James E Arnold

ARNOLD

Posted By: County Coordinator (email)
Date: 5/13/2010 at 16:48:39

James E Arnold was one of the veterans of the Civil war and an early settler of Boone county, identified with its development during an early epoch in its history. He as called to his final rest in 1896, and the county thereby lost one of its representative and valued citizens. He was born in Knox county, Ohio, February 29, 1844, a son of Elias and Melinda (Armentrout) Arnold, both of whom spent their entire lives in the Buckeye state. Their children were Daniel, Rhoda, Mary , James E , George and john.
At the place of his nativity James E Arnold was reared to manhood with the usual experiences of the lad of that locality and period. He attended the public schools there and when a young man came to Iowa, entering the employ of his brother Daniel, who was then following farming in Jasper county, With the outbreak of the Civil war, however, James E Arnold put aside all business and personal considerations to give tangible evidence of his patriotism and loyalty to his country. He enlisted as a member of Company F, First Iowa Cavalry serving under General Custer. He as with the Union troops until the close of the war and returned home with a most creditable military record.
Several years later Mr Arnold again went to Ohio and was married Coshocton county, in 1869 to Miss Mary E Hagans, of that county, a daughter of Alexander and Fanny (Anthony) Hagans, both of whom represented old Pennsylvania families, her mother being of Pennsylvania-Dutch descent. The Arnolds however were of Irish lineage. To Mr and Mrs Alexander Hagans were born fifteen children: Uriah, who was born October 30, 1850, and is now deceased, Mrs Arnold, Ben F who was born November 22, 1854, and has passed away, Isaac who was born October 12, 1855, and is deceased, Martha Jane born March 18, 1857, James Breckenridge and James Buchanan, twins born August 13, 1858,the latter now deceased, while the former is living in Ohio Anna who was born December 9, 1859, and has passed away, David A who was born July 20, 1861 and is a resident Ohio, Jacob who was born March 27, 1863 and is deceased, Charles M who was born April l4, 1868, and became a minister but died in Ohio, Katie, who was born March 2, 1870, ad makes her home in the Buckeye state, Tenie L who was born June 2, 1872, and is living in Toledo, Ohio, Thomas who was born April l11, 1876 and is also a resident of Ohio, and Emma also residing in Ohio.
Of this family Mrs Arnold was the second in order of birth. She as born in Coshocton county, Ohio, March 8, 1852, and was educated in the public schools. Following their marriage Mr and Mrs Arnold came to Boone county, settling upon an 160 acres tract of land on section 8, Jackson township,. It was following his marriage that Mr Arnold attended college at Newton, Iowa. The grater part of his life, however was devoted to general agricultural pursuits, an he brought is land under a high state of cultivation, transforming it into a productive and valuable farm which he carefully tilled year after year and as a result there of gathers good harvests.
To Mr and Mrs Arnold were born four children: Alma A now the wife of Arthur Willis of Jackson township, Merritt J who married Teresa Welch and lives in Ogden, Iowa, Paul R at home and Emma A the wife of Clarence Mott of Beaver township. The family circle was broken by the hand of death when in 1896, Mr Arnold passed away on the old homestead farm. He gave his political endorsement to the republican party and was a farm believer in its principles although never an aspirant for office. He held member shi the Methodist Episcopal church and his life was guided by its teachings, so that at his death he left to this family not only a comfortable competence but also the priceless heritage of an untarnished name was always as loyal to the duties of citizenship in times of peace as when he followed the old flag upon the southern battlefields, and as an early settler of the county he lived to witness a remarkable development and at all times bore his part in the work of general advancement and improvement.

1914 Boone County History Book