My Genealogy Hound

FRANK RICE, one of the highly prosperous and influential farmers of Divide township, Buffalo county, Nebr., was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, November 20, 1835. His father, Jesse Rice, was a native of West Virginia, born in the year 1812. At an early age Jesse emigrated with his father’s family to Hamilton county, Ohio, where he learned the trade of a blacksmith, which he followed for some years. Here he met and married, in 1834, Amassie Erskine, which union was blessed with eight children — five boys and three girls. He moved to Peoria, Ill., in 1836, where for the remainder of his life he was engaged as a steamboat engineer on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. He died at Peoria in 1874; his wife survived him but two years, dying in 1876.

Frank Rice, the subject of this sketch, began life on his own account at the age of nineteen, serving an apprenticeship of one year at type-setting in the office of the Peoria Morning News. He became quite proficient in the typographical art and afterwards worked on the Lacon Gazette, a paper published at Lacon, Ill. For several years he ran an engine in several large distilleries at Peoria, and in 1862 moved to Fulton county, Ill., where he engaged in the distilling business for five years. In 1867 he emigrated to Linn county, Iowa, and engaged in milling for one year, then returned to Fulton county, Ill., and engaged in farming. In 1869 he moved to Clinton county, Iowa, where he engaged in the distilling business. He came to Buffalo county, October 31, 1882 and bought four hundred acres of the choicest land in the township, to which he has since added a quarter section, making in all five hundred and sixty acres, on which he now resides. Mr. Rice is one of the most extensive farmers in the county having raised this year over eight hundred acres of crop — principally corn and flax. He is one of the largest flax growers in the state, and this year raised and marketed thirty-five hundred bushels of seed.

Mr. Rice was married September 2, 1859, to Joanna Kline, who was born in Prussia, but, coming to this country at the age of ten years, has little remembrance of her ancestors. She was reared by an English family at Peoria, Ill. By her he has two sons — Julian, born May 31, 1860, and Clarence, born December 3, 1868.

Mr. Rice is a republican in politics and has served a term of two years as supervisor of his township and has just been re-elected for another term. He is a strong high license man and don’t believe in sumptuary legislation of any kind.