Burgett, J. S.

BURGETT, ROBB, QUEEN, HESSER, NORRIS, TIBBALLS

Posted By: Gary Norris (email)
Date: 12/1/2012 at 16:29:11

There is perhaps no more familiar figure on the streets of Deep River than J. S. Burgett, and few families in Poweshiek county are more honored than that of which he is a representative. His entire life has been spent within the borders of Deep River township, where his birth occurred on a farm a mile and a half south of the town of Deep River, on the 19th of September, 1868.

His father, P. B. Burgett, was one of the early settlers of this county, taking up his abode here when Iowa was still a frontier district and much of her land unclaimed and uncultivated. He belonged to that type of hardy pioneers who subdued the forests and conquered the plains, and laid broad and strong the foundations on which the state and nation have grown to greatness. He left an impress on the history of the county - for it cannot be written without taking into account those sturdy pioneers who conquered its virgin soil and gave to the state one of its richest districts. He was born in Carroll county, Ohio, on the 22d of May, 1823, a son of George and Mary Jane (Robb) Burgett, and a grandson of Phillip Burgett, a soldier of the war of 1812. His parents both passed away in Carroll county, Ohio, where the greater portion of their lives were spent, the father being a farmer by occupation. P. B. Burgett was the second in order of birth in a family of eight sons and three daughters, of whom Owens is the only surviving member and was present at the surrender of Vicksburg on the 4th of July, 1863. He now makes his home in Carroll county, Ohio, on the old homestead. Tipton served in the Civil ware as a squirrel hunter, and died in the fall of 1862. The eldest son, Williams F., was one of Iowa's pioneers, locating in Des Moines in the early '50s, where he engaged in the merchandising business. The youngest son, John W., was drowned in the Coon river, Iowa, about forty years ago, while fishing. The family originally came from Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, a town which was laid out by the great-great uncle of our subject.

P. B. Burgett spent the early years of his life in the county of this nativity and when twenty-one years of age went with relatives on flatboats down the Mississippi rivers to New Orleans. Subsequently he made six or eight similar trips to the Crescent city, the summer seasons being devoted to farm work in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. He was married in the fall of 1856 and in the spring of the following year came to Poweshiek county, Iowa, locating in Deep River township. Here he bought one hundred and sixty acres of school land on section 16, and soon afterward purchased another quarter section and at once began the development and improvement of his land. He was a very successful farmer and at one time owned more than six hundred acres of valuable property, five hundred and forty acres of which were in his possession at the time of his death. He continued in the cultivation of his farms until 1895, when he retired from that line of activity and removed to Deep River where he erected the present beautiful family home. After his arrival in this town he became identified with financial interests here, being president of the State Bank of Deep River from 1894 until succeeded by his son, John S., in 1904. He was married on the 21st of October, 1856, to Miss Castara Queen, who was born in Carroll county, Ohio, on the 9th of July, 1830, and remained in that state until her marriage, when she came west to Iowa. Her parents, Samuel G. and Mary (Hesser) Queen, were natives of Loudoun county, Virginia, and they were there reared and married. In the fall of 1820 they removed to Ohio and there both passed away on the farm on which they first located, Mrs. Queen surviving her husband for forty-five years. He was a farmer and stock-raiser by occupation and served as a soldier in the war of 1812. His father, Jonah Queen, fought in the Revolutionary war. He was a native of the north of Ireland and passed away in Columbiana county, Ohio, at the very advanced age of ninety-three years.

Mrs. Castara Burgett was one of ten children, three sons and seven daughters, of whom she and a sister, Mrs. Cornelia Norris, of Berkley, California, are the only surviving members. A brother, Samuel G. Queen, enlisted in the Civil war for a term of three years, at the expiration of which time he veteranized and served until the close of hostilities.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. P. B. Burgett were born seven children, as follows: Bingham Hesser, Born August 1857, who was a student at college at the time of his death, being killed in the cyclone at Grinnell on the 18th of June, 1882; Alcinus LeRoy, born June 29, 1860, a banker at Albion, Iowa; Samantha Mary, born December 23, 1862, now at home; William Queen, a druggist of Newell, Iowa, who was born January 14, 1866; John S., of this review; Winnifred F. Cornelia, born May 28, 1872, who married LeRoy Tibballs of Baker City, Oregon; and Lulu Wilma, who was born June 16, 1876, and passed away on the 14th of January, 1901. All of these children received excellent educational advantages, attending the high school at Deep River and most of them entering college, either at Grinnell or Cornell, Iowa.

P. B. Burgett, the father of this family, was originally a whig in his political beliefs, but after the organization of the republican party gave to it his unfaltering support throughout the remainder of his life. He passed away on the 17th of February, 1910, at the age of eighty-six years, and at that time a local paper had the following to say: "P. B. Burgett was one of God's noblemen, and while he was not active in those walks of life which some consider the only paths to greatness, he was an important and effective force in the real concerns of life which stand for the stability of the community, the county, the state and the nation."

The mother still survives, making her home in Deep River, and although she has reached a ripe old age she is remarkably bright and active. Her mind is richly stored with knowledge concerning the early history of the state and event which occurred while Poweshiek county was still in a formative period. She readily recalls the conditions of the pioneer days, when not a tree nor a fence stood between the villages of Montezuma and Millersburg, both of which towns she could see from home on clear days, and her memory forms a connecting link between the days of the primitive past and the progressive present, covering a period in which she has witnessed the transformation of the vast uncultivated prairies of Iowa into one of the richest farming districts in the galaxy of states.

It was on the home presided over by these worthy parents that J. S. Burgett, our subject, was reared, and under their direction he early acquired habits of industry, perseverance and integrity. The early period of his life was spent on the home farm, where he remained until 1894, when, thinking to find more congenial work in the city, he came to Deep River and entered the employ of the State Bank of this city as assistant cashier, acting in this capacity until 1904, when the was elected to the office of president, to succeed his father. The thorough experience which he acquired since first becoming connected with this institution, combined with his natural business sagacity and sound judgment, makes him a most capable official, and his careful administration is proving a potent force in the conduct of the bank's interests. Other important enterprises have also felt the stimulus of his advice and counsel, for he is secretary and treasurer of the Deep River Brick & Tile Company and half owner of the Deep River Record. He also carrier on a general insurance business in connection with Hon. George Grier, who is also his partner in his newspaper venture, and he is extensively interested in local real estate and also in Canadian lands.

Mr. Burgett has never married, but continues to make his home with his widowed mother in the handsome family residence in Deep River. He is a republican in politics but has never sought nor held public office. He prefers to give his undivided attention to his duties as executive head of the State Bank of Deep River which, under his careful direction, is enjoying a period of success and prosperity. It is one of the safe, substantial moneyed institutions of the county, having a capital stock of twenty-five thousand dollars, with deposits amounting to over three hundred thousand dollars. Its other officers are C. N. Cox, vice president; George E. Grier, casher; with a board of directors composed of J. P. Winders, C. N. Cox, S. W. Scovel, George E. Grier and J. S. Burgett. The business affairs of Mr. Burgett are capably conducted. Tireless energy, keen perception, honesty of purpose, a genius for devising the right thing at the right time, joined to everyday common sense, are the chief characteristics of the man. As a result he has gained wealth, yet it was not alone the goal for which he has strived, for he belongs to that class of representative American citizens who promote the general prosperity while advancing individual interests.

History of Poweshiek County Iowa
- A Record of Settlement, Organizations, Progress and Achievement, Vol. II
written by Prof. L. F. Parker.
Published by The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., in 1911
Pages 598-601