The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-10-05
M., .
T. w. Ballew.

T. w. Ballew of this city, the
big lumber dealer and merchant
died in hospital at Excelsior
Springs, Mo-, shortly after noon, sur
rounded by the members of his fam
lily. The body was brought to this
city Tuesday evening. Funeral SER
vices were held at his residence on
South Broadway, Wednesday after
noon, and large concourse of sor-
rowing relatives and friends were
there. Interment was in the Prince
ton cemetery.
Showing their respect for Mr.. Bal
lew, the merchants Of the city closed
their stores during the funeral. All
of the managers of his lumber yards
We're here. Messrs. J. M. Hayes,
Sam Love, D. D. Waldeck, Edward
Hollster, Jacob Kyler and C. l..
Shanefelt, the oldest in his service,
acted as pail bearers
Brights disease is given as the
cause Of his death. While he had
been sufferer for some time, the
fact was not known. Some ten days
ago he became i'll and went to Excel
sior Springs. A week ago his con-
dition became alarming and it was
seen that he could not recover. Mem
bers of his family were called and
they remained with him until the
end.
Thomas w. Ballew was a native
of Mercer county. He was born on a
farm in Washington township, March
4, 1852, being SO years months and
IA days old at the time of his death.
He was son of Thomas Ballew. a
well known old resident of this
count.
His childhood was spent on the
farm and he received what education
the country school of that district af-
forded. At the age of twenty he saw
the need of higher education and
went to Columbia where he attended
the state university. After a short
stay there he came back to this coun-
ty and taught school in the country
districts. In this way he secured the
small capital with which he began
business.
Born poor boy and with few ad-
vantages, but by pluck and industry
he pushed his way unaided to the
wealth and prominence he held in
the business world. His present
great lumber business was started
with a capital of but SIS of his own
money. With this sum and a little
borrowed capital, he opened a lum-
Der yard at Eagleville, Harrison
county, in 1875. There he was very
successful, but seeing the need of a
larger field, a few months later he
came to Princeton and opened a
yard, having as competitors Henry
Cadle and w. B. Ballew, his uncle.
Here he prospered. His business
grew, his stock enlarged, and later,
the profits were invested in other
yards.
At the time of his death he was
the owner of twelve lumber yards.
They are located at Princeton, Spick-
ard, Trenton, Gallatin, Plattsburg,
Marshall, Maitland and Jamesport,
Missouri, and Leon, Seymour, and
Bloomfield, Iowa. He established
:, the Monarch store here in 1894. He
Owls many acres of land in this
county is a stakeholder in the Farm
yrs Bank and is Interested in many
sother enterprises. He Incorporated
his lumber business few years ago
with the following officers: +. W.
Ballew, president; ]. NJ. Hayes, vice
president; l.. J. Stormfeltz, secretary
and treasurer; D. D. Waldeck, gen
eral purchasing agent.
Mr.. Ballew lived in Princeton from
1876 to 1887, when he removed to
Muscatine, Iowa, to be better able to
manage his business. After short
time there he went to Chicago, and
in 1896 came back to Princeton,
This was headquarters for his big
business until about a year ago when
he moved to Kansas City and opened
a general office. Most of his time,
however, since then, he has spent in
Princeton, where his biggest inter-
ests are.
Since boyhood, Mr.. Ballew has
been strictly business man. He