Lean, Thomas 1860-1924 & Emily Keen Hall Family

LEAN, KEEN, HALL, OLIVER, ELEY

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 8/1/2023 at 12:28:04

Lean, Thomas 1860-1924 & Emily Keen Family

This story was taken from page 427 of the Ireton Centennial Book (1882-1982). Author unknown. The story was transcribed for this BIOS by Beth De Leeuw of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society. Some research notes were added.

Thomas Lean 1860-1924. Emily Keen 1860-1944.
Mr. Lean was born in England and came to America when he was 20. He stayed with his sister in Council Bluffs for a few years, then came to Sioux Co. in 1884. In 1887 he married Emily Keen who came from Wisc. They farmed the Oren Post farm, now Marlin Eilts farm, SE of Ireton for most of their life. In 1914 Mr. Lean bought the August Schmidhans farm, now Bill Koopmans’ farm, south of Ireton. He lived there until his death in 1924. After his death Mrs. Lean moved to their home in Ireton, now the Myrtle Levering home, and lived there until her death in 1944. Thomas Lean belonged to the Methodist Church and Odd Fellows Lodge.

They had 3 children: Bell married Bill Bigge; William married Olive Lawton; and Lola married Vernon Grau. They had one step son, Alvin Hall, son of Emily’s first marriage.

RESEARCH NOTES: Added by Wilma J. Vande Berg From a family report on ancestry.com public member trees submitted by other this this submitter.

Thomas Bryant Lean was born 21 July 1860 Roselyon Boconnoc Cornwall England and died 6 Aug 1924 Reading Township Sioux County IA. He was the son of William Henry Lean 1836-1927 and Jane Anne Oliver 1841-1924. He married Emily Levina Keen 1882.

Emily Levina Keen was born 8 Jun 1860 Monroe Green WI and died 18 Apr 1944 Ireton Sioux County IA. Her parents were Joseph and Rebecca Keen. Identified by the 1870 census of Monroe Green WI. Joseph was born 1832 England and Rebecca was born 1838 Ohio. Children named were - Emily 10, Mary 9, Avis 7, Alvin 5, Sarah 1 mo. Emily’s mother Rebecca’s maiden name was Eley born 1837 Ohio.

(Emily was first married to L. D. Hall and they had one son: No further info found on L. D. Hall)
1. Alvin Hall born 25 Sep 1882 Monroe WI died 23 Oct 1975 Renville MN Wife Minnie They had 6 children, Orietta E. Hall, Emma V. Witkop, Henrietta A. Wagner, Earl J. Hall, Oren W. Hall, Esther Feldman.

Thomas Lean and Emily Keen had three children as listed.

CHILDREN: Found in Obits on this site and Ancestry.com
Note: In the obit of Emily it stated that she lost a daughter Belle at five years of age. This may be a wording error in Emily’s obit because Rosa went by Belle and had died about 5 years before Emily died. Could find no record of a daughter Belle having died at 5 years of age.

1. Rosa Belle Lean 1888-1941 She married William T. Biggs 1890-1965
Mrs. Emily Lean received word Thursday of the death of her daughter, Mrs. Belle Biggs. She died of heart failure at her home in Des Moines. Belle Lean was born November 28, 1888, at Struble. She was 52 years old. She spent her childhood in Ireton and when a young woman attend business school in Des Moines, where she met William Biggs. They were, married and lived in Marshalltown where they operated a restaurant. They moved to Des Moines, and she lived there the remainder of her life. Funeral services were held Saturday with burial in Des Moines. Besides her mother, Mrs. Biggs leaves a brother, William Lean, of Los Angeles, Calif., and a sister, Mrs. Vernon Grau, of Ireton. Mrs. Grau attended the funeral, Source Le Mars Semi Weekly Sentinel of Friday Sept 19, 1941 Ireton News.

2. William Mckinley Lean 1896-1988 He married Olive Evline Lawton 1895-1978
Lean, William born 19 Apr 1896 died 28 Dec 1988 Bellflower CA buried in Pleasant Hill cemetery Ireton IA. No local death information readily found as died in CA.
Marriage record lists William M. Lean born Ireton IA married 7 Feb 1922 Ireton IA to Olive Eveline Lawton. His parents were Thomas Lean and Emily Keen. Note: William McKinley Lean born April 19, 1896 Ireton, he married Eveline Lawton Feb 7, 1922 They had two children He died Dec 28, 1988 Bellflower CA buried in Ireton. His parents were Thomas Bryant Lean and Emily Levina Keen Hall.

3. Lola Esther Lean 1897-1984 She married Claude Vernon Grau 1896-1982
Mrs Vernon Grau. 86, of Le Mars. died Sunday 1n a nursing home in Sioux City She hadlived there the last eight months Services will be at 1 30pm Tues- day in the Mauer-Johnson Funeral Home in Le Mars Rev. Leonar Root will officiate Burial will be in Pleasant Hill Cemetery at Ireton Mrs Grau, the former Lola Esther Lean, was born Nov 16, 1897, in Sioux County to Thomas and Emahe Lean She married Vernon Grau Oct 1, 1919, at Le Mars They farmed 1n the Ireton area for 20 years, moving to Le Mars in 193 Mr Grau dicd in May 1982 She was a member of the First United Methodist Church and American Legion Auxiliary Survivors are one son, Russel of Sioux City. one brother, William of Bellflower. Calif , three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren She was also preceded in death by her parents, a son. Robert. and a daughter Marjorie.
Source Le mars Daily Sentinel Feb 6, 1984

OBITUARY OF THOMAS LEAN
Source: Hawarden Independent (8-14-1924)
Born: July 21, 1860
Died: August 6, 1924
The funeral of Thomas Lean, whose death occurred at his home a mile and one-half south of Ireton on Wednesday, August 6th, was held from the Methodist Church in Ireton at 2:30 o’clock Saturday afternoon. Reverend J.A. Kettle, pastor of the Methodist Church at Odebolt, and former pastor of Ireton Church, conducted the funeral services, assisted by Reverend J.L. DeWitt, the local pastor. The funeral was one of the most largely attended of any ever held in Ireton, attesting to the esteem in which the deceased was universally held in this community. Members of the Odd Fellows and Rebekah Orders attended the service in a body and the Odd Fellows had charge of the burial service at the Ireton Cemetery where interment took place.
Thomas Lean was born July 21, 1860, near Cornwell, England, so at the time of his death had just passed his 64th birthday. He was the sixth in a family of twelve children and his death is the first break in this large family circle. His aged parents are still living in England, his father being in his 90th year and his mother in her 87th year. Five sisters and one brother are living near their parents in England and one sister and four brothers reside in this country as follows: Mrs. Mina Smith of Council Bluffs, Iowa; George Lean of San Diego, California; William Lean of Billings, Montana; John Lean of Mayfield, California; and Frank Lean of Sergeant Bluffs, Iowa. At. The age of 20 Mr. Lean came to America, locating at Macedonia, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, where he lived with an uncle until 1884 when he came to Sioux County, and except for a short time when he lived on a farm in Plymouth County, near Struble, has resided near Ireton ever since. Thirty-eight years ago he was united in marriage with Emily L. Keen. Three children were born to this union, all of whom, with the widow, are left to mourn his death. Mrs. William Biggs of Marshalltown, Iowa and Mrs. Vernon Grau and William Lean of Ireton. The children were all at his bedside during the final days of his illness.
Thomas Lean was one of the communities best known and most highly respected citizens. His every day life was an example of clean, Christian living and he possessed that humility of spirit which betokens good will towards all his fellow men. He was a zealous worker in the Methodist Church and for many years as a member of the board of trustees of the local church. His passing leaves a vacancy in the community which cannot easily be filled.

OBITUARY OF EMILY LEAN
Hawarden Independent of April 20, 1944
Death of Mrs. Emily Lean
Mrs. Emily Lean, one of Ireton's oldest citizens, passed away at her home at 9:20 Tuesday morning following an illness of eight weeks.
Funeral service will be held at the Methodist church this afternoon with Rev. Fred Grantham in charge.
Emily Levina King was born at Monroe, Wis., January 8, 1860, and passed away April 18, 1944, at the age of 84 years,; 3 months and 10 days.
She grew to young womanhood in Wisconsin and in l880 she was married to L. D. Hall. To this union was born one son.
Later she was married to Will Lean and this union was blessed with three children. One daughter, Bell, preceded her in death at five years. She came to Ireton with her family over twenty years ago and located on a farm. Following the death of Mr. Lean, she moved to Ireton to make her home.
Early in life she united with the Methodist church and was an ardent worker in this church. She was a charter member of the Rebekah lodge of Ireton.
She is survived by three children, Alvin Hall of Sioux Falls; Mrs. Vernon Grau of LeMars and Will Lean of Bellflower, Calif; seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. She also leaves five sisters to mourn, her death, Mrs. John Chenhall of San Diego Calif.; Mrs. Delbert Alexander of Rockford, IL; Mrs. Mary Post, Mrs. Mark Williams and Miss Cora King of Pasadena, Calif.