Hi Sharon, This is your old buddy, Ken. I had always assumed that you had seen the attached. Apparently not. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BIOGRAPHY: From The Heritage Collection - History and Biography of Harrison Co, Iowa,1891 Nathaniel H. Vanarsdale, of Reeder's Mills, Jefferson Township, who has been a resident of the county since February 1, 1866, will form the subject of this notice. Mr. Vanarsdale was born in Morris County, N.J., March 8, 1838. He is the son of Levi and Anna Eliza (Horter) Vanarsdale. The father was a blacksmith by trade. He was born in 1800, and died in the county in which he was born, April 14, 1862. The mother died in the same county, July 27, 1867, aged sixty years. Their only child was Nathaniel H., our subject. He has a half brother, by his father's first wife, named Abner G., a resident of Binghamton, Broome County, N.Y. When thirteen years of age, Nathaniel H. commenced learning the blacksmith trade of his father, with whom he worked until he was seventeen years old, when he was bound out one year to his half brother, to complete his trade, after which he worked for the Yellow Bird Omnibus Line, doing job work in New York for them for six years. He then followed his trade, as a government blacksmith, for one year and eleven months, and then came by rail to Keokuk, Iowa, and crossed the State of Iowa by stage to Council Bluffs, arriving February 14, 1864, were he remained until February, 1866, and then came to Harrison County, and built a shop at "Hard Scratch" (Reeder's Mills). The first fire was built in his forge February 4, 1866. He continued to work at the trade until October 1, 1873, when he moved to Logan and operated a shop until March 1, 1877, at which date he returned to Reeder's Mills, and in 1879 rebuilt his shop, and is still wielding the sledge at that point. He was united in marriage in Morris County, N.J., May 11, 1862, to Margaret Sanford, a native of Sussex County, of the same State, born December 7, 1835. She is the eldest child of a family of three sons and three daughters, of Garrison M. and Mary J. Sanford. Mr. and Mrs. Vanarsdale are the parents of three children: Mary Jane, born October 1, 1863; Nettie, December 10, 1867; and Hattie, February 21, 1870. Politically, Mr. Vanarsdale believes in the principles of the Democratic party, and in religious matters he and his wife favor the teachings of the Methodist Episcopal Church. When he came to Harrison County his earthly possessions consisted of $5 in money and a few household goods. Being in possession of a good trade, oft- repeated blows upon the anvil he forged for himself and family a comfortable home in the "Kingdom of Harrison" now one of Iowa's banner counties. DEATH: Levi died of diabetes [src: Sharon Tate, who has his death cert]. Ken Keller krk@ma.ultranet.com