USA > Iowa > Cass County > History of Cass County, Iowa; together with sketches of its towns, villages, and townships; educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of old settlers and representative citizens. History of Iowa, embracing accounts of the pre-historic races, and a brief review of its civil, political, and military history > Part 39
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The battle of Port Gibson opened at seven A. M., and lasted until dark. Our regiment charged upon the enemy three times with fixed bayonets, and were under fire all day. I was at this time one of the regimental color guards, and consequently absent from my com- pany, but present with the regiment. We lost several men in killed and wounded, and among them was my comrade and friend, Frank R. Howard. Following
this battle were those of Raymond, Jack- son, Champion Hill, and Black River Bridge. I was also present and played a full hand in the siege of Spanish Fort, Alabama, which lasted eleven days. I was discharged as sergeant at the close of the war with my regiment at Harrisburg, Texas, August 25, 1865. During the war I resolved that, if I lived to get home, I would give myself the benefit of an edu- cation which I had not, as less than six months would cover all the time I had spent in school since my father brought us from Ohio in 1857. In the fall after the close of the war, I accordingly com- menced studying away down in the ele- mentary principles of the common branch- es, in the public schools in Lewis. That winter I studied again, in a district school in my father's neighborhood. The fol- lowing spring I went to Tabor and there eommeneed the foundation of a collegiate course, which I afterwards completed in June, of 1873, graduating with a class of seven-two ladies and five gentlemen. I worked my way through as I had very little means to begin with. I boarded the whole time with a widow lady, Mrs. Sarah Neill, too whom I am indebted very much, for whatever I may have accom- plished. I paid her for my board and washing in work during term time, and during the long vacations I taught, or worked at such jobs as I could find to do, carefully saving the little money earned, to provide the necessaries of the next term. I do not think that there was anything of particular interest about my course of study to mention here. I was a member of one of the literary societies, and perhaps was as prominent in the ex-
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ercises as any of my fellows. Some of the debates were hotly contested, lasting to the small hours, which was sufficient cause for alarm to the good folks of the village. After I left college I entered immediately npon the study of law, in the office of Brown and Churchill, at Atlantic. Mr. Brown is my present law partner. I again taught a term of school in my fatlı- er's neighborhood, during the winter, and was admitted to practice in all the courts of the State, in March, 1874. Not feel- ing quite satisfied with the preparation I had made, and desiring a more thorough knowledge of the practice before entering upon it, I sought and obtained a situation in the office of Montgomery and Scott, at- torneys at Council Bluffs, Iowa, where I remained six months, during which time I was admitted to practice in the Supreme court of the State. At the expiration of six months I returned to Atlantic and opened a law office. The following fall, 1875, I was elected county superintendent of schools, and entered upon the duties of that office, January 1, 1876. It is an old adage that "no book or story is complete without the character of a woman written in it." And this must not be an excep- tion. During my course of study at Tabor, I had met and loved Marietta Day, the principal of the ladies' department, who was my instructor in Latin, and many of the higher mathematics. We became en- gaged before she left Tabor in 1871, to go to her parents, who resided at Shef- field, Lorain county, Ohio, and were in feeble health. On the 14th of October 1875, we were married at the residence of her father, Judge, William Day, at Sheffield, Ohio, by James Fairchill, D. D.,
president of Oberlin College. We came to Atlantic and commenced housekeeping in the west part of town. In the spring of 1877 we built the' home where we now reside, on South Chestnut street. I was .re-elected that fall without opposition, to the office of superintendent. In July, 1878, our little Greta was born. In three and two years following, respectively, Ruth and Albert were born, which make up the family. In May, 1879, I was ap- pointed postmaster at this place for four years. My administration of the affairs of that office was fraught with wars and wiry contentions, and if my opponents are satisfied with the result I am. After the expiration of my term as postmaster, I remained quietly at home with my family till January 1, 1884, when I engaged in a partnership with Mr. J. W. Brown, my former law preceptor, for the practice of law in this place. As a recreation as well as profit I am interested in farming and stock raising. I take not a little pride in my Galloway cattle, Jersey Red swine, and Cotswold sheep. The foregoing is a hasty review of my life, and although I have not achieved much of the world's honors or riches, yet by a struggle, I have probably succeeded in giving to myself some advantages and privileges which others more favorably situated in the be- ginning of life failed to acquire. If there shall be some suggestion in this that will be a help to any young men situated as I was, to do a better thing for himself or the world, I shall be satisfied.
BEE CULTURE. [By G. B. Olney.]
At the solicitation of the compilers of this volume, I reluctantly strive to give a
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
practical article on Apiculture, reluctantly because of diffidence, knowing that often these things are assailed on all points by the harshest criticisms, no matter how true, how plain or how simple the theme is treated. Many will raise the cry, "keep aloof, touch not, this is a snare to entrap the unsuspecting." For nature has en- dowed the bee with all that is necessary, and man wants no more knowledge on the subject. This is the talk I heard years years ago, and the same I hear to-day, even among good business men in other respects. This ignorance is a terrible barrier to overcome, but it must give way, and intelligence with its many pointed spears of scientific facts and shield of on- ward progress, and the grand development of immortal truths will ever march tri- umphantly over discordant error and faithless fiction. Apiculture, or the cul- ture of bees, is a science of itself, and when properly carried out, will pay the operator as good a dividend as any busi- ness of the farm, on the amount of capital invested. The first thing a man wants, to engage in this business is, a good location, a southeast slope being preferable to any other, as the hives are then protected, more or less, from the northwest winds, which are apt to chill the young brood. In the second place, and this is very im- portant, a good hive is necessary. The best is one that can be handled for all purposes possible, with the least trouble and expense. The world-wide reputation of the Langstroth hive is well known, the dimension of which has been adopted as the standard, by all the conventions of bee culturists of the United States and Germany. Since artificial comb and the
extractors have come into use, however, the old outward form, only, is used, but with the manipulating sides, that came into use in 1871. Still another improve- ment has been make by the writer, in 1884, on these sides whereby making the hive cheaper and more easily handled. The object of using the extractor is that the operator can handle three to one of any other hive. The best time for run- ning the extractor is when the most of the bees are afield at work, and this is between 9 o'clock A. M. and 4 P. M. Though late in the fall, when the hive is quite full, and there is but little room for the queen to deposit her eggs, I extract and give her empty comb that she may go to lay- ing. This is for the purpose of having young bees to go into winter quarters, as bees only live from eight to twelve weeks. By thus having young bees to commence on, you avoid the complaint of losing bees, when they have plenty to live on, the hives being full of honey, etc. In wintering hives a good dry cellar, with good ventilation, is perhaps the best quarters. A colony in such a place will consume about from eight to ten pounds of honey.
As soon as warm weather approaches take out the hives and set on summer stands, close to the ground, and bank up with old straw or dirt around the hive to protect the brood from sudden changes of weather.
In swarming artificially, make it as near natural as possible, by allowing the bees to fill themselves as much as possible by first driving them in by introducing smoke at entrance. Then tap on the hive, which will start them to battle. Then give
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
them more smoke, which frightens them so that they want to leave. They first fall to their store to carry off all that is possi- ble. When they are well filled, look for the queen, by taking out one card at a time. When she is found, place the card
with the adhering bees in a new hive, then add one more card. Shake off from the cards what would make a fair swarm, place the new hive, with the queen in it, in place of the old one, and set the old one in a new place, and the work is done.
CHAPTER VII.
COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
All that part of what is now the State of Iowa, south of a line drawn due west from the lower end of Rock Island, in the Mississippi river, was constituted, by an Act of the Territorial Legislature of Michigan, of which it was then a part, approved September 6, 1834, the county of "Demoine" from and after October 1st following. This connty, was a portion of this territory, and so remained until 1837. when it became a portion of Keokuk county. In 1851, Cass county was estab- lished with its present boundaries, by Act. of the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, and the name given in honor of Lewis Cass, then Senator from Michigan. At the same time, Isaac G. Houck, of Madi- son, Barlow Granger, of Polk, and Samuel B. McCall, of Boone, were appointed as commissioners to locate the county-seat. These parties, for some reason, did not perform their duty and the county had no designated seat of justice at that time.
Chapter 5, of the Acts of the Fourth General Assembly, which met at Iowa City, December 6, 1852, provided for the organization of a large number of new counties in the western part of the State, and among others, the county of Cass. l'he following appears in the Act in refer- ence to Cass county :
SEC. 2. That Robert McGaven, of the county of Pottawattamie ; Thomas G. Palmer, of the county of | Mills, and Milton Richards, of the county of Fre- mont, be, and they are hereby appointed Commissioners to locate the seat of jus- tice of the county of Cass.
The Act provided that the Commis- sioners should meet on the first Monday in March, 1853, and that they should re- ceive two dollars per day for their ser- vices, to be paid out of the proceeds of lots in said town; and further, that the county of Cass "is hereby organized from and after the first Monday in March,
20
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
1853; and the inhabitants of said county shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges, to which by law the other counties in this State are entitled. That there shall be a special election held on the first Monday in April, 1853, at which time there shall be elected county and township officers as provided by law." The Act further provided:
SEC. 10. That the county of Cass shall be composed of three civil townships, for the present organization, that is, all the territory embraced in Cass county shall constitute one civil township; that which lies in the county of Audubon shall con- stitute one civil township, and all that which lies in the county of Adair shall constitute one civil township, the three for revenue, election and judicial pur- poses, constituting the county of Cass. The first election to be held at Bradshaw's store, in Cass county; at Mr. Hamlin's in Audubon township; at the house of Alfred Jones, in Adair township.
Two only of the three commissioners appointed to locate the county-seat acted in the matter, and the following is their report, as recorded in the County Judge's office:
State of Iowa, County of Cass, S ss.
In pursnance of an Act of the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, approved January 12, A. D. 1853, for the location of the seat of justice of the aforesaid connty of Cass, we, Thomas G. Palmer and Milton Richards, two of the commis- sioners appointed by the Act aforesaid to locate the seat of justice of said county, have met at Indiantown, in said county, on the 11th day of March, A. D. 1853,
and proceeded to locate the seat of jus- tice of said county of Cass, on the east half of the southeast quarter of section 10, and the west half of the southwest quarter of section 11, in township 75 north, of range (37) thirty-seven west, we, the said commissioners, having been sworn as directed by the aforesaid Act. Done at Indiantown, this 11th day of May, A. D. 1853.
Signed, THOMAS G. PALMER, MILTON RICHARDS, Commissioners.
As has been said in an other place, the early records of the county are entirely wanting, having, it is supposed, been car- ried off by Judge Benedict, when he left the county. At the first election the fol- lowing were chosen the first officers of the county, at the election held in April, 1853: Jeremiah Bradshaw, county judge; V. M. Conrad, treasurer and collector; C. E. Woodward, clerk of courts; Francis M. Ball, sheriff; Levi M. Ball, drainage com- missioner; David Chapman, surveyor; James M. Benedict, coroner; II. L. Brad- shaw, assessor; T. N. Johnson, road su- pervisor. During the year Mr. Bradshaw was county judge, and perfected the or- ganization of the county. The first war- rant drawn upon the county treasury was in favor of the two commissioners who located the county seat, and was for the amount of $34. ·
Mr. Bradshaw was succeeded by J. W. Benedict as county judge, but before his term of office had expired, he left the county, and was succeeded by W. N. Dick- erson, in 1855. Under his administration, things began to assume an official aspect and the first records of the county, now
-
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
in existence, are the records of the county court over which he presided. The first entry upon his book is upon August 29, A. D., 1856, when application was made for the issuing of a license by James Adkins, for the said Adkins and Elizabeth : A. Lookabill to be joined in matrimony. "License was granted August 31, A. D., 1855, by the consent of her father and re- quest, proof was given that both parties were of competent age and condition.
[Signed.]
Wm. N. Dickerson, County Judge."
Upon the records, under date of Octo- ber, 1855, there is spread the following entry:
"This is to certify that Jeremiah Brad- shaw has been duly appointed, and has been duly sworn into the office of liquor agent for Cass county, Iowa, and given bonds as required by law. The said Bradshaw is allowed by the court twenty- five dollars per year for selling and act- ing as agent for said county of Cass-also other expenses at ending the same."
The first purchase of intoxicating li- quors made by the county, by the hand> of Mr. Bradshaw, under this appointment by the County Court, was made on the 29th of October, 1855, and was billed as follows:
Cass County.
Bought of J. Dougherty, Council Bluffs.
2 gallons Brandy . @ $2.00. $ 6 00
3 Port wine. .@
3.00. 9.00
20
Rye whisky ... @ 1.00. 20 00
21 Rect. whisky ... @ .75. 15 75
$50.75
Mr. Bradstreet returns to the court, on the 5th of May, 1856, a statement of the
business and shows that the county had made a net profit, on the above quantity of liquor, of $12.68.
At the regular term of the County Court, October 1, 1855, W. H. Dickerson, the County Judge makes the entry that as neither the clerk or treasurer being pres- ent, no settlements with them could be made and as there was no further business the court adjourned.
It would seem that in those early days that the county officials were not very strict in the discharge of their duty, for we find that at the January term of the County Court, E. M. Davenport, files a bill . against the county for services as Prose- cuting Attorney as well as acting in the place of both County Judge and Clerk of the Courts.
At the February term, of 1857, "ap- peared before the court, Albert Wake- tield and forty-four others, by petition" and asked the appointment of a commis- sioner to view and locate a county road, commencing at or near the north-east corner of section 3, township 73, range 35, and running to or near the half-mile post on the north side of section 2, town- ship 77, range 35. The court granted the prayer of the petioners and appointed Peter Kanwyer, said commissioner. This is the first county road mentioned in the records, and is presumably the first in the county.
Under the date of March, 1857, the following record is entered upon the docket of the county judge, and is the first attempt at removing the county seat from the town of Lewis.
"This day came A. J. McQueen and one hundred and thirteen others, by petition,
6
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IHISTORY OF .CASS COUNTY.
praying the Court to submit to the voters of Cass county, at the April election, in 1858, the question of the removal of the county sent from Lewis to Grove City, in said county, according to the provisions of chapter 46, of the session laws of the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, for the year 1855. At the same term came S. W. Tucker and one hundred and sixty-three others, by remonstrance, rc- monstrating against the submission of the question of removal, as aforesaid. And the Court having fully examined said pe- tition and remonstrance, and being fully advised in the premises, do find the num- ber of remonstrants to exceed the number of petitioners: Therefore it is considered that said prayer in said petition ought not to be granted." This was signed by E. W. Davenport, prosecuting attorney and acting county judge.
In October, 1857, Samuel L. Lorab, hav ing been elected to the office of county judge, assumed the judicial ermine, and proceeded to take the reins of county gov- ernment.
At the March term of bis court in 1858, a petition was presented asking for the organization of a new township to be called Lura, and to embrace the following territory: All of townships 76 and 77, range 34, the east half of township 76, range 35, and two tiers of sections off of the east side of township 77, range 35. The court in granting the prayer of the petitioners, issued the warrant to G. S. Morrison, in said township on April 5, 1858.
At the same term the court ordered the organization of the following territory into a civil township under the name of
Brighton: All of township 77, range 37, and sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 16, 17 and 18, in township 76, range 37. The warrant of such organization was issued to Thomas Meredithi, and the first election ordered to be held at the house of Samuel K. Shields, on the 5th of April, 1858.
In June, the boundaries of Pymosa township were changed by the county courts, thereby enlarging it, by taking off a portion of each of the townships of Cass, Turkey Grove and Brighton.
A petition having been presented to Judge Lorah, at the regular term of the county court, on the 6th of September, 1858, asking that the question of the re- location of the county seat be submitted to the legal voters of the county, and des- ignating Grove City as their choice for the seat of county government, that offi- cial, finding that the petition was signed by at least one half of the legal voters of the county, according to the last census,. acceded to the prayer, and ordered the submission of the question to the people of the county, at the following general election, in October.
Upon a petition signed by Peter Hedges and others, on the 6th day of September, 1858, the court ordered the organization of a new civil township to be known by the name of Breckenridge, embracing the following territory : All of township 75, range 34; all of township 75, range 35 except section 31; and section 1 of town- ship 74, range 34.
In November, 1858, the county judge entered into a contract, by which the county of Cass purchased of Peck & Keyes the ferry boat, and all appartenances per- taining thereto, used on the east Nishna-
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
botna river on the road from Lewis to Council Bluffs, paying two hundred and ten dollars therefor. This the county ran until in August, 1859, when a petition having been presented for the building of a bridge across the river, a contract was ordered to be entered into, by the county court, for the erection of the same. Thomas Meredith being the lowest re- sponsible bidder for the building of the bridge, the contract was let to him for $1,475. The contract for building the embankment leading to the same was awarded to Cornelius Soper, at twenty- four cents per cubic foot.
But little seems to have been transacted by the county court for some time after this, outside of the usual routine business of auditing and paying claims against the county and the granting of marriage li- censes. In the fall of 1859, II. Temple was elected to the position of county judge, and on the 1st of Jannary, 1860, entered upon the discharge of that office. Nothing of any note transpired under his jurisdiction.
On the 1st of January, 1861, a new dis- pensation of affairs was had and much of the jurisdiction and the power of the county judge was taken from him by the law and given to the newly created
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
The first meeting of this body was held at the court house, at Lewis, on the 7th of January, 1861, at which time there were present the following members : C. S. Newlon, R. C. Gordon, Peter Hedges, E. B. Bell, Dawson Glasgow, Samuel L. Lo- rah and Thomas Meredith. Samuel L. Lorah was chosen chairman for the ensu- ing 'year and balloting for the term of
service of the different members of the board resulted as follows : Dawson Glas- gow, Thomas Meredith and R. C. Gordan drew the two years term; C. S. Newlon, Samuel L. Lorah, Peter Hedges and E. B. Bell, the one year term. The first war- rant ordered drawn by the board was is- sued to William S. Newlon, for three days' service as school superintendent, and was for six dollars.
At the June term, the Board sold the old ferry boat that lay in the Nishnabotna river, near Keyes' mill, to Peter Hedges, for five dollars, with the understanding that he take it out of the stream before the first of July, 1861, or be liable for all damages caused by its remaining.
In October, the Board of Supervisors, on a motion made by E. B. Bell, appro- priated the sum of two hundred dollars for the relief of the families of the volun- teers, who had responded to the call of their country, and a committee, consist- ing of John Keyes, Peter Kanawyer and J. B. Curry, was appointed to inquire into the necessities of these wards of the county and apportion this relief.
The Board for the year 1862 met for the first time on the 6th of January, of that year, when the following members took their seats: Thomas Meredith, R. C. Gordon, F. II. Whitney, T. K. Chapel, John H. Hardenbergh and John Irwin They at once proceeded to effect an or- ganization, by electing R. C. Gordon as chairman for the year. This Board com- pleted the sale of the swamp lands of the county to the American Emigrant Com- pany, of which an account is given else- where.
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
The dark cloud of war that hung over our country during these years drew much attention that way, and as many of the families of the "brave boys in blue" were in want of many of the necessities of life, a motion was made at the September ses- sion of the Board, by Frank H. Whitney, to the effect that "the members of the Board resolve themselves into a commit- tee of relief for the benefit of the families of all persons in the service of the United States, as soldiers, in their several town- ships, who may need aid; and that the clerk be, and is hereby, authorized to issue warrants, on the order of each member of the Board; and further, that it is under- stood that the Board make no charge for the same, or for their services."
On a motion of J. H. IIardenbergh, the name of Breckenridge township, at this time, was changed to that of Union, by which it has been known ever since.
On the 5th of January, 1863, the new Board met for its first session, and con- sisted of the following gentlemen: F. H. Whitney, T. R. Chapel, J. Irwin, J. B. Hardenbergh, D. Glasgow, John Leslie and William Judd. On organization, T. R. Chapel was chosen chairman for the ensuing year.
At the June session, F. H. Whitney having removed from Union township, his place upon the Board as representa- tive of that sub-division, was declared va- cant, and J. E. Pratt was appointed in his place. John Leslie, also, having removed from Brighton township, which he repre- sented, his place was, at the same time, filled by S. K. Shields. In the following September, J. E. Pratt, however, resigned his position of Supervisor, and was suc-
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