George Anson 1815-1904

ANSON

Posted By: Karen DaPra (email)
Date: 2/16/2002 at 00:35:46

THE OLDEST PIONEER AND ONE OF THE FIRST SETTLERS OF VAN BUREN CO. PASSES AWAY
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George Anson died at his home near Keosauqua, Iowa, at the ripe age of 90 years and 13 days. The end came early Sunday morning January 31, 1904. He was born in Logan county, Ohio, January 18, 1815. He was the sixth of a family of twelve children and is survived by only one, Thomas, with whom he has made his home for the last few years, that is since his return from California, where he went from Van Buren county in 1850. He was, at the time of his death, the oldest settler or pioneer of this county. From his birthplace in Kentucky he emigrated with his parents to Pike county, Mo., and in October, 1834, he and his father came to Van Buren county, which was before the government land here was on the market, and began to make a home for the rest of the family on the land on the right bank of the Des Moines river, a short distance below Keosauqua, now owned by his brother Thomas Anson, the rest of the family coming here in the spring of 1835. What a virgin country this was at that time. Few, if any, white people for many miles distant. Indians, wild game and ague were the things then mostly in evidence. But then they had the beauties of undisturbed nature to balance the discomforts of pioneer life. Wonderful has been the change in the appearance of this part of Iowa since the days the Ansons settled here. But it came so gradually that the family hardly realized it. All are now gone of these good people except Thomas, and he is in poor health. George, the subject of this sketch, like his brother Thomas, was never married. He was of a retiring disposition and scarcely ever came to town or left the farm. The funeral was held at the Center Chapel at 11 o'clock Monday of this week in the presence of a large concourse of friends, the sermon being by Eld. Everett of the Keosauqua Christian church, after which the remains were buried in the Chapel cemetery where repose the bodies of his parents and brothers and sisters.

(Photocopy of this obit is located on page 22 of Obit Book C found in the Van Buren County, IA Genealogical Society's collection at the Keosauqua Public Library in July 1999. Name of newspaper and date of obit not given.)

George was the son of Henry Anson and Elizabeth Pierly/Bierly. I would like to correspond with anyone that has information on the Anson family.

(originally posted 18 Aug 1999)