The Stambaugh Families of Linn County, Iowa

JAMES A. STAMBAUGH.

James A. Stambaugh, who is successfully carrying on farming and stock raising on section 21, Bertram township, was born in Linn county, on the 8th of Dectmljer, 1852, and is a son of Samuel Stambaugh, of whom extended mention is made in the sketch of George '. Stambaugh on another page of this volume. The father, who was a native of Pennsylvania, died on the old homestead in Bertram township, September 20, 1897. He was married in Schuyler county, Illinois, to Rachel Bryant, a native of Ohio, who died at-the home of her daughter in Marion, April 2,. 1901. By this union were 1)orn tweh'e children, of wlmm two died in infancy. The others were as follows; Mary A. is the wife of William L. Stoneking, a farmer of Bertram township; Louisa A. is the wife of William Cory, a farmer of Green. county, Iowa; Sarah E. died at the age of forty years; Samuel E. married Delia Harvev, of Lisbon. Iowa, and now resides in Santa Anna, California; Xoah B. married

Lilly Lamson, of Marif.m. Iciwa. and lives in Curtis. Oklahoma: James is the next of the family; Rachel J. is the wife of Charles Lamson, of Sumas City, Washington; George W. is represented on another page of this volume: Albert H. married Lettie Workman and resides in Browning. Schuyler county, Illinois; and Martha Eva is the wife of Zach Berry, of Marion, Iowa.

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On the 25th of June, 1882. in Linn county. Mr. Stambaugh was united in marriage-with JNIiss Louisa Berry, who was born in Illinois. August 29, 1852, a daughter of John and Polly Millner Berry, both natives of this country. She died Octnlier 1. 1883, and was laid to rest at Crab Apple, this county. She left one son, Charles L., who was born October 1, 1883, and now assists his father in the labors of the farm.

Mr. Stambaugh was again married. March y, 1887, in Marion, Iowa, his second union being with Miss Mary Ella Parker, who was born in Concord, New Hampshire, July 20, 1862. Her parents. Sanniel and Amelna (Messer) Parker, were Ixith natives of Bow, New Hampshire, the farmer burn December 30, 1821, the latter July 24, 1825. They were married at that place April 8. 1847, and for eighteen years thereafter he devoted his time to the manufacture of piano and organ keys, and in 1866 came west, locating at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where the father worked at his trade of carpenter for a short time. Subsequently the_\- settled south of Mt. Vernon, where be followed milling for about a year, and then removed west of that place, where he engaged in the same occupation for five years. He next located on a farm near Bertram, and devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits for fifteen years. He then retired from active labor and removed to Cedar Rapids, where his death occurred November 1, 1894, his remains being interred in the cemetery there. His widow now resides with our subject. Their children were Frank B., who married Martha Oxley and resides in Cedar Rapids; Martha A., who died at the age of eleven months; Arzilla M., who died at the age of nineteen; 'william, who married Rosie \Miite and lives on a farm in Bertram township; Mary Ella, wife of our subject, and Charles, who married Frankie Boxwell and also resides on a farm in Bertram township. By his second marriage Mr. Staml;>augh has three children, namely: Hattie E.. born January 23, 1889; Clara E., lion April 24. 1892; and Roy, born November 5, 1899.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

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

GEORGE W. STAMBAUGH.

Among the prosperous agriculturists and representative citizens of Bertram township is the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. He was born Feliruary 25. 1857, on the farm where he now resides, and belongs to an old and honored family of this county. His father, Samuel Stambaugh, was born in Jefferson, York county, Pennsylvania, April 10, 1810, and his parents were either from Germany or of German descent. His mother tongue must have been German as he spoke both that language and English in early life. He was a resident of York and Adams counties, Pennsylvania, until the spring of 1833, when lie went to Butler county, Ohio, but in the fall of the same year returned to his native state. In the spring of 1835 ''' accompanied his father's family on their removal to Butler county, Ohio, and four years later went with them to Schuyler county, Illinois. He and his brother John, however, remained in that state only two weeks before coming to Linn county, Iowa, where they selected claims in what is now Rapids township] The brother was a carpenter by trade and assisted in the erection of the first frame house in Cedar Rapids. He bought a claim of Mr. Coles, which in later years became the well known farm of Sampson C. Bever. During an Indian up-rising which frightened many of the early settlers he became alarmed and returned to Illinois. Samuel Stambaugh's first claim was on section 36, township 83, north, range 7, west, and on the north side of Cedar river, but he soon exchanged this for the farm in Bertram township, where our subject now resides, making it his home for over fifty-eight years.

On the 19th of May, 1840, Samuel Stambaugh married Rachel Bryant, of Schuyler county, Illinois, who was born in Ohio, September 22, 1820, and a few days later the young couple started for their new home in Iowa. Unto them were born twelve children, of whom two died in infancy, and one daughter, Sarah, died in her forty-seventh year. The others were Mary A., wife of W. L. Stoneking, a farmer, of ?kIarion township, Linn county; Louisa, wife of William Corey, of Scranton, Greene county, Iowa; Samuel B. married Delia Harvey and resides in Santa Anna, California; Noah B., who married Lilly Lamson and lives in Curtis, Oklahoma; James A., who first married Louisa Berry and second Ella Parker and Xesides in Bertram township, this county, and a sketch of whom appears in this work; Rachel J., wife of Charles W. Lamson, of Sumas, Washington; George our subject; Albert H., who married Lettie Workman and makes his home in Browning, Schuyler county, Illinois; and Martha E., wife of Zach Berry, of Marion, Iowa. The father of this family died August 20. 1897, honored and respected by all who knew him. He was a faithful and consistent member of the Free Will Baptist Church, and led an upright and honorable life, in harmony with his professions. Physically lie was a man of powerful strength, and could withstand great hardships, being six feet and two inches in height, and when in the prime of hfe his weight ranged from one hundred and ninety to two hundred pounds. During his boyhood free schools were unknown. yet he learned to read and write, and was not only a self-educated Init a self-made man. whose success in life was due entirely to his own well-directed efforts. Mrs. Stambaugh passed away April 23, 1901, at the age of eighty years.

George \V. Stambaugh was educated in the district schools near his boyhood home, which he attended until twenty year.; of age, and after laying aside his text bo(jks he devoted his entire time and attention to the operation of the farm until the sunnner of 1886, when he went to Nebraska, and engaged in farming in that state for a year. He then returned to the old homestead where the following two years were passed. At Cedar Rapids, December 24, 1889, Mr. Stambaugh married Miss Anebel Snyder, who was also born in this county, December 10, 1859. Her father, James I. Snyder, was born in Preble county, Ohio, on the ist of April, 1819, and was married in Goshen, Indiana, August 25, 1844, to Jane Longacre, a native of that state, who was born in Whitewater, October 1, 1825. He engaged in farming in Indiana until the fall of 185 1, when he removed with his family to Iowa, and took up his residence in Linn county, buying a farm of two hundred and ten acres in Putnam township, which was his home until the fall of 1882. On disposing of that property he removed to Bertram township, where the following seven years were passed. He died on the 16th of May, 1890, and was buried in Bertram township. His wife survived him and made her home with Mrs. Stambaugh until her death, which occurred June 7, 1896. They were the parents of eleven children, namely: Millie, wife of James H. Rogers, of Medford, Oklahoma; Hulda G., wife of W. F. Miner, a farmer of College township, this county; Marion, who first married Izora Blain, and second Sarah Blain, and resides on a farm in Bertram township; E. D., who married Eleanor Cunningham and lives in Weston, Iowa; Corydon, who died at the age of nine years; Thomas, who died at the age of seven years; Anibel, wife of our subject; Shirley married Zaidee Blain, of Marion; Chas. Frank, twin brother of Shirley, who died at the age of eighteen months; Jesse, who wedded Mary Hight and makes his home in Cedar Rapids; and Jackson, who married Grace Brugh and lives on a farm in College township. Mr. and Mrs. Stambaugh have five children whose names and dates of birth are as follows: Erwin G., March 24, 1892; Ira V., March 11, 1894; Elva H., July 14, 1895; and Wilbert and Sylva, twins, July 14, 1897.

After his marriage Mr. Stamljaugh operated the J. A. Stambaugh farm for one year, and for six years lived on the Cornish farm a mile and a half southwest of Bertram. Since then he lias resided on the old homestead, comprising two hundred and thirty-seven acres on sections 21 and 28, Bertram township, and in its operation he has met withexcellent success. It is under a high state of cultivation and improved with good buildings, including a modern residence, and substantial barns and outbuildings. Mr. Stambaugh raises a high grade of cattle and horses for market, and finds this branch of his business quite profitable. Re-. ligiouslv he and his wife attend the I'nited

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

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

BENJAMIN K. STAMBAUGH. As a representative of the agricultural class, and one who has met with ordinary success in the prosecution of his independent calling, we take pleasure in mentioning the name of the gentleman whose biography we write. He is pleasantly located on his fine and productive farm on section 3, Bowlder Township, where he may be found almost any day, engaged in the general routine of a farmer's life. The father of our subject was Daniel, and the mother Margaret (Kastor) Stambaugh, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Pennsylvania. The father was of German and the mother of English ancestry. After their marriage they settled in Mercer County, Pa., where they are yet living, the father engaged as a farmer, having followed that calling the major portion of his life. Their family of eleven children comprised seven sens and four daughters, and the subject of this notice is the third in order of birth.

Benjamin Stambaugh was born in Mercer County, Pa., June 27, 1840. What education he possesses he received in the common schools, and lived and labored on the old homestead until he was twenty-three years old. The following three or four years were spent in traveling in California, Nevada,

Oregon and Washington Territory, where he also worked in the mines. He was unsuccessful in his search after the hidden treasure, and returning to his old home in Pennsylvania, he remained there about seven months, and during that time made cpiite an extensive trip throughout the Southern States.

In 1807 Mr. Stambaugh came to Iowa, locating in Jones County, and purchased a saw and grist mill, together with a farm, in company with his brothers. He continued to live in that county until the spring of 1869, when he came to Linn County and settled on section 3, Bowlder Township. He has erected a fine set of buildings on his farm, and is now the owner of 280 acres in that township, and also twenty acres in Jones County. His buildings are among the finest in the township. Mr. Stambaugh was married on the 2d day of March, 1869, at Anamosa, Iowa, to Tabitha Stambaugh, daughter of Israel and Sarah (Stillings) Stambaugh, natives of Pennsylvania. She was born in Mercer County, Pa., Feb. 1, 1844, and has borne our subject six children: Myra, Florence (deceased), Cora, Bertha A., a son who died in infancy, and Lester H.

In politics Mr. S. is a Republican. Mrs. Stambaugh is a member of the Baptist Church.

A lithographic view of the handsome residence, out-buildings and stock farm of Mr. Stambaugh, together with his thoroughbred Short-horns, is shown on another page of this work.

VJ. KENDALL is one of the prominent business men of Marion, and a dealer in general hardware, stoves and tinware. He is a native of this city, was born May 19, 1851, and is the son of Albert and Sarah ('. (Higley) Kendall. He received his primary education and completed his studies in Marion Academy. He was a youth of quick intelligence and excellent memory, ami improved the advantages which he enjoyed.

At the age of eighteen years, young Kendall, instilled with principles of industry and economy by 1I— excellent parents, became ambitious to commence business fox himself.

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