James Eddy Cleaver (1863 - 1947)

Born 9 Sep 1863 in Goderich, Canada West

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 9 Jul 1947 at age 83 in Hot Springs, South Dakota, United States

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Biography

JAMES EDDY CLEAVER was born in Goderich, Canada West (Ontario, Canada). He was the oldest of six children -- two girls and four boys. His mother was Catherine Eddy Cleaver, a Canadian woman. His father, John Cleaver, was a doctor, and made his calls with horse and buggy, often through deep snow and bitter cold. There were no cars then. Dr. Cleaver was dedicated to his work and put in long hours -- thus went to an early grave at the age of forty-seven years.

The family later moved to Tabor, Iowa and then to Malvern, Iowa. James Eddy Cleaver was forced to quit school in order help support the family. His mother was always frail, but lived to be ninety-one and is buried in Tabor, Iowa.

James Eddy Cleaver worked in a packing plant in Omaha, Nebraska, which is thirty-five miles from Malvern, Iowa. At the age of twenty-eight, he met and later married Lizzie Guilford, who lived with her mother and three sisters in Malvern, Iowa. Two daughters were born to the Cleavers while in Malvern -- Mary Catherine and Helen Louise.

Mr. Cleaver's health was failing, and his doctor advised him to go to a higher, drier climate. He took the doctorís advice and left his wife and two daughters with Mrs. Cleaver's mother. He journeyed to the Black Hills and filed on a homestead in Fall River County in what is known as Dudley Canyon. He built a small house and sent for his family, who followed when Mary Catherine was two years old and Helen Louise was six weeks old. Two other children were born to them later -- Chatta Ella and Jonathan Evart. Mr. Cleaver soon regained his health in the clean, fresh air of the Black Hills.

He went into the cattle business and soon built up a nice herd of Hereford cattle. He branded them T. Y. as he had named his homestead -- the T. Y. Ranch. In 1907, Mr. Cleaver purchased the large Smithsonian home on College Hill and moved his family into Hot Springs here the children would be closer to school. However, before they moved into town, the children often walked over Battle Mountain (see map) to attend school or were taken into town with team and buggy. Mr. Cleaver kept the ranch and cattle and either took care of them himself or had a renter on the ranch.

The spacious home the Cleavers purchased was perfect for entertaining, and Mrs. Cleaver was never happier than when she was entertaining her friends or the childrens' friends. That home was often the scene of many happy gatherings -- class parties, dinners, etc. These events will always be remembered by those who shared them. Some have passed away but some are still here. Mrs. Cleaver was always a good neighbor. One friend tells how she drives with horse and buggy six miles down Fall River road and worked all day helping a friend get the family ready for a train trip.

After moving to town, Mr. Cleaver purchased an interest in the Berrier Butcher shop and worked with Mr. Berrier for several years.

Before Mrs. Cleaver's death in 1930, the family spent many summers at their cabin on Rapid Creek. They traveled by wagon and teams. There were no cars then. It took about three days to make the ninety mile trip. It was a rugged trip, unbelievably so compared to the highways we now have - and of course cars to travel in. Mr. Cleaver drove the camp wagon and team, and Mrs. Cleaver drove a double seated buggy and team. Mary and Helen usually rode a saddle horse. These horses were also used to look for good campsites and it was not uncommon to hitch a saddle horse to the front of the wagon to help pull the wagon on through mud holes or over corduary roads. These roads were made by placing slabs or railroad ties side by side over mud holes and swamps. There was no way but to go through on the narrow roadway.

We camped by clear sparkling trout streams, pitched two tents, and cooked over an open campfire. At night we kept the fire going to keep the mosquitos away. Bedtime usually came with darkness after a hard day on the road. At that time the woods teemed with grouse and the streams furnished delicious speckled trout which helped make the evening meal.

Deer grazing along the roadsides was very common to see, and they paid little attention to us passing by. With the good highways we now have, and many campsites, the good fishing and hunting vanished. Good roads and cars brings too many people to occupy and destroy "Nature's Gifts" to mankind. I doubt the good fishing and privacy of those days will ever return.

While at our summer camp, we picked and canned hundreds of quarts of wild red raspberries which made delicious eating for the coming winter months.

The stream running by our cabin was ice cold, but in spite of that I remember we children took a swim most days and called it fun. We were young and full of pep then, of course.

We all graduated from Hot Springs High School. Mary and Helen attended college in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Chatta went to college in Omaha, Nebraska. Jonathan went to Brooking, South Dakota to college. There he met and later married Ruth Caldwell. They had one daughter, Barbara June. Barbara graduated from college in Oregon, and later she met and married Bob Kroll, a chemist for DuPont. They live in Pennsylvania and have one daughter, Christy. Jonathan passed away in late 1947 -- just a few months after Mr. Cleaver passed away. (Source: http://sdgenweb.com/fallriver/cleaver.htm)

Obituary

Funeral services were held at the McColloy Mortuary in Hot Springs, South Dakota Friday, July 11, at 2:30 pm for James Eddy Cleaver, 83, Fall River pioneer rancher who passed away late on Wednesday afternoon July 9 at a Hot Springs hospital. He had been in frail health living the past 15 years in an old peoples; department at the hospital.

The Rev. E. Paul Hovey, pastor of the Hot Springs United Churches had charge of the service and Mr. Harold Wilson sang Crossing the Day and In the Garden, accompanied by Mrs. C.A. Wilson. The body was taken to Malvern, his former home for burial.

Three daughters, Mrs. H. R. Woodward and Mrs. Chatta Eastep of Hot Springs and Mrs. Chas A. Gage of Columbia, Mo., with her husband and son attended a grave side service held Sunday afternoon in the Malvern cemetery.

Pall bearers at Malvern were: Jim Beattie, D. M. Kline, Cliff Robbins, Byron Raidt, James Summers and J. N. Steele.

James Eddy Cleaver was a son of John and Katherine Eddy Cleaver, born Sept. P, 1863 at Goderich, Province of Ontario, Canada and later moved with his family to Hamilton, Ontario before migrating to the U.S and settling at Tabor. His father was in ill health and died when J.E. was 16 years of age. J.E. being the oldest in the family was forced to go to work to help support the family. HE worked for a time in the stockyards and packing houses at Omaha and later in Malvern where he married Lizzie D. Guiford at Malvern in 1891.

In 1896 he moved to the Black Hills and proved up on the homestead which is now known as the T Y ranch in Dudley Canyon a mile east of Hot Springs where the family lived and he operated a meat market in town. In 1907 they moved to Hot Springs where he has lived since that time. Mrs. Cleaver passed away in 1930.

He is survived by three daughters and a son, Mrs. Chas. A. Gage, Columbia, Mo.; Mrs. Chatta Eastep, Hot Springs; Mrs. H. R. Woodward, Hot Springs and Jonathon E. Cleaver of Enterprise, Oregon. He is also survived by five grandchildren; two brothers, Charles of Imber, Oregon, and Harry who recently moved from La Grande, Ore., to the Island of Hilo, T.H. He was preceeded in death by two brothers, DeMon, who died in infancy and George; also by two sisters, Alfetta Withnell and May Paddock. (Source: Malvern Leader - July 17, 1947, Page 5)

Burial

Burial of James E. Cleaver

Dates: September 9 1863 to July 9 1947

Place: Malvern Cemetery, Malvern, Mills County, Iowa

Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 20 October 2018), memorial page for James E. Cleaver (9 Sep 1863–9 Jul 1947), Find A Grave: Memorial #50074326, citing Malvern Cemetery, Malvern, Mills County, Iowa, USA ; Maintained by Dennis Bell (contributor 46924338) .

Sources

• Graeme MacKay, firsthand knowledge. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Graeme and others.