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Samuel Fereday

Samuel Fereday is one of the extensive land owners of Fayette County, his possessions aggregating 510 acres. His comfortable home is situated on section 4, Smithfield Township, where he has long resided. He was born on the 20th of Feb., 1827, in England, and reared in Staffordshire. For several generations the family had made coal mining their chief industry and that occupation was followed by Allen Fereday, father of our subject, who was born in Shropshire, England. In his native county he married Charlotte Wallet, and their union was blessed with the following children, of whom the eldest, Frank, died in his native land; Sarah there makes her home; Allen is deceased; Thomas is a druggist in England; Mary and Joseph are still living in that country; Samuel is the next younger; Moses is a miner in his native land; Anna is living in England; and Aaron and Emma are deceased. The father of this family died in Staffordshire, November 6, 1858, his wife surviving him some time. Both were members of the Methodist Church and were respected citizens.

We now take up the history of our subject who may truly be called a self-made man. He began earning his bread at the age of eight years in the coal mines of England and there worked until he came to America. It was a fortunate day in his history when he determined to cross the Atlantic to the new world. He was married May 2, 1847, to Miss Ann Rollisson, a native of Staffordshire, and daughter of Benjamin and Ann (Robinson) Rollisson. Her parents also came to America. The mother died in Pennsylvania and the father in Illinois. Her brother Benjamin is living in Smithfield Township and follows farming. In 1849, Mr. and Mrs. Fereday set sail for New York and after a voyage of many days reached their destination. They stopped first in Pittsburg, where for sixteen years he worked in the mines, being in the employ of one company for all but four years of that time. He came to Iowa in 1866, determined to spend the remainder of his life in agricultural pursuits and settled upon his present farm in Smithfield Township, Fayette County. An old log house constituted the improvements so the work of cultivation and development has all been performed by our subject. He first bought two hundred and eighty acres to which he added from time to time, as his financial resources were increased, until now five hundred and ten acres pay golden tribute to his care and cultivation. Need we affirm that he is a self-made man and does he not deserve credit for his success? Without capital he began life and has worked his way upward step by step to a position of wealth and affluence.

The children born unto Mr. and Mrs. Fereday are Samuel, a farmer, who married Eliza Brooks and died in 1889, leaving a widow and two children; Thomas, who was born in England, worked in the mines as a boy, wedded Mary Rickes, and is now engaged in agricultural pursuits in Fairfield Township; Aaron, who was born in Pennsylvania and died in childhood; Charlotte, wife of John Higman, of Manchester, Delaware County, Iowa; Ann, wife of David Derflinger, of Oelwein; Benjamin, who wedded Ann Rickes and operates a farm adjoining the old homestead; Isaac, who married Josephine Bassett and lives in Michigan; Allen, who was united in marriage with Annie Killerlane, a native of Wisconsin, and operates the old home farm; Jane, wife of Orrin Bunce, of Oelwein; and Mary, a milliner of Aurora. Her father built her a store and she also owns three lots and is doing a good business. The children were reared to habits of industry and economy, were well educated in the common branches and have become useful men and women and respected members of society.

Mr. and Mrs. Fereday and daughter Mary attend the United Brethren Church. He has filled a number of local offices but cares little for political preferment, desiring rather to give his entire attention to his business interests, in which he has met with most excellent success. He supported the Republican party until within the past four years, since which time he has affiliated with the Democratic party. His adopted land has indeed been a home to him and America has no truer citizen. He has never yet had occasion to regret leaving his native land and although he retains a love for it as the land of his birth he would not exchange his present residence for one in 'merrie England'.