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Portrait and Biographical Album of Benton County, Iowa
Chicago: Chapman Brothers, 1887

CYRENIUS T. WHIPPLE, a prominent farmer and stock-dealer, residing on section 20, Taylor Township, was born Oct. 11, 1827, in Licking County, Ohio. He is a son of Enoch and Catherine (Shaw) Whipple, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of New York. His parents came to Benton County in 1854, and located two miles southeast of Vinton, upon 160 acres of land on section 27, entered for them by Cyrenius. Here his father followed farming until his death, which occurred Oct. 10, 1857; his mother survived until 1865, dying in November of that year.

Cyrenius received only a limited education, as in early days the opportunities for schooling were very slight indeed. His parents moved from Ohio to Indiana about 1838, and located at Eugene, Vermilion [sic] County, where his father engaged at his trade as a cooper, Cyrenius working around by the month until the pork season came on, when he was employed by Groonendyke & Thompson in shipping meat down the river on a flat boat to New Orleans. He worked for this firm every winter until 1850, when he came to Benton County and entered 210 acres of land in Taylor Township, remaining here about two and a half months. He then returned to Indiana and resumed work for the old firm, where he remained until 1854, with the exception of about three weeks' absence, during which time he came back to Benton County, in the fall of 1851, and entered the land for his father. In August, 1854, together with his parents, he loaded up two wagons and started for their new home, arriving here about the middle of August. Here they erected a hewed-log house with two rooms, the floor being of rough lumber, in which his father died. The house afterward burned down.

Cyrenius T. Whipple was married, March 6, 1856, to Nancy J. Cline, daughter of William and Elizabeth A. (Young) Cline. Her father was a native of Kentucky and her mother of Indiana. She was born in Johnson County, Ind., Jan. 2, 1838. Their union has been blest with five children, four of whom are living — William P., born Dec. 26, 1856, married Catherine D. Joyce, now deceased; he is living at home, and is the present City Solicitor of Vinton; Milo E., born Sept. 16, 1858, married Lottie Barr; Selmon T., born Aug. 20, 1861, married Annie Edwards; Callie C., born Sept. 4, 1868, died Aug. 28, 1878; Cora J., born March 27, 1874, is residing at home.

Mr. Whipple now owns 702 acres of fine land in Taylor Township. His home is well improved, the buildings upon the home place costing about $10,000, of which amount his dwelling-house cost $3,500. It is situated about one mile southwest of the court-house. Mr. Whipple makes a specialty of buying and feeding cattle, which business he has followed about eight years. For the protection of his cattle he has erected a shed 56 x 144 feet in dimensions. Success has crowned his labors in all respects, and he is now numbered among the most prominent and well-to-do farmers of Taylor Township.


Source Citation: "1887 Benton County, Iowa Biographies"  [database online]  Benton County IAGenWeb Project. <http://iagenweb.org/benton/>
Original data: "Portrait and Biographical Album of Benton County, Iowa." Chicago: Chapman Brothers, 1887, p. 312.
Transcribed by: Sue Soden. Submitted to the Benton County IAGenWeb Project on February 13th, 2009.  Copyright © 2009 The IAGenWeb Project.


Return to: 1887 Biography Index



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