The Library will be closed Thursday, July 4

The Library will be closed Thursday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day.

Early Citizens of Council Bluffs - Daniel and Eleanor Clark

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel B. Clark were both born in New York state. Daniel Clark was born in January of 1819 and Eleanor Bates Clark was born in December of that same year.

Daniel and Eleanor were married in October of 1840 and by 1852 had moved to Pottawattamie County, Iowa. They had 10 children but only 4 survived to adulthood, Edwin, Ora, Emma and Samuel.

The Clarks had a 300 hundred acre farm just east of the Council Bluffs City limits. Mr. Clark was an active member of the Council Bluffs Grange. A local chapter of a national organization that "encourages families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and agriculture."

Daniel Clark also served in the Civil War with Company H, Fifteenth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He achieved the rank of captain.

Daniel and Eleanor were members of the the Methodist Episcopal Church and were also active in reunions of local "old-timers". On a trip to Bartley, Nebraska to visit their son, they were surprised with a 48th wedding anniversary party. As reported in the Nonpareil:

"Several good jokes of the past were exchanged. Then a bountiful dinner, which made the table groan with its weight, was served to the great surprise of the gentlemen from Iowa, who thought we had nothing to load the table with besides Buffalo grass and cactus. They say "bully for the pumpkin pie knee deep in Nebraska.""

In 1884 Daniel and Eleanor retired from the farm and moved into Council Bluffs. They continued to be involved with their church and local activities.
Eleanor Clark died July 3, 1897. Daniel Clark passed away a few months later on October 1, 1897. They are both buried in Clark Cemetery.

Click HERE for more information on Council Bluffs History.

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