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Jasper County, Iowa
Historical and Genealogical Data Exchange
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Logan
Pendleton To
the person traveling by railway across the state at this day it seems almost
incredible that only a little more than a half century ago the major part of the
Hawkeye state was a wild, sparsely settled stretch of plains over run by Indians
and all manner of wild animals; but such was the case. During the last half
century, the wild grass has been trampled down. the root-woven, tenacious sod
has been upturned to the life-giving sun and the forests have been removed,
almost entirely, stick by stick, by innumerable hands, in fact, most of the
timber was removed in considerably less than a half century.
All this would never have been done were it not for the rich soil beneath
and the comfortable homes that awaited the efforts of the settlers. The task was
a long one, but well repaid the early comers for the trials and hardships.
One of the farmers of Elk Creek Township, Jasper County, who has
contributed to the development of this wonderfully favored section during what
might be termed the second period of its growth is Logan Pendleton, for his
advent here was not so early as the band of early pioneers who attacked the raw
land in the fifties. Mr.
Pendleton was born in the Blue Grass State, having first opened his eyes on
earthly scenes in Adair County, Kentucky, on September 20, 1865. He is the son
of Samuel and Margaret (Gadbury) Pendleton, the father born in West Virginia in
1810 and the mother in Kentucky in 1816, and there they spent their later years,
the father being a prominent farmer, owning over eight hundred acres of valuable
land, on which he farmed on a large scale, conducting one of the large tobacco
plantations of Adair County; however, he kept no slaves.
He was one of the substantial and influential men of his part of the
state and a gentleman of fine personal qualities. Politically, he was a Republican and he and his wife belonged
to the old Campbellite Church. Their
family consisted of eight children, of whom Logan, of this review, was the
youngest in order of birth. They
were named as follows: John,
deceased; Green; Granville, deceased; James lives in Kentucky; Mrs. Sarah Napier
lives in that state; Mrs. Mollie Hudson is still a resident of the Blue Grass
County; Parker was next to the youngest child. Logan Pendleton was eight years
of age when his father died in 1873. He received his education in the district
schools of his native community and there he grew to manhood, and spent his
summer months, when old enough, at work on the home plantation: however, as he
grew up he worked considerably by the month.
It
was in October 1882, that he bade adieu to his old Kentucky home and directed
his course to Jasper County, Iowa, and here began working by the month for
Preston Chambers in Elk Creek Township, with whom he remained for a period of
seven years. Then he purchased a complete well-drilling outfit and
followed drilling wells in this locality for two years, then he began renting
land, farming thus for a period of six years. Then he was married and his
father-in-law, Preston Chambers, gave the subject and his wife an excellent farm
of one hundred and three acres in Elk Creek Township, on which they still
reside. Besides this Mr. Pendleton owns five acres of timber. He has been very
successful as a general farmer and stock raiser, making a specialty of
full-blood jacks, and he has quite a reputation in this locality as a breeder,
keeping such superior stock that they have been a great asset in his annual
income. He also keeps full-blood Poland China hogs. He had the largest hog at the Iowa state fair in 1911, the
much-admired animal weighing over one thousand pounds. Politically,
Mr. Pendleton is a Democrat and while he takes more or less interest in local
affairs he is not a public man. On July 1, 1900, occurred the ceremony which
united in the bonds of wedlock Logan Pendleton and Allie Chambers. The latter
was born in Elk Creek Township, this County, on September 6, 1860. She is the daughter of Preston Chambers, one of the
substantial and influential early citizens of this county, a sketch of whom is
to be found on another page of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Pendleton have no
children. The Past and Present of Jasper County, Gen. James B. Weaver, Editor-In-Chief, 1912 B.F. Bowen Co., Indianapolis, IN, p. 730. |
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