Person:George Hazlett (3)

George Hazlett was born in Ireland, but he emigrated to the United States during the potato famine together with his mother and siblings. His father, also named George, died during the voyage to America and was buried at sea. Originally, the Hazlett family lived in Chicago, but within a few years George joined the settlers heading west to Iowa. He bought some wooded land there, cleared part of it and built a cabin for his mother and siblings, then set out for the gold fields of California. He ran an eating place, made some money, and came back to Iowa to buy more land. He and his family numbered among the original pioneers in Clayton County, Iowa near the town of Monona.