Mendenhall, Elijah

MENDENHALL, STEPHENS, COX, BENNETT

Posted By: Mary H. Cochrane, Volunteer
Date: 7/2/2019 at 13:55:20

Biographical and Historical Record of Ringgold and Decatur Counties, Iowa, (Lewis Publishing Company (1887)), pp 514-15:

"ELIJAH MENDENHALL, farmer, resides on section 22, High Point Township, where he owns 210 acres of land. He still lives on the same farm where he first moved when married. He was born in Rush County, Indiana, in 1828. He came with his father, Samuel Mendenhall, to Iowa in 1851. His father remained until 1865, then went to California. His mother, Amy (Stephens) Mendenhall, was killed by lightning in the year 1861, in Wayne County, Iowa. Mr. Mendenhall was reared on a farm and his educational advantages were limited. He was married in Wayne County, in March, 1858, to Elizabeth J. Cox, daughter of Samuel and Hannah Cox, natives of Ohio. She was born in 1838. Their children are -- Laura, wife of Jason Bennett, living in Decatur County, Kansas; Mary, Samuel, Franklin and John. Both are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. When Mr. Mendenhall first started in life for himself he had only five dollars. He got his first start by breaking prairie. He broke the first eighty that was entered in High Point Township. He made most of the rails on the farm that was entered by his father. There were only four families in the township when he came here. There was neither school nor church. He put up a log house with a puncheon floor, and had to go to Pittsburg, a distance of 100 miles, to get his milling done. He is a man of the strictest integrity of character, his word being considered as good as his note. Politically he is a Democrat."

(Submitted to the Decatur County GenWeb site by Christy Jay, email: Jaygenie@aol.com)