Richard Preston Bruce
BRUCE, KEITH
Posted By: Judy Wight Branson (email)
Date: 9/15/2004 at 22:27:30
R. P. Bruce, Douglas twp.; farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 34; P.O. Winterset; born in Garrett county, Kentucky, in 1818; came to this county in 1851; previous to his coming to this State he lived in Illinois seventeen years; owns 359 acres; has held office of town trustee and treasurer of the school district; he married Miss Judith A. Keith in 1841, she was born in Clark county, Kentucky; has eight children: John R., Mary J., George Anna; Francis M.; Susan V., Caroline M.; Nancy B.; and Carrie M.
Taken from the book, "The History of Madison County, Iowa, 1879" page 600
__________________________________________________A Memorial and Biographical Record of Iowa
Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1896Transcribed and edited by Kent G. Transier, 02 Jan 2010
Richard Pickle Bruce, a venerable and wealthy farmer residing in Douglas township, Madison county, Iowa, is one of the pioneers of this county and is here entitled to biographical mention as such. Mr. Bruce was born in Garrard county, Kentucky, May 15, 1818, and has in his veins a mixture of Scotch and Welsh blood. His father, R. P. Bruce, who died at and advanced age in Washington, Kentucky, was of Scotch descent while his mother, nee Elizabeth Henley, a native of Virginia, was of Welsh origin. The mother also lived to an advanced age, she being between seventy and eighty years old at the time of her death. In their family were seven children, of whom Richard P. was the fourth born.
Mr. Bruce lived in Lexington, Kentucky, until he was about fourteen years old. Then, in 1832, he accompanied his mother to Jacksonville, Illinois, and after a sojourn of one month at that place they moved to Schuyler (now Brown) county, Illinois, where he remained until 1851. That year he came to Iowa and took up his abode in Madison county. In 1853, after farming rented land two seasons, he came to his present location, and here has since resided. At the time of his settlement here there were only about twelve families living in the county. As the years passed by Mr. Bruce did his full share toward advancing the agricultural interests of this part of the country and bringing about the present development, and today he is recognized as one of the leading farmers and stock-raisers of Madison county. His home farm comprises 401 acres, he has eighty acres east of Winterset, and owns forty acres of timberland, making in all 521 acres of as good land as there is in the State of Iowa; and all this property he has accumulated through his own honest and earnest toil and good management. The buildings, fences and other improvements upon his land have all been placed there by him.
While in Brown county, Illinois, Mr. Bruce was united in marriage, in 1847, to Judith A. Keith, a native of Kentucky and a daughter of Virginia parents, with whom she removed when a young lady to Illinois. She came with Mr. Bruce to Iowa in 1851, shared with him the frontier life above referred to and proved herself in every respect a worthy helpmate, and June 16, 1876, passed to her reward. She was the mother of eleven children, of whom nine are living, namely; John R.; Francis M.; Georgeanna, wife of William Underwood; Mary Jane, wife of Timothy Conard, deceased; Susan V., wife of John Herron; Belle, wife of Thomas Stark; Caroline M., wife of Lewis Fields; Robert S., of California; and Carrie M. at home. In 1884 Mr. Bruce married for his second wife Miss Elizabeth McClary.
Mr. Bruce is a man of many sterling characteristics and his whole life ahs been so conducted that it has won and maintained for him the confidence and esteem of all with whom he has in any way been associated. He has cast his vote with the Republican party ever since the party was organized. For many years he served as Township Trustee, has also served on the Board of Supervisors, and at various times filled other minor offices, always performing with the strictest fidelity the duty entrusted to him. He has for years been an earnest advocate of temperance. Fraternally he is identified with the Masonic order and has his membership in Evening Star Lodge No. 43 at Winterset, Iowa.
Madison Biographies maintained by Linda Griffith Smith.
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