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Note: listed 28 Feb. 1930 in father's will as Henry T. Edwards, son, res. Puyallup, WA 21 Feb. 1931, age 58 yrs old, res; Puyallup, WA
Henry4 (John3.Jefferson2,Eli1) was born 22 August 1870, Iron Hill, Jackson Co. Iowa, into a Welsh-Protestant and Irish Catholic family. Until the death of his mother, Mary Francis Conley, in 1880, Henry4 would be raised in the Catholic faith. Baptismal records were found in St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Gerryowen, Iowa for Henry's sisters, but none for him. The other Catholic Church in the region was St. Aloysious located in Butler Twp of Jackson Co. Iowa. There had been a series of fires and no parish records survived. In 1998, the small church building was being used as a farm equipment shed. Down the dirt road in the St. Aloysious Cemetery is buried John Conley, the grandfather of Henry4 and the father of Mary Francis. Little is known about Mary Francis' mother, Bridget Sheridan or Riley. She disappeared from the Jackson Co. vital records before 1870. Henry4 grew up surrounded by cousins whose forefathers had settled the farming communities of Iron Hill Emeline, and Crabbtown, located in Jackson Co. Iowa. He was a healthy, very inquisitive farm child, with curly brown-red hair and twinkling blue eyes set in a round face. In baggy pants, and his shirttail hanging out, he tagged after everyone. His little hands and nose poked in every nook and cranny concerning farm life. He loved animals and would laugh with delight when the baby ducks and geese ate feed out of his hands. In the springtime, he could be found out in the barn watching mothers with their new babies. Henry4 developed into a strong wide shouldered individual, with blue eyes that twinkled when he laughed or smiled. At maturity, he stood 6 feet tall and was 200 pounds. Hardly any physical exertion was required for Henry4 to lift up the feed and grain sacks and bales of hay and toss them into the back of the supply wagon as if they were matchsticks. Fortunately for any foes, Henry4 had a gentle humorous disposition. He was slow to anger and usually thought out things before he acted. He was half-Irish and always a champion of the "underdog." He would not be pushed into a corner, and if the occasion arose, he was a good man with his fists. Being the oldest son he would spend much of his time with his father being taught the responsibilities of running a farm. Before and after school Henry4 worked beside his father. In the fields they walked behind the horse drawn plow sowing the seeds in straight rows. They knew the rain and sunshine had to come in appropriate amounts for the garden and the crops to grow. A bountiful harvest would fill the feed bins and extra crops could be sold or traded for items at the farmer's market. They also knew "Mother Nature" could send a hailstorm or tornado to destroy a year's worth of work. To add to the food larder, the men also fished from the riverbanks and hunted in the woods for the wild game and cured the meat in the smokehouse. In his youth, Henry4 wore his curly hair short and his moustache trimmed. His dress was simple; red flannel trapdoor longjohns, flannel shirt, bibbed overalls, hat, and high top boots, heavy or light jacket depending on the weather. He felt uncomfortable in suits with their boiled shirts and tight collars. Throughout his life it would be very rare occasion when he "gussied up"
In 1880, Henry4 lived with his parents and siblings in Jackson Co. Iowa.
1880, Farmers Creek Twp, Jackson Co. IA. John Edwards, w.m., 34, IA, Mary Francis Edwards, wife, 29, IA, Louisa J. Edwards, dau., 10, IA, HenryT. Edwards, son, 08, IA, Maggie J. Edwards, dau, 07, IA, John B. Edwards, son, 04, IA, Robert H. Edwards, son, 01, IA (2 Unlisted children) Lenora Elizabeth Edwards, b. 16 Jan. 1877, d.13 May 1878 Jefferson Edwards, b. Aug. 1880, d. 26 Aug. 1880, buried Willison Cem.
In August of 1880, Mary Francis (Conley) Edwards, gave birth to a son, Jefferson4 Edwards. On 17 August 1880, Mary Francis (Conley) Edwards, died from "Bright's Disease" or degenerative kidney disease. She was buried beside a daughter in Jackson Co.'s Willison Cemetery. On 26, August 1880, the baby, Jefterson4 died. John3 had lost his first wife, Sarah, in childbirth, now his son, Jefferson4 and his second wife, Mary Francis was gone leaving him to raise five growing children. Even with the help of his brothers and sisters keeping the family together and running the farm proved to be quite a task. He finally hired an Irish housekeeper, Mary Wallace, the daughter of Thomas and Ann B. (Conklin) Wallace. Mary Wallace was no stranger to the Edwards family. Mary and Henry's4 wife, Lydia Belle Clark, were first cousins through the Conklin line. On 0l April 1882, John3 and Mary Wallace were married in Jackson Co. From this union were born three more children, Lydia Ann4, Martha4 and Richard W4.
The family was listed in the 1885 Jackson Co. Iowa census in HH #185/193 John Edwards, 38, w.m., b. 1847, Jackson Co. IA, farm, R 85, T2, S 18, Mary (Wallace) Edwards, 23, w.f., b.c. 1862, Jackson Co. IA., keepshouse, Louise J. Edwards, dau. 15, w.f., b.c. 1870, Jackson Co. IA., HenryT. Edwards, son, 13, w.m., b.c. 1872, Jackson Co. IA Maggie J. Edwards, dau. 11, w.f., b.c. 1874, Jackson Co. IA John B. Edwards, son. 09, w.m., b.c. 1876, Jackson Co. IA Robert H Edwards, son, 06, w.m., b.c. 1879, Jackson Co. IA
Later John3 moved his family across the state to Woodbury Co. Iowa. John3, Mary, and son, Richard4 and other family members were listed in Woodbury's platmap guide to farmers' holdings. In 1976, Henry4 daughter, EtheI5, and great granddaughter, Earlene7 paid the first of many visits to Jackson Co. Iowa. Between Iron Hill and Maquoketa, they found one of the red brick schoolhouses attended by the Edwards and Clarks. The small building's four walls had remained intact and were being used as a haybarn. At Iron Hill, only the general store and several homes remained. Part of the town had been bulldozed away for the highway in the 1930's. (May 1998, the old store was still standing, but leaning dangerous to one side.) Further down the dirt road set the East Iron Church and cemetery. The church's exterior had received a new coat of white paint. In the cemetery the grass had been trimmed around the granite headstones that held the names of the early settlers. Henry's4 education was obtained in the one-room schoolhouse where all eight grades were taught. When the morning bell rang, he and his cousins lined up at the door and moved in single file to their seats. Imagine a room filled with 20-30 students, all related. They were very protective of each other and heaven helps the outsider who tried to harm them. Henry's4 daughters, Myrtle5 and Gertrude5 related the story about the "greenhorn", schoolteacher who had set out to civilize the "wild" country kids. He had come to Iowa's farm country from the eastern seaboard area with the idea the only way to teach was to be a knit picking tyrant and constantly use a hack paddle. There was always criticism and never praise. Little of anything could be accomplished when the room was always filled with tension. Henry4 and his cousins had enough of the man and his unholy ways. Something had to be done to bring the matter out into the open and in front of witnesses. The chance finally came on Halloween night when the teacher �wilded� away the hours at a dance eyeing the pretty girls and drinking spiked punch. Since this was the night for pranks, no one seemed to notice the teacher's fancy buggy with its velvet green fringed seat disappearing into the darkness. At the schoolhouse, the buggy was disassembled and the flagpole ropes hoisted everything up to the rooftop. Hours later the teacher returned for his buggy to find only his matched team tied to the hitching rack. A search was made and from the back of the group someone reported in the bright moonlight he had seen the shape of something that looked a buggy perched on the schoohouse roof. Upon learning what had happened to his precious buggy, the spiked punch got the best of the teacher�s temper and he exploded in front of everyone. He started swearing loudly and stomping his feet. Then he made one of the biggest mistakes of his life, he threatened to get to the bottom of things even if it met beating every child in his class until he learned the truth. Before he had time to think about his words, he was grabbed by a child�s father and thrown back against the barn wall. The teacher landed in a heap on the ground. He sobered up very quickly, and tried to apologize. The damage was done, and now the parents knew that their children had not been telling tales to skip school. The teacher was pulled to his feet, and was met by other angry fathers who had retrieved their shotguns. If he even again threatened to harm or strike any child, he would be wearing 'tar and feathers" and get a ride on a "rail" as his going away gift. For the rest of the night, no one spoke to him. When the party finally broke up he was left on his own to ride one of his horse's home in the bright moonlight. The next morning, someone had to be hired to get the buggy off the roof. The "someone" was Henry4 and his cousins. They tried very hard not to laugh when they accepted his money. Soon after the incident the teacher resigned to seek out a safer location. (see Lydia for continuation)
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