William M. Barton (1919)

BARTON, SMITH, STEELE

Posted By: Ida Morse
Date: 3/31/2006 at 20:12:45

The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, May 7, 1919
Page 8

William Barton was born in Creshire, England, July 23, 1833. When nine years old, his parents emigrated to America. The family crossed the ocean in a sailing vessel and they were on sea seven weeks and three days, and finally landed at New Orleans, where they remained for some time and then by steamboat to St. Louis, where the family remained for sometime while the father came to Iowa, seeking a suitable location.

He selected a claim in Des Moines county, Iowa, where the mother and children joined him. There the subject of this sketch grew to manhood and in 1854 he was married. He operated his father’s farm in Des Moines county until 1860 when he removed to Madison county; first settling on a claim northwest of Winterset, after which he bought a farm south of Winterset, near the borders of Scott and Walnut townships, which he sold and moved to a farm south of Patterson; and then to St. Charles, where he engaged in the hotel business.

After this he bought a threshing machine and for a number of years did most of the threshing about St. Charles, and even to the vicinity of Winterset. Later on he was engaged in the insurance business, in which he was very successful and followed it till he lost his eyesight. For more than four years he was totally blind and was a great sufferer on account of this and from other bodily afflictions.

Mr. Barton was converted in early life and joined the Methodist church. He was an official member of the church at St. Charles and for a time was superintendent of the Sunday school. After coming to Winterset, he united with the church here and was for several years a member of the official board. His abiding faith in the Christian religion was a source of great consolation to him during the years of his long severe illness.

Mr. Barton was married to Miss Drusilla Steele in 1854, who died May 17, 1894 and he was again married to Miss Anna Smith of Webster township, this county. There were of the children by the first wife; Edgar, Belle, J. L. of Gallatin, Mo.; Maude Booth, Asia Arnold, John, Mable, Lillie and Claude. The wife of the second marriage together with the three children; Mildred, Howell and Dorothea, remain to mourn the loss of a kind husband and indulgent father.

Funeral services were held at the home Monday afternoon, conducted by Rev. Jackson Giddens.

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Madison Obituaries maintained by Linda Griffith Smith.
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