William Gustin was born in Adams County, Ohio in 1805. He was one of the early settlers of Fountain County, Hillsboro, Indiana. William arrived there in 1824 after much hardship. He was a tall and slender man with light hair and blue eyes.
William married Elizabeth Jane Ashenhurst in Ohio in 1826, they had five children. After her death in 1835 he married Susan Montgomery in Indiana and to them three children were born, all three children dying in infancy. A few months after Susan’s death in 1839, William married Eliza Jane Opdycke in Indiana. Here their eight children were born.
William planted all kinds of shrubs, flowers and fruit trees, making their place the show place of the country. In 1850 he traded this place to John Milton McBroom for 240 acres of land in Iowa and $1,500 in cash. That same year William and his wife and their children started for Hillsboro, Indiana. He first went to Illinois and spent the winter in the Chicago River area. Not being satisfied, in the spring he traded what he owned there for a team and wagon, loaded his old horsehair trunk and a clock and a table he had made and started for Iowa. He first located at Marion County. Soon after he moved to Clarke County, and with Seth Richards and the Lingle brothers laid out the town of Osceola, Iowa on Seth Richard’s land.
William built his large 19 room stone house on part of his land where Maple Hill Cemetery (West) is located today. The material for the house being gathered from the neighborhood of Osceola. All the timber beams etc were of black walnut in both house, barn and even the chicken coop. He made all the carved stairways and woodwork and mantels. To saw the lumber he dug a large hole in the ground and by means of a large saw and team, contrived to saw the walnut for his house and barn and again beautifying his home with flowers, shrubs and trees. Gustin’s place was mentioned many times as being the social center of Osceola, a palace. The Gustin’s were noted for their hospitality. Eliza was proud of her house where she lived but a short time after being ill a few days, she died in 1860 at the age of 38.
William married Salina Dixon in 1861 in Osceola and they had one daughter. Salina died in Oregon in 1900 and is buried in Indianola, Iowa.
William Gustin died in Osceola in August 1, 1876, and is buried at Maple Hill Cemetery in Osceola beside his wife Eliza Jane.
William stipulated in his will when his children became of age or married, in either event they were to receive $100 in money and one good common cow.