Killpack, James

KILLPACK

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 9/22/2019 at 13:58:22

James Killpack

(From the 1891 Biographical History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, p.304)
JAMES KILLPACK, a prominent farmer and stock-raiser of Neola Township, was born in Leicestershire, England, September 6, 1830. His father, John Killpack, was a wheelwright and marble cutter, and had a brother and sister, Martha and Fannie, who are now deceased. On attaining manhood, Mr. John Killpack established himself in the mercantile business, including drugs, and continued therein ten or twelve years, and then was in the marble trade the remainder of his days. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Day, died some ten years previously in 1841, leaving twelve children, as follows: John, born October 2, 1824, died August 2, 1851; Mary Ann, born August 29, 1826, died October 21, 1847; Elizabeth, both November 6, 1828, resides in England; James, our subject, is the next; William J., born February 6, 1832, resides in Utah; Jonathan, born October 2, 1833, died July 1, 1890, in California; Charles, born February 7, 1835, died March 16, 1836; Rachel, born August 16, 1836, lives in England; David, born October 25, 1838, resides also in England; Emma and Edward are deceased.

James, the subject of this sketch, was brought up to the profession of his father. At the age of 23 years, he left home and sailed on the International from Liverpool to New Orleans, being ten weeks on the voyage. Landing soon at Keokuk, he came thence by ox teams to Council Bluffs and went on to Utah, being 11 weeks in crossing the plains to that Territory. In Manti City, Utah, he was engaged in farming, but the grasshoppers destroying his crops, he entered the Government Survey in 1855-56. August 15, 1855, he married Miss Salina, daughter of Samuel and Sarah Harcott, natives of England, and born respectively in 1801 and 1806. They had 7 children: Mary, Lucy, Rosa, Sarah, Louisa, William and Salina. The last mentioned was born December 15, 1839. Their father, a fashionable dyer, died at the age of 46 years. Their mother afterward married Jacob Pochin, a native of England and a carpenter by trade, who came to America in 1851, to New Orleans, and thence to St. Louis and to Utah in 1851, and died there in August 1854. The widow then returned to this county and remained with her daughter in Hazel Dell Township until her death, March 19, 1870.

After his marriage, Mr. Killpack returned to Council Bluffs in June 1857, clerked in a grocery store, then followed the same business in St. Louis; afterward was engaged in a furniture and wagon establishment; next he moved to Maries County, Missouri, took up 80 acres of land, but the bushwackers were so bad that he returned again to Council Bluffs by means of ox teams. Here he was in the employ of a grocery firm. April 7, 1864, he moved upon his farm in Boomer Township. A year afterward, he purchased 40 acres in the same township, where there were but few improvements. He added by further purchases until he had a total of 220 acres of good land, most of which was in meadow and pasture and the premises were equipped with good outfit of the usual appurtenances. Desiring to increase his facilities for raising livestock, he sold this place and purchased 320 acres of rough, unimproved land, prairie and hazel brush, and began anew. He put up a fine two-story frame house 18 X 36, with kitchen 16 X 15, porches, etc. In orchard and ornamental trees, he has a total of about ten acres. Among his cattle the choice breeds are the Jersey and Red Poll. He has now 200 acres of fine land, mostly in Neola Township; 80 acres in Boomer Township.

Mr. Killpack is a thorough-going Republican, was once elected a Justice of the Peace, but would not serve lest he might make an enemy. He has been a School Director. His children are: Emma E., born in Sale Lake, December 23, 1856, and now the wife of Moulder Clark in Boomer Township; Rachel Alice, born in St. Louis, January 5, 1859, died December 2, 1863; Mary Ann, born September 7, 1861, died September 28 following; John James, born in Council Bluffs, Mary 20, 1863; William Henry, born in Boomer Township, July 9, 1865; Lucy Ann, born November 17, 1867, died April 3, 1874; Charles, born January 1870, died in infancy; Louisa Alice, born in Boomer Township, May 17, 1871; Grace May, born also in Boomer Township, May 9, 1873; David Marion, born in Boomer Township, July 18, 1876; and George Franklin, born also in Boomer Township, January 27, 1880.