Thanks, Deborah, for including the website at the end of this message. I'd never seen this before and can hardly wait to check it out. Jan Lund ----- Original Message ----- From: <Alohawahine75@aol.com> To: <IADECATU-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, October 21, 2005 7:37 AM Subject: [IADECATU] Frances L. (Gardner) Ghormley ~ Leon, Iowa > > A Narrative History > of > The People of Iowa > with > SPECIAL TREATMENT OF THEIR CHIEF ENTERPRISES IN > EDUCATION, RELIGION, VALOR, INDUSTRY, > BUSINESS, ETC. > by > EDGAR RUBEY HARLAN, LL. B., A. M. > Curator of the > Historical, Memorial and Art Department of Iowa > Volume IV > THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Inc. > Chicago and New York > 1931 > > WILLIAM F. GHORMLEY. Of the men who are identified with the various forms > of insurance at Des Moines, the career of William F. Ghormley, president > of > the Harvester Horticultural Mutual Insurance Association, is probably one > of > the most interesting and unique. When he started in this business it was > as a > solicitor of hail insurance in Minnesota, at a salary of fifteen dollars a > week. Today, as a result of his own industry and business ability, he is > at > the head of one of the largest enterprises of its kind in the Middle West. > > Mr. Ghormley was born at Yates City, Knox County, Illinois, October 14, > 1858, > and is a son of William C. and Elizabeth (Coyner)Ghormley. He is a direct > descendant of Gorm the Old, who in 920 united all the small Danish states, > and > his grandson, Sweyn, who became the head of a powerful kingdom as a > result, > began the conquest of Norway and of England, which was ultimately > completed by his > son Canute. Gorm the Old served as king of Denmark for forty-one years, > had > six sons who served as kings, and his daughter married three kings and two > of > her sons were kings. Later generations changed both the name and the > habitation > of the family, and Hugh Ghormley, came to America from North of Ireland > prior > to 1766, settling in Pennsylvania, where was born his son, > Thomas. The latter moved to Greenfield,Ohio, the birthplace of Hugh > Ghormley, > the grandfather of William F. Ghormley. > > William C. Ghormley, the father of William F. Ghormley, was born at > Greenfield, Ohio, where he met and married Elizabeth Coyner, a native of > the same > place, and a daughter of Robert Coyner, who was born in Virginia, but > lived the > greater part of his life in Ohio. He was a slave-owner in his earlier > years, but > eventually set his slaves free, and in Ohio devoted himself to the > pursuits of > agriculture, in which he became very successful. He was also a prominent > and > influential man in his community, where he served in the capacity of > justice > of the peace. He was a son of Luther and Susan Coyner, and a grandson of > Martin > Coyner, the ninth son of Jacob and Margaret (Diller) Konadt, as the name > was > then spelled. Jacob Konadt or Coyner was born in Wurttemburg, Germany, and > came to America in the early 1700s, here marrying and founding the > family in Pennsylvania. > > William C. Ghormley came to Iowa from Illinois in 1877 and purchased a > farm > in Greene County. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, a > Republican, > a prohibitionist and an abolitionist. Both he and his worthy wife have > passed away. They were the parents of eight children, of whom two survive: > William F., of this review; and Rev. Newton B., a minister of the Free > Methodist > Church of Butte, Nebraska. > > The common schools furnished William F. Ghormley with his early > educational > training, following which he pursued a course at the Omaha Commercial > College, Omaha, Nebraska. He then was engaged in farming in Iowa, > Nebraska, > Kansas and Colorado until he was thirty years of age, and it is recorded > that > within the space of two years he owned at different times fifty-four farms > in > the State of Iowa. His first work after he had given up farming was as a > solicitor of hail insurance in Minnesota at fifteen dollars a week, and > later he was > advanced to eighteen dollars and then to twenty-three dollars. > Subsequently > he was given a district agency, and from that time to the present his > career > has been one of rapid and constant advancement. In 1900 Mr. Ghormley > founded the > Horticultural Insurance Company, of which he still holds the charter, and > which he operated successfully for a period of more than two decades. In > 1921 he > disposed of the business of this concern for $275,000, and in Des Moines > purchased the Harvester Horticultural Mutual Insurance Association, a > strictly hail > insurance business, of which he has since been president. He has achieved > a > big financial as well as personal success, and is one of the best known > and > most highly esteemed men in the insurance field. His commodious offices > are > located in the Valley National Bank Building. > > In 1880 Mr. Ghormley was united in marriage with Miss Martha Fross, who > was > born at Madison, Wisconsin, and died in 1896. They became the parents of > six > children, of whom three are living; Bertha, the wife of Glen Tidrick, an > insurance man of Des Moines; Elinor, also the wife of an insurance man of > Des > Moines, Charles A. Housh; and Grace, the wife of Leland Parr, who taught > at > the University of Chicago, for five years, has been a teacher of biology > in > Egypt for years, and is now a professor on the faculty of the American > College, > Beirut, Syria. In 1900 William F. Ghormley married Frances L. Gardner, of > Leon, Iowa, and they have one son, Hugh W., who was educated at Drake and > University of Chicago, was formerly a member of the faculty of Butler > University, > Indianapolis, Indiana, and since the age of seventeen years has been a > preacher of the Christian faith. William F. Ghormley is a member of the > Christian > Church and of the Board of Elders thereof. Fraternally he is affiliated > with > the Brotherhood of American Yeomen and the A. O. U. W. Politically he is a > Republican, and at one time served as secretary of the Laymen's Civic > Union. > > http://www.iagenweb.org/history/index.htm > posted at this site with Debbie's permission > > *Check your facts, don't know how accurate. > > > > > > ==== IADECATU Mailing List ==== > Stacey Dietiker, Momdit@aol.com: Decatur County List Administrator, > Website Coordinator, Decatur County IA Genweb - > http://www.rootsweb.com/~iadecatu > > ============================== > View and search Historical Newspapers. Read about your ancestors, find > marriage announcements and more. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13969/rd.ashx > >