KIRLEY -
Peter KIRLEY, a resident of St. John's Township, residing on section 36, came to the county in 1871, having lived in Pottawattamie County, from one year previous to that date. He purchased from James SEATON eighty acres of his present farm, which he at once commenced to improve. The farm house he moved from its old location to where it now stands. A few years ago he planted out a fine orchard.
To inform the reader of more of the details of this man's life, we will ask him to let his thoughts wander across the Atlantic Ocean to the County of Monaghan, in the north of Ireland, where our subject was born March 4, 1840. His grandfather, Bernard KIRLEY, was a farmer of that county, who had four children, the father of our subject, Peter KIRLEY, being the eldest. His mother was Ann CARR of the County of Monaghan, Ireland. In our subject's father's family there were six children -- Owen, now deceased; Mary, Mrs. MCBRIDE, of Missouri Valley; Bernard, a resident of Duke Centre, Pa.; Patrick, now of Louisville, Ky.; Peter, our subject; Michael, now of Taylorstown, Pa.
Our subject's early life spent in Ireland, and in 1855, with his father and younger brother he sailed for America. From New York harbor they went to Rochester, N. Y. The father and older sons were mechanics and worked in a factory while the younger sons went to school. In 1858 the father rented a farm near Rochester, where our subject remained until 1863, which was the middle of the Civil War period in this country. March 13, of that year, he enlisted in Company D, Eighty-ninth Volunteer Infantry, as a private, and was assigned to the Army of the Potomac under Gens. PERRY and ORD. He participated in the following battles: Siege of Petersburg, and battle of Petersburg, and battle of the Wilderness, where the transport containing the regiment sunk in the James River; they were at Fair Oaks, where our subject was wounded in the right shoulder by the explosion of a shell, which laid him up for some time, but he again joined his regiment and was in the engagement at Hatchie's Run; and at Appomattox at the time of Lee's surrender. He marched back to Richmond, was taken sick and laid in the hospital for three weeks, and was discharged in August, 1865, and mustered out at Elmira, N. Y. He was sick for over a year after his return, and as the father had rented a large farm he assisted him until 1871, when the father and himself came to Harrison County.
Our subject was married April 29, 1874, in Council Bluffs, to Miss Nora MANLY, who was the daughter of Patrick and Bridget (NOONAN) MANLY, natives of Ireland, who came to the United States in 1855. Her father died in Ireland and her mother in Nebraska in 1870. Our subject and his wife have been blessed by one child -- Annie, born August 25, 1877. They belong to the Roman Catholic Church at Missouri Valley.
Mr. KIRLEY is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and in his political choice affiliates with the Democratic party.
Source: 1891 Harrison County Iowa History, pp. 359-360 Kirley Family Researcher.
MOORE - William MOORE,
was born in Lawrence County, PA, October 1, 1848. His father was David B. and
his mother Elizabeth (MARQUIS) Moore, both of whom were born and reared in
Pennsylvania. They now (1891) live at New Wilmington, PA, and are of
Scotch-Irish extraction, on the paternal side and on the maternal side they
have been residents of this country for many generations. The father of our
subject, while a young man worked at the cabinet trade and subsequently engaged
in farming and stock-shipping. He carried on the latter on an extensive
scale but on account of declining health was compelled to retire. In the
parental family there were eight children who grew to maturity: Anna M;
Sarah, wife of H.L. MEANS, residing in Lawrence County, PA; our subject,
William; A. Patterson, of this county; Ella and Elizabeth, at home; Maggie,
wife of Wilbur CUMMINGS, of Pennsylvania; and Howard, a resident of Clifton
Springs, NY.
Our subject was educated in the public schools, and attended Westminster
College, for four years, and in 1876, came to Iowa. From 1879 to 1884 he
lived on a farm in Monona County, at the end of which time he came to Dunlap,
having been there two years prior to going to Monona County. He removed to his
present (1891) farm in 1884, and operates the same in company with his
brother A.P.
He was united in marriage at Cincinnati, Ohio, May 20, 1880, to Miss Mary
I. DUNLAP, who was born at New Castle, PA, December 16, 1850. She is the
daughter of William R. and Emily B. (PALMITER) DUNLAP, who were natives of
Pennsylvania and Ohio, both of whom are deceased. The father died in
Cincinnati in 1889, at the age of 68 years, and the mother died in 1876,
aged 50 years.
Politically, our subject is a Republican, and is one of Harrison County's
most worthy citizens. He has been Treasurer of the School Board, of
Independent District, No. 3, and is Secretary of Mill Creek Farmer's Club.
A. Patterson MOORE, brother of our subject, is a native of Lawrence Co.,
PA, born July 18, 1858, and was reared to farm life and educated in common
schools of the Keystone State, attending school one year at Edinboro.
He has always devoted himself to farm life and came to Harrison County,
Iowa, July, 1883, and located on a farm with his brother William, on
section 28, where they own a quarter-section of most excellent land, and are
engaged in general farming and stock-raising. He belongs to Harrison Lodge,
No. 284, of the Knights of Pythias, at Dunlap.
Source: 1891 History of Harrison County.
Notes from Barbara Cady
William Hymelius Moore (my great-grandfather). His papers from the
National Archives say he was enrolled on the 14th day of October, 1862,
in Co. E, 6th Regiment of the Iowa Cavalry Volunteers, mustered in as a
Private on the 31st of January 1863 to serve 3 years or during the war.
He mustered out with company on Oct. 17, 1865 at Sioux City, Iowa.
He died in Dufur, Wasco Co., Oregon on September 3, 1899.
Moore Family Researcher: Barbara Cady.
CONDIT - Silas Whitehead
CONDIT, deceased, a native of New Jersey, came to Harrison County among
the earliest pioneers, arriving as he did in 1848. He was the son of Jeptha
and Charlotte CONDIT, who were natives of New Jersey. Mr CONDIT was a
shoemaker by trade and emigrated to Ohio, about 1838, where he worked at
shoemaking.
He and his
brother Amos joined the Mormon Church, and came west to Nauvoo, Ill, where
they were to establish that city, and when the Mormons started West they went
with them, and stopped to winter at Trader's Point, near Council Bluffs.
While the Mormons were platting and surveying for town sites, at old Trader's
Point, his brother Amos, while a party were surveying, was murdered in cold
blood, by one of the Mormons, who thought the streets they were surveying
encroached on his land. They pursued the murderer to Oskaloosa, where he was
captured and brought back to Trader's Point and placed in a log jail, but being
aided by outsiders, he managed to make his escape and was never re-captured.
Mr. CONDIT thought the Elders of the church had something to do with the
escape of the man, and he at once left the church and removed with his
family to what is now known as Harrison County, and settled on the Little
Siuox River, and subsequently laid out the town of Little Sioux, on his
own land.
For years, his nearest neighbor was Daniel BROWN, of Calhoun, who was
seventeen miles away. He built his first cabin of logs, and its roof was
made of bark.
Mr. CONDIT was the first Postmaster of Little Sioux village, and established
the first ferry-boat on the Little Sioux River. He was thrice
married. Parker L., a son by his first wife, lives in Omaha; Sarah, Adaline,
John, Henry, Leonard and Dana S., by his second wife, live at Malta, Idaho.
Mrs. Cordeila CONDIT, his widow, with three children, Lottie, Bertha and Frank,
live near Albion, Idaho.
Source: 1891 History of Harrison County.
Condit Family Researcher: David Condit.
FARNSWORTH - James
H. FARNSWORTH was one of the few pioneers who ventured to the then wild wilderness
of Harrison County (to which the tribes of Indians had just bid a last farewell),
to become a settler, in the spring of 1852, locating in what is now known as
Boyer Township, on section 25. He accompanied his father, Samuel FARNSWORTH.
Both he and his father bought claims which had been "squatted" upon a year
or two prior by the Mormons. They entered the land as soon as it came into the
market.
The claims just referred to were in Twelve-Mile Grove. Here they erected log
houses, provided with hewn floors. They cleared and broke about eight acres
during the summer of 1852, and our subject thinks Mr. Matthew HALL was the
first man that did any improvement in the way of breaking.
Our subject built his first house on section 18, in Douglas Township. It was
about 15x15 feet, and in this he lived from 1857 to 1861, when he built another
house on the same land. This was a frame structure 16x24 feet, which was not
really all completed until 1867.
Mr. FARNSWORTH left his family on the farm in the spring of 1863, and with a
train of ox-teams went across the plains, visiting Denver, Central City, and
Empire, the highest mining point, which is about one hundred miles from Denver.
Here they left their ox-teams, having sold their goods at the then small town
of Denver, and with a pack train went over the range to Green, and from there
to Southern California. They then went back through South Park to Colorado
Springs, where the city of Leadville is now situated. They prospected for
gold for about three months, and returned to Denver, where they found good
prospects, but on account of the Indian excitement did not remain. With two
others our subject bought four ponies and a light spring wagon, provided with
a cover, and started for home. They made the trip from Denver to Omaha in
thirteen and one-half days. This was a dangerous country to travel through,
on account of the Indians, but they reached home in the autumn of 1863 in
safety.
To go back to our subject's origin and early career, it may be stated that he
was born April 19, 1834, in Marion County, Ohio. About 1850 his father emigrated
to Piatt County, Ill., where they remained until the time of coming to
Harison County, in 1852.
Our subject was married to Olive HAWORTH, of Harrison County, by which union
there have been born nine children; James E., Mary E., Samuel A. (deceased),
Sarah M. (deceased), Owen G., Erminie M., Viola B., Charles V., Herbert A.
The father of our subject, Samuel FARNSWORTH, was born in Virginia in about
1805,and was married in the same State to Miss Elenor SMITH. They removed
to Ohio, remained until 1850, and then came to this county, where the
husband died June 21, 1857, his wife following him to the better world in
December, 1860.
Our subject's wife was born in Athens County, Ohio, November 5, 1837, and
she was bereft of her mother when but a small child. Her father came to Harrison
County in the spring of 1852, locating in what is now Douglas Township.
He improved a farm on section 30, and Olive lived with him until she was
married. Her father was born in Belfast, England, May 28, 1803, and came to
America when a young man, spending some years in New York, Massachusetts,
and Pennsylvania. He finally settled in Athens County, Ohio, where he remained
until he came to Harrison County, Iowa. He died in Douglas Township December
4, 1883.
Politically Mr. FARNSWORTH believes in the Democratic party. He is a man of
pleasing address, and thoroughly conversant with the great and ever-changing
West, whose trackless prairies and mountain steeps his eyes gazed upon nearly
two decades before the shrill whistle of the locomotive had been heard
west of the Missouri River.
Source: 1891 History of Harrison County.
Farnwsworth Family Researcher: Jim Kimbell.
DEUEL - Lewis L DEUEL,
who came to Harrison County in March, 1872, settled on his present farm,
on section 8, of Douglas Township, when it was wild land, consisting of sixty
acres, which he has well improved. At the time of his coming there were but
about forty votes polled in the township and all looked new and wild. Great
has been the transformation since first he gazed out upon the fair domain
of Harrison County.
Mr. DEUEL was born in Saratoga, NY, August 23, 1849, and remained with his
parents until he was twenty years of age when he went to Washington County, '
of that same State and stayed one year, after which he spent one year at home
and then came to Harrison County.
Believing in that portion of the Sripture which says that "It is not good for
man to be alone," he made the acquaintance of Miss Adelia DeLong, of
Saratoga, NY, and took her hand in marriage, March 5, 1870, and as a result
of this union the following children were born unto them -- Arthur B., Herbert
S., Eugene L., Alice E., Freddy L. and Berta L. The angel of death appeared
in the home circle, November 27, 1879 and claimed the spirit of Eugene L.
Mrs. DEUEL was born September 22, 1845, in Saratoga County, NY, and remained
at home until she accepted the hand of our subject. She is the daughter of
Abram and Laura DeLong, who were the parents of five children, Adelia being
the second of her father's family.
He not unlike the majority of American citizens prizes the right of franchise
amd exercises that right by working for, and voting with the Republican party.
Having been reared in, and trained under the influence of God-fearing people,
both he and his wife adhere to the generally accepted faith of the orthodox church.
Source: 1891 History of Harrison County.
Deuel Family Researcher: Christopher Deuel.
Harrison County Iowa Biographies
