James Jay Lynes

Born: August 21, 1868, Polk Twp., Plainfield, Bremer Co., IA

Died: November 25, 1928, Waverly, Bremer Co., IA. Cause of death was due to "heart trouble".

Married: October 19, 1892, Jennie Vosseller daughter of Sanford & Margaret Hirleman Vosseller.

James J. Lynes was the son of William Wallace and Ella Hutchins Lynes and had lived his entire life in Bremer County. He attended Plainfield schools and after graduation was employed in the lumber yard of J.C. Garner of Plainfield and later operated a lumber yard.

He was always interested in pure bred livestock and in 1905 retired from the lumber business to take up farming and stock raising. His love for the Morgan horse resulted in his becoming famous throughout the country as a breeder of Morgans. His horses were not only nationally known but were shipped internationally. One such horse was purchased by a New York Banker and shipped to the Emperor of Japan. He served as an expert judge of these horses including overseeing these duties five times at the Vermont State Fair as well as the Kansas State Fair. He was involved in a national meeting of Morgan Horse breeders in New York City where his system of breeding was adopted.

In competition in several state fairs and at the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915, the Morgan horses developed by Mr. Lynes won every grand championship and first prize for which they competed.

In 1919 Mr. Lynes retired from the farm and moved to Waverly, IA with his family leaving two sons to manage the farm. During his later years and with the expansion of the automobile, Lynes shifted some of his love for the Morgans to raising Ayshire cows.

Mr. Lynes was a life-long member of the First Baptist church. He was the secretary of the Butler-Bremer Telephone Co. for a number of years. He was also a member of the Woodman Order.