History of Butler and Bremer counties, Iowa, Part 85

Author: Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1316

USA > Iowa > Butler County > History of Butler and Bremer counties, Iowa > Part 85
USA > Iowa > Bremer County > History of Butler and Bremer counties, Iowa > Part 85

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Philip Miller and George Lash were the earliest settlers of West Point township. They were brothers-in-law, and came here about the same time. Mr. Lash is now a resident of Story county, Iowa. Mr. Miller was born in Germany, in 1828, and came to the United States with his parents when ten years of age. The family settled in Stark county, Ohio. His parents, Henry and Eve Miller resided in Ohio until their death. Philip Miller came to West Point township in the fall of 1854, and pre- empted eighty acres of land on section 20, which is a part of his present farm. His residence is located on this eighty. Mrs. Miller was Miss Catherine Lash. When Mr. Miller came here his family consisted of himself, wife and two children. Their entire worldly possessions consisted of a

team and twenty-five dollars in money. He exchanged his horses and harness for forty acres of timber land. This was prc- vious to the pre-emption of his first eighty. Aş a business man Mr. Miller has been very successful. From the small begin- ning mentioncd, his possessions have grown to the magnitude of 1,000 acres of good land, being one of the finest stock farms in Butler county. Mr. rnd Mrs. Mil- ler have six sons and two daughters-James T., Milo L., Walter P. and Mary C., (twins), Henry, Laura, Anthony, and Lawrence.

Mrs. Emily Daily, widow of Christian Daily, resides on section 22. Christian Daily was born in Pennsylvania in 1803. He moved to Ohio with his parents, when a boy, and there lived until manhood, when he married Miss Emily Neighman. After their marriage they removed to Indi- ana, where they remained twenty years. They came to Butler county in 1857, and settled on section 22, on the farm which Mrs. Daily now owns. Mr. Daily died in 1875. Mrs. Daily was born in Portage county, Ohio, in 1813. Her father, Adam Neighman, was one of the pioneers of that Statc. Mrs. Daily has three sons and one daughter -- Anthony, in Sheffield, Iowa; Lydia, now Mrs. S. E. Crosby; Christian, in Waterloo, and P. F. Daily, who resides at the homestead. She lost five children, three sons and two daughters, all but one of whom reached maturity.

Charles V. Surfus resides on section 30. He is the son of William Surfus, who came to Butler county, from Indiana, in the fall of 1856, and settled in this township, be- ing one of its carliest settlers. His first settlement was on section 18, and in 1864 settled where his son now lives. He after-

I. M. Fisher

Mary O. Fisher.

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

ward returned to Indiana, where he died in 1878. The father of Mr. Surfus had thirteen sons and one daughter, by first wife, and two by his second marriage. The daughter and five sons of the former, are living, and one of the latter. Charles V. and his sister are the only ones living in this county. The family of Mr. Surfus was largely represented in the Union army during the rebellion; five of the sons en- tered the service; three were members of the Twelfth Regiment Iowa Volunteer In- fantry; one served in the Second Iowa Cavalry, and one in the Forty-fourth Indi- ana. Two of them, Emanuel and Nathan- iel died in the service. Charles V. was born in Indiana, in 1838; came to this county with his father; he enlisted in the Twelfth Iowa Regiment, and served from September 29, 1861, until January 26, 1866. He participated in many battles; was taken prisoner at the battle of Shiloh, and re- mained such nearly six months and a-half. He bought his present farm, of 160 acres, of his father. His wife was Amanda Thomas. They have three children-An- thony L., William H., and Stella E.

Samuel Moots, from Indiana, located on section 19, in 1854, where he built a log house. He now lives in Pittsford town- ship.

Then came John Lash, William and Adam Sarbee and Seth Strong. John Lash made selection on section 19, George Lash on 18, and Adam and William Sar- bee on 18.

At a later date a large number arrived and took up residence, among whom were Messrs. Ray, Smith, Gough, Wilkes, Trin- dle, Bell, Thompson, Bornell, Neal and Cass.

Robert Smith was born in the north part of Ireland in 1820. His father, Wil- liam Smith, died in that country, and his mother and seven children emigrated to the United States in 1834. Four of the children came first, and the mother and other children later, one of whom is the subject of this sketch. The family settled in Philadelphia. Mr. Smith is the only sur- viving member of the family. He came to Butler county from Ohio in 1861 and set- tled in Pittsford township. He now re- sides on section 6, settling there abont 1866. His farm contains 240 acres, 80 of which he obtained as a homestead, buying the remainder of Mr. Underwood. Mr. Smith and wife belong to the Presbyterian Church at Bristow. He is one of the original members of the church, one of the most liberal contributors to the build- ing of the church edifice, and among the most generous supporters of the Gospel. He married Miss Phæbe Given, a native of Ireland. They have six children- three sons and three daughters.

William Gough is one of the early set- tlers of Iowa, his residence dating from March, 1852, when he came to Jones county, and thence to Janesville, Bremer county, in October, 1853. His residence in Butler county dates from the fall of 1854, residing on section 4. Mr. Gough is a native of Gloucestershire, England, where he was born in 1817, residing there until thirty-five years of age. He is best known as a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Gough entered the ministry as a local preacher when about twenty- seven years of age. He came to the United States in 1850, settling in Illinois, but transferred it to Jones county, Iowa, in

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

1852, and thence, as dictated by the con- ference, to Bremer and Butler counties. Mr. Gough was for many years an itiner- ant minister of his church, and enjoyed all the experiences incident to the life of a Methodist preacher on the frontier. A portion of his time has been devoted to farming. He entered a farm in Dayton township, north of Clarksville, about 1853. He was married in Pittsfield, Pike county, Illinois, in 1852, to Susanna Walsh, born in County Galway, Ireland, June 23, 1822. She came to the United States in 1848. Mrs. Gough has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church since she was six years of age. She is a woman of great energy, excellent memory, of a poetical turn of mind, and for the advantages she had, of good literary attainments. She is a sister of Thomas Walsh, of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Gough have six children- Caroline A., now Mrs. Jacob Kephart; William C., George W., Joseph J., Thomas A. and Elizabeth J. They lost two chil- dren while living at Clarksville.

John Wilkes resides on section 18, West Point township. He has been a resident of Butler county since 1863. He was born in Morgan county, Ohio, in 1838. His father, Ira Wilkes, was a native of the State of New York. John Wilkes was a Union soldier during the War of the Re. bellion, serving in Company C, Ninety- seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for over a year, when he was discharged by reason of disability. He bought his present farm of Johnson Lawyer. The farm was first settled by William Sarver. He has eighty acres of land. Mrs. Wilkes was formerly Miss Martha Kilson, daughter of Lewis Kilson. Mr. Wilkes has been twice mar-

ried; his first wife was a daughter of Mr. Isaac Boylan. He has one child by first marriage.

George Trinde resides on section 31. He was born in Fairfield township, West- moreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1826. He removed to Wisconsin' and settled in Dodge county in 1855, coming to Butler county in 1863, and settled in Boylan's Grove, Pittsford township. Mr. Trinde lived where he first settled eight years, settling where he now lives in 1871, pur- chasing the farm of Mr. Joseph Merrill. He has 160 acres of land. His wife was Miss Sarah McDowell, born in Pennsyl- vania. They have six children --- William, Susan M., Almira, James, Emily and Lewis.

Hiram Bell resides on section 33, com- ing to Butler county in 1870. He settled where he now lives, two years later, mak- ing his present improvements. Mr. Bell was born in Rensselaer county, New York, in 1832. He went to Columbia county from the State of New York, and resided near Fall River for the fifteen years pre- vious to his coming here. Ilis wife was Elizabeth Carmford, born in the State of New York. They have had five children -Walter S., John A., Martha E., Willie J. and George H. Mr. Bell's farm con- tains 160 acres.

Charles Thompson is a native of Eng- land, having been born at Yorkshire, in 1836, coming to the United States in 1854. He resided in Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, until 1856, when he removed to Dubuque, Iowa. Mr. Thompson is well known as the former superintendent of the Babbage Farm, properly the Iowa Central Stock Farm. He came to Butler county

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

for the purpose of opening this farm for Mr. Babbage, in 1868. The real object was to make improvements, and to bring into market the land which now comprises this farm; but it was afterward decided to make a stock farm of the land. A history and description of the Iowa Central Stock Farm is given elsewhere. Mr. Thompson remained its superintendent until the fall of 1871. In 1870, he purchased the farm on section 33, where he now resides. He has about 300 acres of land. His first wife was Mary Ann Brimskill, a native of England. She died in 1874. His present wife was Miss Maggie Wray, a native of Pennsylvania. Mi. Thompson has four children by his first wife-James L., Simon G., Charles H. and Ralba E. He has three children by his present wife.

E. Bomell resides on section 15. Mr. Bomell was formerly a resident of Black Hawk county. He was born in Massa- chusetts, in 1815, where he lived until eighteen years of age. In the fall of 1833, he went to Ohio with an uncle, con- tinuing his visit to Illinois the following spring, where he lived until 1864. He then came to Iowa and settled in Black Hawk county, where he lived two or three years; then removed to Bremer county. He came to West Point township in 1870, and purchased his present farm of 160 acres. His wife was Savina Howell, a native of Pennsylvania. They have eight children, five sons and two daughters. One child died in infancy.

Joseph N. Neal resides on section 16. He is one of the largest and most success- ful farmers in Butler county. His farm consists of about 1,100 acres. He was born in Pennsylvania, but removed to

Ohio, where he lived about twenty years. He was brought up to the business of farming, and follows the occupation from choice. _ He has been a resident of West Point township since 1869. The improve- ments on his farm are among the best in the township, and were all made by him- self. He devotes his attention principally to stock raising. His wife, formerly Miss Elizabeth Mitchell, is a native of Ohio. They have six children-Thomas M., Bar- net, John H., Mary E., Joseph N., and Maud I. They lost one son.

Hollis Cass resides on section 16. His farm was entered by William Linderman. Mr. Cass purchased it in 1871, of Henry Linderman. He was born in New Hamp- shire, but removed to Caledonia county, Vermont, with his parents, when a boy. He was a soldier in the Union army dur- ing the rebellion, enlisting in the Eighth Regiment Vermont Volunteer Infantry, serving nearly four years. He participa- ted in some of the most important battles of the war, including the siege of Fort Hudson, battles of Fisher "Hill, Cedar 3. 1

Creek, etc. At the close of the war he re- turned to Vermont, soon after emigrating to Boone county, Illinois, coming to But- ler county, in the fall of 1871. He has re- sided in this township since that time. Mrs. Cass was Miss Lefie Latham, born in Vermont. They have three children- Hollis L., Grace A., and Ella M. They lost their third child, Charles H. Mr. Cass has 160 acres of land in the farm where he resides, and 80 acres on section 19. Two brothers of Mr. Cass also came to Iowa, Henry, who came two years earlier, now living in Boone county, Illi- nois, and Welcome, who settled near

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

Charles City. He is now a resident of Minnesota, on the Northern Pacific Rail- road.

B. F. Garrett was an early settler who took an active interest in the affairs of the town, and was a member of the board of supervisors for a number of years. He left early in the seventies for Kansas.

ORGANIC.

When the county was first divided into townships, on the 6th of February, 1855, by Judge Alonzo Converse, West Point was made a part of Ripley, which, at that time, embraced the entire western half of the county, except the town of Coldwater. W. R. Jamison, on the 26th of February, was authorized to organize the township of Ripley, which he did, holding the elec- tion on April 2, 1855. This was the organization until March 3, 1856, when Judge Converse again divided the territory forming West Point, which embraced its present territory and that of Pittsford. The first voting was held at the old school house near the line in Pittsford township, where Mr. Early resides, and Benjamin Needham was elected justice of the peace.

In the fall of 1857, Pittsford township was set off from West Point by another sub-division.

At the election held in November, 1882, the following officers were elected for the ensuing term: Justices of the peace, E. S. Thomas and R. B. Lockwood; clerk, L. L. Hatch; constables, G. E. Martin and S. B. Myrick; assessor, W. A. Smith; trustee, C. V. Surfus.

HISTORICAL EVENTS.

The first birth in this township was Or- rin, a son of George and Margaret Lash,

who was born in November, 1855. He re- moved to Storey county with his parents at an early day.

The first death was Mrs. Seth Strong.

The first marriage occurred in January, 1856, uniting the destinies of Seth Strong and Miss Mary Cannon; W. R. Jamison officiating.

Another early marriage was that of C. L. Jones and Miss Catherine Hewitt; the ceremony being preformed by Ancil Du- rand, October 5, 1856. Mr. Jones is still a resident and engaged in the hardware trade at Bristow.

The first school in the township was taught during the winter of 1859-60, at the house of Thomas Hewett, by Miss Mary A. Rich, with an attendance of about fifteen scholars.

The first attorney was D. F. Ellsworth, from Eldora, Hardin county. He came in 1874, remained a few years and then went to Allison.

The next representative of the bar was John Jamison, who removed to Greene and thence to Belmont, Wright county.

The first hotel was a log house built by George Lash in 1854.

POST OFFICE.

The first post office in this vicinity was established on section 24, Pittsford town- ship, with H. A. Early as postmaster, un- der the name of "Boylan's Grove." The office remained here for some time when it was removed to West Point, and Julius Hoffman received the appointment, who remained in charge until October 10, 1862, when he was succeeded by C. L. Jones, who continued until October, 1864, when A. Durand, was commissioned and

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

the office moved back to its starting point, where it remained until James Butler be- came postmaster, then the location was changed to West Point. He discharged the duties of the office until 1868, when he was succeeded by H. J. Playter, who held the office only during the winter of 1868, when J. C. Underwood received the appointment, and was followed in turn by F. H. Playter. The name of the office was changed from "Boylan's Grove" to "Bris- tow," in 1876.

RAILROADS.

. An election waa held in this township on the 11th day of February, 1871, at the school house in District No. 2, on the ques- tion of aid to the Dubuque & Dakota Rail- road. The assistance was refused by a majority of nine votes. Nothing was ac- complished by way of securing a railroad, until 1879, when a special election was called, and a five per cent. tax voted to aid the D. & D. Railroad, with the conditions that the road should be completed through the township. by the following fall. The road was graded, the track laid, and a train run into Bristow, July 12, 1879.

TOWN OF ALLISON.

This is the county seat of Butler county. It is laid out upon the east half of section 25, in the township of West Point, one mile north of the geographical center of the county. The plat is well drawn, with wide streets. In the center of the plat is laid out Court House Square, embracing ten acres. The ground is slightly elevated, and in the center stands the court house of Butler county.

Allison lies in the midst of an excellent farming country, on the line of the Du- buque & Dakota Railroad, and will ever be a good point for trade. This, taken with the advantages secured by the county seat, and its future is assured.

EARLY DEVELOPMENT.

Allison does not furnish much of a field for the historian, as it is the youngest town in the county.

In 1875, the Iowa and Pacific Railroad was surveyed through Butler county, and a road bed graded. About this time a village was platted by Mr. Babbage-who owns the stock farm-and called "Maud- ville," lying almost, if not wholly, on the south side of the railroad track. Only one lot was sold, that to M. B. Hendricks, of Butler Center, who commenced building a house, but never finished it. He moved the frame to Butler Center. It has since been removed to Allison. The lot was sold back to the founder of the village.

The Iowa and Pacific Railroad Company did not at once commence laying iron, but subsequently broke up. The Dubuque and Dakota Railroad company was then formed, which, in 1879, laid iron over the road bed, and commenced running trains in June of that year.

In the meantime a partnership had been formed among prominent capitalists of Dubuque, known as the Allison Town Company, which, in August, 1879, platted the present village of Allison, naming it after one of Iowa's United States Senators. The members of this company were John R. Waller, General C. H. Booth, R. E. Graves, Frank D. Stout and James Stout, all of Dubuque. The business was mostly

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

attended to by John R. Waller. The first local agent was George M. Craig, while living in Butler Center. When the hotel was opened, in January, 1880, C. W. Cor- win was installed as agent, and still acts in that capacity. The Town Company at once commenced the erection of the Alli- son Hotel.

The first settler upon the town site was George E. Martin, who had lived upon a " farm a short distance from town. On the 10th of September, 1879, he moved his family into his house in town. He went into the livery business, and is still living in the house which he originally built:

The second settler was Charley Waters, who came in the latter part of September, and at once opened a lumber yard. He erected a number of the first buildings in town.

The next settler to arrive was Frank Elliott, a Canadian, who had been living, for some time, at Butler Center. He moved his family into one of the Waters houses, the house now used by Charles Franklin.

Soon afterward, J. J. Cleaver, a painter, moved his family into one of the Charley Waters' houses.

L. E. Lincoln, a farmer, living a short distance south of Allison, erected a sub- stantial house in Allison, and, in Decem- ber, 1879, became a resident of the town. Mr. Lincoln is one of Allison's carpenters. He still occupies the house he first built.

George Woodward, of Minnesota, came soon after. Mr. Woodward first took charge of the elevator erected by the Town Company, and purchased the first grain marketed at Allison, This was

early in January, 1880. James Dobbins now has charge of the elevator.

Early in the year 1880, arrived C. B. Bishop, J. K. Winsett, C. W. Corwin, Michael Weires, Louis Pharo, Harry Dag- gett, Mr. Sweely, James Gillan, and others, who are noted elsewhere.

In the fall of 1880, by vote, the county- seat was changed from Butler Center to Allison, and the county records moved here on the 7th of January, 1881. This gave Allison quite a boom, and about that time the Digman Hotel, two houses belong- ing to S. S. Burroughs, one house of C. H. Ilgenfritz's, one of Sheriff Hazlett's, one of Mrs. Craig's, two of E. Wilson's, lumber office of Mr. Barlow, and the law office of Lathrop & Davis, and other buildings were moved from Butler Center to Allison.

BUSINESS INTERESTS.

The first to commence business on the site of Allison was George E. Martin, who brought several teams and opened a livery stable, which is now kept by the firm of Martin & Dopking.

George M. Dopking was born in Craw- ford county, Pennsylvania, April 16, 1835. When quite young his parents moved to Erie county, New York. He attended school in the city of Buffalo until thirteen years of age. In 1848 his father, Nathan Dopking, moved his family to Lafayette county, Wisconsin, and settled on the farm where he still resides. George made his home with his parents until nineteen years of age, when he went to Illinois and engaged with the Illinois Central Railroad Company. The following spring he re- turned to Wisconsin. In 1855 he went to New Orleans and engaged as watchman

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

on a steamer. In thic fall of 1856 he came to Iowa, prospecting and gunning, making his way on foot across the State to Minne- sota as far as the Blue Earth river, and re- turning to Wisconsin that winter. In the spring of 1857 he started with ten yoke of oxen and two plows for Iowa, where he engaged in breaking the prairie sod in Black Hawk, Bremer and Butler counties until July, when he sold his teams and en- gaged in the livery business at Cedar Falls. The following winter he sold his business and returned again to Wisconsin. In the spring of 1860 he went to Colorado and engaged in mining, returning the follow- ing winter. In 1862 he came to Iowa and with Holmes, Keeley & Kay engaged in a flour and saw mill business for one year. He enlisted in 1863 in the Forty-third Wisconsin Volunteers, Com- pany E, and went south to Nashville, where he joined General Thomas' com- mand. He was with the regiment until the close of the war, and honorably dis- charged in July, 1865. Returning to Wis- consin he bought a farm near his father's, which he sold in 1870, and went to Harri- son county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming, also keeping a hotel, the Clinton House, at Magnolia, for about one year. He then went to Tripoli, where he took a contract to carry the United States mail between Waverly and West Union, after- ward between Waverly and Old Wine, and also between Waverly and Butler Center. After running that five years hc came to Shell Rock and engaged in the livery business with C. E. West, continu- ing until' 1880, when he removed to Alli- son and engaged in the same business with George Martin. In 1857 he married

Miss Abigail Jarvis, a native of Ashtabula county. They have been blessed with six children, four now living-Lewis, Annie, Fred and Homer.

Early in the fall of 1879, the railroad company erected a neat and substantial depot, over which Harry Daggett was placed in charge. Harry went from here to Hampton and his father, J. M. Daggett, is the present agent. He came here April 8th, 1880. He is a native of Maine, born in 1818. When but a boy he engaged on a sail vessel for a whaling voyage. He has sailed around the world a number of times. He settled in Linn county, Iowa, in 1853, and went to Dubuque in 1860. He located at Allison as stated, April 8, 1880.

The first to enter into mercantile busi- ness was the firm of Fletcher Moore and Charles Grasley, who rented a small build- ing just south of the Allison Hotel, and on the 20th of January, 1880, opened for bus- iness with a small stock of general mer- chandise, mostly groceries. Mr. Moore now carries on the business, occupying his own corner block, and doing a thriving trade in groceries and farming machinery. He is a young man who has the confidence of the people, born at Belvidere, Illinois. . He was engaged as clerk for one year in a dry good store at Harvard, Illinois, com- ing to Butler county November 1, 1879. His father, Francis Moore, was an early settler of Boone county, Illinois.

The first building expressly for mercan- tile purposes was that of J. K. Winsett and the Parris Bros., erected in the spring of 1880 by C. B. Bishop. It was first oc- cupicd as a hardware and grocery store; but the latter trade has been abandoned.

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.

The firm of Winsett & Burnham now car- ry on the hardware business, on the east side of Main street.

J. K. Winsett was born in Indiana in 1845, and removed to Black Hawk county, with his parents, when a child, where he resided until he came here, in May, 1880, where he engaged in the grocery and hard- ware business. He closed out the grocery, and continued the hardware trade. His partner, Edward H. Burnham, was born in Richland county, Wisconsin, in 1859. Be- fore coming to Allison he was engaged for some time as clerk for Foote & Mott, of Parkersburg, this county. His father, A. G. Burnham, settled iu Richland county about 1857.

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History of Butler and Bremer counties, Iowa, Part 85

Author: Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company Number of Pages: 1316

Author: Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1316