Zearing, Iowa 1956 History

Asa M. Williams was born at Everett, Pennsylvania, on February 15, 1841. Mary Ellen Cornell was born at Everett, Pennsylvania, on December 18, 1840. Asa and Mary Ellen were married at Clearville, Pennsylvania, on August 20, 1861. They moved to Zearing, Iowa, when the town was founded in 1881.

Asa and Mary Ellen were the parents of six daughters. They were Susie Williams Coffelt, Laura Williams Keenan, Jennie Williams Price, Sadie Williams Burkhart, Lucy Williams Armstrong, and Bell Williams Armstrong.

Asa was the first mayor of Zearing, Iowa. He established the first implement store in Zearing.

Asa died on January 16, 1909. Mary Ellen died on February 16, 1909.

We do not have a complete sketch for the Charles H. Williams family. Charles was the first postmaster of the Sunset post office which was located in Section 17, Lincoln township.

There were two children in the Charles H. Williams family. They were Otis and Pearl. The family moved to Marshalltown, Iowa., from our community. Later they moved to Michigan. Otis became a lawyer.

James L. Williams helped the surveyors when Zearing was founded. He furnished the meat when the Richardson family fed the people who came to buy lots. In return for his services, James was allowed the first choice in lots. It would be interesting to know which lot, or lots, he chose. That could only be discovered by examining the abstracts of the original section of Zearing. An impossible task.

James L. Williams established the first butcher shop in Zearing. The Story County Watchman of Nevada, Iowa, printed a list of Zearing business firms on April 3, 1882. The Watchman listed a Williams Brothers meat market. We have only one bit of evidence as to the brother of James. We do not list our information as a proved fact. However, Allen's history of Story county has a list of Zearing improvements for 1882. It lists:

George Williams—dwelling house—$300.

James L. Williams—dwelling house—$800.

This evidence points to George as the other partner in the Williams Brothers meat market. It is not conclusive proof that he was.

Woehler :

We have very little information about the Woehler brothers. They owned a hardware store in Zearing during the early 1900's. Ed served on the town council.

The Woehler brothers came to Zearing from St. Peter, Min-