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JACOB R. CHRISTIE, of Vinton, Iowa, was born in Coshocton County, Ohio, May 22, 1835. He is a son of Henry and Catherine (Ringer) Christie. His father was a native of Virginia, of Scotch-Irish descent, while his mother was of German descent. Jacob was reared in Chili, Ohio, his father being by trade a shoemaker. In the fall of 1852, at the age of seventeen years, he came to Benton County, and found work in a sawmill at Vinton, where he remained two years in the employ of Weed, Keyes & Co., when he bought an interest in the mill and continued until 1856. At that time he purchased 160 acres of prairie land on section 27, Jackson Township, which he commenced to improve. Here he lived until 1872, when he moved to Vinton and engaged in the sewing-machine trade, at the same time managing his farm. In 1882 he again moved to his farm, but returned to Vinton in the spring of 1886.On the 10th day of November, 1860, he was united in marriage with Sarah J. Duncan, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Charles and Mary Duncan. They are the parents of four children — John T. now in Vinton, in the law-office of W. P. Whipple; Inez J. and Eliza J. are attending the Iowa State Agricultural College at Ames, and are both teaching in their vacations; Orvil B., at home. Mr. and Mrs. Christie are members of the Presbyterian Church. He is a member of the A. O. U. W.
In August, 1862, Mr. Christie enlisted in the 40th Iowa Infantry. He was commissioned as First Lieutenant of Co. K that year. With his regiment he participated in the following: Vicksburg, Shreveport, Jenkins Ferry, Ark., Prairie Dean, Ark. Lieut. Christie resigned Sept. 28, 1864, and returned to his home near Vinton. When Mr. Christie came to Benton County he had no idea of making it his home, coming out with an elder sister, the wife of J. S. Hunt. Being well pleased with the country, he concluded to make it his future residence, and has never regretted his choice. His entire capital at the time was twenty cents; he now has a very fine farm of 240 acres on section 27, Jackson Township, also a comfortable residence in Vinton. His father died in 1869, at the age of sixty-nine years, and his mother Jan. 22, 1880, aged seventy-six years. She was a member of the Lutheran Church.
Mr. Christie has been an active man in his town and township. For five years he was Assessor of Jackson Township, and was a member of the County Board of Supervisors when he enlisted in the army. On his return from the army he was again elected a member of the Board of Supervisors from Jackson Township and served until the membership was reduced to three by changing the law. He has been Assessor of Vinton Township six successive years.
Source Citation: "1887 Benton County, Iowa Biographies" [database online] Benton County IAGenWeb Project. <http://iagenweb.org/benton/>
Original data: "Portrait and Biographical Album of Benton County, Iowa." Chicago: Chapman Brothers, 1887, p. 277.
Transcribed by: Sue Soden. Submitted to the Benton County IAGenWeb Project on February 9th, 2009. Copyright © 2009 The IAGenWeb Project.
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