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 November 1, 2020

A native son of the Buckeye state but since his early manhood a resident of Iowa, John Waldron, of Glidden, clearly deserves a place in a work presenting a record of prominent citizens of Carroll county. He was born on a farm in Ohio, November 7, 1833, a son of Isaac and Sarah (Anderson) Waldron, the former of whom was born in New Jersey and the latter in Ohio. They had seven children: Harriet, who married Samuel P. Bordus and is now deceased; Clara, who became the wife of John Rosencrans and is also deceased; Emeline, who is the wife of A. J. Loudenback, of Glidden; Josiah, who is deceased; John, the subject of this review; Elizabeth, who became the wife of William R. Short, of Mansfield, Missouri; and Albert, who died in his boyhood in Cass county, Michigan. The father resided with his family for a time in Michigan but in the fall of 1855 came to Greene county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming. His first wife, the mother of our subject, died in 1845, being then upwards of forty years of age. She was a consistent member of the Methodist church. The second wife of Mr. Waldron was Eliza Mott and they had several children. He died at Glidden after reaching the age of seventy-five. The grandfather of our subject on the paternal side was Francis Waldron, who was also a farmer. The names of three of his children are known—Garret, John and Isaac.

John Waldron, whose name stands at the head of this sketch, was taken by his parents to Cass county, Michigan, when he was three years of age and continued in that state until he arrived at his majority. In 1855 he came to Greene county, Iowa, and assisted his father in opening up the farm. Not desiring to devote his attention to agricultural pursuits, he learned the jeweler’s trade and gunsmithing. Over forty years ago he settled at Glidden and engaged in the jewelry business, in which he continued for many years, being obliged to retire from active work on account of losing his eyesight in 1892. For a quarter of a century he was known as the “Glidden Jeweler” and was one of the most popular jewelry men in this part of the state. He has lived retired for seventeen years except for three years and eight months, during which time he ran the telephone system in Glidden.

On the 4th of November, 1857, Mr. Waldron was married to Miss Cecelia Chambers, a daughter of Herman and Harriet (Elmer) Chambers, and to this union nine children were born, five of whom survive, namely: Alvah E.; Sherman T.; Delos E., who lives at Glidden; Joseph E., of Des Moines; and Ida May, who is the wife of F. P. Briggs, of Glidden township. Mrs. Waldron was born in the town of Dix, Chemung county, New York, August 15, 1838. She removed with her parents at eleven years of age to Kane county, Illinois, where the family spent several years. In the fall of 1854 they came to Greene county, Iowa, and afterward to Carroll county, finally locating in Glidden. The father died in his eighty-ninth year and the mother lived to the age of ninety years, six months and fifteen days. Mr. Chambers was a printer by trade and also engaged as a carpenter and joiner. He was a great lover of books and throughout his life was a constant reader and student.

Politically Mr. Waldron is a republican, having cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln as president of the United States. He was for many years prominent in local affairs and served as mayor of Glidden and for two years as member of the city council. He and his wife are sincere believers in the Christian religion and are member s of the Presbyterian church. Although he has been sorely tried in the school of affliction, his faith in a divine providence has remained unshaken. He remembers the time when the deer and elk roamed at large in Greene county and the country teemed with game of all kinds. He was a violinist and played for country dances, being one of the musicians at the time of the first public celebration at Jefferson, Iowa. For more than fifty-six years a resident of Iowa, he is recognized as one of the pioneers who assisted so nobly in redeeming the wilderness and make the state a safe and pleasing abode for tens of thousands who have here found homes and friends.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~