Fayette County IAGenWeb

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Byron Mabon

Byron Mabon, dealer in live-stock, of Hawkeye, Iowa, was born in Kane County, Ill., March 4, 1857, and is a son of Thomas C. and Julia A. (McMasters) Mabon. His father was born in Schenectady County, N. Y., March 14, 1811, and his mother in the same county on the 13th of January, 1819, of German parentage. The Mabon family was of Scotch origin. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mabon were born nine children, three sons and six daughters. Margaret A., the eldest, was born in Schenectady County, N. Y., in 1838, and is now the wife of Henry Wilkinson, of Aurora, Ill., by whom she has three children, a son and two daughters. They also lost three children. Mr. Wilkinson is a trusted employee in the car shops of Aurora, where he has been engaged for thirty consecutive years. George W., born April 15, 1840, resides on a farm in Center Township. He was twice married, his first wife being Augusta Howard, of Kane County, Ill., who died March 21, 1887, at the age of forty years. In September, 1887, he married Mrs. Jessie Averrill, daughter of George and Laura E. McFall. He and his son, E. A., are stock dealers of Hawkeye. Susan, who was born in 1842, is the wife of Carroll Howard, of Gault, Whiteside County, Ill., and unto them have been born nine children, four sons and five daughters. Arabella, born in 1844, is the wife of Ephraim Cornwell, of Winona, Minn., and unto them have been born seven children, of whom two sons and two daughters are yet living. Mr. Cornwell is engaged in the lumber business. John P., born February 13, 1846, is engaged in farming in Jacksonburg, Smith County, Kan. He wedded Anna Teets, daughter of Andrew and Olive Teets, by whom he had four children, one son and one daughter yet living. Katie J., born in April, 1850, died in February, 1868. Elizabeth, born March 11, 1853, is the wife of Benjamin Curley, a lumbermerchant of Fairhaven, Wash., and unto them have been born two sons

and a daughter, but one child was killed by lightning in Winona, Minn. Ida, wife of George Austin, a farmer of Randalia, Iowa, was born in Kane County, Ill., in 1855, and they are the parents of three children, a son and twin daughters.

Byron Mabon, whose name heads this sketch, is the youngest of the family of nine. The first twelve years of his life were spent in his native State and on the 9th of May, 1869, he accompanied his parents to Iowa, the family locating near Brush Creek, in this county, where they resided two years, removing at the end of that time to a farm in Center Township. Byron received liberal educational advantages. Having attained to years of maturity he was united in marriage with Miss Laura E. McFall, daughter of George and Laura E. (Barstow) McFall, both of whom were natives of Ohio, the former born February 22, 1829, and the latter December 25, 1836. They were married in October, 1858, at Lancaster, Wis., where six daughters were born unto them - Mrs. Mabon, who was born August 6, 1859, being the eldest. Jessie G., born August 31, 1861, is the wife of G. W. Mabon, previously mentioned in this sketch; Addie, born September 17, 1863, is the wife of Chester Miner, of Hawkeye, and they have one son and two daughters; Inez, wife of Charles Merry who is engaged in the creamery business at Plattsville, Wis., was born October 14, 1864, and is now the mother of two children, one living; Luna, born May 23, 1871, is at home. The mother of this family died March 23, 1873, and in March, 1880, Mr. McFall wedded Martha Bushnell, by whom he has three children - Edward, born in February, 1881; Sadie, born in 1884; and Jennie, born in 1887. Mr. McFall holds the position of Superintendent of the Insane Hospital and County Farm of Grant County, Wis. George McFall was in the employ of the Government as Surveyor of Oregon, California and Washington Territory, and was in Omaha, Neb., when there was but one house there.

Mr. and Mrs. Mabon also have an interesting family of four children - George, born March 23, 1877; Katie J., July 26, 1879; Thomas C., September 6, 1887; and Edna, January 24, 1890. The family circle yet remains unbroken and in the midst of the little group which gathers around the fireside is seen Grandpa Mabon, father of our subject, who finds there a pleasant home where he is loved and revered by children and grandchildren.

As before stated Mr. Mabon is engaged in raising speed horses and now has on hand two fine racers - "Sorrel Mack" and "Brown Moak," for which he has refused excellent prices. He employs a regular trainer and uses a private track. He has just completed a barn 30x60 feet for the accommodation of transients and for his own use. He buys and ships to market $20,000 dollars worth of stock annually, dealing largely in horses and cattle. He is known over a large radius of country contiguous to his shipping points at Hawkeye, Fayette, Randalia and West Union, and is regarded as an upright, honorable man who in his business overreaches no one but pays the highest price the market affords. In politics he is a stanch Republican