Dancer, David

DANCER MIX, HARVEY

Posted By: Mary H. Cochrane, Volunteer
Date: 7/18/2019 at 07:00:40

DAVID A. DANCER

Biographical and Historical Record of Ringgold and Decatur Counties, Iowa
(Lewis Publishing Company (1887)), pp. 492-93:
"DAVID DANCER, the business manager of the Saints' Herald publication office, and one of the prominent citizens of Decatur County, was born in Oneida County, New York, February 20, 1827, a son of William and Phoebe (Mix) Dancer, who were natives of New Jersey and New York respectively. Of their seven children who lived to maturity our subject was the youngest. He has two brothers and one sister yet living -- George, of Will County, Illinois; William, living in Eastern Indiana, and Esther, living in Will County, Illinois. When our subject was young his parents removed from Oneida County, New York to Will County, Illinois, locating near where Kankakee City now stands, where the mother died, August 20, 1839, aged fifty-one years. The father spent his life in making a home and caring for property for his children, living in Will County till his death, which occurred September 23, 1852, at the age of seventy-five years. Our subject grew to manhood in Will County, and there received a common-school education. His father being a poor man he was early inured to hard work, and in his youth learned lessons of persevering industry, which have been of lasting value to him. He was married March 16, 1851, to Rosalia Harvey, who was born in Lower Canada, January 31, 1833, a daughter of Hiram and Nancy Harvey. When she was five years old she was taken by her parents to Will County, Illinois, where he mother died, August 9, 1876, aged seventy-two years. Her father is still a resident of that county, being now seventy-nine years of age. To Mr. and Mrs. Dancer have been born five children , as follows -- Nancy, died aged twenty-two months; Ella, died aged three years; Eugene, a lumber-dealer of Lamoni; Albert, died aged twenty years, and Walter, attending school. Mr. Dancer made his home in Will County until 1876, when he sold his property there, which consisted of 900 acres, and moved to Plano, Illinois, where he resided with his family for one year. In the fall of 1871 he became associated with E. Banta and I. L. Rogers as agents for the "First United Order of Enoch." They at that time visited this vicinity as agents, and purchased 3,300 acres of land, the preliminary step toward founding a colony of Latter-Day Saints. Mr. Dancer is one of the strongest supporters of the church of the Latter-Day Saints, and gives liberally of his means for its support. In 1877 he came with his family to Decatur County, Iowa, and made his first home on section 5, of Fayette Township, where he improved a farm of 1,280 acres from a state of nature, living there till the fall of 1882. He then built his present fine residence at Lamoni, which was erected with a view to comfort and convenience, which has since been the home of his family. Mr. Dancer is one of the wealthiest men in Southern Iowa, owning 1,900 acres in Fayette Township, all well improved, and devoted to the raising of stock, grass and grain. He also owns a half interest in a tract of 150 acres on Grand River, east of Davis City. He is a member of the city council of Lamoni. He is one of the most liberal and enterprising citizens of the county, and all that promotes the true interests of the county, township or city where he makes his home, finds in him an earnest supporter. In national politics he is a Republican, but in local elections he votes for the best man, regardless of party.

Photograph courtesy of Alma Blair

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

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DAVID A. DANCER

"History of Decatur County, Iowa and Its People"
Prof. J.M. Howell & Heman C. Smith. S.J. Clarke Publ Co. Chicago. 1915

David Dancer achieved a large measure of financial success, becoming one of the wealthiest men in Decatur county, and he was held in high respect as an agriculturalist and as a banker but it would far from the truth to suppose that he was not equally honored as a man and as a citizen, for his dominant traits were such as invariably win esteem and good will.

Mr. Dancer was born in Oneida county, New York, on the 20th of February, 1827, a son of William and Phoebe (Mix) Dancer, the former born in New Jersey and the latter in New York. Of their seven children who grew to maturity our subject was the youngest. As a child he accompanied his parents on their removal to Will county, Illinois, the family home being established near the site of the city of Kankakee, and there the mother died on the 20th of August, 1839, when fifty-one years of age. The father kept the family together and cared for the children as well as looked after his property interests. He passed away in Will county on the 23d of September, 1852, when seventy-five years of age.

David Dancer grew to manhood in the Prairie state and in addition to receiving a common-school education was early trained to work upon the farm. In 1851, he was married and began following agricultural pursuits on his own account, remaining in Will county, Illinois, until 1876. He then sold out and removed to Plano, that state, where he remained for a year. In 1871 he had become associated with E. Banta and I. L. Rogers as agent for the First United Order of Enoch and in the later ‘70s they visited Decatur county and in their capacity as agents purchased thirty-three hundred acres of land as a preliminary step toward founding a colony of Latter Day Saints. In 1877 Mr. Dancer came with his family to Decatur county, Iowa, and located on section 5, Fayette township, where he lived until 1882. He owned and operated a farm of twelve hundred and eighty acres of excellent land and later acquired additional holdings, owning at one time two thousand acres in Decatur county, from which he derived a handsome income.

In 1882 he built a fine residence in Lamoni and the family home was established there. He continued to superintend his large farming and stock-raising activities and also became identified with financial interests, as he was one of the organizers of the State Savings Bank of Lamoni and was made president of that institution, in which capacity he served until his death. He was as successful a financier as he was a farmer and stock-raiser and his advice was listened to with much respect by his colleagues in the banking world. His widow is at present vice president of the state savings Bank of Lamoni and recognized as a woman of marked business ability and unusual knowledge concerning financial affairs. She continues to reside in the beautiful home erected by Mr. Dancer.

On the 16th of March, 1851, Mr. Dancer was united in marriage to Miss Rosalia Harvey, who was born in Lower Canada on the 31st of January, 1833, a daughter of Hiram and Nancy Harvey. When she was but five years of age she was taken by her parents to Will county, Illinois, and there her mother died on the 9th of August, 1876, when seventy-two years of age. Her father lived to be more than eighty years old. To Mr. And Mrs. Dancer were born five children, three of whom have passed away: Nancy, who died when twenty-two months old; Ella, who was three years old when her death occurred; and Albert, who passed away at the age of twenty years. The two who survive are: Eugene, a resident of Canada, who is married and is engaged extensively in farming; and Walter, of Myrtle Point, Oregon, who still owns his farm in Fayette township and who is also married. The wife and mother passed away in August, 1893, and on the 20th of November, 1895, Mr. Dancer married Miss Anna Anderson, a daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Andrew K. Anderson, residents of Lamoni. Mrs. Dancer was born in La Salle, Illinois, on the 30th of September, 1864. However, when but a child she was brought by her parents to Decatur county, Iowa, and was here reared and educated. Sketches of her brothers, Oscar and Daniel, appear elsewhere in this work. She has two children: David A., born October 7, 1896, who is attending the State University of Washington at Seattle; and Howard M., born March 30, 1898, who graduated from the Lamoni high school with the class of 1915.

Mr. Dancer was a republican in politics where national issues were at stake but in local elections voted for the best man regardless of party considerations. He served as a member of the city council of Lamoni and gave his influence to those measures which he believed to be calculated to further the public good. He was a devoted member of the Reorganized church of Latter Day saints and a generous contributor to its support. His widow is also active in the work of that organization. Mr. Dancer took a public-spirited interest in the advancement of his community along material, moral and civic lines and was recognized as one of the leading citizens not only of Lamoni but of Decatur county. He passed away on the 23d of October, 1898, and all felt that the community had lost one whom it could ill spare while there were many who grieved for the demise of a personal friend.

Photographs courtesy of Alma Blair

Transcribed for IAGenWeb/Decatur County

Decatur Biographies maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
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