Reed, George K.

REED

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 17:25:11

GEORGE K. REED
born Nov 22, 1830, Indiana

G. K. Reed, who is numbered among Warren county's pioneers, and has borne an active part in the development and up-building of this region, is numbered among the sons of Indiana, where his birth occurred November 22, 1830. His parents, W. C. and Mary (Keffer) Reed, had a family of eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, of whom the following survive: G. K., of this review, Frances A., wife of Joseph Pullen, of Greenwood, Nebraska; Mary, wife of John T. Miller, a farmer of Mercer county, Illinois; S. P., who served for four years in Company A of an Iowa regiment, and is now living on the allotment strip in the Indian Territory; Enos H., who was a member of the Ninety third Illinois Infantry, and now resides near Beatrice, Nebraska; Nancy Jane, wife of Leroy Wolf, of Kansas; and W. S., a farmer of Osceola, Iowa. The father of this family was a native of South Carolina, and in the Territorial days of Indiana went with his father, Jacob Reed, to that State. In the midst of the forest they developed a farm. About 1843 W. C. Reed removed from Indiana to Mercer county, Illinois, then to Rock Island county, that State, where his death occurred in 1866, at the age of sixty-five years. Our subject was reared under the parental roof and was a child of thirteen when his parents went to Mercer county. In Rock Island county on the 14th of November, 1852, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Foster, daughter of Isaac and Sarah (McKei) Foster, natives of Manchester, England, who came from England to America. The young couple began their domestic life in Rock Island county, and in the city of Rock Island on the 4th of March, 1865, Mr. Reed enlisted in Company I, Twenty-eighth Illinois Infantry, which rendezvoused at Camp Butler. He joined his regiment stationed at Mobile, and there remained until the 1st of July, when the troops were ordered to San Diego, Texas, and thence proceeded up the Rio Grande river to Brownsville. On the 4th of March, 1866, our subject was honorably discharged and at once returned to his home.
Mr. Reed continued his residence in Rock Island county, Illinois, until the 8th of April, 1868, when with a two horse team he started in company with his wife and six children, for Iowa, crossing the Mississippi at New Boston. After ten days he reached Warren county, since the 2d of March, 1868, he has resided upon his present farm. He purchased 120 on section 31, Virginia township, a wild tract on which not a furrow had been turned or an improvement made. With characteristic energy he began its development, placed it under a high state of cultivation and added many valuable improvements, including his present commodious residence. The place is neat and thrifty in appearance, and indicates his careful supervision. To Mr. and Mrs. Reed were born twelve children: William Wesley, who was born July 3, 1853, died in Mercer county, Illinois, at the age of fifteen months; Herbert B., born December 29, 1854, also died in Mercer county at the age of fifteen months; Artemesia, born March 9, 1856, is the wife of A. J. Miller, professor of the schools of Monona, Iowa; for some years he has successfully followed school-teaching and is a graduate of the Cedar Falls College, of the class of 189;5 Desdemona, born December 8, 1857, is the widow of Marcus Oliphant, a resident of Villisca, Iowa; Brooks H., born November 25, 1859, died August 5, 1895; Belmont, born February 5, 1862, is now the wife of Elias Touet, of Osceola, Iowa, and was named for the first battle in which Mr. Reed's oldest brother participated; Oscar J., born September 22, 1864, is a resident of Madison county, Iowa; Fred Sherman, born December 17, 1866, is living in Osceola; Lee, born September 8, 1868, died August 26, 1869; Dora Alice, born September 6, 1870, is the wife of H. H. Holmes, of Des Moines, freight receiver and operator; Dean, born May 25, 1873, married Anna Lake of Madison county; and Dell, his twin brother, is at home. The mother of this family was born November 25, 1831, and died April 3, 1895, her remains being laid to rest in Fremont cemetery. In early life Mr. Reed affiliated with the Whig party, and in 1860 supported Abraham Lincoln for the presidency, but since that time has been an advocate of the principles of the Democracy. For twenty years he has served as School Director, and has done effective service for the cause of education. Throughout all his life he has carried on agricultural pursuits and his enterprising efforts and capable management have placed him among the substantial citizens of the community. Source: A Memorial and Biographical Record of Iowa, Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, 1896, vol.1, p.417

History of Warren County, Iowa from Its Earliest Settlement to 1908, by Rev. W. C. Martin, Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, 1908, p.593
GEORGE K. REED
In the history of the representative citizens of Warren County, it is with pleasure that we present the life record of George K. Reed for he came to the county in pioneer times and has since been closely associated with its de­velopment. He stands at all times for improvement and progress, and while promoting his individual success has always found opportunity to cooperate in many movements for the public good. He was born in Indiana, November 22, 1830. His father, W. C. Reed, was a native of South Carolina but was taken to Indiana by his parents while that state was yet under territorial rule. There he was reared amid the wild scenes and environments of pioneer life, aided in the arduous task of opening up a new farm and eventually engaged in farming on his own account. He was married in that state to Miss Mary Keffer, a native of Indiana, and in 1843 they removed westward to Mercer County, Illinois. The death of Mr. Reed occurred in Rock Island County, Illinois, in 1866, when he was sixty-five years of age, while his wife passed away in Osceola, Iowa. George K. Reed was one of a family of eleven children. He spent his boyhood days in Indiana to the age of thirteen years and then removed with his parents to Mercer County, Illinois, where he was employed at farm labor, his persistency of purpose and his unfaltering dili­gence giving him a start in life. He further made arrangements for having a home of his own by his marriage in Rock Island County, Illinois, to Miss Mary Foster, a daughter of Isaac and Mary (McKee) Foster, who were natives of England and emigrated from that country to the new world.
Following his marriage Mr. Reed resided in Rock Island County, Illinois, until the 4th of March, 1865, when he joined the Union army, becoming a member of Company I, Twenty-eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which rendezvoused at Camp Butler. He joined the regiment which was stationed at Mobile, Alabama, and there remained until the 1st of July, when the troops were ordered to San Diego, Texas, and thence up the Rio Grande to Browns­ville, Texas. On the 4th of March, 1866, Mr. Reed was honorably discharged and returned to his home in Rock Island County, Illinois.
He then again engaged in farming until April, 1868, when with a two-horse team and wagon, a few household goods, his wife and six children, he came to Warren County, Iowa. Here he has since made his home and is numbered among the early residents of the county for few settlements had been made within its borders at the time of his arrival. He purchased one hundred and twenty acres of unimproved land on section 31, Virginia Township, and lived for one summer on what is now the A. E. Erwin farm. He also bought thirty-five acres of timber land on South river and from this he got out lumber to build a residence on the tract of land which he had previously purchased. The finishing lumber, however, was hauled from Des Moines and he removed into his new home on the day that U. S. Grant was elected president. He has been a hard and diligent worker and has been very successful. To his original farm he has added another tract of one hundred and twenty acres, which he has improved and there is no better land to be found in the town­ship. Everything about the place indicates his careful supervision, his prac­tical ideas and his progressive methods.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Reed have been born twelve children: William Wes­ley, who was born and died in Mercer county, Illinois; Herbert B., who also spent his entire life in that county; Artemesia, the wife of A. J. Miller, now living at Clarence, Missouri; Belmont, the wife of Elias Touet, a farmer of Clarke county; Brooks H., who died in 1895, leaving a widow and seven children who are now living in California; Desdemona, the wife of H. C. Hardinger. of Clarke County; O. J., who is also living in Clarke County; Fred Sherman, who is living in Osceola, Iowa; Lee, who died in infancy; Dora Alice, the deceased wife of H. H. Holmes, of Des Moines; Dean and Dell, twins, the former married Anna Lake and lives on the home farm, while the latter married Maude Fourche and is also living on a part of his father's farm.
About thirteen years ago Mr. Reed was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who had indeed been to him a faithful companion and helpmate on life's journey. At the time of the Civil War Mr. Reed voted for Lincoln, but has since given his political support to the Democratic Party. He has filled the office of supervisor, has also been school director for many years and is interested in the cause of education and in all that pertains to general progress and improvement. He was formerly a member of the Grand Army Post at New Virginia, but the organization has been disbanded. Mr. Reed has now reached the seventy-eighth milestone on life's journey. His has been an active, useful and honorable career and while he has never sought to figure prominently in public life, he has always been true to the duties that have devolved upon him and deserves much credit for what he has accomplished in the business world.