Carroll County IAGenWeb

HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY IOWA

A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement

VOLUME II ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1912

Transcribed by Sharon Elijah June 26, 2020

Alfred Bedford, of the firm of A. Bedford & Son, has for the past five years been successfully engaged in business as a live stock and real-estate dealer of Carroll. His birth occurred in Yorkshire, England, on the 10th of December, 1851, his parents being Charles and Elizabeth (Knowles) Bedford, who were likewise natives of that country. His paternal grandfather, George Bedford, was a Quaker and followed contracting throughout his active business career. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Anna Todd, was blind for four or five years prior to her demise. Both lived to attain a ripe old age and passed away in England. Their children were six in number, namely: Thomas, George, William, Charles and two daughters who died in early life. William Knowles, the maternal grandfather of our subject, was a landowner and English gentleman. He owned a large estate but lost most of it through the falseness of business partners and died of a broken heart. Unto him and his wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Barker, were born quite a number of children, some of whom are now living in Africa.

Charles Bedford, the father of Alfred Bedford, was a contractor and builder by trade. He crossed the Atlantic to the United States in 1870, arriving in Bureau county, Illinois, on the 20th of March of that year. On the 24th of May following he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Pleasant Valley township, Carroll county, Iowa, and improved the property, continuing to reside thereon throughout the remainder of his life. Both he and his wife were about seventy-five years of age when called to their final rest, passing away in the faith of the Methodist church. Charles Bedford was a local preacher of that denomination, having begun preaching when but fourteen years of age. Unto him and his wife were born seven children, as follows: Charles, who died in Carroll, Iowa; Anna, who passed away in England; William, who is a resident of Carroll, Iowa; Alfred, of this review; Mary Jane, the wife of Joseph Annear, of Coon Rapids; Thomas, of Pleasant Valley township; and Arthur, who died in England.

Alfred Bedford, who obtained his education in England, was a youth of nineteen when he accompanied his parents on their emigration to the new world. During the intervening period, covering four decades, he has made his home in Carroll county. At the time of his arrival here he began working on the Kansas & St. Joseph Railroad, while subsequently he was employed by the Northwestern Railroad Company for four years. On the expiration of that period he purchased forty acres of land and six months later bought another tract of similar size, devoting his attention to the cultivation of his land. He was married in 1876 and the following year purchased another eighty-acre tract, while about 1880 he bought yet another tract of the same size. Two years later he purchased forty acres more and in 1884 bought one hundred acres additional. There was also a forty-acre tract that he had left in his father’s name, so that his property holdings embrace four hundred and twenty acres altogether. He continued farming until March, 1906, when he abandoned general agricultural pursuits and took up his abode in Carroll, where he has since been actively engaged in business as a live-stock and real-estate dealer under the firm style of A. Bedford & Son. The prosperity which he enjoys is attributable to his close application, unwearied industry and capable management.

On the 17th of August, 1876, Mr. Bedford was united in marriage to Miss Charlotte Jane Willey, a native of Grant county, Wisconsin, and a daughter of Josiah and Christine (Thomas) Willey, who were born in Cornwall and took up their abode in Wisconsin at an early day. Mr. Willey passed away in Carroll, Iowa, while the demise of his wife occurred in Shullsburg, Wisconsin. Her parents were James and Grace Thomas, of Cornwall, England. Mr. and Mrs. Willey had seven children, namely: John, Abram, Grace, Charlotte, Joe, Mary and Addie.

Mr. and Mrs. Bedford are the parents of four children, Josiah Charles, who resides on the home farm, wedded Miss Mary Keeler, by whom he has two children, Marie and Clarence. William Alfred, who is in partnership with his father, married Miss Grace Laudenback and has two children, Uvern and Alfred. Thomas Melvin, who follows general agricultural pursuits on the home place, married Miss Pearl Cuthbertson and has one son, Lloyd. John Abram, who also farms the old home place, wedded Miss Emma Feld and has one child, Catherine.

Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Bedford has loyally supported the men and measures of the republican party. He has served in the capacity of constable and trustee and also held the office of justice of the peace for more than seven years, his decisions being ever strictly fair and impartial. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons, belonging to Signet Lodge, No. 264, A.F. & A.M.; and Copestone Chapter, No. 78, R.A.M. He acts as steward in the Methodist church, of which his wife is also a devoted and consistent member. No breath of suspicion has ever assailed his good name and on the contrary, he stands as a splendid type of the honorable, reliable, successful man, the public-spirited citizen and the trustworthy friend.

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