J. M. BELDING

BELDING

Posted By: Jake Tornholm (email)
Date: 4/21/2020 at 20:25:46

J. M. BELDING was born in Fulton county, Illinois, March 4, 1840. His father, Moses S. Belding, was a native of Saratoga Springs, New York, of Scotch descent; and his mother, who before her marriage was Miss Mary Ann Conneby, was born in Washington county, New York, February 5, 1806. Moses S. Belding located in Fulton county, Illinois, in 1838, and two years later moved to Mercer county, that state, and settled near Keithsburg. He died in Henry county, Illinois, in his fifteenth year. His wife is still living and is now eighty-six years old. Their family was composed of eight children, four sons and four daughters. The father was by trade a carpenter and contractor, and for a number of years carried on farming operations; in politics a Whig; and in religion a member of the Methodist Protestant Church.

The subject of our sketch spent his youth in Mercer and Henry counties, working on the farm and attending the common schools. During the late war he enlisted in March, 1865, in Company E, Eighteenth Illinois Infantry Volunteers, and served ten months. After being honorably discharged he returned to his home in Illinois and worked at the carpenter’s trade and farming there until 1868. That year he moved to Poweshiek county, Iowa, and settled near Grinnell. In 1878 he came to Adams county and took up his abode on his present farm, 160 acres in section 34, Carl township, then all wild land. He has devoted much time and energy to improving his property, and now has a fine farm with good buildings, orchard, grove, etc.

Mr. Belding was married September 14, 1862, to Miss W. L. Rogers, who was born in Ripley county, Indiana, daughter of Elijah and Nancy (Beach) Rogers. Her father was reared in Indiana, and is now a resident of Holstein, Ida county, Iowa. Her mother, a native of Kentucky, died in Kansas in 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Belding have six children, as follows: Charles N., who is married and has two children, lives in Carl township, this county; Clara E., wife of John N. Brown, Corning, Iowa, has two children; Albert L. is married, has one child, and lives in Washington township, Adams county; and Bernice R., Christopher C. and Blanchie D. They lost two by death, a son and a daughter.

Mr. Belding is a member of the G. A. R., and in political views is an Independent. He and his wife and daughter Bernice are members of the Evangelical Church, of which he is one of the trustees. He is also superintendent of the Sabbath-school.