1890 Buchanan and Delaware Co

1890 Buchanan and Delaware Co., IA History pgs. 645-648

JB. BOGGS, one of Delaware county's first citizens and one of her oldest public officials, was born January 12, 1833, in Onondaga county, N. Y. He comes of New York parentage and New England ancestry. His father, Orrin S. Boggs, was a native of the Empire State, grew up there and there married. He moved to this state, settling in this county in 1850, and here died, in August, 1876, at the age of seventy-three. He followed the peaceful pursuits of agriculture most of his life, having some outside interests. He never aspired to public position, although he filled public office and rendered his native and adopted state such service as his years and abilities enabled him to, both in civil and military affairs.

The mother of J. B. Boggs, who bore the maiden name of Ann Maria Butler, being a daughter of Stephen Butler, was also a native of York State, her father, however, coming from New England. She died when the subject of this notice was only three weeks old.

Orrin S. and Maria Boggs had only one child born to them-Jeremiah B., our subject. Growing up in his native county to the age of thirteen, young
Boggs was brought by his father, in 1846, to McHenry county, Ill., and thence in November, 1850, to Iowa, settling at that date in this county. He has therefore been a resident of the county now nearly forty years. This period has embraced his youth, his maturer manhood and a portion of advancing age. He settled on a farm on coming to the county, his father taking a place in Coldwater (now Honey Creek) township. Young Boggs received a good common-school training, and, possessing a taste for reading, early turned his attention to books. As he acquired knowledge, he turned it to practical use by teaching in the district schools in the county, varying his farm labors with his school-room duties for several years. In 1857 he received the appointment of deputy sheriff of Delaware county, and held that position for two years, continuing teaching, however, in the meantime. In 1861 he was elected sheriff and held the office one term, then took the office of deputy again and held it till November, 1865, when he was elected county judge. He served one term as county judge and was re-elected to a second term, but before the expiration of that term the legislature abolished the office, assigning him the duties of county auditor for the remaining year of his term. He was then elected auditor, that being in November, 1869, and he has held that office since, having been elected regularly every two years. He has thus served the county in one official capacity or another for more than thirty years, and he is the only auditor the county has ever had. It is not necessary to say that had his conduct not met with public approval his official career would never have reached the limits it has. Patriotic citizens would not have been lacking in this community, as they never are in any community, to come to the front and relieve incompetent officers of the burdens of their official positions. Yet through all the changing administrations through which the county has passed, and all the local political crises that have here arisen, Jerry Boggs has remained steadily in the service of the people of Delaware county, and no charge of incompetence as to ability or integrity, has ever been made against him. Faithfully exact and fearlessly honest, he has assumed the full measure of responsibility of his positions, and has met his obligations at every turn, fully, freely and unmistakably. A man of no pretentions in scholastic attainments, he yet possesses a wide range of information on many topics of practical importance, a clear and discriminating judgment and a large fund of that great factor known by the homely name of hard, horse sense. He is plain in manner, direct in his business methods and pointed in conversation. He is as easily approached as it is possible for a man to be, keeping in touch at all points with the world around him and fully in sympathy with the plans, purposes, hopes and aspirations of those who stand nearest to him by ties of friendship, or in business or official relations.

Mr. Boggs was married on November 23, 1861, taking to share his life's fortunes a lady of this county, Miss Catherine A. Black, who, however, was born in Clarion county, Pa., July 3, 1844. She is a daughter of James Black, who was among the first settlers of Clayton county, this state. Mr. and Mrs. Boggs have had born to them a family of three children, two daughters and one son - Amy, James Orrin and Ennis. These are verging on to manhood and womanhood and around them their parents find their interests, sympathies and hopes clustering more closely as the years roll by.

In politics Mr. Boggs is a republican, having cast his political fortunes with the great war party on its organization and having adhered steadily to its teachings since. A man of benevolent impulses, he connected himself some years ago with that most ancient of all the beneficial orders, the Masons, in whose mystic rites and ceremonies he has taken much interest as well as in its broad and charitable purposes. He has taken all the degrees up to and including that of Knight Templar, being a member of Manchester Lodge, No. 165, A. F. and A. M., Olive Branch Chapter, No. 48, R. A. M., and Nazareth Commandery, No. 33. He belongs also to the Ancient Order of United Workmen.