Hon. Horace S. Draper

DRAPER, STONE, ALLEN

Posted By: Gail Meyer Kilgore (email)
Date: 3/4/2004 at 16:00:45

HON. HORACE S. DRAPER. Located in Felix Township lies one of the finest rural homes of Grundy County. Here, since the spring of 1873, Mr. Draper has resided, meanwhile adding to his property until his landed possessions now aggregate five hundred and sixty acres. First-class buildings have been erected and other substantial improvements introduced, which prove his thrift and enterprise as an agriculturist. In addition to this farm he is the owner of valuable real estate in Syracuse, N. Y., and is numbered among the wealthiest men in Grundy County.

Referring to the parental history of Mr. Draper, we find that his father, Simeon, was born in Vermont in 1796, and when a lad of about sixteen did valiant service in behalf of our country during the War of 1812. Somewhat later in life he removed to New York, where he remained until his death in March, 1871. A man of fine physique, strong and muscular, and well proportioned, he was fitted for the arduous task of hewing a home out of the wilderness. Though his education was limited, he was a man of extensive information and was thoroughly posed in political affairs, being in early life a Whig and afterward a member of the Republican party. His wife was Clarissa, daughter of Samuel Stone, a native of Massachusetts and a farmer by occupation; he participated in the Revolutionary War and witnessed the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Mrs. Clarissa Draper died in December, 1870, and her body is interred by the side of her husband in the cemetery at Syracuse, N. Y.

In the family of Simeon and Clarissa Draper there were five children, viz.: Jane, deceased; Nelson, who died in infancy; George W., a physician residing in Syracuse, N.Y.; William, who is engaged in the real-estate business at Pueblo, Colo., and Horace S. The latter was born near Syracuse, N. Y., October 10, 1834, and was there reared to manhood, meanwhile attending the common and high schools of that place. Reared upon a farm, he naturally chose agriculture as his life occupation, and in addition there to engaged in manufacturing salt for a number of years.

In 1855, Mr. Draper purchased a tract of land from the Government in Felix Township, Grundy County, and hither he came after the death of his parents, his original purchase consisting of four hundred and eighty acres. While he gained wealth, he has not done so at the expense of others, but is notably generous to the poor and needy and often assists farmers just gaining a foothold in life. Naturally, therefore, he is very popular among his fellow-citizens, in whose regard he stands high.

The lady who in 1872 became the wife of Mr. Draper was Mary, daughter of Aaron Allen, a native of New York. They have had four children, namely: William H., who is attending college at Toledo, Iowa; George and Frank, deceased; and Bertha, who is at home. In politics he is a Republican, and has been elected upon the ticket of that party to numerous official positions of trust. From 1878 until 1880 he served as County Supervisor, and in 1887 he was elected State Representative, serving in that capacity for two years. Socially Mr. Draper affiliates with the Masonic fraternity.

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

Grundy Biographies maintained by Tammy D. Mount.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen