Dennis Austin, a fanner on section 6, Lyndon Township, owns a valuable farm of
220 acres, pleasantly and desirably located
about three miles south of Morrison. The
place is increased in appearance and value
by shade and ornamental trees and shrubs.
Mr. Austin was born Dec. 30, 1825, in Allenville,
Switzerland Co., Ind. William Austin, his father,
was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., in 1794, and was
descended from the early emigrants to New England.
During the war of 1812 he raised a company of volunteer soldiers and started for Plattsburg, where a
battle was in progress, but arrived too late to take
active share in it.
He married Margaret Livings, a native of New
Jersey, of mixed English and German parentage.
After their marriage they resided a brief period in the
State of New York, and went thence to Hamilton
Co., Ohio. They lived two years in the vicinity of
Cincinnati, and then pushed on to what was in that
day the western frontier, locating in Cotton Township, Switzerland Co., Ind. The, senior Austin bought
a tract of land covered with the first forest, where he
cleared a farm, removing from it after it was well improved to a second farm in the wilderness, where he
repeated the experience and moved to a third tract
of forest. He placed the latter in improved condition, and in 1854 made a final remove to Whiteside
County, where he had previously bought 400 acres
from the United States Government, which was located in Mt. Pleasant Township. He bought a
house which he removed to section 27, and which
constituted his residence until his death, in 1859.
His wife died in 1877. Their children numbered
ten, and seven are still living (1885). Miranda, the
widow of Henry Murphy, lives in Jewell Co., Kan.
Daniel, Silas R. and Dennis live in Lyndon Township. Martin B. is a resideni of Morrison. Georgianna, wife of Homer Olmstead, lives in Cloud Co.,
Kan. William Steward is a resident at Unionville.
Mr. Austin was the assistant of his father on the
pioneer farms from the time he had sufficient strength
to operate with an ax. He improved the enforced
leisure of the winters by attendance at the district
schools, and he made his home with his father's
family until he was 23.
In September, 1848, he was joined in marriage to
Harriet Gary. She was born in Rushford, Allegany
Co., N. Y., and is the daughter of Charles and
Eunice (Spaulding) Gary. Her parents were natives
respectively of Connecticnt and Vermont. Previous
to his marriage Mr. Austin had purchased 50 acres
of land under partial improvements in Cotton Township, on which he settled with his bride and began
the world on his own responsibility. He operated as
a farmer on his property, clearing and extending the
improvements and increasing its value until 1854.
In the autumn of that year he came to Whiteside
County to engage in agricultural pursuits under more
favorable circumstances. He purchased land in
Lyndon Township, then known as township 20,
range 5 east. His land was located on section 6,
and was wholly guiltless of the arts of the husbandman. Mr. Austin rented a farm during the first year,
and in 1856 began the work of improvement of his
own property. He built a frame house of unpretentious character, which his family occu_pied 20 years,
when he erected the dwelling in which they now reside,
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Austin number
eight: Millard married Alice Moss, and lives in
Cloud Co., Kan.; Frank married Sophia Follinsby
and resides in Clark Co., D. T.; Esther is the wife of
S. A. Maxwell, of Unionville (see sketch); Olive
married Frank Wenner, a farmer in Clark Co., D. T.;
Lincoln is a farmer in Clark Co., D. T.; Hattie, Clara
E. and Clark were born next in order; Harrison,
fourth child, married Ellen Follinsby, and died in
Exeter, Neb., aged 24 years. He left a child, who resides with the widowed mother in Clark Co., D. T.
Portraits and Biographical Pg 194
