Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1915
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 979
JAMES A. PERLEY

A substantial farmers of Little Sioux township, Harrison county, Iowa, is James A. PERLEY, who has been a resident of this county since 1911. One of his uncles was one of the earliest settlers in Harrison county, and the farm on which Mr. PERLEY is now living is part of the estate which his uncle had in the county; Mr. PERLEY is a civil engineer, by profession, and has traveled and worked in many states in the Union. However, most of his life has been spent in farming, and since locating in this county, he has made a reputation for himself as one of its most progressive farmers and public-spirited citizens.

James A. PERLEY, the son of Chauncey C. and Sarah T. (PENNIMAN) PERLEY, was born on January 23, 1867, in Bowen's Prairie, Delaware county, Iowa. The father was born in Bakersfield, Vermont, on October 16, 1841, and the mother's nativity occurred in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, on March 7, 1839. The father came to Iowa when a boy, though he never lived in Harrison county. His brother, James, came to Harrison county about 1858, and owned a store in Little Sioux in partnership with a Mr. Dalley. James PERLEY was engaged in business in Little Sioux until his death and owned a large amount of land in the county. C. B. PERLEY, a brother of the subject, bought the interests of the other heirs to the paternal estate. He never married, and when his death occurred, as a result of an accident in 1910, his estate was divided, and James A PERLEY received two hundred and seventy-six acres of land from his brother's estate of five hundred acres, near Little Sioux.

James A. PERLEY located on this farm in 1911. After receiving a good elementary education, Mr. PERLEY entered Ames College, at Ames, Iowa, and graduated in the civil engineering course in the class of 1887. He worked on the irrigation ditches in Colorado for several years, and then engaged in railroading in Wisconsin and also farmed in North Carolina for ten years. In the summer of 1914, he completed his fine modern residence of ten rooms. It is strictly up-to-date, including modern lights and hot and cold water, and it is altogether one of the most attractive country homes in Harrison county. Mr. PERLEY's principal crops are wheat, alfalfa and corn.

Mr. PERLEY was married in 1888, in Wisconsin, to Harriett M. RUMSEY, a daughter of Norman and Lucy (BURCH) RUMSEY, natives of New York. To this union have been born five children, Harriett, James, Sarah, Dorothy and Norma.

The family are regular attendants of the Presbyterian church, to which denomination Mrs. PERLEY belongs. Mr. PERLEY gives his support to the Republican party, but has never held any offices. His uncle, James PERLEY, was a prominent factor in the political life of Harrison county during its early history and made an excellent record as a county official. Mr. PERLEY is a man of broad and liberal views and is a welcome addition to the community where he resides. Although he has been here but a comparatively short time, he has already built up a wide circle of acquaintances who are proud to number him among their friends.

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