My Genealogy Hound

E. G. Mounts, living on section 13, Grant township, has cultivated his present farm since 1894 and has been a resident of the county since February, 1881. He was born in Davis county, Iowa, July 5, 1870, and is a son of J. A. Mounts, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this work. The first ten years of his life were spent in the county of his nativity and he came to Union county in 1880 with his parents and their five children, of whom he is the eldest. No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for him in his boyhood and youth. He worked in the fields when not busy with his text-books and after he had acquired a good common-school education he attended the Afton Business College. He rendered his father valuable assistance in carrying on the home farm up to the time of his marriage and the training he had received in the work of tilling the soil and caring for the crops well qualified him for the management of a farm of his own.

On the 16th of March, 1893, Mr. Mounts was united in marriage to Miss Mary Blakely, a native of Union county, Iowa, and a daughter of Joseph H. Blakely, a resident farmer of Grant township. The young couple began their domestic life upon a rented farm which Mr. Mounts cultivated for a year. His earnings then enabled him.to become the possessor of property and his first investment brought him eighty acres on section 13, Grant township. Ambitious, however, to own more extensive property interests, he added to this as opportunity presented, purchasing an additional tract of eighty acres and later fifty-five acres, so that he now has two hundred and fifteen acres in the home place. This constitutes a valuable and well improved property, indicating in its splendid appearance the careful supervision, practical methods and progressive ideas of the owner. This farm is the tangible proof of his life of well directed thrift and industry. His home is a comfortable two-story residence, which he has erected. He has also a tenant house upon his place and two sets of buildings. Well kept fences divide the farm into fields of convenient size and he has two hundred acres of his land under cultivation. In addition to tilling the soil he raises Norman Percheron horses and some driving horses, also shorthorn cattle and Duroc hogs of high grades, feeding about a carload of hogs annually. He likewise engages to some extent in the dairy business and his varied interests are bringing him well merited success.

Mr. and Mrs. Mounts have become the parents of four children, Victor C., Lee B., Fred E. and Rex. Hugh. The parents are members of the Evangelical church of Grant township, in the work of which they are deeply and helpfully interested. Mr. Mounts is serving as one of the officers of the church and both he and his wife are able teachers in the Sunday school. Mr. Mounts belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Shannon City. The cause of education finds in him a stalwart and faithful friend, who has done effective service as school director, while for the past eight years he has been school treasurer. His political allegiance has been given to the democracy since age conferred upon him the right of franchise and he has frequently been a delegate to the conventions of his party. His residence is within a mile of Arispe and the home is noted for its cordial and warm hearted hospitality. Mr. and Mrs. Mounts are people of genial manner and their friends are legion. He has applied himself closely to his life work with the result that he is today the owner of one of the best farms of the county, which he has gradually developed and which is supplied with improvements of the first class.