Person:John Massey (27)

John N. Massey's parents moved from Delaware (probably by way of Ohio, where several Massey cousins later lived) to Fountain County, Indiana, before 1838. John, a surveyor by trade, was in Peoria, Illinois, during 1838-39, then returned to Fountain County. (This is from a tattered and undated news clipping, probably from an Albia, Iowa, newspaper.) John became acquainted with the family of David Rowles, married David's daughter, known in the family as "Rosella," in 1841, and accompanied his father-in-law in the migration to Monroe County, Iowa Territory, in 1844.

In the summer of 1845, John surveyed the plat of Albia (originally called Princeton), which became the seat of Monroe County in 1846. He was elected County Surveyor that fall. He was elected County Judge in 1855, but was declared ineligible as he also held the office of School-Fund Commissioner.^S3

"Then came the long-beamed break-plow, . . . which every person who has passed the residence of John Massey, south of Albia, during the last twenty-five years, has noticed leaning against the front-yard fence. Some months ago the writer, in passing, had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Massey's son, Ressie, plowing with this relic of a past generation. He was scouring it along the right-of-way of the railroad by way of preparing it for farming purposes."^S4

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Land claims in Fountain County:^S12
      T20N R9W S11      John Nebeker, 15 Apr 1828.
      T20N R9W S12      John Nebeker, 23 Jan 1830.
      T20N R9W S1        John Nebeker, 8 Mar 1832.

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Monroe County, Iowa, 1850 census:^S5

Massey, John, 30 yrs, b. Delaware, Farmer (real estate = 1000)

      Matilda, wife, 32 yrs, b. New York

      Rachel, dau, 8 yrs, b. Iowa

      George, son, 3 yrs, b. Iowa

Monroe County, Iowa, 1856 State Census:^S6

Massey, John, 35 yrs (12 yrs in state), b. Delaware Farmer

      Matilda, 36 yrs (12 yrs in state), b. New York

      Almira, 13 yrs (12 yrs in state), b. Indiana

      Orestia [m], 3 yrs (3 yrs in state), b. Iowa

      Rosella, 1 yr (1 yr in state), b. Iowa

McLament[?], Damen, 18 yrs (2 yrs in state), b. Ohio Laborer

Ninghal[?], Wm. P., 18 yrs (3 yrs in state), b. Virginia Laborer

Nelson, Andrew, 21 yrs (1 yr in state), b. Pennsylvania Laborer

Monroe County, Iowa, 1860 census:^S7

Massey, John N., 39 yrs, b. Delaware, Farmer (real estate = $3,000; personal estate = $1,000)

      Matilda, wife, 41 yrs, b. New York, Domestic Work

      Rachael, dau, 17 yrs, b. Indiana, Domestic Work

      Orestia H., son, 7 yrs, b. Iowa

      Rosella, dau, 5 yrs, b. Iowa

Miller, Cornellius, 15 yrs, b. New York, Farm Labor

Temple, Daniel H., 21 yrs, b. Maine, Farm Labor (value of personal estate = $60)

Monroe County, Iowa, 1870 census:^S8

Massey, John N., 49 yrs, b. Delaware, Farmer (real estate = $10,000; personal estate = $3,848)

      Rosella, wife, 50 yrs, b. New York, Keeping House

      Orestus H., son, 17 yrs, b. Iowa, Farm Laborer

      Rebecca R., dau, 14 yrs, b. Iowa

Webb, George::      14 yrs, b. Iowa

Monroe County, Iowa, 1880 census:^S9

Massey, John N., Head, 59 yrs, Farming, b. Delaware (father, b. Maryland; mother, b. Delaware)

      Matilda, Wife, 61 yrs, Keeping House, b. New York (father, b. Maryland; mother, b. New York)

      Orestes H., Son, 27 yrs, Working on Farm, b. Iowa

Monroe County, Iowa, 1895 State Census:^S10

Massay, John N., 74 yrs, b. Delaware, Farmer, Methodist

      Matilda R., 76 yrs, b. New York, Methodist

      O. H., 42 yrs, b. Monroe County, Farmer, Methodist

      Catharine, 37 yrs, b. Ohio, Methodist

      Edith, 7 yrs, b. Monroe County

      Ruth M., 5 yrs, b. Monroe County

      Blanch, 3 yrs, b. Monroe County

      John, 0 yrs, b. Monroe County "twins"

      Edna, 0 yrs, b. Monroe County "twins"

Halgren, C. V.[?], 21 yrs [f], b. Sweden [no occupation]

1. ↑ Hindman, Sarah; Iowa) Monroe County Genealogical Society (Albia; Iowa) Iowa Genealogical Society (Des Moines; and Iowa) Albia Union (Albia. Albia newspaper extractions, Monroe County, Iowa : the Albia Union. (Des Moines, Iowa, United States: Iowa Genealogical Society, 1986- .).

   "Biographical Sketches of Some Members of the Mutual Club of 1820" (11 Sep 1894}

2. ↑ Hindman, Sarah; Iowa) Monroe County Genealogical Society (Albia; Iowa) Iowa Genealogical Society (Des Moines; and Iowa) Albia Union (Albia. Albia newspaper extractions, Monroe County, Iowa : the Albia Union. (Des Moines, Iowa, United States: Iowa Genealogical Society, 1986- .).

   Obituary in "Old Settlers Meeting" news story (date not known)

3.   Hickenlooper, Frank. An illustrated history of Monroe County, Iowa: a complete civil, political, and military history of the county, from its earliest period of organization down to 1896: including sketches of pioneer life, anecdotes, biography, and long-drawn reminiscences spun out by the "oldest inhabitant". (The Author, 1896), p. 154.
4.   Hickenlooper, Frank. An illustrated history of Monroe County, Iowa: a complete civil, political, and military history of the county, from its earliest period of organization down to 1896: including sketches of pioneer life, anecdotes, biography, and long-drawn reminiscences spun out by the "oldest inhabitant". (The Author, 1896), p. 194.
5. ↑ Monroe County, Iowa. 1850 U.S. Census Population Schedule, Troy Twp, p. ___.
6. ↑ Iowa, United States. Iowa 1856 state census, p. 1038, house/family 112/112.
7. ↑ Monroe County, Iowa. 1860 U.S. Census Population Schedule, Troy Twp, p. 249, house/family 189/163.
8. ↑ Monroe County, Iowa. 1870 U.S. Census Population Schedule, Troy Twp, p. 403, house/family 6/6.
9. ↑ Monroe County, Iowa. 1880 U.S. Census Population Schedule, ED 139, p. 211, house/family 38/39.
10. ↑ Monroe County, Iowa. 1895 Iowa State Census, Try Twp, [no p. no.], house/family 42/42.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2} Grave marker, Oakview Cemetery, Albia, Monroe County, Iowa.
12.   Fountain, Indiana, United States. Tract Book, p. 97.
13.   Historical Sketch Book of Albia and Monroe County, 1859-1959: Prepared for the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the City of Albia. (Albia, Iowa: Albia Centennial Corporation, 1959), p. 43.

    "John N. Massey and his wife [Matilda Rowles] were early settlers in Monroe county and it was Massey who made the orignal survey for the town site of Princeton in the fall of 1845. Massey's father-in-law [David H. Rowles] was a contractor and Massey had dug canals in Indiana before he came to Albia and Monroe County. He kept books for his father-in-law before he married. The original Massey farm was on the land later known as the Albia Airport. It was in 1855 that Massey built the brick house which still stands east of the road parallel to the airport. Massey was also a brick maker and made the brick for this home. In the possession of his grandson, Albert Rouse, Rte. 2, is the surveying instrument used in making the survey of Princeton. It was made by Hugo Harttmann in Philadelphia. Massey was also Monroe County Surveyor." [who supplied all this info is not mentioned, but was probably Albert Rouse]