Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

DARTING - Jacob DARTING, a resident of section 6, St. John’s Township, came to Harrison County in 1858, and raised one crop near Magnolia and that fall settled on the site of his present home, where he purchased one hundred and seven acres of unimproved land, on which he erected a log cabin, the roof of which was made of "shakes." He lived in this house about ten years and then built a small frame structure, a part of his present residence.

Our subject was born in West Virginia August 15, 1816, the son of John and Barbara Darting and was the fourth child of a family of fifteen, thirteen of whom attained their majority. When twenty-one years of age, our subject started on the untried sea of life for himself, working out by the month for three years, also working on a brickyard as well as on the Wabash & Cross Cut Canal.

In every man’s life there are important events, not the least of which is the selection of a life companion, who in this case was Rachel Murphy, to whom he was married January 28, 1841. She was the daughter of Sion and Elizabeth Murphy, born August 29, 1821. Shortly after their marriage they removed to a farm Putnam County, Ind. The same consisted of eighty acres, which was covered with a dense growth of timber. Here our subject in the vigor of his young manhood, commenced to clear up a farm for himself, and remained there until 1856, at which time he had succeeded in clearing thirty acres. In the autumn of that year he sold out, removed to Jasper County, Iowa, bought a small farm and remained until the spring of 1858 and then came to Harrison County.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Darting has been blessed by the advent of seven children- Elizabeth, born Nov 1, 1842, Barbara, August 7, 1844; John L., September 17, 1846; Sarah, August 12, 1851, deceased; Silvania, born October 25, 1853; Rachel E., December 14, 1861, died August 7, 1880; and Jacob A., born Sept 27, 1863.

When our subject came to Harrison County he had but little of this world’s goods, but he came as a conqueror, and being possessed of a loving companion, and two strong arms he felt as rich as a king. With the double ox-team, a span of ponies and two wagons, he set forth to make for himself a home in what has proved to be one of Iowa’s banner counties.

Source: 1891 History of Harrison County Iowa.
Family Researcher: Janette Lager at DMLJLL426@netzero.net
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GREENE - Benajah Samuel GREENE
B.S. GREENE, one of the pioneer settlers of Harrison Township, is a native of New London County, Conn., born at the town of Griswold, February 9, 1832. He is the son of William and Mary GREENE, natives of Connecticut, of English extraction. Our subject is the great-grandson of Major General Nathaniel GREENE, of Revolutionary fame.

Our subject's parents have always made it their home in Connecticut. They were farmers doing an extensive agricultural business. The father died in the spring of 1861, but the mother is still living (1891) at the advanced age of eighty years. They reared a family of nine children, our subject being the only one who came farther West than Pennsylvania. He was reared to farm life, and attended the schools, common to New England, having to walk three miles to attend, and only being permitted to go during the winter season.

Lucy E. GALLUP became his wife, December 29, 1855. She was a native of Connecticut and died June 13, 1858, at the age of twenty years. Two children were born by this union, Orra, wife of James A. MOORE, born November 21, 1856, and now (1891) a resident of Oregon; Lucy G., born June 7, 1858, the wife of Abraham WANGARD, of Omaha, Nebraska.

Mr. GREENE was again married, September 29, 1859, to Miss Harriet KINNEY, of Griswold, Connecticut. She was born in the same place, March 24, 1842. By this marriage union, three children were born -- George W., May 27, 1862, now in the employ of the Central School Supply Company, of Chicago, and a graduate of the Iowa Agricultural College at Ames, Iowa; Sarah A., June 26, 1864, wife of Frank ROGERS, a resident of Dunlap, Iowa; and Frank D., October 27, 1866. He is at present operating his father's farm.

When our subject had attained his majority, he went to work at the carpenter's trade. He followed this trade until he enlisted as a Union soldier in the Civil War, becoming a member of Company D, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, June 18, 1862, and was discharged, August 18, 1865, at Camp Buckingham, Connecticut. Among the hotly contested battles he participated in may be mentioned Brandy Station, battle of the Wilderness, battle of Cold Harbor and battle of Petersburg. He was commissioned while in the State Service of Connecticut, under William A. Buckingham, as first Lieutenant, of Company D, Third Regiment, of State Militia, assuming the rank on the 19th of July, 1858. He was a member of the Militia for nine years.

After our subject returned from the Civil War, he remained in Connecticut until the spring of 1870, when he accompanied by his family, came West and located in Harrison Township, Harrison County, Iowa. After he had lived here about six years, and in the autumn of 1875, he purchased one hundred acres of wild prairie land, on section 22, where he has wrought out for himself and family, a home surrounded with all the comforts known to modern farm life. His hundred and four acres of fine farming land was brought to its present state of cultivation, by and through his own efforts, as when he first took possession of it, it was an unbroken tract of prairie, as was a good portion of the country, surrounding it. Only through years of hard toil and self-sacrifice has our subject been enabled to be so comfortably surrounded.

Politically, Mr. GREENE is a Republican, and takes great interest in educational matters, and has been a member of the School Board. He is a member of Shields Post, No. 83, of the Grand Army of the Republic, at Dunlap, while Mrs. GREENE is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and also of the Farmer's Wives Society.

Source: 1891 Harrison County Iowa History.
Family Researcher: Violet Moore Guy (need new email)
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BEEDLE
Amsey BEEDLE, of whom we now write, was born February 11, 1841, in Warren County, Ohio, came to Council Bluffs in 1852, and to Harrison County in August, 1856. His step-father, Alexander E. MCCOY, built the first house in Jeddo, and later on put an addition to it in which he conducted a general store, continuing the same for two years. Mr. BEEDLE was but sixteen years of age at the time of coming to the county, and in the spring of 1857 he embarked in life for himself by working on a farm by the month for George THORPE for two years.

In August, 1862, he enlisted as a member of Company C, 29th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, serving three years. After having faithfully served his country, peace having been declared, he received an honorable discharge at Davenport, Iowa, in August, 1865. He then purchased a horse, riding across the State to Harrison County, arriving about September 1st. For five years he worked in Dalley & Co.'s woolen mills at Woodbine, and during the time purchased eighty acres of land on section 13, of Jefferson Township. He lived on the land about one year, sold it and went into a sawmill, located at Six-Mile Creek near Jeddo. He bought the place on which he now lives in 1876. At first he purchased forty acres but has kept adding until he now is the possessor of a half section of Harrison County's valuable land -- two hundred of which are in Jefferson and one hundred and twenty acres in Cass.

Mr. BEEDLE, our subject, was married in 1861, to Mary J. HALL, daughter of Dr. D. M. HALL, who settled in Douglas Township in an early day. He was again married January 1, 1868, to Elizabeth A. KEIRNES, a native of Missouri, born January 1, 1848. Mr. and Mrs. BEEDLE are the parents of seven children as follows: Carry, Laura, George, Bessie, Laverna, Jessie, and Maude.

Mr. BEEDLE is a pensioner under the act of June 27, 1890.

Source: 1891 Harrison County Iowa History.
Family Researcher: Cathy Scaife [Updated email address needed! cbeedle@monarch.net no longer valid]
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MURPHY
JOSEPH H. MURPHY, a farmer residing on section 21, of Union Township, has been a resident of Harrison County since 1875; he came in the spring of that year to St. John's Township, where he leased a farm one year and then rented in Union Township. One year after he removed to the last named township, he purchased the farm he now lives upon, which consisted of eighty acres, which is now under a high state of cultivation. This place cost him $13.75 per acres.

Mr. Murphy was born in Washington Township, Putnam CO., IN, September 15, 1837. He was the son of Isaiah and Margaret Williams Murphy. The father was a native of Maryland, and the mother of Ohio. They reared a family of eleven children, of whom our subject was the third-Sarah A., deceased, Nancy, Joseph H, Lenox K., Jane, Mattie, Hannah, and William.

Joseph H. Murphy was united in marriage April 15, 1866 to Lydia E. Wilson, a daughter of William A. and Martha F. Wilson, who had ten children, names as follows: Mary J., Sarah E,. Lydia E., Daniel M., John A., Nannie, William S., J.H., Alice and Martha A.

Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are the parents of ten children-Mattie A., Mar L., Maggie V., Della S., James L., Carrie N., William W., Nettie A., Jennie F., Rolland E.

Politically, Mr. Murphy exercises his right of franchise by voting with the Democratic party. In religious matters, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are believers in the Universalist faith.

Mr. Murphy remained at home with his parents until twenty-two years of age, working on his father's farm. he then hired out on a farm for which he received $18 per month. We next see him driving an ox-team from the Hoosier State to a point near Des Moines, Iowa. He returned to Indiana that fall and split rails for his father during the winter. The next four years of his life was spent at work on a farm for one man. Again we see him working as a railroad-track repairer, and from there we trace him through the next four years, the summers of which was spent on a farm and the winters of which he spent in getting out stave timber, which brought him up to the time he came to Harrison County.

Source: 1891 Harrison County Iowa History, page 704.
Family Researcher: N/A
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MURPHY
OLIVER PERRY MURPHY, manager of Capt. George Bacon's farm and orchard at Magnolia, was born March 23, 1853 at Lagro, Wabash County, Ind. He is the son of J.K. and C.M. Murphy, both natives of the Hoosier State. his father died when he was about one year old and he knows but little about his father's ancestry. The mother's parents were Isaac and mary Bedsaul. The father of our subject departedthis life in Indiana in 1854, and the mother married George S. Bacon, who removed to Magnolia in 1855 and now resides at Des Moines, Iowa. (See sketch of Capt. George S. Bacon and Isaac Bedsaul.)

Our subject attended the common and High School at Magnolia and has lived in Harrison County nearly all his life, except from 1879 to 1884, during which time he was a janitor in Council Bluffs.

He was united in marriage Jan 9, 1876 to Dora E. Benson, born Oct 16, 1859, in Ohio. She is the daughter of Caleb and Mary Jane Benson, residents of Magnolia. By this union four sons and two daughters have been born- J. Kelly, December 13, 1876; Oliver Perry, October 2, 1878; Louis Francis, December 12, 1880; George Burton, July 11, 1883; Mary Jane, September 8, 1885; Dora Edna, May 19, 1891.

Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are both accepteable members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He belongs to Magnolia Lodge, No. 177, A.O.U.W.

Politically, he affiliates with the Republican party.

Source: 1891 Harrison County Iowa History, page 675,676.
Family Researcher: N/A
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REDINBAUGH
JOHN G. REDINBAUGH, a farmer of section 20, Union Township came to Harrison County in the spring of 1868. He was a poor man at the time, and rented land of E. ERVIN in Jefferson Township for four years. Then he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land upon which he now lives, paying $7.50 (per acre) for the same. He built a house 18x26 feet two stories high, and a barn 20x30 feet, also a granary 14x20 feet and provided his premises with three good wells, employing wind-power for pumping water. He also set out a one hundred and fifty tree orchard as well as a nice line of shade trees. He has added to his landed estate until now he possesses three hundred and eighty-five acres, one hundred acres of which are under cultivation, and the balance in pasture and hay land, except twenty-five acres of a timber lot in Harris Grove.

Mr. REDINBAUGH was originally from the Buckeye State, born in Miami County, Ohio, January 12, 1836. He is the son of Joseph and Nancy (GRAHAM) REDINBAUGH, who were the parents of the following children -- Joseph, deceased; Margaret, deceased; John G., Henry C., and Mary (twins) of whom Henry is deceased; and William M. deceased.

Our subject stayed at home until he was of age after which he went to Illinois, and worked on the farm by the month for three years, then bought a team and rented land, remaining in Illinois twelve years. In 1864 he enlisted at Rock Island as a member of Company K, 58th Illinois Infantry, and was sent to Cairo, Memphis, Vicksburg, New Orleans being in the 16th Army Corps, under Gen. A. J. SMITH. After being in the service of his country one year he was honorably discharged. The next three years he spent in Illinois and then came Harrison County, making the trip over land in a covered wagon, camping out nights.

He was here during the grasshopper seasons, got discouraged and started for Marshall County, to run a threshing machine. While enroute with his covered wagon headed for the East, and as he was passing through Adel, Dallas County, a stranger asked to ride with him, to Des Moines, where he got out after which our subject drove four miles east, and camped for the night on Four-Mile Creek, and while asleep in his wagon was shot from the end of the wagon through the mouth, the ball passing out under his jaw, breaking the same and removing five teeth. This was in August 1868. Upon coming to his senses he seized a hatchet and climbed out of his wagon whereupon he saw his assailant near by, and gave him chase, but failed at the time to secure him. Subsequently through a chain of circumstances, the depraved villian was arrested, tried and sent to State prison, for ten years. Our subject relates how that while riding together, in the afternoon of that fateful day, his stranger passenger feigned to be sleepy, and dropped down on the couch in the rear of the wagon. Upon one occasion our subject observed that he had the hatchet laying beside him, but doubtless his heart failed him, until the curtain of night had been drawn over the tragic scene he was about to enact.

Our subject was married January 1, 1871 to Mary E. ERVIN, daughter of Edward E. and Catherine ERWIN (sp), born in Indiana and Ohio respectively. They had three children -- Mary E., being the oldest, and two who are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. REDINBAUGH are the parents of five children - William E., born October 30, 1871; Henry C., born June 19, 1874; Katie (deceased) born September 27, 1876; Charles born April 26, 1880; John (deceased) born June 1, 1886.

Our subject is a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows' fraternities at Logan, Iowa.

Source: 1891 Harrison County Iowa History, page 741,742.
Family Researcher: Peggy Clark [Updated email address needed! predinbo@interl.net no longer valid]
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