Garber, John 1818-1886

GARBER, MOHLER, RIFE, TIEDE, JEROME

Posted By: S. Ferrall - IAGenWeb volunteer
Date: 8/5/2021 at 20:31:24

Death of an Honored Pioneer
An Elkport dispatch dated the 22nd says:
Wednesday Martin L. Garber received an telegram from Monument, Kansas, that his brother was very sick, and as soon as possible Mrs. Garber, Billy and Mrs. J.E. Jerome started to see him, but arrived too late, as he was dead and buried.

The deceased, John Garber, was born in Augusta county, Virginia, on Jan. 4, 1818, and was the oldest son of Martin and Magdalene (Mohler) Garber, natives also of Virginia. In 1831, the family emigrated westward and located at Bell Fountaine, Logan county, Ohio. The deceased spent his early life on his father's farm.

In 1840 he was married to Miss Mary C. Rife, also a native of Virginia, and six years after their marriage, emigrated to Iowa and settled in Delaware county, near Colesburg, but about two years afterward located at Elkport, Clayton county, where by frugality and honest industry he accumulated a fine property and model home, where he has lived ever since.

In 1855 he was elected a member of the Iowa State Legislature. In 1860 he was elected county judge of Clayton. In 1862 he was elected sheriff of Clayton county, and in 1860 was again elected a member of the legislature of his state.

There survive him to mourn his loss a wife and six children, Martha I., John C., and Wm. [B, H or R], Virginia, now Mrs. A.C. Tiede, Lucy A. and Olive, now Mrs. J.E. Jerome.

Mr. Garber has been in poor health for the past three years of his life, during which time he lost his warehouses by fire, and other financial troubles followed which seemed to wear upon his mind to that extent that the business tact which he had always before devoted to his financial affairs seemed to have deserted him. He became meloncholy and despondent and failed very rapidly until death relieved him of his trouble.

He was a man of sterling qualities, upright and honorable, universally respected and beloved.

His brother Martin was for many years auditor of Clayton county and was state senator in the legislatures of 1880 and 1882. Silas Garber, another brother was some years ago governor of Nebraska, and is now living quietly at Orleans, Nebraska, engaged in farming.
~North Iowa Times, Thursday, August 26, 1886

Note: John Garber died in Kansas, and was originally buried there. When his wife Mary died in 1889 he was reinterred in the Old Garber cemetery.