J. Maurice Travillian served as Director of the Marshalltown Public Library from 1964 to 1970 when he became Assistant State Librarian at the State Library. Maurice initiated the first Iowa Governor’s Conference on Libraries and formulated a five…
Ernestine Grafton was born in Hubbard City, Texas on Jan. 17, 1913, the daughter of Louis D. Grafton and Connie Newton. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity University, Waxahachie, Texas in 1933, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Library…
Israel Kister was born in York County, Pennsylvania on Feb. 4,1810. His parents moved to Wooster County, Ohio when he was fifteen and that is where Israel received his education. Kister moved to Van Buren County, Iowa in 1839 with his wife Susan,…
Martin Luther Morris was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania on Jan. 20, 1816. He married Sarah Jane Wood in Uniontown, Pennsylvania on Jan 22, 1838. They had nine children: William W., Priscilla L., Martha A., William C., Emma D., Martin L., Ella…
Charles Weston was born in Washington County, New York in May of 1811. His father was Judge Roswell Weston, of the Court of Common Pleas. Charles graduated from Renssalaer Institute and practiced law with his father. He then came west, arriving in…
Samuel Morgan Reno was born in Mercer County Pennsylvania on July 19, 1816, the son of Charles Reno and Frances Laughlin. Morgan moved to Iowa in 1839 and married Margaret A. Hammer on Feb. 23, 1843. They had two children: Charles M. and Flora. …
Claudya Burkett was born in Bavaria, Germany on Sept. 14, 1946 while her father was stationed there in the military. Her parents were Ralph Leon Burkett and Elfiede Katherine Hilpert. Claudya came to the United States in 1952 and married William…
John Joseph Montag II was born in Omaha, Nebraska on Jan. 8, 1948, the son of John Joseph Montag and Ruth Helen Johnston. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and English from Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Nebraska and his…
William L Harding, 21st governor of Iowa, was born on October 3, 1877 in Sibley, Iowa. He was educated at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, and the University of South Dakota Law School. In 1907, Harding married Carrie Lamoreux and began the…
John H Gear, Iowa's eleventh Governor was born in Ithaca, New York, the son of Ezekiel Gilbert Gear, a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal church, and Miranda (Cook) Gear. He attended common schools in Ithaca until age 12, when his family moved to…
