The West Family

WEST

Posted By: Stacey McDowell Dietiker (email)
Date: 11/3/2001 at 22:41:08

From:
To:
Subject: The West Family
Date: Tuesday, July 31, 2001 5:05 PM

The West Family
(Note: There are quite a few spelling and grammatical errors in this family
history. I typed it as it was.)

Joshua Avery West, son of Samuel and Mary Ann West, was born in Knox County,
Illinois, near Maquon, August 21, 1847. He had a sister Betty, and three
brothers, John, Dan and Phil. They lived on a farm. The children were very
young when Samuel went off to war, and Mary Ann had to raise the family.

Joshua was united in marriage to Lydia Ellen Clawson on March 21, 1873.
Ellen was born in Anglaze County, Ohio, November 23, 1855, and emigrated with
her parents to Illinois in 1856. She had four brothers, Alfred and Frank
lived in Decatur County, Iowa.

Joshua felt land was too high to buy in Illinois. He wanted to be a
livestock farmer and have land with timber for fence posts, lumber for
buildings and wood for fuel. On April 1, 1881, Joshua bought
one-hundred-and-sixty acres in Decatur County, Iowa, for two-thousand dollars
from F. W. Johnson and wife E. J. Johnson of Clarke County, Iowa. He gave a
eight-hundred dollar downpayment, with a mortgage of one-thousand,
two-hundred dollars. The Warrenty Deed shows that he owned the "South half
of the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section One, also the
east half of the east half of the northeast quarter of Section Two - all in
Township Seventy, north of Range Twenty-Seven West containing
one-hudred-and-sixty acres more or less."

The forty-one acres owned today by Dale and Ruth West was where the homestead
buildings were located. The only building left standing is the hay barn.
Joshua had large orchards and raised cattle, hogs and horses. He had a
blacksmith shop for his own use.

In 1881, Joshua, Ellen and their three children-Oscar, Asa and Amos-came to
Iowa. Three children were born in Decatur County: Samuel, Huldah and
Everett. There were now five living sons and one daughter. Frank died in
infancy. The children attended District No.1, rural school in Richland
Township, known as the Brick School.

Joshua and Ellen joined the Mt. Zion Christian Church on February 20, 1887,
and both were baptized May 21, 1888. Joshua taught a Sunday School class;
and Ellen was ordained a deaconess in January, 1911.

Joshua and Ellen attended the World's Fair at St. Louis in 1904, which
celebrated the one-hundred year of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The
family went back to Illinois for visits, and Joshua took several trips alone.

All of Joshua's children were farmers and lived in Decatur and Clarke
Counties. On September 20, 1899, Asa was married to Ellen Ramsey and they
had three children: Burton, Opal and Tressie. Oscar was united in marriage
to Blanch Fullerton in 1900, and they had ten children: Dora, Garven, Clark,
Gerty, Elba, Orive, Avery, Ira and two boys who died in infancy. Amos
married Nellie Ramsey on September 3, 1902, and they had three children:
infant son, Lowell and Dale. On September 9, 1908, Samuel was married to
Bertha Woods; and they had three children: Gerold, Oren and Lorene. Everett
was united in marriage to Pearl West on October 12, 1916, and they had four
children: Dennis, Vera, Venice and Norma. Huldah married Perry Emily on
October 8, 1904; and they had two children: Ruby and Pearl. On December 15,
1916, Huldah was united in marriage to William Adams; and they had three
children: Pauline, Leslie and Betty.

Ellen passed away at her home near Grand River, Iowa, on January 12, 1919.
Joshua then made his home with his son Amos, near Grand River, and died there
on November 17, 1922. Joshua and Ellen were buried near the Mt. Zion
Christian Church in the Wheelis Cemetery, known as the Tennessee Cemetery.

At the time of his death, Joshua & Ellen owned seven-hundred-fifty-four and
one-third acres of land. This was valued at thirty-one-thousand,
three-hundred and fifty-four dollars. The land passed on into the second
generation.

To be cont'd

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