JOHN O. McKIBBEN
John O. McKibben devotes his
attention to the pursuits of general farming and stock-raising and is the owner
of a valuable tract of land embracing two hundred and fifty acres in Garden
Grove township. His birth occurred in
this county on the 25th of May, 1872, his parents being John and
Harriet (Hurd) McKibben, both of whom were natives of Franklin county,
Ohio. They came to Decatur county, Iowa,
in 1857 and in the spring of 1865 purchased the farm which is now in possession
of our subject. John McKibben, Sr.,
operated the property until 1900, when he put aside the active work of the
fields and removed to town, spending the remainder of his life in honorable
retirement. He passed away on the 26th
of November, 1913, and his demise was the occasion of deep and widespread
regret, for he had won many friends during the fifty-six years of his residence
here. For many years he was a member of
the official board of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which his wife also
belonged, the latter passing away in that faith in 1896. To them were born six children as
follows: Frank T.; Mary E., who is the
wife of George King; Mattie L., deceased; Sarah B., who gave her hand in
marriage to A. P. Kirby; Elizabeth H., the wife of W. R. Richards; and John O.,
of this review. On the 24th
of August, 1900, the father married again, his second wife being Martha L.
McKibben, who died in 1914.
John O. McKibben attended
public school at Garden Grove, subsequently pursued a normal course and later
entered Elliot’s Business college of Burlington, Iowa. He then returned home and has since been
successfully engaged in farming on the place where he was born and reared. In connection with the cultivation of the
cereals best adapted to soil and climate he also devotes considerable attention
to stock-raising , making a specialty of shorthorn cattle. His property comprises two hundred and fifty
acres of rich and productive land in Garden Grove township and is excellently
improved with a handsome residence and ample barns and outbuildings. There is also an orchard producing a variety
of fruit.
On the 12th of
September, 1900, Mr. McKibben was united in marriage to Miss Nellie A. Thomas,
a daughter of H. B. Thomas, of Decatur county.
To them have been born five children, namely: Roberta L., Julia H., Martha L., Norman N.,
and Esther.
Mr. McKibben is a member of the official board of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which his wife also belongs an din the work of which they take an active and helpful interest. He enjoys an extensive and favorable acquaintance in the county in which his entire life has been spent and is widely recognized as one of its representative agriculturists and esteemed citizens.