Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-01-04
CHAPTER I.

CHAPTER /.
On the thirteenth day of March,
in the year of our Lord one thou
sand eight hundred and thirty-nine,
/ was born in the village of Elsham,
Lincolnshire, England. OF my an
cestry I have little knowledge.
only know because / have been told
by good authority, that my paternal
grandfather, whose name was John
Green, and my grandmother. whose
maiden name was Ann Johnson,
were both of the same county of
Lincoln, my grandfather dying at
the age of 72 and grandmother ten
years later, at the age of II.
1t is with a deep sense of graft
tude to Almighty God for his pre-
serving care over me through the
years of my life, that l undertake at
the request of my beloved wife and
children, this brief record, we'll
knowing that l must of necessity
omit many things because they have
passed out of my remembrance, for
I never kept a diary of my doings
nor have l ever charged my memory
particularly with the incidents and
events of my life; sufice it to say
then. that in the absence of written
data. can only recall such things
as have stuck in my memory amid
the crowding events of passing
years.
Nor am / such conceited oaf as
to imagine for a moment that any
thing which may be set down in
these records could be of interest
to any one outside of my own fam
lily, with possibly the exception of
some Of my relatives or near per-
sonal friends. But even so / under
take to narrate in as simple a man
ner as l may be able to command
the few things which may seem to
me to be not altogether unworthy
of mention, all the while trusting
that whatever errors shall appear or
whatever incidents may be recalled
and written down, which may seem
to be too trivial to be worthy of
notice, will be generously over
looked by my partial friends.
In my grandfather's family there
were five boys and one girl. The
names of the boys were William.
James, David, Samuel and Johnson,
and the name of the daughter was
Maria.
My fathers name was Samuel,
who, as I am informed. was next
to the youngest. David emigrated
to America in 1852 and settled in
Ohio. Some of his children now
reside at Dayton and others at Troy,
in that state.
My mothers maiden name was
Martha Nilsson. She was married
twice. my father being her second
husband. She was the mother of
fourteen children, eleven by her
first husband, Mr.. Leedham, and
three by my father. OF the Iced
hams, as far as / know, only two
are living at the present time,
William, who resides at Lyons,
Iowa, and Mary Ann, who married
Joseph Messmer, and who have
Teen residents Of Florida many
years. My only brother died in in.
fancy, and my only sister. Clara.
has been living with her husband
and children in st. Louis, Missouri
for the past forty years.
The boys in my grandfather.
family were all musicians of some
local prominence. One of my earli
est recollections Is associated with
the musical penchant Of my father
and his brothers; they were in the
habit Of meeting for rehearsal oc'
casionally of an evening at the
tailor shop of one of my uncles
and It was there my father would
take me when ] could not have beer
more than four or five years old
and even at this late day recall
with sensations Of pleasure the Joy
ous times spent at my uncle's tailor