USA > Iowa > Cerro Gordo County > History of Franklin and Cerro Gordo counties, Iowa and biographies of representative citizens. History of Iowa, embracing accounts of the pre-historic races > Part 25
USA > Iowa > Franklin County > History of Franklin and Cerro Gordo counties, Iowa and biographies of representative citizens. History of Iowa, embracing accounts of the pre-historic races > Part 25
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who braved the vicissitudes of frontier life, endured the absence of home, friends and old associations, the severing of whose tender ties must have wrung all hearts. The devotion which would lead to such a breaking away to follow a father, a hus- band or a son into a trackless waste be- yond the Mississippi, where gloomy ap- prehensions must have arisen in the mind, is worthy of the highest praise. The val- ue of the part taken by the noble women who first came to this uninhabited region cannot be over estimated. Although by nature liberal, they practiced the most rigid economy and often at critical times preserved order, reclaiming the men from despair during gloomy periods, and their example of industry constantly admon- ished him to renewed exertion, and the in- stincts of womanhood ever encouraged in- tegrity and manhood.
As to the effects of frontier life upon those who have secured homes west of the Mississippi, a few observations may not be inappropriate.
Years ago the Rev. Dr. Bushnell, a noted divine in the east, preached a ser- mon on the barbarous tendencies of civili- zation in the west, and on this the rever- end gentleman predicated an urgent ap- . peal to Christianity to put forth renewed and strenuous efforts to save the west from a relapse into barbarism. This tendency was supposed to result from the disruption of social and religious ties, the mingling of heterogeneous elements and the remov- al of external restraints, so common, and supposed to be so patent, in older commu- nities. Dr. Bushnell did not have a suffi- ciently extended view of the subject, for, in looking over the history of the past, we
find that in a nomadic condition there is never any real progress in refinement. In- stitutions for the elevation of the race must be planted deep in the soil before they can raise their heads in beauty and majes- ty towards heaven, and bear fruit for the enlightenment of nations. The evils of which Dr. Bushnell was so afraid are merely temporary in their character and will have no lasting impression. What actually happens is this : at first there is an obvious increase of human freedom, but the element of self-government every- where largely predominates, and the fu- sion of the races, which is inevitable, will in due time create a composite nationality or a race as unlike as it must be superior to those that have preceded it. Even now, before the first generation has passed away, society in the west has outgrown the irritation of the transplanting, and there are no more vicious elements in so- ciety here than in the east, as the criminal statistics will abundantly show.
EARLY DAYS, BY LEVI S. JONES.
"On the 12th of September, 1854, myself and family left Indiana to come to Iowa. W'e came through with horse teams, also bringing several head of cattle, and were twenty-two days on the road. The trip was a long one, and the roads were so bad on account of much rain that we had a hard time getting here. We located first in Buchanan county, where we spent the.winter. During the winter I hunted for a permanent location, and finally found my way to Franklin county, where, in Reeve township, we found just the loca- tion we desired. On the 1st of March, 1855, we left Buchanan county, and after a week's hard driving through mud and
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
slush, we reached our destination. About this time hay was very scarce, and we had to go to Hardin county to get hay for the horses and cattle. Hay was high, and for a small wagon box full we had to pay five dollars. Grass soon came, however, and we had no more hay to buy. Market was a long way from us. For provisions we had to go to Waterloo and Cedar Rapids, and thought we were living in fine style if we had plenty of corn cakes. During our first winter here a great amount of snow fell, making it almost impossible to get about with horses, so everything had to be hauled on hand sleds. This same win- ter we had the good fortune to kill a large elk that furnished us with the finest steaks and broils all winter. Our dog, a great strong fellow, chased the elk about tive miles and finally got it down and stood guard until we came up. Our first erop was a lot of sod corn. We broke twelve aeres of our land and chopped in the seed: We had a good crop, and some said the corn was as sound and firm as any they had ever seen in the east. We first lived in a rude cabin made of rough logs, and I have often said that that old log cabin was just as good as a mansion. In 1860, I built a more modern house in which I now live.
EXPERIENCE OF IION. E. A. HOWLAND).
"On the Ist day of April, 1859, I landed with my family at Otisville. I was obliged to stay over night on my way from Web- ster City at Walled Lake, stopping at the celebrated hotel kept by E. Purcell. That night, March 31, it froze nearly hard enough to bear a man on the ice; and I was obliged to break a road through the ice with my feet in order to get my team
through the sloughs that abound between there and Otisville, and then carry my wife on my shoulders; my hired man drove the team. I took formal possession about twelve o'clock M. of the log house where William HI Selleck now lives. It was snowing some, freezing hard, and my clothes were wet to the waist. To add to the genuine merriment of the occasion, my wife, as she stepped into the door and took a general survey of puncheon doors and puncheon floor, the chimney built of sticks and mud, and the roof "shingled mit shakes," and the entire house plas- tered with mud and hog grease, shed a few tears but said not a word. The 2d of April was nshered in by an old fashioned blizzard. The snow was driven into the old shanty through its numerous crevices, adding very much to our personal discom- fort. The clouds broke away towards night, when by a vigorous use of a scoop shovel we relieved the inside of the shanty of snow-drifts. The weather continued cold until the last of April, and the farm- ers commenced sowing about the 1st of May. During the summer of 1857 or 1858, H. L. Morgan, who owned the west of the southwest quarter of section 30, township 91, range 22, and the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 31, township 91, range 22, laid off into town lots the west half of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of sec- tion 30, township 91, range 22, and called the town Otisville. About the same time a postoffice was established at Otisville with Lewis H. Morgan as postmaster. The farm that I moved on as a renter, was entered in 1859 by a Mr. Bacon, but at the time I occupied it, was owned by Philan-
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
der Smith and Isaac Munson, of Jefferson Co., N. Y. The farm consisted of the west fractional half of the west fractional half of the northwest quarter of section 31, township 91, range 22, also the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 25; the west half of the southeast quarter and northwest quarter of section 31, and the southeast quarter of the north- east quarter of section 36, in all 2923 acres. Just across the road from where the Otisville school house now stands was a log shanty about 14x16 feet, in which were living Frank White and family and Charles Bullis and family with R. E. Train and Robert Duffy as boarders, in all fourteen persons. White and Bullis soon after moved to Horse Grove, and Train and Duffy rented the farm now owned by A. S. Eskridge. Joseph Os- born owned and occupied what is now known as the W. H. Troth farm. Joseph Ray lived on section 29, on the east side of the grove, and an old bachelor by the name of Weaver at the northeast corner of the grove, on section 29. Weaver was considered a dangerous character, feared by all his neighbors, who warned me to be careful how I offended him. He did draw a rifle on me and threatened to blow my brains out. Not having any brains to spare, I concluded to "beard the lion in his den." As a result he was the worst whipped man I ever saw, and nobody hurt. The entire neighborhood being hoosiers they had declared war on the Yankee, but when the bully was cleaned out they sued for peace, and from that time I had no more trouble with the natives.
The first Sabbath school was established in 1860 or 1861, with R. E. Train as
superintendent, and E. A. Howland as bible class leader. Mrs. Samuel Parkin- son was the only professing Christian in the community, and it was through her efforts that the school was established. Of course Mrs. Parkinson always opened the school with prayer. Train and Howland were decidedly worldly, and knew about as much of the bible as they did of their dutch almanac. After a thorough revival of religion in the winter of 1862-3, a church was organized and known as the Presbyterian Church of Otisville and Oak- land. Ever since that time the Sabbath school at Otisville has been a grand success. Lewis II Morgan sold his faim the spring of 1864, I think, and removed to Oregon, where he still resides. R. E. Train was married to Huldah Jane Mor- gan in the spring of 1861. I was invited to attend the wedding, but was warned by Mrs. Morgan that I must not plague Jane, as that would make Train mad. Not being the possessor of clothing suitable for so great an occasion, I borrowed a suit of my brother, and in company with Mrs. How- land attended the wedding. Jedediah, Esq., of Oakland, was the officiating magistrate, and it was hard to tell which was the most embarrassed, the 'Squire or the bridegroom. I was compelled, how- ever, to interrupt the cermony when about half through to change sides with the bride and groom, as I did not want them married left handed. In the spring of 1865, I purchased the farm of Smith & Munson, together with all the stock, farm- ing utensils, etc., running in debt therefor about $5,000 on ten years' time at seven per cent. interest, but was fortunate to pay for it in four years. I remained on
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
this farm until October, 1873, when I sold it to W. C. Tyrrell, and removed to Bel- mont. Frank Walters purchased the Ray farm, on section 29, east side of the grove, in 1861. Mrs. Walters was a fine speci- men of a Posey county hoosier. She was an inveterate smoker, but raised her own tobacco. Her breath was enough to con- vince any one of the evile of tobacco smok- ing. During the summer of 1867, I think, the people gathered in the grove near Mr. Walters' house for a basket picnic, and they had a good time generally. After dinner the game of copenhagen was intro- duced. It consisted of forming a ring with one hand hold of a rope, and one or two persons inside the ring. If the per- sons inside the ring could strike the hand of one of the opposite sex while hold of the rope, it was their privilege to kiss them before they dodged inside the rope. The cattle king was on hand as usual, and, feeling that I owed him one, I managed to get Mrs. Walters inside the ring and instructed her to go for Popejoy. Calling Popejoy's attention to his horses, Mrs. Walters took the advantage and dealt him a fearful blow on the hand. Before he could recover from his astonishment she kissed him on his mouth, giving him the full benefit of her delicious breath. Popejoy declared it was a regular millen- nium buss, and it so effectually cured him of the habit of smoking, that he didn't indulge again for two years.
INCIDENTS OF EARLY DAYS IN FRANKLIN COUNTY.
By Mrs. H. J. Mitchell.
As the historian requested me to write a reminiscence of pioneer life, this thought
suggests itself. Our early experience might encourage other young people to see a light beyond the present dark cloud of poverty. In regard to our financial circumstances, we had nothing, or nearly so. I was young, not quite seventee , and had earned a little money teaching school at one dollar and a half per week. My husband, II. J. Mitchell, said one day (before we were married), "I have twenty dollars, do you think we could commence house-keeping ?" I thought we could, so we were married and began keeping house and only used thirteen of the twenty dollars, that ineluded our furniture, cook stove, dishes and groceries. Our stove only cost one dollar and a half, three chairs, fifty cents a piece, our table, my husband made, also our bedsteads. I had beds and bedding for two beds, my sister gave me two breadths of rag carpet, this I spread on the sit ing room side of our house. The house was 14x16 feet. I put a curtain around the meal barrel ( we had no flour ) and over it placed a board on which I laid the family bible and hymn book. This was our center table. I had white curtains at my one window, also around one bed. I had two beds in this one room, for I always believed in being ready for guests. Now we were keeping house and quite nice and cozy it seemed, but with what little expense. We have neighbors near us now who can remember our little home. We both tried our best to earn something. I would knit lace gloves or sew for any who would hire such things done. When we had been married about one year, my father gave me thirty dollars. This bought our first cow, and from her milk I sold, during the next four
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
months, twelve dollars worth of butter. Here I will tell a little incident : One of the neighbors, Leander Reeves, came to father Jones ( he was our class leader and still is ) to have his horses shod; his wife came to make me a visit. I had sold all the butter except enough for one meal, this was kept that I should not be out. I felt very pleased to see her, we had a nice visit and dinner was over. The sun ( we had no clock ) indicated that night was approaching and I ought to get-I was going to say tea, but that was out of the question, as we had no tea-supper, but the butter was gone; we had eaten it for dinner. We had meat, and I must make that answer. It was quite a trial for me. Mr. Reeves' folks were quite well off and I felt sorry for them to know that I had sold all the butter, yet now I feel glad that I was willing to do what I could to pay for our home. My husband was working every day that he could get work to do, for the land must be paid for and only our two pair of hands to earn the money ; but I forget, about this time two other little hands came to help, and they surely did help. Many here can remen- ber little Charley, he is at rest now, but he was one of the comforts of pioneer life. The winter of 1856-7 was very cold and my brother-in-law, John Mitch- ell, thought we must come and stay with them; they lived near the timber and we on the prairie. They had a log house 18x20 feet. Their family consisted of eleven persons, three of which were boarders, but people did not think of being crowded in those days. We kept the baby in a basket hung over a joist and we would each as we passed, jog the
basket. It was'nt as nice, perhaps, as a crib, but he seemed as happy as need be. One more item and I am done. The sum- mer we were married three years, our cow died. It was a great loss to us, for we had neither butter to eat nor sell ; how- ever, we had a pig to kill, and as calico dresses had got pretty searce, I sold the lard at the store of Clock & Wheeler. There was only enough to pay for seven yards. I made it up and it was rather short. One of the neighbors cime to see me and she said "your dress is too short," but I said "it will be long enough before I get another." 'Thus, you see, though we were poor, we were happy.
I feel that I must speak of our first ride with our own team and conveyance. We had a yoke of two year old steers. This was when we had been married a little over one year. My husband made a little sled, also a yoke for the steers. He hitched them to the sled and tied a rope to their horns and I took the baby and rode on the sled. He walked and led the team. We have rode out under different circumstances since, but I am sure we never enjoyed ourselves better than we did that day. I do not think we endured more privations than others, really not as much as some. I have only written this to encourage young people to think that they may dare the privations of frontier life, and feel confident that with industry and economy, they may hope o make for themselves and children a comfortable home. MRS. OCTAVIA MITCHELL.
INCIDENTS OF EARLY DAYS.
By L. B. Raymond.
Game of almost every description abounded here in 1852 and 1853, including
*
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.
John Anlay. .
Mary Imlay.
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THE NEW YORK. PUBLIC LIBRARY
or, Lenox and .an
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
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, and both on foot, came across a drove of nearly a hun- dred buffaloes in the ravine below 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 Bailey's creek, some four or five miles west of Shobe'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 ac- cordingly they skinned their slain buf- faloes and wrapping themselves in the hides lay down 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 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. Schroyer. 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 on 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. Ile 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 pitch .- fork, 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 ter- rifically. 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. Ac- cordingly 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.
10
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
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 south- west of the Merriss place in Grant town- ship and after skirmishing 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 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 town- ship 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 depredations of the Indians, have panics caused by reports of t cir depredations elsewhere or frequently by false reports of massacres, etc. Frank- lin county had her first experience in this line on the 4th of July, 1854, and its origin is believed to be about a follows :
Clear Lake was regarded as with- in the "neutral ground" between the Sioux, Sacs and Foxes, and any tres- passing 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 thereon, although the Sioux never con-
sented to have the reservation used by that tribe and beenme 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 Winneba- goes from the inroads of the bloodthirsty Sioux.
In 1851 a man named Hewitt, who had been a trader among the Winnebagoes, lo- cated 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 Winne- bagoes, and accordingly in June, 1854, came down to the lake about five hundred strong. For some time they pretened to be friendly, but before long caught a Win- nebago 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 Snelling, 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 Win- nebagoes 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, arrived at the lake, and it was from this affair that the report spread through all northern Iowa that a general massacre of the whites was intended by the Indians.
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HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
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 creation are concerned, yet it is to be presumed that they sat out doors in the shade and talked polities 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 their 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, baek in Ohio or Indiana or elsewhere, re- tired to their beds about the usual time. In the middle of the night, however, word was carried hurriedly from cabin to cabin : "The Indians ! 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 state- ment 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, Sturms, Ar- lidges, etc. By daylight the whole set- tlement was ready for the march and ex- cepting the families of John Mayne and Dr. Arlidge struck out for the settlement
at Beaver Grove, in Butler county. It should have been stated that the wife of Dr. Arlidge died two or three days be- fore this time, and was buried in the cem- etery on the hill west of J. S. Jones', being the first person buried there, and her children had all been taken home by rela- tives residing near Hardin City, Arlidge 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.
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