Pocahontas County >> 1904 Index

The Pioneer History of Pocahontas County, Iowa
by Robert E. Flickinger. Fonda: The Times Print, 1904.

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Unless otherwise noted, biographies submitted by Dick Barton.

O'CONNER JAMES (b. 1842), a native of Ireland, in 1862 came to America and located in Illinois. In 1870 he came to Warren county, Iowa, where in 1872 he married Margaret Jane Durigan and located on a farm. Here he was joined by his brother, Patrick (b. Ireland, 1850), who in 1874 married Ellen Durigan. In 1878 these two brothers and their families came to Pocahontas county and located, Patrick on Sec. 25, Dover township, and James on Sec. 19, Grant township. Patrick, their father, at the age of sixty-five, and their mother at sixty, in 1880, also came to this country and lived with these two sons until they died, their mother in 1881, and their father in 1888. Barney, their brother, resident of Fonda, came too this county in 1883.

James is now the owner of 240 acres that he has laid out to good advantage and has finely improved with good buildings, groves and orchard. His orchard is one of the best in Grant township. Of his family of eleven children ten are living: Agnes in 1899 married Peter Callinan, an electrician, lives in Sioux City and has one child, Joseph. Catherine in 1901 married Marion Argenbright, a painter and carpenter, and lives at Pocahontas. The others are William, Celia, Patrick, John, Clara, Emma, Arthur and Alice.

Patrick O'Connor in 1892, moved to Buena Vista county and later to South Dakota. His family consisted of ten children. Anna married Wm. Hogan and lives in Des Moines, where Gertie and Sadie, two of her sisters also live. The others are Frank, Ambrose, Ray, Edith, Vincent, Lagora, Valley and the baby.

OLSON, ANDREW, another brother of Gustave, is the owner and occupant of a farm of 80 acres on Sec. 36, Grant township, and he has a family of seven children.

OSBURN, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (b. March 25, 1837), a pioneer of Cedar township 1870 to 1885, was a native of Tioga county, N. Y., where he grew to manhood and in 1859 married Delilah B. Reed. August 10, 1862 he enlisted in the 137th N. Y. Inf. as an orderly sergeant, was made first lieutenant May 25, 1865 and was honorably discharged at Elmira, New York, June 9, 1865. In 1867 he and his family moved to Waterloo, Iowa, and in the spring of 1870 purchased the sw 1/4 sec. 25, Cedar township which he improved and occupied until the time of his death which occurred at Adel, Sept. 11, 1885. While returning from the State Fair at Des Moines, he endeavored to pass along a railing used for that purpose on the outside of the baggage car, and when the train entered the bridge at Adel its timbers striking his head inflicted fatal injuries and caused him to fall from the car in an insensible condition.

He was a fine looking soldier and one of the bravest of the brave. He participated in twenty seven battles including Lookout Mountain, Gettysburg and other decisive ones, and was promoted for his skill and courage.

His family consisted of two children: May, who married Fred Opperman, a mail agent, and died in 1885; Bert, a book keeper and clerk, married Becca Pfeiffer and located at Sioux City where his mother resides with him.