Iowa was a Territory of the United States in 1838. The Territory became a state in 1846. After Iowa became a state many families from the east began to migrate to Iowa. The first Bobbitt family to arrive in Iowa was James and Margaret (Mann) Bobbitt. They arrived in Iowa about 1848 and were counted in the census of 1850. In the census of 1850 Bobbitts lived in only three counties of the entire state, the counties were Mahasha, Patowattamie, and Fremont.
Fremont County: Family # 28, counted August 31, 1850.
James Bobbitt was a son of Randolph and Nancy (Mays) Bobbitt. He was born in Bedford County, Virginia. James married Margaret Mann of Campbell County Kentucky on July 4, 1821.
Mahasha County: Family # 630, counted September 17, 1850.
Everett Hale Bobbitt was a son of William and Elizabeth Hale Bobbitt. He was a grandson of Isham and Elizabeth James Bobbitt. His family is counted in the census of Mahaska County in 1860.
Pattowattamie County: Family # 127, counted September 6, 1850
We think that this is an unmarried sister of James Bobbitt listed in Fremont County. If so Mary was born in Kentucky. She may be the widow of a Bobbitt. The smudged reading of her birth place looks like it could be Mexico.
Because these families of Iowa are important to our family history, we are giving some of the families found in the 1860 census records, but not of the entire state.
