Conrad, Daniel

CONRAD, STEVENS, HARPSTER, BEAL, BEDFORD, HURST, CATON, CURTIS, SMITH, DUBOIS, HIX, MYER

Posted By: Volunteer Transcribers
Date: 1/31/2003 at 02:22:45

Source: "The 1901 Biographical Record of Clinton Co., Iowa, Illustrated" published: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1901.

DANIEL CONRAD

Daniel Conrad, deceased, was the well-known proprietor of the Keystone Farm on section 35, Deep Creek township. A native of Pennsylvania, he was born in Ferguson township, Centre county, May 8, 1820, and was a son of John and Mary (Stevens) Conrad. His paternal grandfather was Peter Conrad, who was born, reared and married in Germany. On coming to America he lived for some years in Pennsylvania, and then removed to New York, his death occurring near Auburn, that state. By occupation he was both a miller and a farmer. Our subject’s maternal grandfather was Leon Stevens.

John Conrad, the father of our subject, was a native of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and was first married in Adams county, that state, to a German lady, by whom he had four children. Being divorced from that wife, he went to Centre county, Pennsylvania, where he enlisted as a private in the infantry under General Scott during the war of 1812, but being severely wounded at Lundy’s Lane, he was transferred to the artillery when he had sufficiently recovered to resume active duty. At two other times he was slightly wounded. He enlisted for five years, and on the expiration of that term he was honorably discharged from the service. Returning to Centre county, he wedded Mary Stevens, and unto them were born four children, of whom our subject was the oldest. All are now deceased.

The subject of this sketch was quite young when the family removed to Clearfield county, Pennsylvania, and on leaving the parental roof, at the age of twelve years, he lived with a neighboring farmer in that county for some time. Subsequently he returned to Centre county, where he was married, November 12, 1840, to Miss Nancy Harpster, who was also born in Ferguson township, on the 1st of April, 1822, and is a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Beal) Harpster. Her ancestors were of German and Pennsylvania Dutch extraction, her maternal grandfather, Abraham Beal, having been born on the Atlantic steamer while his parents were emigrating from Germany to America. Her father, who was a farmer by occupation, was born near Philadelphia, and died in Centre county, where he spent almost his entire life. His first wife died when Mrs. Conrad was a child, and he subsequently married Sarah Harper, by whom he had two children. Mrs. Conrad is the fifth in order of birth in the family of ten children born to the first union, and she still has one brother living in Pennsylvania.

Four years after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Conrad left their old home in the Keystone state and by canal boat made the journey to Pittsburg, where they took passage on a vessel which conveyed them down the Ohio and up the Mississippi rivers to Davenport, where they landed on the 30th of October, 1844. Having only seventy-five cents in his pocket, Mr. Conrad at once sought employment, and for a time worked by the day in order to support his family. Later he engaged in farming on the shares, and spent some time in Le Claire, Scott county. In 1859 he came to Clinton county and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of government land on section 35, Deep Creek township, where his widow now lives, paying for it two hundred dollars. In connection with general farming he was successfully engaged in stock raising, making a specialty of thoroughbred Short-horn cattle, Duroc Jersey hogs and Percheron horses. Besides his farm he owned a forty-acre tract of timber land, which was a valuable piece of property.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Conrad were born twelve children, six sons and six daughters, as follows: (1) Elizabeth is the wife of Alfred Bedford, a farmer of Hamilton county, Iowa, and they had seven chidren: Daniel; Emma; Lavona, deceased; Alma; Fred; Harold; and Elizabeth. (2) Mary is the wife of Amos Hurst, a farmer of Story county, Iowa, and they have seven children, John, Martin, Alice, Wilbur, Hattie, Carrie and Daniel. (3) John enlisted during the Civil war as a private in Company F, Sixteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and being wounded in the battle of Iuka, he died in the hospital in 1862. (4) Martin, a resident of Miles, Jackson county, Iowa, married Marcia Caton, and to them were born four children: Anna May; Lowell Edwin; Martha Christabel: and Samuel, who died at the age of nine months. (5) Margaret Jane is the wife of Ruel W. Northup, of Webster City, Iowa, and to them were born six children: Joseph, who died at the age of two years; Nancy; Wilbur; Mary; Grace; and August. (6) Samuel H. is now in the west. (7) One son died in infancy. (8) Ann Eliza is the wife of George W. Curtis, of Dallas county, Iowa, and they have five children: Ida; George; Claude; Mary; and Francis Willard (a boy). (9) Alice and (10) Wilbur are twins. The former is now the wife of H. C. Smith, of Crawford county, Iowa, and they have six children: Wilbur, Daniel, Atwood, Nancy, Jane and Clarence. (10) Wilbur, who operates the home farm was married February 13, 1890, to Ella Jane Du Bois. Her father, William Du Bois, was born in New Jersey, and was married in Scott county, Iowa, in 1844, to Catherine Hix, a native of Ohio, who located in that county the year previous, and is still living near Davenport, at the age of eighty-one years. Mr. Du Bois died in 1895, aged seventy-eight years. They were the parents of fourteen children: Albert, deceased; Mary; Theodore; Anna Eliza; Martha Ellen; Sarah Catherine, deceased; Louis, deceased; William M.; Henry Richman; Minerva Adalina; Clarissa Amelia; Emma Alice; Ella Jane; and one who died in infancy. Wilbur Conrad and wife have two children, Hazel Maria and Raymond Earl. (11) Jacob died young, and (12) one died in infancy. Besides their own children, Mr. and Mrs. Conrad reared August Myer from the age of five months. He was born November 27, 1864, and was left an orphan in infancy. His parents were natives of Germany.

Mr. Conrad died on the 7th of May, 1894, honored and respected by all who knew him. Politically he was first identified with the Whig party, and later became a Republican, being a stanch supporter of the Union during the dark days of the Civil war. He took quite an active interest in public affairs, and creditably filled the offices of justice of the peace for several years and supervisor for two years. He also served as notary public, and his various official duties were always capably discharged. He was an earnest Christian gentleman and a local preacher of the Methodist church. He was faithful to his church, to his country and to his friends, an in his home was a most exemplary husband and father. His estimable wife still survives him, and although she is now in her eightieth year, she is still quite active, being able to do her own work and has a remarkably good memory. She is not only the mother of twelve children, but has thirty-four living grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.