Eli S. Bennett

BENNETT, SNOW, VORSE, THORP, VANDERBURGH

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 11/9/2011 at 22:58:25

ELI S. BENNETT is the happy possessor of that energy that seems somehow to be the magic wand that transforms a poor beginning into a flattering end. He is a native of Connecticut, and was born in Fairfield County May 5, 1833, to Smith and Electa M. (Snow) Bennett. His paternal grandfather, David Bennett, was a Baptist preacher, and by his union with the grandmother of our subject reared a family of four children, of whom the father of our subject was the eldest. The others were named Henry, Lomis and Minerva. He was married a second time, and had born to him two sons, Franham and Morris.

The father of our subject, who was a blacksmith by trade, was also born in Fairfield County, Conn., and received his education in the common schools. Prior to his marriage with the mother of our subject he was united to Miss Vorse, and of their union was born a daughter, Sarah, who is now deceased. Our subject was the only child born to his mother, and after her death, which occurred when he was a lad of three years, his father was married to Miss Susan Snow, and to them were born five sons: Charles and George, deceased, William, Edgar and Walter. This lady also dying, Smith Bennett was married to Mrs. Caroline Vorse. He was a Democrat in politics, and religiously a member of the Baptist Church.

E. S. Bennett, of this sketch, remained at home with his father until reaching his majority, in the meantime receiving a fair education. He learned the trade of a blacksmith, and upon leaving home went to work in machine shops at Pine Meadows, Conn. There he was employed for four years, and at the expiration of that time, in 1858, emigrated to Illinois in company with his father, and with him established a blacksmith shop in Carroll County. This they continued to operate two years, when our subject rented a farm in the same county; he gave his time to its cultivation until 1869, when he came to Iowa and located a tract of unbroken prairie land in Tama County. His first purchase comprised one hundred and twenty acres, and at the time of his removal to Reinbeck, five years ago, he owned a tract of two hundred and forty acres after having sold a quarter-section.

Since coming to this place Mr. Bennett has been engaged in selling threshing machines, handling the "Advance" and "Stevens" machines. He is a practical and thorough machinist, and received his certificate of Chief Engineer from H. B. Tibits, of Minnesota.

Miss Mary E. Thorp became the wife of our subject September 17, 1859. She is the daughter of Cains and Catherine (Vanderburgh) Thorp, and by her union with Mr. Bennett has become the mother of the following children: Charles E., George C., Frank R., Anna E., Mary E. and three who died in infancy. The sons have followed in the footsteps of their honored father and are all engineers. They have all been given fine educations, the eldest son being a graduate of the Western College at Toledo, Iowa. Frank received his education in Gladbrook High School, and Miss Mary holds a diploma from the Reinbeck High School.

In his political relations our subject is a stanch Republican, and has been the recipient of many offices of trust in Grant Township, Tama County, Iowa. Socially he is a member of Reinbeck Lodge No. 386, I. O. O. F., and the Legion of Honor in this place.

Source:
Portrait and Biographical Record
of Jasper, Marshall and Grundy Counties, Iowa
1894