Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 818
JACOB 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.

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