George Foland, youngest son of Michael, Jr., and Elizabeth (Sourwine) Foland, was born Apr. 21, 1866, in Richland Twp., Decatur Co., Ia. His parents with 7 children - Mary, William, John, Christian, Catherine, Samuel, and Henrietta - had migrated from Delaware Co., Ind., in 1859. Isaac, Sanford, and George were born in Iowa.

George married in 1893 to Celest Jane Little (born 1870, Mercer Co., Mo.), second of six children of Stephen Nolan and Samantha Ann (McKee) Little, who had moved to Decatur Co., Ia. in 1874. Celeste was a school teacher.

They began life together on the Michael Foland farm, 3 3/4 miles northeast of Grand River. After Michael's death in 1904, they pruchased 160 acres of the estate, which is still in the Foland family today. It is now owned and occupied by their son, Albert

In 1920, they rented their farm and moved to Osceola, Ia., to put their 3 youngest children through high school. At this time. Celeste died, 1923, at 52 years. George worked in the railroad shops at Burlington, Ia., from 1922 to 1926, then moved back to the farm with Nolan in charge of the farm work until 1929 when Albert took over. (Nolan went to S.E. Colorado and farmed wheat for 6 years.) George lived there until his death in 1946, at nearly 80 years of age. They were buried in the Grand River Cemetery.

To read more of this Family Biography please email Stacey Dietiker