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John B Safley

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John B Safley

Birth
Midlothian, Scotland
Death
28 Jan 1891 (aged 84)
Cedar County, Iowa, USA
Burial
Tipton, Cedar County, Iowa, USA Add to Map
Plot
N159-3, Row 12
Memorial ID
View Source
DIED - Safley—John Safley, born near Edinburg, Scotland, Dec. 25th, 1806, died Jan. 28th, 1891, aged 84 years, 1 month and 3 days.
He came to America in 1834; to Iowa in 1836, and has lived in this state ever since, except five years in California. He died at the old homestead in Red Oak where he has lived ever since he came to the state with the above exception.
He was a Scotch Covenanter and a good specimen of that people and that church—intelligent, honest, fearless; he never hesitated, he never counted the cost in his defense of any righteous cause, and he was always ready in any presence to give a reason for the faith that as in him. He was an abolitionist and a prohibitionist long before there was a political party behind either of these questions, and the convictions of his earlier years were the convictions of his later years. He never swerved from them.
When John Knox died, Morten, the Regent of Scotland, looked upon the calm, stern face of the dead and said, “There lies a man who never feared the face of man.” Mr. Safley was that style of a man. He was the descendant of a people who passed through the fires of martyrdom; and were ready to seal their
testimony for the truth with their blood if need be. When such a man comes to die, how will it be with him? Taught the Holy Scriptures from his childhood, believing these scriptures to be the very word of God; living in the light of them and under the inspiration of their promises, how will such a man die? “Mark the perfect man and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace.”
Father Safley died in peace at a good old age, among the last of the early settlers in the community. There was a large assemblage of old neighbors and friends at the Red Oak Grove Presbyterian church, where the funeral services were held. I.C.T.


John Safley was born in Dalhousie village, Cockpen parish, Midlothian, Scotland. He came to the USA in Jun 1834, and to Cedar County April 1837. He married Elizabeth "Betsy" Davis 2 May 1839. thier children: John Jr., [#1, died at 11 months], Isabella, Frances, Laura, John Jr.[#2], James, Agnes, Alford and William.

Ferguson Damily Tree, ancestry.com: son of John Safley, 1766-1832 and Agnes Hunter, 1775-1842.
From Cedar County History, 1878.

SAFLEY, JOHN, farmer and stock raiser, Sec. 13; P.O. Tipton; born in Edinburg, Scotland, December 25, 1806, and emigrated to America in 1834; lived in Connecticut and New York, and came to Indiana in 1835; in 1836 he started with an ox team, in company with John Ferguson and Charles Dallas, for Iowa; they were twenty-eight days on the way; and crossed the river in September; they reached the grove two miles below Moscow and stopped for the
Winter; they were taken sick and and the prairie fire burned all the hay they had cut for their stock; they crossed over to Illinois and were very lucky to get a log house near Hendersonville wherein to stay during the winter; it cost them about $30 to live while there; the following April, he came with the others here to Red Oak Grove; he lived one year with John Ferguson, then settled on his own claim ad has lived here ever since (over forty-one years), and one of the very few in this county or State who have lived on the claim they made from government over forty-one years ago; in the Fall of 1837, he went to Hendersonville, Ill., ninety miles, after seed wheat; took some of it to Knoxville to get it ground; the miller was drunk and he had to take his oxen and got a boy to drive them while he ground the wheat; he was gone about three weeks; he took a load of pork to Iowa City, sold it for $1.25 per cwt. and gave 100 lbs of pork for a yard of Kentucky jeans; he and Capt. Higginson once drove from Chicago in six days, and all it cost for themselves was 95 cents; he drove to Chicago and hauled the first reaping machine ever brought here, in 1849, and cut 200 acres that harvest; has been President of the School Board; owns 480 acres of land.

Married Elizabeth Davis from Pennsylvania, in 1839; she died in August, 1874, leaving eight children-four sons and four daughters.
DIED - Safley—John Safley, born near Edinburg, Scotland, Dec. 25th, 1806, died Jan. 28th, 1891, aged 84 years, 1 month and 3 days.
He came to America in 1834; to Iowa in 1836, and has lived in this state ever since, except five years in California. He died at the old homestead in Red Oak where he has lived ever since he came to the state with the above exception.
He was a Scotch Covenanter and a good specimen of that people and that church—intelligent, honest, fearless; he never hesitated, he never counted the cost in his defense of any righteous cause, and he was always ready in any presence to give a reason for the faith that as in him. He was an abolitionist and a prohibitionist long before there was a political party behind either of these questions, and the convictions of his earlier years were the convictions of his later years. He never swerved from them.
When John Knox died, Morten, the Regent of Scotland, looked upon the calm, stern face of the dead and said, “There lies a man who never feared the face of man.” Mr. Safley was that style of a man. He was the descendant of a people who passed through the fires of martyrdom; and were ready to seal their
testimony for the truth with their blood if need be. When such a man comes to die, how will it be with him? Taught the Holy Scriptures from his childhood, believing these scriptures to be the very word of God; living in the light of them and under the inspiration of their promises, how will such a man die? “Mark the perfect man and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace.”
Father Safley died in peace at a good old age, among the last of the early settlers in the community. There was a large assemblage of old neighbors and friends at the Red Oak Grove Presbyterian church, where the funeral services were held. I.C.T.


John Safley was born in Dalhousie village, Cockpen parish, Midlothian, Scotland. He came to the USA in Jun 1834, and to Cedar County April 1837. He married Elizabeth "Betsy" Davis 2 May 1839. thier children: John Jr., [#1, died at 11 months], Isabella, Frances, Laura, John Jr.[#2], James, Agnes, Alford and William.

Ferguson Damily Tree, ancestry.com: son of John Safley, 1766-1832 and Agnes Hunter, 1775-1842.
From Cedar County History, 1878.

SAFLEY, JOHN, farmer and stock raiser, Sec. 13; P.O. Tipton; born in Edinburg, Scotland, December 25, 1806, and emigrated to America in 1834; lived in Connecticut and New York, and came to Indiana in 1835; in 1836 he started with an ox team, in company with John Ferguson and Charles Dallas, for Iowa; they were twenty-eight days on the way; and crossed the river in September; they reached the grove two miles below Moscow and stopped for the
Winter; they were taken sick and and the prairie fire burned all the hay they had cut for their stock; they crossed over to Illinois and were very lucky to get a log house near Hendersonville wherein to stay during the winter; it cost them about $30 to live while there; the following April, he came with the others here to Red Oak Grove; he lived one year with John Ferguson, then settled on his own claim ad has lived here ever since (over forty-one years), and one of the very few in this county or State who have lived on the claim they made from government over forty-one years ago; in the Fall of 1837, he went to Hendersonville, Ill., ninety miles, after seed wheat; took some of it to Knoxville to get it ground; the miller was drunk and he had to take his oxen and got a boy to drive them while he ground the wheat; he was gone about three weeks; he took a load of pork to Iowa City, sold it for $1.25 per cwt. and gave 100 lbs of pork for a yard of Kentucky jeans; he and Capt. Higginson once drove from Chicago in six days, and all it cost for themselves was 95 cents; he drove to Chicago and hauled the first reaping machine ever brought here, in 1849, and cut 200 acres that harvest; has been President of the School Board; owns 480 acres of land.

Married Elizabeth Davis from Pennsylvania, in 1839; she died in August, 1874, leaving eight children-four sons and four daughters.

Gravesite Details

Born Edinburg, Scotland, Wife-Elizabeth Davis Safley



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  • Created by: Lori
  • Added: Dec 6, 2008
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32011127/john_b-safley: accessed ), memorial page for John B Safley (25 Dec 1806–28 Jan 1891), Find a Grave Memorial ID 32011127, citing Red Oak Cemetery, Tipton, Cedar County, Iowa, USA; Maintained by Lori (contributor 46889113).