WALLACE M. HARVEY

HARVEY, ELLIOTT, CONGER

Posted By: Mona Sarratt Knight (email)
Date: 7/17/2009 at 06:22:52

Source: The History of Appanoose County, Iowa, Containing A History of the County, its Cities, Towns, etc., A Biographical Directory of Citizens, War Records of its Volunteers in the late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics, Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men, History of the Northwest, History of Iowa, Map of Appanoose County, Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, etc.; illustrated; Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1878.

WALLACE M. HARVEY, farmer, stock dealer and grower, Sec. 2; P.O. Hibbsville; born in Monroe Co., Ind., in 1840; at the age of 6 months, his father, Robert W., died and when but 3 years of age, his mother, whose maiden name was Ruth Elliott, died; they were natives of Tennessee; after his mother's death, he was put to live with an uncle (by marriage), William Dixon, of Lawrence Co., Ind.; with him he remained until during 1855, with his brother, Elijah E., he came to this county; his brother, now a resident of Eldorado, Butler Co., Kan., was Pastor of the Christian Church, and has charge of the Church where he now resides; Mr. Harvey has a sister also residing there; after arriving in this county, although but 15 years of age, he went to work at odd jobs by the month and day for Henry Adamson and others, until 1859; then rented R.S. Lowry's farm for one year; in 1860, rented Capt. J.B. Gedney's farm for the year. Feb 23, 1861, he married Miss Nancy J. Conger; she was born in Monroe Co., Ohio, in 1838; her father, John Conger, from Ohio, settled near Caldwell, this county, in 1849; he then rented a farm of Wm. Fox, of Lincoln Tp., and in August of that year (1861), he enlisted in Captain Edwards' State militia, traveling through Missouri to St. Joe, and disbanding Oct. 1, 1862; worked his father-in-law's farm; in August of the same year, he enlisted in the 36th Iowa Inf., Co. I, Capt. Gedney, as private; participated at the battle of Helena, Little Rock, Prairie, de Ann, Camden; at the battle of Arkansas Mill, he was wounded and remained on the battle field for one month; laid up seven months; mustered out at Davenport in 1865; returned home and purchased forty acres of land adjoining Centerville; in 1866, he again took his father-in-law's farm for three years and cleared $3,300, with which he purchased another farm near Centerville; in 1869, he engaged in farming and dealing in stock until 1872, when he entered the mercantile business at Numa, with his brother, before mentioned and G.W. Athey; owned a one third interest in the town site; retained that business until 1873 and then returned to his farm; during the year 1875, he purchased the farm he now occupies and, in 1877, he removed to it; it contains 418 acres; he still retains his original farm near Centerville, containing 112 acres, all under cultivation, except five acres of timber, all valued at $25 per acre; as the records will show, Mr. Harvey has owned, within the past ten years, over 2,000 acres. They have five children - William E., Ruth J., Charles C., John C., and Lydia L. Republican; she is a member of the Christian Church; he holds the office of Township Trustee.