Son of Colonel John C. Wisner and Mary Weed.
1911 Past and Present of
Hardin County, Iowa
Lyman F. Wisner
No man who has ever lived in Hardin County is entitled to a more conspicuous place in her history than the late Lyman F. Wisner, whose sudden and untimely death August 28, 1889 was not only a profound personal bereavement to hundred of friends, but a distressing public calamity as well. In a broad sense Mr. Wisner belonged to Iowa and the state has a right to claim her privilege in honoring a citizen so notable. As all men of general excellence in life deserve and command the spontaneous homage of their fellowmen, so did Mr. Wisner possess to a marked degree those attributes of character that made him a leader among men and a peer of any of his contemporaries of the great commonwealth of Iowa. Though not a native of Iowa he was really a product of the state and was a splendid type of that western spirit and thrift that has transformed a wilderness and built a modern civilization.
Mr. Wisner's life and work were a part of the growth and development of Hardin county and so intimately intermingled with its rise and progress that to place emphasis upon this or that particular achievement were merely random acknowledgment of a career singularly fruitful of just and honorable deeds. He was one of those solid men of brains and substance who constitute the creative capacity of a community. He was essentially a business man, trained in that fine old school where the highest integrity, implacable justice and ragged honesty are the prerequisites of success. But behind the man of business was a devoted husband and father, helpful neighbor and loyal friend.
Mr. Wisner was born in Orange County, New York July 1, 1832. He was reared on the parental farm and early acquired habits of industry and learned by precept and example those plain and sturdy virtues that characterized the pioneers. Early in life he started out for himself and soon found employment with a large mercantile establishment in New York where he received his methodical business training. He came to Hardin County in 1856, a poor young man. He located at Iowa Falls and for some time drove a peddling wagon about the country. Getting a little start in life he engaged in the mercantile business at Iowa Falls and for several years was a member of the well known firm of Wisner & Sayre. While a member of this firm he got to dealing some in real estate and soon sold out to engage in the real estate and loan business. During the War Mr. Wisner spent some time in the South and one time by a Rebel raid lost every dollar he had in the world and had contracted debts amounting to fifteen thousand dollars. He did not lose his head, however, but applied himself more closely to business than ever. At the close of the War he returned to Hardin County, having repaid every dollar he owed and had accumulated a few thousand dollars as a nest egg. He then engaged in the banking and real estate business at Iowa Falls, which he followed until 1875, when he removed to Eldora, which was afterwards his home, though he had more business interests at Iowa Falls for which place he always had a strong affection.
Mr. Wisner was married December 11, 1858, to Julia A. Hatch and to them was born one son, George H., who died January 11, 1893 and who is mentioned at length elsewhere in this volume. There was a strong attachment between father and son.
Mr. Wisner met death in a tragic manner, being killed by the accidental discharge of a gun while hunting with his son George on August 28, 1889. At the time of his death Mr. Wisner was President of the Hardin County Bank and was interested in numerous business enterprises, besides being the possessor of large landed estates.
Possessed of the strictest business integrity and honor Mr. Wisner had acquired a reputation for square dealing possessed by few men. With him his word was as good as his bond, and he would often put himself to great inconvenience to keep an engagement. Although he sold thousands of acres of land to poor men on time and loaned them money to make needed improvements he was never known to oppress his debtors and the right of foreclosure was only used as a last resort. His life was a model of honor and probity. While he was devoted to his business he found much time to enjoy life and the company of his friends. He gave away probably more money than any man living in Hardin County and expended thousands of dollars for the improvement of Eldora and Iowa Falls. His gift and subscription to the Chicago, Iowa & Dakota railroad alone would make a man rich.
Mr. Wisner long enjoyed being the wealthiest man in Iowa and this great wealth, controlled as it was by him made him a benefactor of his kind. He was not a man of pretense. He never courted favor and disliked ostentation. Others have made more display, but this quiet, unassuming man was more sincerely mourned and sorely missed than any other of his generation in this community. No chaplet of words that we can weave can add to or detract from the estimate of the man held by those who knew him. This was exemplified by the universal sorrow felt at his death and the expressions so heartfelt for his memory. In this community where his life work was done he wrought better than he knew, and he died rich in the wealth of a legion of friends beyond any dream he might have cherished of what name it would be possible for him to leave behind.
1911 Past and Present of
Hardin County, Iowa
Lyman F. Wisner
No man who has ever lived in Hardin County is entitled to a more conspicuous place in her history than the late Lyman F. Wisner, whose sudden and untimely death August 28, 1889 was not only a profound personal bereavement to hundred of friends, but a distressing public calamity as well. In a broad sense Mr. Wisner belonged to Iowa and the state has a right to claim her privilege in honoring a citizen so notable. As all men of general excellence in life deserve and command the spontaneous homage of their fellowmen, so did Mr. Wisner possess to a marked degree those attributes of character that made him a leader among men and a peer of any of his contemporaries of the great commonwealth of Iowa. Though not a native of Iowa he was really a product of the state and was a splendid type of that western spirit and thrift that has transformed a wilderness and built a modern civilization.
Mr. Wisner's life and work were a part of the growth and development of Hardin county and so intimately intermingled with its rise and progress that to place emphasis upon this or that particular achievement were merely random acknowledgment of a career singularly fruitful of just and honorable deeds. He was one of those solid men of brains and substance who constitute the creative capacity of a community. He was essentially a business man, trained in that fine old school where the highest integrity, implacable justice and ragged honesty are the prerequisites of success. But behind the man of business was a devoted husband and father, helpful neighbor and loyal friend.
Mr. Wisner was born in Orange County, New York July 1, 1832. He was reared on the parental farm and early acquired habits of industry and learned by precept and example those plain and sturdy virtues that characterized the pioneers. Early in life he started out for himself and soon found employment with a large mercantile establishment in New York where he received his methodical business training. He came to Hardin County in 1856, a poor young man. He located at Iowa Falls and for some time drove a peddling wagon about the country. Getting a little start in life he engaged in the mercantile business at Iowa Falls and for several years was a member of the well known firm of Wisner & Sayre. While a member of this firm he got to dealing some in real estate and soon sold out to engage in the real estate and loan business. During the War Mr. Wisner spent some time in the South and one time by a Rebel raid lost every dollar he had in the world and had contracted debts amounting to fifteen thousand dollars. He did not lose his head, however, but applied himself more closely to business than ever. At the close of the War he returned to Hardin County, having repaid every dollar he owed and had accumulated a few thousand dollars as a nest egg. He then engaged in the banking and real estate business at Iowa Falls, which he followed until 1875, when he removed to Eldora, which was afterwards his home, though he had more business interests at Iowa Falls for which place he always had a strong affection.
Mr. Wisner was married December 11, 1858, to Julia A. Hatch and to them was born one son, George H., who died January 11, 1893 and who is mentioned at length elsewhere in this volume. There was a strong attachment between father and son.
Mr. Wisner met death in a tragic manner, being killed by the accidental discharge of a gun while hunting with his son George on August 28, 1889. At the time of his death Mr. Wisner was President of the Hardin County Bank and was interested in numerous business enterprises, besides being the possessor of large landed estates.
Possessed of the strictest business integrity and honor Mr. Wisner had acquired a reputation for square dealing possessed by few men. With him his word was as good as his bond, and he would often put himself to great inconvenience to keep an engagement. Although he sold thousands of acres of land to poor men on time and loaned them money to make needed improvements he was never known to oppress his debtors and the right of foreclosure was only used as a last resort. His life was a model of honor and probity. While he was devoted to his business he found much time to enjoy life and the company of his friends. He gave away probably more money than any man living in Hardin County and expended thousands of dollars for the improvement of Eldora and Iowa Falls. His gift and subscription to the Chicago, Iowa & Dakota railroad alone would make a man rich.
Mr. Wisner long enjoyed being the wealthiest man in Iowa and this great wealth, controlled as it was by him made him a benefactor of his kind. He was not a man of pretense. He never courted favor and disliked ostentation. Others have made more display, but this quiet, unassuming man was more sincerely mourned and sorely missed than any other of his generation in this community. No chaplet of words that we can weave can add to or detract from the estimate of the man held by those who knew him. This was exemplified by the universal sorrow felt at his death and the expressions so heartfelt for his memory. In this community where his life work was done he wrought better than he knew, and he died rich in the wealth of a legion of friends beyond any dream he might have cherished of what name it would be possible for him to leave behind.
Son of Colonel John C. Wisner and Mary Weed.
1911 Past and Present of
Hardin County, Iowa
Lyman F. Wisner
No man who has ever lived in Hardin County is entitled to a more conspicuous place in her history than the late Lyman F. Wisner, whose sudden and untimely death August 28, 1889 was not only a profound personal bereavement to hundred of friends, but a distressing public calamity as well. In a broad sense Mr. Wisner belonged to Iowa and the state has a right to claim her privilege in honoring a citizen so notable. As all men of general excellence in life deserve and command the spontaneous homage of their fellowmen, so did Mr. Wisner possess to a marked degree those attributes of character that made him a leader among men and a peer of any of his contemporaries of the great commonwealth of Iowa. Though not a native of Iowa he was really a product of the state and was a splendid type of that western spirit and thrift that has transformed a wilderness and built a modern civilization.
Mr. Wisner's life and work were a part of the growth and development of Hardin county and so intimately intermingled with its rise and progress that to place emphasis upon this or that particular achievement were merely random acknowledgment of a career singularly fruitful of just and honorable deeds. He was one of those solid men of brains and substance who constitute the creative capacity of a community. He was essentially a business man, trained in that fine old school where the highest integrity, implacable justice and ragged honesty are the prerequisites of success. But behind the man of business was a devoted husband and father, helpful neighbor and loyal friend.
Mr. Wisner was born in Orange County, New York July 1, 1832. He was reared on the parental farm and early acquired habits of industry and learned by precept and example those plain and sturdy virtues that characterized the pioneers. Early in life he started out for himself and soon found employment with a large mercantile establishment in New York where he received his methodical business training. He came to Hardin County in 1856, a poor young man. He located at Iowa Falls and for some time drove a peddling wagon about the country. Getting a little start in life he engaged in the mercantile business at Iowa Falls and for several years was a member of the well known firm of Wisner & Sayre. While a member of this firm he got to dealing some in real estate and soon sold out to engage in the real estate and loan business. During the War Mr. Wisner spent some time in the South and one time by a Rebel raid lost every dollar he had in the world and had contracted debts amounting to fifteen thousand dollars. He did not lose his head, however, but applied himself more closely to business than ever. At the close of the War he returned to Hardin County, having repaid every dollar he owed and had accumulated a few thousand dollars as a nest egg. He then engaged in the banking and real estate business at Iowa Falls, which he followed until 1875, when he removed to Eldora, which was afterwards his home, though he had more business interests at Iowa Falls for which place he always had a strong affection.
Mr. Wisner was married December 11, 1858, to Julia A. Hatch and to them was born one son, George H., who died January 11, 1893 and who is mentioned at length elsewhere in this volume. There was a strong attachment between father and son.
Mr. Wisner met death in a tragic manner, being killed by the accidental discharge of a gun while hunting with his son George on August 28, 1889. At the time of his death Mr. Wisner was President of the Hardin County Bank and was interested in numerous business enterprises, besides being the possessor of large landed estates.
Possessed of the strictest business integrity and honor Mr. Wisner had acquired a reputation for square dealing possessed by few men. With him his word was as good as his bond, and he would often put himself to great inconvenience to keep an engagement. Although he sold thousands of acres of land to poor men on time and loaned them money to make needed improvements he was never known to oppress his debtors and the right of foreclosure was only used as a last resort. His life was a model of honor and probity. While he was devoted to his business he found much time to enjoy life and the company of his friends. He gave away probably more money than any man living in Hardin County and expended thousands of dollars for the improvement of Eldora and Iowa Falls. His gift and subscription to the Chicago, Iowa & Dakota railroad alone would make a man rich.
Mr. Wisner long enjoyed being the wealthiest man in Iowa and this great wealth, controlled as it was by him made him a benefactor of his kind. He was not a man of pretense. He never courted favor and disliked ostentation. Others have made more display, but this quiet, unassuming man was more sincerely mourned and sorely missed than any other of his generation in this community. No chaplet of words that we can weave can add to or detract from the estimate of the man held by those who knew him. This was exemplified by the universal sorrow felt at his death and the expressions so heartfelt for his memory. In this community where his life work was done he wrought better than he knew, and he died rich in the wealth of a legion of friends beyond any dream he might have cherished of what name it would be possible for him to leave behind.
1911 Past and Present of
Hardin County, Iowa
Lyman F. Wisner
No man who has ever lived in Hardin County is entitled to a more conspicuous place in her history than the late Lyman F. Wisner, whose sudden and untimely death August 28, 1889 was not only a profound personal bereavement to hundred of friends, but a distressing public calamity as well. In a broad sense Mr. Wisner belonged to Iowa and the state has a right to claim her privilege in honoring a citizen so notable. As all men of general excellence in life deserve and command the spontaneous homage of their fellowmen, so did Mr. Wisner possess to a marked degree those attributes of character that made him a leader among men and a peer of any of his contemporaries of the great commonwealth of Iowa. Though not a native of Iowa he was really a product of the state and was a splendid type of that western spirit and thrift that has transformed a wilderness and built a modern civilization.
Mr. Wisner's life and work were a part of the growth and development of Hardin county and so intimately intermingled with its rise and progress that to place emphasis upon this or that particular achievement were merely random acknowledgment of a career singularly fruitful of just and honorable deeds. He was one of those solid men of brains and substance who constitute the creative capacity of a community. He was essentially a business man, trained in that fine old school where the highest integrity, implacable justice and ragged honesty are the prerequisites of success. But behind the man of business was a devoted husband and father, helpful neighbor and loyal friend.
Mr. Wisner was born in Orange County, New York July 1, 1832. He was reared on the parental farm and early acquired habits of industry and learned by precept and example those plain and sturdy virtues that characterized the pioneers. Early in life he started out for himself and soon found employment with a large mercantile establishment in New York where he received his methodical business training. He came to Hardin County in 1856, a poor young man. He located at Iowa Falls and for some time drove a peddling wagon about the country. Getting a little start in life he engaged in the mercantile business at Iowa Falls and for several years was a member of the well known firm of Wisner & Sayre. While a member of this firm he got to dealing some in real estate and soon sold out to engage in the real estate and loan business. During the War Mr. Wisner spent some time in the South and one time by a Rebel raid lost every dollar he had in the world and had contracted debts amounting to fifteen thousand dollars. He did not lose his head, however, but applied himself more closely to business than ever. At the close of the War he returned to Hardin County, having repaid every dollar he owed and had accumulated a few thousand dollars as a nest egg. He then engaged in the banking and real estate business at Iowa Falls, which he followed until 1875, when he removed to Eldora, which was afterwards his home, though he had more business interests at Iowa Falls for which place he always had a strong affection.
Mr. Wisner was married December 11, 1858, to Julia A. Hatch and to them was born one son, George H., who died January 11, 1893 and who is mentioned at length elsewhere in this volume. There was a strong attachment between father and son.
Mr. Wisner met death in a tragic manner, being killed by the accidental discharge of a gun while hunting with his son George on August 28, 1889. At the time of his death Mr. Wisner was President of the Hardin County Bank and was interested in numerous business enterprises, besides being the possessor of large landed estates.
Possessed of the strictest business integrity and honor Mr. Wisner had acquired a reputation for square dealing possessed by few men. With him his word was as good as his bond, and he would often put himself to great inconvenience to keep an engagement. Although he sold thousands of acres of land to poor men on time and loaned them money to make needed improvements he was never known to oppress his debtors and the right of foreclosure was only used as a last resort. His life was a model of honor and probity. While he was devoted to his business he found much time to enjoy life and the company of his friends. He gave away probably more money than any man living in Hardin County and expended thousands of dollars for the improvement of Eldora and Iowa Falls. His gift and subscription to the Chicago, Iowa & Dakota railroad alone would make a man rich.
Mr. Wisner long enjoyed being the wealthiest man in Iowa and this great wealth, controlled as it was by him made him a benefactor of his kind. He was not a man of pretense. He never courted favor and disliked ostentation. Others have made more display, but this quiet, unassuming man was more sincerely mourned and sorely missed than any other of his generation in this community. No chaplet of words that we can weave can add to or detract from the estimate of the man held by those who knew him. This was exemplified by the universal sorrow felt at his death and the expressions so heartfelt for his memory. In this community where his life work was done he wrought better than he knew, and he died rich in the wealth of a legion of friends beyond any dream he might have cherished of what name it would be possible for him to leave behind.
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