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Abram Golden (1913)

GOLDEN, BALDWIN, HESTER, JENNINGS, STEWART, MOYER

Posted By: Mary Welty Hart (email)
Date: 2/7/2009 at 13:28:02

Winterset Madisonian, Winterset, Iowa
April 16, 1913

ABRAM GOLDEN

Abram Golden, the subject of this memoir, was born in Vermillion county, Ill., Dec. 21, 1831. He was married to Rachel Jane Baldwin, Oct. 13, 1853. In 1856, they came to Iowa, and the first year he farmed land on which the town of Van Meter now stands. In 1865, he bought and moved on to the farm on which he has since lived until the time of his death.

He was converted and joined the Methodist church when young and has been a faithful member since. During the early years of his residence in Iowa he attended church at a school house which stood on the northeast corner of the John Payton farm and also on the corner of the little cemetery where he was laid to rest. This point was a part of the Winterset circuit at that time. When the town of Van Meter was established, there, that became his place of worship, where he was a liberal contributor to the cause, according to his ability. In all he did, he was very reserved and quiet, not wishing to make a pretentious boast whatever.

He raised a family of five children: Mrs. Emily Hester of Norden, Nebr., Mrs. Alice Jennings of Van Meter, Iowa; Mrs. Anna Stewart of Los Angeles, Calif.; Melvin Golden of Billings, Mont.; and Mrs. Alcy Moyer of Gage, Okla.. The only member of the family preceding him was his wife, who died Sept. 28, 1910.

He was a man of strong physique and spent a life time of hard work; he kept this up until the last year or two of his life, when he began to fail. The last three or four weeks of his life, he gradually grew a little weaker and on the morning of March 27, 1913, he quietly passed out and into the great beyond.

The funeral services were held at the home on Sunday at eleven o'clock, where an able discourse was given by Rev. John Wright, a former pastor, and witnessed by a large crowd of old friends and neighbors who came to pay their last tribute of respect to the departed.

Mr. Golden, or "Uncle Abe", as he was called, was one of the early pioneers who helped build up and make this country what it is today. His comfortable and substantial home which he left, testifies to all this, all of which was acquired by perseverance and economy. When he came to Iowa, the prairies were bleak and wild. He ran the first threshing machine that was ever run in the south part of Dallas county, going to Iowa City after it, and bringing it home overland. He threshed almost as far south as Winterset, and going as far north of where the town of Dawson now stands.

The writer has heard him relate with interest the adversities and incidents of those early days; one time, in particular, going after his team which had strayed from home, going as far as the town of Norwalk, and then finding them in a northeast direction not far from Des Moines. As these bits of interest of early days which we hear will have to go down pause for a moment and think that in history or be remembered by us for these old veterans are fast passing away and soon there will be none left to tell the story.

It is not our aim to give undue praise to the departed, but that all might live the life of A. Golden.

Note: Burial was made in Payton cemetery, Jefferson township.

Gravestone Photo
 

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