HITCHCOCK, Arad Hunt, Judge 1811-1876

HITCHCOCK

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 5/14/2012 at 22:31:15

Birth: Oct. 21, 1811, Westfield, Orleans County, Vermont.

Death: Mar. 16, 1876, Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#1: OBITUARY

Arad Hunt Hitchcock was born at Westfield, Orleans County, Vermont, October 21, 1811. He died March 16, 1876 at Des Moines, Iowa.

He is of a family of four brothers and four sisters; his ancestrage dating back to the early New England stock. At the age of twenty his time was given him and $100.00 with which he began his business career. In 1831, he emigrated to Ohio and settled near Mount Vernon, where he and a brother-in-law built a saw mill. After two years, he sold out and returned to Vermont.

November 16, 1834, he was married to Mathilda O. Brown and soon returned to Mt. Vernon. After two years of pioneering, he again returned to his old home. When with a younger brother, he engaged in the hardware business at St. Johns, Canada, but in 1856 again sold and emigrated to Mitchell county, Iowa, arriving early in the spring and settling on a farm three and one-half miles southeast of Osage. There was a small cabin on the place and twenty five acres broken, so that year he raised thirteen acres of oats and ten acres of corn.

A new house was built the same year, and the family moved in December 1st. A thick coating of frost still covered the damp, newly plastered walls. After a few years, he rented the farm and moved to Osage, where he engaged in business. Having a general store, a shoe shop and a blacksmith shop, he succeeded Dr. Moore as County Judge in 1857. During his term of two years, the present Court House was built. He was greatly interested in the growth of the town, helped to organize the Osage National Bank, and was elected its first president.

In 1875, he was elected State Senator without opposition. He died at Des Moines, March 16, 1876, while attending the sixteenth session of the General Assembly.

[1911 Atlas of Mitchell County, "Osage Township" by Clarinda Hitchcock]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#2: BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Judge Arad HITCHCOCK -- Judge Hitchcock is of a family of four brothers and four sisters; his ancestrage dating back to the early New England stock.

His career, from early boyhood, has been one full of incidents, both startling and amusing, varying from the rough experiences of pioneer life in the West to the comforts and luxuries attendant on a residence in the Puritan New England States. Being possessed of a large amount of vitality, a firm and compact physical organization, and a hardy constitution, in all trials and all circumstances his indomitable will-power, indefatigable energy, constant perseverance and industry combined have carried him through safely and successfully.

To him the City of Osage and its citizens owe a debt that can be paid only by the lasting remembrance of the great services he has rendered in all matters of public interest tending to the growth and prosperity of the town. In all matters of benevolence one have given more largely, in matters of charity none more willingly, and in public enterprises has not only been instrumental in founding the proudest institutions of Osage, but to his energy and unsparing assistance they owe their completeness. To no one man does it owe more, if as much, for being the county town and for its business prosperity.

Blocks he has built; business houses; founded financial enterprises; has been most influential in securing railroad communication; and been untiring in every effort to advance it; honorable in his connections, and unsparing of aid and assistance. In fact, he has been one of the pioneer guard of enterprise and sterling worth that left behind the pleasant enjoyments and social comforts of the Eastern States to build up a prosperous country, a promising young city, and at the same time without injury or disregard to the rights and feelings of his fellow-men, accumulate a competency on which to comfortably retire and witness the fruits of his labors.

All this Judge Hitchcock has done, and retains the respect, confidence, friendship and deepest regards of his fellow-citizens of Mitchell County, and, as well, all Northern Iowa; and this department would be incomplete without his name appearing among the representative men that have built up to its present importance the great State of Iowa, and placed it in a position where its future will secure its development as one second to none in the Union.

Judge Hitchcock was born at Westfield, Orleans County, Vermont, October 21, 1811. He received a common-school education, and remained in Vermont until twenty years of age, when he struck out for the then 'far West' alone, and settled for a time at Mount Vernon, Knox County, Ohio, where he taught school during the Winter, and during the Summer worked at his trade as a carpenter.

In July 1832, he performed a journey that well displays the disposition of the man, that, no matter how difficult a task he might have before him, his determination was to succeed. He traveled from Mount Vernon, Ohio, to Hennepin, Putnam County, Illinois, a distance of nearly six hundred miles on foot, and completed the journey at the end of sixteen days. How could a man at twenty-one years at the present time contemplate such a journey?

At Hennepin he worked at his trade, and built the first store in that town. He worked about Hennepin until October 28, 1832, when he took a steamer and went to St. Louis, thence up the Ohio to Mount Vernon, suffering severely with fever and ague.

In the Winter of 1833, he taught at the same school house he had the Winter before, and in May he returned to Vermont, bought a farm and was there married to Miss Matilda Buren. Then for a time he made quite frequent changes for one of his character of determination and endurance. After a two years' residence in Vermont, he moved to Mount Vernon, Ohio; lived there two years returned to Vermont; bought a farm.

Three years after he went into a mercantile line of life and opened a hotel in Vermont, and three years after sold out and moved to St. John's, Lowe, Canada. There he conducted the hard ware business for almost a year and a half, when he sold out to his brother, returned to Westfield, Vermont, bought and settled on the old homestead. After a three years' residence there he sold out, went to Troy, Vermont, opened a store and conducted a hotel.

At the end of one year sold out all his interests in Vermont, and in 1855 came to Iowa and settled at Osage, Mitchell County. In the Spring of 1856 his family arrived, and he settled on a farm three and one-half miles southern from Osage, which place he still owns. Since his residence here he has held the office of County Judge one term, and in 1865 was instrumental in the organization of the Osage National Bank,of which he was for a number of years, President. He has dealt largely in real estate and cattle and continues in a vigorous and busy business life.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#3:
NOTES:

Wife: Matilda O. Buren Hitchcock (1813-1901)

Children:
Cordelia Hitchcock Stoughton (1835-1909)
Clarinda Hitchcock Hitchcock (1843-1930)

Burial:
Osage Cemetery, Osage, Mitchell County, Iowa.

[Credit: DM Scott]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The cemetery listing on IaGenWeb for Osage City Cemetery shows:

HITCHCOCK ARAD (B.1811) 16 MAR 1876 0154 6

HITCHCOCK CLARINDA 30 JAN 1930 0370 2 54

HITCHCOCK MATILDA O. 18 DEC 1901 0154 5 18

Mitchell Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen