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 August 20, 2020

One of the best known and most popular business men of Coon Rapids is the genial proprietor of the Diamond Hotel, Elijah Diamond, more familiarly known as “Lige” to his intimates, who is conducting one of the best hostelries in the county. He was born in De Kalb county, Illinois, on the 2d of September, 1870, being a son of William and Adeline (LaBoe) Diamond. His father was a native of Steuben county, New York, his natal day having been the 25th of February, 1832. The mother was born in France, from which country she emigrated as a child with her parents who settled in De Kalb county. There their daughter grew to womanhood, met and subsequently married William Diamond, to whom she bore three children: William J., who is a resident of Atlantic, Iowa; Lida, the wife of Abraham Corbin, of Alva, Oklahoma; and Elijah, our subject. William Diamond, who was born and reared on a farm, was identified with agricultural pursuits during the entire period of his active career. At the breaking out of the Civil war he enlisted in Company D, Ninety-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry and went to the front where he remained for four years. He saw much active service, participating in many of the closely contested battles of the war. He was once severely wounded, being shot through the body, and he was also confined for eight months in Andersonville prison. After receiving his discharge he returned to De Kalb county, Illinois, and farmed until his removal to Iowa, locating in the vicinity of Grant, Montgomery county. He resided here for about two years then removed to Griswold, Iowa, where Mrs. Diamond passed away in 1894, at the age of forty-five years. Mr. Diamond has always been a very active and energetic man and when he was seventy-five years of age he filed on six hundred and forty acres of land in Nebraska, which he proved up. He is still surviving at the venerable age of seventy-nine years and is now making his home with his son, Elijah. The paternal grandparents, Jacob and Eliza (Ives) Diamond, were natives of the state of New York, where he passed away in Oswego county. There were four sons born to them, Jacob, William, Fredrick and Joshua, all but one of whom, William, served in the Civil war. Mrs. Diamond took for her second husband one Daniel Minn, and they also had four sons who were soldiers in the Rebellion: Daniel, Isaac, Wesley and George. Mrs. Minn was living in Kirkland, Illinois, at the time of her demise.

Elijah Diamond, who was only a little lad when his parents came to Iowa, resided on the farm in Montgomery county until he was ten years of age, attending the district schools in the acquirement of his education. At the expiration of that period he left home to begin his business career. He began working in hotels as messenger and bellboy, following which he became clerk, his first position in this capacity being in the hotel at Griswold, Iowa. From there he went to Clarinda, being employed at the Linderman, thence to Atlantic, where he remained for fourteen years, twelve of which were spent in the Pullman Hotel and two at the Park. From Atlantic he went to Shenandoah, later taking over the management of the Julien at Hamburg, Iowa. In 1905 he came to Coon Rapids and bought the hotel which he is now conducting. He is running a first-class house, the cuisine, service and accommodations being in every way commensurate with the terms. During the period of his proprietorship he has succeeded in building up an excellent patronage of a most desirable class.

On the 18th of October, 1897, Mr. Diamond was united in marriage to Miss Fannie Parr, a daughter of Alexander and Julia (Abrams) Parr, the father a native of Kentucky and the mother of Ohio. They were among the early settlers of De Soto, where Mrs. Diamond was born and her parents passed away, the mother at the age of forty-two and the father at seventy. They were the parents of five sons and seven daughters: Joseph; Ina; Ellen; Alice; Charlotte; Fannie; Elizabeth; William, who is deceased; Bessie; Andrew; Charles; and George. To Mr. and Mrs. Diamond there has been born one daughter, Ruby Evelyn.

Mr. Diamond is one of the public-spirited and enterprising citizens of the town who during the six years of his residence here has made many friends, who hold him in high regard.

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