Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 351
RICHARD JEFFERSON

Richard JEFFERSON, a prosperous farmer living on section 24, of Boyer Township, has been a resident of Harrison County since April 1, 1858, when he settled upon the place, upon which he now lives. He purchased two hundred and twenty acres of land, which has been provided with a small frame house and a ditch fence, on two sides of one forty-acre piece, while the other sides were fenced with poles. The enclosure contained about fifteen acres of breaking. He lived in the house above referred to until 1868, when he built the brick house in which he now lives. It is 26 x46 feet, in the main part, with various angles and additions.

In 1887, he built an excellent barn, but prior to this time had used the well-known Iowa "straw shed" stable.

Mr. Jefferson was born in England, February 22, 1830. And when a mere youth emigrated with his parents to America, and lived in New York State, about three years, after which they moved to Marion County, Ohio, where his father died in a short time. Our subject lived with his mother on a farm until the fall of 1852, and then came to Marshall County, Iowa, remained a few days and returned to the "Buckeye State" and on to New York City, where he took a ship for Aspinwall reaching there after of voyage of eight days, landing in January, 1853. Starting over the Isthmus New Year's day, and from Aspinwall to Panama went part of the way by rail, and part of the way they poled up Chagres River assisted by the natives and were then twenty two miles from Panama, which point they wanted to reach, in order to take ship on the Pacific Ocean.

It was at their option whether they paid $32 and ride a mule or walk this twenty-two miles, but our subject concluded to walk. After arriving there he took the steamboat "Golden Gate." He left Panama on March 12, arrived at San Francisco on the 28th and reached Sacramento the last day of the month. From Sacramento they went to Eldorado County, Cal., to Uniontown, a mining place, arriving April 1, 1853. He walked from Sacramento City, reaching Uniontown the same day, covering a distance of fifty miles.

He left San Francisco, June 16, 1857, for New York, coming the same route he had gone. Upon his arrival in Uniontown he borrowed $80, to go out gold prospecting with and mined on his own account. He secured enough gold dust, which he had minted at Philadelphia, to amount to $3,000. He arrived at his home in Ohio in August, 1857, remained a short time and then came to Page County, Iowa, where he purchased a quarter section of land about six miles from Clarinda, which he lost on account of a defective title, and in December of that year, returned to Ohio, spent the winter and in March, 1858, came to Harrison County.

He was married in Marion County, Ohio, to Miss Caroline JACOBS, March 7, 1858, and by this union eleven children were born -- Phebe, Oscar, Rosetta, Eve, William, C., Laura D., Della, Henry H., Lillie M., Emma V. and Fred.

Mrs, JEFFERSON was born in Crawford County, Ohio, June 19, 1842, and remained in that county with her mother until the date of her marriage.

The father of our subject was William JEFFERSON, who was born in England, and died in Ohio, about 1838. The mother, Phebe (DAN) JEFFERSON, was also a native of England and died in Harrison County, Iowa, in 1866, at the age of sixty-five years. Mr. and Mrs. JEFFERSON were the parents of five children, of which our subject was the third.

Politically, Mr. JEFFERSON affiliates with the Republican party and in religious matters is a member of no church but believes God is what the Bible represents him to be and believes in Christ his son and that the Bible does not teach that man will ever have life eternal, unless he obeys and lives a holy life; if so, then God will at the resurrection give him life eternal but the sinner he will destroy.

Before closing this sketch it should be related that Mr. JEFFERSON visited California in 1875 -- not as he did in the '50s -- but he left Woodbine, June 30, traveled by Union Pacific Railway, arriving at Sacramento City in ten days. From that he went to Tulare County, where he remained until August, putting his time at visiting, planting corn, hoeing sorghum, pickling beans and harvesting. On a journey in the mountains, in August, he made snow-balls, which to him, seemed very odd. After a pleasant trip to the Golden State, he arrived home at Woodbine, August 30, 1875, having only been to an expense of $150.

In reviewing this man's life, one finds it full of events of interest, coming as he did from the Old World when a youth and being one of the earliest gold miners in California, braving the dangers co-incident with the long journe, to and from the Golden State, and the hardships endured within the mining district, together with his having been a pioneer farmer in Harrison County, all contributes, to make his a life replete with interest and thrilling events.

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