My Genealogy Hound

BOLER, THOMAS B., dealer in general merchandise, Wever; grandson of George Boler, who was born and married in Germany; the family came to America and settled in Indiana Co., Penn.; had two sons and one daughter; the youngest, Daniel Boler, was the father of Thos. B.; he was born in Indiana Co., Penn., in 1801; married Sarah, daughter of George Weir, of Scotch descent, and among the first settlers of that district of Pennsylvania; they remained on the home farm until 1842, when they moved to Trumbull Co., Ohio. In 1844, they removed to Iowa, and settled on the Half-Breed Tract, eleven miles northwest of Keokuk; in 1849, while en route to visit his old home in Pennsylvania, he was taken sick and died at Louisville, Ky. His wife remarried and lived in Lee Co. until her death, in 1873, leaving three children—Thomas B., the second child, was born in Pennsylvania, in 1834; came with his parents to Lee Co.; at the age of 16 years, he was apprenticed to a blacksmith at Farmington; served an apprenticeship of four years; he then went to Athens, Mo., and commenced business for himself. March 8, 1856, he married Miss Susan R. Kneeland, who was born in Boston, Mass., in 1836. They remained at Athens until he engaged as a steamboat engineer, in which business he continued, with varied fortunes and adventures, until 1872, when he purchased a planing-mill at Fort Madison; at the end of one year, he engaged with Weston & Co. as Superintendent of their extensive mills; remained for eighteen months; then went to Farmington and engaged as a merchant; in May, 1877, purchased his present business at Wever. They have six children — George E., born in 1857; an engineer on the Anchor Line, between St. Louis and Vicksburg; Orion K., born in 1861, clerk in his father’s store; Mary Ann, born in 1866; Ellis R., born in 1868; Samuel D., born in 1874, and Gracie, born in 1878. Liberal Democrat; member of I. O. O. F. Com., Council Bluffs. His wife is a member of the Presbyterian Church.