James Stephen Egy

EGY, HUGHES, WELLMAN

Posted By: Judy Wight Branson (email)
Date: 8/15/2004 at 11:43:43

Although he has taken up his residence in Winterset and is living to a large extent retired, J. S. Egy still spends much time upon his farm, finding it impossible to content himself with a life of inactivity. His birth occurred in Washington county, Pennsylvania, on the 26th of March, 1851, his parents being David and Martha (Hughes) Egy, both natives of that county, the former born in 1824. They were married on the 7th of December, 1847, and in 1854 came to Iowa, settling on government land in Lincoln township, Madison county. They lived in a log cabin until our subject was past twenty-one years of age and their surroundings were in all respects those of a pioneer region. Mr. Egy entered one hundred and twenty acres of land from the government and in time brought it to a high state of cultivation. He passed away in 1869, when in the prime of life. His parents were of German birth and his mother never learned to speak English. The maternal ancestors of our subject were Scotch and Welsh. There were five children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. David Egy, namely: Jonathan, now living in Alberta, Canada; J. S., of this review; G. M., who is residing in Kansas ; Sarah E., who died in young womanhood; and David P., who lives on the old homestead in Lincoln township.

J. S. Egy was not quite four years of age when he accompanied his parents to Iowa from Pennsylvania but he remembers quite distinctly being on a boat and later upon a train. At the Mississippi river the family were met by a man named Samuel Myers, who lived on what is now the Brock farm in Lincoln township, and he transported the family and their household goods by team to this county. Mr. Egy grew up amid pioneer conditions and well remembers the time when it took three days to make the trip to and from the mill to get the wheat ground. There were corn crackers, or mills for grinding the corn, on Middle river, but flour mills were quite a distance away. It is worthy of note that the father was so enterprising that he raised wheat the first year of his residence in this county, a rather unusual achievement. When past twenty-one years of age

J. S. Egy left home and removed to O'Brien county, Iowa, where he homesteaded land and lived for six years. Upon his return to this county he purchased a farm in Lincoln township which he operated until he retired and came to Winterset. His property comprises one hundred acres and is excellently improved, although it was but slightly developed when it came into his possession. He carried on general farming and stock-raising and gained an enviable reputation for industry, perseverance and good management. He now rents the farm but spends quite a little of his time there and often aids in the farm work.

Mr. Egy has been twice married, his first union being with Miss Emily Wellman, a native of Cass county, Iowa, who died leaving two children: Sarah, who keeps house for her father; and a son, John, who has passed away. For his second wife Mr. Egy married a Mrs. Neel, who is also deceased.

Mr. Egy is a republican and for six or seven years held the office of township trustee. He resides in a comfortable home on South Seventh avenue in Winterset, and has many friends in the city as well as in the township where he resided for so many years.

Taken from the book, “The History of Madison County, Iowa, 1915”