Dearborn, Nelson 1857-1923 and Mary Alice Griffin Family

DEARBORN, GRIFFIN, BELLESFIELD, LANGFORD

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 11/16/2021 at 08:38:57

The Dearborn Family

This story was taken from the ‘Rock Valley Records & Recollections’ book written about 1976 in honor of the two hundredth birthday of our nation. It was a revision of the history written by Lottie Thomas in 1955. This family story was taken from the Rock Valley 1955 history book and from visitations with Ivor Dearborn. It was transcribed for this BIOS by Beth De Leeuw of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society and some research notes were added.

In 1867, a covered wagon caravan started from Janesville, Wisconsin for Iowa to secure homesteads for their families. Of this caravan, the Bellesfield family was a part. With them was Nelson Dearborn, grandson of Peter Bellesfield and nephew of Samuel Bellesfield. At that time, he was ten years old and was given the duty of herding the cattle across the prairies as they came. The group got as far as Sioux City and stayed there during the winter of 1867 and 1868. They started on again and arrived here in the spring of 1868 with a few household belongings and their cattle.

Nelson herded cattle for the neighbors who later settled on homesteads. Among these were the Hasletts and Kaskies.

In 1886 he married Mary Alice Griffin, who worked at the Bellesfield Inn, and went to live on a farm six miles west and one-fourth miles south of Rock Valley. Today Willis Den Boer works this land. The farm buildings have all been removed.

In the early 1890’s, Nelson moved with his family to Rock Valley, and settled at 1717 13th Street. From that time until very recently, this was always the home for Dearborn family members. It now stands empty. This house was originally one story and was built by a man named Skillman, a railroad section foreman, from lumber salvaged from wrecked railroad box cars. In 1904, the second story was added to the house.

Mr. Dearborn was employed in the mill. Afterwards he worked in the railroad pump house for some time. After this, he was an engineer in the mill for Roantree and Rounds for many years. Later, he was chief engineer for the local electric plant operated by E.S. Thayer and sons, Starr and Wayne. He worked there until diesel engines were put in by the Iowa Public Service Company. He returned to his threshing work and afterwards purchased a house moving rig which he operated until 1923, when he took ill and passed away.

During the spring flood of 1897, Nelson gave many a helping hand. Several homes were surrounded by water and being flooded. He took a row boat and in four trips secured all the people safely.

He served as constable for several terms, and one of the hardest things he had to do was to stand off, with a few deputized citizens, an angry group of people who had come to the Benson farm east of town to mob a Negro. The Negro was passing through this area and had acted in a manner displeasing to the group of people.

On another occasion, he was called to go on a murder case and also to take one of his friends, who had gone insane, to the sheriff.

Mrs. Dearborn had assisted in many homes before and after her marriage. She baked breads for a number of unmarried settlers, among them the Walpole and Schweppe brothers. She also baked test loaves of bread for the mill after they had milled a new kind of flour. She passed away in 1954.

The Dearborns had six children, Hazel, May, and Lelia are deceased. Gordon now lives in Council Bluffs, Iowa, while Elsie recently moved from the Dearborn home to Orange City, and Ivor lives in Rock Valley.

Ivor, who was born in 1894, followed his father’s work in many ways. As a school boy, he worked the night shift in the Roantree and Rounds Mill. His job was to fire the boilers and oil the engines. He also worked for a time at the railroad pump house. He operated a steam shovel at the Al Schemmer gravel pit. In partnership for many years with Bill Davisson, he threshed grain with a steam machine. During World War I he was stationed in occupied Germany and was chauffeur for Lt. Col. Putchnit, who was under General Pershing.

(Taken from the Rock Valley 1955 History Book and from visitations with Ivor Dearborn.)

Rock Valley Bee December 28, 1923
OBITUARY OF NELSON DEARBORN
As briefly announced in last week's Bee, L. H. N. ‘Nels’ Dearborn passed away at the Myers hospital, in; Sheldon Dec. 20. He had gone to the hospital a few weeks earlier for medical treatment. Two operations were performed there in hopes that he might obtain relief. He seemed to improve, but other complications developed which his weakened physical condition could not withstand.
The subject of this sketch was born at Janesville, Wis., June 12, 1857, and had attained the age of sixty-six years, six months and eight days. In 1868, when a lad of eleven years, he came with his grand parents to Sioux County. They settled at Calliope, where he grew to manhood. He was united in marriage, with Miss Mary Griffin, April 22, 1886. Seven children were born to them, all except one, together with their mother are left to mourn. Soon after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Dearborn settled on a claim west of Rock Valley and farmed for several years, later moving to Rock Valley where the family reside at the present time.
Mr. Dearborn was one of the earliest settlers in Sioux County, the country being then only sparsely settled. He endured many hardships and privations incident to pioneer life, and could give many interesting accounts of experiences in early days.
Funeral services were held from the Methodist Church in Rock Valley Saturday afternoon, conducted by the pastor, Rev. Bergman, and the remains were taken to Valley View Cemetery for burial.

OBITUARY OF MARY ALICE DEARBORN (MRS. NELSON DEARBORN)
Mrs. Mary Alice Dearborn, 88, died Nov. 8, at her home in Rock Valley. Services Thursday at 2 p .m. at the Methodist church there. Surviving are two sons, two daughters, five grand children and six great-grandchildren.
Floyd Valley Farmers News Friday, November 12, 1954 Le Mars, Iowa
=========================
Rock Valley Bee 11/14/1954
Mary Alice Dearborn died at her home Monday morning. She was 88 years, 3 months and 26 days old.
Mary Alice Griffin, daughter of James and Mary Griffin was born near Geneva, N.Y. July 13, 1866. She was baptized by Rev. James Rankin pastor of St. Peters church, Geneva, N.Y. March 27, 1868
She left New York with her parents at the age of two years and settled in Franklin County near Hampton, IA. They lived in that vicinity four years and in 1872 they moved to a homestead in Sioux County five miles southeast of Rock Valley.
There she attended the country school which still stands on the corner, one mile south of Hi-way 18, three miles east of Rock Valley.
She was married to Luther Henry Nelson Dearborn 1900 (??) in Canton, S. D. and to this union 7 children were born. She was preceded in death by her husband, four sisters, two brothers, and a daughter Loretta Irene.
She is survived by four daughters, Hazel, Leila, Eloise and Mrs. Emily Mae Loftus, and two sons, Gerdan of Council Bluffs, and Iver of Rock Valley, also five grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
Funeral services were not known at the time of publishing the paper.

OBITUARY OF HAZEL DEARBORN (1898-1956)
Daughter of Nelson Dearborn
Funeral services will be held at the Methodist Church at Rock Valley at 2 P.M., Friday, December 21, for Miss Hazel Dearborn, 58, lifelong resident of Rock Valley, and correspondent for The Sioux Center News, the Des Moines Register and Sioux City Journal, who died at the Sioux Center Community hospital Tuesday afternoon following a two weeks confinement with cancer.
A short service will be held at the family home in Rock Valley at 1:30 p.m.
Officiating at the services will be the Rev. Nelson Price of Rock Valley. Burial will be made in the Valley View Cemetery.
Miss Dearborn was born at Rock Valley, October 23, 1898.
Survivors include three sisters, May Loftus, Lelia Dearborn and Elsie Dearborn, all of Rock Valley; two brothers, Gordon of Council Bluffs, IA, and Ivor of Rock Valley.
Sioux Center News, December 20, 1956

OBITUARY OF MAY LOFTUS (1902-1962)
Daughter of Nelson Dearborn
Sioux Center News October 25, 1962
MRS. MAY LOFTUS (MRS. RAY)
Mrs. May Loftus of Rock Valley died suddenly Tuesday evening, October 16, of a heart attack at the home of her cousin, Mrs. Amy Moore. She had fallen and broken her left leg above the ankle on August 24 and was in the Sioux Valley hospital at Sioux Falls for four weeks. She returned to Rock Valley September 22, planning to stay with Mrs. Moore until her health was better.
She was born May 23, 1902, in Rock Valley to Mr. and Mrs. L. H. Nelson Dearborn and spent most of her life in Rock Valley. She was married in 1920 to Ray W. Loftus at Canton, S. D. Two children were born to this union, Alice (Mrs. James Suitor) of Paullina, who survives, and Darrell Wayne, who died at the age of five years in 1928.
She is survived by her daughter, two brothers, Gordon Dearborn of Council Bluffs and Ivor Dearborn of Rock Valley, and two sisters, Lelia and Elsie Dearborn, at home at Rock Valley, four grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at two o'clock Friday afternoon at the Porter Funeral Home, Rock
Valley, with George Walters officiating. Interment was in the Valley View cemetery, Rock Valley

OBITUARY OF LELIA DEARBORN (1905-1970)
Daughter of Nelson Dearborn
Funeral services were held at the Porter Funeral home in Rock Valley at 3 p.m. October 31 for Miss Lelia Dearborn, 65, of Rock Valley, who died at the Rock Valley hospital October 28 after a long illness.
Services were conducted by Ellis Tyson and burial was made in Valley View cemetery at Rock Valley.
Miss Dearborn was born August 28, 1905, at Rock Valley.
Survivors include a sister, Elsie, of Rock Valley and two brothers, Ivor of Rock Valley and Gordon of Council Bluffs.
Parents: Nelson & Mary Dearborn from the 1925 Iowa state census)
Source: Sioux Center News, November 5, 1970

OBITUARY OF GORDON DEARBORN (1892-1980)
(Son of Nelson Dearborn)
Rock Valley Bee January 23, 1980
Gordon Dearborn
Funeral services for Gordon Dearborn, 88, of Council Bluffs, and formerly of Rock Valley, will be Wednesday, January 23 at 1:00 p.m. at Pioneer United Methodist Church. Before moving to Council Bluffs in 1950 Mr. Dearborn operated a grain threshing business, was a film projectionist and town policeman. His wife, Fannie, preceded him in death. He was a brother to Ivor Dearborn, who died here in recent years. Mr. Dearborn had been ill for two and one-half years before his death.
The Meyer Funeral Home of Council Bluffs is in charge of arrangements. Burial will be at Valley
View Cemetery

OBITUARY OF ELSIE DEARBORN (1909-1992)
Daughter of Nelson Dearborn
lsie Dearborn, 83, died Tuesday, November 3, 1992, in Valley Manor Nursing Home.
She was born January 29, 1909, in Rock Valley, and graduated from Rock Valley Public High School.
She wrote the society news for The Rock Valley Bee newspaper and articles for the Sioux City Journal.
She lived with her niece in Council Bluffs, Iowa, from 1976, until moving to Valley Manor in Rock Valley December 16, 1991.
Survivors include one nephew and three nieces.
Services were held at 1:30 P.M., Saturday in Porter Funeral Home, Rock Valley, with burial in Valley View Cemetery.
Rock Valley Bee, November 11, 1992

OBITUARY OF IVOR DEARBORN (1894-1977)
Son of Nelson Dearborn
Sioux City News (6-22-1977)
ROCK VALLEY--Ivor L Dearborn, 82, Rock Valley died Thursday.
Services were at 10:30 a.m. Monday in Pioneer United Methodist Church. The Rev. David Waterman officiated. Burial in Valley View Cemetery was under direction of the Porter Funeral Home in Rock Valley.
Mr.Dearborn waas born June 7,1894, in Rock Valley. He married Gertie Postma April 25,1917, at Sioux Center. She died Jun 2, 1968.
Survivors include a daughter, Mrs. Arthur(Marlene) Gorman of Waterloo; a brother Gordon of Council Bluffs; a sister Miss Elsie Dearborn of Orange City, and two grandchildren

RESEARCH NOTES:
From an ancestry.com account (by others) Mary Alice Griffin was born at Geneva NY 13 Jul 1866 to James Griffin born 3 Jan 1820 England died 15 Dec 1901 Rock Valley IA and Mary Ann Langford born 16 Oct 1823 England died 1 Mar 1910 at Rock Valley.

Marriage Record Sioux County IA 22 Apr 1886 lists Luther Henry Nelson Dearborn born 1857 married Mary A. Griffin . His parents were Luther Dearborn and Emily Bellesfield.

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