Redfield Biographies

Baker Family

Thomas Warren Baker was born in August 4, 1879, at Scranton, Iowa.  Louie Ellen Morgan was born on December 9, 1878, at Grand Junction, Iowa.

Thomas Baker and Louie Morgan were married January 15, 1901, at Jefferson, Iowa.  To this union were born thirteen children, often called the Baker's Dozen.  They spent their early years in Greene County, moving to coon Rapids, Iowa, in 1915.  They moved to Redfield, Iowa, in 1919.  Thomas passed away at Wiscotta, on July 5, 1935, at the age of 56.  Louie Ellen passed away at the University Hospital at Iowa City, on May 11, 1966, at the age of 87.

Brower History

In the spring of 1893, Aaron C. Brower with his wife Almina and seven children came to Iowa from Indiana.  They first settled on a farm near Dallas Center.  In the spring of 1895 they moved onto a 480 acre farm in Colfax Township section 19 located five miles northeast of Redfield.  Aaron was also a breeder of Percheron horses.  They made this their home until Aaron's death on January 22, 1917, at which time Mrs. Bower moved to Adel and made her home there until her death July 13, 1928.

Aaron C. Brower was born in 1855, and was the son of Aaron and Polly Bell Brower.  He was one of eleven children.  Almina Paxton Brower was born in 1860.  Aaron and Almina were the parents of 11 children.  Eight were born in Indiana and three in Iowa.

Coulter Family

In 1868, James and Mahala Martin Coulter moved to a farm in the Bear Creek area, three miles south of Redfield.  James and Mahala had nice children:  Cora, Alice May, Edgar, Eldon, Charles, I. Jay, Etha, and Franklin.  Etha died at the age of eleven, and an son was lost in infancy.  Cora married Elmer Kipping, and May never married. 

DeCamp Family

Lafe DeCamp was born October 12, 1868, one of seventeen children of Emmet W. DeCamp.  He was married in September of 1889, and lived in Redfield for awhile working as a day laborer.  Later, he lived near Kennedy Station and hired out to the farmers.  In December 1917, after the death of his wife, he moved to Redfield with the youngest three children of the nine children in the family.  Grover, Golda and Harold, were raised by Lafe.  In later years he hauled the mail from Redfield depot uptown t the post office in a cart. 

Lafayette (Lafe) DeFord Family

Lafe DeFord was born in September 24, 1855, in Des Moines.  His wife, Josephine Price was born January 10, 1856, in New York.  She came to Iowa in the late 1800's.  Lafe and Josephine married and had four children:  John Elmer, Lafayette Franklin, Leonadus Hamlin and Alice Pearl. 

The DeFord family lived in Granger for several years and moved to Redfield in 1900.  They lived on a farm east of town.  When they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, they were living in Redfield proper.  Lafe passed away January 31, 1943, and Josephine passed away June 14, 1946, both in Redfield.

Dickey-Frye Family

Eleazer B. Dickey and Laura (Foy) Dickey were the parents of four boys and four girls.  All were born on the Dickey farm five miles west of Redfield.  The Union Chapel Church stood on the southwest corner of the farm for many years.  the Dickey children attended the Cummins Country School.