Alfred Giddings, b. 12 Sep 1828

SPENDLOVE, GARFIELD, BAKER, MARTIN, BAILEY, CLEMENT, WALKER, JEAMBY, COLEMAN

Posted By: Donna Moldt Walker (email)
Date: 3/31/2004 at 08:35:01

Alfred Giddings, one of the most wealthy and prominent citizens of the Township is the leading florist and nursery-man of Jackson County, a business in which he has been remarkably successful, and has accumulated a fortune. His residence is the largest and finest in the township, and with its grounds, green-houses and other attractive surroundings presents an imposing picture in the landscape of that region. The grounds are beautifully laid out; the walks are of concrete stone, and the abundance of evergreen and other choice shade trees adds to the attractions of the place. Mr. Giddings owns ground to the extent of 404 acres in connection with this, and the whole of it is finely located on section 14.

In glancing over the personal history of our subject we find that he is of pure English stock, a native of Northamptonshire, born in the town of Northbar, Sept. 12, 1828. His parents were William and Hannah (Spendlove) Giddings, also natives of Northamptonshire, and the father a horticulturist by occupation, which he engaged in the greater part of his life. The son, Alfred, was thus at an early age initiated into the mysteries of floriculture and the nursery business, and having inherited a natural love for the industry, it was comparatively easy for him to take it up and follow successfully. The parents spent their entire lives on their native soil, the father passing away Sept. 7, 1818, and the mother, March 2, 1839. The parental family consisted of thirteen children, six of whom are living, namely: Betsy, Mrs. Garfield; Alfred, our subject; Harold, Emma, Mrs. Baker; Sarah, Mrs. Martin; and Leah, Mrs. Garfield. They are located as follows: Leah Garfield resides in Union Township; Harold in Iowa, and the others in England.

About the time of reaching his majority, young Giddings came to the United States, equipped with nothing but his own resources, his resolute spirit, his determined will, and the knowledge of his father's business. His money had given out by the time he reached New York City and he walked all the way from that place to his destination, Avon, Lorain Co., Ohio, fifteen miles west of Cleveland, a distance of 750 miles. He slept on straw-stacks frequently at night, and obtained his food by doing odd jobs for the people along the way. He never begged for a mouthful to eat, but always offered to pay for what he obtained in work. He often came across benevolent people, who would furnish him with a good meal for nothing.

Young as he was, Mr. Giddings had left a wife behind him in England, and she joined him in Ohio the fall after his arrival. In the vicinity of Avon he carried on farming until the autumn of 1853 when he came to Iowa and secured possession of the farm he now owns. He made his home in a modest dwelling just north of the present magnificent residence until the 25th of December, 1878, when, having erected this latter the family celebrated Christmas by their removal to it. This dwelling is a fine two story frame structure, occupying an area of 36x22 feet, with an "L" 18x24 feet, and underneath the main part, a sunny, dry, stone basement which forms a fine receptacle for perishable produce both in summer and winter. In the rear is the kitchen, one story in height, 14x28 feet. The green-house is situated on the west side of the house, and within it bloom the choicest flowers all the year around.

The wife of our subject, to whom he was married Aug. 9, 1846, was, in her girlhood, Miss Mary, daughter of Richard and Bridget (Bailey) Hemfrey. She was born in Lincolnshire, England, May 21, 1826, and with her brother John is the only survivor of her parents' nine children. The latter is a resident of Union Township. The parents are both deceased, the mother being buried in Ohio and the father in Iowa Township.

Mr. and Mrs. Giddings are the parents of twelve children, six of whom are living, namely: Hannah, Harold G., Alfred, Josephine V., Emma and John L. One son, Albert S., died when a youth of eighteen years, and a daughter, Ellen, died at the age of thirty. She was the wife of Edward Clement, and left one child, a daughter, Mary Ellen, who lives with her grandparents. Hannah was married to Robert Walker, and has one child; they are living in Maquoketa. Alfred married Miss Clara Jeamby; they live in Union Township, and have one child - Maryland. Josephine is the wife of John Spendlove, of Kalamazoo, Mich., they have three children - Vernon, Lena, and an infant son, Franklin. Emma is the wife of John Coleman, of Union Township, this county, and is the mother of three children - Herbert William, John Lincoln, and Glenn. John L. married Miss Mary Jeamby, and occupies a part of the Giddings homestead; they have two children - Herbert Vincent and Elsie Maud.

The Giddings home is filled with geological specimens, bric-a-brac, and momentoes. Among the many worthy of mention is a medal awarded by the British Government to Mr. Giddings' father, who was one of the few survivors of a regiment that distinguished itself in her Majesty's service. The medal is justly prized.

Mr. Giddings, our subject, is a thorough American, notwithstanding he was born under a foreign flag. In his visits to his old home beyond the sea, the mere mention of the fact that he is an American citizen opens to him the hearts and homes of his countrymen, among whom in the olden time he was counted as a stranger.

("Portrait and Biographical Album of Jackson County, Iowa", originally published in 1889, by the Chapman Brothers, of Chicago, Illinois.)