USA > Iowa > Clayton County > History of Clayton County, Iowa : from the earliest historical times down to the present : including a genealogical and biographical record of many representative families, prepared from data obtained from original sources of information, Volume I > Part 39
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96
Cass Township was named in honor of General Louis Cass. Joseph Hewett who lived on the line of Cass and Sperry township was the first settler in 1844. The first election was held in 1850 and in the following year the first school was opened and taught by Alexander Blake. The first postoffice was established in 1854 with E. L. Gardener as postmaster. The first mill was built by David Mann on Spring Branch.
Strawberry Point was laid out in 1853 by W. H. and D. M. Stearns under the name of Franklin. The name Strawberry Point was already known and was preferred by the people and later adopted. The Blake house was the first hotel and was built in 1854. The first creamery was established by Busher and Grannis in 1867. The first church organization was the Baptist in 1856. The main facts concerning Cass township and Strawberry Point are given in a separate chapter taken from an address by Hon. D. W. Newberry.
Clayton Township was the one first seen by Marquette when he landed on Iowa soil. There is no record of settlement until 1812, but along the shores of this township passed all the traffic of the Mississippi and it was one of the favorite haunts both of the Indians and of the French traders. In 1812, however, there is record of settlement made by Chevalier Marais. A member of the old nobility he was one of those who escaped the guillotine in the bloody days of the French revolution and came as a penniless emigre to the wilds of the west. Near the mouth of Buck creek he established a small trading post and here he traded with the Indians until news
Digitized by Google
315
A CHAPTER OF BEGINNINGS
of the restoration told him that he could return in safety to his beloved France. While here he married the daughter of an Indian chief and it is to his credit that he took her with him on his return to France. This trading post was not named by Marais but it was known by the Americans as Frenchton. After Marais' departure the post was occupied by La Poine and La Tranch and it was to their landing where many of the early settlers brought their first supplies.
Gillette and McMasters received supplies at Frenchton, but they did not locate in Clayton township and the first to enter lands were Orrin Keeler and James Powell, who established a ferry at the foot of Sny Magill and laid out a town which they named Keeleroy. The first warehouse was built at this town in 1848 by B. F. Fox and A. C. Rogers. In 1849 Frank Smith of Dubuque who had associated himself with the Elkader Milling Company located at the site of the village of Clayton which they selected as the best place for a landing, as a convenient shipping point for the product of the Elkader Mill. This firm known as Frank Smith & Co. sold a half interest in the town to Noble, Watson & Douglas of Garnavillo. The town was named as was the county in honor of John M. Clayton. The sub- sequent history of Clayton has been given in other chapters: Frank Smith & Co. built the first store and Clark & Rogers the first ware- house. The first sawmill was built in 1853 and a flour mill in 1858. Among the first settlers of the township were Ralph Campbell, C. H. Kaumpel, W. C. Stearns and John Lossing.
Cox Creek Township was named after the first settler, Phillip Cox, who settled there in 1842. William Bente, Dennis Quigley, James Dickerson, Samuel Himes, Norman Scoville, George S. Peck and Norman Lanphere, Avery Clarke and William Cane were among the settlers before 1850. Rev. Henry Gifford held the first church services in the township in 1848. The town of Littleport was laid out in 1857 by Dennis Quigley, but the town was of inconsiderable im- portance until the coming of the railroad, in 1874.
Mederville was first known as St. Johan and was laid out by Louis Reuther and Henry Meder. A sawmill and a residence had been erected there in 1854 by James Beatty but when the town was laid out Reuther erected a store and together with Meder built both a saw and a flour mill. Joseph Unternahrer also opened a blacksmith shop. John Nugent taught the first school in 1857. A postoffice was estab- lished in 1870 with Henry Meder as postmaster.
Osborne was established by Thomas and Elizabeth Osborne in 1879, the postoffice, with J. J. McDermitt as postmaster, having been established the year before. With the coming of the railroad Osborne became a busy little village and for some years during the troubles with eastern Iowa it was the nearest shipping point for Elkader.
Elk Township was named on account of the abundance of elk which roamed its woods and pastured on its hills. Lemuel Johnson was the first settler. Others before 1850 were John Garber, Joseph Grimes, A. J. Lewis, Dennis Quigley, Thomas Cole, William Beyer, Chris Sarver, James Cole, John Roan, Davis Bagdy and Mart W. Lovett. Isaac Otis and son were the men who gave this town-
Digitized by Google
316
MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
ship its early impetus. They built a store and blacksmith shop in 1852 and a grist mill in 1855 and in 1860 a woolen mill which did a good business for a number of years and which was famous through- out Iowa for the excellence of its goods. The first saw mill was erected in 1848 by Joseph Grimes and James Cole. The first school house was of log in 1850 and was taught by David M. Zearley. The first magistrate was Joseph Grimes.
Farmersburg Township was named by Thomas Street. Peter Eastman was the first settler in 1846. Others were John Francis, James Jones, W. and D. Barber, M. Van Sickle, Joseph Tassro, O. Brown, M. B. Sherman and William Linton. At the first election held in 1850 there was a contest as to the location of the polling place which McGregor won over Farmersburg. This led to a petition for a division of the precinct and the township of Farmersburg was established.
Farmersburg was owned by S. T. Woodward, J. B. Smith, A. M. Cortis and others and was surveyed by Norman Hamilton. Alva Hazen built the first log house in the village in 1848. The first store was opened by P. R. Moore in 1858. William Harar established a saw mill in 1855. In 1854 when the postoffice was located with Isaac Stoddard as postmaster the name of National was adopted. National has been for many years the seat of the county fair. With the com- ing of the Iowa Eastern business gravitated to the railroad the old name of Farmersburg was used and National became known only as the location of the fair. The first church was the Methodist organized in 1847 by Rev. E. Howard. The present site of Farmersburg was first known as Windsor and was owned by J. C. Russell and sur- veyed in 1856. Simon Huntington was the first storekeeper and the first residence was built by George Potter. The postoffice was estab- lished in 1857 with Huntington as postmaster.
Bismarck was a town platted by Johnson Campbell in 1875. Land for depot purposes was donated to the Iowa Eastern and a store was opened. When the narrow gauge was sold to the Milwaukee the station was removed and an appeal was made to the Iowa railway commissioners and the depot was ordered to be restored. This was done, but later the town was abandoned.
Garnavillo was first settled by Dr. Frederick Andros in 1836. John Gillette soon followed him and Andrew S. Cooley, George W. Whit- man and the great trio of Reuben Noble, Samuel Murdock and E. H. Williams were among the earlier settlers. Among the others was James Watson, A. C. Rogers, W. H. Stevens, William Schoulte, Ger- hard Kregel, B. F. Schroeder, Robert Drips, Levi Angier, Samuel Holmes, John Hochaus and Detrich Schroeder. The first church and the first school house was a frame building built in 1844. A brewery was built in 1855. The first newspaper in the county was established by H. S. Granger in 1853.
Ceres was a postoffice on the southern line of the township which has since been abandoned.
Jacksonville was laid out by a legislative commission appointed to locate a new county seat for Clayton county. James Watson donated the land and C. F. Edson made the survey in 1844. In 1846 the legis-
Digitized by Google
317
A CHAPTER OF BEGINNINGS
lature permitted the name to be changed and there are various stories as to how the name Garnavillo was selected. One is that the commit- tee met at Jacksonville for the purpose and that prior to their meeting they sat at the tavern spending a social hour and that Judge Noble sang several songs among which was one about sweet Kate of Garna- villo and that Judge Murdock was so taken with the song that he declared that Garnavillo be the name selected and this was agreed upon. It is said that this was the way in which the German village came to be named for an Irish lass. The story of the early days of Garnavillo as the county seat has been told in prior chapters. The first hotel was erected by John Banfil in 1844 and it was a noted place of meeting for the lawyers and wits of the early days. The Garnavillo lodge of Odd Fellows was established in 1850 and is the oldest lodge in the county. Garnavillo is the oldest community in the county having a distinct village life.
Giard Township was named in honor of Basil Giard whose land grant from the King of Spain which was made in 1795 has already been dwelt upon. C. S. Edson came to the township in 1836 and other early settlers were A. E. Wanzer, S. A. Goss; William Clement, Hugh Graham and Ira B. Briggs. Mary J. Niel was the first teacher in a log cabin which was built for a residence. The first religious services were held in private homes by Rev. Knight.
Giard Village was surveyed in May, 1871, by Norman Hamilton. The German Episcopal church was organized in 1847 and the first church built in 1855. This township was on the great military road from McGregor to Fort Atkinson and through it passed the thousands of emigrants destined for points in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. The first house built in Giard was by John Hagerty, the murder of whose wife and children was one of the darkest tragedies in the county history.
Beulah was a station on the Milwaukee which came into prom- inence as the junction point with the Elkader line. W. C. Brown, later president of the New York Central railway was the first operator at Beulah.
Froelich is a station on the Elkader branch named in honor of the man upon whose farm it was located.
Grand Meadow Township was named by Judge E. H. Williams and is all that the name implies. Caton, Wheeler, Rowe, Hardy Barnes, Henry Fewel and Joel Post were among the earliest settlers. A few years later this township was one which received a large Norwegian immigration. There are no towns in the township but it is one of the richest from an agricultural standpoint.
Highland Township was named from its physical features. Among the early settlers were Holbrook, Robbins, Mulenix, Moats, Pool, Dark, Barnham, Doety, Orr, McKeller and Callagan. The township was organized in 1854 and the first election held at the home of Francis Robbins. The first school houses were built in 1854. The United Brethren church was the first represented, services of that denomina- tion beginning as early as 1853.
Jefferson Township was designated as precinct No. 6 by the com- missioners in 1847. Nine years prior to that time there had been a
Digitized by Google
318
MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
voting precinct at Prairie la Porte, the first county seat which was surveyed in 1839. The county buildings and the tavern run by Her- man Graybill constituted about all of Prairie la Porte and the removal of the county seat left it practically deserted. The Western Settle- ment Society purchased land from the government north and south of Prairie la Porte and soon after purchased this also from the county and founded the city of Guttenberg. The first German settlers sent out by the society reached Guttenberg in 1845. The first house in Guttenberg was built by Overbeck and Telgemeier. Guttenberg was incorporated under a special charter in 1851. This was done in order that non-resident land owners might be taxed for the improvement of the city. The settlement society was a semi-benevolent institution and assisted many especially among the German revolutionists to secure homes in the new country. In this way Guttenberg was settled rapidly and by a homogeneous population. The first mayor was Christian Weis. The prominent facts in the history of Guttenberg have been given in prior chapters.
Lodomillo Township-Two stories are told concerning the naming of this township, neither of which bears the stamp of great probability. One is that Schuyler Peet asked an Indian to assist him to load a heavy fanning mill and that the Indian indignantly replied that he would not "load-o-millo-o," and another is that it was named for a large water- melon patch, the term load of melons being corrupted to Lodomillo. This was the home of the "Yankee Settlement" distinguishing it from those parts of the county which were settled largely by Germans and Irish. Among the first settlers were a Mr. Lyon, in 1844, and Isaac Preston, Horace Bemis, the Madison brothers, George L. Wheeler, Rev. N. W. Bixby, Oliver Nathan, Moses Purdy, Frank Reily, J. F. Noble, S. R. Peet, Henry Brown and John Gibson. The first school house was built in 1846 and there is a legend to the effect that the women of the community, thinking it unsuitable and failing to get the men to build another, quietly set fire to it. The first religious services were held at the home Schuyler Peet by Rev. Joel Taylor. The first election was held in 1845. The village of Yankee Settlement later became Edgewood and with the coming of the railroad it became a prosperous community. Yankee Settlement was platted by John and Rosanna Gibson in 1856 and great efforts were made to sell lots and build up the community, it being advertised that lots would be given free to mechanics and other inducements were offered, but the settlement never grew to importance until just prior to the coming of the railroad in 1872-3. The first house in Edgewood was built by Joseph Belman and the first school house was erected in 1874 with Miss Lane as teacher. Dr. D. W. Chase and Dr. Louis Blanchard were the pioneer physicians, Dr. Chase coming in 1855 and Dr. Blanchard succeeding him in 1865. One of the first industries was a brick yard started in 1850 by Edwin Steele and the first postoffice in the township was established in 1851.
Mallory Township was one of the earliest settled, Thomas Clin- ton and the three VanSickle brothers, Martin, Moses and Jacob, locat- ing there in 1833. Samuel D. and Douglas Peck, Sol Wadsworth and Edward Dickens were among the other pioneers. The township was for many years without a postoffice or a village and it was not until
Digitized by Google
319
A CHAPTER OF BEGINNINGS
the coming of the railroad that Osterdock was laid out on the north line of the township in 1877. The first lots, however, were surveyed in 1872, the owners being the Bowman family. In 1854 a church of the United Brethren was organized, Luther McVey being the first pastor. The first church was built in 1859.
Marion Township narrowly escaped being called Morasser. The story of its name has been already told. The township was organized in 1855, being detached from Wagner township. J. C. Rounds was the strong man of the township and at the first election he was elected clerk, justice of the peace and assessor. The first postoffice was located in 1857 at Mr. Rounds' house and was known as Gem. This was discontinued and the only postoffice in the township at present is known as Gunder. The Dunkards had a church organization in this township at an early day, meetings being held at the different homes until 1854, when the first church was erected. This township also enjoyed a large Norwegian settlement and a Norwegian Lutheran church was built in 1873.
Mendon, the northeast township of the county, was altered in its line several times. It contains a greater part of the old Giard grant and it is a township of great scenic beauty. Its location opposite Prairie du Chien and at the head of the most available route to the western counties gives this township a peculiarly interesting and cosmopolitan history. The history of this township is practically included in the history of McGregor and this has been given quite fully in prior chapters.
McGregor was named for Alexander McGregor who established a ferry at McGregor's Landing in 1836. The building of Fort Atkinson in 1840 made McGregor a point of importance. McGregor made his residence on the east bank of the river in 1847, and later the town grew so rapidly that it was incorporated under a special charter in May, 1857, A. T. Jones being the first mayor. This charter was abandoned in 1863 and the regular city charter provided by law was adopted. The first school house was a small brick structure built in 1850 by Alexander McGregor. The postoffice was established in 1849 with H. D. Evans as postmaster. The first bank in the county was that of Lee and Kinniard in 1856. The first church services were held in a carpenter shop in 1852 under the auspices of the Methodist church with Rev. Elisha Warner as the preacher. The first lodge was Bezer lodge of the Masonic order founded in the early part of 1857, the Odd Fellows organizing in October of the same year.
North McGregor, which was to become a formidable rival to McGregor, first came into prominence as the terminus of the railroad to the west and as a short cut between that line and the Milwaukee at Prairie du Chien. This drew heavily upon the business of McGregor and there was at one time much feeling between the two towns. North McGregor was incorporated in May, 1874, and the first mayor was George Keen who was also the president of the first school board. The large foundry of the Thompson & Keen Company and the Flem- ming saw mill added largely to the importance of North McGregor, but these industries suffered heavily by fire and flood.
Digitized by Google
320
MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
West McGregor was incorporated March, 1881, Michael Kline was the mayor from that time until the incorporation was abandoned in 1901. The main industry of this suburb was the West McGregor brewery which was founded in 1857 by Michael Burnetts. Michael Kline and John VanStaden were the owners for many years how- ever.
Millville Township was the first actually settled by Americans, in 1833. The settlement came about through natural causes. The pioneers crossed the Mississippi to the mouth of the Turkey and one of the first things necessary for them was a mill where logs might be sawed and grist ground. They pushed up the Turkey river and stopped at the first place where there was sufficient fall and sufficient power for a mill. The name of the township was easily derived from the mill and the mill ville which sprang up about it. Quigley, Hatfield, Price, Wayman, Grant and others were among these pioneers and all the others, such men as Andros, Boardman, Bronson, Correll and Griffith, undoubtedly made this their first stopping place. Millville was among the first townships organized, the. first election being held in 1838 at which time David Springer was elected justice. As has been shown the boundaries of the township were changed from time to time and Millville embraced a larger territory than it does today. The post- office at Millville was established at an early day, with Isaac Preston as postmaster. The office at Turkey river was not established until 1871, with John Moore as postmaster. In the 50's P. C. Balsinger and E. C. Jeffries laid out a town which they called Jefferson in the south- west part of the township. Jeffries had a store and a mill there and the history of 1882 gives the population as 50. The town was generally known as Jeffriesville and the postoffice was given the name of Graham, which it bears today, although the population is not so large as it was in 1882. The town of Millville was platted in 1856.
Monona Township-Monona is the only township in the county which bears an Indian name. This is all the more strange because the surrounding counties have many Indian names: Allamakee, Win- neshiek, Chickasaw, Blackhawk, Delaware, Waukon, Decorah, Wau- coma and scores of other names in northeastern Iowa are of Indian origin but in this county it was the American pioneers and not the aborigine who left his impress in nomenclature. The original spell- ing was Mononah and was selected by a vote of the people when the township was organized June 7, 1847. Nearly a fourth of Monona and practically all of Great Meadow were included in the Neutral Grounds. While the Winnebagoes were on their reservation Monona was one of the nearest and most convenient points where traders and illicit whiskey dealers might come in touch with the Indians. For this reason it was a very wild and rough community in the early days. Fortunately the rougher element followed the Indian and left the town- ship to the peaceable and order-loving settlers. Such men as P. P. Olmstead, S. Cummings, David Olmstead, A. P. Depue, E. D. Button, E. Bonnell and John Roberts were among the better class of citizens, as were P. R. Moore, John Zimmerman and James King. By 1847, there were forty residents in the township. The postoffice was estab- lished in 1849 with P. P. Olmstead as postmaster and in the same
Digitized by Google
321
A CHAPTER OF BEGINNINGS
year a store was started. The first school was taught at the Olmstead home in 1845. One of the distinctive features of Monona township was the Clydesdale colony.
The Clydesdale Company was organized in Scotland on the fourth day of April, 1849, for the purpose of acquiring land in some suitable locality in the United States, in which to establish, by means of the united capital and industry of its partners, a comfortable home for themselves and families where they may follow a more simple, useful and rational mode of life than is found practicable in the complex and competitive state of society, from which they have been anxious to retire. The above is the wording of a quaint agreement under which this band of sturdy Scotchmen came to Clayton county in 1850. James Freebairn was president and John McAndrew, James Love, John Jack, Robert St. Clair, John Davy, David Drummond, John Campbell, Andrew Anderson, John McHuffy, John Craig and Alex- ander McKinsley, with their families, were the colonists. The com- munity idea did not persist but the splendid Scotch blood did much to enrich the county.
Monona was platted July, 1851, additions being made to it from time to time. The store and postoffice were established before the town was platted. The boom days of Monona took place when it was the terminus for the McGregor and Western, for the great overland trade naturally stopped at the nearest railroad point As the rails travelled westward Monona became, like other towns, dependent upon its im- mediate trade territory. This is rich, fertile, and fairly extensive, and Monona has always been a prosperous community.
Hardin, located in the extreme northwest corner of the township, was surveyed in January, 1854, for Leonard B. Hodges. The first store was opened by A. D. Frazer and the second by R. T. Burnham. Hardin was located on one of the main arteries of travel to the north- west and was a popular port of call and trading point before the coming of the railroad and it has been able to maintain its identity as an inland village since that time.
Luana is of later origin and grew up with the railroads. It was surveyed in 1867 and W. S. Scott, the proprietor, named it in honor of his wife, Luana. It has been a rival of Strawberry Point as a creamery center. The village is located on the Jacob Zimmerman farm where he lived in 1853. The first residence in Luana was built by R. P. Oliver and the first store by William Mott. The postoffice was established in 1864 with James M. Chapman as postmaster. Mrs. Wiltsee taught the first school in Monona township in a dwelling owned by P. P. Olmstead at Monona. For ten years there were no schools in the town- ship except at Monona. In 1857, schools were located in a log build- ing which had formerly been a saloon. Miss Priscilla L. Winter and Miss Clementine Fonda were the teachers. The first school house was built in 1856.
Read Township was organized March 4, 1856, and named in honor of Robert R. Read. It was one of the first townships settled, but was largely tributary to Garnavillo. Joel Post settled there in 1838 and among the other early comers were Martin Brassell, C. Gallagher, A. Falkner, Patrick and Eugene Rogers, A. Griswell, Elias Misner and
Digitized by Google
322
MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Mrs. Mary Uriell with her three sons, Patrick, Michael and John. This was a Catholic community and the first church services were held by Father Joseph Cretin in 1841, but the first church building was that erected by the Lutherans at Clayton Center in 1856.
Clayton Center is one of the old towns of the county and it still keeps its identity as a prosperous inland village. It was surveyed in 1856 by Fred Hartman, who had the first house in the town, while J. L. Hagensick was the first merchant.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.