Biographies | 1896 Bios
Aaron Parkhurst York
Mr. York is a representative farmer of Dallas county, living on section 21, Colfax township. He is numbered among the native sons of Iowa, being the first white child born in Guthrie county, the date of that event being March 17, 1852. He is the second in order of birth in a family of four children whose parents were John W. and Sarah Ann (Houghfam) York, the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Indiana. The father was of English and German descent, and the mother was of Scotch and Irish lineage. She died when our subject was only four years of age, after which John York was twice married, and six sons and a daughter were added to the family. In the spring of 1851 Mr. York removed from his old home in Indiana to Guthrie county, Iowa, and has since been a resident of the State, his home being now in Wapello county, where he is living, at the age of seventy-one.
Under the parental roof, Aaron Parkhurst York spent the days of his childhood and to his father gave the benefit of his services until seventeen years of age, when he left home to make his own way in the world. Coming to Dallas county, Iowa, he was for one year employed as a farm hand in this locality, and then removed to Nevada, where for eight year he enjoyed the .pleasures and experienced the hardships of ranch life. During the succeeding four years he had charge of the wagon train engaged in freighting in the Western country. In 1882 Mr. York returned to Iowa, was married and then gave his attention to farming. He had visited Dallas county in January, 1878, and had here purchased 160 acres of land. To this he has added, as his financial resources have increased, until he now owns an excellent farm of 240 acres, valued at $50 per acre. The fields are well tilled; good improvements are seen upon the place and he raises a high grade of stock. He has always been a progressive agriculturist, constantly improving upon his own and others methods, and gaining fresh inspiration for his work from the faithful performance of each day's duty.
On the 16th of February, .1882, Mr. York married Miss Sarah Catherine Rail, a native of Van Buren county, Iowa, and to them have been born eight children: Flora M., born December 5, 1882; Joseph M., born January 8, 1884; Cora B., born February 7, 1885; Charles W., born June 2, 1887; Lueweltha, born January 10, 1889; Walter J, born March 31, 1890; Sarah, who was born February 9, 1892, and died the following day; and Fred Lee, born August 10, 1895.
Mr. York has traveled from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, spending six months in California, and has seen much of this country, gaining from his experiences a knowledge of his native land that can never be secured from books. In politics he is an advocate of Republican principles, is now serving as Township Trustee, and for some time has been officially connected with the schools. He was reared in the faith of the Quaker Church, but he and his wife are now members of the Methodist Church.
A Memorial and Biographical Record of Iowa, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company 1896, pg. 772.