Early, John

EARLY, RANKIN

Posted By: Gary Norris (email)
Date: 2/27/2013 at 07:53:57

The History of Poweshiek County, Iowa
Des Moines: Union Hist. Co., 1880.

EARLY, JOHN—Scott Twp—pg 765. Carpenter, section 8, P.O. Montezuma. Was born in West Chester, Chester county, Penn., Jan. 14, 1809. When three years old went with his parents to Fayette county, Penn., where he lived till nineteen years of age, in the meantime attending the district school. Then learned the carpenter’s trade. In 1828 he moved to Flushing, Belmont county, Ohio, where he remained five years working at his trade, then removed to Brownsville, Pennsylvania, where he worked on steamboat building three years, then went to Harrison county, Ohio, where, at the age of thirty-eight, he married Miss Nancy, daughter of James and Hester Rankin. After living there nine years, Mr. Early and family removed to Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where he bought a farm on which he lived, but worked at his trade till 1857, when he, with his family, came to Montezuma. His first work here was on the court-house. While living here he bought his present farm of forty acres, and after building a house moved into it, and five days after this his house was moved six feet by the wind. Seven children are the result of this marriage, five boys and two girls: James (forty years old), Thomas (died in 1875, in Indian Territory, age thirty-one years), Eliza Ann (thirty years), Hester Matildia (twenty-nine years), Wesley (died in Ohio, 1855, eleven months old), William (died in Montezuma, in 1859, age ten years), Joseph (twenty-seven years). Mr. Early has also taken a boy to raise, ten years of age.