ABRAHAM, John C. - 1890 Bio (1839-1916)

ABRAHAM, HOWELL, GRIFFIN, WORKMAN, KERR

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 7/25/2007 at 19:57:48

Portrait and Biographical Album of Jefferson and Van Buren Counties, Iowa, Printed 1890 by Lake City Publishing Co., Chicago
Pages 257-258

John C. ABRAHAM, an intelligent and respected farmer of Locust Grove Township, Jefferson County, residing on section 1, is a valued citizen of the community for he labors for its best interests and gives his support to everything calculated to benefit or advance the general welfare. He has lived in the county since three years of age. He was born in Butler County, Ohio, in 1839, and in a family of six children, whose parents were Charles and Elizabeth (HOWELL) ABRAHAM, was the second in order of birth. His paternal grandparents, Lot and Susan (GRIFFIN) ABRAHAM, were natives of Pennsylvania, and at an early day emigrated to Ohio, whence they came to Jefferson County, Iowa, in 1842. Locating in Fairfield Township, Mr. ABRAHAM made his home on a farm, which he there developed until his death, which occurred in 1852. His wife survived him a number of years, dying in 1863. The maternal grandparents of the subject of this sketch were John and Nancy HOWELL. Maryland was the State of their nativity, but they became pioneer settlers of Indiana.

Charles ABRAHAM was born in Butler County, Ohio. In the year 1836 he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth HOWELL, and after the birth of Lot, who is now married and resides in Ottumwa, John, the subject of this sketch, and James H., they came to Iowa, making a settlement in Fairfield Township, Jefferson County, but after a year they removed to a claim in Locust Grove Township, which was still the home of Mr. ABRAHAM at the time of his death, in 1877. His wife was called to her final rest in 1882. James H. is married and resides in Black Hawk Township. He enlisted, in 1862, in Company H, Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, for three years, received a shell wound during his service and was discharged at Davenport, in 1865. Griffin, the next younger, is married and makes his home in Fairfield; W. T. resides on the old homestead; Charles is married and is now living in Polk County, Iowa, whither he removed in March, 1890.

As will have been seen, our subject has spent almost his entire life in this county. He was reared among the wild scenes of pioneer days, with the family shared in the hardships and struggles of frontier life and was educated in the subscription schools. At the age of twenty years he started out in life for himself, but at the age of twenty-two laid aside the plow for the equipments of war. Responding to the country's call for troops, he enlisted at Abingdon, on the 19th of August, 1862, in Company H, Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, for three years' service. He was mustered in at Keokuk, joined the Army of the Tennessee and participated in the following battles: Atlanta, Chattanooga, Murfreesboro, Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Kenesaw and Dallas. He was with Sherman's army on the March to the Sea, took part in the Carolina campaign, including the battles of Beaufort, Columbia and Raleigh, and participated in the Grand Review at Washington, D.C., about the 1st of June, 1865, and on the 16th of that month was honorably discharged in Davenport.

When hostilities had ceased and the result for which they had struggled had come to pass, Mr. ABRAHAM returned to Jefferson County. The following year, in the month of August, he united his destiny with that of Miss Kizzie E. WORKMAN, one of the fair daughters of Jefferson County. Her parents were John and Delilah Melissa (KERR) WORKMAN, natives of Kentucky and Tennessee respectively. In 1840, when a young man, her father came to this county and, settling in Buchanan Township, entered land and improved a farm. His wife died at that home on the 16th of January, 1889, since which time Mr. WORKMAN removed to Fairfield, where he is now living.

Mr. and Mrs. ABRAHAM began their domestic life in Polk Township, but after two years removed to Buchanan Township, where he lived for a year or two. He then made a permanent location at his present place of residence, where he has a highly improved farm of one hundred and seventy acres. Mr. ABRAHAM is a progressive farmer, whose practical ideas and enterprising business methods rank him among the leading agriculturists of the community. In his efforts to acquire a competence he was amply assisted by his excellent wife, but in 1888 he was called upon to mourn her loss, she dying on the 3d of May, after a lingering illness of some ten months, leaving three children --- Minnie, Edward, M. and Welday.

Mr. ABRAHAM is a member of the Methodist Church, of Brookville, belongs to George Strong Post, G.A.R., of Fairfield, and in politics is an advocate of Democratic principles.

[Transcriber's note: The G.A.R. is the Grand Army of the Republic, the fore-runner of the American Legion.]

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.