Converse, William (1831-1916)

CONVERSE

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 9/16/2019 at 16:21:43

William Converse
Oct 20, 1831 - May 13, 1916

(From the 1883 History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, by J. H. Keatley, p.242, Valley Twp.)
William Convers, farming, P. O. Hancock, was born in Crawford County, Perm., October 20, 1831, son of Erastus and Elizabeth Convers, he born in Vermont, died March 12, 1848, she born October 10, 1813, in Pennsylvania. Our subject came to Iowa when he was nine years old, and never had the advantages of school to any extent; he was raised on a farm and started in life as a farmer and veterinary surgeon. When he, with his parents, came to Iowa and settled in Iowa County, the nearest store was at Burlington, seventy miles distant, and Indians were so common that Mr. Convers became quite conversant with their language, speaking it quite well. He lived in Iowa County, Iowa, for thirty years, except one year spent in Minnesota with the regular army; he was not enlisted, but in 1848, when only seventeen years old, he drove teams iu winter and cooked in summer, while Fort Gaines was building in Minnesota. He had three brothers in the war of the rebellion and only one came out. Mr. Convers is one of six children; his only sister died many years ago; he has one brotlier in Lyons County, Iowa, and one in California. Mr. Convers is a Good Templar, Mason, Odd Fellow, a member of the A. H. T. A.; he has been a temperance worker for twenty-three years, and took a very active part in working for prohibition in Iowa. His father died when he was only fourteen rears old, but his mother is still living. Mr. Convers was married, May 23, 1851, to Miss Jane C. Henry, born in Pickaway County, Ohio, May 24, 1836. Subject came to Pottawattamie County, Iowa, in 1870, and bought his present place, which was not improved. He has a farm of 325 acres of land, upon which he has sixteen acres of groves and orchards, and has erected good buildings. Mr. Convers has always followed farming and dealing in stock; also practicing as a veterinary surgeon. He has one son - Charles H. - in California, teaching school; another - John - in Avoca, Pottawattamie County, as baggage master; he has also four daughters - Mary, Emma, Ella and Clara. Mr. Convers has filled various township offices, and in politics is a Republican.

(From the 1891 Biographical History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, p.500)
WILLIAM CONVERSE, a prominent farmer of Valley Township descended from an old American family of English descent, who settled in Vermont in early day. The grandfather of our subject, a farmer in Plattsburg, that state, was the father of 7 children, the sons being Erastus, William, Chase, Jesse and John, and the daughters, Polly and Jemima. Erastus, the father of William, went to Pennsylvania and was there married to ELIZABETH VAN WERMER, and they had six children: John, William, George B., Henry B., Erastus, and a daughter who died in infancy. George B. and Erastus served in the Union army four years and George died in the service. In 1842 the father brought his family to Iowa, settling on a claim where the land was not yet surveyed, in what is now Green Township, Iowa Co. This state was then an entirely new country, and he had to go 70 miles for his groceries, the family having to rely upon their own productions for most of their supplies, which consisted mainly of corn bread and buckwheat cakes, with wild game and fish. For five years they were without beef, pork, coffee, sugar and milk. Tea they made of "red root" (Ceanothus Americanus). The corn they ground with a hand mill. Their clothing was mostly made of buckskin. They lived in a log cabin with no sawed timber except the doors and window casings, which were made from their dry-goods boxes, that they had brought from Pennsylvania and their floors were of puncheon. But they had a comfortable home and were content. There were no schools, churches, roads, courts, lawyers or even a justice of the peace, and but one doctor who lived 9 miles distant. The people were healthy, happy and peaceable; their habits were simple and they were friendly and hospitable, helping each other for miles around.
Mr. CONVERSE lived to the age of 43 years, dying from exhaustion brought on by riding 70 miles on horseback without a saddle for a doctor for his sick son. His widow is still living, at the age of 80 years, with her son William. When she first came to Iowa, the Sac and Fox Indians were very numerous but friendly, and Keokuk, the celebrated Chief, used to come to their cabin and frequently partook of their hospitality.
WILLIAM CONVERSE, the subject of this sketch, was born in Rockdale Township, Crawford Co., Pennsylvania, and was but 9 years of age when his parents came to Iowa. He was brought up in the wilderness and received no education when a boy, as the nearest school at the time of his father's death was 22 miles, and he never had the benefit of but six months' schooling. When his father died, his brother, two years his senior, and himself were the support of the family, and at the age of 14 he did a man's work. He learned from his father and the Indians to hunt, and the meat for the family was procured in this way. He often, when hunting with the Indians, partook of their hospitality and describes their cooking as being clean and orderly. After his marriage, Mr. Converse settled in what is now Greene Township, Iowa Co., where he lived 29 years, and where he owned a farm of 226 acres. He sold this place and in 1871 came to Pottawattamie Co., settling on his present farm of 320 acres in Valley Township. It was wild land when he purchased it 19 years ago, but he has since converted it into a fine cultivated farm, to which he has added until he now owns 400 acres. Mr. Converse set out all his shade and fruit trees; also has many good buildings, and a splendid orchard of 300 bearing trees, and a good vineyard. Politically he is a Republican but is an independent thinker and liberal in all his views, voting for the man instead of the politician.
He is a member of the Farmers Alliance and president of the Anti-Horse Thief Society, which office he has held for 17 years. He has also been a member of the Masons, Odd Fellows, and Good Templars orders. He is a strong temperance man, and has subscribed liberally for the cause. He has taken an active part in the cause of education and the good of the schools and has served as School Director for years and also President of the School Board. Mr. Converse stands high in his community as an upright and honorable man, is always found on the side of reform and in defense of the right. He has the honor of being one of the founders of the great and wealthy state of Iowa, as he has been with her from the beginning, endured all the hardships and privations allotted to her eldest sons, and has been equal to all the vicissitudes of life in her border. Mr. Converse was married at the age of 19 to Miss Jane C. HENRY, then aged 15 years, daughter of Williamson A. and Sarah (RICHARDSON) HENRY. The father was originally from Kentucky but went to Ohio and finally settled in Johnson Co., Iowa, between 1835 and 1842. They were the parents of 7 children: Nancy, Jane, Rebecca, Fannie, Mary A., William A., and Franklin P. Mr. Henry was a soldier in the Black Hawk war; was one of the pioneers of Iowa state and city and assisted in drawing the stone for the State University. He kept a tavern in Iowa City for many years, and lived to the age of 55 years. To Mr. and Mrs. William CONVERSE have been born six children: John, Charles, Mary, Ella, Emma and Clara. Mrs. Converse is a member of the Baptist Church. William Converse has practiced medicine for 40 years and for the last 25 years has had a large practice. He is now living on his own farm and is dealing in imported Clydesdale and French draft horses, high-grade mares, high-grade red polled cattle and pure bred Poland-China swine.