Robert Miller

As printed in 1891

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

Robert passed his youth at farm work in his native county and received his education in the public schools. In 1854, when he was twenty-four years uf age, he was married in Allegheny County, to Miss Eleanor McKee, a lady of intelligence and refinement. She was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, daughter of John and Mary Ann (Crawford) McKee. Her parents were of Irish ancestry, and were born in Belfast, Ireland. They worshiped with the old-school Presbyterians. Robert Miller resided in Pennsylvania until 1854, when he removed to Rock Island County, Illinois, where he remained until 1868, with the exception of one year spent at Pike's Peak. In 1868 he removed to Page County, Iowa, and located northwest of Clarinda, being one of the early settlers of that place. He resided in Page County until the spring of 1871, when he moved to Thayer County, Nebraska, then called Jefferson County. After remaining there five years and four months he returned to Page County, and for one year made his home south of Essex. He then went to Atchison County, Missouri, and from there, in 1882, he came to Washington Township, Pottawattamie County, Iowa. In 1881 he purchased 160 acres of land from B. F. Clayton. The soil had been broken but there were no improvements on the farm. In 1886 he purchased eighty acres more, now being the owner of 240 acres of well improved land. Besides his own residence he has two tenant houses. His farm is devoted to general farming and stock-raising.

Mr. and Mrs. Miller have six children, namely: Mary Jane, wife of (george Fulton, Thayer County, Nebraska;'Eliza Belle, wife of Samuel Bartle, Carson Township, Pottawattamie County; Joseph B. is married and lives on his father's farm; William Joini is also married and resides on the Perry place; James T., at home; and Robert R., at school. Two of their children are deceased, an infant son and Eleanor, who died at the age of seven months.

Mr. Miller cases his vote and influence with the Republican party, and lie has served the public ill some of the township offices. He and his wife are members of the Sharon Presbyterian Church, of which he is an elder. He is also an active worker in the Salibath-school. Mr. Miller is a man of three-score years, yet he bears his age lightly. He is a desirable acquisition to the community in which he resides, and is honored and esteemed by all who know him.

SEORGE V. BUltMETT came to Pottawattamie County, Iowa, in July, 1884, and lias since continued his residence here. He was born in "Wayne County, Ohio, January 9, 1848, son of John and Ann (Veness) Burnett, the former of Scotch extraction, and the latter born in Pennsylvania, a descendant of German ancestors. Mr. and Mrs. Burnett were married in Ohio, and when their son George was about three or four years old they came to Iowa, and settled in Cedar County. There the mother died two or three years later, and the father died in 18G1, at the ago of forty two years and eight months. He was among the early settlers of that county, and his whole life was passed on a farm. Politically he was a Democrat. He and his wife were both members of the Presbyterian Churcii. They reared a family of four sons and one daughter, viz.: Thomas H.. a well-to-do settler of Pottawattamie County, who died in Wright Township, March 23, 1886, at the age of forty-two years and twenty-three days. He had never married. Catherine L., who is the wife of William Winterstien, Wright Township, Pottawattamie County; George v.. Smith J., Griswold, Iowa; and Charles of Pottawattamie County, Kansas.

George was reared on a farm in (edir

County, and learned the trade of stonemason, which he followed four years in Iowa City before he came to this county. He is now engaged in general farming and stock-raising, owning eighty acres of improved land, well-adapted for stock or grain, located in section 31, Wright Township.

Mr. Burnett was married in June, 1878, to Mrs. Laura M. Parrott, a native of Fountain County, Indiana. Her father, Andrew B. Parrott, was born in Ohio, and her mother, Frances Ann (Furr) Parrott, in Fountain County, Indiana. Mrs. Parrott's parents weie Kentuckians. Mrs. Burnett was but eleven months old when she came with her father and mother to Iowa. They settled in Johnson County, where, in March, 1866, the mother died, at the age of thirty-one years and nine months. Mr. Parrott still resides in Iowa City. By her first marriage Mrs. Burnett had one child, Frances Collins, now the wife of Frank Bevier, a resident of Carson, Iowa. By her present husband she has two children, namely: Maudie Odessa and Rachel May. They lost two children: John Earl, who died at the age of thirteen mouths and eighteen days, and Marion Oliva. their third child, at birth. In his political views Mr. Burnett is independent. He is well-informed on current topics, is out-spoken and cordial in his address, and is regarded as one of the worthy citizens of the community. Mrs. Burnett is a niembor of the Christian Church.

ILLIAM CO:SVERSE, a prominent farmer of Valley Township, descended from an old American family, of English descent, who settled in Vermont in early day. The grandfather of our subject, a farmer in Plattsburir. that State, was the father of seven children, the sons being Erastus, William, Chase, Jesse and John, and the daughters, Polly and Jemima. Erastus, the father of William, went to Pennsylvania, and was there married to Elizabeth Van Wermer, and they had six children: John, William, George B., Henry B., Erastus and a daughter who died in infancy. George E. and Erastus served in the Union army four years, and George died in the service.

In 1842 the father brought his family to Iowa, settling on a claim where the land was not yet surveyed, in what is now Green Township, Iowa County. This State was then an entirely new country, and he had to go seventy miles for his groceries, the family having to rely upon their own productions for most of their supplies, which consisted mainly of corn bread and buckwheat cakes, with wild game and fish. For five years they were without beef, pork, cofEee, sugar and milk. Tea they made of ' red-root " {Ceanothiis Americanus). The corn they ground with a hand mill. Their clothing was mostly made of buck-skin. They lived in a log cabin, with no sawed timber except the doors and windowcas-ings, which were made from their dry-goods boxes, that they had brought from Pennsylvania, and their floors were of luncheon. But they had a comfortable home and were content. There were no schools, churches, roads, courts, lawyers, or even a justice of the peace, and but one doctor, who lived nine miles distant. The people were healthy, happy and peaceable; their habits were simple, and they were friendly and hospitable, helping each other for miles around. Mr. Converse lived to the age of forty-three years, dying from exhaustion brought on by riding seventy miles on horseback without a saddle, for a doctor for his sick son. His widow is still living, at the age of eighty years, with her son William. When she first came to Iowa, the Sac and Fox Indians were very numerous but friendly, and Keokuk, the celebrated chief, used to come to their cabin, and frequently partook of their hospitality.

William Converse, the subject of this sketch, was born in Rockdale Township, Crawford County, Pennsylvania, and was but nine years of age when his parents came to Iowa. He was brought up in the wilderness, and received no education when a boy, as the nearest school at the time of his father's death whs twenty-two miles, and he never had the benefit of but six months' schooling. When his father died his brother, two years his senior, and himself were the support of the family, and at the age of fourteen he did a man's work. He learned from his father and the Indians to hunt, and the meat for the family was procured in this way. He often, when hitting with the Indians, partook of their hospitality, and describes their cooking as being clean and orderly. After his marriage Mr. Converse settled in what is now Greene Township, Iowa County, where he lived twenty-nine years, and where he owned a farm of 226 acres. He sold this place, and in 1871 came to Pottawattamie County, se'thing on his present farm of 320 acres in Valley Township. It was wild land when he purchased it nineteen years ago, but he has since converted it into a fine cultivated farm, to which he has since added until he now owns 400 acres. Mr. Converse set out all his shade and fruit trees; also has many good buildings, and a splendid orchard of 300 bearing trees, and a good vineyard.

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

Alliance, resident of the Anti-IIor

Thief Society, which office he lias held for seventeen years. He has also been a member of the Masons, Odd Fellows and Good Templars orders. He is a strong temperance man, and has subscribed liberally for the cause. He has taken an active part in the cause of education and the good of the schools, and has served as School Director for years, and also as president of the School Board. Mr Converse stands high in his community as an upright and honorable man, is always found on the side of reform and in defense of the right. He has the honor of being one of the founders of the great and wealthy Stale of Iowa, as he has been with her from the beguming, endured all the hardships and privation allotted to her eldest sons, and has been equal to all the vicissitudes of life in her borders.

Mr. Converse was married at the age of nineteen, to Miss Jane C. Henry, then aged fifteen years, daughter of Williamson A. and Sarah (Richardson) Henry. The father was originally from Kentucky, but went to Ohio, and finally settled in Johnson County, luwa, between 1835 and 1842. They were the parents of seven children: Nancy, Jane, Rebecca, Fannie, Mary A., William A. and Franklin P. Mr. Henry was a soldier in the Black Hawk war; was one of the pioneers of Iowa State and city, and assisted in drawing the st(ne for the State University. He kept a tavern in Iowa City for many years, and lived to the age of fifty-five years. To Mr. and Mrs. William Converse have been born six children: John, Charles, Mary, Ella, Emma and Clara. Mrs. Converse is a member of the Baptist Church. William Converse has practiced medicine for forty years, and for the last twenty-five years has had a large practice. He is now living on his own farm, and is dealing in imported Clydesdale and P'reiicli draft horses, high-grade mares, high-grade red-polled cattle and pure-bred Poland-China swine.

As printed in Biographical history of Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States, with accompanying biographies ... history of Iowa, with ... biographies of the gove (1891). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.