USA > Iowa > Cherokee County > Biographical history of Cherokoe County, Iowa : Containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States from Washington to Harrison, with accompanying biographies of each ; a condensed history of Iowa, with portraits and biographies of the governors of the state ; engravings of prominent citizens in Cherokee County, with personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families. A concise history of the county, the cities, and townships > Part 29
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Andrew Rasmus settled on section 30, where he still lives.
G. Braaslı settled just north from Rasmus, on the same section, and is still a resident.
A man named Gilbert and his sons settled on section 18, on Mill Creek, remained until 1881, when they moved to Ida Connty, Iowa. A. Mckinsey, who settled on section 22, now lives at Sioux City.
William Durham, now of Paulina, settled on section 27.
Mr. McKowan settled on section 31.
James IIenderson, afterward treasurer of the county and now a resident of Cherokee, settled in the western part of the township, as did his son James.
D. R. Stanford located on section 14, where he now resides at an advanced age.
Joseph Grundy. now deceased, settled on section 24; his widow still remains on the farm.
N. S. Warren selected lands on section 12 and later he moved to section 1, and in 1883 removed from the township.
Aaron Salsberry settled on section 14. He moved to Illinois in 1884.
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY.
C. L. Caster, another homesteader of sec- tion 12, was among the settlers from New York. He still lives here.
Richard Gilbert settled, in 1869, on section 12. He was from the iron-mining district of Michigan.
Patrick Kelly came from Wisconsin and settled on section 10, where he still farms.
R. W. Luther was an early settler on sec- tion 34. He came from Pennsylvania, and in 1882 removed to Arkansas.
Henry Jackson settled on section 36; he was from Wisconsin, and in 1884 moved to Spirit Lake.
Noah Batterson settled on section 25; he died in 1884 or 1885, and the family mnoved into Cherokee.
N. W. Nelson, now an organ agent of Cherokee, effected a settlement on section 25. Hle removed in 1870.
Joseph Partlow was a settler on section 22. He moved to the Black Hills in 1884. His sons, Sidney and Oscar, also hield claims on section 22 and went west with their father. They came here from Boone County, Iowa.
William Case settled on section 10. His family still occupy the farm, but he is in Montana Territory.
Samuel Scott, another settler from Boone County, located on section 22.
Thomas J. MeEwen, a single man, claimed land on section 25, where he still lives.
James Montgomery bought out a claim on section 25. He came from Butler County, Iowa.
Dr. Bundy (now of Aurelia) located on sec- tion 13.
R. Neadham, from Illinois, settled on sec- tion 25. In 1884 he moved to Dakota.
John Sponton, who came from Linn County, Iowa, settled on section 25, where lie still remains.
Phil. H. Weintz, now a harness-shop pro-
prietor at the village of Meriden, settled at a very early day on section 18.
L. S. Stanford (son of D. R. Stanford, of section 14) settled on a homestead situated on tlie same section as his father's. In 1882 he removed to Louisiana.
George Hilton came from Illinois and lo- cated on a section and afterward moved west.
The Grundy family were also among the pioneers of Cedar Township. Thomas, Lot and Adam were the boys' names; they all liomesteaded on section 24. Thomas now lives at or near Dubuque; Lot is in England and Adam is still a resident of the place he located upon at first.
Joseph Clifton, now deceased, settled on section 11. His wife moved to California in the summer of 1889.
William Gilbert, now of O'Brien Connty, settled ou section 12. He left the township in 1884.
Carl Gerlachı located on section 19.
A. R. McLain, now a resident of Montana, located on section 12.
James Hicks, now of O'Brien County, set- tled on section 2.
Other settlers of early date were: Mr. Shipley, section 2; Charles Foster, section 28, still there; Mr. Fredon, deceased, settled on section 31; A. Johnson, section 28, still there; T. J. Lewis, from Butler County, Iowa, settled on section 14, but since removed to other parts.
RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
The East Cedar Presbyterian Church was the first in the field, by organized effort. Services were held at the Grundy school- honse in 1879 qnite frequently, by Rev. T. McAdam, of Cherokee. His successor was Rev. George Knox, who was followed by Rev. M. E. Todd; then came Rev. T. J. Day, and then the present pastor, Rev. William M. Robinson, who came from Linn County,
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HISTORY OT CHEROKEE COUNTY.
Iowa. The incorporated church society was organized April 10, 1887, its legal papers being recorded in 1888. At first the mnem- bership was twenty-nine; at present it is forty-four. The first Elders were James Montgomery and William Skellie. The present Elders are same as above, with the addition of Mr. Gilbert-known as Gilbert " 13" to designate him from one by the same name on section 12. The church edifice, a neat, well-planned frame structure, was dedi- cated February 13, 1889. It stands in the village of Larrabee, seats 175 persons, and cost $1,800, with its furniture. It is also used by the Methodist people of this community.
The Methodist Episcopal society proper, of to-day, was re-organized from a society of earlier days, in 1888. Prior to that time this territory belonged to what was known as the "Spring and Cedar Charge." Rev. R. C. Glass and other pastors from the work at Cherokee came out and held services at the Morris school-house. It is now known as the Larrabee Circuit. The present Pastor is Rev. E. G. Keith; present Trustees are: C. W. Severance, George Brace, H. II. Carna- lian, H. C. Eddy and Mr. Like. C. W. Sev- erance is Class Leader. Services are held every Sabbath at the Presbyterian Church, at Larrabee, and at the school-houses of the neighborhood.
SCHOOLS.
The first school-honses were erected in Cedar Township, on sections 12 and 30, in 1870. They were frame and are still stand- ing and in use.
In 1888 official report says this township had eight school buildings and employed three male and thirteen female teachers. At that date there were 182 pupils enrolled. The people of Cedar have ever been wide awake to the interests of good public schools, being of the intelligent class of population,
who know the best safeguard against crime and public expense is to sustain good schools and engage none bnt careful, efficient teacli- ers to instruct the pupils.
THE VILLAGE OF LARRABEE.
This is one of the most modern villages of Cherokee County. It is the first station north of Cherokee, on the Cherokee & Da- kota branch of the Illinois Central Railway. It is located on the northeast quarter section 22-93-40, and was platted November 25, 1887, by A. II. Meservey and J. P. B. Prim- rose.
The first attempt at business or building at this point was the erection of a grain ele- vator by Thomas Caswell, in the fall of 1887. Its capacity at first was 8,000 bushels, but now reaches 12,000.
The first goods sold were handled by F. M. Ogle. He dealt in family groceries and soon sold his stock to H. H. Carnahan.
Eddy Bros. put in the first general stock of goods, in April, 1888. They are still the principal dealers.
In the spring of 1889, O. W. Blanchard put in a good stock of hardware.
William Gifford handles agricultural goods and also runs the hotel, a two-story frame building.
The first blacksmith of the place was Will- iam Dowd, in 1887. He sold to A. Rolow, the present blacksmith. William Dowd opened a meat market in the summer of 1889.
THE POSTOFFICE.
The postoffice and village derive their name from Governor William Larrabee, now Gov- ernor of lowa. This office was established December 28, 1887. The present postmaster, William Jordan, was also the first one. He kept the " office " at his own residence nntil April, 1889, when he secured a corner in
25
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY.
Eddy Bros.' general store, where it is now kept. It became a money-order office in Oc- tober, 1888. There had been sent from this office up to August 20, 1889, 274 money orders and 270 postal notes.
DIAMOND TOWNSHIP.
HE extreme southeastern sub-division of the county is known as Diamond. It was formerly included in Pilot, but set apart by the supervisors, September 7, 1871, . and described as all of congressional township 90-39. The first officers elected were: John H. Johnson, Clerk; Hiram Lord, Assessor; Nathan Bruce, George Kent and Hirain Lord, Trustees.
It is bounded on the north by Pitcher Township; on the east by Buena Vista County; on the south by Ida Connty; on the west by Silver Township of Cherokee County. This township is purely a " Maple Valley district,"-the valley taking up nearly the eu- tire extent of the surface area. A more pictur- esque and lovely plat of land can not be marked ont or described in all the great and growing northwestern country. Its market points are Galva Ida County, and Aurelia, in this county, while a few go to Alta, in Buena Vista County. In 1885 its population num- bered 680, with 480 Americans.
THE FIRST SETTLEMENT.
Prior to 1869 Diamond Township had no settlers to cultivate its rich soil. As is always the case in a country taken up by homesteaders, coming and going, it is diffi- cult to locate the first actual settler of this partieular portion of the county, but it is quite certain that up to 1870 there were none besides John and Joseph Dowding, on sec- tion 6. The Jennis family, father and two grown sons, settled on section 8. They soon moved away from the township.
In August, 1870, caine Hiramn Lord and family from Michigan and settled on section 2, taking up a homestead and purchasing other lands soon thereafter. Mr. Lord re- mained in the township until 1884, and then moved to section 11 of Pitcher Township. For a long time there was no further settle- ment in the south part of this township, for, as Mrs. Lord remarks, " We always knew when we heard a wagon coming from the south that we were going to have strangers for company, as we had no southern neighbors!"
The first birth as well as the first death in this township was in the family of John HI. Johnson, who had a son born to thein in the fall of 1870, who only lived a month. The Jolinson family removed to Nebraska.
The first marriage in Diamond Township was that of Jolin H. Dowding, in the au- tumn of 1870.
The first school-house was the one in Dis- trict No 1 .- a frame house erected in 1873, and still in use for school purposes. Miss Ella Fairfield (now Mrs. R. L. Roby) taught the first term of public school in this house the same year in which it was built.
In 1888 there were nine good school buildings in the township, and twenty teach- ers were employed-four males and sixteen females. The total enrollment was then 138 pupils. One hundred and twenty-seven shade trees adorn the school grounds of the various districts in the township.
RELIGIOUS.
A Methodist Episcopal Church known as Diamond Center was organized in Diamond Township about 1880, by Rev. Parfit. The society now numbers about forty members. A church edifice was built in 1888-'89, which was dedicated in March of the latter year, by Rev. I. N. Pardee, of Le Mars. Its cost was 82,400 It stands in the center of the
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY.
township. This charge consists of the Dia- mond, Goodhope and Pilot classes.
A Sunday-school was formed at abont the time the church was organized, by Joseph Fairfield, now of Dakota, but then a resident of the township. The average number of this school is now ninety pupils. A. E. Ne- ville is the present superintendent.
HEROIC INCIDENT.
In the summer of 1872 a three-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Johnson, of Diamond Township, fell through the cover of the well while playing. The well was twenty-eight feet deep and contained several feet of water. Her playmate gave immedi- ate aların, and Mrs. Johnson was on the spot in an instant. With much presence of mind the mother lowered a rope, and, strange to say, the intelligent three-year-old danghter clung to it with both her tiny hands while her mother drew her upward-the infant heroine hanging to the frail cord, drawn from certain death below. Her mother kept be- seeching her to " hold on," and twice the child replied, "I will, mother." As she touched the solid earth she relaxed her death- hold and encircled her dainty arms around her mother's neck. No nobler act upon the part of a mother and child stands on record than the above.
GRAND MEADOW TOWNSHIP.
HE southwestern township of Cherokee County is what is known as Grand Meadow. The same is that part of the connty described in congressional township 90-42. It was organized Janmary 10, 1877. On its western border is Plymouth County; on the north, Tilden Township, Cherokee County; on the east, Willow Township, and on the south Woodbury County. At one time it was included in Willow Township. This
township is situated in the ever-famous and inneh-talked-of great Sioux Valley, and may be classed among Cherokee Connty's best stock- growing townships. In 1885 there was a pop- ulation of 368 Americans and only sixteen foreigners.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
There was not inch settlement in Grand Meadow Township until after 1871. The first settler was Frank W. Kimberly in 1868 who located on sections 19 and 20.
G. O. Pixler settled on section 18.
John Baker located on a part of section 2.
T. J. White settled abont that time on sec- tion 11.
Henry Luge located, at first, on section 19.
I. H. Harvey settled on section 19.
Aaron Card located on section 32.
G. G. Baldwin was another who settled on section 19.
E. C. Delfosse located on section 30.
J. W. Lease made his selection from sec- tion 28.
J. D. Parkinson took land on section 1.
Mr. Pixler came from Clayton County, Iowa, in 1869.
Mr. Baker remained in the township until the time of his death, in 1888.
Mr. White came from Wisconsin and is still a resident.
Mr. Luge came from Rockford, Illinois. Some years afterward he moved to Nebraska, where his wife died. He then removed to Grand Meadow Township again.
I. H. Harvey, among the first pioneers, is now an aged man, still a resident here. He is a Methodist Episcopal minister and helped to form the first class of that denomination.
Mr. Card came from Black Hawk County, Iowa, in 1877.
A man named Noah also came from the vicinity of Cedar Falls, Iowa, and remained until 1881, when he removed to Nebraska.
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY.
Mr. Baldwin, who settled on seetion 19, re- mained a few years and then moved to Sioux City, Iowa.
Mr. Delfosse also removed and now resides at Sioux City, Iowa.
SCHOOLS.
The first term of school taught in this township was held in the " Lone Star " school- house, built in 1877. The teacher was Miss Hata Delfosse. Other school-houses were erected from time to time, as the township settled up. By official report, made October 31, 1888, there were then, in Grand Meadow- Township, eight good frame school-houses. That year there were employed three male and thirteen female teachers; the total en- rollment of pupils for that year was 152.
RELIGIOUS.
The pioneers who first sought out homes on the wild prairie lands of Grand Meadow Township had been reared in Christian lands and forgot not the God of their fathers and mothers, but at an early date commenced to hold religious services.
The first sect to set up the Christian standard was the United Brethren, who had services in 1881. David Harvey conducted such serv- ice at the Crom school-house. In 1887 this people erected a house of worship for them selves. The church society is still among the most flourishing in Grand Meadow.
The Evangelical Church was organized about 1882. They held their meetings at the Crom school building, also. But at this date a neat frame church edifice is fast nearing completion. It is near the center of the town- ship and stands on an elevated piece of land, a most conspicuous object from any point of the surrounding country. Its size is about 30 x 50 feet. Its cost is about $2,500.
The members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church were among the earliest heralds of the Cross and have been instrumental in do- ing much good in a field not touched and cared for by other denominations. The church proper was formed in 1884, services being held at the "Providence School-house," in District No. 6.
THE ONLY MURDER IN THE COUNTY.
The only case of the taking of human life by another in this county, aside from the killing of an Indian horse thief, was the case which occurred in 1884, wherein a young man named Fitzgerald had a quarrel with an- other fellow named Adams, on William Bond's farin, on section 12 of Grand Meadow Township. Fitzgerald struck Adams several times about the throat with a knife, which soon caused death. Theyoung murderer was sent to the Reform School, at Eldora, for a term of two years; he died about the time his sentence was to expire. Both parties were strangers in Cherokee County and the remains of young Adams were buried at Washta cem- etery.
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP.
IN the first tier of townships along the northern line of the county is found Lib- erty Township, now comprising the even congressional township 93-41, with O'Brien County on the north, Cedar Township to the east, Sheridan to the south, and Mareus to the west. It was organized at the June session of the Board of Supervisors in 1870.
If one sub-division of Cherokee County can elaim to be more beautiful than another, certainly Liberty may justly be called the banner township. It is certainly more level and even in its topographieal make up. It is finely watered, has no waste land, and au excellent type of settlers for its present in- habitants, which numbered, in 1885, 401 Americans and 174 foreigners. The chief
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY.
market points are Marcus and Meriden to the south and west.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
The first to make settlement in Liberty Township were Frank and John Gere, who came from the neighborhood of Mankato, Minnesota, in 1869, and homesteaded on sec- tion 36-each taking an "eighty." Frank took the south half of the northwest quarter, and John claimed the north half of the north- west quarter. John moved to Kansas in a few years and Frank moved to O'Brien County, Iowa.
The next settler was E. Lieurance, who came from Mineral Point, Wisconsin, in the spring of 1869, and took a homestead on sec- tion 26. where he still lives. Jacob Hopkins also came that year from Mt. Hope, Wiscon- sin, and took for a homestead eighty acres of the southwest quarter of section 32, where he now lives.
Dr. Scofield, a dentist from Muscatine, Iowa, came to the township in 1869 and homesteaded there on the southwest quarter of section 28. He is still a resident.
A. C. Caswell came the same year, from Butler County, Iowa, settling on the south half of the northwest quarter of section 22.
D. D. Searles came from Hamilton County and settled where he still lives, on section 24.
The same year came Ernest and Charles Drefke. Ernest took a homestead on section 21, where he now lives; Charles settled on section 14, where he died about 1877.
William Schultz located on a homestead on section 14-his present place.
Erick Oleson and E. Enockson came the same year-1869. The former homesteaded on section 22, while the latter made a home on section 26. They are both residents now.
The next settlement was made in the spring of 1870, by Charles Hendry and John
and Thomas Oswald. They all took home- steads-the Oswalds on section 26. Jolin finally left the county and Charles Hendry moved to Kansas.
In 1871 came A. D. Reed and family from Grant County, Wisconsin, and took a liome- stead on the south half of the southeast quarter of section 28, where they still reside.
HI. W. Earl, now proprietor of the hotel at Meriden and present postmaster, came in 1871 and purchased land on section 36. He moved to the village of Meriden in 1881.
The same year came Henry Marston from Grant County, Wisconsin, and settled on the west half of the northwest quarter of sec- tion 28.
William Beers came that season and settled where he still resides, on section 31.
George and Davis Prunty with their father Elias came from Prairie City, Iowa-the two sons located on section 18, where they yet remain.
Robert Miles came from Eastern Iowa stopped about two years near Cherokee, and in 1873 came to section 35 of this township, where he still resides.
But little more was done toward settlement until after the grasshopper plague had passed over, in 1878.
FIRST EVENTS. .
The first settlers were John and Frank Gere, in 1869.
The first house was built by one of the Gere boys-a small frame building.
The first birth in Liberty Township --- American-was Miss May E. Reed, daugh- ter of Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Reed, who settled on section 28. The date of her birth was May 2, 1872.
The first death in the township was that of the father of John and Frank Gere, which occurred in June, 1872.
The first terin of school taught was held
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY.
by Mrs. John Gere at her own home, on sec- tion 36, during the winter of 1871-'72.
The first school building erected was the one built on section 26, in 1872. Miss Jen- nie Robie taught first in this school-house.
The first religions services were those held by the Christian denomination, from house to house, beginning as early as 1871.
The first marriage in the township was that of E. A. Caswell to Mrs. Luey Mad- doek, in May, 1872. They moved to Canton, Dakota, and there Mrs. Caswell died in July, 1889.
The first Sunday-school work was done in the summer of 1873, at the Gere School- house. The school numbered thirty, coming from far and near. A. J. Reed was superin- tendent.
The first religious denomination to organ- ize in Liberty Township was the Methodist class in 1874. It numbered nineteen, and was supplied by a preacher from Cherokee. Rev. J. R. Faus was the first pastor. This class was afterward added to the Meriden charge.
The first election in the township was held in 1870.
RELIGIOUS.
The Presbyterian Church was organized in 1882 by ten members. Rev. George Knox assisted by William Ross were the official organizers. Rev. Caldwell preached for that people at the Hopkins School-honse during the summer of 1882. In 1884 the present church building was erected on the south- west quarter of section 20, at a cost of $1,800. Its seating capacity is about 250 persons. The clergymen who have served this church are: Rev. William E. Caldwell, Rev. E. L. Compton, Rev. Swick, Rev. M. E. Todd. The present church membership is thirty-tive. The elders are now G. M. Gregg and W. H. Brewer.
The Swedish Baptist Church of Liberty Township was organized in September, 1869, by a membership of five persons who emi- grated from Sweden. Mr. A. O. Matenberg was appointed leader, serving for eighteen years, until May 18, 1887, C. G. Nilson ac- cepted a call as pastor, and still remains with this people. The present membership of the church is thirty-one. A neat frame church edifice was erected in 1888. This house is 28 x 36 feet, and seats about 140 people. It is situated on the southeast part of section 26. The present officers are: Rev. C. G. Nilson, Pastor; Andrew Rasmus, Elias Enock- son, Olf Erickson, John Brant, John E. Peter- son, Trustees; Olf Olson, Clerk; John E. Peterson, Treasurer; J. E. Peterson, J. A. Carlson, Deacons.
A German Lutheran Church is also sus- tained. A church was erected on section 23 in the autumn of 1888. This church is sup- plied as yet with a minister from neighbor- ing towns.
SCHOOLS.
The prosperity of any county or State de- pends on two things principally; one is the soil, and the other is the attention paid to the public schools. This also applies to town- ships as well. The early settlers in this sub- division of Cherokee County forgot not the latter, knowing full well that Nature had given them the former.
The first term of school held in Liberty Township was taught by Mrs. John Gere, at her own house on section 36, during the win- ter of 1871-'72. The first school building was erected on section 26, in 1872. Miss Jennie Robie was first to teach in the new building.
As the township settled up, school-houses were added, and by reference to the report made by the school superintendent at the close of 1888 it was found that the township
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY.
then had nine good frame school-houses and a total enrollment of 181 pupils.
MARCUS TOWNSHIP.
HIS is the northwest corner township of the county, the territory embraced being congressional township 93-42. It was set apart by the Board of Supervisors Septem- ber 7, 1874. It is located west of Liberty and north of Amherst townships, with O'Brien Connty on the north, and Plymouth County on the west.
To be a citizen and land-owner of Marcus Township, Cherokee County, Iowa, in 1889 is a part of a man's life of which he need not be ashamed. Here one travels over the finest soil in all the world. Here one views a rural scene that is ever a feast to the eye. Here one meets the combined industry and intelli- gence of both native and foreign born citi- zens. IIere one sees marks of thrift and wealth, of comfort and happiness, of moral and religions sentiment, seldom adorning any one subdivision of a county.
We turn our pen and thoughts, for a time, toward the township, when it was not what we find it in 1889, but as it was left by the savage Indian tribes who heard the faint but certainly increasing echo of civilization, with its steady tramp! tramp! of conquest.
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