ALBERT WAKEFIELD
Albert Wakefield was elected to the office of county surveyor in the fall of 1865, but on the 1st of January, following, when all the new officers were sworn in, he failed to qualify, and the board of supervisors appointed F. H. Whitney to fill the vacancy. This he did until the first of the following year, when he was succeeded by T. J. Jordan, who was elected for the unexpired term in the fall of 1866.
A. Wakefield was again elected county surveyor in 1867, but seems to have served for about a year and a half, when he was succeeded by S. Hamblen. Albert Wakefield was born in Somerset county, Maine, on the 1st of January, 1828, his parents being John and Emma (Downing) Wakefield. He received his education in Maine, and when eighteen years of age he commenced the occupation of school teaching in his native State. He remained there until 1850, when he moved to New Jersey, and there taught one year, when he went to Connecticut, and in the spring of 1851, he came to Davis county, Iowa, and was there engaged in teaching two years, or until 1853, when he came to Cass county, and has since made it his home. On his arrival at his new home he found Judge Bradshaw, the first judge of Cass county, keeping postoffice at Indiantown, and Lewis had just been located, while the county seat was placed there. Mr. Wakefield located on sections 13 and 24, in Atlantic township, where he owned 600 acres of fine land, portions of which he sold to each of twenty-five different persons. In the spring of 1855 he built a saw mill on Turkey creek, and began its operation the spring following, while his older brother became millwright. But before many months the brother sold his interest to A. G. McQueen, afterward a general in the civil war. Albert Wakefield sold his interest in the spring of 1875, and in the summer of that year went to farming. He had gone to California in 1862, and taught school until the summer of 1865. He went to Missouri in the spring of 1866, and taught school near St. Joe, for one term, and after the war he took a trip through Kansas, with a view of locating, but not liking the country, he came to Cass county and purchased the lots of Grove City, where he has since lived. He was married on the 1st of January, 1858, to Miss Ellen Northgraves, a native of Covington, Kentucky, but when quite young moved to Ohio, where she was reared. In the spring of 1856 she taught the first school at Hamlin's Grove, Audubon county, and in the fall of that year, taught the first school in Franklin township, which stood about a half mile northwest of the present site of Wiota. She afterwards taught the school of Turkey Grove, Atlantic township. Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield have three children: Emma, and Carrie and Clara, twins. Emma was married in January, 1884 to Fred Schain, and now lives four miles south of Atlantic. Mr. Wakefield owns eighty acres of land in Grove City, and raises Norman horses, Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs. At the second elections in the county, in 1855, Mr. Wakefield was elected county surveyor, and so served one term. He was notary public about eight years, and has held the office of township treasurer for fourteen terms. His farm is one of the finest in the county, and his orchard is the largest in this part of the country, containing about one thousand apple trees, one hundred cherry trees, and a large number of plum trees, and also has a fine vineyard of over two hundred vines. Mr. Wakefield and family are prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Contributed by Lisa Varnes-Rex from "History of Cass County, Iowa. Together With Sketches of its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Representative Citizens." Springfield, Ill.: Continental Historical Company, 1884, pp. 370-371.
During the latter part of May, 1853, G. W. W. Wakefield and Albert Wakefield settled on the south part of section 24, broke prairie, and built a house.
Albert Wakefield was born in Somerset county, Maine, on the 1st of January, 1828, his parents being John and Emma (Downing) Wakefield. He received his education in Maine, and when eighteen years of age he commenced the occupation of school teaching in his native State. He remained there until 1850, when he went to New Jersey, and there taught one term, three months, when he went to Cincinnati, and in the spring of 1851, he came to Davis county, Iowa, and was there engaged in teaching two years; or until 1853, when he came to Cass county, and has since made it his home. On his arrival at his new home he found Judge Bradshaw, the first Judge of Cass county, keeping postoffice at Indiantown, and Lewis had just been located, while the county seat was placed there. Mr. Wakefield located on sections 13 and 24, in Atlantic township, where he owned six hundred acres of fine land, portions of which he sold to each of twenty-five different persons. In the summer of 1855 he built a saw mill on Turkey Creek, and began its operation the spring following, while his older brother became millwright. Before many months the brother sold his interest to A. G. McQueen, afterward a Brigadier General in the civil war. Albert Wakefield sold his interest in the spring of 1865, and in the summer of that year went to farming. He had gone to California in 1862, and taught school until the summer of 1865. He went to Missouri in the spring of 1866, and taught school near St. Joe, for one term, and then he took a trip through Kansas, with a view of locating, but not liking the country, he came to Cass county, and purchased the lots of Grove City, where he has since lived. He was married on the 1st of January, 1858, to Ella Northgraves, a native of Covington, Kentucky, who, when quite young moved to Ohio, where she was reared. In the spring of 1856, she taught the first school in Audubon county, at Hamlin's Grove, and in the fall of that year, taught the first school in Franklin township, Cass county, a half mile northwest of the present site of Wiota. She afterwards taught the first school of Turkey Grove, Atlantic township, two terms in 1S66-7. Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield have three children---Emma, Carrie and Clara (twins). Emma was married January 1, 1884, to Fred Schain, and now lives four miles south of Atlantic. Mr. Wakefield owns eighty acres of land in Grove City. At the second election in the county, in 1855, Mr. W. was elected County Clerk, and served one term. He was notary public about eight years, and has held the office of township treasurer for fourteen consecutive terms. He also held the office of county surveyor four years, be ginning in 1866 or 1868, (one term by election and one by appointment). His farm is one of the finest in the county, and his orchard is the largest in this part of the country, containing about one thousand apple trees, one hundred cherry trees, and a large number of plum trees, also has a fine vineyard of over two hundred bearing vines.
Contributed by Lisa Varnes-Rex from "History of Cass County, Iowa. Together With Sketches of its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Representative Citizens." Springfield, Ill.: Continental Historical Company, 1884, pp. 835-836.
