Hooker Township

Hooker Township

Is situated in the northwest corner of the county. It adjoins Ionia and New Castle on the east. Daily on the south, Cedar county on the west, and the Missouri river bounds it on the north. It contains about fifty square miles. Hooker has now no village, and though the ancient villages of Concord- Dixon-North-Bend were once prominent on the map of the town, they have not been in existence for nearly thirty-five years. The face of the country in Hooker is somewhat rough, but the soil is excellent and along the river timber is abundant. Stock raising was for many years a leading enterprise, but as the population increased, the stock business has given place to general farming.

A. N. Gran and S. X. (J ran and their father Nels H. (Iran came from Norway. A. N. ({ran in '68, and S. N. (Iran and their father in '70. and located on homesteads in Hooker in 1871. A. N. Gran and his brother now occupy the same claims first taken by them: their father lived on his until his death in 1889. Both the brothers are successful and enterprising men and have large farms which are well improved and profitably worked. A. N. has 250 and S. N. 240 acres. The former has a wife and four children living and the latter has a wife but no children. Both are prominent in township affairs, and A. N. Gran has been Hooker's member of the board of supervisors several years, his term ending in October, 1895, on the reorganization under the new law. His portrait will be seen with the rest of the board on another page.

John Maskell, an excellent citizen and fanner, settled in. Hooker in 1856, and resided there until he removed to Vermillion. S. !>.. in L894. During his long residence in that township he has been successful in business and has seen the hardships of frontier life give place to the comforts and independence of the present. His farm is now occupied by his son Andrew Maskell.

II. Weidenfeldt, from Wisconsin in 1870. Homesteaded 1(')() acres and still occupies it. In addition to cultivating and improving his farm, he has been largely engaged in the stock business. His family consists of himself, wife and twelve sons and daughters.

H. Tarsony took a homestead in Hooker over twenty-five years ago. Now has about a section of land and tine improvements. Has been mainly engaged in stock raising.

O. Iv. Anderson, an early settler was successfully engaged in farming and stock raising until five years ago. since which time he had been in the western part of the state. His family still occupy the farm in Hooker. Has four sons and two daughters.

Mons Nelson, farmer and stock raiser since he located there in the fall of 1856 up to 1880, when the Missouri river cut across North Bend and swept out his farm. In 1880 he removed to South Dakota, and now lives in Gayville, in that state.

Charles Brookey lives near the Missouri river, and is well fixed. He came there at an early day with his father, John Brookey, who was one of the county commissioners in 1865.

dames G. Bailey and sons came to Hooker more than twenty-five years ago. He was a prominent and influential citizen up to his death four years ago. His sons. John, William, James and S. D. Bailey, are successful men in business and all reside in Hooker, except James, who lives on his farm in New Castle township.

liable lands. They came to Daily township from Florence, Nebraska, in 1871, and afterwards removed to Hooker and bought the farm of McCleary at Lime Grove, where Nelson is postmaster and has a general store.