Nicoll, David

The following data is extracted from Ida County, Iowa Biographies.

Rev. D. Nicoll, a minister of the United Presbyterian Church & a prominent farmer in Battle Twp., Ida Co., Iowa, was born in Delaware Co., New York, Feb. 22, 1841. He was the son of Andrew & Margaret (George) Nicoll.
Andrew Nicoll was born in Scotland in 1797 and was reared and married there, and in 1839 emigrated to America and located in Delaware County, New York, where the rest of his life was spent, engaged in farming pursuits. He died in 1870. Andrew and Margaret’s ten children were: Elizabeth (wife of John Beckwith, Delaware Co., N. Y.); William (married in Delaware Co., N. Y.); James; Andrew (married, living on a farm in Cedar County, Iowa); Margaret (wife of John G. Russell of Delaware County, N. Y.); Ann (wife of Allen Elijah, Cedar County, Iowa); Christina (widow of John Imroe, Cedar County, Iowa); David; Jane (wife of William Imrie, Napa, Ca.); and Jeanette (wife of L. D. Boyd, of Corwin Twp., Ida County, Iowa).
Mr. Nicoll was reared on a farm in Delaware County. In 1861, he entered Jefferson College, Cannonsburg, Pa., and after finishing his sophomore year, enlisted on August 29, 1862 at Pittsburgh, Pa., in Knapp's Battery for a term of three years, or during the war. He was assigned to the Army of the Potomac and was in the battles of Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and Wahachie. October 28, 1863, he received a gunshot wound in his right shoulder, after which he was in field hospital near Chattanooga and at Murfreesboro till January, 1864. January 2, he received a furlough, returned to New York, and remained there until April 1 of the same year. From that time until May, he was in the hospital at Central Park, New York city, and from May till October, he was bookkeeper in the same hospital. Then he was transferred to the Veteran Corps, New York City, and was in a provost marshal's office until May 19, 1865, when he was honorably discharged.
In September, 1865, he re-entered college at Cannonsburg, Pa., and remained there till January 1866. He then came West to Illinois, entered Monmouth College at Monmouth, and graduated at that institution in June, 1867. After that he began a theological course; spent the winter of 1867-'68 at Newburg, N. Y., and the following winter at Monmouth, Illinois, graduating with the class of 1869. While in New York, in June, 1868, he was licensed to preach in the United Presbyterian Church, and in September, 1869, came to De Witt, Clinton County, Iowa, where he was ordained as pastor in November. He was pastor of the United Presbyterian Church at that place for a period of 15 years. He came to Ida County to Battle Township, organized a church, at first holding services in a Jim Brown schoolhouse. In 1890, he assisted in erecting a nice frame church, 28 x 40 feet, with a seating capacity of 150, in which he preached regularly and conducted Sabbath school work.
Mr. Nicoll was married in Delaware County, New York, in 1870, January 6, to Miss Isabella F. Brown, a native of that place and a daughter of Thomas and Mary Ann (McNee) Brown. Her parents were both deceased, her mother having died in 1859, and her father in 1869. Mr. and Mrs. Nicoll had 3 children living: William A., Thomas Edward, and George David. They lost one child, Mary, who died at the age of ten months.
Since 1884, Mr. Nicoll devoted much time and attention to the improvement of his farm, having that year settled on 320 acres of wild land in Battle Township, Ida County, Iowa. He had erected a nice story and a half frame residence, good barn, and other farm buildings, and had an orchard of 5 acres. He was engaged in general farming and stock-raising.
Mr. Nicoll had been Secretary of the School Board for a number of years and served as Township Clerk. Mr. Nicoll was a member of the Matthew Gray Post, No. 93, G. A. R., Ida Grove.

Source: Ida County, Iowa Biographies

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