DAVID   MARTINDALE, a  gen­tleman  of  more   than ordinary enterprise   as a farmer, as well as breeder of Hambletonian horses in Elk township, Delaware county, is a native of Wayne county,  Ind.,  and  was born in 1830.    He was reared on the family farm until twenty-one years of age, receiving the usual education during the intervals of labor  and  school attendance that is usually    accorded   farm   lads   that are required to render their assistance in the performance  of farm   duties,  and from both farm and school he absorbed every­thing that both could impart in the way of instruction   in  their respective  prov­inces.   In the spring of 1851, the entire family sought fairer and more remunera­tive fields for the advancement of their worldly gain in the West, and until March, 1853,  our   subject    remained    with   his parents    in    Elk   township,   when    he returned to Indiana and married the girl of his youthful affection and still constant love.    Coming back again to  Iowa and bringing with him the lady of his choice— his newly-wedded life-companion—he en­tered, with  her, upon   the   stern  duties demanded  of him as a provider for  the prospective family.    In  this he fully suc­ceeded, having been assisted by his father to   a considerable extent in the way  of patrimony.    To this estate he has added, by purchase, one hundred and sixty acres, and is now residing on a splendidly im­proved farm in section 20.    The cultiva­tion of these broad acres is almost perfect; the commodious dwelling is an object of beauty, the two large barns are models of convenience, and the groves are an orna­mentation that adds to the beauty of the surroundings of  the  homestead.    In the domestic economy of his farm, Mr. Martindale cultivates mixed crops, and also gives considerable attention to dairying, milking, on an average, fourteen cows, and it may be said these are among the best milch-cows in the county.

To turn to the genealogy of Mr. Mar-tindale, it may be stated that his father, John Martindale, was born in Warren county, Ohio, April 10, 1805, and, after a devoted service as a minister of the Chris­tian church for nearly fifty years, died April 10, 1890. Twice the Rev. John Martindale was married, his first wife being Mary Watson, who became the mother of the subject of this sketch. This lady was born in Kentucky, and was a daughter of Michael Watson, who was one of the earliest settlers of Wayne county, Ind. Here Mary Watson was married, and, after bearing her husband twelve children, died in Michigan in March, 1851. Of these twelve children, seven are still living, as follows — Ade­line, a widow residing in Greeley, Iowa; William, in Montgomery county, Iowa; David, whose name heads this sketch; Mrs. Catherine Blodgett, of Kansas; Elijah M., of Lehigh, Iowa; Mary, wife of William Burbridge, and Frank, who is a farmer in Elk township, Delaware county; Iowa, and also a famous breeder of fast horses, but who at present makes his home at Elgin, Cook county, Ill. The second marriage of Rev. Martindale took place, in 1852, to Eliza Armstrong, then a widow and a native of Ohio, but of Welsh de­scent. She passed away from earth about the year 1878, leaving no progeny by her marriage to Mr. Martindale.

As will readily be perceived by the spelling of the name, the Martindale family are of English origin. The great-­grandfather of our subject, anterior to whom no positive genealogical knowledge is to be had, was probably a native-born American or a very early comer to this country, as is proved by his having gal­lantly served, as tradition in the family shows, in the war for the independence of the colonies — commonly called the Revolutionary war. The grandfather of our subject also proved his loyalty to America by serving in the War of 1812, against the second attempt of the English to subdue his native State of South Caro­lina, as well as the union of the States.

David Martindale, the gentleman who just now will most engage the attention of the reader, was married in northern Indiana, March 10, 1853, to Miss Eliza­beth C. Jones, born February 5, 1830, a daughter of Joseph P. and Nancy Jones, the former of whom was born in Penn­sylvania and the latter in Virginia.

The union of David Martindale and Elizabeth C. Jones has been crowned with the birth of three children. Of these, the eldest, Joseph P., born February 26, 1854, is a minister of the Christian church, to which all the Martindale family belong; the second child, John J., was born Febru­ary 18, 1856, and died September 4, in 1868; the youngest, Charles W., was born November 15, and is now president of a college at Des Moines.

David Martindale is a gentleman of more than ordinary business enterprise, and withal is quite a favorite in his com­munity. His interest in educational mat­ters is unbounded, and while he interests himself in the instruction of all his neighbors' children, he has given especial attention to the education of his own.

 

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