OBED BLAKESLEE was born in Linn County, Iowa, on April 15, 1845. He married Melissa Williams of Linn County in the winter of 1873 and soon afterward moved to Cass County, where he purchased 435 acres in Section 3 of Brighton Township and erected the house which now stands to the south of the Interstate one mile east of the Marne interchange. Obed Blakeslee expanded his operations until he owned 1280 acres, on which he annually harvested 15,000-20,000 bushels of pop corn, and was widely known as the "Popcorn King". His children were named Orrin, Edith, Edna, Inez, Lois, and Ralph. Mr. Blakeslee died on July 8, 1903, at the age of fifty-eight; his wife died in 1930.

Transcribed from "The First Century, A History of Marne, Iowa 1875 - 1975", published in 1975, Marne, Iowa: The Marne Centennial Historical Committee, pg. 23. Transcribed (2015) by Cheryl Siebrass and contributed September, 2019.

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