Charles Benton 1832-1918

BENTON, MERRIMAN, PILGRIM, SQUIRES, RAY

Posted By: cheryl moonen (email)
Date: 7/22/2017 at 17:31:14

Biography of Charles Benton, from the History of Dubuque County (Oldt), pp. 572-573.

CHARLES BENTON, living retired in Farley, is one of the representative men of Dubuque County and is an integral part of the citizenship that has placed this among the foremost counties of the state. His parents were Abner and Abigail Benton, who moved from New York State to Dubuque County in 1846 and were participants in the events of pioneer life in this locality.

Abner Benton farmed and developed his property and here he and his wife passed the remainder of their days. Charles Benton was born November 7, 1832 in Alleghany County, New York, and is the oldest of a family of eleven children. When fourteen years of age he was brought to Dubuque County by his parents and here he has lived sixty-five years—nearly the allotted period of a man’s life. He remained under the parental roof until eighteen years of age, and attended the public schools and assisting of the work on the home farm, and then began working for ages. When twenty-three years old he bought eighty acres of raw prairie land and thereupon built a home and resided five years. He then disposed of it and bought 120 acres of improved land, which he successfully farmed for eighteen years. He again sold his property and bought forty acres just west of Farley and 160 acres in Cherokee County, disposing of the farm some time later, but still retaining in the Cherokee County property. In April 1900, he moved to Farley, which has since been his home.

March 25, 1858, he married Miss Ella Merriman, who was born Sept 17, 1841, and together they have lived happily fifty-three years, celebrating their golden wedding in 1908. The parents of Mrs. Benton were Myron and Adeline (Pilgrim) Merriman, natives of Connecticut. Her father died when she was three years old and her mother then married Stephen F. Squires. They came to Dubuque County, Iowa, in 1855, and here Mrs. Squires died March 27, 1898, when eighty-three years old to Mr. and Mrs. Benton there have been born three children. The eldest, Adeline Lilian married James Ray and resides in Cherokee County , the mother of two children ; the second Florence A., became the wife of John Finn and died in 1891 at the age of twenty-five years; the youngest Albert LeRoy , died when eighteen years old.

Mr. Benton is a republican in politics. He is a member of Julien Lodge, No. 551, Ancient Free and Adopted Masons, and he and his wife are old time members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.