USA > Iowa > Jackson County > Annals of Jackson county, Iowa, Vol 1-6 > Part 23
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Mr. Watson found a hospitable neighborhood and all the assistance need- ed was forthcoming. At that time there had never been a school, Sunday school or religious meeting in the neighborhood and it was with some ditli- culty that a school was started, as the people would vote it down, and it was only by getting the district divided that a school was at last started.
Another son was added to the family in 1855, all of whom grew to man- bood . Reid, the older, died at the age of 28, the remaining three are still living, Edgar, Leslie and Eugene. Mr. Watson died in 1889, his wife hav- ing preceded him by several years. L. C. Watson.
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Imigration and Population Jackson County in 1850. More About Crime in That Day.
It was in 1848 that a heavy imigration began to flow into lowa, that continued uninterrupted for at least ten years. And in 1850 the population had already swelled to 193,000. And Jackson County in that census year was 7210 and these principally made up of those who came in during the rush between the years 1848 and of 1858. Although there were a number who came much earlier. So early that the writer can have no personal knowledge of the time of their arrival, except as they related to me after my arrival in 1850. But in those days there were no railroads west of Chicago and the emigrants come either by water down the Ohio and up the Mississppi rivers on steamers, or overland by teams. Some of them used horses, but for the most part oxen were used instead. 100 miles a week was about an average speed, and it often required 40 days or more to bring the emigrants to their destination, and there were many difficulties to overcome along the way. There were many streams to be crossed, but not many bridges in those ear- ly days. In some places there were ferry boats kept sufficiently large to carry a loaded wagon and team, but in other places on small streams the imigrant must either ford or swim; but it was very common for imigrants to go in gangs, sometimes 10 or more could be counted in one company and hardly without the precaution of having in the company a boat of sufficient capacity to carry at least a ton in weight. The boat was usually construct- ed so as to answer as a wagon bed and was about 16 ft. long. But the crossing was always a tedious job. All the wagons necessarily had to be unloaded and the goods ferried over and the wagons taken apart and taken over piecemeal, and last of all the teams and cows were driven in, to make their way over as best they could. And such a crossing when the train was large frequenty occupied the greater part of a day. The imigrants that came into Iowa between 1848 and 1856 were largely from western Pennsylvannia. Ohio and Indiana and these were the years of Iowa's greatest boom. But the overland imigrant with all the difficulty by the way, was not altogeth- er without his pleasures. The novelties of outdoor life has its charms with all its hardships. The experiences gained in making shifts, teaches payable lessons for use in after life. Many of the early settlers of Iowa were of a migratory disposition, who started in early days from Pennsylvania to Ohio and after a few years stay they resumed their journey westward to Indiana, thence to Illinois and finally to Iowa, thus following the frontier. And often were at middle age or, over before they arrived in the promised land, as it was then frequently called, but many of the settlers who were coming
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in after 1840 had a disposition to dodge the eastern part of Jackson County, especially Bellevue and its vicinity. The Bellevue war was a detriment to the settling of that part of the county, and it was branded far and near as one of the dark places of earth, far beyond its merits long after the bandits and murderers were driven out to make room for peaceable and law abiding citizens.
It was about twelve years after the Bellevue war that one, Barger. kill- ed his wife in the town of Bellevue and about two years later another foul murder was committed near Iron Hills, and this coupled with the mob-war at Bellevue cast a shadow over the entire county of Jackson. Although near- ly 50 years have passed since the hanging of Barger and Griffith by the Iron Hills vigilance committee, the shadow still hangs over the county, and the farther we go from home and hear the opinion of strangers, the darker the picture becomes. It was nearly 10 years atfer the Bellevue war that the writer first came to Jackson County, Iowa, and it was in 1850 that I stop- ped for a while in Bellevue and in its vicinity. My opportunity was good to know how the public pulse beat in regard to the Bellevue tragedy. I found that by a large majority of the best citizens, the sympathies were with Warren's party and against the Brown gang. This I found after I arrived on the ground and talked with those who had the best opportunity of knowing the merits or demerits in the case, but now the question is again brought up with new testimony, such as would reverse the verdict that was rendered by the general public more than 50 years ago. I confess that I had some hesitancy in stopping in or settling in Bellevue or even in Jack- son County, not that I was afraid of Warren and his party, but of Brown and his gang
Although partially exterminated in the town of Bellevue at the time of the war; yet some of the gang survived and again become operative farther west in the big woods in the forks of the Maquoketa river. It was full 10 years after the Bellevue war that the place of their concealment was discovered in the caves in the rocks of Pine Creek, and from this secluded piace and another branch on the north fork they did a systematic business of horse stealing, counterfeiting and in fact almost anything that could grow out of lawlessness. It was the lawless gang that provoked the formation of the Iron Hills vigilance committee that did the hanging of Barger and Griffith and it was soon after the hanging that a similar committee was formed at Emeline for the sole purpose of ferreting out the desperadoes and bringing them to justice, to protect the community against the bandits that remained of the Brown gang. Although these committees were in them- selves not organized according to law and their acts therefore were unlaw- ful. But the inability of the administrators of the law to cope with the situation, caused citizens for their own safety to take the law into their own hands in order to put away evil among them. I have already in a former communication spoke of these committees and would not again bring it to the front except for the reason of the recently published story of Joseph Henry. My personal acquaintance with Mr. Warren was but slight, but from his seemingly mild disposition and his apparent level headedness I
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could scarcely believe him a desperado or that he would go off at half set or, that he would do a harsh act without justifiable provocation.
The history of the Bellevue war has been written and rewritten, not altogether without exhibiting more or less bias of the writer, but now that the question is again raised, it is of the highest importance that nothing but actual facts be made the base of revision without regard to our sym- pathies .. There are yet many incidents connected with the Jackson Coun- ty mobs of which I will speak later on, if occasion requires.
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Jel Webster, born In Preb rtlanif county, N. Y., March 5th, 1830, who
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Early Pioneers.
(Written by J. W. Ellis for the Jackson County Historical Society.)
One of the very early pioneers of Jackson county was John Forbes, who came to Bellevue in the spring of 1836. He secured a ten-year charter for a ferry across the Mississippi at a point just below the mouth of Spruce Creek and operated a ferry there for several years. In 1838 he was appointed a justice of the peace for Bellevue by the governor of the territory. He was a quiet dignitied scholarly gentleman and seemed a little out of place among the rough people who made up a large majority of the first settlers of the lowa Territory. He was born in Wilmington, Vermont, April 14th, 1806. Married Mary Trowbridge in the town of Preble, Courtland county, N. Y., March 5th, 1929. She was a daughter of Daniel and Dorothy Trowbridge, born Nov. 18th, 1809, in the province of lower Canada. Some time in the early fall the worthy couple removed to Newburgh, Ohio, and in 1831 came west to Chicago by way of the lakes on the Queen Charlotte, Commodore Perry's flagship, which had been sunk in the battle of Erie, and had lain at the bottom of the lake 20 years, to join an older brother of Mr. Forbes, Stephen Van Rennseler Forbes, who came to Chicago in 1829.
The Forbes geneology has the following interesting sketch of Stephen Forbes: "Mr. Forbes first came to Chicago in the summer of 1829 and re- turned to Ohio in the ensuing fall. Came back to Chicago in the spring of 1830, taught school three months and then went to Ohio again, and return- ed to Chicago with Mrs. Forbes, in the month of September of that year. They lived in the Dean house so called just by the outlet of the Chicago river. The house was a block or timber-built, being of logs hewn on two sides with two main rooms with an addition of one room. The school was kept in this house by Mrs. Forbes and her class occupying one room, and Mr. Forbes and the boys the other. The scholars were mostly French or half breeds, only one pupil coming from Fort Dearborn. Later in 1831, Mr. Forbes moved to where Riverside is now or near there, but returned to Chi- cago in 1832 in consequence of the Indian troubles. Mr. Forbes was elected the first sheriff of Cook county, Dec. 13th, 1830, and collected the first tax paid in that county. He died in Chicago, Feb. 11th, 1879."
John Forbes took a claim on the Desplaines river, 12 miles west of Chi- cago, where he resided uutil the fall of 1834, when he removed to Galena, and from there to Bellevue in the spring of 1835. Their children were Dan-
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iel Webster, born in Preble, Courtland county, N. Y., March 5th, 1830, who married Susan Usher of Jackson county, Iowa; Henry Clay born on the Des- plaines river, Cook county, Ill., May 26th, 1834, married Orpha Ann Waldo in Council Bluffs, Iowa; John Francis, born on the west bank of the Mis- sissippi river in Jackson county, territory of Iowa, July 4th, 1841, married Ellen Eads in Jackson county, Iowa.
Some time in the early forties John Forbes removed to land he had bought about one mile east of Andrew and lived there several years, remov- ing from there to a farm in section 26 Farmers Creek township, and about 1852 removed to Council Bluffs, and from there to Central America, secur- ing 1200 acres of land near Greytown. He was there during Walker's filibus- tering expedition and the bombardment. Came back here on account of the disturbed condition of affairs expecting to return when peace was restored over there, but never did. He died in Davenport, lowa. the 22nd of Febru- ary, 1862. All three of his sons served as volunteers during the wai of the Rebellion. Henry C., father of the writer's wife, served three years in Co. B 26th Iowa, was wounded in thigh during the Black river campaign. He died in Utah, January 2, 1878. Daniel W. died May 28th, 1894, at Ida Grove, and John Francis died Jan. 13th, 1904, at Redfield, Iowa. Mrs. John Forbes died at the home of the writer Jan. 5th, 1898, aged 90 years.
The father of this subject was also John Forbes, son of Stephen, Aaron, Thomas, Daniel, born April 1st. 1769, at Wilmington, Vermont. Married Anna Sawyer, daughter of a Captain Sawyer, born about the year 1748, who was a famous Indian tighter, and served with distinction in the revolution- ary war, had a large grant of land along the Delaware river. Our Grand- mother Forbes, who lived with us for many years, related many interesting anecdotes of old Captain Sawyer. She said that on account of some great injury done them by the old captain, a certain tribe of Indians hated him with an undying hatred. Long after these Indians had been driven to a re- mote distance from the settlement where the captain lived, a band of them returned to that locality penetrating a quite thickly settled country to get revenge on him. They did not disturb other white settlers except to com- pel one of his neighbors to guide them to the captain's cabin. The old cap- tain had three grown up sons and two large savage dogs, and when the In- dians approached the cabin the dogs were turned loose and created quite a panic among the red-skins, but were soon dispatched and a determined at- tack was made on the cabin which met with a stout resistance until the In- dians succeeded in firing the house, and the family was obliged to surren- der. The Indians assured Mrs. Sawyer they would not harm a hair of her head, but were determined to burn the captain alive. They burned and de- stroyed all of the captain's property and then set out for their country tak- ing Mr. Sawyer and one other white man with them. The Indians made long and rapid marches and when they laid at night would make the prisoners lie down, and would cut branches from trees and lay across the whites, and an Indian would lay down on each side of the whites on the ends of the branches, so it would be impossible for the captives to move without disturbing their captors. As they approached the Indian towns
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the Indians divided into small parties to deceive the whites in case they were pursued, all the time the old veteran had been watching for an oppor- tunity to escape, each day they were allowed to step to one side together, ostensibly to pray, but in reality to exchange a few words in a whisper. They found that they could easily remove their bonds and they lanned to attempt to escape on the last night before they would reach the Indian town, by slaying their guards, of which there were but four in the party. About midnight after a long weary march through the forest, the captain was assured by the heavy breathing of his captors that they were sleeping soundly, and carefully freeing his hand he secured a hatchet from one of the Indians. He soon found himself entirely free. He signaled to his fellow prisoner and found him awake. At one blow from the hatchet he dispatched one of the sleeping Indians and before the other recovered his feet he had buried the tomahawk in his brain. The Indians guarding the other prison- er whose courage failed him at the critical moment were awakened by the blows that had slain their companions, sprang to their feet to face the cap- tain with uplifted and bloody axe. Not at all dismayed by the situation he attacked and killed one of them, while the other fled from the spot as though pursued by demons. The captain quickly released his less nervy companion, and securing the weapons of their late captors they started on their retrun to their homes, using all the stratagem of wood craft to cover their trail, and very much to the surprise of their friends returned to their homes just thirty days from the time of their capture.
For years afterwards the Indians hunted the settlement where the old captain lived, but he was always on his guard and was too wary for them. Finally during his last illness a band of Indians came to the captain's house and requested to see him. They were told that the captain was very sick and would soon be dead. The chief insisted on seeing him and was allowed to enter the room where his ancient enemy lay unconscious, emaciated and struggling for breath. The old chief stood and gazed on him for several minutes, then went out and joined his waiting warriors, making a short speech to them after which the band departed never to return to that sec- tion of the country again.
My grandmother had the story from her husband's mother, Anna Saw - yer Forbes, a daughter of the old captain who also gave as a reason for the hatred of the Indians for her father, that on one occassion he had discover- ed an Indian in the act of stealing meat or something from an out house, and had fired his gun as he averred to frighten the thief, but in reality had fatally wounded a squaw, who had strength enough to crawl back to the band of Indians to which she belonged that were encamped near by and tell her story before she died. The feud engendered by the act of the captain cost the Indians many lives and only ended with the death of their hated foe
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How Iowa City Became the Territorial Capital-Colonel Thomas Cox of Jackson County an Important Factor in the Contest.
(Written by Harvey Reid for the Jackson County Historical Society.
One of the important matters which Governor Lucas, in his first mes- sage. urged upon the attention of the legislature was the location of a per- manent seat of government for the new Territory. He had, under the au- thority given him by the Organic Act, chosen Burlington as the temporary capital; but it was realized that, although settlements were as yet contined to a strip of territory closely contiguous to the Mississippi river, jurisdic- tion of the inchoate commonwealth extended over a vast domain to the westward, whose future population would demand a location more central than any town on the river could be. It was very difficult, however, to find any settlement at a distance from the river large enough to claim the distinction of being called a town. Then the rivalry of sections came in, as between north and south The old county of "Demoine" had an over- whelming majority of population, but it soon became evident that Bloom- ington (Muscatine) members were disposed to join forces with the repre- sentatives of the northern counties. Mount Pleasant, in Henry county, was the largest village in the Territory not situated on the Mississippi river. It was represented in the Assembly by two members of the Council and three of the House, one of whom was the Speaker; and they soon secured pledges from the southern members that seemed to make the selection of that town a certainty. The Burlington contingent seems to have given up pretensions for their own town early in the struggle; and, with two ex- ceptions, supported Mt. Pleasant loyally, even when tempted by flattering propositions in their own favor. Bloomington, however, was recalcitrant, and its district had strong men to lend aid to their northern brethren, in the persons of General John Friersen, S. Clinton Hastings, Wm. L. Toole, and Levi Thornton in the House, and James M. Clark in the Council.
Record proceedings began on November fourteenth, when Colonel Cox moved that so much of the Governor's message as relates to the establishing of the seat of government be referred to the committee on Territorial Affairs. But there appears no report from that committee until the last day of the year, December 31, 1838, when they brought in a bill providing that Burlington should be the temporary capital for three years and that then Mt. Pleasant should be the permanent capital. The bill being consid- ered in committee of the whole, the Burlington provision was adopted with
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out much opposition. Then came motions to strike out Mt. Pleasant and insert something else. Twenty eight different places were thus tried. Mr. Cox moved to insert Black Hawk, Scott county; Mr. Nowlin moved to in- sert Bellevue; Mr. Summers moved to insert Camanche. And so the gamut was run. All the motions were lost and Mt. Pleasant emerged from the Committee of the Whole triumphant.
The question then came before the House on concurrence with the re- port of the committee of the whole, and the contest was renewed. The first attack was on the first section of the bill, and Colonel Cox, with six others, voted to substitute Fort Madison for Burlington as temporary capital. Then Colonel Cox came forward with an entirely new solution for the problem, drawn, evidently, from his personal share in a similar contest twenty years before. Controversies over the location of seats of government were inter- esting incidents in the early legislation of nearly all of the new common- wealths which the invasion of the West was bringing into the American Union. The usual and expected result of such contests had been the choice of an established town, or at least a regularly surveyed town site with the nucleus of a settlement. But there had been a notable exception when the birst General Assembly of the State of Illinois, in 1818, had, through a Board of Commissioners, located its new state capital upon four sections of unoc- cupied government land, and had given it the name of Vandalia.
Thomas Cox was a senator in the first General Assembly of Illinois, and bore a part in the legislation which decreed that the seat of government should go into the wilderness, and the capital city be laid out into lots and sold to its future residents by the State. Government land stretched in almost illimitable vastness beyond the narrow fringe of settlements in Iowa Territory in 1838, as it had in Illinois in 1818; and, if a central capital be desired, take a leaf from the book of Illinois, choose your plat of land and make one. Such were the thoughts, doubtless, that prompted him to move to amend the second section of the bill as follows:
"Strike out Mount Pleasant, and insert 'Johnson, Linn, and Cedar Counties, and that commissioners be appointed to locate the seat of govern- ment at the most eligible place in either of those counties."
The motion received only eleven votes as against fourteen in opposition, but the idea was a fruitful one. It became clear that here was a rallying ground for all who were not entirely satisfied with Mount Pleasant, to de- feat the aspirations of that place and also avoid favoring any other existing rival. Nothing more was done, however, in the House in furtherance of the scheme, but the struggle then proceeded on other lines. Mr. Hastings moved to strike out Burlington in the first section and insert Bloomington. Ten voted for it, including Cox.
Then a tempting bait was flung out to Burlington in Hardin Nowlin's motion to make Burlington the permanent capital. Some of the Burlington members were true to their Mt. Pleasant pledges and voted agains this mo- tion, but it received twelve votes, lacking one only of success. Another mo- tion intervened, and then Hawkins Taylor. of Lee County, who had voted against Now lin's motion, moved to reconsider that vote. The reconsidera-
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tion carried, and the Nowlin amendment was adopted by fourteen to eleven. Let us glance at this vote and its geographical divisions. Ayes-for Burling- ton-Bankson, Cox, Nowlin, Swan ( Dubuque); Roberts (Cedar); Frierson, Hastings, Toole, Thornton ( Muscatine) ; Taylor (Lee); Bailey, Hall (Van Buren); Beeler, Blair ( Des Moines). Noes-for Mt. Pleasant-Patterson, Brierly, Price (Lee) ; Parker ( Van Buren); Delashmutt, Grimes, Temple (Des Moines) ; Summers, (Clinton and Scott); Coop, Porter, Wallace, the Speaker, ( Henry).
The changes from the first vote on the Nowlin amendment wers that Hawkins Taylor, of .Lee, and James Hall, of Van Buren, now voted for it.
But the end was not yet. Mr. Tayior now moved that the bill be refer- red to a select committee of one from each electoral district, which motion was carried by fourteen to eleven. Mr. Cox voted aye, but the personnei of the vote was quite different from the former one. Colonel Bankson became the Dubuque Jackson representative on the select committee. The Legisla- ture held its regular session on New Year's day, January first, 1839, and the select committee reported back the bill "with amendments". The Journal does not record what the amendments were, but the plain inference is that the committee, which had been appointed by Speaker Wallace, who was a Mt. Pleasant man reported back the original plan of Mt. Pleasant for per- manent and Burlington for temporary capital. The report was adopted by thirteen to eleven, and then a motion to amend by making Burlington the permanent capital was rejected by the same vote. G. S. Bailey and James Hall, of Van Buren and George H. Beeler, of Des Moines, had repented over night and reversed their votes of the day before.
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