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Martin V. Dibble

A man well known throughout Fayette county and in many other sections of the Middle West as an agricultural and brick manufacturer is M. V. Dibble, now located near Clermont, Iowa, where he is regarded as one of the vicinity's most influential and substantial citizens. He was born in Ashtabula county, Ohio, in 1840, the son of E. H. and Harriet (Finkham) Dibble, and there he remained until 1849, when the family emigrated to Wisconsin, where they remained until 1852, at which time they moved to Clermont, Fayette county, Iowa. Here the father, who had for some time engaged in brick making prior to his coming to Iowa, again launched out in this business--in fact he followed that occupation at various places nearly all his life. His first work here in that line was to manufacture the brick for the old Clermont mill, which still stands. He made brick in the old primitive was, having had no mechanical devices of any kind. He made a very comfortable living and laid by a competency for his old age in this line of endeavor, and as he grew older he gradually entrusted the business to Martin V., of this review, and another son.

M. V. Dibble received a common school education, and when merely a boy went to work in his father's brick yard and thus early in life became familiar with the peculiar methods employed in this work. He has devoted the major portion of his life to this business, he and his brother having maintained a large yard on their father's farm near Clermont, there employing as high as thirty men. They furnished the brick for nearly all the buildings of this material in West Union and they shipped to many points at a greater distance. M. V. Dibble finally purchased this place of one hundred and twenty acres, and he owns in all two hundred and forty-seven acres, all valuable land and well improved, and for the past few years he has given his attention to farming and dairying, operation what is perhaps the largest and best equipped dairy in the county, having milked as high as forty cows, and, owing to the excellent quality of his products, he finds a ready market for the same. He is a master of details and has made a great success of all these lines of endeavor, especially in the manufacture of brick. With the exception of a short time as foreman of a brick yard for Mr. Hinkley at Laverne, Minnesota, he has been a resident continuously of this part of Fayette county, Iowa, being one of the township's representative men.

Mr. Dibble was married in 1866, at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, to Sarah A. DIXON, who was born in London, England. This union has resulted in the birth of the following children: Lily, Jessie, Grace, Ezra, Arthur, Rosa, Kittie, Gussie, and one who died at the age of ten years.

Mr. Dibble's father was a Whig in politics and later a supporter of the Republican party and his son, M. V., has followed his example by being a loyal advocate of Republican principles. Though he has never found time to mingle much in politics, yet he has very faithfully performed the duties of assessor of his township and has also been a member of the school board, being willing to give of his valuable time to the work of advancing the interests of his township and county. He is a man of upright principles and has the esteem of a host of friends."
 

~transcribed for the Fayette Co IAGenWeb Project by Richard Smith