William Lafayette Glover

GLOVER LAMBERT RAINS

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 8/26/2010 at 22:47:45

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

William Lafayette Glover
By Leona Glover Davis

William Lafayette Glover was born April 9, 1843, to Thomas Jefferson and Margaret Lambert Glover in Louisville or Carter County, Kentucky. He was the grandson of Thomas Jefferson and Martha Gilliam Glover of Buckingham County, Virginia, who had been given a land-grant by King George III written on sheepskin.

William had two half-brothers, Thomas Edward and Samuel, born to Thomas J and Mary Morby Saunders Glover. Mary passed away about 1839. Thomas married Margaret Lambert McKinney about 1840 or 41. To this union were born: Rebecca Ann Glover, January 20, 1842; William Lafayette Glover, April 9, 1843; and Benjamin Franklin Glover, September 9, 1944.

In 1857, William moved with his parents, brothers and sister to St Louis County, Missouri, where they resided until after the start of the Civil War. On April 19, 1863, they left Missouri and went to Fremont County, Iowa, living right on the Iowa and Missouri border. His mother, Margaret, his sister, Rebecca Ann Glover Watson, and her child became ill with typhoid fever and passed away in 1865.

In 1862, at the age of 19, he crossed the plains with an ox team, for the government, from Omaha, Nebraska to Salt Lake City, Utah. Again on April 15, 1866, he made another trip with mule team from Omaha, Nebraska, to Salt Lake City. He also made a trip west to the gold and silver mines and worked there a short time before his marrige.

He marreid Emily Frances Rains of Egypt, Mills County, Iowa, on December 3, 1867, at Egypt, Iowa.

On March 1, 1878, Benjamin F Glover, and Lucinda E Glover, William L Glover, and Emily F Glover, paid $225 to Thomas E Glover, a half-brother, for a piece of land, approximately five acres, in Fremont County, Iowa.

William, Emily and children lived in part of the house; Benjamin and Lucinda and daughters lived in the other part of the house. Their father, Thomas J lived with Benjamin. Thomas J Glover passed away ther August 10, 1881, and is buried at Thurman, Iowa.

In 1882, William and his brother, Benjamin, moved to Lakeport Township, Woodbury County, Iowa, and bought timberland west of Sloan, where they operated a sawmill and cleared land for farming. William purchased 210 acres, Benjamin 120 acres, their brother, Thomas, also bought 80 acres adjoining their land.

Their sawmill supplied lumber, from which many of the buildings in Sloan and vicinity at that time were constructed. The Glover brotrhers and Mr Nairn furnished lumber to build the Glover School. All of their and most of their grandchildreb attended this school.

William Glover built a nice two story home aobut 1889, which was located one-half mile north of the schoolhouse. In 1917, when the river was cutting very bad, the house was moved one-half mile north and one-half mile east to the back of the property, where it stills stands today. Arthur Drossel farms the place now. William had sold this place sometime between 1900 and 1905, and moved to a place one-half mile orth and one-half mile west, where theere was more timber.

In 1915, the Missouri River cut this land away, and William had to move again. He moved a 3-room house up near the Wilcox farmhouse, and moved into it. He also moved the sawmill there. In 1916, when the river started cutting again, he, his wife, son, Walter and family, moved together. All this land up to within a few hundred feet of the schoolhouse was sliced off by the vicious river. It is unbelievable how fast this river could swallow up so much ground, and how it has changed its course so many times. At the present time the river is back over to the Nebraska side near the hills, where it originally was.

William and Emily Glover had nine childen: William Franklin ‘Frank’; Benjamin Lafayette ‘Benny’; Charles Thomas ‘Charley’; Robert Edward ‘Bob’; Lindolph Addison; Martha Ann; Mary Elizabeth; Walter Wallace; and Laura May.

Lindolph, born March 19, 1879, died of scarlet or typhoid fever on August 29, 1887. Mary, twin to Martha, born February 5, 1878, died August 12, 1887.

Contributed to Leona Glover Davis.