders was reared like the majority of farmers' sons of his day, and received his education in the primitive pioneer schools of his native State. When eighteen years old he went with a brother-in-law to the latter's home in Indiana; he worked for him a while, and then went to another place in the same State, but not liking the employment, which offered no inducements to his enterprising spirit, he determined to push on still farther west, his destination being Springfield, Ill., of which he had heard glowing accounts. He had left his horse with his brother-in-law, and finding it would delay him to go back for it, he started on his 200-mile journey afoot. On getting to Springfield, he sought labor at whatever he could find to do. He mauled rails, built post and rail fences, worked at day's labor, etc. This rude labor in the open air laid the foundation of a constitution that has carried him to nearly fourscore years, and yet leaves him comparatively hale and vigorous. Among his operations while in Illinois was the purchase of a farm, which he improved and sold at an advance. In 1828 he and a Mr. Rogers took a drove of hogs to Galena, Ill., feeding them on the mast found in the woods on the way. After disposing of the drove, he hired on a flatboat for a trip to St. Louis, and being favorably impressed with the appearance of the country along the river, determined that whenever the land was opened for settlement, he would locate somewhere there. The treaty of 1832, after the defeat and capture of Black Hawk, gave this opportunity, the Indians giving up possession June 1, 1833. In the events which led to that treaty, and gave this rich Territory to the white man, Mr. Saunders was an active participant. On the breaking out of the Black Hawk War, in 1832, he enlisted in Capt. Moffet's company, and was in the fight at the Heights of Wisconsin, and at the battle of Bad Ax, and served until the capture of Black Hawk. The consequent treaty prepared the way for him to keep the resolution formed years before, and in 1834 he, with four companions, started West. His first intention was to locate near the Mississippi, but a wholesome dread of the ague, inseparable in that day from the banks of the river, drove him farther inland, and the little company kept on over the prairie until the site of Mt. Pleasant was reached. Struck with the beauty of the place, and finding water convenient, Mr. Saunders drove his stakes right there. The selection was a fortunate one for him. In February, 1835, he brought his family from Illinois, and knowing this must be near the center of the new county whenever formed, he laid out a plat for a village, which he called Mt. Pleasant, a most appropriate name. In 1836 Mr. Saunders opened a store in the new village, and there began the business life which he has followed, with strict integrity, and always successfully, for fifty-two consecutive years, making him the oldest merchant in the State, if not in the entire Northwest.
Beside the original one, Mr. Saunders laid out two additional plats to the town which he founded. The county was organized by the Territorial Legislature of Iowa in 1838, and an old law giving the county the right to a quarter section for county purposes, Mr. Saunders gave up almost half his lots in the village for court-house buildings, etc. The land not having yet been surveyed, he sold the balance of his lots to purchasers with a bond attached, guaranteeing a deed when the title was secured from the Government. From this time on the rapid and healthy growth of the embryo city was secured, and Mr. Saunders reaped the reward of his foresight. His property rapidly increased in value, and that and the legitimate gains of a carefully conducted business have made him a wealthy man, a result in which his life-long neighbors rejoice, taking a pride in the success of so justly an esteemed citizen. In 1862, desiring to enlarge his field of operations, Mr. Saunders formed a partnership with James M. Kibben, and established a private bank under the name of Saunders & Kibben. This was the forerunner of the First National Bank of Mt, Pleasant, which was organized under the National Banking Law, and of which he has been President, and a guiding spirit ever since its inception. To his sagacious and prudent management must be attributed in a large degree the success which has made it one of the soundest financial institutions in the State.
Notwithstanding his prominence in the city and county, Mr. Saunders has always refused to hold public office, but has given his attention exclusively to business matters. His duties as a citizen he has discharged in a quiet, unostentatious manner, and many are the quiet, good deeds recorded of him by those who know him best, accounting in a measure for the regard in which he is held by the people of Henry County.
Our subject has been twice married, first in Sangamon County, Ill., in 1830, to Miss Edith Cooper, who was born in Tennessee, and was a daughter of John Cooper, a native of the same State, who was one of the earliest settlers of Sangamon County. Mrs. Saunders died at Mt. Pleasant in 1836, leaving three children, of whom a daughter Mary, now a resident of Colorado, is the sole survivor. Mrs. Saunders was an estimable lady, who had the respect of the people among whom she lived; she was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The second marriage of Presley Saunders was the first within the bounds of Henry County. It was solemnized in 1837. His wife was Huldah Bowen, with whom he has now passed a happy wedded life of over half a century. Mrs. Saunders was born near Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1817, and is a daughter of Isaac and Rhoda Bowen, who were natives respectively of Maryland and Kentucky, who were married in Ohio, and removed to Mt. Pleasant, where both died. Mrs. Saunders is a member of the Christian Church, in which she is an active worker and a liberal supporter. Her long life has been one of content and happiness, and she, with her husband, shares the good-will of the people of the city where they have lived so long. Their union was blessed with four children, all now living, viz.: Smith, who is married to Emma Jenness, and is a dealer in real estate in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Alvin B. married Alice Saunders, and was a real-estate dealer at Harper, Kan., but is now managing his father's store at Mt. Pleasant; Eliza, the wife of John Bowman, and Etna, the wife of Fred Hope, all residents of Mt. Pleasant.
As an illustration of the changes which have taken place during the long residence of Mr. Saunders in Henry County, he cites the fact that he had one child born in the Territory of Michigan, one in the Territory of Wisconsin, one in the Territory of Iowa, and one in the State of Iowa, and during all the time wherein these births occurred, was living on the same quarter section, an extraordinary incident, probably without parallel.
The life of Mr. Saunders is full of encouragement to young men who have an earnest desire to succeed, and are possessed of the necessary qualifications. His capital at the start was a good constitution, temperate and frugal habits, industry, and unquestioned integrity of character, with unbounded pluck and perseverance, and but $5 in money. From these humble beginnings he has raised himself to the prominent position he has held in the community for many years, and has acquired an ample fortune, and no man in the county stands higher in the estimation of his fellowmen then does Presley Saunders, the pioneer.
For the excellent portrait of this honored citizen, which appears on an adjoining page, our readers are indebted to friends who contributed this memorial in honor of the most eminent pioneer of Henry County. That he is worthy of the leading place in this record of the best citizens of the county, will be conceded by every resident.
Excerpts from Portrait and Biographical Album, Henry County, Iowa
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