The Hunt Family of Des Moines County, Iowa

WILLIAM CLAIBORNE HUNT.

Theke is no name in Des Moines county which carries with it more of integrity, of uprightness, of earnest citizenship, or calls forth more universal expressions of regard, than that of W. Claiborne Hunt, now among the oldest settlers in the county. Whatever of virtue in the chapter of Mr. Hunt, whatever of quality in his living, has been directly founded upon traits inherited from an ancestry rich in the virtues of patriotism, loyalty, steadfastness, and principle, which to-day places him in the foremost ranks of lilOGHAPHlCAL REl lEW the highly honored and respected nu-n of the coinnuinitv.

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Claiborn Hunt attended the district schools in Bond county for a short time, and then later pursued his studies in a little old log schoolhouse in McDonough county. Illinois. He then remained on his father's farm till he was about twenty-one years of age, when he went to Eddyville, Iowa, in i83r), and lived alone on a piece of land for a while.

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As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

JOHN B. HUNT.

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In those early pioneer days a farmer did not have the convenient tools to work with that he has to-day, but had to content himself with a common saw and ax. One of the first log buildings that Mr. Hunt built, with nothing but an ax, is still standing on the old home place, where his son takes the best of care of it. Mrs. Hunt joined her husband in 1834, and they were blessed with five children, of whom three are living: Mary, the widow of Ellison Smith of Danville, Iowa; Illinois, the wife of William Smith, of Richmond. Iowa; and John, of this review.

.Mrs. Himt was a woman of much force of character, and though she endured with her husband the many hardships of frontier life, yet she bore all in a kind anil ])patient manner, and was a woman beloved by one and all. Her death, which occurred June 25, 1871, was deplored by many. Mr. Hunt survived his wife nearly twenty-two years, his death occurring July 16, 1893.

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Our subject was born on his father's farm in Des Aloines county, Iowa, Aug. 8, 1845, '''d received his education in the district schools of the county. He remained with his father till the latter passed away, when he bought the home farm, and still resides there. He is very much attached to the place, and keeps it much the same as his parents did, being extensively engaged in farming and stock-raising.

Like his father, Mr. Hunt is a good Democrat, but does not take an active part in politics. He is well posted on all of the issues of the day, being a great reader. Of much reserve and dignity, he constantly reaches out to the poor and needy without his right hand knowing what his left hand doeth. His business life has always been just and pure, and there is no one in the county more esteemed and respected than Mr. Hunt and his good wife.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

CHARLES WILLIAM HUNT.

-Mu. Hlnt, who is the oldest living representative of one of Des Moines county's pioneer families, was born on the farm on which he still resides, in Union township, Dec. 2, 1839. a son of Samuel and.Martha (McGee) Hunt. The father was a native of I'ond county, Illinois, where hi birth occurred on Jan. 21, 1809. and where he resided until attaining his majority..At that time he removed to Macomb, McDonough county. 111., and for several years followed various occupations in that city. But in 1835 he joined the great westward movement, and. coming to Des Moines county, entered from the government one hundred and sixty acres of land in Union township. He then returned to Macomb, where he wedded Miss McGee. In 1838 he brought her to Iowa, and they settled on his homestead. The land was in its wild state, and he was compelled, in common with the other courageous pioneers of his day, to surmount great difficulties in preparing it fur cultivation. These difficulties he attacked with the high resolution which always characterized him, and in a few years he cleared away much of the forest, brought the prairies under the dominion of the plow. and from till wilderness began to reap the hard-earned

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As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

WILLIAM B. HUNT.

WiLLi.\.M l!. Hunt, a farmer and worthy representative of one of the pioneer families of Des Moines county, now living in Burlington, was born in Union township, Oct. 4, 1857. He is a descendant of Simon Hunt, a native of Liverpool, England, who came to America prior to the Revolutionary War, and settled in Maryland, being at that time thirteen years of age. He lived upon a farm, and eventually engaged in farming on his own account. He married and had five sons and two daughters: namely, Samuel, Joshua, John, Wesley, Abraham, Xackie, and Mrs. Sally Roberts. The children were all born in Maryland, but removed to Wasiiinglon county. Tennessee, and it is probable that the father also went to that State.

John Hunt. >ii of Simon blunt, and grandfather of William P.. Hunt, was born in Maryland, Feb. 2, 1776, and became a resident of 'washington county, Tennessee, where he married Esther Rartlett, a native of that State, torn June 27, 1783. They were the parents of eleven children, four of whom were born in Tennessee, while Samuel was born in a blockhouse in Madison county. Illinois, and the younger members of the family were born in Piond county. -Many of the Hunts went to Illinois in 181 1, and were in Madison county at the time of the War of 1812. Considerable difficulty with the Indians was experienced about that time, and the Hunts, together with their neighbors, built a blockhouse, in which they sought protection against the invasions of the red men. Later John Hunt and his family went to Bond county, Illinois. He had served in the War of 18 12 as a teamster, his duty, however, calling him only a short distance from home. He took up considerable land in Bond county, but later removed to McDonough county, Illinois, settling ten miles east of Macomb on the Quincy road. He had betwiiii four and five hundred acres of land there, and continued a resident of that county until 1836. living in true pioneer style; for that was then a frontier region, in which few settlements had been made, while the work of cultivating farms and otherwise improving the country had been scarcely begun. About 1836 or 1837 he brought his children, who were not then married, to Des Moines county. Iowa, trading his Illinois land for property here: and again he became a frontier settler. ailing in reclaiming this portion of the State for the uses of the white man. He secured a tract of land and developed a farm, becoming one of the leading agriculturists of his community. He died Feb. 21, 1850. when seventy-four years of age, and his wife died Sept. 10, 1858, when seventy-five years of age. Their children were as follows; Lydia, who was born Aug. 23, 1803, and became the wife of Robert Coles; Charles Wesley, born May 25, 1805, father of our subject; Jesse, born June 20, 1807; Mary, who was born Nov. 22, 1809, and became Mrs. McAdams; Samuel, born March 25, 1813; Nancy, born Aug. 10, 1815; William C, born Jan. 21, 1818; John B., born May 25, 1820; Esther, who was born Feb. 1, 1823, and married Linus Delashmut; Louisa, born July 21, 1825; and Sarah Almira, born April 8, 1832. Of this family Jesse Hunt was the first to come to Des Moines county, arriving in 1834. Samuel arrived about the same time, and they took claims together, after which Samuel returned to Illinois, but a year later again came to Iowa. Charles Wesley also came in 1835. They entered some land from the government, and also bought some: and at his death Jesse Hunt left four hundred acres, and Samuel Hunt between two hundred and fifty and three hundred acres.

C. Wesley Hunt, son of John Hunt, was born in the vicinity of Nashville, in Washington county, Tennessee, Feb. 2, 1776, and when the family removed to Illinois, he made the journey on horseback. He resided successively in Madison, Bond, and McDonough counties, in that State, and in 1835 came to Iowa. He taught school in Des Moines county, being one of the earliest teachers of the State, and in other ways he contributed to the pioneer development of Iowa, aiding in laying the foundation for its present progress. He lived upon a farm about three miles west of Burlington, and prospering in his undertakings he left a farm of three hundred and fifty acres of land, well improved with good buildings, so that its value was greatly enhanced thereby, as well as through the cultivation of the fields. He was married in 1840 to Miss Eliza L. Foster, a daughter of Constantine and Margaret (Sayre) Foster, who came from New Jersey to the West, Mrs. Hunt having been born at Cape May, that State. They traveled in a covered wagon to Ohio, and afterward went to Sangamon county, Illinois, where Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Hunt were married. She was then the widow of a Mr. Berry, and had one daughter, Frances, who afterward married Frank Lodge, and is now living in Bement, Ill. While living in Illinois, C. Wesley Hunt became a soldier, of the Black Hawk war, enlisting from McDonough county, and in later years he received a pension in recognition of his services. He died Nov. 6, 1903, at the age of eighty-eight years, his birth having occurred May 25, 1805, while his wife, who was born May 13, 1820, died Jan. 28, 1895. They were the parents of nine children: Harriet, who married John H. Shepherd, of Fort Madison, Iowa; J. Benton, who is living in Muscatine, Iowa; Catherine, the wife of H. Woods Robinson, of Chicago; Elbridge, who died at the age of twenty-eight years; Charles, a resident of Atlantic, Iowa; Joseph, who died at the age of twenty-three years; Lee, who died at the age of three years; William B.; and Lou E., the wife of Charles E. Peasley, of Stronghurst, Ill.

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Mr. Hunt is not only known as a leading agriculturist, but is also prominent and influential in public affairs. anil was called to represent his district in the State Legislature, where he served for four years, attending three sessions. He was elected in 1896 upon the Democratic ticket, and took an active and helpful part in securing the passage of measures which he believed would ])rove beneficial to his district and the commonwealth. His public record is commendable, for he ever ])placed the welfare of the State before partisanship or self-aggrandizement. I'Vaiernally, he is connected with Burlington Lodge, No. 84, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

On the 2.vl of December, 1885, Mr. Hunt was married to Miss.Mice M. Stewart, of Danville, this county, a daughter of W. H. and Sybil ( Higley).Stewart. She is a great-great-granddaughter of William Messenger, who was a colonel in the Revolutionary War, enlisting In mi Massachusetts. Later the Messengers removed to Ohio, and the Higleys lived at W'indom, Ohio. The Stewarts were of Scotch descent, and Mrs. Hunt's father was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, and came to Iowa in 1839, with his father, James Stewart. The Messengers came at an earlier day, and both families were pioneer settlers of Des Moines county. Hiram Messenger, grandfather of Mrs. Hunt, owned a tavern at Danville and also a farm in the same locality, and both he and his wife died in Burlington, at an advanced age. W. H..Stewart and his wife settled on a farm in the vicinity of IMnville. He died Feb. 9, 1904, but his wife is still living. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hunt have been bom two children, Clara Louise and Helen. The family have many friends in Burlington and throughout the county and Mr. Hunt, as one of its native sons, has made a life record which reflects credit upon the place of his nativity, for he has been found trustworthy in citizenship, faithful in friendship, and reliable in all business transactions.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

F. BELL HUNT.

F. Bell Hunt, who is the proprietor of The Feed Yard, Burlington, has been a resident of the city since 1913 but for many years before was actively identified with agricultural interests in this county and is a representative of one of its pioneer families.

Mr. Hunt was born in Burlington, March 15, 1860, a son of William Claybourne Hunt, whose birth occurred in Bond county, Illinois, on the 27th of June, 1818. The father came to Burlington in 1833, being one of the first residents here, there being only two log cabins on the site of the present city at the time of his arrival. Iowa was not organized as a territory at that time and the most farsighted could not have dreamed of the changes which would be wrought, making this one of the leading cities of a great state. He purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty-three acres and with characteristic energy began to break the sod and till the fields, living upon that place until 1901, when he sold his property and removed to Burlington. He died in January, 191 1, at the venerable age of ninety-two years. In early manhood he had wedded Ann Smith, who was born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1820 and was thirteen years of age when she came to the United States with her parents, who settled near Burlington, where they owned a large farm, a part of which is still the property of F. Bell Hunt. The mother also reached the very advanced age of ninety-two years, passing away in July, 1913. In the family were eight children, five of whom survive: William A., a resident of Burlington; Mattie and Charles C, who live in Cuba, Illinois; John, a dentist residing in Mount Pleasant, Iowa; and F. Bell of this review. There are few families in the county that have been so long connected with the development of this section of the state. The father was personally acquainted with Black. Hawk and Keokuk, two of the most famous Indian chiefs residing in the middle Avest. He lived to witness remarkable changes, for the Indians ceased to be the occupants of the country and their wigwams were replaced by the cabins of the pioneers. These in turn gave way before the more commodious and substantial but no more hospitable homes of the farmer and townsman as the work of advancement and progress was carried forward.

F. Bell Hunt attended the district school near his father's farm, the little temple of learning having been built on land that belonged to his grandfather, and his father also went to school there. The building was constructed of logs after the primitive manner of the times and its furnishings were equally crude. F. Bell Hunt continued to attend school until about eighteen years of age and his last terms were spent in the old Baptist school. He remained upon the home farm with his father until forty-one years of age, when the property was sold to C. E. Perkins, in whose employ Mr. Hunt remained for six years. In 1913 he came to Burlington and purchased his present business, conducted under the name of The Feed Yard. He is meeting with success in this undertaking, having been accorded a liberal patronage.

In October, 1895, Mr. Hunt was united in marriage to Miss Margaret FuUerton, of Burlington, who was educated in the schools of this city while spending her girlhood days in the home of her father, Nixon Fullerton, one of the pioneers of this section of the state. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt have become the parents of three children: Nixon Claybourne, eighteen years of age; Frances Grey, fifteen years of age; and Robert Bell, aged twelve. The two younger children are pupils in the high school of Burlington, while Claybourne is a student in the Episcopal school at Knoxville, Illinois. The parents are members of the Episcopal church and Mr. Hunt exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the democratic party. He is fond of outdoor sports and takes great delight in a fine saddle horse. For almost fifty-five years he has lived in this county and has been an interested witness of the changes which have occurred as time has passed and man has wrought continuously along the lines of development and improvement.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

J. HUNT, M. D. Among the many excellent physicians of Burlington, none stands higher than the subject of our sketch, who was born in Ireland, Sept. 1, 1847, and educated in Limerick, in the academy of that city. His medical education was had at the Roval College of Physicians and Surgeons, of Dublin, graduating at the age of twenty-one. Soon after receiving his degree he was employed by the National line of steamers plying between Liverpool and New York. In 1867 he came to America, when he received the appointment of Surgeon in the 5th United States Cavalry, passing a strict examination before the

Medical Board. The Doctor was stationed at Jacksonboro, Tex., remaining in the service until May, 1870, when he located in Burlington, where he has, by strict attention to business, worked up a practice he can well be proud of.

Dr. Hunt was joined in wedlock, Oct. 23, 1885, to Miss Mary J. Pratt. By this union there is one child, John Devere. Dr. Hunt is a man of fine address, well posted in his profession and affairs of the country, a deep thinker and close observer. He is a man who will command respect wherever lie shoes.

As printed in the source³. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.