BIOGRAPHY: Farwell, Cyrus A.
From the A.T. Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa, 1875

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     CYRUS A. FARWELL.  --  It is a lamentable truth that men are 
seldom judged fairly in the age in which they live.  Distempered 
animosities, and the strifes, turmoil and rancor of business warp the 
judgment and render impossible that dispassionate verdict which is 
awarded from a calm retrospective review of a life struggle past.  
Judging by the reverence with which the memory of the Fathers of our 
Republic is now cherished, it is difficult to believe that those men 
were once the subjects of such malignant assaults and base contumely as 
are now often heaped upon the best, most praiseworthy, and able men of 
the present time. Yet such was the case, as all who are conversant with 
the early history of our country well know.
     But notwithstanding this hindrance to a just contemporary estimate 
of character, there are some men who are so obviously fitted by nature, 
education, and surrounding circumstances to well perform the life work 
they have chosen, that it is safe to anticipate is a measure the 
verdict of posterity.  Such a man is the subject of this brief sketch, 
combining, as he does in a peculiar degree, the elements which 
constitute a successful business man, which he is in every fiber and 
instinct of his nature - a true type of those self-made men, who 
emigrating from the rock hound coasts of New England to the broad 
prairies, rich valleys and woodlands of the West, have brought with 
them the sterling integrity of character and honesty of purpose which 
is as firm and unchanging as the granite of their native hills.  Cyrus 
A. Farwell was born on the 7th day of September, 1832, and is 
consequently forty-three years of age.   His birth place was Dorset, 
Vermont, where the first years of his life were spent among the sweet 
valleys and verdant hills of the Green Mountain State.  His parents 
belonged to that class of worthy, honest, industrious, frugal, yeomanry 
who, possessing little worldly means, are richly endowed with those 
more valuable traits of character and heart for which the descendants 
of New England's early settlers have so long been distinguished.  When 
he was about five years of age his father removed to Wyoming County, 
New York, where he spent his boyhood and early youth assisting in the 
management of a small farm and in attending common school for a few 
months during the Winter, completing his education at Warsaw Academy, 
or select school, which he attended two terms.  In 1850 he removed with 
his father to Westfield, New York, where he remained some two years 
mostly in the employ of the manufacturing establishment of F. Waters & 
Co., and where he supported himself and saved a little money.  Becoming 
restless and dissatisfied with the slow progress he was making, he 
determined to leave the paternal roof and seek his fortune in the far 
famed Eldorado of the Pacific coast.  Bidding adieu to his friends and 
early associates, he engaged passage in an Aspinwall steamer, and 
sailed from New York City in November, 1852.  Arriving at Aspinwall he 
crossed the Isthmus on foot, thus avoiding the expense of a mule, and 
immediately took steamer for San Francisco, where he arrived about noon 
on the 17th day of December, 1852.  With his natural restlessness, not 
immediately finding employment, he took passage on a steamer running up 
the Sacramento River at four o'clock the same afternoon, and while the 
boat stopped at Benicia lost his baggage, and arrived at Sacramento the 
next morning with about eight dollars in money and one suit of clothes, 
those he had on. This, however, did not in the least discourage him, 
but with that indomitable energy, pluck and ability to adapt himself to 
circumstances which has characterized his whole life, he immediately 
engaged himself as a restaurant waiter, it being the first thing that 
presented itself.  After remaining a few days he made an engagement 
with a forwarding house to drive a four-horse freighting team engaged 
in hauling provisions to the mining districts at one hundred and forty-
five dollars a month, with board.  At the end of five months, he had 
saved enough money, so that with the credit he could command he 
purchased four good horses and a freighting wagon, and commenced 
operating on his own account.  The enterprise proved successful, and he 
cleared above expenses more than one hundred dollars a week.  After 
following this for some eight months he sold out and engaged in the 
stock business.  He was in Sacramento during the memorable flood of 
1853, when the entire city was submerged and large amounts of property 
destroyed.  After following stock dealing for some seven or eight 
months he was taken sick, and being unable to attend to business set 
out for the States, arriving at his old home at Westfield, New York, in 
August, 1854.
     When he left California it was his intention to return in a short 
time, but his health continuing poor he was finally dissuaded by his 
friends, and remained in Westfield until early in the Spring of 1856, 
when he removed to Waterloo, Iowa, where he still resides.  After 
remaining about six weeks he made an exploring trip through the western 
portion of the state, being absent about two months, when he returned 
fully satisfied that he had already found in Waterloo the most favored 
locality in Northern Iowa.  The succeeding Spring he purchased two yoke 
of cattle and a breaking plow, for which he gave his note bearing 
interest at the rate of 40 per cent. per annum, secured by a chattel 
mortgage.  He then began breaking prairie, following it as long as the 
ground was suitable, and then doing odd jobs of teaming during the rest 
of the year.  At this time he hauled from Rock Island, Illinois, the 
water wheel, and from Iowa City the burrs for the first flouring mill 
ever erected in Waterloo.  In the Spring of 1857 he made a pre-emption 
claim in Mitchell County, near the Minnesota line, and in 1859 
commenced farming for himself, and put in fifty acres of grain.  In the 
Spring of 1860 he commenced buying and shipping stock, which he carried 
on for some six years, making the first consignment ever forwarded from 
Jesup.  In the Spring of 1861 he erected in connection with E. Johnson 
the first elevator built in Waterloo.  The next Spring, Mr. Johnson 
retiring, Mr. Farwell assumed the entire business, which he 
successfully conducted for several years, owning and operating at the 
same time five elevators, besides carrying on an extensive lumber and 
coal business, loading over three thousand cars of grain, for which he 
paid the farmers raising it nearly nine hundred thousand dollars.  In 
1867 he commenced the banking business by opening a private bank, which 
he carried on until 1870, at which time, in connection with Edmond 
Miller and others, he organized the National Savings Bank, and took the 
management of it as its first cashier, which position he still holds.  
In February, 1874, he was elected cashier of the First National Bank of 
Waterloo, and has since had full management of that substantial 
institution, and is the largest and one of its original stockholders.
     While Mr. Farwell has been carrying on the various enterprises 
enumerated above, he has also extensively engaged in many other large 
business operations, in all of which, when the management has devolved  
upon him, he has, by his ability, energy, and prudent judgment, been 
uniformly successful, and is well and favorably known to a large circle 
of business men throughout the Northwest.  While his private business 
is very large and engrossing, requiring great natural ability and well 
directed and indomitable industry to manage with success, he has an 
ever-ready and willing hand to encourage and assist every worthy public 
enterprise.  No man in the county has done more by erecting substantial 
improvements, encouraging and aiding with time and money the various 
schemes which have been set on foot to develop, improve and build up 
this section.  Every enterprise that gives reasonable promise of being 
of present or permanent value to the community never fails to receive 
from him that encouragement its importance demands.  He now owns near a 
score of dwellings adapted to the wants of renters, besides a public 
hall and numerous business houses, offices, etc.
     Mr. Farwell is a generous, large hearted thoroughly public 
spirited man, with no miserly elements in his composition.  A man of 
excellent moral and social qualities, one whose character and 
successful life can safely be pointed out to young men as a meritorious 
example worthy of imitation.  Commencing life a poor boy with a limited 
education, he has steadily progressed, owing his present ability to 
humor his taste for fine horses, and such other luxuries as the 
generously wealthy can afford, to his own intense energy and untiring 
industry, coupled with sharp business sagacity, and an unswerving 
determination "to do what he does do well."