Robert B. Webb, born in 1846 in Walworth County, Wisconsin, is a notable figure in Glyndon, Clay County, Minnesota. Son of Sylvester T. and Eliza (Harrington) Webb, Robert moved to Glyndon in 1878. Initially farming on Buffalo River, he later settled on a 230-acre farm near Glyndon. Webb has been active in local development, serving as town treasurer, assessor, justice of the peace, village council president, and county commissioner. He was also involved in church work as a deacon. Married to Amy E. Jewell in 1868, they had six children, with his son Halbert L. Webb becoming a prominent businessman in Duluth.
Robert B. Webb, a leading citizen of Glyndon, Clay County, Minnesota, was born in Walworth County, Wisconsin, in 1846 and is the son of Sylvester T. and Eliza (Harrington) Webb. The mother died when Robert was nine years old, and his father then married Elizabeth Hemsted, a widow, who still survives at the age of eighty-three years. The father, born in Columbia County, New York, was a pioneer settler of Walworth County and a prominent and prosperous farmer for many years. When he reached seventy years of age, he retired from active work and moved to Springfield, Wisconsin, where he currently resides. Despite being eighty-five years old, he is hale and hearty, fully in possession of his faculties, and able to read without the aid of glasses.
Robert B. grew up on the old homestead in Walworth County, attending the district schools, and also spent a short time at Milton Academy. In 1878, he settled on a farm on Buffalo River in Clay County, Minnesota, which he sold after two years and then moved to the village of Glyndon. There, he purchased a quarter section of land, which he farmed for several years. His present farm of 230 acres, near the village, is well improved with high-quality buildings and is under good cultivation. The soil is especially suitable for potato cultivation, with a yield of 150 bushels per acre in 1908.
Mr. Webb has always been an active man of affairs since settling in Glyndon and has contributed significantly to the development of his town. He served as an agent for the Minnesota & Dakota Elevator Company in Glyndon for several years. Additionally, he owned and operated an agricultural implement store, which he sold to his son-in-law, Mr. Walter Share, in 1900. Mr. Webb has held various public offices, including town treasurer, assessor, justice of the peace, president of the village council, and chairman of the board of supervisors. In 1902, he was elected county commissioner, a position he still holds as of 1909, serving as chairman of the board. Under his leadership, substantial progress has been made in the drainage of low lands. Mr. Webb is actively involved in church work and holds the position of deacon in the Glyndon Congregational Church.
In 1868, Mr. Webb married Miss Amy E. Jewell of Walworth County, Wisconsin, who passed away in June 1907. They had six children together. Mintie J., the eldest daughter, is deceased. Bertha, their third child, is married to Mr. F. A. Woodward of Glyndon. Clara, their fourth child, has assumed responsibility for the household since the mother’s death. Hattie E., their fifth child, is married to Walter Share of Glyndon. Robert B. Jr., their youngest child, manages the farm. Their eldest son, Halbert L. Webb, is an active and enterprising businessman and a member of the firm Jewel & Webb in Duluth, Minnesota. He also operates a private elevator in Glyndon, specializing in buying barley and oats. He is well-regarded in the farming community as a popular and dependable dealer in his field.
Source
C.F. Cooper & Company, History of the Red River Valley, Past And Present: Including an Account of the Counties, Cities, Towns And Villages of the Valley From the Time of Their First Settlement And Formation, volumes 1-2; Grand Forks: Herald printing company, 1909.