USA > Iowa > Franklin County > History of Franklin County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 9
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
"About the middle of May, 1854, David Allen and his sons, James and Jonathan, Wesley Hogan and L. Tatum left Janesville. in Bremer county, where they then resided, for a look at Franklin county. They came across to Jamison's Grove and then struck across for the little grove three or four miles northeast of Hamp- ton, now called Beed's Grove. They went up and down the stream that runs through the grove, looking for a spring, as old Mr. Allen was bound never to locate until he found a spring of pure water to suit him. Finally they abandoned the idea of finding one there, and crossing over, looked along the north side of Van Horn's Grove, but not as far down as C. J. Mott's place, and then went back to Jamison's Grove, crossed the West Fork and upon discovering the large spring on the present Gourley place about a half mile north of the county line bridge in Ingham township, the elder Allen forth- with drove his stake, declaring himself satisfied at last. Tatum went up the stream and found another spring on the Hoxie place, where he located, Hogan going further back from the river and locating where James Ray lives, just over the line in West Fork township. It was Saturday night when all had their claims made, but time was precious, and on Sunday they cut the logs and put up the walls of Tatum's house on the Hoxie place, covered it with basswood bark and on Monday morning were ready to commence on Mr. Allen's
91
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY
house, which they did, and when that was finished, all returned to Janesville.
"On the 2d of May they all returned with their families and became the first settlers in Franklin county, outside of the settlement at Mayne's Grove and the two families of Downs and McCormick in the southeastern corner of the county. No one was above them on the West Fork and only two families at Jamison's Grove.
"David Allen was born in North Carolina, in 1804, and when about ten years of age removed with his parents to Indiana, where he resided until nearly thirty years of age, when he moved to Ken- tucky and while there married, and after residing there a few years returned to Indiana. About 1849 he moved from Putnam county in that state to Wapello county, in this state, and two years later, to Bremer county, where he had resided about three years when he came to Franklin county in 1854."
This brings the settlement of Franklin county up to a time when immigration set in rapidly, and it is impossible to trace it further in this chapter. In the histories of the various townships the settlement is treated more at length and carried to a much later date.
BUFFALO AND ELK ABOUNDED
Game of almost every description abounded here in 1852 and 1853, including buffalo and elk. The buffalo disappeared about 1854, and the elk about 1856. Judge Reeve and Mr. Mayne, late in the fall of 1852, while hunting for elk, having an ox team with them, came across a drove of nearly a hundred buffaloes in the ravine be- low A. D. St. Clair's present residence in Reeve township, and fired into them, but without effect. The buffaloes started northward and they followed them, getting a shot now and then, as the herd would come to a stream and be huddled together at the crossing. They killed none, however, until they had followed them to Chapin's Grove, when they were fortunate enough to creep up behind a bluff and kill two. But it was already getting dark, and a sudden snow squall came up, so that they could not get their bearings, and accordingly they skinned their slain buffaloes and wrapping them- selves in the hides, lay down between the upturned wagon box and a fire they had built and slept until morning. By daylight it was clear and they could distinguish the timber at Shobe's Grove, whither they wended their way and reached home by noon. Judge Reeve and William Braden, now of Otisville, killed an immense buffalo
92
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY
bull on the prairie in June, 1856, somewhere near section 16, in Hamilton township. The old fellow was just jumping the channel of Mayne's creek, when a shot brought him down and he tumbled into the bed of the creek, and was so heavy that it was impossible for them to get him out without going for more help. This is about the last buffalo that we have any record of excepting a stray one that wandered into the county about 1854-5 and was discovered near Maysville by W. L. Shroyer. The whole neighborhood turned out on horseback and after a three hours' hunt he was finally killed near the south line of the county, about half way between Ackley and Iowa Falls. The elk stayed longer. C. M. Leggett tells of killing one in September, 1855, on or near the place now owned by S. H. Carter, in Reeve township. Leggett and Solomon Staley were drawing hay, Leggett being on the load. He saw the elk off about half a mile, and calling Staley's attention to it, slid down from the load and each taking a horse and pitchfork, started in pursuit. Leggett overtook him and struck him in the neck with the fork, but the tines stuck fast and jerked the handle out of his hands. He kept close behind, however, and when the elk came to the little creek that runs across the southeast corner of Carter's farm, the handle stuck in the ground and Leggett, jumping from his horse, held on until Staley came up with the other fork, which he firmly planted in the elk's neck on the other side. Dr. Mitchell was out hunting prairie chickens and came up with a shot gun, terribly excited. Standing off about ten feet, he took good aim, fired and missed clean. He then took aim with the other barrel, but had the "buck ague" so badly that he landed the charge in the elk's nose, whereupon the poor beast bellowed terrifically. Leggett then tried to get the doctor to take hold of the pitchfork and let him try his hand with the gun, but the doctor's blood was up and he swore he would shoot that elk if it took all the powder he had in his horn. Accordingly he reloaded and walking up to the animal, putting the muzzle of the gun about six inches from its head, put an end to its sufferings.
This exploit excited all hands so much that the next morning they made up a party consisting of half a dozen men, a team, two or three saddle horses, and no end of dogs, and all hands went up southwest of the Merriss place, in Grant township, and after skir- mishing around they got up a small herd and Dr. Mitchell had the good fortune to kill another one, and some one else in the party, whose name we cannot now give, killed one also, which they thought was good enough for one day. In the fall of 1855, Leggett and his
93
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY
wife were going across the prairie to John I. Popejoy's, when they saw a large herd of elk crossing Mayne's creek directly west of George Wright's residence, in Lee township. They counted 195, and saw more that they did not count. Deer never were numerous, as they are more apt to frequent timbered countries, but what few there were when the first settlers came, soon disappeared.
THE INDIAN SCARE
All newly settled countries, if they do not suffer from the depre- dations of the Indians, have panics caused by reports of their depredations elsewhere, or frequently, by false reports of massacres, etc. Franklin county had her first experience in this line on the 4th of July, 1854, and its origin is believed to be about as follows :
Clear Lake was regarded as within the "neutral ground" between the Sioux, Sacs and Foxes, and any trespassing on this ground by either tribe, was sure to bring on trouble. But the Government had made it a Winnebago reservation, and placed the Winnebagoes there- on, although the Sioux never consented to have the reservation used by that tribe and became so hostile in their attitude towards them that Fort Atkinson, in the southwest corner of Winneshiek county, was built in 1840, and soldiers placed therein to protect the Winne- bagoes from the inroads of the bloodthirsty Sioux.
In 1851, a man named Hewitt, who had been a trader among the Winnebagoes, located at Clear Lake, and in the fall of 1853, several families of Winnebagoes, headed by a chief called To-Shan-ega (The Otter), came and located where the village of Clear Lake now stands. The Sioux who, as has been stated, lived farther north, in Minnesota, hearing of this, determined to exterminate the little party of Winnebagoes, and accordingly, in June, 1854, came down to the lake about five hundred strong. For some time they pre- tended to be friendly, but before long caught a Winnebago boy away from the village alone, whom they killed and chopped off his head. Hewitt and his two other white neighbors then seeing that trouble was inevitable, sent the Winnebagoes with their teams to Fort Snell- ing, near St. Paul, starting them in the night. After they were gone, the settlers all gathered at the house of Mr. Dickinson and the Sioux hung around until satisfied that the Winnebagoes had gone, when they left for Minnesota. Soon after their departure, a detachment of fifty soldiers that had been sent by the Governor of the state, ar- rived at the lake, and it was from this affair that the report spread
94
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY
through all northern Iowa that a general massacre of the whites was intended by the Indians.
The little settlement at Mayne's Grove, or the greater portion of it, spent July 4, 1854, at the house of John Mitchell, which our readers will remember was the old Mayne house on the John S. Jones place. While history and tradition both are silent as to what the particular exercises of the day were, so far as the lords of crea- tion are concerned, yet it is to be presumed that they sat out-doors in the shade and talked politics or told hunting stories, like their brethren of a later day. The ladies had a quilting, and all had a good dinner, thanks to the hospitality and culinary skill of Mrs. Mitchell and Miss Smith. At an early hour they separated and wended they way homeward with their ox teams, and we presume that the most of the families, after comparing their fourth with the good times gone by, back in Ohio, or Indiana, or elsewhere, retired to their beds about the usual time. In the middle of the night, how- ever, word was carried hurriedly from cabin to cabin: "The In- dians! the Indians!" And as the pioneer would open his door and stand, half asleep and half awake, he would be entirely awakened by his neighbor's statement that "Four hundred Sioux warriors are at Clear Lake and moving this way!" How the report reached the settlement we are unable to say, but so far as we now learn, Silas Moon, who lived on the J. D. Parks place, was the first to spread the news. A son of Job Garner notified the people who lived in the "bend" of the creek-Mitchells, Springers, Arledges, etc. By daylight the whole settlement was ready for the march and except- ing the families of John Mayne and Dr. Arledge, struck out for the settlement at Beaver Grove, in Butler county. It should have been stated that the wife of Dr. Arledge died two or three days be- fore this time, and was buried in the cemetery on the hill west of J. S. Jones', being the first person buried there, and her children had all been taken home by relatives residing near Hardin City, Arledge absolutely refusing to go, and when the train left, was still there. Miss Smith (now Mrs. H. J. Mitchell) and others think that he either remained there while they were away or went to Hardin City. Mayne, too, went to the Iowa river with his family instead of going with the rest.
Old Mr. Mitchell, too, strongly objected to going, and wanted to stay and fight it out, and at first declared he would not go, but finally was persuaded to accompany the rest. It was warm weather and there were but two horse teams in the train, all the balance be-
95
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY
ing oxen. The settlers, too, had gathered up most of their cattle, and as they were driven along their progress was necessarily tedious and slow. They passed within a mile or so of Downs' Grove, and the Downs, family seeing the wagons, came out. To the excited imagi- nations of the fugitives, the panic-stricken family, who it seems had also heard something of the Indian troubles, became bloodthirsty savages who had already murdered the Downs family, and now sal- lied forth from the grove to massacre the emigrants, pillage the train and exterminate the white population of Franklin county at one blow. Flight was impossible, so a halt was ordered and the little party disposed in as good order as possible for defense. Happily, however, the precautions were needless, and the train forthwith pro- ceeded on its way, augmented by the Downs family who, having no team, accompanied it on foot. Where the McCormick family were at this time does not appear, but they were probably at Hardin City spending the Fourth and had not yet returned home.
At night they camped and sentinels were posted, and let it be recorded that Miss Smith, the pioneer teacher of Franklin county, insisted on taking her turn in standing guard with the rest.
In about three days they reached their destination and most of them camped near where the village of New Hartford now is, some of them going to Cedar Falls.
The two elder sons of Mr. Allen, together with Hogan and Tatum, had gone back to Janesville to spend the Fourth, and at that place heard of the Indian trouble, and while one of the boys and Hogan joined a company who were going up to Clear Lake to learn the exact state of affairs, the other one and Tatum returned to Allen's Grove after the families, bringing them down to Janesville, where they remained nearly two months, returning about the first of September.
Of the party who went to Beaver Grove, some of them returned in about two weeks, while some stayed until after the harvest, and returned to find the most of their sod corn and vegetables destroyed by what stock they had left at home.
It is doubtful whether Mayne ever returned with his family to the grove after this time or not. His claim, as has been stated, had been "entered out" and late in the summer he left for Missouri in about the same style, and just about as rich in this world's goods as he had come into Franklin county, two years before. He was a remarkable man in many respects and there was something mys- terious about him that none of his neighbors ever solved. From what
96
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY
his wife said, he was from Indiana and had always been just on the verge of civilization, dividing his time between trapping, hunting and making claims. He never referred to his past life, and from this it was inferred that he had committed some deed for which he had fled westward.
He was quick witted and sharp in many things but exceedingly superstitious and distrustful. When going on a hunting expedition, he never took his gun and went out-of-doors, but always went out without it and had his wife bring it out to him. This he fancied brought him good luck, and it is said that he would wait for hours before setting forth upon a hunt when his wife was absent, for her to return and hand him out his gun. He could neither read nor write and as his name was given to the grove where he resided and the creek that runs through it, it is spelled on all old maps as "Main," but in later years W. N. Davidson, an attorney at Hampton, drew a large map of the county and in lettering the creek, adopted the plan of spelling the name "Mayne," and his method of spelling it generally prevails at present. Of Mayne's subsequent history we have never heard anything, yet it is fair to presume, that if alive, he is somewhere at the heels of the buffalo and the Indian in the Far West.
Amon and Urias Rice have been mentioned as locating at Four Mile Grove, in June, 1854. They arrived there on the 25th of June, and moved into the house with Job Garner, who lived on the Boots place. With the family of Amon Rice came a sister of Mrs. Rice- Anna Scott (now Mrs. J. B. Goldsborough) -who is a resident of Hampton at the present time, and was one of the party at John Mitchell's, on the 4th of July,* but she states that instead of the In- dian scare being the night following, it was the Sunday night fol- lowing, although she cannot now recollect what day in the week the 4th came on. The news was brought to the families of Garners and Rices by one of the Van Horns, who had been up to his claim on the farm where C. J. Mott now resides just north of Hampton, and was then on his way back to his family near Janesville, in Bremer county. It now appears probable that Van Horn must have been the one who also carried the news to the settlement at Mayne's Grove, probably to Moon's on the J. D. Park's place. Van Horn came to Garners before bed-time and the families immediately set
* Orson G. Reeve declares he distinctly remembers that the Indians were dis- cussed on this occasion. He thinks the 4th of July that year came on Sunday and that night word came that the Indians were approaching.
97
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY
about making preparations for departure. Garner's people had quite a number of chickens and the thrifty housewife concluded that the best method of taking them along was to kill, pick and cook them, which job took nearly all night to accomplish, and when daylight came, all were loaded up and on the way down Mayne's creek. They camped the first night at the "Horse-neck," near Willoughby, in Butler county, which must have been a pretty good drive for ox teams. The next day they went to Cedar Falls. The Garner family remained away about three weeks and Amon Rice's about four. Urias Rice did not return to the county at all.
Mention has been made of Peter Rhinehart's selling his claim (the Haines place), to a man named Loomis, who came out with C. M. Leggett, in June. Immediately after the Indian "hegira" Rhinehart went still farther down the creek and made a claim where W. B. Bryan now lives, and where William Ward lived for sev- eral years. There just above the spring on the side hill he built a double log house that was imposing in its dimensions in those days. The same house was afterwards torn down and moved to Hamp- ton, and stood until about 1877 on the front of the lots now occupied by Major Kellam's residence on Reeve street.
Rhinehart got well settled in his new house in November and about the same time a man named Carnes came and made a claim where Richard Horner now lives and built there. Of him we know scarcely anything excepting that his wife died that winter and that he left the county a year or so afterwards.
Silas Moon sold his claim on the J. D. Parks place in September to a man named McCrary or McCreery and also went farther down the creek, locating where A. D. Benson now lives. About the same time a man named Henry W. Smith came and made a claim on the old Perdue place, now also owned by Benson, and built a house. Later still in the fall, Quincy A. Jordan, from Illinois, came and taking the claim where Rufus Benson resides, built a large log house there. Jordan was pretty well-to-do in this world's goods and had furniture and family clothing, considerably ahead of the average of his neighbors. Jordan's people brought with them a little Swiss girl, apparently ten or twelve years of age, of whom they made a sort of a menial. The child could not speak a word of the English language, but seemed unhappy and wretched, and in a couple of months after the arrival of the family here, two men, dressed and ap- pearing like gentlemen, came on and took the child away. No ex- planations were made to the neighbors, but it was reported in the
1
98
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY
community at the time that Jordan was compelled to pay the men quite a respectable sum as damages. Nothing further was ever known about the matter.
In December, 1854, a subscription school was started in one room of Rhinehart's double log house, and Miss Anna Scott, al- though not yet fifteen years of age, was engaged as its teacher. The school continued through the winter with good success. Spelling schools were frequent and the whole population of the settlement would turn out. This was the second school taught in the county, the first being that of Miss Smith (Mrs. Mitchell), already men- tioned.
Not a little of the details of this chapter was obtained from O. G. Reeve, son of Judge J. B. Reeve, who was seven years of age at the time his father located in Franklin county. This same O. G. Reeve is now representative from the Seventy- fourth Assembly district and up to the fall of 1912, remained on the farm in Reeve township, where he was one of its prominent farmers and stock raisers. At the time mentioned, Mr. Reeve took up his residence in Hampton.
The writer had the pleasure of meeting this hardy son of a pioneer father. Mr. Reeve has now been a resident of the county sixty years and has grown up with it. When he came, a little fel- low of seven summers, there were no houses, no farms. There was not one domestic animal anywhere near, save and except his father's team of horses, and John Mayne's oxen. The elder Reeve brought into the county the first chickens. These he obtained by trading bas- kets for them at the settlement on the Iowa river. The baskets were woven by Peter Rhinehart, who made his appearance at the hos- pitable Reeve cabin the first winter of its existence.
Mr. Reeve tells it, that his father, Judge Reeve, first broke ten acres of prairie land in Reeve township with John Mayne's plow, that had a "land side." This plow was carried by the elder Reeve on his shoulder to Hardin City, where it was sharpened and then taken back the same way to the settlement.
In speaking of Job Garner, who owned the land now the site of Hampton, Mr. Reeve says that he preached the first sermon ever heard in Franklin county. This took place about 1854, in the Fair- child house, then standing on section 23, Reeve township, and on what is now known as the Amos Sheppard farm.
There was plenty of game in those early days and Mr. Reeve called to mind that his father and John Mayne killed the last buffalo
99
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY
seen in the county, in front of Ed Hicks' house. Previous to this oc- currence these pioneers killed three buffaloes in one night and about fifteen during the winter a short time before the Civil war. The nar- rator also remembered Dr. L. H. Arledge, who was one of the first of his profession to appear in the county. He also called to mind that a "doctor" came to the settlement the first fall and discovered to his father the medicinal virtues of Wahoo bark. The method of preparing Wahoo bitters was by steeping the bark in whisky. The liquid thus prepared was an old Indian remedy for the ague and other afflictions and in many instances it proved quite efficacious. The Reeve family kept Wahoo bitters on hand almost constantly and the memory of it clings to at least one member to this day. In this con- nection it may be well to state that for seventeen years after coming to Franklin county, no physician was called to the Reeve homestead in a professional capacity. This is all the more matter of comment, when one is informed the Reeve family had grown in the meantime. Those of the children born here were : Ella, who lives in St. Maries, Idaho; Herman D., member of the law firm of Hull & Reeve, Wash- ington, D. C .; Emily, for six years county superintendent of schools for Franklin county, and now an instructor in a missionary school in India. The children who were existent at the time of Judge Reeve's location in the county were: Fernando T., the oldest son, who was taken prisoner in 1864 and died that year in Andersonville prison ; Theodore H., now living in Dewey, Oklahoma; Orrilla M. who became the wife of John James, is now a widow and lives in Arkansas; Orson G., the teller of these tales; Beulah M .; J. Rum- sey, lumber merchant, Hampton; Susan M., wife of Henry Clock, Long Beach, California; and J. A., a resident of Reeve township.
ANOTHER HUNTING STORY
Mr. Foutch, a resident of Bremer county, told the following hunting story in 1905 :
In June, 1853, Mr. Foutch, in company with Mace Eveland, Joshua Stufflebeam, Columbus Stufflebeam, Goforth Julian, Webster and Austin Ferris left their log cabins on the Cedar for a week's hunt- ing trip in the wilds of Butler, Franklin and adjoining counties west. They crossed the Shell Rock river at what was then known as Coon's Grove. At that time there was not a house between there and Boy- lan's Grove near Dumont. The second day out they struck a buffalo trail about where the town of Allison is located and hurrying on
100
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY
caught sight of a herd of over fifty buffaloes heading west. They fol- lowed all that afternoon but were unable to get near enough to bring the bison within range of their guns. The creeks and rivers were swollen by heavy June rains and the buffaloes had the advantage of the hunters. The buffaloes would plunge into the stream anywhere it crossed their trail and swim across while the hunters were com- pelled to find a shallow place where they could ford, as they had a team and covered wagon along, beside their saddle horses. At one good sized stream they found a favorable crossing over a beaver dam, which had been constructed by these busy animals in these early days. Another crossing was made in Indian canoes in which the baggage and perishable goods were transported to the other side and the horses swam the stream, being led behind the canoes.
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.