William RICE, b. 1841
William Rice, a well known representative
of farming interests in Richland township,
living on section 23, was born in Union county,
Ohio, October 29, 1841, and is a son of Squire
and Mary Ann (Holbrook) Rice. The former
was a native of New York and became a
resident of Ohio, where he died when his son
William was only four or five years old. The
mother afterward removed to Lee county,
Illinois, where her death occurred when William
was fourteen years of age. On account of
being early left an orphan Mr. Rice of this review
knows little about his parents. He was the
eldest of three children, the others being
Ebenezer, who died in Tama county, Iowa; and
Fannie, who was the wife of John Ramsey, a
resident of Grinnell, Iowa, and who died January
28, 1903.
William Rice acquired his education in the
common schools of Ohio and Illinois and when
sixteen years of age was left to shift for
himself, since which time he has depended
entirely
upon his own resources for a living. He went
to work on a farm at five dollars per month
and continued to be employed in that way until
the first call to arms, following the firing on of
Fort Sumter. He joined a company, but
the regiment was not called into action until after
the call was issued for three hundred thousand
men. He enlisted at Dixon, Illinois, in September, 1861, becoming a member of Company
C, Thirty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry,
under command of Captain A. P. Dysart. He
served for a year and a half and was
discharged in 1863. The company and regiment
then veteranized and Mr. Rice remained with
his command until the close of hostilities. The
first battle in which he participated was at
Shiloh and he afterward took part in many
sanguinary engagements, including the battles of
Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, Atlanta,
Rome, Peach Tree Creek and Kenesaw
Mountain. He was also with Sherman on the
celebrated march to the sea and was mustered out
at Chicago on the 12th of July, 1865. He was
never wounded save that he received a slight
scratch on the shoulder by a ball which tore
away the coat and shirt, leaving the skin
espoused. He was then ill in the hospital at
Nashville, Tennessee, and was there given his
discharge, but he waited ten days in Chicago for
his regiment and all were discharged there.
Mr. Rice was mustered out as second sergeant.
He had proved a brave and loyal soldier,
unfaltering in his support of the Union cause.
On the 25th of December, 1867, Mr. Rice
was united in marriage to Miss Helen Nichols,
who was born in New York, February 14,
1848, and is a daughter of Lafayette Nichols,
whose birth occurred in the Empire state and
who spent his last days in the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Rice, where he died at the age of seventy-
four years. He married Almira Sheldon, who
was born in Niagara county, New York, and
died at the home of their daughter, Mrs. Rice,
when seventy-four years of age, passing away
in February, 1900, her husband having died in
December previous. They removed from New
York to Lee county, Illinois, and later to Tama
county, Iowa where they resided for many
years, but their last days were spent in the
home of their daughter. There were but two
children in their family, the son being Henry
Nichols, who now lives in Marshalltown, Iowa.
In the year of his marriage Mr. Rice
removed to Tama county, Iowa, where he
purchased eighty acres of land which was all wild
prairie. He built the first house upon that tract,
broke the sod, tilled the fields and there lived
for fourteen years. Twenty-three years ago,
in February, 1883, he came to Mahaska
county and purchased what was known as the Gardner Lunt farm of two hundred acres. This
was improved and had a good house and barn
upon it. Mr. Rice has since made some repairs and improvements on the house, which is
a large, square, two-story dwelling. It is kept
well painted, is tastefully furnished and shows
every evidence of comfort and good taste. It is
situated on a knoll commanding a splendid view
of the surrounding country. Not far away
stands a good basement barn and there are
other buildings upon the place for the shelter
of grain and stock. The house stands
somewhat back from the highway with a lovely lane
leading up to it. The fences are kept in good
repair and an air of neatness and thrift
pervades the place in all departments. Mr. Rice
has also purchased thirty acres of timber and
pasture land along the Skunk river. He
devotes his attention to general farming and his
labors are now being attended with a gratifying
measure of success.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Rice have been born
eight children, of whom six are living: Lillie
L., the deceased wife of George B. Appel, by
whom she had one son; Mary Almira, the wife
of Ed Sharp, of Kansas, by whom she has
three children; Wilbur H., who is living on a
farm in Prairie township and who married
Hattie Shumake, by whom he has four
children; Alma, the wife of Charles Streagle, of
Richland township, and the mother of three
children; Jesse L., who married Grace Harper,
has one child, and is living in Prairie
township; Vernon, at home; Grace, also at home;
and Elmer, who died March 22, 1875, at the
age of four months. William Rice is a
stalwart republican, inflexible in his support of the
party and its principles, though he has never
been an office seeker and the only position that
he has ever held has been that of school director. He and his wife are valued members
of the Methodist Episcopal church and he belongs to Shiloh post, No. 126, G. A. R., at
Peoria, Iowa, in which he is now officer of the day.
He certainly deserves much credit for what he
has accomplished in life, because he started out
empty-handed and has worked his way steadily
upward. Beginning to earn his own living
when a young lad of sixteen years without
family or friends to aid him, he is today one
of the substantial residents of the county.
Moreover, he has made a creditable military
record and has a family of which he has every
reason to be proud. He keeps well informed
on the questions of the day, is an interesting
conversationalist and a jovial, genial
gentleman-qualities which have won him many friends.
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from Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa by Manoah Hedge
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1906
Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa
Mahaska County, Iowa Genealogy
Iowa Genealogy
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