Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 713
ADDISON L. HARVEY

Addison L. HARVEY (Portrait), banker and real-estate dealer, at Logan, Iowa, is perhaps as well as known as any man in Harrison County, where he has been actively engaged in business since the spring of 1857.

He is a descendant of Thomas HARVEY of the old Green Mountain State, Vermont, who had a family of six, as follows: Spencer, Nathan, Thomas, Johnson, Delia and Freelove. The parents of these children came to Vermont at an early date and went through the laborious tasks of "clearing up" a farm from among the stones and forests of that rock-ribbed commonwealth.

Nathan, the father of our subject, was born in Vermont in 1802, and in his early life, made a livelihood by farming, wool carding, coloring and dressing cloths, afterward operated a hotel in connection with farming in the town of Smithfield, Madison County, N. Y., on the old turnpike road, between Syracuse and Utica. This was before the days of railroads through that section, and he continued in the hotel business until after the advent of these iron highways, which virtually destroyed the profit of his business, which he abandoned, devoting his attention to farming, following that until 1854, at which time he came West to Jasper County, Iowa, where he resided several years and afterward came to Harrison County and died in 1864 in Magnolia, at the home of his son, the subject of this sketch. His wife, Auril T. LYMAN, was a native of Connecticut, and the third of a family of eleven children. Her parents were Jesse and Theodora A. (DEWEY) LYMAN, and the following were their children: Joseph A., Samuel P., Auril T., Mary, Sarah, Charles G., Jane E., Abigal, Wells T., Thomas A. E., and Hubert H. Our subject's mother came to live with her son, A. L., in 1861, and died at his home in Logan in 1885.

Speaking more particularly of our subject, it should be said that when he was seventeen years of age he taught school in Madison County, N. Y., and for three years thereafter was engaged in clerking, after which he went to Rockland County, N. Y., where he engaged himself in a railroad office for three years, at the town of Piermont, then the terminus of the New York & Erie Railroad. After serving three years in the service of the railroad company he was impressed with the idea that the Hawkeye State afforded a broader and better field for a young man, with business qualifications, than did the Eastern States, so in 1856 he started for Iowa, with Newton, Jasper County, as his objective point, where he engaged in merchandising. In the spring of 1857, in company with William ARTHUR, he came to Harrison County, ARTHUR locating in the old town of St. John, in the sawmill business, and afterward bought the E. J. ELLIS farm in the Soldier Valley, Jackson Township, Harrison County, where he has since resided, while Mr. HARVEY cast his lot with the good old pioneers of Magnolia, where, in company with Truman W. WOODRUFF, he started a general store. It will be remembered that this was just at the time of the great financial panic of 1857-8, but through shrew business management they were enabled to pull through and pay their debts, after which they had nothing left, and consequently in the fall of 1859 went out of business. Mr. HARVEY then commenced transcribing records for Harrison County, which work he followed most of the time until January 25, 1860, when he was appointed Treasurer and Recorder of Harrison County, at the hands of County Judge D. E. BRAINARD, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr. BONER, who was elected in the fall of 1859. Proving himself efficient in the roll of a county officer, he was elected in the fall of 1860 to the same office and was re-elected two succeeding terms. It should be stated in this connection that the campaign previous to his election was a hotly contested one, that Mr. HARVEY received only one majority, the county being largely Democratic.

After leaving the Treasurer's office he opened a real-estate office at Magnolia, and was son in possession of a lucrative land business in which he is engaged at the present time in Logan.

September 1, 1867, he, in company with J. C. MILLIMAN, established the Harrison County Bank, which they operated until April 1, 1878, at which time A. W. FORD bought Mr. MILLIMAN's interest, since which time the institution has been operated under the firm name of HARVEY & FORD.

Our subject was married December 4, 1860, to Margaret Anna MILLER, of Piermont, Rockland County, N. Y. She was born in 1835. The issue of this marriage was seven children, all of whom are living, except the first-born, named Theodora A. Those now living are: Charles a., Margaret A., George H., Harry L., Robert W., and Frank F., all of whom are at home, except Charles a., who married Fannie BARNHART, now residing at Logan, and Margaret A., who married Sears MCHENRY, banker at Denison, Iowa. Politically, Mr. HARVEY is identified with the Republican party, which is greatly indebted to him for the many well-fought political battle-fields in which he has been a prominent factor. He has been Chairman of the Republican County Central Committee. His first vote for President was cast for Gen. John C. FREMONT. While he does not aspire to become a party leader, yet his capabilities have become felt and seen, through many a heated campaign in Harrison County, and who has his work all done before election day rolls round, and who was never known to work a poll on election day. At this time he is a firm advocate of the "Australian ballot system." He is a member of Chrysolite Lodge, No. 420, of the Masonic order at Logan, and is also a member of Logan Lodge No. 355, I. O. O. F.

Having been an energetic business man for a long term of years, beginning when Harrison County had but a small population, and keeping pace with the progress of the county, our subject has made a large circle of acquaintances, both in his own and surrounding counties, and is well and favorably known throughout the State of Iowa. Being a good observer of daily events, as well as a great reader, he is well informed as to all that has transpired since his boyhood days in the old Empire State.

It matters not when one meets Mr. HARVEY, whether it be in his business relations, by the side of his desk, in a public convention, when political favors are asked, midst the turmoil of business life, or within his own home-circle, in which he takes great delight, he always impresses one with the thought of one characteristic, that of a natural-born, true gentleman.

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