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Jasper County, Iowa
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Daniel
L. Gibford It
is at all times very interesting to compile and preserve the experiences of the
old soldiers who went out to fight the country's battles during the slave
holders' rebellion fifty years ago. These gallant old fellows are fast passing
away, and we should get all their experiences first hand before it is too late,
for it is not only interesting but important that we preserve these personal
experiences, for, after all, those are the events that make history.
What would history be worth were it not for the vivid actions of the
individuals? That is all there is
to the splendid histories of ancient and modern times.
The story as told by one who has passed through the bloody experiences of
a half century ago of several years of stubborn struggle and was in numerous
battles, marches and campaigns, and perhaps, prisons and hospitals, is far more
interesting than if narrated long hence by some writer who may distort events
out of their true historic significance. One
of the honored veterans of that great conflict whose military career would, if
properly set forth, make a volume of interesting narrative is Daniel L. Gibford,
of Newton, Jasper County. Mr.
Gibford was born in Allen County, Indiana, February 3, 1841, the son of William
and Sarah (Ritter) Gibford, both natives of Ohio. His grandparents on both sides came from Germany, the subject
having been named after his grandfather, Daniel Ritter, a tavern keeper in Stark
County, Ohio, in the early days, by reason of which fact he became widely known.
The subject's father was the third child in the family of Abraham Gibford and
wife, whose family consisted of seven children.
In 1840 the parents of Daniel L. Gibford came from Ohio and settled in
Allen County, Indiana, but soon after the birth of the subject of this sketch
they returned to Stark County, Ohio, and a few years later they removed to
Monroe, Green County, Wisconsin, where the father, William Gibford, engaged in
manufacturing and continued his trade of cabinet making. In 1854 he came to
Newton, Iowa, having been induced to come here by W. B. Ritter, brother of Mrs.
Gibford, who had come to this County a short time previously.
After living in Newton three or four years, they moved to a farm in Palo
Alto Township, and in 1867 Mr. Gibford sold his farm and again moved to Newton
and there spent the rest of his life, dying in 1891 at the age of eighty-two
years, his wife having preceding him to the grave in 1884, dying at the age of
seventy-six years. Their family consisted of eight children, of whom Daniel L.,
of this sketch, was the eldest; the others are, Jonathan, a veteran of the Civil
War who lives at the Soldiers' Home; Catherine, now deceased, was the wife of L.
D. Jones, formerly of Reasnor, this County; Frank, who was killed by a train in
California; William, a stone-mason, lives in Denver, Colorado; Emily, wife of
Frank Osborn, lives in Seattle, Washington; Charles owns a plumbing
establishment in Newton; Alexander is in the dairy business at San Bernardino,
California. Daniel
L. Gibford, when twenty-one years of age, enlisted in August 1862, in Company K,
Twenty-eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, at Newton, under Capt. John Meyer, later
made colonel; M. W. Atwood, first lieutenant, and M. C. Dean, second lieutenant.
This regiment gathered at Iowa City and when they were ordered south many
of the boys carried a bottle of whisky with them, the subject being among the
number; but he knew his mother would not have approved of this had she known of
it, so he gave his bottle to a comrade and eased his conscience, and he has
never bought a drop of whisky since. He served faithfully until the close of the
war arid was honorably discharged in August 1865, at Savannah, Georgia. He was
in thirteen battles, some of which were among the most hotly contested of the
war, among them being Port Gibson, Jackson, Champion's Hill and the siege of
Vicksburg. He participated in the
Red river expedition and went with Sheridan into the Shenandoah Valley and was
in the battles of Winchester and Cedar Creek, being wounded in the former, and
he was one of the boys who tossed his hat when Sheridan dashed up from
Winchester from his famous ride, arriving in time to rally his fleeing troops
and turn defeat into victory. For
meritorious service Mr. Gibford was made fifth corporal and color guard. After
returning from the war Mr. Gibford engaged in farming near Newton, this County.
He had sent the money received from his services in the army home for his
father to take care of, but it appears that the latter was a poor financial
manager and when the young soldier returned from the front he found that he was
practically penniless; however, he did not regret his services to his country.
He bargained for fifty acres in 1867, in section 15, Palo Alto Township,
agreeing to pay one thousand dollars for the same. He did not have a dollar to pay on it at the time, in fact he
was compelled to borrow two dollars from a comrade with which to pay for the
revenue stamp at that time required on all such legal papers. But he was a man
of determination and grit and, working hard and looking careful to details, he
gradually forged ahead until he had it all paid for. He not only improved it, but added twenty-five acres more,
making a very desirable farm, which he still owns. The land is under laid with
coal which may prove a profitable source of income to the family. In
1866 Mr. Gibford was united in marriage with Nancy A. Watkins, who was born in
Kentucky in 1848. To this union three children were born, as follows:
Eddie Sheridan, born in 1867, was named for the noted general. On
September 10,1890, on the anniversary of the battle of Winchester, he applied
for a marriage license, intending to be married two days later.
N. Townsend was the license clerk, and had fought in that battle, and in
the same regiment. Twenty-eighth Iowa, in which Mr. Gibford had fought, and the
clerk induced the boy to have his wedding that night.
His wife is now deceased, but he has four children, all daughters; he is
a contractor and lives at Kearney, Nebraska. Alice S. Gibford, the subject's
second child, was born in 1868 and she married Lester Wolford.
They live on a farm near Lewellen, Nebraska, and have three children.
Howard T. Gibford is a dentist at Greenfield, Iowa. On
August 29, 1879, Mrs. Gibford was claimed by death, and on November 2, 1881, the
subject was united in marriage with Elizabeth Bates, born October 25, 1850, in
Stevenson County, Illinois. She is
the daughter of J. and Hannah (Lambert) Bates, the father a native of Vermont
and the mother of Massachusetts. Her
parents came to Iowa at a very early date, soon after their daughter, Elizabeth,
was born. Her father died in 1853
and her mother passed away in 1865. Their
family consisted of three daughters and two sons, namely: Harriet married Horace
Smith, a farmer of Palo Alto Township; Ellen married George Foster, who is in
the employ of the United States government, having formerly been lock tender for
the government on the Illinois canal; Edwin, a veteran of Company I, One Hundred
and Fifty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and formerly engaged in the livery
business, now lives retired in Plattsmouth, Nebraska; Isaac died when eleven
years of age. Five
children were born of Mr. Gibford's second marriage, namely: Alta Edna, born
March 12, 1883, married Marion DeBolt; they live in Newton and have one child;
he is with the Western Stock Remedy Company, being a stockholder in the same.
Raymond B., born April 15, 1884, formerly cashier for three years in the
Laurel Savings Bank, Laurel, Iowa, and for sometime bookkeeper in the Citizens
Bank at Newton, is now with the Ehman-Gibford Chemical Company of this city as
vice-president and general manager. Karl
B., born May 22, 1887, who lives on the home place in Palo Alto Township, is
married and has one child; Morrell, born October 1, 1892, died August 22, 1893;
Virgil, born May 14, 1894 died on September 20th following. For
a period of forty-two years Mr. Gibford lived on his farm and then bought
property in Newton in 1908, having accumulated a competency, and retired from
active work, and here he is now living in honored retirement surrounded by
plenty as a result of his former years of industry. He is a member of Garret Post No. 16, Grand Army of the
Republic. Politically, he is
independent. His wife belongs to
the Methodist Church. The Past and Present of Jasper County, Gen. James B. Weaver, Editor-In-Chief, 1912 B.F. Bowen Co., Indianapolis, IN, p. 541. |
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