BRUCE, Nathaniel - 1914

BRUCE, BULL, SCHINTAFFER, STRATTON, WEEKS, MILLER

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 7/10/2009 at 03:58:38

HISTORY OF
Cherokee County
IOWA
VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO
THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY
1914
by Thomas McCulla

NATHANIEL BRUCE.

Nathaniel Bruce, who died in Cherokee July 22, 1908, was formerly for many years prominently connected with agricultural interests of Cherokee county and since 1886 had lived in retirement. He was born in England, sixty miles south of London, November 22, 1842, and was a son of George and Catherine (Bruce) Bull. The name has since been changed from Bull to Bruce, Nathaniel Bruce assuming his mothers maiden name. George Bull came to the United States in 1855 an^ located in Jones county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming. In 1870 he moved to Cherokee county and purchased land on section 6, Diamond township. Eleven years later he sold that property and moved to Silver township, where he engaged in farming upon two hundred and eighty acres on section 3, developing and improving this place until his death. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and his political allegiance was given to the republican party. He and his wife, who has also passed away, became the parents of seven children: Nathaniel, of this review; Mary, Ellen and Cornelius, who have passed away; William, a resident of Riverside, California; Alfred, of the same city; and Charles, of Cherokee.

Nathaniel Bruce acquired his education in the public schools of England and in 1855 came to America with his parents. He afterward assisted his father with the work of the farm until he was twentyone and then worked as a farm laborer for seven years. At the end of that time he bought fiftyfive acres of land in Diamond township, this county, upon which he continued to reside for eleven years. He then purchased two hundred and eighty acres in the same locality, carrying on general farming and stockraising upon this property until 1886, when, having accumulated a competency, he retired from active life and moved into Cherokee, where his death occurred July 22, 1908.

On the i6th of September, 1871, Mr. Bruce was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Schintaffer, a daughter of Samuel and Rebecca (Stratton) Schintaffer, of Jones county, this state. The parents were natives of Germany and after coming to the United States located in Jones county, where the father followed! farming. He died when Mrs. Bruce was four years of age, and his wife afterward moved to Kansas, where her death occurred. They were the parents of six children: Philip, Nancy and George, all deceased; Ellen, widow of the subject of this review; James, of Fairview, Kansas; and Sarah, the widow of Harry Weeks, of Los Angeles, California. Mr. and Mrs. Bruce became the parents of two children: Stella, who has passed away; and Rosella, the wife of Hugo Miller, of Cherokee. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have three children, Ellen Fannie, Julia Marie and Walter Hugo.

Mr. Bruce gave his political allegiance to the republican party and was a devout member of the Christian church. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having served as private in Company F, Twentysixth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and the same loyalty which he displayed on the southern battlefields distinguished all the relations of his life. His wife survives him and makes her home in Cherokee. She holds membership in the Christian church and is a lady of many excellent qualities of character, holding the esteem and confidence of all who know her.