McCartney, William

MCCARTNEY, HIBBARD

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, Plym. CC (email)
Date: 3/19/2005 at 12:00:08

William McCartney

William McCartney, one of Plymouth county's best-known pioneerfarmers, and a former trustee of Union township, now living retired from the active labors of the farm at his pleasant home in thattownship, is a native of Pennsylvania, but has been a resident of Iowasince he was seventeen years of age and of this bounty since pioneer days. He was born in the city of Philadelphia on October 8, 1838, son of Nicholas and Catherine ( Hibbard ) McCartney, the former a native of Ireland and the later, of England, whose last days were spent in DelawareCounty, this state.

Nicholas McCartney was but a lad when he came to this country from Ireland and he grew to manhood in the city of Philadelphia, where he marriedand where he was working as a teamster until he presently moved over into Delaware and there remained until 1856, in which year he came to Iowa and settled on a farm in Delaware county, where he and his wife spent the re-mainer of their lives. They where the parents of eight children, of whom six are still living. Of these children the subject of this sketch is the eldest and only one besides his brother, James, who is a resident of this county.

William McCartney received a limited schooling in the state of Delaware,to which state he moved with his parents from Philadelphia when but a child, and there worked in cotton mills until he came to Iowa with his parents in1856, he then being seventeen years of age. Upon his arrival in Delaware County he began working there as a farm hand, later renting a farm and afterhis marriage in 1864 established his home on the same, remaining there until1871, in which year he came to Plymouth county and homesteaded a tract ofeighty acres in Union township, where he and his wife have ever since made their home and where they are very comfortably situated, being widely known and honored pioneer residents of that part of the county. Mr. McCartney made valuable improvements on his place and added to the same by purchase, his place now consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, which he has re-gistered under the name of "The Old People Home Farm." He is also the ownerof a quarter section of land in Nebraska.

In 1864, while living in Delaware county, William McCartney was united in marriage to Maria Croston, who was born in the state of New Jersey, daughter of Jonolson William and Maria ( Sinnitt ) Croston, the former a native to Ireland and the latter of the state of New York, who later moved to Illinoisand thence to Iowa, the former's last days having been spent in the home of Mr. and Mrs. McCartney in this county. To Mr. and Mrs. McCartney four child-ren have been born, namely: Mary Ann, who married Albert Cliff and has six children, Fred, Bertha, Bert, Hazel,James and Ernest; Alice, who marriedJohn Mace, who died, leaving one child, a daughter, Lillian, after whichshe married John Lenner ( Lehner ) and by this second union has three child-ren, Elsie, Jay and Alice; Samuel, who married Nettie Brace and has seven children, William, Mrytle, Jessie, Earl, Mazie, Daisy and Drusilla, and Nichols, who died in infancy. Mr. McCartney is a Republican and for manyyears has taken an active interest in local civic affairs, having servedthe public in several official capacities, township trustee for some yeasand also as supervisor of roads and school director.

BOOK SOURCE:
History of Plymouth County, Iowa
Indianapolis, Ind.: B. F. Bowen, 1917