Gould J. Hurlbutt

HURLBUTT, JENNINGS, STEVENS, BACON, CONRAD, WILEY

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 11/14/2011 at 15:18:13

GOULD J. HURLBUTT, of the firm of G. C. Hurlbutt & Co., lumber, coal and grain dealers at Conrad Grove, is recognized as one of the able business men of Grundy County. He is a native of Huron County, Ohio, and was born February 22, 1829, to the union of Henry and Almira (Jennings) Hurlbutt. Grandfather Hurlbutt spent his entire life in Connecticut. Henry was born in the Nutmeg State and served an apprenticeship of seven years to the trades of cabinetmaker and chairmaker. After his marriage he moved to Huron County, Ohio, and there died at the age of fifty-six years. Our subject’s mother was born in Connecticut and died in Huron County, aged seventy years. She had eight children, of whom two sons and two daughters are now living.

Our subject remained at home until he was about fifteen, after which he was apprenticed to learn the trade of cabinetmaker, serving for four years. At the age of about twenty he went to Milan, Ohio, and on account of the cholera epidemic secured control of a shop as manager with a Mr. Stevens, remaining there for one year. He then returned to his old home at Norwalk, where he worked at his trade and also engaged in construction work on the railroad until about 1865.

At the age of twenty-five Mr. Hurlbutt married Miss Julia Bacon, who was born in Lorain County, Ohio, and died in Marshall County, Iowa, aged twenty-eight. Of her four children, two are now living, as follows: Ralph B., a railroad engineer, who is married and has four children; and Grant, who is in business with his father. The second marriage of Mr. Hurlbutt united him with Mrs. Sarah (Conrad) Wiley, a native of Indiana. By her first marriage she had two children: Ada and Almira, and by her union with Mr. Hurlbutt she has one child. Mrs. Hurlbutt is a daughter of John W. Conrad, to whose sketch upon another page the reader is referred.

After his marriage Mr. Hurlbutt settled in Norwalk, and was engaged in railroad work until 1866, when he came to Iowa and settled in Marshall County, purchasing one hundred and sixty acres of unimproved land. Later he bought land upon which the town of Conrad Grove now stands. His landed possessions at the time of locating here aggregated three hundred and twenty acres, to which he has since added. Five years ago he started a lumber and coal business, and later commenced to deal in grain, and still continues these enterprises. In politics he is a Republican and cast his first vote for J. C. Fremont for President. Socially he is a member of the Masonic fraternity at Marshalltown. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church.

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