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Black Hawk County >> 1886 Index Historical and Biographical Record of Black Hawk County,
Iowa O John Osborn, farmer and stock-raiser, section 19, Big Creek Township, was born in Rutland County, England, April 20, 1827, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Yates) Osborn. May 2, 1852, he embarked for the United States in a sailing vessel, the British Crown, and after a very perilous voyage of storm and shipwreck landed in New York City, July 18. He remained in the State of New York two years, living in Aurora, Erie County, but met with many discouragements, incident to a life in a strange land. Being a stranger and alone he had little idea of the boundless extent of the agricultural interests of America, but learning of the Western country, he came as far as De Kalb County, Illinois, and from there in January, 1855, to Black Hawk County, Iowa, thus being among the pioneer settlers of the county. He has a fine farm of 287 acres, all well improved, but his special attention is devoted to raising and dealing in fine stock. He has a herd of over seventy thoroughbred short horn cattle of good standard families registered in the American Herd Book. Sires that have been used in his herd of late are Meadow Duke, 21,684, American Herd Book; Roses Duke, 40,758, a Rose of Sharon and Major Jupiter, 42,209, the latter now at the head of the herd. He has constantly on hand and keeps for sale animals of either sex. He has four one-year-old calves that will weigh 1,000 pounds each. His cattle are among the finest in the State of Iowa, and will compare favorably with any in the United States. He has been a diligent and untiring worker in caring for and improving the grade of his cattle, and is rewarded by seeing them come up to the high standard of excellence that is unsurpassed by any in his county. Mr. Osborn is truly a self-made man; his habits of industry and economy, added to his indomitable will and perseverance, have secured for him a fine property, and made him one of the prominent and prosperous business men of Black Hawk County. Mr. Osborn was married in 1861 to Amy Seamans, a native of New York, born in 1836, and to them were born five children – George; Mary, wife of William Henby; Amos, Ida and Janie. Mrs. Osborn died in 1870, and in 1871 Mr. Osborn married Sarah Seamans, his first wife’s sister. They have two children – Lenora and Ettie. Mr. Osborn meeting with success in his adventures in a new country, brothers and relatives have followed after to this great land of promise, and all are doing well. Eli Owen, section 5, Lester Township, was born in Allegany County, New York, January 31, 1826, a son of Jonathan R. and Hannah (Whaley) Owen, his father born in Saratoga County, New York, September 8, 1796, and his mother in Herkimer County, New York, November 7, 1798. His paternal grandfather, Daniel Owen, was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, and his father in the war of 1812. He came to Iowa in the spring of 1853, and entered a tract of Government land in Black Hawk County, and the next fall his parents and the rest of the family moved to the new country. His father died in Lester Township, January 10, 1865, and his mother March 16, 1879. Mr. Owen was married March 14, 1855, to Maria H. Cook, a native of Fairfield, Vermont, born December 23, 1838, a daughter of Charles and Ann (Waite) Cook, natives of England, the father born in 1801, and the mother in 1796. Her parents came to Black Hawk County, Iowa, in 1854, and here the mother died May 27, 1873. The father afterward returned to Vermont and died in Johnson, Lamoille County, February 22, 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Owen were the first couple married in Lester Township. They have had a family of eleven children--Edith L., born March 1, 1859, was married November 25, 1884, to Austin Whitney of Bennington Township; Frank W., born July 27, 1861; Luella G., born January 11, 1864; Harvey J., born September 26, 1866, died aged four months; Charles, born May 23, 1869, died aged nine months; Anna A., born February 7, 1871; Nettie E., born April 8, 1873; Bertha M., born February 16, 1876; Louie B., born September 24, 1878; Cora E., born November 26, 1880, and Ethel G., born September 17, 1884. In politics Mr. Owen is a Democrat. He has served his township as clerk, school director, school treasurer, and collector. Samuel Owens, one of the earlier settlers of Black Hawk County , was born in Westmoreland County , Pennsylvania , October 13, 1814 , and was the seventh of a family of nine children of Hugh and Martha (Hughes) Owens. His parents were early settlers of Westmoreland County , and there resided til their death. Samuel Owens was reared to maturity on his father's farm, when he went to Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, where he was married February 6, 1844, to Elizabeth Townsend, and to this union were born six children- Joseph J., Mary M., (deceased), Madison T., Kate C., Lee M., and Minnie. Mr. Owens moved with his family to Black Hawk County , Iowa , in October, 1865. He had come to Iowa as early as 1843 on a prospecting tour through Cedar Rapids and Iowa City , and again returned in 1850, when he entered 320 acres of land, and in 1852 entered 640 acres. On coming here in 1865 he settled on his farm three miles east of Waterloo which he improved, and there followed farming and stock-raising til November, 1884, since which time he has retired from active life. He still owns the farm near Waterloo , which consists of 500 acres of choice land. In the fall of 1877 Mr. Owens was elected supervisor of District No. 7, which office he still hold by re-election. While living in Armstrong County , Pennsylvania , he served three years as clerk of the court. In politics he was formerly an old-line Whig, but is now identified with the Republican party. |