- Ambrose Key
Ambrose W. Key was born
27 November 1829 inCrawfordsville, Indiana , the son of George Key and his wife Rebecca Mintun. George, a native ofVirginia , settled with his family inOhio circa 1800. From there, he began a career as atrade r, traveling various rivers while establishing histrade route s. In 1836, George spotted lands inIowa which reminded him of his boyhood home in Virginia, staking a claim to what he dubbed "Virginia Grove" in Louisa County. George planted crops there in 1836 and 1837, and wintered with his family back inMontgomery County, Indiana . While raising his crops in 1838, George sent for his wife and family to come to Iowa. Rebecca hired 10 men to help her move her family of 10 children, including Ambrose, 300 miles from Indiana to Iowa. They averaged 7 miles per day on their 45 day trek, employing three wagons and a carriage, while driving a collection of young horses, cattle, and nearly 100 head of sheep.Ambrose purchased 80 acres of government land in Louisa County during 1855, and was an established
merchant in the town of Wapello by 1856. On 21 May 1859, he married Mary Jones Garrett, a native of Ohio, in Tipton, Moniteau County,Missouri . Within a year, the couple was residing inWashington County, Texas , where Ambrose was the proprietor of ageneral store . Ambrose also purchased the Baker and ThomsonSawmill on theSan Jacinto River , and operated a sash,door , and blind factory for about 4 years. The family lived inFalls County, Texas for several years, where Ambrose bought another sawmill and started atannery .At the close of the Civil War, Ambrose and family spent a year in St. Louis, then relocated to Westport on the
Kansas border. He carried on a general trading andfreighting business from Westport for 3 years, then bought a farm in Shawnee Township ofWyandotte County, Kansas on the Gibbs road, 3 miles southwest of Argentine. From 1872 until his death on17 August 1908 , Ambrose conducted a profitable business of raisingfruits on his farm. He was survived by his wife and 4 children: sons Sidney D. and Joseph Francis Key, and daughters Nellie G. Key and Mrs. Gertrude Baldwin.ee also
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Turner, Kansas External links
References
* THE WAPELLO TRIBUNE, Wapello, Iowa, Friday, 28 August 1908, Page 1; cites "The Republic" newspaper of Argentine, Kansas
*William G. Cutler 'sHistory of the State of Kansas - Wyandotte County, Part 19; Biographical Sketches, Shawnee Township
*Census records: 1856 Iowa State Census - Wapello, Louisa County, Iowa, Page: 408 & 409 : 1860 US Census - Washington PO, Washington County, Texas - NA Series M653, Roll 1307, Page 177: 1870 US Census - Westport (4th Ward), Jackson County, Missouri - NA Series M593, Roll 781, Page 71: 1880 US Census - Shawnee, Wyandotte County, Kansas - NA Series T9, Roll 400, Page 327C: 1900 US Census - Shawnee, Wyandotte County, Kansas - NA Series T623, Roll 505, Page 176[Category:American pioneers
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