B. H. Beckett

BECKETT, JOLLY, WARDALL, CALL

Posted By: Gordon Felland <gfelland1@comcast.net>
Date: 3/5/2008 at 21:46:40

B. H. Beckett came to Worth county, Iowa, in 1857, being one of the early settlers. He was born in Warren Co., Ind. His parents were William F. and Experience (Call) Beckett, natives of Ohio, but who emigrated to Indiana after their marriage. William F. Beckett died about the year 1837, at the age of thirty-four years, leaving but one child—B. H., and Mrs. Beckett moved a few years thereafter to Rockford, Winnebago Co., Ill., where she married David Jolly, by whom she had four children. About 1843 Mr. Jolly emigrated to Lafayette Co., Wis., where he and Mrs. Jolly resided until 1865, when they started to California. Mrs. Jolly died while on the journey, at Omaha, Neb., at the age of sixty-five years, and Mr. Jolly returned to Wisconsin. In the spring of 1857, B. H. Beckett left his home in Wisconsin, and after looking some through Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, finally returned through northern Iowa, and concluded to locate in Northwood, Worth county. In June of that year he contracted for the erection of a store building at that place, and in the fall of the same year, he brought the first stock of goods into Northwood and Worth county. In the absence of railroads, goods and all supplies had to be hauled by teams from McGregor, Iowa, a distance of 120 miles, the first load of which Mr. Beckett hauled himself, having in many places to carry parts of the goods across sloughs, there being no bridges or turnpikes at that time. He came to Worth county with but little capital, and although the financial crisis of 1857 caused him to lose what he had brought to the county, by bad debts and shrinkages in values, and he met with many discouragements in business matter in that early settlement; yet he never gave up, but by hard work, perseverance and close application to business recovered every thing, and sold out in 1865. feeling compensated, financially, for his many hardships and privations. In 1869 he opened the first abstract office in the county and began to invest and also deal in real estate, and in 1871 he bought a banking interest in connection therewith, which business he continued until 1874, when, his health failing him, he sold out, since which time he has done but little but look after his landed interests 1000 acres of which he has under cultivation. He married Mary E. Wardall on Feb. 26, 1866, by whom he has three children – Charles H., Minnie E. and Ida.

Source: History of Mitchell and Worth Counties, Iowa, 1883, page 841-842.

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