James F Richey

RICHEY

Posted By: County Coordinator (email)
Date: 5/4/2010 at 09:04:34

James F Richey who after a long and successful career as an agriculturists in Dayton township, Webster county, Iowa, now lives retired in Boone, is one of the city’s most substantial citizens. He was born in Wayne county, near Wooster, Ohio, November 7, 1845, and is a son of Gasper T and Martha (Richard) Richey. The paternal grandfather removed form Pennsylvania to Ohio , becoming one of the pioneers of that state. He died in Webster county, Iowa. In his family were the following sons: James, who located in Webster county, where he died, John who passed away in Wayne county, Ohio, Gasper T father of our subject and Samuel whose death occurred in Sheldon county, Indiana. There were also nine daughters in this family.
Gasper T Richey was educated in the schools of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and there he married, removing subsequently to Wayne county, Ohio. He as a miller by trade and owned and ran grist mills, sawmills and oil mills, pressing oil from pumpkin seeds. Being impressed with the opportunities of the middle west he moved to Webster county, Iowa locating in Dayton towship November 9, 1854. He had come to Iowa the previous year and entered 23 hundred acres of land in Webster and Polk counties upon which he and his family located in 1854. They drove from Ohio by team and arrived at their new home after a long and arduous journey. The father soon became one of the foremost men of Webster county and was prominent in political affairs. Conditions were still of the most primitive nature when the family located there and many were the dangers which Gasper T Richey underwent, his life being threatened several times. The mail service was very unsatisfactory and in his community only one paper was read the copy circulating among various families. He served for ten years as justice of the peace and also was a member of the board of county supervisors. During the first year he succeeded in improving half a section of his land, erecting fences thereon and transforming the wild prairie into bearing fields. When he died he left large holdings which he had accumulated with the idea of giving the land to his children. His home was built of round, unhewn logs and was fourteen by eighteen feet in size and one story in height. At the time droves of elk, deer and wild hogs were still plentiful. The father died April 9, 1882, at the age of seventy-nine years, and found his last resting place in Linn cemetery, Boone county. He as a stanch democrat and his religious faith was that of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which his wife also belonged. She died about ten years later, in 1892, at the age of eighty-four years. In their family were the following children: Margaret, who is now Mrs Cyrus Burnett, of Dayton, Iowa, Mary J who married J R Lyon and died in Fort Dodge, Priscilla the deceased wife of Levi Emerson of Stratford, Iowa, Henrietta who married A R Daughenbaugh of Des Moines, Gasper who married Hattie Lyon and died in Webster county, James F of this review and Sylvester who married Angeline Mahon and died in Dayton.
James F Richey attended school conducted in the old log schoolhouses of his native township whenever time and circumstances permitted, his educational advantages being very limited, though he continued to attend school for a short time each year until he was eighteen. He remembers that in the early days there was not a house within ten miles of his father’s homestead and church was held in a schoolhouse at Des Moines at a time when there were but few hues in Fort Dodge. Indians were still plentiful and our subject’s brothers in 1856particiapted in a campaign against the hostile savages. Mr Richey helped his father in the development of the farm and they built the largest barn in Webster county at that time. They raised large quantities of grain and even supplied their neighbors with seed. Mr Richey remained on the homestead until after his marriage and subsequently located on a farm of 380 acres which was given him by his father. The house and barns were kept in the best of condition and he received a handsome income from his agricultural interests. He bought 374 and ½ aces in partnership with M J Carlson of Pilot Mound, this land being under laid with coal. It is situated in Douglas township, Boone county.. After many years of successful labor Mr Richey left his farm in 1888 and removed to Pilot Mound, Boone county, where he engaged in buying and selling live stock, but in 1893, he came to Boone, where he now lives retired in the enjoyment of a gratifying competency.
On October 11, 1868, James F Richey married Miss Louisa Baker who was born near Terre Haute, Clay county, Indiana, November 9, 1846, and received her education in the common schools of Dodge township, Boone county, Iowa. She is a daughter of Joel and Olive (Mitchell) Baker. He father was born in Kentucky and after his marriage he removed to Clay county, Indiana, but in 1851 came to Iowa, locating on wild prairie landing Dodge township, Boone county, his holdings comprising 160 acres. He later sold out and acquired 3000 acres of land east of Ridgeport, Dodge township, Webster county. He died there in 1889, at the age of sixty-eight years, his wife passing away April 11, 1914. Both were buried in the Mineral Ridge Cemetery. They were devoted members of the Baptist church. When Mrs Baker died he had forty-eight grandchildren and one hundred and forty-two great grandchildren. Her children were : Julia, who married Giles Strode of Butler county, Kansas, Louisa the wife of our subject, Sarah who married E J Ray of Boone, Mary the wife of J W Cole of Dodge township, Webster county, Winnie who is now Mrs Samuel Sterrett of Boone, Annie, the wife of J B Price of Ridgeport, Martha, who married David Cole and resides near Ridgeport, John who died at the age of fourteen years, Priscilla, the wife of Charles Ray of Armour, South Dakota, Elizabeth the wife of Herman Lindmark, residing near Ridgeport, George of Fort Cobb, Oklahoma, and Elias who married Luella Stotts and resides near Stanhope, Iowa.
Mr Richey is a stanch democrat and thoroughly in accord with the aims of his party. He gave his first vote for president to General McClellan. Both he and his wife are members of the Baptist church of Boone and Mr Richey taught in the Sunday school while residing in Pilot Mound. He has ever been interests in the intellectual and moral up building of the people and has contributed toward that end. He is respected and esteemed by his fellowmen because of his high qualities of character and because he is a useful, loyal and patriotic citizen.

1914 Boone County History Book