Representative Cornelius F. Spearman View All Years

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Cornelius F. Spearman

Henry County

Born in Morgan county, Illinois, February 3, 1831, and is a son of James D. and Cynthia (Frogg) Spearman, the former a native of North Carolina, and the latter of Kentucky. Mr. Spearman acquired his elementary education in the common schools and afterward attended Howe’s Academy at Mount Pleasant. He made his home with his parents until the spring of 1852, when, at the age of twenty-one years, he accompanied his two brothers and a brother-in-law to California. At length they reached a town near Nevada City, California, where they were engaged in prospecting in mining for two and a half years. Mr. Spearman became the owner of a placer mine, which he sold and then started by steamboat to return to Iowa, but the vessel struck a rock off Point Conception, on the coast of Lower California. The boat sank, while the passengers were taken off by a mail steamer and landed at Santiago, in Lower California. Two weeks later a boat came for them and took them back to San Francisco. There Mr. Spearman and other passengers embarked on another steamer for Nicaragua, traveled across that country on ponies, proceeding by lake and river to Greytown, where they took steamer for New York. They then came by rail to Burlington and by stage to Mount Pleasant. Mr. Spearman remained at home for a brief period and in 1855 removed to Fairfield, Iowa, where he was engaged in the livery business for a time but on selling out there went to Mount Pleasant, where he conducted a livery business for a year. In the fall of 1857, he again sold out and returned to his father’s place, devoting his energies to farming until September, 1861, when he enlisted as a member of Company D, Fourth Iowa Cavalry. He was elected its captain and in the winter of 1863 was promoted to the rank of major. The regiment was assigned to the Western Army and the troops proceeded to Springfield, Missouri, by way of St. Louis. They then went on to Batesville, Arkansas, and to Helena, Arkansas, where they remained for six months engaged in scout duty. Subsequently they proceeded to Vicksburg, where they were attached to the army commanded by General Sherman. After the fall of Vicksburg they went to Memphis, Tennessee, where they remained until the fall of 1869, when Major Spearman's term expired and he returned to Mount Pleasant, having served for three years as a faithful defender of the Union cause. On again reaching Henry County, Major Spearman purchased a farm in Jackson Township. In 1868, he erected a frame residence of eight rooms and also a basement barn, forty-two by sixty feet. His business interests have been very carefully conducted and he is recognized as a man of executive force, keen discrimination and unfaltering diligence, qualities which have resulted in gaining for him a prominent place in agricultural circles in the community. On the 15th of November, 1860, Mr. Spearman was united in marriage to Miss Julia A. Coiner, who was born in Ross County, Ohio. About 1850, they went to Des Moines County, settling on a farm there and a few years later they sold that property and bought a farm in Center township, Henry county, where they continued to reside until called to their final rest. In 1878 Captain Spearman was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 17th of June, of that year, her remains being interred in the Pleasant Hill cemetery, in Center Township. Major Spearman is a member of McFarland Post, No. 20, Grand Army of the Republic, at Mount Pleasant, and thus maintained cordial relations with his old army comrades. In politics he is a stalwart republican, having always supported the party, which was the champion of the Union cause in the Civil war, and has always stood for reform and progress. He has served for two terms as county supervisor and has represented his district in the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth General Assemblies of Iowa. His course as a legislator was marked by unfaltering fidelity to duty and an earnest desire to promote the welfare of the commonwealth and over the record of his public career and private life there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil.

House District 20