PENNIWELL, James F.

PENNIWELL, GRANT, BRIDGES, WADSWORTH

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 1/19/2014 at 04:47:13

Biography ~ James F. Penniwell

"Biographical and Historical Record of
Ringgold and Decatur Counties, Iowa"
(Lewis Publishing Company (1887)), pp. 586-87:

JAMES F. PENNIWELL is a representative one of the pioneer families of Decatur County. His father, SOLOMON PENNIWELL, settled one mile southwest of Decatur City in March, 1856. He was a native of Delaware, born in August, 1810. His father immigrated to Ohio when SOLOMON was a child, and settled in Pickaway and where he married CATHERINE GRANT, a native of Virginia, who removed with her father’s family to Ohio when she was quite young. In 1839 SOLOMON moved his family to Kosciusko Count, Indiana, where they remained one year, then moved to Fayatte County, Ohio. In the fall of 1855 they came to Iowa, stopping one winter in Washington County, thence to Decatur County. There were no railroad here then, and the family came all the way by wagon, brining their household goods with them. They occupied a rented farm one year, then settled upon a farm several years, then removed to Leon, where they remained until the death of the father, which occurred January 4, 1881. His wife, CATHERINE PENNIWELL, died August 19, 1877. There were ten children, four sons and six daughters. Four died in infancy; WILLIS died at the age of nine years, and MARY at the age of eighteen. The surviving members are - JAMES F., SAMUEL C., Mrs. SARAH J. BRIDGES, of Washington Territory, and Mrs. REBECCA C. LOREY, of Leon. Our subject was born in Ohio in 1835. He learned the carpenter’s trade, and has long been one of the prominent carpenters and builders of this county. His wife, formerly Miss BARBARA WADSWORTH, daughter of JOHN C. WADSWORTH, was born in Ohio, in 1840, and came to this county with her parents in 1835. This union has been blessed with seven children - JOHN E., KATE, VIRGIL F., JENNIE, MAMIE, JAMES and GEORGE. Mr. PENNIWELL is a Democrat.

Transcribed by Sara LeFleur, Decatur County Historial Society Musuem, January of 2014