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 September 20, 2020

Success in any line of business or any profession continuing uninterruptedly for a number of years may be regarded as evidence of superior ability. Accepting this statement as true, it is safe to claim that Kitt W. Marean, who has been engaged in the practice of law at Glidden, Iowa, for seventeen years with a steadily growing clientage, is one of the talented attorneys of Carroll county. A native of Standish, Maine, he was born December 25, 1859, and is a son of Aaron and Martha Ann (Thorn) Marean, both of whom were born at Standish. The father was a blacksmith and followed his trade all his life. He removed to Illinois with his family and lived two years at Le Roy. In 1869, the year of the total eclipse of the sun, he removed to Belle Plaine, Iowa, making the journey in a mover’s wagon. He continued actively at his trade until sixty years of age and then retired, being called from earthly scenes in 1893, at the age of eighty years and fourteen days. His wife died of heart disease in 1879, being then fifty-three years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Marean were Unitarians in religious belief. At the time of the Civil war he enlisted in the Twentieth Maine Infantry, otherwise known as the Maine Graybeards, April 14, 186_, and was honorably discharged at Gallops Island, Boston Harbor, May 6, 1865. There were seven children in their family, four sons and three daughters, namely: Emma F., who married J. D. Parker, of Marshalltown, Iowa; Alonzo G., of Belle Plaine, Iowa; Eldora F., the wife of George S. Treanor, of Waterloo, Iowa; Evelyn F., the widow of William Murray, of Belle Plaine; Fred K., of Glidden; Kitt W., our subject; and William C., also of Glidden. The paternal grandfather of our subject was Aaron Marean, a native of Maine, who also lived for a short time in New Brunswick. He was a ship’s blacksmith and died at an advanced age in 1835. His wife was Abigail Crocker and there were eight children in their family, Eliza, Abigail, Moses, John, Susan, Aaron, Mary and Crocker, the latter of whom died when young. Merritt Thorn, the grandfather on the maternal side, was a native of Standish, Maine, and his wife was Betsey Adams. He was a farmer and lumberman. Mrs. Thorn lived to be ninety-three years old and was the mother of twelve children, eleven of whom grew to maturity, Nathaniel S., Martha Ann, Caroline A., Elizabeth, Maria, Greenleaf, Leander M., William, Ellen Rebecca, Jane and Abbie F.

Kitt W. Marean arrived in Iowa at the age of ten years and was reared at Belle Plaine. He received his preliminary education in the common schools and was graduated from the high school in 1880. He taught for several years, thus acquiring the means for paying his expenses through college, and was graduated from Iowa State University with the degree of LL. B. in 1893. He taught school for a number of months and began practice at Glidden in the fall of 1894. He has applied himself diligently to his profession and has attained a gratifying degree of success. A constant student, he is well informed as to the principles of law and a well selected library indicates he has at hand the best authorities. His clients are to be found among the prominent business men and citizens of Carroll county. Politically he is an adherent of the democratic party and in religious belief is a Unitarian, although he attends the Methodist church. He has been prominent in public affairs and served most acceptably for about ten years as mayor of Glidden. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~