James Blakeny Pease

PEASE, BLAKENY, MCCULLOUGH, CLARK, EVANS, BROWNLEE, CRAWFORD, REED

Posted By: Greta Thompson (email)
Date: 9/2/2003 at 23:38:12

Hon. James Blakeny Pease

Of recent years there has arisen a widespread discussion concerning the question of what really constitutes success, and while some aspects of the matter seem destined to remain unsettled, all ages and peoples have agreed that there are two modes of action which are entitled to the name "success" beyond dispute. The first of these is a life of piety and honesty, and the second is a career of distinguished service to the state or nation. To both of these the Hon. James Blakeny Pease has conscientiously and intelligently devoted himself throughout the course of his long and useful life. He was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, January 24, 1817, the son of Andrew and Mary (Blakeny) Pease. The father was born in Maryland, and as a boy was brought by his father Nicholas Pease to Washington county in 1769. Nicholas, the grandfather, was born in Germany; came to the United States when seventeen years of age, and reared a family in Washington county. There the father of our subject was often engaged in garrison duty as a protection to his community against the raids of the Indian savages, and at one time took part in a battle of some importance at Sandusky, Ohio, June 4, 1782. He passed his life as a farmer in Washington county. His second wife, who became the mother of Hon. James P. Blakeny Pease, was Mary Blakeny, daughter of James Blakeny, who was of Irish descent, and who married Ruth Drennan in Ireland, later coming to America, and making his home in Washington county.

Nicholas Pease was a communicant of the Lutheran church; Andrew adopted the Presbyterian faith, in which his wife, Mary Blakeny, was reared.

James Blakeny Pease was educated in the select and common schools, taking his Latin in the former. He was his father's assistant in the duties of the farm until the death of his parent in 1844, when he married Miss Elizabeth McCullough. They continued to live upon the home farm until 1851, when they removed to Lee county, Iowa, and settled in Marion township. There the wife died in 1856, leaving five children, of whom three survive, the eldest son, Samuel G., having died of typhoid fever at Memphis, Tennessee, during the Civil War. Those living are: Frances M., widow of Henry V. Evans; Anna B., wife of Lebbeus Clark, of Mills county, Iowa, and John McCullough, of Cedar township, Lee county. On coming to Iowa Mr. Pease bought a farm of 320 acres, upon which he lived until 1865, when he sold it, and the following year purchased a fine grain and fruit farm in Van Buren county. In 1859 he married Miss Catherine L. Crawford, who died in 1863. The ensuing fifteen years were devoted to agricultural pursuits at the farm in Van Buren county. In 1880 Mr. Pease purchased a home in Fort Madison, and here he has since continued to reside. He has been engaged in manufacturing to some extent, but has now retired from active business.

In politics Mr. Pease was reared a Democrat, and has continued throughout his life a firm adherent of the political tenets of Thomas Jefferson. He has served his party and his state in prominent and important capacities, and few men are better known in the state of Iowa for zeal and devotion to the public welfare than James B. Pease. Few men have done more effective service in placing the commonwealth in that proud position which she occupies today among her sister states. In 1856 he was elected to represent Lee county in the state legislature, and in 1873 was elected from Van Buren county to the state senate on the Anti-Monopoly ticket. While a member of the legislature he held the position of chairman of the Committee of Reform Schools, and took a leading part in the regulation and betterment of those institutions. Another service for which he merits peculiar honor was the part he played in the support of the bill to regulate the exorbitant charges of railroad companies. Since 1880 he has not been especially active in politics, but has, however, served a number of terms as justice of the peace in Fort Madison.

October 17, 1867, Mr. Pease married Mrs. Catherine Brownlee, nee Clark. Catherine Clark was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, December 16, 1826. She was a daughter of Joseph and Catherine (Andrews) Clark. Her grandfather was Joseph Clark, a pioneer of Washington county, Pennsylvania. There the father of Mrs. Pease lived and died, he being a farmer all his life. Mrs. Pease was educated in Washington Seminary, and was first married to Mr. Samuel T. Brownlee, who died in March, 1854, leaving three children: Nelson, who lives upon the old homestead; Adeline, now Mrs. Colin M. Reed, of Washington, Pennsylvania, and Samuel, a farmer of Lee county, Iowa.

They are members of the Presbyterian church, of which our subject has been an elder for forty-five years, he having been a charter member of Sharon congregation, and being the only one of the eight original members now living. He organized the congregation in 1851 and helpd to build the church edifice. There he was elected an elder, and has served in the same capacity in Fort Madison since 1880. Here he assisted in the building of the present church. During his earlier years he acted as Sunday school superintendent and as teacher in the prison Sunday school, at this place. In Van Buren county Mr. Pease was one of the organizers of the Grange. At the present time his principal work outside the home, is the service of the church. To correctly estimate the life work of Mr. Pease would be to determine his usefulness in many lines of activity, for business, civil, and religious interests have all been promoted through his labors, profited by his wise judgmen and benefited by his championship. To him justly belongs the distinction of being called one of the most representative men and honored citizens of Fort Madison.

--from the 1905 Biographical Review of Lee County, pp. 449-451.