Elijah Hart

ELIJAH HART, an enterprising farmer of Osceola Township, is a native of Ohio, born in Muskingum County, December 10, 1833. His father, John Hart, was a native of Pennsylvania, and his mother of Ohio. The mother died when Elijah was quite small, and his father afterward moved to Morrow County, where he was reared and educated. In 1853 he came to Iowa and lived in Muscatine County eighteen months.  In the winter of 1856 he located on Clarke County, on what is known as the old Mormon Trace, in the southern part of the county, where he lived until after the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, when he enlisted in the defense of his country, and was assigned to Company F, Sixth Iowa Infantry. He was with his regiment at Shiloh, Corinth, Resaca, New Hope Church, and with Sherman on his march to the sea, his last battle being at Griswoldsville. He served faithfully four years and received an honorable discharge in July, 1865.  After the war he came again to Iowa, and engaged in farming in Clarke County. He was married in February, 1866, to Miss S. E. Wade, and after his marriage located on the farm where he now lives, on section 1, township 72, range 25, which contains 200 acres of valuable land, the most of which is now under cultivation. He has given considerable attention to stock-raising, and has been successful in that industry, having a fine grade of horses, cattle and hogs. Mr. Hart was elected justice of the peace in 1881 and served four years. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, taking an interest in everything that pertains to his comrades in arms. He and his wife are members of the Christian church, which he served as elder. They have two children – William and Effie E.

SOURCE: Biographical and Historical Record of Clarke County, Iowa, Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1886 p. 428-9