Born at Catskill, New York in March 3, 1815, and was the son of John Elias and Ruhama Darby. He married Lucy Tuttle, born at Rochester, New York. They came overland to Winterset in 1855 from Ohio where he was principal of schools at Merlin. He began teaching in an unfinished school here. Later he purchased land in Penn Twp. and established his permanent home. He was an ardent abolitionist and his home was a station on the Underground Railroad for runaway slaves. It was known as the "Grout" house due to the material from which it was constructed. Mr. Darby was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, became a Minister and rode the circuit when Adair County was a Mission District. Later he was a Minister at both Adel and DeSoto, but continued to live on the farm in Penn Twp. He served in the State Legislature in 1864.