Drew, Frank 1874 - 1962

DREW, OMALLEY, KEARN, CARLAN, MURPHY, ONEIL, GRIFFIN

Posted By: Bill Waters (email)
Date: 4/19/2014 at 20:28:15

FRANK DREW

The attractiveness of Winneshiek County as a place of residence is indicated by the fact that many of her leading sons have remained within her borders after reaching the active stage of life. Among this number is Frank Drew, an enterprising agriculturist who was born July I, 1874, upon the farm which is now his home. It is a splendid place of five hundred acres of rich and productive land, in addition to which he owns one hundred and twenty acres in another farm in Glenwood Township and one hundred and sixty acres in Union Prairie Township, Allamakee County. He personally operates all three and is one of the leading stock-raisers of this section of Iowa.

Frank Drew is a son of James and Catherine (O'Malley) Drew, natives of County Limerick, Ireland, where they were reared. The father came to the United States in 1852, settling at Batavia. New York, where he worked as a laborer for three years. Believing that the west furnished better opportunities he made his way to Winneshiek County, Iowa, which was then largely an unimproved and undeveloped district. He paid three dollars per acre for his first eighty-acre tract and to this farm he added from time to time as his financial resources permitted, until at the time of his death he was the owner of five hundred acres of valuable land in the old homestead. He was born June 7, 1819, and was therefore in the seventy-fifth year of his age when he passed away on the 3d of April, 1894. His religious faith was that of the Catholic Church while his political support was given to the Democratic Party. His wife, who was born March 17, 1834, came to the United States, alone, in 1855 and in Batavia, New York, on the 30th of January, 1857; she gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Drew. For the past fifty-six years she has resided upon the farm on section 11, Glenwood Township, which is still her home. She is one of the well-known pioneer women of the district and has witnessed the greater part of the growth and progress of the county. In the family were eleven children: Annie, the deceased wife of Charles Lynch; Bridget, the wife of James Kearn, of Decorah; John and Mike, who are living in Madison township; James and William, of Allamakee county; Pat, whose home is in Madison township; Maggie, the wife of Thomas Carlan; Mary, the wife of Thomas Murphy, of Wacoma, Iowa; Frank, of this review; and Ellen, the wife of J. P. O'Neil, of Allamakee county.

Frank Drew spent his boyhood and youth upon the home farm in Winneshiek County and early became familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. As he advanced in years and his strength increased he gave more and more of his time to the actual work of the farm and is now busily engaged in the supervision of the three tracts of land previously mentioned. The five hundred acre tract is part of his father's estate while the other two farms belong individually to Mr. Drew. During the summer months he has one hundred head of hogs and one hundred head of cattle upon the home place and he also raises some horses and sheep, his farms including good grazing land.

On the 23d of October, 1902, Mr. Drew was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Griffin, who was born in Hanover Township, Allamakee County, February 3, 1883, a daughter of Lawrence Griffin. The six children of this marriage are: James, Walter, Marie, Francis, and Cyril, all at home; and William, who died in infancy. The parents hold membership in the West Ridge Catholic church. Mr. Drew gives his political allegiance to the Democratic Party and has been committeeman for the township for the past two years. Almost his entire time and attention, however, are concentrated upon his farming and stock-raising interests and his labors have been crowned with a gratifying measure of success.

Source: History of Winneshiek County, Iowa Vol. II Chicago the S. J. Clark publishing Company 1913

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