S. H. Oathout, one of the early
settlers of Clayton County, was born in Madison County,
N.Y., on the 12th day of November, 1809. His parents,
John and Ruth Oathout, nee Baldwin, were married in
Otsego County, N.Y. By this union there were eight
children, two living--Aaron and S.H. The subject of this
memoir was reared on a farm, and received a common school
education. On Jan. 1, 1834, he married Eliza Abbott, who
was born in Lebanon, Madison County, N.Y., April 20,
1811. Their union has been blessed with eight
children--Moses, Orlando, George, Henry, Josephine,
Albert, Alpha and Alice. In 1855 he emigrated to Clayton
County, and located on a tract of land he had purchased
the previous spring of 340 acres of wild prairie land.
The following year he built ten miles of fence, driving
over a ton of nails. Mr. Oathout has been identified with
the county for twenty-seven years, and has seen the wild
prairies transformed into beautiful farms and thriving
villages. In politics he was an old line Whig, but at the
time of the organization of the Republican party joined
them, and has affiliated with them since. source: History of Clayton
County, Iowa, 1882, p. 1054-1055 |