Conyne, Alfred M.
Alfred M. Conyne, deceased, was a native son of Crawford county, having been born in 1866 in Denison township on the farm where he continued to make his home until his death in 1911. He was identified with the agricultural interests of the community for more than twenty years.
He was a son of Alfred B. and Cordelia (Martin) Conyne, the father coming from near Watertown, New York, and the mother being born in the vicinity of Lexington, Kentucky. They were married near St. Joseph, Missouri, and the following year they removed to Iowa, coming as far as Council Bluffs by boat and then driving to Crawford county, where the father entered land. They were among the very early pioneers, the deed to their homestead being signed by Franklin Pierce in 1855.
Mr. Conyne cultivated and improved his land and had the satisfaction of seeing it develop into one of the best farms in this section before his death, which occurred in August, 1871. He was the type of a pioneer who leaves the impress of his personality on the country in the development of which he has been an active factor. Public-spirited and enterprising, he was one of the citizens who enthusiastically urged the incorporation of the city, assisted in the framing of the articles for that purpose, and at the time of their adoption was the justice of the peace. He constructed many of the bridges which span the Boyer river in the vicinity of Denison.
Mr. and Mrs. Conyne were the parents of three children, who are as follows: Silas, living in Chicago, where he is engaged in business; Alfred M., our subject; and Ada, who was born in 1868 and died in 1873. Five years after Mr. Conyne's demise Mrs. Conyne was united in marriage to William Cochran, of Pennsylvania, and unto this union one child was born, John, who died at the age of six years. Mrs. Cochran passed away on the 7th of July, 1908, and was laid to rest in Oakland cemetery, near Denison, where Mr. Conyne was also buried.
The boyhood and youth of Alfred M. Conyne was very similar to that of the other boys reared in Iowa in the pioneer days. He attended the district schools, where he obtained his education, performed such tasks as he could upon the farm and enjoyed the recreations indulged in by all young people in the more sparsely settled districts. He spent his entire life on the farm where he was born, with the exception of about eight years, during which period he engaged in railroading. He owned one hundred and two acres on section 13, Denison township, within the corporation limits of the city of Denison. His land was well improved and carefully cultivated, which in addition to its location made it one of the most desirable as well as valuable properties of the county. Mr. Conyne never married and was a member of the Methodist church.
Although he supported the republican party, believing that its policy is best adapted to promote the interests of the majority, Mr. Conyne was never an aspirant for public office, but at the same time he always fulfilled the requirements of good citizenship by going to the polls on election day and casting his ballot for the candidates of the party of his choice. He was a quiet, unobtrusive man, who was largely engrossed in the development of his personal interests, at the same time he gave his support to any movement the adoption of which would be of advantage to the community.
Source: History of Crawford County, Iowa. Vol. II. Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1911.