In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1901) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1830
From Biographical records of Linn County, Iowa .. (1901), Portrait and biographical album of Linn County, Iowa (1887)
AMES B. SPEAKE. This honored pioneer is prominently known in this section as being the first man who made a settlement in Grant Township. He crossed the Father of Waters in 1840, while Iowa was still a wild Territory, coming directly here from Tazewell County, ill., to which he had emigrated from Marion County, Ky., in the spring of 1830. Mr. Speake is located on section 19, and has a tine farm of 160 acres. His land is highly improved and well cultivated, and the homestead consists of a tasteful modern farm-house, and all the barns and other necessary agsacai out-buildings for the prosecution of agriculture and the breeding and shelter of stock.
James B. Speake was born in Marion County, Ky., Dec. 20, 1830, and is the son of John K. and Julia A. (Raley) Speake, also natives of the " blue grass" country. John K. Speake was born Aug. 1. 1800, and departed this life in Linn County, Sept. 1, 1876. He was married in the State of Kentucky in 1825, and afterward removed from there to Illinois. He was a farmer by occupation, and came to the Territory of Iowa before the land was in market, taking up a claim of 160 acres on Blue Creek, Grant Township, and set about its improvement and cultivation. He secured the title to this when the land came into market, and spent the remainder of his days upon his first location. Mrs. Julia A. Speake is supposed to have been born about 1805. She died April 17, 1866, in Linn County, after having become the mother of eleven children — six sons and five daughters — as follows: Thomas J., Elizabeth, Bernard G., James B., Charles C, Rebecca, Cordelia, Maria A., George W., Lyman Beeeher and Eliza E. Rebecca and Lyman Beecher are deceased.
James B. Speake was the fourth child in order of birth of his father's family. He remained with his parents until he attained to manhood, and was married May 3, 18G0, to Miss Rebecca Gillam. She only lived until Dec. 15, 1862, leaving two children — Lewis E., twenty-three months, who died six*day's after his mother, and a little girl, Rebecca, who died the 2d day of the following March.
Mr- Speake was the second time married, Oct. 3, 1876, to Miss Laura F. Greene, a native of Vermont, born April 16, 1851. She came to Iowa with her parents in 1865. They were Ancie D. and Fidelia (Bingham) Greene, both natives of the Green Mountain State, and now residents of Grant Township, this county. The parental family consisted of ten children — Martha J., Harriet A., Charlotte E., Laura F., Ellen, Ilulda L., Fannie, and three sons, Joseph B., William II. and W. Bernard, who are all deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Speake have no children of their own, but have taken three others into their hearts and home, giving them kindly parental care. They7 took them all in infancy; one died at the age of six months. Those living are Ralph D., born in 1879, and Edith P., born in 1884. Mrs. Speake is connected by membership with the Free Methodist Church. Mr. S. is not identified with any church organization or secret society. Politically he is a reliable Republican, and voted for Fremont in 1856. He is regarded with great consideration and respect in this section, and has done well his part toward the development and advancement of Linn County.
ffi OHN WITONSEK is a general farmer and stock-raiser, occupying a comfortable homestead in College Township, on section 35. He is one of those excellent Moravian citizens who have contributed their share in building up this part of the State of Iowa, and is numbered among its most reliable citizens. Mr. Witonsek is a native of Moravia, and was born in March, 1816. He was reared on a farm in his native country, and was there united in marriage, in 1836, with Miss Frances Polak, a native of the same Province. After the birth of three children, the parents, being anxious to secure for their little family all the advantages possible, determined to try their fortunes in the New World. Accordingly, in 1853, they set out to cross the ocean, and first located in Racine, Wis. After remaining there for a time they went over into Johnson County, Iowa, and there settled upon an unimproved tract of land of forty acres. After a time it seemed better to dispose of this, which they accordingly did, and came into Linn County and purchased land, and finally established themselves in College Township. They kept adding to their possessions from time to time, and now, after some years of earnest effort and persevering industry, Mr. Witonsek finds himself the owner of 375 broad acres, which are all improved and under good cultivation. He has been remarkably successful in his business undertakings, possessing that wise judgment, which, while adapted to the accumulation of property, has also the rare faculty of retaining it. He has a fine dwelling, two good barns, and all the necessary out-buildings, agricultural implements and appliances for carryingon agriculture in a first-class manner.
Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Witonsek six children have been born, two of whom are deceased. The eldest son, Frank, is married and lives in Cedar Rapids, and is a dealer in boots and shoes; he has four children — Frank, Jr., John, William and Jennie. Anna is the wife of Jerome Bostrokey; Francis and Charles arc deceased; Joseph lives at home; Emma is the wife of John Zofil; he is a farmer, and carries on agriculture in Johnson County, Iowa. M'. and Mrs. Witonsek are members of the Evangelical Church, and in politics Mr. Witonsek is a stanch Republican.
As printed in Portrait and biographical album of Linn County, Iowa (1887). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
JAMES BUFORD SPEAKE.
This well-known and successful agriculturist residing on section 19, Grant township, was born in Kentucky, on the joth of December, 1830, and is a son of John K. and Julia A. (Raley) Speake. The father was also born in that state, August 1, 1800, and about 1836 removed to Illinois, where he engaged in farming on rented land until coming to Linn county, Iowa, in 1840. He entered one hundred and sixty acres of wild land on section 19, of what is now Grant township, but then formed a part of Washington township, and he also entered a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of timber land in Benton county. Throughout life he continued to make his home in Grant township, Linn county, and placed the farm under a high state of cultivation. In politics he was a Republican, and for eight years acceptably filled the office of justice of the peace. He died September 1, 1876, honored and respected by all who knew him, and was laid to rest at Urbana, Benton county. His wife, who was a native of Virginia, passed away in 1866, and was buried at the same place.
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During the residence of the family in Illinois James B. Speake attended its public schools, and after coming to Iowa pursued his studies in the schools of Center Point and the district schools of Grant township. Linn county, until twenty years of age. He Avorked on the home farm until 1864. when lie went to Montana and engaged in gold mining, but not meeting with success in that venture he returned to this county after an absence of a year and a half. For a time he engaged in carpentering in Grant township, and then purchased sixty-six acres of land in Benton county, forty two acres of which was wild prairie, while the remainder was covered with timber. On selling that place he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Grant township. Linn ciumty, from his father and made his home thereon until 1887. when he went to Arkansas and engaged in farming for a year and a half. He then returned to this county and lived in Walker until 1894. when he again located on his farm on section 19, Grant township, spending two years there. The following three years were passed at 'alter. but since then he has resided upon his farm and successfully engaged in its operation.
[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]
As printed in Biographical records of Linn County, Iowa .. (1901). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Named in this biography: George Washington
The printed record stops around 1901. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.