West Liberty History 1838-1938

Source: One Hundred Years of History
* Commemorating a Century of Progress in the West Liberty Community * WEST LIBERTY, IOWA
GAD JAMES

Gad James was born in Wales in 1833, came to the vicinity of West Liberty when twenty years of age. He worked as a laborer for one year, then with his brother Stephen rented a quarter-section farm, part of which is now occupied by the site of West Liberty. In 1856 he began breaking prairie with six yoke of oxen, pursuing this industry for three years. During that time he turned over much of the virgin soil of this section of the country. He and his brother agreed that Gad should break the prairie on the south side of the Muscatine-Iowa City trail and brother Stephen the north side.

In 1859 he traded his oxen for a quartersection southwest of West Liberty and began the opening of a prairie farm. For three successive years the chinch bugs destroyed his wheat.

In 1864, in company with J. P. Mountain, he drove a mule team to Virginia City, Montana, where he worked in the mines for two years but he returned to Iowa in 1866 and purchased a farm southwest of town which remained his home for 44 years.

In 1866 he married Miss Harriet Kile. Of the ten children born to them, seven live in this vicinity.

Mr. and Mrs. James took up their residence in West Liberty in 1910. Mr. James died in 1911 but Mrs. James lived until 1938, passing away at the age of 92 years.

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