John Newsome

JOHN NEWSOME has been a resident of Clarke County since 1868. His home is in the northeast quarter of section 2, Franklin Township. He has a fine stock farm of 215 acres, consisting of upland, meadow and timber land, on the main branch of Whitebreast Creek. He has made nearly all of the improvements since he occupied the place.  Mr. Newsome was born November 13, 1834, in West Riding, Yorkshire, England. His parents were James and Rebecca (Illingworth) Newsome, who reared a family of ten children, all of whom are living and prospering. All except the eldest, William, are living in the United States. James Newsome, in early life, was a weaver by occupation, and his son John, the subject of this sketch, was reared to the same calling.  He embarked from Liverpool for the United States on the “City of Manchester,” March 21, 1854, reaching Philadelphia May 10. Near this point he engaged work in a cotton mill for a short time. In June, of the same year, he went to work in a woolen mill at Rockdale, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, where he remained until he volunteered in defense of his adopted country, under the first call of President Lincoln for volunteers.  He enlisted in the Anderson guards, Philadelphia, April 16, 1861, and would have started for Washington, D.C., on the evening of the 19th, but for the attack of the Baltimore mob on the Sixth Massachusetts Volunteers and three companies of their regiment, who were unarmed and got back to Philadelphia with great difficulty. They were eventually mustered into the United States service on May 25, as Company B., Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers, under Colonel Small, for three years or during the war. August, 1861, Company B was detached to guard Government stores, in Washington, D.C.  In the spring of 1862, when General McClellan was about to start on the Peninsula campaign, Sergeant Newsome wrote a petition which all the non-commissioned officers signed, asking to take the field with the regiment. The petition failed, but a second petition, January, 1863, was granted by General Hooker, who formerly commanded their brigade, and was then commanding the Army of the Potomac. The company met its baptism of fire at Chancellorsville, losing very heavily. Sergeant Newsome was wounded in the right thigh and taken prisoner. He was exchanged and rejoined his regiment the following September. In the movements of the army, before the close of 1863, Mr. Newsome bore an honorable part. He re-enlisted as a veteran in January, 1864.  While on furlough, March 10, 1864, he was married at Rockdale, to Miss Elizabeth Murphy, who was born in Philadelphia, December 25, 1836. She was a daughter of Moses and Elizabeth Murphy.  Rejoining the Army of the Potomac, he was mustered in as Lieutenant of his company, in April 1864, and from that time until the 27th of May, took part in the battles under Grant.  June 18 he was honorably discharged at Philadelphia. During the raid of General Early on Washington, Lieutenant Newsome again tendered his services, but was not accepted owing to disease contracted in the service.  Mr. and Mrs. Newsome continued to live in Rockdale until 1868 and then came to Clarke County. Mr. Newsome’s record has been, in all respects, an honorable one. They have four children – Frank, Bertha, Rebecca E. and Mabel.  James H., a twin brother, died at the age of three months.  The parents of Mr. Newsome came to the United States in 1856. They died in Union township, Lucas County. Of their sons and daughters living in the United States, besides John, there are James, Samuel, Daniel, Mrs. Sarah Gore, Mrs. Rebecca Gore, reside in Delaware County, Pennsylvania; Wright, Mrs. Ann Perkins, and Mrs. Mary Maloney live in Lucas County.

SOURCE: Biographical and Historical Record of Clarke County, Iowa, Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1886 p. 307-8