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ROBERT L. JACKSON, Hopkinton, Iowa. The subject of this
sketch is the youngest of eleven children, eight of whom are
living. He was born at Hopkinton, Iowa, May 6, 1862. The greater
part of his life has been spent at Hopkinton. After attending
the public school of the place for some time he entered Lenox
College, where he pursued a four years' course, and in 1888,
graduated from the institution, receiving the degree of B. S.
Mr. Jackson has always sought the welfare of his native town and
of its institutions. During his last year in college he
succeeded in getting his class interested in a number of
movements that would benefit the college. About two years
before this time a movement was started by the Old Students'
association of the college, having for its aim the raising of
funds with which to erect a building in which to hold the
meetings of the association. Some interest was taken in the
movement for a time but finally was almost abandoned. Mr.
Jackson succeeded in having a meeting appointed at which members
of the college alumni, of the Old Students' Association and of
his class were present. At this meeting an organization was
affected which subsequently led to the raising of funds for the
erection of a young ladies' boarding hall. At the solicitation
of the board of trustees of the college Mr. Jackson consented to
work, during the summer 1888, in the interests of the college,
he succeeding in raising considerable money for the new
building. October 12, 1888, he began the publication at
Hopkinton of the Delaware County Leader, and has since
continued to be its editor and proprietor.
The paper has been prosperous from the beginning, and its
editor contemplates enlarging its pages. Besides doing
considerable job work, this office prints the Lenox Nutshell,
a paper published in the interest of the college.
Leroy Jackson and Jerusha M. Wright were married at
Dubuque, October 31, 1837. As a result of this union eleven
children were born. Harvey was born November 10, 1838, died
April 15, 1840. William H., born August 5, 1840, died while a
soldier in the Union army at Vicksburg, July 4,1863; he was a
member of Company K, Twenty-first Iowa infantry. Mary Louise,
born January 21,1842. Henry C., born February 23, 1844. Martha
Anna, born February 7,1846. Edward, born October 29, 1848. Susan
C., born December 18, 1851. Charles W., born May 25, 1854;died
March 21,1856. Frank Christopher, born May 23, 1857. Fredrick
Leroy, born March 28, 1860. Robert Louis, born May 6,1862.
Leroy Jackson was the fifth of eleven children, and was
born at Greenville, Muhlenburg county, Ky., February 6,1804, and
died November, 1884. The children of the family were: Nancy,
born May 15, 1798; Elisha, born April 13,1800; Samuel, born May
11, 1802; Leroy, born February 6,1804; Elizabeth, born September
26, 1806; Martha, born March 80,1808; Mary, born July 1, 1810;
Ester, born May 28, 1812; Christopher, born January 27,1816;
Susanah, born October 10, 1819; Harvey, born October 24, 1822.
When twenty-two years old, Leroy Jackson went to New Orleans
where he engaged in the commission business. Not being able to
stand the climate he returned to Kentucky, and afterward was in
charge of boat loads of goods which were taken to the New
Orleans market. When returning from one of these trips he and
Abraham Lincoln were fellow passengers and became well
acquainted. Mr. Jackson lived in Missouri about five years. He
joined a company during the Black Hawk war, afterward spent a
part of two summers at Galena, Ill. He was in Iowa as early as
1828. He was employed at Galena, Prairie du Chien and Dubuque as
an Indian trader. While thus engaged a number of men crossed the
river with the intention of making a permanent settlement at
Dubuque. The territory, however, was not open to settlement, and
a company of soldiers under the command of Jefferson Davis were
dispatched to drive the settlers back to the Illinois side of
the river. Within a few months Dubuque was permanently settled
and Mr. Jackson was one of the first to become a settler. He
bought property, built the first brick house in Dubuque, if not
in the state, and kept the first hotel there. While Mr. Jackson
was living in Dubuque, a man, who owned property where Chicago
now stands, offered him a large tract of land for one third as
much of Dubuque land. The trade was not made as it was known
that much of the Chicago land was either below the surface of
the water or a series of almost impassable marshes. It was
thought at that time that Dubuque would be the large town of the
West. In 1833 he went to Delaware county on a trading
expedition, and liked the country so well that he returned in
1840, bought land and lived here until his death. He was the
first permanent settler in Hopkinton. He and H. A. Carter laid
out the town of Hopkinton. He engaged in farming, milling and
the dairy business. He was one of the founders of Lenox college,
and in after years when that institution was in debt he paid off
the indebtedness, thereby having the entire property in his
name. He then deeded the property to the Presbyterian synod. He
was the first sheriff of the county and held the office three
years. He afterwards held other offices in the county.
Jesse Jackson, father of Leroy Jackson, was born in
Virginia, April 13,1770; died at Greenville, Ky., January, 1847.
When sixteen years old he had planned to go to Kentucky with a
party of settlers, but on the day of starting was detained. The
party, however, started out at the appointed time and before
reaching Kentucky all were killed by the Indians. Another party,
of which Mr. Jackson was a member, settled in Kentucky a few
months later and on the way saw the remains of the former party.
Jesse Jackson was a farmer and millwright; owned slaves and
engaged quite extensively in raising tobacco. Jesse Jackson's
father was an eminent doctor and was in the Revolutionary army
under Washington. Here the ancestry, which is English and
French, is traced with the early history of the American
colonies. NOTE: It is not likely that this sketch would
have been written had Jesse Jackson, above mentioned, joined the
party in Virginia as was the intention. He, like the members of
that party, would probably have been murdered by the Indians.
Mrs. J. M. Jackson, nee Wright, was
born in New York city, June 19, 1819. She was the eldest of
seven children. William H. Wright was born February 22, 1821,
died June 25, 1821; Mary Ann Hubbord, born September 8, 1822,
died at the age of eleven years; Russell Nevins born March 20,
1825, died July 27, 1826 Eliza Townsend, born February 25, 1828,
died March 18, 1888; Catherine Louise born March 19, 1830;
Henrietta Davenport, born January 23, 1832, died at the age of
six months.
William H. Wright, the father, was born July 10, 1794. In
this family then were seven children: David Wright, the
father of William H., was a prominent lawyer, of New London,
Conn. He married Martha Hubbord, daughter of Russell Hubbord,
husband of Mary Gray Hubbord. The Hubbords are of English
origin. David Wright, above mentioned, is the third in
succession by the name of David. From these the ancestry is
traced directly to Governor John Haynes, who was governor of
Massachusetts and afterward governor of the town of Hartford,
Conn. The ancestry is now easily traced from Haynes and wife to
the nobility of England and even to many crowned heads.
Relatives of the Jackson family have a family tree in which
forty-one generations are traced. Mary Ann Wade, the wife of
William L. Wright, was the daughter of Edward Wade. Edward
Wade's parents came from England and were trades-people, Mary
Ann Wade's grandparents, on her mother's side, were named Box.
Her grandfather was in the Revolutionary army. During his
absence the British officers took possession of his house,
leaving but a small part for the use of his wife and children.
But little more is known of the Box ancestry than that they were
natives of Holland.
Mrs. J. M. Jackson, mother of the subject of this
sketch, is still living at Hopkinton, and at the time this
sketch is written celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the
settlement in Hopkinton. |
