BARTON, LEANDER

BARTON, LINDSY, FANTZ, DEEMES, HORN, ERICKSON, LARAMER

Posted By: Jean Kramer (email)
Date: 5/26/2004 at 15:00:29

Biography reproduced from page 412 of Volume II of the History of Kossuth County written by Benjamin F. Reed and published in 1913:

Leander Barton now living a retired life in Luverne, Iowa, was for many years one of the enterprising and successful farmers of Kossuth county. He is a veteran of the Civil war and his war record, as will appear further on in this narrative, is one of unusual hazard and of great interest to his compatriots and to the public at large. He was born January 9, 1844, and is a son of Nathaniel and Rachel (Lindsy) Barton. The father was a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and of Irish extraction. Early in life he removed to Ohio, where he continued to reside until 1851-2. He then removed to Illinois and there lived until after the war, after which he took up his abode in Humboldt county, Iowa, for one year and then returned to Illinois, where he remained for several years and later he went to Fresno, California, and there died in the year 1898. He was an authorized clergyman of the United Brethren church and in connection with his duties as a minister he was also engaged in general farming. The mother was of French descent, and at an early date her parents settled in Ohio where she lived until the time of her marriage. Sometime before her death, having a great desire to visit her children, she started on her journey and paid a farewell visit to each one and on reaching the home of the last child passed away and was buried in Nebraska. To Rev. and Mrs. Barton six children were born. Milton was killed in battle at Franklin, Tennessee, during the Civil war. Amanda is the wife of J. L. Fantz, of Fresno county, California. Leslie, whose death occurred in Humboldt county, Iowa, in 1911, was a veteran of the Civil war, having enlisted in Company I, Twenty-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry and was corporal of his company. He followed his command for three years and two months. He was wounded November 7, 1861, and carried the bullet in his leg until the time of his death. At the close of the war he settled in Humboldt county, where he remained until his demise. Leander is the subject of this review. Nathan died at Burlington Junction, Missouri. Walter was a veteran in the Civil war, having enlisted in the One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and serving during the last two and one-half years of the war.

Leander Barton was reared at home and educated in the public schools of the district in which he lived. He remained under the parental roof until the time of his enlistment in the United States service, which occurred August 5, 1861. He followed his command for three years and at the end of that time was mustered out of service September 24, 1864. During his service as a soldier he received a shot wound across his fingers at Kenesaw Mountain. He was in the battles of Belmont and of Island No. 10, and also in the battles before Memphis. From there his command moved to Shiloh, reaching the battlefield just at the close of that bloody engagement. They were later engaged at Farmington and were in the siege of Corinth and later in the battle at Iuka, from which place his regiment was ordered to garrison duty in Tennessee. He was in the battles of Stone River, Chickamauga and Mission Ridge. At the latter place the position of his regiment was near enough to enable them to see the battle of Lookout Mountain. At the close of these scenes of carnage his regiment was next sent to Knoxville, Tennessee, where they engaged in the relief of the siege of that city. At the close of the siege of Knoxville the command, to which his regiment belonged, went into winter quarters, a short distance south of that place. On May 3, his regiment became a part of Sherman’s army, which started for Atlanta and not a single day passed during that campaign in which the whistle of Confederate bullets was not heard. He was later engaged in the battles of Resaca, Georgia, Peach Tree Creek, and many other engagements of less note than the ones above cited. At the close of the war he returned to Illinois in the fall of 1865 and in 1866 settled in Humboldt county, Iowa, where he purchased a farm one half of a mile south of the Kossuth county line. On that property he established his home and there built a house twelve by fourteen feet with eight foot posts. The frontier home was without floor or ceiling. The material out of which the house was constructed consisted of one load of lumber, which he freighted by wagon from Boone Station and the material was too scant to even admit of a sufficient amount of lumber, with which to batten the cracks between the upright dimension boards. In this house he lived during the ensuing winter and the following summer he built a small addition which he plastered, the lath having been made by his own hands. In that improved house he and his family continued to live for the ten succeeding years, after which he built a commodious and comfortable residence, to which he later added improvements from time to time, and such are the building improvements which stand upon his farm today. Around the home he planted a twelve acre grove which has grown and lends attractiveness to the homestead. Twenty years ago he retired from active farm life and settled in Luverne, where he now resides in a beautiful residence which he built, located on one and one half blocks of picturesque ground within the city limits. Much of his success in farming he attained by raising cattle.

Mr. Barton was united in marriage in 1865 to Miss Elizabeth Deemes, and to this union seven children were born: LeRoy, a resident of Algona, Iowa; Etta, the wife of Lawrence Horn, of Algona, Iowa; William Henry, a farmer, who resides in Kossuth county; Clara, the wife of N. L. Erickson, of Los Angeles, California; Bertha, the wife of H. G. Laramer, a farmer, who resides in Kossuth county; Allen, who died at the age of seventeen years, buried at Luverne; and Bertie, also deceased, having died at the age of four years, buried at the same place.

Mr. Barton is a loyal member of the republican party and served as county supervisor of Humboldt county in an early day. He was also a member of the board of supervisors of Kossuth county for nine years and for four years has been mayor of Luverne. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Renwick, Iowa, at one time. He was also for sixteen years school treasurer of the district in which he lived in Humboldt county. Mr. and Mrs. Barton are both members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is both trustee and steward. Leander Barton is one of the highly respected and useful citizens of Kossuth county and is a man who is identified with every public measure intended to improve the conditions of the people.