My Genealogy Hound

RICE, JONAS, Jr., farmer and dairyman, Sec. 5; P. O. Denmark; was born in Worcester Co., Mass., 1823; son of J. Rice, Sr., who was born and raised in same county, and there married Miss Greta Partridge, also born in Massachusetts, one of a family of sixteen children, eight sons and eight daughters, all of whom became influential members of different churches; only two of whom are now living — Maynard P., of Royalston, Mass.; a manufacturer, and Amanda, the wife of Uriah Moore, of Templeton, Mass., a son of the eldest of the family is Geo. Partridge, a wealthy merchant of St. Louis. Jonas Rice, Sr., was of a long lived race, a Colonel of the militia of Massachusetts, a popular officer; his father was Wm. Rice, who married Lucy Wright; his grandfather, David Rice, who married Love Moore; his great grandfather, Daniel Rice, married Elizabeth Taylor; his great-great-grandfather, Daniel R., married Barthia Ward; his great-great-great grandfather, Edward Rice, married Anne. In 1839, Mr. Rice, Sr., with his family, came to Lee Co. and settled in Washington Tp., on the farm now owned by Jonas, Jr., consisting of 240 acres, and remained till their death, his in 1862, Mrs. Rice, 1869; during the sixteen years of his life passed in New England, Jonas, Jr., had enjoyed the privileges of a common school, but on coming to Lee Co., was deprived of that, and had but six weeks schooling afterward. June, 1849, he married Miss Harriet N. Cowles, daughter of Dr. Josiah Cowles, of Fort Madison, who came to Lee Co. the spring of 1839. They have six children — Oscar J., born Dec. 2, 1850; Harriet A., born March 10, 1854; Phebe L., born July 27,1856; Ida D., born Nov. 19, 1859; John G., born Aug. 23, 1864; Edward J., born July 14,1869. Mr. and Mrs. R., with their three daughters, are members of the Christian Church; he is an Elder of that Church.