Abraham L. Risely (1861-1941)

RISELY

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 8/16/2022 at 19:05:17

Abraham Lincoln Risely
(May 17, 1861 - July 4, 1941)

Abraham L. Risely is capably filling the position of county sherifif of Calhoun County. He is a courteous gentleman, of sterling worth and well does he merit the official honor that has been conferred upon him. He is a representative of an old New England family. His ancestry can be traced back to Connecticut, where at an early epoch in American history lived members of the Risely family. Andrew Risely, born in 1732, died in 1813, while his wife, Mary, who was born in 1731, passed away in 1811. They made their home in Woodstock, Ulster County. New York, and when called to the home beyond their remains were interred in the cemetery there. They had three children : Wilhelmus, Christopher and Christian. The first named was the progenitor of the family now residing in eastern New York and also of the representatives of the name who emigrated to the west. His birth occurred in 1764 and his death in 1811, while his wife, who was born in 1770, died in 1820. Their five children were: William, Cornelius, Andrew, Jeremiah and Polly, all of whom reached mature years and reared families of their own. William married Abigail Markle, of Woodstock, Lister County, New York, and afterward removed to Shandaken, in the same county. His children were also five in number: J. Markle, William Edmund, Albert W., Jeremiah and Joseph. Of this number the first named married Helen Grinard, of Woodstock, and removed to Independence, Buchanan Ccounty, Iowa, where he is now living. His children are Annie, of Cedar Falls, Black Hawk County, Iowa; Nellie and Sarah, who are living in Independence, this state; Frank, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Zette, of Independence, Iowa. William Edmund, the second child of William Risely and Abigail Markle, removed to Iowa and was married to Mary Begunn, at Independence, Iowa, by whom he hail two children, William and Ellen. Albert W., the third child of William and Abigail Risely, was married to Margaret Bradstreet, of Shandaken, Ulster County, and in 1854 came to Iowa. In their family were six children: Abigail and Joseph, who are residents of Independence, Iowa; Polly, Fremont, Abraham Lincoln and Albert Edmund, all of whom reside in Rockwell City, Calhoun County. Jeremiali, the fourth child of William Risely, married Susan Hayes, of Fleischmans, Delaware County, New York, and their home is now in Shandaken, Ulster County. Joseph, the fifth child of William Risely, married Hannah Bradstreet, of Shandaken, New York, and their home is now in Allaben, New York. Their seven children are: William, Edmund, Arthur, George B. McClelland, Margaret, Jennie M. and Joseph H.
Cornelius Risely, who was the second child of Wilhelmus Risley, resided at Woodstock, New York, and married Jane Eltinge, of that place. They had nine children: Washington, Egbert, Aaron, Maria, Rebecca, James, Andrew, William and Levi; the last four deceased. The first named, Washington, married Kate Nash and resides at Woodstock, New York. Egbert, the second child of Cornelius, married Kate Xehr, and they have two children: Wilson, who is living in Mount Pleasant, New York, and Herbert, in Woodstock, of that state. Aaron, the third child of Cornelius Risely, married Annie Nehr, and is living in Woodstock. They had four children: Cornelius, Lizzie, Harry and Frank, and the last named is deceased. Maria, the fourth child of Cornelius Risley, became the wife of the Rev. Cornelius I. Blauvelt, of Newark, New York. He is now deceased and his widow is residing in Kingston, Ulster County. They had four children: Jennie, who has passed away; Arthur Cornelius; Lizzie Ann; and Irving Garrett. The living children are residents of Kingston. Rebecca, the fifth child of Cornelius Risely, married Abram VanEtten, and with their two children, Wycoff and Addie, they are living in Woodstock, New York. James, who was the sixth child of Cornelius Riselv, married Christina Lasher, and is now deceased, but his widow is living in Woodstock, New York. They had six children: Charles; Josephine, deceased; Mary; Ophelia; Libby and George. Andrew, now deceased, the seventh child of Cornelius Risely, married Alargaret Britt, who is living in Woodstock with their one child, Gulick. William, also deceased, the eighth child of Cornelius Risely, married Elizabeth Bostick, who resides in Kingston. Levi, the ninth member of this family, died in infancy. Andrew Risely, the third child of Wilhelmus Risely, married L. Benscoter, of Woodstock. New York, and their children were Peter and Maria. The former married a Miss Longyear, and they had two children, John and Ferris, but both are deceased.
Jeremiah Risely, the fourth child of Wilhelmus Risely, married Ellen Sims, and both hsxe passed away. They had five children: Cornelius ; Levi, of Pennsylvania ; Mark C, of Woodstock; James and Henry, both deceased. Of these, Cornelius married Lydia Houston and they had two children, Charles and Fred S., who are living with them in Kingston. Mark C, the third member of this family, resides at Woodstock, New York, and has one child, Irving. Henry, who was the fifth of the family, had two children. Walter and Minnie, who are residing in Kingston, New York. Polly, who was the fifth cliild of Wilhelmus Risely, married Levi Newkirk, of Woodstock, and they had a daughter, Katherine Ann, who became the wife of Peter Lewis Herder, of Woodstock, and their children were Levi and Elliot. The former has three children, Edward, Hattie and Leroy, while Elliot has one child, Louis. The members of the Risely family have usually followed agricultural pursuits. They have been sober, industrious people, who have lived upright, moral lives in accord with the teachings of Christianity, and of recent years reunions of the members of the Risely family have been held and are very pleasant gatherings, calling together a large concourse of people.
Abraham L. Risely, whose name introduces this record, was born and reared in the Empire State and in the spring of 1882 came to Calhoun county. In the previous year he had purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land in Twin Lakes Township and this he began to improve, making it a valuable tract of land by reason of the care and cultivation which he bestowed upon it. In 1881 Mr. Risely was united in marriage to Miss Emma B. Huff, and their union has been blessed with five children, but Daisy O., the fourth in the order of birth, is now deceased. The others are: Maude B., Nettie G., Bessie L. and Margaret B. The family now reside in Rockwell City. In 1900 Mr. Risely sold his land and removed to the county seat, having been elected to the position of county sheriff for a term of two years. He filled that office so capably that he was then re-elected and is now serving: his second term. [Source – Biographical Record of Calhoun County, Iowa, by S. J. Clarke, 1902, p.327]