The full biographical sketch as printed, transcribed from the public-domain book. Spelling and wording are the original author’s; a few scanning errors may remain.
MERRIETT S. DRAPER.
One of the early pioneers of O'Brien county, Iowa, is Merriett S. Draper and during his career of more than thirty years in the county he has been a prominent factor in bringing it to its present high condition among the agricultural counties of the state. He has met with many discourage- ments since coming here and yet through it all has maintained his optimis- tic view of life and has lived to see prosperity smile upon him. With a determination which characterizes the good American citizen, he has never let any obstacle deter him, but has manfully forced his way forward and today stands as one of the prosperous and substantial citizens of Water- man township. He was born in Benton county, Iowa, in 1858 and is the son of Orin and Mrs. Elizabeth (Jewell) Hadden Draper.
Orin Draper was born in New York state in 1826 and is the son of Orin and Aurilla (Robinson) Draper. Orin Draper, Sr., was born in Ver- mont in 1793 and was a farmer and herb doctor in that state. His wife was born in New York state in 1795 and died in 1872, her husband dying- eight years later. Orin Draper, Jr., came to Ohio when thirteen years of age and worked out as a farm hand for the first few years. He then came to the state of Iowa and farmed in several counties in the state, and in the early seventies he came to Osceola county and homesteaded eighty acres of land. HowcAer. the grasshoppers came along one summer and ate up all of his crops, with the result that he was so discouraged that he traded his eighty acres for one cow. After his unfortunate experience in Osceola county he went to Cherokee county and farmed for a number of years, after which he retired and moved to O'Brien county on the farm with
10/8 o'bRIEN and OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
his son, Merriett S. Orin Draper, Jr., was married four times. His second marriage occurred in 1847 to Mrs. Elizabeth (Jewell) Hadden, who was born in 1826 in New York state. Of the eleven children born to this marriage eight are still living.
Merriett S. Draper received a good common school education in the pulilic schools of Iowa and upon reaching the age of twenty-one left home and worked as a farm hand in Cherokee county. Iowa. For two years he received fifteen dollars a month, but he was not satisfied to continue work- ing for some other man and in 1881 he came to O'Brien county, Iowa, and purchased eighty acres of land in Waterman township for five dollars an acre. He and his young wife then set to work to make the farm pay and their present farm of four hundred and eighty acres is an indication of the success which attended them in this county. Mr. Draper has placed seven thousand dollars' worth of improvements upon his farm, in the shape of a home, commodious barns. gro\'es of orchard and forest trees and other improvements. He has l)een an extensive breeder of high-grade live stock and has always found a read}- market at a good price for his surplus stock. He owns stock in the Farmers Elevator Company at Sutherland and also stock in the Farmers Co-operative Store at the same place.
Air. Draper was married in 1880 in Cherokee county, Iowa, to Rosa- belle Wight, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Orange Wight, and to this union have been born thirteen children : James F., a graduate of Taylor Universitv of Indiana and a Methodist minister at Rutland, Iowa; Charles E.. a farmer of Cherokee county: ]\lrs. Amy F. Gilbert; May. a school teacher at Ta\lor University, Indiana; Paul B., deceased; Mrs. Grace E. Flenderson, of O'Brien countv ; Leroy ; Lester, a student in Taylor Uni- versity. Indiana; Morris \\ ; Dewey S. ; W^esley B. ; Rosa R., and Esther B. Mr. and Mrs. Draper have given their children the best educational ad- vantages, believing that the best legacy that can be left to the twentieth- centurv child is a good education. It is with a sense of gratification that they have seen their children taking their place in the affairs of the world and doing their share towards ad\-ancing civilization in general.
Mr. Draper is independent in his politics. He believes that the citi- zen of todav is best serving his nation who votes for the best man irres- pective of their politics. He and his family are all earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church and have always taken an active interest in church work. Mr. Draper is now Sunday school superintendent of the Highland Methodist church of Waterman township and takes a great deal of pride in keeping the Sunday school to a high standard of excellence.
o'bRIEN and OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA. IO79
He has always been interested in ci\ic affairs and during his hfe in this township he has been township trustee, road supervisor and school direc- tor. It is needless to sa}- that there is no man in the township who has done more for the advancement of the social, educational and moral wel- fare of the community than he. Such n.ien are a blessing to the community in which they live and their influence is one which cannot be calculated l)y human agency. Mr. Draper has a large circle of warm friends through- out tlie township who admire him for his uprightness and wholesome way of li\ing.
Source: Past and present of O'Brien and Osceola counties, Iowa. See the original pages at the Internet Archive.
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