JohnRichard

John Richard Love was just 3 years old when he moved with his family from Glasgow, Jefferson County, Iowa to Albia, Monroe County, Iowa in February 1862 to begin a new life.

His father, James Hamilton Love, started his first store that same year to continue his career as a dry goods retailer, eventually becoming one of Albia's more prosperous businessmen. All the Love brothers, except John Richard, worked in their father's store.

Still living at home at the age of 21, he owned several dogs and cats but eventually bought a pet monkey. The addition of the monkey was the last straw. John Richard's mother told his dad to get him and his dogs, cats and monkeys and move him out to the family's farm. And that's when he moved to the farm.

The move to the 200-acre farm may have been a critical point in John Richard's life, as his new location put him near the home of his future wife, and also gave him his life's work.

John Richard Love and Lucinda Melissa Lambertson were married

John Richard and Lu had 5 children. Frederick Clifton, born April 23, 1885, died June 6, 1887 after being attacked by a horse. James Harvey, born January 2, 1888, George Orton, born August 9, 1890, Lelah Iva, born July 26, 1893, and Guy Dewey, born March 4, 1898.

John Richard's older brother, Samuel Dare Love, was the primary businessman of all the brothers and had the responsibility of buying and importing horses and cattle for the farm from England. Sometime in the early 1900's, John Richard found his calling and took over the horse business. He had 12 or 14 stud horses around the farm, and the 8 box stalls in the barn were full. He was very enthusiastic about the horse business becoming quite knowledgeable about bloodlines and wrote books about horse lineage.

John Richard and Lucinda bought a home near their son, James Harvey, and moved into town in 1936. Lucinda died the following March. Ten years later, John Richard, no longer able to live alone, relocated to a nursing home for 2 years, but spent the last year of his life living with his son Guy Dewey and his wife, Grace. He died at the age of 91.

Note: most of the information in the foregoing biography of
John Richard and Lucinda Melissa Lambertson Love
was provided by Delbert Love, their grandson.

December 26, 1883 in Selection, Monroe Twp., Monroe County, Iowa (a few miles south of Albia where the Lambertsons relocated at an unknown date). John Richard and Lucinda Love lived on the Love farm from the time they were married until 1936.