No history of Clayton county
could be written without frequent mention of Elmer E.
Benton and of his father, Willard A. Benton, both of
whom served the county in the office of sheriff and
both of whom took active part in all the affairs of
Clayton county's civic life.
Willard A. Benton, father of
Elmer E. Benton, was born in Afton, New York, and was
the son of Orange Benton, a descendant of one of the
oldest families of New England. The life of Willard
Benton was filled not only with good deeds and
substantial accomplishments, but with adventure and
travel such as fall to the lot of but few. He was
born on the farm which was the ancestral home and
received his preliminary education in the schools of
the county. At an early age he started to earn his
own livelihood and first worked as an apprentice at
the tanner's trade. It was while he was working at
this trade that the discovery of gold in California
filled all the east with dreams of a golden El
Dorado. The bold and adventurous nature of the youth
was at once fired with these reports of fabulous
riches and he joined the exodus to California and,
with a companion, George Church, he made the voyage
"around the Horn," landing in San Francisco
in 1853. Three years were spent by him in the gold
fields of California, and he suffered all the
hardships and partook of all the excitement and
vicissitudes of the early days of placer mining. His
fortunes were varied and his golden dreams were not
fulfilled, but his spirit was undaunted and he
resolved to push on, across the broad Pacific, to the
gold fields of Australia. He traveled through this
new continent for about six months, finally reaching
the gold fields. He arrived with no resources save
strong and willing hands and a knowledge of mining
gained in California. He immediately staked a claim,
and fortune smiled on him, for the result of his
first day's labor was an ounce and a half of virgin
gold.
While moderately successful
in Australia, Mr. Benton longed for his native land
and within six months he was again on the Pacific,
returning to America. The good ship "Yankee
Blade," on which he embarked, suffered a most
tempestuous passage and was finally wrecked off the
coast of Southern California. The passengers and crew
were rescued by the ship "Goliath," and Mr.
Benton was enabled to resume his voyage and to return
to his home in the Empire State.
His next, and most fortunate
adventure was on the sea of matrimony, and, in 1856,
he was married to Anna Maria Buck, also a descendant
from an old New England family, who proved a model
help-mate in every way and who was for many years one
of the most popular and beloved women of Clayton
county. Two children were born to them, Nellie M.,
who died at the age of three years, and Elmer E.,
whose name heads this brief biography. In 1857,
shortly after their marriage, this brave young couple
decided to move to the wider opportunities of the
middle west and settled on Iowa as their future home.
Arriving at Prairie du Chien, they crossed the
Mississippi at McGregor's Landing, and Mr. Benton
bought a farm in Howard county, which he cultivated
for about a year.
This was in the "Golden
Era" of McGregor's history and Mr. Benton
decided to cast his lot with the promising young
metropolis. He engaged in the commission and real
estate business and soon established himself as one
of the leading spirits of that progressive city. He
was an ardent union man, and, in 1861, he was
appointed postmaster of McGregor. As the magnitude of
the war increased and the call for troops became more
pressing, McGregor, like hundreds of other cities,
was hard pressed at times to fill its quota. It was
in such an emergency that Willard A. Benton
volunteered to raise a company of infantry. The story
of his work, how he fairly stormed the town with
martial music and with stirring patriotic appeals,
has been told in volume one of this history. In a
short time a company of more than one hundred men had
been raised and Willard A. Benton was the unanimous
choice for captain. He accepted this call to duty
and, amid the cheers of the people of McGregor, he
and his gallant company embarked on the "War
Eagle," and glided from the peace of Iowa to the
grim scenes of war. The company proceeded to Camp
Franklin, where it was mustered into the regular
army. Captain Benton took part, with his company, in
the battles of Hartsville, Mo., Port Gibson, the
charge of Black River Bridge, near Vicksburg, and
various other engagements under General Grant.
Sickness compelled him to leave his command, to the
great regret of his brave company, and he returned to
McGregor, where, as soon as he had regained his
health, he was reinstated as postmaster, during his
absence the position having been efficiently filled
by his capable wife.
He was postmaster at
McGregor for eight years and upon retiring from that
office he undertook a large contract to supply wood
to the C, M. & St. P. Ry., and also conducted a
flourishing real estate business. It was at this time
also that he introduced a unique industry into
Clayton county, devoting his spare time to the
raising of trout in a hatchery which he conducted for
several years, thus being a pioneer in the great work
now undertaken by the Government at North McGregor
and many other stations. In 1873, Willard A. Benton
was elected sheriff of Clayton county, serving with
greatest efficiency for three terms in that important
office. Retiring from this position he returned to
McGregor, where he spent the remainder of his life.
His useful, patriotic and successful career ended on
this earth September 9, 1905, when he died at the age
of seventy-six years, having been preceded in death
by his wife, who passed to the other life, March
26,1894.
Elmer E. Benton received his
preliminary education in the public schools of his
native city, McGregor, and later was a student of the
high schools. Before graduation, however, being
ambitious to make his own way in the world, he
obtained a position with his father as deputy
sheriff. In 1880, at the close of his father's term
of office, he went to Butte City, Montana, taking a
position in the mines, and later prospecting for
about two years.
He returned to McGregor in
June, 1882, and engaged as a traveling salesman for
John Elbling, being employed in this capacity for
about five years. He then accepted the position of
deputy sheriff under J. J. Kann, and he later served
in the same capacity under Sheriff George Cook. In
1895 he was elected to the office of sheriff on the
democratic ticket. He was thrice reelected, serving a
total of eight years. Such was his popularity that
for his fourth term he had no opposition, the
Republicans conceding his election, and no candidate
caring to stand against him. Mr. Benton is today
serving his country as field deputy revenue
collector, in which work he has proven an efficient
and incorruptible public servant. His name, like that
of his father before him, is synonymous with
kindliness, good fellowship, efficiency and ability.
source: History of
Clayton County, Iowa; From The Earliest Historical
Times Down to the Present; by Realto E. Price,
Vol. II; pg. 40-42
-OCR scanned by S. Ferrall
