Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 621
ELISHA COBB

Elisha COBB, a farmer located on section 12, of Jackson Township, ranks among the pioneers of Harrison County, for it is found that he came to these parts to build for himself a home in the summer of 1856. He located on wild land known as "Swamp Land," which constitutes a part of his present farm. He made his filing at this time and then bought Swamp Land script, and paid $1.25 per acre for his land. In this way he secured a quarter section of valuable land, upon which he made no improvements for ten years. From Harrison County he went to Pike's Peak, during the great gold excitement, but did not remain long. He retraced his steps to Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the lumber business for about nine years. He then came to Iowa again and farmed land near Preparation, Monona County, for one year.

We next fond our subject digging a cave -- better known as a "dugout" -- in which he lived four years, while he was improving his land. He then built a story and one-half house 12x26 feet, with a barn 16x24 feet. Year by year he kept adding to his land, until he now has two hundred and twenty-five acres, thirty-three acres of which are under the plow, while the balance is meadow and pasture land.

Among the experiences which our subject never cares to go through again, was the grasshopper scourge, when his crops were entirely eaten up. This was the only year of his residence in Iowa, when he had a failure in a corn crop, and that year he was obliged to pay 50 cents per bushel of corn.

Our subject was born in Chautauqua County, N.Y. in August 1833, and is a son of Rowland and Eliza COBB, natives of Vermont, who has a family of four children, our subject being the second child. The chidlren were -- Elijah (deceased), Elisha, Maria and Harriet M.

In 1844 our subject's father moved to Nauvoo, Ill., but remained there only a short time and with the remainder of the thousands of Mormons who emigrated West, as far as where Council Bluffs is he also came, the trip taking all summer. He had five ox teams and one horse team. He bought a "squatter" out in Missouri, who lived in Atchinson County, buying the crop and all. They harvested that crop and raised one more, but as the families were sick nearly all the time with the diseases prevalent in all new countries, they sold their growing crop to the Government, which at that time was fitting out expeditions for the Mexican War. They paid our subject's father 20 cents per bushel for corn which was husked and in piles in the field.

The first winter they lived in Missouri, and his father went to Florence, Neb., -- Mormon headquaters -- to investigate the rumors they had heard concerning the practice of Polygamy, and when they found such rumors well sustained, their zeal for the Mormon Church grew cold. The next winter they started Eastward, and wintered at Chillicothe, and the next spring they went to St. Louis and there took boat to Pittsburg, and went into the lumbering business in Jefferson County, PA., and remained there until he came to this county.

Our subject was united in marriage in 1865 to Maria McCullough, the daughter of Joseph and Mary McCullough. By this union one child was born -- Minnie E. who is still living.

Politically, our subject identified with the Republican party, and has been Trustte of his township, also assessor of the same.

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