HUNTING FOR THE BYSON HOUSES

When I started this blog I didn’t realize the number of requests that I would get from people researching their family trees.  Hardly a week goes by that I don’t get at least one request and, although I love doing research, I simply do not have the time to assist in most cases.  Every now and then though, a request comes to me that I find either so intriguing or challenging that I have to see what I can find. 

THE INQUIRY

This particular inquiry came from a member of the Byson family.  The Byson name immediately got my attention.  I was quite familiar with the family burial location in Riverview Cemetery and you may be as well.  Standing as sentinel at the west cemetery gate is a large obelisk bearing the name “Byson.”  It is placed right at the fork of the roads as you enter the driveway, demanding your attention.  I have often studied the monument, contemplating the lives of the people who lie beneath it and what stories they could tell. 

As a part of the request, names of the Byson relatives who had lived in Algona were provided along with very brief descriptions about their occupations and burial site which is all they had been able to find.  Photos of two homes were included with the request.  One photo was described as being in town and belonging to Christian Byson and the second one was identified as the John Byson farm home.  The inquirer did not know the location of the homes but was hoping I could help her find their location and if they were still in existence.  No addresses or legal descriptions were given so this would definitely be a challenge.  Since I was already intrigued by the towering family memorial, I decided to test my skills to see what I could find with regard to this particular research request.

  

THE SEARCH BEGINS

I began with the biography for C. Byson in the 1884 History of Kossuth County.  A native of Denmark, Christian Byson immigrated to America in 1869, settling in Pennsylvania.  When he arrived at Castle Garden, he had but $1 in his pocket.  It appears that he became a self-made man.

With pertinent dates from the tombstones, a little more searching led me to the obituaries of both Christian and his first wife, Anna Marie (Peterson) Byson.  Obituaries do not always contain completely reliable information, but they help to provide many clues to the life of the decedent. 

I found out that Anna and Christian had been sweethearts in Denmark and she followed him to America in 1870.  They were wed that same year.  Six children were born to this union, but only three would survive to adulthood—their sons:  John P., Kinney E., and Anthony.

The family resided in Pennsylvania for twelve years before coming to Kossuth County in 1882.  Christian Byson joined a real estate business for a few months before establishing his own firm in October of 1883.  At some point he located his business directly south of the courthouse in a structure which came to be known as the Byson building.  The property was later sold for use as part of the site of the Durdall Hotel.

Several news articles refer to the Bysons living north of Algona but do not pinpoint a location.  However we do know that in 1888 they purchased some farm land in Section 24 of Union Township.  A story published in April of 1894 states that the family had moved that spring to his farm on the Black Cat which Christian had christened “Oak Shade.” The tract had a long history already—on that same property in 1855 William Ingham and A. L. Seeley had built a log cabin, the first one north of the town of Algona.  It appears that Christian became a farmer, raising cattle and hogs in addition to his real estate venture.  He was a member of the Grange which promoted agriculture.  Proud of their Danish history, the Bysons hosted picnics for other area Danes in the grove located on the farm with a barn dance to close out the evening. 

A portion of Union Township plat
from 1896 Kossuth County Plat Book

Having a legal description, I checked out courthouse records and then took a drive north of town.  A house is located on the farm site, the main part of which appears to date back to the late 19^th or early 20^th centuries, but it did not match either of the photos provided by the family.

THE FIRST HOUSE

While searching for the obituary of Anna Byson who died on July 4, 1913, I came across a news article about her final illness which stated that she was “lying low at her home on Nebraska street and slight hopes are entertained for her recovery.”  So now I knew that by 1913 they were living at a home on Nebraska Street—but where on Nebraska?

From Upper Des Moines Republican - June 11, 1913

Next stop was in probate records to see if either Anna or Christian had an estate.  Would the property be listed as an asset?  Nothing was found for Anna but an estate was opened for Christian following his death in December of 1922.  He had remarried in 1915 to Mrs. Ingeborg Jessen of Albany, New York, and, after selling his home in Algona, they had moved to Florida where his death occurred.  Unfortunately a review of the Report and Inventory filed in his estate did not disclose any real estate.  I thought perhaps that would be the end of the story, but an error made by the attorney when preparing the Final Report gave me the breakthrough that I needed. 

Christian had sold his Algona house on contract and so did not actually own any real estate in Iowa at the time of his death.  However, when the attorney drafted the Final Report for Christian’s estate, he inadvertently entered the real estate description that had been sold on contract as if it had been owned by the decedent and then, realizing that it should not have been there, crossed it out.  Thankfully it was very legible.  The legal description was for property located on Nebraska Street and courthouse records confirmed that it had been owned by the Bysons.  Census records for 1910 corroborated the location of the couples’ residence at 120 West Nebraska Street.  Although the house is no longer there, a person who grew up in the neighborhood remembered it well and estimated that the house was razed in the 1950s.  The City of Algona built a police garage in the location a few years ago.

Corner where Christian Byson home stood
as it looks today

One house location found, one to go.

THE SECOND HOUSE

The farm house in the photo had been identified as belonging to John Byson, the oldest son of Christian and Anna.  He stayed in the area and became a very well-known well driller. He dug wells for farmers and businesses across the county during his 40+ years in business.  I had already determined that the residence located on Christian’s farm did not match the photo of the farm house sent to me, so I knew that John must have purchased his own farm land.  The pictured house looked vaguely familiar—was it still in existence?

Without access to any plat books or farm directories for the period between 1901 and the mid 1940s, the search became a little harder.  I turned once again to the newspapers to see what I could find. I stumbled across the farm auction sale bill stating that John had sold his farm which described the property as located “on No. 18, just across from the Catholic Cemetery in the northeast 

Algona Upper Des Moines - December 8, 1942

part of Algona.”  Shortly thereafter I found the article which told of the sale of the property to a Sheldon farmer by the name of Ray Schilmoeller.  No wonder that house had looked familiar!  I had been in it several times as a child as Ray and his wife, Trudy, had been friends of my parents.  The house was completely re-sided a number of years ago by its current owners giving it a much different look, but it still maintains the original lines of the farm house in the photo.

Former John Byson home as it looks today

SUMMING UP

Along the way, I discovered many things about the Byson family.  Christian and Anna were members of various Union Township clubs including the East Union Literary Society as well as being active in the Association of United Workmen, Democratic party, and other social groups.  The family was very patriotic.  The American flag was displayed over their door every holiday.  They made a grand return to Europe in 1896, spending three months visiting Denmark, Sweden and Germany. 

John too was well-known in the community not only for his skill in well drilling but also for his friendly and jovial demeanor.  According to his obituary, it was often said that the famous cartoonist, Ding Darling, used him as the basis for his portrayal of the Iowa farmer.  After selling his farm in 1942, he and his wife moved to San Diego, California, where he passed from this life in 1960.

It was satisfying to be able to find the answers to the inquiries made regarding the Byson families.  It is my hope that the stories contained in this research will bring to life the grandparents which heretofore have only been names on a family tree.    

So the next time I visit Riverview Cemetery I plan to once again stop by the obelisk bearing the Byson name.  As I gaze upon the tall pillar pointed to the heavens, I will know that it represents a memorial to two immigrants who traveled far from their homeland with nothing but determination and hope for a better future who then went on to achieve the American dream. 

This marks my 100^th post of the stories of Kossuth County and its citizens.  I hope you have enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.

Until next time,

Kossuth County History Buff

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