Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 496
DAVID WILLIAMS

David WILLIAMS, who has been a resident of Harrison County, since the spring of 1871, arriving March 18, in company with his parents, and who is now a well-to-do farmer of section 34, Union Township, forms the subject of this notice.

The father bought a farm and David worked with him until he became of age, after which he rented land, giving one-third of the crop for six years, when he bought the farm he now occupies. This was eighty acres of wild land, for which he paid $7.25 per acre, and during 1880 he broke it all up, and in 1881 erected a frame house 16x20 feet, and also purchased another eighty acres adjoining, paying $9 per acre for one "forty," and $12.50 for the other. In 1884 he built an addition to his house 16z22 feet, and the year later built a barn 24x30 feet, together with other outbuildings for the accommodation of the place. He has a bearing orchard of about fifty trees, and a young orchard of two hundred trees. All in all, this is one of as valuable places as the county affords.

Our subject was born in Indiana, August 17, 1852, and removed with his parents to Mason County, Ill., where he worked at farming until the spring of 1871, and then came to Iowa with his parents. His parents were John and Sarah (ANDERSON) WILLIAMS, who had a family of nine children, our subject being next to the oldest; Mary, David, Josiah, Harriet E., Ellen S., Cordelia, John H., Laura A., Hannah L. Laura is now a resident of Kansas.

Mr. WILLIAMS was married November 1, 1874, to Flora E. ARMSTRONG, the daughter of Harvey V. and Virginia (ROE) ARMSTRONG, who were the parents of nine children, Flora E. being the fourth child. The names of the children were as follows: Betty C., Joseph, Emma J., Flora E., Louisa F., John W., William A. Etta W., and Harvey J. Mr. ARMSTRONG, father of our subject's wife was a native of the Buckeye State, while his wife was a native of Illinois.

Mr. and Mrs. WILLIAMS are the parents of six children, who are still living and two are deceased; John H., born June 8, 1875; Frederick A., June 13, 1877; Nellie V., July 26, 1879; Lawrence R., April 11, 1881; Creighton D., January 9, 1883; Ella T., April 7, 1885; Bessie B., April 7, 1887; Wade W., January 12, 1890. John H. and Lawrence R. are deceased. Politically our subject affiliates with the Republican Party. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. This man's life has been crowned with success, and all by his own exertion, as he commenced life with a span of colts, a wagon, harness, and two cows; during the grasshopper plague which devastated Southwestern Iowa, he lost much. Besides the property above spoken of, Mr. WILLIAMS has a quarter section of land in Pottawattamie County, near Neola, which without exaggeration is pronounced the finest tract of land in the West. Our subject's school days were very limited. He attended the district school during the winter months. Mrs. WILLIAMS secured a better education and taught four terms of school before her marriage.

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