My dad, Marion GERMAN, was born April 27, 1864, at Knox County, Illinois. My mother, Eva (BROWN) GERMAN, was born February 25, 1866, also at Knox County, Ohio. Both came to Iowa by covered wagon as infants. Both grew up near Caledonia, Iowa, and I have no record of when they were married. They lived in Mount Ayr for a while before moving to Benton, where he owned a grocery store for several years. He then took a job of cooking for the Great Western Railroad bridge gang.

Mother passed away December 7, 1940, and Dad on February 8, 1945. Both are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery at Mount Ayr, Iowa.

Nine children were born to my parents. Bertha and Fern died in infancy and were buried in the Ringgold Cemetery. [Bertha Estell GERMAN was born November 3, 1885, and died March 11, 1893. Viola Fern GERMAN was born August 5, 1894, and died September 30, 1895.]

Eber was born February 14, 1889 at Mount Ayr and died March 12, 1971. He was married to Pearl SMITH and to this union were born five children. She passed away May 21, 1975 and both are buried at Chapel Hill Cemetery in Des Moines.

Derlin was born January 4, 1892 at Mount Ayr and passed away June 11, 1965 in California. He was married to Della KING and to this union was born one son, Everett. He served in the Army during World War I. Upon returning home, he married Maude SHAFFER and they had two sons, L.D. and Dale, and they adopted a girl, Minafaye. Maude died in 1971 at Phoenix, Arizona. Both are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery at Mount Ayr.

Franklin was born at Benton, Iowa, August 17, 1896 and passed away at Topeka, Kansas, May 26, 1960. He was married to Eula HARRIS and to this union were born two children, Loren and Donell. Eula died March 1, 1980 in Claifornia. Both are buried at Wellington, Kansas.

Sadie Zetha was born March 4, 1899 at Benton. She now resides at the Cleaview Nursing Home in Mount Ayr. She married [1920] Wilbur BAILEY of Clearfield and they had three children: Marion, Derlin, and Betty Byrl, who died in infancy [in 1922 and was interred at Clearfield Cemetery]. Wilbur passed away June 8, 1962 and is buried in the Clearfield Cemetery. [Sadie Zetha died on June 26, 1986 and was interred at Clearfield Cemetery.]

Jennie Minerva was born February 9, 1902 at Benton. She was married to Don CORNELISON in 1926 and they had two daughters, Donella and Joan. They spend the summer at their home in Atlantic, Iowa, and the winter months in Arizona.

I, Vona Verta, was born January 24, 1905 at Benton. All my life has been spent in Benton. I graduated from high school in 1922. I was married to Perry VAUGHN in 1923 and we have two daughters, Beverly and Janet Sue. We lived on a farm until 1933, when he was chosen Deputy County Sheriff. I lived in Des Moines until 1938, when I married Leo LAIRD and moved to Mount Ayr, where he was a rural mail carrier. Leo passed away March 17, 1968 and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. I still reside in my home in Mount Ayr.

George Oral was born September 16, 1909 at Benton and passed away September 6, 1965 at San Jose, California. He is buried at Los Gatos, California. He married Cleta RICHEY and they have one son, Jerry. Jerry was married to Emily DARLING of Santa Barbara, California, in 1937. To this union were born two children, George Derlin and Eleanor Eva, known only as Susie. George's widow now resides in San Jose, California.

While my Grandfather BROWN was in the Army, he was with Sherman on the march from Atlanta to the sea. After coming to Iowa, besides being a caprenter and a school teacher, he was township trustee, township clerk and assessor, and a member of the Masonic order, Garnet Lodge No. 416 of Caledonia, Iowa, before retiring and coming to live with his daughter, Eva GERMAN, at Benton, Iowa.

Besides my two grandfathers, George Washington GERMAN and George Martin BROWN, several nephews have served their country: Everett GERMAN, L.D. GERMAN, Lloyd GERMAN, Derlin BAILEY, Derlin GERMAN, and Loren GERMAN; also, one son-in-law, Joe HOLGATE, and two grandsons, Lance HOLGATE and Kevin CREGEEN. Kevin enlisted in 1983, after completing high school in Creston, Iowa, and now (January, 1986) is in secret service work, stationed with the 154th Signal Battalion at Panama Canal.

SOURCE: 1887 - Benton, Iowa Centennial - 1987. Pp. 158-59. Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library, Mount Ayr IA

Transcriptions and notes by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2012

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