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A[braham] H. LAGRANGE. a retired farmer, residing on Washington street, in the thriving little city of Vinton, is a son of Peter and Lamy (Covert) Lagrange, and was born in Mercer County, Ky., Dec. 11, 1815. The father of our subject was of French ancestry and died in Johnson County, Ind., about 1837; his mother also died there a number of years later. The parental family consisted of ten children, three of whom are yet living: Aaron, born in 1810, is a retired farmer, living in Franklin, Johnson Co., Ind.; our subject was the next in order of birth; Daniel, born in 1824, is likewise retired from the active labors of life, and living on his farm in Johnson County, Ind. In 1826 our subject's parents removed to Johnson County, Ind., where the father entered 160 acres of timber land. The country at that time was wild and uninhabited, save by a friendly tribe of Indians. There was plenty of wild game, deer, bears, turkey, etc., and Peter Lagrange was very fond of hunting, which in fact, formed the chief pastime in those days and served to vary the tedious monotony of the lives of the early settlers. He cleared about 100 acres of his land before his demise, and after that event our subject rented a part of the farm of the heirs. About six years after his father's death our subject purchased the farm, which he cultivated, and on which he erected a good residence and made a number of other improvements.In September, 1866, Mr. Lagrange disposed of his interests, both real and personal, in Indiana, and came to this county, locating two and a half miles south of Vinton, in Taylor Township. There he purchased 160 acres of partially improved land, on which he lived and labored until 1878. He then disposed of 136 acres of his farm and moved to Vinton, where he is living in retirement. He purchased his present residence about four years after coming to that city, and still owns twenty-four acres of his old farm and 126 acres in O'Brien County.
Mr. Lagrange was married while a resident of Indiana, Feb. 15, 1841, to Leah A. Voris, daughter of Albert and Susan Voris, born in Switzerland County, Ind., Feb. 26, 1824. Ten children were born to them, nine of whom are yet living: Catherine V. is the wife of Abram Smock, a farmer of Big Grove Township; Susan A. is the wife of George K. Covert, grocer and hardware merchant at Garrison; Robert is a physician in Marion, Linn County, and his brother, John W., is also a physician and in partnership with him; Harriet I. is the wife of Martin Sterling, a farmer, residing in Dakota; Theodore is a druggist at Reinbeck, Grundy County; Mary L. married Thomas R. Williams, who is engaged as a traveling salesman; Orin is a physician, and resides in Webster City, Iowa; Victor, now deceased; Tunis G. is a druggist in Garrison.
Mr. Lagrange is one of the Elders of the Presbyterian Church in Vinton; in politics he is Republican. His good wife joined the silent majority on the other shore April 25, 1885, her death being very sudden.
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. 322-323.
Transcribed by: Sue Soden. Submitted to the Benton County IAGenWeb Project on February 13th, 2009. Copyright © 2009 The IAGenWeb Project.
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