USA > Iowa > Chickasaw County > History of Chickasaw and Howard counties, Iowa, Volume I > Part 33
USA > Iowa > Howard County > History of Chickasaw and Howard counties, Iowa, Volume I > Part 33
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CHAPTER XIX
MISCELLANEOUS MATTER
STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION-REPORT OF WORK ON ROAD IMPROVEMENT IN CHICK- ASAW COUNTY-EXPENDITURES FOR ROADS AND BRIDGES-EARLY MARRIAGES IN CHICKASAW COUNTY-CENSUS OF COUNTY, 1915-CLASSIFIED BY SEX AND AGE- CHANGES IN POPULATION IN COUNTY, SINCE 1852-IN NEW HAMPTON, SINCE 1885-POSTOFFICES IN CHICKASAW COUNTY-AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS, 1915- I.IVE STOCK AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS-PRODUCTIONS-ASSESSMENT AND TAXA- TION, 1905 AND 1915.
STATE HIGIIWAY COMMISSION
The Legislature of 1903 passed an act making the Iowa State College a state highway commission to supervise the construction of improved roads in the state. Under this act work was carried on under the auspices of the college until 1913, when another act was passed creating a commission of three members, one of whom was the dean of the engineering department of the State College, and the other two were to be appointed by the governor from the different political parties, ' for a term of four years. The first highway commission appointed under this act, and the one still in existence at the close of the year, 1916, was composed of Anson Marston, dean of engineering in the State College, chairman ; James W. Holden, of Scranton, Iowa; and H. C. Beard, of Mount Ayr, Iowa.
By the provisions of the highway commission act the office of county surveyor was abolished, and the board of supervisors in each county of the state was required to appoint a county engineer, within thirty days from the taking effect of the act, and to designate roads within the county for improvement, such roads hereafter to be known as county roads under the county road system. E. J. Vaughn is the present county engineer under this appointment for Chickasaw County.
REPORT OF ROAD WORK IN COUNTY, 1916
While the work in improvement and establishment of permanent roads under this system has not extended to all parts of the county, considerable progress has been made in the way of permanent and temporary work, repairs, etc. It has been sufficiently demonstrated that the adopted road system is a practical and efficient
355
.
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CHICKASAW AND HOWARD COUNTIES
method of road improvement, and the most judicious expenditure of the road fund. Following is the report of the Iowa State Highway Commission of the work done in Chickasaw County, as appears in the Year Book, of 1916:
"The total county road expenditure was $29,645.83, of which $6,992.82, or 23.6 per cent was spent for permanent work; $8,674.94 was spent for temporary work; $9,196.34 was spent for repairs; $1,560.88 was spent for maintenance; $2,709.10 was spent for equipment and unused material; $511.75 was spent for miscellaneous work. Nine miles were built to permanent grade at a cost of $3,- 182.49. One-half mile was built and surfaced with gravel at a cost of $1,490.78. Forty-eight miles were built to natural grade at a cost of $8,674.94.
"The county road system was dragged an average of fourteen times, the average cost of dragging being 78 cents per mile, one round trip; the average cost of repairs and maintenance was $69.63 per mile of county road. The total average expenditure per mile of county road was $191.20. The total township road expen- diture, as indicated by reports from seven of the twelve townships, was $35,119.20.
"The total expenditure for bridges and culvert work during 1916, was $82,- 376.52, of which $56,080.32 was spent on permanent bridges and culverts; $8,- 381.86 was spent on temporary bridges and culverts; $16,052.09 was spent on repair work ; $928.99 was spent on equipment and material ; $703.25 was spent on filling bridges and culverts ; and $230.01 was spent on miscellaneous items."
EARLY MARRIAGES IN CHICKASAW COUNTY
Following is a transcript from the marriage record of Chickasaw County giv- ing a list of the first one hundred marriages in the county, with date of license, age of the contracting parties and name of person officiating in the nuptial ceremony :
September 5, 1853-Joseph Wing, -; Elizabeth Gerrad, -; James Lyon, County Judge.
February 12, 1854-William Flint, -; Roxana Blunt, -; James Lyon, County Judge.
February 23, 1854-Lyman C. Rowley, 25; Mary A. Thuraman, 21; James Lyon, County Judge.
February 27, 1854-Hiram Wittfong, 45; Priscilla Rolph, 40; James Lyon, County Judge.
March II, 1854-And. C. Gilliman, 21; Sarah E. Thorman, 20; James Lyon, County Judge.
June II, 1854-Abram Johnson, 21 ; Cyntha Beeler, 20; James Lyon, County Judge.
June 20, 1854-D. A. Babcock, 22; Ellen Morse, 20; Rev. A. D. Babcock.
June 21, 1854-E. A. Beckwith, 22; Mary Argabrite, 20; James Lyon, County Judge.
June 25, 1854-John M. Hansley, -; Jane McCoy, -; Alex. N. Moore, J. P.
June 25, 1854-Matthew Brand, 24; Susan Keasling, 26; James Lyon.
July 31, 1854-Gordon Hubbard, -; Mary Dolly, -; S. Thompson, J. P.
August 26, 1854-William Gains, 25; Sarah A. Swain, 19; Rev. A. D. Bab- cock.
December 4, 1854-Rodman J. Sisson, 24; Edna Applebury, 21 ; James Lyon. December 31, 1854-John Ker, 25; Lorain Phelps, 22; James Lyon.
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CHICKASAW AND HOWARD COUNTIES
January 23, 1855-William Morse, 23 ; Ordelia Horton, 19; James Lyon.
January 28, 1855-William Gilbert, 26; M. J. Haynes, 15; Rev. W. P. Hol- brook.
January 30, 1855-Benj. E. DePuy, 31 ; Eliza Parish, 25 ; Rev. A. D. Babcock.
April 15, 1855-A. W. Tower, 28; Jane Morse, 15; Rev. A. D. Babcock.
April 19, 1855-Didimus Jerad, 22; Elizabeth Frazee, 20; William Hamnon, J. P.
April 27, 1855-Francis Wetzel, 38; Margaret Lutz, 34; Rev. P. L. Laorent. April 29, 1855-Cyrus Parker, 20; Betsey Johnson, 18; Rev. A. D. Babcock. April 29, 1855-Samuel Cleveland, 18; Jane Parker, 16; Rev. A. D. Babcock. June 26 1855-William Payne, 25; Mary Higgin, 17; James Lyon.
August 21, 1855-William Fisk, 23; Lucy S. Harris, 19; G. R. Rowley, J. P. September 5, 1855-Peter Holstead, -; Sarah A. Dennis, -; James Lyon.
November 25, 1855-Benjamin Wicks, -; Elizabeth Farnam, -; B. E. De- Puy, County Judge.
November 28, 1855-Tilton O. Allen, -; Roby Ann Fay, -; B. E. DePuy, County Judge.
December 2, 1855-O. T. Hamlin, 25; Lucinda C. Clark, 22; B. E. DePuy, County Judge.
December 15, 1855-James Cowles, 22 ; Elizabeth Blackburn, 21 ; James Lyon, J. P.
December 17, 1855-John J. Corbett, 22; Ellen Crane, -; James Lyon, J. P. January 1, 1856-J. W. Rowley, 21 ; Jane Billings, 20; Rev. W. P. Holbrook.
January 9, 1856-A. E. Bigelow, 24; Adaline Smith, 19; B. E. DePuy, County Judge.
January 20, 1856-Levi J. Young, 22; Mary A. Gillett, 22 ; G. R. Rowley, J. P.
September 4, 1855-David S. Wood, 21; Margarita Choate, 18; Joshua Jack- son, J. P.
January 24, 1856-Thomas McCrane, -; Mary E. Gilliland, -; B. E. DePuy, County Judge.
June 9, 1856-Andrew J. Gardner, 25; Emily Chever, 18; Rev. W. P. Hol- brook.
January 21, 1856-John Blackburn, -; Cynthia Hall, -; B. E. DePuy, County Judge.
July 5, 1856-Edward Jones, 26; Catherine Miller, 17; W. E. Andrews, County Judge.
July 19, 1856-N. A. Chapel, 25; Sarah J. Foster, 21 ; Lorenzo Bailey, Judge. July 29, 1856-Jared Marvin, 57; Catherine Adams, 51 ; Rev. S. M. Prentiss. August 3. 1856-C. F. Foulst, 21 ; Julia M. Hockins, 20; Rev. A. D. Babcock. May 3, 1856-J. V. Foster, 25; Mary Chapman, 20; O. Littlebold.
April 20, 1856-B. Bigelow, 45; M. A. Farnham, 46; Wm. Hanman, J. P.
August 17, 1856-Simon S. Wittsey, 28; Mary C. Miller, 23; H. H. Shaffer, J. P.
September 11, 1856-George F. Bower, 22; Lydia J. Dixon, 24; Wm. Hanmon, J. P.
September 26, 1856-Stephen Johnson, -; Phoeba Gibson, -; Rev. S. M. Prentiss.
October 12, 1856-John Cross, 20; Sarah L. Patton, 19; James Martin, J. P.
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CHICKASAW AND HOWARD COUNTIES
November 16, 1856-Edward C. Hewitt, 18; Mary J. Anable, 16; Rev. C. M. Webster.
November 9, 1856-Christ C. Johnson, -; Jane Gay, -; B. E. DePuy.
November 30, 1856-Smiley Sample, -; E. A. Harris, -; B. E. DePuy.
July 13, 1856-J. W. Mitchell, -; Phoeba Head, -; B. E. DePuy.
November 5, 1856-A. Cary, 35; M. A. Upham, 20; L. Bailey, County Judge.
November 27, 1856-Asher Davis, 25; Elnora Tisdale, 19; L. Bailey, County Judge.
December 11, 1856-Joseph Porter, 24; Sarah E. Case, 19; L. Bailey, County Judge.
December 18, 1856-George Zeigler, 31 ; Ellen Bason, 21 ; H. H. Shaffer, J. P.
November 26, 1856-Latham Morgan, 24; Charlotte Dodge, 18; Rev. A. D. Babcock.
January 25, 1857-Ensign Pooler, -; Fanny Horton, -; Rev. E. Kendall.
January 23, 1857-Norris Hubbard, 55; Mary Pratt, 38; Rev. A. D. Babcock.
March 15, 1857-Sanford Allen, 19; Sarah J. Channer, 19; Rev. G. T. Brayton.
March 12, 1857-Nathan H. Palmer, -; Jane L. Howland, -; L. Bailey, County Judge.
March 9, 1857-D. B. Hannon, 24; Cornelia A. Hale, 18; John Bird, J. P.
June 3, 1857-D. B. Holcomb, 21; Esther Bird, 17; John Bird, J. P ._
April 3, 1857-E. T. Thompson, 21 ; Lydia Andrus, 19; John M. Ferris, J. P. June 10, 1857-C. W. Taylor, 21 ; Esther Bird, 24; Rev. A. D. Babcock. August 16, 1857-Joseph Wishart, 23 ; Rachel Parker, 20; E. D. Filer, J. P. May 3, 1857-R. G. Elliott, -; Amy Bailey, 15; L. Bailey, County Judge.
July 15, 1857-Joseph C. Biggs, 26; Harriet Jones, 19; L. Bailey, County Judge.
August 20, 1857-Martin Horford, 21; Elizabeth Havelick, 20; L. Bailey, County Judge.
September 3, 1857-Wm. A. Dalton, 29; Elenor N. Sims, 24; B. E. DePuy. September 7, 1857-Abraham M. Cagley, 22; Ann R. Wright, 16; B. E. DePuy.
October 1, 1857-J. D. Hawkins, 26; Jennette Strong, 17 ; Rev. A. D. Babcock. November 15, 1857-Peter Young, 22; Elizabeth Blonham, 14; Rev. C. Hollis. November 20, 1857-F. W. Barron, -; M. A. Lewis, -; Rev. J. H. Dickson. February 11, 1858-John Johnston, 25; Janet Brand, 19; James Melindy, J. P. January 26, 1858-Julius P. North, 23; Caroline M. Updike, 17; Rev. J. H. . Dickson.
December 27, 1858-S. H. Stine, 24; Lydia L. McKee, 23; J. M. Ferris, J. P. December 27, 1858-E. P. Rising, 21 ; Rosetta McKee, 20; J. M. Ferris, J. P. February 21, 1858-A. J. Felt, 23; Emily Rutherford, 16; J. C. Strong, J. P.
March 14, 1858-Whitcomb Moon, 23; Mary J. Bingham, 19; Rev. John G. Wited.
March 10, 1858-Leonard S. McCrary, 25 : Susan Gilliland, 19: B. E. DePuy, J. P.
March 10, 1858-John E. Butler, 23; Mary L. Swain, 16; B. E. DePuy, J. P. February 9, 1858-John A. Strable, 24; M. J. Birdsall, 17; L. Bailey, County Judge.
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CHICKASAW AND HOWARD COUNTIES
April 4, 1858-Geo. Manchester, 25; Roxy Robinson, 30; D. B. Hannon, J. P. May 22, 1858-Joe Montgomery, 64 ; Eliz. Dunivan, 52; E. C. Hall, J. P. June 30, 1858-Isaac I. Vanarsdale, 26; Jane B. Stott, 22; Rev. C. Hollis. July 6, 1858-Henry B. Trask, 21 ; Nancy A. Dixon, 18; C. Arnold, J. P. August 4, 1858-F. A. Davis, -; Abigail Hall, -; B. H. Bacon, J. P. August 21, 1858 John Heald, 22; Lydia E. Billings, 20; Rev. J. C. Strong. August 14, 1858-Joseph Witherspoon, 29; S. A. Stimson, 26; J. M. Ferris, J. P.
August 14, 1858-Nelson Oles, 22; Lucy Stimson, 26; J. M. Ferris, J. P. May 9, 1858-Charles E. Zurick, 24; Aldia Ostrom, 21 ; J. J. Quackenbush.
July 5, 1858-S. P. R. Randall, 20; Arvilla S. King, 15; J. J. Quackenbush. October 3, 1858-P. C. Channer, 19; M. A. Alber, 18; Z. A. Bryant. October 3, 1858 David Bloxson, 22; Hannah Smith, 17; Rev. C. Hollis.
October 8, 1858-Francis Ripley, 23 ; Phoeba Dorner, 18; G. R. Rowley.
August 8, 1858-G. W. Jenkins, 23; Harriet E. Strong. -; Rev. S. M. Prentiss.
November 10, 1858-O. Potter, 23; L. H. Tisdale, 23 ; O. H. Searl.
December 9, 1858-B. Galinger, 27; Jane Loan, 16; G. R. Rowley.
October 17, 1858 Zenas Bigelow, 50; M. J. Martin, 39; G. R. Rowley.
November 15, 1858 Almon C. Case, 25; Eliz. S. Squire, 18; Rev. J. C. Strong.
February 2, 1858-S. S. Troy, 25; Eunice C. Baldwin, -; Rev. J. C. Strong.
CENSUS OF CHICKASAW COUNTY, 1915
Utica Township 957
Jacksonville Township 1,135
Washington Township
Deerfield 1,020
995
Chickasaw Township
903
Dayton Township
742
New Hampton Township
712
Stapleton Township
634
Fredericksburg Township
644
Dresden Township
714
Richland Township
685
Bradford Township
819
Alta Vista Corporation
365
Bassett Corporation
127
North Washington Corporation
124
Ionia Corporation
29I
New Hampton Corporation
2,654
Lawler 656
Nashua Corporation 1,275
Fredericksburg Corporation
635
State Check 16,089
Population Chickasaw County 16,087
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CHICKASAW AND HOWARD COUNTIES
POPULATION ACCORDING TO SEX AND AGE
The population of Chickasaw County, classified by sex and age, shows the ยท following :
Male Female Total
Persons 18 and under 21 years
480
485
965
Persons 21 and under 45 years
2,665
2,671
5,336
Persons 45 years and over
1,948
1,693
3,641
Total of all ages
8,256
7,833
16,089
From the above it would appear that the number of females under 21 years of age is slightly in excess of the male population, and that this excess is main- tained as between the two sexes under 45 years of age. But, according to the above figures, there is a marked decrease in the female population, as compared to the male population of forty-five years and over.
CHANGES IN POPULATION, CHICKASAW COUNTY
The following table shows the changes in the population of Chickasaw County at each census period since the first settlement of the county; the United States enumeration was first taken in 1860, and at each ten year period thereafter, the figures for all other years are from the census taken by the state :
1852 (Estimated) 300
1880
. 14,544
1854
594
1885
13,899
1856
2,651
1890
15,019
186
4,336
1895 15,606
1863
4,396
1900
17,037
1865
5.355
1905
15,928
1867
6,220
1910
. 15,375
1870
10, 180
1915
16,089
1875
11,400
NEW HAMPTON POPULATION CHANGES
The following shows the population of New Hampton at each census period since 1885 :
1885
1,163
1890
1,314
1895
1,619
1900
2,339
1905
2,362
1910
2,275
1915
2,654
POSTOFFICES IN CHICKASAW COUNTY
In early times almost every little hamlet and settlement was provided with a postoffice, and the village postmaster was the important personage of the com-
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CHICKASAW AND HOWARD COUNTIES
munity. Many of these postoffices, and the villages in which they were located, were discontinued when the railroad came and passed them by, and when new towns were established on the line of the railroad. There was a further elimina- tion of postoffices when the rural free delivery system was introduced, which gave to the farmers throughout the county much better mail facilities than were afforded by the village postoffice. At the present time there are only eight post- offices in Chickasaw County : Alta Vista, Bassett, Devon, Fredericksburg, Ionia, New Hampton, North Washington and Lawler.
The following have recently been discontinued: Boyd, supplied from New Hampton ; Republic, supplied from Ionia ; and Saude, supplied from Lawler.
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS
Farming and stock raising are the chief occupations of the people of Chicka- saw County, and statistics relating to this line of industry are of interest. The figures in the table below have been compiled from the reports given in the Iowa Census for 1915, the latest issue of that publication :
Acres
Bushels
Value
Corn
68,282
2,745,004
$1,301,213
Wheat
2,237
28,713
28,706
Oats
64,033
1,866,472
674,044
Barley
3,593
77,129
44,609
Rye
702
10,614
9,314
Buckwheat
30I
3,53I
3,226
Timothy Seed
9,106
43,409
88,266
Clover Seed
277
4II
2,385
Flax Seed
180
1,189
1,342
Irish Potatoes
656
65,434
35.476
Tons
Clover
1,430
1,97I
18,376
Timothy
25,796
34,544
308,970
Wild Hay .
13.929
15.580
104,388
Other Forage
3,072
7,965
51,088
LIVE STOCK AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS
The census of 1915 gives statistics relating to live stock interests, including domestic animals, the number of head of each species, and products derived. From this report the following is compiled for Chickasaw County :
Horses
12,898
Mules
I27
Hogs
51,712
Dairy cows
17,074
All other cattle.
29,89 1
Sheep
2,126
Pounds of wool.
13.254
Poultry, all kinds
267.982
Dozens of eggs
1,140,553
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CHICKASAW AND HOWARD COUNTIES
ASSESSMENT AND TAXATION
1905
1915
General property assessment.
$4,461,200.00
$6,507,277.00
Taxation
152,331.95
304,405.42
Taxes for 1916, $302,729.72.
PART THREE HOWARD COUNTY
CHAPTER I
EARLY SETTLEMENT
FIRST TRAVELERS ON IOWA SOIL-FIRST SETTLEMENT IN STATE OF IOWA-OPENING OF BLACK HAWK PURCHASE-FIRST COUNTIES-FIRST SETTLEMENTS IN HOWARD COUNTY-FIRST BIRTHS, MARRIAGES, MILLS, ETC .- POPULATION STATISTICS-PIO- NEER LIFE AND CUSTOMS-HOUSE RAISING-CABIN FURNISHINGS-SWAPPING WORK-LIGHTS-SUPPLIES AND CLOTHES-AMUSEMENTS.
As stated in a former chapter, the first white men to look upon the land now comprised in the State of Iowa, or to set foot upon the soil, were Marquette and Joliet, who visited some Indian villages in what is now Lee County in the summer of 1673. The first white settlement within the present borders of the state was founded by Julien Dubuque in 1788, where the city now bearing his name stands. Eight years later Louis Honore Tesson received from the Spanish authorities of Louisiana a grant of land at the head of the Des Moines Rapids of the Mis- sissippi River, where the Town of Montrose, in Lee County, is now located. The titles of Dubuque and Tesson were afterward confirmed by the United States Government, but with these exceptions, no settlement was legally made in Iowa prior to June 1, 1833, when the title to the Black Hawk Purchase became fully vested in the United States.
A few French traders had established posts along the Des Moines and Mis- sissippi rivers about the beginning of the Nineteenth Century. Fort Madison was built in 1808, by order of the Government, where the city of that name is now situated; a trading house was built and a small settlement was made upon the site of the present City of Keokuk in the early '20s, and Burlington was founded in the fall of 1832, soon after the lands of the Black Hawk Purchase were ceded to the United States. But, with the possible exception of Fort Madi- son and the settlement at Dubuque, none of these settlements had the sanction of the United States, and from a legal viewpoint the occupants were trespassers upon the Indian lands.
On the first day of June, 1833, when the Black Hawk Purchase was thrown open to white settlement, hundreds were waiting on the east side of the Mississippi and they lost no time in crossing over and selecting claims. During the next ten years the settlements were extended rapidly westward and in 1843 Fort Des
365
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CHICKASAW AND HOWARD COUNTIES
Moines was built upon the site now occupied by the city of that name. A census taken in 1844 showed the population of Iowa to be 75,150.
The first counties-Dubuque and Des Moines-were authorized by an act of the Michigan Legislature in September, 1834. The former included all that por- tion of the present State of Iowa lying north of a line drawn due westward from the foot of Rock Island and the latter embraced all that part of the state lying south of the same line. The present County of Howard, also Chickasaw, was therefore originally a part of Dubuque County.
FIRST SETTLEMENTS IN HOWARD COUNTY
The first white settler within the limits of Howard County is said to have been Hiram Johnson. It is believed that he erected his cabin near Oregon Grove and there existed by hunting and fishing, never making an attempt to cultivate the land. His coming was in December, 1851. The old settlers of the county never considered Johnson a bona fide pioneer of Howard County, but simply one of the wanderers who followed the frontier without serious intention of making a home. He was one of the early-day characters who felt the cramping of civili- zation and ever kept just outside its influence.
Those who came here to preempt land arrived first in the year 1853. In May of this year Henry Brown located in Oakdale; in the spring Daniel Crowell and Andrew Nelson settled in Albion; William Cottrell, Thomas Lewis, H. Shut- tleworth and William Brown made a settlement at New Oregon; Owen Sprague, William Harlow, Thomas Fitzgerald, Thomas Granathan and Mr. Noonan at Vernon Springs.
The year 1854 brought quite an increase in the number of settlers. The more prominent of these were: S. M: Cole, George Schofield, J. F. Mitchell, James G. Upton, E. Gillett, M. G. Goss, M. L. Goss, M. L. Shook, H. Blodgett, J. M. Fields, Thomas Lewis and C. M. Munson in Vernon Springs Township; R. S. Buckminster, A. D. C. and Joseph Knowlton, John Adam, R. E. Bassett, Benja- min and George Gardner, Oscar Chesebro and the three Mertimers in Forest City Township; Jared Sigler and Charles Salmon in Saratoga; C. S. Thurber and L. Aspinall in Albion ; A. Pooler, Joseph Hall, Lemuel Potter, Martin Board- man, Edward Butters and W. P. Hough in Afton; W. S. Pettibone in Howard ; Robert Jerod, Josiah Laws, O. M. Thayer, M. Gates in Oakdale ; A. W. Kingsley, Norman Freeman, C. M. Sawyer in Chester.
In 1855 the settlers were: Thomas Griffin and Patrick Richards in Paris ; Joseph Daniels, S. L. Cary and G. M. Van Leuvan in Forest City ; Augustus Beadle in Vernon Springs; Oliver Arnold, Thomas Osborne, H. D. Lapham and WV. D. Darrow in Albion; Royal O. Thayer, Alfred Eldridge, W. E. Thayer, Ira Eldridge. Michael Creamer, Patrick Mullen and Aseph Webster in Howard Cen- ter Township ; C. D. Cutting, George Edward, Stephen and Albert Tuples, Edward Irish, Samuel Hallett, Willis Spencer, David Patterson, Thomas DeMoss, L. Fassett, William and Dennis Rice, James E. Bennett, James A. Cutting, D. P. Bradford, John Moffitt, Lyman Southard, Milo S. Torsey, Hazen Ricker, John Fiefield, Asel Wilmost and Luther Titeum in the Township of Jamestown.
In 1856 J. S. Sturgis settled in Paris; William Conery, John F. Thayer. W. A. and Calvin F. Webster, Henry A. Cook, Laban Hassett and Lawrence Long in Howard Center ; and Darius and Smith Seeley in the same. Others who came
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CHICKASAW AND HOWARD COUNTIES
early to the county were: Thomas P. Davies, William Kellow, W. K. Barker, C. F. Webster, William Patterson, A. Rivers, William Rumsey, Joseph Archer, C. L. Bents, James Barnes, George Morse, Alexis White, W. R. Mead, Aaron Kimball, L. H. Van Niman, P. C. Howe, Hiram P. Marsh, W. F. Daniels, A. P. Hewett, R. J. Roberts, James F. Borthwick, John W. Dell, Wirt G. Daws, David C. Garver, William H. Thayer, Benjamin Offen, C. C. Hewett, M. M. Marsh, Harvey H. Wells, George Tibbals, S. L. Thomson, Gardiner G. How, E. D. How F. Lincoln, Jacob Wollstein, John Miller, John Blackburn, James Oakley, Thomas McCook, C. D. Cutting.
One of the first locations chosen by the early settlers of Howard County was Oregon Grove, later known as New Oregon and Vernon Springs. The proximity of the fine timber along the waters of Turkey River influenced their choice to a great extent. In Vernon Springs, on the Turkey the first sawmill in the county was erected in 1853. It was constructed and owned by Oren Sprague. This mill was a great convenience to the early settlers. In the summer and fall of 1854 another sawmill was erected by W. Harlow, 11/2 miles from New Oregon. In February, 1856 still another was built on the Cedar River in Jamestown Town- ship, by a company of which James D. Cutting, D. P. Bradford, John Moffitt and Lyman Southard were members. The first grist mill was erected in Foreston about 1854, and in the summer of 1855 the second was built at Vernon Springs.
The first postoffice in the county was established at Oregon Grove in 1854, with Hiram Johnson as the first postmaster. However, before his commission arrived, he had moved from the county to Minnesota. S. M. Cole was then commissioned as postmaster and he kept the office at his house, three miles from Cresco, in New Oregon Township.
The first child born in the county was probably Lucy Thurber, although there have been differences of opinion on this statement. The first male child, though, was Jacob Harlow, born in October, 1854. A son of Jacob Kramer was born in April, 1855, and C. S. Thurber, Jr., was born August 27, 1855.
The first marriage record is that of Edmund Gillett and Helen Barber, the ceremony occurring February 21, 1856.
The first hotel in the county was kept at New Oregon by S. M. Cole, familiarly known as Matt Cole. It was a popular stopping point for travelers and was a station on M. O. Walker's stage line, with Cole as the local agent.
Further details of the early settlements in Howard County are incorporated in the chapter on townships. For purposes of comparison, no better means of showing the growth of the county is available than the census reports compiled at stated intervals. The following table will show the population of the county from the earliest day until the present :
1856
444
1885
9.305
1860
3,168
1890
11,182
1863
3.382
1895
13,221
1865
3.871
1900
14,512
1867
4,40I
1905
13.523
1870
6,282
1910
. 12,920
1875
7,875
1915
13,929
1880
10,837
368
CHICKASAW AND HOWARD COUNTIES
PIONEER LIFE AND CUSTOMS
Compared with the conditions of the present day, the pioneers of Howard County encountered some actual hardships and a great many inconveniences. One of the first problems with which the newcomer was confronted was to pro- vide shelter for himself and family. Most of the settlers selected claims where timber could be obtained, and the first houses were log cabins. Often the settler's only assistance in building his cabin was furnished by the members of his family. In such cases small logs or poles, that could be easily handled, were selected, and the walls were not more than six feet in height. Such a dwelling could hardly be called a "mansion," but it sheltered its inmates from the inclemencies of the weather. Sometimes two or three families would come together, when one cabin would be hastily constructed, in which all would live until each settler could build a house of his own. As the number of inhabitants increased, the desire for better cabins grew and the "house raising" became a social as well as an industrial event. After the logs were cut into proper lengths and dragged to the site of the proposed cabin, the settler would send out invitations to his neighbors, some of whom probably lived several miles away, to attend the "raising." These invi- tations were rarely declined, for the pioneers felt their dependence upon each other and were always ready to lend a helping hand.
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