Iles, John Henry (1827-1901)

ILES, CLAYTON, SOUTHARD

Posted By: Debbie Greenfield (email)
Date: 7/7/2025 at 11:01:10

Stratford Courier, Stratford, Iowa
January 24, 1901

Death of Another Pioneer
John Henry Iles was born October 18, 1827 in Licking county, Ohio and died January 16, 1901 at his home in Yell township, Webster county, aged 73 years, 2 months and 28 days.
His ancestors were from Pennsylvania and settled in an early day. He was one of a family of eight children, three boys and five girls, all of whom have passed on before except one sister, who is four years his senior.
He grew to manhood in Ohio and was married to Elizabeth Southard in 1852. To them was born seven children, four boys and three girls all living except Aleck, who died in 1881, aged twenty-one and his beloved wife, who preceded him to the unknown beyond by nearly four years. This cast a gloom over his life and he never became reconciled to the great loss. He left his native state in 1854 and with his young wife bid farewell to friends, relatives and native land and with about thirty others started for the west driving all the way to Iowa. Many an interesting story has he told to his children of that trip but with their spirits hardships were sport and unsurmountable obstacles were to them only fun.
They first stopped at Burlington then only a village and rented land, but in 1856 he with others came to Webster county bought land and moved his family there in '58 living there until his death enduring innumerable hardships. He had witnessed the rapid development of a wilderness of uncultivated land without any modern improvements so common now.
But these same years has made savage inroads on that little band of pioneers who set out from Ohio almost half a century ago and there is but two or three left.
He united with the M.E. church in 1868 and was a member at the time of his death. In his passing away a father is gone who always taught by example and precept that "Honesty is the best policy" and "Industry will have it's reward."
His last years were made miserable by the failure of his eyesight and pain from them has made him a constant sufferer.
The funeral was held Friday by Rev. E.A. Hoelscher and the remains interred in Oakwood Cemetery. He has passed to the great beyond where sorrow and pain are not known.

CARD OF THANKS
We take this means of thanking the many kind friends and neighbors for the willing assistance given during the last sickness and death of our beloved father, John Iles. – Children

Stratford Courier, Stratford, Iowa
February 7, 1901

John Iles Dead.
John Iles, the subject, of this sketch died at his home in Webster county, near Stratford, Jan. 16, 1901.
Mr. Iles received a shock of paralysis while attending to his duties on his farm which felled him to the ground. Perhaps an hour elapsed before anyone found him. As soon as he was discovered he was carried to the house. Everything that skill and affection could suggest was done, but without avail.
He was born in Licking Co., Ohio October 18, 1827, and died January 16, 1901, having completed his seventy-third year. He was married to Miss Elizabeth Southard in 1852, came to Iowa in 1854, and into Webster county in 1858. Mrs. Iles passed to the Silent Land about four years ago; since that time he has led a lonely life, and suffered much. By dint of industry and economy, he amassed a comfortable fortune, every dollar of which was honestly earned. Some time ago Mr. Iles' house was entered by burglars and robbed of $1250. The papers of surrounding counties published garbled accounts of this affair, reflecting great injustice on the character of Mr. Iles – some charging him of miserly qualities of character. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Mr. Iles has bestowed more benefits on the poor than all these culmniators put together. His word as well as his note was at par every day in the year. Another pioneer whose hand helped to make the wilderness blossoms as the rose is gone.
"No man liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself." The value of a life depends on the amount of work done—it goes out to help others in the form of thoughts and actions and long after the man is forgotten his works continue to bless others. The generations of the past live in the cities, churches, and railroads they have built, they speak to us in books they made, they comfort us by giving us their homes, their possessions, in short all they had. We are only continuing what was commenced in the distant past and he who does most in this field is life's greatest hero; such a worker, and such a hero was John Iles.
A loving husband, a kind father, a valued neighbor, and an honored member of the community is past out of sight. Sweet be his rest!
Generous heart, kind friend, hail and farewell! H.M. LUCAS.

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John and Elizabeth were married 22 Jan 1852, Licking Co, OH.

[he was the son of Adam & Jane Clayton Iles]