John Miles

MILES, JENNINGS, BRETT, DEWITT

Posted By: Diane Wilson (email)
Date: 7/29/2002 at 20:44:58

John Miles was born in Caledonia county, Vermont, in 1827; his parents being Martin and Mary (Jennings) Miles. His mother died in Vermont, and his father removed to Massachusetts. The subject of this sketch, in the fall of 1850, came to Linn county, Iowa, and shortly after went to Bremer county and made a claim in Jefferson township, where he removed his family the following spring, and were among the first settlers of that county, and was one of the judges of the first election held in the county, at which there were twenty-five votes cast.
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He sold that claim the following fall, and entered a farm in Washington township, near the present city of Waverly. In 1855 he went to Rice county, Minnesota, where he made a claim, which he purchased when the land came into market, and remained there for about twelve years, when he removed to Missouri, and after three years came back to Bremer county; but settled in Shell Rock in 1871. He lived in this vicinity for about eleven years, and in August, 1881, he purchased his present farm of William Brett.
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Mrs. Miles was a native of Rensselaer county, New York, where she was born in 1824; her father died while she was yet in infancy, and in 1838, her mother removed to Adams county, Ill., with her family, and to Johnson county, Iowa, in 1842. Several of Mrs. Miles’ brothers had settled in that county some years prior to this, one of whom still resides there. Mr. and Mrs. Miles have four children – Calista, now Mrs. R. A. DeWitt, of Mason City; Charles H., John M. and Ida J. Besides they have lost four children.
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Source: History of Butler and Bremer Counties, Iowa
Union Publishing Co., Springfield, IL, 1883
Page 681