Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 601
THOMAS

William F. VORE (Portrait), one of the pioneer boys who found their way to Harrison County in the autumn of 1855, settling in Harris Grove, will form the subject of this sketch.

His father, Pierson VORE, was born in Pennsylvania, April 2, 1799, and was one of the eldest children of Peter and Rebecca VORE. Peter was a shoemaker by trade, and was of German descent, and When Pierson was a small boy his people removed to Maryland, where he received a limited school education, his father being a poor man, as were most of the people in those days. He never attended school but three months in his life, but having a good memory, and using his leisure hours in gathering up what he could, he became a fairly well-informed man. Later on his parents removed to Athens County, Ohio, where they both died. Pierson remained at home until he was married to Cyntha JOY, who was born April 4, 1804. They were married October 10, 1822. Some years after his marriage he rented land and finally bought forty acres of timber land and commenced clearing up a farm upon which he lived about five years, and then sold and bought one hundred and sixty acres in Athens County, Ohio, and three years later sold that and bought another farm to which he added until he had two hundred and fifty acres, which he sold in 1850, and removed to another part of the same county, and purchased a farm on which he lived some years, and sold for $25 per acres. We next find him fitted out with three wagons and seven horses emigrating with his family to Harrison County, Iowa, arriving November 8, 1855. He had been here the August before and purchased the places on which he first located. His son John, had been here a year ahead of him. The family moved into a log cabin on a forty-acre tract, and the following season erected a frame addition to this house, which was one of the first frame buildings in the Grove. He was a successful farmer, and was never in debt unless it was on land. He was hard working-man and took pride in seeing his family well situated, helping each boy to land as fast as he could.

William F. VORE, our subject, received his education in the district schools of Athens County, where he was born December 26, 1835. He was married April 19, 1861, to Elvira A. BAUGHN, who was born near Cincinnati, Ohio, July 8, 1843, and is the daughter of Charles and Pensel BAUGHN, and was the third child of a family of twelve--six boys and six girls. Her parents came to Harrison County in 1856. Mr. and Mrs. VORE are the parents of eight children, six of whom died in infancy. The living children are Fannie E. and Mattie Maud. Fannie attended the district schools of LaGrange Township, and the High School at Logan, after which she taught several years. March 4, 1886, she was married to Edward BOWEN, who now lives in Union Township.

After the marriage of our subject he settled on land his father had given him, moving into a cabin that had been erected by some of the early Mormons. In this he lived three years, and then erected a brick and frame house, in which he lived about twenty years, and then erected his present fine two-story frame house. He now has five hundred and fifty-five acres of land, one hundred and thirty-five of which is kept under the plow, while one hundred acres are timber and pasture-land.

Politically our subject is a supporter of the Republican party. He is a member of Crysolite Lodge, A. F. & A. M. at Logan.

Great has been the change in Harrison County since Mr. VORE first looked upon its sloping hill sides and fertile valleys. When he came here wild game, including deer, elk and turkeys, were in abundance. Council Bluffs was the nearest trading point. Building material was very high when he built his brick house; it burned June 13, 1887.

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