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from Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa by Manoah Hedge The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1906
Filmore Garner, who is engaged in the implement business in New Sharon, where he is also dealing in hardware, windmills, wagons, buggies, mowers, binders and corn planters, possesses a spirit of enterprise and determination that has led to success in his commercial as well as agricultural ventures. He was born near Grafton, West Virginia, on the 16th of October, 1856, a son of John and Nancy (Fortney) Garner, who were also natives of that place. In 1857 the father removed with his family to Bloomfield, Iowa, where he lived until 1863, when he came to Mahaska county. here purchasing eighty acres of land in Prairie township. He then turned his attention to farming, which, in fact, was his life work, and in which pursuit he won a very gratifying meastiie of success. He resided upon his farm continuously until his death, which occurred about twenty years ago, when he was sixty-five years of age. His wife survived him and died at Rose Hill, Mahaska county, at the age of seventy-seven years. In their family were six chilclren, of whom Filmore is the youngest, the others being: Priscilla, the deceased wife of John Miller, a resident of Jasper county, Iowa; Isaac, a shipper of live stock in New Sharon; Samuel, who is living in Nebraska; Mollie, now Mrs. Billick, living near Oskaloosa, Iowa; and Eliza, who died at the age of sixteen years. Filmore Garner made his home with his parems until the time of his marriage and during that period attended the public schools, acquiring a fair English education. He was only a few months old when brought by his father to Iowa and here he was reared to farm life. At the age of twenty-nine years he was married in 1885 to Miss Eliza Higgason, who was born in Illinois, but lived in Mahaska county since 1875. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Garner have been born seven children and the family circle yet remains unbroken. These are Homer, Lena, Harry, Ray, Ernest, Lillie and Gale, all at home with their parents. At the time of his marriage Mr. Garner began farming on his own account and for seventeen years was a successful stock-feeder, annually feeding a large number of stock, for which he found a ready sale on the market. He was practical in all that he did and his fields were richly cultivated. He carried on farming until about five years ago, when, in 1901, he came to New Sharon and purchased an interest in an implement business, becoming a partner of his cousin, J. A. Garner, who had been conducting the business for three years. This association. was maintained for two years, at the end of which time Filmore Garner purchased his cousin's interest and has since been alone. He now handles farm implements, heavy hardware, windmills, wagons, buggies, mowers, binders and corn planters, and he does a business amounting to about twenty thousand dollars per year, which is double the amount of business that was transacted when he became a partner in the firm four years ago. He is a very energetic man, alert and enterprising, accomplishing all that he undertakes and through his well directed labors he has built up an extensive trade. In his business methods he is strictly reliable and his earnest desire to please his patrons combined with his indefatigable energy constitutes the secret of his success. He has always been a believer in the principles of the republican party and votes with that organization on national questions but at local elections he frequently casts an independent ballot. He affiliates with no fraternal organization although he is not opposed to them but his business interests make heavy demands upon his time and attention and he has put forth every effort in his power to provide a comfortable living for his family and to lay up for them a goodly estate.
Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa
Mahaska County, Iowa Genealogy