Treverious G. Price was born June 27, 1846, in Jefferson Township, Clayton County. His parents were Eliphalet and Mary A. (Cottle) Price, the former a native of New Jersey, and the latter of Missouri. They had eight children, of whom Treverious was the fourth. His early life was passed on his father's farm in Jefferson Township, and his winters were spent in the common schools. At the age of sixteen he entered Upper Iowa University, and remained one year. After leaving this school he enlisted in the Forty-seventh Iowa Infantry, and served the 100 days for which that regiment was called. The Forty-seventh was engaged principally on garrison duty at Holly Springs, Miss. Mustered out in the early part of 1865, he returned to Elkader, and entered the law-office of Hunt & Price. He remained here two years reading law, but before completing his studies he took a contract for putting up telegraph line on the line of the Northern Pacific in Dakota. In 1873 he was given a position in the mail service of the United States, beginning his duties as mail messenger on the I.E.R.R., April 17. The following year he was transferred to the river road, where he served four years. Feb. 20, 1881, he was appointed Postmaster at Elkader, by Postmaster-General James. He took the office March 1. For an account of the business of his postoffice, see the history of Elkader. Mr. Price was married Nov. 1, 1873, to Mary A. Hawn, who was born in Spencer, Medina County, Ohio, Jan. 29, 1843. They have one son-- Avalo Price. Mrs. Price died at Elkader, Aug. 18, 1879, after a lingering illness of eight months. Mr. Price is politically a Republican. He was Justice
of the Peace while studying law with Hunt & Price,
and for sometime afterward. In 1878, Mr. Price was
nominated by the Republican Convention for the office of
County Recorder, receiving an almost unanimous vote in
convention, but was defeated at the polls by a coalition
of the Democrats and Greenbackers. source: History of Clayton County, Iowa, 1882, p. 667 |