Matt Farley
Good Evening Folks,
My name is Matt Farley. The Farleys were very early settlers
in Warren County. We came from Virginia by way of Indiana
and found our slice of Iowa in what later became Palmyra
Township. In fact, James Farley was the first person to
register land in Union Township, Section 6, just South of
Palmyra in 1845. I was born in 1847, the oldest of 11 children
born to Thomas and Lucinda Farley. My parents were farmers.
At 15 I enlisted in the Iowa 15th Infantry and proudly served
our country in the War between the States. After the war I
married my childhood sweetheart, Elizabeth Jane Ellison.
Farming was not for me. I became a potter. Have you ever
heard of Farley Pottery? It’s well known among Iowa Pottery
Collectors. I had a thriving business on the corner of 2nd and
Elm in Carlisle beside a nice little stream. I obtained my clay
from a pit South of Middle River. It was hauled into town using
teams and wagons. I made crocks, jars, jugs and churns
using both wood and coal to fire my kiln. Elizabeth and I had
10 children. All of them lived to adulthood and most married
into Carlisle families. Many of my descendants still live here
today and grew up sledding down Farley’s hill just 2 blocks
South of where the Randleman House stands today. I died
October 4th 1891 and this is my grave.
William Lucas McKissick
I am William Lucas McKissick. I was a very important and
wealthy businessman here in Central Iowa. I was born August
27th, 1853 in Pennsylvania of Scotch-Irish ancestry. We
moved to Iowa when I was 11. By 1878 I was married to my
wife Mary and living in Van Meter, Iowa. I was the owner and
founder of Dallas County Brick & Tile Works. My business
supplied brick to the growing towns of Van Meter and De Soto.
At this count there are a total of 21 buildings in the city of Adel
built with McKissick brick! In 1904 I sold that business and
opened Adel Brick & Tile which manufactured brick, drain tile
and hollow building blocks. My wife, being herself from
Warren County suggested expanding to include the Carlisle
Brick and Tile plant under the leadership of my son-in-law
Ward W. Mitchell. We built him a fine brick residence on the
NE corner of 1st and Market that still stands today as well as
several other fine brick homes on the North side of Market
Street in Carlisle. A McKissick brick home was a sign of
prosperity and security. Even the current Methodist Church is
built from my brick!
After my retirement we came to live in this friendly little town
with my daughter Gertrude. I was a gentleman of
considerable worth, well informed on the questions of day
and in touch with the trend of current thought and modern
progress.
My personal motto is “There is no excellence without labor”!
In 1920, after the turmoil of the great war had subsided, my
wife and I embarked on a world cruise. We sailed on the SS
Empress from Canada to the Netherlands, Japan, Egypt,
France, India, Italy, the Holy Lands and we even visited the
Java Islands. I died in 1922 and I am buried here in this
cemetery surrounded by my devoted family. Many of my
descendants still reside in the area today. (Including the
McCaughey septuplets)
Everett Jennings Powers
Hello,
I am Everett Jennings Powers, son of George Albia Powers
and Martha Christina Anna Albertson. I was born in Warren
County, Iowa 1897 and I died at the age of 21 in Peronne,
France. How did I get so far from home? It’s a familiar story.
In April of 1917 President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress
for a declaration of war with Imperial Germany. In May they
passed the Selective Service Ac. Not long after I joined of the
United States Army, Company A , 168th. Leaving home was
quite an adventure and I wrote to my family nearly every day.
The conditions were horrific and the fighting fierce. I was
gassed in the trenches near Peronne, France. I lingered in a
French hospital for a few days and succumbed to my injuries
on the 29th of May, 1918. I was one of the thousands of
American soldiers who were buried by the French in that
horrible war. However, I was not to spend my eternal rest in a
foreign land. Not if my family could help it. My body was
exhumed and I was returned to the place of my birth with great
pomp and circumstance. The entire town met me at the train
station and accompanied my flag draped remains to the
Legion Hall here in Carlisle. Recently created, the Legion even
used part of my name in remembrance. There were 5 of us
from Carlisle who died in the war. I was the first. Our Carlisle
Legion uses our initials in their official name. Carlisle PMCKS
Unit #391. P for Powers, M for Marsh, C for Conklin K for
Killen and S for Snelson. I was also given the special honor of
having a highway named for me! Yes, the road that leads
from Des Moines through Carlisle, Pleasantville and all the
way to Knoxville was once named the Everett Powers
Highway! White poles marked the way with the initials E P!
Imagine that! I was reburied in this beautiful shady cemetery,
close to my family; in the country I gave my life for. Please
don’t forget that we lived and loved and died.
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