Edwin Beech Colby

COLBY MARTIN

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 4/12/2010 at 21:48:24

Woodbury County History 1984

Edwin Colby
By Nelva D Colby Scott

Edwin Beech Colby was born in Alton, Illinois in 1942 and died in 1917. At eighteen years of age, he went from Illinois to Missouri and joined with the Bushwhackers for six months. He then came to Sioux City and in 1862 enlisted in the 6th Iowa Cavalry, and was stationed in the Badlands of South Dakota. When he returend he carried on his trade as carpenter. Later he married Mina Hansen, who had come from Langeland, Denmark when she was seventeen years old. They bought the Ritz farm south of Sergeant Bluff where their only child, Fredrick Charles Colby was born Novembr 10, 1878. Fred attended the Ritz school in the country and graduated from Sergeant Bluff High School in 1894. He died 1956.

Fred Colby met and married Mabel Martin of Onawa, Iowa. She was a teacher in Modale, Iowa school, and he was manager of the Edwards and Bradford Lumber Company. Later they moved to Peru, Nebraska and while living there two daughters, Helen Alletta and Hazel Josephine were born. They moved to Sergeant Bluff and lived on the farm owned by his parents and farmed there until 1941.

While on this farm, three daughters, Katheryn Beryl, Eleanor Florence, and Nelva Dorothy and one son, Edwin Martin, were born. Edwin died in 1915 when six years old during the flu epidemic.

Mabel Kathryn Martin Colby was born in Onawa, Iowa, August 9, 1878. She died 1971. Her parents were Samuel B Martin and Ella Fairchild Martin. There were four children in the family – Mabel, Blanche, Mildred, Samuel, Jr. S B Martin, Sr, was a teacher, lawyer and eal estate man born in Mercer County, Pennsylvania who was educated in the Onawa schools and University of Iowa. Samuel, Jr attended Iowa University, and Iowa State College and was a civil engineer. The daughters in the family became homemakers.

Helen was born March 5, 1904, and was the eldest of the Colby daughters. She attended University of South Dakota, Iowa State Teacher College, and Northwestern University. She majored in Physical Education and was a teacher in Carthage College in Illinois, Superior, and Oshkosh, Wisconsin. She was killed in an auto accident.

Josephine was born April 22, 1905. After high school in Sergeant Bluff, she attended Iowa State Teachers College and Northewestern University. She taught schools in Iowa, Indiana, and Chicago for thirty-three years as a kindergarten teacher. She married George Roan (November 2, 1904) of Sergeant Bluff, son of Tom and Alda Roan, and he served in the Marine Corps, then in business in Chicago, also with the Postal service there. Josephine and George are retired and living part time in Florida. They have two daughters, Carol Ann (December 27, 1936) and Coral Audrey (January 24, 1939). Carol is married to Ernest Holman, a pilot for Ozark Airlines, and they live in St Charles, Missouri. Their children are Daniel Ernest, Betty Jean, and Stanley. Coral Audrey married Richard Vercillo and they live in River Grove, Illinois. They have one daughter, Joan, and five sons, Richard, Girard, Randall, Jeffrey and Joseph. Audrey works at the River Grove Post Office. She is divorced.

Kathryn was born April 26, 1907, atended Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Iowa State College. She taught Home Economics for twenty-seven years in Iowa schools, and for ten years taught mentally retarded Junior High girls in the Sioux City Public Schools. She was a diet cook at the Sioux City Air Base, during WWII. She married John Nyren, from Lanyon, Iowa, a farmer until he retired at Sergeant Bluff in 1979. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge, O.E.S., and Abu Bekr Shrine. Their three children are Charles Edwin (September 27, 1934), Marjorie Darlene (August 12, 1936) and Marilyn Sue (February 8, 1942). Charles married Rosamond Leech from Boston, Massachusetts. He was in the Naval Reserve, a co-pilot for Capitol Airlines, Chief pilot for Provincetown – Boston Airlines, Pilot with Northeast Airlines, and Delta Airlines. He has two children, John Charles (October 2, 1966) and Diane Michelle (September 11, 1967). He was divorced, then married Teresa Williams in 1980.

Marjorie attended Northwest Missouri State University at Maryville. She married Ronald Hatten form St Joseph, Missouri, an advertising salesman for KFEQ. After her chidlren were grown she worked as a dentist’s receptionist, as a school clerk, and in the office of Missouri Western College in St Joseph where she lives. Her children are Richard Gene Hatten (March 25, 1956), Gregory Dale Hatten (November 7, 1957) and Nancy Dalaine Hatten (May 15, 1960) and Ted Joseph Hatten (March 21, 1962). Ronald died in 1975, and Marjorie married Dr Leon Childress, optomerist. They live in St Joseph, Missouri. Marilyn (Febraury 8, 1942) was married to Benjamin I Lehnus while both were attending college at Northwest Missouri State at Maryville. They had two daughters, Lorice Annette (August 23, 1962) AND Lisa Kay (July 10, 1965). She divorced, then married Dr Lawerence McGill (march 23, 1944) of Lincoln, Nebraska in1975. She is a homemaker, and Dr McGill is a veterinary Pathologist for a laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utha, where the family lives. They had two children, Marchelle Elizabeth McGill (June 21, 1976) and Mark Stanley-John McGill (June 21, 1978).

Eleanor (June 12, 1912) attending college at Normal, Illinos, and married Edwin Jonas Busey. They had one son, Clinton Fredric (February 15, 1937). Edwin died in an auto accident in 1938. Eleanor married Marlowe Christensen, a farmer from Sergeant Bluff where they now live. They had a son, Robert Carl Christensen (March 4, 1944) who lives near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fred Busey married Mary Bruner, a teacher in the Sergeant Bluff schools. He served with the 174th Tec. Fighter Squadron, Communication section and has been a telephone company engineer in Sergeant Bluff. They have two children, Janice Tylene (March 12, 1965) and David Fredric (November 4, 1967).

Nelva (January 7, 1915) attended University of South Dakota, A.I.B. in Des Moines, and Iowa State College, and is a homemaker. She worked at Younkers Tea Room, was moderator for Southwest Iowa Association of United Church of Christ and on its advisory Committee; was a 4H leader for fifteen years, Past Matron OES; Member of Governor Ray’s Paperwork Task Force, and President of Women’s Section Iowa Association Electric Cooperatives. She married Ward D Scott of Farragut, Iowa. He graduated form Shenandoah High School and is a graduate of Iowa State College in Dairy Husbandry. They are retired and live on their farm near Farragut and have two sons, William Harvey Scott and Daniel Ward Scott. William (May 17, 1944) served in the US Air Force, stationed one year in Viet Nam, and was discharged in 1966. He married Sherry Lea Tatum form Mustang, Oklahoma. He attended high school in Faragut, Iowa and Oklahoma State Tech. in Okmulgee, Oklahoma and he works for the Federal Aviation Authority as diesel mechanic and maintenance man. Sherry works at Wiley Post airport in Oklahoma City. They have a son, Eric Wayne Scott (October 11, 1971).

Daniel (February 26, 1946) attended high school in Farragut, Iowa State University, and Drake University and lives in Phoenix, Arizona where he is programmer for Department of Economic Security, in the field of mental retardation. He married Pamela Ann Davis (December 8, 1855) of Phoenix. She works for DES in the purchasing department.