Leo Arthaud is one of the most prominent and enterprising farmers of Lincoln township. He owns a very fine far of one hundred and twenty acres, situated on section 5, and here he is engaged in general agricultural pursuits and in raising stock, making a specialty of pure blooded Poland China hogs. He was born in Ontario, Canada, September 8, 1845, a son of Emile Arthaud, who was born in France and came as a young man to America, settling in Ontario, Canada, where he was married to Miss Susanna Ebersoll, who was likewise a native of France. The father came to the state of Iowa in 1857 and in Washington county engaged in farming throughout the remainder of his life.
Leo Arthaud was reared to the occupation of farming and has always followed this pursuit. He also taught school for two years in Muscatine county, Iowa. When starting out in life on his own account he purchased forty acres of his present farm. This was in a wild state but he soon transformed it into a cultivable tract and built a small house. Later he added a forty-acre tract and still later forty acres more, so that his place now embraces one hundred and twenty acres. All this has been placed under a high state of cultivation and the fields have been made productive by the laying of eighteen thousand tile. As time has passed he has made various improvements in the way of substantial buildings and everything is kept in a good state of repair, so that he is numbered among the leading and enterprising citizens of this section of the county.
Mr. Arthaud was married in Muscatine county, December 25, 1870, to Miss Diantha Moffett, and their marriage has been blessed with six children: Professor John E. Emile, who is principal of schools at Perth, North Dakota, is married and has two children: Lillian S., who was well educated and was engaged in teaching for six years, later studied medicine and practiced in a hospital in Des Moines, her death there occurring in 1902, when she was twenty-four years of age. Frank died at the age of eleven years. James died when seven years old. Jessie is a student in Panora College. Marie is also a student at Panora College.
Politically Mr. Arthaud has been a life-long republican and cast his first presidential ballot in 1868 for General U. S. Grant. He served as road supervisor for sixteen consecutive years and filled the office altogether for twenty years, giving entire satisfaction to the public. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Prairie Center and for thirty-two years he has acted as steward of the church. He has also served on the school board for many years. He has resided in Dallas county for more than thirty-five years and is therefore numbered among its worthy pioneers. In spite of the obstacles which have overtaken his career he has worked his way upward from a humble beginning and now stands as one of the substantial citizens of this section of the state.
