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.
WILLIAM EDWARDS.
The gentleman abo\e mentioned is perhaps the best known man in Appanoose county. His fame chiefly rests upon his achievements as a breeder antl dealer in stock, but he is one of those broad-gauge men who are not content with one occupation, and he has figured conspicu- ouslv in banking and religious circles. His name has been rendered familiar all over southern Iowa and in adjacent stock markets by the firm of Edwards Brothers, of which W'illiam is the senior member. Many of the thousands of carloads of all kinds of stock which keep busy the railroads leading from Iowa to Chicago are sent out by this enter- prising firm, whose yearly transactions foot up an enormous sum of money. By this traffic they have been benefited themselves, but they have also greatly benefited the state b)- stimulating the trade in stock, while improving its quality. It is to such men as these that Iowa owes its pronfinence in the world of agriculture, and to no two citizens is more credit due for this culmination than to the Edwards Brothers. This notable fannly is of southern origin. \Villiam Edwards, Sr., moved in early life from his native state of Tennessee to Kentucky, where he met and married Marilla Elliott, with whom he migrated in 1850 to Iowa. The first year after this arrival was passed in Van Buren county, after which they settled pcrm;mcntly in Appanoose on a farm about
five miles south of Moulton. Here for many years the head of the houseliold carried on successful farming, with especial attention to live stock, a taste for dealing in wliich he had acquired in his "Old Ken- tucky home." Eventually, as the shadows began to lengthen and old age was felt to be creeping on, this estimable couple moved to town for the purpose of spending more agreeably their declining years. The closing scene occurred for the father in 1885, but his wife survived many years afterward and terminated her blameless life in 1902.
William Edwards, namesake and eldest son of his father, was born in Laurel county, Kentucky, December 19, 1843, and was about seven years old when his parents settled in Iowa. As he grew up he received from his father that training in farm management and stock dealing which proved so valuable to him in later life, and meantime obtained a fair education during desultory attendance in the schools of the town- .ship and at Centerville. Young Edwards, though still in his "teens" when the Civil war began, was among the first to enlist, and served with steady gallantry for three years and eleven months as sergeant of Com- pany B, Second Regiment, Missouri Cavalry. He made an excellent record in the army and as soon as his honorable discharge was obtained returned without delay to his home in Iowa. Immediately thereafter he took up the work interrupted by the war and soon showed that he possessed a natural aptitude for the farm and all the various ramifica- tions of agricultural pursuits. His tastes as well as his talents seemed, however, to turn naturally to stock-raising and stock-selling, and in bis branch of agriculture his success has been pre-eminently pro- nounced. In 1870 he formed a partnership with his brother, Matison S. Edwards, for the raising, buying and shipment of live stock, which firm now ranks among the foremost of its kind in southern Iowa.
While making a specialty of cattle and hogs, they have also dealt exten- sively in horses for the farm and road. It is hardly necessary to attempt to analyze the reasons for the success of this popular fraternal firm, in ■ asmuch as the causes lie close to the surface, in the shape of good judg- ment, untiring energy and an acquisition of the public confidence by constant fair dealing. That is the whole story in a nutshell. Every- body knows the Edwards Brothers; everybody likes them; everybody has confidence in them, and everybody trusts them. At present Mr. Ed- wards owns, one-half mile from Moulton, three hundred and twenty acres of land, which is one of the best stock farms in the state.
His residence in Moulton has long been celebrated for the gen- erous hospitality of its happy home circle and the family constitute a social center around which assemble all the brightest and best people of the vicinity.
In 1867 Mr. Edwards was married to Mary A. Floyd, and the six of the nine children by this union now living are: Ulysses W., Mrs. Mae Tiflft, wife of G. E. TifYt, a Methodist minister, stationed at Moline, Kansas; Charles W., Clyde V., Clarence F., and James H. The last two mentioned are still at home and Clarence remains on the farm all the time, looking after the practical management of his father's widely diversified interests. In 1901 Mr. Edwards consummated a second marriage with Miss Maude May Taylor, who presides over his home with a grace and discretion that add much to its social charm. In many ways, aside from his main business, Mr. Edwards has proved himself a progressive, enterprising and pul)lic-spirited man. In 1902 he was one of the organizers of the Moulton State Sax'ings Bank and holds the position of director of this poi)ular institution. In religious circles he has also long been acti\e, enfoix'ing his views both 1j)' precept and prac-
tice. He contributed lilaerally to tlie funds for the construction of the handsome Iniilding devoted to the services of the Methodist Episcopal church, of whicli lie is a leading member. The fraternal connections of Mr. Edwards are confined to the Odd Fellows, with whom he has fraternized for over twenty-eight years, and associates with his old com- rades in the (^rand Army of the Republic.
Source: Biographical and genealogical history of Appanoose and Monroe counties, Iowa. See the original pages at the Internet Archive.
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