Individual Details

Theodore Elihu Alderman, the pioneer merchant of Story County, has had mention in various chapters in this history. In the early days his prominence in business, also as the county school-fund commissioner, and as the leading citizen of the county seat, gave him great influence. this, by strict integrity in his dealings with all sorts of people, he has fully maintained and still enjoys. In the summer of 1853 he started out from the village of Hillsboro, in Henry County, Iowa, where he had engaged in mercantile business in a small way, to seek a broader field.When at Des Moines, he learned that the commissioners would meet to locate the county seat of Story County on the following day. His attention was attracted by the opportunity that was offered to begin with the beginning, and he joined the locating party. How he secured a lot, contracted for the delivery of logs for a house, and raised the building on the day the town lots were offered for sale,is told elsewhere. This occurred on his twenty-eighth birthday, September 8,1853. His wife and infant son had arrived at the cabins of J. P. Robinson, one of which the Alderman family occupied, on August 8. It was soon known that the material for the pioneer store was on hand, and Mrs. Alderman was frequently called on to open the boxes and supply pressing needs in advance of the regular opening day. In this manner, in the Robinson cabin, with the earth for a floor and a split-board roof to shut out the sky, was begun a business that has continued without cessation to the present. Soon after Mr. Alderman took possession of his place, near the southwest corner of the courthouse block, it was more noted than any other place in the county. Being the only house in town,it must shelter the public as well as be the only place for mercantile traffic.It became the office of the county judge and of the only physician in the east half of the county. It was the only post-office, and within its walls occurred the first birth, the first marriage, the first death and the first sermon.During these years Mr. alderman was school-fund commissioner, and was ordered by his superior officer, James D. Eads, of unsavory memory, to sell the university lands in the county at their appraisement. In obeying these orders, he had serious embarrassment for a time. Mr. Eads repudiated the acts of his subordinate, because the latter would not forward the funds illegally. But the firmness of Mr. Alderman secured title to the purchasers, and probably saved some money to the State, though at some risk to himself. Elisha Alderman, the grandfather of the Story County pioneer, was born in Connecticut about 1755. His father was captain of a British merchantman, and with his vessel was captured by a French war vessel, from which he made his escape in mid-ocean, and was picked up by a friendly sail and landed at Boston. From this seaman it is said that all those in America who bear the name are descended. Elisha Huff Alderman, a son of Elisha, came with his father from Central-western New York in 1808, and settled in Southern Ohio. Here he married Sarah Baker, whose father came from Germany. To this pair was born at West Rushville, Fairfield County, Ohio, September 8, 1825, the subject of this sketch. The father of T. E. Alderman was a farmer and contractor; he made brick and built houses for the neighboring farmers. The son wrought with his father in these labors. He was thus, at an early age, inured to honest toil. He followed his father's fortunes through various removes in Ohio, which included residence in Fairfield, Athens Jackson, Scioto and Pike Counties, and December 2, 1845, landed in Lee County, Iowa. June 3, 1850, he was married in Clark County, Mo., to Hannah A. Reynolds, a native of Washington County,Ohio. The surviving issue of this marriage are a daughter, Minnie A., wife of J.A. Mills, the present treasurer of Story County, and the sons, Oscar B., Ed T.and Ulysses S. About twenty years ago Mr. Alderman associated with himself in business the elder son, and the style of the house became T. E. Alderman &Son. About two years ago the father retired from active participation in the business, the younger sons' names were added to the firm, and they assumed active management. The 960-acre farm adjoining the town, and the rearing if improved live stock, have been made a part of this continuous business of thirty-seven years. Mr. Alderman is a man of fine physique, large and portly, of strong mental organization, and with the courage of his convictions to do and dare whatever he believes to be right. He is modest in asserting himself, but tenacious in purpose when set in a given direction. With early advantages as to scholarship he would have been a forceful leader in any community. He has a just pride in his long and not uneventful business career, and in which he has survived every one who entered the race with him. (Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Story County, Iowa. Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1890.)

Having already said something of Mr. Alderman's farm I must now say more about it. He has just finished a new barn, more valuable than the one burnt July 3,1886, and which occurred since my first description of the farm. This barn just completed, (December 1886,) cost about $1 600. It has a heavy stone basement story and will hold, it is claimed, forty horses placed in regular order. The barn is forty-two by seventy feet—covering 2,940 square feet of ground. Posts twenty-four feet and work well done; and still there are barns in the county covering more ground. He has another one twenty-four by one hundred feet with a stone basement sixteen feet post, covering 2,400 square feet. A third one thirty-six by sixty feet, but does not have a stone basement. He has yet two other barns on the premises. When viewing barns and a splendid brick residence, the view of the group is that of quite a village. Mr. Alderman expects to have a large well so as to furnish water, by pipes or otherwise, to all his barn yards for stock purposes. The water is to be raised by windmill power and thrown into the pipe or conductor so the water can reach the barn yard.

He has also a contract with a, party to tile-ditch nine thousand rods of tiling on this nine hundred and sixty acre farm, much of it is already done. When all are considered it is the most valuable farm in Story County.

Yet as good a barn as the new one is Mr. William Golden, of Indian Creek Township, can beat it, I now believe. Mr. Golden's is octagonel in shape-covering about 3,824 square feet of ground, with a magnificent stone basement. It has a nice spire started for the clouds. It is, however, described elsewhere. It is surely class one as is Mr. Alderman's. Mr. M. Erickson, near Roland, described in the history of Howard Township, has one of the fine barns of the county. It is thirty-two by one hundred and thirtytwo and covers 4,224 square feet, and is high No. 1.

I am aware there are many valuable barns, dwellings, etc., in Story County I could not get round to see—yes many.

But I must say good for T. E. Alderman—the old settler—he
who built the first house in Nevada, September 8, 1853, and moved into it October 11, 1853.

The first child born in Nevada, and the first to die, was a daughter of Mr. Alderman's, whom he named "Mary Nevada." Mr. Joseph M. Thrift, of Boone County, who had been one of the locating commissioners of the county seat for Story County, also named a daughter of his "Sierra Nevada." These two gentlemen surely admired the name "Nevada," as was verified by each naming a daughter by that name. Mr. Alderman's daughter, "Mary Nevada," died December 16, 1854—thirty-two years ago.

Birth	8 Sep 1825	West Rushville, Fairfield, Ohio, United States
Marriage	2 Jun 1850	Clark, Missouri, United States - Hannah A. Reynolds
Census (family)	1856	Nevada Township, Story, Iowa, United States - Hannah A. Reynolds
Census (family)	3 Jul 1860	Nevada, Story, Iowa, United States - Hannah A. Reynolds
Census (family)	1880	Colo, Story, Iowa, United States - Hannah A. Reynolds
Census (family)	1895	Story, Iowa, United States - Hannah A. Reynolds
Census	14 Jun 1900	4 Ward, Nevada Township, Story, Iowa, United States
Death	20 Jan 1906	Los Angeles, California, United States

Spouse	Hannah A. Reynolds (1832 - 1899)
Child	Oscar Baker "Ock" Alderman (1851 - 1919)
Child	Mary Nevada Alderman (1854 - 1854)
Child	Ida Caroline Alderman (1856 - 1871)
Child	Minnie Alderman (1860 - 1956)
Child	Edwin Theodore "Ed" Alderman (1862 - 1927)
Child	Ulysses Sherman Alderman (1865 - 1926)

Father	Elihu Huff Alderman (1792 - 1850)
Mother	Sarah Baker (1796 - 1873)
Sibling	Mary Ann Alderman (1823 - 1865)
Sibling	Sarah Ann Alderman (1827 - )
Sibling	Job Tilghman Alderman (1832 - 1847)
Sibling	Electra Alderman (1834 - 1838)

Notes