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HENRY JEWELL, a prosperous farmer of Benton County, occupies a tract of finely cultivated land in Taylor Township, on section 18, and is justly entitled to be classed among the honored pioneers, coming first to this State in 1839, when it was still a Territory. He was born in Oneida County, N. Y., Oct. 4, 1830, and is a son of David and Rachel (Griswold) Jewell, natives of the same State. In 1839 his parents moved to Iowa and located in Linn County, where they remained about four years, and then returned eastward as far as Henry County, Ill., where they remained about eighteen months. They then came to Benton County, in May, 1846, and located in Polk Township. His father here purchased a large tract of land, and for a time was the most extensive farmer in the township. He remained here about sixteen years and then moved to Winneshiek County, Iowa, where he died.Henry Jewell remained with his parents until about twenty-one years of age. He then purchased land in Polk Township and commenced the improvement of a farm. He lived on this farm about four years, then sold out and purchased another tract of land in the same township, where he lived about six years. In 1876 he purchased the eighty acres of land where he has since resided.
Mr. Jewell was married, in April, 1858, to Eunice, daughter of John and Harriet (Soles) Tharp. They are the parents of five children, four of whom are living — William V., Harriet, Martin V. and Mary L.; David is deceased.
Mr. Jewell, in common with the many old settlers of Benton County, experienced most of the hardships of pioneer life. He can relate many a laughable incident, as well as sad occurrence, of his early life in this county. He remembers seeing 500 mounted Indians of the Sioux tribe, with their war paint on, going out to fight their enemies of another tribe, and the really terrible appearance which they presented. The changes which he has witnessed in this county are wonderful to relate, and the full history of them would form an interesting volume.
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. 361-362.
Transcribed by: Sue Soden. Submitted to the Benton County IAGenWeb Project on February 18th, 2009. Copyright © 2009 The IAGenWeb Project.
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