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Henry Badger

A descendant of one of the excellent and influential pioneer families of Fayette county is Henry Badger, owner of a well kept and highly productive farm in Union township, near Elgin.  He is a native of this locality, having been born in Fayette county. He received a fairly good education in the public schools which he attended during the winter-time and worked on the home farm during crop seasons, and, thus early becoming interested in and acquainted with the various phases of farming, he has chosen to devote his life work to the same and he has not labored without adequate results, as his neat home and attractive farm attest. His farm consists of seventy-two acres.

Mr. Badger was married in 1895 to Addie Perrine, daughter of an honored family of this county, where she grew to maturity and was educated, and this union has resulted in the birth of one daughter, bearing the pretty name, Bernice May.

Henry Badger is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and also belongs to the Yeoman lodge.  Politically, he is a Democrat, but he does not aspire to offices of public trust, preferring to devote his attention to his farming.

Mr. Badger's father, Richard Badger, was a man of sterling worth and influence in his day and generation and a detailed account of his life and work is deemed advisable in the history of Fayette county, where he spent much of his useful life; however, he was a native of Lower Canada, where his birth occurred on December 25, 1829, the son of Elisha and Rebecca Badger, both born in Canada, where they spent their early childhood days on the farm. At least that is their record so far as the present generation is able to determine. In the year 1838 the Badger family left there and came to Illinois, where Elisha and Rebecca Badger lived until their deaths, having spent their lives on a farm. Richard Badger was educated in the common schools of Illinois and reared on a farm. When twenty-nine years of age he came to Iowa, locating near Fayette, where he began farming and became the owner of a fine tract of land of three hundred and twenty acres, four miles southeast of Maynard. He carried on general farming and stock raising on a extensive scale, being one of the leading agriculturists of that community.

Richard Badger married, on November 1, 1857, Lucy Lucrettia Gray, who was born December 7, 1839. She was the daughter of John B. and Lucy (Heth) Gray, both natives of Saratoga county, New York. It was in 1853 that they settled in Kane county, Illinois, where they followed farming until 1857 when they came to Iowa and located in Smithfield township. Fayette county, where they became the owner of one hundred acres of land on which Mr. Gray carried on general farming until his death.

To Mr. and Mrs. Richard Badger these children were born: John Elisha, who died when three months old; Martha Estell: Harmon: Henry, of this review; Alfred, deceased; Margaret, Mary, Frank Ivan, Lucy Rebecca, Richard Elmer, Eugenia, George Earl (deceased).

Richard Badger's death occurred October 25, 1906. His wife is still living. They were excellent people, highly respected by all who knew them.

~transcribed by CMD for Fayette County IAGenWeb