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GENEALOGY COLLECTION
3 1833 01081 2714
H] STORY
Jackson County,
I.O W J±,
I'nYl'AlNING
% ^taicr^ of tfp dntmitj, it* Siitt*t laum*,
Biographical Sketches of Citizens, War Record of its Volunteers
in the late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics. Portraits
of Early Settlers and Prominent Men, History of the
Northwest, History of Iowa, Map of Jackson
County, Constitution of the United States,
Miscellaneous Matters, &c, &c.
R>M
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ILIjTXSTIR.A.TIErD.
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CHICAGO :
WESTERN HISTORICAL COMPANY,
1879.
PREFACE. 1±48925
T^ORTY-FIVE years ago, Jackson County was a wilderness untrodden by
the white settler. To-day, it abounds in cultivated fields, growing hamlets
and prosperous cities. A generation back, it was an unorganized Territory.
To-day it is a mature and well-governed commonwealth. Then it was poor and
naked. To-day finds it rich in money, comfort and future prospects — clothed
in all the graces of a new world's civilization.
The purpose of this volume is to trace the story of this change. A thou-
sand years will probably not work so marked a difference in the appearance
and history of this district as has the past half-century. If this work has
done nothing more, it has at least saved from oblivion the most important
events and circumstances connected with the great transformation which rescued
Jackson County from Nature's wildness to fit it for the home of comfort and
culture.
We have endeavored to introduce the reader to the crudities of backwoods
government, to show him society as it existed in a new and almost lawless
region, to seat him by the hearthstone of pioneers, to trace the growth of the
community through succeeding decades and to present a faithful picture of the
county and its institutions as it has entered upon the last quarter of this event-
ful century. The book is not so much our own work as it is that of Jackson
citizens. The latter produced the facts it has been our pleasure to record. We
have endeavored to represent events as they have occurred. We have halted,
perplexed, before conflicting, though honest, statements, and have sometimes
been able but partly to repair existing breaches in our path. Memory is falli-
ble. Dates are fickle. Names are obstinate. Recollection sometimes refuses
from sheer weariness to go backward over the years of a generation. Under
such circumstances, we cannot expect to have made no mistakes. Some errors
will be due to our informants ; some, to ourselves. A charitable public will
acknowledge the difficulty and credit us with doing the work faithfully at least.
The reception extended in the county gives us reason to believe we place the
work in the hands of its friends.
It remains for us publicly to express our appreciation of the kindness with
which the pioneers and citizens of Jackson County have co-operated with our
representatives in securing the information which makes this work a possibility.
Our thanks are especially due to Col. William A. Warren, of Bellevue, for
the privilege of making use of published articles ; to the editors of the Sentinel
and Excelsior, as well as other members of the county press, for their courtesy
in affording us access to their files ; to the various county and city officials for
uniform kindness, and for opportunities to consult the records; to Jonx E.
Goodenow, Esq., for much of the early history of Maquoketa.
To mention the names of gentlemen to whom we are indebted for courtesy
and assistance though a labor of love, would be superfluous ; we thank all, but
desire particularly to make our acknowledgements to S. Burleson, Capt. W.
S. Belden, George F. Green, William Y. Earle, Dr. J. F. Sugg, Dr.
E. A. Wood, N. Butterworth, Jr., Dr. L. Millar, Z. De Groat, A. G.
Henderson and J. M. Kirkpatrick.
Whatever of satisfaction, instruction or enjoyment these pages may bring
to their readers will be a gratification to
THE PUBLISHERS.
November, 1879.
CONTENTS
HISTORY NORTHWEST AXD STATE OF IOWA.
Page.
History Northwest Territory 19
Geographical 1'ositiou 19
Early Explorations 20
Discovery of the Ohio 32
English Explorations and Set-
tlements 3*
American Settlements 59
Division ol the Northwest Ter-
ritory 65
Tecum'seh ami the War of 1S12 09
Black Hawk and the Black
Hawk War 73
Other Indian Troubles 79
Present Condition of theNorth-
weal 79
Illinois 88
Illinois 257
Indiana 259
Iowa 260
Michigan 21)3
Wisconsin 264
Minnesota 266
Nebraska 267
Hist"rv of Iowa:
Geographical Situation 109
Topography 109
Drainage System 110
jstory of Iowa :
Rivers Ill
Lakes 118
Springs 119
Prairies 120
Geology 120
Climatology 137
Discovery and Occupation 139
Territory 147
Indians 147
Tike's Expeilitit 151
Indian Wars 152
Black Hawk War 157
Indian Purchase, Keservesand
Treaties... 159
Spaiii-.li Grants 163
Half-Breed Tract 164
Early Settlements 166
Territorial History 173
Boundary Question 177
State Organization 181
Growth and Progress 185
Agricultural Col lege and Fnrm.lb'G
State University 187
state lli-t nieal Society 193
Penitentiaries 194
History of Iowa:
Insane Hospitals 195
College for the Blind 197
Deaf and Dumb Institution 199
Soldiers' Orphans' Homes 199
State Normal School 201
Asylum for Feeble Minded
Children 201
Keforiu School '202
Fisb Hatching Establishment. .2o3
Public Lands 204
Public Schools 218
Political Record 223
War Record 229
Infantry 233
Cavalry 244
Artillery 247
Miscellaneous 248
Promotions from Iowa Reg-
iments 249
Number Casualties— Olticers.2."ii i
Number Casualties — Enlist-
ed Men 252
Number Volunteers 254
Population 255
Agricultural Statistics 320
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
Page.
Adoption of Children 303 Forms
Bills of Exchange and Promissory
Page.
..297
Commercial Terms 31
Capital Punishment 2!
Charitable. Scientific and Religious
Associations 3:
Descent 2:
Damages from Trespass 31
Exemptions from Execution 2'
Estrays 2
Articles of Agreement 3'
Bills of Sale .
Bond for Deed
Bills of Purchase..
chattel Mortgage ::ll Limitation of Actions..,
Confession of Judgment :'.' a; Landlord and Tenant 304
Lease 312 Married Women 298
Mortgages 310 Marks and Brands 30u
Notice to yuit 309 Mechanics' Liens 301
Orders
Quit Claim Deed
Wills and Codicil's...
Warranty Deed 314 Tax
..300 Wills and Estates
293 Weights and
; Liquors 317 Wolf Scalps.
urisdiction of Courts 297 |
Source of the Mississippi
La Salle Landing on the shore of
Green Bay -.
Buffalo Hunt
Trapping
Mouth of the Mississippi
High Bridge
Pontine, the Ottawa Chieftain
ILLUSTRATIONS.
:e. Page.
22 Indians Attacking Frontiersmen.. 55
Present Site Lake Street Bridge,
24 Chicago, 1833 58
26 A Pioneer Dwelling 60
28 Lake Bluff. 62
31 ] Tecumseh, the Shawanoe Chieftain 68
33 J Indians Attacking a Stockade 71
42 I Black Hawk, the Sac Chieftain 74
MISCELLANEOUS.
Map of Jackson County Front. Surveyor's Measure 288
Constitution of United States 209 How to Keep Accounts 288
Vote for President, Governor and Interest Table 289
Congressmen 283 Miscella us la1 de 289
Practical Rules for Everv-Duy Use..284 ' Names of the States of the Union
United States Government Land and their significations 290
Moasure 287 Population of the United States 291
Page.
Old Fort Dearborn, 1830 79
Lincoln Monument 80
A Pioneer School House 81
Chicago in 1S33 82
Hunting Prairie Wolves 85
Kinzie House 87
Starved Rock 89
An Early Settlement 108
Page.
population of Fifty Principal Cities
of the United States 291
Population and Area of the United
States 292
Population of the Principal Coun-
tries in ths World 292
HISTORY OF JACJUSOX C'OCSTT.
County Organization
Township Organization
County Commissioners' Busin
Probate Court ,
First Settler
First Deed
Club Law and Claims
The County Seat
County Superv
Embezzb
Bridges
County Poor Farm
County Jail
County Finances
Statistics
Geological
Burt's Cave
Hunter's Caves
Descriptive Geography.
Streams
Natural Products
Timber
Arrival of Outlaws in Bellevue 356
A Real-Estate Transaction 362
The Groff-Davis Tragedy 363
A Checkered Life 366
A Romance 368
Citizens' Association 371
The Bandits' Den 372
A Deputy's Bravery and What
Came of It 374
James Thompson 377 I
Page.
A Temporary Reform 380
Smuggled Spoils 381
Killing of James Thompson 382
The Bellevue War.
The Assault on Brown's Hotel 398
The Thieves Tried and Sentenced..398
Jackson-Perkins Murder and Exe-
403
Fate of Alexander Grifford 405
Vigilance Committee 405
llarg'f Murder and Lynching 406
The Cronk Murder Trial
Lead Exploration in 1834.....
..419
..419
A Defeated
Pioneer Honor.
A Disgusted Barber 422
The First Woman's Crusade.
Incidents
Court Incidents
Court Resolutions 428
Truth Stranger than Fiction..
A Distressing Accident
Monmouth's Centennial
Fairfield's Centennial
Railroals
Agricultural Society
Horticultural
Political
Vote 1876-1878
Educational
County Officers
Township Officers 1879
Legislative Representation..
War History
Roster Volunteers
Maquoketa
BelleTOeV"."T"""/.!""."'.'.V.".'
Sabula
Miles
Preston
Baldwin
Monmouth
Spragueville
VanBuren
Fulton
Spring Brook
St. It.. II. it us
Mill Rock
Canton
Ozark
Nashville
Bellevue
Brandon
Butler
Fairfield
Farmer's Creek..
HIOGKAI'HICAL SKETCHES.
Page. I
Jackson 765 | Richland..
Maquoketa..
Monmouth 651 | Tete des Morts..
773 Otter Creek 7:." I Union
743 Perry 724 Van Burten
702 Prairie Springs 685 | Washington
Too'Late for Insertion 782, 783
Mrs. N. R. Allen
N. Butterworth
A. L. Bartholomew
Mrs. Juliett Carman
Thomas W. Cassin
James Dunne
Z. De Groat
Charles M. Dunbar
J. M. Fitzgerald
James D. Gage
LITHOSRAPHIC PORTRAITS.
Page. I
627 I Mrs. J. E. Goodenow.
....411 I J. E. Goodenow
717 M. G. Hyler
447 I J. J. Hofstetter
...753 X. Kilborn..
...33!) George W. Kelsall ..
...645 George W. Keister..
...519 L. Millar
Page.
f. Miles 591
j. Niemann 681
. Potter 375
• *»ss" '-"
ry Sperbt litis
. Thomas 736
..Wood 573
\. Warren 357
Map op
C O I
2
County, lo^*-
: v.I£-&'.iiC:
■^
^AXIi
3
The Northwest Territory.
GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION.
When the Northwestern Territory was ceded to the United States
by Virginia in 1784, it embraced only the territory lying between the
Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers, and north to the northern limits of the
United States. It coincided with the area now embraced in the States
of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and that portion of
Minnesota lying on the east side of the Mississippi River. The United
States itself at that period extended no farther west than the Mississippi
River; but by the purchase of Louisiana in 1803, the western boundary
of the United States was extended to the Rocky Mountains and the
Northern Pacific Ocean. The new territory thus added to the National
' domain, and subsequently opened to settlement, has been called the
"New Northwest," in contradistinction from the old "Northwestern
Territory."
In comparison with the old Northwest this is a territory of vast
magnitude. It includes an area of 1,887,850 square miles ; being greater
in extent than the united areas of all the Middle and Southern States,
including Texas. Out of this magnificent territory have been erected
eleven sovereign States and eight Territories, with an aggregate popula-
tion, at the present time, of 13,000.000 inhabitants, or nearly one third of
the entire population of the United States.
Its lakes are fresh-water seas, and the larger rivers of the continent
flow for a thousand miles through its rich alluvial valleys and far-
stretching prairies, more acres of which are arable and productive of the
highest percentage of the cereals than of any other area of like extent
on the globe.
For the last twenty years the increase of population in the North-
west has been about as three to one in any other portion of the United
States.
119)
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
EARLY EXPLORATIONS.
In the year 1541, DeSoto first saw the Great West in the New
World. He, however, penetrated no farther north than the 35th parallel
of latitude. The expedition resulted in his death and that of more than
half his army, the remainder of whom found their way to Cuba, thence
to Spain, in a famished and demoralized condition. DeSoto founded no
settlements, produced no results, and left no traces, unless it were that
he awakened the hostility of the red man against the white man, and
disheartened such as might desire to follow up the career of discovery
for better purposes. The French nation were eager and ready to seize
upon any news from this extensive domain, and were the first to profit by
DeSoto's defeat. Yet it was more than a century before any adventurer
took advantage of these discoveries.
In 1616, four years before the pilgrims " moored their bark on the
wild New England shore," Le Caron, a French Franciscan, had pene-
trated through the Iroquois and Wyandots (Hurons) to the streams which
run into Lake Huron ; and in 1631, two Jesuit missionaries founded the
first mission among the lake tribes. It was just one hundred years from
the discovery of the Mississippi by DeSoto (1541) until the Canadian
envoys met the savage nations of the Northwest at the Falls of St. Mary,
below the outlet of Lake Superior. This visit led to no permanent
result; yet it was not until 1659 that any of the adventurous fur traders
attempted to spend a Winter in the frozen wilds about the great lakes,
nor was it until 1660 that a station was established upon their borders by
Mesnard, who perished in the woods a few months after. In 1665, Claude
Allouez built the earliest lasting habitation of the white man among the
Indians of the Northwest. In 1668, Claude Dablon and James Marquette
founded the mission of Sault Ste. Marie at the Falls of St. Mary, and two
years afterward, Nicholas Perrot, as agent for M. Talon, Governor Gen-
eral of Canada, explored Lake Illinois (Michigan) as far south as the
present City of Chicago, and invited the Indian nations to meet him at a
grand council at Sault Ste. Marie the following Spring, where they were
taken under the protection of the king, and formal possession was taken
of the Northwest. This same year Marquette established a mission at
Point St. Ignatius, where was founded the old town of Michillimackinac.
During M. Talon's explorations and Marquette's residence at St.
Ignatius, they learned of a great river away to the west, and fancied
— as all others did then — that upon its fertile banks whole tribes of God's
children resided, to whom the sound of the Gospel had never come.
Filled with a wish to go and preach to them, and in compliance with a
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 21
request of M. Talon, who earnestly desired to extend the domain of his
king, and to ascertain whether the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico
or the Pacific Ocean, Marquette with Joliet, as commander of the expe-
dition, prepared for the undertaking.
On the 13th of May, 1673, the explorers, accompanied by five assist-
ant French Canadians, set out from Mackinaw on their daring voyage of
discovery. The Indians, who gathered to witness their departure, were
astonished at the boldness of the undertaking, and endeavored to dissuade
them from their purpose by representing the tribes on the Mississippi as
exceedingly savage and cruel, and the river itself as full of all sorts of
frightful monsters ready to swallow them and their canoes together. But,
nothing daunted by these terrific descriptions, Marquette told them he
was willing not only to encounter all the perils of the unknown region
they were about to explore, but to lay down his life in a cause in which
the salvation of souls was involved ; and having prayed together they
separated. Coasting along the northern shore of Lake Michigan, the
adventurers entered Green Bay, and passed thence up the Fox River and
Lake Winnebago to a village of the Miamis and Kickapoos. Here Mar-
quette was delighted to find a beautiful cross planted in the middle of the
town ornamented with white skins, red girdles and bows and arrows,
which these good people had offered to the Great Manitou, or God, to
thank him for the pity he had bestowed on them during the Winter in
giving them an abundant " chase." This was the farthest outpost to
which Dablon and Allouez had extended their missionary labors the
year previous. Here Marquette drank mineral waters and was instructed
in the secret of a root which cures the bite of the venomous rattlesnake.
He assembled the chiefs and old men of the village, and, pointing to
Joliet, said : " My friend is an envoy of France, to discover new coun-
tries, and I am an ambassador from God to enlighten them with the truths
of the Gospel." Two Miami guides were here furnished to conduct
them to the Wisconsin River, and they set out from the Indian village on
the 10th of June, amidst a great crowd of natives who had assembled to
witness their departure into a region where no white man had ever yet
ventured. The guides, having conducted them across the portage,
returned. The explorers launched their canoes upon the Wisconsin,
which they descended to the Mississippi and proceeded down its unknown
waters. What emotions must have swelled their breasts as they struck
out into the broadening current and became conscious that they were
now upon the bosom of th3 Father of Waters. The mystery was about
to be lifted from the long-sought river. The scenery in that locality is
beautiful, and on that delightful seventeenth .of June must have been
clad in all its primeval loveliness as it had been adorned by the hand of
22 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Nature. Drifting rapidly, it is-said that the bold bluffs on either hand
" reminded them of the castled shores of their own beautiful rivers of
France." By-and-by, as they drifted along, great herds of buffalo appeared
on the banks. On going to the heads of the valley they could see a
country of the greatest beauty and fertility, apparently destitute of inhab-
itants yet presenting the appearance of extensive manors, under the fas-
tidious cultivation of lordly proprietors.
SOURCE OF THE MISSISSIPPI.
On June 25, they went ashore and found some fresh traces of men upon
the sand, and a path which led to tbe prairie. The men remained in (lie
boat, and Marquette and Joliet followed the path till they discovered a
village on the banks of a river, and two other villages on a hill, within a
half league of the first, inhabited by Indians. They were received most
hospitably by these natives, who had never before seen a white person.
After remaining a few days they re-embarked ami descended the river to
about latitude 33°, where they found a village of the Arkansas, and being
satisfied that the river flowed into the Golf of Mexico, turned their course
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. g8
up the river, and ascending the stream to the mouth of the Illinois,
rowed up that stream to its source, and procured guides from that point
to the lakes. " Nowhere on this journey," says Marquette, " did we see
such grounds, meadows, woods, stags, buffaloes, deer, wildcats, bustards,
swans, ducks, parroquets, and even beavers, as on the Illinois River."
The party, without loss or injury, reached Green Bay in September, and
reported their discovery — one of the most important of the age, but of
which no record was preserved save Marquette's, Joliet losing his by
the upsetting of his canoe on his way to Quebec. Afterward Marquette
returned to the Illinois Indians by their request, and ministered to them
until 1675. On the 18th of May, in that year, as he was passing the
mouth of a stream — going with his boatmen up Lake Michigan — he asked
to land at its mouth and celebrate Mass. Leaving his men with the canoe,
he retired a short distance and began his devotions. As much time
passed and he did not return, his men went in search of him, and found
him upon his knees, dead. He had peacefully passed away while at
prayer. He was buried at this spot. Charlevoix, who visited the place
fifty years after, found the waters had retreated from the grave, leaving
the beloved missionary to repose in peace. The river has since been
called Marquette.
While Marquette and his companions were pursuing their labors in
the West, two men, differing widely from him and each other, were pre-
paring to follow in his footsteps and perfect the discoveries so well begun
by him. These were Robert de La Salle and Louis Hennepin.
After La Salle's return from the discovery of the Ohio River (see
the narrative elsewhere), he established himself again among the French
trading posts in Canada. Here he mused long upon the pet project of
those ages — a short way to China and the East, and was busily planning an
expedition up the great lakes, and so across the continent to the Pacific,
when Marquette returned from the Mississippi. At once the vigorous mind
of LaSalle received from his and his companions' stories the idea that by fol-
lowing the Great River northward, or by turning up some of the numerous
western tributaries, the object could easily be gained. He applied to
Frontenac, Governor General cf Canada, and laid before him the plan,
dim but gigantic. Frontenac entered warmly into his plans, and saw that
LaSalle's idea to connect the great lakes by a chain of forts with the Gulf
of Mexico would bind the country so wonderfully together, give un-
measured power to France, and glory to himself, under whose adminis-
tration he earnestly hoped all would be realized.
LaSalle now repaired to France, laid his plans before the King, who
warmly approved of them, and made him a Chevalier. He also received
from all the noblemen the warmest wishes for his success. The Chev-
24 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
alier returned to Canada, and busily entered upon his work. He at
once rebuilt Fort Frontenac and constructed the first ship to sail on
these fresh-water seas. On the 7th of August, 1679, having been joined
by Hennepin, be began his voyage in the Griffin up Lake Erie. He
passed over this lake, through the straits beyond, up Lake St. Clair and
into Huron. In this lake they encountered heavy storms. The}' were
some time at Micliillimackinac, where LaSalle founded a fort, and passed
on to Green Bay, the " Baie des Puans" of the French, where he found
a large quantity of furs collected for him. He loaded the Griffin with
these, and placing her under the care of a pilot and fourteen sailors,
LA SALLE LANDING ON THE SIIOKE OF GREEN BAY.
started her on her return voyage. The vessel was never afterward heard
of. He remained about these parts until early in the "Winter, when, hear-
ing nothing from the Griffin, he collected all the men — thirty working
men and three monks — ami started again upon his great undertaking.
By a short portage they passed to the Illinois or Kankakee, called by
the Indians, "Theakcke," ivolf, because of the tribes of Indians called
by that name, commonly known as the Mahingans, dwelling there. The
French pronounced it Kiakiki, which became corrupted to Kankakee.
'■Falling down the said river by easy journeys, the better to observe the
country," about the last of December they reached a village of the Illi-
nois Indians, containing some five hundred cabins, but at that moment
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 25
no inhabitants. The Seur de LaSalle being in want of some breadstuff's,
took advantage of the absence of the Indians to help himself to a suffi-
ciency of maize, large quantities of which he found concealed in holes
under the wigwams. This village was situated near the present village
of Utica in LaSalle' County, Illinois. The corn being securely stored,
the voyagers again betook themselves to the stream, and toward evening,
on the 4th day of January, 16S0, they came into a lake which must have
been the lake of Peoria. This was called by the Indians Pim-i-te-wi, that
is, a place where there are many fat beasts. Here the natives were met
with in large numbers, but they were gentle and kind, and having spent
some time with them, LaSalle determined to erect another fort in that
place, for he had heard rumors that some of the adjoining tribes were
trying to disturb the good feeling which existed, and some of his men
were disposed to complain, owing to the hardships and perils of the travel.
He called this fort " Crevecoeur'' (broken-heart), a name expressive of the
very natural sorrow and anxiety which the pretty certain loss of his ship,
Griffin, and his consequent impoverishment, the danger of hostility on the
part of the Indians, and of mutiny among his own men, might well cause
him. His fears were not entirely groundless. At one time poison was
placed in his food, but fortunately was discovered.
While building this fort, the Winter wore away, the prairies began to
look green, and LaSalle, despairing of any reinforcements, concluded to
return to Canada, raise new means and new men, and embark anew in
the enterprise. For this purpose he made Hennepin the leader of a party
to explore the head waters of the Mississippi, and he set out on his jour-
ney. This journey was accomplished with the aid of a few persons, and
was successfully made, though over an almost u lknown route, and in a
bad season of the year. He safely reached Cana ia, and set out again for
the object of his search.
Hennepin and his party left Fort Crevecoeur on the last of February,
1680. When LaSalle reached this place on his return expedition, he
found the fort entirely deserted, and he was obliged to return again to
Canada. He embarked the third time, and succeeded. Seven days after
leaving the fort, Hennepin reached the Mississippi, and paddling up the
icy stream as best he could, reached no higher than the Wisconsin River
by the 11th of April. Here he and his followers were taken prisoners by a
band of Northern Indians, who treated them with great kindness. Hen-
nepin's comrades were Anthony Auguel and Michael Ako. On this voy-
age they found several beautiful lakes, and "saw some charming prairies."
Their captors were the Isaute or Sauteurs, Chippewas, a tribe of the Sioux
nation, who took them up the river until about the first of May, when
they reached some falls, which Hennepin christened Falls of St. Anthony
26
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
in honor of his patron saint. Here they took the land, and traveling
nearly two hundred miles to the northwest, brought them to their villages.
Here they were kept about three months, were treated kindly by their
captors, and at the end of that time, were met by a band of Frenchmen,
BUFFALO HUNT.
headed by one Seur de Luth, who, in pursuit of trade and game, had pene-
trated thus far by the route of Lake Superior; and with these fellow-
countrymen Hennepin and his companions were allowed to return to the
borders of civilized life in November, 1680, just after LaSalle had
returned to the wilderness on his second trip. Hennepin soon after went
to France, where he published an account of his adventures.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 27
The Mississippi was first discovered by De Soto in April, 1541, in his
vain endeavor to find gold and precious gems. In the following Spring,
De Soto, weary with hope long deferred, and worn out with his wander-
ings, he fell a victim to disease, and on the 21st of May died. His followers,
reduced by fatigue and disease to less than three hundred men, wandered
about the country nearly a year, in the vain endeavor to rescue them-
selves by land, and finally constructed seven small vessels, called brigan-
tines, in which they embarked, and descending the river, supposing it
would lead them to the sea, in July they came to the sea (Gulf of
Mexico), and by September reached the Island of Cuba.
They were the first to see the great outlet of the Mississippi ; but,
being so weary and discouraged, made no attempt to claim the country,
and hardly had an intelligent idea of what they had passed through.
To La Salle, the intrepid explorer, belongs the honor of giving the
first account of the mouths of the river. His great desire was to possess
this entire country for his king, and in January, 1682, he and his band of
explorers left the shores of Lake Michigan on their third attempt, crossed
the portage, passed down the Illinois River, and on the 6th of February,
reached the banks of the Mississippi.
On the 13th they commenced their downward course, which they
pursued with but one interruption, until upon the 6th of March they dis-
covered the three great passages by which the liver discharges its waters
into the gulf. La Salle thus narrates the event :
" We landed on the bank of the most western channel, about three
leagues (nine miles) from its mouth. On the seventh, M. de LaSalle
went to reconnoiter the shores of the neighboring sea, and M. de Tonti
meanwhile examined the great middle channel. They found the main
outlets beautiful, large and deep. On the 8th we reascended the river, a
little above its confluence with the sea, to find a dry place beyond the
re^ch of inundations. The elevation of the North Pole was here about
twenty-seven degrees. Here we prepared a column and a cross, and to
the column were affixed the arms of France with this inscription :
Louis Le Grand, Roi De France et de Navarre, regne ; Le neuvieme Avril, 1682.
The whole party, under arms, chanted the Te Deum, and then, after
a salute and cries of " Vive le Roi," the column was erected by M. de
La Salle, who, standing near it, proclaimed in a loud voice the authority of
the King of France. LaSalle returned and laid the foundations of the Mis-
sissippi settlements in Illinois, thence he proceeded to France, where'
another expedition was fitted out, of which he was commander, and in two
succeeding voyages failed to find the outlet of the river by sailing along
the shore of the gulf. On his third voyage he was killed, through the
28
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
treachery of his followers, and the object of his expeditions was not
accomplished until 1G99, when D'lberville, under the authority of the
crown, discovered, on the second of March, by way of the sea, the mouth
of the " Hidden River." This majestic stream was called by the natives
aMalboi&ehia," and by the Spaniards, " la Palissade" from the great
i^/fM*/
TRAPPING.
number of trees about its mouth. After traversing the several outlets,
and satisfying himself as to its certainty, he erected a fort near its western
outlet, and returned to France.
An avenue of trade was now opened out which was fully improved.
In 1718, New Orleans was laid out and settled by some European colo-
nists. In 1762, the colony was made over to Spain, to be regained by
France under the consulate of Napoleon. In 1803, it was purchased by
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. Z\)
the United States for the sum of fifteen million dollars, and the territory
of Louisiana and commerce of the Mississippi River came under the
charge of the United States. Although LaSalle's labors ended in defeat
and death, he had not worked and suffered in vain. He had thrown
open to France and the world an immense and most valuable country ;
had established several ports, and laid the foundations of more than one
settlement there. " Peoria, Kaskaskia and Cahokia, are to this day monu-
ments of LaSalle's labors ; for, though he had founded neither of them
(unless Peoria, which was built nearly upon the site of Fort Crevecceur,)
it was by those whom he led into the West that these places were
peopled and civilized. He was, if not the discoverer, the first settler of
the Mississippi Valley, and as such deserves to be known and honored."
The French early improved the opening made for them. Before the
year 1698, the Rev. Father Gravier began a mission among the Illinois,
and founded Kaskaskia. For some time this was merely a missionary
station, where none but natives resided, it being one of three such vil-
lages, the other two being Cahokia and Peoria. What is known of
these missions is learned from a letter written by Father Gabriel Marest,
dated " Aux Cascaskias, autrement dit de l'lmmaculate Conception de
la Sainte Vierge, le 9 Novembre, 1712." Soon after the founding of
Kaskaskia, the missionary, Pinet, gathered a flock at Cahokia, while
Peoria arose near the ruins of Fort Crevecceur. This must have been
about the year 1700. The post at Vincennes on the Oubache river,
(pronounced Wa-ba, meaning summer cloud moving swiftly} was estab-
lished in 1702, according to the best authorities.* It is altogether prob-
able that on LaSalle's last trip he established the stations at Kaskaskia
and Cahokia. In July, 1701, the foundations of Fort Ponchartrain
were laid by De la Motte Cadillac on the Detroit River. These sta-
tions, with those established further north, were the earliest attempts to
occupy the Northwest Territory. At the same time efforts were being
made to occupy the Southwest, which finally culminated in the settle-
ment and founding of the City of New Orleans by a colony from England
in 1718. This was mainly accomplished through the efforts of the
famous Mississippi Company, established by the notorious John Law,
who so quickly arose into prominence in France, and who with his
scheme so quickly and so ignominiously passed away.
From the time of the founding of these stations for fifty years the
French nation were engrossed with the settlement of the lower Missis-
sippi, and the war with the Chicasaws, who had, in revenge for repeated
• There is considerable dispute about this date, some asser
the new court house at Vincennes was erected, all authorities 01
iJO'Z fixed upon as the correct date. It was accordingly engraved c
30 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
injuries, cut off the entire colony at Natchez. Although the company
did little for Louisiana, as the entire "West was then called, yet it opened
the trade through the Mississippi River, and started the raising of grains
indigenous to that climate. Until the year 1750, hut little is known of
the settlements in the Northwest, as it was not until this time that the
attention of the English was called to the occupation of this portion of the
New World, which they then supposed they owned. Vivier, a missionary
among the Illinois, writing from " Aux Illinois," six leagues from Fort
Chartres, June 8, 1750, says: "We have here whites, negroes and
Indians, to say nothing of cross-breeds. There are five French villages,
and three villages of the natives, within a space of twenty-one leagues
situated between the Mississippi and another river called the Karkadaid
(Kaskaskias). In the five French villages are, perhaps, eleven hundred
whites, three hundred blacks and some sixty red slaves or savages. The
three Illinois towns do not contain more than eight hundred souls all
told. Most of the French till the soil; they raise wheat, cattle, pigs and
horses, and live like princes. Three times as much is produced as can
be consumed; and great quantities of grain and flour are sent to New
Orleans." This city was now the seaport town of the Northwest, and
save in the extreme northern part, where only furs and copper ore were
found, almost all the products of the country found their way to France
by the mouth of the Father of Waters. In another letter, dated Novem-
ber 7, 1750, this same priest says: "For fifteen leagues above the
mouth of the Mississippi one sees no dwellings, the ground being too low
to be habitable. Thence to New Orleans, the lands are only partially
occupied. New Orleans contains black, white and red, not more, I
think, than twelve hundred persons. To this point come all lumber,,
bricks, salt-beef, tallow, tar, skins and bear's grease ; and above all, pork
and flour from the Illinois. These things create some commerce, as forty
vessels and more have come hither this year. Above New Orleans,
plantations are again met with ; the most considerable is a colony of
Germans, some ten leagues up the river. At Point Coupee, thirty-five
leagues above the German settlement, is a fort. Along here, within five
or six leagues, are not less than sixty habitations. Fifty leagues farther
up is the Natchez post, where we have a garrison, who are kept prisoners
through fear of the Chickasaws. Here and at Point Coupee, they raise
excellent tobacco. Another hundred leagues brings us to the Arkansas,
where we have also a fort and a garrison for the benefit of the river
traders. * * * From the Arkansas to the Illinois, nearly five hundred
leagues, there is not a settlement. There should be, however, a fort at
the Oubache (Ohio), the only path by which the English can reach the
Mississippi. In the Illinois country are numberless mines, but no one to
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
31
work them as they deserve." Father Marest, writing from the post at
Vincennes in 181 2, makes the same observation. Vivier also says : " Some
individuals dig lead near the surface and supply the Indians and Canada.
Two Spaniards now here, who claim to be adepts, say that our mines are
like those of Mexico, and that if we would dig deeper, we should find
silver under the lead ; and at any rate the lead is excellent. There is also
in this country, beyond doubt, copper ore, as from time to time large
pieces are found in the streams."
IF THE MISSISSIPPI.
At the close of the year 1750, the French occupied, in addition to the
lower Mississippi posts and those in Illinois, one at Du Quesne, one at
the Mauinee in the countiy of the Miamis, and one at Sandusky in what
may be termed the Ohio Valley. In the northern part of the Northwest
they had stations at St. Joseph's on the St. Joseph's of Lake Michigan,
at Fort Ponchartrain (Detroit), at Michillimackanac or Massillimacanac,
Fox River of Green Bay, and at Sault Ste. Marie. The fondest dreams of
LaSalle were now fully realized. The French alone were j^ossessors of
this vast realm, basing their claim on discovery and settlement. Another
nation, however, was now turning its attention to this extensive countiy,
32 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
and hearing of its wealth, began to lay plans for occupying it and for
securing the great profits arising therefrom.
The French, however, had another claim to this country, namely, the
DISCOVERY OF THE OHIO.
This " Beautiful" river was discovered by Robert Cavalier de La-
Salle in 1669, four years before the discovery of the Mississippi by Joliet
and Marquette.
While LaSalle was at his trading post on the St. Lawrence, he found
leisure to study nine Indian dialects, the chief of Avhich was the Iroquois.
He not only desired to facilitate his intercourse in trade, but he longed
to travel and explore the unknown regions of the West. An incident
soon occurred which decided him to fit out an exploring expedition.
While conversing with some Senecas, he learned of a river called the
Ohio, which rose in their country and flowed to the sea, but at such a
distance that it required eight months to reach its mouth. In this state-
ment the Mississippi and its tributaries were considered as one stream.
LaSalle believing, as most of the French at that period did, that the great
rivers flowing west emptied into the Sea of California, was anxious to
embark in the enterprise of discovering a route across the continent to
the commerce of China and Japan.
He repaired at once to Quebec to obtain the approval of the Gov-
ernor. His eloquent appeal prevailed. The Governor and the Intendant,
Talon, issued letters patent authorizing the enterprise, but made no pro-
vision to defray the expenses. At this juncture the seminary of St. Sul-
pice decided to send out missionaries in connection with the expedition,
and LaSalle offering to sell his improvements at LaChine to raise money,
the offer was accepted by the Superior, and two thousand eight hundred
dollars were raised, with which LaSalle purchased four canoes and the
necessary supplies for the outfit.
On the 6th of July, 1669, the party, numbering twenty-four persons,
embarked in seven canoes on the St. Lawrence ; two additional canoes
carried the Indian guides. In three days they were gliding over the
bosom of Lake Ontario. Their guides conducted tliem directly to the
Seneca village on the bank of the Genesee, in the vicinity of the present
City of Rochester, New York. Here they expected to procure guides to
conduct them to the Ohio, but in this they were disappointed.
The Indians seemed unfriendly to the enterprise. LaSalle suspected
that the Jesuits had prejudiced their minds against his plan's. After
waiting a month in the hope of gaining their object, they met an Indian
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 33
from the Iroquois colony at the head of Lake Ontario, who assured them
that they could there find guides, and offered to conduct them thence.
On their way they passed the mouth of the Niagara River, when they
heard for the first time the distant thunder of the cataract. Arriving
high nmiMii-:, lake i;i.vff, lake county, Illinois.
among the Iroquois, they met with a friendly reception, and learned
from a Shawanee prisoner that they could reach the Ohio in six weeks.
Delighted with the unexpected good fortune, they made ready to resume
their journey ; but just as they were about to start they heard of the
arrival of two Frenchmen in a neighboring village. One of them proved
to be Louis Joliet, afterwards famous as an explorer in the West. H3
34 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
had been sent by the Canadian Government to explore the copper mines
on Lake Superior, but had failed, and was on his way back to Quebec.
He gave the missionaries a map of the country he had explored in the
lake region, together with an account of the condition of the Indians in
that quarter. This induced the priests to determine on leaving the
expedition and going to Lake Superior. LaSalle warned them that the
Jesuits were probably occupying that field, and that they would meet
with a cold reception. Nevertheless they persisted in their purpose, and
after worship on the lake shore, parted from LaSalle. On arriving at
Lake Superior, they found, as LaSalle had predicted, the Jesuit Fathers,
Marquette and Dablon, occupying the field.
These zealous disciples of Loyola informed them that they wanted
no assistance from St. Sulpice, nor from those who made him their patron
saint ; and thus repulsed, they returned to Montreal the following June
without having made a single discovery or converted a single Indian.
After parting with the priests, LaSalle went to the chief Iroquois
village at Onondaga, where he obtained guides, and passing thence to a
tributary of the Ohio south of Lake Erie, he descended the latter as far
as the falls at Louisville. Thus was the Ohio discovered by LaSalle, the
persevering and successful French explorer of the West, in 1669.
The account of the latter part of his journey is found in an anony-
mous paper, which purports to have been taken from the lips of LaSalle
himself during a subsequent visit to Paris. In a letter written to Count
Frontenac in 1667, shortly after the discovery, he himself says that he
discovered the Ohio and descended it to the falls. This was regarded as
an indisputable fact by the French authorities, who claimed the Ohio
Vallej' upon another ground. When Washington was sent by the colony
of Virginia in 1753, to demand of Gordeur de St. Pierre why the French
had built a fort on the Monongahela, the haughty commandant at Quebec
replied: "We claim the country on the Ohio by virtue of the discoveries
of LaSalle, and will not give it up to the English. Our orders are to
make prisoners of every Englishman found trading in the Ohio Valley."
ENGLISH EXPLORATIONS AND SETTLEMENTS.
When the new year of 1750 broke in upon the Father of Waters
and the Great Northwest, all was still wild save at the French posts
already described. In 1749, when the English first began to think seri-
ously about sending men into the West, the greater portion of the States
of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota were yet
under the dominion of the red men. The English knew, however, pretty
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 35
conclusively of the nature of the wealth of these wilds. As early as
1710, Governor Spotswood, of Virginia, had commenced movements to
secure the country west of the Alleghenies to the English crown. In
Pennsylvania, Governor Keith and James Logan, secretary of the prov-
ince, from 1719 to 1781, represented to the powers of England the neces-
sity of securing the Western lands. Nothing was done, however, b}r that
power save to take some diplomatic steps to secure the claims of Britain
to this unexplored wilderness.
England had from the outset'claimed from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
on the ground that the discovery of the* seacoast and its possession was a
discovery and possession of the country, and, as is well known, her grants
to the colonies extended " from sea to sea." This was not all her claim.
She had purchased from the Indian tribes large tracts of land. This lat-
ter was also a strong argument. As early as 1684, Lord Howard, Gov-
ernor of Virginia, held a treaty with the six nations. These were the
great Northern Confederacy, and comprised at first the Mohawks, Onei-
das, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas. Afterward the Tuscaroras were
taken into the confederacy, and it became known as the Six Nations.
They came under the protection of the mother country, and again in
1701, they repeated the agreement, and in September, 1726, a formal deed
was drawn up and signed by the chiefs. The validity of this claim has
often been disputed, but never successfully. In 1744, a purchase was
made at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, of certain lands within the " Colony of
Virginia," for which the Indians received j£200 in gold and a like sum in
goods, with a promise that, as settlements increased, more should be paid.
The Commissioners from Virginia were Colonel Thomas Lee and Colonel
William Beverly. As settlements extended, the promise of more pay was
called to mind, and Mr. Conrad Weiser was sent across the mountains with
presents to appease the savages. Col. Lee, and some Virginians accompa-
nied him with the intention of sounding the Indians upon their feelings
regarding the English. They were not satisfied with their treatment,
and plainly told the Commissioners why. The English did not desire the
cultivation of the country, but the monopoly of the Indian trade. In
1748, the Ohio Company was formed, and petitioned the king for a grant
of land beyond the Alleghenies. This was granted, and the government
of Virginia was ordered to grant to them a half million acres, two hun-
dred thousand of which were to be located at once. Upon the 12th of
June, 1749, 800,000 acres from the line of Canada north and west was
made to the Loyal Company, and on the 29th of October, 1751, 100,000
acres were given to the Greenbriar Company. All this time the French
were not idle. They saw that, should the British gain a foothold in the
West, especially upon the Ohio, they might not only prevent the French
1148925
do THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
settling upon it, but in time would come to the lower posts and so gain
possession of the whole country. Upon the 10th of May, 1774, Vaud-
reuil, Governor of Canada and the French possessions, well knowing the
consequences that must arise from allowing the English to build trading-
posts in the Northwest, seized some of their frontier posts, and to further
secure the claim of the French to the West, he, in 1749, sent Louis Cel-
eron with a party of soldiers to plant along the Ohio River, in the mounds
and at the mouths of its principal tributaries, plates of lead, on which
were inscribed the claims of France. These were heard of in 1752, and
within the memory of residents' now living along the " Oyo," as the
beautiful river was called by the French. One of these plates was found
with the inscription partly defaced. It bears date August 16, 1749, and
a copy of the inscription with particular account of the discovery of the
plate, was sent by DeWitt Clinton to the American Antiquarian Society,
among whose journals it may now be found.* These measures did not,
however^ deter the English from going on with their explorations, and
though neither party resorted to arms, yet the conflict was gathering, and
it was only a question of time when the storm would burst upon the
frontier settlements. In 1750, Christopher Gist was sent by the Ohio
Company to examine its lands. He went to a village of the Twigtwees,
on the Miami, about one hundred and fifty miles above its mouth. He
afterward spoke of it as very populous. From there he went down
the Ohio River nearly to the falls at the present City of Louisville,
and in November he commenced a survey of the Company's lands. Dur-
ing the Winter, General Andrew Lewis performed a similar work for the
Greenbriar Company. Meanwhile the French were busjr in preparing
their forts for defense, and in opening roads, and also sent a small party
of soldiers to keep the Ohio clear. This party, having heard of the Eng-
lish post on the Miami River, early in 1652, assisted by the Ottawas and
Chippewas, attacked it, and, after a severe battle, in which fourteen of
the natives were killed and others wounded, captured the garrison.
(They were probably garrisoned in a block house). The traders were
carried away to Canada, and one account says several were burned. This
fort or post was called by the English Pickawillany. A memorial of the
king's ministers refers to it as " Pickawillanes, in the center of the terri-
tory between the Ohio and the Wabash. The name is probably some
variation of Pickaway or Picqua in 1773, written by Rev. David Jones
Pickaweke."
- The following Is a translation of the inscription on the plate: "In the year 1749. reign of Louis XV.,
King of France, we. Celeron, commandant of a detachment by Monsieur the Marquis of Ualllsonlere, coin-
niander-in-chief of New France, to establish tranquility in certain Indian villages of these cantons, have
buried this plate at the confluence of the Toradakoln, this twenty- ninth of July, near the river Ohio, otherwise
Beautiful River, as a monument of renewal of possession which we have taken of the said river, and all its
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 37
This was the first blood shed between the French and English, and
occurred near the present City of Piqua, Ohio, or at least' at a point about
forty-seven miles north of Dayton. Each nation became now more inter-
ested in the progress of events in the Northwest. The English deter-
mined to purchase from the Indians a title to the lands they wished to
occupy, and Messrs. Fry (afterward Commander-in-chief over Washing-
ton at the commencement of the French War of 1775-1763), Lomax and
Patton were sent in the Spring of 1752 to hold a conference with the
natives at Logstown to learn what they objected to in the treaty of Lan-
caster already noticed, and to settle all difficulties. On the 9th of June,
these Commissioners met the red men at Logstown, a little village on the
north bank of the Ohio, about seventeen miles below the site of Pitts-
burgh. Here had been a trading point for many years, but it was aban-
doned by the Indians in 1750. At first the Indians declined to recognize
the treaty of Lancaster, but, the Commissioners taking aside Montour,
the interpreter, who was a son of the famous Catharine Montour, and a
chief among the six nations, induced him to use his influence in their
favor. This he did, and upon the 13th of June they all united in signing
a deed, confirming the Lancaster treaty in its full extent, consenting to a
settlement of the southeast of the Ohio, and guaranteeing that it should
not be disturbed by them. These were the means used to obtain the first
treaty with the Indians in the Ohio Valley.
Meanwhile the powers beyond the sea were trying to out-manceuvre
each other, and were professing to be at peace. The English generally
outwitted the Indians, and failed in many instances to fulfill their con-
tracts. They thereby gained the ill-will of the red men, and further
increased the feeling by failing to provide them with arms and ammuni-
tion. Said an old chief, at Easton, in 1758: " The Indians on the Ohio
left you because of your own fault. When we heard the French were
coming, we asked you for help and arms, but we did not get them. The
French came, they treated us kindly, and gained our affections. The
Governor of Virginia settled on our lands for his own benefit, and, when
we wanted help, forsook us."
At the beginning of 1653, the English thought they had secured by
title the lands in the West, but the French had quietly gathered cannon
and military stores to be in readiness for the expected blow. The Eng-
lish made other attempts to ratify these existing treaties, but not until
the Summer could the Indians be gathered together to discuss the plans
of the French. The}' had sent messages to the French, warning them
away ; but they replied that they intended to complete the chain of forts
already begun, and would not abandon the field.
Soon after this, no satisfaction being obtained from the Ohio regard-
38 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
ing the positions and purposes of the French, Governor Dinwiddie of
Virginia determined to send to them another messenger and learn from
them, if possible, their intentions. For this purpose he selected a young
man, a surveyor, who, at the early age of nineteen, had received the rank
of major, and who was thoroughly posted regarding frontier life. This
personage was no other than the illustrious George Washington, who then
held considerable interest in Western lands. He was at this time just
twenty-two years of age. Taking Gist as his guide, the two, accompanied
by four servitors, set out on their perilous march. They left Will's
Creek on the 10th of November, 1753, and on the 22d reached the Monon-
gahela, about ten miles above the fork. From there they went to
Logstown, where Washington had a long conference with the chiefs of
the Six Nations. From them he learned the condition of the French, and
also heard of their determination not to come down the river till the fol-
lowing Spring. The Indians were non-committal, as they were afraid to
turn either way, and, as far as they could, desired to remain neutral.
Washington, finding nothing could be done with them, went on to
Venango, an old Indian town at the mouth of French Creek. Here the
French had a fort, called Fort Machault. Through the rum and flattery
of the French, he nearly lost all his Indian followers. Finding nothing
of importance here, he pursued his way amid great privations, and on the
11th of December reached the fort at the head of French Creek. Here
he delivered Governor Dinwiddle's letter, received his answer, took his
observations, and on the 16th set out upon his return journey with no one
but Gist, his guide, and a few Indians who still remained true to him,
notwithstanding the endeavors of the French to retain them. Their
homeward journey was one of great peril and suffering from the cold, yet
they reached home in safety on the 6th of January, 1754.
From the letter of St. Pierre, commander of the French fort, sent by
Washington to Governor Dinwiddie, it was learned that the French would
not give up without a struggle. Active preparations were at once made
in all the English colonies for the coming conflict, while the French
finished the fort at Venango and strengthened their lines of fortifications,
and gathered their forces to be in readiness.
The Old Dominion was all alive. Virginia was the center of great
activities ; volunteers were called for, and from all the neighboring
colonies men rallied to the conflict, and everywhere along the Potomac
men were enlisting under the Governor's proclamation — which promised
two hundred thousand acres on the Ohio. Along this river they were
gathering as far as Will's Creek, and far beyond this point, whither Trent
had come for assistance for his little band of forty-one men, who were
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 39
working away in hunger and want, to fortify that point at the fork of
the Ohio, to which both parties were looking with deep interest.
" The first birds of Spring filled the air with their song ; the swift
river rolled by the Allegheny hillsides, swollen by the melting snows of
Spring and the April showers. The leaves were appearing ; a few Indian
scouts were seen, but no enemy seemed near at hand ; and all was so quiet,
that Frazier, an old Indian scout and trader, who had been left by Trent
in command, ventured to his home at the mouth of Turtle Creek, ten
miles up the Monongahela. But, though all was so quiet in that wilder-
ness, keen eyes had seen the low intrenchment rising at the fork, and
swift feet had borne the news of it up the river ; and upon the morning
of the 17th of April, Ensign Ward, who then had charge of it, saw
upon the Allegheny a sight that made his heart sink — sixty batteaux and
three hundred canoes filled with men, and laden deep with cannon and
stores. * * * That evening he supped with his captor, Contrecoeur,
and the next day he was bowed off by the Frenchman, and with his men
and tools, marched up the Monongahela."
The French and Indian war had begun. The treaty of Aix la
Chapelle, in 1748, had left the boundaries between the French and
English possessions unsettled, and the events already narrated show the
French were determined to hold the country watered by the Mississippi
and its tributaries ; while the English laid claims to the country by virtue
of the discoveries of the Cabots, and claimed all the country from New-
foundland to Florida, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The
first decisive blow had now been struck, and the first attempt of the
English, through the Ohio Company, to occupy these lands, had resulted
disastrously to them. The French and Indians immediately completed
the fortifications begun at the Fork, which they had so easily captured,
and when completed gave to the fort the name of DuQuesne. Washing-
ton was at Will's Creek when the news of the capture of the fort arrived.
He at once departed to recapture it. On his way he entrenched him-
self at a place called the " Meadows," where he erected a fort called
by him Fort Necessity. From there he surprised and captured a force of
French and Indians marching against him, but was soon after attacked
in his fort by a much superior force, and was obliged to yield on the
morning of July 4th. He was allowed to return to Virginia.
The English Government immediately planned four campaigns ; one
against Fort DuQuesne ; one against Nova Scotia ; one against Fort
Niagara, and one against Crown Point. These occurred during 1755-6,
and were not successful in driving the French from their possessions.
The expedition against Fort DuQuesne was led by the famous General
Braddock, who, refusing to listen to the advice of Washington and those
40 '-TUU NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
acquainted with Indian warfare, suffered such an inglorious defeat. This
occurred on the morning of July 9th, and is generally known as the battle
of Monongahela, or " Braddock's Defeat." The war continued with
various vicissitudes through the years 1756-7 ; when, at the commence-
ment of 1758, in accordance with the plans of William Pitt, then Secre-
tary of State, afterwards Lord Chatham, active preparations were made to
carry on the war. Three expeditions were planned for this year : one,
under General Amherst, against1 Louisburg ; another, under Abercrombie,
against Fort Ticonderoga ; and a third, under General Forbes, against
Fort DuQuesne. On the 26th of July, Louisburg surrendered after a
desperate resistance of more than forty days, and the eastern part of the
Canadian possessions fell into the hands of the British. Abercrombie
captured Fort Frontenac, and when the expedition against Fort DuQuesne,
of which Washington had the active command, arrived there, it was
found in flames and deserted. The English at once took possession,
rebuilt the fort, and in honor of their illustrious statesman, changed the
name to Fort Pitt.
The great object of the campaign of 1759, was the reduction of
Canada. General Wolfe was to lay siege to Quebec ; Amherst was to
reduce Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and General Prideaux was to
capture Niagara. This latter place was taken in July, but the gallant
Prideaux lost his life in the attempt. Amherst captured Ticonderoga
and Crown Point without a blow ; and Wolfe, after making the memor-
able ascent to the Plains of Abraham, on September 13th, defeated
Montcalm, and on the 18th, the city capitulated. In this engagement
Montcolm and Wolfe both lost their lives. De Levi, Montcalm's successor,
marched to Sillery, three miles above the city, with the purpose of
defeating the English, and there, on the 28th of the following April, was
fought one of the bloodiest battles of the French and Indian War. It
resulted in the defeat of the French, and the fall of the City of Montreal.
The Governor signed a capitulation by which the whole of Canada was
surrendered to the English. This practically concluded the war, but it
was not until 1763 that the treaties of peace between France and'England
were signed. This was done on the 10th of February of that year, and
under its provisions all the country east of the Mississippi and north of
the Iberville River, in Louisiana, were ceded to England. At the same
time Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain.
On the 13th of September, 1760, Major Robert Rogers was sent
from Montreal to take charge of Detroit, the only remaining French post
in the territory. He arrived there on the 19th of November, and sum-
moned the place to surrender. At first the commander of the post,
Beletre: refused, but on the 29th, hearing of the continued defeat of the
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 41
French arms, surrendered. Rogers remained there until December 23d
under the personal protection of the celebrated chief, Pontiac, to whom,
no doubt, he owed his safety. Pontiac had come here to inquire the
purposes of the English in taking possession of the country. He was
assured that they came simply to trade with the natives, and did not
desire their country. This answer conciliated the savages, and did much
to insure the safety of Rogers and his party during their stay, and while
on their journey home.
Rogers set out for Fort Pitt en December 23, and was just one
month on the way. His route was from Detroit to Maumee, thence
across the present State of Ohio directly to the fort. This was the com-
mon trail of the Indians in their journeys from Sandusky to the fork of
the Ohio. It went from Fort Sandusky, where Sandusky City now is,
crossed the Huron river, then called Bald Eagle Creek, to " Mohickon
John's Town" on Mohickon Creek, the northern branch of White
Woman's River, and thence crossed to Beaver's Town, a Delaware town
on what is now Sandy Creek. At Beaver's Town were probably one
hundred and fifty warriors, and not less than three thousand acres of
cleared land. From there the track went up Sandy Creek to and across
Big Beaver, and up the Ohio to Logstown, thence on to the fork.
The Northwest Territory was now entirely under the English rule.
New settlements began to be rapidly made, and the promise of a large
trade was speedily manifested. Had the British carried out their promises
with the natives none of those savage butcheries would have been perpe-
trated, and the country would have been spared their recital.
The renowned chief, Pontiac, was one of the leading spirits in these
atrocities. We will now pause in our narrative, and notice the leading
events in his life. The earliest authentic information regarding this
noted Indian chief is learned from an account of an Indian trader named
Alexander Henry, who, in the Spring of 1761, penetrated his domains as
far as Missillimacnac. Pontiac was then a great friend of the French,
but a bitter foe of the English, whom he considered as encroaching on his
hunting grounds. Henry was obliged to disguise himself as a Canadian
to insure safety, but was discovered by Pontiac, who bitterly reproached
him and the English for their attempted subjugation of the West. He
declared that no treaty had been made with them; no presents sent
them, and that he would resent any possession of the West by that nation.
He was at the time about fifty years of age, tall and dignified, and was
civil and military ruler of the Ottawas, Ojibwas and Pottawatamies.
The Indians, from Lake Michigan to the borders of North Carolina,
were united in this feeling, and at the time of the treaty of Paris, ratified
February 10, 1763, a general conspiracy was formed to fall suddenly
42
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
PONTIAC, THE OTTAWA CHIEFTAIN.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 4>>
upon the frontier British posts, and with one blow strike every man dead.
Pontiac was the marked leader in all this, and was the commander
of the Chippewas, Ottawas, Wyandots, Miamis, Shawanese, Delawares
and Mingoes, who had, for the time, laid aside their local quarrels to unite
in this enterprise.
The blow came, as near as can now be ascertained, on May 7, 1763.
Nine British posts fell, and the Indians drank, " scooped up in the hollow
of joined hands," the blood of many a Briton.
Pontiac's immediate field of action was the garrison at Detroit.
Here, however, the plans were frustrated by an Indian woman disclosing
the plot the evening previous to his arrival. Everything was carried out,
however, according to Pontiac's plans until the moment of action, when
Major Gladwyn, the commander of the post, stepping to one of the Indian
chiefs, suddenly drew aside his blanket and disclosed the concealed
musket. Pontiac, though a brave man, turned pale and trembled. He
saw his plan was known, and that the garrison were prepared. He
endeavored to exculpate himself from any such intentions ; but the guilt
was evident, and he and his followers were dismissed with a severe
reprimand, and warned never to again enter the walls of the post.
Pontiac at once laid siege to the fort, and until the treaty of peace
between the British and the Western Indians, concluded in August, 1764,
continued to harass and besiege the fortress. He organized a regular
commissariat department, issued bills of credit written out on bark,
which, to his credit, it may be stated, were punctually redeemed. At
the conclusion of the treaty, in which it seems he took no part, he went
further south, living many years among the Illinois.
He had given up all hope of saving his country and race. After a
time he endeavored to unite the Illinois tribe and those about St. Louis
in a war with the whites. His efforts were fruitless, and only ended in a
quarrel between himself and some Kaskaskia Indians, one of whom soon
afterwards killed him. His death was, however, avenged by the northern
Indians, who nearly exterminated the Illinois in the wars which followed.
Had it not been for the treachery of a few of his followers, his plan
for the extermination of the whites, a masterly one, would undoubtedly
have been carried out.
It was in the Spring of the year following Rogers' visit that Alex-
ander Henry went to Missillimacnac, and everywhere found the strongest
feelings against the English, who had not carried out their promises, and
were doing nothing to conciliate the natives. Here he met the chief,
Pontiac, who, after conveying to him in a speech the idea that their
French father would awake soon and utterly destroy his enemies, said:.
" Englishman, although you have conquered the French, you have not
44 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
yet conquered us ! We are not your slaves! These lakes, these woods,
these mountains, were left us by our ancestors. They are our inheritance,
and we will part with them to none. Your nation supposes that we, like
the white people, can not live without bread and pork and beef. But yoa
ought to know that He, the Great Spirit and Master of Life, has provided
food for us upon these broad lakes and in these mountains."
He then spoke of the fact that no treaty had been made with them,
no presents sent them, and that he and his people were yet for war.
Such were the feelings of the Northwestern Indians immediately after
the English took possession of their country. These feelings were no
doubt encouraged by the Canadians and French, who hoped that yet the
French arms might prevail. The treaty of Paris, however, gave to the
English the right to this vast domain, and active preparations were going
on to occupy it and enjoy its trade and emoluments.
In 1762, France, by a secret treaty, ceded Louisiana to Spain, to pre-
vent it falling into the hands of the English, who were becoming master%
of the entire West. The next year the treaty of Paris, signed at Fon-
tainbleau, gave to the English the domain of the country in question.
Twenty years after, by the treaty of peace between the United States
and England, that part of Canada lying south and west of the Great
Lakes, comprehending a large territory which is the subject of these-
sketches, was acknowledged to be a portion of the United States ; and
twenty years still later, in 1803, Louisiana was ceded by Spain back to
France, and by France sold to the United States.
In the half century, from the building of the Fort of Crevecoeur by
LaSalle, in 1680, up to the erection of Fort Chartres, many French set-
tlements had been made in that quarter. These have already been
noticed, being those at St. Vincent (Vincennes), Kohokia or Cahokia,
Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher, on the American Bottom, a large tract
of rich alluvial soil in Illinois, on the Mississippi, opposite the site of St.
Louis.
By the treaty of Paris, the regions east of the Mississippi, including
all these and other towns of the Northwest, were given over to England;
but they do not appear to have bten taken possession of until 1765, when
Captain Stirling, in the name of the Majesty of England, established him-
self at Fort Chartres bearing with him the proclamation of General Gage,
dated December 30, 1764, which promised religious freedom to all Cath-
olics who worshiped here, and a right to leave the countiy with their
effects if they wished, or to remain with the privileges of Englishmen.
It was shortly after the occupancy of the West by the British that the
war with Pontiac opened. It is already noticed in the sketch of that
chieftain- By it many a Briton lost his life, and many a frontier settle-
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. -15
ment in its infancy ceased to exist. This was not ended until the year
1764, when, failing to capture Detroit, Niagara and Fort Pitt, his confed-
eracy became disheartened, and, receiving no aid from the French, Pon-
tiac abandoned the enterprise and departed to the Illinois, among whom
he afterward lost his life.
As soon as these difficulties were definitely settled, settlers began
rapidly to survey the country and prepare for occupation. During the
year 1770, a number of persons from Virginia and other British provinces
explored and marked out nearly all the valuable lands on the Mononga-
hela and along the banks of the Ohio as far as the Little Kanawha. This
was followed by another exploring expedition, in which George Washing-
ton was a party. The latter, accompanied by Dr. Craik, Capt. Crawford
and others, on the 20th of October, 1770, descended the Ohio from Pitts-
burgh to the mouth of the Kanawha ; ascended that stream about fourteen
miles, marked out several large tracts of land, shot several buffalo, which
were then abundant in the Ohio Valley, and returned to the fort.
Pittsburgh was at this time a trading post, about which was clus-
tered a village of some twenty houses, inhabited by Indian traders. This
same year, Capt. Pittman visited Kaskaskia and its neighboring villages.
He found there about sixty-five resident families, and at Cahokia only
forty-five dwellings. At Fort Chartres was another small settlement, and
at Detroit the garrison were quite prosperous and strong. For a year
or two settlers continued to locate near some of these posts, generally
Fort Pitt or Detroit, owing to the fears of the Indians, who still main-
tained some feelings of hatred to the English. The trade from the posts
was quite good, and from those in Illinois large quantities of pork and
flour found their way to the New Orleans market. At this time the
policy of the British Government was strongly opposed to the extension
of the colonies west. In 1763, the King of England forbade, by royal
proclamation, his colonial subjects from making a settlement beyond the
sources of the rivers which fall into the Atlantic Ocean. At the instance
of the Board of Trade, measures were taken to prevent the settlement
without the limits prescribed, and to retain the commerce within easy
reach of Great Britain.
The commander-in-chief of the king's forces wrote in 1769 : " In the
course of a few years necessity will compel the colonists, should they
extend their settlements west, to provide manufactures of some kind for
themselves, and when all connection upheld by commerce with the mother
country ceases, an independency in their government will soon follow."
In accordance with this policy, Gov. Gage issued a proclamation
in 1772, commanding the inhabitants of Vincennes to abandon their set-
tlements and join some of the Eastern English colonies. To this they
46 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
strenuously objected, giving good reasons therefor, and "were allowed to
remain. The strong opposition to this policy of Great Britain led to its
change, and to such a course as to gain the attachment of the French
population. In December, 1773, influential citizens of Quebec petitioned
the king for an extension of the boundary lines of that province, which
was granted, and Parliament passed an act on June 2, 1774, extend-
ing the boundary so as to include the territory lying within the present
States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.
In consequence of the liberal policy pursued by the British Govern-
ment toward the French settlers in the West, they were disposed to favor
that nation in the war which soon followed with the colonies ; but the
early alliance between France and America soon brought them to the side
of the war for independence.
In 1774, Gov. Dunmore, of Virginia, began to encourage emigration
to the Western lands. He appointed magistrates at Fort Pitt under the
pretense that the fort was under the government of that commonwealth.
One of these justices, John Connelly, who possessed a tract of land in the
Ohio Valley, gathered a force of men and garrisoned the fort, calling it
Fort Dunmore. This and other parties were formed to select sites for
settlements, and often came in conflict with the Indians, who yet claimed
portions of the valley, and several battles followed. These ended in the
famous battle of Kanawha in July, where the Indians were defeated and
driven across the Ohio.
During the years 1775 and 1776, by the operations of land companies
and the perseverance of individuals, several settlements were firmly estab-
lished between the Alleghanies and the Ohio River, and western land
speculators were busy in Illinois and on the Wabash. At a council held
in Kaskaskia on July 5, 1773, an association of English traders, calling
themselves the " Illinois Land Company," obtained from ten chiefs of the
Kaskaskia, Cahokia and Peoria tribes two large tracts of land lying on
the east side of the Mississippi River south of the Illinois. In 1775, a mer-
chant from the Illinois Country, named Viviat, came to Post Vincennes
as the agent of the association called the " Wabash Land Company." On
the 8th of October he obtained from eleven Piankeshaw chiefs, a deed for
37,497,600 acres of land. This deed was signed by the grantors, attested
by a number of the inhabitants of Vincennes, and afterward recorded in
the office of a notary public at Kaskaskia. This and other land com-
panies had extensive schemes for the colonization of the West; but all
were frustrated by the breaking out of the Revolution. On the 20th of
April, 1780, the two companies named consolidated under the name of the
" United Illinois and Wabash Land Company." They afterward made
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 47
strenuous efforts to have these grants sanctioned by Congress, but all
signally failed.
When the War of the Revolution commenced, Kentucky was an unor-
ganized country, though there were several settlements within her borders.
In Hutchins' Topography of Virginia, it is stated that at that time
" Kaskaskia contained 80 houses, and nearly 1,000 white and black in-
habitants— the whites being a little the more numerous. Cahokia con-
tains 50 houses and 300 white inhabitants, and 80 negroes. There were
east of the Mississippi River, about the year 1771 " — when these observa-
tions were made — " 300 white men capable of bearing arms, and 230
negroes."
From 1775 until the expedition of Clark, nothing is recorded and
nothing known of these settlements, save what is contained in a report
made by a committee to Congress in June, 1778. From it the following
extract is made :
" Near the mouth of the River Kaskaskia, there is a village which
appears to have contained nearly eighty families from the beginning of
the late revolution. There are twelve families in a small village at la
Prairie du Rochers, and near fifty families at the Kahokia Village. There
are also four or five families at Fort Chartres and St. Philips, which is five
miles further up the river."
St. Louis had been settled in February, 1764, and at this time con-
tained, including its neighboring towns, over six hundred whites and one
hundred and fifty negroes. It must be remembered that all the country
west of the Mississippi was now under French rule, and remained so until
ceded again to Spain, its original owner, who afterwards sold it and the
country including New Orleans to the United States. At Detroit there
were, according to Capt. Carver, who was in the Northwest from 1766 to
1768, more than one hundred houses, and the river was settled for more
than twenty miles, although poorly cultivated— the people being engaged
in the Indian trade. This old town has a history, which we will here
relate.
It is the oldest town in the Northwest, having been founded by
Antoine de Lamotte Cadillac, in 1701. It was laid out in the form of an
oblong square, of two acres in length, and an acre and a half in width.
As described by A. D. Frazer, who first visited it and became a permanent
resident of the place, in 1778, it comprised within its limits that space
between Mr. Palmer's store (Conant Block) and Capt. Perkins' house
(near the Arsenal building), and extended back as far as the public barn,'
and was bordered in front by the Detroit River. It was surrounded by
oak and cedar pickets, about fifteen feet long, set in the ground, and had
four gates — east, west, north and south. Over the first three of these
48 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
gates were block houses provided with four guns apiece, each a six-
pounder. Two six-gun batteries were planted fronting the river and in a
parallel direction with the block houses. There were four streets running
east and west, the main street being twenty feet wide and the rest fifteen
feet, while the four streets crossing these at right angles were from ten
to fifteen feet in width.
At the date spoken of by Mr. Frazer, there was no fort within the
enclosure, but a citadel on the ground corresponding to the present
northwest corner of Jefferson Avenue and Wayne Street. The citadel was
inclosed by pickets, and within it were erected barracks of wood, two
stories high, sufficient to contain ten officers, and also barracks sufficient
to contain four hundred men, and a provision store built of brick. The
citadel also contained a hospital and guard-house. The old town of
Detroit, in 1778, contained about sixty houses, most of them one story,
with a few a story and a half in height. They were all of logs, some
hewn and some round. There was one building of splendid appearance,
called the " King's Palace," two stories high, which stood near the east
gate. It was built for Governor Hamilton, the first governor commissioned
by the British. There were two guard-houses, one near the west gate and
the other near the Government House. Each of the guards consisted of
twenty-four men and a subaltern, who mounted regularly every morning
between nine and ten o'clock, Each furnished four sentinels, who were
relieved every two hours. There was also an officer of the day, who p jr-
formed strict duty. Each of the gates was shut regularly at sunset ;
even wicket gates were shut at nine o'clock, and all the keys were
delivered into the hands of the commanding officer. They were opened
in the morning at sunrise. No Indian or squaw was permitted to enter
town with any weapon, such as a tomahawk or a knife. It was a stand-
ing order that the Indians should deliver their arms and instruments of
every kind before they were permitted to pass the sentinel, and they were
restored to them on their return. No more than twenty-five Indians were
allowed to enter the town at any one time, and they were admitted only
at the east and west gates. At sundown the drums beat, and all the
Indians were required to leave town instantly. There was a council house
near the water side for the purpose of holding council with the Indians.
The population of the town was about sixty families, in all about two
hundred males and one hundred females. This town was destroyed by
fire, all except one dwelling, in 1805. After which the present "new"
town was laid out.
On the breaking out of the Revolution, the British held every post of
importance in the West. Kentucky was formed as a component part of
Virginia, and the sturdy pioneers of the West, alive to their interests,
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 49
and recognizing the great benefits of obtaining the control of the trade in
this part of the New World, held steadily to their purposes, and those
within the commonwealth of Kentucky proceeded to exercise their
civil privileges, by electing John Todd and Richard Gallaway,
burgesses to represent them in the Assembly of the. parent state.
Early in September of that year (1777) the first court was held
in Harrodsburg, and Col. Bowman, afterwards major, who had arrived
in August, was made the commander of a militia organization which
had been commenced the March previous. Thus the tree of loyalty
was growing. The chief spirit in this far-out colony, who had represented
her the year previous east of the mountains, was now meditating a move
unequaled in its boldness. He had been watching the movements of the
British throughout the Northwest, and understood their whole plan. He
saw it was through their possession of the posts at Detroit, Vincennes,
Kaskaskia, and other places, which would give them constant and easy
access to the various Indian tribes in the Northwest, that the British
intended to penetrate the country from the north and soutli, ana annihi-
late the frontier fortresses. This moving, energetic man was Colonel,
afterwards General, George Rogers Clark. He knew the Indians were not
unanimously in accord with the English, and he was convinced that, could
the British be defeated and expelled from the Northwest, the natives
might be easily awed into neutrality ; and by spies sent for the purpose,
he satisfied himself that the enterprise against the Illinois settlements
might easily succeed. Having convinced himself of the certainty of the
project, he repaired to the Capital of Virginia, which place he reached on
November 5th. While he was on his way, fortunately, on October 17th,
Burgoyne had been defeated, and the spirits of the colonists greatly
encouraged thereby. Patrick Henry was Governor of Virginia, and at
once entered heartily into Clark's plans. The same plan had before been
agitated in the Colonial Assemblies, but there was no one until Clark
came who was sufficiently acquainted with the condition of affairs at the
scene of action to be able to guide them.
Clark, having satisfied the Virginia leaders of the feasibility of his
plan, received, on the 2d of January, two sets of instructions — one secret,
the other open — the latter authorized him to proceed to enlist seven
companies to go to Kentucky, subject to his orders, and to serve three
months from their arrival in the West. The secret order authorized him
to arm these troops, to procure his powder and lead of General Hand
at Pittsburgh, and to proceed at once to subjugate the country.
With these instructions Clark repaired to Pittsburgh, choosing rather
to raise his men west of the mountains, as he well knew all were needed
in the colonies in the conflict there. He sent Col. W. B. Smith to Hoi-
50 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
stou for the same purpose, but neither succeeded in raising the required
number of men. The settlers in these parts were afraid to leave their
own firesides exposed to a vigilant foe, and but few could be induced to
join the proposed expedition. With three companies and several private
volunteers, CJark at length commenced his descent of the Ohio, which he
navigated as far as the Falls, where he took possession of and fortified
Corn Island, a small island between the present Cities of Louisville,
Kentucky, and New Albany, Indiana. Remains of this fortification may
yet be found. At this place he appointed Col. Bowman to meet him
with such recruits as had reached Kentucky by the southern route, and
as many as could be spared from the station. Here he announced to
the men their real destination. Having completed his arrangements,
and chosen his party, he left a small garrison upon the island, and on the
24th of June, during a total eclipse of the sun, which to them augured
no good, and which fixes beyond dispute the date of starting, he with
his chosen band, fell down the river. His plan was to go by water as
far as Fort Massac or Massacre, and thence march direct to Kaskaskia.
Here he intended to surprise the garrison, and after its capture go to
Cahokia, then to Vincennes, and lastly to Detroit. Should he fail, he
intended to march directly to the Mississippi River and cross it into the
Spanish country. Before his start he received two good items of infor-
mation : one that the alliance had been formed between France and the
United States ; and the other that the Indians throughout the Illinois
country and the inhabitants, at the various frontier posts, had been led to
believe by the British that the " Long Knives " or Virginians, were the
most fierce, bloodthirsty and cruel savages that ever scalped a foe. With
this impression on their minds, Clark saw that proper management would
cause them to submit at once from fear, if surprised, and then from grati-
tude would become friendly if treated with unexpected leniency.
The march to Kaskaskia was accomplished through a hot July sun,
and the town reached on the evening of July 4. He captured the fort
near the village, and soon after the village itself by surprise, and without
the loss of a single man or b}r killing any of the enemy. After sufficiently
working upon the fears of the natives, Clark told them they were at per-
fect liberty to worship as they pleased, and to take whichever side of the
great conflict they would, also he would protect them from any barbarity
from British or Indian foe. This had the desired effect, and the inhab-
itants, so unexpectedly and so gratefully surprised by the unlooked
for turn of affairs, at once swore allegiance to the American arms, and
when Clark desired to go to Cahokia on the 6th of July, they accom-
panied him, and through their influence the inhabitants of the place
surrendered, and gladly placed themselves under his protection. Thus
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 51
the two important posts in Illinois passed from the hands of the English
into the possession of Virginia.
In the person of the priest at Kaskaskia, M. Gibault, Clark found a
powerful ally and generous friend. Clark saw that, to retain possession
of the Northwest and treat successfully with the Indians w^hiu its boun-
daries, he must establish a government for the colonies he had taken.
St. Vincent, the next important post to Detroit, remained yet to be taken
before the Mississippi Valley was conquered. M. Gibault told him that
he would alone, by persuasion, lead Vincennes to throw off its connection
with England. Clark gladly accepted his offer, and on the 14th of July,
in company with a fellow-townsman, M. Gibault started on his mission of
peace, and on the 1st of August returned with the cheerful intelligence
that the post on the " Oubache " had taken the oath of allegiance to
the Old Dominion. During this interval, Clark established his courts,
placed garrisons at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, successfully re-enlisted his
men, sent word to have a fort, which proved the germ of Louisville,
erected at the Falls of the Ohio, and dispatched Mr. Rocheblave, who
had been commander at Kaskaskia, as a prisoner of war to Richmond.
In October the County of Illinois was established by the Legislature
of Virginia, John Todd appointed Lieutenant Colonel and Civil Governor,
and in November General Clark and his men received the thanks of
the Old Dominion through their Legislature.
In a speech a few days afterward, Clark made known fully to the
natives his plans, and at its close all came forward and swore alle-
giance to the Long Knives. While he was doing this Governor Hamilton,
having made his various arrangements, had left Detroit and moved down
the Wabash to Vincennes intending to operate from that point in reducing
the Illinois posts, and then proceed on down to Kentucky and drive the
rebels from the West. Gen. Clark had, on the return of M. Gibault,
dispatched Captain Helm, of Fauquier County, Virginia, with an attend-
ant named Henry, across the Illinois prairies to command the fort.
Hamilton knew nothing of the capitulation of the post, and was greatly
surprised on his arrival to be confronted by Capt. Helm, who, standing at
the entrance of the fort by a loaded cannon ready to fire upon his assail-
ants, demanded upon what terms Hamilton demanded possession of the
fort. Being granted the rights of a prisoner of war, he surrendered to
the British General, who could scarcely believe his eyes when he saw the
force in the garrison.
Hamilton, not realizing the character of the men with whom he was
contending, gave up his intended campaign for the Winter, sent his four
hundred Indian warriors to prevent troops from coming down the Ohio,
52, THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
and to annoy the Americans in all ways, and sat quietly down to pass the
Winter. Information of all these proceedings having reached Clark, he
saw that immediate and decisive action was necessary, and that unless
he captured Hamilton, Hamilton would capture him. Clark received the
news on th% 29th of January, 1779, and on February 4th, having suffi-
ciently garrisoned Kaskaskia and Cahokia, he sent down the Mississippi
a " battoe," as Major Bowman writes it, in order to ascend the Ohio aud
Wabash, and operate with the land forces gathering for the fray.
On the next day, Clark, with his little force of one hundred and
twenty men, set out for the post, and after incredible hard marching
through much mud, the ground being thawed by the incessant spring
rains, on the 22d reached the fort, and being joined by his " battoe," at
once commenced the attack on the post. The aim of the American back-
woodsman was unerring, and on the 24th the garrison surrendered to the
intrepid boldness of Clark. The French were treated with great kind-
ness, and gladly renewed their allegiance to Virginia. Hamilton was
sent as a prisoner to Virginia, where he was kept in close confinement.
During his command of the British frontier posts, he had offered prizes
to the Indians for all the scalps of Americans they would bring to him,
and had earned in consequence thereof the title " Hair-buyer General,"
by which he was ever afterward known.
Detroit was now without doubt within easy reach of the enterprising
Virginian, could he but raise the necessary force. Governor Henry being
apprised of this, promised him the needed reinforcement, and Clark con-
cluded to wait until he could capture and sufficiently garrison the posts.
Had Clark failed in this bold undertaking, and Hamilton succeeded in
uniting the western Indians for the next Spring's campaign, the West
would indeed have been swept from the Mississippi to the Allegheny
Mountains, and the great blow struck, which had been contemplated from
the commencement, by the British.
" But for this small army of dripping, but fearless Virginians, the
union of all the tribes from Georgia to Maine against the colonies might
have been effected, and the whole current of our history changed."
At this time some fears were entertained by the Colonial Govern-
ments that the Indians in the North and Northwest were inclining to the
British, and under the instructions of Washington, now Commander-in-
Chief of the Colonial army, and so bravely fighting for American inde-
pendence, armed forces were sent against the Six Nations, and upon the
Ohio frontier, Col. Bowman, acting under the same general's orders,
marched against Indians within the present limits of that State. These
expeditions were in the main successful, and the Indians were compelled
to sue for peace.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 53
During this same year (1779) the famous " Land Laws" of Virginia
were passed. The passage of these laws was of more consequence to the
pioneers of Kentucky and the Northwest than the gaining of a few Indian
conflicts. These laws confirmed in main all grants made, and guaranteed
to all actual settlers their rights and privileges. After projjding for the
settlers, the laws provided for selling the balance of the public lands at
forty cents per acre. To carry the Land Laws into effect, the Legislature
sent four Virginians westward to attend to the various claims, over many
of which great confusion prevailed concerning their validity. These
gentlemen opened their court on October 13, 1779, at St. Asaphs, and
continued until April 26, 1780, when they adjourned, having decided
three thousand claims. They were succeeded by the surveyor, who
came in the person of Mr. George May, and assumed his duties on the
10th day of the month whose name he bore. With the opening of the
next year (1780) the troubles concerning the navigation of the Missis-
sippi commenced. The Spanish Government exacted such measures in
relation to its trade as to cause the overtures made to the United States
to be rejected. The American Government considered they had a right
to navigate its channel. To enforce their claims, a fort was erected below
the mouth of the Ohio on the Kentucky side of the river. The settle-
ments in Kentucky were being rapidly filled by emigrants. It was dur-
ing this year that the first seminary of learning was established in the
West in this young and enterprising Commonwealth.
The settlers here did not look upon the building of this fort in a
friendly manner, as it aroused the hostility of the Indians. Spain had
been friendly to the Colonies during their struggle for independence,
and though for a while this friendship appeared in danger from the
refusal of the free navigation of the river, yet it was finally settled to the
satisfaction of both nations.
The Winter of 1779-80 was one of the most unusually severe ones
ever experienced in the West. The Indians always referred to it as the
"Great Cold." Numbers of wild animals perished, and not a few
pioneers lost their lives. The following Summer a party of Canadians
and Indians attacked St. Louis, and attempted to take possession of it
in consequence of the friendly disposition of Spain to the revolting
colonies. They met with such a determined resistance on the part of the
inhabitants, even the women taking part in the battle, that they were
compelled to abandon the contest. They also made an attack on the
settlements in Kentucky, but, becoming alarmed in some unaccountable
manner, they fled the country in great haste.
About this time arose the question in the Colonial Congress con-
cerning the western lands claimed by Virginia, New York, Massachusetts
54 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
and Connecticut. The agitation concerning this subject finally led New-
York, on the 19th of February, 1780, to pass a law giving to the dele-
gates of that State in Congress the power to cede her western lands for
the benefit of the United States. This law was laid before Congress
during the ne%t month, but no steps were taken concerning it until Sep-
tember 6th, when a resolution passed that body calling upon the States
claiming western lands to release their claims in favor of the whole body.
This basis formed the union, and was the first after all of those legislative
measures which resulted in the creation of the States of Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. In December of the same
year, the plan of conquering Detroit again arose. The conquest might
have easily been effected by Clark had the necessary aid been furnished
him. Nothing decisive was done, yet the heads of the Government knew
that the safety of the Northwest from British invasion lay in the capture
and retention of that important post, the only unconquered one in the
territory.
Before the close of the year, Kentucky was divided into the Coun-
ties of Lincoln, Fayette and Jefferson, and the act establishing the Town
of Louisville was passed. This same year is also noted in the annals of
American history as the year in which occurred Arnold's treason to the
United States.
Virginia, in accordance with the resolution of Congress, on the 2d
day of January, 1781, agreed to yield her western lands to the United
States upon certain conditions, which Congress would not accede to, and
the Act of Cession, on the part of the Old Dominion, failed, nor was
anything farther done until 1783. During all that time the Colonies
were busily engaged in the struggle with the mother country, and in
consequence thereof but little heed was given to the western settlements.
Upon the 16th of April, 1781, the first birth north of the Ohio River of
American parentage occurred, being that of Mary Heckewelder, daughter
of the widely known Moravian missionary, whose band of Christian
Indians suffered in after years a horrible massacre by the hands of the
frontier settlers, who had been exasperated by the murder of several of
their neighbors, and in their rage committed, without regard to humanity,
a deed which forever afterwards cast a shade of shame upon their lives.
For this and kindred outrages on the part of the whites, the Indians
committed many deeds of cruelty which darken the years of 1771 and
1772 in the history of the Northwest.
During the year 1782 a number of battles among the Indians and
frontiersmen occurred, and between the Moravian Indians and the Wyan-
dots. In these, horrible acts of cruelty were practised on the captives,
many of such dark deeds transpiring under the leadership of the notorious
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
55
frontier outlaw, Simon Girty, whose name, as well as those of his brothers,
was a terror to women and children. These occurred chiefly in the Ohio
valleys. Cotemporary with them were several engagements in Kentucky,
in which the famous Daniel Boone engaged, and who, often by his skill
and knowledge of Indian warfare, saved the outposts from qruel destruc-
tion. By the close of the year victory had perched upon the American
banner, and on the 30th of November, provisional articles of peace had
been arranged between the Commissioners of England and her uncon-
querable colonies. Cornwallis had been defeated on the 19th of October
preceding, and the liberty of America was assured. On the 19th of
April following, the anniversary of the battle of Lexington, peace was
56 THE NORTHWEST TERRITOKY.
proclaimed to the army of the United States, and on the 3d of the next
September, the definite treaty which ended our revolutionary struggle
was concluded. By the terms of that treaty, the boundaries of the West
were as follows : On the north the line was to extend along the center of
the Great Lakes ; from the western point of Lake Superior to Long Lake ;
thence to the Lake of the Woods ; thence to the head of the Mississippi
River ; down its center to the 81st parallel of latitude, then on that line
east to the head of the Appalachicola River ; down its center to its junc-
tion with the Flint ; thence straight to the head of St. Mary's River, and
thence down along its center to the Atlantic Ocean.
Following the cessation of hostilities with England, several posts
were still occupied by the British in the North and West. Among these
was Detroit, still in the hands of the enemy. Numerous engagements
with the Indians throughout Ohio and Indiana occurred, upon whose
lands adventurous whites would settle ere the title had been acquired by
the. proper treaty.
To remedy this latter evil, Congress appointed commissioners to
treat with the natives and purchase their lands, and prohibited the set-
tlement of the territory until- this could be done. Before the close of the
year another attempt was made to capture Detroit, which was, however,
not pushed, and Virginia, no longer feeling the interest in the Northwest
she had formerly done, withdrew her troops, having on the 20th of
December preceding authorized the whole of her possessions to be deeded
to the United States. This was done on the 1st of March following, and
the Northwest Territory passed from the control of the Old Dominion.
To Gen. Clark and his soldiers, however, she gave a tract of one hundred
and fifty thousand acres of land, to be situated any where north of the
Ohio wherever they chose to locate them. They selected the region
opposite the falls of the Ohio, where is now the dilapidated village of
Clarksville, about midway between the Cities of New Albany and Jeffer-
sonville, Indiana.
While the frontier remained thus, and Gen. Haldimand at Detroit
refused to evacuate alleging that he had no orders from his King to do
so, settlers were rapidly gathering about the inland forts. In the Spring
of 1784, Pittsburgh was regularly laid out, and from the journal of Arthur
Lee, who passed through the town soon after on his way to the Indian
council at Fort Mcintosh, we suppose it was not very prepossessing in
appearance. He says :
" Pittsburgh is inhabited almost entirely by Scots and Irish, who
live in paltry log houses, and are as dirty as if in the north of Ireland or
even Scotland. There is a great deal of trade carried on, the goods being
bought at the vast expense of forty-five shillings per pound from Phila-
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 57
delphia and Baltimore. They take in the shops flour, wheat, skins and
money. There are in the town four attorneys, two doctors, and not a
priest of any persuasion, nor church nor chapel."
Kentucky at this time contained thirty thousand inhabitants, and
was beginning to discuss measures for a separation from Virginia. A
land office was opened at Louisville, and measures were adopted to take
defensive precaution against the Indians who were yet, in some instances,
incited to deeds of violence by the British. Before the close of this year,
1784, the military claimants of land began to occupy them, although no
entries were recorded until 1787.
The Indian title to the Northwest was not yet extinguished. They
held large tracts of lands, and in order to prevent bloodshed Congress
adopted means for treaties with the original owners and provided for the
surveys of the lands gained thereby, as well as for those north of the
Ohio, now in its possession. On January 31, 1786, a treaty was made
with the Wabash Indians. The treaty of Fort Stanwix had been made
in 1784. That at Fort Mcintosh in 1785, and through these much land
was gained. The Wabash Indians, however, afterward refused to comply
with the provisions of the treaty made with them, and in order to compel
their adherence to its provisions, force was used. Daring the year 1786,
the free navigation of the Mississippi came up in Congress, and caused
various discussions, which resulted in no definite action, only serving to
excite speculation in regard to the western lands. Congress had promised
bounties of land to the soldiers of the Revolution, but owing to the
unsettled condition of affairs along the Mississippi respecting its naviga-
tion, and the trade of the Northwest, that body had, in 1783, declared
its inability to fulfill these promises until a treaty could be concluded
between the two Governments. Before the close of the year 1786, how-
ever, it was able, through the treaties with the Indians, to allow some
grants and the settlement thereon, and on the 14th of September Con-
necticut ceded to the General Government the tract of land known as
the " Connecticut Reserve," and before the close of the following year a
large tract of land north of the Ohio was sold to a company, who at once
took measures to settle it. By the provisions of this grant, the company
were to pay the United States one dollar per acre, subject to a deduction
of one-third for bad lands and other contingencies. They received
750,000 acres, bounded on the south by the Ohio, on the east by the
seventh range of townships, on the west by the sixteenth range, and on
the north by a line so drawn as to make the grant complete without
the reservations. In addition to this, Congress afterward granted 100,000
acres to actual settlers, and 214,285 acres as army bounties under the
resolutions of 1789 and 1790.
58
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
While Dr. Cutler, one of the agents of the company, was pressing
its claims before Congress, that body was bringing into form an ordinance
for the political and social organization of this Territory. When the
cession was made by Virginia, in 1784, a plan was offered, but rejected.
A motion had been made to strike from the proposed plan the prohibition
of slavery, which prevailed. The plan was then discussed and altered,
and finally passed unanimously, with the exception of South Carolina.
By this proposition, the Territory was to have been divided into states
lake street m;iD<;n, Chicago, ix 1833.
by parallels and meridian lines. This, it was thought, would make ten
states, which were to have 'been named as follows — beginning at the
northwest corner and going southwardly : Sylvania, Michigania, Cher-
sonesus, Assenisipia, Metropotamia, Illenoia, Saratoga, Washington, Poly-
potamia and Pelisipia.
There was a more serious objection to this plan than its category of
names, — the boundaries. The root of the difficulty was in the resolu-
tion of Congress passed in October, 1780, which fixed the boundaries
of the ceded lands to be from one hundred to one hundred and fifty miles
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 59
square. These resolutions being presented to the Legislatures of Vir-
ginia and Massachusetts, they desired a change, and in July, 1786, the
subject was taken up in Congress, and changed to favor a division into
not more than five states, and not less than three. This was approved by
the State Legislature of Virginia. The subject of the Government was
again taken up by Congress in 1786, and discussed throughout that year
and until July, 1787, when the famous "Compact of 1787" was passed,
and the foundation of the government of the Northwest laid. This com-
pact is fully discussed and explained in the history of Illinois in this book,
and to it the reader is referred.
The passage of this act and the grant to the New England Company
was soon followed by an application to the Government by John Cleves
Symmes, of New Jersey, for a grant of the land between the Miamis.
This gentleman had visited these lands soon after the treaty of 1786, and,
being greatly pleased with them, offered similar terms to those given to the
New England Company. The petition was referred to the Treasury
Board with power to act, and a contract was concluded the following-
year. During the Autumn the directors of the New England Company
were preparing to occupy their grant the following Spring, and upon the
23d of November made arrangements for a party of forty-seven men,
under the superintendency of Gen. Rufus Putnam, to set forward. Six
boat-builders were to leave at once, and on the first of January the sur-
veyors and their assistants, twenty-six in number, were to meet at Hart-
ford and proceed on their journey westward ; the remainder to follow as
soon as possible. Congress, in the meantime, upon the 3d of October,
had ordered seven hundred troops for defense of the western settlers, and
to prevent unauthorized intrusions ; and two days later appointed Arthur
St. Clair Governor of the Territorv of the Northwest.
AMERICAN SETTLEMENTS.
The civil organization of the Northwest Territory was now com-
plete, and notwithstanding the uncertainty of Indian affairs, settlers from
the East began to come into the country rapidly. The New England
Company sent their men during the Winter of 1787-8 pressing on over
the Alleghenies by the old Indian path which had been opened into
Braddock's road, and which has since been made a national turnpike
from Cumberland westward. Through the weary winter days they toiled
on, and by April were all gathered on the Yohiogany, where boats had
been built, and at once started for the Muskingum. Here they arrived
on the 7th of that month, and unless the Moravian missionaries be regarded
as the pioneers of Ohio, this little band can justly claim that honor.
(ill
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Gen. St. Clair, the appointed Governor of the Northwest, not having
yet arrived, a set of laws were passed, written out, and published by
being nailed to a tree in the embryo town, and Jonathan Meigs appointed
to administer them.
Washington in writing of this, the first American settlement in the
Northwest, said : " No colony in America was ever settled under
such favorable auspices as that which has just commenced at Muskingum.
Information, property and strength will be its characteristics. I know
many of its settlers personally, and there never were men better calcu-
lated to promote the welfare of such a community."
"■ ^m%mm
PIONEER I)W
On the 2d of July a meeting of the directors and agents was held
on the banks of the Muskingum, " for the purpose of naming the new-
born city and its squares." As yet the settlement was known as the
"Muskingum,'" but that was now changed to the name Marietta, in honor
of Marie Antoinette. The square upon which the block -houses stood
was called "Campus Martins /" square number 19, "Capitolium ;" square
number 61, " Cecilia;'" and the great road through the covert way, " Sacra
Via." Two days after, an oration was delivered by James M. Varnum,
who with S. H. Parsons and John Armstrong had been appointed to the
judicial bench of the territory on the 16th of October, 1787. On July 9,
Gov. St. Clair arrived, and the colony began to assume form. The act
of 1787 provided two district grades of government for the Northwest,
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 61
under the first of which the whole power was invested in the hands of a
governor and three district judges. This was Immediately formed upon
the Governor's arrival, and the first laws of the colony passed on the 25th
of July. These provided for the organization of the militia, and on the
next day appeared the Governor's proclamation, erecting all that country
that had been ceded by the Indians east of the Scioto River into the
County of Washington. From that time forward, notwithstanding the
doubts yet existing as to the Indians, all Marietta prospered, and on the
2d of September the first court of the territory was held with imposing
ceremonies.
The emigration westward at this time was very great. The com-
mander at Fort Harmer, at the mouth of the Muskingum, reported four
thousand five hundred persons as having passed that post between Feb-
ruary and June, 1788 — many of whom would have purchased of the
"Associates," as the New England Company was called, had they been
ready to receive them.
On the 26th of November, 1787, Symmes issued a pamphlet stating
the terms of his contract and the plan of sale he intended to adopt. In
January, 1788, Matthias Denman, of New Jersey, took an active interest
in Symmes' purchase, and located among other tracts the sections upon
which Cincinnati has been built. Retaining one-third of this locality, he
sold the other two-thirds to Robert Patterson and John Filson, and the
three, about August, commenced to lay out a town on the spot, which
was designated as being opposite Licking River, to the mouth of which
they proposed to have a road cut from Lexington. The naming of the
town is thus narrated in the "Western Annals " : — " Mr. Filson, who had
been a schoolmaster, was appointed to name the town, and, in respect to
its situation, and as if with a prophetic perception of the mixed race that
were to inhabit it in after clays, he named it Losantiville, which, being
interpreted, means : ville, the town ; anti, against or opposite to ; os, the
mouth ; L. of Licking."'
Meanwhile, in July, Symmes got thirty persons and eight four-horse
teams under way for the West. These reached Limestone (now Mays-
ville) in September, where were several persons from Redstone. Here
Mr. Symmes tried to found a settlement, but the great freshet of 1789
caused the " Point," as it was and is yet called, to be fifteen feet under
water, and the settlement to be abandoned. The little band of settlers
removed to the mouth of the Miami. Before Symmes and his colony left
the " Point," two settlements had been made on his purchase. The first
was by Mr. Stiltes, the original projector of the whole plan, who, with a
colony of Redstone people, had located at the mouth of the Miami,
whither Symmes went with his Maysville colony. Here a clearing had
62
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
been made by the Indians owing to the great fertility of the soil. Mr.
Stiltes with his colony came to this place on the 18th of November, 1788,
-with twenty-six persons, and, building a block-house, prepared to remain
through the Winter. They named the settlement Columbia. Here they
were kindly treated by the Indians, but suffered greatly from the flood
of 1789.
On the 4th of March, 1789, the Constitution of the United States
went into operation, and on April 30, George Washington was inaug-
urated President of the American people, and during the next Summer,
an Indian war was commenced by the tribes north of the Ohio. The
President at first used pacific means ; but these failing, he sent General
Harmer against the hostile tribes. He destroyed several villages, but
LAKE BLITF.
IVet of Kr:ulu:il accent.
was defeated in two battles, near the present City of Fort Wayne,
Indiana. From this time till the close of 1795, the principal events were
the wars with the various Indian tribes. In 1796, General St. Clair
was appointed in command, and marched against the Indians; but while
he was encamped on a stream, the St. Mary, a branch of the Maumee,
he was attacked and defeated with the loss of six hundred men.
General Wayne was now sent against the savages. In August, 1794,
he met them near the rapids of the Maumee, and gained a complete
victory. This success, followed by vigorous measures, compelled the
Indians to sue for peace, and on the 30th of July, the following year, the
treaty of Greenville was signed by the principal chiefs, by which a large
tract of country was ceded to the United States.
Before proceeding in our narrative, we will pause to notice Fort
Washington, erected in the early part of this war on the site of Cincinnati.
Nearly all of the great cities of the Northwest, and indeed of the
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 63
whole country, have had their nuclei in those rude pioneer structures,
known as forts or stockades. Thus Forts Dearborn, Washington, Pon-
chartrain, mark the original sites of the now proud Cities of Chicago,
Cincinnati and Detroit. So of most of the nourishing cities east and west
of the Mississippi. Fort Washington, erected by Doughty in 1790, was a
rude but highly interesting structure. It was composed of a number of
strongly-built hewed log cabins. Those designed for soldiers' barracks
were a story and a half high, while those composing the officers quarters
were more imposing and more conveniently arranged and furnished.
The whole were so placed as to form a hollow square, enclosing about an
acre of ground, with a block house at each of the four angles.
The logs for the construction of this fort were cut from the ground
upon which it was erected. It stood between Third and Fourth Streets
of the present city (Cincinnati) extending east of Eastern Row, now
Broadway, which was then a narrow alley, and the eastern boundary of
of the town as it was originally laid out. On the bank of the river,
immediately in front of the fort, was an appendage of the fort, called the
Artificer's Yard. It contained about two acres of ground, enclosed by
small contiguous buildings, occupied by workshops and quarters of
laborers. Within this enclosure there was a large two-story frame house,
familiarly called the " Yellow House," built for the accommodation of
the Quartermaster General. For many years this was the best finished
and most commodious edifice in the Queen City. Fort Washington was
for some time the headquarters of both the civil and military governments
of the Northwestern Territory.
Following the consummation of the treaty various gigantic land spec-
ulations were entered into by different persons, who hoped to obtain
from the Indians in Michigan and northern Indiana, large tracts of lands.
These were generally discovered in time to prevent the outrageous
schemes from being carried out, and from involving the settlers in war.
On October 27, 1795, the treaty between the United States and Spain
was signed, whereby the free navigation of the Mississippi was secured.
No sooner had the treaty of 1795 been ratified than settlements began
to pour rapidly into the West. The great event of the year 1796 was the
occupation of that part of the Northwest including Michigan, which was
this year, under the provisions of the treaty, evacuated by the British
forces. The United States, owing to certain conditions, did not feel
justified in addressing the authorities in Canada in relation to Detroit
and other frontier posts. When at last the British authorities were
called to give them up, they at once complied, and General Wayne, who
' had done so much to preserve the frontier settlements, and who, before
the year's close, sickened and died near Erie, transferred his head-
64 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
quarters to the neighborhood of the lakes, where a county named after
him was formed, which included the northwest of Ohio, all of Michigan,
and the northeast of Indiana. During this same year settlements were
formed at the present City of Chillicothe, along the Miami from Middle-
town to Piqua, while in the more distant West, settlers and speculators
began to appear in great numbers. In September, the City of Cleveland
was laid out, and during the Summer and Autumn, Samuel Jackson and
Jonathan Sharpless erected the first manufactory of paper — the " Red-
stone Paper Mill" — in the West. St. Louis contained some seventy
houses, and Detroit over three hundred, and along the river, contiguous
to it, were more than three thousand inhabitants, mostly French Canadians,
Indians and half-breeds, scarcely any Americans venturing yet into that
part of the Northwest.
The election of representatives for the territory had taken place,
and on the 4th of February, 1799, they convened at Losantiville — now
known as Cincinnati, having been named so by Gov. St. Clair, and
considered the capital of the Territory — to nominate persons from whom
the members of the Legislature were to be chosen in accordance with
a previous ordinance. This nomination being made, the Assembly
adjourned until the 16th of the following September. From those named
the President selected as members of the council, Henry Vandenburg,
of Vincennes, Robert Oliver, of Marietta, James Findlay and Jacob
Burnett, of Cincinnati, and David Vance, of Vanceville. On the 16th
of September the Territorial Legislature met, and on the 24th the two
houses were duly organized, Henry Vandenburg being elected President
of the Council.
The message of Gov. St. Clair was addressed to the Legislature
September 20th, and on October 13th that body elected as a delegate to
Congress Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison, who received eleven of the votes
cast, being a majority of one over his opponent, Arthur St. Clair, son of
Gen. St. Clair.
The whole number of acts passed at this session, and approved by
the Governor, were thirty-seven — eleven others were passed, but received
his veto. The most important of those passed related to the militia, to
the administration, and to taxation. On the 19th of December this pro-
tracted session of the first Legislature in the West was closed, and on the
30th of December the President nominated Charles Willing Brvd to the
office of Secretary of the Territory vice Wm. Henry Harrison, elected to
Congress. The Senate oonfirmed his nomination the next day.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 65
DIVISION OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
The increased emigration to the Northwest, the extent of the domain,
and the inconvenient modes of travel, made it very difficult to conduct
the ordinary operations of government, and rendered the efficient action
of courts almost impossible. To remedy this, it was deemed advisable to
divide the territory for civil purposes. Congress, in 1800, appointed a
committee to examine the question and report some means for its solution.
This committee, on the 3d of March, reported that :
" In the three western countries there has been but one court having
cognizance of crimes, in five years, and the immunity which offenders
experience attracts, as to an asylum, the most vile and abandoned crim-
inals, and at the same time deters useful citizens from making settlements
in such society. The extreme necessity of judiciary attention and assist-
ance is experienced in civil as well as in criminal cases. * * * * To
minister a remedy to these and other evils, it occurs to this committee
that it is expedient that a division of said territory into two distinct and
separate governments should be made ; and that such division be made
by a line beginning at the mouth of the Great Miami River, running
directly north until it intersects the boundary between the United States
and Canada."
The report was accepted by Congress, and, in accordance with its
suggestions, that body passed an Act extinguishing the Northwest Terri-
tory, which Act was approved May 7. Among its provisions were these :
" That from and after July 4 next, all that part of the Territory of
the United States northwest of the Ohio River, which lies to the westward
of a line beginning at a point on the Ohio, opposite to the mouth of the
Kentucky River, and running thence to Fort Recovery, and thence north
until it shall intersect the territorial line between the United States and
Canada, shall, for the purpose of temporary government, constitute a
separate territory, and be called the Indiana Territory."
After providing for the exercise of the civil and criminal powers of
the territories, and other provisions, the Act further provides :
" That until it shall otherwise be ordered by the Legislatures of the
said Territories, respectively, Chillicothe on the Scioto River shall be the
seat of government of the Territory of the United States northwest of the
Ohio River ; and that St. Vincennes on the Wabash River shall be the
seat of government for the Indiana Territory."
Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison was appointed Governor of the Indiana
Territory, and entered upon his duties about a year later. Connecticut
also about this time released her claims to the reserve, and in March a law
66 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
was passed accepting this cession. Settlements had been made upon
thirty-five of the townships in the reserve, mills had been built, and seven
hundred miles of road cut in various directions. On the 3d of November
the General Assembly met at Chillicothe. Near the close of the year,
the first missionary of the Connecticut Reserve came, who found no
township containing more than eleven families. It was upon the first of
October that the secret treaty had been made between Napoleon and the
King of Spain, whereby the latter agreed to cede to France the province
of Louisiana.
In January, 1802, the Assembly of the Northwestern Territory char-
tered the college at Athens. From the earliest dawn of the western
colonies, education was promptly provided for, and as early as 1787,
newspapers were issued from Pittsburgh and Kentucky, and largely read
throughout the frontier settlements. Before the close of this year, the
Congress of the United States granted to the citizens of the Northwestern
territory the formation of a State government. One of the provisions of
the "compact of 1787" provided that whenever the number of inhabit-
ants within prescribed limits exceeded 45,000, they should be entitled to
a separate government. The prescribed limits of Ohio contained, from a
census taken to ascertain the legality of the act, more than that number,
and on the 30th of April, 1802, Congress passed the act defining its limits,
and on the 29th of November the Constitution of the new State of Ohio,
so named from the beautiful river forming its southern boundary, came
into existence. The exact limits of Lake Michigan were not then known,
but the territory now included within the State of Michigan was wholly
within the territory of Indiana.
Gen. Harrison, while residing at Vincennes, made several treaties
with the Indians, thereby gaining large tracts of lands. The next year i&
memorable in the history of the West for the purchase of Louisiana from
France by the United States for $15,000,000. Thus by a peaceful mode,
the domain of the United States was extended over a large tract of
country west of the Mississippi, and was for a time under the jurisdiction
of the Northwest government, and, as has been mentioned in the early
part of this narrative, was called the "New Northwest." The limits
of this history will not allow a description of its territory. The same year
large grants of land were obtained from the Indians, and the House of
Representatives of the new State of Ohio signed a bill respecting the
College Township in the district of Cincinnati.
Before the close of the year, Gen. Harrison obtained additional
grants of lands from the various Indian nations in Indiana and the present
limits of Illinois, and on the 18th of August, 1804, completed a treaty at
St. Louis, whereby over 51,000,000 acres of lands were obtained from the
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. (37
aborigines. Measures were also taken to learn the condition of affairs in
and about Detroit.
C. Jouett, the Indian agent in Michigan, still a part of Indiana Terri-
tory, reported as follows upon the condition of matters at that post :
" The Town of Detroit. — The charter, which is for fifteen miles
square, was granted in the time of Louis XIV. of France, and is now,
from the best information I have been able to get, at Quebec. Of those
two hundred and twenty-five acres, only four are occupied by the town
and Fort Lenault. The remainder is a common, except twent3'-four
acres, which were added twenty years ago to a farm belonging to Wm.
Macomb. * * * A stockade incloses the town, fort and citadel. The
pickets, as well as the public houses, are in a state of gradual decay. The
streets are narrow, straight and regular, and intersect each other at right
angles. The houses are, for the most part, low and inelegant."
During this year, Congress granted a township of land for the sup-
port of a college, and began to offer inducements for settlers in these
wilds, and the country now comprising the State of Michigan began to
fill rapidly with settlers along its southern borders. This same year, also,
a law was passed organizing the Southwest Territory, dividing it into two
portions, the Territory' of New Orleans, which city was made the seat of
government, and the District of Louisiana, which was annexed to the
domain of Gen. Harrison.
On the 11th of January, 1805, the Territory of Michigan was formed,
Wm. Hull was appointed governor, with headquarters at Detroit, the
change to take effect on June 30. On the 11th of that month, a fire
occurred at Detroit, which destroj'ed almost every building in the place.
When the officers of the new territory reached the post, they found it in
ruins, and the inhabitants scattered throughout the country. Rebuild-
ing, however, soon commenced, and ere long the town contained more
houses than before the fire, and many of them much better built.
While this was being done, Indiana had passed to the second grade
of government, and through her General Assembly had obtained large
tracts- of land from the Indian tribes. To all this the celebrated Indian,
Tecumthe or Tecumseh, vigorously protested, and it was the main cause
of his attempts to unite the various Indian tribes in a conflict with the
settlers. To obtain a full account of these attempts, the workings of the
British, and the signal failure, culminating in the death of Tecumseh at
the battle of the Thames, and the close of the war of 1812 in the Northwest,
we will step aside in our story, and relate the principal events of his life,
and his connection with this conflict.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
TECUMSEH, THE SHAWANOE CHIEFTAIN.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. fjf)
TECUMSEH, AND THE WAR OF 1812.
This famous Indian chief was born about the year 17(58, not far from
the site of the present City of Piqua, Ohio. His father, Puckeshinwa,
was a member of the Kisopok tribe of the Swanoese nation, and his
mother, Methontaske, was a member of the Turtle tribe of the same
people. They removed from Florida about the middle of the last century
to the birthplace of Tecumseh. In 1774, his father, who had risen to be
chief, was slain at the battle of Point Pleasant, and not long after Tecum-
seh, by his bravery, became the leader of his tribe. In 1795 he was
declared chief, and then lived at Deer Creek, near the site of the
present Citj^ of- Urbana. He remained here about one year, when he
returned to Piqua, and in 1798, he went to White River, Indiana. In
1805, lie and his brother, Laulewasikan (Open Door"), who had announced
himself as a prophet, went to a tract of land on the Wabash River, given
them by the Pottawatomies and Kickapoos. From this date the chief
comes into prominence. He was now about thirty-seven years of age,
was five feet and ten inches in height, was stoutly built, and possessed of
enormous powers of endurance. His countenance was naturally pleas-
ing, and he was, in general, devoid of those savage attributes possessed
by most Indians. It is stated he could read and write, and had a confi-
dential secretary and adviser, named Billy Caldwell, :i half-breed, who
afterward became chief of the Pottawatomies. He occupied the first
house built on the site of Chicago. At this time, Tecumseh entered
upon the great work of his life. He had long objected to the grants of
land made by the Indians to the whites, and determined to unite all the
Indian tribes into a league, in order that no treaties or grants of land
could be made save by the consent of this confederation.
He traveled constantly, going from north to south ; from the south
to the north, everywhere urging the Indians to this step. He was a
matchless orator, and his burning words had their effect.
Gen. Harrison, then Governor of Indiana, by watching the move-
ments of the Indians, became convinced that a grand conspiracy was
forming, and made preparations to defend the settlements. Tecumseh's
plan was similar to Pontiac's, elsewhere described, and to the cunning
artifice of that chieftain was added his own sagacity.
During the year 1809, Tecumseh and the prophet were actively pre-
paring for the work. In that year, Gen. Harrison entered into a treaty
with the Delawares, Kickapoos, Pottawatomies, Miamis, Eel River Indians
and Weas, in which these tribes ceded to the whites certain lands upon
the Wabash, to all of which Tecumseh entered a bitter protest, averring
70 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
as one principal reason that he did not want the Indians to give up any
lands north and west of the Ohio River.
Tecumseh, in August, 1810, visited the General at Vincennes and
held a council relating to the grievances of the Indians. Becoming unduly
angry at this conference he was dismissed from the village, and soon after
departed to incite the southern Indian tribes to the conflict.
Gen. Harrison determined to move upon the chief's headquarters at
Tippecanoe, and for this purpose went about sixty-five miles up the
Wabash, where he built Fort Harrison. From this place he went to the
prophet's town, where he informed the Indians he had no hostile inten-
tions, provided they were true to the existing treaties. He encamped
near the village early in October, and on the morning of November 7, he
was attacked by a large force of the Indians, and the famous battle of
Tippecanoe occurred. The Indians were routed and their town broken
up. Tecumseh returning not long after, was greatly exasperated at his
brother, the prophet, even threatening to kill him for rashly precipitating
the war, and foiling his (Tecumseh's) plans.
Tecumseh sent word to Gen. Harrison that he was now returned
from the South, and was ready to visit the President as had at one time
previously been proposed. Gen. Harrison informed him he could not go
as a chief, which method Tecumseh desired, and the visit was never
made.
In June of the following year, he visited the Indian agent at
Fort Wayne. Here he disavowed any intention to make a war against
the United States, and reproached Gen. Harrison for marching against his
people. The agent replied to this ; Tecumseh listened with a cold indif-
ference, and after making a few general remarks, with a haughty air drew
his blanket about him, left the council house, and departed for Fort Mai-
den, in Upper Canada, where he joined the British standard.
He remained under this Government, doing effective work for the
Crown while engaged in the war of 1812 which now opened. He was,
however, always humane in his treatment of the prisoners, never allow-
ing his warriors to ruthlessly mutilate the bodies of those slain, or wan-
tonly murder the captive.
In the Summer of 1813, Perry's victory on Lake Erie occurred, and
shortly after active preparations were made to capture Maiden. On the
27th of September, the American army, under Gen. Harrison, set sail for
the shores of Canada, and in a few hours stood around the ruins of Mai-
den, from which the British army, under Proctor, had retreated to Sand-
wich, intending to make its way to the heart of Canada by the Valley of
the Thames. On the 29th Gen. Harrison was at Sandwich, and Gen.
McArthur took possession of Detroit and the territory of Michigan.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
On the 2d of October, the Americans began their pursuit of Proctor,
whom they overtook on the 5th, and the battle of the Thames followed.
Early in the engagement, Tecumseh who was at the head of the column
of Indians was slain, and they, no longer hearing the voice of their chief-
tain, fled. The victory was decisive, and practically closed the war in
the Northwest.
A BTOCKAD
Just who killed the great chief has been a matter of much dispute ;
but the weight of opinion awards the act to Col. Richard M. Johnson,
who fired at him with a pistol, the shot proving fatal.
In 1805 occurred Burr's Insurrection. He took possession of a
beautiful island in the Ohio, after the killing of Hamilton, and is charged
by many with attempting to set up an independent government. His
plans were frustrated by the general government, his property confiscated
and he was compelled to flee the country for safety.
12 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
In January, 1807, Governor Hull, of Michigan Territory, made a
treaty with the Indians, whereby all that peninsula was ceded to the
United States. Before the close of the year, a stockade was built about
Detroit. It was also during this year that Indiana and Illinois endeavored
to obtain the repeal of that section of the compact of 1787, whereby
slavery was excluded from the Northwest Territory. These attempts,
however, all signally failed.
In 1809 it was deemed advisable to divide the Indiana Territory.
This was done, and the Territory of Illinois was formed from the western
part, the seat of government being fixed at Kaskaskia. The next year,
the intentions of Tecumseh manifested themselves in open hostilities, and
then began the events already narrated.
While this war was in progress, emigration to the West went on with
surprising rapidity. In 1811, under Mr. Roosevelt of New York, the
first steamboat trip was made on the Ohio, much to the astonishment of
the natives, many of whom fled in terror at the appearance of the
" monster." It arrived at Louisville on the 10th day of October. At the
close of the first week of January, 1812, it arrived at Natchez, after being
nearly overwhelmed in the great earthquake which occurred while on its
downward trip.
The battle of the Thames was fought on October 6, 1813. It
effectually closed hostilities in the Northwest, although peace was not
fully restored until July 22, 1814, when a treaty was formed at Green-
ville, under the direction of General Harrison, between the United States
and the Indian tribes, in which it was stipulated that the Indians should
cease hostilities against the Americans if the war were continued. Such,
happily, was not the case, and on the 24th of December the treaty
of Ghent was signed by the representatives of England and the United
States. This treaty was followed the next year by treaties with various
Indian tribes throughout the West, and Northwest, and quiet was again
restored in this part of the new world.
On the 18th of March, 1816, Pittsburgh was incorporated as a city.
It then had a papulation of 8,000 people, and was already noted for its
manufacturing interests. On April 19, Indiana Territory was allowed
to form a state government. At that time there were thirteen counties
organized, containing about sixty-three thousand inhabitants. The first
election of state officers was held in August, when Jonathan Jennings
was chosen Governor. The officers were sworn in on November 7, and
on December 11, the State was formally admitted into the Union. For
some time the seat of government was at Gorydon, but a more central
location being desirable, the present capital, Indianapolis (City of Indiana),
was laid out January 1, 1825.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 73
On the 28th of December the Bank of Illinois, at Shawneetown, was
chartered, with a capital of $300,000. At this period all banks were
under the control of the States, and were allowed to establish branches
at different convenient points.
Until this time Chillicothe and Cincinnati had in turn enjoyed the
privileges of being the capital of Ohio. But the rapid settlement of the
northern and eastern portions of the State demanded, as in Indiana, a
more central location, and before the close of the year, the site of Col-
umbus was selected and surveyed as the future capital of the State.
Banking had begun in Ohio as early as 1808, when the first bank was
chartered at Marietta, but here as elsewhere it did not bring to the state
the hoped-for assistance. It and other banks were subsequently unable
to redeem their currency, and were obliged to suspend.
In 1818, Illinois was made a state, and all the territory north of her
northern limits was erected into a separate territory and joined to Mich-
igan for judicial purposes. By the following year, navigation of the lakes
was increasing with great rapidity and affording an immense source of
revenue to the dwellers in the Northwest, but it was not until 1826 that
the trade was extended to Lake Michigan, or that steamships began to
navigate the bosom of that inland sea.
Until the year 1832, the commencement of the Black Hawk War,
but few hostilities were experienced with the Indians. Roads were
opened, canals were dug, cities were built, common schools were estab-
lished, universities were founded, many of which, especially the Michigan
University, have achieved a world wide-reputation. The people were
becoming wealthy. The domains of the United States had been extended,
and had the sons of the forest been treated with honesty and justice, the
record of many years would have been that of peace and continuous pros-
perity.
BLACK HAWK AND THE BLACK HAWK WAR.
This conflict, though confined to Illinois, is an important epoch in
the Northwestern history, being the last war with the Indians in this part
of the United States.
Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiah, or Black Hawk, was born in the principal
Sac village, about three miles from the junction of Rock River with the
Mississippi, in the year 1767. His father's name was Py-e-sa or Pahaes ;
his grandfather's, Na-na-ma-kee, or the Thunderer. Black Hawk early
distinguished himself as a warrior, and at the age of fifteen was permitted
to paint and was ranked among the braves. About the year 1783, he
went on an expedition against the enemies of his nation, the Osages, one
74
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
BLACK IIAU'IC. TUB SAC CHIEFTAIN.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 75
of whom he killed and scalped, and for this deed of Indian bravery he was
permitted to join in the scalp dance. Three or four years after he, at the
head of two hundred braves, went on another expedition against the
Osages, to avenge the murder of some women and children belonging to
his own tribe. Meeting an equal number of Osage warriors, a fierce
battle ensued, in which the latter tribe lost one-half their number. The
Sacs lost only about nineteen warriors. He next attacked the Cherokees
for a similar cause. In a severe battle with them, near the present City
of St. Louis, his father was slain, and Black Hawk, taking possession of
the " Medicine Bag,"' at once announced himself chief of the Sac nation.
He had now conquered the Cherokees, and about the year 1800, at the
head of five hundred Sacs and Foxes, and a hundred Iowas, he waged
war against the Osage nation and subdued it. For two years he battled
successfully with other Indian tribes, all of whom he conquered.
Black Hawk does not at any time seem to have been friendly to
the Americans. When on a visit to St. Louis to see his " Spanish
Father," he declined to see any of the Americans, alleging, as a reason,
he did not want two fathers.
The treaty at St. Louis was consummated in 1804. The next year the
United States Government erected a fort near the head of the Des Moines
Rapids, called Fort Edwards. This seemed to enrage Black Hawk, who
at once determined to capture Fort Madison, standing on the west side of
the Mississippi above the mouth of the Des Moines River. The fort was
garrisoned by about fifty men. Here he was defeated. The difficulties
with the British Government arose about this time, and the War of 1812
followed. That government, extending aid to the Western Indians, by
giving them arms and ammunition, induced them to remain hostile to the
Americans. In August, 1812, Black Hawk, at the head of about five
hundred braves, started to join the British forces at Detroit, passing on
his way the site of Chicago, where the famous Fort Dearborn Massacre
h:.? a few days before occurred. Of his connection with the British
'jrcvernment but little is known. In 1813 he with his little band descended
the Mississippi, and attacking some United States troops at Fort Howard
was defeated.
In the early part of 1815, the Indian tribes west of the Mississippi
were notified that peace had been declared between the United States
and England, and nearly all hostilities had ceased. Black Hawk did not
sign any treaty, however, until May of the following year. He then recog-
nized the validity of the treaty at St. Louis in 1804. From the time of
signing this treaty in 1816, until the breaking out of the war in 1832, he
and his band passed their time in the common pursuits of Indian life.
Ten years before the commencement of this war, the Sac and Fox
76 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Indians were urged to join the Iowas on the west bank of the Father of
Waters. All were agreed, save the hand known as the British Band, of
which Black Hawk was leader. He strenuously objected to the removal,
and was induced to comply only after being threatened with the power of
the Government. This and various actions on the part of the white set-
tlers provoked Black Hawk and his band to attempt the capture of his
native village now occupied by the whites. The war followed. He and
his actions were undoubtedly misunderstood, and had his wishes been
acquiesced in at the beginning of the struggle, much bloodshed would
have been prevented.
Black Hawk was chief now of the Sac and Fox nations, and a noted
warrior. He and his tribe inhabited a village on Rock River, nearly three
miles above its confluence with the Mississippi, where the tribe had lived
many generations. When that portion of Illinois was reserved to them,
they remained in peaceable possession of their reservation, spending their
time in the enjoyment of Indian life. The fine situation of their village
and the quality of their lands incited the more lawless white settlers, who
from time to time began to encroach upon the red men's domain. From
one pretext to another, and from one step to another, the crafty white
men gained a foothold, until through whisky and artifice they obtained
deeds from many of the Indians for their possessions. The Indians were
finally induced to cross over the Father of Waters and locate among the
Iowas. Black Hawk was strenuously opposed to all this, but as the
authorities of Illinois and the United States thought this the best move, he
was forced to comply. Moreover other tribes joined the whites and urged
the removal. Black Hawk would not agree to the terms of the treaty
made with his nation for their lands, and as soon as the military, called to
enforce his removal, had retired, he returned to the Illinois side of the
river. A large force was at once raised and marched against him. On
the evening of May 14, 1832, the first engagement occurred between a
band from this army and Black Hawk's band, in which the former were
defeated.
This attack and its result aroused the whites. A large force of men
was raised, and Gen. Scott hastened from the seaboard, by way of the
lakes, with United States troops and artillery to aid in the subjugation of
the Indians. On the 24th of June, Black Hawk, with 200 warriors, was
repulsed by Major Demont between Rock River and Galena. The Ameri-
can army continued to move up Rock River toward the main body of
thr Indians, and on the 21st of July came upon Black Hawk and his band,
and defeated them near tin; Blue Mounds.
Before this action, Gren. Henry, in command, sent word to the main
army by whom he was immediately rejoined, and the whole crossed the
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 77
Wisconsin in pursuit of Black Hawk arid his band who were fleeing to the
Mississippi. They were overtaken on the 2d of August, and in the battle
which followed the power of the Indian chief was completely broken. He
fled, but was seized by the Winnebagoes and delivered to the whites.
On the 21st of September, 1832, Gen. Scott and Gov. Reynolds con-
cluded a treaty with the Winnebagoes, Sacs and Foxes by which they
ceded to the United States a vast tract of country, and agreed to remain
peaceable with the whites. For the faithful performance of the provi-
sions of this treaty on the part of the Indians, it was stipulated that
Black Hawk, his two sons, the prophet Wabokieshiek, and six other chiefs
of the hostile bands should be retained as hostages during the pleasure
of the President. They were confined at Fort Barracks and put in irons.
The next Spring, by order of the Secretary of War, they were taken
to Washington. From there they were removed to Fortress Monroe,
"there to remain until the conduct of their nation was such as to justify
their being set at liberty." They were retained here until the 4th of
June, when the authorities directed them to be taken to the principal
cities so that they might see the folly of contending against the white
people. Everywhere they were observed by thousands, the name of the
old chief being extensively known. By the middle of August they
reached Fort Armstrong on Rock Island, where Black Hawk was soon
after released to go to his countrymen. As he passed the site of his birth-
place, now the home of the white man, he was deeply moved. His village
where he was born, where he had so happily lived, and where he had
hoped to die, was now another's dwelling place, and he was a wanderer.
On the next day after his release, he went at once to his tribe and
bis lodge, His wife was yet living, and with her he passed the remainder
of his days. To his credit it may be said that Black Hawk always re-
mained true to his wife, and served her with a devotion uncommon among
the Indians, living with her upward of forty years.
Black Hawk now passed his time hunting and fishing. A deep mel-
ancholy had settled over him from which he could not be freed. At all
times when he visited the whites he was received with marked atten-
tion. He was an honored guest at the old settlers' reunion in Lee County,
Illinois, at some of their meetings, and received many tokens of esteem.
In September, 1838, while on his way to Rock Island to receive his
annuity from the Government, he contracted a severe cold which resulted
in a fatal attack of bilious fever which terminated his life on October 3.
His faithful wife, who was devotedly attached to him, mourned deeply
during his sickness. After his death he was dressed in the uniform pre-
sented to him by the President while in Washington. He was buried in
a grave six feet in depth, situated upon a beautiful eminence. " The
78 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
body was placed in the middle of the grave, in a sitting posture, upon a
seat constructed for the purpose. On his left side, the cane, given him
by Henry Clay, was placed upright, with his right hand resting upon it.
Many of the old warrior's trophies were placed in the grave, and some
Indian garments, together with his favorite weapons."
No sooner was the Clack Hawk war concluded than settlers began
rapidly to pour into the northern parts of Illinois, and into Wisconsin,
now free from Indian depredations. Chicago, from a trading post, had
grown to a commercial center, and was rapidly coming into prominence.
In 1835, the formation of a State Government in Michigan was discussed,
but did not take active form until two years later, when the State became
a part of the Federal Union.
The main attraction to that jDortion of the Northwest lying west of
Lake Michigan, now included in the State of Wisconsin, was its alluvial
wealth. Copper ore was found about Lake Superior. For some time this
region was attached to Michigan for judiciary purposes, but in 1830 was
made a territory, then including Minnesota and Iowa. The latter State
was detached two years later. In 1848, Wisconsin was admitted as a
State, Madison being made the capital. We have now traced the various
divisions of the Northwest Territory (save a little in Minnesota) from
the time it was a unit comprising this vast territory, until circumstances-
compelled its present division.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. •»
PRESENT CONDITION OF THE NORTHWEST
Preceding chapters have brought us to the close of the Black Hawk
war, and we now turn to the contemplation of the growth and prosperity
of the Northwest under the smile of peace and the blessings of our civili-
zation. The pioneers of this region date events back to the deep snow
OLD FOET DEARBORN, 1830.
of 1831, no one arriving here since that date taking first honors. The
inciting cause of the immigration which overflowed the prairies early in
the '30s was the reports of the marvelous beauty and fertility of the
region distributed through the East by those who had participated in the
Black Hawk campaign with Gen. Scott. Chicago and Milwaukee then
had a few hundred inhabitants, and Gurdon S. Hubbard's trail from the
former city to Kaskaskia led almost through a wilderness. Vegetables
and'clothiug were largely distributed through the regions adjoining the
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Lakes by steamers from the Ohio towns. There are men now living in
Illinois who came to the state when barely an acre was in cultivation,
and a man now prominent in the business circles of Chicago looked over
the swampy, cheerless site of that metropolis in 1818 and went south-
ward into civilization. Emigrants from Pennsylvania in 1830 left behind
LINCOLN MONUMENT, SI'lilNGFIELD, ILLINOIS.
them but one small railway in the coal regions, thirty miles in length,
and made their way to the Northwest mostly with ox teams, finding in
Northern Illinois petty settlements scores of miles apart, although the
southern portion of the state was fairly dotted with farms. The
water courses of the lakes and rivers furnished transportation to the
second great army of immigrants, and about 1850 railroads were
pushed to that extent that the crisis of 1837 was precipitated upon us,
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
from the effects of which the Western country had not fully recovered
at the outbreak of the war. Hostilities found the colonists of the prairies
fully alive to the demands of the occasion, and the honor of recruiting
the vast armies of the Union fell largely to Gov. Yates, of Illinois, and
Gov. Morton, of Indiana. To recount the share of the glories of the
campaign won by ©:ir Western troops is a needless task, except to
mention the fact that Illinois gave go the nation the President who saves]
82
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
it. and sent out at the head of one of its regiments toe general who led
'ts armies to the final victory at Appomattox. The struggle, on the
whole, had a marked effect for the better on the now Northwest, gi ring
it an impetus which twenty years of peace would not have produced.
In a large degree this prosperity was an inflated one, and with the rest
of the Union we have since been compelled to atone therefor by four
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 83
years of depression of values, of scarcity of employment, and loss of
fortune. To a less degree, however, than the manufacturing or mining-
regions has the West suffered during the prolonged panic now so near its
end. Agriculture, still the leading feature in our industries, has been
quite prosperous through all these dark years, and the farmers have
cleared away many incumbrances resting over them from the period of
fictitious values. The population has steadily increased, the arts and
sciences are gaining a stronger foothold, the trade area of the region is
becoming daily more extended, and we have been largely exempt from
the financial calamities which have nearly wrecked communities on the
seaboard dependent wholly on foreign commerce or domestic manufacture.
At the present period there are no great schemes broached for the
Northwest, no propositions for government subsidies or national works
of improvement, but the capital of the world is attracted hither for the
purchase of our products or the expansion of our capacity for serving the
nation at large. A new era is dawning as to transportation, and we bid
fair to deal almost exclusively with the increasing and expanding lines
of steel rail running through every few miles of territory on the prairies.
The lake marine will no doubt continue to be useful in the warmer
season, and to serve as a regulator of freight rates ; but experienced
navigators forecast the decay of the system in moving to the seaboard
the enormous crops of the West. Within the past five years it has
become quite common to see direct shipments to Europe and the West
Indies going through from the second-class towns along the Mississippi
and Missouri.
As to popular education, the standard has of late risen very greatly,
and our schools would be creditable to any section of the Union.
More and more as the events of the war pass into obscurity will the
fate of the Northwest be linked with that of the Southwest, and the
next Congressional apportionment will give the valley of the Mississippi
absolute control of the legislation of the nation, and do much toward
securing the removal of the Federal capitol to some more central location.
Our public men continue to wield the full share of influence pertain-
ing to their rank in the national autonomy, and seem not to forget that
for the past sixteen years they and their constituents have dictated the
principles which should govern the country.
In a work like this, destined to lie on the shelves of the library for
generations, and not doomed to daily destruction like a newspaper, one
can not indulge in the same glowing predictions, the sanguine statements
of actualities that fill the columns of ephemeral publications. Time may
bring grief to the pet projects of a writer, and explode castles erected on
a pedestal of facts. Yet there are unmistakable indications before us of
84 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
the same radical change in our great Northwest which characterizes its
history for the past thirty years. Our domain has a sort of natural
geographical border, save where it melts away to the southward in the
cattle raising districts of the southwest.
Our prime interest will for some years doubtless be the growth of
the food of the world, in which branch it has already outstripped all
competitors, and our great rival in this duty will naturally be the fertile
plains of Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado, to say nothing of the new
empire so rapidly growing up in Texas. Over these regions there is a
continued progress in agriculture and in railway building, and we must
look to our laurels. Intelligent observers of events are fully aware of
the strides made in the way of shipments of fresh meats to Europe,
many of these ocean cargoes being actually slaughtered in the West and
transported on ice to the wharves of the seaboard cities. That this new
enterprise will continue there is no reason to doubt. There are in
Chicago several factories for the canning of prepared meats for European
consumption, and the orders for this class of goods are already immense.
English capital is becoming daily more and more dissatisfied with railway
loans and investments, and is gradually seeking mammoth outlays in
lands and live stock. The stock yards in Chicago, Indianapolis and East
St. Louis are yearly increasing their facilities, and their plant steadily
grows more valuable. Importations of blooded animals from the pro-
gressive countries of Europe are destined to greatly improve the quality
of our beef and mutton. Nowhere is there to be seen a more enticing
display in this line than at our state and county fairs, and the interest
in the matter is on the increase.
To attempt to give statistics of our grain production for 1877 would
be useless, so far have we surpassed ourselves in the quantity and
quality of our product. We are too liable to forget that we are giving
the world its first article of necessity — its food supply. An opportunity
to learn this fact so it never can be forgotten was afforded at Chicago at
the outbreak of the great panic of 1873, when Canadian purchasers,
fearing the prostration of business mightbring about an anarchical condition
of affairs, went to that city with coin in bulk and foreign drafts to secure
their supplies in their own currency at first hands. It may be justly
claimed by the agricultural community that their combined efforts gave
the nation its first impetus toward a restoration of its crippled industries
and their labor brought the gold premium to a lower depth than the
government was aide to reach by its most intense efforts of legislation
and compulsion. The hundreds of millions about to be disbursed for
farm products have already, by the anticipation common to all commercial
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
85
nations, set the wheels in motion, and will relieve us from the perils so
long shadowing our efforts to return to a healthy tone.
Manufacturing has attained in the chief cities a foothold which hids
fair to render the Northwest independent of the outside world. Nearly
PIIAIRIE WOLVES IN" AN' EAIU.Y DAY.
our whole region has a distribution of coal measures which will in time
support the manufactures necessary to our comfort and prosperity. As
to transportation, the chief factor in the production of all articles excep *"
food, no section is so magnificently endowed, and our facilities are yearly
increasing beyond those of any other region.
86 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
The period from a central point of the war to the outbreak of the
panic was marked by a tremendous growth in our railway lines, but the
depression of the times caused almost a total suspension of operations.
Now that prosperity is returning to our stricken country we witness its
anticipation by the railroad interest in a series of projects, extensions,
and leases which bid fair to largely increase our transportation facilities.
The process of foreclosure and sale of incumbered lines is another matter
to be considered. In the case of the Illinois Central road, which formerly
transferred to other lines at Cairo the vast burden of freight destined for
the Gulf region, we now see the incorporation of the tracks connecting
through to New Orleans, every mile co-operating in turning toward the
northwestern metropolis the weight of the inter-state commerce of a
thousand miles or more of fertile plantations. Three competing routes
to Texas have established in Chicago their general freight and passenger
agencies. Four or five lines compete for all Pacific freights to a point as
as far as the interior of Nebraska. Half a dozen or more splendid bridge
structures have been thrown across the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers by
the railways. The Chicago and Northwestern line has become an aggre-
gation of over two thousand miles of rail, and the Chicago, Milwaukee
and St. Paul is its close rival in extent and importance. The three lines
running to Cairo via Vincennes form a through route for all traffic with
the states to the southward. The chief projects now under discussion
are the Chicago and Atlantic, which is to unite with lines now built to
Charleston, and the Chicago and Canada Southern, which line will con-
nect with all the various branches of that Canadian enterprise. Our
latest new road is the Chicago and Lake Huron, formed of three lines,
and entering the city from Valparaiso on the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne
and Chicago track. The trunk lines being mainly in operation, the
progress made in the way of shortening tracks, making air-line branches,
and running extensions does not show to the advantage it deserves, as
this process is constantly adding new facilities to the established order
of things. The panic reduced the price of steel to a point where the
railways could hardly afford to use iron rails, and all our northwestern
lines report large relays of Bessemer track. The immense crops now
being moved have given a great rise to the value of railway stocks, and
their transportation must result in heavy pecuniary advantages.
Few are aware of the importance of the wholesale and jobbing trade
of Chicago. One leading firm has since the panic sold $ 24,000,000 of
dry goods in one year, and they now expect most confidently to add
seventy per cent, to the figures of their last year's business. In boots
and shoes and in clothing, twenty or more great firms from the east have
placed here their distributing agents or their factories ; and in groceries
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 87
Chicago supplies the entire Northwest at rates presenting advantages
over New York.
Chicago has stepped in between New York and the rural banks as a
financial center, and scarcely a banking institution in the grain or cattle
regions but keeps its reserve funds in the vaults of our commercial insti-
tutions. Accumulating here throughout the spring and summer months,
they are summoned home at pleasure to move the products of the
prairies. This process greatly strengthens the northwest in its financial
operations, leaving home capital to supplement local operations on
behalf of home interests.
It is impossible to forecast the destiny of this grand and growing
section of the Union. Figures and predictions made at this date might
seem ten years hence so ludicrously small as to excite only derision.
KINZIK HOUSE.
Early History of Illinois.
The name of this beautiful Prairie State is derived from Illini, a
Delaware word signifying Superior Men. It lias a French termination,
and is a symbol of how the two races — the French and the Indians —
were intermixed during the early history of the country.
The apjjellation was no doubt well applied to the primitive inhabit-
ants of the soil whose prowess in savage warfare long withstood the
combined attacks of the fierce Iroquois on the one side, and the no less
savage and relentless Sacs and Foxes on the other. The Illinois were
once a powerful confederacy, occupying the most beautiful and fertile
region in the great Valley of the Mississippi, which their enemies coveted
and struggled long and hard to wrest from them. By the fortunes of
war they were diminished in numbers, and finally destroyed. " Starved
Rock," on the Illinois River, according to tradition, commemorates their
last tragedy, where, it is said, the entire tribe starved rather than sur-
render.
EARLY DISCOVERIES.
The first European discoveries in Illinois date back over two hun-
dred years. They are a part of that movement which, from the begin-
ning to the middle of the seventeenth century, brought the French
Canadian missionaries and fur traders into the Valley of the Mississippi,
and which, at a later period, established the civil and ecclesiastical
authority of France from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico,
and from the foot-hills of the Alleghanies to the Rocky Mountains.
The great river of the West had been discovered by DeSoto, the
Spanish conqueror of Florida, three quarters of a century before the
French founded Quebec in 1608, but the Spanish left the country a wil-
derness, without further exploration or settlement within its borders, in
which condition it remained until the Mississippi was discovered by the
agents of the French Canadian government, Jolietand Marquette, in 1(37:!.
These renowned explorers were not the first white visitors to Illinois.
In 1671 — two years in advance of them — came Nicholas Perrot to Chicago.
He had been sent by Talon as an agent of the Canadian government tc
88
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
90 HISTORY OF THE STATE OP ILLINOIS.
call a great peace convention of "Western Indians at Green Bay, prepara-
tory to the movement for the discovery of the Mississippi. It was
deemed a good stroke of policy to secure, as far as possible, the friend-
ship and co-operation of the Indians, far and near, before venturing upon
an enterprise which their hostility might render disastrous, and which
their friendship and assistance would do so much to make successful ;
and to this end Perrot was sent to call together in council the tribes
throughout the Northwest, and to promise them the commerce and pro-
tection of the French government. He accordingly arrived at Green
Bay in 1671, and procuring an escort of Pottawattamies, proceeded in a
bark canoe upon a visit to the Miamis, at Chicago. Perrot was there-
fore the first European to set foot upon the soil of Illinois.
Still there were others before Marquette. In 1672, the Jesuit mis-
sionaries, Fathers Claude Allouez and Claude Dablon, bore the standard
of the Cross from their mission at Green Bay through western Wisconsin
and northern Illinois, visiting the Foxes on Fox River, and the Masquo-
tines and Kickapoos at the mouth of the Milwaukee. These missionaries
penetrated on the route afterwards followed by Marquette as far as the
Kickapoo village at the head of Lake Winnebago, where Marquette, in
his journey, secured guides across the portage to the Wisconsin.
The oft-repeated story of Marquette and Joliet is well known.
The}- were the agents employed by the Canadian government to discover
the Mississippi. Marquette was a native of France, born in 1637, a
Jesuit priest by education, and a man of simple faith and of great zeal and
devotion in extending the Roman Catholic religion among the Indians.
Arriving in Canada in 1666, he was sent as a missionary to the far
Northwest, and, in 1668, founded a mission at Sault Ste. Marie. The
following year he moved to La Pointe, in Lake Superior, where he
instructed a branch of the Hurons till 1670, when he removed south, and
founded the mission at St. Ignace, on the Straits of Mackinaw. Here
he remained, devoting a portion of his time to the study of the Illinois
language under a native teacher who had accompanied him to the mission
from La Pointe, till he was joined by Joliet in the Spring of 1673. By
the way of Green Bay and the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, they entered
the Mississippi, which they explored to the mouth of the Arkansas, and
returned by the way of the Illinois and Chicago Rivers to Lake Michigan.
On his way up the Illinois, Marquette visited the great village of
the Kaskaskias, near what is now Utioa, in the county of LaSalle. The
following year he returned and established among them the mission of
the Immaculate Virgin Mary, which was the first Jesuit mission founded
in Illinois and in the Mississippi Valley. The intervening winter he
had spent in a hut which his companions erected on the Chicago River, a
few leagues from its mouth. The founding of this mission was the last
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 91
act of Marquette's life. He died in Michigan, on his way back to Green
Bay, May 18, 1675.
FIRST FRENCH OCCUPATION.
The first French occupation of the territory now embraced in Illi-
nois was effected by LaSalle in 1680, seven years after the time of Mar-
quette and Joliet. LaSalle, having constructed a vessel, the " Griffin,"
above the falls of Niagara, which he sailed to Green Bay, and having
passed thence in canoes to the mouth of the St. Joseph River, by which
and the Kankakee he reached the Illinois, in January, 1680, erected Fort
Crevecceur, at the lower end of Peoria Lake, where the city of Peoria is
now situated. The place where this ancient fort stood may still be seen
just below the outlet of Peoria Lake. It was destined, however, to a
temporary existence. From this point, LaSalle determined to descend
the Mississippi to its mouth, but did not accomplish this purpose till two
years later — in 1682. Returning to Fort Frontenac for the purpose of
getting materials with which to rig his vessel, he left the fort in charge of
Touti, his lieutenant, who during his absence was driven off by the Iro-
quois Indians. These savages had made a raid upon the settlement of
the Illinois, and had left nothing in their track but ruin and desolation.
Mr. Davidson, in his History of Illinois, gives the following graphic
account of the picture that met the eyes of LaSalle and his companions
on their return :
" At the great town of the Illinois they were appalled at the scene
which opened to their view. No hunter appeared to break its death-like
silence with a salutatory whoop ot welcome. The plain on which the
town had stood was now strewn with charred fragments of lodges, which
had so recently swarmed with savage life and hilarity. To render more
hideous the picture of desolation, large numbers of skulls had been
placed on the upper extremities of lodge-poles which had escaped the
devouring flames. In the midst of these horrors was the rude fort of
the spoilers, rendered frightful by the same ghastly relics. A near
approach showed that the graves had been robbed of their bodies, and
swarms of buzzards were discovered glutting their loathsome stomachs
on the reeking corruption. To complete the work of destruction, the
growing corn of the village had been cut down and burned, while the
pits containing the products of previous years, had been rifled and their
contents scattered with wanton waste. It was evident the suspected
blow of the Iroquois had fallen with relentless fury."
Tonti had escaped LaSalle knew not whither. Passing down the
lake in search of him and his men, LaSalle discovered that the fort had
been destroyed, but the vessel which he had partly constructed was still
92 ' HISTOEY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
on the stocks, and but slightly injured. After further fruitless search,
failing to find Tonti, he fastened to a tree a painting representing himself
and party sitting in a canoe and bearing a pipe of peace, and to the paint-
ing attached a letter addressed to Tonti.
Tonti had escaped, and, after untold privations, taken shelter among
the Pottawattamies near Green Bay. These were friendly to the French.
One of their old chiefs used to say, " There were but three great cap-
tains in the world, himself, Tonti and LaSalle."
GENIUS OF LaSALLE.
We must now return to LaSalle, whose exploits stand out in such
bold relief. He was born in Rouen, France, in 1643. His father was
wealthy, but he renounced his patrimony on entering a college of the
Jesuits, from which he separated and came to Canada a poor man in 1666.
The priests of St. Sulpice, among whom he had a brother, were then the
proprietors of Montreal, the nucleus of which was a seminary or con-
vent founded by that order. The Superior granted to LaSalle a large
tract of land at LaChine, where he established himself in the fur trade.
He was a man of daring genius, and outstripped all his competitors in
exploits of travel and commerce with the Indians. In 1669, he visited
the headquarters of the great Iroquois Confederacy, at Onondaga, in the
heart of New York, and, obtaining guides, explored the Ohio River to
the falls at Louisville.
In order to understand the genius of LaSalle, it must be remembered
that for many years prior to his time the missionaries and traders were
obliged to make their way to the Northwest by the Ottawa River (of
Canada) on account of the fierce hostility of the Iroquois along the lower
lakes and Niagara River, which entirely closed this latter route to the
Upper Lakes. They carried on their commerce chiefly by canoes, pad-
dling them through the Ottawa to Lake Nipissing, carrying them across
the portage to French River, and descending that to Lake Huron. This
being the route by which they reached the Northwest, accounts for the
fact that all the earliest Jesuit missions were established in the neighbor-
hood of the Upper Lakes. LaSalle conceived the grand idea of opening
the route by Niagara River and the Lower Lakes to Canadian commerce
by sail vessels, connecting it with the navigation of the Mississippi, and
thus opening a magnificent witter communication from the Gulf of St.
Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico. This truly grand and comprehensive
purpose seems to have animated him in all his wonderful achievements
and the matchless difficulties and hardships he surmounted. As the first
step in the accomplishment of this object he established himself on Lake
Ontario, and built and garrisoned Fort Frontenac, the site of the present
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 93
city of Kingston, Canada. Here be obtained a grant of land from the
French crown and a body of troops by which he beat back the invading
Iroquois and cleared the passage to Niagara Falls. Having by this mas-
terly stroke made it safe to attempt a hitherto untried expedition, his
next step, as we have seen, was to advance to the Falls with all his
outfit for building a ship with which to sail the lakes. He was success-
ful in this undertaking, though his ultimate purpose was defeated by a
strange combination of untoward circumstances. The Jesuits evidently
hated LaSalle and plotted against him, because he had abandoned them
and co-operated with a rival order. The fur traders were also jealous of
his superior success in opening new channels of commerce. At LaCliine
he had taken the trade of Lake Ontario, which but for his presence there
would have gone to Quebec. While they were plodding with their barK
canoes through the Ottawa he was constructing sailing vessels to com-
mand the trade of the lakes and the Mississippi. These great plans
excited the jealousy and envy of the small traders, introduced treason and
Tevolt into the ranks of his own companions, and finally led to the foul
assassination by which his great achievements were prematurely ended.
In 1682, LaSalle, having completed his vessel at Peoria, descended
the Mississippi to its confluence with the Gulf of Mexico. Erecting a
standard on which he inscribed the arms of France, he took formal pos-
session of the whole valley of the mighty river, in the name of Louis
XIV., then reigning, in honor of whom he named the country Louisiana.
LaSalle then went to France, was appointed Governor, and returned
with a fleet and immigrants, for the purpose of planting a colony in Illi-
nois. They arrived in due time in the Gulf of Mexico, but failing to
find the mouth of the Mississippi, up which LaSalle intended to sail, his
supply ship, with the immigrants, was driven ashore and wrecked on
Matagorda Bay. With the fragments of the vessel he constructed a
stockade and rude huts on the shore for the protection of the immigrants,
■calling the post Fort St. Louis. He then made a trip into New Mexico,
in search of silver mines, but, meeting with disappointment, returned to
find his little colony reduced to^ forty souls. He then resolved to travel
on foot to Illinois, and, starting with his companions, had reached the
valley of the Colorado, near the mouth of Trinity river, when he was
shot by one of his men. This occurred on the 19th of March, 1687.
Dr. J. W. Foster remarks of him : " Thus fell, not far from the banks
of the Trinity, Robert Cavalier de la Salle, one of the grandest charac-
ters that ever figured in American history — a man capable of originating
the vastest schemes, and endowed with a will and a judgment capable of
carrying them to successful results. Had ample facilities been placed by
the King of France at his disposal, the result of the colonization- of this
continent might have been far different from what we now behold."
94 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
A temporarv- settlement was made at Fort St. Louis, or the old Ivas-
kaskia village, on the Illinois River, in what is now LaSalle County, in
1682. In 1690, this was removed, with the mission connected with it, to
Kaskaskia, on the river of that name, emptying into the lower Mississippi
in St. Clair County. Cahokia was settled about the same time, or at
least, both of these settlements began in the year 1690, though it is now
pretty well settled that Cahokia is the older place, and ranks as the oldest
permanent settlement in Illinois, as well as in the Mississippi Valley.
The reason for the removal of the old Kaskaskia settlement and mission,
was probably because the dangerous and difficult route by Lake Michigan
and the Chicago portage had been almost abandoned, and travelers and
traders passed down and up the Mississippi by the Fox and Wisconsin
River route. They removed to the vicinity of the Mississippi in order
to be in the line of travel from Canada to Louisiana, that is, the lower
part of it, for it was all Louisiana then south of the lakes.
During the period of French rule in Louisiana, the population prob-
ably never exceeded ten thousand, including whites and blacks. Within
that portion of it now included in Indiana, trading posts were established
at the principal Miami villages which stood on the head waters of the
Maumee, the Wea villages situated at Ouiatenon, on the Wabash, and
the Piankeshaw villages at Post Vincennes ; all of which were probably
visited by French traders and missionaries before the close of the seven-
teenth century.
In the vast territory claimed by the French, many settlements of
considerable importance hail sprung up. Biloxi, on Mobile Bay, had
been founded by DTberville, in 1699; Antoine de Lamotte Cadillac had
founded Detroit in 1701 ; and New Orleans had been founded by Bien-
ville, under the auspices of the Mississippi Compan}-, in 1718. In Illi-
nois also, considerable settlements had been made, so that in 17E0 they
embraced one hundred and forty French families, about six hundred " con-
verted Indians," and many traders and voyageurs. In that portion of the
country, on the east side of the Mississippi, there were five distinct set-
tlements, with their respective villages, viz. : Cahokia, near the mouth
of Cahokia Creek and about five miles below the present city of St.
Louis ; St. Philip, about forty-five miles below Cahokia, and four miles
above Fort Chartres ; Fort Chartres, twelve miles above Kaskaskia;
Kaskaskia, situated on the Kaskaskia River, five miles above its conflu-
ence with the Mississippi ; and Prairie du Richer, near Fort Chartres.
To these must be added St. Genevieve and St. Louis, on the west side
of the Mississippi. These, with the exception of St. Louis, are among
HISTOEY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 9,5
the oldest French towns in the Mississippi Valley. Kaskaskia, in its best
days, was a town of some two or three thousand inhabitants. After it
passed from the crown of France its population for many years did not
exceed fifteen hundred. Under British rule, in 1773, the population had
decreased to four hundred and fifty. As early as 1721, the Jesuits had
established a college and a monastery in Kaskaskia.
Fort Chartres was first built under the direction of the Mississippi
Company, in 1718, by M. de Boisbraint, a military officer, under command
of Bienville. It stood on the east bank of the Mississippi, about eighteen
miles below Kaskaskia, and was for some time the headquarters of the
military commandants of the district of Illinois.
In the Centennial Oration of Dr. Fowler, delivered at Philadelphia,
by appointment of Gov. Beveridge, we find some interesting facts with
regard to the State of Illinois, which we appropriate in this history:
In 1682 Illinois became a possession of the French crown, a depend-
ency of Canada, and a part of Louisiana. In 1765 the English flag was
run up on old Fort Chartres, and Illinois was counted among the treas-
ures of Great Britain.
In 1779 it was taken from the English by Col. George Rogers Clark.
This man was resolute in nature, wise in council, prudent in policy, bold
in action, and heroic in danger. Few men who have figured in the his-
tory of America are more deserving than this colonel. Nothing short of
first-class ability could have rescued Vincens and all Illinois from the
English. And it is not possible to over-estimate the influence of this
achievement upon the republic. In 1779 Illinois became a part of Vir-
ginia. It was soon known as Illinois County. In 1784 Virginia ceded
all this territory to the general government, to be cut into States, to be
republican in form, with " the same right of sovereignty, freedom, and
independence as the other States."
In 1787 it was the object of the wisest and ablest legislation found
in any merely human records. No man can study the secret history of
THE "COMPACT OF 1787,"
and not feel that Providence was guiding with sleepless eye these unborn
States. The ordinance that on July 13, 1787, finally became the incor-
porating act, has a most marvelous history. Jefferson had vainly tried
to secure a system of government for the northwestern territory. He
was an emancipationist of that day, and favored the exclusion of slavery
from the territory Virginia had ceded to the general government ; but
the South voted him down as often as it came up. In 1787, as late as
July 10, an organizing act without the anti-slavery clause was pending.
This concession to the South was expected to carry it. Congress was in
96 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
session in New York City. On July 5, Rev. Dr. Manasseh Cutler, of
Massachusetts, came into New York to lobby on the northwestern terri-
tory. Everything seemed to fall into his hands. Events were ripe.
The state of the public credit, the growing of Southern prejudice,
the basis of his mission, his personal character, all combined to complete
one of those sadden and marvelous revolutions of public sentiment that
once in five or ten centuries are seen to sweep over a country like the
breath of the Almighty. Cutler was a graduate of Yale — received his
A.M. from Harvard, and his D.D. from Yale. He had studied and taken
degrees in the three learned professions, medicine, law, and divinity. He
had thus America's best indorsement. He had published a scientific
examination of the plants of New England. His name stood second only
to that of Franklin as a scientist in America. He was a courtly gentle-
man of the old style, a man of commanding presence, and of inviting
face. The Southern members sa.id they had never seen such a gentleman
in the North. He came representing a company that desired to purchase
a tract of land now included in Ohio, for the purpose of planting a colony.
It was a speculation. Government money was worth eighteen cents on
the dollar. This Massachusetts company had collected enough to pur-
chase 1,500,000 acres of land. Other speculators in New York made
Dr. Cutler their agent (lobbyist). On the 12th he represented a demand
for 5,500,000 acres. This would reduce the national debt. Jefferson
and Virginia were regarded as authority concerning the land Virginia
had just ceded. Jefferson's policy wanted to provide for the public credit,
and this was a good opportunity to do something.
Massachusetts then owned the territory of Maine, which she was
crowding on the market. She was opposed to opening the northwestern
region. This fired the zeal of Virginia. The South caught the inspira-
tion, and all exalted Dr. Cutler. The English minister invited him to
dine with some of the Southern gentlemen. He was the center of interest.
The entire South rallied round him. Massachusetts could not vote
against him, because many of the constituents of her members were
interested personally in the western speculation. Thus Cutler, making
friends with the South, and, doubtless, using all the arts of the lobby,
was enabled to command the situation. True to deeper convictions, he
dictated one of the most compact and finished documents of wise states-
manship that has ever adorned any human law book. He borrowed from
Jefferson the term "Articles of Compact," which, preceding the federal
constitution, rose into the most sacred character. He then followed very
closely the constitution of Massachusetts, adopted three years before.
Its most marked points were :
1. The exclusion of slavery from the territory forever.
2. Provision for public schools, giving one township for a seminary,
HISTOEY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 97
and every section numbered 16 in each township ; that is, one-thirty-sixth
of all the land, for public schools.
3. A provision prohibiting the adoption of any constitution or the
enactment of any law that should nullify pre-existing contracts.
Be it forever remembered that this compact declared that " Religion,
morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the
happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall always
be encouraged."
Dr. Cutler planted himself on this platform and would not yield.
Giving his unqualified declaration that it was that or nothing — that unless
they could make the land desirable they did not want it — he took his
horse and buggy, and started for the constitutional convention in Phila-
delphia. On July 13, 1787, the bill was put upon its passage, and was
unanimously adopted, every Southern member voting for it, and only one
man, Mr. Yates, of New York, voting against it. But as the States voted
as States, Yates lost his vote, and the compact was put beyond repeal.
Thus the great States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wis-
consin— a vast empire, the heart of the great valley — were consecrated
to freedom, intelligence, and honesty. Thus the great heart of the nation
was prepared for a year and a day and an hour. In the light of these eighty-
nine years I affirm that this act was the salvation of the republic and the
destruction of slavery. Soon the South saw their great blunder, and
tried to repeal the compact. In 1803 Congress referred it to a committee
of which John Randolph was chairman. He reported that this ordinance
was a compact, and opposed repeal. Thus it stood a rock, in the way
of the on-rushing sea of slavery.
With all this timely aid it was, after all, a most desperate and pro-
tracted struggle to keep the soil of Illinois sacred to freedom. It was
the natural battle-field for the irrepressible conflict. In the southern end
of the State slavery preceded the compact. It existed among the old
French settlers, and was hard to eradicate. The southern part of the
State was settled from the slave States, and this population brought their
laws, customs, and institutions with them. A stream of population from
the North poured into the northern part of the State. These sections
misunderstood and hated each other perfectly. The Southerners regarded
the Yankees as a skinning, tricky, penurious race of peddlers, filling the
country with tinware, brass clocks, and wooden nutmegs. The North-
erner thought of the Southerner as a lean, lank, lazy creature, burrowing
in a hut, and rioting in whisky, dirt and ignorance. These causes aided
in making the struggle long and bitter. So strong was the sympathy
with slavery that, in spite of the ordinance of 1787, and in spite of the
deed of cession, it was determined to allow the old French settlers to
retain their slaves. Planters from the slave States might bring their
98 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
slaves, if they would give them a chance to choose freedom or years
of service and bondage for their children till they should become
thirty years of age. If they chose freedom they must leave the State
in sixty days or be sold as fugitives. ' Servants were whipped for offenses
for which white men are fined. Each lash paid forty cents of the fine. A
negro ten miles from home without a pass was whipped. These famous
laws were imported from the slave States just as they imported laws for
the inspection of flax and wool when there was neither in the State.
These Black Laws are now wiped out. A vigorous effort was made
to protect slavery in the State Constitution of 1817. It barely failed.
It was renewed in 1825, when a convention was asked to make a new
constitution. After a hard fight the convention was defeated. But
slaves did not disappear from the census of the State until 1850. There
were mobs and murders in the interest of slavery. Lovejoy was added
to the list of martyrs — a sort of first-fruits of that long life of immortal
heroes who saw freedom as the one supreme desire of their souls, and
were so enamored of her that they preferred to die rather than survive her.
The population of 12,282 that occupied the territory in A.D. 1800,
increased to 45,000 in A.D. 1818, when the State Constitution was
adopted, and Illinois took her place in the Union, with a star on the flag
and two votes in the Senate.
Shadrach Bond was the first Governor, and in his first message he
recommended the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal.
The simple economy in those days is seen in the fact that the entire
bill for stationery for the first Legislature was only $13.50. Yet this
simple body actually enacted a very superior code.
There was no money in the territory before the war of 1812. Deer
skins and coon skins were the circulating medium. In 1821, the Legis-
lature ordained a State Bank on the credit of the State. It issued notes
in the likeness of bank bills. These notes were made a legal tender for
every thing, and the bank was ordered to loan to the people $100 on per-
sonal security, and more on mortgages. They actually passed a resolu-
tion requesting the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States to
receive these notes for land. The old French Lieutenant Governor, Col.
Menard, put the resolution as follows: " Gentlemen of the Senate : It is
moved and seconded dat de notes of dis bank be made land-office money.
All in favor of dat motion say aye ; all against it say no. It is decided
in de affirmative. Now, gentlemen, I bet you one hundred dollar he
never be land-office money ! " Hard sense, like hard money, is always
above par.
This old Frenchman presents a fine figure up against the dark back-
ground of most of his nation. They made no progress. They clung to
their earliest and simplest implements. They never wore hats or caps»
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 99
They pulled their blankets over their heads in the winter like the Indians,
with whom they freely intermingled.
Demagogism had an early development. One John Grammar (only
in name), elected to the Territorial and State Legislatures of 1816 and
1836, invented the policy of opposing every new thing, saying, " If it
succeeds, no one will ask who voted against it. If it proves a failure, he
could quote its record." In sharp contrast with Grammar was the char-
acter of D. P. Cook, after whom the county containing Chicago was
named. Such was his transparent integrity and remarkable ability that
his will was almost the law of the State. In Congress, a young man,
and from a poor State, he was made Chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee. He was pre-eminent for standing by his committee, regard-
less of consequences. It was his integrity that elected John Quincy
Adams to the Presidency. There were four candidates in 182-1, Jackson,
Clay, Crawford, and John Quincy Adams. There being no choice by the
people, the election was thrown into the House. It was so balanced that
it turned On his vote, and that he cast for Adams, electing him; then
went home to face the wrath of the Jackson party in Illinois. It cost
him all but character and greatness. It is a suggestive comment on the
times, that there was no legal interest' till 1830. It often reached 150
per cent., usually 50 per cent. Then it was reduced to 12, and now to
10 per cent.
PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE PRAIRIE STATE.
In area the State has 55,410 square miles of territory. It is about
150 miles wide and 400 miles long, stretching in latitude from Maine to
North Carolina. It embraces wide variety of climate. It is tempered
on the north by the great inland, saltless, tideless sea, which keeps the
thermometer from either extreme. Being a table land, from 600 to 1,600
feet above the level of the sea, one is prepared to find on the health
maps, prepared by the general government, an almost clean and perfect
record. In freedom from fever and malarial diseases and consumptions,
the three deadly enemies of the American Saxon, Illinois, as a State,
stands without a superior. She furnishes one of the essential conditions
of a great people — sound bodies. I suspect that this fact lies back of
that old Delaware word, Illini, superior men.
The great battles of history that have been determinative of dynas-
ties and destinies have been strategical battles, chiefly the question of
position. Thermopylae has been the war-cry of freemen for twenty-four
centuries. It only tells how much there may be in position. All this
advantage belongs to Illinois. It is in the heart of the greatest valley in
the world, the vast region between the mountains — a valley that could
100 HISTORY OF THE STATE OP ILLINOIS.
feed mankind for one thousand years. It is well on toward the center of
the continent. It is in the great temperate belt, in which have been
found nearly all the aggressive civilizations of history. It has sixty-five
miles of frontage on the head of the lake. With the Mississippi forming
the western and southern boundary, with the Ohio running along the
southeastern line, with the Illinois River and Canal dividing the State
diagonally from the lake to the Lower Mississippi, and with the Rock and
Wabash Rivers furnishing altogether 2,000 miles of water-front, con-
necting with, and running through, in all about 12,000 miles of navi-
gable water.
But this is not all. These waters are made most available by the
fact that the lake and the State lie on the ridge running into the great
valley from the east. Within cannon-shot of the lake the water runs
away from the lake to the Gulf. The lake now. empties at both ends,
one into the Atlantic and one into the Gulf of Mexico. The lake thus
seems to hang over the land. This makes the dockage most serviceable ;
there are no steep banks to damage it. Both lake and river are made
for use.
The climate varies from Portland to Richmond ; it favors every pro-
duct of the continent, including the tropics, with less than half a dozen
exceptions. It produces every great nutriment of the world except ban-
anas and rice. It is hardly too much to say that it is the most productive
spot known to civilization. With the soil full of bread and the earth full
of minsrals ; with an upper surface of food and an under layer of fuel ;
with perfect natural drainage, and abundant springs and streams and
navigable rivers ; half way between the forests of the North and the fruits
of the South ; within a day's ride of the great deposits of iron, coal, cop-
per, lead, and zinc ; containing and controlling the great grain, cattle,
pork, and lumber markets of the world, it is not strange that Illinois has
the advantage of position.
This advantage has been supplemented by the character of the popu-
lation. In the early days when Illinois was first admitted to the Union,
her population were chiefly from Kentucky and Virginia. But, in the
conflict of ideas concerning slavery, a strong tide of emigration came in
from the East, and soon changed this composition. In 1870 her non-
native population were from colder soils. New York furnished 133,290 ;
Ohio gave 162,623; Pennsylvania sent on 98,352; the entire South gave
us only 206,734. In all her cities, and in all her German and Scandina-
vian and other foreign colonies, Illinois has only about one-fifth of her
people of foreign birth.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OP ILLINOIS. 1Q1
PROGRESS OF DEVELOPMENT.
One of the greatest elements in the early development of Illinois is
the Illinois and Michigan Canal, connecting the Illinois and Mississippi
Rivers with the lakes. It was of the utmost importance to the State.
It was recommended by Gov. Bond, the first governor, in his first message.
In 1821, the Legislature appropriated $10,000 for surveying the route.
Two bright young engineers surveyed it, and estimated the cost at
$600,000 or $700,000. It finally cost $8,000,000. In 1825, a law was
passed to incorporate the Canal Company, but no stock was sold. In
1826, upon the solicitation of Cook, Congress gave 800,000 acres of land
on the line of the work. In 1828, another law — commissioners appointed,
and work commenced with new survey and new estimates. In 1834-35,
George Farquhar made an able report on the whole matter. This was,
doubtless, the ablest report ever made to a western legislature, and it
became • the model for subsequent reports and action. From this the
work went on till it was finished in 1818. It cost the State a large
amount of money ; but it gave to the industries of the State an impetus
that pushed it up into the first rank of greatness. It was not built as a
speculation any more than a doctor is employed on a speculation. But
it has paid into the Treasary of the State an average annual net sum of
over $111,000.
Pending the construction of the canal, the land and town-lot fevei
broke out in the State, in 1834-35. It took on the malignant type in
Chicago, lifting the town up .into a city. The disease spread over the
entire State and adjoining States. It was epidemic. It cut up men's
farms without regard to locality, aud jut up the purses of the purchasers
without regard to consequences. It is estimated that building lots enough
were sold in Indiana alone to accommodate every citizen then in the
United States.
Towns and cities were exported to the Eastern market by the ship-
load. There was no lack of buyers. Every up-ship came freighted with
speculators and their money.
This distemper seized upon the Legislature in 1836-37, and left not
one to tell the tale. They enacted a system of internal improvement
without a parallel in the grandeur of its conception. They ordered the
construction of 1,300 miles of railroad, crossing the State in all direc-
tions. This was surpassed by the river and canal improvements.
There were a few counties not touched by either railroad or river or
canal, and those were to be comforted and compensated by the free dis-
tribution of $200,000 among them. To inflate this balloon beyond cre-
dence it was ordered that work should be commenced on both eads of
102 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
each of these railroads and rivers, and at each river-crossing, all at the
same time. The appropriations for these vast improvements were over
$12,000,000, and commissioners were appointed to borrow the money on
the credit of the State. Remember that all this was in the early days of
railroading, when railroads were luxuries ; that the State had whole
counties with scarcely a cabin ; and that the population of the State was
less than 400,000, and you can form some idea of the vigor with which
these brave men undertook the work of making a great State. In the
light of history I am compelled to say that this was only a premature
throb of the power that actually slumbered in the soil of the State. It
was Hercules in the cradle.
At this juncture the State Bank loaned its funds largely to Godfrey
Gilman & Co., and to other leading houses, for the purpose of drawing
trade from St. Louis to Alton. Soon they failed, and took down the
bank with them.
In 1840, all hope seemed gone. A population of 480,000 were loaded
with a debt of $14,000,000. It had only six small cities, really only
towns, namely : Chicago, Alton, Springfield, Quincy, Galena, Nauvoo.
This debt was to be cared for when there was not a dollar in the treas-
ury, and when the State had borrowed itself out of all credit, and when
there was not good money enough in the hands of all the people to pay
the interest of the debt for a single year. Yet, in the presence of all
these difficulties, the young State steadily refused to repudiate. Gov.
Ford took hold of the problem and solved it, bringing the State through
in triumph.
Having touched lightly upon some of-the more distinctive points in
the history of the development of Illinois, let us next briefly consider the
MATERIAL RESOURCES OF THE STATE.
It is a garden four hundred miles long and one hundred and fifty
miles wide. Its soil is chiefly a black sandy loam, from six inches to
sixty feet thick. On the American bottoms it has been cultivated for
one hundred and fifty years without renewal. About the old French
towns it has yielded corn for a century and a half without rest or help.
It produces nearly everything green in the temperate and tropical zones.
She leads all other States in the number of acres actually under plow.
Her products from 25,000,000 of acres are incalculable. Her mineral
wealth is scarcely second to her agricultural power. She has coal, iron,
lead, copper, zinc, many varieties of building stone, fire clay, cuma clay,
common brick clay, sand of all kinds, gravel, mineral paint — every thing
needed for a high civilization. Left to herself, she has the elements of
all greatness. The single item of coal is too vast for an appreciative
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 103
handling in figures. We can handle it in general terms like algebraical
signs, but long before we get up into the millions and billions the human
mind drops down from comprehension to mere symbolic apprehension.
When I tell you that nearly four-fifths of the entire State is under-
laid with a deposit of coal more than forty feet thick on the average (now
estimated, by recent surveys, at seventy feet thick), you can get some
idea of its amount, as you do of the amount of the national debt. There
it is ! 41,000 square miles — one vast mine into which you could put
any of the States ; in which you could bury scores of European and
ancient empires, and have room enough all round to work without know-
ing that they had been sepulchered there.
Put this vast coal-bed down by the other great coal deposits of the
world, and its importance becomes manifest. Great Britain has 12,000
square miles of coal; Spain, 3,000; France, 1,719 ; Belgium, 578 ; Illinois
about twice as many square miles as all combined. Virginia has 20,000
square miles ; Pennsylvania, 16,000 ; Ohio, 12,000. Illinois has 41,000
square miles. One-seventh of all the known coal on this continent is in
Illinois.
Could we sell the coal in this single State for one-seventh of one cent
a ton it would pay the national debt. Converted into power, even with
the wastage in our common engines, it would do more work than could
be done by the entire race, beginning at Adam's wedding and working
ten hours a day through all the centuries till the present time, and right
on into the future at the same rate for the next 600,000 years.
Great Britain uses enough mechanical power to-day to give to each
man, woman, and child in the kingdom the help and service of nineteen
untiring servants. No wonder she has leisure and luxuries. No wonder
the home of the common artisan has in it more luxuries than could be
found in the palace of good old King Arthur. Think, if you can conceive
of it, of the vast army of servants that slumber in the soil of Illinois,
impatiently awaiting the call of Genius to come forth to minister to our
comfort.
At the present rate of consumption England's coal supply will be
exhausted in 250 years. When this is gone she must transfer her dominion
either to the Indies, or to British America, which I would not resist ; or
to some other people, which I would regret as a loss to civilization.
COAL IS KING.
At the same rate of consumption (which far exceeds our own) the
deposit of coal in Illinois will last 120,000 years. And her kingdom shall
be an everlasting kingdom.
Let us turn now from this reserve power to the annual products of
104 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
the State. We shall not be humiliated in this field. Here we strike the
secret of our national credit. Nature provides a market in the constant
appetite of the race. Men must eat, and if we can furnish the provisions
we can command the treasure. All that a man hath will he give for his
life.
According to the last census Illinois produced 30,000,000 of bushels
of wheat. That is more wheat than was raised by any other State in the
Union. She raised In 1875, 130,000,000 of bushels of corn— twice as
much as any other State, and one-sixth of all the corn raised in the United
States. She harvested 2,747,000 tons of hay, nearly one-tenth of all the
hay in the Republic. It is not generally appreciated, but it is true, that
the hay crop of the country is worth more than the cotton crop. The
hay of Illinois equals the cotton of Louisiana. Go to Charleston, S. C,
and see them peddling handfuls of hay or grass, almost as a curiosity,
as we regard Chinese gods or the cryolite of Greenland ; drink your
coffee and condensed milk ; and walk back from the coast for many a
league through the sand and burs till you get up into the better atmos-
phere of the mountains, without seeing a waving meadow or a grazing
herd ; then you will begin to appreciate the meadows of the Prairie State,
where the grass often grows sixteen feet high.
The value of her farm implements is $211,000,000, and the value of
her live stock is only second to the great State of New York. in 1875
she had 25,000,000 hogs, and packed 2,113,845, about one-half of all that
were packed in the United States. This is no insignificant item. Pork
is a growing demand of the old world. Since the laborers of Europe
have gotten a taste of our bacon, and we have learned how to pack it dry
in boxes, like dry goods, the world has become the market.
The hog is on the march into the future. His nose is ordained to
uncover the secrets of dominion, and his feet shall be guided by the star
of empire.
Illinois marketed $57,000,000 worth of slaughtered animals — more
than any other State, and a seventh of all the States.
Be patient with me, and pardon my pride, and I will give you a list
of some of the things in which Illinois excels all other States.
Depth and richness of soil ; per cent, of good ground ; acres of
improved land ; large farms — some farms contain from 40,000 to 60,000
acres of cultivated land, 40,000 acres of corn on a single farm ; number of
farmers ; amount of wheat, corn, oats and honey produced ; value of ani-
mals for slaughter ; number of hogs ; amount of pork ; number of horses
— three times as many as Kentucky, the horse State.
Illinois excels all other States in miles of railroads and in miles of
postal service, and in money orders sold per annum, and in the amount of
lumber sold in her markets.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 105
Illinois is only second in many important matters. This sample list
comprises a few of the more important : Permanent school fund (good
for a young state) ; total income for educational purposes ; number of pub-
lishers of books, maps, papers, etc.; value of farm products and imple-
ments, and of live stock ; in tons of coal mined.
The shipping of Illinois is only second to New York. Out of one
port during the business hours of the season of navigation she sends forth
a vessel every ten minutes. This does not include canal boats, which go
one every five minutes. No wonder she is only second in number of
bankers and brokers or in physicians and surgeons.
She is third in colleges, teachers and schools ; cattle, lead, hay,
flax, sorghum and beeswax.
She is fourth in population, >'n children enrolled in public schools, in
law schools, in butter, potatoes and carriages.
She is fifth in value of real and personal property, in theological
seminaries and colleges exclusively for women, in milk sold, and in boots
and shoes manufactured, and in book-binding.
She is only seventh in the production of wood, while she is the
twelfth in area. Surely that is well done for the Prairie State. She now
has much more wood and growing timber than she had thirty years ago.
A few leading industries will justify emphasis. She manufactures
$205,000,000 worth of goods, which places her well up toward New York
and Pennsylvania. The number of her manufacturing establishments
increased from 1860 to 1870, 300 per cent.; capital employed increased 350
per cent., and the amount of product increased 400 per cent. She issued
5,500,000 copies of commercial and financial newspapers — only second to
New York. She has 6,759 miles of railroad, thus leading all other States,
worth $636,458,000, using 3,245 engines, and 67,712 cars, making a train
long enough to cover one-tenth of the entire roads of the State. Her
stations are only five miles apart. She carried last year 15,795,000 passen-
gers, an average of 36i miles, or equal to taking her entire population twice
across the State. More than two-thirds of her land is within five miles of
a railroad, and less than two per cent, is more than fifteen miles away.
The State has a large financial interest in the Illinois Central railroad.
The road was incorporated in 1850, and the State gave each alternate sec-
tion for six miles on each side, and doubled the price of the remaining
land, so keeping herself good. The road received 2,595,000 acres of land,
and pays to the State one-seventh of the gross receipts. The State
receives this year $350,000, and has received in all about $7,000,000. It
is practically the people's road, and it has a most able and gentlemanly
management. Add to this the annual receipts from the canal, $111,000,
and a large per cent, of the State tax is provided for.
106 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
THE RELIGION AND MORALS
of the State keep step with her productions and growth. She was born
of the missionary spirit. It was a minister who secured for her the ordi-
nance of 1787, by which she has been saved from slavery, ignorance, and
dishonesty. Rev. Mr. Wiley, pastor of a Scotch congregation in Randolph
County, petitioned the Constitutional Convention of 1818 to recognize
Jesus Christ as king, and the Scriptures as the only necessary guide and
book of law. The convention did not act in the case, and the old Cove-
nanters refused to accept citizenship. They never voted until 1824, when
the slavery question was submitted to the people; then they all voted
against it and cast the determining votes. Conscience has predominated
whenever a great moral question has been submitted to the people.
But little mob violence has ever been felt in the State. In 1817
regulators disposed of a band of horse-thieves that infested the territory.
The Mormon indignities finally awoke the same spirit. Alton was also
the scene of a pro-slavery mob, in which Lovejoy was added to the list of
martyrs. The moral sense of the people makes the law supreme, and gives
to the State unruffled peace.
With $22,300,000 in church property, and 4,298 church organizations,
the State has that divine police, the sleepless patrol of moral ideas, that
alone is able to secure perfect safety. Conscience takes the knife from
the assassin's hand and the bludgeon from the grasp of the highwayman.
We sleep in safety, not because we are behind bolts and bars — these only
fence against the innocent ; not because a lone officer drowses on a distant
corner of a street; not because a sheriff may call his posse from a remote
part of the county ; but because conscience guards the very portals of the
air and stirs in thexleepest recesses of the public mind. This spirit issues
within the State 9,500,000 copies of religious papers annually, and receives
still more from without. Thus the crime of the State is only one-fourth
that of New York and one-half that of Pennsylvania.
Illinois never had but one duel between her own citizens. In Belle-
ville, in 1820, Alphonso Stewart and William Bennett arranged to vindi-
cate injured honor. The seconds agreed to make it a sham, and make
them shoot blanks. Stewart was in the secret. Bennett mistrusted some-
thing, and, unobserved, slipped a bullet into his gun and killed Stewart.
He then fled the State. After two years he was caught, tried, convicted,
and, in spite of friends and political aid, was hung. This fixed the code
of honor on a Christian basis, and terminated its use in Illinois.
The early preachers were ignorant men, who were accounted eloquent
according to the strength of their voices. But they set the style for all
public speakers. Lawyers and political speakers followed this rule. Gov.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OP ILLINOIS. 107
Ford says: "Nevertheless, these first preachers were of incalculable
benefit to the country. They inculcated justice and morality. To them
are we indebted for the first Christian character of the Protestant portion
of the people."
In education Illinois surpasses her material resources. The ordinance
of 1787 consecrated one thirty -sixth of her soil to common schools, and
the law of 1818, the first law that went upon her statutes, gave three per
cent, of all the rest to
EDUCATION.
The old compact secures this interest forever, and by its yoking
morality and intelligence it precludes the legal interference with the Bible
in the public schools. With such a start it is natural that we should have
11,050 schools, and that our illiteracy should be less than New York or
Pennsylvania, and only about one-half of Massachusetts. We are not to
blame for not having more than one-half as many idiots as. the great
States. These public schools soon made colleges inevitable. The first
college, still nourishing, was started in Lebanon in 1828, by the M. E.
church, and named after Bishop McKendree. Illinois College, at Jackson-
ville, supported by the Presbyterians, followed in 1830. In 1832 the Bap-
tists built Shurtleff College, at Alton. Then the Presbyterians built Knox
College, at Galesburg, in 1838, and the Episcopalians built Jubilee College,
at Peoria, in 1847. After these early years colleges have rained down.
A settler could hardly encamp on the prairie but a college would spring
up by his wagon. The State now has one very well endowed and equipped
university, namely, the Northwestern University, at Evanston, with six
colleges, ninety instructors, over 1,000 students, and 11,500,000 endow-
ment.
Rev. J. M. Peck was the first educated Protestant minister in tne
State. He settled at Rock Spring, in St. Clair County, 1820, and left his
impress on the State. Before 1837 only party papers were published, but
Mr. Peck published a Gazetteer of Illinois. Soon after John Russell, of
Bluffdale, published essays and tales showing genius. Judge James Hall
published The Illinois Monthly Magazine with great ability, and an annual
called The Western Souvenir, which gave him an enviable fame all over the
United States. From these beginnings Illinois has gone on till she has
more volumes in public libaaries even than Massachusetts, and of the
44,500,000 volumes in all the public libraries of the United States, she
has one-thirteenth. In newspapers she stands fourth. Her increase is
marvelous. In 1850 she issued 5,000,000 copies; in 1860, 27,590,000 ; in
1870, 113,140,000. In 1860 she had eighteen colleges and seminaries ; in
1870 she had eighty. That is a grand advance for the war decade.
This brings us to a record unsurpassed in the history of any age,
THE STATE OF IOWA.
GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION.
The State of Iowa has an outline figure nearly approaching that of a rec-
tangular parallelogram, the northern and southern boundaries being nearly due
east and west lines, and its eastern and western boundaries determined by
southerly flowing rivers — the Mississippi on the east, and the Missouri, together
with its tributary, the Big Sioux, on the west. The northern boundary is upon
the parallel of forty-three degrees thirty minutes, and the southern is approxi-
mately upon that of forty degrees and thirty-six minutes. The distance from
the northern to the southern boundary, excluding the small prominent angle at
the southeast corner, is a little more than two hundred miles. Owing to the
irregularity of the river boundaries, however, the number of square miles does
not reach that of the multiple of these numbers ; but according to a report of
the Secretary of the Treasury to the United States Senate, March 12, 1863,
the State of Iowa contains 35,228,200 acres, or 55,044 square miles. When it
is understood that all this vast extent of surface, except that which is occupied
by our rivers, lakes and peat beds of the northern counties, is susceptible of the
highest cultivation, some idea may be formed of the immense agricultural
resources of the State. Iowa is nearly as large as England, and twice as large
as Scotland ; but when we consider the relative area of surface which may be
made to yield to the wants of man, those countries of the Old World will bear
no comparison with Iowa.
TOPOGRAPHY.
No complete topographical survey of the State of Iowa has yet been made.
Therefore all the knowledge we have yet upon the subject has been obtained
from incidental observations of geological corps, from barometrical observations
by authority of the General Government, and levelings done by railroad en-
gineer corps within the State.
Taking into view the facts that the highest point in the State is but a little
more than twelve hundred feet above the lowest point, that these two points are
nearly three hundred miles apart, and that the whole State is traversed by
ion
110 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
gently flowing rivers, it will be seen that in reality the State of Iowa rests
wholly within, and comprises a part of, a vast plain, with no mountain or hill
ranges within its borders.
A clearer idea of the great uniformity of the surface of the State may be
obtained from a statement of the general slopes in feet per mile, from point to
point, in straight lines across it :
From the N. E. corner to the S. E. corner of the State 1 foot 1 inch per mile.
From the N. E. corner to Spirit Lake 5 feet 5 inches per mile.
From the N. W. corner to Spirit Lake o feetO inches per mile.
From the N. W. corner to the S. W. corner of the State 2 feet 0 inches per mile.
From the S. W. corner to the highest ridge between the two
great rivers (in Ringgold County) 4 feet 1 inch per mile
From the dividing ridge in the S. E. corner of the State 5 feet 7 inches per mile.
From the highest point in the State (near Spirit Lake) to the
lowest point in the State (at the mouth of Des Moines
River) 4 feet 0 inches per mile.
It will be seen, therefore, that there is a good degree of propriety in regard-
ing the whole State as a part of a great plain, the lowest point of which within
its borders, the southeast corner of the State, is only 444 feet above the level of
the sea. The average height of the whole State above the level of the sea is
not far from eight hundred feet, although it is more than a thousand miles
inland from the nearest sea coast. These remarks are, of course, to be under-
stood as applying to the surface of the State as a whole. When we come to
consider its surface feature in detail, we find a great diversity of surface by the
formation of valleys out of the general level, which have been evolved by the
action of streams during the unnumbered years of the terrace epoch.
It is in the northeastern part of the State that the river valleys are deepest ;
consequently the country there has the greatest diversity of surface, and its
physical features are most strongly marked.
DRAINAGE SYSTEM.
The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers form the eastern and western bounda-
ries of the State, and receive the eastern and western drainage of it.
The eastern drainage system comprises not far from two-thirds of the en-
tire surface of the State. The great watershed which divides these two systems
is formed by the highest land between those rivers along the whole length of a
line running southward from a point on the northern boundary line of the State
near Spirit Lake, in Dickinson County, to a nearly central point in the northern
part of Adair County.
From the last named point, this highest ridge of land, between the two great
rivers, continues southward, without change of character, through Ringgold
County into the State of Missouri ; but southward from that point, in Adair
County, it is no longer the great watershed. From that point, another and
lower ridge bears off more nearly southeastward, through the counties of Madi-
son, Clarke, Lucas and Appanoose, and becomes itself the great watershed.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. Ill
RIVERS.
All streams that rise in Iowa rise upon the incoherent surface deposits,
occupying at first only slight depressions in the surface, and scarcely percept-
ible. These successively coalesce to form the streams.
The drift and bluff deposits are both so thick in Iowa that its streams not
only rise upon their surface, but they also reach considerable depth into these
deposits alone, in some cases to a depth of nearly two hundred feet from the
general prairie level.
The majority of streams that constitute the western system of Iowa drainage
run, either along the whole or a part of their course, upon that peculir deposit
known as bluff deposit. Their banks are often, even of the small streams,
from five to ten feet in height, quite perpendicular, so that they make the
streams almost everywhere unfordable, and a great impediment to travel across
the open country where there are no bridges.
The material of this deposit is of a slightly yellowish ash color, except
where darkened by decaying vegetation, very fine and silicious, but not sandy,
not very cohesive, and not at all plastic. It forms excellent soil, and does not
bake or crack in drying, except limy concretions, which are generally dis-
tributed throughout the mass, in shape and size resembling pebbles ; not a
stone or pebble can be found in the whole deposit. It was called " silicious
marl" by Dr. Owen, in his geological report to the General Government, and
its origin referred to an accumulation of sediment in an ancient lake, which
was afterward drained, when its sediment became dry land. Prof. Swallaw
gives it the name of "bluff," which is here adopted; the term Lacustral would
have been better. The peculiar properties of this deposit are that it will stand
securely with a precipitous front two hundred feet high, and yet is easily
excavated with a spade. Wells dug in it require only to be walled to a point just
above the water line. Yet, compact as it is, it is very porous, so that water
which falls on its surface does not remain, but percolates through it ; neither
does it accumulate within its mass, as it does upon the surface of and within
the drift and the stratified formations.
The bluff deposit is known to occupy a region through which the Missouri
runs almost centrally, and measures, as far as is known, more than two hun-
dred miles in length and nearly one hundred miles in width. The thickest
part yet known in Iowa is in Fremont County, where it reaches two hundred
feet. The boundaries of this deposit in Iowa are nearly as follows : Com-
mencing at the southeast corner of Fremont County, follow up the watershed
between the East Nishnabotany and the West Tarkio Rivers to the southern
boundary of Cass County ; thence to the center of Audubon County ; thence
to Tip Top Station, on the Chicago & Northwestern Railway ; thence by a
broad curve westward to the northwest corner of Plymouth County.
This deposit is composed of fine sedimentary particles, similar to that
which the Missouri River now deposits from its waters, and is the same which
112 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
that river did deposit in a broad depression in the surface of the drift that
formed a lake-like expansion of that river in the earliest period of the history
of its valley. That lake, as shown by its deposit, which now remains, was
about one hundred miles wide and more than twice as long. The water of the
river was muddy then, as now, and the broad lake became filled with the sedi-
ment which the river brought down, before its valley had enough in the lower
portion of its course to drain it. After the lake became filled with the sedi-
ment, the valley below became deepened by the constant erosive action of the
waters, to a depth of more than sufficient to have drained the lake of its first
waters ; but the only effect then was to cause it to cut its valley out of the de-
posits its own muddy waters had formed. Thus along the valley of that river,
so far as it forms the western boundary of Iowa, the bluffs which border it are
composed of that sediment known as bluff deposit, forming a distinct border
along the broad, level flood plain, the width of which varies from five to fifteen
miles, while the original sedimentary deposit stretches far inland.
All the rivers of the western system of drainage, except the Missouri itself,
are quite incomplete as rivers, in consequence of their being really only
branches of other larger tributaries of that great river , or, if they empty into
the Missouri direct, they have yet all the usual characteristics of Iowa rivers,
from their sources to their mouths.
Chariton and Grand Rivers both rise and run for the first twenty-five miles
of their courses upon the drift deposit alone. The first strata that are exposed
by the deepening valleys of both these streams belong to the upper coal meas-
ures, and they both continue upon the same formation until they make their
exit from the State (the former in Appanoose County, the latter in Ringgold
County), near the boundary of which they have passed nearly or quite through
the whole of that formation to the middle coal measures. Their valleys gradu-
ally deepen from their upper portions downward, so that within fifteen or twenty
miles they have reached a depth of near a hundred and fifty feet below the gen-
eral level of the adjacent high land. When the rivers have cut their valleys
down through the series of limestone strata, they reach those of a clayey com-
position. Upon these they widen their valleys and make broad flood plains
(commonly termed "bottoms"), the soil of which is stiff" and clayey, except
where modified by sandy washings.
A considerable breadth of woodland occupies the bottoms and valley sides
along a great part of their length ; but their upper branches and tributaries are
mostly prairie streams.
Platte River. — This river belongs mainly to Missouri. Its upper branches
pass through Ringgold County, and, with the west fork of the Grand River,
drain a large region of country.
Here the drift deposit reaches its maximum thickness on an east and west
line across the State, and the valleys are eroded in some instances to a depth of
two hundred feet, apparently, through this deposit alone.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 113
The term " drift deposit " applies to the soil and sub-soil of the greater part
of the State, and in it alone many of our wells are dug and our forests take
root. It rests upon the stratified rocks. It is composed of clay, sand, gravel
aud boulders, promiscuously intermixed, without stratification, varying in char-
acter in different parts of the State.
The proportion of lime in the drift of Iowa is so great that the water of all
our wells and springs is too " hard " for washing purposes ; and the same sub-
stance is so prevalent in the drift clays that they are always found to have suffi-
cient flux when used for the manufacture of brick.
One Hundred and Two River is represented in Taylor County, the valleys
of which have the same general character of those j ust described. The country
around and between the east and west forks of this stream is almost entirely
prairie.
Nodaway River. — This stream is represented by east, middle and west
branches. The two former rise in Adair County, the latter in Cass County.
These rivers and valleys are fine examples of the small rivers and valleys of
Southern Iowa. They have the general character of drift valleys, and with
beautiful undulating and sloping sides. The Nodaways drain one of the finest
agricultural regions in the State, the soil of which is tillable almost to their very
banks. The banks and the adjacent narrow flood plains are almost everywhere
composed of a rich, deep, dark loam.
Nishnabotany River. — This river is represented by east and west branches,
the former having its source in Anderson County, the latter in Shelby County.
Both these branches, from their source to their confluence — and also the main
stream, from thence to the point where it enters the great flood plain of the
Missouri — run through a region the surface of which is occupied by the bluff
deposit. The West Nishnabotany is probably without any valuable mill sites.
In the western part of Cass County, the East Nishnabotany loses its identity
by becoming abruptly divided up into five or six different creeks. A few
good mill sites occur here on this stream. None, however, that are thought
reliable exist on either of these rivers, or on the main stream below the
confluence, except, perhaps, one or two in Montgomery County. The
valleys of the two branches, and the intervening upland, possess remarkable
fertility.
Boyer River. — Until it enters the flood plain of the Missouri, the Boyer
runs almost, if not quite, its entire course through the region occupied by the
bluff deposit, and has cut its valley entirely through it along most of its pas-
sage. The only rocks exposed are the upper coal measures, near Reed's mill, in
Harrison County. The exposures are slight, and are the most northerly now
known in Iowa. The valley of this river has usually gently sloping sides, and an
ndistinctly defined flood plain. Along the lower half of its course the adjacent
upland presents a surface of the billowy character, peculiar to the bluff deposit.
The source of this river is in Sac County.
114 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
Soldier Hive?: — The east and middle branches cf this stream have their
source in Crawford County, and the west branch in Ida County. The whole
course of this river is through the bluff deposit. It has no exposure of strata
along its course.
Little Sioux Hive?-. — Under this hsad are included both the main and west
branches of that stream, together with the Maple, which is one of its branches.
The west branch and the Maple are so similar to the Soldier River that they
need no separate description. The main stream has its boundary near the
northern boundary of the State, and runs most of its course upon drift deposit
alone, entering the region of the bluff deposit in the southern part of Cherokee
County. The two principal upper branches,' near their source in Dickinson
and Osceola .Counties, are small prairie creeks, with indistinct valleys. On
entering Clay County, the valley deepens, and at their confluence has a depth
of one hundred feet, which still further increases until along the boundary line
between Clay and Buena Vista Counties, it reaches a depth of two hundred
feet. Just as the valley enters Cherokee County, it turns to the southward and
becomes much widened, with its sides gently sloping to the uplands. When the
valley enters the region of the bluff deposit, it assumes the billowy appearance.
No exposures of strata of any kind have been found in the valley of the Little
Sioux or any of its branches.
Floyd River. — This river rises upon the drift in O'Brien County, and flow-
ing southward enters the region of the bluff deposit a little north of the center
of Plymouth County. Almost from its source to its mouth it is a prairie stream,
with slightly sloping valley sides, which blend gradually with the uplands. A
single slight exposure of sandstone of cretaceous age occurs in the valley near
Sioux City, and which is the only known exposure of rock of any kind along
its whole length. Near this exposure is a mill site, but farther up the stream
it is not valuable for such purposes.
Rock River. — This stream passes through Lyon and Sioux Counties. It
was evidently so named from the fact that considerable exposures of the red
Sioux quartzite occur along the main branches of the stream in Minnesota, a
few miles north of our State boundary. Within this State the main stream and
its branches are drift streams, and strata are exposed. The beds and banks of
the streams are usually sandy and gravelly, with occasional boulders intermixed.
Big Sioux River. — The valley of this river, from the northwest corner of
the State to its mouth, possesses much the same character as all the streams of
the surface deposits. At Sioux Falls, a few miles above the northwest corner
of the State, the stream meets with remarkable obstructions from the presence
of Sioux quartzite, which outcrops directly across the stream, and causes a fall
of about sixty feet within a distance of half a mile, producing a series of cas-
cades. For the first twenty-five miles above its mouth, the valley is very broad,
with a broad, flat flood plain, with gentle slopes occasionally showing indistinctly
defined terraces. These terraces and valley bottoms constitute some of the finest
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 115
agricultural land of the region. On the Iowa side of the valley the upland
presents abrupt bluffs, steep as the materials of which they are composed will
stand, and from one hundred to nearly two hundred feet high above the stream.
At rare intervals, about fifteen miles from its mouth, the cretaceous strata are
found exposed in the face of the bluffs of the Iowa side. No other strata are
exposed along that part of the valley which borders our State, with the single
exception of Sioux quartzite at its extreme northwestern corner. Some good mill
sites may be secured along that portion of this river which borders Lyon County,
but below this the fall will probably be found insufficient and the location for
dams insecure.
Missouri River. — This is one of the muddiest streams on the globe, and its
waters are known to be very turbid far toward its source. The chief pecul-
iarity of this river is its broad flood plains, and its adjacent bluff deposits.
Much the greater part of the flood plain of this river is upon the Iowa side, and
continuous from the south boundary line of the State to Sioux City, a distance
of more than one hundred miles in length, varying from three to five miles in
width. This alluvial plain is estimated to contain more than half a million acres
of land within the State, upward of four hundred thousand of which are now
tillable.
The rivers of the eastern system of drainage have quite a different character
from those of the western system. They are larger, longer and have their val-
leys modified to a much greater extent by the underlying strata. For the lat-
ter reason, water-power is much more abundant upon them than upon the
streams of the western system.
Dcs Moines River. — This river has its source in Minnesota, but it enters
Iowa before it has attained any size, and flows almost centrally through it from
northwest to southeast, emptying into the Mississippi at the extreme southeast-
ern corner of the State. It drains a greater area than any river within the
State. The upper portion of it is divided into two branches known as the east
and west forks. These unite in Humboldt County. The valleys of these
branches above their confluence are drift-valleys, except a few small exposures
of subcarboniferous limestone about five miles above their confluence. These
exposures produce several small mill-sites. The valleys vary from a few hun-
dred yards to half a mile in width, and are the finest agricultural lands. In the
northern part of Webster County, the character of the main valley is modified
by the presence of ledges and low cliffs of the subcarboniferous limestone and
gypsum. From a point a little below Fort Dodge to near Amsterdam, in Ma-
rion County, the river runs all the way through and upon the lower coal-meas-
ure strata. Along this part of its course the flood-plain varies from an eighth
to half a mile or more in width. From Amsterdam to Ottumwa the subcarbon-
iferous limestone appears at intervals in the valley sides. Near Ottumwa, the sub-
carboniferous rocks pass beneath the river again, bringing down the coal-measure
strata into its bed ; but they rise again from it in the extreme northwestern part
116 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
of Van Buren County, and subcarboniferous strata resume and keep their place
along the valley to the north of the river. From Fort Dodge to the northern
part of Lee County, the strata of the lower coal measures are present in the
valley. Its flood plain is frequently sandy, from the debris of the sandstone
and sandy shales of the coal measures produced by their removal in the process
of the formation of the valley.
The principal tributaries of the Des Moines are upon the western side.
These are the Raccoon and the three rivers, viz.: South, Middle and North Riv-
ers. The three latter have their source in the region occupied by the upper
coal-measure limestone formation, flow eastward over the middle coal measures,
and enter the valley of the Des Moines upon the lower coal measures. These
streams, especially South and Middle Rivers, are frequently bordered by high,
rocky cliffs. Raccoon River has its source upon the heavy surface deposits of
the middle region of Western Iowa, and along the greater part of its course it
has excavated its valley out those deposits and the middle coal measures alone.
The valley of the Des Moines and its branches are destined to become the seat
of extensive manufactures in consequence of the numerous mill sites of immense
power, and the fact that the main valley traverses the entire length of the Iowa
coal fields.
Skunk River. — This river has its source in Hamilton County, and runs
almost its entire course upon the border of the outcrop of the lower coal meas-
ures, or, more properly speaking, upon the subcarboniferous limestone, just where
it begins to pass beneath the coal measures by its southerly and westerly dip.
Its general course is Southeast. From the western part of Henry County, up
as far as Story County, the broad, flat flood plain is covered with a rich deep
clay soil, which, in time of long-continued rains and overflows of the river, has
made the valley of Skunk River a terror to travelers from the earliest settle-
ment of the country. There are some excellent mill sites on the lower half of
this river, but they are not so numerous or valuable as on other rivers of the
eastern system.
Iowa River. — This river rises in Hancock County, in the midst of a broad,
slightly undulating drift region. The first rock exposure is that of subcarbon-
iferous limestone, in the southwestern corner of Franklin County. It enters
the region of the Devonian strata near the southwestern corner of Benton
County, and in this it continues to its confluence with the Cedar in Louisa
County. Below the junction with the Cedar, and for some miles above that
point, its valley is broad, and especially on the northern side, with a well
marked flood plain. Its borders gradually blend with the uplands as they slope
away in the distance from the river. The Iowa furnishes numerous and valua-
ble mill sites.
Cedar River. — This stream is usually understood to be a branch of the
Iowa, but it ought, really, to be regarded as the main stream. It rises by
numerous branches in the northern part of the State, and flows the entire length
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 117
of the State, through the region occupied by the Devonian strata and along the
trend occupied by that formation.
The valley of this river, in the upper part of its course, is narrow, and the
sides slope so gently as to scarcely show where the lowlands end and the up-
lands begin. Below the confluence with the Shell Rock, the flood plain is more
distinctly marked and the valley broad and shallow. The valley of the Cedar
is one of the finest regions in the State, and both the main stream and its
branches afford abundant and reliable mill sites.
Wapsipinnicon River. — This river has its source near the source of the
Cedar, and runs parallel and near it almost its entire course, the upper half
upon the same formation — the Devonian. In the northeastern part of Linn
County, it enters the region of the Niagara limestone, upon which it continues
to the Mississippi. It is one hundred miles long, and yet the area of its drain-
age is only from twelve to twenty miles in width. Hence, its numerous mill
sites are unusually secure.
Turkey River. — This river and the Upper Iowa are, in many respects, un-
like other Iowa rivers. The difference is due to the great depth they have
eroded their valleys and the different character of the material through which
they have eroded. Turkey River rises in Howard County, and in Winnesheik
County, a few miles from its source, its valley has attained a depth of more than
two hundred feet, and in Fayette and Clayton Counties its depth is increased to
three and four hundred feet. The summit of the uplands, bordering nearly the
whole length of the valley, is capped by the Maquoketa shales. These shales
are underlaid by the Galena limestone, between two and three hundred feet
thick. The valley has been eroded through these, and runs upon the Trenton
limestone. Thus, all the formations along and within this valley are Lower
Silurian. The valley is usually narrow, and without a well-marked flood plain.
Water power is abundant, but in most places inaccessible.
Upper Iowa River. — This river rises in Minnesota, just beyond the north-
ern boundary line, and enters our State in Howard County before it has attained
any considerable size. Its course is nearly eastward until it reaches the Mis-
sissippi. It rises in the region of the Devonian rocks, and flows across the out-
crops, respectively, of the Niagara, Galena and Trenton limestone, the lower
magnesian limestone and Potsdam sandstone, into and through all of which,
except the last, it has cut its valley, which is the deepest of any in Iowa. The
valley sides are, almost everywhere, high and steep, and cliffs of lower magne-
sian and Trenton limestone give them a wild and rugged aspect. In the lower
part of the valley, the flood plain reaches a width sufficient for the location of
small farms, but usually it is too narrow for such purposes. On the higher
surface, however, as soon as you leave the valley you come immediately upon a
cultivated country. This stream has the greatest slope per mile of any in Iowa,
consequently it furnishes immense water power. In some places, where creeks
come into it, the valley widens and affords good locations for farms. The town
118 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
of Decorak, in Winnesheik County, is located in one of these spots, which
makes it a lovely location ; and the power of the river and the small spring
streams around it offer fine facilities for manufacturing. This river and its
tributaries are the only trout streams in Iowa.
Mississippi River. — This river may be described, in general terms, as a broad
canal cut out of the general level of the country through which the river flows.
It is bordered by abrupt hills or bluffs. The bottom of the valley ranges from
one to eight miles in width. The whole space between the bluffs is occupied by
the river and its bottom, or flood plain only, if we except the occasional terraces
or remains of ancient flood plains, which are not now reached by the highest
floods of the river. The river itself is from half a mile to nearly a mile in
width. There are but four points along the whole length of the State where the
bluffs approach the stream on both sides. The Lower Silurian formations com-
pose the bluffs in the northern part of the State, but they gradually disappear
by a southerly dip, and the bluffs are continued successively by the Upper
Silurian, Devonian, and subcarboniferous rocks, which are reached near the
southeastern corner of the State.
Considered in their relation to the present general surface of the state, the
relative age3 of the river valley of Iowa date back only to the close of the
glacial epoch ; but that the Mississippi, and all the rivers of Northeastern Iowa,
if no others, had at least a large part of the rocky portions of their valleys
eroded by pre-glacial, or perhaps even by palaeozoic rivers, can scarcely be
doubted.
The lakes of Iowa may be properly divided into two distinct classes. The
first may be called drift lakes, having had their origin in the depressions left
in the surface of the drift at the close of the glacial epoch, and have rested upon
the undisturbed surface of the drift deposit ever since the glaciei-s disappeared.
The others may be properly termed fluvatile or alluvial lakes, because they have
had their origin by the action of rivers while cutting their own valleys out from
the surface of the drift as it existed at the close of the glacial epoch, and are now
found resting upon the alluvium, as the others rest upon the drift. By the term
alluvium is meant the deposit which has accumulated in the valleys of rivers by
the action of their own currents. It is largely composed of sand and other
coarse material, and upon that deposit are some of the best and most productive
soils in the State. It is this deposit which form the flood plains and deltas of
our rivers, as well as the terraces of their valleys.
The regions to which the drift lakes are principally confined are near the
head waters of the principal streams of the State. We consequently find them
in those regions which lie between the Cedar and Des Moines Rivers, and the
1 ><s Moines and Little Sioux. No drift lakes are found in Southern Iowa.
The largest of the lakes to be found in the State are Spirit and Okoboji, in
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 119
Dickinson County ; Clear Lake, in Cerro Gordo County ; and Storm Lake, in
Bunea Yista County.
Spirit Lake. — The width and length of this lake are about equal , and it
contains about twelve square miles of surface, its northern border resting directly
on the boundary of the State. It lies almost directly upon the great watershed.
Its shores are mostly gravelly, and the country about it fertile.
Okoboji Lake. — This body of water lies directly south of Spirit Lake, and
has somewhat the shape of a horse-shoe, with its eastern projection within a few.
rods of Spirit Lake, where it receives the outlet of the latter. Okoboji Lake
extends about five miles southward from Spirit Lake, thence about the same
distance westward, and then bends northward about as far as the eastern projec-
tion. The eastern portion is narrow, but the western is larger, and in some
places a hundred feet deep. The surroundings of this and Spirit Lake are very
pleasant. Fish are abundant in them, and they are the resort of myriads of
water fowl.
Clear Lake. — This lake is situated in Cerro Gordo County, upon the
watershed between the Iowa and Cedar Rivers. It is about five miles long,
and two or three miles wide, and has a maximum depth of only fifteen
feet. Its shores and the country around it are like that of Spirit Lake.
Storm Lake. — This body of water rests upon the great water shed in Buena
Vista County. It is a clear, beautiful sheet of water, containing a surface area
of between four and five square miles.
The outlets of all these drift-lakes are dry during a portion of the year, ex-
cept Okoboji.
Walled Lakes. — Along the water sheds of Northern Iowa great numbers of
small lakes exist, varying from half a mile to a mile in diameter. One of the lakes
in Wright County, and another in Sac, have each received the name of " Walled
Lake," on account of the existence of embankments on their borders, which are
supposed to be the work of ancient inhabitants. These embankments are from
two to ten feet in height, and from five to thirty feet across. They are the
result of natural causes alone, being referable to the periodic action of ice, aided,
to some extent, by the force of the waves. These lakes are very shallow, and
in winter freeze to the bottom, so that but little unfrozen water remains in the
middle. The ice freezes fast to everything upon the bottom, and the expansive
power of the water in freezing acts in all directions from the center to the cir-
cumference, and whatever was on the bottom of the lake has been thus carried
to the shore, and this has been going on from year to year, from century to
century, forming the embankments which have caused so much wonder.
Springs issue from all formations, and' from the sides of almost every valley,
but they are more numerous, and assume proportions which give rise to the
name of sink-holes, along the upland borders of the Upper Iowa River, owing
120 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
to the peculiar fissured and laminated character and great thickness of the strata
of the age of the Trenton limestone which underlies the whole region of the
valley of that stream.
No mineral springs, properly so called, have yet been discovered in Iowa,
though the water of several artesian wells is frequently found charged with
soluble mineral substances.
ORIGIN OF THE PRAIRIES.
It is estimated that seven-eighths of the surface of the State was prairie
when first settled. They are not confined to level surfaces, nor to any partic-
ular variety of soil, for within the State they rest upon all formations, from
those of the Azoic to those of the Cretaceous age, inclusive. Whatever may
have been their origin, their present existence in Iowa is not due to the influ-
ence of climate, nor the soil, nor any of the underlying formations. The real
cause is the prevalence of the annual fires. If these had been prevented fifty
years ago, Iowa would now be a timbered country. The encroachment of forest
trees upon prairie farms as soon as the bordering woodland is protected from
the annual prairie fires, is well known to farmers throughout the State.
The soil of Iowa is justly famous for its fertility, and there is probably no
equal area of the earth's surface that contains so little untillable land, or whose
soil has so high an average of fertility. Ninety-five per cent, of its surface is
tillable land.
GEOLOGY. '
The soil of Iowa may be separated into three general divisions, which not
only possess different physical characters, but also differ in the mode of their
origin. These are drift, bluff and alluvial, and belong respectively to the
deposits bearing the same names. The drift occupies a much larger part of the
surface of the State than both the others. The bluff has the next greatest area
of surface, and the alluvial least.
All soil is disintegrated rock. The drift deposit of Iowa was derived, to a
considerable extent, from the rocks of Minnesota ; but the greater part of Iowa
drift was derived from its -own rocks, much of which has been transported but a
short distance. In general terms the constant component element of the drift
soil is that portion which was transported from the north, while the inconstant
elements are those portions which were derived from the adjacent or underlying
strata. For example, in Western Iowa, wherever that cretaceous formation
known as the Nishnabotany sandstone exists, the soil contains more sand than
elsewhere. The same may be said of the soil of some parts of the State occu-
pied by the lower coal measures, the sandstones and sandy shales of that forma-
tion furnishing the sand.
In Northern and Northwestern Iowa, the drift contains more sand and
gravel than elsewhere. This sand and gravel was, doubtless, derived from the
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA
121
cretaceous rocks that now do, or formerly did, exist there, and also in part
from the conglomerate and pudding-stone beds of the Sioux quartzite.
In Southern Iowa, the soil is frequently stiff and clayey. This preponder-
ating clay is doubtless derived from the clayey and shaly beds which alternate
with the limestones of that region.
The bluff soil is that which rests upon, and constitutes a part of, the bluff
deposit. It is found only in the western part of the State, and adjacent to the
Missouri River. Although it contains less than one per cent, of clay in its
composition, it is in no respect inferior to the best drift soil.
The alluvial soil is that of the flood plains of the river valleys, or bottom
lands. That which is periodically flooded by the rivers is of little value for
agricultural purposes ; but a large part of it is entirely above the reach of the
highest floods, and is very productive.
The stratified rocks of Iowa range from the Azoic to the Mesozoic, inclu-
sive ; but the greater portion of the surface of the State is occupied by those
of the Palreozoic age. The table below will show each of these formations in
their order:
SYSTEMS.
AGE3.
GROUPS.
PERIODS.
FORMATIONS.
EPOCHS.
THICKNESS.
IN FEET.
Carboniferous..
Devonian
Upper Silurian..
Lower Silurian..
Azoic
Post Tertiary Drift
{' Inocernmous bed
Woodbury Sandstone and Shales...
\Nishnabotany Sandstone
I Upper Coal Measures
Coal Measures. \ Middle Coal Measures
( 'Lower Coal Measures
f St. Louis Limestone
Keokuk Limestone
Burlington Limestone
[ Kinderhook beds
Hamilton Hamilton Limestone and Shales..
Niagara Niagara Limestone
' Cincinnati Maquoketa Shales
Galena Limestone
Trenton Limestone
f!St. Peter's Sandstone
Primordial. -1 Lower Magnesian Limestone
( Potsdam Sandstone ,
Huronian Sioux Quartzite
Subcarboniferous.
Trenton.
100
200
200
200
75
250
200
80
250
300
THE AZOIC SYSTEM.
The Sioux quartzite is found exposed in natural ledges only upon a few
acres in the extreme northwest corner of the State, upon the banks of the Big
Sioux River, for which reason the specific name of Sioux Quartzite has been
given them. It is an intensely hard rock, breaks in splintery fracture, and a
color varying, in different localities, from a light to deep red. The process of
metamorphism has been so complete throughout the whole formation that the
rock is almost everywhere of uniform texture. The dip is four or five degrees
to the northward, and the trend of the outcrop is eastward and westward. This
122 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
rock may be quarried in a few rare cases, but usually it cannot be secured in
dry forms except that into which it naturally cracks, and the tendency is to
angular pieces. It is absolutely indestructible. ,
LOWER SILURIAN SYSTEM.
PRIMORDIAL GROUP.
Potsdam Sandstone. — This formation is exposed only in a small portion of
the northeastern portion of the State. It is only to be seen in the bases of the
bluffs and steep valley sides which border the river there. It may be seen
underlying the lower magnesian limestone, St. Peter s sandstone and Trenton
limestone, in their regular order, along the bluffs of the Mississippi from the
northern boundary of the State as far south as Guttenburg, along the Upper
Iowa for a distance of about twenty miles from its mouth, and along a few of
the streams which empty into the Mississippi in Allamakee County.
It is nearly valueless for economic purposes.
No fossils have been discovered in ihis formation in Iowa.
Lower Magnesium Limestone. — This formation has but little greater geo-
graphical extent in Iowa than the Potsdam sandstone. It lacks a uniformity
of texture and stratification, owing to which it is not generally valuable for
building purposes.
The only fossils found in this formation in Iowa are a few traces of crinoids,
near McGregor.
St. Peter s Sandstone. — This formation is remarkably uniform in thickness
throughout its known geographical extent ; and it is evident it occupies a large
portion of the northern half of Allamakee County, immediately beneath the
drift.
TREXTON GROUP.
Trenton Limestone. — With the exception of this, all the limestones of both
Upper and Lower Silurian age in Iowa are magnesian limestones — nearly pure
dolomites. This formation occupies large portions of Winnesheik and Alla-
makee Counties and a portion of Clayton. The greater part of it is useless for
economic purposes, yet there are in some places compact and evenly bedded
layers, which afford fine material for window caps and sills.
In this formation, fossils are abundant, so much so that, in some places, the
rock is made up of a mass of shells, corals and fragments of tribolites, cemented
by calcareous material into a solid rock. Some of these fossils are new to
science and peculiar to Iowa.
The Galena Limestone. — This is the upper formation of the Trenton group.
It seldom exceeds twelve miles in width, although it is fully one hundred and
fifty miles long. The outcrop traverses portions of the counties of Howard,
Winnesheik, Allamakee, Fayette, Clayton, Dubuque and Jackson. It exhibits
its greatest development in Dubuque County. It is nearly a pure dolomite,
with a slight admixture of silicious matter. It is usually unfit for dressing,
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 123
though sometimes near the top of the bed good blocks for dressing are found.
This formation is the source of the lead ore of the Dubuque lead mines. The
lead region proper is confined to an area of about fifteen miles square in the
vicinity of Dubuque. The ore occurs in vertical fissures, which traverse the
rock at regular intervals from east to west ; some is found in those which have
a north and south direction. The ore is mostly that known as Galena, or sul-
pliuret of lead, very small quantities only of the carbonate being found with it.
CINCINNATI GROUP.
Maquoketa Shales. — The surface occupied by this formation is singularly
long and narrow, seldom reaching more than a mile or two in width, but more
than a hundred miles in length. Its most southerly exposure is in the bluffs of
the Mississippi near Bellevue, in Jackson County, and the most northerly yet
recognized is in the western part of Winnesheik County. The whole formation
is largely composed of bluish and brownish shales, sometimes slightly arena-
ceous, sometimes calcareous, which weather into a tenacious clay upon the sur-
face, and the soil derived from it is usually stiff and clayey. Its economic
value is very slight.
Several species of fossils which characterize the Cincinnati group are found
in the Maquoketa shales ; but they contain a larger number that have been
found anywhere else than in these shales in Iowa, and their distinct faunal char-
acteristics seem to warrant the separation of the Maquoketa shales as a distinct
formation from any others of the group.
UPPER SILURIAN SYSTEM.
NIAGARA GHOUP.
Niagara Limestone. — The area occupied by the Niagara limestone is nearly
one hundred and sixty miles long from north to south, and forty and fifty miles
wide.
This formation is entirely a magnesian limestone, with in some places a con-
siderable proportion of silicious matter in the form of chert or coarse flint. A
large part of it is eyenly bedded, and probably affords the best and greatest
amount of quarry rock in the State. The quarries at Anamosa, LeClaire and
Farley are all opened in this formation.
DEVONIAN SYSTEM.
HAMILTON GROUP.
Hamilton Limestone. — The area of surface occupied by the Hamilton lime-
stone and shales is fully as great as those by all the formations of both Upper
and Lower Silurian age in the State. It is nearly two hundred miles long and
from forty to fifty miles broad. The general trend is northwestward and south-
eastward.
Although a large part of the material of this formation is practically quite
■aarthless, yet other portions are valuable for economic purposes ; and having a
124 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
large geographical extent in the State, is one of the most important formations,
in a practical point of view. At Waverly, Bremer County, its value for the
production of hydraulic lime has been practically demonstrated. The heavier
and more uniform magnesian beds furnish material for bridge piers and other
material requiring strength and durability.
All the Devonian strata of Iowa evidently belong to a single epoch, and re-
ferable to the Hamilton, as recognized by New York geologists.
The most conspicuous and characteristic fossils of this formation are bra-
chiopod, mollusks and corals. The coral Acervularia Davidsoni occurs near
Iowa City, and is known as " Iowa City Marble," and " bird's-eye marble."
CARBONIFEROUS SYSTEM.
Of the three groups of formations that constitute the carboniferous system,
viz., the subcarboniferous, coal measures and permian, only the first two are
found in Iowa.
SUBCARBONIFEROUS GROUP.
The area of the surface occupied by this group is very large. Its eastern
border passes from the northeastern part of Winnebago County, with consider-
able directness in a southeasterly direction to the northern part of Washington
County. Here it makes a broad and direct bend nearly eastward, striking
the Mississippi River at Muscatine. The southern and western boundary is to
a considerable extent the same as that which separates it from the coal field.
From the southern part of Pocahontas County it passes southeast to Fort Dodge,
thence to Webster City, thence to a point three or four miles northeast of El-
dora, in Hardin County, thence southward to the middle of the north line of
Jasper County, thence southeastward to Sigourney, in Keokuk County, thence
to the northeastern corner of Jefferson County, thence sweeping a few miles
eastward to the southeast corner of Van Buren County. Its area is nearly two
hundred and fifty miles long, and from twenty to fifty miles wide.
The Kinderhook Beds. — The most southerly exposure of these beds is near
the mouth of Skunk River, in Des Moines •County. The most northerly now
known is in the eastern part of Pocahontas County, more than two hundred
miles distant. The principal exposures of this formation are along the bluffs
which border the Mississippi and Skunk Rivers, where they form the eastern
and northern boundary of Des Moines County, along English River, in Wash-
ington County ; along the Iowa River, in Tama, Marshall, Hamlin and Frank-
lin Counties ; and along the Des Moines River, in Humboldt County.
The economic value of this formation is very considerable, particularly in
the northern portion of the region it occupies. In Pocahontas and Humboldt
Counties it is almost invaluable, as no other stone except a few boulders are
found here. At Iowa Falls the lower division is very good for building pur-
poses. In Marshall County all the limestone to be obtained comes from this
formation, and the quarries near LeGrand are very valuable. At this point
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 125
some of the layers are finely veined with peroxide of iron, and are wrought into
ornamental and useful objects.
In Tama County, the oolitic member is well exposed, where it is manufac-
tured into lime. It is not valuable for building, as upon exposure to atmosphere
and frost, it crumbles to pieces.
The remains of fishes are the only fossils yet discovered in this formation
that can be referred to the sub-kingdom vertebrata ; and so far as yet recog-
nized, they all belong to the order selachians.
Of articulates, only two species have been recognized, both of which
belong to the genus philUpsia.
The sub-kingdom mollusca is largely represented.
The RADIATA are represented by a few crinoids, usually found in a very im-
perfect condition. The sub-kingdom is also represented by corals.
The prominent feature in the life of this epoch was molluscan ; so much so
in fact as to overshadow all other branches of the animal kingdom. The pre-
vailing classes are : lamellibranchiates, in the more arenaceous portions ; and
brachiopods, in the more calcareous portions.
No remains of vegetation have been detected in any of the strata of this
formation.
The Burlington Limestone. — This formation consists of two distinct calca-
reous divisions, which are separated by a series of silicious beds. Both divi-
sions are eminently crinoidal.
The southerly dip of the Iowa rocks carries the Burlington limestone down,
so that it is seen for the last time in this State in the valley of Skunk River,
near the southern boundary of Des Moines County. The most northerly point
at which it has been recognized is in the northern part of Washington County.
It probably exists as far north as Marshall County.
This formation affords much valuable material for economic purposes. The
upper division furnishes excellent common quarry rock.
The great abundance and variety of its fossils — crinoids — now known to be
more than three hundred, have justly attracted the attention of geologists in all
parts of the world.
The only remains of vertebrates discovered in this formation are those of
fishes, and consist of teeth and spines ; bone of bony fishes, like those most
common at the present day, are found in these rocks. On Buffington Creek, in
Louisa County, is a stratum in an exposure so fully charged with these remains
that it might with propriety be called bone breccia.
Remains of articulates are rare in this formation. So far as yet discovered,
they are confined to two species of tribolites of the genus philUpsia.
Fossil shells are very common.
The two lowest classes of the sub-kingdom radiata are represented in the
genera zaphrentis, amplexus and syringapora, while the highest class — echino-
derms — are found in most extraordinary profusion.
126 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
Tim Keokuk Limestone. — It is only in the four counties of Lee, Van
Buren, Henry and Des Moines that this formation is to be seen.
In some localities the upper silicious portion of this formation is known as
the Geode bed. It is not recognizable in the northern portion of the formation,
nor in connection with it where it is exposed, about eighty miles below Keokuk.
The geodes of the Geode bed are more or less spherical masses of silex,
usually hollow and lined with crystals of quartz. The outer crust is rough and
unsightly, but the crystals which stud the interior are often very beautiful.
They vary in size from the size of a walnut to a foot in diameter.
The economic value of this formation is very great. Large quantities of its
stone have been used in the finest structures in the State, among which are the
post offices at Dubuque and Des Moines. The principal quarries are along the
banks of the Mississippi, from Keokuk to Nauvoo.
The only vertebrate fossils found in the formation are fishes, all belonging
to the order selachians, some of which indicate that their owners reached a
length of twenty-five or thirty feet.
Of the articulates, only two species of the genus phillipsia have been found
in this formation.
Of the mollusks, no cephalopods have yet been recognized in this formation in
this State ; gasteropods are rare ; brachiopods and polyzoans are quite abundant.
Of radiates, corals of genera zaphrentes, amplexus and aulopera are found,
but crinoids are most abundant.
Of the low forms of animal life, the protozoans, a small fossil related to the
sponges, is found in this formation in small numbers.
The St. Louis Limestone. — This is the uppermost of the subcarboniferous
group in Iowa. The superficial area it occupies is comparatively small, because
it consists of long, narrow strips, yet its exten* is very great. It is first seen
resting on the geode division of the Keokuk limestone, near Keokuk. Pro-
ceeding northward, it forms a narrow border along the edge of the coal fields
in Lee, Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Washington, Keokuk and Mahaska
Counties. It is then lost sight of until it appears again in the banks of Boone
River, where it again passes out of view under the coal measures until it is
next seen in the banks of the Des Moines, near Fort Dodge. As it exists in
Iowa, it consists of three tolerably distinct subdivisions — the magnesian, arena-
ceous and calcareous.
The upper division furnishes excellent material for quicklime, and when
quarries are well opened, as in the northwestern part of Van Buren County,
large blocks are obtained. The sandstone, or middle division, is of little
economic value. The lower or magnesian division furnishes a valuable
and durable stone, exposures of which are found on Lick Creek, in Van Buren
County, and on Long Creek, seven miles west of Burlington.
Of the fossils of this formation, the vertebrates are represented only by the
remains of fish, belonging to the two orders, selachians and ganoids. The
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 127
articulates are represented by one species of the trilobite, genus phill/psia, and
two ostracoid, genera, eythre and beyricia. The mollusks distinguish this
formation more than any other branch of the animal kingdom. Radiates are
exceedingly rare, showing a marked contrast between this formation and the
two preceding it.
The rocks of the subcarboniferous period have in other countries, and in
other parts of our own country, furnished valuable minerals, and even coal, but
in Iowa the economic value is confined to its stone alone.
The Lower Silurian, Upper Silurian and Devonian rocks of Iowa are largely
composed of limestone. Magnesia also enters largely into the subcarbon-
iferous group. With the completion of the St. Louis limestone, the
production of the magnesian limestone seems to have ceased among the rocks of
Iowa.
Although the Devonian age has been called the age of fishes, yet so far as
Iowa is concerned, the rocks of no period can compare with the subcarbon-
iferous in the abundance and variety of the fish remains, and, for this reason,
the Burlington and Keokuk limestones will in the future become more
famous among geologists, perhaps, than any other formations in North
America.
It will be seen that the Chester limestone is omitted from the subcarbon-
iferous group, and which completes the full geological series. It is probable
the whole surface of Iowa was above the sea during the time of the
formation of the Chester limestone to the southward about one hundred
miles.
At the close of the epoch of the Chester limestone, the shallow seas in
which the lower coal measures were formed again occupied the land, extending
almost as far north as that sea had done in which the Kinderhook beds were
formed, and to the northeastward its deposits extended beyond the subcarbon-
iferous groups, outlines of which are found upon the next, or Devonian rock.
THE COAL-MEASURE GROUP.
The coal-measure group of Iowa is properly divided into three formations,
viz., the lower, middle and upper coal measures, each having a vertical thick-
ness of about two hundred feet.
A line drawn upon the map of Iowa as follows, will represent the eastern
and northern boundaries of the coal fields of the State : Commencing at the
southeast corner of Van Buren County, carry the line to the northeast corner
of Jefferson County by a slight easterly curve through the western portions of
Lee and Henry Counties. Produce this line until it reaches a point six or
eight miles northward from the one last named, and then carry it northwest-
ward, keeping it at about the same distance to the northward of Skunk River
and its north branch that it had at first, until it reaches the southern boundary
of Marshall County, a little west of its center. Then carry it to a point
128 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
three or four miles northeast from Eldora, in Hardin County ; thence west-
ward to a point a little north of Webster City, in Hamilton County ; and
thence further westward to a point a little north of Fort Dodge, in Webster
County.
Lower Coal Measures. — In consequence of the recedence to the southward
of the borders of the middle and upper coal measures, the lower coal measures
alone exist to the eastward and northward of Des Moines River. They also
occupy a large area westward and southward of that river, but their southerly
dip passes them below the middle coal measures at no great distance from the
river.
No other formation in the whole State possesses the economic value of the
lower coal measures. The clay that underlies almost every bed of coal furnishes
a large amount of material for potters' use. The sandstone of these measures
is usually soft and unfit, but in some places, as near Red Rock, in Marion
County, blocks of large dimensions are obtained which make good building
material, samples of which can be seen in the State Arsenal, at Des Moines.
On the whole, that portion of the State occupied by the lower coal measures,
is not well supplied with stone.
But few fossils have been found in any of the strata of the lower coal meas-
ures, but such animal remains as have been found are without exception of
marine origin.
Of fossil plants found in these measures, all probably belong to the class
aerogens. Specimens of catamites, and several species of ferns, are found in
all of the coal measures, but the genus lepidodendron seems not to have existed
later than the epoch of the middle coal measures.
Middle Coal Measures. — This formation within the State of Iowa occupies
a narrow belt of territory in the southern central portion of the State, embrac-
ing a superficial area of about fourteen hundred square miles. The counties
more or less underlaid by this formation are Guthrie, Dallas, Polk, Madison,
Warren, Clarke, Lucas, Monroe, Wayne and Appanoose.
This formation is composed of alternating beds of clay, sandstone and lime-
stone, the clays or shales constituting the bulk of the formation, the limestone
occurring in their bands, the lithological peculiarities of which offer many con-
trasts to the limestones of the upper and lower coal measures. The formation
is also characterized by regular wave-like undulations, with a parallelism which
indicates a widespread disturbance, though no dislocation of the strata have
been discovered.
Generally speaking, few species of fossils occur in these beds. Some of the
shales and sandstone have afforded a few imperfectly preserved land plants —
three or four species of ferns, belonging to the genera. Some of the carbonif-
erous shales afford beautiful specimens of what appear to have been sea-weeds.
Radiates are represented by corals. The mollusks are most numerously repre-
sented. Trilobites and ostracoids are tlie only remains known of articulates.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 129
Vertebrates are only known by the remains of salachians, or sharks, and
ganoids.
Upper Coal Measures. — The area occupied by this formation in Iowa is
very great, comprising thirteen whole counties, in the southwestern part of the
State. It adjoins by its northern and eastern boundaries the area occupied by
the middle coal measures.
The prominent lithological features of this formation are its limestones, yet
it contains a considerable proportion of shales and sandstones. Although it is
known by the name of upper coal measures, it contains but a single bed of coal,
and that only about twenty inches in maximum thickness.
The limestone exposed in this formation furnishes good material for building
as in Madison and Fremont Counties. The sandstones are quite worthless. No
beds of clay for potter's use are found in the whole formation.
The fossils in this formation are much more numerous than in either the
middle or lower coal measures. The vertebrates are represented by the fishes
of the orders selachians and ganoids. The articulates are represented by the
trilobites and ostracoids. Mollusks are represented by the classes cephalopoda,
gasteropoda, lamelli, branchiata, Irachiapoda and polyzoa. Radiates are more
numerous than in the lower and middle coal measures. Protogoans are repre-
sented in the greatest abundance, some layers of limestone being almost entirely
composed of their small fusiform shells.
CRETACEOUS SYSTEM.
There being no rocks, in Iowa, of permian, triassic or Jurassic age, the
next strata in the geological series are of the cretaceous age. They are found
in the western half of the State, and do not dip, as do all the other formations
upon which they rest, to the southward and westward, but have a general dip
of their own to the north of westward, which, however, is very slight.
Although the actual exposures of cretaceous rocks are few in Iowa, there is
reason to believe that nearly all the western half of the State was originally
occupied by them ; but being very friable, they have been removed by denuda-
tion, which has taken place at two separate periods. The first period was
during its elevation from the cretaceous sea, and during the long tertiary age
that passed between the time of that elevation and the commencement of the
glacial epoch. The second period was during the glacial epoch, when the ice
produced their entire removal over considerable areas.
It is difficult to indicate the exact boundaries of these rocks ; the following
will approximate the outlines of the area :
From the northeast corner to the southwest corner of Kossuth County ;
thence to the southeast corner of Guthrie County; thence to the southeast
corner of Cass County ; thence to the middle of the south boundary of Mont-
gomery County ; thence to the middle of the north boundary of Pottawattamie
County ; thence to the middle of the south boundary of Woodbury County ;
130 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
thence to Sergeant's bluffs; up the Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers to the
northwest corner of the State ; eastward along the State line to the place of
beginning.
All the cretaceous rocks in Iowa are a part of the same deposits farther up
the Missouri River, and in reality form their eastern boundary.
Nislmabotany Sandstone. —This rock has the most easterly and southerly
extent of the cretaceous deposits of Iowa, reaching the southeastern part of
Guthrie County and the southern part of Montgomery County. To the north-
ward, it passes beneath the Woodbury sandstones and shales, the latter passing
beneath the inoceramus, or chalky, beds. This sandstone is, with few excep-
tions, almost valueless for economic purposes.
The only fossils found in this formation are a few fragments of angiosper-
mous leaves.
Woodbury Sandstones and Shales. — These strata rest upon the Nishna-
botany sandstone, and have not been observed outside of Woodbury County,
hence their name. Their principal exposure is at Sergeant's Bluffs, seven
miles below Sioux City.
This rock has no value except for purposes of common masonry.
Fossil remains are rare. Detached scales of a lepidoginoid species have
been detected, but no other vertebrate remains. Of remains of vegetation,
leaves of salix meekii and sassafras cretaceum have been occasionally found.
Inoceramus Beds. — These beds rest upon the Woodbury sandstones and
shales. They have not been observed in Iowa, except in the bluffs which
border the Big Sioux River in Woodbury and Plymouth Counties. They are
composed almost entirely of calcareous material, the upper portion of which is
extensively used for lime. No building material is to be obtained from these
beds ; and the only value they possess, except lime, are the marls, which at
some time may be useful on the soil of the adjacent region.
The only vertebrate remains found in the cretaceous rocks are the fishes.
Those in the inoceramus beds of Iowa are two species of squoloid selachians,
or cestratront, and three genera of teliosts. Molluscan remains are rare.
PEAT.
Extensive beds of peat exist in Northern Middle Iowa, which, it is esti-
mated, contain the following areas :
Counties. Acres.
Cerro Gordo 1,500
Worth 2,000
Winnebago 2,000
Hancock 1,500
Wright 500
Kossuth 700
Dickinson 80
Several other counties contain peat beds, but the character of the peat is
inferior to that in the northern part of the State. The character of the peat
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 131
named is equal to that of Ireland. The beds are of an average depth of four
feet. It is estimated that each acre of these beds will furnish two hundred and
fifty tons of dry fuel for each foot in depth. At present, owing to the sparse-
ness of the population, this peat is not utilized ; but, owing to its great distance
from the coal fields and the absence of timber, the time is coming when their
value will be realized, and the fact demonstrated that Nature has abundantly
compensated the deficiency of other fuel.
The only deposits of the sulphates of the alkaline earths of any economic
value in Iowa are those of gypsum at and in the vicinity of Fort Dodge, in
Webster County. All others are small and unimportant. The deposit occupies
a nearly central position in Webster County, the Des Moines River running
nearly centrally through it, along the valley sides of which the gypsum is seen
in the form of ordinary i-ock cliff and ledges, and also occurring abundantly in
similar positions along both sides of the valleys of the smaller streams and of
the numerous ravines coming into the river valley.
The most northerly known limit of the deposit is at a point near the mouth
of Lizard Creek, a tributary of the Des Moines River, and almost adjoining
the town of Fort Dodge. The most southerly point at which it has been
found exposed is about six miles, by way of the river, from this northerly point
before mentioned. Our knowledge of the width of the area occupied by it is
limited by the exposures seen in the valleys of the small streams and in the
ravines which come into the valley within the distance mentioned. As one goes
up these ravines and minor valleys, the gypsum becomes lost beneath the over-
lying drift. There can be no doubt that the different parts of this deposit, now
disconnected by the valleys and ravines having been cut through it, were orig-
inally connected as a continuous deposit, and there seems to be as little reason
to doubt that the gypsum still extends to considerable distance on each side of
the valley of the river beneath the drift which covers the region to a depth of
from twenty to sixty feet.
The country round about this region has the prairie surface approximating
a general level which is so characteristic of the greater part of the State, and
which exists irrespective of the character or geological age of the strata beneath,
mainly because the drift is so deep and uniformly distributed that it frequently
almost alone gives character to the surface. The valley sides of the Des Moines
River, in the vicinity of Fort Dodge, are somewhat abrupt, having a depth there
from the general level of the upland of about one hundred and seventy feet,
and consequently presents somewhat bold and interesting features in the land-
scape.
As one walks up and down the creeks and ravines which come into the
valley of the Des Moines River there, he sees the gypsum exposed on
either side of them, jutting out from beneath the drift in the form of
132 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
ledges and bold quarry fronts, having almost the exact appearance of
ordinary limestone exposures, so horizontal and regular are its lines of
stratification, and so similar in color is it to some varieties of that rock. The
principal quarries now opened are on Two Mile Creek, a couple of miles below
Fort Dodge.
The reader will please bear in mind that the gypsum of this remarkable
deposit does not occur in "heaps " or " nests," as it does in most deposits of
gypsum in the States farther eastward, but that it exists here in the form of a
regularly stratified, continuous formation, as uniform in texture, color and
quality throughout the whole region, and from top to bottom of the deposit
as the granite of the Quincy quarries is. Its color is a uniform gray, result-
ing from alternating fine horizontal lines of nearly white, with similar lines
of darker shade. The gypsum of the white lines is almost entirely pure, the
darker lines containing the impurity. This is at intervals barely sufficient in
amount to cause the separation of the mass upon those lines into beds or layers,
thus facilitating the quarrying of it into desired shapes. These bedding sur-
faces have occasionally a clayey feeling to the touch, but there is nowhere any
intercalation of clay or other foreign substance in a separate form. The deposit
is known to reach a thickness of thirty feet at the quarries referred to, but
although it will probably be found to exceed this thickness at some other points,
at the natural exposures, it is seldom seen to be more than from ten to twenty
feet thick.
Since the drift is usually seen to rest directly upon the gypsum, with noth-
ing intervening, except at a few points where traces appear of an overlying bed
of clayey material without doubt of the same age as the gypsum, the latter
probably lost something of its thickness by mechanical erosion during the
glacial epoch; and it has, doubtless, also suffered some diminution of thickness
since then by solution in the waters which constantly percolate through the
drift from the surface. The drift of this region being somewhat clayey, partic-
ulary in its lower part, it has doubtless served in some degree as a protection
against the diminution of the gypsum by solution in consequence of its partial
imperviousness to water. If the gypsum had been covered by a deposit of sand
instead of the drift clays, it would have no doubt long since disappeared by
being dissolved in the water that would have constantly reached it from the sur-
face. Water merely resting upon it would not dissolve it away to any extent,
but it rapidly disappears under the action of running water. Where little rills
of water at the time of every rain run over the face of an unused quarry, from
the surface above it, deep grooves arc thereby cut into it, giving it somewhat the
appearance of melting ice around a waterfall. The fact that gypsum is now
suffering a constant, but, of course, very slight, diminution, is apparent in the
fact the springs of the region contain more or less of it in solution in their
waters. An analysis of water from one of these springs will be found in Prof.
Emery's report.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 133
Besides the clayey beds that are sometimes seen to rest upon the gypsum,
there are occasionally others seen beneath them that are also of the same
age, and not of the age of the coal-measure strata upon which they rest.
Age of the Gypsum Deposit. — In neither the gypsum nor the associated
clays has any trace of any fossil remains been found, nor has any other indica-
tion of its geological age been observed, except that which is afforded by its
stratigraphical relations ; and the most that can be said with certainty is that it
is newer than the coal measures, and older than the drift. The indications
afforded by the stratigraphical relations of the gypsum deposit of Fort Dodge
are, however, of considerable value.
As already shown, it rests in that region directly and unconformably upon
the lower coal measures ; but going southward from there, the whole series of
coal-measure strata from the top of the subcarboniferous group to the upper
coal measures, inclusive, can be traced without break or unconformability.
The strata of the latter also may be traced in the same manner up into the
Permian rocks of Kansas ; and through this long series, there is no place or
horizon which suggests that the gypsum deposit might belong there.
Again, no Tertiary deposits are known to exist within or near the borders
of Iowa to suggest that the gypsum might be of that age ; nor are any of the
palaeozoic strata newer than the subcarboniferous unconformable upon each
other as the other gypsum is unconformable upon the strata beneath it. It
therefore seems, in a measure, conclusive, that the gypsum is of Mesozoic age,
perhaps older than the Cretaceous.
Lithological Origin. — As little can be said with certainty concerning the
lithological origin of this deposit as can be said concerning its geological age,
for it seems to present itself in this relation, lis in the former one, as an isolated
fact. None of the associated strata show any traces of a double decomposition
of pre-existing materials, such as some have supposed all deposits of gypsum to
have resulted from. No considerable quantities of oxide of iron nor any trace
of native sulphur have been found in connection with it ; nor has any salt been
found in the waters of the region. These substances are common in association
with other gypsum deposits, and are regarded by some persons as indicative of
the method of or resulting from their origin as such. Throughout the whole
region, the Fort Dodge gypsum has the exact appearance of a sedimentary
deposit. It is arranged in layers like the regular layers of limestone, and the
whole mass, from top to bottom, is traced with fine horizontal laminae of alter-
nating white and gray gypsum, parallel with the bedding surfaces of the layers,
but the whole so intimately blended as to form a solid mass. The darker lines
contain almost all the impurity there is in the gypsum, and that impurity is
evidently sedimentary in its character. FrcTi these facts, and also from the
further one that no trace of fossil remains has been detected in the gypsum, it
seems not unreasonable to entertain the opinion that the gypsum of Fort Dodge
originated as a chemical precipitation in comparatively still waters which were
134 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
saturated with sulphate of lime and destitute of life ; its stratification and
impurities being deposited at the same time as clayey impurities which had been
held suspended in the same waters.
Physical Properties. — Much has already been said of the physical proper-
ties or character of this gypsum, but as.it is so different in some respects from
that of other deposits, there are yet other matters worthy of mention in connec-
tion with those. According to the results of a complete and exhaustive anal-
ysis by Prof. Emery, the ordinary gray gypsum contains only about eight per
cent, of impurity ; and it is possible that the average impurity for the whole
deposit will not exceed that proportion, so uniform in quality is it from to top
to bottom and from one end of the region to the other.
When it is remembered that plaster for agricultural purposes is sometimes
prepared from gypsum that contains as much as thirty per cent, of impurity, it
will be seen that ours is a very superior article for such purposes. The impu-
rities are also of such a character that they do not in any way interfere with its
value for use in the arts. Although the gypsum rock has a gray color, it
becomes quite wdiite by grinding, and still whiter by the calcining process nec-
essary in the preparation of plaster of Paris. These tests have all been practi-
cally made in the rooms of the Geological Survey, and the quality of the plaster
of Paris still further tested by actual use and experiment. No hesitation,
therefore, is felt in stating that the Fort Dodge gypsum is of as good a quality
as any in the country, even for the finest uses.
In view of the bounteousness of the primitive fertility of our Iowa soils,
many persons forget that a time may come when Nature will refuse to respond
so generously to our demand as she does now, without an adequate return.
Such are apt to say that this vast deposit of .gypsum is valueless to our com-
monwealth, except to the small extent that it may be used in the arts. This
is undoubtedly a short-sighted view of the subject, for the time is even now
rapidly passing away when a man may purchase a new farm for less money
than he can re-fertilize and restore the partially wasted primitive fertility of the
one he now occupies. There are farms even now in a large part of the older
settled portions of the State that would be greatly benefited by the proper
application of plaster, and such areas will continue to increase until it will be
difficult to estimate the value of the deposit of gypsum at Fort Dodge. It
should be remembered, also, that the inhabitants of an extent of country
adjoining our State more than three times as great as its own area will find it
more convenient to obtain their supplies from Fort Dodge than from any other
source.
For want of direct railroad communication between this region and other
parts of the State, the only use yet made of the gypsum by the inhabitants is
for the purposes of ordinary building stone. It is so compact that it is found
to be comparatively unaffected by the frost, and its ordinary situation in walls
of houses is such that it is protected from the dissolving action of water, which
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 135
can at most reach it only from occasional rains, and the effect of these is too
slight to be perceived after the lapse of several years.
One of the citizens of Fort Dodge, Hon. John F. Duncombe, built a large,
fine residence of it. in 1861, the walls of which appear as unaffected by
exposure and as beautiful as they were when first erected. It has been so long
and successfully used for building stone by the inhabitants that they now prefer
it to the limestone of good quality, which also exists in the immediate vicinity.
This preference is due to the cheapness of the gypsum, as compared with the
stone. The cheapness of the former is largely due to the facility with which it
is quarried and wrought. Several other houses have been constructed of it in
Fort Dodge, including the depot building of the Dubuque & Sioux City Rail-
road. The company have also constructed a large culvert of the same material
to span a creek near the town, limestone only being used for the lower courses,
which come in contact with the water. It is a fine arch, each stone of gypsum
being nicely hewn, and it will doubtless prove a very durable one. Many of
the sidewalks in the town are made of the slabs or flags of gypsum which occur
in some of the quarries in the form of thin layers. They are more durable
than their softness would lead one to suppose. They also possess an advantage
over stone in not becoming slippery when worn.
The method adopted in quarrying and dressing the blocks of gypsum is
peculiar, and quite unlike that adopted in similar treatment of ordinary stone.
Taking a stout auger-bit of an ordinary brace, such as is used by carpenters,
and filing the cutting parts of it into a peculiar form, the quarryman bores his
holes into the gypsum quarry for blasting, in the same manner and with as
great facility as a carpenter would bore hard wood. The pieces being loosened
by blasting, they are broken up with sledges into convenient sizes, or hewn
into the desired shapes by means of hatchets or ordinary chopping axes, or cut
by means of ordinary wood-saws. So little grit does the gypsum contain that
these tools, made for working wood, are found to be better adapted for working
the former substance than those tools are which are universally used for work-
ing stone.
MINOR DEPOSITS OF SULPHATE OF LIME.
Besides the great gypsum deposit of Fort Dodge, sulphate of lime in the
various forms of fibrous gypsum, selenite, and small, amorphous masses, has
also been discovered in various formations in different parts of the State, includ-
ing the coal -measure shales near Fort Dodge, where it exists in small quanti-
ties, quite independently of the great gypsum deposit there. The quantity of
gypsum in these minor deposits is always too small to be of any practical value,
and frequently minute. They usually occur in shales and shaly clays, asso-
ciated with strata that contain more or less sulphuret of iron (iron pyrites).
Gypsum has thus been detected in the coal measures, the St. Louis limestone,
the cretaceous strata, and also in the lead caves of Dubuque. In most of these
cases it is evidently the result of double decomposition of iron pyrites and car-
VSd HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
bonate of lime, previously existing there ; in which cases the gypsum is of course
not an original deposit as the great one at Fort Dodge is supposed to be.
The existence of these comparatively minute quantities of gypsum in the
shales of the coal measures and the subcarboniferous limestone which are exposed
within the region of and occupy a stratigraphical position beneath the great
gypsum deposits, suggests the possibility that the former may have originated as
a precipitate from percolating waters, holding gypsum in solution which they
had derived from that deposit in passing over or through it. Since, however,
the same substance is found in similar smill quantities and under similar con-
ditions in regions where they could have had no possible connection with that
deposit, it is believed that none of those mentioned have necessarily originated
from it, not even those that are found in close proximity to it.
The gypsum found in the lead caves is usually in the form of efflorescent
fibers, and is always in small quantity. In the lower coal-measure shale near
Fort Dodge, a small mass was found in the form of an intercalated layer, which
had a distinct fibrous structure, the fibers being perpendicular to the plane of
the layer. The same mass had also distinct, horizontal planes of cleavage at
right angles with the perpendicular fibers. Thus, being more or less transpa-
rent, the mass combined the characters of both fibrous gypsum and selenite.
No anhydrous sulphate of lime (anhydrite) has been found in connection with
the great gypsum deposit, nor elsewhere in Iowa, so far as yet known.
SULPHATE OF STRONTIA.
(Celesiine.)
The only locality at which this interesting mineral has yet been found in
Iowa, or, so far as is known, in the great valley of the Mississippi, is at Fort
Dodge. It occurs there in very small quantity in both the shales of the lower
coal measures and in the clays that overlie the gypsum deposit, and which are
regarded as of the same age with it. The first is just below the city, near Rees'
coal bank, and occurs as a layer intercalated among the coal measure shales,
amounting in quantity to only a few hundred pounds' weight. The mineral is
fibrous and crystalline, the fibers being perpendicular to the plane of the layer.
Breaking also with more or less distinct horizontal planes of cleavage, it resem-
bles, in physical character, the layer of fibro-crystalline gypsum before men-
tioned. Its color is light blue, is transparent and shows crystaline facets upon
both the upper and under surfaces of the layer; those of the upper surface
being smallest and most numerous. It breaks up readily into small masses
along the lines of the perpendicular fibers or columns. The layer is probably
not more than a rod in extent in any direction and about three inches in maxi-
mum thickness. Apparent lines of stratification occur in it, corresponding with
those of the shales which imbed it.
The other deposit was still smaller in amount, and occurred as a mass of
crystals imbedded in the clays that overlie the gypsum at Cummins' quarry in
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 137
the valley of Soldier Creek, upon the north side of the town. The mineral is
in this case nearly colorless, and but for the form of the separate crystals would
closely resemble masses of impure salt. The crystals are so closely aggregated
that they enclose but little impurity in the mass, but in almost all cases their
fundamental forms are obscured. This mineral has almost no real practical
value, and its occurrence, as described, is interesting only as a mineralogical
fact.
SULPHATE OF BARYTA.
{Barytis, Heavy Spar.)
This mineral has been found only in minute quantities in Iowa. It has
been detected in the coal-measure shales of Decatur, Madison and Marion
Counties, the Devonian limestone of Johnson and Bremer Counties and in the
lead caves of Dubuque. In all these cases, it is in the form of crystals or small
crystalline masses.
SULPHATE OF MAGNESIA.
(¥«'"•)
Epsomite, or native epsom salts, having been discovered near Burlington,
we have thus recognized in Iowa all the sulphates of the alkaline earths of
natural origin ; all of them, except the sulphate of lime, being in very small
quantity. Even if the sulphate of magnesia were produced in nature, in large
quantities, it is so very soluble that it can accumulate only in such positions as
afford it complete shelter from the rains or running water. The epsomite
mentioned was found beneath the overhanging cliff of Burlington limestone,
near Starr's mill, which are represented in the sketch upon another page, illus-
trating the subcarboniferous rocks. It occurs in the form of efflorescent encrus-
tations upon the surface of stones and in similar small fragile masses among the
fine debris that has fallen down beneath the overhanging cliff. The projection
of the cliff over the perpendicular face of the strata beneath amounts to near
twenty feet at the point where epsomite was found. Consequently the rains
never reach far beneath it from any quarter. The rock upon which the epsom-
ite accumulates is an impure limestone, containing also some carbonate of mag-
nesia, together with a small proportion of iron pyrites in a finely divided con-
dition. It is doubtless by double decomposition of these that the epsomite re-
sults. By experiments with this native salt in the office of the Survey, a fine
article of epsom salts was produced, but the quantity that might be annually
obtained there would amount to only a few pounds, and of course is of no prac-
tical value whatever, on account of its cheapness in the market.
CLIMATOLOGY.
No extended record of the climatology of Iowa has been made, yet much of
great value may be learned from observations made at a single point. Prof. T.
S. Parvin, of the State University, has recorded observations made from 1839
to the present time. Previous to 1860, these observations were made at Mus-
138 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
catine. Since that date, they were made in Iowa City. The result is that the
atmospheric conditions of the climate of Iowa are in the highest degree favor-
able to health.
The highest temperature here occurs in August, while July is the hottest
month in the year by two degrees, and January the coldest by three degrees.
The mean temperature of April and October most nearly corresponds to the
mean temperature of the year, as well as their seasons of Spring and Fall,
while that of Summer and Winter is best represented in that of August and
December.
The period of greatest heat ranges from June 22d to August 31st ; the next
mean time being July 27th. The lowest temperature extends from December
lGth to February 15th, the average being January 20th — the range in each
case being two full months.
The climate of Iowa embraces the range of that of New York, Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The seasons are not characterized by the
frequent and sudden changes so common in the latitudes further south. The
temperature of the Winters is somewhat lower than States eastward, but of other
seasons it is higher. The atmosphere is dry and invigorating. The surface of
the State being free at all seasons of the year from stagnant water, with good
breezes at nearly all seasons, the miasmatic and pulmonary diseases are
unknown. Mortuary statistics show this to be one of the most healthful States
in the Union, being one death to every ninety-four persons. The Spring,
Summer and Fall months are delightful ; indeed, the glory of Iowa is her
Autumn, and nothing can transcend the splendor of her Indian Summer, which
lasts for weeks, and finally blends, almost imperceptibly, into Winter.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
DISCOVERY AND OCCUPATION.
Iowa, in the symbolical and expressive language of the aboriginal inhab-
itants, is said to signify " The Beautiful Land," and was applied to this
magnificent and fruitful region by its ancient owners, to express their apprecia-
tion of its superiority of climate, soil and location. Prior to 1803, the Mississippi
River was the extreme western boundary of the United States. All the great
empire lying west of the " Father of Waters," from the Gulf of Mexico on the
south to British America on the north, and westward to the Pacific Ocean was
a Spanish province. A brief historical sketch of the discovery and occupation
of this grand empire by the Spanish and French governments will be a fitting
introduction to the history of the young and thriving State of Iowa, which,
until the commencement of the present century, was a part of the Spanish
possessions in America.
Early in the Spring of 1542, fifty years after Columbus discovered the New
World, and one hundred and thirty years before the French missionaries discov-
ered its upper waters, Ferdinand De Soto discovered the mouth of the Mississippi
River at the mouth of the Washita. After the sudden death of De Soto, in
May of the same year, his followers built a small vessel, and in July, 1543,
descended the great river to the Gulf of Mexico.
In accordance with the usage of nations, under which title to the soil was
claimed by right of discovery, Spain, having conquered Florida and discovered
the Mississippi, claimed all the territory bordering on that river and the Gulf of
Mexico. But it was also held by the European nations that, while discovery
gave title, that title must be perfected by actual . possession and occupation.
Although Spain claimed the territory by right of first discovery, she made no
effort to occupy it; by no permanent settlement had she perfected and held her
title, and therefore had forfeited it when, at a later period, the Lower Mississippi
Valley was re-discovered and occupied by France.
The unparalleled labors of the zealous Fr< nc!i Jesuits of Canada in penetrating
the unknown region of the West, commencing in 1611, form a history of no ordi-
nary interest, but have no particular connection with the scope of the present
work, until in the Fall of 1665. Pierre Claude Allouez, who had entered Lake
Superior in September, and sailed along the southern coast in search of copper,
had arrived at the great village of the Chippewas at Chegoincegon. Here a
grand council of some ten or twelve of the principal Indian nations was held.
The Pottawatomies of Lake Michigan, the Sacs and Foxes of the West, the
Hurons from the North, the Illinois from the South, and the Sioux from the
land of the prairie and wild rice, were all assembled there. The Illinois told
140 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
the story of their ancient glory and about the noble river on the banks of which
they dwelt. The Sioux also told their white brother of the same great river,
and Allouez promised to the assembled tribes the protection of the French
nation against all their enemies, native or foreign.
The purpose of discovering the great river about which the Indian na-
tions had given such glowing accounts appears to have originated with Mar-
quette, in 1669. In the year previous, he and Claude Dablon had established
the Mission of St. Mary's, the oldest white settlement within the present limits
of the State of Michigan. Marquette was delayed in the execution of his great
undertaking, and spent the interval in studying the language and habits of the
Illinois Indians, among whom he expected to travel.
About this time, the French Government had determined to extend the do-
minion of France to the extreme western borders of Canada. Nicholas Perrot
was sent as the agent of the government, to propose a grand council of the
Indian nations, at St. Mary's.
When Perrot reached Green Bay, he extended the invitation far and near ;
and, escorted by Pottawatomies, repaired on a mission of peace and friend-
ship to the Miamis, who occupied the region about the present location of
Chicago.
In May, 1671, a great council of Indians gathered at the Falls of St.
Mary, from all parts of the Northwest, from the head waters of the St. Law-
rence, from the valley of the Mississippi and from the Red River of the North.
Perrot met with them, and after grave consultation, formally announced to the
assembled nations that their good French Father felt an abiding interest in their
welfare, and had placed them all under the powerful protection of the French
Government.
Marquette, during that same year, had gathered at Point St. Ignace the
remn ants of one branch of the Hurons. This station, for a long series of
years, was considered the key to the unknown West.
The time was now auspicious for the consummation of Marquette's grand
project. The successful termination of Perrot's mission, and the general friend-
liness of the native tribes, rendered the contemplated expedition much less per-
ilous. But it was not until 1673 that the intrepid and enthusiastic priest was
finally ready to depart on his daring and perilous journey to lands never trod by
white men.
The Indians, who had gathered in large numbers to witness his departure,
were astounded at the boldness of the proposed undertaking, and tried to dis-
courage him, representing that the Indians of the Mississippi Valley were cruel
and bloodthirsty, and would resent the intrusion of strangers upon their domain.
The great river itself, they said, was the abode of terrible monsters, who could
swallow both canoes and men.
But Marquette was not to be diverted from his purpose by these fearful re-
ports. He assured his dusky friends that he was ready to make any sacrifice,
even to lay down his life for the sacred cause in which he was engaged. He
prayed with them ; and having implored the blessing of God upon his undertak-
ing, on the 13th day of May, 1673, with Joliet and five Canadian-French voy-
ageurs, or boatmen, he left the mission on his daring journey. Ascending
Green Bay and Fox River, these bold and enthusiastic pioneers of religion and
discovery proceeded until they reached a Miami and Kickapoo village, where
Marquette was delighted to find "a beautiful cross planted in the middle of the
town, ornamented with white skins, red girdles and bows and arrows, which
these good people had offered to the Great Manitou, or God, to thank Him for
HISTORY OF THE STATU OF IOWA. 141
the pity He had bestowed on them during the Winter, in having given them
abundant chase."
This was the extreme point beyond which the explorations of the French
missionaries had not then extended. Here Marquette was instructed by his
Indian hosts in the secret of a root that cures the bite of the venomous rattle-
snake, drank mineral water with them and was entertained with generous hos-
pitality. He called together the principal men of the village, and informed
them that his companion, Joliet, had been sent by the French Governor of Can-
ada to discover new countries, to be added to the dominion of France ; but that
he, himself, had been sent by the Most High God, to carry the glorious religion
of the Cross ; and assured his wondering hearers that on this mission he had
no fear of death, to which he knew he would be exposed on his perilous journeys.
Obtaining the services of two Miami guides, to conduct his little band to the
Wisconsin River, he left the hospitable Indians on the 10th of June. Conduct-
ing them across the portage, their Indian guides returned to their village, and
the little party descended the Wisconsin, to the great river which had so long
been so anxiously looked for, and boldly floated down its unknown waters.
On the 25th of June, the explorers discovered indications of Indians on the
west bank of the river and land d a little above the mouth of the river now
known as Des Moines, and for the first time Europeans trod the soil of Iowa.
Leaving the Canadians to guard the canoes, Marquette and Joliet boldly fol-
lowed the trail into the interior for fourteen miles (some authorities say six), to
an Indian village situate on the banks of a river, and discovered two other vil-
lages, on the rising ground about half a league distant. Their visit, while it
created much astonishment, did not seem to be entirely unexpected, for there
-was a tradition or prophecy among the Indians that white visitors were to come
to them. They were, therefore, received with great respect and hospitality, and
were cordially tendered the calumet or pipe of peace. They were informed that
this band was a part of the Illini nation and that their village was called Mon-
in-gou-ma or Moingona, which was the name of the river on which it stood.
This, from its similarity of sound, Marquette corrupted into Des Moines
(Monk's River), its present name.
Here the voyagers remained six days, learning much of the manners and
customs of their new friends. The new religion they boldly preached and the
authority of the King of France they proclaimed were received without hos-
tility or remonstrance by their savage entertainers. On their departure, they
were accompanied to their canoes by the chiefs and hundreds of warriors.
Marquette received from them the sacred calumet, the emblem of peace and
safeguard among the nations, and re-embarked for the rest of his journey.
It is needless to follow him further, as his explorations beyond his discovery
of Iowa more properly belong to the history of another State.
In 1682, La Salle descended the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, and in
the name of the King of France, took formal possession of all the immense
region watered by the great river and its tributaries from its source to its mouth,
and named it Louisiana, in honor of his master, Louis XIV. The river he
called " Colbert," after the French Minister, and at its mouth erected a column
and a cross bearing the inscription, in the French language,
"Louis the Great, King of France and Navarre,
Reigning April 9th, 1682."
At the close of the seventeenth century, France claimed, by right of dis-
covery and occupancy, the whole valley of the Mississippi and its tributaries,
including Texas, as far as the Rio del Norte.
142 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA
The province of Louisiana stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the sources
of the Tennessee, the Kanawha, the Allegheny and the Monongahela on the
east, and the Missouri and the other great tributaries of the Father of Waters
on the west. Says Bancroft, " France had obtained, under Providence, the
guardianship of this immense district of country, not, as it proved, for her own
benefit, but rather as a trustee for the infant nation by which it was one day to
be inherited."
By the treaty of Utrecht, France ceded to England her possessions,
in Hudson's Bay, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. France still retained
Louisiana; but the province had so far failed to meet the expectations of the
crown and the people that a change in the government and policy of the country
was deemed indispensable. Accordingly, in 1711, the province was placed in
the hands of a Governor General, with headquarters at Mobile. This govern-
ment was of brief duration, and in 1712 a charter was granted to Anthony
Crozat, a wealthy merchant of Paris, giving him the entire control and mo-
nopoly of all the trade and resources of Louisiana. But this scheme also failed.
Crozat met with no success in his commercial operations ; every Spanish harbor
on the Gulf was closed against his vessels; the occupation of Louisiana was
deemed an encroachment on Spanish territory ; Spain was jealous of the am-
bition of France.
Failing in his efforts to open the ports of the district, Crozat "sought to
develop the internal resources of Louisiana, by causing trading posts to be
opened, and explorations to be made to its remotest borders. But he
actually accomplished nothing for the advancement of the colony. The only
prosperity which it ever possessed grew out of the enterprise of humble indi-
viduals, who had succeeded in instituting a little barter betwean themselves
and the natives, and a petty trade with neighboring European settlements.
After a persevering effort of nearly five years, he surrendered his charter in
August, 1717."
Immediately following the surrender of his charter by Crozat, another and
more magnificent scheme was inaugurated. The national government of France
was deeply involved in debt; the colonies were nearly bankrupt, and John Law
appeared on the scene with his famous Mississippi Company, as the Louisiana
branch of the Bank of France. The charter granted to this company gave it a
legal existence of twenty-five years, and conferred upon it more extensive powers
and privileges than had been granted to Crozat. It invested the new company
with the exclusive privilege of the entire commerce of Louisiana, and of New
France, and with authority to enforce their rights. The Company was author-
ized to monopolize all the trade in the country ; to make treaties with the
Indians ; to declare and prosecute war ; to grant lands, erect forts, open mines
of precious metals, levy taxes, nominate civil officers, commission those of the
army, and to appoint and remove judges, to cast cannon, and build and equip
ship's of war. All this was to be done with the paper currency of John Law's
Bank of France. He had succeeded in getting His Majesty the French King
to adopt and sanction his scheme of financial operations both in France and in
the colonies, and probably there never was such a huge financial bubble ever
blown by a visionary theorist. Still, such was the condition of France that it
was accepted as a national deliverance, and Law became the most powerful man
in France. He became a Catholic, and was appointed Comptroller General of
Finance.
Among the first operations of the Company was to send eight hundred
emigrants to Louisiana, who arrived at Dauphine Island in 1718.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 143
In 1719, Philipe Francis Renault arrived in Illinois with two hundred
miners and artisans. The war between France and Spain at this time rendered
it extremely probable that the Mississippi Valley might become the theater of
Spanish hostilities against the French settlements ; to prevent this, as well as to
extend French claims, a chain of forts was begun, to keep open the connection
between the mouth and the sources of the Mississippi. Fort Orleans, high up
the Mississippi River, was erected as an outpost in 1720.
The Mississippi scheme was at the zenith of its power and glory in January,
1720, but the gigantic bubble collapsed more suddenly than it had been inflated,
and the Company was declared hopelessly bankrupt in May following. France
was impoverished by it, both private and public credit were overthrown, capi-
talists suddenly found themselves paupers, and labor was left without employ-
ment. The effect on the colony of Louisiana was disastrous.
While this was going on in Lower Louisiana, the region about the lakes was
the theater of Indian hostilities, rendering the passage from Canada to Louisiana
extremely dangerous for many years. The English had not only extended their
Indian trade into the vicinity of the French settlements, but through their
friends, the Iroquois, had gained a marked ascendancy over the Foxes, a fierce
and powerful tribe, of Iroquois descent, whom they incited to hostilities against
the French. The Foxes began their hostilities with the siege of Detroit in
1712, a siege which they continued for nineteen consecutive days, and although
the expedition resulted in diminishing their numbers and humbling their pride,
yet it was not until after several successive campaigns, embodying the best
military resources of New France, had been directed against them, that were
finally defeated at the great battles of Butte des Morts, and on the Wisconsin
River, and driven west in 174b\
The Company, having found that the cost of defending Louisiana exceeded
the returns from its commerce, solicited leave to surrender the Mississippi
wilderness to the home government. Accordingly, on the 10th of April, 1732,
the jurisdiction and control over the commerce reverted to the crown of France.
The Company had held possession of Louisiana fourteen years. In 1735, Bien-
ville returned to assume command for the King.
A glance at a few of the old French settlements will show the progress made
in portions of Louisiana during the early part of the eighteenth century. As
early as 1705, traders and hunters had penetrated the fertile regions of the
Wabash, and from this region, at that early date, fifteen thousand hides and
skins had been collected and sent to Mobile for the European market.
In the year 1716, the French population on the Wabash kept up a lucrative
commerce with Mobile by means of traders and voyageurs. The Ohio River
was comparatively unknown.
In 1746, agriculture on the Wabash had attained to greater prosperity than
in any of the French settlements besides, and in that year six hundred barrels
of flour were manufactured and shipped to New Orleans, together with consider-
able quantities of hides, peltry, tallow and beeswax.
In the Illinois country, also, considerable settlements had been made, so that,
in 1730, they embraced one hundred and forty French families, about six
hundred "converted Indians," and many traders and voyageurs.
In 1753, the first actual conflict arose between Louisiana and the Atlantic
colonies. From the earliest advent of the Jesuit fathers, up to the period of
which we speak, the great ambition of the French had been, not alone to preserve
their possessions in the West, but by every possible means to prevent the
slightest attempt of the English, east of the mountains, to extend their settle-
144 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
inents toward the Mississippi. France was resolved on retaining possession of
the great territory which her missionaries had discovered and revealed to the
world. French commandants had avowed their purpose of seizing every
Englishman within the Ohio Valley.
The colonies of Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia were most affected by
the encroachments of France in the extension of her dominion, and particularly
in the great scheme of uniting Canada with Louisiana. To carry out this
purpose, the French had taken possession of a tract of country claimed by Vir-
ginia, and had commenced a line of forts extending from the lakes to the Ohio
River. Virginia was not only alive to her own interests, but attentive to the
vast importance of an immediate and effectual resistance on the part of all
the English colonies to the actual and contemplated encroachments of the
French.
In 17£3, Governor Dinwiddle, of Virginia, sent George Washington, then a
young man just twenty-one, to demand of the French commandant "a reason
for invading British dominions while a solid peace subsisted." Washington met
the French commandant, Gardeur de St. Pierre, on the head waters of the
Alleghany, and having communicated to him the object of his journey, received
the insolent answer that the French would not discuss the matter of right, but
would make prisoners of every Englishman found trading on the Ohio and its
waters. The country, he said, belonged to the French, by virtue of the dis-
coveries of La Salle, and they would not withdraw from it.
In January, 1754, Washington returned to Virginia, and made his report to
the Governor and Council. Forces were at once raised, and Washington, as
Lieutenant Colonel, was dispatched at the head of a hundred and fifty men, to
the forks of the Ohio, with orders to "finish the fort already begun there by the
Ohio Company, and to make prisoners, kill or destroy all who interrupted the
English settlements."
On his march through the forests of Western Pennsylvania, Washington,
through the aid of friendly Indians, discovered the French concealed among the
rocks, and as they ran to seize their arms, ordered his men to fire upon them, at
the same time, with his own musket, setting the example. An action lasting
about a quarter of an hour ensued ; ten of the Frenchmen Were killed, among
them Jumonville, the commander of the party, and twenty-one were made pris-
oners. The dead were scalped by the Indians, and the chief, bearing a toma-
hawk and a scalp, visited all the tribes of the Miamis, urging them to join the
Six Nations and the English against the French. The French, however, were
soon re-enforced, and Col. Washington was compelled to return to Fort
Necessity. Here, on the 3d day of July, De Villiers invested the fort with
600 French troops and 100 Indians. On the 4th, Washington accepted
terms of capitulation, and the English garrison withdrew from the valley of
the Ohio.
This attack of Washington upon Jumonville aroused the indignation of
France, and war was formally declared in May, 1756, and the " French and
Indian War" devastated the colonies for several years. Montreal, Detroit
and all Canada were surrendered to the English, and on the 10th of February,
1763, by the treaty of Paris — which had been signed, though not formally ratified
by the respective governments, on the 3d of November, 1 762 — France relinquished
to Gnat Britian all that portion of the province of Louisiana lying on the east
side of the Mississippi, except the island and town of New Orleans. On the
same day that the treaty of Paris was signed, France, by a secret treaty, ceded
to Spain all her possessions on the west side of the Mississippi, including the
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 145
whole country to the head waters of the Great River, and west to the Rocky
Mountains, and the jurisdiction of France in America, which had lasted nearly
a century, was ended.
At the close of the Revolutionary war, by the treaty of peace between Great
Britain and the United States, the English Government ceded to the latter
all the territory on the east side of the Mississippi River and north of the thirty-
first parallel of north latitude. At the same time, Great Britain ceded to
Spain all the Floridas, comprising all the territory east of the Mississippi and
south of the southern limits of the United States.
At this time, therefore, the present State of Iowa was a part of the Spanish
possessions in North America, as all the territory west of the Mississippi River
was under the dominion of Spain. That government also possessed all the
territory of the Floridas east of the great river and south of the thirty-first
parallel of north latitude. The Mississippi, therefore, so essential to the pros-
perity of the western portion of the United States, for the last three hundred
miles of its course flowed wholly within the Spanish dominions, and that govern-
ment claimed the exclusive right to use and control it below the southern boun-
dary of the United States.
The free navigation of the Mississippi was a very important question during
all the time that Louisiana remained a dependency of the Spanish Crown, and
as the final settlement intimately affected the status of the then future State
of Iowa, it will be interesting to trace its progress.
The people of the United States occupied and exercised jurisdiction over
the entire eastern valley of the Mississippi, embracing all the country drained
by its eastern tributaries ; they had a natural right, according to the accepted in-
ternational law, to follow these rivers to the sea, and to the use of the Missis-
sippi River accordingly, as the great natural channel of commerce. The river
was not only necessary but absolutely indispensable to the prosperity and growth
of the western settlements then rapidly rising into commercial and political
importance. They were situated in the heart of the great valley, and with
wonderfully expansive energies and accumulating resources, it was very evident
that no power on earth could deprive them of the fiee use of the river below
them, only while their numbers were insufficient to enable them to maintain
their right by force. Inevitably, therefore, immediately after the ratification of
the treaty of 1783, the Western people began to demand the free navigation
of the ftlississippi — not as a favor, but as a right. In 1786, both banks of
the river, below the mouth of the Ohio, were occupied by Spain, and military
posts on the east bank enforced her power to exact heavy duties on all im-
ports by way of the river for the Ohio region. Every boat descending the
river was forced to land and submit to the arbitrary revenue exactions of the
Spanish authorities. Under the administration of Governor Miro, these rigor-
ous exactions were somewhat relaxed from 1787 to 17U0 ; but Spain held it as
her right to make them. Taking advantage of the claim of the American people,
that the Mississippi should be opened to them, in 1791, the Spanish Govern-
ment concocted a scheme for the dismembership of the Union. The plan was
to induce the Western people to separate from the Eastern States by liberal land
grants and extraordinary commercial privileges.
Spanish emissaries, among the people of Ohio and Kentucky, informed them
that the Spanish Government would grant them favorable commercial privileges,
provided they would secede from the Federal Government east of the mountains.
The Spanish Minister to the United States plainly declared to his confidential
correspondent that, unless the Western people would declare their independence
14!) HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
and refuse to remain in the Union, Spain was determined never to grant the
free navigation of the Mississippi.
By the treaty of Madrid, October 20, 179o, however, Spain formally stip-
ulated that the Mississippi River, from its source to the Gulf, for its entire width,
should be free to American trade and commerce, and that the people of the
United States should be permitted, for three years, to use the port of New
Orleans as a port of deposit for their merchandise and produce, duty free.
In November, 1801, the United States Government received, through Rufus
King, its Minister at the Court of St. James, a copy of the treaty between Spain
and France, signed at Madrid March 21, 1801, by which the cession of Loui-
siana to France, made the previous Autumn, was confirmed.
The change offered a favorable opportunity to secure the just rights of the
United States, in relation to the free navigation of the Mississippi, and ended
the attempt to dismember the Union by an effort to secure an independent
government west of the Alleghany Mountains. On the 7th of January, 1803,
the American House of Representatives adopted a resolution declaring their
" unalterable determination to maintain the boundaries and the rights of navi-
gation and commerce through the River Mississippi, as established by existing
treaties."
In the same month, President Jefferson nominated and the Senate confirmed
Robert R. Livingston and James Monroe as Envoys Plenipotentiary to the
Court of France, and Charles Pinckney and James Monroe to the Court of
Spain, with plenary powers to negotiate treaties to effect the object enunciated
by the popular branch of the National Legislature. These envoys were in-
structed to secure, if possible, the cession of Florida and New Orleans, but it
does not appear that Mr. Jefferson and his Cabinet had any idea of purchasing
that part of Louisiana lying on the west side of the Mississippi. In fact, on
the 2d of March following, the instructions were sent to our Ministers, contain-
ing a plan whicli expressly left to France "all her territory on the west side of
the Mississippi." Had these instructions been followed, it might have been that
there would not have been any State of Iowa or any other member of the glori-
ous Union of States west of the "Father of Waters."
In obedience to his instructions, however, Mr. Livingston broached this
plan to M. Talleyrand, Napoleon's Prime Minister, when that courtly diplo-
matist quietly suggested to the American Minister that France might be willing
to cede the whole French domain in North America to the United States, and
asked how much the Federal Government would be willing to give for it. Liv-
ingston intimated that twenty millions of francs might be a fair price. Talley-
rand thought that not enough, but asked the Americans to "think of it." A
few days later, Napoleon, in an interview with Mr. Livingston, in effect informed
the American Envoy that he had secured Louisiana in a contract with Spain
for the purpose of turning it over to the United States for a mere nominal sum.
He had been compelled to provide for the safety of that province by the treaty,
and he was " anxious to give the United States a magnificent bargain for a
mere trifle." The price proposed was one hundred and twenty-five million
francs. This was subsequently modified to fifteen million dollars, and on this
basis a treaty was negotiated, and was signed on the 30th day of April, 1803.
This treaty was ratified by the Federal Government, and by act of Congress,
approved October 31, 1803, the President of the United States was authorized
to take possession of the territory and provide for it a temporary government.
Accordingly, on the 20th day of December following, on behalf of the Presi-
dent, Gov. Clairborne and Gen. Wilkinson took possession of the Louisiana
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 147
purchase, and raised the American flag over the newly acquired domain, at New
Orleans. Spain, although \t had by treaty ceded the province to France in
1801, still held quasi possession, and at first objected to the transfer, but with-
drew her opposition early in 1804.
By this treaty, thus successfully consummated, and the peaceable withdrawal
of Spain, the then infant nation of the New World extended its dominion west
of the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean, and north from the Gulf of Mexico to
British America.
If the original design of Jefferson's administration had been accomplished,
the United States would have acquired only that portion of the French territory
lying east of the Mississippi River, and while the American people would thus
have acquired the free navigation of that great river, all of the vast and fertile
empire on the west, so rich in its agricultural and inexhaustible mineral
resources, would have remained under the dominion of a foreign power. To
Napoleon's desire to sell the whole of his North American possessions, and Liv-
ingston's act transcending his instructions, which was acquiesced in after it was
done, does Iowa owe her position as a part of the United States by the
Louisiana purchase.
By authority of an act of Congress, approved March 26, 1804, the newly
acquired territory was, on the 1st day of October following, divided : that part
lying south of the 33d parallel of north latitude was called the Territory of
Orleans, and all north of that parallel the District of Louisiana, which was placed
under the authority of the officers of Indiana Territory, until July 4, 1805, when
it was organized, with territorial government of its own, an-d so remained until
1812, when the Territory of Orleans became the State of Louisiana, and the
name of the Territory of Louisiana was changed to Missouri. On the 4th of
July, 1814, that part of Missouri Territory comprising the present State of
Arkansas, and the country to the westward, was organized into the Arkansas
Territory.
On the 2d of March, 1821, the State of Missouri, being a part of the Terri-
tory of that name, was admitted to the Union. June 28, 1834, the territory
west of the Mississippi ltiver and north of Missouri was made a part of the
Territory of Michigan ; but two years later, on the 4th of July, 1836, Wiscon-
sin Territory was erected, embracing within its limits the present States of
Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
By act of Congress, approved June 12, 1838, the
TERRITORY OF IOWA
was erected, comprising, in addition to the present State, much the larger part
of Minnesota, and extending north to the boundary of the British Possessions.
THE ORIGINAL OWNERS.
Having traced the early history of the great empire lying west of the Mis-
sissippi, of which the State of Iowa constitutes a part, from the earliest dis-
covery to the organization of the Territory of Iowa, it becomes necessary to
give some history of
THE INDIANS OF IOWA.
According to the policy of the European nations, possession perfected title
to any territory. We have seen that the country west of the Mississippi was first
discovered by the Spaniards', but afterward, was visited and occupied by the
French. It was ceded by France to Spain, and by Spain back to France again,
148 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
and then was purchased and occupied by the United States. During all that
time, it does not appear to have entered into the heads or hearts of the high
contracting parties that the country they bought, sold and gave away was in
the possession of a race of men who, although savage, owned the vast domain
before Columbus first crossed the Atlantic. Having purchased the territory,
the United States found it still in the possession of its original owners, who had
never been dispossessed ; and it became necessary to purchase again what had
already been bought before, or forcibly eject the occupants; therefore, the his-
tory of the Indian nations who occupied Iowa prior to and during its early set-
tlement by the whites, becomes an important chapter in the history of the State,
that cannot be omitted.
For more than one hundred years after Marquette and Joliet trod the virgin
soil of Iowa, not a single settlement had been made or attempted ; not even a
trailing post had been established. The whole country remained in the undis-
puted possession of the native tribes, who roamed at will over her beautiful and
fertile prairies, hunted in her woods, fished in her streams, and often poured out
their life-blood in obstinately contested contests for supremacy. That this State
so aptly styled " The Beautiful Land," had been the theater of numerous,
fierce and bloody struggles between rival nations, for possession of the favored
region, long before its settlement by civilized man, there is no room for doubt.
In these savage wars, the weaker part}7, whether aggressive or defensive, was
either exterminated or driven from their ancient hunting grounds.
In 1673, when Marquette discovered Iowa, the Illini were a very powerful
people, occupying a large portion of the State ; but when the country was again
visited by the whites, not a remnant of that once powerful tribe remained on
the west side of the Mississippi, and Iowa was principally in the possession of
the Sacs and Foxes, a warlike tribe which, originally two distinct nations,
residing in New York and on the waters of the St. Lawrence, had gradually
fought their way westward, and united, probably, after the Foxes had been driven
out of the Fox River country, in 1S4G, and crossed the Mississippi. The death
of Pontiac, a famous Sac chieftain, was made the pretext for war against the
Illini, and a fierce and bloody struggle ensued, which continued until the Illinois
were nearly destroyed and their hunting grounds possessed by their victorious
foes. The Iowas also occupied a portion of the State for a time, in common
with the Sacs, but they, too, were nearly destroyed by the Sacs and Foxes, and,
in "The Beautiful Land," these natives met their equally warlike foes, the
Northern Sioux, with whom they maintained a constant warfare for the posses-
sion of the country for many years.
When the United States came in possession of the great valley of the Mis-
sissippi, by the Louisiana purchase, the Sacs and Foxes and lowas possessed
the entire territory now comprising the State of Iowa. The Sacs and Foxes,
also, occupied the most of the State of Illinois.
The Sacs had four principal villages, where most of them resided, viz. :
Their largest and most important town — if an Indian village may be called
Such — and from which emanated most of the obstacles and difficulties encoun-
tered by the Government in the extinguishment of Indian titles to land in this
region, was on Rock River, near Bock Island; another was on the east bank of
the Mississippi, near the mouth of Henderson River; the third w:is :lt '»»'
head of the !>is Moines Rapids, near the present site of Montrose, and t lie fourth
was near the mouth of .the Upper Iowa.
The Foxes had three principal villages, viz. : One on the west side of the
Mississippi, six miles above the rapids of Bock Biver; another about twelve
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 149
miles from the river, in the rear of the Dubuque lead mines, and the third on
Turkey River.
The Iowas, at one time identified with the Sacs, of Rock River, had with-
drawn from them and become a separate tribe. Their principal village was on
the Des Moines River, in Van Buren County, on the site where Iowaville now
stands. Here the last great battle between the Sacs and Foxes and the Iowas
was fought, in which Black Hawk, then a young man, commanded one division
of the attacking forces. The following account of the battle has been given :
"Contrary to long established custom of Indian attack, this battle was commenced in the day
time, the attending circumstances justifying this departure from the well settled usages of Indian
warfare. The battle field was a level river bottom, about four miles in length, aud two miles
wide near the middle, narrowing to a point at either end. The main area of this bottom rises
perhaps twenty feet above the river, leaving a narrow strip of low bottom along the shore, covered
with trees that belted the prairie on the river side with a thick forest, and the immediate bank of
the river was fringed with a dense growth of willows. Near the lower end of this prairie, near
the river bank, was situated the Iowa village. About two miles above it and near the middle of
the prairie is a mound, covered at the time with a tuft of small trees anil uuderbrush growing on
its summit. In the rear of this little elevation or mound lay a belt of wet prairie, covered, at that
time, with a dense growth of rank, coarse grass. Bordering this wet prairie on the north, the
country rises abruptly into elevated broken river blurt's, covered with a heavy forest for many
miles in extent, and in places thickly clustered with undergrowth, affording a convenient shelter
for the stealthy approach of the foe. ,
" Through this forest the Sac and Fox war party made their way in the night and secreted
themselves in the tall grass spoken of above, intending to remain in ambush during the day and
make such observations as this near proximity to their intended victim might afford, to aid them
in their contemplated attack on the town during the following night. From this situation their
spies could take a full survey of the village, and watch every movement of the inhabitants, by
which means they were soon convinced that the Iowas had no suspicion of their presence.
" At the foot of the mound above mentioned, the Iowas had their race course, where they diverted
themselves with the excitement of horse racing, and schooled their young warriors in cavalry
evolutions. In these exercises mock battles were fought, and the Indian tactics of attack and
defense carefully inculcated, by which meansaskill in horsemanship was acquired rarely excelled.
Unfortunately for them this day was selected for their equestrian sports, and wholly uncon-
scious of the proximity of their foes, the warriors repaired to the race ground, leaving most of
their arms in the village and their old men aud women and children unprotected.
" Pash-a-po-po, who was chief in command of the Sacs and Foxes, perceived at once the
advantage this state of things afforded for a complete surprise of his now doomed victims, and
ordered Black Hawk to file off with his young warriors through the tall grass and gain the cover
of the timber along the river bank, and with the utmost speed reach the village and commence
the battle, while he remained with his division in the ambush to make a siuuilt menus as-ault on
the uuarmeel men whose attention was engrossed with the excitement of the races. The plan
was skillfully laid and most dexterously executed. Black Hawk with his forces reached the
village undiscovered, and made a furious onslaught upon the defenseless inhabiiants, by tiring
one general volley into their midst, and completing the slaughter with the tomahawk aud scalp-
ing knife, aided by the devouring flames with which they enveloped the village as soon as the
fire brand could be spread from lodge to lodge.
" On the instant ot the report of fire arms at the village the forces under Pash-i-po-po
leaped from their couchant position iu the grass and sprang tiger-like upon the astonished and
unarmed Iowas in the midst of their racing spurts. The first impulse of the hitter naturally led
them to make the utmost speed toward their arms in the village, and protect if possible their
wives and chil Iren from the attack of their merciless assailants. The distance from the phic • of
attack on the prairie was two miles, and a great number fell in their flight by the bullets and
tomahawks of their enemies, who pressed them closely with a running tire the whole way. and
the survivors only reached their town in time to witness the horrors of its destruction. Their
whole village was in flames, and the dearest objects of their lives lay in slaughtered heaps
amidst the devouring element, and the agonizing groans of the dying, mingled With the exulting
shouts of the victorious foe, tilled their hearts with maddening despair. Their wives an 1 children
who had been spared the general massacre were prisoners, and together with their arms were in
the hands of the victors ; and all that could now be done was to draw off their shattered and
defenseless forces, and save as many lives as possible by a retreat across the Des Moines River,
which they effected in the best possible manner, and took a position among the Soap Cieek
Hills."
The Sacs and Foxes, prior to the settlement of their village on Rock River,
had a fierce conflict with the Winnebagoes, subdued them and took
150 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
of their lands. Their village on Rock River, at one time, contained upward of
sixty lodges, and was among the largest Indian villages on the continent. In
1825, the Secretary of War estimated the entire number of the Sacs and Foxes
at 4,600 souls. Their village was situated in the immediate vicinity of the
upper rapids of the Mississippi, where the beautiful and flourishing towns of
Rock Island and Davenport are now situated. The beautiful scenery of the
island, the extensive prairies, dotted over with groves ; the picturesque bluff's
along the river banks, the rich and fertile soil, producing large crops of corn,
squash and other vegetables, with little labor; the abundance of wild fruit,
game, fish, and almost everything calculated to make it a delightful spot for an
Indian village, which was found there, had made this place a favorite home of
the Sacs, and secured for it the strong attachment and veneration of the whole
nation.
North of the hunting grounds of the Sacs and Foxes, were those of the
Sioux, a fierce and warlike nation, who often disputed possession with their
rivals in savage and bloody warfare. The possessions of these tribes were
mostly located in Minnesota, but extended over a portion of Northern and
Western Iowa to the Missouri River. Their descent from the north upon the
hunting grounds of Iowa frequently brought them into collision with the Sacs
and Foxes ; and after many a conflict and bloody struggle, z boundary line was
established between them by the Government of the United States, in a treaty
held at Prairie du Chien, in 1825. But this, instead of settling the difficulties,
caused them to quarrel all the more, in consequence of alleged trespasses upon
each other's side of the line. These contests were kept up and became so unre-
lenting that, in 1830, Government bought of the respective tribes of the Sacs
and Foxes, and the Sioux, a strip of land twenty miles in width, on both sides
of the line, and thus throwing them forty miles apart by creating between them
a "neutral ground," commanded them to cease their hostilities. Both the
Sacs and Foxes and the Sioux, however, were allowed to fish and hunt on this
ground unmolested, provided they did not interfere with each other on United
States territory. The Sacs and Foxes and the Sioux were deadly enemies, and
neither let an opportunity to punish the other pass unimproved.
In April, 1852, a fight occurred between the Musquaka band of Sacs and
Foxes and a band of Sioux, about six miles above Algona, in Kossuth County,
on the west side of the Des Moines River. The Sacs and Foxes were under
the leadership of Ko-ko-wah, a subordinate chief, and had gone up from their
home in Tama County, by way of Clear Lake, to what was then the "neutral
ground." At Clear Lake, Ko-ko-wah was informed that a party of Sioux were
encamped on the west side of the East Fork of the Des Moines, and he deter-
mined to attack them. With sixty of his warriors, he started and arrived at a
point on the east side of the river, about a mile above the Sioux encampment,
in the night, and concealed themselves in a grove, where they were able to dis-
cover the position and strength of their hereditary foes. The next morning,
after many of the Sioux braves had left their camp on hunting tours, the vin-
dictive Sacs and Foxes crossed the river and suddenly attacked the camp. The
conflict was desperate for a short time, but the advantage was with the assail-
ants, and the Sioux were routed. Sixteen of them, including some of their
women and children, were killed, and a boy 14 years old was captured. One
of the Musquakas was shot in the breast by a squaw as they were rushing into
the Sioux's camp. He started to run away, when the same brave squaw shot
him through the body, at a distance of twenty rods, and he fell dead. Three
other Sac braves were killed. But few of the Sioux escaped. The victorious
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 151
party hurriedly buried their own dead, leaving the dead Sioux above ground,
and made their way home, with their captive, with all possible expedition.
PIKE'S EXPEDITION.
Very soon after the acquisition of Louisiana, the United States Government
adopted measures for the exploration of the new territory, having in view the
conciliation vof the numerous tribes of Indians by whom it was possessed, and,
also, the selection of proper sites for the establishment of military posts and
trading stations. The Army of the West, Gen. James Wilkinson commanding,
had its headquarters at St. Louis. From this post, Captains Lewis and Clark,
with a sufficient force, were detailed to explore the unknown sources of the
Missouri, and Lieut. Zebulon M. Pike to ascend to the head waters of the Mis-
sissippi. Lieut. Pike, with one Sergeant, two Corporals and seventeen privates,
left the military camp, near St. Louis, in a keel-boat, with four months' rations,
on the 9th day of August, 1805. On the 20th of the same month, the expe-
dition arrived within the present limits of Iowa, at the foot of the Des Moines
Rapids, where Pike met William Evving, who had just been appointed Indian
Agent at this point, a French interpreter and four chiefs and fifteen Sac and
Fox warriors.
At the head of the Rapids, where Montrose is now situated, Pike held a
council with the Indians, in which he addressed them substantially as follows :
"Your great Father, the President of the United States, wished to be more
intimately acquainted with the situation and wants of the different nations of
red people in our newlv acquired territory of Louisiana, and has ordered the
General to send a number of his warriors in different directions to take them by
the hand and make such inquiries as might afford the satisfaction required."
At the close of the council he presented the red men with some knives, whisky
and tobacco.
Pursuing his way up the river, he arrived, on the 23d of August, at what is
supposed, from his description, to be the site of the present city of Burlington,
which he selected as the location of a military post. He describes the place as
being " on a hill, about forty miles above the River de Moyne Rapids, on the
west, side of the river, in latitude about 41° 21' north. The channel of the
river runs on that shore; the hill in front is about sixty feet perpendicular;
nearly level on top ; four hundred yards in the rear is a small prairie fit for
gardening, and immediately under the hill is a limestone spring, sufficient for
the consumption of a whole regiment." In addition to this description, which
corresponds to Burlington, the spot is laid down on his map at a bend in the
river, a short distance below tbe mouth of the Henderson, which pours its waters
into the Mississippi from Illinois. The fort was built at Fort Madison, but from ■
the distance, latitude, description and map furnished by Pike, it could not have
been the place selected by him, while all the circumstances corroborate the
opinion that the place he selected was the spot where Burlington is now located,
called by the early voyagers on the Mississippi, " Flint Hills."
On the 24th, with one of his men, he went on shore on a hunting expedition,
and following a stream which they supposed to be a part of the Mississippi, they
were led away from their course. Owing to the intense heat and tall grass, his
two favorite dogs, which he had taken with him, became exhausted and he left
them on the prairie, supposing that they would follow him as soon as they
should get rested, and went on to overtake his boat. Reaching the river, he
waited some time for his canine friends, but they did not come, and as he deemed
it inexpedient to detain the boat longer, two of his men volunteered to go in pur-
15iZ HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
suit of them, and he continued on his way up the river, expecting that the two
men would soon overtake him. They lost their way, however, and for six days
were without food, except a few morsels gathered from the stream, and might
have perished, had they not accidentally met a trader from St. Louis, who in-
duced two Indians to take them up the river, and they overtook the boat at
Dubuque.
At Dubuque, Pike was cordially received by Julien Dubuque, a Frenchman,
who held a mining claim under a grant from Spain. Dubuque had an old field
piece and fired a salute in honor of the advent of the first Americans who had
visited that part of the Territory. Dubuque, however, was not disposed to pub-
lish the wealth of his mines, and the young and evidently inquisitive officer
obtained but little information from him.
After leaving this place, Pike pursued his way up the river, but as he passed
beyond the limits of the present State of Iowa, a detailed history of his explo-
rations on the upper waters of the Mississippi more properly belongs to the his-
tory of another State.
It is sufficient to say that on the site of Fort Snelling, Minnesota, at the
mouth of the Minnesota River, Pike held a council with the Sioux, September
23, and obtained from them a grant of one hundred thousand acres of land.
On the 8th of January, 1806, Pike arrived at a trading post belonging to the
Northwest Company, on Lake De Sable, in latitude 47°. At this time the
then powerful Northwest Company carried on their immense operations from
Hudson's Bay to the St. Lawrence; up that river on both sides, along the great
lakes to the head of Lake Superior, thence to the sources of the Red River of
the north and west, to the Rocky Mountains, embracing within the scope of
their operations the entire Territory of Iowa. After successfully accomplishing
his mission, and performing a valuable service to Iowa and the whole Northwest,
Pike returned to St. Louis, arriving there on the 30th of April, 1806.
INDIAN WARS.
The Territory of Iowa, although it had been purchased by the United States,
and was ostensibly in the possession of the Government, was still occupied by
the Indians, who claimed title to the soil by right of ownership and possession.
Before it could be open to settlement by the whites, it was indispensable that
the Indian title should be extinguished and the original owners removed. The
accomplishment of this purpose required the expenditure of large sums of
money and blood, and for a long series of years the frontier was disturbed by
Indian wars, terminated repeatedly by treaty, only to be renewed by some act
of oppression on the part of the whites or some violation of treaty stipulation.
As previously shown, at the time when the United States assumed the con-
trol of the country by virtue of the Louisiana purchase, nearly the whole State
was in possession of the Sacs and Foxes, a powerful and warlike nation, who
were not disposed to submit without a struggle to what they considered the
encroachments of the pale faces.
Among the most noted chiefs, and one whose restlessness and hatred of the
Americans occasioned more trouble to the Government than any other of his
tribe, was Black Hawk, who was born at the Sac village, on Rock River, in
1767. He was simply the chief of his own band of Sac warriors, but by his
energy and ambition he became the leading spirit of the united nation of Sacs
and Foxes, and one of the prominent figures in the history of the country from
1804 until his death. In early manhood he attained some distinction as a
fighting chief, having led campaigns against the Usages, and other neighboring
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 153
tribes. About the beginning of the present century he began to appear prom-
inent in affairs on the Mississippi. Some historians have added to the statement
that " it does not appear that he was ever a great general, or possessed any of
the qualifications of a successful leader." If this was so, his life was a marvel.
How any man who had none of the qualifications of a leader became so prom-
inent as such, as he did, indicates either that he had some ability, or that his
cotemporaries, both Indian and Anglo-Saxon, had less than he. He is said
to have been the " victim of a narrow prejudice and bitter ill-will against the
Americans," but the impartial historian must admit that if he was the enemy
of theAmericans, it was certainly not without some reason.
It will be remembered that Spain did not give up possession of the country
to France <5n its cession to the latter power, in 1801, but retained possession of
it, and, by the authority of France, transferred it to the United States, in 1804.
Black Hawk and his band were in St. Louis at the time, and were invited to be
present and witness the ceremonies of the transfer, but he refused the invitation,
and it is but just to say that this refusal was caused probably more from
regret that the Indians were to be transferred from the jurisdiction of the
Spanish authorities than from any special hatred toward the Americans. In
his life he says : " I found many sad and gloomy faces because the United
States were about to take possession of the town and country. Soon after the
Americans came, I took my band and went to take leave of our Spanish father.
The Americans came to see him also. Seeing them approach, we passed out
of one door as they entered another, and immediately started in our canoes for
our village, on Rock River, not liking the change any more than our friends
appeared to at St. Louis. On arriving at our village, we gave the news that
strange people had arrived at St. Louis, and that we should never see our
Spanish father again. The information made all our people sorry."
On the 3d day of November, 1804, a treaty was concluded between William
Henry Harrison, then Governor of Indiana Territory, on behalf of the United
States, and five chiefs of the Sac and Fox nation, by which the latter, in con-
sideration of two thousand two hundred and thirty-four dollars' worth of goods
then delivered, and a yearly annuity of one thousand dollars to be paid in
goods at just cost, ceded to the United States all that land on the east side of
the Mississppi, extending from a point opposite the Jefferson, in Missouri, to
the Wisconsin River, embracing an area of over fifty-one millions of acres.
To this treaty Black Hawk always objected and always refused to consider
it binding upon his people. He asserted that the chiefs or braves who made it
had no authority to relinquish the title of the nation to any of the lands they
held or occupied ; and, moreover, that they had been sent to St. Louis on quite
a different errand, namely, to get one of their people released, who had been
imprisoned at St. Louis for killing a white man.
The year following this treaty (1805), Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike came up
the river for the purpose of holding friendly councils with the Indians and select-
ing sites for forts within the territory recently acquired from France by the
United States. Lieutenant Pike seems to have been the first American whom
Black Hawk ever met or had a personal interview with ; and he was very much
prepossessed in Pike's favor. He gives the following account of his visit to
Rock Island:
" A boat came up the river with a young American chief and a small party
of soldiers. We heard of them soon after they passed Salt River. Some of our
young braves watched them every day, to see what sort of people he had on
board. The boat at length arrived at Rock River, and the young chief came on
154 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
shore with his interpreter, and made a speech and gave us some presents. We
in turn presented them with meat and such other provisions as we had to spare.
We were well pleased with the young chief. He gave us good advice, and said
our American father would treat us well."
The events which soon followed Pike's expedition were the erection of Fort
Edwards, at what is now Warsaw, Illinois, and Fort Madison, on the site of the
present town of that name, the latter being the first fort erected in Iowa. These
movements occasioned great uneasiness among the Indians. When work was
commenced on Fort Edwards, a delegation from their nation, headed by some of
their chiefs, went down to see what the Americans were doing, and had an in-
terview with the commander ; after which they returned home apparently satis-
fied. In like manner, when Fort Madison was being erected, they sent down
another delegation from a council of the nation held at Rock River. Accord-
ing to Black Hawk's account, the American chief told them that he was build-
ing a house for a trader who was coming to sell them goods cheap, and that the
soldiers were coming to keep him company — a statement which Black Hawk
says they distrusted at the time, believing that the fort was an encroachment
upon their rights, and designed to aid in getting their lands away from them.
It has been held by good American authorities, that the erection of Fort
Madison at the point where it was located was a violation of the treaty of 1804.
By the eleventh article of that treaty, the United States had a right to build a
fort near the mouth of the Wisconsin River ; by article six they had bound
themselves "that if any citizen of the United States or any other white persons
should form a settlement upon their lands, such intruders should forthwith be
removed." Probably the authorities of the United States did not regard the
establishment of military posts as coming properly within the meaning of the
term "settlement," as used in the treaty. At all events, they erected Fort
Madison within the territory reserved to the Indians, who became very indig-
nant. Not long after the fort was built, a party led by Black Hawk attempted
its destruction. They sent spies to watch the movements of the garrison, who
ascertained that the soldiers were in the habit of marching out of the fort every
morning and evening for parade, and the plan of the party was to conceal them-
selves near the fort, and attack and surprise them when they were outside. On
the morning of the proposed day of attack, five soldiers came out and were fired
upon by the Indians, two of them being killed. The Indians were too hasty in
their movement, for the regular drill had not yet commenced. However, they
kept up the attack for several days, attempting the old Fox strategy of setting
fire to the fort with blazing arrows ; but finding their efforts unavailing, they
soon gave up and returned to Rock River.
When war was declared between the United States and Great Britain, in
1812, Black Hawk and his band allied themselves with the British, partly
because he was dazzled by their specious promises, and more probably because
they had been deceived by the Americans. Black Hawk himself declared that
they were "forced into the war by being deceived." He narrates the circum-
stances as follows : " Several of the chiefs and head men of the Sacs and
Foxes were called upon to go to Washington to see their Great Father. On
their return, they related what had been said and done. They said the Great
Father wished them, in the event of a war taking place with England, not to
interfere on either side, but to remain neutral. He did not want our help, but
wished us to hunt and support our families, and live in peace. He said that
British traders would not be permitted to come on the Mississippi to furnish us
with goods, but that we should be supplied with an American trader. Our
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 155
chiefs then told him that the British^traders always gave them credit in the
Fall for guns, powder and goods, to enable us to hunt and clothe our families.
He repeated that the traders at Fort Madison would have plenty of goods;
that we should go there in the Fall and he would supply us on credit, as the
British traders had done."
Black Hawk seems to have accepted of this proposition, and he and his
people were very much pleased. Acting in good faith, they fitted out for their
Winter's hunt, and went to Fort Madison in high spirits to receive from the
trader their outfit of supplies. But, after waiting some time, they were told by
the trader that he would not trust them. It was in vain that they pleaded the
promise of their great father at Washington. The trader was inexorable ; and,
disappointed and crestfallen, they turned sadly toward their own village. "'Few
of us," says Black Hawk, "slept that night; all was gloom and discontent. In
the morning, a canoe was seen ascending the river ; it soon arrived, bearing an
express, who brought intelligence that a British trader had landed at Rock
Island with two boats loaded with goods, and requested us to come up imme-
diately, because he had good news for us, and a variety of presents. The
express presented us with tobacco, pipes and wampum. The news ran through
our camp like fire on a prairie. Our lodges were soon taken down, and all
started for Rock Island. Here ended all hopes of our remaining at peace,
having been forced into the war by being deceived."
He joined the British, who flattered him, styled him " Gen. Black Hawk,"
decked him with medals, excited his jealousies against the Americans, and
armed his band ; but he met with defeat and disappointment, and soon aban-
doned the service and came home.
With all his skill and courage, Black Hawk was unable to lead all the Sacs
and Foxes into hostilities to the United States. A portion of them, at the head
of whom was Keokuk ("the Watchful Fox"), were disposed to abide by the
treaty of 1804, and to cultivate friendly relations with the American people.
Therefore, when Black Hawk and his band joined the fortunes of Great
Britain, the rest of the nation remained neutral, and, for protection, organized,
with Keokuk for their chief. This divided the nation into the " War and the
Peace party."
Black Hawk says he was informed, after he had gone to the war, that the
nation, which had been reduced to so small a body of fighting men, were unable
to defend themselves in case the Americans should attack them, and having all
the old men and women and children belonging to the warriors who had joined
the British on their hands to provide for, a council was held, and it was agreed
that Quash-qua-me (the Lance) and other chiefs, together with the old men,
women and children, and such others as chose to accompany them, should go to
St. Louis and place themselves under the American chief stationed there.
They accordingly went down, and were received as the "friendly band" of the
Sacs and Foxes, and were provided for and sent up the Missouri River. On
Black Hawk's return from the British army, he says Keokuk was introduced
to him as the war chief of the braves then in the village. He inquired how he
had become chief, and was informed that their spies had seen a large armed
force going toward Peoria, and fears were entertained of an attack upon the
village ; whereupon a council was held, which concluded to leave the village
and cross over to the west side of the Mississippi. Keokuk had been standing
at the door of the lodge where the council was held, not being allowed to enter
on account of never having killed an enemy, where he remained until Wa-co-me
came out. Keokuk asked permission to speak in the council, which Wa-co-me
156 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
obtained for him. Keokuk then addres&ed the chiefs ; he remonstrated against
the desertion of their village, their own homes and the graves of their fathers,
and oifcred to defend the village. The council consented that he should be
their war chief. He marshaled his braves, sent out spies, and advanced on the
trail leading to Peoria, but returned without seeing the enemy. The Americans
did not disturb the village, and all were satisfied with the appointment of
Keokuk.
Keokuk, like Black Hawk, was a descendant of the Sac branch of the
nation, and was born on Rock River, in 1780. He was of a pacific disposition,
but possessed the elements of true courage, and could fight, when occasion
required, with a cool judgment and heroic energy. In his first battle, he en-
countered and killed a Sioux, which placed him in the rank of warriors, and he
was honored with a public feast by his tribe in commemoration of the event.
Keokuk has been described as an orator, entitled to rank with the most
gifted of his race. In person, he was tall and of portly bearing ; in his public
speeches, he displayed a commanding attitude and graceful gestures ; he spoke
rapidly, but his enunciation was clear, distinct and forcible ; he culled his fig-
ures from the stores of nature and based his arguments on skillful logic. Un-
fortunately for the reputation of Keokuk, as an orator among white people, he
was never able to obtain an interpreter who could claim even a slight acquaint-
ance with philosophy. With one exception only, his interpreters were unac-
quainted with the elements of their mothei'-tongue. Of this serious hindrance
to his fame, Keokuk was well aware, and retained Frank Labershure, who had
received a rudimental education in the French and English languages, until the
latter broke down by dissipation and died. But during the meridian of his
career among the white people, he was compelled to submit his speeches for
translation to uneducated men, whose range of thought fell below the flights of
a gifted mind, and the fine imagery drawn from nature was beyond their power
of reproduction. He had sufficient knowledge of the English language to make
him sensible of this bad rendering of his thoughts, and often a feeling of morti-
fication at the bungling efforts was depicted on his countenance while speaking.
The proper place to form a correct estimate of his ability as an orator was in
the Indian council, where he addressed himself exclusively to those who under-
stood his language, and witness the electrical effect of his eloquence upon his
audience.
Keokuk seems to have possessed a more sober judgment, and to have had a
more intelligent view of the great strength and resources of the United States,
than his noted and restless cotemporary, Black Hawk. He knew from the first
that the reckless war which Black Hawk and his band had determined to carry on
could result in nothing but defeat and disaster, and used every argument against
it. The large number of warriors whom he had dissuaded from following Black
Hawk became, however, greatly excited with the war spirit after Stillman's
defeat, and but for the signal tact displayed by Keokuk on that occasion, would
have forced him to submit to their wishes in joining the rest of the warriors in
the field. A war-dance was held, and Keokuk took part in it, seeming to be
moved with the current of the rising storm. When the dance was over, he
called the council to prepare for war. He made a speech, in which he admitted
the justice of their complaints against the Americans. To seek redress was a
noble aspiration of their nature. The bl I of their brethren had been shed by
the white man, and the spirits of their braves, slain in battle, called loudly for
vengeance. "I am your chief," he said, '•and it is my duty to lead you to bat-
tle, if, after fully considering the matter, you are determined to go. But before
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 157
you decide on taking this important step, it is wise to inquire into the chances of
success." He then portrayed to them the great power of the United States,
against whom they would have to contend, that their chance of success was
utterly hopeless. " But," said he, " if you do determine to go upon the war-
path, I will agree to lead you, on one condition, viz.: that before we go, we will
lull all our old men and our wives and children, to save them from a lingering
death of starvation, and that every one of us determine to leave our homes on
the other side of the Mississippi."
This was a strong but truthful picture of the prospect before them, and was
presented in such a forcible light as to cool their ardor, and cause them to aban-
don the rash undertaking.
But during the war of 1832, it is now considered certain that small bands of
Indians, from the west side of the Mississippi, made incursions into the white
settlements, in the lead mining region, and committed some murders and dep-
redations.
When peace was declared between the United States and England, Black
Hawk was required to make peace with the former, and entered into a treaty
at Portage des Sioux, September 14, 1815, but did not " touch the goose-quill
to it until May 13, 1816, when he smoked the pipe of peace with the great
white chief," at St. Louis. This treaty was a renewal of the treaty of 1804,
but Black Hawk declared he had been deceived ; that he did not know that by
signing the treaty he was giving away his village. This weighed upon his mind,
already soured by previous disappointment and the irresistible encroachments of
the whites ; and when, a few years later, he and his people were driven from
their possessions by the military, he determined to return to the home of his
fathers.
It is also to be remarked that, in 1816, by treaty with various tribes, the
United States relinquished to the Indians all the lands lying north of a line
drawn from the southernmost point of Lake Michigan west to the Mississippi,
except a reservation five leagues square, on the Mississippi River, supposed then
to be sufficient to include all the mineral lands on and adjacent to Fever River,
and one league square at the mouth of the Wisconsin River.
THE BLACK HAWK WAR.
The immediate cause of the Indian outbreak in 1830 was the occupation of
Black Hawk's village, on the Rock River, by the whites, during the absence of
tbe chief and his braves on a hunting expedition, on the west side of the
Mississippi. When they returned, they found their wigwams occupied by white
families, and their own women and children were shelterless on the banks of
the river. The Indians were indignant, and determined to repossess their village
at all hazards, and early in the Spring of 1831 recrossed the Mississippi and
menacingly took possession of their own cornfields and cabins. It may be well
to remark 'here that it was expressly stipulated in the treaty of 1804, to which
they attributed all their troubles, that the Indians should not be obliged to
leave their lands until they were sold by the United States, and it does not
appear that they occupied any lands other than those owned by the Government.
If this was true, the Indians had good cause for indignation and complaint.
But the whites, driven out in turn by the returning Indians, became so clamorous
against what they termed the encroachments of the natives, that Gov. Reynolds, of
Illinois, ordered Gen Gaines to Rock Island with a military force to drive the
Indians again from their homes to the west side of the Mississippi. Black Hawk
says he did not intend to be provoked into war by anything less than the blood of
158 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
some of his own people ; in other words, that there would be no war unless it should
be commenced by the pale faces. But it was said and probably thought by the mili-
tary commanders along the frontier that the Indians intended to unite in a general
war against the whites, from Rock River to the Mexican borders. But it does not
appear that the hardy frontiersmen themselves had any fears, for their experi-
ence had been that, when well treated, their Indian neighbors were not danger-
ous. Black Hawk and his band had done no more than to attempt to repossess the
the old homes of which they had been deprived in their absence. No blood
had been shed. Black Hawk and his chiefs sent a flag of truce, and a new
treaty was made, by which Black Hawk and his band agreed to remain forever
on the Iowa side and never recross the river without the permission of the
President or the Governor of Illinois. Whether the Indians clearly understood
the terms of this treaty is uncertain. As was usual, the Indian traders had
dictated terms on their behalf, and they had received a large amount of pro-
visions, etc., from the Government, but it may well be doubted whether the
Indians comprehended that they could never revisit the graves of their fathers
without violating their treaty. They undoubtedly thought that they had agreed
never to recross the Mississippi with hostile intent. However this may be, on
the 6th day of April, 1832, Black Hawk and his entire band, with their women
and children, again recrossed the Mississippi in plain view of the garrison of
Fort Armstrong, and went up Rock River. Although this act was construed
into an act of hostility by the military authorities, who declared that Black
Hawk intended to recover his village, or the site where it stood, by force : but
it does not appear that he made any such attempt, nor did his apearance
create any special alarm among the settlers. They knew that the Indians never
went on the war path encumbered with the old men, their women and their
children.
The Galcnian, printed in Galena, of May 2, 1832, says that Black Hawk
was invited by the Prophet and had taken possession of a tract about forty
miles up Rock River; but that he did not remain there long, but commenced
his march up Rock River. Capt, W. B. Green, who served in ('apt. Stephen-
Son's company of mounted rangers, says that "Black Hawk and h'S band
crossed the river with no hostile intent, but that his band had had bad luck in
hunting during the previous Winter, were actually in a starving condition, and
had come over to spend the Summer with a friendly tribe on the head waters of
the Rock and Illinois Rivers, by invitation from their chief. Other old set-
tlers, who all agree that Black Hawk had no idea of fighting, say that he came
back to the west side expecting to negotiate another treaty, and get a new
supply of provisions. The most reasonable explanation of this movement, which
resulted so disastrously to Black Hawk and his starving people, is that, during
the Fall and Winter of 1831-2, his people became deeply indebted to their
favorite trader at Fort Armstrong (Rock Island). They hail not been fortunate
in hunting, and he was likely to lose heavily, as an Indian debt was outlawed
in one year. If, therefore, the Indians could lie induced to come over, and the
fears of the military could be sufficiently aroused to pursue them, another treaty
could be negotiated, and from the payments from the Government the shrewd
trader could get his pay. dust a week after Black Hawk crossed the river, on
the 13th of April, 1832, George Davenport wrote to (ien. Atkinson : " I am
informed that the British band of Sac Indians are determined to make war on
the frontier settlements. * * * From every information that 1 have
received. I am of the opinion that the intention of the P>ritish band of Sac
Indians is to commit depredations on the inhabitants of the frontier." And
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 159
yet, from the 6th day of April until after Stillman's men commenced war by
firing on a flag of truce from Black Hawk, no murders nor depredations were
committed by the British band of Sac Indians.
It is not the purpose of this sketch to detail the incidents of the Black
Hawk war of 1832, as it pertains rather to the history of the State of Illinois.
It is sufficient to say that, after the disgraceful affair at Stillman's Run, Black
Hawk, concluding that the whites, refusing to treat with him, were determined
to exterminate his people, determined to return to the Iowa side of the Missis-
sippi. He could not return by the way he came, for the army was behind him,
an army, too, that would sternly refuse to recognize the wdiite flag of peace.
His only course was to make his way northward and reach the Mississippi, if
possible, before the troops could overtake him, and this he did ; but, before he
could get his women and children across the Wisconsin, he was overtaken, ami a
battle ensued. Here, again, he sued for peace, and, through his trusty Lieu-
tenant, "the Prophet," the whites were plainly informed that the starving
Indians did not wish to fight, but would return to the west side of the Missis-
sippi, peaceably, if they could be permitted to do so. No attention was paid to
this second effort to negotiate peace, and, as soon as supplies could be obtained,
the pursuit was resumed, the flying Indians were overtaken again eight miles
before they reached the mouth of the Bad Axe, ami the slaughter (it should not
be dignified by the name of battle) commenced. Here, overcome by starvation
and the victorious whites, his band was scattered, on the 2d day of August,
1832. Black Hawk escaped, but was brought into camp at Prairie du Chien
by three Winnebagoes. He was confined in Jefferson Barracks until the
Spring of 1833, when he was sent to Washington, arriving there April 22. On
the 2b'th of April, they were taken to Fortress Monroe, where they remained
till the 4th of June, 1833, when orders were given for them to be liberated and
returned to their own country. By order of the President, he was brought
back to Iowa through the principal Eastern cities. Crowds flocked to see him
all along his route, and he was very much flattered by the attentions he
received. He lived among his people on the Iowa River till that reservation
was sold, in 1836, when, with the rest of the Sacs and Foxes, he removed to
the Des Moines Reservation, where he remained till his death, which occurred
on the 3d of October, 1838.
INDIAN PURCHASES, RESERVES AND TREATIES.
At the close of the Black Hawk War, in 1832, a treaty was made at a
council held on the west bank of the Mississippi, where now stands the thriving
city of Davenport, on grounds now occupied by the Chicago, Rock Island <fc
Pacific Railroad Company, on the 21st day of September, 1832. At this
council, the United States "were represented by Gen. Wmfield Scott and Gov.
Reynolds, of Illinois. Keokuk, Pash-a-pa-ho and some thirty other chiefs and
warriors of the Sac and Fox nation were present. By this treaty, the Sacs and
Foxes ceded to the United States a strip of land on the eastern border of Iowa
fifty miles wide, from the northern boundary of Missouri to the mouth of the
Upper Iowa River, containing about six million acres. The western line of the
purchase was parallel with the Mississippi. In consideration of this cession,
the United States Government stipulated to pay annually to the confederated
tribes, for thirty consecutive years, twenty thousand dollars in specie, and to
pay the debts of the Indians at Rock Island, which had been accumulating for
160 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
seventeen years and amounted to fifty thousand dollars, due to Davenport &
Farnham, Indian traders. The Government also generously donated to the
Sac and Fox women and children whose husbands and fathers had fallen in the
Black Hawk war, thirty-five beef cattle, twelve bushels of salt, thirty barrels of
pork, fifty barrels of flour and six thousand bushels of corn.
This territory is known as the "Black Hawk Purchase." Although it was
not the first portion of Iowa ceded to the United States by the Sacs and Foxes,
it was the first opened to actual settlement by the tide of emigration that flowed
across the Mississippi as soon as the Indian title was extinguished. The treaty
was ratified February 13, 1833, and took effect on the 1st of June following,
when the Indians quietly removed from the ceded territory, and this fertile and
beautiful region was opened to white settlers.
By the terms of the treaty, out of the Black Hawk Purchase was reserved for
the Sacs and Foxes 400 square miles of land situated on the Iowa River, and in-
lcuding within its limits Keokuk's village, on the right bank of that river. This
tract was known as " Keokuk's Reserve, ' and was occupied by the Indians until
1836, when, by a treaty made in September between them and Gov. Dodge, of
Wisconsin Territory, it was ceded to the United States. The council was held
on the banks of the Mississippi, above Davenport, and was the largest assem-
blage of the kind ever held by the Sacs and Foxes to treat for the sale of lands.
About one thousand of their chiefs and braves were present, and Keokuk was
their leading spirit and principal speaker on the occasion. By the terms of the
treaty, the Sacs and Foxes were removed to another reservation on the Des
Moines River, where an agency was established for them at what is now the
town of Agency City.
Besides the Keokuk Reserve, the Government gave out of .the Black Hawk
Purchase to Antoine Le Claire, interpreter, in fee simple, one section of land
opposite Rock Island, and another at the head of the first rapids above the
island, on the Iowa side. This was the first land title granted by the United
States to an individual in Iowa.
Soon after the removal of the Sacs and Foxes to their new reservation
on the Des Moines River, Gen. Joseph M. Street was transferred from the
agency of the Winnebagoes, at Prairie du Chien, to establish an agency
among them. A farm was selected, on which the necessary buildings were
erected, including a comfortable farm house for the agent and his family, at
the expense of the Indian Fund. A salaried agent was employed to superin-
tend the farm and dispose of the crops. Two mills were erected, one on Soap
Creek and the other on Sugar Creek. The latter was soon swept away by a
flood, but the former remained and did good service for many years. Connected
with the agency were Joseph Smart and John Goodell, interpreters. The
latter was interpreter for Hard Fish's band. Three of the Indian chiefs, Keo-
kuk, Wapello and Appanoose, had each a large field improved, the two former
on the right bank of the Des Moines, back from the river, in what is now
"Keokuk's Prairie," and the latter on the present site of the city of Ottumwa.
Among the traders connected with the agency were the Messrs. Ewing, from
Ohio, and Phelps & Co., from Illinois, and also Mr. J. P. Eddy, who estab-
lished his post at what is now the site of Eddyville.
The Indians at this agency became idle and listless in the absence of their
natural and wonted excitements, and many of them plunged into dissipation.
Keokuk himself became dissipated in the latter years of his life, and it has
been reported that he died of delirium tremens after his removal with his
tribe to Kansas.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 161
In May, 1843, most of the Indians were removed up the Des Moines River,
above the temporary line of Red Rock, having ceded the remnant of their
lands in Iowa to the United States on the 21st of September, 1837, and on the
11th of October, 1842. By the terms of the latter treaty, they held possession
of the "New Purchase'" till the Autumn of 1845, when the most of them
were removed to their reservation in Kansas, the balance being removed in the
Spring of 1846.
1. Treaty with the Sioux— Made July 19, 1815; ratified December 16, 1815. This treaty-
was made at Portage des Sioux, between the Sioux of Minnesota and Upper Iowa and the United
States, by William Clark and Ninian Edwards. Commissioners, and was merely a treaty of peace
and friendship on the part of those Indians toward the United States at the close of the war of
1812.
2. Treat;/ icith the Sacs. — A similar treaty of peace was made at Tortage des Sioux, between
the United States and the Sacs, by William Clark, Ninian Edwards and Auguste Choteau, on the
loth of September, 1815, and ratified at the same date as the above. In this, the treaty of 1804
was re-affirmed, and the Sacs here represented promised for themselves and their bands to keep
entirely separate from the Sacs of Kock River, who, under Black Hawk, had joined the British
in the war just then closed.
3. Treaty with the Foxes. — A separate treaty of peace was made with the Foxes at Portage
des Sioux, by the same Commissioners, on the 14th of September, 1815, and ratified the same as
the above, wherein the Foxes re-affirmed the treaty of St. Louis, of November 3, 1804, and
agreed to deliver up all their prisoners to the officer in command at Fort Clark, now Peoria,
Illinois.
4. Treaty with the Iowas. — A treaty of peace and mutual good will was made between the
United States and the Iowa tribe of Indians, at Portage des Sioux, by the same Commissioners
as above, on the 16th of September, 1815, at the close of the war with Great Britain, and ratified
at the same date as the others.
5. Treaty with the Sacs of Rork &wer— Made at St. Louis on the 13th of May, 1816, between
the United States and the Sacs of Rock River, by the Commissioners, William Clark, Ninian
Edwards and Auguste Choteau, and ratified December 30, 1816. In this treaty, that of 1804
was re-established and confirmed by twenty-two chiefs and head men of the Sacs of Rock River,
and Black Hawk himself attached to it his signature, or, as he said, " touched the goose quill."
6. Treaty of 1S24 — On the 4th of August, 1824, a treaty was made between the United
States and the Sacs and Foxes, in the city of Washington, by William Clark, Commissioner,
wherein the Sac and Fox nation relinquished their title to all lands in Missouri and that portion
of the southeast corner of Iowa known as the " Half-Breed Tract" was set off and reserved for
the use of the half-breeds of the Sacs and Foxes, they holding title in the same manner as In-
dians. Ratified January 18, 1825.
7. Treaty of August 19, 1SS5. — At this date a treaty was made by William Clark and Lewis
Cass, at Prairie du Chien, between the United States and the Chippewas, Sacs and Foxes, Me-
nomonees, Winnebagoes and a portion of the Ottawas and Pottawatoruies. In this treaty, in
order to make peace between the contending tribes as to the limits of their respective hunting
grounds in Iowa, it was agreed that the United States Government should run a boundary line
between the Sioux, on the north, and the Sacs and Foxes, on the south, as follows :
Commencing at the mouth of the Upper Iowa River, on the west bank of the Mississippi,
and ascending said Iowa River to its west fork ; thence up the fork to its source ; thence cross-
ing the fork of Red Cedar River in a direct line to the second or upper fork of the Des Moines
River ; thence in a direct line to the lower fork of the Calumet River, and down that river to its
junction with the Missouri River.
8. Treaty of 1S30.— On the 15th of July, 1830, the confederate tribes of the Sacs and Foxes
ceded to the United States a strip of country lying south of the above line, twenty miles in width,
and extending along the line aforesaid from the Mississippi to the Des Moines River. The Sioux
also, whose possessions were north of the line, ceded to the Government, in the same treaty, a
like strip on the north side of the boundary. Thus the United States, at the ratification of this
treaty, February 24, 1831, came into possession of a portion of Iowa forty miles wide, extend-
ing along the Clark and Cass line of 1825, from the Mississippi to the Des Moines River. This
territory was known as the " Neutral Ground," and the tribes on either side of the line were
allowed to fish and hunt on it unmolested till it was made a Winnebago reservation, and the
Winnebagoes were removed to it in 1841.
9. Treaty with the Sacs and Foxes and other Tribes. — At the same time of the above treaty re-
specting the " Neutral Ground" (July 15, 1830), the Sacs and Foxes, Western Sioux, Omahas,
Iowas and Missouris ceded to the United States a portion of the western slope of Iowa, the boun-
daries of which were defined as follows : Beginning at the upper fork of the Des Moines River,
and passing the sources of the Little Sioux and Floyd Rivers, to the fork of the first creek that
falls into the Big Sioux, or Calumet, on the east side ; thence down said creek and the Calumet
162 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
River to the Missouri River; thence down said Missouri River to the Missouri State line above
the Kansas ; theuce along said line to the northwest corner of said State ; thence to the high lands
between the waters falling into the Missouri and Des Moines, passing to said high lands along
the dividing ridge between the forks of the Grand River ; thence along said high lands or ridge
separating the waters of the Missouri from those of the Des Moines, to a point opposite the source
of the Buyer River, and thence in a direct line to the upper fork of the Des Moines, the place of
beginning.
It was understood that the lands ceded ami relinquished by this treaty were to be assigned
and allotted, under the direction of the President of the United States, to the tribes then living
thereon, or to such other tribes as the President might locate thereon for hunting and other pur-
poses. In consideration of three tracts of land ceded in this treaty, the United States agreed to
pay to the Sacs three thousand dollars ; to the Foxes, three thousand dollars ; to the Sioux,
two thousand dollars; to the Yankton and Santie bands of Sioux, three thousand dollars; to the
Omahas, two thousand five hundred dollars; and to the Ottoes and Missouris, two thousand five
hundred dollars — to be paid_ annually for ten successive years. In addition to these annuities,
the Government agreed to furnish some of the tribes with blacksmiths and agricultural imple-
ments to the amount of two hundred dollars, at the expense of the United States, and to set apart
three thousand dollars annually for the education of the children of these tribes. It does not
appear that any fort was erected in this territory prior to the erection of Fort Atkinson on the
Neutral Ground, in 1840-41.
This treaty was made by William Clark, Superintendent of Indian affairs, and Col. Willoughby
Morgan, of the United States First Infantry, and came into effect by proclamation, Februarv
24, 1831.
10. Treaty with the Winnebagoes. — Made at Fort Armstrong, Rock Island, September 15. 1832,
by Gen. Winfield Scott and Hon. John Reynolds, Governor of Illinois. In this treaty the Win-
nebagoes ceded to the United States all their land lying on the east side of the Mississippi, and
in part consideration therefor the United States granted to the Winnebagoes, to be held as other
Indian lands are held, that portion of Iowa known as the Neutral Ground. The exchange of the
two tracts of country was to take place on or before the 1st day of June, 1833. In addition to
the Neutral Ground, it was stipulated that the United States should give the Winnebagoes, begin-
ning in September, 1833, and continuing for twenty-seven successive years, ten thousand dollars
in specie, and establish a school among them, with a farm and garden, and provide other facili-
ties for the education of their children, not to exceed in cost three thousand dollars a year, and
to continue the same for twenty-seven successive years. Six agriculturists, twelve yoke of oxen
and plows and other farming tools were to be supplied by the Government.
11. Treat)/ of 1S32 with the Sacs and foxes.— Already mentioned as the Black Hawk purchase.
12. Treaii/ of 1836, with the Sacs and Foxes, ceding Keokuk's Reserve to the United States;
for which the Government stipulated to pay thirty thousand dollars, and an annuity of ten thou-
sand dollars for ten successive years, together with other sums and debts of the Indians to
various parties.
13. Treaty of 1S37.— On the 21st of October, 1837, a treaty was made at the city of Wash-
ington, between Carey A. Harris, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and the confederate tribes of
Sacs and Foxes, ratified February 21, 1838, wdierein another slice of the soil of Iowa was obtained,
described in the treaty as follows: "A tract of country containing 1,250,000 acres, lying west
and adjoining the tract conveyed by them to the United States in the treaty of September 21,
1832. It is understood that the points of termination for the present cession shall be the north-
ern and southern points of said tract as fixed by the survey made under the authority of the
United Stales, and that a line shall be drawn between them so as to intersect a line extended
westwardly from the angle of said tract nearly opposite to Rock Island, as laid down in the above
survey, so far as may be necessary to include the number of acres hereby ceded, which last
mentioned line, it is estimated, will be about twenty-five miles."
This piece of land was twenty-five miles wide in the middle, and ran off to a point at both
ends, lying directly back of the Black Hawk Purchase, and of the same length.
14 Treaty of Relimjuishment.— At the same date as the above treaty, in the city of Washing-
ton, Carey A. Harris, Commissioner, the Sacs and Foxes ceded to the United States all their
right and interest in the country lying south of the boundary line between the Sacs and Foxes
• ■ 1 1 ■ 1 Si. .ux, as described in the treaty of August 19, 1825, and between the Mississippi and Mis-
souri Rivers, the United States paying for the same one hundred and sixty thousand dollars.
The Indians also gave up all claims and interests under the treaties previously made with them,
for the satisfaction of which no appropriations had been made.
15. Treaty of 18&.— The last treaty was made with the Sacs and Foxes October 11, 1842;
ratitii-.l March 23, 1843. It was made at the Sac and Fox agency (Agency City), by John
Chambers, Commissioner on behalf of the United States. In this treaty the Sac and Fox Indians
•• ceded to the United States all their lands west of the Mississippi to which they had any claim
or title.'' By the terms of this treaty they were to be removed from the country at the expira-
tion of three years, and all who remained after that were to move at their own expense. Part
of them were removed to Kansas in the Fall of 1845, and the rest the Spring following.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
SPANISH GRANTS.
While the territory now embraced in the State of Iowa was under Spanish
rule as a part of its province of Louisiana, certain claims to and grants of land
'were made by the Spanish authorities, with which, in addition to the extinguishment
of Indian titles, the United States had to deal. It is proper that these should
be briefly reviewed.
Dubuque. — On the 22d day of September, 1788, Julicn Dubuque, a French-
man, from Prairie du Chien, obtained from the Foxes a cession or lease of lands
on the Mississippi River for mining purposes, on the site of the present city of
Dubuque. Lead had been discovered here eight years before, in 1780, by the
wife of Peosta Fox, a warrior, and Dubuque's claim embraced nearly all the lead
bearing lands in that vicinity. He immediately took possession of his claim and
commenced mining, at the same time making a settlement. The place became
known as the "Spanish Miners," or, more commonly, "Dubuque's Lead
Mines."
In 1796, Dubuque filed a petition with Baron de Carondelet, the Spanish
Governor of Louisiana, asking that the tract ceded to him by the Indians might
be granted to him by patent from the Spanish Government. In this petition,
Dubuque rather indefinitely set forth the boundaries of this claim as " about
seven leagues along the Mississippi River, and three leagues in width from the
river," intending to include, as is supposed, the river front between the Little
Maquoketa and the Tete des Mertz Rivers, embracing more than twenty thou-
sand acres. Carondelet granted the prayer of the petition, and the grant was
subsequently confirmed by the Board of Land Commissioners of Louisiana.
In October, 1804, Dubuque transferred the larger part of his claim to
Auguste Choteau, of St. Louis, and on the 17th of May, 1805, he and Choteau
jointly filed their claims with the Board of Commissioners. On the 20th of
September, 1806, the Board decided in their favor, pronouncing the claim to lie
a regular Spanish grant, made and completed prior to the 1st day of October,
1800, only one member, J. B. C. Lucas, dissenting.
Dubuque died March 24, 1810. The Indians, understanding that the claim
of Dubuque under their former act of cession was only a permit to occupy the
tract and work the mines during his life, and that at his death they reverted to
them, took possession and continued mining operations, and were sustained by
the military authority of the United States, notwithstanding the decision of the
Commissioners. When the Black Hawk purchase was consummated, the Du-
buque claim thus held by the Indians was absorbed by the United States, as the
Sacs and Foxes made no reservation of it in the treaty of 1832.
The heirs of Choteau, however, were not disposed to relinquish their claim
without a struggle. Late in 1832, they employed an agent to look after their
interests, and authorized him to lease the right to dig lead on the lands. The
miners who commenced work under this agent were compelled by the military to
abandon their operations, and one of the claimants went to Galena to institute
legal proceedings, but found no court of competent jurisdiction, although he did
bring an action for the recovery of a quantity of lead dug at Dubuque, for the
purpose of testing the title. Being unable to identify the lead, however, he was
non-suited.
By act of Congress, approved July 2, 1836, the town of Dubuque was sur- '
veyed and platted. After lots had been sold and occupied by the purchasers,
Henry Choteau brought an action of ejectment against Patrick Malony, who
164 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
held land in Dubuque under a patent from the United States, for the recovery
of seven undivided eighth parts of the Dubuque claim, as purchased by Auguste
Choteau in 1804. The case was tried in the District Court of the United States
for the District of Iowa, and was decided adversely to the plaintiff". The case was
carried to the Supreme Court of the United States on a writ of error, when it
was beard at the December term, 1853, and the decision of the lower court was
affirmed, the court holding that the permit from Carondolet was merely a lease
or permit to work the mines ; that Dubuque asked, and the Governor of Louisiana,
granted, nothing more than the "peaceable possession" of certain lands obtained
from the Indians ; • that Carondelet had no legal authority to make sncb a grant
as claimed, and that, even if he had, this was but an " inchoate and imperfect
title."
Giard. — In 1795, the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Louisiana granted to
Basil Giard five thousand eight hundred and sixty acres of land, in what is now
Clayton County, known as the "Giard Tract." He occupied the land during
the time that Iowa passed from Spain to France, and from Fiance to the United
States, in consideration of which the Federal Government granted a patent of
the same to Giard in bis own right. His heirs sold the whole tract to James II.
Lockwoodand Thomas P. Burnett, of Prairie du Chien, for three hundred dollars.
Honori. — March 30, 1799, Zenon Trudeau, Acting Lieutenant Governor of
Upper Louisiana, granted to Louis Honori a tract of land on the site of the
present town of Montrose, as follows: " It is permitted to Mr. Louis (Fresson)
Henori, or Louis Honore Fesson, to establish himself at the head of the rapids
of the River Des Moines, and his establishment once formed, notice of it shall be
given to the Governor General, in order to obtain for him a commission of a space
sufficient to give value to such establishment, and at the same time to render it
useful to the commerce of the peltries of this country, to watch the Indians and
keep them in the fidelity which they owe to His Majesty."
"Honori took immediate possession of his claim, which he retained until 1805.
While trading with the natives, he became indebted to Joseph Robedoux, who
obtained an execution on which the property was sold May 13, 1803, and was
purchased by the creditor. In these proceedings the property was described as
being " about six leagues above the River Des Moines." Robedoux died soon
after lie purchased the proprertv. Auguste Choteau, his executor, disposed of
the Honori tract to Thomas F. Reddeck, in April, 1805, up to which time
Honori continued to occupy it. The grant, as made by the Spanish government,
was a league square, but only one mile square was confirmed by the United
States. After the half-breeds sold their lands, in which the Honori grant was
included, various claimants resorted to litigation in attempts to invalidate the
title of the Reddeck heirs, but it was finally confirmed by a decision of the
Supreme Court of the United States in 1839, and is the oldest legal title to any
land in the State of Iowa.
THE HALF-BREED TRACT.
Before any permanent settlement had been made in the Territory of Iowa,
white adventurers, trappers and traders, many of whom were scattered along
the Mississippi and its tributaries, as agents and employes of the American Fur
Company, intermarried with the females of the Sue and Fox Indians, producing
a race of half-breeds, whose number was never definitely ascertained. There
were some respectable and excellent people among them, children of men of
some refinement and education. For instance : Dr. Muir, a gentleman educated
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 1(35
at Edinburgh, Scotland, a surgeon in the United States Army, stationed at a
military post located on the present site of Warsaw, married an Indian woman,
and reared his family of three daughters in the city of Keokuk. Other exam-
ples might be cited, but they are probably exceptions to the general rule, and
the race is now nearly or quite extinct in Iowa.
A treaty was made at Washington, August 4, 1824, between the Sacs and
Foxes and the United States, by which that portion of Lee County was reserved
to the half-breeds of those tribes, and which was afterward known as " The
Half-Breed Tract." This reservation is the triangular piece of land, containing
about 110,000 acres, lying between the Mississippi andDes Moines Rivers. It is
bounded on the north by the prolongation of the northern line of Missouri.
This line was intended to be a straight one, running due east, which would have
caused it to strike the Mississippi River at or below Montrose ; but the surveyor who
run it took no notice of the change in the variation of the needle as he proceeded
eastward, and, in consequence, the line he run was bent, deviating more and more
to the northward of a direct line as he approached the Mississippi, so that it
struck that river at the lower edge of the town of Fort Madison. " This errone-
ous line," says Judge Mason, "has been acquiesced in as well in fixing the
northern limit of the Half-Breed Tract as in determining the northern boundary
line of the State of Missouri." The line thus run included in the reservation
a portion of the lower part of the city of Fort Madison, and all of the present
townships of Van Buren, Charleston, Jefferson, Des Moines, Montrose and
Jackson.
Under the treaty of 1824, the half-breeds had the right to occupy the soil,
but could not convey it, the reversion being reserved to. the United States. But
on the 30th day of January, 1834, by act of Congress, this reversionary right
was relinquished, and the half-breeds acquired the lands in fee simple. This
was no sooner done, than a horde of speculators rushed in to buy land of the
half-breed owners, and, in many instances, a gun, a blanket, a pony or a few
quarts of whisky was sufficient for the purchase of large estates. There was
a deal of sharp practice on both sides ; Indians would often claim ownership of
land by virtue of being half-breeds, and had no difficulty in proving their mixed
blood by the Indians, and they would then cheat the speculators by selling land
to which they had no rightful title. On the other hand, speculators often
claimed land in which they had no ownership. It was diamond cut diamond,
until at last things became badly mixed. There were no authorized surveys,
and no boundary lines to claims, and, as a natural result, numerous conflicts and
quarrels ensued.
To settle these difficulties, to decide the validity of claims or sell them for
the benefit of the real owners, by act of the Legislature of Wisconsin Territory,
approved January 16, 1838, Edward Johnstone, Thomas S. Wilson and David
Brigham were appointed Commissioners, and clothed with power to effect these
objects. The act provided that these Commissioners should be paid six dollars
a day each. The commission entered upon its duties and continued until the
next session of the Legislature, when the act creating it was repealed, invalidat-
ing all that had been done and depriving the Commissioners of their pay. The
repealing act, however, authorized the Commissioners to commence action against
the owners of the Half-Breed Tract, to receive pay for their services, in the Dis-
trict Court of Lee County. Two judgments were obtained, and on execution
the whole of the tract was sold to Hugh T. Reid, the Sheriff executing the
deed. Mr. Reid sold portions of it to various parties, but his own title was
questioned and he became involved in litigation. Decisions in favor of Reid
lbb HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
and those holding under him were made by both District and Supreme Courts,
but in December, 1850, these decisions were finally reversed by the Supreme
Court of the United States in the case of Joseph Webster, plaintiff in error, vs.
Hugh T. Reid, and the judgment titles failed. About nine years before the
"judgment titles " were finally abrogated as above, another class of titles were
brought into competition with them, and in the conflict between the two, the
final decision was obtained. These were the titles based on the " decree of
partition ' ' issued by the United States District Court for the Territory of Iowa,
on the 8th of May, 1841, and certified to by the Clerk on the 2d day of June of
that year. Edward Johnstone and Hugh T. Reid, then law partners at Fort
Madison, filed the petition for the decree in behalf of the St. Louis claimants of
half-breed lands. Francis S. Key, author of the Star Spangled Banner, who
was then attorney for the New York Land Company, which held heavy interests
in these lands, took a leading part in the measure, and drew up the document in
which it was presented to the court. Judge Charles Mason, of Burlington, pre-
sided. The plan of partition divided the tract into one hundred and one shares
and arranged that each claimant should draw his proportion by lot, and should
abide the result, whatever it might be. The arrangement was entered into, the
lots drawn, and the plat of the same filed in the Recorder's office, October 6,
1841. Upon this basis the titles to land in the Half-Breed Tract are now held.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
The first permanent .settlement by the whites within the limits of Iowa was
made by Julien Dubuque, in 1788, when, with a small party of miners, he set-
tled on the site of the city that now bears his name, where he lived until his
death, in 1810. Louis Honori settled on the site of the present town of Mon-
trose, probably in 1799. and resided there until 1805, when his property passed
into other hands. Of the Giard settlement, opposite Prairie du Chien, little is
known, except that it was occupied by some parties prior to the commencement
of the present century, and contained three cabins in 1805. Indian traders,
although not strictly to be considered settlers, had established themselves at
various points at an early date. A Mr. Johnson, agent of the American Fur
Company, had a trading post below Burlington, where he carried on traffic with
the Indians some time before the United States possessed the country. In
1820, Le Moliese, a French trader, had a station at what is now Sandusky, six
miles above Keokuk, in Lee County. In 1829, Dr. Isaac Gallaud made a set-
tlement on the Lower Rapids, at what is now Nashville.
The first settlement in Lee County was made in 1820, by Dr. Samuel C.
Muir, a surgeon in the United States army, who had been stationed at Fort
Edwards, now Warsaw, 111., and who built a cabin where the city of Keokuk
now stands. Dr. Muir was a man of strict integrity and irreproachable char-
acter. While stationed at a military post on the Upper Mississippi, he had
married an Indian woman of the Fox nation. Of his marriage, the following
romantic account is given :
The post at which he was stationer! was visited by a beautiful Indian maiden — whose native
name, unfortunately, has not been preserved — who, in her dreams, had seen a while brave un-
moor his canoe, paddle it across the river and come directly to her lodge. She felt assured,
according to the superstitious belief of her race, that, in her dreams, she had seen her future
husband, and had come to the fort to find him. Meeting Dr. Muir, she instantly recognized
him as the hero of her dream, which, with childlike innocence and simplicity, she related to
him. Her dream was, indeed, prophetic. Charmed with Sophia's beauty, innocence and devo-
tion, the doctor honorably married her ; but after a while, the sneers and gibes of his brother
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 107
officers — less honorable than he, perhaps — ma'Je him feel ashamed of his dark-skinned wife, and
when his regiment was ordered down the river, to Bellefontaine, it is said he embraced the
opportunity to rid himself of her, and left her, never expecting to see her again, and little
dreaming that she would have the courage to follow him. But, with her infant child, this in-
trepid wife and mother started alone in her canoe, and, after many days of weary labor and a
lonely journey of nine hundred miles, she, at last, reached him. She afterward remarked, when
speaking of this toilsome journey down the river in search of her husband, " When I got there
I was all perished away — so thin ! " The doctor, touched by sucli unexampled devotion, took her
to his heart, and ever after, until his death, treated her with marked respect. She always pre-
sided at his table with grace and dignity, but never abandoned her native style of dress. In
1819-20, he was stationed at. Fort Edward, but the senseless ridicule of some of his brother
officers on account of his Indian wife induced him to resign Ids commission.
After building his cabin, as above stated, he leased his claim for a term of years to Otis
Reynolds and John Culver, of St. Louis, and went to La Pointe, afterward Galena, where he
practiced his profession for ten years, when he returned to Keokuk. His Indian wife bore to
him four children — Louise (married at Keokuk, since dead), James, (drowned at Keokuk), Mary
and Sophia. Dr. Muir died suddenly of cholera, in 1S:!2, but left his property ill such condition
that it was soon wasted in vexatious litigation, and his brave and faithful wife, left friendless and
penniless, became discouraged, and, with her children, disappeared, and, it is said, returned to
her people on the Upper Missouri.
Messrs. Reynolds & Culver, who had leased Dr. Muir s claim at Keokuk,
subsequently employed as their agent Mr. Moses Stilhvell, who arrived with
his family in 1828, and took possession of Muir's cabin. His brothers-in-law,
Amos and Valencourt Van Ansdal, came with him and settled near.
His daughter, Margaret Stillwell (afterward Mrs. Ford) was born in 18-31,
at the foot of the rapids, called by the Indians Puch-a-she-tuck, where Keokuk
now stands. She was probably the first white American child born in Iowa.
In 1831, Mr. Johnson, Agent of the American Fur Company, who had a
station at the foot of the rapids, removed to another location, and, Dr. Muir
having returned from Galena, he and Isaac R. Campbell took the place and
buildings vacated by the Company and carried on trade with the Indians and
half-breeds. Campbell, who had first visited and traveled through the southern
part of Iowa, in 1821, was an enterprising settler, and besides trading with the
natives carried on a farm and kept a tavern.
Dr. Muir died of cholera in 1832.
In 1830, James L. and Lucius H. Langworthy, brothers and natives of
Vermont, visited the Territory for the purpose of working the lead mines at Du-
buque. They had been engaged in lead mining at Galena, Illinois, the former
from as early as 1824. The lead mines in the Dubuque region were an object
of great interest to the miners about Galena, for they were known to be rich in
lead ore. To explore these mines and to obtain permission to work them was
therefore eminently desirable.
In 1829, James L. Langworthy resolved to visit the Dubuque mines. Cross-
ing the Mississippi at a point now known as Dunleith, in a canoe, and swim-
ming his horse by his side, he landed on the spot now known as Jones Street
Levee. Before him spread out a beautiful prairie, on which the city of Du-
buque now stands. Two miles south, at the mouth of Catfish Creek, was a vil-
lage of Sacs and Foxes. Thither Mr. Langworthy proceeded, and was well re-
ceived by the natives. He endeavored to obtain permission from them to mine
in their hills, but this they refused. He, however, succeeded in gaining the con-
fidence of the chief to such an extent as to be allowed to travel in the interior
for three weeks and explore the country. He employed two young Indians as
guides, and travei-sed in different directions the whole region lying between the
Maquoketa and Turkey Rivers. He returned to the village, secured the good
will of the Indians, and, returning to Galena, formed plans for future opera-
tions, to be executed as soon as circumstances would permit.
168 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
In 1830, with his brother, Lucius H., and others, having obtained the con-
sent of the Indians, Mr. Langworthy crossed the Mississippi and commenced
mining in the vicinity around Dubuque.
At this time, the lands were not in the actual possession of the United States.
Although they had been purchased from France, the Indian title had not been
extinguished, and these adventurous persons were beyond the limits of any State
or Territorial government. The first settlers were therefore obliged to be their
own law-makers, and to agree to such regulations as the exigencies of the case
demanded. The first act resembling civil legislation within the limits of the
present State of Iowa was done by the miners at this point, in June, 1830. They
met on the bank of the river, by the side of an old Cottonwood drift log, at
what is now the Jones Street Levee, Dubuque, and elected a Committee, con-
sisting of J. L. Langworthy, H. F. Lander, James McPhetres, Samuel Scales,
and E. M. Wren. This may be called the first Legislature in Iowa, the mem-
bers of which gathered around that old Cottonwood log, and agreed to and re-
ported the following, written by Mr. Langworthy, on a half sheet of coarse, un-
ruled paper, the old log being the writing desk :
We, a Committee having been chosen to draft certain rules anc^ regulations (laws) by
which we as miners will be governed, ami having duly considered the subject, do unanimously
agree that we will be governed by the regulations on the east side of the Mississippi River,* with
the following exceptions, to wit :
Article I. That each and every man shall hold 200 yards square of ground by working
said ground one day in six.
Article II. We further agree that there shall be chosen, by the majority of the miners
present, a person who shall hold this article, and who shall grant letters of arbitration on appli-
cation having been made, and that said letters of arbitration shall be obligatory on the parties so
applying.
The report was accepted by the miners present, who elected Dr. Jarote, in
accordance with Article 2. Here, then, we have, in 1830, a primitive Legisla-
ture elected by the people, the law drafted by it being submitted to the people
for approval, and under it Dr. Jarote was elected first Governor within the
limits of the present State of Iowa. And it is to be said that the laws thus
enacted were as promptly obeyed, and the acts of the executive officer thus
elected as duly respected, as any have been since.
The miners who had thus erected an independent government of their own
on the west side of the Mississippi River continued to work successfully for a
long time, and the new settlement attracted considerable attention. But the
west side of the Mississippi belonged to the Sac and Fox Indians, and the Gov-
ernment, in order to preserve peace on the frontier, as well as to protect the
Indians in their rights under the treaty, ordered the settlers not only to stop
mining, but to remove from the Indian territory. They were simply intruders.
The execution of this order was entrusted to Col. Zachary Taylor, then in com-
mand of the military post at Prairie du Chien, who, early in July, sent an officer
to the miners with orders to forbid settlement, and to command the miners to
remove within ten days to the cast side of the Mississippi, or they would be
driven off by armed force. The miners, however, were reluctant about leaving
the rich "leads" they had already discovered and opened, and were not dis-
posed to obey the order to remove with any considerable degree of alacrity. In
due time, Col. Taylor dispatched a detachment of troops to enforce his order. The
minors, anticipating their arrival, had, excepting three, recrossed the river, and
from the east hank saw the troops land on the western shore. The three who
had lingered a little too long were, however, permitted to make their escape
* Established by the Superintendent "f V. S. Lead Mines at Fever Ri»ei
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 169
unmolested. From this time, a military force was stationed at Dubuque to
prevent the settlers from returning, until June, 1832. The Indians returned,
and were encouaged to operate the rich mines opened by the late white
occupants.
In June, 1832, the troops were ordered to the east side to assist in the
annihilation of the very Indians whose rights they had been protecting on the
west side. Immediately after the close of the Black Hawk war, and the negotia-
tions of the treaty in September, 1832, by which the Sacs and Foxes ceded to
the United States the tract known as the "Black Hawk Purchase," the set-
tlers, supposing that now they had a right to re-enter the territory, returned
and took possession of their claims, built cabins, erected furnaces and prepared
large quantities of lead for market. Dubuque was becoming a noted place on
the river, but the prospects of the hardy and enterprising settlers and miners
were again ruthlessly interfered with by the Government, on the ground that
the treaty with the Indians would not go into force until June 1, 1833, although
they had withdrawn from the vicinity of the settlement. Col. Taylor was again
ordered by the War Department to remove the miners, and in January, 1833,
troops were again sent from Prairie du Chien to Dubuque for that purpose.
This was a serious and perhaps unnecessary hardship imposed upon the settlers.
They were compelled to abandon their cabins and homes in mid-winter. It
must now be said, simply, that "red tape" should be respected. The purchase
had been made, the treaty ratified, or was sure to be ; the Indians had retired,
and, after the lapse of nearly fifty years, no very satisfactory reason for this
rigorous action of the Government can be given.
But the orders had been given, and there was no alternative but to obey.
Many of the settlers recrossed the river, and did not return ; a few, however,
removed to an island near the east bank of the river, built rude cabins of poles,
in which to store their lead until Spring, when they could float the fruits of
their labor to St. Louis for sale, and where they could remain until the treaty
went into force, when they could return. Among these were James L. Lang-
worthy, and his brother Lucius, who had on hand about three hundred thousand
pounds of lead.
Lieut. Covington, who had been placed in command at Dubuque by Col.
Taylor, ordered some of the cabins of the settlers to be torn down, and wagons
and other property to be destroyed. This wanton and inexcusable action on
the part of a subordinate clothed with a little brief authority was sternly
rebuked by Col. Taylor, and Covington was superseded by Lieut. George Wil-
son, who pursued a just and friendly course with the pioneers, who were only
waiting for the time when they could repossess their claims.
June 1, 1833, the treaty formally went into effect, the troops were withdrawn,
and the Langworthy brothers and a few others at once returned and resumed
possession of their home claims and mineral prospects, and from this time the
first permanent settlement of this portion of Iowa must date. Mr. John P.
Sheldon was appointed Superintendent of the mines by the Government, and a
system of permits to miners and licenses to smelters was adopted, similar to that
which had been in operation at Galena, since 1825, under Lieut. Martin Thomas
and Capt. Thomas C. Legate. Substantially the primitive law enacted by the
miners assembled around that old cottonwood drift log in 1830 was adopted and
enforced by the United States Government, except that miners were required to
sell their mineral to licensed smelters and the smelter was required to give bonds
for the payment of six per cent, of all lead manufactured to the Government.
This was the same rule adopted in the United States mines on Fever River in
170 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
Illinois, except that, until 1830, the Illinois miners were compelled to pay 10
per cent. tax. This tax upon the miners created much dissatisfaction among
the miners on the west side as it had on the east side of the Mississippi. They
thought they had suffered hardships and privations enough in opening the way
for civilization, without being subjected to the imposition of an odious Govern-
ment tax upon their means of subsistence, when the Federal Government could
better afford to aid than to extort from them. The measure soon became unpop-
ular. It was difficult to collect the taxes, and the whole system was abolished
in about ten years.
During 1833, after the Indian title was fully extinguished, about five hun-
dred people arrived at the mining district, about one hundred and fifty of them
from Galena.
In the same year, Mr. Langworthy assisted in building the first school house
in Iowa, and thus was formed the nucleus of the now populous and thriving
City of Dubuque. Mr. Langworthy lived to see the naked prairie on which he
first landed become the site of a city of fifteen thousand inhabitants, the small
school house which he aided in constructing replaced by three substantial edifices,
wherein two thousand children were being trained, churches erected in every
part of the city, and railroads connecting the wilderness which he first explored
with all the eastern world. He died suddenly on the 13th of March, 1865,
while on a trip over the Dubuque & Southwestern Railroad, at Monticello,
and the evening train brought the news of his death and his remains.
Lucius II. Langworthy, his brother, was one of the most worthy, gifted and
influential of the old settlers of this section of Iowa. He died, greatly lamented
by many friends, in June, 1865.
The name Dubuque was given to the settlement by the miners at a meeting
held in 1834.
In 1832, Captain James White made a claim on the present site of Montrose.
In 1834, a'military post was established at this point, and a garrison of cavalry
was stationed here, under the command of Col. Stephen W. Kearney. The
soldiers were removed from this post to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1837.
During the same year, 1832, soon after the close of the Black Hawk War,
Zachariah Hawkins, Benjamin Jennings, Aaron White, Augustine Horton,
Samuel Gooch, Daniel Thompson and Peter Williams made claims at Fort
Madison. In 1833, these claims were purchased by John and Nathaniel
Knapp, upon which, in 1835, they laid out the town. The next Summer, lots
were sold. The town was subsequently re-surveyed and platted by the United
States Government.
At the close of the Black Hawk War, parties who had been impatiently
looking across upon "Flint Hills," now Burlington, came over from Illinois
and made claims The first was Samuel S. White, in the Fall of 1832, who
erected a cabin on the site of the city of Burlington. About the same time,
David Tothero made a claim on the prairie about three miles back from the
river, at a place since known as the faim of Judge Morgan. In the Winter of
that year, they were driven off by the military from Rock Island, as intruders
upon the rights of the Indians, and White's cabin was burnt by the soldiers.
He retired to Illinois, where he spent the Winter, and in the Summer, as soon
as the Indian title was extinguished, returned and rebuilt his cabin. White
was joined by his brother-in-law, Doolittle, and they laid out the original town
of Burlington in 1834.
All along the river borders of the Black Hawk Purchase settlers were flocking
into Iowa. Immediately after the treaty with the Sacs and Foxes, in Septem-
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 171
ber, 1832, Col. George Davenport made the first claim on the spot where the
thriving city of Davenport now stands. As early as 1827, Col. Davenport had
established a flatboat ferry, which ran between the island and the main shore of
Iowa, by which he carried on a trade with the Indians west of the Mississippi.
In 1833, Capt. Benjamin W. Clark moved across from Illinois, and laid the
foundation of the town of Buffalo, in Scott County, which was the first actual
settlement within the limits of that county. Among other early settlers in this
part of the Territory were Adrian H. Davenport, Col. John Sullivan, Mulli-
gan and Franklin Easly, Capt. John Coleman, J. M. Camp, William White,
II. W. Higgins, Cornelius Harrold, Richard Harrison, E. H. Shepherd and
Dr. E. S. Barrows.
The first settlers of Davenport were Antoine LeClaire, Col. George Daven-
port, Major Thomas Smith, Major William Gordon, Philip Hambough, Alexan-
der W. McGregor, Levi S. Colton, Capt. James May and others. Of Antoine
LeClaire, as the representative of the two races of men who at this time occu-
pied Iowa, Hon. C. C. Nourse, in his admirable Centennial Address, says :
" Antoine LeClaire was born at St. Joseph, Michigan, in 1797. His father
was French, his mother a granddaughter of a Pottowatomie chief. In 1818,
he acted as official interpreter to Col. Davenport, at Fort Armstrong (now Rock
Island). He was well acquainted with a dozen Indian dialects, and was a man
of strict integrity and great energy. In 1820, he married the granddaughter
of a Sac chief. The Sac and Fox Indians reserved for him and his wife two
sections of land in the treaty of 1833, one at the town of LeClaire and one at
Davenport. The Pottawatomies, in the treaty at Prairie du Chien, also
reserved for him two sections of land, at the present site of Moline, 111. He
received the appointment of Postmaster and Justice of the Peace in the Black
Hawk Purchase, at an early day. In 1833, he bought for $100 a claim on the
land upon which the original town of Davenport was surveyed and platted in
1836. In 1836, LeClaire built the hotel, known since, with its valuable addi-
tion, as the LeClaire House. He died September 25, 1861."
In Clayton County, the first settlement was made in the Spring of 1832,
on Turkey River, by Robert Hatfield and William W. Wayman. No further
settlement was made in this part of the State till the beginning of 1836.
In that portion now known as Muscatine County, settlements were made in
1834, by Benjamin Nye, John Vanater and G. W. Kasey, who were the first
settlers. E. E. Fay, William St. John, N. Fullington, H. Reece, Jona Petti-
bone, R. P. Lowe, Stephen Whicher, Abijah Whiting, J. E. Fletcher, W. D.
Abernethy and Alexis Smith were early settlers of Muscatine.
During the Summer of 1835, William Bennett and his family, from Galena,
built the first cabin within the present limits of Delaware County, in some
timber since known as Eads' Grove.
The first post office in Iowa was established at Dubuque in 1833. Milo H.
Prentice was appointed Postmaster.
The first Justice of the Peace was Antoine Le Claire, appointed in 1833, as
" a very suitable person to adjust the difficulties between the white settlers and
the Indians still remaining there."
The first Methodist Society in the Territory was formed at Dubuque on
the 18th of May, 1834, and the first class meeting was held June 1st of that
year.
The first church bell brought into Iowa was in March, 1834.
The first mass of the Roman Catholic Church in the Territory was celebrated
at Dubuque, in the house of Patrick Quigley, in the Fall of 1833.
172 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
The first school house in the Territory was erected bv the Dubuque miners
in 1833.
The first Sabbath school was organized at Dubuque early in the Summer
of 1834.
The first woman who came to this part of the Territory with a view to per-
manent residence was Mrs. Noble F. Dean, in the Fall of 1832.
The first family that lived in this part of Iowa was that of Hosea T. Camp,
in 1832.
The first meeting house was built by the Methodist Episcopal Church, at
Dubuque, in 1834.
The first newspaper in Iowa was the Dubuque Visitor, issued May 11th, 1836.
John King, afterward Judge King, was editor, and William C. Jones, printer.
The pioneers of Iowa, as a class, were brave, hardy, intelligent and
enterprising people.
As early as 1824, a French trader named Hart had established a trading
post, and built a cabin on the blufts above the large spring now known as
"Mynster Spring," within the limits of the present city of Council Bluffs, and
had probably been there some time, as the post was known to the employes of
the American Fur Company as Lacote de Hart, or " Hart's Bluff." In 1827,
an agent of the American Fur Company, Francis Guittar, with others, encamped
in the timber at the foot of the blufts, about on the present location of Broad-
wav, and afterward settled there. In 1839, a block house was built on the
bluff in the east part of the city. The Pottawatomie Indians occupied this part
of the State until 1846-7, when they relinquished the territory and removed to
Kansas. Billy Caldwell was then principal chief. There were no white settlers
in that part of the State except Indian traders, until the arrival of the Mormons
under the lead of Brigham Young. These people on their way westward halted
for the Winter of 1846-7 on the west bank of the Missouri River, about five
miles above Omaha, at a place now called Florence. Some of them had
reached the eastern bank of the river the Spring before, in season to plant a
crop. In the Spring of 1847, Young and a portion of the colony pursued their
journey to Salt Lake, but a large portion of them returned to the Iowa side and
'settled' mainly within the limits of Pottawattamie County. The principal settle-
ment of this strange community was at a place first called "Miller's Hollow,"
on Indian Creek, and afterward named Kanesville, in honor of Col. Kane, of
Pennsylvania, who visited them soon afterward. The Mormon settlement
extended over the county and into neighboring counties, wherever timber and
water furnished desirable locations. Orson Hyde, priest, lawyer and editor, was
installed as President of the Quorum of Twelve, and all that part of the State
remained under Mormon control for several years. In 1846, they raised a bat-
talion, numbering some five hundred men, for the Mexican war. In 1848, Hyde
started a, paper "called the Frontier Chtardian, at Kanesville. In 1840. after
many of the faithful had left to join Brigham Young at Salt Lake, the Mormons
in tins section of Iowa numbered 6,552, and in 1850, 7,828, but they were not
all within the limits of Pottawattamie County. This county was organised in
LS4X, all the first officials being Mormons. In 1852, the order was promulgated
that all the true believers should gather together at Salt Lake. Gentiles flocked
in, and in a few years nearly all the first settlers were gone.
May 0, LS43, Captain James Allen, with a small detachment of troops on
board the steamer lone, arrived at the present site of the capital of the Stat.',
Des Moines. The lone was the first steamer to ascend the Des Moines River
to this point. The troops and stores were landed at what is now the foot of
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. • 173
Court avenue, Des Moines, and Capt. Allen returned in the steamer to Fort
Sanford to arrange for bringing up more soldiers and supplies. In due time
they, too, arrived, and a fort was built near the mouth of Raccoon Fork, at its
confluence with the Des Moines, and named Fort Des Moines. Soon after the
arrival of the troops, a trading post was established on the east side of the river,
by two noted Indian traders named Ewing, from Ohio.
Among the first settlers in this part of Iowa were Benjamin Bryant, J. B.
Scott, James Drake (gunsmith), John Sturtevant, Robert Kinzie, Alexander
Turner, Peter Newcomer, and others.
The Western States have been settled by many of the best and most enter-
prising men of the older States, and a large immigration of the best blood of
the Old World, who, removing to an arena of larger opportunities, in a more
fertile soil and congenial climate, have developed a spirit and an energy
peculiarly Western. In no country on the globe have enterprises of all kinds
been pushed forward with such rapidity, or has there been such independence
and freedom of competition. Among those who have pioneered the civiliza-
tion of the West, and been the founders of great States, none have ranked
higher in the scale of intelligence and moral worth than the pioneers of Iowa,
•who came to the territory when it was an Indian country, and through hardship,
privation and suffering, laid the foundations of the populous and prosperous
commonwealth which to-day dispenses its blessings to a million and a quarter
of people. From her first settlement and from her first organization as a terri-
tory to the present day, Iowa has had aide men to manage her affairs, wise
statesmen to shape her destiny and frame her laws, and intelligent and impartial
jurists to administer justice to her citizens ; her bar, pulpit and press have been
able and widely influential ; and in all the professions, arts, enterprises and
industries which go to make up a great and prosperous commonwealth, she has
taken and holds a front rank among her sister States of the West.
TERRITORIAL HISTORY.
By act of Congress, approved October 31, 1803, the President of the United
States was authorized to take possession of the territory included in the
Louisiana purchase, and provide for a temporary government. By another act
of the same session, approved March 26, 1804, the newly acquired country was
divided, October 1, 180-1 into the Territory of Orleans, south of the thirty-third
parallel of north latitude, and the district of Louisiana, which latter was placed
under the authority of the officers of Indiana Territory.
In 1805, the District of Louisiana was organized as a Territory with a gov-
ernment of its own. In 1807, Iowa was included in the Territory of Illinois,
and in 1812 in the Territory of Missouri. When Missouri was admitted as a
State, March 2, 1821, " Iowa," says Hon. C. C. Nourse, "was left a political
orphan," until by act of Congress, approved June 28, 1834, the Black Hawk
purchase having been made, all the territory west of the Mississippi and north
of the northern boundary of Missouri, was made a part of Michigan Territory.
Up to this time there had been no county or other organization in what is now
the State of Iowa, although one or two justices of the Peace had been appointed
and a post office was established at Dubuque in 1833. In September, 1834,
however, the Territorial Legislature of Michigan created two counties on the
west side of the Mississippi River, viz. : Dubuque and Des Moines, separated
by a line drawn westward from the foot of Rock Island. These counties Were
174 . HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
partially organized. John King was appointed Chief Justice of Dubuque
County, and Isaac Leffler, of Burlington, of Des Moines County. Two
Associate Justices, in each county, were appointed by the Governor.
On the first Monday in October, 1835, Gen. George W. Jones, now a citi-
zen of Dubuque, was elected a Delegate to Congress from this part of Michigan
Territory. On the 20th of April, 1836, through the efforts of Gen. Jones,
Congress passed a bill creating the Territory of Wisconsin, which went into
operation, July 4, 1836, and Iowa was then included in
THE TERRITORY OF WISCONSIN,
of which Gen. Henry Dodge was appointed Governor; John S. Horner, Secre-
tary of the Territory ; Charles Dunn, Chief Justice ; David Irwin and William
C. Frazer, Associate Justices.
September 9, 1836, Governor Dodge ordered the census of the new Territory
to be taken. This census resulted in showing a population of 10,531 in the
counties of Dubuque and Des Moines. Under the apportionment, these two
counties were entitled to six members of the Council and thirteen of the House
of Representatives. The Governor issued his proclamation for an election to be
held on the first Monday of October, 1836, on which day the following members
of the First Territorial Legislature of Wisconsin were elected from the two
counties in the Black Hawk purchase :
Dubuque County. — Council: John Fally, Thomas McKnight, Thomas Mc-
Craney. House: Loring Wheeler, Hardin Nowlan, Peter Hill Engle, Patrick
Quigley, Hosea T. Camp.
Des Moines County. — Council: Jeremiah Smith, Jr., Joseph B. Teas,
Arthur B. Ingram. House: Isaac Leffler, Thomas Blair, Warren L. Jenkins,
John Box, George W. Teas, Eli Reynolds, David R. Chance.
The first Legislature assembled at Belmont, in the present State of Wiscon-
sin, on the 25th day of October, 1836, and was organized by electing Henry T.
Baird President of the Council, and Peter Hill Engle, of Dubuque, Speaker of
the House. It adjourned December 9, 1836.
The second Legislature assembled at Burlington, November 10, 1837.
Adjourned January 20, 1838. The third session was at Burlington; com-
menced June 1st, and adjourned June 12, 1838.
During the first session of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature, in 1836,
the county of Des Moines was divided into Des Moines, Lee, Van Buren, Henry,
Muscatine and Cook (the latter being subsequently changed to Scott) and defined
their boundaries. During the second session, out of the territory embraced in
Dubuque County, were created the counties of Dubuque, Clayton, Fayette,
Delaware, Buchanan, Jackson, Jones, Linn, Clinton and Cedar, and their boun-
daries defined, but the most of them were not organized until several years
afterward, under the authority of the Territorial Legislature of Iowa.
The question of a separate territorial organization for Iowa, which was then
a part of Wisconsin Territory, began to be agitated early in the Autumn of
1837. The wishes of the people found expression in a convention held at Bur-
lington on the 1st of November, which memorialized Congress to organize a
Territory west of the Mississippi, and to settle the boundary Hoc between Wis-
consin Territory and Missouri. The Territorial Legislature of Wisconsin, then
in session at Burlington, joined in the petition. Gen. George W. Jones, of
Dubuque, then residing at Sinsinawa Mound, in what is now Wisconsin, was
Delegate to Congress from Wisconsin Territory, and labored so earnestly and
successfully, that " An act to divide the Territory of Wisconsin, and to estab-
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 175
lish the Territorial Government of Iowa," was approved June 12, 1838, to take
effect and be in force on and after July 3, 1838. The new Territory embraced
"all that part of the present Territory of Wisconsin which lies west of the Mis-
sissippi River, and west of a line drawn due north from the head water or
sources of the Mississippi to the territorial line." The organic act provided
for a Governor, whose term of office should be three years, and for a Secretary,
Chief Justice, two Associate Justices, and Attorney and Marshal, who should
serve four years, to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate. The act also provided for the election, by the white
male inhabitants, citizens of the United States, over twenty-one years of age,
of a House of Representatives, consisting of twenty-six members, and a Council,
to consist of thirteen members. It also appropriated $5,000 for a public library,
and $20,000 for the erection of public buildings.
President Van BuTen appointed Ex-Governor Robert Lucas, of Ohio, to be
the first Governor of the new Territory. William B. Conway, of Pittsburgh,
was appointed Secretary of the Territory ; Charles Mason, of Burlington,
Chief Justice, and Thomas S. Wilson, of Dubuque, and Joseph Williams, of
Pennsylvania, Associate Judges of the Supreme and District Courts ; Mr. Van
Allen, of New York, Attorney ; Francis Gehon, of Dubuque, Marshal ; Au
gustus C. Dodge, Register of the Land Office at Burlington, and Thomas Mc-
Knight, Receiver of the Land Office at Dubuque. Mr. Van Allen, the District
Attorney, died at Rockingham, soon after his appointment, and Col. Charleti
Weston was appointed to fill his vacancy. Mr. Conway, the Secretary, also
died at Burlington, during the second session of the Legislature, and Jameii
Clarke, editor of the Gazette, was appointed to succeed him.
Immediately after his arrival, Governor Lucas issued a proclamation for tats
election of members of the first Territorial Legislature, to be held on the 10th
of September, dividing the Territory into election districts for that purpose, and
appointing the 12th day of November for meeting of the Legislature to be
elected, at Burlington.
The first Territorial Legislature was elected in September and assembled at
Burlington on the 12th of November, and consisted of the following members:
Council. — Jesse B. Brown, J. Keith, E. A. M. Swazey, Arthur Ingram,
Robert Ralston, George Hepner, Jesse J. Payne, D. B. Hughes, James M.
Clark, Charles Whittlesey, Jonathan W. Parker, Warner Lewis, Stephen.
Hempstead.
House.— William Patterson, Hawkins Taylor, Calvin J. Price, James*
Brierly, James Hall, Gideon S. Bailey, Samuel Parker, James W. Grimes,
George Temple, Van B. Delashmutt, Thomas Blair, George II. Beeler,"
William G. Coop, William II. Wallace, Asbury B. Porter, John Frierson,
William L. Toole, Levi Thornton, S. C. Hastings, Robert G. Roberts, Laurel
Summers,! Jabez A. Burchard, Jr., Chauncey Swan, Andrew Bankson, Thomas
Cox and Hardin Nowlin.
Notwithstanding a large majority of the members of both branches of the
Legislature were Democrats, yet Gen. Jesse B. Browne (Whig), of Lee County,
was elected President of the Council, and Hon. William H. Wallace (Whig), of
Henry County, Speaker of the House of Representatives — the former unani-
mously and the latter with but little opposition. At that time, national politics
* Cyrus S. Jacobs, who was elected for Pea Moines County, was killed in an unfortunate encounter at Burlington
before the meeting uf the Legislature, and Mr. Beeler was elected to fill the vacancy.
fSamuel R. Murray was returned as elected trom Clinton Couuty, but his seat was successfully <
176 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
were little heeded by the people of the new Territory, but in 1840, during the
Presidential campaign, party lines were strongly drawn.
At the election in September, 1838, for members of the Legislature, a Con-
gressional Delegate was also elected. There were four candidates, viz. : William
W. Chapman and David Rohrer, of Des Moines County ; B. F. Wallace, of
Henry County, and P. H. Engle, of Dubuque County. Chapman was elected,
receiving a majority of thirty-six over Engle.
The first session of the Iowa Territorial Legislature was a stormy and excit-
ing one. By the organic law, the Governor was clothed with almost unlimited
veto power. Governor Lucas seemed disposed to make free use of it, and the
independent Hawkeyes could not quietly submit to arbitrary and absolute rule,
and the result was an unpleasant controversy between the Executive and Legis-
lative departments. Congress, however, by act approved March 3, 1839,
amended the organic law by restricting the veto power of the Governor to the
two-thirds rule, and took from him the power to appoint Sheriffs and Magistrates.
Among the first important matters demanding attention was the location of
the seat of government and provision for the erection of public buildings, for
which Congress had appropriated $20,000. Governor Lucas, in his message,
had recommended the appointment of Commissioners, with a view to making a
central location. The extent of the future State of Iowa was not known or
thought of. Only on a strip of land fifty miles wide, bordering on the Missis-
sippi River, was the Indian title extinguished, and a central location meant some
central point in the Black Hawk Purchase. The friends of a central location
supported the Governor's suggestion. The southern members were divided
between Burlington and Mount Pleasant, but finally united on the latter as the
proper location for the seat of government. The central and southern parties
were very nearly equal, and, in consequence, much excitement prevailed. The
central party at last triumphed, and on the 21st day of January, 1839, an act
was passed, appointing Chauncey Swan, of Dubuque County ; John Ronalds,
of Louisa County, and Robert Ralston, of Des Moines County, Commissioners,
to select a site for a permanent seat of Government within the limits of John-
son County.
Johnson County had been created by act of the Territorial Legislature of
Wisconsin, approved December 21, 1837, and organized by act passed at the
special session at Burlington in June, 1838, the organization to date from July
4th, following. Napoleon, on the Iowa River, a few miles below the future
Iowa City, was designated as the county seat, temporarily.
Then there existed good reason for locating the capital in the county. The
Territory of Iowa was bounded on the north by the British Possessions ; east, by
the Mississippi River to its source; thence by a line drawn due north to the
northern boundary of the United States; south, by the State of Missouri, and west,
by the Missouri and White Earth Rivers. But this immense territory was in un-
disputed possession of the Indians, except a strip on the Mississippi, known as
the Black Hawk Purchase. Johnson County was, from north to south, in the
geographical center of this purchase, and as near the east and west geographical
center of the future State of Iowa as could then be made, as the boundary line
between the lands of the United States and the Indians, established by the
treaty of October 21, 1837, was immediately west of the county limits.
The Commissioners, after selecting the site, were directed to lay out 640
acres into a town, to be called Iowa City, and to proceed to sell lots and erect
public buildings thereon, Congress Inning granted a section of land to be
selected by the Territory for this purpose. The Commissioners met at Napo-
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 177
leon, Johnson County, May 1, 1839, selected for a site Section 10, in Town-
ship 79 North of Range 6 West of the Fifth Principal Meridian, and immedi-
ately surveyed it- and laid oft' the town. The first sale of lots took place August
1(3, 1839. The site selected for the public buildings was a little west of the
geographical center of the section, -where a square of ten acres on the elevated
grounds overlooking the river was reserved for the purpose. The capitol is
located in the center of this square. The second Territorial Legislature, which
assembled in November, 1839, passed an act requiring the Commissioners to
adopt such plan for the building that the aggregate cost when complete should
not exceed $51,000, and if they had already adopted a plan involving a greater
expenditure they were directed to abandon it. Plans for the building were designed
and drawn by Mr. John F. Rague, of Springfield, 111., and on the 4th day of July,
1840, the corner stone of the edifice was laid with appropriate ceremonies.
Samuel C. Trowbridge was Marshal of the day, and Gov. Lucas delivered the
address on that occasion.
When the Legislature assembled at Burlington in special session, July 13,
1840, Gov. Lucas announced that on the 4th of that month he had visited Iowa
City, and found the basement of the capitol nearly completed. A bill author-
izing a loan of $20,000 for the building was passed, January 15, 1841, the
unsold lots of Iowa City being the security offered, but only $5,500 was
obtained under the act.
THE BOUNDARY QUESTION.
The boundary line between the Territory of Iowa and the State of Missouri
was a difficult question to settle in 1838, in consequence of claims arising from
taxes and titles, and at one time civil war was imminent. In defining the
boundaries of the counties bordering on Missouri, the Iowa authorities had fixed
a line that has since been established as the boundary between Iowa and Mis-
souri. The Constitution of Missouri defined her northern boundary to be the
parallel of latitude which passes through the rapids of the Des Moines River,
The lower rapids of the Mississippi immediately above the mouth of the Des
Moines River had always been known as the Des Moines Rapids, or "the
rapids of the Des Moines River." The Missourians (evidently not well versed
in history or geography) insisted on running the northern boundary line from
the rapids in the Des Moines River, just below Kcosauqua, thus taking from
Iowa a strip of territory eight or ten miles wide. Assuming this as her
northern boundary line, Missouri attempted to exercise jurisdiction over the
disputed territory by assessing taxes, and sending her Sheriff's to collect them by
distraining the personal property of the settlers. The Iowans, however, were
not disposed to submit, and the Missouri officials were arrested by the Sheriffs
of Davis and Van Buren Counties and confined in jail. Gov. Boggs, of
Missouri, called out his militia to enforce the claim and sustain the officers of
Missouri. Gov. Lucas called out the militia of Iowa, and both parties made
active preparations for war. In Iowa, about 1,200 men were enlisted, and
500 were actually armed and encamped in A'an Buren County, ready to defend
the integrity of the Territory. Subsequently, Gen. A. C. Dodge, of Burlington,
Gen. Churchman, of Dubuque, and Dr. Clark, of Fort Madison, were sent to
Missouri as envoys plenipotentiary, to effect, if possible, a peaceable adjustment
of the difficulty. Upon their arrival, they found that the County Commissioners
of Clarke County, Missouri, had rescinded theirorder for thecollection of thetaxes,
and that Gov. Boggs had despatched messengers to the Governor of Iowa proposing
178 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
to submit an agreed ease to the Supreme Court of the United States for the
final settlement of the boundary question. This proposition -was declined, but
afterward Congress authorized a suit to settle the controversy, '-which was insti-
tuted, and -which resulted in a judgment for Iowa. Under this decision,
"William G. Miner, of Missouri, and Henry B. Hcndershott were appointed
Commissioners to survey and establish the boundary. Mr. Nourse remarks
that " the expenses of the war on the part of Iowa were never paid, either by
the United States or the Territorial Government. The patriots who furnished
supplies to the troops had to bear the cost and charges of the struggle."
The first legislative assembly laid the broad foundation of civil equality, on
which has been constructed one of the most liberal governments in the Union.
Its first act was to recognize the equality of woman with man before the law by
providing that " no action commenced by a single woman, who intermarries
during the pendency thereof, shall abate on account of such marriage." This prin-
ciple has been adopted by all subsequent legislation in Iowa, and to-day woman
has full and equal civil rights with man, except only the right of the ballot.
Religious toleration was also secured to all, personal liberty strictly guarded,
the rights and privileges of citizenship extended to all white persons, and the
purity of elections secured by heavy penalties against bribery and corruption.
The judiciary power was vested in a Supreme Court, District Court, Probate
Court, and Justices of the Peace. Real estate was made divisible by will, and
intestate property divided equitably among heirs. Murder was made punishable
by death, and proportionate penalties fixed for lesser crimes. A system of free
schools, open for every class of white citizens, was established. Provision was
made for a system of roads and highways. Thus under the territorial organi-
zation, the country began to emerge from a savage wilderness, and take on the
forms of civil government.
By act of Congress of June 12, 1838, the lands which had been purchased
of the Indians were brought into market, and land offices opened in Dubuque
and Burlington. Congress provided for military roads and bridges, which
greatly aided the settlers, who were now coming in by thousands, to make their
homes on the fertile prairies of Iowa — " the Beautiful Land." The fame of the
country had spread far and wide ; even before the Indian title was extinguished,
many were crowding the borders, impatient to cross over and stake out their
claims on the choicest spots they could find in the new Territory. As
soon as the country was open for settlement, the borders, the Black Hawk
Purchase, all along the Mississipi, and up the principal rivers and streams, ami
out over the broad and rolling prairies, began to be thronged with eager land
hunters and immigrants, seeking homes in Iowa. It was a sight to delight the
eyes of all comers from every land — its noble streams, beautiful and picturesque
hills and valleys, broad and fertile prairies extending as far as the eye could
reach, with a soil surpassing in richness anything which they had ever seen. It
is not to be wondered at that immigration into Iowa was rapid, and that within
less than a decade from the organization of the Territory, it contained a hundred
and fifty thousand people.
As rapidly as the Indian titles were extinguished and the original owners
removed, the resistless tide of emigration flowed westward. The following extract
from Judge Nourse's Centennial Address shows how the immigrants gathered
on the Indian boundary, ready for the removal of the barrier :
In obedience to our progressive nnd aggressive spirit, the Government of the United States
made another treaty with the Sac and Fox Indians, on the 11th day of August. 1S4'J, for the
remaining portion of their land in Iowa. The treaty provided that the Indians should retain
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 179
possession of all the lands thus ceded until May 1, 1843, ami should occupy that portion of the
ceded territory west of a line running north and south through Kedrock, until October 11, 1845.
These tribes, at this time, had their principal village at Ot-tum-wa-no, now called Ottuniwa. As
soon as it became known that the treaty had been concluded, there was a rush of immigration to
Iowa, ami a great number of temporary settlements were made near the Indian boundary, wait-
in<* for the 1st day of May. As the day approached, hundreds of families encamped along the
line, and their tents and wagons gave the scene the appearance of a military expedition. The
country beyond had been thoroughly explored, but the United States military authorities had
prevented any settlement or even the making out of claims by any monuments whatever.
To aid them in making out their claims when the hour should arrive, the settlers had placed
piles of dry wood on the rising ground, at convenient distances, and a short time before twelve
o'clock of the night of the 30th of April, these were lighted, and when the midnight hour arrived,
it was announced by the discharge of firearms. The night was dark, but this army of occupa-
tion pressed forward, torch in hand, with axe and hatchet, blazing lines with all manner of
curves and angles. When daylight came and revealed the confusion of these wonderful surveys,
numerous disputes arose, settled generally by compromise, but sometimes by violence Between
midnight of the 30th of April and sundown of the 1st of May, over one thousand families had
settled on their new purchase.
While this scene was transpiring, the retreating Indians were enacting one more impressive
and melancholy. The Winter of 1842-43 was one of unusual severity, and 4\e Indian prophet,
who had disapproved of the treaty, attributed the severity of the Winter to the anger of the Great
Spirit, because they had sold their country. Many religious rites were performed to atone for
the crime. When the time for leaving Ot-tum-wa-no arrived, a solemn silence pervaded the Indian
camp, and the faces of their stoutest men were bathed in tears; and when their cavalcade was
put in motion, toward the setting sun, there was a spontaneous outburst of frantic grief from the
entire procession.
The Indians remained the appointed time beyond the line running north and south through
Redrock. The government established a trading post, ami military encampment at the Raccoon
Fork of the Des Moines River, then and for many years known as Fort lies Moines. Here the
red man lingered until the 11th of October, 1845, when the same scene that we have before
described was re-enacted, and the wave of immigration swept over the remainder of the " New
Purchase." The lands thus occupied and claimed by the settlers still belonged in fee to the Gen-
eral Government. The surveys were not completed until some time after the Indian title was
extinguished. After their survey, the lands were publicly proclaimed or advertised for sale at
public auction. Under the laws of the United States, a pre-emption or exclusive right to purchase
public lands could net be acquired until after the lands had thus been publicly offered and not
sold for want of bidders. Then, and not until then, an occupant making improvements in good
faith might acquire a right over others to enter the land at the minimum price of §1.25 per
acre. The " claim laws " were unknown to the United States statutes. They originated in the
" eternal fitness of things," and were enforced, probably, as belonging to that class of natural
rights not enumerated in the constitution, and not impaired or disparaged by its enumeration.
The settlers organized in every settlement prior to the public land sales, appointed officers,
and adopted their own rules and regulations. Each man's claim was duly ascertained and
recorded by the Secretary. It was the duty of all to attend the sales. The Secretary bid off the
lands of each settler at SI. 25 per acre. The others were there, to see, first, that he did his duty
and bid in the land, and, secondly, to see that no one else bid. This, of course, sometimes led to
trouble, but it saved the excitement of competition, and gave a formality and degree of order
and regularity to the proceedings they would not otherwise have attained. As far as practicable,
the Territorial Legislature recognized the validity of these " claims " upon the public lands, and
in 1839 passed an act legalizing their sale and making their transfer a valid consideration to sup-
port a promise to pay for the same. (Acts of 1843, p. 456). The Supreme Territorial Court
held this law to be valid. (See Hill v. Smith, 1st Morris Rep. 70). The opinion not only con-
tains a decision of the question involved, but also contains much valuable erudition upon that
"spirit of Anglo-Saxon liberty" which the- Iowa settlers unquestionably inherited in a direct
line of descent from the said " Anglo-Saxons." But the early settler was not always able to pay
even this dollar and twenty-five cents per acre for his land.
Many of the settlers had nothing to begin with, save their hands, health and
courage and their family jewels, "the pledges of love," and the " consumers of
bread." It was not so easy to accumulate money in the early days of the State,
and the "beautiful prairies," the "noble streams," and all that sort of poetic
imagery, did not prevent the early settlers from becoming discouraged.
An old settler, in speaking of the privations and trials of those early days,
says:
Well do the " old settlers '' of Iowa remember the days from the first settlement to 1840.
Those were days of sadness and distress. The endearments of home in another land had been
18U HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
broken up ; and all that was hallowed on earth, the home of childhood and the scenes of youth,
we severed ; and we sat down by the gentle waters of our noble river, and often " hung our harps
on the willows."
Another, from another part of the State, testifies :
There was no such thing as getting money for any kind of labor. I laid brick at $3.00
per thousand, and took my pay in anything I could eat or wear. I built the first Methodist
Church at Keokuk, 42x60 feet, of brick, for §600, and took my pay in a subscription paper, part
of which I never collected, and upon which I only received $50 00 in money. Wheat was hauled
100 miles from the interior, and sold for 37 J cents per bushel.
Another old settler, speaking of a later period, 1843, says :
Land and everything had gone down in value to almost nominal prices. Corn and oats
could be bought for six or ten cents a bushel ; pork, $] .00 per hundred ; and the best horse a
man could raise sold for $00.00. Nearly all were in debt, and the Sheriff and Constable, with
legal processes, were common visitors at almost every man's door. These were indeed " the times
that tried men's souls."
"A few," says Mr. Nourse, "who were not equal to the trial, returned to
their old homes, but such as had the courage and faith to be the worthy founders
of a great State remained, to more than realize the fruition of their hopes, and
the reward of their self-denial."
On Monday, December 6, 1841, the fourth Legislative Assembly met, at
the new capital, Iowa City, but the capitol building could not be used, and the
Legislature occupied a temporary frame house, that had been erected for that
purpose, during the session of 1841-2. At this session, the Superintendent of
Public Buildings (who, with the Territorial Agent, had superseded the Commis-
sioners first appointed), estimated the expense of completing the building at
§•">•>, o30, and that rooms for the use of the Legislature could be completed for
$15,600.
During 1842, the Superintendent commenced obtaining stone from a new
quarry, about ten miles northeast of the city. This is now known as the '' Old
Capitol Quarry," and contains, it is thought, an immense quantity of excellent
building stone. Here all the stone for completing the building was obtained,
and it was so far completed, that on the 5th day of December, 1842, the Legis-
lature assembled in the new capitol. At this session, the Superintendent esti-
mated that it would cost $39,143 to finish the building. This was nearly
§0,000 higher than the estimate of the previous year, notwithstanding a large
sum had been expended in the meantime. This rather discouraging discrep-
ancy was accounted for by the fact that the officers in charge of the work were
constantly short of funds. Except the congressional appropriation of $20,000
and the loan of $5,500, obtained from the Miners' Bank, of Dubuque, all the
funds for the prosecution of the work were derived from the sale of the city
lots (which did not sell very rapidly), from certificates of indebtedness, and from
scrip, based upon unsold lots, which was to be received in payment for such lots
when they were sold. At one time, the Superintendent made a requisition for
bills of iron and glass, which could not be obtained nearer than St. Louis. To
meet this, the Agent sold some lots for a draft, payable at Pittsburgh, Pa., for
which he was compelled to pay twenty-five per cent, exchange. This draft,
amounting to $507, that officer reported to be more than one-half the cash
actually handled by him during the entire season, when the disbursements
amounted to very nearly $24,000.
With such uncertainty, it could not be expected that estimates could be very
accurate. With all these disadvantages, however, the work appears to have
been prudently prosecuted, and as rapidly as circumstances would permit.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 181
Iowa remained a Territory from 1838 to 1846, during which the office of
Governor was held by Robert Lucas, John Chambers and James Clarke.
STATE ORGANIZATION.
By an act of the Territorial Legislature of Iowa, approved February 12,
1844, the question of the formation of a State Constitution and providing for
the election of Delegates to a convention to be convened for that purpose was
submitted to the people, to be voted upon at their township elections in April
following. The vote was largely in favor of the measure, and the Delegates
elected assembled in convention at Iowa City, on the 7th of October, 1844.
On the first day of November following, the convention completed its work and
adopted the first State Constitution.
The President of the convention, Hon. Shepherd Leffler, was instructed to
transmit a certified copy of this Constitution to the Delegate in Congress, to be
by him submitted to that body at the earliest practicable day. It was also pro-
vided that it should be submitted, together with any conditions or changes that
might be made by Congress, to the people of the Territory, for their approval
or rejection, at the township election in April, 1845.
The boundaries of the State, as defined by this Constitution, were as fol-
lows:
Beginning in the middle of the channel of the Mississippi River, opposite mouth of the
Des Moines River, thence up the said river Des Moines, in the middle of the main channel
thereof, to a point where it is intersected by the Old Indian Boundary line, or line run by John
C. Sullivan, in the year 1816 ; thence westwardly along said line to the " old " northwest corner
of Missouri; thence due west to the middle of the main channel of the Missouri River; thence
up in the middle of the main channel of the river last mentioned to the mouth of the Sioux or
Calumet River ; thence in a direct line to the middle of the main channel of the St. Peters River,
where the Watonwan River — according to Nicollet's map — enters the same; thence down the
middle of the main channel of said river to the middle of the main channel of t lie Mississippi
River; thence down the middle of the main channel of said river to tlie place of beginning.
These boundaries were rejected by Congress, but by act approved March 3,
1845, a State called Iowa was admitted into the Union, provided the people
accepted the act, bounded as follows :
Beginning at the mouth of the Des Moines River, at the middle of the Mississippi, thence
by the middle ot the channel of that river to a parallel of latitude passing through the mouth of
the Mankato or Blue Earth River; thence west, along said parallel of latitude, to a point where
it is intersected by a meridian line seventeen degrees and thirty minutes west of the meridian
of Washington City ; Ihence due south, to the northern boundary line of the State of Missouri;
thence eastwardly, following that boundary to the point at which the same intersects the Des
Moines River ; thence by the middle of the channel of that river to the place of beginning.
These boundaries, had they been accepted, would have placed the northern
boundary of the State about thirty miles north of its present location, and would
have deprived it of the Missouri slope and the boundary of that river. The
western boundary would have been near the west line of what is now Kossuth
County. But it was not so to be. In consequence of this radical and unwel-
come change in the boundaries, the people refused to accept the act of Congress
and rejected the Constitution at the election, held August 4, 1845, by a vote of
7,656 to 7,235.
A second Constitutional Convention assembled at Iowa City on the 4th day
of May, 1846, and on the 18th of the same month another Constitution for the
new State with the present boundaries, was adopted and submitted to the people
for ratification on the 3d day of August following, when it was accepted ; 9,492
votes were cast "for the Constitution," and 9,036 "against the Constitution "
182 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
The Constitution was approved by Congress, and by act of Congress approved
December 28, 1846, Iowa was admitted as a sovereign State in the American
Union.
Prior to this action of Congress, however, the people of the new State held
an election under the new Constitution on the 26th day of October, and elected
Oresel Briggs, Governor ; Elisha Cutler, Jr., Secretary of State ; Joseph T.
Fales, Auditor ; Morgan Reno, Treasurer ; and members of the Senate and
House of Representatives.
At this time there were twenty-seven organized counties in the State, with
a population of nearly 100,000, and the frontier settlements were rapidly push-
ing toward the Missouri River. The Mormons had already reached there.
The first General Assembly of the State of Iowa was composed of nineteen
Senators and forty Representatives. It assembled at Iowa City, November 30,
1846, about a month before the State was admitted into the Union.
At the first session of the State Legislature, the Treasurer of State reported
that the capital building was in a very exposed condition, liable to injury from
storms, and expressed the hope that some provision would be made to complete
it, at least sufficiently to protect it from the weather. The General Assembly
responded by appropriating §2,500 for the completion of the public buildings.
At the first session also arose the question of the re-location of the capital. The
western boundary of the State, as now determined, left Iowa City too far toward
the eastern and southern boundary of the State ; this was conceded. Congress
had appropriated five sections of land for the erection of public buildings, and
toward the close of the session a bill was introduced providing for the re-location
of the seat of government, involving to some extent the location of the State
University, which had already been discussed- This bill gave rise to a deal of
discussion and parliamentary maneuvering, almost purely sectional in its character.
It provided for the appointment of three Commissioners, who were authorized to
make a location as near the geographical center of the State as a healthy and
eligible site could be obtained; to select the five sections of land donated by
Congress ; to survey and plat into town lots not exceeding one section of the
land so selected ; to sell lots at public sale, not to exceed two in each block.
•Having done this, they were then required to suspend further operations, and
make a report of their proceedings to the Governor. The bill passed both
Tlouses by decisive votes, received the signature of the Governor, and became a
law. Soon after, by "An act to locate and establish a State University,"
approved February 25, 1847, the unfinished public buildings at Iowa City,
together with the ten acres of land on which they were situated, were granted
for the use of the University, reserving their use, however, by the General
Assembly and the. State officers, until other provisions were made by law.
The Commissioners forthwith entered upon their duties, and selected four
sections and two half sections in Jasper County. Two of these sections are in
what is now Des Moines Township, and the others in Fairview Township, in the
southern part of that county. These lands are situated between Prairie City
and Monroe, on the Keokuk & Des Moines Railroad, which runs diagonally
through them. Here a town was platted, called Monroe City, and a sale of
lots took place. Four hundred and fifteen lots were sold, at prices that were
not considered remarkably remunerative. The cash payments (one-fourth)
amounted to $1,797.43, while the expenses of the sale and the claims of the
Commissioners for services amounted to $2,206.57. The Commissioners made
a report of their proceedings to the Governor, as required by law, but the loca-
tion was generally condemned.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 183
When the report of the Commissioners, showing this brilliant financial ope-
ration, had been read in the House of Representatives, at the next session, and
while it was under consideration, an indignant member, afterward known as
the eccentric Judge McFarland, moved to refer the report to a select Committee
of Five, with instructions to report " how much of said city of Monroe was under
water and how much was burned." The report was referred, without the
instructions, however, but Monroe City never became the seat of government.
By an act approved January 15, 1849, the law by which the location had been
made was repealed and the new town was vacated, the money paid by purchas-
ers of lots being refunded to them. This, of course, retained the seat of govern-
ment at Iowa City, and precluded, for the time, the occupation of the building
and grounds by the University.
At the same session, §3,000 more were appropriated for completing the
State building at Iowa City. In 1852, the further sum of $5,000, and in 1854
$4,000 more were apppropriated for the same purpose, making the whole cost
$123,000, paid partly by the General Government and partly by the State, but
principally from the proceeds of the sale of lots in Iowa City.
But the question of the permanent location of the seat of government was
not settled, and in 1851 bills were introduced for the removal of the capital to
Pella and to Fort Des Moines. The latter appeared to have the support of the
majority, but was finally lost in the House on the question of ordering it to its
third reading.
At the next session, in 1853, a bill was introduced in the Senate for the
removal of the seat of government to Fort Des Moines, and, on final vote,
was just barely defeated. At the next session, however, the effort was more
successful, and on the 15th day of January, 1855, a bill re-locating the capital
within two miles of the Raccoon Fork of the Des Moines, and for the appoint-
ment of Commissioners, was approved by Gov. Grimes. The site was selected
in 185(3, in accordance with the provisions of this act, the land being donated
to the State by citizens and property -holders of Des Moines. An association of
citizens erected a building for a temporary capital, and leased it to the State at
a nominal rent.
The third Constitutional Convention to revise the Constitution of the State
assembled at Iowa City, January 19, 1857. The new Constitution framed by'
this convention was submitted to the people at an election held August 3, 1857,
when it was approved and adopted by a vote of 40,311 " for " to 38,681
" against," and on the 3d day of September following was declared by a procla-
mation of the Governor to be the supreme law of the State of Iowa.
Advised of the completion of the temporary State House at Des Moines, on
the 19th of October following, Governor Grimes issued another proclamation,
declaring the City of Des Moines to be the capital of the State of Iowa.
The removal of the archives and offices was commenced at once and con-
tinued through the Fall. It was an undertaking of no small magnitude ; there
was not a mile of railroad to facilitate the work, and the season was unusually
disagreeable. Rain, snow and other accompaniments increased the difficulties ;
and it was not until December, that the last of the effects — the safe of the State
Treasurer, loaded on two large " bob-sleds " — drawn by ten yoke of oxen was de-
posited in the new capital. It is not imprudent now to remark that, during this
passage over hills and prairies, across rivers, through bottom lands and timber,
the safes belonging to the several departments contained large sums of money,
mostly individual funds, however. Thus, Iowa City ceased to be the capital of
the State, after four Territorial Legislatures, six State Legislatures and three
184 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
Constitutional Conventions had held their sessions there. By the exchange,
the old capitol at Iowa City became the seat of the University, and, except the
rooms occupied by the United States District Court, passed under the immedi-
ate and direct control of the Trustees of that institution.
Des Moines was now the permanent seat of government, made so by the
fundamental law of the State, and on the 11th day of January, 1858, the
seventh General Assembly convened at the new capital. The building used
for governmental purposes was purchased in 1864. It soon became inadequate
for the purposes for which it was designed, and it became apparent that a new,
large and permanent State House must be erected. In 1870, the General
Assembly made an appropriation and provided for the appointment of a Board
of Commissioners to commence the work. The board consisted of Gov. Samuel
Merrill, ex officio, President ; Grenville M. Dodge, Council Bluffs ; James F.
Wilson, Fairfield; James Dawson, Washington; Simon G. Stein, Muscatine ;
James 0. Crosby, Gainsville; Charles Dudley, Agency City, John N. Dewey,
Des Moines ; William L. Joy, Sioux City ; Alexander R. Fulton, Des Moines,
Secretary.
The act of 1870 provided that the building should be constructed of the
best material and should be fire proof; to be heated and ventilated in the most
approved manner; should contain suitable legislative halls, rooms for State
officers, the judiciary, library, committees, archives and the collections of the
State Agricultural Society, and for all purpoees of State Government, and
should be erected on grounds held by the State for that purpose. The sum first
appropriated was $150,000 ; and the law provided that no contract should be
made, either for constructing or furnishing the building, which should bind the
State for larger sums than those at the time appropriated. A design was drawn
and plans and specifications furnished by Cochrane & Piquenard, architects,
which were accepted by the board, and on the 23d of November, 1871, the cor-
ner stone was laid with appropriate ceremonies. The estimated cost and present
value of the capitol is fixed at $2,000,000.
From 1858 to 1860, the Sioux became troublesome in the northwestern
part of the State. These warlike Indians made frequent plundering raids upon
the settlers, and murdered several families. In 1861, several companies of
militia were ordered to that portion of the State to hunt down and punish the
murderous thieves. No battles were fought, however, for the Indians fled
when they ascertained that systematic and adequate measures had been adopted
to protect the settlers.
" The year 1856 marked a new era in the history of Iowa. In 1854, the
Chicago & Rock Island Railroad had been completed to the east bank of the
Mississippi River, opposite Davenport. In 1854, the corner stone of a railroad
bridge, that was to be the first to span the "Father of Waters," was laid with
appropriate ceremonies at this point. St. Louis had resolved that the enter-
prise was unconstitutional, and by writs of injunction made an unsuccessful
effort to prevent its completion. Twenty years later in her history, St. Louis
repented her folly, and made atonement for her sin by imitating our example.
On the 1st day of January, 1856, this railroad was completed to Iowa City.
In the meantime, two other railroads had reached the cast bank of the Missis-
sippi— one opposite Burlington, and one opposite Dubuque— and these were
being extended into the interior of the State. Indeed, four lines of railroad
had been projected across the State from the Mississippi to the Missouri, hav-
ing eastern connections. On the 15th of May, 1856, the Congress of the
United States passed an act granting to the State, to aid in the construction of
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 185
railroads, the public lands in alternate sections, six miles on either side of the
proposed lines. An extra session of the General Assembly was called in July
of this year, that disposed of the grant to the several companies that proposed
to complete these enterprises. The population of our State at this time had
increased to 500,000. Public attention had been called to the necessity of a
railroad across the continent. The position of Iowa, in the very heart and
center of the Republic, on the route of this great highway across the continent,
began to attract attention Cities and towns sprang up through the State as
if by magic. Capital began to pour into the State, and had it been employed
in developing our vast coal measures and establishing manufactories among us,
or if it had been expended in improving our lands, and building houses and
barns, it would have been well. But all were in haste to get rich, and the
spirit of speculation ruled the hour.
" In the meantime, every effort was made to help the speedy completion of
the railroads. Nearly every county and city on the Mississippi, and many in
the interior, voted large corporate subscriptions to the stock of the railroad
companies, and issued their negotiable bonds for the amount." Thus enormous
county and city debts were incurred, the payment of which these municipalities
tried to avoid upon the plea that they had exceeded the constitutional limit-
ation of their powers. The Supreme Court of the United States held these
bonds to be valid ; and the courts by mandamus compelled the city and county
authorities to levy taxes to pay the judgments. These debts are not all paid
even yet, but the worst is over and ultimately the burden will be entirely
removed
The first railroad across the State was completed to Council Bluffs in Jan-
uary, 1871. The others were completed soon after. In 1854, there was not
a mile of railroad in the State. In 1874, twenty years after, there were 3,765
miles in successful operation.
GROWTH AND PROGRESS.
When Wisconsin Territory was organized, in 1836, the entire population of
that portion of the Territory now embraced in the State of Iowa was 10.531.
The Territory then embraced two counties, Dubuque and Des Moines, erected
by the Territory of Michigan, in 1834. From 1836 to 1838, the Territorial
Legislature of Wisconsin increased the number of counties to sixteen, and the
population had increased to 22,859. Since then, the counties have increased
to ninety-nine, and the population, in 1875, was 1,366,000. The following
table will show the population at different periods since the erection of Iowa
Territory :
Year. Population.
1852 230,713
1854 326,013
1856 519,055
1859 638,775
1860 674,913
1863 701,732
1865 754,699
1867 902,040
The most populous county in the State is Dubuque. Not only in popula,-
tion, but in everything contributing to the growth and greatness of a State has
Iowa made rapid progress. In a little more than thirty years, its wild but
beautiful prairies have advanced from the home of the savage to a highly civ-
ilized commonwealth, embracing all the elements of progress which characterize
the older States.
Tear.
Population.
1844
1849 159QRR
1851 204!774
Year.
1869
1870
Population.
1,040.819
1,191,727
1875
1876
1,366,000
1877
186 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
Thriving cities and towns dot its fair surface ; an iron net-work of thou-
sands of miles of railroads is woven over its broad acres ; ten thousand school
houses, in which more than five hundred thousand children are being taught
the rudiments of education, testify to the culture and liberality of the people;
high schools, colleges and universities are generously endowed by the State ;
manufactories spring up on all her water courses, and in most of her cities
and towns.
Whether measured from the date of her first settlement, her organization as
a Territory or admission as a State, Iowa has thus far shown a growth unsur-
passed, in a similar period, by any commonwealth on the face of the earth ;
and, with her vast extent of fertile soil, with her inexhaustible treasures of
mineral wealth, with' a healthful, invigorating climate; an intelligent, liberty-
loving people; with equal, just and liberal laws, and her free schools, the
future of Iowa may be expected to surpass the most hopeful anticipations of her
present citizens.
Looking upon Iowa as she is to-day — populous, prosperous and happy — it
is hard to realize the wonderful changes that have occurred since the first white
settlements were made within her borders. When the number of States was
only twenty-six, and their total population about twenty millions, our repub-
lican form of government was hardly more than an experiment, just fairly put
upon trial. The development of our agricultural resources and inexhaustible
mineral wealth had hardly commenced. Westward the "Star of Empire"
had scarcely started on its way. West of the great Mississippi was a mighty
empire, but almost unknown, and marked on the maps of the period as " The
Great American Desert."
Now, thirty-eight stars glitter on our national escutcheon, and forty-five
millions of people, who know their rights and dare maintain them, tread
American soil, and the grand sisterhood of States extends from the Gulf of
Mexico to the Canadian border, and from the rocky coast of the Atlantic to
the golden shores of die Pacific.
THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE AND FARM.
Ames, Story County.
The Iowa State Agricultural College and Farm were established by au act
of the General Assembly, approved March 22, 1858. A Board of Trustees was
appointed, consisting of Governor R. P. Lowe, John D. Wright, William Duane
Wilson, M. W. Robinson, Timothy Day, Richard Gaines, John Pattee, G. W.
F. Sherwin, Suel Foster, S. W. Henderson, Clement Coffin and E. G. Day ;
the Governors of the State and President of the College being ex officio mem-
bers. Subsequently the number of Trustees was reduced to five. The Board
met in June, 1859, and received propositions for the location of the College and
Farm from Hardin, Polk, Story and Boone, Marshall, Jefferson and Tama
Counties. In July, the proposition of Story County and some of its citizens
and by the citizens of Boone County was accepted, and the farm and the site
for the buildings were located. In 1860-61, the farm-house and barn were
erected. In 1862, Congress granted to the State 240,000 acres of land for the
endowment of schools of agriculture and the mechanical arts, and 195,000 acres
were located by Peter Melendy, Commissioner, in 1862—3. George W. Bassett
was appointed Land Agent for the institution. In 1864, the General Assem-
bly appropriated $20,000 for the erection of the college building.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 187
In June of that year, the Building Committee, consisting of Suel Foster,
Peter Melendy and A. J. Bi-onson, proceeded to let the contract. John Browne,
of Des Moines, was employed as architect, and furnished the plans of the build-
ing, but was superseded in its construction by C. A. Dunham. The §20.000
appropriated by the General Assembly were expended in putting in the foun-
dations and making the brick for the structure. An additional appropriation
of §91,000 was made in 1806, and the building was completed in 1868.
Tuition in this college is made by law forever free to pupils from the State
over sixteen years of age, who have been resident of the State six months pre-
vious to their admission. Each county in the State has a prior right of tuition
for three scholars from each county ; the remainder, equal to the capacity of the
college, are by the Trustees distributed among the counties in proportion to the
population, and subject to the above rule. All sale of anient spirits, wine or
beer are prohibited by law within a distance of three miles from the college,
except for sacramental, mechanical or medical purposes.
The course of instruction in the Agricultural College embraces the following
branches : Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, Botany, Horticulture, Fruit Growing,
Forestry, Animal and Vegetable Anatomy, Geology, Mineralogy, Meteorology,
Entomology, Zoology, the Veterinary Art, Plane Mensuration, Leveling, Sur-
veying, Bookkeeping, and such Mechanical Arts as are directly connected
with agriculture ; also such other studies as the Trustees may from time to time
prescribe, not inconsistent with the purposes of the institution.
The funds arising from the lease and sale of lands and interest on invest-
ments are sufficient for the support of the institution. Several College Societies
are maintained among the students, who publish a monthly paper. There is
also an " out-law " called the "ATA, Chapter Omega."
The Board of Trustees in 1877 was composed of C. W. Warden, Ottumwa,
Chairman; Hon. Samuel J. Kirkwood, Iowa City; William B. Treadway,
Sioux City ; Buel Sherman, Fredericksburg, and Laurel Summers, Le Claire.
E. W. Starten, Secretary ; William D. Lucas, Treasurer.
Board of Instruction. — A. S. Welch, LL. D., President and Professor of
Psychology and Philosophy of Science ; Gen. J. L. Geddes, Professor of Mili-
tary Tactics and Engineering; W. H. Wynn, A. M., Ph. D., Professor of
English Literature; C. E. Bessey, M. S., Professor of Botany, Zoology, Ento-
mology ; A. Thompson, C. E., Mechanical Engineering and Superintendent of
Workshops; F. E. L. Beal, B. S., Civil Engineering; T. E. Pope, A. M.,
Chemistry; M. Stalker, Agricultural and Veterinary Science; J. L. Budd,
Horticulture ; J. K. Macomber, Physics ; E. W. Stanton, Mathematics and
Political Economy ; Mrs. Margaret P. Stanton, Preceptress, Instructor in
French and Mathematics.
THE STATE UNIVERSITY.
Iowa City, Johnson County.
In the famous Ordinance of 1787, enacted by Congress before the Territory
of the United States extended beyond the Mississippi River, it was declared
that in all the territory northwest of the Ohio River, " Schools and the means
of education shall forever be encouraged." By act of Congress, approved July
20, 1840, the Secretary of the Treasury was authorized " to set apart and re-
serve from sale, out of any of the public lands within the Territory of Iowa, to
which the Indian title has been or may be extinguished, and not otherwise ap-
propriated, a quantity of land, not exceeding the entire townships, for the use
188 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
and support of a university within said Territorry when it becomes a State, and
for no other use or purpose whatever ; to be located in tracts of not less than an
entire section, corresponding with any of the large divisions into which the pub-
lic land are authorized to be surveyed."
William W. Dodge, of Scott County, was appointed by the Secretary of the
Treasury to make the selections. He selected Section 5 in Township 78, north
of Range 3, east of the Fifth Principal Meridian, and then removed from the
Territory. No more lands were selected until 1846, when, at the request of the
Assembly, John M. Whi taker of Van Buren County, was appointed, who selected
the remainder of the grant except about 122 acres.
In the first Constitution, under which Iowa was admitted to the Union, the
people directed the disposition of the proceeds of this munificent grant in ac-
cordance with its terms, and instructed the General Assembly to provide, as soon
as may be, effectual means for the improvement and permanent security of the
funds of the university derived from the lands.
The first General Assembly, by act approved February 25, 1847, established
the " State University of Iowa" at Iowa City, then the capital of the State,
"with such other branches as public convenience may hereafter require."
The " public buildings at Iowa City, together with the ten acres of land in which
they are situated," were granted for the use of said university, jirovided, how-
ever, that the sessions of the Legislature and State offices should be held in the
capitol until otherwise provided by law. The control and management of the
University were committed to a board of fifteen Trustees, to be appointed by the
Legislature, five of whom were to be chosen bienially. The Superintendent
of Public Instruction was made President of this Board. Provisions were made
for the disposal of the two townships of land, and for the investment of the funds
arising therefrom. The act further provides that the University shall never be
under the exclusive control of any religious denomination whatever," and as
soon as the revenue for the grant and donations amounts to $2,000 a year, the
University should commence and continue the instruction, free of charge, of fifty
students annually. The General Assembly retained full supervision over the
University, its officers and the grants and donations made and to be made to it
by the State.
Section 5 of the act appointed James P. Carleton, H. D. Downey, Thomas
Snyder, Samuel McCrory, Curtis Bates, Silas Foster, E. C. Lyon, James H.
Gower, George G. Vincent, Win. G. AVoodward, Theodore S. Parvin, George
Atchinson, S. G. Matson, H. W. Starr and Ansel Briggs, the first Board of
Trustees.
The organization of the University at Iowa City was impracticable, how-
ever, so long as the seat of government was retained there.
In January, 1849, two branches of the University and three Normal
Schools were established. The branches wei-e located — one at Fairfield, and
the other at Dubuque, and were placed upon an equal footing, in respect to
funds and all other matters, with the University established at Iowa City.
"This act," says Col. Benton, "created three State Universities, with equal
rights and powers, instead of a 'University with such branches as public conven-
ience may hereafter demand' as provided by the Constitution."
The Board of Directors of the Fairfield Branch consisted of Barnet Ris-
tinc, Christian W. Slagle, Daniel Rider, Horace Gaylord, Bernhart Henn and
Samuel S. Bayard. ' At the first meeting of the Board, Mr. Henn was elected
President, Mr. Slagle Secretary, and Mr. Gaylord Treasurer. Twenty acres
of land were purchased, and a building erected thereon, costing $2,500.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 189
This building was nearly destroyed by a hurricane, in 1850, but was rebuilt
more substantially, all by contributions of the citizens of Fairfield. This
branch never received any aid from the State or from the University Fund,
and by act approved January 24, 1853, at the request of the Board, the Gen-
eral Assembly terminated its relation to the State.
The branch at Dubuque was placed under the control of the Superintendent
of Public Instruction, and John King, Caleb H. Booth, James M. Emerson,
Michael J. Sullivan, Richard Benson and the Governor of the State as
Trustees. The Trustees never organized, and its existence was only nominal.
Tbe Normal Schools were located at Andrew, Oskaloosa and Mount
Pleasant, respectively. Each was to be governed by a board of seven Trustees, to
be appointed by the Trustees of the University. Each was to receive $500 annu-
ally from the income of the University Fund, upon condition that they should ed-
ucate eight common school teachers, free of charge for tuition, and that the citizens
should contribute an equal sum for the erection of the requisite buildings.
The several Boards of Trustees were appointed. At Andrew, the school was
organized Nov. 21, 1849; Samuel Ray, Principal; Miss J. S. Dorr, Assist-
ant. A building was commenced and over $1,000 expended on it, but it was
never completed. At Oskaloosa, the Trustees organized in April, 1852. This
school was opened in the Court House, September 13, 1852, under the charge
of Prof. G. M. iJrake and wife. A two -story brick building was completed in
1853, costing §2,473. The school at Mount Pleasant was never organized.
Neither of these schools received any aid from the University Fund, but in
1857 the Legislature appropriated $1,000 each for those at Oskaloosa and
Andrew, and repealed the law authorizing the payment of money to them from
the University Fund. From that time they made no further effort to
continue in operation.
At a special meeting of the Board of Trustees, held February 21, 1850,
the " College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Upper Mississippi," established
at Davenport, was recognized as the " College of Physicians and Surgeons of
the State University of Iowa," expressly stipulating, however, that such recog-
nition should not render the University liable for any pecuniary aid, nor was
the Board to have any control over the property or management of the Medical
Association. Soon after, this College was removed to Keokuk, its second ses-
sion being opened there in November, 1850. In 1851, the General Assembly
confirmed the action of the Board, and by act approved January 22, 1855,
placed the Medical College under the supervision of the Board of Trustees of
the University, and it continued in operation until this arrangement was termi-
nated by the new Constitution, September 3, 1857.
From 1847 to 1855, the Board of Trustees was kept full by regular elec-
tions by the Legislature, and the Trustees held frequent meetings, but there was
no effectual organization of the University. In March, 1855, it was partially
opened for a term of sixteen weeks. July 16, 1855, Amos Dean, of Albany,
N. Y., was elected President, but he never entered fully upon its duties. The
University was again opened in September, 1855, and continued in operation
until June, 1856, under Professors Johnson, Wei ton, Van Aralkenburg and
Guffin.
In the Spring of 1856, the capital of the State was located at Des Moines;
but there were no buildings there, and the capital at Iowa City was not vacated
by the State until December, 1857.
In June, 1856, the faculty was re-organized, with some changes, and the
University was again opened on the third Wednesday of September, 1856.
190 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
There were one hundred and twenty-four students — eighty-three males and
forty-one females — in attendance during the year 1856-7, and the first regular
catalogue was published.
At a special meeting of the Board, September 22, 1857, the honorary de-
gree of Bachelor of Arts was conferrel on D. Franklin Wells. This was the
first degree conferred by the Board.
Article IX, Section 11, of the new State Constitution, which went into force
September 3, 1857, provided as follows :
The Slate University shall be established at one place, without branches at any other place;
and the University fund shall be applied to that institution, and no other.
Article XI, Section 8, provided that
The seat of Government is hereby permanently established, as now fixed by law, at the city
of Des Moines, in the county of Polk ; and the State University at Iowa City, in the county of
Johnson.
The new Constitution created the Board of Education, consisting of the
Lieutenant Governor, who was ex officio President, and one member to be elected
from each judicial district in the State. This Board was endowed with
" full power and authority to legislate and make all needful rules and regula-
tions in relation to common schools and other educational institutions," subject
to alteration, amendment or repeal by the General Assembly, which was vested
with authority to abolish or re-organize the Board at any time%iter 1863.
In December, 1857, the old capitol building, now known as Central Hall of
the University, except the rooms occupied by the United States District Court,
and the property, with that exception, passed under the control of the Trustees,
and became the seat of the University. The old building had had hard usage,
and its arrangement was illy adapted for University purposes. Extensive repairs
and changes were necessary, but the Board was without funds for these pur-
poses.
The last meeting of the Board, under the old law, was held in January,
1858. At this meeting, a resolution was introduced, and seriously considered,
to exclude females from the University ; but it finally failed.
March 12, 1858, the first Legislature under the new Constitution enacted
a new law in relation to the University, but it was not materially different from
the former. March 11, 1858, the Legislature appropriated §3,000 for the re-
pair and modification of the old capitol building, and $10,000 for the erection
of a boarding house, now known as South Hall.
The Board of Trustees created by the new law met and duly organized
April 27, 1858, and determined to close the University until the income from its
fund should be adequate to meet the current expenses, and the buildings should
be ready for occupation. Until this term, the building known as the " Mechan-
ics' Academy" had been used for the school. The Faculty, except the Chan-
cellor (Dean), was dismissed, and all further instruction suspended, from the close
of the term then in progress until September, 1859. At this meeting, a reso-
lution was adopted excluding females from the University after the close of the
existing term ; but this was afterward, in August, modified, so as to admit them
to the Normal Department.
At the meeting of the Board, August 4, 1858, the degree of Bachelor of
Science was conferred upon Dexter Edson Smith, being the first degree con-
erred upon a student of the University. Diplomas woe awarded to the mem-
bers of the first graduating class of the Normal Department as follows : Levi
?. Aylworth, Cellina II. Aylworth, Elizabeth L. Humphrey, Annie A. Pinney
and Sylvia M. Thompson.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 191
An "Act for the Government and Regulation of the State University of
Iowa," approved December 25, 1858, was mainly a re-enactment of the law of
March 12, 1858, except that changes were made in the Board of Trustees, and
manner of their appointment. This law provided that both sexes were to be
admitted on equal terms to all departments' of the institution, leaving the Board
no discretion in the matter.
The new Board met and organized, February 2, 1859, and decided to con-
tinue the Normal Department only to the end of the current term, and that it
was unwise to re-open the University at that time; but at the annual meeting
of the Board, in June of the same year, it was resolved to continue the Normal
Department in operation ; and at a special meeting, October 25, 1859, it was
decided to re-open the University in September, I860. Mr. Dean had resigned
as Chancellor prior to this meeting, and Silas Totten, D. D., LL. D., was elected
President, at a salary of $2,000, and his term commenced June, 1860.
At the annual meeting, June 28, 1860, a full Faculty was appointed, and
the University re-opened, under this new organization, September 19, 1860
(third Wednesday) ; and at this date the actual existence of the University may
be said to commence.
August 19, 1862, Dr. Totten having resigned, Prof. Oliver M. Spencer
was elected President and the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred
upon Judge Samuel F. Miller, of Keokuk.
At the commencement, in June, 1863, was the first class of graduates in
the Collegiate Department.
The Board of Education was abolished March 19, 1864, and the office of
Superintendent of Public Instruction was restored ; the General Assembly
resumed control of the subject of education, and on March 21, an act was ap-
proved for the government of the University. It was substantially the same as
the former law, but provided that the Governor should be ex officio President of
the Board of Trustees. Until 1858, the Superintendent of Public Instruction
had been ex officio Piesident. During the period of the Board of Education,
the University Trustees were elected by it, and elected their own President.
President Spencer was granted leave of absence from April 10, 1866, for
fifteen months, to visit Europe; and Prof. Nathan R. Leonard was elected
President pro tern.
The North Hall was completed late in 1866.
At the annual meeting in June, 1867, the resignation of President Spencer
(absent in Europe) was accepted, and Prof. Leonard continued as President pro
tern., until March 4, 1868, when James Black, D. D., Vice President of Wash-
ington and Jefferson College, Penn., was elected President. Dr. Black entered
upon his duties in September, 1868.
The Law Department was established in June, 1868, and, in September fol-
lowing, an arrangement was perfected with the Iowa Law School, at Des Moines,
which had been in successful operation for three years, under the management
of Messrs. George G. Wright, Chester C. Cole and William G. Hammond, by
which that institution was transferred to Iowa City and merged in the Law De-
partment of the University. The Faculty of this department consisted of the
President of the University, Hon. Wm. G. Hammond, Resident Professor and
Principal of the Department, and Professors G. G. Wright and C. C. Cole.
Nine students entered at the commencement of the first term, and during
the year ending June, 1877, there were 103 students in this department.
At a special meeting of the Board, on the 17th of September, 1868, a Com-
mittee was appointed to consider the expediency of establishing a Medical De-
192 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
partment. This Committee reported at once in favor of the proposition, the
Faculty to consist of the President of the University and seven Professors, and
recommended that, if practicable, the new department should be opened at the
commencement of the University year, in 1869-70. At this meeting, Hon.
Ezekiel Clark was elected Treasurer of the University.
By an act of the General Assembly, approved April 11, 1870, the "Board
of Regents " was instituted as the governing power of the University, and since
that time it has been the fundamental law of the institution. The Board of
Regents held its first meeting June 28, 1870. Wm. J. Haddock was elected
Secretary, and Mr. Clark, Treasurer.
Dr. Black tendered his resignation as President, at a special meeting of the
Board, held August 18, 1870, to take effect on the 1st of December following.
His resignation was accepted.
The South Hall having been fitted up for the purpose, the first term of the
Medical Department was opened October 24, 1870, and continued until March,
1871, at which time there were three graduates and thirty-nine students.
March 1, 1871, Rev. George Thacher was elected President of the Univer-
sity. Mr. Thacher accepted, entered upon his duties April 1st, and was form-
ally inaugurated at the annual meeting in June, 1861.
In June, 1874, the " Chair of Military Instruction" was established, and
the President of the United States was requested to detail an officer to perform
its duties. In compliance with this request, Lieut. A. D. Schenck, Second Artil-
lery, U. S. A., was detailed as "Professor of Military Science and Tactics,"
at Iowa State University, by order of the War Department, August 26, 1874,
who reported for duty on the 10th of September following. Lieut. Schenck
was relieved by Lieut. James Chester, Third Artillery, January 1, 1877.
Treasurer Clark resigned November 3, 1875, and John N. Coldren elected
in his stead.
At the annual meeting, in 1876, a Department of Homoeopathy was
established.
In March, 1877, a resolution was adopted affiliating the High Schools of
the State with the University.
In June, 1877, Dr. Thacher's connection with the University was termi-
nated, and C. W. Slagle, a member of the Board of Regents, was elected Pres-
ident.
In 1872, the ex officio membership of the Superintendent of Public Instruc-
tion was abolished ; but it was restored in 1876. Following is a catalogue of
the officers of this important institution, from 1847 to 1878 :
TRUSTEES OR REGENTS.
PRESIDENTS.
FROM TO
James Harlan, Superintendent Public Instruction, ex officio 1847 1848
Thomas II. Benton, Jr., Superintendent Public Instruction, ex officio 1848 1854
James D. Eads, Superintendent Public Instruction, ex officio 1854 1857
Maturin L. Fisher, Superintendent Public Instruction, ex officio 1857 1858
Amos Dean, Chancellor, ex officio 1858 1859
Thomas II. Kenton, Jr 1859 1803
Francis Springer 1863 1804
William M. Stone, Governor, ex officio 1864 1808
Samuel Merrill, Governor, ex officio 1868 1872
Cyrus C. Carpenter, Governor, ex officio 1872 1876
Samuel J. Kirkwood, Governor, ex officio 1876 1877
Joshua G. Newbold, Governor, ex officio 1877 1878
John II. Gear 1878
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 193
vice riu;sn>i,\ k.
FROM
Silas Foster 1847 1851
Robert Lucas 1851 1853
Edward Connelly 1854 1855
Moses J. Morsman 1855 1858
SECRETARIES.
Hugh D Downey 1847 1851
Anson Hart 1851 1857
Elijah Sells 1857 1858
Anson Hart 1858 1864
William J. Haddock 1864
TREASURERS.
Morgan Reno, State Treasurer, ex officio 1847 1850
Israel Kister, State Treasurer, ex officio 1850 1852
Martin L. Morris, State Treasurer, ex officio 1852 1855
Henry W. Lathrop 1855 1862
William Crum 1862 1868
Ezekiel Clark 1868 1876
John N. Coldren 1876
PRESIDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY.
Amos Dean, LL. D 1855 1858
Silas Totten, D. D., LL. D 1860 1862
Oliver M. Spencer, D. D.* 1862 1867
James Black, D. D 1868 1870
George Thacher, D. D 1871 1877
C. W. Slagle 1877
The present educational corps of the University consists of the President,
nine Professors in the Collegiate Department, one Professor and six Instructors
in Military Science ; Chancellor, three Professors and four Lecturers in the
Law Department ; eight Professor Demonstrators of Anatomy ; Prosector of
Surgery and two Lecturers in the Medical Department, and two Professors in
the Homoeopathic Medical Department.
STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
By act of the General Assembly, approved January 28, 1857, a State His-
torical Society was provided for in connection with the University. At the
commencement, an appropriation of $250 was made, to be expended in collecting,
embodying, and preserving in an authentic form a library of books, pamphlets,
charts, maps, manuscripts, papers, paintings, statuary, and other materials illus-
trative of the history of Iowa; and with the further object to rescue from
oblivion the memory of the early pioneers ; to obtain and preserve various
accounts of their exploits, perils and hardy adventures; to secure facts and
statements relative to the history and genius, and progress and decay of the
Indian tribes of Iowa; to exhibit faithfully the antiquities and past and present
resources of the State ; to aid in the publication of such collections of the Society
as shall from time to time be deemed of value and interest ; to aid in binding
its books, pamphlets, manuscripts and papers, and in defraying other necessary
incidental expenses of the Society.
There was appropriated by law to this institution, till the General Assembly
shall otherwise direct, the sum of $500 per annum. The Society is under the
management of a Board of Curators, consisting of eighteen persons, nine of
whom are appointed by the Governor, and nine elected by the members of the
Society. The Curators receive no compensation for their services. The annual
194 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
meeting is provided for by law, to be held at Iowa City on Monday preceding
the last Wednesday in June of each year.
The State Historical Society has published a series of very valuable collec-
tions, including history, biography, sketches, reminiscences, etc., with cpuite a
large number of finely engraved portraits of prominent and early settlers, under
the title of " Annals of Iowa."
THE PENITENTIARY.
Located at Fort Madison, Lee County.
The first act of the Territorial Legislature, relating to a Penitentiary in
Iowa, was approved January 25, 1839, the fifth section of which authorized the
Governor to draw the sum of $20,000 appropriated by an act of Congress ap-
proved July 7, 1838, for public buildings in the Territory of Iowa. It provided
for a Board of Directors of three persons elected by the Legislature, who should
direct the building of the Penitentiary, which should be located within one mile
of the public square, in the town of Fort Madison, Lee County, provided Fort
Madison should deed to the directors a tract of land suitable for a site, and assign
them, by contract, a spring or stream of water for the use of the Penitentiary.
To the Directors was also given the power of appointing the Warden ; the latter
to appoint his own assistants.
The first Directors appointed were John S. David and John Claypole. They
made their first report to the Legislative Council November 9, 1839. The citi-
zens of the town of Fort Madison had executed a deed conveying ten acres of
land for the building site. Amos Ladd was appointed Superintendent of the
building June 5, 1839. The building was designed of sufficient capacity to con-
tain one hundred and thirty-eight convicts, and estimated to cost $55,933.90.
It was begun on the 9th of July, 1839 ; the main building and Warden's house
were completed in the Fall of 1841. Other additions were made from time to
time till the building and arrangements were all complete according to the plan
of the Directors. It has answered the purpose of the State as a Penitentiary
for more than thirty years, and during that period many items of practical ex-
perience in prison management have been gained.
It has long been a problem how to conduct prisons, and deal with what are
called the criminal classes generally, so. as to secure their best good and best
subserve the interests of the State. Both objects must be taken into considera-
tion in any humaritarian view of the subject. This problem is not yet solved,
but Iowa has adopted the progressive and enlightened policy of humane treat-
ment of prisoners and the utilization of their labor for their own support. The
labor of the convicts in the Iowa Penitentiary, as in most others in the United
States, is let out to contractors, who pay the State a certain stipulated amount
therefor, the State furnishing the shops, tools and machinery, as well as the
supervision necessary to preserve order and discipline in the prison.
While this is an improvement upon the old solitary confinement system, it
still falls short of an enlightened reformatory system that in the future will
treat the criminal for mental disease and endeavor to restore him to usefulness
in the community. The objections urged against the contract system of dis-
posing of the labor of prisoners, that it brings the labor of honest citizens into
competition with convict labor at reduced prices, and is disadvantageous to the
State, are not without force, and the system will have no place in the prisons of
the future.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 195
It is right that the convict should labor. He should not be allowed to live
in idleness at public expense. Honest men labor ; why should not they? Hon-
est men are entitled to the fruits of their toil ; why should not the convict as
well ? The convict is sent to the Penitentiary to secure public safety. The
State deprives him of his liberty to accomplish this purpose and to punish him
for violations of law, but, having done this, the State wrongs both itself and the
criminal by confiscating his earnings ; because it deprives his family of what
justly belongs to them, and an enlightened civilization will ere long demand
that the prisoner in the penitentiary, after paying a fair price for his board, is
as justly entitled to his net earnings as the good citizen outside its walls, and
his family, if he has one, should be entitled to draw his earnings or stated portion
of them at stated periods. If he has no family, then if his net earnings should
be set aside to his credit and paid over to him at the expiration of his term of
imprisonment, he would notbe turned out upon the cold charities of a somewhat
pharisaical world, penniless, with the brand of the convict upon his brow, with
no resource save to sink still deeper in crime. Let Iowa, " The Beautiful Land,"
be first to recognize the rights of its convicts to the fruits of their labor ; keep
their children from the alms-house, and place a powerful incentive before them
to become good citizens when they return to the busy world again.
ADDITIONAL PENITENTIARY.
Located at Anamosa, Jones County.
By an act of the Fourteenth General Assembly, approved April 23, 1872,
William Ure, Foster L. Downing and Martin Heisey were constituted Commis-
sioners to locate and provide for the erection and control of an additional
Penitentiary for the State of Iowa. These Commissioners met on the 4th of
the following June, at Anamosa, Jones County, and selected a site donated by
the citizens, within the limits of the city. L. W. Foster & Co., architects, of
Des Moines, furnished the plan, drawings and specifications, and work was
commenced on the building on the 28th day of September, 1872. May 13,
1873, twenty convicts were transferred to Anamosa from the Fort Madison
Penitentiary. The entire enclosure includes fifteen acres, with a frontage of
663 feet.
IOWA HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE.
Mount Pleasant, Henry County.
By an act of the General Assembly of Iowa, approved January 24, 1855,
$4,425 were appropriated for the purchase of a site, and $50,000 for building
an Insane Hospital, and the Governor (Grimes), Edward Johnston^ of Lee
County, and Charles S. Blake, of Henry County, were appointed to locate the
institution and superintend the erection of the building. These Commission-
ers located the institution at Mt. Pleasant, Henry County. A plan for a
building designed to accommodate 300 patients, drawn by Dr. Bell, of Massa-
chusetts, was accepted, and in October work was commenced under the superin-
tendence of Mr. Henry Winslow. Up to February 25, 1858, and including an
appropriation made on that date, the Legislature had appropriated 8258,555.67
to this institution, but the building was not finished ready for occupancy by
patients until March 1, 1861. The Trustees were Maturin L. Fisher, Presi-
dent, Farmersburg; Samuel McFarland, Secretary, Mt. Pleasant; D. L.
196 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
McGugin, Keokuk; G. W. Kincaid, Muscatine; J. D. Elbert, Keosauqua;
John B. Lash and Harpin Riggs, Mt. Pleasant. Richard J. Patterson, M. D.,
of Ohio, was elected Superintendent; Dwight C. Dewey, M. D., Assistant
Physician; Henry Winslow, Steward; Mrs. Catharine Winslow, Matron.
The Hospital was formally opened March 6, 1861, and one hundred patients
were admitted within three months. About 1865, Dr. Mark Ranney became
Superintendent. April 18, 1876, a portion of the hospital building was
destroyed by fire. From the opening of the Hospital to the close of October,
1877, 3,584 patients had been admitted. Of these, 1,141 were discharged
recovered, 505 discharged improved, 589 discharged unimproved, and 1 died ;
total discharged, 2,976, leaving 608 inmates. During this period, there were
1,384 females admitted, whose occupation was registered "domestic duties ;"
122, no occupation; 25, female teachers; 11, seamstresses; and 25, servants.
Among the males were 916 farmers, 394 laborers, 205 without occupation, 39
cabinet makers, 23 brewers, 31 clerks, 26 merchants, 12 preachers, 18 shoe-
makers, 13 students, 14 tailors, 13 teachers, 14 agents, 17 masons, 7 lawyers,
7 physicians, 4 saloon keepers, 3 salesmen, 2 artists, and 1 editor. The pro-
ducts of the farm and garden, in 1876, amounted to $13,721.26.
Trustees, 1877 .— T. Whiting, President, Mt. Pleasant ; Mrs. E. M. Elliott,
Secretary, Mt. Pleasant ; William C. Evans, West Liberty ; L. E. Fellows,
Lansing ; and Samuel Klein, Keokuk ; Treasurer, M. Edwards, Mt. Pleasant.
Resident Officers: — Mark Ranney, M. D., Medical Superintendent; H. M.
Bassett, M. D., First Assistant Physician; M. Riordan, M. D., Second Assistant
Physician ; Jennie McCowen, M- D., Third Assistant Physician ; J. W. Hender-
son, Steward : Mrs. Martha W. Ranney, Matron ; Rev. Milton Sutton,
Chaplain.
HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE.
Independence, Buchanan County.
In the Winter of 1867-8, a bill providing for an additional Hospital for the
Insane was passed by the Legislature, and an appropriation of $125,000 was
made for that purpose. Maturin L. Fisher, of Clayton County ; E. G. Morgan,
of Webster County, and Albert Clark, of Buchanan County, were appointed
Commissioners to locate and supervise the erection of the Building. Mr. Clark
died about a year after his appointment, and Hon. G. W. Bemis, of Indepen-
dence, was appointed to fill the vacancy.
The Commissioners met and commenced their labors on the 8th day of
June, 1868, at Independence. The act under which they were appointed
required them to select the most eligible and desirable location, of not less than
320 acres, within two miles of the city of Independence, that might be offered
by the citizens free of charge to the State. Several such tracts were offered,
but the Commissioners finally selected the south half of southwest quarter of
Section 5 ; the north half of northeast quarter of Section 7 ; the north half of
northwest quarter of Section 8, and the north half of northeast quarter of Sec-
tion 8, all in Township 88 north, Range 9 west of the Fifth Principal Meridian.
This location is on the west side of the Wapsipinicon River, and about a mile
from its banks, and about the same distance from Independence.
Col. S. V. Shipman, of Madison, Wis., was employed to prepare plans,
specifications and drawings of the building, which, when completed, were sub-
mitted to Dr. M. Ranney, Superintendent of the Hospital at Mount Pleasant,
who suggested several improvements. The contract for erecting the building
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 197
was awarded to Mr. David Armstrong, of Dubuque, for $88,114. The con-
tract was signed November 7, 1868, and Mr. Armstrong at once commenced
work. Mr. George Josselyn was appointed to superintend the work. The
main buildings were constructed of dressed limestone, from the quarries at
Anamosa and Farley. The basements are of the local granite worked from the
immense boulders found in large quantities in this portion of the State.
In 1872, the building was so far completed that the Commissioners called
the first meeting of the Trustees, on the 10th day of July of that year. These
Trustees were Maturin L. Fisher, Mrs. P. A. Appleman, T. W. Fawcett, C.
C. Parker, E. G. Morgan, George W. Bemis and John M. Boggs. This board
was organized, on the day above mentioned, by the election of Hon. M. L.
Fisher, President ; Rev. J. G. Boggs, Secretary, and George W. Bemis, Treas-
urer, and, after adopting preliminary measures for organizing the local govern-
ment of the hospital, adjourned to the first Wednesday of the following Septem-
ber. A few days before this meeting, Mr. Boggs died of malignant fever,
and Dr. John G. House was appointed to fill the vacancy. Dr. House was
elected Secretary. At this meeting, Albert Reynolds, M. D., was elected
Superintendent; George Josselyn, Steward, and Mrs. Anna B. Josselyn,
Matron. September 4, 1873, Dr. Willis Butterfield was elected Assistant
Physician. The building was ready for occupancy April 21, 1873.
In the Spring of 1876, a contract was made with Messrs. Mackay & Lundy,
of Independence, for furnishing materials fur building the outside walls of the
two first sections of the south wing, next to the center building, for $6,250.
The carpenter work on the fourth and fifth stories of the center building was
completed during the same year, and the wards were furnished and occupied by
patients in the Fall.
In 1877, the south wing was built, but it will not be completed ready for
occupancy until next Spring or Summer (1878).
October 1, 1877, the Superintendent reported 322 patients in this hospital,
and it is now overcrowded.
The Board of Trustees at present (1878) are as follows: Maturin L.
Fisher, President, Farmersburg ; John G. House, M. D., Secretary, Indepen-
dence ; Wm. G. Donnan, Treasurer, Independence ; Erastus G. Morgan, Fort
Dodge ; Mrs. Prudence A. Appleman, Clermont ; a'.id Stephen E. Robinson,
M. D., West Union.
RESIDENT OFFICERS.
Albert Reynolds, M. D., Superintendent ; G. H. Hill, M. D., Assistant
Physician; Noyes Appleman, Steward; Mrs. Lucy M. Gray, Matron.
IOWA COLLEGE FOR THE BLIND.
Vinton, Benton County.
In August, 1852, Prof. Samuel Bacon, himself blind, established an Insti-
tution for the Instruction of the Blind of Iowa, at Keokuk.
By act of the General Assembly, entitled " An act to establish an Asylum
for the Blind," approved January 18, 1853, the institution was adopted by the
State, removed to Iowa Citv, February 3d, and opened for the reception of pupils
April 4, 1853, free to all the blind in the State.
The first Board of Trustees were James D. Eads, President ; George W.
McClary, Secretary ; James H. Gower, Treasurer ; Martin L. Morris, Stephen
Hempstead, Morgan Reno and John McCaddon. The Board appointed Prof.
198 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
Samuel Bacon, Principal ; T. J. McGittigen, Teacher of Music, and Mrs. Sarah
K. Bacon, Matron. Twenty-three pupils were admitted during the first term.
In his first report, made in 1854, Prof. Bacon suggested that the name
should be changed from " Asylum for the Blind," to that of " Institution for
the Instruction of the Blind." This was done in 1855, when the General As-
sembly made an annual appropriation for the College of $55 per quarter for
each pupil. This was subsequently changed to $3,000 per annum, and a charge
of $25 as an admission fee for each pupil, which sum, with the amounts realized
from the sale of articles manufactured by the blind pupils, proved sufficient for
the expenses of the institution during Mr. Bacon's administration. Although
Mr. Bacon was blind, he was a fine scholar and an economical manager, and
had founded the Blind Asylum at Jacksonville, Illinois. As a mathematician
he had few superiors.
On the 8th of May, 1858, the Trustees met at Vinton, and made arrange-
ments for securing the donation of $5,000 made by the citizens of that town.
In June of that year, a quarter section of land was donated for the College,
by John W. O. Webb and others, and the Trustees adopted a plan for the
erection of a suitable building. In 1860, the plan was modified, and the con-
tract for enclosing let to Messrs. Finkbine & Lovelace, for $10,420.
In August, 1862, the building was so far completed that the goods and fur-
uiture of the institution were removed from Iowa City to Vinton, and early in
October, the school was opened there with twenty-four pupils. At this time,
Rev. Orlando Clark was Principal.
In August, 1864, a new Board of Trustees were appointed by the Legisla-
ture, consisting of James McQuin, President; Reed Wilkinson, Secretary; Jas.
Chapin, Treasurer; Robert Gilchrist, Elijah Sells and Joseph Dysart, organized
and made important changes. Rev. Reed Wilkinson succeeded Mr. Clark as
Principal- Mrs. L. S. B. Wilkinson and Miss Amelia Butler were appointed
Assistant Teachers ; Mrs. N. A. Morton, Matron.
Mr. Wilkinson resigned in June, 1867, and Gen. James L. Geddes was
appointed in his place. In September, 1869, Mr. Geddes retired, and was
succeeded by Prof. S. A. Knapp. Mrs. S. C. Lawton was appointed Matron,
and was succeeded by Mrs. M. A. Knapp. Prof. Knapp resigned July 1,
1875, and Prof. Orlando Clark was elected Principal, who died April 2,
1876, and was succeeded by John B. Parmalee, who" retired in July, 1877,
when the present incumbent, Rev. Robert Carothers, was elected.
Trustees, 1877-8. — Jeremiah L. Gay, President; S. II. Watson, Treasurer:
H. C. Piatt, Jacob Springer, C. L. Flint and P. F. Sturgis.
Faculty. — Principal, Rev. Robert Carothers, A. M. ; Matron, Mrs. Emeline
E. Carothers; Teachers, Thomas F. McCune, A. B., Miss Grace A. Hill,
Mrs. C. A. Spencer, Miss Mary Baker, Miss C. R. Miller, Miss Lorana Mat-
tice, Miss A. M. McCutcheon ; Musical Director, S. O. Spencer.
The Legislative Committee who visited this institution in 1878 expressed
their astonishment at the vast expenditure of money in proportion to the needs
of the State. The structure is well built, and the money properly expended ;
yet it was enormously beyond the necessities of the State, and shows an utter
disregard of the fitness of things. The Committee could not understand why
$282,000 should have been expended for a massive building covering about two
and a half acres for the accommodation of 130 people, costing over eight thou-
sand dollars a year to heat it, and costing the State about five hundred dollars
a year for each pupil.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. i'jy
INSTITUTION FOR THE DEAF AND DUMB.
Council Bluffs, Pottawattomie County.
The Iowa Institution for the Deaf and Dumb was established at Iowa City
by an act of the General Assembly, approved January 24, 1855. The number
of deaf mutes then in the State was 301 ; the number attending the Institution,
50. The first Board of Trustees were: Hon. Samuel J. Kirkwood, Hon. E.
Sells, W. Penn Clarke, J. P. Wood, H. D. Downey, William Crura, W. E.
Ijams, Principal. On the resignation of. Mr. Ijams, in 1862, the Board
appointed in his stead Mr. Benjamin Talbot, for nine years a teacher in the
Ohio Institution for the Deaf and Dumb. Mr. Talbot was ardently devoted to
the interests of the institution and a faithful worker for the unfortunate class
under his charge.
A strong effort was made, in 1866, to remove this important institution to
Des Moines, but it was located permanently at Council Bluffs, and a building
rented for its use. In 1868, Commissioners were appointed to locate a site for,
and to superintend the erection of, a new building, for which the Legislature
appropriated $125,000 to commence the work of construction. The Commis-
sioners selected ninety acres of land about two miles south of the city of Coun-
cil Bluffs. The main building and one wing were completed October 1, 1870,
and immediately occupied by the Institution. February 25, 1877, the main
building and east wing were destroyed by fire; and August 6 following, the
roof of the new west wing was blown off and the walls partially demolished by
a tornado. At the time of the fire, about one hundred and fifty pupils were in
attendance. After the fire, half the classes were dismissed and the number of
scholars reduced to about seventy, and in a week or two the school was in run-
ning order.
The Legislative Committee which visited this Institution in the Winter of
1857-8 was not well pleased with the condition of affairs, and reported that the
building (west wing) was a disgrace to the State and a monument of unskillful
workmanship, and intimated rather strongly that some reforms in management
were very essential.
Trustees, 1877-8.— Thomas Officer, President ; N. P. Dodge, Treasurer ;
Paul Lange, William Orr, J. W. Cattell.
Superintendent, Benjamin Talbot, M. A. Teachers, Edwin Southwick,
Conrad S. Zorbaugh, John A. Gillespie, John A. Kennedy, Ellen J. Israel,
Ella J. Brown, Mrs. H. R. Gillespie ; Physician, H. W. Hart, M. D.; Steward,
N. A. Taylor; Matron, Mary B. Swan.
SOLDIERS' ORPHANS' HOMES.
Davenport, Cedar Falls, Glenwood.
The movement which culminated in the establishment of this beneficent in-
stitution was originated by Mrs. Annie Wittenmeyer, during the civil war of
1861-65. This noble and patriotic lady called a convention at Muscatine, on
the 7th of October 1863, for the purpose of devising measures for the support
and education of the orphan children of the brave sons of Iowa, who had fallen
in defense of national honor and integrity. So great was the public interest in
the movement that there was a large representation from all parts of the State
on the day named, and an association was organized called the Iowa State Or-
phan Asylum.
200 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
The first officers were : President, William M. Stone ; Vice Presidents, Mrs.
G. G. Wright, Mrs. R. L. Cadle, Mrs. J. T. Hancock, John R. Needham, J. W.
Cattell, Mrs. Mary M. Bagg ; Recording Secretary, Miss Mary Kibben ; Cor-
responding Secretary, Miss M. E. Shelton ; Treasurer, N. H. Brainerd ; Board
of Trustees, Mrs. Annie Wittenmeyer, Mrs. C. B. Darwin, Mrs. D. T. Newcomb,
Mrs. L. B. Stephens, 0. Fayville, E. H. Williams, T. S. Parvin, Mrs. Shields,
Caleb Baldwin, C. C. Cole, Isaac Pendleton, H. C. Henderson.
The first meeting of the Trustees was held February 14, 1864, in the Repre-
sentative Hall, at Des Moines. Committees from both branches of the General
Assembly were present and were invited to participate in their deliberations.
Gov. Kirkwood suggested that a home for disabled soldiers should be connected
with the Asylum. Arrangements were made for raising funds.
At the next meeting, in Davenport, in March, 1864, the Trustees decided to
commence operations at once, and a committee, of which Mr. Howell, of Keo-
kuk, was Chairman, was appointed to lease a suitable building, solicit donations,
and procure suitable furniture. This committee secured a large brick building
in Lawrence, Van Buren County, and engaged Mr. Fuller, of Mt. Pleasant, as
Steward.
At the annual meeting, in Des Moines, in June, 1864, Mrs. C. B. Baldwin,
Mrs. G. G. Wright, Mrs. Dr. Horton, Miss Mary E. Shelton and Mr. George
Sherman were appointed a committee to furnish the building and take all neces-
sary steps for opening the "Home," and notice was given that at the next
meeting of the Association, a motion would be made to change the name of the
Institution to Iowa Orphans' Home.
The work of preparation was conducted so vigorously that on the 1 3th day
of July following, the Executive Committee announced that they were ready to
receive the children. In three weeks twenty-one were admitted, and the num-
ber constantly increased, so that, in a little more than six months from the time
of opening, there were seventy children admitted, and twenty more applica-
tions, which the Committee had not acted upon — all orphans of soldiers.
Miss M. Elliott, of Washington, was appointed Matron. She resigned,
in February, 1865, and was succeeded by Mrs. E. G. Piatt, of Fremont
County.
The " Home " was sustained by the voluntary contributions of the people,
until 1866, when it was assumed 'by the State. In that year, the General
Assem bly provided for the location of several such "Homes" in the different
counties, and which were established at Davenport, Scott County ; Cedar Falls,
Black Hawk County, and at Glenwood, Mills County.
The Board of Trustees elected by the General Assembly had the oversight
and management of the Soldiers' Orphans' Homes of the State, and consisted
of one person from each county in which such Homo was located, and one for
the State at large, who held their office two years, or until their successors were
elected and qualified. An appropriation of $10 per month for each orphan
actually supported was made by the General Assembly.
The Home in Cedar Falls was organized in 1865, and an old hotel building
was fitted up for it. Rufus C, Mary L. and Emma L. Bauer were the first
children received, in October, and by January, 1866, there were ninety-six in-
mates.
October 12, 1869, the Home was removed to a large brick building, about
two miles west of Cedar Falls, and was very prosperous for several years, but
in 1876, the General Assembly established a State Normal School at Cedar
Falls and appropriated the buildings and grounds for that purpose.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 201
By " An act to provide for the organization and support of an asylum at
Glenwood, in Mills County, for feeble minded children," approved March 17,
1876, the buildings and grounds used by the Soldiers' Orphans' Home at that
place were appropriated for this purpose. By another act, approved March 15,
1876, the soldiers' orphans, then at the Homes at Glenwood and Cedar Falls,
were to be removed to the Home at Davenport within ninety days thereafter,
and the Board of Trustees of the Home were authorized to receive other indigent
children into that institution, and provide for their education in industrial
pursuits.
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.
Cedar Falls, Black Hatvk County.
Chapter 129 of the laws of the Sixteenth General Assembly, in 1876, estab-
lished a State Normal School at Cedar Falls, Black Hawk County, and required
the Trustees of the Soldiers' Orphans' Home to turn over the property in their
charge to the Directors of the new institution.
The Board of Directors met at Cedar Falls June 7, 1876, and duly organ-
ized by the election of H. C. Hemenway, President ; J. J. Toleston, Secretary,
and E. Townsend, Treasurer. The Board of Trustees of the Soldiers' Orphans'
Home met at the same time for the purpose of turning over to the Directors the
property of that institution, which was satisfactorily done and properly receipted
for as required by law. At this meeting, Prof. J. C. Gilchrist was elected
Principal of the School.
On the 12th of July, 1876, the Board again met, when executive and
teachers' committees were appointed and their duties assigned. A Steward
and a Matron were elected, and their respective duties denned.
The buildings and grounds were repaired and fitted up as well as the appro-
priation would admit, and the first term of the school opened September 6, 1876,
commencing with twenty-seven and closing with eighty-seven students. The
second term closed with eighty-six, and one hundred and six attended during
the third term.
The following are the Board of Directors, Board of Officers and Faculty :
Board of Directors. — H. C. Hemenway, Cedar Falls, President, term
expires 1882 ; L. D. Lewelling, Salem, Henry County, 1878 ; W. A. Stow,
Hamburg, Fremont County, 1878 ; S. G. Smith, Newton, Jasper County,
1880 ; E. H. Thayer, Clinton, Clinton County, 1880 ; G. S. Robinson, Storm
Lake, Buena Vista County, 1882.
Board of Officers. — J. J- Toleston, Secretary; E. Townsend, Treasurer;
William Pattes, Steward ; Mrs. P. A. Schermerhorn, Matron — all of Cedar
Falls.
Faculty. — J. C. Gilchrist, A. M., Principal, Professer of Mental and
Moral Philosophy and Didactics ; M. W. Bartlett, A. M., Professor of Lan-
guages and Natural Science ; D. S. Wright, A. M., Professor of Mathematics ;
Miss Frances L. Webster, Teacher of Geography and History ; E. W. Burnham,
Professor of Music.
ASYLUM FOR FEEBLE MINDED CHILDREN.
Glenwood, Mills County.
Chapter 152 of the laws of the Sixteenth General Assembly, approved
March 17, 1876, provided for the establishment of an asylum for feeble mindtd
children at Glenwood, Mills County, and the buildings and grounds of the
202 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
Soldiers' Orphans' Home at that place were to be used for that purpose. The
asylum was placed under the management of three Trustees, one at least of
whom should be a resident of Mills County. Children between the ages of 7
and 18 years are admitted. Ten dollars per month for each child actually sup-
ported by the State was appropriated by the act, and $2,000 for salaries of
officers and teachers for two years.
Hon. J. W. Cattell, of Polk County ; A. J. Russell, of Mills County, and
W. S. Robertson, were appointed Trustees, who held their first meeting at
Glen wood, April 26, 1876. Mr. Robertson was elected President; Mr. Russell,
Treasurer, and Mr. Cattell, Secretary. The Trustees found the house and farm
which had been turned over to them in a shamefully dilapidated condition. The
fences were broken down and the lumber destroyed or carried away ; the win-
dows broken, doors off their hinges, floors broken and filthy in the extreme,
cellars reeking with offensive odors from decayed vegetables, and every conceiv-
able variety of filth and garbage ; drains obstructed, cisterns broken, pump
demoralized, wind-mill broken, roof leaky, and the whole property in the worst
possible condition. It was the first work of the Trustees to make the house
tenable. This was done under the direction of Mr. Russell. At the request
of the Trustees, Dr. Charles -T. Wilbur, Superintendent of the Illinois Asylum,
visited Glenwood, and made many valuable suggestions, and gave them much
assistance.
0. W. Archibald, M. D., of Glenwood, was appointed Superintendent,
and soon after was appointed Secretary of the Board, vice Cattell, resigned.
Mrs. S. A. Archibald was appointed Matron, and Miss Maud M. Archibald,
Teacher.
The Institution was opened September 1, 1876 ; the first pupil admitted
September 4, and the school was organized September 10, with only five pupils,
which number had, in November, 1877, increased to eighty-seven. December
1, 1876, Miss Jennie Van Dorin, of Fairfield, was employed as a teacher and
in the Spring of 1877, Miss Sabina J. Archibald was also employed. .
THE REFORM SCHOOL.
Eldora, Hardin County.
By "An act to establish and organize a State Reform School for Juvenile
Offenders," approved March 31, 1868, the General Assembly established a
State Reform School at Salem, Lee (Henry) County; provided for a Board of
Trustees, to consist of one person from each Congressional District. For the
purpose of immediately opening the school, the Trustees were directed to accept
the proposition of the Trustees of White's Iowa Manual Labor Institute, at
Salem, and lease, for not more than ten years, the lands, buildings, etc., of the
Institute, and at once proceed to prepare for and open a reform school as a
temporary establishment.
The contract for fitting up the buildings was let to Clark & Haddock, Sep-
tember 21, 1868, and on the 7th of October following, the first inmate was
received from Jasper County. The law provided for the admission of children
of both sexes under 18 years of age. In 1876, this was amended, so that they
are now received at ages over 7 and under 16 years.
April 19, 1872, the Trustees were directed to make a permanent location
for the school, and $45,000 was appropriated for the erection of the necessary
buildings. The Trustees were further directed, as soon as practicable, to
organize a school for girls in the buildings where the boys were then kept.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 203
Tlie Trustees located the school at Eldora, Hardin County, and in the Code
of 1873, it is permanently located there by law.
The institution is managed by five Trustees, -who are paid mileage, but no
compensation for their services.
The object is the reformation of the children of both sexes, under the age
of 16 years and over 7 years of age, and the law requires that the Trustees
shall require the boys and girls under their charge to be instructed in piety and
.morality, and in such branches of useful knowledge as are adapted to their age
and capacity, and in some regular course of labor, either mechanical, manufac-
turing or agricultural, as is best suited to their age, strength, disposition and
capacity, and as may seem best adapted to secure the reformation and future
benefit of the boys and girls.
A boy or girl committed to the State Reform School is there kept, disci-
plined, instructed, employed and governed, under the direction of the Trustees,
until he or she arrives at the age of majority, or is bound out, reformed or
legally discharged. The binding out or discharge of a boy -or girl as reformed,
or having arrived at the age of majority, is a complete release from all penalties
incurred by conviction of the offense for which he or she was committed.
This is one step in the right direction. In the future, however, still further
advances will be made, and the right of every individual to the fruits of their
labor, even while restrained for the public good, will be recognized.
FISH HATCHING ESTABLISHMENT.
Near Anamosa, Jones County.
The Fifteenth General Assembly, in 1874, passed " An act to provide for
the appointment of a Board of Fish Commissioners for the construction of
Fishways for the protection and propagation of Fisl\," also "An act to provide
for furnishing the rivers and lakes with fish and fish spawn." This act appro-
priated $3,000 for the purpose. In accordance witli the provisions of the first
act above mentioned, on the 9th of April, 1874, S. B. Evans of Ottumwa,
Wapello County ; B. F. Shaw of Jones County, and Charles A. Haines, of
Black Hawk County, were appointed to be Fish Commissioners by the Governor.
These Commissioners met at Des Moines, May 10, 1874, and organized by the
election of Mr. Evans, President ; Mr. Shaw, Secretary and Superintendent,
and Mr. Haines, Treasurer.
The State was partitioned into three districts or divisions to enable the
Commissioners to better superintend the construction of fishways as required by
law. That part of the State lying south of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
Railroad was placed under the especial supervision of Mr. Evans ; that part be-
tween that railroad and the Iowa Division of the Illinois Central Railroad, Mr.
Shaw, and all north of the Illinois Central Railroad, Mr. Haines. At this
meeting, the Superintendent was authorized to build a State Hatching House ;
to procure the spawn of valuable fish adapted to the waters of Iowa ; hatch and
prepare the young fish for distribution, and assist in putting them into the waters
of the State.
In compliance with these instructions, Mr. Shaw at once commenced work,
and in the Summer of 1874, erected a L' State Hatching House" near Anamosa,
20x40 feet, two stories ; the second story being designed for a tenement ; the
first story being the "hatching room." The hatching troughs are supplied
with water from a magnificent spring four feet deep and about ten feet in diam-
eter, affording an abundant and unfailing supply of pure running water. During
204 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
the first vear, from May 10, 1874, to May 10, 1875, the Commissioners distributed
within the State 100,000 Shad, 300,000 California Salmon, 10,000 Bass,
80,000 Penobscot (Maine) Salmon, 5,000 land-locked Salmon, 20,000 of
other species.
By act approved March 10, 1876, the law was amended so that there should
be but one instead of three Fish Commissioners, and B. F. Shaw was appointed,
and the Commissioner was authorized to purchase twenty acres of land, on
which the State Hatching House was located near Anamosa.
' In the Fall of 1876, Commissioner Shaw gathered from the sloughs of the
Mississippi, where they would have been destroyed, over a million and a half of
small fish, which were distributed in the various rivers of the State and turned
into the Mississippi.
In 1875-6, 533,000 California Salmon, and in 1877, 303,500 Lake Trout
were distributed in various rivers and lakes in the State. The experiment of
stocking the small streams with brook trout is being tried, and 81,000 of the
speckled beauties were distributed in 1877. In 1876, 100,000 young eels were
distributed. These came from New York and they are increasing rapidly.
At the close of 1877, there were at least a dozen private fish farms in suc-
cessful operation in various parts of the State. Commissioner Shaw is en-
thusiastically devoted to the duties of his office and has performed an important
service for the people of the State by his intelligent and successful operations.
The Sixteenth General Assembly passed an act in 1878, prohibiting the
catching of any kind of fish except Brook Trout from March until June of each
year. Some varieties are fit for food only during this period.
THE PUBLIC LANDS.
The grants of public lands made in the State of Iowa, for various purposes,
are as follows :
1. The 500,000 Acre Grant.
2. The 16th Section Grant.
3. The Mortgage School Lands.
4. The University Grant.
5. The Saline Grant.
6. The Des Moines lliver Grant.
7. The Hes Moines River School Lands.
8. The Swamp Land Grant.
9. The Railroad Grant.
10. The Agricultural College Grant.
I. THE FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND ACRE GRANT.
When the Stafe was admitted into the Union, she became entitled to
500,000 acres of land by virtue of an act of Congress, approved September 4,
1811, which granted to each State therein specified 500,000 acres of public land
for internal improvements; to each State admitted subsequently to the passage
of the act, an amount of land which, with the amount that might have been
granted to Iter as a Territory, would amount to 500,000 acres. All these lands
were required to be selected within the limits of the State to which they were
granted.
The Constitution cf Iowa declares that the proceeds of this grant, together
with all lands then granted or to be granted by Congress for the benefit of
schools, shall constitute a perpetual fund for the support of schools throughout
the State. By an act approved January 15, 1849, the Legislature established
\ f
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 205
a board of School Fund Commissioners, and to that board was confided the
selection, care and sale of these lands for the benefit of the School Fund. Until
1855, these Commissioners were subordinate to the Superintendent of Public
Instruction, but on the 15th of January of that year, they were clothed with
exclusive authority in the management and sale of school lands. The office of
School Fund Commissioner was abolished March 23, 1858, and that officer in
each county was required to transfer all papers to and make full settlement with
the County Judge. By this act, County Judges and Township Trustees were
made the agents of the State to control and sell the sixteenth sections ; but no
further provision was made for the sale of the 500.000 acre grant until April
3d, 1860, when the entire management of the school lands was committed to
the Boards of Supervisors of the several counties.
II. THE SIXTEENTH SECTIONS.
By the provisions of the act of Congress admitting Iowa to the Union, there
was granted to the new State the sixteenth section in every township, or where
that section had been sold, other lands of like amount for the use of schools.
The Constitution of the State provides that the proceeds arising from the sale
of these sections shall constitute a part of the permanent School Fund. The
control and sale of these lands were vested in the School Fund Commissioners
of the several counties until March 23, 1858, when they were transferred to the
County Judges and Township Trustees, and were finally placed under the
supervision of the County Boards of Supervisors in January, 1861.
III. THE MORTGAGE SCHOOL LANDS.
These do not belong to any of the grants of land proper. They are lands
that have been mortgaged to the school fund, and became school lands when bid
off by the State by virtue of a law passed in 1862. Under the provisions of the
law regulating the management and investment of the permanent school fund,
persons desiring loans from that fund are required to secure the payment thereof
with interest at ten per cent, per annum, by promissory notes endorsed by two
good sureties and by mortgage on unincumbered real estate, which must be
situated in the county where the loan is made, and which must be valued by
three appraisers. Making these loans and taking the required securities was
made the duty of the County Auditor, who was required to report to the Board
of Supervisors at each meeting thereof, all notes, mortgages and abstracts of
title connected with the school fund, for examination.
When default was made of payment of money so secured by mortgage, and
no arrangement made for extension of time as the law provides, the Board of
Supervisors were authorized to bring suit and prosecute it with diligence to
secure said fund; and in action in favor of the county for the use of the school
fund, an injunction may issue without bonds, and in any such action, when
service is made by publication, default and judgment may be entered and
enforced without bonds. In case of sale of land on execution founded on any
such mortgage, the attorney of the board, or other person duly authorized, shall,
on behalf of the State or county for the use of said fund, bid such sum as the
interests of said fund may require, and if struck off to the State the land shall
be held and disposed of as the other lands belonging to the fnnd. These lands
are known as the Mortgage School Lands, and reports of them, including
description and amount, are required to be made to the State Land Office.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
[V. UNIVERSITY LANDS.
By act of Congress, July 20, 1840, a quantity of land not exceeding two
entire townships was reserved in the Territory of Iowa for the use and support
jf a university within said Territory when it should become a State. . This land
was to be located in tracts of not less than an entire section, and could be used
for no other purpose than that designated in the grant. In an act supplemental
to that for the admission of Iowa, March 3, 1845, the grant was renewed, and it
was provided that the lands should be used "solely for the purpose of such
university, in such manner as the Legislature may prescribe."
Under this grant there were set apart and approved by the Secretary of the
Treasury, for the use of the State, the following lands :
In the Iowa City Land District, Feb. 26, 1849 20,150.49
In the Fairfield Land District, Oct. 17, 1849 9,685.20
In the Iowa City Land District, Jan. 28, 1850 2,571.81
In the Fairfield Land District, Sept. 10, 1850 3,198.20
In the Dubuque Land District, May 19, 1852 10,552.24
Total 45,957.94
These lands were certified to the State November 19, 1859. The University
lands are placed by law under the control and management of the Board of
Trustees of the Iowa State University. Prior to 1865, there had been selected
and located under 282 patents, 22,892 acres in sixteen counties, and 23,036
acres unpatented, making a total of 45,928 acres.
V. — SALINE LANDS.
By act of Congress, approved March 3, 1845, the State of Iowa was
granted the use of the salt springs within her limits, not exceeding twelve.
By a subsequent act, approved May 27, 1852, Congress granted the springs
to the State in fee simple, together with six sections of land contiguous to each,
to be disposed of as the Legislature might direct. In 1861, the proceeds of
these lands then to be sold were constituted a fund for founding and support-
ing a lunatic asylum, but no sales were made. In 1856, the proceeds of the
saline lands were appropriated to the Insane Asylum, repealed in 1858. In
1860, the saline lands and funds were made a part of the permanent fund of
the State University. These lands were located in Appanoose, Davis, Decatur,
Lucas, Monroe, Van Buren and Wayne Counties.
VI. — THE DES MOINES RIVER GRANT.
By act of Congress, approved August 8, 1846, a grant of land was made
for the improvement of the navigation of Des Moines River, as follows :
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in
Congress assembled, That there be, and hereby is, granted to said Territory of Iowa, for the
purpose of aiding said Territory to improve the navigation of the Des Moines River from its
mouth to the Raccoon Fork (so called) in said Territory, one equal moiety, in alternate sections,
of the public lands (remaining unsold and not otherwise disposed of, incumbered or appropri-
ated), in a strip five miles in width on each side of said river, to be selected within said Terri-
tory by an agent or agents to be appointed hy the Governor thereof, subject to the approval of
the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the lands hereby granted shall not be conveyed
or disposed of by said Territory, nor by any State to be formed out of the same, except as said
improvement shall progress ; that i=, the said Territory or State may sell so much of said lands
as shall produce the sum of thirty thousand dollars, and then the sales shall cease until the Gov-
ernor of said Territory or State shall certify the fact to the President of the United States that
one-half of said sum has been expended upon said improvements, when the said Territory or
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 207
Stale may sell and convey a quantity of the residue of said lands sufficient to replace the amount
expended, and thus the sales shall progress as the proceeds thereof shall be expended, and the
fact of such expenditure shall be certified as aforesaid.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the said River Des Moines shall be and forever
remain a public highway for the use of the Government of the United States, free from any toll
or other charge whatever, for any property of the United States or persons in their service
passing through or along the same : Provided always. That it shall not be competent for the said
Territory or future State of Iowa to dispose of said lands, or any of them, at a price lower than,
for the time being, shall be the minimum price of other puhlic lands.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That whenever the Territory of Iowa shall be admitted
into the Union as a State, the lands hereby granted for the above purpose shall be and become
the property of said State for the purpose contemplated in this act, and for no other: Provided
the Legislature of the State of Iowa shall accept the said grant for the said purpose." Approved
Aug. 8, 1840.
By joint resolution of the General Assembly of Iowa, approved January 9,
1847, the grant was accepted for the purpose specified. By another act, ap-
proved February 24, 1847, entited "An act creating the Board of Public
Works, and providing for the improvement of the Des Moines River," the
Legislature provided for a Board consisting of a President, Secretary and
Treasurer, to be elected by the people. This Board was elected August 2,
1847, and was organized on the 22d of September following. The same act
defined the nature of the improvement to be made, and provided that the work
should be paid for from the funds to be derived from the sale of lands to be
sold by the Board.
Agents appointed by the Governor selected the sections designated by "odd
numbers" throughout the whole extent of the grant, and this selection was ap-
proved by the Secretary of the Treasury. But there was a conflict of opinion
as to the extent of the grant. It was held by some that it extended from the
mouth of the Des Moines only to the Raccoon Forks ; others held, as the
agents to make selection evidently did, that it extended from the mouth to the
head waters of the river. Richard M. Young, Commissioner of the General
Land Office, on the 23d of February, 1848, construed the grant to mean that
" the State is entitled to the alternate sections within five miles of the Des
Moines River, throughout the whole extent of that river within the limits of
Iowa." Under this construction, the alternate sections abtove the Raccoon
Forks would, of course, belong to the State; but on the 19th of June, 1848,
some of these lands were, by proclamation, thrown into market. On the 18th
of September, the Board of Public Works filed a remonstrance with the Com-
missioner of the General Land Office. The Board also sent in a protest to the
State Land Office, at which the sale was ordered to take place. On the 8th of
January, 1849, the Senators and Representatives in Congress from Iowa also
protested against the sale, in a communication to Hon. Robert J. Walker, Sec-
retary of the Treasury, to which the Secretary replied, concurring in the
opinion that the grant extended the whole length of the Des Moines River in
Iowa.
On the 1st of June, 1849, the Commissioner of the General Land Office
directed the Register and Receiver of the Land Office at Iowa City "to with-
hold from sale all lands situated in the odd numbered sections within five miles
on each side of the Des Moines River above the Raccoon Forks." March 13,
18.50, the Commissioner of the General Land Office submitted to the Secretary
of the Interior a list "showing the tracts falling within the limits of the Des
Moines River grant, above the Baccoon Forks, etc., under the decision of the
Secretary of the Treasury, of March 2, 1849," and on the 6th of April
following, Mr. Ewing, then Secretary of the Interior, reversed the decision of
Secretary Walker, but ordered the lands to be withheld from sale until Con-
208 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
gress could have an opportunity to pass an explanatory act. The Iowa author-
ities appealed from this decision to the President (Taylor), who referred the
matter to the Attorney General (Mr. Johnson). On the 19th of July, Mr.
Johnson submitted as his opinion, that by the terms of the grant itself, it ex-
tended to the very source of the Des Moines, but before his opinion was pub-
lished President Taylor died. When Mr. Tyler's cabinet was formed, the
question was submitted to the new Attorney General (Mr. Crittenden), who, on
the 30th of June, 1851, reported that in his opinion the grant did not extend
above the Raccoon Forks. Mr. Stewart, Secretary of the Interior, concurred
with Mr. Crittenden at first, but subsequently consented to lay the whole sub-
ject before the President and Cabinet, who decided in favor of the State.
October 29, 1851, Mr. Stewart directed the Commissioner of the General
Land Office to "submit for his approval such lists as had been prepared, and to
proceed to report for like approval lists of the alternate sections claimed by the
State of Iowa above the Raccoon Forks, as far as the surveys have progressed,
or may hereafter be completed and returned." And on the following day, three
lists of these lands were prepared in the General Land Office.
The lands approved and certified to the State of Iowa under this grant, and
all lying above the Raccoon Forks, are as follows :
By Secretary Stewart, Oct. 30, 1851 81,707.93 acres.
March 10, 1852 143,908.37 "
By Secretary McLellan, Dec. 17, 1853 33,142.43 "
Dec. 30, 1853 12,813.51 "
Total 271,572.24 acres.
The Commissioners and Register of the Des Moines River Improvement, in
their report to the Governor, November 30, 1852, estimates the total amount of
lands then available for the work, including those in possession of the State and
those to be surveyed and approved, at nearly a million acres. The indebtedness
then standing against the fund was about $108,000, and the Commissioners
estimated the work to he done would cost about $1,200,000.
January 19, 1853, the Legislature authorized the Commissioners to sell
" any or all the lands which have or may hereafter be granted, for not less than
$1,300,000."
On the 24th of January, 1853, the General Assembly provided for the elec-
tion of a Commissioner by the people, and appointed two Assistant Commission-
ers, with authority to make a contract, selling the lands of the Improvement
for $1,300,000. This new Board made a contract, June 9, 1855, with the Des
Moines Navigation & Railroad Company, agreeing to sell all the lands donated
to the State by Act of Congress of August 8, 1846, which the State had not
sold prior to December 23, 1853, for $1,300,000, to be expended on the im-
provement of the river, and in paying the indebtedness then due. This con-
tract was duly reported to the Governor and General Assembly.
By an act approved January 25, 1855, the Commissioner and Register of
the Des Moines River Improvement were authorized to negotiate with the Des
Moines Navigation & Railroad Company for the purchase of lands in Webster
County which had been sold by the School Fund Commissioner as school lands,
but which had been certified to the State as Des Moines River lands, and had,
therefore, become the property of the Company, under the provisions of its
contract with the State.
March 21, 1856, the old question of the extent of the grant was again raised
and the Commissioner of the General Land Office decided t\\: it was limited to
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 209
the Raccoon Fork. Appeal was made to the Secretary of the Interior, and by
him the matter was referred to the Attorney General, who decided that the grant
extended to the northern boundary of the State ; the State relinquished its
claim to lands lying along the river in Minnesota, and the vexed question was
supposed to be finally settled.
The land which had been certified, as well as those extending to the north-
ern boundary within the limits of the grant, were reserved from pre-emption
and sale by the General Land Commissioner, to satisfy the grant of August 8,
1846, and they were treated as having passed to the State, which from time to
time sold portions of them prior to their final transfer to the Des Moines Navi-
igation & Railroad Company, applying the proceeds thereof to the improve-
ment of the^ river in compliance with the terms of the grant. Prior to the final
sale to the Company, June 9, 1854, the State had sold about 327,000 acres, of
which amount 58,830 acres were located above the Raccoon Fork. The last
certificate of the General Land Office bears date December 30, 1853.
After June 9th, 1854, the Des Moines Navigation & Railroad Company
carried on the work under its contract with the State. As the improvement
progressed, the State, from time to time, by its authorized officers, issued to the
Company, in payment for said work, certificates for lands. But the General
Land Office ceased to certify lands under the grant of 1846. The State
had made no other provision for paying for the improvements, and disagree-
ments and misunderstanding arose between the State authorities and the
Company.
March 22, 1858, a joint resolution was passed by the Legislature submitting
a proposition for final settlement to the Company, which was accepted. The Com-
pany paid to the State §20,000 in cash, and released and conveyed the dredge boat
and materials named in the resolution ; and the State, on the 3d of May, 1858,
executed to the Des Moines Navigation & Railroad Company fourteen deeds
or patents to the lands, amounting to 256,703.64 acres. These deeds were
intended to convey all the lands of this grant certified to the State by the Gen-
eral Government not previously sold ; but, as if for the purpose of covering any
tract or parcel that might have been omitted, the State made another deed of
conveyance on the 18th day of May, 1858. These fifteen deeds, it is claimed,
by the Company, convey 266,108 acres, of which about 53,367 are below the
Raccoon Fork, and the balance, 212,741 acres, are above that point.
Besides the lands deeded to the Company, the State had deeded to individual
purchasers 58,830 acres above the Raccoon Fork, making an aggregate of 271,-
571 acres, deeded above the Fork, all of which had been certified to the State
by the Federal Government.
By act approved March 28, 1858, the Legislature donated the remainder of
the grant to the Keokuk, Fort Des Moines & Minnesota Railroad Company,
upon condition that said Company assumed all liabilities resulting from the Des
Moines River improvement operations, reserving 50,000 acres of the land in
security for the payment thereof, and for the completion of the locks and dams
at Bentonsport, Croton, Keosauqua and Plymouth. For every three thousand
dollars' worth of work done on the locks and dams, and for every three thousand
dollars paid by the Company of the liabilities above mentioned, the Register of
the State Land Office was instructed to certify to the Company 1,000 acres of
the 50,000 acres reserved for these purposes. Up to 1865, there had bepn pre-
sented by the Company, under the provisions of the act of 1858, and allowed,
claims amounting to §109,579.37, about seventy-five per cent, of which had
been settled.
210 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
After the passage of the Act above noticed, the question of the extent of the
original grant was again mooted, and at the December Term of the Supreme Court
of the United States, in 1859-60, a decision was rendered declaring that the
grant did not extend ahove Raccoon Fork, and that all certificates of land above
the Fork had been issued without authority of law and were, therefore, void
(see 23 How., 60).
The State of Iowa had disposed of a large amount of land without authority,
according to this decision, and appeal was made to Congress for relief, which
was granted on the 3d day of March, 1861, in a joint resolution relinquishing
to the State all the title which the United States then still retained in the tracts
of land along the Des Moines River above Raccoon Fork, that had been im-
properly certified to the State by the Department of the Interior, and which is
now held by bona fide purchasers under the State of Iowa.
In confirmation of this relinquishment, by act approved July 12, 1862,
Congress enacted :
That (he grant of lands to the then Territory of Iowa for the improvement of the Des Moines
River, made by the act of August 8, 1846, is hereby extended so as to include the alternate sec-
tions (designated by odd numbers) lying within five miles of said river, between the Raccoon
Fork and the northern boundary of said State; such lands are to be held and applied in accord-
ance with the provisions of the original grant, except that the consent of Congress is hereby given
to the application of a portion thereof to aid in the construction of the Keokuk, Fort Des Moines
& Minnesota Railroad, in accordance with the provisions of the act of the General Assembly of
the State of Iowa, approved March 22, 1858. And if any of the said lands shall have been sold
or otherwise disposed of by the United States before the passage of this act, except those released
by the United States to the grantees of the State of Iowa, under joint resolution of March 3,
1861, the Secretary of the Interior is hereby directed to set apart an equal amount oflands within
said State to be certified in lieu thereof; Provide*!, that if the State shall have sold and conveyed
any portion of the lands lying within the limits of the grant the title of which has proved invalid,
any lands which shall be certified to said State in lieu thereof by virtue of the provisions of this
act, shall inure to and be held as a trust fund for the benefit of the person or persons, respect-
ively, whose titles shall have failed as aforesaid.
The grant of lands by the above act of Congress was accepted by a joint
resolution of the General Assembly, September 11, 1862, in extra session. On
the same day, the Governor was authorized to appoint one or more Commis-
sioners to select the lands in accordance with the grant. These Commissioners
were instructed to report their selections to the Registrar of the State Land
Office. The lands so selected were to be held for the purposes of the grant, and
were not to be disposed of until further legislation should be had. D. W. Kil-
burne, of Lee County, was appointed Commissioner, and, on the 25th day of
April, 1864, the General Land Officer authorized the selection of 300,000 acres
from the vacant public lands as a part of the grant of July 12, 1862, and the
selections were made in the Fort Dodge and Sioux City Land Districts.
Many difficulties, controversies and conflicts, in relation to claims and titles,
grew out of this grant, and these difficulties were enhanced by the uncertainty
of its limits until the act of Congress of July, 1862. But the General Assem-
bly sought, by wise and appropriate legislation, to protect the integrity of titles
derived from the State. Especially was the determination to protect the actual
settlers, who had paid their money and made improvements prior to the final
settlement of the limits of the grant by Congress.
VII. — THE DES MOINES RIVER SCHOOL LANDS.
These lands constituted a part of the 500,000 acre grant made by Congress
in 1841; including 28,378.46 acres in Webster County, selected by the Agent of
the State under that grant, and approved by the Commissioner of the General
Land Office February 20, 1851. They were ordered into the market June 6,
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 211
1853, by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, who authorized John Tol-
man, School Fund Commissioner for Webster County, to sell them as school
lands. Subsequently, -when the act of 1846 was construed to extend the Des
Moines River grant above Raccoon Fork, it was held that the odd numbered
sections of those lands within five miles of the river were appropriated by that
act, and on the 30th day of December, 1853, 12,813.51 acres were set apart
and approved to the State by the Secretary of the Interior, as a part of the
Des Moines River grant. January 6, 1854, the Commissioner of the General
Land Office transmitted to the Superintendent of Public Instruction a certified
copy of the lists of these lands, indorsed by the Secretary of the Interior.
Prior to this action of the Department, however, Mr. Tolman had sold to indi-
vidual purchasers 3,194.28 acres as school lands, and their titles were, of course,
killed. For their relief, an act, approved April 2, 1860, provided that, upon
application and proper showing, these purchasers should be entitled to draw
from the State Treasury the amount they had paid, with 10 per cent, interest,
on the contract to purchase made with Mr. Tolman. Under this act, five appli-
cations were made prior to 1S64, and the applicants received, in the aggregate,
$949.53.
By an act approved April 7, 1862, the Governor was forbidden to issue to
the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad Company any certificate of the completion
of any part of said road, or any conveyance of lands, until the company should
execute and file, in the State Land Office, a release of its claim — first, to cer-
tain swamp lands; second, to the Des Moines River Lands sold by Tolman;
third, to certain other river lands. That act provided that " the said company
shall transfer their interest in those tracts of land in Webster and Hamilton
Counties heretofore sold by John Tolman, School Fund Commissioner, to the
Register of the State Land Office in trust, to enable said Register to carry out
and perform said contracts in all cases when he is called upon by the parties
interested to do so, before the 1st day of January, A. D. 1864.
The company filed its release to the Tolman lands, in the Land Office, Feb-
ruary 27, 1864, at the same time entered its protest that it had no claim upon
them, never had pretended to have, and had never sought to claim them. The
Register of the State Land Office, under the advice of the Attorney General,
decided that patents would be issued to the Tolman purchasers in all cases
where contracts had been made prior to December 23, 1853, and remaining
uncanceled under the act of 1860. But before any were issued, on the 27th of
August, 1864, the Des Moines Navigation & Railroad Company commenced a
suit in chancery, in the District Court of Polk County, to enjoin the issue of
such patents. On the 30th of August, an ex parte injunction was issued. In
January, 1868, Mr. J. A. Harvey, Register of the Land Office, filed in the
court an elaborate answer to plaintiffs' petition, denying that the company had
any right to or title in the lands. Mr. Harvey's successor, Mr. C. C. Carpen-
ter, filed a still more exhaustive answer February 10, 1868. August 3, 1868,
the District Court dissolved the injunction. The company appealed to the
Supreme Court, where the decision of the lower court was affirmed in December,
1869.
VIII. SWAMP LAND GRANT.
By an act of Congress, approved March 28, 1850, to enable Arkansas and
other States to reclaim swampy lands within their limits, granted all the swamp
and overflowed lands remaining unsold within their respective limits to the
several States. Although the total amount claimed by Iowa under this act
212 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
does not exceed 4,000,000 acres, it has, like the Des Moines River and some
of the land grants, cost the State considerable trouble and expense, and required
a deal of legislation. The State expended large sums of money in making the
selections, securing proofs, etc., but the General Government appeared to be
laboring under the impression that Iowa was not acting in good faith ; that she
had selected a large amount of lands under the swamp land grant, transferred
her interest to counties, and counties to private speculators, and the General
Land Office permitted contests as to the character of the lands already selected
by the Agents of the State as "swamp lands." Congress, by joint resolution
Dec. 18, 1856, and by act March 3, 1857, saved the State from the fatal result
of this ruinous policy. Many of these lands were selected in 1854 and 1855,
immediately after several remarkably wet seasons, and it was but natural that
some portions of the selections would not appear swampy after a few dry seasons.
Some time after these first selections were made, persons desired to enter
parcels of the so-called swamp lands and offering to prove them to be dry. In
such cases the General Land Office ordered hearing before the local land officers,
and if they decided the land to be dry, it was permitted to be entered and the
claim of the State rejected. Speculators took advantage of this. Affidavits
were bought of irresponsible and reckless men, who, for a few dollars, would
confidently testify to the character of lands they never saw. These applica-
tions multiplied until they covered 3,000,000 acres. It was necessary that
Congress should confirm all these selections to the State, that this gigantic
scheme of fraud and plunder might be stopped. The act of Congress of
March 3, 1857, was designed to accomplish this purpose. But the Commis-
sioner of the General Land Office held that it was only a qualified confirma-
tion, and under this construction sought to sustain the action of the Department
in rejecting the claim of the State, and certifying them under act of May 15,
1856, under which the railroad companies claimed all swamp land in odd num-
bered sections within the limits of their respective roads. This action led to
serious complications. AVhen the railroad grant was made, it was not intended
nor was it understood that it included any of the swamp lands. These were
already disposed of by previous grant. Nor did the companies expect to
receive any of them, but under the decisions of the Department adverse to the
State the way was opened, and they were not slow to enter their claims. March
4, 18G2, the Attorney General of the State submitted to the General Assembly
an opinion tliat the railroad companies were not entitled even to contest the
right of the State to these lands, under the swamp land grant. A letter from
the Acting Commissioner of the General Land Office expressed the same
opinion, and the General Assembly by joint resolution, approved April 7, 1862,
expressly repudiated the acts of the railroad companies, and disclaimed any
intention to claim these lands under any other than the act of Congress of
Sept. 28, 1850. A great deal of legislation has been found necessary in rela-
tion to these swamp lands.
IX. THE RAILROAD GRANT.
One of the most important grants of public lands to Iowa for purposes of
internal improvement was that known as the "Railroad Grant," by act of
Congress approved May 15, 1856. This act granted to the State of Iowa, for
the purpose of aiding in the construction of railroads from Burlington, on the
Mississippi River, to a point on the Missouri River, near the mouth of Platte
River ; from the city of Davenport, via Iowa City and Fort Des Moines to
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 213
Council Bluffs ; from Lyons City northwesterly to a point of intersection with
the main line of the Iowa Central Air Line Railroad, near Maquoketa ; thence
on said main line, running as near as practicable to the Forty-second Parallel ;
across the said State of Iowa to the Missouri River ; from the city of Dubuque
to a point on the Missouri River, near Sioux City, with a branch from the
mouth of the Tete des Morts, to the nearest point on said road, to be com-
pleted as soon as the main road is completed to that point, every alternate section
of land, designated by odd numbers, for six sections in width on each side of
said roads. It was also provided that if it should appear, when the lines of those
roads were definitely fixed, that the United States had sold, or right of pre-
emption had attached to any portion of said land, the State was authorized to
select a quantity equal thereto, in alternate sections, or parts of sections, within
fifteen miles of the lines so located. The lands remaining to the United States
within six miles on each side of said roads were not to be sold for less than the
double minimum price of the public lands when sold, nor were any of said lands
to become subject to private entry until they had been first offered at public
sale at the increased price.
Section 4 of the act provided that the lands granted to said State shall be
disposed of by said State only in the manner following, that is to say : that a
quantity of land net exceeding one hundred and twenty sections for each of said
roads, and included within a continuous length of twenty miles of each of said
roads, may be sold ; and when the Governor of said State shall certify to the
Secretary of the Interior that any twenty continuous miles of any of said roads
is completed, then another quantity of land hereby granted, not to exceed one
hundred and twenty sections for each of said roads having twenty continuous
miles completed as aforesaid, and included within a continuous length of twenty
miles of each of such roads, may be sold ; and so from time to time until said
roads are completed, and if any of said roads are not completed within ten
years, no further sale shall be made, and the lands unsold shall revert to the
United States."
At a special session of the General Assembly of Iowa, by act approved July
14, 1856, the grant was accepted and the lands were granted by the State to
the several railroad companies n;;.... 1, provided that the lines of their respective
roads should be definitely fixe I and located before April 1, 1857; and pro-
vided further, that if either of said companies should fail to have seventy-five
miles of road completed and equipped by the 1st day of December, 1859, and
its entire road completed by December 1, 18(35, it should be competent for the
State of Iowa to resume all rights to lands remaining undisposed of by the
company so failing. »
The railroad companies, with the single exception of the Iowa Central Air
Line, accepted the several grants in accordance with the provisions of the above
act, located their respective roads and selected their lands. The grant to the
Iowa Central was again granted to the Cedar Rapids & Missouri River Railroad
Company, which accepted them.
By act, approved April 7, 1862, the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad Com-
pany was required to execute a release to the State of certain swamp and school
lands, included within the limits of its grant, in compensation for an extension
of the time fixed for the completion of its road.
A careful examination of the act of Congress does not reveal any special
reference to railroad companies. The lands were granted to the State, and the
act evidently contemplate the sale of them by the State, and the appropriation
of the proceeds to aid in the construction of certain lines of railroad within its
214 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
limits. Section 4 of the act clearly defines the authority of the State in dis-
posing of the lands.
Lists of all the lands embraced by the grant were made, and certified to the
State by the proper authorities. Under an act of Congress approved August 3,
1854, entitled "An act to vest in the several States and Territories the title in
fee of the lands which have been or may be certified to them," these certified lists,
the originals of which are filed in the General Land Office, conveyed to the State
" the fee simple title to all the lands embraced in such lists that are of the char-
acter contemplated " by the terms of the act making the grant, and "intended
to be granted thereby ; but where lands embraced in such lists are not of the
character embraced by such act of Congress, and were not intended to be granted
thereby, said lists, so far as these lands are concerned, shall be perfectly null
and void; and no right, title, claim or interest shall be conveyed thereby."
Those certified lists made under the act of May 15, 1856, were forty-three in
number, viz.: For the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, nine ; for the
Mississippi & Missouri Railroad, 11 ; for the Iowa Central Air Line, thirteen ;
and for the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad, ten. The lands thus approved to
the State were as follows :
Burlington & Missouri River R. R 287,095.34 acres.
Mississippi & Missouri River R. K 774,674.36 "
Cedar Rapids & Missouri River It. R 775,454.19 "
Dubuque & Sioux City R. R 1,226,558.32 "
A portion of these had been selected as swamp lands by the State, under
the act of September 28, 1850, and these, by the terms of the act of August 3,
1854, could not be turned over to the railroads unless the claim of the State to
them as swamp was first rejected. It was not possible to determine from the
records of the State Land Office the extent of the conflicting claims arising under
the two grants, as copies of the swamp land selections in some of the counties
were not filed of record. The Commissioner of the General Land Office, however,
prepared lists of the lands claimed by the State as swamp under act of September
28, 1850, and also claimed by the railroad companies under act of Slay 15,
1856, amounting to 553,293.33 acres, the claim to which as swamp had been
rejected by the Department. These were consequently certified to the State as
railroad lands. There was no mode other than the act of July, 1856, prescribed
for transferring the title to these lands from the State to the companies. The
courts had decided that, for the purposes of the grant, the lands belonged to the
State, and to her the companies should look for their titles. It was generally
accepted that the act of the Legislature of July, 1856, was all that was neces-
sary to complete the transfer of title. It was assumed that all the rights and
powers conferred upon the State by the act of Congress of May 14, 1856, were
by the act of the General Assembly transferred to the companies ; in other
words, that it was designed to put the companies in the place of the State as the
grantees from Congress — and, therefore, that which perfected the title thereto
to the State perfected the title to the companies by virtue of the act of July,
1856. One of the companies, however, the Burlington & Missouri River Rail-
road Company, was not entirely satisfied with this construction. Its managers
thought that some further and specific action of the State authorities in addition
to the act of the Legislature was necessary to complete their title. This induced
Gov. Lowe to attach to the certified lists his official certificate, under the broad
seal of the State. On the 9th of November, 1859, the Governor thus certified
to them (commencing at the Missouri River) 187,207.44 acres, and December
27th, 43,775.70 acres, an aggregate of 231,073.14 acres. These were the only
HISTORV OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 215
lands under the grant that were certified by the State authorities with any
design of perfecting the title already vested in the company by the act of July,
1856. The lists which were afterward furnished to the company were simply
certified by the Governor as being correct copies of the lists received by the
State from the United States General Land Office. These subsequent lists
embraced lands that had been claimed by the State under the Swamp Land
Grant.
It was urged against the claim of the Companies that the effect of the act
of the Legislature was simply to substitute them for the State as parties to the
grant. 1st. That the lands were granted to the State to be held in trust for the
accomplishment of a specific purpose, and therefore the State could not part
with the title until that purpose should have been accomplished. 2d. That it
was not the intention of the act of July 14, 1856, to deprive the State of the con-
trol of the lands, but on the contrary that she should retain supervision of them
and the right to withdraw all rights and powers and resume the title condition-
ally conferred by that act upon the companies in the event of their failure to
complete their part of the contract. 3d. That the certified lists from the Gen-
eral Land Office vested the title in the State only by virtue of the act of Con-
gress approved August 3, 185-4. The State Land Office held that the proper
construction of the act of July 14, 1856, when accepted by the companies, was
that it became a conditional contract that might ripen into a positive sale of the
lands as from time to time the work should progress, and as the State thereby
became authorized by the express terms of the grant to sell them.
This appears to have been the correct construction of the act, but by a sub-
sequent act of Congress, approved June 2, 1864, amending the act of 1856, the
terms of the grant were changed, and numerous controversies arose between the
companies and the State.
The ostensible purpose of this additional act was to allow the Davenport k
Council Bluffs Railroad "to modify or change the location of the uncompleted
portion of its line," to run through the town of Newton, Jasper County, or as
nearly as practicable to that point. The original grant had been made to the
State to aid in the construction of railroads within its limits and not to the com-
panies, but Congress, in 1864, appears to have been utterly ignorant of what
had been done under the act of 1^56, or, if not, to have utterly disregarded it.
The State had accepted the original grant. The Secretary of the Interior had
already certified to the State all the lands intended to be included in the grant
within fifteen miles of the lines of the several railroads. It will be remembered
that Section 4, of the act of May 15, 1856, specifies the manner of sale of
these lands from time to time as work on the railroads should progress, and also
provided that "if any of said roads are not completed within ten years, no fur-
ther sale shall be made, and the lands unsold shall revert to the United States."
Having vested the title to these lands in trust, in the State of Iowa, it is plain
that until the expiration of the ten years there could be no reversion, and the
State, not the United States, must control them until the grant should expire
by limitation. The United States authorities could not rightfully require the
Secretary of the Interior to certify directly to the companies any portion of
the lands already certified to the State. And yet Congress, by its act of June
2, 1864, provided that whenever the Davenport & Council Bluffs Railroad Com-
pany should file in the General Land Office at Washington a map definitely
showing such new location, the Secretary of the Interior should cause to be cer-
tified and conveyed to said Company, from time to time, as the road progressed,
out of any of the lands belonging to the United States, not sold, reserved, or
216 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
otherwise disposed of, or to which a pre-emption claim or right of homestead had
not attached, and on which a bona fide settlement and improvement had not
been made under color of title derived from the United States or from the State
of Iowa, within six miles of such newly located line, an amount of land per
mile equal to that originally authorized to be granted to aid in the construction
of said road by the act to which this was an amendment.
The term "out of any lands belonging to the United States, not sold, re-
served or otherwise disposed of, etc.," would seem to indicate that Congress did
intend to grant lands already granted, but when it declared that the Company
should have an amount per mile equal to that originally authorized to be granted,
it is plain that the framers of the bill were ignorant of the real terms of the
original grant, or that they designed that the United States should resume the
title it had already parted with two years before the lands could revert to the
United States under the original act, which was not repealed.
A similar change was made in relation to the Cedar Rapids & Missouri
Railroad, and dictated the conveyance of lands in a similar manner.
Like provision was made for the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad, and the
Company was permitted to change the location of its line between Fort Dodge
and Sioux City, so as to secure the best route between those points ; but this
change of location was not to impair the right to the land granted in the orig-
inal act, nor did it change the location of those lands.
By the same act, the Mississippi & Missouri Railroad Company was author-
ized to transfer and assign all or any part of the grant to any other company or
person, " if, in the opinion of said Company, the construction of said railroad
across the State of Iowa would be thereby sooner and more satisfactorily com-
pleted; but such assignee should not in any case be released from the liabilities
and conditions accompanying this grant, nor acquire perfect title in any other
manner than the same would have been acquired by the original grantee."
Still further, the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad was not forgotten,
and was, by the same act, empowered to receive an amount of land per mile
equal to that mentioned in the original act, and if that could not be found within
the limits of six miles from the line of said road, then such selection might
be made along such line within twenty miles thereof out of any public lands
belonging to the United States, not sold, reserved or otherwise disposed of, or
to which a pre-emption claim or right of homestead had not attached.
Those acts of Congress, which evidently originated in the "lobby," occa-
sioned much controversy and trouble. The Department of the Interior, how-
ever, recognizing the fact that when the Secretary had certified the lands to the
State, under the act of 1856, that act divested the United States of title, under
the vesting act of August, 1854, refused to review its action, and also refused
to order any and all investigations for establishing adverse claims (except in
pre-emption cases), on the ground that the United States had parted with the
title, and, therefore, could exercise no control over the land.
May 12, 18(34, before the passage of the amendatory act above described,
Congress granted to the State of Iowa, to aid in the construction of a railroad
from McGregor to Sioux City, and for the benefit of the McGregor Western
Railroad Company, every alternate section of land, designated by odd numbers,
for ten sections in width on each side of the proposed road, reserving the right
to substitute other lands whenever it was found that the grant infringed upon
pre-empted lands, or on lands that had been reserved or disposed of for any other
purpose. In such cases, the Secretary of the Interior was instructed to select, in
lieu, lands belonging to the United States lying nearest to the limits specified.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 217
X. — AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE AND FARM LANDS.
An Agricultural College and Model Farm was established by act of the
General Assembly, approved March 22, 1858. By the eleventh section of the
act, the proceeds of the five-section grant made for the purpose of aiding in the
erection of public buildings was appropriated, subject to the approval of Con-
gress, together with all lands that Congress might thereafter grant to the State
for the purpose, for the benefit of the institution. On the 23d of March, by
joint resolution, the Legislature asked the consent of Congress to the proposed
transfer. By act approved July 11, 1862, Congress removed the restrictions
imposed in the "five-section grant," and authorized the General Assembly to
make such disposition of the lands as should be deemed best for the interests of
the State. By these several acts, the five sections of land in Jasper County
certified to the State to aid in the erection of public buildings under the act of
March 3, 1845, entitled " An act supplemental to the act for the admission of
the States of Iowa and Florida into the Union," were fully appropriated for
the benefit of the Iowa Agricultural College and Farm. The institution is
located in Story County. Seven hundred and twenty-one acres in that and
two hundred in Boone County were donated to it by individuals interested in
the success of the enterprise.
By act of Congress approved July 2, 1862, an appropriation was made to
each State and Territory of 30,000 acres for each Senator and Representative
in Congress, to which, by the apportionment under, the census of 1860, they
were respectively entitled. This grant was made for the purpose of endowing
colleges of agriculture and mechanic arts.
Iowa accepted this grant by an act passed at an extra session of its Legis-
lature, approved September 11, 1862, entitled "An act to accept of the grant,
and carry into execution the trust conferred upon the State of Iowa by an act
of Congress entitled ' An act granting public lands to the several States and
Territories which may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the
mechanic arts,' approved July 2, 1862." This act made it the duty of the
Governor to appoint an agent to select and locate the lands, and provided
that none should be selected that were claimed by any county as swamp
lands. The agent was required to make report of his doings to the Governor,
who was instructed to submit the list of selections to the Board of Trustees of
the Agricultural College for their approval. One thousand dollars were appro-
priated to carry the law into effect. The State, having two Senators and six
Representatives in Congress, was entitled to 210,000 acres of land under this
grant, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining an Agricultural College.
Peter Melendy, Esq., of Black Hawk County, was appointed to make the selec-
tions, and during August, September and December, 1863, located them in the
Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Sioux City Land Districts. December 8, 1864,
these selections were certified by the Commissioner of the General Land Office,
and were approved to the State by the Secretary of the Interior December 13,
1864. The title to these lands was vested in the State in fee simple, and con-
flicted with no other claims under other grants.
The agricultural lands were approved to the State as 240,000.96 acres; but
as 35,691.66 acres were located within railroad limits, which were computed at
the rate of two acres for one, the actual amount of land approved to the State
under this grant was only 204,309.30 acres, located as follows:
In Des Moines Land District 0,804.90 acres.
In Sioux City Land District 59.025.37 "
In Fort Dodge Land District 138, 478.97 "
218 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
By act of the General Assembly, approved March 29, 1864, entitled, " An
act authorizing the Trustees of the Iowa State Agricultural College and Farm
to sell all lands acquired, granted, donated or appropriated for the benefit of
said college, and to make an investment of the proceeds thereof," all these lands
were granted to the Agricultural College and Farm, and the Trustees were au-
thorized to take possession, and sell or lease them. They were then, under the
control of the Trustees, lands as follows :
Under the act of July 2, 1852 204,309.30 acres.
Of the five-section grant 3,200.00 "
Lands donated in Story County 721.00 "
Lands donated in Boone County 200.00 "
Total 208,430.30 acres.
The Trustees opened an office at Fort Dodge, and appointed Hon. G. W-
Bassett their agent for the sale of these lands.
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The germ of the free public school system of Iowa, which now ranks sec-
ond to none in the United States, was planted by the first settlers. They had
migrated to the " The Beautiful Land " from other and older States, where the
common school system had been tested by many years' experience, bringing
with them some knowledge of its advantages, which they determined should be
enjoyed by the children of the land of their adoption. The system thus planted
was expanded and improved in the broad fields of the West, until now it is
justly considered one of the most complete, comprehensive and liberal in the
country.
Nor is this to be wondered at when it is remembered humble log school
houses were built almost as soon as the log cabin of the earliest settlers were
occupied by their brave builders. In the lead mining regions of the State, the
first to be occupied by the white race, the hardy pioneers provided the means
for the education of their children even before they had comfortable dwellings
for their families. School teachers were among the first immigrants to Iowa.
Wherever a little settlement was made, the school house was the first united
public act of the settlers; and the rude, primitive structures of the early time
only disappeared when the communities had increased in population and wealth,
and were able to replace them with more commodious and comfortable buildings.
Perhaps in no single instance has the magnificent progress of the State of Iowa
been more marked and rapid than in her common school system and in her school
houses, which, long since, superseded the log cabins of the first settlers. To-
day, the school houses which everywhere dot the broad and fertile prairies of
Iowa are unsurpassed by those of any other State in the great Union. More
especially is this true in all her cities and villages, where liberal and lavish
appropriations have been voted, by a generous people, for the erection of large,
commodious and elegant buildings, furnished with all the modern improvements,
and costing from $10,000 to $60,000 each. The people of the State have ex-
pended more than $10,000,000 for the erection of public school buildings.
The first house erected in Iowa was a log cabin at Dubuque, built by James
L. Langworthy and a few other miners, in the Autumn of 1833. When it was
completed, George Cabbage was employed as teacher during the Winter of
1833_4, and thirty-five pupils attended his school. Barrett Whittemore taught
the second term with twenty-five pupils in attendance. Mrs. Caroline Dexter
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 219
commenced teaching in Dubuque in March, 1836. She was the first female
teacher there, and probably the first in Iowa. In 1839, Thomas H. Benton,
Jr., afterward for ten years Superintendent of Public Instruction, opened an
English and classical school in Dubuque. The first tax for the support of
schools at Dubuque was levied in 1840.
Among the first buildings erected at Burlington was a commodious log school
house in 1834, in which Mr. Johnson Pierson taught the first school in the
Winter of 1834-5.
The first school in Muscatine County was taught by George Bumgardner,
in the Spring of 1837, and in 1839, a log school house was erected in Musca-
tine, which served for a long time for school house, church and public hall.
The first school in Davenport was taught in 1838. In Fairfield, Miss Clarissa
Sawyer, James F. Chambers and Mrs. Reed taught school in 1839.
When the site of Iowa City was selected as the capital of the Territory of
Iowa, in May, 1839, it was a perfect wilderness. The first sale of lots took
placeVVugust 18, 1839, and before January 1, 1840, about twenty families had
settled within the limits of the town ; and during the same year, Mr. Jesse
Berry opened a school in a small frame building he had erected, on what is now
College street.
The first settlement in Monroe County was made in 1843, by Mr. John R.
Gray, about two miles from the present site of Eddyville; and in the Summer
of 1844, a log school hou<e was built by Gray, William V. Beedle, C. Renfro,
Joseph McMullen and Willoughby Randolph, and the first school was opened
by Miss Urania Adams. The building was occupied for school purposes for
nearly ten years. About a year after the first cabin was built at Oskaloosa, a
log school liouse was built, in which school was opened by Samuel W. Caldwell
in 1844.
At Fort Des Moines, now the capital of the State, the first school was
taught by Lewis Whitten, Clerk of the District Court in the Winter of 1840-7,
in one of the rooms on " Coon Row," built for barracks.
The first school in Pottawattamie County was opened by George Green, a
Mormon, at Council Point, prior to 1849 ; and until about 1854, nearly, if not
quite, all the teachers in that vicinity were Mormons.
The first school in Decorah was taught in 1853, by T. W. Burdick, then a
young man of seventeen. In Osceola, the first school was opened by Mr. D.
W. Scoville. The first school at Fort Dodge was taught in 1855, by Cyrus C.
Carpenter, since Governor of the State. In Crawford County, the first school
house was built in Mason's Grove, in 1856, and Morris McHenry first occupied
it as teacher.
During the first twenty years of the history of Iowa, the log school house pre-
vailed, and in 1861, there were 893 of these primitive structures in use for
school purposes in the State. Since that time they have been gradually dis-
appearing. In 1865, there were 796 ; in 1870, 336, and in 1875, 121.
Iowa Territory was created July 3, 1838. January 1, 1839, the Territorial
Legislature passed an act providing that " there shall be established a common
school, or schools in each of the counties in this Territory, which shall be
open and free for every class of white citizens between the ages of five and
twenty-one years." The second section of the act provided that "the County
Board shall, from time to time, form such districts in their respective counties
whenever a petition may be presented for the purpose by a majority of the
voters resident within such contemplated district." These districts were gov-
erned by boards of trustees, usually of three persons ; each district was required
220 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
laws were
to maintain school at least three months in every year ; and later, la
enacted providing for county school taxes for the payment of teachers, and that
whatever additional sum might be required should be assessed upon the parents
sending, in proportion to the length of time sent.
When Iowa Territory became a State, in 1846, with a population of 100,-
000, and with 20,000 scholars within its limits, about four hundred school dis-
tricts had been organized. In 1850, there were 1,200, and in 1857, the
number had increased to 3,265.
In March, 1858, upon the recommendation of Hon. M. L. Fisher, then Su-
perintendent of Public Instruction, the Seventh General Assembly enacted that
" each civil township is declared a school district," and provided that these should
be divided into sub-districts. This law went into force March 20, 1858, and
reduced the number of school districts from about 3,-500 to less than 900.
This change of school organization resulted in a very material reduction of
the expenditures for the compensation of District Secretaries and Treasurers.
An effort was made for several years, from 1867 to 1872, to abolish the sub-
district system. Mr. Kissell, Superintendent, recommended, in his report of
January 1, 1872, and Governor Merrill forcibly endorsed his views in his annual
message. But the Legislature of that year provided for the formation of inde-
pendent districts from the sub-districts of district townships.
The system of graded schools was inaugurated in 1849 ; and new schools, in
which more than one teacher is employed, are universally graded.
The first official mention of Teachers' Institutes in the educational records
of Iowa occurs in the annual report of Hon. Thomas H. Benton, Jr., made
December 2, 1850, who said, "An institution of this character was organized a
few years ago, composed of the teachers of the mineral regions of Illinois,
Wisconsin and Iowa. An association of teachers has, also, been formed in the
county of Henry, and an effort was made in October last to organize a regular
institute in the county of Jones." At that time — although the beneficial
influence of these institutes was admitted, it was urged that the expenses of
attending them was greater than teachers with limited compensation were able
to bear. To obviate this objection, Mr. Benton recommended that " the sum of
$150 should be appropriated annually for three years, to be drawn in install-
ments of $50 each by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and expended
for these institutions." He proposed that three institutes should be held annu-
ally at points to be designated by the Superintendent.
No legislation in this direction, however, was had until March, 1858, when
an act was passed authorizing the holding of teachers' institutes for periods not
less than six working days, whenever not less than thirty teachers should desire.
The Superintendent was authorized to expend not exceeding $100 for any one
institute, to be paid out by the County Superintendent as the institute might
direct for teachers and lecturers, and one thousand dollars was appropriated to
defray the expenses of these institutes.
December 6, 1858, Mr. Fisher reported to the Board of Education that
institutes had been appointed in twenty counties within the preceding six months,
and more would have been, but the appropriation had been exhausted.
The Board of Education at its first session, commencing December 6, 1858,
enacted a code of school laws which retained the existing provisions for teachers'
institutes.
In March, 1860, the General Assembly amended the act of the Board by
appropriating " a sum not exceeding fifty dollars annually for one such institute,
held as provided by law in each county."
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 2SU
In 1865, Mr. Faville reported that "the provision made by the State for the
benefit of teachers' institutes has never been so fully appreciated, both by the
people and the teachers, as during the last two years."
By act approved March 19, 1874, Normal Institutes were established in
each county, to be held annually by the County Superintendent. This was
regarded as a very decided step in advance by Mr. Abemethy, and in 1876 the
Sixteenth General Assembly established the first permanent State Normal
School at Cedar Falls, Black Hawk County, appropriating the building and
property of the Soldiers' Orphans' Home at that place for that purpose. This
school is now " in the full tide of successful experiment."
The public school system of Iowa is admirably organized, and if the various
officers who are entrusted with the educational interests of the commonwealth
are faithful and competent, should and will constantly improve.
" The public schools. are supported by funds arising from several sources.
The sixteenth section of every Congressional Township was set apart by the
General Government for school purposes, being one-thirty-sixth part of all the
lands of the State. The minimum price of these lands was fixed at one dollar
and twenty-five cents per acre. Congress also made an additional donation to
the State of five hundred thousand acres, and an appropriation of five per cent,
on all the sales of public lands to the school fund. The State gives to this
fund the proceeds of the sales of all lands which escheat to it ; the proceeds of
all fines for the violation of the liquor and criminal laws. The money derived
from these sources constitutes the permanent school fund of the State, which
cannot be diverted to any other purpose. The penalties collected by the courts
for fines and forfeitures go to the school fund in the counties where collected.
The proceeds of the sale of lands and the five per cent, fund go into the State
Treasury, and the State distributes these proceeds to the several counties accord-
ing to their request, and the counties loan the money to individuals for long
terms at eight per cent, interest, on security of land valued at three times the
amount of the loan, exclusive of all buildings and improvements thereon. The
interest on these loans is paid into the State Treasury, and becomes the avail-
able school fund of the State. The counties are responsible to the State for all
money so loaned, and the State is likewise responsible to the school fund for all
moneys transferred to the counties. The interest on these loans is apportioned
by the State Auditor semi-annually to the several counties of the State, in pro-
portion to the number of persons between the ages of five and twenty-one years.
The counties also levy an annual tax for school purposes, which is apportioned
to the several district townships in the same way. A district tax is also
levied for the same purpose. The money arising from these several sources
constitutes the support of the public schools^ and is sufficient to enable
every sub-district in the State to afford from six to nine months' school
each year."
The taxes levied for the support of schools are self-imposed. Under the
admirable school laws of the State, no taxes can be legally assessed or collected
for the erection of school houses until they have been ordered by the election of
the district at a school meeting legally called. The school houses of Iowa are
the pride of the State and an honor to the people. If they have been some-
times built at a prodigal expense, the tax payers have no one to blame but
themselves. The teachers' and contingent funds are determined by the Board of
Directors under certain legal restrictions. These boards are elected annually,
except in the independent districts, in which the board may be entirely changed
every three years. The only exception to this mode of levying taxes for support
'ATI HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
of schools is the county school tax, which is determined by the County Board
of Supervisors. The tax is from one to three mills on the dollar ; usually,
however, but one. Mr. Abernethy, who was Superintendent of Public Instruc-
tion from 1872 to 1877, said in one of his reports :
There is but little opposition to the levy of taxes for the support of schools, and there
would be still less if the funds were always properly guarded ami judiciously expended. How-
ever much our people disagree upon other subjects, they are practically united upon this.
The opposition of wealth has long since ceased to exist, and our wealthy men are usually the
most liberal in their views and the most active friends of popular education. They are often
found upon our school boards, and usually make the best of school officers. It is not uncommon
for Boards of Directors, especially in the larger towns and cities, to be composed wholly of men
who represent the enterprise, wealth and business of their cities.
At the close of 1877, there were 1,086 township districts, 3,138 indepen-
dent districts and 7,015 sub-districts. There were 9,948 ungraded and 476
graded schools, with an average annual session of seven months and five days.
There were 7,348 male teachers employed, whose average compensation was
$34.88 per month, and 12,518 female teachers, with an average compensation
of $28.69 per month.
The number of persons between the ages 5 and 21 years, in 1877, was
567.859; number enrolled in public schools, 421,163; total average attendance,
251,372; average cost of tuition per month, $1.62. There are 9,279 frame,
671 brick, 257 stone and 89 log school houses, making a grand total of 10,296,
valued at $9,044,973. The public school libraries number 17,329 volumes.
Ninety-nine teachers' institutes were held during 1877. Teachers' salaries
amounted to $2,953,645. There was expended for school houses, grounds,
libraries and apparatus, $1,106,788, and for fuel and other contingencies,
$1,136,995, making the grand total of $5,197,428 expended by the generous
people of Iowa for the support of their magnificent public schools in a single
year. The amount of the permanent school fund, at the close of 1877, was
$3,462,000. Annual interest, $276,960.
In 1857, there were 3,265 independent districts, 2,708 ungraded schools,
and 1,572 male and 1,424 female teachers. Teachers' salaries amounted to
$198,142, and the total expenditures for schools was only $364,515. Six hun-
dred and twenty-three volumes were the extent of the public school libraries
twenty years ago, and there were only 1,686 school houses, valued at $571,064.
In twenty years, teachers' salaries have increased from $198,142, in 1857,
to $2,953,645 in 1877. Total school expenditures, from $364,515 to
$5,197,428.
The significance of such facts as these is unmistakable. Such lavish expen-
ditures can only be accounted for by the liberality and public spirit of the
people, all of whom manifest their love of popular education and their faith in
the public schools by the annual dedication to their support of more than one
per cent, of their entire taxable property ; this, too, uninterruptedly through a
series of years, commencing in the midst of a war which taxed their energies and
resources to the extreme, and continuing through years of general depression in
business — years of moderate yield of produce, of discouragingly low prices, and
even amid the scanty surroundings and privations of pioneer life. Few human
enterprises have a grander significance or give evidence of a more noble purpose
than the generous contributions from the scanty resources of the pioneer for the
of public education.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 223
POLITICAL RECORD.
TERRITORIAL OFFICERS.
Governors — -Robert Lucas, 1838-41 ; John Chambers, 1841-45 ; James
Clarke, 1845.
Secretaries— William B. Conway, 1838, died 1839 ; James Clarke, 1839 ;
0. H. W. Stull, 1841 ; Samuel J. Burr, 1843 ; Jesse Williams, 1845.
Auditors— Jesse Williams, 1840; Wm. L. Gilbert, 1843- Robert M.
Secrest, 1845.
Treasurers— Thornton Bayliss, 1839 ; Morgan Reno, 1840.
Judges — Charles Mason, Chief Justice, 1838 ; Joseph Williams, 1838 ;
Thomas'S. Wilson, 1838.
Presideyits of Council — Jesse B. Browne, 1838-9 ; Stephen Hempstead,
1839-40 ; M. Bainridge, 1840-1 ; Jonathan W. Parker, 1841-2 ; John D.
Elbert, 1842-3 ; Thomas Cox, 1843-4 ; S. Clinton Hastings, 1845 ; Stephen
Hempstead, 1845-6.
Speakers of the House — William H. Wallace, 1838-9 ; Edward Johnston,
1839-40; Thomas Cox, 1840-1; Warner Lewis, 1841-2; James M. Morgan,
1842-3 ; James P. Carleton, 1843-4 ; James M. Morgan, 1845 ; George W.
McCleary, 1845-6.
First Constitutional Convention, 1S4-4- — Shepherd Leffler, President ; Geo.
S. Hampton, Secretary.
Second Constitutional Convention, lSIf.6 — Enos Lowe, President ; William
Thompson, Secretary.
OFFICERS OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT.
Governors — Ansel Briggs, 1846 to 1850 ; Stephen Hempstead, 1850 to
1854; James W. Grimes, 1854 to 1858; Ralph P. Lowe, 1858 to 1860; Sam-
uel J. Kirkwood, 1860 to 1864 ; William M. Stone, 1864 to 1868 ; Samuel
Morrill, 1868 to 1872 ; Cyrus C. Carpenter, 1872 to 1876 ; Samuel J. Kirk-
wood, 1876 to 1877; Joshua G. Newbold, Acting, 1877 to 1878; John H.
Gear, 1878 to .
Lieutenant Governor — Office created by the new Constitution September 3,
1857— Oran Faville, 1858-9 ; Nicholas J. Rusch, 1860-1 ; John R. Needham,
1862-3; Enoch W. Eastman, 1864-5; Benjamin F. Gue, 1866-7; John
Scott, 1868-9; M. M. Walden, 1870-1; H. C. Bulis, 1872-3; Joseph Dy-
sart, 1874-5 ; Joshua G. Newbold, 1876-7 ; Frank T. Campbell, 1878-9.
• Secretaries of State — Elisha Cutler, Jr., Dec. 5, 1846, to Dec. 4, 1848 ;
Josiah H. Bonney, Dec. 4, 1848, to Dec. 2, 1850; George W. McCleary, Dec.
2, 1850, to Dec. 1, 1856 ; Elijah Sells, Dec. 1, 1856, to Jan. 5, 1863 ; James
Wright, Jan. 5, 1863, to Jan. 7, 1867 ; Ed. Wright, Jan. 7, 1867, to Jan. 6,
1873 ; Josiah T. Young, Jan. 6, 1873, to .
Auditors of State— Joseph T. Fales, Dec. 5, 1846, to Dec. 2, 1850 ; Will-
iam Pattee, Dec. 2, 1850, to Dec. 4, 1854; Andrew J. Stevens, Dec. 4, 1854,'
resigned in 1855; John Pattee, Sept. 22, 1855, to Jan. 3, 1859; Jonathan
W. Cattell, 1859 to 1865 ; John A. Elliot, 1865 to 1871 ; John Russell, 1871
to 1875 ; Buren R. Sherman, 1875 to .
Treasurers of State—Morgan Reno, Dec. 18, 1846, to Dec. 2, 1850 ;
Israel Kister, Dec. 2, 1850, to Dec. 4, 1852 ; Martin L. Morris, Dec. 4, 1852,
to Jan. 2, 1859 ; John W. Jones, 1859 to 1863 ; William H. Holmes, 1863 to
224 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
1867 ; Samuel E. Rankin, 1867 to 1873 ; William Christy, 1873 to 1877 ;
George W. Bemis, 1877 to .
Superintendents of Public Instruction — Office created in 1847 — James Harlan,
June 5, 1845 (Supreme Court decided election void) ; Thomas H. Benton, Jr.,
May 23, 1844, to June 7, 1854 ; James D. Eads, 1851-7 ; Joseph C. Stone,
March to June, 1857 ; Maturin L. Fisher, 1857 to Dec, 1858, when the office
was abolished and the duties of the office devolved upon the Secretary of the
Board of Education.
Secretaries of Board of Education — Thomas H. Benton, Jr., 1859-1863;
Oran Faville, Jan. 1, 1864. Board abolished March 23, 1864.
Superintendents of Public Instruction — Office re-created March 23, 1864 —
Oran Faville, March *28, 1864, resigned March 1, 1867 ; D. Franklin Wells,
March 4, 1867, to Jan., 1870 ; A. S. Kissell, 1870 to 1872 ; Alonzo Abernethy,
1872 to 1877 ; Carl W. Von Coelln, 1877 to .
State Binders— Office created February 21, 1855— William M. Coles, May
1, 1855, to May 1, 1859; Frank M. Mills, 1859 to 1867; James S. Carter,
1867 to 1870; J. J. Smart, 1870 to 1874; H. A. Perkins, 1874 to 1875;
James J. Smart, 1875 to 1876 ; H. A. Perkins, 1876 to .
Registers- of the State Land Office — Anson Hart, May 5, 1855, to May
13, 1857 ; Theodore S. Parvin, May 13, 1857, to Jan. 3, 1859 ; Amos B.
Miller, Jan. 3, 1859, to October, 1862; Edwin Mitchell, Oct. 31, 1862, to
Jan 5, 1863 ; Josiah A. Harvey, Jan. 5, 1863, to Jan. 7, 1867 ; Cyrus C.
Carpenter, Jan. 7, 1867, to January, 1871 ; Aaron Brown, January, 1871, to
to January, 1875 ; David Secor, January, 1875, to .
State Printers — Office created Jan. 3, 1840 — Garrett D. Palmer and
George Paul, 1849; William H. Merritt, 1851 to 1853; William A. Hornish,
1853 (resigned May 16, 1853); Mahoney & Dorr, 1853 to 1855; Peter
Moriarty, 1855 to 1857; John Teesdale, 1857 to 1861; Francis W. Palmer,
1861 to 1869 ; Frank M. Mills, 1869 to 1870 ; G. W. Edwards, 1870 to
1872; R. P. Clarkson, 1872 to .
Adjutants General— Daniel S. Lee, 1851-5 ; Geo. W. McCleary, 1855-7 ;
Elijah Sells, 1857 ; Jesse Bowen, 1857-61; Nathaniel Baker, 1861 to 1877;
John H. Looby, 1877 to .
Attorneys General— David C. Cloud, 1853-56 : Samuel A. Rice, 1856-60 ;
Charles C. Nourse, 1861-4 ; Isaac L. Allen, 1865 (resigned January, 1866) ;
Frederick E. Bissell, 1866 (died June 12, 1867); Henry O'Connor, 1867-72;
Marsena E. Cutts, 1872-6 ; John F. McJunkin, 1877.
Presidents of the Senate — Thomas Baker, 1846-7 ; Thomas Hughes,
1848 ; John J. Selman, 1848-9 ; Enos Lowe, 1850-1 ; William E. Leffing-
well, 1852-3; Maturin L. Fisher, 1854-5; William W. Hamilton, 1856-7.
Under the new Constitution, the Lieutenant Governor is President of the
Senate.
Speakers of the Rouse— Jesse B. Brown, 1847-8 ; Smiley H. Bonhan,
1849-50 ; George Temple, 1851-2 ; James Grant, 1853-4 ; Reuben Noble,
1855-6 ; Samuel McFarland, 1856-7 ; Stephen B. Sheledy, 1858-9 ; John
Edwards, 1860-1 ; Rush Clark, 1862-3 ; Jacob Butler, 1864-5 ; Ed. Wright,
1866-7 ; John Russell, 1868-9 ; Aylett R. Cotton, 1870-1 ; James Wilson,
1872-3 ; John H. Gear, 1874-7 ; John Y. Stone, 1878.
New Constitutional Convention, 1S59 — Francis Springer, President ; Thos.
J. Saunders, Secretary.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 225
STATE OFFICERS, 1878.
John H. Gear, Governor ; Frank T. Campbell, Lieutenant Governor ; Josiah
T. Young, Secretary of State; Buren R. Sherman, Auditor of State; George
W. Bemis, Treasurer of State; David Secor, Register of State Land Office;
John H. Looby, Adjutant General; John F. McJunken, Attorney General;
Mrs. Ada North, State Librarian : Edward J. Holmes, Clerk Supreme Court ;
John S. Runnells, Reporter Supreme Court; Carl W. Von Coelln, Superintend-
ent Public Instruction; Richard P. Clarkson, State Printer; Henry A. Perkins,
State Binder; Prof. Nathan R. Leonard, Superintendent of Weights and
Measures; William H. Fleming, Governor's Private Secretary; Fletcher W.
Young, Deputy Secretary of State; John C. Parish, Deputy Auditor of State;
Erastus G. Morgan, Deputy Treasurer of State; John M. Davis, Deputy Reg-
ister Land Office; Ira C. Kling, Deputy Superintendent Public Instruction.
THE JUDICIARY.
SUPREME COURT OP IOWA.
Chief Justices. — Charles Mason, resigned in June, 1847 ; Joseph Williams,
Jan., 1847, to Jan., 1848; S. Clinton Hastings, Jan., 1848, to Jan., 1849; Joseph
Williams, Jan., 1849, to Jan. 11, 1855; Geo. G. Wright, Jan. 11, 1855, to Jan.,
1860 ; Ralph P. Lowe, Jan., 1860, to Jan. 1, 1862 ; Caleb Baldwin, Jan., 1862, to
Jan., 1864 ; Geo. G. Wright, Jan., 1864, to Jan., 1866 ; Ralph P. Lowe, Jan., 1866,
to Jan., 1868; John F. Dillon, Jan., 1868, to Jan., 1870; Chester C. Cole, Jan.
1, 1870, to Jan. 1, 1871; James G. Day, Jan. 1, 1871, to Jan. 1, 1872; Joseph
M. Beck, Jan. 1, 1872, to Jan. 1, 1874; W. E. Miller, Jan. 1, 1874, to Jan. 1,
1876; Chester C. Cole, Jan. 1, 1876, to Jan. 1, 1877; James G. Day, Jan. 1,
1877, to Jan. 1, 1878; James H. Rothrock, Jan. 1, 1878.
Associate Judges. — Joseph Williams; Thomas S. Wilson, resigned Oct.,
1847; John F. Kinney, June 12, 1847, resigned Feb. 15, 1854; George
Greene, Nov. 1, 1847, to Jan. 9, 1855; Jonathan C. Hall, Feb. 15, 1854, to
succeed Kinney, resigned, to Jan., 1855; William G. Woodward, Jan. 9, 1855;
Norman W. Isbell, Jan. 16, 1855, resigned 1856 ; Lacen D. Stockton, June 3,
1856, to succeed Isbell, resigned, died June 9, 1860; Caleb Baldwin, J; n. 11,
1860, to 1864; Ralph P. Lowe, Jan. 12, 1860; George G. Wright. June 26,
1860, to succeed Stockton, deceased; elected U. S. Senator, 1870; Joan F. Dil-
lon, Jan. 1, 1864, to succeed Baldwin, resigned, 1870; Chester C. Cole. March
1, 1864, to 1877 ; Joseph M. Beck, Jan. 1, 1868 ; W. E. Miller, October 11,
1864, to succeed Dillon, resigned; James G. Day, Jan. 1, 1871, to succeed
Wright.
SUPREME COURT, 1878.
James H. Rothrock, Cedar County, Chief Justice; Joseph M. Beck, Lee
County, Associate Justice; Austin Adams, Dubuque County, Associate Justice;
William H. Seevers, Oskaloosa County, Associate Justice; James G. Day, Fre-
mont County, Associate Justice.
CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATION.
UNITED STATES SENATORS.
(The first General Assembly failed to elect Senators.)
George W. Jones, Dubuque, Dec. 7, 1848-1858 ; Augustus C. Dodge, Bur-
lington, Dec. 7, 1848-1855; James Harlan, Mt. Pleasant, Jan. 6, 1855-1865;
James W. Grimes, Burlington, Jan. 26, 1858-died 1870 ; Samuel J. Kirkwood,
Iowa City, elected Jan. 13, 1866, to fill vacancy caused by resignation of James
226 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
Harlan ; James Harlan, Mt. Pleasant, March 4, 1866-1872 ; James B. Howell,
Keokuk, elected Jan. 20, 1870, to fill vacancy caused by the death of J. W.
Grimes — term expired March 3d ; George G. Wright, Des Moines, March 4,
1871-1877; William B. Allison, Dubuque, March 4, 1872; Samuel J. Kirk-
wood, March 4, 1877.
MEMBERS OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Twenty-ninth Congress — 18J/.6 to 1847. — S. Clinton Hastings; Shepherd
Leffler.
Thirtieth Congress — 184-7 to 184-9. — First District, William Thompson ;
Second District, Shepherd Leffler.
Thirty-first Congress — 1849 to 1851. — First District, First Session, Wm.
Thompson; unseated by the House of Representatives on a contest, and election
remanded to the people. First District, Second Session, Daniel F. Miller.
Second District, Shepherd Leffler.
Thirty-second Congress — 1851 to 1853. — First District, Bernhart Henn.
Second District, Lincoln Clark.
Thirty-third Congress — 1853 to 1855. — First District, Bernhart Henn.
Second District, John P. Cook.
Thirty-fourth Congress — 1S55 to 1857. — First District, Augustus Hall.
Second District, James Thorington.
Thirty-fifth Congress— 1857 to 1859.— -First District, Samuel R. Curtis.
Second District, Timothy Davis.
Thirty-sixth Congress — 1859 to 1861. — First District, Samuel R. Curtis.
Second District, William Vandever.
Thirty -seventh Congress — 1861 to 1863. — First District, First Session,
Samuel R. Curtis.* First District, Second and Third Sessions, James F. Wil-
son. Second District, William Vandever.
Thirty-eighth Congress — 1863 to 1865. — First District, James F. Wilson.
Second District, Hiram Price. Third District, William B. Allison. Fourth
District, Josiah B. Grinnell. Fifth District, John A. Kasson. Sixth District,
Asahel W. Hubbard.
Thirty-ninth Congress — 1865 to 1867. — First District, James F. Wilson ;
Second District, Hiram Price; Third District, William B. Allison; Fourth
District, Josiah B. Grinnell ; Fifth District, John A. Kasson ; Sixth District,
Asahel W. Hubbard.
Fortieth Congress — 1867 to 1869. — First District, James F. Wilson ; Sec-
ond District, Hiram Price ; Third District, AVilliam B. Allison, Fourth District,
William Loughridge; Fifth District, Grenville M. Dodge; Sixth District,
Asahel W. Hubbard.
Forty-first Congress— 1869 to 1871.— First District, George W. McCrary ;
Second District, William Smyth ; Third District, William B. Allison ; Fourth
District, William Loughridge ; Fifth District, Frank W. Palmer; Sixth Dis-
trict, Charles Pomeroy.
Forty-second Congress — 1871 to 1873. — First District, George W. Mc-
Crary ; Second District, Aylett R. Cotton ; Third District, W. G. Donnan ;
Fourth District, Madison M. Waldon ; Fifth District, Frank W. Palmer; Sixth
District, Jackson Orr.
Forty-third Congress — 1873 to 1875. — First District, George W. McCrary;
Second District, Aylett R. Cotton ; Third District, William Y. Donnan ; Fourth
District, Henry 0. Pratt; Fifth District, James Wilson; Sixth District,
* Vacated seat by acceptance of commission as Brigadier General, and J. F. Wilson choson his successor.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 22(J
"William Loughridge; Seventh District, John A, Kasson ; Eighth District,
James W. McDill ; Ninth District, Jackson Orr.
Forty-fourth Congress — 1875 to 1S77. — First District, George W. Mc-
Crary ; Second District, John Q. Tufts ; Third District, L. L. Ainsworth ;
Fourth District, Henry 0. Pratt; Fifth District, James Wilson ; Sixth District,
Ezekiel S. Sampson ; Seventh District, John A. Kasson ; Eighth District,
James W. McDill ; Fifth District, Addison Oliver.
Forty-fifth Congress — 1877 to 1879. — First District, J. C. Stone; Second
District, Hiram Price ; Third District, T. W. Burdick ; Fourth District, H. C.
Deering ; Fifth District, Rush Clark ; Sixth District, E. S. Sampson ;
Seventh District, H. J. B. Cummings ; Eighth District, W. F. Sapp ; Ninth
District, Addison Oliver.
WAR RECORD.
The State of Iowa may well be proud of her record during the "War of the
Rebellion, from 1861 to 1865. The following brief but comprehensive sketch of
the history she made during that trying period is largely from the pen of Col. A.
P. Wood, of Dubuque, the author of " The History of Iowa and the War," one
of the best works of the kind yet written.
"Whether in the promptitude of her responses to the calls made on her by
the General Government, in the courage and constancy of her soldiery in the
field, or in the wisdom and efficiency with which her civil administration was
conducted during the trying period covered by the War of the Rebellion, Iowa
proved herself the peer of any loyal State. The proclamation of her Governor,
responsive to that of the President, calling for volunteers to compose her First
Regiment, was issued on the fourth day after the fall of Sumter. At the end
of only a single week, men enough were reported to be in quarters (mostly in
the vicinity of their own homes) to fill the regiment. These, however, were
hardly more than a tithe of the number who had been offered by company com-
manders for acceptance under the President's call. So urgent were these offers
that the Governor requested (on the 24th of April) permission to organize an
additional regiment. While awaiting an answer to this request, he conditionally
accepted a sufficient number of companies to compose two additional regiments.
In a short time, he was notified that both of these would be accepted. Soon
after the completion of the Second and Third Regiments (which was near the
close of May), the Adjutant General of the State reported that upward of one
hundred and seventy companies had been tendered to the Governor to serve
against the enemies of the Union.
" Much difficulty and considerable delay occured in fitting these regiments
for the field. For the First Infantry a complete outfit (not uniform) of clothing
was extemporized — principally by the volunteered labor of loyal women in the
different towns — from material of various colors and qualities, obtained within
the limits of the State. The same was done in part for the Second Infantry.
Meantime, an extra session of the General Assembly had been called by the
Governor, to convene on the loth of May. With but little delay, that body
authorized a loan of $800,000, to meet the extraordinary expenses incurred, and
to be incurred, by the Executive Department, in consequence of the new emer-
gency. A wealthy merchant of the State (Ex-Governor Merrill, then a resident
of McGregor) immediately took from the Governor a contract to supply a com-
plete outfit of clothing for the three regiments organized, agreeing to receive,
should the Governor so elect, his pay therefor in State bonds at par. This con-
230 , HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
tract he executed to the letter, and a portion of the clothing (which was manu-
factured in Boston, to his order) was delivered at Keokuk, the place at which
the troops had rendezvoused, in exactly one month from the day on which the
contract had been entered into. The remainder arrived only a few days later.
This clothing was delivered to the regiment, but was subsequently condemned
by the Government, for the reason that its color was gray, and blue had been
adopted as the color to be worn by the national troops."
Other States also clothed their troops, sent forward under the first call of
President Lincoln, with gray uniforms, but it was soon found that the con-
federate forces were also clothed in gray, and that color was at once abandoned
by the Union troops. If both armies were clothed alike, annoying if not fatal
mistakes were liable to be made.
But while engaged in these efforts to discharge her whole duty in common with
all the other Uii ion-loving States in the great emergency, Iowa was compelled
to make immediate and ample provision for the protection of her own borders,
from threatened invasion on the south by the Secessionists of Missouri, and
from danger of incursions from the west and northwest by bands of hostile
Indians, who were freed from the usual restraint imposed upon them by the
presence of regular troops stationed at the frontier posts. These troops were
withdrawn to meet the greater and more pressing danger threatening the life of
the nation at its very heart.
To provide for t lie adequate defense of her borders from the ravages of both
rebels in arms against the Government and of the more irresistible foes from
the Western plains, the Governor of the State was authorized to raise and equip
two regiments of infantry, a squadron of cavalry (not less than five companies)
and a battalion of artillery (not less than three companies.) Only cavalry were
enlisted for home defense, however, '"but," says Col. Wood, "in times of special
danger, or when calls were made by the Unionists of Northern Missouri for
assistance against their disloyal enemies, large numbers of militia on foot often
turned out, and remained i.i the field until the necessity for their services had
passed.
" The first order for the Iowa volunteers to move to the field was received
on the 13th of June. It was issued by Gen. Lyon, then commanding the
United States forces in Missouri. The First and Second Infantry immediately
embarked in steamboats, ami moved to Hannibal. Some two weeks later, the
Third Infantry was ordered to the same point. These three, together with
many other of the earlier organized Iowa regiments, rendered their first field
service in Missouri. The First Infantry formed a part of the little army with
which Gen. Lyon moved on Springfield, and fought the bloody battle of Wilson's
Creek. It received unqualified praise for its gallant bearing on the field. In
the following month (September), the Third Iowa, with but very slight support,
fought with honor the sanguinary engagement of Blue Mills Landing; and in
November, the Seventh Iowa, as a part of a force commanded by Gen. Grant,
greatly distinguished i self in the battle of Belmont, where it poured out its
blood like water — losing more than half of the men it took into action.
"The initial operations in which the battles referred to took place were fol-
lowed by the more important movements led by Gen. Grant, Gen. Curtis, of
this State, and other commanders, which resulted in defeating the armies
defending the chief strategic lines held by the Confederates in Kentucky, Tenn-
nessce, Missouri and Arkansas, and compelling their withdrawal from much of
the territory previously controlled by them in those States. In these and other
movements," down to the grand culminating campaign by which Vicksburg was
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 231
captured and the Confederacy permanently severed on the line of the Mississippi
River, Iowa troops took part in steadily increasing numbers. In the investment
and siege of Vicksburg, the State was represented by thirty regiments and two
batteries, in addition to which, eight regiments and one buttery were employed
on the outposts of the besieging army. The brilliancy of their exploits on the
many fields where they served won for them the highest meed of praise, both
in military and civil circles. Multiplied were the terms in which expression
was given to this sentiment, but these words of one of'the journals of a neigh-
boring State, ' The Iowa troops have been heroes among heroes,' embody the
spirit of all.
" In the veteran re-enlistments that distinguished the closing months of 1863
above all other periods in the history of re-enlistments for the national armies,
the Iowa three years' men (who were relatively more numerous than those of any
other State) were prompt to set the example of volunteering for another term of
equal length, thereby adding many thousands to the great army of those who
gave this renewed and practical assurance that the cause of the Union should
not be left without defenders.
" In all the important movements of 18G4-G5, by which the Confederacy
. was penetrated in every quarter, and its military power finally overthrown, the
Iowa troops took part. Their drum-beat was heard on the banks of every great
river of the South, from the Potomac to the Rio Grande, and everywhere they
rendered the same faithful and devoted service, maintaining o.i all occasions their
wonted reputation for valor in the field and endurance on the inarch.
" Two Iowa three-year cavalry regiments were employed dining their whole
term of service in the operations that were in progress from 1868 to 1S66
against the hostile Indians of the western plains. A portion of these men were
among the last of the volunteer troops to be mustered out of service. The State
also supplied a considerable number of men to the navy, who took part in most
j of the naval operations prosecuted against the Confederate power on the Atlantic
and Gulf coasts, and the rivers of the "West.
" The people of Iowa were early and constant workers in the sanitary field,
and by their liberal gifts and personal eft", rts for the benefit of the soldiery,
placed' their State in the front rank of those who beca tie distinguished for their
exhibitions of patriotic benevolence during the period covered by the war.
Agents appointed by the Governor were stationed at pointy convenient for ren-
dering assistance to the sick and needy soldiers of the State, while others wore
employed in visiting, from time to time, hospitals, camps and armies in the field,
and doing whatever the circumstances rendered possible for the health and
comfort of such of the Iowa soldiery as might be found there.
"Some of the benevolent people of the Stale early conceived the idea of
establishing a Home for such of the children of deceased soldiers as might lie
left in destitute circumstances. This idea first took form in lbU3, and in the
following year a Home was opened at Farmington, Van Buren County, in a
building leased for that purpose, and which soon became filled to its utmost
capacity. The institution received liberal donations from the general public,
and also from the soldiers in the field. In 1S65, it became necessary to pro-
vide increased accommodations for the large number of children who were
seeking the benefits of its care. This was done by c tablishiug a branch
at Cedar Falls, in Black Hawk County, and by securing, during the same
year, for the use of the parent Home, Camp Kinsman near the City of
Davenport. This property was soon afterward donated to the institution, by
act of Congress.
232 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
" In 1866, in pursuance of a law enacted for that purpose, the Soldiers'
Orphans' Home (which then contained about four hundred and fifty inmates)
became a State institution, and thereafter the sums necessary for its support were
appropriated from the State treasury. A second branch was established at
Glenwood, Mills County. Convenient tracts were secured, and valuable improve-
ments made at all the different points. Schools were also established, and em-
ployments provided for. such of the children as were of suitable age. In all
ways the provision m;ide for these wards of the State has been such as to chal-
lenge the approval of every benevolent mind. The number of children who
have been inmates of the Home from its foundation to the present time is
considerably more than two thousand.
" At the beginning of the war, the population of Iowa included about one
hundred and fifty thousand men presumably liable to render military service.
The State raised, for general service, thirty-nine regiments of infantry, nine
regiments of cavalry, and four companies of artillery, composed of three years'
men ; one regiment of infantry, composed of three months' men; and four regi-
ments and one battalion of infantry, composed of one hundred days' men. The
original enlistments in these various organizations, including seventeen hundred
and twenty-seven men raised by draft, numbered a little more than sixty-nine
thousand. The re-enlistments, including upward of seven thousand veterans,
numbered very nearly, eight thousand. The enlistments in the regular army
and navy, and organizations of other States, will, if added, raise the total to
upward of eighty thousand. The number of men who, under special enlistments,
and as militia, took part at, different times in the operations on the exposed
borders of the State, was probably as many as five thousand.
" Iowa paid no bounty on account of the men she placed in the field. In
some instances, toward the close of the war, bounty to a comparatively small
amount was paid by cities and towns. On only one occasion — that of the call
of July 18, 1864 — was a draft made in Iowa. This did not occur on account of
her proper liability, as established by previous rulings of the War Department,
to supply men under that call, but grew out of the great necessity that there
existed for raising men. The Government insisted on temporarily setting aside,
in part, the former rule of settlements, and enforcing a draft in all cases where
subdistricts in any of the States should be found deficient in their supply of
men. In no instance was Iowa, as a whole, found to be indebted to the General
Government for men, on a settlement of her quota accounts."
It is to be said to the honor and credit of Iowa that while many of the loyal
States, older and larger in population and wealth, incurred heavy State debts
for the purpose of fulfilling their obligations to the General Government, Iowa,
while she was foremost in duty, while she promptly discharged all her obligations
to her sister States and the Union, found herself at the close of the war without
any material addition to her pecuniary liabilities incurred before the war com-
menced. Upon final settlement after the restoration of peace, her claims upon
the Federal Government were found to be fully equal to the amount of her bonds
issued and sold during the war to provide the means for raising and equipping
her troops sent into the field, and to meet the inevitable demands upon her
treasury in consequence of the war.
HISTOEY OF THE STATE OF IUwA. 233
INFANTRY.
THE FIRST INFANTRY
was organized under the President's first proclamation for volunteers for three
months, with John Francis Bates, of Dubuque, as Colonel; William II. Mer-
ritt, of Cedar Rapids, as Lieutenant Colonel, and A. B. Porter, of Mt. Pleas-
ant, as Major. Companies A and C were from Muscatine County; Company
B, from Johnson County ; Companies D and E, from Des Moines County ;
Company F, from Henry County; Company G, from Davenport; Companies
H and I, from Dubucpue, and Company K, from Linn County, and were mus-
tered into United States service May 14, 1861, at Keokuk. The above com-
panies were independent military organizations before the war, and tendered
their services before breaking-out of hostilities. The First was engaged at the
battle of Wilson's Creek, under Gen. Lyon, where it lost ten killed and fifty
wounded. Was mustered out at St. Louis Aug. 25, 1861.
THE SECOND INFANTRY
was organized, with Samuel R. Curtis, of Keokuk, as Colonel; Jas. M. Tuttle,
of Keosauqua, as Lieutenant Colonel,, and M. M. Crocker, of Des Moines, as
Major, and was mustered into the United States service at Keokuk in May,
1861. Company A was from Keokuk; Company B, from Scott County; Com-
pany C, from Scott County ; Company D, from Des Moines ; Company E, from
Fairfield, Jefferson Co. ; Company F, from Van Buren County ; Company G,
from Davis County; Company H, from Washington County; Company I, from
Clinton County ; and Company K, from Wapello County. It participated in the
following engagements : Fort Donelson, Shiloh, advance on Corinth, Corinth,
Little Bear Creek, Ala.; Tunnel Creek, Ala.; Resaca, Ga.; Rome Cross Roads,
Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Nick-a-Jack Creek, in front of Atlanta, January 22,
1864 ; siege of Atlanta, Jonesboro, Eden Station, Little Ogeechee, Savannah,
Columbia, S. C. ; Lynch's Creek, and Bentonsville. Was on Sherman's march
to the sea, and through the Carolinas home. The Second Regiment of Iowa
Infantry Veteran Volunteers was formed by the consolidation of the battalions
of the Second and Third Veteran Infantry, and was mustered out at Louisville,
Ky., July 12, 1865.
THE THIRD INFANTRY
was organized with N. G. Williams, of Dubuque County, as Colonel ; John
Scott, of Story County, Lieutenant Colonel ; Win. N. Stone, of Marion County,
Major, and was mustered into the United States service in May, 1861, at
Keokuk. Company A was from Dubuque County ; Company B, from Marion
County ; Company C, from Clayton County ; Company D, from Winneshiek
County ; Company E, from Boone, Story, Marshall and Jasper Counties ; Com-
pany F, from Fayette County ; Company G, from Warren County ; Company II,
from Mahaska County ; Company I, from Floyd, Butler Black Hawk and
Mitchell Counties, and Company K from Cedar Falls. It was engaged at Blu*
Mills, Mo. ; Shiloh, Tenn. ; Ilatchie River, Matamoras, Vicksburg, Johnson,
Miss., Meridian expedition, and Atlanta, Atlanta campaign and Sherman's
march to Savannah, and through the Carolinas to Richmond and Washington.
The veterans of the Third Iowa Infantry were consolidated with the Second,
and mustered out at Louisville, Ky., July 12, 1864.
234 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
THE FOURTH INFANTRY
was organized with G. M. Dodge, of Council Bluffs, as Colonel ; John
Galligan, of Davenport, as Lieutenant Colonel ; Wm. R. English, Glenwood,
as Major. Company A, from Mills County, was mustered in at Jefferson Bar-
racks, Missouri, August 15, 1861; Company B, Pottawattamie County, was
mustered in at Council Bluffs, August 8, 186] ; Company C, Guthrie County,
mustered in at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., May 3, 1861 ; Company D, Decatur
County, at St. Louis, August 16th; Company E, Polk County, at Council
Bluffs, August 8th; Company F, Madison County, Jefferson Barracks, August
15th ; Company G, Ringgold County, at Jefferson Barracks, August 15th ;
Company H, Adams County, Jefferson Barracks, August 15th; Company I,
Wayne County, at St. Louis, August 31st; Company K, Taylor and Page
Counties, at St. Louis, August 31st. Was engaged at Pea Ridge, Chickasaw
Bayou, Arkansas Post, Vicksburg, Jackson, Lookout Mountain, Missionary
Ridge, Ringgold, Resaca, Taylor's Ridge; came home on veteran furlough
February 26, 1864. Returned in April, and was in the campaign against
Atlanta, and Sherman's march to the sea, and thence through the Carolinas
to Washington and home. Was mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, July
24, 1865.
THE FIFTH INFANTRY
was organized with Wm. II. Worthington, of Keokuk, as Colonel ; C Z. Mat-
thias, of Burlington, as Lieutenant Colonel; W. S. Robertson, of Columbus City,
as Major, and was mustered into the United States service, at Burlington, July
15, 1861. Company A was from Cedar County; Company B, from Jasper
County; Company C, from Louisa County; Company D, from Marshall County;
Company E, from Buchanan County ; Company F, from Keokuk County ; Com-
pany G, from Benton County ; Company II, from Van Buren County ; Company
I, from Jackson County ; Company K, from Allamakee County ; was engaged at
New Madrid, siege of Corinth, Iuka. Corinth, Champion Hills, siege of Vicks-
burg, Chickamauga; went home on veteran furlough, April, 1864. The non-
veterans went home July, 1864. leaving 180 veterans who were transferred to
the Fifth Iowa Cavalry. The Fifth Cavalry was mustered out at Nashville,
Tennessee,. Aug. 11, 1865.
THE SIXTH INFANTRY.
was mustered into the service July 6, 1801, at Burlington, with John A.
McDowell, of Keokuk, as Colonel ; Markoe Cummins, of Muscatine, Lieuten-
ant Colonel ; John M. Corse, of Burlington, Major. Company A was from
Linn County ; Company B, from Lucas and Clarke Counties; Company C,
from Hardin County ; Company D, from Appanoose County ; Company E,
from Monroe County ; Company F, from Clarke County; Company G, from
Johnson County; Company if, from Lee County; Company I, from Des
Moines County ; Company K, from Henry County. It was engaged at Shiloh,
Mission Ridge, Resaca, Dallas, Big Shanty, Kcnesaw Mountain. Jackson, Black
River Bridge, Jones' Ford, etc., etc. The Sixth lost 7 officers killed in action, 18
wounded ; of enlisted men 102 were killed in action, 30 died of wounds, 124 of
disease, 211 were discharged for disability and 301 were wounded in action,
which was the largest list of casualties, of both officers and men, of any reg-
iment from Iowa. Was mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, July 21, 1865.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 235
THE SEVENTH INFANTRY
was mustered into the United States service at Burlington, July 24, 18(31,
with J. G.,Lauman, of Burlington, as Colonel; Augustus Wentz, of Daven-
port, as Lieutenant Colonel, and E. W. Rice, of Oskaloosa, as Major. Com-
pany A was from Muscatine County ; Company B, from Chickasaw and Floyd
Counties ; Company C, from Mahaska County ; Companies D and E, from Lee
County ; Company F, from Wapello County ; Company G, from Iowa County ;
Company H, from Washington County; Company I, from Wapello County;
Company K, from Keokuk. Was engaged at the battles of Belmont (in which
it lost in killed, wounded and missing 237 men). Fort Henry. Fort Donelson,
Shiloh, siege of Corinth, Corinth, Rome Cross Roads, Dallas, New Hope
Church, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, Nick-a-Jack Creek, siege of Atlanta,
battle on 22d of July in front of Atlanta, Sherman's campaign to the ocean,
through the Carolinas to Richmond, and thence to Louisville. AVas mustered
out at Louisville, Kentucky, July 12, I860.
THE EIGHTH INFANTRY
was mustered into the United States service Sept. 12, 1861, at Davenport,
Iowa, with Frederick Steele, of the regular army, as Colonel ; James L. Geddes,
of Vinton, as Lieutenant Colonel, and J. C. Ferguson, of Knoxville, as Major.
Company A was from Clinton County ; Company B, from Scott County ;
Company C, from Washington County ; Company D, from Benton and Linn
Counties ; Company E, from Marion County ; Company F, from Keokuk
County; Company G, from Iowa and Johnson Counties; Company H. from
Mahaska County ; Company I, from Monroe County ; Company K, from Lou-
isa County. Was engaged at the following battles : Shiloh (where most of the
regiment were taken prisoners of war), Corinth, Vicksburg, Jackson and Span-
ish Fort. Was mustered out of the United States service at Selma, Alabama,
April 20, 1866.
THE NINTH INFANTRY
was mustered into the United States service September 24, 1861, at Dubuque,
with Wm. Vandever, of Dubuque, Colonel ; Frank G. Herron, of Dubuque,
Lieutenant Colonel ; Wm. H. Coyle, of Decorah, Major. Company A was
from Jackson County ; Company B, from Jones County ; Company C, fr >m Bu-
chanan County; Company D, from Jones County; Company E, from Clayton
County; Company F, from Fayette County; Company G, from Black Hawk
County ; Company H, from Winneshiek County ; Company I, from Howard
County and Company K, from Linn County. Was in the following engage-
ments : Pea Ridge, Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, siege of Vicksburg,
Ringgold, Dallas, Lookout Mountain, Atlanta campaign, Sherman's march to
the sea, and through North and South Carolina to Richmond. Was mustered
out at Louisville, July 18, 1865.
THE TENTH INFANTRY
was mustered into the United States service at Iowa City September 6, 1861,
with Nicholas Perczel, of Davenport, as Colonel ; W. E. Small, of Iowa ,City,
as Lieutenant Colonel ; and John C. Bennett, of Polk County, as Major. Com-
pany A was from Polk County ; Company B, from Warren County ; Company
C, from Tama County; Company D, from Boone County; Company E, from
Washington County ; Company F, from Poweshiek County ; Company G, from
236 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
Warren County ; Company H, from Greene County ; Company I, from Jasper
County ; Company K, from Polk and Madison Counties. Participated in the
following engagements : Siege of Corinth, Iuka. Corinth, Port Gibson, Ray-
mond, Jackson, Champion Hills, Vicksburg and Mission Ridge. In Septem-
ber, 18(34, the non-veterans being mustered out, the veterans were transferred
to the Fifth Iowa Cavalry, where will be found their future operations.
THE ELEVENTH INFANTRY
was mustered into the United States service at Davenport, Iowa, in September
and October, 1861, with A. M. Hare, of Muscatine, as Colonel ; Jno. C. Aber-
crombie, as Lieutenant Colonel ; Wm. Hall, of Davenport, as Major. Com-
pany A was from Muscatine ; Company B, from Marshall and Hardin Counties ;
Company C, from Louisa County ; Company D, from Muscatine County ; Com-
pany E, from Cedar County ; Company F, from Washington County ; Company
G, from Henry County ; Company H, from Muscatine County ; Company I
from Muscatine County ; Company K, from Linn County. Was engaged in the
battle of Shiloh, siege of Corinth, battles of Corinth, Vicksburg, Atlanta cam-
riaign, battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864. Was mustered out at Louisville, Ky.,
July 15, 1865.
THE TWELFTH INFANTRY
was mustered into the United States service November 25, 1861, at Dubuque,
with J. J. Wood, of Maquoketa, as Colonel ; John P. Coulter, of Cedar Rapids,
Lieutenant Colonel ; Samuel D. Brodtbeck, of Dubuque, as Major. Company
A was from Hardin County ; Company B, from Allamakee County ; Company C,
from Fayette County ; Company D, from Linn County ; Company E, from Black
Hawk County ; Company F, from Delaware County ; Company G, from Winne-
shiek County ; Company H, from Dubuque and Delaware Counties ; Company
I, from Dubuque and Jackson Counties ; Company K, from Delaware County.
It was engaged at F,ort Donelson, Shiloh, where most of the regiment was
captured, and those not captured were organized in what was called the Union
Brigade, and were in the battle of Corinth; the prisoners were exchanged
November 10, 1862, and the regiment re-organized, and then participating in
the siege of Vicksburg, battle of Tupelo, Miss.; White River, Nashville and
Spanish Fort. The regiment was mustered out at Memphis, January 20, 1866.
THE THIRTEENTH INFANTRY
was mustered in November 1, 1861, at Davenport, with M. M. Crocker, of Des
Moines, as Colonel ; M. M. Price, of Davenport, Lieutenant Colonel ; John
Shane, Vinton, Major. Company A was from Mt. Vernon ; Company B, from
Jasper County ; Company C, from Lucas County ; Company D, from Keokuk
County ; Company E, from Scott County ; Company F, from Scott and Linn
Counties ; Company G, from Benton County ; Company H, from Marshall County ;
Company I, from Washington County ; Company K, from Washington County.
It participated in the following engagements : Shiloh, siege of Corinth, Corinth,
Kenesaw Mountain, siege of Vicksburg, Campaign against Atlanta. Was on
Sherman's march to the sea, and through North and South Carolina. Was
mustered out at Louisville July 21, 1865.
THE FOURTEENTH INFANTRY
was mustered in the United States service October, 1861, at Davenport, with
Wm. T. Shaw, of Anamosa, as Colonel ; Edward W. Lucas, of Iowa City, as
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 237
Lieutenant Colonel; Hiram Leonard, of Des Moines County, as Major. Com-
pany A was from Scott County ; Company B, from Bremer County ; Company
D, from Henry and Van Buren Counties ; Company E, from Jasper County ;
Company F, from Van Buren and Henry Counties ; Company G, from Tama and
Scott Counties; Company H, from Linn County; Company I, from Henry
County ; Company K, from Des Moines County. Participated in the follow-
ing engagements : Ft. Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth (where most of the regiment
were taken prisoners of war), Pleasant Hill, Meridian, Ft. De Russey, Tupelo,
Town Creek, Tallahatchie, Pilot Knob, Old Town, Yellow Bayou, etc., etc.,
and was mustered out, except veterans and recruits, at Davenport, Iowa, No-
vember 16, 1864.
THE FIFTEENTH INFANTRY
was mustered into the United States service March 19, 1862, at Keokuk, with
Hugh T. Reid, of Keokuk, as Colonel ; Wm. Dewey, of Fremont County, as
Lieutenant Colonel ; W. W. Belknap, of Keokuk, as Major. Company A was
from Linn County ; Company B, from Polk County ; Company C, from Mahaska
County ; Company D, from Wapello County ; Company E, from Van Buren
County; Company F, from Fremont and. Mills Counties ; Company G, from
Marion and Warren Counties ; Company H, from Pottawattamie and Harrison
Counties; Company I, from Lee, Van Buren and Clark Counties; Company K,
from Wapello, Van Buren and Warren Counties. Participated in the battle of
Shiloh, siege of Corinth, battles of Corinth, Vicksburg, campaign against At-
lanta, battle in front of Atlanta, July 22, 1864, and was under fire during
the siege of Atlanta eighty-one days ; was on Sherman's march to the sea, and
through the Carolinas to Richmond, Washington and Louisville, where it was
mustered out, August 1, 1864.
THE SIXTEENTH INFANTRY
was mustered into the United States service at Davenport, Iowa, December 10,
1861, with Alexander Chambers, of the regular army, as Colonel; A. H.
Sanders, of Davenport, Lieutenant Colonel; Wm. Purcell, of Muscatine,
Major. Company A was from Clinton County ; Company B. from Scott
County ; Company (J, from Muscatine County ; Company D, from Boone County ;
Company E, from Muscatine County ; Company F, from Muscatine, Clinton and
Scott Counties ; Company G, from Dubuque County ; Company H, from Du-
buque and Clayton Counties ; Company I, from Black Hawk and Linn Counties;
Company K, from Lee and Muscatine Counties. Was in the battles of Shiloh,
siege of Corinth, Iuka, Corinth, Kenesaw Mountain, Nick-a-Jack Creek, battles
around Atlanta; was in Sherman's campaigns, and the Carolina campaigns.
Was mustered out at Louisville, Ky., July 19, 1865.
THE SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY
was mustered into the United States service at Keokuk, in March and April,
1862, with Jno. W. Rankin, of Keokuk, Colonel ; D. B. Hillis, of Keokuk,
as Lientenant Colonel; Samuel M. Wise, of Mt. Pleasant, Major. Company
A was from Decatur County; Company B, from Lee County; Company C,
from Van Buren, Wapello and Lee Counties ; Company D, from Des Moines,
Van Buren and Jefferson Counties ; Company E, from Wapello County ; Com-
pany F, from Appanoose County ; Company G, from Marion County ; Com-
pany H, from Marion and Pottawattamie Counties; Company I, from Jefferson
and" Lee Counties; Company K, from Lee and Polk Counties. They were in
2-38 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
the following engagements: Siege of Corinth, Iuka, Corinth, Jackson, Cham-
pion Hills, Fort Hill, siege of Vicksburg, Mission Ridge, and at Tilton, Ga.,
Oct. 13, 1864, most of the regiment were taken prisoners of war. Was mus-
tered out at Louisville, Ky., July 25, 1865.
THE EIGHTEENTH INFANTRY
was mustered into the United States service August 5, 6 and 7, 1862, at Clin-
ton, with John Edwards, of Chariton, Colonel ; T. Z. Cook, of Cedar Rapids,
Lieutenant Colonel ; Hugh J. Campbell, of Muscatine, as Major. Company
A, was from Linn and various other counties ; Company B, from Clark County :
Company C, from Lucas County; Company D, from Keokuk and Wapello
Counties; Company E, from Muscatine County; Company F, from Appanoose
County ; Company G, from Marion and Warren Counties ; Company H, from
Fayette and Benton Counties; Company I, from Washington County; Com-
pany K, from Wapello, Muscatine and Henry Counties, and was engaged in
the battles of Springfield, Moscow, Poison Spring, Ark., and was mustered out
at Little Rock, Ark., July 20, 1865.
THE NINETEENTH INFANTRY
was mustered into the United States service August 17, 1862, at Keokuk, with
Benjamin Crabb, of Washington, as Colonel ; Samuel McFarland, of Mt. Pleas-
ant, Lieutenant Colonel, and Daniel Kent, of Ohio, Major. Company A was
from Lee and Van Buren Counties; Company B, from Jefferson County; Com-
pany C, from Washington County ; Company D, from Jefferson County ; Com-
pany E, from Lee County; Company F, from Louisa County; Company G,
from Louisa County; Company H, from Van Buren County; Company I, from
Van Buren County; Company K, from Henry County. Was engaged a Prairie
Grove, Vicksburg, Yazoo River expedition, Sterling Farm, September 29, 1863,
at which place they surrendered ; three officers and eight enlisted men were
killed, sixteen enlisted men were wounded, and eleven officers and two hundred
and three enlisted men taken prisoners out of five hundred engaged; they
were exchanged July 22d, and joined their regiment August 7th, at New Or-
leans. Was engaged at Spanish Fort. Was mustered out at Mobile, Ala., July
10, 1865.
THE TWENTIETH INFANTRY
was mustered into the United States service August 25, 1862, at Clinton, with
Win. McE. Dye, of Marion, Linn Co., as Colonel ; J. B. Leek, of Davenport, as
Lieutenant Colonel, and Wm. G. Thompson, of Marion, Linn Co., as Major.
Companies A, B, F, II and I were from Linn County ; Companies C, D, E, G
and K, from Scott County, and was engaged in the following battles: Prairie
Grove, and assault on Fort Blakely. Was mustered out at Mobile, Ala., July
H, 1865.
THE TWENTY-FIRST INFANTRY
was mustered into the service at Clinton in June and August, 1862, with
Samuel Merrill (late Governor of Iowa) as Colonel ; Charles W. Dunlap, of
Mitchell, as Lieutenant Colonel ; S. G. VanAnda, of Delhi, as Major. Com-
pany A was from Mitchell and Black Hawk Counties ; Company B, from
Clayton County; Company C, from Dubuque County; Company D, from
Clayton County ; Company E, from Dubuque County ; Company F, from Du-
buque County ; Company G, from Clayton County ; Company H, from Dela-
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 239
ware County ; Company I, from Dubuque County ; Company K, from Delaware
County, and was in the following engagements: Hartsville, Mo.; Black River
Bridge, Fort Beauregard, was at the siege of Vicksburg, Mobile, Fort Blakely,
and was mustered out at Baton Rouge, La., July 15, 1865.
THE TWENTY-SECOND INFANTRY
was mustered into the United States service Sept. 10, 1862, at Iowa City, with
Wm. M. Stone, of Knoxville (since Governor of Iowa), as Colonel ; Jno. A.
Garrett, of Newton, Lieutenant Colonel ; and Harvey Graham, of Iowa City,
as Major. Company A was from Johnson County ; Company B, Johnson
County ; Company C, Jasper County; Company D, Monroe County ; Company
E, Wapello County ; Company F, Johnson Countv ; Company G, Johnson
County ; Company H, Johnson County ; Company I, Johnson County ; Com-
pany K, Johnson County. Was engaged at Vicksburg. Thompson's Hill, Cham-
pion Hills, Sherman's campaign to Jackson, at Winchester, in Shenandoah Val-
ley, losing 109 men, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek. Mustered out at Savannah,
Ga., July 25, 1865.
THE TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY
was mustered into United States service at Des Moines, Sept. 19, 1862, with
William Dewey, of Sidney, as Colonel ; W. II. Kinsman, of Council Bluifs, as
Lieutenant Colonel, and S. L. Glasgow, of Corydon, as Major. Companies
A, B and C, were from Polk County ; Company D, from Wayne County ; Com-
pany E, from Pottawattamie County ; Company F, from Montgomery County ;
Company G, from Jasper County ; Company H, from Madison County ; Com-
pany I, from Cass County, and Company K, from Marshall County. Was in
Vicksburg, and engaged at Port Gibson, Black River, Champion Hills, Vicks-
burg, Jackson, Milliken's Bend, Fort Blakely, and was mustered out at Harris-
burg, Texas, July 26, 1865
THE TWENTY-FOURTH
was mustered into United States service at Muscatine, September 18, 1862,
Avith Eber C. Byam, of Mount Vernon, as Colonel ; John Q. Wilds, of Mount
Vernon, as Lieutenant Colonel, and Ed. Wright, of Springdale, as Major.
Company A was from Jackson and Clinton Counties; Companies B and C,
from Cedar County; Company D, from Washington, Johnson and Cedar
Counties; Company E, from Tama County; Companies F, G and H, from
Linn County; Company I, from Jackson County, and Company K, from Jones
County. Was engaged at Port Gibson, Champion Hills, Gen. Banks' Red
River expedition, Winchester and Cedar Creek. Was mustered out at Savan-
nah, Ga., July 17, 1865.
THE TWENTY-FIFTH INFANTRY
was organized with George A. Stone, of Mount Pleasant, as Colonel ; Fabian
Brydolf as Lieutenant Colonel, and Calom Taylor, of Bloomfield, as Major,
and was mustered into United States service at Mount Pleasant, September 27.
1862. Companies A and I were from Washington County ; Companies B and
H, from Henry County ; Company C, Irom Henry and Lee Counties ; Com-
panies D, E and G, from Des Moines County ; Company F, from Louisa
County, and Company K, from Des Moines and Lee Counties. Was engnrred
at Arkansas Post, Vicksburg, Walnut Bluff, Chattanooga, Campain, Ring-
240 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
gold, Ga., Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, battles around Atlanta, Love-
joy Station, Jonesboro, Ship's Gap, Bentonville, and on Sherman's march
through Georgia and the Carolinas, to Richmond and Washington. Was
mustered out at Washington, D. C, June 6, 1865.
THE TWENTY-SIXTH
was organized and mustered in at Clinton, in August, 1862, with Milo Smith,
of Clinton, as Colonel ; S. G. Magill, of Lyons, as Lieutenant Colonel, and
Samuel Clark, of De Witt, as Major. Company A was from Clinton and
Jackson Counties ; Company B, from Jackson County ; Companies C, D, E,
F, G, H, I and K, from Clinton County. Was engaged at Arkansas Post,
Vicksburg, Snake Creek Gap, Ga., Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, De-
catur, siege of Atlanta, Ezra Church, Jonesboro, Lovejoy Station, Ship's Gap,
Sherman's campaign to Savannah, went through the Carolinas, and was mus-
tered out of service at Washington, D. C, June 6, 1865.
THE TWENTY-SEVENTH
was mustered into United States service at Dubuque, Oct. 3, 1862, with James
I. Gilbert, of Lansing, as Colonel ; Jed Lake, of Independence, as Lieutenant
Colonel ; and G. W. Howard, of Bradford, as Major. Companies A, B and I
were from Allamakee County, Companies C and H, from Buchanan County;
Companies D and E, from Clayton County; Company F, from Delaware
County ; Company G, from Floyd and Chickasaw Counties, and Company K,
from Mitchell County. Engaged at Little Rock, Ark., was on Red River ex-
pedition, Fort De Russey, Pleasant Hill, Yellow Bayou, Tupelo, Old Town
Creek and Fort Blakely. Was mustered out at Clinton, Iowa, Aug. 8, 1865.
THE TWENTY-EIGHTH
was organized at Iowa City, and mustered in Nov. 10, 1862, with William E.
Miller, of Iowa City, as Colonel ; John Connell, of Toledo, as Lieutenant Colonel,
and H. B. Lynch, of Millersburg, as Major. Companies A and D were
from Benton County ; Companies B and G, from Iowa County ; Companies
C, H and I, from Poweshiek County; Company E, from Johnson County;
Company F, from Tama County, and Company K, from Jasper County. Was
engaged at Port Gibson, Jackson and siege of Vicksburg ; was on Banks' Red
River expedition, and engaged at Sabine Cross Roads ; was engaged in Shen-
andoah Valley, Va., and engaged at Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek.
Was mustered out of service at Savannah, Ga., July 31, 1865.
THE TWENTY-NINTH
was organized at Council Bluffs, and mustered into the United States service
December 1, 1862, with Thomas H. Benton, Jr., of Council Bluffs, as Colonel ;
R. F. Patterson, of Keokuk, as Lieutenant Colonel ; and Charles B. Shoe-
maker, of Clarinda, as Major. Company A was from Pottawattamie County;
Company B, from Pottawattamie and Mills Counties ; Company C, from Harrison
County; Company D, from Adair and Adams Counties*, Company E, from
Fremont County ; Company F, from Taylor County ; Company G, from Ring-
gold County. Was engaged at Helena, Arkansas and Spanish Fort. Was
mustered out at New Orleans August 15, 1865.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
THE THIRTIETH INFANTRY
was organized at Keokuk, and mustered into the United States service September
23, 1862, with Charles B. Abbott, of Louisa County, as Colonel ; Win. M. G. Tor-
rence, of Keokuk, as Lieutenant Colonel ; and Lauren Dewey, of Mt. Pleasant, as
Major. Companies A and I were from Lee County ; Company B, from Davis
County ; Company C, from Des Moines County ; Company D, from Van Buren
County ; Companies E and K from Washington County ; Company F, from
Davis County ; and Companies G and II, from Jefferson County. Was
engaged at Arkansas Post, Yazoo City, Vicksburg, Cherokee, Ala., Ringgold,
Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Lovejoy Station, Jonesboro, Taylor's
Ridge ; was in Sherman's campaigns to Savannah and through the Carolinas to
Richmond ; was in the grand review at Washington, D. C, where it was mus-
tered out June 5, 1865.
THE THIRTY'-FIRST INFANTRY
was mustered into the service at Davenport October 13, 1862, with William
Smyth, of Marion, as Colonel ; J. W. Jenkins, of Maquoketa, as Lieutenant
Colonel ; and Ezekiel Cutler, of Anamosa, as Major. Company A was from
Linn County; Companies B, C and D, from Black Hawk County; Companies
E. G and H, from Jones County ; Companies F, I and K, from Jackson County.
Was engaged at Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Raymond, Jackson, Black
River, Vicksburg, Cherokee, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Ringgold,
Taylor's Hills, Snake Creek Gap, Resaca, Dallas, New Hope Church, Big
Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Jonesboro ; was in Sherman's campaign
through Georgia and the Carolinas, and was mustered out at Louisville, Ken-
tucky, June 27, 1865
THE THIRTY'-SECOND INFANTRY
was organized at Dubuque, with John Scott, of Nevada, as Colonel ; E. II.
Mix, of Shell Rock, as Lieutenant Colonel, and G. A. Eberhart, of Waterloo,
as Major. Company A was from Hamilton, Hardin and Wright Counties ;
Company B, from Cerro Gordo County ; Company C, from Black Hawk
County ; Company D, from Boone County; Company E, from Butler County;
Company F, from Hardin County; Company G, from Butler and Floyd Coun-
ties ; Company H, from Franklin County ; Company I, from Webster County,
and Company K, from Marshall and Polk Counties, and was mustered into
the United States service October 5, 1862. Was engaged at Fort De Russey,
Pleasant Hill, Tupelo, Old Town Creek, Nashville, etc., and was mustered out
of the- United States service at Clinton, Iowa, Aug. 24, 1865.
THE THIRTY'-THIRD INFANTRY
was organized at Oskaloosa, with Samuel A. Rice, of Oskaloosa, as Colonel ;
Cyrus H. Maskey, of Sigourney, as Lieutenant Colonel, and Hiram D. Gibson,
of Knoxville, as Major. Companies A and I were from Marion County; Com-
panies B, F and H, from Keokuk County ; Companies C, D, E and K, from
Makaska County, and Company G, from Marion. Makaska and Polk Counties,
and mustered in October 1, 1862. Was engaged at Little Rock, Helena, Sa-
line River, Spanish Fort and Yazoo Pass. Was mustered out at New Orleans,
July 17, 1865.
242 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
THE THIRTY-FOURTH INFANTRY
was organized with George W. Clark, of Indianola, as Colonel ; W. S. Dunganr
of Chariton, as Lieutenant Colonel, and R. D. Kellogg, of Decatur County, as
Major, and mustered in at Burlington, October 15, 1862. Companies A and I
were from Decatur County ; Companies B, C and D, from Warren County ; Com-
pany E, from Lucas County; Company F, from Wayne County; Company G,
from Lucas and Clark Counties; Company H, from Madison and Warren
Counties, and Company K, from Lucas County. Was engaged at Arkansas
Post, Ft. Gaines, etc., etc. Was consolidated with the Thirty-eighth Infantry,
January 1, 1865, and mustered out at Houston, Texas, August 15, 1865.
THE THIRTY-FIFTH INFANTRY
was organized at Muscatine, and mustered in the United States service Sep-
tember 18, 1862, with S. G. Hill, of Muscatine, as Colonel; James H. Roth-
rock, as Lieutenant Colonel, and Henry 0' Conner, of Muscatine, as Major.
Companies A, B, C, D and E, were from Muscatine County; Company F,
from Muscatine and Louisa Counties ; Companies G, H and I, from Muscatine
and Cedar Counties, and Company K, from Cedar County. Participated in
the battles of Jackson, siege of Vicksburg, Bayou Rapids, Bayou de Glaze,
Pleasant Hill, Old River Lake, Tupelo, Nashville, etc. Was mustered out at
Davenport, August 10, 1865. \
THE THIRTY-SIXTH INFANTRY
was organized at Keokuk, with Charles W. Kittredge, of Ottumwa, as Colonel ;
F. M. Drake, of Unionville, Appanoose County, as Lieutenant Colonel, and T.
C. Woodward, of Ottumwa, as Major, and mustered in October 4, 1862 ; Com-
pany A was from Monroe County ; Companies B, D, E, H and K, from
Wapello County, and Companies C, F, G and I, from Appanoose County.
Was engaged in the following battles : Mark's Mills, Ark. ; Elkins' Ford,
Camden, Helena, Jenkins' Ferry, etc. At Mark's Mills, April 25, 1864, out
of 500 engaged, lost 200 killed and wounded, the balance being taken prisoners
of war ; was exchanged October 6, 1864. Was mustered out at Duvall's Bluff,
Ark.j August 24, 1865.
THE THIRY-SEVENTH INFANTRY (OR GRAY BEARDS;
was organized with Geo. W. Kincaid, of Muscatine, as Colonel ; Geo. R. West,
of Dubuque, as Lieutenant Colonel, and Lyman Allen, of Iowa City, as Major,
and was mustered into United States service at Muscatine December 15, 1862.
Company A was from Black Hawk and Linn Counties ; Company B, from
Muscatine County ; Company C, from Van Buren and Lee Counties ; Company
D, from Johnson and Iowa Counties ; Company E, from Wapello and Mahaska
Counties ; Company F, from Dubuque County ; Company G, from Appanoose,
Des Moines, Henry and Washington Counties ; Company II, from Henry and
Jefferson Counties ; Company I, from Jasper, Linn and other counties, and
Company K, from Scott and Fayette Counties. The object of the Thirty-
seventh was to do garrison duty and let the young men go to the front. It was
mustered out at Davenport on expiration of three years' service.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 243
THE THIRTY-EIGHTH INFANTRY
was organized at Dubuque, and mustered in November 4, 1862, with D. IT.
Hughes, of Decorah, as Colonel ; J. 0. Hudnutt, of Waverly, as Lieutenan,
Colonel, and Charles Chadwick, of West Union, as Major. Companies A, Ft
G and H were from Fayette County ; Company B, from Bremer County ; Com-
pany C, from Chickasaw County ; Companies D, E and K, from Winneshiek
County, and Company I, from Howard County. Participated in the siege of
Vicksburg, Banks' Red River expedition, and on December 12, 18G4, was
consolidated with the Thirty-fourth Infantry. Mustered out at Houston, Texas,
August 15, 1865.
THE THIRTY-NINTH INFANTRY
was organized with H. J. B. Cummings, of Winterset, as Colonel; James Red-
field, of Redfield, Dallas County, as Lieutenant Colonel ; and J. M. Griffiths,
of Des Moines, as Major. Companies A and F were from Madison County ;
Companies B and I, from Polk Couuty ; Companies C and H, from Dallas
County ; Company D, from Clark County; Company E, from Greene County ;
Company G, from Des Moines and Henry Counties ; and Company K, from
Clark and Decatur Counties. Was engaged at Parker's Cross Roads, Tenn.;
Corinth, Allatoona, Ga.; Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Sherman's march
to Savannah and through the Carolinas to Richmond, and was mustered out at
Washington June 5, 1865.
THE FORTIETH INFANTRY
was organized at Iowa City November 15, 1862, with John A. Garrett, of
Newton, as Colonel; S. F. Cooper, of Grinnell, as Lieutenant Colonel; and
S. G. Smith, of Newton, as Major. Companies A and II were from Marion
County; Company B, from Poweshiek County; Company C, from Mahaska
County ; Companies D and E, from Jasper County ; Company F, from Ma-
haska and Marion Counties ; Company G, from Marion County ; Company I,
from Keokuk County; and Company K, from Benton and other counties. Par-
ticipated in the siege of Vicksburg, Steele's expedition, Banks' Red River
expedition. Jenkins' Ferry, etc. Was mustered out at Port Gibson August 2,
1866.
THE FORTY'-FIRST INFANTRY,
formerly Companies A, B and C of the Fourteenth Infantry, became Compa-
nies K, L and M of the Seventh Cavalry, under authority of the War Depart-
ment. Its infantry organization was under command of John Pattee, of Iowa
City. Company A was from Black Hawk, Johnson and other counties ; Com-
pany B, from Johnson County ; and Company C, from Des Moines and various
counties.
THE FORTY-FOURTH INFANTRY (100 DAYS)
was organized at Davenport, and mustered in June 1, 1864. Company A was
from Dubuque County; Company B, Muscatine County; Company C, Jones,
Linn and Dubuque Counties ; Company D, Johnson and Linn Counties ; Com-
pany E, Bremer and Butler Counties ; Company F, Clinton and Jackson
Counties ; Company G, Marshall and Hardin Counties ; Company II, Boone
and Polk Counties ; Companies I and K, Scott County. The Forty-fourth
did garrison duty at Memphis and La Grange, Tenn. Mustered out at Daven-
port, September 15, 1864.
244 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
THE FORTY-FIFTH INFANTRY (100 DAY'S)
was mustered in at Keokuk, May 25, 1864, with A. H. Bereman, of Mount
Pleasant, as Colonel ; S. A. Moore, of Bloomfield, as Lieutenant Colonel, and
J. B. Hope, of Washington, as Major. The companies were from the following
counties : A, Henry ; B, Washington ; C, Lee ; D, Davis ; E, Henry and
Lee ; F, Des Moines ; G, Des Moines and Henry ; H, Henry ; I, Jefferson,
and K, Van Buren. Was mustered out at Keokuk, September 16, 1864.
THE FORTY-SIXTH INFANTRY (100 DAYS)
was organized with D. B. Henderson, of Clermont, as Colonel ; L. D. Durbin,
of Tipton, as Lieutenant Colonel, and G. L. Tarbet, as Major, and was mus-
tered in at Dubuque, June 10, 1864. Company A was from Dubuque; Com-
pany B, from Poweshiek ; C, from Dallas and Guthrie ; D, from Taylor and
Fayette; E, from Ringgold and Linn ; F, from Winneshiek and Delaware ; G,
from Appanoose and Delaware ; H, from Wayne ; I, from Cedar, and K, from
Lucas. Was mustered out at Davenport, September 23, 1864.
THE FORTY-SEVENTH INFANTRY (100 DAYS)
was mustered into United States service at Davenport, June 4, 1864, with
James P. Sanford, of Oskaloosa, as Colonel ; John Williams, of Iowa City, as
Lieutenant Colonel, and G. J. Wright, of Des Moines, as Major. Company
A was from Marion and Clayton Counties; Company B, from Appanoose
County ; Company C, from Wapello and Benton Counties ; Company B, from
Buchanan and Linn Counties; Company E, from Madison County; Company
F, from Polk County; Company G, from Johnson County; Company H, from
Keokuk County; Company I, from Mahaska County, and Company K, from
Wapello.
THE FORTY-EIGHTH INFANTRY BATTALION (100 DAYS)
was organized at Davenport, and mustered in July 13, 1864, with O. H. P.
Scott, of Farmington, as Lieutenant Colonel. Company A was from Warren
County ; Company B, from Jasper County ; Company C, from Decatur County,
and Company D, from Des Moines and Lee Counties, and was mustered out at
Rock Island Barracks Oct. 21, 1864.
CAVALRY.
THE FIRST CAVALRY
was organized at Burlington, and mustered into the United States service May
3, 1861, with Fitz Henry Warren, of Burlington, as Colonel ; Chas. E. Moss,
of Keokuk, as Lieutenant Colonel ; and E. W. Chamberlain, of Burlington,
James O. Gower, of Iowa City, and W. M. G. Torrence, of Keokuk, as Majors.
Company A was from Lee, Van Buren and Wapello Counties ; Company B,
from Clinton County ; Company C, from Des Moines and Lee Counties ; Com-
pany D, from Madison and Warren Counties; Company E, from Henry
County ; Company F, from Johnson and Linn Counties ; Company G, from
Dubuque and Black Hawk Counties ; Company H, from Lucas and Morrison
Counties; Company I, from Wapello and Des Moines Counties; Company K,
from Allamakee and Clayton Counties ; Company L, from Dubuque and other
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 245
counties; Company M, from Clinton County. It was engaged at Pleasant
Hill, Mo.; Rolla, New Lexington, Elkins' Ford, Little Rock, Bayou Metoe,
Warrensburg, Big Creek Bluffs, Antwineville, Clear Creek, etc. Was mustered
out at Austin, Texas, February 15, 1866.
THE SECOND CAVALRY
was organized with W. L. Elliott, of the regular army, as Colonel ; Edward
Hatch, of Muscatine, as Lieutenant Colonel ; and N. P. Hepburn, of Marshall-
town, D. E. Coon, of Mason City, and H. W, Love, of Iowa City, as Majors,
and was mustered into the United States service at Davenport September 1,
1861. Company A was from Muscatine County ; Company B, from Marshall
County ; Company C, from Scott County ; Company D, from Polk County ;
Company E, from Scott County ; Company F, from Hamilton and Franklin
Counties ; Company G, from Muscatine County ; Company H, from Johnson
County ; Company I, from Cerro Gordo, Delaware and other counties ; Com-
pany K, from Des Moines County ; Company L, from Jackson County, and
Company M, from Jackson County. The Second Cavalry participated in the
following military movements : Siege of Corinth, battles of Farmington, Boone-
ville, Rienzi, Iuka, Corinth, Coffeeville, Palo Alto, Birmingham, Jackson,
Grenada, Collierville, Moscow, Pontotoc, Tupelo, Old Town, Oxford, and en-
gagements against Hood's march on Nashville, battle of Nashville, etc. Was
mustered out at Selma, Ala., September 19, 1S65.
THE THIRD CAVALRY
was organized and mustered into the United States service at Keokuk, in Au-
gust and September, 1861, with Cyrus Bussey, of Bloomfield, as Colonel; H.
II. Bussey, of Bloomfield, as Lieutenant Colonel, and C. H. Perry, H. C. Cald-
well and W. C. Drake, of Corydon, as Majors. Companies A and E were from
Davis County; Company B, from Van Buren and Lee Counties; Company C,
from Lee and Keokuk Counties; Company D, from Davis and Van Buren
Counties ; Company F, from Jefferson County ; Company G, from Van Buren
County ; Company H, from Van Buren and Jefferson Counties ; Company I,
from Appanoose County; Company K, from Wapello and Marion Counties;
Company L, from Decatur County, and Company M, from Appanoose and De-
catur Counties. It was engaged in the following battles and skirmishes :
Pea Ridge, La Grange, Sycamore, near Little Rock, Columbus, Pope's Farm,
Big Blue, Ripley, Coldwater, Osage, Tallahatchie, Moore's Mill, near Monte-
vallo, near Independence, Pine Bluff, Botts' Farm, Gun Town, White's Station,
Tupelo, Village Creek. Was mustered out of United States service at Atlanta,
Ga., August 9, 1865.
THE FOURTH CAVALRY
was organized with Asbury B. Porter, of Mount Pleasant, as Colonel ; Thomas
Drummond, of Vinton, as Lieutenant Colonel ; S. D. Swan, of Mount Pleas-
ant, J. E. Jewett, of Des Moines, and G. A. Stone, of Moivnt Pleasant, as
Majors, and mustered into United States service at Mount Pleasant November
21, 1861. Company A was from Delaware County; Company C, from Jef-
ferson and Henry Counties ; Company D, from Henry County ; Company E,
246 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
from Jasper and Poweshiek Counties ; Company F, from Wapello County ;
Company G, from Lee and Henry Counties ; Company H, from Chickasaw
County ; Company I, from Madison County ; Company K, from Henry
County ; Company L, from Des Moines and other counties ; and Company M,
from Jefferson County. The Fourth Cavalry lost men in the following engage-
ments : Gun town, Miss.; Helena, Ark.; near Bear Creek, Miss.; near Mem-
phis, Tenn.; Town Creek, Miss.; Columbus, Ga.; Mechanicsburg, Miss.; Little
Blue River, Ark.; Brownsville, Miss.; Ripley, Miss.; Black River Bridge,
Miss.; Grenada, Miss.; Little Red River, Ark.; Tupelo, Miss.; Yazoo River,
Miss.; White River, Ark.; Osage, Kan.; Lick Creek, Ark.; Okalona, Miss.;
St. Francis River, Ark. Was mustered out at Atlanta, Ga., August 10, 1865.
THE FIFTH CAVALRY
was organized at Omaha with Wm. W. Lowe, of the regular army, as Colo-
nel ; M. T. Patrick, of Omaha, as Lieutenant Colonel ; and C. S. Bernstein,
of Dubuque, as Major, and mustered in September 21, 1861. Companies A,
B, C and D were mostly from Nebraska ; Company E, from Dubuque County ;
Company F, from Des Moines, Dubuque and Lee Counties ; Company G, from
Minnesota ; Company II, from Jackson and other counties ; Companies I and
K were from Minnesota ; Company L, from Minnesota and Missouri ; Com-
pany M, from Missouri ; Companies G, I and K were transferred to Minnesota
Volunteers Feb. 25, 1864. The new Company G was organized from veterans
and recruits and Companies C, E, F and I of Fifth Iowa Infantry, and trans-
ferred to Fifth Cavalry August 8, 1864. The second Company I was organ-
ized from veterans and recruits and Companies A, B, D, G, H and K of the
Fifth Iowa Infantry, and transferred to Fifth Iowa Cavalry August 18, 1864.
Was engaged at second battle of Fort Donelson, Wartrace, Duck River Bridge,
Sugar Creek, Newnan, Camp Creek, Cumberland Works, Tenn.; Jonesboro,
Ebenezer Church, Lockbridge's Mills, Pulaski, Cheraw, and mustered out at
Nashville, Tenn., August 11, 1865.
THE SIXTH CAVALRY.
was organized with D. S. Wilson, of Dubuque, as Colonel ; S. M. Pollock, of
Dubuque, as Lieutenant Colonel ; T. H. Shephard, of Iowa City, E. P. Ten-
Broeck, of Clinton, and A. E. House, of Delhi, as Majors, and was mustered
in at Davenport, January 31, 1863. Company A was from Scott and other
counties; Company B, from Dubuque and other counties; Company C, from
Fayette County; Company D, from Winneshiek County; Company E, from
Southwest counties of the State ; Company F, from Allamakee and other
counties ; Company G, from Delaware and Buchanan Counties ; Company H,
from Linn County ; Company I, from Johnson and other counties ; Company
K, from Linn County ; Company L, from Clayton County ; Company M, from
Johnson and Dubuque Counties. The Sixth Cavalry operated on the frontier
against the Indians. Was mustered out at Sioux City, October 17, 1865.
THE SEVENTH CAVALRY
was organized at Davenport, and mustered into the United States service April
27, 1863, with S. W. Summers, of Ottumwa, as Colonel ; John Pattee, of Iowa
City, as Lieutenant Colonel ; H. H. Heath and G. M. O'Brien, of Dubuque,
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 247
and John S. Wood, of Ottumwa, as Majors. Companies A, B, C and D, were
from Wapello and other counties in immediate vicinity ; Companies E, F, G
and H, were from all parts of the State ; Company I, from Sioux City and
known as Sioux City Cavalry; Company K was originally Company A of the
Fourteenth Infantry and afterward Company A of the Forty -first Infantry, was
from Johnson and other aunties ; Company L was originally Company B, of
the Forty-first Infantry and afterward Company B, of the Forty , and
was from Johnson County; Company M was originally Company C, of the
Fourteenth Infantry, and afterward Company C, of the Forty-first and from Des
Moines and other counties. The Seventh Cavalry operated against the Indi-
ans. Excepting the Lieutenant Colonel and Companies K, L and M, the regi-
ment was mustered out at Leavenworth, Kansas, May 17, 1866. Companies
K, L, and M were mustered out at Sioux City, June 22, 1866.
THE EIGHTH CAVALRY
was organized with J. B. Dorr, of Dubuque, as Colonel ; H. G. Earner, of
Sidney, as Lieutenant Colonel ; John J. Bowen, of Hopkinton, J. D. Thompson,
of Eldora, and A. J. Price, of Guttenburg, as Majors, and were mustered in at
Davenport September 30, 1863. The companies were mostly from the follow-
ing counties : Company A, Page ; B, Wapello ; C, Van Buren ; D, Ring-
gold ; E, Henry; F, Appanoose; G, Clayton; H, Appanoose; I, Marshall;
K, Muscatine; L, Wapello ; M, Polk. The Eighth did a large amount of duty
guarding Sherman's communications, in which it had many small engagements.
It was in the battles of Lost Mountain, Lovejoy's Station, Newnan, Nashville,
etc. Was on Stoneman's cavalry raid around Atlanta, and Wilson's raid
through Alabama. Was mustered' out at Macon, Ga., August 13, 1865.
THE NINTH CAVALRY
was mustered in at Davenport, November 30, 1863, with M. M. Trumbull, of
Cedar Falls, as Colonel ; J. P. Knight, of Mitchell, as Lieutenant Colonel ; E.
T. Ensign, of Des Moines, Willis Drummond, of McGregor, and William Had-
dock, of Waterloo, as Majors. Company A was from Muscatine County ;
Company B, Linn County; Company C, Wapello and Decatur Counties ; Com-
pany D, Washington County ; Company E, Fayette County ; Company F,
Clayton County ; Companies G and H, various counties ; Company I, Wapello
and Jefferson Counties ; Company K, Keokuk County ; Company L, Jasper
and Marion Counties ; Company M, Wapello and Lee Counties. Was mustered
out at Little Rock, Ark., February 28, 1866.
ARTILLERY.
THE FIRST BATTERY OF LIGHT ARTILLERY
was enrolled in the counties of Wapello, Des Moines, Dubuque, Jefferson,
Black Hawk, etc., and was mustered in at Burlington, Aug. 17, 1861, with C. H.
Fletcher, of Burlington, as Captain. Was engaged at Pea Ridge, Port Gibson,
in Atlanta campaign, Chickasaw Bayou, Lookout Mountain, etc. Was mus-
tered out at Davenport July 5, 1865.
248 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
THE SECOND BATTERY OF LIGHT ARTILLERY
was enrolled in the counties of Dallas, Polk, Harrison, Fremont and Pottawat-
tamie, and mustered into United States service at Council Bluffs and St. Louis,
Mo., Aug. 8 and 31, 1861, with Nelson T. Spear, of Council Bluffs, as
Captain. Was engaged at Farmington, Corinth, etc. Was mustered out at
Davenport, Aug. 7, 1865.
THE THIRD BATTERY OF LIGHT ARTILLERY
was enrolled in the counties of Dubuque, Black Hawk, Butler and Floyd, and
mustered into United States service at Dubuque, September, 1861, with M.
M. Hayden, of Dubuque, as Captain. Was at battle of Pea Ridge, etc., etc.
Was mustered out at Davenport, Oct. 23, 1865.
THE FOURTH BATTERY OF LIGHT ARTILLERY
was enrolled in Mahaska, Henry, Mills and Fremont Counties, and was mus-
tered in at Davenport, Nov. 23, 1863, with P. H. Goode, of Glenwood, Cap-
tain. Was mustered out at Davenport, July 14, 1865.
MISCELLANEOUS.
THE FOURTH BATTALION
Company A, from Fremont County, W. Hoyt, Captain; Company B, from
Taylor County, John Flick, Captain ; Company C, from Page County, J.
Whitcomb, Captain.
THE NORTHERN BORDER BRIGADE
was organized by the State of Iowa to protect the Northwestern frontier,
James A. Sawyer, of Sioux City, was elected Colonel. It had Companies A,
B, C, D and E, all enlisted from the Northwestern counties.
THE SOUTHERN BORDER BRIGADE
was organized by the State for the purpose of protecting the Southern border
of the State, and was organized in counties on the border of Missouri. Com-
pany A, First Battalion, was from Lee County, Wm. Sole, Captain ; Company B,
First Battalion, Joseph Dickey, Captain, from Van Buren County; Company
A, Second Battalion, from Davis County, Capt. H. B. Horn ; Company B, Sec-
ond Battalion, from Appanoose County, E. B. Skinner, Captain; Company A,
Third Battalion, from Decatur County, J. H. Simmons, Captain; Company B,
Third Battalion, from Wayne County, E. F. Estel, Captain; Company C,
Third Battalion, from Ringgold County, N. Miller, Captain.
THE FIRST INFANTRY — AFRICAN DESCENT — (SIXTIETH U. S.)
was organized with John G. Hudson, Captain Company B, Thirty-third Mis-
souri, as Colonel; M. F. Collins, of Keokuk, as Lieutenant Colonel, and J. L.
Murphy, of Keokuk, as Major. Had ten companies, and were mustered in at
various places in the Fall of 1863. The men were from all parts of the State
and some from Missouri.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA. 249
During the war, the following promotions were made by the United States
Government from Iowa regiments:*
MAJOR GENERALS
Samuel R. Curtis, Brigadier General, from March 21, 1862.
Frederick Steele, Brigadier General, from November 29, 1862.
Frank J. Henon, Brigadier General, from November 29, 1S62.
Grenville M. Dodge, Brigadier General, from June 7, 1864.
BRIGADIER GENERALS.
Samuel R. Curtis, Colonel 2d Infantry, from May 17, 1861.
Frederick Steele. Colonel 8th Infantry, from February 6, 1862.
Jacob G. Lauman, Colonel 7th Infantry, from March 21, 1862.
Grenville M. Dodge, Colonel 4th Infantry, from March 31, 1862.
James M. Tuttle, Colonel 2d Infantry, from June 9, 1862.
Washington L. Elliott, Colonel 2d Cavalry, from June 11. 1862.
Fitz Henry Warren, Colonel 1st Cavalry , from July 6, 1862.
Frank J. Ilerron, Lieutenant Colonel 9th Infantry, from July 30, 1862.
Charles L. Matthies, Colonel 5th Infantry, from November 29, 1862.
William Yandever, Colonel 9th Infantry, from November 29, 1862.
Marcellus M. Crocker, Colonel 13th Infantry, from Xov. 29, 1862. (Since died.)
Hugh T. Beid, Colonel loth Infantry from March 13, 1863.
Samuel A. Bice, Colonel 33d Infantry, from August 4, 1863.
John M.' Corse, Colonel 6th Infantry, from August 11, 1863.
Cyrus Bussey, Colonel 3d Cavalry, from January 5, 1864.
Edward Hatch, Colonel 2d Cavalry, from April 27, 1864.
Elliott W. Bice, Colonel 7th Infantry, from June 20, 1864.
Win. W. Belknap, Colonel loth Infantry, from July 30, 1864.
John Edwards, Colonel 18th Infantry, from September 26, 1864.
James A. Williamson, Colonel 4th Infantry, from January 13, 1864.
James I. Gilbert, Colonel 27th Infantry, from February 9, 1865.
BREVET MAJOR GENERALS.
John M. Corse, Brigadier General from October 5, 1864.
Edward Hatch, Brigadier General, from December 13, 1864.
Wm. W. Belknap, Brigadier General, from March 13, 1865.
W. L. Elliott, Brigadier General, from March 13, 1865.
Wm. Vandever, Brigadier General, from June 7, 1865.
BREVET BRIGADIER GENERALS.
Wm. T. Clark, A. A. G., late of 13th Infantry, from July 22, 1864.
Edward F. Winslow, Colonel 4th Cavalry, from December 12, 1864.
S. G. Hill, Colonel 35th Infantry, from December 15, 1864. (Since died.)
Thos. H. Benton, Colonel 29th Infantry, from December 15, 1864.
Samuel L. Glasgow, Colonel 23d Infantry, from December 19, 1864.
Clark R. Wever, Colonel 17th Infantry, from February 9, 1865.
Francis M. Drake, Lieutenant Colonel 36th Infantry, from February 22, 1865.
George A. Stone, Colonel 25th Infantry, from March 13, 1805.
Datus E. Coon, Colonel 2d Cavalry, from March 8, 1865.
George W. Clark, Colonel 34th Infantry, from March 13, 1865.
Herman H. Heath, Colonel 7th Cavalry, from March 13, 1865.
J. M. Hedrick, Colonel 15th Infantry, from March 13. 1865.
W. W. Lowe, Colonel 5th Cavalry, from March 13, 1865.
J. S. A. from Iowa, and subsequently promoted Brigadier General,
250
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
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HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
NUMBER OF TROOPS FURNISHED BY THE STATE OF IOWA
DURING THE WAR OF THE REBELLION,
TO JANUARY 1, 1865.
No. Regiment.
1st Iowa Infantry.
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
16th
17th
18th
19th
20th
21st
22d
23d
24th
25th
26th
27th
28th
29th
30th
31st
32d
33d
34th
35th
36th
37th
959
1,247
1,074
1,184
1,037
1,013
1,138
1,02'
1,091
1,027
1,022
981
840
1,196
919
956
875
985
925
980
1,008
961
979
995
919
940
956
l,0i)5
978
977
925
985
953
984
39th Iowa Infantry
40th " "
41st Battalion Iowa Infantry....
44th Infantry (100-days men)..
45th " " " ..
46th " " " ..
47th " " " ..
8th Battalion «■ ■ " ..
1st Iowa Cavalry
2d '• "
No. Regiment.
4th " "
5th " "
6th " "
7th " "
8th " "
9th " "
Sioux City Cavalry*
Co. A, 11th Penn. Cavalry
1st Battery Artillery
2d " "
3d " "
4th " "
1st Iowa African Infantry, 60th U. Sf.
Dodge's Brigade Band
Band of 2d Iowa Infantry
Enlistments as far as reported to Jan. 1
1864, for the older Iowa regiments....
Enlistments of Iowa men in regiments
of other States, over
Total.
Re-enlisted
ments
Additional enlistments.
different Regi
914 Grand total as far as reported up to Jan.
1865 75,519
912
892
884
346
1,478
1,394
1,360
1,227
1,245
1,125
562
1,234
14
10
2,765
2,500
61,653
7,202
6,664
This does not include those Iowa men who veteranized in the regiments of other States, nor
the names of men who enlisted during 1864, in regiments of other States.
♦Afterward consolidated with Seventh Cavalry,
f Only a portion of this regiment was credited to the State.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
POPULATION OF IOWA,
By Counties.
COUNTIES.
AGGREGATE.
1875.
1870.
1860.
1850.
1840.
Voters.
Adair
7045
7832
19158
17405
2370
28807
22913
17251
13220
17315
3561
3982
4614
17868
16456
1212
22454
21706
14584
12528
17034
1585
984
1533
12237
11931
454
8496
8244
4232
4915
7906
57
1616
1727
3653
777
3131
Appanoose
672
135
735
4778
4877
2656
3890
817
517
11734
3185
5760
10552
17879
6685
4249
11400
10118
3559
27184
34295
6039
14386
15757
13249
16893
35415
1748
43845
1436
20515
13100
6558
13719
7028
8134
9638
7701
1482
11818
21594
7875
3455
794
17456
23061
24128
17127
24654
19168
9951
1602
2451
5464
19731
4722
1967
10180
8735
1523
27771
35357
2530
12019
15565
12018
17432
27256
1389
38969
1392
16973
10768
4738
11173
4627
6399
7061
6055
999
8931
21463
6282
2596
226
16644
22619
22116
17839
24898
19731
3724
147
281
1612
12949
940
58
4336
5427
52
20728
18938
383
5244
13764
8677
11024
19611
180
31164
105
12073
3744
1309
5074
1374
793
3058
1699
179
3621
18701
3168
43
8029
18493
9883
15038
17573
13306
2598
2422
3934
Cedar
3941
1253
1001
79
Clay
Clayton
3873
2822
1101
821
5272
854
7264
965
1759
12988
Decalur
Delaware
168
5577
3662
Dubuque
10841
3059
8759
Fayette
Floyd
825
1244
Greene
Cntlirie
8707
3772
4641
Howard
1712
822
7210
1280
9904
4472
3007
1411
4901
Ja9per
2773
1491
471
3721
5225
Jones
4180
256
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF IOWA.
POPULATION OF IOWA— Concluded.
AGGREGATE.
1875.
1870.
1S60.
1850.
1840.
Voters.
20488
3765
33913
31815
12499
11725
16030
23718
24094
19629
10555
11523
2267
12811
1U389
21623
2349
1778
14274
2728
2249
31558
21665
16482
7546
2873
39763
5664
3120
13111
10418
8827
16980
23865
18541
19269
13978
13114
2986
24233
8568
4908
3244
19434
3351
38210
12877
10388
221
13884
22508
24436
17576
8718
9582
3654
12724
5934
21688
715
13271
416
29232
18947
10370
5766
4822
Lee
18861
5444
4939
6093
1373
1927
Linn
Louisa
Luci
471
r o *
m i:
7339
14816
16813
6015
4481
3409
8612
1256
16444
8
1179
5482
338
3632
5287
4988
Mitchell
2884
2743
2485
"U •'.,•"
5731
1942
9975
1336
2199
1446
27857
16893
15581
5691
1411
38599
2540
576
11651
16131
69S9
6986
17672
22346
17980
18952
11287
10484
1562
23570
6172
2892
2392
4419
132
148
103
11625
4968
5668
2923
246
25959
818
10
4051
5285
3590
2012
17081
14518
10281
14235
6409
2504
168
13942
ill:
736
653
551
3222
Plymouth
4513
7828
615
4392
3634
t
59861 2140
7109
' 1
T» "i
8
204
3911
2282
T'n'i
1924
12270 6146
3893
8471
961
4957
340
5346
4168
1594
4168
2947
2747
406
W si i k
546
4117
1776
763
Wright
Total
1353118
1191792
674913
192214
43112
284557
THE NORTHWESTERN STATES. 257
ILLINOIS.
Length, 380 miles, mean width about 15G miles. Area, 55,410 square
miles, or 35,462,400 acres. Illinois, as regards its surface, constitutes a
table-land at a varying elevation ranging between 350 and 800 feet above
the sea level ; composed of extensive and highly fertile prairies and plains.
Much of the south division of the State, especially the river-bottoms, are
thickly wooded. The prairies, too, have oasis-like clumps of trees
scattered here and there at intervals. The chief rivers irrigating the
State are the Mississippi — dividing it from Iowa and Missouri — the Ohio
(forming its south barrier), the Illinois, Wabash, Kaskaskia, and San-
gamon, with their numerous affluents. The total extent of navigable
streams is calculated at 4,000 miles. Small lakes are scattered over vari-
ous parts of the State. Illinois is extremely prolific in minerals, chiefly
coal, iron, copper, and zinc ores, sulphur and limestone. The coal-field
alone is estimated to absorb a full third of the entire coal-deposit of North
America. Climate tolerably equable and healthy; the mean temperature
standing at about 51° Fahrenheit As an agricultural region, Illinois takes
a competitive rank with neighboring States, the cereals, fruits, and root-
crops yielding plentiful returns ; in fact, as a grain-growing State, Illinois
may be deemed, in proportion to her size, to possess a greater area of
lands suitable for its production than any other State in the Union. Stock-
raising is also largely carried on, while her manufacturing interests in
regard of woolen fabrics, etc., are on a very extensive and yearly expand-
ing scale. The lines of railroad in the State are among the most exten-
sive of the Union. Inland water-carriage is facilitated by a canal
connecting the Illinois River with Lake Michigan, and thence with the
St. Lawrence and Atlantic. Illinois is divided into 102 counties ; the
chief towns being Chicago, Springfield (capital), Alton, Quincy, Peoria,
Galena, Bloomington, Rock Island, Vandalia, etc. By the new Consti-
tution, established in 1870, the State Legislature consists of 51 Senators,
elected for four years, and 153 Representatives, for two years ; which
numbers were to be decennially increased thereafter to the number of
six per every additional half-million of inhabitants. Religious and
educational institutions are largely diffused throughout, and are in a very
flourishing condition. Illinois has a State Lunatic and a Deaf and Dumb
Asylum at Jacksonville ; a State Penitentiary at Joliet ; and a Home for
(99)
258
THE NORTHWESTERN STATES.
Soldiers' Orphans at Normal. On November 30, 1870, the public debt of
the State was returned at $4,870,937, with a balance of $1,808,833
unprovided for. At the same period the value of assessed and equalized
property presented the following totals: assessed, $840,031,703 ; equal-
ized $480,664,058. The name of Illinois, through nearly thv. whole of
the eighteenth century, embraced most of the known regions north and
west of Ohio. French colonists established themselves in 1673, at
Cahokia and Kaskaskia, and the territory of which these settlements
formed the nucleus was, in 1763, ceded to Great Britain in conjunction
with Canada, and ultimately resigned to the United States in 1787.
Illinois entered the Union as a State, December 3, 1818; and now sends
19 Representatives to Congress. Population, 2,539,891, in 1870.
THE NORTHWESTERN STATES. 259
INDIANA.
The profile of Indiana forms a nearly exact parallelogram, occupy-
ing one of the most fertile portions of the great Mississippi Valley. The
greater extent of the surface embraced within its limits consists of gentle
undulations rising into hilly tracts toward the Ohio bottom. The chief
rivers of the State are the Ohio and Wabash, with their numerous
affluents. The soil is highly productive of the cereals and grasses — most
particularly so in the valleys of the Ohio, Wabash, Whitewater, and
White Rivers. The northeast and central portions are well timbered
with virgin forests, and the west section is notably rich in coal, constitut-
ing an offshoot of the great Illinois carboniferous field. Iron, copper,
marble, slate, gypsum, and various clays are also abundant. From an
agricultural point of view, the staple products are maize and wheat, with
the other cereals in lesser yields ; and besides these, flax, hemp, sorghum,
hops, etc., are extensively raised. Indiana is divided into 92 counties,
and counts among her principal cities and towns, those of Indianapolis
(the capital), Fort Wayne, Evansville, Terre Haute, Madison, Jefferson-
ville, Columbus, Vincennes, South Bend, etc. The public institutions of
ilie State are many and various, and on a scale of magnitude and
efficiency commensurate with her important political and industrial status.
Upward of two thousand miles of railroads permeate the State in all
directions, and greatly conduce to the development of her expanding
manufacturing interests. Statistics for the fiscal year terminating
October 31, 1870, exhibited a total of receipts, •$3,896,541 as against dis-
bursements, $3,532,406, leaving a balance, $364,135 in favor of the State
Treasury. The entire public debt, January 5, 1871, $3,971,000. This
State was first settled by Canadian voyageurs in 1702, who erected a fort
at Vincennes ; in 1763 it passed into the hands of the English, and was
by the latter ceded to the United States in 1783. From 1788 till 1791,
an Indian warefare prevailed. In 1800, all the region west and north of
Ohio (then formed into a distinct territory) became merged in Indiana.
In 1809, the present limits of the State were defined, Michigan and
Illinois having previously been withdrawn. In 1811, Indiana was the
theater of the Indian War of Tecumseh, ending with the decisive battle
of Tippecanoe. In 1816 (December 11), Indiana became enrolled among
the States of the American Union. In 1834, the State passed through a
monetary crisis owing to its having become mixed up with railroad,
canal, and other speculations on a gigantic scale, which ended, for the
time being, in a general collapse of public credit, and consequent bank-
ruptcy. Since that time, however, the greater number of the public
260 THE NORTHWESTERN STATES.
works which had brought about that imbroglio — especially the great
Wabash and Erie Canal — have been completed, to the great benefit of
the State, whose subsequent progress has year by year been marked by
rapid strides in the paths of wealth, commerce, and general social and
political prosperity. The constitution now in force was adopted in 1851.
Population, 1,680^637.
IOWA.
In shape, Iowa presents an almost perfect parallelogram; has a
length, north to south, of about 300 miles, by a pretty even width of 208
miles, and embraces an area of 55,045 square miles, or 35,228,800 acres.
The surface of the State is generally undulating, rising toward the
middle into an elevated plateau which forms the " divide " of the
Missouri and Mississippi basins. Rolling prairies, especially in the south
section, constitute a regnant feature, and the river bottoms, belted with
woodlands, present a soil of the richest alluvion. Iowa is well watered ;
the principal rivers being the Mississippi and Missouri, which form
respectively its east and west limits, and the Cedar, Iowa, and Des
Moines, affluents of the first named. Mineralogically, Iowa is important
as occupying a section of the great Northwest coal field, to the extent of
an area estimated at 25,000 square miles. Lead, copper, zinc, and iron,
are also mined in considerable quantities. The soil is well adapted to
the production of wheat, maize, and the other cereals ; fruits, vegetables,
and esculent roots; maize, wheat, and oats forming the chief staples.
Wine, tobacco, hops, and wax, are other noticeable items of the agricul-
tural yield. Cattle-raising, too, is a branch of rural industry largely
engaged in. The climate is healthy, although liable to extremes of heat
and cold. The annual gross product of the various manufactures carried
on in this State approximate, in round numbers, a sum of $20,000,000.
Iowa has an immense ranYoad system, besides over 500 miles of water-
communication by means of its navigable rivers. The State is politically
divided into 99 counties, with the following centers of population : Des
Moines (capital), Iowa City (former capital), Dubuque, Davenport, Bur-
lington, Council Bluffs, Keokuk, Muscatine, and Cedar Rapids. The
State institutions of Iowa — religious, scholastic, and philanthropic — are
on a par, as regards number and perfection of organization and operation,
with those of her Northwest sister States, and education is especially
well cared for, and largely diffused. Iowa formed a portion of the
American territorial acquisitions from France, by the so-called Louisiana
purchase in 1803, and was politically identified with Louisiana till 1812,
THE NORTHWESTERN STATES. 263
when it merged into the Missouri Territory; in 1834 it came under the
Michigan organization, and, in 1836, under that of Wisconsin. Finally,
after being constituted an independent Territory, it became a State of
the Union, December 28, 1846. Population in 1860, 674,913 ; in 1870,
1,191,792, and in 1875, 1,353,118.
MICHIGAN.
United area, 56,243 square miles, or 35,995,520 acres. Extent of the
Upper and smaller Peninsula — length, 316 miles; breadth, fluctuating
between 36 and 120 miles. The south division is 416 miles long, by from
50 to 300 miles wide. Aggregate lake-shore line, 1,400 miles. The
Upper, or North, Peninsula consists chiefly of an elevated plateau,
expanding into the Porcupine mountain-system, attaining a maximum
height of some 2,000 feet. Its shores along Lake Superior are eminently
bold and picturesque, and its area is rich in minerals, its product of
copper constituting an important source of industry. Both divisions are
heavily wooded, and the South one, in addition, boasts of a deep, rich,
loamy soil, throwing up excellent crops of cereals and other agricultural
produce. The climate is generally mild and humid, though the Winter
colds are severe. The chief staples of farm husbandry include the cereals,
grasses, maple sugar, sorghum, tobacco, fruits, and dairy-stuffs. In 1870,
the acres of land in farms were : improved, 5,096,939 ; unirnjuroved
woodland, 4,080,146 ; other unimproved land, 842,057. The cash value
of land was $398, 240,578 ; of farming implements and machinery,
$13,711,979. In 1869, there were shipped from the Lake Superior ports,
874,582 tons of iron ore, and 45,762 of smelted pig, along with 14,188
tons of copper (ore and ingot). Coal is another article largely mined.
Inland communication is provided for by an admirably organized railroad
system, and by the St. Mary's Ship Canal, connecting Lakes Huron and
Superior. Michigan is politically divided into 78 counties ; its chief
urban centers are Detroit, Lansing (capital), Ann Arbor, Marquette,
Bay City, Niles, Ypsilanti, Grand Haven, etc. The Governor of the
State is elected biennially. On November 30, 1870, the aggregate bonded
debt of Michigan amounted to $2,385,028, and the assessed valuation of
land to $266,929,278, representing an estimated cash value of $800,000,000.
Education is largely diffused and most excellently conducted and pro-
vided for. The State University at Ann Arbor, the colleges of Detroit
and Kalamazoo, the Albion Female College, the State Normal School at
Ypsilanti, and the State Agricultural College at Lansing, are chief among
the academic institutions. Michigan (a term of Chippeway origin, and
264 THE NORTHWESTERN STATES.
signifying " Great Lake), was discovered and first settled by French
Canadians, who, in 1670, founded Detroit, the pioneer of a series of trad-
ing-posts on the Indian frontier. During the " Conspiracy of Pontiac,"
following the French loss of Canada, Michigan became the scene of a
sanguinary struggle between the whites and aborigines. In 1796, it
became annexed to the United States, which incorporated this region
with the Northwest Territory, and then with Indiana Territory, till 1803,
when it became territorially independent. Michigan was the theater of
warlike operations during the war of 1812 with Great Britain, and in
1819 was authorized to be represented by one delegate in Congress ; in
1837 she was admitted into the Union as a State, and in 1869 ratified the
15th Amendment to the Federal Constitution. Population, 1,184,059.
WISCONSIN.
It has a mean length of 260 miles, and a maximum breadth of 215.
Land area, 53,924 square miles, or 34,511,360 acres. Wisconsin lies at a
considerable altitude above sea-level, and consists for the most part of an
upland plateau, the surface of which is undulating and very generally
diversified. Numerous local eminences called mounds are interspersed
over the State, and the Lake Michigan coast-line is in many parts char-
acterized by lofty escarped cliffs, even as on the west side the banks of
the Mississippi form a series of high and picturesque bluffs. A group of
islands known as The Apostles lie off the extreme north point of the
State in Lake Superior, and the great estuary of Green Bay, running far
inland, gives formation to a long, narrow peninsula between its waters
and those of Lake Michigan. The river-system of Wisconsin has three
outlets — those of Lake Superior, Green Bay, and the Mississippi, which
latter stream forms the entire southwest frontier, widening at one point
into the large watery expanse called Lake Pepin. Lake Superior receives
the St. Louis, Burnt Wood, and Montreal Rivers ; Green Bay, the
Menomouee, Peshtigo, Oconto, and Fox; while into the Mississippi
empty the St. Croix, Chippewa, Black, Wisconsin, and Rock Rivers.
The chief interior lakes are those of Winnebago, Horicon, and Court
Oreilles, and smaller sheets of water stud a great part of the surface.
The climate is healthful, with cold Winters and brief but very warm
Summers. Mean annual rainfall 31 inches. The geological system
represented by the State, embraces those rocks included between the
primary .and_ the Devonian series, the former containing extensive
deposits of copper and iron ore. Besides these minerals, lead and zinc
are found in great quantities, together with kaolin, plumbago, gypsum,
THE NORTHWESTERN STATES. ZOi)
and various clays. Mining, consequently, forms a prominent industry,
and one of yearly increasing dimensions. The soil of Wisconsin is of
varying quality, but fertile on the whole, and in the north parts of the
State heavily timbered. The agricultural yield comprises the cereals,
together with flax, hemp, tobacco, pulse, sorgum, and all kinds of vege-
tables, and of the hardier fruits. In 1870, the State had a total number
of 102,904 farms, occupying 11,715,321 acres, of which 5,899,343 con-
sisted of improved land, and 3,437,442 were timbered. Cash value of
farms, $300,414,064 ; of farm implements and machinery, $14,239,364.
Total estimated value of all farm products, including betterments and
additions to stock, $78,027,032 ; of orchard and dairy stuffs, $1,045,933 ;
of lumber, $1,327,618 ; of home manufactures, $338,423 ; of all live-stock,
$45,310,882. Number of manufacturing establishments, 7,136, employ-
ing 39,055 hands, and turning out productions valued at $85,624,966.
The political divisions of the State form 61 counties, and the chief places
of wealth, trade, and population, are Madison (the capital), Milwaukee,
Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Prairie du Chien, Janesville, Portage City,
Racine, Kenosha, and La Crosse. In 1870, the total assessed valuation
reached 6333,209,838, as against a true valuation of both real and personal
estate aggregating $602,207,329. Treasury receipts during 1870, $886,-
696 ; disbursements, $906,329. Value of church property, $4,749,983.
Education is amply provided for. Independently of the State University
at Madison, and those of Galesville and of Lawrence at Appleton, and
the colleges of Beloit, Racine, and Milton, there are Normal Schools at
Platteville and Whitewater. The State is divided into 4,802 common
school districts, maintained at a cost, in 1870, of $2,094,160. The chari-
table institutions of Wisconsin include a Deaf and Dumb Asylum, an
Institute for the Education of the Blind, and a Soldiers' Orphans' School.
In January, 1870, the railroad system ramified throughout the State
totalized 2,779 miles of track, including several lines far advanced toward
completion. Immigration is successfully encouraged by the State author-
ities, the larger number of yearly new-comers being of Scandinavian and
German origin. The territory now occupied within the limits of the
State of Wisconsin was explored by French missionaries and traders in
1639, and it remained under French jurisdiction until 1703, when it
became annexed to the British North American possessions. In 1796, it
reverted to the United States, the government of which latter admitted
it within the limits of the Northwest Territory, and in 1809, attached it
to that of Illinois, and to Michigan in 1818. Wisconsin became independ-
ently territorially organized in 1836, and became a State of the Union,
March 3, 1847. Population in 1870, 1,064,985, of which 2,113 were of
the colored race, and 11,521 Indians, 1,206 of the latter being out of
tribal relations.
THE NORTHWESTERN STATES.
MINNESOTA
Its length, north to south, embraces an extent of 380 miles ; its
oreadth one of 250 miles at a maximum. Area, 84,000 square miles, or
54,760,000 acres. The surface of Minnesota, generally speaking, con-
sists of a succession of gently undulating plains and prairies, drained by
an admirable water-system, and with here and there heavily- timbered
bottoms and belts of virgin forest. The soil, corresponding with such a
superfices, is exceptionally rich, consisting for the most part of a dark,
calcareous sandy drift intermixed with loam. A distinguishing physical
feature of this State is its riverine ramifications, expanding in nearly
every part of it into almost innumerable lakes — the whole presenting an
aggregate of water-power having hardly a rival in the Union. Besides
the Mississippi — which here has its rise, and drains a basin of 800 miles
of country — the principal streams are the Minnesota (334 miles long),
the Red River of the North, the St. Croix, St. Louis, and many others of
lesser importance ; the chief lakes are those called Red, Cass, Leech,
Mille Lacs, Vermillion, and Winibigosh. Quite a concatenation of sheets
of water fringe the frontier line where Minnesota joins British America,
culminating in the Lake of the Woods. It has been estimated, that of
an area of 1,200,000 acres of surface between the St. Croix and Mis-
sissippi Rivers, not less than 73,000 acres are of lacustrine formation. In
point of minerals, the resources of Minnesota have as yet been very
imperfectly developed; iron, copper, coal, lead — all these are known to
exist in considerable deposits ; together with salt, limestone, and potter's
clay. The agricultural outlook of. the State is in a high degree satis-
factory ; wheat constitutes the leading cereal in cultivation, with Indian
corn and oats in next order. Fruits and vegetables are grown in great
plenty and of excellent quality. The lumber resources of Minnesota are
important ; the pine forests in the north region alone occupying an area
of some 21,000 square miles, which in 1870 produced a return of scaled
logs amounting to 313,116,416 feet. The natural industrial advantages
possessed by Minnesota are largely improved upon by a railroad system.
The political divisions of this State number 78 counties ; of which the
chief cities and towns are : St. Paul (the capital), Stillwater, Red Wing,
St. Anthony, Fort Snelling, Minneapolis, and Mankato. Minnesota has
already assumed an attitude of high importance as a manufacturing State ;
this is mainly due to the wonderful command of water-power she pos-
sesses, as before spoken of. Besides her timber-trade, the milling of
flour, the distillation of whisky, and the tanning of leather, are prominent
interests, which in 1869, gave returns to the amount of $14,831,043.
THE NORTHWESTERN STATES. 267
Education is notably provided for on a broad and catholic scale, the
entire amount expended scholastically during the year 1870 being $857,-
816 ; while on November 30 of the preceding year the permanent school
fund stood at $2,476,222. Besides a University and Agricultural College,
Normal and Reform Schools flourish, and with these may be mentioned
such various philanthropic and religious institutions as befit the needs of
an intelligent and prosperous community. The finances of the State for
the fiscal year terminating December 1, 1870, exhibited a balance on the
right side to the amount of $136,164, being a gain of $44,000 over the
previous year's figures. The earliest exploration of Minnesota by the
whites was made in 1680 by a French Franciscan, Father Hennepin, who
gave the name of St. Antony to the Great Falls on the Upper Missisippi.
In 1763, the Treaty of Versailles ceded this region to England.
Twenty years later, Minnesota formed part of the Northwest Territory
transferred to the United States, and became herself territorialized inde-
pendently in 1849. Indian cessions in 1851 enlarged her boundaries, and,
May 11, 1857, Minnesota became a unit of the great American federation
of States. Population, 43'J,706.
NEBRASKA.
Maximum length, 412 miles ; extreme breadth, 208 miles. Area,
75,005 square miles, or 48,636,800 acres. The surface of this State is
almost entirely undulating prairie, and forms part of the west slope of
the great central basin of the North American Continent. In its west
division, near the base of the Rock}- Mountains, is a sandy belt of
•country, irregularly defined. In this part, too, are the " dunes," resem-
bling a wavy sea of sandy billows, as well as the Mauvaises Terres, a tract
of singular formation, produced by eccentric disintegrations and denuda-
tions of the land. The chief rivers are the Missouri, constituting its en-
tire east line of demarcation ; the Nebraska or Platte, the Niobrara, the
Republican Fork of the Kansas, the Elkhorn, and the Loup Fork of the
Platte. The soil is very various, but consisting chiefly of rich, bottomy
loam, admirably adapted to the raising of heavy crops of cereals. All
the vegetables and fruits of the temperate zone are produced in great
size and plenty. For grazing purposes Nebraska is a State exceptionally
svell fitted, a region of not less than 23,000,000 acres being adaptable to
this branch of husbandry. It is believed that the, as yet, comparatively
infertile tracts of land found in various parts of the State are susceptible
of productivity by means of a properly conducted system of irrigation.
Few minerals of moment have so far been found within the limits of
268 THE NORTHWESTERN STATES.
Nebraska, if we may except important saline deposits at the head of Salt
Creek in its southeast section. The State is divided into 57 counties,
independent of the Pawnee and Winnebago Indians, and of unorganized
territory in the northwest part. The principal towns are Omaha, Lincoln
(State capital), Nebraska City, Columbus, Grand Island, etc. In 1870,
the total assessed value of property amounted to $53,000,000, being an
increase of $11,000,000 over the previous year's returns. The total
amount received from the school-fund during the year 1869-70 was
177,999. Education is making great onward strides, the State University
and an Agricultural College being far advanced toward completion. In
the matter of railroad communication, Nebraska bids fair to soon place
herself on a par with her neighbors to the east. Besides being inter-
sected by the Union Pacific line, with its off-shoot, the Fremont and Blair,
other tracks are in course of rapid construction. Organized by Con-
gressional Act into a Territory, May 30, 1854, Nebraska entered the
Union as a full State, March 1, 1867. Population, 122,993.
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union,
establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common
defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty
to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution
for the United States of America.
Article I.
Section 1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in
a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and
House of Representatives.
Sec. 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of mem-
bers chosen eveiy second year by the people of the several states, and the
electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of
the most numerous branch of the State Legislature.
No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained to the
age of twenty-five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United
States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in
which he shall be chosen.
Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the sev-
eral states which may be included within this Union, according to theii
respective numbers, Avhich shall be determined by adding to the whole
number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of
years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other persons.
The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first
meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subse-
quent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The
number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand,
but each state shall have at least one Representative ; and until such
enumeration shall be made the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled
to choose three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plan-
tations one, Connecticut five, New York six. New Jersey four, Pennsylva-
nia eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five,
and Georgia three.
When vacancies happen in the representation from any state, the
Executive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such
vacancies.
The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other
officers, and shall have the sole power of impeachment.
Sec. 3. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two
Senators from each state, chosen by the Legislature thereof for six years ;
and each Senator shall have one vote.
Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first
election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes.
The seats of the Senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expira-
270 AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
tion of the second year, of the second class at the expiration of the fourth
year, and of the third class at the expiration of the sixth year, so that
one-third may be chosen every second year; and if vacancies happen by
resignation or otherwise, during the recess of the Legislature of any state,
the Executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the next
meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such vacancies.
No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the age
of thirty years and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and
who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state for which he
shall be chosen.
The Vice-President of the United States shall be President of th
Senate, but shall have no vote unless they be equally divided.
The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a President fro
tempore, in the absence of the Vice-President, or when he shall exercise
the office of President of the United States.
The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When
sitting for that purpose they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the
President of the United States is tried the Chief Justice shall preside.
And no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds
of the members present.
Judgment, in cases of impeachment, shall not extend further than to
removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of
honor, trust, or profit under the United States ; but the party convicted
shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment,
and punishment according to law.
Sec. 4. The times, places and manner of holding elections for Sen-
ators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each state by the Legis-
lature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter
such regulations, except as to the places of choosing Senators.
The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such
meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by
law appoint a different day.
Sec. 5. Each house shall be the judge of the election, returns, and
qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute
a quorum to do business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to
day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members
in such manner and under such penalties as each house may provide.
Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its
members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds,
expel a member.
Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to
time publish the same, excepting such parts as may, in their judgment,
require secrecy ; and the yeas and nays of the members of either house
on any question shall, at the desire of one-fifth of those present, be entered
on the journal.
Neither house, during the session of Congress, shall, without the
consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to an}' other
place than that in which the two houses shall be sitting.
Sec. 6. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compen-
sation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the
treasury of the United States. They shall in ail cases, except treason,
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 271
felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their
attendance at the session of their respective houses, and in going to and
returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either house
they shall not be questioned in any other place.
No Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he -was
elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United
States, which, shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall
have been increased during such time ; and no person holding any office
under the United States, shall be a member of either house during his
continuance in office.
Sec. 7. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of
Representatives ; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments
as on i ther bills.
Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and
the Senate, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President
the United States ; if he approve he shall sign it ; but if not he shall
return it, with his objections, to that house in which it shall have origi-
nated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and
proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration two-thirds of that
house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objec-
tions, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if
approved by two-thirds of that house, it shall become a law. But in all
such cases the votes of both houses shall be determined by 3 eas and nays,
and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered
on the journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall not be returned
by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted), after it shall have
been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he
had signed it, unless the Congress, by their adjournment, prevent its
return, in which case it shall not be a law.
Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the
Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a
question of adjournment), shall be presented to the President of the
United States, and before the same shall take effect shall be approved by
him, or, being disapproved by him, shall be re-passed by two-thirds of
the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the rules and lim-
itations prescribed in the case of a bill.
Sec. 8. The Congress shall have power —
To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts,
and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United
Gtates ; but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform throughout
the United States ;
To borrow money on the credit of the United States ;
To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several
States, and with the Indian tribes ;
To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on
the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States ;
To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and
fix the standard of weights and measures ;
To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and
current coin of the United States;
To establish post offices and post roads ;
272 AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
To promote the progress of sciences and useful arts, by securing,
for limited times, to authors and inventors, the exclusive right to their
respective writings and discoveries ;
To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court ;
To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high
seas, and offenses against the law of nations ;
To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules
concerning captures on land and water ;
To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that
use shall be for a longer term than two years ;
To provide and maintain a navy ;
To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and
naval forces ; ,
To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the
Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions ;
To provide for organizing, arming and disciplining the militia, and
for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the
United States, reserving to the states respectively the appointment of the
officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the disci-
pline prescribed by Congress ;
To exercise legislation in all cases whatsoever over such district (not
exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the
acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United
States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the
consent of the Legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for
the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock yards, and other needful
buildings ; and
To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying
into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this
Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any depart-
ment or officer thereof.
Sec. 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the
states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited
by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight,
but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten
dollars for each person.
The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended,
unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may
require it.
No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed.
No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in proportion
to the census or enumeration hereinbefore directed to be taken.
No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state.
No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or rev
enue to the ports of one state over those of another; nor shall vessels
bound to or from one state be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in
another.
No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of
appropriations made by law ; and a regular statement and account of
the receipts and expeditures of all public money shall be published from
time to time.
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 273
No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States : and no
person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the
consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title
of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.
Sec. 10. No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confeder-
ation ; grant letters of marque and reprisal ; coin money ; emit bills of
credit ; make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of
debts ; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the
obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility.
No state shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts
or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary
for executing its inspection laws, and the net produce of all duties and
imposts laid by any state on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the
Treasury of the United States ; and all such laws shall be subject to the
revision and control of the Congress.
No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any dutj- on
tonnage, keep troops or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any
agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or
engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will
not admit of delay.
Article II.
Section 1. The Executive power shall be vested in a President of
the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term
of four years, and, together with the Vice-President chosen for the same
term, be elected as follows :
Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof
may direct, a number of Electors, equal to the whole number of Senators
and Representatives to which the state may be entitled in the Congress;
but no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or
profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.
[ * The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by
ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of
the same state with themselves. And they shall make a list of all the
persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each ; which list they
shall sign and certify, and transmit, sealed, to the seat of the government
of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The Pres-
ident of the Senate shall, in the presence'of the Senate and House of Rep-
resentatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted.
The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President,
if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed ;
and if there be more than one who have such majority, and have an equal
number of votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately
choose by ballot one of them for President ; and if no person have a ma-
jority, then from the five highest on the list the said House shall in like
manner choose the President. But in choosing the President, the vote
shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one
vote ; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members
from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be
necessary to a choice. In every case, after the choice of the President
* This clause between brackets has been superseded aud annulled by the Twelfth amendment
274 AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
the person having the greatest number of votes of the Electors shall be
the Vice-President. But if there should remain two or more who have
equal votes, the Senate shall choose from them by ballot the Vice-Presi-
dent.]
The Congress may determine the time of choosing the Electors, and
the day on which they shall give their votes ; which day shall be the same
throughout the United States.
No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United
States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible
to the office of President ; neither shall any person be eligible to that
office who shall not have attained the age of thirty-five years, and been
fourteen years a resident within the United States.
In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death,
resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said
office, the same shall devolve on the Vice-President, and the Congress
may by law provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inabil-
ity, both of the President and Vice-President, declaring what officer shall
then act as President, and such officer shall act accordingly, until the dis-
ability be removed, or a President shall be elected.
The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services a com-
pensation which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the
period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive
within that period any other emolument from the United States or any of
them.
Before he enters on the execution of his office, he shall take the fol-
lowing oath or affirmation:
" I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the
office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Sec. 2. The President shall be commander in chief of the army and
navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when
called into the actual service of the United States ; he may require the
opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive
departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective
offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardon for offenses
against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.
He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators present con-
cur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice of the Senate,
:hall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of
the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States whose
appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be
established by law; but the Congress may by law vest the 'appointment
of such inferior officers as they think proper in the President alone, in
the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.
The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may
happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which
shall expire at the end of their next session.
Sec. 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress information
of the state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such mea-
sures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may on extraordinary
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 275
occasions convene both houses, or either of them, and in case of disagree-
ment between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he "may
adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper ; he shall receive
ambassadors and other public ministers ; he shall take care that the laws be
faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United
States.
Sec. 4. The President, Vice-President, and all civil officers of the
United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and con
viction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
Article III.
Section I. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested
in one Supreme Court, and such inferior courts as the Congress may from
time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the Supreme and
inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behavior, and shall, at
stated times, receive for their services a compensation, which shall not be
diminished during their continuance in office.
Sec. 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and
equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and
treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority ; to all cases
affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls ; to all cases of
admiralty and maritime jurisdiction ; to controversies to which the United
States shall be a party ; to controversies between two or more states ;
between a state and citizens of another state ; between citizens of differ-
ent states ; between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants
of different states, and between a state or the citizens thereof, and foreign
states, citizens, or subjects.
In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls,
and those in which a state shall be a party, the Supreme Court shall have
original jurisdiction.
In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall
have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions
and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.
The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by
jury ; and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes shall
have been committed ; but when not committed within an}' state, the.
trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have
directed.
Sec. 3. Treason against the United States shall consist only in levy-
ing war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid
and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the tes-
timony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open
court.
The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason
but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture
except during the life of the person attainted.
Article IV.
Section 1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the
public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And
276 AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
the Congress may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which such
acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.
Sec. 2. The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges
and immunities of citizens in the several states.
A person charged in any state with treason, felony, or other crime,
who shall flee from justice and be found in another state, shall, on demand
of the executive authority of the state from which he fled, be delivered
up, to be removed to the state having jurisdiction of the crime.
No person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof
escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation
therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered
up on the claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due.
Sec. 3. New states may be admitted by the Congress into this Union ;
but no new state shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any
other state ; nor any state be formed by the junction of two or more states,
or parts of states, without the consent of the Legislatures of the states
concerned, as well as of the Congress.
The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful
rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging
to the United States ; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed
as to prejudice any claims of the United States or of any particular state.
Sec. 4. The United States shall guarantee to every state in this
Union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them
against invasion, and on application of the Legislature, or of the Execu-
tive (when the Legislature can not be convened), against domestic vio-
lence.
Article V.
The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem it
necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the ap-
plication of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several states, shall call
a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be
valid to all intents and purposes as part of this Constitution, when rati-
fied by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by con-
ventions in three-fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratifi-
cation may be proposed by the Congress. Provided that no amendment
which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and
eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth
section of the first article ; and that no state, without its consent, shall
be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.
Article VI.
All debts contracted and engagements entered into before the adop-
tion of this Constitution shall be as valid against the United States under
this Constitution as under the Confederation.
This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be
made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made,
under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the
land ; and the Judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in
the Constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the mem-
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
bers of the several state Legislatures, and all executive and judicial offi-
cers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound
by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution ; but no religious test
shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under
the United States.
Article VII.
The ratification of the Conventions of nine states shall be sufficient
for the establishment of this Constitution between the states so ratifying
the same.
Done in convention by the unanimous consent of the states present, the
seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand
seven hundred and eighty-seven, and of the independence of the
United States of America the twelfth. In witness whereof we have
hereunto subscribed our names.
GEO. WASHINGTON,
President and Deputy from Virginia.
New Hampshire.
John Langdon,
Nicholas Gilman.
Nathaniel Gorham,
Rufus King.
Connecticut.
Wm. Sam'l Johnson,
Roger Sherman.
Dclaivare.
Geo. Read,
John Dickinson,
Jaco. Broom,
Gunning Bedford, Jr.,
Richard Bassett.
Maryland.
James M'Henry,
Danl. Carroll,
Dan. of St. Thos. Jenifer.
New York.
Alexander Hamilton.
New Jersey.
Wil. Livingston,
Wm. Paterson,
David Brearley,
Jona. Dayton.
Virginia.
John Blair,
James Madison, Jr.
North Carolina.
Wm. Blount,
Hu. Williamson,
Rich'd Dobbs Spaiget.
Pennsylvania.
B. Franklin,
Robt. Morris,
Thos. Fitzslmons,
James Wilson,
Thos. Mifflin,
Geo. Clymer,
Jared Ingersoll,
Gouv. Morris.
South Carolina.
j. rutledge,
Charles Pinckney,
Chas. Cotesworth Pincknex,
Pierce Butler.
Georgia.
William Few,
Abr. Baldwin.
WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary.
278
AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
Articles in Addition to and Amendatory op the Constitution
op the United States op America.
Proposed by Congress and ratified by the Legislatures of the several states,
pursuant to the fifth article of the original Constitution.
Article I.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Article II.
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free
state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall Dot be infringed.
Article III.
No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without
the consent of the owner, nor in time of war but in a manner to be pre-
scribed by law.
Article IV.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers,
and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be vio-
lated ; and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by
oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched
and the persons or things to be seized.
Article V.
No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous
crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in
cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia when in actual
service in time of war or public danger ; nor shall any person be subject
for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb ; nor shall
be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be
deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor
shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Article VI.
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a
speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district
wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have
been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and
cause of the accusation ; to be confronted with the witnesses against him;
to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor; and to
have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Article VII.
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed
twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fa.ct
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 281
tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United
States than according to the rules of the common law.
Article VIII.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed,
nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Article IX.
The enumeration, in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be
construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Article X.
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution,
nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively,
or to the people.
Article XI.
The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to
extend to any suit in law or equity commenced or prosecuted against one
of the United States by citizens of another state, or by citizens or sub-
jects of any foreign state.
Article XII.
The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot
for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an
inhabitant of the same state with themselves ; they shall name in their
ballots the person to be voted for as president, and in distinct ballots the
person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of
all persons voted for as President, and of all 'persons voted for as Vice-
President, and of the number of votes for each, which list they shall sign
and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United
States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the
Senate shall, in presence of the Senate and House of Representatives,
open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person
having the greatest number of votes for President shall be the President,
if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed;
and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the
highest number not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as
President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by
ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be
taken by States, the representation from each state having one vote; a
quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-
thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to
a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a Presi-
dent whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the
fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as
President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of
the President. The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-
President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be the majority
of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a major-
282 AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
ity, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose
the Vice-President ; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds
of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number
shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible
to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the
United States.
Article XIII.
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a
punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,
shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their juris-
diction.
Sec. 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appro-
priate legislation.
Article XIV.
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and
subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States, and
of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law
which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United
States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction
the equal protection of the laws.
Sec. 2. Representatives shall be appointed among the several states
according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of per-
sons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed ; but when the right to
vote at any election for the choice of Electors for President and Vice-
President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the execu-
tive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the Legislature
thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being
twenty-one years of age and citizens of the United States, or in any way
abridged except for participation in rebellion or other crimes, the basis of
representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the num-
ber of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens
twenty-one years of age in such state.
Sec. 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress,
or Elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or
military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previ-
ously taken an oath as a Member of Congress, or as an officer of the
United States, or as a member of any state Legislature, or as an execu-
tive or judicial officer of any state to support the Constitution of the
United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the
same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may
by a vote of two-thirds of each house, remove such disability.
Sec. 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States author-
ized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and boun-
ties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be ques-
tioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall pay any debt
or obligation incurred in the aid of insurrection or rebellion against the
United States, or any loss or emancipation of any slave, but such debts,
obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void.
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 283
Article XV.
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not
he denied or abridged by the United States, or by any State, on account of
race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
VOTE FOR GOVERNOR. 1877, AND PRESIDENT, 187G.
•
Counties.
1877.
Governor.
1 1S76.
President.
—
1877.
Governor.
President.
Rep.
Den,
Gr.
Pro.
Rep.
Dem.
Rep.
Dem.
"
Pro.
Rep.
Dem.
Adair
982
876
1547
1105
410
1432
1781
1612
118(
12: ii
747
1453
418
633
1592
1315
903
662
1279
lli;-.4
517
1873
2144
898
1541
893
1269
1226
2315
197
1587
213
1933
1233
1311
1250
1031
909
1160
1492
1348
38!
113.
1619
1977
161
397
1540
li 4:
712
1111
981
769
192
778
75
744
839
1093
348
74
1107
267
16
1770
2327
651
215
1231
961
1143
1384
8
3415
1067
208
336
1331
215
5i i4
496
265
95
661
86 ■
424
647
149
54
1121
191,1
117 1
77:
:7 s 1
69
729
95
406
196
725
161
171
141
116
206
383
37
813
20
286
19
1241
310
32
15
31
1334
137C
1709
1711
427
2901
2179
1737
2227
770
1x28
1122
799
1876
232S
1274
861
1574
1405
1 ' > 4 '.
1586
H,47
2<i32
1178
1658
1310
1099
1434
1194
523
212
1871
2121'
:;:n:
2161
620
1641
1419
1356
Johnson
1-X4
1772
463
2107
2724
132s
l2i.:
21,1
179S
1971
1448
1435
139b
103j
3171
1491
H2l
1326
891
1101
02s
12174.
1219
231"
1218
1521'
236
2863
2316
817
804
17
1077
Kisc
1861
837
1102
11!
928
441
1885
21 1,7
293
51 0
130.7
1"2'
867
132
7: 1153
is
14
322
13
350
75
89
103
616
lull
38S
OS
35
432
247
44
135S
80S
S3(
301
27.;
68
111,7
299
585
108
a
56
596
95
604
31
2(1
94
121
340
133
130
2345
2591
2364
638
310-
4331
1920
1478
262
2246
3221
2731
■■'.-(
Appanoose
31, S3
244
10
1
223
20
95
74
11
30
416
40
86
94
67
107
66
111
12
19
525
ii
5
10
757
200
780
196
771
979
1445
448
Buena Vista
Butler
Mahaska
Marion
Marshall
Mills
Mitchell
1701
2304
Carroll
1462 1166
7I3| 3114
14181 124C
Cerro Gordo
Chickasaw
Clark
1 ISO M .-atiue
n,;i i-olk..'..'....'.....".Z
11m; ]',,wrslii,k
2723 21.77
Crawford
Dallas
836 ,r"'j
374! 141
4321 23S2
Delaware
Des Moines
Dickinson
27,,:. 1083
1240' 422
1.1,1 166
406
""889
162
16
334
551
' 36-1
29
238
523
11)41
201
104
224
mis
576
510
Fremont
Greene
57
14i l
519
Union
122s 796
Guthrie
•27-2 2112
Hardin
Harrison
Howard
1698 1341
1289 osT
18S
57
134s
2 is?
1804
1 II'
Winneshiek
221'
S
117
3422
14
98
]m;.;'i
1034
7(13
17133.
,,,2M
1017
Jackson
15
26'
in:
Wright
|S4
Jefferson
Majorities
Total vote, 1S77, 245,706, 1876 ' iucludiug-949 (ireenUi.l. ), 292.943.
VOTE FOR CONGRESSMEN, 1876.
Distrct.
Rep.
Dem. R. Maj.
Total.
Maj
'74. District.
Rep. Dem. 1 R. Maj.
Total.
Maj. '74.
171ss
16439
1712
14814 2374
14683 1756
2.21 ...2
31122
D
R.
1949(1 11688 78(18
1933S 15236 4122
19.712! 10583 8980
31184
34.794
II
077 VIII
i: 21.7
iiim1 al S' R
1682-9 118356; 49933
VI
1 77s
14719! 4059
t',ls74, 18464"; aggregat,
, 24,524. "Including 5,466 Greeuhaik \
Practical Rules for Every Day Use.
How to find the gain or loss per cent, when the cost and selling price
are given.
Rule. — Find the difference between the cost and selling price, which
will be the gain or loss.
Annex two ciphers to the gain or loss, and divide it by the cost
price ; the result will be the gain or loss per cent.
How to change gold into currency.
Rule. — Multiply the given sura of gold by the price of gold.
Sow to change currency into gold.
Divide the amount in currency by the price of gold.
How to find each partner's share of the gain or loss in a copartnership
business.
Rule. — Divide the whole gain or loss by the entire stock, the quo-
tient will be the gain or loss per cent.
Multiply each partner's stock by this per cent., the result will be
each one's share of the gain or loss.
How to find gross and net weight and price of hogs.
A short and simple method for finding the net weight, or price of hogs,
when the gross weight or price is given, and vice versa.
Note.— It is generally assumed that the gross weight of Hogs diminished by 1-5 or 20 per cent
of itself gives the net weight, and the net weight increased by X or 25 per cent, of itself equals the
gross weight.
To find the net weight or gross price.
Multiply the given number by .8 (tenths.)
To find the gross weight or net price.
Divide the given number by .8 (tenths.)
How to find the capacity of a granary, bin, or wagon-bed.
Rule. — Multiply (by short method) the number of cubic feet by
6308, and point off one decimal place — the result will be the correct
nswer in bushels and tenths of a bushel.
For only an approximate answer, multiply the cubic feet by 8, and
point off one decimal place.
Hoiv to find the contents of a corn-crib.
Rule. — Multiply the number of cubic feet by 54, short method, or
(284)
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 285
by 4£ ordinary method, and point off one decimal place — the result will
be the answer in bushels.
Note— In estimating corn in the ear, tlie quality and the time it lias been cribbed must bo taken
into consideration, since corn will shrink considerably during the Winter and Spring. This rule generally holds
good for corn measured at the time it is cribbed, provided it is sound and clean.
How to find the contents of a cistern or tank.
Rule. — Multiply the square of the mean diameter by the depth (all
in feet) and this product by 5681 (short method), and point off one
decimal place — the result will be the contents in barrels of 31i gallons.
Hoiv to find the contents of a barrel or cask.
Rule. — Under -the square of the mean diameter, write the length
(all in inches) in reverf 3D order, so that its units will fall under the
tens ; multiply by short method, and this product again by 430 ; point
off one decimal place, and the result will be the answer in wine gallons.
Hoiv to measure boards.
Rule. — Multiply the length (in feet) by the width (in inches) and
divide the product by 12 — the result will be the contents in square feet.
How to measure scantlings, joists, planks, sills, etc.
Rule. — Multiply the width, the thickness, and the length together
(the width and thickness in inches, and the length in feet), and divide
the product by 12 — the result will be square feet.
How to find the number of acres in a body of land.
Rule. — Multiply the length by the width (in rods), and divide the
product by 160 (carrying the division to 2 decimal places if there is a
remainder) ; the result will be the answer in acres and hundredths.
When the opposite sides of a piece of land are of unequal length,
add them together and take one-half for the mean length or width.
How to find the number of square yards in a floor or ivall.
Rule. — Multiply the length by the width or height (in feet), and
divide the product by 9, the result will be square yards.
How to find the number of bricks required in a building.
Rule. — Multiply the number of cubic feet by 22J.
The number of cubic feet is found by multiplying the length, height
nd thickness (in feet) together.
Bricks are usually made 8 inches long, 4 inches wide, and two inches
thick ; hence, it requires 27 bricks to make a cubic foot without mortar,
but it is generally assumed that the mortar fills 1-6 of the space.
How to find the number of shingles required in a roof.
Rule. — Multiply the number of square feet in the roof by 8, if the
shingles are exposed 4J inches, or by 7 1-5 if exposed 5 inches.
To find the number of square feet, multiply the length of the roof by
twice the length of the rafters.
286 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
To find the length of the rafters, at one-foukth pitch, multiply the
width of the building by .56 (hundredths) ; at one-third pitch, by .6
(tenths) ; at two-fifths pitch, by .64 (hundredths) ; at one-half
pitch, by .71 (hundredths). This gives the length of the rafters from
the apex to the end of the wall, and whatever .they are to project must be
taken into consideration.
Note.— By X or X pitch is meant that the apex or comb of the roof is to be X or % the width of the
buihlin;,' hijrlier than tin- walls or base of the rafters.
How to reckon the cost of hay.
Rule. — Multiply the number of pounds by half the price per ton,
and remove the decimal point three places to the left.
How to measure grain.
Rule. — Level the grain ; ascertain the space it occupies in cubic
feet ; multiply the number of cubic feet by 8, and point off one place to
the left.
Note.— Exactness requires the addition to every three hundred bushels of one extra bushel.
The foregoing rule may be vised for finding the number of gallons, by
multiplying the number of bushels by 8.
If the corn in the box is in the ear, divide the answer hy 2, to find
the number of bushels of shelled corn, because it requires 2 bushels of eai
corn to make 1 of shelled corn.
Rapid rules for measuring land without instruments.
In measuring land, the first thing to ascertain is the contents of any
given plot in square yards ; then, given the number of yards, find out the
number of rods and acres.
The most ancient and simplest measure of distance is a step. Now,
an ordinary-sized man can train himself to cover one yard at a stride, on
the average, with sufficient accuracy for ordinary purposes.
To make use of this means of measuring distances, it is essential to
walk in a straight line ; to do this, fix the eye on two objects in a line
straight ahead, one comparatively near, the other remote ; and, in walk-
ing, keep these objects constantly in line.
Farmers and others by adopting the following simple and ingenious con-
trivance, may always carry with them the scale to construct a correct yard
measure.
Take a foot rule, and commencing at the base of the little finger ol
the left hand, mark the quarters of the foot on the outer borders of the
left arm, pricking in the marks with indelible ink.
To find how many rods in length ivill make an acre, the width being given.
Rule. — Divide 160 by the width, and the quotient will be the answer.
MISCELLANEOUS -INFORMATION. 287
How to find the number of acres in any plot of land, the number of rods
being given.
Rule. — Divide the number of rods by 8, multiply the quotient by 5,
and remove the decimal point two places to the left.
The diameter being given, to find the circumference.
Rule. — Multiply the diameter by 3 1-7.
How to find the diameter, when the circumference is given.
Rule. — Divide the circumference by 3 1-7.
To find hoiv many solid feet a round stick of timber of the same thick-
ness throughout will contain ivhen squared.
Rule. — Square half the diameter in inches, multiply by 2, multiply
by the length in feet, and divide the product by 144.
General rule for measuring timber, to find the solid contents in feet.
Rule. — Multiply the depth in inches by the breadth in inches, and
then multiply by the length in feet, and divide by 144.
To find the number of feet of timber in trees ivith the bark on.
Rule. — Multiply the square of one-fifth of the circumference in
inches, by twice the length, in feet, and divide by 144. Deduct 1-10 to
1-15 according to the thickness of the bark.
Soivard's neiv ride for computing interest.
Rule. — The reciprocal of the rate is the time for which the interest
on any sum of money will be shown by simply removing the decimal
point two places to the left ; for ten times that time, remove the point
one place to the left ; for 1-10 of the same time, remove the point three
places to the left.
Increase or diminish the results to suit the time given.
jjote.— The reciprocal of the rate is found by inverting the rate; thus 3 per cent, per month, in-
verted, becomes X of a month, or 10 days.
When the rate is expressed by one figure, always write it thus : 3-1,
three ones.
Hule for converting English into American currency.
Multiply the pounds, with the shillings and pence stated in decimals,
by 400 plus the premium in fourths, and divide the product by 90.
U. S. GOVERNMENT LAND MEASURE.
A township — 36 sections each a mile square.
A section — 640 acres.
A quarter section, half a mile square — 160 acres.
An eighth section, half a mile long, north and south, and a quarter
of a mile wide — 80 acres.
A sixteenth section, a quarter of a mile square — 40 acres.
Z88 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
The sections are all numbered 1 to 36, commencing at the north-east
corner.
The sections are divided into quarters, which are named by the
cardinal points. The quarters are divided in the same way. The de-
scription of a forty acre lot would read : The south half of the west half of
the south-west quarter of section 1 in township 2-4, north of range 7 west,
or as the case might be ; and sometimes will fall short and sometimes
overrun the number of acres it is supposed to contain.
The nautical mile is 795 4-5 feet longer than the common mile.
SURVEYORS' MEASURE.
7 92-100 inches make 1 link.
25 links " 1 rod.
4rods " 1 chain.
80 chains %> 1 mile.
Note. — A chain is 100 links, equal to 4 rods or 66 feet.
Shoemakers formerly used a subdivision of the inch called a barley-
corn ; three of which made an inch.
Horses are measured directly over the fore feet, and the standard of
measure is four inches — called a hand.
Tn Biblical and other old measurements, the term span is sometimes
used, which is a length of nine inches.
The sacred cubit of the Jews was 24.024 inches in length.
The common cubit of the Jews was 21.704 inches in length. •
A pace is equal to a yard or 36 inches. %
A fathom is equal to 6 feet.
A league is three miles, but its length is variable, for it is strictly
speaking a nautical term, and should be three geograjdiical miles, equal
to 3.45 statute miles, but when used on land, three statute miles are said
to be a league.
In cloth measure an aune is equal to li yards, or 45 inches.
An Amsterdam ell is equal to 26.796 inches.
A Trieste ell is equal to 25.284 inches.
A Brabant ell is equal to 27.116 inches.
HOW TO KEEP ACCOUNTS.
Every farmer and mechanic, whether he does much or little business,
should keep a record of his transactions in a clear and systematic man-
ner. For the benefit of those who have not had the opportunity of ac-
quiring a primary knowledge of the j:>rinciples of book-keeping, we here
present a simple form of keeping accounts which is easily comprehended,
and well adapted to record the business transactions of farmers, mechanics
and laborers.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
A. II. JACKSON.
To 7 bushels Wheat at SI. 25
By shoeing span of Horses
To 14 bushels Oats at $ .45
To 5 lbs. Butter at .25
By new Harrow __
By sharpening 2 Plows __ .
By new Double-Tree _
To Cow and Calf _
To half ton of Hay
By Cash
By repairing Corn-Planter _
To one Sow with Pigs
By Cash, to balance account
Jan.
10
"
17
Feb.
4
"
4
Marcl
8
"
8
"
13
"
27
April
9
9
May
G
24
July
4
$S
75
$2
6
30
1
18
0
48
Oil
G
~u
4
IT
50
35
$88
05
$8s
CASS A MASON.
Marcl
21
21
23
May
1
1
June
19
"
26
July
10
29
Aug.
12
12
Sept.
1
By 3 days' labor _ at $1.25
To 2 Shoats at 3.00
To 18 bushels Corn at .45
By 1 month's Labor
To Cash _ _ _
By 8 days' Mowing at $1.50
To 50 lbs. Flour
To 27 lbs. Meat at $ .10
By 9 days' Harvesting at 2.00
By G days' Labor at 1.50
To Cash
To Cash to balance account .'.
$G
00
$3
8
10
25
10
00
12
2
75
2
70
18
9
20
00
18
^0
$07
75
$67
INTEREST TABLE.
.vecnnATELr Computing
Length op Tii
Multiply the priiuti" il < amount "f nemey at interest) !>y the
l.y the quoth -ill obtain. .1 V ■ ,li v i.l i ni; :iiiil . i I .. ■ ijuiii1.it of days i
the :
quotient thus obtainr.l will be the required interest
ILLUSTRATION.
and eighteen .lavs at (i per rent. An
i days equal is ,1 is-. -.4h.\..t) multi-
•re'.'t'.'w'h'i'e', is' i'lj.-ii." 'mi'i- I'a'enf
Si-j-j.nuno by 30 (!>:!('.(>
. >. i ii ', 'i '
by 45: and in like manner fur any el her per cen
interest month is :!lldays; ,
would divide by at); its per -
-i I -:■:■:. ni.'.'i.Ti:
MISCELLANEOUS TABLE.
290 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
NAMES OF THE STATES OF THE UNION, AND THEIR SIGNIFICATIONS.
Virginia. — The oldest of the States, was so called in honor of Queen
Elizabeth, the "Virgin Queen," in whose reign Sir Walter Raleigh made
his first attempt to colonize that region.
Florida. — Ponce de Leon landed on the coast of Florida on Easter
Sunday, and called the country in commemoration of the day, which was
the Pasqua Florida of the Spaniards, or " Feast of Flowers."
Louisiana was called after Louis the Fourteenth, who at one time
owned that section of the country.
Alabama was so named by the Indians, and signifies " Here we Rest."
Mississippi is likewise an Indian name, meaning " Long River."
Arkansas, from Kansas, the Indian word for " smoky water." Its
prefix was really arc, the French word for " bow."
The Carolinas were originally one tract, and were called "Carolana,"
after Charles the Ninth of France.
Georgia owes its name to George the Second of England, who first
established a colony there in 1732.
Tennessee is the Indian name for the " River of the Bend," i. e., the
Mississippi which forms its western boundary.
Kentucky is the Indian name for " at the head of the river."
Ohio means " beautiful ; " Iowa, " drowsy ones ; " Minnesota, " cloudy
water," and Wisconsin, "wild-rushing channel."
Illinois is derived from the Indian word illini, men, and the French
suffix ois, together signifying " tribe of men."
Michigan was called by the name given the lake, fish-weir, which was
so styled from its fancied resemblance to a fish trap.
Missouri is from the Indian word " muddy," which more properly
applies to the river that flows through it.
Oregon owes its Indian name also to its principal river.
Cortes named California.
Massachusetts is the Indian for " The country around the great hills."
Connecticut, from the Indian Quon-ch-ta-Cut, signifying "Long
River."
Maryland, after Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles the First, of
England.
New York was named by the Duke of York.
Pennsylvania means " Penn's woods," and was so called after William
Penn, its orignal owner.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
291
Delaioare after Lord De La Ware.
New Jersey, so called in honor of Sir George Carteret, who was
Governor of the Island of Jersey, in the British Channel.
Maine was called after the province of Maine in France, in compli-
ment of Queen Henrietta of England, who owned that province.
Vermont, from the French word Vert Mont, signifying Green
Mountain.
New Hampshire, from Hampshire county in England. It was
formerly called Laconia.
The little State of Rhode Island owes its name to the Island of
Rhodes in the Mediterranean, which domain it is said to greatly
resemble.
Texas is the American word for the Mexican name by which all that
section of the country was called before it Avas ceded to the United States.
POPULATION OF THE
UNITED STATES.
POPULATION OF FIFTY
PRINCIPAL CITIES.
States and Territories.
Population.
Alabama.. ...
990. 992
484.471
560.247
537.454
12.-..0I.,
187.748
1.184.109
2.539.891
1.6811.037
1.191.792
364. 39!)
1.321.IH1
72(1.915
626.91.)
780.891
1.457.351
1.184.059
439.706
827.922
1,721 295
122.993
42.491
318.300
9H0.096
4.382.759
1.H71.361
2.665. 260
911.923
3.521.791
217.353
705.1106
1.258.520
HIS. 579
330.551
1.225.163
442.014
1,054.671)
38.113.253
Cities. 1 Population.
( .ili: 'i '.i.i
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Qeorgia
illii
Indiana
Kansas '!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kenim ky
Maine.. !'.. !!!!!'. '.!'.!!!!!. !!!!!!!'!!!!!!!!!!!!
Si ;-s ,. mi;-:i-, *
Michigan
Mlll-.e.ota
Mis-i"i|ipi
M:^.':ill
Nebraska
Mew II im'psiur. . .' .'.' .' .'
New Jersey
New York
N.M :h Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode 'Island
.south c.irolina
Tennessee
Vermont.
Virginia
We-t Virginia
Wisconsin
Total States
New York. N. Y
Philadelphia. Pa •••
Ill ...klvn, N. Y
sr. Louis, Mo
Chie.igo. Ill
Baltimore, Md
r.os: on. Mass
Cincinnati, Ohio
New Orleans. La
San Iraneis,.,. cal
I'.ullilo. N. Y
Washing]..: . Ii. c
Newark. N. J
Louisville, Kv
Cleveland, Ohio
I'lllsbure, Pa
Jersey Citv. N. J
Detroit. Mi, b
.Milwaukee. Wis
Albauv, N. Y
Providence. R. I
Rochester, N. Y
Allegheny, Pa
Kielinnmil. Va
New Haven, Conn
Charleston, s. c
Ind alio lis. I lid
Troy, N. Y
Syracuse, N. Y
Woreest.r. Marts
Lowell. Mass
.Mein|. hi-. T.-nil
< 'a in bridge, Mass
Hartford, Conn
S. ran loll. Pa
Heading, Pa
l'alersoll. N.J
Kansas City, Mo
M le. Ala
Toledo. Ohio
Portland. .Me
Columbus. Ohio
Winning Hel
Dayton, Ohio
Lawrence. .Marts
Utica, N. Y
Charlesrown. Mass
Savaiman. (la
I.viiii. Mass
Fall River, Moss
942,292
(.74.022
396.099
.110,864
298.977
267.354
250.526
216.239
191.418
1 19.473
117.714
109.199
105.059
1011.753
92.829
86.076
82.546
7L440
69,422
68,904
62,386
53.180
51.038
50.840
48.956
48.244
46,465
43.051
41,105
40.928
40.226
39,634
37,180
35,092
i .i.ia'.. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. !'!!!!!!
Ibsii ii l ..1 Columbia
Idaho
M.ncaua
Now Mexico
Dtah
Wyoming... .::::::::!'::::'.'.:'.:;: :::::;:::'.
9.658
39.864
14.181
131.700
14.999
20.595
91.874
80.786
23.955
9.118
33.579
32.260
32.034
31.584
31.413
31,274
30.841
30.473
28,921
28.804
28,323
Total Territories
Total United States
442.730
38.555.983
28! 233
26,766
MISCELL.AN EO IS IN FORMATION.
POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES.
States and
Territories.
K?
POPULATION.
Mil,-.-,
B. R.
1S72.
States and
Territories.
Al.-.l 111
^File's'.
POPTJXATIOW.
.Miles
R. R.
1873.
1870.
1875.
1870.
1875.
States.
511,723
52.19s
1SS9H1
■4 674
2,1 20
:, >.26s
5S.IIOII
55, 4 II)
:; l.sno
.-.:.. I) I.",
si. 31s
:i, Mil in
11,346
:;l.T Tf.
ll.lS-l
7. sun
-.ii.-4.-l
S3.531
47.156
I.5.35U
7. 5. 9 95
112.090
9.2SI.I
S 521)
17. nun
511.71)1
59.96 1
9 nn.no 2
484,471
rir,ii,-j.i7
5:17,4.-1
125.1115
187.748
.•:.-.. ios'-ii
1.5 i.i,:;7
1. I'll. 702
36 1,399
1.321.011
7211.015
11211, 01. "
7,-o,s9 1
l. i;.,..',M
1. IS 1.1)59
i in. 7in;
827.022
1.7 .'1.29.-
12:1093
42.101
,",1S Hill
9119,11911
I.5SJ 759
I.",l. nil
J. i,95, 2111
1,671
25
l. ii l.i
227
466
2. ins
5. on i
3.520
l. li.n
1.79H
1.123
si'
820
l.iin.i
2.355
1.1.12
990
2.5SU
828
505
7 0n
1.2115
4.471)
1.10(1
3.7 in
Statu*.
Pennsylvania
B.hod.e Island
South Carolina...
46,000
1,3(117
29.3S5
4 5, til in
237,5(14
111,312
411,904
23, nun
53,924
3,521.791
21,, 3 5 3
705,601)
1.358, 520
818.579
3 ,11,551
1,335.11.5
1 12.(114
1.U54.670
25.-1,23'.
925,145
California
1.201
1.490
485
Illinois ,....
i.35i>',.544
528,310
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Total States
Territories.
' 1,256.72!
1,950,171
113,916
1111,5111
117.491
60
9U 952
113 7 71,
121.201
su U5I1
69.944
93,107
38,113,253
9,658
39.S64
14.181
131. 700
14.000
211,505
91.874
86.786
23.955
9.118
857,039
l',H5i',!ll'2
1, :'.:'. I.ilil
598,429
Dist. of Columbia.
Mississippi
New Mexico
2Hi.2S(
52,540
l'. i 121.5 . 51 12
4.7n.5,2i)s
Washington
New Jersey
New York
Total Territories.
Aggregate of O. S..
* Included in
965. U32
442.730
1.265
« Last Censu
s of Mic
hlL-:t:i t Ilk
en in 1874
lit' llailroa.l Mil.-aiu-
of Maryla
d.
PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD:
Population and Area.
Date of Are:
Census. Sou
liilnti.il. ml-
in Square
Mile.
Russia
riiil,-,lM.,u-,uitl, .\
Prance
Great Britain anil Ii
tl, -in inn Kinpiiv. ..
Italy
Spain
Brazil
Turkey
Mexico
Sue, ten and Noma)
Persia
KelHiuin
Havana
I',.i luteal
Holland
in ilr,-n:i,l:i
Chili
Switzerland
Peru
Bolivia
Argentine Kepul.lie
\\ mi, uil.urg
lieuinaik
\ en./uela
Baden
Greece
Guatemala
Paraguay
Liberia'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'!::
s in Salvador
ilnvli
M<-:n igua
Tumidiy
Honduras
Sun Domingo
15, --la Uiea
Hawaii
16. 163.001)
9,173.unil
5,931 .50(1
5,000, Odd
5,1131.311,1
5.9SS 3,illl
5,11111), nun
-.Minn ,11,. u
2.669.10(1
3.- .nun
2 oil
1.S13 nun
1. sis, 51)11
- -S4.70U
1,784.'
1,500,1
.500,000
, I,
S23, 1 5s
71s oiio
i860
39(13. SSI
3111. U91
2405J48
I, ,5.91.1
11,373
29.202
40.870
518, 938
'kill
0.57 5
7.53,5
10.205
58,171
66.722
17.092
17.827
3 1.505
Pekin
London
St. Petersburg.
Washington ...
Paris
Vienna
Yeddo
London
Berlin
Rome
Madrid
Rio Janeiro....
Constantinople
Mexico
Stockholm
Teheran
Munich. '.::::'.:'.
Lisbou
Hague
Bogota
Santiago
Lima..'.'.'.'.'.' J.:
Chuquisaca
Buenos Ayres..
Stuttgart
Copenhagen —
Caraccas
Carlsruhe
Athens
Guatemala
Quito,
Asuncion
Darmstadt
Monrovia
Sal Salvador...
Port au Prince
Managua
Monte V.deo...
(omavagua....
San Domingo..
San Jose
Honolulu
224.063
911,1110
45,
115.4110
36 01111
160,
25,000
177'. sun
48,000
•I'M
5.
15,000
SO.0U0
10.000
44.500
12.01)0
2§:888
7,633
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
BILLS OF EXCHANGE AND PROMISSORY NOTES.
Upon negotiable bills, and notes payable in this State, grace shall be allowed
according to the law merchant. All the above mentioned paper falling due on
Sunday, New Year's Day, the Fourth of July, Christmas, or any day appointed
or recommended by the President of the United States or the Governor of the
State, as a day of fast or thanksgiving, shall be deemed as due on the day pre-
vious. No defense can be made against a negotiable instrument (assigned before
due) in the hands of the assignee without notice, except fraud was used in
obtaining the same. To hold an indorser, due diligence must be used by suit
against the maker or his representative. Notes payable to person named or to
order, in order to absolutely transfer title, must be indorsed by the payee.
Notes payable to bearer may be transferred by delivery, and when so payable,
every indorser thereon is held as a guarantor of payment, unless otherwise
expressed.
In computing interest or discount on negotiable instruments, a month shall
be considered a calendar month or twelfth of a year, and for less than a month,
a day shall be figured a thirtieth part of a month. Notes only bear interest
when so expressed ; but after due, they draw the legal interest, even if not
stated.
INTEREST.
The legal rate of interest is six per cent. Parties may agree, in writing,
on a rate not exceeding ten per cent. If a rate of interest greater than ten
per cent is contracted for, it works a forfeiture of ten per cent, to the school
fund, and only the principal sum can be recovered.
DESCENT.
The personal property of the deceased (except (1) that necessary for pay-
ment of debts and expenses of administration ; (2) property set apart to widow,
as exempt from execution ; (3) allowance by court, if necessary, of twelve
months' support to widow, and to children under fifteen years of age), including
life insurance, descends as does real estate.
One-third in value (absolutely) of all estates in real property, possessed by
■husband at any time during marriage, which have not been sold on execution
or other judicial sale, and to which the wife has made no relinquishment of her
right, shall be set apart as her property, in fee simple, if she survive him.
(293)
294 ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
The same share shall be set apart to the surviving husband of a deceased
wife.
The widow's share cannot be affected by any will of her husband's, unless
she consents, in writing thereto, within six months after notice to her of pro-
visions of the will.
The provisions of the statutes of descent apply alike to surviving husband
or surviving wife.
Subject to the above., the remaining estate of which the decedent died
siezed, shall in absence of other arrangements by will, descend
First. To his or her children and their descendants in equal pa'ts ; the
descendants of the deceased child or grandchild taking the sha,e o: their
deceased parents in equal shares among them.
Second. Where there is no child, nor descendant of such child, and no
widow or surviving husband, then to the parents of the deceased in equal parts ;
the surviving parent, if either be dead, taking the whole ; and if there is no
parent living, then to the brothers and sisters of the intestate and their descend-
ants.
Third. When there is a widow or surviving husband, and no child or chil-
dren, or descendants of the same, then one-half of the estate shall descend to
such widow or surviving husband, absolutely ; and the other half of the estate
shall descend as in other cases where there is no widow Or surviving husband,
or child or children, or descendants of the same.
Fourth. If there is no child, parent, brother or sister, or descendants of
either of them, then to wife of intestate, or to her heirs, if dead, according to
like rules.
Fifth. If any intestate leaves no child, parent, brother or sister, or de-
scendants of either of them, aud no widow or surviving husband, and no child,
parent, brother or sister (or descendant of either of them) of such widow or
surviving husband, it shall escheat to the State.
WILLS AND ESTATES OF DECEASED PERSONS.
No exact form of words are necessary in order to make a will good at law.
Every male person of the age of twenty-one years, and every female of the age
of eighteen years, of sound mind and memory, can make a valid will ; it must
be in writing, signed by the testator, or by some one in his or her presence, and1
by his or her express direction, and attested by two or more competent wit-
nesses. Care should be taken that the witnesses are not interested in the will.
Inventory to be made by executor or administrator within fifteen days from
date of letters testamentary or of administration. Executors' and administra-
tors' compensation on amount of personal estate distributed, and for proceeds of
sale of real estate, five per cent, for first one thousand dollars, two and one-half
per cent, on overplus up to five thousand dollars, and one per cent, on overplus
above five thousand dollars, with such additional allowance as shall be reasona-
ble for extra services.
Within ten days after the receipt of letters of administration, the executor
or administrator shall give such notice of appointment as the court or clerk shall
direct.
Claims (other than preferred) must be filed within one year thereafter, are
forever barred, unless the claim is pending in the District or Supreme Court, or
unless peculiar circumstances entitle the claimant to equitable relief.
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS. 295
Claims are classed and payable in the following order:
1. Expenses of administration.
2. Expenses of last sickness and funeral.
3. Allowance to widow and children, if made by the court.
4. Debts preferred under laws of the United States.
5. Public rates and taxes.
6. Claims filed within six months after the first publication of the notice
given by the executors of their appointment.
7. All other debts.
8. Legacies.
The award, or property which must be set apart to the widoio, in her own
right, by the executor, includes all personal property which, in the hands of the
deceased, as head of a family, would have been exempt from execution.
TAXES.
The owners of personal property, on the first day of January of each year,
and the owners of real property on the first day of November of each year, are
liable for the taxes thereon.
The following property is exempt from taxation, viz. :
1. The property of the United States and of this State, including univer-
sity, agricultural, college and school lands and all property leased to the State ;
property of a county, township, city, incorporated town or school district when
devoted entirely to the public use and not held for pecuniary profit ; public
grounds, including all places for the burial of the dead ; fire engines and all
implements for extinguishing fires, with the grounds used exclusively for their
buildings and for the meetings of the fire companies ; all public libraries,
grounds and buildings of literary, scientific, benevolent, agricultural and reli-
gious institutions, and societies devoted solely to the appropriate objects of these
institutions, not exceeding (340 acres in extent, and not leased or otherwise used
with a view of pecuniary profit ; and all property leased to agricultural, charit-
able institutions and benevolent societies, and so devoted during the term of such
lease ; provided, that all deeds, by which such property is held, shall be duly
filed for record before the property therein described shall be omitted , from the
2. The books, papers and apparatus belonging to the above institutions;
used solely for the purposes above contemplated, and the like property of stu-
dents in any such institution, used for their education.
3. Money and credits belonging exclusively to such institutions and devoted
solely to sustaining them, but not exceeding in amount or income the sum pre-
scribed by their charter.
4. Animals not hereafter specified, the wool shorn from sheep, belonging to
the person giving the list, his farm produce harvested within one year previous
to the listing ; private libraries not exceeding three hundred dollars in value ;
family pictures, kitchen furniture, beds and bedding requisite for each family,
all wearing apparel in actual use, and all food provided for the family ; but no
person from whom a compensation for board or lodging is received or expected,
is to be considered a member of the family within the intent of this clause.
5. The polls or estates or both of persons who, by reason of age or infirm-
ity, may, in the opinion of the Assessor, be unable to contribute to the public
296 ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
revenue ; such opinion and the fact upon which it is based being in all cases
reported to the Board of Equalization by the Assessor or any other person, and
subject to reversal by them.
6. The farming utensils of any person who makes his livelihood by farming,
and the tools of any mechanic, not in either case to exceed three hundred dollars
in value.
7. Government lands entered or located or lands purchased from this State,
should not be taxed for the year in which the entry, location or purchase is
made.
There is also a suitable exemption, in amount, for planting fruit trees or
forest trees or hedges.
Where buildings are destroyed by fire, tornado or other unavoidable casu-
alty, after being assessed for the year, the Board of Supervisors may rebate
taxes for that year on the property destroyed, if same has not been sold for
taxes, and if said taxes have not been delinquent for thirty days at the time of
destruction of the property, and the rebate shall be allowed for such loss only
as is not covered by insurance.
All other property is subject to taxation. Every inhabitant of full age and
sound mind shall assist the Assessor in listing all taxable property of which
he is the owner, or which he controls or manages, either as agent, guardian,
, father, husband, trustee, executor, accounting officer, partner, mortgagor or
lessor, mortgagee or lessee.
Road beds of railway corporations shall not be assessed to owners of adja-
cent property, but shall be considered the property of the companies for pur-
poses of taxation ; nor shall real estate used as a public highway be assessed
and taxed as part of adjacent lands whence the same was taken for such public
purpose.
The property of railway, telegraph and express companies shall be listed
and assessed for taxation as the property of an individual would be listed and
assessed for taxation. Collection of taxes made as in the case of an individual.
The Township Board of Equalization shall meet first Monday in April of
each year. Appeal lies to the Circuit Court.
The County Board of Eqalization (the Board of Supervisors) meet at their
regular session in June of each year. Appeal lies to the Circuit Court.
Taxes become delinquent February 1st of each year, payable, without
interest or penalty, at any time before March 1st of each year.
Tax sale is held on first Monday in October of each year.
Redemption may be made at any time within three years after date of sale,
by paying to the County Auditor the amount of sale, and twenty per centum of
such "amount immediately added as penalty, with ten per cent, interest per
annum on the whole amount thus made from the day of sale, and also all sub-
sequent taxes, interest and costs paid by purchaser after March 1st of each
year, and a similar penalty of twenty per centum added as before, with ten per
cent, interest as before.
If notice has been given, by purchaser, of the date at which the redemption
is limited, the cost of same is added to the redemption money. Ninety days'
notice is required, by the statute, to be published by the purchaser or holder of
certificate, to terminate the right of redemption.
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS Z3<
JURISDICTION OF COURTS
DISTRICT COURTS
have jurisdiction, general and original, both civil and criminal, except in such
cases where Circuit Courts have exclusive jurisdiction. District Courts have
exclusive supervision over courts of Justices of the Peace and Magistrates, in
criminal matters, on appeal and writs of error.
CIRCUIT COURTS
have jurisdiction, general and original, with the District Courts, in all civil
actions and special proceedings, and exclusive jurisdiction in all appeals and
writs of error from inferior courts, in civil matters. And exclusive jurisdiction
in matters of estates and general probate business.
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE
have jurisdiction in civil matters where $100 or less is involved. By consent
of parties, the jurisdiction may be extended to an amount not exceeding $300.
They have jurisdiction to try and determine all public offense less than felony,
committed within their respective counties, in which the fine, by law, does not
exceed $100 or the imprisonment thirty days.
LIMITATION OF ACTIONS.
Action for injuries to the person or reputation; for a stutute penalty; and
to enforce a mechanics' lien, must be brought in two (2) years.
Those against a public officer within three (3) years.
Those founded on unwritten contracts; for injuries to property; for relief
on the ground of fraud ; and all other actions not otherwise provided for, within
five (5) years.
Those founded on written contracts; on judgments of any court (except
those provided for in next section), and for the recovery of real property, within
ten (10) years.
Those founded on judgment of any court of record in the United States,
within twenty (20) years.
All above limits, except those for penalties and forfeitures, are extended in
favor of minors and insane persons, until one year after the disability is removed
— time during which defendant is a non-resident of the State shall not be
included in computing any of the above periods.
Actions for the recovery of real property, sold for non-payment of taxes,
must be brought within five years after the Treasurer's Deed is executed
and recorded, except where a minor or convict or insane person is the owner,
and they shall be allowed five years after disability is removed, in which to
bring action.
JURORS.
All qualified electors of the State, of good moral character, sound judgment,
and in full possession of the senses of hearing and seeing, are competent jurors
in their respective counties.
United States officers, practicing attorneys, physieians and clergymen,
acting professors or teachers in institutions of learning, and persons disabled by
298 ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
bodily infirmity or over sixty-five years of age, are exempt from liability to act
as jurors.
Any person may be excused from serving on a jury when his own interests
or the public's will be materially injured by his attendance, or when the state of
his health or the death, or sickness of his family requires his absence.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
was restored by the Seventeenth General Assembly, making it optional with
the jury to inflict it or not.
A MARRIED WOMAN
may convey or incumber real estate, or interest therein, belonging to her ; may
control the same or contract with reference thereto, as other persons may con-
vey, encumber, control or contract.
She may own, acquire, hold, convey and devise property, as her husband
may.
Her husband is not liable for civil injuries committed by her.
She may convey property to her husband, and he may convey to her.
She may constitute her husband her attorney in fact.
EXEMPTIONS FROM EXECUTION.
A resident of the State and head of a family may hold the following prop-
erty exempt from execution : All wearing apparel of himself and family kept for
actual use and suitable to the condition, and the trunks or other receptacles nec-
essary to contain the same ; one musket or rifle and shot-gun ; all private
libraries,' family Bibles, portraits, pictures, musical instruments, and paintings
not kept for the purpose of sale ; a seat or pew occupied by the debtor or his
family in any house of public worship ; an interest in a public or private burying
ground not exceeding one acre ; two cows and a calf; one horse, unless a horse
is exempt as hereinafter provided ; fifty sheep and the wool therefrom, and the
materials manufactured from said wool ; six stands of bees ; five hogs and all
pigs under six months ; the necessary food for exempted animals for six months ;
all flax raised from one acre of ground, and manufactures therefrom ; one bed-
stead and necessary bedding for every two in the family ; all cloth manufactured
by the defendant not exceeding one hundred yards ; household and kitchen fur-
niture not exceeding two hundred dollars in value ; all spinning wheels and
looms ; one sewing machine and other instruments of domestic laber kept for
actual use ; the necessary provisions and fuel for the use of the family for six
months ; the proper tools, instruments, or books of the debtor, if a farmer,
mechanic, surveyor, clergyman, lawyer, physician, teacher or professor; the
horse or the team, consisting of not more than two horses or mules, or two yokes
of cattle, and the wagon or other vehicle, with the proper harness or tackle, by
the use of which the debtor, if a physician, public officer, farmer, teamster or
other laborer, habitually earns his living ; and to the debtor, if a printer, there
shall also be exempt a printing press and the types, furniture and material nec-
essary for the use of such printing press, and a newspaper office to the value of
twelve hundred dollars; the earnings of such debtor, or those of his family, at
any time within ninety days next preceding the levy.
Persons unmarried and not the head of a family, and non-residents, have
exempt their own ordinary wearing apparel 'and trunks to contain the same.
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS. 299
There is also exempt, to a head of a family, a homestead, not exceeding forty
acres; or, if inside city limits, one-half acre with improvements, value not
limited. The homestead is liable for all debts contracted prior to its acquisition as
such, and is subject to mechanics' liens for work or material furnished for the same.
An article, otherwise exempt, is liable, on execution, for the purchase
money thereof.
Where a debtor, if a head of a family, has started to leave the State, he shall
have exempt only the ordinary wearing apparel of himself and family, and
other property in addition, as he may select, in all not exceeding seventy-five
dollars in value.
A policy of life insurance shall inure to the separate use of the husband or
wife and children, entirely independent of his or her creditors.
ESTRAYS.
An unbroken animal shall not be taken up as an estray between May 1st
and November 1st, of each year, unless the same be found within the lawful
enclosure of a householder, who alone can take up such animal, unless some
other person gives him notice of the fact of such animal coming on his place ;
and if he fails, within five days thereafter, to take up such estray, any other
householder of the township may take up such estray and proceed with it as if
taken on his own premises, provided he shall prove to the Justice of the Peace
such notice, and shall make affidavit where such estray was taken up.
Any swine, sheep, goat, horse, neat cattle or other animal distrained (for
damage done to one's enclosure), when the owner is not known, shall be treated
as an estray.
Within five days after taking up an estray, notice, containing a full descrip-
tion thereof, shall be posted up in three of the most public places in the town-
ship ; and in ten days, the person taking up such estray shall go before a Justice
of the Peace in the township and make oath as to where such estray was taken
up, and that the marks or brands have not been altered, to his knowledge. The
estray shall then be appraised, by order of the Justice, and the appraisement,
description of the size, age, color, sex, marks and brands of the estray shall be
entered by the Justice in a book kept for that purpose, and he shall, within ten
days thereafter, send a certified copy thereof to the County Auditor.
When the appraised value of an estray does not exceed five dollars, the
Justice need not proceed further than to enter the description of the estray on
his book, and if no owner appears within six months, the property shall vest in
the finder, if he has complied with the law and paid all costs.
Where appraised value of estray exceeds five and is less than ten dollars, if
no owner appears in nine months, the finder has the property, if he has com-
plied with the law and paid costs.
An estray, legally taken up, may be used or worked with care and
moderation.
If any person unlawfully take up an estray, or take up an estray and fail to
comply with the law regarding estrays, or use or work it contrary to above, or
work it before having it appraised, or keep such estray out of the county more
than five days at one time, before acquiring ownership, such offender shall forfeit
to the county twenty dollars, and the owner may recover double damages with
costs.
If the owner of any estray fail to claim and prove his title for one year after
the taking up, and the finder shall have complied with the law, a complete title
vests in the finder.
300 ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
But if the owner appear within eighteen months from the taking up, prove
his ownership and pay all costs and expenses, the finder shall pay him the
appraised value of such estray, or may, at his option, deliver up the estray.
WOLF SCALPS.
A bounty of one dollar is paid for wolf scalps.
MARKS AND BRANDS.
Any person may adopt his own mark or brand for his domestic animals, and
have a description thereof recorded by the Township Clerk.
No person shall adopt the recorded mark or brand of any other person
residing in his township.
DAMAGES FROM TRESPASS.
When any person's lands are enclosed by a lawful fence, the owner of any
domestic animal injuring said lands is liable for the damages, and the damages
may be recovered by suit against the owner, or may be made by distraining the
animals doing the damage ; and if the party injured elects to recover by action
against the owner, no appraisement need be made by the Trustees, as in case of
distraint.
When trespassing animals are distrained within twenty-four hours, Sunday
not included, the party injured shall notify the owner of said animals, if known ;
and if the owner fails to satisfy the party within twenty-four hours thereafter,
the party shall have the township Trustees assess the damage, and notice shall
be posted up in three conspicuous places in the township, that the stock, or part
thereof, shall, on the tenth day after posting the notice, between the hours of 1
and 3 P. M., be sold to the highest bidder, to satisfy said damages, with costs.
Appeal lies, within twenty days, from the action of the Trustees to the Cir-
cuit Court.
Where stock is restrained, by police regulation or by law, from running at
large, any person injured in his improved or cultivated lands by any domestic
animal, may, by action against the owner of such animal, or by distraining such
animal, recover his damages, whether the lands whereon the injury was done
were inclosed by a lawful fence or not.
FENCES.
A lawful fence is fifty-four inches high, made of rails, wire or boards, with
posts not more than ten feet apart where rails are used, and eight feet where
boards are used, substantially built and kept in good repair ; or any other fence
which, in the opinion of the Fence Viewers, shall be declared a lawful fence —
provided the lower rail, wire or board be not more that twenty nor less than six-
teen inches from the ground.
The respective owners of lands enclosed with fences shall maintain partition
fences between their own and next adjoining enclosure so long as they improve
them in equal shares, unless otherwise agreed between them.
If any party neglect to maintain such partition fence as he should maintain,
the Fence Viewers (the township Trustees), upon complaint of aggrieved party,
may, upon due notice to both parties, examine the fence, and, if found insuf-
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS. 301
ficient, notify the delinquent party, in writing, to repair or re-build the same
■within such time as they judge reasonable.
If the fence be not repaired or rebuilt accordingly, the complainant may do
so, and the same being adjudged sufficient by the Fence Viewers, and the
value thereof, with their fees, being ascertained and certified under their hands,
the complainant may demand of the delinquent the sum so ascertained, and if
the same be not paid in one month after demand, may recover it with one per
cent a month interest, by action.
In case of disputes, the Fence Viewers may decide as to who. shall erect or
maintain partition fences, and in what time the same shall be done; and in case
any party neglect to maintain or erect such part as may be assigned to him,
the aggrieved party may erect and maintain the same, and recover double
damages.
No person, not wishing his land inclosed, and not using it otherwise than in
common, shall be compelled to maintain any partition fence ; but when he uses
or incloses his land otherwise than in common, he shall contribute to the parti-
tion fences.
Where parties have had their lands inclosed in common, arid one of the
owners desires to occupy his separate and apart from the other, and the other
refuses to divide the line or build a sufficient fence on the line when divided,
the Fence Viewers may divide and assign, and upon neglect of the other to
build as ordered by the Viewers, the one may build the other's part and
recover as above.
And when one incloses land which has lain uninclosed, he must pay for
one-half of each partition fence between himself and his neighbors.
Where one desires to lay not less than twenty feet of his lands, adjoining
his neighbor, out to the public to be used in common, he must give his neighbor
six months' notice thereof.
Where a fence has been built on the land of another through mistake, the
owner may enter upon such premises and remove his fence and material withn
six months after the division line has been ascertained. W here the material to
build such a fence has been taken from the land on which it was built, then,
before it can be removed, the person claiming must first pay for such material
to the owner of the land from which it was taken, nor shall such a fence be
removed at a time when the removal will throw open or expose the crops of the
other party; a reasonable time must be given beyond the six months to remove
crops.
MECHANICS' LIENS.
Every mechanic, or other person who shall do any labor upon, or furnish
any materials, machinery or fixtures for any building, erection or other improve-
ment upon land, including those engaged in the construction or repair of any
work of internal improvement, by virtue of any contract with the owner, his
agent, trustee, contractor, or sub-contractor, shall have a lien, on complying
with the forms of law, upon the building or other improvement for his labor
done or materials furnished.
It would take too large a space to detail the manner in which a sub-
contractor secures his lien. He should file, within thirty days after the last of
the labor was performed, or the last of the material shall have been furnished,
with the Clerk of the District Court a true account of the amount due him, after
allowing all credits, setting forth the time when such material was furnished or
labor performed, and when completed, and containing a correct description of
302 ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
the property sought to be charged with the lien, and the whole verified by
affidavit.
A principal contractor must file such an affidavit within ninety days, as
above.
Ordinarily, there are so many points to be examined in order to secure a
mechanics' lien, that it is much better, unless one is accustomed to managing
such liens, to consult at once with an attorney.
Remember that the proper time to file the claim is ninety days for a princi-
pal contractor, thirty days for a sub-contractor, as above ; and that actions to
enforce these liens must be commenced within two years, and the rest can much
better be done with an attorney.
ROADS AND BRIDGES.
Persons meeting each other on the public highways, shall give one-half of
the same by turning to the right. All persons failing to observe this rule shall
be liable to pay all damages resulting therefrom, together with a fine, not exceed-
ing five dollars.
The prosecution must be instituted on the complaint of the person wronged.
Any person guilty of racing horses, or driving upon the public highway, in
a manner likely to endanger the persons or the lives of others, shall, on convic-
tion, be fined not exceeding one hundred dollars or imprisoned not exceeding
thirty days.
It is a misdemeanor, without authority from the proper Road Supervisor, to
break upon, plow or dig within the boundary lines of any public highway.
The money tax levied upon the property in each road district in each town-
ship (except the general Township Fund, set apart for purchasing tools, machin-
ery and guide boards), whether collected by the Road Supervisor or County
Treasurer, shall be expended for highway purposes in that district, and no part
thereof shall be paid out or expended for the benefit of another district.
The Road Supervisor of each district, is bound to keep the roads and bridges
therein, in as good condition as the funds at his disposal will permit ; to put '
guide boards at cross roads and forks of highways in his district ; and when noti-
fied in writing that any portion of the public highway, or any bridge is unsafe,
must in a reasonable time repair the same, and for this purpose may call out
any or all the able bodied men in the district, but not more than two days at
one time, without their consent.
Also, when notified in writing, of the growth of any Canada thistles upon
vacant or non-resident lands or lots, within his district, the owner, lessee or
agent thereof being unknown, shall cause the same to be destroyed.
Bridges when erected or maintained by the public, are parts of the highway,
and must not be less than sixteen feet wide.
A penalty is imposed upon any one who rides or drives faster than a walk
across any such bridge.
The manner of establishing, vacating or altering roads, etc., is so well known
to all township officers, that it is sufficient here to say that the first step is by
petition, filed in the Auditor's office, addressed in substance as follows :
The Board of Supervisors of County : The undersigned asks that
a highway, commencing at and running thence and terminating
at , be established, vacated or altered (as the case may be.)
When the petition is filed, all necessary and succeeding steps will be shown
and explained to the petitioners by the Auditor.
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
ADOPTION OF CHILDREN.
Any person competent to make a will can adopt as his own the minor child
of another. The consent of both parents, if living and not divorced or separ-
ated, and if divorced or separated, or if unmarried, the consent of the parent
lawfully having the custody of the child ; or if either parent is dead, then the
consent of the survivor, or if both parents be dead, or the child have been and
remain abandoned by them, then the consent of the Mayor of the city where
the child is living, or if not in the city, then of the Clerk of the Circuit Court
of the county shall be given to such adoption by an instrument in writing,
signed by party or parties consenting, and stating the names of the parties, if
known, the name of the child, if known, the name of the person adopting such
child, and the residence of all, if known, and declaring the name by which the
child is thereafter to be called and known, and stating, also, that such child is
given to the person adopting, for the purpose of adoption as his own child.
The person adopting shall also sign said instrument, and all the parties shall
acknowledge the same in the manner that deeds conveying lands shall be
acknowledged.
The insti-ument shall be recorded in the office of the County Recorder.
SURVEYORS AND SURVEYS.
There is in every county elected a Surveyor known as County Surveyor,
who has power to appoint deputies, for whose official acts he is responsible. It
is the duty of the County Surveyor, either by himself or his Duputy, to make
all surveys that he may be called upon to make within his county as soon as
may be after application is made. The necessary chainmen and other assist-
ance must be employed by the person requiring the same to be done, and to be
by him paid, unless otherwise agreed ; but the chainmen must be disinterested
persons and approved by the Surveyor and sworn by him to measure justly and
impartially. Previous to any survey, he shall furnish himself with a copy of
the field notes of the original survey of the same land, if there be any in the
office of the County Auditor, and his survey shall be made in accordance there-
with.
Their fees are three dollars per day. For certified copies of field notes,
twenty-five cents.
SUPPORT OF POOR,
The father, mother and children of any poor person who has applied for aid,
and who is unable to maintain himself by work, shall, jointly or severally,
maintain such poor person in such manner as may be approved by the Town-
ship Trustees.
In the absence or inability of nearer relatives, the same liability shall extend
to the grandparents, if of ability without personal labor, and to the male grand-
children who are of ability, by personal labor or otherwise.
The Township Trustees may, upon the failure of such relatives to maintain
a poor person, who has made application for relief, apply to the Circuit Court
for an order to compel the same.
Upon ten days' notice, in writing, to the parties sought to be charged, a
hearing may be had, and an order made for entire or partial support of the poor
person.
304 ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
Appeal may be taken from such judgment as from other judgments of the
Circuit Court.
When any person, having any estate, abandons either children, wife or hus-
band, leaving them chargeable, or likely to become chargeable, upon the public for
support, upon proof of above fact, an order may be had from the Clerk of the
Circuit Court, or Judge, authorizing the Trustees or the Sheriff to take into
sion such estate.
The Court may direct such personal estate to be sold, to be applied, as well
as the rents and profits of the real estate, if any, to the support of children,
wife or husband.
If the party against whom the order is issued return and support the per-
son abandoned, or give security for the same, the order shall be discharged, and
the property taken returned.
The mode of relief for the poor, through the action of the Township
Trustees, or the action of the Board of Supervisors, is so well known to every
township officer, and the circumstances attending applications for relief are so
varied, that it need now only be said that it is the duty of each county to pro-
vide for its poor, no matter at what place they may be.
LANDLORD AND TENANT.
A tenant giving notice to quit demised premises at a time named, and after-
ward holding over, and a tenant or his assignee willfully holding over the prem-
ises after the term, and after notice to quit, shall pay double rent.
Any person in possession of real property, with the assent of the owner, is
presumed to be a tenant at will until the contrary is shown.
Thirty days' notice, in writing, is necessary to be given by either party
before he can terminate a tenancy at will ; but when, in any case, a rent is
reserved payable at intervals of less than thirty days, the length of notice need
not be greater than such interval betweeu the days of payment. In case of
tenants occupying and cultivating farms, the notice must fix the termination of
the tenancy to take place on the 1st day of March, except in cases of field
tenants or croppers, whose leases shall be held to expire when the crop is har-
vested ; provided, that in case of a crop of corn, it shall not be later than the
1st day of December, unless otherwise agreed upon. But when an express
agreement is made, whether the same has been reduced to writing or not,
the tenancy shall cease at the time agreed upon, without notice.
But where an express agreement is made, whether reduced to writing or
not, the tenancy shall cease at the time agreed upon, without notice.
If such tenant cannot be found in the county, the notices above required
may be given to any sub-tenant or other person in possession of the premises ;
or, if the premises be vacant, by affixing the notice to the principal door of the
building or in some conspicuous position on the land, if there be no building.
The landlord shall have a lien for his rent upon all the crops grown on the
premises, and upon any other personal property of the tenant used on the
premises during the term, and not exempt from execution, for the period of one
year after a year's rent or the rent of a shorter period claimed falls due ; but
such lien shall not continue more than six months after the expiration of the
term.
The lien may be effected by the commencement of an action, within the
period above prescribed, for the rent alone ; and the landlord is entitled to a writ
\nsn: \«t OS tOWA state laws.
of attachment, upon filing an affidavit that the action is commenced to rcover
rent accrued within one year previous thereto upon the premises described in the
affidavit.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
Whenever any of the following articles shall be contracted for, or sold or
delivered, and no special contract or agreement shall be made to the contrary,
the weight per bushel shall be as follows, to- wit:
Apples, Tenches or Quinces, 48
Cherries, Grapes, Currants or Gooseberries, 40
Strawberries, Raspberries or Blackberries, 82
Osage Orange Seed 32
Millet Seed 45
Stone Coal 80
Lime .. 80
Corn in I
Wheat...
Potatoes
Clover Seed 60
Onions 57
Shelled Corn 56
Rye 56
Flax Seed 56
Sweet Potatoes 46
Salt
Castor I Jeans
46
Timothy Seed..
Hemp Seed
Dried Peaches.
Oats
Dried Apples 24
Bran 20
Blue Grass Seed 14
Hungarian Grass Seed 45
Penalty for giving less than the above standard
and five dollars addition thereto as a fine.
treble damages and
DEFINITION OF COMMERCIAL TERMS.
$ means dollars, being a contraction of IT. S., which was formerly placed
before any denomination of money, and meant, as it means now, United States
Currency.
£ means founds, English money.
@ stands for at or to ; ft> for pounds, and bbl. for barrels ; *§ for per or by
the. Thus, Butter sells at 20@30e ^ ft, and Flour at $8(^$12 f bbl.
% for per cent., and J for number.
May 1. Wheat sells at $1.20(« $1.25, " seller June." Seller June means
that the person who sells the wheat has the privilege of delivering it at any
time during the month of June.
Selling short, is contracting to deliver a certain amount of grain or stock,
at a fixed price, within a certain length of time, when the seller has not the
stock on hand. It is for the interest of the person selling "short" to depress
the market as much as possible, in order that he may buy and fill his contract
at a profit. Hence the "shorts" are termed "bears."
Buying long, is to contract to purchase a certain amount of grain or shares
of stock at a fixed price, deliverable within a stipulated time, expecting to make
a profit by the rise in prices. The " longs " are termed " bulls." as it is for
their interest to "operate" so as to "toss" the prices upward as much as
306 ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
NOTES.
Form of note is legal, worded in the simplest way, so that the amount and
tine of payment are mentioned :
$100. Chicago, 111., Sept. 15, 1876.
Sixty days from date I promise to pay to E. F. Brown or order, one hun-
dred dollars, for value received. L. D. Lowry.
A note to be payable in anything else than money needs only the facts sub-
stituted for money in the above form.
ORDERS.
Orders should be worded simply, thus :
Mr. F. H. Coats : Chicago, Sept. 15, 1876.
Please pay to H. Birdsall twenty-five dollars, and charge to
F. D. Silva.
RECEIPTS.
Receipts should always state when received and what for, thus :
$100. Chicago, Sept. 15, 1876.
Received of J. W. Davis, one hundred dollars, for services
rendered in grading his lot in Fort Madjson, on account.
Thomas Brady.
If receipt is in full, it should be so stated.
BILLS OF PURCHASE.
W. N. Mason, Salem, Illinois, Sept. 18, 1876.
Bought of A. A. Graham.
4 Bushels of Seed Wheat, at $1.50 $6 00
2 Seamless Sacks " 30 60
Received payment, $6 60
A. A. Graham.
CONFESSION OF JUDGMENT.
Iowa, , 18-
after date — promises to pay to the order of , dollars,
at , for value received, with interest at ten per cent, per annum after
until paid. Interest payable , and on interest not paid when due,
interest at same rate and conditions.
A failure to pay said interest, or any part, thereof, within 20 days after due, shall cause the
whole note to become due and collectable at once.
If this note is sued, or judgment is confessed hereon, § shall be allowed as attorney fees.
No. — . P. O. , .
CONFESSION OF JUDGMENT.
Court of County, Iowa, , of
County, Iowa, do hereby confess that justly indebted to , in the
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS. 307
sum of dollars, and the further sum of $ as attorney fees, with
interest thereon at ten per cent, from , and — hereby confess judgment
against r as defendant in favor of said , for said sum of $ ,
and $ as attorney fees, hereby authorizing the Clerk of the Court of
said county to enter up judgment for said sum against with costs, and
interest at 10 per cent, from , the interest to be paid .
Said debt and judgment being for .
It is especially agreed, however, That if this judgment is paid within twenty
days after due, no attorney fees need be paid. And hereby sell, convey
and release all right of homestead we now occupy in favor of said so
far as this judgment is concerned, and agree that it shall be liable on execution
for this judgment.
Dated , 18—. .
The State of Iowa, \
County. /
being duly sworn according to law, depose and say that the forego-
ing statement and Confession of Judgment was read over to , and that —
understood the contents thereof, and that the statements contained therein are
true, and that the sums therein mentioned are justly to become due said
as aforesaid.
Sworn to and subscribed before me and in my presence by the said
this day of , 18 — . ■ , Notary Public.
ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT.
An agreement is where one party promises to another to do a certain thing
in a certain time for a stipulated sum. Good business men always reduce an
agreement to writing, which nearly always saves misunderstandings and trouble.
No particular form is necessary, but the facts must be clearly and explicitly
stated, and there must, to make it valid, be a reasonable consideration.
GENERAL FORM OF AGREEMENT.
This Agreement, made the Second day of June, 1878, between John
Jones, of Keokuk, County of Lee, State of Iowa, of the first part, and Thomas
Whiteside, of the same place, of the second part —
WITNESSETH, that the said John Jones, in consideration of the agreement
of the party of the second part, hereinafter contained, contracts and agrees to
and with the said Thomas Whiteside, that he will deliver in good and market-
able condition, at the Village of Melrose, Iowa, during the month of November,
of this year, One Hundred Tons of Prairie Hay, in the following lots, and at
the following specified times ; namely, twenty-five tons by the seventh of Nov-
ember, twenty-five tons additional by the fourteenth of the month, twenty-five
tons more by the twenty-first, and the entire one hundred tons to be all delivered
by the thirtieth of November.
And the said Thomas Whiteside, in consideration of the prompt fulfillment
of this contract, on the part of the party of the first part, contracts to and agrees
with the said John Jones, to pay for said hay five dollars per ton, for each ton
as soon as delivered.
308 ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
In case of failure of agreement by either of the parties hereto, it is hereby
stipulated and agreed that the party so failing shall pay to the other, One Hun-
dred dollars, as fixed and settled damages.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands the day and year first
above written. John Jones,
Thomas Whiteside.
agreement with clerk for services.
This Agreement, made the first day of May, one thousand eight hundred
and seventy-eight, between Reuben Stone, of Dubuque, County of Dubuque,
State of Iowa, party of the first part, and George Barclay, of McGregor,
County of Clayton, State of Iowa, party of the second part —
WITNESSETH, that said George Barclay agrees faithfully and diligently to
work as clerk and salesman for the said Reuben Stone, for and during the space
of one year from the date hereof, should both live such length of time, without
absenting himself from his occupation ; during which time he, the said Barclay, in
the store of said Stone, of Dubuque, will carefully and honestly attend, doing
and performing all duties as clerk and salesman aforesaid, in accordance and in
all respects as directed and desired by the said Stone.
In consideration of which services, so to be rendered by the said Barclay, the
said Stone agrees to pay to said Barclay the annual sum of one thousand dol-
lars, payable in twelve equal monthly payments, each upon the last day of each
month ; provided that all dues for days of absence from business by said Barclay,
shall be deducted from the sum otherwise by the agreement due and payable bj
the said Stone to the said Barclay.
Witness our hands. Reuben Stone.
George Barclay.
BILLS OF SALE.
A bill of sale is a written agreement to another party, for a consideration to
convey his right and interest in the personal property. The purchaser must
take actual fjossession of the property, or the bill of sale must be acknowledged
and recorded.
COMMON FORM OF BILL OF SALE.
Know all Men by this instrument, that I, Louis Clay, of Burlington,
Iowa, of the first part, for and in consideration of Five Hundred and Ten
Dollars, to me paid by John Floyd, of the same place, of the second part, the
receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, have sold, and by this instrument do
convey unto the said Floyd, party of the second part, his executors, administra-
tors and assigns, my undivided half of ten acres of corn, now growing on the
arm of Thomas Tyrell, in the town above mentioned ; one pair of horses,
sixteen sheep, and five cows, belonging to me and in my possession at the farm
aforesaid ; to have and to hold the same unto the party of the second part, his
executors and assigns forever. And I do, for myself and legal representatives,
agree with the said party of the second part, and his legal representatives, to
warrant and defend the sale of the afore-mentioned property and chattels unto
the said party of the second part, and his legal representatives, against all and
every person whatsoever.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my hand, this tenth day of
October, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Louis Clay.
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS. 309
NOTICE TO QUIT.
To John Wontpay :
You are hereby notified to quit the possession of the premises you now
occupy to wit :
[Insert Description.]
on or before thirty days from the date of this notice.
Dated January 1, 1878. Landlord.
[Reverse for Notice to Landlord.']
GENERAL FORM OF WILL FOR REAL AND PERSONAL
PROPERTY.
I, Charles Mansfield, of the Town of Bellevue, County of Jackson, State
of Iowa, being aware of the uncertainty of life, and in failing health, but of
sound mind and memory, do make and declare this to be my last will and tes-
tament, in manner following, to-wit :
First. I give, devise and bequeath unto my eldest son, Sidney H. Mans-
field, the sum of Two Thousand Dollars, of bank stock, now in the Third
National Bank, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the farm owned by myself, in the
Township of Iowa, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, with all the
houses, tenements and improvements thereunto belonging ; to have and to hold
unto my said son, his heirs and assigns, forever.
Second. I give, devise and bequeath to each of my two daughters, Anna
Louise Mansfield and Ida Clara Mansfield, each Two Thousand Dollars in bank
stock in the Third National Bank of Cincinnati, Ohio; and also, each one
quarter section of land, owned by myself, situated in theTownship of Fairfield,
and recorded in my name in the Recorder's office, in the county where such land
is located. The north one hundred and sixty acres of said half section is
devised to my eldest daughter, Anna Louise. ,
Third. I give, devise and bequeath to my son, Frank Alfred Mansfield, five
shares of railroad stock in the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and my one hundred
and sixty acres of land, and saw-mill thereon, situated in Manistee, Michigan,
with all the improvements and appurtenances thereunto belonging, which said
real estate is recorded in my name, in the county where situated.
Fourth. I give to my wife, Victoria Elizabeth Mansfield, all my household
furniture, goods, chattels and personal property, about my home, not hitherto
disposed of, including Eight Thousand Dollars of bank stock in the Third
National Bank of Cincinnati, Ohio, fifteen shares in the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad, and the free and unrestricted use, possession and benefit of the home
farm so long as she may live, in lieu of dower, to which she is entitled by law
— said farm being my present place of residence.
Fifth. I bequeath to my invalid father, Elijah H. Mansfield, the income
from rents of my store building at 145 Jackson street, Chicago, Illinois, during
the term of his natural life. Said building and land therewith to revert to
my said sons and daughters in equal proportion, upon the demise of my said
father.
Sixth. It is also my will and desire that, at the death of my wife, Victoria
Elizabeth Mansfield, or at any time when she may arrange to relinquish her
S1U ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
life interest in the above mentioned homestead, the same may revert to my
above named children, or to the lawful heirs of each.
And lastly. I nominate and appoint as the executors of this, my last will
and testament, my wife, Victoria Elizabeth Mansfield, and my eldest son, Sidney
H. Mansfield.
I further direct that my debts and necessary funeral expenses shall be paid
from moneys now on deposit in the Savings Bank of Bellevue, the residue of
such moneys to revert to my wife, Victoria Elizabeth Mansfield, for her use for-
ever.
In witness whereof, I, Charles Mansfield, to this my last will and testament,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this fourth day of April, eighteen hundred
and seventy-two.
Charles Mansfield.
Signed, and declared by Charles Mansfield, as and for his last will and tes-
ment, in the presence of us, who, at his request, and in his presence, and in
the presence of each other, have subscribed our names hereunto as witnesses
thereof. Peter A. Schenck, Dubuque, Iowa,
Frank E. Dent, Bellevue, Iowa.
CODICIL.
Whereas I, Charles Mansfield, did, on the fourth day of April, one thousand
eight hundred and seventy-two, make my last will and testament, I do now, by
this writing, add this codicil to my said will, to be taken as a part thereof.
Whereas, by the dispensation of Providence, my daughter, Anna Louise,
has deceased, November fifth, eighteen hundred and seventy-three ; and whereas,
a son has been born to me, which son is now christened Richard Albert Mans-
field, I give and bequeath unto him my gold watch, and all right, interest and
title in lands and bank stock and chattels bequeathed to my deceased daughter,
Anna Louise, in the body of this will.
In witness whereof, I hereunto place my hand and seal, this tenth day of
March, eighteen hundred and seventy-five. Charles Mansfield.
Signed, sealed, published and declared to us by the testator, Charles Mans-
field, as and for a codicil to be annexed to his last will and testament. And
we, at his request, and in his presence, and in the presence of each other, have
subscribed our names as witnesses thereto, at the date hereof.
Frank E. Dent, Bellevue, Iowa,
John C. Shay, Bellevue, Iowa.
{Form No. 1.)
SATISFACTION OF MORTGAGE.
State of Iowa, 1
County, J
I, , of the County of , State of Iowa, do hereby acknowledge
that a certain Indenture of , bearing date the day of , A. D.
18 — , made and executed by and , his wife, to said on
the following described Real Estate, in the County of , and State of
Iowa, to-wit : (here insert description) and filed for record in the office of the
Recorder of the County of , and State of Iowa, on the day of ,
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS. 311
A. D. 18 — , at o'clock . M. ; and recorded in Book of Mortgage
Records, on page , is redeemed, paid off, satisfied and discharged in full.
. [seal.]
State of Iowa, \
County, j
Be it Remembered, That on this day of , A. D. 18 — , before
me the undersigned, a in and for said county, personally appeared ,
to me personally known to be the identical person who executed the above
(satisfaction of mortgage) as grantor, and acknowledged signature
thereto to be voluntary act and deed.
Witness my hand and seal, the day and year last above
written. .
ONE FORM OF REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE.
Know all Men by these Presents : That , of County, and
State of , in consideration of dollars, in hand paid by of
County, and State of , do hereby sell and convey unto the said
the following described premises, situated in the County , and State of
, to wit : (here insert description,) and do hereby covenant with the
said that lawfully seized of said premises, that they are free from
incumbrance, that have good right and lawful authority to sell and convey
the same ; and — do hereby covenant to warrant and defend the same against
the lawful claims of all persons whomsoever. To be void upon condition that
the said shall pay the full amount of principal and interest at the time
therein specified, of certain promissory note for the sum of dollars.
One note for 8 , due , 18 — , with interest annually at per cent.
One note for § , due , 1 8 — , with interest annually at per cent.
One note for $ , due , 18 — , with interest annually at per cent.
One note for $ , due — , 18 — , with interest annually at per cent.
And the said Mortgagor agrees to pay all taxes that may be levied upon the
above described premises. It is also agreed by the Mortgagor that if it becomes
necessary to foreclose this mortgage, a reasonable amount shall be allowed as an
attorney's fee for foreclosing. And the said hereby relinquishes all her
right of dower and homestead in and to the above described premises.
Signed to day of , A. D. 18—.
[Acknowledge as in Form No. 1.]
SECOND FORM OF REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE.
This Indenture, made and executed by and between of the
county of and State of , part of the first part, and of the
county of and State of party of the second part, Witnesseth, that the
said part of the first part, for and in consideration of the sum of dollars,
paid by the said party of the second part, the receipt of which is hereby
acknowledged, have granted and sold, and do by these presents, grant, bargain,
sell, convey and confirm, unto the said party of the second part, heirs and
312 ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
assigns forever, the certain tract or parcel of real estate situated in the county
of and State of , described as follows, to-wit :
[Here insert description.)
The said part of the first part represent to and covenant with the part of
the second part, that he have good right to sell and convey said premises,
that they are free from encumbrance and that he will warrant and defend
them against the lawful claims of all persons whomsoever, and do expressly
hereby release all rights of dower in and to said premises, and relinquish and
convey all rights of homestead therein.
This Instrument is made, executed and delivered upon the following con-
ditions, to-wit :
First. Said first part agree to pay said or order
Second. Said first part further agree as is stipulated in said note, that if
he shall fail to pay any of said interest when due, it shall bear interest at the
rate of ten per cent, per annum, from the time the same becomes due, and this
mortgage shall stand as security for the same.
Third. Said first part further agree that he will pay all taxes and
assessments levied upon said real estate before the same become delinquent, and
if not paid the holder of this mortgage may declare the whole sum of money
herein secured due and collectable at once, or he may elect to pay such taxes or
assessments, and be entitled to interest on the same at the rate of ten per cent,
per annum, and this mortgage shall stand as security for the amount so paid.
Fourth. Said first part further agree that if he fail to pay any of said
money, either principal ou interest, within days after the same becomes
due ; or fail to conform or comply with any of the foregoing conditions or agree-
ments, the whole sum herein secured shall become due and payable at once, and
this mortgage may thereupon be foreclosed immediately for the whole of said
money, interest and costs.
Fifth. Said part further agree that in the event of the non-payment of either
principal, interest or taxes when due, and upon the filing of a bill of foreclosure
of this mortgage, an attorney's fee of dollars shall become due and pay-
able, and shall be by the court taxed, and this mortgage shall stand as security
therefor, and the same shall be included in the decree of foreclosure and shall
be made by the Sheriff on general or special execution with the other money,
interest and costs, and the contract embodied in this mortgage and the note
described herein, shall in all respects be governed, constructed and adjudged
by the laws of , where the same is made. The foregoing conditions
being performed, this conveyance to be void, otherwise of full force and virtue.
[Acknowledge as in form No. 1.]
FORM OF LEASE.
This Article of Agreement, Made and entered into on this day of
, A. D. 187-, by and between , of the county of , and
State of Iowa, of the first part, and , of the county of ,
and State of Iowa, of the second part, witnesseth that the said party of the first
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS. 313
part has this day leased unto the party of the second part the following described
premises, to wit :
[Here insert description.]
for the term of from and after the — day of , A. D. 187- a;
the rent of dollars, to be paid as follows, to wit :
[Here insert Terms.']
And it is further agreed that if any rent shall be due and unpaid, or if
default be made in any of the covenants herein contained, it shall then be law-
ful for the said party of the first part to re-enter the said premises, or to destrain
for such rent; or he may recover possession thereof, by action of forcible entry
and detainer, notwithstanding the provision of Section 3,612 of the Code of
1873 ; or he may use any or all of said remedies.
And the said party of the second part agrees to pay to the party of the first
part the rent as above stated, except when said premises are untenantable by
reason of fire, or from any other cause than the carelessness of the party of the
second part, or persons family, or in employ, or by superior force
and inevitable necessity. And the said party of the second part covenants
that will use the said premises as a , and for no other purposes
whatever ; and that especially will not use said premises, or permit the
same to be used, for any unlawful business or purpose whatever; that will
not sell, assign, underlet or relinquish said premises without the written consent
of the lessor, under penalty of a forfeiture of all rights under this lease, at
the election of the party of the first part ; and that will use all due care
and diligence in guarding said property, with the buildings, gates, fences, trees,
vines, shrubbery, etc., from damage by fire, and the depredations of animals ;
that will keep buildings, gates, fences, etc., in as good repair as they now
are, or may at any time be placed by the lessor, damages by superior force,
inevitable necessity, or fire from any other cause than from the carelessness of
the lessee, or persons of family, or in employ, excepted ; and that
at the expiration of this lease, or upon a breach by said lessee of any of the said
covenants herein contained, will, without further notice of any kind, quit
and surrender the possession and occupancy of said premises in as good condi-
tion as reasonable use, natural wear and decay thereof will permit, damages by
fire as aforesaid, superior force, or inevitable necessity, only excepted.
In witness whereof, the said parties have subscribed their names on the date
first above written.
In presence of
FORM OF NOTE.
On or before the — day of , 18 — , for value received, I promise to
pay or order, dollars, with interest from date until paid,
at ten per cent, per annum, payable annually, at . Unpaid interest
shall bear interest at ten per cent, per annum. On failure to pay interest
within days after due, the whole sum, principal and interest, shall become
due at once.
314 ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
CHATTEL MORTGAGE.
Know all Men by these Presents : That — : of County, and
State of in consideration of dollars, in hand paid by , of
County and State of do hereby sell and convey unto the said the
following described personal property, now in the possession of in the
county and State of , to wit :
[Here insert Description.']
And do hereby warrant the title of said property, and that it is free from
any incumbrance or lien. The only right or interest retained by grantor in
and to said property being the right of redemption as herein provided. This
conveyance to be void upon condition that the said grantor shall pay to said
grantee, or his assigns, the full amount of principal and interest at the time
therein specified, of certain promissory notes of even date herewith, for
the sum of dollars,
-, 18 — , with interest annually at per cent.
-, 18 — , with interest annually at per cent.
-, 18 — , with interest annually at per cent.
-, 18 — , with interest annually at per cent.
The grantor to pay all taxes on said property, and if at any time any part
or portion of said notes should be due and unpaid, said grantee may proceed by
sale or foreclosure to collect and pay himself the unpaid balance of said notes,
whether due or not, the grantor to pay all necessary expense of such foreclosure,
including $ Attorney's fees, and whatever remains after paying oif said
notes and expenses, to be paid over to said grantor.
Signed the day of , 18 — . .
[Acknowledged as in form No. 1.] .
WARRANTY DEED.
Know all Men by these Presents : That of County and
State of , in consideration of the sum of Dollars, in hand paid by
of , County and State of , do hereby sell and convey unto
the said and to heirs and assigns, the following described premises,
situated in the County of , State of Iowa, to-wit:
[Here insert description.]
And I do hereby covenant with the said that — lawfully seized in fee
simple, of said premises, that they are free from incumbrance ; that — ha good
right and lawful authority to sell the same, and — do hereby covenant to war-
rant and defend the said premises and appurtenances thereto belonging, against
the lawful claims of all persons whomsoever ; and the said hereby re-
linquishes all her right of dower and of homestead in and to the above described
premises.
Signed the day of , A. D. 18—.
IN PRESENCE of
[Acknowledged as in Form No. 1.]
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS. 315
QUIT-CLAIM DEED.
Know all Men by these Presents : That , of County,
State of , in consideration of the sum of dollars, to — in hand
paid by , of County, State of , the receipt whereof — do
hereby acknowledge,have bargained, sold and quit-claimed, and by these presents
do bargain, sell and quit-claim unto the said and to — heirs and assigns
forever, all — right, title, interest, estate, claim and demand, both at law and
in equity, and as well in possession as in expectancy, of, in and to the following
described premises, to wit: [here insert description] with all and singular the
hereditaments and appurtenances thereto belonging.
Signed this day of , A. D. 18—.
Signed in Presence of
[Acknowledged as in form No. 1.]
BOND FOR DEED.
Know all Men by these Presents: That of County,
and State of am held and firmly bound unto of County, and
State of , in the sum of Dollars, to be pail to the said , his
executors or assigns, for which payment well and truly to be made, I bind myself
firmly by these presents. Signed the day of A. D. 18 — .
The condition of this obligation is such, that if the said obligee shall pay to
said obligor, or his assigns, the full amount of principal and interest at the time
therein specified, of — certain promissory note of even date herewith, for the
sum of Dollars,
One note for $ , due , 18 — , with interest annually at — per cent.
One note for $ , due , 18 — , with interest annually at — per cent.
One note for $ , due , 18 — , with interest annually at — per cent.
and pay all taxes accruing upon the lands herein described, then said obligor
shall convey to the said obligee, or his assigns, that certain tract or parcel of
real estate, situated in the County of and State of Iowa, described as fol-
lows, to wit: [here insert description,] by a Warranty Deed, with the usual
covenants, duly executed and acknowledged.
• If said obligee should fail to make the payments as above stipulated, or any
part thereof, as the same"becomes due, said obligor may at his option, by notice
to the obligee terminate his liability under the bond and resume the posses-
sion and absolute control of said premises, time being the essence of this
agreement.
On the fulfillment of the above conditions this obligation to become void,
otherwise to remain in full, force and virtue; unless terminated by the obligor
as above stipulated.
[Acknowledge as in form No. 1.]
316 ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
CHARITABLE, SCIENTIFIC AND RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS.
Any three or more persons of full age, citizens of the United States,
a majority of whom shall be citizens of this State, who desire to associate
themselves for benevolent, charitable, scientific, religious or missionary pur-
poses, may make, sign and acknowledge, before any officer authorized to take
the acknowledgments of deeds in this State, and have recorded in the office of
the Recorder of the county in which the business of such society is to be con-
ducted, a certificate in writing, in which shall be stated the name or title by
which such society shall be known, the particular business and objects of such
society, the number of Trustees, Directors or Managers to conduct the same, and
the names of the Trustees, Directors or Managers of such society for the first
year of its existence.
Upon filing for record the certificate, as aforesaid, the persons who shall
have signed and acknowledged such certificate, and their associates and success-
ors, shall, by virtue hereof, be a body politic and corporate by the name
stated in such certificate, and by that they and their successors shall and may
have succession, and shall be persons capable of suing and being sued, and may
have and use a common seal, which they may alter or change at pleasure ; and
they and their successors, by their corporate name, shall be capable of taking,
receiving, purchasing and holding real and personal estate, and of making by-
laws for the management of its affairs, not inconsistent with law.
The society so incorporated may, annually or oftener, elect from its members
its Trustees, Directors or Managers at such time and place, and in such manner
as may be specified in its by-laws, who shall have the control and management
of the affairs and funds of the society, a majority of whom shall be a quorum
for the transaction of business, and whenever any vacancy shall happen among
such Trustees, Directors or Managers, by death, resignation or neglect to serve,
such vacancy shall be filled in such manner as shall be provided by the by-laws
of such society. When the body corporate consists of the Trustees, Directors or
Managers of any benevolent, charitable, literary, scientific, religious or mis-
sionary institution, which is or may be established in the State, and which is or
may be under the patronage, control, direction or supervision of any synod, con-
ference, association or other ecclesiastical body in such State, established
agreeably to the laws thereof, such ecclesiastical body may nominate and
appoint such Trustees, Directors or Managers, according to usages of the appoint-
ing body, and may fill any vacancy which may occur among such Trustees,
Directors or Managers ; and when any such institution may be under the
patronage, control, direction or supervision of two or more of such synods, con-
ferences, associations or other ecclesiastical bodies, such bodies may severally
nominate and appoint such proportion of such Trustees, Directors or Managers
as shall be agreed upon by those bodies immediately concerned. And any
vacancy occurring among such appointees last named, shall be filled by the
synod, conference, association or body having appointed the last incumbent.
In case any election of Trustees, Directors or Managers shall not be made
on the clay designated by the by-laws, said society for that cause shall not be
dissolved, but such election may take place on any other day directed by such
by-laws.
Any corporation formed under this chapter shall be capable of taking, hold-
ing or receiving property by virtue of any devise or bequest contained in any
last will or testament of any person whatsoever ; but no person leaving a wife,
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS. SI I
child or parent, shall devise or bequeath to such institution or corporation more
than one-fourth of his estate after the payment of his debts, and such device or
bequest shall be valid only to the extent of such one-fourth.
Any corporation in this State of an academical character, the memberships
of which shall consist of lay members and pastors of churches, delegates to any
synod, conference or council holding its annual meetings alternately in this and
one or more adjoining States, may hold its annual meetings for the election of
officers and the transaction of business in any adjoining State to this, at such
place therein as the said synod, conference or council shall hold its annual meet-
ings ; and the elections so held and business so transacted shall be as legal and
binding as if held and transacted at the place of business of the corporation in
this State.
The provisions of this chapter shall not extend or apply to any association
or individual who shall, in the certificate filed with the Recorder, use or specify
a name or style the same as that of any previously existing incorporated society
in the county.
The Trustees, Directors or stockholders of any existing benevolent, char-
itable, scientific, missionary or religious corporation, may, by conforming to the
requirements of Section 1095 of this chapter, re-incorporate themselves or con-
tinue their existing corporate powers, and all the property and effects of such
existing corporation shall vest in and belong to the corporation so re-incorporated
■or continued.
INTOXICATING LIQUORS.
No intoxicating liquors (alcohol, spirituous and vinous liquors), except wine
-manufactured from grapes, currants or other fruit grown in the State, shall be
manufactured or sold, except for mechanical, medicinal, culinary or sacramental
purposes ; and even such sale is limited as follows :
Any citizen of the State, except hotel keepers, keepers of saloons, eating
Tiouses, grocery keepers and confectioners, is permitted to buy and sell, within
the county of his residence, such liquors for such mechanical, etc., purposes
only, provided he shall obtain the consent of the Board of Supervisors. In
order to get that consent, he must get a certificate from a majoiity of the elec-
tors of the town or township or ward in which he desires to sell, that he is of
good moral character,, and a proper person to sell such liquors.
If the Board of Supervisors grant him permission to sell such liquors, he
must give bonds, and shall not sell such liquors at a greater profit than thirty-
three per cent, on tie cost of the same. Any person having a permit to sell,
shall make, on the last Saturday of every month, a return in writing to the
Auditor of the county, showing the kind and quantity of the liquors purchased
by him since the date of his last report, the price paid, and the amount of
freights paid on the same; also the kind and quantity of liquors sold by him
since the date of his last report; to whom sold ; for what purpose and at what
price; also the kind and quantity of liquors on hand; which report shall be
sworn to by the person having the permit, and shall be kept by the Auditor,
subject at all times to the inspection of the public.
No person shall sell or give away any intoxicating liquors, including wine or
beer, to any minor, for any purpose whatever, except upon written order of
parent, guardian or family physician ; or sell the same to an intoxicated person
or a person in the habit of becoming intoxicated.
318 ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
Any person who shall mix any intoxicating liquor with any beer, wine or
cider, by him sold, and shall sell or keep for sale, as a beverage, such mixture,
shall be punished as for sale of intoxicating liquor.
But nothing in the chapter containing the law's governing the sale or pro-
hibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors, shall be construed to forbid the sale by
the importer theriof of foreign intoxicating liquor, imported under the author-
ity of the laws of the United States, regarding the importation of such liquors,
and in accordance with such laws ; provided that such liquor, at the time of the
sale by the importer, remains in the original casks or packages in which it was
by him imported, and in quantities not less than the quantities in which the
laws of the United States require such liquors to be imported, and is sold by
him in such original casks or packages, and in said quantities only.
All payment or compensation for intoxicating liquor sold in violation of the
laws of this State, whether such payments or compensation be in money, goods,
'lands, labor, or any thing else whatsoever, shall be held to have been received in viola-
tion of law and equity and good conscience, and to have been received upon a
valid promise and agreement of the receiver, in consideration of the receipt
thereof, to pay on demand, to the person furnishing such consideration, the
amount of the money on the just value of the goods or other things.
All sales, transfers, conveyances, mortgages, liens, attachments, pledges and
securities of every kind, which, either in whole or in part, shall have been made
on account of intoxicating liquors sold contrary to law, shall be utterly null and
void.
Negotiable paper in the hands of holders thereof, in good faith, for valuable
consideration, without notice of any illegality in its inception or transfer, how-
ever, shall not be affected by the above provisions. Neither shall the holder of
land or other property who may have taken the same in good faith, without
notice of any defect in the title of the person from whom the same was
taken, growing out of a violation of the liquor law, be affected by the above
provision.
Every wife, child, parent, guardian, employer, or other person, who shall be
injured in person or property or means of support, by an intoxicated person, or
in consequence of the intoxication, has a right of action against any person who
shall, by selling intoxicating liquors, cause the intoxication of such person, for
all damages actually sustained as well as exemplary damages.
For any damages recovered, the personal and real property (except home-
stead, a3 now provided) of the person against whom the damages are recovered,
as well as the premises or property, personal or real, occupied and used by him,
with consent and knowledge of owner, either for manufacturing or selling intox-
icating liquors contrary to law, shall be liable.
The oily other exemption, besides the homestead, from this sweeping liability,
is that the defendant may have enough for the support of his family for six
months, to be determined by the Township Trustee.
No ale, wine, beer or other malt or vinous liquors shall be sold within two
miles of the corporate limits of any municipal corporation, except at wholesale,
for the purpose of shipment to places outside of such corporation and such two-
mile limits. The power of the corporation to prohibit or license sale of liquors
not prohibited by law is extended over the two miles.
No aie, wine, beer or other malt or vinous liquors shall be sold on the day
on which any election is held unucv 'he laws of this State, within two miles of
the place where said election is held ; except only that any person holding a
permit may sell upon the prescription of a practicing physician.
ABSTRACT OF IOWA STATE LAWS.
SUGGESTIONS TO THOSE PURCHASING BOOKS BY SUBSCRIP-
TION.
The business of publishing books by subscription, having so often been
brought into disrepute by agents making representations and declarations not
authorized by the publisher, in order to prevent that as much as possible, and
that there may be more general knowledge of the relation such agents bear to
their principal, and the law governing such cases, the following statement is
made:
A subscription is in the nature of a contract of mutual promises, by which
the subscriber agrees to pay a certain sum for the work described; the consid-
eration is concurrent that the publisher shall publish the book named, and
deliver the same, for which the subscriber is to pay tho price named. The
nature and character of the work is described by the prospectus and sample
shown. These should be carefully examined before subscribing, as they are
the basis and consideration of the promise to pay, and not the too often exag-
gerated statements of the agent, who is merely employed to solicit subscriptions,
for which he is usually paid a coimnissioyi for each subscriber, and has no
authority to change or alter the conditions upon which the subscriptions are
authorized to be made by the publisher. Should the agent assu?ne to agree to
make the subscription conditional or modify or change the agreement of the
publisher, as set out by the prospectus and sample, in order to bind the princi-
pal, the subscriber should see that such condition or changes are stated over or
in connection with his signature, so that the publisher may have notice of the
same.
All persons making contracts in reference to matters of this kind, or any
other business, should remember that the laiv as written is, that they can not be
altered, varied or rescinded verbally, but if done at all, must be done in writing.
It is therefore important that all persons contemplating subscribing should
distinctly understand that all talk before or after the subscription is made, is not
admissible as evidence, and is no part of the contract.
Persons employed to solicit subscriptions are known to the trade as can-
vassers. They are agents appointed to do a particular business in a prescribed
mode, and have no authority to do it any other way to the prejudice of their
principal, nor can they bind their principal in any other matter. They can not
collect money, or agree that payment may be made in anything else but money.
They can not extend the time of payment beyond the time of delivery, nor bind
their principal for the payment of expenses incurred in their business.
It would save a great deal of trouble, and often serious loss, if persons,
before signing their names to any subscription book, or any written instrument,
would examine carefully what it is ; if they can not read themselves call on
some one disinterested who can.
STATISTICS OF AGRICULTURE OF IOWA (CENSUS OF 1875.)
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
ANTE-PIONEER TIMES.
To the reader of his country's history it is scarcely necessary to recall the
fact that the land now comprised in the county of Jackson was a part of the
" Louisiana Purchase," and was transferred from France to the United States
in 1803 in answer to the financial needs of the first Napoleon. Thus acquired,
it became in turn a part of the " District of Louisiana," Territory of Louisiana
in 1805, Territory of Missouri in 1812, Territory of Michigan in 1834, Ter-
ritory of Wisconsin, July, 1836, and Territory of Iowa July 3, 1838.
Notwithstanding the purchase of territory from the French, who claimed
these wilds, it became necessary to wipe out the title maintained by the Indians
as aborigines. Jackson County was a part of the land which was conveyed in
the treaty with the Sacs and Foxes in September, 1832, and commonly known
as the "Black Hawk Purchase," which opened up the first land in Iowa for
settlement by the whites.
In this treaty the United States Government was represented by Gen.
Winfield Scott and Gov. John Reynolds. The treaty transferred to the United
States from the Sacs and Foxes, about six million acres, being a strip on the
eastern border of Iowa, extending from the southern boundary to the Upper
Iowa River. The consideration was the assumption by the United States of an
indebtedness on the part of the Indians to certain traders, amounting to
$50,000 and an agreement to pay annually to the Sac and Fox tribes $20,000
in specie.
The Dubuque and Maquoketa country was the home of the Fox Indians.
Tama, Pienoskie, Poweshiek and Kish-Ke-Kosh were among their chiefs.
These removed farther west after the Black Hawk Purchase, and, eventually,
those who were living in 1842-43 were transferred to a reservation in Kansas,
and, still later, to Indian Territory.
Few Indians, except the Winnebagoes, were seen in Jackson County after
the first emigration of the whites. This tribe has ever been a peaceful one
since the day of white settlement.
The Sioux claimed this as their territory, but gave no trouble after it began
to be populated.
At the time Iowa was a part of Wisconsin Territory, there were for some
years just two counties west of the Mississippi River, viz., Des Moines and
Dubuque, the dividing line being between what is now Clinton and Scott
Counties. When the Wisconsin Legislature met at Belmont, Wis., in October,
1836, this was the case. However, at that time, Des Moines was subdivided
324 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
into several other counties, but Dubuque County still comprised most of the
State of Iowa as it is to-day.
At the meeting of the Legislature at Belmont considerable pressure was
brought to bear to have the next meeting west of the Mississippi River, the
territorial capital at that day being such that the Governor could carry it about
in his hat and overcoat pockets. A capitalist of Galena was lobbying for
Bellevue, and made the proposal to those interested that, if he could purchase
half of the town plat of Bellevue, he would erect a capitol building free of
charge. He did not succeed, however, in securing half the town lots, and, by
so much, Bellevue missed being the capital of Wisconsin for one year at least.
The Legislature met at Burlington November 10, 1837, and continued in ses-
sion until January 20, 1838. During this session of the Wisconsin Legislature
the County of Jackson was formed.
In deciding the boundary lines between Dubuque and Jackson Counties con-
siderable feeling was manifested. Parties were there interested both in Belle-
vue and Dubuque, and the quarrel was as to who should have the tier of
townships of which Tete des Morts forms a part. Capt. W. A. Warren was
Enrolling Clerk of the House at this meeting, and was quite well acquainted with
the legislators, using his influence in securing the disputed townships for
Jackson. The townships, it was admitted, by geographical location belonged
to Dubuque, but Bellevue wished to be the county seat of Jackson County, and
it required no great foresight to see that it would be difficult for her to hold
that advantage if she did not have some townships north of her. A compro-
mise was finally made, by which Tete des Morts and Prairie Springs fell to
Jackson County and the townships west, to Dubuque.
After the boundaries of the"county had been decided, it became necessary for
the Governor to appoint an organizing Sheriff, who should arrange for an
election and organize the county. Gov. Dodge inquired of Messrs. Foley,
McKnight and other Senators and Representatives from Dubuque County, to
name a suitable man for Sheriff. W. A. Warren, the Enrolling Clerk, who
was well acquainted in the county, was consulted and recommended Charles
Stowell as a suitable person.
A few days later, a petition came down the river from Bellevue, signed by
nearly all the leading men of the county, asking that W. W. Brown, of Belle-
vue, be appointed Sheriff. The Governor sent for Warren and told him that
he could not appoint Stowell : that he had received a petition, signed by a
great number of citizens, expressing a preference for W. W. Brown. Warren
told the Governor he thought there must be some mistake, for Brown bore a
bad reputation, was the leader of a gang of outlaws at Bellevue, etc. He was
shown the petition and compelled to acknowledge not only that the signatures
were genuine, but that they were those of the best men in the county. Gov.
Dodge said he would feel constrained to bow to the desire of so large a number
of citizens, and appointed Brown.
The next day, the Governor again sent for Warren and showed him his
(Warren's) signature, which had not been noticed on first examination, and the
mystery was explained. A petition had been in circulation respecting the
boundaries of the county, which was not completed until the boundary matter
had been settled ; so Brown had simply cut off the petition and attached
another, asking his own appointment as Sheriff. Gov. Dodge finally appointed
William A. Warren as organizing Sheriff of the county.
It then became Warren's duty to notify the citizens of an election to be
held, and this was done with much labor and difficulty on his part, some
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 325
of the citizens, as will appear, living then in what is now Jones and Linn
Counties.
Capt. Warren told us of one of his experiences in crossing the Wapsipini-
con into Linn County. When he reached the bank, after heavy rains, the river
was so swollen that it was impossible to ford it. It was a long distance back
to the house he had left ; night was coming on and it would not be possible to
retrace his steps in the darkness. Still, the river could not be crossed. War-
ren lighted a fire, sat down, leaning against a tree, and spent the night with his
horse close beside him. The wolves kept the night quite melodious, and to
sleep would have been folly. There was nothing to do but to sit and keep up
the fire.
In the morning, Warren resolved to cross the river. So, stripping off his
clothing and strapping the bundle to the saddle, he struck out to swim the
stream, leading his horse. This was done in safety, and Warren spent several
weeks among the settlers of Linn.
Of the first election we shall speak again.
On the 6th of November, 1837, just previous to the meeting of the Legis-
lature organizing Jackson County, a convention of delegates from the counties
west of the Mississippi River, in Wisconsin Territory, was held at Burlington,
lasting three days.
From Dubuque County these delegates were P. H. Engle, J. T. Fales, G.
W. Harris, W. A. Warren, W. B. Watts, A. F. Russell, W. H. Patton, J. W.
Parker, J. D. Bell and J. H. Rose. This Convention sent up to Congress
three memorials — one in regard to the pre-emption law ; a second in regard to
boundary line with Missouri ; a third, requesting a separate Territorial organ-
ization for the counties west of the Mississippi.
We give herewith a copy of
"MEMORIAL PRAYING FOR A DIVISION OF THE TERRITORY.
" To the Honorable, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States in Congress assembled :
" The memorial of a general convention of delegates, from the respective
counties in the Territory of Wisconsin, west of the Mississippi River, con-
vened at the Capitol at Burlington, in said Territory, November 6, 1837,
respectfully represents :
" That the citizens of that part of the Territory west of the Mississippi
River, taking into consideration their remote and isolated position, and the
vast extent of country included within the limits of the present Territory, and
the utter impracticability of the same being governed as an entire whole, by the
wisest and best administration of our municipal affairs, in such manner as to
fully secure individual right and the right of property, as well as to maintain
domestic tranquillity and the good order of society, have, by their respective
representatives, convened in general convention as aforesaid for availing them-
selves of their right of petition as free citizens, by representing their situation
and wishes to your honorable body, and asking for the organization of a sep-
arate Territorial government over that part of the Territory west of the Missis-
sippi River.
" Without in the least designing to question the official conduct of those in
whose hands the fate of our infant Territory has been confided, and in whose
patriotism and wisdom we have the utmost confidence, your memorialists cannot
refrain from the frank expression of their belief that, taking into consideration
dUb HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
the geographical extent of her country, in connection with the probable popu-
lation of Western Wisconsin, perhaps no Territory of the United States has
been so much neglected by the parent Government, so illy protected in the
political and individual rights of her citizens.
" Western Wisconsin came into the possession of our Government in June,
1833. Settlements were made and crops grown during the same season ; and
even then, at that early day, was the impulse given to the mighty throng of
emigration that has subsequently filled our lovely and desirable country with
people, intelligence, wealth and enterprise. From that period until the present,
being a little over four years, what has been the Territory of Western Wiscon-
sin ? Literally and practically, a large proportion of the time, without a gov-
ernment. With a population of thousands, she has remained ungoverned, and
has been quietly left by the parent Government to take care of herself, without
the privilege on the one hand to provide a government of her own, and without
any existing authority on the other to govern her.
"From June, 1833, until June, 1834, a period of one year, there was not
even the shadow of government or law in all Western Wisconsin. In June,
1834, Congress attached her to the then existing Territory of Michigan, of
which Territory she nominally continued a part until July, 1836, a period of
little more than two years. During the whole of this time, the whole country
west, sufficient of itself for a respectable State, was included in two counties,
Dubuque and Des Moines. In each of these two counties, there were holden,
during the said term of two years, two terms of a County Court (a court of
inferior jurisdiction) as the only sources of judicial relief up to the passage of
the act of Congress creating the Territory of Wisconsin. That act took effect
on the 3d day of July, 1836, and the first judicial relief afforded under that act
was at the April term following, 1837, a period of nine months after its passage :
subsequently to which time there has been a court holden in one solitary county
in Western Wisconsin only. This, your memorialists are aware, has recently
been owing to the unfortunate disposition of the esteemed and meritorious
Judge of our district ; but they are equally aware of the fact that, had Western
Wisconsin existed under a separate organization, we should have found relief in
the services of other members of the judiciary, who are at present, in conse-
quence of the great extent of our Territory and the small number of Judges
dispersed at too great a distance, and too constantly engaged in the discharge
of the duties of their own district, to be enabled to afford relief to other por-
tions of the Territory. Thus, with a population of not less than twenty-five
thousand now, and of near half that number at the organization of the Terri-
tory, it will appear that we have existed as a portion of an organized Territory
for sixteen months with but one term of courts only.
" Your memorialists look upon those evils as growing exclusively out of the
immense extent of country included within the present boundaries of the Ter-
ritory, and express their conviction and belief that nothing would so effectually
remedy the evil as the organization of Western Wisconsin into a separate Terri-
torial government. To this your memorialists conceive themselves entitled by
principles of moral right — by the same obligation that rests upon their present
government to protect them in the free enjoyment of their rights until such
time as they shall be permitted to provide protection for themselves, as well as
from the uniform practice and policy of the Government in relation to other
Territories.
" The Territory of Indiana, including the present States of Indiana, Illinois
and Michigan, and also much of the eastern portion of the present Territory of
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 327
Wisconsin, was placed under one separate Territorial government in the
year 1800, at a time that the population amounted to only 5,640, or there-
abouts.
" The Territory of Arkansas was erected into a distinct Territory, in 1820,
with a population of about fourteen thousand. The Territory of Illinois was
established in 1809, being formed by dividing the Indiana Territory. The
exact population of Illinois Territory at the time of her separation from
Indiana, is not known to your memorialists, but her population in 1812, one
year subsequent to that event, amounted to but 11,501 whites and a few blacks
— in all, to less than twelve thousand inhabitants.
" The Territory of Michigan was formed in 1805, by again dividing the
Indiana Territory, of which, until then, she composed' a part. The population'
of Michigan, at the time of her separation from Indiana, your memorialists
have been unable to ascertain, but in 1810, a period of five years subsequent
to her separate organization, her population amounted to but about four thousand
seven hundred and sixty ; and in the year 1820, to less than nine thousand —
so that Michigan existed some fifteen years, as a distinct Territory, with a
population of less than half of Western Wisconsin at present ; and each of the
above-named Territories, now composing so many proud and flourishing States,
were created into separate Territorial governments, with a much less population
than that of Western Wisconsin, and that too, at a time when the parent Gov-
ernment was 'burdened with a national debt of millions. Your memorialists
therefore pray for the organization of separate Territorial government over that
part of the Territory of Wisconsin west of the Mississippi River."
This memorial was considered favorably by Congress, and an act was
approved June 12, 1838, to take effect July 3, forming a separate Territory, to
be known as the Territory of Iowa.
At that time, T. P. Burnett was making a canvass of Wisconsin Territory
as a candidate for Congress. One day in the latter part of June, while the
first Court was being held in Bellevue, Burnett had an appointment to speak
in that place. Court adjourned to hear him. While he was addressing the
audience, that hot, sultry afternoon, under the shade of some trees not far from
the river bank, a steamer arrived at the landing with the news that Iowa had
become a separate Territory. A shout rose from those at the landing and the
news was carried in a boisterous manner to the speaker's stand.
Burnett said, " Well, gentlemen, it is not necessary to hold your attention
longer. I supposed I was a candidate for your vote. You will now have an
Iowa man. I will cross to my own side of the river."
COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
In the settlement of the Territory, the Legislature began by organizing
counties on the Mississippi. As each new county was formed, it was made to
include under legal jurisdiction all the country west of it, and was required to
grant to its border settlers electoral privileges and an equal share in the county
government with those who properly lived within the geographical limits of the
county. Thus we will discover among the early election precincts of Jackson
County the territory now known as Jones and Linn Counties.
The first meeting of the County Commissioners was held at Bellevue,
April 2, 1838, William Jonas, William Morden, J. Leonard being said Com-
missioners.
J. H. Rose was appointed first Clerk of the Board.
328 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
The first business of the Commissioners' Court was the determining of
election precincts, which were arranged as follows, viz. :
First Precinct — To comprise Charleston (now Sabula) and vicinity ; elec-
tion at the store of James Leonard ; Judges, Charles Swan, 0. A. Crary,
E. A. Wood.
Second Precinct — To comprise Higginsport and vicinity, and to be held at
the house of W. H. Yandeventer; Judges, W. H. Vandeventer, Andrew
Farley and B. B. Evans.
Third Precinct — Election to be held in the Court House at Bellevue ;
Judges, W. Sublett, J. D. Bell, J. S. Kirkpatrick.
Fourth Precinct — Election to be held at the house of Daniel Brown, Tete
des Morts ; Judges, D. Brown, J. P. March and D. G. Bates.
Fifth Precinct — Election shall be held at the house of Charles W. Harris,
North Fork of Maquoketa ; Judges, C. W. Harris, V. G. Smith and Thomas
Davis.
Sixth Precinct — Election shall be held at the house of S. Burleson, South
Fork of Maquoketa ; Judges, S. Burleson, J. Clark, William Phillips.
The grand jurors chosen for the first term of Court were James Wood,
Benjamin Hudson, Thomas Parks, Samuel S. Draper, James L. Burtis, John
Stuckey, John D. Bell, William Smith, J. S. Kirkpatrick, David G. Bates,
Daniel Brown, James McCabe, Joseph Mallard, W. H. Vandeventer, Charles
W. Harris, Webster McDowell, William Phillips, Obadiah Sawtell. James
Kimball, S. Burleson, M. Seymour, R. G. Enox, H. G. Hinkley.
The petit jurors chosen at the same time were Charles Swan, E. A.
Wood, John White, 0. A. Crary, Alexander Reed, Sylvester Baker, John
Howe, John Hays, James Kirkpatrick, William Vann, John Clark, V. G.
Smith, Richard Billups, Charles Bilto, Hazen Chase, Hugh Kilgore, N. Jef-
ferson, Thomas Davis, William Trimble, Thomas Nicholson, William Dyas, J.
Jefferson, Thomas Sublett, Henderson Palmer.
The Court at which the above-mentioned settlers were jurymen was held in
Bellevue, beginning June 18, 1838. This was the first term of the District
Court of Jackson County, Territory of Wisconsin. It was presided over by
Charles Dunn, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin Territory,
who had been appointed Presiding Judge of the District Court of Jackson
County.
William A. Warren was appointed Crier and Elisha E. Barrett and David
Hetrick, Constables of this Court ; W. H. Brown was appointed District
Attorney.
On motion of T. P. Burnett, Esq., Thomas Drummond, a practicing law-
yer of the State of Illinois, was admitted to practice in the District Court of
Jackson County ; now Judge Drummond, of Chicago.
Among other attorneys present were Stephen Hempstead, since Governor
of Iowa, James Grant, of Davenport, James Churchman, since United States
Minister, J. V. Berry, Henry Hopkins and J. C. Case.
The only indictment by the grand jury during this term of Court was
that of William Sublett for assault with intent to kill, who, with James K. Moss
as security, was released on $500 bail.
Two jury cases were tried, viz.. Thomas Nicholson vs. David Dyas, appeal,
and Matthias Ringer vs. Charles Bilto, appeal.
At the meeting of the Commissioners' Court in June, three new election
precincts were established, two being in the county of Jones, with elections at
the house of John G. Joshlin, on the Wapsipinicon, and at the house of
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 329
Nathaniel Dalley, on the Maquoketa, while the third was to be held at West
Port, in the county of Linn.
July 2, 1838, a tax of 1 per cent was levied for county purposes, and |
per cent for court purposes.
August 20, 1838, Election Precinct No. 10 was established, the election to
be held at the house of Wadkins, four miles south of where Andrew now
stands, to be called Harrison Precinct.
The Board of Commissioners elected in the fall of 1838 was composed of
William Jonas, E. A. Wood and James Kelly.
The other officers elected at this time were John Howe, Recorder ; John
Sublett, Treasurer; James S. Kirkpatrick, Coroner; James F. Hanby, Assessor:
John G. McDonald, Surveyor.
J. S. Mallard was appointed Commissioners' Clerk by the Board.
At a meeting of the Commissioners' Court July 7, 1840, it was ordered
that the Clerk should issue notices to the electors of the county that at the
next election the question will be taken by ballot to ascertain whether a major-
ity of said electors are in favor of a township organization.
The sentiment of the people as taken in the regular election October 5,
1840, was in favor of a township organization, and accordingly, on the 6th of
January, the Board of Commissioners ordered the following:
TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION.
Townships 85 and 86, Range 1 east of the Fifth Principal Meridian, to be
called Butler Township.
Townships 85 and 86, Range 2 east, to be called Farmers' Creek Township.
Townships 85 and 86, Range 3 east, to be called Perry Township.
Township 87, Ranges 3 and 4 east, and all east of said township to the
Mississippi River, to be called Tete des Morts.
Township 84, Ranges 1 and 2 east, to be called Davis Township.
Township 86, Range 5, and the north half of Township 85, Ranges 4 and
5 east, to be called Bellevue.
Township 84, Range 3 east, and the west half of Township 84, Range 4
east, to be called Harrison Township.
Township 84, Range 5 east, extending north to the three-mile stake in
Town 85, also the east half of Town 84, Range 4 east, extending north to the
three-mile stake in Town 85, to be called Van Buren Township.
Township 84, Rnnge 6 east, and Fractional *Township 85, Range 6 east,
and Fractional Township 84, Range 7 east, to be called Union Township.
These names were left subject to alteration by the inhabitants of the several
townships.
The following changes were subsequently made in respect to the township
boundaries :
April 6, 1841, the boundary line of Davis Township was altered so as to
include so much of Township 85, Range 1 east, as lies south of the four-mile
line in said township, and so much of Township 84, Range 3 east, as lies west
of the three-mile line in said township.
Same date, the boundary line of Butler Township was altered, so as to
exclude so much of Township 85, Range 1 east, as lies south of the four-mile
line in said township.
On same date, the boundary line of Harrison Township was altered so as to
exclude so much of Township 84, Range 3 east, as lies west of the three-mile
line in said township.
330 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
March 21, 1842, this portion of Harrison Township, which was transferred
to Davis Township, was, on petition of the citizens, restored again to Harrison.
July 3, 1843, a petition was presented to the Board of Commissioners from
the citizens of Butler Township, praying that the same be divided, which peti-
tion was granted, and a new township was organized, being Congressional
Township 85, Range 1 east, to be known by the name of Brandon Township.
Judges of Election and Supervisor of Highways were, accordingly, appointed
for the town of Brandon.
Monmouth Township, with its present boundaries, was organized and named
October 2, 1843, but was again annexed to Davis Township in 1844. It was
finally made an independent township in July, 1845, and the first election
ordered to be held in a schoolhouse near Joshua Beers'.
Township 84, Range 2 east, now known as South Fork, was organized in
July, 1845, under the name of Apple Township, and the first election was
ordered to be held at the house of Thomas Wright.
Township 84, Range 3 east, was organized under the name of Maquoketa,
in July, 1845, with the first election to be held in the house of J. B. Dormes.
Township 84, Range 4 east, was organized in July, 1845, under the name
of Fairfield, with the election at B. F. Hull's.
Jackson Township was organized in July, 1845, with the first election at
the house of Markespiles and Sandridge.
The name of Butler Township was changed to Lehrin in 1845, but was
subsequently re-changed to Butler, as it is now called.
Township 86. Range 3 east, was organized into Richland Township in Jan-
uary, 1846, being at that date detached from Perry Township.
Township 86, Range 2 east, was organized in July, 1846, from the north
half of Farmer's Creek, and called Otter Creek. The first election was at the
house of Frederick Dixon.
Washington Township was organized in February, 1851, from portions of
Bellevue and Van Buren Townships.
In answer to petition of residents, Iowa Township was formed in January,
1855, by the division of Union Township, the first election to be held at Ster-
ling in April, 1855.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' BUSINESS.
The management of county affairs, from the organization of the county until
1851, devolved upon three Commissioners, corresponding to the present Board
of Supervisors. This was sometimes called the County Commissioners' Court.
The business of this Board, as shown from the records, consisted largely in
the locating of county roads, the auditing of county accounts and the manage-
ment of finances.
The revenue in early days was derived from taxes on property, poll-tax and
a stringent license law, which latter compelled every storekeeper, ferryman or
peddler to pay a license into the county treasury.
The first licensed ferry of which we have record was that of Joseph S. Kirk-
patrick, across the Mississippi River at Bellevue, for which privilege the sum
of $5 was paid to Jackson County. The rates of toll under this license were
authorized as follows :
Two horses and wagon $2 00
One man and horse...". 1 00
Each head of cattle 50
If more than two in company 25
Each footman 25
Each hundred weight of merchandise 121
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 331
From which rates it will be seen that ferrying must have been a profitable
business forty years ago, if trade was at all brisk. About the same time, ferries
were licensed at the forks and mouth of the Maquoketa.
In July, 1838, the Board contracted with Heffley & Esgate to build a toll-
bridge across the mouth of Mill Creek for $525, subject to be purchased by the
county, at the pleasure of the Commissioners, for ten per cent on cost. Heffley
k Esgate were permitted to charge a moderate toll across this bridge.
In August, 1841, the Board borrowed $200 of Enoch Sells and William
Markespiles, and gave their note for the same, payable in one year, and bearing
40 per cent interest.
Previous to 1850, a bounty was paid by the Board of Commissioners of 50
cents for every wolf cub, and $1 for every wolf upward of six months old.
killed within the border of the county, and numerous records appear of bounty
drawn by the settlers in this way. Prairie wolves, timber wolves and large
gray wolves were of frequent occurrence.
January, 1844, we find a license granted by the Board of Commissioners to
one Isaac Neagus, permitting him to peddle clocks upon the soil of Jackson
County for the term of two months, for which he paid the sum of $3.
In April, 1844, we find one R. H. Hudson paying $25 for the privilege of
keeping a grocery for one year. An explanation of this tariff is partially made
by three petitions, which were presented a few months later, praying the Com-
missioners to raise the license upon groceries to $100 per year, while a fourth
petition asks an ordinance requiring all grocerymen to sell liquor at 10 cents
per glass, or H, mills per swallow. A grocery, therefore, in settlers' jargon,
meant a saloon in the back room, or " whisky on tap '" under the counter.
July, 1844, the Commissioners manifested their patriotism by naming the
streets of Andrew in honor of those whom our countrymen delight most to
revere.
The tax of 1846 was 9| mills for all purposes, and a poll tax of 50 cents
upon all electors under 50 years of age.
Iowa having become a State in 1846, we find, in April, 1847, the first
apportionment of her liberal grant of school funds upon the following basis:
Maquoketa Township, three districts 91 pupils.
South Fork Township, four districts 141 pupils.
Jackson Township, three districts 92 pupils.
Union Township, four districts 98 pupils.
Van Buren Township, two districts 121 pupils.
Butler Township, one district 104 pupils.
Richland Township, two districts 34 pupils.
Prairie Spring Township, one district 23 pupils.
Perry Township, three districts .124 pupils.
Bellevue Township, one district 83 pupils.
Total 911 pupils.
These figures as a basis will give the reader a fair idea of the relative settle-
ment of the various townships at this date, and approximately their population.
PROBATE COURT.
The first Probate Judge was J. K. Moss. The first session of his court of
which we have any record was held March 12, 1838, on which date it was
ordered by the court that Hipsy Young and William Sublett be appointed
guardians for Jonas Young, Harriet Young and Mary Young, minor children
of Lewis Young, deceased.
66Z HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Lewis Young's estate, as appraised, was as follows, viz. :
1 Clay dredge $ 75
1 Hand-saw 1 18*
1 Lot smith tools 13 07
500 Rails 10 31 \
House logs 14 25
Total $30 57
Such was the first estate which came into the hands of the Probate Judge in
the early days of Jackson County.
The first Sheriff of Jackson County was William A. Warren, appointed by
Gov. Dodge, to organize the counties of Jackson, Jones and Linn, in 1838.
The first Justices of the Peace, were appointed by Gov. Dodge about the
same time, were Matthias Ringer and John Forbes, then living at Bellevue.
The first Clerk of the Court was John H. Rose, appointed in June, 1838, by
Judge Dunn, of AVisconsin Territory.
THE FIRST SETTLER
in the territory now included in Jackson County was James Armstrong, who
built, about three-fourths of a mile south of Bellevue, the first cabin in the
county in 1833. In 1834, William Jonas settled just north of the present town,
and, during the same year, Alexander Reed and William Dyas settled south of
this point. John D. Bell, for whom the town was named, did not arrive until
1835.
THE FIRST SERMON
in Jackson County was preached by Rev. Simeon Clark, a Methodist minister,
in Brown's Saloon, in Bellevue. On Sunday morning, the loafers about the
saloon were busy playing cards and drinking whisky. The cards were laid aside,
by request, and the whisky bottles set back on the shelf, while Rev. Mr. Clark
preached his discourse. We did not learn whether the amusements were resumed
immediately after the benediction or not, but presume they were.
The first physician was Dr. M. M. Maughs, of Bellevue. The first res-
ident lawyer was Henry Hopkins, of Bellevue.
The first political speech was made by T. P. Burnett, in the summer of
1838, in Bellevue.
The first bridge built was one across Mill Creek at Bellevue, commenced in
July, 1838, by Heffley & Esgate, and completed by Capt. W. A. Warren. For
this, the County Commissioners were to pay $525, but. through some technical-
ity or misunderstanding in the contract, Capt. Warren, after expending nearly
that sum in its construction, received not one cent. It was operated for a little
time as a toll bridge and then opened to the public free.
The first Postmaster in the county was John D. Bell, at Bellevue. An office
was established at the town now called Sabula, about the same time.
The first blacksmith-shop was kept by Henderson Palmer, who was killed
in the Bellevue war.
The first grist-mill was probably that of one Kinkaid, built near Bellevue
in 1836. This mill contained a pair of mill-stones commonly known as " nig-
ger heads," taken from near Bridgeport. Mr. Joseph McCloy, at Maquoketa,
claims to have had the first grist-mill for making bolted flour. The same old
mill grinds yet.
The first saw-mill was built by John D. Bell, near Bellevue, in 1836.
It is claimed that Lute Steen was the first child born upon the soil of Jack-
son County, in the town of Sabula.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
THE FIRST DKKD.
The first recorded deed on the Recorder's book of Jackson County, we give
below, because the parties afterward became prominent ; and this, too, will illus-
trate the value set on real estate at that very early day. It will be noticed that
Jackson County was at that time a part of the county of Dubuque, and of the
Territory of Wisconsin :
This Indenture, made on the twenty-third day of November, in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and thirty-six. between William B. Dodge, of Cook County, State of Illi-
nois of the first part, and William Hubble, of New York City, of the second part.
Witnesseth, That the said party of the first part, for and in consideration of the sum of six
hundred dollars in hand paid by the party of the second part, receipt whereof is hereby acknowl-
edged, hath remised, released and quit-claimed, and by these presents doth remise, release and quit-
claim unto the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns, all the following described lot or
parcel of land lying and being in the county of Dubuque, Wisconsin Territory, being an undi-
vided one-sixteenth of that certain claim of one hundred and sixty acres, derived from George
Hankins, of Bellevue, situated immediately on the Mississippi River, and adjoining the original
plat of Belleview, interest in said claim being now held and possessed by William Hooper and
others, of Galena.
To have and to hold the same, together with all ami singular the appurtenances and privil-
eges thereunto belonging, or in any wise appertaining, and all the estate, right, title, interest and
claim whatsoever of the said party of the first part, either in law or equity, to the only proper
benefit and behoof of the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns forever.
In Witness Whereof, The said party of the first part hath hereunto set his hand and seal,
the year and day first above written. William B. Dodge.
Sealed and delivered in the presence of
William G. Hustin.
STATE OF ILLINOIS, )
Cook County. / ss'
This day before me the undersigned, Edward E. Hunter, a Justice of the Peace in and for
said county, personally appeared William B. Dodge, to me personally known as the real person
who executed the annexed quit-claim deed of conveyance, and acknowledged that he executed
the same as his voluntary act and deed for the uses and purposes therein contained.
Given under my hand and seal this twenty-third day of November, A. D. 1886.
Edward E. Hunter, /. P.
This is not the first deed made which conveyed title to land in Jackson
County, there being deeds on record from John D. Bell to J. K. Moss, dated
May, 1836, but not recorded until 1839.
CLUB LAW AXD CLAIMS.
It may not be within the knowledge of many of this generation, that the
lands of Iowa Territory were occupied, and sometimes bought and sold, by the
first-comers, quite a number of years prior to their sale by the General Govern-
ment. The land sales for this portion of Iowa did not begin until 1845, when
the land office for that district, including Jackson County, was opened at
Dubuque. Previous to this time, all lands had been held and deeds made by
what was known among the settlers as club-law or claim-law, which was par-
tially sanctioned by the Legislature of 1839.
When a settler came out to these wild lands, he staked out his claim, and,
in the law of the "club" — a branch of which existed in every neighborhood —
that was his property so long as he occupied it. On that land he was allowed,
by the laws of Iowa, to maintain an action of forcible entry and detainer, for
trespass, etc. When the land should come into market, it was understood that
he could purchase the land without competition from his neighbors, at the
minimum Government price of $1.25 per acre. - Woe be to the adventurer,
speculator or capitalist, who would attempt to over-bid the settler whose
334 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
improvement had made the land valuable. We give herewith a copy of the
by-laws under which the pioneers administered the claim law :
Whereas, It has become a custom in the Western States, as soon as the Indian title to pub-
lic lands has been extinguished by the General Government, for the citizens of the United States
to settle on and improve said lands, and heretofore the improvement and claim of the settler to
the extent of three hundred and twenty acres has been respected by both the citizens and laws
of Iowa.
Resolved, That we will protect all citizens upon the public lands in the peaceable possession
of their claims, to the extent of three hundred and twenty acres, for two years after the land
sales, and longer if necessary.
Resolved, That if any person or persons shall enter the claim of any settler, that he or
they shall immediately deed it back again to said settler, and wait three years without interest.
Resolved, That if he refuse to comply with the above requisitions, he shall be subject to
such punishment as the settlers see fit to inflict.
Resolved, That we will remove any person or persons who may enter the claim of any set-
tler and settle upon it, peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must, even if their removal should
lead to bloodshed, being compelled to do so for our own common safety, that we may not be
driven by ruthless speculators from our firesides and homes.
Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed to settle all difficulties that may arise.
Resolved, That any settler who may have signed these by-laws, and refuses to render ser-
vice when called upon by the proper officers and without reasonable excuse, shall be fined the
sum of ten dollars, to be divided among those that may have rendered the service necessary.
When the lands were offered for sale, the day on which a certain township
would be put up at auction was usually announced. The sales were made in
forty-acre lots, and it was a common custom for the settlers to appoint one or
two men out of a township who should act as "bidders," and so soon as a
"forty" was put on sale it was bid off at the minimum price, and the bystand-
ers were prepared to make it lively for any one who would bid more.
On one occasion in 1845, near Maquoketa, a transgression of these claim
rules led to quite serious consequences.
A piece of land had been claimed about one and a half miles northwest of
Maquoketa, by one Absalom Montgomery, who was, by the claim-laws, in just
possession of the land. Forty acres of this piece contained fine timber and
was purchased at the land office by Dr. Rhodes, who had moved to Maquo-
keta. Rhodes was waited upon by the settlers, and a tender was made to him
of the price of the land and all his expenses in going to the land office. This
he refused. The club hesitated to introduce harsh measures at once and did
not demand an immediate settlement.
Meantime, Montgomery informed Rhodes that it would be at the risk of
his life that he or anybody else went to that piece of timber for wood.
Rhodes' son-in-law. Brown, a hot-headed fellow, declared Montgomery was a
coward; that he was not afraid of him, etc., and a few days after proceeded to
the piece of timber for a load of wood.
Montgomery, discovering his presence, approached with a loaded rifle and
some words ensued, in the course of which Brown was quite aggravating in his
talk, informing Montgomery that the latter " had drank enough whisky to pay
for three such pieces of land," etc., when Montgomery leveled his rifle at
Brown, who was standing in the wagon, and shot him.
A short time afterward, the team was observed returning without a driver
to Maquoketa by Mrs. William Y. Earle, who stopped the team and found Brown
yet alive, in the bottom of the wagon. He was able to say that Montgomery
had shot him, and those were his last words.
Search was made for Montgomery, who was arrested at S. Burleson's the
same day, he having gone in that direction with the purpose of leaving for the
West. The officers had followed him and saw him stop at Burleson's. One of their
posse went down to the house, and in an unguarded moment Montgomery was
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 335
arrested, having, however, previously told Burdeson that he and Brown had
had a difficulty. Montgomery was brought to trial in Jackson County and
found guilty. He succeeded, however, in getting a new trial, and after a
change of venue to Delaware County, he was acquitted and at last accounts
was living somewhere in Indiana.
In the records of the District Court in October, 1845, we find a case
entered as follows :
UNITED STATES, )
vs. y Indictment for murder.
Etah-e-ha-yak and Ha-u-hah-hah. J
These Indians were brought into Jackson County from the central part of
the State, where they had been accused, and the case was immediately trans-
ferred by a change of venue to Dubuque County.
THE COUNTY SEAT.
In some countries, the history of the capital is the history of the nation.
"Paris is France." So, with some counties, the matters of general interest
have seemed to center about the county seat.
Not so with Jackson. Its county offices have been itinerants from neces-
sity, and an effort to keep track of the seat of justice is about as difficult as to
keep the post-office address of a Methodist circuit rider.
When Linn, Jones and Jackson Counties were organized by the Territorial
Legislature of Wisconsin, Bellevue was made the county seat of all three coun-
ties. Here the first courts were held, and here was the place of meeting of the
County Commissioners for several years.
April 12, 1841, we find the following entry upon the County Commission-
ers' book :
Jesse Yount, Thomas S. Densou and Eli Goddard Commissioners appointed to re locate the
seat of justice of this county) appeared and took the oath prescribed by law. preparatory to
entering upon their duties.
April 15, 1841, these Commissioners made the following report:
The undersigned Commissioners, appointed to re-locate the county seat of Jackson County,
Territory of Iowa, in accordance with an act to amend an act entitled an act to re-locate said
county seat, have selected the southeast quarter of Section 22, Township 85 north, of Range 3
east of the Fifth Principal Meridian, and have named said county seat Andrew.
Thomas S. Denson,
Eli Goddard,
Jesse Yount,
Commissioners.
It seems that it was necessary to have this choice ratified by a vote of the
citizens of Jackson County, and, in an election held on the last Monday of
May, 1841, Andrew had 208 votes, Bellevue 111 votes, and Center 1 vote,
there being a majority of 96 votes in favor of Andrew.
On the 5th of July, 1842, the town of Andrew was put up at auction and
sold to the highest bidder. In this way, it came into the possession of Ansel
Briggs and John Francis, upon the following terms : The public square to be
reserved, the Court House and Jail to be held by the Commissioners for twenty
years, according to a certain lien given by Briggs and Francis, to pay two cer-
tain notes then in the hands of the Commissioners, to assume certain other
obligations of the Commissioners' Court, and to pay John G. McDonald for his
services in surveying said town of Andrew.
June 4, 1847, a substantial stone jail was contracted for, to be built by one
Peter Mullen, whose mother has been elsewhere mentioned, as owning the only
66b HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
house between Maquoketa and Dubuque in 1838. This jail was to be on the
northeast corner of the public square in Andrew, to be built 31 by 35 feet,
containing two good cells, each ten feet square, and also apartments for the
accommodation of the jailer. The contract figure was $1,450, to be paid by
certain county bonds, bearing 6 per cent interest, due in 1860 or sooner, at the
option of the county. This jail was finished in 1848.
Scarcely was it finished when the voice of the people changed the county
seat back to Bellevue. October, 1848, the records show the County Commis-
sioners in session at the latter place. The Court House at Andrew was rented
January 1, 1849, and the county officers ordered to remove their books, etc.,
to Bellevue on that date, the citizens of the latter place having previously given
bond to furnish suitable offices for the accommodation of the county officials.
The Sheriff was authorized to rent a suitable jail in Bellevue, to be leased
for a term of not less than five years.
An effort was made, in March, 1857, to remove the county seat to Center-
ville. A petition of 1,632 legal voters was presented to the County Judge,
requesting that the question be submitted to a vote of the people. This vote
was taken at the regular April election following, which left the county seat at
Bellevue.
In the next September, a second petition was presented for a vote on the
question whether or not the seat of justice should be removed to Fulton. This
vote failed of its purpose in April, 1858.
A petition was next presented, in May, 1858, for a vote on the question of
removing again to Andrew. This vote was ordered to be taken in April,
1859, at the general election, in case there should be one. But the law as to
the time of elections was changed in the mean time, and the question was ruled
out of a vote.
During the year 1861, those who were in favor of Andrew as a county seat
secured the requisite number of names to a petition to secure a vote on the
matter. The citizens of Andrew proposed to furnish a Court House gratuitously
for the term of five years, and the measure was carried. This Court House at
Andrew, which cost some six thousand dollars, was, in 1866, sold to the Board
of Supervisors of Jackson County, for $2,000.
An effort was made, in 1868, to get the county seat back to Bellevue.
Defeated in the November election by a majority of 1,094.
The last removal of the county seat was in 1873, when it was changed to
Maquoketa. This was the occasion of a strong and bitter contest. The citizens
of Maquoketa believed that in order to secure a victory it would be necessary
to risk building a Court House in advance of the election. But the City Council
could not legally build a county building, so it was resolved to build a City Hall,
which might be leased to the county for a term of ninety-nine years.
Accordingly, June 12, 1873, there was passed an ordinance by the City
Council appropriating from the city treasury, in bonds of the city of Maquo-
keta, the sum of $8,000, for the purchase of a lot, and the erection thereon of
a City Hall.
On the 3d day of June had been presented to the Board of Supervisors, of
Jackson County, a petition of John E. Goodenow and 2,692 other petitioners for
the relocation of the county seat. The census of 1873 had shown 4,625
voters in the county, and this petition containing a majority of names of the
legal voters of the county, an election was ordered at the general election in
October following, and due notices ordered to be given by publication in the
newspapers and the posting of bills by Constables in different townships.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 337
Meantime the work of building the Court House in Maquoketa was pushed
forward with marvelous rapidity. In just ninety days from the day of break-
ing ground the roof and cornice were on this new, elegant and substantial build-
ing, and photographs of the same were scattered over the county for the pur-
pose of influencing voters. A cut of the new building appeared in the Sentinel
of September 25. This was thought by many in the northern part of the
county to be a " canard." It was claimed by the enemies of Maquoketa to be
the picture of some other building, and scores of people came from distant parts
of the county to verify the reports they had heard about the new Court House.
The following is a brief description of the building : The basement walls are
two feet thick, ten feet in the clear, and built of dressed stone. This basement
lias been fitted up as a temporary county jail and city calaboose. The walls of
the first story are sixteen inches, and the height fourteen feet. This is set
apart for county offices, and affords large and comfortable headquarters for the
county officials. The second-story walls are same thickness as the first, but
twenty feet in height, forming an excellent court room, 40x65 feet. The entire
building is 45x81 feet, forty-seven feet from the ground to the eaves, and cost
the city of Maquoketa upward of $14,000.
At the meeting of the Maquoketa City Council August 25, 1873, the fol-
lowing petition of 439 citizens was presented :
To the Honorable, the Council of the City of Maquoketa :
The undersigned citizens and voters residing in the city of Maquoketa would respectfully
request your honorahle body to lease to Jackson County, State of Iowa, such portion of the new
t'ity Hall, when completed, as may be needed by said county for County Court and other public
purposes of the like character: said lease to be conditioned upon the removal of the county seat
lo Maquoketa in 1873, and to continue ninety-nine years, or so long as Maquoketa shall remain
such county seat.
On motion, the prayer of the petitioners was granted unanimously.
The lease for the consideration of one dollar, and the further consideration
that the county of Jackson occupy this building as a court room, and for county
offices ; grants to said county this building and grounds for the term of ninety-
nine years, the city reserving the exclusive right to occupy the eastern half of
the basement rooms, and also to use the upper story when the same is unoccu-
pied, for court or county purposes, "Provided, that when Jackson County shall
fail to occupy and use said premises as its county offices and Court House, then
this shall terminate."
Then was presented to the Council a guarantee signed by D. M. Hubbell,
and twenty-five others, citizens and tax-payers of Maquoketa, pledging that in
case the county .seat was removed to Maquoketa, that all removal of records,
offices and furniture, shall be made without expense to Jackson County. This
guarantee was ordered filed with the County Auditor.
The result of the election was a majority in favor of Maquoketa of 179.
To take charge of the removal of the county seat, James Dunne, the Presi-
dent of the Board of Supervisors, was appointed. By him was delegated the
general superintendency of the movement to John Holroyd and Myron Collins :
of the Treasurer's office, George C. Heberling was appointed Marshal ; of
the Clerk's office, L. W. Stuart ; of the Auditor's office, T. E. Cannell ; of
the Recorder's office, P. Mitchell ; of the Sheriff's office, James Hixon.
The work of removal was performed, without incident or accident, November
9, 1873. About seventy-five farmers with their teams assisted in the labor gratu-
itously.
In the fall of 1876, quite an excitement was occasioned by a determined
effort on the part of the friends of Andrew to have another vote on the
338 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
relocation of the oft-located county seat. Petitions, remonstrances and re-remon-
strances were circulated, and a total of some 6,400 names were secured. After
a long and laborious canvass on the part of the Board of Supervisors, the
prayer of the petitioners was denied, there being two names more on the remon-
strance than on the petition.
During the time of the excitement and canvass, special policemen were
placed inside the Court House by the city authorities to watch over the county
records by night. On the night of September 14, one of the police, hearing a
noise at the outside door, as of some one prying for entrance, suddenly opened
it, and met in the darkness an unknown party who commenced assault, but who
was brought to terms by a brick in the hands of the officer, and was locked up.
A couple of hours later two more men came to the door in the same manner and
were captured. These three parties were citizens of Andrew, and, upon trial,
were discharged, except the first mentioned, who was fined for resisting an
officer. What their object was in attempting to enter the Court House by night
is only a matter of conjecture, their explanation being that they were there for
the purpose of guarding their petition in the Auditor's safe, and hearing a noise
inside were endeavoring to get in to surprise the supposed thieves.
This incident, at least, will go to show that, in the opinion of the citizens of
both Maquoketa and Andrew, those of "the other side" were capable of using
other than fair means to carry their point.
Since the removal of the county seat to Maquoketa there has been mani-
fested on the part of the citizens of Prairie Springs and Tete des Morts Town-
ships a decided anxiety to be detached from Jackson and attached to Dubuque
County. A reference to the map will clearly show that they geographically
belong to Dubuque, and, in fact, their incorporation into Jackson was a purely
political measure. The northern boundary of Tete des Morts is only from six
to eight miles from Dubuque, while it is more than four times that from Maquo-
keta. The transfer of townships will probably one day be made.
' COUNTY SUPERVISORS.
Among the acts of the County Supervisors, as we glean from their records,
have been several transactions of interest, which do not properly come under
any of the departments above treated of; we give them as pot-pourri.
A committee of the Board was appointed in 1865 to examine into the mat-
ter of predatory animals, the number killed, the bounty paid, and the
damage they caused. This report gave as the number of wolves killed by
citizens during the preceding years as 122, on which a bounty of $5 per scalp, or
•1610, had been paid. Of wildcats, there were slaughtered 78, and a bounty of
$3 each drew out of the treasury $234.
On the other side of the ledger is the following entry : " Value of sheep killed
by wolves, $3,289, while the dogs are represented to have caused the death of
sheep to the value of $1,179."
As the result of this report, the bounty on predatory animals remained the
same, while the Legislature was petitioned for a tax of from $1 to $4 per head
on dogs.
AN INDIGNANT MEMBER.
One of the most active members of the Board of Supervisors, and one who
has served some dozen years, Mr. James Dunne, at the January meeting, 1868,
following upon the Fenian troubles, offered the accompanying resolution, which
was unanimously adopted by the Board, which then consisted of eighteen
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 341
members. This resolution will go far to show that the county was not named in
vain for the "hero of New Orleans," and that her sons do not forget how he
whipped the British :
Whereas, The American Colonies declared their independence, in 1776, of the British king
and his tyrannical government, and compelled by the sword his acknowledgment, in 1783, of
their sovereignty ami independence as one of the sovereign nations of the world, under the name
of the United States of America; and
Whereas, In 1812, the United States of America found it necessary again to declare war
against the British king and his government, to protect the persons of naturalized American
citizens upon the high seas from the tyrannical and arbitrary assumptions by the British govern-
ment of the right to search American vessels for, and to seize the persons of, naturalized citizens,
and compel them to bear arms to protect and defend what they despised — British tyranny — which
terminated in a glorious victory and a complete triumph of the American arms at New Orleans, Jan-
uary 8, 1815, under the great statesman, patriot and hero, Old Hickory, himself of Irish parentage ;
and
Whereas, The British government now claim and put in force the right to hang naturalized
American citizens of Irish birth, having recently executed as traitors, a large number for acts
done and language spoken upon American soil ; therefore be it
Resolved, That it is the duty of the United States Government to signify to the English
authorities that expatriation is the natural and inherent right of every person, and that such
right is fully recognized by this Government ; that this Government also recognizes to the fullest
extent the right of every person to renounce his allegiance to any government of which he may
he a subject or citizen, and become the subject or citizen of any other government, being sub-
ject to all the rights and privileges thereof, thus completely severing his connection with the for-
mer and annulling any and all claims which it may have had upon him.
Resolved, That, this Board forward a copy of the above to our Senator and Representatives in
the Legislature, asking that Congress be memorialized upon the subject.
In 1870, a debt of the county fund having accumulated to the amount of
$17,000, and the price of county warrants being depressed in consequence, it
became necessary to take some measures to fill up the treasury. The law at
that time did not allow a levy of more than 4 mills per annum for the county
fund, and with this tax the fund was continually getting behind. This debt was
funded by the issue of county bonds for the amount of $17,000. A report of
the Treasurer, in April, 1873, showed that of these bonds at that date, all save
$3,700 had been redeemed, and another set of $15,000 was issued. These are
all now recalled.
EMBEZZLEMENTS.
Frederick Scarborough had been Clerk of the District Court for a number
of years previous to 1865. At that time, the salary of the Clerk was paid by
allowing him a certain salary, a part of which would come from the fees of his
office, and the deficit was to be made up from the county treasury. Under
this plan, if the Clerk failed to report a fee, it was that much more added to
the amount necessary to make up his salary. At the time of Scarborough's
retirement from office, in 1865, it was discovered that a large amount of fees
had never been reported. A committee was appointed to examine his books.
As well try to trace the path of a ship which had become smooth by a night of
calm, as to look up clerk-fees running back over a term of years. The com-
mittee found a deficit of $5,532.48, which they reported at the June meeting,
1865. How much more might have been appropriated could never be known.
The suit brought by the county against the sureties of Scarborough ran along
for some two years. Judgment was secured before Judge Cotton in September,
1867, for $2,442.98 and costs. This was finally compromised still further by
the release of the bondsmen upon the payment of about $2,000 into the county
treasury.
In 1873, on the Monday morning following the vote which changed the
county seat from Andrew to Maquoketa, the front door of the Court House was
342 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
found standing open, the Treasurer's office in a disordered condition, the Treas-
ury safe open, and papers scattered about the floor. A robbery was reported.
A card was found near the safe containing the figures which formed the com-
bination by which the safe was locked, and the dial-plate on the inner doors had
been removed, on the inside of which were the characters which were the "open
sesame " to the money I: ox itself.
The Treasurer gave out that the safe had been robbed of about $20,000.
His own report made out a few days later showed a deficit of near $41,000.
The burglary story then ceased to be credible, if any credence had ever been
placed in it.
The defaulter had been Treasurer for six years. His books were examined
by a committee appointed for that purpose, who found them a labyrinth whose
depths they were unable fully to explore. A shortage of $51,000 was reported.
The ex-Treasurer made an assignment of his real estate, etc., to T. E. Can-
nell, Esq., of Maquoketa, and under the bankruptcy law a settlement of his
estate was made for the benefit of his creditors, Jackson County being by far
the largest claimant. From this was realized a dividend of some 25 per cent.
Suit was brought against the defaulter's bondsmen for the balance of the
indebtedness. A change of venue was taken to Clinton County July 12, 1875 ;
judgment was rendered in the sum of $25,000. The matter was allowed to run
along for months. Some $1,400 had been placed to the credit of his sureties,
who presented a petition signed by more than one-half the voters of the county
praying that the bondsmen be released upon paying $5,000 into the treasury.
The Board finally settled with the sureties for a little more than this amount,
the basis of settlement being that the bondsmen should pay a sum sufficient to
make (with the dividend realized from the Treasurer's assignee) good to the
county all balances due from the defaulter to subcorporations.
Criminal proceedings were commenced against the embezzler, who took a
change of venue to Clinton County. He was sentenced to three years in the
State Penitentiary, and to pay a fine of $41,000. The latter was remitted, and
his term in prison was shortened by executive clemency, which set him free in
October, 1876.
BRIDGES.
Crossed by the forks and the main stream of the Maquoketa, Jackson
County has been called upon for a heavy expenditure in the building of bridges,
and to this enterprise her citizens have lent willing hands and liberal contribu-
tions, both by taxes and private subscriptions.
Crossing the North Fork of the Maquoketa are bridges at the following
points : Ozark, Edward's Mills, Sutton's Ford, Slipper's Mills, Fulton and
Tubbs' Mills.
South Fork is bridged at Canton, Cheneworth's Ford and Maquoketa.
Maquoketa River is bridged at Bridgeport, Mann's Ferry, Dunham's Ferry
and Clark's Ferry.
The bridge at Sutton's is now out of repair aud condemned, but will proba-
bly be replaced.
Of the bridges mentioned, those at Canton, Ozark, Tubb's Mills, Bridge-
port, Mann's Ferry and Clark's Ferry are substantial iron structures. The
others are of wood, or wood and iron.
Previous to 1867, there were no bridges on the main river below the forks,
as that had been declared a navigable stream by Congress. In June of that
year, a petition was sent through the State Legislature, asking that the Ma-
quoketa River be declared not navigable, as it had practically become so, and
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 343
it was the desire of the county to bridge it without the expense of a draw-
bridge.
July 13, 1868, Congress approved the following resolution :
Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representative of the United States, in Congress assem-
bled, that the assent of Congress is given to the construction of bridges across the Maquoketa
River in the State of Iowa, with or without draws, as may be provided by the laws of the State
of Iowa. Sec. 2.
Then followed a memorial to the Iowa Legislature, requesting authority
from the State, which was finally granted.
The bridges at Fulton and Slipper's were built in 1865, mostly by private
subscriptions, and at but slight expense to the county. The former received
an appropriation from the public treasury of $400, the latter, $300. The
first has been rebuilt.
The bridge at Tubbs' Mills was built in 1871, at a cost for the superstruct-
ure of $25 per lineal foot. It was built in one span, 104 feet in length, by
the Cleveland Bridge Co. It is a wrought-iron, tubular, arch-truss bridge.
Mann's Ferry was spanned by a bridge in 1872, consisting of two spans.
Its total length was 215 feet. The contract for the superstructure was taken
by the Ohio Bridge Co. for $4,945, who put in a wrought-iron tubular, arch
patent. The stone and trestle work of this bridge was done by Palmer &
Reed, contractors, and cost $4,605.
The bridge at Fulton was repaired in 1872, by "VV. P. Ward.
The bridge at Slipper's Mill was built in 1873, by Strasser & Schlect.
Contract price, $2,100.
Cheneworth's Ford was bridged about the same time and by same contractors,
at a cost of $1,950.
The bridge at Dunham's was built in 1873.
An iron bridge 212 feet long was put across the river at Canton, in 1874,
by Z. King & Son, for $3,968. The abutments were put in by George Kelsall
at a cost of $1,140.
The Clark's Ferry bridge was built by the Wrought Iron Bridge Co., of
Canton, Ohio, in 1874, for $3,500.
During the same year, the wooden bridge across South Fork, near Maquo-
keta, was built by the county and city conjointly.
The Ozark bridge was made by the Canton Wrought Iron Bridge Co., in
1875. The stone-work was done by Lematen & Luke.
The river was again bridged at Fulton, in 1877, by the Clinton Bridge Co.
The finest bridge in Jackson County crosses the river at Bridgeport, and
was completed in 1877, at a cost of near $20,000, all told. The superstructure,
a wrought-iron bridge, was erected by the Clinton Bridge Co.
The other smaller streams throughout the county are well bridged. But
further mention would be tedious. The work of building bridges is suspended
for the present, until the outstanding warrants against the bridge fund have
been liquidated. The good work will be continued, in the substantial manner
in which it has previously been carried on, as soon as the condition of the
county treasury will justify it.
COUNTY POOR FARM.
The County Poor Farm originally consisted of 160 acres, purchased in
June, 1858, by Joseph Kelso, as County Judge, from Carmel Cotton. Pre-
vious to this date, the paupers of the county had been kept by private parties,
and their keeping paid for out of the public funds. The Farm, as originally
purchased, cost $6,000.
3-14 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
The County Farm of 1879 comprises 309 acres, as follows: The
southeast quarter of Section 4 ; east half of southwest quarter of Section 4,
and the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 4, all in Town-
ship 85, Range 3 east, known as Perry Township, and twenty-eight acres of
timber located in Richland Township.
The east half of the southwest quarter of Section 4 was purchased in 1871,
of B. Linneman, for $1,700.
The Wardens of the Poor Farm since its purchase have been as follows :
Lester Cotton June, 1858, to November, 1858.
William Huff November, 1858, to November, 1859.
Jonas Smith November, 1859, to March, 1, 1863.
J. B. Duley March 1, 1863, to March 1, 1867, at §500 per year.
George Hooker March 1, 1867, to March 1, 1868, at .$450 per year.
James Buchanan March 1, 1868, to March 1, 1870, at $4"0 per year.
A. J. Miller March 1, 1870, to March 1, 1872, at $500 per year.
T. S. Alberry March 1, 1872, to March 1, 1874, at $500 per year.
J. M. Fitzgerald March 1, 1874, to March 1, 1875, at $500 per year.
J. M. Fitzgerald March 1, 1875, to January, 1877, at $750 per year.
.1. M. Fitzgerald January, 1877, to January, 1880, at $900 per year.
The Farm is located three and one-fourth miles north of Andrew, on the
Dubuque and Maquoketa road, and has about one hundred and seventy-five
acres under cultivation. The remainder of the Farm is rough land and young
timber-land, which is used as a pasture-ground.
The buildings upon the Farm are generally in good order. The Warden
occupies a brick dwelling-house, about 28x38 feet, and containing six rooms.
The Poor House proper is a frame building to the east side of the dwelling,
originally built for a wagon-shed below and dancing-hall above. This was
refitted and partitioned, when it came into the possession of the county, in
such a manner as to furnish comfortable quarters for the paupers.
In 1870 and 1872, there was a stone building, 26x30 feet, two and one-
half stories, erected by the county, in which might be accommodated the
incurable insane returned from the State Asylum. Each floor is divided into
rooms or cells, with doors of iron grating, opening into the halls, by which
means the cells are heated in winter from stoves located in the halls. In this
department are nineteen insane persons, eleven of whom have been pronounced
incurable.
There are at present twenty-one paupers in the care of the county. Dur-
ing the past year, the average number of paupers and insane has been thirty-
eight. Total number to whom relief was furnished, seventy-one. There are
accommodations for probably twenty-five more than the present number. The
Farm is well stocked and equipped with necessary farming machinery.
The cost per week^of keeping each pauper during the year 1878 has been
66 cents. Deducting from the expenditures for the year the expense which
would accrue in keeping the State Asylum, a balance would result in favor of
the county.
J THE eOCNTY JAIL.
The stone jail erected at Andrew by Peter Mullen in 1847, of which men-
tion has been made in connection with the sketch of the county seat contest, was
for many years an eye-sore to the more enterprising citizens of Jackson County.
This jail stood, and still stands, on the public square in Andrew, being now con-
verted into a dwelling-house. Almost every grand jury summoned for years
published a phillipic against its unstable walls and filthy interior, but in vain.
January, 1867, it was declared unfit for human beings, and a committee was
appointed by the Board of Supervisors to prepare specifications for a new one.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 345
During that year, the question was submitted to the people to decide whether the
county should build a jail costing $8,000. This met with a decided negative.
Then again, in 1869, was submitted a proposition to erect a $15,000 jail, to be
paid for in county bonds. Still the people of Jackson did not believe in build-
ing palaces for criminals.
The law allowed the Supervisors, on their own motion, to expend not to
exceed $5,000 for a county jail, and, in October, 1870, they took the .question
into their own hands, as may be seen by the following resolution, which was
adopted :
Whereas, At the September term, 1870, of the District Court in Jackson County, Iowa, the
grand jury in and for said county reported the jail on the public square in Andrew to be unfit for
the safe keeping of prisoners, that the same is unhealthy, not being well ventilated, and that the
same is a nuisance ; and,
Whereas, Said report was ordered by said District Court to be laid before the Board of
Supervisors of Jackson County at the next meeting thereof for its action thereon : now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That there be appropriated by the Board out of the county fund of Jackson
County the sum of $.5,000, to be expended in the erection of a jail on the public square in
Andrew, in said county, and under the supervision and control of John Holroyd and Arnold
Reiling, two members of this Board, and that they be and are herehy required to furnish a plan
and specifications for said jail, and to let the contract for the building of the same as soon as
practicable.
In obedience to this resolution, a contract was made with Messrs. Strasser &
Schlect to build a substantial stone jail for $5,000, which was done in 1871.
The contract did not include the iron cells.
Jackson County Jail is located on the northwest corner of the public square
in Andrew, and is a solid stone structure two stories in height, and about thirty-
five by forty feet in size. The front part of the jail affords comfortable
apartments for the jailer. The rear half is a large room, with ceiling about
twenty-two feet high, and ceiled throughout with iron. Under the floor is a
block stone pavement. Double iron doors guard the entrance. On the north
side of this room are six cells for prisoners, three of iron and three of four-inch
wood. A small yard adjoins the jail on the east, surrounded by a stone wall
some eighteen feet high, and guarded on the top with broken glass set edgewise
in a bed of mortar. An apartment for women is fitted up in the attic.
Jackson County has a good jail. The misfortune is, that it is located eight
miles from the county seat While court is in session the prisoners are brought
to Maquoketa and confined in cages provided for them in the basement.
The present jailer is Capt. T. M. Hamilton, who is esteemed as a most
efficient officer and kind keeper.
COUNTY FINANCES.
The financial management of Jackson County, generally speaking, has
been an economical one. Opposed to running the county deeply in debt, its
financiers have never permitted useless extravagance. True, a seeming care-
lessness has on two occasions, as elsewhere appears, exposed the county funds
to breaches of trust, which may, perhaps, more properly be called the misfor-
tunes than the faults of managers.
Times have occurred when county warrants were not worth more than sixty
or seventy cents on the dollar, but a judicious financial policy has ever endeav-
ored to keep them at par, thus bringing contract bids to a cash basis and secur-
ing full work for orders drawn. No money has ever been paid by the county,
in its corporate capacity, for railroads, nor has any great amount been
expended for public buildings. Much has been expended in the way of bridges,
as elsewhere appears.
346 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
June 1, 1879, shows an indebtedness only in the bridge fund. There are
outstanding warrants on the Treasurer, at that date, for $9,806.86, with an
accumulated interest, in addition, of some $1,200 or $1,500. This indebted-
ness will be liquidated, in all probability, during the coming year. There are
no county bonds outstanding.
The report of the Treasurer, for the same date, shows the amount of cash
in the treasury to be upward of $30,000, showing a decidedly healthy condi-
tion of money affairs at the present time.
The tax levy for 1878 was as follows : County Fund, 4 mills; State Fund,
2 mills ; School Fund, 1 mill ; Bridge Fund, 3 mills ; Bonds, 2i mills ; Insane
Hospital, ^ mill; County Insane, 1 mill; total, 14 mills.
The school tax of 1 mill goes to the General School Fund. In addition to
this, the Directors of each school district levy a tax for the support of schools
in their respective districts. Of the State School Fund, there is loaned out by
County Auditor of Jackson County, $37,160.84. The revenue derived by the
county by apportionment from the State School Fund during the past year was
$4,582.50.
We give herewith the assessment for 1879 : Town lots, $535,516 : land,
$2,614,661; personal Droperty, $1,111,817; railroads, $172,221; total,
$4,434,215.
In the above assessment, real estate is supposed to be estimated at about
one-third its actual value. The Assessors were instructed to assess the lands
averaging from $5 an acre, in the poorest township, to $9 per acre in the town
containing the best lands. The large proportion of timber-land reduces greatly
the average Value, there being, in places, land valued at $60 near by that which
would be dear at $10.
Herewith we give the equalization list for the above assessment, as prepared
by the Board of Supervisors to assist Assessors in making their assessments
uniform :
Work horses and mules, four years old and over, (o average 840 00
Work horses and mules, three to four years old, to average 30 00
Work horses and mules, two to three years old, to average 20 00
Work horses and mules, one to two years old, to average 15 00
Asses, fit for service, to average 150 00
Stallions, fit for service, to average 200 00
Jennies, fit for service, to average 60 00
Work oxen, four years old and over, to average per yoke 50 00
Steers, from three to four years old, to average 16 00
Steers, from two to three years old, to average 10 00
Steers, from one to two years old, to average 5 00
Cows, four years old and over, to average 10 00
Heifers, two to three years old, to average 6 00
Heifers, one to two years old, to average. 4 00
Swine, one year old and over, to average 2 00
Swine, six months to one year, to average 1 00
Sheep, per head 1 00
Vehicles (first-class), two-horse, to average 150 00
Vehicles (first-class), one-horse, to average 100 00
All other vehicles, as well as farming implements (except lumber wagons in actual use) and
other property to be assessed on the foregoing basis, except articles which are exempt under the
provisions of Section 797 of the Code.
On motion, it was ordered thattbe real estate of the different townships be
classified as follows :
Bellevue Township, to average $6 00
Brandon " " 5 50
Butler " " 5 00
Fairfield " " '5 00
Farmers Creek ': '• 6 00
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Iowa Township, to average.,
Jackson " "
Maquoketa '• "
Monmouth " "
Otter Creek " "
Perry " "
Prairie Springs "
Richland '• "
South Fork " "
Tete de^ Morts " "
Union " "
Van Buren " "
Washington " "
The
t for 1879, by townships, is as follows :
s .11!
8 00
5 00
6 00
6 00
TOWNSHIPS.
VALUE OF LANDS, TOWN LOTS AND PERSONAL PROPERTY.
Total
Andrew City
Bellevue City
Bellevue Township
Butler Township
Brandon Township
Fairfield Township
Farmers Creek Township
Iowa Township
Jackson Township
Maquoketa Township
Ma.juoketa City
Monmouth Township
Otter Creek Township
Perry Township
Prairie Spring Township..
Richland Township
South Fork Township
Sabula City.
$ 1591(55 8 11875
Unii
Van Buren Township
Washington Township
Tete des Moris Township.,
20 Hi;
228(10
1227--JI
22523
22351
28434
22*70
21447
1671
22842
22914
22377
22039
22079
29821
23
8872
20974
20370
200., 1
159195
113474.
124927
14 7295.
136024
201040
145747 .
175586
181400
114315.
144042 .
110999
170985
115 8!
194580 34862
130519 3672
51753
32*38
30428
47543
40835
81857
40028
42572
225945
8523
26036
41700
37875
34740
22216
39425
15677
72586
34810
41395
20012
195543
213051
140312
160277
184839
183580
321457
185765
214988
455678
140351
185742
152004
208205
105505
128129
70041
109827
102158
4021861 S261466ll 5535516 $1111817 $42
SOCIAL STATISTIC*, ETC.
Since the organization of Jackson County, in 1838, the census report shows
the following increase in population. It will be noticed that steady growth has
marked each year, with two exceptions. There has been no unhealthy haste,
but a constant influx of substantial citizens, drawn hither by the merit of the
region. Below is given a statement of each enumeration.
1838.,
1840.,
1844..
1846..
1847.,
1849.,
1850.
1851.
1852.
1854.
1452
2000
4767
4689
5677
7210
7597
8231
12166
1856 14077
1859 17710
1860 18493
1863 19158
1865 19097
1867 19970
1869 20579
1870 22619
1873 22284
1875 23060
We append a tabular statement of the population of the county according
census of 1875. This will not represent the true state of case in 1879,
to the census of 1875
348
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
but will be of value as a matter of reference. The growth of the county is slow
now, and the addition of five per cent upon the aggregate, will probably not be
far from the true census of the county.
Tn\V»mi\S, CITIES AND TOWNS.
POPULATION.
Number
of
I'ainili.-
Brandon Township
Butler "
Bellevue "
Fairfield "
Farmers' Creek Township .
Iowa
Jackson "
Maquoketa "
Monmouth '•
Otter Creek
Perry
Prairie Springs
Richland
South Fork
Tete des Morts "
Union "
Van Buren
Washington
Town of Andrew
Sabula
City of Bellevue
" Maquoketa
Total of County.,
119
462
832
1071
794
1640
1163
945
1069
1415
1064
264
1003
1623
2112
-_>.;ih;ii
228
164
189
284
130
154
170
140
187
170
39
243
222
301
458
The population of the towns during the census of 1870, 1875 and 1874 was
as follows :
TOWN OR CITY.
Andrew
Bellevue ....
Maquoketa. .
Sabula
352 :;7S
1353 ! 1552
1756 j 1681
920 ! 1033
The following items from the census report of 1875, may also be of interest :
Number of acres of improved land 193,290
Number of acres of unimproved land 142,401
Number of acres under cultivation in 1874 142,401
Number of acres of natural timber 95,160
Number of population born in United States 17,950
Number of population horn in foreign countries 4,863
Number of voters in 1875 4,901
Number of voters born in Ireland 506
Number of voters born in Germany 1,462
Number of foreigners not naturalized 361
Number of persons between the ages of 5 and 21 years 8,694
In the above table it may be noticed as a curious coincidence that the num-
ber of acres of unimproved land and the number under cultivation in 1874, are
precisely the same, though running into the hundred thousands. In Jackson
County, in 1875, there were thirty-one post offices, as follows : Andrew, Bald-
win, Bellevue, Bridgeport, Canton, Cottonville, Crabb's Mills, Emeline, Fulton,
Garry Owen, Gorden's Ferry, Green Island, Higginsport, Iron Hill, La Motte,
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 849
Maquoketa. Miles, Monmouth, Mt. Alger, Nashville, Otter Creek, Ozark, Pres-
ton, Sabul?, St. Donatus, Spragueville, Spring Brook, Sterling, Union Center,
Van Buren, Zwingle.
GEOLOGICAL.
Nearly the entire county is underlaid by the Niagara limestone, which, in
many places, is exposed along the banks of the Maquoketa and other streams,
often forming cliffs many feet in elevation. No other rock than this is seen in
the interior of the county, but in the eastern and northeastern edges, the Missis-
sippi and its tributaries have cut down through the Hudson River shales into
the Galena limestone, and exposed from fifty to one hundred feet in thickness
this latter rock.
The Niagara limestone, as developed in this district, is a light yellow grayish
dolomite, which is generally somewhat crystalline in its texture. Its upper
portion is somewhat porous and softer than the lower, so that it is much less
conspicuous than the harder strata below. In the southern part of the county,
these upper beds are seen occasionally and especially in loose masses, which
are characterized by the presence of numerous casts of heads and stems of
crinoids. The localities of iron ore in Iowa are situated chiefly in Jackson
County, near the Maquoketa and the branches running into it from the north
side, especially Farmers', Brush and Lytle's Creeks. There are numerous
fragments and small pieces of hematite ore lying on the surface in some por-
tions of that region, and these have, naturally enough, among those unac-
quainted with the modes of occurrences of the metalliferous areas, been pre-
sumed to indicate the existence of heavy beds of «the same material in the rocks
below. There has, however, never been discovered a lower stratum of ore
having anything like the dimensions necessary to justify the erection of fur-
naces for the smelting of iron.
The ore seems to have originated, in some instances, in the decomposition
of nodules of iron pyrites distributed irregularly through the rock. In other
cases, it has been deposited in the fissures and cavities of the limestone, with
springs, charged with ferruginous matter, itself likely the result of the decom-
position of the sulphuret. In general, the fragments of the iron ore lie scat-
teringly over the surface, and this is not an uncommon occurrence over the
whole region underlaid with the Niagara limestone; but there are some limited
districts where the quantity of fragments that have been liberated by the decom-
position of the rock is considerable. Usually these loose masses are quite
small, the size of a man's fist being the most common. Occasionally the ore
may be seen in the rock, although this is not frequently the case. When thus
seen, the evidence of its local origin and of its necessarily limited range is con-
clusive.
The dip of the limestone strata seems to be quite rapid in this region, a9
is shown by the position of the Cincinnati shales, called sometimes Maquoketa
shales, which are met in ascending the bluffs at Dubuque, at an elevation of
some two hundred and fifty feet, while at Bellevue they have sunk to the
water's edge : although the direction of the river in this part of its course is -at
a considerable angle with the line of greatest dip of strata in this region.
From Bellevue to Sabula, near which place the shales finally disappear beneath
the river, the dip is considerably less than it has been shown to be above the
first-mentioned place.
The Tete des Morts Valley, in the northeastern part of the county, is one
of the most picturesque and attractive in this region. Along the borders of
350 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
the stream there are cliffs of the Galena limestone, rising, in some places, fifty
feet perpendicular. Above this rock we come upon a gently undulating region,
having a rich soil which extends back on each side of the creek, gradually
rising until it reaches the bluff, at a distance which diminishes as we ascend the
stream. This undulating and fertile belt is underlaid by the soft and easily
decomposed shales of the Cincinnati group, which are capped by the harder
beds of Niagara limestone.
The shales mentioned above as Maquoketa shales, are known in State Geol-
ogist White's reports as such, though usually mentioned in geological works as
Cincinnati shales. Prof. White applies the name Maquoketa to the particular
epochal subdivision or formation of the group which alone is found in Iowa.
The surface occupied by this formation is comprised within a singularly long
and narrow area, seldom reaching more than a mile or two in width, but more
than a hundred miles in length, within the State. Its most southerly exposure
has been mentioned above as at Bellevue bluffs, and near Sabula at the water's
edge, and the most northerly one yet recognized is in the western part of Win-
neshiek County.
The whole formation is largely composed of bluish and brownish shales,
which weather into a tenacious clay upon the surface, and the soil derived from
it is usually stiff and clayey. The shales are sometimes slightly arenaceous,
and sometimes calcareous bands compose a considerable part of their bulk.
The shales are sometimes bituminous, but there is no reason to suppose that
they contain enough for the profitable distillation of petroleum. Their eco-
nomic value is very slight, consisting principally of the brick clay into which
they disintegrate upon the surface.
The northeastern part of Jackson County composes a part of what is some-
times called the " bowlderless region," including about one-third of the county.
This district is characterized by almost a complete absence of bowlders, while
they occur in every other part of the State.
burt's cave.
Burt's Cave or Caves, as they would be more properly named, are located
about nine miles northwest of Maquoketa, in one of the wildest and most
romantic spots in the State of Iowa. Rocks have been hurled about promiscu-
ously in the mighty upheavals, by which the face of Mother Earth was here
made to assume such a varied form. Hill and dale alternate with increasing
size and frequency as we approach the spot where the caves are to be found.
Hanging across the gorge at the height of almost one hundred feet, at a
distance of, perhaps, fifteen jods from the mouth of the cavern, is the natural
bridge, consisting of an arch of rocks spanning the gorge at the dizzy elevation
just mentioned.
We quote, in description of the caves, from the pen of Judge Thayer, of
the Clinton Age, who. in describing an excursion to this natural wonder, writes
as follows :
" ' Now for the mouth of the cave ' was the cry. Down the declivity we all
started, and in less than five minutes we were at the entrance of the mighty
cavern. Torches were there in hands of experienced guides, and the whole
company commenced to survey the internal beauties of this wonderful work.
We soon came to a brook of cool, clear water, which seemed to take its rise in
a cavity half-way up the arch, and satisfying our thirst we moved on.
" It is something over a half-mile through the main part of the cave. But
there are myriads of smaller cavities, on either side of the main street, which
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 351
have only been partially explored, and which, in our mind, lead to rooms and
halls unsurpassed, perhaps, only by the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. Some
of our company, with no preparations for exploring, made new and important
discoveries.
'• When the interest in such wonderful curiosities becomes a little greater
in the West, scientific surveys and explorations will be made, and then the full
extent of this great cavern may be ascertained. Until then, the public may
consider it a tremendous bore and let it go at that.
•■ Passing over one side of the mountain, we come again to the entrance —
having once passed through the hill. At the right of the entrance is another
aperture, probably one hundred and fifty feet wide, one thousand feet long, with
the lowest arch high enough to walk under conveniently, and without stooping.
This cavern is hardly less interesting to the spectator than the tunnel through
which we have just passed. In one part of it is a beautiful, flat prominence
known as the ballroom, where the light, fantastic toe is merrily tripped, at times,
hour after hour. Here we gathered specimens, which we cannot describe save
to say they are beautiful and we prize them.
"Passing through this cavern, we go some seventy-five feet into a ravine
where the banks on either side are solid rock, and, extending up several hundred
feet, make as grand scenery as the eye desires to behold. Then we reach the
entrance to still another cave. We entered this but a few hundred feet.
Beyond us we could hear a stream of water pouring out of the rocks and mak-
ing, we should judge from the sound, a young Niagara. Here there have been
less explorations made than anywhere else about the mountain. But, viewing
the entrance from without, and taking a hasty survey of the height and breadth
of this elevation, we predict that here will be found the greatest wonders of
all this mountainous^region."
The ceilings of these caves are hung with most beautiful stalactites, and
upon the floor the corresponding stalagmites, the slow deposits of centuries,
rise to meet their companions above. Unfortunately for the beauty of these
caves, no effort has been made to preserve the natural ornamentation of the
ceilings, and the glittering pendants have been broken off, or knocked down by
visitors, until only a fraction, and that of the least interesting of these lime
deposits, remains.
Further explorations of these caverns have been made since Judge Thayer's
visit, and marvelous reports of miles of passageways have been brought back
by those who have spent whole days among these subterraneous wonders.
After a few turns in this labyrinth, the best geographical head is muddled, and
no one dares venture into strange parts of the cave without a ball of twine
attached to the entrance, or some other mark to lead him out again.
This cave was discovered by Joshua Bear and David Scott, while the county
was yet unsettled. Mr. Bear has given the following account of the discovery :
•' You know that Scott and I, the first year we lived in Iowa, had to depend
almost entirely upon our rifles for the subsistence of our families. In the hunt-
ing season, he would come to my house, or I would go to his, and we would
start together for a ten-days' hunt. On the occasion of the discovery of the
cave, we started from Scott's for the heavy timber on the forks of the Maquo-
keta, knowing that the deer would take shelter there from the heavy snow-storm
prevailing at the time. We hunted till near sundown, having hung up some
five or six deer during the day.
" Concluding to select a camping-ground, we started up a ravine that led
from the Maquoketa River, and had not proceeded far when we struck the trail
352 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
of ten or a dozen deer. Moving cautiously, we were able to drop two of the
herd, and, the bluffs on either side being so steep the deer could not ascend
them, we pursued them up the gorge as rapidly as we could. Looking ahead,
we noticed the ravine seemed to terminate in what appeared to be a bridge of
rock. There seemed to be no chance for the deer to escape save by facing
around and running past us, and we were just congratulating ourselves on
securing them when, to our surprise, they all at once disappeared as completely
as if the ground had opened and swallowed them. Upon investigation, we
found that our prey had taken refuge in a cave. We made our camp-fire in
the mouth of the cave, in order to prevent our game from escaping.
" After supper, we started up the ravine to bring in the two deer we had shot.
It was very dark, and we had some difficulty in finding the carcasses. We were
dragging them toward camp when our two dogs encountered some animal, with
which they had quite a scuffle, but finally ' treed' it. We had left our guns at
camp, and, supposing it to be a coon, 1 concluded to climb the tree and shake
it out, depending on Scott and the dogs to kill it. As I ascended, it retreated
as far as it could ; but finally, when I had got so close that I could touch it
with my hand, it rushed over me down the tree. I called to Scott and warned
him that it was coming. I had hardly got the words out of my mouth when
the dogs encountered it, and a terrific fight ensued. My dog was vanquished
in a minute's time. Scott, finding his dog in danger of being killed, went to
his rescue. Clutching the animal (which proved to be a panther) by the back
of the neck, he gave it two or three stabs with his butcher-knife, when it turned
fiercely upon him. Scott's participation in the fight encouraged my dog, which
now renewed his attack on the panther and did good service. My comrade
called loudly for help. I shouted to him to let the beast go, but he answered
that he could not do it. I hastened down the tree, and found that Scott and
the dogs had the panther, stretched on the ground, and dispatched him with a
couple of thrusts from my knife. My partner's heavy elkskin hunting-shirt
and pants saved him, for without them the panther would have clawed him to
death. As it was, his suit was badly^ damaged and his person severely scratched.
The dogs never got entirely over the effects of their wounds. I concluded, after
this experience, never again to climb a tree after a coon.
" When daylight appeared, our hopes of capturing the deer were blasted by
the discovery that there was an outlet to the cave through which they had
escaped. Our hunt was a short one. Scott was stiff and sore from the effects
of the fight with the panther, and could not travel very well ; so we concluded
to go home."
hunter's caves.
Hunter's Caves, sometimes called Cottonville Caves, are located on the farm
of Joseph Hunter, near the vilhige of Cottonville.
The larger of these caves was discovered about 1857, and the knowledge of
its existence is due to a " coon hunt." Some boys were engaged in this lively
sport, when his lordship, the coon, sought refuge at the entrance of the cavern,
and was pursued in his subterraneous retreat by both dogs and men. At that
time, the entrance was by a passage-way, so low that it could be entered only
by creeping on one's hands and knees.
A ridge, about one and a half miles in length, extends east from the entrance.
This ridge is crossed near its western end by a sort of dry gully, and in the
side of this little vale is the entrance to the larger cave. This entrance has of
late years been excavated, by blasting, so that the cave can be entered by
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 353
a stairway, and in a perpendicular attitude. This cave contains four large
rooms, which have been explored. The first after entering is the largest of
these, and is perhaps two hundred and fifty feet long, with a ceiling in height
from six to twenty feet. In the center of this room is a pool of clear water,
varying in depth according to the season. No running water is found in the
cave, nor are any fish to be discovered in the pools, as have been in other sub-
terranean caverns. At the further end of this long room is a passage-way, of
considerable length and difficult of exit, which opens up, after a fall of about
eight feet, into a third chamber of less dimensions, but equal curiosity.
Not far from the entrance, a passage leads away from the large room around
to the east of the entrance, into the grandest room in the entire cave, so far as
explored. This chamber is egg-shaped, and though not so large in circumfer-
ence, is near fifty feet in height. Its diameter will not vary much from one
hundred feet. Adjoining this is a small closet, called the " heart and liver"
room, because it contains a calcareous formation almost identical in shape with
the human heart and liver.
No encouragement has ever been given to the further exploration of these
curiosities, and only during the past year has any effort been made to make
them places of attraction or resort. These caverns are now becoming quite
popular as pic-nic grounds, a covered platform having been erected near the
entrance for dancing.
The floor of the large room in the cave is of soil, and is frequently muddy.
The floor of the other chambers is of rock. When first discovered, these
rooms, as those in "Burt's Cave," already mentioned, were ceiled by one
dazzling array of milk-white stalactites, from whose points the limewater was
constantly dripping. These glistened in the light of the torches like so many
jewels, and presented a scene of wonderful beauty. An avidity for relics
amounting to positive vandalism has robbed the rooms of much of these attrac-
tions. Some of these stalactites were two and one-half to three feet in length.
and frequently twenty-four inches long, while not more than half an inch at the
base. Others were hollow like pipe-stems, and not much thicker, the water
filtering down through the opening in the center. Most of these were trans-
lucent and almost transparent. Others were of a dull, muddy color.
No fossils have ever been found in the cave of any importance. It has been
explored by miners seeking minerals, but without startling results. Though no
trouble has ever been experienced from gases, the high room has been punctured
from the hill above, for purposes of ventilation. The cave has been during
the present year arranged for lighting, and lamps are distributed throughout
the rooms, so that all can be satisfactorily viewed.
Another and smaller cave has been discovered, at a point in the hill a little
further west, and is entered by a perpendicular fissure in the rocks, about sixty
feet in length.
DESCRIPTIVE GEOGRAPHY.
Jackson County is the fourth from the northern boundary of Iowa, border-
ing on the Mississippi River. It is bounded on the north by Dubuque County,
on the west by Jones, and on the south by Clinton County. In longitude it is
betw-een 90c 15' and 90° 57' west of Greenwich, and between 42° 3' and 42 J
24' north latitude. The western boundary is the Fifth Principal Meridian.
It is composed of eighteen civil townships as follows, beginning at the
northeast :
Tete des Morts includes Congressional Township 87 north, Range 4 east,
with Mississippi River as eastern boundary.
354 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Prairie Springs includes Township 87, Range 3.
Be.lle.vue corresponds to Township 86, Range 4, also Sections 30, 31 and
32, with fractional parts of Sections 33, 29, 18 and 19 of Township 86, Range
5 east — the fractional parts bordering the Mississippi River.
Richland includes Congressional Township 86, Range 3 east.
Otter Creek, Township 86, Range 2 east.
Butler, Township 86, Range 1 east.
Brandon, Township 85, Range 1 east.
Farmer s Greek, Township 85, Range 2 east.
Perry, Township 85, Range 3 east.
Jackson, Township 85, Range 4 east.
Washington, Township 85, Range 5 east, also Sections 18, 19, 30 and 31,
with fraction of Section 7, Township 85, Range 6 east — the northeastern
boundary being the Mississippi River ; also includes fractional parts of Sec-
tions 5, 6, 7 and 18, Township 84, Range 5.
Union is a small township in the southeastern part of the county, com-
posed of Sections 6, 7, 18, 19, 30 and 31, with fractions of Sections 5, 8, 17,
20, 29 and 32, Township 84, Range 7 east ; also Sections 1, 12, 13, 24, 25,
36 of Township 84, Range 6 east.
Iowa includes all of Township 84, Range 6, except Sections 1, 12, 13, 24,
25 and 36, besides Sections and fractions of Sections No. 15, 16, 17, 20, 21,
22, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 of Township 85, Range 6 east.
Van Buren includes Township 84, Range 5, except fractions of Sections
5, 6, 7 and 18, cut off by Maquoketa River and belonging to Washington
Township.
Fairfield is same as Township 84, Range 4 east.
Maquoketa is Township 84, Range 3 east.
South Fork, Township 84, Range 2 east.
Monmouth, Township 84, Range 1 east.
Maquoketa River. — This stream crosses the county from west to east,
entering it in two forks, known as North and South Fork, which unite about
twelve miles from the western boundary, forming the main stream. The river
is shallow, but is subject to great changes in depth. It flows in most of its
course over a limestone bed ; elsewhere the bed is sandy. The bottoms on
either side are subject to overflow, and vary in width from one-half to three
miles. They are occupied as fine farms, though crops are lost, on an average,
about once in five years by overflow. The Maquoketa is very tortuous in its
course, and the length of its channel is two or three times the length of the
county. Eleven of the eighteen townships of the county touch its banks.
The principal tributaries of the Maquoketa from the north are Lytle's
Creek, Farmer's Creek and Brush Creek ; from the south are Bear Creek and
Deep Creek.
The bluffs of the Maquoketa are some places 200 feet high, and decrease
.from that to 40 or 50 feet. The fall in the river averages four feet per mile.
There are some excellent mill sites along its course.
Tete des Morts Creek crosses Prairie Springs and Tete des Morts Town-
ships, and enters the Mississippi near the northern county line.
Elk Creek in Iowa Township, flows southeast through the northeastern
part of Clinton County.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 356
NATURAL PRODUCTS.
Lead. — Some efforts have been made to find lead in Jackson County in
sufficient quantities to make mining profitable, but without success. These
efforts were prompted by the finding of nuggets of lead or lead ore. which was
quite frequent in an early day, especially in some sections, as is elsewhere men-
tioned in speaking of an exploring party which traversed the county in 1834.
Several hundred dollars were expended in and about Monmouth a few years
since, prospecting for mineral, but without success. The occurrence of iron
ore in moderate quantities is mentioned in connection with the article on
geology.
Petroleum. — Considerable excitement was raised in the eastern part of the
county in 1867, by the reputed discovery of petroleum near a point called
Green Island. The so-called discovery consisted in the observance of petro-
leum on the waters of a certain spring, on which, if a handkerchief were
placed it soon became saturated. An oil company was organized, with a capi-
tal stock of $2,500, Near §1,000 were expended in bringing practical oil
men to the place to examine it, and in various prospectings, but no well has
ever been sunk, and the petroleum fever is past.
Lime. — The lime manufactured from the limestone in and about Maquo-
keta is of a very superior quality, and in the buildings in which it is used
becomes almost as hard as the rock itself. It is acquiring quite an extensive
reputation, and has been sold in considerable quantities west of the Missouri
River.
Building Stone. — The limestone which appears in numerous quarries in
various parts of the county, forms a most excellent building stone. As taken
from the quarries, it is rather soft, and consequently, quite easily dressed ; but
when placed in buildings and exposed to the weather, it so hardens as to form
a wall of more than ordinary strength and durability. The rock quarries of
Jackson are practically inexhaustible.
The Maquoketa Excelsior says :
" Jackson County contains one of the finest bodies of timber in the State.
Throughout the central, northern and eastern portions of the county there are
fine groves, mainly of oak timber. Each of the streams of the county is lined
with timber. Following up the main Maquoketa, there is a wide body of for-
est. But it is between and along the two main forks of the Maquoketa, whose
junction is just north of the city of Maquoketa, that the finest body of timber
in this part of the State exists. This body extends from the city of Maquo-
keta in a northwesterly direction, and embraces a small portion of Maquoketa
and Perry Townships, about half of each of the townships of South For k and
Farmer's Creek, a large corner of Monmouth Township, all or nearly all of
Brandon and a large part of Butler Townships, embracing, beside the small
portions of Maquoketa and Perry Townships, which have an abundance of tim-
ber not included in this body, about half of the six western townships of the
county. This body of timber, besides what lies in Jackson County, embraces
the northeastern part of Jones County, the southwestern portion of Dubuque
County and the southeastern part of Delaware County. This, with the timber
on Mineral Creek, Bear Creek, Deep Creek. Otter Creek, Farmer's Creek,
Brush Creek, the main Maquoketa, the Mississippi, the Tete des Morts and the
beautiful groves throughout the central and northern portions of the county,
356 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
constitutes it one of the finest timbered counties in the State. So that, while
there is a large amount of fine prairie land, there is not a acre of it but what is
quite convenient to timber of an excellent quality.
" The varieties are very extensive. Taking the county at large, the differ-
ent kinds of oak, such as the white, red, black and burr varieties, are the most
abundant kinds of timber, and are extensively used for fencing and building pur-
poses. In other localities, the hard maple is the predominant timber, and from
it every spring, large amounts of maple sugar are manufactured, and it consti-
tutes the large part of the fuel burnt in the vicinity. A small amount of soft
maple grows in certain localities. In many places, the red, white and bastard
varieties of elm, with basswood and black ash, are the most common trees.
Often in going a quarter of a mile, one will pass from where the hard maple is
the prevailing timber to where the varieties of elm and basswood predominate,
and another quarter will take one to where the oak is the most common. The
iron-wood is found nearly everywhere in the timber, whilst the black walnut,
butternut, gray ash, shellbark and black hickory are very extensively distrib-
uted. There is also a considerable amount of cottonwood and whitewood,
whilst the sycamore and box-elder are occasionally found. Groves of crab-
apple, wild plum, wild choke-cherry, black and red haws are very numerous.
Gooseberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries, Jn their native state,
are very abundant.
" The oak and elm are extensively used for hewing purposes, which can be
obtained of any desirable length. Walnut, butternut, oak and basswood are
used for siding. Studding and joists are sawn from nearly all the varieties of
hard wood. The gray ash makes very fine flooring, whilst oak and maple are
used for the same purpose. Wagon timber is obtained from the hickory and
oak ; the cabinet-maker obtains a choice supply. The manufacture of barrels,
kegs, meat tubs, etc., affords employment to a great many coopers. The
demand for lumber is large and affords business for many saw-mills. The
amount of fencing obtained from this body of timber every year is immense."
The surface of the county is rough in the extreme, especially in the north-
ern part. The southern tier of townships is the best, and is composed mostly
of prairie land. There are good farms scattered throughout the county, but in
many districts the country is too hilly for farming with ease, and much of it is
unreclaimed from timber-lands. The soil is varied, much of it containing a
large share of sand in its composition. The roads dry very quickly following
a rain, and, with respect to mud, are usually in a good condition. Much of the
scenery of Jackson County is very fine indeed. Every visitor is impressed by
the appearance of the country.
ARRIVAL OF OUTLAWS IN BELLEVUE.
Jackson County was, in an early day, in every sense of the word a border
county. As in many other parts of the country, when first settled, the arm of
the civil power was weak, nor was it prompt to strike when it-knew the real
offender. As is usually the case, men with small principle, if, indeed, they
could be said to have any ; men to whom law and order were unmeaning and
unwelcome terms, sought upon the frontier that license for their deeds which
an older community would have promptly denied them. In this respect, Jack-
son County suffered in common with all the eastern part of Iowa, from Dubuque
down the river to Keokuk, and from Davenport west to Cedar County. The
/^:?7W^^^
BELLEVUE
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 359
jutlaws seemed to be in league and to have a perfect understanding among
themselves.
Bellevue, at that time the most promising town in the county, was especially
troubled by these outlaws, and has become famous, not for harboring thieves
and counterfeiters, but for the decisive manner in which she rid herself of them
by means of what is known as the Bellevue War.
If we may be permitted to judge from the general interest manifested in
hearing of the somewhat romantic events which led to and culminated in a
genuine battle, we will be doing a welcome service for a great majority of our
readers in placing in permanent form a reasonably full account of the causes
which led to, ami the fight which decided the struggle with outlaws.
For the most of the information which we will be able to give upon these
matters, we are indebted to Capt. W. A. Warren, of Bellevue, who was at that
time sheriff of the county, and who has since written a series of articles upon
the Bellevue war. Occasionally we will quote him word for word ; elsewhere it
will be our endeavor to condense his account to accommodate it to our space.
In 1837, a party of emigrants landed in Bellevue, claiming to have come
from Coldwater, Mich. They drove good teams, possessed comfortable outfits,
plenty of furniture and were generally intelligent. The leader of the com-
pany, as appeared from the beginning, was one W. W. Brown, destined at no
distant day to cut quite a figure in the history of Bellevue. • Quite a number
of days were spent in looking at town lots and speculating upon the desirability
of this site as a residence, which being satisfactory to an immediate location of
the party, the claim lots needed were promptly purchased from the claimants,
the land not yet being in the market from the Government, and bouses were
quickly built.
Brown was a man of fine personal appearance and had the semblance of
culture about him. He was possessed of an engaging manner, was hospitable,
a good talker and well calculated as a leader of men. So oily was his tongue
that most of the population, even when evidences of his rascality were traced
to his door, were unwilling to believe him to be anything short of an honest man,
and to this day there are some credulous enough to consider W. W. Brown, in
one sense, a martyr, and as in no respect responsible for the deeds of the men
about him. Brown kept a hotel, known simply as Brown's Hotel, and had
always in his house a company of doubtful characters, many of whom were not
favored with any visible means of support. Mrs. Brown, too, was a handsome and
accomplished lady, and won many friends by her womanly manner and kind
ways. Brown himself was a charitable man, benevolent to those in want, ever
pleasant and kind to children, and really possessed of a humane and generous
heart. He was appointed as one of the first magistrates of Bellevue, and it
may be guessed that he was not very stringent in administering justice when
his own friends were the parties accused.
During the first winter he was in Bellevue, Brown had about twenty men
chopping wood for him on the island opposite the town, and, ere spring, had
probably one thousand cords of wood ready to send down the Mississippi.
While he was engaged in this it was noticed that considerable counterfeit money
got into circulation, and, when traced up, it was always found to have come
from some of his men. Horse-thieving, too, was quite frequent in the adjoin-
ing counties and States, and not unfrequently the parties " carrying one end of
the halter strap " were traced to Bellevue. Part of the thieves would operate
toward the south, extending even into Missouri, and, bringing their horses to
Jackson County, would exchange with their confederates from Wisconsin or
360 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Northern Illinois, and in this way it became almost an impossibility to recover
the booty.
All this time, Brown made professions of being a law-abiding citizen, a sort of
detective in fact, and, on several occasions, at his suggestion, horses were taken
from some of his suspicious-looking guests and returned to owners who might
come in pursuit. The gang doubtless felt that they could afford to return an
occasional horse if they could keep suspicion away from their headquarters. It
was noticeable, however, that when horses were returned, the supposed thief was
always given time to get out of the way.*
A SHERIFF FOILED.
About six months after Jackson County had been organized, one of Brown's
men, Godfrey by name, was seen to drive into town with a span of fine horses.
The Sheriff, noticing this fact, inferred they were stolen, and placed Godfrey
under arrest. The latter positively and repeatedly denied the accusation, and
gave a minute account of his purchase of them in Missouri. The two repaired
to Brown, who heard Godfrey's story patiently, but told him he was lying, and
remarked to the Sheriff that there was no doubt but that the horses had been
stolen. Brown advised that handbills should be struck describing the horses,
and if in thirty days they were not claimed, they should be returned to Godfrey.
The handbills were printed at Dubuque, and Brown assisted in their distribution,
at the same time becoming responsible for the horses and for Godfrey.
About five days after the bills had been sent out, a man came to town, and,
instead of going to the hotel, stopped at a private house. He sent for Sheriff
Warren and had a private conversation with him, introducing himself as Mr.
Jenkins. He produced one of the handbills, and inquired if the horses were
still here. Being answered in the affirmative, he said :
"They are my horses, sir, and I can give you marks that you perhaps have
not noticed. The bay horse has a scar on the inside of the right leg, just below
the flank. The sorrel mare has a slit in the left ear. If they have not these
marks they are not my horses. Can we see them to-night ?"
* A gentleman writing to the /.'.ree'sior from Maquoketa, September 0. 1*71*. says: " I saw in one of your pupers
■ m ;: ml. r tic early history of Jackson County. If there is anything to be said about the Bell-.
vue tragedv or war that happened in the earlv days of the conntv, I wish to have it come before the people in its
true light."
"I came to this county in April. ls:;7. The same slimmer, one Thomas Uu\ had a < :. ovniment contract to surv-y
the county, and, as he was a great friend of Meiiongahela whisky, In' procured a barrel of the gamine for his outfit.
His boss surveyor was a man by the name of McDonald. < 'ox kept camp and entertained the callers, uhile the rest
did the surveying; so he became acqaiuted with nearly every man in the county, and when wo organized into Io\v;fc
Territory Cox represented this county in tie' Legislature, lint never lost sight of bis friend, Monongahola. The people,
however, began to think they bail better not trust him with so responsible a position any longer, t 'o.\ saw that unless
something was done be must go down, and that William Brown, of Bell -vue, was I ml to be the leading Ulan of the
county. This Brown was an oil hand business man lie bought property on credit, and turned it so as to make money
with every change ; he bought a hotel of Peter Jiutell. and ran it himself; he also hail a dry goods store — all bought,
on credit." No man or bcasf wont away from his house hungry, money or no money. He trusted everybody, and was
just the man for the country. The honest and industrious part of the community thought P.rown was doing more for
the county than any man in it.
" Cox, however, became politi. all y colons ■ !' lb ..\vn, and raised a mob to drive hi to out of the county or kill him.
To excite the mob. Cox told his [Mends [hat Brow ii got rich too fast to get it honestly, and that he thought there was a
gang of Ihieves and counterfeiters at Brown's, and he proposed driving them out of the country. So, with the aid of
the >loriongabela whisky, he got bis friends together at Bellevue, and ordered Brown to surrender or leave the
country. Brown told the committee that be would not surrender to the b, but that he would meet them before any
tribunal they might name, at any place or time, and abide the decision The neb were very drunk, yet they passed
tin- whisky around again, and then swore they would have blood. As every man in the crowd owed Brown more or
less for clothes and living, and being era/. 'd with liquor, and pleased with the idea of getting rid of paying their debts,
the\ proceeded at once to put into execution their murderous intent. I do not remember the number, but think that
I'roi'u seven to nine were killed, several more wore wounded, five or six whipped, and ordered to leave the country.
William Fox was oi f the number whipped. Soon after I met Fox, and he swore that he would never do another
day's work while he lived; he said he would rob, steel or murder for a living; they had ruined nis character, and til-
sooner he was dead the better it would be for him.
" Brown's friends in Bellevue and throughout the county were the industrious part of the community, while
Cox's friends were those who minded everybody's business but their own. We thought, in those days, the Sheriff was
.ii in performing bis dnt,\ as he should have been, hut endeavored to please every mat '
not excepted— although he was a pretty clever fellow.
" For the truth of the above statement, I refer *o E. A. Wood, of Sabula; N. Butterworth, of Andrew
Burleson and Calvin Teeple, of Maquoketa."
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 361
The Sheriff counseled him to wait until morning. After breakfast they
went to Brown's, and Jenkins was introduced as the claimant of the horses, and
the marks given. The}7 repaired to the stable and found the horses as Jenkins
had described them, and Brown declared that much as he had seen the
animals he had not noticed either mark.
Jenkins drew his revolver, and said to the Sheriff in an excited manner :
•• Show me the man who brought the horses and I will rid the country of him,
and put him where he can steal no more."
The Sheriff hesitated, preferring that the law should take its course, but
Brown offered to pilot him to Godfrey. Jenkins discharged and reloaded his
pistol to make sure work. Godfrey was at the end of town piling wood for
Brown, and as the party approached in search of him he eyed them with suspi-
cion. He was pointed out by Brown, and when Jenkins had advanced within
thirty paces, drew his revolver. Godfrey, noticing this movement, took to his
heels, and Jenkins in hot pursuit. The river was frozen, and Godfrey started
for the island, Jenkins firing at him as fast as he could. At the third shot God-
frey screamed and fell, but almost instantly recovered his feet and ran on.
When Jenkins had unloaded his pistol, Godfrey was gaining on him, and
he returned to the Iowa shore, declaring that he was sure three shots had taken
effect. The generally expressed opinion was that Godfrey could not survive.
Jenkins got his horses, and after paying Brown for keeping them, and
thanking the citizens for their aid, told them that if they ever needed any
assistance to send for him, and he would come with fifty men to help rid the town
of such a den of thieves. He then departed for his home on Rock River, Illinois,
while a number of Bellevue citizens crossed to the island in search of poor God-
frey. He was nowhere to be found, and the presumption was that he had crawled
away into the high grass somewhere and died. However, the citizens, including
Brown, congratulated themselves on being rid of one outlaw.
Brown's actions in this case won for him many friends, and quite a number
of the citizens were convinced that Brown had been persecuted, and was not the
villain he had been represented. About ten days after the departure of Jenkins
a caucus was held for the nomination of a Democratic candidate for the Legis-
lature, and Col. Thomas Cox, who was the war-horse of the Democratic party in
Jackson County, was apparently the only man talked of. The balloting was
regarded as a mere formality, when, to the amazement of Cox and his sup-
porters, Brown was declared nominated by a vote of two to one. Cox was
a very high-tempered man, and fond of whisky, which frequently had the better
of him. He arose then to denounce Brown and his clan. Just after the
meeting, two strangers appeared, inquiring for the Sheriff, the elder of whom was
recognized as Hon. E. Brigham, of Wisconsin. He was in search of a span of
horses stolen from him, which he believed to be the ones advertised from Belle-
vue. He gave the same marks which Jenkins had given, besides others, and
gradually the truth began to creep over the mind of the mystified Sheriff.
Jenkins had been an accomplice, and the neat little game had been played to get
possession of the horses again. The pretended shooting and flight of Godfrey
was a part of the farce, to remove all doubt from the mind of the Sheriff and
citizens as to Jenkins' ownership of the horses. Warren had been completely
sold.
Cox and Brigham had served together in the Legislature, and when the
former heard the truth in regard to the horses and of his friend's loss, he
declared open war with Brown. Previous to this time, he had been one of his
strongest allies and had looked upon him as a persecuted man, but he no longer
362 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
hesitated openly to declare him a base villain, nor did he ever relent his enmity
toward him, for we will find Cox one of the leaders at the time the thieves
were exterminated.
A warrant was sworn out for Brown's arrest, but when it came to be served
bad blood and bad whisky enabled Brown and his gang to bid open defiance to
the officers. A decided majority of the town was on the side of Brown, who
did not then attempt to conceal his true character, and the prospects were not
pleasant for those who opposed him. Brigham and his friend left between
.sunset and sunrise, and Col. Cox was saved from injury by the persuasions of
his friends, who induced him to go to his home, having announced himself as
an independent candidate to the Legislature, to which he was subsequently
elected.
A REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION.
Not long after this occurrence, a gentleman came to Bellevue from the East
and purchased real estate of various citizens, mostly of those friendly to Brown
but not in league with him. This gentleman gave his name as Pearce. He
represented himself as possessed of considerable wealth and paid cash for his
lots, mostly in bills on the Bank of Chautauqua, New York. He stayed around
for a number of days and inquired as to the character of the citizens, etc., and
learning of the ruffianism that was said to exist about Bellevue, declared he
would not bring his family to such a place. He offered to sell out at a small
sacrifice and in Brown found a ready purchaser. He immediately departed, as
he said, for the East.
In Galena, he succeeded in passing some counterfeit money, but was detected,
and Sheriff Hallock of that place was put upon his track. He traced him to
Bellevue, but as he could learn nothing there of his whereabouts, he returned
to Galena. Sheriff Warren, however, got upon his trail, and, leaving Bellevue
at 9 o'clock P. M., on a bitter cold night, while the ground was covered with
snow, he tracked his man to James D. McCabe's, where Pearce had taken din-
ner and had given McCabe a ten-dollar bill, which subsequently proved coun-
terfeit, and for which the unsuspecting farmer had given change. The Sheriff',
taking McCabe's horse and buggy instead of his own, pressed on to Sabula, to
find that his victim had left Sabula at sundown for Savanna. Warren, accom-
panied by Mr. Steen, of Sabula, crossed the river and found Pearce at the
hotel in Savanna at breakfast. When he had finished his meal, the Sheriff put
his hand on his shoulder and informed him he was his prisoner. The counter-
feiter started back and inquired with some independence what authority an
Iowa Sheriff had in Illinois. The officer, holding a revolver to his breast,
told him that was an authority which any attempt to disobey would cost him
his life. The prisoner, submitting to such a strong warrant, allowed himself to
be searched. Nothing could be found except a counterfeit ten-dollar bill,
about $25 in good money, a bowie-knife and revolver. His overcoat was
secured and a search of that revealed in the collar some $8,000 in counterfeit
money and about half that amount in good notes. This was sealed up in a
package by the landlord and directed to Samuel Smoker, J. P., Galena, 111., after
reserving out enough to repay the loss occasioned by the passing of one or two
bills in that vicinity. Pearce had with him a young man about twenty years of
age apparently, of very fair complexion and slight build, who inquired whether
or not Pearce could give bail there for his appearance at Galena. This was
denied and the Sheriff started across the river with his prisoner, the young
man hiring a buggy and following. At Sabula, this companion asked the
Sheriff's permission to ride with him, which was granted.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 3fi3
Pearce being disarmed and without money, the Sheriff knew there was no
er of his attempting an escape so long as the latter held the $4,000. The
party plodded along slowly, and by nightfall reached the house of Anson New-
berry, who was then keeping bachelor's hall, on the road between Sabula and
Bellevue. After supper, the young man retired, at an early hour, in the only
bed in the house. The others talked away until 10 o'clock, when Warren and
Newberry, aside, arranged that Newberry should occupy a bunk on the floor
with Pearce, while the Sheriff shared the bed with the young man. Pearce
strongly objected to this, insisting on sleeping in the bed himself, but to no
avail. The Sheriff's arrangements were perfected, and no attempt was made to
escape. The next morning, as they approached Bellevue, the young man
swore the Sheriff never to tell a secret he was about to confide, and revealed
the fact that he (or she) was the wife of a prominent contractor then living in
Bellevue. and besought the Sheriff not to make known her disguise, which he
did not until she and her husband removed from Bellevue some years afterward.
The latter have since kept a large hotel at Niagara Falls, and were well known
through the Middle States. It is pi-obable that this woman was sent down to
Savanna in disguise for the purpose of securing a part of the booty which
Pearce did not have an opportunity to turn over after his operations at Galena,
and prospective ones elsewhere. When Pearce reached Bellevue, the parties
from whom he had purchased lots and paid for them in counterfeit money were
disposed to lynch him, but better counsels decided he should be taken to Galena
on the charge of passing counterfeit money.
There he was arraigned before Samuel Smoker, Esq., and having plead not
guilty asked for counsel. An attorney named Hodge appeared for him, who
demanded the good money belonging to his client, which was handed over. He
then waived examination and asked that the accused be released on bail. This
was fixed at $1,000, and that amount of money being placed by Hodge in the
hands of two responsible citizens of Galena, they became his security. Of
course Pearce was never seen again in Galena ; and, owing to some informality
in the bond, the security was never paid, the citizens who had accommodated
the rascal pocketing the money.
This farcical ending to the matter left the victims of Pearce and Brown, in
Bellevue, quite indignant. As has been said, these victims had been Brown's
defenders ; they were now clamorous for his life. They finally threatened him
with the courts, and Brown, thinking valor's best part was discretion, returned
most of the money, and was allowed to remain unmolested.
A further attempt to bring him to justice was unsuccessful, and the process
of law seemed entirely inadequate to remedy the grievance.
THE GROFF-DAVIS TRAGEDY.
Not long after Brown came to Bellevue, he opened a meat-market in part-
nership with James L. Burtis, from which the citizens of Bellevue were sup-
plied with fresh steaks, roasts, etc. Burtis attended the slaughter-house, which
was located near where Kilbom & Co.'s upper mill now stands. Brown sold
the meat, having in charge the market down town.
It was noticed that these men did not buy as many cattle as one would
suppose necessary to supply the market which they had, and by a coincidence,
somewhat remarkable, cattle were missed by the surrounding farmers both in
Jackson County and on the Illinois side of the river. When the character of
Brown and his crew was known, it was not difficult to draw inferences.
3(34 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
During this time, a farmer, Thomas Davis, who lived in the forks of the
Maquoketa, was fattening a fine yoke of oxen, which he valued at $125, and
was about to take to Dubuque to sell. A short time before the time he
expected to take them to market, they disappeared during the night. There
had been a heavy rain, and a careful search for tracks revealed the trail of the
cattle in the direction of Bellevue. There could be no mistake as to the
identity, as one of the oxen had shoes on his front feet. These were followed
to Baker's hill, when all trace was lost.
Mr. Davis proceeded to Bellevue, where he made known his loss, and no
one was more eager to assist in the search for the cattle than the urbane and
accommodating Brown. They repaired to the slaughter-house, where Burtis
said he had killed four beeves the previous evening, but an examination of the
carcasses and hides satisfied Davis they were not his cattle.
One of the "gang," who was a little "leaky," a sort of "go-between,"
informed the Sheriff, who was along with the searching party, upon his return
to Bellevue, that the missing cattle might be found in the South Mill creek
ravine. He also revealed the fact that one of Davis' neighbors, Samuel Groff,
with Troft, one of the Bellevue gang, had stolen the cattle. The oxen were
found at the place named, and, when driven into town, Brown and Burtis were
apparently as rejoiced as the owner that the cattle had been found and offered
him his price, $125, for them, which was accepted.
Groff was then a prominent member of the Methodist Church, and Davis
was slow to believe his neighbor guilty of the crime charged upon him, and was
of the opinion that the man who had " squealed " was one of the guilty parties.
However, the next morning, Davis called at Groff's house and told him of his
trip to Bellevue and of the finding of the stolen property. Groff's counten-
ance, not accustomed to the ways of sin, betrayed him, and his agitation
removed all doubt of his guilt from Davis' mind, who immediately charged him
with the theft. Groff indignantly denied any knowledge of it. and the neigh-
bors, after some pretty strong language, separated in the worst of humor.
Davis was about to commence prosecution, but, finding he had no witnesses
he could use, dropped the matter, but the bitter feeling between the neighbors
remained unchanged.
Some three weeks after this, a gentleman from Illinois arrived in Bellevue
in search of a horse, which, from its description, was very similar to one which
Groff had had in his possession. The stranger was sent to Davis', who would, it
was said, go with him to Groff's and see if the horse was the same. When the
Illinoisan came to Davis', the latter was not at home, and he was accompanied
to Groff's by Davis' son, a lad of perhaps seventeen years. No such horse was
in Groff's stable, and he denied that the horse referred to, which he claimed to
have bought of Brown, was of that color. He said that he had sold it to a
traveler, and that it was no longer in that section of the country.
During the evening, which the stranger spent at Davis', Mr. Richard
Guard, a neighbor, called at the house and left the information that a man
living west of Mr. Esgate's had a beast very like the one in question, and, as
the owner was not a responsible party, he might not have come by it honestly.
The following morning, the gentleman from Illinois found his horse at the
place designated, the keeper not claiming the animal. He stated it had been
left there by a stranger, and that he was to receive pay for its keeping. Upon
the payment of charges, the horse was surrendered to its owner. As there was
no certainty that this was the horse brought into the neighborhood by Groff,
no further action was taken in the matter.
HISTORV OF JACKSOX COUNTV. 365
In the mean time, Davis, when opportunity offered, publicly charged Groff
with stealing his cattle, and also of having a stolen horse, all of which increased
the ill-feeling between the neighbors. A dispute also arose in regard to a piece
of land in Davis' possession, which Groff claimed. A lawsuit resulted, which
was set for the April term of court, 1839.
W. W. Brown, who was Groffs attorney, told him there was not much show
for his winning the case, and it was given as testimony, on Groff's trial, that
Brown told his client that the best thing he could do would be to kill his
opponent.
On Monday morning, the first day of court, Groff was seen in a saloon,
loading a rifle loaned him by W. W. Brdwn, and, while putting in the ball, was
heard to say it would be the death of Davis.
Davis was informed of these threats and warned to keep out of the way,
but replied that Groff was a coward and would never dare to shoot him, unless
in the back. Not long after, in passing down Front street, Davis was shot, the
ball striking him in the back and passing out through the breast, a little to the
left of the heart. He died in about thirty minutes, and never spoke after he
had fallen.
Groff had rested his gun on a picket fence and taken aim at Davis. Shad-
rach Burleson was standing near, but supposed Groff was shooting at some
mark. As soon as he saw Davis fall, he stepped close behind him, with the
purpose of knocking him down should he attempt to shoot any one else or
do further injury. Groff walked down deliberately past the dying man,
and, as he turned the corner, Burleson, who had kept within easy reach of him
during the whole distance, said, " Groff, give me that pistol" (he holding his
gun in one hand and pistol in the other). He turned, and immediately handed
over the arms. Sheriff Warren appeared, and asked Burleson to take the
prisoner down to Hankins' blacksmith-shop and have him heavily ironed. Groff
went along peaceably, begging his captors to save him from the mob, and
declaring he had to kill Davis ; that the latter had tormented and abused him
so he could not stand it.
There was then no jail in the county, and shackles, connected by a chain,
were placed about his ankles, the shackles weighing at least ten pounds, and
made of wagon-tire iron. He was taken to a room and strongly guarded. At
the Coroner's inquest held over the body, the verdict of the jury was that Mr.
Davis came to his death by a rifle-ball fired by Samuel Groff.
During the term of court, which was to begin on the day of the murder,
Groff was brought before the grand jury. About Bellevue, Groff's friends
were in the majority, and the Judge, in his charge to the grand jury, urged
them to perform their duty fearlessly. They indicted the prisoner for murder,
and he was brought into court, where he pleaded "Not guilty," Mr. Reeves, of
Dubuque, appearing as his counsel, and J. V. Berry conducting the prosecu-
tion as United States Attorney.
As the law then was, a prisoner could not be brought to trial at the same
term of court at which he was indicted. Jackson County being without a jail,
and there being no term of court for six months, it was agreed between the
Judge and counsel that a special term should be called for the trial of Groff,
and he was remanded to his room under a heavy guard.
Great interest was manifested in the forthcoming trial. The County Com-
missioners made but poor provision for the guarding of the prisoner, making a
special appropriation of county orders worth about eighty cents per day for that
purpose. A public meeting of the citizens was called, and it was resolved that
dOO HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Groff should be cared for by volunteer guards, which was done ; and when the
time came for trial, the prisoner was forthcoming. Considerable difficulty was
experienced in impaneling a jury, as the murder had been very generally
talked of, and most of the citizens had expressed an opinion. Finally, after
considerable wrangling, a panel was completed, containing several men who
were known to have expressed themselves in favor of the guilt of the prisoner,
and the general belief was that Groff would be convicted. The jury was com-
posed of Chauncey Ferguson, Riley McPherson, Walter W. Thomas, James
Wood, Alexander Hays, Allen W. Pence, Charles H. Stowell, John Francis,
Samuel Burtis. Sr., David Dyas, Thomas Marshall and Absalom Montgomery.
The testimony in favor of the prosecution is said to have been overwhelm-
ing. The defense, as managed by Mr. Reeves, set up the plea of insanity, and
testimony was brought to show the crazy acts of Groff previous to the murder.
The counsel for the defense, in making his plea, claimed that the accusations of
Davis, as made against a sensitive man, such as Groff, were enough to unbalance
the strongest intellect, and claimed for his client full exemption from punish-
ment.
The case was not tedious. It was given to the jury about supper time, May
9, 1830, and court adjourned. In the course of an hour or more, the court
received word of a verdict, and re-assembled. The expectation was general
that the prisoner was convicted, and when the Foreman, Thomas Marshall,
arose and said, "We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty," the astonish-
ment was universal. The State's Attorney demanded the poll of the jury, and
every man re-affirmed his vote. The prosecutor arose and denounced the men
in the jury-box as a perjured set, and moved the court to set aside the verdict,
which motion was denied, and the prisoner was permitted to go free.
That night, the jury was hanged in effigy by indignant citizens, and the
verdict declared an outrage.
Groff soon afterward removed to the Territory of Minnesota, where, it is
said, he was killed by Indians.
A CHECKERED LIFE.
A man whose real name was Burton, but who usually was known as " One-
Thumbed Thompson," made his arrival in Bellevue not long after Brown came
there, accompanied by a woman whom he claimed as his wife. They stopped
at the house of Mr. Wells, who was one of Brown's friends, but who, as we
learn elsewhere, occasionally communicated valuable information to the citizens,
and who, apparently, had a conscience which would not allow him to remain
quiet when those who were worthy were about to be imposed upon by the gang.
Mrs. Thompson was a woman of more than ordinary personal appearance, not
handsome, indeed, but possessed of those graces of mind and person which
spring from good breeding. Thompson seemed proud of her, and took care to
introduce her to all his acquaintances. She, however, was retii'ing and modest-
appearing, and very different from most of the other ladies of the village.
Thompson remained for a time in Bellevue, and then started toward the west,
as he said " on business."
He went to Linn County, and was there implicated, as was firmly believed
among the settlers, in the murder of a peddler, who was selling pills and a book
known as " Dr. Gunn's Medical Work." Thompson was seen in possession
of the peddler's team after his mysterious disappearance, and evidence was sub-
sequently found which indicated that he had been murdered. There were no
proofs, however, upon which any one could be convicted. Some months later,
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 3(37
Thompson was found on the forks of the Wapsipinicon with some stolen horses
in his possession, which he was compelled to deliver up into the hands of
Sheriff Warren.
Thompson had now been absent for some months, and his wife had all this
time been leading a quiet and retired life at Wells', seldom appearing on the
streets or in company. In the mean time, it was disclosed to Wells that this
woman was not Thompson's wife, but a girl of good family in Missouri, who,
on account of the cruelty of a step-mother, had been induced by Thompson to
leave a good home and elope with him, under promise of marriage. When she
heard from Sheriff Warren and others of the sort of life Thompson was living,
and of his real character, she was in great distress, and determined, if possible,
to return to her home in Missouri, if she could effect a reconciliation Vith her
parents. The unfortunate and deceived girl mailed a letter to her father, with
an accompanying indorsement from several reputable citizens, testifying to her
good conduct and respectable demeanor while in Bellevue, and asking his for-
giveness and the privilege to return home. An answer from her step-mother
brought the intelligence of her father's death, and gave her but little encourage-
ment to come back to the mother whose unkindness had driven her out into the
world. Through the kindness of J. K. Moss she was offered a comfortable
home in the house of the latter, until she could secure a position somewhere as
a teacher. Meantime, through the assistance of friends, arrangements were
made to secure to her, if possible, the share due to her from her father's estate.
This irrheritance, which amounted to some $2,000, eventually came into her
About this time, Thompson returned to Wells and, upon inquiring for his
wife, was much enraged on finding she had left there, and sought for herself
another home in the family of Mr. Moss ; but, learning of her newly acquired
wealth, resolved to fulfill his promise of marrying her with the purpose of secur-
ing her property. But on repairing to the house of Mr. Moss, the girl refused
to see him, and said she would have nothing more to do with him. Thompson's
fury then broke forth, and he denounced not only Moss but Wells, as being in
a conspiracy against him for the purpose of defrauding him of his wife, and, to
many, his story had the showing of truth in his favor. Finding his threats
and coaxing alike unheeded, he commenced to circulate the most infamous
stories about the young girl, who had already excited the jealousy of many of
the other women of the place by her evident superiority in education and man-
ners, and the gossips forthwith decided to make it quite uncomfortable for her.
Moss, finding that his protege was becoming anything but popular, and that he
was incurring much censure by the part he had taken in the matter, told the
persecuted girl that she must find a home elsewhere. Mrs. Moss remonstrated
with her husband, but as the latter was at that time a candidate for the Legis-
lature, he considered it a part of his duty to be popular, and would not listen to
the pleadings of his wife. Mrs. Moss determined, at least, that she should
have a comfortable home, and arranged for her to go to Mrs. Sublett's, who,
with her husband and two sons, John T. and Thomas, were quite independent
of the good will of the bandits, and who, indeed, formed quite a decided oppo-
sition to them. Mrs. Sublett cared for and sympathized with her as a mother,
and rebuked, with scathing effect and earnestness, the gossips of the village,
who persecuted the outcast with a bitterness which jealousy alone can incite.
She remained with the Subletts about six weeks, when she was put on board
the steamboat Knickerbocker, under the care of Mr. John McCune, who was
acquainted with her friends in Missouri. Letters were received from her after
368 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
she returned expressing her thanks to those who had been friendly to her in her
time of need while in Bellevue.
Of her subsequent history, Capt. Warren writes as follows :
•' In 1870, I took the train at Clinton and found the cars crowded with
passengers. I was shown to a seat occupied by an elderly lady with her band-
box and other traps, which were removed to make place for me. We were not
long in forming a traveling acquaintance, and whiled away the time in discuss-
ing commonplace topics, when Henry O'Connor, who occupied a seat to the
rear of us, approached and shook hands with the old lady, inquiring after her
family, and then turned to me, asking for the news in Jackson. After he
returned to his seat, the lady remained in silence for some time, and then turn-
ing her eyes upon me remarked : ' You say your name is Warren, and that
you are from Jackson County? ' I answered in the affirmative. She regarded
me closely for a moment, then -asked : ' Were you not formerly Sheriff of
Jackson ? ' I assured her that such was the fact; when she said : 'I thought
so.' I scrutinized her features closely, but could see no traces that reminded
me of ever having seen her before, and I questioned her as to her knowledge
of me, and her reply was that she once knew me, but to state where and when
would only call to mind a portion of her life that she wished blotted out forever.
I was still unable to identify her, and pressed her to know more, when she said :
'You have heard Mr. O'Connor call my name. We are well acquainted, and
he can tell you all about us." I asked her if I was acquainted with her hus-
band, and she answered that she had often heard him speak of me, and pre-
sumed that I had met him. I told her that I was acqainted with a gentleman
living at a certain point, and after giving his occupation, she said Mr. O'Con-
nor would inform me that the gentleman described was her husband. Without
appearing to be impertinent I could elicit no further information, and the con-
versation turned to other topics. However, she would occasionally refer to
some of the citizens of Bellevue, and when she mentioned old Mrs. Sublett's
name, I saw traces in her countenance that revealed to me who she was. I
looked at her sharply and said : ' I know who you are,' and called her by her
former name. She cast down her eyes and remarked : 'lam the same. I
was then a miserable outcast. But, now, I am a happy wife with a comfortable
home, and have raised four children that are ornaments to society.' A few
stations further on, she left the car requesting that what had passed between us
be kept secret, and that I would try to forget what she once was, and only
remember her, as I now found her, in better and happier circumstances."
A ROMANCE.
Among those who appeared amidst Brown's party was a man named Will-
iam Bennett, who would occasionally come to Bellevue and remain a week or
two at Brown's hotel, and disappear. During the year 1839, three strangers
appeared — Col. William Johnson and two others, Johnson being accompanied
by a girl he claimed as his daughter. These all claimed to have been engaged
in the Canadian revolt of the previous year, and, as one of the parties, whose
name we did not learn, appeared to be wealthy, and all gentlemen of education
and culture, they attracted considerable attention. They remained about Belle-
vue some weeks, and Johnson afterward revisited the place. It is evident, from
the following sketch, that Johnson and Bennett were a part of this regularly
organized band of thieves, arid it will be interesting to learn something of their
subsequent history. These facts came to the knowledge of the writer about a
year ago, and have since been published :
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 36'.>
" During the winter of 184:2— 13, there came to Iowa City a stranger, who
gave his name as Col. William Johnson, and was accompanied by a young woman
whom he represented as his daughter, and whom he called Catharine, or usually
Kit. Both were of more than ordinary strength of character, and well educated.
Johnson claimed to have been the hero of the Canadian revolt, which took place
in 1838, and was the occasion of considerable diplomatic correspondence, and
came so near causing war between Great Britain and the United States. The
girl, he stated, was the '■ Queen of a Thousand Isles,' and authentic history so
far corroborates his story as to mention the fact that on the St. Lawrence there
was a certain young woman who gave aid and assistance to the patriots in this
border trouble.
" Col. Johnson succeeded in cutting-* njite a figure in Iowa City during the
session of the Legislature. He was honored by a seat on the floor of the
House, and was toasted and banqueted by some of the law-makers of the then
State Capital. Col. Johnson located in the geographical center of Buchanan
County, where he proposed laying out a town, and expected, by his fame and
prowess, to draw around him a band of followers and secure the county seat.
This excited the jealousy of the first settler of that region, William Bennett, a
notorious character, who had laid out a village where Quasqueton now stands.
and where he hoped to enrich himself by securing the county seat of the new
county. Bennett gathered a few congenial spirits about him, went over to John-
son's, loaded up his effects for him, then tied him to a tree and flogged him.
though with what severity is unknown, as accounts differ. Johnson went to
Marion, where he lodged complaints against his persecutors, and the Sheriff of
Linn County rode up to Quasqueton to arrest Bennett. The latter awaited
him at his cabin door, armed with his rifle and a pair of pistols. The Sheriff
modestly retired and went back for a posse. Bennett and his companions became
convinced that they had better leave Quasqueton for awhile. On their way to
a place of escape they suffered terribly from intense cold. Some of the party
perished, and others were frozen so as to be mutilated for life. This of course
aggravated Bennett still more and he and Johnson became deadly foes.
" Soon after, Johnson, losing his popularity, left Buchanan County, got in
with a gang of horse-thieves, and fled to Mahaska County, to escape the law,
bringing with him the girl Kit, and another man and woman. Johnson
seemed to have this girl entirely under his control, and in his fits of passion
it is said threatened to kill her, in consequence of which she was in mortal
fear of him. Johnson located on Middle Creek, about eight miles northeast of
Oskaloosa, in a grove now owned by James K. Woods. He there built a
shanty. In the spring of 1843, a family of the name of Peck came to a
point on Skunk River, about four miles from Oskaloosa, where Russell Peck
with his son-in-law, George N. Duncan, built a grist-mill. Johnson and his
daughter, so called, lived for some time with the Pecks and Duncans. Several
times, it is related, during the time he stayed with them, strangers from the
north came there and asked to stay over night. They were kindly treated,
lodged and nothing charged them. This made Johnson very angry, the reason
for which being, as was afterward learned, that these were of Johnson's enemies
in Buchanan County, who, for some reason, did not get an opportunity to accom-
plish their purposes, i. e., revenge on Johnson. During this time, an attach-
ment sprung up between Kit and Job Peck, son of Russell Peck, a young man of
about twenty-one years. Johnson was greatly enraged on discovering this, ami
removed to his own cabin above mentioned, taking the girl with him. William
D. Neeley was engaged to Peck's sister, Sarah. An elopement was planned.
370 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
While Johnson was away one evening, about dusk, Kit was stolen away, and
the two couples started in an easterly direction. The following day, they reached
the house of a relative of Peck's, about four miles from Fairfield, where they
were married and lodged for the night. Upon his return home, Johnson set
out in search for them, came to the house where the fugitives were, near 1
o'clock at night, entered the house, and, with drawn revolver, dragged Kit from
the bed, compelled her to dress herself and mount behind him and ride thus to
his home.
" The following evening, about 7 o'clock, Johnson was shot dead, through
a crevice in his cabin, while standing in front of the fire. Job Peck was arrested
on charge of the murder, taken to Washington County and lodged in jail. His
lawyers were J.C.Hall, of Mount Pleasant, and Col. Thompson. Thesegentlemen,
learning that a warrant was out, from the northern part of the State, for the arrest
of ' Kit,' as being an accomplice of Johnson's, it was arranged that the girl should
be secreted until she could be provided for. This was done, and a young law stu-
dent of Hall's, named Wamsley, was sent with a buggy to Mahaska County, to the
girl's hiding place. This Wamsley, while fording the Skunk River, a short dis-
tance from Oskaloosa, met a man on horseback in the midst of the stream. The
stranger stated to Wamsley that he was in search of a girl, giving her descrip-
tion, being the same one that Wamsley was after. The latter, to throw the
officer off the track, told him that he had seen such a girl in a certain house in
the direction in which he had come. The officer started in pursuit, and Wams-
ley proceeded about three miles and a half to ' Kit's ' hiding-place. She was
taken to Burlington, put on a steamboat and sent, by Hall, to Pittsburgh,
Penn. Job Peck was acquitted, having proved an alibi. Some time after the
murder, and during Peck's imprisonment, a stranger stopped at Duncan's and
informed them that his name was Bennett ; that he was one of the men who
had stopped with them, and whom they had so kindly treated; that he and
Johnson had been deadly foes. He told the Duncans that they need not be
alarmed in regard to Job's acquittal, as he (Bennett) knew Peck was not guilty,
and gave the Duncans to understand that he knew who was.
" If we are correctly informed, and we have good authority, the most
romantic part of this story is yet to come. During the time that he was
imprisoned Peck knew nothing of his wife's whereabouts, nor was he informed
by his lawyer until some months after his release. Finally her address was
given him and he set out for Pittsburgh. There he found her living with
people of the highest respectability, in most elegant style. Peck himself stated
to our informant that the house was furnished with a grandeur that he had not
dreamed of ; that his wife was a fine musician ; that she had played for him on
a piano in that house, and that he had these evidences of her accomplishments
which he had not before conjectured. She was ready to come away with him,
did come, and for several years lived near Oskaloosa with him. Parties now
living remember her well ; say that she was a woman .of fine education, of
refinement and unblemished character, wrote a beautiful letter, and gave every
evidence of a good ' bringing-up.' No one believes — she herself denies — that
Johnson was her father ; but who she was, or who Johnson was, possibly her
husband, certainly her husband's family never knew. She lived happily with
Peck in California, until the latter's death. She has a noble family, and is
again married to a devoted husband. Her portrait of late years has nothing of
the romantic in it, but every lineament marks her intelligence and happiness.
To-day this ' Queen of a Thousand Isles ' is queen of a happy household in a
far western home.
HISTORY' OF JACKSON COUNTY. 371
" Since writing the above, we have been cited to an article in Scribner's
Monthly for April, 1878, entitled ' Among the Thousand Islands.' From this
article we make the following extracts :
• Of late years, perhaps, no event caused such a stir of excitement in this region as the
so-called Patriot war in 1838, a revolt of certain Canadians dissatisfied with the government of
Sir Francis Bond Head, then Governor-General of Canada, which was joined by a number of
American agitators, ever ripe for anv disturbance.
******** ********
• It was a wild, insane affair altogether, and after some time consumed in petty threats of
attack, finally reached a climax in the burning of the Canadian steamer Sir Robert Peel, one
of the finest vessels upon the St. Lawrence. The most prominent actor in this affair was Bill
Johnson — a name familiar to every one around this region — whose career forms a series of
romantic adventures, deeds and escapes, followed by his final capture, which would till a novel.
Indeed, we understand that a novel has been written by a Canadian Frenchman on this theme,
though we have not had the good fortune to find any one who has read it.
• Johnson was originally a British subject, but turned renegade, serving as a spy in the war
of 1812, in which capacity he is said to have robbed the mails to gain intelligence. He hated
his native country with all the bitterness which a renegade alone is capable of feeling. He was
one of the earliest agitators upon the American side of the border, and was the one who insti-
gated the destruction of the Peel. A reward was offered by the Governments of each country
for his apprehension, so he was compelled to take to the islands for safety. Here he continued
for several months, though with numbers of hair-breadth escapes, in which he was assisted by
his daughter, who seems to have been a noble girl. Many stories are told of remarkable acts
performed by him, of his choking up the inlet of the Lake of the Isle with rocks, so as to pre-
vent vessels of any size entering that sheet, of water ; of his having a skiff in which he could
outspeed any ordinary sailing craft, and which he carried bodily across necks of land when his
enemies were in pursuit of him, and of his hiding in all manner of out-of-the-way spots, once
especially in the Devil's Oven, previously described, to which his daughter, who alone was in
his confidence, disguised as a boy, carried provisions. He was finally captured and sent to
Alhany, where, after suffering a slight penalty for his offense, he was subsequently released,
although he was always very careful to keep out of the clutch of the indignant Canadians.' "
There is something of a similarity between the history of this girl and that
of the supposed wife of " One-Thumbed Thompson." Thompson was quite
prominent among Brown's men in an early day, and has been elsewhere men-
tioned in these pages.
CITIZENS' ASSOCIATION.
The people of Cedar and Linn Counties had been so afflicted by the depre-
dations of an organized band of horse thieves and counterfeiters, whom they
believed to be in league with those at Bellevue, that they resolved upon some
organized effort to rid themselves of the desperadoes. They accordingly extended
an invitation to certain citizens of Bellevue to unite with them in the formation
of a society to oppose the raids of the thieves, and, if possible, to bring them
to justice. In answer to this call, Capt. W. A. Warren, Col. Thomas Cox
and J. K. Moss, left Bellevue for Linn County to assist in the organization of
this protective society. They stopped on their way at the house of one Joshua
Bear, whom they invited to accompany them. Mr. Bear exhibited to them
eight $10 counterfeit bills that he had received from One-Thumbed Thompson,
a member of the gang, in payment for a fine horse, and assured the gentlemen
that he would accompany them upon their expedition with ah enthusiasm com-
mensurate with the wrongs he had suffered.
They left Mr. Bear's provided with provisions and horse-feed sufficient to
last them twenty-four hours. It was in the winter time, and traveling through
the unbroken forest or prairie was anything but pleasant. The party reached
the Wapsipinicon just before sunset, where, at a place called "Nigger's Point,"
they found a cabin unoccupied, which had been built by a negro, who had mys-
teriously disappeared. It was thought best to camp there for the night, and
372 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
the horses were placed in a temporary shed covered with hay. As Capt. War-
ren and Mr. Bear were going to the river for water, they found the carcass of a
horse partly consumed by wolves. The poor animal had broken through the
ice, been dragged ashore, and probably perished with the cold. This bait for
wolves was a happy discovery to Mr. Bear, whose propensity for hunting was
unparalleled in the county. Soon after night-fall, he went out with his rifle to
where the wolves were congregated about the carrion and shot one, when the
rest scampered off over the hill. This put rest out of the mind of the trapper
for that night. Taking his rifle and buffalo robe, Mr. Bear left the cabin to
spend the night near the dead horse shooting wolves. He succeeded in pre-
paring ten wolves to have their scalps taken, and declared that in all his hunt-
ing, he had never seen so many cf the animals before. This incident drove
from him, for the time, all enmity toward the horse thieves and all enthusiasm
on the subject of a " Citizens' Association." He declared he would not go a
step farther, but would remain there shooting wolves the following night, and
taking care of the skins of his present booty during the day.
Moss, Cox and Warren took their departure up the Wapsipinicon to the
point where Fairview is now located, and from thence, with two settlers, Messrs.
Russell and Crow, they proceeded to Linn Grove where the meeting was to
be held. At noon, the house was crowded with delegates from Cedar, Jones
and Linn Counties. Among those from Cedar was Mr. Roberts, who, as mem-
ber of the Territorial Legislature, upon the introduction of any bill would
address the chair with : " Mr. Speaker, ar Cedar in that ar bill ? If not. I
cannot vote for it." A discussion of the problem of getting rid of the horse
thieves was held for some time, and a speech was made by Col. Cox advocating
violent measures, if necessary. He thought moral suasion was wasted upon
banditti, and prescribed hemp as being, in his opinion, the best cure for the evil.
An association was formed and the meeting adjourned.
The next day, when the Bellevue party returned to where they had left Mr.
Bear they learned that he had not enjoyed as good success the second night as
the first, having only killed three wolves. Four straggling Winnebago Indians
were in the camp jerking wolf meat, and seemed to think it would make a very
palatable living. Mr. Bear had sold his wolf-skins for $15 in gold, to some
stranger, and felt quite well repaid for the time spent in hunting.
He accompanied the party to Bellevue with the view of making some pur-
chases. When he was about to pay for the goods he bought, he discovered the
gold was not gold, in short, that " all is not gold that glitters." He was sold
again, and the three counterfeit pieces were not worth their weight in brass.
Inquiry discovered the fact that Brown had just purchased a lot of wolf-hides
which proved to be the same ones. He agreed to give up the hides ; said he
knew the men who purchased them, that they were above suspicion, and would
at once replace the coin with good money when informed of its character. He
asked Mr. Bear to go through the formality of swearing that the coin was the
same he had received for the hides, and the exchange was made. Mr. Moss
took the pelts in exchange for goods purchased of him, and had the skins man-
ufactured into a robe, which, subsequently, passed into the hands of Dr. Maughs.
and from him into the possession of T. H. Davis.
THE BANDITTI'* DEN.
During the month of May following the formation of this Association, some
four horses were stolen near Freeport,- 111., and tracked most of the way to
Bellevue. Sheriff Warren and the owner of two of these horses, got word that
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 37>i
they were making for the timber at the forks of the Wapsipinicon and Buffalo.
They left Bellevue about 10 o'clock A. M.. and reached Canton in the evening.
Here they found the thieves had that morning disposed of one span of the
hor es to Mr. Rankin, one of the proprietors of the Canton Mills. Mr. Rankin
had paid $100, and given his note for $100 more. They had left Canton in a
westerly direction. Mr. Rankin joined Sheriff Warren in the pursuit, leaving
the owner of the horses at Canton until their return. On reaching what was
called the Scotch Settlement, Mr. Rankin found his note had been sold to a
Mr. Brendel for one-half its face. The pursuers continued their course west-
ward. Moving forward with difficulty through a strange coui.try, they reached
the Buffalo at the point where Anamosa now stands. Here they found " Indian
Jim." of whom we have elsewhere made mention, and a camp of other Indians.
Jim told the Sheriff all about the thieves crossing the river, and that they had
a cabin about four miles distant in a hollow in the " Big Timber," and prob-
ably were there to the number of four or five men. The pursuing party
remained here all night, as the river was not fordable, and, in the morning, got
the Indians to ferry them across in a canoe, leaving their horses behind, and
securing from the Indians the use of two of their ponies which were upon the
opposite bank.
Following the trail, which they discovered about four miles, they found it
leading into a small ravine which led down toward the '' Wapsie." Arriving
almost in sight of the stream, they discovered smoke issuing from a small cabin
almost completely hid from view by the undergrowth and timber. It was then
a question with Rankin and Warren whether they might not be so completely
outnumbered by the men in the cabin as to find it impossible to recover the
horses, and, perhaps, meet with violence. After a hurried consultation, it was
decided that Mr. Rankin should remain among the brush with the ponies while
Warren would go to the house and discover the strength of the party. He
found the horses hitched near the cabin, and, entering, found one man prepar-
ing breakfast. The table was set with four plates indicating that number of
men. The Sheriff inquired where his friends were, pretending himself a
hunter. The response was that they had gone out on a hunt, and were expected
back any moment, Warren noticed a small forge in one part of the room, and
a pair of bellows standing in the corner, indicating this to be a counterfeiter's
mint. He next inquired whose were the horses standing without the cabin,
and was told they had been left there by a couple of. travelers who had stopped
a few days to look at the country, and pointing to a double-barreled shot-gun,
which Warren was examining, remarked that was theirs, too. Warren informed
him the horses were stolen, as also the gun, and putting it over his shoulder
started out the cabin, and mounting one of the horses led the other up the
ravine to the point where he had left Rankin. Warren counseled an immediate
retreat, but Rankin was not willing to go until he had seen the men and secured
the money which he had paid for the span of horses purchased by him. It was,
however, decided to be best to proceed to the river for re-enforcements before
doing anything further. On their way back they discovered one of the horses
they were leading was not the one they were after, but resolved to take it as a
substitute. When they reached the river, they found the Indians had
ferried three men to the east bank, leaving their horses on the west. One
of these horses proved to be the missing animal, and the inference was
that these were the three men who were expected at the cabin for break-
fast. Warren shouted to Indian Jim to come over for them, which he
did, bringing one of the white men, who proved to be none other than
374 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
" One-Thumbed Thompson," mentioned above. Thompson inquired of Warren
what had brought him out there, when the latter recited to him the story
of the stolen horses. He confessed he had suspected something of the kind
when the men had come to his shanty, but that they had told him a plaus-
ible story, and he had come to the conclusion they were in honest possession of
the horses. He offered his assistance in recovering the money paid by Rankin,
and agreed that Warren and he should take the horses claimed. He said the men
who had brought the horses to his cabin were the ones on the opposite bank of
the river. Thompson recrossed the river, and, after being gone about an hour,
returned with the money paid by Rankin, and also the $50 they had received
in the sale of the note, which was to be handed over, as well as the horses, on
condition the thieves should not be molested. This was promptly agreed to.
The note was surrendered by Mr. Brendel on repayment of his $50.
a deputy's bravery, and what came of it.
When the Association was informed of the existence of a counterfeiter's mint
in the timber of the " Wapsie," it was determined by some of the aggressive
spirits that this, with its inhabitants, should be captured. James T. Hanby was
then Deputy Sheriff, and wishing to display his courage and bravery, with five
companions, well armed and mounted, he set out in pursuit of the prize, inform-
ing the citizens of Bellevue that he would return in five days with the occupants
of that cabin, or they would receive the intelligence that Hanby had fallen
in the performance of his duty.
Hanby and his men remained over night at Canton, and left there the fol-
lowing morning, it being a dark and cloudy day. Having no sun in view to
guide them they lost their way. A rain, too, had set in and made traveling very
disagreeable. Finally, they reached the river at a point considerably higher
than they had intended, and, after exploring for a time, saw the smoke of
a camp-fire in the distance. Proceeding thence, they found a couple of claim-
hunters who had erected a temporary tent and were protecting themselves from
the rain. The Bellevue party resolved to pass the night here, and tethering
their horses on the river bottom a couple of hundred yards from camp, they
spent the evening in conversation with the claim-hunters, each man producing
the bottle he had with him to save his health in case he should be drenched with
rain, as they all were: They sat up and drank until far into the night, and
when the Bellevue party arose it was quite late, but yet in time to make the
discovery that the claim-hunters had disappeared with two of their horses — those
belonging to Hanby and Rodafor. After searching for a time, they found the
trail, which was quite plain on account of the night's rain. Four of the party
gave chase, leaving the other two in camp. They followed the thieves about
twenty-five miles up the river, until they came to a point where they had
crossed it. Here the pursuing party gave up, and returned to their camp about
nightlall, concluding that thus far in their proposed annihilation of horse-
thieves the latter were a little ahead.
The next day, they left their unfortunate camping-ground and proceeded
down the river to the camp of Indian Jim, reaching there about 10 o'clock.
Here they were informed that the counterfeiters had abandoned their den the day
following their previous visit, and that it would be useless to go over into the
timber to find them. Hanby, however, was resolved to see for himself. They
crossed the river after dinner, and had no trouble in sighting the cabin, when
they discovered smoke arising from the wooden, clay-lined chimney. The con-
clusion was immediately reached that Jim was mistaken, and that with good
/**>
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 377
generalship their game was bagged. They approached the house cautiously
through the brush, proposing to surround it on every side and capture the
entire party without warning. Reaching the door without raising an alarm,
Hanby and his posse rushed in with cocked pistols, exclaiming, " Surrender or
die !" The occupants of the house were so terrified that they could only beg for
mercy, and made no sign of resistance. No time was wasted in securing and
handcuffing the three men. Search was made for counterfeiters' tools, but none
could be found. The occupants were asked for the bellows and forge, and
declared they knew nothing about them. The prisoners pleaded innocence, and
begged of their captors to tell them on what charge they were arrested, but the
only answer they received was that they knew well enough what it was for.
When the party reached the ferry, they met Mr. Russell, who lived where
Fairview now stands. He was a mutual acquaintance of Hanby's, and the
prisoners inquired the ground of their capture. On being informed, Russell told
the Bellevue party that two of the men were neighbors of his, and the third a
friend of theirs from the East. The men were at once released, and many
apologies were made them. The late prisoners accepted the explanation, and
said the next time they dined in a deserted house, they would try to first learn
the character of its previous occupants. The party returned to Bellevue in a
distressed looking condition, on foot and on horseback, worn out and almost
starved — moreover, a good deal humiliated over their experience. At the next
term of court a paper was placed in circulation to reimburse Hanby and Roda-
for for the loss of their steeds. Judge Wilson and James Crawford headed the
list with $25 each, and §200 were soon raised, which fully compensated the
adventurers for their loss.
JAMES THOMPSON.
During the winter of 1838-39, Mr. James White and James Thompson
went into partnership in keeping a general store in Savanna, 111. Thomp-
son was the son of well-to do, respectable parents in Philadelphia, but had
a roving disposition. He went to New Orleans on leaving home, and from
there came to Savanna. After they had been engaged successfully in busi-
ness for some time, they found, on entering the store one morning, that not
only was the stock almost entirely removed, but the money-drawer had been
burglarized, and their business hopes blasted. Suspicion at once rested upon
the Bellevue gang, and Thompson especially was very persevering and energetic
in his endeavors to discover the thieves ; so much so that suspicion finally rested
upon him in the eyes of many. The firm of White <fc Thompson was dissolved,
and in a few weeks James Thompson was one of the leaders in what was then
known as Brown's gang.
Thompson was a man of good education and some culture, qualities which
made him especially valuable in the matter of passing counterfeit money and
the higher kinds of roguery. He succeeded in "shoving the queer" on some
of his old family friends in Philadelphia. He would go through the country
purchasing cattle and horses with counterfeit funds, and at once turn them over
into the hands of some of the less qualified members of the gang, and thus
never had any of the property in his possession. . He was usually "on the go,"
and if the injured parties came to Brown's to find him, inquiry would secure
the information that he had ."just started for the E;ist."
During the time Thompson was carrying on this nefarious trade, a gentle-
man living near Galena, known as "Buncombe" Gillett, sold to a man whose
name he gave as Thompson, a yoke of fine oxen, and being a man of considerable
378 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
means he laid aside the money received for several weeks, when, hearing
of counterfeit money being paid under similar circumstances, he examined that
which he had received, only to find that he too was a victim. Tracing his cat-
tle through Galena and thence to Iowa, he found them in the possession of
David Zigler, in Tete des Morts. Gillett, by a writ of replevin, secured his
cattle and drove them to Bellevue. Here Zigler accompanied him, and proved
to the satisfaction of all that he had purchased the oxen from some parties
moving West, who had five yoke of the same. Finally Zigler purchased the
cattle again from their real owner, paying $70, and trusting to recover from
Thompson. Before Gillett's return home, the latter appeared and was at once
placed under arrest. Gillett identified him as the man to whom he had sold
the cattle and who had passed upon him the counterfeit bills, a charge which
Thompson coolly and boldly denied, declaring he had never been a mile north
or east of Galena, that he had never before seen Mr. Gillett, and that he could
not have bought the oxen at the time named, for he was thefi in Davenport.
He then asked more time in order to procure witnesses, a favor which was
promptly granted by the prosecution, in order that Mr. Gillett's hired men
might also be summoned, to identify the prisoner. The case was postponed
five days and Thompson was released on bail, with W. W. Brown and James
L. Burtis as securities.
On the day appointed for the trial, Mr. Gillett appeared, accompanied by
his two hired men and an attorney from Galena. Mr. Thomas Campbell, Gil-
lett and both his men positively declared, upon oath, that Thompson was the
man who purchased the cattle.
T. P. Burrett, of Dubuque, conducted the defense. Fox, Long, Trass and
Godfrey, four of the worst villains of the gang, were called upon the stand and
testified that, at the date mentioned, they four were with Thompson, in Davenport,
attending the races ; that Thompson was with them all of the time, which would
make it impossible for him to have been near Galena on the day named, that
being the second day of the races.
Numerically speaking, the preponderance of testimony was on the side of
the defense, and the case was dismissed. Nothwithstanding, the belief in
Thompson's' guilt was quite universal.
Thompson's self-possession and coolness through this trial added quite
materially to his popularity with the Brown gang, and in every case of emer-
gency he was consulted about as earnestly as his more distinguished chief.
His advice was sought after in all matters of difficulty and adventure. Thus
encouraged, this talented man plunged deeper and more recklessly into a career
of sin, applying gifts, that might have been directed to much nobler purposes,
to the skillful commission of the deepest crimes and most daring adventures.
About this same time, Thompson and several of his comrades visited
Dubuque, and succeeded in ridding themselves of quite an amount of the spu-
rious bills. The method employed was to make small purchases at various
stores, and receive good money in change. They succeeded in getting safely
away from the city without arrest ; but Sheriff' Cummins, of Dubuque, was
dispatched to Bellevue for the purpose of bringing the guilty parties to justice.
He came to Sheriff Warren, who concluded, from the description, that the
parties he was in search of were Denison and Aaron Long. Proceeding to the
saloon to look for them, they learned they were up-stairs with W. W. Brown.
These, hearing of the arrival of the officers, prepared to defend themselves, and
ordered Sheriff Cummins to keep his distance. The latter called to his assist-
ance James Mitchell and Henderson Palmer. These attempted to ascend the
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 379
stairway, when two pistol-shots were tired at them, one ball passing through the
collar of Mitchell's coat. The three, however, were not to be outdone, and
charged up stairs, with pistols in hand, demanding surrender. The party in
the " fort " gave up at once, and disclaimed any idea of resistance, disclaiming
any deadly intent in the discharge of fire-aims. Denison and Aaron Long
were handcuffed and Brown placed under bonds to answer to the charge of
resisting an officer and an assault with intent to kill.
Thompson, though he himself had not passed any money in Dubuque, was
also arrested, and with his partners were taken to that city in charge of Sheriff
Cummins, accompanied by Mitchell and Palmer. No evidence could be offered
against Thompson when brought to trial, and he was by necessity discharged.
The other two were bound over to appear at the next term of the District
Court, but through some flaw in in the indictment they were suffered to escape
without the punishment they deserved.
The next escapade on the part of Thompson and his confederates, was over
in Linn County, where, in a single night the house of a Mr. Guilbert, and those
of two men named Grundy, father and son, were entered, the occupants over-
powered, and all the money in their possession taken, amounting in all to
several hundred dollars. An attempt to bring the parties to justice, who were
recognized, elicited the fact that they were prepared to prove an alibi, as usual,
and it was not thought worth while to attempt a trial.
The part which Mitchell and Palmer had taken in bringing the thieves to
law, produced an animosity against these citizens which threatened at any time
to break out into open violence. Thompson and his men were loud in their
denunciation of these parties, and declared they must leave town. Thompson
even went so far as to declare to Mitchell on one occasion that the bailiwick
was too small for both of them, and that he proposed to make it too hot for
Mitchell to remain. Mitchell, however, was a bold man, and had no fear of
Thompson, whom he believed to be a coward, save where he -had the decided
advantage. Accordingly, Mitchell barred his doors, and placed two-inch
shutters upon his windows, so that he could make his house a place of safety
during the night. He then continued one of the most active citizens, endeavor-
ing by every possible means to ferret out the depredations of the banditti.
About three weeks after the Linn County robbery, an old French trapper,
who spent considerable time trapping on the islands near Believe, and whose
name was B. Rolette, came to the town and disposed of his furs to J. K. Moss,
for which he received, including some money he had there on deposit, about
$200. His location was on the island a short distance below town, and it was
his proposal to go further south during the cold weather. The old man got to
drinking considerable during the evening, and exhibiting his money. Some of
his friends became alarmed for him. and advised him to remain in Bellevue
until morning. Late in the evening Rolette got into his canoe and started for
home. He was followed by Thompson and Chichester. As soon as the old
man had retired for the night, the desperadoes entered his cabin and demanded
his money! The Frenchman was so frightened that he commenced yelling, and
continued to do so in a vigorous manner until he was knocked down and gagged.
His money was secured and placed in Thompson's belt. It happened that
Hanby, Tom Sublett and Rodafer were encamped on the island that night
about one hundred yards below, and hearing the old man's cries they rushed to
his rescue. The sudden appearance of these men surprised Thompson and
Chichester, and they made no resistance. They were arrested and the gag
removed from the old man's mouth. The money was found in the belt of James
380 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Thompson, and they were taken to Bellevue, where an information was filed
against them, but thep waived examination, and gave bond for appearance at
the next term of court.
A TEMPORARY REFORM.
About this time a meeting of the law-abiding citizens of Bellevue was called
to meet at J. K. Moss' store, to devise some means by which the town might
be relieved of the scoundrels who were molesting its citizens and the surround-
ing country. To this meeting it was decided, upon consultation, to invite W.
W. Brown, and to lay the whole matter before him, at the same time informing
him that the people were determined to institute such proceedings as would
secure the riddance of the outlaws, and to ask his co-operation. On the even-
ing appointed, Brown appeared, and with him James Thompson. The pres-
sence of the latter brought James Mitchell to his feet, saying to Brown : "You
are here by invitation, and, while you may harbor and protect counterfeiters
and robbers, you have no authority nor permission to bring them to this mset-
ing. Mr. Thompson can retire.'-' He had scarcely finished the sentence when
Thompson drew a revolver. Mr. Palmer, anticipating his movement, clinched
him, took away his pistol and hustled him out of doors. A dozen or more of
the gang were on the outside. These broke down the door and rushed in, curs-
ing the citizens, and, had it not been for the interference of Brown, blood-
shed would have been inevitable. As Thompson left the room, he said :
" Mitchell, you are a marked man, and if ever I catch you alone, the language
you used to-night shall be atoned for."
After the ruffians had left, the object of the meeting was explained to
Brown. He was told that the citizens were confident that he could do much
toward ridding the town of the desperadoes with which it was afflicted, by dis-
countenancing their deeds, and ceasing to allow them to make his hotel their
headquarters ; that, if he would do so, he should receive the hearty co-operation
of the citizens in anything he might undertake, and that he would thereby
become an honored member of society, to whom a favored people would not
feel ungrateful. To this proposition Brown gave respectful attention, and then
said : " Gentlemen, I would to God I could comply with your request, and
that I might stand in your estimation to-night as I did when first I came among
you. Your confidence and kindness in making this proposition is fully appre-
ciated, and, were it in my power, I would gladly accept it. But it is impossi-
ble. It would be no use for me to try to conceal from you the relation in which
I stand to these men, and if. by counsel, I can prevail upon them to leave and
seek honorable occupation elsewhere, I will do so." Brown's sincerity was not
doubted, and those present willingly believed that, were it in his power, he
would do all he said he woidd.
On the following morning, it was noticed that nearly all of Brown's board-
ers shouldered an ax and started across the river to the island, where they were
employed in cutting wood for him. It was presumed that Brown had told them
what had passed, and, while the citizens did not have much confidence in the
lasting quality of their industry, their temporary absence was a relief. Judg-
ing from Brown's talk and manner, it would be an occasion of rejoicing on his
part if they would never return to his house. The citizens manifested toward
Brown their former friendship, and took occasion to call at his house and show
to himself and wife every kindness possible. Mrs. Brown was a lady of attract-
ive appearance, of no little refinement, and had been very much disturbed at
her husband's recent position in society, and the class of men he had about
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 381
him. She seemed to appreciate, to its fullest extent, the change in manner of
her old acquaintances, and indulged in the hope that she and her husband
might again reach their former respectable station in society.
SMUGGLED SPOILS.
Not long after the wood-choppers had gone to work, some of the farmers
about Sand Prairie began to complain that their hogs were stolen, and they had
reason to think they went to supply the choppers with meat. But any attempt
to find out anything from the men on the island met with derision. Finally,
several of the farmers came to Bellevue and complained to Brown that his men
were plundering their hog-pens, and asking his assistance in having it stopped.
Brown answered that he had no control over the men ; that he had engaged
them by the cord to cut the wood, and could do nothing except to assist them
in searching the shanties and discovering the meat, if it was secreted there.
The party proceeded to the island and commenced search, but, until they were
about through, supposed it would be fruitless. However, they thought to
examine a haystack on the island, and discovered one place where the hay had
been disturbed. Following in a sort of hole in the stack, they came upon a
large bin containing two barrels of fresh pork and one of beef, in a good state
of preservation. This stock was upon Negro Brown's premises, and it was
proposed to arrest him. He could nowhere be found, though engaged in chop-
ping wood near by, only a few minutes before. His wife was taken into cus-
tody, and declared that, though she was cook for the woodmen, she knew
nothing about where the meat came from, as it was furnished daily by Driscoll,
who brought it to the cabin. Driscoll, too, had succeeded in getting his carcass
out of sight, so no arrests were made ; but the men from Sand Prairie were
suffered to carry away the meat, there being no other claimants.
After the return of the party to Bellevue, Wells, who was in league with
the gang, but, as has been elsewhere mentioned, not very loyal to them, asked
Sheriff Warren what they had found over on the island. On being informed,
he told Warren that they had not investigated far enough ; that the haystack
contained another apartment, in which was concealed a lot of goods stolen from
merchants in Galena — mostly from Mr. Berry — and were concealed there by
Fox and W. W. Brown ; and that it was Brown's purpose to remove the goods
late that night, fearing to leave them there longer, in view of the recent dis-
covery. About a dozen of the citizens were quietly notified of this matter,
and it was their intention to intercept the thieves, if possible. They proceeded
to the island about 10 o'clock, the night being quite cold. They lay in ambush
until 12 o'clock, when they proceeded quietly to the haystack, where they
found the stack had been torn away and the bin emptied of its contents. Pro-
ceeding to the cabin of Negro Brown, they inquired of his wife as to the
removal of the stolen goods. She promptly answered that Brown, Fox and
Thompson had been there about five hours previous, and loaded the merchan-
dise on a double sled, with which Fox and Thompson had proceeded in one
direction, and Brown had returned to Bellevue. The spot was examined with
the aid of a lantern, when several articles were discovered, including two pack-
ages of pocket-knives, razor-strops, spools and a bolt of calico, which had been
dropped in loading the sled. Taking these articles with them, the party
returned to town with the conviction that they had been outgeneraled by Brown
once more.
As soon as it was light enough to see the track on the following morning,
Hanby and Sublette gave chase. They did not succeed very well in following
382 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
the trail, as there was but little snow on the ground. They gave up the
attempt and proceeded to Elizabeth, hoping to hear something of their game in
that direction. As they entered the town, they saw Fox and Thompson driv-
ing into the place from the opposite side, and at once inferred they had con-
cealed the goods in some other hiding-place, and that further search would
probably be useless.
Sublette and Hanby learned, upon inquiry, that the thieves had employed a
colored man in Elizabeth, known as Bob Henderson, to pilot them to a place
eight miles southeast of Elizabeth, and that the goods had been there trans-
ferred to a wagon driven by Driscoll, who was thoroughly acquainted with every
foot of ground in that direction. They concluded that further pursuit would
not avail, and, therefore, returned to Bellevue to inform the citizens of the
result. Robert Reed, then Deputy Sheriff, proceeded, upon instructions, to Galena,
and informed Berry and others of the remnant of goods discovered, and asked
that they would come to Bellevue and identify them if possible. Three men
came for that purpose, and at once recognized the goods as the same which had
been stolen in Galena, and immediately swore out a warrant against Brown and
Thompson for burglary and larceny. This brought the entire party of wood-
choppers over to Bellevue in defense of their leaders. They demanded the
release of Brown and Thompson at once. Their threatening attitude came
near provoking a general panic, and only the coolness and leadership of James
C. Mitchell maintained the position of the citizens without the shedding of
blood.
The matter was finally brought to Justice Forbes for trial. An attorney
from Sabula, by the name of Case, appeared for the State. Brown defended
himself and colleague. After the information had been read, Brown arose and
addressed the Court, arguing that the offense charged was committed in the
State of Illinois, and was, therefore, out of the jurisdiction of the Territory of
Iowa. In a very intelligent manner, he made his plea that persons charged
with crime in Illinois were not amenable to the laws of Iowa. There' was
nothing to do but to discharge the prisoners, which was done. The men from
Galena left in disgust, rather glad to get away without suffering violence.
From this point, the history of Bellevue outlawry increases in interest, and
we take pleasure in giving it in Capt. Warren's exact words, believing in that
way to meet the best wishes of our readers. The next in the order of events
was the
KILLING OF JAMES THOMPSON.
Capt. Warren, in 1875, writes :
" The holidays were now at hand : Christmas and New Year's were spent
in debauch and dissipation. The scowling countenances of Brown's men in
town deterred the better class of citizens from celebrating the holidays with
music, dancing.and feasting, as was the usual custom in those days. There
was a meeting held, and resolutions passed to celebrate the 8th of January in
memory of the battle of New Orleans. Managers were selected, and among
the number was J. C. Mitchell, who opposed the idea of any of the Brown
clan being admitted to participate in the celebration, which was indorsed by all
the other managers. Great preparations were made for the coming event, and,
on the evening of the 8th of January, 1840, there assembled many jolly,
pleasure-seeking people at the new hotel on Front street, now an old, dilapidated
building, opposite Engleken's cabinet-shop, which our City Fathers have ordered
removed as a nuisance and obstruction to the street. So this relic of old-time
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 383
mirth and pleasure will soon be removed and known no more, as many other
historical buildings in Bellevue have given way to larger and more gaudy
structures, in accordance with the progress, spirit and demand of a broader
civilization. On that memorable evening, the new hotel was crowded to its
utmost capacity with brave men and fair women, and everything seemed auspi-
cious for a night of music, dancing and joy. We do not propose to be dispar-
aging to the young belles of our city when we say that, even in that day, Bellevue
was noted for its beautiful and accomplished women, many of whom are now
your mothers and grandmothers, who, in the long time ago, danced, flirted and
were wooed as tenderly as their daughters and grand-daughters are now. The
beautiful, clear-complexioned faces of that night have become pale and wrinkled,
and the fine, luxuriant hair that hung in bewitching curls around them are
silvered through and through by the relentless frosts of time, and the beauty of
that hour, thirty-five years ago, is bequeathed, and well bequeathed, too, to the
young generation among us, who are as attractive, but no more so than their
mothers were in the 'beautiful days, long ago.' But there was another party,
in secret consultation in the back room of a low saloon in town, plotting for the
robbery of Mitchell's house. Thompson was the leader, and his associate in
crime was Lyman Wells, who, upon hearing of their intentions, made some
excuse to be absent, when he hastened to my room and informed me of the
intended robbery. I was sick, and not able to attend the ball ; so I immedi-
ately wrote a note to Mitchell, who was at the ball, putting him on his guard.
Wells was unable to convey the note to Mitchell in person, but went home and
gave it to his wife, who would carry it to its destination. It occupied some
time for her to prepare herself in suitable attire to appear in a ballroom ; so
this delay gave Thompson and his friends time to plunder Mitchell's house of
all its valuables and furniture, which were hastily placed on wagons and carried
across the river. While the effects were being removed, Thompson was up-
stairs, standing guard over Miss Hadley, the only person left in the house, Mr.
Mitchell, his wife and daughter, having gone to the ball. After the house was
plundered, Thompson undertook to violate the person of Miss Hadley. She
resisted his devilish undertaking, and, escaping from his clutches, fled with
nothing on but her night-clothes, and ran up town to the ballroom, which she
entered almost in a state of nakedness. The fright and adventure, and the
exhaustion from running, so prostrated her that she was unable to speak or tell
a syllable of what had passed. Mrs'. Wells had arrived a few moments before,
and had delivered ray note to Mitchell, who at once comprehended the situa-
tion, and had Miss Hadley conveyed to a bedroom, where she sufficiently
recovered to make known the robbery of the house and the attempt of Thomp-
son to violate her person.
" All acquainted with Mitchell knew that such a wrong would not go
unavenged. He borrowed a pistol from Tom Sublett, and started alone for his
house. In the mean time, after Miss Hadley had made her escape, Thompson
knew very well Mitchell would be informed of what had transpired at his
house ; but, flushed and maddened by liquor, and annoyed at the escape of the
young lady, he swore he would have the life of Mitchell or die in the attempt.
His comrades did all they could to moderate him, and told him the conse-
quences of the meeting — that likely one or both would fall — and advised him
to go away, for the present at least:
" All this advice and entreaty availed nothing ; and finding none willing to
risk their lives with him, he started up street alone to look for Mitchell, with
a pistol in one hand and a bowie-knife in the other. Pursuing his course
384 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
up street, lie overtook Ab Montgomery artd told him he was going to meet
Mitchell, and related to him what had transpired at Mitchell's house ; that he
knew Mitchell would be on the hunt for him, and ii he wanted to see fun to
come along. Montgomery endeavored to prevail on the desperado to go back
down town and keep out of the way ; but all to no purpose, for Thompson was
determined to meet Mitchell.
" The night was clear and beautiful ; the broad, full moon hung splendidly
bright near the mid-heavens, and all creation was still, except when the
drunken curses and blasphemies of Thompson vibrated through the frosty
night air. It was almost as light as day while they stood talking, about oppo-
site to where Mike Altflisch's store now stands, when they saw Mitchell
approaching them, about one hundred yards off, walking rapidly down the
street. Thompson and Montgomery immediately advanced to meet him. When
nearing each other, Montgomery hailed to Mitchell to look out. Neither slack-
ing their pace, they met opposite to the brick house of Weston's, above Mrs.
Hades. Neither of the two attempted to shoot until they were within three
feet of each other, when Thompson raised his pistol* presenting it to Mitchell's
breast, bursting the cap, and at the same time striking Mitchell across the
hand with his bowie-knife. Mitchell now fired his pistol at Thompson, the ball
taking effect in his heart, and befell dead in his tracks, with his pistol still
clenched in his hand, loaded, with the cap bursted, and his bowie-knife lying
about three feet from him. Mitchell, finding he was dead, returned to the ball-
room and told what had occurred to the frightened, white-faced people who
were there for a night of pleasure, and not to be auditors of such a frightful
tragedy' as had been enacted.
" After the fatal shot had been fired, Montgomery ran in the opp4fite direc-
tion down the street, to inform me of what had occurred. I was the first, with
Montgomery, to visit the corpse. There on the snowy ground lay the once
manly form and the once respected James Thompson, a ghastly, lifeless lump
of clay. His brief career of crime was ended. The result of the meeting
between Mitchell and Thompson had been anticipated before the pistol-shot
was heard that did the fatal work. So, few were surprised when they were
told that a bloody encounter had taken place, which resulted in the death of
Thompson. I had only time to ascertain that life was extinct, when some fif-
teen or twenty of Thompson's friends, armed and equipped, arrived on the spot,
all asking, as if in one breath, ' Who is killed ? ' When the facts were made
known to them the most bitter curses and cries for revenge were uttered against
Mitchell, and it was with great difficulty their rage and fury could be restrained
long enough to convey the lifeless body of Thompson to his boarding-house,
when he was taken and laid out on a lounge, and left in charge of two or three
men.
li On Mitchell's return to the ballroom, it did not require a statement from
him to inform those there of what had taken place on the street. His counte-
nance too plainly told the story of what had transpired, and the only inquiry
was, "Are you hurt?" Surrendering himself to Deputy Sheriff James F.
Hanby, and requesting all the ladies present to depart for their homes, he
called upon the gentlemen present to protect him from the violence of Thomp-
son's friends, for he well knew his life would be taken if he fell into their
hands. There were but two or three men in the room who were armed, but
the others left for their homes to procure weapons, so it left Mitchell with a
small force, indeed, to protect himself with. Before the ladies .could gather
their shawls, preparatory to their departure from the ballroom, Brown and his
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 6fif>
men were heard coming up the street, swearing the most terrible oaths and
yelling like a band of savages, "Revenge! revenge!" The scene in the ball-
room at that time baffles description; men, women and children were flying in
all directions, leaving their shawls, cloaks and bonnets behind them in their
panic, terror and flight, while Mitchell, Anson Hanington and John A. Ball
sought safety by going up-stairs. Those two gentlemen, being the ones armed,
volunteered their services to stand by Mitchell in his hour of need. Hanby
went out to meet the approaching mob to stay their vengeance, if possible, but
could not accomplish any good, as there was no reason in the enraged devils to
appeal to. Mrs. Mitchell, her daughter (who is now the wife of our respected
citizen, Mr. N. Kilborn), and two of Mitchell's sisters, Mrs. Abe Brown and
Miss Kate Mitchell, with several other ladies, had also taken refuge up-stairs.
Upon the arrival of Brown and his men, they found the lower floor deserted,
so he started to go up-stairs, ordering his men to follow. He hastily placed
his foot on the second step, when he saw Mitchell at the head of the stairs,
with a pistol drawn on him, with the firm-spoken warning that if he advanced
one step he would be a dead man. Brown did not wait for the warning to be
repeated, for he knew his man too well to attempt any trifling at that
time, so he and his gang, who were at his heels, left the stairway as quickly as
their legs would permit them to do so. Baffled in their attempt to ascend the
stairs, and knowing that a second attempt to do so would end in the cost of
some of their lives, they commenced calling to the women to come down,
swearing they would burn the house. Finding the women would not come, in
obedience to their orders, they began firing their pistols up through the floor.
While this terrible performance was going on. Hanby pressed a cutter into his
service, and with it conveyed me to the scene of action. Upon arriving there. I
found Brown and his men in the wildest state of excitement, determined to
have revenge for the murder of their comrade. At all times previous. Brown
had been respectful to me, and when I ordered them to disperse, telling them I
would take charge of Mitchell and be responsible for his forthcoming in the
morning, and that I should protect him from mob violence at all hazards, hold-
ing him accountable to the law only for whatever crime he had committed,
my speech to them had the desired effect, and a few words from Brown quieted
his men, when they left, swearing if Mitchell was not forthcoming to-morrow
they would hold me personally responsible for his non-appearance. Going
up-stairs, I found the three men above mentioned, with their pistols in hand,
looking terribly grim and pale with excitement. They had taken the stove
from its place and put it near the head of the stairs, for the purpose of tum-
bling it down on the attacking party, should they attempt to ascend. The
women were as pale and silent as death, and the two men joked as though they
were gladiators waiting to be called into the dread arena of mortal combat
When I informed them that Brown and his gang had gone, and that there was
nothing more to fear that night, the relief such welcome intelligence gave to
the ladies had a very singular effect on some of them. Mr. Mitchell's two sis-
ters, who had stood bravely by their brother with such weapons as they could
defend him with from the mob, now, when danger was over for the present,
sank into their seats weak and exhausted from the terrible ordeal of fright and
excitement through which they had passed. All their courage and strength
forsook them for a time ; then reason was dethroned, and they acted more like
raving maniacs than they did like the sensible, rational beings they usually were,
and it was some time before they could be calmed down enough to again become
reasonable and possessed of their better senses. About this time Hanby came
386 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
and whispered to me, saying Brown was at the door below and wished to see
me. On going to the door, Brown advised me to station a strong guard around
the house, because, as he informed me, the boys were all getting drunk, and
there was no telling what might happen under the circumstances. I ordered
Hanby to summon a posse of the best men in town, which he did as soon as
possible. The posse was put in charge of Henderson Palmer, a man that
Brown's men not only respected but feared. Peace and quiet was restored,
and the morning dawned on the eastern horizon just as beautiful as though no
night of horrors had been passed by these terror-stricken few who had remained
with Mitchell in that hour when his blood was so loudly called for by his ene-
mies. All the ladies, except Mrs. Mitchell and her daughters, had departed
for their respective homes, never to forget, while they live, that terrible night
and its scenes and fears that almost froze their blood with horror. Mitchell
had become calm, regretting very much the necessity that had driven him to
take the life of a fellow-being. At 9 o'clock in the morning, Mitchell was
escorted by a strong guard (more for the purpose of protecting him from vio-
lence, than any fear of his making his escape) to the Justice's office. In the
meantime, a Coroner's inquest had been held over the body of Thompson. The
verdict was that Thompson had come to his death from a pistol-shot in his
heart, tired by James C. Mitchell. Mitchell being arraigned before the Court,
Thompson's friends were kept at a respectful distance while the preliminaries
of an examination were going on. Mitchell waived an examination and was
committed to answer the charge of murder before the proper tribunal. He
was not admitted to bail, but taken to a room, placed in ij»s, under guard,
there being no jail in the county at that time. The Board of County Com-
missioners were notified to meet at once, and make arrangements for his safe-
keeping. Thompson was decently interred in the burying-ground above town.
The board that indicated his last resting-place, has long since disappeared
from the face of the earth, and I don't know of any person now living who
can point out the particular spot of the grave of one whose brief career is
unparalleled in the annals of crime anywhere. The Board of County Com-
missioners answered promptly to the call, the late William Morden being one
of them, a man in whose integrity and judgment the people had the most abiding
confidence. Brown honored and respected him so much that a word from
Morden to Brown was almost the same as law to the latter. On arriving in
town, Morden addressed the citizens. Brown and his gang were all present.
He deprecated mob-law and pointed out in a forcible way the evils and injus-
tice always attending and resulting from it. Advising moderation, he appealed
to them to let the law take its regular course, pledging himself that Mitchell
should be forthcoming on the day of trial, and also, that Mitchell should
have a fair and impartial hearing. His speech was received with marked
attention and respect, and frequent applause greeted him from both parties.
His very presence seemed to inspire the restoration of order and law, and all
felt hopeful that quiet would again be in the ascendent among them. The
Commissioners, after considering as to the best plan of keeping Mitchell, con-
cluded to place him under guard in his own house, believing his family would,
to a great extent, deter the bandits from molesting him there. The fact, too,
that his house was a strong building, the window-shutters being of oak, two
inches in thickness, made it the most secure place for Mitchell's personal safety
and retention. The excitement being over and the effects of bad whisky hav-
ing died out, order was again restored and the death of Thompson ceased to be
the absorbing topic of conversation.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 387
"THE GUNPOWDKR PLOT.
" The fine body of timber on the island opposite Bellevue, which belonged to
the Government, was culled by Brown who had had more than 1,000 cords
chopped off during the winter. As the island was subject to overflow, it became
necessary for Brown to devise means to have it conveyed to the Iowa shore
while the ice was good. In about ten days after the death of Thompson,
Brown's stable was stocked with twenty or more as fine horses as had been seen
in town. Brown had reported that he had sent Fox and Long to Michigan for
them, and that they were taken in payment for outstanding debts he had due
him in that State when he left it. Mr. William Graham purchased a span of
these horses from Brown and the rest were rigged with harness, sleds and drivers
to convey the wood over the river to Bellevue. The sound of the ax had
ceased on the island and those who had swung it abandoned it to ply the whip
instead, so that one continued stream of teams were hourly crossing and recross-
ing the river with wood. Cording it up on the Iowa shore, gave things in
Bellevue a live appearance, and one not knowing the character of these men
thus employed, would be loth to believe they were anything but hard working
men striving to make an honest living by the sweat of their brows. The most
of the wood had been hauled from the island and the long line of cords on this
shore gladdened the hearts of steamboat men, for in that day the Captains of
steamers often found it difficult to procure wood to run their boats with. When
the wood business stopped, it left Brown's men in idleness, when, for want of
honest employment, they resorted to their old habit of gambling and drinking
bad whisky, which, of course, disordered their tempers more than ever. Their
sullen, morose looks foretold that there was some mischief brewing. Wells,
who still had their confidence, and was ever on the alert, told me I had best
stay about town, as there was damnable plotting going on, and they had
resolved by some plan to have the life of Mitchell, if possible, which plan Wells
said was not matured yet. The chief movers in the plot were Aaron Long,
Chichester, Baxter and Fox ; Brown being as ignorant of their intention toward
Mitchell as I was. Wells had joined with them in their plotting, so he could
notify me of their intended movements. Our best and most substantial men
were secretly apprised of the information Wells had given, when they readily
volunteered to assist in guarding Mitchell's house. Long and his associates
finding that the guard had been increased, had to devise some other means of
taking Mitchell than that of storming the house. They were not long in hit-
ting upon another damnable plan, which was to place a keg of powder under
Mitchell's house and blow it and its occupants to atoms. This plan Wells
opposed, saying it would be too great a sacrifice of life, but finding that his
opposition had the effect of still more exciting their passions and vindictive
spirits — whisky having been freely drunk — they were ripe for anything, no mat-
ter how diabolical or desperate the performance was to be. So Wells fell in
with their terrible purpose, and volunteered to apply the torch. J. K. Moss'
store was broken into and a tin can containing fifteen pounds of powder was
stolen to blow up Mitchell's house with. It was near midnight, and all creation
was hushed in death-like stillness. The guard in Mitchell's house had all been
relieved except Aaron Harrington, who was sitting up, reading, in the back part
of the house.
" There was a shed used for a summer-kitchen, and from this shed a stairway
entered the cellar in which the can of powder was deposited for the blowing-up
of the house. Wells had got^Jiimself into an extremely embarrassing predicament
388 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
by offering to apply the match to the combustible that was to blow Mitch-
ell, his house and family, into eternity without a moment's warming. Gladly
would he have notified me of the plot, had it been possible for him to have done
so; but he had no time nor opportunity to do this, as the plot, great and des-
perate as it was, had been concocted upon the spur of the moment, to be carried
out almost immediately. They had imbibed freely of whisky, in order to nerve
themselves for the diabolical tragedy they had determined to enact on tbat
eventful night, in which a dozen or more innocent persons were to be blown to
atoms in order to satisfy their thirst for revenge against Mitchell, whom they
hated with more than mortal hate. Their confederate in crime had been slain
by Mitchell, and they had sworn, in their wrath, that nothing but his life could
atone for the wrong which they pretended he was guilty of. They well knew,
from testimony that was given at that inquest over Thompson's dead body, that
Mitchell was justifiable in the act of killing Thompson, and that no honest
jury would ever convict him of murder. These facts staring them in the face,
and the strong guard protecting Mitchell's house while he was a prisoner, una-
ble to protect himself, forced the bandits to adopt the desperate plan they did
to take the life of Mitchell, as they well knew that to storm the house would
result in the death of many of their number. Rogues and outlaws are always
natural cowards, and never engage in a struggle when there is personal danger
to themselves. So with these men, who would rather sacrifice an innocent
family and other innocent parties than to hazard to themselves any danger in
taking Mitchell's life.
11 Wells' long association and intimate knowledge of the character of these
men. and uf how utterly reckless they were in executing their plans, when once
determined upon, induced him to volunteer his services, in order that he might
prevent the horrible disaster that would inevitably have followed the plot, had
it not been for him. The can of powder was placed in the cellar by Fox,
assisted by Wells, who was to prepare the train from the cellar to the outside
of the house. A dark lantern was brought into requisition to light them in
laying the train of destruction. To all appearances, things were fixed up to
Fox's satisfaction, when he and Wells returned to their comi'ades, to tell them
of the success they had had in placing the powder in the cellar, and laying the
train, without having been discovered by any one. This news occasioned the
passing-around of the bottle, which was repeated in rapid succession" until the
whole party, except Wells, were crazy drunk, and each eager to apply the
match of destruction himself. It was 2 o'clock in the morning, the moon hav-
ing gone dow.n, and the night hushed into a sort of ominous stillness, which
impressed the very atmosphere with the prophecy that a terrible, sickening
crime was about to be committed. But when the question was raised as to who
should apply the fatal match to the powder-train, even the drunken courage of
these heartless outlaws forsook them, as none seemed willing to do the horrible
deed. As Wells and Fox had planned the whole affair, and made everything
ready for the final explosion, they reasonably contended that it was no more
than fair that another of the party should touch it off. It was then agreed
that they should cast lots among themselves, and by it determine who should
apply the match. The lot fell upon Chichester, who, without a moment's hesi-
tancy, proceeded to the doomed house and lit the slow-match, and then betook
himself out of the way. A small report was raised, which aroused the guard,
who ran out with lanterns in hand, looking for the cause of the disturbance.
Seeing no one around, they supposed some one had attempted some damage on
the house, and then fled. They then placed a patrol on the outside of the
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 38i*
building, who stood guard until daylight. Nor did they know, until the next
evening, of the deadly plot that had threatened them the night before. Wells
had sought an opportunity, and informed me of the whole transaction. He
said, after he and Fox had deposited the powder-can in the rear part of the
cellar from the door, he managed to deceive Fox by pretending to pour powder
in the train to the door, when he put none there. About three pounds of pow-
der had been filled into a bottle for the purpose, but Wells left the bottle at the
cellar door, and from there to the outside was as far as the train really extended,
so that all the explosion that took place was from that bottle which aroused the
guards within the house.
" Upon receiving the information from Wells, I could not believe his story
to be true, or that men could become so crime-hardened and begotten of hell
as to voluntarily attempt the commission of so appalling and dark a crime as
this one would have been. It took many corroborating circumstances to con-
vince me that this statement was true. Wells, seeing that I doubted him in
what he said, remarked that if I would go with him into the cellar, I could find
the powder there, and then I could also ascertain from Moss if his can of pow-
der was missing. Wells, for more than a year previous, resided on his farm on
Deep Creek, afterward known as the Carpenter farm. This step he had taken
to rid himself of these bad associates in crime. His occasional visits to Belle-
vue were as a spy, and not for any purpose of plunder. His reformation was
brought about by his estimable wife, who was a sister of one of Jackson County's
best citizens, John S. Dilly. Wells took his departure for his home, but before
going, he said to me, ' I see you doubt me. When I come again, it will be
after I am sent for ; it will not be voluntary on my part ; the risk is too great,
and I see that you have not the confidence in me that I think I am entitled to.'
" I made known to Harrington, Sublett and many others the story Wells
had told me, when we proceeded to Moss' store and related the same story to
him. He at once looked for his can of powder, and found it missing, flar-
ington and Sublett then went to Mitchell's cellar, found the powder and brought
it back to the store. This fully convinced us of the truthfulness of Wells'
story. The first course of action against the plotters was to have them arrested
and summary justice dealt out to each one of them. To convict them, proof
was necessary, and that could not be obtained without Wells on the stand. We
could not produce any other testimony, except that of a circumstantial kind, to
corroborate Wells' statement, and then it would subject him to their vengeance,
expose him as a spy, and destroy his usefulness as an informer forever after-
ward. Taking all these circumstances into consideration, we concluded to keep
the whole matter to ourselves, not even letting Mitchell or his family know
what a narrow escape they had from destruction, and it was not made known
until Mitchell's trial. New troubles were daily making the gang more uncom-
fortable, now that their attention began to be withdrawn from Mitchell to the
more important matter of defending t/iemselves from the many charges made
against them, by people who had been robbed or swindled by these hojd
depredators. Their criminal operations had become so barefaced and fre-
quent, that good citizens all over the county began to inquire if there was no
law in the Territory to protect them from the depredations of this organized
band of plunderers and murderers, who laughed to scorn the idea of any law
punishing them for their crimes. It was the unheard-of atrocity of these crimes
and the agitation of the above named questions that brought on the Bellevue
war, which soon followed the performances described in this and a subsequent
chapter.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
THE THIEVES LAST HAUL.
" As we have heretofore stated, Brown's stables were stocked with many
of the finest horses in the county. A few days before the happening of the
powder plot, I received a letter with a handbill inclosed in it, from Freeport,
111., giving an elaborate description of two horses that had been stolen from
that town early in the fall. This description answered so well the two horses
Brown had sold to Mr. William Graham, that there could be no reasonable doubt
that they were the very identical horses that had been stolen from Freeport.
I immediately informed Mr. Tut Baker, who had sent me the handbills, of the
whereabouts of the horses. On receiving my letter, Mr. Baker, accompanied
by Mr. Spencer, the owner of the horses, started in haste for Bellevue.
Arriving about noon on the same day, we were consulting together in reference
to the atrocious gunpowder plot, J. K. Moss and myself went with Baker and
Spencer to Graham's, who lived about three miles north of town. On arriv-
ing there, Mr. Graham was informed of the object of our visit, and, being
innocent in every particular, had no hesitancy in showing us the horses. But
before going to the stable, Mr. Spencer so accurately described the animals and
their peculiarities in work, that Mr. Graham expressed his belief that the
horses belonged to Mr. Spencer, saying that no man but one who had owned
them a long time could describe them so well. The horses were harnessed, and
the whole party of us drove down to Bellevue, when Brown was made
acquainted with the claims of Mr. Spencer.
•• He received Mr. Spencer very courteously, but declared that the best
judges were liable to be often honestly mistaken in identifying stock, especially
horses ; that he did not doubt but what Mr. Spencer believed the horses were
his property, but in this, as in all other things, there were two sides to the
question. He declared he could show, beyond possibility of doubt, that Mr.
Spencer was mistaken, for the men from whom he purchased the horses were
still in his employ — good honest fellows, and farmers from Missouri, who were
incapable of a dishonest transaction ; that the horses had been raised by their
father, in Missouri, they knowing them from the time they were colts until they
disposed of them to Brown. Here he remarked, with great earnestness, that
he could prove every word he had repeated, indignantly saying, at the same
time, that he would be a great fool to attempt the sale of stolen property to
Mr. Graham or any one else so immediately near his own home, when it could
be so easily discovered. He said he was not such a consummate ass as this
would make him amount to, whatever other misdoings the community might
charge him with. Mr. Baker, who, in that day, was looked upon as a sharp
detective, was taken aback by Brown's boldness and shrewd acting in this mat-
ter, and saw at once he had no ordinary man to deal with. An hour before,
the horses were virtually in his possession, requiring nothing more than the
form of an oath to establish Mr. Spencer's title to the team. But the delusion
of ownership vanished before the logic of Brown's little speech, so that Baker
saw there were breakers ahead of this hitherto smooth-sailing vessel, and that
an attorney must be consulted as to the proper legal steps to be taken for the
recovery of the stolen property. J. K. Moss was advised on the subject, while
Mr. Graham expressed his belief that the horses were Mr, Spencer's ; but
Brown had notified him not to give up the horses without process of law. threat-
ening, if he did so, he (Brown) would not be responsible for the loss. Moss,
who had the confidence of Brown and was his legal adviser in matters of busi-
ness, proceeded to lay before him all the facts he had learned in relation to the
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 391
stolen horses, and stated to him his opinion that Spencer was the right owner
of the property, and that it would be exceedingly indiscreet, not to say danger-
ous, for Spencer to be put to the trouble and expense of proving his title to the
property in dispute, inasmuch as it would awaken the community's ill-feeling
against Brown and his gang. The two boys, as Brown termed them, Long and
Baxter, were simply two of his scamps, not worthy of belief under oath, ir
anywhere else, and Moss advised him to bring them to justice, and thereby gam
the community's good will by showing such a purpose to do right.
"Brown was moved by the appeal thus made to him ; but he had taken his
stand, and to go back on those who had been his accomplices in crime was more
than he chose to do, so he frankly told Moss he might proceed to recover the
horses in either a civil or criminal action, and that he would defend his rights
by every means in his power ; that he was prepared to prove, conclusively, that
the property in controversy was not the property of Spencer at all, but had
come into his possession as he before had stated. The bold and decisive stand
Brown had taken left Moss at sea, without a compass to direct his course in the
impending action for the recovery of the horses. He well knew that Brown
could prove anything he wished, and would have no difficulty in swearing the
rightful owners out of their horses, as he had often done before in such cases.
To commence an action of replevin was equally as much of a difficulty to sur-
mount as any other kind of an action, for then Mr. Spencer would be compelled
to give bond for twice the value of the property in dispute, and his being ;in
entire stranger made this impossible, as he could not give the required surety.
" There were many who would have been willing to aid him if it had not
been for the fear of vengeance from the hands of the gang which surrounded
Brown. Thus matters went on until they came to a legal test, when Brown
triumphed. Baker was loud in his denunciation of Brown, and frankly told
him that his name was an infamous one all over the State of Illinois, for har-
boring a gang of horse-thieves, robbers, counterfeiters and murderers about his
premises, and that he would return to procure means which, on his return to
Bellevue, would enable him to not only replevy the horses, but, if necessary,
to hang him and his bandits.
"The utterance of these bold threats brought Fox and five or six others >x
the gang to their feet with drawn pistols, demanding a retraction of these words
or blood. I shall never forget Baker's looks at that moment. He was a brave
and determined man, his courage bidding defiance to his enemies, who now
surrounded him. He stood for a moment with his deep, penetrating eyes fixed
upon Fox, and scanning him from head to foot, said : ' I know you. Fox, and a.
more honorable, upright man than your father don't live: but you are a degen-
erate son of a noble sire, unworthy of bearing his honorable name. Were I
armed, I would not fear a host of such scoundrels. As it is, take my life if
you wish. I retract nothing."
" The sudden and unexpected uprising of Fox and his associates with drawn
pistols, took everybody by surprise. All seemed spellbound for a time, stand-
ing like so many statues, incapable of motion, not seeming to realize the dan-
ger Baker was in until Fox lowered his pistol on a level with Baker's breast,
saying, as he did so : ' Baker, I can pay you the same compliment you have
•done me. Your father was an upright man, but he has raised a son who is a
disgrace to his name, and nothing but your low cunning has saved your neck
from the halter until now.'
" After the exchange of these doubtful compliments and considerable bravado
from both parties, Fox and his champions left without doing any other acts of
392 HISTORY OP JACKSON COUNTY.
violence. Baker and Fox had been raised from their boyhood together in
Indiana, where their fathers lived as well-to-do farmers. Baker was some eight
years Fox's senior, and had left home for the lead mines at Galena a< early as
1832, and was known throughout the mines as an energetic, 'go-ahead' sort of
a fellow, who never became frightened over trifles of danger.
" Baker and Spencer, finding that justice was a rare commodity in Belle-
vue, concluded to return to their homes, as further efforts to secure their
horses would only involve them in costs, and even if they should succeed, their
success, like the Indian's gun, would cost more than it came to.
" On the evening of their departure, Mr. Graham, who was a very upright,
honorable man, took Mr. Spencer aside and told him he was satisfied the
horses were his ; and if he would pay $50 — the amount which Mr. Graham
had paid down — and give his indemnity for a note he had executed to Brown
for $150, for the horses, he might take them. This arrangement being satis-
factory to all parties, the necessary papers were drawn up and the horses deliv-
ered to Mr. Spencer. Public notice was then given, warning all persons from
purchasing the note, as it was for no consideration.
"This ended the matter for the time, the first parties feeling happy at their
final success, and Mr. Graham thankful that the rightful owner was in posses-
sion of his horses. The citizens generally participated in this feeling, and all
were happy except the confederates of Brown, who at once could see the light
in which the community regarded them ; and if there were any who were pres-
ent at the trial who had any doubt as to the organization of this band of out-
laws, after hearing their villainous testimony and contrasting it with the frank
and positive statements of both Baker and Spencer, such doubts were immedi-
ately removed.
" Many of the citizens had become despondent, and were now offering to
sell their property at a great sacrifice, feeling themselves unsafe to remain in a
community where the law could not be enforced.
"A GENERAL ARREST PROPOSED.
" Messrs. Anson Harrington, John T. Sublett, William Dyas and myself
were appointed a committee to confer with James Crawford, Prosecuting Attor-
ney, and T. S. Wilson, the District Judge of the Territory. This committee
waited on Messrs. Crawford and Wilson, at Dubuque. Both of these gentle-
men were quite familiar with the depredations committed throughout the county,
and the utter impossibility of bringing the desperadoes to justice. It was only
a few days before this committee went to Dubuque that Fox and Trass were
arrested for robbing a traveler who was coming from Dubuque to Bellevue.
The usual dodge, that of proving an alibi, had been resorted to, and although
Mr. Crawford himself had been at Bellevue and prosecuted the case, he was
obliged from the testimony to abandon the suit, notwithstanding they were per-
fectly identified by the man who had been robbed.
" The consultation held in Dubuque resulted in the drawing of an informa-
tion charging W. W. Brown, William Fox, Aaron Long and twenty others, as
confederated together for the purpose of thieving, passing counterfeit money,
robbing and committing other depredations, to the great injury and annoyance
<if the community in which they lived, and to the detriment of the public in
general. The information was drawn up by Mr. Crawford, and sworn to by
Mr. Amos Harrington. The warrant was issued by Charles Harris, a Justice
J-/€%A,
BELLEVUE
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 395
of the Peace, then living near where the town of Fulton now stands, and was placed
in my hands for service. By some means, Brown had heard of what was up, and
when I came to town openly defied me to arrest him or any one else that was named
in the warrant. While reading the warrant to Brown, his whole force! flocked
around making many bitter threats, and for awhile I doubted whether I would get
off without receiving some injury from the infuriated mob which surrounded me.
Brown appealed to them, however, that I was only in discharge of my duty,
and that the man who filed the information against them should be the one to
wreak their vengeance upon. As the warrant set forth, the information had
been filed by Anson Harrington. This fact being made known to Brown, with
a bound and yell which I shall never forget, for they were more like demons
than human beings, they left me alone with Brown and went in pursuit of Harring-
ton. As soon as they had left, Brown told me Harrington was in danger, say-
ing the boys had been drinking, and that he was fearful of the consequences if
they should come in contact with either Harrington or myself. Also, Brown's
wife had informed Harrington of the condition of affairs, and had prevailed
upon him to leave town for the present, which he had immediately done, and
was at that moment on the opposite side of the river. He asked me to leave at
once, saying that he could not be responsible when they returned from their
disappointment as to Harrington, and that, if I regarded my life as worth any-
thing, to be off at once. I saw from his trembling lips and excited manner
that he meant all he said. While hesitating, hardly knowing what to do, Mrs.
Brown came running mto the room, took me by the arm without a word, and
hurried me to a door leading to the back of the house, saying to me, ' Run for
your life ; they are coming and will kill you.' I did not wait for a second
bidding. Being light of foot, a few bounds brought me out of their reach and the
sound of their yells and oaths. That night was the most turbulent of any night of
carousing that was ever held at Brown's house. Mrs. Brown, for her own
safety, and to get out of hearing of the vulgar songs and disgusting oaths,
sought shelter at the house of J. K. Moss. Brown himself was anything but
comfortable, but was compelled to abide his company. Drunken men, whom
he had made his equals and confidants, were not to be rebuked ; it mattered
not how disgusting and deprecating their conduct. The following evening, I
addressed a note to Brown, requesting a private interview, and sent it to him
by John T. Sublett. He received Mr. Sublett kindly, and stated that he had
no objection to an interview with me, and so far as he was concerned would
willingly surrender himself and abide the decision of the law, if that would
satisfy the warrant. But the rest of them had sworn they would never be taken
alive, and as they were all charged equally with crime he would have to stand
by them, and if taken it would be at the loss of life on both sides. He had
weighed the matter well, and after due deliberation was ready to surrender him-
self on condition that the rest named in the warrant be left unmolested.
" Mr. Sublett, on his return, stated the facts, as above set forth, of his inter-
view with Brown. The most prominent citizens of the town, with H. K.
Magoon, David G. Bates, Col. Cox, William Morden, Thomas J. Parks and
some others of the county, held a meeting at Moss' store that same evening.
After due deliberation, it was thought best for me to visit the different town-
ships, and persuade some of the prominent citizens to meet in Bellevue on the
1st day of April, 1840, believing an array of prominent men from all parts of
the county might induce Brown and his men to change their minds and peace-
ably submit to the law. Although this meeting was supposed to be confiden-
tial and private, we had not adjourned three hours until Brown knew all about
dab HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
it, and immediately commenced to fortify and prepare for defense. It so exas-
perated his men that they placed a red flag in front of his house, inscribed with
the ominous inscription. 'Victory or Death.'
"THE BELLEVUE WAR.
" Agreeable to arrangement, I visited the different portions of the
county, and laid before the people the existing state of affairs. Many of our
prominent men were so located that they could not be present, but wrote let-
ters to Brown, urging him to surrender his men and trust to the law for his
defense ; while other good men looked upon Brown as a persecuted man, and
declined taking any part, by way of advice or otherwise. As a defiant and
threatening attitude was manifested by placing a red flag in front of Brown's
Hotel, I deemed it best to summon a posse of armed men for this service. I
therefore deputized Col. Thomas Cox to select forty men, to appear at 10
o'clock, April 1, 1840, in Bellevue, subject to my order. Among the citizens
who had promised their attendance, there were Charles Harris, of Farmers'
Creek, Andrew Farley, of Deep Creek, and others whose names I cannot
recollect. On the last night in March, I was at Sabula, and there urged the
citizens to come up with me. In this I was not successful, as the citizens were
apprehensive that a sufficient force could not be collected to either intimidate
or arrest the gang. It would only have a tendency to embitter the clan toward
all who took part against them.
"Mr. James McCabe was the only one who volunteered to accompany me.
I stayed that night with Mr. McC, and at daylight we started for Bellevue,
being joined on the way by Mr. Farley, Col. Thomas J. Parks and Alexander
Reed. On arriving at Bellevue, we found Col. Cox and his posse quartered at
Richard Burk's, about four blocks below Brown's house. In looking up the
street, we saw the red flag fluttering in the breeze, and a number of Brown's
men promenading the streets with guns. One of the posse mounted my horse,
to take it to my stable, which was in the upper part of town. In passing
Brown's house, the rider was assaulted with all kinds of missiles, and the wild-
est cries of defiance were uttered. Mr. Anson Harrington, in company with
James Batey and his two sons, Arch and Willis Druman, with others from the
Illinois side of the river, came marching down the street. This drew the atten-
tion from the horseman to Harrington's party, and for a time it looked as if a
conflict was about to commence, when Brown came out in person and put an
end to the hostile demonstrations of his men for the time being.
" A consultation was held, to determine what would be the best steps to take
to bring them to terms without the shedding of blood. The conclusion was,
that I should proceed to the house, read the warrant and demand a surrender.
With some timidity and forebodings as to what would be my fate should my
reception be unfavorable, I went alone to the house. Brown received me very
gentlemanly. I then made my business known, and he called up the persons
whose names were mentioned in the warrant, stating to them the object of my
visit, and asked their silence while I read the warrant. The warrant being
read, he wished to know what I proposed doing. I frankly told him, to ' arrest
them all, as I am commanded.' He answered with a leer, ' That is, if you
can !' I replied, ' There is no " if" about it. I have a sufficient force to take
you all, if force is necessary ; but we prefer a surrender, without force.' I
asked a private interview, and, in company with Mrs. Brown, I showed him
letters from some of the leading men of the county, advising him to surrender
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 397
himself and men to the law, also pledging myself that they should be protected
from any violence. He replied that he knew, if it was in my power, I would
do it. He knew some of the leading men were present, and it would be out of
my power to protect them ; but if I would _get J. T. Sublett, H. R. Magoon,
Jerry Jonas and old man Watkins to come with me and make the same pledge,
that they would surrender. This was rUdily agreed to, and my report was
made and accepted.
" After spending some time in getting the persons named together, we
proceeded to Brown's house When we arrived within about twenty paces
of the house. Brown, with five or six others, appeared on the porch with guns
in hand, and ordered us to halt, saying to Magoon and others that their pres-
ence was not wanted, but he wished to talk with the Sheriff, ordering them to
retire and me to advance. This order was obeyed. I was taken into the
room and surrounded by Brown's men. They had again been drinking, and
finally became boisterous despite Brown's endeavors to quiet them. Brown
took me aside and said the boys were too full of liquor for reason, and that all
he could say had no effect whatever, and that they had determined to defend
themselves the best they could ; that they intended to hold me, and if there
was any attempt to take them, I would be the first man shot. This intelligence
shook my nerves somewhat, and I could only reply that my retention would
most assuredly bring on the assault; I was in their power, and if it was their
determination, I would have to submit. Fifteen minutes had scarcely elapsed
when those that were on the porch informed Brown that Col. Cox was forming
the men in the street preparatory to moving upon them. Brown ordered his
men to their posts, saying to me, 'You go and stop them, and come back.'
This, of course, I readily promised to do, and took my departure in quite a
hurry — told what had occurred, and preparation was immediately made for the
attack.
"Forty men were selected by Col. Cox and myself, all of whom volun-
teered. The men were addressed by both of us, Col. Cox stating that this
was no boy's play in which we were about to engage ; that they were a desper-
ate set of men, and that, in all probability, some would fall in the fight, and if
there were any in the ranks who were not disposed to face danger, they had
better step out. Every man stood fast. This left a reserve of about forty
unarmed men, who were to be brought up if necessity required. It was now
about half-past '2 o'clock, and the time since 10 o'clock had been spent in par-
leying and endeavoring to get Brown to surrender without a fight. The
inhabitants of the' town were in a great excitement; houses were deserted, and
women and children had fled from them, taking quarters more remote from the
scene of action. Mitchell, who was in confinement, urged the privilege of
being one of the posse, claiming that if my men should be defeated, he would
be left helpless and murdered in his own house. This I could not consent to,
but placed arms at his disposal if his house should be attacked.
'"News had reached Galena of the clay fixed for the arrest of the gang, and
Capt. Harris, of the steamboat Otto, had collected a few men, and tied his boat
at the upper end of town. They were too late, however, to participate in the
fight, and contented themselves by looking on. Before we started to march,
strict oi'ders were given not to fire a gun unless we were fired upon, still think-
ing when Brown saw our attitude, he would meet us with a flag of truce and
surrender. In this we were" disappointed.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
[E ASSAULT UPON BROWN S HOTEL.
"Our squad moved in double file, and not a word was spoken until we
came within thirty paces of the hous^ when the word ' charge ! ' was given, and
in a second the whole squad were as close to the front of the house as they
could get. Brown was standing about the center of the room, with his rifle
raised to his shoulder. Col. Cox and myself, both with our pistols presented
at him, said : ' Surrender, Brown, and you shan't be hurt.' He lowered his
gun, no doubt with the intention of surrendering, but it went oft", the ball pass-
ing through Col. Cox's coat. The crack of Brown's rifle was no doubt a signal
to the balance of his men, as a general firing commenced from them up-stairs.
From this fire several of our men were slightly wounded, one badly, Mr.
Vaughn, who, in later years, died of his wounds. Before Brown could speak,
several shots were fired into the house in the north window, on Front street.
One of the shots passed through both of Brown's jugular veins. He fell and
died without a struggle. The general fight was kept up for about fifteen
minutes.
" Those of Brown's men down-stairs fought with perfect desperation. The
fight was now a hand-to-hand combat. The house was entered by our men,
compelling the enemy to retreat up-stairs, where they defended themselves
from any assault with pitchforks and by firing down the stairway. Finding it
impossible to ascend the steps, I gave orders that the house should be fired.
The fire was kindled at the south -end of the house. While kindling the fire,
our party was attacked from a building just south of the main building, where
a portion of Brown's men had been placed. Seeing the house about to be fired,
they commenced shooting those who were applying the torch. As soon as it
was ascertained where the ambush was, the house was entered and one of the
men captured. Before the fire was fairly under way, it was discovered that the
enemy were making their escape by jumping from a shed at the rear end of the
house. Pursuit was given, and thirteen of the number captured. Negro
Brown and six others made their escape. The fight ended. The fire was
extinguished, and the captured men put under guard for the night.
" Our loss was four killed — Henderson Palmer, Andrew Farley, John
Brink and J. Maxwell. Wounded — William Vaughn, severely ; Col. James
Collins, shot through the hand; John Gr. McDonald, shot in the hip-; William
Vance, shot in the thigh, and a number of others received slight wounds. Of
the enemy, there were killed W. W. Brown, Aaron Day and old man Burtis.
Buckskin Tom, alias Tom Welch, was badly wounded, and several others were
slightly injured.
"THE THIEVES TRIED AND SENTENCED.
'• The once bold, defiant Fox, Long and Chichester were now humble suppli-
cants for their lives, and it was pitiable to behold the cringing cowardice of
these fellows, who had so often boasted of their bravery, but who were now
whipped into the most slavish and contemptible subjection. The sight of the
ghastly, lifeless forms lying in and around the house, the blood-stained and
bespattered walls, the weeping and sobbing of wives, mothers and children who
hovered about the lifeless bodies of those who but a few moments before were
well and full of life and hope, was a scene calculated to melt the heart and
arouse the most violent passions.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 399
" Vengeance ! Vengeance ! was the cry that arose on the air. Ropes were
called for, and the cry was. 'hang them all.' Preparations were now speedily
going on to begin a wholesale execution of the bandits, so far that ropes had
been adjusted around some of their necks, when David G. Bates, H. K. Magoon,
Parks. Reed and others began to address the men, advising them to mercy and
moderation, and begging them not to do an act under excitement, for which
they might be sorry in time to come. Order being partially restored, it was
asked that the prisoners should be disposed of as the majority might designate.
These appeals were but little heeded, and the fate of those under arrest, to all
appearances, was sealed. At this juncture, I mounted a box and asked their
attention for one moment, saying that Col. Cox had a few words to say to them
and hoped they would be silent and attentive while he was addressing them.
With, one shout they said they would hear him. The venerable old man
addressed them as neighbors and citizens, and in a few words told them they
had a higher duty to perform that evening than to hang the cowardly scoundrels
they now had in custody. Pointing to the women and children who were hovel-
ing around the lifeless bodies of those who had fallen in the fight, saying,
'Your duty to them, first, and to-morrow, whatever a majority of the citizens
may say shall be done, I pledge you my word that you shall not only have my
sanction, but my help.' The earnest and expressive words of Col. Cox had the
desired effect. The prisoners were placed under a strong guard, and the culprits
felt thankful to the Colonel for this temporary respite, hoping something might
turn up to spare them their lives. We left the prisoners in charge of a strong
guard, to care for the wounded and make preparations for feeding the men who
had eaten nothing since morning. Runners were sent to Galena and Dubuque
for surgeons. Dr. Crawford, of Galena, and Dr. Findlay, of Dubuque,
promptly put in their appearance, and at once went to work dressing and bind-
ing up the wounds of the wounded of both parties. They were all cared for
alike. The dead were taken to their respective homes, and preparations made
for their burial. This portion of the work was assigned to the Rev. Joseph
Kirk pa trick, who did much toward soothing and consoling those who were left
to mourn the loss of relatives and friends. Jesse Burke, with the assistance of
a detailed force, had, in less than two hours, prepared meals for over one hun-
dred persons, which was readily disposed of. Precautions had been taken as
soon as Brown's house had been captured, to knock in the heads of all barrels
containing liquor, and emptying out into the street every drop of liquor that
could be found. There were tfl o reasons for this, first, there were strong sus-
picion that the liquor had been poisoned ; second, the men were already excited
to the highest pitch, and should they get under the influence of liquor, the inno-
cent might suffer as well as the guilty. It was long after midnight before the
people could be persuaded to retire for rest.
" Some of the most prominent citizens retired to the residence of James L.
Kirkpatrick, to agree upon what disposition should be made of the prisoners.
Among the prominent men who attended this meeting were Col. Cox, Alex.
Reed, T. H. Parks, Anson Harrington, J. K. Moss, H. K. Magoon, Col. Collins.
Lew Hilyard, David G. Bates, John T. Sublett and others. The meeting was
organized by calling J. L. Kirkpatrick to the chair, when I addressed the meet-
ing, asking and urging that I should be sustained in maintaining the authority
of the law, in bringing these men to answer the charge set forth in this warrant.
In this L was ably sustained by David G. Bates. Alex Reed, T. H. Parks, and
H. K. Magoon. Anson Harrington and Col. Cox took the opposite view of
the matter, saying it was utterly impossible to hold them under arrest, as we
400 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
had no jail ; that the prisoners had friends, both in the East and the West, and,
in all probability, they might be taken from us by force, and, in such case, no
man's life or property would be safe, and, as we now had them in our power,
the friends of the fallen demanded that summary justice be dealt out to each
one of them, and nothing short of death would satisfy the community. These
declarations were stumpers to us ; to oppose such men as Col. Cox and Har-
rington was up-hill business, for they not only held the esteem of the people,
but were capable of impressing their views on those whom they wished to influ-
ence in this or any other matter. To hedge was now our policy ; to obtain, if
possible, a lighter sentence than death. D. G. Bates, comprehending the situa-
tion, and seeing it utterly impossible to carry out the proposition to hold them
subject to the law, offered the following resolution : ' That we shall meet at 10
o'clock A. M. on the morrow, and the prisoners shall then be sentenced as a
majority of the citizens shall then designate; and we pledge ourselves, one to
another, whatever that sentence may be, we will see it faithfully carried out.'
Mr. Bates sustained his resolution by an able speech, saying they were not all
guilty alike ; they ought to be punished according to their crimes. The reso-
lution was accepted and adopted unanimously, and the committee retired at -4
A. M. for a few hours' rest; about 8 o'clock A. M., a steamer from Dubuque
landed at our wharf. Among the passengers were James Crawford, Prose-
cuting Attorney, George L. Nitengale and Sheriff Cummins. The most promi-
nent among the arrivals was Rev. Babcock, who was prominently connected
with the robbery of the Quartermaster's store at Prairie du Chien. He, hear-
ing of the fight, had come down to claim certain goods in Brown's store, which
everybody believed were stolen by Babcock and placed there for sale. In coming '
up the bank, he was at once recognized by Col. Cox, who took hjm by the
hand and welcomed him to the town, saying he was the man he had been looking
for. Others recognized, and were about to carry him to prison, when he
applied to Col. Cox for protection. The Colonel remarked to the boys not to
hurt him, saying to Babcock, ' We will treat you well to-day, but, damn you,
we will hang you to-morrow.' This was poor consolation for Babcock, who was
led, trembling and praying for his life, and placed with the rest of the prisoners.
Capt. Van Horton, who was an old and particular friend of Col. Cox, made a
personal appeal to him, and asked his release on account of Babcock's wife, who
was aboard the boat and in great trouble for the safety of her husband. The
appeal was not in vain. Babcock was released on condition that he would
never again place his foot on the soil of Bellevue. This promise, I think, he
has kept to this day. The lesson here-taught caused him to mend his wf>ys ;
he grew into respectability in one of the western counties of Missouri, following
his old occupation of preaching ; but of late years, we see in the papers, he has
fallen from grace, and was strongly suspected of belonging to a gang of despera-
does who have been robbing trains and committing other outrages in Missouri.
"At 10 o'clock, the prisoners were brought in, their haggard countenances
showing plainly that they anticipated the worst. Col. Cox, the Chairman of
the meeting, stated to them that ' the people of Bellevue had met for the purpose
of prevailing on them to surrender to the law. The officer who was in charge
of the writ for their arrest, held out every inducement to them for a peaceable
surrender, and the people here assembled had offered them, through him, their
protection' and a fair and impartial trial ; all these offers they had indignantly
refused ; this refusal had cost them the life of their leader and some* of their
companions ; in consequence of which, we, the citizens, have had to sustain the
arm of the law in discharging that duty, are left to mourn the loss of some of
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 401
* our best citizens, and as the spokesman of this meeting I am directed to say to
you that we will relieve the Sheriff of his duty, and take your cases into our
own hands. What sentence the people here may pass upon you, I am not pre-
pared to say : your fate is in their hands, and whatever a majority may decide
upon will be carried out to the letter.' This was about the substance of the
speech.
"Chichester asked permission to speak in behalf of his comrades and him-
self. Unanimous consent was given, and he commenced in a low and trembling
voice, gaining confidence as he proceeded. He had the attention of every one
in the house; his appeal to spare their lives was one of the most fearful appeals
I have ever heard. He said they were all ready to acknowledge they were
guilty of all we charged. to them, and were willing to submit to any punishment
the law would inflict for such crimes. Mr. Crawford, seeing that Chichester
had created some sympathy in the meeting, made a short and pointed speech.
He said he advocated the turning-over of the prisoners to be dealt with accord-
ing to the law. There was no place to keep them with safety, and he had been
informed there were strong probabilities that their friends in Illinois and the
western counties would rise in such force that the citizens would be overpowered
and they released. Aside from this, he well knew from the character of the
men present that any opposition he might make to the course they had deter-
mined upon would have no weight ; but he would ask that no greater punish-
ment be inflicted than the law prescribes in such cases. Anson Harrington,
who had been compelled to leave his home for his personal safety, and only
returned to assist in arresting the men who were now under trial, made an able
argument in favor of hanging every man of them. He was opposed to turning
them loose to prey upon some other community. They were all desperate
characters. They were lost to all sense of honor. They were past reforma-
tion. No man's life or property was safe with them at large. He was raised
and reared in a Christian and law-abiding State. He had come to Iowa to
make it his home, with the expectation of meeting- with law-abiding and
Christian people, where the law could be enforced and his life and property
could be protected. ' What has been our effort to bring these men to justice ?
Have we succeeded in a single instance ? The very fact of their being able to
prove an alibi in every instance when they have been arrested for crime has
demoralized the country, and men who came here law-abiding and Christian
men are now giving comfort and sanction to flagrant violation of law. The
time had come when people would take the law in their own hands ; as much as
he had heretofore deprecated what was termed mob violence, he was now ready
to admit the law was ineffective in the present case, and nothing short of the
people rising in their might and taking this case into their own hands and
making an example of the desperadoes whom they now have in charge would
save society from depredation in future. Mercy to such men is only jeopardiz-
ing the lives of others. Free them to-day, and, ere six months, either you or
some one else will pay the penalty for this clemency. Fear alone makes them
penitent to-day. Revenge is depicted in every countenance of the criminals
now present. Reformation in such men is impossible, and I, for one, am
unwilling to turn them loose to prey upon any community. Upon your votes
depend the character and standing of the people of Jackson County. If these
men are to escape the halter, I, for one, am ready to pull up stakes and
abandon the country to them. Sympathy for such men is no act of charity.
It is a duty we not only owe to ourselves, but to those who may here-
after emigrate here, to decide this day whether this county shall be ruled and
402 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
controlled by a banditti or a civilized and Ghristin people. I have listened atten- f
tively to the appeal made to you by Mr. Bates and others for their lives. Were I to
suffer my sympathies to control me on this occasion, I too would plead for their
lives. But I have a higher duty to perform, and should I have the casting of
a vote, the fate of those men should be a terror to all evil-doers for all time to
come.' Mr. H. closed his speech by making the proposition that we decide by
ballot whether they should be hanged or whipped and forbade ever coming into
the county again. This proposition was put to a vote and carried. Before
the ballot was had, every man in the room pledged himself by rising to his
feet, to abide the decision of the ballot, and the ballot should be a formal one,
and carried out in a manner that might be designated by the meeting. Two of
the members were appointed tellers, while two were appointed to pass round
the room, one with a box with white and colored beans, the other with an
empty box. On approaching each person, the one with the beans would cry
out, ' White beans for hanging, colored beans for whipping,' when the party
approached would select his bean and cast it in the box. The beans were then
counted as cast and found to correspond with the number of persons casting
them, and the tallying commenced. All was still as death. The result was
presented to the Chairman. Holding it in his hand, he called upon the pris-
oners to rise and hear the verdict. Before announcing the vote, he wished
another pledge from the people to abide by and carry into effect the wish of a
majority, which pledge was made by all rising to their feet. The result was
then declared to be three majority for whipping. Silence was broken. Mr.
Harrington rose and attempted to address the Chair, when he was immediately
called to order by the Chair saying it was not a debatable case. Harrington
explained by saying. 'I rise now to make the vote unanimous.' This motion,
coming from Harrington, was applauded all over the house. Chichester, who
was standing near him, took him by the hand, and could only say, ' I thank
you.' The motion was put and unanimously adopted. It now devolved upon
the Chair to pass sentence on each one of the prisoners. Commenting on the
depredations and charges against one of them, he proceeded to sentence them
with from four to thirty lashes on the bare back, and, after being whipped,
they should be placed in skiffs, with three days' rations, and if caught again in
the county, to be hanged. Among those appointed to carry out this sentence,
was L. J. Hiffley, now of Kansas. He was assigned to whip an Irishman
whose name I cannot now recollect, who had made himself very conspicuous on
the day of the battle by parading the streets with the red flag and shouting at
the top of his voice, ' If they wanted hell, to come on.' He was sentenced to
twenty-five lashes. In applying the lash, Mr. Heffley proved himself an
expert, every stroke taking pieces of flesh from his back. He fainted twice
during the whipping. He was decidedly the worst whipped man in the gang,
and, when placed in the skiff to take his departure, was unable to sit up.
Fox was whipped by Lew Hilyard the lightest of any that were punished,
owing to the intercession of friends who knew his family in Indiana. About
sundown, they were placed in skiffs, and took their departure, except the
Irishman, thanking the people for their light punishment, and pledging
themselves they would never return again. This pledge was kept by all but
Fox.
" Neither did Fox ever again return to Bellevue. About two weeks after
the whipping, some one who was on the island, opposite the city, brought to
Sheriff Warren the intelligence that Fox was on the island, and wanted to see
Warren alone. The latter, fearing this to be a scheme to have revenge on
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 40:{
him, and that Fox was not alone, refused to go on the conditions named, bur,
taking several armed citizens with him, proceeded to the island.
" Fox came creeping out of the thicket to meet them in a most pitiable
condition, covered with dirt and rags. He at once began to apologize to them
for coming back contrary to orders, and begged them to spare his life. He
seemed completely humbled. It was policy for him to appear so, under the
circumstances. Being assured that he would not be harmed, he called Sheriff
Warren aside and told him he had come back for his pocket-book ; that he had
given it to Mrs. Brown the day of the fight, for safe keeping, and had had no
opportunity of receiving it again from her ; and begged Warren to cross the
river and get it for him, promising to leave immediately, and never to return.
"The Sheriff did as he was requested. On making known to Mrs. Brown
the return of Fox and his request, she said Fox had given her his pocket-book,
but she had never opened it. It was given to Warren, and contained near
§400. Mrs. Brown also informed Warren that she had there a good suit of
clothes belonging to Fox, and asked if he would carry them to the fugitive.
The Sheriff did so. also taking some provisions to Fox, and a more grateful
man is rarely seen. He left immediately, and was never seen in the vicinity
of Bellevue again. July 4, 1845, he assisted in the terrible murder of Col.
Davenport, at Rock Island, for which he was arrested in the State of Indiana,
but subsequently escaped, and was never brought to trial.
" After such a struggle and at such a cost was Bellevue freed from this
band of outlaws, nor was the city ever again similarly troubled. The harsh
measures became a necessity; there was no other relief, and the verdict of all
time since has been that the lawful citizens were peifectly justifiable in their
course. Th^se who took an active part in driving out the thieves lived a life
of considerable anxiety for some months, lest some cowardly vengeance might
be visited upon them for their part in the matter, and they took care not to
expose themselves alone after night. But those who had felt the heavy band
of the citizens of Bellevue cared not to provoke it farther, and we have no fur-
ther deed of violence to record, with pleasure be it said.
"James C. Mitchell was indicted for manslaughter April 17, 1840, and
released on §"-,000 bail, Anson Harrington, John Howe, John T. Sublett and
Joseph Whitam being his securities. He was brought to trial June 19 follow-
ing, and found not guilty. He was therefore discharged by the Court."
JACKSON-PERKINS MURDER AND EXECUTION.
There has been but one man lawfully hanged in Jackson County. This
was Joseph T. Jackson, who forfeited his life as the penalty for murder, on the
15th day of July, 1842, being the first man ever hanged legally in the Terri-
tory of Iowa.
The story of Jackson's crime was briefly as follows: He lived upon the
south fork of Maquoketa River, near the mouth of Bear Creek. He had a
neighbor, one Z. Perkins, with whom he was on quite intimate terms. On one
occasion, they took a long hunt together, and in company they visited Dubuque.
At that time, the lead furnaces back of Dubuque were in full blast, and it was
customary for the lead companies to cart the lead up the steep hills from the
mines, over the heavier grades, and there unload it by the roadside, awaiting
a more convenient time to transfer the product to the river, which could be
hauled from that point in much larger loads. As Jackson and Perkins were
returning from Dubuque, the latter said to his companion, " Jump out and get
404 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
one of those pigs of lead, and we will have enough to last us for a year." Jack-
son did so, placed the lead in the wagon in which they were driving, and pro-
ceeded homeward. Subsequently, Jackson and Perkins quarreled about some
trifling matter, and, in a fit of revenge, Perkins filed an information before a
Justice to the effect that Jackson had stolen a pig of lead. Z. Perkins had a
brother Xenophon, who appeared as a witness in the Justice's Court, and swore
that Jackson had acknowledged to him that he had stolen the lead without the
assistance of Z. Perkins, and that the latter had nothing to do with it. This
so enraged Jackson that he told Xenophon that he knew he had perjured him-
self; that he (Jackson) had never said anything of the kind ; then said, "Now,
Xen. Perkins, you mark my words — I'll kill you for this !"
Jackson's claim was on the east side of the river, and that of the Perkins
brothers on the west side. However, they had a corn-crib a little beyond Jack-
son's cabin, and went over there daily to feed their cattle, it being in the win-
ter and the river being frozen. The next morning after the trial, the Perkinses
crossed on their usual errand, and, as they passed Jackson's house, began to
yell their taunts and jeers at him. On their return, they repeated the perform-
ance. Jackson was still in bed, but, being angered at their talk, he sprang up,
hurried on his clothes, and started after them, with a small pistol in his hand.
They took to their heels and crossed the river, with Jackson in pursuit. When
they reached the opposite bank, Z. Perkins stopped, and, with a stick he held
in his hand, struck Jackson on the head, just as he reached the bank, making
a long and bloody scalp-wound. Jackson was stunned for a moment, and,
recovering, fired at Xen. Perkins, who was about thirteen paces distant, and
who fell mortally wounded, and died a few days afterward.
Jackson made no attempt to escape arrest, but remained quietly in his own
cabin until the officers came for him.
He was indicted by the grand jury. There had been two or three murders
in the county unavenged, and the general feeling was that Jackson should be
punished. The following men were on the jury: George F.Smith, George
Scarborough, Jason Pangborn, William H. Vandeventer, Webster McDowell,
M. P. Bennett, Alfred Carpenter, John Benson, Amasa Nims, Joseph Palmer
and James Leonard.
The verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree was rendered, and June
lb', 1842, the sentence of death was passed upon the prisoner. At that time,
the county had no jail, and it was necessary to keep the prisoner under guard.
By the carelessness of one of these guards, Jackson very nearly succeeded in
making his escape, between the time of sentence and the day set fpr his execu-
tion, and would have done so, had it not been for the timely appearance of
Sheriff Warren.
The County Commissioners denied Sheriff Warren the expense necessary in
erecting a gallows, and Jackson' was hanged from the limb of a tree in the lit-
tle valley just below Andrew, on the date above named. A temporary scaffold
was placed in a wagon, on which the doomed man took his stand, when, by
driving the wagon from under his feet, he was hanged by the neck until dead,
in accordance with the sentence of the Court.
A very general sympathy was felt at the last by citizens for the unfortunate
man, the belief being almost universal that the murder was not malicious. Yet
it was murder in the eyes of the jury, and the guilty man must needs pay the
penalty.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
FATE OF ALEX GRIFFORD.
On the forenoon of March 27, 1857, John Ingle, a citizen of Farmer's
Creek Township, mysteriously disappeared. Three days later, the citizens of
the neighborhood turned out in search of him, which search resulted in finding
the dead body of Ingle a few rods over the line in Brandon Township, on the
land of Hiram Hendricks. He had been shot through the head with a ritle-ball.
On the morning of his disappearance, he was at the shop of E. Wilson, in
Farmer's Creek, in company with David McDonald, Henry Jarrett and Alex
Grifford. He left the shop in company with the latter, who was carrying a gun,
while Ingle had an ax on his shoulder. Inside of an hour, Griflbrd returned
alone. Ingle's ax was found lying near him, as though it had fallen when
he fell.
Grifford was immediately arrested on suspicion, and the testimony before
the Coroner's jury was sufficient to bind him over until the next term of court.
He was lodged in the County Jail at Andrew.
About 2 P. M. on April 11, a lai-ge crowd of men marched into Andrew
in double file and demanded the keys of the jail, which were refused. By
means of a sledge in the hands of the determined mob. the doors were soon
broken down and the prisoner called upon to come forth, which he did.
Much as mob law is to be deprecated in every age and place, the citizens of
Jackson were not without some exasperating circumstances. It was claimed, at
that time, that there had been fifteen murders in Jackson County, and only one
man had suffered the penalty of the law. At that time, the county had three
prisoners awaiting trial for murder, two of them being confined in Clinton
County, and there appeared little prospect of the power of the law proving
efficient.
The prisoner was taken to an old dak-tree, which is yet standing in the
northern part of the town of Andrew. The rope was placed about the doomed
man's neck, and he was given an opportunity to confess. The poor wretch,
hoping to receive a reprieve by his testimony, confessed to the murder of Ingle,
stating that he had been offered $150 by Jarrett and McDonald if he would put
Ingle out of the way. Jarrett had been in the crowd a few minutes before, but
when Grifford confessed, he was nowhere to be seen.
After his confession, a move was made by some to have him remanded to jail,
but the cry came out, " Hang him ! if he is guilty ! Hang him ! " And the
captain of the mob called his men to the rope, whereupon the murderer was
launched into eternity.
Jarrett was subsequently arrested and placed in the Scott County Jail, but,
we believe, never met punishment for the crime, if he was guilty.
VIGILANCE COMMITTEE.
That there was an organized band of men at that day in the county, deter-
mined that crime should not go unpunished, is evidenced by the following,
which we quote from the Jackson Sentinel of May 21, 1857 :
Iron Hill, Iowa, May '.I, 1857.
Mb Swiuart:
Sir — Will you be so kind as to give the ine'osed declarations mid resolves of the Vigilance
Committee a corner of your paper in your next issue. They were handed me to hike to you per-
sonally, hut as I am unable to do so at present, I send them by the hand of Mr. Brewster.
4Ut> HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Perhaps you might wish to know how strong this Committee is. So far as T can learn, there are
between three hundred and four hundred who belong to it in this county.
Yours, &c, J. K. Lanhis, P. M.
[After the declarations.]
" We, therefore. The representatives of the people of Jackson County, in Committee assembled,
appealing to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the
name and by the wish of the good people of Jackson County, solemnly publish and proclaim the
following resolutions :
" Resolved, That we, the Jackson County Vigilance Committee, are determined that the crim-
inal law of this State shall he enforced in this county to the very letter.
" Resolved, That the present executive and judicial of this county had better resign their
offices and leave their seats to more worthy occupants. If they do not, they must run the risk
of the consequences.
" Resolved, That in every criminal case now and hereafter pending before the tribunals of this
county, we, the Vigilance Committee of Jackson County, will thoroughly investigate and watch
with a critical eye the proceedings of our officers.
"Resolved, That the wrong-honored offices, whose names we do not choose to mention here,
shall never have another office at the gift of the people of this county ; but. we will let them go a
duck-hunting.
" Resolved, That whereas, it is the duty of certain county officers to investigate the circum-
stances and the facts concerning the murder of John Ingle, and, ere this to have taken steps to
secure, in the proper way, the person of David McDonald, until he could be tried according to
law, we, the Vigilance Committee openly declare that they must take the proper steps; and.
also, openly publish a reward, with a full and exact description, so as to secure that person. If
not, we will look after him ourselves, and, if needs be, after them, too.
" Resolved, That we will, when we find that our proper officers neglect it, spare no pains,
either of time life or property, in the investigation of all counterfeiting of moneys, in all horse-
thieving and in all murders committed in this county. We also will be governed by the penal
code of this State as far as is convenient.
■■Resolved, That we. the Vigilance Committee of Jackson County, State of Iowa, hereby
inform all persons in office or out of it, that they must not commence process of any kind
against any of those who helped to hang Alex Grifford, for we believe that he should have been
hanged long before he did.
" Resolved, That we will avenge the unjust death of any one of this Committee, at the cost
of life or property.
"Resolved, That we will punish with death any person or persons joining this Committee,
whom we find has been or is concerned in any horse-stealing, counterfeiting, robbing or murder-
ing, and it appears that he is in as a spy.
" Resolved, That these proceedings be published in the Maquoketa Sentinel.
The next act of this so-called Vigilance Committee may be learned from
the story of the
BARGEE MURDER AND LYNCHING.
In 1851, there were living in Jackson County, with a small family of chil-
dren, a Mr. and Mrs. Barger. During this year, Barger himself went to Cali-
fornia, leaving his wife and children at his old home, expecting to make his
fortune out there and return. After an absence of nearly three years, he
returned.
For some cause, after his return, he and his wife did not get along peace-
ably. Barger was jealous of her, without cause it is believed, and mistreated
her in various ways. In the District Court at the summer term, 1854, she
procured a divorce from Barger, giving her the custody of her children.
At this time, she was staying at the house of Mr. Kirkpatrick, who, if we
are correctly informed, was a minister, and who lived in Bellevue. Barger
went under the cover of night, in September, 1854, to Bellevue, and entered
a lot opposite Kirkpatrick's house, which was inclosed by a high close-board
fence. Through this fence, with his jack-knife, he cut a hole large enough to put
his rifle through, which he had with him. The first hole not being in the right
position, he cut a second ; and waiting until his wife appeared at the door in
the morning, deliberately shot her, killing her instantly. He dropped his gun
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 407
and ran, but was seen by Mr. Kirkpatrick. Previous to this time, an informa-
tion had been filed against him because he had threatened to kill his wife, and,
after the murder, some of the county officials were pretty severely censured that
they had not taken some measures to prevent such a tragedy.
Barger had several trials in court. On the last one previous to his death,
in which he was found guilty of murder, a juryman made affidavit that he had
formed an opinion, in consequence of which a new trial was granted, and
a change of venue was taken to Clinton County. Barger was confined
in the Clinton County Jail, in De Witt. This was in May, 1857,
or nearly three years after the crime had been committed. On the 28th
of the last-named month, a body of armed men, composed of about fifty
persons, in broad daylight, in wagons and on horseback, started for the De Witt
Jail. They arrived there without warning of their coming, and, without diffi-
culty, secured from the jailer the keys which confined Barger, and one named
Carrol, who was in prison on charge of murder, but had not yet been brought
to trial. These were taken to Andrew.
The people of Jackson County had become exasperated at the technicality
and artificiality of law which had kept a man at the expense of the county
three years, and then with a fair prospect of a final escape. They determined
once more to take the law into their own hands, or rather to ignore the existence
of law.
Barger was brought to the same tree on which Grifford had been hanged, and
was asked if he had anything to say why he should not suffer for the crime of which
he was guilty. He produced a letter addressed to his attorney, W. E. Leftingwell,
which was read to the audience. It contained no positive denial of his guilt,
but was a torrent of abuse against most of those who had been witnesses for
the prosecution, and a villification of his dead wife.
After the letter had been read, a handkerchief was tied over the prisoner's
eyes, his hands pinioned, the rope adjusted and passed over the limb, when all
who could find room to take hold assisted in drawing the guilty and unfortunate
wretch into the air.
It was then pleaded by some of the more law-abiding citizens, in behalf of
Carrol, that he had never been brought to trial. Whereupon, it was put to vote
whether he should be hanged or handed over to the Andrew jailer, to await
trial at the next term of the District Court. The latter received the
almost unanimous vote of the mob, and he was lodged in jail, whence a youth
confined some seven months for stealing a watch, was taken and counseled to
leave the county immediately, which he lost no time in doing.
THE CRONK MURDER TRIAL.
No murder trial upon the court dockets of Jackson County occasioned a
greater excitement than that of Samuel P. Watkins for the murder of Samuel
S. Cronk.
The circumstances of the crime were such as to throw the detectives, for a
time, entirely astray, and the numerous arrests and suspicions in regard to the
supposed authors of the crime, before the real criminal was brought to trial,
had enlisted in the affair such a general interest as to make the impaneling of
a jury almost an impossibility, and most of three days were occupied in com-
pleting the panel. The circumstances, as developed during this trial, were, in
brief, as follows :
408 HISTOKV OF JACKSON COUNTY.
In the trial of a defaulting County Clerk, in January, 1867, it became nec-
essary one afternoon to serve an immediate subpoena from Andrew, the county
seat, upon a number of witnesses, in various parts of the county. Sheriff Bel-
den was under the necessity of appointing a number of Special Deputies to
serve warrants, and, among others, selected S. P. Cronk, a young farmer about
twenty- two years of age, to serve some papers in the town of Lamotte, some
eleven miles north of Andrew. Cronk set out upon his mission late in the
afternoon of January 22. on horseback, and when he had reached the village
of Cottonville, some seven miles from Andrew, on his route, he stopped awhile
and had some conversation with a number of young acquaintances who were
there, and was pressed by them to remain and attend a party to be held there
that evening, or in that vicinity. He at first declined, pleading his errand to
Lamotte. His friends, however, persuaded him to stay for the party, and pro-
ceed to Lamotte after the affair was over. He consented, went to the dance
and left Cottonville for Lamotte, served his warrant and remained all night in
the latter village.
The next day, he stopped again in Cottonville, and called at different stores
and shops. Here he met young Watkins again, whom he had met on the
night previous and frequently before, with whom he had been in the army.
Watkins invited him to go with him and spend the afternoon at the house of
one Nelson, southeast of Cottonville, about two and one-half miles, where there
were two young girls with whom both young men were acquainted. They were
persuaded to stay for tea, and left Nelson's about 8.30 or !• o'clock. Cronk
had his horse with him, while Watkins was on foot. They left Nelson's walk-
ing together and leading the horse, as both would go over the same road for
perhaps one and one-half miles.
The next morning, Cronk's dead body was found at the corner where it
was supposed they would separate. The body was a few rods from the road-
side. The ground being covered with snow, there were tracks of two or'three
men near it. and the pants had been stripped from the body, whic h was left
behind a rise of ground and partly covered by a couple of rails. The horse
could not be discovered, nor was he heard of from any direction. Watkins
was questioned. He said that he and Cronk had walked along together about
half a mile, and then Cronk mounted his horse, while he (Watkins) had taken
a short cut across the fields, which path was then in use, and had reached his
home, at the house of one Bucklin, about 9.80 o'clock. However, by the tes-
timony of other parties, he had been met on the highway, near Cottonville,
about 11 o'clock that same night; and, on account of the discrepancy in the
matter of time, he was arrested, but was soon released, there being no testi-
mony against him.
The absence of the horse of the murdered man gave credence to the opin-
ion that the murder was committed by some highwayman, and that the horse
had been ridden out of the country. Considerable time was spent by the
authorities in an attempt to trace up such a criminal.
Nothing of much consequence was accomplished in ferreting out the guilty
parties until the following April. On the 6th day of this month a neighbor
found the carcass of Cronk's horse in a piece of timber within one-half mile of
the scene of murder, and within a few hundred yards of Cottonville. The horse
was tied to a sapling, both by hitching-strap and rein, and had actually starved
to death. The tree was eaten almost to the core by the miserable beast. And
here let us remark the hcartlessness that would leave a dumb creature to such
a wretched death, is surely capable of almost any crime on the catalogue of
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 409
possibilities. On the carcass of the horse was Sheriff Belden's saddle and bridle,
and near by the hat of the murdered man. The announcement of the whereabouts
of the horse excited quite visibly the man Watkins. and he was heard to
remark, "I am sorry ! I am sorry! " He was immediately re-arrested. Then
every effort was made to clear up the case. The tracks as they had been
observed in the snow on the morning following the murder, were one link in the
chain of evidence. A piece of an iron clevis was found near where the body had
been left. A search in a pile of brush after a rabbit revealed the pants of the
dead man, just across the road from where the horse was discovered. The
pocket-book was picked up in another quarter. The examination of the wounds
of the murdered man had been very superficial, and the wounds consisted chiefly
in fractures of the skull of peculiar shape. The body was exhumed. Another
examination was made. The piece of clevis, which had some hairs attached to
it when found, fitted perfectly into the wound? in the skull of the victim. The
examining physician stated there was not one chance in a million that the
wounds could have been made except by that or a similar instrument. It was
discovered that balls of snow had been noticed upon the heels of the corpse when
found, and that Cronk's mittens were in his overcoat pocket as he always car-
ried them while walking, while it was his invariable habit to ride with his hands
covered in winter-time. It further occurred to the detectives that a man mur-
dered with a piece of clevis must have been on foot, as he would not be attacked
with so short a weapon on horseback. A detective found the other fragment
of the clevis in a tool-box in the barn of John B. Bucklin, where Watkins
lived. Bucklin and one Nelson were arrested on suspicion as accomplices. It
was known at the time of the murder that Cronk had sold some land a short
time previous, and was supposed to have considerable money. A small amount
had been paid him in Cottonville on the day of the tragedy, to carry to Andrew.
Watkins was known to have no money the day before Cronk was killed, and it
was proved that, within a week after that time, he had three different *10
bills changed. When called upon to account for this, he contradicted himself.
nor were his statements corroborated by the parties from whom he claimed to
have obtained the moneyi A network of circumstances was woven about
Watkins, to which there was but one explanation, viz.: That he and his confed-
erates had laid a plan to murder Cronk ; that Watkins had taken him to Nel-
son's to spend the afternoon and evening so as to suit their plans; that they
had walked together until they came to a place of separation, when Cronk was
knocked down and killed by Watson or his accomplices ; that they had secreted
the horse, in the hopes that they might afterward take him away and dispose
of him, which they feared subsequently to attempt.
The trial took place before Judge J. Scott Richman, in Andrew, beginning
December 1G, 1867, or eleven months after the tragedy. The counsel for the
prisoner were Messrs. William Graham, D. A. Wynkoqp and C. M. Dunbar.
The Prosecuting Attorney, Lyman A. Ellis, was assisted by Judge J. S. Dar-
ling. The case was conducted on both sides with much ability. The trial con-
cluded December 24, 1867. The jury, after being out one night and one day.
returned the following verdict :
"We, the jury, find the defendant guilty of murder of the first degree, and
we find him guilty upon the first count of the indictment."
Watkins was sentenced to be hanged February 21, 1868.
An extension of time was granted until April 17, 1868. In the mean time.
Bucklin and Nelson, who had been arrested as his accomplices, took a change
of venue to Clinton County, and were acquitted, mainly because the county
410 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
management discouraged the Prosecuting Attorney in the expense of summon-
ing so many witnesses. Watkins having been convicted upon the theory of a
conspiracy, and that conspiracy failing to be proven in the case of his accom-
plices, these facts were made the grounds for a motion for a new trial, which
was granted.
Re-action from the intense excitement followed, as usual, and, on the part
of the public, followed a supreme indifference as to the result. It was thought
that if Watkins were tried again he would be cleared, and the county would be
put to a great and useless expense. The prosecution was dropped.
After his release, Watkins went to Clinton for a time, and clerked in a
hardware store. He afterward removed to Monona County, and went to farm-
ing. He hired a young man to work for him with a team owned by the
employe's mother. A short time after, the boy's body was found, in a man-
gled condition, and Watkins had disappeared. He sold the team in Council
Bluffs. After a long search, he was arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to
the State Penitentiary for life. He is now confined at Fort Madison, where he
will probably spend his remaining days.
The caprice of what may be called public sentiment was never more forcibly
illustrated than in the case of this trial, as may be shown by contrasting the
ferocity of feeling manifested before the conviction and the supreme indifference
perceptible after the release of the prisoners.
Not long after the three men were arrested and confined in the jail at
Andrew, on one evening a mob of several hundred men assembled at the county
seat with the avowed purpose of lynching the prisoners. The preparations
were coolly made. Nine o'clock the following morning was set for the execu-
tion. The jail was a miserable structure, and could not be defended by the
Sheriff. The latter was shadowed by members of the mob. The town was
picketed on every side, to prevent a messenger being sent away for assistance.
In his conduct in this matter, Sheriff Belden displayed remarkable shrewdness
and coolness. He managed, in the very early morning, to have a few moments'
conversation with a bright young lad of the village, who was accustomed to go
out after his mother's cow. He told him to go to the livery stable and get a
certain horse ; to take him out bareback, mount, and ride leisurely out of town
in search of his cow, until he passed the pickets, when he should ride on a
dead-run to Maquoketa, where the Deputy Sheriff was, and instruct the latter
to proceed to Andrew with all the citizens who would come, and ordered the
livery-men to furnish every possible conveyance. While most of the mob were
at breakfast, Sheriff Belden, with several orderly citizens, removed the three
fated prisoners to the second story of the Court House, which was reached only
by a long and narrow stairway. This was barricaded at the top, and could
easily be defended by a few. The mob was at bay. The leader finally asked
for a conference. It was had. The pretense of the mob was that they feared
the prisoners would be rescued, or allowed to escape before they were brought
to trial. The Sheriff gave the crowd every assurance possible that they would
be secure, and declared his intention to take them that same day to Dubuque,
and place them there in the best jail in the State. By this time, the citizens of
Maquoketa began to assemble. The mob sullenly submitted. The prisoners
were taken to Dubuque that day.
Strange to say, these same men, in less than a year, favored the release of
Watkins, to save the expenses of another trial, and the prisoners were after-
ward at large without danger in this county.
s|P£ ***•
a
iy
i£^yicJ/ fju^in^z^^
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
A LEAD EXPLORATION IN 1834.
The incident that we are about to give records, probably, the first explora-
tion party which ever crossed Jackson County. We give it in the words of
Capt. W. A. Warren, of Bellevue, who formed one of the party. Capt.
Warren says :
" In February, 1834, an excitement was created in Dubuque upon the
arrival of four Winnebago Indians, who showed specimens of minerals which
they represented they had obtained from the other side of the Big Bear, on the
Maquoketa River, a distance of some thirty miles southwest from Dubuque.
This region no one at Dubuque had ever penetrated. Nothing was known of
the lay of the country, and, so far as miners had ventured, leads had been dis-
covered, and the supposition was that the whole country abounded in rich lead-
mines. Mr. Gy Morrison, who could speak the Winnebago language, soon
bargained with the Indians to show us this region of country. A blanket for
each, some tobacco, powder, a few trinkets, with some calico, was the price paid
for the forthcoming information. It was soon arranged and settled who the
lucky party should be, who should make the first advent into this new mining
region.
" On the 10th day of the month, the party set out with their four red
brothers who were to reveal to them mineral in such an abundance that it
would so far eclipse Dubuque that but few would be left there to dally away
their time in seeking for mineral in that region. The party consisted of Gy
Morrison, Ben Beardsley, Leroy Jackson, Thomas Brazier, Jesse Harmon and
W. A. Warren, with an outfit of two pack-ponies, together with mining tools
and ten days' provisions. The day was almost like spring. We took our
departure with the good wishes of the people, and not without some foreboding
as to our safe return, as it was well known the Sioux Indians and the Winne-
bagoes were at war, and that we woul 1 be trespassing on Sioux territory.
" Our first day's travel took us to the falls of the South Fork of the
Maquoketa, now Cascade. This beautiful sheet of water captivated us all, and
most any of u- would have been willing to give his interest in the contemplated
mines for thi* beautiful spot, could we have ventured our scalps here alone.
The night was spent, until a late hour, building air castles. The owners of
fine flouring-mills, woolen-factories, saw-mills, in fact all kinds of machine-
shops, all to be peopled by the improvement of these falls, while the rest of us
were to have large farms, and build plank-roads" to the Mississippi to convey the
products of our speculations to the little shipping-point of Dubuque. After the
night's rest, and partaking of a hearty breakfast from a venison which one of
the Indians had killed, we moved on our journey in a southerly direction.
After traveling some twelve miles, mostly through heavy timber, we came to
the North Fork of the Maquoketa, at a point where Canton now stands. Here,
too, was another place of admiration — falls equal to those we had just left, and
a yet greater abundance of water.
"Some of the party's feet being sore, we concluded to remain here until the
next morning, as there were several wigwams made of bark which would afford us
good shelter and comfortable quarters for the night. Several fine fish were speared
by the Indians, which Ben Beardsley, our cook, prepared for supper, and all
hands did justice to his cooking. Next morning, to our surprise, we found the
ground covered with eight inches of snow. The Indians told us it was only
nine miles to the place where our hopes were to be realized. The day was fair,
414 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
but the thermometer had fallen to about 20° below zero, which had a tendency
to cool our ardor.
" Harrison and Brazier gave evident signs of backing out. After discuss-
ing the propriety of proceeding on our way or returning to Dubuque, a major-
ity decided we should go on. Packing up again, we set out on our journey,
and arrived about 2 o'clock in the land of promise, which was a point in Mon-
mouth Township, now known as the Luncheon farm.
" Our red brothers commenced raking off the snow, and showed, to our
delight, more than a ton of float material which they said they had picked up
on the sides of the hills and out of the ravines.
" The sight of the mineral was enough to make us forget our sore feet and
the bitter cold we had been suffering. All hands went to work staking off
their lots except Jesse Harrison, who preferred rolling himself up in the buffalo
robes. The excitement and labor of cutting and driving stakes had thoroughly
warmed us, and all felt that we were more than paid, and that our fortunes
were made. Returning to where we had left Jesse Harrison and our traps, we
roused him up and explained to him the boundaries of our different claims.
' Well,' says Jesse, ' gentlemen, I suppose you have taken all you want? ' We
readily answered 'Yes.' ' Then,' said he, 'I will take the balance.' We
came to the conclusion that Jesse had the lion's share. After consulting and
taking into consideration the sudden change of the weather, and the small sup-
ply of provisions on hand, we concluded to hunt out a camping-place for the
night, and start for Dubuque the next morning, and, when spring came, to
return and ma'ke our pile.
" Our wishes were made known to the Indians by Mr. Morrison, who
readily led the way to a camping-ground. The spot was reached in about two
miles, on the Maquoketa River, where we had protecting rocks for shelter and
plenty of down timber. A fire was built and supper prepared by Ben
Beardsley.
" All were feeling jubilant when one of the Indians, who had taken a
roundabout way to kill a deer, returned to camp with a small one on his shoul-
ders. Giving the usual Indian grunt, he entered into conversation with Mor-
rison. We saw from his gestures that something was wrong. All looked to
Morrison for an explanation. He stated that there was a Sioux Indian camp
of twenty warriors only a mile above us, and if they found us in company with
the Winnebagoes we would all be killed, as the Sioux were at war with the
Winnebagoes, and we were in the territory of the former.
'* This was a bombshell Ave little expected, and almost a panic of terror seized
us at once. Jesse Harrison, who was at all times ready to take things easy, had
rolled himself up again in his blanket and lay toasting his feet at the fire, now
was the first to spring to his feet to get the particulars. The matter was fully
explained by Morrison, and also the risk of being scalped by the Sioux if we
should be caught in company with the Winnebagoes. The Indians prepared to
leave immediately, and every man to take care of himself.
" The departure was so sudden and unexpected that we did not get them to
give us any directions how we .-should proceed in order to return to Dubuque
without retracing our steps, and none of us thought we could do that. The
prospect of our escape was discussed, and Morrison, to whom we all looked for
an opinion, said if we were caught, we should all be killed. This was not con-
soling to any of us.
" The night was a bitter cold one, and to leave camp and start out into a
trackless wilderness, without any knowledge of the country, was something we
HISTORY OF JACKSGw COUNTY. 415
did not deem best to do, notwithstanding the danger of remaining where we
were. The situation had now become anything but a pleasant one. None of
us but would have been willing to give all our interests in the anticipated mines
of Maquoketa to be once more safe in Dubuque. Thomas Brazier, being the
senior of the party, was the first to advise. He said we were all young
men, and. if anything should befall us, there would be no one to suffer ; but,
in his case, it was very different. He had a very large family depending on
him for support. He advised that the fire should be put out, and that we should
try to make our way to the Mississippi, in which Jesse joined, saying he also
had a helpless mother and sister to provide for.
" The difficulty of finding our way in the night, and especially in a country
which we knew nothing about, was a strong objection urged against this propo-
ition, and the probability was that the Indians would take our trail, overtake
us, and, in our benumbed and wearied condition, would make easy prey of us.
So we resolved to stand our ground, and, if attacked, to make the best fight
we could. We then went to work with a will, rolled logs together, and made
what we considered pretty fair breastworks. We collected a sufficient quantity
of wood to keep up a good fire all night. Having fixed our guns and pistols
and partaken of a hearty supper, with a shelving rock for shelter and our
wooden breastwork in front, we made our camp comfortable. We all retired
to rest, leaving Ben Beardsley as a sentinel. At 1 o'clock, Ben was relieved
by Gy Morrison. We had by this time come to the conclusion there was not
much danger, anyhow, and that if the Indians should come, we could whip
them out.
" Ben had concealed in his side-pocket a quart of brandy that a friend had
given him on leaving Dubuque. The company all being awake, Ben presented
the bottle, which none refused, and, by the time the bottle was partly empty,
we Concluded we would rather have the Indians come than not, as we could
make holes in some of their blankets. The night passed until daybreak, when
all hands had become weary, and the camp was in perfect stillness. Suddenly,
we were aroused by the discharge of guns and the most terrific yells ever
heard. Every man was up and to his arms. We could hear nothing, neither
was anything to be seen. Our minds were very suddenly changed, and we
were not so anxious to see the Indians as we had been, but would gladly have
preferred. they would keep their distance. The sun was rising, and no' Indians
in sight. We had come to the conclusion that they had gone off to get help to
get us out of our fortification. In this we were deceived. In looking up the
river, we saw about twenty braves, in single file, marching toward our camp.
What to do had to be decided at once, for they were within three hundred yards
of us. Gy, being familiar with their habits, and able to speak their language,
was appealed to for advice. He watched their movements until they were
within one hundred yards of us, when he decided they meant no harm, and
went out to meet them. After shaking hands with Gy, they all came into
camp, and we had a general hand-shake. Jesse Harrison was most conspicu-
ous in his friendliness from our party. Finding some of the Indians could
speak a little French, he made use of every word he had ever learned in that
language, in making himself agreeable to them. They partook of a hearty
meal with us, relishing the coffee as much as if it had been fire-water. We had
no longer any doubt of their friendship, and Mr. Brazier thought it was good
luck that we had met them, for the weather had become cloudy and threaten-
ing, and we should have had great difficulty in finding our way back. They
volunteered to place us on a trail leading to the Mississippi, where we would find
416 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
a plain trail to Dubuque. We packed up and left our camp about 10 o'clock
A. M., and kept to the south side of the river, passing the ground that Maquo-
keta is now laid out upon, and crossed the Maquoketa just below the forks. On
the opposite bank, we found three warriors with three squaws and papooses. A
wigwam covered with bark was set aside for us, with a good fire placed in the
center, and everything was cozy. A lot of boiled corn, with venison and wild
turkey, was placed before us in a camp-kettle. Tired and hungry, we thought
it the most delicious meal we had ever tasted. After a good night's rest, and
partaking again of their hospitality, we left all of the effects we could possibly
spare with the squaws and papooses. We took our departure for the Missis-
sippi, striking the main Indian trail at or near where Andrew is now
located. Here the Indians left us, after taking a smoke and some venison.
They -informed us we would find two white men at or near where Bellevue is
now located. Being entirely out of provisions, it was important we should
reach the white man's shanty. We proceeded in good cheer, and many a joke
was cracked over our fright at Rock Camp.
" We followed the trail which led down Baker Hill, crossing both creeks and
the south bluff of Mill Creek, coming upon the Mississippi where Bellevue
now stands, which, at that time, was covered with large oak-trees but no under-
brush.
" Proceeding up the river we found the wigwams and council-rooms of Black
Hawk in perfect order, being opposite where the cattle-pens on the railroad are
stationed. The dirt that was thrown up for embankments is to be seen to this
day.
"We took possession of the council-room for our quarters, where we spent
the night without anything to eat, the whole company being in not a very
pleasant mood. The next morning, to our delight, we saw Mr. William Jonas
driving a yoke of oxen. He invited us to come to his cabin, which was but a
mile distant. Arriving there, we found a good fire and abundance of provis-
ions, consisting of bread, venison, turkey, potatoes and the best of coffee. We
helped ourselves, and a meal was seldom better relished than that breakfast by
us. Mr. Jonas informed us that another party had located a half-mile below
where Bellevue now stands, and they two were the only ones then located in
what is now called Jackson County. Our offer of pay to Mr. Jonas for his
kindness and hospitality being declined, we departed for Dubuque, a distance
of twenty-five miles, which we accomplished just before sundown. Much
inquiry was made as to the lay of the country just explored and the prospect
for mineral, but the word was ' mum,' for we were all of the opinion that we
had found the spot, and only awaited spring to develop the finest mineral dis-
trict yet discovered. We told them of our narrow escape and bravery. Spring
came, and Morrison, with some of the rest of us, started for our claims, but
everything was so changed by the season that we were unable to find the spot,
and wie returned to seek our fortunes in Dubuque.
" It was years before I could identify the spot. Chancing to stay over night
with Mr. Luncheon, I thought the ground looked familiar, and removing the
bark from an old tree, I found the initials of Gy Morrison and Thomas
Brazier cut in the same, where they had made the tree a corner to their lots.
This ground has since been prospected, but no mineral has been traced to a
body."
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. ill-
THE WINTER OF 1842-43 INCIDENTS.
Since the settlement of the Territory, there has been no winter in this lati-
tude to compare, in length and constant weather, with the one mentioned above.
The ground was blanketed with a heavy snow in the fall, and was not uncov-
ered until the following spring. The pioneer reveled in the fruits, or, more
properly, the spoils, of the chase. The snow was crusted so that it would
carry the weight of a dog or a fox, but the deer broke through at every leap,
and the otherwise fleet-footed creatures were easily captured. In that day,
passing through the timber was a much freer and easier matter than now. The
prairie fires, by their annual visits, had kept down all the underbrush, and the
groves were almost like large parks.
From the diary of Hon. George F. Green, we learn that the first snow of
this remarkable winter fell November 24, and continued until the 5th day of
April. During all this time, there was good sleighing, except the last week in
January, when a warm fog laid bare the hilltops in places. It may easily be
guessed that 130 days of constant sledding was improved by the pioneers.
Many were the forty and fifty mile visits made, and sleigh or sled rides
enjoyed. Still, we doubt not the time of spring was not unwelcome, after so
long a season of Norwegian weather.
The Mississippi closed at Sabula November 22, 1842, and did not break up
until April 13, 1843. This shows it to have been ice-bound 142 days.
We learned, incidentally, from William Y. Earle, of Maquoketa, of his suc-
cess in hunting prairie chickens during the winter of which we have been
speaking. He tells the following ludicrous incident of his getting game to
market :
Mr. Earle's two sons were spending the winter on an island above Dubuque,
engaged in cutting wood. One of the boys came down to his home, in Maquo-
keta, during the latter part of December, for some articles needed. The
father, having 100 prairie chickens dressed, ready for market, on the evening
of the last day in December, hitched a horse into a rude jumper, and, with his
son, started for Dubuque, having the prairie chickens in a large sack hung
across the jumper, and also a pillow-case full of doughnuts, which Mrs. Earle
had prepared as a treat for the wood-cutters. The pioneers traveled all night,
and just after daylight stopped at the house of an Irishman, about two miles
this side of Dubuque, for the purpose of getting warmed, as the night had
been quite cold. The horse and jumper they left hitched near the door, and
had not been long in the cabin when they heard screams of distress from the
daughter of Erin at whose house they were stopping, and a great commotion
amongst a lot of perhaps twenty hogs at the cabin door. The porcines had
scented the doughnuts and chickens, and had opened their way to the portable
pantry without ceremony. One antiquated pachyderm, with the thougJitful-
ness for self characteristic of the species, had a death-grip on the rent pillow-
case and was strewing the doughnuts along the path leading to her abode.
Others of the company proceeded to amputate the legs of resistless chickens,
and were feasting on royal fare. The lady of the house, with the assistance of
its owners, rescued the fragments of the property, most of which was secured
in untouched condition.
Marketing to Dubuque, at an early day, was not a lucrative business.
Money was difficult to get — in fact, almost an impossible article. We are told
an anecdote in illustration of this point, which is spicy enough to bear record-
ing.
418 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Mr. Wendell, the father of C. C. Wendell, of this county, was accustomed
frequently to take a wagon-load of " truck " to Dubuque, to sell, but somehow
never succeeded in bringing much money with him on his return. His wife
could not understand this, and told him she did not think he was a good trades-
man, that she was pretty sure that she could do better than he had been doing,
etc. It so happened that, not long after these sentiments were uttered,
on a morning the old gentleman had set for starting on a marketing trip, he
was too ill to leave the house. The twodiorse wagon was well loaded with farm
and dairy products, and Mrs. Wendell considered this a providential opportu-
nity for her to display her commercial qualifications. She determined to go
to Dubuque herself with the load.
Taking with her her son, above mentioned, who was ^fourteen or fifteen
years of age, they reached Dubuque about noon of the second day. Produce
for cash was a very slow sale, and cash was what the old lady wanted. By the
close of the third day they had parted with all their truck except a quantity of
buckwheat they had brought along. For this they could get nothing. They
brought it back a few miles out of town, and left it there with a settler whom
they knew, until they could take it in the next trip. After an absence of about
five days, the mother and son reached home, and instead of having a purse full
of money to show, as the old lady had hoped, she was obliged to confess that
she could not pay her bill at the last lodging-place and had to promise that
her husband would settle when he went to market again. So, it proved that
the selling price of a wagon-load of produce was not sufficient to board two
horses and two persons for five days, at transient rates.
It is needless to say that Mrs. Wendell's anxiety to do the marketing for
the family took a less violent form, and that she left such trips to her liege
lord ever after.
a bridegroom's disappointment.
During the fall of 1839, preparations were made in what is now Maquoketa,
for a wedding. Mr. Lyman Bates was about to bid farewell to the solitude in
which he had come to the frontier, and secure for himself a partner who should
share the hardships of his home and enjoy the hoped-for luxuries of coming
years. It matters not in what latitude Hymen's vows are taken, an instinct
which seems universal prompts the votary to appear in his best " bib and tucker."
Mr. Bates had provided for himself a complete outfit, suit of clothes and boots.
These were carefully hung away in his boarding-house for the appointed day.
One evening, not many days before the wedding was to take place, two
young men rode into town upon a pair of gray horses and asked to stay over
night. They were kept at the house where Mr. Bates was stopping, and, on the
following morning, said they were going West to look at the country with a view to
settliag. Mr. Bates, having business at Canton, rode with them that far. On his
return home he discovered that his wedding suit was gone, including the boots.
He concluded they had disappeared into the valises which the travelers carried
with them. Pursuit seemed useless, and he resolved to make the best of it. A
few days afterward, a couple of men came to town in search of a pair of stolen
horses of the same description as those on which the young men had been
mounted. Bates informed the pursuers in what direction the thieves had gone,
and also related the story of his individual loss. The horses were recovered at
Iowa City, where they had been sold, and it was learned that the young men
had also offered the clothing for sale there, saying they had bought it at auction
and were not fitted, etc. They did not succeed, however, in converting the dry
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 419
goods into money, and Bates never again saw his wedding suit. On the day
appointed, he stood up with his bride in greater happiness than style. His
heart was none the heavier on account of the large patch over his knee, nor was
his step any slower from the holes in the toes of his boots. We doubt not his
married life has never been clouded by the little incident connected with its
beginning.
THE IOWA BAND.
Many of the citizens of this part of the State have heard of what was known
in the West as the Iowa Band, and in the East as the Andover Band. This
consisted of eleven graduates of the Andover Theological Seminary, who came
West just after completing their course in this Congregational institution in 1843,
and scattered through the Territory of Iowa. William Salter, one of the earli-
est ministers of Jackson County, was one of the eleven. . It was agreed that at
the end of twenty-five years, they would write each a sketch of his individual
career, which should be edited by one of the number and published. This was
done in 1868, and in the volume then issued, it was stated that their attention
as a band had first been drawn to Iowa by the publication of a letter written by
Rev. Oliver Emerson, of Jackson County, in an Eastern missionary journal in
1842, of the Bellevue war. This circumstance led them first to look upon Iowa
as a missionary field, and is a good illustration of the power of trifles— how
<mall a thing may divert the channel of a dozen useful lives, and exert a power-
"J influence upon the future of a State.
VOSBURG S HUNTING YARN.
^4!
\J On one occasion, in an early day, Col. Warren, of Bellevue, paid a visit
r to William Vosburg, in the southwestern part of the county, and had the pleas-
^ ure of hearing from him the following "yarn," which was introduced by Vos-
burg's stepping to the bed and taking from under its head strips of buckskin
with an occasional button on them. He presented them, saying, " Look at
these, Colonel ; these shreds were once as good a pair of buckskin pants and hunt-
ing-suit as were worn on South Fork. They were mine, and no boy was ever
prouder of a suit than I was of them." " But," says the Colonel, " Bill, how
came the suit in this condition ? " " Have you never heard? Then I will tell
you. About three weeks ago, I took my ax and dinner-basket and went to
>the South Grove to chop wood and make rails ; it was a cold day, and I had to
work to keep myself warm. I had been in the habit of taking my gun with
me, but that day I had left it at home. About 3 o'clock in the evening, I
heard some dogs yelping as if they were after game. Looking in the direction
the sound came from, I saw a large buck making directly to where I stood. As
he approached me, there was no doubt in my mind that he was for sheltering
in the top of the tree I had just chopped down. Taking my ax and squatting
in the tree-top, I waited patiently for his approach, which was but a few
moments. He bounded in, within three feet of me. I don't know which was
the most surprised, the buck or myself; although I was looking for him, I did
not expect to meet him in a fighting mood. I at once comprehended my danger ;
hampered by the tops of the tree, there was no chance to run ; the buck facing
me, with hair erect, ready to spring upon me, I made a pass at his head with
my ax, which he dodged. Now my only alternative was to close in with him ;
he was a powerful, six-pronged buck. I sprang and clinched his horn with one
hand, and with the other caught him by the jaw. I had been counted a good
420 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
boxer and wrestler and but few boys could handle me, but this was the first
set-to I ever had with a buck. After a good many lunges, we cleared the brush
and were on open ground. I was now willing to play quits with him, and so
loosened my hold, thinking he would be glad of a chance to make his escape.
I soon found my mistake, for he took this as a showing of the white feather
and came at me again with renewed vigor, and apparently determined to make
short work of it. Dodging his bound at me, I renewed my hold on the horn,
and this time with the other hand I got him by the nose. It was now life or
death with me, and, after struggling for some time, both of us becoming more
or less exhausted, I concluded to throw him, which I did, both falling together :
in this the buck had the better of me, for he made strings of my pants and
hunting-shirt, besides scratching my skin, with his feet. The buck having no
disposition to get up, and preferring to fight it out with his feet, gave me an
opportunity of loosing my hold from his horn, being my first opportunity to get
my knife, I made one plunge with it at his throat, cutting the jugular vein.
This took him by surprise and he sprang to his feet. I had to drop the knife
to again clinch the horn. We had it, round and round, I cannot tell how long:
I knew from the way the blood spurted that if I could hold out, I had him con-
quered. He fast grew weak, and I pulled him round until I could reach my
knife, with which I spared no time in cutting the other jugular vein, and in a
few moments he gave up the ghost. After witnessing the dying struggles of
the buck, I took a glance at myself; although badly cut up, I had no danger-
ous wounds. I left him and hastened home. On arriving in sight of the house,
all hands came to the door to know what was the matter ; blood and strings
were about all I had to cover me. The first thing I called for was water and
clothes. After washing and dressing myself, I related the story as I have told
it to you. The buck was got in that evening, and to-night, for your supper, you
partook of some of the venison.'"
A DEFEATED CONGRESSMAN.
It will be remembered that we mentioned the abrupt close, or sudden inter-
ruption, made upon the speech of T. P. Burnett, who was canvassing the Ter-
ritory of Wisconsin for Congress in 1838, by the announcement that the
territory west of the Mississippi River had been cut off and named Iowa
Territory. Following this announcement, it became necessary to nominate
some one for Congress in Iowa. Court was then in session at Bellevue, and
nearly all the young attorneys and politicians of the Territory were there.
T. S. Wilson, then a promising young lawyer, prevailed upon some of his
friends to call a convention and place him in nomination, which was done.
Now it so happened that Peter Hill Engle, of Dubuque County, was also desir-
ous of running for this office, and, as he felt Wilson to be a very formidable
rival in the northern part of the Territory, he proposed to the latter that if he
would withdraw he would exercise his influence at Washington City to have
Wilson appointed as Judge of the District Court. Wilson withdrew from the
candidacy, and was appointed Judge, a position which he held for a number of
years. In the following September, there were four candidates in the field —
W. W. Chapman and David Rorer, of Des Moines County ; B. F. Wal-
lace, of Henry County, and Peter H. Engle, of Dubuque County.
During the canvass, Engle proved to be very popular in the northern
counties, and, in fact, throughout the Territory. He was a man of fine ability,
of good qualities, an orator, and a man of prepossessing personal appearance.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 421
It was generally expected that he would be elected. The election was to be
held on Monday. On Saturday morning preceding the election, Engle
attempted to cross the Wapsipinicon at Brophy's Ferry, on horseback. His
horse was carried down the stream, and Engle, becoming alarmed, checked his
beast in such a manner as to cause him to flounder and throw his rider.
Engle could not swim, but Mr. Brophy and Indian Jim, an Indian who lived
much of his time at the ferry, were standing on the bank and saw the disaster.
Brophy called on Indian Jim to rescue Engle, but he paid no attention until
Engle had sunk the second time, when he plunged in, and, on his third appear-
ance, brought him to shore, apparently dead. When asked why he did not go
sooner, Jim replied, " Indian no save live man — live man pull him under ;
Indian save dead man." However, under Jim's instructions, he was rolled
over and over, rubbed and chafed until he was restored to consciousness, when
he was taken to Mr. Brophy's house, where he remained in a critical condition
for some days. One of Engle's companions, hearing it announced that he was
dead, as was at first believed, rode on to Davenport and Muscatine with that
information, and soon scores of votes that otherwise would have been cast for
Engle were given to Chapman under the impression prevailing south of the
Wapsipinicon on election day, that Engle was drowned. The accident which
well-nigh cost him his life, did cost him his election, and Chapman was
returned with a majority of 36 votes over Engle.
Mr. Engle afterward became Judge of one of the St. Louis courts, and
never forgot the debt due from him to the Indian who saved him from drown-
ing. So long as he remained about his former haunts, Indian Jim received an
annuity from the grateful Judge. A few years later, Jim disappeared, and his
fate is unknown. He probably returned to his tribe.
PIONEER HONOR.
Mr. N. Butterworth was one of the first settlers of Jackson County. He
was a former resident of Fall River, Mass., and was in very comfortable cir-
cumstances. Possessed of that generous nature which sometimes leads men by
their kindness beyond the line of prudence, as it did in this case, Mr. B.
indorsed heavily for a friend, and, in the failure of the latter, lost all that be
had.
Endowed with the heritage of Alexander of Macedon — " his hopes " — he
started to the wild Northwest, resolving to find a home on the border. He
arrived on the west of the Mississippi with $56 in his pocket.
The land in this section not then being in the market, Mr. Butterworth
resolved to pre-empt a quarter-section, trusting that when the land sales came
he would have money enough to purchase his claim. Some months afterward,
his land came into market and Nathaniel, with his carefully hoarded $200,
started for Dubuque. Upon his arrival, however, he found that his land had
been withdrawn from market and he returned, bringing his money with him.
At this time, but three families lived between Mr. Butterworth and Dubuque,
and only three or four between his claim and the Wapsipinicon. One of these
latter was a gentleman named Hatfield, who has since grown wealthy, and is a
prominent citizen of Clinton County. On the evening following his return
from Dubuque, Mr. Hatfield called at the cabin of Mr. Butterworth and told
him that he had been to Dubuque in a vain endeavor to procure sufficient
money to pay for his land, which was then in the market and about to be
sold.
422 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Mr. Butterworth told his neighbor of the $200 in his possession, and
expressed his desire to lend him the money, were it not for his fears that his
own land might be thrown upon the market before Hatfield could repay the
sum, which he faithfully promised he would do the following year. The two
pioneers talked over the matter until late at night, when Butterworth's generous
spirit overcame every other consideration and he passed over his savings to his
friend, trusting that his own land would not be thrown upon the market until
he should be repaid.
To the disappointment of his hopes, it was only a short time until his land
was again in the market, while he had an empty wallet. He sent word of the
state of affairs to Hatfield, who replied that he was powerless to do anything
until the end of the year. Twice, now, had the noble gentleman's spirit of
kindness brought him to naught. About this time, two strangers from Galena
stopped over night at Butterworth's, and, during the evening, the matter of
the $200 was mentioned, and the distress on the part of Mr. B., lest his home
might be taken from him.
Before retiring, one of the strangers said, " Did I understand you to say,
Mr. Butterworth, that you were from Fall River, Mass. ? " " Yes, sir." " Well,
then, I know all about you. Come to my store at Galena and get the money
you need, and pay me when convenient." This generous offer was accepted,
and Mr. Butterworth soon had the satisfaction of making secure the title to the
land. He informed his benefactor that if he was alive and well, he would
repay him by the first of January.
Near the last of December, he received his money from Mr. Hatfield, and,
on the afternoon of December 31, started for Galena with $200 in his pocket.
That evening, arriving at the house of a friend in Bellevue, he asked him to
pilot the way across the river to Galena. •' Butterworth, you must be crazy,"
was the response. " The ice is unsafe and full of air-holes, and to attempt to
cross it is almost certain death." "Can't help it," said the pioneer, "I
promised a man in Galena $200 to-morrow, if alive and well, and I think I
will pay it." No argument could shake his determination, and the two started
to make the attempt. At the bank of the river, they cut down some willows,
which they lashed together, and used long poles as propellers. Frequently
the ice bent and cracked beneath them, and twice they seemed in great peril,
but they finally reached the Illinois shore in sarfety.
On arriving in Galena, he found that his friendly creditor had become
embarrassed himself, financially, and the money could not have arrived at a
more opportune moment.
A DISGUSTED BARBER.
In 1854, the editor of the Sentinel kindly made known to the world,
through the pages of his paper, that there was a crying need in the young
town of Maquoketa. A want long felt he hoped a sympathizing public would
supply, and send to this thriving village a good barber. This spreading of
printer's ink brought to the place a plodding German, who nailed a plank to
the back of a chair for a head-rest, and announced his tonsorial trade to the
townsmen. But custom was slow. He remained a couple of weeks, and then
suddenly disappeared, some time between two days, leaving upon his washstand
the following explanatory note :
" I hope you will wonder that I left in such a hurry. I was compelt to do
so. If I cant earn my board here, I tink it is high time to leave this place, I
have to go to a place where Men git Shavet, not where the Shave themselves
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 423
like the do here, where the haven't a dime to spair, gitin' hair cut ant shavet
ant never pay for it.
" A shentlcmen wouldent do so only some d — n Rascle wat will cut up
sush trie. Shame for Maquokete to stit a poor Barber. Tat is the reasons I
lefts this misprable hole, where I cant earn my poard. A sit of fools is in
town.
l> Goot by to youre misrable set.''
THE FIRST WOMAN'S CRUSADK.
Jackson County had a temperance crusade, led by the ladies, at a date con-
siderably in advance of the tidal wave of anti-temperance crusading which
swept over the country some six years ago. This local crusade was short-lived,
and happened on this wise :
One John Scurlock had for many months been keeping a low doggery in
Farmer's Creek Township. Sons of fond mothers had been ruined at this rum-
hole: husbands of devoted wives had frequently come home intoxicated from
its midnight debauch. In vain had Scurlock been remonstrated with by the
order-loving citizens. Heedless was he to their threats to put in force the pro-
hibitory law which had become a dead letter on the statute books. All opposi-
tion seemed only to increase his business and make him more defiant.
In January, 1856, the women of the community resolved to take the mat-
ter in hand. They held a meeting. Scurlook, hearing of this, made the brutal
threat that he would " knock down and drag out " the first woman who would
attempt to demolish jug or barrel of his.
Thereupon, most of the gentler sex were frightened : but not so with a
maiden (Miss Amanda Breeden), who, as leader, with three lieutenants, resolved
to meet the braggart in his den. This heroic quartette entered the dram-shop,
rolled out the casks, and spilled the entire stock upon the ground, which drank
the fiery fluid without disaster or disgrace. The ladies retired unharmed. "
As is elsewhere mentioned, pioneer John E. Goodenow, on coming to Jack-
son County, instead of bringing money with him. supplied himself with various
articles of value to new-comers, such as tools, clothing, etc. These he had
arrayed in one end of his cabin as a sort of store. Shortly after Mr. Good-
enow's arrival, in 1838, Mr. T. Wood, of what is now South Fork Town-
ship, came up to the former's trading-post to negotiate with him for a pair of
breeches.
In that day, the settlers did not indulge much in luxuries. Wheat bread
was almost unknown. The product of the corn-crackers was the staple food
for the pioneers. Salt pork, brought over from Illinois, sold for 25 cents
per pound, and the possession of fresh meat was a streak of good fortune quite
rare indeed.
Mr. Wood had brought hi$ rifle with him, as the settlers often did in their
travels, and while he was discussing the proposed new unmentionables with
Jackson County's early post-trader, a neighbor came in with the news that lie
had seen a young buck on what is now commonly known as the Sears place.
Goodenow said to Wood, " Tom, if you will bring me that deer, I'll give you
the best pair of pants I've got." Wood snatched his rifle and started, not
much expecting that he would secure the prize. To his joy, he found the buck
quietly grazing where he had been seen an hour previous, and the first shot
424 HltSTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
from his rifle made him a captive. Wood was not long in getting back to
Goodenow's with his venison. John E. was as good as his word, and Wood
carried home with him, that evening, as good a pair of pantaloons as Jackson
County could boast.
The following anecdote of Shade Burleson, is told by Col. William A. War-
ren : In 1854, when the Hon. James W. Grimes was canvassing the State for
Governor, among his appointments were Bellevue and Maquoketa. On reach-
ing Bellevue, he happened to stop at the same hotel with Shade Burleson, whom
Grimes had known for years as one of the wheel-horses of the Whig party.
After compliments were passed, the subject turned upon Grimes' prospect for
election. Mr. G. was surprised to find Burleson opposed to him, giving as his
reason that he was a Henry Clay Whig, and would never support an Abolition-
ist. Grimes tried to explain, but the more he explained, the more fixed was
Burleson in his opposition. Grimes insisted that he should go that evening
and hear him speak, declaring he could not afford to lose so old a friend ; but
Burleson positively declined, much to the regret of Grimes, who valued him
not only as a politician, but also as a man. The next day, Burleson started
early with a load of lumber for his home, and was overtaken by Grimes on his
way to speak in Maquoketa. The speaker again attempted to conciliate the
prejudices of his former friend, but to no avail.
On the teamster's arrival at Maquoketa, he stopped to feed opposite the
church where the Hon. James W. was to speak, and which was soon crowded
to hear the Abolition candidate. While eating his dinner, Shade took it into
his head to do, of his own free will, what he had declared to the would-be Gov-
ernor he would not do, and entered the church. The building was filled, and
he was compelled to go almost to the platform to find a seat.
The Governor, as he well knew how to be, was the essence of eloquence
itself, and he painted in such pathetic shades the evils suffered by the blacks of
the South, that half the audience gave way to tears. This was too much for
even Burleson's obstinacy, and, waiting until the speaker was through, he
walked up to the stand and said : " By thunder, Grimes, if that's Abolition-
ism, I've been one all the time, and I'm such a fool that I did not know it."
Persons who have not been on the frontier cannot realize to what straits the
pioneers were sometimes driven, and what inconveniences they experienced from
want of a market, means of travel and lack of mechanics.
One or two of these inconveniences, as related to us by Mr. S. Burleson,
who settled six miles west of the present town of Maquoketa. in 1837, we
present herewith. When Mr. Burleson first came to the county, he brought
with him an old second-hand plow from Galena, which he used with two yoke of
oxen in breaking the prairie. The first day, when using this plow, Mr. Burleson
unfortunately broke a bolt, which performed an. essential duty in the simple
machinery of the plow. This our pioneer endeavored to remedy in various
ways ; and, after spending several hours uselessly, he told his wife it would be
necessary for him to go to Galena after a bolt, and that if she would prepare
him a little supper, he would start at once. It became necessary, in the absence
of any horse on his claim, to make the journey on foot. The distance was
forty miles and return, and it was performed in the almost incredible time of
twenty four hours. Reader, think of walking eighty miles, with no other
errand than the securing of a bolt which cost 10 cents at the store where it
was purchased ! It takes fortitude and pluck to succeed in the backwoods.
S. Burleson, William Vosburg, Calvin Teeple and L. A. F. Corbin made
claims together in the locality we have mentioned, while all lived at Burleson's
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 425
house, he being the only one who was married. The first year or two the crops
were not successful. One season, a great hailstorm entirely ruined the corn
crop, and they were almost discouraged. However, they continued to plant
large crops, and in 1840 had a magnificent harvest. The products of their
partnership work were 1,128 bushels of wheat, and about two thousand bushels
each of corn and oats. The wheat was threshed by William Y. Earle, of
Maquoketa, who tramped it out by oxen, and separated the wheat from the chaff
by a farming-mill. These men also had forty-two head of fine hogs ready for
market, but for none of these could any money be obtained worthy of men-
tion, as the latter was scarce, and it cost more to get the grain to market than
it was worth.
During the fall of this year, a man from Galena, who held a note against
S. Burleson for $60, came out to the latter's ranch to get his money. Burle-
son informed him he had no money, but, said he, " there is plenty of wheat,
corn, oats and hogs; take whatever you think right, and I will be satisfied."
•' I do not want grain or stock," said the creditor. " Nor do I," said Burleson,
"but money I have none." "Have you a horse you can trade?" asked the
man from Galena. " I have not," answered Burleson. The creditor offered
to give the note in trade for a horse. Absalom Montgomery, who was present,
offered to exchange his horse to Burleson for wheat, and the man from Galena
agreed to take Montgomery's horse. Burleson told the latter to take wheat
until he was satisfied, and never to tell him (Burleson) how much he took.
Thus we understand farm products were of little value to pioneers when they
did have them. Money was the commodity most difficult to secure.
Wm. A. Warren was the first tax collector of Jackson County, and he found
it an utter impossibility to secure money in payment of taxes. In and about
Sabula, most of the taxes were paid in coon-skins. Tuese the enterprising
collector accepted at 50 cents apiece, and took them to Galena, where he sold
them for 75 cents or $1, putting the profits in his pocket, as he had a right to.
do. In the forks of the Maquoketa, the standard article of barter was maple
sugar, made from the sugar-tree groves of that vicinity.
The Mississippi River, in June, 1838, was very high. Heavy rains had
fallen and the streams were much swollen. Though the way was fraught with
much difficulty, John E. Goodenow, at that time living on the present plat of
Maquoketa, resolved to go to Savanna or Galena to purchase provisions, of
which he and his neighbors were in great need. He reached Savanna in safety,
but not being able to secure the merchandise desired there, he proceeded to
Galena, bought what was wanted and ordered the goods sent to Bellevue by boat.
He then left Galena intending to cross the river at Smith's Ferry, but being in
a wild and strange country he was not able to find the place. An attempt to
discover the Bellevue Ferry was also unsuccessful. Proceeding down the river
to Hunt's Ferry at the mouth of the Maquoketa, he could not get the ferryman
to Bring him across on account of the prevailing high wind, and at last secured
from the settler a dug-out or canoe, large enough to carry one person. With
this Goodenow started to make the dangerous attempt to cross the river. He
reached the Iowa shore without disaster, but could not find the mouth of the
Maquoketa. An attempt to proceed on foot revealed a bayou in his rear, so
deep that he could not cross it, nor could he drag the boat across the strip of
land separating the bayou from the river. He found it necessary to remain
here over night. Drawing the canoe on shore, he turned it on its side and lying
full length upon the ground attempted to drop it over his body. This accom-
plished, he found himself so closely caged by the dug-out that he could not
426 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
move either himself or the boat. Here lie was buried alive, as it were, and
every moment becoming more helplessly imbedded in the mud. He finally suc-
ceeded in scooping enough sand out to get one hand under the boat, then his
knee, which enabled him to free himself. In the morning Maquoketa's patri-
arch found the river leading past his home, which proved a safe guide, to him
the remainder of his tramp.
Such hardships and adventures, though of no great importance in themselves,
illustrate more plainly than could be shown in any other way, the fact that our
pioneers secured their homes at no trifling cost.
COURT INCIDENTS.
During the term of the District Court held in Bellevue in April, 1840,
quite a number of young attorneys were present who were destined to rise to
positions of no light honor in Jackson County, or in the State and nation.
Among these were James Churchman, James Grant, E. B. Washburne, James
Crawford, Stephen Hempstead, Maj. Chase and Timothy Davis and J. V. Berry.
A case of perjury was on trial. A young attorney, Weston by name, had
been appointed District Attorney ; but as he had been given the appointment
on account of the influence of friends, he found himself quite wanting in the
knowledge of law necessary for the prosecution of the case. He was obliged
to call upon James Grant, afterward Judge Grant, for assistance.
At that time, court was held in the room in which had been the ball on the
night that Mitchell had shot Thompson, before the Bellevue war. This was, in
reality, two rooms, which could be thrown into one, by means of folding-doors.
While an argument was in progress upon the admissibility of certain testimony,
a boat was heard to whistle for the landing, and as it was just after the open-
ing of navigation, this novelty attracted a large crowd from the court-room to
the levee. When Churchman, who was conducting the defense, had finished
his argument, James Grant arose to reply. This gentleman was possessed of a
remarkably shrill voice, which, when raised to its highest pitch, produced a
species' of " chin music " quite alarming. These noisy accents penetrated to
the boat-landing, and gave rise to a rumor that there was a regular row in prog-
ress in the court-room. Of course the boys could not afford to miss the treat,
and a stampede was spontaneously organized to the place of justice. The
Court was disturbed and called upon the Sherift' to keep order. One of the
latter's bailiffs, Peterson by name, who was small of stature, hastened to the
assistance of his chief. In order to make his threats and calls of order more
conspicuous, he mounted a barrel standing on one side of the court-room, and
filled with maple-molasses, then a common product in Jackson County.
The treacherous head gave way, and Peterson found himself submerged to
the armpits in the saccharine substance, and, for a few moments, order was not
restored and the gravity of the Court itself was completely destroyed. At
length the well-varnished and sticky Bailiff succeeded in making his exit from
the court-room, and order was so far restored as to permit the progress of the
case.
Churchman, the lawyer above mentioned for the defense, was a little too
fond of his cup. It is said that on one occasion, some time after this, when
attending court at Andrew, Churchman was gloriously tipsy, and, on all such
occasions, he had a habit of obtruding his remarks in such a way as to bes
obnoxious to every one present. Under such circumstances. Churchman hap-
pened to be present in the court-room while Piatt Smith was arguing the
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 427.
Court on a writ of demurrer, requiring Judge Wilson's entire attention.
Churchman, as usual, made himself odious by his frequent, useless and inso-
lent interruptions. At length the Judge, goaded beyond endurance, turned
upon the offender, saying, "Take your seat, Mr. Churchman; you are drunk."
The otherwise brilliant attorney was sober enough to be witty, and, staggering
to his seat, said, ''Please (hie) your Honor, that is the first correct decision
(hie) your Honor has made to-day."
This sally brought down the house — Court, attorneys and all — interrupting
the demurrer argument to a much greater length than if Churchman's inter-
ruptions had been tolerated.
The summer session- of the District Court at Andrew, in 1842, was quite a
long one, and, as certain cases were on trial exciting considerable interest in
various parts of the county, there was a large attendance during most of the
session. Quite a number came to the county seat and camped out, the hotel
facilities in that day being very limited indeed. This frontier life, where a
number of young men were together for a considerable time, and in a day
when whisky-drinking was common, was calculated to encourage considerable
sport, and many and rich were the practical jokes which kept away the monot-
ony of the backwoods and camp life.
Occasionally, the court would take a recess for a few moments. The Judge
would descend from the bench and invite the bar, the jury and witnesses down
to Francis grocery to have a glass of whisky each. Such has actually occurred,
and, fortunately for the pocket-book of the man whose good feeling prompted
him to treat so large a crowd, pure rye whisky in that day sold for 14 cents
per gallon, wholesale.
On one occasion, during this court, while Shade Burleson and William
Vosburg were lying in their camp whiling away the time, the former of these
noticed in the top of a decaying tree above them a large knot-hole. A happy
thought struck him whereby a good joke could be played upon the unsuspect-
ing Sheriff. He told Vosburg that, if a small bottle of maple-sirup could be
poured into that knot-hole, they would have some fun. Vosburg agreed to per-
form that part of the trick, and, about noon on the following day, quite a line
of bees were seen going to this cavity in the treetop, the bees having come
from the hives of Mr. Butterworth, near by. Mr. Burleson went to the court-
room, and, calling out Sheriff Warren, informed him that he had found a bee-
tree, just near the town, and asked him to come and see it. Warren did so,
and was much astonished at the vigor with which the bees were working, and
asked Burleson what he would take for his right as discoverer. Burleson told
him he wanted no money, but that for the sake of the boys in camp, that they
might all enjoy the fruits of his good luck, he would give the Sheriff a quit-
claim upon the property in consideration of an order upon Francis for two gal-
lons of whisky. " Oh, I can't do that while I am President of a temperance
society," said Warren. Burleson argued that that would make no difference,
and the order was soon forthcoming, which the cunning Burleson was not long
in presenting at the grocery. It was a part of the scheme to sell the bee-tree
to several different parties, but "the boys" soon got hold of it and the story
was too good to keep. It came to the ears of the expectant Sheriff, and he
was spared the pleasure of cutting down the tree. Thirty-seven years have not
worn off the edge of the joke, and Mr. Burleson tells it with an enjoyment
apparently greater on account of its oft repetition.
During this same court, James Churchman, Esq., and Col. Cox retired one
evening on the second floor of the hotel, in a bedroom through which a stove-pipe
428 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
passed from the room below. They had both been drinking quite heavily
before retiring, and were in a condition to sleep quite deeply. The boys, who
were aching for some fun, ascended to the loft an hour or so after they had
retired, and woke the slumbering heroes. They told them they had both had
.1 chill and the fever was coming on, so they must be careful lest they would
take cold, and commenced piling on the blankets. The muddled heads of the
sleepers did not "take in" the situation, and they proved quite as credulous as
their tormentors could wish. A good fire was kindled below, and kept up for
some hours. The boys brought hot tea and whisky toddy to keep the sufferers
warm, and had the satisfaction of giving them as complete a sweat bath as any
hydropathic doctor ever prescribed. It is not necessary to add that the follow-
ing morning found Cox and Churchman in a tolerably sober condition.
COURT RESOLUTIONS.
At the April term of the District Court, held in April, 1841, Hon. T. S.
Wilson presiding, the following appears on the court record :
The denth of the present Chief Magistrate of the United States being known, on motion of
Henry Hopkins, Esquire, the Court ordered the following preamble and resolutions to be spread
upon the records of the Court :
Whereat, The Court and bar have received with feelings of deep regret the melancholy
intelligence of the death of the venerable Chief Magistrate of the United States, Gen. William
Henry Harrison, and, believing that we, in common with those States, should express the feel-
ings of every American citizen for an event which has deprived the people of their chief ruler,
therefore,
Ived, That the death of the President of the United States, placed in the executive
cliair by the voice of the American people, is an event calling for their manly sympathy and
regret.
Resolved, That on this occasion all party feelings are laid aside, and with one feeling and
one voice we accord to our departed chief all tliat is great and noble in the human character,
while the history of the nation shows forth in bold relief his devotion to his couDtry, to univer-
sal freedom, and to the rights of man.
TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION.
In 1850, Mrs. Luther Teeple, of Jackson County, started on a visit to her
relatives in Canada. She took with her her little daughter, some eight or more
years old. As they were passing along in the crowded streets of Chicago, the
little girl, by chance, lost sight of her mother, a circumstance which was
unnoticed by the latter for a moment. As soon as Mrs. Teeple discovered the
absence of her little one, she retraced her steps, but the child had mingled with
the crowd and was nowhere to be found. Streets were searched, the police were
notified and every effort was made to discover the lost child, but in vain. The
broken-hearted mother proceeded to Canada without her little one, writing to
her husband to come to Chicago and continue the search, which he did for
some time, advertising the lost child in the papers, but all in vain. He was
obliged to return home without his daughter.
Six years rolled around and no tidings of the lost one. Hope had given
place to despair, and the uncertainty of life had given probability to the sup-
position that the child was dead. One day in April, 1850, Mr. Teeple and
family were astonished by the appearance of a bright-eyed youth in boy's cloth-
ing, appearing at their door and calling out " Father ! " The head of the family
was much surprised, not recognizing the little stranger, who, on inquiry, proved
to be his lon^-lost daughter, who had made her escape in this disguise.
The child's story was, that when site became lost from her mother, she
hurried along the street to '; catch up with her," as she said, but was, probably,
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 431
every moment becoming farther separated. In the evening, she was taken by a
policeman to an asylum for orphans, where she was kept about three years,
when she was bound out to some family by whom she was ill-treated. Some
kind-hearted neighbor learning of her troubles and what she could remember
of her history, determined, if possible, to return her to her parents. She could
remember Bellevue, and that her father's home was within a day's drive. Of
course, she had not forgotten her parents' names. Her new-found friends dis-
guised her in boy's clothes to assist her in making her escape, and furnished
the necessary means to send her to Bellevue, where she would probably learn
the whereabouts of her parents. When she arrived there, she was directed to
Judge D. F. Spurr, who was at that time County Judge, and who at once pro-
videdher with a conveyance and thus restored her to the arms of her parents.
A DISTRESSING ACCIDENT.
One of the most unfortunate casualties in the history of Jackson County
occurred on the Fair grounds, September 10, 1868, during the County Fair.
Of this, the Sentinel gives the following account :
" It seems that Mr. Royce and Mr. Nelson Rhodes, of this city, were upon
the race-track trying the speed of some of their horses, the former in a sulky,
the latter in a two-horse buggy ; and in passing each other, they unfortunately
came in collision, breaking a wheel of the buggy in which Mr. Rhodes was
seated in company with a young lady of this city, Miss Hattie Barnes, throw-
ing them both violently to the ground, and so seriously bruising the young lady
about the head that she was picked up in a senseless condition. The team then
started down the track frantic with fright, knocking down everything which
came in their way until they dashed into a small frame booth, utterly demolish-
ing it. Unfortunately, it happened to be full of women and children at the
time, and when the wreck was cleared away it was found that nearly all of them
were injured more or less. Mrs. George Paine, daughter of D. S. Haight, and
Miss Amelia Raymond were taken from the wreck in an unconscious condition.
and carried to their homes. Mrs. Paine, although badly hurt, is now out of
danger, but Miss Raymond was so badly crushed that she lingered until Friday
morning, when death terminated her sufferings. "
monmodth's centennial.
July 4, 1876, Monmouth enjoyed a centennial of no mean degree, when
compared with the size of the place. It did not rival the big show at Phila-
delphia, yet it was a celebration worthy of record in the history of its people.
The procession, an important part of e^very celebration, was headed by the
Maquoketa Rural Band, followed by Gen. and Lady Washington, with other
ladies of 1776 ; then thirty-eight young ladies of 1876 ; then came the
citizens.
The oration of the day was delivered by Rev. W. S. Burnett, and was
followed by a centennial history of Monmouth Township. A dinner, prepared
by the Methodist ladies, followed with toasts and responses as supplementary
dessert. A procession of the burlesque company called Filibusters closed the
fun of the afternoon. The evening was made glorious by a fine display of
fireworks.
From Mr. Milner's history we make the following quotation : " We find that
the first settlers in the township were three brothers, Wallace, Solomon and Gabriel
Pence. They arrived here May 15, 1836. Not a human being was here then
432 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
with whom they might take counsel, but liking the aspect the country presented,
they resolved to make this their future home. They broke forty-five acres, the
first sod ever turned in the township, planted sod-corn, and started to Illinois
to bring their families. They returned the following spring, and have made
Monmouth Township their abiding- place ever since. ' Uncle Sol,' as he ia
familiarly called, is one of the most prominent characters of all the country
round about, and these first settlers have more than grown with the country in
influence, position and wealth.
" On returning to Illinois, the Pences met a few families journeying west-
ward, they knew not whither. On entering into conversation with them, and
the Pences giving them glowing descriptions of the country, their steps were "
directed here.
" On the 4th of July, 1836, might have been seen, near the dusk of eve, at
what is known as Morehead's Ford, these five weary and worn families, pre-
paring to camp for the night. Their leader was Mr. Scott, and the remaining
families were the Beerses, Reddens, Pingrys and Perkinses. They had traveled
from the far east, and on the description of the Pences had come to the Western
paradise to gain for themselves, and perpetuate to their progeny, a home. The
possessions of each family were a yoke of oxen and an ox-cart, with scanty
provisions. Poor in purse, they were well stocked with Yankee grit, which
ordained these men, with their families, as fit persons to settle this unpopu-
lated region. The land had not yet been surveyed, and there were no roads,
ferries or bridges. Their only companions were the wolf, the panther and the
bounding deer, with a few stragglers of the red men. Their nearest market,
mill and post office was at Dubuque. Their subsistence came mostly from the
chase, or hook and line. Atone time, their provisions became nearly exhausted,
and the men, leaving their families alone in the wilderness to the protection of
God, started for Dubuque. Their route lay over fallen timber, through dismal
swamps and an almost impenetrable forest. Their only guide was the sun by
day and the pole-star at night. Their road they picked and blazed, that they
might have a guide by which to return. After eight days of weariness, they
returned with provisions, and were welcomed by starving families. The route
blazed on this occasion afterward became a part of the military highway of the
country.
" The first marriage in the township was celebrated in the spring of 1838,
being the nuptials of Calvin Perkins and a Miss Scott.
" Beer was the first and mightiest Nimrod of the township, and of his
exploits much is said. In honor of him did the beautiful Beer Creek take its
name.
"In 1837, emigration began to pour rapidly into the township. At this
time came R. Luncheon, Henry Sutton and Mr. Sebern, all natives of Olden-
burg, Germany. Mr. Sebern has since died but the other two remain. In
poverty did they come to our township, but by perseverance, prudence and
eternal vigilance they have amassed fine fortunes. , Mr. Luncheon is the oldest
bachelor in the township, having now arrived at the age of seventy-three.
When asked why he never married, he replied, 'When I was young I did not
have the time, and when I grew older, I got out of the notion.' Mr. Lubben,
although now sixty-six years of age, did not take the precaution to provide him-
self with a helpmeet until eighteen years ago. Now a faithful wife and four
laughing children make merry his sunset of life. Messrs. Luncheon and Lub-
ben assisted the Government Surveyors in laying oft' the township into sections.
We find the township to have been organized in 1841.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 433
" The first schoolhouse was erected in that year. It was built of logs.
Each man worked on it when he could and as long as he could spare the time.
The first schoolmaster was Othniel Preston.
"The first minister of the Gospel who preached in the township, was Elder
Hoffman, of the United Brethren Church. He came in 1841.
"The first church constructed in the township was the beautiful stone
building erected by the Catholics in the town of Fremont, in the year 1864, of
which the Rev. Father Spacek was Pastor. The first Protestant church built
in the township was the Baptist Church in Monmouth, dedicated in 1872, of
which Rev. H. Holmes was Pastor.
"The first post office established in the township was located at the present
site of Mill Rock, in the year 1846, of which Mr. J. B. Cobb was Postmaster,
and the name Cobb was given to the office. It was supplied by a weekly mail
from Muscatine, by way of Tipton, Cobb and Canton, thence to Dubuque.
During Mr. Cobb's term of office, and through his recommendation, two other
offices were established in our locality, viz., Burgess, in Clinton County, and
Pierce — now Wyoming — in Jones County.
"Mill Rock is the oldest town in the township, but since the debut of the
Midland road it has done but little in the way of improvement. It contains
the first grist-mill and blacksmith-shop established in the township, both by the
Slopers, in 1847.
" In 1861, when civil war burst upon us, Monmouth Township rushed
boldly to the front and showed her devotion to the flag that had given her
birth and protection, by giving some of her noblest sons and richest blood to
save its sacred folds. Many of them are not with us to-day, but lie quietly
sleeping at Champion Hills, Pea Ridge and Antietam. We shall not forget
them to-day, as their gallant deeds form a most important part of our history.
I find there to have been thirty-seven volunteers who responded to the three
years' call of President Lincoln. Of these, three veteranized in the service. C.
H. Townsend, one of the number, had served under Gen. Taylor in the Mexican
war. Of the one- hundred- day men, there were sixteen from the township, of
whom D. A. Waterman was commissioned Second Lieutenant. Thus Mon-
mouth Township furnished in all fifty-three men to help crush out the rebellion.
"The township has figured conspicuously in the halls of our State capitol.
Thither have gone from our township three Representatives and one Senator.
Hon. Jacob Hershberger was the first, who was a member of the Lower House of
the Ninth General Assembly. Hon. L. W. Stuart represented the county
in the Senate one term, and was a member of the House of Representatives in
the Sixteenth General Assembly.
* * * * * *,* *
" But forty years have elapsed since the Pence brothers found our township
an infant in swaddling clothes, and to-day she stands in full vigor grown.
Other townships may show greater wealth and population, but with its advan-
tages, none can exhibit a more rapid development or make more interesting the
pages of history than it does. God grant that each young American now liv-
ing within its limits may strive as did their ancestors, to leave to posterity a
rich legacy and noble birthright. If lie does, when the iron pen of the histo-
rian comes to record his achievements, it can be said of each and all, as we do
most, heartily of our ancestors who so nobly endured life's hardships. 'Well
done.' "
434 HISTORY OF .TACKSON COUNTY".
FAIRFIELD S CENTENNIAL.
It was resolved in Fairfield Township in 1876, that the citizens should have
a Fourth of July celebration commensurate with the importance of the one hun-
dredth anniversary of our independence, and that the audience might enjoy a
retrospective look into the past history of the township three of the oldest living
citizens were appointed a committee to prepare a historical sketch. This commit-
tee was composed of John Holroyd, David Blakesley and William Reed. We
quote as follows :
"What is known as Fairfield Township is No. 84 north, Range 4 east of
the Fifth Principal Meridian. The surveying was let by contract to Col.
Thomas Cox, and subdivided into sections by Surveyor John McDonald, in
1837. Under the Territorial government the east half of it was attached to
Van Buren Township for political purposes. The first Justice of the Peace was
Ephraim Nevil and the first Constable Enoch Nevil. The name Fairfield was
nominated by Benjamin T. Hull.
"John Cox was the first settler; his log cabin was put up by Hugh Neiper
and Alexander Fra.zier ; in the same year, Leonard, Joseph and Morris Hillyard
and Ephraim Nevil moved with their families into the northeastern part of the
township. The first wedding was that of William Watkins and the Widow Max-
well, whose husband was killed in the Bellevue war. Maggie Cox was the first
child in the township, born in 1838. The first sermon was preached by Bishop
Morris.
" The next settlement was made by John Holroyd, who died about one
vear ago. He left Liverpool April 1, 1840, the day of the Bellevue fight and
settled in the southeastern part of the township. After enduring the privations
and hardships of a pioneer life, he suffered the loss of seven children and a
nephew by a steamer explosion, when his family were coming to him from
England.
"The third settlement was made by William Reed at the mouth of Rock
Creek, in 1842.
" One soldier of the war of 1812 resides in the township, Puther Cleveland.
Fairfield furnished two soldiers in the Mexican war, who were honorably dis-
charged. About fifty of our citizens entered the rebellion during our late civil
war. Of these nine were either killed or died in the service of their country,
viz.: Hugh Carnahan, William F. Thompson, Harrison Day, Matt Fritz, Wel-
come Martin, Cyrus W. McKee, Benjamin Jones, E. B. Cowing and William
H. Dougherty.''
RAILROADS.
The struggle of Jackson County, and especially of Maquoketa, for a rail-
road, was a long and discouraging one. In this day of speculation and sub-
sidies, we find the railroads moving in advance of the settlement of the country,
and vast regions of wild land opened up to settlement by means of railroads
penetrating the same. Not so in Eastern Iowa. Towns usually grew, groaned
and struggled, bargained and held elections, and then waited patiently until the
iron pathway with its rumbling freight did come.
The first prospective, railroad in Jackson County was the Great Iowa Cen-
tral Air-Line Railroad. This institution had a wonderful existence on paper.
It was projected to connect with the Chicago & Dixon Air-Line, building, in
1854, from Chicago to Fulton City, 111. The proposed line was to be built
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 435
from Sabula west to the Missouri River, with a probable western terminus at
Council Bluffs. Of this road, forty miles were to be within the limits of Jack-
son County, and from the county was demanded a vote of $200,000 county
bonds, bearing 8 per cent interest, and payable in twenty years, this amount to
be invested by the county, in its corporate capacity, in stock of the Air-Line
Road. The question of this subscription was submitted to the people June 5,
1854, and was defeated, owing to a disaffection in the northern part of the
county, which was too far removed to be benefited by the railroad. Work began
in about 1854, but was soon afterward suspended.
The question of making the following subscriptions was submitted to an
electron of Jackson County citizens November 4. 1856 :
First, $50,000 for a road from Bcllevue to the county line at or near the
junction of the Tete des Morts with the Mississippi River.
Second, to construct a road from Bellevue west to the western county line
by way of Fulton, with a branch to Maquoketa, $170,000.
Third, $80,000 to the Iowa Central Air-Line route.
By a species of "log-rolling," giving a road to each part of the county, it
was hoped that this proposition might win ; but it was defeated by a majority
of 846.
About this same time, was granted to the Iowa Central Air-Line Railroad
Company, by Congress, every alternate section not then occupied, throughout
the entire length of the State, within six miles on either side of their proposed
line, and, where already settled, all the unclaimed land on either side of the
surveyed route within fifteen miles. By the terms of this grant, a branch was
to be built from the main line to Lyons. This gave impetus to the project.
Eager contractors advanced money and went to work, trusting the good fortune
of the Company. On the line between Lyons and Maquoketa, thirty-five miles
of road were graded, and the ties ready to be laid at the river, while $54,000
voted by Jones County were expended within its limits. Through the mis-
management of S. S. Jones, President, as well as the Directors of the road,
the project began to fail. Work was supended. The crash of 1857 came, and
people were given time to reflect on the subject of railroads in general. The
war followed, and nothing further was done for years.
About 1865, the creditors of the Iowa Central Air-Line Company sold out
the road in the United States Court, in Dubuque. Piatt Smith (as agent for
contractors who had worked on the road, and who represented most of the Com-
pany's creditors) bid in the road-bed and franchise at $20,000.
An attempt was then made by Smith, assisted by J. P. Eaton, to make a
6ale of the road. Negotiations were entered into with President Thompson, of
the Western Union Railroad Company, who agreed to take the road-bed and
pay therefor $20,000, paying $2,000 down and the remainder when he should
have the iron laid to Maquoketa, which he agreed to do within three years.
The $2,000 forfeit was paid. The stockholders of the Western Union Line,
however, were not willing to come into Iowa, and, when the three years had
elapsed, Mr. J. P. Eaton entered into negotiations with Piatt Smith, as agent
for the creditors, to secure the road for the benefit of Maquoketa.
For this purpose, Mr. Eaton organized the Mississippi, Maquoketa & North-
western Railroad Company. This Company was incorporated July 18, 1868,
by J. P. Eaton, T. E. Cannell, C. E. Shattuck, O. V. Schrader, J. E. Goode-
now, P. Mitchell, J. Pangborn, H. Reigart, D. M. Hubbell, B. A. Spencer,
William Current, Henry Knittle. S. D. Tubbs, G. W. Bettesworth, with a
capital stock of $500,000, and whose object, as stated in their Articles of
436 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Incorporation, was to build a branch from the Mississippi River, or from the
Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska Railroad, to Maquoketa.
The Mississippi, Maquoketa & North-Western Railroad Company secured
the old road-bed and right of way for $18,000. They then asked of the citi-
zens of Maquoketa and South Fork Townships to vote a tax of 5 per cent for
the purpose of completing this road to Clinton, the people of Lyons and Clin-
ton affecting to be enlisted in the cause. This question was voted upon in
December, 1868, but was defeated by a majority of fifteen votes in Maquoketa
Township and sixteen votes in South Fork. Hoping to overcome this small
majority, a petition was circulated asking another vote on the same proposition
in the following month, January, 1869, but the matter was again defeated.
Private subscriptions were solicited, and $62,000 were secured. Then the
question of a 3 per cent tax was submitted in these township, and carried by a
majority of 128 in Maquoketa, and 136 in South Fork.
At this point, the people of Lyons halted. The Chicago & North- Western
Railroad were offered the tax and subscription if they would build a "plug"
from Lyons ; but the offer was declined. At a later day, it would have been
eagerly accepted.
During the summer of 1869, the question of building a road out of Daven-
port to De Witt, by the Davenport & St. Paul Company, was warmly talked of.
Messrs. J. P. Eaton and S. D. Tubbs went to Davenport in the interests of
Maquoketa. It was proposed that Davenport raise in subscription $160,000 ;
De Witt, $60,000, and Maquoketa, $75,000. This latter amount, it was
believed, would grade, bridge and tie the road from De Witt to Maquoketa, and
it was agreed that if this were done, that the Davenport & St. Paul Company
would put on the iron and rolling-stock.
At a meeting held September 27, 1869, in the Methodist Episcopal Church
in Maquoketa, and addressed by Hiram Price, President of the Davenport &
St. Paul Company, a committee was appointed, with J. P. Eaton as Chairman,
to solicit subscriptions. In two days, this committee had $19,000, in one month
$81,000. This insured the road. The contract for grading was let in October,
and 20 per cent of stock immediately called for.
Thus suddenly the people of Clinton and Lyons and the railroad interests
of these points discovered Davenport walking into their back dooryard, and,
at that time would have been glad of the aid offered by Maquoketa a few
months previous.
The Midland Company was organized with Col. Shaw as President, and J.
P. Eaton and J. Pangborn as Directors from Maquoketa. The Midland Com-
pany immediately purchased the road-bed of the Mississippi, Maquoketa &
Northwestern Company for $18,000. (It should have been stated that the east
sixty feet of this right of way, from Delmar to Maquoketa, had been previously
sold to the Davenport & St. Paul Company, leaving the west forty feet for
the Midland.)
The Midland Company next bought five miles of iron, and the first spike,
a brass one, was driven with ceremonies by President Shaw, W. J. Young, of
Clinton, and Dr. Davis, of Lyons, August 13, 1870.
The first spike in the Davenport road had been driven by Mayor Donahue,
of Davenport, about the middle of July. Then came a race to see which road
would first bring a train into Maquoketa. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Company awakening to its interests, advanced to the Midland Company $55,000,
and immediately the Chicago & North-Western Company supplied the Midland
with money to refund the loan of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, and, by
HISTORY OP JACKSON COUNTY. 437
the middle of September, 1870, the Midland was under control of the North-
western, which went on to build the road.
The track of the Davenport & St. Paul was completed first, but at the time
of its completion, the Midland had reached Deltnar, where the roads cross, and,
through the courtesy of the Davenport Company, the Midland was permitted
to rnn their first train into Maquoketa on the same day with their rival, over
the track of the latter.
From the Jackson Sentinel of December 15, 1870. we glean the following
account of the completion of the roads, and the celebration upon the occasion of
the first trains into Maquoketa, on the 13th of December:
" Tuesday last was a day ever to be remembered by the people of Maquo-
keta. as the day upon which the cities of Lyons, Clinton, Davenport and
Maquoketa were formally and indissolubly united by ' bands of iron and hooks
of steel.'
"Long before noon, large numbers of country people came pouring into
town, eager to extend a cordial greeting to the citizens of the above-named
places, who, upon this day, were to be the honored guests of our city. Eleven
o'clock was the hour appointed for the arrival of the excursionists at the depot
grounds, and by that time a crowd of enthusiastic people, numbering several
hundreds, had assembled, eagerly gazing southward for the first appearance of
the approaching trains. A gun squad had been organized, having in charge
the only piece of artillery of which our city can boast, ready to belch forth
its noisy greeting to the excursionists.
"At precisely 11.30, the shrill scream of the Wyoming engine announced
the approach of the Davenport train, ai.d in a few minutes after, it glided
into the depot grounds, amidst the huzzas of the assembled multitude and the
booming of the little four-pounder.
" This train consisted of six passenger coaches, a baggage and a platform
car, upon the latter being a squad of the De Witt Artillery, with one gun. The
excursionists were also accompanied by a brass band, from Davenport, which
discoursed most excellent music through the day.
" As soon as possible after the train halted, the excursionists were trans-
ferred to vehicles, which had been obtained for the purpose, and taken to the
varjous public halls and private residences which had been thrown open for
their reception.
" Scarce had these guests been disposed of when the shrill whistle of
another engine announced the arrival of the Midland delegation, who were
received with the same noisy demonstrations as their predecessors. The train
consisted of three of the North- Western Company's finest passenger coaches,
drawn by a powerful locomotive, the 'J. B. Turner.'
" These guests were soon disposed of in the same manner as the preceding
ones, and the vast crowd which had assembled to meet them returned to town,
to assist in carrying out what still remained of the programme.
" The most ample arrangements had been made for supplying our visitors
with everything necessary to their comfort, both internally and externally,
especially the former. Schrader's new hall, on the second floor, and his store-
room, beneath, had both been fitted up with tables, capable of furnishing 400
persons with seats at one time, and these tables fairly groaned under the
weight of everything imaginable in the edible line, provided for the occasion
by the good people of this city and vicinity. Never >vas the proverbial hospi-
tality of our town better illustrated than upon this occasion.
438 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
" Each of the excursionists had been provided with a ticket, to avoid con-
fusion. At 1 o'clock, everything being in readiness and the corps of waiters
being at their posts, the doors to both halls were thrown open, and the first bri-
gade of guests — with turkeys to right of them, chickens to left of them and
pastry in front of them — began the attack Fresh brigades of hungry people
were brought forward as rapidly as the tables could be cleared, until it is safe
to say that not less than fifteen hundred persons had been supplied ; and yet.
the fragments of this royal feast still remaining were sufficient to have fed a
small army.
" After dinner, our guests spent the brief time remaining to them in look-
ing over the city and forming the acquaintance of our citizens. A temporary
platform, composed of a couple of dry-goods boxes, was erected on Main street,
between the blocks, and from this the Hon. Hiram Price, President of the
Davenport & St. Paul Eailroad, delivered a brief impromptu speech to a large
number of citizens, congratulating them upon the successful accomplishment of
their long-deferred hopes in railroad matters, in which he took occasion to say
that the time was not far distant when Maquoketa would be the center of a
system of railroads, radiating from her in every direction. At the conclu-
sion of his remarks, he was enthusiastically cheered.
" At 3 o'clock, the excursionists were escorted to the cars, and were soon
speeding on their way home, all expressing themselves as highly pleased with
the reception given them by the ' Timber City.' Among the distinguished vis-
itors from abroad, we mention the following :
" Messrs. Sykes, Pearson, Dunlap, officials of the N.-W. R. R.; Col. W.
T. Shaw, President of the Midland ; Ezra Baldwin, C. M. Baldwin, Charles
Magill, David Joyce, Ira Stockwell, S. D. Leland, W. M. Bentley, Judge
Leffingwell, Lyman Ellis, Capt. H. Gates, T. R. Beers, editor of the Mirror,
at Lyons, W. J. Young. C. E. Shattuck, Judge Thayer, of. the Clinton Age,
Messrs. Palmer and Clark and several others, of Clinton ; S. H. Shoemaker,
editor of the Observer, at De Witt, E. A. Russell, editor of the Gazette. D.
A. Richardson, editor of the Democrat, the Hon. G. H. Parker, the Hon.
Hiram Price, President of the Davenport & St. Paul Railroad ; Messrs. Don-
ahue, Krause, Wilkins, Woeber, Andrus, Ackley and a host of others, from
Davenport; G. W. Hunt, editor of the Express, and F. S. Dunham, of
Monticello, and the Hon. John Russell, of Jones County, were also in the
city.
" Among the pleasing and interesting incidents of the occasion, was the
exhibition, by contractor E. W. Baker, who graded the south part of the road,
of the first spike driven on the D. & St. P. R. R. This had been extracted
from the tie by Mr. Baker, one side planed smooth, and engraved thus : ' First
spike driven on the Davenport & St. Paul Railroad, by H. Price and M. Don-
ahue, July 9, 1870.'"
The Midland Road was continued west to Anamosa not long after, being
aided by a vote of 5 per cent tax from Maquoketa City, which tax was
demanded on account of the extra expense involved in bringing the road close
to the city.
Chicago, Clinton, Dubuque $■ Minnesota Railroad. — May 18, 1856, an act
of Congress made a grant of land to build a railroad from Dubuque to Sioux
City. This provided that the road should run south from Dubuque, along the
river, until near the mouth of Tete des Morts Creek, when it should turn west.
This grant consisted in the odd sections of land, not already claimed, on either
side of the route for six miles back, and, where the country was settled up, it
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 4oV>
was left with the State to choose an equivalent amount of land within fifteen
miles of the line of road.
The road was partially graded from Dubuque to the Tete des Morts in 185*5,
when the route was abandoned for the present one occupied by the Dubuque k
Sioux City Road. About 1866, an organization was effected for the purpose
of building a road from Dubuque down the river. This company had as its
President Charles Gillam of Eldora. To this company was granted by the
Legislature the sixty-six sections of ths original grant forfeited by the Dubuque
& Sioux City in abandoning a portion of their original route, with the proviso
that the land should revert to the State if the road was not completed to Belle-
vue in two years. The two years passed, and nothing was done.
Finally, on the 1st of January, 1870, was incorporated the Dubuque, Belle-
vue & Mississippi Company, with the avowed object to build a road from Belle-
vue to the city of Dubuque, "and to extend the same, and by branch roads to
connect with other points or other lines of railroads within the State, or with
railroads of adjoining States."
The capital stock of the Company was fixed at $1,000,000. The road
secured the sixty-six sections of land. The first Board of Directors were :
W. Vandever, President ; Joseph Kelso, Treasurer; Charles Barrol, Secretary ;
E. G. Potter, Eli Cole, L. D. Randal, W. J. Knight, George W. Lewis. Arno'ld
Reiling, J. K. Graves.
The next President was J. K. Graves. During the summer of 1870, a tax
of 5 per cent was voted in favor of the road by Bellevue Township, and, in
addition to this, about $12,000 was subscribed in stock by the citizens of Belle-
vue. Dubuque took $50,000 stock.
Graves and Romburg, President and Vice President of the road, organized
into a construction company and went to work on the route, using the grading
of 1856 south of Dubuque. October 5, 1871, at a meeting of the Directors,
the name was ordered to be changed to Chicago, Clinton & Dubuque. The
original purpose was to have the road cross the river at Bellevue, and connect
from there to , 111. But influence from down the river drew the road
to Clinton. The road was completed to that point about 1872. A couple of
years later, the bondholders took possession of the road, and it passed under
control of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Company, who now have the
management of the road. The name has again been changed, and the road ia
now called the Chicago, Clinton, Dubuque & Minnesota Railroad.
Chicago, Bellevue, Cascade $ Western Railroad Company. — For some five
years past, has been agitated the question of a narrow-gauge road from Bellevue
northwest. The first object was to build it through the northern part of Jack-
son County, and thus bring Bellevue into more intimate relations with the
northwest townships ; but the roughness of the country and the inducements
held out by the people of Cascade led to the abandonment of that route and
the beginning of a line further north, cutting off a corner of Dubuque County.
A company was formed in August, 1877, under the name given at the head
of this article, with the avowed object to build a road from Bellevue to Cascade,
and extend the same. The capital stock was named at $200,000, and the man-
agement placed in the hands of twenty-seven Directors, which number was,
in 1878, changed to thirteen.
The first directors were : John B. Sawyer, Frank May, James Hill, Thomas H
Davis, Joseph Kelso, A. J. Dorchester, G. G. Banghart, Daniel Leery, James
Magargell, David Beaty, Thomas McMillan, T. Moore, William H. Francis,
T. E. L. Kane, James Conlin, William Jess, Dennis O'Brien, John Maloney.
440 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Joseph Hunter. James Dunne, C. Demlinger, James Hickson, Joseph Burke,
John Wilson, C. Cort and Daniel Crowley.
In 1878, a tax of 5 per cent was voted in. Bellevue, 3 per cent in Otter
Creek Township, as well as in other townships along the line of road. Sub-
scriptions to the- amount of $5,000 were taken in the city of Bellevue, and
various amounts were subscribed along the route, farmers subscribing and work-
ing out their subscriptions with hands and teams. The railroad company has
since turned over its stock, tax and right of way to President Joy, of the Chi-
cago, Clinton, Dubuque & Minnesota road, who agreed to put the road in
running order to Cascade by January, 1880, and the work of grading is about
completed. The building is superintended by Vice President Runkle, of Wiscon-
sin. There being no other narrow gauge route running into Bellevue, all
freight will have to be transferred at that point.
The prime object to Bellevue people in having this road built was the argu-
ment it would form in favor of relocating the county seat at that point, and
this much-disputed question will doubtless be opened again when the road is
completed, as it probably will be in January, 1880.
Sabula, Aokley .('■ Dakota R. R. — The construction of this road began in
1870 by the Sabula, Ackley & Dakota Railroad Company, with Wells
as President, and H. P. Elliott, of Marion, as Secretary. In Union Township
a tax of 5 per cent was promptly voted to aid the construction of the railroad,
and liberal subscriptions were made all along the route.
The road-bed was completed by the S., A. & D. Company, and was bridged,
ironed and equipped by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul R. R. Company, by
which it is now operated.
About twenty miles of this road was built in 1870, and it was completed to
Marion in 1872. Only eleven and one-half miles of the road are within the
limits of Jackson Connty. Cars are transferred across the Mississippi by a
ferryboat in the summer season, and over a temporary bridge during the
winter.
In August, 1879, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Company came into
possession of the Davenport & St. Paul R. R., which is now operated in con-
junction with the S., A. & D. R. R." with connections at Delmar.
JACKSON COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
For the items from which we make a sketch of this society, we are indebted
to the gentlemanly Secretary, B. A. Spencer, Esq. The Society had its first
meeting under a sort of temporary organization in 1853. This preliminary
meeting was held in Maquoketa on the 22d of February, a sort of celebration
of Washington's birthday, we presume, and must say we never saw it better
celebrated than on this occasion.
John E. Goodenow and Jonas Clark, of Maquoketa, were the first Presi-
dent and Secretary ; N. Butterworth, Treasurer ; Vice Presidents, William
Keister, R. Welch', T. Darling, D. Swaney, J. Holroyd, J. Hershberger, N.
Jewett, W. H. Burns, D. Burke, A. Ballou, J. Galloway, J. S. Duly, D. O.
Montague, P. Malony. It will be seen there were fourteen Vice Presidents
chosen, from all parts of the county, who held about the same power as a Board
of Directors.
The fair of 1853 was held in Maquoketa, in the northwest corner of the
town plat. This exhibition was a crude sort of an affair, but was the beginning
of the agricultural displays for which Jackson County has since become famous.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 441
A permanent organization was effected in 1858, at which time the Society
was incorporated by Schuyler Eddy, Jonas Clark, John E. Goodenow, William
Current, Ezra Baldwin and James W. Martin. All these men are yet living
except Mr. Baldwin.
Two fairs were held at Andrew, about 1860. The remainder have been in
Maquoketa. Previous to the purchase of the present grounds, the fairs for a
number of years were held in the northeast corner of the city limits, on grounds
inclosed and rented by Zalmon Livermore to the Society. These grounds con-
tained about twenty acres and included the tract where the Davenport & St.
Paul depot now stands.
About 1869, the present grounds of the Society, on the eastern boundary of
the city limits, comprising thirty acres, were purchased by twenty citizens of
Maquoketa and vicinity. The citizens by whose obliging act the Society was
enabled to inclose and improve grounds of sufficient size for all present needs,
were John E. Goodenow, S. L. Eddy, T. E. Cannell, Richard Elwood, T. K.
Hershberger, Hosea Goodenow, D. H. Anderson, H. B. Griffin, William Sears,
B. A. Spencer, H. Knittle, George Sears, G. B. Heustis, E. A. Cram, Frank
Trout, C. M. Sanborn, Ad. Dyer, James Burns, E. B. Royce, A. E. Tubbs.
These gentlemen agreed to let the Society have the grounds at what they paid
for them, when the Society had the means to purchase. The latter has kept the
interest paid up to the present time, but has not been able thus far to do more.
In 1872, through general bad management, the Society came very near
going to pieces, but was re-organized during that year, and has met with unex-
pected success ever since. Every fair for seven years has placed money in the
treasury, and had it not been for old debts on which the Society had the manli-
ness to pay one hundred cents on the dollar to creditors who never expected a
cent, the financial condition would have been much above par before this time ;
as it is, the Society have paid out for improvements about $6,000, and, includ-
ing the $2,000 necessary to make the grounds their own, are in debt about
$3,000. This debt is being diminished every year, and it is hoped will soon be
wiped out. The Society offer in premiums about $2,500 annually. Perhaps
one-fourth of these are premiums for speed-
Though called the Jackson County Agricultural Society, it includes in its
legitimate district, nine townships in the northern part of Clinton County —
the latter having no county fair. Of these, six townships were admitted in
1875, and the other three in 1876. The grounds are inclosed by a close board
fence. The main building is frame, 32x60 feet, with additions now building on
either side 30x32. A third addition is contemplated, which will complete the
building in the shape of a Greek cross. An excellent half-mile track of regu-
lation width offers good opportunities for exhibitions of speed. An amphitheater
actually seating twelve hundred people, commands a view of the circular course.
By means of excellent wells and pipes laid underground, water is distributed
to eighty-six box-stalls for horses, 100 cattle stalls, and, perhaps, 200 pig pens.
But few trees have been set out, and the buildings sadly need painting.
The Society are alive to the propriety of the ornamental, however, so soon as
they have the means.
Much interest has been awakened in stock-raising in Jackson County. In
cattle, principal attention is given to Short-Horns and Jerseys. In hogs, sen-
timent is divided, and they rank in popularity about in the order named, viz.:
Berkshires, Poland-China, Chester and Suffolk. The stables of fine horses are
not numerous. The leading breeder is W. P. Dunlap, who possesses a very
fine thoroughbred stallion.
442 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
The present officers of the Society are: H. B. Griffin, of Maquoketa, Presi-
dent; James D. Gage, of Sterling, Vice President; B. A. Spencer, of Maquo-
keta, Secretary; 0. W. Joiner, of Maquoketa, Treasurer; G. A. Hess, of
Maquoketa. Marshal.
HORTICULTURAL.
Horticulture has not received, in Jackson County, a tithe of the attention
which its importance demands. There seems to be a prevailing idea that it is
a waste of time to devote attention to attempts at improving the fruit interests
of the county. Many farmers, especially, seem of the opinion that one kind of
tree is as good as another, and that anything will produce apples, provided it
is an apple-tree, and scarcely know one variety from another.
The fact is that the soil of Jackson County and its climate limit, to a quite
narrow field, the successful varieties of fruit. Certain trees which do well in
the same latitude in other sections will produce no more apples in Jackson
County than a hickory would do ; and, until the farming community is awak-
ened to the importance of scientific study and experiment on this subject, fruit-
raising in the county will be a comparative failure.
The first grafted trees brought into the county in any considerable quanti-
ties were brought by the Shakers from Indiana, who came with a loaded flat-
boat down the Wabash and Ohio, then up the Mississippi, stopping at every
town they passed, and selling a large number of trees.
The best orchards in the county are to be found about the forks of the
Maquoketa. There are no large fruit-growers in Jackson — that is, no orchard
farms. Many orchards produce a surplus over the owners' needs, and find a
way to market, but there are few, if any, cases where apple-growing is made a
business.
Dr. Millar, of Bellevue, who is a practical fruit man, and who has had con-
siderable experience, gave us his judgment of the best varieties of fruits for
this climate and soil.
For summer apples, Red Astrakhan, Tetofsky ; fall apples, Duchess of Old-
enburg, Gross Pomier and St. Lawrence : early winter apples, Fameuse and
Rarabo ; winter varieties, Ben Davis and Genitan.
Dwarf pears are a failure. Standards have moderate success. Dr. Millar
has had best results from pears on White Thorn graft. Peaches and plums
are a failure. Peach-trees cannot stand the winter. Grapes receive consider-
able cultivation, and an increasing interest is noticeable in grape culture. The
Concord variety takes the lead. Small fruits of all kinds are successfully
grown.
The Agricultural Society, upon its first organization, was called the Jack-
son County Agricultural and Horticultural Society, but the department and
name of " Horticultural " was afterward dropped. There is now a society
devoted to horticulture, with headquarters at Bellevue, known as the
JackfonCounty Fruit-Growers and Farmers'1 Club. — This club was organized
some twelve years ago at Bellevue, by Thomas 'W. Cassin, Judge I. B. Booth,
William T. Wynkoop, William A. Webber, Geo. W. Lewis, Judge I. Kelso, Will-
iam Dyas, Theodore Nieman, William Simpson, William Reed, Wm. A. Magin-
nis, N. B. Sisler, Ben Sisler, Dr. L. Millar, and others. Dr. L. Millar was
elected first President, and has continued at the head of the Club ever since.
Thomas W. Cassin has been Vice President quite a number of years. William
A. Warren was the first Secretary. W. L. Redmond is the present Scribe of
the Club.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 443
This Club has had an exhibition of more or less importance every year, and
sometimes twice per year. The exhibits are limited to products of the garden,
orchard and field. Meetings of the association have usually been held in the
office of William A. Warren or W. L. Redmond.
POLITICAL.
Most of the time since its organization, Jackson County has been Demo-
cratic. That party has been considered in the ascendency except from 1862
until 1867, during which five years the county was Republican. In 1855, the
Know Nothings or Americans carried the county by a heavy majority, much to
the astonishment of the Democratic candidates, who supposed they would be
elected almost without opposition. In 1856, on the county ticket, the Democracy
were defeated in August, by the Americans and Republicans, but in the following
November, the county showed a decided majority for Buchanan, as President.
Of late years, on the county ticket, the vote has been divided, and, while there
is an acknowledged Democratic majority, the good sense of the citizens has
elected the man, regardless of the party.
In 1872, at the time of the Greeley campaign, GTrant had a majority of 27
votes in the county.
The first Republican meeting in Jackson County, the organization of the
party in the county, in fact, was a convention held in the small brick school-
house which stood in the Third Ward, and which has since been converted into
a dwelling-house, and is owned by D. C. Clary. This was on Saturday, Feb-
ruary 16, 1856, and its purpose was to nominate Delegates to the Republican
State Convention, to be held at Iowa City. The Sentinel says, there were
present at that meeting twenty men and a boy, and, from the statement of those
who were present, this was not far from the truth. So far as we have been able
to ascertain the participants and their previous party allegiance, they were as
follows :
A. G. Henderson, Whig ; James P. Edie, Whig ; J. 0. DeGrush, Demo-
crat; Peter Moriarty, Whig; Alexander Jenkins, Democrat; J. C. Brakey,
Whig; Alonzo Spaulding, Whig ; William Current, Democrat ; Alfred Fellows,
Whig; J. W. Jenkins, Whig.
In 1873, the Anti-Monopolist party first nominated a ticket in Jackson
County, and polled about seven hundred votes. The following year, the Demo-
crats and Anti-Monopolists formed a coalition ticket, and, of course, had things
their own way. The Anti-Monopolists had, for a time, a party organ called
the Andrew Picket, established at Andrew, in 1873, and subsequently removed
to Maquoketa, where its clays were soon numbered. There were not to exceed
five Granges organized in the county.
At the present time, the Greenback element in Jackson County possesses
considerable strength. It. is not possible to estimate with any accuracy, the
number of votes it controls, though, in the election of 1878, for county officers,
the Greenback ticket received from 500 to 800 votes.
The Presidential vote, since 1852, has been as follows : 1852, Scott, 739 ;
Pierce, 554; Hale, 12. 1856, Buchanan, 1,332; Fremont, 1,163; Fillmore,
276. 1860, Lincoln, 1,447; Douglas, 1,574. 1864, Lincoln, 1,598; McClel-
lan, 1,609. 1868, Grant, 2,040; Seymour, 2,117. 1872, Grant, 1,884;
Greeley, 1,857; O'Connor, 61. 1876, Hayes. 2,126; Tilden, 2,485 ; Cooper,
101.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
VOTE OF JACKSON COUNTY 1876 AND 1878.
TOWNSHIPS.
Bellevue
Brandon
Butler
Fairfield
Farmer's Creek..
Iowa
Jackson
Maquoketa
Monmouth
Otter Creek
Perry
Prairie Spring?..
Richland ,
South Fork
Tete des Morts.
Union
Van Buren
Washington
Totals
Majorities..
:i
1588| 2445 1478
! 857L
COUNTY TICKET, 1878.
CLEBK OF COURTS.
On
14
2
62
43
12
1
2071
89] 17
5l| fi
164 2
1451 1
34
233! 13
222! ' 7
29
1581
24
901
302! 45
21
153
168i 10
33j
2126^ 101
EDUCATIONAL.
Jackson County is scarcely in a front rank in the matter of common-school
education. However, there are indications of a rapid improvement. The
county contains no select schools or colleges, and it would seem to be the duty
of its citizens to make its public schools all they can be made.
The salaries paid to teachers are generally insufficient. The inducement is
not such as will make professional teachers, and, so long as the idea remains
prevalent that almost anybody can teach school, the character of the schools
will be a question of unpleasant discussion.
For school purposes, Jackson County is divided into thirteen district town-
ships; (i. e., where the township is under one organization for school purposes,
but divided into sub-districts), thirty-seven rural independent districts and eight
city independent districts. Of these latter, more special mention will be made
in sections of this work upon the various towns.
In the county, there are, of ungraded schools, 137, and of graded schools,
32. We give some statistics from the County Superintendent's report for 1878 :
Average number of months taught in schools 7.39
Numher of male teachers employed during the year 100
Number of female teachers employed during the year 165
Average compensation for male teachers $36.77
Average compensation for female teachers 22.28
Number of children between five and twenty-one years of age 8,950
Average attendance at school 3,953
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
44f>
Tuition per month for each pupil $ 1.39
Value of schoolhouses in the county 134.393
Number of teachers who have received first grade certificates 21
Number of teachers who have received second grade certificates 9
Number of teachers who have received third grade certificates 191
Number of applications for certificates rejected 58
The average age of teachers, male 29
The average age of teachers, female 21
Almost every variety of text-books in the country are used in the various
schools: The list shows seven varieties of readers, nine arithmetics, eight
geographies, and eight grammars.
/ We quote as follows from the report of County Superintendent Fort, made
October, 1878 :
" The schools of this county have been subjected to too many tidal waves.
The better qualified officials receive the poorest compensation and least support
by county officials ; but the more intelligent class encourage them in their work.
The abuse of privileges delegated to County Superintendents, incompetent officials,
the uncertainty of retaining positions, and poor compensation, have almost
ruined the schools of this county. Among a certain class, there is a strong
public sentiment in favor of abolishing the office of County Superintendent,
and, should Jackson County be subjected to changes in the future as in the
past, the office being the mere caprice of politicians, our schools will receive a
blow which they will not survive. The usual complaint is that the Superinten-
dent's office costs too much money ; the schools are expensive burdens; that the
people are taxed excessively to obtain a little education, which our forefathers
acquired in a few weeks in a primitive cabin. Another detriment is a reduction
of teacher's compensation, consequent upon the hard times.
*********
:' Our Teachers' Normal Institute has given a new impetus to the cause of
education in this county, and its unquestionable success has done more to create
a healthy public sentiment than all other instrumentalities combined. A more
earnest and faithful set of teachers than those at Bellevue in August, never
assembled. The interest increased from the beginning until the close of the
Institute. The number enrolled was 128. Average number belonging, 108.05.
This attendance does not include the instructors, most of whom were teachers
in the county. Nearly sixty school journals were subscribed for. Out of 278
applicants for certificates, during the year, only twenty-four were taking a school
journal.
" A new departure has been taken in the method of granting certificates.
Every teacher is put on trial, and none given graded certificates until. they have
proven themselves successful in the schoolroom. This has given new vigor to
the teachers striving to improve their qualifications."
The graded schools of Jackson County, for 1878, were as follows :
DISTRICT.
Months taught.
Teachers.
Name of Principal.
Salary of
Principal.
Andrew
9
8
10
9
2
1
1
$316
W. M. Wricrht
1 J. W. Wrieht
1
446
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
County Normal Institutes have been held each year, according to the pro-
vision made by the State, each year since 1874. We give herewith a tabulated
statement of the same, so far as we were able to learn.
Place of Meeting.
Maquoketa %..
Preston
Maquoketa
Maquoketa
Bellevue
Name of Conductor.
Aug. 10
Oct. 25-
Aug. 21
Aug 13
Aug. 16
1
-28, 1874 D. A.Fletcher...
Nov. 5, 1875.. W. E. Crosby....
-Sept. 1, 1876. J. C. Gilchrist...
-Sept. 1, 1877.|j. C. Gilchrist...
-30, 1878 IH. L. Boltwoocl.
Nnmher of
Teachers
Attending.
The Institute for 1879 is to be held in Maquoketa, beginning August 18
and continuing two weeks, and is to be conducted by Prof. H. L. Boltwood, with
■7. E. Bowman, of Davenport, as First Assistant.
County institutes had been held for a number of years prior to the estab-
lishment of a County Normal, but it is impossible to give a complete account of
them. Suffice it to say, the teachers of the county are realizing that they have
a community of interest, that exchange of views is profitable, and that they
are engaged in a work which is becoming a profession instead of a craft, and, if
they would keep pace with the times, their place in the ranks must not be
vacant at the annual review.
We give, herewith, a list of teachers in the county who have taught to
exceed forty months of school, with the number of months taught :
Name. Months Taught.
Miss M. M. Ryou 60
Miss Frank Snyder 54
George W. McCreary 135
F. H. Budde 56
Miss M.J.Ross 60
Miss Emma A. Ross 42
A. A. Taft 45
Miss Emma L. Nott 63
Mrs. M. A. Cain 66
J. A. Holmes 63
Miss Charlotte Cundill 78
H. S. Bowman 63
Patrick Dunne 48
F. E. Smith 63
Mrs. M. A. Bochius 72
Mrs. Jennie Geiger 42
Sister M. Sebastian 69
Tlie Jackson County Sabbath-School Association. — This Association was
organized in the M. E. Church at Andrew, August 12, 1868, at the call of
Rev. 0. Emerson, as an auxiliary to the Iowa State Sunday-School Associa-
tion. The officers elected at that meeting were : Rev. 0. Emerson, President ;
J. M. Fitzgerald, R. B. Chase and Dr. Isbel, "Vice Presidents : Rev. G. W.
Torrence, Secretary and Treasurer.
A Secretary was appointed for each township. After a two-days' session,
spent mostly in the discussion of Sabbath-school work and methods, the Asso-
ciation adjourned.
The next meeting was held in the Baptist Church in Maquoketa, beginning
May 11, 1869, and continuing three days.
A meeting was held in the M. E. Church at Bellevue, November 9, 1869,
at which about sixty delegates were in attendance.
Months Taught.
Miss Jennie Buttolph
Miss Annie E. Tobin
90
Miss Melissa Huntingdon
Miss Amy V. Rhodes
George W. Edwards
Miss Martha Stewart
42
48
63
45
108
Thomas Orr
51
^ ^J^A'e^f~^^l'7 SS-t^y/D
HISTORY OF. JACKSON COUNTY. 449
Annual meetings have been held as follows, since the date last above
given :
Place.
Date.
Proeid.-ct.
Secretary.
May 17 and 18, 1870
May 10 and 11, 1871.
May 28 and 29, 1872.
May 27 and 28, 1873
B. F. Thorna?
B. F. Tilley (pro tem).
G. W. Torrence..
Maquoketa
May 18 and 19, 1870.
Rev. 0. Emerson
M. F. Hoyt.
Oct. 19, 20, 21, 1877...
W. C. Gregory
Cyrus Cort.
Cyrus Cort.
In 1*70, the annual report showed a total enrollment of 3,071 members of
Sabbath schools belonging to the Convention.
The present officers of the Association are: W. C. Gregory, President; S.
F. Millikan, Vice President ; T. E. Blanchard, Secretary ; Executive Commit-
tee, Joseph Ade, J. C. Magee, T. J. Keith.
COUNTY OFFICERS.
Herewith we present the roster of the county officers, as well as of the Judges
and members of the State Legislature who have received a majority of the
votes of and have represented the people of Jackson County since the time of
its organization. The election records of the county do not exist prior to
1857, and this list was prepared with much labor, and we regret to be com-
pelled to present it containing a few omissions.
Some of our readers may not be aware that that department of our county
government now in the hands of the Board of Supervisors was originally in
charge of a court or board of three Commissioners ; these were as follows, the
term beginning in September of the year named :
1838— William Jonas, William Morden and J. Leonard : 183'..)— E. A.
Wood, William Morden, William Lee; 1810— George Watkins, A. W. Pence,
E. A. Wood; 1841— John Francis, George Watkins, E. A. Wood; 1842—
John Silsbee, William Morden, David Swaney ; 1843 — David Burke, David
Swaney, ; 1844 — E. G. Potter, David Burke, David Swaney;
1845— D. L. Swaney, David Burke, E. G. Potter ; 1846— David Burke, D.
L. Swaney, J. L. Kirkpatrick ; 1847— D. L. Swaney, David Burke, W. T.
Wynkoop ; 1848— David Burke, W. T. Wynkoop, George F. Green ; 1849—
George F. Green, W. T. Wynkoop, Luke Patten ; 1850— David Montague,
George F. Green, W. T. Wynkoop.
In 1851, by a change in the laws of Iowa, the administration of county
affairs was placed in the hands of a County Judge. The County Judges of
Jackson County were :
1851 to 1857— D. F. Spurr ; 1857 to 1860— J. Kelso ; 1860 to 1801—
J. H. Smith ; 1861 to 1863— P. B. Bradley ; 1863 to 1867— A. L. Palmer;
1867 to 1869— J. S. Darling.
The office of County Judge was modified in 1861 so as to have jurisdiction
only over probate matters. It was finally abolished in 1869.
The administration of county affairs was placed in the hands of a board of
eighteen Supervisors in 1861, one Supervisor being elected from each town-
sWp. Nine members were elected each year, for the term of two years. At
450 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
the organization of the Board, it was divided, by lot, into two divisions equally
— one division to serve one year, and the other two.
1861, Short term— N. Kilborn, H. Burke, E. Larkey, D. Blakesley, J. M.
Fitzgerald, D. T. Farr, J. W. Wilson, J. Harrington, J. Clark ; Long term —
J. Ryan, W. Davis, H. Green, V. S. Gray, Thomas Ray, J. Reagan, H. Farr,
A. Reiling, J. Hilsinger.
1862— D. Burke, W. B. Whitley, W. E. Reed, P. Mitchell, Joseph Hun-
ter, J. A. Tritz, Alexander Reed, A. Wood.
1863— J. B. Miller, William Davis, H. Green, Henry Todd, J. Reagan,
M. Goddard, James Dunne, J. Harrington, J. Fitzgerald, J. Hilsinger.
1864— William Rice, Thomas E. Cannell, P. C. Burke, J. S. Thompson,
Jas. L. Taylor, Alexander Galloway, John Wilson, W. T. Wynkoop, J. A. Tritz.
1865 — John Hilsinger, James Dunne, J. Ryan, John Watson, William
Davis, W. S. Belden, J. C. Shaupp, George Hamilton, James Clark.
1866— N. Kilborn, J. L. Taylor, John Hutchins, P. B. Jameson, H.
G. Haskell, Z. De Groat, John Holroyd, J. R. Plumb, F. W. Crane, W. H.
Reed.
1867— B. F. Thomas, William Davis, James Dunne, F. W. Crane, J. W.
Dillrance, John Donnelly, John A. Tritz, J. K. Hurshburger, H. Heckert.
1868— William A. Warren, William H. Reed, Otto Schmidt, John Holroyd,
D. D. Cotton, J. L. Taylor, D. S. Haight, John Redden, E. K. Dutton.
1869— J. Hilsinger, John Watson, F. W. Crane, J. A. Tritz, J. M. Fitz-
gerald, N. A. Kimball, J. P. Manders, J. Dunne, J. H. Spray, W. A. Warren.
1870— Alexander Reed, N. C. White, Arnold Reiling, John Holroyd, Z.
De Groat, T. E. Cannell, John Redden, J. L. Taylor, C. L. Clossen.
In 1871, the system was changed to a Board of three members. The
Boards for the remaining years were as follows :
1871 — John Holroyd, Chairman ; Arnold Reiling, A. M. Phillips.
1872 — Arnold Reiling, Chairman ; John Holroyd, James Dunne.
1873 — James Dunne, Chairman ; John Holroyd, Myron Collins.
1874 — James Dunne, Chairman ; Myron Collins, George H. Trumbull.
About this time was submitted to the people the question of increasing the
Board of Supervisors to five members. The vote was in favor of increasing
the number of Supervisors.
1875 — Myron Collins, Chairman ; James Dunne, D. T. Farr, N. A. Kim-
ball, George H. Trumbull.
1876— G. H. Trumbull, Chairman ; James Dunne, D. T. Farr, N. A. Kim-
ball, Henry Schlatterer.
1877 — James Dunne, Chairman ; D. T. Farr, N. A. Kimball, A. Reiling,
W. C. Morden.
1878 — W. C. Morden, Chairman; 8. S. Simpson, James Dunne, B. A.
Spencer, S. B. Wells.
1879— James Dunne, Chairman ; W. C. Morden, S. B. Wells, B. A. Spen-
cer, Frank Schlect.
Sheriff.— 1838 to 1845, W. A. Warren; 1845, Ansell Briggs; 1846, John
G. Nichols; 1847 to 1853, James Watkins : 1853 to 1855, John Foley; 1855
to 1857, James Watkins; 1859 to 1861. John Foley; 1861 to 1865, James
Watkins; 1866 to 1868, W. S. Belden; 1868 to 1874, M. S. Allen; 1874 to
1878, John 0. Bard ; 1878, T. H. Davis, present incumbent.
Auditor.— This office was instituted in 1869. 1870 to 1874, T. E.
Blanchard; 1874 to 1878, A. J. House; 1878, W. C. Gregory, the present
incumbent.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 451
TOWNSHIP OFFICERS FOR 1879.
Bellevue Township. — M. S. Dunne, Collector ; W. A. Warren, John Camp-
bell, Joseph Schwirtz. Justices ; A. G. Kegler, Clerk ; James A. Farrell,
Assessor ; J. P. Keiffer, John L. Cannon, M. V. Smith and Harry Adams,
Constables.
Brandon Township. — Samuel Clark, Collector ; J. W. McCullough, Clerk;
Shepherd Caven, Assessor ; Washington Snodgrass, H. Keister, Justices ;
George Metheny and S. R. Bickford, Constables.
Butler Township. — Dennis Courtney, Collector; John Courtney, Clerk;
Michael Callahan, Assessor ; James Flynn, John O'Keefe, Justices ; M. Crow-
ley and James McLaughlin, Constables.
Fairfield Township. — John Haylock, Collector : D. Sweet, Clerk ; James
Dunham, James Blakely, Justices ; Booth Dunham, Lyman Thurston, Con-
stables ; A. W. Richardson, Assessor.
Farmers' Creek Township. — W. B. Whitley, Collector; A. G. Fisher,
Clerk ; W. C. Fenton, Assessor ; Samuel Roush, W. P. Ward, Justices ; James
McDonald, J. W. Fenton, Constables.
Iowa Township. — John S. Ray, Collector ; C. R. Corlis, Clerk ; William
R. Walker, Assessor : T. J. Allen, S. Colter, Justices ; William Marr, George
Joannin, Constables.
Jackson Township. — Henry Budde, Collector; H. A. Sisler, Clerk; Lorenz
Wagner, Assessor ; Nich. Rollin, J. L. Taylor, Justices ; John Heidgerken,
Bernard Haveland, Constables.
Maquoketa Township. — Quincy Farr, Clerk; C. H. Haskell, Assessor; R.
Perham, H. H. Mitchell, D. P. Smith, Justices ; L. H. Shrigley, Murray Eaton,
P. A. Truax, Constables.
Monmouth Township. — William Dickenson, Collector ; Joseph Wilcox,
Clerk; W. I. Cram, Assessor; D. A. Waterman, Edward Baldwin, Justices;
L. D. Watson, Thomas Brock, Constables.
Otter Creek Township. — James Courtney, Collector ; Tobias Hickson, Clerk ;
James Courtney, Assessor ; Daniel Wagoner, Isaac Reed, Justices ; Charles G.
Waters, John Heeney, Constables.
Perry Township. — 0. P. Butterworth. Collector ; W. 0. Kelley, Clerk ;
J. W. Scott, Collector : Thomas Ray, J. Y. Buchanan, Justices ; T. M. Ham-
ilton, J. C. Rigby, Constables.
Prairie Springs Township. — N. B. Nemmers, Collector; N. A. Hoffman,
Clerk ; John Nemmers, Assessor ; N. B. Nemmers, N. A. Hoffman, Justices ;
John Nemmers, Peter Sutton, Constables.
Richland Township. — John Manderscheid, Collector ; James Hayes, Clerk ;
John Manderscheid, Assessor ; James Hayes, J. D. Nullinan, Justices ; David
M. Wall, Henry Polders, Constables.
South Fork Township. — G. B. Orcutt, Clerk ; S. M. Crane, Assessor ; W.
H. Fuller, H. B. French, William Burleson, Justices ; W. L. Shrigley, A. W.
Flathers, Peter Kaler, Constables.
Tete des Morts Township. — Theodore Hoxmeir, Collector ; Theodore Hox-
meir, Clerk; Nich Portz, Assessor; Theodore Hoxmeir, W. H. Simpson,
Justices ; Nich Portz. Fred. Etting, Jr., Constables.
Union Toivnship. — E. S. Day, Collector ; J. J. Gray, Clerk ; II. C. Simp-
son, Assessor ; J. 6. Sugg, J. S. Dille, R. C. Westbrook, Justices ; John Snyder.
Thomas Lambert, Constables.
452 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Van Buren Township. — Otto Schmidt, Collector ; J. D. Farley, Clerk ;
Charles Wager, Assessor; E. De Groat, H. Specht, Justices; George McCaw-
ber, E. J. Kennedy, Constables.
Washington Township. — W. H. Reed, Clerk ; W. H. Beattie, Assessor ;
A. Reed, Henry Hogodon, Justices ; F. R. Dilto, John McKinney, Constables.
Recorder.— 1838 to 1841, John Howe; 1842-45, John G. McDonald;
1845-47, John Rice; 1847-49, S. S. Fenn; 1849-53, J. H. Smith; 1853-57,
John Pope; 1859-61, R. B. Wvckoff; 1862-63, F. Mullen; 1864, W. B.
Whitley; 1865-66, W. L. Redmond; 1867-68, B. Van Steenburg; 1869-72,
John Donnelly; 1872, J. R. Griffin, present incumbent.
Treasurer. — 1839-42, John Sublett ; 1842-43, Nathaniel Butterworth ;
1843-41, W. H. Graves; 1814-45. S. S. Fenn; 1845-46, Robert Reed.
From 1847 until 1864, the Recorder performed the duties of Treasurer as well.
(See list of Recorders above.) 1865-66, R. M. Smith; 1867-73, James A.
Bryan ; 1874-77, John Donnelly ; 1878, M. Mahoney was elected and is the
present incumbent.
County Superintendent of Schools. — The office was established in 1859 ;
1860-61, W. L. Redmond; 1862-63, Allen Palmer; 1864-67, D. A. Fletcher;
1868-69, T. C. Phelan; 1870-71, J. W. Fleming; 1872-73, A. J. House;
1864-77, N. C. White ; 1878, W. H. Fort, the present incumbent.
Coroner. — 1839, James L. Kirkpatrick ; 1840-41, Anson Newberry ; 1842
-43, N.Said; 1853-54, J. G. Graham; 1855-56, T. J. Pearce; 1857-59,
; 1860-61. J. F. Fairbank; 1862-63, T. J. Pearce; 1864-65,
Coleman Amos; 1866-67, J. F. Fairbank ; 1868-73, J. W. Eckles : 1874-75,
A. S. Carnahan ; 1876, J. W. Eckles, present incumbent.
Surveyor.— 1839-43, John G. McDonald; 1844, F. Scarborough; 1853,
Andrew Woods; 1856-57, S. C. Wilson; 1859-65, William C. Darling; 1866
-67, S. C. Wilson; 1868, A. C. Simpson, who is the present incumbent.
Clerk of District Court. — First Clerk, John H. Rose; second, James K.
Moss; third, J. G. McDonald; 1843-44, P. B. Bradley; 1845-49, Thomas
Marshall ; 1849-53, Frederick Scarborough ; 1854-59, J. M. Brakey ; 1860
-64, Frederick Scarborough; 1865-74, E. J. Holmes; 1875-76, J. S. Ray;
1877, J. C. Guilfoil, who is the present Clerk.
Judge of District Court. — Charles Dunn, of Wisconsin Territory, held the
first term of court here, in June. 1838; Charles Mason, in September, 1838;
1839-46, T. S. Wilson; 1847 to 1852, James Grant; 1852, T. S. Wilson;
1853, William E. Leffingwell ; 1854, J. B. Booth ; 1855-56, William H. Tut-
hill; 1857-58, A. H. Bennett; 1859-63, John F. Dillon; 1864-71, J. S. Rich-
man; 1871-75, William F. Brannan; 1875, Walter I. Hayes, now presiding.
Probate Judge.— 1839-40, J. K. Moss; 1840-42, Anson Harrington;
1843-45, W. S. Brown; 1845-55, Joseph Palmer; 1851-57, D. F. Spurr;
1857-59, J. Kelso ; 1859-61, J. H. Smith; 1861-63, P. B.Bradley; 1864
-67, A. L. Palmer; 1868-69, J. S. Darling. At this date the probate busi-
ness was transferred bylaw to the Circuit Court; 1869-72, George B. Young;
1872, Daniel W. Ellis, now presiding.
LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATION.
The county of Jackson was represented in the Territorial Council, which
corresponded to our State Senate, in 1838-39 by Stephen Hempstead, who was
elected by this and several adjoining counties ; 1840-41, by J. S. Kirkpatrick ;
1842-43, by Thomas Cox ; 1844, by Philip P. Bradley.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 453
Senators.— 1846-48, P. B. Bradley ; 1850, Nathan G. Sales ; 1852-54,
E. F. Clark ; 1856-58, J. W. Jenkins; "1860-62, George F. Green; 1864-66,
John Hilsinger; 1868-70, L. B. Dunham ; 1872-74, L. W. Stuart; 1876-78,
W. A. Maginnis.
Representatives (under Territorial Government). — First, Second and Third
Legislative Assemblies, 1838-39-40, Thomas Cox ; Fourth Legislative Assem-
bly, 1841, James K. Moss; Fifth Legislative Assembly, 1842, Ansel Briggs ;
Sixth Legislative Assembly, 1843, John Foley ; Seventh Legislative Assembly,
1844, James Leonard; Eighth Legislative Assembly, 1845, Thomas Graham.
Iowa was organized as a State in 1846. The first Stale Legislature met
at Iowa City November 30.
House. — 1846, S. G. Matson, George F. Green ; 1848, Dennis A. Mahoney,
Nathan G. Sales ; 1850, R. B. Wvckoff, John E. Goodenow ; 1852, George F.
Green, L. Wasson ; 1854, J. P. Edie, Thomas S. Smith ; 1856, William Mor-
den, J. K. Hershburger; 1858, P. B. Bradley, T. Millsap ; 1860, P. B.
McCullough, William H. Reed ; 1862, Ebenezer Dorr. J. P. Eaton ; 1864,
Ebenezer Dorr, Henrv Green ; 1866, John Wilson, Alva McLaughlin ; 1868,
J. R. Plumb, L. W. Stuart; 1870, James Dunne, Emery Degroat ; 1862,
George C. Heberling, W. H. Reed; 1874, George C. Heberling, P. Mitchell ;
1876, L. W. Stuart, W. H. Reed; 1878, P. B. Bradley, J. W. Miles.
The first Constitutional Convention met at Iowa City in October, 1844.
Jackson County was represented by J. S. Kirkpatrick, William Morden and
R. B. Wyckoff. In the second Constitutional Convention, which met May 4,
1846, Jackson County was represented by William Hubbell. The third Con-
stitutional Convention, held at Iowa City in 1857, had as a delegate from
Jackson County Capt. William A. Warren.
WAR HISTORY.
In the Presidential election in 1860, Jackson County cast 3,021 votes for
President. During the two years_ following, according to the Adjutant Gen-
eral's report, the county furnished 1,288 men to put down the rebellion, or
upward of 40 per cent of the entire voting population of the county.
The thunderbolt of war found Jackson County engaged in the arts of peace.
Her sons were enlisted in the conquest waged by mankind over nature, and
from both stubborn and willing soil was being drawn the wealth of fruitful
harvests and fattening herds. By the rebellion the peace and prosperity of the
county was disturbed. The withdrawal of almost one-half the able-bodied popu-
lation could not do otherwise than interfere very materially with the progress
of the community. All this, however, was forgotten in the impulse and feeling
of patriotism which led such a multitude of heroes to sacrifice fortune, com-
fort, and frequently life itself, in defense of their country.
To many the war was a surprise. " When immediately surrounded with
peace and tranquillity, they paid little attention to the rumored plots and plans
of those who lived and grew rich from the sweat ai-.d toil, blood and flesh of
others ; aye, even trafficking in the offspring of their own loins." The war was
upon them, the cannon thundering within the nation's very gates, before the
people of the Northwest awoke to the issues at stake.
It was on the 12th day of April, 1861, when Fort Sumter, near Charleston,
S. C, was fired upon by what the more charitable of the nation believed to be
a drunken mob. But the surrender of Capt. Anderson, made necessary by the
404 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
murderous and continued fire of the enemy's guns, awakened the entire North
from a dream of fancied security and an unbroken Union.
" When the cloud of treason darkened
Freedom's light in Sumter's sky,
Bravely stepped they forth to battle,
They to conquer or to die."
Three days after the assault upon the South Carolina fort, Abraham
Lincoln, the savior of the Union, sent forth his first call upon the wings of
lightning, flashing into every city and town from the St. Croix to the Missouri
River the need of troops to suppress a combination against the Union and
execute the laws. This call was for 75,000 troops, and the quota from Iowa
was a single regiment. This and more was promptly filled.
The first company raised in Jackson "County was in answer to the Presi-
dent's second call for volunteers, dated May 3, 1861. This was Company I,
of the Fifth Iowa Infantry, which went into quarters June 24, and was mus-
tered into the United States Service at Burlington, on the 17th of July follow-
ing. Company A. of the Ninth Regiment, under Capt. Drips, went into
quarters in August, and mustered into the service September 24, with a total
rank and file of 101 men. Company I, of the Twelfth Regiment, found itself
in the service September 16, 1861. Companies L and M, of the Second Cav-
alry, entered the service about the same time.
Then came that well-remembered lull in the conflict when sanguine men
grew more hopeful, and the desponding less in despair — a time when many
thought the war would soon be at an end, and once more would be " beaten the
swords into plowshares and the spears into pruning-hooks." But quickly was
the spirit of the North again stirred, and the blood of Northern chivalry sent
leaping in boiling currents through veins swollen with righteous wrath, when
the terrible news of Shiloh — of thousands slain, and Iowa sons in Southern
prisons — came to fathers, brothers and friends of those who had gone to the front.
The call of President Lincoln for 300,000 men, August 9, 1862, met with
a liberal response from Jackson County. From the plow, from the workshop
and counting-house, leaving the schoolroom, the desk, the bar, the pulpit, the
press, men of every rank of life, of all ages, grey-beard and youth — those who
showed themselves the bravest of the brave, came forth and enrolled their
names among the men who were ready to face the cannon's mouth, if neces-
sary, to die for their country.
Companies A and I, of the Twenty-fourth, various squads in the Twenty-
sixth, and Companies F, I and K of the Thirty-first Iowa Infantry Regiments
enlisted from Jackson County in the fall of 1862. Those who were kept at
home by age, infirmity or sex. did noble service, too. They assisted with labor,
money and words of cheer. Aid societies sprang up. Contributions were
made. Sanitary stores were sent out. Mothers and sisters gathered in groups
about quiet firesides while they talked over the hardships of absent dear ones
on Southern battle-fields, in lone marches, in death-dealing prisons or death-
bearing hospitals. Many a needle contributed its mite, and many a pen its
words of comfort, to render camp life more pleasant, and the army less a bar-
barism. Viewed in its true light, an even greater debt of gratitude is due to
the wives and mothers who gave up their husbands and sons, their natural pro-
tectors, and suffered them, with a passive self-sacrifice, to go to a field of car-
nage, than to the brave men themselves, who, inspired by the thought of heroic
action and gallant service, were led to encounter danger and death for the sake
of preserving our common heritage, the legacy of our ancestors.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 455
In August, 1861, a meeting was held in the Congregational Church in
Maquoketa, just before the departure of Company A, of the Ninth Regiment,
which was raised under the name of the Jackson County National Guards.
This meeting was to concert measures for the comfort of volunteers, and pro-
vide means for the families of those in the company known as the Jackson
County National Guards. W. W. Eaton was called to the chair, and J. J.
Marks was appointed Secretary. An address was made by the chair, and by
Capt. Drips. The latter then offered the following resolutions :
Whereas, The military company called the Jackson County National Guards has been
called by the Governor of Iowa into the service of the United States ; and,
Whereas, We believe it to be the duty of every one who lives under the protection of the
American flag to contribute, to the extent of his or her ability, in maintaining the Government,
which that flag represents: and,
Whereas, Many of those who have volunteered in said company have families depending
upon them for support : therefore,
Resolved. That, having a great pride in our country, and wishing to see her well represented
in the army of the Union, we will use every exertion to swell the ranks of said company to the
maximum required by the Government, viz., 101 men.
Reso'ved, That we pledge ourselves to render such assistance to the families of volunteers as
will provide them with all the common necessaries of life while their husbands, fathers and sons
are absent fighting our battles.
The following Soliciting Committee was appointed : H. Shellenberger, Will-
iam Sears, William Cundill, J. W. Jenkins, S. D. Lyman, J. J. Marks, Edwin
Darling. D. A. Fletcher, J. R. Griffin and G. S. Martin. The meeting was
closed by an address by J. W. Jenkins. A sword was presented to Capt.
Drips, with due ceremony, upon his departure.
The ladies of Maquoketa, during the war, had a Sanitary Aid Society, and
contributed much in stores and clothing to the comfort of volunteers. They
also contributed money for the relief of those who were afflicted.
It is a matter of sincere regret to us that we cannot give a full account of
the home societies and contributions, and of all that the citizens of Jackson
County did on their own territory for the Union cause. There are, however,
no existing newspaper-files that could be found covering the period of the war,
and we are compelled to speak but generally of those things which we would be
glad to mention more minutely.
On account of the freedom with which men volunteered in this county,
there was occasion for but little trouble in regard to drafts. We believe
there was but one draft in Jackson County, and in that no difficulty was expe-
rienced, save in Butler Township. Here an attempt was made to resist the
draft, or, rather, to escape it. The enrolling officers found it an impossibility
to make an enrollment. Butler Township is largely a timber district, and it
was with little difficulty the natives could hide, on the approach of the officer,
where they could not be found. The families of those who were liable to draft
would refuse to give their names, and irate daughters of Erin would threaten a
3alute with hot water unless the offending parties would make their absence
more conspicuous than they themselves. Joseph Eaton was appointed a Deputy
Provost Marshal for the county and the matter given into his charge. With
the assistance of the Assessor's books, he finally succeeded in making an
enrollment. Nine men were drafted in Butler Township, and due notice
served, according to law, notifying them to report at the county seat within five
days. Only two reported, one of whom proved to be a cripple, and the other,
for some reason, unfit for service. Efforts to find the other seven proved fruit-
less. At last, Deputy Marshal Eaton got a squad of soldiers, and, proceeding
to Butler Township, encamped in the barn of one of the richest farmers there.
456 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
The soldiers helped themselves to what they needed, and Eaton informed the
citizens they had come to stay ; that unless the drafted men were forthcoming,
they would make another draft, and that they would continue to draw until they
filled the quota with men who could be found, otherwise, the entire township
would have to become fugitives. This began to look like business, and, at a
meeting appointed for the following day, some $6,000 were raised to hh-e substi-
tutes, within two hours. The quota was made up of hired men, and the sol-
diers were withdrawn without any difficulty having occurred. One. of the
fugitives from this township fled to Boston to visit his brother, and had just
entered the latter's house when a Deputy Marshal, who had been notified by
telegraph, arrested him and started him back to Iowa.
We will sketch, in brief, the history of the regiments in which most of the
Jackson County men were enlisted.
NINTH IOWA INFANTRY.
Thi's regiment was raised in northeastern Iowa in August and September,
1861, and was organized in Dubuque by Hon. William Vandever, Member of
Congress, who was specially commissioned by the President to raise a regiment
in his District. He was made Colonel.
The Ninth Iowa proceeded to Benton Barracks, at St. Louis, with 977 men.
From October until January, 1862, the regiment was stationed about Franklin,
Mo., for the purpose of guarding railroads. Here they found a most unhealthy
region and inclement weather, which, in three months, had reduced their num-
ber by death and discharge, some twenty-four men. This loss was more than
made up by additional enlistments.
The regiment, on the 7th of March, experienced its maiden fight in the
battle of Pea Ridge. Its first experience was a severe one, and while victory
crowned the Union side, it was with severe loss and the cost of many brave
men. Capt. Drips, of Jackson County, was killed while leading his men on a
gallant charge. His loss was deeply felt. He had been a soldier in the Mexi-
can war, and was not only a highly respected leader, but a brave and gallant
soldier. Out of 560 men of the Ninth Iowa engaged in the fight, 237 were
killed or wounded, and 3 captured.
A march of 600 miles on a campaign through Missouri and Arkansas
brought the regiment to Helena July 17, 1862, where the regiment was in
camp for five months, and had its only experience during the service, in regu-
lar camp drill and thorough discipline. Here the regiment received a stand of
silk colors from a committee of ladies in Boston, Mass., in honor of their heroic
service at Pea Ridge. A couple of days at Vicksburg the regiment was under
fire, and, December 31, 1862, formed the Ninth Iowa on Yazoo River.
After assisting at the capture of Arkansas Post, January 11, 1863, the
regiment proceeded to Young's Point, La., where, during the months of Febru-
ary and March, in a sickly climate, disease brought to t^e regiment all the evils
of the battle-field, and left none of its honors. Assisting at the capture of
Jackson May 14, on May 22, in line with the whole Army of the Tennessee,
the regiment went first up to the grand assault upon Vicksburg. In a few ter-
rible moments, the command lost 79 in killed or wounded. The entire loss
in the siege to the Ninth Iowa was 121 men.
The regiment engaged in various campaigns and marches through Missis-
sippi, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama, pitching their tents at the foot of
Lookout Mountain November 23, just in time to take part in the battle above
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 457
the clouds. The close of 1863, found the regiment reduced in number 510
men.
January 1, 1864, was celebrated by the re-enlistment of 287 veterans of
the regiment for another term of three years. This entitled them to a thirty
days' furlough, and February 14, found them at Dubuque. Returning with
125 three-year recruits, the regiment was soon in active service. Before the
8th of September, it had been honorably engaged in the battles of Resaca,
Dallas, New Hope, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, Chattahoochie River,
Decatur, Atlanta, Jonesboro and Lovejoy. The losses were small compared with
some of its previous encounters, being only 90 in killed, wounded and prison-
ers. The non-veterans mustered out September 23, 1864.
The regiment was in the famous " march to the sea," and fought its last
battle at Bentonville. The Ninth Iowa was present in the military pageant
May 24, which consisted in the review of Sherman's army in the streets of
Washington.
July 18, 1865, the Ninth Iowa mustered out at Louisville, numbering 594.
The regiment marched over 4,000 miles, and traveled by steamer and railroad
some 6,000 more.
The losses during service were, killed, 117; died of disease, 200; dis-
charged for disability, 243, or a total list of 560 casualties.
TWELFTH INFANTRY.
The Colonel of this regiment was Jackson J. Woods, of this county. Most
of Company I was composed of Jackson County volunteers. The regiment
was organized at Dubuque, and mustered into the service Nov. 25. 1861.
The first battle in which the Twelfth Infantry was engaged was at Fort
Donelson, where it was in the front line during the battles of the 13th, 14th
and 15th of February, 1862. At the battle of Shiloh, about 400 of the
regiment were taken prisoners, and the remainder were organized with the
Eighth and Fourteenth Iowa and Fifty-eighth Illinois into the Union Brigade.
The brigade took an prominent part in the battle of Corinth.
The prisoners having been exchanged October 18, 1862, the regiment was
ordered to Davenport to re-organize. It was next ordered to report to Gen.
Grant, and was present at the capture of Jackson, Miss., and the siege of
Vicksburg.
December 25, 1863, 29S of the regiment re-enlisted as veterans, and the
veterans were furloughed for thirty days, beginning March 22, 1864.
The other important battles in the memory of the Twelfth Iowa are Tupelo,
White River, Nashville and Spanish Fort. The regiment was mustered out at
Memphis January 20, 1866.
The casualties of enlisted men were 91 killed, 210 died of disease, 247
discharged for disability. Total, 548.
TWENTY-FOURTH INFANTRY.
This regiment entered the United States Service at Muscatine, September
18, 1862. Company A was, for the most part, from Jackson County, as was
all of Company I. The command departed for St. Louis October 20, 1862,
and was, during the remainder of 1862 and the year 1863, stationed in various
parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, engaging in the battle of Cham-
pion Hills on May 16.
458 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
During the spring of 1864, the regiment was engaged in a campaign
through Louisiana, taking part in the battle of Sabine Cross Roads. Only
about 146 men of the Twenty-fourth Iowa were actively engaged in this
battle, the companies from" Jackson County with some others having been
left in the rear, guarding a train. July, 1864, found the regiment stationed
in Louisiana, and, on the 21st of this month, orders were received to
embark on the steamer Star of the South on an unknown voyage. The 30th
of July found the regiment at Washington City, and from there it proceeded
to Virginia. Here, in the battle of Winchester, after a heroic record made in
the field, the regiment found its ranks thinned by the loss of 74 men
in killed, wounded and prisoners. The battle of Fisher's Hill, on September
22, resulted in but slight loss to the Twenty-fourth, though it was for a time in
the hottest of the fight. In the battle of Cedar Creek, the regiment had quite
a severe experience, with a total list of casualties, 93. This was the last fight
in which the veterans were engaged.
December 4, 1864, it was ordered that the following names of battles be
inscribed upon the regimental colors of the Twenty-fourth : Port Gibson,
Champion Hills, Vicksburg, Jackson, Sabine Cross Roads, Opequan, Fisher's
Hill and Cedar Creek. Early in 1865, the regiment was ordered South, and,
until the close of the war, was stationed in North and South Carolina and
Georgia. It was mustered out at Savannah July 17, 1865.
Of the regiment, 129 men were killed in battle, 197 died of disease, and
232 were discharged for disability.
TWENTY-SIXTH INFANTRY.
To this regiment Jackson County contributed a large part of Company A,
all of Company B, and squads in various other companies.
The organization of the regiment was completed at Clinton, September 30,
1862, and it was soon ordered to St. Louis. Though present at the battle of
Chickasaw Bayou, the command was not engaged. The Twenty-sixth was at
the front, and the principal regiment engaged in the battle of Arkansas Post
January 11, 1863, and lost 119 men, or over 25 per cent in killed and wounded
of the number engaged.
From January to April, the command was at Young's Point, La., on picket
and fatigue duty. It then accompanied Gen. Steele in what was known as the
Deer Creek raid. The regiment was present at the siege of Vicksburg, and
variously engaged from May 18 until the 4th of July in the assault upon that
city. August and September, the regiment was engaged with the ague along
the malaria district of Black River. In a more glorious warfare, the men were
present at Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge and Ringgold, in November.
In May, 1864, the regiment was engaged at Resaca and Dallas, with a loss
of 23 men in the former battle. In June, it was present at Kenesaw Mountain,
and, in July, at Decatur. During the fall of 1864, the regiment was engaged
in almost constant skirmishing in Georgia, accompanying Sherman to Savannah,
and thence through the Carolinas to Washington City, where the command
was mustered out June 6, 1865.
The loss in killed during the war was 79 ; died of disease, 202 ; discharged
for disability, 138 ; total, 419.
HISTORV OF JACKSON COUNTY.
THIRTY-FIRST INFANTRY.
Companies F, I and K of this regiment were from Jackson County. The
regiment was mustered into the service by Capt. Hendershott, at Davenport,
October 13, 1862.
To sketch the movements of this regiment would be simply to duplicate the
sketch of the Twenty-sixth Infantry, given above. The command was engaged
at Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Deer Creek raid, Vicksburg, Lookout
Mountain, Mission Ridge, Ringgold, with Sherman on his "march to the
sea," north through the Carolinas, and mustered out at Louisville June 27,
1865.
The loss in killed of this regiment was small, being only 25, including both
officers and men. Disease was more cruel, claiming as his portion 271 by death
and 163 discharged for disability. Some of the latter were discharged on
account of wounds.
This was the only regiment of the early Iowa cavalry which maintained
its individuality throughout the war, and was, upon the whole, the largest
cavalry regiment in the West, usually numbering not less than 800 men. Other
cavalry regiments were divided up for orderly service, but the officers of the
Second, opposed any separation of their men, thus securing for the command a
most enviable record and a nation's praise.
Of the officers of the regiment, the following were promoted to the ranks
named : First Colonel, Washington L. Elliott, to Brigadier General ; Second
Colonel, Edward Hatch, to Major General, now Colonel and Brevet Brigadier
General ; Third Colonel, Datus E. Coon, to Brigadier General.
Of the regiment, Companies L and M were from Jackson County. The
eommand was mustered into service at Davenport September 1, 1861. which
place they left in December, remaining at Benton Barracks until February,
1862, when the regiment was ordered to Bird's Point, Mo., and followed Jeff
Thompson about one thousand miles through that State. The command was
present at the taking of New Madrid, in March, and Companies K and L were
the first troops to occupy Island No. 10, taking 195 prisoners and immense
stores. April 12, the regiment was ordered to Hamburg Landing, Tenn., and
was there engaged in skirmishing, with small loss, until April 28, when a
charge was made on Monterey, Tenn. The regiment was in Gen. Pope's
Division of the investing army of Corinth, and was engaged in almost daily
skirmishes.
On May 9. the regiment performed the most brilliant exploit of its whole
career, when, at Farmington. it charged into the face of Bragg's entire army,
covering Gen. Payne's retreat, and saving him from what otherwise would have
been fell disaster. Four hundred and twelve men were here engaged with a
loss of fifty men and one hundred horses in a few minutes.
May 28, 1862, the regiment started on a march to the rear of Corinth,
riding almost incessantly for three days and nights. At Booneville, Miss.,
with a loss of about twenty men, the regiment burned two trains of cars, ten thou-
sand stand of arms, about one million rounds of ammunition, besides great quan-
tities of other stores, and this with the enemy in sight in large force.
August 26, 1862, they were engaged with Gen. Faulkner, at Rienzi.
September 20, actively at Iuka, and in the battle of Corinth ; not only
took part, but also engaged in the pursuit as far as Ripley.
460 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
In the later fall of this year, the regiment occupied the advance position
in Grant's Central Mississippi army, being the first to occupy Lamar, Holly
Springs, Lumpkin's Mills, Wyatt, Oxford, Water Valley and Coffeeville. Sharp
engagements took place at all these points, the one at Coffeeville on December
5, being quite disastrous. The regiment took part in the pursuit of Van Dorn
after his raid on Holly Springs, following him to New Albany, Miss., and
returning to Grand Junction, Tenn., for winter quarters. '
The spring and summer of 1868 were spent in constant reconnaisance. The
regiment started on Grierson's raid, but was ordered back, and, in April, was
sharply engaged at Birmingham and Elliston. At Jackson, Tenn., July 13.
the Second Iowa experienced some severe service. At Grenada, August 13,
the regiment, in company with the Third Iowa Cavalry, burned sixty locomo-
tives and about five hundred cars, being the accumulated rolling-stock of
several railroads.
The command was in brisk encounters at Salem, Miss., October 8 ; at Wyatt's
October 13; at Moscow, November 4; at La Fayette, Tenn., December 25; and
at Collierville, December 27-8, 1863. Smith's raid from Tennessee into Mis-
sissippi was shared by the regiment in February, 1864, after which a large part
of the volunteers re-enlisted as veterans and were allowed to return to Iowa on
veteran furlough in April, 1864.
Returning to Memphis in June, the Second Cavalry joined Sherman's army,
but was left with Thomas when "Old Tecumseh " cut loose at Atlanta. It con-
tinued under Thomas' command, taking part in various skirmishes in Tennessee
and Alabama.
At the battle of Nashville, December 15, 1864, the regiment made a brill-
iant charge, and was the first to place their colors upon the enemy's works in
storming the second fort.
This was the last severe fighting. During the entire service, from the
time they entered Tennessee, the regiment could scarcely have been said to
have a permanent camp a day's march from the Memphis & Charleston Rail-
road. Along this line, most of its skirmishes took place. The command was
in most constant and fatiguing service during 1862-63, and, on an average,
used up a supply of horses every six months. The regiment mustered out at
Selma, Ala., September 19, 1865. The casualties were not heavy when com-
pared with the time of service and the number of engagements. There were :
killed, 66; died of disease, 172; discharged for disability, 167 ; total, 405.
For the facts given in this sketch we are largely indebted to Capt. W. S.
Belden, Company L.
soldiers' festival.
When the Jackson County soldiers had returned at the close of the war-
they were deservedly commended for their valor in the field and the faithfu'
discharge of every duty, however irksome.
The close of .the conflict was here, as elsewhere, the cause of general
rejoicing, a rejoicing, however, that was not unmixed in many homes with sad
memories and bitter recollections, of those left on Southern battle-fields or hos-
pital cemeteries.
In August, 1865, a grand festival was given to the returned heroes of
Jackson County. Of this re-union, we quote as follows, from the report of a
newspaper correspondent:
"The festival was held in a grove. About six thousand people were pres-
ent. At 11 o'clock the President called the vast multitude to order, and prayer
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 461
was offered to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, invoking blessings on our
country and its brave defenders. Then followed a short, affecting address to
the soldiers, welcoming their return home, delivered by Rev. E. K. Young,
Pastor of the M. E. Church at this place, followed by a patriotic reply on
behalf of the soldiers by Col. J. J. Woods.
"The occasion was taken by Company G, of the Eighth Iowa Cavalry, to
present to their Lieutenant, W. F. McCarron, a beautiful sword, on which was
inscribed the names of thirty-one battles in which they had been engaged, and
also to give to his keeping the remnant of the battle-flag of their regiment. It
was a mere handful of rags. The company, like the flag, was also a remnant,
and I thought I could see their manly breasts heave with emotion, and their
eyes moisten as they looked upon their tattered flag, under which they had
fought and bled and seen their comrades fall. And yet they were proud of
their record. A dignified presentation speech, couched in generous language,
was made by Judge Palmer, to which Lieut, McCarron replied, thanking his
company for their confidence and good will.
"When Company I, of the Twenty-fourth, was organized, the ladies
of Maquoketa presented it with a. flag, bearing the following inscription:
'Company I, Twenty-fourth Iowa Infantry.' To-day the company returned it
to the ladies, but to the inscription they added, 'Port Gibson, Champion Hill,
Vicksburg. Jackson, Red River Campaign, Opequan, Fisher's Hill, Cedar
Creek.' •
" Of Iowa regiments. Jackson County raised, of infantry. Company i, of the
Fifth; Company A, of the Ninth; Company I, of the Twelfth; Companies A
and I, of the Twenty-fourth : Company B, of the Twenty-sixth, and Com-
panies F, I and K, of the Thirty-first ; and of cavalry, Companies L and M,
of the Second ; Company G, of the Eighth, and one company of the Fifth.
The people feel proud at the mention of any of these, and well they may, as
the records of the war, especially of Donelson, Shiloh, Pea Ridge, Farin-
ington and of Vicksburg, will testify.
" The Twelfth was one of the four regiments who had each a flag presented
to it by the State of Iowa, for their valor at Donelson ; and at Shiloh, the heroic
Twelfth, unwilling to yield the entire field to the strengthened foe, was captured,
yet not until they had insured to the indomitable Grant the safety of his com-
mand until re-enforcements arrived.
" At Pea Ridge, the gallant Ninth made its mark, and so meritorious were
the services that the ladies of Massachusetts presented it with a flag. So proud
were they to show it to the rebels, that with Grant, in his attack on Vicksburg,
it became pierced and torn in shreds, and they returned it to the givers, who
immediately gave them another. At the Sanitary Fair at Dubuque, a banner
was voted to an Iowa regiment. The gallant Ninth was the favored one.
" Mr. Andrew W. Drips edited a paper at this place ; at the call " To arms ! "
he laid down the pen and grasped the sword. He raised a company and became
its Captain, which was named Company A, Ninth Iowa. The citizens of this
vicinity gave to Capt. Drips a sword, and their blessing to his company, and
sent them to battle. The strife at Pea Ridge demanded the life of the noble
Captain. Lieut. Kelsey became Captain. The citizens who mourned the fate
of Capt. Drips, were not slow to appreciate services, and they cheered the com-
pany by presented a sword to Capt. Kelsey. The devoted captain followed the
example of his noble predecessor, by giving his life to the cause at Vicksburg.
" While the exercises of the day were in progress, 500 feet length of table
were spread; farmers' wagons were relieved of their burdens of boxes and
462 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
baskets, and the city housewives brought forth of their plenty, and the ladies
vied with each other in tastefully arranging and decorating the table. A glance
at the table and you saw a variety of substantial food, besides innumerable pies
and cakes. Some of the cakes were decorated with mottoes, from which we
select the following: 'Honor the Fallen Brave,' 'Protection to Soldiers'
Families,' ' Abraham Lincoln and his Cabinet Forever,' ' Welcome Brave
Boys,' ' Welcome Home.'
" The soldiers, with their ladies, now marched to the table and partook of its sub-
stance in the same spirit in which it was prepared — a hearty good will. Hot coffee in
abundance was served to them. So many were the soldiers that the tables were
respread and filled by them, after which the citizens were supplied. Now came
a military drill, of both cavalry and infantry, in which they showed us their
evolutions in skirmishing and battle.
" The scene closed ; and the farmers — the back-bone of Iowa — wended their
way toward their homes. Nothing occurred to mar the festivities, and the day
will long be remembered as a happy one."
The reader will find an account of further " Soldiers' Re-unions " under
the history of Sabula.
Having thus hurriedly sketched the history of Jackson County in the late
war, there yet remains another duty for our pen. This is to collect, as far as
possible, the names of those brave men who left their homes at their country's
call, and to place on imperishable record the enlistments, promotions and
casualties of the humblest knight in Jackson County chivalry. This is a duty
we gladly perform, not alone for those yet living, but in honor to the memory
of heroes whose blood was poured out to fatten Southern battle-fields: whose
loss a multitude of widows and orphans have mourned with a bitterness which
no pension can ever sweeten or crown of glory drive away. When another
generation has passed, we trust an occasional gray-haired veteran, bowed with
the infirmity of years, will point to these pages with the same commendable
pride felt by a volunteer of 1812, in this day, while the orphans of the slain
and their children will look upon this brief memorial of their fathers as an
undying witness that the blood of their loyal ancestry not only pulsated with
a patriot's devotion, but poured from its living fountain that the nation might
have life.
" All hail to our gallant defenders, all hail !
Our noblest, our bravest, our best ;
Proud peers of the world s worshiped heroes ye stand.
By freedoms dear attributes blest.
Ah J the voice of the past to your heart and ours,
It brings on its eloquent breath
The wild tones of victory, softened and blent,
With the low, mystic cadence of death.
But the angel of faith with her magical wand.
Lifts the veil from our grief, and behold !
The invisible arm of a pitying God
Hath gathered them into the fold."
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
4rJ:^
VOLUNTEER ROSTER.
TAKEN PRINCIPALLY FROM ADJUTANT GENERAL'S REPORTS.
-A.BBXaE-VX.A.'X'IOntf-S.
Adjutant
I. V. I Iowa Volunteer Infantry
kid lulled
Lieut I. j. -;ii." i tot
Maj Major
prmtd promoted
prisr prisoner
Regt Regiment
re-ipm-d
.transit- rred
Serirt
vet
V. R. C.
FIFTH INFANTRY.
Setgt. Ma.j. Frank A. Bettis.
Company I.
Capt. Chas. H. L. Lange, com. July 15,
1861, resd. March 28, 1862.
Capt. Peter Moriartv, com. 1st lieut.
July 15, 1861, prmtd. capt. March 29, '62,
disd. Oct. 17, 1862.
Capt. Wm, H. Cotton, e. as 1st sergt. June
24, 1861, prmtd. 2d lieut. Jan. 1, 1862,
wd. and captd. Iuka, prmtd. 1st lieut.
(Sept. 4, 1862, prmtd. capt. Oct. 18. 1862.
died at Milliken's Bend.
Capt Wm. D. Thompson, c. as sergt.
June 24, 1861, wd. at Iuka, prmtd. 1st
lieut. Dec. 9, 1862, wd. Champion Hill,
prmtd. capt. June 11, 1863.
First Lieut. Jno. P. Foley, appointed
adjt.. prmtd. 1st lieut. March 29, 1862.
appointed capt. and A. A. G. I'. S. Vols.
First Lieut. Richard Barrett, e. as eorp.
June 24, 1861, wd. Iuka. prmtd. 2d lieut.
Feb. 6. 1863. prmtd. 1st lieut. June 11.
1863.
Second Lieut. Edward B. Graves, com.
Nov. 1, 1861. declined.
Second Lieut. Jno. M. Miller, e. as sergt.
June 24, 1861, prmtd. 2d lieut. Dec 9,
1862, revoked.
First Sergt. Wm. H. Brakey, e. June 24,
1861, died Sept. 27, 1862. wds. received
at Iuka.
Sergt, Wm. O Bovard, e. June 24. 1861.
captd. at Chattanooga.
Sergt. Sam'l C. Wasson, e. June 24. 1861.
died Dec. 24, 1861.
Sergt, A. Wainschank, <
captd. at Chattanooga.
Sergt. Franklin Wells, i
captd. at Chattanooga.
Aug. 24, 1861,
June 24, 1861,
Sergt, L. II. Eldridge, e. June 24. 1861,
wd. Champion Hill, disd. Sept 20, 1863,
disab.
Sergt. Caspar Deepe, e. June 24, 1861,
disd. Aug. 22, 1862.
Corp. "Win. C. Morden. e. June 24, 1861.
severely wd. Iuka.
Corp. Thos. Crahm, e. June 24, 1861, disd.
Sept, 10, 1862.
Corp. M. V. Smith, e. June 24, 1861. disd.
July 15, 1862, disab.
Corp. Eph. B. Weatherby. e. June 24. '61.
Corp. Robt, E. Conlehan. e. June 24, 1861.
Corp. Win. H. II. McAulev, e. June 34,
1861, disd. Feb. 22. 186:!, disab.
Corp. Dan'l Lamborn, e. June 24, 1861,
disd. Sept. 21, 1862.
Corp. S. H. Sanderlin. e. June 24, 1861,
wd. Iuka, wd. Champion Hill.
Corp. Thomas Young, e. June 24, 1861.
disd. Feb. 22. 1863. disab.
Corp. F. M. Jameson, e. June 24, 1861. wd.
Champion Hill.
Musician Wm. E. Prescott, e. June 34,
1861.
Musician Wm. C. Campbell, e. June 34,
1861. captd. Chattanooga.
Wagoner Thos. H. Oliver, e. June 24. '61,
disd. Nov. 22. 1862. disab.
Applegate, F. M.. e. June 24, 1861, disd.
Aug. 22, 1862, disab.
Anderson, Jas., e. June 24. 1861.
Abbey, Thos. II., e. June 24, 1861. disd
Nov. 9, 1862, disab.
Bonsman, Geo. W., e. June 24, 1861, wd.
Iuka and Champion Hill, trans, to Inv.
Corps Feb. 15, 1864.
Baumer, Anton, e. June 24, 1861, kid. at,
Vicksburg.
Budde, Henry, e. June 24, 1861, disd. Nov.
5, 1862. disab.
Bovard. I... e. June 24, 1861.
Budde, F., e. June 24, 1861. trans, to Inv
Corps Jan. 15. 1864.
464
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Buckhardt, Andrew, e. June 24, 1861, diad.
July 27, 1862, disab.
Bankson, P. B., e. June 24, 1861.
Bluscb, F., e. June 24, 1861, wd. Iuka,
died Burnville, Miss.
Brothers, Alex. E„ e. June 24, 1861, disd.
Oct, 16, 1862, disab.
Cool, Win., e. June 24, 1861.
Corbin, A. A., e. June 24, 1861, captd. at
Chattanooga,
(locker, E. A., e. June 24, 1861, disd. Dee.
3, 1862.
Ditte, G. M. T., e. June 24, 1861.
Dunham, D. B., e. June 24, 1861, trans, to
Marine Brigade.
Davis, Hiram, e. June 24, 1861.
Duinont, W. S., e. June 24, 1861, trans, to
Inv. Corps Jan. 15, 1864.
Farrier, Thomas, e. June 24, 1861, wd. at
Champion Hill, disd. October 21,1863,
wds.
■Gender, Jacob, e. June 24, 1861, wd. at
Vicksburg, captd. Chattanooga, died
Andersonville.
Hughes, Sain'l, e. June 34, 1861, kid. bat.
Iuka.
Hurt, Enoch, e. June 24, 1861, disd. Dec.
31. 1861, disab.
Johnson, Hamilton, e. June 24, 1861.
Lawrence, Jerome, e. June 24, 1861.
Lorcli, Chas., e. June 24, 1861, wd. Vicks-
burg, disd. May 28, 1864. disab.
Lynch, Thos., e. June 24, 1861, disd. May
10, 1863, disab.
Lattimer, ('.has., e. June 24, 1861, disci.
June 3. ISO:!, disab.
Marvin. II. P., e. June 24, 1861, wd. Iuka
and Vicksburg.
Nei. Ceo., e. June 24, 1861, wd. Champion
Hill, captd. Madison .Stat ion, Ala.
O'Driscoll, Pat, e. June 24, '61, kid. Iuka.
O'Brien, Ceo., e. June 24, 1861.
Plager, II. C,,,e. June 24. 1861, disd. Oct.
17.1862. disab.
Post, Peter, e. June 24, 1861. disd. Aug. 9.
1863, disab.
Heed, Chas. P., e. June 24, 1801, wd. Iuka,
disd. Xov.20, 1802, wds.
ftosecrahse, Peter, e. June 24, 1861.
Swartz, John, e. June 24, 1861.
Sliuler, Wm.. e. June 24, 1861, wd. Iuka,
trans, to Inv. Corps March 15, 1864.
Smith. Win. II., e. June 24, 1801, captd.
Stevens, Wm. W., e. June 24, 1861, wd. at
Iuka. disd. Nov. 16, 1802, disab.
Stevens. Jonas, e. June 24, 1801, died June
27. 1802.
Swezev, James, e. June 24, 1801.
Sawzer, Jno. W.. e. June 24, 1861, disd.
Aug. 26, 1862, disab.
Van Horn, B. F., e. June 24, 1861, disd.
Feb. 28, 1863.
White, James, e. June 24, 1861.
Wright, A. B., e. June 24, 1861, kid. Iuka.
Whitney, Edwin, e. June 24, 1861, disd.
Aug. 29, 1862, disab.
Woods, Sam'l C. e. June 24, 1861.
Young, Thos., e. June 24, 1861.
Young, Ceo., e. June 24, 1861.
COMPANY UNKNOWN.
Bain, Thos., e. Jan. 2, 1864.
NINTH INFANTRY.
Adjt. Charles II. Lyman, e. as sergt. Co.
A, prmtd. 2d lieut. July 13,1863, prmtd.
adjt. Jan. 9, 1865.
Sergt. Maj. F. W. Foster, e. Aug. 8, 1861.
Hos. Steward Edwin Darling, e. Aug. 12,
1861.
Company A.
Capt. Andrew W. Drips, com. Sept. 7, 1861,
kid. at Pea Ridge.
Capt. Florilla McKelsey, com. 1st lieut.
Sept. 2, 1861, wd. at Pea Ridge, prmtd.
capt, March 8. 1862, wd. at Vicksburg,
died May 26, 1863.
Capt, Ashitr Riley, e. as 1st sergt, July 29,
; 1861, prmtd. 2d lieut. Feb. 5, 1802, wd.
! Pea Ridge, prmtd. 1st lieut. March 8,
1802, prmtd. capt, March 27, 1803. resd.
, Aug. 7, 1803.
Capt, Benj. F. Darling, e. as 1st sergt. July
1 29, 1801, prmtd 2.1 lieut. March 8, 1862,
1st lieut. May 27, 1803, prmtd. capt.
j Aug. 8, 1803.
I First Lieut. John II. Green, e. as sergt.
i Aug. 3, 1861, prmtd. 1st lieut. Aug. 8,
; 1863.
j -.Second Lieut. Alpbeus Alexander, com.
Sept. 7, 1861, resd. Feb. 11, 1862.
Second Lieut, Leonard L. Martin, e. as
sergt, Augf 6, 1801, wd. at Vicksburg,
prmtd. 3d lieut. May 27, 1863, died at
Memphis. .
[ Sergt. Fred. DeC rush, e. July 29, 1861, vet.
1 Jan. 1. 1864.
Sergt. Chas. H. Lyman, e, Aug. 6, 1861.
wd. at Ringgold, Ga., vet. Jan. 1, 1864.
Sergt. Samuel S. Scott, e. July 29, 1861,
i wd. June 7, 1803, vet, Jan. 1, 1864.
Sergt. H. H. P. Mellliausen, e. July 29,
1861, kid. at Dallas.
: Corp. John F. Dripps, e. July 29, 1861,
died at Memphis.
| Corp. Wm. Dupray, e. Aug. 10, 1861, died
at Iuka.
Corp, E. G. Cutter, e. Aug. 6, 1861, died
Dec. 12, 1861.
Corp. J. S. Billups, e. Aug. 2, 1861, vet.
Jan 1, 1864.
Corp. Chas. H. Townsend, e. Sept. 10, '61,
vet. Jan. 1, 1864.
Corp. O. D. Bancroft, e. Aug. 8, 1861, kid.
at Pea Ridge.
Corp. Otis Crawford, e. Aug. 6, 1861. wd.
Vicksburg.
Corp. Hiram Coleman, e. July 29, 1861.
i Corp. J.W. Alexander, e. July 29, 1861,
kid. at Pea Ridge.
I Corp. John W. Guenther, e. Aug. 10,1861.
Musician F. Raynor.
Musician George O. Finker. vet. Jan. 1,
! 1864.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
467
Wagoner Joseph Ingrahm, e. Seitt. 10,
1801, died Dec. 31, 1861.
Adams, John, e. Aug. 15, 1861. disab. at
Vicksburg.
Alexander, Austin, e. Sept. 15, 1862, vet.
Jan. 1, 1864.
Bennett, Lucius, e. Aug. 8, 1861.
Barnes, A. W., e. Aug. 10, 1861, died Dec.
4, 1861.
Brown, Henry, e. Aug. 10, 1861, disd. Oct.
14, 1862, disab.
Brown, Joseph, e. Aug 10, 1861, missing
at Marshlield, Mo.
Brown, A. H., e. July 29, 1861.
Bump, George M., e. Aug. 12, 1861. wd. at
Dallas, died at Atlanta.
Brock, Wm., e. Aug. 13, 1861, died Milli-
ken's Bend.
Beckwith, Oliver. e. July 29, 1861, vet. Jan.
1, 1864.
Brown, S. D., Aug. 15, 1861.
Beckwith, Samuel, e. Aug. 15, 1861, died
at Fuller's Mill.
Crane, John H., e. Feb. 18, 1864.
Cornell, T. J, e. Aug. 10, 1861, died Mem-
phis.
Coggswell, F. A.,e. Aug. 29, 1861, vet. Jan.
1, 1864.
Crawford, Otis, e. Aug: 6. 1861.
Countryman, J., e. Aug. 10, 1861.
Davis, J A., e. Aug. 8, 1861, wd. at Ring-
gold, Ga.
Downey, Ira, e. Aug. 10, 1861, vet. Jan. 1,
1864.
Delano, S.,e. Aim. 17, 1861, wd. Vicksburg,
vet. Jan. 1, 1864, died April 5, 1864.
Dunham, Hazle, e. Sept. 7, 1861.
Eby, James B„ e. Aug. 8, 1861, wd. Wal-
nut Hills, vet. Jan. 1, 1864.
Fisher, Ira, e. July 29, 1861, wd. Vicks-
burg.
Foster, F. W., e. Aug. 8. 1861.
Fulton, Jos., e. Sept. 7, 1861. disd. Sept. 15,
1803. disab.
Gray.Thos. Aug. 8, 1861.
Groat, Tlios., e. Aug. 14, 1861.
Grote, H. A., e. Aug. 14, 1861, wd. at Pea
Ridge, disd. July 3, 1862.
Guist, Wm. H. H., e. Aug. 8, 1861, vet. Jan.
1, 1834.
Grindrod, Joshua, e. Aug. 14, 1861.
Harvey, Jas. T., e. Feb. 13. 1864, wd. Jones-
boro.
Hopkins, Win. H., e. July 29, 1861, wd. at
Missionary Ridge.
Hamilton, Jos. S., e. Aug. 10, 1861.
Hodge, J. D.. e. Aug. 13, 1861.
Kelly, Jos. II., e. Aug. 19, 1861, vet. Jan 1,
1864.
Kellv Samuel P., e. Aug. 29, 1861, trans,
to Inv. Corps Feb. 15, 1864.
Klinger, H. L., e. July 29, 1861, vet. Jan.
1, 1864.
Kraft, Oscar, e. Aug. 9, 1861.
Lyle, J. A., e. Feb. 29, 1804.
Livingston. Wm. H., e. Aug. 12, 1861, vet.
Jan. 1,1864.
Little. Geo. W.,e. Aug. 10, 1861, disd. Sept.
5. 1862, disab.
Little, H. 1!., e. Aug. 10. 1861.
Miller, P. A., e. Aug. 10, 1801, vet. Jan. 1,
1864.
McMeans, Andrew, e. Sept. 10, 1862, kid.
V icksburg.
McGaffee, Jno. S., e. Aug. 10, 1861, wd.
Vicksburg. disd. Feb. 11. 1864.
Martin, S. It., e. Aug. 8, 1861, disd. Oct. 7,
1861, disab.
McComb, Samuel, e. Aug. 12, 1801, kid. at
Pea Kidge.
McMeans, John W., e. Aug. 12, 1861, wd.
at Pea Ridge and Vicksburg.
Miller, P. J., e. Aug. 13, 1S61.
McXally, Jas., e. Aug. 10, 1801, wd. at Pea
Ridge.
Markle, John It., e. Aug. lu. 1831, disd.
Dec. 2, 1862. disab.
O'Morrow, Wm., vet. Jan. 1, 1801.
Pierce. Geo. <:., .•. Aug. 10, 1861, kid. Pea
Ridge.
Pierce, L. L., e. Aug. 10, 1831, wd. Vicks-
burg.
Patterson, D. B., e. Aug. 13, 1801, kid. Pea
Ridge.
Eeyner, M.D., e. Jan. 19, 1802, vet. Jan. 1,
1864, wd. Bentonville, W. C.
Robins W. I)., e. Aug. 8, 1831. disd. Feb.
28, 1833, disab.
Reyner, H. C, e. Dec. 29, 1863.
Eamsey, M. A., e. Aug. 10, 1831.
Shepherd, II. II.. e. Aug. 13,1361.
Speith, Wm. e. Feb. 20, 1864.
Seaward, Win. T., e. Aug. 13, 1861, vet.
Jan. 1, 1361.
Spear, II. F.. e. Aug. 9, 1361, disd. Dec. 5,
1862, disab.
Sweet, Menzo, e. Aug. 8, 1361, kid. Wal-
nut Hills.
Sanborn, H. C, e. Aug. 12, 1801, vet. Jan.
1, 1861, captd. Miv27, 1864.
Spaulding. W., e. Aug. 8, 1861, died Vicks-
burg.
1 Sloan. 1). A., e. Sept. 24, 1801.
i Stevens, F. M., e. Sept. 11, 1861, died Dae.
22, 1861.
I Tollman, E. A., e. Aug. 8, 1361, vet. Jan.
1 1, 1864.
Taylor, F. Tf., e. July 89, 1861.
Townseud, Samuel D., died. M irch 3, 1*63.
Tompkins, P.. e. Oct. 7, 1861.
Thompson, Wm. M., e. Aug. 15, 1331, wd.
Pea Ridge, died Vicksburg.
Thompson, Robert S., e. Sept. 23, 1832, vet.
Jan. 1. 1804.
Trout. George, Aug. 10, 1881, wd. at Pea
Ridge.
Trout'; Wm., e. May 1, 1802, vet. Jan. 1,
1864.
Updegraft, Jos., e. Sept. 10, 1861, disd.
J ul v 22, 1862, disab.
Updegraft, Jesse, e.'Aug. 10, 1831, kid. at
Pea Ridge.
Van Orsdale, Alex. G., e. Aug. 10, 1861,
vet.. Ian. 1. 1864.
Vickery, F. It., e. Sept. 15, 1861, died St.
Louis.
I Wait, W. It., e. Aug. 12, 1861, vet. Jan. 1,
| 1864.
468
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Wait, L. M., e. Feb. 27, 1864, wd. and died
at Resaca.
YVilking, John, e. Aug. 4, 1861. trans, to
Inv. Corps May 15, 1864.
White, N. C, e. Nov. 19, 1861.
Young, C. C. e. Sept. 10, 1801, wd. at Pea
Ridge, disd. July 10, 1862, disab.
Company B.
Brickley, Jos. T., e. Aug. 12. 1861. disd.
Oct. 9, 1862, disab.
Colbv, David, e. Sept. 25, 1861.
Dean, Jno. S., e. Sept. 25, 1861, disd. Sept.
26,1861.
Green, Albert, e. March 17, 1864, wd. at
Bentonville, N. C.
Hammond, Geo., e. Sept. 25, 1861, disd.
Dec. 31, 1861. . ,
Tarbox, Man vi lie, e. Sept. 24. 1861. disd.
Jan. 18. 1862. disab.
Voile. John. e. Aug. 12, 1861.
Company D.
Brake, Abraham, e. Aug. 16. 1861, died
May 6, 1862.
Gibson, H. H., e. Sept. 22, 1861, wd. Pea
Bulge, disd. Sept. 10, 1863, disab.
Irwin, John C, e. Aug. 16, 1861.
Irwin, Thomas, e. Aug. 16, 1861, wd. Pea
Ridge, and died Oct. 21, 1862.
Steele, H. P.. e. Aug. 16. 1861
TWELFTH INFANTRY.
[Note.— This regiment was mustered cut at ileviphis.
Term., Jan. SO, 1866.}
Col. Jos. J. Woods, com. Oct. 23, 1861, wd.
Shiloh, m. o. Nov. 22, 1864, term expired.
Company A.
Hayw ood, Wm. P., e. Oct. 5, 1861.
Miller, Z. N., e. Oct. 5, 1861, disd. July 24.
1862.
Martin. M. A., e. Dec. 25, 1863.
Company D-
Piper. Wm. P.. e. Aug. 29. 1862, died at
Vieksburg.
Company E.
Seeber, G. L., e. Nov. 25, 1861. captd. bat.
Shiloh, vet. Dec. 25, 1863.
Surf'us, N., e. Sept. 29, 1861, wd. Tupelo.
Company F.
McCullough, Jno. A., e. Oct. 1, 1861, wd.
and captd. Shiloh, died Macon, Ga.
Rolsten, Nelson, e. Oct. 7, 1861, disd. May
27, 1862.
Company C.
MeLoud, Smith, e. Nov. G, 1S61, captd.
bat. Shiloh, vet. Dec. 25, 1863.
Company H.
Austin, Marion, e. Sept. 23, 1862.
Eddie. T.. e, March 26, 1863.
Michael. Theo. R, e. Aug. 30, 1862, died
Oct. 12, 1863.
Qnigley, E., e. Jan. 27, 1862.
Ravner, Jas., e. Aug. 29, 1862.
Work. B. F., e. Feb. 19, 1862.
Company I.
Capt. Jas. F. Zediker, e. as private Oct.
10, 1861, prmtd. 1st lieut. Dec. 2, 1864,
prmtd. capt. Jan. 23, 1865.
First Lieut. Jno. J. Marks, com. Nov. 16,
1861, captd. Shiloh, died Montgomery,
Ala., while prisoner.
First Lieut. Alfred L. Palmer, com. 2d
lieut. Nov. 16, 1861, wd. Corinth, com.
1st lieut. June 1, 1862, resd. July 8, 1863.
First Lieut. T. Benton Wade. e. as sergt.
Sept. 14, 1861, prmtd, 2d lieut. July 9,
1863, com. 1st lieut. Aug. 5, 1863, m. o.
D«c. 1, 1864.
First Lieut. Jas. L. Thompson, e. as pri-
vate Oct. 30, 1861, vet, Dec. 25, 1863,
prmtd. 1st lieut. July 2, 1865.
Sergt, John S. Ray, e. December 25, 1863,
vet.
Sergt. W. F. McCarron, e. Sept. 14, 1861,
captd. Shiloh.
Corp. Marion Rollf, e. Oct, 10, 1861, vet,
Dec. 25, 1863.
Corp. Herbert Hilton, e. Sept. 14, 1861,
disd. March, 1862.
Corp. Clinton Wade, e. Sept, 14. 1861.
captd. Shiloh, wd, Corinth, died Nov,
10, 1862.
Corp. James Harding, e. Oct, 9, 1861, vet.
Dec. 25, 1863.
Corp. Albert Shinkle, e. Oct. 10, 1861, died
Milliken's Bend.
Musician I. K. Crane, e. Sept. 14, 1861.
Musician Joseph H. Cobb, e. Nov. 15, 1861,
wd. Shiloh.
Austin. N. C, e. Jan. 27, 1862, vet, Jan. 3,
1864, wd. Tupelo.
Austin, M., vet, Dec. 25, 1863.
Belknap, Albert, e. Sept. 16, 1861, captd.
at Shiloh, disd. Aug. 23. 1862, disab.
Bulger, Jas., e, 1861, captd. at Shiloh,
disd. Jan. 6, 1863.
Butters. P. S.. e. March 18. 1862. vet, Dec.
25. 1863. kid. July, at Tupelo.
Buchanan, J. C. e.' Feb. 21, 1862, vet. Deo
25, 1863, wd. at Tupelo.
Brownseter, Nich.. e. Sept. 14, 1861, died
Feb. 10, 1862.
Cameron, Jos., e. April 9, 1864, wd. at
Spanish Fort, Ala., died at New Or-
leans.
Campbell, John F., e. Oct. 7, 1861, captd
at Shiloh, vet. Dec. 25, 1863.
Cobb.Wm. A., e. Jan. 27, 1862, vet. Jan. 3,
1864.
Coolev, Adam, e. Oct. 9, 1861, died Jan. 1,
1862.
Curbs, Volney. e. Oct. 5. 18G1, disd. July
12, 1862.
Davenport, H. G., e. Oct, 26, 1861, disd
June 22, 1K63.
Eaton, T., e. Oct. 10, 1861, wd. at Fort
Donelson and Shiloh.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
46!)
Edie, Alex., e. Oct. 23, 1861, disci. Aug. 29.
1862, disab.
Frv, David, e. Sept. 23. 1861. died Mound
Citv, 111.
Fry, Wm, e. Sept. 23, 1861. vet, Dee. 25,
1863, prmtd. eorp.
Goodenow, M. B., e. Oct. 23, 1861.
Green, F. H., e. Sept. 16. 1861. disd. June,
1862.
Hatfield. A. W.. e. Oct. 9, 1861, captd. bat.
Shiloh, vet. Dee. 25, 1863.
Hoff, Jas. L., e. Nov. 12, 1861, disd. June
14, 1862.
Henley, Thos., e. Oct. 16, 1861.
Jackson. J. e. Oct. 20. '61, died at St. Louis.
Kennedy, 8. L., vet. Dec. 25, 1863, wd. at
Tupelo.
Lane, N. M., e. Sept. 20, 1861, disd. July
16, 1862.
Martin, S. R., e. Nov. 12. 1861, disd. April
2, 1862, disab.
McKinlev, Jas.. e. April 9. 1864.
McLaughlin, M., e. Sept. 14. 1861. captd.
at Shiloh.
Morgan, Delos, e. Sept. 14. 1861.
More, Martin, e. Nov. 20. 1861, died Jan.
28, 1862.
Myers, John H., e. Sept. 14, 1861.
Nims. Weed, e. Sept. 30. 1861, captd. at
Shiloh. disd. Aug. 23. 1862.
Paup.Seth. e. Sept. 25, '61, vet. Dec. 25, "63.
Paup. David, e. Sept. 25, 1861. captd. at
Shiloh, vet. Dec. 25, 1863.
Backett, C. W., e. Sept. 21, 1861. captd. at
Shiloh, died at Macon.
Starbuck, Wm., e. Sept. 21. 1861, captd. at
Shiloh.
Snyder, V., e. Sept. 20. 1861. captd. at
Shiloh, vet. Dec. 25. 1863. wd. at Tupelo,
died at Memphis.
Southwell. Wm.. e. April 5. 1864. died at
Nashville.
Shour, L. J., e. Oct. 10. 1861.
Shinkle. Marion, e. Oct. 10. 1861. died
April 1, 1862.
Shaner, L. J., vet. Dec. 25, 1863.
Smith, Henry, e. Sept. 20, 1801. disd.
Thompson, Wm. F., e. Oct. 30. 1861. died
on boat OH Tennessee River.
Vanhook, Samuel, e. Sept. 15. 1861. captd.
at Shiloh, vet. Dec. 25. 1803.
Woods, Joel, e. Oct. 1. 1861. wd. at Cor-
inth, disd. March 17,1863.
Wills. E. II., e. Sept. 14, 1801, vet. Dec. 25,
1863, wd.and died at Nashville.
Wilson, J., e. Oct. 10, '61, vet. Dec. 25, '63.
Wilson, Thomas, e. Oct. 10, 1861, wd. at
Fort Donelson and shiloh. died Pitts-
burg, Tenn.
Washburn. Thomas, e. Sept. 22. 1861. vet.
Dec. 25, 1863.
Wills, Alonzo, e. Oct. 10, 1861. captd. at
Shiloh. died Jan. 31, 1862.
Yelly, Geo., e. Oct. 10, 1801. disd. July 10,
1862.
Company K.
Brooks, John.e. Oct. 19, 1861, disd. April
Church, Philander, e. Nov. 18, 1861, captd.
at Shiloh.
Dellcn. M.. e. Nov. 20,1861.
Dillon, Jos., wd. and captd. Tupelo, died
Mobile.
COMPANY tTNKOWN.
Raven. Jas.
Salisbury, Jas. M.
Ilinnon, P.
Uosecr.ms. Alfred, e. March 31. 1864.
SIXTEENTH INFANTRY.
Q. M. Smith Spore, e. as private Jan. 28,
1862, captd. Shiloh, prmtd. 2d lieut. Co.
A Jan. 1. 1865, prmtd. Q. M. June 2, '65.
Company A.
Corp. Jackson Allnian, e. Nov. 17, 1861,
vet. Jan. 28, 1804, captd. at Atlanta.
Alberts, F. P., e. Nov. 17, 1861, died Mav
24, 1862.
Huglison, C. J., vet. Jan. 5, 1864.
Bloor, \Vm.,e. Nov. 28. 1801, kid. at bat.
Shiloh.
Darling, C. A., vet. Feb. 28. 1864, wd. at
Kenesaw Mountain.
Fitzgerald, F., e. Nov. 19, 1861, vet Feb.
28, 1804. captd. Atlanta.
Spore. Alonzo, vet. Jan. 5, 1864, wd. lnka.
Switzer, I). M.,e.()ct. 17. 1801. wd. Shiloh.
disd. Julv 6/1862, disab.
Stallcopp, J. II. W., vet. Jan. 5, 1864.
Smith, James, wd. Shiloh and Iuka, vet.
i Jan. 5. 1804. captd. Atlanta.
Company C.
Millard, Thos. M . e. Dec. 29, 1863, wd. at
Nickajack Creek.
Company E.
i Lane. Lewis, e. Jan. 13, 1862, disd. Oct.
13, 1863
Sayward, Jas. A., e. Jan. 13. 1862. died
March 22. 1862.
Company C.
Johnson, Richard, e. Jan. 13. 1802, died
Oct. 4, 1862.
Company H,
Corp. Solomon Zook, e. Jan. 9, 1862, wd.
Shiloh, kid. Iuka.
Drake. Simon, e. Dec. 11. 1861, wd. Shiloh.
vet. Dec. 24. 1803. captd. Atlanta.
Hamilton, Alex., e. Feb. 23, 1862, wd. at
Nickajack Creek and Atlanta, died at
Marietta. Ga.
Harris. F., e. March 9. 1802, died July 20,
. 1802.
Johnson. Wm, e. Jan. 1,1802, died March
30, 1862.
Mix, Albert, e. Jan. 6, 1862. vet. Jan. 6
1864, wd. Nickajack Creek, captd. Feb.
470
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Morgan, Andrew, e. Dec. 25, 1861, died
Aug. 28, 1862.
Read, John W., e. Dec. 19, 1861, disd.
March 25. 1862, disab.
Kilaud. .las. M., e. Feb. 4. 1862, wd. Sln-
loh, vet. Feb. 4, 1864.
Bobbins, John, e. Feb. 25, 1862, wd. Iuka
Sept. 19, 1862. ■
Redden, John, e. March 9, 1862, wd. Shi-
loh, disd.
Seheib, VVm. T., e. Jan. 1, 1862, wd. Shiloh,
and Corinth, disd. Jan. 13, 1863.
Scott, AVm.. e. March 9, 1862, died at Mill
Rock. j „
Willison, Elzy, e. Jan. 4, 1862, died Cor-
inth June. 21, 1862. _
Wood, Jno. W.e.Jan. 3, 1862, died May
12 1 8fi^
Zook, Isaac, e. Jan. 9, 1862, wd. at Shiloh,
vet. Feb. 28,1864
COMPANY UNKNOWN.
Yely, Geo., e. Jan. 12, 1864.
TWENTY-FOURTH INFANTRY.
[NOTE— T/fe regiment wat mustered out at Savanna-.,
Ga., July 17, 18B5.}
Mai. Jas. W. Martin, com. capt. Co. I
Sept. 18. 1862, com. maj. July 1, 1865.
Company A.
Capt. S. II. Henderson, com. Sept. 18, '62,
resd. Aug. 22, 1863.
First. Lieut. Chauneev Lawrence, com.
Sent, is, 1862, kid. Champion Hills.
First. Lieut. Win. B. Davis, e. as corp.
An.'r 9 1862, com. 2d lieut. June 15, 64,
printd. 1st lieut. March 9, 1865.
Second Lieut. Charles Wager, e. as pri-
vate Aug. 11, 1862, wd. at Red River,
Ark., coin. 2d lieut. March 9, 1865.
Sergt. Franklin Humphrey, e. Aug. 5,
1862, disd. March 6, 1863, disab., died at
Moline.
Sergt. John M. (Line. e. Aug. 9, 1862.
Sergt. II. J. Scotield, e. Aug. 11, 1862, wd.
and died at. Champion Hills.
Sergt. Thos. E. Blanchard, e. Aug. 14, 02,
wd. at Cedar Creek, Va. „„„,,,
Sergt. Michael Seeber.e. Aug. 7, 1862, kid.
at Champion Hills.
Sergt. Lewis A. Carman, e. Aug. 1, 1862,
wd. at Cedar Creek. Va., died at Win-
chester, Va. a^
Sergt, W. S. Kellogg, e. Aug. 11, 1862, wd.
at Champion Hills, wd. at Winches-
ter, Va. „ „ ,
Corn. Win. A. Seeber.e. Aug. 11, 1862, wd.
at Champion Hills, died June 7, 1863.
Corp. John Laing. e. Aug. 9. 1862, wd. at
Winchester.
Corn. George Prussia, e. Aug. 11, 1862.
Corp. Bvron Cotton, e. Aug. 8, 1862, wd.
at Winchester, disd. May 27, 1865.
Corp. Aaron W. Day. e. Aug. 13. 1862,
trans, to Inv. Corps Sept. 1, 1863.
Corp. George C. Heberling, e. Aug. 14,
'62 wd. at Port Gibson, disd. Feb. 19, 64.
Corp. Lewis S. Kentner, e. Aug. 9, 1862
wd. at Jackson, Miss., died July 16, '63.
Corp. Hiram Allen, e. Aug. 8, 1862.
Corp. Samuel Eby, e. Aug. 9, 1862, wd. at
Fisher's Hill, Va.
Corp. Martin Guering, e. Aug. 11, 1862,
kid. at Champion Hills.
Corp. F. J. Esmay, e. Aug. 14, 1862, captd.
at Cedar Creek, Va.
Musician Horace Lawrence, e. Aug. 14.
Musician J. P M. Kindred, e. Aug. 9,
1862.
Atkinson, John, e. Aug. 9, 1862, died at
Helena, Ark. , ,
Aikinan, Wm., e. Aug. 11, 1802, wd. at
Champion Hills, disd. Sept. 7, 1863.
Bate, Wm., e. Aug. 14, 1862, wd. and died
at Champion Hills.
Bint, Wm., e. Aug. 9, 1862.
Bovd, James, e. Aug. 12, 1862.
Bruntlett, Henry, e. Aug. 11, 1862, kid. at
Champion Hills.
Campbell, John, e. Aug. 11,1862.
Cottiall, James, e. Aug. 13, 1862, wd. at
Winchester, disd. June 20, 1865.
Conway, Joseph, e. Aug. 11, 1862, wd.Oct.
15, 1862, kid. at Cedar Creek.
Church, N. W., e. Aug. 9, 1802.
Curtis, Charles, e. Aug. 13, 1862, died Dec.
21, 1862.
, Dennick, V., e. Jan. 27, 1864.
Dunham, Edw., e. Jan. 27, 1864.
1 Droun, John, e. Aug. 2, 1862, wd. at
i Champion Hills.
Ebv.Wm., e. Aug. 9, 1862.
Esmay, James, e. Aug. 14, 1862, wd. at
1 Champion Hills, trans, to V- It. C.
Esmay, I. N., e. Aug. 14. 1862, wd. at
Champion Hills.
I Fobes, C. W., e. Aug. 11. 1862, died at
Vicksburg.
i Gray, David, e. Jan. 27, 1864.
Gage, A. P., e. Aug. 9, 1862. wd. and died
I at Champion Hills.
I Hickson, Jas. L., e. Aug. 11, 1862, wd.
and died at Champion Hills.
Henry, Edw.. e. July 29, 1862, kid. at
Champion Hills.
Heufrev, John, e. Aug. 19, 1862.
Hanlvon, M., e. Aug. 4, 1802, wd. at
Vicksburg, trans. Sept., 1803.
I Jones, James, e. Aug. 11, 1862, disd. Feb.
6, 1863, disab.
Jacobson, Tlieo., e. Aug. 13, 1862, wd. and
died at 'Champion Hills.
J Kain Henr\. e. Aug. 11, 1802, wd. Wm-
! Chester, disd. May 29. 1865.
Krumniede, F., e. Aug. 11, 1802, wd. at
Champion Hills and Winchester.
Latta.j!>lmW.,e.. Aug. 11, 1862.
McLaughlin, Thos., e. Aug. 9, 1863
McCattertY.Chas., e. Aug. 11,. 1862. disd.
Jan. 8, 186.-). disab.
McNeil. Henry, e. Aug. 14, 1862, d.sd.
Mar 24, 1865.
Marr.'Wm. F., e. Jan. 27. 1804.
Marsh, Lewis E., e. Aug. 14. 1862, disd.
April 1, 1863, disab.
IHSTOICi (IK JACKSON COUNTY.
471
Manz, Jacob, e. Aug. 7. 1862. died at
Thibodeaux, La.
Marr, I. D., e. Aug. 9, 1862, trans, to Inv.
Corps. Sept. 1.1863.
Miles, F. M., e. Aug. 11, 1862. wd. Cedar
Creek, disd. April 14, 1865.
McKintey, C. Feb. 1. 1862, wd. Champion
Hills, disd. Oct. 20, 1863.
O'Marrow, ,Ias., e. Aug. 11, 1862.
O'Donnell. Hugh, e. Aug. 9. 1862.
Pendegast, P.. e. Aug. 14. 1863, wd. at
Champion Hills.
Robins, Henry, e. Feb. 28, 1864.
Richardson, Aden. e. Aug. 14. 1862, disd.
Aug. 3, 1863. disab.
Robbins, T. M., e. Feb. 24, 1864.
Smith, R., e. Aug. 11, 1862. wd. at Win-
chester, disd. Feb. 25, 18H5.
Stalleop, C. W.. e. Jan. 27, 1864, died on
U. S. transport Blackhawk.
Sturm. John. e. Aug. 11, 1862, wd. Cham-
pion FIills and Winchester, disd. Feb.
24, 1865.
Seeber, Jacob W., e. Aug. 9,1862, trans,
to Inv. Corps Sept. 1, 1863.
Tucker. A. C, e. Aug. 11. 1862. disd. Oct.
13, 1864, disab.
Van Steenburg, B-, e. Aug. 14, 1862, wd.
Champion Hills, disd. March 29, 1864.
William. Geo., e. Aug. 11. 1862. kid. Cham-
pion Hills.
Withay, E.. e. Aug. 2. 1862. disd. Feb. 20,
1863.
Waddilove A. e. Aug. 9. 1862. wd. and died
Champion Hills.
Wirt. J. D.. e. Aug. 11. 1862.
Company C.
Hill, Henry, e. Nov. 15, 1864.
Company H.
Esgate, Chas. W.. e. Oct. 13.1862. died Feb.
14, 1863
Company I.
First Lieut. Asa E. Tubbs. com. Sept 18.
1862, resd. Feb. 6, 1863.
First Lieut. Win. Lane, com. 2d lieut.
Aug. 30. 1862, prmtd. 1st lieut. Feb. 13,
1863, resd. July 31. 1863.
First Lieut. Jas. G. Potter, e. as corp. Aug.
11, 1862, prmtd. 1st lieut. Jan. 1, 1865.
Second Lieut. Chas. M, Dawes.e. as sergt.
Aug. 2. 1862, prmtd. 2d lieut. Feb. 13,
1863, resd. May 5, 1863.
Second Lieut. Willis F. Hanson, e. as pri-
vate Aug. 9, I862.captd. at Cedar Creek.
Va., com. 2d lieut. Jan. 1. 1865.
Corp. Anderson D. Rathbun, Aug. 6. 1862.
died at Helena. Ark.
Corp. John Seeley. e. Aug. 4, 1862.
Corp. F. A. Dawes, e. Aug. 5, 1862. wd.
and captd. at Cedar Creek. ,
Musician George W. Tinker, e. Aug. 2
1862, disd. Jan. 7, 1863.
Musician S. U.Dolph. e. Aug. 2. 1862. disd.
April 1, 1863, disab.
Wagoner Peter Fisher, e. Aug. 2, 1862,
disd. Feb. 3, 1863. disab.
Ashkettle. V. K.. e. Aug. 4. 1862.
Atkins, F. W..c. An-. 7, 1862. disd. Aug.
14. 1863, disab.
Ashkettle. Thos, e. Aug. 80, 1862, wd. and
captd. at Cedar Creek.
Burdick, A. I... e. Aug. 2. 1862.
Brown, Robert, e. Aug. 4. 1862, wd. at
Champion Hills, trans lo Inv. Corps.
Blakely, Hugh M.. e. Aug. 8, L862, wd.
Barnholt. John, e. Aug. 4. 1862,
Conerv, John II., e. Juh 81, 1S62, disd.
April 18. 1864, disab.
Cobb, John. Sr.. e. Aug. 6.1862.
Clark, Geo., e. Aug. 9. 1862.
Current, W., c. Aug. 9, 1862, ml at Cham-
pion Hills, trans, to Inv. Cm ps.
Codling, Hubert, e. Any. 9. 1862, captd. at
Cedar Creek. Va.
Cobb.Jared A.., e. Aug. 9. 1862.
Carrington. James M„ e. Aug. 17, 1862
wd.
Cleveland. A. D., e. Aug. 11, 1862, disd.
Feb. 16, 1863. disab.
Cotton, F. II.. e. Aim. 11, 1862, trans, to
Inv. Corps Nov. 25. 1863.
Cozad. 15. F., e. Aug. 10, 1862, disd. Jan. Hi,
1863, disab.
Crosby, John, e. Aug. 18. 1862.
Dowhouer, John. e. Aug. 4, 1862.
Dye, Nathan, e. Aug. 9. 1862.
Day. II. W„ e. Aug. 9. 1862. wd. and died
at Champion Hills.
Esty, M. J„ e. Aug. 11, 1862.
Green, Jas., e. Aug. 4, 1862, wd. and died
at Champion Hills.
Gunter. Hiram, e. Aug. 6, 1862.
Hodges. T. J., e. Aug. 4, 1862, died Helena,
Ark.
Hunsin/.cr, Edw.. e. Aug. 4. 1862, died at
Young's Point.
Hatlield. C.eorge B„ e. Aug. 4, 1862.
lioness. Jas.. e. Aug. 5, 1862.
Haylock, Robert, e. Aug. 6, 1862.
Hershberger. I. S., e. Aug. 9, 1862 kid. at
Champion Hills.
Heil, Peter, e. Aug. 9. 1862, died Jeffer-
son Barracks, Mo.
Ileil, Jos., e. Aug. 11.1862.
Ingle. C. W.. e. Aug. 15, 1862,
Javhawk. Winslow. e. Aug. 9, 1862, wd.
Vicksburg, trans, to V. R. C. Jan. 15,
1864.
Johnson. John. e. Jan. 26, 1864, wd. Win-
chester. Va.
Johnson, A. J., e. Aug. 9, 1862.
Kellev, Wm. (>., e. Any. 9. 1862, disd. May
28, 1863.
Kellev, C. ().. e. Aug. 11, 1862, kid. May
16, 1863.
Koontz. Win. II., e. April 2. 1864, captd.
Cedar Creek, Va.
Leland. D. M.. e. Aug. 4. 1862.
Locke. John, e. Aug. 11. 1862, trans, to
Inv. Corps Sept. 26, 1863.
Miller, I. S, e. March 21. 1864, wd. Win-
chester, trans, to V. R. C.
Mason. W. K.. e. Aug. 6. 1862. died at He-
lena, Ark.
Miller. Perry, e. Aug. 6, 1862.
472
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Mason. John E., e. Aug. 11, 1862, wd. and
died at Champion Hills.
MeKee, Cyrus, e. Aug. 11, 1862, kid. at
Natchitoches, La.
Nelson, Lane, e. Sept. 29, 1862.
Obergfell, F. H., e. Aug. 9, 1862, disd.
March 10, 1863, disab.
O'Kclley. Chas., e. Aug. 9, 1862, kid. at
Champion Hills.
Pangborn, H. E., e. Aug. 11, 1862, wd. at
Vicksburg, died at Memphis.
Quick, Samuel E., e. Aug. 9, 1862, wd. at
Champion Hills, disd. Nov. 6, 1863.
Rathburn, Geo., e. Aug. 6, 1862.
Rhea, David, e. Aug. 4, 1862, trans, tolnv.
Corps.
Keel, Win., e. Aug. 11, 1862.
Rollf, Geo. W., e. Aug. 7, 1862, kid. at
Champion Hills.
SkariV, John G., e. Aug. 14, 1862, died at
Helena, Ark.
Swoyer, H. W., e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Smith, J. B., e. Aug. 15, 1862, died at
Helena, Ark.
Sheets, Joseph, e. Aug. 4, 1862, captd. at
Cedar Creek, Va,
Stover, Wm., e. Aug. 5, 1862.
Stoner, A. B., e. Aug. 11, 1862.
Smith, James ('.. e. Aug. 11, 1862, wd. at
Champion Hills, disd.'Sept. 18, 1863.
Tinker, Chas. H, e. Aug. 15, 1862.
I' ml larger. .1. I) . e. Aug. 9, 1862, wd. and
died at Champion Hills.
Viers, Charles M., e. Aug. 11, 1862, disd.
Feb. 21, 1863, disab.
Wood, Tims., e. July 2, 1862, wd. at Win-
chester.
Wendle, H. D., e. July 9, 1862, died at
Carrolton, La.
Wagoner, D.. e. July 11, 1862.
Company K.
Sergt. John Vasser, e. Julv 23, 1862.
Wagoner M. T. Dnnond, e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Diamond, S. B., e. Feb. 29, 1S64, kid. at
Cedar Creek, Va,
(iilniore. James E., e. Aug. 13, 1862, wd.
at Mansfield and Cedar Creek, disd.
Feb. 24, 1865.
Hildreth, Alfred, e. Aug. 22, 1862, died at
Annapolis, Md.
Jewett, Victor, e. Aug. 22, 1862, trans, to
Inv. Corps Dec. 1, 1863.
Ryan, Seth, e. Feb. 29, 1864.
Shattoek, B. L„ e. Aug. 9, 1862, died at
Helena, Ark.
TWENTY-SIXTH INFANTRY.
Company A.
Capt. Leander B. Sutton, e. as sergt. Julv
7, 1862, wd., prmtd. 1st lieut. Sept. 2, '64,
prmtd. capt. June 19, 1865.
Sergt. Richard Durgan, e. July 7, 1862,
died Vicksburg.
Corp. D. V. Crandall, e. July 7, 1862.
Corp. Jno. S. Gooley, e. Aug. 25, 1862, died
Milliken's Bend.
Corp. Almond Fassett, e. June 30, 1862.
Musician John Durgan, e. July 7, 1862,
disd. Dec. 24, 1863, disab.
Musician A. L. Howard, e. Aug. 13, 1862
Wagoner Reder U. Shirley, e. July 7, '62,
wd. Atlanta.
Alden, H. E., e. July 7, 1862, disd. Dec. 24,
1862. disab.
Albury, S. R., e. Aug. 12. 1862, disd. Feb.
20, 1863.
Boyd, Jos., e. Jan. 11, 1864, died at Wood-
ville, Ala.
Bever, Jno., e. July 7, 1862, died Jan. 13,
1863.
Baty, John A., e. Aug. 20, 1862, died at
Memphis.
Dewel, Jno. W., e. July 7, 1862, died at St.
Louis.
Dockstarten, Ezra, e. July 9. 1862, disd.
Aug. 27, 1863, disab.
Gilmore, John, e. July 7, 1862.
Hoskins, Jas., e. July 7, 1862, died Mem-
phis.
Howard, H. W., e. Aug. 13, 1862, disd.
Feb. 22, 1863, disab.
Hawley, J. W., e. Aug. 12, 1862, died St.
Louis.
Hunter, Thos, e. Aug. 12, 1862.
Kellev, Isaac, e. July 7, 1862.
Miller, L., e. Aug. 12, 1862, captd. Deer
Creek, Ga., wd. Kenesaw Mountain,
died Boston Iron Works, Ga.
Post, A.,e. June 30, 1862, disd. May 9, '63,
disab.
Potter, P. J., e. Aug. 12, 1862.
Post, Thos., e. Aug. 15, 1862, disd. Sept.
4, 1863, disab.
Rhodes, M., e. July 9, 1862. disd. Aug. 27,
1863, disab. ^
Rhodes, Wm. P., e. Aug. 12, 1862.
Robbins, Ambrose, e. July 7, 1862, died on
steamer City of Memphis.
Ross, A. J., e. Aug. 11, 1862, died on
steamer Tecumseh.
Syhart, David, e. June 30, 1862, captd.
Deer Creek, Va.
Strong, Levi, e. July 7, 1862, wd. Shut
Gap, Ga.
Sinkev, Jno., 1st, e. Aug. 12, 1862, disd.
Aug. 27, 1863, disab.
Sinkey, Jno., 2d, e. Aug. 12, 1862, wd. at
Arkansas l'ost, died at Memphis.
Swift, W. II.. e. Aug. 12, 1862, wd., died
Nashville. Tenn. '
Wills, Jno. A., e. Aug. 12, 1862.
Company B.
Capt. Jas. W. Eckles, com. Sept. 30, 1862,
resd. June 11, 1863.
First Lieut. Alva Wilson, com. Sept. 30,
1862, resd. Feb. 26. 1862.
Second Lieut. Thos. B. Harrison, com.
Sept. 30, 1862, resd. March 10, 1863.
Second Lieut. Calvin Breeden, e. as sergt.
Aug. 8, 1862, prmtd. 2d lieut. March 11
1863, disd. Aug. 1, 1864. disab.
Sergt. P. R. Willey, e. July 3, 1862.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
473
Sergt. Wm. E. Thompson, e. July 7, 1862,
died Young's Point, La.
Sergt. Alex. Shaffer, e. July 6, 1862, died
Memphis.
Sergt. Rosseau Barrows, e. July 17. 1862,
wd. Walnut Hills, trans, to Inv. Corps.
Sergt. Hugh Snodgrass, e. Aug. 10, 1862,
wd. Arkansas Post.
Sergt. Walter B. Goodrich, e. July 15, '62.
wd. Vicksburg.
Sergt. Geo. E. Fisher, e. Aug. 10, 1862, wd.
Arkansas Post and Atlanta.
Corp. Ira F. Morev, e. Julv 13, 1862.
Corp. Jno. B. Case, e. July 17. 1852, wd.
and died Resaca.
Corp. Wm. T. Sutton, e. Aug. 8, '62, disd.
Feb. 20, 1863, disab.
Corp. Daniel B. Robbins, e. August 8,
1862.
Corp. Richard Bradley, e. Aug. 8, 1862.
Corp. John R. Col well, e. July 25, 1862,
died near Vicksburg.
Musician Hiberd Towner, e. July 8, 1862,
died at Young's Point, La.
Musician S. F" Gordon, e. Julv 8, 1862,
disd. Jan. 4, 1864.
Wagoner H. C. Jewell, e. 'Julv 20, 1862,
disd. July 13. 1863, disab.
Applegate, Nelson, e. Aug. 11, 1862, wd.
at Kenesaw Mountain.
Adler, Jerome, e. Aug. 5. 1862, trans, to
Inv. Corps June 15. 1864.
Angel], Wm., e. Julv 4, 1862. captd., disd.
May 2, 1863.
Ames, O.. e. Julv 4. 1862, died at Walnut
Hills.
Battles, Chas., e. July 9, 1862.
Buchner, H. U. G., e. June 25, 1862, died
at Black River Bridge, Miss.
Bradway.E. e. July 10, 1862.
Breeden, F. M., e. julv 22. 1862, died Nov.
OA 1 (MiO
Breede^R. P., e. Julv 21, 1862.
Cogswell, ('has., e. Aug. 8, 1862.
Colwell, John R„ e. July 25, 1862.
Casner, N., e. Julv 15, 1862, disd. May 29,
1863, disab.
Campbell, Jos., e. Aug. 17, 1862, disd Julv
9, 1863, disab.
Curtis, Nathan, e. Aug. 9, 1862.
Cook, John, e. Aug. 14, 1862, died at St.
Louis.
Ellis, Stephen, e. Aug. 10, 1862, died at
Nashville.
Flinn, T. M., e. July 15, 1862, died at
Vicksburg.
Fernish, R. S., e. Aug. 21, 1862, trans, to
Inv. Corps. Sept. I, 1863.
Farr, Henry, e. Julv 13, 1862.
Farrell, Henry, e. July 21, 1862.
Gould, B. A.,e. July 12, 1862. wd. at Jones-
boro, Ga., died at Chattanooga.
Grover, B. B., e. Aug. 8, 1862, disd. Feb.
9, 1865, disab.
Gearhart, A. W., e. July 8, 1862, died at
Young's Point, La.
Hight, John P., e. Aug. 11, 1862.
Hight, Adam C, e. Julv 12, 1862, disd.
Dec. 25, 1862.
Hight, Isaac IT., e. July 25. 1802, died at
Arkansas Post.
Hanson, Amos, e. Julv 28, 1862.
Hawkins, David, e. July 6, 1862, disd. Dec.
20, 1862, disab.
Harris, Nelson, e. July 22, 1862, disd.
March 10, 1863, disab. '
Iluntly, John, e. July 1, 1862, died Black
River Bridge
Hoff. Levi, e. Aug. tS, 1862, wd. accident-
ally.
Hood, John W., e. Julv 15, 1862, died at
St. Louis.
Johnson, James, e. Julv 2, 1862.
Kilrain, S., e. July 19, 1862.
Kilrain. John, e. Aug. 4, 1862, wd. at Ar-
kansas Post.
Kelley, Francis, e. Julv 19, 1862.
Linn, Franklin, e. Aug. 4, 1862, died at
Vicksburg.
Linn, James, e. Aug. 3. 1862, wd. Arkan-
sas Post.
Mattiuglv, John II., e. Aug. 10, 1862.
Morev, [. F.,e. Julv 13, 1862.
Morgan, John E., e. Julv 16. 1862.
Moody, Eli, e. Aug. 8. 1862.
Misner, Alov. e. Aug. 7, 1862, trans. Inv.
Corps Sept. 1, 1863.
Mitchell. Samuel, e. Aug. 16, 1862, died at
Black River Bridge, Miss.
Martin, J. B., e. Aug. 10, 1862, died on
Newkirk. Geo. S., e. Julv 30, 1862, died at
Young's Point, La.
Palmer. Peter, e. Aug. 8, 1862, died at
Young's Point, La.
Panghorn. William P.. e. August 7,
1862.
Roush. Levi. e. Aug. 11. 1862, disd. May 8,
1863, disab.
Stoop, Win., e. Aug. 7, 1862.
Sellers, Gabriel, e.Julv 24, 1862.
Sadler. John M.. e. Julv 19. 1862.
Stilhvagon, M., e. Julv 12, 1862, trans, to
Inv. Corps Sept. 1, 1863-.
Stone, Wm., Aug. 16, 1802, trans, to Inv.
Corps Sept. 1/1863.
Struble, Riley, e. Aug. 3,1862, disd. Dec.
30, 1863, disab.
Sutton, James, e. Aug. 8. 1862, died at St.
Louis.
Thomas, John McD., e. July 25, 1862, disd.
Dec. 14, 1863, disab.
Thompson, Thomas, e. July 28. 1862, died
St. Louis.
Whiteside, Win., e. July 8, 1862, wd. at
Arkansas Post, died at St. Louis.
Wheeler, A., e. Aug. 4, 1862, died Black
River Bridge.
Wood. Aimer, e. Aug. 17, 1862, died at
Helena, Ark.
Whitney, W. W., e. Aug. 4. 1862, died at
Helena, Ark.
Waters, Wm. II.. e. Aug. 14, 1862, wd. at
Mill Creek, N. C.
Waters. Jos. W., e. Aug. 7, 1868, died St.
Louis.
Westbrook, Wm. IL. e. Aug. 15, 1858, Captd
Helena, Ark.
474
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Company D.
Capt. Wm. F. Bounds, e. as corp. Aug. 12.
1862, prmtd. 1st lieut. Jan. 17, 1864,
prmtd. capt. June 5, 1865.
First Lieut, Edwin Williams, e. as private
Aug. 12, 1862, com. 1st lieut. June 9, '65.
Sergt. Stephen S. Smith, e. Aug. 12, 1862.
Musician Wilbur H. Fisk, e. Aug. 11, 1862,
died Fort Pickering, Tenn.
Burger, Philip, e. Aug. 11, 1862, disd. Nov.
24. 1864, disab.
Company F.
Clark, John N., e. July 15, 1862.
Leslier, Daniel, e. Aug. 15, 1862. trans, to
V. R. C. April 30, 1864.
Thinaw, Chas. L., e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Wilson, John, e. Aug. 15, 1862. died on str.
Tecumseh.
Company C.
Sergt. Hibbard Cheney, e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Butinghagen, John, e. Aug. 14, 1862, \vd.
Walnut Hills, disd. Oct. 17, 1864, disab.
Babcock, Samuel, e. Aug. 19. 1862. died
Nov. 21, 1862.
Chase, Hazon, e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Cheney. Fletcher, e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Clever, Jno., e. Aug. 19, 1862. kid. Walnut
Hills.
Hill, George, e. Aug. 22, 1862.
Hibler, Daniel, e. Aug. 22. 1862, died at
Memphis-
Kelly, Wm., e. Aug. 19. 1862. wd., disd.
Dec. 26, 1862, disab.
McCauley, Samuel, e. Aug. 19, 1862, died
Young's Point, La.
McCaulev, Wm., e. Aug. 19. 1862, disd.
May 7, 1863, disab.
O'Neil, James, e. Aug. 12, 1862.
Whitney, W. W.. e. Aug. 4, 1862, trans, to
Co. B.
Wood, Abner, e. Aug. 17, 1862, trans, to
Co.B.
Waters. Wm. H., e. Aug. 14. 1862, trans, to
Co.B.
Waters, J. W., e. July 7, 1862. trans, to
Co.B.
Company K.
Day, Hollis S., e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Elder, II. B., e. Aug. ^18, 1862.
Falkerson, D. S., e. Aug. 15, 1862
Weatherson, Luke, e. Aug. 15, 1862.
COMPANY UNKNOWN.
Jermain, Oliver, e. Nov. 2. 1864.
Stephens, George, e. Nov. 1, 1864.
THIRTY-FIRST INFANTRY.
[Note — This regiment was mustered out at Louisville June
Col. Jeremiah W. Jenkins, com. lieut.
Sept. 16, 1862, wd. at Vicksburg and
Resaca, com. col. May 11, 1865.
Asst. Surg. C. I.Dawson, com. Sept. 17,
1862, resd. April 28. 1863.
Adjt. Jos. C. Carr, e. as private Co. I
Aug. 12, 1862, prmtd. 2d lieut. Feb. 9.
1863, prmtd. 1st lieut, March 24, 1863,
prmtd. adjt. July 14, 1863, resd. April
4, 1864.
Company F.
Capt. William Vosburg, com. Oct. 13, '62,
resd. Feb. 21, 1863.
Capt. Adam Gebert, com. 2d lieut. Oct.
13, 1862, prmtd. capt. March 31, 1863.
First, Lieut. A. G. Henderson, com. Oct.
13, 1862, resd. Sept. 22, 1864.
First Lieut. Andrew J. McPeak, e. as
corp. Aug. 13, 1862, prmtd. 2d lieut.
July 16, 1863, prmtd. 1st lieut. Sept. 23,
1864.
Second Lieut, De Witt G Riggs, com.
March 31, 1863. resd. July 15, 1863.
Sergt. Chas. H. Burleson, e. Aug. 15, '62.
Sergt. Wm. H. Peck, e. Aug. 13, 1862.
Sergt. H. A. Cannell, e. Aug. 18, 1862, died
at Nashville.
Sergt. Amasa H. Kellogg, e. Aug. 13, '62.
died at Vicksburg.
Sergt. Robert P. Eaton, e. Aug. 13, 1862.
wd. at Lookout Mountain.
Corp. John C. Webb, e. Aug. 18, 1862,
disd. Sept. 8. 1863.
Corp. Allen Woods, e, Aug. 15, 1862. wd.
at "Vicksburg, died at Nashville.
Corp. E. Moore, e. Aug. 16, 1862, disd.
June 23, 1864, disab.
Corp. Abel Adams, e. Aug. 15, 1862, disd.
Sept. 8, 1863.
Corp. Aug. M. Johnson, e. Aug. 18, 1862,
disd. Feb. 25, 1864, disab.
Corp. Jas. A. Widel, e. Aug. 14, 1862, wd.
at Savannah, Ga,
Corp. James George W. Crane, e. Aug. 16.
1862, died at Memphis.
Musician J. B. Bentley, e. Aug. 18, 1862.
trans, to Inv. Corps June 15. 1864.
Wagoner John H. Grout, e. Aug. 13, 1862,
disd. March 9, 1863, disab.
Alderman. Wm. W.. e. Aug. 13, 1862.
captd., died at Andersonville.
Abbey, M. J., e. Aug. 14, 1862.
Bickford, William, e. Aug. 15, 1862, disd.
Sept. 8, 1863.
Brown, Wm. H.. e. Aug. 16, 1862, disd.
July 9, 1864.
Blacker, F., e. Aug. 16, 1862.
Beard. John. e. Aug. 16, 1862.
Calkins, Geo. O., e. Aug. 15, 1862, died
Jan. 15, 1863.
Dickinson, G. H., e. Aug. 13. 1862, disd.
April 29. 1864.
Decker, Geo. H.. e. Aug. 14. 1862, died at
Memphis.
Eldridge, Geo., e. Aug. 14, 1862, disd. Feb.
9, 1865.
Edwards, John E., e. Aug. 16, 1862, died
on hospital boat.
Edwards, Thomas, e. Aug. 16, 1862.
Edwards. Ezra. e. Aug. 16, 1862. trans, to
V. R, C.
Fisk. Lewis, e. Aug. 14, 1862.
Frank, Geo. W., e. Aug. 15. 1862, disd.
May 23. 1864, disab.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
47*
Farmer, William, e. Aug. 15, 1862. died at
Young's Point, La.
Fry, John, e. Aug. 22. 1802, disd. Sept. 23.
1864.
French, Isaac N.. e. Aug. 16, 1862, trans.
to Inv. Corps Dec. 15, 1863.
Flathers, H. G., e. Aug. 18, 1862, died at
St. Louis.
Gillett, L. L.. e. Aug. 13, 1862, died at St.
Louis.
Gibson, Geo. W., e. Aug. 14, 1862, died
Jan. 27, 1863.
Glaser, Jacob, e. Aug. 15, 1862, \vd. Vicks-
burg. disd. May 4. 1863, disab.
Gish, Jacob, e. Aug. 15, 1862, died at St.
Louis.
Gosnell, John W.,e. Aug. 15, 1862, died at
Memphis.
Gibson, John, e. Aug. 18, 1862.
Gillman, Jas. \V., e. Aug. 15, 1862, died
Jan. 24, 1863.
Godard. A., e. Aug. 15. 1862.
Howes. S. C, e. Aug. 14, 1862.
House, S. G, e. Aug, 14, 1862.
House, Geo. W., e. Aug. 15. 1862. disd.
Nov. 9, 1863, disab.
Hays, James, e. Aug. 15, 1862. disd. Sept.
8, 1863, disab.
Humphreys, Thomas, e. Aug. 15, 1862,
disd. May 22. 1863, disab.
Hunt, Abner, e. Aug. 16. 1862. disd. Feb.
19, 1863, disab.
Heath. Eli, e. Aug. 16, 1862.
Heath, Matthew, e. Aug. 22, 1862, died at
St. Louis.
Heath, D. M., e. Aug. 15. 1862.
Hilton, O. H„ e. Aug. 16, 1862. disd.
March 6, 1863, disab."
Howser, Daniel, e. Aug. 15, 1862, kid. at
Vicksburg.
Ikenbury, A., e. Aug. 16, 1862, kid. at
Missionary Ridge.
Johnson, Jos. T., e. Aug. 15, 1862, died
Dec. 7, 1862.
Johnson, A. M., e. Aug. 15. 1862, died at
Young's Point, La.
Jones. I'L A., e. Aug. 16, 1862.
King, Jared R., e. Aug. 14, 1862. wd. at
Kenesaw Mountain, disd.
Livermore, E. G, e. Aug. 13, 1862. died at
Young's Point, La.
Lainy, Thomas, e. Aug. 18, 1862.
Morse, M. H., e. Augt. 13, 1862.
Maudslev, C. W.. e. Aug. 13, 1862,
Matney.E. N. e. Aug. 13. 1862, died at
Vicksburg.
Matheny, A.,e. Aug. 16. 1862.
Moulton, Albert, e. Aug. 16, 1862.
Nier, Daniel, e. Aug. 22. Is62. disd. March
14, 1864, disab.
Nodle, Lewis, e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Nichols, E., e. Aug. 15. 1862. died Vicks-
burg.
Perry, B. F., e. Aug. 13, 1862.
Perry, T. D., e. Aug. 22. 1862.
Pate, George W., e. Aug. 18, 1862.
Poff, Allen R.. e. Aug. 16. 1862, trans, to
V. It. C.
Rogers. J., e. Aug. 14. '62. died June 20, '63.
Strohm, Isaac, e. Aug. 14, 1862, disd. Feb
13, 1863, disab.
Snodgrass, John, e- Aug. 15, 1862.
Snodgrass, Win. F. , . Aug. 16, 1862.
Snodgrass, Henry, r. Aug. 15. 1862, disd.
May 22. 1863, di'sab.
Sheumake, Eli. e. An- 15, 1862, disd.
Sept. 8, 1863.
Sheumake, Andrew, e. Aug. 16,1869,disd
Sept. 8. 1863.
Saunders, Samuel, e. Aug. 15. 1862.
Spotts, Jos., e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Sherwood. I,., e. Aug. 16, 1862.
Smith, A. M., e. Aug. 16. 1862, trans, to
Inv. Corps Feb. 15, 1864.
Said, J., e. Aug. 16, 1862, disd. Mayo, 1863,
disab.
Steward, A., e. Aug. 22. 1862. disd. Jan. ».
1865.
Tracy, John, e. Aug. 15, 1862, trans, to
Inv. Corps June 15, 1864.
Wade. Milton, e. Aug. 16, 1862, disd. Sept..
8, 1863.
Wade, Win. F., e. Aug. 16, 1862.
Wright, J. S.. e. Aug. 16, 1862, wd. at Ar-
kansas Fust, trans, to Inv. Corps.
Weerden, Peter, e. Aug. 15, 1862, disd.
Oct. 5, 1864.
Company I.
Capt. John Downing, com. Aug. 13, 1862,
m. o. April 2, 1864.
Capt. A. M. Phillips, e. as, sergt. Aug. 9V
1862, prmtd. 1st lieut. Aug. 29, 1863,
prmtd. capt. Feb. 2, 1864, wd. at At-
lanta.
First Lieut. Robert Anderson, com. Oct.
13, 1862, kid. at Vicksburg.
Second Lieut. Thomas 1!. Ilazen, com
Oct. 13, 1862, resd. Jan. 30, 1863.
Second Lieut. John S. Dunham, e. as
sergt. July 26, 1862. prmtd. 2d lieut
May 24, 1863.
Sergt. Volney S. Gray, e. Aug. 9, 1862,.
died at Young's Point, La.
Sergt. James I. McCord, e. July 24, 1862.
trans, to V. It. C. March 15. 1864.
Sergt. John D. Cannon, e. Aug. 9, 1862,
wd. Nov. 24, 1863.
Sergt. A. M. Phillips, e. Aug. 9, 1862.
Sergt. John H. Abell, e. July 24, 1862,
died at Memphis.
Sergt. Henry Warp, e. Aug. 14, 1862, died
at Vicksburg.
Corp. Andrew B. Rice. e. Aug. 9, 1862,
disd. Sept. 7, 1863.
Corp. James C. Patterson, e. Aug. 9, 1862,
disd. Mav 17, 1863. disab.
Coq. Win." Crooks, e. Aug. 8, 1862, died at
Louisville, Ky.
Corp. John Lamborn, e. Aug. 8, 1862, died
at Vicksburg.
Corp. Wm. H. Dougherty, e. Aug. 9, 1862.
kid. at Walnut Hills.
Corp. G. S. Cams, e. Aug. 9. 1862. disd
June 7. 1863.
Corp. A. R. Anderson, e. Aug. 20, 1862.
Corp. Isaac Moore, e. Aug. 13, 1862. disd
March 16. 1864, disab.
476
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Musician F. M. Purdy, e. Aug. 6, 1862,
wd. at Ringgold, Ga., disd. July 4, 1865.
Musician H. L. Cotton, e. Aug. 6, 1862.
Musician Wm, II. Vandeveiiter, e. Aug.
9, 1862.
Wagoner Simeon Irwin, e. July 26, 1862.
Wagoner Peter McAninch, e. Aug. 8,
1862.
Allen, Addison, e. Julv 29, 1862, disd. Feb.
10, 1863.
Allen, Azariah, e. Aug. 12, 1862, died at
( amp Sherman, Miss.
Applegate, Wm.. e. Aug. 9, 1862.
Austin, J. D., e. Aug. 11, 1862, died at
Camp Sherrnan, Miss.
Abel. Datus E., e. Aug. 11, 1862, died at
St. Louis.
Buchanan, Walker, e. Aug. 4, 1862.
Bucklin, Delos S., e. July 29, 1862.
Baker, A. F., e. Aug. 9, 1862, wd., died at
Vicksburg.
Beck, Jas., e. Aug. 9, 1862.
Beck, Conrad, e. Aug. 9, 1862, died on the
steamer Ohio Belle.
Black, Andrew, e. Julv 25, 1862, died at
Memphis.
•Carnahan, Jason, e. Aug. 4. 1862, died at
St. Louis.
■Coe, N. F., e. July 25, 1862, captd.
Cronk, S. S., e. Aug. 8, 1862.
Carr, S. M., e. Aug. 5, 1862, died Helena.
Crane, Wm. II., e. Aug. 9, 1862, died at
Memphis.
■Campbell, Wm., e. Aug. 11, 1862
Conway, Jas.,e. Aug. 9. 1862, disd. March
14, 1864, disah.
■Cahill, Thos., e. Aug. 13, 1862.
Carr, J. R.. e. July 28, 1862. trans, to Inv.
Corps March 10,1864.
■Coder, Ezra. e. Aug. 9, 1862.
■Cahill, John, e. Aug. 6, 1862.
Campbell, Robert, e. Aug. 5,1802, died at
Vicksburg.
Conway, L., e. Aug. 8, 1862.
•Conwav, Wm., e. Aug. 9. 1862.
DrisqoH, Daniel, e. Aug. 11, 1862.
Davison, Wm. B„ e. July 28, 1862, trans.
to Inv. Corps.
Fitzgerald, Geo. S., e. Aug. 6, 1862, died
at Memphis.
Fankel. Wm. H., e. July 24, 1862. died at
St. Louis.
Farrington, J. J., e. Aug. 8, 1862.
Frits, M., e. July 28, 1862. died Young's
Point, La.
•Grover, A. Z., e. Julv 23, 1862. disd. Mav
22, 1863.
Hazen, J. B., e. Aug. 3. 1862, died at St.
Louis.
Hayes, M., e, Aug. 5, 1862, died at Regi-
mental Hospital.
Hogg, K. S., e. Aug. 2, 1862.
Han-oun, ('has. G, e. Aug. 9, 1862.
Hunter, Levi E., e. Aug. 15, 1862, died at
Vicksburg.
Jameson, R. M., e. Aug. 9, 1862.
Jett, Henrv,e. Aug. 2,1862.
Kerbey, M. W., e. Aug. 5, 1862, died at
Young's Point, La.
King, S. M., e. Aug. 9, 1862, died at Mem-
phis.
Livingston, Alex., e. Aug. 12, 1862.
Martin, Wm., e. Aug. 9, 1862.
Martin, Robert J., e. Aug. 12, 1862.
McClusky, Alex., e. Aug. 2, 1862, died at
Vicksburg.
Maberry, John L., e. Aug. 2, 1862, died at
Cairo, 111.
Malone, Cyrus L., e. July 28, 1862, died at
Vicksburg.
Millsap, M., e. Aug. 9, 1862, wd. May 22,
1863, died Memphis.
Moger, Jno. H., e. Aug. 2, 1862.
Miller, F., e. Aug. 7, 1862.
Manning, D., e. Aug. 13, 1862.
Newman, W., e. July 28, 1862.
Nelson, Russell, e. Aug. 5, '62, died Mem-
Nelson, Edwin, e. Aug. 5, 1862, disd.
Sept. 7, 1863.
O'Donnell, M., e. Aug. 11, 1862.
Printz, J. H., e. July 28, 1862, disd. May
13, 1864, disab.
Phillips, Alex. J., e. Aug. 12, 1862.
Rice. Wm. M., e. Aug. 9, 1862, trans, to
Inv. Corps.
Ripple, C. L., e. Aug. 14, 1862.
Reed, Wm. O., e. Aug. 9, 1862, disd. April
6, 1863, disab.
Sawtell, L , e. Aug. 0. 1802, trans, to Inv.
Corps Sept. 28, 1863.
Smith, M., e. Aug. 2, 1862.
Sweeney, Jas. H., e. Aug. 12, 1862.
Stevens, A. C, e. July 28, 1862,
Sheats, Edwin, e. Aug. 2, 1862, wd. May.
Tarr. Geo., e. Aug. 8, 1862, died Walnut
Hills.
Vandoran. J. S.. e. July 25, 1862, disd.
May 16, 1863.
Vanderventer, W. II., e. Aug. 9. 1862.
Vaim, Geo. W., e. Aug. 2, 1862.
Vandoren, John, e. Aug. 9, 1862.
Whitman, Wm. R., e. Aug. 2, 1862, disd.
Feb. 3, 1863.
Webb, Geo. II., e. Aug. 9, 1862.
Weed, S. P., e. Aug. 9, '62, died Keokuk.
Walker, Geo. W., e. Aug. 9, 1862, died at
Memphis.
Watkins, S. P.. e. Julv 28. 1862.
Walker, John.e. Aug. 9, 1862, died Mem-
phis.
Welliver, C. e. Aug. 2, 1862.
Woods, John, e. Aug. 4, 1862.
Company K.
Capt. Johnson G. Thompson, com. Oct.
13, 1862, resd. May 14. 1863.
Capt. Aug. W. Bockins, com. 1st lieut.
Oct. 13, 1862, prmtd. capt. May 15, 1864.
First Lieut, Michael Maloney, e. as sergt.
Aug. 5, '62, prmtd. 1st lieut. May 15, '64.
Second Lieut. Leonard K. Bell, com. Oct.
13, 1862.
Sergt. Michael V. Foley, e. July 23, 1862.
Sergt. Jos. T. Reed, e. Aug. 15, 1862, trans.
to Inv. Corps Sept. 1, 1863.
Sergt. Ashley P. Fields, e. Aug. 15, 1862.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
477
Sergt. Benj. F. Boon, e. July 25, 1862, died
Young's Point, La.
Corp. A. T. Lambertson, e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Corp. Chris. Irwin, e. Aug. 15, 1862, disd.
Feb 19,1863.
Corp. .Tno. L. Todd, e. Aug. 22, 1862, died
St. Louis.
Corp. Jay Simmons, e. July 25, 1802, died
Young's Point. La.
Corp. David Wynn, e. Ann. 10, 1862, died
Milliken's Bend, La.
Corp. Wm. Lambertson. e. Aug. 26, 1862,
wd. Decatur. Ga.
Corp. Jas. Woods, e. Aug. 15. 1862, disd.
Sept. 9, 1863, disab.
Corp. D. C. Smith, e. July 25. 1862, died
Camp Sherman, Miss.
Corp. R. J. Thompson, e. Aug. 5, 1862.
Corp. Jas. W. Bell, e. Aug. 8, 1862.
Corp. Jas. M. Ramsey, e. July 25, 1862.
Musician Francis Levari, e. July 26, 1862.
Musician Clias. E. Mallory. e. Aug. 15,
1862.
Wagoner, L. N. Gilhnan. e. Aug. 22, 1862,
died St. Louis.
Anderson, Alex., e. Julv 25, 1862, disd.
July 18. 1863, disab.
Anderson, Jas., e. Aug. 19, 1862, disd. Jan.
4, 1864, disab.
Beggs, Henry, e. Aug. 11, 1862, kid. Look-
out Mountain.
Barry, Nicholas, e. Aug. 12, 1862, disd. Jan.
31, 1863, disab.
Budd, Wni. H., ,e. Aug. 15, 1862, wd. at
Lookout Mountain.
Baird, Samuel B., e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Bovard, Wm., e. Aug. 15. 1862, died Jan.
27, 1863.
Connor, Patrick, e. Aug. 11, 1862.
Courtney, Jacob, e. Aug. 11, 1862, disd.
Sept. 7, 1863, disab.
Cairev, E., e. Aug. 18, 1862.
Crowley, C, e. Aug. 22, 1862. died at St.
Louis.
Davis, Wm., e. July 25, 1862, died at St.
Louis.
Davis, D., e. J ulv 25. 1862.
Davis, Wm. I., e. Aug. 20 ,1862.
Davis, Alex.,e. Aug. 6, 1862, died Young's
Point, La.
Davis. Weslev, e. Aug. 6, 1862, disd. Sept.
7, 1863, disab.
Davis. Henry, e. Aug. 12. 1862, died Vicks-
burg.
Davis, James, e.. Aug. 6, 1862, died Vicks-
burg.
Devlin, Dudley, e. Aug. 6, 1862. disd. Feb.
27, 1863. .
Dowhower, Jacob, e. Aug. 2, 1862, died at
Black River, Miss.
Dowhower, F., e. Aug. 5, 1862.
Dohertv, Joseph, e. Aug. 6, 1862, disd. July
18, 1863, disab.
Dickey, S. G., e. Aug. 12, 1862.
Doty, L. M., e. Aug. 15, 1862, wd. Arkan-
sas Post.
Daughertv, E., e. Aug. 22, 1862.
Esch, M.,e. Aug. 15,' 1862, disd. April 24,
Eberly, Thomas, e. Aug. 27, 1862.
Fitzgerald, Joseph R., e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Gardner, P., e. Aug. 27, 1862, disd. May 9,
1863.
Gibson, Silas, e. Aug. 25, 1862.
Gillmore, Wm.,e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Gibbson, John G., e. Aug. 22, 1862, trans.
to Inv. Corps, May 15, 1864.
Hawkins, Wm., e. Aug. 13, 1862.
Herslin, E„ e. Aug. 8, 1862.
Jones, M.,e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Kulilman, John II., e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Kiskadden, J. C, e. Aug. 25, 1862.
Kelly, John., e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Lombert, Ira, e. Aug. 14, 1862, wd. May
_ 1803, disd. Oct. 20, 1863, disab.
Morris, M. A., e. Aug. 22. 1S62, died Vicks-
burg.
McKinley, J. II., e. Aug. 25, 1862, wd.
Kenesaw Mountain
McKmley. E. II., e. Aug. 21, 1862, disd.
July 18, 1863, disab.
McKinley, J. G, e. Aug. 21. 1862, died at
Young's Point, La.
Mitchell, John. e. Aug. 12, 1862, died at
Bridgeport, Ala.
Mitchell. Ohas., e. Aug. 8, 1862.
Means, J. P., e. Aug. 11, 1862, disd. Dec.
18, 1803.
Morris, James, e. Aug. 14, 1862, died at
Vicksburg.
Nicholson, John, e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Organ, James, e. Aug. 14, 1862, disd.
March 27, 1865.
I Ostest, John, e. Aug. 22. 1862.
Paup, Daniel, July 25, 1862.
Paup, Wm., e. Aug. 8, 1862.
Pangborn, I. T.. Aug. 22, 1862.
Ramsey, J. X.. e. Julv 25, 1862.
Ross, John, e. Aug. 25, 1862.
Rihal, Jos., e. Aug. 23. 1862, died at Milli-
ken's Bend.
Risinger, A., e. Aug. 12, 1862. died at
Vicksburg.
| Ray. John, e. Aug. 13, 1862.
Strain, Geo., e. Aug. 22, 1862.
Stephenson, Wm., e. July 25, 1862.
! Steddv, II., e. July 25. 1862.
Sublett, Geo. W.,'e. July 25, 1862.
I Stolder, John. e. Julv 25, 1862.
i Smith, Hammond, e. July 8, 1862.
Simmons, Wm. e. July l4, 1802.
Swoyer, John B., e. July 25, 1802, kid. at
Vicksburg.
Thompson, Robt., e. Aug. 5, 1862.
Toptine, Aug., e. Aug. 13, 1862, died at
Milliken's Bend.
j Tockerman, C, e. Aug. 11, 1862, died at
Young's Point, La.
I Tracey, Anthony, e. Aug. 11, 1862, died at
Vicksburg.
1 Troy, John, e. Aug. 22, 1862.
j Troy, Wm., e. Aug. 22, 1862.
Willson, A. J., e. .July 27, 1862.
Willson. A., e. Aug. 8, 1862.
Weinberger, A., e.^Aug. 10, 1862.
AVaters, John, e. Aug. 13, 1862.
I Weinberger, L., e. Aug. 15. 1862.
i Widie, E. B., e. Aug. 15, 1862.
478
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
FOKTY-FOTTRTH INFANTRY.
Company D.
Leech, John A., e. May 20. 1864.
Company F.
Second Lieut. Delos A. Waterman, com.
June 1, 1804.
Nergt, Thos. Wilson, e. May 14, 1864.
Corp. Ben.j. Bartlett, e. Mav 12, 1864.
Corp. Adam F. Widell, e. May 23, 1864.
Corp. Delos \V. (iraves, e. May 21, 1864.
Anderson, John. e. Mav 16. 1864.
Applegate, II., e. May 23, 1864.
Bradwav, George ('.. e. Mav 14, 1864.
Battles, 'Geo. W., e. Mav ll', 1864.
Barrows, Wm. II., e. May 7, 1864.
Burnap, H. F., e. May 17, 1864.
Baker, M. N., e. April 30, 1864.
Brimmer, John, e. Mav 24. 1864.
Clark, J., e. Mav 16,1864.
Davis, Wesley, e. April 30, 1864.
Downer, Ceo. C. e. May 17, 1864.
Eaton, 1). II., e. May ll! 1864.
Eastman. A., e. Mav 14. 1864.
Hawkins. E. 15., e. Mav 13,1864.
Kidd, T. R. G., e. May 14, 1864.
Miller, Wm., e. Mav 16. 1864.
Skinner, .las. M., .'."Mav 17, 1864.
Shedeck, Jos., e. Mav 21. 1864.
Scott, D., e. Mav 17, 1864.
Sorber, E. \V., e. May 21, 1864.
Sorber, P. J., e. Mav 21. 1864.
Shaner, Wm. J., e. May 23, 1864.
Widell, Alfred, e. May 23, 1864.
Wicker, F., e. May 12, 1864.
Company C.
Clark. John H., e. Mav 28, 1864.
FIRST CAVALRY.
[NOTE.— This reqimnt waa mustered cnil at Autlin, Tex.,
February 15,1866.}
Company A.
Mathews, Emery, e. Jan 4. 1864. died at
Little Rock, Ark.
Company B.
Second Lieut. Hiram S. Heberling. e. as
private July 10. 1861, prmtd. 2.1 lieut,
Aug. 5, 1864:
Fulton, Robt. B„ e. Mav 18, 1861.
Garland, Wm. H.. e. Julv 18, 1861, vet.
Jan. 5, 1864.
Hughson. William, e. July 18, 1861, vet.
Jan. 5, 1864. eaptd at Moro Creek.
Ark.
Robertson, Jos. H., e. Julv 18. 1861, disd.
May 14. 1863, disab.
Company E.
Martin. John R.. e. Oct. 2, 1863.
Company C.
Farrier Michael ( >'Sullivan, disd. Dec 1,
1861, disab.
Wagoner Thomas Mulford. died at Little
Rock, Ark.
Drake, Thomas B.
Murphy, John, vet. Dec. 9, 1863.
Scott, D. W., wd. July 9, 1862, vet. Jan. 5,
1864.
Company K.
Bricker, E. G., vet. Dee. 9, 1863.
Company L.
Second Lieut. Warren Y. Reeves, e. as
sergt. Aug. 25, 1861, prmtd. 2d lieut.
March 1, 1863, resd. Jan. 26, 1864.
Corp. Wm. C. Bell, disd. Feb. 7, 1862,
disab.
Corp. William Stade, e. Sept, 1, 1861, vet.
Jan. 5, 1864.
Corp. D. C. McKillup, e. Sept. 1, 1861.
Jourdan, M. G., disd. March 14, 186,5,
disab.
Jenkius, Wm., vet. Jan. 5, 1864.
Portz, N., vet. Jan. 5. 1864.
Port/., John.
Reed, J. J.
Slade, C. M., e. Sept, 10, 1861, vet. Jan. 1.
1864.
Sinister, John, died at Little Rock, Ark.
Smith, H. W„ vet. Jan. 1, 1864.
Tienan, F.. vet. Jan. 5, 1864.
Tienan, Jos., vet. Jan. 5, 1864.
Walter, Peter, vet. Jan. 5, 1864.
Wise. John.
'OMPANY UNKNOWN.
Hutchins. H. H.
SECOND CAVALRY.
[Note. — 77ms regiment was mastered out at Selma, Ala..
Sept. 19, 1865.}
Maj. Wm. W. Eaton, com. capt. Co. L
Sept. 12, 1861, com. maj. Aug. 9, 1863.
disd. Feb. 1, 1864.
Maj. Samuel Foster, com. 1st lieut. Co.
M Sept. 12, 1861. prmtd. capt. Feb. 23.
1864. prmtd. maj. Nov. 27, 1864.
B. Q. M. S. Jno. F. Spence, Sept, 4, 1862.
B. S. S. Wm. F. Cleveland, Sept. 4, 1864.
Musician Jacob V. Brecker, e. Sept. 12,
Butts, C. P.
15, 1862.
Company C.
p. Aug. 14. 1861. disd. Oct,
Company C.
Harding, A. W., e. March 1, 1864.
Company H.
Yohum. Philip, e. Sept. 10, 1862.
Company L.
Capt. W. Scott Belden, com. 1st lieut.
Sept. 12, 1861, prmtd. capt. Aug. 9, 1863.
m. o. Oct. 3, 1864, term expired.
Capt, Jas. Crawford, e. as Q. M. S. Sept.
12, 1861, prmtd. lieut, Aug. 9, '63, prmtd.
capt, Nov. 27. 1864.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
479
First Lieut. Michael K. Cavenaugh, e. as
private Sept. 12, 1861, wd., prmtd. 2d
lieut. Nov. 27, 1864, wd., com. 1st lieut.
March 15, 1865.
Second Lieut. F. S. Dunham, com. Sept.
12, 1861, m. o. Oct. 10, 1864, term ex-
pired.
Q. M. S. Justin Miles.
Sergt. Geo. W. Kelsall, captd. at Farm-
ington, vet. March 1, 1864.
Sergt. Dan'l S. Wendall, captd. Ripley &
Memphis K. R.
Sergt. Geo. W. Sawyer.
Sergt. Branson Halley.
Sergt. F. X. Rhodes, disd. March 31, 1862.
Sergt. .Jno. McCullum.
Sergt. Dan'l W. Estelle, e. Oct. 1, 1861,
captd. Collinsville, Tenn., died Ander-
sonville.
Sergt. Jno. Snyder.
Sergt. Geo. H. Langdon.
Corp. Marcellus A. Clark, wd. at Corinth,
died St. Louis.
Corp. Henry Aekerman.disd. July 8, '62.
Corp. M. V. Hubbard, wd. Famiington,
Miss.
Corp. Geo. H. Langdon.
Corp. Albert N. Wade, e. Oct. 5, 1861,
died at St. Louis.
Corp. Jas. Boiler, e. Aug. 15, 1862, trans.
to Inv. Corps.
Bugler Jos. Anderson.
Farrier Dexter R. Crocker.
Farrier ('has. A. Eisner, trans, to Inv.
Corps Sept. 3, 1863.
Wagoner L. L. Sawdey, died at Kienzi.
Anderson, Jos., e. Sept. 12, 1861.
Brown, F. W., e. Aug. 23, 1864.
Bly, Lott A., e. Sept. 12, 1861.
Brook field, B. C, e. Oct. 5, 1861, disd. July
23, 1862, disab.
Clawson, B., e. Se|)t. 12, 1861.
Cavanaugh. M. H., e. Sept. 12, 1861, captd.
Rienzi, Miss., vet. March 1, 1864.
Cummings, R. O. D., e. Sept. 12, 1861,
trans, to Inv. Corps.
Click, Geo. W., e. Sept. 12, '61, vet. March
1, 1864.
Cooper, Edw., e. Sept. 12, 1861.
Cooper, Isaac N., e. Sept, 12, 1861.
Dowling, Dane, e. Aug. 31, 1864.
Dillee, R. L. W., e. Sept. 12, 1861, vet.
March 1. 1864.
Delarm, Wm. H., e. Jan. 4, 1864, died at
Memphis.
Derby, E. IX.e.Sept. 12, 1861.
Elithorpe, Chas. H., e. Sept. 12, 1861, died
La Grange, Tenn.
Kdwards, Jacob A., e. Sept. 12, 1861.
Field. John W., e. September 12. 1861,
died.
Funk, Geo., e. Sept. 12, 1861.
Fill v, Wm„ e. Sept, 12
1862.
Fuller, Sidney, e. Sept. 12, 1861, wd. Gib-
son's Plantation, Miss.
Gideon, George L., e. October 5, 1861,
disd.
Gee. Wm. J., e. Sept. 12, 1861.
1861. disd. Oct,
Hicks, Madison, e. Sept. 12, 1861.
Jenkins, Danver, e. Sept. 26, 1862, vet.
March 1, 1864.
Jarrett, Geo. Wm., e. Sept. 12, 1861, vet.
March 1, 1864.
Kirby, Jacob, e. Sept. 12, 1861, wd. May 9,
1862, vet, March 1, 1864.
Kolss, H. A., e. Sept, 12, 1861, vet. March
1, 1864.
McCloy, Saui'l, e. Aug. 19, 1862, died at
La Grange, Tenn.
Magee, Wm., e. Aug. 15, 1862, vet. March
1, 1864, wd. Little Harpeth, Tenn.
Newman, A. G., e. Sept. 12, 1861, disd.
Sept. 10, 1862.
Needliani, A., e. Aug. 15, 1862, trans, to
Inv. Corps.
Pierce, Simon, e. Sept, 12, 1861, vet. March
I, 1864.
Parshall, Sam'l, e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Reed, Jas. H., e. Sept. 12, 1861, wd. near
Collinsville, Tenn., vet. March 1, 1864.
Ravmond, Jos.,e. Sept. 12, 1861, disd. Sept
25, 1862, disab.
Russ, Clauss C, e. Sept. 12, 1861.
Sheldon, O. W., e. Aug. 19, 1862, disd.
March 10, 1863, disab.
Springer, R. B., e. Sept. 12, 1861, captd. at
Fisherville, Tenn.
Scott, Quinton, e. Sept, 12, 1861.
Stoof, Geo., e. Aug. 19, 1863, disd. March
10, 1863, disab.
Spurrill, Walter, e. Sept. 12, 1861.
Swigart, U. K.. e. Sept. 12. 1861, disd. May,
25, 1862. disab.
Taylor, John, e. Sept. 12. 1861.
Usher, E. W, Oct. 25, 1861, disd. Sept. 22,
1862, disab.
Wright, John J„ e. Sept. 12, 1861, disd.
disab., Sept. 1862.
Woodhurst, S., e. Sept. 12, 1861.
Wivines, N., e. Sept. 12,1861.
Whitmore, Wm. S., e. Sept. 12, 1861, vet.
March 1, 1864.
Woodhurst, Wm., e. Aug. 17, 1862, vet.
March 1, 1864..
Company M.
' Capt. Jos. McConnell, com. Sept, 12, 1861,
resd. March 4, 1863.
Capt. Thos. M. Hamilton. e. as sergt. Sept.
28. 1861, prmtd. 2d lieut, April 14, 1862,
: prmtd. 1st lieut. Eeb. 23, 1863, prmtd.
i capt. Nov. 27, 1864.
i First Lieut, John K. Humphrey, e. as pri-
vate Sept. 28, 1861, prmtd. 2d lieut. June
II, 1863, com. 1st lieut. Nov. 27, 1864.
Second Lieut, Andrew D. MeCombs, com.
Sept. 12, 1861, m. o. April 12, 1-862.
Second Lieut. Austin A. Scott, e. as sergt.
Sept 28, 1861, com. 2d lieut. Nov. 27,
1 1864.
i Sergt. R. M Smith e. Julv 1. 1862.
Q. M.S. Hugh Johnson, e. July 1, 1862,
kid. West Mississippi.
! Com. Sergt. Benjamin King, e. Oct, 20,
I 1862.
Sergt, John F. Spence, e. Sept, 4, 1861, disd.
I Sept. 16, 1863, for promotion.
480
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Sergt. Robert M. Gibson, e. Oct. 20. 1862,
vet. March 1, 1864.
Sergt. David Ray, e. Sept, 28, 1861, vet.
March 1, 1864, wd.
Sergt. F. W. Yercan, e. Oct. 20, 1862.
Corp. Wm. Stevenson.e. Sept. 28, 1861, vet.
March 1, 1864.
Corp. A. C. McCombs, e. Sept. 28, 1861,
died St. Louis Dec. 21, 1864.
Corp. George Swezv, e. Sept. 28. 1861.
Corp. George W. Jenkins, e. Sept. 28, 1861.
Corp. David P. Kimbal. e. Oct. 20, "62, vet.
March, 1, 1864.
Corp. Win. S. Abel, e. Oct. 20, 1862.
Corp. Thomas Flitcraft, e. Sept. 28, 1861.
Corp. Thus. .T. Wilson, e. Oct. 20, 1862.
Corp. Thos. G. Deniston, e. Oct. 20, 1862.
vet. March 1, 1864.
Corp. Jas. G. Johnson, e. Oct. 20, 1862.
Bugler E. A. Abel, e. Sept. 28, 1861, trans.
to Brigade Band, vet. March 1, 1864.
Bugler Wallace Abel, e. Sept. 28, 1861,
to Brigade Band, died ha Grange, Teim.
Saddler W. T. Cleveland, e. Sept. 4. 1861.
Saddler Moses D. Blank.
Wagoner John Kite, e. Sept, 28, 1861.
Farrier Will. Montgomery, e. Feb. 12, "62.
Farrier Ralph D. Bowen, e. Aug. 1. 1862.
Allen, S. R.. e. Aug. 30, 1862.
Austin, Mason B., e. Sept, 28. 1861.
Barrow, Alfred, e. Nov. 8, 1861, disd. June
10, 1862.
Breeden, Jos. s., e. Sept. 28. 1861, kid. at
Farrnington, Miss.
Briggs, Owen, e. Aug. 30, 1862.
Boyd. John D.. e. Sept. 28. 1861. -vet. March
1, 1864.
Beard, Jno.. e. Sept. 28, 1861.
Branscomb, Win, W., e. Sept, 28. 1861, disd.
March 7. 1863. disab.
Blackburn, h., e. sept. 28, 1861.
Crawford. Andrew, e. Sept. 28. 1861. disd.
Fell. 18.1862.
Olienv, O. K..e. Sept. 28, 1861, vet. March
1. 1864.
Cronk, Wm.. e. Sept. 28. 1861, died Oct, 29,
1863.
Chamberlain, Z. C, e. Sept, 1, 1862.
Came, Fernando, e. Sept. 28, 1861.
Chapin, Jas. S.. e. Sept, 28, '61, vet. March
1. 1864.
Day.C.O, e. Aug. 31, 1862.
Dunam, Wm., e. Sept. 28, 1861, vet. March i
1, 1864.
Flathers, Benj. h.. e. Sept 28, 1861.
Ford. F. J., e. Aug. 30. 1862. vet, March
1, 1864.
Flathers, A. W., e. sept. 28, 1861.
Gibson. S. M„ e. Aug. 30. 18G2.
Gibson, Wm. I!., e. Sept. 28, 1861.
Iladden, Newton, e. Sept. 28. 1861. vet.
March l, 1864.
Hogg, Jas. F., e. Sept. 28, 1861.
IlastV. Alex..i'. Sept, 28, 1861.
Holcomb, h. P., e. Sept. 28. 1861. disd.
Dee. 8, 1862, disab.
Hauu, Geo. J., t>. Sept. 28, 1861.
Ilazen, S. h., e. Sept. 28, 1861, disd Ma\
9. 1862. disab.
Hodge, Wm., e. Sept, 28, 1861.
Hinton, John M. D., e. Sent. 28, 1861, vet,
March 1, 1864.
Hood, AVm., e, Sept. 28, 1861. disd. Oct.
30, 1862.
Jackson, John B., e. Aug. 30, 1862.
Jameson, Wm. H., e. Sept. 13,1862, disd
March 10. 1863.
Jenkins, P. R., e. Aug. 18, 1862.
Kite, James, e. Sept. 28, 1861, died Nov.
22. 1862.
Knox, Thaddens. e. Sept. 28. 1861, vet,
March 1, 1864.
Kimball, Joseph, E., e. Aug. 10. 1862, vet
March 1. 1864.
Lias, T. W.. e. Sept. 28, 1861.
Lias. J. W.. e. Aug. 30, 1862.
hias, H. W.. e Sept. 28, 1861, vet, March
1, 1864.
McMeans, 1!., e. Sept. 28, 1861.
Mc Williams, Jas., e. Sept. 28, 1862, disd.
in February. 1862, disab.
McCombs. II. D.; e. Sept. 28, 1861.
McCombs, John. e. Sept. 28, 1861.
McCombs, J. W., e. Aug. 30, 1802, died at
ha Grange, Tenn.
MeClandlass, Wm., e. Sept. 28. 1861, disd.
Oct. 13, 1862, disab.
McDonald. Richard, e. Sept. 28, 1861. vet.
March 1, 1864.
Manning. C S, e. Sept, 28. 1861. ilisd.
March 14, 1803. disab.
Patterson. N.. e. Sept. 28. 1861, died at
Cuthroville, Tenn.
Porter. R. R., e. Sept. 28. 1861.
Pierce. M., e. Sept. 28, 1861, vet. March
1, 1864.
Preo, Jos., e. Sept. 28, 1861. vet, March
1, 1864.
Parker, John, e. Sept. 28, 1861, kid at
Farrnington, Miss.
Rose, Jo iab, e. Sept. 11, 1862.
Heed, J. C, e. Sept. 28, 1861.
Reed, Chas. P., e. Feb. 11, 1864, vet., wd.
in 1864.
Smith, N., e. Sept. 11, 1861, wd. at Farrn-
ington, Miss., disd. Aug. 13, 1862.
Seamonds. S. 1!., e. Sept. 9, 1862.
Smith, John A., e. Sept. 28. 1861, wd. at
Hoik Springs.
Shirley, Ralph, e. Aug. 23, 1863.
Strickier, Noah, e. Sept. 28, 1861, disd.
Aug. 10, 1863.
Stewart, Isaiah, e. Sept. 1, 1862, kid. at
West Point,
Said, Jos. H., e. Sept. 28, 1861. vet. March
1, 1864.
Stevens, A. M., e. Sept. 1, '62. disd. March
10. 1863, disab. .
Starr, Cornelius, e. Sept. 28. 1861, disd.
Nov. 20, 1862, disab.
Seamonds, M. V., e. Sept. 9, 1862.
Smith, Albion, e. Sept, 28, 1861.
Stephenson. E. II., e. Sept, 28, 1861, disd.
April 23. 1S63. disab.
Thompson, Isaac, e. Sept, 28. 1861.
Thompson, Jos., e. Sept, 28. 1861, died
Jan. 2, 1862.
Wright, Jesse, e. Sept. 28, 1861.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
481
Woods, R. N., e. Sept. 28, 1861.
Wilson, Nathaniel, e. Sept. 1, 1862, c
March 10, 1863, disab.
Terrian, William H.. Sept. 1. 1862.
March 1, 1864.
COMPANY INKNOWN.
Adler, Henry, Jan. 20, 1864.
Burrows, Alfred, e. Feb. 20, 1864.
Delarm, Wm. H., e. .Tan. 4, 1864.
Fortner, Alexander, e. Feb. 15, 1864.
Hawkins, David, e. Feb. 27, 1864.
Jennings, Uriah, e. May 12, 1864.
Meeker. Jos. 13., e. Sept. 27. 1864.
Ostett, John, e. Sept. 26,1864.
Peck, II. M„ e. Jan. 4, 1864.
Scott, Elisha, e. Sept. 26, 1864.
Scott, L. I)., e. Sept. 20, 1864.
Seely, Horace B.. e. Jan. 26, 1864.
Savvdey, Augustus, e. Feb. 15, 1864.
Thompson, Henry, e. Sept. 27, 1864.
Tavlor, W. E., e. April 25, 1864.
West. Thomas, e. Jan. 1, 1864.
FIFTH CAVALRY.
[Notl — Tht Fifth Vetenui r.icrfrii int., mustered out at
Nutlnille. Tern., Aug. 11, I860.]
Company B.
Livermore, Edwin, vet. Jan. 1. 1864, died
Aug. 16. 1864.
Company H.
First. Lieut. Win. F. Hays, com. Jan. 9,
1862, captd.at Newnan, Ga.. exchanged,
m. o. Jan. 9, 1864.
Second Lieut. John W. Watson, com. Aug.
1, 1862, kid. at battle of Nashville.
Sergt. A. T. Abbey, e. Jan. 9, 1862, captd.
at Newnan, (la.
Corp. Fred. Blesh, e. Jan. 9, 1862.
Corp. F. Courtney, e. Jan. 9. 1862, died at
Paducah, Ky.
Corp. A. F.Kinser, e. Jan. 9. 1862.
Bankson, M., e. Jan. 9. 1862.
Bovard, Jas. A., e. Jan. 9, 1862.
Bovard, J. C, e. Jan. 9, 1862.
Bartlett, Henrv, e. Jan. 9, 1862.
Brown, Charles, e. Jan. 9, 1862.
Coe, Horace F., e. Jan.9. 1862.
Cochran. Thomas, e. Jan. 9, 1862.
Cole, Win. H., e. Jan. 9, 1862, trans, to
In v. Corps Oct. 22, 1864.
Hanna, James, e. Jan. 9, 1868, died Any.
15, 1862.
Lee, Jos. A., e. Jan.9. 1.S62.
Li-lii foot, John. M., e. Jan. 9, 1862
McKinlev. E. E., e. Jan. 9, 1862.
Parker. Wvman, e. Jan. 9, 1862.
Tienan. Aug.. e. Jan. 9, 1862.
FIFTH VETERAN CAVALRY.
Company B
Corp. Peter German, e. Sept, 9, 1862.
Blitseh. Peter, e. Feb. 5, 1864.
Becher, Nicholas, e. Feb. 10. 1804.
Davis, Jacob H., e. May 30, 1864
Davis, J. W., e. Feb. 7, 1864, captd. at
Newnan, (la., died at Florence, Ala.
Martin, Theo.. e. Aug. 11, 1864, captd. at
Newnan, Ga.
Miller, John, e. Aug. 15, 1864, captd. at.
Newnan, Ga.
Webber, Michael, e. Aug. 15, 1864.
Company D.
Dickenson, C, R., e. Feb. 15, 1864.
Miles. Kdw., e. Jan. 5, 1864.
McXinney, B., e. Feb. 5, 1864.
Nelson. Eli, e. Feb. 14. 1864.
Company E.
Waldo, H. O.. e. Oct. 7, 1861, vet. Jan 1,
1864.
Company F.
Kas, Matbias, e. Aug. 13, 1862.
Mueller. E.. e. Feb. 20, 1864.
Company C,
Sergt. George O'Brien, e. June 24, 1861,
vet. Jan. 1. 1864. disd. May 25, 1865,
disab.
Bovard, I... e. June 24, 1861. vet. Jan. 5,
I 1864.
I Coulehan, R. C, e. June 24, 1861. vet. Jin.
5, 1864.
Cool, Wm., e. June 24, 1861.
Schwirtz. John, e. June 24, 1861, vet, Jan.
1. 1864.
1 Woods, S. G., e. June 24, 1861, vet. Jan. 1,
i 1864. disd. Dec. 2, 1864, disab.
Company H.
Sergt. A. T. Abbey, e. Oct. 19, 1861, vet-
Jan. 2, 1864, captd. at Newnan. Ga.
Sergt. Nelson Hammers, e. Aug. 30, 1862.
Sergt. Pleasant A. Cotmack, e. Aug. 11,
1862.
Corp. William Koontz, e. Aug. 14, 1862.
Corp. H. G. Lamberd, e. Aug. "12. 1862.
Corp. James A. Bovard, e. Oct. 19. 1861.
Corp. L. R. Wright, e. Aug. 7, 1862.
Corp. ftobert Gilchrist, e. Aug. 14. 1862r
captd. at Fort Heiman. Ky.
Abbev, A. L., e. March 3, 1864.
Alttifish, M., e. Aug. 7. 1862.
Bankson, M„ e. Oct. 26, 1861, vet. Jan. 2,
1864.
Bartlett, II., e. Oct. 22, 1861, vet. Jan. 2,
1864.
Blesh. F., e. Oct. 21. 1861. vet. Jan. 3.
1864.
Bovard. J. C.,e. Oct. 19, 1861, vet. Jan. 2,
1864.
Brown, Cbas., e. Oct. 19, 1861, vet. Jan. 2.
1864, captd.
Bain. Wm. W., e. Dec. 31, 1863.
Bain, Thus., e. Jan. 2, 1864.
Pettis. L. K., e. Aug. 8, 1862.
Blesh. Rudolphus, e. Aug. 13, 1862.
Cochran. Thos.. e. Aug. 21. 1862. vet. Jan.
2. 1864.
Cotton, F. S., e. March 21, 1864.
Chambers. Thos. M., e. Aug. 14, 1862.
Cornelius, John. e. Aug. 12. 1862.
482
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
■Cole, Wm. H., e. Oct. 21, 1861.
■Coe, H.F.,e. Oct. 21,1861.
Davis, Charles, e. March 29, 18G4.
Dirkson, Henry, e. Feb. 14, 1864.
Fanning, H. W., e. Feb. C, 1864.
Foley, William, e. Aug. 12. 1864.
■Geo, "Nicholas, e. Aug. 13, 1864.
Hervis, John M., e. Feb. 1, 1864.
Harrison, Wm. H., e. March 22, 1864.
Hood, John, e. Mai-h 30, 1864.
Howe, Geo. W., e. Feb. 6, 1864.
Heliy, F. L.. e. Aug. 14, 1864.
Jameson, A. D., e. Feb. 24. 1864.
Jefferson, Thos. B., e. Aug. 14, 1862.
Jones, John. e. Aug. 11, 1862.
Jones, William, e. April 1, 1862.
Kinser, A. S., e. Jan. 9, 1862, vet. Jan. 2,
1864.
Koontz, John, e. Aug. 11. 1862.
Koontz, Peter, e. Aug. 7, 1862.
Mas, Jos. ().,e. Feb.'l6, 1864.
Latimer, diaries, Sept. 24, 1862.
McKinley, E. E., e. Oct. 19, 1861, vet. Jan.
2, 1864."
McHenry, A. C, e. March 9, 18G4.
Mill. nan". II. C, Feb. 20, 1864.
McKinlev. W. II., e. Aug. 13. 1862.
Mover, William, e. Aim-. 13, 1862.
Nelson, .1., e. Dei-. 12. 1863.
Newman. D. W., e. Feb. 29, 1864, captd.
at Duck River, Tenn.
Organ, Alex. e. Dec. 30. 1863.
Ostert, Henry, e. Aug. 7, 1862.
Nhanev. .Jacob, e. Oct. 22, 1861, vet. Jan.
2, 1864.
Smith. John L., e. Oct. 26, 1861, vet. Jan.
2, 1864.
Shepherd, Joseph, e. Jan. 2, 1864.
Sorie, Samuel, ei Feb. 27, 1861.
Schleeht, John, e. Aug. 22, 1862.
Sehwirtz, N., e. Aug. 20, 1862.
Vaughn. Thomas, e. Oct. 22, 1861, vet.
Jan. 2, 1864.
Wasmund, C, e. Oct. 21, 1861, vet. Jan. 2,
1804.
Williams, P. D., e. Oct 21, 1801, vet. Jan.
2, 1864. •
Warren, Wm. A., e. Feb. 6; 1864, vet. Jan.
2, 1864.
Williams, S. H., e. March 29, 1864.
Watkins, Wm. W., e. April 2, 1863.
Winsor, Wm. E., e. Aug. 11, 1862.
Williams. George, e. Aug. 24. 1862.
Williamson, S., e. Aug. 12, 1862.
Wilcox,!). II., e. Aug. 11,1802.
Young. J. S., e. Aug. 13, 1862.
Company L.
Brendis, Henry, e. Aug. 21, 18G2.
Billips, W., e. Sept, 1, 1862.
■Christnock, M., e. Aug. 11, 1862.
Kltz, Peter, e. Aug. 21, 1862.
Graff, H., e. Feb. 8. 1862, wd. and captd.
at Cheraw Station.
■Cannier, Jos., e. Aug. 19, 1862.
Giffert, Conrad, e. Aug. 14. 1862.
Gilbert, C, e. Aug. 13.1862.
Ililger. John, e. Aug. 15, 1862.
Lee, Jos., e. Oct. 21, 1861, vet. Jan. 1, 1864.
Mertes, M„ e. Feb. 7, 1864.
Rockwell, Asa, e. Feb. 27, 1864.
Tienan, Aug., e. Oct. 19, 1861.
Vanslycke, Jacob, e.Oct. 19, 1861, vet. Jan.
1, 1864.
Vanslycke, Geo., e. Aug. 19, 1862.
Vanslycke, Jacob, e. Aug. 19, 1862, vet.
Jan. 1, 1864.
COMPANY UNKNOWN.
Bain, William.
Curran, M., e. Nov. 1, 1864.
Deltz, Elbridge, e. Sept 30, 1864.
Henry, John A., e. Nov. 1, 1864.
Jonas, Hiram, e. Dec. 16, 1863.
McNish, Jas. A., e. Nov. 1, 1864.
Rea, A. W., e. Nov. 1, 1864.
Stacy, Jos., e. Jan. 26, 1864.
Watson, Geo. F., e. Oct. 18, 1864.
Krotz, Adolph, e. Dec. 16, 1863.
Miles, Edw., e. Jan. 8, 1864.
Organ, Alex., e. Jan. 8, 1864.
Shepard, Jos., e. Jan. 2, 1864.
EIGHTH CAVALRY.
[Note. — This regiment was mustered out at BTacon, Ga.,
Aug. IS, MS.}
Surg. A. S. Carnahan. com. asst. surg.
Aug. 5, 1803, prmtd. surg. April 5,
1864, red. Nov. 19, 1864.
Company C.
First Lieut. Wilbur F. McCarron, com.
Sept. 30, 1863, captd. at Newnan, Ga.,
resd. Dec. 23, 1864.
Second Lieut. Jos. II. Cobb, corn. May 15,
1864, kid. (while sergt.) in action, at
Lovejoy's.
Sergt. D. W. Trump, e. Aug. 15, 1863,
disd. May 20. 1804, disab.
Corp. James Jones, e. Aug. 19, 1863.
Corp. James Y. Buchanan, e-. July 28, '63,
disd. May 20, 1864, disab.
Corp. E. F. Manning, e. July 29, 1863.
Corp. Jacob Smith, e. Aug. 5, 1803.
Corp. Jas. II. Blakesley, e. July 29. 1803.
Teamster Daniel S. Reed, e. July 27, 1863,
capt. at Newnan, Ga.
Farrier Mark J Miller, e. Aug. 29, 1863
captd. at Cassville, Ga.
Brown, Oscar, e. Aug. 7, 1863.
Bunl, Jas.,e. Aug. 2!), 1863.-
Day, Geo.', e. June 27, 1863.
Deiiarty, Thos. B., e. Aug. 19. 1803.
Ellis, Lewis W., e. July 27.1803, captd. at
Florence, Ala.
Head, Wm. A., e. Aug. 12, 1803.
Jordan, Jas., e. Aug. 5, 1803, captd.
Jordan, Wm. K.. e." Aug. 2, 1863.
Kimball, A., e. July 27,' 1863.
Livingston, R., e. July 27, 1863, captd. at.
Newnan, Ga.
Lovell, Win. B., e. Aug. 25, 1863.
Marikle, Dc Forest, e. Aug. 1", 1863.
Martin, W.. e. Aug. 5, 1863, died.
Mitchell, II. H, e. Aug. 20, 1863, captd.
at Newnan, Ga.
^a^z^^t^T/^^^^
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTV.
485
Millsap, DeM. L., e. Aug. C, 1863, disd.
March 22, 1864, disab.
Morris, Geo., e. July 29, 1863.
Moger, Charles A., e. Aug. 17, 1863, disd.
Dec. 8, 1863, disab.
Murray, M. D., e. Aug. 8, 1863, died at
Nashville.
Murray, J. G., e. Aug. 8, 1863.
Mver, P., e. Aug. 27, 1863.
Newell, It., e. July 19, 1863.
Snyder, John, e. Aug. 2, 1863.
Thompson. Abner, e. July 30, 1863.
Van Pelt, Daniel, e. Aug. 22, 1863.
Welch, Henry C, e. July 13, 1863.
COMPANY UNKNOWN.
Knowlton, H. A., e. Oct. 24, 1864.
Bobbins, H. C, e. April 8, 1864.
MISCELLANEOUS.
First Infantry.
Quigley, E. B., e. April 23, 1861, m. o. Aug.
25,1861.
Second Consolidated Infantry (2d
and 3d. J
Lieut. Col. Geo. L. Wright, from private,
com. 2d lieut.Co. A July 8, 1864, prmtd.
capt. Nov. 10, 1864, prmtd. lieut. col. Jan.
4, 1S65. resd. April 3, 1865.
Second Infantry.
Rosecrans. T. B., e. Aug. 29, 1862, m. o.
1864.
Willey, R. P., e. Mav 5, 1861. disd. Nov. 2,
1861.
Third Infantry.
First Sergt. Geo. L. Wright, e. May 18.
1861, m. o. 1864.
Sergt. James Mayne, e. May 18, 1861, m. o.
1864.
Isbell, Geo. B., e. Mav 18, 1861, died Oct. 2,
1863.
Sixth Infantry.
Washburn, Reuben, vet. Jan. 1, 1864.
Barrowclilf", Elmer, e. Sept. 26, 1864, m. o.
July 21, 1865.
Carll, E. G., e. Sept. 26, 1864, m. o. July 21,
1865.
Dodson, John, e. Sept. 27, 1864, m. o. July
21, 1865.
Kefovar, John M., e. Sept. 27. 1864, m. o.
July 21, 1865.
Lane, Lewis, e. Sept. 26, 1864, m. o. July
Smith, J.C., e. Sept. 24, 1864, m. o. July 21,
1865.
White, John T., e. Sept. 24. 1864, m.o. July
21, 1865.
Eighth Infantry.
Blake Heury, e. Sept. 21, 1864, m. o. April
20, 1866.
Conklin, Mase, e. Aug. 10, 1861, in. o. April
20, 1866.
Flannegan, James, e. Aug. 10, 1861, m. o.
April 20, 1866.
Thirteenth Infantry.
Fisher, Frank, e. Oct. 1, 1861, m. o. July
21, 1865.
Fourteenth Infantry.
Jewett, N.. e. Oct. 12, 1861, m. o. Nov. 16,
Widel, E. D., <
Oct, 16, 1861, died July 14,
e. Jan. 4, 1864, m. o. Nov.
Lov, John W.
16, 1864.
Residuary Battery, Fourteenth
Infantry.
Jewett, M. L.. e. Dec. 1, 1863, m.o. Aug. 8,
1865.
Fifteenth Infantry.
Orill, Aaron, Feb. 20, 1862, kid. Shiloli.
Eberly, Allen, e. Feb. 20. 1802, vet. Feb.
21, 1864, m. o. July 24, 1865.
Seventeenth Infantry.
Stevens, Warren N.. e. Feb. 29, 1864, m. o.
July 25, 1865.
Eighteenth Infantry.
Surg. John H. Allen, com. Aug. 8, 1862,
resd. March 22, 1864.
Dickenson, Nathan S., e. July 12, 1862,
disd. Nov. 22, 1862.
Twenty-first Infantry.
Hoff, Jesse, e. June 4, 1862, m. o. July
15, 1865.
Lody, H. C. e. June 9, 1862, m.o. July
15, 1865.
Morgan, F. W., e. June 9, 1862, m. o. July
15, 1865.
Smith, John, e. June 9, 1862, died.
Sawdy, II. O, e. June 9, 1862, m. o. July
15, 1865.
Winterstein, M., e. June 4, 1862, disd.
Aug. 25, 1862, disab.
Winterstein, Philip, e. June 4, 1862, wd
May 22, 1863.
Corp. Alexander Milne, e. Aug. 2, 1862,
wd. at Vicksburg.
Twenty-seventh Infantry.
Jewell, Jas. E., e. Nov. 10, 1864, m. o.
Aug. 8, 1865.
Allers, Charles, e. Nov. 10. 1864, m. o.
Aug. 9, 1865.
Street, Calvin, e. Aug. 22, 1862, captd.
Aug. 29. 1864, m. o. Aug. 8, 1865.
Thirty-fourth Infantry.
Shattock, Benjamin L., e. "Aug. 9, 1862,
died March i, 1863.
Thirty-seventh Infantry.
Easton, A. P., e. Oct. 15, 1862, m. o. at
Davenport.
Pearson, Thomas, e. Oct. 15, 1862, m. o.
at Davenport.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Forty-sixth Infantry.
Larkey, Alexander, e. May 10, 1864, m
Sept. 23. 1864.
Lias, C. 0, e. May 12, 1864, m. o. Sept.
Mitchell, T).. e. Mav 10, 1864, m.
23, 1864.
Sept.
Third Battery Light Artillery.
Jr. First Lieut. Jos. Julius Dead, e. as
sergt., prmtd senior 2d lieut. Dec. 13,
1861, prmtd. junior 1st lieut. Oct. 4, '64,
resd. June 17, 1865.
Borget, Adolph.disd. Aug. 27. 1862,disab.
Ma\ne, Jas., e. Sept. 27. 1864, m. o. Oct. 3,
1865.
Wilson, A. J., disd. June 23, 1863, disab.
Farrington. Geo. L., vet. Dec. 22, 1863,
m. o. Oct. 3, 1865.
Sixth Cavalry.
Sergt. Jacob Oswald, e. Oct. 17, 1862, m.
0. Oct. 17, 1865.
Corp. John P. Murrav. e. Oct. 20, 1862, m.
O: Oct. 17, 1865.
Wagoner Samuel Gilmore, e. Oct. 28, '62,
in. o. Oct, 17, 1865.
Burdick. Alfred, e. Nov. 29. 1862, m. o.
Oct. 17. 1865.
Dovle, Geroy, e. Dec. 8. 1862, m. o. Oct.
17, 1865.
Griffith, Charles, e. Oct. 6, 18G2. m. o. Oct.
17, 1865.
Preston, Charles, e. Nov. 5. 1862, disd.
Jan. 15, 1863, disab.
Ptiug, Henry, e. Dec. 8, 1862, m. o. Oct.
17, 1865.
Shirley, Daniel, e. Nov. 6, 1862, m. o.Oct.
17, 1865.
Tripp, H. W., e. Oct. 27. 1862, m. o. Oct.
17, 1865.
Littell. J. H. R., e. Oct. 11, 1862, disd. Jan.
3, 1864.
Martin, C. C, e. Nov. 8, 1862, disd. Aug.
12, 1863.
Nims. Philo, e. Oct. 9, 1862, m. o. Oct.
17, 1865.
Peters, Valentine, e. Oct, 12. 1863, m. O.
Oct. 17, 1865.
Van Hook, Wm. H., e. Oct, 14. 1862, m. o.
Oct. 17, 1865.
Wilson, John D., e. Oct. 14, 1862, m. o.
Oct. 17, 1865.
Hotchkiss, H. S., e. Sept. 17, 1862, m. o.
Oct. 17, 1865.
Kavmond, Jos., e. March 13. 1863, rn. o.
Oct. 17, 1865.
Hoyt, Wm. F., e. Oct. 10, 1862, m. o. Oct.
17, 1865.
Seventh Cavalry.
Johnson, Geo. W., e. March 6, 1863, m. o.
May 17, 1866.
Maberrv, Calvin, e. May 4, 1864, m. o.
June 22, 1866.
Maberrv, Wm. E., e. May 4, 1864, died
Aug. '30, 1866.
Ninth Cavalry.
Luzere, Jacob, e. Nov. 25, 1863, m. o. Feb.
3, 1866.
Stickley, A., e. Nov. 25, 1863. m. o. Feb.
Sept. 21, 1863, m. o. Feb.
Casser, S..
3, 1866.
Fourth Illinois Cavalry.
Smith, Anderson, e. Sept. 5, 1861, ni. o.
Nov. 3, 1864.
Eleventh Illinois Infantry.
Baldwin, A. W., e. Aug. 10, 1861, died
. Nov. 13, 1861.
Thirteenth Illinois Cavalry.
Bacon, Wm. F., e. Nov. 1, 1861, prmtd.
sergt. maj., date of m. o. not given
Nineteenth Illinois Infantry.
Allison, J. S., e. June 12, 1861.
Beardsley, H., e. June 13, 1861, m. o. July
9, 1864, as corp.
Cowden, Harrison, e. June 12. 1861, m. o.
July 9, 1864.
Frost, Wm., e. July 13, 1861, kid. on rail-
road Sept. 17, 1861.
Fowler, Peter M„ e. June 13, 1861, kid. on
railroad Sept. 17, 1861.
Foley, M. V., e. June 12, 1861.
Gallowav. Win., e. .lune 12, 1861, trans, to
Signal Corps.
Jones, L. M., e. June 17, 1861, in. o. July
9, 1864.
Rhea, Chas. H., e. June 10, 1861, m. o.
July 9, 1864, as sergt.
Twenty-second Illinois Infantry.
Henneberry, Michael, e. July 5, '61, trans,
to Inv. Corps.
Forty-fifth Illinois Infantry.
Brown, Barnard, e. Aug. 30. 1861.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTV. 487
MAQUOKETA.
Maquoketa, the county seat of Jackson County, is located on the line between
Maquoketa and South Fork Townships, about one-half mile south of the Maquo-
keta River, and is, therefore, only two miles from the south county line.
The first building upon the present town plat was erected by John E. Good-
effow, upon his arrival here in 1838. Mr. Goodenow, who is still an honored
citizen of Maquoketa, was from Warren County, N. Y, though living in Essex
County at the time of his emigration to Iowa. He had been preceded by
Alfonzo Gowan, who located in this vicinity, and was in communication with
his friend Goodenow. So, previous to his departure from the "Empire State,"
he had full knowledge of the country he was coming to, and the needs of a
settler in these Western wilds.
Mr. Goodenow and Lyman Bates, who yet lives near Maquoketa, made the
trip from New York together. They left there early in January, 1838, with a
four-horse team and wagon. They had a heavy cargo, consisting largely of
blacksmith's tools, hardware, boots and shoes, clothing, harness, etc. These
were brought, partly because they were more easily to be obtained than money,
and partly because their owners thought it would be a good investment to bring
some goods on sale to this new country.
Some nine weeks were consumed in their journey. They arrived at the
Mississippi March 9, and crossed that stream on the ice. At' this time, Mr.
Gowan had a small hut on the Maquoketa, just below the forks. It was a very
small and crude aifair, being about ten by twelve feet, and just high enough for
a pioneer to stand erect in. Here our adventurers stopped for a few days, until
they could prepare for themselves other quarters.
One morning, not very long after the arrival of our party, when the spring
thaw had commenced, the inhabitants of this shanty awoke to find eight to ten
inches of water on the cabin floor ; and only by means of a canoe anchored
near the door on the bank of the river, were the settlers able to reach dry land
Mr. Goodenow already had his logs cut and on the ground for the erection
of his cabin, which was under roof in a few days after, and which stood on the
corner now occupied by Cohn's store, i. e., the southeast corner of Main and
Piatt streets in the present city.
Some time in the previous spring, in 1837, Messrs. Hooper, Peck & Scales,
a firm then doing business in Galena, sent one Joseph Henry to this section to
erect a saw-mill. He selected a location south of the river on Mill Creek.
Owing to mismanagement and other causes, the project proved a failure, and
was abandoned. This was unfortunate for the settlers in this vicinity, for,
had this mill succeeded, it would have saved many weary miles of teaming,
and would have given a very decided impetus to improvements in this part
of the county.
S. Burleson, William Vosburgh and Calvin Teeple were then living on their
claims about six miles west of this point. Mr. Burleson and Mr. Teeple still
occupy the lands which they had then selected. One Phillips also lived on a
claim about one mile north of Goodenow's. Hence we discover the founders
of Maquoketa not to have been altogether without neighbors.
February 23, 1839, less than a year after the arrival of Goodenow and
Bates, came from Warren County, N. Y., Mr. Thomas Wright and family, with
4S8 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
a sister of Mr. Goodenow by the name of Adaline, and Amasa Nims. It might
be well to mention here, parenthetically, that these latter two were married
soon after their arrival and were, consequently, the bride and groom at Maquo-
keta's first wedding.
Soon after Mr. Goodenow's arrival, he arranged to run by horse-power a
little corn-cracker, under the shed which adjoined his cabin. This proving
inadequate to the wants of the community, he soon after secured from one
Absalam Montgomery the claim which included what is now known as the
McCloy mill site, at an expense of $25. Here he built a small dam, putting
in his own corn-cracker. This mill had no bolts and the patrons were obliged
to use Graham flour unless they sifted out the bran with a meal-sieve. At
this time, no bolted flour could be obtained nearer than Sage's Mill, on the
Maquoketa, six miles north of Dubuque.
Previous to 1840, various settlers had arrived in this vicinity, among whom
might be named John and Jonas Clark, Zalmon Livermore, John Shaw, the
Gordons, Alonzo Spaulding and Mr. Pangborn.
Mr. Livermore made a claim on the quarter-section cornering at the present
junction of Main and Piatt streets, and lying northeast of the same. Mr.
Spaulding was on the northwest corner and Mr. Shaw on the southwest, the
southeast quarter-section being occupied by Mr. Goodenow, as already mentioned.
Up to this time, there had been no talk of a town at this point, though
there were prospective villages all around it. The first effort of this kind went
by the name of New Rochester. It was planned in 1837, and located just
north of the present city limits, by two men, Banner and Morse. Their quar-
relsome disposition put an end to their attempts, and, under the circumstances,
their departure was considered a good riddance by the peaceable settlers in the
neighborhood. After this failure, an attempt was made by Col. Cox to estab- i
lish a town called Bridgeport, on the Maquoketa, about two and one-half miles
northeast of the present county seat, and which is now occupied by a few
houses, forming a village known by that name. The project was short-lived,
and was abandoned because it was a difficult matter to make a town but of a
wilderness when nobody wanted to settle there.
In the spring of 1840, Messrs. Sears and Doolittle arrived from Coving-
ton, Ky., and ■ purchased the claim of Joseph Henry, being the spot where the
latter had made a failure in an atttempt to build a saw-mill, just above men-
tioned. After some litigation, they lost this claim and made another on the
south fork of the Maquoketa, about one mile north of the present corner of
Main and Piatt streets. Subsequently they platted a town at this locality, to
which they gave the name Lowell. Samuel B. Munson came to this point
from Kentucky, and was taken into partnership. Munson was a good
draughtsman and executed a gorgeous map of the new town, with public
squares, broad avenues, etc., in gay colors, so as to look to Eastern capitalists,
who were expected to invest heavily in corner lots, like a second New York or
Philadelphia. Sometime later a brick dwelling was erected at this point, and
then was commenced a brick flouring-mill, called the Lowell Merchant Mills.
Thomas Wright moved his woolen-mill to this point, and between the two mills
the town prospered for some time. But a few years later, the treacherous
Maquoketa cut a new channel above the mills and left them high and dry,
which circumstance was a death-blow to the city of Lowell. This event gave
an opportunity to a clerical wit of the Methodist Church, who passed the
abandoned site after the dam had been removed, with the remark that "that
mill was not worth a dam." .
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 489
Another brief existence was breathed by a town called North Maquoketa,
located on the north fork of the river by Thomas Wright and Zalmon Liver-
more, who had erected a saw-mill there. This project was thought by some to
be the town, notwithstanding other failures, but it only lived to learn that sym-
pathies and hopes were not so substantial materials out of which to make a
town as bricks, mortar and lumber, with mechanics and money.
About 1840, a mail route on horseback was established from Davenport to
Dubuque, and a post office was established at the point where Maquoketa now
stands, called Springfield. John E. Goodenow was appointed first Postmaster.
After Harrison came into the Presidency in 1841, the post office was changed
to Bridgeport, where it remained only a few months, when it was changed back
to its original location. A short experience developed the fact that there were
too many Springfields for the convenience of the Post Office Department, and,
to avoid confusion, the name was changed to Maquoketa. being the name of the
stream near by.
At this point had been erected a blacksmith-shop by Mr. Goodenow soon
after his arrival. This was converted into a schoolhouse about 1841, and a
school was opened for the youth of the vicinity. Of this we will speak more
particularly in recording the history of Maquoketa schools.
About 1843, Goodenow and Spaulding platted a portion of their claims in a
quiet way, without recording the same, and when any one came along who
would build, they gave them a lot, describing the same by giving dimensions,
etc., and making a deed therefor.
The first store in the village was kept by S. M. Marr, a refugee who came
here from Nauvoo, 111., with a stock of goods which he displayed in a little
room which Mr. Goodenow had once used as a corn-crib, and which he fitted
up for Marr. This building was 20x22 feet, and was subsequently the start-
ing-place for several merchants of Maquoketa. The building stands to this
day. Sears & Mitchell, the junior partner of which firm was Peirce Mitch-
ell, who is still a prosperous merchant of this city, began in 1847, in the
frame building, recently burned, north of the Opera House. Marr had not
remained many months in Maquoketa when he sold out to Dr. A. B. Malcolm,
who was succeeded by a branch store established by Murphy & Burke, mer-
chants of Dubuque.
To review slightly, we will name a few of Maquoketa's beginnings :
The first house on the present city plat was a log cabin built by John E.
Goodenow on his arrival, and which was 20x26 feet, of hewn logs, with shingle
roof and stove-pipe through the same for a chimney.
The first frame house was built by Zalmon Livermore.
The first brick dwelling was built by Daniel Rhodes.
The first brick kiln was burned by John E. Goodenow.
The first sermon was preached by Oliver Emerson, of Sabula, in 1838.
The first movement toward the organization of a church was the forming
of a Methodist class in the house of Thomas Wright, in the spring of 1839.
This class was the nucleus of the Maquoketa M. E. Church.
The Methodists built the first meeting-house.
The first hotel was kept by John E. Goodenow in his cabin, with a sign-
board naming it the Maquoketa House.
The first building built for hotel purposes was a brick structure by D. Rhodes.
The first post office was kept by John E. Goodenow.
The first wedding in Maquoketa was the marriage of Amasa Nims to
Adaline Goodenow, in 1839.
490 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
The first child born on the town plat was Wesley Nims, son of the last-
named, in 1840.
The first store was kept by S. M. Marr.
The first physician was Dr. A. B. Malcolm, though Thomas Wright, who
had read medicine in New York, was from necessity called upon frequently, in
the early days of the village.
The first bridge across the Maquoketa River was built near Maquoketa Town
by A. Hall as contractor.
The first school was taught by a master named Steers in the frame school-
house already named.
Various improvements continued to be made, and Maquoketa threw the
rival towns in the background. Rockville and Bridgeport surrendered, and
Jonas Clark, after a quarrel with his partner over removing his stock of goods
to Maquoketa, in which revolvers were drawn, finally became master of the sit-
uation, and removed his store from a point now occupied by the residence of
Mrs. S. D. Tubbs to the corner of Main and Piatt streets. The corn-crackers
of Mr. Goodenow, on Mill Creek, passed into the hands of Piatt Smith, and
then to Joseph McCloy, who completed a regular flouring-mill in 1842.
These early days were trying ones. The products of the farm found no
ready market here, and the settlers were compelled to haul their wheat, which
in that day was the farming staple, to Dubuque, Bellevue or Davenport, and
there dispose of it at 50 cents per bushel.
Most of the houses were of rude construction, especially those on surround-
ing farms. A crib of rough logs was occasionally laid up, poles placed across
the top, and this covered with prairie grass ; then a hole cut through each of
the four sides of the cabin for the stove-pipe, and the latter, as well as the
stove, were moved about whenever the wind changed.
In the villages, more pride was taken in the buildings. In 1849, in Maquo-
keta, Mr. John E. Goodenow commenced the erection of a fine brick building,
to be used as a hotel. This was 64x32 feet, two and a half stories high, at
first called the Goodenow House, and kept by Goodenow himself. This build-
ing was the making of Maquoketa. It presented a finer appearance than any
other house for miles around, and the prospective settler would conclude that
the village which could afford such a hotel was the one for him to settle in.
This hotel was used for a good many years, and stood on the corner of Main
and Piatt streets. It rented at one time, about 1856, for $1,200 per year.
AS A TOWN.
The town of Maquoketa was platted October 1, 1850, and recorded on page
207, Book E of the Records of Jackson County. The town was surveyed by
Surveyor Scarborough and recorded as platted by J. E. Goodenow, Alonzo
Spaulding and Zalmon Livermore, the proprietors.
The first steps on record taken toward its incorporation as a town, are those
recorded as follows on the County Judge's record :
Upon hearing the pelition of the citizens and legal voters of the village of Maquoketa, in
Jackson County, Iowa, praying for a town incorporation, satisfactory proof having been given
that said village contained more than three hundred inhabitants, and that the said petition was
signed by more than one-fourth of the legal voters of the village, therefore be it ordered by the
Court that that, the preliminary steps be taken for inc»rpnrating said town of Maquoketa by hold-
ing an election for Incorporation and against Incorporation, on the 1 7th day of February, 1853,
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 491
at the sohoolhouse in said village of Maquoketa, after giving five days' notice of such election,
by posting notices in writing, in the most public places in said town, and that Jonas Clark, John
E. Goodenow and A. Hall, be appointed Judges, and P. Mitchel, .1. P. Kdie, Clerks of said
election.
Election to be held and returns made, etc., in all respects as provided by law for general
elections.
The notice above contemplated shall be given by said Judges of Election, and expenses of
said election paid by the citizens of the corporation.
D. F. SPURR, Judge of County Court.
The election, in accordance with the above order, was held on the date
named in the order, and 13 ballots were cast for, and 1 ballot against a corpo-
ration, showing a decided indifference on the part of citizens in exercising their
privilege of citizenship.
Following the returns of this election by order of the County Judge, the
three Judges of said election were ordered to call another election, on the 9th
day of March, 1853, to choose five delegates to frame a charter. The delegates.
elected for that purpose were: J. E. Goodenow, John Pope, J. P. Edie, J.
Clark and A. Hall. In favor of the acceptance of the charter drawn by these
parties, 21 votes were cast, with none against the same.
At the first town election, held on the loth day of March, 1853, 49 ballots
were cast for Mayor, viz.: J. E. Goodenow, 32 ; Jonas Clark, 17. For Recorder,
John Pope, 48 votes. For Aldermen, Daniel Rhodes, 31 votes; Zalmon Liver-
more, 46 votes; J. N, Vial, 34 votes; Pierce Mitchell, 25 votes; A. Hall, 34
votes. Other candidates with scattering support were : Alonzo Spaulding, C. P.
Gordon, J. E. Goodenow, J. Clark, M. Edie, J. Windsor, J. B. Rhodes and E.
S. Piper.
The first meeting of the Town Council was held March 21, 1853, at which
time subordinate officers were elected as follows: J. P. Edie, Assessor; Isaac
Hall, Marshal ; E. F. Clark, Treasurer.
The first ordinance adopted was one providing for the assessment of the city
property, and a few meetings later we find a tax levied of one-half of one per
cent for corporate purposes.
At a meeting held March 29, it was ordered that the eagle side of the
American half-dollar of 1850, be adopted as the temporary seal of the corpor-
ation. This was used by placing it under the paper to which the seal was to be
affixed, and the thumb-nail or some smooth instrument passed several times over
the paper, leaving the impression in faint relief upon the same.
This town incorporation included the west half of Section 19, Township
84 north, Range 3 east, and east half of Section 21, Township 84 north, Range
2 east, Jackson County, Iowa.
AS A CITY.
Maquoketa was incorporated as a city by a special act of the State Legis-
lature of Iowa on the 27th of January, 1857. The charter was adopted April
26, 1857, by a vote of 5 in favor of it and 1 against its adoption. The
first officers were elected May 4, 1857, and, May 7, were sworn in, as follows :
I. K. Millard, Mayor ; J. C. Brakey, Recorder ; A. Dalrymple, Marshal ;
William Y. Earle, Assessor.
Aldermen— First Ward, 0. D. Cowles, R. B. Clancy ; Second Ward, T.
Lyman, R. S. Hadley : Third Ward, B. Spencer, D. H. Case ; Fourth Ward,
Jonas Clark, Jason Pangborn.
May 11, 1866, the question of abandoning the old city charter was sub-
mitted to a vote of the people. The charter was abandoned by a vote of 57 to
3, and a new charter was adopted by the Council.
492 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
City Government. — The present city officers are : Pierce Mitchell, Mayor ;
Thomas Trout, Treasurer ; A.. J. House, Solicitor ; W. S. Belden, City
Clerk ; James Halley, City Marshal ; D. S. Haight, Assessor.
Aldermen — First Ward, William Gurius, W. S. Clark ; Second Ward,
Frank Trout, John Dostal : Third Ward, Thomas Hench, C. M. Sanborn ;
Fourth Ward, King Steear, D. N. Collamer.
Financial. — At the time of the building of the Court House, of which an
account has been given, under the head of " County Seat." the city issued bonds
sufficient to pay for most of the building. These have been redeemed, for the
most part, there now being outstanding bonds to the amount of from $3,000 to
$4,000. The assessment of real and personal property in Maquoketa, accord-
ing to last assessment, is $457,028. The tax for city purposes is 10 mills on
the dollar. The assessment is probably 30 per cent of the real value of the
property assessed.
MAQUOKETA IN 1879.
The name Maquoketa is derived from the river which flows just north of
the city, within a few rods of the suburbs, and means, in the Indian language,
" Bear River," for. such was this stream known by the Indians, and so applied
on account of the great number of bears which inhabited its banks and the
streams which feed the river. The name is an uncommonly difficult one to the
stranger, and seems easily forgotten, besides being rather, hard to pronounce.
The spelling is a problem of no less difficulty to the uninitiated, as may be
guessed from an examination of the following varieties of orthography, or
"mis-ography," which have been taken from letters actually received at the
post office : Makokety, Macoquety, Makokueta, Macoyta, Macoeketa, Mako-
keta, Macotokey, McKokady, Macoty, Makozuta. The original spelling is
said to have been Maquaw-eutaw, which became half Americanized.
Maquoketa has a delightful situation, being on an eminence, which is too
low to be called a bluff, but which is the dividing ridge separating the Maquo-
keta River from Mill or Prairie Greek. The greater part of the town lies on
the northern slope, and the descent is gradual to the river's edge, affording
excellent drainage, yet without the inconvenience of heavy grades.
The finest view which can be had of the city and surrounding country is
from the cupola of the High School building. The scenery from this position
is grand, and, on a clear day, the country can be viewed for many miles.
Almost an unbroken belt of timber lines the horizon in the northern half of
its circle, while, for 180 degrees on the southern half, the line of vision is
where the sky and prairie seem to meet. The valley of the Maquoketa can
be traced a long distance, and clumps of trees here and there mark the course
of Mill Creek.
The streets and yards of the city have been thickly planted with shade-
trees, and the town nestles among the green, when the trees are in foliage, like
a jewel in its casket. Quite a number of the streets are perfect vistas, under
the shade of whose overhanging boughs are found a welcome promenade and
refreshing drive. These various avenues of maple and elm are flanked by
dwellings of homelike and, occasionally, of artistic appearance. Neatly shaven
lawns and garden-plats tell of the taste and culture of the inhabitants.
Maquoketa has no park, a deficiency which she will not miss so long as
almost every yard is a park in miniature.
The business of Maquoketa is its pride. It claims the credit, in these hard
times, of being one of the few towns in Iowa which can, for the past few years,
be called, with propriety, a live town. The finest buildings the city contains
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 493
have been put up since 1875, and the improvement continues uninterrupted.
The mercantile business is mostly retail. The lumber interests are well repre-
sented, there being three large lumber-yards in the city.
A water-supply is needed, and a company was organized, a couple of years
since, for the purpose of securing water-works for the city ; but the effort was*
abandoned on account of the expense. The most practical scheme appears to
be to establish a reservoir on the hill above the city, pumping the water from
the Maquoketa. Years will probably elapse before this can be accomplished.
The city has no organized fire department.
Two railroads connect Maquoketa with the Mississippi — the Midland to
Clinton, and the Davenport & St. Paul to Davenport. A full history of these
lines has already been given.
HISTORICAL INCIDENTS.
The Maquoketa River, as we have learned, was once considered a navigable
stream up to the forks, and, as late as 1863, it was traversed by boats during
high water. On April 21, 1863, the steamboat Echo, of which Barnes Bros,
were proprietors, brought up quite a cargo of good?, among which we note the
following consignments : B. C. Brookfield, groceries ; McGregor & Knittle,
groceries ; C. M. Sanborn, groceries ; Perham & Gray, whiting, soda and soap ;
Baldwin & Co., hardware; Roberts & Standish, marble; Thomas Wright,
warp and roofing ; P. Mitchell, dry goods, etc.; Shellenberger & Co., groceries ;
Haight & Brown, 400 feet of pine lumber.
May 19, 1863, the Excelsior gives an account of quite an excursion down
the Maquoketa on this same steamboat, in which considerable difficulty was
experienced in "dodging" overhanging branches of trees, etc.
In one of the early Fourth of July celebrations in Maquoketa, it was deter-
mined to have a flag-staff on what was then known as Academy Hill. A fine
hickory pole was secured at Teeple place, being seventy feet long and scarcely
a foot in diameter at the base. After the pole had been raised by the settlers
(for this was about 1841), the rope slipped out of the pulley at the top. Here
was an occasion to try men's souls — or patience ! A young man named Vos-
burg, with pluck in his face and ambition in his soul, glanced up at the tall,
slim, slippery sapling, and, taking the rope in his teeth, started for the top.
He reached it without faltering, but, finding it impossible to use both hands, he
could not get the rope through the pulley. After struggling for some time with
the stubborn and raveling end, the plucky youth was compelled to surrender,
and the pole was taken down until the rope was replaced. On this was hoisted
a cotton flag, said to have been the first flag of any size which had caught the
breeze in Jackson County.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME " TIMBER CITY."
In the earlier days of Maquoketa, educational matters were somewhat neg-
lected, and up to 1870, the standard of our schools was, -rather low. A few
persons who desired improvement began to agitate the subject. Mr. H. W.
McCarron took a leading part and began writing a series of articles for the
Excelsior. When the first was nearly completed, he was racking his brain for
a name appropriate for a heading, one that would attract attention. Mrs. Mc-
Carrow, with woman's ready wit, at once suggested " Timber City," and it was
adopted. From the first publication of these " Timber City " articles, began
494 HISTORY OF JACK-SON COUNTY.
an improvement in educational interests which has steadily grown, until we
now have public schools to which we point with pride. Thus originated the
name of "Timber City," which still clings to the beautiful town of Maquoketa,
and to the publication of the articles under that caption much of the excellence
of its schools may be attributed.
A STREET ASSAULT.
The prohibitory liquor law of Towa has in most towns, and usually in
Maquoketa, been a dead-letter. A citizen of Maquoketa, Mr. W. F. McCar-
ron, known as State Temperance Lecturer, and who was at that time Grand
Worthy Patriarch of the Iowa Spns of Temperance, undertook, in March,
1871, by a series of civil prosecutions, to stop the nefarious practice in rum in
this city.
Mr. McCarron had the law on his side, and the saloon men resorted to
threats of violence if he did not desist, not alone violence toward him, but
toward other high-minded citizens, who were his abettors in the enforcement of
the laws. These menaces were not heeded, it being the general opinion that
those vanquished at law would not dare resort to violent means to carry their
point.
Monday, March 26, Mr. McCarron entered the post office about the hour
of noon, and. having called at the delivery window for his mail, he stepped aside
to read a letter he had received. While thus engaged, some four or five men
entered the room, one of whom stepped rapidly up to Mr. McCarron and struck
him to the floor, while the door was closed by some of the others, who likewise
ordered the Deputy Postmaster, who was the only person present, and who was
about to interfere, to stand back. The latter, however, reached the door, and
calling for help, the scoundrels who had been kicking, stamping and beating
McCarron hastily fled. In a few minutes, a large crowd of excited and exas-
perated citizens Had gathered on the spot, which only needed the voice of a
leader to have " cleaned out " every saloon in the city. Better counsels had
the order of the day, and an indignation meeting was called for the evening,
and. during the afternoon, over the signature of some of Maquoketa's promi-
nent citizens, appeared the following circular:
RALLY ! RALLY I !
Every citizen of Maquoketa, who is in favor of sustaining law and order as against whisky
and iuobbery — every citizen who has a jiride in the morals and reputation of our city — is earn-
estly urged to be present at Schrader's Hall, this evening, at 7 o'clock, to give expression to a
becoming indignation against the brutal and unprovoked conspiracy against, and assault upon,
our worthy fellow-citizen, W. F. McCarron, and to lake such action as the insulted dignity of the
public demands.
Let the Gentlemen come ! Let the Ladies come!
We invoke the moral sense of our city, to rally to the support of the law as against that
traffic and spirit which defies law.
At this meeting, the hall was crowded to its full standing capacity by the
best citizens of Maquoketa, whose purpose was to express their indignation at
the insult offered to all good citizens, and the injury upon Mr. McCarron in
particular. R. Perham was called upon to preside. A committee of five
was appointed to draft a series of resolutions expressive of the sense of the
meeting. The resolutions unanimously adopted were as follows :
Whekeas. Certain men in our community are engaged in illegal traffic, and are disposed to
ptrsevere in their nefarious business, even by resorting to brute force ; and,
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 495
Whereas, Certain citizens of our city, who have endeavored to enforce the laws, have been
threatened, and one of them murderously assaulted, by a brutal mob ; therefore,
Resolved, That we, the citizens of Maquoketa, do hereby emphatically condemn the traffic
and the illegal acts of those engaged in it, and pledge our moral and material support to all who
endeavor to enforce the laws and preserve order, and will stand by them until this business has
no place in our midst.
Resolved, That we hereby extend to Mr. McCarron our sympathy, in view of the outrage
this day inflicted upon him, and hereby pledge him that we will stand by him or any other man
to the hitter end in prosecuting his assailant?, and in defending his person from any similar
assaults in the future.
Resolved, That we regard this assault as not personal to Mr. McCarron, but as a blow struck
at every law-and-order citizen of our whole place — as a conflict between two principles, temper-
ance and intemperance, whisky and rowdyism versus sobriety and morality.
Whereas, We understand that some of our citizens, otherwise considered worthy, are col-
luding with the assassins, to bewilder and entrap the witnesses for the .State ; therefore,
Resolved, That we regret that such countenance should be given to murderous proceedings,
and implore every citizen to stand by humanity and the right.
Whereas, Threats have been made against the lives and property of some of our citizens,
who have been active or instrumental in the enforcement of the liquor law, and attempts have
been made to intimidate witnesses of the recent outrage,
Resolved, That we will avenge to the uttermost any injury to the property or person of any
of our citizens who have been instrumental in enforcing this law; and, although we propose to
use only lawful means, if Maquoketa is not big enough for us all to live in and settle our differ-
ences by law, thr liquor sellers must move out.
Resolved, That this meeting request, the City Council to place the license so high that the
saloon keepers cannot afford to pay it.
Mr. McCarron was confined to his room for a short time, but his injuries
did not prove serious.
Information was filed against five of those engaged in the assault, before
Justice Wilbur, who bound them over, in the sum of $1,500 each, to appear
before the District Court.
Mr. McCarron also commenced civil proceedings against the offenders, and
secured judgment in the Circuit Court, in September, for $1,600 and costs.
In the criminal action, the saloon-keepers pleaded guilty, and were fined each
a small fine.
FIRES.
Maquoketa, like nearly all of our Western cities, has had its visitations by
fire, but, notwithstanding these misfortunes, the enterprise and energy of its
citizens soon efface all evidences of disaster. This town has, within late years,
been visited by four large fires, but, excepting the last one, which occurred
within a few days, no traces remain.
The first of these four fires occurred upon the night of Thursday, April 14,
1870, when, at about 10 o'clock, flames were seen issuing from the rear of
Wilcox k Dean's two-story frame blacksmith and wagon shop, on East Piatt
street, opposite the First National Bank. The alarm was promptly given, but
the buildings being of very light, combustible material, the fire spread
and became uncontrollable. It soon became apparent that the adjoining bui
ing must be lost, and strong efforts were made to save the contents. Mr. House
saved a large quantity of his new furniture and patent rotary harrow, but lost
a large quantity of valuable black walnut and other lumber, which, with the
building, was not insured. The flames devoured the building of Wilcox &
Dean, with the contents of tools and three new wagons, on which there was.
unfortunately, no insurance. The Goodenow Hotel was in much danger, but,
by the heroic labors of the citizens, was saved. The frame shoe-shop belong-
ing to S. S. Gerniond, and a large one-story frame warehouse, stored with
groceries belonging to C. M. Sanborn, although within ten feet of the fire, were
saved by the strenuous efforts of P. A. Wolf and Mr. Frank Fonderlin, who
496 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
stood in the face of the scorching flumes and deluged the sides of the building
with water as fast as it was handed them. They were severely burned, but
their efforts were successful. The city cisterns proved wholly inadequate to the
occasion. An account of the fire in the Sentinel speaks thus of the hooks and
ladders: " The fate of the hooks and ladders was equally inglorious. Having
been stowed away for ' safe keeping ' in one of the burned buildings, it can
safely be said of them that ' they were, and are not.' " It is said that Miss
Mary Goodenow manfully handled one of the pumps until exhausted, in strik-
ing contrast to many well-dressed persons of the opposite sex, who only looked
on. Thus ended a conflagration that, at one time, threatened to destroy the
whole city.
The next fire of importance occurred on Sunday morning, March 3, at
about half-past 4 o'clock, and was discovered in the rear end of the hay-loft,
just under the roof, in the livery stable of N. 0. Rhodes, on West Piatt street.
Within a few moments after the alarm, the citizens, to the number of several
hundred, were on the ground, and quickly formed into bucket brigades, and
valiantly fought the destroyer, but the flames made such rapid headway that
their efforts were not of much avail, nor could the fire be stopped until it had
devoured all of the frame buildings within its vicinity. The two-story frame
building occupied by Claus Voelker as a billiard-room and residence was
destroyed. The three buildings on the west of the stable, owned by George
Dahling, and occupied by the butcher-shop of Adam Hess, and Mr. Dahling as
as a residence, by the harness-shop of Mr. Dahling and the family of an Irish-
man as a residence, as well as the saloon of J. Brumm and his residence, were
all destroyed, the last-named building being literally torn to pieces before the
flames readied it. By this precaution the progress of the fire was stayed in
this direction. On the other side, the granite walls of the stone block stopped
the progress of the devouring element, and, no doubt, was the means of saving
the city from destruction. The Sentinel, whose office was in the rear of this
block, thought to make the best of its opportunities, and, as it elegantly
expressed itself in its next issue : " ' We first moved out, and then moved in
agin,' with no loss, excepting some damaged type, and about a bushel of 'pi.' "
Mr. Rhodes saved his horses and carriages, but, in buffalo-robes, harness, feed,
etc., lost about $500.
The stable was owned by Mr. Jonas Clark, and was worth $1,200. There
was no insurance. Claus Voelker saved his billiard-tables, but none of his
clothing or household furniture, his wife and children escaping in their night-
dresses. His loss was about $2,500, upon which there was no insurance.
George Dahling was the heaviest loser. Besides his three buildings, he lost
a great many of his tools, a $150 sewing machine and a greater portion of his
household furniture, amounting, in all, to about $4,000, upon which there was
not a dollar of insurance. Adam Hess lost meat and butcher's tools to the
amoant of $500, with no insurance. John Brumm lost stock in trade and
household furniture amounting to $500. Carter Bros., hardware merchants,
lost about $350 on stock, and about $500 on names which were stored in Hess'
cellar. These were insured. It is supposed that the fire was of incendiary
origin.
The fire-fiend again visited Maquoketa early Sunday morning, the 13th of
February, 1876. It was first discovered by a lady returning from a neighbor's,
a little after 12 o'clock, and she giving the alarm, soon brought a great number
of the citizens to the scene, when it was found that fire had broken out between
the grocery store of A. G. Henderson and the bakery of Field & Sutherland,
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 497
and there is no doubt but that the flames could have been extinguished at this
time had water been convenient. The fire apparatus of the city did all that
could be expected of it, but it was not sufficient to quench the fire, although
it held it in check while hundreds of men went to work saving the contents of
the buildings near by. In a little less than two hours from the time it began,
the fire had done its worst, and six buildings, embracing everything from the
brick block of Spencer & Knittle on the north to Exchange Block on the south,
were a mass of smoldering embers. It was thought, at one time, that Spencer
& Knittle Block would be burned, and the goods of the firm were removed,
resulting in much damage. The stock of groceries in Henderson's store was
almost entirely destroyed. The next building north was that of Dr. G. Truax,
the upper portion being used by him as a residence, and the lower floor by
Willard Duffin as a drug store. The Doctor suffered almost an entire loss of
his household goods, and Mr. Duffin saved but little. His safe, containing his
books and papers, went through the fire all right.
The next store was that of R. G. Gardner, and occupied by him as a resi-
dence and photograph gallery, and a large stock of fancy goods, books, etc.; a
considerable portion of these and his household furniture were saved. An
immense number of negatives, the accumulation of years, were destroyed. The
first building south of Henderson's was the one-story bakery of Field & Suth-
erland. They saved very little. Next on the south was the unoccupied, one-
story frame building owned by S. B. Gage. The last building on the south
was the meat-shop of Hess & Edinger. They succeeded in saving every-
thing of value in the shop, but the building was a total loss ; it was valued at
$500. The night was very calm, a fact which saved greater loss.
The losses were about as follows : R. G. Gardner, $4,500 ; insurance,
$1,200. Dr. G. Truax, $2,000 ; insurance, none. Willard Duffin, $3,500 ;
insurance, $2,500. A. G. .Henderson, $2,300; insurance, $1,500. S. B.
Gage, $600 ; insurance, none. Hess & Edinger, $500 ; insurance, none.
Spencer & Knittle, $500 ; insurance, $500. Field & Sutherland, $2,000 ;
insurance, none. Total loss, $15,900 ; total insurance, $7,500.
The last fire which has visited Maquoketa occurred upon the morning of
Saturday, the 21st of June, 1879, and was discovered about 1:30 o'clock ;
found to be the row of wooden building north of the Opera House, on Main
street. The sleepy citizens woke up gradually and put in some " yeomen "
work in saving the contents of the buildings, and the fire department worked
with a will to stay the further progress of the flames, by pulling down the resi-
dence of Wilson Barnes, to which point it was thought useless to resist the flames.
The Opera House was in imminent danger, and. in fact, the cornice took fire
several times, and but for the efficient work of the bucket-brigade, that fine
building would surely have been destroyed ; but the night was still, and this,
coupled with the opportune shower of rain, saved the surrounding buildings
from becoming food for the fire-fiend. At about 3:30 o'clock, the flames were
under control, and four buildings had been destroyed.
The following are the losses and insurance : Mrs. N. R. Allen, building,
$1,500 ; insurance, $1,000. Louis Naschold, bakery stock, $500 ; insurance,
$500. H. B. French, building and stock, $950 ; insurance, none. Dr. D. L. I.
Flanders, stock, $300 ; insurance, none. Frank Hurd, $200 ; insurance, none.
M. W. Cates, stock, $250; insurance, $1,160. Shirey & Hill, stock, $200 ;
insurance, $450. C. E. Northrop, two building. $1,500 ; insurance, none.
Mrs. Fuller, household goods, $100. The Opera House was damaged $250 ;
insured for $4,000.
498 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
The fire seems to have originated in the building owned by Mrs. Allen, and
occupied by Lewis Naschold as a bakery. It is uncertain how the fire origina-
ted, but probably from the bake-oven in the cellar. The occupants barely
escaped in their night-clothes. There have been several rumors of incendiar-
ism in connection with this fire, but it is doubtful if they are susceptible of
proof.
Maquoketa has no organized fire department, and very few appliances for
extinguishing a conflagration, and such as they have are crude and old-fashioned;
and the water-supply is very inadequate, there being but two cisterns, which
are not always full, and when they are, they hardly meet the demand for a
large fire. The citizens work nobly when called out by an alarm of fire, and,
quickly forming themselves into "bucket brigades," accomplish all that men
can do. It would seem that a city of this size, with its many handsome
blocks, should be better provided with the means of extinguishing fires.
EVENTS OF 1876.
Maquoketa had her centennial at home as well as enjoying the larger
memorial at Philadelphia through the pilgrimage of many of her citizens.
As the clock divided the hour between July 3 and 4, 1876, the ringing of
bells, the shriek of steam whistles, the roar of artillery, etc., disturbed the
naps of those whom age had made weary of "such foolishness," and gave
vent to the patriotism of those whose age manifests its patriotic feelings in
noise. These demonstrations were renewed at sunrise, and. notwithstanding a
drizzling rain, the day was ushered in in true Young American style.
A programme for the day had been arranged. The Marshal of the occa-
sion was Mr. Dunlap. The oration was delivered in the court-room to those
who could gain admittance, by the eloquent Hon. J. H. Murphy, of Davenport.
Later in the afternoon, a procession of the " Komical Fellars " appeared
upon the street. In the evening, arrangements were made for a fine display of
fire-works on Academy Hill, but in the midst of the exhibition, a shower
of rain drove the assembled crowd to shelter and ended the pleasures of the
day-
The rains of the early part of July were continued, and, in consequence,
the streams north and south of the city were much swollen. At midnight pre-
ceding July 9, McCloy's mill dam broke away under the immense pressure of
water, and the flood rushed down the valley, carrying everything before it.
The dam three miles below was a massive affair, being 200 feet in length by
30 feet in width, and built of heavy stone cabled together with iron cables.
This it was thought would stand the power of any flood that might come upon
it, but when the wall of waters came roaring down the chasm, which narrows
just above the dam. the heavy structure gave way like a frame of wood, and a>
breach of 100 feet suffered the waters to proceed on their destructive course.
Fortunately there were no houses in the bottoms below, and, save the drowning
of stock and crops to the value of several thousand dollars, no further damage
was done.
Maquoketa, during the summer, enjoyed the excitement of a spiritualistic
expose. Two men appeared in August by the names of Barnes and Little, the
former an ex-Methodist minister from Albia in Monroe County, who claimed
the honor of publishing the first Republican newspaper in Iowa, to which
honor he was probably entitled. These gentlemen had held seances with great
success in De Witt during the 'week preceding their arrival in Maquoketa.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 49$
They rented the second floor of Sears' building, one end of which they fitted
up as a sort of cabinet. Little was the medium. The expose took place, we
believe, the third night. Little had been firmly tied into a chair in the cabi-
net by a committee from the audience, and the music began. After about half
an hour, when the medium was supposed to be in the midst of the trance, a
hand appeared through the curtain and a voice from spirit-land. Various
credulous females shook the hands of departed friends and enjoyed their words
of comfort, when suddenly, with a movement quick as thought, Mr. William
Sears sprang to the curtain, and, before the agile and watchful Barnes could
intercept him, threw aside the drapery and exposed the astonished Little, who
stood with extended hand, in his shirt-sleeves, having slipped out of his coat,
leaving it tied to the chair.
The traveling humbugs were arrested on the spot by Marshal Halley and
assistants, who were present by arrangement, and were carried at once to the
lock-up. The next morning, they were tried before a Justice, under charge of
procuring money under false pretences, they having charged 50 cents admit-
tance to the hall. Little was acquitted, but Barnes was bound over in the sum
of $100 for his appearance at next term of court.
Taking as our authority the recollection of early settlers in Maquoketa, we
presume we are safe in stating that the first school taught in that village was
kept by one Richard Steei-s, in the winter of 1841. This was held in a log
building of diminutive proportions, which had been called a roothouse, because
built partly below the level of the ground, where roots might be kept somewhat
after the manner in which they are preserved from freezing in a cellar. This
roothouse had been used in turn as a hog-pen, a blacksmith-shop, and now was
fitted up as a schoolhouse. For this purpose, it was covered with a sod roof, a
log was cut out of the entire length of one side, and in this gap was placed the
window. In this building was the village school. Here were religious meet-
ings of various kinds held, as well as the elections for this precinct, at times.
Several years later, this building was superseded by a more substantial
brick building, which was built, at a cost of $1,000, by a joint-stock company,
whose shares were $10 each. The work of building was done by David Jones,
of Dubuque. In this new structure was opened a private school by Preston L.
Lake, who arrived from the East in 1849, and commenced teaching the sum-
mer of that year. This gentleman conducted a very successful school, and it
is spoken of to this day by the "old settlers" in terms of highest praise.
Students came to the Maquoketa Academy, as it was called, from De Witt.
Sabula and Dubuque, and were introduced to the mysteries of algebra,
geometry, botany and physiology on the border. Mr. Lake continued to teach
during two years and a half, when he was succeeded by J. P. Edie.
After this building had been used for a number of years, the stockholders
surrendered their interests to the School Board of Maquoketa, and the build-
ing passed into the hands of the public.
Mr. J. E. Goodenow, with his characteristic generosity, donated to the city
the five acres upon which the present regal school building stands, and here, in
1854, it was resolved to build a larger schoolhouse, which should meet the
wants of the growing town. A foundation was laid for the new building.
30x60 feet. On this, the school district of Maquoketa erected one story of a
brick building, and second and third stories were added by the liberality of J.
500 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
E. Goodenow and Alonzo Spaulding. The first floor was divided into two school-
rooms, while the second and third floors were partitioned into rooms for the
accommodation of those students who came from abroad as boarding pupils.
This was the second academy. The boarding-school part did not prove a suc-
cess, and, Spaulding and Goodenow having disposed of their interests to the
Independent School District of Maquoketa, the latter removed the third story,
and, having heightened the ceilings of the first and second floors, occupied two
rooms on each floor. Even these accommodations eventually proved uncom-
fortable and insufficient, and, in 1876, after tearing away the old building, was
erected one of the finest structures for school purposes that is to be found in
this part of the State.
The first move made toward securing this building was on March 9, 1874,
at which time a committee was appointed to secure plans and specifications for
a suitable school building. However, the work of this committee did" not
accomplish its purpose, and at the annual meeting of electors of the Maquoketa
City School District, March 8, 1875, it was
Resoh-nl, That, the Directors be, and they are hereby, instructed to procure plans, specifica-
tions and estimates for a new school building, to be located on the grounds now occupied by the
old Academy building, and said huilding not to cost over twenty-five thousand dollars.
Kesnlved, That said Board be instructed to report said plans and specifications at a called
meeting of the electors of said district on the first Monday of September, at which meeting the
question of building said school building, and procuring ways and means therefor, shall be
submitted to the electors of said district.
At the September meeting, the plans and specifications were submitted, ami
a proposition wi\s voted upon to issue $18,000 in bonds of the district to pay
for the same. The ballot showed 158 in favor, and 123 opposed.
A day was appointed for receiving sealed bids to erect said building accord-
ing to the plans and specifications, at which time the following bids were opened :
McAdam, Davy & Enderby, $22,300; Franklin Trout, $20,200; Franklin
Kirk, $21,650; George Johnson, $20,950.
The bid of Mr. Trout was accepted, but he refused to enter into contract,
and the same was awarded to Mr. Johnson, he being the next lowest bidder.
The plans and specifications were made by Architect McClellan, of Daven-
port.
During the time occupied in erecting this building schools were held
wherever the Board could engage rooms. A couple of rooms were rented of
L. B. Dunham, and another in the rear part of the second story of Truax's
store.
The $18,000 in bonds were issued April 1, 1876, due in ten years or less,
at the option of the Board, and drawing 10 per cent interest.
At a meeting of the electors held March 14, 1876, $3,000 more in bonds
were voted, making in all $21,000. At the district meeting, 1879, it was
voted to make a re-issue of $16,000 bonds, bearing 8 per cent interest, and upon
sale of these to recall the 10 per cent bonds.
The building, which stands upon Academy Hill,. bears an inscription on the
front, " High School, 1876," but is generally known among the inhabitants as
'•The Academy." The school on this location has been known as "The
Academy " since 1850, and probably will receive that misnomer for another
generation. The building is a little over eighty feet square, and is built of
brick with stone trimmings. It is three stories in height, containing, when com-
pleted, twelve rooms, being four rooms on each floor. The third floor is yet
unfinished, not now being needed to accommodate the district. The eight
rooms which are occupied are neatly finished and seated in modern style. All
Mrs.J. E. Goodenow
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 503
the windows are hung with inside blinds, adding very much to the comfort of
their occupants, and making it possible to adjust the light to the needs of the
pupils, as can be done in no other way. A lofty belfry crowns the building and
requires the ascent of 132 steps to reach it. The visitor is rewarded by one
of the finest views that can be seen anywhere. A Troy bell from this cupola
summons the urchins of Maquoketa to their daily tasks. In addition to this
building, the district owns a schoolhouse in each of the other city wards, con-
taining one apartment in each. There are, therefore, eleven apartments in the
Maquoketa schools.
From 1865 to 1872, Mr. D. A. Fletcher was Principal of the schools most
of the time. He was succeeded by W. H. Fort, who continued to fill that
position until 1874. Then came A. E. Carhart for two years, after whose time,
beginning in 1876, Prof. G. 0. Dudley, at present Principal of the schools,
took charge of the work.
The report for the month ending June 20, 1879, which is, however, one of
the lightest months of the year in school attendance, shows the pupils belong-
ing in the several departments to have been as follows: High School, 67 ; A
Grammar, 44; B Grammar, 39; A Intermediate, 47; B Intermediate, 50; C
Intermediate, 55; First Ward, 34; Second Ward, 56; Third Ward, 69;
Fourth Ward, 28; showing the total number belonging to be 479. The aver-
age attendance for the same month was 437 pupils.
The teachers elect for the coming year, so far as they have been chosen are:
C. C. Dudley. Principal; Miss I. C. Ray, B Grammar: Miss Mary Blodgett,
A Intermediate; Miss C. Cundill, B Intermediate; Miss Minnie Fletcher, C
Intermediate; Miss S. D. Stewart, Assistant Principal; Miss Ella Harrington,
First Ward; Miss A. V. Rhodes, Second Ward; Miss A. S. Barnes, third
Ward.
The probable expenses for the coming year, according to the estimate made
by the Board as a basis for a tax levy, are as follows: Bond Fund, $2,550;
Teacher's Fund, $2,500 ; Contingent, $600 ; Total, $5,050.
The School Board for the current year, with the date of their expiration of
office, is as follows :
S. D. Lyman and O. W. Joiner, office expires March, 1880 ; W. C. Greg-
ory and D. A. Fletcher, office expires March, 1881 ; G. B. Huestis and C. G.
Covell, office expires March, 1882.
O. W. Joiner is President of the Board ; J. T. Wilbur, Secretary, and L.
B. Dunham, Treasurer.
High School. — A course of study was adopted in the winter of 1873. pro-
viding for nine years' course in the various schools below the High School, and
a three-years course in that department. The High School course was modi-
fied in 1877, and as is now conducted, consists of two courses or departments,
as follows :
The English Course. — This includes grammar, rhetoric, physiology, physi-
cal geography, general history, natural philosophy, higher arithmetic com-
pleted, higher algebra through quadratic equations, with geometry and book-
keeping optional. It will be seen that this course affords those desiring to
teach in the public schools an opportunity to fit themselves thoroughly, without
being obliged to spend time on those higher branches, a knowledge of which
would rarely, if ever, be required in the common schools.
The General Course. — This includes all the studies of the English course,
carrying the study of the higher algebra through arithmetical and geometrical
progression, and also includes six books of geometry, and German or Latin for
504 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
three years, or both if desired, with trigonometry optional. Lessons in read-
ing, spelling, writing, drawing, composition, declamation and select reading
occur at stated times. In these and all other general exercises, all pupils are
required to take part.
The English course may be completed in two years ; the general course, in
three years. No study shall be counted as completed until, upon two thorough
examinations, consisting of at least twenty questions each, the pupil shall have
gained an average percentage of at least eighty. Pupils completing the
English course may participate in the exercises of the graduating class, and
receive a certificate of scholarship. Those completing the general course,
shall, upon graduation, receive a diploma, the certificates and diplomas to be
publicly presented by the President of the Board of Directors, at the regular
graduating exercises at the close of the winter term of each year. 'Jhose hold-
ing certificates or diplomas may, at any time, be allowed to recite with any of
the regular classes, in any studies which they may have omitted, or which they
wish to review.
The first class which completed either of these courses of study graduated
March 27. 1879, and consisted of the following named students: Those finish-
ing the English course, and entitled to certificate of scholarship — Libbie Smith,
Charles Farr, Harlan Crane, Delia Griffin, Sarah Davis, Charles Trout and
Julia Doe. Those completing the general course, and entitled to diplomas —
George Earle, Emma Dunbar, George Trout, Emma Spinkle, Willie Squiers,
Imogene Mitchell, Edwin Weed, Theodore Smersh, Charles Fisk, the last
named being valedictorian.
The Maquoketa schools bear an excellent reputation. The citizens are
proud of tliein, and they have before them a promising future. The city sup-
ports no private schools, and the best energies of the people, rich and poor, are
directed to make for their children training-schools which shall fit them for cit-
izenship and success.
THE PRESS.
No more infallible index to the state of society or the thrift of a community
can be found than the press it supports. Decide the question as you may —
whether the press is the power behind the throne or simply the mirror of public
thought — the newspaper does not thrive in a virgin soil, but prospers only in a
cultivated garden. Maquoketa has maintained for twenty-five years from one
to three public prints which have been, and are, a credit not only to their
editors but to the intelligence of the community which makes them a possibility.
The first paper which faced the type in Maquoketa was the Maquoketa
Sentinel, of which No. 1, Vol. I, appeared May 25, 1854. It was edited and
published by Swigart & Bro., a firm composed of Messrs. William C. and Ste-
phen Swigart. It was started in what was then known as Goodenow's new
brick block, and was printed on a press brought from Richland County, Ohio,
where it had recently supported Samuel J. Kirkwqod (now in the United States
Senate from Iowa) as a candidate for the office of County Clerk, on the Demo-
cratic ticket. This same press is now in Ottumwa, doing service for Mr. Kirk-
wood and the Republican party.
This first issue of the Sentinel was a folio of seven columns to the page,
and, at its head, declared itself " Devoted to Politics, Morality, Literature,
Foreign and Domestic News, Manufactures, Agriculture, Mechanic Arts, etc."
The salutatory observes : " We will ever consult, as our way-marks, those
stanch and enlightened doctrines of the science of government which give
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 505
character to the Democratic party. Its wise and patriotic exponents, living
and dead, such as a Jefferson or Calhoun, will be our monitors, and we will
guide our course accordingly through prosperity and adversity; for we feel
assured that the success and prosperity of our government depend upon these
principles."
Of the present residents of Maquoketa who had advertisements in this first
number of the Sentinel, we note the following: Calvin Northrop, of Vial] &
Northrop), cabinet store and manufactory ; L. E. Howes, painter and glazier ;
P. Mitchell, general store ; Alfred Fellows, drugs, medicines, books, etc.;
Thomas Wright & Co., woolen goods, proprietors of the Eagle Woolen Factory;
C. E. Shattuck. proprietor of the Goodenow Hotel.
As a curiosity, we publish the market reports of this first issue, with the
last issue of the Sentinel previous to this writing, and invite the attention of our
readers to the very slight difference in prices.
May, 1854. July, 1870.
Wheat 75c. to 85c. 70c. to $1.00 (according to grade).
Corn 25c. 25c. to 30c.
Oats 20c. 28c. to 31c.
Butter \-2\c. 8c. to 10c.
Eggs 6c. to 7c. 6c. to 7c.
The junior member of Sv/igart k Bro. withdrew from the Sentinel, on
account of ill health, in October, 1856, and died in the following February.
William C. Swigart continued as proprietor until 1862, when the head printer,
Mr. Henderson, went into the army, leaving an issue of the paper partly set
up, in which condition the office remained until 1864, when the pnper passed
into the ownership of Messrs. Tilney & Walworth, who employed Mr. Swigart
to conduct the paper during the Presidential campaign of 1864. The office
finally passed into the hands of G. W. Hunt, who, in 1866, removed it to Le
Claire, Scott Co., 111.
In April, 1868, Mr. Swigart purchased new material and revived the paper
under what he termed the "'new series," beginning again with Vol. I, since
which time the issue of the paper has been uninterrupted and its career pros-
perous. In October, 1868, it was changed to a quarto of five columns, and the
name became Jackson Sentinel.
In October, 1872, James T. Sargent entered into part ownership of the
paper, and from that date until August, 1877, it was conducted by Swigart k
Sargeant. When Mr. Sargent withdrew, at the last-named date, W. C.
Swigart received into the firm his sons, J. M. and W. B., by which firm the
paper is conducted at the present time, under the name of Swigart k Sons.
The paper is now a seven-column quarto, and enjoys a good patronage. It has
always continued Democratic in politics, of the modified type, however, which
supported Greeley in 1872, and the Anti-Monops in 1874.
P. Moriarty, who was at that time State Printer, determined, some time in
the latter part'of 1855, to start a Republican paper in Maquoketa, the Repub-
lican party being then almost unknown in many parts of the West. Accord-
ingly, January 1, 1856, Mr. A. G. Henderson, as agent for Mr. Moriarty,
went to Chicago to purchase material for printing the Maquoketa Weekly
Excelsior. It proved necessary to send to Philadelphia for the type, and the
same becoming " snowed in " in Michigan on the way West, the first copy of the
paper was not issued until March, 1856. The growth of the paper was very
rapid, and, on the 1st of the following August, it printed 54 quires, or 1,296
copies. A. G. Henderson was foreman, compositor and writer in the office
until the fall of 1859. The sheet was then a seven-column folio.
506 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
In March, 1858, A. W. Drips leased the office of Mr. Moriarty and con-
ducted it until 1859, when Willard S. Eddy purchased the office. It was then
published under the name of "Drips & Eddy, proprietors" until the spring of
1861, when the senior partner retired. The paper continued under the control
of Mr. Eddy until 1865, when it was purchased by W. F. McCarron. Soon
after, Col. J. J. Wood purchased a half interest. Then came McCarron &
Reeve, then W. F. McCarron as sole proprietor again, then Col. Wood as sole
pi-oprietor, from whom it was purchased by W. S. Belden, in 1869, who con-
tinued the paper successfully until March, 1876, when it was sold to Messrs. Shaw
& Matthews, the present proprietors.
During the war, or most of the time during the rebellion, the Excelsior was
the only paper publisli3d in Maquoketa. It furnished, from its editors and
employes, quite a list for the army, as follows : Peter Moriarty, founder of
the paper, First Lieutenant Company I, Fifth Iowa Infantry ; A. W. Drips,
Captain Compaiy A, Ninth Iowa Infantry (killed at Pea Ridge in 1862) ; John
F. Drips, private. Company A, Ninth Iowa Infantry (died in Memphis in
1862) ; A. G. Henderson, First Lieutenant Company F, Thirty-first Iowa
Infantry (wounded at Vieksburg in 1863) ; George W. Bagley, private, Com-
pany L, Second Iowa Cavalry. Edward Gordon joined an Ohio regiment of
infantry. Of the editors since the war, Wilbur F. McCarron was First Lieu-
tenant Company H, Eighth Iowa Cavalry ; J. J. Wood, Colonel Twelfth Iowa
Infantry (wounded at Shiloh); W. S. Belden, Captain Company L, Second
Iowa Cavalry.
The Excelsior, in May, 1876, was changed to a six-column quarto, and, at the
same time, equipped with new type. The office, in May, 1878, was supplied
by a Campbell power-press. The paper has always been Republican.
.The present proprietors are young men, and have a promising future before
them. Mr. Matthews is a practical printer, and gives special attention to the
job office. Mr. Shaw spends most of his time in the "editor's sanctum." '
In May, 1878, Capt. W. S. Belden, just mentioned as editor of the Excel-
sior during some seven years, established in Maquoketa a medium sized folio
under the name of Jackson County Record. It is issued weekly, and is the
recognized organ of the Greenback party in the county. As yet, it is an
infant, and its history is necessarily brief.
MANUFACTURES.
Maquoketa Mills. — Joseph McCloy built the first flouring-mill in Jackson
County, in 1841-42. It was located at the present site of Maquoketa Mills,
on Prairie or Mill Creek, on the south edge of Maquoketa City. The first mill
was a frame structure, 26x30 feet, to which power was supplied by a brush -
dam. Previous to the building of this mill, the settlers of Jackson County
were obliged to go to Dubuque for grists, and after McCloy had his mill com-
pleted, he had customers all the way from Clinton and Davenport, and, for the
accommodation of those who came a great distance and had to wait a couple of
days for their grists, he built a log shanty, that they might have shelter. To
the first mill, an addition, considerably larger than the original structure, was
added some ten years later, and recently the mills have been equipped with new
machinery throughout, so that grinding is now done by what is called the " new
process." The water-supply is sulficient to furnish the power to two runs of
stone during the entire year, unless the season is unusually dry. Four-foot
French buhrs arc used, which arc turned by one turbine and one Caulbaugh
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 507
wheel. The mills are now operated by Maskery & Co., and enjoy a large patron-
age, especially in custom-work.
Maquoketa City Tannery. — This establishment was built in 1875 by M. G.
Gohlman, at a cost of near $4,000. The tannery is employed, for the most
part, in the manufacture of calf and kip leather. Twenty-four vats are kept
in operation. The bark used in tanning is mostly white-oak, and is obtained
from the timber of Jackson County.
Eagle Woolen-Mills. — The Eagle Woolen-Mills were instituted some twen-
ty-five years ago by one of the pioneers of Jackson County, the honored
Thomas Wright. Mr. Wright, however, conducted the business on a limited
scale. In 1875, the mills were purchased by J. Whitfield & Son, who enlarged
thent to their present size, supplied them with a 45-horse-power engine, and
equipped them with the finest machinery in use in the Western country.
Twenty hands are constantly employed, running 480 spindles, and various
cards and looms. Messrs. Whitfield & Son make a specialty of flannels and
yarns and blankets, of which they manufacture some $60,000 worth annually.
They also manufacture a limited quantity of cassimeres, satinets and jeans for
local trade. Their staples are for wholesale custom, and are known in all parts
of Iowa and the West.
It should have been stated that the first mill erected by Mr. Wright in 1854
was burned two years afterward, but was subsequently rebuilt.
Barnes Brothers' Manufactory. — These gentlemen began business in 1867,
upon the same ground where their factory now stands. At that time, they
were engaged almost exclusively in wagon-making. In 1872, they began the
manufacture of a pump of their own invention, and upon which they secured a
patent. They now make three varieties of pumps, known as Barnes' Patent,
which have a very successful sale, and have taken premiums wherever exhib-
ited at State and county fairs.
In 1874 and 1876, their rapidly increasing business called for more commo-
dious quarters, with which they supplied themselves by tearing away the old
building, and erecting the two-story brick manufactory which they now occupy
on Piatt street. For two years, they have manufactured a stalk cutter of their
own patent, which has met with fair success. In addition, Barnes Brothers
manufacture wagons, and do a general business in wood and iron work, ranking
their manufactory among the foremost of Maquoketa industries.
TrideVs Foundry was established in 1875 by J. Tridel. Here is done all
sorts of work in casting. Mr. Tridel, however, makes a specialty of iron
fencing, and of a basement window sash, grate and frame combined, for which
he holds the exclusive right to manufacture and sell in Iowa. Job-turning in
wood also receives considerable attention at this establishment.
MAQUOKETA CORNET BAND.
This band was organized in September, 1875. by the election of V. Peters
as Leader, and J. Scholl as Secretary and Treasurer. The band consists of
twelve players. The present Leader is Joseph Schieberl, with Thomas Hench
as Secretary. The band is well trained, and discourses excellent music, meet-
ing for practice on Wednesday and Saturday evenings in Centennial Hall. The
players, with their instruments, are as follows : Joseph Schieberl, E flat clarionet ;
A. Scheiberl, B flat clarionet ; J. Scholl, B flat cornet ; Fred Moftatt, 2d B
flat cornet ; -V. Peters, solo alto ; M. Nelson, 2d alto ; M. Stanley, 3d alto ;
Tom Berkley, 1st tenor: Tom Hench. baritone; John Blunt, bass; George
508 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Graul, tenor drum ; James Wilson, bass drum. Six of these players form a
string band, which does not exist as a separate organization. The pieces
belonging to this band are 1st and 2d violin, clarionet, cornet, trombone and
bass viol. The bands have neat and attractive uniforms.
HOTELS.
Few towns of its size have the hotel accommodations, either with respect to
quantity or quality, to compare with Maquoketa.
We have already spoken of Maquoketa's first hotel and of its success. The
GooJenow House has long since disappeared, and we will sketch in brief those
which have been its successors.
In 1856, the Decker House, a moderate-sized frame building, was erected by
James Decker and E. R. Woley, of Watertown, N. Y., on the spot where it still
stands, and is now known as the Old Decker House. This was completed about
January, 1857, and was opened by one Goodrich Brainard. The hotel was
kept in turn, after Brainard. by John E. Goodenow, E. R. Woley, W. McKim,
A. W. Wakeman, G. W. Niles, J. N. Strickland and D. P. Smith.
Previous to 1876, Mr. James Decker had been talking for some time of
building a hotel which should be a glory to the city for yeai*s to come. His
plans were generally regarded as extravagant, but, in the summer of 1876, the
work of excavating was begun. Everything was done under the personal
supervision of the builder. Nothing but the best materials were employed, and
those in such liberality as to make the building a marvel in strength and solidity.
The result was that, early in 1878, there was opened in Maquoketa one of the
finest hotel buildings in this part of Iowa. The house was furnished by its owner,
and though it is not large, everything about it is elegant and substantial. The
house is 44 feet front and 160 feet deep, and contains thirty-five sleeping-rooms.
The office and dining-room are commodious apartments. The ceilings, begin-
ning with the first floor, are sixteen, twelve and ten feet respectively.
When the new hotel was finished, the old house adjoining was abandoned.
The first tenant was 0. N. Bugby, who remained about a year. Since his
departure in April, 1879, the house has been conducted by E. R. Woley, the
present accommodating proprietor, who is assisted in the office by Corpron
as clerk.
The Kimball House was built about 1859 by one named Rhodes, and has
been known by various titles, the name given being usually that of the pro-
prietor. The house has been occupied for a number of years by Mr. Miller,
and known as the Miller House. It was purchased in July, 1878, by P. N.
Kimball, an old resident of Sabula, and by him refurnished throughout.
Mr. Kimball, finding his room not commensurate with the patronage he
enjoys, has just completed an addition to the house, finer than the part to which
it is built. The office and rooms in the new part are neat and comfortable. A
further improvement and enlargement of the house is contemplated. It now
contains twenty sleeping-rooms.
The Midland House was built in 1871 by William Skinner, of Lyons, and
by him named the Midland House, in honor of the Midland Road, completed
from Lyons to Maquoketa that year. It was opened in June, 1871, by
Messrs Niles & Center. They were succeeded by L. J. Hawes as landlord,
who gave way, in 1877, to J. Collamer, who equipped the house throughout
with new furniture. The Midland is a frame building, and contains about fif-
teen sleeping-rooms.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
TEMPERANCE MATTERS.
Maquoketa is fortunate enough to possess among her citizens a very strong
element which numbers in its ranks a large assembly of those who style them-
selves " temperance people."
The question of how to get rid of the giant evil has been a problem since
the village became a town, and before. The Washingtonian movement did its
brief work in Maquoketa, and the re-action which came about in a few months
■was even worse than the original evil.
A society for the promotion of temperance was organized in 1854, and
this was followed, in 1857, by a temperance lodge, which was organized in
1857. of which Dr. J. H. Allen was first President. This institution did a
good work, and, after a brief existence, was succeeded by the " Sons of Tem-
perance." Next came the "'Temple of Honor," then the " Sons and Daugh-
ters of Temperance," all of which organizations kept the subject agitated, and
doubtless accomplished their share of good in helping men to sobriety and the
community to culture and peacefulness. "
Maquoketa has had for some years a prohibitory law against saloons, but,
as happens in the majority of cases where such a law exists, it has not been
enforced. Nay, it is found impossible to enforce it.
At the spring term of the District Court, 1874, temperance women, to the
number of two or three hundred, in a body, waited on the Judge in open court,
asking more severity in imposing fines and in the collection of those imposed.
The Judge responded briefly and respectfully, though the difference in the effi-
ciency of the laws can scarcely be said to be perceptible.
The Blue Ribbon movement struck Maquoketa in January, 1878, and dur-
ing the first week, under the labors of Messss. Hoofstitler and Rowell, about
eighteen hundred signers were secured to the following pledge : " ' With mal-
ice toward none, and charity for all," I, the undersigned, do pledge my word
and honor, God helping me, to abstain from all intoxicating liquors as a bever-
age, and that I will, by all honorable means, encourage others to abstain."
The Maquoketa Reform Club was established immediately after this move-
ment, and included in its membership 500 persons, many of whom had been
drunkards or moderate drinkers. During the first year of the Club's existence,
the membership was confined to males ; but, in January, 187U, the ladies were
invited as allies, and, as is usually the case in such reforms, they are not behind
their principals in energy and enthusiasm. Through the generosity of Mr.
John E. Goodenow. the Reform Club is able to hold regular meetings in its
own hall every two weeks.
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union has an auxiliary society in
Maquoketa, composed of a goodly number of devoted ladies, who hold fort-
nightly meetings in the hall of the Reform Club.
Since the above sketch was written, a license ordinance has been passed
by the City Council of Maquoketa. This measure was strongly opposed by
the temperance people, but was carried by the argument usually put forward
for license, viz., That the prohibitory law cannot be enforced, and the city might
as well derive some revenue from the evil, which is bound to exist in any event.
MAQUOKETA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.
This organization provides for the reading portion of Maquoketa people a
reasonable opportunity to enjoy good reading, a*: a moderate expense. The
510 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
library is not large, comprising only about seven hundred volumes ; but the
works are well selected, and many of them of a quite recent date.
The Association is a joint-stock company, and is maintained by the sub-
scriptions of thjse who use the library and by the sale of new shares oj
stock. It enjoys a fair patronage. The library is in the Excelsior office,
and the senior editor, Mr. A. F. Shaw, is Librarian. The other officers of
the Association are : Mrs. M. V. Schrader, President ; F. M. Fort, Vice Pres-
ident; Miss Susan Sears, Treasurer; Mrs. Seba Stephens, Secretary.
citizens' association.
At the time citizens' associations were in vogue in Iowa towns, Maquoketa
organized. It was doubtless the intention of these good patriots to make a
metropolis of the village at once. Showy circulars were to be sent over the
country, setting forth the hydraulic powers of the neighboring streams, the
quantity of cheap timber in the vicinity, and the facilities for distributing
farm machinery from Maquoketa, as a center over a large scope of fine terri-
tory.
The organization was effected in the fall of 1872. It was well officered :
C. M. Sanborn, Pesident ; Russel Perham, Vice President ; C. M. Dunbar,
Secretary ; J. Carter, Treasurer ; Directors — Mott Watson, B. A. Spencer, T.
E. Cannell, D. W. Hubbell, D. Fields, J. E. Goodenow, H. B. Griffin, Pierce
Mitchell and G. T. Bradley.
Its history is written ; in the bloom of its youth was it stricken, and a city
still yearning for manufactories mourns its untimely end and the consequent
business depression which succeeded it in 1873.
MOUNT HOPE CEMETERY ASSOCIATION
effected an organization January 28, 1850, and was composed originally of a
number of citizens who met for the purpose of locating and fitting up a burial
ground. A small parcel of land just beyond the Academy, including about an
acre, had been previously used, and to add to this was purchased, just after the
organization of the Association, two acres adjoining from Joseph McCloy. The
by-laws adopted by the Association provided' that every lot-owner should have
a vote in the meeting of the Association, and that the management of affairs
should be intrusted to five Trustees, who were then elected as follows : C. E.
Brown, Ira Stimpson, Lyman Ballard, Aaahel Hall, Daniel Rhodes ; Secretary,
Edwin Kirkup ; Treasurer. Jonas Clark.
This inclosure of three acres has been the city's burial ground from that
day to this. It has been recently fenced and is in neat condition ; but every
lot in the inclosure has been sold, and it has become necessary to enlarge the
boundaries of the cemetery. Accordingly, during the past winter, the City
Council have purchased four acres adjoining on the south, and have turned over
the same to the Mount Hope Association. Measures are now about to be taken
to inclose this addition.
MAQUOKETA BIBLE SOCIETY.
A Jackson County Bible Society was organized in the county, in a very
early day, as auxiliary to the American Bible Society, and for a good number of
years had a prosperous existence. Subsequent, however, to 1870, the Society
began to meet with disaster. Mistakes were made in its management ; matters
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. "ill
were allowed to run at odds and ends, when, about L877, the Society so tin-
recovered itself as to make the discovery that delinquent agents and depositors
had left it some $400 in debt. The old organization did not have the energy
left necessary to assist it to. recovery of life, and it became one of the things
that were. The records of this institution are lost, and it is impossible for us to
give an accurate sketch of its career.
Over the ruins of the old society, it was resolved, by several devoted spirits
who were not prepared to give up the Bible cause, to form a new society. Per-
mission was granted from the American Bible Society to organize an auxiliary
in Maquoketa, to be known as the Maquoketa Bible Society. This was formed
in a quiet way March 30, 1878, and at a public mass-meeting held in the
Methodist Episcopal Church on March 31, the organization was completed by
the election of the following officers : A. Munger, President ; 0. W. Joiner,
Vice President ; J. F. Thompson, Secretary ; W. B. Sutherland, Treasurer ;
S. D. Lyman, G. S. Martin and G. Truax, Directors. The same officers equip
the association to-day, except in case of the Secretaryship, which is now held
by F. M. Taylor.
The depository is in Dr. G. S. Martin's drug store. The Society is now in
a thriving condition. They have no agents employed, however. They only
presume to occupy Maquoketa and South Fork Townships as their territory.
FRATERNITIES.
Helton Lodge, No. 36. A., F. $• A. M. — Helion Lodge, No. 36, A.. F. k
A. M., of Maquoketa, was organized under dispensation May 58, 1851. and
chartered at Muscatine, June 18, 1853. The charter members were Preston L.
Lake, Samuel Chandler, William Y. Earle, Thomas M. Wright, C. Cheney. M.
M. Curtis, S. Stephens, Nathaniel Butterworth, John Hanna, Thomas Wright,
Thomas Darling, J. C. Wendel. The first officers were : P. L. Lake, W. M.;
Thomas Wright, S. W. ; M. M. Curtis, J. W. ; William Y. Earle, Secretary ;
Thomas M. Wright, Treasurer.
Thomas Wright, of Maquoketa, is the oldest Mason now a member of the
Lodge, having been initiated in Clinton Lodge, No. 278, in the State of New
York, in 1822.
The first meeting of Helion Lodge and meetings for a good many year*
subsequently, were held in what was then the second story of Jonas Clark'*
store, which stood near where Van Evera's drug store now stands. Then,
meetings were held for a number of years in the room now occupied a-s a
Hall by the Odd Fellows. About 1871, the Masons removed to their pres-
ent location, over Carter's hardware store. This room they have fitted up
in a comfortable and handsome manner, but so soon as the financial condition
of the Lodge will permit, it is the purpose of the Order to own a hall of
their own. They look forward to that time as no distant day.
The Lodge now numbers seventy-two members. The present officers are :
G. A. Isbell, W. M.; 0. Henry, S. W.; G. A. Hess, J. W.; C. G. Covell, Treas-
urer ; C. C. Dudley, Secretary.
A.O. U. W. — As this is comparatively a new Order, and, probably, unknown
to many of our readers, a few words upon the history at large will be appro-
priate.
On the 5th day of November, 1868, in Meadville, Penn., fourteen men
assembled and organized the first Lodge of the Ancient Order of United Work-
men. The motive that prompted them was a pure and unselfish one, and their
512 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
plan of operation is the very best to carry out the purpose for which the Order
is intended, that of Charity, Hope and Protection. From the date of the
organization, the Order grew slowly until July 4, 1870, when the Grand Lodge
of Pennsylvania was instituted at Meadville. The Order continued to spread,
reaching into Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, and, in 1871, the first Lodge of the
A. 0. U. W. in Iowa was instituted at Washington.
In 1874, there were but five Lodges in the State. From this time, the
growth has been rapid, and there are now nearly two hundred subordinate Lodges,
while the membership in Iowa nears ten thousand.
It is a benevolent Order, not unlike the I. 0. 0. F., helping the widows
and orphans and caring for the sick. A distinguishing feature is the beneficiary
department, by virtue of which $2,000 is paid to the heirs of deceased mem-
bers. This of course is a virtual life insurance, and no one can be admitted
_to membership without having passed a satisfactory medical examination
by the Medical Examiner of the Lodge. Candidates for membership must
be less than fifty years of age. There are two Lodges of this order in Maquo-
keta.
Timber Qity Lodge, A. 0. U. W., No. 8. — This Lodge was chartered
November 20, 1874. ' Its first officers were : E. A. Fuller, M. W.; J. T. Sar-
gent, F.; H. K. Ehrlick, 0.; William Gurius, G. F.; S. L. Baker, P. M. W.;
Q. L. Johnson, R.; D. P. Smith, G.; M. Dalzell, Receiver.
The present membership of Timber City Lodge is seventy-one. The Lodge
meets in an elegantly furnished hall, over Steear's boot and shoe store, which has
been leased for a term of five years. Meetings are held every Tuesday even-
ing, and the articles of the Order provide for degree work, in some respects,
similar to other secret organizations.
There has been one death in this Lodge, that of D. K. Smith, in 1878. His
heirs received $2,000, and $5 per week during six months in which the
deceased was ill.
The present officers of Timber City Lodge are: H. E. French, M. W.; J.
C. McGee, F.; M. Reynor, 0.; E. S. Thompson, G.; E. W. Wood, P.M. W.;
J. C. Guilfoil, R.; J. Glcasen, S.; John Dostal, Receiver.
Monitor Lodge, No. 67, A. 0. U. W., was chartered May 18, 1876. The
first officers were: Fred. Gurius, P. M. W.; J. F. Thompson, M. W.; E. S.
Belknap, F.; G. B. Orcutt, 0.; D. F. House, Recorder; E. B. Chase, Finan-
cier; A. E. Wray, Receiver; E. P. Hatfield, G. The Lodge now numbers
seventy-seven members.' The brethren occupy the hall of the I. 0. 0. F., and
have done so since the organization of their Order. They meet every Monday
evening. There have been no deaths in this Lodge since its organization. The
officers for 1870 are: W. C. McPeak, P. M. W.; G. B. Orcutt, M. W.; R. F.
Hayes, F.; William Grant, 0.; D. F. House, Recorder; E. M. Ballengee,
Financier; A. E. Wray, Receiver; H. H. French, G.
Maquoketa Lodge, No. 22, I. L. H. — The Iowa Legion of Honor is a new
Order, which dates its organization at Marshalltown, Iowa, in March, 1879. Its
purpose is not dissimilar to that of the A. 0. U. W., and the insurance scheme
provides for an insurance of $2,000 or $4,000, at the discretion of the member.
This Lodge, ~No. 22, was organized in Maquoketa, June 11, 1879, with twenty
members. Meetings are held in Odd Fellows Hall, on alternate Thursday
evenings. The officers are: J. C. Guilford, President; Charles Palmer, Vice
President; W. T. Seaward, Recording Secretary; Alexander Organ, Financial
Secretary; C. M. Dunbar, Treasurer; S. T. Holmes, Chaplain ; M.J.Har-
rington, Usher; F. C. Miller, Door-keeper.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 513
Jackson Lodge, No. 33, I. 0. 0. F. — This Lodge was organized March
28, 1851, through the agency of the Odd Fellows Lodge at Bellevue. The
charter members were John Pope, J. N. Skelton, T. E. Cannell, J. R. Tobias,
L. G. Ransom. The charter was granted by the Grand Lodge of Iowa, Octo-
ber 27. 1852. The first meeting of Jackson Lodge was held in the second
story of Jonas Olark's store, which stood on the southwest corner of Main and
Piatt streets. The first officers were: John Pope, N. G.; J. R. Tobias, V. G.,
J. N. Skelton, Secretary: T. E. Cannell, Treasurer.
In 1854, when Mr. Fellows built the block in which the Odd Fellows now
have their hall, they made him a proposition to buy the uncompleted "third
story, which had been inclosed but not plastered. He agreed to sell the same
for $800, and the bargain was closed, Jackson Lodge paying him $400 in cash
and securing therefor a bond for a deed when the remainder should be paid.
They proceeded to fit up the hall and the bond for deed was given to Noble
Grand Pope, who was then County Recorder, to place on record. Mr. Pope
mislaid this instrument in some manner and forgot it. In the crash of 1857,
Mr. Fellows was crippled financially and gave a mortgage on his block to a
firm in Chicago. The mortgage was foreclosed and the building advertised to
be sold by order of the Court. The lodge officers began to inquire into their
title, and found no bond recorded, consequently they had none to inquire into.
The building was bid in by Messrs. Schrader & Dunham, of Maquoketa. The
Lodge had lost not only their $400, but everything they had done in the
way of improvements. Schrader & Dunham kindly leased the hall to the
Lodge for ten years at $20 per year. When the lease expired, the building
was the property of Mr. Taubman, the present owner. He asked $50 per
year rent for the hall, and the Lodge regarding that sum as too high, removed
for several years to the room across Main street, long known as the Goodenow
Hall. In 1875, they bought the present hall, being the one so long occupied
by them, with which they had been so unfortunate. For this third floor they
paid $500, and now have it fitted up and furnished in good shape.
The membership of the Lodge in good standing is forty-six. Financial
condition is such that they have money in the treasury. Jackson Lodge has
given large amounts in the way of charity, not only to the families of its own
members, but to other objects. The present officers are: J. N. Wright, N. G.;
E. C. Sterns, V. G.; D. S. Haight, Secretary, and H. H. French, Treasurer.
D. S. Haight has been Secretary of the Lodge about eight years. John Pope
was once, in the early history of the Lodge, a member of the Grand Lodge of
the United States.
CHURCHES.
Congregational Church. — This society had its beginning in a private house.
During the summer and fall of 1843, the question of a Congregational Church
had been agitated in the village. Thursday, November 30, had been set apart
by a number of ministers of this vicinity as a day of Thanksgiving — Iowa not
yet being a State, there was no official Thanksgiving Day in the Territory. On
the evening of this fast-day, a few Christian friends met at the house of John
Shaw, and it was agreed to unite into a church. The original members of this
organization were William H. Efner, Mrs. Sophia Shaw, Thomas S. Flathers,
Eliel Nims, Elizabeth Nims, Joseph McCloy and Phoebe S. McCloy.
On Sunday, December 10, 1843, the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was
first publicly administered by Rev. William Salter, Missionary in the service
of the American Home Missionary Society.
514 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
At this same time was organized the Northern Iowa Association of the
Congregational Church, Rev. E. B. Turner, of Cascade ; Rev. 0. Emerson, of
De Witt, and Rev. A. B. Robbins, of Bloomington, being here present in
addition to Rev. Salter above mentioned. Thomas S. Flathers and William
H. Efner were appointed and chosen first Elders of the Church.
At a meeting held December 17, 1843, it was voted that Rev. William
Salter be requested to labor with the Church during one-half of his time, the
remainder of the time being devoted to the church at Andrew. He accepted
and continued with the Church until April, 1846.
At the end of Mr. Salter's pastorate, the Church numbered twenty mem-
bers. During his stay, the services were held for the most part in the little log
schoolhouse, which has been already mentioned in speaking of the early days
of Maquoketa.
From 1846 to 1848, Rev. William A. Keith was Pastor. He was suc-
ceeded, after an interval of a few months, by Rev. John W. Windsor, who
continued until 1856. During his pastorate, and in the year 1850, the society
was duly incorporated under the State laws and efforts were made to build a
church. The first building of the society, which stood on the lot occupied by
the new church, was dedicated in 1853, Rev. Salter preaching the dedication
sermon.
The next minister was Rev. G. C. Delevan, who was here during a portion
of 1856 and 1857. He was succeeded by Rev. William A. Patten, who remained
one year, and, in 1859, Rev. P. Blakeman commenced his labors in Maquoketa.
Mr. Blakeman, in 1861, gave way to Rev. C. S. Cody, who continued for two
years. The next Pastor was Rev. J. B. Gilbert, whose ministry continued
over four years, followed in order by Rev. J. C. Switzer and Rev. McCook.
In 1871, Rev. Graves became Pastor of the Church and preached until
November, 1874. Then came a vacancy of one year, when Rev. S. F. Millikan,
the present Pastor, was called to the pulpit.
During the present pastorate, the work and growth of the Church has been
most encouraging. A meeting was held May 25, 1877. at which it was
resolved to build a new church, and a committee was appointed with that pur-
pose in view.
This church was completed in December, 18,78, and is a neat and comfort-
able building. It is built after the Got] icstyleandis finished in most excellent
taste. The rich stain ed-glaSS windc were contributed by William C. Board-
man as a memorial to his deceased wife. The building is heated by furnaces
and lighted by gas furnished by the Colman process.
The dedication services were held Sunday, December 15, 1878, the sermon
being preached by Rev. Dr. William Salter, of Burlington, who had been the
first Pastor of the Church in 1813, as mentioned above. The dedicatory prayer
was offered by Rev. Dr. Robbins, of Muscatine.
The present membership of the Church is nearly 150. The Trustees are
G. T. Bradley, M. Dalzell, C. M Dunbar, D. A. Fletcher, Joseph McCloy,
Austin Munger; F. D. Lyman, Treasurer; A. F. Shaw, Clerk.
A prosperous Sabbath sclnul is in progress under the superintendency of
D. A. Fletcher.
A missionary society labors in connection with the Church, accomplishing
a good work for those in lands less favored.
The First Methodist Episcopal Church. — Methodism in early times, in
Iowa, seems usually to have been the pioneer church, perhaps because in its
elementary form it admitted of less formal organization than some other
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 515
societies, and because its ministers were itinerants and could, therefore, more
easily labor in frontier fields than those who were expected to settle and remain
preaching to a single charge.
The Methodist Church in Maquoketa had its beginning in a service held by
Rev. William Simpson, in a log cabin near the southeast corner of Main and
Piatt streets, in the month of February, 1839.
The first class consisted of the following members : Thomas Wright,
Leader ; Mrs. Rachel Wright, Amasa Nims, Adeline Nims, Mrs. Clark.
The first person received as a probationary member of the class was Mr.
John Clark.
The lot on Olive street on which the first church building was erected was
donated to the society by Mr. John E. Goodenow. Under the pastorate of
Rev. S. Hanes, a frame church was built and dedicated in 1850. In this
church was held, August 27, 1856, the first session of the Upper Iowa Confer-
ence, Bishop E. S. Janes, President.
The following is a list of the Pastors since the organization of the Church,
with the year of their service : 1839, Rev. William Simpson; 1840-41. Rev.
B. H. Cartwright ; 1842, Rev. Pope ; 1813, Rev. John Walker ; 1844, Revs.
Dennis and Larkins; 1845, Revs. Philo and Dennis ; 1846, Revs. Greenup
and Howard; 1847, Revs. Howard and Maxwell; 1848, Rev. J. W. Brier;
1849, Rev. William Hulbert ; 1850, Rev. S. Hanes ; 1851, Rev. Smith ; 1852,
Rev. G. Larkins ; 1853, Rev. McDonald ; 1854, Rev. Harvey Taylor ; 1855,
Rev. Watts; 1856, Rev. J. G. Dimmitt; 1857, Rev. G. W. Brindell; 1858,
Rev. Landon Taylor; 1859-60, Rev. A. B. Kendig ; 1861-62, Rev. S. Pan-
cost ; 1863, Rev. G. W. Brindell ; 1864, Rev. S. Linsey ; 1865, Rev. E. K.
Young; 1866, Rev. W. F. Paxton ; 1867-68, Rev. William Lease; 1869-70,
Rev. R. Swearingen ; 1871, Rev. J. C. Croraack ; 1872-73, Rev. R. W. Mill-
ner; 1874, Rev. W. B. Frazelle ; 1875-76-77, Rev. G. R. Manning; 1878,
Rev. J. B. Albrook ; 1879, Rev. J. C. Magee.
During the year 1875, the society having disposed of the old church and
lot on the corner of Pleasant and Olive streets, they built a new edifice on the
corner of Maple and Second streets, at a cost of $8,000. This building was
dedicated by Bishop E. G. Andrews, assisted by Presiding Elder Skinner, on
December 12, 1875.
The church is now held by the society free from incumbrance, and the
society is in a flourishing condition. The membership numbers about two
hundred and fifty. The annual revenue of the Church, for all purposes, is not
far from $1,350.
A successful Sabbath school of 200 members is superintended by Mr. O.
W. Joiner.
A Ladies' Aid Society renders efficient service in adding both to the rev-
enues of the Church and to its means of social culture and enjoyment.
The present Stewards (1879) are A. D. Lawrence, T. E. Blanchard, W. B.
Sutherland, N. A. Haraley, W. J. Carter, S. T. Holmes, S. S. Wright, E. S.
Belknap, O. W. Joiner.
The Trustees are G. Truax, I. C. Weed, A. W. Blakeslee, N. A. Ilamley,
T. E. Blanchard, H. Hamley, W. B. Sutherland, Daniel Stephens and O. W.
Joiner.
It is a coincidence somewhat remarkable that Bishop Janes, who is men-
tioned above as the President of the first meeting of the Upper Iowa Confer-
ence, in Maquoketa, died on the same day on which the same Conference held
its twentieth anniversary, in the same place in which it was organized.
516 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Baptist Church. — The meeting which resulted in the organization of this
society was that of a little band whose sympathies were with this division of the
Church, and which met in Maquoketa at the house of Daniel Rhodes, in 1848.
Rev. C. E. Brown acted as Moderator of the meeting. The following resolu-
tions were adopted :
Resolved, That the interests of the cause of Christ, and our own growth in grace and useful-
ness, require Ihnt we should organize ourselves into a Baptist Church.
Resolved, That we do so by presenting our letters, and by adopting and subscribing our
names to the Declaration of Faith published in the Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge.
The members who were present at this meeting, and who were therefore the
founders of the Maquoketa Baptist Church, were C. E. Brown, David Sears,
E. Wilcox, I. W. Clark, Henry Munson, Jason Paugborn, William Benson,
William Y. Earle, Daniel Rhodes, Eunice Pangborn, Ann Clark, Eunice
Decker, Sophia Blake, Betsey Ann Jackson, Frances L. Brown and Eliza
Mallard — sixteen in all. The meetings of the Church were held, for a time, in
the South Schcolhouse. Elder C. E. Brown, who was present at the organiza-
sion, became the first Pastor of the Church, and continued with it until May
4, 1851. At this time, the society raised only $150 per year for minister's
salary.
The Church was incorporated in 1851, with R. Williams, William Y. Earle
and C. Teeple the first Board of Trustees.
D. Rhodes and R. Williams composed the first Board of Deacons, elected
in the following year.
Elder Scott occupied the pulpit from 1851 to 1853. Then it was supplied
by Elder Holmes until 1858.
Efforts began to be made, in 1852, to build a house of worship. This was
done, and December 10, 1853, a modest structure, 25x32 feet, was dedicated
by Elder Bates, who was present for that occasion.
About this time, a rather novel way of making up deficiencies in the minis-
ter's salary was adopted. It being ascertained the amount of the arrears, a
committee was appointed, whose duty it was to apportion the debt among the
male members, according to their ability to pay. This levying of a tax accord-
ing to the Township Assessor's books would probably not be very popular in
the present day. Perhaps it was not in 1850. At any rate, it was resorted to
several times in the history of this Church.
May 19, 1850, the church building was burned to the ground. For a num-
ber of years, meetings were held in the brick schoolhouse, and subsequently the
church belonging to the Presbyterian body was rented and eventually pur-
chased by the Baptist society about 1859. It is since repaired and improved,
and is now (1879) their place of worship.
Elders J. Cummings, E. D. Phillips, Sampson, Clark and Fields, in turn
served the Church during the decade between 1860 and 1870.
Rev. William Tilley took charge of the pulpit in 1870, and continued
three years. He was succeeded by Rev. N. F. Hoyt. who continued until
1877. Then came Rev. T. J. Keith, who resigned his charge in June, 1879.
The Sabbath school in connection with the Church is superintended by
Joseph Ade.
The lioman Catholic Church. — This Church has a very limited membership
in Maquoketa, although strong throughout the county. The members of this
Church have had to go long distances to attend services, or not go at all. This
was the condition of things until 1873, when Rev. J. B. Gaffney, a priest
living in the northern part of the county, exerted his influence in behalf of a
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 517
church building to be erected here. He was very successful among the citizens
of Maquoketa in raising money for that purpose ; the citizens, irrespective of
religious belief, subscribing liberally, and, as the result, a pretty little brick
church was built in 1873, upon Olive street, costing in the neighborhood of
$5,000. It is 70x30 feet in size. The congregation have no regular priest in
charge, but the Rev. J. J. O'Farrell, of Charlotte, Clinton County, comes here
upon the second Sunday in each month and officiates.
The German Reformed Church was built in September, 1877, and is a neat
little church about 40x20 feet in size, built of brick and covered with cement
in imitation of stone. It has a parsonage at its side, built in the same style.
There is a congregation of between thirty and forty regular worshipers. Ser-
vices are held every Sunday, Mr. Paul Eddinger officiating in the absence of a
regular Pastor. The Rev. J. J. Miller was the first Pastor of the Church and
ministered to the flock from the building of the church till the fall of 1878.
He was followed by the Rev. Mr. Kolb, who remained with the Church for sev-
eral months. It is expected that a regular minister will be in charge again
within a short time.
The Lutheran Evani/elical Church is a society composed entirely of Ger-
mans, who hold their services in the old Methodist Church on Eliza street.
There is a membership of about thirty. The society was formed some twelve
years ago, and was ministered to by the Rev. Mr. Schueller, until 1873, but
since then there has been no organized church, till within a year or so, when a
few determined upon resuming church services, and as a result the Rev. Mr.
Rembold, of Andrew, comes here every two weeks and holds services for them.
The Church of Latter-Day Saints. — A religious body holding peculiar
tenets, is an object of curiosity to people in general, and their institutions are .
often misunderstood. This remark holds good in the idea that the generality of
people have of the Church of Latter- Day Saints. The name conveys to most
minds Brigham Young and his polygamous followers. But here, among the
order-loving, law-abiding Christian people of Maquoketa is a society bearing the
name of this Church, and the members are as order-loving, law-abiding and as
good citizens as any L ere ; but they have no connection with that blot of iniquity
at Salt Lake. They are in fact Smithites, and believe in the faith as given
them by that teacher, and spurn the later teachings of Young and his follow-
ers. At about the time of the death of Joseph Smith, when Brigham Young
usurped the leadership of the followers of Smith, many neither believing in
his authority or his teachings, separated from the body which followed Young,
and, in 1850, organized themselves into a Church of Latter-Day Saints, at
Amboy, Lee Co., 111. Many members scattered over the Northwestern States,
and several families located in and about Maquoketa. In the year 1860,
Horace Bartlett, an Elder of the Church, organized a society at Butternut
Grove, a few miles from here, and there and at Canton have held services from
time to time. They have a church building here, formerly the Methodist
Church, where they hold services now and then. At the first organization here,
Edward Larkey was chosen President, and held the office for fourteen years.
The present officers are: Edward Kelsaw, President; Edward Kelsaw, Edward
Larkey and M. Mandley, Elders; Edward Lowe and James Johnson, Teachers.
They have a following of about thirty, at this place, composed of intelligent,
well-educated people, who hold in the doctrines of their Church with as much
pertinacity as do the Methodists or Baptists to theirs.
The Episcopal Church is represented here by a society composed of resi-
dents belonging to that communion. They are organized into an association,
518 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
with Mrs. Dr. G. Truax, as President; Mrs. Cherry, Secretary, and Miss
Nettie Sanborn, Treasurer. They have collected about $400 toward building
a church, and when sufficiently strong will begin the undertaking. They have
services occasionally, the Rev. James Trimble, of St. John's Church, Clinton,
officiating for them.
CITY OFFICERS.
As a matter of reference, we give herewith the town and city officers of
Maquoketa since its organization, in 1854. The following named were elected
as city officers for the year 1854, election day occurring upon the 15th day of
March — Mayor, J. E. Goodenow ; Recorder, George D. Lyon ; Aldermen, J.
Viall, P. Mi'tchell, Z. Livermore, A. Hall and N. H! Potter.
1855, March 27— Mayor, I. K. Millard ; Recorder, J. W. Jenkins ; Alder-
men. Alfred Fellows, James P. Edie, J. R. Barnes, Asahel Hall and J. B.
Allen.
1856, March 25 — Mayor, Alfred Fellows; Recorder, Eugene A. Cowles ;
Aldermen, Thomas Lyman, Aionzo Spaulding, 0. D. Cowles, E. S. Piper and
Benjamin Spencer.
1857, March 17 — Mayor, Z Livermore ; Recorder, J. C. Brakey ; Alder-
men, W. C. Swigart, J. Clark, Jas. Smith, J. D. Dearborn and A. Spaulding.
On the adoption of the city charter, following the special act of the Leg-
islature incorporating the city of Maquoketa, another election was held (May
4). with the following result:
Mayor, 1. K. Millard; Recorder, J. C. Brakey; Marshal, A. Dalrymple ;
Assessor, William Y. Earle ; Aldermen, 0. D. Cowles, R. B. Clancy, T.
Lyman, R. S. Hadley, B. Spencer, D. H. Case, Jonas Clark and Jason Pang-
born.
1858 — Mayor, Jonas Clark ; Recorder, A. Fellows ; Assessor, J. C. Hall ;
Marshal, D. W. O'Brien ; Road Supervisor, J. E. Goodenow ; Aldermen, 0. D.
Cowles, T. Lyman, D. 11. Case and H. Farr.
1859 — Mayor, S. S. Germond; Recorder, E. J. Holmes; Assessor, J. C.
Hall; Marshal, D. W. O'Brien; Aldermen, Z. Livermore, J. H. Allen, P. A.
Wolff and D. A. Fletcher.
I860— Mayor, S. S. Germond ; Recorder, E. J. Holmes; Marshal, D.'W.
O'Brien ; Road Supervisor, J. E. Goodenow ; Aldermen, P. Mitchell, L. Cat-
lin, R. Perham and William W. Eaton.
1861— Mayor, S. S. Germond ; Recorder, E. J. Holmes ; Marshal, J. B.
Newton ; Assessor, Z. Livermore ; Road Supervisor, J. P. Eaton ; Aldermen,
Lyman Ballard, C. P. Gordon, P. A. Wolff and T. Miller.
1862— Mayor, D. S. Haight ; Recorder, E. J. Holmes; Assessor, D. S.
Haight ; Marshal, J. B. Newton ; Road Supervisor, J. P. Eaton ; Aldermen,
Thomas E. Cannell, D. F. House, R. Perham, Charles E. Shattuck and
William Blake.
1863— Mayor, D. S Haight; Recorder, J. R. Griffin; Marshal, Bray
Willey ; Assessor, D. S. Haight ; Road Supervisor, J. E. Goodenow ; Alder-
men, L. Catlin, C. P. Gordon and D. A. Fletcher.
1864— Mayor, Thomas E. Cannell ; Assessor, D. S. Haight ; Marshal, A.
M. Morey ; Aldermen, William Blake, William Sears, C. E. Northrop, J. R.
Barnes, Henry Sanborn, H. Shellenberger.
1865— Mayor, Thomas E. Cannell; Recorder, D. A. Fletcher; Marshal,
J. B. Newton; Road Supervisor, Z. Livermore; Aldermen, D. C. Clary, E.
R. Woley, C. E. Shattuck, David Wright, H. Shellenberger.
v^ $vlz^L4A^&i
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 521
1866 — Mayor, J. J. Woods; Recorder, D. A. Fletcher; Assessor, D. S.
Haight; Marshal, P. A. Truax ; Road Surpervisor, J. P. Eaton: Aldermen,
James H. Waugh, J. H. Allen, A. E. Tubbs, W. F. McCarron.
1867— Mayor, J. H. Allen ; Treasurer, 0. V. Schroder ; City Clerk, Will-
iam Shrigley ; City Attorney, D. A. Fletcher; Road Supervisor, J. E. Mun-
ger ; Marshal, P. A. Truax ; Assessor, D. S. Haight; Aldermen, John Orcutt,
M. Murphy, J. E. Goodenow, R. B. Chase, Frank Trout, Dexter Field.
1868— Mayor, J. H. Allen ; Treasurer, M. Murphy ; Clerk, Ed. Darling ;
Marshal, P. A. Truax ; Assessor, D. S. Haight ; Supervisor, J. E. Munger ;
Aldermen, Asa Delano, H. B. French, T. E. Cannell, S. Williams.
1869 — Mayor, J. H. Allen ; Marshal, A. M. Morey ; Treasurer, M. Mur-
phey ; Supervisor, J. E. Munger ; City Attorney, S. D. Lyman : Assessor,
D. S. Haight ; Aldermen, A. Wilcox, F. Trout, D. F. House, Harry Fair.
1870 — Mayor, J. H. Allen ; Marshal, A. M. Morey ; Treasurer. William
Stephens ; Assessor, J. W. Gilfillen ; Aldermen. E. B. Royce, H. B. French,
Dexter Field, Austin Monger.
1871 — Mayor, B. A. Spencer; Treasurer, 0. Goodenow; Solicitor, F.
Amos ; Assessor, J. H. Gilfillen ; Marshal, G. B. Heustis ; Aldermen, A.
Delano, F. Trout, C. M. Sanborn, A. J. McPeak.
1872 — Mayor, Mott Watson; Treasurer, D. H. Anderson; Assessor, D.
S. Haight ; Aldermen, Stephen Webster, Warren Clark, A. G. Henderson, C.
G. Covill, H. Farr and William Mole.
1873— Mayor, T. E. Cannell; Solicitor, S. D. Lyman; Treasurer. D. H.
Anderson; Assessor, D. S. Haight; Aldermen, Pierce Mitchell, John Dostal,
A. G. Henderson, William Mole and J. P. Eaton.
1874 — Mayor, J. E. Goodenow ; Treasurer, D. M. Hubbell ; Assessor, D.
S. Haight; Aldermen, J. T. Sargent, T. Trout, C. M. Sanborn and Harry
Farr.
1875— Mayor, D. M. Hubbell ; Treasurer, Matt Dalzell ; Solicitor, C. M.
Dunbar; Assessor, D. S. Haight; Aldermen, W. T. Sutton, John Dostal,
Thomas Hench and J. P. Eaton.
1876— Mayor, W. M. Stephens ; Treasurer, I. C. Weed ; Assessor. D. S.
Haight ; Aldermen, D. S. Haight, P. H. Griffin, P. A. Wolff and E. B.
Royce.
1877 — Mayor, W. M. Stephens; Treasurer, Thomas Trout; Assessor, D.
S. Haight ; Solicitor, F. M. Fort ; Aldermen, I. C. Weed, John Dostal, B. B.
Frase and Alexander Organ.
1878 — Mayor, S. L. Baker ; Treasurer, L. H. Dunham ; Assessor, D. S.
Haight; Aldermen, Thomas Hench, M. E. Morse; W. L. Shirgley, King
Steear and H. Taubman.
1879 — Mayor, Pierce Mitchell; Treasurer, Thomas Trout; Solicitor, A.
J. House ; Aldermen, Warren S. Clark, John Dostal, C. M. Sanborn and D.
H. Collamer.
ANDREW.
As has been already mentioned elsewhere, Andrew is the point chosen by
three Commissioners, appointed under the Territorial government, and by them
designated as the county seat. This commission located the prospective town
on the southeast quarter of Section 22, Township 85, Range 3 east, and gave
it the name Andrew, being the given or Christian name of the General and
statesman from which the county derived its title.
522 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Andrew is situated on a gentle eminence, which makes it somewhat conspic-
uous, in making the approach from different directions. There is nothing
about its locality which would recommend it as a site for a town, save its cen-
tral position in the county. The surrounding land is moderately well adapted
for farming, and is thickly interspersed with timber, a large portion of which is
undergrowth, and not valuable save as fire-wood. The soil is quite sandy ; the
country is rough and roads rather difficult to travel, with this redeeming quality
— that they are rarely muddy. Good stone quarries in the vicinity furnish
superior building-stone, and the principal buildings of the town are of that
material.
Andrew has no railroad nor stream near by, nor is there any railroad in
early prospect. This difficulty in communicating with other parts of the county
has been the fatal blow to the citizens' early hopes, and lost for the town the
county seat. A daily stage-line, carrying United States mail and passengers,
connects -Maquoketa with Bellevue, by way of Andrew. Three times per week
a stage carries mail from Andrew to Dubuque, stopping at Cottonville, Lamotte,
and other intermediate points.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
The quarter-section chosen as the site of Andrew was claimed by one John
Hendley in 1837, and, in 1838, was by him sold to Ithel Corbett. It was the
law, in the organization of counties, that each county might enter a quarter-
section of land as a county seat ; yet this did not dispose of the settler's claim,
which, of course, was a matter in equity. However, Corbett sold his claim
upon this land for a nominal sum, which was duly entered by the county.
First, the town was surveyed, the surveyors beginning by laying out a pub-
lic square not far from the center, and then platting other blocks surrounding
that. After the plat was complete, a number of the lots were put up at auction
by the County Commissioners, and by them sold to the highest bidder. The
remainder of the town was sold to the firm of Brigg & Francis.
The first house upon the plat of Andrew was the one built in 1837 by John
Hendley, and stood almost opposite what is yet called the Stone Court House.
The first Court House was a log structure built by the citizens of Andrew
and vicinity. It was in size about 30x40 feet, and was located on the present
post office site, a short distance north of the Public Square. This was used as
a Court House until the county seat was removed to Bellevue in 1848, and has
since been torn down to be converted into a stable.
The first jail in Andrew was made of hewn logs in floor, walls and ceiling.
Above the ceiling was an attic and in the middle of the attic floor a trap-door.
When prisoners were to be imprisoned they were taken into the attic, required
to descend through the. trap-door by a ladder into the jail and the ladder then
removed by the keeper. No other entrance was made to this jail, which
answered the purposes of the county until 1847. Its site was near where
Daudel's wagon-shop now stands.
The first frame house upon the town plat was built by John Francis, after
the county seat had been located in Andrew, and rented as a grocery — not a
green-grocery, but a grocery where liquors were on tap by the half-pint or ten-
gallon keg. Nothing short of a half-pint of " old rye" was considered a drink
in those days.
The first stores were by Samuel Jennings and Messrs. Briggs & Fenn.
These last two merchants have since been Governor of Iowa and United State*
Bepresentative, respectively.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 523
The first post office was located in Andrew a few months after it was made
the county seat, being on the mail route then owned by Ansel Briggs, between
Davenport and Dubuque. Thomas Marshall was the first Postmaster.
The first resident physician was Dr. M. H. Clark.
The first church organization was thai of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and theirs was the first church building erected, built in 1849.
The first school in Andrew was kept by S. S. Fenn, in the court-room, in
the winter of 1841-42. This was a subscription school, at which all the sur-
rounding youths might be instructed at the sum of $2.25 per quarter of thirteen
weeks. The first public school was taught by one Mrs. Garretson, in a frame
school building erected by the citizens on the ground where William Pollock's
residence now stands.
The first hotel was built here about 1842, by Ithel Corbett, and by him
subsequently rented to P. B. Bradley. The present Franklin House was built
in 1845, by Messrs. Trout & Simmons. It was first rented by Alf Clark, and
subsequently by Mrs. Carpenter.
Of the settlers who resided in and about Andrew at the time it was located,
we are informed there are but two remaining in the county now living, viz.,
Nathaniel Butterworth and Widow Courtney.
TOWN ORGANIZATION.
The first records we have of a town organization occur in December, 1863,
at which time J. H. Smith was elected first Mayor. The minutes of the Com-
mon Council do not reveal much business as transacted for a number of years,
save the enacting of ordinances and the regulating of sidewalks.
In 1864-65, the presence of smallpox in the vicinity of Andrew was the
occasion of considerable excitement, and we find the Council threatening with
a fine of $75 and thirty days' imprisonment any one exposed to the disease
who should appear in public ; also all public gatherings, concerts, etc., except
churches, were forbidden until the danger from contagion was past. Again, in
1869, smallpox appeared in the town itself, and precautionary measures were
then taken even to fencing the streets to prevent its spread. It did not become
epidemic in either case.
An amusing resolution appears .on this minute-book in 1864, which illus-
trates the faith of this first Town Council in moral suasion as a remedy for
intemperance. A motion was made and carried that Sheriff Watkins and
Henry Todd " be appointed a committee to see Dr. Johnson and talk to him
about getting intoxicated."
In October, 1865, a resolution was passed providing that all meat-markets
within the town limits should pay $10 per year license into the town treasury.
Owing to some technicality or flaw in the passage of ordinances, it was nec-
essary, in 1876, for the Council to pass all ordinances anew.
At the expense of the town, was placed near the corner of the public square
a public well. This well is four inches bore, and is 102 feet deep, being 65
feet through the solid limestone rock. The pump is operated by a wind-milL
and furnishes a never-failing supply of water for general use. Originally, in
and around Andrew, a good supply of water could be reached at forty or fifty
feet, on top of the rock; but of late years, it has become necessary to drill
some feet into the rock, and one well in the vicinity was carried to the depth
of 240 feet before striking a supply of water. These deep wells are usually
operated by force-pumps with cylinder at the bottom of the well.
524 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
TOWN OFFICERS.
Below we give a roster of the town officers so far as we were able to ascer-
tain them.
1863 — Mayor, J. H. Smith; Recorder, Henry Todd. Council — J. Y.
Blackwell, James A. Bryan, B. F. Thomas, A. L. Palmer, D. H. Daudel.
1864 — A. L. Palmer, Mayor ; A. Palmer, Recorder.
1865 — Allen Palmer, Mayor; W. B. Keeling, Recorder (resigned in April
and Thomas Ray appointed as his successor).
1866 — J. S. Darling, Mayor ; Levi Keck, Recorder. Council — Thomas
Ray, D. H. Daudel, Joseph Palmer, P. B. Bradley.
1867— W. B. Whitley, Mayor ; A. D. Palmer, Recorder ; Richard Cobb,
Marshal. Council — D. W. Trump, Thomas McMurray, B. F. Thomas, J. C.
Rigby, J. Y. Buchanan.
1868 — W. B. Whitley, Mayor; D. W. Trump, Recorder; William
Buchanan, Marshal. Council — B. F. Thomas, J. Y. Buchanan, William M.
Trout, James Thompson, Joseph Long
1869 — R. M. Smith, Mayor ; Allen Palmer, Recorder ; A. J. Cheney,
Marshal. Council — B. F. Thomas, Joseph Long, William Trout, 0. P. But-
terworth, James A. Bryan. Mayor Smith resigned in June and W. B. Whit-
ley took his place for the remainder of the year.
1870 — A. S. Carnahan, Mayor ; Allen Palmer, Recorder ; Richard Cobb,
Marshal. Council — Levi Keck, John S. Ray, John Donnelly, William Trout,
C. H. O'Brien, 0. P. Butterworth.
1871 — A. S. Carnahan, Mayor ; D. W. Trump, Recorder ; Richard Cobb,
Marshal. Died in May and C. Starr appointed as his successor. Council —
W. B. Whitley, 0. P. Butterworth, T. E. Blanchard, J. P. Mann, A. Palmer.
1872 — James A. Bryan, Mayor ; John S. Ray, Recorder ; J. L. Cannon,
Marshal. Council— D. H. Daudel, J. Hollister, C. H. O'Brien, 0. P. Butter-
worth, William M. Trout.
1873 — P. B. Bradley, Mayor; John S. Ray, Recorder; James Buchanan,
Marshal. Council — Nathaniel Butterworth, Jr., A. M. Phillips, D. H. Dau-
del, J. P. Mann, Thomas Ray.
1874 — W. C. Gregory, Mayor ; T. E. Blanchard, Recorder ; John L.
Cannon, Marshal. Council — Thomas Ray, D. H. Daudel, A. M. Phillips,
Allen Palmer and J. C. Rigby.
1875 — P. B. Bradley, Mayor ; T. E. Blanchard, Recorder ; Joseph Long,
Marshal. Council — A. M. Phillips, J. C. Rigby. J. C. Blessing, Thomas
Ray and D. H. Daudel.
1876— P. B. Bradley, Mayor ; T. E. Blanchard, Recorder ; P. N. Kim-
ball, Marshal. Removed from town during the year and W. H. Moler
appointed. Council — O". P. Butterworth, A. S. Carnahan, J. Hollister, James
Thompson, D. H. Daudel.
1877— L. D. McCoy, Mayor; T. E. Blanchard, Recorder; C. L. Closson,
Marshal. Council — Thomas Ray, D. H. Daudel, J. Y. Buchanan, N. B. But-
terworth, J. J. McCord.
1878— L. D. McCoy, Mayor ; C. F. Bradley, Recorder ; John W. Van
Meter, Marshal. Council — T. M. Hamilton, Thomas Ray, J. Y. Buchanan,
J. J. McCord, AlBen Palmer.
187& — Mayor, Thomas Ray ; Recorder, N. E. Butterworth ; Marshal, G.
W. Downing. Council— A. S. Carnahan, J. J. McCord, D. H. Daudel, N. B.
Butterworth, J. Y. Buchanan, M. W. Mechner.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 525
POST OFFICE.
The first post office in this vicinity was kept by Nathaniel Butterworth, St.,
shortly after the establishment of the mail route from Davenport to Dubuque.
This was about 1840.
Shortly after the location of Andrew, the post office was changed to this
point, with Thomas Marshall as first Postmaster, as already mentioned. Mr.
Marshall was succeeded by Shureck, then Harvey Young, Henry Todd,
Joseph Long, John K. Miller, William Trout, W. C. Gregory, T. E. Blanch-
ard and J. Y. Buchanan. The latter is the occupant of the office at this time,
which is kept in Butterworth & Buchanan's store. The money-order business
is quite large at this office for the size of the town, being about $25,000 per
year. This fact is due to the absence of a bank or exchange office. At this
office is also a United States Depository of Refunding Certificates, affording
small and safe investments for the people of the town and vicinity. This
depository was established in the spring of 1879.
BUSINESS INTERESTS.
In brief, the chief business of Andrew is done by the following firms :
General stores, Butterworth & Buchanan, established in 1875 ; A. S. Car-
nahan, established in 1874.
Grocery, H. A. Bryan, established in 1879.
Drug stores, A. S. Carnahan, in 1871 ; M. W. Mechner, in 1877. These
gentlemen are also practicing physicians.
Attorneys, B. F. Thomas, L. D. McCoy and P. B. Bradley, Esq.
Hotels, the Franklin House, by N. B. Butterworth.
There are various blacksmith and wagon shops, saloons, etc., etc. The pop-
ulation of Andrew is not far from 320.
The schoolhouse now used by the rising generation of Andrew is located
just far enough north of town to prevent mutual disturbance on the part of
the pupils and others. This building is a two-story stone, built in 1866,
and will accommodate about one hundred pupils, having one room on each
floor. The building was not placed on a good foundation, and the walls are
sadly cracked, rendering the present value of the building doubtful. Neither
is it large enough to accommodate the needs of the district, since it became
necessary, during part of the past winter, to open an additional school in one
of the rooms of the old Court House.
The Directors now are : B. F. Thomas, President ; L. F. Manning, J. Y.
Buchanan, W. C. Butterworth, W. B. Hunter, T. M. Hamilton. The Secre-
tary is L. D. McCoy ; Treasurer, J. C. Rigby.
This Board have now in the treasury (July 18, 1879) about $800 belonging
to the teachers' fund, $700 of which is invested in United States Registered
Certificates. This doubtless is partly due, we presume, to the low salaries
paid their teachers ; during the past year the schedule being $35, $25 and
$20.
School is maintained nine months of the year. The tax for teachers' fund
(1878) was 11 mills ; contingent fund, 2 mills.
526 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
The attendance during the winter months, in the three rooms, was about
one hundred and ten pupils. In the highest room, quite a number of high-
school branches are taught. The present teachers are W. H. Palmer, Miss
Prank Snyder and Mrs. Grace Trump.
In 1847 or 1848, Andrew secured from the Iowa Legislature the promise
of a Normal School. A scheme was passed organizing three State Normal
Schools, one at Mount Pleasant, one at Oskaloosa and the third at Andrew.
The citizens of the various towns were to furnish the buildings. The people
-of Andrew went to work with a will, and soon had ready for the roof a suitable
stone building, when a tornado overthrew the wall and brought ruin to all the
well-laid plans, for the citizens were not able to erect a new building.
However, they went on with the school, conducting the same for two years
in the Methodist Episcopal Church, without any assistance from the State.
The project was dropped for lack of funds, and, some years later, the Legisla-
ture appropriated $1,000 to recompense some of those who had advanced money
to carry on the school.
During the years 1878 and 1879, under the care of the Evangelical Luth-
eran Synod of Iowa, there has been conducted in a frame building on the
Orphan Asylum farm, a seminary for boys, in which are taught both German
and English. The students are permitted to take lessons in instrumental music.
Theology, too, is taught. This seminary has been in charge of G. Grossman
and F. Eichler.
SOCIETIES.
Hermitage Lodge, No. 298, A., F. <f A. M. — This Lodge had its first
meeting in Andrew January 5, 1871, and, on the 7th of the following June,
received its charter from the Grand Lodge of Iowa. The charter members and
officers were: E. J. Holmes, W. M. ; James A. Bryan, S. W.; J. A. Spen-
cer, J. W.; A. S. Carnahan, Treasurer ; C. H. O'Brien, Secretary ; John S.
Ray, S. D.; William Trout, J. D. A. J. Miller, M. S. Allen, Oliver Wheeler,
Levi Keck and P. J. Miller.
The third floor of the Court House, used by the county in 1871, was never
finished. The Hermitage Lodge, at an expense of $400, plastered and fitted
up the third floor for their own use, and have occupied it to this day. No rent
has been charged them.
The Worshipful Masters of this Lodge have been : E. J. Holmes, 1871-72 ;
James A. Bryan, 1873 ; A. M. Phillips, 1874 ; T. E. Blanchard, 1875, 1876
and 1877 ; O. K. Cheney. 1878 ; Thomas Abbey, 1879.
The officers for 1879, besides the Master, are J. Y. Buchanan, S. W.;
John Downing, J. W.; J. M. Fitzgerald, Treasurer; O. P. Butterworth,
Secretary.
The Lodge consists of thirty-five members, meeting monthly. They have
$500 in the treasury.
Central Lodge, No. Jf.1, A. O. U. W., was chartered January 10, 1876, by
the Grand Lodge, with the following officers : J. W. Scott, P. M. W.; A. M.
Phillips, M. W.; H. II. Cheney, G. F.; O. P. Butterworth, O.; C. W. Long,
Recorder ; J. Y. Buchanan, Financier ; John Downing, G.; W. H. Moler,
I. W.: H. I. Trump, O. W. There were in all twenty-one charter members.
Soon after their organization, this Lodge secured a comfortable room on the
west side of the second floor of the Court House, which they furnished for their
own use. There are now thirty-eight members. There have been no deaths
.in the Lodge since its beginning. '
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 527
The present officers are: W. C. Kelly, P. M. W.; A. S. Carnahan, M.
W.; D. P. Kimball, 0.; L. D. McCoy, Recorder; J. Y. Buchanan, Financier;
O. P. Butterworth, G. F.; W. C. Butterworth. Recorder.
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union. — For the purpose of combat-
ing the evils occasioned by the presence of three saloons, eighteen ladies of
Andrew organized themselves into this association, May, 1879. This band now
numbers twenty-two. They meet every Thursday in the M. E. Church. The
officers are : Mrs. Thomas Sweezy, President ; Mrs. Mitchell Hamilton, Vice
President ; Mrs. A. S. Carnahan, Secretary, and Mrs. Rev. Pollock. Treasurer.
United Presbyterian Church was organized September 22, 1858, by Adam
Crawford and wife, Samuel McCombs and wife. James Reed and wife, Amos Wil-
kin and wife, Lucinda Reed, Alexander and John Galloway, Johnson Thompson
and wife, John Brakey and wife, John McClerry, Henderson Dickey and wife.
Samuel McCombs, Johnson Thompson, John Galloway and James Strain composed
the first session. A church was built in Andrew in 1861. It will seat about three
hundred and fifty persons. Jonathan Stewart was the organizing minister who
assisted in founding the Church, and became its first Pastor. He continued
until June, 1865. He was succeeded by Rev. G. W. Torrence, who came in
February, 1866, and labored in this field until October, 1873. The pulpit was
then filled by occasional supplies during a couple of years, when it was per-
manently occupied by Rev. Pollock, who resigned his pastorate in the spring
of 1879. The pulpit is occupied during the summer of 1879 by Rev. W. W.
Gordon as supply.
The present membership is about eighty communicants. A thrifty Sabbath
school is maintained during the entire year, superintended by Thomas
Orr, Sr.
The present session is composed of James Curry, T. M. Hamilton, William
Orr and R. N. Gibson.
Evangelical Lutheran Church. — This society was organized in 1866, by
T. Jansson, Simeon Tebbin, John Tebbin, B. Defries, A. Defries, M. Liene-
mann. Charles Speith, William Peter, Henry Schmidt, D. H. Daudel, et al.
J. M. Schueller was the first Pastor of the Church, and continued to preach
to this people until 1873.
In 1872, the society was regularly incorporated under the laws of Iowa,
with D. H. Daudel, C. Hankammer and G. Arwater as Trustees.
Previous to the building of the church, services were held in the schoolroom
of the Orphan Asylum near Andrew. Rev. J. G. Keinbold. the present Pas-
tor, succeeded Mr. Schueller in 1873.
In 1875, the society erected a neat stone church in the eastern part of town.
It is built after the Gothic style, and is tastefully finished on the inside. A
bell, weighing, with hangings, 1,000 pounds is in the belfry. The church will
seat about 250, and was erected at a cost of near $3,000.
A Sabbath school is regularly maintained. Here, as well as in the church
services, the exercises are conducted in German.
The elders of the Church are Charles Hankammer, George Arwater and
H. Defries. The Trustees are C. G. Daudel, J. Schenk and H. Blume.
M. E. Church. — The first religious service in Andrew is claimed to have
been held by the Methodists, who had a church about three miles north of town,
in 1840. The First M. E. Church of Andrew was organized in the summer of
528 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
1843 by Rev. B. H. Cartwright, now of Rock River Conference. The organ-
ization was effected in the old log court house already mentioned, with about
twenty members, the most active of whom were the wife and a sister of ex-Gov-
Briggs. Three of the original members yet reside in or near Andrew — Mrs-
Jenkins, Mrs. Cheney and Mrs. Hayes.
The church building was erected in 1848. Rev. Dennis was the Pastor at
the time of its building, and laid the corner-stone.
The pulpit has been supplied for a portion of the time since the organiza-
tion of the Church, and has enjoyed the ministry of some of the most efficient
men of the Upper Iowa Conference.
Services are held every Sabbath at present, the Rev. S. Goodsell being the
Pastor. The membership of the Church is about forty.
An efficient and energetic Sabbath school is superintended in this church
by L. D. McCoy.
Presbyterian Vhureh of Andrew. — This Church was organized on the sec-
ond Sabbath of November, 1845, about two miles west of Andrew, and was
known as the Church of Cedar Creek. The organizing minister was Rev.
Michael Hummer, of Iowa City. The members petitioning for a church organ-
ization were S. F. Glenn, Jane Glenn, Hester Hawkins, Elizabeth Hawkins,
Henry Thompson, Sarah Thompson, Samuel Wilson, Mary Ann, Sarah and
Rebecca Wilson.
The first Session was composed of S. F. Glenn and Henry Thompson.
The ministers supplying the pulpit have been as follows :
1847, Rev. Enoch Mead; 1849-51, Rev. F. A. Pratt, two years; 1851,
Rev. James Gallatin, one year ; 1852, Joseph B. Hadden, until his death, July
11, 1858, excepting the supply of six months by Rev. John Wallace; 1859,
John P. Conkey, four months ; November, 1859, to February, 1864, Rev.
Moses Noerr ; June, 1864, to June, 1868, the Rev. J. S. Dickey ; August,
1868, to April, 1869, Rev. William A. Ferguson ; May, 1869, to April, 1874,
Rev. John Gilmore; during the winter of 1875-76, by Rev. William Gay,
five months.
In November, 1878, the present Pastor, Rev. T. C. McFarland, was
engaged to preach one-fourth of his time, giving the remainder to Bellevue,
and is the minister now in charge.
The present membership is twenty-six. The Session is composed of James
Strong and J. M. Fitzgerald. Mr. McFarland is the first regularly installed
Pastor the Church has ever had.
It was in 1857 that the brick church now occupied by this congregation was
commenced in Andrew, and completed in 1859. At the time of its building,
the Church removed to this point, apd was called the Presbyterian Church of
Andrew. The building cost about $3,000, of which $500 was contributed by
the Board of Church Extension. Aid has been received from the Board of
Home Missions for the support of a minister, since 1859.
ANDREW ORPHAN ASYLUM.
This institution had its beginning in the kindness of a German Lutheran
minister who lived in Tete des Morts Township. This man, whose subsequent
fall makes every friend of the Asylum avoid his name, from a generosity of a
nature then untarnished, opened the doors of his own home to seven orphan
children, about 1862. These and others he cared for with a little assistance
from friends until 1864, when he solicited the aid of various German Lutheran
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 0291
friends of this section, that an institution might be formed and more good done.
The war was making orphans daily, and the project was a most worthy one. It
met with the response it deserved.
An incorporation was formed and duly acknowledged by J. M. Schueller,
R. Oswald, H. Rehwold, P. Bredow, Charles Habich, J. K. Duerschner and
J. H. Daudel. Mr. Schueller, the founder of the enterprise, canvassed the
county for aid, and, in a short time, the association was able to buy a farm of
180 acres, east of Andrew, for $1,360, and a building was commenced, which
aggregated, when completed, near $7,500.
The name adopted for the institution was " The Asylum for Orphans and
Destitute Children." The articles of incorporation bear the date May 26,
1864. The second section of these articles sets forth the purposes of the Asy-
lum as follows :
The object of this institution shall be to receive orphans and destitute children, not over
twelve years old, to give them a Christian home until they are of age, and a common-school edu-
cation, connecting the same with some work which they are able to do. No difference will be
made in regard to nativity, creed or sex. Young criminals will he dismissed only after long and
repeated trials to save them from ruin.
The main building is of stone, 30x60 feet, three stories high and capable of
accommodating seventy-five children. On the adjoining lot is a smaller frame
building, which has been occupied as a seminary, under direction of the Lutheran
Synod, during the past year.
As soon as the building was ready for occupancy an assistant was employed,
Miss Mary Hoaflinger, by name commonly known among the friends of the
institution as Sister Mary. She had had considerable experience in charitable
work, being a graduate of the Daconisen House in Augsburg, Bavaria, and was
in the field during the Austro-Prussian war as a nurse for wounded soldiers.
She continued with the institution about ten years.
When the Asylum was completed and occupied there were only forty acres
of the farm under cultivation. That amount was altogether insufficient to sup-
port so large a family, and the Legislature of Iowa was petitioned for aid to
relieve the Asylum, in 1871, of a debt of $5,000, which was about to cripple
the usefulness of the institution. The Fourteenth General Assembly responded
by passing
An Act for the relief of the Asylum for Destitute and Orphan Children, at Andrew, Iowa.
Whereas, There is located at Andrew, in the county of Jackson and State of Iowa, an
Asylum for Destitute and Orphan Children, regularly incorporated by that name under the gen-
eral incorporation laws of the State of Iowa, and supported by the private charity of the people.
Whereas, There are now forty-eight orphan children under the care of said Asylum ; and.
Whereas. Said Asylum is encumbered with a debt of five thousand dollars, which it is
unable to pay. and from which, unless it is relieved, said Asylum must be abandoned, and the
inmates turned out upon the public. Therefore,
Section 1. lie it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, That there is hereby
appropriated out of any money in the State Treasury, not otherwise appropriated, the sum of .
five thousand dollars for the relief of said Asylum, to be paid to the Trustees thereof upon their
executing to the State of Iowa, a note and first mortgage for said sum, and to secure the same
upon the real properly of said Asylum, and which said note and mortgage shall not run less
than five nor more than ten years, at the election of the Trustees, and shall draw no interest
until due, and after due to draw interest at the rate of six per cent per annum ; and it is hereby
made the duty of the Auditor, upou being presented with the note and mortgage herein provided
for, and a satisfactory abstract of title, to issue his warrant upon the Treasurer for the amount
of the appropriation and loan herein provided for. Provided, however, if said Asylum shall be
converted to any other purpose the whole amount of this loan shall become due and payable.
This mortgage becomes due in 1882. The probability is, that, while the
institution continues its good work, under proper management, that the State
530 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
•will not foreclose the mortgage. There is no probability that the Asylum
could raise the means to lift the mortgage upon maturity.
Previous to this assistance, the Board of Supervisors of Jackson County
had been repeatedly asked for aid, as there were supported in the Asy-
lum quite a number of children who would otherwise be thrown upon the county
for support. Two appropriafSons, of $100 each, were made by the Supervis-
ors, which is all that Jackson County has ever contributed from the public
treasury to the support of this enterprise, though much has been contributed,
from time to time, in private subscriptions.
The work received a severe blow in 'the summer of 1873, by the disgrace-
ful exposure and fall of J. M. Schueller, to whose devotion the success of the
Asylum was almost entirely due. Shameful as was the denouement of this
man, it must be acknowledged that his purpose originally was a noble one.
Inexcusable and criminal as was his weakness, the Asylum would never have
been but for him.
In the fall of 1873, Rev. J. G. Rembold, then Pastor of the Lutheran
Church at Bellevue, was asked to take charge of the Asylum. H$ did so,
leaving a comfortable salary to build up the fallen prospects of Andrew Orphan
Asylum, for the miserable pittance of $250 per year. The public confidence
in the Asylum revived, and its success is gradually developing.
To gain admittance to the Asylum, the child is not necessarily without
parents, but may be the offspring of parents so destitute as not to be able to care
for it. Children are thus taken, and everything that can be contributed by
the poverty-stricken parent is thankfully received. The color, creed or former
condition of the child is never inquired into as a ground of admittance
or refusal, but all are taken with the purpose of granting them improve-
ment, physically, mentally and morally. There are now about thirty children
at the Asylum, the sexes having their apartments and schoolrooms in separate
parts of the building. No profane language is permitted, and the children are
required to be orderly and peaceable. Probably three-fourths of the occupants
are from Jackson County. The others come from surrounding counties and
adjoining States.
Religious instruction is imparted to the children, and the doctrines of the
Lutheran Church taught to those old enough to understand, though no decided
attempt is made to bias the mind of the child in favor of any particular
creed.
School is taught every day of the year, save Sundays, Saturdays and holi-
days. Each child has his task to perform in the schoolroom, and while these
are not made of sufficient length to be irksome, something is required every day.
A child is kept in the Asylum until fourteen years of age, when, if he is a
boy, he is allowed to choose a trade. Articles of agreement are drawn up by
the Secretary of the Asylum, and signed by the master. During his appren-
ticeship, one-third of his earnings goes to the Asylum. The remaining two-
thirds, or what part is necessary, provide the boy with clothing and necessary
spending money ; while the remainder is kept, by the master, on interest until
the apprentice becomes of age, when he receives the whole amount. If, after
remaining in the Asylum until fourteen, the boy expresses a preference for
farm work, two-thirds of his pay is expended or saved, according to the same
plan as if he were apprenticed to some master.
The girls are instructed, in addition to school work, into the mysteries of
knitting, sewing and various house-work. Two knitting machines are the prop-
erty of the institution, and, by means of these, the girls earn considerable
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 531
money by knitting socks. Some of their work of this kind is very creditable,
and they take a just pride in their skill. When girls have arrived at the age
of fourteen, suitable homes are sought for them. At one time, it was the prac-
tice to allow parties to come to the Asylum and choose out a child to raise ; but
the children sometimes came into improper hands in this way, so that now no
child is permitted to leave without the authorities being satisfied of its good
treatment.
If a boy runs either from the Asylum or the master, he is brought back, if
the first and second time. But a third case of desertion closes the
doors against him and prevents his return if he should seek it. There have
been few cases of runaways. The fact appears to be that the children usually
regret the day when their age drives them from the Asylum, where they have
found a comfortable home.
When the larder runs low, Rev. Rembold hitches up a team, and,
starting out into the country, stops at the different houses and solicits contri-
butions— here a bushel of potatoes, there a shoulder of meat, etc., and in this
way keeps the necessaries of life from running short. The farm of 180 acres
would support the family were it good farming land, but it is a rough tract, ami
difficult to till. Various machinery for farming and furniture for the building
are needed, and afford an opportunity to some humanitarian to do his alms in a
useful and quiet way.
One orphan in this Asylum has considerably passed the age prescribed for
choosing a trade. He has been an inmate for thirteen years, and is now eighty-
four years of age. The children call him " Grossvater." i. e., grandfather.
He does chores, and makes himself generally useful.
The Asylum was organized as to its directory in 1873, and is now in the
hands of eleven, as follows : H. Luz, of Dubuque ; J. Leinz, Bellevue ; M.
Reck, Spragueville ; G. Grossman, D. H. Daudel, J. G. Rembold, Charles
Hankammer, Andrew Defries and Brechter Lienemann, Andrew ; J. Yoss,
Davenport, and H. Heinrichs, Spragueville.
BELLEVUE.
The beautiful and attractive site now occupied by the little city of Bellevue
was one of the first points occupied by the habitation of white men west of the
Mississippi River.
The Western Annals, in speaking of the military exploits in 1812, makes
the following mention of Bellevue:
" There was a United States factory and a small stockade up the Missis-
sippi, at the point now called Bellevue, which was besieged by a party of Win-
nebagoes, about 200 in number. It was not an eligible situation for defense,
as, from points of steep and high bluffs, the invaders could throw firebrands
and burning sticks upon the block-houses. The commanding officer, Lieut.
Thomas Hamilton, with Lieut. B. Vasquez and a small force, resolutely
defended the fort, and drove oft' the assailants."
The Missouri G-azette, of July 31, 1813, also speaks of the military post
situated here, as follows :
" Our little garrison on the Mississippi has taught the Indians a few lessons
in prudence. With about thirty effective men, those brave and meritorious sol-
diers, Lieuts. Hamilton and Vasquez, in a wretched pen improperly called a
fort, beat off 500 savages of the Northwest."
532 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
The disparity in numbers in estimating the force of an Indian party is not
unusual, even in our own day.
The fort was soon after abandoned, and ceased to be a military post.
INCORPORATION.
In 1836, the Legislature of the Territory of Wisconsin passed an act for
the incorporation of towns, and, the same year, an act was passed supplemen-
tary to the same, and was as follows :
Be it enacted by the Council and House of Representatives of the Territory of Wisconsin, That
the towns of Bellevue and Peru, in the original county of Dubuque, are hereby authorized to
elect Trustees for said towns, and to be governed in all respects according to the provisions and
to have the same privileges and to do all things which any other incorporated towns can or may
do under the provisions of the said act.
But Bellevue did not form a town government until 1841, the first election
for town officers being upon the 6th day of October, 1841.
Philip McClaer surveyed and laid out the town in the spring of 1835, but
it was resurveyed and platted by the Government in the following year. A
special act of Congress " for the laying off the towns of Fort Madison and
Burlington, in the county of Des Moines, and the towns of Bellevue, Dubuque
and Peru, in the county of Dubuque, Territory of Wisconsin, and for other
purposes," was passed. The following is a part of said act :
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in
Conyre.ss assembled, That the tracts of land in the Territory of Wisconsin, including the towns of
Fort Madison and Burlington, in the county of Des Moines, Bellevue, Dubuque and Peru, in the
county of Dubuque, and Mineral Point, in the county of Iowa, shall, under the direction of the
Surveyor General of the Public Lands, be laid off into town lots, streets, avenues, and
the lots for public use, called the public squares, and into out-lots, having regard to the
lots and streets already surveyed, in such manner and of such dimensions as he may think
proper for the public good and the equitable rights of the settlers and occupants of the said
towns. Provided, That parts of land so to be laid off into town lots, etc., shall not exceed the
quantity of one entire section, nor the town lot one-half of an acre, nor shall the out-lots
exceed the quantity of four acres each.
When the survey of the lots shall be completed, a plat thereof shall be returned to the Sec-
retary of the Treasury, and, within six months thereafter, the lots shall be offered to the high-
est bidder at public sale, under the direction of the President of the United States, and at such
other times as he shall think proper. Provided, That no town lot shall be sold for a sum less
than five dollars. And provided further. That a quantity of land of proper width on the river
banks at the towns of Fort Madison, Bellevue, Burlington, Dubuque and Peru, and running with
said river the whole length of said towns, shall be reserved from sale (as shall, also, the public
squares), for public use, and remain forever for public use as public highways, and for other
public use.
This act was approved July 2, 1836.
In the following year, an act was passed creating a Board of Commissioners
to hear pre-emption claims, and for other purposes. It was approved March
3, 1837. An official survey, under authority of this act, was made in ,
and the sales of land began in 1844.
Although Bellevue was used as a military fort as far back as 1812, yet
there were no actual settlers here until twenty years afterward. He who has
the honor of being the first white man to take up land and make this his home
was James Armstrong, who came here in the spring of 1833, and began farming
in the valley just south of the present town site. He was followed in the
fall of 1833 by William Jonas, David Segar, Thomas Nicholson and William
Dyas. These men settled in the same valley with Armstrong, and engaged in
farming. Alexander Reed, settled in Pleasant Creek Valley, and broke the
first ground in the county ; also John and James White settled in the same
valley.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 533
This settlement grew slowly, and it was not until 1836 that the first store
was established here. Mr. J. K. Moss came in that year, with a stock of mis-
cellaneous goods, and opened his store on the lot that is marked No. 1, on
the official plat. He was followed by Nic. Jefferson, who opened a store on
Lot 40.
The first men who did anything at blacksmithing were Hankins, Ziegler &
Whittemore, in 1839. They had a shop on Second street, near where the Mer-
chant's Hotel now stands. They did a locksmith's trade as well. The first regular
blacksmith-shop was started in 1842, by a man of the name of Hawkins, near
where M. Altfilisch's store now stands. He was followed soon after by Henry
Jones, who opened a shop a little further up on Front street.
The first saw-mill was built by Bell & Sublet*, in 1838. It stood about
where the present Jasper flouring-mill stands. About the same time, Mr.
Kincaid built the first grist-mill. It stood upon the Duck Creek, in the val-
ley, just below the bluffs that overlook the present town site on the south.
A ferry was established between this shore and the Illinois shore in 1835,
by Vincent Smith ; but it was located some six miles above the present site of
Bellevue, at the mouth of Fever River.
In the year 1838, William Bartlett and J. S. Kirkpatrick established a
ferry here, consisting of a flatboat propelled by oars. This was the style of
ferry until 1851, when W. A. Warren obtained a charter and established a
horse ferry from Bellevue to Sand Prairie, on the Illinois shore. He was
obliged to cut a channel through Cut-Off Island, about one hundred yards long.
three feet deep and twenty-five feet wide. It has since been enlarged fifty
yards wide. This channel connects with Crooked Slough. The ferry connects
with the highways leading to Galena, Hanover and Savanna.
Bellevue was the first county seat of Jackson County, which was estab-
lished in 1837. The county seat Remained here until 1841: then was removed
to Andrew ; then back to Bellevue, in 1818; then back to Andrew, in 1861,
and then to Maquoketa in 1873.
NAME AND SITE.
The original name of the town was Bellview, in honor of John D. Bell,
who was, in one sense, the proprietor of the place. This name was subse-
quently changed to the French spelling — Bellevue.
The town is located about forty feet above the water's edge, in a sort of
wide valley, or, more properly speaking, a recess in the bluffs of the river.
Mill Creek enters the Mississippi at this point, and, with the exception of the
gorge where this stream breaks through to the Father of Waters, from its
course through the uplands, Bellevue is surrounded, north, west and south by
high bluffs or hills.
The bluff just above the river is probably two hundred and fifty feet in
height, and is sometimes called "North Bluff." From the summit of this emi-
nence is one of the finest views in the Mississippi Valley, a landscape of rav-
ishing beauty in the summer or autumn. To the north and south, the bosom
of the great Father of Waters is visible for miles, on whose gentle surface, the
hulls of an inland commerce find their great continental highway, and bear
from the rich fields which skirt its banks the harvests of one of the most fruit-
ful valleys of the world.
Toward the west, is the narrow, steep gorge of Mill Creek, the confluence
of a dozen tiny brooks and living springs. Just below, by the art of trade, it
534 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
widens into a mill-pond, to furnish the power which machinery demands, and
to which the creek is a willing and1 joyful slave.
At the foot of the bluff nestles the city, with a look of peace, thrift and
security, which imagination might ascribe, in part, to the influence of the
rock-crowned sentinels on either hand, which stand as silent monitors of the
ages.
Various islands are in the river at this point, adding to the beauty of the
scene by their appearance, like to cushions of green in a "picture of silver."
The Illinois shore, flat and swampy for a distance, is covered with groves of
heavy timber, flinging their broad shoulders over the land, until they give way
to fields ripening to a perennial harvest — fields which the hand of industry
adorns with beauty, while compelling tbem to contribute to usefulness. The
view is grand, and no visitor to Bellevue can afford to allow the difficulty of
ascending the bluff to prevent him from beholding its loveliness.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL.
Bellevue and vicinity was formerly inhabited by the tribes of Indians known
as the Sacs and Foxes. Immediately below town, on the ground now occupied/by
the Presbyterian Cemetery, there wa* a village of the Sacs. In 1850, the
war-pole was still standing. Immediately below the village was their burying-
ground.
Dr. Lawrence Millar, an amateur archaeologist and resident of Bellevue,
hearing of this burying-ground. went prospecting among the graves. Upon
opening one grave, he found the remains of a man, evidently a chief, and upon
the body he found a large silver breast plate or pin, about three inches in diam-
eter. On the bones of the arm were found silver bracelets. Beside the skull,
earrings, and a ring, that had evidently been worn in the nose. The vermil-
ion, or war-paint, was still fresh on the scalp. The body had been buried in a
sitting posture, with the knees and head together, facing toward the east, and
had been enveloped in a robe of fur, evidently of a wolf. On the outside was
a casing of elm-bark.
In another grave, were found the remains of a female, with the same kind
of rings in the ears, and about the waist a wampum belt, so much decayed,
however, that it crumbled when brought to the air.
On the third body found, there were iron bracelets on the arms. The
bracelets had been plated The remains of a child were also found, which
were evidently of recent burial. A string of bronze bells were also found
near the body, about the size of small hickory nuts.
Along the shores are found many arrow points. A little way below where
the village stood, there is a stratum of two feet of muscle-shells and clam-
shells, evidently being a place where the Indians had their annual clam feed.
Immediately below this, there is a mound on the bank of the Mississippi,
about twenty-five feet in height and about forty feet in base diameter. This
mound Dr. Millar dug into, and found it formed of different strata of clay.
Some of the earth had been brought from the surrounding plain, some from
the bed of the river, containing muscle-shells and portions of carnelian. Then
came another stratum of white clay, which must have been brought three-
fourths of a mile, for there is none to be found nearer than that. This
stratum was about two feet thick. About four feet below the top of the mound
was found a body of recent burial. About ten feet below were found decay-
ing bones and some flat stones, a part of a rude vault which had fallen down.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. .33.}
Beneath the stones were found fragments of .rude pottery, of nearly the same
ware as is seen in a modern crucible, made of clay, sand and gravel.
About two miles below this mound there is another, but the owner of the
land would not allow it to be examined. He said that when he came there in
1833, the Indians used to sit upon this mound and black their faces. Dr. Millar
saw Col. Forquer, who was a member of Gen. Grant's staff' during the war,
and who is the present chief of the Oneida tribe of Indians, and a grand-
son of Red Jacket. He asked him about these mounds. Forquer said that
his people held them in great reverence, but that there were no traditions as to
their origin ; that they were pre-historic, and built by a race who inhabited
these regions long before his people were here.
Dr. Millar opened another mound, just north of the town on top of the
bluff. This one was most prominent of eight in number, running due east
and west. About four and a half feet below the surface was found a regu-
larly built platform of stone, seemingly an altar, upon which the ashes and
charcoal were perfectly fresh. The wood had been of red cedar, which, at that
time, grew plentifully on the adjacent bluffs. The remains of a human body
were found in a charred condition. They were of a female and child of about
twelve years of age. Charred bones of a dog or wolf were also found. This,
evidently, had been a place of sacrifice. Upon opening the other mounds,
nothing was discovered.
There were, a few years ago, the remains of ancient fortifications about
where Hyler's store now stands, regularly built breast-works, showing a great
amount of skill.
On the Illinois side of the river, there are mounds on the bluffs, which run
east and west, and in the valley beneath they run north and south. Some have
been opened and found to contain portions of ancient pottery and human bones.
These mounds must be very old, for there are white oak-trees growing upon
them that are two and a half and three feet in diameter.
Dr. Millar has a fine collection of articles found about Bellevue, which
belong to ages long passed away, among which are pottery, stone axes, spear-
heads, arrow-heads, instruments for tapping maple-trees, and stones which
were used for fleshing hides.
THE FIRST DOCTOR.
The first doctor that Bellevue had was a very peculiar character. His
name was M. M. Maughs, and many are the stories of his eccentricities. He
rode a mule which he had " Joe," and he was to be seen at all hours of the day
and night astride that mule, with his saddle-bags on either side, in which he
carried his " drug store." This mule was the cause of some trouble to the
Doctor, for he had a faculty of eating, and the Doctor often forgot this
peculiarity in the animal, and would not provide for him for two or three days
at a time, when he would bethink himself and put a whole bushel of corn in
his crib and expect that to last the mule until he should think of it again. The
donkey was not satisfied with this, and would eat the door-posts, the window-
frames and, at last, ate the lock off the door and made his escape. Hood
Davis was working for the Doctor at this time, and the Doctor, not knowing of
the escape, sent Hood to "saddle up." Pretty soon, Hood returned, saying
that the mule had eaten himself out of the stable. The Doctor was surprised,
and, in his lisping voice said: "Eaten himself out, hath he? Didn't I give
him a whole buthel of oats day before yestherday ? " He sent Hood to hunt fop
the mule, who found him upon Sand Prairie.
53b HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
The Doctor came to Bellevue in 1836. Some time after this, Dr. Jen-
nings came. He was from New Hampshire, and was a well-dressed, gentle-
manly man, while Dr. Maughs was quite the reverse. Hood Davis told the
Doctor, one morning, that they had better fix up the office a little, for there
had lately come a nice-looking doctor from New Hampshire, who might cut him
out of his practice. The Doctor straightened himself up and brought down his
hand, saying, " If the angel Gabriel should come down and go to doctoring, he
could not supersede me in the practice of medicine ! "
After awhile, some of the Doctor's friends got him to trade off his mule
for a horse which had lately been imported from Kentucky, and which was a
vicious animal. He would get the bit between his teeth, and nobody could hold
him. One day, Benjamin Evans was in town and bought some tinware, and
was carrying it home in a bag. He overtook the Doctor on his new horse, and
they two rode along together. Every now and then the tinware would rattle,
and the Doctor's horse would prick up his ears and start to run. After awhile,
the Doctor asked Evans what he had in his bag. He told him tin cans. The
Doctor asked to please be careful, for his horse was a very vicious animal, and
he was afraid he would run away. This was enough for Evans. He went in
for some fun, and took special pains to rattle his cans. The Doctor turned to
him and said : " Misther Evans, pleathe be careful, for this horth ith very
vithus." Evans would wait a few moments and then rattle his cans until he
got the Doctor's horse all worked up. He began to run, and Evans after him,
holding his bag up and rattling his tinware with all his might. In this way,
he nearly scared the old Doctor out of his wits. Maughs threatened to shoot
Evans for this trick. Evans did not see him again for some time, till, one day,
he was in town, and thought he would go and make it up with the old Doctor ;
so he went to see him. The Doctor looked very cross, and said he had not for-
gotten him. Evans said never to mind that, that he came on business ; that he
was sick and wanted some medicine. " Thick, are you ? " says the Doctor. He
examined his tongue and felt his pulse, and said, " I'll fixth you," and then
made some powders and gave them to Evans, and told him how to use them.
Evans paid him a dollar and departed. About three weeks afterward, Evans
went to see him again. The Doctor started as if he had seen a ghost. Evans
said, " Doctor, that medicine you gave me was not good for anything, it didn't
do me any good." The Doctor jumped up, and in an excited manner said,
" You lie, you lie, you never took that medicine, it is an abtholute impothibility,
you lie, thir, you lie." Evans said he did take it, but wanted to know why he
thought he had not. The Doctor said, " If you had taken that medethin, you
would have been a dead man three weekths ago." Evans knew too much to
take the medicine. He took it to Dubuque and had it examined, and it proved
to be rank poison.
OLD SETTLERS' CLUB.
Bellevue has many old residents who have been here all the way from 1833
down to within twenty-five years from the present, at which time the term " old
settler " stops, as applied to a resident. They are as jolly a set of men as could
be met with in a year's travel, and to get a half-dozen of them together and
get them talking of "ye olden time," is worth a " Sabbath-day's journey." It
was from these oft repeated meetings and the fun that they derived from them,
that the idea of forming an " Old Settler's Club " had its first inception. So
it was that a few of these choice spirits got together in the office of S. S. Simp-
son, on the 26th of August, 1875, and a club was formed under the name of
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. i)6y
u Old Settlers of Jackson County," and the following Constitution and By-
Laws were adopted :
We, the undersigned citizens of Jackson County, Iowa, who have resided in said county
twenty-five years and more, hereby associate ourselves together under the name of the " Old
Settlers Association of Jackson County," for the purpose of perpetuating a remembrance of the
association and events of early settlement of said county, and for such other purposes of a his-
toric and social character as may be deemed advisable, and adopt the following constitution and .
by-laws for the government of the same.
Then follow the usual articles, stating the officers and their duties.
The By-Laws are as follows :
First — No person shall become an active member of this Association who shall not have been
an actual resident of the county for at least twenty-five years.
Second — Any qualified person may become an active member of the Association, by being
duly elected by a vote of a majority present at any meeting, regular or special, and payment >f
membership fees (50 cents), to the Treasurer.
Third — A membership fee of 50 cents shall be paid by every active member, and the Asso-
ciation may, by vote, levy an assessment upon its members, but not to exceed SI at any one time
Fourth — No membership fee or assessment shall be required of honorary members.
Fifth— Ten active members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Sixth— The election of officers and members shall be viva voce, unless some member calls
for a vote by ballot, in which case the election shall be by ballot.
Seventh — The Constitution and By-Laws may be amended by a vote of two-thirds of the
members present at any meeting.
The Association meets once a year and has a grand jollification meeting, to
which are invited the good people of Jackson County and their friends.
Upon the evening of February 13, 1877, one of these re-unions took place,
at which about two hundred of the old settlers of Bellevue and vicinity assem-
bled, in the City Hall. The meeting was called to order by Capt. W. A. War-
ren, the President of the Association. The minutes of the last meeting were
read and accepted.
After which, the report of the Committee en Deaths of Old Settlers was
read, which began in the following feeling and beautiful manner :
" During the past year, we have been frequently and very forcibly reminded
how rapidly our numbers are being depleted by death. Since our last re-union,
we have followed to the grave no less than ten of our old settlers and esteemed
friends and neighbors, and this death-roll contains the names of those who were
not only among the pioneers of our county, but those who, by the kindness and
generosity of their hearts and purity of their lives, endeared themselves to all
who knew them. While we drop a tear of sorrow over the graves of the
departed, let us cherish their memories by emulating their virtues."
Then followed feeling notices of the deaths of Mrs. D. J. Watkins, who died
January 19, 1877 ; Mrs. David G. Bates, who died on the 8th of February,
1877 ; Mrs. A. N. Odell, who died March 10, 1876 ; Mrs. J. B. Bovard, who
died in Kansas City ; Mrs. Henry Frerichs, who died a few weeks before this
meeting; Joseph Dorr, who died a few months before ; Dennis Slattery, who ■
died a few months before ; Mrs. Richard Cobb, died a short time before ; Mrs.
Nathaniel Butterworth, Sr., and W. H. Fenner, died the fall before, and within
the last few days before this meeting, four old settlers that had been invited to
this meeting departed this life. They were James Clarke, David Blakely, Mrs.
Joshua Levan and Mrs. M. Sisler.
The report is signed by J. J. Kelso, W. A. Warren, S- S. Simpson, Committee.
This report was followed by an address by Mr. S. S. Simpson, an extract
from which will more fully demonstrate the objects which influenced the forma-
tion of this club :
" Wo meet to-night as an old settlers' association to enjoy a social re-union
and to revive in memory the scenes and recollections connected with the early
540 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
settlement of our county, and it has been deemed proper to state briefly the
circumstances under which this association was formed, the progress which has
been made toward a permanent organization, and the motives which prompted
it, as a suitable introduction to the festivities of the occasion.
" Many of you are aware that, for a number of years, it has been a custom
in Bellevue for some one of the old settlers, about the beginning of the year,
to invite his old friends and neighbors to partake of his hospitalities and enjoy
an evening especially devoted to the reminiscences of the early settlement of
the county. These annual entertainments touched a responsive chord in every
heart. They soon became so popular that they were looked forward to by the
old settlers who participated in them as the most enjoyable occasion of the
season, and it soon became difficult for the host to entertain his guests in a
private house. We were, therefore, obliged from necessity either to remain
exclusive and very limited in our numbers, or effect a permanent organization,
and hold our re-unions in more commodious rooms than most of the old settlers
could call into requisition at their private houses. In view of these facts, it
was the unanimous will of those present at the meeting two years ago to perfect
a permanent organization. Committees were thereupon appointed to carry out
the will of that meeting. Several meetings of the officers and committees were
subsequently held ; a Constitution and By-Laws were adopted ; record books
were procured for recording the proceedings of the meetings, and such other
matters of an historic character as the Association should deem proper, and a
goodly number of old settlers have enrolled themselves as members of the Asso-
ciation.
" This, Mr. President, is, in brief, what we have done toward permanently
organizing an 'Old Settlers' Association.' As to the causes which prompted
these meetings and led to this organization, I do not know that I can tell you
so well ; because I cannot tell you why it is that old associations become so
endeared to us. Why we love to meet with those we knew years ago, and talk
over with them the toils and hardships we endured with them in frontier life,
and, above all, the joyous pleasures of those early days. For the old settler
will tell you the free and joyous pleasures of frontier life are not to be com-
pared with the scheming, calculating, commercial air which even the pleasures
of to-day assume ; and while we talk over this long ago, recalling this happy
incident and that, naming in pleasant remembrance this one and that one who
have crossed the 'dark river,' a field of thought and contemplation is opened
up to us, which all have felt and reverence, but which we cannot tell. It has
a home in every heart, but no tongue to give it utterance. We know the sky
that canopied us a quarter of a century or more ago was brighter and Clearer
than that of to-day ; that the friendships and associations of that long ago are
nearer to our hearts than those of recent date, and as we wander back over
these early scenes and dwell in silent thought upon the thousand varied recol-
lections of former days, we find there is an inner chamber, a holy of holies, in
the heart, kept sacred to the memories of early life, where recent friendships
and recent associations, however dear and enjoyable to us, can never enter,
never intrude. And I apprehend it is this reverence of the heart for the recol-
lections of the past which we understand but cannot tell, which prompted and
which will, 1 think, perpetuate our annual gatherings.
" Old settlers, let us revive these recollections, and pledge anew the friend-
ships we have cherished so long. The objects of our Association are two-fold —
the cultivation of the social virtues, and the collection of such historic inci-
dents pertaining to the early settlement of our county as should be deemed
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 541
■worthy of preservation. Our meetings have been replete with fruits of the
former, and we are better and happier for it. But it is a matter of regret that,
heretofore, the collection of material for the history of the settlement and
development of our county has been so much neglected. Our early pioneers
are passing rapidly from among us, each one, perhaps, bearing with him a part
of the material which constitutes the history of our county. If this material
were properly collected and culled by this Association, its aggregate would
undoubtedly be of great interest to those who are to succeed us. I am aware
the headlong haste of the world to-day, and the magnitude of the commercial,
mechanical and political interests of the times are so absorbing, it is difficult to
get down to smaller things. Yet it is equally true these great interests are
but aggregations of small interests ; that our own great State stands to-day the
proudest of the proud, but that our county is a distinct part of this State, and
among the earliest of its settled portions.
" How proper it is then, at these annual meetings — these pauses in our
onward journey, when we turn, as it were, to look back upon the paths we
have traveled — to gather up, as mementos for those who are to follow us, a few
of the flowers that cheered and gladdened us on the way."
The eloquent gentleman continued by referring to the blessings of our
times, and finished his discourse with the following sentiment :
" While I have been rambling and disconnected in my thoughts, I return
with the conclusion that our lots have been cast in a happy age, and our lives
have been spent in a glorious land. Let us transmit to our children, untar-
nished, and purer and brighter than when we found them, the trusts and privi-
leges we enjoy as citizens of Iowa, citizens of the United States."
After this "address, old times were talked over, and many a hearty laugh
went up from "ye old settler," as some good by-gone joke was resurrected
from the past and told over again, with spice added. After a bountiful
supper, the company indulged in a good, old-fashioned dance, and kept it up
till the early dawn.
There have been several of these gatherings, and they are looked for-
i ward to with very pleasant anticipations by all who have ever attended one.
The following are the names of those who belong to the club, and the
date of their coming to Bellevue :
W. A. Warren, 1836 ; Samuel S. Simpson, 1840 ; Horatio G. Crary,
1837 ; Mahlon G. Hyler. 1842 ; Joseph Kelso, 1846 ; Andrew Woods, 1845 :
George W. Lewis, 1842: Arnold Reiling, 1838 ; Thomas Hood Davis, 1843 :
James J. Reed, 1848; Eli Cole, 1848: John Muncy, 1852; Frank
Schlecht, 1850; T. J. Pearce, 1838; Jerry Jonas, 1834;, B. F. Stucky,
1835; James Fulkerson, 1849; David Harris, 1843; Edward H. Porter.
1847; Nick Robb, 1850: Lucius B. Potter, 1842; D. J. Watkins, 1846 ;
A. Kirkadden, 1843: Wilson Reeves, 1848; P. Shipler, 1851; Patrick Far-
rell, 1841 ; Charles Bousch, 1848 ; John Efferdine, born in Jackson County,
April 9, 1838; Hannah A. Efferdine, 1837; W. A. Magannis, 1852; W.
A. Weber, 1839: George Hoy, 1851: James Clark, 1839; John D. Miller.
1842; Alexander Reed, 1833; W. H. Reed, ; Daniel Sanborn, 1839:
George F. Dyas, 1834 ; William Dyas, 1833 ; Henry Rollins. 1839 ; Theo-
dore Neeman, 1838; Catherine Nicholson, 1844; Mary Dyas, 1839; John
Simmons, 1842; Mary J. Sublett, 1834: Henry Ernst, 1842 : John C. Ellis.
1852; Asa Simmons, 1842: Mrs. Fanning, 1852: Mrs. Simpson. 1840: Dr.
Lawrence Miller, 1850.
542 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
BELLEVUE PIONEERS.
Among the early settlers of Bellevue, now deceased, who, in their life-
times, took prominent parts in the history, and lent their energy and enterprise
to the advancement of its material wealth, were the following :
John D. Sublett, one of the early pioneers of this Western country, was
born in Kentucky November 8, 1806, and, as early as 1825, removed to South-
ern Illinois, and soon after to Galena. He carried on the hotel business there,
and kept the only first-class hotel in the place, in those early days. He came
to Bellevue in 1836, and, in connection with John D. Bell, built the first saw-
mill in the place. He was a man of decided character, and an exemplary citi-
zen. He was one of the men who took a prominent part in ridding the coun-
try of the outlaws who infested Bellevue in the early days, and was one of the
first to volunteer his help to the Sheriff in arresting the thieves. He fought in
the battle of April 1, 1840. He built the Sublett House, in 1852, now called
the Bower House. He held several town offices, and was greatly lamented at
his death, which took place in February, 1853. He left a wife and five
children.
John D. Bell came here in 1835, and was a partner of Mr. Sublett in the
first saw-mill built here. He was a man of a great deal of energy and force of
character. He caused the town to be laid out in 1835, and was the first Post-
master when an office was established here, in 1836. He took a very promi-
nent part in the Bellevue fight, volunteering his services among the first. He
raised a large family, who have scattered over the Western country. He died
some years ago near Dubuque. As already mentioned, he had the honor of
having this town named after him, it being called " Bellview " in early times.
Capt. Elbridge Gerry Potter was one of the early settlers of Bellevue,
coming here in 1842, and locating in the valley west of the town. He culti-
vated this beautiful tract of land, and soon made it one of the finest farms in
the State. He gave the name of " Paradise " to his place, and it is well
named, for a more beautiful place would be hard to find. He built the flouring-
mills in Bellevue known as the Jasper Mill, and did an extensive business in
the manufacture of flour, and continued the same until 1871, when he sold out
to Kilborn k Co., who now run the mills. He was a hard-working, self-rely-
ing man, doing his own thinking upon all subjects. He did not belong to any
church, having been an avowed atheist from childhood, his belief being all con-
tained in the Golden Rule. In politics, he was a Whig and Republican, but
never held any office other than County Commissioner of St. Clair County, 111.
BLACK HAWK'S CAMP.
There are a few places of interest about Bellevue that are worthy of men-
tion. One place within the city limits is very interesting on account of the
history connected with it. It was the site of Black Hawk's camping-ground.
About three hundred yards northeast of the present depot, on the bank of the
river, is plainly to be seen the embankment thrown up around the council-room
of Black Hawk and his warriors ; also the headquarters of Black Hawk. The
council-room was 22x40 feet, and the headquarters twenty feet square. They
were in perfect preservation as late as 1831. They were built of poles twelve
feet high, and inclosed and covered with bark. The council-room seats were
composed of round poles with the bark peeled off, and extended around the
whole building at a proper height. The entrance was on the bank of the river.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 543
The point where it is located commnnrls one of the finest views of the river,
both up and down, that can be had. Where the depot now stands, about twenty
acres had been cultivated by the Indians, and the cornstalks were still visible
in 1834.
SCHOOLS.
We find that our forefathers believed in the good effect of common-school
education, for no sooner did they settle in a new country and break the land
and build a log hut, than they forthwith sent for a schoolmaster, that their
children might be taught to read, write and cipher. Their teachers were often
possessed of but little education, but with the assumption of great learning and
the unsparing use of the rod, they succeeded in instilling some knowledge of
the three " R's " into the young minds of the rising generation. Such evidently
was the belief of the pioneers of this place, for although the first settler did not
come here till 1833, and the settlement was very slow, yet as early as 1837.
with but few families here, it was decided that they must have a school, and a
schoolmistress was procured in the person of Mrs. Laura Mallard, who opened
a school in a little log cabin which stood on Front street, near where Capt.
Hyler's store now stands. She taught there for some time when the school was
moved to a small building on the lot where Mr. Bower's dwelling now stands,
and, in fact, his house is made partially of this old schoolhouse. Here for
many years a subscription school was conducted, and the foundation of many
an education was laid, which, in after years, helped its possessor to fight life's
battles with success. Even after a public-school system was established, did
these subscription schools continue their work.
In 1840, the Legislature of the Territory passed an act making provision
for the establishment of public schools, and* such schools were established here,
and continued their labors under the same authority until the adoption of the
new State Constitution, in 1858.
In 1857, the Bellevue Academy was- formed, which was designed to be a
high school for those who had finished their course of studies in the District
School, but at the time of the establishment of the Graded Schools provided
for in the new Constitution, it was abandoned, and the following communication
will explain the disposition of its effects :
The District Board of Directors, to the Trustees of Bellevue Academy :
Gentlemen — Being desirous of having the schoolroom anil the furniture for District pur-
poses, we propose to you that we will employ Miss E. Cresy. provided you will transfer her to
our services : ami, further, will purchase your furniture at cost when authorized to do so by a
vote of the District, provided you allow us the use of said furniture free from rent, we being
responsible tor any damage while in our charge.
P. L I.akk. President.
State or Iowa, Jackson County — ss.:
1, W. A. Maginnis, Secretary of the Board of Academy Trustees, do hereby certify that the
foregoing is a true and correct copy of the original prnpusition made to and accepted by said
Board. \\ . A. Maginnis, Sec'y. of Board of Academy Trustees.
The Board of Directors allowed the bill of the Bellevue Academy at $118,
upon the 3d day of August, 1858.
The first Board of Directors of the District Township of Bellevue were:
P. L. Lake, President; W. A. Maginnis, Vice President; D. J. Watkins, Sec-
retary ; T. H. Davis, Sub-Director.
At a meeting for the purpose oi fixing the boundaries between the Bellevue
District and the Township District, held at Dr. Cowden's office. March 26,
1859, the following boundaries were agreed upon:
Beginning at the Mississippi River at the intersection of the line between Sections 28 and
33, in Township Ki; north, Range o east of the Principal Meridian : thence west in said section
•344 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
line to the quarter-section corner between Sections 30 and 31 ; thence north to the center of
Section 30 ; thence west to the quarter-section corner on the west side of Section 30 ; thence
north on the township line to the corner of Sections 19, 24, 25 and 30; thence west on section
line three-fourths of a mile; thence north two miles to the south line of Section 12; thence east
on the south line of Section 12 half a mile ; thence north half a mile ; thence east to the Mis-
sissippi River ; thence down said river to the place of beginning.
The Directors arranged the tax levy, the grading of the schools, formation
of subdistricts and ma'de rules for the government of the schools.
The first books adopted by the Board for the use of the schools were the
series published by McGuffey and Ray.
Among the rules adopted were : That all boys who were not attending
school would be kept out of the schoolyard during school hours ; and that all
pupils getting intoxicated should be excluded from the school until the teacher
was satisfied that such pupil would refrain from such practice.
The amount of tax estimated by the Board to be levied in 1859, for
teacher's fund, was one mill on the dollar ; for schoolhouse fund, a half-mill on
the dollar.
The following report presented at a meeting of the Board, August 25, 1862,
shows the condition of the school at that time : Number of persons in the dis-
trict between the ages of five and twenty-one years, males, 162 ; females, 244 ;
total, 406 ; number of schools, 1 ; number of teachers, 3 ; number of school
buildings, 1 ; about 304 different pupils attended during the year ; average
attendance, 110 ; average cost per week, per pupil, 15J cents ; aggregate amount
paid teachers during the year, $680 ; amount of teacher's fund in district
treasury, $192; 1 brick schoolhouse worth $4,000 ; the branches taught were
arithmetic, reading, grammar, geography, algebra, philosophy, history, orthog-
raphy and writing.
July 25, 1862, the Western Lodge, No. 15, I. O. O. F., made a present of
their fund, amounting to $1,000, to the School Board for the benefit of the
teacher's fund, stipulating that the principal should be invested and the interest
only used. This generous gift was accepted, and the fund enjoys the benefit at
the present time.
In 1865, the question whether German should be taught in the schools, was
submitted to popular vote, and was decided in the affirmative, and that branch
was added to the course of studies.
The Principals since 1859 have been as follows : 1859, David H. Cowden ;
186t), J. P. Edie ; 1861-62. W. L. Redmond ; 1863-64, O. N. Odell ; 1865,
Edward Ford; 1866, William M. Bragg: 1867-68, George C. Johnson; 1869,
Miss E. Munger: 1870-75, John McLeod; 1876-78, C. E. Smith ; 1878, D.
D. Ford ; 1879, J. C. Murray.
The Teachers elected are: J. 0. Murray, Principal, $80 per month ; Miss
Jennie A. Dorr, $35 per month ; Miss Rosa Heaton, $30 per month : Mrs. M.
A. Bockins, $40 per month.
NEWSPAPERS.
Bellevue has had quite a number of newspapers, if the variety of titles by
which papers that have been published here could be taken as an indication of
their number ; but a glance at the dates of those of different names will satisfy
any one that it is not in the number of papers that Bellevue has had, as it is
the variety of names the same paper has been called, for at no time in its
history have more than two local papers been published at the same time, and
most of the time only one paper has had an existence.
The following are some of the titles which have appeared at the head of the
local paper: Western Democrat, Jackson County Press, Bellevue Banner,
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 545
Bellevue Argus, Bellevue Journal, Iowa Republic, Jackson County Leader,
Bellevue Leader.
The first paper published here was the Western Democrat, which was
moved in from Andrew, and was published by J. B. Dore, in 1852. He sold
out, that year, to P. Moriarty, who changed the name to Jackson County Press,
and continued its issue for several y ears.
The following gentlemen have since published a paper' here, under some of
the above titles : Cotton, Furry, Helms, Odell, W. A. Warren, Beardsley k
Bauman, S. S. Simpson edited a paper for Odell, Pollock, Demming, Elliott,
Evans & Bradley, Evans.
An unfortunate feature of this multitude of editorial talent has been that,
in the many changes, the files of the different papers have not been preserved,
and to-day it is impossible to find a complete file of any paper. Thus the
record of past events has been destroyed, except as it is found in the minds of
the actors in past scenes.
POST OFFICE.
The post office was first established in Bellevue in 183(3, and John D. Bell,
the gentleman who has the honor of having the town named after him, was the
first Postmaster. The mails in those days were not as extensive as now, nor were
the conveyances by which they were carried so expeditious as now, but the early
settlers looked with as eager longing for the coming of the man on horseback,
with the mail-bag thrown over the horse's back, as we do now for the regular
daily mails, and perhaps with greater anxiety, for then but one mail a week was
carried, and that a " through mail " from Davenport to Dubuque. This was
the arrangement until 1845, when the mail was changed to three times a week,
and the good citizens of Bellevue thought then that the march of improvement
was making rapid strides. These mails were carried in this manner till
1850, when a daily mail was established. This continued till 1856, when the
mail packet's carried the mail daily till 1872. Then the railroad was built, and
now Bellevue rejoices in the possession of two daily mails each way.
A mail route was established between Bellevue and Andrew, which carried
the mails three times a week on horseback, in 1845. In 1850, a tri-weekly
mail was carried from Galena to Andrew, in coaches. Then, in 1860, it was
changed to a tri-weekly from Bellevue to Maquoketa. and, in 1875, a daily mail
by coach was put on between Bellevue and Maquoketa, and is now carried so.
The following gentlemen have been Postmasters since the first establishment
of the post office here, and they held in the order named : John D. Bell, H.
S. Allen, Z. Jennings, William T. Wynkoop, John Foley, G. W. McNulty, W.
T. Hays, N. T. Wynkoop, B. Pollock, G. W. McNulty.
The first banking-house in Bellevue was opened by two gentlemen under
the style of Hall & Styles, and commenced business in 1859. They continued
business for some time, when the bank of Kelso & Redmond was established.
They continued together for some time, when they separated and each opened a
bank, one under the name of J. Kelso, and the other of W. L. Redmond & Co.,
but this latter firm gave up the business some time ago.
The present banking-houses are : The bank of Bellevue, owned by B. W.
Sewa,rd, of which Mr. Andrew Wood is Cashier, and the banking house of J.
Kelso.
546 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Bellevue was but two years old when she arose to the dignity of possessing
a hotel. It was opened by Peter Dutell, in 1835. It was a two-story frame
building, containing seven sleeping-rooms. The building was about sixteen by
thirty feet in size, and then stood on Front street, about half-way from the
steamboat landing to Dorchester's Mills. Dutell kept the house about a year,
when J. L. Kirkpatrick took it and ran it till 1838. Then W. W. Brown was
its proprietor, and, under his administration, many were its nightly broils and
drunken orgies, for in this house did the band of horse-thieves and highway
robbers have their rendezvous, and Brown was their leader. Here was where
they took refuge on the memorable 1st day of April, 1840, and resisted the
citizens. Here was fought the Bellevue war, in which several were killed and
the robbers were defeated. Brown was killed in this fight, and the hotel was
kept open but a little while afterward.
Mrs. Palmer opened a hotel in 1836, in a frame building on Front street.
The hotel is now called the Jackson House. She enjoyed a good degree of
patronage, and the building has been used for hotel purposes ever since.
The Sublett House was built in 1853, by I. S. Sublett, who died before
finishing it, and Eli Cole completed the building. It is a commodious struct-
ure, containing twenty-seven rooms, and is situated on Second street, near the
corner of State. The first proprietor was Bruce Haslep, who has since been
killed in Denver, Colo. The proprietorship has gone through several hands till
now, under the name of the Bower House, it enjoys the reputation of being the
leading hotel in this part of the county. The present proprietor is Mr. N. 0.
Ames, an old hotel man and an affable gentleman, of whom it may be said in
all truthfulness: " He knows how to keep a hotel."
The other hotels which now provide for the traveling public, are the Mer-
chants' Hotel, which, till a few years ago, was a private residence, but now,
under the proprietorship of Mr. Hilger, the sojourner in Bellevue may there
find a good place to stop and will be well taken care of. The Central House,
also, has a good reputation, Mr. Week being its proprietor. The Jackson
House is a quiet, neat little house on Front street, and is well kept.
CEMETERIES.
The first public burying-ground used by the citizens of Bellevue was in the
west part of town, and appears now on the map as Lot 487 and Lots 31 and 32,
on Gammel's Addition. Here were placed the bodies of most of those who
fell in the Bellevue war, both citizens and outlaws. There is no stone to mark
the resting-place of some thirty or forty others interred here, for the place has
been desecrated, and the ground which every instinct tells us should be sacred,
is now unhallowed by the mark of the furrow. A field of corn now grows over
the first cemetery of Bellevue. This burial ground was abandoned in 1849.
Previous to this time, the Bellevue Town Cemetery was purchased, containing
between two and three acres, situated in the northern part of town. The first
interment on these grounds was that of Lucinna, the young daughter of Will-
iam Jonas, who died in 1839. In 1871, an addition, containing a quarter of
an acre, was purchased, and is laid out in lots.
The Catholic Church also has a place of burial, bought from the United
States Government in 1846. It contains four acres, and under its sod have
been laid those who died in the Catholic faith.
J
\XI)i:iiSON'VILLE I'RISuXI-'.KS.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 04<
Some of the other churches have private burial grounds in the lower pare of
town.
THE COURT HOUSE.
The Court House was built in 1845 by Dohauey & Jones. It is situated in
the center of the square bounded by Third, State, Fourth and Court streets.
It is a two-story brick building, with belfry. The main building is 61x42
feet. There have been two wings added, each 40x24 feet. The south wing
was built in 1870, and the north wing in 1872. The building is valued it
$4,500. Since the removal of the county seat from Bellevue, the building has
been used for school purposes.
w
There are in Bellevue many who fought during the war of the rebellion, on
the Union side, who, besides the hardships natural in an army, endured many
trials that it would seem impossible for men to bear, if we did not know that
men did bear them. The horrors of Andersonville have been written about so
many times that we are all familiar with the sickening details. The following
gentlemen survived, and are residents of Bellevue : M. Altfileseh, Antoine
Weinshenk, Thomas Long, William C. Bovard, Theodore Martin, John Miller,
H. G. Millman, Charles Schmoger. Their regiment was captured near Jones-
boro, Ga., while on an expedition to cut off Bragg's retreat, but, their forces
not making connections with others who were sent to help them, they were sur-
rounded and captured, and sent to Andersonville Prison. Some of the above
made their escape, and endured untold misery before they reached the Union
lines. The balance stayed until they were exchanged.
Bellevue, as a city, has been remarkably free from the ravages of the fire-
fiend, due, no doubt, to the proximity to a bountiful supply of water and a
good fire department, but more especially to the fact of the non-combustible
material of which the city is built. Brick and stone buildings predominate to
a remarkable degree for a Western city of its size. Fire has, on several occa-
sions, visited the town, but, in almost every instance, has confined itself to a
single building.
The first fire of any importance of which we have any note, was the burn-
ing of the residence of Capt. W. A. Warren, which took fire in the spring of"
1853, and destroyed the building and contents. It was a severe loss to the
owner, for it took away about all he possessed. Unfortunately, he had no
insurance upon the building, which was worth about $1,200. Upon his furni-
ture he was insured in the Dubuque Mutual for $300.
The next fire was in the fall of 1853, when the store of William Henry,
situat2d at the lower end of Front street, was burned. It took fire about dart,
and, although the citizens worked with a will to save the stock of goods, very
little was rescued from the flames. There were $1,500 insurance upon the-
stock. The loss was estimated at $1,000, which amount was paid by the insur-
ance company. The building was a two-story frame, 20x36 feet, and belonged
to the Thomas Graham estate. It was a total loss, and uninsured.
The next fire was more disastrous in its effect. It took place during the
night of October 12, 1853, and was found to be in the large carpenter- shop of
'£48 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
J. B. Bovard. The building was filled with finished and unfinished sash, doors
and blinds and lumber. The origin of this fire is attributed to the carelessness
of a half-drunken German, who went into the shop, and, while lighting his
pipe, set fire to the inflammable material around. He paid for his carelessness
with his life, for, after the debris had been removed, his charred remains were
found. This fire also consumed the Roman Catholic Church, a frame building
about 24x36 feet, and worth about $800. The carpenter-shop and contents
were a total loss, and were worth about $2,000.
The city was free from fires after the above for several years, until the cry
of " Fire !" was heard one day in the fall of 1864, when the livery stable occu-
pied by Smith McKinley was found to be burning. By the exertions of the
citizens, the animals were saved, but the building and contents were destroyed.
The, building was the property of T. H. Davis. There was no insurance. The
loss amounted to about $1,000.
After this fire, another period of years intervened before another fire occurred,
but in the spring of 1871, flames broke out in the flour and feed store of
Stuart & Co., and communicated with the warehouse of Eli Cole, con-
suming both. They were frame buildings, and the loss was in the neighbor-
hood of $1,500.
The last large fire which has visited this place occurred upon the 1st of
August, 1878, at about 10 o'clock in the evening, and was the large ice-house
of the Bellevue Ice Company, composed of the firms of Kilborn & Co.
and Dorchester & Co. The building was 66x120 feet, and was about
one-third full of ice, which was owned by James Cavanagh. The fire made a
clean sweep of everything pertaining to the building. The part of the build-
ing belonging to Dorchester & Co. was insured for $600, but the balance
was uninsured. The ice was insured, the company paying $2,700 in settle-
ment.
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The fire department is in a good condition, having thirty-five efficient mem,
bers always ready to respond to an alarm. They have a fine brick building-
with belfry and bell. The building is thirty-eight by forty-four feet, and con-
nected with the same are commodious sheds. Their apparatus consists of a
large hand engine, hook and ladder truck and ladders, hose cart and a supply
of hose.
Joseph Cavits is the present Chief of the department. The company holds
regular quarterly meetings for the election of officers.
MANUFACTORIES, ETC.
Jasper Flouring -Mills. — These mills are located near the mouth of Mill
Creek. The mills were built in 1844, by Potter & Gammel, but have since
been much improved. The building is now about sixty by eighty feet — a sub-
stantial frame with stone foundation — erected and equipped at a cost of about
-$40,000. The mills contain six run of stone, and have a capacity for turning
•out 200 barrels of flour per day.
The present owners and proprietors are Kilborn & Co., the firm being com-
posed of N. Kilbourn, J. Kelso and A. Reiling. The power propelling the mill
is supplied by Mill Creek, a substantial dam having been built at this point.
Jackson Flouring- Mill. — This mill is further up Mill Creek, and was built
in 1859 by John Gammel. It is also owned and operated by Kilborn & Co.,
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 549
"having two run of stone and a capacity of 100 barrels per day. The building
is a frame forty by sixty feet, and cost $15,000.
A. J. Dorchester £ Co.'s Saiv-Mill. — The mill is located at the foot of
Front street, near the union of Mill Creek with the Mississippi. It was built
by Potter & Hays, in 1855, ami is equipped with double rotary and gangedger
saws, and has a capacity for sawing 30,000 feet of lumber per day.
The mill is owned and operated by A. J. & H. G. Dorchester, under the
firm name given above. These gentlemen handle about two million feet of
lumber per season of five months.
Henry Nemstadt's Bravery is located on State Street, about half a mile
west from the river. It is a large brick and frame structure, and was built
about 1860, at a cost of near .§6,000, by one Raemhaldtef. From his hands,
it passed to Mr. Lineman, who operated the brewery for a time. It was then
suffered to lie idle some eight years, when, in 1876, Conrad Metzger took it for
a year. In 1877, it was purchased by Henry Nemstadt, the present pro-
prietor, who manufactures some eight hundred to one thousand barrels of beer
of beer annually for the supply of Bellevue and vicinity.
A sash, door and blind factory, by Frank Schlect, on Second street ; a pot-
tery and soda water factory, complete the manufacturing interests of Bellevue.
TEMPERANCE CLUBS.
It may almost be said of Bellevue that it is a model temperance city, for,
were it not for the German element, who take their beer as a national habit, the
public sentiment is almost wholly upon the side of total abstinence. This
state of affairs has been gradual in its accomplishment, but it is the natural
result of hard and well-directed efforts upon the part of the temperance peo-
ple of this city. Their beginnings were small, but, like the grain of mustard-
seed, their power has grown to be a strong and mighty tree, under whose
branches many find shelter.
The first agitation of the question of temperance in this place was in the
year 1839, when Elder Bartholomew Weed, a Methodist missionary, held a
camp-meeting in the woods known as the Forks of the Maquoketa, a number
of miles from the city. It speaks well for his power of conviction, when, as a
result of his labors, about 150 signed the pledge, and that at a time when there
were but few inhabitants in this vicinity, and they rough pioneers. From
this time down,, there were no especial movements in favor of temperance,
ulthough various organizations were established here, and did their good work
in a quiet sort of way.
The Sons of Temperance organized October 12, 1853, with forty-four
members, and, for a time, the city was strongly total abstinence.
The Watchmen were here in 1855 ; then came the Temple of Honor in
1856, and it continued until 1860. It had about forty members. It was fol-
lowed by the Order of Sons of Temperance, with the ladies also as members.
This Order was established in 1870 by G. R. Manning, Grand Scribe of the
State. It continued its good work until 1877, when the grand temperance
revival which swept over the whole country struck Bellevue. It did good
service in this place.
The following are the temperance societies here : " The Reform Club," with
500 members; "The Women's Christian Temperance Union," with 60 mem-
bers; "The Literary Temperance Union," with 24 members, and "The
Juvenile Union,' with 160 members.
550 H [STORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Women's Christian Temperance Union. — The oldest temperance organiza-
tion of those now in existence is the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
It is a branch of the national organization of that name, and was formed in
Bellevue in the fall of 1874, with between thirty and forty members, and the
election of the following officers : Mrs. J. D. Cotton, President ; Mrs. C. Hun-
toon, of the Episcopal Church, Miss Fannie Cole, of the Methodist Church,
Mrs. J. C. Hughey, of the Congregational Church, Mrs. W. A. Bockins, of
the Presbyterian Church, Vice Presidents ; Mrs. W. A. Warren, Treasurer ;
Mrs. M. H. Watkins, Secretary ; Mrs. S. F. Kelso, Corresponding Secretary.
The society hold prayer-meetings every Friday afternoon, their motto seeming
to be that " the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous woman availeth much."
They accomplished a good deal in this quiet way, but, the enemy being in such
power, they concluded to try more vigorous measures, and, as a beginning,
instituted public meetings, at which lectures, essays, recitations, readings and
music were had, and the public were invited. Everything at these meetings
pertained to temperance, and it was at the first of these that the earnest thought
was brought out in favor of temperance among the citizens of Bellevue. They
have continued these meetings ever since, holding them every second Saturday
in each month in the Congregational Church — more recently in the rooms of
the Reform Club. They invited Mr. Jacob Hoofstitler and Col. Rowell to
come and hold revival meetings in 1877, and thus awakened a strong feeling
among the citizens in favor of temperance.
The present officers of the Union are : Mrs. J. C. Hughey, President ;
Mrs. H. J. Reed, of the Presbyterian Church, Mrs. J. C. Conlehan, Methodist
Church, Mrs. W. A. Bockins, Presbyterian Church, Mrs. W. A. Maginnis,
Catholic Church, Mrs. D. A. Wynkoop, Vice Presidents ; Mrs. W. A. Warren,
Treasurer ; Miss Mary Maginnis, Secretary ; Mrs. S. F. Kelso, Cor. Secretary.
They now have sixty members, all of whom are honest, hard-working labor-
ers in the cause which they have so much at heart.
The Bellevue Reform Club. — As a result of the tidal wave which passed
over the country in the cause of temperance, " The Bellevue Reform Club "
was formed. It was organized in December, 1877, and the following officers
were elected : D. A. Wynkoop, President ; Myron Collins, Vice President ; R.
E. Conlehan, Secretary; Martin Dunn, Jr., Treasurer; G. W. McNulty,
Financier.
Soon after its organization, Mr. Hoofstitler and Col. Rowell came and held
meetings, and as a result the rolls of the Club were increased to about five
hundred members. The Club hold meetings every Tuesday evening in the City
Hall, which is rented by them exclusively. They give public entertainments in
this hall, which is a commodious one, being 26x70 feet They own a quantity of
fine scenery, and are thus enabled to give theatrical entertainments. It is the
aim of the Club to make their meetings so pleasant that every one will be glad
to come. The moral influence of the place, its lectures, concerts and other per-
formances all teaching the lesson of " temperance in all things," will have a
tendency to convert those who are addicted to drink, and strengthen the will of
those who have determined to resist the " tempter " and enable them to fight
against their appetite with greater persistency.
The present officers are : W. A. Maginnis, President ; J. C. Campbell, Vice
President ; M. J. Linsey, Secretary ; A. Breese, Treasurer. Executive Com-
mittee—William M. Keister, G. W. McNulty, W. K. Henton. Entertainment
Committee — G. W. McNulty, William K. Henton, A. Breese. Grievance
Committee— C. Kevitz, P. Prandy, H. G. Pitts.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 551
It is the duty of the Grievance Committee to find out and report the cases
of those members who "backslide," but to the honor of the members be it said
this committee have very little work to do, for those who have joined the Club
have kept the pledge with the exception of a very few. The organization con-
tinues its good work with a full membership and a full treasury.
The Juvenile Union. — This society, composed of young people under the
age of fifteen years, was formed in January, 1878, by the Women's Christian
Temperance Union, and is under the care of that society. The Union numbers
160 members. Miss Fannie Bockins is its Secretary. They hold regular
monthly meetings on the second Saturday afternoon of each month. The
object of the good ladies of the W. C. T. U. is to educate the young people in
the truths of temperance, that when they grow up they may be so rooted in the
faith, that they will never touch the " cup that intoxicates."
The Literary Temperance Union. — On the last Monday of November, 1878,
another temperance society was formed under the title of The Literary Temper-
ance Union. It started with twenty-four members, and elected the following
officers: Edward Slattery, President; Jennie A. Dorr, Vice President ; John
Kisskadden, Secretary ; Nettie Hughey, Treasurer.
The society has since increased to forty members. They hold their services
in the City Hall every other Monday evening.
Their objects are mutual improvement, temperance work and literary exer-
cises. Their present officers are : James Gray, President ; Libby Gray, Vice
President; Frank Woods, Secretary; Nettie Hughey, Treasurer; Emma
Hughey, Corresponding Secretary ; Finley Breese, George Russell, Critics.
Thus it will be seen that the temperance army of Bellevue have soldiers
enlisted in its cause from childhood to old age, and it will have to be a very
well organized enemy that will be able to withstand them.
St. Joseph's Society. — It is a noteworthy fact, that in no Christian denom-
ination is there so much attention paid to charitable work among its own faith
as among the Roman Catholics. Its Sisters of Charity and Mercy extend
their works of charity beyond their own church, and many the poor, sick
soldier who has blessed them for their loving care when far away from those
most dear to him. In city and town, in time of pestilence and death, these self-
denying women can always be found to relieve the suffering and speak words
of comfort and hope. So it is in every place where the Catholic Church has a
congregation, we always find some charitable society for the relief of the sick
and destitute. And Bellevue is not an exception. For here is established an
association whose sole object is to be benevolent, supporting sufferers during
sickness and ill-fortune. It is called the St. Joseph's Society and was formed
March 21, 1869, by the election of F. Schlecht, President; Julius Leeneman,
Vice President; Nich Rolling, Secretary; A. Reiling, Cashier; Nich Shaffer,
Marshal ; John Baumann, Gotfried Kempter, Fabian Schirmer, Finance Com-
mittee.
The Society holds regular monthly meetings in the schoolroom of the
church. It has at present a fund of §300 to be applied as necessity dictates.
Its present officers are : G. Mayer, President ; A. G. Kegler, Vice President ;
S. Kempter, Secretary ; Nic Homan, Treasurer ; John Hoffman, Marshal.
Harmony Band. — In 1858, there was a cornet band formed in Bellevue,
consisting of sixteen pieces, and furnished music acceptably for the citizens of
552 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
the town and vicinity. The war breaking out in 1861, many of the members
enlisted, and, to a certain extent, crippled the usefulness of the band, which,
however, kept up its organization until 1876. At that time, it was in a poor
condition. Upon the 6th day of January, 1876, the Harmony Band was
organized, or rather the old band was re-organized, and a brass band of ten
pieces was formed. The following being the members and the instruments upon
which they play : P. H. Banneck, Leader and B flat cornet; G. Yung, IstE
flat cornet; L. Heep, 2d E cornet; F. Schlecht, 2d B cornet; M. Altfilisch,
1st alto ; G. Kempter, baritone ; John Kass, B tenor ; G. Mayr, bass ; J.
Blusch, bass drum ; C. K. Shay, tenor drum. The present officers of the band
are: P. H. Banneck, Leader : G. Yung, Business Manager; M. Altfilisch,
Secretary and Treasurer. The Band have been very successful since their
organization, having bought a piece of land north of the city, which they named
Harmony Park. They improved it, putting in a fine dancing hall and other
buildings, planted shade trees and in many ways added to its attractiveness
until now it is one of the prettiest spots on the Northern Mississippi. The
land was bought for $250 and the improvements cost $2,000, all of which have
been paid for out of the earnings of the Band in the last three years. The
park is much sought after by excursion parties from abroad and is the favorite
picnicking ground for the citizens of Bellevue.
The Band discourses sweet music upon all occasions when wanted and often
give concerts, balls and other entertainments for the pleasure of all who choose
to attend.
The Bellevue Turnverein. — The German citizens of Bellevue have not
been behind their brethren in other places in the matter of societies for their
enjoyment and instruction. The Bellevue Turnverein is a society which has
for its objects, humanity, the development of physical strength, brotherly and
harmonious sociability, mental culture, exercises in gymnastics, handling arms,
target shooting, and the helping and caring for the sick and. unfortunate among
their members. The society as such is free from all religious or political prin-
ciples. It was formed upon the 17th of February, 1867, by Charles Schmoger.
Ed. Alber, L. Schlecht, F. G. Fischer, William Hanser, N. Hengen, F. Hanske,
Michael Zentner, John Lauber, M. Altfilisch, John Bloesch, Fr. SchirmerT
George Yung, Casp. Herdeg, Firtz Dierkes, Gangolf Mahr, John Schlecht.
Golf. Kempter, Jac. Harle, George Wagner, Joseph Stocker, Carl Mairer, John
Weiss, Carl Schmidt, F. Schlecht, Joseph Schlecht and Joseph Born, they being
the charter members.
The first officers of the society were : E. F. Harting, President ; F. G-
Fischer, Vice President ; Chris. Kucherman, Secretary ; Frank Hanske.
Treasurer; George Wagner, First Turner; Gangolf Mayr, Second Turner;
Joseph Schlecht, Steward.
The members of the Turnverein meet for practice on the first and second
Tuesdays in each month, in Harmony Hall in Harmony Park, where they have
all kinds of gymnastic implements and appliances for physical culture.
The present officers are : Gangolf Mayr, President ; M. Zentner, Vice
President ; Phillip Holzhammer, Secretary ; Fred Dierkes, Treasurer ; Franz
Landwehr, First Turner ; Chris Waygandt, Second Turner ; Nic Hengen,
Steward.
The society has a large fund on hand with which to relieve any distress
coming to any of their members.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTV. 553
I K VI KUMTIK.s
Lodge No. 51, A., F. ft A. M. — Bellevue has a flourishing Lodge of Free
and Accepted Masons, numbering, at the present time, about fifty members,
including many of the most influential citizens of the place. They have a nice,
large hall and banqueting-room on Front street, in Niemann's Block, which
overlooks the Mississippi River, and from the windows of which a beautiful view
of the river and the bluft's of Illinois may be had. There are, among the mem- .
bers, those who have taken the higher degrees of Masonry, Mr. W. L. Red-
mond having taken the Thirty-second Degree, and Messrs. George J. Linsey,
Morris J. Linsey, J. P. Roach, A. M. Fanning and Charles Herron being
Royal Arch Masons.
The Lodge was instituted and the charter obtained upon the Oth day of
June, 1855, the following gentlemen being the charter members : Messrs. P.
L. Lake, D. F. Spurr, G. W Lewis, Joseph H. Smith, James Watkins, J. S.
Darling and David Swaney. The Lodge meet in their hall upon the first Mon-
day evening of each month.
The following were the first officers of the Lodge : P. L. Lake, Worship-
ful Master; D. F. Spurr, Senior Warden; G. W. Lewis, Junior Warden. The
Lodge was instituted by A. R. Cotton, Grand Master of the State. The pres-
ent officers are: H. G. Dorchester, Worshipful Master; A. M. Fanning,
Senior Warden; Charles Herron, Junior Warden; Ambrose Breese, Treas-
urer ; P. C. Henry, Secretary ; M. J. Linsey, Senior Deacon ; H. D. Koster,
Junior Deacon.
Through all the good and evil fortunes of Bellevue as a city, this society
has kept on in the even tenor of its way, doing its good work in a quiet, unob-
trusive manner, always having a full membership, and to-day is a live institu-
tion, exerting its good influence according to its own institutions.
D. 0. Hamgari. — Among the many societies for the relief and assistance-
of members is the German Order of Harugari. There is a Lodge of this
Order in Bellevue. This and one at Independence are the only Lodges in the
State. Bellevue Lodge was founded July 31, 1859. The first officers of the
institution were: M. Moseler, 0. B.; John Lauber, U. B.; Frank LosentheL
Treasurer ; A. Ramharter, Secretary. They started with six members, which
number increased from year to year, till some time after the war of the rebel-
lion broke out, when, so many members going away to the war, the society was
discontinued. It was re-organized January 25, 1869. The object of the asso-
ciation is about the same as other secret societies. It is a brotherhood banded
together for the purpose of helping and relieving one another in trouble and
sickness. Lately, life insurance has been added to their institutions, the change
taking place April 1, 1879. The insurance is divided into three sections —
first, $500 ; second. $1,000 ; third, $2,000. Member* may. at their discretion,
enter all three.
The Lodge meets every Wednesday evening, at Altfilisch's Hall. They
have twenty-two members at present, having lost seven by death since their
organization. The present officers are : John Hoffman, O. B.; Chris. Kuche-
mann, U. B.; George Yung, Secretary ; Adam Strasser, Treasurer.
There are 350 Lodges of this Order in the United States. They support
a newspaper, published at Reading, Penn., called the Deutsche Eiche.
The society in Bellevue is in a good financial condition, having about $1,200
in its treasury at present. Although the society here makes but little noise.
554 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
its works of charity are many, and the widow and orphan have had cause to
bless both the organization and its generous-hearted members.
Ancient Order of United Workmen. — Bellevue Lodge of Ancient Order
of United Workmen was organized in Bellevue March 10, 1876, by S. L.
Baker, District Deputy Grand Master, with the following officers: G. W.
Frost. P. M. W.; J. P. Roche, M. W.: M. Altfilisch, G. F.; W. 0. Evans,
O.: J. W. Crocker,, R.; G. Henske, F.; W. L. Redmond, Receiver; N. Robb,
G.. Th. Stampher, I. W.; W. K. Henton, 0. W. These, with twenty others,
formed the charter members.
The Lodge meets every Friday evening in the Masonic Hall. The society
has been prosperous from the first, and has gradually increased in membership.
There are at present forty-three members.
Death has visited the Lodge twice since its organization, and has taken
away John Lauber, who dropped dead while fishing on the Illinois side of the
river, and Frank Henske, who died of consumption. The objects of the
society are fraternal support, assistance and life insurance, the latter being its
distinguishing characteristic. The families of those who died received $2,000
each immediately upon the death of the member.
The present officers of the Lodge are: M. Altfilisch, P. M. W.; J. P.
Keiffer, M. W.; D. A. Wynkoop, G. F.; E. Slattery, O.; W. K. Henton,
G.; G. W. Frost, R.; J. T. Anderson, F.; J. S. Young, Receiver ; M. W.
Moldt, I. W.; M. Zentner, 0. W.; G. W. Frost, M. D., Examining Physician.
Presbyterian Church. — Among the churches of Bellevue which, through the
vicissitudes of good and hard times, h«ve kept up their organization and sup-
ported a resident Pastor, and kept up their contributions to the missionary
fund, is the Presbyterian. It is composed of but few members, and those not
very well off in this world's goods, yet they are of that strong, persevering,
self-denying class of people who believe in their duty toward God first, and
their own bodily comfort afterward.
The Church or society was organized in the fall of 1859 by the Rev. Mr.
Wells. It was composed of the families of Judge Booth, Mr. Wynkoop, Mrs.
Miller and Mr. Kisskadden.
The Rev. Mr. Jack was the first minister who officiated for them as Pastor,
and he remained with them for about four months. About the time Mr. Jack
left, or the summer of 1860, the society built their church, which is a very
pretty stone structure, upon the corner of Margaret and Fourth streets. It is
40x62 feet, and is a very commodious and comfortable place of worship. The
Rev. Mr. John P. Conkey was called and installed about the time of the build-
ing of this church, and he remained with the society about four years. He was
followed by Rev. Moses Norr, who remained about three years. Then came
Rev. John Kieling, who remained about six months. Then Rev. Charles
Axtell came and remained about five years. Then came Rev. John Gilmore
and remained six years, only leaving the society last fall (1878). The present
minister is Rev. Thomas C. McFarland. The first Elders of the Church were
Judge Booth and Mr. Kisskadden. Those who have been Elders since the
organization of the Church are, besides the foregoing, Messrs. Wyncoop,
Vocins and Breese. The present Elders are Messrs. Kisskadden a^nd Breese.
The society holds services every Sunday morning and evening, and prayer-
meetings every Wednesday evening.
^§5^^ ^^
BEUEV17E
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 557
There is a very successful Sunday school connected with the Church, num-
bering 175 members, with an average attendance of 130. The membership of
the Church numbers about forty-five at the present time.
The Catholic Church. — One of the pioneer Churches of Bellevue was the
Roman Catholic. There was a society here in 1846. In 1847, they purchased
a lot, and a church was commenced and finished in the following year. This
building was a gift from Bishop Lovas. It was a frame building twenty-four
by thirty-six feet, and cost about $800. This church was burned in 1852, and
a brick church thirty-four by sixty-five feet was constructed in 1852 and 1853,
and finished in 1854. This building cost about §2,500. There were but fifteen
families belonging to this Church here at the time of the building of the first
church, but their numbers have steadily increased until now they number about
one hundred and sixty families, and are the strongest congregation in Bellevue.
A great many of the Germans here belong to this faith.
The following clergymen have been connected with the Church here : Father
Shane, 1848 ; Father McCormick, 1849-50 ; Father Jane, 1850-52. This
was the first resident priest, and at this time the church was burned; Father
Vahel, 1854. During Father Vehel's stay here a great part of the debt con-
tracted in building the brick church was paid off; Father McCabe, 1862-53;
Father Trace, 1854 ; Father J. F. Brazel, 1855, now Vicar General of this
State ; Father Malone, 1856 ; Father Wheeler, 1856, died in January, 1857 ;
Faiher George Brennan, 1857 ; Father J. F. Brennan, 1858.
The Church was without a Pastor from 1861 till 1863, when came Father
Harding, 1863-68. During the administration of this clergyman, the Germans
became dissatified. They withdrew from the society, and built a stone church
in 1865. It is sixty by one hundred and twenty feet, and has cost, as it now
stands, about $10,000. It has a school room in the basement, where the Sisters
hold a parish school. There are four Sisters here, and the congregation has
built a neat building for them at the side of the church.
Father T. J. Schiffmacher came in 1868, and then the two societies came
together again and have continued together ever since, under the pastoral care
of the last-named priest.
Methodist Episcopal Church, Upper Iowa Conference. — Bellevue Charge,
Jackson County, State of Iowa, has sustained the following Conference rela-
tions : First, being a part of Rock River from 1835 to ; second, the Iowa
Conference, till 1855; third, the Upper Iowa Conference, of which it still
forms a part.
It has also sustained the following Circuit relations : Dubuque, Bellevue
and Maquoketa; Bellevue, Andrew and La Motte ; Bellevue, Springbrook and
Liberty, and lastly, Bellevue.
The first sermon was preached in the fall of 1836, by the Rev. George
Smith, and a class formed in the work-shop of Thomas Graham, with Dr. I. S.
Graham as Leader. Among those forming the first class were David Dyas, Sr.,
Frances L. Dyas, Robert Dyas. Thomas Graham and wife and Elizabeth Gra-
ham. The population of the place at that time was about thirty. From that
time until 1859, the Church increased in membership and financial ability,
when a church building was erected under the pastorate of Rev. H. S. Church.
The building was not completed until 1864, when it was dedicated in October
of the same year, by Rev. A. J. Kynett, D. D.
The following have been the Pastors since the organization of the charge :
George Smith, 1836-37; William Simpson, 1838-39; John Walker. 1840;
B. H. Cartwright, 1841-42; Bushnell, 1843-44; Clarke and Pope,
558 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
1845-46 ; Joseph Maxon, 1847 ; J. H. Dennis and Philo, 1848-49 ; J. C.
Smith, 1850 ; R. W. Trimble, 1851-52; A. C. McDonald, 1853; G. W. Clark,
1854 ; N. D. Jay, 1855 ; Charles Babcock, 1856 ; A. G. Wood, 1857-58 ; S.
H. Church, 1859 ; A. B. Kendig, 1860 ; A. N. Odell, 1861 ; S. A. Lee,
1862-63 ; W. F. Preston, 1864-65 ; Joseph Ridlington, 1866-67.
From September, 1867, until September, 1869, the charge had no Pastor,
when the Rev. G. R. Manning was appointed and took charge of the work, and
was reappointed by the Conference of 1870. From this time to the close of
the Conference year, 1871, the charge enjoyed a good degree of prosperity.
During the year 1870, the Church at Liberty engaged G. W. Jenkins to
supply them with preaching, which arrangement continued until October, 1872,
at which time La Motte desired to be connected with Bellevue for the Confer-
ence year (which request was granted), and thus came under the pastoral care of
0. L. Fisher, who was appointed to Bellevue Circuit in October, 1871, and
re-appointed in 1872. In December, 1872, Liberty was temporarily connected
with Andrew Circuit, under the pastoral care of L. Hawkins.
Nothing especially worthy of record has occurred in these times, excepting
the building of the new parsonage and reading-room in Bellevue, which begun
m May, 1872, and was finished in December, 1872. The Circuit at this time
waa composed of Bellevue, Springbrook and La Motte.
At the annual Conference of 1873, La Motte was dropped and Liberty was
added to the Bellevue charge, and Isaac C. Turk was appointed as Pastor, and
re-appointed in September, 1874. The charge then consisted of Bellevue,
Springbrook and Liberty. The Liberty appointment was abandoned in Septem-
ber, 1874. The Rev. J. G. G. Cavendish was Pastor during the year 1875-76 ;
Rev. R. Norton, for the year 1877-78 ; Rev. L. Catlin, for the year 1878-79.
The following have been Presiding Elders since 1855: J. J. Dimett, H.
W. Reed, P. E. Brown, Houghton, E. Skinner, Newton, W. Frank
Paxton, R. W. Keeler. '
The society has a very neat stone church on the corner of Third and Court
streets, being thirty-one by fifty feet in size. It cost about $3,500, to which
has been added a parsonage and reading-room, which cost $1,500.
The Lutheran Church. — The German Evangelical Lutheran Congregation
of Bellevue, belonging to the German Evangelical Lutheral Synod of Iowa,
was founded in 1868. The first members were: Christ Kranz, C. Reeg, Fr.
Tiedt, H. Rickert, J. Tachman, H. Hunke, Kuhlmann, ~ — Bruns and
several others.
The first officers were C. Kranz, C. Reeg, Fr. Tiedt, H. Rickert M. Gaetz.
The church was built in 1868, and is a very pretty concrete building, its
dimensions being 50x30 feet. It has a comfortable parsonage in the same
inclosure. The buildings cost $3,300, and are almost entirely paid for.
The present officers are Chris Kranz, C. Reeg, H. Hunke.
The congregation numbers forty families. There is a Sunday school con-
nected with the Church which is in a flourishing condition, numbering thirty-
five pupils, with five teachers.
The following ministers have been connected with the Church : Rev. G. J.
Rembold, Rev. J. Bucka. Rev. J. Lenz, the present Pastor, is a gentleman of
fine ability and is well beloved by his parishioners ; he is a hard worker, labor-
ing among his flock with untiring zeal. The congregation expect to be free
from debt this fall, when nothing will be in the way of their usefulness.
Congregational Church. — This, society was formed in 1847, with twelve
families as members. The Church continued with a fair degree of prosperity
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 559
until 1851, when, at a meeting of the members held at the house of D. J. Wat-
kins, on the 18th day of March, 1851, it was decided to build a church. The
first Trustees of the society were : Rev. W. L. Coleman, Daniel J. Watkins7
and Samuel B. Baird ; W. L. Wynkoop, Treasurer ; James N. Ball, Clerk and
ex officio Trustee. The first minister was the Rev. W. L. Coleman.
Upon the 26th day of March. 1851, a deed was made from David S.
Swaney and Sidney, his wife, to Messrs. Coleman, Ball, Wynkoop, Watkins
and Baird, of Lot 242 on the official plat of Bellevue, for which the society
paid $70. They immediately set to work to build a church edifice, and the
same was finished in the fall of 1851, and dedicated in June, 1852. It was
built, of concrete, in a plain Gothic style of architecture. It is 46x29 feet,
and is a neat place of worship. The building cost about $2,000.
The following clergymen have officiated for the society since its forma-
tion: Rev. W. L. Coleman, Rev. T. H. Canfield, Rev. Elias Clark. Rev.
Lemuel Jones, Rev. E. P. Whitney, Rev. B. M. Amsden, Rev. John Gilmore.
There is no resident clergyman connected with the Church at the present
time, although the organization is kept up and the church work is carried on as
usual. There is a flourishing Sunday school connected with the Church, which
meets every Sunday morning. The present Trustees are Daniel J. Watkins,
J. C. Hughey.
The Episcopal Church. — The Episcopal Church of Bellevue was organized
as a parish, in 1853, with the families of G. W. Lewis, N. Kilborn, V. Har-
rington, C. Huntoon, Dr. Graham and C. Barroll as the first members. The
following gentlemen were elected to office : Wardens — Dr. Graham and V. Har-
rington. Vestrymen — V. Harrington, Dr. Graham, G. W. Lewis, N. Kilborn,
C. Barroll and C. Huntoon.
The following clergymen have been with the Church since its formation :
Rev. Mr. Watson, Rev. Mr. Street, Mr. Eddie, a lay reader, Rev. Mr. Stuart,
Mr. Moore, a lay reader. Since the departure of the last-named gentleman,
the Church has been under the pastoral care of Rev. C. T. Currie of the River-
side Institute, of Lyons, Clinton Co., who has ministered to the congregation
twice a month until recently. Now services are held but once a month. The
church edifice was built in 1855, and is a pretty little frame chapel, situated on
Second street, and is about 40x60 feet. It cost about $2,000. The present
officers are : Wardens — Messrs. C. Huntoon and Koster. Vestrymen — Messrs.
C. Huntoon, Koster and McNulty. The society numbers eleven families at the
present time.
FIRST POLL-BOOK.
The following is a copy of the record of the first poll cast for Trustees for
the town of Belleview, held at the office of James K. Moss, in said town, on
the 6th day of October, A. D. 1841 :
Names of Voters : William A. Warren, Robert Johnson, Daniel C. Allen,
John T. Sublett, George Sherman, Henry Whitmore, Hugh Fraser, James K.
Moss, James C. Mitchell.
At the above specified election, the following named persons received the
number of votes annexed to their respective names, for the office of Trustee :
John T. Sublett had 9 votes ; James L. Kirkpatrick, 8 : William A. Warren,
9 ; James C. Mitchell, 8 ; David C. Allen, 8. Certified to by James C. Mitch-
ell, Clerk, and James K. Moss, President. James C. Mitchell was elected
President of the Board ; Abraham B. Brown, Clerk of the Board ; John G.
Nichols, Treasurer of the town; Samuel Scott, Street Commissioner.
560 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
TOWN OFFICERS.
1842 — Trustees, James C. Mitchell, William A. Warren (resigned, J. K.
Moss appointed), John T. Sublett, Daniel C. Allen, James L. Kirkpatrick.
President of the Board, James C. Mitchell ; Clerk of the Board, Robert Sharp ;
Marshal, John Peterson ; Constable, Henry Whitmore ; Street Commissioner,
Samuel Scott ; Treasurer, John S. Nichols.
1843 — Trustees, James L. Kirkpatrick, Henry Jones, John How, Robert
Sharp, Thomas Graham. President, Robert Sharp ; Clerk, John Carson ;
Marshal, John Peterson ; Treasurer, Daniel C. Allen ; Street Inspector, John
D. Miller ; Assessor and Collector, Isaiah A. Noble.
1844 — Trustees, John D. Miller, Nathaniel Kilborn, J. L. Kirkpatrick,
Henry Jones, Daniel C. Allen. President, James L. Kirkpatrick ; Treasurer,
David Harris; Marshal, Joseph Taylor; Street Commissioner, John D. Miller.
Clerk, George W. Lewis.
1845 — Trustees, James L. Kirkpatrick, Zerah Jennings, Henry Watkins,
John T. Sublett, Nathaniel Kilborn. President, John T. Sublett; Clerk,
George W. Lewis ; Marshal, George W. Jonas ; Treasurer, David Harris ; Street
Commissioner, David Harris.
1846— Trustees, J. L. Kirkpatrick, H. S. Allen (did not qualify, B. F.
Barry was elected), Hugh Neeper, William E. Jennings, William T. Wynkoop.
President, James L. Kirkpatrick ; Clerk, S. W. Chapel ; Treasurer, Zerah
Jennings; Marshal, Alexander Cummins; Street Commissioner, N. Kilborn.
1847 — Trustees, Andrew Woods, Hugh Neeper, George W. Lewis, Nathan-
iel Kilborn, James L. Kirkpatrick. President, J. L. Kirkpatrick ; Clerk, D.
F. Spurr; Treasurer, Zerah Jennings; Marshal, W. A. Warren; Street Com-
missioner, William Smithers.
1848 — Trustees, James L. Kirkpatrick, William E. Jennings, J. W. Dills,
Daniel C. Allen, Andrew Woods. President, J. L. Kirkpatrick ; Clerk, D. F.
Spurr : Street Inspector, Nathaniel Kilborn ; Marshal, William A. Warren ;
Treasurer, Zerah Jennings.
1849 — Trustees, William E. Jennings, D. J. Watkins, Nathaniel Kilborn,
Charles Onderdonk, John G. Chambers. President, William E. Jennings ;
Clerk, D. J. Watkins ; Treasurer, Andrew Woods.
1850 — Trustees,William T. Wynkoop, Cyrus Huntoon, Byron Potter, Anson
Harrington, Z. G. Isbell. President, William T. Wynkoop; Clerk, Joseph
Kelso ; Treasurer, Daniel J. Watkins ; Marshal, George W. Jonas.
1851 — New charter. Trustees, John T. Sublett, Lucius B. Potter, Daniel
F. Spurr, William T. Wynkoop, Eli Cole. President, John T. Sublett ; Clerk,
Joseph Kelso ; Treasurer, Daniel J. Watkins ; Marshal, George W. Jonas.
1852— Trustees, Eli Cole, N. Kilborn, S. B. Potter, William T. Wynkoop,
John T. Sublett. President, L. B. Potter ; Treasurer, Charles Barrall ; Mar-
shal, David Harris ; Clerk, Joseph Kelso.
1853 — Trustees, Lucius B. Potter, William P. Johnson, Nathaniel Kilborn,
William T. Wynkoop, Isaac Lemon. President, N. Kilborn ; Clerk, J. Kelso ;
Marshal, Levi Eckman ; Treasurer, Charles Barrall.
1854 — Trustees, William P. Johnson, John S. Graham, Jacob Philips, Nath-
aniel Kilborn, William T. -Wynkoop. President, N. Kilborn ; Clerk, J. Kelso;
Treasurer, Charles Barrall ; Marshal, Cyrus Huntoon.
1855— Trustees, Thomas H. Davis, J. S. Graham, J. C. Fory, J. B. Booth,
Eli Cole. President, Eli Cole ; Clerk, J. M. Braky ; Treasurer, J. C. Hughey ;
Marshal, J. B. Cotton.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 561
1856— Trustees, N. Kilborn, J. C. Fory, J. S. Graham, W. T. Hayes, J.
B. Booth. President, N. Kilborn ; Marshal, A. Lambertson ; Treasurer, J. C.
Hughey ; Clerk, J. M. Brakey.
1857— Trustees, J. S. Graham, C. Barrall, Andrew Woods, W. A. Magin-
nis, William T. Hays. President, W. A. Maginnis ; Clerk, Eugene Cowles;
Treasurer, J. C. Hughey ; Marshal, W. A. Burress.
1858— Trustees, T. H. Davis, W. A. Maginnis, M. G. Hyler, N. Kilborn,
Eli Cole. President, Eli Cole ; Clerk, James C. Brakey ; Treasurer, J. C.
Hughey ; Marshal, M. L. Peavy.
1859— Trustees, F. Bangs, C. Barrall, M. G. Hyler, John Muncy, D. F.
Spurr. President, F. Bangs ; Clerk, J. C. Brakey ; Marshal, N. T. Wynkoop ;
Treasurer,' J. C. Hughey.
I860— Trustees, A. J. Dorchester, Charles Barrall, W. A. Maginnis, C.
H. Lange, T. J. Pearce. President, C. Barroll ; Clerk, J. C. Brakey ; Mar-
shal, J. J. Reed ; Treasurer, N. Kilborn.
1861— Trustees, William Graham, A. W. Boskins, William T. Hays, John
W. Cowden, M. G. Hyler. President, William Graham ; Clerk, Don A. Wyn-
koop ; Treasurer, John C. Hughey ; Marshal, Thomas H. Oliver.
1862— Trustees, N. Kilborn, Charles Barroll, M. G. Hyler, Adam Shab,
A. W. Bockins. President, N. Kilborn ; Clerk, W. L. Redmond ; Treasurer,
John C. Hughey ; Marshal, A. S. McKinley.
1863— Trustees, N. Kilborn, William Frost, F. G. Fisher, Jacob Baker,
D. J. Watkins. President, N. Kilborn ; Clerk, G. W. McNulty ; Treasurer,
J. C. Hughey ; Marshal, Myron Collins.
1864 — Mayor, G. W. McNulty (resigned, John Stuart elected) ; Recorder,
Daniel Bockins (resigned, Samuel G. Smith elected). Trustees, F. Bangs
(resigned, Charles Barroll- elected), J. C. Hughey, M. G. Hyler, Jacob Becker,
William Anderson. Marshal, John Fanning ; Attorney, Joseph Kelso ; Street
Commissioner, N. T. Wynkoop.
1865 — Mayor, John Stuart; Recorder, S. G. Smith. Trustees, William
Anderson, Charles Barroll, John C. Hughey, M. G. Hyler, Jacob Becker.
Treasurer, R. Hughey ; Marshal, John Fanning.
1866 — Mayor, W. A. Warren ; Recorder, Samuel G. Smith. Trustees,
N. Kilborn, C. Barroll, L. H. Schlatterer, W. T. Hays, M. Collins. Treasurer,
J. R. Perkins; Marshal, Jerome Lawrence; Assessor, W. M. Bragg; Attorney,
Joseph Kelso.
1867— Mayor, C. Barroll ; Recorder, Samuel G. Smith. Trustees, H.
Bower, M. G. Hyler, F. G. Fisher, J. S. Young, A. W. Bockins. Treasurer,
William Anderson ; Marshal, J. M. Miller ; Assessor, T. H. Davis.
1868— Mayor, W. T. Hayes ; Recorder, I. P. H. Cowden ; Treasurer,
William Anderson ; Marshal, J. B. Hobart ; Assessor, Myron Collins. Trust-
ees, W. L. Redmond, M. R. Brown, W. L. Walsh, John Lauber, Frank
Hanske.
1869— Mayor, Eli Cole ; Recorder, W. A. Warren ; Treasurer, W. L. Red-
mond ; Marshal, J. P. Hobart. Trustees, A. J. Dorchester, A. Reiling, T. G.
Fisher, Henry Schlatterer, Thomas H. Davis.
1870 — Mayor, Henry Schlatterer ; Treasurer, W. L. Redmond ; Recorder,
W. A. Warren ; Assessor, Samuel G. Reed ; Marshal, T. P. Hobart. Trust-
ees, A. N. Odell, M. R. Brown, Eli Cole, A. Reiling, Frank Schlecht.
1871 — Mayor, Joseph Kelso ; Treasurer, W. L. Redmond ; Marshal, John
Fanning ; Assessor, Samuel G. Reed ; Recorder, W. A. Warner. Trustees, A.
J. Dorchester, Chris. Kuchemann, A. N. Odell, M. R. Brown, John Muncy.
562 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
1872 — Mayor, W. L. Redmond ; Recorder, S. S. Simpson ; Marshal, John
Fanning. Trustees, H. Schlatterer, H. Bower, Frank Schlecht, John Bau-
man, A. J. Dorchester.
1873 — Mayor, W. L. Redmond ; Recorder, A. Woods ; Marshal, Joseph
Schlecht ; Treasurer, J. C. Hughey. Trustees, A. J. Dorchester, John Bau-
man, S. S. Simpson, Theodore Stamper, H. Schlatterer.
1874 — Mayor. W. A. Maginnis ; Recorder, A. Woods ; Marshal, A. T.
Lambertson ; Street Commissioner, Philip Foblinger. Trustees, Henry Schlat-
terer, S. S. Simpson, John Bauman, A. J. Dorchester, A. Strasser.
1875 — Mayor, W. A. Maginnis ; Recorder, A. Woods ; Treasurer, J. Kelso ;
Assessor, S. A. Reed. Trustees, A. J. Dorchester, W. L. Redmond, S. S.
Simpson, F. G. Fisher, N. Bahwell.
1876 — Mayor, W. L. Redmond ; Recorder, S. A. Reed ; Treasurer, A.
Weinshenk ; Assessor, M. V. Smith ; Marshal, M. V. Smith. Trustees, Ayl-
mer Allen, Frank Hanske, M. Altfilisch, A. Weinschenk, A. J. Dorchester.
1877 — Mayor, F. Schlecht ; Recorder, H. G. Dorchester ; Treasurer, Theo.
Neiman ; Assessor, M. V. Smith. Trustees, H. Bower, A. J. Dorchester, J.
W. Week, A. W. Weber, A. Weinschenk.
1878 — Mayor, D. A. Wynkoop ; Recorder, H. G. Dorchester; Treasurer,
J. Kelso ; Assessor, M. V. Smith ; Marshal, M. M. Bean. Trustees, C.
Kucheman, John Gray, F. Tiedt, L. Millar, W. M. Keister.
1879 — Mayor, W. L. Redmond ; Recorder, J. P. Keiffer ; Treasurer, J.
Kelso ; Assessor, M. V. Smith ; Marshal, M. M. Bean. Trustees, John Bau-
man, J. P. Mann, M. G. Hyler, W. M. Keister, Frank Schlecht, George
Young.
SABULA.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
The spot on which Sabula now stands had been occupied as an Indian vil-
lage. There were several families of Indians living here at the time the whites
came and afterward. The spot was known to the French as Prairie La Pierre.
This was the only point on the west bank of the river, between Lyons and
Bellevue, which would afford a good site for a town. It was the only point
where a steamer could find a good landing unless it be where the bluffs come
close up to the shore or are bordered by bottom lands subject to yearly overflow.
The site of Sabula, apart from the landing-place, is not an especially desirable
one as it is cut off from the surrounding country by slough or swamp, and can
only be reached from the country back of it during high water by the building
of turnpikes or dikes across the lowlands. Sabula is located not many feet
above high-water mark, and yet is perfectly safe from overflow. It might be
feared that the slough and swamp back of town would breed pestilence and
disease, yet we are assured that Sabula is a healthy town, and that the citizens
do not experience the evil results from adjoining swamp-land which might be
anticipated. The open situation of the town, and free circulation of air add to
the sanitary condition of the place.
The spot occupied by Sabula was first a claim of two whites — Hinkley and
Dorman. Dorman is said to have crossed the Mississippi on a log in 1835 or
1836. Dr. E. A. Wood bought out Hinkley's share in the claim upon the
former's arrival in April, 1836. Subsequently, Charles Swan and W. H. Brown
purchased Dorman's interest and a portion of Wood's. The claim was then
owned by Woods, Swan and Brown. These men employed Albert Henry, in
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 563
1837, to survey the claim and lay it out in town lots. The plat of the town
was recorded in Dubuque, this being at that time a part of Dubuque County.
THE NAME.
The new town was first called Carrollport, a name which proved unfortunate
for several reasons. A party by that name (Carroll) lived in the vicinity, who
was quite unpopular, and some ill feeling was stirred up by the insinuations
that the town had been named for a man of no enviable reputation. Then a
box of goods from Saint Louis was directed, by mistake or way of joke, to
" Carrion Point," affording a banter to those who were disposed to cavil at the
pretensions of the new. village.
Soon the name was changed to Charleston, a name which seemed to the
settlers quite appropriate because it had a Savannah so close at hand — the town
on the opposite side of the river being known by that appellation. Some
imagine there to be a similarity not altogether accidental between the name
Charleston and Charles Swan, one of the proprietors of the place. But new
troubles were ahead ; a town in Lee County, Iowa, also bore the name Charles-
ton, and much annoyance resulted from the misdirection of letters, packages,
etc. It was finally determined in 1846, to have a name that could not be dupli-
cated or caricatured, which should be called for nobody and yet be simple. The
story goes that on account of the sandy condition of the soil William Hubbel
bethought to name the place after the quality of its surface deposit. He exam-
ined his dictionary for the word sand and found the Latin word for sand was
" Sabulum." It was the proposition to change Charleston to Sabulum, but a
lady at a tea party, who heard of the proposed name, suggested that Sabula
would not only be more elegant but more easily pronounced. Her suggestion
-was adopted. Thus the legend goes about the name Sabula.
The first log cabin in the place was built by Dr. Wood in 1836.
The first brick house was built in 1842, by William Cameron, on the cor-
ner of Pearl and Division streets.
The first Postmaster was William H. Brown, who was appointed in the
latter of 1836, or early part of 1837.
The first ferry across the river was a scow ferry, running as early as 1837,
and conducted by Dorman, one of the first claimants of the site of Sabula. A
horse ferry was established in 1850 by Wade B. Eldredge. In 1859-60, a
steam ferry was started by Jacob Oswald and Matt Hodgson. The boat was
named " 76 " and was sold to the railroad company as a ferry-boat after the
establishment of a transfer here. The company rebuilt the boat and named it
the " Iowa."
Luther H. Steen, son of Ulysses and Lucinda Steen, was the first child
born of white parents at this point.
The first blacksmith work was done on a forge erected by James Wood, the
father of E. A. Wood, in 1836. The first real blacksmith-shop was built by
John S. Dominy in the lower end of town, near where Dr. Wood's residence
now stands.
Dr. Wood erected the first Sabula saw-mill in 1853 on "the slough,"
The first flouring-mill was built in 1855 by Dr. Wood.
The first regular physician in the town was Dr. J. G. Sugg.
The first school was taught by a maiden lady named Stearns about 1838.
564 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
MISSOURI WAR.
At the time of the troubles over the boundary between Missouri and Iowa,
about a dozen men from Charleston enlisted for what was termed the Missouri
war. The squad was armed with such weapons as the frontier afforded and
headed by Charles Swan as Commander. It was in midwinter and the party
left the place in sleds. They took with them a dressed hog of good proportions
and several hundred weight of cornmeal. Proceeding as far as Deep Creek,
they spent their time at that point consuming this royal fare and drinking
whisky.
The provisions gave out in the course of a week or more and news came
that the trouble was subsiding, whereupon the party returned to town.
DANCING SCHOOL.
In the winter of 1839-40, the village enjoyed the luxury of a " real live "
dancing-school. The professor in the Terpsichorean art was one Paddleford,
who lived on the frontier and devoted himself entirely to his profession, in
which he is said to have excelled. A rival school was established the following
winter, called the " Cotillion Party." We can imagine with such training that
our young pioneers must have been uncommonly graceful.
FIRST FOURTH OF JULY.
The first Fourth of July celebration in Charleston was in 184u. The
settlers resolved upon a royal time, and, in that day, a hickory stick for liberty-
pole and flag-staff was indispensable. A fine staff was secured on one of the
islands above town and was tall and slender, of the proportions of a bamboo
pole. This was erected at the public landing, near the water's edge. Then a
ag was manufactured by sewing together strips of red and white flannel. The
pioneers had no facilities for painting stars on the flag, so these were voted
superfluous.
The celebration consisted in speaking during the day, a feast in the evening
and a ball at night. After the dinner, or supper it might be termed, toasts
were given with responses. The settlers must have a genuine "red eye," as it
was termed, with each sentiment, and, about the fifth round, the ladies were
obliged to hold their ears to save themselves from deafness through the boister-
ous cheers in which their liege lords were indulging as each happy response was
made.
The liberty-pole, we are informed, was cut down by Absalom Montgomery
and one Livemore, from Maquoketa, some time subsequent to the celebration.
These parties had come over from Maquoketa to have a little sport and they
took that means to set the ball rolling.
For these incidents we are indebted to Pioneer Dominy, of Sabula.
> CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI.
It may be imagined the Mississippi was an obstruction of considerable diffi-
culty in the path of the settlers, and, with the rude means of ferriage at hand
in an early day, no little difficulty was experienced in crossing.
For a number of years, the only means of passing from Savanna to Sabula
during the summer months, was by means of a scow ferry, that is, a flat-boat
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 565-
propelled by oars or poles. Dr. Sugg tells us that the first time he crossed the
river at Sabula was one stormy evening in 1842. On the ferry were two
wagons, a horseman and nine or ten persons. Just after leaving the Illinois
shore, one of the men using his oar for the purpose of pushing upon the bottom,
lost it in the mud, leaving the craft afloat with a single oar. It became unman-
ageable and drifted about among the islands and treetops, almost sweeping the
wagons and teams from the deck of the boat. Finally, after much labor and
considerable fright, with the use of some of the flooring of the flat for oars,
they succeeded in making the Iowa shore some distance below town.
Afterward, Dr. Sugg returned for his goods and stock, bringing from his
former home five horses, eighty-two head of cattle, one hundred and five sheep
and a lot of fine chickens. These, with two large wagons drawn by oxen,
made no mean outfit for an emigrant in those days. The Doctor did not wish
to risk the ferriage at Sabula, and resolved on crossing the river at Rock
Island. Such were the inconveniences attendant upon travel and crossing at
that day that he was nine days in coming from Rock River Slough, oppo-
site Davenport, to the north bank of the Wapsipinicon, a distance, we believe,
of about twenty-four miles.
At Sabula was ferried the first locomotive ever on the soil of Jackson
County, in the fall of 1870.
Dr. Sugg gave us a couple of incidents connected with the early settlement,
which we here record as condiments for numerous dry facts which a work of
this nature necessarily contains.
A citizen named McBride, who still lives a short distance south of Sabula,
was one day in the lower part of town, before it really became a village, and
seeing a steamer ascending the river, was driven by a native impulse to hail
the craft. It was then the custom of the Captain to land wherever he was
hailed if it were possible. The boat was turned to the shore in obedience to
the pioneer's summons on the supposition that the latter had some freight
to send up the river. When the steamer had made the landing, the Captain
inquired what was wanted. "Got a woman on board?" inquired McBride,
" I have a yoke of cattle here and I want to trade them off for a woman." It is
said the Captain was still swearing when he reached Bellevue, while McBride
to this day continues in a life of single blessedness, his early hopes doubtless
blasted by the hearrlessness and profanity of the " Mississippi tar."
While Thomas Cox was making the original survey of some of the lands about
Sabula, and was surrounded by a company of Government employes of which
he was in charge, he was approached one day by a minister of the Gospel, who
modestly offered a remark of welcome to the self-glorious engineer, who, as usual,
was the worse for liquor. "Well, who are you?" asked Cox. The reverend
gentleman responded with the gentleness becoming his sacred profession, and
inquired of the man of level and compass whom he was addressing ? Drawing
his burly form up to its full height, the surveyor responded, " I, sir, am Col.
Thomas Cox, supposed to be the smartest man in this part of the world." It
is presumed the missionary congratulated himself on the distinguished acquaint-
ance he had made and would doubtless be impressed with the fact that some
pioneers were not lacking in self-confidence.
INCORPORATION.
In the County Court, July 5, 1864, was filed a petition by J. 0. Bard,
Israel Day and Thomas Esmay. as agents, requesting the privilege of incorpo-
rating the town of Sabula. This petition was signed by a majority of all the
566 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
legal voters of the village of Sabula, and a proclamation was issued by the
County Judge, asking all parties interested to appear and show reason, if any,
why the prayer of the petitioners should not be granted on the first Monday of
September, 1864. The petition was granted in due time, and the boundaries
of the town declared as follows :
" Commencing at the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of Section
No. 19, in Township 84, north of Range No. 7, east of the Fifth Principal
Meridian ; thence south on the half-section line 320 rods to the southwest corner
of the southeast of said section ; thence east on the section line 160 rods to the
southeast corner of the southeast quarter of said section ; thence south on the
section line 160 rods to the southwest corner of the northwest quarter to Sec-
tion No. 29 in said township ; thence east to the main channel of the Mississippi
River ; thence northerly up the main channel of said river to where a line on
the section line running east on the section line from the place of beginning
would strike the main channel of said river, being a point on the north line
of Section No. 20 in said township ; thence west on the north line of said Sec-
tions 20 and 19 to ths place of beginning."
The first election was directed to be held at the "Iowa Exchange," in the
town of Sabula, and the 3d day of February, 1865, was appointed as the day
on which the first election should be held. For the purpose of conducting the
election, the following judges were appointed : P. M. Kimball, L. Lammers and
John Esmay. The clerks were Virtus Lund and B. H. A. Henningsen.
At this election, 47 votes were cast for Mayor, of which H. G. Crary
received 42, with the other 5 scattering. There was, in fact, no opposition
made to Mr. Crary. J. F. Fairbank was elected Recorder, and M. C. Law-
rence, M. Hein, D. K. Lincoln, J. Scarborough and Vircus Lund were elected
the office of Trustees.
At the first meeting of the Town Council, Mr. H. Gr. Crary was appointed
Town Assessor.
An election was held again on the 6th day of March, 1865, being the day
appointed by the law for the holding of the same. At this election, there were
116 ballots cast.
July 16, 1866. by order of the Council, was submitted to a vote of the cit-
izens of Sabula, the question of issuing bonds to the amount of $6,000, bear-
ing 10 per cent interest, for the purpose of building a suitable jail for the city,
and of improving the turnpike leading north out of town, making it one foot
above the high water of 1859, to be eighteen feet wide on top, to be covered
top and sides with stone to the depth of eight inches.
At this election, 90 votes were cast, of which number 86 were for the
loan. The turnpike improvement was let to J. C. Pitkin, at the con-
tract price of $4,700. The contract, however, provided that Pitkin should only
furnish a certain amount of dirt at that figure, and when, upon survey, it was
found to require about 50 per cent more filling than was estimated, he was
allowed 15 cents per yard for the extra amount.
In the improvement of this turnpike, the town was encouraged by an appro-
priation of $2,300 from the county treasury, and, in 1S67, some $2,000 more
were expended in the completion of this highwav, making the entire cost
$7,181.65.
For the reason that the turnpike proved more expensive than was antici-
pated, the bonds were not issued to build the jail as voted above, and the mat-
ter of voting a tax of 5 mills for the purpose of building a city calaboose,
was submitted to the people at the general election in 1870, and resulted in a
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. . 567
vote of 139 to 8. in favor of the tax. After the tax had been voted, it was pro-
posed, in the City Council, that a two-story building be erected, the first floor
to be occupied as a jail, and the second floor as a counci-lroom and town hall.
This proposition met with the hearty approval of the Trustees, and plans hav-
ing been prepared, the Council advertised for sealed bids from contractors for
building same. The bids received were as follows : M. C. Lawrence, $987 ;
Henry Heckert. $1,000 ; W. H. Reid, $940. The contract was awarded to
Mr. Reid. The building, however, was not completed until some years
later.
In 1871, at the time of the building of the Sabula, Ackley & Dakota
Railroad, of which an account has been given in the county history, the rail-
road company secured from t>he town the privilege to build their road upon the
turnpike leading south out of town. The company contracted to replace the
same, but failing to satisfactorily finish or fill their part of the contract, some
litigation ensued, as a result of. which, the railroad company, in addition to
building a road across the swamp, paid to the town $3,000 in cash.
In 1868, it was discovered that there was no plat of the town of Sabula
on record. It appears that in 1836, when this portion of the county was a
part of the county of Dubuque, of the Territory of Wisconsin, that a plat had
been made of what was then known as Carrollport, subsequently Charleston,
and later, Sabula. This plat was placed on record in Dubuque, as was sup-
posed, but an attempt to find it there resulted in failure. The people of
Sabula, therefore, had no legal title to their lots and it became necessary to call
in the assistance of the Legislature. A re-survey of the town was made as
nearly as possible to correspond to the original plat, and this was placed on record
in Jackson County. A memorial was then prepared by order of the City
Council and forwarded to the State Legislature, requesting an act providing
that the title of lands or lots in Sabula should continue valid as if the new plat
had all the time been recorded. The prayer of the petitioners was complied
with and the titles to town property perfected.
The question of purchasing a fire engine was several years ago strongly
agitated by the Town Council, and two or three engines were bi-ought to town
and tested with a view of procuring one. The Council, however, failed to
purchase, and the fire apparatus of Sabula to-day consists of a score or so of
rubber buckets with several ladders. There is no properly organized fire
department.
The financial management of the city has usually been a conservative one,
and at no time has any great debt oppressed its citizens.
There are now no bonds outstanding, no warrants unpaid and about $1,000
in the city treasury, a fact which speaks well for Sabula's finances. The aver-
age expenses of the city government are less than $1,000 per year.
The assessed valuation of property within the city limits, for the present
year, is $128,129. This represents, perhaps, one-third of the real value.
During the past year, the tax levy for city purposes has been 8 mills on the
dollar.
The city supports a license law in the matter of regulating saloons. An
attempt was made to enforce the prohibitory law for some months subsequent
to the temperance wave of 1878, but proving unsuccessful, the people elected
a license Council in 1879, which placed the license for selling ale, beer, wine
and cider at $75 per annum.
568 • HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
TOWN OFFICERS.
The following is the roster of the officers of the town of Sabula, elected
and served during the years named :
1865 — Mayor, John Hilsinger ; Recorder, J. F. Fairbank ; Marshal, James
Seeber (resigned) ; Treasurer, Thomas Esmay ; Assessor, Israel Day. Trustees
—J. C. Day, J. 0. Bard, P. G. Stiles, H. G. Crary and L. H. Steen.
1866 — Mayor, John Hilsinger ; Recorder, William H. Reid ; Treasurer,
Thomas Esmay ; Marshal, Jacob Oswald (resigned) ; Assessor, Israel Day.
Trustees— John 0. Bard, E. A. Wood, M. H. Long, 0. G. Risley, J. C. Day.
1867 — Mayor, John Hilsinger ; Recorder, Harvey Reid ; Treasurer, John
Scarborough ; Marshal, J. C. Pitkin ; Assessor, Israel Day. Trustees — J. C.
Day, N. C. White, J. 0. Bard, M. S. Allen and 0. G. Risley.
1868 — Mayor, J. Hilsinger; Recorder, Harvey Reid ; Treasurer, Thomas
Esmay ; Marshal, James Guilfoil ; Assessor, A. G. Simpson. Trustees — J.
C. Day, J. 0. Bard, P. G. Stiles, N. C. White and 0. G. Risley.
1869 — Mayor, J. Hilsinger ; Recorder, Harvey Reid ; Treasurer, Thomas
Esmay ; Marshal, Byron Davis ; Assessor, A. C. Simpson. Trustees — M. H.
Long, A. Gohlman, E. A. Wood, J. J. Gray, R. C. Westbrook.
1870 — Mayor, J. G. Sugg ; Recorder, Harvey Reid ; Treasurer, Thomas
Esmay; Marshal, H. S. Heberling; Assessor, A. C. Simpson. Trustees —
E. A. Wood, R. C. Westbrook, August Gohlman, Fred Schrambling and M.
C. Lawrence.
1871 — Mayor, J. G. Sugg (resigned in October) ; Recorder, Harvey Reid ;
Treasurer, W. H, Eldredge ; Marshal, J. C. Pitkin ; Assessor, H. G. Crary.
Trustees — J. J. Hoffstetter, George W. Confare, N. C. White, F. Schramling
and M. Hein.
1872— Mayor, J. F. Fairbank ; Recorder, E. S. Day ; Treasurer, W. H.
Eldredge ; Marshal, L. L. Watkins ; Assessor, H. G. Crary. Trustees — P. G.
Stiles, J. C. Day, M. Hein, G. W. Confare, J. J. Hoffstetter.
1873— Mayor, J. F. Fairbank ; Recorder, J. C. Guilfoil ; Treasurer, W.
H. Eldredge ; Marshal, G. W. Confare ; Assessor, August Henningsen. Trust-
ees— P. G. Stiles, J. C. Day, Martin Hein, Jerry Goos, Fred Schrambling.
1874— Mayor, J. F. Fairbanks ; Recorder, J. C. Guilfoil ; Treasurer, W.
H. Eldredge ; Marshal, P. N. Kimball ; Assessor, Robert Schroeder. Trust-
ees— F. C. Young, C. G. Eldredge, Jerry Goos, F. Schrambling, Martin
Hein.
1875— Mayor, I.E. Lovett; Recorder, J. C. Guilfoil; Treasurer, W. H.
Eldredge ; Marshal, W. H. C. Sugg ; Assessor, R. A. Schroeder. Trustees —
Jerry Goos, E. A. Wood, C. G. Eldredge, M. H. Long, W. F. Crane.
i876 — Mayor, I. E. Lovett ; Recorder, J. J. Gray ; Treasurer, W. H.
Eldredge ; Marshal, D. C. Matthews ; Assessor, August Henningsen. Trust-
ees—E. A. Wood, W. F. Crane, R. A. Schroeder, J. G. Sugg, M. H.
Long.
1877 — Mayor, I. E. Lovett ; Recorder, J. J. Gray ; Treasurer, W. H.
Eldredge ; Marshal, N. W. Church ; Assessor, August Henningsen. Trust-
ees—E. A. Wood, M. H. Long, W. F. Crane, R. A. Schroeder, George
Canfield.
1878— Mayor, E. A. Wood ; Recorder, J. J. Gray ; Treasurer, W. H.
Eldredge; Marshal, H. Thompson; Assessor, C. G. Eldredge. Trustees —
George Canfield, W. H. Bahne, Samuel Kinder, R. A. Schroeder, Jacob
Oswald.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 569
1879 — Mayor, George W. Confare ; Recorder, J. J. Gray ; Treasurer. W.
H. Eldredge ; Marshal, John Graham ; Assessor, C. G. Eldredge. Trustees —
R. C. Westbrook, William H. Young, M. J. Gannon, William Jacob, W. F.
Crane, R. A. Schroeder.
LIGHTNING FREAKS.
There seems to be no end to the variety of pranks played by the thunder-
bolts of Jove, and one of the most curious cases we have ever met occurred in
Sabula on the last day of March, 1877, remarkable for the number of persons
injured while all escaped death.
The house struck was an old one belonging to James Murphy, and located
in the north part of town. It was tenanted by Mrs. Durkee, an aged woman,
and the family of her son Allen Durkee, consisting of himself, wife and four chil-
dren, aged from twelve years downward. The daughter of Mrs. Durkee, Mrs.
G. A. Viall, was also in the house. All the occupants were injured more or
less, except the youngest child, aged about two years.
The electric fluid descended the chimney which it completely demol-
ished, knocked a stove to pieces, drilled two large ragged holes through the
floor and descended into the cellar. Scarcely a whole window was left in the
house.
Mrs. Viall was sitting in the south room with her feet directly over the
spot where the larger part of the electric current cut its way through the floor.
The bolt split her left foot lengthwise from the heel all the way around to the
instep. The third toe was severed from the foot and the next one so mangled
that it had to be removed. Both shoes were torn to shreds.
Mr. Durkee was rendered insensible for a time, and burned from the waist
down. His wife was shocked into insensibility, his mother's hand scorched.
The oldest child had her shoes torn from her feet and her clothing set on fire,
from which she was severely burned. A little boy received two cuts to the
bone in his left heel ; his legs were burned to the knees and his shoes ripped
off. Another child was painfully burned. The injuries to the other children
were slight.
A TERRIBLE CASUALTY.
December 12, 1878, a most distressing casualty occurred at the flag station
on the C, C, D. & M. Railroad called Lanesville, located about four miles
north of Sabula.
It happened in this wise: Several cold days had closed up the slough in the
rear of the station, and near the shore the coating of ice was quite thick and
apparently safe. Mr. E. W. Lane was station agent at the place which bore
his name, and, on the date above mentioned, desiring to give a part of his fam-
ily a pleasure ride, placed them on a large hand-sled on the ice, adjusted his
skates and pushed his precious load in front of him. After some time spent in
this enjoyment, the party happened to cross a weak place in the ice and were
all precipitated into the water. The terrible struggles of this man to save his
family are unknown, but his drowning shrieks attracted the attention of two
strangers passing up the railroad track, who ran to his assistance. They
passed a pole to the exhausted man. He grasped it but was powerless to cling
to it, and with a last heart-rending groan sank to the bottom of the slough.
His wife and two children were drowned with him, leaving two other children
to mourn a terrible loss.
•570 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
THE PRESS.
The first paper in Sabula was founded in 1856, by C. N. Beecher, who con
ducted it as the Sabula Tribune about one year, when it suspended publication.
The Tribune was Republican in politics.
About 1862, the Gazette Company was formed and commenced the publica-
tion of a sheet called the Sabula Gazette, Republican in sentiment. Subse-
quently it became Democratic. The fh-st editor was R. B. Rice, who was
succeeded by John Kolp. The next editor was J. F. H. Sugg, who changed
the name of the publication to the Eastern Iowan. Under the administration
of Sugg's successor, Alex. B. Fanning, the name was changed to Sabula Union.
For a number of years the paper has been edited by J. F. Fairbank, and was
by him changed again to the Sabula Gazette. The paper was purchased in the
spring of 1879, by Frank B. Hand, who is now sole proprietor; the stock
having been bought up by Fairbank and by him, the office was conveyed to
Hand. One page of this neat six-column quarto is devoted to the news of
Miles, a town a few miles west of Sabula. This page is headed " The Miles
Reporter."
BANK.
There is but one bank in Sabula, which, though now a private institution,
was organized in 1872, as a National Savings Bank, with J. Hilsinger, as Presi-
dent ; Isaac Overholt, Vice President, and Ira B. Overholt, Cashier. As such
it was conducted several years, when the stringent laws passed upon savings
hanks, led the stockholders to abandon the corporation, when the business was
assumed by J. Hilsinger and Ira B. Overholt, under the firm name of Hilsinger
& Overholt. The correspondents of this bank are, in Chicago, First National
Bank, in New York, American Exchange National Bank.
Sabula has two railroads, the history of which has already been given. The
Chicago, Clinton, Dubuque & Minnesota, and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St.
Paul. The cars of the latter road are transferred across the river to and from
Savanna, on the company's steam ferry-boat " William Osborne." This boat can
carry four loaded cars per trip, and is able to transport 150 cars per day.
There is some talk of the company's building a bridge across the river at this
point. No official action in the matter has been made public ; but the bridge
will undoubtedly become a necessity in the course of a few years, in order to
accommodate the growing business of the road.
The C, M. & St. P. Company have repair-shops at this point and employ in
them and in transfer business about twenty men. Sabula is the office of the
train dispatcher, C. A. Cosgrave, who is also agent for the company at this
point.
HOTELS.
The pioneer hotel of Sabula was called the Iowa Exchange, and was built
in 1839. It was kept by Thomas Marshall, quite a noted character in the
early times. His hotel was the boarding-place of a dozen or twenty young men
who had come West to seek their fortunes on the frontier, and some gay times
were had at the Iowa Exchange. One of the crowd got married during the
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 571
first winter, and a lively ovation was prepared for the new couple by the groom's
late comrades.
The Eldredge House was built in 1854, by Wade H. Eldredge, and kept by
him until 1861. The landlords since his time have been Cornelius Peaslee, D.
D. Smith, M. C. Lawrence, Joseph D. Smith and Thomas W. Parling. The hotel
was not occupied as such for a number of years previous to 1875, the first floor
being rented as a drug store. Mr. Eldredge has, however, thoroughly equipped
and repaired the building, and the house has been kept during the past four
years by A. Hyman.
The Berner House was formerly a saloon. It was purchased and enlarged by
A. H. Berner in 1865-66, since which time it has been conducted as a hotel
under the name of the proprietor, who came to Jackson County twenty-four
years ago.
The Blenner House was built by Jerry Blenner in 1871, and has been con-
ducted by him since it was first opened. A public hall on the second floor, 40
x60 feet, is rented for public entertainments of various kinds.
POST OFFICE.
The first representative of the United States Mail Department at this point
was William H. Brown, who was appointed here about the same time that a
post office was located at Bellevue, being in 1836. Many changes occurred in
the management of the office, and nearly all the old settlers have, at one time
or other, been Postmaster.
For several years previous to 1861, the office was filled by H. G. Crary,
who was succeeded by N. C. White. Not many months after his appointment,
Mr. White entered the army and was succeeded by J. Hilsinger. The latter
being elected to the State Senate in 1864, Thomas Esmay was appointed. On
the accession of Andrew Johnson to the Presidency, Esmay was removed,
and W. B. Beebe received the appointment. Upon the election of Grant,
Thomas Esmay was re-appointed, and, having resigned in 1873, the office
was -placed in the hands of Hon. J. Hilsinger, who occupies the office at this
time.
The mail facilities of Sabula are admirable. Four mails per day are
received from Chicago — two by the C, C, D. & M. R. W., one by the way of
Racine, Wis., over the Western Union," and the fourth, by way of Rock Island.
Mails for Chicago close at 8 A. M., 11 A. M. and 10:30 P. M. There are
also two daily mails to Dubuque.
The money-order business of the office is from §200 to §500 per week. A
foreign exchange department sells orders upon Canada, England, Germany,
Belgium and most of the States of Europe.
IOWA PACKING COMPANY.
The Iowa Packing Company was incorporated June 23, 1879. The prin-
cipal place of business of this Company is to be Sabula. The general nature
of the business is the buying, curing, packing, selling and generally dealing in
cattle, hogs meat and all other kinds of provisions. The stock capital of the
company is $100,000, which is owned in equal parts by Oliver McMahan,
Isaiah Goldy, Josiah Stiles and Perley G. Stiles, and is paid in full in cash.
The officers of the Company are : Oliver McMahan, President ; Josiah Stiles,
Secretary and Treasurer, and P. G. Stiles, Superintendent.
572 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
The Company has purchased the packing-house of P. G. Stiles, of Sabula.
Mr. Stiles began the business of pork-packing in Sabula in 1860, being, at
that time, in partnership with his brother, Josiah Stiles. The latter has been
living, most of the time, in Chicago, but has been more or less interested in the
packing-house since its beginning. We can give no better idea of the small
beginning from which this enterprise sprang, and the growth which it has
attained, than by giving the number of hogs slaughtered by Mr. Stiles since
1860, year by year: 1860, 588; 1861,751; 1862,3,384; 1863,2,627;
1864,2,778; 1865,7,820; 1866,9,256; 1867,12,666; 1868,9,852; 1869,
9,033; 1870, 9,637; 1871, 13,539; 1872, 22,643; 1873, 31,456; 1874,
37,318; 1875, 32,355; 1876, 37,910; 1877, 60,596; 1878, 91,800.
Last season, Sabula ranked as the fourth largest packing-house in the State,
being preceded by Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and Dubuque. The present
indications are that these points will have to look to their laurels if they do not
take a second place in 1879-80.
The present packing-house is 40x360 feet, and is two and three stories in
height. There is now building an addition of brick and stone, three stories
high and basement, along the entire east side of the packing-house, which will
give it a horizontal area of 70x360 feet on four floors, or a total flooring area
of more than two acres.
The packing-house is arranged for summer and winter packing, and can
dispose, next winter, of 2,000 hogs per day. The ice-houses adjoining will
contain 10,000 tons of ice. The number of men employed varies from fifty to
one hundred and fifty.
From 1864 to 1872, a part of this building was occupied as a grain elevator.
The elevator machinery has been entirely removed, and the entire structure
used as a packing-house.
SABULA FLOURING-MILLS.
These were erected about 1869 by Messrs. Risley & Day, who equipped
them with two runs of stone, and conducted the same until 1872. During this
year, after the mills had lain idle for several months, they were sold to Young
Brothers, a firm composed of AVilliam and F. C. Young. These gentlemen
have made enlargements and improvements almost every year since they pur-
chased the enterprise, and are now the proprietors of an extensive establish-
ment, with a capacity of grinding 390 bushels of wheat per day. The mills
now contain four runs of stone, which are kept in motion eighteen hours out of
twenty -four.
The mill is engaged both upon custom and merchandise work, and employs
both the old and new process in grinding, the former being usually employed
upon custom work. A third partner was received into the firm in August,
1878, and the mills are now owned and operated by Young Brothers & Beasley.
These gentlemen have a trade in Dubuque demanding 100 barrels per week,
besides local trade in various parts of the Northwest. Their surplus product
is shipped to New York.
The same firm have operated in the southern part of the town since 1877,
an establishment known as the Octennial Oat Mill, for the manufacture of oat-
meal exclusively. This mill was first called the Centennial Mill, but the firm
soon afterward discovered this name to be copyrighted by some parties in the
East, and were compelled to find another name for their enterprise. There
were, at the time of the building of this mill, but three similar establishments
in Iowa.
"■•A
f J^ /J
HISTOEY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 575
The mill has a capacity of forty barrels of meal per day, and the firm sell
all they can manufacture. The grain is first kiln-dried, then hulled and cut,
not ground. Most of the meal is shipped to New York, though the firm have
three salesmen on the road, and have established a trade into Nebraska and
Minnesota, as well as Iowa. The enterprise has proved a decided success from
the start, and is growing in favor.
E. and M. H. Long came to Sabula in May, 1863, and engaged in the
lumber business. The firm is composed of father and son, the former of whom
has been mentioned as one of the pioneers of the West, having come to Illinois
in 1819.
The saw-mill owned by this firm was built in 1871. The mill is a frame
building, and, though ordinary in appearance, is equipped with the best of
machinery. A double-rotary and gang-edger saw, besides lath and shingle
saws, are driven by a 45-horse-power engine. The saws are fed from their own
waste, the fuel used being the sawdust made in the mill. Of the quantity of
dust made, only about one-fourth is necessary to feed the furnace. The capac-
ity of this mill is about 25,000 feet of lumber per day, the sawing season being
usually from April to November. The firm handle about 2,000,000 feet of
lumber annually.
PLANING-MILLS.
The planing-mill of D. L. Bowen & Son was built in 1875, and is located
near the C, M. & St. P. Depot. The capacity of the mill is from 8,000
to 10,000 feet per day. The firm deal exclusively in dressed lumber.
Francis Esmay built a planing-mill in the northern part of Sabula in the
fall of 1870, at an expense of $5,000. The capacity of the mill is the dress-
ing of 50,000 feet per day. One machine alone will plane -40,000 feet daily.
The mill was burned in 1877, and was rebuilt the following spring.
MISSISSIPPI SHELL JEWELRY.
An enterprise has sprung up at Sabula, which, while yet of small propor-
tions and of no great importance, is worthy of mention on account of its nov-
elty and the probable success that will attend it in the future. This is the
manufacture of shell jewelry, consisting of sleeve-buttons, combs, brooches, etc.
These are manufactured from the shells of muscles, which are taken alive from
the bottom of the river. The process of muscle-fishing is to drag the river
with small wire. The mollusk usually has its shell or valves open, and, as soon
as a wire touches the flesh of the animal, the shell closes over the wire, and it
is caught. The articles manufactured from the polished shells are of exquisite
tint and beautiful finish, beside possessing the quality of cheapness. Henry
Rogers was the first to engage in the manufacture of these articles, which he is
making now by machinery. Others are engaged in the same business by hand,
the most successful is whom is J. J. Gray.
The first schools in the village were kept in private houses and maintained
by subscription. In 18-44, the first schoolhouse was erected on this wise : The
576 H [STORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Methodists desired a building for church purposes, and agreed with the citizens-
that, if the latter would assist them with subscriptions, they would allow their'
church to be used as a schoolhouse. This arrangement was entered into, and
in this was kept the village school until the building of the two-story stone
structure now occupied for that purpose and adjoining the Sabula Public Square
on the south.
This continued a part of Subdistrict No. 1, Union Township, until 1860.
October 8, of that year, twenty-nine citizens of Sabula petitioned the Board of
Trustees, of Union Township, for an election in the village of Sabula to take
the sense of the people upon the question of organizing an independent school
district. This petition was granted, and the election held October 15, 1860, at
the Western Hotel, which resulted in twenty votes in favor of the district and
none opposed.
The first school election of the Sabula City District was held October 20,
1860, and resulted as follows : Israel Day, President ; H. G. Crary, Vice Presi-
dent ; John Hilsinger, Secretary ; Josiah Stiles, Treasurer. Directors, W. H.
Eldredge, 0. G. Risley and Thomas Esmay.
The following is the first annual report of the Secretary of the Sabula
School District : " The number of persons between five and twenty-one years
in the Sabula City District— males, 57 ; females, 93 ; number of schools, 1.
Number of pupils in each school, 96 ; average attendance, 45. Number of
teachers — males, 1 ; females, 1. Compensation of teachers per week — males,
$7.50; females, $6.25. Length of school, in days — summer, 60; winter, 60.
Average cost of tuition per week, each pupil — summer, $1.18 ; winter, 78 cents.
Aggregate amount paid teachers during the year, $165. Number of schools,
and of what material constructed, 1, stone ; value of schoolhouse, $1,500. For
building, repairing and furnishing schoolhouses, $3.50. For fire, $30.33.
Amount of annual appropriation received from county treasury $149.20. The
branches taught in the school are orthography, reading, writing, arithmetic,
grammar, geography, algebra and philosophy."
April 10, 1869, the sealed proposals for building two frame schoolhouses
and repairing the stone schoolhouse were received, and the contract awarded to
Henry Heckert, for $2,953. At a meeting of the School Board September 7r
1871, a system for the grading of the schools was adopted. Among the rules
adopted for the regulation of the schools, was one requiring the Principal upon
each alternate week, to convene the teachers, and require a note of the progress
of their classes, and assign them such exercises, and so conduct the meetings
as to tend to preserve and elevate the standard of scholarship in the Board of
Teachers, and to the adoption of the best methods of instruction and school
government ; and, if deemed preferable, a teachers' association may be formed,
of which teachers from adjoining districts, scholars intending to become teachers,
and citizens interested in education may become members.
At a meeting of the Board held July 23, 1879, a preamble and resolutions
were adopted, setting forth the necessity of hew school accommodations, the
advisability of issuing school district bonds, and the question of whether or not
the Board should issue such bonds, will be submitted to vote of the electors of
this school district, at an election to be held on the 12th day of August, A. D.
1879. This election has not been held at the time of writing this sketch.
The following is the substance of the report of the Secretary of the Board
for the year ending September 15, 1878 :
There are four graded schoolrooms; there were ten months of school; there
were one male and three female teachers employed. Compensation — Male,
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 577
$65; female, averaged, $33.33J. Number of persons between tbe ages of five
and twenty-one years in district — males, 140 ; females, 150. Average daily
attendance, 154.8. Average cost of tuition for each pupil, per month, $1.06.
Number of schoolhouses — -frame, two ; stone, one ; value, $4,000. Value of
apparatus, $100. No library. Branches and text-books taught : Orthography,
Edwards' and Sheldon's ; reading, Sheldon's ; writing, Spencerian system ; arith-
metic, Golf's series and Ray's rudiments; geography, Guyot's ; English
grammar, Harvey's ; Physiology, Hooker's ; History, United States, Quack-
enbos'.
The teachers elect are : P. W. Spring, Principal ; Lizzie P. Dean, Inter-
mediate ; Miss A. Esmay, First Ward Primary ; Miss Lizzie James, Second
Ward Primary.
The Board of Directors is as follows : G. W. Confare, President ; L. H.
Steen, I. D. Marr, J. F. Fairbank, E. S. Day and W. H. Young. The Sec-
retary is J. J. Gray ; Treasurer, J. Hilsinger.
SABULA PIONEERS' ASSOCIATION.
This Association had its beginning in a meeting called at the office of Dr.
J. G. Sugg, of Sabula, November 22, 1875, at which meeting were present E.
A. Wood, J. G. Sugg, James Murphy, J. S. Dominy, George Canfield, Robert
C. Westbrook, Royal L. Westbrook, Joseph McElroy. John McElroy, John
Scarborough and Oliver Emerson. Dr. E. A. Wood was chosen Chairman and
Dr. J. G. Sugg, Secretary.
The preamble to the Articles of Association is as follows : " We, the early
settlers of Sabula and adjacent country, mindful that in a few more years we
shall have passed away, as so many of our old-time friends and neighbors have
already done, do, in commemoration of the many trials we have endured
together and the mutual assistance afforded each other, and for the purpose
of continuing those kindly feelings, hereby agree to associate as a band of
The Articles of Association made those eligible to membership who lived
within eight miles of Sabula and who took up their residence within said
boundary on or before March 3, 1846, they being at that time of adult age.
The first annual meeting for social intercourse was held at the Eldredge
House, Sabula, January 3, 1876. A second meeting was held one year later
at the same place. About eighty persons were present and enjoyed the hospi-
tality of this reunion.
A semi-annual meeting was held in the grove adjoining the schoolhouse in
Subdivision No. 2, in June, 1877. The weather was not favorable, but some
two hundred persons were in attendance. At the annual meeting in Sabula in
January, 1878, the Articles of the Association were so amended that all adults
who settled within eight miles of Sabula, or within the limits of Van Buren
Township since March 3, 1856, should be eligible to membership in the Asso-
ciation, provided, those who came previous to 1846, should be known as
" Pioneers " and those of a more recent date as " Old Settlers," and with the
provision that so long as two pioneers continued members of the' Association,
they should be elected president and vice president ; and so long as one
remained, he should be president, unless said pioneer or pioneers should waive
their right to this office. At a still later meeting the Articles were amended to
make eligible any one who settled in the Mississippi Valley at an early day now
residing in the limits of the Association.
578 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Some time during 1876, at the time of the improvement of the public
square in Sabula, the Pioneer Association planted in the center of the same a
polygon of shade trees, which was to be known as the " Pioneer Polygon."
At the annual meeting, January, 1879, at the Eldridge House, in Sabula,
the following officers were re-elected and are therefore the present officers of
the Association : E. A. Wood, President ; J. Murphy, Vice President ; J. G.
Sugg, Secretary.
From the report of the Executive Committee at this meeting, we make the
following extracts :
"Fellow Pioneers and Old Settlers: Another cycle of time has
brought us to our annual gathering. Once more we assemble to enjoy a social
re-union and to review the past. We have reached another milestone on the
journey of our life, by which we are reminded of the shortening distance
between us and the final goal. Time, with its silent, but ceaseless and irre-
sistible force is marshaling us on to ' that undiscovered country whence no
traveler returns.' Since our first advent on Iowa soil, it has been constantly
marking us with its influence. The child has become of middle age, and the
robust man has passed into the aged veteran, who, ' with tottering steps and
slow,' is ready to surrender into younger hands the active duties of life.
" Since our meeting in June last, death has invaded our ranks and further
reduced our ever-lessening numbers. Our fellow-pioneer, Royal L. Westbrook,
after a tedious and painful sickness, died of misplaced rheumatism, at the resi-
dence of his brother, Luther H. Westbrook, in Savanna, 111., on the 23d of
November last, aged sixty years. His remains were brought to this place for
burial, and, after a suitable discourse, delivered at the Congregational Church,
by Rev. J. Alderson, were followed by a numerous company of friends and
acquaintances to their last resting-place, in Evergreen Cemetery.
" Thus are we slowly and surely passing away, and, from the very nature of
things, the time cannot be far distant when the sole survivor of the pioneers
may say with the poet :
" 'I feel like one who treads alone
Some banquet hall deserted,
Whose lights are fled, whose garlands dead,
And all but him departed.' "
" Happy is he who, at the close of a lengthened and eventful career, can
look back on a life well spent ; on faculties improved and well employed, and
can say with him of old, 'Now, Sovereign Master, release Thy servant in
peace.' Such an one can hardly be said to die — he is merely seen no more
among men, while his conduct and teaching remain to influence and govern, to
some extent, at least, those who shall succeed to his place and duties."
The time of the annual meeting has been changed to June, and the place of
holding it to Grovedale, near the town of Sabula. About five hundred persons
were present at this summer meeting in June, 1879. The assembly was
addressed by Rev. Oliver Emerson, George A. Griswold and others.
The biographies of only nine of the old settlers appear upon the book of
the Secretary prepared for their reception.
society of union veterans.
This Society was organized in the summer of 1878, and is composed of
survivors of the Union army engaged in the war of the rebellion who live in
and about Sabula. The Society was established " to better promote the pres-
ervation of those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together, with
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 579
the strong cords of love and affection, the comrades in arms of many battles,
sieges, marches and cruises — the soldiers and sailors of the Union army and
navy during the war of the rebellion."
The purpose of the Society is to have four or five meetings a year, which
shall, in part, be in the nature of re-unions. Decoration I>ay, especially, is
celebrated by them, and, likewise, the Fourth of July is to come in for its
share of the veterans' patriotism. Meetings are to be held at Preston, Miles
and Sabula, and, so far as possible, to be appointed on July 22, the anniver-
sary of Atlanta, and on October 19, the anniversary of the battle of Cedar
Creek. The annual meeting for the election of officers is held May 16, the
anniversary of the battle of Champion Hills.
The Society will take charge of the funeral services of a deceased comrade
when requested to do so. The uniform of the Society, for parade or ceremony,
is a blue sash worn over the left shoulder and around the waist, representing
the cartridge-box belt and waist-belt.
The object of the Society is largely historical. The Orderly Sergeant of
the organization is the Historian, who has now in progress of compilation, in a
book prepared for that purpose, a historical sketch of each member of the
Society. These sketches are to be prepared by the members themselves.
The Constitution provides that, when the Society, by death or removal,
becomes so far reduced as to be unable to keep up the association, that all
records and memorials shall be deposited with the Adjutant General's Depart-
ment of the State of Iowa, or with a historical society of the State of Iowa or
of Jackson County, as may then be deemed best. The roll of the Society
comprises 140 names.
The officers of the Society for 1879-80, are as follows :
Charles Davis, Captain; Norman C. White, First Lieutenant; Benjamin
Van Steenburg, Second Lieutenant ; Harvey Reid, Orderly Sergeant ; Jacob
H. Guenther, Quartermaster Sergeant; Forrest M. Miles, Commissary Ser-
geant ; Aaron W. Day, Color Sergeant ; Horace Lawrance, John Seitzburg,
Musicians ; W. S. Kellogg, James H. Cottral, Henry McNeil, Gus. L. Mills, '
Corporals.
The celebration at Miles, July 22, 1879, was quite a success, and was
favored with a large attendance.
From the Sabula Gazette we clip the following account of Decoration Day
observance in Sabula :
" At the church the soldiers erected a catafalque, or representative tomb,
appropriately draped with United States flags and crape, at the head of which
arose a monument eight feet high, surmounted with the ' Crown of Liberty '
wreathed in mourning, while on the shaft of the pillar appeared the names of
all those who enlisted from this town and vicinity, and'who fell in the late war,
together with the names of those of the war of 1812 who had died here, and
on the base of the structure was inscribed in large letters, ' We Mourn.' The
ladies, with willing hands and kindly hearts, not only robbed their flower-gar-
dens and house-plants of their choicest productions, but they worked like
beavers in festooning and decorating the church and monument. Across the
altar appeared in letters of evergreen the words ' In Memory of our Fallen
Heroes;' between the windows appeared in wreaths the various army corps
badges ; from the ceiling, walls and chandeliers, hung flags, flowers and mottoes
innumerable, until but for the mourning hues displayed, one would have thought
he had entered into some fairy grotto of ' buds spontaneous.'
580 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
" At 10 A. M., the soldiers began to arrive and report at their headquarters
in the ctubroom, where after signing the roll-book prepared for the purpose,
they with their families were assigned to different places among the citizens for
dinner. Prompt at 1:30 P. M., the soldiers present formed in line, each wear-
ing a blue sash as a mark of distinction, and under command of Capt. John
Snyder, and with martial music marched to the Eldredge House, where they
were joined by the citizens' procession in carriages and on foot, headed by the
Sabula Cornet Band, all under command of Maj. N. C. White, Marshal of the
day, who escorted them through the principal streets of the town to the church
where the memorial services were held. The house was densely packed with
an interested throng, every available spot of sitting room being occupied, and
the platforms erected around the church crowded with anxious people to hear
and see through the open windows the services going on within. These were
peculiarly touching and impressive. The prayer of Chaplain Anderson was
one of his finest efforts, and the welcome address of Hon. J. Hilsinger to the
soldier and citizen was worthy of his head and heart. The decoration ceremony
by the soldiers as they arose and one by one silently dropped their floral offer-
ings prepared by the ladies, upon the cenotaph, accompanied by the solemn
words ' dead, dead,' from the choir, brought tears to the eyes of many, but the
silence of death itself reigned as Mrs. Nancy Clevinger, an enlisted soldier nurse,
arose, robed in sash of blue, and deposited her gift in memory of those whose
dying words she had heard, and whose eyes she had closed in their last dream-
less sleep in the hospitals at Memphis, Tenn. The reading of ' The Blue and
the Gray,' by Miss Lulu Day, received that meed of praise it so richly deserved.
The declamation of F. D. Kelsy was a noble effort. It seemed as though the
boy was inspired, and drew his inspiration from the sword of his dead father,
that lay draped in mourning before him.
" The oration of Thomas E. Blanchard, Esq., of Maquoketa, member of
Company A, Twenty-fourth Regiment, was a masterly production — and during
its delivery not a sound was heard, save the occasonal sob of some soldier whose
heart was touched by the speaker's reminiscences of the past.
" The address of Dr. Fairbank was listened to with marked attention, par-
ticularly that portion of it wherein the name and rank of each dead soldier was
given, with their place of death and cause thereof, together with other memo-
ries of the widows and orphans left upon the charities of the world.
" Hon. A. R. Cotton, of Lyons, being present, was called upon, who
responded in a short but well-rounded speech, full of noble thought and gener-
ous sentiment, for which he received well merited applause. The valedictory
by Rev. Frazelle was overrunning with good sayings and his exordium to
soldier and citizen well befitted the man and the position he occupies in society.
Of the music, both band and choir, too much of praise cannot be said. Their
pieces were well selected, justly appropriate to the occasion, and were rendered
in the grandest style of the musical art. The services concluded, the proces-
sion re-formed and marched back to the clubroom, where, in a brief but per-
tinent speech from Capt. Snyder, they were disbanded.
" Sabula never witnessed such a gathering of deeply interested people as con- ,
vened in her streets and church that day, and, true to her love of sixteen years
ago, the doors of her citizens were thrown open to soldiers and visitors from
abroad for supper, preparatory to another grand gathering at the church in the
evening. Hardly had the shades of evening commenced to fall ere the church
was as densely packed as in the afternoon, with hundreds on the platforms out-
side. The exercises of the evening consisted of a general experience meeting
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 581
among the soldiers, interspersed with music and remarks from citizens. Inter-
esting speeches were made by H. Lawrence, J. W. Seeber, N. W. Church, J.
H. Cottral and Mr. Dunn, of the Twenty-fourth, and N. C. White, of the
Ninth Iowa Infantry ; John Snyder and H. S. Heberling, of the First and
Second Iowa Cavalry; Harvey Reid, of the Twenty-first Wisconsin; David C.
Whitney, of the Sixth Maine, and Mrs. Clevinger, each of whom gave personal
reminiscences of the late war that the general public had heretofore not known.
One of the pleasant episodes of the evening was the presentation of a mag-
nificent bouquet of rare flowers to Ben Van Steinberg, a one-armed soldier, by
the ladies of Sabula. This came so unexpected to the gentleman as to rob
him of language, but, with tearful eye, he bowed his thanks amid the cheers of
comrades and friends.
" The following is a list of the names appearing on the monument : Burrel
Viall, Anthony Simmons, Chancey Lawrence, George VV. Davis, John M.
Gage, A. J. Scofield, Michael Seeber, Lewis Carman, W. A. Seeber, Dana M.
Caton, Hiram Allen, J. F. M. Kindred, John Atkinson. William Babe, Henry
Bruntlett, Joseph Conway, Charles Curtis, Job Cuttell, James Crannell, Thomas
Davenport, F. J. Esmay, Caleb Fobes, Asahel T. Gage, Martin Guerin, J. L.
Hickson, Edward Henry, James Heather, Theodore Jacobson, L. W. Kintnor,
John Laing, Jacob Manz, Patrick Pendergast, Thomas Richey, John M.
Ratcliffe, Lorenzo Ross, Fred Tollman, Elisha Withay, A. J. Wadilove, Will-
iam Bint, C. Esgate, Alvin Draper, Stephen Draper, Joseph Fulton, Clarence
Merenus, George Whiting, William B. Beebe, John McDonald, F. M. Kelsey,
George Bedford, William O'Marrow, William H. Crane, C. Prior.
THE SABCJLA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
•was organized, at the Stone Schoolhouse, in September, 1875, and was soon
after incorporated by John J. Gray, J. G. Sugg, C. G. Eldridge, I. Woolv'er-
ton, J. F. Fairbank, P. G. Stiles, J. Hilsinger, E. S. Day, F. Schramling, H.
S. Heberling, Thos. 0. Bard, Harvey Reid, C. L. Watkins and B. H. Esgate.
The Articles of Incorporation provide that, in case the society should ever
be reduced to six members, or in case five-sixths of the membership agree to
abandon the incorporation, the library and effects of the Association shall be
sold to the highest bidder, and the proceeds of said sale paid into the county
treasury. Then the next library association which shall be established in
Sabula, and shall continue in successful operation one year, shall have the
right to demand and receive the amount paid into the county treasury by this
Association.
The first officers were : J. F. Fairbanks, President ; Harvey Reid, Secre-
tary, Dr. J. G. Sugg, Treasurer; J. J. Gray, Librarian.
The society has prospered since the time of its organization, and affords a
moderate but choice list of reading to the Sabula public. The library is in the
store of Mr. J. J. Gray, the Librarian.
The other officers of the Association are : Dr. John G. Sugg, President ;
Harvey Reid, Secretary ; Robert A. Schroeder, Treasurer ; Executive Com-
mittee, W. H. C. Sugg, Miss Eliza Moss, Lulu Day, Lilian Mayers and Mrs.
Elizabeth Snyder.
EVERGREEN CEMETERY.
About 1847, was purchased of James Leonard, some two miles northwest of
Sabula, a piece of land containing two acres, more or less, to be used as a
582 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
burying-ground. This was purchased by a subscription of the citizens, who-
raised $25 in payment for the same. This ground was used indiscriminately.
Any one was permitted to select whatever spot he chose, and, for almost thirty
years, this ground furnished the last home for the Sabula dead.
It finally becoming necessary to make further provisions for a cemetery, in
the spring of 1874, after much discussion, the Town Council purchased four
acres adjoining the graveyard above mentioned, and a fence was made to
inclose both the new purchase and the old ground. This was then named
Evergreen Cemetery. The new part has been surveyed, and quite a number
of lots have been sold. The Cemetery, in its present size, will, probably,
suffice for several generations. It remains under the management of the Town
Council, and purchases of lots are made of the Town Recorder.
SABULA CORNET BAND.
A band was formed in 1857, of twelve pieces, but a good number of the
players entered the army, thereby crippling the band to such an extent that
the organization was suspended for a number of years. It was again organized
in 1875. It is composed of eleven pieces. Thomas Esmay is leader. The
players are: Thomas Esmay, E flat cornet; — Wallace, 2d E flat cornet; F.
Esmay, B flat cornet ; W. Confare, 2d B flat cornet ; L. Anderson, 1st alto ;
E. H. Crary, 2d alto; E. Esmay, Jr., B flat tenor; George Esmay, baritone;
A. McDole, E flat bass; H. Lawrence, tenor drum; E. Esmay, bass drum.
The Band meet for practice Wednesday and Saturday evenings of each week.
woman's christian temperance union.
On December 12, 1876, Mrs. J. Ellen Foster, of Clinton, came to Sabula and
enlisted by her eloquent addresses the ladies of this place, in active work for
the temperance cause. A Union was established December 12, with twenty-
eight members. One hundred and sixty persons signed the pledge on the
evening of its organization. The first officers were: Mrs, H. H. Wood, Presi-
dent; Mrs. J. H. Rigby and Mrs. Maria Emerson, Vice Presidents; Miss
Mary Hess, Corresponding Secretary ; Mrs. Frank Esmay, Financial Secre-
tary; Mrs. S. A. Esgate, Treasurer, They have monthly business meetings
and weekly prayer-meetings on Saturday afternoons, in the M. E. Church.
The society have had in Sabula under their auspices as lecturers, Mrs. Ellen
Foster, 1876; Mrs. Aldrich, of Cedar Rapids, on three different occasions;
Mr. Kissell, in 1876. Hoofstittler and Rowell came here in 1878, upon invi-
tation of the ladies, resulting in the organization of the Reform Club ; Mrs.
Pinkham, in 1878; Mr. Hoofstittler returned in February, 1879, for a short
stay. Mr. McKelvey, of Maine, in 1879. The present officers are: Mrs. H.
H. Wood, President; Mrs. A. Hyman, Vice President; Mrs. W. B. Frazell,
Corresponding Secretary ; Mrs. M. Esmay, Financial Secretary ; Miss Etta
Seeber, Treasurer.
SABULA REFORM CLUB.
Through the efforts of the Women's Christian Temperance Union of Sabula,
Maj. Rowell and Mr. Hoofstitler were induced to come to Sabula during the
first week of January, 1878. They held a series of temperance meetings and
aroused a great deal of enthusiasm for the cause, and, as a result of their
efforts, the Reform Club was established.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNT?. 583
On Monday evening, January 7, 1878, steps were taken to organize a club
composed only of men who have, at some time in their lives, been addicted to
drink. Fifty signified their willingness to join.
On Tuesday evening, the organization was perfected by the adoption of the
constitution and the election of the following officers : President, L. H. Steen ;
Vice President, John Snyder ; Secretary, D. C. Schramling ; Treasurer, I. D.
Marr ; Chaplain, A. W. Day ; Executive Committee, J. D. Smith, William
Aikman and Ad. Esmay ; Grievance Committee, B. Clevinger, Ed Schmitten,
T. S. Haun. Some joined the club who never drank to their hurt, but a great
majority had been addicted to drink, and some have been drunkards. The first
week of the existence of the Club they had a membership of 117.
One of the men who joined the Club was Martin Hain, the oldest saloon-
keeper in Sabula, both in years and in length of time he had been at the
The membership of the Club has increased to 203. Of course, a great many
have fallen back to their old ways, or manifest indifference to the Club ; but
there are many good workers among the members, who are doing all in their
power to encourage those who are trying to resist the temptation to drink.
The Club have a nice large room over the Jail, which they have fitted up
for a reading-room. They have upon their files the Dubuque and Clinton daily
papers, the Chicago and New York tri-weekly papers, the temperance period-
icals, and the monthly magazines. This room is open day and evening to the
public.
The present officers of the Club are : President, Harvey Reid ; Vice Presi-
dent, D. C. Whitney ; Secretary, H. J. Hall ; Chaplain, James Alderson ;
Executive Committee, W. H. C. Sugg, William Aikman and W. H. Bahne ;
Grievance Committee, James Dominy, Isaac D. Marr and J C. Brown.
THE JUVENILE TEMPERANCE SOCIETY
was formed in 1873 by the Methodist society, and afterward became a non-secta
rian society. There are 190 members, meeting on the third Sunday afternoon of
each month, assembling, alternately, in the Methodist and Congregational
Churches. The officers are : Miss Kate Canfield, President ; Edmund Esgate-
Vice President: Lydia Esmay, Secretary; Rose Esmay, Treasurer.
SABULA BIBLE SOCIETY.
At the time of a visit from Rev. Mr. Jones, the agent of the American Bible
Society for the State of Iowa, a meeting was held in the Congregational
Church on Wednesday night, October 26, 1863, at which, after an address by
Mr. Jones and some consideration by those present, it was agreed to organize a
society auxiliary to the American Bible Society, for the purpose of aiding in dis-
tributing the Holy Scriptures. Thursday evening, November 5, was determined
upon as the time to perfect the organization. A subscription paper was circu-
lated, and about $8 was pledged. Mr. W. Lease was Secretary of this meet-
ing. A meeting was held in the Congregational Church, in Sabula, November
5. 1863. Rev. 0. Emerson was appointed President for the evening, and Rev.
W. Lease, Secretary. The meeting was opened with prayer by Rev. W.
Lease. A constitution for an auxiliary society was read by the President, and
it was agreed to organize a society. Mr. Enoch Long was elected President
for one year ; Rev. 0. Emerson, Vice President ; Rev. W. Lease, Secretary
584 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Mr. J. Hilsinger, Treasurer and Depositary ; Messrs M. H. Long, L. W.
Seeber and George Canfield, Directors. The constitution, as read, was adopted.
The Society has been in existed ever since, and has distributed a great many
Bibles and Testaments, and has employed agents to visit the destitute and sup-
ply them with the same. The present officers of the Society are : M. H.
Long, President ; Rev. William B. Frazell, Vice President ; Jabez Smith,
Secretary ; J. J. Gray, Treasurer and Depositary ; Rev. J. Alderson, Jacob
Seeber, Peter Seeman, Miss Lydia Esmay and Miss Etta Seeber, Directors.
Sabula Lodge, No. £7, A. 0. U. W. — This Lodge is the youngest of the
secret organizations of Sabula, dating from the 31st of January, 1876. The
charter members were J. F. Fairbank, G. W. Confare, J. L. Kimball, D. D.
Smith, Horace Lawrence, Francis Esmay, John 0. Bard, Thomas Baily, S. J.
Rowley, J. C. Edic, A. C. Ferguson, Samuel Kinder and Silas Rice. Of
these, J. F. Fairbanks was the first P. M. W., and G. W. Confare, first M. W.
The Lodge was organized in the hall then occupied by the Odd Fellows ; but
almost immediately removed to the hall the Workmen now occupy, being in
Day's upper block. The Lodge now contains thirty-six members. There have
been no deaths among those connected with the Order in Sabula, except one
J. Fairbank, died Sept. 12, 1879. The financial condition of the Lodge is
good, and improvements of importance are soon to be made in their hall furni-
ture, etc. The Order meets every Monday evening. The present officers are :
Horace Lawrence, P. M. W.; L. H. Steen, M. W.; J. C. Day, G. F.; W. H.
Young, Fin.; A. Beasley, Receiver; G. W. Confare, Recorder; M. W. Logan,
0.; F. Esmay, G.; I. C. Marr, 0. W.
Resurgam Lodge, No. 169, A., F. $ A. M. — The first Masonic Lodge estab-
lished in Sabula was in 1852, on the 22d of September, at which time was
instituted Union Lodge, No. 39. Of this Order, the first officers were : Joseph
C. Simpson, W. M.; James Westbrook, S. W.; E. Albright, J. W.; F. Dar-
ling, S. D.; S. Darling, J. D.; T. Pope, Tiler. The first meetings were held
in the frame block, in the south part of town, since known as Canfield's Block.
They subsequently moved to the room on the third floor of Day's Block, now
occupied by the Sabula Gazette as a printing-office. Union Lodge met with
some reverses in 1857, and the charter was suspended in the fall of 1857.
Friday, March 13, 1863, a meeting of Masons living in Sabula and vicinity
was called for the purpose of resuscitating the Order at this point. The meet-
ing was attended by John G. Sugg, John E. Babbitt, W. H. Eldredge, J. 0.
Bard, C. Peaslee, T. 0. Bard, J. S. Downiny and S. B. Wells. An applica-
tion was made to the Grand Lodge for a new charter, which was granted, hail-
ing the Lodge as Resurgam, No. 169. At the time of its organization, there
were about forty members. The Lodge moved into their present hall, in
Smith's Block, about ten years ago, and have a well-furnished and comfortable
home. The financial condition is prosperous, and the membership now num-
bers fifty-six. J. Hilsinger, of this Lodge, has been Grand Treasurer of the
Grand Lodge of Iowa. The present officers are : Harvey Reid, W. M.; N. C.
White, S. W.; F. Schramling, J. W.; W. H. Eldredge, Treas., and J. S. See-
ber, Secretary.
Lafayette Lodqe, No. 39, 1. 0. 0. F. — This organization was chartered in
October, 1851, by' R. M. Elliott, Wesley Pope, Thomas Darling, E. M. West-
brook, Edward Wilde and Josiah Richardson. The first meetings were held
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 585
in what has later been known as Canfield's Block. After occupying this hall
several years, the Order removed to Day's lower block, in the south room of
the third story, now used as a printing-office. In 1859, a second removal was
made, to Day's upper block. In the latter part of the last-named year, the
Lodge suspended and surrendered their charter. This was returned Decem-
ber 10, 1870, and the Order was re-organized. The Lodge now occupy a well-
furnished hall in Day's lower block, where they have met since 1871. There
are now forty-nine members in good standing. The officers are : Frank
Snover, N. G.; Thomas Lambert, V. G.; G. W. Confare, Sec; L. D. Gid-
dings, Permanent Sec; W. H. Eldredge, Treas.
Star Lodge, iVo. 30, Daughters of Rebecca, I. 0. 0. F., was organized
under dispensation October, 1870. with twenty-eight charter members, of whom
only five or six are now in connection with the Lodge. The membership at
present is twenty-one, of whom eleven are ladies. The officers are : J.J.
Gray, N..G.; Mrs. Frank Snover, V. G.; G. W. Confare, Sec; Mrs. Rachel
Church, Treas. This Order meets every two weeks, in the hall of Lafayette
Lodge.
6 CHURCHES.
Congregational Church. — A meeting was held in Sabula, then Charleston,
December 13, 1845, to consider the expediency of organizing a Congregational
Church. James Beebee was called upon temporarily to act as Deacon, and
Philip Bevan as Clerk. On Sunday, December 14, by Revs. 0. Emerson and
Julius A. Read, of the Iowa North Association, the following persons were " con-
stituted a Church of Jesus Christ :" James Beebee, David Anderson, Philip
Bevan, Lucy Beebee, Catharine Anderson, Betsey K. Leonard, Julia Carman,
Harriet Woods and Sarah Scai-borough.
A house of worship being completed October 8, 1848, it was dedicated on
that day to the worship of God. Again, February 18, 1855, we find the follow-
ing entry on the minute-book of the Church. " The new house of worship,
just completed, was this day solemnly dedicated to the worship of Almighty
God. Sermon by the Pastor, from Habbakuk, x, 20. The house is neatly
finished, at an expense about $1,100. Arrangements to pay for it are nearly
completed."
Rev. O. Emerson was the first Pastor of the Church, who continued to
preach a part of his time in Sabula from 1846 to 1855. Then the services of
Rev. Abner Harper were secured, continuing from April, 1855 to April, 1860.
In 1861, Rev. Emerson i-eturned to the charge, remaining until 1866, when
the Church called to their pulpit Rev. James M. Smith, of Canada, who
resigned his charge June 9, 1869. The Church had no regular Pastor unti.
April, 1870, when Rev. D. R. McNab served them until December of that year,
He was succeeded in July, 1871, by Rev. F. Herbrechter, who came here from
Clarence, Iowa, and remained until March, 1873. The pulpit was then unoc-
cupied uutil October, 1874, when Rev. W. B. Eells became Pastor, continuing
until some time in 1875. The present Pastor of the Church, Rev. J. Alder-
son began his ministry in the fall of 1876.
During the years 1873-74, a new church building was erected on the site of
the old structure. About the same time, the Church was incorporated under
the laws of Iowa. The Building Committee was composed of M. H. Long,
William H. Reed. Michael Esmay and Dr. Wood. The church building was
completed in February, 1874, at a total cost of $5,072.65.
The membership of the Church at present is forty-three persons. The
Pastor divides his time between Sabula and Sterling. A good Sabbath school
586 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
is maintained in connection with the Church, of which Mr. M. H. Long is
Superintendent. Mr. Long is also Church Clerk. Deacons are E. Long and
L. W. Seeber.
Sabula Methodist. Episcopal Church. — This society has, since its organiza-
tion, sustained the following Conference relations : First, with the Rock River
Conference ; second, the Iowa Conference ; third, the Upper Iowa Conference.
During this time, its Circuit relations have been in turn with the Charleston
and Sabula Circuit, the latter now including the charges of Sabula and Sterling,
which are ministered to by the same Pastor.
The first sermon preached by a Methodist minister in Sabula was at the
house of one Hubbel, in September, 1839, by Rev. B. H. Cartwright, now of
Rock River Conference. The first class of this sect consisted of James and
Sophia Murphy, James Canfield, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Of this class, James
Murphy was the leader.
The Pastors who have labored in Sabula, since the organization of the Church,
are as follows: 1839-40, Rev. B. H. Cartwright; 1840-11, Rev. McMurtrie;
1842-43, Rev. Simpson ; 1843-45, Rev. J. Walker ; 1845-6, Revs. Roberts and
Greenup; 1846-47, Rev. George Larkins; 1847-48, Rev. Crawford; 1848-49,
Rev. Blackford ; 1849-50, Rev. John Guiley ; 1850-52, Rev. Asa Critchfield ;
1852-53, Rev. George Larkins ; 1853, Rev. J. S. Kelly ; 1854, Rev. A. N.
Odell ; 1855, Rev. Roushey ; 1856-57, Rev. S. Harmer ; 1858-59, Revs. T.
Moore and C. Brewster; 1860, Rev. Giberson ; 1861-62, Rev. S. H. Hender-
son ; 1863-64, Rev. William Lease ; 1864-65, Rev. John Bachelder ; 1866-67,
JohnFawcett; 1868-69, Rev. F. X. Miller ; 1870-71, Rev. S. Y. Harmer ;
1872-74, Rev. G. R. Manning; 1875-77, Rev. J. H. Rigby ; 1878-79, Rev.
W. B. Frazell.
The first church building of this society was completed in 1844, and dedi-
cated by Rev. John Walker, who was at that time Pastor of the Church. The
present church building was begun in 1853, but was not completed until 1865,
when it was dedicated by Rev. A. J. Kynett. The church was remodelled and
repaired, in 1872, so as to appear almost a new building, and is now a neat and
comfortable structure, seating, perhaps, three hundred persons. A parsonage
property opposite the church, on the east, was purchased in 1877, for $1,000,
affording a neat and pleasant home for the Pastor of the Church. The present
membership is 146.
A prosperous Sabbath school is conducted weekly with Peter Seaman as
Superintendent. The young people of the Church and Sabbath school are
organized into a missionary society. The ladies have a Woman's Foreign
Christian Union, and raise $40 per year for the support of a little girl in
India.
The present officers of the Church are : Trustees, George Canfield, J. Smith
and Peter Seaman ; Stewards, Benjamin Esgate and Jacob W. Seeber.
Sabula Catholic Church. — The Catholic society has been in exist-
ance about thirty years. They worshiped for a number of years in a small
frame church situated within the inclosure containing their cemetery.
They built a new church in 1870, upon land donated to them by Mr. James
McCabe, situated about a quarter of a mile southeast from their old church.
The grounds contained four acres. The church is a frame structure 60x130
feet, and cost something over $2,000. The first mass was celebrated in Decem-
ber, 1870, by Rev. Father Schiffmaker. There are between thirty-five and
forty families attending. They have no resident priest at the present time.
The Rev. Father Dunn, of Lyons, officiates for them from time to time. The
^
SABULA
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 581
society owns grounds for burying purposes containing three acres. This, also
was the gift of Mr. James McCabe.
MILES.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
The country about Miles was not settled up for some years after other parts
of the county had been occupied. The first settler in the vicinity of the pres-
ent town was E. S. Hathaway, who, in 1850, covered with a land warrant a
quarter-section, of which a part is included in the present plat of the village.
0. H. Legg and Eli Denton came to the vicinity in 1851, at which time Mr.
Hathaway moved his family to his present home. Mr. James Miles came a year
-or two later. In 1852, the nearest neighbors of the settlers were at Mount
Algor.
Though there was no town or prospect of one until the railroad was. sur-
veyed in 1870, yet this district received various names by the settlers and their
Pickwickian friends, among which were " Wolves' Hollow," " South Prairie,"
and " Buttermilk Hollow." Then a guide-board at the cross-roads bore the
name of " Miles' Corner," by which name the schoolhouse at that point was
known. The first child born in the settlement was Edward B. Legg.
THE TOWN.
When the Sabula, Ackley & Dakota Railroad was built in 1870, F. M.
Miles proposed to deed to the Company the undivided half of forty acres, being
the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 31, Iowa Township, on
condition the Company would there make a depot. This was agreed upon, and
of this, twenty acres were laid out in town lots, as well as a portion of the
adjoining forty acres in Van Buren Township. Main street was thus upon the
township line, though most of the lots were in Iowa Township. The railroad
company agreed to advertise the lots and use their influence in assisting the
sale of them. This they failed to do, and for two years not a lot was permitted
to be sold upon the plat. Mr. Miles, finding that he was "tied up" by the
Company, entered suit against them in the courts of Linn County, for $10,000
damages". The suit was compromised by Miles paying the Company $750 and
thereby becoming sole proprietor of the town plat. In five years, he sold
$10,000 worth of lots, and, in 1879, there are but 7 lots on the plat unsold.
At the time of the building of the railroad, the construction company had
their headquarters for a time at Miles' Corners, and called the place " Shoo
Fly." This name was also given to the school district at first, and, though it
was never the name of the station nor post office, the town still receives the
name at times. It was first proposed to call the station " Merrill " in honor
of the manager of the road, and he was consulted for his permission. The
manager assumed that there was another town of that name in the State, but
that he, Merrill, would take the privilege of naming the depot. When the
blanks came on to the station agent they were dated Miles.
The first dwelling-house on the plat was built by T. J. Allen, in 1872. The
first hotel was erected by Henry Braase, at the same time.
Miles is a place of considerable wealth, and is the residence of a number
of retired farmers. It is located on a gentle eminence and is surrounded by
some of the finest prairie laud in the county — land valued at from $60 to $75
588 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
per acre. Lots on Main street have been selling at from $6 to $8 per foot front.
Several fine new brick buildings are in process of erection. The dwellings and
their surroundings are of surprising finish and neatness.
The people, as may be judged from their institutions, are enterprising and
intelligent to a marked degree. The population is mostly American. The
citizens have great confidence in the future of Miles, and manifest a determin-
ation and public spirit which will win every time, under favorable circumstan-
ces. We predict for the city in embryo a rapid growth.
, The present population is not far from three hundred and fifty. The town
has not been incorporated.
BUSINESS REVIEW.
Miles is a good trading-point. Surrounded as it is by a fine country, and
peopled by enterprising merchants, its steady mercantile growth is insured.
The extent of country tributary to Miles is ll^ilod. but of most excellent
qualities.
The chief industries comprise : General stores, H. J. Davis and 0. W. Hey-
nen ; drug stores, E. B. Legg and George Gotshall ; hardware, A. C. Heynen
& Co.; bank, Miles & Emerson, called Exchange Bank of Miles ; hotels, Han-
over House, Laing House ; furniture, Henry Littlejohn ; machine-shop, A. J.
Neal; harness-shop, James VV. Wait; job printing, Lusk & Allen ; grain-dealers,
H. Braase and J. W. Miles, and livery stables, P. T. Coleman and Hanover
House. Miles has one physician, William M. Amos, and one attorney, T. W.
Darling.
A public hall has been opened over Heynen's hardware store, and has been
fitted up with stage and scenery. It is frescoed, seated with chairs and will
accommodate the entire population of the town.
Mrs. A. R. Darling is reporting editor for the Miles Reporter, which we
have already mentioned as printed on the same sheet with the Sabula Gazette.
The Reporter was established by Jacob Bain, in the fall of 1877. It is well
sustained and contains a full page in the interest of Miles each week.
The principal shipments at Miles from July 1, 1878, to July 1, 1879, were
80 cars of hogs, 15 cars of cattle, 52,950 pounds of butter, 10,465 bushels of
oats and 1,170 bushels of wheat.
MILES CREAMERY.
The Miles Creamery was built 'by a joint-stock company in the spring of
1879, and was put in operation June 2. It has, therefore, been running but
sixty days at time of this writing, and has scarcely established itself as yet.
The building and machinery were built at a cost of $2,200, for the manufacture
of butter. The churning and pumping are done by steam. Milk is purchased
from the surrounding farmers at 50 cents per hundred weight, and the butter-
milk returned to them. The creamery is at present making about fifty-five
pounds of butter per day, which is placed in firkins for shipment. The com-
pany have rented the building for a term of years to John Stewart, of Anamosa,
a dairyman of considerable experience, and who took a gold medal for his but-
ter at the Centennial Exposition, in 1876. John Nietert is the Superintend-
ent in charge of the creamery.
FIRES.
The most serious visitation of the fire-fiend to Miles was March 29, 1879,
which resulted in the destruction of three buildings and most of their contents.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 58&
The fire started in the harness-shop of Walker & Dunham. The losers were:
George Gotshall, stock of drugs, and building ; George F. Lane, store build-
ing ; Walker & Dunham, stock of harness and tools ; J. W. Miles, building and
bank fixtures.
POST OFFICE.
The post office at Miles was established in 1871, with E. S. Hathaway as
first Postmaster. He was succeeded by the present occupant, T. J. Allen, in
April, 1873. Miles has one mail per day, east and west, by the C, M. & St.
P. R. R., and three times per week to Van Buren. The office contains a
money-order department.
EDUCATIONAL.
During the latter part of 1852, the settlers in the vicinity of what is now
Miles determined upon an effort to form a school district. 0. H. Legg and E.
S. Hathaway got R. B. Wykoff to draw up a petition for the organization of a
district, which petition was granted. There were then but three children in the
district of school age, being Gurden and George Hathaway and Marion Legg.
The following season a board shanty was erected for school purposes, on the
east end of 0. H. Legg's land, and in this the first school was taught by Miss
Marcia Miles. Mr. James Miles had moved into the district in the mean time,
and there were then eight children in the neighborhood. This shanty was only
used about one year, when a more permanent building was erected at the cross-
roads, which was succeeded, still later, by the building now occupied by Mr.
Miles as a barn. The district was known as Subdistrict No. 5, Van Buren
Township.
This district held an election July 20, 1872, for the purpose of organizing
an Independent School District. Three Directors were elected : W. S. Kel-
logg, T. J. Allen and William Bryant. By a vote of the electors assembled,
the name chosen for the district was the Independent District of Shoo Fly.
This barbarous name was changed, in March, 1877, by vote of the electors, to
that of the Independent District of Miles.
In 1875, the accommodations of the District Schoolhouse proved inadequate
for the number of children of the district, and the question of building a new
schoolhouse was agitated. For the winter of 1875-75', the building now occu-
pied by Rev. 0. Emerson as a dwelling was rented by the district for school
purposes, and in this building the school of Miles was graded by the Principal,
Mrs. A. R. Darling, who taught the public school as well as some select pupils
that year.
March 9, 1875, the electors, at their annual meeting, voted a tax of 8
mills on the taxable property of the district, for the purpose of building a -new
schoolhouse. Nothing further was done, however, until 1876, when, at the
annual meeting, it was voted that the School Board be authorized to issue 10
per cent bonds to the amount of $3,000, for the purpose of erecting a school
building. The building was contracted for by E. B. Brain, at $3,750, and
completed in the fall of 1876. It was seated in September of that year. The
new school building is a substantial two-story brick, with a department on each
floor. The teachers are William Wright and Miss Jennie Buttolph. The
Principal is paid $85 per month, and hires his assistant.
The old schoolhouse was sold at auction March, 1877, according to law,
and bid in by F. M. Miles for $102, who has converted the building into a barn,
as has been already mentioned.
590 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
For the purpose of erecting this commodious school building, it became
necessary to issue bonds of the district as follows : $2,000 in September, 1876 ;
$1,400, November, 1876, and $550, August, 1877— an aggregate of $3,950,
drawing 10 per cent interest. These have all been recalled and refunded by
the issue of $4,000 bonds, bearing 7 per cent interest, a rate which evinces a
confidence in the prosperity of Miles which must be gratifying to the friends of
the district. The 7 per cent bonds were dated July 1, 1879, and have all
been sold. School is sustained during nine months of the year.
The present Board of Directors is composed of H. Fleming, Ge.orge F.
Green and T. J. Allen ; O. W. Hynen is Secretary, and J. W. Miles Treas-
urer.
Select School. — During ten months of the year, Mrs. A. R. Darling con-
ducts a select school, consisting, for the most part, of a Normal and Commer-
cial Class. This school is kept in Agricultural Hall. Its purpose is to fit
young men and women for business or for teaching. It has been well sus-
tained, and has done good work in educating youth from all parts of the county.
teachers Association. — The first local Teachers' Association in the county
was organized in November, 1877, upon the call of Mrs. A. R. Darling and
was conducted with good success during the year following. The organi-
zation was called the Miles and Preston Teachers' Association, and met alter-
nately at these places, accomplishing no small success in the improvement of
teachers of these places and vicinity.
TEMPERANCE.
Woman's Christian Temperance Union. — An auxiliary Union was formed
at Miles May 4, 1877, at the M. E. Church. The first officers were: Mrs. A.
E. Allen, President; Mrs. E. Fish and Mrs. G. F. Green, Vice President;
Mrs. F. A. Hanover, Secretary, and Miss N. Tibbals, Secretary. This organ-
ization holds weekly prayer-meeting and monthlv meetings. The present
officers are : Mrs. E. Fish, President ; Mrs. G. F. Green, Vice President ;
Mrs. A Caton, Secretary, and Miss Ola Fish, Treasurer. The W. C. T. U.
were instrumental in bringing to Miles Messrs. Hoofstittler and Rowell, the
celebrated temperance organizers, who remained here one week in the latter
part of January, 1878. As a result of their stay and lectures, 689 persons
signed the pledge in Miles, and the
Miles Temperance Reform Club was organized with ninety-nine members.
The following were elected as the first officers : H. J. Davis, President ; J. P.
Truesdale, Vice President ; F. A. Hanover, Secretary ; George F. Green,
Treasurer ; M. S. Allen, Josiah Davis and G. F. Green, Executive Committee.
The object of this Club was declared to be to more effectually cultivate a friendly
and social relationship between those who have heretofore been in the habit of
using, to a greater or less extent, intoxicants, and to mutually aid, encourage
and assist those who have signed the pledge and desire to lead a better life, and
to aid, by all honorable means, the temperance cause. The pledge of member-
ship reads thus :
" We, the undersigned, do hereby pledge ourselves to forever abstain from
all that will intoxicate, and to do all in* our power to aid, encourage and influ-
ence others to reform, and to promote by all honorable means the temperance
cause, and to cheerfully conform to, in letter and spirit, the Constitution of the
Club ; that this pledge intends to and does prohibit the use of wine, cider,
bitters, or any mixture whatever that will intoxicate."
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 593
The Club has been well sustained. They rented and have entire use of
what is known as Union Hall. This has been fitted up with a stage, curtains
and scenery, affording excellent opportunities for Club entertainments and
meetings. The hall was, for a time, kept open daily as a reading-room, but
that project has been abandoned. It is now used only for the weekly meetings
and whatever other gatherings the Club may allow its use for. The membership
of the Reform Club is confined to males, though the ladies are received as
"visitors and take an active part in entertainments, music, etc. They are sim-
ply denied the right of suffrage and the privilege of paying taxes, a consistency in
which the Club has advanced beyond the state of civil society in Iowa — "No
taxation without representation." The present officers are : L. T. Kimball,
President ; James Wait, Secretary, and George F. Green, Treasurer.
Juvenile Temperance Society. — The people of Miles take more interest in
the Society of the little folks than in any other of their temperance organiza-
tions, and claim to be doing as much good through this agency as any other.
The Society is under the supervision of the W. C. T. U., though it has its own
organization. The Juveniles were organized in April, 1878, and have meetings
on the last Sabbath of each month in the M. E. Church. These meetings
consist of exercises by the little ones, including singing and recitations. From
the proceeds of an entertainment, they have purchased a banner not surpassed
in richness or elegance by any other in the county. The present officers are :
Mrs. Lucius Kimball, President; Miss Minnie Kimball, Secretary, and Miss
Jennie Smith, Treasurer.
woman's missionary society.
There are in and about Miles quite a number who are members of Congre-
gational Churches, and a project is now on foot for the organization of a Church
•of that faith in the village. Rev. Gaylord, a Congregational minister, has
been preaching in Miles occasionally during the summer of 1879, and probably
before the eye of the reader, a society will have been organized in Miles.
As auxiliary to the Woman's Board of Missions of the Congregational
Church at large, the Woman's Missionary Society was formed at the house of
Rev. 0. Emerson Nov. 15, 1877. The first officers were : Mrs. 0. Emerson,
President ; Mrs. M. S. Allen, Vice President ; Mrs. J. S. Davis, Secretary, and
Mrs. G. F. Green, Treasurer.
The Society meets in town at the houses of the various members once each
month, and the lady at whose house the meeting is held provides a missionary
tea. The funds raised are forwarded to the parent Society.
The membership now includes twenty-four ladies. The present officers are
the same as those given above, save that Mrs. C. Davis is Secretary.
ASSOCIATIONS.
The Library Association of Miles originated from a desire to establish a
series of sociables for the young people. There were no church sociables at
that time, and Mrs. A. R. Darling, then Principal of the public schools, pro-
posed to the pupils of the Grammar Department that a social society be formed
to give entertainments, and, with the funds and donations they might receive,
purchase a school library. It was afterward determined to make it a town
library, and a committee was appointed to take the matter in charge, and make
all necessary arrangements. This committee met and Mr. 0. W. Haynen and
594 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Mrs. Darling were appointed a committee to draft a Constitution and By-Laws,
The following preamble shows very clearly the object of the Association :
" We, the subscribers of these Articles, feeling the great necessity of moral,
mental and general literary improvement, associate ourselves together for the
promotion of the same under the general incorporation laws of the State of
Iowa, and adopt as the fundamental laws of our Association, the following
Articles of Incorporation."
The Association was duly organized in January, 1877, with 0. W. Haynen,
President; J. W. Miles, Treasurer; F. A. Hanover, Secretary, and a Board
of six Directors, a Book Purchasing Committee of five, and a committee of seven
on Evening Entertainment. The corporation period is twenty years. Capital
not less than $1 00, which may be increased to $1,000. Enough yearly member-
ship tickets were soon sold at $2 each, to purchase 200 volumes, and the library
was formally opened on the 1st of February. George Gotshall was appointed
Librarian, and held the office until the fire in March, 1879, burned the build-
ing, when the library was placed in charge of E. B. Legg. The library now
numbers 400 volumes, valued at $650. Part of the money for the purchase of
the books was raised by giving sociables and other entertainments, with an occa-
sional lecture. The present officers of the Association are : O. W. Heynen,
President; A. C. Heynen, Secretary; J. W. Miles, Treasurer, and the Execu-
tive Board of six.
The Literary and Social Society was organized in November, 1878, as a
secret organization, i. e., visitors were not admitted. Meetings were first held
in private houses, but subsequently in Union Hall. The Society was composed
of both sexes and the object of their meeting was for social and literary improve-
ment. The officers were: Charles Reid, President; Miss Jennie Buttolph,
Recording Secretary ; Mrs. A. R. Darling, Corresponding Secretary. We
append several of the topics discussed by the Society during the winter, in
which much interest was taken:
1. " Is there more to approve than condemn in the life of Oliver Cromwell ?""
2. " Which is the more pernicious character, the flatterer or the slanderer? "
3. "Is it better to be a good listener than a good speaker?"
Congregational Society. — At an informal meeting held at the Agricultural
Hall, in Miles, Jackson Co., Iowa, August 15, 1879, for the purpose of organ-
izing a Congregational Society, the following business was transacted :
Present — Mr. and Mrs. G. F. Green, Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Davis, Mr. and
Mrs. Gaylord, Mr. and Mrs. Emerson, Messrs. O. W. Heynen, Charles Car-
ratt, Carl Watkins. C. C. Maxim, A. C. Heynen.
On motion, Rev. Gaylord was called to the chair, and A. C. Heynen
instructed to act as Clerk. Meeting then opened with prayer by Rev. O.
Emerson. After a few explanatory remarks by the Chairman as to the object
of the meeting, it was voted to form a temporary organization.
Nominations of the following named gentlemen were then made to act a»
Trustees, and duly elected : George F. Green, J. S. Davis. O. W. Heynen, S.
B. Wells, F. M. Miles; J. W. Miles, Treasurer; A. C. Heynen, Clerk.
It was then voted that the newly elected Trustees be instructed to make it
their business to arrange with the M. E. brethren for the use of the church for
every alternate Sabbath, as soon as they thought best. There being no further
business, the meeting adjourned.
M. E. Church. — The Methodist Church at Miles was formerly a class at
Mount Algor. About ten years ago, it was removed from that point to .the
schoolhouse at what was known as Miles' Corners. It was then a part of
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 595
Prairie Vernon Circuit. Now the name Miles is given to the circuit, which
includes Miles^ Almont, Vernon Prairie and Teed's Grove. A parsonage for
the Pastor in charge of this circuit was erected in Miles in 1874, at a cost of
near $1,500.
The church building, which is a neat white frame, surmounted by a taper-
ing spire, was built in 1875, and cost between $3,000 and $4,000. , The
ministers in charge of this congregation, since 1870, have been Revs. S. Y.
Harmer, J. C. Lusk, J. T. Spry, W. N. Chaffee and R. W. Coats. A Sabbath
school is sustained, of which O. W. Heynen is Superintendent.
The Steward of the Church is E. S. Hathaway. The Trustees are J. N.
Viall, William Cuttell, E. S. Hathaway, J. B. Smith, G. Crawford, O. W.
Heynen and William Bryant.
The ladies of this Church have a Woman's Foreign Missionary Society,
which is auxiliary to the Western Branch of the M. E. Missionary Society,
and to which they contribute their funds. The officers of the Society are :
Mrs. E. Fish, President ; Mrs. C. Swaney, Mrs. C. Harrington and Mrs. B.
Walker, Vice Presidents ; Miss Ola Fish. Secretary ; Mrs. S. J. Smith, Cor-
responding Secretary, and Mrs. A. Caton, Treasurer.
Centennial Lodge, No. 3^9, I. O. O. F. — The Centennial Lodge antici-
pated the centennial year by about six months, being organized July 25-
1875, with the following charter members : J. N. Viall, W. R. Pittman, H.
J. Davis. Henry Braase, J. G. Caton, O. H. Legg and A. E. Allen. J. N.
Viall was first Noble Grand, and A. E. Allen, Sec. The Lodge have met
since their organization in their well-furnished hall over H. J. Davis' store.
There are now twenty-eight members, who meet in Lodge every Tuesday even-
ing. The Past Noble Grands since organization are J. N. Viall, H. J.
Davis, W. R. Pittman, A. E. Allen, J. W. Waite and J. G. Caton. The
present officers are: W. S. Kellogg, N. G.; Henry Braase, V. G.; A. E.
Allen, Sec; H. J. Davis, Treas.
Miles Lodge, No. 1^5, A. 0. U. W. — The Workmen Lodge of Miles was
organized January 27, 1876, with the following officers : W. R. Pittman, M.
W.; George Joannin, G. F.; T. W. Darling, P. M. W.; E. B. Brain, O.; G.
A. Gotshall, G.; J. D. Overholt, Fin.; J. W. Miles, Receiver; E. B. Legg,
Recorder ; George Buzza, I. W.; George Cawthorn, O. W. For a time, the
Lodge met in Union Hall, but removed to the same hall occupied by the Odd
Fellows, May, 1877. The Lodge contains twenty-eight members ; they meet
on Thursday evenings. The present officers are: Henry Braase, P. M. W.;
C. Carratt, M. W.; W. S. Kellogg. G. F.; D. H. Gottshall, O.; H. J. Davis,
Recorder; F. M. Miles, Fin.; J. W. Miles, Receiver; D. H. Cook, Guide.
PRESTON.
We are to look upon Preston as it draws near the close of its first decade.
We see a typical Western .town. The people are proud of their enterprise,
jealous of their rivals, and determined to be second to no competitors. The
citizens-are what might be termed clever and cordial. Shoddy aristocracy has
no foothold here. The friendless man, if he comes to Preston, is in clover,
for if he deserves friends he will have them, and without number.
The young city owes its existence to the Sabula, Ackley & Dakota Rail-
road, of which road the first train entered the place December 3, 1870. This
was then, for a time, the western terminus of the Iowa Branch, now extended to
596 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Marion. The plat of the town was made in the fall of 1870. This consisted of 136
acres, heing the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 29, and a part of
the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 28, Van Buren Township.
The land was purchased by the railroad construction company and Z. De
Groat, at an expense of near $7,000, the previous owners of the land being
Amos and Gilletc and Chris Farley. Mr. De Groat's interest was at first an
undivided one-third.
As the plat was made, Main street is on the section line between Sections
28 and 29. When the town was laid out, an old deserted dwelling was the
only building on the spot. About seventy-five lots were sold the first year.
In 1877, Z. De Groat bought out the interest of the construction company in
the unsold lots. About two hundred lots have been sold up to August 1,
1879, and Mr. De Groat holds about two hundred more.
The place was named in honor of Col. I. M. Preston, of Cedar Rapids,
who was connected with the road at the time it was built.
In 1875, an election was held to decide whether the town should apply for
an incorporation. The project of incorporating was defeated by 7 votes. The
present population is estimated at four hundred to four hundred and fifty.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
There were no settlers in the vicinity of the site of Preston until 1836.
During that year, Andrew Farley came here from Galena and made a claim
south of, and including a portion of, the present town plat. In the following
year, Christ Farley came, and quite a number of others, so that, by the close
of 1837, most of the land was claimed. E. P. Weed was the first claimant of
most of the land on which Preston is now located.
The first schoolhouse near this point was about three-fourths of a mile west,
and known as District No. 8, of Van Buren Township. This building was not
erected until some time subsequent to 1850, the pupils from this region, previ-
ous to that time, attending a school one and three-fourths miles to the northeast.
The first school in No. 8, Mr. C. Farley informs us. was taught by Marcia
Weed.
A second schoolhouse was erected about 1860, on the same spot as the old
one.
THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PRESTON
was organized August 14, 1872, by a vote of the electors of No. 8 of the town-
ship subdistricts, with L. B. White, S. F. Vinton and Alva McLaughlin as
Directors.
The old schoolhouse proving inadequate to the needs of the district, Specht's
Hall was temporarily rented as a schoolroom, and measures were taken for the
erection of a building which should be a credit to the town and accommodate
all the children of the district for some months to come.
Bonds to the amount of $4,500, bearing 10 per cent interest, and payable
at the option of the district, were authorized May 3, 1873. The building was
erected and the first story completed and furnished at an expense of $7,176.87.
It is a handsome two-story brick building, containing two rooms on each floor.
The building is surmounted with a cupola and bell, which summons the youth
of Preston to their task during nine months of the year. The rooms of the
second floor have not yet been completed, but will be when the needs of the
district demand it.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 597
The bonds bearing 10 per cent interest were refunded in March, 1879, at
S per cent. The old school building was sold to Alva McLaughlin for $200.
It has been moved into town and converted into a dwelling-house.
During the winter session, as high as one hundred and fifty pupils have been
in attendance. The summer term shows a much smaller roll, and requires but
two apartments. Miss Mary Galloway is Principal, and Miss Beppie Reid is
Assistant. The salaries paid last winter were : Principal, $60 per month ;
Intermediate, $40 ; Primary, $30.
The present Board of Directors are : L. B. White, President ; Levi Hal-
royd, Z. De Groat. Asher Riley is Treasurer, and Z. De Groat, Secretary.
POST OFFICE.
The post office was established in the spring of 1871, at which time J. F. H.
Sugg was appointed. He was succeeded, in 1875, by Z. De Groat, who
resigned two years later, and the present occupant, H. V. Hicks, received his
appointment at that date.
The money-order business at this office approximates to $300 per month in
orders issued, and $750 in orders paid. The railroad supplies a daily mail east
and west.
BUSINESS INTERESTS.
Preston is a shipping-point for a considerable territory. The country to
the north as far as Andrew, and for a number of miles to the west find in
Preston an excellent market and a good point to trade.
From the books of the railroad company, we glean the following as the
principal shipments from this station, from July 1, 1878, to July 1, 1879 :
151 cars hogs ; 8 cars cattle; 67,490 pounds butter; 49,363 bushels oats;
11,586 bushels wheat. It should be added that the wheat crop for the year
1878 in this vicinity was almost a failure, and that the shipments were not to
exceed one-fourth the usual amount.
The principal business interests in Preston are as follows : General stores,
Elliott & Reid, Alva McLaughlin, Frederick Rhodevolt ; hardware, R. M.
Essick, D. S. Swaney ; drugs, H. Y. Hicks & Co.; agricultural, De Groat,
Specht & Thill ; lumber dealer, Henry Thill ; grain and stock dealers, Z. .
De Groat and Henry Specht : bankers, Bartholomew & Riley (established in
1871; correspondents in Chicago, Preston, Kean & Co.; in New York, National
Park Bank); boots and shoes, C. H. Hollywood, H. Ehrensberger ; job print-
ing, H. V. Hicks & Co.; wagon-making, Frank McGuire, Day, Hobart & Sul-
livan ; harness-making, Frank McManigal ; butter and egg depot, I. N. Pol-
lans ; hotels, De Soto House by J. S. Pryor, and Specht Hotel by H. Specht :
physicians, T. W. Mitchell, J. F. H. Sugg, H. V. Hicks, J. S. Caswell, F.
W. Schule ; attorney, A. L. Bartholomew.
FREEMASONS' MUTUAL AID ASSOCIATION OF IOWA.
This Association secures to its members an insurance of $1,000, upon the
mutual plan, and is not different in its method of working from some six or
eight other Masonic Associations operating in Iowa.
The Association was organized at Preston in March, 1877, and was incor-
porated on the 3d of April following, by Z. De Groat, J. F. H. Sugg, A. L.
Bartholomew, A. B. Wright and M. C. Schofield, with a paid-up capital of
598 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
$3,000. No certificate of insurance was issued until 1,067 names were secured,
and on the 1st of October, 1877, certificates to that number were issued.
There are now 1,300 members, including many prominent men throughout the
State. On the death of a member, each certificate holder is notified by mail
that $1.10 is due the Association from him, and, as soon as the money is
received, a receipt is sent, requiring 2,600 letters for each loss, to be sent by
the Secretary. The 10 cents per member goes to pay the expenses of the Asso-
ciation. An annual due of $2 from each member is also provided. When
the accumulations in the treasury amount to over $1,000, a loss is paid by the
Association, without an assessment.
The fir^st loss of the Association occurred January 12, 1878, a second fol-
lowing three days later. Up to August 1, 1-879, there have been twelve
deaths.
The incorporators, as given above, are the present Board of Directors. Z.
De Groat is President; A. L. Bartholomew, Secretary and Treasurer; J. F. H.
Sugg, General Superintendent.
FIRES.
The town has been quite unfortunate in the matter of fires, having been
twice severely scourged in 1878. The first of these occurred in January,
beginning one evening about dusk, in the clothing store of one Longini. Its
origin is unknown. Four buildings were burned before the progress of the
enemy was checked, which was finally done by the bucket brigade. The losses
approximated as follows: A. S. Riley, frame dwelling, $1,200; F. McMani-
gal, store building, $400 ; John Peters, two buildings, $2,000 (insured); Lon-
gini, stock of clothing, $2,400 (insured) ; John Peters, stock of hardware,
$300 (insured).
The second fire occurred on the morning of June 6, 1878, breaking out
about 1 o'clock in the hardware store of John Peters, who had been, a sufferer
six months before. ■ This burned three stores, including the finest brick store
in the place, the pride of Preston. The extent of the fire may be understood
by the following statement : C. Farley & Co., stock and building, $1,000 ; Reif
& Behrns, general stock, $5,000; John Peters, stock and building, $6,500; H.
Specht, brick building, $5,500; total, $18,000.
These disasters were a heavy blow to the young city. Part of the burned
■ district has been rebuilt, and more of it is now in progress of building.
PRESTON CEMETERY ASSOCIATION
was incorporated under the laws of Iowa Dec. 21, 1875, bv Alva McLaughlin,
Asher Riley, J. R. Case, S. F. Vinton, A. Groves, W. R. Lum-
bert, J. E. Reid, J. Van Steinberg, Z. De Groat, William J. Gillett, M. H.
Eaton, C. Farley, M. C. Schofield and A. L. Bartholomew. The cemetery
contains near two acres, and is located on the northeast corner of the northeast
quarter of Section 33, Van Buren Township, being about one mile east of town.
The cemetery is neatly fenced and laid out into 106 lots, of which 49
lots have been set aside as a potter's field, and 55 have been sold. The
Trustees are Z. De Groat, J. R. Case and A. L. Bartholomew. The last-named
is Treasurer.
NEWSPAPERS.
Two journalistic efforts have breathed their short lives away in Preston.
The Preston Clipper was founded in 187- by P. R. Bailey, and surrendered in
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 599
the spring of 1878. The Preston Advertiser appeared in July, 1877, and lived
one year. It was published by H. V. Hicks.
ASSOCIATIONS.
Preston Reform Club. — This organization resulted from the efforts of
Messrs. Baker, Cravens and Bailey, of Maquoketa, who labored in Preston
several days. The first meeting of the Club was held in the Union Church
January 24, 1878, and was organized with thirty-five members. The pledge
■of membership was the same as that used in other parts of the county.
The first oflicers were : Thomas II. Gilroy, President ; Dan Stinrod, Vice
President ; J. Frank Huntoon, Secretary ; J. F. H. Sugg, Treasurer ; W. S.
R. Burnett, Chaplain ; I. Forrett, J. A. Holmes, J. F. H. Sugg, Executive
Committee. During the early part of February, Messrs. Hoofstittler and
Rowell visited Preston and labored in the cause for several days, adding con-
siderably to the membership of the Club.
About this time, a committee was appointed to prosecute some who were
violating the State prohibitory law, and pledged the cordial support of the
Club to those thus appointed.
From the 1st of March, 1878, a room was rented over Behrns' store, and
was opened every evening as a reading-room. This was burned, with some of
the Club's property, in June, 1878. A room was then rented in the building
of J. R. Case, and called the "Temperance Hall." At first, the Club was
sustained by the payment of quarterly dues by the members ; but this plan was
abandoned in July, 1878, and the Club afterward sustained by voluntary con-
tributions.
In October, 1878, the ladies of the W. C. T. IT. were invited to meet with
the Club at its regular meetings. The following month, the use of the Union
Church was tendered the Club in which to hold their meetings, and the room
rented by Mr. Case was abandoned.
During most of the winter of 1878-79, a programme was offered at each
•meeting, consisting of recitations, readings, music, etc., by members of the
Club and others. Several entertainments were given under its auspices, and
quite a number of lecturers employed upon subjects connected with temper-
ance. June 12, 1879, the Club adjourned over the heated term.
The present officers are : Addison Young, President ; J. B. Beckwith and
and Mrs. Elliott, Vice Presidents ; A. S. Riley, Secretary ; J. R. Case, Treas-
urer ; Rev. W. 0. Glasner, Chaplain.
Preston formerly had a "Woman's Christian Temperance Union, but no
meetings have been held in almost a year.
Astral Lodge, No. 3:34, A., F. jj- A. 31. — Preston contains, probably, as
many prominent Masons as any other town of its size in the State. Astral
Lodge was organized March 10, 1873, and chartered on the 4th of the follow-
ing June, with the following charter members : J. F. H. Sugg, A. L. Barthol-
omew, Z. De Groat, Coleman Amos, William M. Amos, M. C. Schofield, E.
De Groat, Asher Riley and S. T. Randolph.
The Lodge held meetings, for a time, over Elliott & Reed's store, taking up
quarters in their present location, over D. S. Swaney's store, in 1875. Their
room is elegantly furnished, and reveals the good financial condition of the
Order.
The Worthy Masters since the organization have been : J. p^ H. Sugg, 1873 ;
A.L.Bartholomew, 1874-76; R. M. Essick, 1877-78; Z. De Groat, 1879.
600 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Of the forty-four members composing Astral Lodge, the following have
attained the Thirty-second Degree, or highest step in the degrees of Masonry :
Asher Riley, H. S. McNeil, D. H. Huntoon, Henry Specht, A. L. Bartholo-
mew, J. F. H. Sugg, Josiah Davis, E. B. Brain, Z. De Groat, William J.
Gillett.
There has been one death in the Lodge, that of Coleman Amos.
The present officers are: Z. De Groat, W. M. ; H. V. Hicks,- S. W.;
H. S. McNeal, J. W. ; E. Behrns, Treasurer; E. J. Bradley, Secretary.
Strangers' Refuge, No. 24&, t 0. 0. F.— This Lodge of Odd Fellows was
organized January 30, 1873, with B. F. McManigal, H. W. Parker, E. L.
Jacobs, A. E. Allen and A. L. Bartholomew as charter members. H. W. Parker
was first Noble Grand.
The five charter members contributed $11 each to secure the necessary
equipments for founding a lodge, and after the same was organized, within the
first six months, the Order incurred an indebtedness of $400. The Lodge now
has a widow and orphan's fund of $190, and a general fund of $361 in money
and loans. Have other lodge property to the amount of $532. The Strangers'
Refuge has paid out in sick benefits $340. They have lost no members by
death. In the early part of 1875, they had a membership of sixty-four, but a.
number withdrew to establish a Lodge at Miles. There are now thirty-nine
members in good standing connected at Preston. The Lodge formerly met in
Specht's Hall, but now meet over McLaughlin's store. The Lodge propose,
during the fall of the present year (1879), to build a hall of their own, as the
second story of H. Specht's new brick building. The present officers are:
Ben Van Steinberg, N. G. ; Fred Pryor, V. G. ; B. F. McManigal, Secretary;
C. R. Shutts, Treasurer ; William Brown, Chaplain.
Preston Lodge, No. 4.6, A. O. U. W.— The first officers were: L. B.
White, P. M. W.; A. L. Bartholomew, M. W.; Asher Riley, G. F.; Ed.
Reid, O.; B. F. McManigal, Recorder; E. Behrns, Financier; C. R. Shutts,
Receiver; H. V. Hicks, Gyide; Henry Specht, I. W.; F. C. Erdman, O. W.
The Lodge was chartered January 28, 1876. Meetings were held in Odd Fel-
lows' Hall until the present summer, when the Order moved to the Masonic
Hall. They talk of erecting a hall of their own in a few months. There are
now twenty-five members in Preston Lodge. No deaths have occurred. A
beneficiary department for the payment of $4 per week to those who are sick
has been established. The present officers are: Z. De Groat, P. M. W.; P.
E. Fuller, M. W.; James Farley, G. F.; Samuel Foster, O.; Benjamin Van
Steinberg, Recorder; E. Behrns, Financier; C. R. Shutts, Receiver; E. J.
Kennedy, I. W.; L. B. White, O. W.; B. F. McManigal, G.
CHURCHES.
Christian Church. — This Church was organized at an early day at Mount
Algor. For a time meetings were held at Miles' Corner, which afterward
became Miles. In 1873, the people of this faith, assisted by the citizens, built
a church in Preston, and the church meetings were changed from Miles to this
point. The building committee having in charge the building of the church,
were Alva McLaughlin, George A. Fell, O. H. Legg and Z. De Groat. The build-
ing cost about $3,500, will seat about three hundred persons, is ornamented by
a spire, and equipped with a Sterling bell. The ministers since the transfer to
Sterling have been: 1873, J. N. Smith; 1874, — Pardee; 1875, William
Swaney; 1876, I. H. Ingram; 1877, J. W. Henry; 1878, pulpit vacant;
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 601
1879, J. N. Smith. The Pastor preaches also at Monticello, and lives there. The
officers of the Church are: Elders, A. A. Jacobs and J. W. Sewell ; Deacons,
Alva McLaughlin and Avery Miles ; Clerk, Justin Miles. The membership
now numbers about seventy, not being so large as it was a few years ago.
Union Church Incorporation. — The Societies of Methodists and Congre-
gationalists in Preston were, at the time of the building of the town, too poor
to erect a church of their own, and an incorporation was therefore formed,
composed of Congiegationalists, Methodists and a third class with no church
connection, commonly called ''outsiders," for the purpose of erecting and con-
trolling a church building. Liberal contributions were made by the citizens of
Preston and the surrounding country. A building committee was appointed,
consisting of Z. De Groat, Devillo Sweet and J. F. H. Sugg. The church
was erected in 1872, by Haight & Vinton, contractors, at a cost of near §4,000.
The building will seat about three hundred persons. It is used for church
services by the Methodist and Congregational Churches, and the incorporation
reserve the right to make such other use of their property as they see fit. The
Board of Trustees consists of seven members, three of whom are chosen by the
Congregational Church, one of the three to be a non-church member. The
Methodist Society elect a like number, and these six choose a seventh trustee.
The present Board is composed of D. Sweet, L. Carmer, J. Bascom, J. Davis,
Z. De Groat, I. N. Pollans and Frank McManigal. A Union Sabbath school
is conducted with T. F. Elliott, Superintendent, T. W. Mitchell, Assistant.
The M. E. Church was formally organized in 1873, with thirty members,
which number has since increased to about forty. The Preston Church is a
part of the Preston Circuit, including stations at Center, Charlotte and Pres-
ton. The parsonage is at the last-named place. The society was incorporated
in January, 1877, by Devillo Sweet, William E. Coe, James Heather, Benja-
min Halroyd and Lewis Carmen. A parsonage was erected during the summer
following the incorporation, at a cost of $1,100. The Pastors since the organ-
ization of the Church have been Revs. J. Gilruth, George Crinklow, —
Aldrich, Isaac Lusk, W. S. R. Burnette and W. O. Glasner. The last-named
gentleman now occupies the pulpit and resides in Preston.
Congregational Church. — This society held meetings in the schoolhouse
previous to the erection of the church, and had had a sort of organization in
the vicinity previous to the existence of the town. Rev. O. Emerson and Rev.
Eells have been their regularly employed ministers. Rev. Mr. Gaylord
preaches fqr them this summer, but has not settled as Pastor yet.
BALDWIN.
Baldwin is located as nearly as may be in the center of Monmouth Town-
ship, on the line of the Midland Railway and is an unincorporated town of
probably four hundred inhabitants.
February 9, 1859, at this point a few lots were platted and recorded by
Henry Haines, under the name of Fremont, and a few houses were built there.
It was not until the building of the railroad in 1871, however, that any con-
siderable progress was made. The town of Baldwin adjoining Fremont on the
east, was platted by Edward Baldwin, October 20, 1871, being located on the
northwest quarter of Section 22, in Monmouth Township. The village is now
known as Baldwin, that being the name given alike to the depot and the post
602 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
office. On the county records, however, the name Fremont has never been
changed.
An addition to the town was laid out about 1873 by J. M. Zook, and the*
lots now unsold in the town belong to Mr. Zook or Mr. Baldwin. This land
was formerly owned by Joseph Skinner, who settled in 1844, on what is now
known as the Baldwin farm. Here was born in 1845, Julia A. Skinner (now
Mrs. Wivinis). The first store in the place, we are informed, was' kept by
Jacob Zook.
The post office now known as Baldwin, was started at what is now known as
Mill Rock. The first Postmaster was James B. Cobb, and the office was called
Cobb's office until it was charged to Baldwin after the railroad came through.
The first Postmaster, when the office was located in Fremont, was Levi Snobur-
ger. The office was for political reasons moved back to Mill Rock, three-
fourths of a mile south of Fremont, under the care of Ira Stimpson and Josiah
Hunt. Upon its second removal to its present location after the founding of
Baldwin, it was kept by John Reed. The other officials in charge have been
John McGregor, Washington Long, Nan Davis and N. S. Andrews. The last
named holds the office at the present time. There is a daily mail east and
west over the Midland road. No money orders are issued at Baldwin.
The principal business houses of Baldwin are as follows : Three general
stores, J. H. Sokol, S. D. Fort, F. M. Wheeler ; hardware, Scheib Brothers ;
drugs, N. S. Andrews and C. B. Gilmore ; lumber-dealer, William Dickenson ;
grain and stock dealer, Washington Long; livery stable, L. D. Watson; agri-
cultural implements, J. H. Spray ; wagon-shops, Joseph Beck, Jr., and Matt
Blezek ; hotel, Transit House, by J. H. & E. M. Spray ; physicians, Dr. John
Gilmore and Dr. J. Townsend.
EDUCATIONAL.
The Baldwin Independent District. — The first schoolhouse in this vicinity
was about a mile southeast on the creek bottom, and was the building of Sub-
district No. 2, of Monmquth Township. The first teacher in this district is
said to have been Frederick Earle. The next schoolhouse was located between
the site of Fremont and Mill Rock, and after the former place grew to be some-
thing of a town, a building was erected in the village. The Baldwin Inde-
pendent District was organized by vote of the electors of Subdistrict No. 2,
about 1873. The first School Board of the independent district was composed
of F. J. Gregor, J. W. Reed and Jerry Widel. Of these, the first named was
President. Edward Baldwin was the first Treasurer.
On the 5th day of December, 1874, it was voted by a ballot of 30 to
4, that bonds of the district should be issued for the purpose of erecting a
building commensurate with the growing need of the district. Bonds were
therefore issued for that purpose to the amount of $2,200. It was decided to
build a two-story frame building containing a room on each floor ; the second
story to be used by the more advanced department of the school. Bids were
received January 20, 1875, for the erection of a house, such as was called for
by the specifications which had been agreed upon. The bids were as follows :
Davis Leland, $2,390 ; Jeremiah Widel, $1,800 ; P. M. Van, $1,875 ; C. T.
Sewards, $2,500; D. A. Waterman, $2,000; J. Drake, $1,965. The contract
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 603
-was awarded to Jerry Widel at his bid, $1,800. The entire cost of building
and furniture was about the same amount as the issue of bonds, viz., $2,200.
Of these bonds, $800 are now outstanding, the remainder having been paid.
The old schoolhouse was sold at public auction, July, 1875, for $50, and has
been converted into an agricultural warehouse by J. fi. Spray.
The present Board of Directors are : R. S. Brown, J. M. Zook and F. A.
Obergfell. S. D. Fort is Secretary and William Scheib, Treasurer. School
is maintained during nine months of the year. The teachers are Charles Mil-
ler, and his wife, Martha Miller. The former receives $40 per month, and the
latter $20 per month. The average number of pupils belonging to both the
departments during the winter of 1878-79 was 100. The average percentage
of attendance eighty-eight.
CHURCHES.
Trinity Catholic Church. — This Church was organized. May 5, 1864, upon
the call of a meeting by J. J. Kopsa, who has been the leading spirit in the
Church since it organization. He gave to the society the lot on which the
church was built. The house of worship was commenced the year following
the founding of the Church, but was not completed until 1873. It is a neat
stone building, and was erected at a cost of some $1,500. It was used for a
number of years prior to its completion.
The priests who have been in charge are Fathers Anton, Urban, John Zleb-
sik and Francis Ghmelan. The last named is now in charge of the parish.
He lives in Cedar Rapids, and holds services in Baldwin once every four weeks.
Baldwin and vicinity are the homes of quite a number of Bohemians, most
of whom are Roman Catholics. The services are conducted in Bohemian, Ger-
man and English.
The present membership is near forty. The officers are : Frank Leysek,
Director ; and Frank Biss, Collector.
Methodist -Episcopal Church. — The Methodist society of Baldwin was
organized in 1872, with John Widel' as first Class-leader, and some eight or ten
members, among whom were John J. Shirk, John Widel and wife, William Dick-
inson and wife, J. K. Hunt, and Mrs. M. Gibson. The first meeting was held
in the district schoolhouse, where all services were held until the church was
built.
In the erection of a house of worship, the Methodists received considerable
assistance from outsiders, and though the title is vested in the Methodist
Episcopal society, it is with the proviso that any other denomination may use
the building for services when it is not occupied by the Methodists. The
church was built in 1873, at a cost of near $1,200. The Building Committee
was E. Baldwin, William Dickenson and Jeremiah Widel.
Baldwin is a part of Monmouth Circuit, composed of Monmouth, Baldwin
and Smithstown. The Pastor lives in the first-named place.
The ministers in charge since its organization, have been Revs. Winset,
Robert Milner, W. S. R. Burnette, Isaac Newton and Rogers. The last named
came in 1877, and is now the Pastor.
A Sabbath school is superintended by R. M. McDowell. The Stewards of
the Church are William Dickenson and John Lock ; the Trustees are John
Lock, Edw. Baldwin, "William Dickenson, Henry Lubben and Josiah' Hunt.
The Church now has about twenty members.
604 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
MONMOUTH.
Monmouth was platted by W. F. Douglas June 15, 1855, and was located
on the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 20, in Monmouth
Township. A town to which the name Coloma was given was laid out by Dr.
L. T. Hubbard April 29, 1856, on the northeast quarter of the northeast quar-
ter of Section 19, in Monmouth Township. The town plats were, there-
fore, adjoining. Common consent has given to the whole the name Monmouth,
after Monmouth Township, which was named by A. W. Pence, County Com-
missioner at the time of its organization, in honor of his former home in Mon-
mouth, 111.
At the time of its platting, Monmouth was on the daily coach route between
the river and Anamosa. At this time, there was much talk of the Air-Line
Railroad passing through the State, and Monmouth was on the surveyed line of
the road. The founders were, therefore, hopeful that they would soon have a
large town, and probably would not have been disappointed if the railroad had
been a success. As it was, the place grew very slowly, and was simply a
country village, until it received a new impetus from the building of the Midland
Railway, in 1871, on the line of which it is located.
About 1869, the unsold lots of West Monmouth, or Coloma, passed from
the hands of Dr. L. T. Hubbard to Mr. Henry Green, who laid out an addi-
tion to the town at the time of the building of the railway. He has about sixty
lots yet unsold and unimproved.
A post office was established at Monmouth about the time the town was
founded. The Postmasters since the formation of the office, as near as we could
learn, are John Holsaple, W. L. Thomas, James Riland, Henry Green, Dr.
Sillis, D. C. Mishler, F. J. Sokol, M. M. Standish and U. Atkinson. Mon-
mouth enjoys the advantages of a money-order office and a daily mail east and
west. It is also the southern terminus of a semi-weekly way-mail route to
Dubuque.
MERCANTILE AND PROFESSIONAL.
Monmouth has two general stores, Henry Green and H. J. Banghart ; drug ,
store, U. Atkinson ; hardware and furniture, L. P. Willis ; grain, stock and
lumber dealer, Henry Green ; hotel, Lake House, by A. B. Lake ; physicians,
F. A. Packard and H. M. Kennedy. Monmouth is surrounded by a most
excellent country, and enjoys the advantage of being the most eligible trading-
point for a large district. The retail trade is most excellent. The town is
located on either side of Mill Creek, and is on a low piece of land, for which
reason some trouble is experienced as to its streets and cellars. The village,
however, is said to be very healthy.
EDUCATIONAL.
The school district now known as the Independent District of Monmouth
was organized as Subdistrict No. 6,. Monmouth Township, September, 1853.
The first School Board was composed of Luther Holmes, President; A. J.
Trimble, Secretary, and W. F. Douglas, Treasurer. At the first meeting of
the District Electors, there were but seven persons present, viz., Joseph
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 605
Rosenbarger, Abraham Balm, Henry Stoop, W. F. Douglas, A. J. Trimble,
Albert Coffin and Robert Harris.
In 1856, a new school building was built for the use of the district, in the
town of Monmouth. The old building was sold to Dr. L. T. Hubbard, for
$24.
The Independent District of Monmouth was established by vote of the
•citizens of Subdistrict No. 6, March 22, 1865, with tbe following bound-
aries :
" The district shall consist of Sections 17 and 18, and the north three-
fourths of Sections 19 and 20 ; also, south one-half of southwest one-fourth,
and south one-half of southeast one-fourth of Section 7, and the southwest
one-fourth of the southwest one-fourth of Section 8."
The first Board of this district were : H. Green, President ; D. A Water-
man, Vice President ; L. T. Hubbard, Treasurer ; D. C. Mishler, Secretary ;
John Dye, M. Ryder and James Deed. The boundaries were changed and the
district was re-organized in 1867.
March 10, 1873, a tax of 10 mills on the dollar was voted by the electors
of the district, for the purpose of erecting a larger schoolhouse. On the 8th
of May following, by a ballot of 25 to 11, was carried the proposition to issue
§2,000 bonds, for building purposes. Specifications were drawn, providing
that the new house should be a two-story frame, containing one large school-
room on each floor, the building to be 24x36 feet.
Bids for erecting the same were received, as follows : Clough & Waterman,
$1,700, and $3 per perch for foundation ; Johnson & Sloan, $1,400, and
$2 per perch for foundation ; J. Widel, §1,800, and $4 per perch for founda-
tion. Johnson k Sloan were chosen the builders, who completed the building
in 1873. The entire cost, including furniture, was near $2,200.
A graded course of study was adopted by the Board in 1873, and is still
adhered to as nearly as may be with schools confined to two apartments.
During the past few years, eight months of school have been taught. For
1879-80, it is proposed to have nine months. A. S. Haines is Principal, at a
salary of $40 per month. Mrs. Antoinette Bennett receives $25 per month,
as teacher of the primary department. During the past year, there have been
118 pupils enrolled. The average attendance is about 90.
The following compose the present Board of Directors : F. J. Sokol, W.
F. Hanson and W. J. Belcher. W. I. Cram is Secretary, and Henry Green,
Treasurer.
YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERARY SOCIETY.
A Blue Ribbon Society was organized in Monmouth in 1878, whose meet-
ings were of a literary character. This Society proved a failure, so far as its
meetings were concerned, and in the spring of 1879, upon the call of Rev. G. W.
Rogers, was held a meeting of those who wished to become members of some
local literary organization.
At the first meeting, Rev. Mr. Rogers was elected President, and S. E.
Ralston, Secretary. A Constitution and set of By-Laws were prepared,
including a temperance pledge. Consequently, while the Society was not
organized as a temperance organization, all those who sign the Constitution
and By-Laws, thereby becoming members, are held by the pledge. The meet-
ings are held every Tuesday evening, in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and
are attended by large audiences. The Society has a membership of about
fifty. The exercises are composed of original essays, readings and music. In
606 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
the weekly programme, the managers are frequently assisted by persons who are
not members.
The present officers are : Henry Green, President ; Kate Hubbard, Secre-
tary ; E. B. Arnold, Editor, and H. M. Kennedy, Treasurer.
CHURCHES.
Baptist Church. — On January 30, 1858, Luther Holmes and wife, Henry
Green, J. B. White and Deborah A. Call organized into a conference for the
purpose, if they should be prospered and encouraged, of forming a Baptist
Church in Monmouth. Quite a number were added to the conference in the
course of a few weeks, and a petition was circulated requesting a council to
organize a Church. The Council met May 15, 1858, and,- on the following
Sabbath, the recognition sermon was preached by the Rev. 0. A. Holmes.
The first Deacons of the society were Daniel Widel and J. B. AVhite. The
other officers elected were Henry Green, Clerk, and A. Coffin, Treasurer.
Luther Holmes was the first Pastor of the Church, who continued from its
organization until 1864. He was immediately succeeded by Horace Holmes,
who preached to this people about ten years, beginning in June, 1864. The
pulpit remained vacant after Mr. Holmes' retirement until 1877, during which
year Rev. Charles Brooks was Pastor. March, 1878, the pulpit was filled by
Rev. William H. Barnes, who preached every alternate Sabbath at Monmouth
and Nashville. Almost fifteen years this society held its services in the district
schoolhouse. Their comfortable church building was completed in 1872, and
dedicated May 19 of that year by Rev. 0. A. Holmes. The house of wor-
ship will seat from one hundred and fifty to two hundred. The membership is
now forty-two. The Pastor is Superintendent of the Sabbath school. The
Church Trustees are G. H. Ward, A. B. Lake and Thomas Reed. The Dea-
cons, H. M. Kennedy and T. Baldwin.
M. E. Church. — Monmouth contains a flourishing M. E. Church, of which
Rev. Rogers is Pastor. We were disappointed in an attempt to secure a his-
tory of this society.
SPRAGUEVILLE.
Spragueville is a little village on the western border of Van Buren Town-
ship, about one-half mile south of the Maquoketa- River, and a short distance
from the mouth of Deep Creek, on which the town is located. The town may
be said to be on the edge of the prairie, being bordered by prairie country on
the south and adjoining the timber which skirts the Maquoketa on the north.
The village was named after one Sprague, who located at this point in 1841.
A mill was built here on Deep Creek in an early day, and known as Sprague's
Mill. On the same spot where the pioneer mill stood, Thompkins & Alexan-
der erected a large flouring-mill at a cost of $14,000. Shortly afterward,
Thompkins sold out to Charles H. Riley, who subsequently purchased the
share of Mr. Alexander and now owns the entire mill. Mr. Riley has of late
years expended several thousand dollars in improvements. The mill is now
known as Deep Creek Flouring-Mills, having three run of stone, and a capac-
ity for grinding forty-six barrels of flour per day. The water supply from
Deep Creek is constant.
The town was laid out in 1867, by A. Alexander. It has not had much
growth and cannot increase greatly until it has railroad communication. The
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 607
town contains one general store, kept by A. Alexander, who is also Postmaster
at this point. The village has two mails weekly, which are carried from Pres-
ton. A drug store is kept by John Miller, and a hotel by Capt. Smith. The
other places of business include a saloon, blacksmith and wagon shops.
VAN BUREN.
Van Buren is a post office and hamlet located near the geographical center
of Van Buren Township, and is the place of holding Van Buren Township
elections. It affords a place of residence for some eight or ten families and
has enjoyed the accommodations of the postal service since 1852. Otto
Schmidt is Postmaster and receives a tri-weekly mail from Miles. Van Buren
was settled in an early day by Ohio people, and was commonly known as
Buckeye, by which name it is still frequently called, despite the different cog-
nomen applied to the post office. The business of the place might be summed
up in the naming of a general store, by Otto Schmidt, a hotel, by Charles
Reiner, a blacksmith-shop and other institutions, such as is usual in country
villages.
FULTON.
Fulton is located on the southwest quarter of Section 24, in Farmer's Creek
Township, and is about eight miles north from Maquoketa. The town was
laid out in 1851, by William C. Morden, and enjoys a daily mail route from
Maquoketa. A Presbyterian Church was erected in Fulton in 1874, at a cost
of nearly $2,000. The Church has no regular Pastor at present, but the
pulpit is supplied during ar'good portion of the time. A substantial public
school building was erected in 1870. The school is not ' graded, but has an
average attendance of some sixty pupils. Fulton has three general stores, kept
by William C. Morden, W. B. Whitley and Lyman Whitley. J. W. Eckles is
the only physician. Thompson Bros, and Godfrey Myers are engaged in
blaeksmithing. Fulton Lodge, No. 339, I. O. O. F., has headquarters at this
point, meeting every Saturday. Fulton and vicinity include the residence of
quite a number of Masons, who belong to the Lodge at Andrew. In the town,
is the saw-mill of John Frank. Two other mills, grist and lumber, are in the
vicinity.
SPRING BROOK
is a post office village in Jackson Township. It is the site of a Roman Catho-
lic Church, and contains a fine store building, in which business is conducted by
C. M. Kegler, who is also Postmaster.
ST. DONATUS
was platted March 6, 1860, by D. Lowen, and is located on the southwest
quarter of Section 7, Tete des Morts Township. The first post office was
established by Peter Gellen, in 1856. There are two churches here, Catholic
and Lutheran. The town is the site of St. Mary's Institute, conducted by the
608 HISTOEY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Sisters of Notre Dame as a branch of a similar institution at Milwaukee. The
building is a large stone structure, 80x50 feet and four stories in height. Five
acres of improved land are connected with the building. The convent was
built in 186-1, and is in charge of seven Sisters of the Order mentioned. In the
course of instruction here given are included needle-work, house-work and other
useful occupations. Accomplishments come in for their full share in the
department of music and painting.
MILL ROCK.
Mill Rock was platted in July, 1854, and is therefore the oldest town in
Monmouth Township. The proprietors were D. L. Royer, John McCollum,
W. H. Rosenberger, William Wilcox, Henry Sloper and John B. Cobb. A
portion of the plat was vacated in 1867. Here was first established what was
for years known as Cobb's Post Office, in honor of the first Postmaster. The
town is located about three-quarters of a mile south of Baldwin, and consists
of ten or a dozen dwelling-houses and a flouring-mill. The latter is upon Bear
Creek, a stream that' supplies the power driving the mill, which was built about
twenty-five years ago by one Sloper, and formerly was called Sloper's Mill. It
is now owned by James Craig, and is equipped with two runs of stone, which
of the
are kept in motion the greater part of the year.
CANTON
is on the county line at the point where it crosses the south fork of the Maquo-
keta. At this point are a grist and two saw mills. A considerable quantity of
lumber is here sawed and shipped over the Midland road from Monmouth, being
drawn to the latter place by teams. The town contains some eight or ten
places of business, beside the usual blacksmith, wagon shops, etc. The situa-
tion is delightful and the water-power valuable. What are wanted to make
Canton an important point are railroad facilities, which in time it will get. It
was platted in June, 1855, by C. W. Thompson.
OZARK.
Ozark is a small village on Section 5, Brandon Township, three and one-
half miles from Canton. It is said to have been established as a post office in
1855. The principal business of the place is conducted by John Reyner, who
has here a grist-mill, saw-mill and woolen-taill. The first mentioned was erected
in 1855 ; the latter, in 1863. Mr. Reyner is also Postmaster and merchant of
Ozark.
NASHVILLE
is a station on the Midland road, located on southeast quarter of the south-
east quarter of Section 24, Monmouth Township; was laid out by D. S. Teeple,
June 15, 1872. It contains a good general store, blacksmith and wagon shops,
lumber yard, grain dealer, etc. It is situated in a most excellent farming com-
munity, and enjoys a good local trade.
r/&^*^£
COL. COMD'B. /*r CAV. I IV. G.
\v:is
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 611
LA MOTTE.
La Motte has existed as a post office and village for a great many years, but
not platted until November 10, 1873, when it was recorded by thirty-five
property holders. It is located on the border between Prairie Springs and
Richland Townships. Confidence Lodge, No. 337, A., F. & A. M., is located
here.
It has a flouring mill, two general stores, a cheese factory, broom manufac-
tory, besides the usual blacksmith, wagon shops, etc. A very fertile and finely
cultivated country surrounds La Motte, and peopled with a good class. Its
prospects were once very flattering but railroads diverted its trade. The C,
B., C. & St. P. R. R. has been completed this year, and at this time (October),
cars are running through to Zwingle. La Motto will now take a new growth
and we prophesy for it prosperity.
ZWINGLE
is located on the county line, being in part in Jackson and in part in Dubuque
County. Here was established the first Reformed Church in Iowa. Zwingle
is on the narrow-gauge road now building from Bellevue to Cascade. It con-
tains a mill, a general store, two blacksmith shops, a wagon shop, etc.
COTTONVILLE
is an old town in Richland Township, and which at one time before the day
that ruiloads determined the fate of towns, had the most flattering of pros-
pects. It is in one of the finest agricultural sections "f the State. It h;is two
stores, blacksmith shops, etc., and does a good local business.
STERLING
is quite an old village located on the corners of Sections 15, 16, 2 I and 22 of
Iowa Township. It contains a Methodist Church, the Pastor of which lives in
Sabula. Sterling is in the midst of one of the most fertile and finely improved
sections in the State.
IRON HILL
was platted by Franklin Bowling April 5, 1809, and is a recorded town of
twenty-five lots on the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of Section
30, in Farmer's Creek Township. It has two general stores, lumber yard, etc.
OTTER CREEK
is a post-office village on Section 24, in the township bearing that name. It
contains two stores, a grist-mill, two blacksmith shops and a wagon shop.
612 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
BELLEVUE WAR.
We are placed in an unpleasant position by the conflicting views enter-
tained by many of the most prominent early settlers in regard to what is
known as the " Bellevue War." Since printing that portion of our book, sev-
eral well-known citizens have sent us the following newspaper articles to
publish. All we can do is to insert them, and let the people form their own
conclusions. Publishers.
{From the Bellevue Leader.']
Editor Leader — My attention has been called to an anonymous commu-
nication in your paper, copied from the Excelsior, entitled " A Leaf from the
Early History of Jackson County," printed over the signature of one who
signs himself an " Old Settler." I was surprised that Mr. Shaw, the editor
of the Excelsior, and yourself should give character and credence to such an
untruthful, slanderous and sensational story as the one above referred to.
In writing up the early history of Jackson County, I endeavored to give
only the facts as I and other old settlers remembered them, and I believe that
nearly every one of the old settlers now living will cheerfully sustain me in
the main as to the truth and veracity of the story I have written of the
events and happenings of early pioneer times in this county, and particularly
those relating to the causes which led to the bloody encounter in Bellevue on
the 1st day of April, 1840. This anonymous writer in the Excelsior charges
that the men who participated in the Bellevue battle against Brown and his
gang were a "drunken mob organized to rid the country of a man who was the
coming man, respected by all the respectable citizens of the county" — What
for? Let him speak for himself. He says: "Cox was jealous of him
(Brown) politically, and all those that were engaged in the transaction were
indebted to Brown for clothes and provisions, and were pleased with the idea
of getting rid of their debts when they at once proceeded to put in execution
their murderous intent."
I am thankful that there are a few old settlors still living who will join with
me in denouncing the author of this charge as a base slanderer, who would
heap obloquy and calumny upon the character and memories of those gallant
men who sacrificed their lives in maintaining law and order. Permit me to
again make mention of the names of the honored dead who participated in the
struggle against Brown and his bandits — the men whom this anonymous writer
brands a "drunken mob," organized for no higher or better purpose than to
commit wholesale murder to get rid of paying their honest debts, due Brown for
clothing and provisions. Bead their names, and, if you can find a man now
living, in or out of Jackson County, that will indorse the wholesale charges
made by the Excelsior's correspondent, I will pledge myself to show that he was
a friend of, and a sympathizer with, murderers, thieves and robbers. This is
strong language. Nothing but justice to the dead would induce me to use such
strong terms to hurl back the vile calumnies of " Old Settler." I have here-
tofore refrained from saying anything that would reflect upon one class of good
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 613
citizens, who differed with myself and others as to the means taken to break up
Brown's bandit gang. I have regarded such as honest differences of opinion,
and respect those who entertained them none the less for differing with me ; but
there was another class, so closely identified with Brown and so fully in
sympathy with him, that, even to this day, they will defend him and praise him,
whenever occasion will permit. Now for those who sleep the sleep that knows
no waking — who were the persecutors and murderers of Brown and his men,
according to " Old Settler," men whose names and memories I shall ever cher-
ish, and whose characters shall never be disgraced or abused by one of Brown's
own gang, which I shall prove this correspondent to be, and that too by words
from his own mouth, before I get through with him — J. K. Moss, Anson Har-
rington, John T. Sublett, H. K. Magoon, James McCabe, David G. Bates,
Charles W. Harris, James L. Hanby, James Beaty, William Beaty, Arch.
Drummond, ex-Sheriff James Watkins, John Stucke, John Howe, John G.
McDonald, Col. James Collins, Col. Thomas Cox, John A. Hall, James L.
Kilpatrick, William Watkins, George Watkins and John W. Cox. Such are
the names of some of the dead that I now remember, who participated in
the fight when Brown was killed. Among those still living, I might mention
the names of Alex. Reed, Col. T. J. Parks, Thomas Sublett, Sam Scott, Len
Hilyard, L. J. Heifley, Jerry Jonas, James Jones, Nicolas Jefferson and John
D. Bell.. These are the names of some of the men that this defender of Fox —
who was one of the murderers of Col. Davenport — has charged as being a
" drunken mob," organized to commit murder to get rid of paying their debts.
Many of these men, now dead, filled high, honorable social and political posi-
tions in this county before and after that " transaction," and are related to some
of the best families in the country. Col. Cox was the first Representative from
Jackson and Speaker of the House of the first General Assembly. J. K. Moss
was the second Representative ; John Howe, the first Recorder ; Anson Har-
rington, the first Judge of Probate ; J. S. McDonald, Clerk of Courts ; James
Watkins was Sheriff for many years afterward. The ball from his gun killed
Brown.
The names of Col. James Collins, H. K. Magoon, J. L. Kilpatrick, David
G. Bates, James Beaty, Arch. Drummond and Sam Scott are not unknown to
the early settlers of Galena, 111., and the few pioneers that are left will join
with me in denouncing the charge made by "Old Settler" as a base and vile
slander upon the good names of the above-named pioneers. Before I proceed
to deal further with this viper, who is a mere tool of others who have pushed
him to the front to express sentiments they themselves dare not do, permit me
to again give your readers a few incidents of our early history. First, let me
ask if there is an old settler in this county who doubts that a band of thieves
and robbers infested this country for several years previous to the year 1840,
whose general rendezvous was in Bellevue, and who made their headquarters
with W. W. Brown, who kept a hotel here at that time, and seemed to be their
leader and chief? If there is such an old settler, let me call his attention to a
few of the crime happenings, commencing with the murder of Thomas H. Davis
by Groff. It was on the first day of a term of court in this city when this
awful crime was committed, in broad daylight, when our streets were filled
with citizens from all parts of the county. There was but one expression —
outside of Brown's clan — that it was a cold, premeditated, cowardly murder.
What were the facts in the case as developed upon the trial ? There was a
civil suit pending between Groff and Davis ; but there was also trouble existing
between Brown and Davis, brought about by a stolen horse being left by Fox
614 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
in charge of Davis, and which the owner traced to Davis' stable. Davis was a
fearless man, and, on the day he was murdered, had been denouncing Brown
and his gang as a band of horse-thieves and counterfeiters. On the trial, it
was shown that Brown borrowed V. G. Smith's rifle and placed it in the hands
of Groff, telling him to go to the island and kill squirrels. In less than
twenty minutes from that time, GrofF waylaid Davis and shot him in the back
with this same rifle. Brown took an active part in Groff's defense. No
other plea but that of insanity would save Groff*. He was proven insane
by Brown's men, and acquitted, and Brown had the satisfaction of know-
ing that his accuser in the horse matter was out of the way — under the
sod. I cannot remember all the criminal charges brought against Brown aud his '
outlaws, such as robbing the Collinses, on Cooper Creek; stealing of Brigam's
horses, which were found in Brown's stable; the purchasing of Pence's oxen,
in Monmouth, with counterfeit money ; the sale of a span of horses by Brown
to Thomas Graham, which the real owner followed and the horses were taken
from Mr. Graham; the robbing of J. C. Mitchell's house, and the sending of
James Thompson and A. Montgomery to assassinate Mitchell, but, fortunately
for Mitchell, he turned the tables on them and killed Thompson. Montgomery
afterward killed Brown, of Maquoketa. Barger, who murdered his wife in
Bellevue some years afterward, was the bosom friend and companion of Brown.
Now, what are the facts as to the charge of " mob ? " I have heretofore
stated that the courts of justice in Jackson County were powerless. It mattered
not what the charge was, an alibi could be proved, and the criminal went scot-
free.
Baffled and beaten in every instance in bringing these outlaw's to justice, a
committee was appointed to see Prosecuting Attorney Crawford, and Judge
Wilson, then one of the Associate Judges of the Territory, and ask for orders.
I was one of that committee. After laying our grievances before the Judges —
many of which grievances they were conversant with — Judge Wilson protested
against anything like mob violence, and said the arm of law would p otect the
people. He then advised that an information be filed, charging Browm and his
associates with conspiracy to commit depredations, as alleged by the committee.
Such course would prevent them from testifying in one another's behalf. This
was accepted by the committee, and on, or about the 25th of March, 1840,
James Crawford, then Prosecuting Attorney, drew up an information, charging
Brown and twenty-two others as above stated, which information was sworn to
by Anson Harrington, and the warrant issued by Charles Harris and George
Watkins, Justices of the Peace of Jackson County, and placed in the hands of
myself, then Sheriff of the county, for service. Brown, being somewhat of a
pettifogger, bid me defiance, and declared that the law did not justify this whole-
sale arrest. No other alternative was left me but to summons a posse. In
doing so, I made the selection from all parts of the county, and that too from
the best and most influential men in the county, hoping when Brown saw the
the men the posse was composed of, he would surrender to the law.
The appointed time for serving the warrant of arrest on Brown and his
twenty-seven followers was the 1st day of April, 1840. Brown had been
informed as to the day fixed for his arrest, and had speedily assembled his men
and sympathizers together, at his house, where he armed and harangued them
for the fight. He fortified his premises, and unfolded to the breeze a red flag,
on which was inscribed "Victory, or Death."
Being absent at Sabula, I arrived in Bellevue at 9 o'clock, A. M., on the
morning of the 1st of April, 1840, accompanied by James McCabe, Andrew,
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 615
Farley and Alex. Reed. I found that Col. Cox had assumed command of the
posse, and had issued an order closing every saloon in town, and this order was
carried out to the letter. The Colonel had provided rations and hot coffee by
the boilerful for the men, and not one drop of liquor of any kind was drunk by
the men of the posse during that or the next day. Every man who engaged in
the fight will bear me out as to the truth of this statement. So much in answer
to the charge of " drunken mob," as made by " Old Settler."
A consultation was held, and it was unanimously decided that Brown and
his men should submit to the authorities. We were more than anxious to avoid
an open conflict and bloodshed, provided Brown and his men would submit and
surrender peaceably. I was directed to proceed to Brown's headquarters and
read the warrant to him and his men, and do all in my power to prevail on
him and them to surrender. Brown met me at the door and politely invited
me in. I then read the warrant to him, and asked that the rest of the men be
called up, so that I might also read the warrant to them. As I read over the
names, he called them up and commanded them to pay attention to the read-
ing. Brown said he doubted the legality of the wholesale arrest. He then
asked me to show him a list of the names of the posse. I showed them to
him, and, after looking them over, he asked if security would be required, pro-
vided he and his men surrendered and waived examination. I told him I
would release him on his own recognizance, and take his bond for the appear-
ance of the rest of his men named in the warrant. While this parleying was
going on between Brown and myself, his men were freely imbibing at the bar
and becoming boisterous. Brown endeavored to put a stop to the drunken
orgie by retreating from the bar-room into the main building, and calling his men
to follow him. In a few minutes he returned, and proposed that if I would go
back to the posse and bring with me John T. Sublette. H. Magoon and George
Watkins to pledge themselves that my proposition would be carried out in good
faith, he and his men would surrender. On my return to the posse, I reported,
in brief, the conference I had had with Brown, but it did not meet with the
approval of the posse. After discussing the matter for an hour or more — Col.
Cox all the while urging that Brown's proposition be accepted — it was finally
decided that the parties named should accompany me into Brown's presence,
when they should give the desired pledge to Brown and his men. In company
with Sublette, Magoon and Watkins, 1 proceeded to Brown's house; but, when
about to enter, Brown, with a dozen or more of his men, with guns in hand,
ordered us to halt. Brown then ordered Sublette, Magoon and Watkins to
leave his premises, and me to advance, which order was reluctantly obeyed.
On entering the house, I was greeted with the wildest shouts of derision. The
room was crowded, and the bottle was often passed around. Under the influ-
ence of whisky, Brown's men had become unmanageable, and he was powerless
to control them. Our disposition to parley was taken for cowardice, and we
were denounced in the most bitter terms. They declared that they would hold
me as a hostage, and, with the first advance upon them, my life should pay the
penalty. I went with Brown into a back room. He was perfectly sober, and
seemed to realize that he could no longer control his drunken men. He admit-
ted as much to me, and asked to be left alone until next morning, when his
men would be sober, and he could prevail on them to surrender peaceably.
While we were yet talking, some one told Brown my men were rmn-ching in
the direction of his (Brown's) house. He asked me to go out and stop them,
and then return to him. I hurried from the house, stopped the posse, and told
them all that had transpired within doors. It was now 3 o'clock in the
616 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
afternoon, and further parleying with Brown and his men was deemed useless
I was not suffered to return to Brown's house. We immediately marched toward
Brown's house, but, before reaching it, one of my men, Mr. Palmer, was shot
down by a volley fired from the windows of the upper story of Brown's house.
An order to charge was given, when a general engagement took place.
Brown's friends, outside, fled as soon as they realized that there was peril ahead
of them, and deserted their friend and chieftain in his hour of need and
danger.
I have already written and published an account of this bloody encounter,
and its results, and have here reproduced this scrap of history for no other pur-
pose than to show how much of an effort was made on our part to accomplish
the service commanded by the warrant of arrest, without having to resort to
violence and bloodshed.
Now, this " Old Settler " seems to know all about the Bellevue war, and
repeats word for word what Brown said on the day of the fight. He further
says " the mob was very drunk" (meaning the Sheriff's posse), " and that they
passed the whisky around frequently, and afterward swore they would have
blood." Now, can we come to any other conclusion than that this " Old Set-
tler " was on the ground? He has detailed what he says did occur on the day
of the struggle, but he fails to tell us which party he belonged to. There were
but two parties in Bellevue on that day — the Sheriff, his posse, and the law-
abiding citizens constituted one party ; and Brown, his companions and sympa-
thizers in crime, constituted the other party. " Old Settler " says " they
passed the bottle around, and swore they would have blood." Of course they
did, and it was in Brown's house where the bottle was passed, and all the liqu3r
drank that was drank in Bellevue on that day. Can any one come to any other
conclusion, after reading " Old Settler's " statement, than that he was, to say
the least of it, one of Brown's sympathizers?
" Old Settler " states " that he met Fox soon after the fight, when Fox
declared to him that he would never do another day's work ; but would rob,
steal, etc., for a living." When and where did " Old Settler " meet Fox, to
hold these familiar and confidential conversations ? No one in this county, I
heard of before now, has seen or conversed with Fox after the time he was seen
on Golden's Island, where he went after the fight to get a little money he had
left with Mrs. Brown. Why this long silence in relation to Fox ? Now,
acknowledge the corn, "Old Settler." Was it not on the 4th day of July,
1840, when Fox fired the fatal shot that killed Col. Davenport that " Old Set-
tler " saw him ? and was not your conduct on that day similar to that in Belle-
vue? which you have been to so much pains to describe — not forgetting to tell
us you were only a looker-on, and that in the hour of danger you were missing.
I have already, in plain terms, spoken of Brown's hospitality, his pleasing
and gentlemanly address, and how well calculated he was to win the favorable
opinions of those who knew him only as a private citizen, and not as a leader
of a bandit gang of plunderers and counterfeiters.
The bloody 1st of April, 1840, had passed, and the lifeless bodies of Brown,
Burtis and Day, on the part of the gang, and those of the brave, dauntless and
humane Palmer, Brink, Farley and Maxwell on the part of the citizens, told
the story of the struggle, and what determined resistance Brown and hi6 men
had made the officers of the law in their efforts to arrest him and his band.
Now, go with me to the court room. Hon. T. S. Wilson, of Dubuque, was
then presiding Judge of this Judicial District, and James Crawford, Prosecuting
Attorney.
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. 617
Court being opened by tbe Sheriff (W. A. Warren), the grand jury was
called. A petition was presented to His Honor, signed by citizens, asking
that the present grand jury be discharged, and that a special Sheriff be
appointed to select a special grand jury, to inquire into the wholesale slaugh-
ter of human life on the 1st of April, 1840. Anson Harrington, being pres-
ent, addressed the Court, and stated that he was one of the parties to that
transaction, and that he was authorized by the Sheriff and all those that par-
ticipated in the bloody encounter, to say that they not only desired but
demanded an investigation at the hands of the Court, and that the chief peti-
tioner be authorized by the Court to select a special Sheriff and grand jury,
whose duty it would be to inquire into the merits and demerits of the bloody
affair of the 1st of April, 1840.
The new Sheriff selected was J. S. Kirkpatrick, then residing near Fulton.
He empaneled a new grand jury, who thoroughly investigated the whole mat-
ter, and reported that they found the Sheriff and his posse had acted under
legal authority in an endeavor to enforce the law ; and that they were guilty
of no unlawful act or acts, save in the whipping of several of the bandits after
they had been captured and were prisoners. /They even justified that, on the
ground that there was no jail in the county capable of holding them, and that
the course taken by the Sheriff was for the best interests of the county. These
judicial proceedings may be found in the records of the spring term of court
for Jackson County, in 1840. I don't pretend to give the exact wording of
the report, but its substance and meaning.
Now, " Old Settler," forty years have passed away since we were tried by
a jury of our fellow-citizens, selected by Brown's own friends. That jury not
only acquitted but exonerated us from all blame in the matter of driving
Brown and his bandits out of the country. We acted under and by authority
of law, and were guilty of no crime when we undertook to do our duty by
enforcing the law. We have written this article more to vindicate the charac-
ters and memories of the honored dead, than to defend the living from the base
and baseless charges brought by this man who signs himself " Old Settler."
Very truly yours, W. A. Warren.
Dubuque, September 30, 1879.
W. A. Warren, Bellevue, Iowa — Bear Sir: I am surprised that any one
now living in Jackson County would attempt to vindicate the character of W.
W. Brown, who was the leader of a gang of desperadoes that infested your
county prior to 1840. I was then your Presiding Judge for several years prior
to that time, and know that the criminal docket in Jackson showed the worst
state of things there of any county in my district. The criminal docket
showed crime from the highest to the lowest degree. A conviction for crime
was simply impossible. Brown stood ready to prove an alibi, or would man-
age, some way, to obtain an acquittal whenever one of his band was brought
before the courts. The acts of yourself and posse on the memorable 1st day
of April, 1840, had my full approval ; and yourself, and all those honorable
men that took a part in that transaction met the approval of a grand jury,
selected at the instance of Brown's sympathizers. Your court record should
show that fact. Yours truly, T. S. Wilson.
Sabula, Iowa, October 6, 1879.
Editor Leader : My attention has been called to an article in your
paper, published over the signature of "Old Settler," purporting to be a leaf
618 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
of early history, in which my name is given for reference to verify the state-
ments of this anonymous " Old Settler."
I do not know the author, and he had no authority to use my name for ref-
erence. Silence on my part would be tacitly admitting that the statements of
this writer were true. I am not and never was a sympathizer with Brown and
his clan. I believe he and his men were guilty of many of the crimes charged
against them. I know of my personal knowledge that they were guilty of
committing many crimes and misdemeanors,' and I justify the steps taken by
the representative men of the county who drove them from our midst.
Respectfully yours, E. A. Wood.
[From, the Sentinel.']
To the Editors of the Sentinel : I noticed an article in the Excelsior,
calculated to mislead the minds of the people with regard to the (so-called)
" Bellevue war." The writer has withheld his name, yet from the very tone of
the language of the article, I know the writer just as easy as the boy knows
his daddy. He says: "When organized into Iowa Territory, Cox represented
the county in the Legislature (thus far he writes the truth). The people,
however, began to think they had better not trust him with so responsible a
position any longer. Cox saw that unless something was done he must go
down, and William Brown, of Bellevue, was bound to be the leading man of
the county." The writer says that Cox told his friends that Brown was getting
rich too last to get it honestly, and that he thought there was a gang of thieves
and counterfeiters at Brown's, and he proposed driving them out of the
country. But I here say that the mob sent the Sheriff twice to conciliate
with Brown, but without success ; the mob of sixty men then marched in front
of Brown's house and demanded a surrender, which was refused, and a shot
was fired from Brown's house and killed a man by the name of Palmer; then
the war began. When the gang were conquered and captured, scourged and
driven off, somebody came to Col. Cox and said: "Colonel, why didn't you
let me know of this and I would have been with you," when at the same time
somebody s rifle was in Brown's house. Somebody was always suspicioned of
being accessory to the depredations, directly or indirectly; but, one or two
queries I must ask. First, why did the gang of desperadoes happen to be at
Brown's house armed to defend him, if Brown was innocent? Stand up,
Mr. Somebody, and explain. Second, why was the writer of the article so
familiar with Fox, to be told by him, after being scourged and driven off, that
he would never do another day's work for a living, but would steal, rob and
murder? Rise up, Mr. Writer, and speak out, and clear your skirts. Some-
body knows who stole Mr. Scott's mare and run her off, and somebody was
accessory in helping to acquit Montgomery, after being convicted of murder
by conclusive testimony and sentenced to be hung. Now let us see how much
danger Cox was in of being swindled in office by Brown. They nominated
their best man as candidate, and Cox wiped him out so clean that there was
not a grease-spot left of their candidate. But I must go back and close up the
Brown estate. The writer says that "Brown bought his hotel of one Peter
Dutel (that is true) and owed Peter Dutel $700 or $800 for the same when he
was killed." But somebody stepped in and administered Brown's estate, and
imitated the monkey that divided the cheese between the two cats. The mon-
key bit off a piece for each cat, but one piece being smaller than the other he
bit off another piece to add to the small piece which made the small piece too
large, and he kept changing until he got the whole himself and kept nothing
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
619
for the cats. But you will notice that somebody was more liberal than the
monkey, for the administrator bit off a good chunk for the widow and a good
chunk for himself, then a good chunk for the widow and then a good chunk for
himself, until there is nothing left for the creditors, and Peter Dutel never got
one dollar. But the widow went off with several hundred dollars, and some-
body brought home $300 or $400 in gold, a cow worth $40, a nice bureau, and
a good feather bed. Another item I had forgotten. As. the writer said so
much about Col. Cox sticking to his Monongahela, I will merely say that I
have seen the writer carry a bottle of whisky to the election to buy a drunken
man's vote, and he bought it for a drink of whisky. If I have not hit the
right man, I have hit one who resembles him very much. A Pioneer.
P. S. — The named article was calculated to be damaging to the history of
Jackson County, by misrepresenting the facts of the Bellevue tragedy ; but 1
think the writer of the article had better awaited until every honest man was
dead, who knew the facts, before he wrote such an article, and as the Excelsior
has published the article without the writer's name, I offer mine with same
reserve against the publisher's rules.
VOTE OF JACKSON COUNTY, IOWA, AT THE GENERAL ELEC-
TION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1879— (Official).
STATK TICKET.
COUNTY TICKET.
QOVBRNOE.
LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR.
JUDOE.
INSTRUCTION.
SENATOR.
REPRESENTATIVES.
TOWNSHIPS.
J
II
M
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M
5
i
= 1
1
JO
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i
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1
I
7 -
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u
i
1
i
i
P.'
1
it
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2 1
s
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Bellevue
103
u:i
131
189
119
13o
76
126
221
70
141
82
152
110
159
101
110
114
7
6
11
22
2
65
81
"iii
1
3
llli
2
11
17
5
in.
5
30
143
152
38
181
17!
155
30
71
27.11
31
123
145
26
22.i
131
189
119
130
76
120
222
70
141
82
152
110
158
102
94
112
114
55
7
11
22
3
2
64
81
in
11
119
2
11
HI
100
5
30
143
152
38
171
25
155
30
71
2511
34
220
130
190
119
13./
76
126
2211
7
5
22
2
05
164
97
30
144
152
225
13 1
1011
119
130
76
5,1
5
11
21
3
2
(17
81
16
1
3
126
2
12
27
5
ls_
111
21
41
149
14"
20."
170
25
181
30
79
258
41
115
138
39
212
123
173
113
129
75
123
210
62
141
56
152
100
123
95
105
119
99
50
4
17
10
52
80
1
114
2
21
5
101
105
5
34
143
149
185
171
25
151
31
81
244
13
loi
152
25
13s
118
27
33
136
141
33
185
168
17
152
7C
245
20
122
14b
2b
25.-
115
104
132
85
132
21s
75
14s
14S
155
121
ll if
105
is:
124
187
135
133
73
123
224
67
140
84
153
107
155
89
99
111
113
101
6
2
21
2
5!
70
f
11."
16
7
15
7
9
22
5
Farmer'* Creek.
143
135
1,78
171
25
150
31
71
•jlu
125
26
Maquoketa
ISO 222
17 ll 70
25 141
149. 82
30 153
7l] 110
212 1511
33 102
122 94
137 112
26 114
60
Otter Creek
1411
......
Prairie Spring....
153
110
158
102
119
2
11
18
5
1
South Fork
Tete des Moris...
123
2
Hi: 111
26 114
Washington
4
1757
■Hi
2.S.-.3
510
12H
854 2354
50O
12"
81(12358
|542
445
1117s
~268
387
1711:
18(17
2551
2 111
41)1
3! 14
556|
Majorities
543
504
COUNTY TICKET— Continued.
_,
TREASURER.
AUDITOR.
INTENDF.NT.
VEYOK.
CORONER.
SUPERVISOR
TOWNSHIPS.
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10
20
41
139
157
H'
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48
199
7s
101
229
71
140
16
61
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12
i;
in
12
7
9.
264
8(
Hi
4!
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19
6.
82
104
77
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1C
35
5
45
7(
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5
16
17.
9C
5
24
111:
14f
3
14S
111.
2C
152
29
69
219
33
107
15C
41
22
Mi
195
Hi:
147
7G
121
289
90
138
89
155
112
211
in:
115
112
101
■i.
5
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1.
2
65
' "i
'""a
97
2
5
•
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111.
3C
41
201
llli
43
274
177
ii
Hi:
42
94
323
33
131
177
27
2U.
103
158
lis
81
122
102
71
102
114
Hi
90
118
103
90
91
113
60
2
1
11
31
74
85
2
12
r
111
76
3
122
151
50
211
144
33
15-
69
2: is
42
117
2. is
153
111
12
71
115
169
13
133
8.
137
107
194
94
104
V
.i
i
3
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55
45
::
92
2
7
19
5
186
121
11
KIN
no
233
252
18
159
32
5 s
31 is
45
is
1 1 i'i
31
.,-,., ...
169
125
188
121
125
77
121
217
70
140
1 5. 1
1.18
156
102
115
114
4E
7
0
Bn'-ndun
117
1S7
127
124
141
30
143
151
07
123
12
Farmer's Creek
23
3
71
82
157
1211
29
40
tio
231, 1711
70 11)11
14S! 211
87 161
i£ is
178 2 is
113. 33
210 123
171 145
114 20
\
(is
1.57
113
2
7
21
5
27| 113
Total
22H2
2IH
2H1I1
HI!
172s
250s
821
2.S1
227
22
2H17
21)7
11114
llllo
2JSII
379
513
171
Majorities
52.
750
z
Van liuren. 111.
Sheriff. 1 Join
We hereby certify the above to In- a. ti no ami oinTcl .abstraei i
Ofr n I s7ii, oi M, ifv .0 .lack. S! n l,,u-a, lor the ollicei
the .several townships and elect on precincts thereof.
Witness our hands lio. :niii .1 .1 „f October, 1879.
, County Auditor.
17; Maquoketa. 4; Perry,
cast at the General Election h"'d Octo-
i shown by the po 1-books returned f. om
JAM I s I'UNNE, 1 liairn.au,
BF.\.IAM1\ A M'ENCEU,
W. C. MOIillEN.
FKANK SCHl.EtlHT,
' Supervisors 01 Jacson County, Iowa.
BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY.
ABBREVIATION
Oo company or county
dir dealer
I. V. A Iowa Volunteer Artillery
I. V. C Iowa Volunteer Cavalry
St
street
MAQUOKETA TOWNSHIP.
DR. J. H. ALLEN, physician and surgeon ; is a native of Coos Co., N.
H.; was born June 13, 1818 ; bis family removed to Albany, N. Y., when he was very
young ; after reaching manhood, he studied medicine with James F. Sargent, M. D., of
Lowell, Mass. ; he attended lectures four terms, and graduated at Hanover, N. H.; he
practiced medicine in New Hampshire ten or twelve years. While there, he married
Miss Judith Sargent, of Concord ; she died in 1852, leaving three children — Kate,
James H. and Sarah J.; in 1856, Dr. Allen determined to come West; he took passage
on the steamer Niagara, which was burned off Sheboygan, in September, 1856, when
there were 200 lives lost; he was among the few saved, but he lost all he had; he came
to Iowa and located in Maqaoketa in the following November ; he practiced his profes-
sion here until 1862, wlien he was appointed surgeon of the 18th I. V. I. —
served two years, and was discharged for disability ; after his return from the service,
he held the office of Assessor for three years, and also the office of Postmaster and
Mayor of th,e town. On the 2-lth of September, 1857, he married Mrs. Nancy R.
Lyon, formerly Miss Nancy R. Hall, daughter of Asahel Hall, one of the early settlers.
Mrs. Alleu is a graduate of Miss Field's Seminary, at Erie, Penn. She married P. A.
R. Brace, of Prairie du Chien, Wis.; he died, leaving one daughter, Mrs. William
Stephens, of Maquoketa. In 1853, Mrs. Allen married G. D. Lyon, who died in 1855,
leaving one son, George B., now practicing dentistry in Philadelphia. Dr. and Mrs.
Allen have one son, Ethan Allen, who graduated in the Law Department of Michigan
University, in March, 1879. Mrs. Allen is an active worker in the reform movements
of the day; she was the first Secretary of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union,
of Iowa ; she was a delegate to the National Tempsrance Convention, at Cleveland, in
1875, and is Secretary of the State Woman's Suffrage Association.
D. H. ANDERSON, of the firm of Derby & Anderson, general merchants,
Main street, Maquoketa; is a native of Rockingham Co., Va.; born Aug. 24, 1843;
with his parents, came to Iowa and located in Jackson Co. in 1854; he grew up to
manhood here, and in 1863, engaged in mercantile business, in Maquoketa, and con-
tinued for nine years ; he was on the road for five years, selling goods, and in June,
1879, he associated with W. S. Derby, iu mercantile business; he held the office of
Town Treasurer for five years. Aug. 15, 1871, he married Miss Mary L. Goodenow,
daughter of John E. Goodenow, one of the oldest and most honored settlers of Jackson
Co. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have two children — Alice and Bertha.
LYMAW BALLARD, retired ; was born in Georgia, Franklin Co., Vt.,
Feb. 14, 1798, and learned the trade of carpenter and joiner; he lived there until
1848 ; September 5, of that year, he started for Iowa, and arrived in Jackson Co. Sept.
30, and located in Maquoketa ; the following year, he built the house where he now
lives, and has lived here over thirty years ; he engaged in building, and continued until
WZ BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
within the past four years, and has been connected with that business over fifty years.
He married Miss Lucy Mears, 6f Georgia, Franklin Co., Vt., March 22, 1822; they
celebrated their golden wedding March 22, 1872, and have lived together over fifty-
seven years ; they have five children— Lepha, Lucy Ann, Frances Jane, Amanda and
Wayland L.
W. SCOTT BELDEN, publisher of the Jackson County Record, Maquo-
keta; is a native of Hornellsville, Steuben Co., N. Y., and was born Sept. 4, 1835;
when 17 years of age, he went South, and taught school in Kentucky for four years;
he then came to Jackson Co., and arrived in Maquoketa March 1, 1857, and engaged
in the drug trade. He enlisted July 24, 1861, in Co. L, 2d I. V. C, and was
commissioned First Lieutenant; he served in the Adjutant General's Department for
two years, and was in every battle and skirmish of the department ; he was commis-
sioned Captain in August, 1863 ; after the war he returned here, and in the fall of
1865, was elected Sheriff" of Jackson Co.; he was editor of the Excelsior for seven
years ; over one year ago, he established the Record. He married Miss Evelyn
Humphrey, from Erie Co., N. Y., Oct. 31, 1874; they have one son— Howard H.,
born March 28, 1876.
T. E. BLANCHARD, of the firm of Gregory & Blanchard, attorneys at
law; is a native of Jackson Co., Iowa, and was born Feb. 15, 1842; he lived near
Sabula, until 18 years of age; enlisted in August, 1862, in the 24th I. V. I.,
and was Sergeant of Co. A ; he was in all the battles of the regiment ; among the most
severe engagements, was the battles of Port Gibson, Champion Hill, siege of Vicksburg;
he was in the Red River campaign, and also in the Shenandoah campaign, in battles of
Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek ; he was wounded twice in the last battle at
Cedar Creek ; honorably discharged in May, 1865 ; after his return to Iowa, he engaged
in teaching in the Commercial College, in Burlington, for a time, then returned here,
and served as Deputy County Recorder ; he was appointed County Auditor, to fill a
vacancy; was elected to the same office in 1869, and re-elected in 1S71 ; he read law,
and was admitted to the bar in January, 1878; he has held town and school offices.
In 1862, he married Miss Sarah E. Walker, a native of Sabula, Jackson Co., Iowa;
they have four children — Minnie A., Edward P., Luella M. and Edna.
ROliERT L. BLESH, of the firm of Wolf & Blesh, brick manufactur-
ers, Maquoketa ; is a native of Germany ; born in April, 1842; his parents emigrated
to America when he was very young ; came to Iowa and located in Jackson Co. in 1847 ;
he lived in Tete des Morts Township until 1854, when he went to Rock Island Co.,
111.; he enlisted in the 126th I. V. I., Co. E; he was at the sieges of Vicksburg
and Little Rock, and in many fights and skirmishes; he served three years ; after the
war he returned to this county ; he associated with Mr. Wolf and engaged in manufac-
turing brick, and they make an excellent quality. He married Miss Etta Springer,
from Canada, in 1871 ; they have two children — Caddie and Archie.
WILLIAM C. BOARDM AN, retired, Maquoketa ; is a native of Wind-
sor Co., Vt., and was born March 22, 1804 ; he grew up to manhood there, and, when
22 years of age, removed to St. Johnsbury and became connected with the scale works
of Fairbanks & Co.; remained there until 1856, when he came to Iowa and located at
Maquoketa and since then has resided here. In 1832, he married Miss Mary Benton,
a native of Waterford, Caledonia Co., Vt.; after living together forty-six years she died
May 12, 1878, closing an honored and useful life. Mr. Boardman, although taking a
deep interest in the affairs of the city and county, has steadily avoided politics; when
he began life he had nothing, and, by industry and good management, he has become
one of the most substantial and wealthy men of Jackson Co.
I>R. A. ft. BO WEN, physician and surgeon; is a native of Eastford,
Windham Co., Conn.; born April 12, 1842; he attended Mexico Academy, in Oswego
Co., N. Y.; afterward studied medicine and graduated at the Albany Medical College
in 1868 ; the following year he came to Iowa and located in Maquoketa and since then
he has practiced his profession here ; he is a member of the Iowa and Illinois Central
District Medical Association and the Iowa State Medical Association, and also of the
MAQUOKETA TOWNSHIP. 623
I American Medical Association ; he is a member of the Insane Commission of Jackson
(Co.; during the war, in 1864 and 1865, he was in the United Stites Navy; he served
on the United States steamer Neptune, stationed in the West Indies Convoy Squadron,
Capt. J. P. Sanford, Commander ; he is Examiner for some twenty life insurance com-
panies; in the summer of 1878, he was appointed Assistant Surgeon to the 1). & N.
W. It. It.; he was also appoiuted United States Examining Surgeon for Pensions. In
1874, he married Miss Minuie Clark, a native of Jackson Co., Iowa; they have two
children — Frances and Cora.
JACOB BOWMAN, farmer, S-sc. 32; P. 0. Maquoketa; he was born in
Virginia, March 14, 1798, where he resided until 1831, when he cams to Jackson Co.,
and soon bought and located on the farm whore he has sinee lived. He married Eliza-
beth Keiser in 1823 ; they have had fourteen children, ten now living — George \V\,
Jacob K., Mary F., Sarah E., Annie L., Njncy, Lizzie, William M., Benjamin P.,
Stephen H. He owns 240 acres of land, valued at $ 5 5 per acre. Himself and wife are
members of the Christian Church ; Democrat.
WILLIAM BOWMAN, farmer, Sec. 31; P. 0. Maquoketa; born in
Rockingham Co., Va., June 1, 1845; he came to Jackson Co in March, 1831, and
located in Maquoketa Township; he has lived at his present residence ten yeirs. Mir-
ried Mary C. Farr Sept. 30, 1869 ; she was born in Canadi Sept. 13, 184S ; have six
children — Emma, born Sept. 20, 1870; Carrie E., May 20, 1871 ; Lannie J., Feb. 6,
1874; Mansel W., Jan. 2, 1875; Claude B, Aug. 29, 1877, aud an infant. Owns
120 acres valued at $60 per acre. Democrat.
HENRY BROOCKMAN, cabinet maker and furniture dealer; was born
in Germany Sept. 15, 1823 ; he emigrated to America in 1851 ; he came to Iowa and
lived in Dubuque four years ; came to Maquoketa in 1855 and began working at his
trade, and has continued in the business since then for twenty-four years, and has
built up a good trade. He married Frances Krause, a native of Germany; they have
no children.
SILAS F. BROWN, carpenter and builder, Maquoketa; is a native of
Allegany Co, N. Y., and was born July 1, 1827 ; he grew up to manhood, and learned
his trade there; he came to Iowa, and located in Miqu iketa, May 8, 1854, and begun
working at his trade, and since then he hes been engaged in building; there is no one
here, now engaged in building, that has worked at the business as long as he and A. M.
Morey. In February, 1861, he married Miss Frances S. Tower, a native of Vermont.
They have four children — -Alice, Eddie. Earl and Eugene.
TRUMAN CHAPMAN, farmer, See. 36; P. 0. Maquoketa; is a native
of Warren Co., N. Y\; he grew to manhood there, and came to Iowa in 1863, and located
in Jackson Co., just south of Maquoketa, and engaged in farming and stock-raising ; he
owns a good farm of sixty acres. In June 1872, he mirried Miss Marietta E. Wilcox,
a na'ive of Clinton Co., Iowa. They have two children — one daughter, Luella, and one
son, Harry.
D. C. CLARY, retired, Maquoketa ; is a native of Franklin Co., Vt. ; born Jau.
31,1821; he grew up there, and learned the trade of carriage and wagon making;
after reaching manhood, in April, 1845, he married Miss Jane F. Ballard, of Vermont;
two years after they came to Iowa, and arrived in Jackson Co. June 16, 1817 ; in the
spring of 1848, he began business at Wright's Corners, two miles south of the city,
which then was larger than Maquoketa ; he erected a building for carrying on his
business the following winter, aud at that time it was one of the largest buildings in
Jackson Co. ; Mr. Clary continued his business there until 1856; when he came to
this city he engaged in- business until 1869; afterward engaged in the hardware trade
for a short time, but has retired from active business ; he is one of the oldest business
men in Maquoketa; has held town and school office; Mr. and Mrs. C ary have three
children — -Fred. E., now Postmaster at Sidney, Neb; Lucy A., now Mrs. John Van
Evera, of this city, and Nellie, at home.
HEZEKIAH R. CORNELL, retired, Maquoketa; is a native of New
York City; born Jan. 11, 1811 ; he was brought up in that city and State; he came
624 BIuGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
West to Iowa in 1851, and located in Jackson Co., and engaged in farming for a num
ber of years, then came to Maquoketa and engaged in the drug and grocery trade for
some years. He married Miss Sophia Mayer, of Ohio, in 1859 ; they have had four
children, and lost them all. Mr. Cornell had five children by a former wife — Augusta,
now Mrs Wheaton, of Illinois ; Emetine, now Mrs. Smith, of this county ; Mary, now
Mrs. Armitage, of Indiana ; George, now lives in Amboy ; Nettie, now Mrs. Orcutt.
Mr. Cornell had two sons in the army; Thomas enlisted in Co. A, 9th I. V. I., and
died in the hospital in Memphis; his son George H., during the war, although only 16
years of age, went to the aimy and served in hospital duty, then went to Michgian and
enlisted in a cavalry regiment ; was transferred to the navy, and was wounded ; he after-
ward enlisted in an Indiana regiment, and went with Sherman to the sea, and, while on
a foraging expedition, was taken prisoner and sent to Andersonville ; he afterward
escaped, was recaptured, and, having on a rebel uniform, he was tried as a deserter and
sentenced to be shot, and, on the morning of the day the sentence was to be carried into
execution, a comrade prisoner recognized him and testified to his being a Union soldier,
and so his life was saved ; he was only 19 years of age when he returned from the army,
and now lives in Ambny.
F. W. CRANE, Postmaster, Maquoketa; is a native of Essex Co., N. Y.,
and was born Nov. 20, 1829; he grew up to manhood there; came to Iowa in 1855,
located in Jackson Co. and engaged in farming; continued in that business until 1870,
when he removed here in the city ; he has held the office of Qounty Supervisor, and
was a member of the Board of Supervisors for five years. In March, 1875, he was
appointed to his present office of Postmaster. He married Miss Amoretta Reed, a
native of Essex Co., N. Y., Jan. 1, 1852/; they have three children, all sons — Harlan,
Elmer and Clyde.
GEORGE DAHLKVG, harness-maker, Maquoketa; was born in Ger-
many, Nov. 3,. 1822; he came to America in 1851 ; lived in New Orleans two years,
then went to Dubuque and lived there two years ; came to Maquoketa in 1855, and
engaged in harness-making, and has continued in that business since; "in 1873, he was
burned out ; three of his buildings were burned, and he lost $4,000 ; he has been iD
business longer than any harness-maker in Jackson Co., and has a large trade. He
married Miss Bertha Stender, of Germany, in 1853 ; they have five children — Emma,
Hildah, Willie, George, Alvina ; they have lost two sons.
J. C. DAY, farmer, Sec. 28 ; P. O. Maquoketa ; he was born in Chittenden
Co., Vt., July 5, 1813; came to Jackson Co. and located in Maquoketa; bought the
farm where he now resides in 1867. He married Mary Ripley March 14, 1839 ; they
have had two children, both deceased — Harrison, born March 13, 1841, enlisted in a
regiment of I. V. I., and died from wounds received in the battle of Champion Hills;
Mr. Day owns fifty acres of land, valued at $50 per acre ; in politics a Republican.
JOHN DOSTAE, of the firm of Dostal & Hoffmann, proprietors of the
Maquoketa Brewery, Maquoketa ; is a native of Bohemia, and was born June 24, 1839 ;
he lived there until 15 years of age, and emigrated to America and came to Iowa, and
arrived in Iowa City Aug. 8,, 1854 ; he afterward settled in Jones Co., and lived there
until 1865, when he came to Maquoketa and engaged in the brewery business; he
associated with Mr. Hoffman ; they are both practical business men, r.nd have built up a
good trade, manufacturing from 1,800 to 2,000 barrels annually. Mr. Dostal has held
office of Town Trustee and School Director ; he has served the city as councilman for
the past six years, and still fills that office. He married Miss Anna Fischer, a native of
Bohemia, 'July 11, 1864; they have three children — John, Joseph, Mary.
CHARLES II. DIJNBAR, attorney at law, Maquoketa; is a native of
Charleston, Coles Co., III., and was born Dec. 21, 1833. In 1836, his father removed
to Milwaukee, Wis., and, in 1846, came to Iowa and located in this county, where he
died in 1848 ; the family being broken up, Charles M. lived with John E. Goodenow,
in Maqaoketa, for two years ; he then entered a store as a clerk. In 1.852, he went to
Chicago and toek a course in Bell's Commercial College; on his return, he engaged in
the capacity of clerk and book-keeper, and, during his leisure time turned his attention
MAQUOKETA TOWNSHIP. 625
to the study of the law, and was admitted to the bar in November, 1 858, and since then
has practiced his profession in this county ; he is the senior attorney in practice in this
city ; he has a very lucrative practice, and has accumulated considerable property ; his
law library is the largest and best, in the county. In 1858, he married Miss Charlotte
L. Walker, of New York ; she died March 1, 18G5, leaving one daughter, Emma. In
July, 1S6S, he married Mrs. Myra A. Fiske (formerly Miss Myra A. Shore), a native
of New York ; they have one son — Louis S. Mrs. Dunbar has two children — Ferdima
C. and Charles W. Fiske.
HON. LEWIS B. DUNHAM, Maquoketa. Among the best business
men and successful bankers of Eastern Iowa, is Lewis Brigham Dunham, a native of
Connecticut ; he was born on Oct. 16, 1812, his parents being Lewis Dunham, mer-
chant, and Mary Brigham ; his maternal grandfather was in the Revolutionary army ;
the Dunhams were from England, and the Brighams from Massachusetts ; Lewis spent
his earlier .years in procuring an education, preparing for college at Monson, Mass.,
under the instruction of Rev. Simeon Colton ; was graduated from Union College in
1829 ; he read law at Utica, N. Y., with Judge Beardsley ; traveled through most of
the States of the Union and Canada, and was admitted to the bar in Brookfield, Jeffer-
son Co., Penn., in 1836 ; Mr. Dunham practiced at Brookfield, the county seat, twelve
years ; when David R. Porter was in the gubernatorial chair, was Deputy State's Attorney.
In 1845, he came as far West as Rock Island, III., and spent two years prospecting ;
returning to Pennsylvania, he practiced in Jefferson Co. until the spring of 1856, when
he returned to the West, this time crossing the Mississippi River, and settling at
Maquoketa, Iowa; here, in company with 0. Von Schrader, he started a private bank,
which was subsequently merged into the State Bank of Iowa, and still later into the
First National Bank of Maquoketa. In 1872, Mr. Dunham sold his interest in this
institution and started a bank of his own, the Exchange Bank of Maquoketa, of which
he is Vice President, D. M. Hubbell, President, and his son, L. H. Dunham, Cashier ;
it is a prosperous institution. While a resident of Pennsylvania, in 1842 and 1843,
Mr. Dunham was a member of the State Legislature, representing Jefferson, Warren
and McKcan Cos. ; he was in the Senate of Iowa in the sessions of 1868 and 1870,
he being on the Committees on Banking and Constitutional Amendments. He is a
thoroughly practical business man, and his mature judgment and solid common sense
made him a highly serviceable member of the Iowa General Assembly. Mr. Dunham
was reared in the Jeffersonian school of politics ; was a Jackson boy and a Van BureD
man, casting his first Presidential vote in 1836, and never voting any but the Demo-
cratic ticket. He has a third wife; was first married, in 1831, to Miss Mary Stewart,
of Hartford, Conn., she dying in 1842. His second wife was Miss Techla Von Schrader,
of Clearfield, Penn., married in 1S44, and died in 1846. His present wife was Miss
Mary B. Slcane, of Woostcr, Ohio ; they were married in 1856. Mr. Dunham has
two sons now living, both by his first wife, both married, and both first-class business
men. Frcdric Stewart, the elder, is a merchant in Monticelio, Iowa, and Lewis Hamil-
ton, as has already been intimated, is a banker. Mr. Dunham has been a generous
encourager of the railroads which connect Maquoketa with the metropolitan cities of
the Northwest ; lends a prompt aLd liberal hand in local enterprises generally, and takes
great pride in the growth and prosperity of his adopted home.
LEWIS H. DUNHAM, Cashier of the Exchange Bank, Maquoketa; is
a native of Jefferson Co., Penn., and is a son of Hon. Lewis B. Dunham, of the
Exchange Bank ; he was born May 5, 1837, and he grew up and attended school there ;
after completing his education and arriving at manhood, he came to Jackson Co. and
located at Maquoketa ; he afterward entered the First National Bank and remained for
five years; he held the office of Deputy County Treasurer for two years and has also
held the office of City Treasurer ; he has been connected with the Exchange Bauk for
the past seven years, occupying the position of Cashier. In 1874, he was united in
marriage to Miss Julia Brown, a native of Little Falls, N. Y.; they have no children!
(iJEOKGE W. EARLK, farmer, Maquoketa; is a native of Essex Co.,
N. Y., and was born June 9, 1824; he is a son of William Y. Earle, an old and
626 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
honored citizen of Maquoketa; George W.came with his parents to Jackson Co. in 1840,
and remembers very clearly the privations and incidents of pioneer life ; after reaching
manhood, in 1850 he went to California, remained there three years and returned in
1853 ; since then he has most of the time been engaged in farming and stock-rais-
ing ; he owns a good farm of 146 acres, only a short distance from town. In February,
1860, he married Miss Helen M. Prime, of Vermont ; they have four children — E.
George, Virginia, Florence, Lena.
W. Y. EAKLE, retired, Maquoketa; is a native of Windsor Co., Vt.; was
born July 19, 1796 ; he removed to Essex Co., N. Y., in 1820 ; lived there about sev-
enteen years; removed to Ohio in 1838 ; he came to Iowa and located in Jackson Co.;
arrived here Oct. 9, 1840 ; during the following winter, he threshed 700 bushels of
wheat, with oxen tramping it out ; he was engaged in farming for many years ; he has
held the offices of Town Trustee, Assessor, Justice of the Peace and School Fund Com-
missioner ; Mr. Earle is over 83 years of age, retains his faculties and is as active as most
men twenty years younger. He married Miss Amelia Adams, a native of Chester, Vt.,
Dec. 31, 1819 ; they have seven children living — William Y., in Missouri; Fred W.,
in California ; George W., at home; Catherine, in Clinton Co.; Susan, lives here;
Warren, California ; Hattie lives in Monticollo ; two children died — Judson and Lizzie.
Very few families in Iowa have furnished as many teachers as that of Mr. Earle; seven
of his children have been engaged in teaching school.
J. P. E ATOjV, contractor and builder of railroads ; is a native of Windham
Co., Conn.; after reaching manhood, he engaged in farming and manufacturing; in
1855, he came to Iowa, located in Jackson Co. and engaged in building railroads ; he
was elected to the State Legislature, and served two sessions; Mr. Eaton has been
here over twenty-four years engaged in railroad building on the Iowa Central, the Dubuque
& Southwestern, the Davenport & St. Paul and the Iowa Midland railroads ; ho lias
been very actively identified with the interests of this town and county and with rail-
road interests through this section of the State ; he was President of the School Board
and City Alderman. He married Miss Martha C. Brown, a native of Vermont ; her
father, James Brown, was one of the earliest settlers of that State ; Mr. and Mrs. Eaton
have five children — Joseph, William, Sybil, Martha and Frank.
S. Li. EDDY, retired, Maquoketa; is a native of Chester Co., Vt., and was
born July 31, 1816; he was raised in Windsor Co., at Saxton's River; he served
apprenticeship to the tailor's trade at Bellows Falls; he worked four years, his average
pay being $30 a year and he clothed himself. After reaching manhood, he married
Miss Martha A. Seaver, a native of Saxton's River, Windsor Co., Vt., on Sept. 30,
1837; the following year, they removed to Livingston Co., N. Y.; they lived in that
State until 1853 ; on account, of the ill health of Mr. Eddy, they came to Iowa and
located in Maquoketa and bought eighty acres of land where they now live, and, the
following year, he built upon it; they have lived here ever since; it is one of the most
attractive locations in or around the city ; Mr. Eddy has been engaged in farming for a
number of years ; besides his city property, he owns two good farms ; when he began
life, after he had learned his trade, he only had $5.02 in money. Mr. and
Mrs. Eddy have had five children, three of whom survive — William S , living on
his father's farm ; Clifford S., farming in Nebraska, and Mattie, at home; they lost two
children — Willard and Mary Alice; Willard was a young man of unusual promise and
recognized ability, and was editor of the Excelsior for some years before his death.
DANIEL. T. FARB, farmer, Sees. 9, 10, 15 and 16; P. O. Maquoketa;
he was born in Seneca Co., N. I., Jan. 6, 1826 ; he went to Canada West in early
life, where he remained nine years ; came thence to Maquoketa and located on the farm
where he has since resided. Married Anna Haines Jan. 26,1846; she was burn in
Canada Aug. 24, 1827 ; they have had eight children, six are living — Candace M.,
born Sept. 13, 1847; Bethel M., April 9,' 1850 ; Harmon S., Dec. 12, 1853; Emma
E., Dec. 27, 1855; Edgar C, Jan. 11, 1858 ; Charles W., March 15, I860. He
was elected County Supervisor in 1861 ; was Justice of the Peace eight years; was
County Supervisor from 1874 to 1877 ; owns 460 acres and has the finest set of farm
buildings in this part of the county ; value, $40 per acre. Democrat.
MAQUOKETA TOWNSHIP. OHy
A. FELLOWS, of the firm of A. Fellows & Co., druggists, Main St.,
Maquoketa ; is a Dative of Carroll Co., N. H., and was born Jan. 1, 1824; his parents
came West to Illinois, and settled at Dixon, when he was 1 1 years of age ; in the fall of
1852, he came to Jackson Co., and located at Bellevue ; in the spring of 1853, he came
here and started the first drug store in Maquoketa ; he was appointed Postmaster by
President Lincoln, and held the office for twelve years ; he has also held the office of
Mayor of Maquoketa, and other town and school offices. He married Miss Harriet
McDowell, of New York, in 1844. They have two children — Miranda, wife of Rev.
E. K. Young, of Cedar Falls ; Charles A., in the store with his father.
DEXTER FIELD, of the firm of Field & Sutherland, bakery, confectionery
and restaurant ; is a native of Brattleboro, Windham Co., Vt.; was born Feb. 7, 1827 ;
he came to Iowa in the spring of 1853, and engaged in the nursery business ; he con-
tinued that until 1859, then went to California, aud returned in December, 1861 ; he
engaged in the bakery and confectionery business in February, 1S76; their store and
business was destroyed by fire, and the same year he and his partner, Mr. Sutherland,
built the Centennial Block, where they are now located, one of the finest buildings on
Main street. He has held office in the City Council and School Board. In 1856, he
married Miss S. E. Millard, of Canada. They have two sons and four daughters —
Anna, now Mrs. Edson ; Emma, Jenuie, Lewis, Kate, Fred.
DR. D. L. I. FLANDERS, physician and surgeon, Maquoketa; was
born in New Hampshire Feb. 25, 1S24; came to Jackson Co. in 1848; remained two years,
and went to Michigan, where he remained twenty-seven years, and returned to Jackson
Co. two years ago, where he now resides. Married Julia A. Chandler, daughter of Gen.
Samuel Chandler (who came to Jackson Co. in 1843), June 14, 1853 ; she was born
March 31, 1831. They have three children, Francis W., born March 21, 1854 ; Mary
E., Jan. 15, 1856 ; Ann E., Jan. 9, 1865, all born in Michigan. He has been in
medical practice thirty years. Mrs. Flanders is a Methodist ; he is an Adventist ;
Greenbacker. They own and occupy the old homestead of Gen. Chandler.
ADAH W. FLATHERS, buying and shipping stock, Maquoketa ; is a
native of Montgomery Co., Ind.; was born Nov. 9, 1841 ; his parents came to Iowa in
1842, and located in Jackson Co.; he was brought up on a farm, north of Maquoketa ;
in 1861, he enlisted, when only 19 years of age, in the 2d I. V. C. Co. M ; he was in
a great many fights and skirmishes, and served three years ; after his return from the
service, he engaged in farming; since 1874, he has been engaged in the stock business,
buying and shipping. He married Miss Eliza J. Priaulx, a native of Ohio, Feb. 22,
1866. They have three children — Rosa Belle, Edward and Lydia Winifred.
D. A. FLETCHER, attorney at law, Maquoketa ; is a native of Essex Co.,
N. Y., and was born May 18, 1S31 ; he received his early education there, and then
entered the University of Vermont, at Burlington, where he remained five years, and
graduated in 1852 ; he taught school for a time, and then went South aud engaged in
teaching for two years, and began reading law ; he returned to New York and completed
his law studies, and was admitted to the bar in 1855 ; the following year, in March.
1856, he came to Iowa, located at Maquoketa, and engaged in the practice of law,
When the war broke out, he took charge of the public schools here, and occupied that
position in all about six years ; he was elected Superintendent of Schools of Jackson ( 'o.,
and served in that position for four years ; he has also held the offices of City Attorney
and President of the School Board. He married Miss Martha Megee, a native of
Tennessee, in 1854. They have four children — Minnie B.. Herirv J., Dean and Charlie.
GEORGE W. FOLTZ, farmer, Sec. 2 ; P. 0. Andrew; he was burn in
Wayne Co., Ohio, Sept. 17, 1816 ; came to Iowa in 1842; he bought and occupied
the farm where he is now located, in 1S52, and has remained there since. Married
Kittie Ann Zimmerman Sept. 12, 1839 ; she was born June 13. 1818, in Pennsylvania :
owns eighty acres of excellent land ; value per acre, §30. His wife is a member of the
Christian Church. Democrat.
F. 11. FORT, attorney at law; was born in Monmouth Township, Jackson
Co., Nov. 9, 1848 ; he is a son of S. I), and Elizabeth Fort : they came to Jackson Co.
630 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
in 1846, and were among the early settlers; educated at the Iowa State University; he
studied .law at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Mich., and graduated from
the Law Department of that institution in March, 1871, and since then he has prac-
ticed his profession here. He has held offices of City Solicitor, Secretary of the School
Board. On the 4th of June, 1878, he married Miss Emma Wynkoop, of Bellevue,
Jackson Co. ; she is a daughter of the late N. T. Wynkoop, of Bellevue.
W. H. FORT, Superintendent of Schools of Jackson Co., Maquoketa; is a
native of Iowa; born in Cedar Co. Oct. 28, 1845; his parents came to Jackson Co.
the following year, in 1S4G, where he grew up and received a common-school education ;
in the spring of 1865, he entered Lombard University at Galesburg, 111., and remained •
two years and a half, and then entered the State University at Iowa City, where he
completed his scientific course; in 1869, he went South and engaged in teaching for a
short time; in spring of 1872, he became Principal of the graded school at Wyoming;
he was afterward elected Principal of the public schools both in this city and De Witt.
In 1875, engaged in the mercantile business at Monmouth, and continued until 1877,
when he was elected to his present position as Superintendent of Schools of Jackson
Co. ; he has filled the office acceptably to all. On September 1, 1874, he married Miss
Carrie M. Thompson, of Conneautville, Penn,
B. B. FRASE, of the firm of Sargent, Smith & Co., agents and dealers in
agricultural implements and farm machinery ; is a native of Wayne Co., Ohio, and was
born Oct. 26, 1842 ; he grew up to manhood there, and, when 18 years of age, at the
breaking-out of the war, he enlisted in the 16th 0. V. I., Co. B, under Col. DeCour-
cey; he was in a number of battles ; he was wounded at Vicksburg, when the 10th
Ohio Regiment went in the charge with 1,009 men, and only 253 could answer at roll-
call the following morning ; after serving over three years, he enlisted as a veteran, and
served under Gen. Kilpatrick in the cavalry service, and was with Sherman in his
march to the sea and through the Carolinas ; after the war, he returned to Ohio, and
held the position of foreman for eight years for J. F. Seiberling & Co., manufacturers
of reapers and mowers, at Akron ; for four years, he held the position of general agent
of Iowa. Nebraska and Dakota for the same firm, for the sale of their machines; he
came to Des Moines, Iowa, in 1869, and lived there until September, 1874, when he
came to Maquoketa, and since then has been engaged in business here. He has held
office of Town Trustee and City Councilman. In 1867, he was united in marriage
to Miss Sophia P. Rahm, a native of Wooster, Wayne Co., Ohio ; they have three
children — Neddie O, George D. and Harry B.
H. B. FRENCH, dealer in pianos, organs and musical instruments, and
Justice of the Peace, Main street, Maquoketa ; is a native of Franklin Co., Vt. ; born
June 19, 1825; lived thereuntil 20 years of age; in 1846, he came to Illinois; taught
school there one year, and, in 1847, he came to Maquoketa and engaged in teaching;
he taught the first writing-school ever taught in Maquoketa ; he was engaged in the
drug aud grocery trade for a number of years. He has held office of Justice of the
Peace for the past eight years, and has also served in the City Council, Town Clerk and
Town Trustee. He built the block where he carries on business on Main street, in
1876 ; when he began life, he had very little ; he owns, beside his business block, six
houses, and pays taxes on 1,000 acres of land. In 1848, he married Diantha Truax,
from Canada; they have five children — -Charles E., Hiram E., Harlow S., Ella B.,
Willie R.
K. (wOHEMANN, manager of the Maquoketa City Tannery, Maquoketa ;
was born in Clinton Co., Iowa, Sept. 15, 1861 ; he grew up there and in Sabula, where
he attended school, and afterward entered a store as clerk, where he remained some
years ; in 1877, he came to Maquoketa, and took charge of his father's tannery. They
manufacture calf-skins, harness leather and upper leather of excellent quality, and are
doing a good business.
'JOHN E. <iOODENOW, the father of Maquoketa, as he is called by
the early settlers, is a native of Vermont; born in Springfield, Windsor Co., March 21!,
1812; his parents were Timothy and Betsey (White) Goodenow ; the Whites were
MAQUOKETA TOWNSHIP. 631
descen lents from Peregrine White, the first chilil born after the Mayflower landed at
Plymouth ; it is a numerous family in this country. Timothy Goodenow moved to
Warren Co., N. Y., when John E. was only S years of age, and there the son remained,
tilling land with his father, until he reached his majority — attending the district school
a short time each winter season ; he bought a canal-boat, and ran it on the Northern
Canal, between Burlington, Vermont, Albany and New York, until the close of nav-
igation, in 1837, and during the winter following, started for the West with a four-
horse team, driving it more than a thousand miles; he crossed the Mississippi, on ice.
March 10, 1838, and being delayed by high water, did not reach the spot where
Maquoketa now stands until the 19th; it was then a wild, open prairie, with no
improvement or human habitation in sight, though there were a few families in the
township ; here Mr. Goodenow squatted on 160 acres of land, which did not come into
market till six years later, and he was a sovereign, so far as he was conscious of any
civil power; he put up a log cabin with the greatest possible dispatch, and that spring
planted three acres of sod corn, realizing a light crop ; the next season, he fenced his
whole quarter-section, and broke forty or fifty acres of it; this being done, and not
being partial to a bachelor's life in the wilderness, he returned to Warren Co., N, Y.,
and on the 3d day of October, 1839, received the hand, having long before had the
heart, of Miss Eliza Wright, of Bolton ; before starting on their bridal tour, leading to
the land of rattlesnakes and ague, Mr. Goodenow became ill. and was not able to leave
Eastern New York until after navigation had closed, so instead of bringing his young
bride to her new home on the Maquoketa by water, he purchased a span of horses,
and started with both sleigh and wagon, sometimes using one, and sometimes the other.
They had relatives on the route, in Western New York, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan ;
made several visits; were nine weeks on the road, and had, on the whole, a pleasant
wedding trip; once they took the wrong track in Carroll Co., 111., and found themselves
on the open prairie, eight or ten miles east of the Mississippi River, with no house in
sight, and the. shades of night gathering around them; their team was fatigued; they
were at the end of a road ; and, although the weather was decidedly wintry, they con-
cluded to camp out ; they had plenty of covering ; secured the horses, made a couch
in the wagon-box, and supperless, went to bed. Many years afterward, the writer of
this sketch heard Mrs. Goodenow remark, that when she saw that it was impracticable
to try to find a shelter that night, she had a mind to have a good cry, but cheered up,
and she still smiles at the novelty of their bridal bed ; like Mrs. Wilkins Micawber, who
resolved that she never would leave her husband, Mrs. Goodenow never did.
They reached their home in the Western clearings in February, and for thirty eight
years have remained on this beautiful town site ; in addition to farming, Mr. Goodenow
soon found that he must accommodate travelers, and opened his log house as an inn —
building a frame house in 1846, and a brick house two or three years later; most of
the time, up to a recent date, he has kept a public house, and few landlords, in the
State of Iowa, have been longer, and more generally known, or have more friends ;
with money, or without it, no person was ever turned away by Mr. Goodenow, on
account of the condition of his finances ; kinder hearted, or more hospitable people than
he and his wife, it would be difficult to find in this State or any other. As early as
1S44, Mr. Goodenow made up his mind that Maquoketa was a good site for a town,
and the way to make a town was to build houses, and hold out inducements for settlers
to locate here, he donating lots for all public purposes; at that time, he commenced
building, and nearly every year since that date has witnessed his enterprise in that
line ; in this respect, he has been the foremost man in the place, for more than thirty
years ; in enterprise of every kind, likely to advance the interests of his home, he has
been a leader ; he early took an interest in railroads, and has been a Director for more
than twenty years — some part of the time of roads that were never built — two are now
running into the city. Mr. Goodenow was the first Postmaster of Maquoketa, the
office at first being called Springfield, and established in 1843 ; prior to that date, the
nearest office was at Bellevue, twenty miles distant; he was Assessor of Jackson Co.
one year ; the first Mayor in the city, serving, at different times, three years, and a
bdti BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
member of the General Assembly, in the session of 1849 and 1850. He has always
been a Democrat, but not a bitter partisan. He belongs to the Grand Lodge of Odd
Fellows ; Mr. Goodenow is the father of eight children, seven of them still living ; the
second child, a daughter, Carlotta, died on ttfe 23d of October, 1863, aged 20 years;
Osceola, the eldest son, is married, and lives in Maquoketa ; Mary L., is the wife of D.
H.Anderson, of Maquoketa ; Emma, of George B. Perham, printer, Chicago; and
Helen C., of Frederick S. Linker, of Maquoketa. Alice, George and Winfield Scott
are unmarried, and live at home. Mr. Goodenow has added to his lands and other
property, from time to time ; is no less industrious than he was forty years ago, and he
has lived, to see rise around him. one of the most solidly built and thriving little cities
in Eastern Iowa; it is almost needless to say, that no man has done as much as he, to
make Maquoketa what it is.
CHARLES P. GORDON, blacksmith, Maquoketa ; is a native of Dela-
ware Co., Ohio; was born Dec. 27, 1819 ; he was brought up and learned his trade in
Huron Co. ; he came to Jackson Co., arrived at Maquoketa Oct. 11, 1842, and began
working ;\i his trade ; he built a log shop where Mitchell's store now stands, and lias
continued the business ever since, for thirty-nine years ; his shop is now the oldest in the
county ; there is not a man doing business in Maquoketa now who was here when he
came ; he has held the office of Justice of the Peace and City Councilman. He mar-
ried Miss Oriette Livermore, a native of New York, in June, 1840; they have nine
children — Sophronia, Frank C., Harriet, Lottie, Nellie, Ida, William O, Ora, George L.
SAMUEL C. GRANT, farmer, Sec. 6 ; P. O. Maquoketa; born in Ma-
quoketa Township Sept. 22, 1847, and has always resided in this township. Married
Emma C. Wright in 1872 ; she was born in Addison Co., Vt., March 4, 1855 ; they
have one child — Bertie S., born March 6, 1873; he owns forty acres of land, valued
at $25 per acre ; they are members of the M. E. Church ; in politics, Democrat.
W. C. GREGORY, County Auditor and attorney at law, of the firm of
Gregory & Blanchard ; is a native of Walworth Co., Wis., and was born Dec. 9, 1844;
he lived there until coming to Iowa; he located in Jackson Co., and engaged in farming
until 1869; removed to Andrew, the county seat, and began reading law with B. F.
Thomas; in 1871, he entered the Auditor's office as Deputy, and afterward served as
Deputy Clerk: removed to Maquoketa in May, 1875, and was admitted to the bar in
1877 ; in that year he was elected County Auditor; he has also held town and school
offices. In March, 1864, he married Miss Sarah R. Bell, a native of Ohio ; they have
two children — Fred. C. and James W.
H. B. GRIFFIN, farmer and dealer in agricultural implements, of the firm of
Morris & Griffin, Sec. 31; P. 0. Maquoketa; was born in Warren Co., N. Y., May
12, 1S27; he came to Jackson Co. in 1846, and located soon after on the farm, where
he still resides. He married Miss Mary Wright in 1856; she was born in Warren
Co., N. Y., in 1833 ; they have had four children, one living— Ella A. ; he owns a fine
farm of 240 acres, valued at $40 per acre ; his wife is a member of the M. E. Church !
he was Town Trustee five years ; is a Democrat.
JOHN R. GRIFFIN, Recorder of Jackson Co., Maquoketa; is a native
of Queensbury, Warren Co., N. Y., and was born May 8, 1828; he came to Iowa in
May, 1846, and located in Maquoketa; there were only a few shanties here then ; he
engaged as clerk in a store ; was afterward engaged in the produce business ; he was
elected Recorder of Jackson Co. in 1872 ; reelected in 1874, 1876 and 1878, and is now
serving his seventh year in this office. In 1 850, lyLmsitried Miss Susan M. Knox, a
native of Warren Co., N. Y.; she is a direct descendant of Gen. Knox, of Revolution-
ary fame ; they have two children — Ida E and Charles E.
P. H. GRIFFIN, physician and surgeon, Maquoketa ; is a native of West-
moreland Co., Penn.; born April 1, 1818 ; he lived in Kentucky, and received his educa-
tion there, then studied medicine, and graduated at the Eclectic Institute, at Cincinnati.
in 1848; he came to Davenport, Iowa, in 1834, and practiced one year, and the follow-
ing year (1855 ) he came to Maquoketa, and since then has practiced his profession
here. Oct. 16, 1855, he married Mrs. Naomi A. Hayes, formerly Gilruth, daughter of
MAQUOKETA TOWNSHIP. G33
Rev. James Gilruth, of Davenport. Iowa. Dr. Griffin has held the office of City
Alderman, and has practiced his profession longer than any physician here.
J. C. GLILFOIL, Clerk of the Courts of Jackson Co., Maquoketa; is a
native of Mercer Co., Penn., and was born Aug. 11, 1843; his parents came to Iowa
when he was only 4 years of age, in 1847, and located in Jackson Co. ; he attended
school here, completed his education in Ohio, and afterward engaged in teaching ; in
1871, he entered the law office of George C. Hebberling, of Sabula, and commenced
reading law ; remained there five years ; was admitted to the bar in January, 1875 ; in
October of the same year was appointed Deputy Sheriff, and, in the fall of 1870, was
elected Clerk of the Courts of Jackson Co. ; he has also held the offices of Town
Clerk, Township Trustee, Justice of the Peace, and Secretary of the School Board. He
married Miss Carrie M. Kelsey, a native of Racine, Wis., May 24, 1876; they have
one daughter — Elizabeth E.
FRED GURU'S, of the firm of Gurius Bros., dealers in fresh and salt
meats, Piatt street, Maquoketa ; is a native of Holstein, Germany, and was born March
29, 1840 ; his parents emigrated to America when he was only 16 years of age ; when
the war broke out, he enlisted, in 1861, in the 2d Mo. V. I., Co. I; he came to Jack-
son Co. and located in Maquoketa in the spring of 1S70, and, since then, he has been
engaged, with his brother, in his present business, and they do a leading trade. He
married Miss Anna Banderob, a native of Holstein, Germany, April 15, 1864; they
have six children — Dora, Ida, George, Fred, Eddie, Anna, and have lost two children.
WILLIAM GlRIl'S, of the firm of Gurius Bros., dealers in fresh and
salted meats, Piatt street, Maquoketa; is a native of Germany, and was born June 1,
1846 ; his parents emigrated to America when he was only 10 years of age ; they came
to Davenport, Iowa ; he grew up to manhood in this State ; he went out to the moun-
tains, and was in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona ; in 1867, he went to Wheatland,
Clinton Co., and lived there until 1870, when he came to Maquoketa, and since then
he has been engaged, with his brother, in their present business, and they have built up
a successful trade; he holds the office of City Councilman. In December, 1869, he
married Katrina Wendelborn, from Cedar Co., Iowa; they have one daughter — Arella,
and one adopted daughter — Adella ; they have lost three children.
J. C. HARRIS, proprietor of the Novelty Carriage Works, Main street,
Maquoketa ; is a native of Canada ; he attended school and received his education in
the city of Buffalo; he learned the blacksmith trade in New York; came to Iowa and
located in Maquoketa ; commenced working at his trade, and continued for some years,
and then added a building to his shop for carrying on woodwork, and engaged in man-
ufacturing carriages and buggies ; has built up an established trade ; has been in the
business longer than any one now here ; when he began life, he had nothing ; he now
owns Harris' Opera House, corner Piatt and Main streets, one of the finest opera houses
in the West, with a seating capacity of 1,000; also the property where he carries on
his business, and other city property. In October, 1877, he married Miss Sophia
Majors, of Maquoketa.
CHARLES H. HASKELL, farmer, Sec. 9 ; P. O. Maquoketa ; he was
born in Maquoketa Township Oct. 6, 1851, and has resided in the township ever since.
He married Mary A. Small Feb. 1, 1879; she was born in Perry Township, Jackson
Co., Aug. 24, 1858. He is the present Assessor of Maquoketa Township; his parents,
H. G. and Eliza Haskell, were among the early settlers of this county, dating each to
1840 and 1841 ; lived here from that time and died here. He owns 160 acres of land,
valued at $30 per acre ; Republican.
A. G. HEXDERSON, a native of Franklin Co., Penn. ; was born Jan. 4,
1823; when 11 years of age, his parents came to Illinois and located at Pekin, Taze-
well Co., where he began to learn the printer's trade; in 1838, he went to Springfield,
111., where he finished learning his trade and lived until the spring of 1843 ; then went
to Ogle Co. and began publishing the Rock River Register ; he afterward sold out his
interest and removed to Galena; in January. 1846. he engaged in mercantile business
in Wisconsin. He married Miss Sarah Ann Barrow, a native of Madisou Co., 111.,
634 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
Oct. G, 1846. In October, 18-19, he went to California, and returned in March, 1851 ;
in 1853, he moved to Dubuque and bought one-half interest in the Dubuque Tribune;
in December, 1854, he came to Maquoketa and has lived here twenty-five years; he
enlisted, in August, 1852, in the 31st I. V. I., and was commissioned First Lieutenant,
Co. F; he was wounded before Vicksburg May 22, 1863; he resigned his commission
Sept. 22, 1864 ; he has held the offices of Alderman, Town Clerk, etc. Mr. and Mrs.
Henderson have five children— John T., Matilda E., Sarah A., James A. and Anna G.
Ii. S. Hllili, of the firm of Shirey & Hill, bakers and confectioners, corner
Main and Flatt streets, Maquoketa; is a native of Manchester, N. H. ; born March 25,
1858 ; he lived in that State until 10 years of age ; he came to Lanark, Carroll Co., 111.,
where he learned the printing business ; in May, 1879, he came to Maquoketa and
became associated with Mr. Charles Shirey in their present business ; they have one of
the best locations in the city, and by close attention to the interests of their business,
they are building up a good trade.
A. S. HODGE, dental surgeon, Main street, Maquoketa ; is a native of
Lewis Co., N. Y. ; was born Oct. 14, 1834 ; after reaching manhood, he started Weft,
intending to locate in Wisconsin ; came here, was pleased with the place, and settled
here Nov. 24, 1 855 ; he studied dentistry with Dr. J. G. Dearborn ; after completing
his studies he bought out Dr. Dearborn, and engaged in the practice of his profession,
and for many years was the' only dentist here ; when he began he had nothing, but by
strict attention to his profession he has built up a large practice. In 1872, he built the
fine brick block on Main street, where his offices are now located. In 1860, he married
Miss Maria Bentley, a native of New York ; they have two children— Lorenzo Delos
and Mary Estella.
AUGUST HOFFMANN, of the firm of Dostal & Hoffmann, proprietors
of the Maquoketa Brewery, Maquoketa ; is a native of Bavaria, Germany, and was
born Sept. 28, 1833; he came to America in 1854; lived in Peoria and St. Louis a
number of years; came to Jackson Co., and located in Maquoketa in 1866; he engaged
in the brewery business ; it is the only brewery here, and they manufacture from 1,800
to 2,000 barrels yearly. In 1867, Mr. Hoffmann married Louise Bouck, a native of
Dubuque ; they have two children — Julia and Emil ; lost one son.
I>. M. HUBBELL, President of the Exchange Bank. Maquoketa; is a
native of Warren Co., N. Y. ; ' after reaching manhood, he learned the trade of ax
making; in 1844, he came West and selected lands, and, in April, 1855, he came to
Jackson Co., located permanently, and engaged in dealing in land and loaning money ;
he and Dr. Schrader and Mr. Dunham established the State' Bank here, which was
afterward organized under the National Banking system and Mr. Hubbell was chosen
its President ; they decided a few years ago to discontinue under the National Bank
Act, and to continue the banking business, under the name of the Exchange Bank.
Mr. Hubbell began life without anything, and owes his success to his own efforts and
good management ; he has held the office of Mayor. He married Julia Fuller, from
Warren Co., N. Y. ; they have one son— D. M. Hubbell, Jr., who lives just west of
town on one of the finest farms in Jackson Co.
GEORGE A. ISBELL, of the firm of Isbeil & Cates, dealers in pianos
and organs, and sewing machines, Maquoketa; is a native of Jackson Co., Iowa, and
was born in Bellevue, Sept. 8, 1848; he grew up in this county, mostly at La Motte
where he attended school until 14 years of age, when he entered Cornell College, where
he remained for five years, graduating in 1871 ; he also graduated in music, and is an
accomplished musician ; since then he has been engaged in the music business. He
also carries on the harness-making business, on Main street, and is building up a good
trade. He is connected with the Masonic Order, and is Master of Helion- Lodge, No.
36. In October, 1873, he was united in marriage to Miss Eva Carter, a native of
Syracuse, N. Y. ; they have one son — Frank Eugene; they have lost one son —
Zuri Alberto.
O. W. JOINER, of the firm of Joiuer Bros., dealers in lumber, sash, doors,
and blinds, Maquoketa; is a native of Essex Co., N. Y. ; born June 7, 1839 ; he grew
MAQUOKETA TOWNSHIP. 635
up to manhood and lived there until coming to Iowa ; in 1869 he lived in Davenport
one year, came to Maquoketa and engaged in the lumber business, and the firm of
Joiner Bros., are doing a large trade. He has held the office of Town Trustee of South
Fork Township. He'married Miss Emma A. Gold, of Essex Co., N. Y.
JOHN JONES, farmer, Sec. 3; P. O. Maquoketa; he was born in
Stark Co., Ohio, Feb. 2, 1814; came to Jackson Co. and bought the farm where he
has since resided, in 1855 ; he married hllizabeth G. Rahrn Oct. 25, 1838 ; she was
born in Dauphin Co., Penu., Sept. 1, 1S16 ; they have had eight children— Henry A.,
Rhoda E., Amos B., Sophie C, John M., William F.. Ida M., Louisa S. Owns liid
acres of land, valued at $30 per acre. Mrs. Jones is a member of the Baptist Church ;
he is a Republican.
W. H. LOOFBOIIROW, photograph artist, corner Piatt and Main streets,
Maquoketa ; is a native of Mineral Point, Wis. He was brought up there ; he learned
his business in Illinois ; spent five years in the Rocky Mountains. He came here the
present year, and engaged in business, and is building up a good business.
S. D. JLYMAN, attorney and counselor at law, of the firm of S. D. Lyman &
Son ; is a native of Sharon, Litchfield Co., Conn. At an early age, his parents removed
to Oneida Co., N. Y. He came to Iowa, and arrived in Jackson Co. April 1, 1856 ;
he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1859, and since then he has practiced
his profession here. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace, and town and school
offices. He married Miss Julia House, a native of Northhampton, Mass. They have
two children living — John II., living in Topeka, Kan. ; Frank D., practicing law with
his father. They have lost three children — Charles H., Helen C. and Mary E. Charles
H. was in the army; he enlisted in the 9th I. V. I., was wounded at the battle of
Chattanooga, and died in 1868.
JOSEPH McCLOY, farming and milling, Maquoketa; he was born in
County Antrim, Ireland, about lSt)8 ; came to the United States in lS23,and to Jack-
son Co. in 1842, and settled on the farm where he now resides. He married Phoebe
S. Bellows Feb. 18, '. 82S; she was born in New Hampshire. They had five children.
She died Feb. 28, 1871. He married Mrs. Catherine L. Barton May 7, 1872 ; she was
born in New Hampshire. He owns forty acres of land, situated just at the city limits;
value, $100 per acre. Himself and wife are members of the Cougregational Church ;
he is a Republican.
JAMES McPEAK, farmer, Sees. 15. 22 and 23; P. 0. Maquoketa; born
in Tennessee Jan. 21, 1800 ; came to Jackson Co. in 1845, where he has since remained.
Married Rebecca Crowder July 31, 1835 ; she was born in Kentucky. They have had
fifteen children, eleven living — William, born Aug. 19, 1837; Andrew J., April 12,
1839; Martilla, July 23, 1840; Mary Ann, Jan. 29, 1844; Sarah E., Nov. 24, 1845 ;
Calvin, Nov. 4, 1847; Matilda, Oct. 17, 1849; Alexander C, March 1, 1851; Amelia
M., March 27, 1853; Charles, May 16, 1854; Artie Gano, May 10, 1859. Owns 150
acres; value, S15 per acre. Both belong to the Christian Church; Democrat. One
son, A. J. McPeak, enlisted in the army in the late war; served three years, and was
honorably discharged.
31. MAJORS, dealer in general produce. Main street, Maquoketa ; is a native
of Sterling, Whiteside Co., 111., and was born June 13, 1842; came to Iowa and located
in Maquoketa, in 1871, and engaged in buying and shipping butter, eggs and poultry;
carries on a large business. Hs ships butter and eggs to the Eastern, Southern and
Western markets ; his poultry he ships largely to the Pacific Coast, to San Francisco.
In November, 1S64, he married Miss Hattie Chapin, of Prophetstown, Whiteside
County, 111. They have three children — Edith, Lida, Reubie. Lost one daughter,
Nettie.
EL.I T. M ARLOW, farmer, Sees. 25 and 26 ; P. O. Maquoketa ; was born
in Maryland Aug. 9, 1827 ; he went to Pennsylvania with his father's family, where he
remained about twenty years ; came thence to Jackson Co. in 1854, where he has since
reside I. Married Eliza J. Blakely in 1858 ; she was born in Pennsylvania. They had
five children, four are living — Florence. David, Edgar and Eunice. His wife died in
636 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
1865. He married Miss Margaret Richie in 1868. They have three children — Alice,
Albert and Frederic. He owns 350 acres of land ; value, $25 per acre. Democrat.
Cir. S. MARTIN, physician and druggist, Main street, Maquoketa ; is a native
of Hamilton Co., Ohio ; he was brought up in that State, and studied medicine ; after
completing his medical studies, he practiced medicine in Indiana one year. In Septem-
ber, 1848, he came to Jackson Co., Iowa; came by wagon, and was one month on the
way , he settled at La Motte, and engaged in the practice of medicine. While living
there, in 1851, he married Miss Lydia Wright, a native of New York ; they lived in
La Motte six years, then came to Maquoketa and engaged in the practice of medicine,
and has continued since then ; since 1865, he has carried on the drug business. They
attend the Baptist Church, Dr. Martin having been a consistent member of this
Church since 1843.
J. K. 1UEEARD, retired; is a native of Sussex Co., N. J., and was born
Feb. 27, 1803 ; when only 7 years of age, he went to Canada, and he was brought up
there ; he came to Iowa and located in Jackson Co. in 1850, and engaged in farming
for four years ; then came to Maquoketa. and engaged in buying and selling land and
farming. He held the office of Mayor of the first city in Jackson Co., and has also
held other town and school offices. In 1830, he married Miss Elizabeth Hopkins, a
native of New Jersey; she died Aug. 2, 1877, leaving five children — -Ezra, President
of National Bank in Omaha ; Hannah, now living in Carson City, Nev. ; Sabrina, now
Mrs. Dexter Field of this city ; Joseph, Cashier of National Bank in Omaha, now in
Europe ; Emma, now Mrs. A. J. House, of this city.
W. C JIOFFATT, dealer in groceries and provisions, Main street, Maquo-
keta ; is a native of Canada, and was born Nov. 8, 1817 ; he grew up to manhood there;
he came to the States and lived in Maine and Massachusetts five years ; he came to Illi-
nois and lived in Boone and Bureau Cos., and came to Iowa and located in Jackson
Co. in 1855, and began working at the trade of carpenter and joiner ; he continued in
the building business for some years, and has been engaged in the mercantile business
for the past eight years. He married Sylvia Tillottson, a native of Pennsylvania; they
have three children — Alice J., Grace, Fred W. Mr. Moffatt has one daughter (Ellen
E.) by a former wife.
H. P. MORSE, miller; P. O. Maquoketa; born in Monroe Co., Mich., Oct.
1, 1838 ; he came to Jackson Co. in 1865, where he has since resided. Married Mary
0. Turner in 1861. They have two children — Ed. L. and G. O. They have one
adopted child — MayM. His wife is a member of the Presbyterian Church ; Republican.
ANDREW M. 3IOREY, carpenter and builder, Maquoketa; is a native
of Caledonia Co., Vt., and was born June 6, 1827. When very young, his parents
removed to Cortland Co., N. Y. He grew up to manhood in that State, and learned the
trade of carpenter and joiner. He came to Iowa and located in Maquoketa in March,
1 854, and began working at his trade. There is no one working here now at the bus-
iness, that has been engaged in building as long as he and S. F. Brown. In February,
1848, he married Rosina Palmer, from New York State; she died in 1871, leaving six
children — Sophia, Saphronia, Mary, Andrew, Benoni and Viola. In 1873, he married
Mrs. Emma Crocker, a native of New York State.
CALVIN E. NORTHROP, of the firm of Northrop & Glaser, dealers in
furniture, Main street, Maquoketa ; a native of Franklin Co., Vt., and was born June
5, 1823. From his 12th year, he lived in New York, and learned the furniture bus-
iness. In May, 1853, he came to Iowa, located in Maquoketa, and engaged in the
furniture business. He bought the property he now occupies, and has carried on the fur-
niture business in the same location over twenty-six years ; he is the oldest furniture
dealer in this city, or in Jackson Co. ; he has been engaged in the businass longer than
any other merchant, except P. Mitchell. He married Miss H. M. Bond, from Niagara
Co., N. Y., in 1845. They have five children— Sanford E., Frank, Alfred, Clara and
Charlie.
S. P. OEMSTEAD, farmer ; P. 0. Maquoketa; born in Sangamon Co.,
111., Dec. 25, 1832 ; came to Jackson Co. in 1878. Married Mary Gate, (born in Ohio
MAQUOKETA TOWNSHIP. 637
\
in 1832), June 6, 1878 ; uianied Mary E. Copeland in 1849; she was born in Ireland
in 1831 ; she died in 1854, leaving two children — James H. and Elarvey S. Dem-
ocrat. He enlisted in the army in the late war ; served in Missouri cavalry one year,
and was honorably discharged Sept. 5, 1862.
J ASOX PANGBORN, capitalist, retired, Maquoketa ; was born in Essex
Co., N. Y., June 13, 1806, and lived there until April 30, 1838, when he started for
Iowa and arrived here June 1. He located just east of where he now lives ; bought
a claim and put up one of the first frame houses that was built in Maquoketa ; he broke
a farm and afterward started a blacksmith-shop ; he has lived here over forty-one years
and is one of the few oldest settlers of the county now living ; he has held the office
of Township Supervisor and was member of the City Council. Mr. Pangborn has been
twice married; his first wife was Eunice Post, of Essex Co., N. Y.; she died Aug. 23,
1855, leaving four children — Asa, Herschel, Sarah and Julia ; May 23, 1856, he mar-
ried Sarah A. Abel, a native of Essex Co., N. Y.; they have three children — Addie,
Herbert L. and Eddie. When Mr. Pangborn began life he had nothing, and owes his
success to his own industry and good management.
CHARLES H. PATTERSON, farmer, Sec. 15; P. 0. Maquoketa;
born in Cortland Co., N. Y., June 22, 1 825 ; came to Jackson Co. in 1856, where he has
since resided. Married Lethea Barker in 1847 ; she was born in Putnam Co., N. Y.,
March 4, 1825 ; they had one child ; his wife died June 20, 1857 ; he married Lorinda
Pate July 4, 1858; she was born in Maquoketa Township Jan. 10, 1839 ; they have
had seven children, five living — Charles H., born June 8, 1861 ; Jesse, October, 1867 ;
Elmer, March 23, 1S71 ; Willie, July, 1873 ; Nellie, July, 1878. He has been Town-
ship Trustee three years. Owns 180 acres land valued at $25 per acre. Democrat.
R. PERHAH, Justice of the Peace, Maquoketa ; was born in Franklin Co.,
Vt., Jan. 10, 1816 ; his parents removed to Ohio when he was very young ; his father
died there and his mother removed to Western New York; in 1836, he went to
Buffalo, and in 1842, he engaged in teaching there and was Principal of one of the
public schools for six years; in May, 1849, he came to Iowa and located just west of
Delmar and engaged in farming for nine years ; then removed here and has been engaged
in the mercantile and milling business. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace
most of the time since coming here ; he has also held other town and school offices.
In 1833, he married Miss Charlotte W. Newton, a native of Erie Co.,N. Y.; they have
three children George D. (lives in Chicago and is connected with the Inter-Ocean),
Isabel M. and Archibald N.
ABXER REEVE, retired, Maquoketa; is a native of Brattleboro, Wind-
ham Co., Vt., and was born Oct. 22, 1800; he was brought up and attended the old
academy there and learned the harness-maker's trade ; in company with Dexter Field,
he came to Iowa and located in Maquoketa in the spring of 1853 and engaged in his
business of harness-making and continued over twenty years. In 1834, he married
Miss Eliza Westlake, a native of England and daughter of William Westlake, an officer
in the army ; Mr. and Mrs. Reeve have had five children, of whom only one son sur-
vives— Benjamin Franklin Reeve, who was born June 19, 1846; he grew up here and
received his education ; he was formerly editor of the Excelsior and was engaged in the
mercantile business here and is now engaged in the mercantile business in Dakota. He
married Miss Gertie Smith, of Maquoketa; they have one daughter — Alice Gertrude.
N. O. RHODES, boarding and sale stable and proprietor of City Bus Line,
Maquoketa; is a native of Chautauqua Co., N. Y., and was born Jan. 18, 1837; his
parents came to Jackson Co. and located at Maquoketa when there were only a few
houses here; he grew up to manhood here, and, in 1859, engaged in the livery business.
He married Miss Hattie E. Barnes, of Medina, Ohio, March 17, 1869 ; they have four
children — Frank. Harry, Bruce and Bessie.
SEYMOUR M. SADEER, attorney at law, Maquoketa ; is a native of
Huron Co., Ohio ; born June 25, 1853 ; when only 3 years of age, his parents removed
to Centerville, St. Joseph Co., Mich. ; he attended school there, but received his educa-
tion mostly in Ohio and Michigan ; attended school in Ohio for three years, then
bS8 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
entered the Michigan State University at Ann Arbor, where he remained four years
and graduated in June, 1874 ; he entered the law office of his father, commenced read-
ing law and was admitted to the bar in August, 1875 ; he associated with his father in
the practice of law until Jan. 1, 1877, when he was elected Circuit Court Commissioner
of St. Joseph Co. and held that office for two years. He came to Jackson Co., Iowa, and
located at Maquoketa in June, 1879, and engaged in the practice of his profession.
He married Miss Nellie Campbell, a native of Detroit, Sept. 20, 1876 ; they have one
son— Clifford C, born May 27, 1878.
C. M. SANBORN, senior partner of the firm of C. M. Sanborn & Son,
wholesale and retail dealers; is a native of Niagara Co., N. Y., and was born Aug. 26,
1836 ; his parents removed to Michigan when he was young, where he lived until he
was 1 8 years of age ; after his father's death he and his mother came, by wagon, to
Iowa; arrived here in October, 1854; he carried on wagon and carriage making for
some time, and established his present business in 1862 ; he has built up a large and
successful business, his sales amounting to $100,000 annually; when Mr. Sanborn came
to this county, in 1854, he only had, beside two span of horses and wagons, $2.50 in
money. Oct. 18, 1857, he married Miss Harriet Burd, of Mercer Co., Penn. ; they have
"five children — -Nettie, Le Roy, Charlie, Hattie and Ella.
J. T. SARGENT, of the firm of Decker & Sargent, also of the firm of
Sarsrent, Smith & Co. ; is a native of Greensburg, Westmoreland Co., Penn., and was
bora July 30, 1836; he grew up there and learned the printing business ; in 1855,
he came to Iowa, and, in 1857, he came to Maquoketa, and entered the office of
the Sentinel,, where be remained three years, and went to Marengo and published
the Iowa Valby Democrat for two years ; after the breaking-out of the rebellion, he
raised a company and was commissioned First Lieutenant Co. B., 28th I. V. I. ; in the
fall of 1863, he resigned his commission, on account of disease contracted in the serv-
ice; in 1864, he went South, and was in the employ of Adams Express Company, at
Nashville; he went to Pittsburgh, Penn., and remained until 1868, then returned to
Maquoketa, and, in 1872, associated with Mr. Swigart and published the Jackson
Count)/ Sentinel. The firm of Sargent & Swigart continued until 1877, when Mr.
Sargent retired from the Sentinel, and since then has been in the mercantile business ;
he has served as member of the City Council. In 1870, he married Miss Mary E.
Delano, a native of Essex Co., N. Y. ; they have two children — Nettie and Willie.
JAMES D. SCHOLE, farmer; P. O. Maquoketa; born in Berks Co.,
Penn., Oct. 16, 1825; came to Jackson Co. in 1854, where he has since resided.
Married Barbara Weasner July 14, 1849 ; she was born in Berks Co., Penn., Nov. 18,
1830. They have had seven children, six are living — George F., John H., Emma C,
James L., Adeline T. and William A. He owns 101 acres of land ; value, $30 per
acre. Republican.
A. I>. SHAW, of the firm of Shaw & Matthews, proprietor of the Maquoketa
Excelsior; is a native of Jackson Co., and was born in Maquoketa May 2, 1850, his
parents being among the early settlers of this county ; he attended school here, and
entered Cornell University, at Ithaca, N. Y., and graduated in 1875; the following year,
in March, 1876, he associated with Mr. E. L. Matthews, and purchased the Maquoketa
Excelsior, and since then has successfully conducted this paper.
JOSIAH SHEFFIELD, retired, Maquoketa; is a native of Nantucket
Mass., and was born July 6, 1807 ; he lived there until 16 years of age, and then went
to sea on a whaling vessel, on the ship Brothers ; the next voyage, he went, on the
Paragon, to the Japan seas. When only nine days from home, on their return, the ship
sank, and the crew was saved and carried to the Society Islands, and then came home.
Other voyages were on the ships Averick and Tyrolean, and his last voyage was on the
ship Roman ; he sailed on the sea for eighteen years, to all parts of the world. He
gave up sailing and located in Onondaga Co., N. Y., and engaged in farming for sixteen .
years, then came to Iowa and settled in Jackson Co., and bought a farm here ; a few
years ago he moved in Maquoketa and built a fine house, and since then has lived here.
He has been twice married; his first wife was Cynthia Castle, from Onondaga Co., N.
MAQUOKETA TOWNSHIP. 639
Y.; his present wife is Mary E. Mason, a native of New York City. They have one
daughter — May Cynthia.
CHARLES SHIREY, of the firm of Shirey & Hill, bakers and confec-
tioners, corner of Main and Piatt streets, Maquoketa ; is a native of Washington Co.,
Md.; was born Oct. 11, 1851 ; when 14 years of age, he came to Illinois, and lived in
Lanark, Carroll Co.; he came to Jackson Co. and located in Maquoketa, in September,
1878, and engaged in his present business, and they are building up a good trade. He
married Miss Marietta Gertrude Moffett, of Lanark, Carroll Co., 111., May 4, 1876.
They have two children — Edith and Nellie.
SAMUEL SOUTHWELL, tanner, Sec. 4; ?. 0. Maquoketa; born in
England in 1810 ; came to the United States in 1835. and to Jackson Co. in 1847, and
has resided in his present locality ever since. Married Mary Branscorn in 1839 ; she
was born May 15, 1S1G, in Kentucky; they have had thirteen children, nine living;
lost one son, William R., in the late war ; he died in the army ; owns 120 acres of land,
value, $30 per acre. Himself and wife are members of the M: E. Church ; Democrat.
B. A. SPE^TCER, of the firm of Spencer & Knittle, dealers in dry goods,
hats and caps, Maquoketa ; is a native of Ontario, Canada, and was born March 5, 1841 ;
his parents came to Iowa and settled in Maquoketa when he was only 13 years of
age ; he entered a store as clerk, in the fall of 1856, and continued in the same store
until 1863, when he associated with Henry Knittle and engaged in business; the firm
of Spencer & Knittle has continued since then, sixteen years, without change. He
holds the office of County Supervisor, and has held the office of Mayor. When he began
life he had nothing, and he has succeeded by his own efforts. In 1870, he married Miss
Frank A. Fox, of Lewis Co., N. Y. They have three children — Lena, Frank and
Nettie.
WILLIAM STRUBLE, nurseryman, Maquoketa; is a native of Penn-
sylvania, and was born in Graysburg. near Pittsburgh, Penn., Jan. 8, 1821 ; when
very young his parents removed to Trumbull Co., Ohio. He grew up to manhood there
and. in March, 1842, he was united in marriage *o Miss Elizabeth Hutcheson, from
Trumbull Co., Ohio ; they came to Iowa, and arrived in Bellevue, Jackson Co., May 1,
1854; he located in Perry Township, and engaged in farming; in 1862, he engaged
in the nursery business, and continued living there until 1873, when he removed to
Maquoketa, on the place where he now lives, within the town corporation, and estab-
lished the nursery business here ; when he began life he had nothing, and now owus
his farm in Perry Township, also his place here. Mr. and Mrs. Struble have seven
children — Jane, Riley, Lucy, Asa, Mary, Louisa, Addie. Mr. Struble had two sons in
the army — Rile}- enlisted and served in the 12th I. V. I. ; Asa enlisted and served
in the 2d I. V. C.
WILLIAM C. SWIGART, publisher of the Sentinel, Maquoketa.
The oldest journalist in Jackson Co., Iowa, is William C. Swigart ; he was born at
Newark, Licking Co., Ohio, Dec. 12, 1824 ; he attended the common schools, and after-
ward graduated from the Academic Department of Granville College, now Denison
University, in 1844. He entered the office of the Newark Advocate, and spent several
years; about 1852, he went to Bucyrus. Ohio, and assisted in editing the Forum, until
April, 1854, when he removed to Maquoketa, Iowa. He and his younger brother,
Stephen, started the Sentinel; after the death of his brother, in 1856, Mr. Swigart
continued the publication of the paper until 1872, when James T. Sargent became his
partner ; at first it was a seven-column folio, assuming its present form in 1872. Mr.
Swigart held the office of Postmaster of Maquoketa six years, during the administra-
tions of Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan. On the 6th of November, 1849, he was
married to Miss Martha P. Gage, of Findlay, Ohio, and they have had nine children,
two of whom they have lost. The eldest sons, Philemon D. and Josiah, are associated
with their father in publishing the paper, which is the official paper of the city and
county, and the organ of the Democratic party.
HENRY TAUBMAN, merchant tailor and dealer in ready-made clothing
and gents' furnishing goods, Main street, Maquoketa ; is a native of the Isle of Man,
640 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
and was born Dec. 3, 1827 ; when 20 years of age, he came to America, in 1847 ; he
came to Iowa to Jackson Co. and located in Maquoketa in the spring of 1850, and
engaged in tailoring and has carried on that business here in Maquoketa longer than
any merchant tailor in Jackson Co. He has been twice married ; his first wife was
Miss Maloa Current, from Canada; she died in February, 1871, leaving six children,
five sons and one daughter — Thomas E. (living in Sac Co.), William (living in Sac
Co.), Lee (engaged in business with his father), Linn, Andy, Emma. During the
present year, Mr. Taubman was united in marriage to Miss Laura Pairbrother,
daughter of Alvin Fairbrother, one of the earliest settlers now living in Jackson Co.
J. R. TOBIAS, farmer, Sec. 5 ; P. 0. Maquoketa ; born in Litchfield Co.,
Conn., Nov. 30, 1798. He moved to Maquoketa Township in 1848, and has resided
on the farm where he now lives, since 1852. Married Susan Brown in 1825 ; she was
born in New York, and died in Iowa. He married Mrs. Helen M. Lyons May 4, 1862.
Owns eighty acres ; value, $40 per acre. Kepublican.
SIDNEY J. TUBBS, farmer, Sees. 8 and 12; P. O. Maquoketa; born
Feb. 17, 1847, in Maquoketa, and has always resided here single. Owns 132 acres;
value, $15 per acre. Democrat.
J. R. VAN EVERA, of the firm of J. R. Van Evera & Co., dealers in
hardware and house furnishing goods, also dealers in drugs, Main street, Maquoketa ;
is a native of Montgomery Co., N. Y. ; born Sept. 16, 1819 ; he grew up to manhood
there and engaged in farming until he came to Iowa and located in Maquoketa June
11, 1872 ; then engaged in the house furnishing and hardware trade; in March, 1878,
he engaged in the drug business ; his sons De Witt and John are with him in the hard-
ware store, and Wallace and James are in the drug store. While living in New York
State, Mr. Van Evera held the offices of Supervisor, Assessor and Commissioner, and
was Captain of the military company. In 1845, he married Miss Nancy L. Eacker,
from Montgomery Co., N. Y. ; they have eight children — four sons and four daughters.
DR. OTTO VON SCHRADER, deceased; was one of the early
settlers of Jackson Co. ; he came from Pennsylvania and settled in Maquoketa in
the month of April, 1846 ; his professional life commenced in 1844, and he was in act-
ive practice in Maquoketa for ten years; he added to his native skill in his profession,
wide reading, accurate knowledge, a discriminating mind and rare common sense. In
1856, he established, in connection with his brother-in-law, L. B. Dunham, a State
Bank, which was afterward changed to the First National Bank of Maquoketa. Few
men in our time have attached to themselves, with so kindly an interest, so many
friends, and few men so variously gifted have ever shown themselves so indifferent to
any recognition of their talents and their acquirements, beyond that involved in the
affectionate respect of a circle of personal friends and acquaintances. He was a refined
gentleman, and in all the relations of life, his urbanity and courtesy were very marked,
and his death, which took place in 1875, deprived his family and this community of an
estimable citizen. He left a wife and seven children — three sons and four daughters,
now living in Maquoketa.
SMITH WARREN, architect and builder, Maquoketa ; is a native of Che-
mung Co., N. Y., and was born Nov. 27, 1842 ; he was brought up there and served
an apprenticeship of three years at the trade of carpenter and builder ; he held the
position of foreman in a large factory there ; he has given much attention to the study
of architecture; he came to Iowa and located at Maquoketa June 1, 1876, and engaged
in contracting and building. In November, 1863, he married Miss Frances E. Wat-
son, of Chemung Co., N. Y. ; they have one daughter — Clara E.
CHARLES WENDEE, farmer and stock -buyer; P.O. Maquoketa; he
lives in Sec. 34, and owns eighty acres in Jackson and forty-five in Clinton Co. ; he
was born in Wyoming Co., Penn., on the 1st day of December, 1829, where he was
raised and schooled until he was 13 years of age, when, in 1842, he emigrated to Jack-
son Co., Iowa, with his parents, who came the entire distance by private conveyance,
taking seven weeks to make the trip ; he has served his township for several years as
School Director and Road Supervisor ; he is a stanch old Jacksonian Democrat of the
SOUTH FORK TOWNSHIP. 641
old school, and has always strongly vindicated the principles of that party. He married
Julia Livermore, a native of Ohio, in Jackson Co., Iowa, on the 3d day of February,
1847, and had ten children, all of whom are living at the writing of this history,
namely, Albert S., Eugenie, Daniel, Mary Adell, Charles Henry, Carrie, Annie, Will-
iam Abraham, George and Emma. He and his family are attendants of the Methodist
Episcopal Church ; he was a very poor man when he started in Clinton Co., and has
made and accumulated his whole possessions by his own industry and perseverance ; he
has a good and comfortable homestead and a fortune of from $6,000 to $7,000.
A. L. WILKINS, farmer, Sec. 18 ; P. O. Maquoketa ; was born in Canada
West Oct. 25, 1838 ; he came with his father's family to Clinton Co., Iowa, in 1810 ;
to Jackson Co. in 1809, and have remained here since. Married Catherine J. Parris
June 29, 18(30 ; she was born in Warren Co., Ohio, March 18, 1843 ; they have had
six children, five living— Winfield S., born March 23, 1S64; Frank W., April 28,
1800; Albert L., Jr., Aug. 13, 1868; Charles E., Oct. 1, 1870; Rossie C, April 10,
1876. Owns forty acres, valued at $30 per acre. Mrs. Wilkins is a member of the
M. E. Church ; Greenbacker. His father is still living at 73 years of age ; his mother
died Jan. 0, 1878.
E. R. WOLEY, capitalist, and manager of the Decker House, Maquoketa ;
is a native of Ulster Co., N. Y.; he grew up to manhood there ; came to Iowa in 1854,
and located in Jackson Co., and eugnged in buying and selling laud. He married Miss
Rebecca E. Decker, daughter of James Decker, owner of the Decker House ; they have
three children — James, Harry and Edna.
SOUTH FORK TOWNSHIP.
LYMAN BATES, farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. O. Maquoketa ; is a native of War-
ren Co., N. Y. ; born Nov. 22, 1817 ; he grew to manhood there, and, in the spring of
1838, he and Mr. John E. Goodenow started for Iowa with a four-horse team prepared
to journey either on wheels or runners, were forty-eight days on the way ; traveled
thirty-nine days, and crossed the river on the ice, March 10, 1838 ; they reached the
place where Maquoketa now stands, March 19; they bridged every stream between here
and the river. After coming here, he and Mr. Goodenow kept bach for a year ; they
made claims, and began making farms, though it was seven years before the land was
offered for sale by the Government. Dec. 1, 1839, he married Miss Sylvia D. Eaton, a
native of Cortland Co., N. Y. ; mention is made of their wedding in another part of
this work ; they began housekeeping in a log shanty. Sir. Bates has lived here
over forty-one years ; is one of the earliest settlers now living. He owns a good farm
of 160 acres just south of the city limits. His wife died leaving three children — Miles
E., Mary, and Julia (now Mrs. Edson), all living in this vicinity. Mr. Bates married
Emily A. Darling, from Franklin Co., Vt. ; they have one child — Ella.
S. BURLESON, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 20 ; P. O. Nashville ; one of
the best-known men in Jackson Co., and the oldest settler now living in this part of the
county ; is familiarly known as " Shade Burleson " of " Buck Horn ;" he is a native
of the State of Vermont, and was born in the town of Pownal, Bennington Co., Sept.
19, 1805 ; he grew up to manhood there ; when 19 years of age, he went to Waterford,
N. Y., and lived there and in Troy ten years, and ran a freight packet on the Erie
Canal. (In the 8th of February, 1824, he was united in marriage to Miss Eunice J.
Houghton, in Waterford. In 1836, he started for the West, coming from Detroit
through Chicago, to Galena, by stage, and arrived there in September ; he had to walk
one-half of the distance from Detroit ; they remained in Galena during the winter, and
the following spring came to Jackson Co., and arrived here April 6, 1837 ; he made the
claim where he now lives, and located upon it, and has lived on this over forty-two years,
a longer time than any person has lived in this part of the county, if not in the whole
county, on the claim made by themselves ; he and his wife used to make mittens out of
642 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
deer skins, and had a demand, at $1 a pair, for all they could make ; he was an excel-
lent marksman, and it was no trouble for him to secure game, if he could get sight of
it. In the winter of 1839, he got $20 in money, and started for Galena with his
team, after provisions. When he reached Bellevue, they were having a shooting match
for a bear — ten chauces, at $5 each ; he went and borrowed a rifle of Hugh Kilgore,
and paid $5, and won the bear ; he put the bear up again at $5 a chance,
retaining one chance for himself, and won it again ; he then sold the bear for $25, on
condition that he would not shoot again ; he went on to Galena, bought his provisions,
including, among other things, a barrel of pork, and when he reached home, and his
family found he had some meat, they cried for joy, and immediately opened the pork
and found it was spoiled, and entirely unfit for use ; the oxen were yoked up immedi-
ately, the barrel of.pork was rolled on the sled, and although it was nearly sunset, the
team was started for Galena, where the meat was exchanged for a good barrel, and it
was brought home and thoroughly enjoyed ; there are very few men who have endured
as much, and overcome as many obstacles as Mr. Burleson ; he has carted dressed pork
to Bellevue, and sold it for 75 cents per hundred, and could not get cash nor groceries
in payment, but could only get shelf goods ; he has started on foot with his ploughshare,
to have it sharpened, and walked forty to fifty miles, with only just money enough to
pay for having it sharpened, and when he could get no boat, would swim rivers and
streams; the interesting incidents and happenings, and the anecdotes he can relate of
his experience in the settlement and early history of this county, would fill many pages
of this volume. As the fruit of the labors of himself and his wife, he now owns 400
acres of good land, finely improved. On the 8th of February, 1S74, Mr. and Mrs.
Burleson celebrated their golden wedding, it being the fiftieth anniversary of their mar-
ried life; after living together for fifty -five years, Mrs. Burleson died in April, 1879.
She was a woman of great personal worth, and her loss was felt the most by those who
knew her best, and her death was mourned by the whole community. Mr. and Mrs.
Burleson had six children, four of whom are living — William, Charles, Frank, Emily,
now Mrs. Dennison (all living in this county). They lost two children, Mary and
Harriet; Charles was in the army ; he enlisted in the 31st I- V. I.
WIIililAM BIJRLESON, fanner and stock-raiser, Sec. 20; P. 0. Nash-
ville; is a uative of the State of New York, and was born in Waterfeird, Saratoga Co.,
June 4-, 1827 ; when 10 years of age, he came to Jackson Co., his father having come
here and made the claim where he now lives ; they were the earliest settlers in this part
of the county ; when they came, there was no one here but Indians. William grew up
to manhood here, and attended school, and by studying out of school, he prepared him-
self for teaching ; after reaching his majority, he taught school at De Witt, and at
Wright's Corners, and at other places. He was engaged in the mercantile business for
thirteen years. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace for the past eighteen
years, he has also held ihe office of Assessor and other town and school offices. He
owns a good farm of 175 acres, well improved. There are very few men here who have
a clearer recollection of the trials and incidents of pioneer life than Mr. Burleson, and,
like his father, his memory serves him well. On the 17th of March, 1850, he was
united in marriage to Miss Sarah Ann Mallard, daughter of Fayette Mallard, one of
the early settlers here-; she was the first white girl that he saw after coming to this
county ; they have four children — Ellen, now Mrs. A. E. Parady, living in Anamosa ;
Charles M., living in Oakland, Cal.; Martin C. and Frank D.
JOHN S^ BUTTERS, deceased ; was born near Albany, N. Y., March 26,
1813 ; he grew to manhood with his uncle at Watkins, N. Y. ; then removed to Ohio,
where, in November, 1836, he married Miss Eunice Grace, a native of Huron Co.,
Ohio. In 1845, they came by wagon to Iowa, and spent the winter in Scott Co.; the
following spring, came to Jackson Co. and located near Andrew and took up a claim
there, and engaged in farming ; they were early settlers ; used to buy their groceries in
Dubuque and go there to mill ; he has carted dressed pork to Galena and sold it for 1 1
cents per pound; they lived there until 1865, when they removed to where they now
live. Mr. Butters held school and road offices ; he died May 18, 1879, leaving six children,
SOUTH FORK TOWNSHIP. 643
and an estate of 200 acres; Sarah, now Mrs. James Mitchell, of Algona; Harriet,
now Mrs. George Anderson, of Woodbury Co. ; John, now living in Jones Co.; Eunice,
now Mrs. T. Moyer, of Jones Co.; Eliza, now Mrs. Nathan Barnes, of this town;
James, now living at home, and has the management of the home farm ; they had three
sons in the army. Philetus S. and John both enlisted in Co. I, 12th I. V. I. ;
Philetus was killed at the battle of Tupelo, Miss., and John was wounded in the same
battle at the same time. Commodore Perry, another son, enlisted in Co. C, 2d I. V.
C. ; he served two years ; he died of disease contracted in the army.
ISAIAH K. CRANE, farmer, Sec. 29; P. 0. Maquoketa ; is a native of
Sullivan, N. H. : born Feb. 28, 1820; he grew up to manhood and lived there until
the fall of 1855, when he came to Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled in this township; he
engaged in farming. When the war broke out, he enlisted, in 1861, in Co. I, 12th
I. V. I. ; he was in the battles of Forts Donelson and Henry, Pittsburg Land-
ing, siege of Vieksburg, in the Red River campaign and others ; he was in the
service over three years; after the war, he returned here. Feb. 13, 1865, he married
Miss M. Angeline Smith; she is a native of Pennsylvania; came with her parents to
Iowa and settled in Clinton Co. in 1848; they were early settlers; her father was a
prominent Abolitionist, and established the first underground railroad station in Clinton
Co. Mrs. Crane grew .up there and was engaged in teaching; she still continues a
student, and is thoroughly informed on the current news of the day; she was the first
to advocate the cause of equal suffrage in this neighborhood. Mr. and Mrs. Crane
have two children— R, Eddy, born Jan. 16, 1866; S. Bird, April 18, 1867. While
living in New Hampshire, Mr. Crane held the office of Justice of the Peace, aud held
the positions of Ensign, Second Lieutenant and First Lieutenant of the militia there.
WILLIAM CURRENT, farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. 0. Maquoketa ; is a native
of Canada, and was born only eight miles from Niagara Falls, July 29, 1802 ; he grew
up to manhood there ; he came to Jackson Co. in 1839, and bought the claim where
he now lives of J. Pangborn ; he brought his family here the following year, and
arrived here July 12,1840 ; he began making a farm the winterof 1840 and 1841 ; he
got out rails and fenced forty acres ; there are only a few of the early settlers now living
who were here when he came ; he now owns two good farms and two hundred acres of
timber ; he used to drive his hogs to Galena, and has sold them for $2 per hundred
weight ; he has held the office of Town Trustee. He married Miss Cynthia Wilson, of
Canada, Sept. 7, 1S30. They have had six children, only three of whom survive —
Amy, now Mrs. Current; William, in the mountains; Nelson, in Sac Co., Iowa.
ASA DELANO, farmer, Sec. 23 ; P. 0. Maquoketa ; is a native of Man-
chester, Vt., and was born Dec. 7, 1816 ; when 6 years of age, his parents removed to
Essex Co., N. Y., where he grew up to manhood. In November, 1837, he was united
in marriage to Miss Hannah Rogers, a native of Ticonderoga, Essex Co., N. Y. ; they
came to Iowa and located in Jackson Co. in May, 1854, and settled on the farm where
Jesse Wilson now lives ; after living there for a number of years, they came to Maquo-
keta and resided about seven years; desiring a more active life, Mr. Delano bought the
farm (where he now lives) on Piatt street, just outside of the corporation limits. He
has held office of Town Trustee and City Alderman. They have had two children, only
one of whom survives — Mary Eliza, now Mrs. James T. Sargent, of Maquoketa ; they
have lost one son — Zenas S. ; when the war broke out, lie enlisted in Co. A, 9th
I. V. I. ; he was in the battle of Pea Ridge, siege of Vieksburg, Lookout Mountain
aud others ; after servina; two years, he re-enlisted as a veteran ; he was taken sick aud
died in the hospital at Nashville, in March, 1864. The mother of Mr. Delano is living
with him ; she is S3 years of age, and is as active as most ladies twenty years younger.
W. P. DITNLAP, farmer, fine stock raiser, See. 35 ; P. O. Maquoketa ; is &
native of Rockingham Co., Va. ; born July 7, 1833 ; he grew to manhood there ; in
1858, he came to Iowa, and located in Clinton Co. Jan. 4, 1858; lived there three
years, then came to Jackson Co. and located where he now lives, and engaged in farm-
ing and stock-raising ; since 1870, he has given special attention to raising fine stock —
thorough-bred horses, short-horn cattle and Chester White hogs; he owns 160 acres of
644 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
land here, a farm of 320 acres in Gage Co., Neb., and 160-acre farm in Kansas. He
has held town offices. He married, on July 10, 1862, Miss Adelia L. Bentley, daugh-
ter of David Bentley; she was born in Warren Co., N. Y. ; her parents came to Jack-
son Co. in 1841, when she was only 1 year old; they were among the early settlers.
Mr. and Mrs. Dunlap have three children — George E., Agnes L. and John W. ; Jennie
E. died in 1870.
RICHARD ElLWOOD, farmer, stock-raiser and stock dealer, buying and
shipping stock, Sec. 33 ; P. 0. Maquoketa ; is a native of Mercer Co., Penu. ; was
born Aug. 19, 1821 ; he grew up to manhood there, and engaged in teaahing school,
and was afterward connected with the tanning business for some years ; he came to
Iowa and arrived in Jackson Co. June 10, 1851 ; he located in Fairfield Township,
and engaged in farming and stock-raising ; in addition to that, for the past fifteen years
he has been extensively engaged in buying and shipping stock. When he began life
he had nothing ; by industry and good management, he now owns over one thousand
acres of land. He has held the office of Treasurer of the School Fund for a number
of years, and has held other town and school offices. On the 9th of April. 1S51, he
was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ann Brockway, from Trumbull Co., Ohio ; they
have seven children — Roseltha ( now Mrs. C. A. Beard, of Elwood), James D., John D.,
Charles H., Bertie, Annie and Carrie. Mr. and Mrs. Elwood have one of the most
pleasant homes in Jackson Co.
ALVIN FAIRBROTHER, bee-raiser, Sec. 26; P. O. Maquoketa; is a
native of Windham Co., Vt.; born May 20, 1813 ; he grew to manhood there, then
removed to Essex Co., N. Y. While living there, in May, 1832, he married Miss
Polly Estabrook, of Essex Co., N. Y. July 18, 183S, they started for the West, and
came by wagon ; they came to Iowa and to Jackson Co., and arrived where Maquoketa
is now located Sept. 10; his wife and her sister were probably the first ladies that
passed a night in Maquoketa ; Mr. Fairbrother used to hunt and trap, and afterward
engaged in farming ; having a taste for bee culture, he has for many years been one of
the largest and most successful bee-raisers in this section of the State ; there are
very few more practical bee-keepers in the State; he has 150 stands of bees; he
extracts most of his honey from the comb, and sells mostly in the home market. They
have three children — James E., Laura (now Mrs. Henry Taubman, of Maquoketa),
Harriet (now Mrs. McCrary, living in Kansas) ; they lost three daughters.
MILTOBT GODARD, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec 33 ; P. 0. Maquo-
keta; is a native of Hartford Co., Conn., and was born Jan. 25, 1814; he grew to
manhood there and married Miss Euuice Reed, a native of Connecticut; in the spring
of 1836, he removed to Ohio; while living there, his wife died, leaving one son —
Aphonzo ; Nov. 18, 1843, he married Miss Amoret Clark, in Ohio ; Mr. Godard came
to Iowa with his own team in the fall of 1841, and made the claim where he now
lives and remained until the next September, then returned to Ohio ; in the spring of
1845, they came to Jackson Co. and settled on their claim, where they now live; at
that time, their nearest neighbor on the west and south of them was fifteen miles dis-
tant; he began making a farm ; they used to entertain much of the travel ; Gov. Briggs,
Mr. Fenu and Bradley used to always stop with them on their way to the capitol at Iowa
City; during the gold excitement in 1849, 1850 and 1851, they were thronged witli
travelers and could not get rid of them. When they came to this county, they only
had two wagons and one team ; now he owns a splendid farm of 320 acres, finely
improved, with excellent, substantial buildings, and eighty acres of timber. They have
one son — Loyal, and one daughter — Lucia; Loyal married Miss Emma Crevling. a
native of Pennsylvania, in December, 1869; they have four children — Elmer, Martin,
Milton and Lura ; Lucia, now Mrs. Cephas Crane, married in March, 1873 ; they have
<>ne daughter — Aura A. Mr. Godard's son Alphonzo was in the army; enlisted in
Co. F, 31st I. V. I.; he was discharged and died in July, 1862, of disease contracted
while in the service. Mr. and Mrs. G. are members of the Methodist Church.
ERASTUS C. GORDON, farmer, Sec. 25; P. 0. Maquoketa; is a
native of Huron Co., Ohio; born Oct. 18, 1823; he grew to manhood there, and came
SOUTH FORK TOWNSHIP. 647
to Iowa with his brother by wagon, and arrived in Jackson Co. Oct. 11, 1842 ; they
■were among the early settlers here ; he has been engaged in farming and stock-raising.
He was in the service during the removal of the Winnebago Indians from above
Dubuque, serving in the cavalry service in Co. A. He has held the office of Consta-
ble. In 1846, he married Miss Frances Ellis, of Indiana; they have eight children,
among them three pairs of twins — Otto, Susie, Abbie, Alva, Allie, Charlie, Parly, Riley.
MRS. SARAH M. HOCKLEY, Sec. 36; P. 0. Maquoketa; is a
native of Ohio ; her maiden name was Sarah M. Hatfield ; when she was only 8 years
of age, her parents started for the West, with but $3 in money, and there were five of
them, and, when they reached Dubuque, they still had $3, making a most economical
trip by working their way; they settled in Jackson Co. in 1843, and engaged in farm-
ing; Mrs. Hockley grew up to womanhood here, and says that since she was 8'. years
of age, she has lived within sight of her present home, aud there are few persons of
her age who have seen more of pioneer life than she has. In 1852, she married B. F.
Darling, of Vermont ; he died in November, 1867 ; they had three children — Helen
E. (now Mrs. Woodhurst, living in Delmar), Charles F. and Mary; after remaining a
widow for nine yeais, Mrs. Darling married, in December, 1876, William Hockley, a
native of Ware, England; he was born in 1837; came to the United States in 1855,
and since then has lived in Iowa. Mrs. Hockley owns sixty-one acres of land.
REURESf KAUFMAN, carpenter and builder, Sec. 34 ; P. O. Maquoketa ;
is a native of Berks Co., Penn.; born July 8, 1841 ; in 1853, when 14 years of age,
he came to Iowa, Jackson Co.; he grew to manhood here, and learned the trade of car-
penter and joiner, and since then he has been engaged in building. In 1864, he married
Miss Rhoda H. Dunkin, a native of Illinois ; she came to this State wheu quite young;
they have three children — Luella, Leta F. and Margery.
THOMAS H. LAIRD, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 30 ; P. 0. Maquoketa ;
is a native of Illinois and was born in Du Page Co., near Chicago, Oct. 28, 1833 ; he
grew up and received his education there and in Chicago, taking a course in Bell's
Commercial College ; after reaching manhood, he gave his attention to sheep-
raising, and, with the exception of two years which he spent in California, he lived in
Du Page Co. until 1865, when he came to Iowa and located in Jackson Co., on the place
where he now lives, one of the finest farms in the county, of 200 acres; he has given
much attention to sheep-raising here, giving the preference to Merinos on account of
their wool ; for the past three years, he has changed his flock and now raises mostly the
Cotswold and Leicestershire ; there are very few men in this part of the State who have
a more practical knowledge of sheep. He has held the position of President of the
School Board. In 1862, he married Miss Sylvia Westcott, a native of Dane Co., Wis.;
they have three children — Ralph, Addie and John ; Mr. Laird has one son — Frank, by
a former wife.
WILLIAM H. LOCKWOOD, farmer, Sec. 27 ; P. 0. Maquoketa ; is
a native of Bolton, Warren Co., N. Y.; born Aug. 10, 1822 ; he grew to manhood
there and learned the trade of carpenter and joiner ; he came to Iowa and located in
Jackson Co., arriving in Maquoketa Nov. 14, 1S52. The snow at the time was fourteen
inches deep. He bought some land and began making a farm, and has been engaged
in firming and stock-raising since ; he owns 200 acres of land. Before coming to Iowa,
in 1848, he married Miss Abigail Green, of Bolton, N. Y.; they have one daughter,
now Mrs. Lewis Haskell ; lost two daughters — Sarah and Ida.
ELI MOLLTOX, farmer, Sec. 30 ; P. 0. Maquoketa ; is a native of
St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., and was born April 16, 1829 ; he grew up there until 16 years
of age, and came with his parents to Jackson Co. in 1845 ; they were among the early
settlers here ; after reaching manhood he engaged in farming and owns 120 acres of
land. He has held school and road offices. In June, 1859, he married Miss Margaret
Wolf, a native of Kentucky ; they have four children — James R., Nettie D., Luella J.
and Milo.
_ MRS. LLCENA MOILTON, Sec. 31 ; P. 0. Maquoketa ; is a
native of Grafton Co., Vt; born in 1S06; when 4 years of age, her parents removed
648 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
to Essex Co., N. Y.; she grew up to womanhood there. Married Thomas J. Moulton ;
they came by wagon to Iowa and were twenty-one days on the way, and arrived in
Jackson Co. June 7, 1845 ; they located on the farm where Mrs. Moulton now lives
and engaged in farming. They were among the early settlers here and only had one
team when they got here. Mr. Moulton died July 8, 1850. They had ten children,
seven of whom survive — Elizabeth, William, Eli L\, Oliver P., Adeline, Albert and
Thomas J. (Mrs. Moulton owns 120 acres of land.) William was born in St. Law-
rence Co., N. Y., in 1826 ; he came to this county with his parents in 1845. Married
Miss Sarah Ann Wilcox, a native of Canada, a daughter of John Wilcox, one of the
earliest settlers of this county. Thomas J. was born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., April
3, 1842 ; he came with his parents to Iowa when only 3 years of age; he grew up to
manhood here and engaged in farming. He married Miss Lovina Coleman, a native of
Canada, in 1869 ; they have four children — Ida, John, Horace and Mark. He enlisted
in Co. F, 31st I. V. I., and served three years.
T. NICKERSON, retired farmer, Sec. 27 ; P. 0. Maquoketa ; is a native
of Manchester, Bennington Co., Vt.; born May 18, 1794; he grew to manhood there,
and, on the 2d of March, 1822, married Miss Hannah Kimpton, a native of the same
place, born the same year; they came to Iowa and settled in Jackson Co., and arrived
here the early part of September, 1842 ; they were among the early settlers ; they pre-
empted some land and bought the place where they now live and engaged in farming ;
although he had nothing when he began life, he owns a good farm of 320 acres. He
has held town and school offices. Mr. and Mrs. Nickerson have been married fifty-seven
years, and now, although both are over 85 years of age, they are warm-hearted,
entertaining and companionable ; they have had six children, four of whom survive —
Alvira ( now Mrs. Fenton ) ; Mahala (now Mrs. Vine) ; Marcia (now Mrs. Hubbard) ;
Truman, engaged in milling business near Maquoketa.
T. K. NICKERSON, proprietor of the Maquoketa Woolen Factory and
the Union Grist-Mill, Sec. 23, Maquoketa; is a native of Castleton, Vt., and was born
Oct. 26, 1825 ; when 16 years of age, his parents came to Jackson Co. and he grew up
to manhood here ; in 1850, he went across the plains to California, remained there three
years and returned in 1853; in March, 1855, he engaged in saw-milling; the firm was
Stimson, Wilson & Co.; they built the Union Grist-Mill ; in 1857, the firm became
Poff & Nickerson and continued until March, 1879, when he bought the interest of
Mr. Poff and now conducts the entire business himself; the woolen goods manufactured
by the Maquoketa Mills have an established reputation and are of a superior quality ;
Mr. Nickerson also owns the Maquoketa Lime-Kilns and carries on that business ; he
owns 120 acres of land on both sides of the river ; there are few business men in Jack-
son Co. who are more actively identified with its interests than Mr. Nickerson. In
1856, he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah S. Wood, a native of Essex Co., N.
Y. ; they have six children — Annis, Gerry C, Myrta, Cora, Gertie and an infant son
not named.
JANES E. REITER, farmer, Sec. 1 ; P. O. Maquoketa; is a native of
Trumbull Co., Ohio, and was born Oct. 5, 1857; until 12 years of age, he lived in
that county; he came to Iowa to Jackson Co. in 1869 ; he learned the trade of shoe-
maker ; after coming here, he bought the farm where he now lives and engaged in
farming and stock-raising; he owns a farm of 140 acres. He married Miss Ida Kin-
caid, from Ohio, April 8, 1877; they have one daughter — Minnie Eldora.
LEONARD SEA VER, farmer ; P. 0. Maquoketa ; is a native of Bel-
lows Falls, Vt., and was born May 17, 1834; he was brought up mostly in Livingston
Co., N. Y.; he came with Mr. Eddy to Iowa in 1853 and remained about one year,
then returned to New York ; in the spring of 1862, he came to Jackson Co. and set-
tled permanently, and since then has resided here; in 1867, he engaged in farming ; he
owns a good farm of seventy-four acres inside of the corporation limits. He was in the
army ; enlisted in Co. E, 58th N. Y. V. I. In 1867, he was united in marriage to
Miss Minnie Safford, a native of Livingston Co., N. Y. ; they have one son — Adellc-
H., born March 27, 1872.
SOUTH FORK TOWNSHIP. 649
CALEB SUMMERS, farmer, Sec. 19; P. 0. Nashville; is a native of
Morgan Co., Ind., and was born Jan. 6, 1834; when 12 years of age, he came with
his mother to Iowa; they came in a two-horse wagon and were eighteen days on the
way, and arrived in Jackson Co. Oct. 20, 1S46 ; they located at Canton and lived
there five years, then removed to where they now live ; they were early settlers and
have lived in this county thirty-three years ; after coming here, Mr. Summers worked
two days to earn only money enough to pay the postage on two letters and take them
out of the post office ; he has carted dressed pork to Bellevue and sold it for 87i cents
per one hundred pounds ; he owns a farm of 105 acres. In 1853, he married Miss
Nancy Jane Gregg ; she was a native of Kentucky ; they have four children — Helen,
Eva Ann, James G. and Mary Isabel.
WILLIAM THOMAS, farmer, Sec. 34 ; P. 0. Maquoketa ; is a native
of Orange Co., N. Y., and was born in 1S23; when 14 years of age, he came to Clinton
Co. ; he grew up there, and, after reaching manhood, engaged in farming. There he
married Miss Clara Baker April 18, 1844; she is a native of Pennsylvania; came with
her parents to Iowa in June, 1838 ; they are among the oldest settlers of Clinton Co.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas came to their present residence ten years ago; they own 100
acres of land; have eight children — Albert, Lydia A., Ella A., Martha, Ada, Willie,
Elmer E. and Eliza ; lost one son, Charles, who was in the army in Co. C, 26th I. V.
I., and was killed at the battle of Arkansas Post.
JOHN WILCOX, farmer, Sec. 29; P. 0. Nashville; is a native of Mont-
gomery Co., N. Y., and was born April 26, 1808 ; he grew up and lived there until 18
years of age, then removed to Canada. In January, 1835, he married Miss Maria
Caswell, a native of Plattsburg, N. Y. ; resident of Canada ; they started for the West
Feb. 16, 1840; came by wagon and arrived in this neighborhood March 21, being
thirty-five days on the way ; they bought a place at South Grove, but soon after bought
the place where they now live and engaged in making a farm ; they are among the early
settlers here ; he owns a farm of 150 acres ; he has sold pork at $1 per hundred, taking
his pay iu trade, and used to go twenty-five miles to Cascade to mill; he has held the
offices of Town Trustee and School Director; they have six children — Sarah A., Hud-
son B., Mary O, Leonora K., Columbus, E. Ferdinand ; lost two children.
ANSON H. WILSON, farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. O. Maquoketa ; is a native of
Canada, and was born within a few miles of Niagara Falls May 27, 1816 ; he grew up
to manhood there ; in the spring of 1839, he started on foot for the West ; there were
four* others with him; when they reached the Mississippi River at Savanna, Mr. Wilson
was anxious to cross the river; he and the ferryman and a horse crossed in a skiff; the
horse was led in the skiff, which was only large enough for him to stand ; Mr. Wilson
was in the bow of the skiff holding the head of the horse; the ferryman, who was
seated right in front of the fore legs of the horse, warned Mr. Wilson that if the horse
should raise one of his feet, over they would go, and that they must cling to the boat;
they rode about three miles and crossed safely. An Irishman, who was watching the
small boat and its curious cargo in amazement, when they reached the west bank of the
river, said Gabriel must have blown his trumpet, or they never would have crossed the
river in that way. It was a perilous ride and one that Mr. Wilson never desired to
repeat. He reached Maquoketa in June, 1839 ; at that early day, claims were made to
the land near Maquoketa, but Mr. Wilson, one night while attending a claim suit, heard
Joe Henry, agent for Hooper, Peck & Scales, of Galena, testify that the claim where
Mr. Wilson now lives was not taken up. The latter slipped quickly out of the crowd,
and, though it was after 11 o'clock, he got a team and a load of rails and started to
make the claim; upon reaching the land, he found another man had got a little the
start of him, having reached the same place just ahead of him and was unloading rails;
Mr. Wilson paid him $10 and took the claim and has lired there ever since ; he began
making a farm and engaged in farming; in 1840, he and Mr. Goodenow began break-
ing prairie. There are very few men who have the courage and determination to go
through what Mr. Wilson experienced in breaking prairie with oxen and sleeping among
snakes. The first flag that was raised in this county or in this part of it, he bought
650 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
the cloth in Dubuque and he and Thomas Wright painted it, and it was hoisted on the
Fred Mallard place, just east of Buck Horn, July 4, 1841. Scott Kirkpatrick was the
orator of the day. One of the first suits that Mr. Wilson ever attended, he and Shade
Burleson pleaded the case in which there was half a bushel of corn involved. There are
very few men living in Jackson Co. who have endured more and can interest and relate
of the early incidents and happenings as well as he and Shade Burleson. He owns a
good farm near town and has held office of Town Trustee and other town and school
offices. Mr. Wilson was married, Feb. 15, 1841, to Miss Martha Stinson, from New York
State; she died April 21, 1847; they had four children, none of whom are living. On
the 23d of December, 1849, he married Miss M. Hanson, from New York State ; she
came to Jackson Co. in August, 1838; they have two children — one son, Volney, and
one daughter, Laura A., both living at home.
JESSE WILSON, farmer, Sec. 35 ; P. 0. Maquoketa; is a native of Can-
ada; born March 5, 1815; he came to Iowa by wagon, and arrived in Jackson Co. in
July, 1842 ; he began making a farm ; afterward he associated with others, built a
saw-mill at Pin Hook, and, later, they built a rake and cradle-factory ; he gave the
place the name of Pin Hook; he continued in the milling business for twenty years,
and afterward engaged in farming and stock-raiser, and owns a farm of 200 acres,
beside timber-land. Oct. 14, 1840, at St. Johns, Canada, he married Miss Sarah
Chandler ; she was born near Albany, N. Y. ; her parents went to Canada when she
was only 2 years old ; her father, Samuel Chandler, served in the Patriot war in Can-
ada, was taken prisoner, and, after his trial with others, he was sentenced to be hung ;
his daughter, Mrs. Wilson, went to Sir George Arthur, the Governor of Upper Canada,
on behalf of her father, but he refused her a hearing ; she then went to Lord Durham,
Governor-General of both provinces, to intercede for her father ; he listened to her
appeal and granted him a reprieve and changed the sentence of death to banishment to
Van Diemen's Land ; he was taken to England, and from there to Van Diemen's Land,
when he afterward escaped ; Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have two children, one daughter — -
Ann Eliza, now Mrs. Ira Carter, living in Jones Co., and one son — Shade, living at
home.
JOHN WOODS, farmer, Sec. 2; P. O. Maquoketa; is a native of Cler-
mont Co., Ohio, and was born Feb. 24, 1812 ; he grew up to manhood there, and
engaged in teaching school until he earned money enough to enter eighty acres of land
in Rush Co., Ind. He lived in Indiana until he came to Iowa ; he located in Jackson
Co. in October, 1850, on the place where he now lives, and engaged in farming ; he has
lived here over twenty-nine years, and is one of the oldest settlers in this neighborhood ;
he has held the offices of Justice of the Peace, Township Trustee, and other town and
school offices; he owns 180 acres of land. In October, 1833, he married Miss Susan
Sells, a native of Clermont Co., Ohio; she died Feb. 12, 1804, leaving eight children —
Ellen, N., now Mrs. Sadler, living in Clinton Co. ; Benjamin E.. living in Decatur
Co. ; Maria, now Mrs. Roach, living in Decatur Co. ; Robert, in this county ; John
at home ; Joseph, in Woodbury Co. ; Mary, now Mrs. Nichols, at home ; Colum-
bus L., at home. Mr. Woods married Louisa M. Wade, a native of Penn-
sylvania, in 18G4; she died Feb. 20, 1879 ; Mr. Wood had two sons in the army — Allen
and Robert ; Allen served in the 31st I. V. I. ; he was wounded and died in the hospi-
tal at Nashville; Robert served in the 2d I. V. O, and was in the service over three
years.
L.EWIS M. WOOD, sleigh-maker and farmer, Sec. 23 ; P. O. Maquo-
keta; is a native of Ticonderoga, Essex Co., N. Y., and was born only a few miles
from the old fort, July 18, 1816; he grew up to manhood, and learned the trade of
sleigh-maker. On Dec. 25, 1837, he was united in marriage to Miss Sophia Bennett,
a native of the same place ; they came to Iowa, and located in Jackson Co. May 9,
1855 ; Mr. Wood entered the saw-mili, and was in the employ of the Mill Company
over twenty years; he is engaged in making sleighs during the winter, and in this
business he has no superior; there are very few men in Jackson Co., or throughout the
State, who live a more cheerful, happy and contented life than does Mr. Wood ; he
MONMOUTH TOWNSHIP. 651
literally envies no man ; Mr. and Mrs. Wood have three children — Sarah, now Mrs. T. K.
Nickerson ; Mary, now Mrs. David H. Eaton, living in Clinton Co. ; Eva, now Mrs.
Daniel Wilcox, living in Maquoketa ; they lost one daughter, Julia.
MONMOUTH TOWNSHIP.
U. V. ATKINSON, Postmaster, Monmouth ; dealer in drugs, stationery,
notions, etc., making a specialty of musical instruments, the Waters organ, and sells
the celebrated White sewing machine; son of David M. and Sally (Scoville) Atkinson ;
born Dec. 29, 1S39, in Trumbull Co., Ohio; parents moved to Marion Co., when he
was quite small; in the spring of 1850, emigrated to Brandon Township, of this
county ; in the fall of 1871, came to Monmouth and established his present business,
and was appointed Postmaster in 1872; has served as Assessor of Brandon Township.
Married Miss Martha Robbins Jan. 17, 186-1; she was born Dec. 26, 1845, in Holmes
Co., Ohio ; have two children — Lillie and Dal. Republican.
T. T. BARNES, farmer, Sec. 35 ; P. 0. Nashville ; owns 440 acres of land
valued at 830 per acre ; son of Joseph and Ellen Barnes ; born Jan. 7, 1835, in Missisque
Co., C. W. ; in 1854, moved into Niagara Co., N. Y., and in December, 1856, removed
to Kent Co., Mich., where he engaged in a saw-mill till in September, 1857, came to
Maquoketa, where he remained till the fall of 1858, when he came on to his present
farm. Married Mrs. Margaret Current, whose maiden name was Hunter, in Septem-
ber, 1860; she was born in Indiana in 1826; have five children — -Orpheus, Margaret
E., Thomas. Milo, Eugene ; lost one daughter, Roxy O. Republican.
CLARENCE BURMP, farmer; P. 0. Baldwin ; is a native of Broome
Co., N. Y., and was born Aug. 19, 1849; when he was 8 years of age, his parents
removed to Michigan, and he grew up to manhood in that State ; he came to Iowa and
located in Jackson Co., and engaged in drilling wells ; he continued successfully in that
business until the present year ; he has recently disposed of his business, and will engage
in farming. He married Miss Thressa Ellingsworth, a native of Illinois, April 11,
1876 ; they have two children — Ada Maud and ivledah.
WIEBER I. CRAM, farmer, Sec. 18; P.O.Monmouth; son of John and
Laura M. (Cooley) Cram ; born Aug. 18, 1846, in Essex Co., N. Y., his parents also
being natives of New York ; in the fall of 1854, emigrated with parents to Maquoketa,
Jackson Co., Iowa, and the following summer moved into Sharon Township, Clinton Co.,
remaining a short time, then moved to Le Claire, Scott Co., Iowa; in 1859, returned to
Sharon Township, and from there to this township, in the spring of 1875, where he lives
upon his father's farm of 183 J acres, valued at $40 per acre, and in addition to the
above, owns with his father 40 acres of land valued at $30 per acre ; has taught school
thirteen winters, in connection with his other business, and has served as Township
Assessor, both in Sharon and Monmouth Townships. He married Miss Honora Fillbee
Oct. 8, 1868. She was also born in England Dec. 7, 1846. Have four children,
Osceola C, Albert I., Edwin J. and Fred. Republican.
JAMES E. GIEMORE, far., Sec. 5 ; P. 0. Monmouth ; owns 260] acres
of land, valued at $20 per acre ; born July 12, 1841, in Fayette Co., Penn.; in 1843, his
parents emigrated to Barbour Co., W. Va., where they remained till spring of 1853, when
they emigrated to this county. Enlisted in Cft. K of the 24th I. V. I.,. participating in tlie
battles of Port Gibson, Raymond and Champion Hill, Miss., siege of Vicksburg, Jack-
son and Mansfield, La., where he was wounded in right thigh ; at Cedar Creek, W. Va.,
was again wounded in hip, and thumb of left hand was shot off; was discharged in
March, 1865. Returnsd home, and married Miss Phillippa Barrett April 19, 1868.
She was born in England in 1848, and came to the United States in 1850. Have two
children — Ella and Earl. Mr. G. came on to his present farm in the spring of 1859.
Republican.
652 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
HON. HENRY GREEN, dealer in dry goods and general merchandise, also
Notary Public, Monmouth ; son of Russell and Elizabeth Green ; born Nov. 4, 1832, in
Elgin Co., C. W.; in the spring of 1850, emigrated to this township ; followed farming till
1856, when he commenced the mercantile business in Mill Rock; came to Monmouth in
1857 ; also commenced the study of law in connection with his other business, and was
admitted to the bar of Jackson Co. in 1861. Mr. Gr. served as member of the Legisla-
ture in the Tenth General Assembly, also as member of the County Board of Supervisors,
Justice of the Peace, etc. Besides his place of business, he owns 100 acres of land
adjoining the town plat, of the value of $50 per acre. Married Miss Sarah Stuart, in
August, 1857 ; she was born in Ohio, and deceased in 1859. He again married Miss
Harriet Willis in 1861 ; she was born in 1836, in New York. He has one daughter
by his first wife— Sarah, and by his second wife, five children — Charles F., Frederick
R., Clara, Lanetta and Junius B. ; has lost one — -Jessie. Republican.
W. F. HANSON, farmer, Sec. 19; P.O.Monmouth; son of Benjamin and
Louisa Hanson ; born April 9, 1843, near Maquoketa, in this county ; his father was
a native of Vermont and his mother of New Jersey ; his father died here in 1851 ; his
mother again married Mr. A. J. Trimble, who now lives in Monmouth. W. F. enlisted
Aug. 9, 1862, in Co. I, of the 24th I. V. I.; participated in battles of Port Gibson and
Champion Hills ; at latter place was taken prisoner, but paroled in about a month ;
again entered the service ; participated in several skirmishes, also in the battle of Win-
chester, Va,, and Cedar Creek, where he was again captured and taken to Libby Prison,
remaining about two weeks ; was then taken to Salisbury, N. C, where he remained
four months ; was finally exchanged and mustered out at Davenport Jan. 27, 1865, and
returned Home. Married Miss Julia A. Tabor Oct. 8, 1868 ; she was born in 1851,
in Jones Co., Iowa. They have five children — Jno. W., Louisa M., Elizabeth L.,
Fred W. and Frank. Is a member of Keystone Lodge, No. 206, Wyoming, Iowa.
Republican.
A. S. HERSHBERGER, farmer, Sec. 16 ; P. O. Baldwin ; owns 358 acres
land, valued at $30 per acre ; brother of Jno. S. Hershberger ; born March 5, 1846, near
Camden, 111.; parents emigrated to this county the following summer. In 1870, came
on to the premises where he now lives ; his mother makes her home with him. One of
his brothers, Isaac, served his country in Co. I, 24th I. V. I., under Capt. Loomis, of
Wyoming, and was killed at Champion Hill, and another brother, Jacob, is in California.
A. S. Hershberger married Miss Emeline Rockstraw Feb. 21, 1875; she was born
Nov. 10, 1856, in Jones Co., Iowa. They have one son, Thomas E.; lost one daughter,
Hattie. Republican.
JOHN HERSHBERGER, farmer, Sec. 16 ; P. O. Baldwin ; owns 420
acres of land valued at $30 per acre ; son of Jacob K. and Susan.nah (nee Shirk) Hersh-
berger; born Aug. 3, 1840, in Lancaster Co., Penn. In the spring of 1844. parents
emigrated to Camden, 111., and from there to this county, in the spring of 1846, locat-
ing in this township; in the spring of 1859, went by overland route to California, and
engaged in mining. In September, 1861, enlisted in Co. A, of 2d Cal. V. C. ; was engaged
in protecting the frontier from the Indians ; was in several engagements with the Indians ;
discharged in the winter of 1Si>5, and in the spring returned home, located on his
present farm, then belonging to his father, who died Feb. 20, 1873. Married Miss
Emma Levan Oct. 7, 1869, she was born in Norristown, Montgomery Co., Penn., Nov.
24, 1848 ; have three children — Samuel L., Wilbur and Charity. Republican.
J. B. KINSE Y, retired farmer ; P. O. Baldwin ; owns 200 acres of land,
valued at $50 per acre ; son of Daniel andMaria Kinsey ; born Feb. 23, 1814, in Lan-
caster, Co., Penn. ; his father, while a lad, drove a team in the Government service,
under Gen. Washington, during the Revolution ; his mother, when a girl, also did
service for the Government at the same time, in assisting in the manufacture of powder ;
parents died when he was quite young, and at the age of 14, he went to Buffalo, N. Y.,
and learned the cabinet, carpenter and joiner's trade; emigrated to Wayne Co., Ohio, and
from there to Iowa, in fall of 1855 ; stopped in Brookfk-ld Township, Clinton Co., till
spring of 1856 ; came into Monmonth Township and into Baldwin in spring of 1878,
MONMOUTH TOWNSHIP. 653
Married Miss Anna Musseliuan in Pennsylvania, June 3, 1838 ; she was born Jan. 11,
1817, and died Jan. 21, 1843. He again married Elizabeth Feand Sept. 3, 1843 ; she was
born Oct. 27, 1818, in Pennsylvania, and died Jan. 29, 1844. He again married
Christine Dieter Nov. 3, 1844; she was born Jan. 21, 1822, in Germany. He
has two children by first wife— Harriet, wife of John Wagoner, of Washington, Iowa,
and Caroline, wife of Daniel Royer, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and lost one son in in-
fancy; by present wife, has two children living — Julia A., wife of Hercules Barrett, of
Montgomery Co., Iowa, and Huldah, wife of Daniel Schieb, of this county ; lost two
sons — Henry and Benjamin. Mr. K. has served as Trustee of the Township. Repub-
lican.
MICHAEL. LA1IEY, farmer, Sec. 31 ; P. 0. Monmouth ; wife owns 200
acres of land, valued at $25 per acre ; he is the son of Michael and Bridget Lamey ;
born in County Tipperary, Ireland, in 1830; at the age of 15, he emigrated with
parents to Monroe Co., N. Y., where they remained but a short time, when they came
to Shullsburg, Wis., and followed railroading on the I. C. R. R., and on other roads in
La Salle Co. In 1856, came to Monmouth, in this county, and engaged on the old
Lyons & Anamosa Railway, with his three brothers. In the spring of 1857, went to
Dubuque, his father dying shortly after. In the fall of 1857, returned to Monmouth
Township, but continuing railroading at intervals up to Dec. 15, 1864, when he married
Mrs. Ellen Keller, daughter of H. V. Cook, of Sharon Township, Clinton Co., Iowa;
she was born Dec. 20, 1835, in Erie Co., Penn. ; she had three children by first mar-
riage— -Sarah, now wife of Henry Banghart, of Monmouth; Ida M., Carrie S. ; by
this marriage seven — John, William, Mary, Martha, Maggie, Jean and Charles. Mrs.
L. is a member of the M. E. Church ; Mr. L. is a member of the Catholic Church.
Democrat.
CHARLES A. LITTELL, Postmaster and dealer in general merchandise,
Nashville; owns 150 acres of land (exclusive of town property;, of the value of
$30 per acre ; son of John and Deborah Littell, and was born Dec. 23, 1832, in Mid-
dlesex Co., C. W. In 1849, emigrated with parents to this county ; his father deceased
here Aug. 28, 1865. In 1858, Mr. L. located upon the farm he still owns, south of
town, remaining till January, 1874, when he came into town, and engaged in his present
business, and acting as Deputy Postmaster, till October, 1876, when he was appointed
Postmaster. Married Miss Isabelle Harvey Jan. 12,1858; she was born Feb. 16,
1836, in New York ; have three children — Ella, Clara, and Cora ; lost two infant sons.
Republican.
HENRY LIBBEN, farmer, Sec. 10; P. O. Baldwin; owns 360 acres of
land, valued at $45 per acre; son of Otto and Rebecca Lubben; born Dec. 26, 1810,
in Oldenburg, Germany; in the spring of 1834, emigrated to the United States, land-
ing in New York City ; went up to Albany, stopping a short time, when he returned
to New York, and shipped for New Orleans, and, in the spring of 1865, came up the
Mississippi River to Dubuque, and engaged in the lead-mining business in that vicinity
and Galena; in 1857, came into Jackson Co. prospecting, and in 1839, pre-empted a
part of the land he still owns ; he was among the earliest settlers of the township, the
country then being but a vast wilderness, with but an occasional settler's cabin, plenty
of wild game and native Americans. He married Miss Elizabeth Joulsen in Septem-
ber, 1858; she was born in Missouri in 1839; her parents were natives of Switzerland ;
have four children — John, Frank, Mary and Elizabeth ; lost two — Charlotte and Julia.
Members of the Evangelical Church ; Republican.
CHARLES J. MILLARD, retired farmer; P. O. Baldwin; owns a
house and lot, of the value of $2,000; son of Joel and Tabitha (nee Green) Millard,
and was born June 30, 1804, in Duanesburg, Schenectady Co., N. Y.; is one of a fam-
ily of twelve children — six boys and six girls, all of whom lived to be men and women;
six now deceased; Mr. M. was educated in the common schools, and commenced teach-
ing when 17 years of age, and has taught, altogether, about nine years; went to Mont-
gomery Co., N. Y., in the spring of 1825, and married there, Sept. 13, 1825, Miss
Prudence Wilcox; she was born Aug. 1, 1796, in same county; in the spring of 1828,
654 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
moved to Yates Co., and started a cabinet shop, employing a workman from whom he
learned the trade, and subsequently took up carpenter and joiner work and house-build-
ing ; in 1842, returned to Montgomery Co., and remained till the spring of 1853, when he
came to Camanche, Clinton Co., and purchased a farm of ninety acres, where he
remained till the fall of 1877, then came to his present residence; his wife died Oct.
11, 1876. He again married Mrs. Sarah Bleekman (nee Thorpe) June 20, 1877 ; she
was born May 13, 1801, in Montgomery Co., N. Y.; Mr. M. has three children living
— Roswell B., now of Low Moor, an attorney and ex-County Superintendent of Clin-
ton Co.; Adoniram J., now an architect and builder of Little Rock, Ark., and Horatio
N., now a Baptist minister of Boonesboro, Iowa; lost three — David W., who was
killed at Camanche, by the great tornado of 1860, and Delos A., who died of disease
at Camp Denison, St. Louis, while a member of Co. A, of 8th I. V. I., and Myron,
who died when 4 years old. Mr. M. is a member of the Baptist Church, of which he
has served as Deacon many years ; Republican.
WILLIAM T. AND NAPOLEON B. PENCE, farmers, Sec. 23 ;
P. 0. Baldwin ; sons of Allen W. and Christine Pence; they own, in company, 320 acres
of land, valued at $40 per acre ; William T. was born March 3, 1845, in this county, on
the farm upon which he still lives. Married Mary Campbell, of this county, April 11,
1878; she was born in this State in March, 1856; have one son — Roy. Napoleon B.
was born July 6, 1849, on same farm, and married Elizabeth Watson Feb. 1, 1871 ;
she was born July 17, 1852, in Mercer Co., Penn.; have two children — Hattie and
Frank ; their mother died Aug. 6, 1871 ; their parents were among the first settlers of
the township ; Republican.
GEORGE RALSTEN, farmer, Sec. 17; P. O. Monmouth; son of Will-
iam and Katharine (Forbes) Ralston; born July 27, 1834, in Herkimer Co., N. Y.;
in the fall of 1867, emigrated to Iowa, stopping in Anamosa, Jones Co., and in 1868,
came on to his present farm, in this county. Married Miss Emily McCarty March
25, 1854; she was born Aug. 10, 1837, in New York; have 'three children — Sanford,
Katy and Mary ; has served as Township Trustee ; Republican.
WILLIAM T. SCHEIB, dealer in hardware, stoves, and also agricultural
implements, pumps, lime, etc., Baldwin; son of Samuel and Mary Scheib; born July 20,
1842, in Schuylkill Co., Penn.; in the spring of 1857, emigrated to this county, locat-
ing in South Fork Township. Enlisted Jan. 1, 1862, in Co. H, of the 16th I. V. I.;
participated in many hard-fought battles; at the battle of Shiloh, barely escaped being
captured, the bullets flying like hail around him, and two of them hit him, one of which
is still lodged next to his skull, on back of head ; was also in the battle of Iuka, and
the severest part of it, and at Corinth, where he was wounded in the left hand, on
account of which he was discharged Jan. 15, 1S63, and returned home, and attended
school for a time and teaching, till the spring of 1870 ; he then went to Baldwin,
and in company with his brother Charles H., engaged in his present business. Married
Miss Lydia Hiel Dec. 28, 1871 ; she was born in this county Oct. 6, 1854; have two
children— Ada M. and Berenice E.; lost one— Jennie E. Mr. S. has served as Treas-
urer of the township, also Director of Independent District : Republican.
JOSEPH E. SHIRK, farmer ; P. O. Baldwin ; owns 320 acres in this
county, and 160 acres in Clinton Co., all of the value of $35 per acre ; son of Jacob
and Erb Shirk ; was born March 28, 1828, in Lancaster Co., Penn., where his parents
died — father, Dec. 5, 1871, at the age of 77, and mother, in September, 1842,
at the age of 43. Mr. Shirk has always followed agricultural pursuits, with the
exception of four years in which he was engaged in hardware business in Lancaster,
Penn.; in the spring of 1850, he emigrated to Jackson Co., locating in Monmouth
Township, on Sec. 16, where he remained till, in 1858, he came on to his present farm.
Married Miss Sarah Gockley in October, 1856; she was born March 31, 1836, in
Williamstown, Penn.; have three children — Mary A., Catherine and Elizabeth. Mr. S.
has, by energy, ability and perseverance, accumulated a handsome property, which will
enable him to pass down life's declivity in comparative ease. Is a member of the M. E.
Church ; Republican.
MONMOUTH TOWNSHIP. 655
MARGARET SIEBEN, farmer, Sec. 15; P. 0. Baldwin; owns, in this
county, 633 acres of land, valued at Soil per acre; also 243 acres in Pocahontas and
Kossuth Cos. Mrs. S. is a daughter of Herman and Margaret Dieckman, and
was born June 8, 1822, in Oldenberg, Germany, where her father still lives, her mother
having died in January, 1879. In the fall of 1850, Mrs. S. emigrated to this county,
and, in July, 1851, married Mr. Diederiek Sieben ; he was born April 20, 18(15, in
Germany, and deceased Oct. 8, 1861 ; Mrs. S. has had three children, all deceased —
Maggie, Arbert and Adaline. Mrs. S. is a woman of more than ordinary business
talent, having carried on her farm since her husband's death with marked success. Is
a member of the Lutheran Church.
F. J. SOKOL, farmer, Sec. 18 ; owns 180 acres of land, valued at $40 per
acre; son of Francis and Josephine Sokol; born Oct. 22, 1841, in Austria; in the
spring of 1850, his parents emigrated to the United States and located in Monmouth,
Jackson Co.; was educated here in English schools; in 1861, he went by overland
route to California, where he engaged in mining, farming, etc., till the fall of 1865,
when he returned home ; was engaged in mercantile business, for a time, in Monmouth.
Married Miss Anna Bezdichek Jan. 3, 1869 ; she was also born in Austria, coming to
this country in 1S58 ; have three children — Blanche, Emma and John. Mr. S. has
served as Township Clerk and Township Collector. Is member of Masonic Lodge in
Maquoketa; Republican. P. O. Monmouth.
J. H. SOKOL, dealer in dry goods, groceries and general merchandise,
Baldwin ; son of Frank and Josephine Sokol ; born July 26, 1854, in this county ;
clerked in a general store for his brother, F. J. Sokol, in Monmouth, about nine years
ago, remaining about a year; then engaged with C. M. Sanborn, of Maquoketa, a short
time, after which he clerked for F. J. Gregor, of Baldwin, and afterward for Scheib
Bros., where he learned the tinner's trade, and, in the spring of 1877. engaged in his
present business. Republican.
HON. L. W. STUART, proprietor of Keystone Mills, Monmouth ; owns
with the mills 215 acres of land, all estimated to be worth $20,000. Mr. Stuart's
ancestors, on his father's side, were from Scotland, having emigrated to Massachusetts
about the beginning of the 17th century. L. W. is the son of William and Sally
(Daniels) Stuart; was born in Cortland Co., N. Y., March 21, 1S30 ; his parents
emigrated to Medina Co., Ohio, in 1832, and, in 1S34, to Wayne Co. and to Loraine
Co. in 1840 ; he received a fair English education, commencing to teach at the age of
17; at 19, he became engaged as traveling agent for an extensive wholesale firm of
Columbus, Ohio, one year, during which time he made the tour of many of the
Southern States ; he next turned his attention to railroading ; was conductor on the
Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad, and, subsequently, on the Toledo & Nor-
walk R. R. ; in November, 1852, emigrated with his parents to Jones Co., Iowa, where
he turned his attention to surveying and civil engineering, and, in 1854, was elected
County Surveyor, which position he held four years ; in the mean time, was selected as
one of the civil engineers in the survey of the old Lyons & Anamosa Air Line Railroad ;
but, by too close attention to surveying, he lost the sight of his right eye, compelling
him to turn his attention to some other avocation ; in 1859, he was engaged in mercan-
tile business at Monmouth, Jackson Co., with his brother-in-law, Hon. Henry Green ; in
the spring of 1860, he made the trip overland to Pike's Peak for the purpose of
recruiting his health, prospecting, etc.; while there, was chosen as one of the dele-
gates from Park District to the convention for selecting a committee to draft laws for
the organization of the Territory of Colorado, and was also chosen as one of the com-
mittee to draft said laws; in the fall of I860, returned home, and, in the spring of
1861, purchased Keystone Mills, and in 1863, abandoned the mercantile business and
moved to the mills, since which time he has devoted his time to milling and farming, in
the latter making a specialty of fancy stock, Chester White hogs, etc. In the fall of
1867, Mr. S. was elected to represent his district in the State Legislature, and, in 1871,
as State Senator, and again, in 1875, as member of the House in the Sixteenth Gene-
ral Assembly ; during his service as State Senator, he was selected one of the committee
■656 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES :
for the codifying and revision of the Code of Iowa for 1860, known as the Revision
of 1873. Married Miss Melvina Brookfield Nov. 27, 1857 ; she was born in Niagara
District, Canada West, Dec. 30, 1834 ; have two children — Leroy and Carrie. His
mother also lives in his family, his father having removed to California in 1871, where
he, shortly after, died. Mr. S. is a member of the Masonic Order ; Democrat.
RICHARD TEEPEE, farmer, Sec. 26 ; P. 0. Nashville; owns 300 acres
of land, valued at $30 per acre; born Aug. 7, 1832, in Elgin Co., C. W. ; emigrated
to this county in the spring of 1854. Married Miss Isabelle M. Tozier in December, 1860 ;
she was born in 1841, in Ogle Co., 111., and deceased July 6, 1865. He again married
Miss Delia C. Goodrich Nov. 10, 1867 ; she was born Nov. 20, 1844, in Addison Co.,
Vt. By his first wife, were Lewis L., Ida M., Truman W. and Adaline — the last two
deceased ; by present wife, four — Chester G., Luella L., Beulah C. and Lyman R.
Republican.
JOHN WATSON, farmer, Sec. 24; P. O. Nashville; owns 300 acres of
land, valued at $ 45 per acre ; is a grandson of Joshua Watson, who served through the
American Revolution, and son of John R. and Hannah (nee Keith) Watson, natives of
Woodstock, Conn. ; born Sept. 18, 1818, in Madison Co., N. Y. His father was born
Feb. 5, 1780, and died Dec. 17, 1847 ; his mother was born June 11, 1796, and died
March 15, 1862. Mr. Watson was educated in the common schools, from which he
acquired a thorough knowledge of common English branches, which he put to practice
in teaching for several years, always taking special interest in the promotion of the com-
mon-school system. In the spring of 1845, he moved to Wyoming Co., and from there
to this county, in the spring of 1853, locating upon his present farm. Married^ Miss
Eunice M. Viets, of Ashtabula Co., Ohio, March 13, 1845; she was born Dec. 19,
1818, in St. Albans, Vt. They have three children living— Edgar, who lives on an
adjoining farm; Leslie C, now of Pawnee Co., Kan., and Eugene, yet at home; lost one
son, J. Reed, who died Aug. 30, 1874, at the age of 28, leaving a wife, parents
and brothers to mourn his untimely death, as well as many warm friends. Was a
very successful teacher in the common schools, as are all his brothers. Mr. Watson
has served as a member of the Board of Supervisors, Justice of the Peace, etc ; Repub-
lican.
JEREHIAH WIDEE, carpenter and joiner, Baldwin ; born Jan. 16,
1S15, in Berks Co., Penn. In 1832. went to Buffalo, N. Y., and learned his trade,
and, in July, 1836, came to Chicago, then a very small town Remained there till Feb-
ruary, 1837, then, in company with three others, came to Camanche, Clinton Co., and
assisted in putting up the first house there, a log one, making that his home till 1845;
came to Brandon Township, of this county. In the summer of 1838, in company with
three others, made a tour into Cedar Co., stopping at Jo. Denson's, at Massillon, and
went up to what was known as Onion Grove, and purchased a claim, which he afterward
disposed of, the same now belonging to the estate of James Laughrie. In 1847, moved
into Monmouth Township, and returned to Canton in 1851, and back to Baldwin in
1870. Married Miss Catherine Groat March 24, 1842; she was born March 7, 1823,
in New York. Have eight children — James, Adeline, Clymena, Maria, George and
Hulbert A. and Herbert A., twins, and John ; lost four— Sarah and Eliza, and two
infants. Mr. Widell is a member of the M. E. Church; National.
WILEIAM WILCOX, farmer and Notary Public ; P. O. Baldwin ; owns
370 acres of land in this county, valued at $20 per acre, also 160 acres in Clinton Co.,
also valued at $20 per acre; born Oct. 7, 1823, in Elgin Co., Ontario. In the summer
of 1840, emigrated to this county, locating upon his present farm in the village of Mill
Rock ; was engaged in the mercantile business about ten years, and was Postmaster
about the same length of time, succeeding a Mr. Cobb, he being the first Postmaster of
the place ; the office was then called Cobb, but afterward changed to Mill Rock, which
was discontinued upon the arrival of the railroad to Baldwin. Married Miss Angelia
Hunt Sept. 8, 1846 ; she was born July 17, 1831, in Essex Co., Vt. Have two chil-
dren— Jael, now wife of A. G. Burdick. and Sherman ; lost one son — Theodore. The
parents of Mr. Wilcox were Jael and Ebenezer Wilcox. Republican.
BELLEVUE TOWNSHIP. 657
JOLEPII II. ZOOK, farmer, Sec. 21 ; P. 0. Baldwin; owns 175 acres
of land adjoining; Baldwin, valued at $50 per acre ; son of David and Nancy (nee Mack)
Zook; born Nov. 8, 1S23. in Bedford Co., Penn. In the summer of 1824, with his
parents, emigrated to Knox Co., Ohio, and, in the spring of 1845, he moved to Elkhart
Co., Ind., thence to Sharon Township, Clinton Co., Iowa, and to his present farm in
1860. Part of the town was platted on his farm, first called Fremont, aud changed to
Baldwin in 1871. He married Miss Caroline Kizer Oct. 15, 1S61 ; she was born in
Illinois in March, 1837. Have one daughter — Matie ; lost two children — William and
Hattie. Mr. Zook has served as Trustee of this township, Assessor, etc ; is a member
of the German Baptist Church ; Republican.
BELLEVUE TOWNSHIP.
MICHAEL ALTFILISCH, merchant and dealer in general stock,
Bellevue; born in Germany in 1842 ; emigrated to America in 1856 ; came to Bellevue
as salesman in 1862, and enlisted in the 5th I. V, C, as private in Company H ;
served two years ; was captured by the rebels near Atlanta ; remained a prisoner nine
months at Andersonville ; was honorably discharged ; returned to Bellevue and engaged
in business in August, 1865. He married Miss Lucy Robb, born in Germany in August,
1847 ; came to America in 1852 ; resided near Bellevue. Married in 1866 ; they have six
children — -Theresa, Frank, Clara, Louis, Francis and Michael.
CAPT. WILLIAM ANDERSON, firm of Anderson & Co., agents for
he Keokuk Northern Line Packet Co., dealers in grain and produce and pork-packing,
Bellevue ; he was born near Glasgow, Scotland ; when an infant, he moved with his
parents to New York ; his father was one of the first settlers of Chicago ; he assisted
in building the first pier there ; they afterward came to Lake Co., 111.; in 1846, they
came to Bellevue ; he had followed the river about fifteen years, part of this time as
captain and owner of a boat which he sold in 1878. Married Miss E. J. Phillips iu
1856 ; she was born in Ohio ; they have six children, three sons and three daughters.
ALBERT AWNING, farmer, Sec. 15; P. 0. Bellevue; born Aug. 12,
1852, in Tete des Morts Township, Jackson Co. ; came to his present farm in 1873 ;
he owns ninety -five acres of land. Married Lena Speoht Jan. 21, 1874 ; she was born
in 1855 in Jo Daviess Co., 111.; they have one child — Lena.
MRS. M. A. BARRETT, dealer in millinery, dress trimming and mak-
ing, Front street, near the Union Depot, Bellevue, formerly of Chippewa Falls, Wis.;
daughter of John How, one of the pioneers of Jackson Co., who took a prominent part
in the Bellevue war. Mrs. B.'s step-father, Jared Jonas, is also one of the old settlers
of Bellevue. Mrs. B. was bom in Bellevue Dec. 24, 1842.
WILLIAM BECKER, proprietor Mississippi House, Bellevue ; born in
Luxemburg, Germany, in 1S39; came to America and settled in Wisconsin in 1856,
and engaged in teaming and brick business; went to Lake Superior in 1859; in 1862,
returned to Wisconsin and enlisted in the 24th Wis. V. I.; was wounded in the battle
of Perryville, Ky.; returned to Louisville and to Camp Donaldson, and received his dis-
charge in 1863 ; returned to old home and then to Lake Superior ; was there employed
as engineer about one year, then came West to Jackson Co., and there married Miss
Steil, April 16, 1865 ; she was born in Germany in 1845 ; came to America in 1861 ;
they have three children living — Michael, Lena and Joe ; three children died — Annie,
Annie, Maggie and John Peter. He keeps the Mississippi House, located on Front
street, presenting a fine view of the river.
JOHN B LI'S II. brick manufacturer and contractor, Bellevue ; he was born
July 8, 1825, in Switzerland; May 5, 1845, he came to Stark Co., Ohio; in 1847, he
came to Bellevue ; he owns his yard with about seven acres of land ; during the war. was
in the Quartermaster's Department of the Cumberland Army and with the Construction
Corps at Nashville, under Capt. Negle ; served one year in each department. He married
6o8 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
Amelia Weber. June, 1859; she was born in 1842, in Prussia; had eleven children,
nine living', five sons and four daughters.
JOHN BOTTGHER, farmer; P. 0. Bellevue ; born in Prussia in 1831 ;
came to America in 1857 ; went to Galena and remained eight years, then came to-
Bellevue and went to farming; bought 160 acres. Wife was born in the same place
and came to America at the same time ; they have seven children — Louisa, Charlie,
Mary, Henry, John, Wilhelm and Annie. Democrat; in religion, Lutheran.
HENRY BOWER, Bellevue; retired from the active business life; he
built, and was proprietor of the Bower House for a number of years ; at present is
owner but not landlord; he has been here since 1S65 ; lived in the county twenty-
three years ; originally from Dauphin Co., Penn ; went to Ohio, and from there to
Jackson Co. Has been Justice of the Peace four years, and Township Trustee several
terms ; ex- President of the School Board. His wife, Miss E. Loy, sister of Dr. Loy,
of Maquoketa, was formerly from Trumbull Co., Ohio ; they were married in Ohio in
1850 ; have five children— John W., Flora Kate, Sarah Ella, William W. and Ada V.;
Kate and Ellen married, and reside in Pottawattamie Co.
A. BRANDT, stock-dealer and owner of several fine horses, Bellevue ; born
in Perry Co., Penn., April 8, 1845 ; has resided in Bellevue about eleven years. Held
the office of Deputy Sheriff one year and a half. Proprietor of the hotel known as the
Bower House three years. His wife was Miss Mattie Evans, daughter of R. D.
Evans; born in Bellevue Township ; married Dec. 25, 1873.
AMBROSE BREESE, dealer in drugs, medicines, paints, oil and dye
stuffs, jewelry, watches, clocks and silver ware, Bellevue ; he has been in the jewelry
business several years ; bought the stock of drugs belonging to G. W. Lewis & Son.
Mr. B. was born at Princeville, Peoria Co., 111., Jan. 29, 1851 ; went to Ft. Dodge,
Iowa, and remained about two years ; thence to Dubuque, and finished learning the trade
of watchmaker, and then to Storm Lake, and there learned the drug business, and from
there to Vermilion, Dakota, in the fall of 1875, and left there in the spring of
1876, and settled in Bellevue.
H. BUDDE, dealer in harness and saddlery, Bellevue ; was born in Olden-
burg, Germany ; came to America in 1845, and settled in Bellevue Aug. 26, 1836.
Married Miss Julia Klinesmith, at Spruce Creek, April 7, 1863, and they have eight
children living — Eddie, Annie, Mary, Charlie, Albert, Josse, Lena and Nillie.
PETER BUTLER, Jr., of the firm of Hoffman & Butler, proprietors
of the Northwestern Meat Market, Bellevue; born at Lockport, Niagara Co., N. Y.,
June 20, 1850, and came to Dubuque, Iowa, in 1856; thence to Bellevue; went to
Hannibal, Mo., and learned the trade of stone cutter and worked at the business three
years ; returned to Bellevue ; was in the employ of L. B. Potter for five years. Mar-
ried, Nov. 25, 1878, Miss Matruie Weber, daughter of Philip Weber, of Bellevue.
JOHN C. CAMPBELL, attorney, Bellevue; born June 4, 1850, in
Bellevue Township ; he attended the public schools in Richland Township until about
the age of 18, then engaged in school-teaching about two years. In 1873, went to
Prairie Du Chien, Wis.; attended St. John's College three terms, then returned to
Bellevue, and commenced reading law with D. A. Wynkoop ; was admitted to practice in
March, 1879. Married Miss Kate A. Slatterly in 1879; she was born in Galena, III;
his father, Hugh Campbell, was born in Paisley, Scotland, June 4, 1824; he came to
Jackson Co. in 1842 ; he owns 240 acres land in Richland Township. He was mar-
ried, Sept. 15, 1848, to Margaret Dougherty ; she was born in 1830 ; died Feb. 23,
1876 ; they had nine children, seven sons and two daughters.
E. D. COE, firm of Anderson & Co., grain, produce, pork-packing, etc., Belle-
vue ; he was born in Du Page Co., 111. in 1860 ; engaged there in farming about seven
years. In 1876, he came to Bellevue. Married Miss Lucy L. Hyler Oct. 19,1871 ;
she was born in Jackson Co., have one child — Charles; lost Mahlon H. in infancy.
MYRON COLLINS, dealer in stock and farming implements, Bellevue ;
since 1852, engaged in the manufacture of brick for seven years; was Deputy Sheriff
four years. County Commissioner from 1872 to 1874. He was born in Allegany Co.,
BELLEVUE TOWNSHIP. 659
N. Y. He married, in January, 1854, Elizabeth Millar; she was born in Illinois and
married in Bellevue ; have five children — Minnie, Stanhope L., Jeanette, Charles and
Cornelia.
J. C. COIXEHAN, retired ; Bellevue; he was born June 10, 1810, in
Ireland; in 1830, he came to Glasgow, Del., thence to Maryland; in 1832, he was
employed as a clerk in Dr. Fitzpatriek's store — he having the contract of building the
aqueduct, they were suddenly afflicted by the cholera; the Doctor went to Frederick
City, Md., remained there about four weeks, leaving Mr. Coulehan in charge of the
store and about 815,000; this he sewed up in canvas for safe keeping till the Doctor's
return; in 1859, he came to Belleville, and engaged in general merchandise trade about
eighteen years. Married Martha J. Portersfield in 1835; she was born in Virginia;
have five children, three sons and two daughters.
A. J. DORCHESTER, firm of A. J. Dorchester & Co., lumber, Bellevue ;
born in 1827, in Jefferson Co., N. Y. in 1853, he came to Bellevue and engaged with
K. G. Potter in milling, and so continued till 1870, when Mr. Potter retired from the
firm. He married, in 1860, Miss Illinois Carpenter, a niece of ex-Gov. Ansel Briggs,
the first Governor of Iowa ; she was born in Rhode Island ; they have six children —
Elvira, George, Nellie. Katie, Mabel, Jacqueline.
H. G.' DORCHESTER, of the firm of A. J. Dorchester & Co., lumber,
Bellevue; was born in 1848, in Jefferson Co., N. Y. In 1870, he came to Bellevue;
was captain of a steamer running between Galena and Bellevue, three or four seasons ;
afterward, in the produce business, firm of Allen & Co., about two years. In 1875, be
associated himself with his present firm ; has been City Clerk ; is a member of the
School Board. Married Josie Warren in 1873 ; she was born in Bellevue. They have
two children — Ethel and W. A.
R. DEdrlTZ, manufacturer of cigars and tobacco, Front street. Bellevue ; born
in Bavaria in 1838 ; came to America in 1855; enlisted in the 2d 111. Light Artillery,
and served two years, and, in 1872, came to Iowa. His wife, Mary Peters, was born
in New York July 11, 1848, and married in Illinois in 1866. They have four chil-
dren— Sophia, Minnie. Josie and Bennie.
WTIvEIAJI DYAS, deceased ; he was born in 1814, in Ireland; he came
to Jackson Co. in 1S33, and died in 1875. He married A. Lenox in July, 1858; she
was born in Maryland, and came to Jackson Co. in 1852. He owned about 200 acres
of land. Had five children— William, Robert, Anna, Ella and Minna.
ANTON E ARNST, farmer, Sec. 6 ; P. O. Bellevue ; born in Prussia in
• 1843 ; came to America in 1852. Owns 160 acres; has made all the improvements of
a substantial kind. His wife, Mary Ratus, born in Sax Weimar in 1844, came to
America in 1861. Married in 1862. They have seven children — Conrad, Lizzie,
William, Annie, Chris, Margaret and Johnie. Has been School Director and Road
Supervisor for three years past.
HEXRY ERNST, Sr., farmer, Sec. 22; P. O. Bellevue; he was born Oct.
11, 1810, in Prussia, Germany. In 1830, he came to New York City. In 1832, he
came to St. Louis, Mo. In 1834, he removed to Belleville, 111. In 1842, he came to
Jackson Co., Iowa. He has been a very large property owner, having at one time owned
over nine hundred acres of land ; he now owns 450 acres; he has resided in Bellevue
the greater part of his time in the county, and assisted in removing the old saw-mill
owned by Capt. Potter, where Kilborn & Co.'s mill now stands. He married Catherine
Keefer in 1833; she was born in Germany, and died in 1845. Had three children —
Henry, Elizabeth and Sarah. Second marriage, to Catherine Houllog, in 1846; she
was born in Hanover, Germany. Have three children — George H, Tasso C. and
Anna.
HENRY ERNST, Jr., farmer, Sec. 20; P. O. Bellevue; born Dec. 25,
1840, in St. Louis. Mo. In 1842. he cime with his parents to Jackson Co., Iowa; he
owns 1S3 acres of land. His father is one of the oldest settlers of this township. Married
Rachel Tebbens in 1866 ; she was born in 1849, in Germany. Have four children —
Henry, Hannah, Samuel and John.
660 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
HERMAN ENNING, farmer ; P. 0. Bellevue ; born in Tete des Morts
Township Nov. 17, 1846; his father died in 1869, while on a visit to Minnesota. Her-
man has lived in Bellevue Township about ten years, and has a farm of 1 96 acres of
good land located in Sec. 7. His wife was born in Tete des Morts Township in 1854 ;
she was Maggie Weynisskey, daughter' of Peter Weynisskey, of Prairie Spring Town-
ship; they were married April 10, 1872, at Bellevue, and have one child — Mary;
Albert died at the age of 15 months. Members Catholic Church ; Democrat.
It EX J EVANS, retired, Bellevue; he was born Feb. 19, 1819, in Clintoo
Co., Ohio ; he came West with his parents in 1839 ; in 1843, he came to Jackson Co. ;
when in Ohio, he learned the millwright and carpenter trade, and carried on this busi-
ness very extensively on the Pacific coast ; he built some of the largest silver reduction
works in Nevada ; carried on this business from 1852 to 1873 ; he then returned to Belle-
vue. Married Martha Dickey in 1846; she was born in Pennsylvania; they had three
children, but one living— Josephine ; Marion died in 1862, aged 14 years; Sophia died
in 1874, aged 23 years.
W. ©. EVANS, editor and proprietor of the Bellevue Leader, Bellevue ;
born in Illinois, near Grafton, Aug. 28, 1838 ; came to Jackson Co. in 1845; engaged
in farming until 1860, and then went to Pike's Peak ; returned in 1862, to Galena, 111.
Raised one company, and was Captain of Co. E, 140th I. V. I.; when the regiment
was organized, he received the commission as Major ; he was discharged Oct. 29, 1864 ;
came to Bellevue and bought the Jackson County Leader, changing the name to the
Bellevue Leader. Married, in 1876, Jan. 19, Miss Cora V. Hunt, of Hanover, 111. ;
they have two children — Aylmer, aged i\ years, and an infant daughter; one son,
Walter, died in infancy. He is Republican ; in religion, liberal.
AMASA S. FANNING, foreman with A. J. Dorchester & Co., saw-mill,
Bellevue ; he was born Aug. 1, 1845, in Galena ; in 1S51, came to Bellevue ; he enlisted
in 1863, in Co. H, 5th I. V. C. ; served to the end of the war ; participated in the bat-
tles u f Nashville, Franklin, Tenn, Atlanta, Wilson's Raid and others ; he then returned
to Bellevue, and has since been engaged in the saw-mill business. His father was born
in Berlin, Conn., in 1814 ; died in Bellevue, in 1851, of cholera. His mother was
born in 1821, in Richmond, Va. ; resides also in Bellevue, with her son.
LEY FOSTER, carpenter and joiner, of the firm of Foster & Rheem,
Bellevue ; born in Mercer Co. Perm., in 1831 ; came to Jackson Co. in 1854; enlisted,
in November, 1861, in the 2d I. V. C. ; mustered out in November, 1864. His wife
was born in Chautauqua Co.. N. Y. Married, August, 1850, in Pennsylvania, Miss
Emily Thomas, and have three children — Ida, Callie and Abraham L. (born March 4,
the day of the first inauguration of President Lincoln ), William, Thomas and Walter,
deceased.
RORERT FRATUS, Bellevue; born in Portugal, in May, 1821, and came
to America at the age of 12 years; went on the sea as a sailor, and sailed under the
United States flag for twenty years, when he came to Iowa, settled in Jackson Co. and
entered 200 acres of land in Sec. 19; has held the offices of Supervisor and School
Director. His wife was born in Scotland, and came to America when about 7 years
old ; she was the daughter of Patrick Campbell, of Richland Township, now deceased ;
they have been married about thirty years, and have three children living — John, 19
years old Oct. 9; Robbie. 12 years old Dec. 11 ; Catherine, 11 years of age. Rosana
died at the age of 9 ; Sarah Jane died May 19, i870. Members Catholic Church;
Democrat.
R. FREESE, farmer ; P. O. Bellevue ; born in Hanover, Prussia, March 18,
1838. He was in the army eight years, in the old country, under the command of
Ernst August ; came to America in November, 1869 ; went to Quincy, 111., and worked
in a nursery about two months ; came to Iowa, and worked about two years, when he
bought a farm of twenty-seven acres in Sec. 36, Bellevue Township. Is a Roman
Catholic and a Democrat. His wife was born in Germany, and came to this country
in 1850, with her father, T. B. Kline. They were married in 1872, in Bellevue, and
have four children — Barney, Annie, Mary and Johnie.
BELLEVUE TOWNSHIP. 661
DR. Gr. W. FROST, physician and surgeon, Bellevue ; he was born in
1836, in Kennebec Co., Me.; in 1865, he came to Clinton ; was appointed Superintend-
ent of Schools ; commenced^the study of medicine with Dr. P. J. Farnsworth ; grad-
uated in 1S70, at the Rush Medical College, Chicago; he also graduated in 1871, at
Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York City ; has been in constant practice
since. Married Miss J. G. Gray in 1864; she was born in Exeter, Me., in 1835, and
died in Clinton in 1870 ; have one child — Carrie 6. Second marriage to Miss A. E.
Soper in 1872; she was born in Rome, N. F. ; have two children — Nellie and George
H.
MICHAEL (jtEIGER, Bellevue; bom in Luxemburg, Germany; in
1813, came to America ; in 1856, to Tete des Morts Township, and remained there
two years; went back to Germany in 1S58, and remained there twelve years, then
returned to America in 1871, settled in Jackson Co., and bought eighty acres of J.
Hinz, in Sec. 29. His wife was born in Luxemburg. Germany, in 1831, and married
in Germany in I860; they have six children — Willie, Maggie, Mary, John, Nickie and
Annie; May died in 1869. Catholics and Democrat.
FRANK HANSKE, deceased ; he was born in 1832, in Germany, and
died June 4, 1879; he came to Bellevue in 1859, and engaged in general merchandising
till the time of his death ; he had been a member of the Masonic Order for the past
twenty years. He married Miss Mary Hassig Aug. 28, 1858; she was born in 1841,
in Germany; had seven chidren, five living — William, Frank, Lee, Emma, Bertha and
Eddie.
CHARLES A. HARRINGTON, farmer, Sec. 32; P. 0. Bellevue;
he was born April 16, 1818, in Middlesex, Vt.; in 1841, he came to Jackson Co.; he
owns over six hundred acres of land. Married Elizabeth Cowden in 1854; she was
born in Mercer Co., Penn., in 1832; they have nine children — four boys and five girls.
His brother Ansen, now deceased, came to Bellevue in 1838, and entered this land from
the Government.
RICHARD HARRISON, retired, res. Second street, Bellevue; born March
18, 1801, in Sussex Co., Va.; in 1817, moved to Kentucky, thence to Tennessee; in 1832
to Rock Island, in 1836 to Rockingham, Iowa; in 1847, he removed to Mineral Point,
Wis.; in 1857, to Madison. Wis.; in 1859, he came to Bellevue and has lived here since;
he has followed the boot and shoe trade since 1819 ; when in Rockingham, Iowa, he was
engaged in merchandising, and was Deputy Sheriff there about three years. Married
Margaret Van Horn in 1842 ; she was born in Henry Co., Ohio, in 1825 ; have five
children— Louisa E.. Mary A., William H., Charles D. and Frank R. William H.
enlisted in 1864, in Co. H, 5th I. V. C. ; served to the end of the war.
MATHIAS HASFR, farmer ; P. 0. Bellevue; born in Prussia in 1821 ;
came to America in 1860; settled in Jackson Co., and bought 120 acres in Sections 20
and 29 ; wife born in Prussia m 1821, and married in Germany in 1845 ; they have
seven children — Polian, John, Mary, Engle. Matt, Annie and Kittie. In religion
Catholic; Democrat.
WILLIAM HANSER, Bellevue: born in Baden, Germany, in 1836;
came to America March 5, 1853 ; settled in Bellevue Oct, 25, 1861 ; engaged in tailor-
ing. Married Miss Mary Heart, born in Hungary, Austria, April 22, 1S42 ; came to
America in June, 1866, and married Sept. 28, 1S68, at Dubuque, and have four chil-
dren living — Annie Fredericka, Wilhelmina, John August and Lizzie ; Fredrick Wil-
helm died Feb. 19, 1871.
HENRY & WYNKOOP, druggists, Front street, Bellevue. Philip C.
Henry was born in Cologne, Prussia ; he commenced the study of pharmacy in Fred-
erick William College, where he remained about five years ; he then made several trips
to America, and, in 1872, came to Chicago and entered the College of Pharmacy ; grad-
uated there in 1S74 ; in 1875, he came to Bellevue. Married Miss Hattie Miller Oct,
15, 187S ; she was born in Bellevue ; is a daughter of Dr. Miller of this place. Ben-
jamin B. Wynkoop was born Aug. 7, 1853, in Bellevue; he attended the Lenox Col-
legiate Institute about six months, then the Lafayette College at Easton, Penn., about
bbZ BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
two years ; in 1877, they commenced their present business. His father came to
Bellevue in 1846; died in 1870, asjed 53 years. His mother resides in Bellevue.
CHARLES IIHKKOX, Agent C, C. D. & M., and O, B. C. & W. Rail-
roads, Bellevue ; he was born in May, 1843, in Schoharie Co., N. Y.; he enlisted, in 1861,
in Co. D, 1st Regt. United States Sharpshooters; continued with this corps till 1863,
when he enlisted in the 2d N. Y. V. C Co. M ; participated in the Red River
expedition under Gen. Banks, afterward with Gen. Canby to Florida and Mobile ; in
1869, he came to Dubuque ; was appointed railroad agent in 1871, at Spike's Ferry;
has been with the company since he was transferred to Bellevue, in 1875. Married
Asenath Borst in August, 1866 ; she was born in Schoharie Co., N. Y.; have three chil-
dren— Leroy S., Walter A. and Charles H.
DR. JAMES HOLUISTER, physician and surgeon, cor. Front and
State streets, Bellevue ; he is a native of Kentucky ; when a child he came to Cler-
mont Co., Ohio, with his parents. He commenced the study of medicine in 1852 ;
graduated Feb. 19, 1S53, at the Ohio Medical College; in 1854, he came to Champaign
Co., 111.; in 1856, came to Jackson Co.; he was appointed Assistant Surgeon in the
3d Mo. V. C; served about two years, then transferred to hospital duty ; served till
August, 1865. He married Eliza J. Barker in 1861 ; she was born in Ohio; have six
children — two sons and four daughters:
CYRUS HUNTOOKL retired, Bellevue; he was born July 21, 1815, in
Unity, N. Y. In 1833, he came to Massachusetts, thence to Vermont; in 1843, to
Dayton, Ohio ; in 1S47, to Bellevue, where he has since resided; has held the office of
Deputy Sheriff. Married Emily Harrington in 1839 ; she was born in Montpelier, Vt.
Have three children — Helen, David and Jay Frank.
J. C. HUGHE Y, retired; residence on Third street, Bellevue ; was born in
1825, in Allegheny Co., Penn. In 1852, moved to Wheeling, W. Va. ; in 1848, to New
Orleans ; in 1852, he came to Jackson Co. and commenced the hardware business, which
he continued till 1876, when he sold out to Stampfer & Young. He is one of the oldest
merchants in Bellevue ; is President of the School Board ; has been a member of the
Board for the past twenty-two years. He married Ophelia Seward in 1854; she was
born in Chemung Co., N. Y. Have three children — Delia A., Elmer K. and Jennie 0.
M AHLOK G. HYL.ER, merchant, on Water street, Bellevue ; was born
Sept. 2, 1823, in Jefferson Co., N. Y. His parents were farmers, and the subject of
this sketch passed his boyhood amid the healthful influences of rural scenes, and there
acquired that sympathy with nature animate and inanimate, which still characterizes
him in an eminent degree. When but 11 years of age, he, with his parents, removed
to St. Clair Co., 111., where both continued to reside until 1842, when he located in
Bellevue, and began farming, which he continued for ten years. In 1844, he started in
general merchandising at Bellevue, but carried on his farming also until 1862, since
which date he has attended to mercantile matters exclusively. He is now the oldest
merchant in Bellevue. June 10, 1849, he married Miss Jerusha Durham, who is a
native of Broome Co., N. Y. He gallantly concedes full honor to his wife for her wise
counsels and faithful co-operation. They have four children — Lucy L., Julia H., Charles
G. and Benjamin. Mr. Hyler has held several minor positions of trust and honor, but
is wholly unambitious for political distinction. Although a stanch Republican, he is not
aggressive, but liberal. A man of strong convictions, he nevertheless has little of the
spirit of a missionary. He is not contentious, but is a good conversationalist, social,
frank and fluent, In all his business experience, he never had a lawsuit, preferring to
suffer wrong rather than resort to the ills of litigation. His good-natured leniency has,
no doubt, heavily increased the debit side of his profit and loss account. He is an intel-
ligent user of his finely selected library. Theologically, he is broadly liberal, has faith
in mankind and the present life, but is largely skeptical as to the hereafter ; might justly
be called, in the I est sense, an humanitarian. He enters with keen zest into outdoor
sports and games. lie is at home either in the woods or on the water. He is the
Treasurer of the Bellevue Schutzenverein, of which J. W. Week is Schutzenmeister.
His equipments for shooting or boating would arouse the enthusiasm of a ;
Bk
orfcieA<u**i-^
BELLEVUE TOWNSHIP. 665
His skiff is in form, a model, in material, sheet-iron, and its equipment is " Lyman's
Patent Oars," whereby the oarsman is enabled, like other travelers, to " face forward,
march." His rifle and shotgun are polished pets of first quality, and in his hands sel-
dom fail to send the missile to the mark, whetherjt be the fleet game or the professional
target. He is still chief salesman in his own store, and retains the customers who first
gave him their patronage thirty-five years ago. Although plain spoken, his candor does
not offend. Strict conformity to the law of rectitude is the duty of all men, but his
neighbors and patrons declare that he is " peculiar ; " and one peculiarity is that his
" word is as good as his bond." His claim to unassuming honesty is unquestioned, and
'tis a pleasure to remind the reader that poetry and philosophy crown the " honest
man " as one of the " noblest works of God."
JERRY JONAS, farmer, Sec. 12 ; P. 0. Bellevue ; he was born Nov. 15,
1809, in Somerset Co., Penn. ; in 181S, he came with his parents to Perry Co., Ohio;
in 1834, he came to what is now Jackson Co., and settled on his present location; he
at first entered about 400 acres land, and has since sold all but 145 acres; he is one of
the oldest settlers of the county. He married Sarah Howe in 1847 ; she was born in
Kentucky ; have five children — Edwin, Bvron, Franklin, Daniel and Sarah E.
CHARLES JUSTIHAN, P. 0. Bellevue ; born in Prussia Nov. 21,
1826 ; was a farmer in the old country; also in the regular army of Prussia, under the
command of Gen. Wangel three and a half years; came to this country in September, 1851,
to Milwaukee, then to Illinois ; worked on the Illinois.Ceutral Railroad ; enlisted in the
2d I. V. I. ; served nine months ; was discharged and engaged in farming in
Jackson Co., and is the owner of 213 acres of land in Section 36. His wife was born
in Ohio, and moved to Illinois ; they were married in Jonesboro, Union Co., 111.,
May 1, 1852, and have twelve children — Charlie, Rosa, Lewis, Henry, Fred, Lena,
George, Frank, Mary, Clara, Carl, William. Democrat.
JOHN N. KASS, saloon and restaurant, corner of Front and Market streets,
near the wharf boat, Bellevue; born in Luxemburg, Germany, Sept. 29, 1842;
learned the trade of gardener ; he traveled throughout the old country considerably ;
came to this country May 6. 1867, and settled in Bellevue ; employed part of the time
as storekeeper ; he owns town property, and was President of St. Joseph's Society in
1871. His wife was born in Luxemburg in 1841, and came to America and located
at the same place. They were married May 6, 1867, at Galena, 111. Members of the
Catholic Church ;^they have six children — Lizzie, Maggie, Nick, Mary, Francis, Josie.
A. (J. KEGLER, dry goods, Front street, Bellevue ; he was born in 1843
in Nassau, now Prussia; in 1S53, he came to Jackson Co., and engaged in farming for
about ten years ; in 1863, he engaged in the dry-goods business, and, in 1870, he
commenced this business ou his own account; has held the office of Township Clerk three
years. He married Catharina Lemkuhl in 1S69 ; she was born in 1848, in Germany ;
died in 1873 ; have one child — Katie B. Second marriage, to Catharina Herbst, in
the fall of 1873 ; she was born in Germany ; have three children — August T., Wm. C.
and Harry C.
HON. JOSEPH KELSO, banker, Bellevue ; a native of Ireland ; at the
age of 20, he came to America and first settled in Virginia. In 1840, he went to Pike
Co., Ohio; engaged in teaching school and reading law ; in 1845, he commenced a
regular course of law studies, uuder the supervision of N. K. Clough, and afterward
with John M. Douglass, who is now a resident of Chicago; after being admitted to the
bar, he removed to Bellevue, in 1849, and practiced his profession; he also joined
himself with W. L. Redmond, of Bellevue, in the banking business, under the firm
name of Kelso & Redmond; this connection continued till 1868, when the firm was
dissolved, since which time the business has been carried on by Mr. Kelso, alone. He
was elected Prosecuting Attorney, and served very acceptably in that office ; in 1857,
was elected County Judge of Jackson Co., which office he held for one term ; he has
held the office of Mayor and many other places of trust, within the gift of the citizens
of this city and county. He is a man of strict integrity, and a shrewd business finan-
cier, and is held in universal esteem by all who know him. He married Miss Eliza
666 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
Cressy, who was born in Beverly, Essex Co., Mass. ; she died in Bellevue in 1864 ; they
had two children — Walter C. and William. His second marriage was in 1872, to Miss
Sophia F. Shaw, of Maquoketa ; she was born in Dubuque ; they have three children
— Carrie, Joseph and Jennie.
W. M. KEISTER, retired farmer ; P. 0. Bellevue ; born in Virginia in.
1840 ; came to Iowa in 1847 and engaged in farming thirty-two years, six miles from
Bellevue ; moved into town and built a red brick residence on the bluff back of the
town, commanding a fine river view. As a public man, he has the confidence of the
people ; has been elected to all the offices in the township ; is a member of the City
Council. His wife was born in Germany and came to America at the age of 1 year -r
they were married at Andrew, Jackson Co., May 16, 1864, and have two children —
Hattie C. and Myron B.
G. KEJIPTER, dealer in furniture, Bellevue ; born in Wurtemberg in
1826; came to America in 1854; settled in Bellevue in 1860. Secretary of St.
Joseph's Society three years ; was Treasurer three years, and since re-elected as Secretary-
He married Mary Gnegler, born in Austria in 1839; came to this country in 1853;
married at Galena July 22, 1861, and have six children — Lizzie, Annie, Josephine,
John, Paul and Mary.
NATHAXIEL KILBORN, miller and farmer, Bellevue; was born May
24, 1821, in Coshocton Co., Ohio; his father, Benjamin Kilborn, died in 1826, leaving
the mother without resources and with four dependent children. Struggling in the
school of honorable poverty, the children early learned the lesson of self-reliance, which
possibly has been the key to his subsequent success. In 1830, his mother married
again, and, two years afterward, removed to what is now Effingham Co., 111., and settled
on the National road, twenty-four miles east of Vandalia, then the capital of the State.
Here, twenty-four miles from schoolhouse or post office, the family lived until 1836,
when the mother died, leaving the four children to battle for themselves in a new
country and among strangers. Under these circumstances of pioneer life, the subject
of our sketch received his early education ; in this vicinity, he labored at various occu-
pations until 1841, when he went to Galena, III., where he worked two years as a
smelter in a lead furnace , his first visit to Jackson Co. was in 1841, but he did not
settle there until after his Galena experience. In company with David Harris he hap-
pened to be in Bellevue on the 3d of April, 1843, when the real estate of the "late
notorious Brown" was being sold by his administrator, Shaderick Burleson. The terms
were nine months' credit at 10 per cent, secured by the property itself. Messrs. Kil-
born & Harris bought for $195 what was known as the "Brown Hotel" and which
had been the rendezvous of the Brown gang of horse-thieves. This hotel had been
rendered famous in 1840 as the place of Brown's death and as the principal scene of
the " Bellevue war." The lot where the family of Mr. Harris now resides was bought
for $12 at the same sale, making the entire purchase $207. In August of the same
year, 1843, Messrs. Harris & Kilborn started a variety store with a joint capital of $500.
Business for a time was prosperous, the Brown property was paid for and other invest-
ments made, including the building of a storehouse, the latter of which so embarrassed
the firm as to compel them in 1845 to close 'business. After spending the next year in
the pineries of Wisconsin, he returned to Bellevue, and, in the autumn of 1846, mar-
ried Miss Hannah Vanderburg, step-daughter of J. C Mitchell, who was quite
prominent in the " Bellevue war." Mrs. Kilborn has proved a worthy companion and
true helpmeet and has contributed her share in achieving their present position of hon-
orable competence. They have had five children ; two only are living — James Mitchell,
now at home, and Hannah, married E. T. Healey and resides in Dubuque. For two
years after marriage, Mr. Kilborn worked at whatever occupation would afford a liveli-
hood ; in 1849, he gathered the necessary material, and, unaided, made himself a com-
fortable house. The "gold fever " took him off to the mines of California one year,
and, on his return in 1851, he and Andrew Woods went into business on a joint capital
of $1,600; this partnership, which was pleasant and profitable, was terminated in
1862. He spent three years of the war in Government employ with W. A. Warren,
BELLEVUE TOWNSHIP. 667
who was Captain and Assistant Quartermaster. In 1S66, the Gatninel's mills were
purchased by Kilborn & Co., the partners being J. Kelso and A. Reiling. The Jasper
Mills were bought in 1S71 by the same company, and Mr. Kilborn now has the general
management of both mills, together with a large stock farm connected with the same. Mr.
K. has been actively instrumental in securing the construction of the Chicago, Bellevue,
Cascade & Western Railroad now (1879) nearly completed. In politics, he is a Repub-
lican, although not an active politician ; he has held several minor offices, and once in
this county of 500 Democratic majority, he lacked but 40 votes of being elected Rep-
resentative to the State Legislature; his political bias was determined while yet a mere
lad by observing the difference between representative men of the two parlies in relation
to character and culture. In that day, illiteracy was quite general, especially among
the rank and file of Democracy. Effingham Co. has always been strongly Democratic,
and then two of the County Commissioners were compelled to make their mark, only
one of the three being able to read and write. At a joint discussion which he attended,
the Democratic speech was a disgusting appeal to personal prejudice and ignorance;
the rostrum was a wagon in the shade of a large tree. The Whig speaker began a
candid and sensible talk, without any rough stories or broad jokes, when Democracy
immediately ran off with wagon and speaker ; thus breaking up the meeting and pre-
venting the hearing of both sides. This act did violence to the boy's sense of fair
play and right ; and his subsequent reflection upon the matter and manner of that
political meeting led him in early life to affiliate with that party now known as Repub-
lican. Mr. Kilborn is a tireless worker and never postpones until the morrow what can
and ought to be done to-day ; neither does he ask another to do for him what he can
do himself. While not a church member, he is a public-spirited citizen and contributes
to sustain the moral forces of the community. Without educational advantages in
early life, he has, in the rough discipline of experience, wrought out a strong character
and is emphatically a representative self-made man. By energy, industry and executive
ability, he has built up a competency and won the respect of his fellow-men. Physically,
he is tough, wiry, mentally, clear and vigorous, and doubtless has many years yet in
which to serve himself and the race.
RIO-HARD KI.1IBEL, livery and feed stable, and also proprietor of
river ferry, and dealer in fine stock, Bellevue; born in Saxony, Germany, in 1840;
came to this country at the age of 7 years, going to Galena, 111., and from there to Rush
Creek and engaged in farming ; returned to Galena, thence to Bellevue, and ran the
only dray in town. Was elected to the office of Constable, but did not accept. He
was a contractor on the river road, and distributed the ties from Gordon's Ferry to
Sabula ; He is owner of 220 acres in Illinois opposite Bellevue. His wife was born in
Gainesville, Ky.; they have had nine children, eight living and one deceased.
J. B. KLEINE, farmer, Sec. 34; P. O. Bellevue; born Oct. 2, 1818, in
Germany; in 1857, came to Wisconsin; in 1861, came to Jackson Co.; he owns 190
acres of land. Married Theresa Walters in 1841 ; she was born in 1818, in Germany;
had six children — one son and five daughters ; his son John died in 1877, aged 27 years.
HEXRY KOLKER, former, Sec. 11 ; P. O. Bellevue; born April 17,
1836, in Hanover, Germany ; in 1861, came to New Orleans; in 1862, came to Jack-
son Co.; he owns 109 acres of land. Married Theresa Daters in 1875 ; she was born
in Hanover, Germany ; have two daughters. He has two daughters by a former mar-
riage ; she has two sons by a former marriage.
■ PETER KOPPES, farmer; P. O. Bellevue; born in Luxemburg, Ger-
many, in 1834 ; came to America in 1855 ; settled in Tete des Morts ; remained there
about thirteen years, then came to Bellevue, and has been here about eleven years ;
bought 140 acres from Frank Muller ; his wife was born in Luxemburg, Germany ;
came to this country in 1843, and settled in Tete des Morts; she was the daughter of
Barney Stiffen; they were married June 24. 1863; have four children — Jake, Mary,
John and Elhart ; one child died in 1866. Catholic; Democrat.
JOHN D. KOSTER, merchant tailor and dealer in clothing, Front street,
on the bank of the river, Bellevue ; born in Hanover, Germany, Jan. 20, 1831 ; came
668 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
te America in 1859 ; remained in New York about two years, then returned to Europe
and visited Sweden, Norway, England and Germany; returned to America in 1865;
settled in Jackson Co., and engaged in farming; removed to Bellevue and entered into
the merchant tailor business. His wife was born in London, England, in the year 1837 ;
he married, in Sweden, Sept. 16, 1863, Miss Salina Duhni, and have three children —
Albert, Edward and Clara.
CHARLES KUNZ, retired druggist, Bellevue ; born in Germany, in the
town of Niederbromvach Vergenfelt, April 9, 1826, and came to this country in 1845 ;
settled in Randolph Co., and engaged in farming; came to Bellevue in 1853 ; has been
in the dry-goods business for fifteen years as a clerk, and in the drug business eight
years. His wife was born in Liesel Vergenfelt, Germany, and came to this country in
1844 ; she was Catharine Myer, born Nov. 30, 1826 ; they were married in Chester,
Randolph Co., 111., Dec. 22, 1847; they have had three children — William ^now in
the hardware business in Bellevue), Charles (born Aug. 2, 1849, and died June 10,
1873 ; he was in the drug store of his father, and was to be the successor in the busi-
ness); Lena (died at the age of nine years).
S. H. LAMBORN, farmer, Sec. 32; P. 0. Bellevue ; born in April, 1839, in
Venango Co., Penn. ; in 1854, he came to Jackson Co. ; he owns 280 acres land; he
has been Township Assessor and Collector of Jackson Township ; is Township Treasurer
of Bellevue. Married Ellen Shafer in 1860 ; she was born in Columbiana Co., Ohio;
have six children — Sarah J., Willard F., Charles W., Perry E., Jessie M. and Jennie.
FRIED LAJIPE, farmer, Sec. 5 ; P. O. Bellevue ; he was born Aug. 18,
1809, iu Prussia, Germany ; May 5, 1849, he moved to Baltimore, thence to Cincin-
nati; August, 1849, he came to Bellevue; he owns 200 acres land. Married Christina
Lelo in 1836 ; she was born in 1811, in Germany ; died in 1849 ; had two children — ■
Sophia and Mena. Second marriage to Christina Weber in 1850 ; she was born in
Germany; died May 5, 1861 ; had five children — Fred, Christine, Theresa, Battus and
Sigfried. Third marriage to Augusta Menger July 10, 1861 ; she was born June 7,
1840, in Germany ; have eight children — Caroline, Anna, Lucy, Alfred, Leopold, John,
Mary and William. Mr. L. served sixteen years and nine months as a soldier in
Prussia.
WILLIAM LEGGE, retired, Bellevue; he was born Feb. 10, 1819, in
Germany; in 1845, came to New York; in 1848, came to Bellevue and engaged in
farming; he married Catharine Spiegel in 1844; she was born in 1821, in Germany;
they have one son — John.
MICHAEL LEY, farmer, Sec. 16 ; P. O. Bellevue ; he was born in January,
1833, in Germany ; in 1856, he came to Jackson Co. ; he owns 120 acres of land. He
married Barbara Kennen in 1866; she was born in Germany ; died in 1868, leaving
one child— Nicholas. Second marriage to Lena Williams in 1869 ; she was born Aug.
10, 1848, in Germany ; have one child — Lizzie.
JOHN LINTGEN, farmer, Sec. 18; P. O. Bellevue; he was born Jan. 11,
1819, in Germany; in 1854, he came to Jackson Co.; he owns 210 acres land. Mar-
ried Margaret Zeimet in 1849; she was born June, 1819, in Germany; have five chil-
dren ; Susan has been the past ten years in the convent, and is now named Mary Gan-
golf ; their son Henry has taught school for the past seven years, beginning at the age
of 15, always giving good satisfaction ; has\ always been a very close and attentive stu-
dent.
THOMAS LONG, tinner, Bellevue; he was born in Ireland in 1846; in
1853, he came to Galena; in 1864, he came to Bellevue, and at once commenced work
for J. C. Hughey ; remained with him till 1878. He married Mrs. Patee in 1869 ;
she was born in St. Louis, Mo., March 17, 1833 ; her former husband was killed in the
late war. Mrs. Long is one of the earliest settlers in Bellevue ; during the Bellevue
war, a number of prisoners were temporarily held in her house ; they have one child ;
she has two children by a former marriage.
GEORGE LUBBERGER, baker and confectioner, Front street, Belle-
vue; born in New York City Aug. 20, 1851 ; when a child, moved to the West, and
BELLEVUE TOWNSHIP. 669
settled in Galena, there learned the trade of baker in 1867. Married May 16, 1876, in
Galena, Mary Burk ; they have one son, born May 2, 1877.
JOSEPH LUCKE, Bellevue; born in Germany in 1830; came to
America in 1845 ; went to St. Louis ; learned the trade of shoemaker ; went thence to
Quincy, 111., then to Galena; remained there about ten years; came to Bellevue Aug.
26,1856. Married first wife in 185-4, at Galena; had six children — Annie, Carrie,
Eph, Joseph, Millie, Frankie ; his wife died Feb. 28, 1872 ; he married again July
26, 1S72 ; children by second wife — Henry. Johnie, Eliza, Susana.
A. G. McHENDRIE, farmer; P. 0. Bellevue; born in St. Louis, Mo.,
July 14, 1844; from St. Louis, in 1847, he went on to a farm near Cottonville, Jack
son Co., Iowa, and remained until he enlisted in the 5th I. V. C. ; was wounded at the
battle of Nashville, Tenn., and received an honorable discharge Aug. 17, 1865;
returned to Bellevue Aug. 20, and worked in the foundry, a trade he had learned in St.
Louis, Mo., working one year ; he then went to farming. Wife was born in Wash-
ington Township, Jackson Co., June 30, 1844, was Miss Eliza Kiskaddon, the daugh-
ter of one of the old citizens of Bellevue ; they were married Feb. 23, 1873, at Belle-
vue, and have three children — Andrew Watson, William Wilson (twin boys, aged 5
years), Margaret (infant daughter, born June 29, 1879)., Kepublican ; liberal in
religion.
DANIEL McLEESE, deceased; he was born in 1812, in Ireland ; died
Aug. 26, 1872; he came to Maryland in 1S41 ; worked on public works till 1847,
when he came to Bellevue Township and entered about three hundred acres of land ;
this land he improved; since his death, this property has been sold, his family remov-
ing to Bellevue, where they now reside and own their residence. He married Miss
Agnes McKillip in 1841 ; she was born near Glasgow, Scotland; they have a family of
ten children, six sons and four daughters.
(JKOWiH W. McNLLTY, Postmaster, Bellevue; he was born Nov. 11,
1822, in Pennsylvania ; here he was engaged in transportation business about seven
years ; in 1855, he came to Bellevue ; he was the first Mayor of Bellevue, but soon
after resigned ; has been Town Recorder and Justice of the Peace several years; he was
appointed Postmaster in 1859, and, with the exception of about four years, has held
this office ever since. Married Arabella Rhea Jan. 17, 1853; she was born in Wash-
ington, D. C. ; have five children — Charles A., Belle, Virginia, Angus and George W.
HON. W. A. JIAGINNIS, State Senator of Jackson Co., Bellevue;
native of Perry Co., Ohio; was born June 6, 1828; after receiving a common-school
education, he commenced the study of law with his brother, and was admitted to the
bar in 1850 ; since this time, he has been in constant practice; in 1851, he came to
Galena, 111. ; the following year, he came to Bellevue, where he has since resided ; he
was Prosecuting Attorney from 1S54 to 1856 ; was elected State Senator in 1875 ; has
held various other minor offices, all of which he has discharged with marked ability.
He married Miss Amy Wood August, 1853; she was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y. ;
they have two children — Mary and Thomas.
J. P. MANX, livery and agent American Express Co., Bellevue ; a native of
Mercer Co., Penn. ; he engaged in live stock and fanning till about the age of 34,
when he came to Jackson Co. ; he was engaged in merchandising in Andover from
1855 to 1858; in 1874, he removed to Bellevue. Married Elizabeth Paden in 1845;
she was born in Pennsylvania; died in 1867; have three children — Alelia D. (now
Mrs. Keck), C. T. and R. S. ^now in Maquoketa).
LAWRENCE MILLAR, M. D., now one of the oldest practicing physi-
cians in Jackson Co. ; is a resident of Bellevue, where he located in 1850 ; he is a
native of Perthshire. Scotland. In 1833, when only 7 years of age, he, with his par-
ents, removed to Canada. He began the study of medicine at the age of 15 in the office
of the eminent physician and surgeon, Francis W. Sherreff, of Montreal ; he graduated
with honor from McGill College, Canada, in 1847. He was married, in 1850, to Susan
Agnes, daughter of the late Judge Booth, formerly of Orange Co., N. Y. ; sh* is a
native of Goshen, N. Y. ; they have three children — Mary A., Harriet H. and Ellen
670 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
McKinzie. At comtneneeuieat of the rebellion, he raised a company in Bellevue called
the " Fremont Huzzars," but it was afterward merged into the 5th I. V. I., and he
went into service as Surgeon. His recognized ability secured him responsible yet labo-
rious positions ; army life soon told upon his health, and, finally, he was obliged to
resign on account of rheumatism, and he still suffers from the same disease; he has now
been in constant practice of medicine for thirty-two years ; he, nevertheless, takes time
for study of sciences not necessarily associated with materia medica. He is an enthu-
siastic naturalist ; he is President of the Farmers' and Fruit Growers' Club, of Belle-
vue ; on questions of Botany and Geology, he is standard authority in this region. He
has held high positions among his Masonic brethren, and enjoys, at present time, the
well wishes of all classes.
JOHN P. 5IOXSELE, Bellevue; born in Luxemburg, Germany, in 1845, and
came to America in 1867, landing at New York and came direct to Jackson Co. Mar-
ried, in January, 1871, Mrs. Anna Sand, and have six children — Mary, Henry, Johnnie,
Michael, Joseph and a babe 6 months old ; three children of Mrs. M. (by first marriage)
— Gennia, Nicholas and Agie Sand. Mr. M. owns 181 acres of as fine land as there is
on the ridge.
THEODORE NIEMANN, farmer, Sec. 3; P. 0. Bellevue; was born
May 13, 1812, in Hanover, Germany. His first labor in America was in the smelting
works of Gelena, 111., in 1837 ; he came to Jackson Co., and. in October, 1838, located
his present homestead ; his farm now consists of 625 acres, most of which came to him
direct from the United States Government. The most important event of his life
occurred on the 8th of June, 1839, when he was married to Miss Adelena Reiling, who
was born in August, 1821, in Hanover, Germany. His residence is the first stone house
ever erected in Jackson Co., and it will now compare favorably with the modern farm
houses throughout the county. His good wife has borne him twelve children, eleven of
whom are still liviug, five daughters and six sons; the old gentleman is erect and active,
and does a man's work beside his three sons who remain at home ; two daughters still
gladden the old homestead, but three daughters and two sons have found companions
and hearthstones elsewhere ; three married children have settled in Jackson Co. ; one
of the sons is a prosperous merchant in Bellevue, in the firm of Tiedt & Niemann.
During the forty-one years of Mr. Niemann's life in this county, he has won and retained
the respect of all who know him ; he is social and intelligent ; he is liberal in principle
and practice, and his hospitality is generous and hearty ; no hungry mortal goes unfed
from his door, and a good meal would be sure to greet the unexpected guest ; in his
family and in society, is ever kind and uuassuming; but he has opinions, makes independ-
ent decisions, and firmly adheres to them. Of his large family, he is the honored head,
and in all the relations of neighbor and citizen, he is a good representative of the reli-
able German-American.
HENRY NOLDURFT, farmer; P. 0. Bellevue; born in Hanover Oct.
15, 1817 ; came to America in 1849 and settled in Missouri, buying 380 acres in Iron
Co.; he left Missouri for Iowa in 1863, and came to Jackson Co. and bought 192i
acres in Bellevue Township. Wife was born in Brunswick, Germany, in 1822, and
married in Germany ; they have twelve children — Henry, Charlie, Henrietta, Caroline,
August, Fritz, Louisa, Elizabeth, John, Samuel, Annie, Mary ; two deceased,
crat ; Catholic.
PATRICK OTARRELL, farmer, Sec. 13; P. 0. Bellevue ;
born in 1809 in Ireland ; in 1836, he came to New York City ; in 1837, to St. Louis
1838, to Lebanon, 111., thence to Galena; in 1840, he came to his present farm ; he
owns 160 acres land which he entered. Married Elizabeth Williver, May, 1846; she
was born July 12, 1826, in Columbia Co., Penn.; have nine children — William, James,
Eliza J., John L., Russell P., Mary T., Caroline, Anna B. and Martha S.
HENRY J. PFIFENER, Post Office Building, Bellevue; born in Galena,
111., Oct. 29, 1855 ; at present engaged in the business of barber on State street ; came to
Bellevue in the year 1865. Married, July 11, 1878, Miss Cora McDonald ; she was
born in Bellevue May 20, 1860 ; is daughter of John McDonald, of Bellevue Town-
ship ; they have one child — Henry.
uroline,
Demo-
he was
BELLEVUE TOWNSHIP. 671
FRANK PIERET ; P. 0. Bellevue ; boru in Luxemburg, Germany, in
1830; came to America in 1854, to Galena, and remained one year, then came to
Jackson Co., and entered 198 acres of land in Section 38. His wife was Miss Mary
Weber, born in Germany in 1834 and came to America in 1856, to Jackson Co.; mar-
ried in 1858, and have seven children — Peter, 20 ; Annie, 9 ; Lizzie, 7 ; Mary, 5 ;
Maggie 3, and twin boys, John Frank and Johnnie, 7 months old. Democrat ; members
Catholic Church.
CAPT. ELBRIDGE GERRY^ POTTER, deceased, late of Belle
vue Township. Jackson Co., Iowa; was born Oct. 17, 1791, in West Brookfield,
Worcester Co., Mass.; he was the oldest of a family of eleven children, and doubtless
the care and responsibility of the younger members, which largely devolved upon him,
may have served to develop his self reliance, energy and industry. When he was about
13 years of age, his father settled in the then wilderness of Houndsfield, Jefferson Co.,
.N. Y.; he was brought up to the trade of mason, and worked with his father at that
business in Jefferson Co., N. Y., until 1830, when he emigrated to Illinois and settled
at Lebanon, county of St. Clair. Fourteen years before he removed West, he married
Miss Lucretia Thompson, of Jefferson Co., N. Y.; she was a woman of remarkably
strong character and a wonderful worker ; she was a model of industry, frugality and
benevolence, and her friends proudly report her as possessing " every virtue necessary to
constitute a gopd wife, mother and citizen ; " she ruled her own household, and was the
wise counselor of her husband, who gave her due credit for his success in life ; she pre-
ceded him to the grave about eighteen months, after having lived in happy union full
fifty-seven years. After locating in Lebanon, 111., in 1830, he engaged for twelve years
in the business of milling and distilling ; his mills and distillery were crowded to their
utmost capacity, and realized him, some seasons, fully $100 per day profits on their
products ; these earnings he wisely invested in lands, which, by their rise in value, con-
tinued to enhance his property. With him at Lebanon were his father and mother,
his brother Warren, the book-keeper ; Daniel, the distiller, and Philo, the school-boy,
and his two sisters ; these, with his wife, constituted the family, of which he was the
honored head, and, because of his position, he was called " Captain." During the dozen
years of his manufacture of whisky, he became fully convinced of its pernicious effects,
especially, after witnessing its wrecking power upon a near and trusted relative ; such
was his disgust with the business that, just before leaving Lebanon, he deliberately
removed the roof of the distillery, and reduced it to firewood. Then he took down the
stone walls of the same and scattered them broadcast ; then he dug up, and, with his
own hand, chopped in pieces the "worm of the still." All this remained for many years
unchanged, a complete wreck and desolate ruin. In 1842, he came to Iowa, and located
on the farm known as " Paradise," four miles west of the city of Belle\ ue, in township of
same name, in Jackson Co., where he resided until death. In 1843, he built at
Bellevue the flouring-mills known as the Jasper Mills, and, in addition to carrying on
his large farm, he did, thereafter, an extensive business in the manufacture and ship-
ment of flour till he sold to the present proprietors, Kilborn & Co., in the autumn of
1871. " Parad'se," by numerous additions, has become of immense size, and is one of
the finest stock farms in the State, of rich rolling land, watered with living springs, and
is under a high state of cultivation. Capt. Potter was noted as a thorough and sys-
tematic farmer, and having selected this rich and beautiful tract of land, he devoted his
taste, energy and skill to making it truly an earthly paradise. In a romantic spot, under
the brow of a hill, he built his home, which, with its unassuming exterior
will surprise the visitor with its revealed capacity, convenience and elegance ;
a village of needed buildings are grouped conveniently near. In politics, Capt.
Potter has been a Whig and Republican. His business cares and his tastes pre-
vented his engaging actively in politics. He never held but one office — that of County
Commissioner of St. Clair Co., 111., and then, by his skillful financiering, the depreciated
county bonds were raised to par. Capt. Potter would have been a marked man in any
community. He had a vigorous intellect of more than ordinary caliber ; he was indus-
trious, energetic, self-reliant and positive in character ; without the advantages of an
672 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: •■
early education, he was as persevering in self-culture as he was in business, and there-
fore was well read and deeply interested in all that was transpiring in the busy world.
His public spirit prevented his reaping the fruits of his inventive genius. In 1840, he
invented and patented the spring coupling for machinery driven by reciprocating
engines ; he applied this to his own mills and sold a few rights, but soon let it go to the
public ; it is now, in the original or slightly modified form, in use in nearly every steam
mill in the country, and a selfish yet justifiable management of the patent would have
produced a vast fortuue. He was original in suggestions, and. some of his acquaintances
banked upon the capital of his brains ; his was the energy and pluck which, especially
in the great West, seldom fails of financial reward ; when he settled in Lebanon, 111.,
his cash capital was just $1,100, but all his investments'were eminently successful, and
he died one of the wealthiest men in Jackson Co. He was ready to help the deserving
poor, and the afflicted and truly unfortunate found in him a liberal friend. He was not
intemperate and would not allow card-playing or gambling on his premises ; he had a
strong sense of justice and right with a kindly and generous disposition ; he lived
according to his conception of duty, and, in old age, claimed the satisfaction of looking
back upon a life governed by honesty and integrity and actuated by pure motives ; from
boyhood, he was a pronounced atheist ; this early subjected him to prejudice, but soon
his neighbors respected him for his character without regard to his creed ; he was Ion?
held in high esteem even among professors of religion. His standing in regard to sound
judgment and sense of equity is illustrated by the confidence in him shown by two
Methodist neighbors in Lebanon ; the two Methodist brethren, having differences in a
business settlement, agreed to each choose, by ballot, a referee, and those two referees
were to choose a third, and thus constitute a Board of Arbitration, by whom these dif-
ferences were to be adjusted. Upon opening the billots, it was discovered that both
parties had chosen Capt. Potter, and he, unaided, settled the dispute to their mutual
satisfaction. He always exhorted men to be helpful to each other, to deal justly and to
live in peace among themselves ; and to these principles his own conduct was conformed.
His religious, or, rather, irreligious, views were all that caused him to differ from the
best of his fellow-men ; in him, opposition to Christianity was not mere skepticism —
passive non-belief — but an active working faith, and he labored earnestly to proselyte
others to his views ; for this purpose, he scattered broadcast in Jackson Co. homes,
gratuitously, many infidel newspapers and publications and furnished atheistic literature
to any young man who would agree to peruse it ; he also contributed liberally to the
Abner Kneeland Fund, Tom Paine Monumental Building and similar objects. During
his life, he selected a beautiful spot on his own farm, a little more than a mile from his
home, " Paradise," where he was to be buried, and that ground was made by inherit-
ance forever free as an Infidel Cemetery. His last illness was very short, and, at last,
when conscious of approaching death, he bade his faithful attendant to lock the1 door so
no one could hear the "foolish words of a dying man." He died on the morning of
May 29, 1875, aged 83 years 7 months and 12 days; his last hours were calm and
peaceful, and he died as he had lived from the age of 10 years, a professed atheist. He
directed that there should be no costly parade at his funeral and no praying, singing or
lengthy remarks at his house or at his grave ; he directed that the picture of the Paine
Memorial Building should be placed by his coffin, and that John Stuart, his valued
friend for over forty years, should thank the people and perform the last duty of the
living to the dead. All his requests were faithfully performed. His son and only
child, Lucius Byron Potter, a prominent citizen, over 50 years of age, inherited the
Captain's large estate and now resides upon the old homestead, " Paradise."
FRANK W. POTTER, of the firm of Anderson & Co., produce and
steamboat agents, Bellevue ; he was born Jan. 10, 1852, in Philadelphia, Jefferson Co.,
N. Y.; he attended school and farmed until about the age of 18, then commenced the
dairy business in Jefferson Co., N. Y.; continued it till 1875, when he came to Belle-
vue. His father was born Jan. 6, 1827, in Jefferson Co., N. Y; his mother was born
in February, 1832, in Jefferson Co., and they are still living there.
LUCIUS BYRON POTTER, Sec. 10; P.O. Bellevue; born May 25,
182i, in Jefferson Co., N. Y. ; he is the only child of Capt. Elbridge Gerry Potter,
BELLEVUE TOWNSHIP. 673
who was born Oct. 17, 1791, in West Brookfield, Worcester Co., Mass., and died May
29, 1875 ; Capt. E. G. Potter was a mason by trade, and worked at this business in
Jefferson Co., N. Y., till 1830, when he removed to Illinois, and settled in Lebanon,
St. Clair Co., where he was engaged in milling and distilling; July 19, 1842, they
came to Bellevue and settled on the farm now owned and occupied by L. B. Potter,
known as the " Paradise," located four miles west of Belleyue ; this farm consists of
about fourteen hundred acres, and is considered one of the best improved farms in the
State ; Mr. Potter also owns several other large tracts of land and a large amount of
property in Bellevue ; he is one of the largest tax-payers in the county ; his business
chiefly is farming, although his time is largely taken up in attending to his real-estate
interests ; he gratefully acknowledges owing nearly all he has to the teachings and
examples shown him by his devoted and honored father, now deceased. He married, in
1854, Miss Isadore Hurd ; she is a native of New York; they have six children —
Arion E., Maro T., Colenso B., Marco P., Manzol and Alda L. Capt. E. G. "Potter,
up to the time of his death, was a member of no church, sect or creed, but was an
open and avowed atheist, and much respected by all who knew him.
HERMAN RAVE, Jr., Bellevue; son of Herman Have, Sr., who was
born in Dena, Hanover, Germany ; came to this country and settled in St. Louis, and
afterward in Iowa; by hard work, accumulated a fortune, and died in 1876, leaving the
property to the wife, until her death, then to the children. Mrs. Rave was born in the
same place as her husband, and now resides with Herman, Jr., who was born in St.
Louis, Mo., in 1853. Mary is the wife of Mr. Deuiperwolf, of Bellevue Township ;
Caroline, Mrs. Joe Demperwolf, of Tete des Morts Township; Nesseta, the wife of
Barry Rave, a cousin; Herman, Josephine and Joe remain at home and attend to the
farm of 245 acres in Sees. 3 and 4.
W. It. REDMOND, attorney at law, office on Front street, Bellevue; he was
born in Rochester, N. Y. ; when about 6 years of age, he came to Meadville. Penn.,
with his mother; in 1846, he came to Jackson Co. ; in 1852, he returned to Meadville
and attended college ; graduated in 1857, after which he returned to Iowa and studied
law at De Witt, he has been inconstant practice since I860; was elected County
Superintendent in 1859; was Recorder from 1864 to 1866; is now Mayor; has held
this office several terms. Married Isadore Davis in 1860; she was born in Indiana
Co , Penn. ; have five children — Charles E., Mary, Maud, Grace and Henry. Repub-
lican.
CONRAD REEG, farmer; P. 0. Bellevue; born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Ger-
many, Feb. 3, 1831 ; came to America Oct. 11, 1851, and settled in Lancaster Co.,
Penn., and, in 1855, came to Jackson Co. and rented land for eight, years ; now owns
320 acres in Sees. 17 and 8 of Bellevue Township. Mrs. Elizabeth Sheler, his first
wife, was from Lancaster Co., Penn., where they were married in 1852, and had six
children ; she died in the fall of 1875, and he married Margaret Felderman June 13,
1876 ; she was born in Hanover, Germany; they have two children ; all Lutherans and
Republicans ; children of first wife are Joseph, Adam, Henry, William, Conrad, John,
Elizabeth (died in 1873), and of second wife, Herman and Elizabeth. Joseph mar-
ried, Jan. 27, 1876, Miss Elizabeth Honselog. Mr. R. was School Director one year.
DR. J. J. REED, physician* and surgeon, residence corner Church and
Fourth streets, Bellevue ; born in 1837, in St. Louis; in 1848, he came to Bellevue;
he commenced the study of medicine in 1858, with Dr. J. W. Cowden ; in 1861, he
enlisted in Co. L, 1st I. V. C. ; served till 1864; he then continued his studies and
graduated at the Rush Medical College, Chicago, in 1865; he has been in constant
practice since then, part of Jdre time with Dr. Cowden. Married Phebe Drummond
in 1874 ; she was born in California ; have one child — Julia.
• A. REILINCw, firm of Kilborn & Co., also owner of the steamer A. Roiling,
Bellevue; born Nov. 2, 3 823, in Hanover, Germany; in 1837, he came, with his par-
ents, to New Orleans ; in the spring of 1838, he came to Jackson Co ; he was one of
the first members of the Board of County Supervisors, and was also a member when
the number was reduced to three members for each county. He married Mary
674 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
Hermier in 1845 ; she was born in 1825, in Germany ; ^j|ve nine children, two sons and
seven daughters; they lost Catharine, aged 13 years.
JOHN B. REISTROFFER, farmer; P.O. Bellevue; born in France in
1841 ; came to America in 1858, settled in Jackson Co. and bought 120 acres of land
in Sees. 20, 28 and 29. Wife born in Luxemburg, Germany, in 1841 ; came to
America in 1865; her name was Kathrine Spittle; they were married in Spruce Creek
in 1865, and have five children— Peter, Mathias, Andrew, Mary aud Theresa; two
children died— Theresa and Charlie. Democrat; in religion, Catholic ; has held the
oflice of Road Supervisor two years, and been School Director two years.
JAMES RHEEM, of the firm of Poster & Rheem, carpenters and joiners,
Bellevue; was born in Mercer Co., Penn.; came to Iowa at an early day; he enlisted
in the 5th I. V. C, Co. D, Dec. 14, 1863 ; received a bayonet wound at Duck
River, Tenn.; discharged June 3, 1865 ; his age is 42 ; he left Bellevue on the 8th
day of July, 1878, and, after traveling in Oregon, British Columbia, Washington Ter-
ritory, California and the Far West, returned to Bellevue June 6, 1879.
DR. J. P. ROCHE, dentist, oflice on Front street, Bellevue ; he was born
in La Fayette Co., Wis.; he commenced to learn dentistry in 1873, with H. H. & H.
W. Ray, of Darlington, Wis., and commenced to practice in 1875, in Bellevue. He
married Miss Julia H. Hyler, April 8, 1879 ; she was born in Bellevue.
NICK ROB B, farmer; P. 0. Bellevue; born in Luxemburg, Germany, Nov.
15, 1837, and came to America September 20, , and settled in Jackson Co.; bought
240 acres ; remained two years ; sold out and was employed by Capt. Potter as foreman on
the farm known as Paradise for twenty years, when he bought 160 acres in Section 12,
about one and a half miles from, and beautifully situated on the hillside, in full view
of the city of Bellevue. Has held the offices of Assessor and Township Trustee. His
wife, Ann Eliza Fry, was born in Pennsylvania in 1841, and came West in 1857;
they were married in 1S63, at Bellevue, and have six children — William, Thomas,
Bryon Potter, Josephine Lucy, Susan and Isadora.
B. W. SEAWARD, banking and grain, res. Front street Bellevue ; born
Jan. 29, 1830, in Chemung Co., N. Y.; in 1837, came to Peoria, 111.; in 1840, to
McHenry Co., 111. ; engaged in merchandising till 1854, when he came to Bellevue ;
he there continued merchandizing until 1870, when he commenced his present
business. Married Maria Josephine Carman in 1860 ; she was born in New Jersey ;
have four children — Benjamin W., Josephine, Juliette and Hattie R.
JACOB SELZER, wagon-maker, Front street, Bellevue; he was born Jan.
8, 1847, in Baden Baden, Germany, and was in the army in the old country five years ;
came to this country May 23, 1873, and went to Dubuque and remained two years,
then came to Tete des Morts Township, Jackson Co., and from there he moved to
Bellevue, in 1876, and engaged in his present business. His wife was born in Tete
des Morts in September, 1860; she was Lena Johnson, daughter of John Johnson, of
Tete des Morts ; they were married May 15, 1879, at Bellevue.
FRANK SCHLECHT, contractor and builder and proprietor of Bellevue
Planing Mill and Sash Factory, Bellevue; he was born June 12, 1831, in Bavaria,
Germany ; after pursuing his regular school studies, he was appointed to learn buildiug
and general contracting ; he also attended the Government drawing school three years,
and, at the expiration of this time, was awarded the first premium in his class — a silver
medal. After completing his studies, he came to America, arriving at New York City
February, 1849 ; the following year, he came to Pennsylvania, thence to Galena, and,
in 1852, came to Jackson Co., where he has since resided ; he built most of the prin-
cipal buildings in Bellevue, including the Roman Catholic Church, which is a very
costly edifice ; he is now Superintendent of the bridge on the C, B. C. & W. R. R.; is
a member of the City Council and County Superintendent of District No. 1. He mar-
ried Josepha Moesle in 1854; she was born in Bavaria ; they have six children, three
sons and three daughters.
ADAM SCHMIDT, butcher, Front st., Bellevue ; born in Nassau, Prussia,
March 29, 1834. Learned the trade of wagon-maker in the old country, and worked
BELLEVUE TOWNSHIP. 675
ten years there before he canie*f& America. May 26, 1S69, he came to this country ;
settled in Bellevue and engaged in butchering. He was Trustee of the town in the old
country. His wife, Emma Bowen, was born in his native place Aug. 30, 1839 ; they
■were married in Germany Feb. 16, 1860; they have seven children — Annie, Joseph,
Katie, Doney, John, Julius and Millie ; two children — Adam, born July 3, 1865, died
March, 1867 ; Mary, born Nov. 6, 1869, died Aug. 15, 1870.
ASA SIMMONS, farmer, Sec. 25 ; F. 0. Bellevue ; was born Aug. 3,
1833, in Trumbull Co., Ohio. In 1844, he came with his parents to Bollevue. He
now owns 280 acres of land. Married, June 12, 1856, Emily F. Nicholson ; he was
born in 1835, in Bellevue.
C. C. SIMPSON, farmer, Sec. 1 ; P. O. Bellevue; his father was a native
of New Jersey, and removed to Ohio in an early day ; in 1847, he came to Bellevue ;
died in 1873. Married Miss Martha Billups in 1849; she was born in Galena, 111.;
they own 360 acres of land ; they had six children — George, Josephine, Charles C,
Sarah E., Cora and Daniel.
EDWARD SMITH, farmer; P. O. Bellevue; born in Jackson Co.,
Tete des Morts Township, Sec. 9, in 1850 ; has eighty acres of land in Bellevue Town-
ship, Sec. 1. His wife was born in Jackson Township Aug. 13, 1856 ; is a daughter
of James Gardner, of Jackson Township. Married Nov. 27, 1878, at Maquoketa.
Mr. Smith is the oldest son of David E. Smith and Miranda Smith, who were born in
Illinois, and came to Iowa in a very early day. Mr. E. Smith held the office of School
Director in 1874.
JOHN F. SNIDER, Bellevue; born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1835 ; came
to this country in 1836 ; lived in Huntingdon Co., Penn. ; in 1849, came to Dubuque,'
and settled in Tete des Morts Township, Jackson Co.; farmed until 1864. Enlisted in
Company K, 2d I. V. I.; honorably discharged in 1865 ; returned to Bellevue, and
engaged in teaming for five years. Was elected Marshal of the city ; has held various
offices since old enough to hold office. Married, in 1859, in Dubuque, Caroline Etting;
have four children — Alexander, George, Elma and Mena, the oldest now Mrs. Yager,
of Tete des Morts Township, Jackson Co.
JOHN SPORING, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. O. Bellevue ; born April 15, 1830,
in Hanover, Germany. In 1872, he came to Jackson Co. ; he owns 120 acres of land.
Married Anna Runga in 1860; she was born in 1839, in Hanover, Germany; have
seven children, six sons and one daughter.
THEO. STAMPFER, firm of Stampfer & Young, hardware, Bellevue ;
he was born Dec. 26, 1833, in Prussia; in 1S56, he came to Peoria, 111.; thence to
Galena, where he worked at the watchmaking and jewelry business till 1861, then went
to Pike's Peak ; in 1863, to Montana, and always engaged in the manufacturing of
jewelry; in 1870, he came to Bellevue ; continued this business until 1876, when he
commenced his present business. Married Anna M. Young in 1870; she is a native
of Germany.
ADAM STRASSER, dealer in lumber and manages planing-mill ; P. O.
Bellevue ; born in Wurteniberg, Germany, June 25, 1821 ; came to this country in
May, 1848 ; settled in Dubuque and remained there one year and a half, then returned
to Europe; three months after coming to Galena, went to Dubuque; March 18, 1852,
started for California, where he remained until Dec. 24, 1860 ; returned to Dubuque,
and, in August, came to Bellevue and engaged in lumber and planing-mill, firm of
Strasser & Sletch. He has been School Director and also Township Trustee. His
wife was born in Jo Daviess Co., 111., Sept. 27, 1842 ; her name was Catharine Biller ;
married in 1862, at Galena ; they have five children, one boy and four girls.
JOHN STUART, dealer in flour and feed, Bellevue; was born in New
York ; resided in different parts of that State and Michigan ; came to Illinois in 1835 ;
engaged in the business of clock-peddling through the southern counties of the State.
Was married at Lebanon, St. Clair Co., Sept. 6, 1838 ; kept the village tavern that
Charles Dickens mentions iu American Notes as being worthy the name of a first-class
English alehouse ; sold the hotel and worked as a millwright in several mills ; his family
676 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
remained in Lebanon until March 25, 1857, when his wife died. He married his
second wife March 15, 1859, and removed to St. Louis; remained there until May,
1861, then moved to Bellevue, where he expects to pass the remainder of his life.
JOHN T. SUBLETT, deceased; he was born Nov. 8, 1806, in Ken-
tucky; died Jan. 2, 1853; in 1827, he came to Galena, 111.; in 1836, he came to
Bellevue, where he remained till the time of his death. He and John D. Bell built
the first saw-mill in Bellevue, where now stands Kilborn & Co.'s grist-mill ; afterward
sold it to Capt. Potter ; they bought the land where Bellevue now stands ; used it for
farming purposes ; afterward sold it out in town lots. He married Mary J. Smith in
1841 ; she was born in Wilmington, Del., in 1S14 ; they had three children, two living
— George W. and Zachary T.; lost one — John V.
HENRY TIBBI, retired farmer, Bellevue ; a cooper by trade ; came to
New Orleans, La., in the year 1856. Married Mary Conrade, of St. Louis; her age
was 27 years. Has held the oflice of School Director one year. They have six chil-
dren— Henry (now living on a farm in Wabash, Minn.), Maggie, Mathias, Kate and
Mary ( living at home) and Susan.
CAPT. W. A. WARREN, insurance and real estate, Bellevue ; born in
Fayette Co., Ky., Aug. 23, 1812 ; went to Callaway Co., Mo., in 1826 ; enlisted in a
cavalry company, Capt. John Jameson, in 1831, for the Black Hawk war ; was mus-
tered out of service in the winter of 1833, at Galena, 111.; resided in Bellevue since 1836.
Was Sheriff of the county seven years ; he executed the first man in the Territory by
legal order of the Court ; he has held the office of Justice of the Peace for twenty-five
years most of the time; member of the Constitutional Convention of 1857 and 1858;
served in the Union army from April, 1862, until September, 1865, as Quartermaster;
handled millions of money, receiving a receipt in full from the Government. Is now
living with third wife ; has three children living — Thomas B. Warren, residence in
Idaho.
TOM B. WARREN, Terminus, Idaho ; son of Capt. W. W. Warren, of
Bellevue, Iowa ; proprietor of U. S. Stage Line to all parts of the Territory, and Post-
master at Terminus.
J. W. WEEK, proprietor of the Central House, Front street, Bellevue.
Mr. W. was born in Cologne, Prussia, July 11, 1842, and came to America July 28,
1849;settled near West Greenville, Wis., and engaged in farming until 1865; came to
Bellevue the same year, and has been in the hotel business since ; has been two years
Township Trustee, and member City Council one year. His wife was born in Hess-
Darmstadt, in 1S41 ; came to this country in 1851, and settled in Saukville, Wis.; they
were married at Saukville Oct. 16, 1862; had nine children — Lena, Willie, Annie,
Jennie, Millie, Josiah (died May 9, 1867), George (died Nov. 5, 1874), Annie Liz-
zie ( born Aug. 5, 1867, died Nov. 5, 1868), and an infant daughter (born Sept. 8,
1878).
ANTONE WEINSCHENK, firm of Kegler & Weinschenk, general
dealers in farming implements, sewing machines and attachments, also auctioneer, Belle-
vue; born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1844; emigrated to America in 1852; came
to Jackson Co. and engaged in farming until 1861, when he enlisted in the 5th I. V.
I. at Bellevue, and served until Nov. 24, 1863, when he was captured at the battle of
Missionary Ridge, Ga., and taken to Belle Island ; transferred to Scott Prison, Rich-
mond, Va., thence to Andeisonville, from which he made his escape the night of Sept.
9, 1864; honorably discharged at Davenport Oct. 29, 1864. He married at Bellevue,
Feb. 28, 1S70, Miss Mary A. Budde, who was born at Galena, 111., Aug. 17, 1851 ;
they have five children — Irving, Lizzie, Wally A., Lulu and Mamie ; Maggie died Jan.
8, 1873.
CHRISTIAN WEYHGANDT, blacksmith and proprietor of machine-
shop, Bellevue ; he has been engaged in the present business six years ; born in Wur-
temberg, Germany, in 1848 ; came to America March 4, 1864, and located in North
Boston, Erie Co., N. Y. ; worked as a journeyman three and a half years ; then traveled,
finally settling in Jackson Co., Perry Township, and, Jan. 1, 1847, came to Bellevue
BELLEVUE TOWNSHIP. 677
and engaged in the present business. His wife was born in Tete des Morts Township
in 1852, and is the daughter of J. Sherbon, a farmer in Tete des Morts Township ; was
married at Andrew March 3, 1 874, and has three children — Louisa, Johnnie and George.
THEODORE WILLING; P. 0. BeJlevue; born in Hanover in 1837 ;
•came to America in 1865 ; settled at Spruce Creek ; rented a farm and afterward
removed to Richland Township and remained there three years, then came to Jackson
Co. and bought 120 acres of Mr. Coppas in Sec. 29. Wife was born in Hanover;
came to America in 1837; they have seven children — Annie, Mary, Johnnie, George,
Hermon, Theodore and Kittie. Democrat ; in reliuion, Catholic.
W. W. WILSON, proprietor of Bellevue Foundry and Machine-Shops, Sec-
ond street, near the Union Depot, Bellevue; born in Jackson Co. Aug. 4, 1857 ; son
of William Wilson, one of Bellevue's old settlers, who was killed by a threshing
machine Aug. 20, 1877, leaving four children — -Wilson W., Aga (now Mrs. C. C.
Dias), John G. and Lida (now Mrs. A. J. Dorchester).
WILLIAM WOLFEBfDEJf, of the firm of Wolfenden & Son, manu-
facturers of stoneware and pottery, Second street, Bellevue; born at Oldham, Lan-
cashire, England, in 1826; came to America in 1843; settled in New Jersey;
remained there three years ; removed to Lowell, Mass., and remained but a short time ;
went to Pittsburgh, Nashville and Detroit; there he learned the brickmason's trade;
moved several times, finally settling in Bellevue, and engaged in the present business.
Married Cathtrine Prandey, a native of Ireland, and have four children — William ( the
iunior member of the firm), Charles, Thomas and Daisy.
ANDREW WOODS, banker, Bellevue ; he was born in September, 1821,
in Grafton Co.,N. H. Id 1845, he came to Bellevue ; first engaged in school-teaching
and surveying, then general merchandise, till 1870, when he commenced the banking
business. He owns 160 acres of land in Perry Township, also property in town; has
been Clerk for the County Commissioners, Deputy County Surveyor, member of the
Town Board; has been for seventeen years Secretary of the School Boar,d. Married
Loretta Hoyt in December, 1851 ; she was born in Vermont. Had three children, two
living — Mary Belle, now Mrs. Buckley, of Cedar Rapids, and Frank A. ; lost William
C. in 1856, aged 3 years.
D. A. WYXKOOP, attorney, Bellevue ; born in 1840, in Chemung Co.,
N. Y. ; when a child, moved with his parents to Waukegan, thence to Stark Co., 111.
In 1855, came to Bellevue ; he commenced reading law in 1859, with Booth & Graham ;
graduated in 1861 ; he has been in constant practice since; he has the largest practice
in this county, and excels as a criminal lawyer. Married Anna E. Coulehan in 1863;
she was born in Virginia. Have one daughter, Minnie V., aged 11 years; lost Lulu M.
in 1866, aged 2 years.
WILLIAM T. WYNKOOP, deceased ; was born in Chemung Co., N.
Y., May 25, 1817, and died at his residence in Bellevue Jan. 30, 1870 ; he was edu-
cated at Geneva College, N. Y. ; after leaving college, he came to Galena, 111., where he
commenced the study of law. In 1 844, he came to Bellevue, and assisted James F.
Trott (now of Niagara Falls, N. Y.) in his business — merchandising. In 1846, he, with
D. F. Watkins, commenced a general merchandise business, and for more than twenty
years carried on a very extensive and prosperous business, and was much esceemed by
all who knew him. In 1849, he married Miss Sarah J., daughter of the late Hon. J.
B. Booth, late Judge of the Seventh Judicial District of Iowa, who died Feb. 18, 1869.
They had six children, three sons and three daughters. He was an Elder in the Pres-
byterian Church, and had been a member since 1851 ; he was thrown from a sleigh near
his residence, and survived only twenty-eight hours after the accident.
BARNARD YAGER, farmer ; P.O. Bellevue; born in Baden Baden,
Germany, in 1852 ; came to this country in December, I860, and lived with his uncle,
Fred Yager, in Tete des Morts Township, until he died, in January, 1861. Barnard
moved to Spruce Creek in March, 1861 ; settled in Bellevue Township in 1869, and has
112 acres in Section 7. Married, March 22, 1867. Miss Bleger, a daughter of Henry
Bleger, of Tete des Morts, and have one child — Ben William.
678 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
WILHELM YAGER, farmer ; P. 0. Bellevue ; resides on 100 acres of
well-tilled land, located in the valley of Mill Creek. He was born in Baden Baden,
Germany, Jan. 10, 1840; came to this country Jan. 1, 1868; went to Galena, and
remained about eleven years, engaged in farming, then came to Bellevue and bought a
farm. In the old country he was in the regular army, under the command of Prince
Carl. He was married, in 1867, at Baden Baden, to Miss Afficadar Saunders, who will
be 41 years old on Feb. 11. They have seven children — Richard, Frank. Willie,
Emma, Berdorf, Lena and Carrie.
GEORGE YOUNG, of the firm of Stampfer & Young, hardware, Front
street, Bellevue ; born in 1838, in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. In 1856, moved to
Galena; in 1858, came to Bellevue; in the winter of 1860, he went to Corinth, Miss.,
then returned to Bellevue, and enlisted in 1861, Co. I, 5th I. V.I. ; served three years and
two months and was honorably discharged ; participated in the battles of Iuka, Corinth,
Champion Hill, Vicksburg, Lookout Mountain and others; was employed by the Gov-
ernment from 1S64 to 1865, as a carpenter, at Nashville; afterward at Huntsville, till
the end of the war; then employed by the Memphis & Charleston Railroad till 1868,
when he "returned to Bellevue. worked at his trade till 1874, when he commenced his
present business. Is a member of the Order of United Workmen, Harugari, Turners'
Society, Masons, Fire Company aud Music Band. Married Miss C. Hassig in 1868;
she was born in Germany. Have four children, two sons and two daughters.
TETE DES IWIORTS TOWNSHIP.
CHARLES RAUSCH, farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. O. Bellevue ; born in Nassau,
Germany, in 1821 ; came to America in 1847; settled in Jackson Co. in 1S48 ; entered
forty acres, and now has 640. First wife was Augusta Kimbell, a sister of Richard
Kimbell, of Bellevue; was born in Germany, in 1S20 ; came to America in 1847; mar-
ried in 1848 ; they had seven children — Charles, Berta, John, Mena, Catherine, Louisa
and Bmeline. Mrs. Bausuh died Aug. 6, 1862. Second wife was Miss Hermes; bora
in Hanover in 1821 ; came to' America in 1861, and married in 1864. Mr. Bansch is
a man of public enterprise ; he built the schoolhouse in District No. 5, and has been
School Trustee for four years.
JOHN B AISCH, farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. O. Bellevue ; born in Jackson Co.
in 1855 ; a son of Charles Bausch. He owns 210 acres. His wife was Alice Yager;
born in Germany, in 1857 ; came to America in 1866. Married at Bellevue in 1876 ;
they have one child — Ausrusta.
FRANK REIMER, farmer, Sec. 23 ; P. O. Bellevue ; born in Westphalia,
Prussia, in 1817 ; came to America in lfs54, and owns 120 acres ; made all the improve-
ments, and has a very fine place. His wife was "born at the same place, and married in
Germany in 1841 ; they have two children — Mary, now Mrs. Herman Freeman, living
at home, and Lena, also at home.
FRED ROLTE, farmer. Sec. 11 ; P. O. Gordon's Ferry; born in Germany
in 1817 ; came to America in 1869, to Jackson Co. ; bought 168 acres of land. His
wife, Miss Senna Haase, was born in Germany iu 1818. Married in 1845, in the old
country ; they have seven children — Sophia, now Mrs. A. Dufree, residing at Galena ;
Henry, at Andrew ; Dedrich, Fred, Louisa, Handre and Chris.
MICHAEL BROWN, farmer, Sec. 24 ; P. O. Bellevue ; born in Germany
in 1832 ; came to America and settled in Jackson Co.; has 200 acres, earned by his
own work. He is proprietor of the ferry known as Smith's Ferry, on the direct road
to Galena. His wife, Maria Ternan, was born in Prussia in 1S34 ; came to America at
the age of 10 years, and married in Tete des Morts in 1854 ; they have five children
living — Josephine A;, Godfrey G., Isabelle, Lizzie and Henry J. ; was Road Supervisor
for thirteen years, and Constable two years.
TETE DES MORTS TOWNSHIP. blH
FREDRICK DIETZ, Lutheran minister, Sec. 8 ; P. 0. St, Donatus ;
born in Bavaria in 1818 ; came to America in 1853 ; he studied in Nuremberg, Bava-
ria, came to this country and was licensed to preach at Ft, Wayne, Ind.; has been resi-
dent Pastor of this church at St. Donatus for fifteen years ; his wife, Barbara Margaret
Miller, was born in Bavaria in 1823 ; came to America in 1855. Married in Ft.
Wayne, Ind., in 1855: they have three children — Daniel, Kunigunde and Frei'rick.
LOUIS EFFERDING, farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. 0. Bellevue ; he was born Dec.
16, 1846, in Tete des Morts Township; his parents were among the earliest settlers
in the township ; his mother still lives at the old homestead ; he owns eighty acres of land.
He married Mary Yeager April 15, 1869 ; she was also born in Tete des Morts Township.
F. ETTING, farmer, Sec. 9 ; P. 0. Gordon's Ferry; he was born March 12,
1812, in Hanover, Germany; in 1832, he came to Pennsylvania; in 1837, he came to
his present farm ; he owns 490 acres of land ; 400 of this he entered. He married
Christina Hoober in 1839; she was born July 7, 1819, in Germany; died May 16,
1879; had seven children — Caroline, now Mrs. Schneider, Mena, George, Catharine,
Fred. Sarah and Albert.
NICHOLAS FLAMMING, farmer, Sec. 17; P. 0. St, Donatus; born
May 10, 1835, in Germany ; in 1855, he came to Davenport; in 185S, to St. Louis,
Mo.; in 1861, he removed to Jackson Co.; he owns 310 acres of land. Married Mary
Neimann in 1866 ; she was born in 1 845, in Bellevue Township ; they have five children,
four sons and one daughter.
DEIDRICK FELDERMANN, farmer, Sec. 31; P. O. St. Donatus;
born April 7, 1847, in Hanover ; in 1857, came to Jackson Co.; owns 137 acres of land.
Married Mena Shoak in 1872 ; she was born in 1854, in Germany ; have two children
— John and Henry.
HENRY FELDERMANN, farmer, Sec. 21 ; P. 0. St. Donatus; born in
January, 1840, in Hanover; in 1857, came to Jackson Co.: owns 160 acres of land.
Married Mary Beckman in 1869; she was born in 1844, in Hanover; have three
children — John, Deidrick and Henry.
HERMAN FELDERMANN, farmer. Sec. 14; P. 0. St. Donatus; born
June 6, 1825, in Hanover, Germany ; in 1845, he came with his parents to Baltimore,
thence to Cincinnati ; in 1847, came to Jackson Co.; he owns 840 acres of land. Mar-
ried Regina Huber in 1850; she was born in Germany; at the age of 7 years, she
came to America with her parents ; they have six children — John L., Anna, William
H., George H., Mena and Henry.
J. H. FELDERMANN, farmer, Sec. 9 ; P. 0. St. Donatus ; born Jan. 16.
1820, in Hanover. Germany; in 1845, he came to Baltimore; the following year, he re-
moved to Jackson Co.; he owns 420 acres of land ; 160 of this he entered. Married Mary
Meyer in November, 1855 ; she was born in November, 1839, in Tete des Morts
Township; her parents came to Jackson Co. in 1839; her father was killed in 1840
by a falling tree, while he was making rails ; they have nine children — Anna Louisa
(now Mrs Feldermannl, John, Henry, Anna Rosena, Herman, Anna Mary, Albert,
Amelia Matilda and August.
J. D. FELDERMANN, farmer, Sec. 7 ; P. 0. St, Donatus ; born April 8,
1817, in Hanover, Germany; in 1845, came to Baltimore; thence to Cincinnati; in 1846,
he came to Jackson Co.; he owns 1,487 acres of land ; he is the largest land owner in the
township. He married Sena Wacker in 1849 ; she was born in 1820, in Hanover, Ger-
many ; had five children ; three living — Henryr John and Mary.
THEODOR FISCHER, farmer. Sec. 20; P. 0. St. Donatus; born Jan. 1,
1821, in Prussia; in 1841, he came to St. Louis; in 1850, he came to Jackson Co.;
he owns 160 acres of land. He served about fourteen months in the Mexican war;
also about eight months in the late war. Married Caroline Meneke in 1850; she was
born in 1826; died in 1877; have eight children — Catharine, Anna, Anton, August,
Theo, John, Henrv and Caroline.
ALBERT FRERICHS, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. 0. St Donatus; born May
14, 1842, in Tete des Morts Township ; his father came to Jackson Co. in about 1836;
680 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
died in 1853, aged 42 years. He owns 320 acres of land, which was entered by his
father. Married Mary Tuckman in 1862; she was born in Chicago; had six children,
five living — Henry, Rachel, Lena, Louisa and George; lost Sarah in infancy. Has
been Township Treasurer, Director of the School Board, Township Trustee, etc.
MARTIN FRITZ, blacksmith and farmer, Sec. 20; P. 0. St. Donatus;
born in Baden Baden, Germany, in 1834 ; came to America in 1866 ; worked first in
Cincinnati, Ohio, and then came to Jackson Co., and owns thirteen acres at the junc-
tion of Dubuque, Bellevue and La Motte roads. His wife, Dora Bookman, was born
in Hanover in 1834 ; came to America in 1865 ; married in 1870 ; their children are
Freline, Mary and Dora. The wife had two children by a former marriage — John
and Berdorf.
FRANK FREWERT, farmer; Sec. 36; P. O. Bellevue; born Nov. 26,
1826, in Germany; in 1854, he came to Galena; in 1861, he removed to Jackson Co.
He owns sixty-five acres of land. He married Charlotte Kornbask in 1854 ; she was
born in Germany.
W. O. GEAR, farmer, Sec. 4 ; P. O. Gordon's Ferry ; born at Galena, 111.,
in 1830; resided in Chicago from 1859 to 1875; came to Jackson Co. in 1875 ; has
300 acres of land, the estate of Capt. H. H. Gear. His wife, Miss Georgia A. Breech,
was born in Boston in 1835 ; came to the West in 1854, and resided at Galena. Mar-
ried in 1859 ; they have three children — Emma L. C, Horace Herbert and Ella Jose-
phine. Mr. Gear was with the original surveying party of Gov. Stephens on the
Northern Pacific Railroad.
CONRAD GEPFERT, farmer, Sec. 20 ; P. O. St. Donatus ; born in
September, 1S42, in Germany ; in 1353, he came to Jackson Co. He owns 185 acres
of land. Married Margaret Feldermann in 1870; she was born in 1855; have four
children — Dora, Henry, Mary and George. He enlisted in 1862, in Co. L, 5th I. V.
C., served to the end of the war.
NICHOLAS G-IELES, farmer. Sec. 32 ; P. O. St. Donatus ; born in
Luxemburg in 1820, and came to America in 1843 ; his wife, Elizabeth Stalls, was
born in the same place, and married in Germany and came to America in 1863; they
own 189 acres of land, and have four children living.
CHARLES HOFFMAN, farmer, Sec. 6 ; P. O. St. Donatus ; was born
Aug. 27, 1827, in Germany; in 1846, he came to Jackson Co.; owns 160 acres of
land. Married Susan Lux in 1855; she was born in 1835, in Germany ; have ten
children, three sons and seven daughters.
DEDRICHT HUNEKE, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. O. St. Donatus; born in
Hanover in 1S32 ; came to America in 1850, and bought 174 acres of land; his
wife was Mrs. Beckey Huneke, the widow of Henry Huneke. was born in Hanover in
1845 ; came to America in 1850 ; married in 1S62 ; they have sis children — Dedricht,
Louisa, Henry, John, Mary and Otto. His religion is Lutheran.
DEIDRICK HUNEKE, farmer, Sec. 27 ; P. O. Bellevue ; born Jan. 2,
1835, in Brunswick, Germany; in 1853, he came to Jackson Co.; he owns 466 acres
of land. Married Anna Feldermann in 1867 ; she was born in Tete des Morts Town-
ship in 1847; died in 1873; had four children, two living — Henry G. and Emma A.
Second marriage to Caroline Nodorf in 1874; she was born in Missouri; have three
children — Fred A., Albert and Anna.
CARE JANEKE, farmer, Sec. 33; P. O. Bellevue; was born April 5,
1818, in Germany ; in 1846, he came to New York, and, in 1849, came to Dodge
Co., Wis.; in 1S69, came to Fayette Co., 111.; in 1871, he came to his present farm;
he owns fifty-three acres of land. Married Wilhelmina Teska in 1842 ; she was born
in Germany ; have six children, five sons and one daughter.
JOHN JOERGER, farmer, Sec. 14 ; P. O. Gordon's Ferry ; born April
3, 1815, in Baden, Germany ; Sept. 28, 1839, he came to New York City ; thence to
Utica, N. Y. ; in 1840, he came to Ohio; in 1844, removed to Jackson Co. He owns
270 acres of land, which he entered. Married Adalaide Wilkc in 1846 ; she was born
in 1811, in Hanover, Germany; had five children, two living — Louisa (now Mrs.
Heim) and John.
BELLEVUE
sCJLsTsy-r ti^Tl^n.
TETE DES MORTS TOWN3UIP. 683
JOHN JOHNSON, farmer, Sec. 14 ; P. 0. Gordon's Ferry ; born in Ger-
many in 1819; came to America in 1854, and settled in Jackson Co.; bought 100
acres of land, and made all the improvements. His wife was Miss Margaret Heillars ;
born in Germany in 1823. Married in Germany in 1848; they have four children —
Caroline (now Mrs. Yager), Annie (now Mrs. Cornelius), Lena (now Mrs. John Selzerj,
and John, Jr.
NICHOL.LS KAS, farmer, Sec. 2 ; P. 0. St. Donatus ; born in Luxem-
burg, Germany; in 1849, came to America; in 1859, to Jackson Co., and now owns
160 acres of land. His wife, Margaret Miner, was born in Luxemburg in 1852 ; came
to America in 1S72. Married at St. Donatus in 1S74, and have two children — Mary
and Josephine.
BERNARD KETTMANN, farmer, Sec. 26; P. O. Bellevue ; born
Oct. 20, 1833, in Hanover, Germany ; in 1854, he came to Jackson Co.; owns 230
acres of land. Married Josephine Musel in 1862; she was born in Germany; have
eight children — Henry, Mary, Barney, Anna, Theo., Joseph, Christine and John.
HENRY KNEIF, farmer, Sec. 28 ; P. O. St. Donatus ; born Sept. 17, 1835.
in Hanover, Germany ; in 1859, he came to Jackson Co.; he owns 181 acres of land.
Married Margaret Buckmann in September, 1863 ; she was born April 17, 1840, in Ger-
many ; had nine children, eight living — Herman, Mena, John, Henry, Mary, Fred,
Elizabeth and Emma ; lost Anna in infancy.
JOHN KOHLENBERG, farmer, Sec. 15; P. O. Gordon's Ferry; born,
December, 1814, in Bremen, Germany ; he came to Jackson Co. in 1854 ; he owns 180
acres of land. Married Christina Meyer in 1835 ; she was born in Germany ; have
five children — John H., Henry, Rebecca, Oli and Margaret. John H. served in the
late war.
JOHN KRAI'S, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. O. St. Donatus ; born in Luxemburg,
Germany, in 1830; came to America in 1855, to Jackson Co., and bought 120 acres,
and made all the improvements of the most substantial kind. His wife, Miss Susanna
Striff, was born in Pevy, France, in 1840 ; came to America in 1839; married at St.
Donatus in 1860 ; have three children — Nicholas, Margaret, and Annie. He has held
the office of Road Supervisor for two years.
JOHN KRAUS, Jr., farmer, Sec. 20; P. O. St. Donatus; born in Lux-
emburg in 1840; came to America in 1862; owns 111 acres, and made all the
improvements that are now on the farm. His wife, Margaret Gaul, was born in Luxem-
burg in 1842; came to America in 1871, and resided in Dubuque; married at St.
Donatus in 1S69, and have four children living — John, John Peter, Peter, Margaret.
NICHOLAS KRIER, dealer in general merchandise, also Postmaster. St.
Donatus; he was born Feb. 24, 1826, in Luxemburg, Germany ; in 1854, he came to
this locality and was appointed Postmaster in 1869 ; he commenced his present business
in 1866 ; he also owns ninety acres of land, and has owned one-half interest in the
Tete des Morts Mills, but has sold his interest to his son ; the store which he occupies,
with five acres of land, he also owns. He married Antoinette Meis in 1850 ; she was
born in 1834 ; died Nov. 26, 1855, leaving two children — Dominick and Margaret.
Second marriage to Margaret Meis in 1856 ; she was born Feb. 28, 1835, in Germany ;
have five children — Margaret. Jane, Michael, Eloise aud Rose.
HENRY Kl'ETER, farmer, Sec. 35; P. O. Bellevue; born Nov. 15,
1817, in Hanover, Germany; in 1846, he came to St. Louis; in May, 1847, he came
to Jackson Co.; he owns 540 acres of land, which property he has accumulated since
coming to this county, by strict attention to business. He married Theresa Korta Dec.
8,1846; she was born in 1823, in Hanover, Germany ; have four children — Mary,
Joseph, Theresa and Herman. He served as a soldier seven years, in Hanover, before
coming to America.
JOHN LOEWEN, farmer, Sec. 18; P. O. St. Donatus ; born March 1,
1848, in Germany; in 1857, he came to Jackson Co.; he owns 153 acres of land.
Married Anna Phillips, November, 1873; she was born in 1852, in Germany; had
three children, two living — Charles and Anna ; lost Madeline in infancy.
U
684 • BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
HENRY W. PLAGER, farmer, Sec. 24 ; P. 0. Bellevue; son of H. D.
Plager, who has been in this country for the past forty years ; Henry was born in Jack-
son Co. in 1849, and now owns 300 acres, with first-class improvements; is preparing
to build a barn 40x16 feet. His wife, Annie Rebecca Sanders, was born in Tete des
Morts Aug. 19, 1854; married Oct. 8, 1874; they have one child, born Aug. 2,
1878. His wife was the daughter of one of the oldest settlers in Tete des Morts
Township.
NICHOLAS PORTZ, grocery, St. Donatus; born Sept. 29, 1834, in
Germany ; in 1 S48, he came to Jackson Co.; he owns his store, with about eight acres
of land. Married Susan Homan in 1862 ; she was born in 1841, in Germany; have
four children — Michael, Antoinette, Nicholas and John P. Is Assessor and Con-
stable.
ANTONY PULFFER, shoemaker, St. Donatus ; born in Germany in 1 845 ;
came to America in 1870, to St. Louis ; was in Chicago one iyear; moved to St. Dona-
tus. His wife, Janette Roberts, came to America in 1870, and married at St. Donatus
in 1873 ; they have three children — Mary, Maggie and Alvist.
JOHN REUTER, farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. O. Bellevue; he was born, Decem-
ber, 1827, in Germany; in 1863, he came to Jackson Co.; he owns seventy-five
acres of land. Married Margaret Metzler in 1854; she was born in 1829, in Ger-
many ; have eleven children — John, Anna, Mike, Francis, Nick, Barbara, Botty,
Frank, Joseph. Margaret and Mary.
BERNHARD SANDERS, farmer, Sec. 17; P. O. St. Donatus; born
Feb. 7, 1812, in Germany; in 1833, he came to Baltimore; thence to Pittsburgh; in
1834, to Kentucky ; in 1835, to Galena ; in 1836, he came to Jackson Co.; he is the
oldest resident of Tete des Morts Township ; when he first came to this territory, he
claimed 400 acres of land ; this he afterward sold ; he then entered 200 acres, which
he now owns. He married Mary Hubert in 1842 ; she was born in 1824, in Germany;
have four children — Mary Louisa, William E., Anna and Wilhelmina. He has been
Township Treasurer and School Director.
HENRY SCHNIER, farmer, See 26; P. O. Bellevue; born Dec. 16,
1S37, in Hanover, Germany ; in 1845, he came to Clinton Co., 111., with his parents ;
in May, 1847, he came to Jackson Co., Iowa; he owns 120 acres of land. Married
Anna Mosel in 1861 ; she was born March 30, 1840, in Luxemburg, Germany ; had
eight children, seven living — Herman, Mary, Henry, Theresa, John, Anna and Amelia;
lost Joseph in 1877, aged 22 months. Is Treasurer of the School Board; has been
Township Treasurer and School Director.
W. H. SIMPSON, farmer, Sec. 10; P. O. Gordon's Ferry ; born in Adams
Co., Ohio, in 1833; came to Iowa in 1840; entered 322] acres, and made all the
improvements, which are of the very best and substantial kind. His wife, Miss Annie
E. Hamblin, was born at Burlington, Iowa, in 1840; married June 1, 1858; they
have five children — Charles H., Emma V., W. H., J. V. and E. M. He was Justice
of the Peace in 1862, and has held all of the town offices. He was one of the earliest
settlers in Tete des Morts; at the time he came to the county, there was not a settler
or a fence in sight of his place.
NICHOLAS SIREN, shoemaker, St. Donatus; born in Luxemburg in
1844; came to America in 1847 ; settled in Jackson Co. and engaged in fanning until
1865, when he moved to the village and began working at his trade, and at the present
time carries on a successful business, being the owner of his property. His wife, Mary
Kass, was born in France in 1850; came to America in 1866; have nine children —
Matt, Joe, Annie, Margaret, Kattie, Michael, Susan, Mary and Josephine.
WILLIAM SMITH, deceased. Sec. 24 ; P. O. Gordon's Ferry ; he was
born July 19, 1801, in Wilmington, N. J., and died April 5, 1852 ; he was one of the
earliest settlers of Jackson Co.. coming here in 1836; he then claimed 150 acres of
land ; a portion of it has been sold to the railroad company. He married Miss Lavenia
Swearinger Jan. 6, 1830 ; she was born June 13, 1810, in Maryland ; she came to Illi-
nois with her parents in 1812 ; they had twelve children, three now living — Leonora,
PRAIRIE SPRINGS TOWNSHIP. 685
Elvira and Henry Clay. Mr. Smith was appointed Postmaster in about 1840, and
held this office two or three years.
ALBERT TIETJEN, former. See, 22 ; P. 0. Bellevue ; born in Hanover
April 4, 1824 ; eame to America in 1849. and settled in Ohio; came to Iowa in 1853,
and now owns 24?. acres and has made all the improvements. His wife, Margaret
Hienke, was born in Brunswick in 1819, and came to America in 1853; married at Tete
<des Morts in 1854; they had seven children, two living — Annie and Rebecca; his
wife died in 1865. The second wife, Mary Teimerman, was born in Sured-Vie, Ger-
many, Jan. 28. 1846; came to America in 1868; married in 1868, and have four
children — Mary, Henry, John and Deidrick. He has been School Director for three
years.
JOHN TRITZ. Sr., farmer, Sec. 5 ; P. 0. St. Donatus ; he was. born July
26, 18114, in Germany. In 1846, he came to Jackson Co. ; he owns 220 acres of land.
Married Mary Walter in 1832; she was born in 1805, iu Germany. Had four chil-
dren, one living— John.
JOHX A. TRITZ. deceased ; born in Prussia in 1831 ; came to America
in 1847 ; settled in Jackson Co.. and bought 400 acres ; died Jan. 1, 1876. His wife.
Miss Mary Siren, was born in Holland in 1835 ; came to America in 1847. Married
at St. Donatus in 1852. They have ten children, seven boys and three girls. His wife
lives on the farm, on Section 5 ; P. O. St. Donatus.
PRAIRIE SPRINCS TOWNSHIP.
JOHX ARE3TS, former, Sec. 13 ; P. O. St. Donatus; born in Luxemburg,
Germany, in 1855 ; came to America in 1865, and now owns 120 acres, and has made
all the improvements himself, with the help of his wife. His wife, Kattie Koob, was
born in Luxemburg in 1858; came to America in 1865. Married in 1876, at St.
Donatus, and they. have one child — Maggie.
CHARLES BAMDAS, former, Sec. 36 ; P. O. St. Donatus ; born in Prus-
sia in 1839, and came to America in 1866. Owns 133 acres of land. His wife, Mary
Lavins, was born in Luxemburg in 1842, and came to America when quite young.
Married in 1S6S, and have four children — Kattie, Paulina, Julia and Katherine.
E. 31. BELKNAP, of the firm of Belknap & Son, general merchandise,
La Motte; born April 27, 1850, in Prairie Springs Township. In 1873, they com-
menced their present business. Married Ella Carroll July 11, 1871 ; she was born in
Georgia ; she came to Jackson Co. with her parents in 1868. They have four children,
two sons and two daughters.
PIERCE CAHILL, former. Sec. 32 ; P. O. La Motte ; born June 29, 1835,
in Ireland ; in 1842, he came to Canada ; in 1844, to Chautauqua Co.,N. Y.; in 1S48,
to Jo Daviess Co., 111. ; in 1850, to Wisconsin; iu 1870, he came to Jackson Co.;
he owns eighty acres of land. Married Mary Madden in 1870 ; she was born in Ire-
land ; had four children, three living — Elizabeth, Margaret and Laura T. ; lost Mary in
1874, aged 13 months. Enlisted in 1S61, in Co. F. 10th Wis. V. I.; was taken pris-
oner in September, 1863, at the battle of Chickamauga ; released in 1865.
JOHN DEIBRICH, former, Sec. 27; P. O. La Motte; born in Luxem-
burg iu 1S35; eame to America in 1855, to Jackson Co., and now owns 120 acres.
His wife, Josephine Hebler, was born in Luxemburg in 1840, and came to America in
1857; married in 1861 ; they have four children — Kattie, Annie, Susan and Mary.
Has been Director of Schools of the Independent District No. 6, and also Constable.
3IARTIN GIBBS, former, Sec. 5; P. O. La Motte; he was born June,
1815, in Ireland ; in 1849, he came to Jackson Co.; he owns 300 acres land. Married
Mary Hannafin in 1852 ; she was born in Ireland ; have five children — Sarah, Ellen,
Charles, Daniel and Thomas.
686 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
ANTHONY GILLESPIE, farmer, Sec. 7 ; P. 0. Duke ; born in Ire-
laud in 1812; came to America in 1837 and remained about four years in Pennsyl-
Tania; came to Jackson Co. in 1859 and entered land and now owns 200 acres. His
wife, Ann Perryman, was born in Ireland, in 1834 ; came to America in 1844; married
inlS56; they have four children living — Myra, John, Sylvia and Etta ; one died —
Ann.
GEORGE GRISWOLD (deceased); he was born Aug. 21, 1819. in'
New Jersey ; he came to Jackson Co. in 1848 ; died Oct. 25, 1872. He married Mary
A. Garregus, Sept. 15, 1850 ; she was born June 29, 1823, in New Jersey ; she owns
1 76 acres land ; has six children, three sons and three daughters, and resides on Section
34 ; P. 0. La Motte.
NICHOLAS HERLER, farmer, Sec. 27 ; P. 0. La Motte ; born in Lux-
emburg in 1812 ; came to America in 1857, and now owns eighty acres. His wife
was Katherine Withrey ; she was born in Luxemburg in 1812; came to America in
1857; married in Germany in 1837, and have five children — Tennice (now Mrs.
Becker, of Dubuque), Josephine (now Mrs. Deidrich), Susan (now Mrs. Ludwig, of
Prairie Springs), Peter (married to Elizabeth Myers), Nicholas, at home.
JOHN HITENEKE, farmer, Sec. 3 ; P. 0. St. Donatus ; born in Prussia in
1845 ; came to America in 1852, and settled in Dubuque Co.; removed to Jackson Co.
in 1871, and now owns 110 acres; his wife, Mary Niemstradt, was born in Prussia in
1847; came to America in 1869. Married in 1871, and have five children — Lizzie,
Hennie, Sennia, Beckie and John Henry.
H. H. HUTCHINS, farmer and cheese factory ; P. O. La Motte ; he was
born in 1839, in Watertown, N. Y.; in 1861, he came to Iowa; the following year, he
came to Jackson Co.; he enlisted in 1862, in Co. K, 1st I. V. C, and served nine months ;
he built his cheese factory in 1874, and has operated it more or less since. Married
Arvilla Chamberlin in 1868; she was born in Ohio; have four children — Ann Eliza,
Herbert, Arthur and Nelson B.
JOHN H. KOHLANRERG, farmer, Sec. 36; P. 0. St. Donatus; born
December, 1836, in Germany ; in 1852, came to Jackson Co.; he owns 151 acres of land.
Married Anna Heinke in 1865; she was born in 1838 in Germany; have six children
— Mary, Cena, John, Deidrick, Albert and Henry ; he enlisted in 1864, in Co. D, 2d
I. V. I.; served to end of war.
JAMES McELROY, farmer, Sec. 2 ; P. 0. St. Donatus; he was born May,
1837, in Ireland ; in 1849, he came with his parents to Jackson Co.; his father died
here in 1868, aged 70 years. Married Sabina Howard in 1863 ; she was born in 1844,
in New York; have eight children, three sons and five daughters.
MICHAEL MORAN, farmer, Sec. 28 ; P. 0. La Motte ; born in Ireland in
1815 ; came to America in 1837 ; settled in Ohio and remained two years ; then went
to Scott Co., Ky., and remained sixteen years ; in 1852, came to Jackson Co., Iowa, and
owns 130 acres of land; his wife, Miss Katherine Fitzpatrick, was born in Ireland in
1815 ; came to America in 1833. Married in 1840 ; they have four children living —
Ann, William, John, Mary ; has been Trustee of Township.
GEORGE REDMOND, farmer, Sec. 30 ; P. 0. La Motte ; born in Ireland
in 1837 ; came to America in 1855, and landed at New Orleans ; then came to Jackson
Co., and owns 246 acres of land ; his wife, Emily Gurdctt, was born in France in 1842 ;
came to America in 1853. Married in January, 1860; they have seven children —
Mary France, Sarah, Rosa Ann, Esther, Antoinette, Patrick Henry and George
Thomas.
JEREMIAH REGAN, farmer, Sec. 30 ; P. 0. Duke ; born in 1808, in
Ireland; in 1834, he came to New York; in 1838, to Chicago; in 1842, to Dubuque;
in 1845, he came to Prairie Springs Township; he own 405 acres of land; he is one
of the earliest settlers of this township. Married Ellen Brown in 1834; she was born
in 1814, in Ireland ; have eight children — Michael, Patrick, John, Simon, Jeremiah,
Jr., Ellen, Hannah and Mary Rose. He has been two terms a member of the Board
of Supervisors ; has also been Township Trustee.
PRAIRIE SPRINGS TOWNSHIP. 00/
WILLIAM ROONEY, farmer, Sec. 29 ; P. 0. La Motte ; he was bom
in 1829, in Ireland ; in 1845, he came to Galena and remained there and in Dubuque
till 1874, when he removed to Jackson Co.; he owns 230 acres of land ; he has improved
it with all the buildings there is on the farm since coming here. Married Ann Riley
in 1857 ; she was born in Ireland and came to America about the age of 9 years ; they
had nine children, six living — James F., Bridgett M., William E., Mary A., Martin J.
and Michael E.
F. E. SMITH, school-teacher, La Motte; born May 22, 1852, in Addison
Co., Vt. ; in about 1858, he came with his parents to Fond du Lac, Wis.; he commenced
attending school at about the age of 7 years; continued about eight years ; he then
attended the Pooler Institute, graduated in 1870, then attended the Lawrence University
at Appleton, Wis., about one year; at the age of 18, he commenced teaching ; has fol-
lowed this profession since ; he has taught in La Motte about three years. Married
Miss Ida Kellosg in 1872 ; she was born in Ripon, Wis.
ANTONE. SEYLEE, farmer, Sec. 7; P. 0. St. Donatus; born in
Luxemburg, Germany, in 1831 ; came to America in 1853, and now owns 290 acres.
His wife, Elizabeth Earnsdorf, was born in Germany in 1831 ; came to America in
1852; married at St. Donatus in 1859; they have six children — Dominick, Frank,
Nick, Peter, Mary and Margaret.
CHRISTIAN VAN DEN ACKER, carpenter and farmer, Sec. 19 ;
P. 0. Duke; born Aug. 15, 1819, in Holland; in 1846, he came to New York City;
followed stair-building till 1857, when he came to Bellevue ; followed the carpenter
trade there till 1863, when he removed to his present farm, consisting of forty acres of
land; he also continues the carpenter trade here. He married Grada E. Van Keeken in
1841 ; she was born in 1820, in Holland ; have ten children, six sons and four daughters.
LEZAPSHAN VEACH, farmer, Sec. 28; P. 0. La Motte; born in
Bourbon Co., Ky., Sept. 18, 1813; came to Illinois in 1815, to Wisconsin in 1835
and to Iowa in 1837 and entered land in Tete des Morts Township; sold out and came
to this place in 1853 and now owns 160 acres. His wife, Barbara Martin, was born in
1828; came to America when young and married Sept. 5, 1842; they have eight
children — John, Mary, Sylvester, Eliza, Jennie, William, James and Edward. Has
been School Director of the La Motte Independent District and Justice of the Peace.
HERMANN WARNKE, farmer, Sec. 35 ; P. 0. St. Donatus ; born July,
1846, in Hanover, Germany; in 1869, he came to Jackson Co.; he owns 100 acres of
land. Married Christina Lampe in 1874 ; she was born in Bellevue Township ; have
three children — John F., Hermann B. and William S.
HON. JOHN WILSON, Postmaster and dealer in general merchandise,
La Motte; born Oct. 11, 1823, in Bridgeton, near Glasgow, Scotland ; in 1849, he
came to Bellevue: afterward removed to Lake Co., 111., where he remained till the
spring of 1851, when he returned to Jackson Co.; engaged in farming till 1866, when
he removed to La Motte and commenced his present business; in 1873, he was
appointed Postmaster, although he has always assisted in the duties of this office since
coming to La Motte ; he has been several terms a member of the Board of County
Supervisors ; he represented this county in the Legislature during the session of
1876-77, and has held various minor offices. He married Miss Barbara McKay in
1849 ; she was also a native of Scotland ; they had three children, two living — Peter
M. and William G. ; lost Ellen in 1874, aged 21 years. Republican.
GEORGE W. WILSON, farmer; P. 0. La Motte; born Oct. 3, 1823,
in Worcester Co., Mass.; in 1S49, he came to La Motte, and has been a resident here
ever since ; he owns eighty acres of land, also three acres in town. He has been
engaged for the past twenty-five years in threshing grain and clover, and owned the
first threshing machine in the county; he owns the Burdsdell clover-huller, which is the
only one in the county, and has run it fourteen winters. When about 12 years of age,
he commenced to learn the stonemason's trade ; followed it several years. He has been
President of the School Board.. Married Miss E. C. Baker in November, 1846 ; she
was born in 1823, in Worcester Co., Mass.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES :
RICHLAND TOWNSHIP.
G. C. ABBEY, merchant and Postmaster, Cottonville ; born in Ontario Co.,
N. Y., April 18, 1820 ; weut to Michigan in 1837 ; to New Orleans the fall of 1843 ;
then returned to the Bast. In 1850, he came to Jackson Co., Iowa, and remained a
short time ; thence to Delaware Co., Iowa ; then to Pike's Peak, where he remained
but a short time, when he returned to Andrew, and enlisted, August, 1862, in the 21st
I. V. I., and remained uutil the close of the war, when he returned and settled in Cot-
tonville.
THOMAS ABBEY, blacksmith, Cottonville; born in Erie Co., N. Y.,
June 3, 1842 ; came West in 1852, located in Jackson Co., and went to farming ; then
removed to Delaware Co., Iowa, and remained four years ; returned to Jackson Co., and
enlisted June 20, 1861, in the 5th I. V. I. ; was discharged at Jefferson Barracks, Mo.,
in 1862, when he returned to Jackson Co., then to Delaware Co. and farmed one
year, and then to Cottonville. He married Miss Mary J. Smith ; she was born in Erie
Co., N. Y., in 1843, and came West in May, 1852 ; married in Bellevue in 1863, and
have one child — Nettie L., born Jan. 11, 1864.
JOHN AHLERS, farmer, Sec. 35; P. 0. Cottonville ; born Jan. 10, 1841,
in Hanover, Germany; in 1866, he moved to Milwaukee ; thence to Jackson Co. He
owns 320 acres of land. Married Caroline Lahmeyer in 1865 ; she was born in
Germany ; have five children — Charlotte E. H., Oswold J., Otto O, Clara E. and
Lizzie A.
DAVID BAKER, farmer, Sec. 22 ; P. O. Cottonville ; born April 28, 1823,
in Chautauqua Co., N. Y. ; in 1857, came to Jackson Co. ; owns eighty acres of land.
Married Catharine L. Mosher in 1856 ; she was born in Montgomery Co., N. Y. ; have
four children — David M., Benjamin F., Medora M. and Ida.
DAVID BAMHOLT, retired farmer, Sec. 4 ; P. O. La Motte ; born
in Philadelphia, Penn., in 1819 ; came West in 1844, and settled in Jackson Co., where
he now resides, on six acres of land in Sec. 4, where he expects to enjoy the results of
a hard-earned fortune. His wife, Anna Maria Hittinger, was born in Allegheny Co.,
Penn., in 1819, and married in Pennsylvania Sept. 10, 1840; they have three children
living in Linn Co., two in Emmett Co., and one boy, George, at home to care for the
parents in their old age.
EDWARD COWL AST, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. O. La Motte ; he was born in
Ireland in about 1825 ; about the age of 4 years he went with his parents to Canada,
in 1844, to Rochester, N. Y., in 1850, to Iowa; the following year he removed to
Jackson Co. ; he owns 217 acres of land. Married Catherine Parrell in 1850 ; she
was born in Ireland ; at the age of 18, she came with her parents to Rochester, N. Y.;
they have three children — Edward, Francis, and Catharine.
JOSEPH ERNST, farmer, Sec. 14 ; P. O. Cottonville ; born Jan. 23, 1830,
in Prussia, Germany; in 1852, came to Jackson Co.; he owns 246 acres of land.
Married Catharine Portz in 1855; she was born in 1831, in Prussia, Germany; have
four children — John, Margaret, Conrad and William ; is a member of the School
Board ; has been School Director.
HENRY FROST, farmer, Sec. 3 ; P. O. La Motte; he was born in 1826
in England ; when an infant, came with his parents to New Jersey; in 1856, he came
to his present farm, consisting of 120 acres of land. He has been Justice of the
Peace, Township Treasurer, member of the School Board, etc. Married Elleiior J.
Welsh in 1846 ; she was born in New Jersey ; have eleven children, six sons and five
daughters.
RUSSELL A. FULLER, farmer, Sec. 21 ; P. O. Cottonville ; he was
born, in 1827, in Rensselaer Co., X. Y .; in 1854, he came to Jackson Co. He owns
194 acres of land ; has been School Director. Married Maria B. Peabody in 1854 ;
she was born in Oneida Co., N. Y. ; have six children, three sons and three daughters.
RICHLAND TOWNSHIP. b89
THOMAS GIBBS, farmer, Sec. 11 ; P. 0. Bellevue ; he was born about.
1821 in Ireland; in 1846, came to Pittsburgh. Penn. ; engaged in merchandising
for about nine years; in 1855, he came to his present farm, consisting of 360 acres
of land, well improved. He married Miss Catharine Morris January, 18(53; she was
born in Ireland they have four children — Andrew, Edniond, Mary B. and Thomas.
MALACHI <;M:AM>\. farmer, Sec. 33; P.O. Cottonville, was born
in Ireland in 1S51 ; came to America, landed in New Orleans, and went up the Mis-
sissippi River -to Maysville, Mason Co., Ky., and remained about four years, then to
Dubuque, Iowa, whence he removed to Jackson Co., and bought 160 acres of land
in Sec. 33. His wife was born in Ireland, whore they were married and had two chil-
dren when they came to America — Mark and John; David was born in Kentucky ;
Ellen, born in Kentucky, and died Oct, 29, 1869; Malachi, born in Kentucky March
5,1847; Mary, born in Dubuque; Minnie, born in Dubuque; Maggie, born in
Dubuque ; Kittie; born in Jackson Co.
ASHEEY GRIFFIN, farmer, Sec. 10; P.O. Cottonville; Mr. Griffin
was born in Franklin Co., N. Y., in 1822 ; came to Iowa ; settled near Andrew June
8, 1842; entered 220 acres and remained there about twelve years; then came to Rich-
land, and now ha,s, 303 acres in Sees. 10 and 16. His wife, Miss Naomi Hadley, was a
daughter of N. Hadley, and lived in Bellevue at the time of the war known as the
Bellevue War; Mr. G. married, February, 1845, near Andrew; they have four children —
Lawrence (now in Walker, Linn Co.. Iowa), Ninnah (a teacher at La Motte), Jane
and Emily ( living at home >. Mr. G. says he has chopped many a cord of wood for 25
cents a cord, and split rails for 50 cents a hundred, and suffered the loss of his home
once by fire ; but, by untiring energy and perseverance, has accumulated a large estate,
and has as comfortable a home as could be wished.
GEORGE GIFFORJ), farmer, Sec. 10; P. O. La Motte ; born in
Saxony, Germany, in 1848 ; came to America in 1852, and settled in Jackson Co. the
same year; bought eighty acres in Sec. 10. His wife Caroline Millman, was born in
Tete des Morts, Township in 1856, and married in 1876, at Tete des Morts, and they
have two children — Albert and Annie.
JAMES HAYES, farmer, Sec. 22; P. O. Cottonville; he was bom in
1S32, in- England; in 1839, he came with his parents to America; in 1854, he
removed to Jackson Co. ; he owns 200 acres land. He has been for the past ten or
twelve years Justice of the Peace, also Township Clerk, Secretary of the School Board,
etc. Married Miss Sarah Brady in 185S ; she was born in Dublin in 1840; have
eight children, four sons and four daughters. His brother Michael enlisted in 1863,
in the'late war; died of disease contracted in the army in 1864.
DR. NICK HOFFMAN: P. O. La Motte; was born in Luxemburg,
Germany, Sept. 7, 1841 ; came to America in 1871 ; settled at Tete des Morts and
practiced medicine four months, and then removed to Bellevue ; thence to Mineral
Point, Wis., and returned to La Motte in 1879, and engaged in the saloon business;
he bought property and is doing a good business. His wife, Miss Annie Shettz,
daughter of Peter Shettz, of Richland, was born in Luxemburg in 1852 ; came to
America in 1853; they were married at St, Donatus Oct. 18, 1871, and have three
children — -Mary, Annie and Kattie ; Nick and Peter deceased. Mr. Hoffman's father
and mother, Peter and Susanna (nee Thill) Hoffman, reside in Luxemburg, Germany.
M. M. HOOD,* farmer, Sec. 30; P. O. Cottonville; born June 16, 1803, in
Lycoming Co., Penn. ; in 1859, came to Jackson Co. ; he owns ninety acres land. His
sons, William and John, served in the late war. He married Elizabeth Hazen in 1 835 ;
she was born in New York-; had six children, four living — William, Mahala, Nancy
and John.
A. HITRD, farmer. Sec. 35; P.O. Cottonville; bom March 10, 1823, in
Wyoming Co., N. Y. : in 1841, moved to Ohio; in 1849, to Jackson Co.; remained
here till 1852, when he went to California ; in 1854, returned and has resided here
since; he owns 160 acres land, which he entered. Married Helena Sawtell in 1854;
she was born in Michigan; died in 1864; had two children — John H. and George E.
690 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : .
Second marriage to Hannah Lias in 1865 ; she was born in Pennsylvania ; have four
children — Margaret H., Calvin E., Osceola and Frank.
MRS. LAURA A. KURD, farming, Sec. 28 ; P. 0. Cottonville ; was born
in Ohio April 3, 1844, and moved to the West with her parents, who settled in Jack-
son Co. She married Elias Hurd Dec. 2, 1860 ; he died March 19, 1872. Mr. Hurd,
at the time of his death, owned 140 acres in Sec. 28. Mrs. H. is now the owner of
seventy-seven acres in Sec. 28. They had four children — Elijah H., Annie A., Ella
A. and Almond E. Mr. Hurd enlisted in the 2d I. V. I. in 1864, and served until
the close of the war.
JOHN A. HUNTER, farmer, Sec. 34; P. 0. Cottonville; born Feb. 13,
1839, in Trumbull Co., Ohio; in 1849, he came, with his parents, to Jackson Co. ; he
owns eighty acres land. Married Melissa Campbell in 1859 ; she was born in Pennsyl-
vania ; have four children — Charles, William, May and Byron.
JOSEPH HUNTER, Sr., farmer, Sec. 27 ; P. O. Cottonville ; he was
born in 1815, in Cumberland Co., Penn. ; in about 1831, he came to Trumbull Co.,
Ohio; in 1849, came to Jackson Co. and has since resided here; he owns about one
section of land ; 240 acres of this he entered, and has improved a large portion of it ;
he was County Supervisor when each township had a representative ; is now Township
Treasurer. Married Miss Jane Buttles in 1839 ; she was born in 1818, died in 1869 ;
had seven children, three living— John A., Levi and Mary. Second marriage to Mrs.
Warson in 1873 ; she is a native of New York.
P. B. JAMESON, farmer, Sec. 23; P. 0. Cottonville ; born Aug. 29, 1814,
in Monroe Co., N. Y. ; in 1850, came to Jackson Co. ; he owns 220 acres land. Mar-
ried Lucinda TyrrerNov. 1, 1837 ; she was born in January, 1816, in Erie Co., N. Y. ;
died in 1863, leaving two children — F. G. and R. M. Second marriage to Nancy
Davison in 1864 ; she was born in Chautauqua Co., N. Y. His two sons, F. G. and R.
M., served in the late war. He has been Constable, Township Treasurer, etc.
JOHN KRE AR, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. O. La Motte ; he was born in June,
1842, in Germany; in 1866, he came to Jackson Co. Owns 120 acres of land. Mar-
ried Anna Hemes in May, 1872; she was born in Germany in 1850 ; have four chil-
dren— Mary, Kate, Catharena and John.
.DANIEL. MCALLISTER, deceased ; born in September, 1827, in Ireland ;
came to Iowa in 1847, and resided in Jackson Co. till his death, March 29, 1872. His
wife was born in Ireland in 1827, and came to America at the age of 16, and was mar-
ried in 1845, in New Jersey. They own 120 acres of land; have three children —
John, Elizabeth and Matthew; lost four children— James. Susan Ann, David and Rhodie.
James was killed March 20, 1873, by accident while blasting a log at their residence.
Susan A. married Mr. Donahue, of Dubuque, and died in April, 1879 ; Rhodie died in
infancy.
WILLIAM MALONE, farmer, Sec. 23 ; P. O. Cottonville; born in 1816,
in Ireland ; in 1841, came to Troy, N. Y. ; there hired out for farming; in 1854, he
came to Jackson Co. He now owns 380 acres of land. Married Ellen Dunne in 1853;
she was born in Ireland ; they had seven children, four now living.
JOHN MANDERSCHIEF, farmer, Sec. 22 ; P. O. Cottonville ; born in
Luxemburg on May 12, 1833 ; came to America in 1855 ; settled in Tete des Morts,
Jackson Co., and bought 195 acres of unimproved land, and, by hard work, he has
made one of the finest farms in Richland Township. He has held the offices of Collector
and Assessor two years, Constable, Trustee and School Director. He is a man of
influence in the community in which he resides. His wife was born in Germany, and
came to this country when quite young; they were married in 1861, in Tete des Morts
Township, and have eight children, five boys and three girls.
JAKE MARSO, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. O. La Motte ; born in Luxemburg in
1839; came to America in 1869 ; settled in Jackson Co. and bought 365 acres in Sees.
8, 9, 4, 5. His wife, Mrs. Mary Bank, was born in Luxemburg in 1839, and came to
this county in 1859 ; she had four children by former marriage — Kattie, Mary, Grit-
tichen and Annie. Mr. Marso was married Feb. 15, 1871, at the Bond Settlement
Church, and they have five children — Louisa, Mike, Johnnie, Frankie, Susie.
RICHLAND TOWNSHIP. 691
PETER MARK, farmer, Sec. 9 ; P. 0. La Motte ; born in Luxemburg,
Germany, in 1833, and came to America in 1855; worked for Garrett Hurkesmire,
and then bought eighty acres in Sec. 9. His wife, Miss Catherine Camp, of Tete des
Morts, came to this country in 1853; they were married in 1858, and had thirteen
children ( two died when infants) — John P., Christina, Catherine, Amelia, Peter, Annie,
Mary, Lizzie, Josephine, Susanna, Mathias.
HENRY MEYER, farmer, Sec. 1 ; P. 0. Bellevue ; born Feb. 22, 1819. in
Germany; in 1854, he came to Jackson Co.; owns 172 acres of land. Married Mary
Gunter in 1857 ; she was born in 1835, in Hanover, Germany; have twelve children,
six sons and six daughters ; before coming to America he served three years as a soldier
in Germany.
JOHN McQUEEN, farmer, Sec. 6 ; P. 0. La Motte ; born in Edinburgh,
Scotland, in 1817, and came to America in 1840, and settled at Galena, 111.; thence
went to California and remained three years ; returned to Illinois, and in 1852, settled
in Jackson Co.; bought 200 acres of land in Sec. 6 ; his wife was Miss Phebe Pool,
born in Northamptonshire, England, in 1824 ; came to America in 1834, to New Jer-
sey, and then to Terre Haute, Ind., and, in 1844, to Galena, 111. Married in 1848,
at Galena, and have ten children — John, Henry, Charlie, George, Annie, Donald, Joseph,
Judson and William ; Oliver died in 1873. Mr. McQueen has been Trustee and School
Director for ten years.
J. D. MIEEMAN, farmer, Sec. 2; P. 0. La Motte; he was born Nov. 18,
1846, in St. Louis, Mo. ; in 1848, he came with his parents to Jackson Co.; he now
owns 180 acres of land. Married Mary Geopfert, in 1870 ; she was born in Germany ;
had four children, three living — Hannah, Hermann and George. Is Justice of the
Peace.
MICHARL O'CONNOR; P. 0. Bellevue ; born in Ireland in 1823; came
to America in 1848; settled in Jackson Co., Richland, and entered 280 acres of land
in Sec. 25 ; wife was born in Scotland, and has been in America forty years. They
were married in Jackson Co.; have three children living, lost two ; his wife was the
widow of Mr. Dougherty ; has two children by former marriage.
JOHN ORTMAN, farmer, Sec. 21 ; P. 0. Cottonville; born Feb. 28, 1820,
in Prussia, Germany; in 1857, came to St. Louis; in 1861, came to Jackson Co.; he
owns 160 acres of land. Married Caroline Hosteck in 1859 ; she was born in 1831,
in Germany ; have nine children, five sons and four daughters.
DANIEL PAGE, farmer, Sec. 26 ; P. O. Cottonviile ; was born in Livings-
ton Co., N. Y., in 1829, and came West in 1855 ; bought 245 acres in Richland Town-
ship ; his first wife, Melinda Webb, was born in McKean Co., Penn., in 1829 ; died
Jan. 17, 1865 ; they had three children — Willis G., Henry F. and Ida, who died in
1873. He married his second wife, Miss Electa Smith, of Wyoming Co., N. Y., April
27, 1867, at Perry Springs, Iowa; they have one child. He held the office of Road
Supervisor for the years 1872-73-75.
ALLEN PARMEEY, farmer, Sec. 22 ; P. 0. Cottonville ; born in Erie
Co., N. Y., June 16, 1818 ; came West in 1841, and settled in Jackson Co. ; he entered "
200 acres of land in Section 22. His wife was born in Jefferson Co., N. Y., in 1831.
They were married in Michigan in 1857. and have two children — Myron and Ella.
He has held the office of Road Supervisor and School Director several terms.
A. H. POTTER, farmer, Sec. 3; P. 0. La Motte; born in Oneida Co.
April 24, 1820, and came to Iowa in 1854 ; settled in Jackson Co., and has 134 acres
in Section 3. The improvements are all of the best, and made by his own labor. His
wife, Miss Louisa Woodard, was born in Jefferson Co., N. Y., in 1824, and married in
1853. They have three children living. Mr. Potter has been School Director several
terms.
A. L,. POTTER, farmer, Sec. 9 ; P. O. La Motte ; born in Oneida Co., N.
Y., in 1832, and came West in 1854; settled in Jackson Co., and bought 250 acres in
Sections 9 and 16. His wife, Miss Eliza Hall, was born in Jefferson Co., N. Y., in
1838, and they were married in New York in 1853, and have five children living — John
692 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
A., Charles H., Herbert D., Elbert and Francis E. Mr. Potter was Principal of the
Bellevue High School for a year, and as a farmer he is successful, carrying on a large
dairy, known as the Mount Airy Farm, and supplying the city of Dubuque largely with
a fine quality of butter.
F. M. PURDY, farmer and dealer in general merchandise ; P. 0. Cottonville :
born in Erie Co., N. Y., April 1, 1837; came to Jackson Co. in 1847 ; was engaged at
farming until he enlisted in the 31st I. V. I., Aug. 6, 1862, and received a gunshot
wound at Ringgold Heights, Ga., Nov. 27, 1863; was mustered out of service July 4,
1864. His wife, Mrs. Lucina Crawford, was born in Erie Co., N. Y., in 1835. They
were married in October, 1861, and have one child — Fred H.
P. E. PURDY, retired farmer, Sec. 26; P. 0. Cottonville; born in Wash-
ington Co., N. Y., in 1804; came to Iowa in 1847, and settled on 120 acres of land
near Cottonville. His wife was born near Buffalo, N. Y., March 21, 1816, and married
Oct. 2, 1834, at Hamburg. N. Y., and they have two children — Henry E. and F. M.
JOHN S. SAWTELL, farmer, Sec. 33 ; P. 0. Cottonville; he was born
July 27, 1845, in Richland Township. His father, Obediah Sawtell, was born Jan. 15,
1805; came to Richland Township in 1837, being one of the oldest settlers here; he
entered 320 acres of land, which he improved ; he died Jan. 6, 1879. John S. Sawtell
owns 120 acres with the old homestead. He married Ada E. Rhey Jan. 27, 1878 ;
she was born in Perry Township, Jackson Co. They have one child — Fred. ,
MRS. SARAH A. SAWTELL ; P. O. Cottonville ; daughter of
Samuel Cotton, who came to Jackson Co. iu 1839, and located where the village of
Cottonville now stands; he married in New York Miss Mary Bemis Oct. 8, 1808,
and had ten children — Sarah, now Mrs. Sawtell, the youngest daughter, married Julius
Sawtell, who died Oct. 21, 1864, in Hillsboro, Ga., being a soldier in the 2d I. V. I.,
and left to the wife a farm of 100 acres of land. Mr. Sawtell was the father of one
child, a boy — Junius G. Sawtell.
PETER SCHILLING, farmer, Sec. 16; P. O. Cottonville; born July
21, 1846, in Germany; in 1868, he moved to Minnesota; in 1869, removed to
Jackson Co.; he owns 160 acres of land. Married Anna Duning in 1872; she was
born in Germany ; they have five children, two sons and three daughters.
PETER SCHELTZ, farmer, Sec. 4 ; P. O. La Motte ; born in Luxem-
burg, Germany, in 1825 ; came to America in 1853 ; came to Iowa and bought eighty
acres. His wife, Miss Mary Willbiss, was born in Luxemburg in 1823; they were
married in the old country in 1848; their children are Mary, Katie, Annie (now Mrs.
Dr. Nick Hoffman),' John, Mary Ann, Michael, Nicholas, Kittie ; deceased, Michael
and Nick.
E. W. SMITH, farmer, Sec. 31; P. 0. Cottonville; he was born in 1832,
in Erie Co., Ohio ; in 1854, he moved to Dubuque, and engaged in mining; in 1874,
he came to Jackson Co; they own 118 acres of land. He married Mrs. Matheny in
1 874 ; she was born in Ohio ; he has three children by a former marriage — Willie
J., Albert G. and Alonzo B. ; she has six children by a former marriage — J. E., Alfred
S., Marilda A., Martha and Luanna Stevens. Her eldest son, J. E. Stevens, served
in the late war.
W. H. STOVER, farmer, Sec. 3; P. 0. La Motte; born June 22, 1841, in
Huntingdon Co., Penn.; in 1851, came to Savanna, 111., with his parents, afterward to
Carroll Co., 111.; in 1852, he came to Belleville; he owns thirty-two acres of land.
Married Miss Alice A. Potter in 1871 ; he was born in New York ; have one child —
Gazelle. He enlisted in 1862, in. Co. I, 24th I. V. I. ; served to ttie end of the war ;
participated in the battles of Fort Gihson, Black River Bridge, Champion Hill, siege
of Vicksburg, Red River expedition, Sabine Cross Roads, Pleasant Hill, Shenandoah
Valley, Winchester, Cedar Creek, Fisher's Hill, and others.
SIMEON TERBENS, farmer, Sec. 36 ; P. 0. Andrew ; was born in Ger-
many in 1811; came to America in 1854; settled in Tete des Morts, and remained
about two years; then came to Richland, and bought 160 acres in Sec. 36, aud has at
the present time 235 acres. His wife was born in Germany ; they were married in
UNION TOWNSHIP. 693
Germany in 183S ; they have seven children — Herman, Lizzie, Tibbo, Beekie, Rachel,
John and Hannah. His children have all married and left him but John, who is
attending to the farm.
PETER TERNES, farmer, Sec. 30; P. 0. Cottonville ; born Nov: 25,
1832, in Prussia, Germany ; in 1852, went to Chicago ; in 1854, to Wisconsin ; in 1850,
he came to Jackson Co. He owns 177 acres of land ; he enlisted in 1864, in Co. G,
15th I.V. I. ; served to the end of the war. Engaged in the battles of Bentonville,
N. C. ; Savannah, Sherman's march to the sea, and others. Married Catharine Walter
in 1S60 ; she was born in Germany ; have three children — Peter, John aud Charles.
BENJAMIN THOMPSON, farmer, Sec. 11 ; P. O. La Motte. Born
Feb. 10, 1807, in. England. In 1834, he came to Canada ; in 1837, he came to Jackson
Co. ; has resided here ever since. Is now the oldest settler in Richland Township.
He owns 240 acres of land, where he entered. Married Ann Elizabeth Duff, in June,
1849 ; she was born in Pennsylvania. They have eleven children — four sons and seven
daughter.
WILLIAM H. Vli:«. ! I farmer; Sec. 18, P. O. La Motte. He was
born in 1832, in Otsego Co., N. Y. In 1858, he came to Jackson Co. ; he owns 100
acres of land. Married Miss E. M. Smith in 1866. They have two children — Lucy
and Angie. The greater part of his time has been engaged in teaching school, and has
always been a very reliable and efficient teacher ; he has also been Township Trustee,
Assessor and Collector ; he was elected Justice of the Peace, but refused to serve.
JOHN P. H. WOHLEJfBERG, Richland Mills, Sec. 32; P. O. Cot-
tonville. He was born May 7, 1832, in Prussia, Germany, in 1852 ; he came to Lyons,
Iowa, and engaged in the milling business till 1878, when he removed to his present
locality. He married Johanna E. Ommen in 1866. She was born in Hanover in
1840. They have three children — Herman, Behrendina and Emma ; lost Louisa and
Dora, aged 2 and 4 years.
UNION TOWNSHIP.
JOHN E. BABBITT, mail agent from Sabula to Cedar Rapids, on Mil-
waukee & St. Paul R. R.; born in Lower Canada in 1827 ; when he was 14 years of
age, his parents removed to London, Canada West; in 1850, he went to Cleveland,
Ohio, wher-3 he learned'the trade of brickmason ; in 1855, he came to Sabula ; he built
the Eldridge House in 1855, and the Methodist Church in 1856 ; these, except two
small dwellings, were the first brick buildings in Sabula ; he purchased a farm in Van
Buren Township in 1857, which he sold in 1861 ; he also owned a farm in Iowa Town-
ship, Section 20, which he sold in 1878 ; was appointed mail agent in 1872. His wife
was Miss Charlotte A. St. John, born in Medina Co., Ohio ; they have four children —
Almina J., Wade, Nerilla and Frank.
ABRAM BEES LEY", of the firm of Young Brothers & Beesley, Sabula ;
born in Birmingham, England, in 1834 ; his parents came to the United States in 1848 ;
they first went to Muscatine, thence to Moline, 111., the same year ; in 1852, they came
to Sabula. His father died in 1870. His mother resides in Sabula; in the spring of
1853, he, with his brother Thomas, erected a saw-mill for Mr. Jerry Wood ; was engaged
on the Mississippi River as engineer for nine years, then resided in town and worked
for Mr. Stiles in packing-house for twelve years ; in July, 1878, he became connected
with the firm of which be is now a member; he has charge of the oat-meal mill owned
by the firm : is a machinist by trade. His first wife was Miss Agnes Oak ; has four
children by this marriage — George, Lincoln, Thomas and Agnes D.; his present wife
was Elizabeth Kelsey.
AUGUST H. BENNER. proprietor of the Benner House, Sabula ; born
in Holstein, Germany, in 1825 ; he emigrated to the United States in 1847 ; he went
to Davenport, where he remained two years, then went to Moline, 111.; remained till the
694 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
spring of 1849, when he went to California with a company organized at Rock Island ;
he there engaged in mining, which he followed for two years, then engaged in the hotel
business on Feather River, in the mining regions, which he followed for three years,
then sold the hotel ana followed mining again for one year. He returned to Davenport
in 1855 ; he purchased a farm in Iowa Township, Jackson Co., in the spring of 1856,
where he lived ten years ; he then sold the farm and purchased his present property in
Sabula, where he has since resided. He married Margaret Bloel, a native of Germany ;
have three children — William, John and Herman ; has lost four children, one son and
three daughters. t
GEORGE CANFIELD, furniture dealer, Sabula ; born in Delaware Co.,
N. Y., in 1818. His parents, James and Elizabeth Canfield, removed to Canada when
he was 2 years of age; in July, 1838, they came to Jackson Co. and made a claim of
160 acres of land in Section 26, Union Township ; George also made a claim at the
same time of eighty acres in Section 25 which he still owns together with eighty acres
adjoining. His father resided on his farm till his death, which occurred in April, 1852 ;
his mother died at the house of her son George in December, 1853. Mr. George Can-
field followed the. occupation of farming till 1864, when he leased his farm and has since
resided in Sabula ; he engaged in the furniture business in 1866. His wife was Ade-
line Cohenour, a native of Ohio ; they have had seven children, five of whom are living —
Henry resides in Illinois ; Elizabeth (now Mrs. Charles Eldredge ), of Sabula ; Jennie
(now Mrs. Albert McDole), of Sabula ; Charles a resident of Illinois, and Kate ; the
others died in infancy.
GEORGE W. CONFARE, present Mayor, carpenter and wagon-maker,
Sabula; born in Cumberland Co., Penn.,in 1826 ; he went to Scott Co., Iowa, in 1848;
in 1850, went to Galena, 111. ; came to Sabula in 1852; in 1859, he went to Memphis,
Tenn., where he remained till 1864, when he returned to Sabula. He married Rosetta
Each, a native of London, England ; they have four children — William H., Kate,
Thomas R. and John G. Has been a member of City Council two years, Marshal one
and one-half years, and is at present Mayor of Sabula.
AARON W. DAY, merchant, Sabula; born in Tioga Co., N. Y., in 1826 ;
he came to Sabula in April, 1849 ; went to California in 1852, and engaged in mining ;
remained one year ; returned to his farm in Iowa Township. Married Catharine Each,
a native of London, England ; they have two children — Mrs. Maria 'Kimball presides
at Maquoketa) and Seymour E. (born December, 1856, and became associated with his
father in business in March, 1877 ; he married, October, 1877, Miss Alice M. Weeks;
born in Cedar Co., Iowa; they have one child — -Albert, born September, 1878). Mr.
Day enlisted in 1862, in 24th I. V. I. ; was at battle of Port Gibson and at the siege
of Vicksburg ; soon after the surrender of the latter, he was placed on detached duty
at Washington ; discharged in July, 1S65. Mr. Day engaged in mercantile business
in 1874; had previously been engaged in the mercantile trade in Sabula.
EUGENE S. DAY, son of Israel Day; was born in Savanna, 111., Sept. 11,
1848, where his parents were then residing; his father purchased the Iowa Exchange
Hotel, Sabula, where he removed in the fall of that year ; his father died Oct. 22,
1867 ; he became associated with his father in business about one year previous to the
death of the latter; in 1868, he engaged in the flouring-mill business with his father-
in-law, Mr. 0. H. Bisley ; m 1872, disposed of this business to F. C. Young & Co. ;
since then, has been engaged as book-keeper for his uncle, Mr. J. C. Day. He mar-
ried, in 1868, Miss Ella S. Risley ; has two children — Lizzie E. and Freddie E.
J. C. DAY, general hardware and agricultural implements, Sabula ; Mr. Day was
born in Tioga Co., N. Y., in 1829 ; his mother died when he was 7 years of age ; his father,
Elias B. Day, came to Sabula in 1848, and lived with his sons, Israel aud A. W. Day,
till his death, Feb. 16, 1848 ; Mr. J. C. Day came to Sabula in 1850 ; he was engaged
as clerk for Dr. E. A. Wood for about one year; he then went into the dry-goods
trade with his brother ; continued till 1857 ; he engaged in the hardware business in
1861. He married Sophia Cotten, whose family came to Sabula from Syracuse, N. Y.,
in 1852 ; they have three children — Lulu, born in 1859 ; Charles, born in 1864, and
UNOIN TOWNSHIP. bi>5
iSophia, born in 1872. His brother Israel was born in Tioga Co., N. Y., in 1820 ; he
■came to Sabula in 1841, and died October, 1867.
JOHN DICKINSON, proprietor of Beaver Creek Mills, Sabula; was born
in Lincolnshire, Eng., in 1838 ; lie is a son of the late Mr. William Dickinson. Mr.
Dickinson settled on a farm in Sec. 8, Iowa Township, in 1863, which he sold in 1876 ;
he purchased a half-interest in his mill in 1868, the remaining interest in 1879; mill
was built in 1840, once destroyed by flood in March, 1868 ; rebuilt the same year by
Eby & Dickinson ; the mill has three run of buhrs ; capacity about one hundred bushels
per day ; besides custom work, do merchant work, amounting to about two thousand
barrels of flour per year. Mr. Dickinson was married to Elizabeth S. Chafer, daughter
of Mr. Joseph Chafer; she died in December, 1875. His present wife was Mrs. Char-
lotte Cleveland ; has six children by first marriage — Mary H., Harvey W., Don H.,
Percy J., Alva and Elizabeth.
CHARLES CJ. ELDREDGE, druggist, Sabula; born in Sabula in
1847 ; he is the son of Mr. Wade H. Eldredge, one of the prominent pioneers of
Sabula, who came here in January, 1837. He engaged in the drug business with his
father, and, in 1867, became sole proprietor of the business. He married, in March,
1875, Miss M. E. Canfield, daughter of Mr. George Canfield ; they have one child —
Wade H. : they lost a daughter — Mary Edna.
WADE H. ELDREDGE, retired, Sabula; Mr. Eldredge was born in
Burlington, Vt., Aug. 27, 1815 ; in the fall of 1836, he went to Dixon, 111.; in Janu-
ary, 1837, he came to Sabula, where he has since resided; he was engaged in various
occupations till the fall of 1849, when he secured a charter for a ferry between Sabula
and Savanna, 111., which he continued to operate till 1855 ; in 1854, he built the hotel
known as the Eldredge House, which he still owns, and which he couducted till 1860.
Mr. Eldredge is a worthy representative of the pioneers of our country. Thrown upon
his own resources in early life, he has, by honest industry, acquired a competence. A
severe attack of typhoid fever, some years since, destroyed, to a great extent, his sense
of hearing, so that he has retired from the active duties of business. His first wife
was Mary J. Wood, a sister of E. A. Wood ; she died in December, 1862. His pres-
ent wife was Barbara Ackerman, a native of Pennsylvania. He had five children by
first marriage; only one is living — Charles G., who resides in Sabula.
FRANCIS ESMAY, proprietor of planing-mill, Sabula; born in Cortland
Co., N. Y., in 1829. He married Nancy Seeber, also from Cortland Co. He came to
Sabula in May, 1850 ; he worked at the carpenter business for one year with his father,
Mr. Thomas Esmay, then purchased a farm in Iowa Township ; he sold his farm and
returned to Sabula in 1857. Has had eleven children, nine are living — Edgar, Thomas,
Luella, Addie, George, Frank, Lavina, William and John H.
JOHN ES MAY, photographer, Sabula ; Mr. Esmay was born in Cortland
Co., N. Y., in 1834. His parents, Thomas and Maria E. Esmay, came to Sabula in
May, 1850; they had four children at that time— Francis T., Michael, John and
George; George died in February, 1851. John married Philena C. Seeber, a native of
New York ; have had six children, three are living — Mary A., born in December, 1857 ;
Fred I., born in August, 1867, and Luzerne, born in October, 1873. They lost their
second child, Clara E., and their fourth, Clarence W., who was drowned in August,
1877, and their sixth, Elmo, died in June, 1877. His father died at Sabula in Octo-
ber, 1S74; his mother died in March, 1877. Mr. Esmay has followed his present
business for twenty-five years ; has also been agent for the Singer sewing machine for
eighteen years ; Republican.
MATTHIAS GOHLMANN, farmer, Sec. 31 ; P. O. Sabula ; born in
Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, in 1830. He entered the army of his native land in
1850, and remained one year. He came to the United States in the spring of 1851.
He purchased the farm where he now lives in the fall of that year, where he has since
resided. He married, in 1855, Eleonora S. Iverson. They have had nine children,
four are living — John C, Eleonora S., Christina M. and Christian. Mr. Gohlman has
356 acres of land, and is engaged in general farming.
696 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
JERRY GOOS, merchant, Sabula ; bora in Holstein, Germany, in .1840.
His parents were Henry aud Margaret ,Goos. His father died on the passage to the
United States, in 1853. His mother resides at Davenport, where he resided till 1862,
when he came to Sabula. Was first employed by Mr. Stiles in the grain business, after-
ward, by another firm in the same capacity. Was also in the employ of J. 0. Bard &
Co., dry-goods dealers, for five years, then employed as clerk for Canfield & Davis. In
1875, he purchased a part of the stock of this firm, and engaged in business for himself.
He married Catherine Wetherman, a native of Germany. Have three children — Fred-
erick, John and Margaret.
JOHN J. GRAY, jeweler, Sabula. Mr. Gray was born in Trumbull Co.,
Ohio, in 1836. His parents, Alvin and Eliza Gray, removed to Illinois in 1846. His
father was a native of New York ; his mother of Massachusetts. In 1851, Mr. Gray
went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he learned the watch and jewelry trade. In 1854, he
returned to his father's, in Adams Co.. 111. In the spring of that year, he came to Belle-
vue, remained there three years, then returned to Adams Co., 111., and was engaged in
teaching, clerking and farming, till 1862; then went to Nevada, where he remained till
1864 ; then returned, and again established himself in Bellevue. He married, in 1864,
Matilda Bliven, a native of Illinois; came to Sabula in 1866, and engaged in his pres-
ent business. Has four children — Mary J., Gladys, Alice M. and Gertrude. Has held
various town ofiices ; has been Justice of the Peace ; has been City Recorder since 1875.
Is Township Clerk, Secretary of School Board, Treasurer of Sabula Bible Society, and
Librarian of the Library Association.
FRANK R. HAND, editor and proprietor of the Sabula Gazette and Mile*
Reporter; born in Walworth Co., Wis., in 1854; he learned the printing business
at Manistee. Mich., where he went when 18 years of age; returned to Wisconsin in
1S74; was foreman of the Geneva Lake Herald office 1875 and 1876. In the spring
of 1877, went to Deadwood City, Dakota; was connected with the Daily Pioneer
of that city one season ; returned, and went to Reinbeck, Grundy Co., Iowa, in the
tall of 1877, where, in company with J. G. Palmer, started the Reiubeek Herald; at
the end of one year, he leased his interest in that paper. In 1879, he came to Sabula,
and purchased one-half interest in the Sabula Gazette and Miles Reporter, of Dr. J. F.
Fairbanks. In May following, he became sole proprietor of this paper.
MARTIN HEIN, proprietor of restaurant, Sabula ; born in Holstein, Ger-
many, in 1823. Married in Germany ; came to the United States in 1854; remained
a few months in New York City, then came to Savanna, 111. He came to Sabula in
July, 1856. He kept the Iowa Exchange Hotel one year, then engaged in the saloon
business. Went into the mercantile business about 1S65, which he followed four years.
In -1862, he erected the building which he now owns and occupies. Engaged in pres-
ent business in 1878. Has four children — William, Ferdinand, Emma and Kate.
HON. JOHN HIESINGER, lawyer and banker, Sabula ; was born at
Marathon, Cortland Co., N. Y., on the 4th of March, 1835 ; his parents, Barnabus and
Polly Coonrodt Hilsinger, were both of Holland ancestry. The " Judge," as he is
familiarly called, is one of a family of thirteen children, twelve of whom are now heads
of families; until 16 years of age, he was trained by his father to the rugged, exacting
duties of a farmer's life, and the stern logic of circumstances prevented his attending
school until his 15th year; his appetite for books was early developed, and, when
once afforded means of gratification, he soon prepared himself for 'teaching winter
schools, while working as carpenter and joiner during the busy season ; thus he con-
tinued until 1856, alternating his mechanical and intellectual labors, but his love of
study intensified with his growth, and by date of his majority he had developed a
strong taste and adaptation "for the legal profession ; his first year's study of the law
was with Judge Lewis Kingsley, of Cortland Village, and his second with Judge Hiram
Crandall, of the same place ; he was admitted to the bar at Ithaca at the session of the
Supreme Court in the autumn of 1857 ; the following year, he came West and was
admitted to the bar in Charles City, Floyd Co., Iowa ; in July," 1858, he settled in
Sabula ; for two years, he was law practitioner and Principal of the Public Schools ;
UNION TOWNSHIP. 697
since 1860, his entire time has been devoted to his profession and his increasing business,
personal and public; since 1873, he, in partnership with Ira B. Overholt, has con-
ducted a banking; institution in Sabula ; this is the only bank in the city and
does a large business, being especially prominent as a general collecting agency. Mr.
Hilsinger has served nine or ten terms as one of the County Supervisors; he was
appointed Postmaster at Sabula in 1862 by President Lincoln, and held the office until
elected to the State Senate in 1864, when, of course, be resigned; but he was re-ap-
pointed in 1873 and has retained the position until the present date, 1879 ; this fact,
and his being chosen three terms as Mayor of Sabula, indicate his local popularity ;
while in the Senate, he was on numerous and important committees and he performed
the duties with ability and fidelity ; from the birth of the Republican party in 1856, he
has been an active and consistent Republican and has served two years as a member of
the State Central Republican Committee ; he voted for John C. Fremont and was a
member of the National Convention which nominated Gen. Grant in 1868. He has
taken three degrees in Odd Fellowship, is a Royal Arch Mason and Knight Templar
and has taken the Thirty-second Degree in the Scottish Rite.* He affiliates with the M.
E. Church, but is a professor of no creed. Probably one of the most important events
of his life occurred in 1867, he having in October of that year taken as life partner
Miss Mary E. Scarborough, a native of Sabula ; she is a lady of liberal culture, a
graduate of Lyons Female Seminary, and, at date of her marriage, was teacher of
instrumental music; two children are living — George E.,aged 5, and Margaret Lorinda,
aged 3 ; two children have died in infancy. Mrs. Hilsinger, with her other accomplish-
ments. " lo'oketh well to the ways of her household ; " she is the financial manager of
internal affairs and the trusted counselor of her husband in general matters. Mr. Hil-
singer is a public-spirited citizen and thoroughly interested in all matters designed to
benefit the city, county or State ; he is unassuming and affable in manner, solid and
practical in thought and action ; his business is increasing and he enjoys the unlimited
confidence of his fellow-men.
JOHN J. HOFSTETTEK, 31. D., Sabula ; Dr. Hofstetter was born
in Switzerland in 1820 ; he received his literary education in Switzerland and Germany.
he began the study of medicine at Brunswick, Germany; afterward, pursued his studies
at Boun and Giesseu ; his tutor for two years at the latter place was the celebrated
Prof. Liebig; he came to New York in 1S44, where he began the practice of medicine •,
remained four years ; he then removed to Newark, Ohio, where he remained two years ;
he came to Jackson Co. in the spring of 1850 ; since that time, he has lived two years
in La Crosse, Wis. — 1868 and 1869 ; resided eight years in Savanna, 111. He married
Mary Brunner, also born in Switzerland ; they have three children — Nettie (wife of
George McMillan, of La Crosse, Wis.), Leo (resides in Jackson Co.) and George (now
a student of the Wisconsin State University at Madison, Wis.); they have lost two
children. The Doctor has practiced medicine for thirty-five years.
JA 31 IKS E. EEONARD, proprietor of saloon, Sabula ; born in New Lon-
don, Conn., August, 1828 ; his parents, James and Elizabeth K. Leonard, came to
Sabula in 1838 ; at that time, the family consisted of his father, mother, himself and
sister Elizabeth Leonard, now the wife of Mr. James Grant, of Davenport; his father
was one of the prominent pioneers of Jackson Co.; he was a member of the Territo-
rial Legislature in 1844, but died before the close of that session ; his mother resides-
at Davenport ; Mr. James E. Leonard entered a farm in Iowa Township, where he
lived for many years. He married Maria Higgius. of Scott Co.; they had four children
— Bessie G., Henry, Edwin and Mary ; his wife died, October, 1869. His present wife
was Elizabeth Thompson, of Jackson Co.; they have two children — William and Ellen.
J. ii. LEONARD, lumber-dealer; born in Chenango Co., N. Y., in 1833;
he went to Eau Claire, Wis., in 1856, where he engaged in the grain business till
1865 ; he then engaged in the lumber trade for Daniel Shaw & Co.; he became a mem-
ber of the firm in 1870, and located in Sabula; the firm is known here as the Sabula
Lumber Co.; headquarters at Eau Claire; the Company have yards, also, at Lake City.
Minn., McGregor, Iowa, and at Hannibal, Mo.; they manufacture about 25,000,000
by 8 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
feet of lumber per year, about 3,000,000 of which is handled at Sabula. Mr. Leon-
ard has two sons — Eugene and Roy.
ENOCH liONCr, firm of E. & M. H. Long, lumber-dealers, Sabula ; was
born near Concord, N. H., Oct. 16, 1790 ; his father, Moses Long, was a soldier of the
Revolution ; he was present at the surrender of Burgoyne, October. 1777, and partici-
pated in the battles that preceded and led to that event ; he was, also, in Washington's
army during that memorable winter at Valley Forge ; he was at the battle of Mon-
mouth, and many other engagements of the Revolution. Mr. Enoch Long married
Mary Hastings, of New Hampshire; in 1S16, he went to Alton, 111.; he came West for
the purpose of joining a Government surveying expedition to the Far West, but was too
late to join that enterprise ; his brother, S. H. Long, was engaged in Government
exploring expeditions from 1816 to 1821 ; he discovered and explored Long's Peak,
which received his name; Mr. Long removed his family to Alton in 1821, which was
his home for twenty-five years ; in 1826, he went to what is now Galena, and engaged
in mining; he traveled the entire distance on foot, accompanied only by a lad 18 years
of age, a distance of about 500 miles ; he passed several summers in the mines, return-
ing to his family in the fall ; in May, 1820, he established a Sunday school at Upper
Alton, which, at that time, was the only Sunday school in what is now the State of
Illinois; in the fall of 1844, he removed his family to Galena, where he lived till
1863, when he came to Sabula, and engaged in the manufacture of lumber ; Mr. Long
is a worthy and rare representative of the Western pioneer of sixty years ago ; his
wife has been dead for a number of years ; he has had three children — Lucia M.,
Moses H. and Stephen H.; only one, Moses H., survives; he was born in Alton, 111.,
in 1825 ; he worked at the carpenter business for ten years ; went to Galena in 1856,
where he was engaged in the lumber business with his father for seven years ; came
with the latter to Sabula in 1863. He married Miss Hannah E. Archer, of Salem,
Mass.; they have four children — Lucia M., Nellie A., William E. and Jessie H.; have
lost two children.
JAMES MURPHY, farmer, Sees. 24 and 25 ; P. O. Sabula ; born in Pennsyl-
vania in December, 1805 ; in about 1826, went to Canada; came to Sabula in July, 1838,
and settled on the farm he now owns in the same year. He married Sophia Morden, of
Canada; they have one daughter, Mrs. Jane Doty, who resides in Montgomery Co.,
Iowa. Mr. Murphy is one of the most extensive and successful farmers of Union
Township. He and wife are members of the Wesleyan Methodist Church.
HARVEY REID, book-keeper for the Iowa Packing Co., Sabula ; born in
■Washington Co., N. Y., in 1842; his parents, William H. and Margaret A. Reid,
removed to Wisconsin in 1844, and to Carroll Co., 111., in 1861; during the winter of
that year, Mr. Reid taught school in Wisconsin. In August, 1862, he enlisted in the
22d Wis. V. I., and served till the close of the war ; was in the Atlanta campaign
and in Sherman's march to the sea. He came to Sabula July 8, 1865 ; has occupied
his present position since that time. He married Miss Nettie Allen, of Sabula ; has
three children — Ella, Ada and Mary. His parents reside at Preston, and his wife's
parents at Miles. He is Master of the Masonic Lodge, Resurgam, of Sabula.
HENRY ROGERS, jeweler, Sabula; born in Connecticut in 1829; his
parents removed to Winnebago Co., 111., in 1845 ; Mr. Rogers went to Massachuetts
in 1847, where he learned his trade ; he came to Sabula in 1857, and engaged in the
jewelry business ; remained two years, and then went to Mount Vernon, Iowa, where
he lived twelve years ; in 1871, he went to Elgin, 111., and worked in the watch factory
at that place for two years ; thence to Geneva, Wis.; he returned to Sabula in the
spring of 1877. He married Hannah King, native of Germany; has three children —
Ida, Frank and Hattie.
RORERT A. SCHR<E»ER, merchant, Sabula; Mr. Schroeder was born
in Hamburg, Germany, in 1848 ; when he was 4 years of age, his father died ; he
came to this country with his mother and sister in August, 1867 ; they came directly
to Sabula ; Mr. Schroeder engaged as clerk for the firm of Smith & Beebe for one year,
and then went to Lyons and clerked for F. Grusendorf for six months ; then returned
UNION TOWNSHIP. 701
to Sabula and engaged in business with J. M. Rice, of Lyons ; in August, 1S73, he
purchased his partner's interest, and has since conducted the business alone ; he is hav-
ing a fine trade; his sales, entirely retail, for the current year ending Aug. 1, 1879,
were $50,000. He married Christina Gohlmann ; they have had three children, only
one, Elwine, is living.
FREDERICK SCRAMLOJG, carpenter, Sabula; Mr. Scramling was
born in Otsego Co., N. Y., in 1817; his parents removed to Canada when he was 7
years of age ; in 1838, his parents came to Sabula ; Frederick came in June, 1840 ; in
the fall of that year, he went to Hanover, 111., where he learned the trade of wagon-
maker ; he returned to Sabuja and followed the business of wagon-making till 18-18 ;
he again resided in Hanover, 111., but came back in the spring of 1862 ; he then sold
goods in Sabula for a time ; went to Montana and engaged in mining in 186-1 ; returned
in fall of 1866; was then variously engaged till 1876; is now engaged as carpenter.
Married Eleanor Farquhar, of Hanover, 111.; have four children— David C, John F.,
Elizabeth and Frederick.
PETER SEEMAN, farmer, Sec. 23; P. O. Sabula; born in Germany
November, 1834; he came to this country with his brothers, Hans and Frank Seeman,
in 1853 ; his older brother, Hans, bought a farm in Elk River Township, Clinton Co. ;
with him Peter lived three years; he went to California, in 1859, and remained three
years, thence to Idaho and Oregon for about four years, returning in 1866 ; he bought
his present farm in the fall of 1S66. He married Julia Burtun ; have two adopted
children, brother and sister of wife ; has 135 acres of land. Mr. Seeman and wife
are members of the M. E. Church.
PETER W. SPRING, Principal of Graded School, Sabula; bom in
Grafton, Vt., in 1833 ; his parents removed to Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., in 1840; he
was educated at Springville Academy, Erie Co., N. Y. ; he began teaching in Yorkshire,
Cattaraugus Co., in 1848, when he was but 15 years of age ; he went to Belvid re, 111.,
in 1856, where he taught three years; came to Sabula in the spring of 1859, and
engaged in teaching ; has been a teacher of Jackson Co. since. He married Miss Cath-
erine McDole, a native of Cortland Co., N. Y. ; they have five children — George V.,
Horace F., Phoebe A., Aldis A. and Albert E.
LUTHER H. STEEN, merchant, Sabula; born in Sabula Feb. 27, 1S38 ;
Mr. Steen,so far as can be ascertained, was the first white child born within the limits
of Jackson Co. His parents, Ulysses and Lucinda Steen, came to Sabula in March,
1837 ; his father, long a prominent and respected citizen of Sabula, died Sept.
3, 1873 ; his mother died July 7, 1859. Mr. Steen has two sisters, Mrs. Caroline M.
Pennington, born in 1848, resides in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Mrs. Imogene V. Morse,
born in 1850, resides at Williamsville, N. Y. His brother. Jeremiah Steen, was long
prominently connected with the Northern Line of steamboats on the Mississippi River ;
was for many years first clerk, and at one time owner of the steamer Bannock City ; he
died at St. Louis in March, 1875. Mr. Luther H. Steen married Ausrusta R. Morse,
of Buffalo, N. Y. ; her father is a member of the staff of the celebrated Dr. R. V.
Pierce, of Buffalo ; they have one child — John M. Mr. Steen was a commercial traveler
for many years, representing several of the prominent grocery houses in Chicago ; he
encased in business in Sabula in January, 1879.
" PERLEY G. STILES, of the Iowa Packing Co. (formerly Stiles, Goldy &
McMahon, established in 1859), Sabula ; born in Massachusetts in 1830 ; his parents,
Vernon and Lucy Stiles, removed to Connecticut, in 1832, and came to Racine, Wis., in
1849, where his father died; his mother resides in Sabula; Mr. Stiles came to Sabula
in the fall of 1859 ; he first engaged in the milling business; afterward engaged, with
his brother Josiah, in the packing and general produce business ; the former has grown
to be a business of great magnitude and importance, a full account of which will be
found in the body of this work. Mr. Stiles married, in 1857, Lucy M. Beeson ; they
have one daughter — Mary, b°rn in 1858.
JOHN G. SUGG, attorney, Sabula; born in London, England, Dec. 14, 1S09;
he came to New York June 1, 1833 ; theuce to Philadelphia and Baltimore and thence
702 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
to Pittsburgh, where he remained till November, 1834 ; he then went to Danville, 111.,
where he married, in September, 1836, Miss Jane Wilson, a native of the North of
Ireland ; they came to Sabula, then Charleston June 28, 1843 ; he pursued the
study of medicine, both in London and Pittsburgh, which he followed as a profession till
1868. The Doctor always had a love for the study of law, which circumstances in early
life did not enable him to pursue as a profession, yet he has been, to a greater or less
extent, a student of law for many years ; he finally relinquished entirely the practice
of medicine, and devoted his whole attention to the study and practice of his favorite
profession ; he was admitted to the bar in March, 1874. The Doctor has been Justice
of the Peace for fourteen years, and continuously since 1870 ; has been Notary Public
since 1868 ; he still owns the farm which he entered, in Sees. 13 and 24, containing
220 acres. His wife died June 16, 1879 ; has had four children who reached maturity
—Sarah F., born in Illinois in 1838, married Theodore Ross (died April 30, 1S68) ;
Mary Ellen, born July 4, 1842 (died April 29, 1863) ; John F., born March 8, 1S45,
married Sarah A. Eeid, of Sabula, has two children ; and W. H. O, born Aug. 31 , 1848,
married Emma Adams, of Sabula, has three children. He also had several children
who died in infancy.
ROBERT C. WESTBROOK, Sabula; born in Ohio in 1815; his
father's family came to Iowa in the fall of 1839; in the spring of 1840, Mr. Robert
Westbrook and his brother Royal, made claims in Iowa Township ; these claims included
the farms now owned by James Graham and Win. Davis. Mr. Graham married, in
1842, Louisa Baldwin, of Van Buren Township ; she died in 1S72. His present wife
was Armenia Fry. Mr. Westbrook has three children by his first marriage — Lottie.
Herbert and Julia ; has two by present marriage — John and George. He has resided
in Sabula since 1861. His father died in Sabula in 1854; his mother died Aug. 10,
1879. aged DO years.
ENOCH A. WOOD, Sabula; born in Knox Co., Ohio, in 1811; he
removed with his parents, James and Margaret Wood, to Cass Co , Mich., in 1834 ; they
came to what is now Sabula in April, 1836 ; his father entered a claim about three and
one-half miles west of Sabula ; his parents brought with them seven children, only
three of whom are now living; Mr. Wood, Sr., died in Sabula in 1845. In 1836,
Enoch A. Wood made a claim in Sec. 19, Union Township ; this farm he still owns ; he
engaged in mercantile business in Sabula in the spring of 1837, and has been connected
with that business most of the time since. In 1845, his brother Jeremiah became
associated with him in business; this partnership continued till 1852; Jeremiah is
Captain of the steamer Alexander Mitchell. Mr. Enoch A. Wood is still engaged in
mercantile business ; also in the milling and farming business. His wife was Harriet
H. Hud:-on; her parents, Benjamin and Harriet Hudson, were from Connecticut, and
early settlers of Jackson Co. in 1838 ; they had two children — Ella A. (wife of Mr.
David Kelso, an attorney for the Missouri, Kansas & Texas R. R. Co.), Ada (died
Sept. 20, 1852, in her 6th year).
IOWA TOWNSHIP.
M. S. AIXEN, ex-Sheriff of Jackson Co., Miles ; born in Otsego Co., N.
Y., in 1809; he removed to Clinton Co., Mich., in 1836; he came to Sabula in the
spring of 1838; he remained two years, and then returned to New York ; went to
Michigan in 1840. Was elected Sheriff of Clinton Co., Mich., in 1844; was also State
Representative in 1849. He returned to Sabula in the fall of 1856. Was elected
Sheriff of Jackson Co. in 1867; served six years. He came to Miles in 1875, and
engaged in the banking business with Mr. J. W. Miles, which business he continued
three years ; in 1860, he bought a farm in Van Buren Township, Sec. 26, and farmed
for two years; returned to Sabula in 1862, and engaged as clerk in the packing-house
of P. G. Stiles ; returned to Miles in 1875. His first wife was Maria Hudson, a native
IOWA TOWNSHIP. 703
of Connecticut . ; she died in Sabula in 1S04. His present wife was Elizabeth A. Pear-
son, a native of Kinderhook, N. Y. He has two children by his first wife — Nettie
(now Mrs. Harvey Reid, of Sabula), Addie (now Mrs. John S. Ray). Mr. Allen was
the first Justice of the Peace of Jackson Co., being appointed by Gov. Lucas in
1839.
THOMAS J. ALLEN, Postmaster, Miles; Mr. Allen was born in Genesee
Co., N. Y., in 1819; his parents removed to Michigan in 1836. He married Marian
Benson, native of Vermont. He came to Jackson Co.; purchased a farm in Van Bnren
Township; engaged in farming till 1872, when he located in Miles; he was engaged one
year in buying grain. Was appointed Postmaster in April, 1873. Has three children —
Alva E., Charles C. and Ernest E.
WILLIAM M. AMOS, M. I>., Miles; was born in West Virginia in
1S44. Graduated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Keokuk, Iowa; he began
the practice of medicine in Springville, Jackson Co. He removed to Preston, Iowa, in
1871, and located in Miles in April, 1874. He married Miss Elizabeth Smith, of
Greene Co., Penn. ; they have two children — John W. and Minnie. Doctor Amos enlisted
in 1862, in the 12th W. Va. V. I. ; served three years; was under Sigel, Hunter and
Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley; he was discharged in June, 1865.
HENRY BKAASE, grain and stock-buyer, Miles ; was born in Schleswig-
Holstein, Germany, in 1833; he came to the United States in 1857, and located at
Davenport, Iowa; he came to Miles in 1871 ; he kept hotel and lumber-yard for two
years, and engaged in grain and stock-buying in 1873. He married Caroline Kreft, a
native of Germany ; they have one daughter — Louisa.
GEORGE BRYANT, farmer, Sec. 8;_P. 0. Sterling ; bom in Somerset-
shire, England, in February, 1822. He was married to Elizabeth Gane. When Mr.
Bryant came to Jackson Co., he settled on the farm in Section 4, now owned by his son
Jehu ; he settled on his present farm in August, 1 875, which he had purchased in 1S67 ;
has five children — Jehu, James, Joseph, Anna and Faith E. ; has lost two sons — Albert
and Wesley, and two daughters— Elizabeth and Emma. Mr. Bryant and wife are
members of M. E. Church.
JEHU BRYANT, farmer, Sec. 4; P. 0. Sterling; is a son of Mr. George
Bryant, and was born in England in 1847. He was married to Miss Matilda Filzgerald,
daughter of Thomas and Matilda Fitzgerald, born in Iowa Township in September,
1844 ; before her marriage, was a teacher of Jackson Co. for several years ; they have
five children — Cora A., Elmer G., Jessie D., Edith M. and Bertha L.
LEWIS CARMAN, farmer, Sees. 22 and 23 ; P. 0. Sabula ; was born in
New Brunswick, N. J., in 180S; he entered Rutger's College in 1825; completed the
Junior year ; his health failing, he left college and began the study of medicine, but
poor health compelled him to discontinue this study ; he was then engaged in the lum-
ber business for several years at different places ; first at New Brunswick, N. J., there
in the State of New York at Angelica ; he then returned to New Jersey. Was mar-
ried, in 1831, to Miss Juliaette Smith, of New York City; they came to Sabula in
September, 1842, where they lived two years, then located where they now live, three
miles west of Sabula; they have had six children, three of whom are living — Mrs.
Kate Louisa Miller, Maria J. Miller and Charles P.; their first child, Simeon, died in
infancy; William died Dec. 25, 1862, aged 25 years; Louis A., born November,
1842, enlisted in 1862, in Co. A, 24th I. V. I. ; he was mortally wounded at the bat-
tle of Winchester, 1864; he died Nov. 14 of that year.
HENRY CARRATT, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. 0. Sterling ; born in Lincoln-
shire, England, in 1816. He was married to Miss Sarah French, who was born in Not-
tinghamshire, England, in 1820 ; they emigrated to Canada West in 1849 ; came to
Iowa Township in the spring of 1861, and purchased and located on the farm where he
now lives. They have one son, George, who resides in Cherokee Co., Iowa ; have one
adopted daughter, Mary A. Bradt, now Mrs. Meneky. Mr. Carratt's farm contains
100 acres; has also 40 acres in Cherokee Co. They are members of the Free Metho-
dist Church.
704 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
JOSEPH CHAFER, farmer, Sec. — ; P. 0. Sabula; was born in Lin-
colnshire, England, in 1813. He married Harriet Marshall ; they came to the United
States July, 1850 ; he went to Kenton Co., Ky., where he lived six years; then came
to Iowa Township and settled where he now lives. Has six children — Robert M.
(resides in Florida), Mrs. Jane Dickinson, Mrs. Harriet Eby (resides in Jones Co.,
Iowa), Simpson, William H. and Lucy M.
WILLIAM CRAWFORD, farmer, Sec. 30; P. 0. Miles; was born in
Ireland in 1824 ; he came to this country in June, 1846 ; he lived for several years in
Livingston Co., N. Y., engaged as a farm hand ; he came to Jackson Co. in March,
1855; in the fall of that year, went to Minnesota; returned to Jackson Co. in the
spring of 1863; he located where he now lives in March, 1871. He was married to
Mary Martin, a native of Ireland ; they have three children — Mary J., William, born
May, 1859, and James, born February, 1861. Mr. Crawford came to Jackson Co. a
poor boy ; by industry and economy has acquired a fine property. He and wife are
members of the M. K Church.
MRS. A. R. DARLING, teacher, Miles ; came to Iowa from Ohio in
1849; she has long been one of the most prominent educators of Jackson Co. ; she
taught her first school in Iowa in Julien Township, four miles west of Dubuque;
taught for a time in the city of Dubuque, also at Galena, 111. ; in 1852. slie went to
Beloit, Wis., and was for some time engaged in one of the public schools of that city,
and also assisted Superintendent Ladd in institute work; in I860, she came to Mt.
Algor, Jackson Co., where she taught four years ; during the greater part of this time,
Mrs. Darling conducted a select school on the Normal plan ; this school was very suc-
cessful, and furnished Jackson Co. with many thorough, successful teachers ; in 1864,
Mrs. Darling went to Sabula and opened a select school, where the same success
attended her labors as elsewhere; in 1871, she accepted a position in Andrew, Jackson
Co.; was afterward Principal of the school at Preston; in the autumn of 1875, Mrs.
Darling came to Miles and taught the Grammar Department of the public school ; in
the spring of 1876, she was appointed Principal ; for the last two years, she has con-
ducted a select school on the Normal plan ; this school, many of the youth of the town
and surrounding country have attended ; probably Mrs. Darling has given instruction
to more teachers than any other educator in Jackson Co. ; she has acted as Deputy
County Superintendent ; in 1879, her name was presented to the Democratic Conven-
tion as a candidate for the County Superintendency.
ISRAEL DAVIS, farmer; P. 0. Sterling; was born near Hamilton,
Canada, in 1828; his father, John Davis, with his family, came to Iowa Township in
the autumn of 1852. They settled in Sec. 22, where his father died in the spring of
1869; his mother still lives where the family settled in 1862. Mr. Davis located
where he now lives in 1854; he was married to Eliza McFarlane, daughter of Thomas
McFarlane, of Van Buren Township; she died January, 1803. His present wife was
Mary Wills, daughter of Mr. John Wills. Has one daughter — Sarah, by first marriage.
Lost one daughter — Susan.
WILLIAM B. DAVIS, farmer, Sec. 22; P. 0. Sterling; was born near
Hamilton, Canada, in 1841. He came to Iowa in Augus| 1852 ; he owns the farm
where his father, Mr. John Davis, settled when the family came to the county, in 1352.
His father died in the spring of 1869; his mother still resides with her son on the
homestead. Mr. Davis enlisted in August, 1862, in Co. A, 24th I. V. I. ; was at
battle of Champion Hills, at the siege of Vicksburg, at battle of Winchester, at
Cedar Creek, etc. ; was wounded and taken prisoner at battle of Champion Hills, but
escaped ; was discharged August, 1865. He was married to Miss Mary Green,
daughter of George F. Green, Esq. , They have five children — George F.. John 0.,
Marv, Lucy and Lizzie. Mr. Davis and wife are members of the Congregational
Church.
HEIVRY DICKINSON, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 2; P. 0. Sabula;
was born in Lincolnshire, England, in November, 1832. His parents, William and
Elizabeth Dickinson, came to the United States in the fall of 1842 ; they came by way
IOWA TOWNSHIP. 705
of New Orleans, and passed the following winter at Alton, 111. In April, 1843, his
father made a claim of a farm, in Sees. 2 and 3, now owned by his son, Isaac. He
died on the, place April 12, 1873, aged 73 years. His mother still lives on the home-
stead, with her son Isaac. Mr. Dickinson was married to Miss Jane E. Chafer, daughter
of Mr. Joseph Chafer. They have eight children — Herbert W., Joseph H., Charles
VV., Harriet E., John W., Eva J., Bessie L., and Alfred R. Mr. Dickinson has 700
acres of land, and is quite extensivelv engaged in stock-raising.
ISAAC W. DICKINSON, farmer, Sees. 2 and 3 ; P. 0. Sabula ; son of
the late William Dickinson; he was born in Iowa Township, January, 1847; he owns
the farm on which his father settled when he came to this county from England in
1843. He was married to Mary J. Adams, of Jackson Co.; native of the State of
New York ; they have five children — William J., Ida, Capitola, Levautia and Leo.
Mr. Dickinson has 270 acres of laud ; is engaged in general farming.
MARX ERICHSON, farmer and machinist, near Mt. Algor ; P. 0. Miles ;
was born in Schleswig, Germany, in 1836 ; he came to this country in 185b' ; he lived
in Davenport, Iowa, about four years, where he worked at his trade, machinist ; he
came to his present location in 18G3. He married Christina Seeman, a native, also, of
Schleswig; they have five children — Henry P., Theodore F., Julius M., Dora R. and
Walter. Owns 208 acres of land ; carries on blacksmithing in connection with farming.
ALBERT C. FERGUSON, merchant, Sterling ; was born in Oakland
Co., Mich., June 18, 1837; his parents were Chauncy S. and Olive Ferguson ; his
father came to Sabula in the summer of 1837 ; he returned to Michigan in the follow-
ing winter, and, in March. 1838, returned to Sabula with his family, where they lived
until 1847, when his father purchased a claim of Mr. R. C. Westbrook in Sec. 21,
Iowa Township, where he lived till 1851 ; he engaged in mercantile business at Ster-
ling in 1852; he built the store now occupied by his son, and, also, erected several
other buildings at Sterling; he was born in Tioga Co., N. Y., in 1S13 ; he died in
Sterling, Iowa Township, in 1875. Mr. A. C. Ferguson was married to Frances
Diffin, a native of Canada ; they have one son — Chauncey S., born in 1859.
THOMAS FRAHM, farmer. Sec. 18; P. 0. Miles; was born in Schles-
wig, Germany, in 1831 ; he came to the United States in 1857 ; he settled on the farm
which he now owns, in 1860; has 160 acres of land. He was married to Mrs. Anna
Struvie, formerly Anna Plan, born in Germany ; they have three children — John,
Anna aud Ernest H.; Mrs. Frahm has two children by former marriage — Bertha and
Maggie Struvie ; she lost two children — William and Henry.
" JAMES D. GAGE, farmer, Sec. 16; P. O. Sterling; was born in Upper
Canada, in 1832; in the spring of 1S55, he came to Jackson Co. from Canada and
settled on his present farm. He was married January, 1855, to Miss M. Bates, daugh-
ter of Capt. P. B. Bates ; they have seven children — Gerard, Josephine, Jennie, Eliza-
beth, Mamie, James P. and Phebe. Mr. Gage's farm contains 120 acres. Was
elected Justice of the Peace in 1868, and held that office four or five years ; he was
elected Captain of a militia company raised in Iowa Township during the rebellion.
Two brothers of Mr. Gage, John M. and Asahel, lost their lives in the Union service
during the rebellion ; they were members of Co. A, 24th I. V. I.; they were natives
of Canada, and, at the time of their enlistment, were not citizens of the United States,
yet they responded promptly to the call of their adopted country, and laid down their
lives in her defense ; John died of disease contracted in the service, April, 1863 ;
Asahel was mortally wounded at the battle of Champion Hills.
ALFRED GIDDIXGS, farmer and nurseryman, Sec. 14; P. 0. Sabula;
was born in Northamptonshire, England, in 1827. He was married to Mary A. Hen-
frey ; they came to the United States in 1S48; first settled in Avon, Lorain Co., Ohio,
where they lived four and one-half years; in the fall of 1853. they came to Iowa
Township and purchased forty acres of his present farm, which exhausted his resources ;
he added to his first purchase from time to time, as he became able ; has now one of
the best improved farms in Iowa Township ; his nursery and seedling-grounds inclose
■ about thirty acres : has, also, a fine hot-house for the production of flower plants, of
706 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES :
which he ships large quantities each year. He has seven children— Hannah Mundt ,
Harriet, Ellen Clement, Virginia J., Spendlove, Alfred G., Emma and John L.
HK\RV F. GRAHAM, farmer; P. 0. Sterling: was born in Northum-
berland Co., Penn., in 1803; in 1826, Mr. Graham went to Canada to reside; he lived
near Hamilton, Canada, till 1854, when he came to Jackson Co. and located where he
now lives. He married, in 1830, Agnes Rosenberger, of Canada ; they have four sons
and four daughters — John R., Jane M. (now Mrs. John G. Davis), Eleanor F. (now
Mrs. George F. Laing), Agnes (now Mrs. B. Gage), Henrietta (now Mrs. Forrest. M.
Miles), Mathew H, Jane and William ; have lost two children — Eliza and Barbara ;
their children were all born in Canada.
JAMES A. GRAY, farmer, Sec. 32 ; P. 0. Miles ; born in Lyons, Clinton
Co., in 1852 ; his parents died when he was about 3 years of age; he was brought up
by George F. Green, in whoso family he lived till he was married in 1876 ; his wife
was Miss Kate Davis, of Iowa Township. Mr. Gray has 200 acres of land ; is engaged
in general farming and stock-raising.
GEORGE F. GREEN, capitalist and stock-dealer, Miles; was born in
Rhode Island Au?. 15, 1809. He married Miss Sarah Kimball, of New London Co.,
■Conn., in April, 1839 ; immediately after his marriage, he started for Iowa, reaching
Iowa Township in May ; he entered a farm which lies in Sees. 32, 33 and 34 ; resi-
dence in 33, where he resided till 1877, when he removed to Miles. Mr. Green was
elected to the Territorial Legislature of Iowa in 1846 ; but a State constitution having
been adopted at the same election, another election was held for State officers, and he
was elected to the State Legislature ; he served two years, and was again elected in
1852; in 1859, he was elected to the State Senate; he was County Commissioner one
term, previous to his election as Senator; has served frequently as administrator of
estates and as guardian for minors. He has two children — Mrs. Mary Davis and Mrs.
Susan K. Walker. Mr. Green is a Democrat ; he and his wife are members of the
Congregational Church.
M. H ASSOIV, farmer, resides at Mt. Algor ; P. 0. Miles ; born in Ohio
in December, 1828 ; he went to Lee Co., Iowa, in 1846 ; in the spring of 1847, to St.
Louis, and enlisted as a soldier for the Mexican war, in the St. Louis battalion ; crossed
the plains to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the battalion joined the forces under Gen.
Sterling Price, thence to Chihuahua, Mexico ; at the close of the war, he returned to
Ohio; went to California in 1850; engaged in mining for three years; was Sheriff of
Placer Co., Cal., for several years; on his return, in 1855, he took passage in the
Golden Age; the steamer was wrecked, and he and his family, who accompanied him,
narrowly escaped with their lives. Mr. Hasson settled at Sterling in the fall of 1856,
where he sold merchandise for about one year; since then, has lived in different parts
of the county and been variously engaged ; he farmed for a time in Elk River Town-
ship, also on Maquoketa Bottom ; went to Sabula in the fall of 1862, thence to De
Witt the following year, thence to Camanche, thence to Independence, Buchanan Co.,
thence to Sabula ; bought a farm in Iowa Township in 1872*, sold it in 1873 ; bought
another farm in 1874, sold it in 1878 ; in the spring of 1879, removed to present place
of residence. His first wife was Maria Hollis. His present wife was Ann McKer-
lie ; has one daughter bv first marriage aud five children by second marriage.
A. ۥ HEYrVElV, of the firm of A. C. Heynen & Co., Miles; Mr. Heynen
was born in 1849; he is a brother of Mr. 0. W. Heynen; he resided for several
years in Chicago, in the employment of the North- Western Railway Co.; was after-
ward in the employ of Stark Bros., whilesale dealers in dry goods and millinery
goods, Chicago; the present business was purchased of Overhok & Day. Mr. E.
Hammersmith, partner of Mr. Heynen, is a- nitive of Prussia; cam; to America in
1863; he cam; to Miles and engaged tn business with Mr. Hevnen in March, 1878.
O. W. HEYxVEST, merchant, Miles; birn in Prussia "iu 1846; his parents,
E. W. and Matilda Heynen, emigrated to this country in 1848; they reside in Du
Page Co.. 111. Mr. Heynen came to Maquoketa in 1870; he located in Miles in
1876, where he has already built up a fine trade. He married Elizabeth M. Sipes,
IOWA TOWNSHIP. 707
native of Pennsylvania ; they have three children — Ada, Alvin C. and Edward 0.
Mr. Heynen and wife are members of the Congregational Church ; Mr. Heynen is
Superintendent of the Methodist Sunday school of Miles ; was Superintendent of the
Congregational Sunday school at Maquoketa when he resided there.
"DOMINIQUE JOANtfltf, retired farmer; P. 0. Miles; Mr. Joannin
was born in France in 1805; he came to America in 1829; he lived in Canada
about twelve years ; came to Jackson Co. in 1842 ; he first settled near where
Maquoketa now stands, where he lived three years ; then removed to Bloomfield
Township, Clinton Co., where he lived about seven years; returned to Canada for a
short time, then located in Fairfield Township, Jackson Co., where he lived one and one-
half years, when he came to Iowa Township; he located in Miles in 1875. He mar-
ried Mary Carver, native of Germany ; they have three children — George, Carrie and
Mary. Mr. and Mrs. Joannin are members of the Wesleyau Methodist Church.
LUCIUS T. KIMBALL, farmer; P. 0. Miles; born in New London
Co., Conn., in 1828 ; his father died in 1829 ; the family, consisting of his mother
and eight children, came West in June, 1839 ; they settled in Iowa Township, about
three miles east of the present town of Miles, where Mr. Kimball resided till he came
to his present location in March, 1879 ; now resides but a short distance east of
Miles. He married Miss Catharine Canfield, a native of Canada; they have five
children — Adelaide R., Arden D., Elmer, Minnie and Ella. Besides his present
place, he still owns his original farm of 200 acres ; has also a farm of 80 acres in
Clinton Co. Members of M. E. Church.
JUSTICE O. LEGG, farmer; P. 0. Miles; Mr. Legg was born on the
place which he now owns Sept. 25, 1853; his father, 0. H. Legg. died in Decem-
ber, 1878. Mr. J. 0. Legg purchased the homestead of his father but a short time
previous to the death of the latter. He married Miss Elva C. Kellogg April 16,
1879. Mrs. Legg's parents were early settlers of Van Buren Township.
MRS. L YDIA A. LEGG, widow of the late 0. H. Legg ; Mrs. Legg
was born in Steuben Co., N. Y., in 1827 ; her parents, Eli and Lucretia Denton,
removed to Pennsylvania when she was about a year old ; thence to Canada, and to
Michigan about 1837 ; they came to Jackson Co. and located near the present site of
Miles in 1850; they now reside at St. Charles, Minn., at the advanced ages of 91
and 95 years, her mother being the elder. Mrs. Lydia A. Denton Legg was married
to Mr. 0. H. Legg in Michigan ; they came to Jackson Co. at the time Mrs. Legg's
parents came; Mr. L. entered a farm, which includes the site of the present residence
of Mrs. L.; the farm is now owned by her son, Justice 0. Mr. Leirg was born in
Homer, Cortland Co., N. Y., in 1822 ; his parents removed to Michigan about 1836;
he learned the trade of carpenter and joiner when a young man ; engaged, also, in
teaching for several years, but, after coming to Iowa, devoted himself entirely to the
cultivation and improvement of his farm ; he died Nov. 8, 1878. Mrs. L. possessed a
natural love for the study of medicine, and, early in life, having free access to the
library of her brother, Dr. T. E. Denton, made rapid advancement and attained a high
degree of proficiency in the science of medicine ; whan she came to Iowa, the country
being new and physicians being scarce, she was induced to put her knowledge into
practice ; the result was a more thorough preparation and an extensive practice — in
fact, from the time she came to Iowa, in 1850, till 1877, when failing health compelled
her to discontinue her work, she may be said to have made the practice of medicine a
profession. Mrs. Legs has four children — Marian D. (now Mrs. Eugene A. Allen),
Edgar B , Justus and Lvdia.
' BERNARD M'JfALLY, farmer, Sec. 6; P. 0. Miles; born in County
Tyrone, Ireland ; he emigrated to New Brunswick in 1841 ; he went to Boston in the
following winter ; he enlisted in the U. S. Service in 1842 ; he was attached to a com-
pany of artillery, which was sent to the State of Maine ; the company, while there, was
under the comnnnd of Gen. Albert Sidney Johnson ; on the annexation of Texas to
the Union, he was ordered to Corpus Christi, aud to the Rio Grande in 1846 ; he served
during the Mexican war ; was at the battles of Palo Alto and Resaea de la Pal in i ; was
708 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
also at the battle of Monterey, under Gen. Worth ; was discharged at the expiration of
his term of service, July 15, 1 S47 ; he remained, however, with the army till the close
of the war. Was then employed to drive Government teams from Monterey to Califor-
nia ; he remained about two years in California, engaged in mining; in 1851, he
returned from California ; came to Jackson Co. and purchased the farm which he now
owns. He was married, Jan. 1, 1852, to Laura Sutton, daughter of John Sutton, who
was born in England in 1804, and came to Jackson Co. in 1844, and settled where he
now lives ; Mr. and Mrs. McNally have six children — George, Ellen, William, Edna,
Frank and Lizzie. Mr. McNally's farm contains 210 acres.
HIRAM A. MILES, farmer, Sec. 9 ; P. 0. Miles ; born in Wayne Co.,
Ohio, in February, 1834 ; he came to Iowa Township in the fall of 1853 ; he returned
to Ohio the following spring, but came back in the autumn of 1854; he located in
Deep Creek Township in 1S57, where he lived till 1861, when he located where he now
lives. He married Sophia Prussia, whose parents were early settlers of Jackson Co.;
they have three children — Alida L., Mary and Edith ; they lost one child — Effie, aged
14 years. Mr. Miles is a brother of J. W. Miles, Esq.; he and his wife are members
of the Christian Church.
JOHN MI I Aw RO V E, farmer ; resides in Miles ; born in England in
December, 1823 ; his father, John Milgrove, with his family, emigrated to Canada in
1830. Mr. Milgrove came to Iowa Township and settled on Sec. 20, where he still
owns a farm of 110 acres, he removed to Miles in March, 1879. He married Mrs.
Susan A. Crane, a native of Pennsylvania ; they have one child — Cora A. Mrs. Mil-
grove has two children by former marriage — Wm. F. and Homer.
GEORGE SCARBOROUGH, farmer, Sec. 17 ; P. O. Sterling ; born
in Yorkshire, England, in 1S13 ; he accompanied his brother Thomas to the United
States in the spring of 1836 ; he went to Albany, N. Y„ where he remained about one
year ; then returned to England. Was married to Miss Jane Barker, born in Lincoln-
shire, England, in 1820. He returned to the United States in September, 1842 ; came to
Jackson Co. in January, 1843, and lived with his brother Thomas for about three years ;
located on the farm which he now owns in 1S55 ; has nine children — Mary J., born in
England; Rosanna, Elizabeth, Sarah, Harriet, John, Phebe, George and Douglas; they
lost two children in England — Jane and George; lost their fourth child, Thomas, in
America. Mr. Scarborough has a well-improved farm of 180 acres.
THOMAS SCARBOROUGH, farmer, Sec. 18 ; P. O. Sterling ; born
in Yorkshire, England, in 1808 ; he came to the United States with his brother George,
in 1836; he remained in the State of New York one year, then went to Ann Arbor,
Mich., where he lived about two years ; he came to Jackson Co. in the spring of 1839,
and took a claim in Washington Township, which he kept about two years ; he after-
ward made a claim of the farm now owned by Mr. Henry Dickinson, Iowa Township,
which he sold to Mr. Wm. Dickinson, the father of Henry; then purchased claim of
the farm which he now owns: he went to California in 1849; returned in 1850. He
was married to Mrs.. Elizabeth Maxton, born in Cambridgeshire, England, in 1831 ; has-
three sons and three daughters — Thomas N., Charlotte E., Mary E., James W., Sarah
A. and John O.; have lost four children.
ANDREW SMITH, farmer, Sec. 23; P. O. Sabula ; was born in Ireland
in 1808; he came to the United States in 1827; he lived in Canada; thence to
Malone, N. Y.; he was engaged on public work for many years, in different parts of
the country ; he came to Jackson Co., and made a claim of the farm he now owns in
1837. He married Mary Sheridan, a native of Ireland; she died in February, 1879 ;
has eight children — Hannah, Henry, Andrew, Mary, Elleu, Kate, Bridget and Julia.
He belongs to the Catholic Church.
MRS. CATHARINE SWANEY, widow of the late James Swaney,
Miles; was born in Richland Co., Ohio, June, 1823 ; he married, in 1849, his present
widow, Catharine Edmonds, born in Wayne Co., in March, 1830 ; they came to Van
BureD Township in 1851 ; returned to Ohio the following year. In the spring of
1853, they returned to Jackson Co. and settled on their farm in Van Buren Township,
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. 709
which Mr. Swaney had secured when he came to the county, in 1851. About l^iiT,
Mr. Swaney sold his farm in Van Buren Township, and removed to Clinton Co., Elk
River Township; bought the farm near Miles, where the family now resides, in March,
187-1; Mr. Swaney died December, 1S75. Mrs. Swauey has six children — Alexander
L., Ella E., Lemuel H., Mary M., Annie D. and Linda May. Mrs. Swaney is a mem-
ber of the M. E. Church.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP.
WILLIAM BEATTEY, farmer, Sec. 17 ; P. O. Bellevue ; born in the
North of Ireland in 1835; came to America in 1852; his father lives in the old coun-
try; his mother is dead; came to Jackson Co. in 1858 ; lived in Bellevue six years,
and while there worked at his trade, which is that of a plasterer; came to his present
home in 1864, where be has since resided ; has a fine farm, well watered, and some tim-
ber upon it. Has been Assessor, School Director and Trustee of his town. His wife's
maiden name was Susan Legross, a native of France; they were married in 1856, in
this county ; have had seven children, six of whom are now living, named as follows :
John Clinton, Cora, Eugene, Sadie, Ionia and Thomas; the one dead was named
George William ; was 18 years old when he was killed in the following manuer, in Sep-
tember, 1878 : He jumped on a horse thit was harnessed, and put his foot into the
lines, that were tied up ; the horse threw him, and he was dragged a considerable dis-
tance, over a rough piece of ground, his foot hanging in the lines, and was badly torn
and instantly killed. Mr. Beattey also met with a severe loss in the death of his wife ;
she died in December, 1877. Mr. Beattey was raised an Episcopalian; he owns 160
acres, about 100 under cultivation.
MRS. SARAH BURNETT, farmer, Sec. 21; P. 0. Green Island;
born in Maine in 1828; came to Jackson Co. in 1855. Her husband, Mr. Isaac Bur-
nett, was also a native of Maine, born in 1822 ; their parents are dead ; they were mar-
ried in their native State in 1848 ; have ten children all of whom are living, named as
follows — Nathaniel I., Sarah Elizabeth, Susan E., Jane L., Alson W., Albert, Almira,
Lydia E., Isaac and Perry L.; of these children four are married, viz., Nathaniel, Sarah,
Susan and Jane. Mrs. B. owns eighty acres, about all under cultivation.
GEORGE CALDWELL, farmer, Sec. 19; P.O.Green Island; lives and.
carries on business with Mrs. George Hoy.
MORGAN CA VANAGH, saloon-keeper, Green Island ; born in Illinois
in 1839 ; came with his parents to Iowa when he was about 2 years old. His father
settled within two miles of Sabula and engaged in farming ; lived there twenty-two
years and until he died ; was one of the oldest settlers in Jackson Co.; Mr. Morgan
Cavanagh's mother died July 8, 185S. His brother was Deputy Sheriff of the couuty
for two years ; was also in the war of the late rebellion, a member of the 2d I. V. C;
came out of the service as First Lieutenant of his company, which was Company L ; he
first enlisted for three years, and, when his time expired, re-enlisted as a veteran and
served until the war closed ; was wounded in the shoulder at the battle of Nashville,
Tenn. Mr. Morgan Cavanagh's wife's name before being married was Mary Molson,
a native of Germany ; they were married in 1877 ; have two children, one named Mary,
the other not christened at time of writing. In religion, Mr. Cavanagh is a Catholic;
in politics, a Democrat.
MRS. ANN CLARKE, Green Island ; born in Fort Edward, N. Y., in
1823; came to Iowa in 1841 to Dubuque Co. and to Jackson Co. in 1842. Her hus-
band settled first in Washington Township and was Postmaster at Wickliffe, in same
township, for about thirty years ; was Drainage Commissioner for a number of years ;
was Justice of the Peace for about thirty-four years, and also County Supervisor and Tax
Collector for Washington Township for a number of years ; he owned a farm and other
real estate at different times during his life; he died in February, 1877. Mrs. Clark's
710 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
maiden name was McGinty. Mr. Clarke was a native of Ireland ; born in Cavan
County in 1810 ; was among the oldest settlers in Jackson Co., Iowa, and was the founder
and owner of the town of Green Island, and, during his life, was highly respected and
esteemed by the people and community among whom and in which he lived, and had
always a host of warm friends. They were married in Illinois in 1839 ; have had twelve
children, eight of whom are now living, as follows : Sarah, Margaret, Clotilda, Patrick
Henry, Catharine, Anna, Joanna and Francis ; they have lost four, whose names were
Mary, Jane, Regine Aunes and James.
HENRY CLAUSEN, farmer, Sec. 31 ; P. 0. Green Island; born in Ger-
many in 1821 ; came to America in 1852, to Scott Co. first ; lived there eleven months,
theu went to California; was there four years and a half, then went back to his native
country and remained nine months ; returned to America and lived a short time in
^Davenport and in Scott Co., then came to Jackson Co., where he has since resided ; was
in the war of the rebellion, a member of the 2d I.V. I.; he enlisted on the 12th October,
1864; was discharged, July, 1865; participated in the battle of Bentonville, N. C,
and also in some lesser engagements during the service. His wife's maiden name was
Margaret Seaves, a native also of Germany ; they were married in January, 1851 ;
have had ten children, eight of whom are now living, named as follows : Henry, Julius,
Frederick, Annette, Loui, Katherine, Margaret and Amelia ; two died named Emma
and Wena. Owns ninety-eight acres in Washington Township and forty in Iowa.
JOHN W. DAVIS, farmer, Sec. 24; P. 0. Green Island ; born in Maine
.Nov. 27, 1832; came to Iowa in 1867 ; first settled in Clinton Co ; came to Jackson
Co. in 1869, to the place where he now resides. Owns 224 acres, has it all under culti-
vation but ten acres of timber and bluff land. His wife's maiden name was Sarah
Grant, a native of Maine also ; they were married in 1866 ; have had five children ;
those now living are named Guiletti G., Ernest W., Theocrastes S. and John ; the one
dead was named George.
5IRS. SARAH 51. DITTOE, farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. O. Green Island ; born
in Lexington, Ky., in February, 1834; came to Jackson Co., Iowa, in 1856, where she
has since resided. Has owned 360 acres of land, and she and her husband owned the
land upon which the village of Green Island now stands ; she now owns her original
home, with eleven acres of land surrounding it. Her husband, Francis R. Dittoe, died
in May, 1 879 ; they have had nine children, two living now, and seven are dead. The
names of those living are Manueletta G. and William E. ; of those dead, one was named
Charles, the other, Anna; the remaining five were not named.
HENRY' GOSCH, farmer, Sec. 6 ; P. O. Green Island ; born in Germany in
1810 ; came to America in 1858, and immediately to Jackson Co., where he has since
resided. His first wife died in 1860; her maiden name was Elsie Graves. Mr. Gosch
married again; his present wife's name (before marriage) was Musenbring; they were
married in 1S61; no children by last marriage; but by the first— seven, five of whom
are still living, named as follows : Ella, Annie, Henry, Katherine and Mary ; those dead
were uamed Jerry and Ellen. Mr. Gosch has a place among the early settlers of Jack-
son Co. Owns 150 acres of land, 80 of which is under cultivation. Mr. G. is a
Republican.
HENRY HAGED05I, merchant, Green Island ; born in Germany in 1833;
came to this country in 1857 ; came first to Iowa; remained a year and a half, then
removed to Kansas, where he remained one year ; then returned to Iowa, and came to
Jackson Co., and engaged in farming ; he followed that occupation sixteen years ; then
commenced hotel-keeping, and was in that line of business for two years ; from that, he.
went into the mercantile business, which he has since followed. He built the hotel in
Green Island, called at the present time, the Green Island Hotel ; also built the store
building in which he now does business, and also owns ; he sold the hotel property to
John McVey. Mr. Hagedom is the Postmaster of the place, and has the only store
doing a general merchandise business in the town ; deals in dry goods, boots and shoes,
groceries, hats and caps, notions, etc., and keeps everything usually sold iu a first-class
establishment of the kind ; his trade amounts to from $8,000 to $10,000 a year. Is
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. 711
also Justice of the Peace in said villa-re. In religion, Mr. Hagedoni is Lutheran ; in
polities, Democratic. His wile's maiden name was Mangeler, a native of Germany;
they were married in 185(5; have had nine children ; those living are Henry, Louisa,
Mary, Emma. Minnie and Sophia ; those dead were John, Willie and Frederick.
' JOHN HAZEN, farmer. Sec. 21 ; P. 0. Green Island ; born in Pennsylvania in
1809 ; came to Jackson Co. in 1S51, to the place where he now lives, and where he has
continued to reside since he first came. Was Justice of the Peace for eight years ; also
one of the Trustees of the town and School Director. His wife's maiden name was Mary
Budd, a native of Ohio; born in 1816 ; they were married in December, 1829 ; have had
five children, three of whom are now living, named as follows : William, Salina and Ade-
laide ; those dead were named Thomas B. and Emma Rensey ; those living are married.
Thoma- B. was in the army during the late rebellion; enlisted in 1862; died while in
the service, of dysentery, and was buried at Vicksburg, Miss. ; was a member of the
31st I. V. I., Co. I, and was First Lieutenant of that company; participated in the
siege of Vicksburg. and in other lesser engagements ; he helped to organize the com-
pany of which he was afterward chosen First Lieutenant. In religion, Mr. and Mrs.
Hazen are Baptists; in polities, he is a Republican. Owns 160 acres; has about one
hundred under cultivation, well watered, and considerable timber upon it.
BLYTHE HOPPER, farmer, Sec. 24 ; P. 0. Green Island ; owns forty-
four acres, one half of which is under cultivation. Born in Kentucky in 1812; came to
Jackson Co. in 1843, where he has since resided. His wife's maiden name was Yocurn,
a native of Missouri ; second wife's maiden name was Davis ; they are both dead ; had six
children, four of whom are living, named as follows: James S., Annette Culve, George
W. and Hazen E. ; of the twodied, one was named Susan Clarke, the other not named.
In religion, Mr. Hopper is a Baptist ; in polities, a Democrat.
JAMES JACKSON HOPPER, hotel keeper, Green Island; born in
Park Co., Ind., Aug. 15, 1829 ; came with his mother to Iowa in 1841, and to Jackson
■Co., in 1843; has been in Missouri since then, and other places at times; came to
Green Island in 1S75 ; for a time, lived on a farm belonging to his wife, and then moved
into the village and commenced hotel keeping ; his wife's farm is located two miles from
town ; she has eighty acres. Her maiden name was Ann Hanson ; she was married to
Mr. Hopper in August, 1872; had been married before, and has had five children. Mr.
Hopper was also married before, and had seven children by that marriage ; the names
of the children belonging to Mr. Hopper and now living are Henrietta, Winnie, James,
Julia Ann, Susan and Stella ; the one dead was named Lucetta. The names of children
belonging to Mrs. Hopper and now living, are Mary Ann and Ellen ; those dead were
named Elizabeth, John, the third one name not given.
JAMES HOPPER, real-estate dealer, money loaner, etc., Green Island;
born in Kentucky Feb. 9, 1816 ; came to Iowa in 1843, and to Jackson Co., and com-
menced breaking prairie ; followed that about three years; then commenced dealing in
cattle and continued in that business for about thirty-three years ; since quitting that
has been loaning money and speculating in real e>tate ; owns a house and lot in the
village of Greeu Island, where he has his home ; also, owns one-half of a farm of 280
acres in Jackson Township, and has, besides, fifty acres of real estate across the river
in Washington Township. His wife's maiden name was Susan A. Yocum, a native of
Missouri; they were married in 1863, in the month of April; have five children, as
follows : Solomon, William. Lucinda, Annie and Lucy.
JOATHAN JAYNES, farmer, Sec. 19; P. 0. Spring Brook; born in
Illinois in 1830; came to Jackson Co. in 1846; parents both dead; has lived in this
county continually, with the exception of the time he was in the army ; was in the war
of the rebellion, a member of the 2d I. V. I. ; was among those who were drafted
into the service; was discharged May 1, 1865 ; was in several skirmishes. His wife's
m;iiden name was Mahala Winebarger, a native of North Carolina, born in 1832 ; her
mother is still living ; her father is dead. Mr. and Mrs. Jaynes were married in Iowa
in 1857 ; have had four children, three of whom are living, named as follows : Walter,
Catherine and Jerome Rollington ; the one dead was named Louis. In religion, Mr.
712 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.:
and Mrs. J. are Methodists ; iD politics, Mr. J. is a Democrat. Owns eighty-eight
acres, about seventy under cultivation, well watered and some timber upon it.
WILLIAM JONES, farmer, Sec. 21 ; P. O. Bellevue ; bora in Berks
Co., Penn., in 1824; came to Jackson Co. in 1855, where he has since resided. His
wife's maiden name was Rowena Jones, a native of Iowa ; her father was from Ken-
tucky ; she and Mr. Jones were married in 1870, and have three children — Mary,
Isaac and Hettie. Owns 180 acres of land, about seventy-five under cultivation, well
watered, and some timber upon it. In politics, Mr. Jones is a Democrat.
WILLIAM KRUHWIEDE, farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. 0. Green Island ;
born in Mount Algor, Iowa, March 16, 1852; his parents reside in Mount Algor;
came to his present home in March, 1877 ; has owned 100 acres of land, which he sold
to his father in August, 1S79 ; purposes buying another farm and remaining perma-
nently in Jackson Co. His wife's maiden name was Louisa Jones, a native of Ger-
many ; they were married in 1874; have two children — Frank, the other not named at
time of writing. Republican.
CHRISTOPHER KYLE, farmer, Sec. — ; P. O. Bellevue ; born in
Germany in 1883; came to America in 1853, to New Jersey, and was there 'about
two months ; from there he went to Pennsylvania, and remained ten months ; then to
Bellevue, Iowa, where he lived about five years; then went to Missouri, and was there
two years; then came to where he now lives; came there in 1854, and has lived there
continuously since. Has been School Director. His wife's maiden name was Sophia
Lampe, a native of Germany ; she came to this country when 3 years old ; they
were married March 9, 1860 ; they have had eight children, seven of whom are living —
Louisa, Henry, Christopher, Emma, Matilda, Frederick and Mena ; the one dead was
not named. Owns 200 acres of land ; has about one hundred under cultivation, well
watered and timbered. Mr. Kyle and his family are members of the Lutheran Cburch.
Republican.
PERRY LAMRORJf, farmer, Sec. 27; P. O. Green Island; born in
Venango Co., Penn., in 1830 ; his parents are both dead ; came to Jackson Co. in 1853,
where he has since resided. Has been Trustee of his town several times, once during a
period of four years ; also Road Supervisor. His wife's maiden name was Winnie
Cahalan, a native of Illinois ; they were married in Iowa in 1857 ; have had eight chil-
dren, all living — John Alexander, Dora Amelia, Rachel Ellen, William Henry, Samuel
Harrison, Katharine S., Charles E. and Robert P. Owns 220 acres of land; has about
140 acres under cultivation ; farm well watered and considerable timber upon it. In
politics, Mr. Lamborn is a Democrat.
JOSHUA LERAN, Sr., retired miller, Washingtonville ; P. 0. Bellevue";
was born in Maxatanny Township, Berks Co., Penn., Aug. 4, 1809 ; came to Jackson
Co. in May, 1851 ; came first to Jackson Township ; remained in Bellevue awhile ;
went from Bellevue to Brush Creek, and engaged in milling; ran a mill on shares, and
succeeded in getting a first-class reputation for' the mill with which he was connected,
customers coming from a long distance ; remained in that mill nine years ; then went to
farming, and was in that business from spring until fall; then came to the farm upon
which he now lives, and where he has made his home, but has been actively engaged in
the milling business during the time. Mr. Leran has never cared for public office ; was
once elected Trustee of his town, but refused to serve. He is connected with the Ger-
man Reformed Church, and, in politics, is a Republican. His wife's maiden name was
Rebecca Derr, a native of Lehigh Co., Wisenburg Township, Penn. ; they were married
in their native State Nov. 1, 1829 ; she died in February, 1S77 ; have had nine chil-
children, four boys and five girls; six of the children are still living, three boys and
three girls — Charity, Joshua D., Benjamin, Francis, Emma and Mary ; of those dead,
one was named Almira, and the other two were not named. The children that are
living are all married, and one of them, Frank, was in the war of the rebellion, a mem-
ber of the 31st I. V. I., Co. K ; enlisted July 6, 1862 ; was discharged July 3, 1865 ;
was in the battles of Chickasaw Bayou, Miss., Arkansas Post, siege of Vicksburg, Jack-
son, Miss., Resaca, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain and Lovejoy Station, Ga.,
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. 713
and Bentonviile, S. C; was in the service until the war closed. Mr. Leran owns 1G7
acres of land in Washington Township, 240 in Jackson, and 9 acres near the village of
Andrew, in Perry Township.
GEORGE LINGLE, farmer, Sec. 20 ; P. 0. Spring Brook ; born near
Indianapolis, Ind., in 1831 ; came to Jackson Co. in 1855. Wife's maiden name was
Susanna Wineburger, a native of Tennessee. They were married in Illinois in 1852;
have twelve children, all of whom are living, as follows — William, Mary Ann, Daniel,
Joseph, Jacob, Sarah Ann, Mac, Julia Ann, Henry, Dillie Ann, Albert and Francis.
Mr. Lingle has been, and is now, a School Director in his district; he and Mrs. L. are
members of the M. E. Church ; he is a Democrat. Owns 160 acres, about 120 under
cultivation.
MRS. Kit 1 IHi FT McGOVERN, farmer, Sec. 1 ; P. O. Bellevue. Born in
Ireland in 1823; lather dead, mother still living; came to America in 1848, and to
Jackson Co. in 1850, where she has since resided ; her husband, Mr. Francis Mc-
Govern, died in this county in 1873 ; they were married in the old country in 1842 :
have had ten children, seven of whom are still living, named as follows — Julia. Mary,
Delia, Margaret Amelia, Francis Thomas, Johnnie and Edward ; two of the children
are married, viz., Julia and Mary; those dead were named Sarah Jane, Sarah and
Mary. Mrs. McGovern and her entire family are Catholics ; one of her sons, Edward,
is in Montana ; her husband, during his life, visited California twice. Owns 240 acres,
has about seventy under cultivation ; well watered and considerable timber upon it.
WILLIAM MATOELER, farmer, Sees. 34, 35, 36, 18 ; P. 0. Green
Island ; born in Germany in 1838 ; came to America and to Jackson Co., Iowa, in
1857 ; bought 80 acres of land, and has been adding to it from time to time, until
he now owns 379 acres, 100 of which he has under cultivation. His wife's maiden
name was Mene Lampe, a native of Germany ; they were married in 1862 ; have had
nine children, eight of whom are living, named as follows, Louisa, Emma, Matilda,
Sophia, Mary, Mene, Fred and William; the one dead was named Edward.
LOUIS MOCH, farmer, Sec. 20 ; P. O. Spring Brook; born in Baden,
Germany, in 1825 ; came to America in 1851, landed in New Orleans ; came to Jack-
son Co. in 1854, where he has since lived ; his wife's maiden name was Lydia Ann
Lingle, a native of Indiana ; they were married in 1852, in Illinois ; have had eight
children, three of whom are now living, named as follows: Joseph, Mary Ann and
Elizabeth ; those dead were named Bosa Ann, Louis, Andon, Katharine and Michael ;
they all died of scarlet fever. In religion, Mr. Moch and his entire family are Catholics ;
in politics, Mr. M. is a Democrat. Owns 246 acres ; has about 120 under cultivation.
WILLIAM JOHN MOONEY, farmer, Sec. 23 ; P. O. Green Island ;
born in New York in 1834; came to Iowa in 1845, and to Jackson Co.; he in com-
pany with his mother and two brothers took a claim which embraced one-half section
of land, and traded for said claim, which also included one-half an acre of broken
ground, and the house which stood upon it, one rifle and one barrel of whisky, " Haun's
best;" his mother died in 1851, of cholera ; his brothers are also both dead; Mr.
Mooney lived in Jackson Co. from the time of his first settlement therein until he went
to Australia, which was in the spring of 1853 ; was in the last-named country six years ;
also was in all of the South Sea Islands; visited the city of Amsterdam once, and was
in California three times, and has made the voyage round the world ; during all this time,
however, he retained his original home in Jackson Co., Iowa ; returned finally to Wash-
ington Township, in 1859, and purchased the farm upon which he now lives, of James
Clarke, and has continued to reside there since that time ; owns 250 acres in Jackson
Co., and eighty in Iowa Co., also owns one-half section in the Waukean Valley in Cali-
fornia ; his wife's maiden name was Arnold, a native of Illinois ; they were married in
1865 ; have had six children, five of whom are living — Margaret, Mary, Elice, Johnny,
and one not named at the time of writing ; the one that died was named Elexis. In
religion, Mr. Mooney is a Catholic ; Democrat.
MRS. ELIZARETH O'NEAL, farmer, Sec 14; P. 0. Green Island ;
born near the city of Dublin, Ireland, in 1814; came to Jackson Co. in 1845; her
714 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
husband came with her, and died in 185-4; he and Mrs. O'Neal were married in 1834,
in Dublin ; they had seven children, six of whom are now living, named as follows
— James, Patrick, Mary, Lizzie, Rosie and Sadie; the one that died was named John ;
died in New Orleans, aged 1 week ; the four girls are all married, three of them living
out West, and the fourth one in Green Island ; her name is Wright ; of the two boys,
one is in Minnesota and the other at home with his mother ; James was in the war of
the rebellion ; enlisted in 1862 ; discharged at the close of the war in 1865 ; was a
member of the 26th I. V. I.; participated in several battles while in the service, but
was sick a good share of the time, and has been suffering with pulmonary trouble since
that time ; he was a true and faithful soldier for his country, and stuck to the old flag
until his services were no longer needed. Mrs. O'Neal and her entire family are
Catholics ; owds 200 acres, about ten acres under cultivation, the balance timber land.
MRS. WINNIE ANN PERKINS, farmer, Sec. 23; P. 0. Greea
Island; born in Kentucky in 1817; came to Jackson Co., in 1851 ; her husband was
among the earliest settlers of the county ; he was a native of North Carolina, born in
1800 ; after coming to Iowa, he lived for a time in Dubuque Co.; also in Galena, 111.,
and in an early day was a miner there ; he was in the Black Hawk war, and took part
in some of the battles that occurred during that fierce and bloody struggle ; he lived for
the most of the time after settling in Jacksun Co. upon his farm in Washington Town-
ship ; he and Mrs. Perkins were married in Lincoln Co., Mo., in 1S34 : had nine
children, >is of whom are living, named as follows: Jesse, Franklin, James W., George
W., Mary R., Virginia A. and Sarah Helen ; of the three that are dead, one was an
infant and died in Missouri; one a child of 3 years, named William Francis, died also
in Missouri, at St. Louis, and the other was a son who was a soldier in the late war of
the rebellion ; his name was Henry E., a member of the 5th I. V. C; enlisted in July,
1863, and was killed in a skirmish engagement at Wartrace, Tenn., in the fall of 1863 :
they own seventy-eight acres, about sixty of which is under cultivation.
ALEXANDER REED, farmer, Sec. 5 ; P. O. Bellevue; born in Ire-
land, Tyrone Co., in 1804; came to America in 1826, with a brother, Thomas ; parents
are dead. Landed in New York ; was there a few days, and then went to Philadel-
phia; stayed there about ten days, and from there he went to Norfolk, Va., and
remained there one week : from there he went to City Point, Va., and was there
a day or two ; from there to Warrenton, in the same State, and from there to
Milton, N. C, where he got employment as an overseer of a plantation, and remained
on that plantation three or four years ; was in the gold mines about one year ; also run
a distillery for a time, and was in employment variously, as an overseer, etc., in the
South for about ten years, at the end of which time he came North, to Jo Daviess Co.,
111.; went into the lead mines in Dubuque in April, 1833 ; was in that line of business
a few months, and then came into what was then called Michigan Territory, afterward
changed to Wisconsin, and then to Iowa Territory ; .came to his present home in 1833.
Mr. Reed was the earliest settler in Jackson Co., and the man to turn the first furrow
of land in the county with a plow. His first neighbor was a man by the name of Sliip-
ton, who afterward shot a man by the name of Faber, with whom he had quarreled
about a claim ; it was some time after that before any white men came into the county.
When Mr. Reed came, there was nothing but Indians and deer; during the first fall
and winter that Mr. Reed lived here, he killed seventy-five deer; the village of Keo-
kuk, named for chief Keokuk, was then standing, upon what is now the land and property of
Mr. Reed ; he saw chief Keokuk ; the latter passed Mr. Reed twice ; also, saw Black
Hawk in Galena. Mr. Reed was also in Jackson Co. two years before he found a wife,
and then went to Galena to be married. His wife's father lived in Jackson Co. for a
little time before they were married ; the hymeneal knot was tied by the Rev. Mr. Kent, in
1835. His wife's maiden name was Amelia G. Dyas ; they have had three children,
only one of whom is now living, named Samuel D., living in Washington Township ;
he is married and has four children living, and has lost one ; he and his family have
their home with his father. Of the two children Mr. Reed has lost, one was named
Margaret, and the other Katherine ; Mr. and Mrs. Reea* have also raised several other
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. 715
children not their own, some of whom are now married and have good homes. Mr.
Reed has been Supervisor in his town for five years; is now a Justice of the Peace;
has been Township Assessor, and has held all of the township offices but that of <_'!> ,];.
In politics, he is a Democrat. Owns 480 acres, 320 of which is in Washington Town-
ship, and 160 in Bellevue Township ; land well watered, and good timber upon it.
WILLIAM H. REED, farmer, Sec. 4: P. O. Bellevue; he was born April
29, 1823, in Ireland. July 11, 1833, he came to Philadelphia; the following Septem-
ber, he removed to Jackson Co. He represented this county in the Legislature three
different terms; first, in 1859, then in 1872, and again in 1876. Has also been a
member of the Board of County Supervisors, and has held all the township offices. He
owns about 1,(1(10 acres of land. Married Catherine Lamborn in 1855 ; she was born
in Pennsylvania. They have eight children.
JOHN ROE, farmer, Sec. 16; P. O. Green Island; born in New York in
1828. His father is still living, and in Michigan. His mother is dead. Mr. Roe came
to Jackson Co. in 1858, and purchased the land upon which he now. lives. Lived there
awhile, and then went to Minnesota; came back to Iowa, and when the civil war broke
out. enlisted in the 38th I. V. I. ; was discharged in August, 1865, in Boston.
While a soldier, was taken prisoner in the Alleghany Mountains, by the famous rebel
guerrilla, Capt. O'Neal ; was paroled, but did not regard the oath as binding, so went
back into the United States Service immediately, and was afterward on detached duty,
in charge of the shipment of rebel prisoners ; was in that line of duty until discharged.
His wife's maiden name was Caroline Street, also a native of New York. They were
married in their native State in 1849. Have had eight children, six of whom are liv-
ing, as follows — John A., Ida, Martha, Charles, George and William. Those dead were
named Josephine and Baby. Mr. and Mrs. Roe were raised Methodists. In politics,
Mr. Roe is a Republican ; owns 187 acres ; has about one hundred and fifty under cul-
tivation.
CHARLES SHAFFER, farmer, Sec. 15 ; P. O. Green Island ; born in
Ohio in 1830 ; came to Jackson Co. in 1855. where he has since resided. Wife's
maiden name was Harriet Baxter, a native of Washington Co., Penn. They were mar-
ried in Ohio in 1S53. and have had thirteen children, eleven of whom are still living,
named as follows: Martha J., married, and living in Montana; Edward, George, Delia,
William, Margaret. Nathaniel, Elizabeth, Charles, Harry and Nettie ; of the two that died,
one was named Harriet, and the other not named. Mr. Shaffer met with a misfortune in
1S75, while at work around a thrashing machine, which resulted in the loss of his left
leg. Has been one of the Trustees of his town, Supervisor, two or three terms, and
President of the School Board. In politics, is a Democrat; owns 160 acres; has about
one hundred under cultivation. Land is well watered, and has forty acres of good tim-
ber upon it.
JOHN SWASEY, farmer, Sec. 9 ; P. O. Bellevue ; born in Ireland in
1839. Father still living, and in the old country ; mother dead ; came to America and
to Jackson Co. in 1859, where he has since resided. Lived with Mr. William Reed
four years, also worked in Clinton one summer ; balance of the time has lived in Wash-
ington Township. Has a fine farm, well watered, and considerable timber upon it. His
wife's maiden name was Julia MeGovem, a native, also, of Ireland. Her father died in
Iowa ; her mother is living in Washington Township. The subject of this biography,
Mr. Swaney. and his wife, were married in 1865, in Bellevue, Iowa. Have seven chil-
dren, all living, names as follows: Mary, Thomas, Frank, John, Edward, Daniel and
Sarah. The religion of Mr. Swaney and his family is that of the Catholic Church. In
politics, he is a Democrat ; owns 110 acres, 50 of which is under cultivation.
R. F. VAX HORN, farmer, Sec. 5 ; P. O. Bellevue; born October, 1837,
in Columbiana Co., Ohio; in 1840, he came to Jackson Co. with his parents ; he owns
forty acres land. Married Miss Eva Oswald in 1873; she was born in Ohio; they
have three sons.
716 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP.
A. ALEXANDER, merchant and farmer, Sec. 19; P. 0. Spragueville ;
owns 340 acres ; he was born in Columbiana Co., Ohio, in New Lisbon, Nov. 10, 1820,
where he grew to manhood and received a good common-school education, besides
learning the saddlery trade, which he followed for several years ; in 1839, he removed
to Richland Co., Ohio, where he lived till 1850, when he left his family behind him
and emigrated to California, where he kept a miner's supply store for two years, and
ran a train of pack mules 270 miles to Sacramento, when he returned to Ohio, and, in
1856, commenced making permanent improvements in Jackson Co., Iowa, although he
had been backward and forward to Iowa, selling cattle, for several years. He married
his first wife, Ellen Coleman, in Richland Co., Ohio, in 1840 ; she died in 1853 ; they
had five children, two are living — Austin and Caroline. He married his second wife,
Phuebe A. Barney, in the same county in 185(3; she died in 1862 ; there are two
children by this marriage — Harlow B. and Lucretia. He married his third wife, Anna
Austin, in Jackson Co., Feb. 6, 1866 ; they have five children — Jessie, Franklin, Fred-
erick W., Josephine and Lena. He is liberal in his church views; he has served his
township faithfully for many years as School Director and School Treasurer ; during
the war he did gallant service in Co. A, 9th I. V. I.; held the commission of Second
Lieutenant ; in politics, he is a strong advocate of the Greenback Labor Party.
NELSON BANNING, farine^ Sec. 17 ; P. O. Preston ; was born in Mon-
roe Co., N. Y., in 1818; his father died upon the old farm in New York; his mother
in Michigan. Mr. B. came West in 1844 to Bellevue, Iowa; was there for a short
time and worked at chopping wood for the use of steamboats ; then came to his present
place of residence and purchased a claim belonging to John Scarborough, to which he
added from time to time, until he now owns 287 J acres of fine land, well watered and
timbered. His wife's maiden name was Susan Murray ; they were married in New
York in January, 1839, in the town of Pike, Allegany Co., and have had seven chil-
dren ; the names of those living are as follows: Ellen, Malora, Florence, Laura and
Parmelia. Mr. Banning is a member of the Wesleyan M. E. Church, and in politics a
Republican.
A. L. BARTHOLOMEW, banker and attorney, Preston; born in Hart-
ford, Conn., in 1841 ; his father, Eli Bartholomew, removed to Cleveland, Ohio, in
1845, he lived in Belvidere, III., and Cincinnati for about eight years; removed to
Lyons, Iowa, in 1863 ; while there, was engaged in the marble business ; he came to
Jackson Co. in 1864 and located in Van Buren ; he came to Preston in the spring of
1871 ; he built the first residence in Preston, and opened a bank in the fall of 1871 ;
he is also engaged in the practice of law. He married Mary J. Beckwith, of Belvidere,
111. ; they have three children — George, Eugene and Gertrude. Mr. Bartholomew was
admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Iowa in 1875.
HERBERT B. BRYANT, farmer, Sec. 35; P. O. Miles; was born in
England in 1853 ;' he is a son of William Bryant, and came to Iowa with his parents
in 1 856 ; when 2 years of age, his hearing was entirely destroyed by scarlet fever ;
he was educated at the Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, Iowa
City. His wife, formerly Miss Mena Bausch, of Bellevue, born in Jackson Co. in
1855, lost her hearing from sickness when only 1 year old ; she was educated at
Council Bluffs, Iowa; they were married Oct. 3, 1877. Mr. Bryant learned the trade
of a printer at the office of the Maquoketa Excehior, Maquoketa, in 1873 ; discon-
tinued the business the following year ; he settled where he now lives in January, 1879 ;
owns fifty acres of land.
WILLIAM BRYANT, farmer, Sec. 35 ; P. O. Miles ; born in England
in 1827; came to the United States in 1856; he located at Sterling, Jackson Co.,
where he lived about four years, engaged in the boot and shoe business ; he settled
where he now lives in 1863; Mr. Bryant has 236 acres of land; besides his farming
T (/yi^LJAS}
VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP. 719
business, he follows the business of thrashing each year. He was married to Fanny
Green, also native of England ; they have five children— Henry G., Elizabeth A.,
Herbert B., John W. and Clara E.
JAMES CRAWFORD, farmer, Sec. 24; P. 0. Miles; Mr. Crawford is
a brother of Mr. William Crawford ; was born in Ireland in 1834 ; he and his brother
Gardner came to the United States in 1849 ; he lived in Livingston Co., N. Y., till the
fall of 1864, when he came to Van Buren Township ; he purchased the farm which he
now owns. In the fall of that year, he was married to Sarah A. Alpaugh, of Steuben
Co., N. Y. ; they have five children — Jennie, Rosetta, Robert J., Isabella and Ruther-
ford B. Owns eighty acres of land, with good improvements.
Z. De GROAT, Preston ; was born in Utica, N. Y., in 1835 ; he came to
Van Buren Township when 20 years of age ; he worked six months for Mr. Robert
Hunter; in 1856, he bought a quarter-section of land in Floyd Co. ; this land, in 1858,
he exchanged with Mr. Hiram Smith, of Buckeye, for a farm there, where he resided
till 1870, engaged in farming and the stock business ; purchased 13b' acres of land upon
which he laid out the town of Preston ; he is extensively engaged in stock, grain and
agricultural implement business. He married Minerva R. McNeal, of Utica, N. Y.;
they have two daughters — Olive L. and Phebe R.; they have lost four children — Hattie,
aged 5 years ; others died in iufancy.
JOHN DURANT, farmer and dairyman, Sec. 21 ; P. 0. Preston; born in
Cayuga Co., N. Y., May 31, 1823; in 1829, his parents removed to London, Canada;
they removed to Michigan in 1836, to Illinois in 1837; in the spring of 1838, they
came to Van Buren Township and settled iu Section 22. His father, Samuel, is a native
of England, born, November, 1794 ; his mother, Alma Pherris Durant, was born in
Vermont in 1800 ; his parents are now residents of Butler Co., Kan. Mr. Durant was
married, in 1851, to Amanda Thompkins, a native of Ohio ; they have six sons and two
daughters — Eliza, Alma, Albert, Lewis, George, Thomas J., Willie and Horace; have
lost three children — Mary, May and Charlie. Mr. Durant has 281 acres of land ; is
engaged in general farming and dairying.
JAMES FARLEY, farmer, Sec. 32 ; P. O. Preston; was born in Warren
Co., Penn., August, 1824; his father, Andrew Farley, came to Van Buren Township
in the spring of 1836, and made a claim of the farm which Mr. James Farley now
owns; he returned to Pennsylvania in the spring of 1837, and brought out his family
and settled on the farm where his widow now lives on Section 28, which he had also
entered in the spring of 1836 ; he was killed in the Bellevue war, April 1, 1840. Mr.
James Farley has lived on his farm since he was married, in 1851 ; he was married to
Margaret Sprague, daughter of Lorin Sprague ; they have six children — Nathan,
D., John, Virginia, Laura, Grant and Christopher ; have lost one son — James. Mr.
Farley is a brother of Christopher Farley, of Preston, who was born in 1822 ; his mother,
Ruth Farley, is yet living, at an advanced age.
HENRY FLEMMING, farmer, Sec. 26; P. O. Miles; was born in Hol-
stein, Germany, in 1826; he came to the United States in 1848; lived in Scott Co.
three years ; then settled in Fairfield Township, Jackson Co., where he lived until
1866, when he purchased his present farm, which contains 200 acres ; has also a farm
of 120 acres on Sec. 27. He was married to Elizabeth Pehan, born in Prussia in
1836; they have nine children — Minnie, Mary, Lena, Henry, Harmon, Frances,
Estena, Emma and Clara.
WILLIAM H. GANOUNG, proprietor of Hanover House, Miles ; born
in Tompkius Co., N. Y., in April, 1842; he enlisted in 1861, in the 64th N.
Y. V. I.; was in McClellan's peninsula campaign, participating in most of the
battles of that campaign ; was for some time in hospital at Fortress Monroe ; he
was an eye-witness to the destruction of the Cumberland by the rebel ironclad Merri-
mac, and also witnessed the noted contest between the latter and the Monitor ; he was
in the battles of Cbancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Antietam and Gettysburg, where he
was wounded ; discharged in 1864. He married Eliza Ravert, of Milton, Penn.; they
have one child — Lulu. Mr. Gauoung came to Miles in September, 1S75.
720 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ALEXANDER GALLOWAY, retired farmer, Preston; was born in
Westmoreland Co., Penn., in 1805 ; his parents removed to Lawrence Co., Penn., when
he was 7 years of age. He was married to Sarah A. Neal : she died November, 1862 ;
his present wife was Eliza Moore ; he has five children by first marriage — Nancy, Mary,
Martha, Robert and Annie. Mr. Galloway came to Bellevue in 1854; he rented a
farm in Jackson Township for several years; in 1860, bought a farm in Sec. 2, Fair-
field Township, which he still owns ; he retired from his farm and removed to Preston
in April, 1879.
WILLIAM GILLETT, retired farmer, Sec. 28 ; P. O. Preston ; was
born in Litchfield Co., Conn., in 1812; he removed to Illinois in 1833; went to Fond
du Lac Co., Wis., in 1S45 ; came to Jackson Co. and settled where he now lives in the fall
of 1S53; be had entered his farm in the fall of 1S50 ; he has 240 acres where he
lives, also a farm of 160 acres on Sees. 31 and 32 ; has 18 acres of timber-land on Sec.
30. He was married to Miss Anna Lang, of Lorain Co., Ohio ; she was born in Scot-
land ; they have three children — D. Jay, Ada I., Ira M. and Mina M.
CLALS HARMS, farmer, Sec. 11; P. O. Van Buren ; born in Holstein,
Germany, in 1S25; came to this country in 1853; located on the farm which he now
owns, in 1858. He was married to Anna Seick ; they have five children — Caroline,
Augustina, Henry, Matilda and Lydia. Mr. Harms has eighty acres of land. He
and wife are members of the Lutheran Church.
JOHN HARRINGTON, farmer, Sec. 13; P. O. Miles; was born in
Summit Co., Ohio, in 1818. He was married to Calista Prior; she was born in Ohio.
He came to Jackson Co. and settled on the farm which he now owns, in May, 1854.
He has three children — Ira L., Carlos J. and Lura. He has 100 acres of land.
JAY HATHEWAY, farmer, See. 23; P. O. Miles; Mr. H. and his sis-
ters, Lucy and Monica, own and reside on the farm which their father purchased when-
the family came to Jackson Co. in 1852 ; their parents were Simeon and Eunice Hath-
eway ; their lather died in lS'SS ; their mother died February, 1875. Mr. Jay Hath-
eway was married to Miss Mary A. Crannell ; she was born in the State of New York -,
they have four children — Eunice, Louisa, Jasper and Guy. Mr. Hatheway and his sis-
ters are natives of Swanton, Vt. Their brother Guy died March 16, 1867; he was
the third cliild. Their farm contains 200 acres of land.
JOHN HERERLING, farmer, Sec. 12; P. O. Miles; was born in Berke-
ley Co., W. Va., December, 1809 ; a machinist by trade ; left Virginia at the age of 14 ;
removed to Eastern Ohio, where he lived thirteen years; from there to Franklin Co.,
Penn., where he remained fourteen years ; then returned to his old home in Ohio,
where he remained five years, when he moved to Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has
since resided ; he purchased the farm upon which he now lives, soon after coming to
the State ; owns 160 acres; has lived in Jackson Co. twenty-five years ; his father was
-a native of Virginia also, and was in the war of 1812 ; died in Ohio; his mother, also,
was born in Virginia, and died in Ohio ; his wife's maiden name was Susanna Cobel ;
born in Franklin Co., Penn., in June, 1818; they have ten children, viz., George C.
Hiram S., Jay Milton, Mary I., Margaret A., Susanna, Henry A., Julius L., Charlotte
and Alice ; Mr. Heberling's cbildrtn all occupy jjositions of trust and responsibility, or
have occupied such positions, the oldest son, George, having been for four or five years
Deputy U. S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Iowa ; Hiram is a conductor on the
M. & St. P. R. R.; Jay Milton is route agent for the American Ex. Co., and resides
at Burlington ; Susanna is a music teacher in Miles ; Julius is check agent in railroad
at Cedar Rapids ; the other children are engaged in farming ; Charlotte has been a
school teacher for several years ; George was in the war of the late rebellion ; was a
clerk in the Adjutant General's Office ; was a member of the 24th I. V. I., and partic-
ipated in some of the hottest battles that were known during the war, and in one of
those engagements lost a part of his right ear by a fragment of a shell hitting it;
Hiram was also a soldier of the same war, but passed through the whole of it unhurt.
LEVI HOLROYD, farmer, Sec. 32 ; P. O. Preston ;' was born in Yorkshire,
England, in 1825 ; he came to Jackson Co. in the fall of 1851 ; returned to England in
VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP. 721
the fall of 1854, and was married to Miss Mary Wright; returned to Jackson
County and located in Fairfield Township, where he lived till 1860, when he pur-
chased and removed to his present farm. He has three children — William, Sarah and
Emma.
J. D. LEVAN, miller, Spragueville ; born in Berks Co., Penn., May, 1834 ;
he came to Jackson Co. in 1850 ; after coming to the county, he lived at Green Island,
Washington Township ; afterward learned his trade at what was known as the Old
Youngs Mill, where he worked eight years; afterward worked at Maquoketa for the
firm of Poff & Nk-kerson for about four years, then took charge of the Mill Rock
Mills, in Monmouth Township; worked at Farmer's Creek Mills for a short time ;
thence to Fountain Mills, Washington Township, which is owned by his father, Joshua
Levan ; he took charge of Deep Creek Mills, his present location, Christmas, 1878 ;
Mr. Levan is an excellent practical miller, well versed in both the old and the new pro-
cesses of milling. He was married to Serilda Wood, daughter of Avery Wood, an
early settler of Monmouth Township, Jackson Co.; they have two children — Ella, now
Mrs. George E. Goodnew, of Maquoketa, and William ; lost two children — Lincoln
and Franklin. Mr. Levan is liberal in religion and a Republican in politics.
ALVA McLAlT<iJHLIN, merchant, Preston ; born in Mercer Co., Penn., in
1829 ; he came to Iowa in the spring of 1854 ; returned to Pennsylvania in the fall of
that year ; he came to De Witt, Clinton Co., in 1860 ; soon after came to Van Buren,
and engaged in the mercantile business, was also engaged in shipping stock, and in
the marble business; he came to Preston when the town was laid out in 1870; he
kept the Preston House one year, then engaged in the mercantile business, also in ship-
ping stock. He married Esther Traver, native of Medina Co., Ohio ; they have seven
children — Emma J., Frank A., Ida, Wilbur O, John, Herbert and Arthur. Mr.
McLaughlin went to Maquoketa in 1867, where he engaged in the mercantile business,
also in the marble trade about three years. He has been Justice of the Peace in Clin-
ton and Jackson Cos. for sixteen years ; was also member of the Eleventh General
Assembly, elected in 1875.
HENRY S. McNEIL, farmer and cheese manufacturer, Sec. 22 ; P. O.
Preston ; was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., in 1835 ; he was married to Mary A. Stuart,
of Oneida Co.; they came to Van Buren Township in 1859, and settled one mile north
of where they now live, where they resided one year, then purchased their present farm.
Mr. McNeil enlisted in August, 1S62, in Co. A,< 24th I. V. I., Capt. Henderson ;
served three years ; was discharged May 24, 1865 ; returned home, then went to New
York State; came back in the fall of 1866, and settled on his farm and engaged in the
manufacture of cheese in connection with general farming. He has six children — Mary
R., Samuel M., William Henry, Mabel and Seward S.; has an adopted daughter — Mary-
Catharine Fate ; lost second child.
JOHN MARTIN, farmer, Sec. 18 ; P. O. Van Buren ; owns a farm of 160
acres, where he lives, and also a quarter-section in Section 16 ; he was born in Ireland
in 1834; emigrated to this country in May, 1859; he went to Northern Minnesota,
where he lived three years ; he came to his present location in the spring of 1862 ; he
was married to Jane Brownlee, also a native of Ireland ; they have four children —
William, Sarah A., Mary and Robert S.; lost one son — John B. '
JUSTIN MILES, farmer. Sec. 23 ; P. O. "Miles ; was bora in Medina Co.,
Ohio, in 1837 ; his parents, James and Sophia Miles, came to Van Buren Township
in July, 1852 ; his father entered a quarter-section of land, which includes the present
site of Miles, on which he died Dec. 1, 1867 ; his mother died in March, 1858. Mr.
Miles enlisted in Co. L, 2d I. V. C, Aug. 24, 1861 ; he served till Oct. 10, 1864 ;
he was at the sieges of New Madrid, Island No. 10 and Corinth, and at the battle of
Iuka, etc., and was discharged Oct. 10, 1864. His wife was Miss Maranda Jacobs,
daughter of Amasa Jacobs.
J. W. MILES, banker and farmer ; P. O. Miles ; born in Wayne Co.,Ohio, in 1 830;
came to Jackson Co. in the fall of 1854, and located where he nosv lives. He married,
in 1856, Sarah J. Heckerd ; they have two children — Hattie, born in 1861, and
722 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
Forrest B., born in November, 1873 ; lost their second child — Pearl. Mr. Miles was
elected to the Legislature in the fall of 1877.
JOHN 14.. MILLER, druggist, Spragueville ; was born in Philadelphia,
Penn., on the 14th of July, 1821, where he was raised and educated; in 1844, he
emigrated to Schuylkill Co., Penn., where he lived for five years, and, in 1849, he emi-
grated to Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has lived ever since ; his residence has been
confined to Andrew, Bellevue aud Spragueville. He has been Township Clerk of
Andrew for several years, and also Constable. He is a Republican in his politics. He
is a married man, but has no children. He was also Postmaster at Andrew for eight
years.
THOMAS PE ARSON, farmer, Sec. 10 ; P. O. Miles ; resides with his
son on Sec. 24; born in Yorkshire, England, in 1814; his mother died in England;
his father, with his eight children, came to the United States in 1832 ; he died in Utica,
N. Y., in I860 ; only three of the family of eight children are now living, Thomas and
his two sisters, the latter, residents of Madison Co., N. Y. Mr. Pearson came to Jack-
son Co. in 1851, and settled on his farm on Sec. 10. He married Elizabeth Bryan, a
native of Canada; they have one son — Thomas A., born in Elgin, 111., in October,
1850. He was married to Miss Lucinda Davis, daughter of Mr. Wm. Davis, an early
settler of Iowa Township ; they have two children — Rhea and Emma ; have been on
present farm since 1875.
I. N. POLLANS, produce dealer, Preston ; was born in Tuscarawas Co.,
Ohio, in 1838 ; his parents removed to Whiteside Co., 111., when he was 9 years of age;
he came to Iowa in June, 1874, located at Maquoketa, and engaged in the produce
business ; he came to Preston and engaged in business in October of that year. He
was married to Miss S. E. Smith ; they have three children — Frank, Lulu and Dwight.
OLIVER B. PRIOR, farmer, Sec. 26 ; P. O. Preston ; was born in Ohio
in 1834 ; he came to Van Buren Township in 1854, and §ettled on Sec. 23; located
where he now lives in 1874. His parents, Erastus and Mary Prior, came to the county
at the time he did, and settled on Sec. 23 ; his father died about 1867 ; his mother died
in November, 1878. He married Nancy J. Latta ; they have one son — Daniel. Mr.
Prior has 260 acres of iand.
OTTO SCHMIDT, merchant, Van Buren ; born in Prussia, Germany, in
1S25 ; he learned the trade of a blacksmith ; he located in Columbia Co., N. Y., when
he first came to this country, where he worked at his trade for about a year and a half,
thence to Hudson City, where he remained nearly a year ; he came to Sibula in the
summer of 1857, thence to Savanna, 111., where he worked a short time at his trade;
thence to Hanover, Iowa, for a short time, and came to Sterling in the summer of
1857 ; he worked at his trade in Sterling for about eleven years; he entered the mer-
cantile trade in 1870. Mr. Schmidt has done and is doing a fine business ; in fact, has
become quite wealthy, owning several fine farms, well improved. He was married to
Sophia Pagels, a native of Germany; they have six children — Frank W., August F.,
Minnie S., Otto B., George W. and Augusta. Mr. Schmidt is Postmaster at Van
Buren, appointed in 1870 ; has also held the offices of Supervisor and Justice of the Peace.
HEXRY SPECHT, proprietor of the Mitchel House, and grain and stock
buyer, Preston ; was born in Schli'swig-rlolstein, Germany, in 1836. Bis parents, John
and Frederica Specht, came to the United States in 1854; they came to Sabula in June
of that year, where his mother died the following spring; in 1855, his father settled on
a farm near Sterling, Jackson Co. Mr. Henry Specht married, in 1865, Minnie
Pitham ; soon after, settled on a farm in Van Buren Township, which he still owns ; he
came to Preston in the spring of 1871, and built the Mitchel House and barn; has
erected a number of other buildings in Preston, including the Public Hall, in 1873 ; he
built a brick store in 1875, which was burned in 1878, and which he rebuilt in 1879 ;
he built aud owns the grain elevator, and has made other valuable improvements to the
town.
DR. J. P. H. SlTGrGr, Preston; born in Sabula in 1845; he is a son of
Dr. J. G. Sugg, of that town ; he first turned his attention to the study of medicine
VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP. 723
while engaged as a clerk in the drug store of his father in Sabula ; in 1867, he went to
Carroll Co., Iowa, and engaged in surveying ; was County Surveyor there for several
years; he established the Western Herald newspaper, the first paper published in Car-
roll Co. ; he afterward engaged in mercantile business at Spragueville, in company with
Mr. J. E. Reid; removed to Preston and engaged in the same business in 1S71 ; he dis-
posed of his business in the fall of 1875 ; he attended a course of medical lectures at
Iowa City in the winter of 1S7S-70 ; will complete his course in February, 1880. He
married Miss Sarah A. Reid, of Sabula; they have two children— James M. and Her-
bert R. Dr. Sus™ was the first Postmaster of Preston.
DAVID SWA1VEY, farmer, Sec. 22 ; P. 0. Van Buren ; was born in
Washington Co., Penn., March 7, 1807. His parents removed to Richland Co.,
Ohio, when he was about 15 years of age. He was married to Sidney Latter, of Ohio ;
they lived for some time in Ann Arbor, Mich., and came to Van Buren Township in
1S39, and settled where he now lives ; has eight children — Jane, James, Angeline, Mary
Ann, William, Medora, John Milton and Ira A. Mr. Swauey has 320 acres of land
where he lives, and eighty acres in Washington Township.
BENJAMIN VANSTEENBITRG, Preston ; was born in Newport,
Herkimer Co., N. Y., in August 1830 ; his father removed to Illinois in 1856, and to
Jackson Co. in the autumn of 1858 ; Mr. Vansteenburg enlisted in August, 1862, in
Co. A, 24th I. V. I.; was at the battle of Port Gibson, Miss.; lost an arm at Champion
Hills, Miss., where he was taken prisoner, and after a few weeks paroled ; discharged,
March, 1864; has been Clerk of the House of Representatives since 1866; in 1S66,
was elected Recorder of Jackson Co.; he also took the U. S. Census of the Ninth Dis-
trict in 1870 ; his first wife was Miss Sarah Bradley; she died in 1873 ; his present
wife was the widow of Dr. C. Amos ; had one son by first marriage — Ben B., born
in 1869.
JONAS VANSTEENBURG, farmer, Sees. 27 and 34 ; P. O. Preston ;
born in Greene Co., N. Y.,in 1S06; when 17 years of age, he went to Albany, and served an
apprenticeship as carpenter and joiner ; he resided in Albany until 28 years of age. He
married Miss Laura Lloyd, of Albany ; he removed from Albany to Newport, Herkimer
Co., N. Y., where he lived about sixteen years, and where all of his children were born ;
he has six children — Frances, George, Benjamin, Lines, Helen and Willard ; Mr. Van-
steenburg removed to Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., in' 1850, where he purchased a farm,
where he resided four years ; in the spring of 1854, he came to Maquoketa, but left his
family in New York ; he remained during the summer, and in the fall of that year pur-
chased his present farm ; he was engaged at his trade; built the house at Mt. Algor,
now owned by John Harrington ; returned to New York in fall of 1854 ; in spring of
1855, came back to Van Buren Township; engaged in building; went back to New
York in fall of 1S55 ; came back the following spring; in September, 1856, went to
Illinois, and engaged to build the academy at Maiden, in that State ; finally, in October,
1858, he removed his family from New York,, to his farm in Van Buren Township,
where he has since resided.
JOHN N. VIALL, farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. O. Miles ; born in Chautauqua Co.,
N. Y., in 1826. His parents, Burrill and Sarah Viall, removed to Summit Co., Ohio,
in 1831. Mr. Viall came to Sabula in 1848 ; he returned to Ohio in the following
spring. In the spring of 1850, he removed to Maquoketa, with his family, and engaged
in the furniture business, where he continued ten years. He then purchased a farm in
Maquoketa Township, where he lived till 1873; then sold his farm and purchased a
farm in Iowa Township, Section 20, which he still owns. He purchased the farm where
he now lives in 1877. He married Margaret Richley, of Ohio. They have three chil-
dren— -Martha (now Mrs. Frank Wilson), Sarah Belle (now Mrs. Arthur Kellogg) and
Scott.
CHARLES WAGER, farmer. Sec. 27 ; P. 0. Preston ; was born in Tomp-
kins Co., N. Y., in 1835. He came to Jackson Co. in the fall of 1856, and worked for
Mr. S. 0. Kellogg about nine years. In November, 1858, he exchanged land in Min-
nesota, which he had purchased in 1857. for his present farm of eighty acres. Was-
724 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
married to Miss Helen Vansteenburg, daughter of Jonas Vansteenburg. He enlisted
in October, 1862, in Co. A, 24th I. V. I. ; was at the battles of Port Gibson and Cham-
pion Hills; at the siege of Vicksburg, thence to New Orleans ; was in Bank's Red River
expedition ; was wounded during the return of that expedition ; was in hospital at Baton
Rouge four months ; returned home on furlough about Aug. 1 ; was discharged, with
regiment, July 17, 1865. Has one daughter — Beulah.
SEYMOUR WELLS, farmer and well-driller, Sec. 24; P. 0. Miles; was
born in Ohio in 1834 ; he came to Van Buren Township in 1855, where he has since
resided. He was married to Esther Guver, of Ohio. They have three children —
Apama, Levi and Prank. Mr. Wells is a member of the County Board of Supervisors ;
elected in 1S77.
BORDEN T. WHIPPLE, carpenter, Mount Algor ; P. 0. Miles; was
born in Washington Co., N. Y., in 1822. His parents removed to Buffalo when he was
13 years of age, where he lived till 1843, when he removed to Winnebago Co., 111.,
where he lived till 1872, when he came to Jackson Co. ; has lived in Iowa and Van
Buren Townships since the fall of 1873. His first wife was Caroline Ames, a native of
Pennsylvania. Has three children by this marriage — Welton W., Inmon and Salina.
He was married to Mrs. Sarah J. Wycoff in June, 1875. Mrs. Whipple, whose maiden
name was Truesdell, came to Jackson Co. with her parents in 1855. She has two chil-
dren by her first marriage — Harriet E. and Vernal.
PERRY TOWNSHIP.
WILLIAM W. A PPL EG ATE, farmer, Sec. 7 ; P. 0. Fulton ; was
born in Trumbull Co., Ohio, in 1839; when he was 2 years of age, his parents
removed to Mercer Co., Penn. ; thence to Perry Township, Jackson Co., Iowa, in
1855. During the war of the rebellion, he served in Co. I, 31st I. V. I., and partici-
pated in twenty engagements ; was honorably discharged at the close of the war. In
politics, Mr. A. is a Republican.
WILLIAM K. BEGGS, farmer, Sec. 1 ; P. 0. Bellevue ; a native of
Mercer Co., Penn. ; was born Feb. 3, 1829, where in early life he received a liberal
education ; in 1856, he married, in his native county, Miss Mary J. Lockheart, a native
of Lawrence Co., Penn., born in 1836 ; in 1857, they emigrated to Iowa, and settled
in Jackson Co., near Springbrook ; in 1867, they removed to where they now reside;
they raised two children — Corelia J. Clarke and William J. Clarke. Mr. Beggs and
wife are members of the U. P. Church. In politics, he is a Republican. He has been
elected to various school offices, and was an efficient guardian of school and other public
interests ; he owns seventy-five acres of land, and has a comfortable home, surrounded
by all modern improvements ; his father, Joseph Beggs, married, in Ohio, Rachel
Beggs ; he died in Mercer Co., Penn., in 1850 ; she came to Iowa in 1857, and is still
a resident of Jackson Co., where she settled ; their surviving children are William R.,
whose name heads this sketch ; A. M., Sarah, now Mrs. George Williams ; Nancy and
Leonard ; one of the deceased, Henry, enlisted in Co. K, 31st I. V. I. ; he was a gallant
soldier, and was killed at the battle of Lookout Mountain. William Lockheart, father of
Mrs. Beggs, was in active service in our war with England in 1812, and a long while a
clerk in the War Department ; he married Jane Kelso ; one of their sons, Silas, served
with distinction in a Pennsylvania regiment durinsr the war of the rebelliou.
* JOHN CHRISTOPH BLESSING, Andrew ; was born March 23,
1827, at Oberants, Goeppingen, Koenigreich, Wurtemburg, Germany ; in early life he
received a liberal education in his native town ; when about 15 years of age, he
engaged to learn the mason trade, and on March 30, 1852, received the diploma of
master mechanic. Mr. B. has been twice married ; first time in his native country, to
Miss Sibilla Franck, a native of the same town he was, and born Sept. 19, 1827 ; in
1852, they emigrated to the United States, stopped at North Boston, Erie Co., where
PERRY TOWNSHIP. 725
he worked at his trade a short time; then went to Chicago, 111., where they remained
until 1855, when they removed to Fulton, Jackson Co., Iowa, living there and working
at his trade until 1S03, when he removed to Maquoketa, where his first wife died on
the 8th of February, 1864. By this marriage there were four children — William Albert,
born Jan. 17, 1853 ; Gottfried Julius, July 6, 1804 ; Joanna Fredrica, Dec. 0, 1S55;
Anna Maria, July 30, 1860. Aug. 4, 1809, he married a second wife, Caroline Stan-
der ; shortly after they moved to Andrew, where he has since lived ; his second wife
died in Andrew Dec. 15, 1878. Mr. B. is a member of the Lutheran Church ; is a
Democrat in politics.
HON. PHILIP B. BRADLEY, Andrew; born at Ridgefield, Fair-
field Co., Conn., Jan. 5, 1809 ; his grandfather, Philip Burr Bradley, was also a native
of Ridgefield, a lawyer, and a graduate of Yale ; during the Revolutionary war he was
a Colonel in active service, and his commission is still preserved ; he was a warm and trusted
personal friend of Washington, and was appointed by him, when President, Marshal of
the District of Connecticut, an appointment renewed in Washington's second term, and
also under President Adams; his son, Jesse Smith Bradley, was also a graduate of
Yale, and highly esteemed as a classical scholar ; he was elected by the Legislature one of
the Judges of Fairfield Co., an office retained until his death in May, 1833 ; his wife, Eliza-
beth Baker, the daughter of D. Amos Baker, a physician of note, was also a native of
Ridgefield. The eldest son of these parents, Philip B. Bradley, pursued his studies at
Ridgefield Academy until 1820, when he entered Uniou College at Schenectady, N. Y.,
from which he graduated in the Class of '29 ; in 1830, he commenced the study of law,
at Danbury, in the office of Reuben H- Booth, Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut ;
in 1835, he removed to Galena, 111., then the most enterprising town in the Northwest ;
there he was admitted to the bar by the Hon. Thomas Ford, afterward Governor of
Illinois; in 1830, Mr. Bradley was appointed Prosecuting Attorney; in 1837, he
received the appointment of Postmaster at Galena, which position he resigned in 1839 ;
in the autumn of the same year, he moved to Clinton Co., Iowa, where he was elected
the first Probate Judge in that county in 1840 ; in 1842, he removed to this county ;
in 1843, he was appointed Clerk of the District Courts by Judge Thomas S. Wilson,
and in April, 1845, was elected to the Territorial Legislature, and represented the
counties of Jackson, Dubuque, Delaware and Clayton ; in 1846, he was elected a mem-
ber of the Senate of the First General Assembly for four years, and in 1850 was Sec-
retary of that body ; in 1857, he was elected a member of the House of Representatives
for two years; in 1861, he was elected County Judge, and made the most efficient guardian
of the public interests to whom they were ever intrusted ; in 1877, he was again elected
a member of the House of Representatives for two years. In all the relations of life
Judge Bradley has few, if any, superiors ; he is a public-spirited, enterprising citizen,
and one whose honesty and fidelity to public and private trusts is unimpeachable ; he is
an excellent scholar, a close reader and deep thinker, and is- eminently qualified by
nature and education to be a leader in public affairs. Judge Bradley married in Galena,
111., in 1835, Miss Lucinda, daughter of Samuel D. Carpenter of that city; they have
nine children.
J. Y. BUCHANAN, Postmaster at Andrew, also a member of the firm of
Butterworth & Buchanan, general merchants; born in Mercer Co., Penn., in 1843; in
1 855, removed with his parents to Jackson Co., served as Corporal in Co. G, I. V. C. ;
was honorably discharged; in 1875, he engaged, with O. P. Butterworth, in mercantile
business at Andrew, where they now have a large and constantly increasing trade, and
enjoy the confidence of the citizens in general ; in 1875, he was appointed Postmaster,
and in 1878, was elected Justice of the Peace ; he is also a member of the Town Coun-
cil of Andrew ; he is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, and the Ancient Order of
United Workmen. Acts with the Republican party. Mr. Buchanan married, in
Andrew. Miss Mary E. Van Meter ; they have had four children, three are living —
Nellie E., Fred G.. and Harry Y. ; they lost Pearl.
NATHANIEL BUTTERWORTH, Andrew. Among the earliest
and most prominent pioneer settlers of Iowa, we find none more worthy of special mention
726 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
than the old and honored citizen of Andrew, Nathaniel Butterworth, whose portrait
appears in this work. He was born in Bellingham, Norfolk Co., Mass., May 15, 1800,
and, in early life, received a liberal education at Orange, Franklin Co., Mass. In 1827,
he married, at Troy, in his native State, Miss Sarah Boomer. In 1829, they emigrated
to the town of Mina, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., which was their home until their coming
to Iowa in 1838. The year previous (1837), hearing the glowing reports of the Far
West, and being favorably impressed with the many advantages claimed for the new
country, he determined to brave all the hardships and privations that must necessarily be
undergone by the pioneer settlers of any country. Therefore he started afoot from
his home at Mina ; walked all the way to Iowa ; bought a claim in the vicinity of where
the town of Andrew is ; returned afoot to Mina, and the following year (1838), as
before stated, removed his family to this (Jackson) county, and settled in the vicinity
of where he now resides. Aug. 24, 1876, his wife died. She was a native of Troy,
Mass., born April 13, 1801, and was one of those early pioneer mothers of whom we
all feel so justly proud, an earnest and sincere Christian woman. Of their children,
five are now living— Laura (now the wife of Caleb Sherman, Santa Barbara, Cal.) ;
Nathaniel B. (one of Andrew's most influential citizens), Wales C. (an extensive farmer,
living in the vicinity of Andrew), Otis P. (a leading merchant of Andrew), Lorane (wife
of George W. Downing, of Andrew). Mr. Butterworth's career has been useful and
honorable, and has been one of ceaseless activity and industry. He is now in the 80th
year of his age, and in good health ; possesses all his faculties, except his hearing, which
is slightly impaired ; his constitution is yet robust, and no weather will keep him
indoors all day ; he must be out at least one-half of each day in viewing or in assisting in
any work that may be going on. In political sentiment, he has always been an uncom-
promising Democrat. But, although he has firmly adhered to and advocated the
principles of his party, he has never been so biased by political prejudice as not to
willingly allow those who differed from him the peaceful enjoyment of their opinions,
recognizing the fact that men maj honestly differ in their views. As a consequence, he
has many warm personal friends among men with whose political views he has no
sympathy. He has taken a deep interest in educational matters, and, in all public enter-
prises tending to the prosperity of the county, he has co-operated to the extent of his
ability. He filled the office of Treasurer of Jackson County ; was the first Postmaster
appointed at Andrew, and has filled various other offices of honor and trust. Such has
been his course of life and his dealings with all with whom he has to do, that he has
secured to himself universal confidence and respect. Mr. Butterworth has much force
of character and great firmness, but is naturally very sociable and agreeable in his
deportment. In every position he has filled, he has left a clear record. He has seen
the hardships and trials attendant on a pioneer life, and now lives in the full enjoyment
of a well-spent and successful life.
WALES C. BUTTERWORTH, Andrew; son of Nathaniel and Sarah
Butterworth, pioneer settlers and honored citizens of Perry Township ; he was born in
Chautauqua Co., N. Y., in August, 1834. In 1838, he removed with hjs parents to
Perry Township, which has since been his home. He married, in this county, Miss
B. Brady; they have four children living — Sarah, Addie. Ansel and Wilmot. Mr.
Butterworth is extensively engaged in farming. He acts with the Democratic party.
O. P. BUTTFRWORTH, of the firm of Butterworth & Buchanan,
dealers in general merchandise, Andrew. Mr. Butterworth was born in Perry Town-
ship, Jackson Co., Nov. 7, 1838 ; was the first white child born in the township. His
parents were Nathaniel and Sarah Butterworth, who settled in Perry Township in 1838.
In early life, he received a thorough business education. In 1860, he married, in Adair
Co., Iowa, Miss Susan A. Barnhart, a native of Pennsylvania ; they have four chil-
dren— Henry O., Clinton W., Mary C. and Laura E. Mr. Butterworth engaged in
the mercantile business at Andrew in 1874: shortly after, Mr. J. Y. Buchanan became
a partner ; they have a large and constantly increasing trade, and enjoy the confidence
of the community. Mr. Butterworth has filled various offices. He is a Democrat; is
a member of the Masonic and Ancient Order of United Workmen.
PERRY TOWNSHIP. 727
Jff. B. BUTTERWORTH, proprietor of the Franklin House, Andrew ;
a native of Chautauqua Co., N. Y. ; born in 1830. In 1838, his parents, Nathaniel and
Sarah Butterworth (nee Boomer), came to Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled in Sec. 22,
Perry Township. In 1850, Mr. Butterworth and his father went to California, and
engaged in mining, with fair success ; in 1851, he returned home, and, a short time
afterward, went to Central America ; here his health failing from the severity of the
climate, he again started for home on a ship containing but eighteen days' provisions ;
the wind rising, they were blown out of their course, and a calm falling, their voyage
was prolonged to fifty-two days, thus placing them upon very short rations. In 1855,.
Mr. Butterworth married, in this (Perry) township, Miss Margaret, daughter of Alfred
and Mary Snyder; she was born in 1S34; they have four children — N. Elliot, Alfred
S., Wales T. and Willis P., twins; Wales T. died Aug. 8, 1879. Idolized by his-
parents, and a favorite among the townspeople and his playmates, he will be sadly
" We only know that thou hast gone.
And that the same returnless tide
Which bore thee from us still glides on,
And we, who mourn thee, with it glide.
"Shed not for him the bitter tear,
Nor give the heart to vain regret ;
'Tis but the casket that lies here,
The gem that filled it sparkles yet."
Mr. Butterworth has held various local offices, and is at present a member of the
Town Council. He is a Democrat, Owns farm and valuable city property. Mr. But-
terworth has been very successful in business, and is a genial, pleasant gentleman.
A. S. CAMAHAN, M. D., Andrew; born in Butler, Butler Co., Penn., in.
1820, where he received an education which fitted him for the study of medicine ; early
in life, he entered the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, Penn., from which he
graduated in 1852 ; he immediately afterward commenced attending the Cleveland
Medical Institute in Ohio and graduated early in 1 854 ; in the spring of that year, he
came to Jackson Co., located at Andrew and entered actively in the practice of his pro-
fession. In 1863, he abandoned a large practice at Andrew and entered the 8th I. V.
C. as First Assistant Surgeon ; at the expiration of six months' service, was promoted
to the office of Chief Surgeon and was subsequently made Brigade Surgeon, which
position he filled with honor to himself and entire satisfaction of the Government. In,
performing the various duties of his office with the marked ability and conscientious
fidelity peculiar to him. Dr. Carnahan has, by his urbane manner and kindness of heart,
won for himself many warm and devoted friends. Dr. C. is the present Coroner, an
office he has held a number of terms ; he has also held various local offices. On Aug.
20, 185-1, he married, in Andrew, Miss Mary E., daughter of Alfred and Mary Snyder,
a most estimable lady ; she was born in Licking Co., Ohio, in 1830. The Doctor is a
member of the State Medical Society; in addition to his profession, he is extensively
engaged in the mercantile and drug business.
A. J. CHENEY, Andrew; was born in Milford, Mass., Feb. 19, 1829; in
1833, his parents moved to Chautauqua Co., N. Y., and settled in the village of Mina,
where the subject of this sketch attended school until 1838, when he removed in com-
pany with his parents to Jackson Co., Iowa ; they settled a short distance north of
Andrew. In 1857, he married Mary V. Palmer, daughter of Ebenezer and Permelia
Palmer, old and respected citizens of Jackson Co. Mr. Cheney and wife are members
of the M. E. Church ; their children are Freeman, Orreson and Carrie May. He was
Deputy Sheriff and Justice of the Peace several years and made a most efficient officer.
His father, Carmel Cheney, was a native of Milford, Mass., where he married Miss
Ursula Kiby ; they emigrated, as stated above, to Iowa in 1838, and settled north of
Andrew, thus becoming pioneer settlers of Perry Township, enduring all the privations
and hardships which the eirly settlers of any new country are subject to. They, by dint
of industry and honest toil, improved the farm on which the county house now stands,
which place they sold to the county, and, shortly after, removed to Missouri and are
TZS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
now honored residents of Harrison Co., that State; they had eleven children — Sarah
(now Mrs. Hughes, Harrison Co., Mo.), Cordelia (deceased), John (is married and lives
in Crawford Co., Iowa), Albert (served in the Union army during the war ; was a good
soldier; is married and lives in Guthrie Co., Iowa), A. J. (whose name heads this
sketch), Adeline (now Mrs. William Walker, Milford, Mass.; he is deceased), William
(served in the Union army during the war; is married; lives in Harrison Co., Mo.),
Hannah Jane (married A. J. Gilbert ; he served in the cause of the Union during the
war ; lives in Harrison Co., Mo.), Mary (married A. Carpenter ; he was also in active
service in the army of the Union), David (was also a soldier of the Union ; is married ;
lives in Missouri), Rossella (now Mrs. H. Robinson, Harrison Co., Mo.; her first hus-
band, E. Nelson, died in the cause of the Union).
GEORGE COELIPRIEST, farmer, Sec. 32; P. 0. Andrew; is a
native of England; was born in Somersetshire in 1822; he emigrated to Onondaga Co.,
N. Y., in 1848 ; thence to Pennsylvania ; returned to England in the early part of 1857 ;
in the winter of the same year, he emigrated to Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled in Perry
Township, where he now resides. He married in England Miss Hannah Churches ;
their children are Mary S. (now Mrs. David Coyle), Sylvester (married Miss Rose
Wheeler), Hattie, Marcellus, Elmer E., Samuel S. and Harry H. Mr. Collipriest and
family are members of the M. E. Church ; he has always taken an active part in
advancing the religious and educational iuterests ; he is a Democrat. He owns 255
acres of land. Is a public-spirited, enterprising citizen.
D. II. DAUDEIi, Andrew; was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1832,
where he received a liberal education, and, in early life, learned the blacksmith's trade,
which he followed in Germany until 1851, when he emigrated to Buffalo, N. Y. ;
remained until 1S54, when he came to Jackson Co. aud engaged in blacksmithing
where the Poor Farm is now located ; in August, 1856, he moved to Andrew and
engaged in the manufacturing of carriages, wagons and buggies ; he does an extensive
business, and his is the principal manufactory of that kind in this part of the county.
He married, in Andrew, Miss W. E. Johnson March 25, 1857 ; she was born in Nor-
deu Ostfriesland, Province of Hanover, Germany ; they have eight children — Annie
M. E., Theodore J., Annetta L.P., Frederick H. C, Katrina M. L., Henrietta, Henry
C. G. A. and Lydia U. W. E. Mr. Daudel and family are members of the Lutheran
Church, in the organization of which he took an active part, and was elected the first
Elder and Secretary of the Church at Andrew. He was one of the principal movers
in the building of the Orphan Asylum at Andrew, and has been Secretary and Director
of that institution since its organization ; he is a member of the City Council, an office
he has filled several years. He is an energetic, self-reliant and enterprising citizen, and,
by his own indefatigable exertions, has made a place of influence and standing for him-
self among his fellow-men.
JAMES L,. DODD, Sec. 33; P. 0. Maquoketa; was born in Cabell Co.,
W. Va., June 10, 1842; the following year, his parents emigrated to this county and
settled iu Fairfield Township, where they resided until 1867, with the exception of two
years spent in Mercer Co., Mo. ; in 1867, they removed to Perry Township and settled
on Sec. 33. In 1861, James L. married Hattie Nodle ; she died in 1875; he married
his present wife, Miss A. Burta, at Maquoketa; had two children by first marriage —
Henry L. and Clara E. ; one child by second marriage — Cora. Mr. Dodd owns a val-
uable farm of 386 acres. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
at Maquoketa. Is a Democrat. His father, Lewis Dodd, was born in Montgomery
Co., Va., in 1802; he was twice married; first wife was Melinda Campbell, second
wife was Cassa Abels; he died at his residence in Perry Township in December, 1875;
he was a member of the M. E. Church, a respected citizen and a man who took a deep
interest in the progress and advancement of the public interests of the community
wherein he lived, and by whom his death was sincerely regretted ; his first wife died in
Virginia; second wife died in this county in December, 1869.
' JOHN 31. FITZGERALD, Warden County House and Insane Asylum;
P. 0. Andrew; is a native of Huntingdon Co., Penn ; born March 6, 1831 ; in 1837,
PERRY TOWNSHIP. 729
his parents, James and Mary A. Fitzgerald, removed to Indiana Co., where he received a
liberal education; in 1S44, parents removed to Lawrence Co.; thence to Mercer Co.,
where they remained until 1853, in which year they came to Jackson Co., Iowa, and
settled in Jackson Township, where they resided until their deaths, hers in 1S57, his
in 1862. Oct. 5, 1S54, Mr. Fitzgerald married, in London, Mercer Co., Penn., Miss
Sarah C. Black, daughter of the Hon. Robert Black, a member of the Legislature two
terms from his district iu Pennsylvania, and a man of abilitj' ; his wife was Sarah
Uber; he died in Pennsylvania in 1848. In Jackson Township, Mr. Fitzgerald was
elected to various offices; in 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, he represented the township on
the County Board of Supervisors ; was also Township Clerk and Trustee several terms
and Treasurer of the School Board a number of years ; in 1863-64, he was President
of the Union League at Spring Brook. In the spring of 1865, he sold out his prop-
erty in Jackson Township ; went East on a visit, remaining until the spring of 1866,
when he returned to Jackson Co., and has since resided in Perry, which township he
has represented on the County Board of Supervisors in 1869-70 ; in 1874, he was
appointed Warden of county buildings, the duties of which office he is efficiently dis-
charging. Mr. Fitzgerald and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church ; they
have one son — Oras Everett, also a member ; he is at present attending college ; Mr.
Fitzgerald was ordained Elder of the Presbyterian Church at Andrew, February, 1863,
has been sent as and delegate to the Presbytery at Hopkinton, Scotch Grove, Vinton,
Wheatland, Anamosa, Mt. Vernon, Bellevue, Lyons and Andrew; in March, 1873, he
was elected Master of the Andrew Grange, and, in 1873, was appointed Deputy Grand
Master for Jackson Co , which office he still holds; in 1875, he represented Jackson
and Dubuque Cos. in the State Grange ; he is a member of the Masonic Fraternity at
Andrew; is a Republican. He owns nearly two hundred acres of land in Perry
Township. Is a very liberal man, has many friends, and enjoys the fullest confidence
of the public.
S. M. GIBSON, farmer, Sec. 10 ; P. O. Andrew ; was born in Butler Co.,
Penn., iu 1840 ; in 1852, he removed to this county with his parents, William R. and
Martha Gibson ; they settled in Perry Township, where they have since resided; in
1862, S. M. Gibson enlisted in Co. M, 2d I. V.C. ; he was mustered into service
with his regiment at Davenport, and took part in every engagement the regiment was
in, the siege of Corinth, battles of Farmington, Booneville, Rienzi, Iuka, Corinth, Cof-
feeville, Palo Alto, Birmingham, Jackson, Grenada, Colliersville, Moscow, Pontotoc, Tupelo,
Old Town, Oxford and engagements against Hood's march on Nashville, battle of Nash-
ville, etc. He was mustered out with the regiment at Selma, Ala., Sept. 19, 1865. In
1867, he married iu Lawrence Co., Penn., Miss Martha McChesney, a native of that
county ; they have four children — Lilly L., Frank, William and Robert C. Mr. Gibson
and wife are members of the United Presbyterian Church. Mr. G. is a Republican.
He owns a well-improved farm.
THOS. J. GIBSON, farmer, Sec. 18; P. 0. Andrew ; son of William R.
and Martha Gibson, who came to Jackson Co. and settled in Perry Township in 1852,
where they still reside; he was born in Butler Co., Penn., in 1842; removed with his
parents to Jackson Co., when he was 10 years of age; in 1870, he married in Perry
Township Miss Martha Strain, daughter of James and Nancy Strain, old settlers of
Perry Township. Mr. Gibson and wife are members of the United Presbyterian Church.
They have three children — Lulu, May, Harry H., Glendora Rachel. Mr. Gibson is a
Republican; has held various local offices; owns a valuable farm, well improved.
ROBERT M. GIBSON, farmer, Sec. 20; P. O. Andrew; was born in
Butler Co., Penn., in 1S37 ; his parents are William R. and Martha Gibson, who settled
in this township in 1852. Robert M. served in Co. M, 2d I. V. C. ; he was enrolled at
Andrew, mustered into service at Davenport in the summer of 1861 ; he participated iu
nearly every battle his command was in, seige of Corinth, battles of Farmington, Boone-
ville, Rienzi, Iuka, Corinth, CofTeeville, Palo Alto, Birmingham, Jackson, Grenada, Col-
liersville, Moscow, Pontotoc, Tupelo, Old Town, Oxford and engagements against Hood's
march on Nashville, battle of Nashville, etc.; he was honorably discharged, returned to
730 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
this county, and, on March 29, 1866, married in Perry Township Miss Nancy E. Ham-
ilton, a native of Mercer Co., Penn., daughter of George and Rebecca Hamilton, who
settled in Jackson Co., Iowa, in 1855. Mr. Gibson and wife are members of the United
Presbyterian Church ; they have had five children— George W. and Emma K., born
June 15, lS70,died July 6, 1879 ; Edwin A., born May 24, 1872, died Aug. 17, 1872;
Elsie Augusta, twin of Edwin A., died July 13, 1872, and Robert Z. Mr. Gibson is
Elder of the United Presbyterian Church; has held various township and school offices;
he was mustered out of the United States Service as Quartermaster Sergeant ; he owns
a valuable and well-improved farm.
WILLIAM R. GIBSON, Sr., farmer, Sec. 21 ; P. 0. Andrew ; was
born in Allegheny Co., Penn., in 1803, where he had the advantages of a good common-
school education ; when 18 years of age, he went to Pittsburgh, Penn., and there learned
the trade of copper and tinsmith. Feb. 9, 1837, he married, in Allegheny Co., Miss
Martha McChesney; immediately after their marriage, they removed to Butler Co.r
Penn., thence to Iowa in 1852, and settled in Perry Township, which has been their
home since. They had ten children. Robert M., who was a soldier in Co. M, 2d I.V. C.r
married Nancy E. Hamilton. William R., Jr., was also in Co. M, 2d I. V. C; served
all through the war ; died from injuries received while in the service. Samuel M. served
in the same company and regiment with his brothers ; married Jane McChesney.
Thomas J. married Martha Strain. Richard J. married Lucinda Hamilton. Josiah H.
is a minister of the United Presbyterian Church at Coltersville, HI; he married Jennie
E. Grier. Joseph G. married Clara Scott. Three children died in infancy. Mr. Gib-
son and family are members of the United Presbyterian Church, in which he has been
Presiding Elder a number of years. Mr. G. was a Whig ; is now a Republican. Mr.
Gibson has, by his energy and good management, accumulated a property consisting of
several hundred acres of "land, out of which he has given all his children comfortable
and valuable homes.
HARRISON HAMILTON, farmer, Sec. 17 ; P. 0. Andrew ; was born
in this township June 16, 1861 ; his parents were George and Rebecca Hamilton, who
came from Mercer Co., Penn., to Jackson Co., in 1855. Mr. Hamilton owns 130 acres
of land. He is a member of the United Presbyterian Church. Mr. Hamilton is a
young man of energy and character, and is a most successful farmer. Republican.
J. S. HAMILTON, farmer, Sec. 17; P.O. Andrew; was born in Mercer
Co., Penn., June 26, 1841 ; in 1855, he removed with his parents, George and Rebecca
Hamilton, to this county ; he enlisted in Co. A, 9th I. V. I. ; was in the following
engagements : Pea Ridge, Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, siege of Vicksburg, Ring-
gold, Dallas, Lookout Mountain, Atlanta campaign, Sherman's march to the sea, a*nd
through North and South Carolina to Richmond ; he was mustered out in July, 1865,
at Louisville. Feb. 14, 1866, he married, in this county, Miss Mary J. Kennedy;
they have four children— Frank M., Linnie L , S. Clyde, J. Wylie. Mr. Hamilton and
wife are members of the United Presbyterian Church ; he is a Republican ; has held
various local offices; owns 120 acres of land in this county, and 160 acres in Hamilton
Co., Neb., in which county he lived during the years of 1874-75.
MILO HAMILTON, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. O. Andrew ; son of George and
Rebecca Hamilton ; was born in Mercer Co., Penn., in 1839 ; emigrated to this county
with his parents in 1855; in 1866, he married, in this county, Miss Osta Cams,
daughter of Samuel and Mary Cams, who came to Jackson Co. and settled in Perry
Township in 1852. Mr. Hamilton and wife are members of the United Presbyterian
Church ; they have two children —George W. and S. Eddie. Mr. H. is a Republican ;
he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Owns 120 acres of
land.
CAPT. THOMAS M. HAMILTON, Deputy Sheriff: P.O.Andrew;
was born in Mercer Co., Penn., in 1836 ; in 1855, removed with his parents, George
and Rebecca Hamilton, to Jackson Co. ; they settled in Perry Township ; Thomas M.
enlisted as private in Co. M, 2d I. V. C., was mustered into service at Davenport Sept.
1, 1861, as First Sergeant ; promoted to Second Lieutenant in April, 1862; shortly
PERRY TOWNSHIP. 731
after was raised to the rank of First Lieutenant, and in December, 1864, was made
Captain of his company ; he took active part in the following engagements — -siege of
Corinth, battles of Farmington, Booneville, Rienzi, Iuka, Corinth, Coffeeville, Palo
Alto, Birmingham, Jackson (at this place, while the Captain was making a charge, an
enemy's ball killed his horse), Grenada, Colliersville, Moscow, Pontotoc, Tupelo, Old
Town, Oxford, and engagements against Hood's march ou Nashville, battle of Nash-
ville, etc. ; he was mustered out at Selma, Ala., Sept. 19, 1865. Feb. 14, 1867, he
married, in Beaver Co., Peun., Miss D. J. McConnell, a native of that county ; they
have one child — Eva V. ; he was appointed Deputy Sheriff of Jackson Co. Jan. 1,
187S ; he has also held various township and school offices. Owns 240 acres of land
in Perry Township, on Sees. 17 and 18; Mr. Gibson and wife are members of the
United Presbyterian Church ; Republican.
ADOLPH HEINRICH, proprietor of meat market, Andrew ; was born
in the Province of Holstein, Germany, in 1848. In 1869, he emigrated to the United
States, and lived in the city of New York until 1874, when he came to Davenport,
Iowa, where he married Miss Meta Gerkan. They were married Aug. 29, 1874. and
Tesided in Davenport until 1877, in which year they removed to Andrew. They have
two children living — John and Frank ; one deceased. Mr. Heinrich and wife are mem-
bers of the Lutheran Church. He owns valuable city property ; he is a successful bus-
iness man, and has gained an enviable trade iu this portion of Jackson Co.
W. F. HOYT, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 24 ; P. 0. Andrew ; was born in
Carroll Co., N. H., March 22, 1845. He removed with his parents to Jackson Co. in
1852 ; he served in Co. K, 6th Iowa Cav. : engaged in the frontier against the Indians ;
he was mustered out at Sioux City Oct. 17, 1865. He married, in this county, Miss
Lydia Vonniedor, daughter of Samuel and Sarah Vonnieder, who settled in Jackson Co.
in 1S54. They moved to Hamilton Co., Iowa, in 1869, where they now reside. Mr.
Hoyt's children are Jennie E., Saida A., Rosa V., Labelle and William A. Mr. Hoyt
owns 100 acres of land, upon which there are several of those Mounds that are scattered
throughout the Northwest, srenerally conceded to be the work of a semi- civilized people,
who existed previous to the North American Indians. Mr. Hoyt's father, Josiah Hoyt,
was a native of Carroll Co., N. H. He married, in his native State, Miss Lettice B.
Senter. They removed to Jackson Co. in 1852, and settled in this township, where he
resided until his death, in Febiuary, 1875. His wife still lives in this township. Their
children were Mary Jane (now the wife of John Shoof, of this county), James B. and
W. F., whose name appears at the head of this sketch.
Ij. C IRWOJ, farmer, Sec. 11; P. 0. Andrew; was born near Wilmington,
Mercer Co., Penn., Aug. 4, 1830. In 1851, he removed with his parents to Jackson
Co., Iowa, and settled in Perry Township, where he has since resided. In 1855, he
married in this (Jackson) county, Miss Hannah Crawford, daughter of Adam and Mary
Crawford, early settlers of Andrew. They have eight children — Thomas, Edwin, Alice,
Charles, Albert, Theodore, Martha and John. Mr. Irwin and family are members of
the Presbyterian Church, in the interests of which he has always taken an active part,
and has been Deacon and a member of the Board of Church Trustees a number of years.
In politics, Mr. Irwin is a Republican. He has been elected to various township and
school offices, and is now a member of the Township Board of Trustees. He owns 240
acres of land, well improved. His parents, Luke and Mary Irwin, settled in Perry
Township iu 1851, where they resided until their death. Their children were James
(who is married, and lives in Dixon Co., Neb.), Sarah (now Mrs. William Anderson,
Mercer Co., Penn.), Christopher (who served in the 31st I. V. I., during the late
war, is married, and lives iu Dixon Co., Neb.), L. C. (whose name heads this sketch),
Simeon (^served in the 31st I. V. I., during the war of the rebellion, and died in
the service"), Mary (now deceased), John (served in the 9th I. V. I., during the war,
is married, and lives in Benton Co., Iowa), Thomas i also served in the 9th I. V. I., and
died in the service), Lemuel lis married, and lives in Dixon Co., Neb.).
MRS. EEEZARETH JENKINS (nee Roberts ., Sec. 3; P. O.
Andrew; was born in Derbyshire, England, in 1823. When she was 14 years of age,
732 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
her parents emigrated to the United States. She married, in 1834, in Pennsylvania,.
William Jenkins, a native of Gloucestershire, England ; he was born in 1807. Id
1836, they removed to Galena, 111., where they resided until 1839, when they came to
Jackson Co. and settled in Perry Township, where he resided until his death, in 1860.
He was an eminently good man in all the relations of life, a minister of the M. E.
Church and a Presiding Elder. He was a man of great energy and zeal, and his min-
istrations are held in sacred remembrance by the members of his Church. His death
was sincerely lamented. He left eight children— George W., who served in the war,
married Miss S. E. King, and is Pastor of the M. E. Church mar Wilton; Sarah E.,
married Thomas Elwood, attorney at law, Maquoketa; Mary A., married E. King (he
served in an Iowa regiment, was a gallant soldier, and is now deceased); Philip Reserved
through the war and married Maria McCombs; Judson B., married Mary J. Baker ;
Josephine A., married A. Merritt ; Marion A., married J. S. Matthews ; and Ida F.
Mrs. Jenkins is a member of the M. E. Church; owns a valuable farm.
MATTHEW REMEDY, farmer, Sec. 29 ; P. 0. Andrew ; was born
in Beaver Co., Penn., in 1808. When he was 19 years of age, he went to Hartford,
Trumbull Co., Ohio, where he married, in 1833, Miss Catherine Hyde, a native of
Connecticut. Immediately after their marriage, they removed to Lawrence Co., Penn.
In April, 1853, they emigrated to Iowa, and settled in Perry Township, Jackson Co.,
where they now reside. Their children are John H., who served in a Pennsylvania
regiment, is married and lives in Pennsylvania ; Margaret, deceased ; Spencer, lives in
Nebraska ; Sarah J., married Warren Austin (he served in an Iowa regiment during the
late war) ; Samuel, also was a soldier during the war; Emma, married ; George, Chris.
and James. Mr. Kennedy and wife are members of the M. E. Church. He is a
Republican; owns 160 acres of land.
MARItfUS KING, farmer; P. O. Andrew; was born in Mercer Co.,
Peun., in 1833; in 1846, removed with his parents to this county; they settled in
Perry Township. He married, in November, 1858, in Olmsted Co., Minn., Miss Hannah
M. flaight, a native of New York. In 1861, they came to Jackson Co., which has
been their home since, with the exception of two years they lived in De Witt. They
have six children — William A., Elizabeth H., Harry E., Frank Sherman, Fred Grant
and Charles W. Mr. King is a Republican. He is a member of the Ancient Order
of United Workmen, owns 300 acres of land, and is a most enterprising citizen. His
father, William King, was a native of Westmoreland Co., Penn. ; he married, in Mercer
Co., Margaret McClaren. In 1840, they emigrated to Perry Township, thus becoming
pioneer settlers ; she died in 1863; he died April 9, 1879. In the early history of
Perry Township, he was called on to fill various offices, and was elected Justice of the
Peace, Township Trustee and Assessor a number of terms. He also was elected to
many school offices, and always took an active part in the advancement of educational and
other public interests. His family were Elizabeth B., who married Joseph McCon-
nell (he served as Captain in an Iowa regiment during the war) ; Robert M., died in
1854; Rebecca M., now Mrs. I. Sweezey ; Marrinus, whose name heads this biogra-
phy ; Sarah E., who married G. W. Jenkins (he served in an Iowa regiment during the
war ; is Pastor of the M. E. Church near Wilton) ; John H., served in a Minnesota regi-
ment during the war ; Benjamin, also served during the war ; Nancy, married W. F.
Yerian ( he also served in an Iowa regiment during the war) ; Mary M., married A.
Phillips, of Andrew (he served during the war of the rebellion, and was promoted to
the rank of Captain) ; Martha J., now Mrs. L. Lidel.
SAMUEIi LITTEEFIELD, farmer, Sec. 4; P. O. Andrew; was born
in Milford, Worcester Co., Mass., in 1821. In 1S39, he removed with his parents to
this county. His parents, Moses and Mercy Littlefield, were natiyes of Worcester Co.;
they resided in Perry Township until she died in 1859, he in 1878. He was a pioneer
settler, and filled various important offices in the early history of Perry Township. Mr.
S. Littlefield married, in Perry Township, Miss D. Cams, daughter of Samuel and
Mary Cams, pioneer settlers of Jackson Co.; they have four children — Milton, born
in August, 1860 ; Lorenzo, in August, 1865; Annie, in February, 1867 ; Hollister, in
PERRY TOWNSHIP. 733
September, 1875. Mr. Littlefield owns 240 acres of land. He has resided continuously
in Perry Township since 1837.
JAMES McMEAXS, (deceased) ; was a native of Trumbull Co., Ohio ; born
Oct. 4, 1807; when he was 5 years of age, his parents moved to New Wilmington,
Lawrence Co., Penn.; being desirous of entering the medical profession, he, after a pre-
paratory course of study at New Wilmington, entered the Medical Institute at Cannons-
burg, Penn., from which he graduated in 1833; he commenced the practice of his
profession at Clark, Mercer Co., Penn. He married in Shakelyville (then Georgetown),
Miss Eliza McClure, a native of that place; she was born Aug. 14, 1815; in 1847,
they left Clark esville, came to Iowa, and settled in this township ; here, by his energy
and application to the business of his profession, he soon obtained a large practice, which
he retained uutil his death, June 28, 1863. Dr. McMeans was a member of the Pres-
byterian Church and always took an active interest in the religious and educational
interests of the county ; and in all the relationsof life was an eminently good man, and
one whose loss was deplored in the community in which he for so many years resided ;
he was the father of seven children — Andrew, who enlisted in Co. A, 9th I. V. I., was
killed in the charge on Vicksburg, May 19. 1863: Philetus, born at Clarksville, Oct.
17, 1839; John W., served in Co. A, 9th I. V. I. (served through the war; was
wounded at Vicksburg ; married Eliza Stevens, of Maquoketa ; they live in Monti-
cello, Jones Co. ) ; Richard F., served in the Iowa Cavalry during the war ; (he married
Miss Sarah Bell) ; Mary, married R. M. Smith (he enlisted in the 2d I. V. C.; died from
injuries received in the service) ; Mattie, born in this county ; the nest died in infancy.
Mrs. McMeans' post office is Andrew ; she is a member of the Presbyterian Church ;
her father, Andrew McUlure, a native of Columbus, Penn., was a soldier in the war ot
1812; he married Mary Hazen, also a native of Pennsylvania; he died in 1833, and
his wife followed him Oct. 8, 1877 ; Mrs. McMeans owns 160 acres of land.
JAMES .11 <-X A Kit. farmer, Sec. 32; P. 0. Maquoketa; was born in Phila-
delphia, Penn., in 1826 ; in 1848, he went to Galena, 111.; thence to this county in the
autumn of the same year ; in 1855, he married Mary Hogn, a native of Pennsylvania;
she died in 1874; he married his present wife, Mary Livingston, Oct. 26, 1875 ; she
was also a native of Pennsylvania ; had six children by first marriage, only one living
— Samuel W.; Mr. McNabb owns a well-located farm of over 300 acres; acts with the
Republican party; he has resided in Jackson Co. since November, 1848, and on the farm
he now lives on since 1855, consequently over thirty years have passed since he sought
out a home in Jackson Co.; he has kept pace with the progress of the county, as to-day
may be seen in the substantial evidences of improvement which surround his home.
H. W. JIECHEXER, II. D., Andrew; was born in Lancaster, Penn., in
1839, and there pursued the preliminary studies to qualify him for the medical profes-
sion ; in 1858, he entered the Maryland Medical College, at Baltimore; thence went
to the Pennsylvania Medical College, from which he graduated in 1S60 ; he commenced
practicing that year in Brooke Co., Va., where he continued untii he enlisted in an
independent battalion, and was appointed Surgeon by Gov. Pierpont, of West Virginia;
he was afterward commissioned Captain; was in active service until October, 1864,
when he was honorably discharged ; in 1S66, he came to this county, and has since been
engaged in the practice of his profession. In 1870, he married, in Peoria, 111., Miss
Mary A. Townsend ; they have two children — Frank and Elsie; in 1877, they
removed to Andrew, where, in addition to his profession, the Doctor engaged in the
drug business ; by his prompt and earnest attention to the duties of his profession, he
has gained a large practice ; Dr. Mechener and wife are members of the U. P. Church ;
he is a member of the City Council of Andrew.
J. H. MERRITT, Sec. 9; P. O. Andrew; was born in Seneca Co., N. Y.,
in December, 1813; in 1828, went to Butler Co., Ohio, where he married, in 1831,
Sarah Van Fossen, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio ; in 1837, they removed to Jones Co.,
Iowa, and settled near Olin, that county (then Borne); here his wife died in 1844.
On the 6th of July, 1846, he married his present wife, Mary A. Thorpe (nee Jones),
a native of London, Eng. ; born in 1815; her parents emigrated to Shawneetown,
734 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
111., in 1818, where she married William Thorpe ; he died in 1838, and she went to
Jones Co., where she an! Mr. Merritt were married ; in 1854, Mr. Merritt and family
removed to this county and settled, where he now resides. Mr. Merritt's children by
first marriage were Mary J., now deceased ; Clinton, who died in the army; William,
died in this county ; Rebecca, now Mrs. J. Merritt; Elizabeth E., now Mrs. Wm.
Leonard ; James A., served in the war four years. Children by present wife are
Charles E ; John C, born in Jones Co. in 1S49, married Miss W. Schoaff ; Absalom
D., is married and lives in Perry Township ; Joseph R., died in infancy ; Francis and
Marion. Mr. Merritt and family are members of the Presbyterian Church ; he has
always taken an active part in advancing all religious and educational interests. He was
a Whig, now a Republican; he owns 160 acres of land ; his father, James Merritt,
married, in Sussex Co., N. Y., Miss Mary Hendrickson ; they removed to Seneca Co.,
where he died ; she came to Iowa, and died in Jones Co. at the advanced age of
85 years; John Merritt, a brother of the subject of this sketch, settled in Jones Co.,
Iowa, in 1836; he owns 1,200 acres of land near Olin, and is extensively engaged in
stock-raising ; Connolly Jones (father of Mrs. J. H. Merritt) was a printer, and worked
in the office of the Morning Herald, London; he died in Galena, 111., in 1854, and
was at that time one of the oldest printers in the iVorthwest ; his wife was Elizabeth
Odes ; she died in Brownville, 111. ; Mrs. Merritt's brothers, James and Edward C.
Jones, came from Galena, 111., and settled near Bellevue in 1836 ; Edward C. went to
Texas in 1855; James died in this county; two more of her brothers, William and
Charles, came to Jackson Co. in 1838; William still resides in this county; Charles
went to Texas, where he was killed while on frontier service for the Government.
DAVID MILLER, farmer, Sec. 12; P.O.Andrew; was born in Law-
rence Co., Penn., in 1846 ; in 1855, he emigrated, with his parents, to Andrew, Jack-
son Co., Iowa; March 18, 1874, he was married in Maquoketa, Iowa, to Miss Emma
P. Sisler; they have four children — Nancy B., Nettie M., Maude E. and Orre Wilford;
Mr. Miller owns 320 acres of land, well located and finely improved. In politics he is a
Democrat; his father, Cornelius Miller, was a native of Lycoming Co., Penn. He
was married, in Lawrence Co., to Miss Mary Motheral ; they settled in Jackson Co. in
1855; she died in 1874; he died in 1876. Their living children are Margaret, now
Mrs. S. Thompson, of Andrew ; Hiram, who served in the war of the rebellion, is mar-
ried, and lives in Burt Co., Neb. ; David, whose name appears at the head of this sketch ;
Angeline, now the wife of William M. Sisler, Perry Township ; Matilda, now the wife
of Mr. Kendall, Omaha, Neb. ; Josephine A.; eight children, deceased, one of whom
I William) died in the service of his country in the war of the rebellion. Mrs. David
Miller's parents, H. A. and Jane E. Sisler, natives of Pennsylvania, came to Jackson
Co., Iowa, in 1853, and settled in Jackson Township, where they have siuce been hon-
ored residents.
W. H. 9IOLER, Andrew; was born in Nichols Co., Ky., in 1845, where he
remained until 1856, when he went to Indiana; while he was there the war of the
rebellion broke out, and he enlisted in Co. C, 45th Ind. V. C, in which he served until April,
1803, when his term of enlistment expired, and he was honorably discharged; he imme-
diately re-enlisted as a veteran in Co. B, 116th Ind. V. I., and served until the close of
the war ; while in the service he was wounded twice — first time at Cumberland Gap,
second time near Greenville, Tenn. He was married in Boone Co., Ind., in 1864, to
Miss Emily Horner ; in the latter part of 1865, they removed to Marshalltown, Iowa,
remaining there until 1872, when they returned to Boone Co., Ind. ; returned to Mar-
shalltown in 1874 ; moved thence to Grinnell, Iowa; thence to Andrew in 1875. They
have three children — Ella Lena, Elmer Ellsworth and Anna Bell. Mr. Moler is a
Republican in politics.
' JOHN E. MORGAN, farmer, Sec. 18; P. O. Fulton; was born in Hazel
Green, Wis., June 23, 1843; in 1856, with his parents, Joshua C. and Sarah B. Mor-
gan settled in Farmer's Creek Township, where he remained until he enlisted in Co. B,
25th I. V. I. ; was enrolled in Fulton July 16, 1862 ; was in the battles of Arkansas
Post, Vicksburg, Walnut Bluff, Chattanooga, Ringgold, Ga., Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw
mNC'CY
PERRY TOWNSHIP. 737
Mountain, battles around Atlanta, Lovejoy Station, Jonesboro, Ships' Gap, Bentouville,
and Sherman's march through Georgia and the Carolinas to Richmond and Washington ;
was mustered out in Washington, D. C, June 6, 1865. He was married, in this
county, to Miss Jane, daughter of William and Elizabeth Strable, old settlers of Jack-
son Co., now residents of Maquoketa. Mr. Morgan has one child — William Y. Mr.
M. is a member of I. 0. 0. F. ; is a Republican ; is extensively engaged in farming.
JONAS MOYER, farmer, Sec. 20 ; P. 0. Andrew ; was born in Lehigh
Co., Penn., in 1819; emigrated to Mercer Co., with his parents, at an early age; in
Mercer Co. his boyhood was passed in attending school and assisting his father on the
farm ; in 1850, he came to Jackson Co. and bought land in Perry Township, where he
now resides. In 1856, he married Miss Mary Blank; they have one daughter — Ida;
members of the M. E. Church ; he has always taken an active interest in religious
matters, and is now a member of the Board of Church Trustees. Mr. Moyer is a
Republican, and owns 165 acres of land well improved.
J. H. OTTENS, Andrew ; was born in Harpstedt, Hanover, in 1848 ; edu-
cated at the Osnalburg College, from which he graduated in 1867 ; in 1869, emigrated
to America. In 1S75, married, in Andrew, Miss Lizzie Lahmeyer; she was born in
Bassun, Hanover; they have one child— Lena. Mr. Ottens and wife are members of
the Lutheran Church ; he has been engaged as clerk and book-keeper in Dr. Carna-
han's store for several years, and has, by his courteous manners and close attention to
his business, secured the confidence of the public in general.
WILLARD H. PALMER, Principal of High School, Andrew; was born
in Andrew, Jackson Co., Iowa, Aug. 6, 1855. His parents were Allen and Eliza Pal-
mer, natives of Ohio, who came to Jackson Co. and settled in Andrew in 1851, where
they still reside, old and respected citizens. He attended the public schools at Andrew
until 1873, when he entered the Grandview Academy, where he pursued his studies a
short time ; then he entered Cornell College, where he finished his education ; he- is a
proficient German scholar, and is fitted in every respect, educationally and otherwise, to
fill the position he holds ; in 1 878, Mr. Palmer was Town Solicitor of Andrew ; he is
Republican.
ADELBERT M. PHIEEIPS, Andrew ; was born in Chautauqua Co.,
N. Y., in 1S41, where he attended school; in 1857, he emigrated with his parents,
Daniel and Lucy Phillips, to Richland Township, Jackson Co., Iowa, where he resided
until the second year of the war, when he enlisted in Co. I, 31st I. V. I. ; was enrolled
at Andrew Aug. 9, 1862; appointed Sergeant then First Lieutenant; was mustered out
as First Lieutenant in July, 1864 ; mustered in as Captain of Co. I, in which position he
served until honorably discharged at the close of the war ; he participated in the battles of
Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Raymond, Jackson, Black River, Vicksburg, Chero-
kee, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Ringgold, Taylor's Hills, Snake Creek Gap,
Resaca, Dallas, New Hope Church, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta; in the
latter battle, he was severely wounded, and was taken to Marietta Hospital, and there
received a thirty days' furlough ; at the expiration of his furlough, he reported at Chat-
tanooga ; his command had left the day previous, and he entered an independent bat-
talion, and was stationed at Loudon, Teun., to do guard duty; during the winter of
1864-65, they were ordered to Beaufort, where Mr. Phillips was given charge of a
battalion ; were ordered thence to Goldsboro, where he joined his command. Mr.
Phillips married, in Andrew, Miss Mary M. King; they have three children— - Wiley,
Charles and Edward. Mr. P. is a Republican ; he was elected a member of the first
Board of Supervisors elected in Jackson Co., also was elected Collector and Assessor of
Richland Township several terms ; he is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, also of the
Ancient Order of United Workmen ; in both societies, he has taken a leading part ;
himself and wife are members of the M. E. Church.
W. A. QUIGEEY, M. D., Andrew; was born in Andrew, Jackson Co.,
Iowa; studied medicine under the tutelage of Dr. A. S. Carnahan, of that place, and
at Rush Medical College, Chicago, 111. ; he is an earnest worker in the profession he has
chosen ; is a close student, possessing rare judgment, and is fast acquiring the reputation
738 BIOGRAPHICAL
of a successful physician. His father, Dauiel G. Quigley, married, in Columbus,
Ohio, Maria M. Griffin ; they emigrated to Iowa in 1846, and settled in Bellevue, Jack-
son Co. ; in 1848, they removed to Andrew ; their children were Elisha B. (when the
war of the rebellion broke out, he was the first volunteer enlisted in the State of Iowa -r
he served throughout the war, and remained in the service of the Government until
1869 : he married Miss Ella Wilson, a native of Missouri ; reside in Crete, Neb.), Tay-
lor K. (is express agent at York, Neb.), Albine (married James A. McKellup ; also
lives in York, Neb.), Emory F. (married Emma Scott; lives in Albion, Marshall Co.,
Iowa), Lewis C. (married Lottie Thomas ; lives in Osceola, Neb.). Royal S. (mail agent
at Cheyenne, Dakota), Will A. (whose name heads this sketch;, Nuian (married Dr.
George E. Brown, at York, Neb.), and Emma L., who also lives at York, Neb.
REV. I. €r. RE9IBOLD, Pastor of the Lutheran Church and Superin-
tendent of Orphan Asylum, Andrew ; was born in Kirshheim am Necker, 0. B. Bessig-
heim, Koenigs Wurtemberg, June 24, 1832. He received a liberal education in the
High Schools in Germany. In 1852, emigrated to the United States, and entered the
Fayette University, Fayette Co., Iowa, where he received a preparatory education, which
fitted him for the study of theology. He then entered the Wartburg Lutheran Semi-
nary, where he finished his education and was ordained. In 1864, he was appointed
Pastor of the Lutheran Church at Marine City, Mieh., where he remained but a short
time, when he was transferred to Sanilac, Mich., and had pastoral charge of the Church
there until 1867, when he removed to Iowa and acted as assistant Pastor at Andrew a
few months ; then was appointed Pastor of the Church at Bellevue, and also had charge
of churches at Spragueville and Van Buren, until 1S73, when he was called again to
Andrew as its Pastor, the pastorate of which place, with Lost Nation, Clinton Co., he
is the present incumbent of. He has alto had charge of the Orphan Asylum of this-
place since 1S73. Mr. Rembold is a man of rare gifts. A diligent student, he finds
time, amid his manifold duties, to cultivate his taste for literature, and he is unexcelled
in his unselfish devotion and fidelity to the welfare of his parishioners. June 13, 1865,
he married, in Detroit, Mich., Miss Lena Prottengerer ; they have six children — Bar-
bara, Godfreid, John, Albert, Christoph and Paulis.
DAVID RHEA, proprietor of blacksmith-shop, Andrew ; born in Greene
Co., Tenn., Feb. 18, 1835; in Greenville, Tenn., he learned the blacksmith trade;
worked at his trade in Madison and other cities in Ohio until 1856, then came to
Jackson Co., Iowa, and, in the same year, married, at La Motte, Miss Sarah Jane Blake,
daughter of James W. and Elizabeth J. Blake, who came to this county from
Indiana in 1856, and now reside in Kansas. At the breaking-out of the war of
the rebellion, Mr. Rhea enlisted to serve ninety days, at the expiration of which
time he re-enlisted in Co. I, 24th I. V. C., in which he was enrolled on the 5th
of August, 1862; he participated in a number of hard fought battles; was wounded
at Champion Hills, also at Vicksburg and Oxford Mills; while on detached serv-
ice, he was in the battles of Old Town, Hickory Grove, Greenville, Coldwater, La
Grange, Holly Springs and Sherman's raid to the sea ; he was made first Sergeant at
Helena, Ark.; was honorably discharged at the close of the war ; he engaged in his
present business at Andrew immediately on return from the service. Mr. Rhea and
wife are members of the Presbyterian Church. Their children are Phoebe A. (now
Mrs. Thomas Cummings, of Dubuque), Adeline (now Mrs. John S. Sottell, of Rich-
land Township, this county). Honora, John, James and Cora May ; Republican.
J. W. SCOTT, farmer, Sec. 29; P. 0. Andrew; was born in Mercer Co.,
Penn., in 1826, where he received a liberal education ; he came to Jackson Co. in.
1851 ; in 1853, he returned to Mercer Co., Penn., and there married Miss Elizabeth
Gault ; immediately after their marriage, they came to this township, which has been
their home since; they have eight children — Carrie B., now the wife of Joseph Gibson,
of Perry Township ; James A., Wylie S., Sarah S., Jessie R., Mary E., Martha Jane
(deceased), Winfield and Harriet. Mr. Scott is a Republican; he has been elected to
the offices of Township Trustee, Clerk, Assessor and various other local offices ; he has
taken an active interest in schools ; he is a charter member of the A. 0. U. W. at
PERRY TOWNSHIP. 739
Andrew ; he owns 400 acres of land, and is always ready to do his part, financially and
otherwise, to aid any enterprise that gives promise of general good. His father, James
Scott, married Martha Simpson ; they came from Mercer Co. to Iowa, and settled in
this township in 1851 ; he died in 1855; she is now living in Pennsylvania. Mr. Simp-
son's maternal grandfather, J. \V. Scott, was a Colonel in active service during the
war of 1S12. Mr. Scott's paternal grandfather, Andrew Scott, served in the war of the
Revolution.
WILLIAM M. SISLER, farmer, Sec. 1 ; P. O. Andrew ; was bom in
Alexander, Huntingdon Co., Penn., in 1847; in 1851, his parents emigrated to Mount
Carroll, Henry Co.. Iowa, thence to this (Jackson) county, in 1852. In 1S53, the sub-
ject of this sketch, William M. Sisler, married, in Jackson Co., Iowa, Miss Angeline
daughter of Cornelius and Mary Miller, old settlers and respected- citizens of Andrew
Jackson Co.; they have four children — Rosa E. Joseph C, Laura B. and Milly. Mr.
Sisler is a Republican in politics ; he owns 100 acres of land, and is an enterprising
citizen. His father. Joseph Sisler, was born in Huntingdon Co., Penn., in 1813; he
married, in Hollidaysburg, Penn., Miss Susan Davis ; they came to Iowa in the year
stated above; she died shortly after their settling in Jackson Township, this county ; be
is still living; their children are William R., whose name heads this sketch ; Mary, now
the wife of John Mathews, Omaha, Neb.; Julia P., now the wife of Edward Somers,
Perry Township.
THOMAS SLY, farmer, Sec. 3; P. O. Andrew; was born in Ireland, and
was educated in Dublin, where he married his first wife, Mary Celvert ; they had one
child — William. Mr. Sly's wife died in Dublin, and, in 1850, he emigrated to Iowa,
bringing his son with him; he settled where he now resides ; he married his present
wife, Mary E. Malone, in this (Jackson ) county ; she was born in Clarion Co., Penn ; they
have two children — Lilly May and Louisa Pearl. Mr. Sly is a member of the Church
of England ; in politics, he is a Republican. He is an energetic and enterprising man,
and has accumulated much valuable property; he and his son, William Sly, own 320
acres of land, finely located, well improved and possessing every natural advantage
known to Jackson Co. William was born in Dublin, Ireland ; he married, in this
county, Elizabeth C. Malone; she was born in Huntingdon Co., Penn.: they have one
child — Lilly Glayds. William Sly is a Republican in politics ; he has been elected to
various local offices, and takes an active part in any enterprise that promises to benefit
the public interests. Besides carrying on farming, Mr. Sly and son are engaged in
stock-raising, in which they are very successful, having every facility for carrying on
the business and having it yield remunerative returns.
RAI>CLIFFE H. SMITH, deceased; was born in Jo Daviess Co., 111.,
Dec. 14, 1839; his father moved to Jackson Co., Iowa, in 1841 ; when Radcliffe M.
was 8 years of age, his father died ; from this time commenced his struggle for educa-
cation, and, although his mother's circumstances compelled him to labor physically, yet
every spare moment was spent in mental study ; at the age of 18, he taught a district
school, and, with his hard-earned savings, he went one year to the State University ; he
came from there highly recommended by the State Superintendent. He then taught
different schools until the commencement of the rebellion, when he, true to his patriotic
nature, enlisted in Co. M, of the 2d I. V. C, which regiment was an honor to the
State and the American nation. He participated in the following battles and raids :
New Madrid; the memorable charge at Farmiugton, where the 2d Iowa charged 15,000
rebels, and captured a battery; at this charge, half of their number fell ; it was at this
charge that the commander said that he believed the 2d Iowa would charge h — 1 if
ordered to; also, in the battles at Corinth, Iuka, Holly Springs and numerous other
battles and raids. Never was Mr. Smith known to falter from duty. During his term
of service, he was First Sergeant of a company, and was admired by all his companions
in arms for his generous uature, noble daring and true patriotism. ' While at Memphis,
he took the smallpox, and lay in hospital sixty-three days, when bis term of service
expired; he was discharged Oct. 3, 1S64. In the fall of 1865, he was elected Treas-
urer of Jackson Co., which office he filled with honor to himself and the county
740 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
for two years. In 1866, he married Miss Mary McMeans ; had three children —
Rena A., Albert and Ray P. In 1869, they emigrated to Crawford County, and
purchased a farm two miles from Dowville. Although a good farmer, Mr. Smith
was the most prominent in educational and political affairs ; as a school-teacher, he
had few equals, and was always successful in training the youth under his charge ;
he always took an active part in every public interest, and was an active member
of the Agricultural Society of Crawford Co., a prominent member of the Patrons of
Husbandry, and was the organizer of the Dowville Lyceum. He was a stanch
adherent of the Republican party, and was firm and unalterable in his support of it.
He died at his home near Dowville Feb. 14, 1873; his wife now resides in Andrew.
He was a kind, affectionate husband and an indulgent father.
" When, in the bloom of true manhood, he rushed to his country's aid,
And fought in the ranks like a hero, there the patriot's foundation was laid ;
From the first boom of the gun he was loyal, his bravery never did lag,
His cry was ' Down with Secession, and save the American flag.'
•' And when the dread strife was over, and our land was again free from wars,
When, proudly, the ' American Eagle ' soared over the Stripes and the Stars,
Then he came bacu with honor and triumph, exultant that, o'er land and sea,
Our beautiful banner was waving, in the glorious land of the free.
" His work was not yet accomplished, tho' his camp life and fighting were done.
Tho' his sword and his carbine were rusting, his mission had hardly begun;
For, morally, the hero is needed, for our land with evil is rife,
And in peace the patriot is needed, as well as in combat and strife.
" 'Twas then he rose to the rescue, and all through his kind, active life,
He never did falter from duty, put proved, in the great moral strife,
That in true monil courage lies greatness, which will through eternity last,
When the heroes of battles and sieges are forever forgot in the past.
" A man who stood firm for the right, with sentiments noble and great,
He fought (like a Jefferson) treason, in township, county and State;
But when his strong mind was most needed, we heard the sound of an oar,
And the boatman came over the billows, and rowed him away from this shore.
" 'Tis a Providence hard to unravel (it seemed to us cloudy and dark),
To tell why the ' pale, mystic Boatman ' should row his mysterious bark,
And take those who are the most useful, and working for God and the right,
Away from their duty and labor, to the kingdom of glory and light.
" But when we hare finished our mission, and our toils and trials are o'er.
We will hear the dash of the waters, and the sound of the Boatman's oar,
And He will take us over the river, and then, with enraptured alloy,
We will learn why our Heavenly Father took our friends to celestial joy."
C SPEITH, cabinet-maker, Andrew ; is a native of Germany ; born in 1814 ;
in early life learned the cabinet-making trade. He married his first wife, Johanna
Jacoby, in Germany, where she died ; they had three childten — William, Charles and
Annie. His present wife was Sophia Starr (nee Zeiterman) ; her first husband, Henry
Starr, was a pioneer settler of Dubuque, where he died. Mr. Speith's children (by
present marriage) are Lizzie, Nettie and Minnie. Mrs. Speith's children (by her first
marriage) are John and Philip Starr. Mr. Speith has been a resident of Jackson Co.
over twenty-five years, most of which time he has been engaged in the cabinet-making
business at Andrew, and has established for himself the reputation of a finished work-
man. Members of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Speith is a Democrat.
CIXONS SWBESY, farmer, Sec. 6; P. O. Andrew; was born in Perry
Township, Jackson Co., Iowa, in 1853 ; his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Sweesy,
settled in Perry Township in 1849. On Sept. 26, 1877, Mr. Sweesy married near Inde-
pendence, Buchanan Co., Iowa, Miss Phoebe Leggett, of that county ; they have one
child — Luella. Mr. Sweesy is Republican in politics ; is a member of the present Board
of Township Trustees ; he is also a member of the A. 0. U. W. at Andrew. He is
extensively engaged in farming.
PERRY TOWNSHIP. 741
THOMAS SWEESY, Andrew ; was born in Mercer Co., Penn., in 1813,
where he lived until 1849, when he came to Iowa, and settled in Perry Township, Jack-
son Co., which township he has been a resident of since, with the exception of six years
that he spent in Mount Vernon, Linn Co., Iowa, where he removed in 18GS, for the
purpose of giving; his children the advantage of educational privileges; in 1874, he
returned to Perry Township and lived on his farm, on Section (5, until the spring of
1878, when he moved to his present residence in Andrew, where he has since remained.
Mr. Sweesy has, by industry and good management, accumulated a large property ; he
owns 285 acres of land in Jackson Co. ; city property in Andrew, also valuable city
property in Mount Vernon. In 1873, he laid out the town of Halstead, now an enter-
prising town, located in Henry Co., Kan. ; there he owns considerable city property, and
a fine farm in the vicinity of the town. He was twice married, both times in Pennsyl-
vania ; first wife was Alice Forbes ; maiden name of present wife was Elizabeth King.
Children by first marriage were George W., who served in 2d I. V. C. during the war
of the rebellion, is now real-estate dealer in Halstead, and is Mayor of that town ;
Elizabeth A. M. Blanc, deceased ; Marilda, now the wife of Samuel Foster, Preston,
Iowa, he served with distinction in 2d I. V. C. during the war; John W., resides in
Halstead ; Sarah Jane, now Mrs. R. H. McDonald, Halstead, Kan., her husband also
served in the 2d I. V. C. during the war. Children by second marriage are Mathias B.,
now attorney at law, Halstead; A. Y., who resides in Perry Township. Mr. Sweesy
and wife are members of the M. E. Church. He has ever taken part in advancing all
public interests. Politically, Mr. Sweesy in early life was a Whig; on the decline of that
party, he became a Republican and has remained a firm adherent of that party. Ho has
filled various offices ; in all, he discharged his duty to entire satisfaction of all concerned.
STEPHEN L. TAYLOR, deceased ; was born in Maryland Oct. 22,
1826 ; in 1837, he accompanied his parents in their removal from Maryland to St. Clair
Co., 111., where his father died ; and, in 1846, his mother removed with her children to
this county, where she resided until her death in 1851. Mr. Taylor married in this
county, on Nov. 24, 1852, Miss Cecilia, daughter of Lemuel and Nancy Depuy, who
> came to this county in 1846 ; they have had eight children — Marshall M.. Mary Cor-
nelia, John B. and Alice N. ; those- deceased were Margaret A., who was the wife of
William Campbell; William L., Nancy U. and Albert Sheridan. Mr. Taylor died at
his residence in this township May 9, 1878. Many there are who will long cherish his
memory for his unbounded generosity and large-heartedness ; he was a kind husband
and indulgent father. The funeral services took place at the M. E. Church, of whose
congregation he had long been an active member. Mrs. Taylor still resides in this
township a short distance from Fulton, which is her P. 0. ; she is, also, a member of
M. E. Church. Mrs. T.'s father, Lemuel Depuy, a native of Kentucky, was born Feb.
2, 1808. He married Miss Nancy Carr, also a native of Kentucky ; born Dec. 15,
1816; they were married in St. Clair Co., HI., where they had both lived since their
eleventh year ; in 1846, they came to Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled in Farmer's Creek
Township ; he died in this county in April, 1855. Mrs. Depuy now resides in Kansas.
TEBBO TEBBEVS, proprietor of Fountain Dale Flour Mills, Sec. 14; P.
0. Andrew; was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1847; when he was 5 years of age,
his parents, Simeon and Hannah Tebbius, emigrated to the U. S. and settled at Galena,
111., where they only remained a short time before removing to Jackson Co., Iowa,
settling in Richland Township, where they have since resided. In this county, the sub-
ject of this sketch received a liberal education. In 1867, he married in Andrew, Miss
Mary Newmyer, daughter of Antoine and Mary Newmyer, early settlers of Bellevue
Township. Mr. Tebbins and wife are members of the Lutheran Church ; their children
are Antoine, Simeon, John and Mary. Mr. T. engaged in milling in 1874 ; mill is
located on Brush Creek a short distance northeast of Andrew, has two run of buhrs,
and has a capacity of from thirty to forty barrels per day, which is widely known for
its superior quality.
B. F. THOMAS, attorney at law, Andrew. This gentleman, a leading mem-
ber of the Jackson Co. bar, was born near Erie, Erie Co., Penn., in 1834 ; in 1850, he
742 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
emigrated with his father to Iowa and completed his education at the State Normal
School then located at Andrew. In 1856, he went to Joliet, III., and began the study
of law in the office of Osgood & Streeter, leading lawyers of that place; in 1858, he
was admitted to the bar and removed to Monticello, Minn., where he opened an office,
and commenced in earnest the practice of his chosen profession, making many friends,
and securing an extensive practice. In 1860, he removed to Andrew, and the following
year was appointed U. S. Pension Agent ; that he has been eminently successful as a
claim agent is shown in the fact that he has now several hundred pensioners on his roll.
In 1859, he married in Monticello, Minn., Miss Mary E. Callow, a most estimable lady ;
she was born in Orange Co., N. Y. ; their children are William G-., Benjamin F.,
Carrie E., Lucy E. and Charles M. Mr. Thomas is a Republican in politics. He owns
a pleasant home in Andrew, and devotes much of his time to orcharding, having one of
the finest and largest orchards in Eastern Iowa, containing several thousand trees, most
of which is, or are coming into fruiting, and are in an excellent condition. Mr. Thomas
heartily co-operates in all matters pertaining to the advancement of the interests of
Andrew. Personally and socially, he is a man of excellent qualities, and throughout
his life has maintained an adhereuce to those principles of honor that have secured to
him the confidence and esteem of all.
JAMES THOMPSON, farmer, Sec. 20 ; P. 0. Fulton ; was born in Law-
rence Co., Penn., in 1810. He married, in Pennsylvania, Miss Mary Donaldson; in
1844, they emigrated to Iowa and settled in Perry Township, Jackson Co., where he
now resides; his wife died in 1864; she was a member of the Presbyterian Church, a
true Christian, and one of those pioneer mothers in whom all take a just pride. Mr.
Thompson's second wife was Caroline Dawson. His children by first marriage were
Isaac, who served in a regiment of Iowa cavalry, and lives in Fulton, this county ; Philo
P., lives in Dallas Co., Iowa; James, lives in Fulton, this county; Nancy Jane, married
George McWilliams, who served in a California regiment during the war, they live in
Linn Co., Iowa; Mary, married George Smith, who served through the war, they live
in Linn Co., Iowa ; Thomas, died, aged 39 years ; Joseph, served in the 2d I. V. C,
was a gallant soldier, and died in the service at St. Louis ; Jonathan, deceased ; Rachel,
deceased. Mr. Thompson is a member of the Presbyterian Church, in which he has
been a Deacon for a number of years ; in early life, was a Whig ; is now a Republican ;
he was elected to the office of Justice of the Peace in Perry Township, which office he
held for sixteen years ; has also held the office of Township Trustee and various school
MRS. MARY VAJfDOLAH (nee Hadley), far., Sec. 11 ; P. 0. Andrew ;
was born in Center Co., Penn., in 1814; in 1820, she removed with her parents, N. and
Anna Hadley, to Seneca Co., Ohio; thence, in 1839, to Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled
in Andrew, where Mrs. Vandolah, the subject of this sketch, married, in 1842, Jesse
Vandolah, a native of Fayette Co., Penn. He was born in 1802, and moved to Ohio
with his parents in 1810, where he remained until 1831, when he went to McLean Co.,
III.; he was in active service during the Black Hawk war, and was in Stillwell's defeat
and battle of Bad Axe ; he came to Jackson Co., Iowa, in 1840, where he resided until
his death, in 1866. Mrs. Vandolah had seven children, five of whom are living —
Sarah A., married Albert Baker, and lives near Andrew; Amanda, now Mrs. James
Spencer, resides in this township ; Alice ; Jerusha, now Mrs. Charles McKinly, of Belle-
vue; Minerva, married William Nichols, and lives in Placer Co., Cal.; John, killed by
the Indians near Fort Laramie, Wyo. Ter.; William, also deceased. Mrs. Vandolah
owns a valuable farm a short distance from Andrew. This estimable lady is justly enti-
tled to be ranked among the early settlers of this county, having lived over forty years
in Perry Township.
E. BURKE WYLIE, farmer, See. 19; P. O. Fulton; was born in Wash-
ington Co., Penn., April 15, 1838; in 1859, he came to Perry Township. During the
second year of the war, he enlisted in Co. K, 31st I. V. I.; he was enrolled Aug. 22,
1862; mustered into service at Davenport in October ; participated in nearly all the
engagements his command was in — Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Raymond, Jackson
FARMER'S CREEK TOWNSHIP. 743
Black River, Vicksburg, Cherokee, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Ringgold,
Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta and Jonesboro ; was in Sherman's campaign
through Georgia and the Caroliuas, and mustered out as Sergeant at Louisville, Ky.,
June 27, 1865. June 3, 1868, Mr. Wylie married, in Perry Township, Miss Lizzie A.
McConnell, a native of Beaver Co., Penn., and born in 1845 ; they have three children
— Robert Bradfield, Clyde and Scott. Mr. Wylie and wife are members of the Pres-
byterian Church ; he Is a Republican. Owns 142 acres of land.
FARMER'S CREEK TOWNSHIP.
AMASA BALLOU. farmer, Sec. 21 ; P. 0. Fulton ; a native of Rhode
Island; was born near Providence Jan. 21, 1801; in 1811, his parents removed to
Chenango Co., N. Y., where he remained until 1849, when he came to Iowa ; was
favorably impressed with the many advantages of Jackson Co. and determined to brave
the hardships and privations that must be necessarily undergoneby the early settlers
of any new country ; he located in Farmer's Creek Township, and, in the following
year, he returned to New York and brought his family West with him, thus becoming
one of the pioneers of Iowa. Mr. Ballou has been married twice ; first wife was
Serena Cook ; children by this marriage are Albert (who is married and lives in Oswego,
N. Y.~), George (married and resides in Farmer's Creek Township), Richard (who
served in an Iowa regiment during the war of the rebellion aud now lives in Taylor
Co., Iowa), Waita Jane (now the wife of Robert Rockwell, of Taylor Co., Iowa; he
was a soldier in the Union army during the rebellion") ; name of Mr. Ballou's second
wife was Maria Thorpe; their children are Marion (he is married and resides in
Farmer's Creek Township), Lucilla (now the wife of Henry Merrick, of Jackson Co.;
he fought for the Union during the war; was a good soldier), Julia (married William
Murehead ; they reside in Farmer's Creek Township). Politically, Mr. Ballou has
always acted with the Republican party. He owns 640 acres of land ; he is one of the
representative pioneers of his township, is a generous, thoroughly honest man and is
highly esteemed and greatly respected wherever he is known.
W. H. BARROWS, W. D., Iron Hills; was born in Athens Co., Ohio,
in 1867 ; in 1852, he emigrated with his parents to Virginia ; thence to Jackson Co.,
Iowa, the following year. He was a soldier in Co. F, 44th I. V. I. In 1869,
he married, in this county, Miss Emma J. Mann ; they have four children — John
W., Henry W., Herman and Minnie. Dr. Barrows possesses in a high degree that
practical knowledge and skill desirable in a physician. He is a Republican.
JAMES BIXNS, Notary Public, Iron Hills; is a native of Lancashire,
England ; was born in 1829 ; in 1829, he emigrated with his parents to Elgin Co.,
Canada, where he married, in 1845, Miss Mary Rowland, a native of Canada, born
near Toronto. In 1849, they emigrated to Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled at Iron Hills,
where he has since resided ; she died Aug. 8, 1875. She was a member of the Second
Advent Church, a sincere, earnest Christian woman and one of those pioneer mothers
in whom all feel a just pride. There children are Mary, now Mrs. W. A. Fuller; Har-N
riett M., now Mrs. James Mitchell; George F. and Ella. During his residence in Iron
Hills, Mr. Binns has been elected to various offices ; in the early history of the town-
ship, was elected Constable for seven years ; has held the office of Justice of the Peace
almost without intermission fourteen years, and has also held the office of Township
Trustee several times; in 1876, he was appointed Notary Public, a position he still
retains ; he is also Secretary of School Board, an office he has filled since 1875 ; he
acts with the Republican party. He owns seventy-three acres of land, well improved.
CALVIN BREEDER, farmer, Sec. 22 ; P. 0. Fulton ; was born in Edgar
Co., 111., May 29, 1830 ; in 1838, he emigrated with his parents to Jackson Co., Iowa,
and settled in Farmer's Creek Township, where he remained until 1850, when he went
to California and engaged in mining on the middle fork of the American River, near
744 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
Georgetown ; in the summer of 1853, be returned to this county, and, Sept. 27, follow-
ing, he married, in Farmer's Creek Township, Miss Adelia, daughter of Jacob and
Susanna Martin, of Canada, who settled in this county in 1849, where Mr. M. resided
until his death, Dec. 9, 1876 ; Mrs. Martin is still living. Mr. Breeden's children are
Francis, Marion, Otto, Norman and Rosa Marinda. During the war, Mr. B. enlisted
as private in Co. B, 26th I. V. I. ; was enrolled Aug. 8, 1862 ; was promoted to Second
Lieutenant in March, 1863; served as Captain during the latter part of the war; was
in the battles of Greenville, Arkansas Post, Vicksburg, Snake Creek Gap, Resaca, Dallas,
Kenesaw Mountain, Decatur and siege of Atlanta ; he was wounded at Greenville,
Miss. ; received three wounds at Arkansas Post, and was severely wounded at Atlanta ;
at the close of the war, he was honorably discharged. He is a Republican and has been
elected to various local offices. Owns 106 acres of land.
B. B. BREEDER, farmer, Sec. 23 ; P. 0. Fulton ; Mr. Breeden was born
in Monroe Co., Ind., in 1809 ; when he was 10 years of age, he emigrated with his
parents, Richard and Lucretia Breeden, to Edgar Co., 111. ; thence to Jackson Co. in
1839 and settled in Farmer's Creek Township, thus becoming pioneer settlers; in 1850,
Mr. Breeden went to California, where he engaged in mining with fair success, until the
summer of 1853, when he returned to Jackson Co. In the fall of 1853, he married
Miss Mary J. Furnace, a native of Edgar Co., 111.; she died in 1859 ; his present wife
was Mary Ann Campbell, a native of Mercer Co., Penn. ; Mr. Breeden's children by
first marriage are Sophronia (now Mrs. William Clayball), De Soto and Otto; children
by present wife are Frances J., Lucretia A., Lilly, Arizona and Clarence B. Mr.
Breeden owns 118 acres of land a short distance from Fulton. He is a Republican.
F. T. BURNETT, contractor and builder, Fulton ; was born near Pulaski,
Mercer Co., Penn., in 1828 ; in 1852, he emigrated to Ohio, thence to Iowa, and set-
tled near Andrew in this county ; he afterward moved to Fulton, where he engaged in
his present business. He is an energetic, enterprising man, and has put up some of
the finest buildings in Fulton and vicinity. He married, in Mercer Co., Penn., Miss
Patience H. Cams ; she was also born in Pennsylvania ; they have had ten children —
GodfreyS. (married Emma Germen ; reside in Woodbury Co., Iowa), Mary Ann
(deceased), Elliott H., Samuel C. S., Kate (married W. S. Sweesy; live in Fulton),
Albert D., George B. McClellan, Rosa Jane, James W. E. B. and Milo Osceola. Mr.
Burnett is a Democrat. Has held the offices of Assessor and Township Trustee. He
owns forty seven acres of land and also town property in Fulton.
WILLIAM J. CONKXIN, farmer, Sec. 5 ; P. O. Iron Hills ; was born
in Monroe Co., Ohio, in 1837; in 1844, he removed West with his parents, William
and Easter Conklin ; they settled in this (Jackson) county. Mr. Conklin married, in
this county in 1857, Miss M. Edwards; she was also a native of Ohio; they have ten
children — Peter, Thomas, William, Eda. Franklin, Reuben, Louis, Ida, Michael and
Fritz. Mr. Conklin owns 165 acres of land, also half-interest in saw-mill in Otter
Creek Township. In politics, he is a Democrat. He has taken quite an interest in
school affairs and has been elected to various school offices. He is a man of much
energy and worth, as well as a public-spirited citizen.
GEORGE. COOPER, farmer and stock -raiser, Sec. 35 ; P. O. Maquoketa; a
native of Aberdeenshire, Scotlnnd; was born March 11, 1844; in 1854, he emigrated with
his parents, George and Ellen Cooper, to Canada, and settled near Amosburg, where he
remained until 1860, when he came to Clinton Co., Iowa, and engaged with a brother
in milling at Charlotte. In 1861, he enlisted at Lyons, Iowa, in Co. A, 15th I. V. I.,
and was mustered into the service of the United States with the regiment in 1861, and
was in the battles of Shiloh, siege of Corinth, Iuka, Corinth, Kenesaw Mountain,
Nickajack Creek, Atlanta and a series of engagements around that place; after
serving three years and three months, he was honorably discharged ; returned to
Clinton Co. and bought a farm near Welton, where he lived until 1869, when he sold
his farm and removed to where he now resides. In 1868, Mr. Cooper married Miss
Rebecca J. Hayes, a native of Ripley Co., Ind. ; they have three children — George,
Blanche and Gertie. In politics, Mr. C. is a Republican. He is Secretary of the I.
FARMER'S CREEK TOWNSHIP. 745
0. 0. F. Lodge at Fulton. Owns 307 acres of land, and is extensively engaged in
stock-raising, having as large and fine a herd of cattle as there is anywhere in Jackson Co.
JAMES \V. ECKLES, M. D., Fulton; was born in Beaver Co., Penn.,
in 1827 ; he received a preparatory education in Washington Co., Penn., which fitted
him for the study of medicine; in 1848, he entered the Medical College at Cleveland,
from which he graduated in 1850; he first practiced in Princeton, Lawrence Co.,
Penn., where he remained until the spring of 1855, when he came to Jackson Co.,
Iowa; in the autumn of 1857, he located at Fulton and entered actively into the prac-
tice of his profession. At the breaking-out of the rebellion, he had a large and
lucrative practice, which he abandoned for the purpose of raising a company of soldiers,
of which he was commissioned Captain, and was mustered into the 26th I. V. I. as
Co. B, in August, 1862; he was a brave and good soldier, but, his health failing, he
was discharged and returned home in 1863. The Doctor has held the office of Coroner
of Jackson Co. for eighteen years. In 1849, he married, in Washington Co, Penn.,
Miss Mary J. Atchinson ; they have three children — Joseph C. (married Miss Ida
Edwards), Eugene A. and Susan. Dr. E. is very successful in the practice of medi-
cine; he is a genial, pleasant gentleman, and, since his residence in Fulton, has taken
an active interest in everything tending to the advancement of the public interests.
BEMHARD EISENTRAUT, Postmaster and dealer in general
merchandise, Iron Hills ; was born in Saxony, Germany, in 1838, where, in his boy-
hood, he received a liberal education ; in 1856, he emigrated to America. He served
in the 30th 111. V. I. In 1862, he married Miss F. Snyder, daughter of Simeon and
Eliza Snyder, natives of Germany, who settled at Iron Hills in 1857, and were honored
citizens. Mr. Eisentraut and wife are members of the Reformed Church. They have,
seven children — John C, Lavina E., Alice Matilda, Emma Margaret, Rosetta B.,
Charles A. and Ida K. Mr. Eisentraut has been engaged in the mercantile business at
Iron Hills a number of years, and has, by his liberality and fair dealing, secured an
extensive trade, and enjoys the confidence of all the best citizens in the community.
Mr. E. is a Republican He has been elected to various local offices, in all of which
he gave general satisfaction ; he was appointed Postmaster at Iron Hills in 1865, a
position he has since retained.
WILEIAM C. FENTON, farmer, Sec. 13 ; P. 0. Fulton ; was born in
Fayette Co., Penn, Nov. 18, 1834 ; in early life he learned the blacksmith trade, at
Brownsville, which business he followed until the spring of 1855, when he came to
Jackson Co., Iowa ; Nov. 27, 1855, he married Miss Anna A. Thompson, a native of
Fayette Co., Penn., born in 1834; the spring after their marriage they returned to
Pennsylvania, remaining until November, 1857, then returned to Jackson Co. ; she died
Sept. 25, 1862 ; they had two children— Joseph T.,born Aug. 30, 1850 ; John W., born
June 12, 1859; Mr. Fenton's present wife was Mary M. Casteel ; she was born in Fayette
Co., Penn, in 1843; they had four children— Amy C, born Oct. 4, 1866; Francis W. born
Oct. 23,1870; James C.,born May,9, 1874; Charles O, born July 17, 1877. In Oct. 1878,
Mr. Fenton was elected Assessor of Farmer'" Creek Township ; he has also been elected
a member of the Township Board of Trustees several years, and has held various
school offices ; he is a member of the Masonic Fraternity at Andrew ; himself and family
are members of the Presbyterian Church ; he is a Democrat ; owns a well-located farm
in the vicinity of Fulton ; his father, Joseph Fenton, was a native of Pennsylvania ; he
was twice married ; first wife was Martha Jordan, she died Dec. 13, 1827 ; his second
wife Amy Allen, a native of Pennsylvania ; he died in Keysport, Penn. ; she came to
this county in 1855, and resided in Farmer's Creek Township until her death in Jan.
3, 1877. There were two children by first marriage — John (now deceased), Sarah
(now Mrs. Thomas Alexander, of Keysport, Penn. ) ; children by second marriage were
Martha A., born Nov. 13, 1830, died March 7, 1832 ; Deborah, born Jan. 13, 1832,
died in 1841 ; William O, whose name heads this sketch ; Francis M., born in 1837,
died in 1839.
A. Gr. FISHER, farmer, Sec. 22 ; P. O, Fulton ; was born in Cheshire Co.,
N. H., Feb. 21, 1828; he attended the high schools in his native county; and received
746 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
a liberal education ; in 1857, he came to Iowa and settled in Farmer's Creek Township,
where he has since resided ; in 1857, he married Sarah L. Sorber, a native of Luzerne
Co., Penn. ; they have six children — Melvin A.< Charles E., Emily J., Ellen M., Adda A.
and Susau L., twins ; Mr. Fisher taught school a number of years in his home town-
ship ; he has been elected to various offices, and at present writing is Township Clerk,
and a member of the Board of School Directors ; he makes a most efficient officer, and
takes a deep interest in the development of the public interests of his township. In
politics Mr. Fisher is a Democrat; he owns 140 acres of land, and is one of Farmer's
Creek's most enterprising citizens ; his father, Kendall Fisher, was a native of Massa-
chusetts. He married, in New Hampshire, Esther Martin ; he died in New Hamp-
shire, and she came to Iowa, where she died in 1877 ; their living children are A. G.,
the subject of this sketch, and George E., who served in the 26th I. I. during the war
of the rebellion, and was wounded at Atlanta and Arkansas Post, and is now a resident
of Cherokee Co., Iowa. There are four deceased, one of whom, Charles E., joined a
Minnesota regiment in the late war, and was killed in battle ; the records of his regiment
show he was a brave soldier and a genial comrade.
EDWARD LARKEY, farmer, Sec. 18; P. 0. Iron Hills; was born in
Easton, Penn., June 17, 1809 ; when he was 14 years of age, he. removed with his
parents to Delaware Co., Ohio, in which county he married, in 1827, Miss Nancy
Keene ; in 1832, they emigrated to Jackson Co., Mo.; they lived in Missouri until
1S37, when they removed to Hancock Co., 111., remaining in that county until 1846,
when they went to Racine Co., Wis; in 1848. they came to Iowa and settled in Jack-
son Co., which has been their home since. They have had nine children^ — Elizabeth
(now Mrs. J. P. Dillion), John, Mary (now Mrs. M. Clark), James, Peter, Nancy (now
Mrs. E. Keene), Esther (wife of Edward Trimble), Eliza and George. Mr. Larkey
takes a leading part in public affairs, and is a most influential citizen; he owns 134
acres of land, well improved. He has been elected to various township and school
offices, and, in all, has left a good record. In politics, Mr. L, is a Democrat.
P. LARKEY. farmer and stock-dealer, Sec. 18; P. 0. Iron Hills; was born
in Racine Co., Wis.; in 1848, he removed with his parents, Edward and Nancy Larkey,
to this county, which has been his home since ; he has been engaged in dealing in stock
a number of years, and is thoroughly conversant with the business, therefore, is more
than ordinarily successful. In politics, he is a Democrat.
JOSEPH LARKINS, farmer, Sec. 35; P. 0. Maquoketa : was born in
Fairfax, Franklin Co., Vt., Nov. 22, 1827 ; when he was 3 years old, his parents,
Loran and Laura Larkins, removed- to Chautauqua Co., N. Y., where he received a com-
mon-school education. In 1853, he married Miss Mary J. Brace, and, in 1854, they
removed to Dane Co., Wis.; thence to Dubuque Co., Iowa, in 1856, where they only
remained a short time before they went to Mercer Co., 111., and from there they removed
to Rock Island Co., where Mrs. L. died in 1849, and, in November of the same year,
he came to Jackson Co., Iowa. In 1871, he married his present wife, Melinda Welch ;
she was the daughter of Jesse and Charity Palmer, pioneer settlers of Iowa ; her first
husband, Isaac Welch, was also an early settler ; he died in 1869. Mr. Larkins' chil-
dren by first marriage are Effie R., Loran, Ambrose and Ernest; Mrs. Larkins' children
by first marriage are Charity (now Mrs. C. Easton), Mary E. (now Mrs. J. Mouwoller)
and Philena. Mr. Larkins owns seventy -five acres of land. In politics, he is a
Republican. Jesse Palmer, father of Mrs. Larkins, was a soldier in active service dur-
ing the war of 1812 ; he died in 1876; his wife, Charity, is still living, and resides in
Farmer's Creek Township.
HENRY McDOKTAED, farmer; P. 0. Fulton; born in Erie Co., Ohio,
in 1859 ; his parents emigrated to Jackson Co. in 1854. During the war, he served in
the 44th I. V. I. 100 days. In September, 1869, he married, in this county, Miss
Sarah Murphy ; they have two children — Addie and Paul. Mr. McDonald is a mem-
ber of the I. 0. 0. F. at Fulton ; he is a Republican. His father, Orson McDonald,
now deceased, married, in New York, Deborah West ; their children are Melissa (mar-
ried C. W. Bell, who served in 5th I. V. C. during the war, and died on his return
FARMER'S CREEK TOWNSHIP. 747
tome ; she is now the wife of Joseph Anderson), Edwin (is married and lives in Indi-
ana), Orson (served in the army ; is married and engaged in the hardware business at
Virginia City, Nev.), Cordelia ( married Frank Sisco'; lives in Sandusky, Ohio), Alex-
ander (served in 2d I. V. C. during the war; he lives in Fulton), Wesley (is married
and lives in Kansas), Joseph (is married and lives in Ohio), James (served in 2d I. V.
C. during the war; lives in Fulton), Henry (whose mime heads the above), Alice (now
the wife of Wm. Morden, merchant at Fultun.
JAMES McDOXAED, Fulton; was born in Sandusky, Ohio, April 3,
1844 ; in 1854, he emigrated, with his parents, Orson and Deborah McDonald, to Jack-
son Co., and settled in Farmer's Creek Township. During the war of the rebellion, he
served in Co. E, 2d I. V. O, and was honorably discharged at the close of the war.
In I860, he married Miss Eveline Rouse of Farmer's Creek Township ; they have two
children — Carrie and Dolby. Iu politics, Mr. McDonald is a Republican ; he is a mem-
ber of the A., F. & A. M., I. 0. 0. F. and A. 0. U. W. fraternities. At present
writing, he is a Constable, which office he has held over three years ; he has also filled
various other local offices, and has taken an active part in advancing the school
interests.
W. C. IIORDEX, merchant, Fulton; was born in Farmer's Creek Town-
ship, Jackson, Co., Iowa, Feb. 28, 1841 ; in early life, he received a liberal education.
He enlisted in Co. I, 5th I. V. I.; was mustered into service in July, 1861 ; was in the
battles of New Madrid, siege of Corinth, and Iuka ; at the latter place, he was wounded
three times, which unfitted him for duty ou the field, and he was discharged ; Sept. 27,
he re-enlisted iu Co. E, 2d I. V. C., and participated in engagements against Hood's
march on Nashville, etc.; he was mustered out of the service in the summer of 1865 ; in
the autumn of the same year, he engaged in mercantile business at Fulton, where he
has a large and constantly increasing trade, and enjoys the confidence of all the best
citizens in the community. Jan. 22, 1866, he was appointed Postmaster, a position he
still retains ; he was elected a member of the County Board of Supervisors for 1877 ;
was made Chairman of that body in 1878, and is still an active working member of the
Board ; he was the first Township Collector in Farmer's Creek ; has been Justice of the
Peace three years, and a member of the Township Board of Trustees several times ; he
has taken a great interest in the advancement of the school interests, and has been
elected to various school offices ; he was appointed Notary Public in 1868, 1871, 1874,
1876 and 187!). Nov. 2, 1864, he was commissioned Captain of the Union Rangers,
Jackson Co., by Gov. William Stone. He is a charter member of Fulton Lodge, No.
339, I. 0. 0. F.; was the first N. G. elected; in the autumn of 1878, was elected rep-
resentative to the Grand Lodge; is District Deputy Grand Master. He is a member of
the Masonic Fraternity, and is a member of the Chapter at De Witt, Clinton Co., Iowa.
In 1867, Mr. Morden married, in Fulton, Miss Alice A. McDonald, a native of San-
dusky, Ohio ; they have three children — Burt C, Lilian C. and Edith. Mr. Morden
is a Republican. His father, Hon. William Morden, was a native of Canada ; he emi-
grated to Sandusky, Ohio, where he married Mary Beatty ; they emigrated to Jackson
Co. in 1836; settled in Farmer's Creek Township; he was a man of great ability, and
previous to his coming to Jackson Co. had been elected to various important offices in
Sandusky, Ohio. In 1837, he was commissioned Captain of militia ; was also appointed
Justice of the Peace and was a member of the first Constitutional Convention convened at
Iowa City Oct. 7, 1844, was also a member of the Legislature , he laid out Fulton in
1849 ; he held various other official positions. He was an eminently good man in all
the relations of life, and was an honest and respected citizen, one that Jackson Co.
could ill afford to lose; he died at his residence in Fulton in April, 1868. His wife
lives with her sou, W. F. Morden ; she is 78 years of ages and is hale and hearty; their
children were W. F. (whose name heads this sketch), Leonard (drowned in 1S44) aud
Mary ( now deceased ; was the wife of W. P. Ward).
ANTHONY RAAB, farmer and proprietor of cooper-shop, Iron Hills;
was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, Feb. 24, 1825, where he remained until 1846,
when he emigrated to Rochester, N. Y., thence to Niagara District, Canada, where he
748 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
married, in 1850, Miss Susana Overholt, a native of that district; in 1854, they emigrated
to Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled six miles north of Maquoketa, where they remained a
few months and then removed to Iron Hills, where they have since resided. Mr. Raab
and wife are members of the Church of the Second Advent ; they have three children
— Joseph, who married Almira Shady; Augusta, Albert. Mr. Raab owns seventy-five
acres of land ; it is finely improved, and possesses many natural advantages ; he has
been engaged in the cooper trade a number of years, and is now doing a large business.
Mr. Raab has been elected to various township and school offices, in all of which he has
acquitted himself with honor ; he has always taken an active part in the promotion of
the religious and school interests, where he resides. He is a Republican, having acted
with that party since he became a citizen of the United States.
WARREN ROCKWELL, farmer, Sec. 11 ; P. 0. Fulton ; was born in
Rock Co., Wis., in 1849 ; when he was 20 years of age, emigrated with his parents to
Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled in Farmer's Creek Township ; he married, in Jackson
Co., Miss Charlotte, daughter of Robert and Phoebe Ann Campbell, who came to
Jackson Co. in 1852 ; they were married Dec. 25, 1871 ; have one child — Robert.
They are members of the Presbyterian Church ; he is a Republican. His father,
Daniel Rockwell, a native of Vermont, married, in Wisconsin, Mary Ann Waite ;
emigrated to Jackson Co., Iowa, in 1868; she died in 1872, and he in 1873; they had
six children — Warren ; Emmons, married Mary Breeden, of Farmer's Creek Township ;
Celia, married Smith Campbell ; Willis, Esther and Wentworth. Mr, Rockwell's
father, Robert Campbell, was a native of Mercer Co., Penn. ; he was twice married ;
first wife was Phcebe Ann Smith ; they had two children— John S., who married Sarah
Rockwell ; Charlotte, wife of Warren Rockwell ; second wife was Jane Bridge, had one
child — Clara M. He served during the war in the 31st I. V. I. ; died in the service at
Vicksburg; his father, Henry Campbell, was born in Westmoreland Co., Penn., in
1791 ; served in the war of 1812 ; is now living in Farmer's Creek Township, a hale
and hearty man.
LEVI ROUSH, farmer; P. O. Fulton; was born in Wabash Co., Ind.,
April 17, 1843; in 1854, he removed with his parents, George and Annie Roush, to
Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled in Farmer's Creek Township, where he remained until
1862, when he enlisted in Co. B, 26th I. V. I., and served nearly a year, when his
health began to fail, and he was discharged on account of disability. Oct. 23, 1864,
he married Miss Martha J., daughter of Washington and Tacy Teter, early settlers of
Farmer's Creek Township; they have four children — James E., Elmon E., Washington
W. and John B. Mr. Roush is Independent in politics ; he has been elected to various
local offices ; his father now resides in Warren Co., Iowa; his mother died in 1866;
their children are George (who is married, and resides in this township) Elijah (married,
also lives in this township), Harriet (married A. Baker, they live in Woodbury Co.,
Iowa"), John (married and resides in this township), Samuel (also married, and a resid-
ent of this township), Enoch (married, and a resident of this township), Hiram
(married, and lives in Warren Co., Iowa), Nancy (married B. Koon, lives in Woodbury
Co., Iowa), Minnie (married Hiram Brown — he served during the war in an Iowa
regiment — they live in Kansas), Levi (whose name heads this sketch), Emily (married
James Teters, they reside in this township), Annie (married William Sutton, he served
iu the 26th I. V. I., during the war, they reside in Maquoketa).
JOHN E. RUGGER, farmer, Sec. 22; P. O. Fulton; was born in
Germany in 1822 ; he married Miss Kathrine Morloch iu Germany, where she died,
leaving one child — J. Jacob ; in 1853, Mr. Rugger emigrated to this country, where he
lived in Ohio until 1855 ; lived in Canada West two years. He married his present
wife, Miss Kathrina Eckert, in 1856, at Cleveland, Ohio ; she was born in Altarsburg,
Germany, in 1825 ; they came to Iowa, and settled in Jackson Co. in 1867 ; have six
children — William, John, Kate, Adam, Charley and August. Mr. R. and wife are
members of the Baptist Church, of which he has been Deacon several years ; he is a
Republican. Owns a finely improved farm of 122 acres in the vicinity of Fulton ; his
house is situated only five minutes' walk from the post office at that place.
FARMER'S CREEK TOWNSHIP. 749
WILLIAM H. SLIPPER, Sec. 26; P. 0. Fulton; was born in 1848,
in Norfolk, England, where he received a liberal education. He followed a seafaring
life for a short time previous to his coming to this country. He arrived in the United
States in 18(56 ; came to Iowa and settled in Farmer's Creek Township, where he owns
and operates a saw-mill ; does the most extensive hardwood lumber manufacturing in
the county, his sales extending in a large radius, embracing Davenport, Dubuque and
other centers of trade. He is also proprietor of one of the finest farms in the West, con-
sisting of 600 acres of land in a high state of cultivation, and is extensively engaged in
stock-raising.
SAMUEL SUTTON, farmer, Sec. 17 ; P. O. Iron Hills; was born in
Fayette Co., Penn., March 25, 1830. In 1851, he removed to Iowa, with his parents,
and settled in Farmer's Creek Township, where he now resides. In 1856, he married
Sarah W. Flitcraft, a native of Columbiana Co., Ohio. They have fivechildren— Theo-
dore, Isaac, Mary A., Samuel and John. In politics, Mr. Sutton is a Democrat. He
owns 172 acres of land, finely improved, and has one of the best agricultural farms in
Farmer's Creek Township. His father, James Sutton, married in Pennsylvania, Martha
Thompson. They emigrated to Iowa in 1851, and settled in Farmer's Creek Township,
where he resided until his death, in 1878. She is still living, and resides with her son
Samuel. Mrs. Samuel Sutton's parents, Levi and Christina Flitcraft, came to Jackson
Co. in 1855 ; they are now deceased.
WASHINGTON TETER, farmer, Sec. 15; P. O. Fulton; a native of
Ohio, was born in Morgan Co. in 1820. In 1841, he married, in his native county.
Miss Tacy Sutton, a native of Fayette Co., Penn. In 1851, they emigrated to Jackson
Co., Iowa, and settled in Farmer's Creek Township. They have four children — James,
who married Emily Roush, and resides in this (Farmer's Creek) township; Martha,
married Levi Roush, of Farmer's Creek Township ; Jacob, also a resident of
Farmer's Creek, and William. Mr. Teter owns 122 acres of land. Politically, he
is in sympathy with the National Greenback movement, His father, Jacob Teter,
a native of Greene Co., Penn., married Miss Sarah Pickenpan ; they emigrated to
Iowa in 1849, and settled in Van Buren Co., where he died in 1S50 ; she is now living
in Guernsey Co., Ohio. Their living children are David (who is married, and resides
in Kansas), Mary l now the wife of fl. Gorrell ; he served in the cause of the Union, was
a brave soldier, and is now deceased), Washington (whose name heads this sketch), John
(married, lives in Oregon), Sarah (now Mrs. L. Williams, of Guthrie Co., Iowa). Mrs.
Teter's father, James Sutton, was a native of Fayette Co., Penn. Married Martha
Thompson, a native of Chester Co., Penn. ; they moved to Morgan Co., Ohio, thence to
Iowa, in 1851 ; they settled in Farmer's Creek Township, Jackson Co., where he resided
until his death ; she is still a resident, Their living children are Lucy (the wife of
Washington Teter), Susanna ( wife of William Trimble), Sarah (wife of E. Crouch),
Samuel, Martha (wife of J. S. Thompson), William ^served in an Iowa regiment during
the war) ; six children deceased — one of whom (flames) died while in the service of his
country, at St. Louis, Mo., during the rebellion.
ISAAC THOMPSON, of the firm of Thompson Bros., proprietors of
wagon and general blacksmith shop, Fulton ; is a native of Pennsylvania ; emigrated to
Jackson Co. with his parents, James and Mary Thompson, in 1844; they settled in
Perry Township, where Isaac remained until he enlisted in Co. F, 2d I. V. C. ; he
was enrolled in September, 1861, and participated in many severe battles, until October,
1S64, when he was honorably discharged. In 1866, he married, in Grant Co., Wis.,
Miss Caroline Applegate, a native of Trumbull Co., Ohio. They have four children —
Flora. Belle, Frank and John. In 1868, Mr. Thompson removed to Delaware Co.,
Iowa, where he remained until 1872, when he returned to Jackson Co., and, in the fol-
lowing year, engaged in the wagon-making and blacksmith business, in Fulton, where he
has, by his excellent workmanship, secured a large patronage. Mr. Thompson is a
member of the I. O. O. F., at Fulton; Republican.
JOHN S. THOMPSON, farmer, Sec. 14; P.O. Fulton; was born in
Fayette Co., Penn., March 22, 1830, where his youth was spent in attending school ;
750 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
in 1854, he came to Jackson Co., Iowa, settled in Farmer's Creek Township, and, in
1850, married Martha Sutton, also a native of Fayette Co., Penn, and born in 1837 ;
they have four children — Isaac W., Martha E. J., James T. and Tacy Z. (twins). Mr.
Thompson and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, in which he has always
taken an active interest, and was Elder a number of years; he was elected a member of
the County Board of Supervisors two terms, Assessor of township several terms, a mem-
ber of the Township Board of Trustees, and various other township offices, and has
held several school offices ; he is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, and is Treasurer
County Grange. He owns 120 acres of land, well located and finely improved, and pos-
sessing many natural advantages. His father, William Thompson, was born in Chester
Co., Penn.; he married, in Chester Co., Jane Sutton ; they emigrated to Iowa in 1854;
when they arrived in Keokuk, he died ; Mrs. Thompson and family went to Bellevue,
Jackson Co., and, shortly after, moved to Farmer's Creek Township, where she died in
1856. There were six children — John S., whose name is at the head of this sketch;
Robert, now deceased ; Hannah Ann, who was the wife of A. M. Fenton, and is now
deceased; Isaac B., deceased; William E., who was a soldier in the 26th I. V. I.
in the war of the rebellion and died in the service ; Sarah E., wife of C. Bipple.
E. H. TURNER, farmer, Sec. 10; P. 0. Iron Hills ; was born in Mercer
Co., Penn., Feb. 17, 1834, and there lived until 1854, when he went to Grant Co.r
Wis., remaining there but a short time previous to his returning to his native county ;
in 1855, he came to Iowa and settled in Farmer's Creek Township, which has been his
home since. He married, in this (Jackson) county, Miss Elizabeth A., daughter of
John and Elizabeth Mann, who settled in Farmer's Creek Township in 1851, and resided
there until their death ; they were members of the M. E. Church, and were honored
and respected by all with whom they were acquainted. Mr. Turner's family are Sarah
E., now Mrs. P. S. Tracy, Brandon Township; John S., George W., Charlie M. ; two
children deceased — Florence L. and Esbon K. In politics, Mr. T. is a Democrat. Owns
eighty acres of land.
W. P. WARD, Fulton ; a resident of Iowa for nearly forty years ; was born
in Berkeley Co., Va., in 1824; his parents moved to Morgan Co., Ohio, where he was
educated; in 1842, he went to Springfield, 111., and thence to Iowa ; he arrived at
Sabula (then Charleston) June 3, 1843; the next day, he started across the country,
following a path through the prairie (as there was no road) ; in the evening, he reached
Springfield ( now Maquoketa), a hamlet consisting of two log cabins, owned by John
F. Goodenow and John Shaw ; he remained with Mr. Goodenow until morning, and
then continued his journey to Dubuque ; here he engaged in mining during the winters
of 1844-45-46, and followed boating on the Mississippi River during the summer. In
1840, he married Miss Mary, daughter of Hon. William Morden, of Fulton; she was
born in Sandusky, Ohio, in 1830 ; she died Nov. 18, 1867 — a devoted wife and mother;
she left six children to mourn her loss — Mary, John, a stock-raiser in Nebraska ; Harvey,
lives in Montana; Morden, attending school at Valparaiso, Ind.; Ann and Henry. Mr.
Ward is the present Justice of the Peace, an office he has filled for a number of years ;
he is a member of the Masonic Lodge at Andrew ; is a Bepublican. Mr. W.'s ances-
tors came to Virginia previous to the Revolutionary war. Mr. Ward has been princi-
pally engaged in contract work for over thirty years, and has accumulated a competence ;
he has been very successful in business, is a genial, free hearted man, and is foremost
in all plans to advance the interests of the county.
OTTER CREEK TOWNSHIP.
REV. FREDERICK C. BAUMAN, Zwingle; the first resident min-
ister of the Reform Church west of the Mississippi River, and for over a quarter of a
century Pastor of that Church at Zwingle, Iowa ; is a native of Hesse-Casscl, Ger-
many, where he was born Nov. 17, 1826; at an early age, he commenced attending
the village school at Eberschutz, where he remained until 1836, when he emigrated
OTTER CREEK TOWNSHIP. 751
with his parents, J. Henry ami Christina Bauman, to the United States; they settled
near Xenia; Ohio, and he entered the Heidelburg Theological Seminary at Tiffin,
Ohio, where he graduated and was ordained ; in 1853, he was appointed Pastor of the
church at Zvringle. and immediately entered into the discharge of his duties; this
Church was organized at Zwingle, Dee. 25, 1851, by Rev. Daniel Kroh, of Monroe,
Mich, and was the first Reform Church in Iowa; the field of labor occupied by Mr.
Bauman was large, the membership of the Church scattered, without organization,
rendering the duty devolving upon him one not easy of performance, and requiring
energy and ability to execute with success ; that he possesses these qualifications in an
eminent degree, it is only necessary to state that he has organized several churches in
the State, and that the membership of his charge at Zwingle has increased from the
forty-three original members at its founding, until it now embraces nearly two hundred ;
he is an earnest worker in the Church and a strong advocate of its principles. Oct. 19,
1854, he married Miss Elizabeth J., daughter of Hon. Daniel Cert, an old and hon-
ored citizen of Zwingie ; they have nine children — Samuel H., Daniel T., John N.,
Margaret S., Albert B., Mettie E.. Bertha A., Estella and Mabel C.
JOHN BLACK, farmer, Sec. 34; P. 0. Otter Creek; was born near Bed-
ford, Mercer Co.. Penn., July 25, 1822. April 1, 1S47, he married in Mercer Co.,
Miss Susan Michael, a native of Armstrong Co., Penn , born June 27, 1828; in the
spring of 1853, they emigrated to Iowa and settled where they now reside; they have
two children — Lola M. (now the wife of J. A. Wright, Otter Creek Township), and
C. Howard. Politically. Mr. Black has acted with the Republican party since its
organization ; he has been elected to various offices, among them being that of Justice-
of the Peace, a position which he filled a number of years; in educational mutters, he
has been very liberal, and has since his residence in Jackson County taken an
active part in everything pertaining to the advancement of the public-school system.
Mr. Black owns 200 acres of land, and is one of Otter Creek's mcst enterprising
citizens.
THOMAS CAIKY, Otter Creek; was born in Mercer Co., Penn., in 1827;
came to Iowa in 1865, and, after remaining six months in Andrew, he went to Otter
Creek, in which place he has since resided. He married, in Clarksville, Mercer Co.,
Penn., in 1853, Miss Mary Thompson ; they have thirteen children — Daniel W. (mar-
ried Miss Lavinia Barnhall, live in Emmett Co., Iowa), Mary C. (now Mrs. Ralph
Hahn, of Macon Co.. Mo.), David T., Novilla F., Margaret J., Edward J , Frank W.,
Andrew, Jennie L., Donnough, Neori L.. Lillie Belle and Thomas. Mr. Cairy is a
Republican in politics, and has held the office of Constable for the past eight years. Mr.
Cairy has been engaged in plastering for a number of years, and does a large contract
business.
JAMES COURTNEY, farmer, Sec. 27 ; P. 0. Otter Creek ; was born in
Salem, Mass., Jan. 1, 1832. In 1837, his parents, Thomas and Mary Courtney, emi-
grated to Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled in Perry Township, then a wilderness, with
scarcely an inhabitant, and no improvements; the}- endured all the privations and hard-
ships incident to the pioneer settlers of any country ; made a comfortable home, where
she still resides : he died March 20, 1864. James Courtney, the subject of this sketch,
married, in February, 1863, Miss Rosanna, daughter of William and Agnes Campbell,
who came to Iowa in 1844, and were early settlers of Richland Township, Jackson Co.,
where they resided until their death. Mr. Courtney and wife resided in Perry Town-
ship until 1S70, when they removed to where they now reside. Their children are
Mary Ann, Agnes, J. Joseph, Daniel B. and Thomas P. In politics, Mr. Courtney is
a Democrat. In Perry Township, he was elected to various offices, and in the township
he now resides in, he has been Collector since 1874, and Assessor since 1876, and is
also Secretary of the School Board, and has held various other offices in the township.
He has always taken a leading part in the advancement of all cnterpriers that gave
promise of general good. Owns«160 acres of land. He is the oldest settler of Jack-
son Co. now 'living in Otter Creek Township, and has seen this part of Iowa reduced
from a wilderness to homes of comfort and civilization.
752 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
HON. JAMES DUNNE, Sec.;i3 ; P. 0. Otter Creek. Prominent among
the leading citizens who have long been identified with the progress and development of
Jackson Co., may be mentioned the subject of this sketch. He was born in Clonmore,
Kings County, Ireland, Jan. 21, 1823, where he had the advantages of a good English
education. In 1843, when but 20 years of age, and hearing the glowing reports of the
vast resources of the United States, he emigrated to this country in the same year.
The ten years following in this country, he carried on a trade between New Orleans and
one of the Mexican ports, on his own account, and acquired some property. In 1854,
he removed to Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled in Otter Creek Township. Since then, he
has occupied a prominent place in the history of the county ; has served for twenty
years as Supervisor of Jackson Co., and has been elected Chairman of that body a
number of terms. In 1870, he was a member of the Thirteenth General Assembly —
a position he filled with credit to himself, honor to the State, and satisfaction to the
citizens. These facts give you but a faint outline of the public life of Mr. Dunne ; they
indicate his popularity with the people and his positions of responsibility and trust ; but
they afford little clue to his active and valuable services in the Legislature, and as a
member of the County Board of Supervisors ; he has always been foremost in the delib-
erations of the latter body, and one of the first to detect and oppose any fraudulent
measures that might be brought before them. In 1859, Mr. Dunne married, in New
Orleans, Miss Mary Dunne; they have five children — Elizabeth M., Mary O, Thomas
J., Joseph F. and James R. Mr. Dunne is a generous, large-hearted, thoroughly pub-
lic-spirited man, with no miserly elements in his composition ; a man of excellent merit
and social qualities, and he has been very successful in life, and is now resting content
in a beautiful home; his farm is well located, finely improved, and contains 255 acres.
T. Y. DUPUY, manufacturer, Otter Creek ; was born in St. Clair Co., 111.,
March 27, 1830; his parents were Lemuel and Mary Dupuy, pioneer settlers of that
county. In 1846, he came to Iowa and settled in Jackson Co. near where he now
resides ; was in Texas during the winter of 1859-60, and in Montana during the year
of 1864. He married in Jackson Co., Iowa, Elizabeth Noakes, a native of Guernsey
Co., Ohio. Mr! Dupuy has been elected to various township and school offices, the
duties of all, he discharged to the general satisfaction of the citizens. He manufactures
the Jeukins' cultivator, a plow that is unequaled by any other make ; also manufactures
light and heavy wagons, and does general repairing ; he has had several years experience
in his business, and justly merits the reputation he has made — that the work turned
out of his shop is unexcelled in durability, beauty and finish. He takes an active
interest in the prosperity of every enterprise that promises to benefit the public interests
of his township.
JAMES FEEN Y, farmer, Sec. 7 ; P. O. Zwingle ; he was born in Ireland
June 21, 1827 ; and came to America June 27, 1840, and was over the U. S. generally
before settling in Jackson Co. ; he bought 250 acres in Jackson Co. ; his wife was
born in Ireland in 1837, and came to America in 1852 ; landed in New Orleans and
settled in Galena. Married to Ann Moore July 16, 1855, and they have seven chil-
dren— Mary Ann, Pat, Tom, Mikey, John, Bridget, James. Has been Road Supervisor
and School Director.
JAMES HICKSON, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 25 ; P. O. Otter Creek.
Among the enterprising stock-raisers and farmers of Iowa, Mr. Hickson, of Otter Creek
Township, deserves mention ; he was born in County Kerry, Ireland, in 1825 ; in 1S47,
he came to America, and married, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Miss Mary Crane ; they emi-
grated to Jackson Co., Iowa, in 1854, and settled in the vicinity of where they now
reside; they have eight children — Tobias, Ellen (now Mrs. C. Donovan), Christopher,
Mary, James, Jane, Michael, and Bridget, Mr. Hickson's stock farm embraces over 700
acres aud possesses every natural advantage known to Jackson Co. ; his dwelling-house
is built of stone, and was completed in 1869 ; it is three stories high and of commo-
dious proportions, is handsomely finished, and ajl the apartments are tastefully
painted and frescoed ; his stock barn was completed in the summer of 1878, is built
shape of an L, total length and width being 142x32 feet ; three stories high ; the
'""%,
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J^^-^z^O
OTTER CREEK TOWNSHIP. 755
lower story is stone ; the whole building is finely finished, and furnished with every
convenience ; altogether, the buildings of Mr. Hickson are the finest iu the eastern
portion of Iowa, and are standing evidence of his energy and industry ; his good
management and excellent judgment in the stock business have placed him in the front
rank of the stock-raisers of the Northwest.
JOHN HUTCHINS, farmer, Sec. 24 ; P. 0. Otter Creek ; a native of
England, born in Yorkshire in 1820 ; in 1832, he emigrated to Montreal, Canada, with
his parents ; in early life he learned the tailor trade in Hampton, Oneida Co., N. Y.,
where he lived nine years; he afterward worked at his trade in various cities ; in 1850,
he came to Iowa, and settled where he now resides. In 1859, he married Miss Ellen
Lamb ; they have three children — Levi, Mary Jane and John Francis. Mr. Hutchins
has been elected to various local offices ; his farm is finely improved, and consists of 300
acres well located and having every natural advantage known to the county, and is well
stocked. Mr. H. is a public-spirited citizen, and is always ready to assist any enterprise
that gives promise of general good.
E. P. KEARNEY, druggist and apothecary, Zwingle; was born in Berkeley
Co., Va., in 1827 ; in 1829, his parents removed to Jefferson Co., Va., where he
received a liberal education. Feb. 18, 1858, he married, in Berkeley Co., Va., .Miss
Anna J. Peregoy ; immediately after this marriage, they emigrated to Iowa and settled
in Cascade, Dubuque Co., where he was engaged in the drug business several years ;
in May, 1879, he removed his stock to Zwingle; his store is well stocked with a fresh
assortment of drugs, medicines, paints, oils, fancy articles, etc., and he has a large and
constantly increasing trade, and has secured the confidence and patronage of the public
generally. Mr. Kearney and wife are members of the Reform Church ; he is a member
of the Masonic Fraternity ; he takes an active interest in enterprises tending to advance
the growth and prosperity of Zwingle.
DANIEL KE MERER, farmer, See. 3 ; P. O. Zwingle ; a native of West-
moreland Co., Penn. ; was born in 1816. Married, in that county, Miss Mary Bauman,
also a native of Westmoreland Co. ; in 1851, they came to Jackson Co., Iowa, and set-
tled in Otter Creek Township, where they still reside ; they had eight children, six of
whom are living — Ann Maria (now Mrs. J. H. Kizer, lives in Washington Township,
Dubuque Co.), Simon (married Miss Louisa Kuno, live in this township). Sarah (mar-
ried Nicholas Leffert, lives in Dubuque Co.), Jacob (married Miss Sophia Cole, reside in
this township), Amanda Jane (now Mrs. T. W. Casteel of this township), Alice, and
two deceased, Lavinia and Samuel. Mr. Kemerer and wife are members of the Reform
Church, of which he is an Elder and Trustee, and has always taken an active interest in
its advancement ; in politics, he is a Democrat, and has held various local offices ; owns
370 acres of land.
PATRICK LAUGHLIN, farmer, Sec. 9 ; P. O. Otter Creek ; was born
in 1820 in County Kilkenny, Ireland; emigrated to America in 1845; he lived
in Watertown, N. Y., three years, then went to Syracuse; after remaining there
about the same length of time, he returned to Watertown and married Miss Mary
Quinn ; they came to Iowa in 1851, and settled where they now reside; they have
seven children — John (married Miss Mary Printz, live in Fremont Co., Iowa), James
(also lives in Fremont Co.), Michael, Joseph, Cathrine (married P. Mahar, live in Fre-
mont Co)., Mary and Maggie. Mr. Laughlin and wife are members of the Catholic
Church ; in politics, he is Democrat. Owns 280 acres finely improved land in this
county, and 220 acres in Fremont Co.
I). X. EOOSE, 31. D., Zwingle, is among the intelligent, highly educated
and successful physicians of Jackson Co. ; he is a native of Myerstown, Lebanon Co.,
Penn. ; after a preparatory course of study, he entered the Franklin and Marshall
College, Lancaster, Penn., where he graduated, receiving the degree of A. B. ; he
then entered the Medical. Department of the University of Pennsylvania, from which
he graduated March 12,1877; taking up his residence in Zwingle shortly after, he
entered actively into the practice of his profession ; he is a member of the Dubuque
Couuty Medical Society. Socially, Dr. Loose is a man of pleasing address and
756 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
affable manners ; he has secured and retains the confidence and respect of all with whom
he is acquainted.
JOHN €. UEFFERT, of the firm of Cort & Leffert, merchants, Zwingle ;
was born in Dubuque Co., Iowa, in 1850. March 16, 1876, he married, in Otter
Creek Township, Miss Elizabeth M. Russell ; they have one child — Lelia Adda. Mr.
Leffert and wife are members of the Reform Church. He engaged in the mercantile
business, with Mr. Cort, in February, 1878 ; they have a thorough knowledge of the
details of the business, coupled with the fact of knowing where to buy goods of a
number or quality at low prices, which enables them to secure the largest share of pat-
ronage in their section of the county ; they are always identified with every movement
that designs to promote the prosperity of Zwingle.
JOHN llcIiURGr, farmer, Sec. 10 ; P. 0. Zwingle; was born in Westmore-
land Co., Penn., Feb. 7, 1818; there his youth was spent in acquiring an education.
In 1841, he mairied Miss Martha Henry ; in 1850, they emigrated to Jackson Co.,
Iowa, and settled where they now live ; they have four children — Margaret Ann, Mary
Jane (now the wife of T. Burns, Austin, Texas), John and Rachel. Politically, in
early life Mr. McLurg acted with the " Old Whig " party ; on the decline of that party
and on the organization of the Republican, he joined the ranks of the latter, and has
since acted with it ; he has been elected to various offices of honor and trust. Owns
150 acres of land, and is a citizen of responsibility and trust.
ISAAC REED, Justice of the Peace, Sec. 36 ; P. O. Otter Creek ; was
born in Mercer (now Lawrence) Co., Penn., May 10, 1803, in which county he married
his first wife, Elizabeth Orrick ; she died in same county; present wife, Elizabeth
Murry ; in 1846, they moved to Henry Co., Ohio, thence to Iowa, in 1848, and settled
in Farmer's Creek Township, Jackson Co. ; in 1853, they moved to Otter Creek
Township, where they have since resided ; they have had eight children- — William O.
(served in 31st I. V. L; he married Margaret J. Patterson; live in this county), John
C. (served in 2d I. V. O, Co. M ; married Mary J. Mayberry ; live in .Sec. 36,
Farmer's Creek Township) ; six children died. Mr. Reed was elected Justice of the
Peace in the early history of the county and again in 1874, of which office he is the
present incumbent ; he has been Township Trustee and Supervisor a number of years ;
has also been School Director two terms. Mr. R. and wife are members of the U. P.
Church ; in early life was a Whig, but upon the decline cf that party joined
the Republicans, of which party he is a firm supporter ; he was Vice President of the
Union League during the war. Owns sixty acres of land.
WASHINGTON SIMPSON, farmer, Sec. 1; P. 0. Zwingle; was
born in Philadelphia, Penn., May 23, 1829 ; in 1839, he removed, with his parents, to
Westmoreland Co., where he remained until 1851, when he came to Iowa, and located
near where he now lives ; in 1857, he returned to Pennsylvania, and married, in Wil-
tonsburg, Bliss Diana E. Allshouse ; immediately after their marriage, they moved to
where they now reside; they have two children — Joseph A. and Ida M. In politics,
Mr. Simpson is a Republican ; he has filled various offices, and has always taken a lead-
ing part in the advancement of every public interest of any importance in his town-
ship ; he owns 147 acres of land, finely improved, and located within a short distance
of Zwingle, which is a thriving town. His father, James Simpson, married, in Phila-
delphia, Penn., Miss Ann Bowles ; they emigrated to Iowa in 1854 ; settled in Wash-
ington Township, Dubuque Co., where he resided until his death ; she still resides there.
Their children are James W. (^who is married and resides in Otter Creek Township),
Washington (whote name heads this sketch), William C. (married and lives in Zwingle),
Hiram (who served in 21st I. V. I., and died from disease brought on from exposure in
the service), Amanda (married T. C. Miller ; he also served in the 21st I. V. I., and
died from disease contracted in the service; she lives in Dubuque Co.), Mary Ann
(mairied George Schollian ; he served in 21st I. V. I., during the war; they live in
Franklin Co., Iowa), Harriet (married James Pinkerton; he served in the regiment
commanded by Gen. Hayes, now President of the United States), Martha (married A.
D. Lloyd ; they reside in Kaufman Co., Texas), Albert R., is married and lives in
Dubuque Co.
BRANDON TOWNSHIP. 757
WILLIAM P. TAYLOR, former, Sec. 23 ; P. 0. Otter Creek ; was
born in Worcester Co., Md., in 1824 ; in 1842, removed to St. Clair Co., 111., with his
parents; he remained in Illinois until 1847, in which year he came to Jackson Co.,
and settled in Otter Creek Township, where he has since resided. In 1858, he married
Miss Mary Beck, a native of Westmoreland Co., Penn. ; they have six children —
Stephen, Maggie, Sarah, John, Franklin and Annie. In politics, Mr. Taylor is a
Republican, having always acted with that party ; he has been elected to various local
offices, in all of which be gave entire satisfaction. He owns over 680 acres of land,
well located and finely improved, and is one of the leading farmers of Otter Creek
Township, as well as an active and enterprising citizen.
DANIEE WAGONER, farmer, Sec. 27 ; P. 0. Otter Creek ; was bom
in the town of Hamilton, Northampton Co., Penn., Nov. 20, 1S29 ; in 1845, he emi-
grated to Iowa, in company with his mother, settled in Otter Creek Township, where he
has since resided. March 27, 1856, he married Miss Mary Alexander, a native of
Dubuque Co., Iowa, born Nov. 8, 1838; their children are Alexander, Charles H.,
George, Daniel F., Susanna, Elizabeth A., Tempa Dell, Margaret Eva and Sarah Emma.
Mr. Wagoner and family are members of the Reform Church. He has been elected
to various township and school offices, and is at present writing Justice of the Peace ;
he has always taken a deep interest in the advancement of religious and educational
interests of the county, and is a citizen Otter Creek Township could ill afford to be
without. He owns 190 acres of land, well improved. His father, Earnest Wagoner, a
native of Pennsylvania, married Susanna Hiner ; he died in Pennsylvania, and she
came to Jackson Co. in 1845 ; their children are Reuben (who is married, and resides
near Newton, Jasper Co., Iowa), Thomas (who served in an Iowa regiment during the
war of the rebellion ; is married, and lives near Newton, Jasper Co., Iowa), Daniel
(whose name is at the head of this sketch), Michael (lives in Jasper Co., Iowa), Chris-
tiana (she married D. Linn, and lives in Prairie City, Iowa), Sarah (now the wife of
Daniel Hiner, Prairie City, Iowa). Mrs. D. Wagoner's father, Alex. Alexander, was
a native of Scotland, where he married Miss Elizabeth Mois ; they emigrated to Penn-
sylvania, thence to Dubuque, Co., Iowa, in the summer of 1838, where they raised a
large family, and were honored and respected citizens. He died in 1845, she in 1877.
BRANDON TOWNSHIP.
M. J. BEEDEN, physician, Canton. Mr. Belden is one of the most hon-
ored citizens of Canton ; he has been a resident of Canton and in the practice of
medicine since 1854. He was born in Steuben Co., N. F., where in early life he re-
ceived a preparatory education which fitted him for the study of medicine, after which
he entered the Steuben College, and received a thorough medical education. He is
genial in manner, generous in his feelings, enterprising and public spirited, and in him
Canton has a citizen she could ill afford to be without. In 1862, Dr. Belden married
Miss Celia Atkinson ; they have one child, Lutie.
TRUMAN BROWN, farmer, Sec. 31 ; P. 0. Monmouth; a pioneer settler
of the Northwest; a native of Franklin Co., Mass.; was born in the year 1816;
in 1834, he went to the State of New York, and emigrated thence to Du
Page Co., 111. In 1837, he came to Jackson Co., Iowa, lived at Bellevue a
short time; then went to Canton, in the vicinity of which town he has re-
sided most of the time since. In 1849, Mr. Brown married, in Brandon Town-
ship, Miss Ann Diamond. She was born in Huntingdon Co., Penn.; came West with
her parents in 1835 ; they settled near Ottawa, La Salle Co., 111., where she lived until
1848, when she came to Jackson Co. They have five children ; Phoebe, who
married William Bratton, and reside in Adams Co., Iowa; Matthew L., Burg, Tel! and
Florence. Mr. Brown owns 480 acres of land ; he has always taken an active part in
advancing the educational interests in the part of the county where he resides, and has
758 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
been elected to various school offices, in all of which he discharged the duties with gen-
eral satisfaction to all concerned. In politics, Mr. B. is a Republican.
A. W. BUCK, of the firm of P. S. Buck & Son, millers, Ozark. He man-
ages the Ozark Flour-Mills in connection with his father, P. S. Buck ; they do a large
business ; their flour is widely known for its superior quality ; their mills are fitted out
with machinery of the latest and most approved design, and they have every facility
for doing first-class work. This firm is ever identified with any movement that designs
to promote the prosperity of the general public, and they enjoy in a marked degree the
esteem and confidence of all with whom they are acquainted.
SHE PAR D CAVLV, farmer, Sec. 10; P. 0. Canton; was born near
Greensburg, Westmoreland Co., Penn., Nov. 29, 1814; when he was 2 years of age,
his parents removed to Wayne Co., Ohio, where he was educated. He married in Wayne
Co. Miss Phoebe Ripperton, of Adams Co., Penn.; in 1850, they moved to Whiteside
Co., 111., and in the autumn of 1851 they removed to Iowa and settled where they
now reside. In 1864, he went to Montana and followed mining with fair success near
Virginia City, Helena, Blackfoot City and Flint Creek; from the latter place, he went
to British Columbia in 1867, where he also followed mining at Fisherville and Prairie
Creek ; in 1871, he returned, by way of San Francisco, to this county ; he is the present
Assessor, an office he has held a number of years ; was Justice of the Peace, and is
School Director and Treasurer, offices he has held several years. In politics, he is a
Democrat ; owns eighty-two acres of land : his children are Louisa, wife of T. V. Gil-
more; Adda F., wife of J. W. McCulloch; Helen, wife of D. 'V. Miller ; Perry, Cora,
Charlie and Kate.
SAMUEL S. CLARK, farmer, Sec. 22; also Postmaster of . Emeline ; a
native of Licking Co., Ohio ; was born near Newark. In 1S49, he married Miss Mary
Alden, also a native of Licking Co. ; they emigrated to Iowa in 1851, and settled in
Jones Co., near Grove Creek Post Office, where they lived until 1858, in which year
they returned to Ohio, and lived in Marion Co. two years ; at the end of that time, they
again moved to Jones Co., residing there until 1866. when they removed to where they
now reside. Mr. Clark was appointed Postmaster at Emeline in 1873 ; he is the pres-
ent School Treasurer of the district wherein he resides, and has filled the offices of Town-
ship Collector three years, Trustee and Justice of the Peace several terms. In politics, he
is a Democrat ; he owns 218 acres of land. His parents, John and Rhoda Clark, were
married in Licking Co., Ohio ; they had six children — Elizabeth (who married A.
Stults ; he is now deceased, and she lives in Marion Co., Ohio), Mary (married James
Clayton; he is dead; she lives in Ohio), Samuel S. (the subject of this sketch),
Martha (married J. Johnson, now deceased ; she lives in Ohio), Eliza (twice married,
first husband was John .Clayton, second was Armstrong Small ; both are deceased, and
she lives in Ohio). Mrs. S. S. Clark's father, Nesbit Alderi, was a native of the State
of New York. He married, in Ohio, Sarah Duke; they came to Iowa in 1851 ; set-
tled in Brandon Township, Jackson Co., where they resided until their death ; they
had six children, two of whom are living — -Mary (the wife of Samuel S. Clark), and
Loyd (who married Mary Shumaker, and is now a resident of Cass Co., Iowa).
WILLIAM DICK, farmer, Sec. 36; P. O. Iron Hills; was born in West-
moreland Co., Penn., Feb. 7, 1831, where he was educated and lived until 1855, when
he came to Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled in Brandon Township, where he has since
resided. In 1858, he married Miss Isabel, daughter of Basil and Frances Tracy,
pioneer settlers and still honored and respected citizens of Brandon Township ; they
have two children — James M. and William R. Mr. Dick is a member of the Town-
ship Board of Trustees at present, an office he has been elected to several terms ; he
takes an active interest in school matters, and is now Secretary of School Board, and
has filled various other school offices. He is a Democrat in polities. Owns 100 acres
of finely improved land.
THOMAS BOWLING, farmer and horticulturist, Sec. 2 ; P. O. Garry
Owen ; was born in County Meath, Ireland, in 1830, where he received a liberal educa-
tion. In 1848, he came to America, lived one year in New York, and on the Hudson
BRANDON TOWNSHIP. 759
River one year; in 1850, went to Green Bay pineries, Michigan ; in 1851, crossed
the State of Illinois, from Chicago to Galena, most of the way on foot, then to St.
Paul, thence to Chippewa pineries, Wisconsin, where he remained about a year; in
1853, he traveled and worked his way through the Southern States, saw slavery in all
its workings and thence became an Abolitionist. He married, in Galena, Miss Mary
Seymour in 1354 ; she was a native of France ; immediately after their marriage, they
moved to Dubuque, where they resided eighteen months, and, in the fall of 1855,
removed on the farm where they now reside ; they have two children — Mary A. and
Emily, who married Mr. Joseph Hart, and has two sons — Joseph and Thomas. In
1865, Mr. Dowling became restless for travel, and wanted to see the Pacific Coast, so
weut to California and thence to Oregon, through Washington Territory, from
there to Idaho, through the Rocky Mountains in Montana, and to British Columbia ;
returned, satisfied that there was no better country than Iowa. Mr. Dowling owns over
100 acres of land ; he devotes much of his time to horticulture, and is rearing over
fifty varieties of the finest and most rare plants ; he has several varieties of apple, plum.
cherry and other fruit-bearing trees, all in fine condition ; his lawn is full of iragrant
flowers, spicy shrubs and luxuriant trees ; he has a good farm and snug home, pleasant
and comfortable, and one in which, after years of toil and labor, he can peacefully and
serenely spend, his declining years.
OZKO GARDNER, farmer, Sec. 35 ; P. 0. Emeline ; was born in
Wyoming Co., N. Y. in 1814 ; in 1835, he emigrated to Kane Co., 111., where he lived
until 1850, when he came to Maquoketa, this (Jackson) county, and remained there
until 1 S64, when he returned to New York, and lived in Orleans Co. three years, at the
end of which time he removed to Sharon Township, Clinton Co., Iowa, thence
to where he now resides in 1S73. Mr. Gardner has been twice married; first wife was
Miss Ann Underwood, a native of Middleburg, N. Y.; she died in Maquoketa ; by this
marriage there were five children — Permeno (who served in a Kansas regiment, during
the war, is married and lives in Chautauqua Co., Kan,), Charles H. (deceased), Olive
(wife of William Wade ; he served in an Iowa regiment during the war, and was hon-
orably discharged at its close), Robert M. (married Miss Mary Cook ; they reside in
in this, Brandon, township), Orange (was married twice; first wife was Adelaide Cook;
present was Ellen labour). Mr. Gardner's second wife was Eliza Dickinson ; she was
born near Glens Falls, N. Y. ; in politics, Mr. G. is a Republican. He owns 120 acres
of land, well improved.
JAMES GcILMORE, farmer, Sec. 17; P. O. Canton; was born Feb.
25, 1810, in Greene Co., Penn.; in 1813, his parents removed to Fayette Co., Penn.,
where he was educated ; when he became of age, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania
National Guards and was elected First Lieutenant, and shortly after was commissioned
Captain of a company. Feb. 5, 1835, he married, in Fayette Co., Penn., Margaret
Roderick, a native of that county, born May 4, 1814 ; they emigrated to Iowa in 1850,
and settled where he now resides ; she died Feb. 10, 1873 ; she was a member of the
Presbyterian Church, and a sincere Christian. Their children are John, born Oct.
25. 1835 (he married Miss Anna Stone; is Pastor of Presbyterian Church at Hanover,
111. ) ; Henry F., born Aug. 7, 1837, died Sept. 2, 1844 ; Louisa, born Dec. 3, 1839
(she is now the wife of William Hanna, a merchant at Clarence, Iowa) ; Elizabeth, born
July 2, 1842, died May 1, 1843 ; Martha J., born Feb. 27, 1844 (married Thomas
Humphrey and resides in Monmouth, Jackson Co., Iowa); James R., born June 22,
1846 (he married Mary Casteel ; they live in Kearney Co., Neb.) ; Mary E., born Feb.
16, 1849 (married E. Watson, Monmouth Township, this county) ; William H., born
Feb. 27, 1852 (married Adda Brusenbrasier ; live in Kearney Co., Neb.) ; Ewing,
born Nov. 25, 1854 (married Julia Ripperton ; reside in Kearney Co., Neb.) ; Adelia
M., born July 16, 1859. Mr. Giluiore is a Democrat in politics ; he has been elected
to various offices, and has been identified with the religious and educational interests of
Jackson County ever since he has been a resident of it : religiously, he is a Presbyte-
rian and has been an Elder of that Chnrch since 1855 ; he owns a large and well-
improved farm, which he made by his industry and good management.
760 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
J AMES JOHNSOIV, farmer ; Sec. 26 ; P. 0. Emeline ; was born in Lick-
ing Co., Ohio, in 1817, where he married Miss Unice Cooley ; in 1847, they emigrated
to Iowa and settled where they are now living, thus becoming pioneer settlers of Jackson
Co. They have four children — Laura (now the wife of William Snodgrass), William,
Isaac and Josephine. Mr. Johnson has held various local offices and has taken a deep
interest in all public affairs relating to the prosperity of his adopted county. He owns
160 acres of land ; is a Democrat in politics.
EDMUND KELSALL, farmer; P. 0. Canton; is a native of Notting-
ham, England ; was bora Jan. 16, 1815. He married in Chesterfield, Eugland, in
1834, Miss Anna Hancock ; in 1842, they emigrated to America, and settled at Nauvoo,
111., where they remained until 1856, when they moved to St. Louis, Mo. ; in 1850,
they came to Jackson Co., and settled where they now live ; there are four of their chil-
dren now living — Greorge W. (who is a merchant, Canton, and was an officer of the 2d
I. V. C. during the war of the rebellion), William, Fredric and Greorge. Mr. Kelsall
is a public-spirited citizen, and is ever identified with every enterprise that gives prom-
ise of general good. He is a Republican in politics, and has been elected to several
offices. He owns 280 acres of land ; his home place is finely improved.
GEORGE W. KELSALL, merchant, Canton ; was born in St. Louis,
Mo., in 1840; when 10 years old removed, with his parents, to this (Jackson) county;
he was liberally educated, and followed teaching until the breaking-out of the war of
the rebellion, when he entered the 2d I. V. C, as first duty Sergeant ; he was mustered
into the United States Service in September, 1861, and shortly afterward was made
Orderly Sergeant, and then promoted to First Lieutenant, in which capacity he served
till the close of the war. He participated in the siege of Corinth, battfe of Farming-
ton, where he was wounded, and left for dead on the field of battle, and was taken
prisoner by the rebels, and taken to Columbus, Miss., where he was paroled ; he then
returned to his regiment, and took part in the battles of Corinth, Coffeeville, Palo Alto,
Birmingham, Jackson, Grenada, Collierville, Moscow, Pontotoc, Tupelof Old Town,
Oxford, and engagements against Hood's march on Nashville, battle of Nashville, etc.
He was mustered out at Selma, Ala., Sept. 19, 1865 ; in 1870, he engaged in business
in Canton, and is the principal storekeeper there ; on the 29th of December, 1872, he
was appointed Postmaster, a position he has since filled with credit to himself and
satisfaction to the citizens; during the fall of 1876, he erected a large massive stone
structure to be used as a store ; it is a two-story building, and, without doubt, one of
most durable and commodious country stores in the county ; March 4, 1878, he was
commissioned Captain of Co. B, 1st Cav., I. N. G-., and promoted Lieutenant Colonel
of the same, March 15, 1879. Mr. Kelsall has been twice married ; first wife was
Eveline Hammond ; she died in 1867 ; present wife was Maria M. Sutton. In politics,
Mr. Kelsall is a Republican.
ELI METHEN Y, farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. O. Iron Hills ; was born in Wash-
ington Co., Ohio, where he lived until 1837, when he came West; lived in Muscatine,
Iowa, until 1S40, then came to Jackson Co., remained a few months, returned to Mus-
catine, and from there returned to his native county, and there married, on the 4th of
July, 1844, Miss Margaret Snodgrass; in 1849, they emigrated to Iowa, and settled in
this (Brandon) township, where tbey have since lived ; they have three children —
George (who married Sarah Heath; live in Brandon Township), Oliver P. (married
Martha Berkey, live iu Brandon Township), William L. (married Esther Matheny, live
in Butler Co., Kan). Mr. Metheny has filled several school offices, is an energetic man,
and owns 175 acres of land, well improved. In politics, he is a Democrat.
JOSEPH B. MILLER, farmer, Sec. 27 ; P. 0. Emeline; was born in
Dearborn Co., Ind., in 1822. In October, 1843, he married, in Franklin Co., Ind.,
Miss Mary Ann Jacobs ; they emigrated to Iowa, in 1856, and settled where he now
lives ; she died in August, 1876 ; their children were David (who married Miss Ellen
Caven ; they live in Dallas Co., Texas), J. Hershel (married Mary Welch ; they live in
Kansas), Clarence C. (married Cora Cavcn ; live in Brandon Township), Charles A.
(married Martha Thomas ; he is a graduate of Iowa University, and a teacher by
BRANDON TOWNSHIP. 761
profession ; resides at Baldwin, Jackson Co.), Michael H., Ann E. (wife of George Dow-
den, Brandon Township ; he served in an Iowa regiment during the war). Martha (wife
of David Remrner, Brandon Township"), Julia A. and Sarah ; there were five children
deceased, one of whom, Leonatus, was a soldier in the 26th I. V. I., was wounded at
Atlanta, and died from the effects of it sixteen days afterward. Mr. Miller is a Dem-
ocrat. He owns 230 acres of land ; he has been elected to various offices ; was a mem-
ber of the County Board of Supervisors two terms ; is one of the Board of Township
Trustees at present writing, an office he has filled several terms ; has always taken an
active part in the promotion of the educational interests of the county, and has been
elected to many school offices.
WILLIAM MILLER, former, Sec. 31 ; P. 0. Monmouth ; was born in
Mahoning Co., Ohio, June 3, 1833, where he remained until 1S55, when he came
West and settled in Rock Island Co., 111. At the breaking-out of the war of the
rebellion, he enlisted in Co. K, 112th I. V. I.; participated iu every battle, siege and
skirmish his command was in ; was severely wounded near Atlanta ; was honorably dis-
charged at the close of the war. In the latter part of 1865, he returned to his native
county in Ohio, remaining there until 1868, in which year he came to Jackson Co.
In 1869, he married, in Monmouth Township, Miss Mary Hale ; they have four chil-
dren— William E., Joseph E., Jennie and . Mr. Miller owns 1-10 acres of
land, well located and finely improved. In politics, he is a Republican.
H. C. MORRIS, attorney at law and Notary Public, Ozark ; was born in
Madison Co., Ohio, in '. 844, and in his youth received a liberal education. During the
war of the rebellion, he was a soldier in active service in Co. B, 23d 111. V. I. ; he was
enrolled March, 1862, and participated in every siege, battle and skirmish his command
was in, the principal battles being New Creek, Morefield, Leetown, Romley, second bat-
tle of Morefield, Harper's Ferry, Snickles' Ferry, Smithfield, Gettysburg, Maryland
Heights, both battles of Winchester, Cedar Creek, Fisher's Hill, Charleston ; he was
twice captured by the rebels; first in the Shenandoah Valley, and the second time in
front of Richmond ; was detained a prisoner only a short time ; he was wounded in the
battle of Petersburg; he was honorably discharged at the close of the war, 1865. May
26, 1864, he married, in St. Joe Co., Mich., Miss Christine Langdon, a native of Cass
Co., Mich. ; at the time of their marriage he was home on veteran furlough. In 1866,
they removed to Ottumwa, Iowa, thence to Centerv'lle in 1868, where they lived uutil
1870, when he removed to Schuyler Co., Mo. ; there he was superintendent of a large
woolen factory two years, at the end of which time he went to California ; lived in
Marysville and Sacramento City until 1874, then went to Ogden, Utah, and there man-
aged woolen mills a few months, then returned to Centerville, Iowa, and took charge of
woolen mills there until spring of 1878, when he went to Davenport and had charge of
mills there a short time ; in the latter part of 1 878, he moved to Ozark, where he has
since resided. Besides attending his duties as superintendent of the various mills he
was employed at, he read law, and was admitted to the bar ; ' he is also Notary Public.
In June, 1879, he was commissioned Captain Co. B, 1st Cav. I. N. G-. In politics, he
is a Republican " straight," and has several times " stumped " in various parts of this
State ( Iowa) and Missouri in the interests of that party.
THOMAS OLIVER, farmer, Sec. 9 ; P. 0. Canton ; was born in Sussex,
England, in 1817 ; he has been a resident of Iowa since 1845, and of Jackson Co. since
1846. He was married twice; first time, in England, to Mary Budd, a most estimable
lady ; she died in this (Jackson) county ; second wife was a cousin to the first, and
also named Mary Budd; she died May 12, 1879; she was a member of the Presby-
terian Church, and for over seventeen years, a teacher of a class in the Sabbath school ;
was an earnest and Christian woman, respected and beloved by all with whom she was
acquainted ; their children are Mary and Emma. Mr. Oliver owns 250 acres of land,
finely improved. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church ; in politics, Mr. Oliver acts
with the Republican party. He is an earnest, upright man, a good citizen and neighbor.
HENRY C. REYNER, manufacturer of woolen goods, Ozark ; was born
in 1845 ; when he was 5 years of age, his parents came to Jackson Co.. Iowa, and settled
762 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
at Canton; there bis father (John Reyner) erected and ran a large woolen factory
several years, and Henry C. became thoroughly acquainted with the business, which for
several years he has carried on successfully ; during the war of the rebellion, he was a
soldier in Co. A. 9th I. V. I., and was all through the Atlanta campaign, Sherman's
march to the sea, and through the Carolinas to Richmond, and was mustered out at
Louisville, Ky., in July, 1865. He married in Monmouth, this (Jackson) county, Miss
Emma Ellis ; they have one child — Francis. Mr. Reyner and wife are members of the
M. E. Church. In politics, he is a Republican. In March, 1879, Mr. R. was
appointed Postmaster at Ozark ; he is an energetic business man, and one well calculated
to carry on with success the business in which he is engaged.
Gr. E. REYNER, Ozark; was born in Montgomery Co., Md., in 1832; in
early life, received a liberal education, and learned manufacturing ; removed, with his
parents, in 1350, and has resided in Jackson Co. the greater part of the time since. He
married in Jones Co., Iowa, Miss Hannah L. Mackrill ; they have three children — Joel
Z., S. Winfield and Mary. Mr. Reyner is a Republican in politics, and was Justice of
the Peace six years in Jones Co. He owns 160 acres of land. He is a public-spirited
citizen, and takes an active part in any enterprise, public or private, that gives promise
of developing the public interests of the country ; a resident of Iowa since 1850, and
for several years engaged with his father, John Reyner, in the manufacture of woolen
goods at Canton, Maquoketa and Ozark.
REV. J. W. SAID, Sec. 36; P. 0. Iron Hills; was born in Parmer's
Creek Township, Jackson Co., Iowa, in 1841 ; his father, Nathan Said, a native of
Kentucky, was born near Warsaw in 1811, and, when 18 years of age, went to Wisconsin
and married, at White Oak Springs, Miss Cathrine White, a native of Virginia, born in
1815. He was a soldier in active service during the Black Hawk war, and, at its close,
emigrated to Iowa, and settled in Jackson Co. Oct. 28. J. W. Said, the subject of this
sketch, married Miss Esther Dutton, of Farmer's Creek Township, Jackson Co. ; she
was born in Carthage, 111., Aug. 7, 1845 ; they have three children — Alice F., Emory
W. and Eliakim. During the war of the rebellion, Mr. S. enlisted in Co. F, 69th I. V.
I., in which regiment he served three months, at the expiration of which time he
enlisted in Co. A, 45th I. V. I., and served until the close of the war, and was honora-
bly discharged. He was licensed minister of the Second Advent Church in 1871, and
was ordained in 1873, since which time he has had pastoral charges in various places in
Jackson Co. In politics, Mr. Said is a Democrat. Nathan Said's family were James
H. (who served in the Second Iowa Cavalry during the reoellion, is married and resides
in Farmer's Creek Township), Mary Jane (married E. W. Cook ; he was a soldier in
the 69th I. V. I. during the war), Rev. J. W. Said (whose name heads this sketch),
Charles W. (was a soldier in Co. A, 45th I. V. I., died in the service at Bonaparte, N.
C.J, Merinda E. 'married Charles Scripture).
J. H. SINKE Y, farmer. Sees. 7 and 8 ; P. 0. Canton ; was born in
Brandon Township, Jackson Co., Iowa, in 1851 ; his parents are John and Malinda
Sinkey, old and honored residents of Brandon Township. He married, in Jackson Co.,
Miss Maggie Johnson ; they have one child — -James Arthur. Mr. Sinkey is largely
engaged in farming and is an energetic citizen. In politics, he is a Republican.
' JOHN SINKEY, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. 0. Canton ; was born in Licking Co.,
Ohio, in 1820; in 1841, he came West; settled in Brandon Township, Jackson Co.,
Iowa ; in 1850, he went to California, followed mining until late in 1852, when he
returned to this county. During the war of the rebellion, enlisted in Co. A, 26th I.
V. I. ; was a soldier in active service and participated in a number of hard-fought
battles. Maiden name of his wife was Melinda Duel ; their children are George T. (who
married Ida Gilbert ; they live in Jones Co., Iowa), John H. (married Aggie John-
son), James (married Emma Allberry ), Sarah (married Henry Ray). In politics, Mr.
Sinkey is a Republican. He own 440 acres of land and is one of Brandon Township's
most enterprising citizens.
WASHINGTON SNODGRASS was born in Washington Co., Ohio,
in 1834, where he attended school and received a liberal education; in 1849, he
BRANDON TOWNSHIP. 763
removed West with his parents ; they settled in Brandon Township, Jackson Co., Iowa,
where he has lived since. He married Miss Polly E. Strong; they have five children
— Clayton, Harvey S., Sarah A., Carrie R. and Norman M. Mr. S. owns about 100
acres of land. Is a Democrat; he takes an active part in public affairs and has been
elected to various offices, in all of which he discharged the duties of to the satisfaction
of all concerned ; at present writing, he holds the office of Justice of the Peace, a
position he has held several years ; he has been Township Clerk about eight years.
In educational affairs, he takes a lively interest and is almost continually in some
position connected with the school interests. Mr. S. resides on Sec. 25 ; P. 0. Iron
Hills.
JAMES SWIFT, farmer, Sees. 27 and 22; P. 0. Emeline ; was born in
Licking Co., Ohio, in 1834 ; in 1855, he removed with his parents to Iowa ; they set-
tled in Jackson Co. Married, in Brandon Township, in 1868, Miss Fannie M. Brown ;
they have four children — William H., Mary L., Alva E. and Edith W. Mr. Swift
owns 120 acres of well-improved land. Is a Democrat in politics. His father, Florence
Swift, was a native of Washington Co., Penn. He married Lena Bowers, a native of
Licking Co., Ohio ; she died in this county in 18(33 ; thtir children were James (whose
name heads this sketch), W. H. ( who served in the 26th I. V. I. ; was wounded at
Resaca and died from the effects at Nashville, Tenn. ), Sarah M. (wife of John Snod-
grass; he was a soldier in the 31st I. V. I. during the. war of the rebellion), Clara A.
(deceased"), Mary E. (^wife of A. Matheny ; he also served in the 31st I. V. I. during
the war), Eliza J. (married S. Cox ; he was a soldier in an Illinois regiment during
the war), John W. (deceased), Edward D. (married Miss O. Cooley).
BASIL TRACY, farmer, Sec. 26 ; P. O. Iron Hills ; was born in Fayette
Co., Penn., Nov. 30, 1812 ; in 1832, he moved with his pareuts to Licking Co., Ohio,
and in 1835 he married, in Delaware Co., that State, Miss Fannie Gilniore, a native of
Fayette Co., Penn.; in 1847, they emigrated to Iowa, and settled in Brandon Township,
Jackson Co., where they have since lived. Their children are James G. (married and
resides in Brandon Township), Elstie (now the wife of John Stahl, Brandon Township ),
William W., Basil M. and Lora S. Mr. Tracy is a Democrat ; he has been elected to
various offices, and at the present writing holds the office of School Treasurer, a position
he has filled for over fifteen years ; he was Justice of the Peace two years, Township
Trustee several terms, and Commissioner of County House and Farm several years.
He owns 2011 acres of land, most desirablv located and well improved.
HENRY F. TRACY, farmer, Sec. 26 ; P. 0. Iron Hills ; he was born in
Fayette Co., Penn., June 28, 1826, and when 6 years of age moved with his parents
to Licking Co., Ohio, where he remained until his coming to Jackson Co. In 1852, he
married, in Brandon Township, Miss Mary Snodgrass ; she was born in Washington
Co., Ohio ; they had thirteen children — Joseph S. (who is married and resides in this,
Brandon, township) ; Lucina I., born Oct. 6, 1855, died Sept. 6, 1856 ; Porter W., is
married and resides in this township; Hugh M. (married and a resident of Brandon) ;
Theodore H.; Mary E.; Ellen F., born June 14, 1863, died Oct. 25, 1864 ; William R.,
born Oct. 15/1S64, died August, 1866 ; David E., John A., Carrie L., Cora L., Anna
M. (died in infancy). Mr. Tracy has been elected to various offices of trust, and he
has always taken an active interest in the advancement of the religious and educational
matters of the county, and is a most liberal and enterprising man. He owns 320 acres
of land, well improved. Politically, he acts with the Democratic party ; himself and
wile are members of the Christian Church, of which Church he has been Elder a num-
ber of years. Mr. Tracy has been a resident of Brandon Township, Jackson Co., Iowa,
since October, 1846.
JAMES G. TRACY, farmer, Sec. 26 ; P. O. Iron Hills ; was born in
Brandon Township, Jackson Co., Iowa ; is the son of Basil and Fanny Tracy, pioneer
settlers of the same township ; he was born May 17, 1852. In July, 1875, he married,
at Iron Hills, Jackson Co., Iowa, Miss P. Green ; they have two children, Lily Bell
and Addie Celestine. Mr. Tracy is a Democrat ; he is extensively engaged in farming
and is a man of much energy.
764 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
J. S. TRACY, farmer, Sec. 36 ; P. 0. Iron Hills ; was born in this (Bran-
don) township, in 1854 ; his parents are Henry F. and Mary Tracy, old and honored
residents of Jackson Co. He married, in 1876, Miss Mary C. Morehead, daughter of
Charles and Elizabeth Morehead, of Farmer's Creek Township, of which they were
pioneer settlers. In politics, Mr. T. is a Democrat; he owns a finely improved farm
and is engaged in farming to quite an extent, and is possessed of much energy.
E. ' WIL.SON, farmer, Sec. 24 ; P. 0. Iron Hills ; was born in Delaware Co.,
Ind., in 1835 ; in 1840, his parents moved to Hancock Co., 111., where he attended
school until 1846, when they removed to Camanche, Clinton Co., Iowa, where they
remained but a short time previous to their settling in this (Jackson) county. He
married, in Jones Co., Iowa, Miss Jane, daughter of John and Sarah French, old and
honored residents of Jones Co. They have two children — Elizabeth A. and William
S. He owns 195 acres of land ; is a Democrat in politics. His father, Eliakim Wilson,
was married twice ; his first wife was Margaret Kane ; she died in Indiana ; second
wife was Jane Thomson ; he died in 1861 ; she is also deceased. He was an eminently
good man in all the relations of life, and in the early history of the county took an active
part in advancing the public interests of Jackson Co. His death was sincerely regretted
in the community wherein he resided so long.
JESSE WILSON, farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. 0. Iron Hills ; was born in 1812,
in Fayette Co., Penn., where he married Miss Margaret Gilmore ; in 1848, they emi-
grated to Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled in Farmer's Creek Township, where they lived
about twelve years, then moved to where they now reside. They have four children-
Thomas (who married Lavina Mason, lives in Pratt Co., Kan.), James G. (married
Lucy A. Oooley, reside in this, Brandon, township), Martha (wife of William Kelsall,
Nodaway Co., Mo.) and John. Mr. Wilson owns 110 acres of land, is an enterprising
man and a highly respected citizen ; in politics he acts with the Democratic party.
BUTLER TOWNSHIP.
JOHN BOW EN, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 34 ; P. 0. Garry Owen ; was
born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1820. He married, in his native country, Miss Cath-
erine McCarty ; in 1843, they emigrated to Rochester, N. Y., -where they lived until
1848, when they removed to Chicago, 111. ; moved thence to Iowa, and settled ou their
present farm in 1853; they have six children — James, Daniel, Julia A. (now Mrs. T.
Hullehan), Maggie, Johnnie, Katie. Mr. Bowen owns 440 acres of land. He is a
liberal supporter of schools, and other public interests, and, since he has lived in Butler,
has been elected to various offices of honor and trust.
P. C. BURKE, farmer, Sec. 10; P. 0. Garry Owen ; was born in County
Cavan, Ireland, in 1823, where he remained until 1845, when he emigrated to Water-
town. Mass. In 1846, during the Mexican war, he entered the service^of the U. S.,
and served in the Ordnance Department of the Government until 1856 ;*in that year,
he removed to Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled where he now lives. Mr. Burke has rep-
resented Butler Township in the County Board of Supervisors two years; he is Chair-
man of the present Board of Township Trustees, and is also President of School Board in
his district ; both the latter offices he has been elected to several terms. He is Inde-
pendent in politics. Married, in VVatertown, Mass., Nancy A. McCabe ; they have had
thirteen children — Katie (now deceased), Mary (wife of P. Noonan), Lizzie (a Sister of
Mercy), Nannie, Josephine (a Sister of Mercy, Dubuque Co.), Rosa, Agnes, Alice,
Maggie, Emeline, Gertie, Stephen A. and Charles B. Mr. Burke owns 200 acres of
land ; is an active, go-ahead citizen, and has always taken an active part in the public
affairs of Butler Township, and has taken a leading part in the advancement of the
educational interests in the district in which he resides.
JAMES FLYN, farmer, Sec. 21 ; P. 0. Garry Owen ; is a native of County
Roscommon, Ireland ; born in 1817. He was a Government officer in County Limerick
JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 765
seven years. He married, in his native country, Margaret Calahoun ; they emigrated to
Canada in 1844. In 184S, he was made Assessor and Collector, offices which he filled
in Sincoe Co., Canada, for a period of twenty years, discharging the duties with credit
to himself and satisfaction to the Government. In 1S68, he removed to Jackson Co.,
Iowa, and settled in Butler, where he now lives, and has heen Assessor four years ; he,
at present writing, holds the office of Justice of the Peace. Owns 180 acres of land.
Mr. Flvn and wife are members of the Catholic Church. In politics, he is a Democrat.
JEREMIAH RYJLE, farmer, Sees. *26 and 27 ; P. 0. Garry Owen ; waa
born in County Kerry, Ireland. He married, in his native county, Mary Callahan ;
in 1851, they emigrated to the United States, and settled where they now live ; they
have five children — John H., Michael, Ellen, Eugene, Mary L. Mr. R. owns 240 acres
of land, well located, and finely improved. Politically, he acts with the Democratic
party. Himself and family are members of the Catholic Church. Since his residence
in Butler Township, he has taken an active interest in matters relating to education and
religion, and is an active worker and liberal supporter in those interests.
JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
FEORIEtf AETFUEEIFS, farmer, Sec. 1 ; P. 0. Bellevue ; he was
born April 10, 1829, in Germany; in 1870, he came to his present farm, consisting of
210 acres of land. He married Kosintu Steinfuer in 1855 ; she was born in Germany ;
have eight children, three sons and five daughters.
JAMES W. REEE J P. 0. Bellevue; was born in Mercer Co., Penn., in
1832 ; in the summer of 1855, he came to Iowa, and settled in Jackson Co. During
the war, he served in Co. K, 31st I. V. I.; was enrolled at Bellevue Aug. 9, 1862, and
was mustered into service at Davenport Oct. 13, 1802; was in the battles of Chicka-
saw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Raymond, Jackson, Black River, Vicksburg, Cherokee,
Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Ringgold, Taylor's Hills, Snake Creek Gap,
Resaca, Dallas, New Hope Church, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta
and Jonesboro ; was in Sherman's campaign through Georgia and the Carolinas,
and was mustered out at Louisville, Ky., June 27, 1865; in the service, his health was
completely broken down. He married, in Bellevue, Miss Patience Sister, daughter of
Michael and Mary Sisler, settlers of 1852. Mr. Bell and wife are members of the
Catholic Church ; he is a Republican.
A. P. ROYD, farmer, Sec. 6; P. O. Bellevue; was born in Mercer Co.,
Penn., Feb. 27, 1838, where he received a liberal education ; in the spring of 1850, he
emigrated to Jackson Co., Iowa, with his parents, and it has been his home since. Mr.
Boyd is a member of the M. E. Church ; in politics, he is a Republican. Owns 100
acres of land, and is an energetic man and an enterprising citizen. His father, William
J. Boyd, was a native of Mercer Co., Penn. He married Miss Amanda Bockins, also
a native of Pennsylvania ; they emigrated to Jackson Co. in 1851, and settled at Belle-
vue, thus being early settlers of that city ; in 1853, they removed to Andrew, thence to
Otter Creek Township, where he died in August of that year; she is still living and.
resides with her son, the subject of this sketch, in Jackson Township. Mrs. Boyd's
children are Daniel B. (who is married, and resides in Reno Co., Kan.), A. P. (whose
name appears at the head of this sketch), John M. (who served in 2d I. V. C. during
the war of the rebellion, and was a gallant soldier ; he is now married and lives in
Eureka, Kan. '), Amanda (now the wife of Charles Miller, Greenwood Co., Kan.).
NICKOEAS CAPEES, farmer, See. 25; P. O. Spring Brook; was born
in Luxemburg, in Germany, on the 16th of- August, 1835, where he lived and was
schooled until 16 years of age, when, in 1851, he emigrated to the United States and
located in Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has lived ever since ; he has served his town-
ship for two terms as Road Supervisor ; he is a Democrat, and has always ben <o since
766 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
he first became a naturalized citizen of the Uuited States. He married Catherine For-
rette, a native of Luxemburg in Germany, in Jackson Co., Iowa, on the 16th day of
May, 1858, and had nine children, eight cf whom are still living — Jacob, John Peter,
Margaret, John, Annie, Emiel, Catharine and Dominick. He and his family are mem-
bers of the German Catholic Church of Spring Brook ; when he first came to this
country, he was very poor, and, when he commenced work in Jackson Co., he had
no means at all, and now, after several years of hard work, close application, and strict
attention to business, he has built a good homestead and a fortune of from $9,000 to
$10,000. Owns 240 acres. of land.
THOMAS W. CASSOJ, farmer, Sec. 6 ; P. O. Bellevue ; born Dec.
28, 1818, in Philadelphia; in 1852, he came to Jackson Co., and settled in Tete des
Mortes Township ; in 1867, he removed to Jackson Township, and settled on his pres-
ent farm ; he owns 405 acres land ; he has held most of the township offices. Mar-
ried Elizabeth Sharpless in 1851 ; she was born in Montgomery. Co., Penn. ; had six
children ; their son, Charles, went through a regular course of pharmacy in Philadel-
phia, there graduated ; he then entered the Medical University of Pennsylvania ;
graduated as a physician, when he entered the United States Navy as Pass Surgeon,
which position he held till the time of his death, which occurred in 1877, aged 26
years. Mr. Cassin is one of the leading farmers of Jackson Co. ; his fine residence is
situated six miles from Bellevue, and the " latch-string is always out." His home is a
favorite resort for young and old ; he is of a quiet, but genial disposition, and excels in
practical good sense ; his friends claim that he has the ability to fill important political
stations, but he disclaims all taste or desire for politics. He is a sound Republican.
EDWARD EBjVER, shoemaker and saloon, Spring Brook; was born in
Baden, Germany, on the 2d .day of October, 1843, where he was raised and educated;
in 1867, in the month of August, he emigrated to the United States, and, after two
years in the States of Illinois and Missouri, he moved to Jackson Co., and located
where he lives now, and where he has carried on his profession ever since. He is a
strong Democrat in his politics. He married Annie Henktian, a native of Luxemburg,
Germany, in Jackson Co., on the 15th day of January, 1872, and had four children,
three of whom are living — Prank, Theodore and John Edward. He and his family
are members of the German Catholic Church. When he first came to Jackson Co., he
was a very poor man, while now he has a good town property, and a fortune of from
$2,500 to $3,000.
JOHN FORRETTE, hotel-keeper, Spring Brook ; he is the owner of the
well-known " Seven-Mile House ; " he was born in Luxemburg, in Germany, on the
22d of April, 1830, where he was raised and educated; in 1852, he emigrated to the
United States and located in Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has lived ever since, except
about three years, during which time he lived in Galena, 111. ; he has adopted the pro-
fession of well-boring, which he carried on for the past few years. He has served his
township two years as Road Supervisor. He is a strong Democrat in his politics, and
has ever been so since he first became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He
married Jean Frisch, a native of Luxemburg, Germany, in Jackson Co., Iowa, on the
17th day of November, 1855, and had ten children, six of whom are living at the
writing of this history, namelj, Catherine, Jacob, Annie, William, Nicholas and Jean.
, He and his family are members of the German Catholic Church of Spring Brook. He
was a poor man when he started in Jackson Co., and now has a good city property and
a fortune of about $2,000 ; owns five acres of land.
PETER GAHtfON, farmer, Sec. 32 ; P. O. Spring Brook ; he was born in
Luxemburg, Germany, in the year 1849, and when but 3 years of age, his parents
emigrated to the United States and located in Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has lived
ever since ; he is a son of Jacob and Mary Gahnon, both of whom are living and
reside in Jackson Co. with their son, who is the subject of this biography. He is and
always has been a strong Democrat in politics ; the entire family are all members of the
German Catholic Church of Spring Brook. Mr. Gahnon owns 200 acres of land, val-
ued at $25 per acre. Being a child when his parents came' to this country, he is
JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 767
somewhat " native to the manor born," and received his entire schooling in the town
of Bellevue.
JAMES HOREtf, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. O. Bellevue ; owns 480 acres in
Jackson Co. and 160 acres in Jo Daviess Co., 111. He was born in the county of
Tipperary, Ireland, on the 25th day of June, 1818, and at 6 years of age, his parents
died, when he was adopted and raised by an uncle, James Kennedy, who lived in Can-
ada ; when 14 years of age, he came to Cook Co., 111., where he lived until he was 20,
when he moved to Galena, Jo Daviess Co., 111., where he resided from 1840 until 1878,
when in March of that year, he removed to Jaokson Co., Iowa, and settled upon the
property now owned by him. He has never held any offices in Jackson Co., although
he has for many years held important offices of trust and ability in Jo Daviess Co., 111.
He is a strong old Jacksonian Democrat, and has always warmly supported and advo-
cated the principles of that party. He married Ellen Maddern, a native of Boston,
Mass., in Galena, 111., in the year 1840, and had ten children, nine of whom are living
at the writing of this history, namely, James, John, Daniel, Mathias, Mary, Annie,
Elizabeth, Ellen and Bridget. He and his family are all members of the Roman
Catholic Church. His Jackson Co. lands are valued at $25 per acre and his Jo
Daviess lands at $50.
CHRISTIAN KEGLER, retired farmer and merchant, Sec. 15; P. O.
Spring Brook ; was born in Nassau, in Germany, but now belonging to Prussia, on the
27th day of November, 1812, where he grew to man's estate and received a thorough
common-school education ; for several years in his native country he followed the pro-
fession of a teamster, when, in 1853, he gave it up and emigrated to the United States,
and, on the 26th day of July, 1853, located at Spring Brook, Jackson Co., Iowa, where
he has lived ever since; before locating in Iowa, he spent from the 1st of June to the
26th of July seeking a location, and not until he came across Jackson Co. could he find
any place which met his fancy ; during his residence, he has served his township as Road
Supervisor for two terms, and often importuned to take other positions of trust, which
he always declined, as he never had any desire to hold any public offices of any character.
He is a strong Democrat, and has always ardently espoused the cause of that party since
he first became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He married Mary Soharft',
a native of the same country as her husband, in February, 1839, and had six children,
five of whom are living at the writing of this history — August G. (who is married and
carries on the dry-goods business in Bellevue), William (who is also married and carries
on a large business in farming implements and all kinds of machinery in Bellevue),
Christian M. ( who is married and carries on the business of general merchandise and
farming at Spring Brook), Barbara (who is married to John P. Gross, who lives in
Spring Brook and carries on the business of blacksmithing), Elizabeth (who is married
to Nickolis Evans, who is a dry-goods merchant at Le Mars, Plymouth County, Iowa).
Mr. Kegler is a widower, his wife having died on the 5th of September, 1872, and lies
buried in the Catholic Cemetery of Spring Brook. He and all his family are members
of the German Catholic Church. When he first commenced life in Jackson County he
was a very poor man, with scarcely means enough to secure a small place to begin fann-
ing, but with that characteristic energy and thriftiness of his country he diligently pur-
sued his avocation, strictly and persistently laying up and adding to his property, until
he had one of the finest farms in the county, and a fortune good at any time for from
$45,1100 to $50,000. The old gentleman has now retired from any kind of work, and
resides with his son, Christian M., after having divided his property among his children,
and seeing them all happily and comfortably situated, with good starts in life, the only
necessary thing to insure their prosperity and wealth being a little of the will and true
pluck which has always characterized the father. Mr. Kegler is now fast approaching
70 years of age, but still is strong and firm in his step, and his ideas are as bright and
active as ever. Mr. Kegler is also the Postmaster at Spring Brook, having held that
office for the past eight years.
ii EOIMJ E W. KEISTER, farmer, Sec. 5 ; P. O. Bellevue. He is
among the leading and enterprising farmers of Jackson County. We find none more
768 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES :
worthy of representation in her history than George W. Keister, of Jackson Township.
He was born in Rockingham Co., Va., Nov. 24, 1826. In early life, he received a
liberal education in his native county. In 1847, he removed with his parents to Jack-
son Co. ; settled in Andrew, where they lived until the following year, when they
removed to Bellevue Township, where they resided until their death, April 12, 1852.
Mr. Keister, in company with four others, started for California overland, with an ox-
team. They arrived in Placerville, August 8, and he went to Big Bar, on the middle
fork of the American River, where he engaged in mining, with fair success, until the
winter of 1853, when he returned to this county. May 17, 1855, he married, in Jack-
son Township, this (Jackson) county, Miss Mary R. McMurphy, daughter of Archibald
and Rispa McMurphy, natives of New York, who settled in this county in 1854, and
are now honored residents of Rochester, Minn. Mr. Keister and wife are members of
the M. E. Church. Their children were Nettie B., born April 1, 1856 ; (she was edu-
cated at Mount Vernon, Iowa; March 15, 1877, she married Richard C. Ross ; they
live in Bellevue, where he is and has been engaged in the mercantile business several
years) ; Elizabeth, born Aug. 26, 1857 ; (she is now attending school at Cornell College,
Mount Vernon) ; George W., born Feb. 10, 1859 ; (he is also attending school at Mount
Vernon); Charlotte R., born March 3, 1861; Charles C, Nov. 20, 1862 ; Mary A.,
April 2, 1864; Benjamin B., Oct. 4,1865; Fannie B.. May 15, 1867; Harry C,
April 31, 1868 ; Walter W., April 26, 1870. died Oct. 2, 1876 ; Nellie May, born Jan.
10, 1875 ; Archie J"., Feb. 9, 1877. Mr. Keister is, at present writing, Trustee and
Steward of the M. E. Church, a position he has filled about six years. He was Clerk
of Jackson Township for over eleven years ; is the present School Treasurer in the dis-
trict wherein he resides, an office he has filled to the general satisfaction of all concerned
a number of years. In politics, Mr. K. is a Democrat, though he is no politician, and
has never taken part in the personal sft'ife and vituperation so common during political
campaigns, and looks to principles rather than party politics. He is a public-spirited
man, always ready to assist with time and money any enterprise that promises to be of
advantage to his township and county, and has always taken an active part in the pro-
motion of the religious and educational interests. His farm embraces 280 acres, well
located, and possessing many of the natural advantages. In 1865, he completed his
house, which is a massive stone structure, and is, without doubt, one of the finest farm
residences in Jackson Co. Being a man of study and progressive ideas, he has
applied the best practical results of his knowledge to improved methods of farming, and
to furnishing his house with the appliances and comforts of the best social life. His
pirents, William K. and Elizabeth Keister, were natives of Virginia. They came to
this county, as before stated, in 1847, and were honored residents until their death,
which occurred, his in 1858, and hers in June, 1874. They were members of the M.
E. Church. Previous to his coming to this county, he was a Captain of a militia com-
pany in Virginia. Their children were Martin B., now a Methodist minister at Sioux
City, Iowa ; George W., whose name heads this sketch ; Mary, now deceased ; Elizabeth,
wife of Joseph Snodgrass, Collins Co., Texas ; William M.; Susan, now Mrs. B. Sisler.
In addition to his farm, Mr. Keister owns city property in Hutchinson, Kan., and in
Bellevue, Iowa.
CHRISTIAN M. KEGLER, merchant and farmer, Spring Brook. He
owns 100 acres of land, besides his valuable store, house and other city property in the
town of Spring Brook. He was born in Nassau, Germany, on the 20th of March,
1850, and, when but 3 years old, his parents emigrated to the United States, and located
in Jackson Co., Iowa. (See biography of Christian Kegler.) He was raised and*
educated in Jackson Co. He has been closely confined in his store for the past
ten years, and, with the time required for his farming interests, he has had no time and
no desire to hold office or be mixed up with any political organizations. Ever since he
cast his first vote, he has been a strong and " true-blue " Democrat in his politics. He
married Mary Knoll, a native of Germany, in Jackson Co., on the 15th day of Febru-
ary, 1873, and had three children, two of whom are living at the writing of this history,
namely, Mary Elizabeth and John Jacob. He and his family are members of the
JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 7b»
German Catholic Church of Spring Brook. Mr. Kegler, when quite a boy, showing a
decided mercantile ability, his father put him into his store as a clerk, which he dili-
gently applied himself unto until 1874, when his father retired from business and was
succeeded by his son, both as merchant and farmer. His experience has been not only
remarkable but nearly unprecedented for the past six years, as he has rapidly increased
his business, until now he has one of the finest storehouses and farms in the county, and
a handsome fortune of from $12,000 to 815,000, beside the stock on hand and capital
invested in his business, which ranges generally from $8,000 to $10,000.
EDWIN E. G. KOON, farmer. Sec. 35; P. O. Higginsport; he was born
in Crawford Co., Penn., on the 6th day of March, 1836, where he was raised and
schooled until 12 years of age, when, in the year 1848, his parents removed to Clinton
Co., Iowa, in which State his residence has been entirely confined ever since, never liv-
ing out of that county until 1878, when he moved to Jackson Co.; he is a son of Nicholas
N. Koon and Mary W. Koon, both of whom are old residents of Clinton Co. During
the war of the rebellion, he did gallant service in Co. C, 10th I. V. I.; Mr. Koon takes
great pleasure and credit in having enlisted as a private and returning home with no
higher office. He is a a conservative Republican in his politics, and has always vindi-
cated the principles of that party. He married Roxey Ann Bennett, a native of New
York, in Clinton Co., on Nov. 29, 1855, and have never had any children but have two
adopted ones — Charles and Jennie. He and his family are not members of any church,
but are God-fearing and church-going people, and extremely liberal in their church
views. When he first commenced life on his own account, in Clinton Co., Iowa, he
was very poor and made his own start in life, and now, by strict and close application
to his business, he has a comfortable homestead and a fortune of from $6,000 to $7,000 ;
owns 160 acres of land.
JAMES MOLES, farmer, Sec. 14 ; P. O. Spring Brook ; he was born in
Greenbrier Co., Va., on June 14, 1810, where he was raised to manhood. When he first
started in life, he adopted the profession of a salt boatman, from the Kanawha Salt
Works, down the Kanawha, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, which he followed about ten
years, when he gave it up and commenced at Cabin Creek in Kanawha Co., W. Va.,
as a boat-builder, which he followed for twenty years, when he gave it up and came to
Iowa in 1856, and located upon the property now owned by him. He has served his
township faithfully for three terms as School Director ; he is a conservative Democrat
in his politics. He married Sarah Wyant, a native of Kanawha Co., W. Va., near
the town of Charleston, in which county they were married, at Cabin Creek, on the
18th of December, 1834, and had nine children, seven of whom are living at the writ-
ing of this history — Ann (married to Christian Speici and resides in Jackson Co.) ;
Mary (married to Jonathan Nelson and resides in Jackson Co.); Martha ( married to
William Hazen and resides in Dakota Territory) ; Martin (married to Ida D. Rowe and
resides in Jackson Co.) ; Julia, unmarried and lives with her parents ; Terrisa (married
to Thomas E. Scott and resides in Dakota Territory) ; Virginia, unmarried and resides
with her parents. He and his family are somewhat divided in their Christian faith,
belonging in part to the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Missionary Baptist
Church. When he first came to Iowa, he had a limited capital to begin life with, but,
nothing discouraged, he started with a will and determination, and now, after a few
years of honest industry, economy and energy, he has a good and comfortable home-
stead and a fortune of $6,000, besides having settled about $2,500 on his married chil-
dren, who are also prospering. Owns 100 acres of land.
WILLIAM M. SISLER, farmer, Sec. 7 ; P. O. Bellevue ; one of the
twelve heirs to the estate left by his father, Michael Sisler ; was born in Franklin Co.,
Penn., on the 21st day of March, 1823, and was raised and educated in Huntingdon
Co., Penn., whither his parents removed when he was a child ; in 1864, he removed to
Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled with his father, where he has lived ever since. He has
never held any offices in his township, as he has never had either ambition or desire to
be mixed up with any political organizations of any character; he is a strong Republi-
can in his politics, and has always warmly and ardently espoused the cause and
770 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
supported the principles of that party. He married Susan McHugh, a native of Penn-
sylvania, in which State they were married, and had ten children, three of whom are
living at the writing of this history, namely, Ellen, Mary Catherine and James W.
He and his family ar ; members of the Roman Catholic Church.
H. A. SISLER, farmer, Sec. 8; P. 0. Bellevue ; was born in Huntingdon
Co., Penn., on the 4th day of April, 1829, where he was raised to man's estate and
received a good and thorough common-school education; in 1851, he emigrated from
his native county and settled in Carroll Co., 111., where he resided for sis months, when
he packed up and removed to Jackson Co., Iowa, and settled upon the property on
which he resides at the present time. Daring his residence, he has served his township
faithfully for several years as Township Clerk, Township Trustee, School Director and
Secretary of the School B >ard. He is an ardent supporter of the principles of Repub-
licanism, and has always been as steady as a rook in political proclivities. He married
Eliza J. Gettis, a native of Huntingdon Co., Penn., where they were married, and had
as a result of that union ten children, seven of whom are living at the writing of this
history, namely, Emma P., who married David Miller, and resides in Jackson Co. ; the
others are unmarried and are Mary V., Robert S., Michael G , Martin N., Amelia R.
and Harvey A. ; his deceased children, all of whom died and are buried in Jackson
Co., are Albert M., Henry W. and John G. He and his family are not members of
any particular church, but are extremely liberal iu their church views. He was a very
poor man when he commenced life in Jackson Co ; and now, after a few years of indus-
try and labor, he has a fine homestead and a fortune estimated at from §10,000 to
812,000 ; owns 180 acres of land.
JAJIES L. TAYLOR, farmer, See. 36; P. O. Higginsport; he was
born in Mercer Co., Penn , on the 15th day of June, 1819, where he grew to man's
estate and received a good common-school education. In 1845, he emigrated to Iowa
and located in Jackson Township, Jackson Co., where he resides at the present time.
He is a conservative Democrat in his politics, and has always been so since he first
became a voter. During his residence, he has faithfully served his township as Trustee,
School Director, Constable, Board of County Supervisors, Road Supervisor and Justice
of the Peace for twenty-odd years. He married Maria Daniels, a native of Mercer Co.,
Tenn., where they were married on the 22d of April, 1811, and had eleven children,
nine of whom are living at the writing of this history, namely, Isaac, JaniiS P., Math-
ilda, Mary Ann, Melissa, Elizabeth, Smith, Benton and Douglas. He is liberal in his
church views. In 1847, the winter, the " Squire " laughed considerably, when the
historian approached him, and he told him in that year they had to live on hog and
hominy for three weeks, there being but one team in the neighborhood, and the roads
impassable from heavy rains. When he first began life in Jackson Co., he was very poor
and had no capital to begin life with, while now, he has a good and comfortable home-
stead, and a fortune estimated at from $9,001) to $10,000, beside 160 acres of land in
Kossuth Co., Iowa, and 160 acres in Cedar Co., Neb. Mr. Taylor is Postmaster of
Higginsport. Owns 379 acres of land.
"GEORGE ZEDIKER, farmer, Sec. 23 ; P. O. Spring Brook. Owns 120
acres in Jackson Co., and 160 in Cedar Co., Neb. He was born in Mercer Co., Penn.,
on the 15th day of October, 1821, where he was raised to manhood and received a good
common-school education. In the spring of 1850, he emigrated to Iowa and located
upon the place where he lives at present. He has served his township faithfully several
times as School Director and Road Supervisor. He is a strong Republican in his poli-
tics. He married Sarah Garside, a native of England, in Mercer Co., Penn., ou the
28th day of September, 1845, and had nine children, six o^ whom are living, namely,
Mary Emily, Thomas Jefferson, Louis, Letitia, Dora Ella and Ambrose Burnside. He
and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. When he first started
in Jackson Co., he was very poor, and now after a few years of close application to
business and hard work, has a fine homestead, and a fortune of from $S,000 to $10,000.
~^C*. ^Ty?^'^^
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP. 773
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP.
JAMES K. BLAKEL1, farmer, Sec. 20 ; P. 0. Union Center ; owns
250 acres of land ; he was born in Adams Co., Penn., May 5, 1821, where he received
his education ; when he reached manhood, he left his home, and, for ten years, followed
teaming on the " National Road," through the States of Pennsylvania, Virginia and
Ohio; in 1844, tiring of this arduous and dangerous life, moved to Iowa and settled in
Fairfield Township, Jackson Co., wtere he has resided since ; he has efficiently served
his township for several years as Township Clerk, School Director, Trustee and Road
Supervisor ; he is a decided Democrat. He married Ann McGaughy, a native of Adams
Co., Penn., in Morrow Co., Ohio, Jan. 18, 1855 ; have five children — William
McGaughy, Martha Jane, James Wilson, Alexander Scott and Anna Margaret. He
and his family, although raised in the Presbyterian Church, are liberal in their church
views. When he first came to Jackson Co., he was without much capital to begin life
with, but, putting his shoulder to the wheel, he started with a will and determination
to prosper, and now has the satisfaction of seeing that his life has not been spent in
vain, as he has a good and comfortable homestead and a fortune estimated at from
$10,000 to $12,000. His son, William McGaughy, is a prosperous farmer in Shelby
Co., Iowa.
MRS. REBECCA BLAKELY, widow of David Blakely, Sec. 30 ; P.
O. Union Center ; owns 200 acres of land ; she has been Postmistress of Union Center
Post Office for the past three years ; she was born in Frederick Co., Md., March 5,
1823; when 12 years old, with her parents, she removed to Somerset Co., Penn., where
they lived until she was 18 years old, when they again moved to Fayette Co., Penn.,
where she lived until her marriage to David Blakely, on Aug. 8, 1850. In Novem-
ber, 1853, they emigrated to Jackson Co., Iowa, Fairfield Township, where she has
lived since. Her husband died and left a handsome estate to herself and children.
Her maiden name was Rebecca Marlow. Mr. Blakely died Feb. 6, 1877. They had
eight children, six still living — James M., Clara Belle, Alice Virginia, Florence
Rebecca, Helen Jemima and Agnes Emily ; she also has four step-children — Hannah
Margaret, Charlotte Barber, Hugh Monteville and Cassius Cummins. Mr. Blakely was
born in Adams Co., Penn., Jan. 30, 1804, and was 73 years old when he died. She is
liberal in religion.
JEFFERSON BIXLER, retired farmer, Sec. 24 ; P. O. Spragueville ;
was born in Fairfield Co., Ohio, on the 30th of September, 1S13, where he was raised;
in 1840, he emigrated to Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has since resided ; his first loca-
tion was Sabula, known in those days as Charleston, where he stopped for a short time ;
he then moved about nine miles west of Sabula, where he lived until about 1852, when
he moved to where he now lives ; he was proprietor for twenty years of the well-known
" Half- Way House," between Maquoketa and Sabula. He has been Road Supervisor
for several years ; he is a stanch old Jacksonian Democrat of the old school and has
always advocated the principles of that party. He married his first wife, Mary Foy, a
native of Ohio, in Perry Co., Ohio, in 1836, and had two children, one of whom is
living — Pauline, who is married to Charles W. Cook, of Clinton Co. He married his
second wife, Mary Catherine Barnes, a native of Ohio, in Perry Co., Ohio, in 1839,
and had six children, five of whom are living — Mary Ann, Isaac, Lucinda, Eliza and
Orphenia. He married his third wife, Sarah A. Weed, a native of Ohio, in Jackson
Co., Iowa, on the 1st day of July, 1869, but has no children by his last wife. He is
liberal in his church views, although he was raised in the Presbyterian Church. He
was a very poor man when he started in Jackson Co., and now he has a maguificent
homestead and a fortune of from $10,000 to $12,000; owns fifty-seven and a half acres
of land.
EDWARD CAIN, farmer, Sec. 12 ; P. O Spragueville ; was born in County
Roscommon, Ireland, on the 3d of February, 1829, where he grew to man's estate
774 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
and received a good common-school education ; in 1848, he emigrated to the United
States and located in Wayne and Ontario Cos., in the State of New York, where he
lived about six years, when he moved to Bingham Co., Mich., where he lived for four-
teen years, and, in 1868, he removed to Jackson Co., Iowa, and took up his permanent
residence. He has served for several years as Township Trustee, School Director and
Road Supervisor ; is an old-school Democrat in his politics, but advocates the principles
of the Greenback party in questions of finance. He married Celia McKernan, a native
of Ireland, in the State of New York, on the 16th of October, 1853, and had five
children, all of whom are living at the writing of this history — Ann Eliza, Thomas
Henry, John Francis, Ellen Augusta and Edward Luke. He and his family are
devout members uf the Roman Catholic Church. When he first came to Iowa about
twelve years ago, his possessions amounted to about $3,000, and now, in that short
length of time, lie lias built a good and comfortable homestead and has a fortune of
from $8.(111(1 to $10,000; owns 160 acres of land.
JAMES CONWAY, farmer, Sec. 7 ; P. O. Maquoketa ; has been con-
nected with the milling business for a long time; he was born in Lawrence Co., Ohio,.
in the year 1844, and was raised and educated in Jackson Co. He has persistently
refused to ever hold office in his township ; he is a strong Democrat in his politics. He
married Martha Van Dorn, a native of the State of New York, in 1861, and had five
children, four of whom are now living — Clarinda, Frank, Clara and Fred. He moved
to Jackson Co. in 1848 and has resided there ever since. He and his family are mem-
bers of mi particular church, but are liberal in their church views. He is a son of
James and Melinda Conway, old settlers of Jackson Co.
JOHN DE (jRAW, farmer, Sec. 9 ; P. O. Maquoketa ; he was born in
the county of Middlesex, Upper Canada, on the 22d of December, 1833, where he
grew tn manhood and received a good common-school education ; in the fall of 1859,
he emigrated to the United States and located in Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has lived
ever since. He has served one term as Road Supervisor ; he is a strong Democrat and
has ever been so since he first became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He
married his wife, Lydia Ann Mills, a native of Ohio, in Jackson Co., Iowa, on the 12th
of March, 1S73, and had two children, both of whom are living at the writing of this
history — Margaret Ann and George Alvin. He is liberal in his church views, while
his wife was raised in the belief of the Free Methodist Church. When he first came
to Iowa, he was a very poor man and nearly destitute of capital to start life with, while
now, after a few years of hard labor, industry, economy and strict attention to business,
he has a good and comfortable homestead and a fortune estimated at about $5,000 ;
owns 150 acres of land.
JAMES DUNHAM, retired farmer, Sec. 13; P. O. Spragueville ; he
muds 145 acres of land; he was born in Mercer Co., Penn., Aug. 27, 1812, where he
grew to manhood and received a good common-school education in his own State and
Ohio ; in 1850, he emigrated to Jackson Co., Iowa, and located at present residence,
purchasing and entering his lands himself. For seventeen years af^er he came to Jack-
son Co., he ran the ferry over the Maquoketa River, known all' over the country as
Dunham's Ferry. He has served his township for many years in different capacities,
twenty-six years as Justice of the Peace, and is known far and near as the " Squire,"
and for years, too numerous to mention, has served as Trustee, both under the old and
new administration, also School Director and Road Supervisor. During' the war, he
gave two sons, who did gallant service for their country — John S. and Phineas Daniel,
the later losing his life. He is a stanch old Jacksonian Democrat. He married
Sarah Budd, a native of Trumbull Co., Ohio, in Mercer Co., Penn., Sept. 26, 1S33,
and had seven children, five are living — John S., Martin, Cordelia, James W. and
Booth B. He and his family are members of the Baptist Church.
GEORGE EDEEMAN, farmer, Sec. 24 ; P. O. Spragueville ; was born
in Berks Co., Penn., on the 14th of March, 1834, where he was raised and educated;
in 1S54, he went to Ohio, where he remained one year, and, in 1855, he came to Iowa,
where he has lived, in Jackson Co., ever since ; he has served several years as Road
• FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP. 775
Supervisor. He is a strong Democrat in his politics, although very liberal in his views
-when it comes to local elections. He married Mary Ann Bixler, a native of Jackson
Co., Iowa, on the 27th of January, 18G1, and had five children, all of whom are living
— Mary Augusta, Charles, Franklin, James and Katie. He is liberal in his church
-views ; he was extremely poor when he first came to Jackson Co., and now, by dint of
industry and perseverance, and strict application to business, he has a magnificent home-
stead, and a fortune of from $14,000 to $15,000 ; owns 310 acres of land. During
the war of the rebellion, he was a member of Co. K, 26th I. V. I., where he did gal-
Ian i service for three years.
WILLIAM L. FOWLER, farmer, Sec. 18; P. O. Union Center. Owns
eighty-four and one-half acres of land ; he was born in Kanawha Co., W. Va., Nov. 10,
1834; when 9 years old, his family moved to Lawrence Co., Ohio, when, after one
year's residence, they moved to Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has remained since. He
has steadily declined to hold township or county offices. He is a conservative Repub-
lican. He married Harriet E. Luckey, a native of Pennsylvania, in Jackson Co., Nov.
22, 1865, and had eight children, seven are living — Henry Braxton, Mary Amba, Eliz-
abeth, Parmelia, Ida Angeline, Ada Ann, William -Allen and Grace Belle. He is
liberal in his church views.
JOSEPH GILlUORE, farmer, Sec. 19; P. O. Maquoketa; he was born
in County Down, in Ireland, on the 4th of January, 1826, where he grew to manhood
and received a good common-school education. He emigrated to the United States in
July, 1847, and located in Monroe Co., N. Y., where he resided for five years, when, in
1852, he came to Iowa and settled in Jackson Co., where he has lived ever since, in
Fairfield Township. He has for several years been prominently connected with the edu-
cational interests of his township, and is now the Secretary of the School Board, and
has also served for several terms as Road Supervisor. He has ever been a stanch
Democrat since he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He married Mary
Marshall, a native of County Down, Ireland, in Monroe Co., N. Y., the 1st of
November, 1850, and had eight children, five of whom are living at the writing of this
history, namely, Robert, David, Susanah, Hannah and Adelle. He and his family all
attend the Methodist Episcopal Church. When he first came to the United States and
located in Jackson Co., he was extremely poor, and had no capital -whatever, while now
he has a good and comfortable homestead, and a fortune valued at from $5,000 to
$6,000. Owns 125 acres of land.
JOHN HAYLOCK, farmer, Sec. 31; P. O Union Center; owns 131
acres of land in Jackson and forty acres in Clinton Co. He was born in Canada, May
26, 1836. When 8 years old, his parents moved to Pike Co., 111., and, after spending
some time in Illinois and Missouri, he moved to Jackson Co., Iowa, in 1847, where he
has lived since, with the exception of three years spent in Clinton Co. He married
Anna Stewart, a native of Ireland, in Jackson Co., Iowa, Dec. 11, 1862, and had five
children,, three now living — -Albert, Hannah and Dick. He and his family are attend-
ants of the Methodist Church. Mr. Haylock has served his township for several years
as Trustee, School Director, Constable Collector and Road Supervisor. He is emphat-
ically Democratic. He is a son of William and Hannah Haylock, old residents of Jack-
son Co.
WILLIAM HAYLOCK, Si\, retired former, Sec. 31 ; P. O. Union
Center ; owns 125 acres of land. He was born in Cambridgeshire, England, May 10,
1802. He emigrated to the United States in 1833, and temporarily located in Mis-
souri ; resided one year there ; moved to Illinois, where he lived for five years ; removed
to Iowa in 1840, and settled in Fairfield Township, Jackson Co., where he has resided
ever since. When he first settled where he now resides, there was not one settler
between him and Maquoketa on one side and Deep Creek on the other. He married
Hannah Host, a native of Cambridgeshire, England, in 1824; they had eight children,
five still living — William, Joseph, Samuel, John and George. He has served his town-
ship for several years as School Director. Although his wife died Jan. 31, 1878, he
•celebrated his " golden wedding " three years before her death. He had eight children,
776 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : •
twenty-six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He has had a wonderful career
and an eventful life, living for four years where he first settled before he ever saw a
dollar in money. He is a Democrat.
• E. H. HOOVL.ER, farmer, Sec. 32 ; P. 0. Union Center ; owns eighty
acres of land ; he was born in Mercer Co., Penn., March 26, 1840, where he was edu-
cated; in 1866, he removed from his native county and settled where he lives at pres-
ent ; during the war, he did gallant service for his couutry, enlisting as a private in
Company G of the 100th Penn. V. I., formerly known as the Round Heads; on his
return home after the war, he came with the honors of the First Lieutenancy of his
company, and three wounds received in battle ; he was in the battles of Port Royal,
Vicksburg, Antietam, Wilderness and the second battle of Bull's Run ; he is a stanch
Greenbacker; he married Esther A. Doty, a native of Pennsylvania, in Jackson Co.,
Iowa, Nov. 26, 1873, and has two children — Margaret Jane and Charles Albert ; his
family were raised in the Baptist faith ; he is liberal in his church views.
B. F. HULL, farmer, Sec. 29; P. 0. Union Center; owns 147 J acres of
land; he was born in Franklin Co., Vt., Nov. 17, 1832, where he lived until he was 5
years of age, when his parents moved to Jackson Co., Mich., and resided until 1840 ;
then moved to Upper Canada, on the Thames River, where they resided until 1844,
when another move was made for Iowa, and a permanent home was found in Jackson Co.,
where he has resided ever since ; he has served his township faithfully for several years
as President of the School Board, School Director, Trustee, Constable and Road Super-
visor ; he has always been a stanch and independent Democrat of the old school. He
married, in Jackson Co., on July 6, 1862, Hannah M. Blakely, daughter of David
Blakely, a native of Washington Co., Penn. ; had six children, all are living — David
Arthur, Lois Henrietta, Milton Cassius, Franklin Anderson, Hugh Edgar and Char-
lotte Bertha. He is liberal in church views, his wife inclined toward the Presbyterian
faith ; he started in life entirely without capital ; now has a good homestead and a for-
tuue estimated at from $6,000 to $8,000.
H. Kl it Kit It. farmer, Sec. 27 ; P. O. Spragueville ; owns 557 acres of
land. He was born in Hanover, Germany, Aug. 18, 1829, where he grew to man's
estate and received a good common-school education; in 1853, he emigrated to the
United States and located in Sheboygan Co., Wis., for four months, then removed to
Chicago and lived there two years ; in 1855, moved to Iowa and settled in Lyons,
where he lived six years, then removed to Jackson Co., where he now resides. He has
been a strong Democrat since he became a naturalized citizen of the United States ; he
served his township as Trustee one term. He married Mary Storm, a native of Meck-
lenburg, Germany, in Lyons, Oct. 28, 1856, and had six children, five are living —
Henry, Emma, Charles, Bertha and Louis. He and his family are members of the
German Lutheran Church. When he first came to Iowa, he was very poor and in
debt ; now he has a good and comfortable homestead, and a fortune estimated at from
$311,000 to $35,000.
W. H. LUCKEY', farmer, Sec. 19 ; P. O. Brown's Station ; owns forty
acres of land ; he was born in Goshen, Orange Co., N. Y., Nov. 24, 1822 ; he adopted
the trade of a painter, serving six years apprenticeship ; in 1844, he left New York,
and moved to Wyoming Co., Penn., remained one year, then moved to Bradford Co.,
Penn., where he resided until 1857, when he came to Iowa, and made it his permanent
home ; has since lived not further than five miles from his present residence ; he has
for several years held the positions of Township School Director, Trustee and Road
Supervisor. He is a Democrat. He married Parmelia Harding, a native of Wyoming
Co., Penn., in that county, Feb. 9, 1843 ; had eleven children, eight still living — Mary
Elizabeth, Harriet Emma, Francis Lyman, Lydia Belle, Charlotte Parmelia, Cathrine
Lamyra, Samuel Warren, Hannah Mathilda. He and his family are members of the
Baptist Church. He was a very poor man when he started in Iowa, and wholly without
capital, now he has, after passing through many vicissitudes and trials, a comfort-
able homestead, surrounded by a delightful family, and a fortune of from $3,000 to
$5,000.
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP. 777
JOHN McCAW, farmer, Sec. 30; P. 0. Union Center; owns 160 acres of
land. He was born in County Down, Ireland, Dec. 22, 1824; in 1846, he emigrated
to the United States and settled in Monroe Co., N. Y. ; resided until 1855, then
removed to Iowa and located upon the property where he now lives, in Fairfield Town-
ship. He has faithfully served his township as School Director, Trustee and Road
Supervisor ; he also holds the contract for transporting the United States mail from
Union Center P. 0. to Maquoketa twice a week. He has been a stanch Democrat
since becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States. He married Susanah
McCullagh, a native of Ireland, in Upper Canada, June 26, 1856 ; had seven chil-
dren ; one survives — Susanah Margaret. He and all his family are members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. When he first started in Jackson Co., he was a very
poor man and nearly without capital, but, by hard work and close application to bus-
iness, he has a nice homestead and a fortune of from $10,000 to $12,000.
PETER McPOOL, farmer, Sec. 28 ; P. O. Brown's Station ; owns forty
acres of land ; he was born near London, Upper Canada, Dec. 21, 1827 ; in 1865, he
came to the United States, immediately to Jackson Co., and located upon the property
where he now resides. He has faithfully served his township as School Director ; he is
a stanch Republican. He married Emeline Dean, a native of Canada, in that country,
Jan. 1, 1851, and had eleven children, nine still living — Ammy C., Simeon, Katie,
Clarissa, Joseph, Hiram, Peter, James, Florence. He and his family were raised in the
faith of the Close Communion Baptists.
JOHN MARTIN, farmer, Sec. 13; P. O. Spragueville ; he was born in
Delaware Co., Tenn., in 1842, where he was raised until he was 10 years old, when his
father moved to Iowa and settled in Jackson Co., where he has lived ever since. Never
had any desire to hold office in his township ; he is a strong Republican and has ever
been a firm supporter of the principles of that party. He has never married. He is a
liberal in his church views. Owns 120 acres of land.
n ii II A EL ML, MAYERS, farmer, Sec. 10 ; P. O. Spragueville ; was
born in Richmond, Va., on Aug. 12, 1805, where he grew to man's estate and received
his education at the Lancasterian Academy, of Richmond ; in 1819, he emigrated to
Randolph Co., W. Va., where he was apprenticed to a cabinet maker for seven years,
when he went to Cincinnati and followed the occupation of a drayman, when he tired
and moved to Lexington, Ky., where he was apprenticed to the shoemaking trade for
three years, when he gathered his effects together and moved to Shelby Co., Ind., where
he resided for twenty-two years, and where he followed the life of a farmer ; in 1854,
he moved to Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has resided ever since, still sticking to the
profession of a farmer. He has served his township faithfully for several years as Town-
ship School Director and Road Supervisor ; he is a stanch Republican in his politics
and has always been a steady supporter of the principles of that party. He married
his first wife, Mary M. Zahn, a native of Germany, in West Virginia, and has no chil-
dren ; he married his second wife, Martha Ann Hodges, a native of Mercer Co.,
Ky., in Shelby Co., Ind., July 3, 1832, and had two children — Maria Jane (who died
in her infancy), and Melissa Adeline, who is living and is married to William W. Brans-
com, a resident of Jackson Co., Iowa. He and his family are all stout defenders of the
Christian Church. When he first came to Iowa, he had some little means in Indiana
State money, which he had to sacrifice at 90 cents on the dollar, which nearly bank-
rupted him, but, nothing discouraged, he commenced work in Jackson Co., and now
he has the satisfaction of seeing his family happy around him, a good and comfortable
homestead and a fortune of about $2,000. He is a strong and devoted Mason, having
taken thirty-two degrees and also all the degrees in the Temple of Honor. On June
16, 1855, he had his place totally demolished by a terrible fire, which again forced him
to commence at the bottom of the ladder ; owns sixty acres of land.
ALFRED MILLER, farmer, Sec. 19 ; P. O. Maquoketa ; was born in
Shelby Co., Ohio, on the 2d day of July, 1824, where he was raised to manhood. In
1856, he emigrated from Ohio to Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has lived ever since, his
residence always being confined to Fairfield Township. He has served one term as
778 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
Road Supervisor. He married Ann Stone, a native of Shelby Co., Ohio, in which
county they were married on the 3d day of July, 1848; had seven children, five of
whom are living at the writing of this history, namely, Mary, William, Franklin,
Charles, Adison, John and Elmer. He is liberal in church views ; in politics, he is a
strong Democrat. When he first came to Jackson Co , he was exceedingly poor, and
had no capital whatever to begin life with, while now he has a good and comfortable
homestead and a fortune ranging from $7,000 to $8,000 ; owns 1(30 acres of land.
BENJAMIN NOCKS, farmer, Sec. 12 ; P. O. Spragueville ; was born in
Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 23, 1817, and when but an infant his family moved to Dear-
born Co., Ind., where he was raised and educated. In 1853, he moved to Iowa and
located in Jackson Co., where he has lived ever since, excepting about two years, dur-
ing which time he located in Clinton Co., Iowa. During his residence in Jackson Co..
he lias served his township as Constable, School Director and Road Supervisor. He is
a stout Republican in his politics. He married Climena Cleveland, a native of Ohio,
in Dearborn Co., Ind., Nov. 11, 1838, and had ten children, all of whom are living at
the writing of this history, namely, Olive H., born in 1839; Thaddeus, born in 18-12 ;
Elvira, born in 18-14; Lorin, born in 1847; Luther O, born in 1849 ; Climena L.,
born in 1853; Jefferson, born in 1855; Reuben C, born in 1858; George, born in
1860 ; Letta S., born in 1863. He and his family are attendants of the Baptist
Church. He was a very poor man when he came to Iowa, and had no capital to begin
life with, while now, after a life of hard work, economy and strict attention to business,
he has a good and comfortable homestead and a fortune of from $3,000 to $4,000 ;
owns 120 acres of land.
FRANK NOWAK, farmer, Sec. 11; P. O. Spragueville; born in
Poland, on the 21st of January, 1845, where he was raised and educated ; he
emigrated to the United States in 1868, and after spending seven years in the States
of Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana, came to Jackson Co. and permanently located in
1875. He is a strong Democrat in politics ; is an unmarried man, but a hard-working
and thrifty citizen, and is much liked for many good qualities; he has accumulated con-
siderable during his short residence and is reputed to be worth about $5,000 and
owns 120 acres of land.
STEPHEN J. PAL5IER, farmer, Sec. 9 ; P. O. Spragueville ; was born
in Chautauqua Co., N. Y., on the 6th day of March, 1828, where he lived until he was 1 1
years old, and was partly educated, when his parents removed, in the year 1839. to
Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has lived ever since, and where he finished the balance of
his education ; has faithfully served his township for several years as Justice of the
Peace, Township Clerk, School Director and Road Supervisor ; is a strong Jacksonian
Democrat, and has all his life, since his majority, been an ardent and influential supporter
of the principles of that party. He married Mary Hanley, a native of Jo Daviess Co.,
111., in Jackson Co., on the 1st day of Jul/, 1849, and had five children, all of whom
are living at the writing of this history, namely, Louis Lee, Charles Boltus, Ellen,
Ida May and Clara ; he and his family are attendants of the Baptist Church. Beside
his lands, Mr. Palmer owns two lots and one fine dwelling in the city of Maquoketa.
When he first commenced work on his swn account in Jackson Co. he was a poor man
and nearly without capital, while now he has the proud satisfaction of looking back
over a life not idly spent, and has a magnificent resideuce and homestead, and a fortune
variously estimated at from $10,000 to $12,000; owns 200 acres of land in Jackson
Co. and 205 acres in Greene Co., Iowa.
DANIEL PAUP, farmer, Sec. 1 ; P. O. Spragueville ; was born in Mercer Co.,
Penn., Feb. 9, 1842, where he was raised until 10 years of age, when his parents
removed to Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has lived ever since ; he is a son of Daniel and
Lydia Paup, of Jackson Co., the latter being deceased. During his residence, he has
served several years as School Director and Road Supervisor. During the war of the
rebellion, he did gallant service in Co. K, of the 31st I. V. I., for three years. He is a
stanch Republican of the old school in his politics. He married Mary Sylvester, a
native of Jackson Co., Iowa, m which county he married on the 12th of September,
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP. 77&
1866 ; had nine children, four of whom are living at the writing of this history — Sher-
man, George, Oma and Ida. He and his family are attendants of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church. When he first started on his own account in Jackson Co. he was
comparatively a poor man, and had but a limited capital, while now, after a life of hard
work and strict attention to business, has a good and comfortable homestead and a for-
tune of from $12,000 to §15,000. Owns 280 acres of land.
31. H. PIERCE, farmer, Sec. 19; P. O. Union Center; he owns 200 acres of
land. He was born in Bradford Co., Penn., Feb. 20, 1819. and, when a boy of 9 years
of age, his parents moved to Genesee Co., N. Y., where he received the greater part of
his education ; when 16 years old, removed to Sandusky Co., Ohio, where he lived until
he reached his 20th year, when he commenced a series of travels all over the Southern
and Western States, which he continued till 1846, when he settled down and com-
menced farming iu Montgomery Co., Ind. ; in 1855, he removed to Iowa and located in
Winneshiek Co.; in 1866, he came to Jackson Co., and permanently settled on the
property where he now resides. He has for several years served his township as School
Director and Justice of the Peace. He is a stanch old Jacksonian Democrat. He mar-
ried his first wife, Martha Hughes, a nat've of Indiana, in Montgomery Co. of that
State, Jan. 28, 1844, and had five children, four living — Joseph G., George D., William
B. and Martha May. He married his second wife, Sarah A. Clark, a native of Mercer
Co., Penn., in Jackson Co., Jan. 12, 1864; they have two children — Lester C. and
Grace. He is liberal in church views. When he first came to Iowa, he had but a mod-
erate amount of capital, but by industry and close attention to business he has acquired
a pleasant homestead, and a fortune of §15,000 to $20,000, besides having settled
handsome competencies on his three sons.
S. A. RICHARDSON, farmer, Sec. 30; P. O. Union Center; owns 320
acres of land in Jackson and 136 acres in Dallas Co., Iowa; he was born in Ulster Co.,
N. Y.. in Peterboro, Nov. 22, 1S20; when a boy of 10 years, his parents removed to
Upper Canada, on the Thames River, where they lived for fourteen years, then removed
and settled in Jackson Co., Iowa ; his father, in #the mean time, having died and left
him the head of the family; in July, 1844, he settled in Fairfield Township. He has
for several years actively served his township as School Director, Trustee and Road
Supervisor ; he is an active Democrat, although conservative in his utterances and
inclined to favor paper currency. He married Lois G. Hull, a native of Franklin Co.,
Vt., in St. Clair Co., Mich., Jan. 11, 1844, and had four children— Jehial Hull and
Elizabeth Helen, both now deceased ; William Edgar and Albert Winfield, who are
living. His son, William E., married Clara Belle Blakely, a daughter of D. B. and
Rebecca Blakely, of Jackson Co., Iowa. He is liberal in his religious views. He
was a poor man when he started in Jackson Co. and totally without means, but by dint
of perseverance, energy and enterprise, he has a delightful homestead and a fortune of
from $23,000 to $25^,000.
3IATHEW RILEY, farmer, Sec. 26; P. O. Preston; was born in the
county of May, in Ireland, in 1812, and was an infant when his parents emigrated to
the United States; on the 15th day of November, 1864, he emigrated to Jackson Co.,
Iowa, and has lived there ever since. He married Catherine Strong, a native of
Ireland, in Jefferson Co., N. Y., on the 19th of May, 1844, and had fourteen children,
nine of whom are living — Kate, Annie, Mary, Margaret, Rosa (the afflicted), Ellen,
Johanna, William Henry and Terressa Jeanie ; his deceased children are Maggie,
Thomas Mathew, Edward William, Patrick Edward and Joseph. He is a stanch Dem-
ocrat in politics ; he is a Roman Catholic in religion. He had but a limited capital
when he first came to Iowa, and now he has a beautiful homestead and a fortune of
from $25,000 to $30,000 ; owns 170 acres of land, also one town lot and dwelling in
the town of Preston.
ENOCH SEAJIABfDS, farmer, Sec. 8; P. O. Andrew; he was born
in Cabell Co., W. Va., on the 18th day of February, 1824, where he grew to man's
estate, and received a good common-school education, partly in his own State and partly
in Lawrence Co., Ohio, where he lived for several years, and emigrated to Iowa in the
780 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
fall of 1855, and settling in Jackson Co., where he has lived ever since ; he has served
his township several years as School Director and Road Supervisor. He is a strong
Democrat of the old school in his politics. He married Ruth Brammer, a native of
Lawrence Co., Ohio, in which county they were married, on the 11th day of December,
18-45, and had seven children, all of whom are living at the writing of this history —
John Henry, William Grant, Mary Jane, Lucy Ann, Charles Alfred, Joshua Taylor
and Enoch Wesley. John Henry, married Elizabeth Howard, of Hamilton Co., Iowa,
where he resides ; William Grant, married Alice Van Dorn, of Jackson Co., and
resides in Hamilton Co. ; Charles Alfred, married Ellie Wheeler, of Jackson Co., where
he resides; Lucy Ann, married Prank Fretts, a native of Jackson Co., but whose
residence is in Hamilton Co. He and his family are liberal in their church views,
and are inclined toward the Methodist Episcopal Church. When he first came to
Jackson Co., he was a very poor man, and had no capital to begin life with, while he
has now a good and comfortable homestead, and a fortune estimated at from $1,800 to
$2,000 ; owns eighty-five acres of land.
THADDEUS C. SEAMANDS, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. O. Andrew ; he was
born in Cabell Co., W. Va., March 8, 1826, where he lived until he was 16 years old,
when he moved to Lawrence Co., Ohio, and resided for five years; in 1847, he removed
to Jackson Co., and settled, living here till 1850, then went to California, remained
until 1873, returned to Jackson Co., and has lived there ever since ; he is a son of
Mrs. Mary B. Mann, of Mann's Ferry; Mr. Seamands is a widower, with one daughter
— Mary Josephine. He is a conservative Democrat. During the war, he was a mem-
ber of Co. E, 2d Cal. V. C, with the rank of First Duty Sergeant. He is a free-
thinker in his religious views.
JOHN SHEETS, farmer, Sec. 12; P. O. Spragueville ; he was born in
Columbiana Co., Ohio, Feb. 17, 1828, where he lived until he reached man's estate,
and received a good common-school education ; in the year 1846, he went to Pennsyl-
vania and worked in the iron works for four years, when he returned to his home in
Ohio, and, in 1852, he moved to Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has lived ever since ;
held the office of School Director and Trustee, which two offices he holds at the writing
of this history, and also has served as Road Supervisor. He married Sarah Ann Paup,
a native of Pennsylvania, in Jackson Co., Iowa, on the 13th day of April, 1853 ; had
twelve children, nine of whom are living at the present time, namely, Franklin, Harriet,
Elizabeth, Rosa, Lottie, Dora Belle, Otis, Eva and John. He and his family were all
raised in the belief and faith of the Baptist Church ; he is a strong Democrat of the
old school, and has been all his life an upholder and stanch supporter of the principles
of that party ; when he first came to Iowa, he was comparatively poor, his whole
amount of cash on hand not quite reaching $100, while he has now, after a life of
industry and economy, a nice, comfortable homestead and a fortune of from $10,000 to
$12,000; owns 160 acres of land.
HENRY W. SIMS, farmer, Sec. 31 ; P. O. Maquoketa ; was born in Brad-
ford Co., Penn., on the 19th of March, 1827, where he was raised until 11 years of
age, when his father moved to Ogle Co., 111., where he lived until he was 24, when he
moved to Jackson Co. and located where he lives at present ; he was School Director of
his township several years, and was also President of the School Board for one year ;
he is a Republican in politics. He married Jeanette Bunton, a native of Scotland, in
Ogle Co., 111., on the 20th day of March, 1849, and had six children, five of whom are
living at the writing of this history— Alice A., Agnes E., George H., Alexander W.
and Annie M. He and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
When he first came to Jackson Co., he was very poor and had but little capital to start
with, and now has a fine homestead and a fortune of about $6,000 or $7,000 ; owns
115 acres in Jackson and 30 in Clinton Co.
A. B. SMITH, farmer, Sec. 17 ; P. O. Union Center ; owns 125 acres of
land. He was born in Vermont April 3, 1S14, and when but 2 years old, his par-
ents removed to Cayuga Co., N. Y., where he received his education; in 1840, his
father and mother dying in New York, he removed to Washtenaw Co., Mich., and
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP. 781
commenced farming, which he followed continually until 1854, when, becoming dissat-
isfied, he removed to Jackson Co. and settled in Fairfield Township, where he has since
resided. His first wife was Eliza Hudson, a native of New York, whom he married in
that State in 1842; she died in Michigan a few years later; they had three children,
one only survives — James Henry, who is married and resides in Shelby Co., Iowa; he
married again, Mary W. Hull, a native of Vermont, in Washtenaw Co., Mich., in
1851, and had eleven children, six still living — Edwin D., George H., Helen E., Agnes
Mary, Lucy Amelia and Milton C. ; his second wife died in Jackson Co. April 10,
1 874. He was a very poor man when he started in Iowa, and now, after a life of hard
work, economy, and strict attention to business, he has a comfortable homestead and a
fortune of from $8,000 to $10,000. He and his family are all members of the Bap-
tist Church ; he is a Democrat.
ROBERT L.. STEWART, farmer, Sec. 19; P.O. Union Center; was
born in County Down, in Ireland, in 1824, where he lived until he was 22 years old,
when he emigrated to the United States and located in Monroe Co., N. Y., where he
resided a short time over two years, when he again moved to Butler Co.. Ohio, where
he lived for four years, and, in 1853, moved to Jackson Co., Iowa, and remained for
one year, when he moved back to Butler Co., Ohio, where he lived two or three years,
when he again pulled up stakes and came back to Jackson Co., Iowa, in 1856, and has
lived there ever since. He has served his township faithfully for two terms as Road
Supervisor. He received his education in Ireland before emigrating. He has always
been a strong Democrat since he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He
married his second wife, Agnes Clark, a native of County Down in Ireland, in
Dubuque, Iowa, on the 28th of March, 1S58, and had four children, all of whom are
living, namely, Robert Clark, William, Mary and James L. , he married his first wife,
Susanah Marshall, a native of County Down in Ireland, in Monroe Co., N. Y., in
1851, and had one child, who is living at the present time, namely, Charles B. He
and his family are attendants of the Methodist Episcopal Church. When he first
came to Iowa, he was a poor man and totally without capital, but by dint of persever-
ance, energy and hard work, he has a nice and comfortable homestead, and a fortune of
from $7,000 to $8,000 ; owns 130 acres of land.
GEORGE STORM, farmer, Sec. 22 ; P. O. Spragueville ; was born in
Mecklenburg, Germany, on the 16th day of April, 1833, where he was raised and edu-
cated. In 1853, he emigrated to the United States and located in Cook Co., 111., where
he lived nine years, when he removed to Jackson Co., Iowa, where he has lived ever
since. He has served his township several years as Township Trustee, School Director
and Road Supervisor. Has always been a Democrat since he first became a natural-
ized citizen of the United States. He married Lena Burmister, a native of Mecklen-
burg in Germany, in the city of Chicago, on the 26th day of March, 1S58; had six
children, four of whom are living at the writing of this history — Frederick Carl,
Charles John, William August and Henry Frederick. He and his family are mem-
bers of the 'German Lutheran Church. When he first came to Iowa, he was a com-
paratively poor man, with but a limited capital, but, by dint of industry, perseverance,
energy and strict attention to business, he has a magnificent homestead and a fortune
estimated at $15,000 to $16,000 ; owns 350 acres of land.
JOHN STORM, farmer, Sec. 23 ; P. O. Spragueville ; was born in Meck-
lenburg, Germany, Aug. IS, 1836, where he was raised and educated. He emigrated
to the United States and located in Illinois in 1852, where he lived for one year and a
half, and, in 1854, he came to Iowa and has lived there ever since. He has served his
township several years as Road Supervisor. During the war of the rebellion, he did
gallant service in Company A, 24th I. V. I. He married Mena Hilaud, a native of
Germany, in Jackson Co., on the 19th day of April, 1868; had five children — Caro-
line, Mena, Louis. Dora and Ennie. He is now worth about $15,000, after starting
without any capital whatever. He and his family are attendants of the German Luth-
eran Church. He is a strong Democrat and has ever been so since he first became a
naturalized citizen of the United States. He was badly wounded in the battles of
Champion Hills. Miss., and Winchester, Va. Owns 257 acres of land.
tSZ BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
A. D. STROJIEYER, farmer, Sec. 24; P. 0. Spragueville. Owns 180
awes of land ; he is also the owner of the celebrated Norman French horse " Pino,"
which cost him $2,500, besides the expense attendant upon bringing him to this country.
Mr. S. was born in Hanover, in Germany, on the 1st of February, 1844, where he lived
until 3 years of age, when his parents emigrated to the United States and located iu
Cook Co., 111., about fifteen miles from the city of Chicago,- where he lived until 1854,
ami attended school. It was then he came to Iowa and located in Jackson Co., where
he has lived ever since, and has been publicly identified with the county and it£ interests
ever since. He has served his township long and faithfully as Road Supervisor. He
is a strong Republican in his politics. He married Minnie Bramer, a native of Germany,
in Jackson Co.. Iowa, on the 9th of June, 1869; had four children, three of whom are
living — Louis, Adelia and Dora. He and his family are attendants of the German
Lutheran Church. When he first began life in Jackson Co., he was a very poor man,
with but a limited capital, and now, after a few years of industry and perseverance, he
has a fine homestead, and a fortune of from $8,000 to $10,000.
TOO LATE FOR INSERTION IN PROPER PLACE.
ELIZA WRIGHT GOODENOW was born in town of Bolton,
county of Warren, State of New York, March 9, 1818; her early life was passed amid
rural scenes, in the happiest of homes, and within sight of Lake George, of historic
interest. Her father, Thomas M. Wright, a native of Connecticut, was a man of more
than usual executive ability and philanthropic purpose; he was a leader in good works,
and, although not a member of any church, was liberal in support of the same; was
devotional in his nature, and a constant student of the Bible; he was devotedly
attached to the Masonic Order, of which he was an honored member ; he was kind and
generous to all, emphatically the poor man's friend, a noble humanitarian. In 1798,
he married Miss Eliza Sinead, of Massachusetts, and, in 1803, they, with a small col-
ony from Massachusetts, emigrated to Warren Co., N. Y., which was then a wilderness;
this earnest, harmonious colony was successful, and soon the wilderness bloomed with the
beauty of fruit and flower, of schoolhouse and church ; the first church erected was
large and substantial, and long remained the well-frequented house of God; the high-
backed family pews with closed doors were occupied each Sabbath with religious regu-
larity ; the good Pastor taught inclosed in high box pulpit, and the choir stood in a
row in the gallery and sang God's praises with the accompaniment of a bass-viol, which
was made and played by Thomas Wright, the oldest brother of the subject of this
sketch ; he is now living in Maquoketa. Eliza Smead Wright, mother of Mrs. Good-
enow, was a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, and all her children —
eight in number — were early baptized communicants; she was a wise, loving mother, a
sympathizing friend, one whose every-day life gave evidence of the indwelling spirit of
Christ; she was removed to a higher life in 1828 (Nov. 15) and though but 47 years
of age, she left the record of a well-proportioned, successful Christian life. Her com-
panion continued the lonely pilgrimage of life nearly thirty-six years longer, and passed
to the glory-land at the ripe age of 88, on the 8th of February, 1864. Mrs. Goode-
now was reared in a happy home, where practical labor and Christian charity were
cardinal virtues. On the 3d of October, 1839, she married John E. Goodenow, whose
biography appears elsewhere in this volume ; the winter after her marriage, her husband
and herself went from New York to Iowa with their own conveyance ; the varied
experiences of that journey would grace a modern novel ; they settled in Jackson Co.,
and were pioneer sovereigns of the region in and about the present site of Maquoketa ;
her father and all her brothers and sisters came to Iowa at different times between 1839
and 1846, and settled in or near Maquoketa, which has been her home for nearly forty
years. " Goodenow's Cabin " was widely famed in early days as the traveler's home.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKKTCHES: 783
She is the mother of eight children, seven of whom still live; one, a married daughter,
is a resident of Chicago ; the remaining six, whether married or single, still linger near
the " ancestral tree," and claim Maquoketa as their first and only home. Mrs. Goode-
now inherited the practical sense and benignant nature of both parents ; she is never
weary in well-doing ; all classes call on her for counsel and aid ; she is the trusted
friend of young and old ; her religion is " to do good." She is the worthy consort of
the honored founder of the city, and is lovinuly known as the " Mother of Maquoketa."
MRS. JITL,IETT CARMAN, daughter of Henry and Catharine Smith,
of New York City; was born December 13, 1813; her father was a prominent carriage
manufacturer; her childhood home still stands on Broadway, N. Y., between Howard
and Grand streets, but the old landmarks are nearly all removed by the wondrous
expansion of the city during the last half-century. Mrs. Carman was educated in New
York City. On the 2d of June, 1831, she was married to Lewis Carman, and
remained in the East until 1843, when she, with her husband, two sons and two daugh-
ters, came West and settled in Sabula, where they continue to reside. A younger sister
— Kate Louisa Smith, also came West with them ; when she landed at Sabula and saw
the log cabin on the river bank, and the few houses in sight, and the wild, lonely scene
of nature, she was overcome with homesickness, and ran back upon the boat and hid ;
she was never contented in Iowa, and, as my informant declares, " wept aprons full of
tears." Another sister, Mrs. Hubble, had lived West five years, and was the cause of
the family coming West. Mrs. Carman took the sister, who was so unreconciled to pio-
neer life, and visited relatives in New Orleans, passing the winter there, and then
returned to St. Louis, where her sister remained, and Mrs. Carman once more united
with her husband in preparing a permanent home in Sabula. In 1845, a log house was
put up on the farm where they now live. The farm was christened " Paulding
Grove." About the beginning of the rebellion, they built the fine residence which is
now their home. Mr. and Mrs. Carman have had six children — the first-born died
unnamed; William was born Nov. 16, 1837, and died at home Dec. 25, 1862; Lewis
Augustus, born Nov. 30, 1842, died in Winchester Hospital Nov. 14, 1864, from
wounds received in the battle of Cedar Creek, Va., under Sheridan ; Catharine Louisa,
the oldest daughter, married Orrin Miller, of Chicago, and since his decease she has
lived with her parents ; Maria Josephine, married Benjamin W. Seaward, banker, in
Bellevue, Iowa ; Charles Paulding, married Calista Hickox, daughter of Charles and
Cordelia Hickox, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Mr. Carman is a man of culture — an edu-
cated farmer; as an honest man, respected by all, he is passing to a ripe age, possessed
of a competency. Their forty-eighth marriage anniversary was made a very pleasant
affair % a large gathering of friends at their home ; their golden wedding, which will
occur June 2, 1881, will be -made a memorable occasion. Before coming West, Mrs.
Carman was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church at New Brunswick, N. J., but
has since affiliated with the Congregationalists. She is a woman of advanced ideas,
believes in the capabilities of woman, and that the future will give enlarged privileges
and opportunities to the disfranchised half of humanity. She is public spirited, and the
friend of temperance and all moral reforms. " She looketh well to the ways of her
but lives
" For the cause that lacks assistance ;
For the wrongs that need resistance ;
And the good that she can do."
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