The Marshall Family

Robert A. Marshall in A genealogical and biographical history of Keokuk County, Iowa

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.

ROBERT A. MARSHALL.

One of the honored pioneer citizens of Keokuk comity, where he was long and successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits, is Mr. Marshall, who is now living retired in the attractive village of Ollie, where he has a pleasant home and is enjoying the well earned reward of his former years of toil and endeavor. Mr. Marshall is a native of the state of Indiana, having been born in Decatur county, on the 7th of May, 1831. a son of John Marshall, who was born in Maryland, where he was reared and educated and whence, as a young man, he accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio, where they were numbered among the early settlers. His father, William Marshall, was born in England, v hence his parents came to America when he was a child, this being in the colonial epoch. Here William Marshall grew to manhood, and when the colonies, burdened with unjust oppression, sought to throw off the voke of the mother country, he was loyal to the

cause of independence- and tendered his services as a soldier in the I 'on tinental army, serving under Washington and taking part in may of the important engagements of the Revolution. He died in Greene county, Ohio, when well advanced in years. His wife and her mother were residing in Massachusetts at the time of the war of the Revolu- tion and were in so close proximity that when the battle of Bunker Hill was in progress they stood at their door and received the dying reports as to the progress of the conflict.

John Marshall, father of our subject, was married at Madison, Indiana, to Miss Elizabeth Edwards, who was born in Virginia, whence her parents removed to the west when she was an infant, making the long journey on pack horses. They first settled in what was known as the Crabapple Orchard, in Kentucky, being among the very first to locate in that section, and there Mr. Edwards aided in the various con- flicts with the Indians, who were finally brought under subjection. When the mother of our subject was a young lady she went with her parents to Indiana, and after her marriage she and her husband took up their abode on a farm in Decatur county, that state. John Marshall there planted the town <>i Milford, seven miles west of Greenburg, and there he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives, honored by all who knew them and known as persons of sterling rectitude of char- acter. There also they reared their children to lives of usefulness, and the name is one honored in that section of the Hoosier state. They became the parents of ten children, of whom only three are living at the present time. The names of the children are here entered in the order of birth : William, James and John are deceased ; Robert A. is the immediate subject of this sketch ; Alfred and Eliza are deceased ;

Mary is the wife of David Barger; Nancy is the wife of Angus Forbes; and Elijah and Deborah are deceased.

Robert A. Marshall continued to remain on the old homestead farm until the death of his father, and his vocation throughout life has been that of an agriculturist. In 1854 he came to Keokuk county, Iowa, and located on a tract of eighty acres of prairie land, in Steady Run township, and here he developed a fine rural estate, making the best of permanent improvements and adding to the area of his estate until he is now the owner of six hundred and fifty acres of valuable land, the major portion of which is under effective cultivation. He has devoted his farm to diversified agriculture and also given special attention to the raising of a high grade of cattle and hogs, while he directed his efforts to such discrimination and energy that a full measure of pros- perity came to him, enabling him to eventually lay aside the more active labors and cares and to resign the management of his farm to younger hands. He took up his residence in the village of Ollie, which town he was instrumental in having laid out about 1885, and no man in the community enjoys a more unqualified confidence and esteem, and that he is well known in the county needs hardly be said when we revert to the fact that he has here maintained his home for nearly a half century. He has aided materially in the development of the natural resources of this section, has contributed to civic advancement, and all worthy causes concerning the public good have gained his influence and support.

In Milfordj Decatur county, Indiana, in the year 1852, Mr. Marshall was united in marriage to Miss Mary Landis, who was born and reared reared in that state. She died on the homestead farm in this county, leaving two children, John and Nettie, both of whom were born in this county. On the 14th of January, 1861, Mr.

Marshall was married to Mrs. Phoebe Braden, the widow of Wal- ter Braden. She was born in Ohio, being a daughter of William and Margaret (Dearmond) Fye. Our subject and his estimable wite are the parents of two children. Frank and Van. In politics Mr. Marshall lias given a stanch support to the Republican party from the time of its organization, and his religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he has been a member for half a century. He assisted materially in the erection of the church edifice in Ollie and has taken an active part in church work, as has also his wife, who is likewise a member of the church.

Source: A genealogical and biographical history of Keokuk County, Iowa. See the original pages at the Internet Archive.