Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 287
JAMES H. 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.

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