Wendell POOR, born in Reading, Massachusetts, December 27, 1799, the son of John POORE (1775-1819) and Hannah (CHURTE) POORE (1780-1872), went West September 1818, is a retired octogenarian, but for a long period served the community in filling many public offices of important trust. Among them he was collector of public revenue in 1839, Coroner from 1840 to 1842; the next two years High Sheriff -- all in Jackson County, Indiana. In 1854, he removed to Ringgold County, Iowa, where he was Postmaster of Redding and was elected School Fund Commissioner in 1855, and served in that office about three years. In 1862 was appointed to fill the place of Judge KELLER when he went into the army; and at the next annual election was chosen for a full term, the office being for county business and for Probating estates of deceased persons; and while acting as Judge, the Legislature passed a law making the county Judge eligible to the office of county Recorder, and he was elected to that office and acted some three years; then he retired from public life -- though his fellow citizens continued to urge him to take offices -- and has since resided on his farm near Mormontown [present-day Blockton], which place of residence is in the westerly part of Ringgold County, Iowa, and within about one mile of the boundary line between Ringgold and Taylor Counties.

He reared an unusual large family of children, and one trait in them which we may mention is that they are all singers and some are good performers on musical instruments; they were by two daughters of Daniel and Mary (WALLING) WEDDEL, of East Tennessee. He married (1) February 21, 1822, Elizabeth, born in Hawkins Co., Tennessee, April 25, 1801, by whom he had ten children. She died June 13, 1840; married (2) November 10, 1840, Thirza, widow of Samuel GUTHRIE (who had by Mr. GUTHRIE had four daughters, Ruth, b. 1830, Sarah E. , b. 1831, Leannah, b. 1834 and Mary A., b. 1836, who were all married but are deceased), born January 22, 1811. These wives' parents were natives of America, their father born in said East Tennesse and mother in Virginia, and they had besides Elizabeth and Thirza, sons Alfred, Hiram C., John D. and daughters Millicent, Louisiana, Mary A. Hester A., Amanda and Alzira, and after their children were born they removed to Jackson County, Indiana, where they deceased.

Mr. POOR had by his last wife [and she is the only child of her parents alive in 1880] six children more. At the time his children were born he resided on White River in the westerly part of Jackson County, Indiana, and about ten miles west of Brownstown, the county seat of Jackson County.

After coming to Ringgold County, he owned 410 acres of land which he bought of the government, and resided some eight miles west of Mount Ayr, the seat of that county; but it was more land than he could easily manage after his boys left, so he gave portions of it to some of them and sold the rest and bought about 1865, the place near Mormontown, where he resides in 1880.

SOURCE: POORE, Alfred. A Memoir and Genealogy of John POORE: 10 Generations: 1615-1880 Pp. 257-258. 1881.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, May of 2010